Chapter 0

Thud

It seems I’ve been out cold for quite a while!

Blink blink

When I opened my eyes, there was a ceiling I had never seen before right in front of me!

Old wood creak

It was an old wooden ceiling, with little holes scattered here and there, and spider webs thick in the corners.

This doesn’t look like a hospital…

If I really collapsed from a stroke, it must be a very serious situation, and I should have been taken to a hospital with proper facilities by ambulance.

And if it’s that well-equipped, it wouldn’t be in such disrepair!

No, more than that, finding this kind of wooden house in the heart of Seoul would be even harder.

After a moment of staring blankly, I finally sat up.

Eek!

I heard a chilling creak from the bed I was lying on.

My body felt light.

I mean… too light!

I felt like there was no neck disc from staring down at a cheap, blue monitor that didn’t even adjust its height! And my chronic back pain from slouching seemed to have vanished.

Stretching both arms upwards, my shoulders didn’t feel stiff at all, and my vision was clear even without my glasses!

…Yeah, I feel light. Like I’ve become 25 years younger.

The problem is, if I’m 25 years younger, that means I’m five years old!

My field of vision was extremely low. My body was skinny, and my limbs were inexplicably short for an adult.

My hair cascaded down to my butt. When I grabbed it with my hand, I felt silky black hair that didn’t quite fit this place.

The visible hands were not the hands of a man who had just entered his thirties but were instead very small, delicate, and pale—like a little girl’s hands.

“Ah, ah.”

I spoke out of the blue.

I couldn’t be sure if it was a girl’s or a boy’s voice because I was way too young, but at least it wasn’t a voice soaked in alcohol and cigarettes.

Turning my gaze, I found a bunch of children gathered around my bed.

Their faces were filthy, and they looked incredibly skinny, as if they hadn’t eaten properly. Wearing oversized and worn-out shirts, they stared at me, mouths agape.

“….”

“….”

We stared at each other blankly for a while, unsure of what to say.

“Who are you?”

At last, the tallest boy among the children, looking like a leader, spoke up.

The language that came out of his mouth sounded like English.

It was simple enough for me to understand… but for some reason, it felt different from the English I was used to.

No, more importantly, was it even English?

It did sound somewhat different.

“…”

Well, whether I understood him or not, we were in the same boat—I had no idea how to respond.

*

At first, I thought I had time-traveled to Britain during the Industrial Revolution.

You know the trope—someone suddenly collapses and wakes up in the body of someone from a different era… those alternate history stories. I’m not exactly a history buff, but I’ve read my fair share of alternate history novels. After all, reading web novels was the best way to kill time during my daily commute!

I didn’t discriminate among genres and hopped around various sites, reading whatever struck my fancy, so while I can’t claim to have solid historical knowledge, I kind of had a feel for the era.

Looking at people’s outfits and the gloomy alleyways, I thought I was in the Victorian era when Jack the Ripper was roaming about!

But that notion shattered completely two days later when I saw an airship gliding through the alley!

It looked like a ship floating above the sea, bizarrely suspended upside down in the air.

The ship, propelled by a steam engine and leaving a trail of black smoke like a comet, was flying beneath a gargantuan airship, making it appear as though it was hanging upside down with its deck and cannons visible below. It even had a wooden deck, giving me the sensation of looking down at a ship afloat on the sea.

In reality, the ship was looking down at us!

In any realistic scenario, that would be impossible. No matter how full the airship was with hydrogen or helium, it couldn’t carry such heavy weight through the air. Even if it barely managed to lift off, there’d be no way to actually use its cannons; the recoil would throw off its balance the moment it fired!

But that ship was soaring through the sky with a formation of biplanes escorting it—should I call it a fleet or a squadron? It was large and had a majestic presence.

After watching that ship sail through the sky, I realized exactly what kind of world I had stepped into.

I hadn’t entered the web novel I had been reading. Well, given that I’d never even commented, it’s not like they’d be hunting me down anyway.

This world was more like the one from a game.

A JRPG series I had been playing non-stop for the last seven years.

It was a game that took inspiration from Britain’s Industrial Revolution and layered on some steampunk with the unique flair of Japanese subculture, boasting a fervent fanbase among certain otaku circles.

It was definitely one of the games from the Millennium company’s Chronicles of Aetherna series.

*

Millennium is a small company based in Osaka, Japan. With only around 40 employees, their graphics and optimization capabilities are rather lacking, which has led to users describing their newer releases as ‘looking like last-gen console graphics.’

That’s not to say they haven’t made any progress, but it’s slow. In fact, looking at the graphics from other Japanese game companies that have been around for a similar amount of time, Millennium’s technological prowess falls objectively below average.

But that’s something only non-gamers would say.

The devoted fans of the series are simply grateful for each new installment that comes out every year. The sales haven’t been that spectacular, and just five years ago, the game didn’t even have a Korean version available.

The series has a history of about 20 years. Initially released for PC, the game faced huge losses due to piracy and moved to portable consoles. Eventually, it returned to home consoles and now is back on PC as well.

They continually attract new users by re-releasing past works on the current-gen consoles or as PC ports, and though the technology may have lagged, newcomers still flock in due to its unique atmosphere.

I had been bombarded by sales pitches from friends and consistently bought each new series since about seven years ago.

Following the rule that those who start later tend to get deeper into the game, my friend would go out of his way to purchase strategy guides from online shops in Japan, play the Japanese versions before the Korean release, and even serialize his guides on a blog! By the time I realized it, I had been thoroughly sucked into the game.

While the series has lasted over 20 years, the worlds within the series are diverse. Each game, from the first through the fifth, sixth through eighth, ninth through thirteenth, and now the fourteenth, represent completely different settings. It’s easier to think of it as a series that reboots periodically while maintaining a basic system. As a result, even after 20 years, getting into the series isn’t overly complicated.

Moreover, the emotional experience during the conclusion of each setting, following the story in real-time, is incredibly profound.

It’s probably one of the reasons why I could get hooked on the game seven years ago.

“…”

Well, that’s one way to look at it.

The real question is, how did a non-Japanese person end up in a Japanese game?

While blogging and critiquing the scant cutscenes, I’ve had my moments of scathing remarks about repetitive event scenes and dialogue. I even mocked some plot inconsistencies only to later learn they were merely red herrings and had to delete those posts. There were even times when I flipped out on forums over a character I didn’t like.

…

Well, I wouldn’t say I’m completely guilt-free, but surely a Japanese game company wouldn’t have been watching my every move! Especially since the game’s being sold through a distributor, not released directly!

…

Honestly, thinking about it now, it probably doesn’t hold much significance.

The crucial thing is what role I’ve reincarnated into this world. To top it off, as a girl, no less!

Given the characteristics of this world, orphanages aren’t exactly desirable places, but if I’m not stuck in the same place as the main heroine, it might be just tolerable. If I’m lucky, I might get adopted by a bourgeois family without children.

“Sylvia!”

While I was gazing up at the now-apon the ship, an irate voice called out to me.

An emaciated old woman was approaching me, wielding a staff crudely carved from wood. Her back was hunched, but the sinister look on her face made her seem surprisingly sprightly.

Just so you know, Sylvia is the name I’ve acquired since coming into this world. My last name is Black.

I wasn’t originally one of the children in this orphanage, but apparently, I suddenly popped into existence two days ago, and my name has now been added to the list.

I wanted to ask the orphanage owner if she even knew how to check the list properly as she expressed her annoyance about my sudden appearance, but I held back because I had just seen her hit a child with her staff right before.

If I had the strength of an adult in my thirties, I could have easily knocked her down, but at this moment, I was merely a five-year-old child.

“Yes.”

I answered as quietly as I could and turned my body towards the old woman.

“A new child has arrived. You take care of her.”

Huh? Me?

I barely managed to suppress that response.

Given my nature of not particularly liking children, I figured that would hold absolutely no value here. After all, I was a child myself!

In the normal course of things, the head of the orphanage would have taken on that responsibility, but lo and behold, the very day before, a couple who appeared to have committed suicide adopted that child.

“Look, I’m different from you filthy brats!”

The child who left us laughed as they departed, and into their place, here I was.

“Now you’re the oldest one here, right? And since you’ve been hiding for so long, you should be able to manage whatever comes your way.”

That was the reason.

I simply nodded as I didn’t want to experience the wrath of the smell of alcohol wafting off the old woman.

Following her, I made my way to the reception room on the first floor, where there was a single child amid the filthy environment, looking equally scruffy.

But even in such a dirty state, her fair skin and thick, dark blue hair reminiscent of the sea made it clear who she was.

“From today, this is Claire. You’ll be living here together, so get along!”

Unless you want to get hit, that is.

There seemed to be an unspoken threat behind those words.

The child who looked at me with shy, upturned eyes awkwardly smiled when our eyes met.

…At that moment, I was completely stunned.

Claire Fanggriffon.

Her looks and name matched exactly with the Claire Fanggriffon that was in my head.

Of course, she probably didn’t have the last name Fanggriffon right now.

…And, well, she was a character I absolutely did NOT want to meet in the ‘orphanage.’

Chapter 1

These days, it’s hard to find a heroine who doesn’t come with a 19+ tag, but just 20 years ago, we sometimes had heroines with a history of sexual abuse, even in all-ages games.

Of course, they never actually showed those scenes, just a little ‘look how pitiful this kid is’ moment, but honestly, it’s still a setup that could make anyone spit out blood.

However, Claire Fanggriffon is a character that can clearly be classified as a heroine, but she’s definitely not one that can be pursued. At least not in the series I played, as there was no route for that.

No, the issue isn’t about pursuing her; saving her is simply impossible.

Sure, it’s a 20-year-old series, but the storyline we’re dealing with right now started only five years ago. The 14th installment came out five years back and since then, three more have been released.

And by the late 2010s, it was simply too late for that kind of degrading character to appear.

The character traits might be attractive… I guess. Given her unfortunate past, some character traits make sense.

Like pretending to be cheerful to hide her dark past, becoming more mature than her peers, acting tough to seem strong, or reconciling with her estranged stepsister after being saved from her terribly dark past—

—While those setups exist, honestly, such a dark backstory could be created without necessarily involving ‘degradation’.

Whether it’s the creators’ taste or because the scenario writer who was scripting 20 years ago kept writing, who knows?

Regardless of Claire’s popularity, those stimulating setups continuously hindered her fame.

Moreover, whether Japan is different, domestically a few users keep stirring the pot around the character’s past, and that just dragged the perception further down.

Anyway, whether the production team was aware of this or if Claire was originally supposed to be a character for that purpose, in the latest installment, this character ultimately refuses the Emperor’s summons for his true daughter and sacrifices herself for her stepsister.

Regardless of the controversies trailing after her, no one could deny that story. “She was unhappy until the end, but still met the conclusion she wanted” is a character arc that always stays popular.

“Hmm…”

One problem is that this Claire, who is currently writhing in front of me, hasn’t even earned the name ‘Fanggriffon’ yet and doesn’t have such a gloomy past.

Claire is a character sold to a brothel by the orphanage’s head for money.

Actually, the orphanage itself had a special relationship with the brothel. It pretended to be an ordinary orphanage while essentially serving as a supply line for broken children, replacing them as needed for the “special clientele” of the brothel.

…Maybe the kid that was ‘adopted’ recently was sold off for that ‘purpose.’

With “special clientele,” of course, gender wouldn’t matter at all.

A girl who rolled around the brothel becomes the Emperor’s daughter. It doesn’t usually make sense, but there’s a narrative reasoning behind it.

The character Claire just happened to have talent.

One day, while being degraded as usual, Claire finally couldn’t take it anymore and exploded, killing the ‘client’ she was dealing with.

Hearing the screams, the thugs rushed in, and Claire accidentally broke an oil lamp while trying to defend herself with just a fork, which ended up igniting the whole place.

In this world, the safety mechanisms were practically nonexistent and the rights to human life were underdeveloped. A fire that started in a shabby brothel quickly spread to engulf the surrounding slums, resulting in numerous casualties.

Ironically, many nobles who were opposing the Emperor died in that inferno while trying to be at the brothel, which dealt quite a blow to the noble faction… that was the backstory.

While investigating the incident, the Emperor discovered Claire’s existence and immediately took her in as his daughter.

Many of the ‘children’ under the Emperor then became his loyal subjects, siding with him, only because they had no right to inherit the throne. They were simply tools for the Emperor to fulfill his own ambitions.

Even until the latest game, Claire’s real identity has remained a mystery. There were hints of her biological parents possibly appearing in the next installment, but that’s about it.

Anyway, she isn’t ‘Fanggriffon’ yet, which means she hasn’t gone through those horrific experiences…

…On the contrary, it also means my current orphanage is related to that insane brothel.

Yes, it means there’s a possibility that not just Claire, but ‘I’ could be sold off too.

The reflection in the mirror showed a remarkably enchanting girl.

What if the contents were of an adult male? To the nobles who bought children and did such things, that would probably look like a playground.

“Dammit.”

“Wha—…?”

“Ah.”

Claire echoed my muttering.

Seeing Claire in that state, I clutched my head.

For the past month, I haven’t been able to do anything.

Of course, it’s not that I’ve never thought about things. I did consider getting out of the orphanage somehow and running away to a proper place.

And I know of a potential escape route.

The protagonist of this game is an incredibly earnest and good-hearted fellow. Naturally, his parents are the same. An old noble family that has lived in the capital for generations, which operates a proper orphanage to highlight the good nature of their family.

Not just a facade of an orphanage, but a genuinely good one. They sincerely care for and love the children, responsible for them until they become adults.

Having achieved every Platinum Medal in the console versions of [Chronicles of Aetherna], and even before the official Korean release, I had bought the Japanese version and cleared it while writing guides, I know my way around the Imperial Capital’s map. If this world is truly the world I remember from the game, then I should be able to find a way just by looking at that map.

But the problem lies with the scale of the game.

Unless it’s a massive Western studio with an enormous budget, it’s rare for any company to reproduce an entire city in a game. It’s impossible for a small to mid-sized company with about 40 members.

While the settings might detail regions to some extent, not every area is meticulously represented. It’s really only the key spots that are portrayed. It’s somewhat like two or three blocks on the street. Eight such locations appear in the game.

The rest are all battle fields outside the city, and naturally, considering it’s an JRPG, there would be monsters and treasure chests there, making the design rather illogical. It has to be set up just as a dungeon, so it wouldn’t be surprising if it’s entirely different from the real city’s outskirts.

Anyway, I know somewhat how the city looks, but I haven’t mastered the wayfinding like a pro. The capital is described as a complicated place. Even if the streets are well-maintained in the city, the illegal settlements and century-old wooden houses chaotically mix in the back alleys and won’t appear accurately on any map.

So that’s why I’ve just been dragging my feet all this time.

“Sylvia, is something wrong?”

The kids here followed me surprisingly well.

Maybe it’s because the last leader reigned over the children with a fist. Whenever the kids got into trouble, he was the one who got hit, so instead of the old woman, he kept them quiet with his fists.

In all that, he never hit me.

Maybe it’s because of this pretty face.

…It’s strange to say that about a child’s appearance, but I do have a face that could be seen as pretty from a child’s point of view. From an adult’s perspective, it’s ‘a face worth watching’, and…

Perhaps to the eyes of a criminal, it would be seen as a face they want to grab right away.

I’m not sure how I ended up with this face in the orphanage.

If it were a web novel, I would perhaps acquire this child before me, and then the main storyline would go vastly differently from the original, but—

—How exactly?

I pondered while observing the other children gazing at me blankly.

For starters, they’re all ‘products’ and terribly cute. I can’t fathom how they managed to gather such children from the back alley.

…They might not be ‘just orphans’. Well, there’s no way I could prove that now.

Well, being born into another world is fine. Meeting a heroine from childhood is nice, too. Honestly, I was a bit moved once I realized it. Magic, flying battleships, all those ridiculous steam devices—it’s stuff that ignites everyone’s fantasies, right?

The problem is, I feel like I’m destined to get exploited and die before I can even enjoy it.

Yes, maybe the character Sylvia Black was an original character, who knows? Maybe she knew Claire before she became the Emperor’s daughter. Maybe she was just someone who was sold off before the main story began, that’s why she never showed up.

“…”

Even spinning my head anxiously, there are no solutions appearing.

The usual status window didn’t pop up, nor did any abrupt guidance sound like what usually happens. Searching in my mind also didn’t bring forth any remarkable abilities.

“Big Sis?”

“……”

Despite it sounding quite like English, it has that distinct Japanese video game feel, and I doubt it’s just my imagination.

In reality, the age gap between Claire and me probably isn’t that vast. At most, maybe a year apart, or a few months difference. From our similar heights, that seems about right.

But maybe because the old woman said I was the eldest, all the kids called me sister.

“…Nah, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

And I tried to be nice to them as much as possible.

I could offer nothing in return.

I’m not the kind of person who empathizes with others’ pain, trying to help the kids in need.

If I can’t do something, I’ve been just keeping my distance and watching like a bystander. That’s my position.

However, even so, I can at least say a kind word to these children whose futures are so grim.

…Thinking back, perhaps that’s why the kids attach themselves to me.

*

And soon, the day of farewell approached.

“Claire!”

In the worst possible way.

“Someone has come to take you! Be happy and come out!”

“……”

Normally, when leaving this place, the kids would be a lot happier. It’s only natural to be glad escaping a place filled with nothing but abusers.

Plus, the kids don’t even realize they’re being sold off.

They only think they will be adopted into a wealthy household and grow up warm and well-fed.

…The kids still don’t understand that nobles or bourgeois wouldn’t come to a filthy place like this.

But even so, Claire just looked up at me.

Her eyes glimmered with fear and yearning.

Had she formed any sort of bond with me in between?

“…Let’s walk to the front together.”

I stood up and said that.

Seeing Claire smile at me as if she knew not what would happen next made my heart feel lighter.

Chapter 2

“What’s this? Are you saying you’ll come with me?”

“…….”

I just looked up at the Old Woman without saying a word, and she clicked her tongue before speaking.

“Well, since you’re out, it’s a good opportunity. Take this lamp.”

She handed me the oil lamp she was holding. The lamp, filled with oil, was quite heavy. There were lighter gas lamps, but they probably wouldn’t last as long as the oil lamp.

Everything in this orphanage was cheap. The clothes were worn out by the kids who had been here before, stretched at the neck, torn at the hems, and covered in stains, with holes here and there. The underwear was so stretched that it barely fit. I was holding everything up with a pin to keep it from slipping down.

When was the last time the building was repaired? The windows with cracks were stuffed with rags, allowing the wind to whistle through. The floor creaked as if it could collapse at any moment.

The porridge served daily was certainly thrown together with cheap ingredients, just enough not to starve.

Probably the most expensive item in this orphanage was the orphans themselves.

“For crying out loud, it’s so gloomy. No matter how pretty your face is, if you keep acting like that, no one will want to take you.”

“……”

I should probably say something.

Could a five-year-old child win against an Old Woman?

No, even if she was a toothless Old Woman leaning on her cane, she was still stronger than a five-year-old. Last time she grabbed my arm, I was shocked at how much stronger she was.

It’d be useless to argue; I’d just end up getting smacked, and I might even be prevented from walking next to Claire.

Even now, I was thinking of how to somehow get her out of this. It wasn’t a brilliant plan, but I didn’t just want to let her go.

The first impression of Claire was definitely not positive.

She was rude, a bundle of complexes, belittling the Crown Princess, one of the targets, and teasing her.

But as the past slowly unfolded and I reconciled with the Crown Princess, Claire’s image improved, and she eventually fought on the Emperor’s side in an attempt to conquer the world, sacrificing herself for the Crown Princess despite ignoring even the Emperor’s orders.

I… liked the character Claire.

No, actually, I loved all the main characters from this game series.

It usually took between 70 to 150 hours to clear, and there were times I played multiple rounds just to figure everything out.

Having watched these characters for so long over my seven years of waiting for new installments, reserving and eagerly tearing open the delivery box, I was quite attached to all the main characters in this franchise.

After all, it was seven years. Every year, I awaited the new release and even bought the downloadable version in impatience before the package arrived.

These characters were from a game I adored. I wanted to somehow save the situation. I knew the future.

But… I had no such power.

Knowing the future, yet barely five years old.

Often in other stories, especially those involving games, characters had status menus or possessed numerous special abilities, but… I had none of that. No, even if I did, I wouldn’t know how to use them.

Why, of all places, was I here?

What was the reason I, who could do nothing, ended up so close to the heroine?

“Now, greet them.”

The Old Woman’s voice came from behind.

The door was open. Maybe it was because it was summer, but the sky was dark. A middle-aged couple that looked well-off had come to this place in the middle of the night.

“…Hello.”

Feeling like I would get hit again if I didn’t greet them, I bowed respectfully.

Claire, who was beside me, awkwardly copied my bow.

“Oh.”

A man with a neatly trimmed bushy mustache and a cylindrical silk hat bent down to examine my face.

The weather still felt like early winter. A cold breeze swept through me.

But it wasn’t merely the chill on my skin that made me shiver.

A man with prominent cheekbones and a pair of round glasses made one of his eyes look oddly larger than the other because of those glasses.

“Is this child the one?”

“N-no, the one you came to see is over here…”

The Old Woman, who usually spoke to the children with annoyance, now had a sweet tone with the man.

“……I suppose so, but of course, that one is for sale as well.”

“Hmmm.”

The man took the oil lamp from my hands and held it up to my face. The smell of burning oil wafted through the air, and I felt the heat of the flame through the thick glass. The light from the lamp was red, almost with a hint of blue. Though it was oil inside, it looked like a gas flame.

He meticulously examined my face in the light, slowly lowering the lamp to scrutinize me.

Then he stepped aside and did the same with Claire.

“Unfortunately, I’ve only brought enough money for one today. Still, this child barely fits the age requirement. I’m sure the customer will like her. Same price?”

The man asked after inspecting Claire from head to toe.

Meanwhile, a plump middle-aged woman stood a distance away, seemingly disinterested in what was unfolding.

“A-ah, well, this child was originally a premium product, so I had kept her hidden. I was planning to sell her to a customer who prefers slightly older children…”

“Hmm.”

The man turned back toward me, reaching out to grab my hair. Chills ran down my spine. Even if I had my original body, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to beat this man.

The muscles in his tailored suit were prominent, and I couldn’t shake the fear of my skull cracking if he squeezed my head. His fingers were thick and rough.

Ignoring my stiffened body, he shone the lamp against my hair, as if checking the color.

“This one would fit the customer’s taste. Is she experienced?”

The man dropped my hair and turned to the Old Woman.

“Oh no, of course not! We only deal in brand-new stock. That’s only natural.”

“I see. In that case, I’ll take care of the processing.”

The man straightened up and handed the lamp back to the Old Woman.

Now that I looked closely, he was holding a sturdy cane in his right hand. This cane was nothing like the Old Woman’s shabby wooden one.

It was black and glossy, with a handle shaped like an eagle’s head. It might even be made of silver.

“Ah, so, what’s the price, then?”

The man asked, gazing down at the Old Woman, who seemed to have forgotten the elaborate price she’d just given me.

“Oh dear, no. It’s just an orphan. Can we really put a price on a child? Just give me the same price you mentioned last time, please.”

“So be it. Understood.”

The man reached into the breast pocket of his suit and tossed a rather hefty pouch to the Old Woman. As she fumbled to catch it, she looked inside and beamed. The wrinkles on her face crinkled, revealing her almost toothless grin. Thanks to the lamp beneath, those wrinkles almost made her look like a horror movie character.

“Thank you! Please use us again…”

The Old Woman lowered her already hunched back deeply.

“Sure. Just keep that child until then.”

The man pointed to Claire as he spoke.

“Of course! Is there any doubt…”

“Let’s go.”

The man cut off any further words of the Old Woman as he turned to me.

“Big sister?”

Claire, not understanding what was happening, finally looked at me.

“……Claire.”

I didn’t expect things to come to this point…

But at least, was it over for now?

I couldn’t guarantee what would happen to Claire later, but at least I managed to prevent an immediate crisis, didn’t I?

“……Stay healthy.”

I said that much as goodbye.

“Big sister, where are you going?”

Claire asked anxiously, looking at me, and I shook my head…

“Yeah.”

…Just before I nodded, the man spoke.

His voice, completely different from the stiff tone moments ago, was chillingly warm.

The man turned around and strolled toward Claire, bending down to her level.

As if pretending to be a gentle adult, he placed a hand on Claire’s shoulder and said, “Your ‘big sister’ is going to a good place. It’s a much warmer place where you won’t go hungry. So just wait here patiently; I’ll come for you soon. Then you’ll be able to enjoy yourself in the same place as your big sister.”

“……”

But Claire, despite her young age, didn’t seem to entirely believe his words.

Her gaze flickered nervously between the man and me.

“……”

The man smiled at Claire and tousled her hair.

Then he straightened up and turned away. Without saying another word, he headed directly toward the carriage waiting on the street.

“……”

I waved to Claire.

It wasn’t a situation to smile about, but… I forced a smile.

Seeing my smile seemed to calm Claire, and finally, she waved back.

With nothing more I could do, I turned to follow the man toward the carriage.

*

Thud!

A loud sound echoed.

As soon as I hopped into the carriage, I thought it was the sound of the door closing.

But feeling the late pain in my forehead, I realized I had just been slammed face-first into the ground.

My eyes were spinning, and my ears were ringing. It wasn’t so much the pain as it was the dizziness. A burly man had grabbed a five-year-old by the head and slammed her down. It was a miracle I was even processing the situation.

“Ah…?”

But that didn’t mean my body was fine.

Blood was flowing from my face. Had my nose broken?

I felt something rolling around in my mouth.

As I tried to touch my face with my hands—

Whack!

A loud sound resonated, and my head was jerked to the right.

“Hyii…”

Only then did I feel the pain.

It hurt.

This was probably the first pain I had ever experienced in my life—whether it be here or elsewhere.

Tears streamed down my face, blurring my vision, and my head buzzed, making it hard to hear. Perhaps that slap had ruptured my eardrum.

“I’m sorry.”

A flat, emotionless voice came faintly through the ringing in my ears.

“I have no personal feelings. The customer simply prefers them a little damaged.”

A thick hand grasped my neck roughly.

“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you.”

“Ugh…”

I wanted to say something, but my voice wouldn’t come out right.

The man raised his hand, and I barely saw it with my still unbruised eye.

I didn’t want this…

*

…And in the next moment, I realized all the pain in my body had vanished in an instant.

Curled up tightly, I waited, but no hands came to hit me again.

No, more than that, the warmth I felt inside the carriage had suddenly disappeared.

Could it be… am I dying?

I cautiously lifted my head, tense, and before me stood a confused-looking Claire.

“Big sister?”

Seeing me huddled up fearfully on the bed with my arms raised, Claire asked.

“…Huh?”

Slowly lowering my arms and looking around, I saw that I was back in the orphanage. It looked exactly as it did before I left.

I raised my hand to touch my face.

There were no bruises or wounds. I appeared fine without any pain. Moving my tongue around, I could feel no broken or missing teeth.

What the…?

Before I could fully come to terms with my situation,

“Claire!”

The Old Woman’s voice resounded.

“Someone is here to take you away! Come out joyfully!”

I had heard that line before.

Chapter 3

The shadows of three people swayed violently as I walked down the hallway.

Unlike the fluorescent or LED lights used in modern times, the oil lamp I held had a flame that actually flickered on the wick. Since the flame was always unstable, it was expected for the shadows to sway a little.

But now, it was shaking much more violently than when I walked here earlier.

My hand, holding the lamp, was trembling brrrr.

“Huh? What’s wrong with you? Did you eat something bad?”

The Old Woman asked. She didn’t seem particularly worried; more like she found it fascinating.

I had maintained a blank expression in front of the Old Woman all this time. While most kids were scared of her, I could at least hide my expression around her.

It wasn’t because I had any special talent. If I did, I wouldn’t be trembling like this now.

In my childhood, I once dreamed of becoming a voice actor. I had my own—

… No, no.

This wasn’t the time for that story.

I needed to think about how to accept this situation.

My body had no wounds. I felt no pain. So, there was no evidence that I had been hit by that man.

However, the pain from that moment was so vivid that it was hard to think of it as just a dream or my imagination.

The feeling of my face hitting the cart floor. The chilling sound of something breaking in my mouth. Something hard and small rolling around in my stomach, tasting like iron where it had burst inside, and everything blurring in front of my eyes as I felt dizzy—

Thud.

The Old Woman struck my leg with her cane, causing me to stagger slightly.

“You useless thing. Can’t you even hold a lamp properly? If the light shakes, it hurts my eyes! Do you think I can rely on you if my eyesight gets worse?”

The Old Woman’s eyesight couldn’t exactly be described as good. She could see a kid messing around at the end of the room and rush over to whack them with her cane.

But I tried my best to stand straight.

I could feel cold sweat flowing down my back.

I didn’t want to be hit anymore.

When was the last time I had been hit by something? It must have been over ten years ago. Especially after becoming an adult, there was rarely a chance to get hit unless I got into a fight, and in the first place, someone who throws the first punch can’t possibly manage society properly.

At this moment, I didn’t feel that pain, but…

If this continued…

“Big sister?”

I jolted at Claire calling me.

When I turned my gaze, Claire was looking at me with a worried expression.

…Right. I had been sold instead of Claire. And I had been beaten up. I wasn’t exactly sure why, but considering how I had talked about preferences while being dragged around, that must have been what the person who wanted to buy me liked.

When a situation like the earlier one repeated, I thought I shouldn’t have gone out at all. If the person waiting outside was the same one, the same thing would have happened again.

…And.

And, if I didn’t experience that instead… then it would be Claire facing that ordeal.

What should I do? How can we both escape this situation?

My head spun wildly, but no idea came to mind that a five-year-old could execute.

“What are you mumbling about? Just keep looking straight ahead while you walk. The person is waiting.”

It was just one brief exchange of words. To be exact, Claire just called me. But the Old Woman got annoyed by such minimal behavior and poked my leg again with her cane.

“……”

Having seen a kid mercilessly beaten by that cane before, we had no choice but to shut our mouths. I was even more terrified since I had already been exposed to merciless violence before.

I simply hoped the person waiting in front wasn’t the one I feared.

And then,

“Now, greet him.”

The Old Woman said that.

When I raised my gaze, I saw a man in a nice-looking coat, wearing a silk hat. He was wearing monocles and had a thick mustache on his nose.

“Ah…”

Seeing me in despair,

“Oho.”

The man reacted as if it were interesting.

And then everything proceeded just like I remembered.

*

“……”

I curled up as I woke again.

I was back a few minutes before.

“Big sister?”

Claire called out to me.

I opened my eyes at that. No wounds remained on my arms, and there was nothing rolling around in my mouth. I felt no metallic taste, and my vision was clear again.

I had returned to the moment before we met that man.

As I hurriedly checked my physical condition, Claire looked at me as if I were bizarre.

I looked around.

The children were watching me.

I was…

So, did I turn back time?

Or was it that the entity above, who might have sent me to this world, turned back time for me?

I struggled to recall the world-building settings from the games I had played, which had left me paralyzed with fear.

In this world, gods do exist. But whether that god has sentience or not is unknown.

Even though the series had gone on for a while and the world settings changed several times, the depiction of the appearing gods was always the same. Players therefore speculated that all those gods were the same entity. It was a kind of force like the very will of the world. That notion was, in fact, criticized by some players as merely a convenience to propel the story forward.

Could this also be one of those convenient settings?

Can gods even turn back time? If they can, what criteria do they use to do so?

Couldn’t I have turned back time before getting hit? Do I have to be in danger of death to rewind time? No, it wasn’t about being in danger of death. It might hurt like hell and I might feel like I’d die, but the man didn’t intend to kill me. He wouldn’t want me to become completely useless as he had bought me for “processing”.

So then, if that’s the case… could this be my ability?

“Claire!”

And then, I heard that eerie voice again, which I felt I would soon get used to.

“A gentleman has come to take you away! Come out happily!”

Once again, the situation was repeating itself.

*

I still didn’t know exactly about my ability. I couldn’t use it freely. I haven’t even figured out if there’s a limit to the number of times I could use it or if there’s a maximum I can use at once.

How did I come to obtain such nonsense-level powers? If someone gave me this ability, what on earth were they thinking—

—I had no time to think such things.

Being hit is scary. I wasn’t used to pain. I was the kind of person who, when scratching myself by reading a book, would sulk over it all day. If I bumped into a wall, I would groan and lie down dramatically.

But that said.

That said, I had enough opportunities.

I confirmed once more.

I could rewind time.

This time, I managed to turn back as soon as I saw the man’s face.

“Big sister…?”

I opened my eyes at that voice I had heard several times before. There were no wounds on my body. I was still in good health.

And only then did I faintly understand what criteria I have to turn back time.

Intense emotion. Or desperation.

When I regret my choices and my emotions break down, I would inevitably return to that exact spot.

Why that particular moment? I didn’t know if I could change it. I couldn’t afford to think about such things.

“Claire!”

And once again.

“A gentleman has come to take you away! Come out happily!”

Time repeated itself.

*

It was hard to adapt even after going through the same thing three times. I mean, if I had taken a regular office job, I probably wouldn’t have adapted properly for at least a month, making mistakes in my work. Yet here I was, flirting with life-and-death situations… to be precise, the brink of my life going down the drain.

Getting hit like that wouldn’t make me immune to pain. No, in the first place, there was no way to be immune to pain. A five-year-old’s body couldn’t be that tough, able to withstand a punch from an adult man.

But still, I thought hard.

What should I do?

How can we both escape such a gruesome experience?

I figured it wouldn’t help to tell the man we were useless. In the first place, a man didn’t need something like personality according to his standards. He intended to ‘process’ us in his own way.

It would be much later when Claire stabs a noble and sets a brothel on fire. If Claire were to take my place here, she might be fine, but she would suffer for years.

It would be better for me to somehow handle it myself while I have this opportunity.

Let’s not even think about a limit… Let’s just act like it doesn’t exist for now. Even if it’s there, it doesn’t mean anything because I don’t know it.

What should I do? As I thought, I remembered that I was holding an oil lamp.

Something I could ‘use’ right now.

“Is this kid?”

I saw the man approaching me.

I had no time to think.

With all my strength, I threw the lamp toward him.

“No…!?”

The Old Woman yelled beside me, and the woman behind him screamed in shock.

I didn’t hear what Claire said.

The lamp thrown with all the strength of a five-year-old—

—did not catch fire on the man’s body.

Thud!

Before the lamp reached him, the man knocked it away with his cane.

The lamp shattered mid-air, spilling oil and catching fire, but that was all.

“……”

The man looked at me without changing his expression.

“Ah.”

Well, this is bad.

*

“Big sister…?”

I returned again.

Fortunately, before the man could do anything, I was able to rewind time. The more I did it, the more skilled I felt I was becoming.

There were no special conditions to rewind time. If I strongly wished for it, I would simply return.

I still didn’t know how to turn it back further than this moment. Even if I did, it wouldn’t be useful right now.

“It’s okay.”

I reassured Claire as I spoke.

I still had opportunities left.

In fact, the longer I go, the more advantageous it became for me.

*

This time, I threw the lamp again.

However, I didn’t throw it at the man.

I threw it at the Old Woman beside me.

Fortunately, since Claire was by my side, she wouldn’t get splattered with burning oil.

“Ahhhhh!”

The Old Woman, now on fire, shrieked madly and began to run around. At first, the fire only clung to her legs, but as time went by, it climbed up and engulfed her upper body.

The flames rose high enough that her face was no longer visible.

The problem was, I had never done anything like this to another person before. No matter how much scum someone was for selling children to a brothel, on the outside, they looked human. Even if I hated someone, my hands would tremble just thinking about hitting them; this felt completely different.

Claire beside me froze just like I did, watching the scene unfold—

When I felt someone’s hand resting heavily on my shoulder.

“Ah….”

I was pulled harshly and fell backward—

*

—again.

This time, I would make it so the man wouldn’t even think of entering.

I couldn’t set the man on fire. Burning the Old Woman before the man wouldn’t scare him either.

So, instead…

“Claire—”

I awaited the Old Woman’s arrival.

“The gentleman has come to take you away—”

And I stepped forward. The Old Woman grumbled, and Claire smiled at me.

“Well, we might as well. Here, take this lamp.”

And I received the lamp.

As soon as I took it, I slammed it down on the floor in the corridor leading to the exit, smashing it to bits.

“You…!”

I hit the entrance, so a few drops of oil splattered toward me, but fortunately, it didn’t catch fire.

“What are you doing—”

But the Old Woman’s words didn’t manage to finish.

I grabbed the Old Woman’s collar as she bent forward, lifting her cane, and I twisted my body with all my strength.

No matter how strong the Old Woman was for her age, when her upper body was hunched over like that, even a little force would topple her balance.

“You crazy girl…!”

The Old Woman glared as she held the cane with both hands, but she ended up tumbling into the blazing pile of fire on the floor.

Chapter 4

“Kuwaaaak!”

A scream echoed from inside the orphanage.

“Huh?”

The man and woman, who had been waiting by a carriage, turned their attention to the shabby building.

Inside, the horrific scream continued unabated. The man deduced it was the voice of the old woman he heard every time he came here.

“What’s happening?” the woman asked nervously.

The middle-aged woman, whose face was heavily made up to conceal the wrinkles of age, gazed towards the dilapidated structure.

The scream intensified, causing one by one, lights to flicker on in the windows of the closely attached buildings next door.

Light also spilled out from the orphanage windows.

However, this light was different from normal. Far from simply illuminating the room like a lone candle, it flickered as if responding to someone’s movements, revealing glowing red tongues from within.

Perhaps it was because it was an old wooden house. Or maybe the drought had caused the water levels in the Splin River to decrease recently.

The parched wooden structure caught fire as easily as kindling.

“Tsk.”

The man clicked his tongue. This wasn’t just an ordinary flame. The strange blue tint deeply embedded in the red flames suggested it was oil mixed with magical stone powder, typically used as fuel for steam engines.

Had the old woman secretly picked up magical stone fragments from around the factory? That seemed like something she would do. Perhaps she had sent some orphans to fetch it.

However, magical stones also serve to increase the size of flames significantly. It might burn brighter and bigger when in a lamp, but once it leaves the containment, it becomes uncontrollable.

With the fire raging like that, even if the firefighters came to douse it, putting it out wouldn’t be easy.

“…Let’s go.”

The man said as he adjusted his silk hat.

“But if we do that…”

The hesitant woman heard the steady tone in the man’s voice.

“For the time being, we’ll get what we need directly without a distributor. It’s risky, but it can’t be helped.”

The man gestured to the driver, who had been waiting, gripping the reins.

“…And we will need to find a new distributor. This is becoming quite troublesome.”

The woman, looking anxious, cast one last glance at the fully ablaze building.

Screams echoed from all around.

The woman shuddered and tightened her coat before following the man into the carriage.

*

Was burning down the building a good idea?

She had succeeded in evading the man. It seemed he wouldn’t force his way in no matter how much time passed.

Not that it was surprising. The fire spread much faster than expected, swallowing the entrance without giving anyone a chance to react.

Reflecting back, the original story had also noted this. At first glance, it resembled the lamps in the world she came from — it didn’t seem to have such fierce firepower, but the flames spread uncontrollably, leaving no chance to act.

Many players questioned how a single lamp that Claire knocked down could cause such a fire. The developers brought credibility to that story by using the resource “magical stone,” which plays an important role throughout the work.

They mixed magical stone powder into the oil for improved effect, which ultimately led to the house catching fire before anyone could act.

The color of the flames was not the usual orange seen in lighters but a blue that would be expected only in a gas stove. She quickly retreated, but she could still feel the searing heat hitting her face.

“Sister?”

A worried voice called from behind, snapping her back to reality.

The old woman’s breath had already ceased. The flames were so fierce it was hard to tell the state of the corpse.

“Let’s go.”

I quickly turned around and grabbed Claire’s hand.

For now, we needed to escape this place.

The fire I had started could completely engulf this area. I could unintentionally harm people who were living ordinary lives, and innocent victims might arise.

But right now, there was something more important.

Claire’s and my safety.

Let’s just run. After we escape, I could seriously think about my abilities and the situation ahead.

At least one misfortune was averted—

“Sister.”

But Claire tugged my hand in the opposite direction.

Seeing Claire, her terrified expression was evident as she pulled me along.

“The kids… The kids are still inside.”

“…”

I had witnessed someone die right in front of me. But Claire did not doubt me. Despite me not having particularly treated her well, she was following me. This was likely her inherent nature. The goodness that remained before the adults shattered it into pieces.

Or perhaps she just thought I was a comparatively gentler option than the abusive old woman.

But… right, Claire was kind-hearted in the original story too.

Even after escaping that hellish place, she was tormented by the knowledge that many houses burned down and people died because of the lamp she dropped. She only revealed her distress during the episodes right before her death, but even while serving under the Emperor and acting as an antagonistic character, she had done her best to prevent innocent casualties, ultimately sacrificing herself for the Crown Princess.

Having maintained such a character even after being shattered once, it’s hard to say whether she retained that nature before the breakdown or not.

“…Alright.”

I turned my body around. The fire was still blazing fiercely, but there was still time.

Instead of the back door, we dashed towards the stairs leading to the second floor.

I could hear Claire coughing. I turned to her and covered her mouth with my sleeve. Then I lowered my body and walked.

The house was not yet full of smoke.

Upon reaching the second floor, I heard the cries of children.

Holding Claire’s hand tightly, I flung open the door.

“Come on, we have to get out of here!”

My words made the children rise awkwardly. Their faces were smeared with tears.

But there was no going back down the stairs. As I aimed for the door, a rush of heat hit me. The area below must already be engulfed in flames. Even if the flames hadn’t consumed the entire first floor yet, the hallway would surely be filled with thick smoke. The ominous black smoke rising from the stairs was a foreboding sign.

I quickly closed the door. While I couldn’t stop the fire, I could at least hold off the smoke for a while. It was better to have smoke trickling in through a slightly misaligned door than having it flood in from an open door.

There was no time to think.

I ripped the old curtain from the window. It smelled moldy, but it seemed sturdy enough to hold at least the weight of the children.

Seeing me tear down the curtain, the kids quickly followed suit. We gathered four curtains in total.

I tied the curtains together as tightly as possible. Great. At least it seemed like it could support the weight of a child.

I opened the window and tied the curtains to the nearest bed frame.

Luckily, the flames hadn’t yet revealed themselves outside the building.

“Quick!”

As I shouted, all the children rushed towards me.

Would they be able to hold the curtains as they went down?

But I couldn’t lower them down one by one. There was no time for that. Nor could I afford to give up just because I was panicking.

Claire was looking only at me.

Feeling pushed by her gaze, I called out to the children one by one.

“James, hold on tight with both hands. I’ll lower you down slowly.”

James, a boy with straw-colored hair resembling a nest made of rice straw, nodded, his tear-streaked face affirming my words.

“Everyone hold onto the curtains behind me. We’ll let one down calmly at a time.”

Starting with the heaviest child. With each child that went down, the pulling force would become weaker.

And so we lowered them one by one.

Indeed, with each child that descended, my strength waned. It was both because the number of those supporting from behind was decreasing, and because they were just five-year-old children who lacked strength themselves.

But I had tied one end to the bed, so there was no way a child would fall as I loosened my grip.

“You go first.”

The last in line was Claire.

Claire nodded with a fearful expression, tightly gripping the curtain.

The room was already filled with smoke. I couldn’t see the situation below. At least the curtains hadn’t caught fire, but…

“Sister! I’m down!”

I heard a voice from below.

It was faint, but it stood out amidst the cacophony. Claire must have yelled with all her might.

“Ah…”

But I didn’t have much strength left in my hands.

Having sent down a few children, I felt my arms trembling as the exhaustion set in.

Would I be able to hold the curtains and descend like this?

As those thoughts raced through my mind, crack, I heard something snapping.

Turning my head, flames had already spread to the door. My eyes and throat burned. I was close to a window, so I could still breathe, but if I stayed longer, I might truly die here.

“…”

I pulled the curtain up and tied myself to it.

Would this length be enough? No, if it’s too long, that could be a problem. I’d be crashing right to the ground.

Well, still…

I’d have a few chances again.

I secured the curtain around my waist and, using all my remaining strength, jumped out the window.

*

The result was both good and bad.

“Ah…!”

The curtain was short enough. Even with the knot I had made, I barely managed to hang on before landing on the ground.

But it seemed I hadn’t tied it properly when I secured it around my body because I didn’t have much strength left.

As I jumped out of the window, the curtain initially held me before giving way as I bounced lightly, causing the makeshift knot around my waist to unravel.

Thanks to that, I smacked right onto the ground.

However, I had slowed down slightly in the middle, so I avoided serious injury.

It hurt, but at least it wasn’t painful enough to warrant rewinding time.

As I got up, I noticed all the kids were looking at me.

I could feel the searing heat behind me and turned to see the old orphanage was now completely engulfed in flames.

“Fire!”

I heard someone shout that.

Clop, clop, the sound of galloping horses echoed as a wagon carrying a large water tank rushed over.

“…Let’s go.”

I said quickly, urging the children forward.

People must have seen us plenty already. The area had brightened up, and townsfolk were running around in a panic. The surroundings were utter chaos.

Still, not a single child was injured. Neither were Claire and I.

It was reassuring that this place, unlike the hidden brothel on the map, could still have carriages come in. If the firefighters arrived, the flames wouldn’t spread like the catastrophic blaze from the original story. In this world, magic was used to extinguish fires just as it was to set them.

However, if we got caught by someone here, it would be obvious we’d be thrown back into another strange orphanage.

If that were the case, then it was probably safer to blend in with the townsfolk who were running around, fearing their homes might catch fire too.

The children followed my lead. Despite trembling in fear, they knew that there would be no more adult looking after them.

“Where are we going?” Claire asked. The other kids looked up at me, as if they too were curious.

“…I know where we need to go.”

I wasn’t sure. I didn’t know if I could find my way properly. I didn’t even know how far away we were.

But… at least for now, there was no other choice.

I might need my abilities more than ever now.

Chapter 5

One fortunate thing is that the map of this world looked exactly like the one in my head.

Of course, I didn’t have the entire map of the Imperial Capital in my head. The map of the Imperial Capital was merely decorative in the actual game, and only certain crucial parts had been implemented in the story.

However, those “crucial parts” were, naturally, also the important areas in the Imperial Capital. To put it another way, they were landmarks worth noting.

At the center of the Imperial Capital stood a massive castle—the Imperial Palace. It wasn’t so large that everyone in the Imperial Capital could look up at it, but if you were in the central area, you could see it from anywhere. Even in the game, in the areas set against the background of the Imperial Capital, that castle was almost always visible from certain angles.

Millennium, the company, wasn’t known for its game graphics, and it didn’t have the incredible technology and capital to create an open-world representation of the entire Imperial Capital, but they paid a lot of attention to the details for their fans, so each area was designed to allow for a specific view of the Imperial Palace.

In fact, if you looked at the map displayed in the game menu, each region was meticulously organized to make logical sense. Even if some areas were blocked off by transparent walls and inaccessible in reality, at least the visible parts were designed so that players could think, “If I go through that place, I’ll connect to that route.”

And I wandered around those regions several times. I was looking for bond events that could only be seen after multiple playthroughs, or for notes and NPCs hidden away by the developers. Besides, I was writing a series of guides and game-related stories on my blog, so I had to pay close attention.

Aside from the fact that the slums weren’t being properly managed, considering the times, the Imperial Capital was fairly well-maintained. You could walk down the main roads and find proper directions just by looking at the signs.

However, there was one problem—

“Hey, you there!”

—The Imperial Capital wasn’t particularly kind to the orphans and homeless on the streets.

This didn’t mean that passersby were unkind. Their gazes weren’t much different from how people in the world I came from looked at homeless individuals. Some looked on with pity, others held their noses and moved away, or frowned.

But one noteworthy difference was that the concept of human rights hadn’t really taken hold in this world.

The Imperial Capital was a place where many foreigners came. Thus, it was important to look clean, and so they tried to crack down as much as possible on the “unsightly things” on the streets.

And if that “unsightly thing” turned out to be a person walking around with legs, the ones responsible for that were the police.

“Hey, don’t run away! You there!”

Every time I saw a police officer, I grabbed the children’s hands and sprinted away like a madman.

Of course. If I got caught by the police, I’d just end up in an orphanage.

A few times, I tried to lie and say I had parents, but that didn’t work at all. If we got caught by the police, we’d be dragged by the neck to the police station, and a few days later, handed over to a shabby orphanage.

And every time, I turned back time.

The Baron’s estate wasn’t that far away, but getting there was the issue.

“Sis, I’m sleepy…”

We had snuck out onto the street at midnight. We emerged from the chaos of citizens running frantically to escape their burning homes, so no one really paid much attention to us. However, the children didn’t have the patience to walk around for several hours without sleeping.

And it was the same for me, even with my five-year-old body. After an hour of walking, my legs started to stiffen and exhaustion washed over me. The mental fatigue from just moments earlier, watching our home burn, was considerable, too.

With already narrow strides, needing frequent breaks only made it take longer.

Initially, the children were quiet, but as the time between breaks got longer, their whining escalated, and I too was growing tired.

“…Alright, let’s rest here.”

In the end, we stopped for a break about once or twice an hour, usually in dark alleys where we wouldn’t be noticed by anyone.

It was a stinky and damp place, but as long as we weren’t discovered—

“Hey, you kids. Who gave you permission to be here?”

—Right, as long as we weren’t discovered, we could still rest for about an hour.

Looking up at a grizzled man with a long scar on his face who was kicking me with his toes, I muttered in a tired voice.

“…Again.”

*

It seemed I still had no limit to my power. I could turn back time anytime I wanted and start again from the most advantageous moment.

When I turned around and saw I was missing some kids.

When I met thugs while resting in an alley.

When I got caught by the police.

When I was reported by the residents.

Again and again, I turned back time and found the most ideal outcomes.

The actual time we spent walking was probably around half a day. We arrived in front of the Baron’s estate just as the sun was starting to rise and the citizens began to come out.

But it felt like it had been at least a few weeks to me.

Turning back time erased any physical fatigue. I felt refreshed even without sleeping. My legs regained their strength, and the pain in my soles disappeared.

But my mind couldn’t rest. No matter how comfortable my body felt, I just wanted to collapse and rest, wanting to give up on everything. Maybe I could afford to give up on one or two of the kids? If I got caught by the police, wouldn’t I at least end up in a somewhat normal orphanage? Wasn’t it possible that even a grumpy-looking person could actually be a good person?

…Every time I thought like that, I turned back time again.

It was better to sort out my thoughts again while my body was in a more comfortable state, anyway.

It felt like I was saving the game to go for a no-miss clear in an incredibly difficult action game. No, in some ways, it felt like I was trying a real-time TAS. Either way, it was an incredibly exhausting task.

But…

“…I did it.”

Yes, I did it.

Looking at the name hanging on the front gate of the manor in front of me, I muttered.

Baron Grace’s Estate.

In this world, the Empire of Aetherna boasted that barons had territories, but they weren’t that large. Moreover, a baron’s territory was often just a part of the grand noble’s territory above them. All lands in the empire fundamentally belonged to the Emperor, and thus, noble territories were also lands managed on the Emperor’s behalf in name.

If it were a duke’s territory, that land belonged to both the Emperor and the duke. The same applied to marquis’ or count’s territories. Though titles were inherited, it could be far more complicated if an individual held multiple titles.

And beneath that were the barons. If a baron’s position was granted directly by the Emperor, then the baron’s land was both the Emperor’s and the baron’s territory. If granted by a duke or count, it became the Emperor’s land, the duke’s or count’s territory, and also the baron’s land.

Thus, a baron appointed directly by the Emperor, who was the central authority, could wield considerable power depending on circumstances. Still, that didn’t mean they could always measure up to dukes or counts.

In the case of Baron Grace, he was a baron ‘appointed directly by the Emperor.’

Naturally, they were squarely on the Emperor’s side in the noble factions.

Though this situation would gradually shift as the game’s story progressed, eventually flipping in the later stages, it was content I didn’t need to worry about right now, so early in the main plot.

For reference, the territory of Baron Grace’s estate was everything beyond that fence. While it was enormous for a personal mansion, it was still considered quite small when thought of as a territory. Given that the Emperor owned this land, it was to be expected, especially since it was part of the Imperial Capital.

“…”

So, how do I get in here?

There were no guards stationed in front of the estate. However, the door was tightly shut regardless.

Of course, that was to be expected. No matter how much they didn’t station guards here, they couldn’t just let anyone enter a place that was nominally a noble’s estate.

However, it wasn’t impossible to find a way in.

The Baron and Baroness were characters who couldn’t just pass by a poor person. They were often ridiculed by players outside of the game as “good-natured fools.”

So if we could catch their attention when they came outside, then afterwards… they would likely take us to their orphanage or, failing that, to an orphanage run by someone with confirmed credentials.

The problem was that the Baron’s estate was right in the middle of the Imperial Capital.

Standing out here, I’d definitely get caught by the passing police.

“…”

Looks like I have no choice but to use my powers again.

As I sighed, the kids around me tilted their heads in confusion.

Well… now that we’re nearly done with this…

*

Although I remembered the experience of hiding while reaching this point, hiding wasn’t that difficult.

The most important thing was to not get caught by the police. And to not get reported by the citizens.

It didn’t matter if I didn’t sneak through the back alleys. I just needed to avoid getting caught by the one I needed to stay away from.

“Oh, there they come.”

Seeing the Baron and Baroness come out, I muttered to myself.

I was at the very back of my party. I couldn’t lose even one of the kids, so it was more efficient to lead from the back rather than from the front.

“Alright, let’s go. We just need to get past those people. Then it’ll really be over.”

“Really? Are we really allowed to do that?”

Claire questioned, looking at the two people who looked like a super rich couple. However, I nodded.

I remembered their faces perfectly. Even though they were based on 2D illustrations and modeled from them, their appearances matched what I knew perfectly.

Blue hair that couldn’t exist in reality. Neatly groomed facial hair and sideburns. They looked more like they were on the young side than middle-aged. The woman beside him had blue, wavy hair and impeccably clean skin as well.

Seeing them walk out with their arms crossed, I quickly followed behind the children and said.

“Come on, hurry up.”

The two didn’t have any escorts.

In fact, they were people who didn’t need escorts. They could casually swing their swords and split a carriage in half. It wouldn’t surprise or scare them if we approached.

That was why they didn’t need to place knights in the estate.

I urged the kids earnestly. Initially nervous, they finally began to move towards that couple. These kids had faced various dangers thanks to me up until this point. A half day of trust had built up.

Grrr… It looked like I was hungry since I had skipped breakfast. The kids probably felt the same…

—Just when I was letting my guard down.

Suddenly, my mouth clamped shut. I was so startled that I couldn’t even scream.

The kids who heard me continued to walk ahead. But I couldn’t move. My legs had been lifted into the air without me realizing it.

Someone was hugging me from behind.

What was going on? Did some creep jump out from the back alleys? If I thought about it rationally, considering my appearance right now, I looked quite cute. It wouldn’t be surprising if I caught the eye of a pedophile.

Again—

“W-wait! Calm down. I won’t do anything bad.”

—Just as I was about to turn back time, that voice immediately made me stop moving.

It was a fairly young voice, sounding like someone who had just barely passed puberty. Was it a teenager in their mid-teens?

…I knew that voice.

As I halted my struggling legs, the grip over my mouth softened a little. Though it didn’t drop completely.

“Smart. That baron will surely take all those kids in. They’ve been saying they want to expand the orphanage lately.”

The kids, now almost at the Baron and Baroness, generated a sound that made the couple turn around.

“Oh dear, they’ll get caught if we stay here.”

My vision started to spin. The man suddenly lifted me and turned his body.

And quickly dashed away from the scene.

…Ah.

Looks like I might not make it to the orphanage. If this man had been following us from the very beginning, even if I turned back time, there’d be no escaping him.

Well… at least the kids made it safely. They would surely grow up properly, being taken care of in the right place.

And Claire was the same. She wouldn’t have to endure that terrible past.

And I too would probably be safe if I followed this man. At the very least, he wasn’t a crazy killer out to abduct street orphans.

…It was a pity that I wouldn’t get to see how Claire would grow up.

Chapter 6

“That’s good, right, sister?”

The two people in front of her seemed nice.

Claire found it quite fascinating. Although she was still quite young, she wasn’t so clueless that she couldn’t sense other people’s emotions.

From her earliest memories, she had wandered through back alleys. The earliest image Claire could recall was begging on the street corner with a crumpled tin can, having been caught by the alley thugs.

The thugs always threatened Claire that if she got caught by the police, she’d be in deep trouble, so whenever she spotted the police in the distance, she’d quickly duck into an alley to hide.

Since Claire was still young, she didn’t have a quota, but if someone was just a bit older than her, they would have one. If the thugs didn’t receive the required quota based on age, they’d beat them until their faces were swollen. And that bruised face was often quite helpful for begging.

But it wasn’t because the thugs had any minimum compassion for a child that they didn’t set a quota for her. It was simply because even if they did set one, she clearly wouldn’t be able to meet it.

If they had any minimal sympathy, they wouldn’t have sold Claire for money to the orphanage.

An old woman who regularly visited the thugs saw Claire and promptly handed over money to buy her. Although Claire was still young, she could easily recognize that she had been sold. After all, she had seen that process numerous times.

Of course, the orphans under the thugs were given nothing more than moldy bread for all the money they handed over to the thugs.

“You’ll sell for a high price.”

Claire remembered the old woman’s face as she smiled while taking her to the orphanage. To be honest, it wasn’t such an old memory that she could forget it.

Life in the orphanage was still better than being under the thugs.

The porridge had the texture of paper soaked in water, but at least she could fill her empty belly at set times every day. If she listened well to what the old woman said, she wouldn’t get beaten. And most importantly, even if she did get beaten, it was rare that she got hit hard enough to leave a mark or scar.

Besides, it was in the orphanage that Claire met her first ‘nice person.’

_Sylvia._

The person with the surname ‘Black’ seemed to be the oldest among the children. Though really, she didn’t look much older than Claire. No, at a quick glance, they almost looked like the same age.

But since the old woman said so, Claire decided to just believe it. Even when called ‘sister,’ Sylvia didn’t seem to mind at all.

She did make a somewhat flustered face, but that was the end of it.

When she first heard that Sylvia was the leader of the group, Claire thought she would be someone who hit the other kids. The ‘action leader’ designated by the thugs always was. To avoid getting hit, you had to listen well.

But… Sylvia was somehow different.

“Are you hungry? Here, eat more.”

Although it was a small portion for one person, she would share a bit of her own share with the kids who only stared at their bowls, having already finished theirs.

She didn’t hit anyone, nor did she shout.

She didn’t even get angry when someone laughed, and when the kids whined, she soothed them with the nicest words she could find.

Claire had never met someone like Sylvia before in her life; she found Sylvia to be truly fascinating. In a way, Sylvia seemed more like an ‘adult’ than the old woman who might have lived longer than all the kids in the orphanage put together.

And it seemed the other kids felt the same way.

They followed Sylvia around.

Though she was usually quiet, Sylvia would share old stories with the kids, even if they were just a bit raucous. Most of the stories were nearly the same, only differing in names and endings, but the kids had no real playtime and wanted to hear those tales.

In fact, Sylvia hadn’t been the kids’ leader for very long; it was barely a month since Claire arrived at the orphanage until it burned down.

But Claire felt that month was the happiest and most peaceful time she had ever lived.

After the orphanage burned down, the old woman died, and they escaped together.

Sylvia led the children straight into the city center.

And the process was really… a series of unbelievable miracles.

Without ever being noticed by the police anywhere on the streets, and without even a single confrontation with the alley thugs, Sylvia moved confidently right through the heart of the city.

And somehow, she knew they had made it this far.

“The children’s condition isn’t very good.”

A man with a splendidly groomed beard said while rolling up the sleeve of the child in front of him.

“It seems like they haven’t eaten anything for days.”

A lady next to him said.

Occasionally, people passing by would throw a coin into Claire’s tin can, giving her pitying looks. But she had never seen anyone actively checking their condition and expressing concern like this.

“Where are you all from? Are there more kids like you?”

“I don’t know.”

When the child caught by the man’s hand replied in fear, he nodded and released it.

“Is there someone who brought you here?”

“Ah, that is—”

_Sister._

The one who had brought all the children here, including Claire, was her sister, Sylvia.

“That’s good, right, sister?”

The two seemed like good people.

Perhaps Sister Sylvia had known this and brought the kids here. To find a place to rest.

How she knew was unclear, but… that wasn’t what mattered.

From this moment, they would likely be much safer than they had been in the orphanage.

“…Sister?”

But the kind voice she always heard when she spoke wasn’t there.

She looked back.

Surely, her sister had been at the very back of the group—

But there was no one behind Claire.

“Uh?”

In a hurry, she spun around.

There were people walking along the street. Carriages were passing by, and many people were coming in and out of shops.

But Sister Sylvia couldn’t be seen.

“Sister!”

Claire shouted, but there was still no answer.

“What’s wrong?”

A lady who had approached asked.

“Was there someone else?”

“My sister, she’s gone!”

When Claire spoke, the lady’s face turned serious immediately.

“Are you saying there was originally one more person?”

“Yes, she was at the very back…”

The lady instantly turned her gaze to her husband and made eye contact.

“Don’t worry.”

The lady knelt down to match Claire’s height and said,

“We’ll search for her. We’ll definitely find her.”

“Really?”

Under normal circumstances, Claire wouldn’t have asked that way. All the adults she had met until now hated being questioned.

She was that anxious.

Worried that Sylvia would suddenly leave her side, just like she had suddenly appeared.

“Yes. We will definitely find her.”

But the lady didn’t scold Claire, nor did she curse her for being bothersome. She didn’t even hit her.

She simply gently patted Claire’s head.

Claire nodded.

After that, things went well.

It didn’t take long before the couple learned that they were Baron Grace and Baroness Grace.

In the baron’s territory, a newly built orphanage awaited them, and the baron and his wife gladly welcomed the group of orphans who had come all the way to their estate.

And that wasn’t the end. As time passed, the number of orphans gradually increased.

All the orphans wore clean clothes and grew up healthy, eating proper meals in a clean environment.

Education was also assured. Although the orphans came from back alleys, some managed to grow smart enough to enter the Imperial Academy, which only admitted the best and brightest. Their swordsmanship skills were commendable as well.

In fact, one of them could develop a close bond with the baron’s eldest son, verging on sibling-like.

That was Claire.

Adopted by Baron Grace at the age of ten and becoming ‘Claire Grace,’ she had superior swordsmanship, surpassing the baron’s eldest son, and at fifteen, she gained admission to the Imperial Academy as the top candidate, where only the most outstanding students could enroll.

Yet, during all that time, Claire had yet to find Sylvia among the newly arrived orphans.

Chapter 7

I’ve recently come to feel that having the ability to turn back time is an absurdly overpowered cheat skill.

Ah, of course, anyone hearing this might think I’m just being ridiculous—after all, the very idea of a power that can make all my mistakes vanish is undeniably suspicious, right?

What I really mean to say is that the range of applications for this ability is simply insane.

First of all, anyone who has this power can correct their mistakes, just like you’d expect.

For example,

“Eek!”

“Uh…?”

…like when my ‘step-brother’ suddenly tried to slice me in half with his sword.

In the original story, Claire becomes one of the emperor’s children. It means she ends up being one of the evil executives wielding a ‘whip-like sword’ favored by the emperor.

And even though it’s called a whip-like sword, it doesn’t mean the blade is flexible like a whip. It’s more like a strange sword with parts of the blade that look like cut-out utility knife blades connected by some robust string, allowing it to extend and be swung around like a whip when needed.

Such a sword does not exist in reality, but for some reason, it frequently appears in subculture.

Moreover, she dressed in a wildly sadistic outfit, had a loud voice, and an arrogant attitude. Although she claimed that’s not her true self but rather the result of giving up on everything, her unique dead-eyed gaze combined with her decadently twisted aura managed to make her a surprisingly popular character.

She also occasionally showed up as a guest character in the protagonist’s party and had a relationship gauge, allowing players to increase their affection and witness specific events; however, she was ultimately a character that dies in the storyline.

Well, popular characters often manage to resurrect for all sorts of reasons, given how the developers operate, so she could potentially come back in a sequel. But in the latest one I played, she’s dead…

Of course, that’s not the case now.

Claire is safely at the orphanage run by Baron Grace’s estate. I don’t know how the original story will unfold, but at least in this world, Claire doesn’t have to suffer a terrible agony that would be preferable to dying. Plus, she doesn’t have to become one of the evil executives. There’s no need for that.

…The problem is, I took over that ‘evil executive’ position.

My impression of this place has changed a lot since the first time I came here. I made an effort to change it. I figured that it’s safer to stick around here than to be cast aside by the emperor. I always made sure to keep myself well-groomed and maintained a respectful attitude toward those above me. I even cut my long hair—which is annoying to manage—short and kept it neat at all times.

But, seeing the current situation, I wonder if it was even necessary to try that hard.

Right here is the very representation of someone who lives carelessly yet isn’t cast away by the emperor.

“Hey, are you okay?”

I heard my ‘step-brother’ ask.

“…”

My body isn’t completely split in half. The strike wasn’t heartfelt, after all.

However, it was still a deadly blow, enough to cause pain before the agony fully hit me. It seems my brain is flooding my body with endorphins to prevent shock.

But based on my experience, this state doesn’t last long. After a bit of time, extreme pain will hit me, and I’ll probably be screaming.

And if that happens, not only will my life be at stake, but my ‘value’ in the emperor’s eyes will plummet into the ground.

That would be troublesome.

“Hey, wait a sec, there’s blood…”

Isn’t that just insane?

I glared at my step-brother as those thoughts ran through my head.

Again.

*

Anyway.

If I turn back time like this, I can dodge the swords aimed at me.

In fact, it’s even possible to dodge without looking.

Ah, of course, the faster the opponent’s sword, the more challenging it becomes to evade, meaning I’ll make more ‘mistakes’ and, naturally, try again more often. But who cares, right? I can turn back time as many times as I need to.

Not only can I dodge, but I can also retry until I achieve the dodge position I want. Whether it’s a frantic roll on the floor or effortlessly sidestepping with a stylish maneuver, it all depends on how many times I attempt it.

…And over the past seven years, since I went from ‘Sylvia Black’ to ‘Sylvia Fanggriffon’, I’ve dodged this step-brother’s sword attacks multiple times a day. Even if my reflexes don’t improve, having to evade the attacks of one of the world’s strongest swordsmen dozens, if not hundreds, of times a day will inevitably sharpen my instincts.

Now, I can dodge these half-hearted strikes with just a step’s distance.

No, seriously, is it appropriate for a twelve-year-old to be swinging swords around?

I appreciate that this guy brought me here, but he’s clearly not sane.

It was the same in the game. The reason I’m under the emperor is to challenge more of those monsters, after all.

Swish!

As I pulled back to avoid the sword flying from behind, I heard him whistle.

I quickly turned around, pulling out the pistol from the holster under my left armpit.

After becoming the emperor’s daughter, I was troubled for quite a while.

I had the ability to turn back time, but my physical abilities weren’t remarkable at all.

I was just like any other kid my age.

Competing against other monsters beneath the emperor, I felt painfully inadequate.

Of course, others would see me as a freak with insane reflexes, acute hearing, and senses surpassing those of a human. I could dodge every incoming sword strike or sense an assassin’s presence the moment they entered the room, or even recognize who’s lurking outside.

Naturally, I was acting based on foreknowledge, but to others, it looked like I was just picking up on things using my senses.

You could say it’s like a real-life TAS.

But still, the emperor certainly wouldn’t be satisfied with just this ability. Being someone who dreams of world domination, he would want a fighting skill that guarantees victory against others.

So, what I chose was a ‘gun.’

The developers mentioned that the setting of the game is inspired by the Industrial Revolution.

But perhaps because they thought drawing directly from actual history would be boring, they made various adjustments compared to the real Industrial Revolution period.

True to its period setting, the designs and general level of technology are depicted as similar to the mid-19th century. However, since it’s a fantasy steam-punk genre, it’s way over the top technologically. Mass production of various items, new manufacturing methods that would have been quite rudimentary in the original world, are quite commonplace here. There’s even a semblance of computers, and in some respects, the 21st century modern society comes to mind—especially in terms of school uniforms.

As usual, some of the technological capabilities in this world are close to those of the late 19th to early 20th century. The guns appear similar to personal firearms commonly associated with the 1st and 2nd World Wars, complete with metallic cartridges. Although some aspects of technology might still lag behind Earth’s equivalent period, considering it wasn’t the case in the original story, it’s likely to catch up in a few years.

Even so, despite the generalization of mass production and the implementation of pressing techniques, revolvers are more popular than automatic pistols, while bolt-action rifles and submachine guns are favored over semi-automatic rifles. This is probably because designs, in general, haven’t fully stabilized yet, making basic firearms significantly more reliable than complicated ones.

The revolver I carry around is military-grade. It’s a break-action revolver that fully tilts forward to eject cartridges at once, allowing me to swap out the entire magazine of six rounds at once. It’s sized for an adult male’s hand and definitely isn’t suitable for my underdeveloped twelve-year-old grip.

Naturally, I dropped it several times at first. Thankfully, I always had the opportunity to turn back time.

Through numerous attempts, I found the most optimal stance for drawing the gun.

Turning back time means that all my previous strength training and running efforts essentially reset. My condition returns to what it was, fitting that time frame.

However, the muscle memory remains.

I could practice drawing my gun thousands, if not millions, of times. If I tire out, I just turn back time until I feel comfortable again.

The same goes for shooting practice. As long as I have a single bullet in my gun, I can practice shooting at anything, a revolver or nearly any bolt-action rifle I fancy.

Plus, if I stray off target, I can keep practicing until I hit my mark. If necessary, I could shoot a bullet into the same spot again, leaving only a single hole. As long as I keep turning back time until that happens, it’s a done deal.

I can confidently say that no soldier in the empire has practiced shooting as much as I have.

Bang!

I felt a strong recoil from the revolver in my hand—

“…Huh?”

“…Ah.”

You know, if a person practices hitting the bullseye continuously, eventually, it becomes awkward for them to shoot off-target.

…There’s a bullet-sized hole right in the middle of my step-brother’s forehead.

Uh, um…

Again.

*

There’s a god named Baldr from Norse mythology.

He’s a deity who doesn’t get hurt regardless of what weapon strikes him, so the other gods used to throw all sorts of things at him out of pure fun.

…For reference, they didn’t torment him, they just played around with him in that way since he couldn’t get hurt.

My step-siblings looked at me just like that.

Whenever they suddenly swing swords or shoot arrows, I evade before they even know it, making it feel like I’m just joking around.

Of course, the only one who acts like a madman all the time is the one who just got shot by me not long ago.

Well.

Since I turned back time before being killed, that earlier incident can’t really be counted as me killing someone, right?

Bang!

With the sound of the gun, his movements stopped.

If I had managed to evade the first strike, I should’ve just ended it, but apparently, the madman was ready for a follow-up.

The ends of his red hair were slightly burned, precisely at the side of his temple. That’s where the bullet passed by.

I didn’t aim to hit that spot specifically, but it seems like it worked as a proper warning, so I’ll take that as a win.

“Whoa, whoa, calm down, sister.”

He displayed a deceptive air of concern, raising his hands to show he meant no harm to me.

“…Do you swing a deadly sword at your dear sister like that?”

“No, I knew you’d dodge it no matter how many times I swung. I was sure you’d get away with this much.”

As he spoke, he casually sheathed his sword with a theatrical flourish.

You didn’t dodge it, you madman.

Even if I explained it, you wouldn’t believe me.

“What if I hadn’t dodged?”

I asked, and he frowned slightly and pondered for a moment before saying,

“Huh? But you dodged, didn’t you?”

Exactly.

This guy seems to lack the brains comparable to his swordsmanship. Well, it makes sense since he let his guard down and got shot by me earlier.

No matter how amazing my skills may be, they don’t compare to that swordsman’s talent. Of course, no one thinks of that since I keep spinning time to create optimal outcomes.

I had to maintain a minimal level of fitness to dodge the blinding strikes from this guy every day, just to avoid being shot from a distance. Damn it.

And there are still three years until the main story starts. The game’s setting is that they send out the most talented twelve-year-olds to the academy, meaning this guy still has room to grow a bit. Mostly in terms of brains.

After all, he’s not a complete fool; he wouldn’t let his guard down and get shot in the original narrative either.

Despite being barely twelve years old, this is so frustrating.

“Whoa, whoa, Sylvia.”

He seemed to think it was cute how I glared at him, showing off his palms in a pacifying gesture.

“Calm down. I’m your big bro. Would I seriously hurt my dear sister?”

You did hurt me.

But to be fair, if it hadn’t been for you being serious, I wouldn’t have split in half.

And at this moment, it’s also true that I’m not hurt.

“…Lucas.”

“Hey, sis, what’s with being so aloof? Call me ‘big bro’~ Okay? Honestly, you’ve known me longer than Father.”

It’s only been a few hours apart.

The emperor had been watching that orphanage from the very start.

Surely, he wasn’t trying to find capable kids like Claire or me beforehand. Rather, he was probably gathering intel on the nobles connected with the orphanage and looking for weaknesses to exploit.

And the one assigned to spy on the orphanage was this ‘Lucas Fanggriffon.’

After the orphanage caught fire, he witnessed me manage to escape with the children without a hitch and deemed me ‘talented.’ He then kidnapped me and brought me directly in front of the emperor.

And then he swung a sword at me. The insane man.

At a five-year-old no less.

In the end, I barely managed to evade after numerous tries.

I’m in a Millennium game, not some mediocre software game.

But hey, thanks to this, I caught the emperor’s eye, and now my name is Sylvia Fanggriffon.

“…………Lucas. If you do that again, I won’t dodge the next strike and will report my injury to his Majesty the Emperor.”

“Oy, is that so? Did our little Sylvia get upset? Should we tell Daddy?”

“…”

Should I kill him?

Should I just go ahead and kill him?

I seriously pondered while fiddling with the gun in my hand.

Chapter 8

Well, if Lucas was being careless like before, it might be a different story. But facing him directly like this, there’s no way I could shoot him in the head no matter how many times I tried.

Not just a few times, it could take hundreds or even thousands of attempts before I might hit him once.

…However, for the main plot to unfold, this guy needed to stay alive. He was quite an important supporting character in the original story.

So, in order to predict even a little about what lies ahead, I have to go through all that trouble to bring this annoying brat back to life by turning back time. What kind of nonsense is that?

Moreover, even though I often find this guy irritating and sometimes feel like I’d really like to kill him, it’s not like I actually hate him. I didn’t have any particular affection for the male characters in the original game, but I wasn’t at the point of outright disgust, either.

If I really looked at the situation, I might’ve brought this on myself.

Besides, the Emperor plays a role of indirectly helping the protagonist for a while. He usually offers assistance through his children, and Lucas was one of them.

Maybe I could end up being one of them too. Right now, instead of Claire, I’m in that position.

In the original, Claire doesn’t actually join the academy right from the start. She gradually intertwines with the protagonist’s group as an outsider at first, and then later sneaks in under the pretext of being a transfer student when the story really kicks off.

In fact, she was the Emperor’s puppet and a spy.

I wouldn’t know if I would end up taking Claire’s role in this situation.

At least in my opinion, my personality was very different from Claire’s.

While Claire was a multidimensional character who typically acted like a little devil, charming many, only to turn incredibly prickly once her true identity was revealed, the character I built under the Emperor was a “cold, expressionless character, no matter the situation.”

There’s just no way around it.

I had dreamt of becoming a voice actor and attended a voice acting academy early on, but I didn’t have any amazing talent for acting. So, I chose to maintain an atmosphere of total stoicism rather than making various expressions and reacting situationally.

And the “reaction speed that seems to foresee the future” fits quite nicely with this atmosphere, especially because my ability to start knowing the situation already from turning back time made that atmosphere work even better.

“Oh, Sylvia. And Lucas.”

As I briskly walked down the corridors of the Imperial Palace, trying my hardest to ignore Lucas, who was scratching at my insides, someone approached from afar.

Unlike Lucas, who was the Emperor’s son and ran around like a wild mischief without bothering to manage his hair, this person had beautifully shining golden hair perfectly parting in a 2:8 ratio and even took care to ensure not a single hair of his eyebrows was out of place. Like Lucas, he was also one of the “Emperor’s children.”

A blush appeared on his face when he saw me, but his expression certainly turned dour when he noticed Lucas. This person really loved being neat, after all. Lucas seemed a bit messy in comparison.

For reference, even though he looked incredibly noble, he wasn’t a true noble. Among the Emperor’s offspring, only one real royal bloodline exist—the daughter. The rest were all scrappy street kid types.

I’m not sure why all street kids are such monsters, though.

“Lucas, could you please at least button your shirt all the way up while inside the palace?”

“Eh?”

And naturally, Lucas didn’t like this person all that much either. They were pretty much opposites.

“Who do you think you are to tell me what to do? Are you trying to play big brother?”

“I was born a few months earlier than you, at least.”

And I’m taller too.

If I keep talking like this in this situation, it might just rile Lucas up even more.

“Hey, Jayden.”

Lucas aimed a mock angry expression as he strutted over to Jayden Fanggriffon.

…But it was obvious that expression was just for show.

Every time he met Jayden, Lucas would act like a brat… I mean, he’d pick a fight with him, but the truth is, it wasn’t just because he didn’t like Jayden.

Jayden was already the strongest knight in the Empire.

Lucas would later become the Empire’s number one sword, and though I wondered if both could coexist, Jayden earned that reputation on the battlefield while Lucas would later gain it after defeating the Sword Saint.

Thus, the meanings of those two titles could be said to be subtly different.

While Jayden was a soldier who almost worshipped the Emperor and followed his orders to the death, Lucas was a madman with the ambition to someday look down on the Emperor, wanting to be the strongest being in the world.

He really loved fighting too. If I were to genuinely confront him, he’d probably rush in thinking it was fun.

…Earlier, I was taken off guard and ended up shot before I could even do that.

“Haven’t I told you before? If you want to give me orders, you should first prove you can beat me with a sword. If you can show me you’re definitely stronger than me, I’ll even follow orders like drinking your urine, okay?”

“…Sigh.”

With an exaggerated motion, Jayden sighed heavily, then gestured to me with an artistic flair of his swept hand.

“Look at Sylvia over there. Every little bit of her demeanor exudes grace! Moreover, even if you swing your sword all day, she beautifully moves and avoids everything with noblesse-like restraint and elegance. And is that not enough? Even when meeting His Majesty, she conducts herself with a grace beyond her age. You should at least take after your sister a little!”

All of it was a result of countless hours of practice.

Well, to people here, it probably looks like “she’s always been like that.”

…And also, this had deviated quite a bit from the original storyline.

Switching places with Claire aside, Claire and Jayden didn’t get along well at all. Since Jayden favored people dressed neatly and with noble-esque postures, Claire’s outfits looked too “unsightly” in his eyes.

Of course, I had no intention of wearing such clothing and thought it didn’t fit my image, so I dressed as neatly as I could.

It seemed that this was a significant reason for Jayden to favor me.

As a result, I had become Jayden’s most cherished “little sister.”

…So much so that he openly declared he’d personally vet any boyfriend I might one day have.

Why the hell would he do that? What a lunatic.

Ah, of course, this guy was originally portrayed as a comic relief character, so it wasn’t entirely out of character for him.

“……”

Ah, just now, the prideful expression on Lucas’s face had utterly twisted into one of shame.

Yeah, it was a bit awkward, right? Even a lunatic would think that sounded… creepy.

Complimenting a twelve-year-old as “beautiful” or whatever.

Of course, Jayden had no such malice behind it and genuinely thought that way.

Still, couldn’t he have chosen a word like “elegant” instead?

“C-come on, Sylvia. Let’s go.”

Lucas, who had just been talking in a completely rascal-like voice moments ago, suddenly spoke with an incredibly affectionate “big brother” tone.

“Don’t stick around a pervert like him.”

“A pervert? What the hell are you talking about!”

Jayden strongly protested as Lucas grabbed my shoulder, turning me and gently nudging me, trailing behind us.

*

Those who are called “Emperor’s children” usually have nothing else to do with the phrase in normal situations.

But in this game… no, in this empire, it’s used almost as a common noun.

The commoners might not know, but among the nobles, it’s a term used almost like “the Emperor’s assassination organization.”

And in reality, it was so.

I don’t know how they all came to be, but everyone the Emperor refers to as “sons and daughters” were all beings beyond the scope of mere humans in certain areas.

…If you want to argue, I was included in that too.

“Oh, everyone’s here?”

Lucas said as he opened the door to the audience room.

Under normal circumstances, there should be knights guarding the audience room… but inside were only the Emperor, one adult female, and one adult male.

“Oh, you’ve come.”

In the game, he appeared as the final boss of an evil organization, but when he called us, he sounded like a true father.

Arthur III.

The avatar of the ‘Fanggriffon.’

The emperor who established the most powerful authority in Aetherna’s history.

With ambitions to put everything in the world beneath him, he was quite literally a villain wishing for “world domination.”

And kneeling before him were two more among the ‘Emperor’s children.’

A man with delicate features and black hair reaching down his back, who, despite his tender appearance, was an immensely strong paladin. He looked this way, but if he ever took off his shirt, you’d see a lean muscular body with just the right amount of body fat.

He spoke little and was moderately handsome, making him popular among female gamers.

For reference, Lucas was also one of the more popular characters.

Jayden wasn’t.

And beside him sat a woman with a slightly gloomy demeanor who, in the original, would serve as Claire’s mentor. Due to their relationship, she was referred to as “older sister.”

A woman wielding a whip-like sword. For reference, she was already dead at the starting point in the original story. How she died was never mentioned; she simply appeared as the previous owner of Claire’s weapon.

She apparently liked Claire a lot and taught her various things, but that bad personality was passed on, ultimately making Claire a polarizing character.

…No, that’s just a set-up, and the writer probably messed up, but, well, it doesn’t mean much to argue about such things here.

By the way, I’m curious what kind of swordsmanship Claire will learn at Grace’s Estate, given that she has an aptitude for swordplay. If her eyes aren’t mere holes, Baron Grace would surely teach her swordplay and also send her to the academy.

The true daughter, the Crown Princess, was not here. After all, the inferiority complex felt towards the “Emperor’s children” was a sort of character trait. That process of overcoming the inferiority complex was part of the character’s story.

So I wonder if I’ll end up feeling inferiority towards them too.

“Have you strengthened your body since we last met?”

“Um.”

As I knelt in the position I had practiced hundreds of times, the Emperor nodded as if he was pleased and smiled.

From the back, I heard Jayden go “hmm” in admiration, but I ignored it.

“Are you well?”

The exact words of the villainous character gave off the true friendly manner of a father, but that mission would surely be one that called for someone’s death.

The Emperor was probably ordering someone from the noble faction to be killed or to be brought to a similar state. I heard that the number of nobles secretly killed by the Emperor reached double digits in the original.

I have my suspicions. But I could hardly blame the Emperor on mere suspicions.

“I’ll be waiting.”

And handing such a mission to a twelve-year-old child, this man was indeed an antagonist after all.

Perhaps this Emperor also played a part in forming Claire’s twisted personality.

“I have returned after completing my mission, Father.”

The one who held the title of “Emperor’s child” most sincerely was Jayden.

The reason he wasn’t popular stemmed from this. He was an utterly one-dimensional character who only looked at the Emperor.

“Good, you’ve worked hard. The Count is alive, right?”

“Yes, he hasn’t died. But I’m sure he understood your words perfectly.”

“That’s good.”

Is this really something that could be said from the mouth of the Empire’s highest ‘knight’?

“Lucas.”

“I took care of it.”

Though Jayden glared at Lucas’s carefree response, the Emperor didn’t pay it any mind.

“Excellent. Since my children are doing so well, this father is proud. Please continue to do your best.”

The Emperor smiled warmly.

…And I’m convinced that smile was sincere. His words, even “my children” and “father,” were all genuinely meant.

And thus, this man was undoubtedly a true villain.

I thought so.

Chapter 9

In fact, I wasn’t really planning to take that mission seriously. Swoosh!

Assassinating a count, huh? Dramatic gasp!

Oh, of course, that doesn’t mean I can’t do it. I already confirmed whether I could carry out that mission once. Whoosh!

Riding the emperor’s borrowed carriage to the count’s territory and sneaking into the count’s mansion was entirely feasible. Tada!

Though, I can’t say I succeeded on the first try. Given that it was the count’s mansion, there were countless guards, and the count himself was extremely meticulous, so there were numerous servants and guards swarming inside. Buzz buzz!

But no matter how thorough the security, there’s always a hole, right? Boing!

Especially since in this world, there’s no such thing as CCTV yet. There were steam-powered devices called interpretation machines and calming machines that resembled computers, as well as mechanical calculators, cameras, and printers, but all those technologies were based on ‘analog.’ Tick-tock!

Calming machines could store numbers and alphabets, but instead of using semiconductors, they memorized ‘physical shapes’ within a complex mechanism made up of numerous large and small gears. Imagine a fancy analog wristwatch. It’s like a complicated gear system powered by steam that maintains a ‘form’, and when you want to access it, a different gear prints it onto ‘paper.’ Ka-ching!

Of course, they’d have to constantly feed in coal or magical stones and keep an eye on the wear of each part. Compared to modern computers, their size was ridiculously big. Even the calming machine, capable of remembering only a few images, was as big as three grand pianos stacked together. Boom!

Remembering images was, understandably, too inefficient, so they were typically used for complex calculations. If you made them memorize numbers instead of images, they could remember way more stuff! They could output results much faster too. Zap!

Even then, the only advantage it had compared to human calculations was just “a little faster and a little more accurate.” So, unless you really needed urgent calculations or had to provide precise decimal points, you’d just hire a professional calculator. Ding ding!

Moreover, the interpretation machine, supposedly matching the performance of a 386 or 486 computer, required an entire building, not to mention having hundreds of technicians on standby for maintenance. It was slightly smaller than a library, but when you consider costs, it might be way more efficient to just build a library. Whomp!

While there was a compact version of the latest interpretation machine aboard the flying battleship ‘Dreadnought’, due to its size, it sacrificed functionality, requiring dozens of calculators to assist with its calculations. Fwoosh!

There are cameras, but video hasn’t been invented yet. The film we think of as “analog film” hasn’t been developed either. Here, ‘film’ is flat, broad glass plates, and, of course, the higher the resolution of the camera, the bigger the glass plate it needs. The risk of breaking also increases accordingly. Crash!

While there is somewhat the size of 35mm film available at the story’s start (though I haven’t seen it), it’s before the main story begins, and maybe that’s why I’ve never seen one. Whistle!

…Oh, the settings are detailed in weird ways. Head scratch!

Anyway, it’s a world where over-technology collides with an atmosphere reminiscent of the 19th century. Boom boom!

After being caught dozens of times, I confirmed that the Count Crowfield’s estate had been guarded solely by manpower without any security machines. Clank!

And as long as human beings are guarding, there’s always an opening. Sneaky sneak!

I managed to time travel back forty-six times and succeeded twice in getting close to the count. Time warp!

Out of thirty-four tries to create a situation where I could shoot the count in the head while he passed by, I succeeded three times. Pew pew!

Successfully planting a bomb on the carriage the count was riding in took two attempts out of thirty-seven tries. Boom!

Lastly, I disguised myself as a new maid and succeeded once in poisoning the food the count would eat. I only managed that after trying five times. Gulp!

However, I discovered this method’s efficiency was extremely low, so I decided to scrap it. It took at least a week to two weeks for one successful infiltration, and the success rate was just too low. I only succeeded once in the end, and that success was only due to repeatedly time-traveling and trying it out. I mean, I reset the entirety of time five times, making the use of my abilities a record breaker. Break time!

Considering the escape time and the possibility of someone remembering my face later, the second method seemed to be the best fit. Just shoot from a distance and slip away. Swoosh!

Of course, I didn’t really intend to kill him. I was just weighing the possibilities of success, and the count still wasn’t dead. Nope!

“…Hmm.” Hmm?

I settled into a tree, watching through binoculars as the count’s carriage procession passed by, lost in thought. Focus!

I know the name ‘Crowfield.’ As ominous as it sounds, the count was indeed a dark figure. He sported a Kaiser mustache with the ends curled up, and his skin was pale as a ghost. Spooky!

Well, honestly, that was my first time seeing that appearance. I only remembered the name from a game. Level up!

Mia Crowfield. Bing!

One of the heroines, she had a somewhat tragic aura, and her hair was disheveled, but if you pushed aside the bangs that covered her half-face, she was rated a tremendous beauty. Dazzle!

Three years before the main story’s start, she lost her father to the emperor’s schemes… as mentioned at the game’s start, but to be honest, it was also true that Count Crowfield had been carrying out all sorts of dirty deeds behind the scenes. Uh-oh!

In the story, among the important characters in the noble faction the protagonist belongs to, everyone had a sad backstory, and Mia Crowfield was one of them. Sad horn!

In her family, there was a stern yet caring father. Yet behind the scenes, he was deeply involved in human trafficking and the opium business targeting commoners. Eww!

Mia Crowfield’s story revolves around learning the truth about her father, who was just thought to be a victim of power struggles, apologizing to the commoner heroine, accepting the past, and overcoming it. Yay!

“…But I didn’t expect I’d be the one to eliminate that Crowfield.” Surprise!

I let out a light sigh. Sigh!

The character known as the emperor fundamentally believes that everything he does is for the sake of the empire. He loves the empire so much that he considers everything outside of it ‘his own’ to sacrifice, aiming to use those sacrifices for the empire, making him a perfect example of a typical imperialist. Dramatic irony!

However, his love for the empire is genuine, which is why he sincerely wanted to root out the opium trade and human trafficking thriving within the empire. He couldn’t care less about what happened to other countries; he was prepared to sacrifice everything in the world solely for the empire. Boom!

Of course, his logic has numerous flaws. Well, which villain doesn’t, right? If there are no flaws in their logic, they would be considered a good character instead of a villain. Ding!

Thus, I honestly didn’t have the thought of ‘I must eliminate him’ until I learned of this Crowfield name. Dun dun!

The problem is— Hmm?

I placed the binoculars back to observe the carriage the count was riding in. Zoom!

Through the lenses finely crafted by the empire’s best artisans, the black carriage the count was riding in became vividly clear. Bam!

It was indeed a luxurious carriage made of quite expensive wood, but it was different from the one the count usually rode. Glimmer!

The flashy carriage that the count usually rode was parked in front of a different inn. The count switched carriages twice before heading to his destination. Zoom zoom!

And that destination was an inn located in a secluded area of Count’s territory. Sneaky peek!

For reference, the term ‘inn’ is just a name I arbitrarily assigned. Ding!

The actual name on the log building was ‘Orphanage.’ Bing!

Twelve of my attempts to outsmart the count’s guards and get right beside him happened in that inn. Woop!

And once, I even managed to get right next to the count and point a Wexler revolver at his head. Click!

Thanks to that, I knew exactly what went on inside that building. Knowledge gained!

That building suited the name ‘inn’ far more than ‘orphanage.’ Yikes!

A stench that assaulted the nose. Ugh!

An opium scent that clouded the mind. Whoooa!

Screams and moans. The voices of children crying out for help. Help!

Oh, and I forgot to mention, over the twelve times I entered that inn, I rummaged through it thoroughly. Cramble!

I was able to obtain the guest list, a record of the children used, their life prices, and the names of the staff members. Cha-ching!

When the count was hit in the leg with a .455 caliber bullet, he screamed everything he knew in a flood of panic. Eek!

That inn was importing children from ‘the orphanage in the imperial capital’ and ‘processing’ the ‘raw materials’ as needed. Zap!

“Do you think we can uproot this situation just by getting rid of this inn? This organization is just one of many small criminal groups! If we want to wipe out those eating away at the empire, we need to team up with the big fishes! Please, spare my life. I’ll do anything for Emperor! I’ll spill all the information I know…” Whimper!

“…In that case, may I ask you one thing? About the carriage you rode in. How about the carriage driver? Is he a member of this organization?” Curious!

“Y-Yes. That’s right. To keep the customer’s information from leaking, we must use loyal members throughout all processes…” Uh-oh!

That was something I had heard directly from the count last time. Ding!

Of course, the current count wouldn’t even dream that he had said such things. Zing!

In the carriage the count is in, there are no innocent people at all. They’re not merely intertwined by money but by drugs and prostitution. Because they’re tangled up with the fact that they’re involved in drugs and assaulting children, they couldn’t easily open their mouths or withdraw without risking evidence I’ve prepared beforehand being revealed to the world. Shh!

Naturally, they weren’t collected out of fear, either. If someone couldn’t overcome the guilt, it’s impossible for them to remain tied to such means. Yikes!

The majority of the organization’s members who support it are criminals who’ve been in and out of prison numerous times. Boo!

And further, in a country with such low human rights awareness, touching children was infinitely close to pure sin. Sinful!

…Actually, thinking back, it was strange. People don’t bat an eye when a ten-year-old child gets their hand crushed in a factory press but are overly concerned about locking those children up and assaulting them. I really can’t understand the concept of ‘good’ in this world even after seeing it over and over again. Huh?

Well, I’ll set that aside for now. Skip!

In any case, to summarize: Doo-doo!

Both the count and the members of the organization that move that carriage are all trash that can die without any concern. Trash talk!

As I got closer to that inn, the carriage slowly began to reduce its speed. Screech!

I took out my pocket watch from my pocket. Tick!

A wind-up watch has its limitations in precision, but I could roughly estimate when the bomb would go off… Oh boy!

Boom!

—I had a general idea. Whoosh!

I turned my binoculars toward the sound, observing the situation. Peep!

Half of the carriage was gone without a trace! Kaboom!

The man who had been sitting on the driver’s seat was rolling on the ground with one leg missing, and the burly guard accompanying the count was pushing through the opposite door, one of his arms missing, only to collapse right after. Splat!

Other members of the organization that had been riding in the back of the carriage hurriedly got out, but— Hurry hurry!

They were swept away by a series of subsequent explosions. Boom boom!

The procession following the carriage the count was in was also sent flying far away due to the chain reaction of explosions. Although I had carefully placed the explosives in the seat where the count was sitting, the carriages behind him didn’t have such precautions, leading to varying explosion locations. Some parts even flew toward the driver’s seat, while others were blown in the opposite direction, or some of them appeared to be relatively intact on the surface. Bam bam!

Of course, those intact carriages had no survivors inside, seeing as the windows had shattered outward. Shatter!

I could also see some bodies thrown in directions opposite from their limbs. Oh no!

…Along with people, half a dozen horses were also thrown away. A few surviving horses, startled by the loud noise, were thrashing around, causing more trouble for other members of the organization who were following from behind. Neigh!

I can only feel sorry for the innocent horses. Sigh!

The count would probably be unable to even find the corpses. Doom!

On my eighth try, it was my third success. Yay!

“…” Silence!

It wasn’t my first time killing someone. Nuh-uh!

Even so… honestly, I didn’t feel good about it. Bleh!

“Ugh.” Gag!

Trying to calm my upset stomach, I climbed down from the tree. Thud!

I changed my dirty clothes and quickly tossed them into my travel bag, closing it shut. Zip!

I had to escape before the chaos in the territory settled down. Run!

Chapter 10

_It wasn’t that hard to escape after all._

The Count had flown away just like that, causing a significant mess in the command structure of Count’s Territory.

Moreover, the Count had moved with the demonic humans without informing anyone, and because the explosion scattered body parts everywhere, it was initially regarded as a ‘disappearance’ rather than ‘death.’ While the Count’s closest aides might have known where he had gone and what happened to him, very few could openly say it.

Consequently, it was three days after the day of the explosion, when the death of the Count was clearly confirmed, that Count’s Territory began the serious search for the culprit who killed him.

They could barely deduce anything from the shredded remains, clothes found with the body, and some parts of the Count’s facial skin.

“……”

And I was reading about that process in the newspaper.

“Quite a magnificent method you chose.”

As I expressionlessly turned the page, Lucas sitting next to me said that.

Naturally, I had changed my clothes the moment the Count died and fled the Count’s Territory.

With a larger territory comes more people living there, and thus increased productivity. The Industrial Revolution had begun a mass production era with factories sprouting up everywhere, but those factories needed many laborers to operate. Most of those laborers were residents of the territory.

No matter how rich commoners—what they called bourgeois—built factories and hired people to gather more wealth, the nobles were the starting point. Nobles who possessed both land and money from the beginning created their own companies and built factories. Even if commoners wanted to establish factories, the land to build those factories was mostly owned by nobles.

Thus, a noble like the Count, who owned vast territories, often turned out to be so wealthy that even the richest commoner couldn’t catch up to.

“Chain explosions of carriages instead of just cars? Obviously, it’s murder.”

Of course, Lucas, who said that, didn’t have a look of blame towards me. Once someone has become crazy, they don’t really care how they kill someone.

Of course, if Lucas were to kill someone, he’d almost always choose to slash with a sword.

For someone like the Count, to be murdered by someone else usually meant that even the families of Counts couldn’t mess around or doubt someone who had formidable backing.

The only ones higher than a Count are a Duke and the Emperor.

Even for Dukes, their political standing is not always better than that of a Count. The standard separating a Duke from a Count is merely whether they carry the blood of the royal family or not; in terms of territory size or actual power, a Count could be superior. Of course, ‘generally’ speaking, Dukes have far more power. It’s like how, occasionally, a Baron’s power could surpass that of a Count.

However, nevertheless, a Duke doesn’t have the social position that makes it easy to just kill a Count. After all, a Duke is also merely a noble in this country. If they were to kill without thinking of pulling people to their side amidst the sharp division between the Emperor’s faction and the nobility’s faction, it would just end up empowering the opposing faction.

Then, the only one capable of killing this Count is, ‘contextually,’ the Emperor himself.

The problem is that it’s merely ‘contextual’ and there is no concrete evidence.

Since the previous generation, the Emperor’s power has been solid. It was something that should be shown boldly as, ‘If you oppose me, there’s only death.’

Moreover, blaming the Emperor merely for the reason of ‘it seems likely’ is a stretch due to the Emperor’s faction’s firmly established position.

In truth, those who believe this are probably just a group of nobles who extremely despise the Emperor.

When the Emperor told me to eliminate the Count, he probably already had the evidence of the Count’s wrongdoing in his possession, and thus if the Count’s aides came to argue with him, the Emperor could just show that evidence. It would be a situation more disgraceful than ‘death.’ Unless they want to be in such a position, the Count Crowfield’s family will likely have to keep quiet for several years.

Even the Count’s daughter might not know the reason her father was killed.

“The boiler explosion has a different aspect from an explosion caused by a bomb. Even if there was an explosion in a car, if it was caused by a bomb, it would have been discovered quickly.”

Vehicles employing steam engines all have boilers inside them. Since they are filled with either coal mixed with magic stones or pure magic stones, there’s always a risk of explosion. In reality, explosion incidents do happen from time to time.

The car Lucas and I are riding also has such explosion risks. However, the explosions from boilers or magic stones differ significantly from the explosions of standard gunpowder bombs. Well, I don’t have expert knowledge or anything.

Feigning indifference as I responded, Lucas shrugged.

“No, well, that wasn’t what I was trying to say… whatever. Your father probably wanted something that could act as a ‘warning’. I think I understand why Jayden cherishes you. …Well, the stuff he says can be a bit concerning, though.”

As Lucas seemed to raise his hand to pat my head, I quickly swatted it away.

*

“Excellent.”

The Emperor complimented me as he looked at me.

“Even without me saying how to kill, you acted well according to my intentions. I believe that even if I told you exactly how to kill, you would follow through just the same.”

“……Thank you.”

The Emperor’s words were both true and false.

Considering my ability to keep trying until I succeeded and ultimately achieve results, theoretically, I could kill even if the Emperor told me ‘how.’ Additionally, I could probably escape safely without anyone noticing.

“Indeed, my daughter. I am proud of you.”

“……”

To give a twelve-year-old child the job of killing someone and then praise her upon her return is quite something.

Especially when I think of the character of the Emperor I saw in a game, those words must be sincere. The Emperor is not someone who bothers with lies.

“Thank you.”

So, I merely expressed my gratitude towards that remark.

“You must have had a tough journey. I will hear your detailed report once you ease your fatigue.”

“Understood.”

I bowed my head deeply once more and turned my body to leave the room with a soldier-like gait I had practiced numerous times.

Every movement was poised and elegant. The speech was always formal. The expression was unchanged. That was the ‘character’ I had chosen. In an environment full of monsters capable of reading emotions as if peering deep into one’s mind through facial expressions and gestures, this was a kind of protective measure I had constructed to protect myself as much as possible.

And while the first couple of years were overwhelming, I was convinced that I had managed quite well over the last few years.

Although the Emperor has openly killed the Count, I guess he had no intention of spreading that fact to others directly, as there wasn’t even the usual security or maids in the audience room.

Well, I wonder if there’s even anyone who could go one-on-one with the Emperor and win at this point.

So, we, who periodically entered this ‘family-only’ audience room, were used to opening and closing the door ourselves.

“Oh, let me in! I need to see Father!”

“W-wait, please calm down, Your Highness. Sylvia is currently having a private audience with the Emperor—”

“I’m his daughter! I have the right to enter, regardless of who is inside!”

“Your Majesty has commanded that no one else enters.”

“……Aah….”

Just as the door opened, that conversation was taking place.

“Your Highness.”

I gave a slight bow towards the ‘Crown Princess’ right in front of me.

And that ‘Crown Princess’ also looked a little flustered as she regarded me.

To clarify, both Lucas and I are ‘children of the Emperor’. Naturally, our official titles are Crown Princess and Crown Prince.

However, that does not mean that all those ‘children’ are treated as real Crown Princesses or Crown Princes. Even if they are officially adopted children, they do not possess the rightful claim to inherit this Empire.

The true heirs to this Empire are only the true ‘children of the Emperor,’ those with royal blood, which only applies to this real ‘Crown Princess’ standing before me now.

Children like me and Lucas are virtually the Emperor’s personal assassination squad themselves. Well, it’s not that the Emperor doesn’t think of us as true children, but it’s just a different purpose.

The hair color and eye color are completely black, with an appearance that couldn’t hint even remotely at the mixing of royal blood, unlike me. This true Crown Princess, on the other hand, had long, dazzling golden hair, styled with a bit of curl at the ends, looking undeniably noble.

Well, my looks are decent enough in the noble sense. Still, the difference is enormous compared to the Crown Princess who has been royal since birth. While I had just survived soldier training with the memories of being an adult male, this little girl radiated an undeniable aura of royalty, making it impossible to compare to me despite my efforts.

Furthermore, seeing the pale skin that looked like it had never seen sunlight and her clear, deep blue eyes, I truly thought to myself that she is indeed the Emperor’s daughter.

“……”

At any rate, the Crown Princess, Alice Fanggriffon, who is my age, was glaring at me with a look full of jealousy. And understandably so.

Even if she is the Crown Princess, she is still a child.

Even if her father showers her with love at this age, it’s justified for her to feel irked when she sees me being referred to as one of the many ‘children’ who get to spend far more time with him. If she wasn’t angry, that would be even stranger.

In fact, it is I who is abnormal by returning alive after assassinating someone at this age.

“……Can I go in now? The private audience has ended, right?”

Then, it was Alice who sharply turned her gaze to me, directly addressing me.

We’re the same age, and of the same gender. However, our behaviors are the complete opposite, and she sometimes doesn’t even listen to reprimands at all. It was ample grounds for a child to feel pretty jealous.

…And this resembled the relationship of Claire and Alice from the original story.

Hmm…

“Yes, of course.”

I said politely to Alice as I turned my body to let her pass. And while I made way for her, I opened the door for her too.

My actions seemed to have further fueled Alice’s anger. Sure enough, when you’re heated and the other party is calm, it tends to make you feel worse. It’s similar to why relaxed villains in subcultures often infuriate others.

In a sense, I might be the antagonist right now too.

So, this girl would eventually grow up and reconcile with Claire.

But that was the event when Claire died.

…

Could it be that I might also die?

“……”

Alice glared at me one last time before lifting her chin and passing by my side.

After she entered, I slowly and cautiously closed the door. I think I heard the shout of ‘Father!’ just before closing it.

“You’re too soft on her while being harsh on the other siblings, you know.”

Lucas muttered.

…You’re 22, and you’re jealous of a 12-year-old?

“It’s pitiful.”

I said simply, finding it rather tiresome to explain in detail.

“Huh…”

However Lucas interpreted my words, he let out a sound of disbelief.

Chapter 11

“Lucas, what do you think about Sylvia?”

“Uh?”

At the sudden question, Lucas struck a blank expression. What did he think about Sylvia?

However, there must have been some meaning behind the Emperor’s words. At the very least, it wasn’t just some casual inquiry about his opinion. No matter how he answered about his thoughts on Sylvia, there would surely be other directives from the Emperor.

If he showed even a hint of not understanding Sylvia properly here, Lucas could be classified as a “useless human” by the Emperor.

Well, considering that Jayden, who was hopelessly clueless, didn’t get treated that badly, it might be a bit of an overreaction.

“……”

So, Lucas pondered about Sylvia.

With her unchanging expression and always polite manners, if Lucas were to even touch her, she would retaliate immediately. At first glance, her personality might seem bad, but she actually had a gentle side. Especially towards Alice, she was rather dull.

It didn’t seem like it was simply because they were the same age. Sylvia, who strangely had an adult-like demeanor for her age, often acted as if she were taking Alice’s place. If there was something to be considerate about, she would indeed be considerate, and if there was something she could give way to, she would.

What’s more, she didn’t just apply this ‘usurping’ attitude to herself but extended it to all the “Emperor’s children.” Even if it was someone else’s turn after Lucas or Jayden, if it overlapped with Alice’s chance, Sylvia would shield Alice like a shield so that she could benefit first.

Unfortunately, it seemed Crown Princess Alice was completely oblivious to Sylvia’s feelings.

Just recently, it was supposed to be Lucas’s turn to have an audience with the Emperor after Sylvia. Lucas himself didn’t have much to say, but the Emperor seemed to have something important to discuss.

Yet Sylvia casually sent Alice in first.

…… If Sylvia hadn’t sent her in but rather Alice barged in on her own, she would have been scolded by the Emperor. However, since the Emperor knew Sylvia had sent her in, he didn’t blame Alice.

And in truth, Alice would likely have noticed it subconsciously. That’s why she was getting even more irritated with Sylvia.

If Sylvia were truly an emotionless automaton, Lucas would not have interpreted her actions as ‘having a gentle heart’. He would have thought of it rather as a mechanical action to protect the Emperor’s only real blood.

But Sylvia was not a heartless wind-up doll. She would get annoyed if Lucas or Jayden bothered her, and would run away, dodging around. Of course, the way she did it was not just the innocent game of hide-and-seek of a “child,” but approached the level of a skilled infiltrator hiding and lying in wait.

It was like that when she returned from her mission this time as well.

Sylvia had a rather displeased expression. At first glance, one might think it was because Lucas was beside her, but in Sylvia’s hand was a newspaper with a huge headline about the Count being murdered.

She had already witnessed Sylvia kill someone before, but… this murder was not a random act. It was an assassination thoroughly planned and executed by Sylvia herself.

“Her heart… is a bit… gentle?”

“Ooh.”

At Lucas’s evaluation, the Emperor lifted his tail slightly, smiling.

“Did something go wrong?”

That smile felt weirdly uncomfortable, so Lucas asked with a slightly playful tone. Of course, Lucas always had a playful demeanor in front of anyone.

“No, that’s not it. In some sense, it aligns with my thoughts.”

But if his thoughts matched perfectly, there wouldn’t have been a need for phrases like ‘in some sense.’

“Isn’t that why Your Majesty was soft on Sylvia? You know her personality…”

The Emperor could be so cold-blooded as to order a twelve-year-old to assassinate the Count, but at the same time, he was genuinely affectionate toward children, or at least that’s how it appeared to Lucas, who had been with him since childhood.

If he had thought Sylvia would fail, he wouldn’t have entrusted such a mission to her.

“That might be true.”

The Emperor gave another ambiguous answer.

As Lucas looked up at the Emperor with a blank stare, the Emperor asked again.

“Lucas. Can you imagine beating Sylvia?”

“That’s—”

He was going to say, obviously, but Lucas stopped.

“……”

And soon became serious in thought.

Could he beat Sylvia?

No, this was not about emotional evaluation but simply assessing it based on skill.

He wasn’t sure what would happen if Sylvia didn’t wield a weapon. Whenever Lucas swung his sword at Sylvia, she always did her best to evade it. When measuring physical abilities, Lucas had a slight upper hand, but given that Sylvia was only twelve years old, it was to be expected.

But… he couldn’t imagine a moment when Sylvia wasn’t armed.

From the day she was first brought here in her childhood, Sylvia had always been armed.

No, there were moments when she wasn’t armed. When attending important events or needing to wear attire that wouldn’t allow her to hide a weapon. At least when she was comfortably resting, it seemed like she wouldn’t be armed.

But still—

Oddly, Lucas felt that when it came to fighting someone, Sylvia didn’t strike as someone who would be defenseless.

It wasn’t because he had never seen Sylvia fight with her bare hands.

It was just that he felt confident that whenever he intended to ‘fight’ against Sylvia, she would always ‘certainly’ be armed. Perhaps when he really tried to attack, Sylvia wouldn’t be there, and the area would be rigged with bombs, and the actual Sylvia would likely be far away, aiming an Ergensense rifle at the back of Lucas’s head—he had this strange certainty.

Because that’s how Sylvia had always acted.

Even when he thought she could never see him, she would evade him by a mere half-step at the moment she lunged.

Even if she approached stealthily enough that even the Imperial Guard wouldn’t notice, Sylvia would effortlessly realize Lucas’s position.

As if she were reading the future.

“Yeah, I feel the same way.”

As if he understood what Lucas was thinking, the Emperor nodded.

“No matter what I do, even if I imagine summoning thousands of soldiers to kill her, I cannot imagine ‘an unprepared Sylvia’. If I were to lay a plan that she could never evade, surely Sylvia would not be there. In my mind, that’s how Sylvia exists.”

The Emperor leaned toward Lucas as he spoke.

“Now, let me ask again. Do you think Sylvia is just gentle-hearted?”

“……”

“Yeah, maybe that’s it. Maybe despite having the capability to swiftly eliminate everyone in this Imperial Palace just with her small body, she refrains from doing so. Perhaps it’s because we feel ‘sorry’ for her. But do you think ‘that’ Sylvia is really acting like that?”

“…Uh…”

Lucas hesitated to answer.

“The reason I told you to kill the Count this time was precisely because of that. I did not pass any information to Sylvia regarding the Count. I just said ‘kill him’. I didn’t tell her how to do it or why. And I entrusted you with the surveillance mission. The reason I chose the Count is simply because he was someone Sylvia would extremely loathe.”

Indeed, Sylvia had previously been involved in supplying orphans for ‘sale’. If she had had the insight she possesses now back then, she would never have thought of that place just as an orphanage.

And she would not have burned that place down in such a way.

“If Sylvia weren’t an emotional being, she would have certainly removed the Count as per my command and returned. Yet, somehow, Sylvia figured out only a few days later that the Count was a customer of that orphanage. Moreover, she blew up every carriage following him. Do you understand what this means?”

The Emperor leaned even closer toward Lucas.

“Sylvia… means that she’s not by my side thinking of my interests or what benefits it brings to the country. She’s simply here because she wants to do what she wants to do right now, and in reality, she has a very self-centered personality. Think about it. If the Count had been a good man, someone who loved the people of his territory, how would Sylvia have acted? Do you think it would have been possible to stop Sylvia even if she disobeyed my orders to protect the Count?”

That was hard to say.

He couldn’t know, but… he didn’t think she would have acted like this as she did this time.

“Do you plan to… eliminate Sylvia?”

At Lucas’s question, the Emperor burst into hearty laughter. As he looked at the Emperor in shock, the Emperor said,

“Oh my, I’m so sorry. That’s a misunderstanding. On the contrary, I think that’s why I find Sylvia charming. In reverse, as long as we cater to Sylvia’s whims, she will continue to be here. And she will bring victory to us. Oh my, it seems I need to be even more careful as a father from now on.”

Chapter 12

Playing with Settings is the fun part of taking only the interesting bits from the lore and playing around with them.

I’ve always loved Chronicles of Aetherna, so I wanted to memorize as much of the game series’ universe as I could. I read everything in minute detail — the myths, continents, countries, magic, and culture that are part of the world…

I bought hefty lore books to read, and I devoured every last text presented as ‘books’ in the game without fail, from the descriptions of monsters and beasts to explanations of enemies and the character notes filled after events with characters.

Since the series released one installment a year, there wasn’t much else to do while waiting for the next installment after clearing one. I did play other games in between, and I played all the previous titles released before clearing the latest work, but after enjoying a single series for seven years, it was inevitable that I’d run out of things to munch on.

Moreover, even though the series had been ongoing for a long time, there were periodic resets in the lore.

Even if I gathered all the texts from within the game, adding the lore book, you could roughly say that summarizing a single universe would require about the thickness of three books, assuming that’s the case.

So, it’s all fun to read.

…The problem is when that becomes ‘real life.’

Scenes that briefly show “there are dark alleys like this” in the game exist as hundreds of papers in the real world, showing endless examples and arguments about how to resolve such poverty issues.

History is the same. While games neatly summarize only important parts in the main storyline, the history of this world is as thick and dull as the history books from the world I lived in, and there are many discussions about vague parts with differing interpretations based on the characters being discussed.

Steam engines, firearms, and magic. Even the core elements that make up the world split into disciplines like materials science, mechanical engineering, chemistry, physics, magic science, magical engineering… it was brain-smashing!

Even the foundational science that penetrated all those theories was, surprisingly, mathematics.

And I was a math dropout who completely gave up on math back in high school.

…Do I have to dig into the lore and deal with math too?

*

But understanding all of that to some extent wasn’t entirely impossible for me.

After all, I had only time on my hands.

Even if I didn’t understand a book, I could rewind time to understand it thoroughly before moving on. I could ask the same tutor a hundred or even a thousand times and wouldn’t care; I’d probably only look like I was asking once.

Besides, there were quite a few significant benefits that came from the process of understanding things that way.

“Indeed, you are the Crown Princess!”

The tutor exclaimed with a bright face, clapping their hands.

The title Crown Princess still felt awkward to me, but I couldn’t really ask this person to use a different title. After all, I was indeed the Crown Princess in reality.

Of course, this had several different implications compared to the real Crown Princess, Alice, but that was irrelevant to this teacher. As long as they could use the catchphrase “I was the tutor of such a talented Crown Princess,” that was all that mattered.

“I really don’t know how you understand everything I say right away. You have a natural talent, Crown Princess! You will surely excel at the Imperial Academy!”

…It felt a bit over the top, but I just managed to keep a blank expression.

Of course, I had no intention of becoming an expert in any field. My sole goal was to enter the Imperial Academy.

In the game, they ask just a couple of questions in the exam and move on, but reality surely wouldn’t be so easy. I’d have to solve dozens of problems in a strict atmosphere akin to real exams in a limited time.

Well… there’s also the method of seeing the exam problems and rewinding time, but that would just reveal my usual lack of preparation.

So, it’d be best to maintain a ‘smart and capable’ image regularly.

Then why am I trying to get into the Imperial Academy? The original Claire didn’t enroll from the start; she was inserted by the Emperor into the story midway.

The reason I’m keen on attending the Imperial Academy myself is…

Isn’t it obvious? I loved Chronicles of Aetherna. I held immense affection for the characters that appeared in it.

To think I could spend my school days with such characters?

How could I resist?

Sure, I’m currently under the Emperor, who is the head of the evil faction in the game, which might lead to conflicts with the protagonist’s party, but even that felt like a thrilling opportunity for me.

In the original story, several characters die. Depending on the choices the protagonist makes, some characters must die. While which characters perish depends on the choices made, at least two or three die permanently, including Claire.

That’s how it was in the latest installment I played. I heard the sequel plans to carry over those results via save data.

Of course, players had no faith in that small company maintaining continuity until the series conclusion. The majority opinion was that they’d make the early parts grim but revive characters later on, and I shared that view too.

Yet still…

Still, I really disliked the idea of a character I cherished dying.

So, I would prevent it. Under the Emperor and having earned some trust, I believed it wouldn’t be impossible.

*

“……”

Well, thinking like that has had its side effects as I ended up studying harder than when I was a mere student.

Like right now, with Alice glaring at me from across.

We both turn fourteen this year.

In this world, one enters the Academy at fifteen. By the end of this year, I’d be taking the entrance exam, and there, the top scorers would receive benefits upon entering the Academy, where we’d study for four years, taking exams each semester to determine our grades.

To think I’d be moving from middle school to high school, analogous to entering high school in Korea.

In the original story, the top scorer at the time of entry was Crown Princess Alice.

“…How did you do it?”

Alice asked with a husky voice. I could practically hear the jealousy dripping from her tone.

Alice had made just five mistakes across all subjects in the entrance exam. The test at the Imperial Academy of Londarium is notoriously difficult, and generally, scoring 450 out of 500 gets you labeled a genius, so naturally, Alice, who entered with 487 points, was among the smartest of the smart. It was the achievement of Alice, who worked hard wanting to shine brighter than her “siblings.”

“……”

I quietly looked down at the mock exam paper in my hands.

There it had a score of 495 written on it.

Just for reference, mock exams are usually assessed to be somewhat harder than actual exams.

…Did I study too hard?

“……”

The fact that I didn’t answer seemed to cause Alice’s face to turn beet red.

“…Tell me. Did you really solve that entirely on your own?”

Um…

If we’re being precise, I guess that holds true?

If rewinding time counts as my ‘skill’, then it was all about securing enough study time and memorizing everything.

Plus, while Alice was studying for four hours with only four hours of sleep, I was able to comfortably sleep a full eight hours. Others, including Alice, would probably see me as not just smart but truly a genius.

…Did I go too far?

“…I was just lucky.”

“Lucky?”

That was a forced explanation I made up.

“Yes, there were a few problems I didn’t know, and it seems I guessed right for some answers based on intuition. If I remember correctly, for those five problems, if you had left any blank, Your Highness would’ve definitely scored higher than me.”

However, to make sure I didn’t sound too contrived, I kept my usual tone calm.

“As you well know, Your Highness, I’ve always been a bit luckier than others.”

Whenever various situations arose, I had solved them by foreseeing the future and rewinding time to address the issues. Despite appearing somewhat competent, there were definitely moments that could only look like luck.

Naturally, some people viewing me thought I was incredibly lucky.

Well, I agree that I’m lucky too.

Honestly, one of the protagonists I loved was right in front of me.

“…Hmm.”

Alice narrowed her eyes as if she wanted to verify if what I said was genuine.

Though her expression quickly softened.

“Really? Is that so?”

Seemingly aware of her own quirkiness, she spoke while trying to maintain a composed expression.

“I assure you. Your Highness, have you ever seen me lie?”

“…No.”

In the nine years of time spent in the Imperial Palace, I hadn’t betrayed anyone. Whenever given a task, I completed it quietly, and when asked questions, I answered earnestly. I never lied.

Though when it came to lies, I might have thrown nonsense and dressed it up to seem “not like a lie” instead. After all, in terms of outcomes, it usually turned out the same.

By the way, after that, the Emperor didn’t send me on any assassination missions. I have no idea what he’s thinking. There must be some hidden agenda. Nonetheless, it did make the act a bit easier.

“Hehe, I see. So, luck it is?”

In the end, Alice couldn’t hold back her laughter and her mood brightened.

…Telling lies to this girl felt kind of daunting, but with this, I figured it would suffice.

“Absolutely. Congratulations.”

“Humph.”

Alice made a huffy sound upon my words.

“Well, they do say luck is part of skill. If this was the real deal, you would have certainly taken the top spot.”

Alice said, looking at me with a fiery gaze.

“Just wait. Next time, I’ll make sure you can’t win even with luck.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

How cute.

…I’ll need to mess up at least five questions on the entrance exam.

*

And gaining another side effect besides poking at Alice’s temper was…

“Sylvia.”

“Yes.”

“Do you have any interest in the world situation?”

“……”

That extremely random question flew my way during a private audience with the Emperor.

I almost blurted out “Excuse me?” but held that urge back.

“Hmm.”

The Emperor, judging my silence, cleared his throat and continued.

“In a month, there’s going to be a three-way conference between the Papal State, the Kingdom, and our Empire.”

“……”

Up until that point, I remained silently indifferent. The Emperor often called me forth to share random chatter like this, and so I figured this was just another one of those.

“However, I have a scheduling conflict and won’t be able to attend.”

And?

I struggled to suppress the questions that cropped up on my face as I continued to listen.

“So, I was wondering if you’d go in my place this time?”

“Me? You want me to?”

“Hmm?”

Ah.

I couldn’t hold it in.

…Again.

*

“…May I ask why it’s me and not someone else?”

Given that the Emperor was saying this, it was highly likely he had already made up his mind. If he had no intention of assigning me to this task, he wouldn’t have brought me to this place in the first place.

…But really, I can’t believe this is happening.

No matter how old I might be, according to official records, I’m only fourteen. At sixteen in Korean age, I was on the brink of entering my last year in the Academy — in other words, I was about to enter high school.

Even if scenes of teenagers running the world appear frequently in anime and subculture, this felt a bit too much, doesn’t it?

“That’s because I trust you. Is there any other reason?”

“……”

Hmm.

It seemed I had worked too hard for my own good.

The people around me, that is, the Emperor’s children, the true Crown Princess Alice, and the Emperor, all of them…

Whether I recognized it or not, the trust in my ‘ability’ had become somewhat…

…In recent times, my ability’s overwhelming reliability had been weighing on my mind as a side effect.

Chapter 13

No way,

why am I being sent when the Empire has a Chancellor? I only read a few books and took a couple of practice exams. How could sending me yield good results?

No way,

more importantly, why didn’t the Chancellor say anything after hearing such insane things? He’s the Chancellor! If the Emperor says something crazy, shouldn’t he be like, “Have you lost your mind?” Shouldn’t he be doing his job, being the highest-paid civil servant?

No way,

so why would they send someone like me, who’s barely even mentioned in the three-country summit discussions and is rumored to be linked to the Emperor’s assassination squad—based on facts, mind you? Is it some sort of threat like, “If you don’t behave, you’ll end up like him”? How is the Emperor going to send someone from the Papal State or the Kingdom to assassinate me? Surely, he wouldn’t be sending me to do it, would he?

No!

I’ve shouted “no” in my head countless times, but I couldn’t arrive at a proper conclusion.

“……”

I stared directly into the mirror.

The meeting is taking place in the Kingdom of Velbur, Lutetia. The distance to the Runedarium is a little over 400 kilometers. It’s because the Empire has a capital that’s somewhat skewed to the east, resulting in such a distance. The actual size of the countries is at least six times larger than that of the Empire. The population disparity is even greater, let alone military strength.

The Empire has a handful of colonies, but the Kingdom doesn’t even have a somewhat decent colony. It seems they try this and that, but none have resulted in anything substantial.

The Papal State is right next to that Kingdom, but it’s even smaller. I mean, if we’re being strict, it’s almost the size of a city. Sure, the words of its Pope can influence the world, but the Empire hardly cares about it at all.

Not just the Kingdom and Papal State, but even if other countries teamed up, the Empire boasts overwhelming technological prowess and military strength to stand firm.

So, the Emperor having such an absurd goal isn’t entirely unfathomable.

…Thinking about it this way, sending me to that important three-party summit could be seen as a strategy to “disregard the opponents.” It’s not totally ridiculous.

In the mirror, I still looked like a child. It’s not just that I looked young; I genuinely looked like a kid. No matter how you cut it, I look like a middle schooler, or at the most, someone who just started high school. Maybe I’ll grow another year or two.

Sending such a little kid as a representative to a summit clearly displayed the Emperor’s intention of “we have no intention of having a proper conversation with you.” Well, I suppose sending me doesn’t seem that unreasonable.

The issue is, I have to endure the gazes of the representatives from other countries.

I glanced at the clock hanging over the bathroom window. One o’clock in the afternoon. There are about two hours left until arrival.

The steam train I’m on travels at a speed of 100 km/h. Its maximum velocity is 130 km/h, but they say this range is reasonable for maintaining stable speed.

For reference, in this world filled with over-the-top technology, where steam engines still reign, high-speed trains are already in trial operation. They reportedly have steam trains that can easily maintain 200 km/h, and in the game, we can use them from a certain point in the main story.

Even a high-speed train traveling at 200 km/h would still take hours to cross the Empire, and of course, it couldn’t always maintain that maximum speed, but due to game allowances, the main character’s group can cross regions from one end of the Empire to the other several times in a single day. Well, that’s naturally impossible in “reality.”

For reference, all the events that happened in those regions are neatly organized as having occurred in “one day” in the setting guide.

So… if the main character wishes to clear all unnecessary side quests, they’ll have to thoroughly and diligently poke around each region, which is a huge hassle.

But that’s not how it really works in reality.

“…Phew…”

Well, I don’t need to worry about the main story that hasn’t even started yet.

No, actually, the protagonist’s group will likely figure things out just fine without me interfering. As long as I guide the heroines who are at risk of dying to a safe route, there wouldn’t be any major issues.

So right now, shouldn’t I focus on my own worries first?

“……”

I looked into the mirror and began erasing the worries on my face one by one. I furrowed my brows without realizing it and relaxed the tension tugging at the corners of my mouth. After massaging my face a few times to relieve the tension, I looked in the mirror once more.

“Alright.”

Let’s keep calm.

Well, if the Emperor really intends to send me as a means to disregard the other side, then all I have to do is follow his wishes.

I could just shut my mouth and come back without saying anything.

“Alright.”

With my mind settled, I stepped out of the bathroom.

“Yo, little sister!”

As soon as I stepped outside, I heard a blood-pressure-raising voice.

Since I was in the position of the Emperor’s representative, this train operates solely for me. They ditched all the unnecessary baggage to ensure the train runs at maximum speed in case of emergencies.

Plus, to protect me, they even assigned the Empire’s top two knights to me—

“Come over and sit, we’ve got plenty of time, let’s play some poker together.”

— and those two were Jayden and Lucas.

The relaxed way Lucas called out to me made me wonder if he even remembers why we are on this train in the first place. It felt like we were all just out for a picnic.

Well, I guess I shouldn’t feel too heavy-hearted about it. After all, Jayden and Lucas are on this royal train, and I’m not an easy opponent either. Plus, there’s the Imperial Guards in the other compartments as well.

Before the train departed, we checked the personnel and luggage repeatedly, and all the stations on the tracks are set to let this train pass first. So it makes sense to be at ease like this.

“What are you trying to teach a kid?”

Jayden chided Lucas, who was holding a card in his hand.

“Hey, don’t be like that, okay? Let’s just pass the time with us. There’s nothing to do anyway, right?”

I glanced over at the table they were sitting at, and Lucas had way more chips than Jayden. Jayden looked at me with a slightly worried expression, as if he feared that if I sat down, he might lose all of his chips.

…Wait, did they really bet some actual money?

Well, considering how skillfully they set up their chips, that could be a possibility. Or maybe this train even has a casino car.

“I’m not interested.”

At my words, Jayden made a resigned expression.

“Why?”

Lucas asked, sounding genuinely curious. Seriously, after almost ten years, is he still surprised when I don’t join them? How many times have I played along while they were playing?

…Okay, I might have participated a few times, but they were never at my own will.

“……”

Instead of answering, I directed my gaze toward a corner of the train.

Actually, even looking over there, all I could see was behind the seat.

But Lucas shrugged, almost as if he knew who was sitting there.

“You’re really dumb sometimes. Why do you keep wrapping yourself around someone who doesn’t even care?”

“……”

I passed by him as if I had no worth answering him. Lucas didn’t seem particularly interested in my reply either, just shrugged again.

“Don’t be too harsh on her. After all, she’s the only same-age sibling you have.”

“Even if we’re the same age… let’s not talk about it, alright?”

I could hear Jayden and Lucas talking, but I didn’t pay much attention and walked over to where Alice was sitting, looking all prim and proper.

“Why not play with your brothers?”

With that spoiled tone, I didn’t bother responding and just took my seat.

…Of course, part of the reason I didn’t want to play poker with those two is that hanging out with them made me uncomfortable, but it was also because the game they were playing was “poker.”

Even though I have the ability to turn back time, I’m extremely weak when it comes to things that involve randomness, like rolling dice or picking cards. The finer the variables get, the more the results can swing dramatically from very small factors. If I say something during the card-shuffling process or pick a card a little late for some reason… anyway, every little thing I do becomes a variable, leading to endless entanglements.

But I suppose as long as I’m not aiming for a total victory, I might not lose. If I meticulously calibrate the time-turning parameters and rewind whenever I draw a card, considering what cards my opponent has, I might have a chance to fold or bet after that.

But Lucas is my opponent, after all.

If he uses his superhuman skill to pull off a clever trick, I wouldn’t have an answer to that. To prove that, I’d need hand skills on the level of Lucas, and I don’t have that capability.

And that’s where the real danger lies.

The reason Emperor trusts me until now is because of that image of “never making a mistake and definitely succeeding in whatever I do.”

But what if that image crumbles just because of a game of cards?

Even if I learned the skills to pull off a card trick and dealt the cards myself, that would be something else entirely.

Not that I have any intention of going that far. Considering all that effort, it’s actually more beneficial just to avoid poker altogether.

“I’m more comfortable sitting here.”

So saying, I picked up the newspaper I had stowed away before I left my seat.

What I really needed was information.

There’s no smartphone or internet in this world. While important information might fly to the royal palace, it definitely won’t contain detailed content.

So I had to absorb whatever information I could to minimize the variables for what would happen next. Otherwise, I might end up needing to turn back time by several years.

If predicting poker cards is hard enough, then turning back time that drastically would render my intentions much less effective. A few years would be ample time for a person’s thoughts and values to change.

“……”

“……”

For a while, all that could be heard was the crinkling sound of me turning the pages of the newspaper.

“Hey, you.”

“Yeah?”

Alice spoke up to me, so I answered while keeping my gaze on the newspaper.

“Am I annoying you?”

“……”

I lowered the newspaper from my hands slightly to look at Alice. She was glancing between the window and my face, appearing unsure about where to direct her gaze.

Strictly speaking, I was the one headed to the conference. Even Alice, as the Crown Princess, can’t attend the conference without the Emperor’s command.

But… seeing that Alice feels jealous for various reasons and knowing I’m heading to that conference, she insisted on following me and boarded the train.

Perhaps expecting such a scenario, the Emperor never told Alice about this until the very end, making her desire to board the train even stronger.

Had the Emperor directly confronted Alice and asserted sternly, she might have slumped down in defeat. But conveniently, he was across the Empire at that time.

Plus, Alice had thrown a tantrum just before departure, and if things went wrong, we could end up late for the conference, ultimately resulting in me boarding the same train as the Princess under my responsibility.

So I easily understood why Alice was speaking to me in the first place.

“I’ve never thought so, even once.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, really.”

I was sincere.

Well, to be honest, this was a bit of favoritism.

In the original, Alice was the character who traveled alongside the main character across the Empire, supporting him against the Emperor’s opposition. Now, she’s acting somewhat naïve, but her confident self from the main story is beginning to show.

And I held affection for all those characters, including the main character.

So, what can you do? Truth be told, the undesired guest is actually me.

“The Crown Princess will eventually assume that the Empire itself will have to become part of its core. I think it wouldn’t hurt to understand the atmosphere of a conference at least a bit.”

“…Really?”

Upon hearing my praise or whatever you’d call it, Alice’s expression quickly brightened up.

In the original, this was the kind of character who thrived on this kind of dialogue early in the story.

High pride, low self-esteem. Often feeling inferior to her half-siblings who share the Emperor’s blood. In the original, she suffered from low self-esteem, exacerbated by the existence of Claire. Frankly, she’s been growing significantly from her current self compared to the original.

“However, even if you want to enter the conference room instead of me or say you’d like to go in together, I can’t allow that. It’s the Emperor’s command.”

“Ah, I know.”

Alice replied, blushing at my words.

Well, she’ll be fine. The reason she put up a scene this time is likely neither out of panic nor to come here hoping for a chance.

It’s merely a series of coincidences that led her to end up here.

Moreover… even if she doesn’t enter the conference room, Alice still has quite a few people she’ll meet.

The Emperor’s direct bloodline can’t avoid meeting anyone in that place, so Alice will also have a fruitful time. Just one of Jayden or Lucas at hand will ensure her safety.

Hmm… I wonder if she’ll meet the Kingdom’s princess there.

In the original, there was a scene where the princess met the Emperor, and this could very well be that moment.

…By the way, what did the original protagonist even do in his past life to end up entangled with the Crown Princess and the princess of another country, while being a Baron himself?

Well, aside from that, it seems the romance line flows similarly to a school harem story.

That’s somewhat enviable.

Chapter 14

The Royal City Lutetia is a beautiful city.

Actually, I had a rough idea of what the atmosphere was like since I had already seen it in a game. Compared to the ‘modernization’ that had taken place in the Imperial Capital, it felt rather old-fashioned in many ways.

Ah, of course, even though it’s called ‘modernization’, most houses in the Imperial Capital were still quite traditional brick houses, and there weren’t well-laid electric or internet lines. Well, it’s not like this world had electricity or the internet yet.

However, telephone lines were laid, and the plumbing was all buried underground, and most importantly, there was a huge gas pipe system that covered the entire city, so when night fell, the streetlights would all light up evenly. Of course, since there wasn’t any electronic system, it involved civil servants wandering around turning on the streetlights at that time.

Still, it was better than carrying a torch around; you could light it like a lighter, and once lit, as long as the gas didn’t cut off, the streetlights would stay on—a cutting-edge technology by this world’s standards.

…Honestly, it seemed extremely dangerous to someone like me who lived mainly using electricity…but, well, they did say they lit streetlights like that in similar eras back in the day.

On the other hand, in Lutetia, which had seen less modernization, apart from the train station area, there were still jobs of people walking around with lights to turn on the streetlights, and the plumbing construction had just begun. Train tracks were also being laid out nationwide.

Unlike the Imperial Capital, where cars were gradually becoming more common, I heard that only three generations of officially introduced cars existed. And they were all domestically produced. Since parts had to be directly imported, unless you were royalty, you could hardly use them. However, by the time the main story starts next year, some companies would have entered the market, so the situation might improve a bit, but it was still far from being sufficient compared to the Imperial Capital.

But that’s why the sky in Lutetia was so blue.

While the Royal City had as many buildings clustered in its center as the heart of the Imperial Capital, there were no skyscrapers to speak of, and the number of busy people was relatively small, and the factory smoke visible in the distance wasn’t present, which gave it a strangely rural vibe.

“It’s quite a contrast from the Imperial Capital.”

Alice, who was in the carriage with me, seemed to share my sentiment.

“But… the sky is beautiful. It’s a sky I’ve never seen in the Imperial Capital.”

Surely the sky over the Imperial Capital must also be blue, but you hardly get to see a sky stretched far and wide without being obscured by the smoke from all the boilers working everywhere. It was always partially covered by black smoke.

For reference, the Empire takes pride in that smoke. It is the very symbol of modernization.

The production capacity of the factories that emit that smoke was the true hero that sustains the Empire.

“The colors of the clothes are so varied. Do the people of this country all love to dress up?”

No, it’s just that there’s a lack of products.

Small-scale mass production.

The textile technology saw immense advancements during the Industrial Revolution, and as a result, in the Empire, everyone wore similar factory-made clothes. Only nobles or the wealthy upper class wore clothes painstakingly made by hand.

However, the Kingdom still didn’t have that many factories. They had just started building them. It would probably take a long time before they could produce items in earnest and distribute them to the people.

Because of that, clothes in the Kingdom were still predominantly handmade. Of course, sewing machines were somewhat widespread, so items could be made much faster and in larger quantities compared to hand-stitching, but still, every household used different fabrics and designs. It was a uniqueness of clothing that hadn’t been standardized yet due to industrialization.

That too would likely disappear in a few years.

“I’ve never been outside the Imperial Capital before.”

Alice said, quietly gazing outside the carriage.

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

I pondered for a moment about what to say. What should I respond when the crown princess, who had come out for the first time from the Imperial Capital, shared her impressions of seeing another country? I decided to keep my comments as positive as possible.

“Well, then it’s lucky you’ve come to Lutetia. There’s much to see since it is a land that hasn’t undergone much industrialization yet.”

Well, if you venture out into the Empire’s prairies, you would see far more beautiful nature, but.

“…Have you been to Lutetia?”

“…No.”

Hmm.

I felt like I had visited it before, though.

What I saw was the game world. It wasn’t designed by some AAA game company; it was made by a small Japanese company, with graphics that looked two or three generations behind.

However, even so, they managed to capture the design characteristics well, and at least the level design from the train station to the castle was done meticulously, which made my surroundings feel strangely familiar.

They really did their best, I thought.

“I’m also visiting Lutetia for the first time.”

Even though I had been outside the Imperial Capital due to the assassination of the Count, this was my first time coming to a foreign land. And I wasn’t exactly here for tourism from the Count’s territory either.

“Then what do you have to say?”

“…”

That was true.

*

Alice and I received the same level of courtesy. Naturally, Lucas and Jayden were treated with dignities akin to the real emperor’s children. It’s funny that in that sense, two people were following around as ‘guards.’

The fact that the emperor’s kids received a different treatment from the real daughter, Alice, only applied in the Empire. The emperor treated us as equals, so he had no choice but to treat us that way even overseas.

Since we were guests from a foreign country, even comparing the treatment like this didn’t make sense. Otherwise, who knows how it might backfire on us.

As a result, chaos broke out in the Kingdom.

“I apologize. We didn’t expect the crown princess would have one more guest…”

A diplomat from the Kingdom said, sweating profusely. Internally, he might have wanted to argue, “Why didn’t you follow what we said?”

Since everyone was such important figures, they couldn’t afford to overlook the protocol; just having them stay would incur enormous costs. Now, with one person suddenly added to the mix…

“Sorry…”

Realizing what she had done, Alice blushed and turned to apologize to the diplomat, but I quickly raised my hand to stop that apology.

I had never been a diplomat. I had never worked in such a line of work, nor did I have the ability to.

But still, I had at least a minimal amount of common sense in this regard.

Even though Alice hadn’t yet received the title of crown princess, she was someone who would soon ascend to the throne. No matter how she was treated like me for now, strictly speaking, she was in a position immensely more noble than mine.

So she should never apologize to a mere diplomat, who was far below her. Of course, it would be troublesome if she simply ignored the mistake, but if she were to apologize, she should do so through formal channels with a person of equal rank at the very least, and that person should personally accept it.

Because our positions were such that even ‘personal matters’ played into ‘official matters.’

Moreover, the Empire was a hegemonic nation. The fact that they sent a mere daughter instead of the emperor himself or the chancellor to a tripartite meeting involving the leaders of other nations essentially revealed that “I am not on equal footing with you.”

So, we should appear haughty as representatives of the ‘hegemonic nation’ as the emperor desired. She was someone who would one day become the emperor, so showing a submissive demeanor was something she should never do.

And what would happen if she did? If anyone was upset, they should have sent the emperor himself instead of sending me.

After signaling the crown princess, who looked at me with bewildered eyes, I addressed the diplomat.

“Is there a room available at the level of the prepared rooms?”

“Ah, yes. We rented the entire hotel, so there are rooms available.”

“Then please make an empty room available immediately. I would appreciate it if the escort forces could be assigned equally to me. In terms of both quality and quantity. Everything.”

“Ah, understood. I’ll notify them to prepare it immediately…!”

Normally, that would indeed be a breach of manners. A breach that was almost tyrannical.

However, if the emperor didn’t want this, he would never have sent me.

And let me say it again: if anyone is upset, they should have come themselves.

*

While Alice’s room was being prepared, she was staying in an impromptu room with me.

As she often did, Alice took the seat in front of the sofa in the spacious room.

And then she stared at me intently.

“….”

“….”

Neither of us said a word.

Honestly, that gaze was a bit burdensome.

I wonder if I had shown a side of myself that was a bit too much?

For sure, Alice was a typical character of outer strength, inner softness. At first, she had a prideful attitude, looking down on others like Claire from the original work, but gradually opened her heart to the protagonist and her party. And she genuinely thought seriously about the future of the Empire and the people.

Alice’s personal story arc was about opposing her father, the emperor, who was trying to bring the world under his control by leading numerous people to death… and eventually, it was a story of her triumph.

The reason I added ‘probably’ is that I couldn’t finish the game and arrived here before I could see the ending myself. Although the company was fond of adopting a typical ending, I still wondered why I needed to be here.

After all, the world would still be protected even without me.

What I could attempt was to save characters that might die. And I didn’t even know what sort of help that would ultimately do for the world.

No divine being showed up to greet me, saying, “Hello, I’m a god,” nor was there a neatly organized status screen displaying my abilities. I had no idea what I was supposed to do.

“How can you be so confident?”

Alice asked me. I looked up from the book I was just scanning, without reading it, and met her eyes.

“No matter the situation, you always seem confident. As if you can’t possibly be wrong. Just a moment ago, too. What were you thinking that would make the people of the Kingdom react against your words?”

Hmm.

To be honest, the reason I could be this confident is that I have the confidence that I can correct my mistakes if I do make them.

And frankly, there was nothing to worry about even if I made a mistake just now.

I contemplated for a moment. I couldn’t discuss my ability with her right now, and if I mentioned reasons I didn’t deserve this, Alice would surely not understand.

As I was pondering how to proceed, I decided to go with a response anyone could have.

“Crown Princess, who is your father?”

“Eh?”

Startled by my sudden question, Alice hesitated for a moment.

“W-Well, it’s the emperor of the Empire!”

She answered angrily, as if it were obvious. It made sense; it was like I was acting as if I didn’t know.

“Then who is my father?”

“Uh, um…”

She didn’t want to acknowledge it.

Because the only legitimate blood relative was Alice, after all. She wouldn’t want to accept the fact too readily.

However, that said, nominally, I was still the emperor’s daughter. Everyone thought so, and while it was known that there was no blood connection, I was still treated as a daughter on paper, and the emperor even sent me in place of himself, like now.

So who would have the audacity to say to me, “You are not the emperor’s daughter”?

Even Alice, the blood-related princess, couldn’t outright deny it in front of me.

“Regardless of what the crown princess thinks, I am listed as the daughter of Emperor Arthur III. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. The fact remains that I have the same power as the crown princess. Even if someone denies it, that power will never disappear.”

“…”

I said to Alice, who was biting her lips.

“Confidently borrow the power of His Majesty the Emperor. If someone says something, assert your position as princess and prove yourself. Nobody will dare look down on you, not even a single person in this world.”

“B-But…”

Alice stuttered a bit while questioning me again.

“What if I make a mistake…?”

“Mistake? Just hold your head high. No one can say anything anyway. The emperor does not lead the country alone. If you make a mistake, those around you will correct it, and if you try to do something, there will be someone beside you to see it through. The more you bow your head, the more people will look down on you, including the Empire itself.”

Alice looked at me with a blank expression, lifting her head slightly.

“Even if you make a mistake, you are still the crown princess and one who will become the emperor someday. Who would dare scold you? Unless they express it as a careful piece of advice, that is.”

“Ha, but what if I become the emperor someday…?”

“If you become the emperor, then you will be in a position of power in the Empire, at that point, who could possibly say anything?”

“…”

I gazed quietly at Alice as I spoke.

“Of course, you must become the best in the empire. No, even if you are not the best, you should be outstanding in all areas. The emperor’s power permeates throughout the empire, and if you are lacking in any aspect, someone might rise to betray you. However, in that process, if you need to wield your authority, do so freely. That is the greatest weapon you have as a crown princess.”

I gathered up words that seemed to be helpful as they came to mind.

Alice looked at me with an expression of slight admiration, making me feel somewhat proud.

Well, after all, once she went to the academy, she would likely meet friends way better than me, and she would learn a lot of far more important things than when she was beside me.

“…I got it. So, you’re saying I can just act like that?”

“Exactly. If you encounter things you weren’t aware of in that process, just learn about them then. The truly shameful action is not being confident while knowing nothing; it’s the attitude of not wanting to learn despite being unaware. No one knows everything about the world. So—”

“And you?”

“Huh?”

Just as I was saying that no one knows everything about the world, Alice suddenly jumped in, and for a moment, I ended up stammering.

Fortunately, Alice, who was silently looking at me, didn’t seem to mind my tone.

“You don’t know everything about the world?”

“…I think that’s natural.”

I tried to answer while suppressing my expression of disbelief, and Alice looked at me as if she were seeing something interesting.

“But you handle everything so effortlessly, as if you knew what was going to happen. That’s not something you can do without already having the knowledge, right?”

“That’s because my knowledge and skills overlapped with a bit of luck. I’m not a prophet, you know.”

“Is that so?”

Alice’s expression was somewhat ambiguous, but I felt that if I dug deeper, I would end up revealing too much, so I hurriedly continued explaining.

“—Anyways, if ever someone looks down on you just because there is something you don’t know, it’s they who should be embarrassed. They are the ones who believe they know everything about the world. Such people get angry when they encounter facts they are unaware of. Unlike someone like the crown princess, who doesn’t blush.”

So there’s no need to envy those kinds of people. Being able to acknowledge one’s mistakes is a point where you, the crown princess, should stand confidently as well.

This was something I had experienced firsthand.

There were those who tried to argue with me over details upon details from the game that I had played multiple times, memorizing everything even in the nooks and crannies. Whenever that happened, I would cite parts from a setting book that had never been translated and if they continued to press on, I’d shoot them down in response— it was my hobby.

…Though there were times later on when I made mistakes too and got shot down for it. But what could I do? There was hardly anyone who would bother to translate and summarize every minor detail. If they had a problem with it, they could translate it themselves.

Now that I’ve crossed over into this world where I was handling all that summarization, I couldn’t do any such thing anymore.

“Is that so…?”

After listening to my words, Alice nodded, as if somewhat impressed.

Seeing that expression on Alice made my heart flutter with pride.

Well, I had to struggle not to let it show on my face.

Chapter 15

No matter how much I was riding on the Emperor’s authority as an envoy, in the end, I was just a fourteen-year-old kid.

The kings of the kingdoms or the popes of the Papal State would find it hilarious.

But I couldn’t afford to show that I found it funny.

The military power of the Kingdom of Velbur was nothing compared to the Empire. Both the Kingdom of Velbur and the Empire were conscription states, but the Empire had a larger number of soldiers relative to its population. Naturally, compared to the Empire’s far larger population, the Kingdom’s military strength was alarmingly weak.

Moreover, while the Empire was actively expanding its modern air force and navy, the Kingdom’s military power was still ‘medieval.’ Of course, that doesn’t mean they fought with swords and spears; it’s just that they were still severely lacking in tanks and aircraft. Considering the Empire’s army was evolving from the makeshift tanks of World War I to powerful main battle tanks with revolving turrets, the Kingdom’s army was pathetically weak.

Furthermore, the aerial battleships, which seemed like an extreme inefficiency at first glance, were terrifying in this world where advanced anti-air missiles did not exist.

There are no anti-aircraft guns that can achieve the effective range of battleship-caliber guns yet. Moreover, no anti-aircraft guns that could penetrate the armor of the aerial battleship Dreadnought, which has existed until now, have been developed.

Theoretically, they should shoot with ‘battleship guns’ to hit their targets, but just thinking about it, there would be an overwhelming difference in range when shooting from the sea towards the air versus shooting from the air towards the sea.

The aerial battleships can move at a maximum speed of 120 km/h. That’s faster than all the warships in this world, and since they don’t fly alone, it’s not easy to carry a massive bomber and drop bombs.

And once again, I must emphasize that the Empire’s air force is the strongest in the world. If a slow bomber were to come flying from a distance, there would be a very high probability of it getting shot down. And it’s likely that the bomber would be of Empire origin too.

To summarize, a massive airship fires artillery shells that are more powerful than those of modern self-propelled artillery at relatively precise ranges while being escorted by dozens of interceptors. For countries just beginning their modernization, this is sheer terror.

In actuality, in the Empire’s doctrine, the role of aerial battleships is a mirror image of modern U.S. amphibious assault ships. The problem is they lack the means to shoot them down.

Anyway, because of this, how they truly feel is secondary; the king of the Kingdom and the Papal State’s representative displayed a very polite attitude towards me.

“I understand the Papal State’s intentions. However, we cannot abandon our freedom of religion. The Kingdom of Velbur is a country made up of many different races since ancient times. Making the Goddess Church the state religion would surely cause tremendous social chaos. I’m sorry, but I must refuse this again.”

“We always say this, but we regret it.”

However, just because they were polite doesn’t mean they would genuinely include me in the serious discussions.

In fact, I had no intention of actively participating either. In this trilateral meeting, I would probably be the one speaking the most, but those two countries were practically nothing. Given that the Empire held absolute dominance, it didn’t need to meddle in the affairs of the two countries—unless its interests were encroached upon.

Thanks to this, I was able to spend most of the meeting time sipping fine tea. Milk tea with plenty of milk and sugar was indeed delicious. Was it a special product of the Kingdom of Velbur?

“The Papal State is small, but it possesses significant military power. If we could join forces with the Kingdom, we believed that we could gain considerable benefits…”

“Hm…”

The king glanced at me.

Look at these people.

The Papal State is a tiny country. If you think about it, it’s almost the size of just a city. They achieved independence due to some treaty made hundreds of years ago.

Because of its religious significance, you could say the Papal State leans heavily towards ‘fantasy.’ Well, the Empire, with its airships flying in the sky, is fantasy too, but the Papal State leans even more into fantasy than that.

The cathedral knights who wield holy magic present a new kind of threat compared to soldiers with firearms. Though few in number, they could perform like tactical weapons when mixed into a battlefield.

So, the Papal State is proposing an alliance to the Kingdom.

“…”

I quietly watched the two of them.

The truth is, I was somewhat aware of the real situation. The Kingdom opposes religious unification, but the Papal State seems to help some figures in the Kingdom subtly.

It would be accurate to say they appear to challenge the Empire’s hegemony. At first glance, they seem to be normal, rational religious figures, but in reality, they harbor ambitions to unify all the current religions into the Goddess Church.

The Empire is a melting pot of even more races, cultures, and religions than the Kingdom. It’s filled with colonists from numerous colonies, past countries that have been annexed, and local religions tangled together chaotically. Naturally, that would be seen unfavorably through the Papal State’s eyes.

Of course, strictly speaking, that’s just their ‘ultimate goal.’ Just like the South Korean government’s constitutional ultimate goal is to recover and unify North Korea, but for various practical reasons, there is no actual invasion. The Papal State is well aware that if they were to execute such plans, they would be erased from the map.

Thus, they thoroughly change practical matters step by step.

The Kingdom is a state that is directly exposed to the threat of the Empire. The Empire still seems satisfied with its current situation, but discontent is piling up internally. And the best way to alleviate such discontent is to create an external outlet.

It wouldn’t be too strange for the Kingdom and Papal State, which share a border with the Empire, to see it through the same lens.

Therefore, the words exchanged in the trilateral discussions are likely just performative dialogue, while in reality, those two would probably talk separately. Even if things fall apart here, behind the scenes, a secret alliance would be formed.

Of course, even if it’s showy, the Empire would have to do its best to act in a way that it can genuinely believe in this situation.

The slight furrow in the king’s expression was perhaps due to a mixture of genuine feelings?

“…”

I pondered while watching the two of them.

Regardless of whether or not that alliance is formed, the Emperor will eventually move. So… truthfully, it doesn’t matter much what I say or do here.

“… I do not mean to deny the Goddess. Our royal family has worshiped the Goddess Church for generations. However, if we recognize that religion as the ‘only’ religion, there will undoubtedly be discontent rising within the Kingdom. If that happens, forming an alliance with the Papal State would become meaningless, wouldn’t it?”

“To fill that gap, the cathedral knights that the Papal State boasts will take on the responsibility.”

“It sounds like you want to station an army within the Kingdom.”

Nice try.

In reality, they were already stationed.

Of course, the number is so small that it won’t be like the U.S. troops leeching off us; it’s not like they have a proper unit stationed.

They were disguised as clergy within the Goddess Church of the Kingdom. I know this setting well since it was mentioned in the main story.

But even so, since it’s a secret alliance, they probably thought that not having it visible in front of me made it better.

“What if.”

To be honest, I didn’t really like the Papal State. Their sinister intentions bothered me, and every character that emerged seemed to suffer from second-hand embarrassment. No, if they were fanatical characters that typically appear in manga like ●Sing, I might have liked them a bit more, but it’s just…

Characters who pretend to believe in a religion they don’t actually trust while saying they enjoy killing people, or who casually massacre civilians in the name of the Goddess, characters who are just too good-looking to be popular—it’s the kind of faction where characters like that appear. Maybe it’s a common trait in Japanese RPGs, even when it comes to later washing machines.

Well, there are good characters, and among them, some might become friends of the protagonist or heroines, but since I really found some characters annoying, I often shunned that faction.

I sometimes took pieces from setting books to make up my own stories… eventually, I got caught.

Anyway, since it was that kind of country, I wanted to throw them a bit of a dilemma.

So, for example:

“If the Empire made the Goddess Church the state religion, would the Papal State be willing to ally with the Empire?”

I wanted to see the two people freeze up at my remark.

Of course, the Emperor was a man who extremely detested the existence of the Goddess, so it was a story he’d never listen to. It was exactly because of this that I felt free to say it.

Regardless of whether the Goddess truly exists or not in the setting, I just didn’t like the Papal State. Naturally, I had no intention of forming an alliance either.

From the Empire’s perspective, it was unnecessary.

“… Are you saying that the Empire has the intention to adopt the Goddess Church as the state religion?”

“Depends on the benefits. Since the Empire is a modernized country, it currently has no intention of adopting a belief that is not practically proven as the state religion, but if the benefits outweigh the harm it creates, there’s nothing to say it won’t be considered.”

At my words, the representative of the Papal State narrowed his eyes. He was probably trying to discern whether this was just a probing remark or something more.

Moreover, if the Papal State were to bind itself to the Empire, there’s also a chance it could be absorbed into the Empire. The Empire is that powerful. Judging by the Emperor’s attitude, he would willingly want that.

And even if they made the Goddess Church the state religion, it would be impossible to eradicate all other religions. Unless they seriously intend to tear the Empire apart, it’s highly likely that even if this proposal is actually carried out, it wouldn’t go beyond mere ‘state religious adoption.’

But at the same time, this proposal touches on the meaning of the Papal State’s existence. It would be the first step toward abolishing all religions and unifying them into just one religion, a true belief. Of course, this would only be possible under the assumption that the Papal State doesn’t get absorbed into the Empire.

“Is that the Emperor’s intention?”

The Papal State’s representative asked me.

“That’s what I want to ask. You didn’t bring the Pope yourself, so does what the ambassador says here hold the same weight as the Pope’s remarks?”

“I’m attending here as the Pope’s envoy. Naturally, everything I say corresponds to the desires of the Papal State.”

“Is that so? Then my words are of equal weight as those of the Emperor, since I’m here as His Majesty’s ‘representative.’”

I looked back and forth between the king’s stiff expression and the ambassador of the Papal State before turning back to address the ambassador.

“If what you’re saying is truly as ‘the representative of the Papal State’ and ‘in accordance with the Papal State’s intentions,’ does it mean you’re prepared to take responsibility for everything that has been discussed here?”

“Of course. That’s why I came here. Isn’t that true, Crown Princess?”

“Well, I can’t lie in front of the king of the Kingdom of Velbur.”

The king’s eyebrow twitched at the mention of ‘Crown Princess,’ but I wasn’t too worried about it.

“Then, with the authority of the eminent Emperor, I would like to ask something here.”

I inquired to the two people staring at me.

“Is it true that you have had further discussions outside of this trilateral meeting? I wonder if what I have observed here is indeed everything, or if you are forming other alliances outside?”

“…”

I felt a bit bad for putting the king in a tight spot since I had no particular feelings toward him, but it was quite amusing to watch the expression of the Papal State ambassador stiffen.

Well, they wouldn’t honestly answer me just because they heard that line, and they would still forge their alliances regardless.

“Is there any basis for that question? If you’re speaking while riding on the Emperor’s authority, it should be a question grounded in the weight of that statement.”

This time, the king spoke with a grave expression.

“Is a basis really necessary? We are discussing a mutual military alliance here; is it unreasonable to check whether what has been said is indeed for ‘all three’ or if it’s merely to sidelined one country?”

“…”

Both of them fell silent at my question.

It was a rather flawed argument, but since I clearly stated that I came with the ‘authority of the Emperor,’ those two would likely find it hard to respond shamelessly with an ‘No.’ The moment they reply, it means they would be ‘officially’ denying it, and they’d have nothing to say if it were revealed later.

Well, it wasn’t like they would break the alliance anyway. At that point, they would just stick to whatever is said, never denying it but also not confirming it. Later, they would probably just say, ‘We simply didn’t say it!’ to keep it ambiguous.

“I would like to ask one more time.”

Breaking the silence, the ambassador of the Papal State opened his mouth.

“Does the Empire indeed have any thoughts regarding adopting the Goddess Church as the state religion?”

“I’m sorry, but that is merely my opinion; it would need the Empire’s assembly approval. I cannot give a definite answer.”

It was a double-edged answer.

At first glance, it might seem like he said that because the Emperor and the legislative authority, the Empire’s assembly, have different jurisdictions, allowing him to refuse. But in reality, the Empire’s assembly merely serves as a rubber stamp for the Emperor. And by observing the Emperor’s actions, it’s easy to infer this fact.

Just a moment ago, he was boldly declaring that he could do anything under the Emperor’s authority, only to now use the assembly as an excuse to backtrack.

For anyone else listening, it was a situation that would raise blood pressure.

But what could I do?

The Emperor’s power was behind me.

Moreover, I honestly didn’t care how the Empire would be perceived here. If I was concerned about that, the Emperor wouldn’t have sent me here in the first place.

When I lost interest in the conversation and lifted my teacup again, the two of them stared at me for a while.

What? Why?

There’s nothing more to say here anyway.

Let them talk among themselves.

The evil Empire wouldn’t be the evil Empire for no reason!

Chapter 16

Thud!

Alice’s first thought upon seeing Sylvia was that she was a strange one.

On the surface, there was nothing particularly strange about her. Sitting quietly with her mouth closed, Sylvia was just a pretty girl who liked reading.

Even if a short conversation were to happen, one might not feel anything strange. Her tone might be a bit stiff, but she used polite expressions and always lowered her head to those above her.

However, the longer the conversation went on and the more Alice observed her actions, the more oddities began to surface.

Sylvia had grown up with Alice since they were very young. Alice couldn’t quite remember the specifics of their first meeting, but Sylvia had somehow slipped into childhood memories and was soon engaging in conversation with her.

Actually, it was more accurate to say that Alice would initiate the conversation while Sylvia would respond.

According to Lucas, Alice was afraid of Sylvia, who never changed her expression no matter how much you talked to her. Whenever she encountered Sylvia, she would hide behind the adults, and when Sylvia was nearby, it seemed she was too scared to even talk.

Afraid of Sylvia? Me?

When she first heard that, she honestly didn’t believe it.

But when she took some time to think about it, she realized there might not be any lies in those words.

In fact, even now, Alice was a little afraid of Sylvia.

The emperor’s bloodline was represented solely by Alice. It was right for her to inherit the blood of the Fanggriffon dynasty since Alice had no other siblings or even half-siblings. If Arthur III, the current emperor, didn’t have a hobby of adopting orphans as his closest confidants, Alice might have been truly lost.

Even without blood ties, the Fanggriffon was still the Fanggriffon.

Long ago, when everything in the world had collapsed and order was being reestablished, a child cast away for being deformed survived among twisted beasts. That child, having dominated a tribe of gryphons, later became the first emperor of the empire, and people honored him as the “Leader of Gryphons.”

Thus came the name Fanggriffon, rich with meaning.

Of course, she knew that it was a myth. Even though gryphons still existed today, she had never seen anyone successfully tame one. Perhaps they could be caught or hunted; maybe one could ride on their back, but the gryphon would resist to the end. Hence, tales of taming gryphons were accepted as myths.

To begin with, gryphons do not even live in herds.

Yet it was because the empire held onto such myths that the name “Fanggriffon” bore special meaning.

How the imperial council or citizens felt was unclear.

However, from the perspective of the Fanggriffons, that name also represented the capabilities of an emperor.

No matter how tenuous the bloodline was, if one has the ability to inherit the name Fanggriffon, the emperor would gladly hand over his position to that person.

That was why Sylvia felt intimidating. It wasn’t an atmosphere reminiscent of that fearsome first emperor from the myths, but she handled matters casually and promptly, as if she already knew what was about to happen.

Still, it was hard to imagine Sylvia sitting on a gryphon.

And that’s why, Sylvia was a strange one.

Despite having such remarkable abilities and holding the name Fanggriffon, she behaved as if she would never claim the emperor’s seat. She often said that the true princess was Alice and that she was merely there to assist Alice.

At first, Alice thought she might be hiding her true feelings, but… well, who knows? At least the current Sylvia never revealed a heart that contradicted her words.

Judging someone in politics solely by appearances is one of the worst mistakes.

However, at least from Alice’s perspective, Sylvia seemed to relax when near her. While her expression remained unchanged, Sylvia, who usually ignored or gave short answers to the other half-siblings, actively engaged Alice in conversation.

Whenever Alice felt anxious, Sylvia would support her, and when she was sad, Sylvia would console her. Though the tone held little emotion, Alice always felt eased when hearing those words.

Was it all just an act?

Was it merely because Alice was a princess that Sylvia mechanically acted that way in front of her?

Was Alice putting herself through such trivial acting?

If that were the case—

—Yes, if even that was an act, then it would mean Sylvia was fit to be an emperor from the start.

*

Somehow having followed her to the kingdom, Alice Fanggriffon deeply regretted the situation she was in.

She was aware that her father favored Sylvia. That did not mean he didn’t love Alice, but there was a difference between appreciating someone as a talent and loving them as a child. Unlike Alice, who hadn’t even been designated as crown princess yet, Sylvia was already performing key tasks in the nation.

Though Sylvia always treated Alice like the next empress… it didn’t ease Alice’s worries. After all, the one deciding the next emperor was not Sylvia but her father, the current emperor.

“I’ll be scolded again…”

Her father often summoned Sylvia to ask her about upcoming events. Each time, Alice would try to sneak in to listen or mimic her in a pitiful manner.

And each time, she received her father’s stern reprimand.

While he didn’t raise his voice or hit her, the weight behind his words was heavy, fitting for an emperor. Alice felt small whenever she heard those words.

And ironically, it was always Sylvia who consoled her during those moments.

Alice knew that Sylvia’s words were not always sincere. If Alice was disappointed over a test she had seen Sylvia ace, Sylvia would tell her that she just happened to get a few more answers right… but Alice also knew that wasn’t how it really was.

If needed, Sylvia could likely score full marks.

Knowing that, Alice nonetheless felt her spirits lift every time she heard Sylvia’s words.

It made her happy to be called the “next empress” by someone so capable. To Alice, who had no one at court she could truly call a friend, Sylvia was both a rival and her only friend.

After all the scolding, Sylvia would come to comfort Alice again.

That fact was bittersweet.

Lying on the luxurious bed in the hotel provided by the kingdom, Alice blankly stared at the ceiling. With Lucas and Jayden as the main guards, truthfully, Alice found them much more abrasive than Sylvia.

What if she asked Sylvia to stroll through the capital together if she had some free time?

Just as she was pondering this—

Knock knock!

She heard someone gently knock on the door, startling her upright.

[Your Highness, may I have a moment of your time?]

“Uh, um!?”

At those words, Alice jumped to her feet.

“What, what’s the matter!?”

She shouted in fluster. She had never welcomed anyone in a situation where there was no one else around aside from Sylvia. There were imperial guards outside, but— no, the one knocking was precisely one of the imperial guards, as they directly protected the princess.

However, she had never received a visitor when alone like this. Since they had boarded the train at the last minute, the dedicated maid couldn’t even get on.

[Princess Charlotte de Velbur of the Kingdom of Velbur wishes to see you.]

“Whoa, a princess— Gasp!”

Alice instinctively gasped and almost screamed, covering her mouth to stop herself just in time.

In terms of rank, the princess of Velbur isn’t at the same level as the Fanggriffon princess. Perhaps that’s why she had come personally after hearing that the “real” princess of the Fanggriffon was here. Though neither the princess nor the crown princess could directly engage in political affairs, they could still cultivate friendships.

Connections between nobles could lead to practical benefits later on. The royal family and the imperial family had even more reason to do so. It was easier to speak with someone familiar than a complete stranger.

Though Alice had no practical experience, she had taken politics classes and could recall information on the princess of Velbur.

Like Alice, she was the only child, and there was a likelihood of inheriting the throne in the future. She was also the same age as Alice and Sylvia.

“…Phew.”

She didn’t know the reason for the visit. However, she couldn’t possibly dismiss a princess who had come all the way here.

She felt extremely nervous, but at that moment, she had to face it directly.

Alice recalled the conversation she just had with Sylvia.

Confidently, like the rightful heir to the throne.

Quickly checking her appearance, she made sure her clothes were tidy and free of stains. Fortunately, there were a few wrinkled spots, but nothing too obvious.

She straightened her waist and relaxed her chest. Raising her chin just a bit, she mimicked the posture of a lady she had seen in the Duke’s family.

And wore a face like Sylvia’s.

After taking a few calming breaths, Alice opened her mouth.

“Yes, please let her in.”

Of course, her heart wasn’t nearly as calm as Sylvia’s.

Chapter 17

Even though I made a complete mess at the diplomatic conference, the fact that the Emperor didn’t say anything about it seems to suggest he really didn’t care if I caused such chaos. Sigh

If that’s not the case, then maybe the Empire’s power is intimidating enough that he was too afraid of getting beat up for speaking out of turn.

In fact, even in the main story, the Emperor is about to engage in insane warfare across the globe, and up until the very moment before that, it’s thwarted by the protagonist’s party; at least the Kingdom and the Papal State are handling things pretty wisely. For now, there’s no country that can win against the Empire unless the Empire splits itself or all the nations outside the Empire unite against it.

Even if there is a war, the side that strikes the Empire first will definitely not come out unscathed.

…And here I am, one of the key figures in that Empire. I’m only fourteen years old.

Am I gonna be thrown under the bus?

Well, I have a few years until then, so I can take my time thinking it over. After all, if necessary, I can just wipe everything out and assassinate the Emperor. Bam!

Before that, I also plan to do my best to prevent such things from happening.

Anyway, it’s not surprising that the impudent mischief I caused didn’t lead to any major issues.

What was truly surprising was something else entirely.

“Does this mean you spoke with the Crown Princess?”

“Why? Can’t I? You were there as the Empire’s representative at the meeting of the three nations.”

“No, that’s not it.”

Alice said that with a face that literally radiated ‘pride.’

Honestly, she had reason to feel that way. Usually, Alice spends her time studying and training almost entirely within the Imperial Palace. Just having accomplished something in itself is bound to make her proud. And it’s no trivial matter—she built a friendship with the Kingdom’s only princess!

I don’t really know what the King is like. He only showed up a few times in the game.

However, his daughter Charlotte is a kind person. She’s the type who would never put on a false front in front of anyone. After all, she’s a heroine you can pursue—if she turned out to be that dark of a character, she wouldn’t be popular at all.

If Alice had spoken with someone else, I’d have my doubts about that person, but since it’s Charlotte, it should be fine. Anyway, we’re supposed to meet next year at the Academy. Charlotte will be sent as a student by the King.

It seems the Emperor had his reasons for not reprimanding Alice this time.

Perhaps it’s because I personally begged him not to.

“You had a fulfilling time, didn’t you?”

When I said that, Alice raised her chin in pride.

Honestly, she looked more cute than haughty.

*

After that, there were no special incidents. The Emperor didn’t call me separately to ask about anything, nor did he give any orders to assassinate someone else.

I thought it was because I was supposed to attend the Academy next year. It would be troublesome if bad rumors about me spread in the school I was supposed to enter as a student. Besides, if the Emperor is sending me to the Academy, it’s not to tell me to study hard—it’s likely to survey the nobles who will rise to crucial positions later, as well as capable commoners.

The original Claire was the same. Even though she didn’t attend the Academy from the start, she was transferred there due to the Emperor’s will. She even claimed she didn’t particularly want to enter the Academy.

So, having diligently studied and consistently participated in mock exams with the intent of entering the Academy from the beginning, I naturally thought I would be able to enroll right away.

But—

“You have somewhere to go.”

Wha?

I had to make a tremendous effort to hold back the words that almost flew out.

No, if there’s such a plan, you should have told me in advance!

“It seems the time has come to deal with the warlords in the northern part of the Empire. The Autonomous State of Rickland has finally requested our Empire’s assistance. I will provide you with information about the warlords’ leaders that need to be dealt with, so go take care of it.”

Ah, it’s about military matters then.

Considering how people are summoned just before the work is upon them, the military in this world is quite typical of an army.

“…Understood.”

Of course, I had no grounds to refuse here. All I could say was, “I want to go to school instead of the battlefield,” but the Emperor didn’t raise me for that.

However, just because I’m going to the battlefield doesn’t mean I can’t go to school. The entrance exam can just be taken in a city close to the battlefield, and there’s still plenty of time until next April.

…If we are to follow the European system that the game is inspired by, the original semester start should be in August or September, but Chronicles of Aetherna is a Japanese game. Although it is being exported overseas, it is fundamentally the best-selling game within Japan, and of course, its content is tailored to Japanese players’ tastes.

And Japanese gamers who buy school-themed games wouldn’t want a European-style semester system.

So, the Huanglip Rondar Academy follows the same suit, starting in early April and adhering to a three-term Japanese-style academic year. This way, they can insert episodes during summer and winter breaks in Japanese anime style by having those breaks in mind.

Incidentally, despite the background being European-themed, there is also a Valentine’s Day event. Depending on which character you spent the year with, the heroine who gives you chocolate will change.

“Do you feel unwell?”

“……”

When the Emperor asked that, I lifted my gaze to see him looking down at me with a slight smile, but showing no particular sign of emotion on his face.

“No, I shall obey.”

The Emperor surely knows what he’s asking. He’s aware that I’ve been studying for the entrance exam with Alice.

Perhaps this order serves as a way to make it clear that my position is different from that of the genuine Crown Princess, Alice.

This is the first assassination mission following the Count’s assassination. And it’s in the northern region where all sorts of warlords are in rebellion. Some reckless warlords have even been said to invade the borders set by the Empire.

It seems the Emperor intends to eliminate them while he can.

“Hmm.”

The Emperor made an unintelligible sound before saying,

“Understood. You may go now. Departure will be in a week. Someone from the military will come soon with detailed information.”

So he said.

…If that is the Emperor’s intention, next April’s enrollment seems impossible.

What a disappointment.

*

“Are you really going to the battlefield?”

As I was packing in my room, Alice burst in through the door and asked.

I turned to see her, all sweaty, standing in front of the open door while I fiddled with my bag.

“Yes, it seems so.”

“It seems so?”

Upon hearing my answer, Alice stomped in, saying,

“Are you just going to gloss over ‘it seems so’? Didn’t you want to go to the Academy? You studied so hard!”

Um…

It’s true I wanted to go to the Academy. It’s also true I studied hard for that. Far harder than Alice thinks. It’s a place filled with characters I liked. I was curious if Claire, who would have grown up much happier apart from me, actually enrolled in the Academy, and I was also interested in how Charlotte, who befriended Alice differently from the original story, would react.

Maybe I could even get drawn into the original story and become part of the protagonist’s party. If any seriously dangerous incidents arise, I could take care of them beforehand.

…Well, the latter part was something I actually did think about doing.

Just because I can’t go right now doesn’t mean I’ll never get to go. Even if I’m not a student, there are several ways I could intervene in the protagonist’s party’s situation.

“Say something!”

As I fell silent in thought, Alice must have thought I lost my words because she insisted.

“The Emperor has given the order to sort out the warlord forces beyond the northern border and stabilize the political situation in the Autonomous State of Rickland.”

The mention of the Emperor’s orders seemed to momentarily take Alice aback, but she soon raised her chin and said,

“So?”

So?

I blinked at Alice’s response.

So what does that mean?

In this country, the Emperor’s orders are absolute. The Imperial Council doesn’t dare ignore the Emperor’s words for no reason. The Council is thoroughly decided through the public’s vote, and the public desires for the Council to follow the Emperor. The Emperor’s authoritarian policy strengthens the pride of the people as ‘the citizens of this country.’ Moreover, thanks to the Emperor, the conditions for the citizens have improved significantly.

Most of this is due to the cheap raw materials taken from the colonies, though.

And the ‘people’ who elect the Imperial Council, meaning those who have the right to vote, are only ‘pure Imperial blood males.’

Sure, minors could be an exception, but… no, actually, it’s bizarre to just brush past the fact that minors are disregarded. In this country, anyone over the age of twelve is considered an adult and subjected to harsh labor.

Even if that isn’t state policy, this place is a wild mix of extreme capitalism, imperialism, and inexplicably fused extremes of powerful imperial reign. The Emperor’s ultimate goal is to centralize everything and create a unified Empire—all in one place.

It sounds plausible, but when it comes to the most brutal means of diplomacy, war, that’s where it’s backfiring.

A ridiculous, nonsensical phrase like “a war to end it all” is something the Emperor is more than willing to engage in.

In any case, they push twelve-year-old children into tedious labor for fourteen hours a day without caring if they drink or smoke or become addicted to opiates, but they don’t get voting rights until they’re over twenty-one. By then, it’s lucky if they’ve survived, and even if they do survive, how can children who haven’t received proper education be expected to concern themselves with politics?

As a result, there are always plenty of enthusiastic volunteers for the military. There’s no way those suffering from disabilities or starving can muster the energy to fight in a war, so they’re well-fed, well-rested, and even exercised. Plus, military pay is way better than working in factories. Sure, you might have to fight for your life sometimes, but because of overwhelming technology, casualties are low compared to the enemy, and the bounties come rolling in.

…Thinking of it this way, it seems like they intentionally maintain that status quo.

Moreover, women do not have voting rights, and those from colonial backgrounds do not have voting rights either. The same goes for mixed-race individuals. You need to meet a minimum quota to be recognized as pure Imperial blood, and even that can be rejected if you display too many “colonial traits.”

Workers perceive colonials as taking their jobs, and there are even rumors that foreigners have formed secret societies behind the scenes to slander the state…

Doesn’t that sound like a story you’ve heard somewhere before?

Well, it’s amusing that there were empresses in history despite all this.

“Aren’t you a Crown Princess? With the Emperor’s power behind you, you should be more assertive! So why do you just blindly follow those orders?”

“Even as a Crown Princess, I am not the same as another Crown Princess. I am a being the Emperor deemed useful, while the Crown Princess is genuinely suitable to inherit this Empire.”

“…So that means you’re saying you’re just some tool?”

Well, of course.

The Emperor probably thinks of me exactly as a tool.

It’s true he loves me as his daughter. Ruth, Jayden, and the other siblings too. In fact, in the original work, every time one of his children died, he was deeply pained.

But at the same time, to the Emperor, even that child is ultimately a tool.

Could it be explained as the difference between a very cherished tool and a tool that can be discarded anytime?

Barbara is definitely the important tool among all of them.

…But there’s no need to say all that to Alice. She’s too young for that.

I turned back to my bag and said,

“There’s no need for you to worry. I will carry out my mission there and return. I won’t die.”

“That’s not what I’m saying…!”

Alice, sounding exasperated, raised her voice at my back, but then stopped. The door was still open. If I raised my voice here, all the maids would hear it.

Alice, who sometimes threw tantrums in the hallway, has learned that such behavior negatively impacts her image as she matures. Of course, she still occasionally throws fits to trouble people.

“……”

For a while, Alice seemed to be trying to suppress her emotions, breathing heavily. I couldn’t see her expression, but I could hear her ragged breaths, so she was likely feeling that way.

And finally, the composed Alice said—

“……I will go see Father.”

—No, it seems she hasn’t calmed down at all.

“Crown Princess—”

By the time I turned my head back, Alice had already dashed out the door.

“……Ha.”

I let out a light sigh, set down my packed stuff, and quickly chased after Alice.

Chapter 18

Morphine was discovered in the early 1800s.

Well, since morphine is a type of opium, you can vaguely think it came out around that time without having to research historical backgrounds. Moreover, morphine frequently appeared as a painkiller for soldiers in works set during World War I.

As the strongest painkiller extracted from natural plants, morphine’s effect is powerful, and it acts on the brain very quickly. That’s why it was sprayed like crazy on soldiers until World War II.

However, it also became a cause for the soldiers who survived World War I and II to suffer tremendously. After all, it’s a famous type of “opium.”

Its addictive nature is very strong, even in modern times, where it’s used as a narcotic painkiller when no other pain relief works.

Back in the day, they focused only on the drug’s effects with relatively little research on side effects. Plus, there weren’t really any substitutes available.

And I had that morphine stashed away in my room.

“……What is this?”

“……”

That’s right. Just because it was the past doesn’t mean they weren’t aware of the harmful effects of opium. I mean, didn’t the British fervently sell opium to China, which led to the famous Opium War when China opposed it thinking it was ruining their country?

In this world, it wasn’t used without understanding its effects. They used it knowing what it was.

And now, I was revealing the whereabouts of the morphine I’d hoarded away, all because of Alice rummaging around my room.

“Crown Princess.”

“……No way, right?”

Alice asked, looking at the morphine on the bed.

It wasn’t a lot. I didn’t even need much—a quantity enough for just one or two uses was sufficient. Maybe three small vials as a backup.

But it was enough to raise Alice’s suspicions.

“Hmm? It’s not an addiction or anything, right?”

“……Crown Princess.”

I calmly called out to Alice, who looked extremely anxious.

“Have I ever shown symptoms of opium addiction?”

“……”

One of the clear physical symptoms of morphine use is small pupils. I’d seen that several times before—years ago in the Count’s Territory.

And if I were really addicted to morphine, it would have been impossible to hide it. When you’re high on opium, you can’t think straight and you’re practically out of your mind, not to mention the withdrawal symptoms like visible vomiting, fever, and diarrhea.

But my body was perfectly fine. When busy, it’s natural to experience withdrawal symptoms, but I had never shown such signs. Strangely, I hadn’t even caught a mild cold.

“Then why do you have this?”

Alice glared at me while asking.

“For emergencies.”

“……But there are wizards in the castle.”

That’s right. This world exists where magic is real. There are magicians who can heal injuries almost without leaving a scar and have even succeeded in reattaching severed limbs recently.

“It takes too long for magic to heal the body.”

“Then what if…”

“And unhealed bodies feel pain, making you dull.”

No matter how trained a person is, it’s impossible to move exactly the same pre-injury and post-injury. So in case of urgent need, it was essential to trick the brain to mask the pain allowing faster movements.

…Honestly, I felt a bit wronged. I had never truly used it yet.

But when the time comes, I planned to use it, experience the situation, and then rewind time to apply that knowledge for a new attempt.

Dependence on drugs does have psychological reasons, but the biggest reason is the physical effects. The damage to the brain and nervous system is particularly severe. When addicted to drugs, seeking them out is vastly different from simply “looking for food” due to boredom. It’s more like a desperate search for food by a starving person, as the brain believes it’s hungry.

But I could override that addiction of my brain and nervous system.

So if there’s a dangerous possibility that I won’t know even after suffering a serious injury, I can endure as much as possible, see into the future, and then apply that idea for a new challenge—of course, without drugs in the final state.

“……”

Alice bit her lip.

“Is it because of me?”

“……”

Um….

It’s not just “because of Alice.” To be exact, it was just my preparation after thinking through all situations. You never know when you might really have to assassinate the Emperor.

The Emperor is among the strongest beings in this world. Even Lucas can’t win him in a sword fight, so he’s likely much more powerful than anyone known as the “Sword Saint” in this world.

Yet, as a human, there might still be a tiny gap.

But that gap could be so small that you might need thousands of repeated actions in a matter of seconds to find and exploit it.

So, these vials of morphine were meant to add a bit of efficiency to that process.

Seeing me silent, Alice seemed to think something, then reached for my collar.

Alice… actually had a significant edge in talent over me. Simply put, she’s “that” Emperor’s daughter. Her physical abilities are top-notch, and she’s incredibly intelligent. Honestly, if I hadn’t rewinded time, I could never defeat Alice in a one-on-one confrontation.

Additionally, there’s her study habits. Even if she’d read the same books dozens or hundreds of times and attended private tutor lectures for hundreds of hours, she could invest the same amount of time as others… No, if she set her mind to it, she could wipe the slate clean and just absorb knowledge. If I hadn’t been able to turn back time, I wouldn’t even have gotten into the academy.

To begin with, I likely wouldn’t have survived this long.

So, um.

If she suddenly grabbed me like this, there’s no escaping. My face would inevitably end up just an arm’s length away from Alice’s.

…Should I rewind time?

I thought about it briefly but decided to postpone it. Let’s see how the situation plays out first.

After all, Alice is one of my favorite characters.

If possible, I didn’t want to rewind the time we spent together.

“Hey.”

Oh.

This is bad.

Alice looked genuinely angry.

“From now on, I’m going to ask you questions, so answer me honestly.”

“……”

The fact that my expression didn’t crumble was truly fortunate. It seems my daily practice really paid off.

“What do you think of me, and what do you think about yourself?”

“The Crown Princess is someone destined to become the Emperor of the Empire. My role is to assist with that.”

“Just as my father commanded?”

“……”

No, this was my will.

If Alice weren’t here, I would have run away as soon as possible. Ideally, I would have sought help near Claire… or somewhere with the heroine or the male protagonist, and maybe even, despite reluctance, some male character would help me hide. Except the Papal State.

I wasn’t sure what Alice thought about my silence, but she stared at me with fiery eyes and spoke.

“Let me rephrase. What would you do if my father named you Crown Princess instead of me?”

“Such a thing would never—”

“If you think father wouldn’t do something like that, then you’re making a huge mistake.”

…Hmm.

I thought Alice was the one mistaken, but this wasn’t the right situation to say that.

“If that happens, I would do my best to ensure that the imperial authority transitions to the rightful position.”

“……Even if it’s your father’s order?”

“Yes. Because it is the right thing to do.”

This was sincere.

I had no intention of becoming Emperor at all. Honestly, considering the story so far, there’s a question of whether the Emperor can continue the imperial authority. Because… doesn’t that seem right? The Emperor is the head of the evil empire.

In the end, the one who wins in the end would be the protagonist, along with the heroine who helps them and other male comrades. And many other supporters as well.

Although the conclusion is not yet determined, most players speculate that the ending might be a people’s revolution.

Even if Alice can’t continue as Emperor, she could become a hero of the masses. And that would likely be much better for Alice’s future. No matter how much it draws from reality, in the end, it’s still a game. Considering the developers, it’s unlikely that the royal family would all face execution.

“Would you risk destroying your own body for that?”

Alice’s gaze shifted to the morphine vial on the bed.

I nodded.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Of course, I didn’t plan to use it till the end, but if I answered plainly, there wouldn’t be a reason for gathering morphine in the first place, so I used it as an excuse.

“……”

Alice glared at me for a while before releasing her grip on my collar. I tried my best not to stumble. I can’t believe nearly a decade of effort paid off, managing not to look ridiculous.

“I’ll take this with me.”

“……”

Alice picked up the morphine from the bed.

Then she looked at me and said,

“Don’t worry. I won’t have any use for it. A ‘Crown Princess’ can’t be addicted to morphine, can she?”

And that comment about being a ‘Crown Princess’ also felt directed at me.

“……”

“And I will make sure no one can obtain such substances within the Imperial Palace. From now on, only those who can determine the necessity of these items will have access. Not someone as dignified as a Crown Princess. Got it?”

“……Understood.”

It was only after I said that did Alice nod with a stiff expression. Then she turned and left my room.

“……”

After about thirty seconds of silence,

“Phew……”

I let out a long breath.

No wonder she’s the Emperor’s daughter; her vigor is no joke. I thought I was going to crumble under her grip.

Fortunately, I succeeded in managing my expression, so I didn’t need to rewind time.

Just a moment ago, when I followed Alice, the Emperor was already gone. Even if I had met him directly, I wasn’t sure if the situation would be resolved, but it seemed I had genuinely aggravated Alice’s temper.

With a huff, Alice returned to my room, having been unable to hold back her emotions, and threw my bag open.

In an instant, I wondered what she was doing when she started pulling everything out of the bag.

Of course, she wasn’t throwing my stuff around, but it looked like she wanted to leave it in the state “before the bag was packed.”

I was so baffled watching her that when Alice discovered a bottle of morphine in the bag, all hell broke loose.

“……Hmm.”

To be honest, even if Alice was determined to expose me for having morphine, I could easily acquire it if I wished. There are opium dens in the corners of this world. Of course, it’s illegal, but the Empire doesn’t care much about the hardships of the lower classes.

Thanks to that, opium is somewhat popular among the nobility too. Naturally, nobles are far harder to catch than commoners. Counts lived their debauchery openly until they were assassinated.

……Still, bringing morphine back into the palace would be risky.

If Alice catches me again, this time I might truly be suspected of being an addict and forced into a sanctuary for rehabilitation. Mental hospitals in this era are, um… rather barbaric, aren’t they? I really don’t want to end up in one.

“Hmm…”

If not morphine…

Let’s see, there are a few medicinal items that come to mind. Even if they aren’t painkillers, there could be substances that could drastically increase my odds in assassination.

For example, yes, in this era, there are some substances recently released whose harmful effects and side effects haven’t been fully unearthed yet.

Drugs that, when consumed, exponentially heighten concentration, allowing normal tasks to be completed at double speed and with much greater accuracy. It’s no magical potion. It was a drug that exists even in our reality.

Methamphetamine.

In reality, it was sometimes distributed openly as a general medicine.

The product’s pharmaceutical company was a Japanese company, and they sometimes referred to it by its Japanese phonetic, “Hiropon.”

Of course, like any drug, it can seriously deteriorate the human body. They say it permanently damages dopamine receptors, and dopamine is what creates positive feelings in humans. So, once taken, it means you can never feel regular joy again, unless you stop using drugs.

But I could rewind time and fix it, though.

“……Should I just give up?”

While morphine might be usable for ‘exploration of potential’, methamphetamine is thoroughly a ‘result-oriented’ drug. The outcomes I gain from that drug would be unusable.

Even if I succeeded in an assassination while on that drug, I’d end up living as a lifelong drug addict, unable to feel pleasure except through drugs, or ultimately have to rewind time to derive results again anyway.

There really isn’t an easy choice.

I let out another long sigh.

Chapter 19

A day has passed since Alice visited. There hasn’t been any news during that time.

The Emperor’s order to me hasn’t been lifted yet. It seems Alice hasn’t met with the Emperor either. Well, they said he was out of the office, after all.

The luggage Alice unpacked… hasn’t been packed again yet. For now, I’ve put everything she took out back where it originally belonged.

Since Alice has taken the effort to unpack, I decided to observe a little and then pack again.

No matter how much Alice pushes, I doubt she could easily persuade that stubborn Emperor. Even if he loves his daughter, the Emperor’s own goals come first.

He always acts like it’s for “the Empire,” but in reality, he’s just a man who is madly in love with politics. If he judged that his state affairs could be harmed, he would gladly sacrifice his own daughter.

The Riclant Autonomous State hasn’t appeared in the main game yet, but it exists in the lore. It’s just a tease that it might play an important role in a sequel…

They’ve probably already begun game development, but since I came to this world without seeing a trailer, I don’t even know what it’s about.

Among fans, speculation was that the protagonist, who had retreated to the unstable military factions of the Riclant Republic, would tidy them up and build trust to find a place to stay.

If I had completely dealt with the factions beforehand, that speculation would be pointless, but… I don’t think the Emperor would completely clear out all of them. He’ll leave just enough to torment the Autonomous State while still wanting to leverage the Empire.

If he really wanted to wipe out the military factions, he would simply send in the army.

Well, if he were to announce sending in the army, the Autonomous State would likely refuse.

Which sovereign nation would welcome foreign troops coming in to “resolve” criminals in their own country? No matter how you look at it, it’s a clear invasion of sovereignty. It’s too transparent.

“…Um, wait a minute.”

Could it be that the Emperor wanted to send me for that reason?

If he sent the Imperial Army, they would naturally oppose it from the Riclant Republic, but perhaps sending one assassin might not be as bothersome for them.

No, what if he didn’t even intend to send me as a soldier? He could mix me in with the diplomats or even send me as the Crown Princess herself.

…If that were the case, I could find a way to create an opening during the official itinerary and carry out my assassination mission.

Uh…

Doesn’t it seem like the Emperor is trusting me a bit too much?

Did Claire from the original work receive this much trust? I don’t think she was sent off on her own to carry out missions like this.

I placed my hand on my forehead, lost in thought.

If I had wandered into the Autonomous State and took down the military leaders without a second thought, the future could have been seriously altered.

Well, Millennium Inc. sometimes enjoys bashing people’s heads from behind, but they wouldn’t have written the story so easily for the users to guess it.

Should I refuse?

I seriously contemplated that.

If the Emperor truly trusts me and genuinely believes what I say, then there’s a way for me to go and come back without doing anything. Even if I lie, the Emperor would think, “Well, there must have been a reason.”

The problem is whether the Emperor really believes me 100%, without a shred of doubt.

And the conclusion to that dilemma is something I could easily reach without much thought.

The Emperor is definitely not the kind of person who trusts others 100%. What he believes in is nothing but his own convictions. Naturally, if I were to just return after completing the mission smoothly, he might suspect my words.

He might believe that there was “an unavoidable reason.” But he wouldn’t think that “unavoidable reason” would be a physical obstacle that prevented me from assassinating someone. He’d probably speculate politically instead.

And once that begins, the Emperor’s actions would stray too far from my predictions.

That would be a bad thing.

I’m moving to cancel choices that will inevitably cause a few deaths, and if the Emperor acts differently from what I expect, it would prevent me from using future vision again.

Not executing an assassination on the Emperor is to minimize variables and create a situation that’s advantageous to me. Just because something breaks doesn’t mean there aren’t new opportunities, but the more distant the chances, the harder it becomes to piece them together.

“…”

I sat in my chair, resting my chin in my hand in quiet contemplation, but as expected, no conclusion came.

If I use Alice as an excuse, it would just raise suspicion from the Emperor if I change my words after saying I would do it.

Hmm.

I guess there’s no answer.

Just then—

Bam! The door suddenly swung open.

“…”

It was something that had happened quite frequently over the past ten years, so I wasn’t too surprised. In fact, it was less surprising than Lucas barging in.

It was likely Alice again.

If she had met with the Emperor, she would have undoubtedly been turned down and opened the door looking quite gloomy.

So, she probably came to call me to go meet the Emperor instead of to show off some new news from him. Alice always had an air of confidence before facing the Emperor.

“Forget it!”

“What?”

But hearing Alice shout like that left me momentarily dazed.

What do you mean “forget it”?

Turning my head, I saw Alice grinning triumphantly. Her hair shimmered like gold in the light streaming through the window.

With her hands on her hips like a victorious general, Alice declared, “You don’t have to go to the Northern Region!”

“…”

I quietly stared at Alice and replied, “No matter how much of a next Emperor you think you are, you’re not above the commands of the current one.”

To my calm voice, Alice scoffed, “I know that! Even if I look like this, I’m really a princess. If you don’t believe me, take a look at this.”

As she said that, Alice raised the hand she had placed on her right hip.

Now that I look closely, she was holding an imperial order.

[ I, Arthur III, Emperor of the Empire of Aetherna, hereby revoke the mission to dispatch Sylvia Fanggriffon to the Northern Region. ]

It wasn’t an official document. Just a hasty scribble on any random piece of paper with a fountain pen, a document one would be embarrassed to call an order.

But the handwriting on it was very familiar.

Moreover, it had the Emperor’s seal.

“…Forgery of an official document or impersonation is a serious crime. If that’s impersonating his majesty—”

“No, it’s not!”

Alice shouted my words away.

“Check for yourself if you’re suspicious! No matter what, I wouldn’t lie about something like this!”

“…”

If Alice insists that much…

…Could it really be true?

If it is, how did she manage that?

I barely maintained my expressionless demeanor, but sensing the dazed atmosphere, Alice boldly faced me and exclaimed, “Okay? Now we’re going to the academy together! Well, I’ll still pack my things later!”

This time, she added, “I’ll definitely beat you in academics!” Her expression was endlessly bright.

Uh…

Wait, seriously? I don’t understand at all.

How in the world?

Amidst this confusion, a part of my mind was pumping its fist in celebration.

*

A few minutes earlier—

Crash!

The sound of something breaking is a rare occurrence in the Emperor’s audience chamber. All the court ladies who work in the palace are noblewomen who have received high-quality education and, of course, would never accidentally break something valuable in the royal space.

And no one would intentionally break anything either. It’s rare to hold dishes while dining in the audience chamber.

But this time it was different.

That sound was from a small glass bottle shattering on the floor. And as the shards of glass shattered, a transparent liquid splattered everywhere. It was such a small amount that it didn’t even reach the Emperor’s clothes.

“…What is the meaning of this?”

The Emperor himself asked as he witnessed his daughter committing such a ridiculous act right in front of him.

Lucas, who was right beside him, looked equally incredulous, but Alice brushed his expression aside effortlessly.

Normally, she would have cowered in front of the Emperor, her father. Especially given the tense atmosphere.

But Alice was furious from head to toe.

And when a Fanggriffon gets angry, they usually become blind to everything else.

Alice was a Fanggriffon too.

It was the first time she was this angry at her father. Although she wanted to beat Sylvia, she didn’t wish for Sylvia to be at a disadvantage right from the start line.

“This is morphine. It came from Sylvia’s room.”

“Hmm?”

At those words, the Emperor’s expression instantly shifted. From displeasure to intrigue.

“Sylvia has morphine?”

It’s not surprising that he reacted like that. The Emperor is the one who has made the most use of Sylvia’s abilities. While there had been one assassination, her talent for gathering various information was unmatched.

It’s hard to imagine that Sylvia would need morphine. After all, she had never been hit by a bullet or a sword.

It seemed that Lucas was equally surprised. His usual smug grin had vanished, replaced with wide-open eyes. Even in this scenario, Alice found that aspect slightly amusing.

“It’s for emergencies. If a problem arises and I have to fight without a moment to heal a wound, I’ll use it.”

“…Oh.”

If it’s coming from her, it’s not something to be taken lightly. If Sylvia is saying she could be “injured” and have to fight without time to heal.

What sort of danger are we talking about?

“…Your Majesty.”

Normally, she would address him as ‘father,’ but now, she was speaking as a princess. The next words would not just come from a daughter but from an aspiring next Emperor… No, a candidate for it.

“Sylvia told me that I am the one who will become the next Emperor.”

“…”

The Emperor listened intently.

“If she becomes a candidate, she promised she would do anything to take that position away from me.”

“Hmph.”

The Emperor was looking at the princess with keen interest.

“So, Your Majesty, Sylvia is my person. Not yours.”

Saying that, Alice smiled at him.

It was less of a genuine smile and more of a showy one; it was a smile contorted from tension and maybe some trembling.

But a Fanggriffon doesn’t back down.

Because she was a Fanggriffon.

“Sylvia could very well be a Gryphon. But the first Emperor, Fanggriffon, was not merely a Gryphon. A Fanggriffon isn’t just a Gryphon; they are the master and rider of Gryphons, leading their flock. It’s not always about being physically stronger than a Gryphon.”

That’s right. Not a Gryphon, a Fanggriffon. Meaning being the leader of the Gryphons.

Leading a flock doesn’t always rely solely on force, especially if it concerns a group of humans.

“So, I will take charge of Sylvia. Of course, if you need her, I can lend her to you. But at least not for this time.”

Sylvia, that Sylvia is supporting the “real princess” as the next Emperor.

And the meaning of that realization was understood by the Princess.

Understanding it, she was communicating that fact to the current Emperor.

And the Emperor, upon hearing that declaration, laughed.

Chapter 20

The mock exam is hard for a reason.

No matter how much it’s a mock exam, the style of questions and the difficulty level are sufficiently different from the real entrance exam. The balance of difficulty isn’t precise, leading to some questions being way too easy while others are ridiculously hard. Overall, though, the difficulty level of the questions tends to be high.

This isn’t just about the academy entrance exam. In the world I lived in before, most mock exams were somewhat or excessively harder than the actual tests.

The reason is simple. It’s good for the mock exam company to hear that students passed the entrance exam after taking their mock exams.

Even though everyone knows that mock exams are just fake questions based on real problems with little credibility, students still get all worked up over them. Humans have this beastly compensation psychology — once they feel like they’ve achieved some goal, they just let their guard down afterward.

So why not make the mock exams extra difficult? That way, if the real exam turns out to be way too hard, that’ll be a good excuse, and it keeps the students from relaxing too much while studying.

Alice and I have been through those exams countless times already.

With her brilliant mind, Alice always studied hard to score high —

— and I, on the other hand, used a sneaky method to repeatedly read and memorize the materials straight up.

Honestly, it was boring as hell. No matter how much my spirit follows my body, and even if my physical condition is restored when I turn back time, my memory perceives “turning back time” as just accumulating experiences.

In other words, no matter how many times I turn back time, it all just looks like the same events keep repeating to me.

…Is that what they mean?

Well, anyway.

So I made sure to squeeze in time to either take a good nap or relax among all those opportunities.

Skipping class to stroll outside the royal castle or locking the door and just crashing.

I didn’t care about others’ gazes. Time spent like that was just wasted time for me anyway. Minimizing mental fatigue and then turning back to how things were.

People say memory has limits, but seeing the same stuff over and over ends up getting stuck in my brain anyway. Whether it’s because my brain can hold a lot or maybe I had that talent all along but never used it, who knows?

Thinking of those times I saved multiple game files and loaded them repeatedly… Well, it doesn’t really matter now to imagine what talents my original self might have had. After all, the me now is Sylvia Fanggriffon — a character I’ve never even seen in the original world.

“How were the questions?”

Even with her status as a Crown Princess, the entrance exam had to be taken in designated places.

The Empire is vast. Even with the latest trains, getting from the countryside to the Imperial Capital can take hours or even half a day. And if you tire yourself out before the exam, it’ll affect your condition during the test.

Sure, commoners living in the countryside might accept that, but nobles would be annoyed if it happened every time. Since ancient times, educating children has been a big deal. Everyone else is left out but the ones who struggle to make ends meet.

So there are designated exam sites in the countryside. There might be people who can’t even reach those… but honestly, in such a scenario, one wouldn’t even know if they had that kind of talent. They probably live in a place with no educational opportunities to begin with.

Anyway, we took the exam at the Imperial Royal Londarium Academy.

Honestly, if a resident of the capital gets to take the academy exam, that’s lucky. It means they have a chance to actually visit the academy. It’s not a bad experience, whether they pass or fail, to see the well-built structure. Most commoners don’t get to witness the academic atmosphere which isn’t open except during festivals.

“The difficulty was lower than the mock exam.”

“As expected, right?”

Of course, even if we took the real exam at the academy, we couldn’t be treated the same as the other students.

There are security issues, and most importantly, the students in our classroom would definitely be paying extra attention to us. In the end, that could affect our scores too.

And among nobles, there are plenty of parents who are overly sensitive about their children’s scores. If they just got mad at their child, it wouldn’t matter that much, but there’s always someone trying to pin all the blame on the exam site.

The Emperor obviously brushes off such talk easily. Those petty matters don’t even reach him.

But the academy staff can’t afford that. The high-ranking officials running the education department of this nation can’t either. Once the Count and Duke families start moving, they’ll be left tearing their hair out in frustration.

To prevent that from happening in the first place, this time we specially took the exam in a different classroom.

As I walked out of the classroom, I casually glanced at Alice’s face, and she didn’t look that bad. It seemed like the exam was easy for her as expected.

And it was for me too. Given I had seen the material so many times, I’d probably do better than on the mock exam.

Though I did intentionally mess up a few questions.

“Let’s hurry and get our scores checked. We don’t have to get them all right. You remember a few ambiguous questions, right? Just checking those should give us an idea of our scores.”

I nodded my head.

Alice was already confident about getting into the academy.

That’s only natural. After all, Alice is a character who appears as an academy student in the original work.

Right now, with unverified people filling the building and us taking exams separately while guarded, by the time the semester starts, they’ll have filtered out all the unsuitable candidates from the passers. Inside the academy, we’ll be equals and will speak casually with one another.

Though it’s a useless rule, ranks will eventually emerge over time. Alice is known so well that everyone recognizes her without needing to be told.

As we walked, we heard a buzz ahead.

Students were pouring out of classrooms. We certainly weren’t the only ones finished with the exam.

We momentarily stopped in our tracks.

We could’ve cleared the students out, but it wasn’t urgent.

A guard was stepping forward to create space for us.

Some students did glance our way. But typically, they couldn’t come this way due to the guards in front of us. Alice had never formed friendships with anyone since her childhood, so even the children of famous noble families would feel awkward about speaking casually. They didn’t know her.

Alice wasn’t just any Crown Princess, she was a child aiming to be the Emperor. She had a personality that would rather read one more book and practice swordsmanship than attend a ball, so it made sense that not many nobles knew her.

“How many of those kids do you think will get into the academy?”

“Probably only a tiny few.”

In the original work, the enrollment quota was 30 nobles and 60 commoners per grade.

In reality, the characters with any significant roles were far fewer than that.

Compared to the many students passing by in front of us, it was practically a handful.

We waited for a while, standing at a distance, as the kids continued to flow past us.

“……”

Suddenly, I almost let out an “ah” sound.

A child with blue hair just passed by.

It wasn’t the face I recognized. Not the one I saw in the game, nor the scruffy appearance I last encountered.

It was a much more mature girl, with lush blue hair tied back in a proper ponytail. Unlike in the game, she wasn’t wearing intimidating makeup nor revealing modified school uniforms.

Just a very very neat-looking student. Honestly, she looked like she could be a class president anywhere. Though she wasn’t wearing glasses.

It was Claire.

Claire was happily chatting with a very handsome boy walking beside her.

So that must be the son of Grace’s Estate then.

The protagonist of this game.

“……”

“Why? Is there someone you know?”

“Yes. I see a few noble children.”

“……Hmm.”

Rather than denying it outright, I thought it was better to make a similar excuse, and once I said that, Alice let out a hum.

“Is there someone we should be cautious of?”

“There is, but it’s not a conversation for here.”

I wasn’t talking about Claire either.

It’d be better for Claire to not even know me.

But even so, it wouldn’t be entirely wrong to be wary.

…The daughter of Count Crowfield whom I killed is also set to attend this school. In the original work, she’s one of the heroines.

“……Then, let’s go back and tell me. There’s no harm in being cautious.”

“Understood.”

Hearing my words, Alice’s expression turned serious in an instant, and I replied like that.

In the original narrative, Alice and Claire have a very bad relationship, so Alice wouldn’t have gotten such information.

But now, I thought sharing this amount of information wouldn’t be a problem, since I wasn’t the original Claire. Plus, it seems Claire’s image has changed quite a bit from the original work already.

So I thought this level of information sharing wouldn’t really matter.

*

“……Huh?”

While Claire was talking, she abruptly stopped walking and turned around, and Leo, who was with her, asked.

“Why? Did you see something?”

“Oh, um…”

Claire stared blankly behind her for a moment. There was someone standing where the path turned ahead, and maybe she thought she saw that. One person had shining blonde hair, and the other had black bobbed hair. She thought the blonde was definitely someone she recognized. I seem to remember hearing the Crown Princess is supposed to enroll this year, and thinking about it, it makes sense that there were two guards before those two. The other one, though, I have no idea.

“Was it someone you know? Should we go meet them?”

As Leo said that, he turned and started to go back but soon paused awkwardly, receiving the disgruntled stares of other students.

“Uh, no, I don’t think we should.”

And that’s when Claire really snapped back to reality.

“Probably… I must’ve just seen it wrong. It could’ve just been someone who looked similar.”

“…Really?”

Although Claire was acting strangely, Leo decided to let it pass.

He knew Claire was searching for her sister. He has heard that story many times since childhood.

However, even if that sister truly existed, it’s unlikely she could be here. To take this exam, your identity has to be guaranteed to begin with.

It’s unfortunate, but if what Claire said holds true — which she would never think — the chances of that sister, who was alone and adrift as a child, surviving and growing enough to take the academy entrance exam, especially right next to the Crown Princess, are extremely slim. Plus, she wouldn’t look like a maid either. If she were a real maid, she would’ve taken the exam alongside students like Leo and Claire.

Besides, it seemed like Claire had long since given up on her search. While it’s not completely impossible, she probably knows that the chances of stumbling upon her sister here are extremely unlikely.

“Yeah. It’ll be fine. It was just… a feeling. Just like last time.”

Even in her childhood, Claire would approach anyone with black long hair just to check their face. Having spent years confirming they were not the person, by now, she must’ve learned how to let go of expectations.

After all, among the many students passing by here, there were loads of girls with black long hair.

“…Let’s go.”

As Claire said that, starting to walk again, Leo followed behind her, feeling somewhat bittersweet.

Chapter 21

The scores were similar to those in the mock exam.

I scored 475 points, while Alice scored 492 points. Both of us easily exceeded the passing score.

This score was quite surprising for me. It’s only natural that I missed more questions, but Alice had scored 487 points in the game to get accepted and was praised for her intelligence. Yet, the Alice before me received an even higher score than that.

“Impressive, Your Highness.”

I said that. There might have been a hint of emotion in my voice, but it wasn’t significant enough to be noticed. I sometimes showed subtle emotions in front of Alice. After all, the reason I entered the academy was to meet the original protagonist and heroines, so it wouldn’t hurt to let my guard down a bit around Alice.

And since I would be seeing her face continuously, it would be tough to keep hiding my feelings.

I still had to be careful in front of the Emperor and the others.

“Hmm…”

However, Alice’s reaction was somewhat different from what I expected. The tone of her ‘Hmm’ was much lower. Unlike the sound she made when she was in a good mood, it seemed to express open suspicion towards me.

Narrowing her eyes, Alice asked, “Is this truly your real ability?”

“……”

Uh-oh.

I had been caught right away.

“You said, ‘It was easier than the mock exam’ when you were walking down the corridor that day. So how come you ended up with a lower score instead of a higher one? That doesn’t make sense, does it? You, of all people, being meticulous like that.”

“……”

“Are you perhaps trying to get a score lower than mine on purpose?”

“……”

Hmm.

As expected, the Emperor’s daughter isn’t just anyone. She seems to have inherited her talents quite well.

Or perhaps I just showed too much on my part.

“You.”

Alice spoke.

“Don’t do that anymore. You’re going to be working under me, right? That means I need to properly understand your abilities. If you keep trying to boost me, how am I supposed to judge your skills?”

I stared blankly at Alice as she said that.

Alice’s image had changed a lot from what I remembered.

The ‘Alice I knew’ does not refer to the child version of her. Although she has indeed changed a lot since her childhood… what I mean by Alice is the one from the game.

She had lived only trying to catch up to her father since she was little, dedicating herself to swordsmanship and books, briefly attending balls and parties in her youthful days without being engaged much in royal activities.

In fact, to become the Emperor, one must also foster relationships with nobles, but Alice was so young. Fourteen is just the right age for chuunibyou, isn’t it? She probably thought, “While others are doing foolish things, I’m studying the art of monarchy.”

Up to that point, this Alice was somewhat similar, but her attitude was different.

In the game, Alice had a very low self-esteem, despite her high character stats. Although she appeared to be an arrogant princess on the outside, there were several moments where she envied others who performed better than her in swordsmanship or academics.

This indicates that there were no scenes where she outright acknowledged the abilities of others in the early stages.

However, this is not the ‘early stage’ anymore. We are both fifteen now, and the attitude Alice occasionally shows towards me is far more composed and mature rather than that of a whining child.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

As I quietly gazed at Alice, she spoke, looking somewhat nervous.

“……Not at all.”

I replied and bowed my head slightly.

“I apologize. I won’t hide my abilities from you moving forward, Your Highness.”

“Uh? Oh, um, yeah……”

As I readily admitted and apologized, Alice responded with a hint of surprise.

And that expression was quintessentially Alice. Even compared to any side of the Alice I knew.

*

To be honest, I’m a little excited.

No, I think I should eliminate the word ‘a little’.

No, wait, I can replace ‘a little’ with ‘incredibly’.

Actually, even ‘incredibly’ doesn’t perfectly capture my feelings. There isn’t a word in the world to accurately express my joy. To put it mildly, I wanted to jump around like a child who received a gaming console as a birthday gift.

It’s been ten years. A whole decade.

I’ve been waiting for ten years to meet the characters I loved from that game ever since I arrived in this world at the age of five. The real time spent was likely much longer because I had repeatedly traveled back in time.

Even I find it strange that I waited this long.

Isn’t it? I only spent seven years playing the Chronicles of Aetherna series. That’s shorter than the time I waited in this world.

Ever since becoming the Emperor’s child, I’ve often wondered how long this feeling would last. Some dreams I held in childhood felt trivial after growing up, or the things I wanted as a child now brought only a sense of emptiness when I actually got them.

But… thinking back, it might not be quite like that.

Sherlock Holmes fans waited seven years for a new release, and there are often cases like that among game or movie series. It’s more accurate to say that I believe time passes because I was occupied doing various things instead of waiting around the clock. Initially, I might have counted down the days, but eventually, I forget that I was even counting.

Me too, um, I think that might be the case.

If not, maybe it is because the existing characters near me continuously reminded me that I was living in this world. If I had the Emperor’s children, Alice and Claire around, it implied that Leo Grace and other characters were alive and breathing somewhere out there in this world.

“Haah…”

I let out a long breath, trying to relax.

It feels like getting ready to meet a celebrity. While Alice and other characters were around, I had met Claire before without a moment to feel joy, and with Alice, having spent time together since childhood, it felt more like seeing a little sister rather than a celebrity. Alice would be horrified to hear that.

And, meeting each of them separately is entirely different from suddenly meeting multiple people at once.

I had packed my things last night. There wasn’t much I needed to bring anyway. I was supposed to receive my uniform from the academy, and the same goes for my textbooks. They said I could pack personal items to take to the dorm, but for me, all I had was my weapon.

And the weapon was supposed to be taken care of by the academy. There were already several characters using firearms in the original story. Even if it weren’t a firearm, everything brought here was a deadly weapon designed to kill, so those precautions are natural. Who knows what kind of lunatic might go on a shooting spree during class?

The reason for conducting background checks on students entering the academy is precisely for that.

So, I didn’t really need to pack anything extra. That means there was no way to divert my thoughts. I wasn’t sure if reading books would actually help.

So, I had been walking around the room for a while. I definitely couldn’t just jump on the bed. I had to preserve my character’s image.

After wandering around the room for a while, I heard someone knocking on the door.

[Sylvia, we’ve come to move your belongings. May we enter?]

Commoners would carry their own belongings to school, but for royals or nobles, many subordinates existed below them. Such items could be sent ahead through those individuals to ensure they reached the dormitory.

This arrangement was permitted only on the first day of admission and the day after the entrance ceremony. Such common safety measures were necessary to protect the students, so there was no reason to complain about it.

I took a small breath and opened my mouth, hoping my voice wouldn’t tremble.

“……Yes, please come in.”

It seems the ten years of acting practice had been quite effective.

*

The Imperial Palace and the Imperial Academy Ron Darium were not too far from each other. The safest place in the Imperial Capital is right near the palace, making it suitable for building the academy. There are quite a few academies in this area, not just the Imperial Academy. Most of them only accepted children from well-known or wealthy families.

Though it wouldn’t take very long to walk, we weren’t going to commute. The same goes for students with homes in the Imperial Capital. The Imperial Academy adopted a dormitory system for all students.

It wasn’t that there was no public transportation like horse-drawn carriages, but the logistics of moving people in the way modern buses do seems fairly impractical. Even though this was the safest place in the Empire, it did not equate to the safety of downtown Seoul. So, for the students’ safety— to put it another way, to avoid taking responsibility if harm came to students— it was only natural that, not only the academy but many institutions adopted a full dormitory system.

Moreover, traveling by carriage is significantly safer for protecting individuals than walking, so we were moving even that short distance by carriage.

“Are you excited?”

“Yes?”

Suddenly, Alice asked, drawing my gaze from the window back to her.

Maybe it’s that I’ve been feeling giddy lately. There’s been an increase in my surprised reactions like this. But since it’s Alice, I didn’t see much issue with it.

Alice, who sat across from me, was wearing a somewhat mischievous expression.

It seems Alice’s expressions have become much more varied. Perhaps she has more confidence now? If my being here is the reason, it doesn’t seem like such a terrible idea that I spent my time trying to comfort and reassure Alice.

“Why do you think that?”

But still, there was a question. I continued to keep a straight face. I could tell without touching my face or looking in a mirror. I had intentionally practiced maintaining an expressionless face since ten years ago, so I could do this much.

So, Alice noticing my feelings is quite significant. If she can notice them, it implies that there might be someone else picking up on it as well.

I need to check and correct this.

“You usually don’t show much interest in the scenery outside. Plus, you’re not even reading the book that’s on your lap. You must have been casually reading your book when something was happening around you.”

“……”

“And there’s hardly anything new to see in the Imperial Capital, right? Even if I don’t, you’ve already seen the scenery so many times that it must be dull for you.”

Having run around here and there on behalf of the Emperor, I was far more acquainted with this place than Alice. Well, in reality, it’s because I checked everything thoroughly many times, so I’d be confident in finding my way no matter where I ended up in the Capital. No matter how unfamiliar the alley might be, I had memorized the landmarks.

“That’s why I presumed you were distracted and not focusing on the book. If that wasn’t the case, I apologize.”

Of course, while I said, “I apologize,” I was still grinning with a mischievous expression, ensuring that there was no sincerity behind “If that wasn’t the case.”

“……”

I didn’t bother to respond to Alice’s antics. Even if I deny it, Alice is likely to respond with, “Oh, really?” Accepting it feels… too early still.

So, I simply turned back to look out the window.

And then, I had to endure Alice’s playful expression for the short time it took to reach the academy.

Chapter 22

The Imperial Rondalium Academy is flashy and massive.

Truly, it’s a building that embodies the pride of the Empire, generously pouring in the most advanced architectural technology. In some ways, it’s even more magnificent than the Imperial Palace. Though the palace has been maintained and expanded over hundreds of years, its foundation was built in medieval times.

However, the academy has only been around for about 30 years, and new buildings are still constantly being constructed. In fact, there is even a structure on the academy grounds similar to the Crystal Palace built in England, with streetlights illuminated not by gas but by magical stones. Not just the streetlights, but most of the lighting inside the buildings operates on magic.

Moreover, there are overwhelmingly more telephone lines installed here than in other buildings in the Imperial Capital, and a whole building is dedicated to the interpretation agency exclusively for the academy. This allows for almost perfect data processing at an incomparably faster rate than elsewhere. Since the agency runs on pure magic stones, there’s no black smoke either!

Additionally, the infirmary can handle even minor surgeries, and it’s connected to a university hospital. All essential items for daily living are provided as top-quality goods, courtesy of the Empire’s industrial production capabilities, and if a student needs it, personal weapons can be exchanged for imperial-grade ones.

Despite that, the tuition for attending the academy is fully covered by the imperial family for citizens of the Empire, and even for students from outside the Empire, the tuition is overwhelmingly cheaper compared to other academies. This academy is essentially run at a loss by the Empire.

The reason the Empire is so earnest about this academy is that it admits not only citizens of the Empire but also children from famous foreign families, and even royalty sometimes.

So that, after enjoying a good life here, they can feel discomfort when returning to their home. Additionally, to instill trust in the quality of goods produced by the Empire, this place has been made a “presentation room for the Empire itself.”

Therefore, the costs borne by the imperial family can be considered merely marketing expenses. There’s no reason to save money, as students who live here and return will come to use the Empire’s products in large quantities.

Paradoxically, that’s why it’s ideal for a child of the imperial family to attend this academy.

Whether Alice or I could achieve our original grades, it’s likely we could get in through special admission anyway. Who could complain about a place run by the imperial family in the first place?

“Valedictorian of Rondalium Academy, Alice Fanggriffon.”

Of course, Alice didn’t need such consideration.

With her snow-white hair perfectly parted in a precise 2:8 ratio, and a neatly curled mustache at the edge, the headmaster stood facing Alice.

Here, in this setting, neither Alice nor I are a princess. We are just ordinary students.

Even so, the students wouldn’t treat us casually, but the headmaster is different.

Abraham Fitzgerald Winterfield, a former Commander of the Imperial Army. He hails from one of the most renowned noble families in the Northern Region, producing three commanders of the Imperial Army no less. If this were in a romance fantasy, they’d say he’s from a duke’s family.

It’s no surprise that his granddaughter is at this academy. However, she is not a heroine. After graduating from this academy, she joined the military but gave up on that path and got a job as a teacher and instructor at this academy, appearing as a commoner class teacher.

While coming from a titled family, she has an open mind and rebels against her grandfather’s thoroughly aristocratic mindset, playing a typical yet classic good role.

Though she could later appear as a guest character and be used, typical of guest characters, her performance is outstanding, but her connections to other characters are limited, making it nearly impossible for her to be chosen in subsequent playthroughs. Besides, as a guest character, she wouldn’t be usable in the final battle.

“And the second highest, Claire Grace. Step forward.”

At the headmaster’s words, the two people who had been in front of me took another step forward.

I saw Claire go to the Grace Orphanage, but I never imagined she’d grow up so magnificently and even be adopted by the Grace family.

By the way, in the original work, Alice was the valedictorian, but the second highest was not Claire but a different character. That character was only a minor character and not important at all. After all, Claire didn’t even take the entrance exam for the academy.

If she’s been adopted by the Grace family, did she learn the swordsmanship of the Grace family? While her movements didn’t seem that impressive, she was called “a paragon of integrity” through the mouths of surrounding characters and impressed even the headmaster Winterfield in the story.

A whip sword… So, would she be using completely different sword techniques from the original Claire, who wielded a civil sword?

Though I was a princess, I wasn’t first or second, so I stayed with the other students. Sylvia, the character’s appearance, was beautiful, but that didn’t hold a candle to the looks of the two in front. In fact, saying she was beautiful was more a subjective view than an objective expression.

Upon reflection, both Leo and Claire have blue hair. While Claire’s is slightly darker… If the two said they were “siblings,” no one would suspect it. Among the nobles, rumors might already be circulating, but still.

“Both students have achieved much superior results compared to their peers of the same age. With that shining intellect, become worthy of the academy’s name and grow into great individuals who will command the Empire.”

What a funny story.

Both the valedictorian and the second highest are female, so in terms of rights, they might not even have voting rights. Since Alice is the next empress, it doesn’t really matter, but for Claire, from the noble perspective, “getting married well” is the best way to make a name for herself.

Fortunately, Baron Grace is not your “typical nobleman.”

Still, the Imperial Army claims to provide equal treatment to both women and men, so there’s that to consider. However, if the story doesn’t follow the original route and the emperor suddenly awakens and doesn’t become a saint, then that’s a different story.

Claire lightly bowed her head to the headmaster.

…But Alice didn’t…?

…Huh?

“……”

“……”

A moment of silence.

Alice, who must have felt the gaze on her, stood tall with her chest out, calmly staring at the headmaster without bowing her head.

Even the headmaster’s ice-cold expression briefly melted at that.

And, if my eyes weren’t deceiving me, I thought the headmaster smiled at Alice just a little.

A satisfied smile.

The “Chronicles of Aetherna” isn’t a strictly accurate historical simulation but rather a loose blend of the histories of several famous nations in Europe, closer to a fantasy of Japanese games with little basis in reality. However, to maintain the genre of “steampunk,” it significantly references the atmosphere of real historical nations.

Speaking of the atmosphere of those real nations, that is England’s atmosphere—

—If there is unjust treatment, one must never endure it and must voice up against it; in the end, one must claim their rights, even if it means risking their life for a duel, this was considered the “manly” spirit.

Of course, being a game, there are aspects that are exaggerated.

Alice wasn’t male, but from an external perspective, she was the only legitimate heir to inherit the nation.

The weight of the name “Fanggriffon” is not light. Even when combining the weight of every name in this nation, it wouldn’t surpass that of Fanggriffon.

Thus, Alice’s posture, holding her head high as the imperial heir, while not particularly good behavior according to the academy’s rules, was remarkably admirable, like that of a future empress in the eyes of a rigid-thinking old traditionalist who had just come down from the military’s peak.

If Alice were to become the empress in the future and the headmaster was still alive, the one giving orders would be Alice.

Perhaps that’s why the headmaster didn’t offer any special reprimand to Alice. If another student, for example, the duke’s child, had acted the same way, he would have surely scolded them.

The headmaster, with a satisfied expression, handed a plate he had been holding to Alice.

Alice took it up in a posture that seemed as if she had practiced this several times, standing very straight, and turned around militarily. Claire looked a bit flustered at Alice’s move, but soon followed suit.

Alice opened the plate and read what was written there.

“In this year of the glorious new century, 1901, the representative of the new students admitted to the Imperial Rondalium Academy, Alice Fanggriffon and 89 others solemnly swear to diligently uphold the academy’s rules, commit to learning, and forge friendships with fellow students, becoming individuals who will lead humanity.”

1901.

Both in the game and in reality, without a doubt, the era known as ‘Belle Époque,’ the good old days.

Though in reality, it wouldn’t be until over ten years later that the world war would break out, handling time like that in the game would likely become excessively loose.

Thus, in the game, events will start to unfold before we graduate from the academy.

That golden age would collapse in less than five years.

…And during that process, I intended to save every single heroine without leaving a single one behind. If necessary, I’d turn back time countless times.

“……”

The atmosphere in the auditorium was anything but light.

However, the existence of the headmaster and the princess before us is what caused that; among us, I’m sure everyone was eager to go back and relax. The academy’s dorms were luxuriously furnished, a rarity even for most nobles to experience.

After all, the new first-year students are just children who have just turned fifteen.

Actually, they might not even have turned fifteen yet; perhaps some are still a little younger.

They would want to make friends and experience romance too.

And… to be honest.

I wanted to make friends too, if not romance.

It’d be great if I could become friends with the original protagonists.

As I stood there absent-mindedly thinking, I suddenly felt a gaze on me.

“……”

I focused on the outer view while keeping my gaze locked on Alice. Though I didn’t see properly, it seemed—

—Claire, who was next to Alice, was looking at me.

…Did she recognize me?

That’s possible. Claire was extremely bright in the original work. Perhaps she’s even smarter now that she has grown up in a more relaxed environment, without any experience of opium addiction, nor indulging in alcohol or cigarettes, keeping her mind much clearer.

But that doesn’t mean I can reveal my identity right away…

…Huh?

Wait, what’s the reason I mustn’t reveal it?

If I just openly revealed it, it might feel awkward, but I don’t even know the reason for not doing so.

“……”

Maybe I’ll think about it a bit more.

Standing confidently, I watched as Alice took in the students’ gazes upon her.

Chapter 23

The term ‘Emperor’s Children’ is actually not the official title.

By saying it’s not the official title, I mean it’s not something people like Lucas or Jayden directly identify with. Just because we are classified as the Emperor’s children doesn’t mean there’s some secret society or a cool code name involved—nothing fancy like that.

Legally, we are just the sons and daughters of the Emperor, not much different from Alice. We were literally adopted by the Emperor after all!

But even if that’s the case legally, in terms of rhetoric and public perception, it’s a different story.

The beings the Emperor gathered are all monstrous with incredible abilities. They even tend to disappear from official events sometimes. And when they return, something has vanished from the Empire, or someone has died or gone missing.

While those deaths and disappearances often looked accidental, at times they resembled brutal crime scenes as if to send a warning. The Empire has made efforts to investigate, but ultimately, they couldn’t find any concrete evidence, and the cases usually ended there.

So unless you’re an idiot, you can quickly put two and two together about the trouble those monsters caused. Excluding Alice, who’s mostly at the palace, the rest of the ‘pure-blooded’ beings are the Emperor’s top-notch pieces. Just give them a command, and they’ll do whatever task you throw their way without a hitch.

Of course, most commoners don’t know much about this. Lesser nobles might have heard a rumor or two but probably just chalk it up to coincidence. Only the high-ranking nobles with the capability to collect evidence would actually fear us.

And that’s part of the Emperor’s scheme, too.

If you value your life, you’d better bow down.

That’s what the Emperor wants to say.

And I guess that message will slowly spread throughout the Empire from now on.

*

Well, anyway.

Thus, the eyes I attract are mostly because I am a ‘Crown Princess’.

The murmurs around me… they’re probably because I’m not the ‘real princess’ or something.

“Sylvia.”

“Yes.”

Alice, who was walking just slightly ahead of me, suddenly stopped and turned around to face me.

“Walk beside me, not behind me.”

“…Understood.”

At her command, I slowly moved forward to stand next to Alice.

Of course, that doesn’t mean we were maintaining some overly friendly distance. I mean, no matter how much female friendships exist, holding hands or locking arms is something straight out of a cartoon. Although, considering this place is similar in some aspects…

Thinking back, physical contact between characters in the game wasn’t as common as you’d expect. Excluding the female characters who had kissing scenes with the main character and the rare friendly hugs, there was barely any physical contact between the leads.

…Whether that was done thoughtfully based on actual human behavior or just a result of graphical and motion limits is something to ponder, though.

“You said to be confident. As a princess, act confidently just like me.”

“But, Your Highness.”

“And here, I’m ‘Alice’. We’re the same, right? Don’t you know that there’s no superiority or inferiority among students?”

She’d been pretty bold earlier while staring straight at the Headmaster.

Wondering what my silence was about, Alice briefly averted her gaze and started walking ahead again.

Well, she did say it was an order from the Crown Princess, so I decided to follow.

I wasn’t sure how they assigned classes at the academy. It probably wasn’t completely random. Given how students with overlapping interests ended up in the same class, one could guess there was some planning involved.

A total of 30 nobles, including me and Alice, were divided into two classes of 15. But even if there wasn’t a need to separate from Alice, Leo Grace and Claire ended up in the same class too. It seemed they did that considering they were siblings.

There were also instances where the firstborn son of a duke and the firstborn son of a newly minted baron ended up in the same class, or where two betrothed individuals were in the same one. Thus, everyone who had any ‘relation’ was placed together to avoid breaking those ties. But whether the clean split into 15 was a coincidence or by design is a mystery.

By the way, I had a grasp on all the kids in the noble class in this school.

One of the standout features of the Chronicles of Aetherna was that even extra characters were given some backstory. Of course, they didn’t have storylines that directly affected the main plot in any significant way. They usually had side quests that had no bearing on the main storyline at best, or they might just feature a few lines of dialogue.

However, those side quests continued on as the story progressed, or those few lines of dialogue eventually connected and changed throughout different chapters and, in some cases, the character could even appear in sequels with dialogue linking back to the previous game.

Honestly, despite the graphics and motion being somewhat underwhelming, the world felt alive because so many characters seemed to have their own stories.

The catch was that to obtain a Platinum Medal, you needed to complete every single achievement in the game—bronze, silver, and gold medals all counted—and that ‘medal gathering’ included writing up character cards for all the named NPCs.

And to write that character card, you’d have to see every single one of their dialogues at least once.

In other words, it meant you would have to find and talk to hidden side quest characters or NPCs hidden away in the corners of various maps. People began to call it an ‘NPC marathon’.

And I wrote a攻略 for that method. Stupid game developers.

At least in the sequels, usability was greatly improved, so it showed which characters you’d interacted with and you wouldn’t have to hunt down quests separately, but it didn’t mean you could skip talking to them altogether.

…Anyway, those NPCs with dialogue had unique models, NPCs without unique models but with unique names, and then characters with generic labels like ‘Girl in Sailor Uniform’, ‘Commoner Student’, ‘Man in Suit’ and no unique names.

And the noble class NPCs all had unique models.

It’s impossible to match those polygon blocks to real human faces one-to-one, but styles like ‘Purple Roll Hair’ or ‘Green Twin Tails’ aren’t exactly that common, are they? In that sense, I knew roughly the stories of the kids in the noble class.

…In fact, as soon as my surrounding situation stabilized, I had written down the content in a notebook. Since it was all in Korean, no one would be able to read it.

Before entering the academy, I had read all that content after a long time.

“Wait, wait!”

Just when I was about to start the first day at the academy with Alice, an urgent voice came from behind.

Schools usually have students adapt in their own way after a bit of time, but in this country, very few students had been to something resembling a ‘school’ before. Most nobles had tutors and were homeschooled before coming to the academy, and commoners… well, they typically worked in factories if they weren’t bourgeoisie kids.

Because of that, on the first day, students swarmed the corridors. The area around Alice and me was notably bustling; I thought it was probably not just my imagination. Thanks to this, everywhere else was even busier, creating a sort of round barrier of people surrounding us.

However, one person was trying to break through that barrier.

“Claire!”

Actually, there were two: a girl and a boy.

The girl was Claire, and the boy was Leo. What a surprise, both of them were big shots. Totally unexpected…!

Well, I actually had seen it coming. Claire’s gaze during the entrance ceremony was anything but ordinary.

And from the perspective of someone who had played the game, I was the one in a more powerful position than the two of them combined since, no matter how you looked at it, I was a princess.

“Ugh!”

“……”

I blinked twice upon seeing Claire almost trip as she navigated through the crowd toward us, nearly stumbling when she got close enough for us to see her.

What is this? This feels like something out of a shoujo manga.

Even from a distance, it was apparent, but seeing her up close made her look even more innocent. Unlike the game, where she had a harsh makeup look, the Claire in front of me had almost no makeup on at all.

And naturally, she was pretty. Comparable to Alice.

“Ah…”

Though she stumbled, it didn’t look like she skipped training; Claire managed to regain her balance after a brief wobble.

“Y-Your Highness.”

Immediately bending slightly at the waist, she brushed the front of her school uniform’s skirt, much like a noble would bow to a princess.

After receiving that greeting, Alice, instead of mentioning that there are no hierarchies among students—

“Here, this side too,”

—pointed at me with her hand, saying.

“Excuse me?”

“This side too, she’s a princess.”

Claire, looking a bit flustered, asked again.

Alice responded in a somewhat stiff voice.

I had to suppress the urge to whip my head around. I managed to keep my face from falling, but there was a sweat rolling down my back.

Wasn’t Alice just saying there are no hierarchies among students…?

Ah, well, of course, Alice could have no way of knowing the relationship between me and Claire.

From Alice’s perspective, Claire standing in front of us could easily appear as someone who just came here ‘grudgingly’ seeking to get close to the princess.

Moreover, it was quite possible for Alice to have a grasp on the dynamics, just as I understood all the noble kids. There were scenes in the original where characters recognized the protagonist by instinct without needing introductions.

Claire was from the Grace Baron family.

One of the Emperor’s close aides, and the family who received their territory directly from the Emperor, thus wielding considerable power, but that didn’t make a baron equal to a duke.

If we regarded the academy as a grand ball, Claire already started off on the wrong foot because a lesser noble spoke before anyone from the duke or count families did.

She also committed the blunder of only greeting one of the two ‘equal princesses’ standing right there.

“Claire…!”

Leo Grace, who had just arrived a moment too late, froze at the scene unfolding in front of him.

Hmm.

He’s known in the original for being a pretty gentle character. However, in popularity polls, he often ranked high despite being a male character. The game was quite popular among women, so his strangely just and subtly down-to-earth nature made him relatable to players.

I quite liked him too.

But…

Because he had this down-to-earth character, he’d likely freeze up in such situations.

“……”

An awkward silence envelops those around us.

Alice, Claire, Leo, and myself included.

Even those surrounding us were silent.

So what’s going to happen in this awkward atmosphere?

Chapter 24

“Your Highness, the Crown Princess!”

Claire greeted me just like she did with Alice earlier.

It was an awkward moment that made my head feel fuzzy.

Well, not that I literally felt fuzzy, just saying.

Right. I knew Claire. Of course, I knew the young Claire, but the Claire I truly knew was the one who had become a villain under the Emperor’s command.

I might have emphasized this a few times already, but let me say it again: in the game, Claire did not have the innocent image she has now. No matter what lines she delivered, she was indifferent, and if anyone annoyed her, she showed her displeasure outright. I never saw her stuttering.

Claire only got flustered or angry when stories about her little sister, whom she adored, came up.

She was already dead by the start of the main story.

…Of course, she was alive at this moment. I didn’t know how she managed to survive, but I guessed it had something to do with the significant impact I had on this world. After all, I was the only one who changed here.

Has the Emperor become more cautious?

Anyway, it wasn’t important at this point. Those sisters were only background characters connected to the main character’s swing sword skills, so it wouldn’t matter much when they actually started to meddle in the story. Luckily, I had the ability to turn back time.

Leo Grace, who had been stiffly standing by Claire’s side, also lowered his head towards us.

The main character, Leo Grace.

True to a game protagonist, he was handsome, and his skills were decent enough. From a story perspective, he was a character with a variety of emotional expressions and had a cheerful hero vibe, mixed with qualities of a harem protagonist.

In terms of game performance, he was a late-bloomer; he started off weak, but his abilities skyrocketed as time went on. It wasn’t that his raw abilities were impressive, rather, it was his utility skills that approached broken levels. He lacked healing skills but had a buff skill called “Inspiration,” which temporarily boosted the abilities of the characters by nearly 70% depending on the setting, and it was an area skill to boot.

Moreover, since it centered around him and included self-buffs, as long he used the skills periodically, he could melt enemies even at top difficulties. Of course, the rest of the characters had to be set up properly too.

That said, his stats weren’t bad either. Pure ability stats placed him among the top tier by the endgame.

Thanks to that, he had a notorious reputation as the character that everyone squeezed through in the early stages. And those important buff skills didn’t become available until halfway through.

So I was curious about how this character would survive in this world.

The “Inspiration” skill acted as a real damage buff in the end because this was a game. In real life, while cheering someone on could help channel strength, it wouldn’t ever let them exceed their physical limits.

In the game, that type of cheering would give enough power, but that was just a gameplay allowance.

Similarly, I’m interested in how the balance for guest characters or enemy bosses labeled as “the world’s strongest mage” or “the worst mercenary” will come across; will performance take precedence or will the lore?

Well, this is a turn-based game, and there wasn’t much freedom like in Western RPGs, so it’s a completely different story.

“Nice to meet you. I am Sylvia Fanggriffon.”

“Silvi…!”

Claire suddenly lifted her head at my words, looked at Alice beside me, then quickly bowed her head again.

Completely opposite from the original.

Or rather, it could be said that it was worse than in the original. Claire was already better than Alice in every aspect, but Alice didn’t bow down and greet her. If anything, Claire treated Alice as an inferior, resulting in a bad-sister vibe.

Though I would admit that calling their relationship bad might be a bit much.

“Both of you.”

Alice, who had been silently watching the two bowed figures, opened her mouth.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Ah, um, that is…!”

At Alice’s words, Claire bravely lifted her head again.

And looked at me.

I was a bit surprised by that look. Even under pressure, the intensity of Claire’s gaze on me was unwavering. The way she looked directly at me reminded me a bit of the Claire I had seen in the game.

Though she did stutter more. But, who cares?

Claire had grown well. Thankfully without undergoing a horrific past.

“Sylvia…!”

“…”

It seemed like something other than ‘Lady’ almost slipped out, but still, it wasn’t ‘Sister!’ so that was still a step up.

Seeing this rush of affection, I could tell that protagonist Leo had likely grown close to her at a sibling level. In some ways, she might have grown even closer than Leo. After all, he had been born into nobility, while Claire had not.

“Yes. What is it?”

I replied to Claire after a brief hesitation.

“Could it be…?”

Claire seemed to want to ask me something but suddenly gasped and inhaled sharply.

All the eyes around us turned this way.

In this situation, questioning ‘the Crown Princess’ about her orphanage background would definitely lead to some serious repercussions, and it seemed like she had just now made that connection.

Hmm.

Claire needed to learn more caution. After all, the original Claire was depicted as arrogant yet unbelievably perceptive, which made sense considering how difficult it was to survive without being quick on the uptake.

The Grace couple is renowned for their fairness and kindness. They probably wouldn’t treat Leo differently because Claire was an orphan.

A child raised with love throughout her life.

Claire had become such a child.

Given that she had a biological father, there was no way for her to fall into a character who was secretly jealous of Alice.

“Could it be?”

When I asked after her, Claire turned pale.

“W-Would you be able to accept my greeting!?”

“…”

Once again, the atmosphere became awkward.

Alice’s expression went from shock to utter disbelief. Initially, she thought there was something brewing beneath all this, but now Claire had come out with something utterly baffling.

“If it’s a greeting, I already received one.”

Claire’s face turned beet red.

And Leo’s complexion turned pale to match; if he got any paler, he might end up matching his hair color.

“Rather, could you introduce yourself first?”

When I asked, Claire’s face turned even redder.

“I am… Claire Grace. The daughter of Baron Grace.”

However, Claire’s voice, bowed in respect, didn’t stutter like before.

“I see.”

“Baron Grace is nearby the Imperial Palace,” Alice commented, looking like she was rummaging through her thoughts.

And then she looked around purposefully.

Though the students surrounding us were still there, the expressions of the ones at the forefront were not very welcoming. To be exact, they had expressions that suggested they simply couldn’t back off because of the people behind them.

“…Keep this in mind. As long as we attend this academy, we are all students like you. The status of Crown Princess is only a title outside of this academy; in here, we are all simply people here to learn, be they nobles or commoners.”

That’s right.

In reality, this wasn’t just a matter of hierarchy among students; teachers and students were involved too.

The Headmaster is a Duke, but among the teachers, some are Baron, Count, or even commoners. Applying the class system here would lead to a bizarre scene where teachers bow deeply to students.

To prevent that scenario, there’s a rule that ‘the class system does not apply within the academy.’

In a way, it may seem like an empty notion, but it does serve a purpose too. In practice, commoners and nobles have built friendships, and after graduation, capable individuals have found placements accordingly. It contributed to breaking down prejudices.

“So, you don’t need to bow to me like that here. Well, it doesn’t mean you have to follow my words either. But if you treat me that way, I’ll treat you as lower-class people, as a Crown Princess would. If you’re okay with that, then proceed.”

“…”

The sounds of responses disappeared.

But in the distance, I could hear whispers.

There probably weren’t just first-years here. We were in a corridor that leads to the first-year classrooms, so there would be second to fourth years as well.

And this was something that applied to all grades.

After looking around, Alice shifted her focus back to Claire and Leo before her and said,

“What will you do?”

Hmm.

Not bowing before the Headmaster was probably the ‘unbending’ reason Alice thought about. No matter how much the rules applied, she likely thought that she shouldn’t bow down just because she was the Emperor’s daughter.

But aside from that, her intention was to apply the rules generously.

Now I understood why Alice reacted so rigidly towards Claire, who previously bowed slightly before the Headmaster. By treating Alice as ‘the Crown Princess,’ it would be only fair that she viewed Claire as an inferior.

“Ah…”

Claire had a blank expression before quickly brightening up.

She stood tall, brushing off the slight bow, and stepped directly towards Alice.

With her hand extended, she spoke.

“I am Claire. Claire Grace.”

A small gasp echoed from the crowd. It might even have been Leo from behind.

Seeing this, Alice stared at Claire intently, then extended her hand to lightly shake Claire’s hand. Although she didn’t have a smiling face, she also didn’t appear overly displeased.

In contrast to the original version of Alice, she was incredibly composed…

…

Wait a minute, was that expression mimicking me?

“I am Alice. Alice Fanggriffon.”

“Alice.”

Claire, undeterred by Alice’s nonchalant demeanor, brightly smiled and let go of the hand she had lightly held. Alice too released her hand without reluctance.

Then Claire turned back towards me.

The perplexity from earlier had vanished, and Claire wore a cool smile.

It was similar to the smile she wore while dying instead of Alice at the end of the original story.

In reality, this expression was closer to Claire’s true nature, and that twisted attitude she showed throughout the game was likely her defense mechanism when things went bad.

“I am Claire.”

And she introduced herself to me once more.

Extending her hand towards me,

“Claire Grace.”

She confidently declared her name.

“…”

I lightly glanced at Claire’s hand. There were calluses on her white palm, a sign of diligent sword training.

I reached out to lightly grasp Claire’s hand.

“I am Sylvia Fanggriffon.”

As I spoke with the same stiff expression, Claire’s eyes flickered for a moment.

But soon, Claire smiled brightly, gently shaking my hand.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Yes, nice to meet you.”

The warmth from our held hands felt nice.

Did she feel the same in the original?

Chapter 25

Huff…

Only after parting with the two princesses did Claire let out a big sigh, as if her mind was finally at ease.

The students surrounding them had glanced at Claire and Leo briefly before going on their way after the two princesses left. They all wore expressions that seemed to say they had just witnessed something amusing, but Claire paid them no mind.

“Thank goodness…”

“What’s so good about it!?”

Claire, with her hand on her chest, muttered quietly, prompting Leo to scream in response.

Students passing by glanced at the pair, but Leo was too preoccupied to notice their looks.

“A princess, right!? And one of them is the real deal!? How can you just talk to her like that!? What if you get marked!?”

Despite Leo’s continuous cries, Claire’s expression remained unchanged.

“It’s fine. The Crown Princess… no, Alice said we’re all students here. We can treat her just like everyone else.”

As Claire began to walk toward the classroom, Leo followed behind, tugging at his hair in frustration.

“No way, that’s obviously just a polite facade! We’ve been to banquets, remember? What if the Duke or Count had said to treat them casually—it wouldn’t have gone well!”

“The ball and school are different. The ball is just for one day.”

“That’s exactly why we need to be more careful! The academy lasts four years!”

However, even after hearing Leo’s plight, Claire remarked, “…Did she cut her hair? I wonder if that hairstyle is comfortable? Maybe she just couldn’t cut it back then?”

“Uh, are you even listening?”

Waving his hand in front of her face, Leo questioned.

“Hey, little sister.”

At those words, Claire’s beautiful brow furrowed. Of course, it wasn’t a deep furrow like that of adults, but it was definitely clear that Claire was irritated.

“Who are you calling a little sister when I haven’t even had my birthday yet? I was born first, so that makes me the big sister!”

The two had always bickered over this since childhood.

In terms of birthdays, Leo was born a few months after Claire. Yet, from Leo’s perspective, Claire was someone who had ‘joined the family later.’ In truth, during their early years, Leo took care of Claire because she knew nothing at all about living in a noble household.

So, from the perspective of someone looking after her, Leo thought of himself as Claire’s older brother, while Claire claimed to be the older sister based on her memory of her own birthday.

Having fought over that topic countless times, their record stood at 3 wins, 3 losses, and 2 draws. Since both sides were tied, there was no need to argue about who was older.

In truth, Claire’s birthday was just a date that she remembered, so it wasn’t accurate. She didn’t know why she considered that date her birthday or when she started thinking so. What was certain was that she had remembered that date as her birthday since before entering the orphanage of the Grace estate.

“Looks like you’re finally coming back to your senses.”

“My mind is always clear and transparent.”

“Then how come your clear and transparent mind suddenly rushed at two princesses?”

“Who rushed at them?”

“Of course, you did, Claire Grace! The Baron’s daughter!”

Leo raised his hand to pinch his nose.

“…Right, the Crown Princess—”

“Alice.”

“What?”

“You said ‘Crown Princess’! Call her Alice.”

“…”

With his eyes squeezed shut, Leo pressed down on his innocent-looking nose even harder.

That was definitely going to leave a mark.

Watching Leo, Claire thought,

“Yeah, no matter how much the Crown Princess said ‘we’re all equal in this school,’ it’s clear. You saw it. No, you must have seen it more than anyone else. The Crown Princess not bowing her head to the Headmaster.”

“…”

With Leo saying that, there wasn’t much left for Claire to reply.

Once a soldier, always a soldier. This famous saying encapsulated the spirit of the empire’s soldiers… who knows when or where it started.

It might not be called a proverb, but it was certainly a saying well-known among the soldiers of the empire. It means that once a person has pledged allegiance to a direct cause or group, they should maintain the dignity of a soldier regardless of whether they later leave military service.

And when meeting that person, one should naturally speak with thorough respect, which is also included in that soldier’s ethos.

Moreover, the Headmaster of this school, Abraham Fitzgerald Winterfield, was once a soldier too. If anyone had studied even a little about the imperial wars—meaning anyone who attended this academy—would surely have heard of his name; he was a living legend.

Machine gun emplacements, trenches, modern belt replacement for ammunition that had previously used water-cooled ammunition belts, turret tank design, and being a pioneer of modern infantry tactics and tank combat.

He was a living legend and hero in the truest sense. His name, Abraham, is even attached to the main battle tanks currently produced in the empire.

Thus, the honor attached to his presence was enough to exceed merely being the academy’s headmaster; he could be referred to as ‘walking modern warfare history.’

And Alice Fanggriffon hadn’t bowed her head before him.

Because even if he had retired, he was still a soldier loyal to the empire. If there were ever a threat to the empire, he would charge back into the frontline without hesitation. In that sense, he was still a soldier loyal to the imperial family.

“…”

“See, you have nothing more to say, right?”

Leo let out a long sigh and continued.

“Think about it. You’re using casual language, but if other noble kids use honorifics… No matter how much the Crown Princess herself said it, wouldn’t that comparison stand out?”

“…Hmm.”

For a brief moment, Claire looked deep in thought.

“But I don’t think Alice seems like that type. Just my opinion, but she’ll probably treat those who use honorifics even colder.”

“…”

Leo let out a facepalm as if to express, ‘I can’t get through to you.’

“…By the way.”

Leo, who had been walking silently beside Claire, suddenly spoke up, “What did you mean by ‘thank goodness’ earlier? Could it be…?”

“Exactly.”

Claire smiled brightly at Leo.

“You heard her name, Sylvia.”

“…Sylvia ‘Black,’ right?”

Leo corrected, his eyes scanning the hallway nervously, as if an earthquake was shaking them. A few gazes were directed at them, but it didn’t seem like anyone was eavesdropping. More likely, it was just that a boy and a girl walking down the corridor caught attention.

“But I’m Claire ‘Grace’ too. If I introduce myself like that, no one is going to say anything.”

Of course, the family name would continue to be inherited by Leo. Claire didn’t care much about that.

“That’s the issue!”

Leo scratched the back of his head in frustration.

“If that person… the ‘Sylvia’ you mentioned is really who she is…”

“No, she is.”

“…”

Leo pursed his lips and took a breath. In fact, he thought it was purely a coincidence that their names overlapped.

Living in the Grace estate, they often heard about the imperial family. After all, Baron Grace had received a title directly from the imperial family.

So they heard quite a few specific rumors about the ‘Emperor’s children.’ The Baron and his wife had told Leo, who would inherit the Grace estate, some of those rumors.

And Leo was well aware that just casually repeating such rumors could lead to trouble. Even if he had been born a noble from the start.

It was widely known that the ‘Emperor’s children’ had no imperial blood, so there was no need to spread rumors about that; however, the ambiguity of their origins was certainly a bit unsettling. The imperial family’s official stance was that they were ‘the offspring of low-ranking noble families that had died’ or ‘children of soldier couples who died honorably,’ but honestly, only someone like a rural Baron who couldn’t distinguish between commoners and nobles would believe that immediately.

Or perhaps the common folk themselves. The ones without proper education.

Whispers circulating quietly among the nobility suggested that the emperor was nurturing assassins or that the current Emperor’s children were survivors of assassin training… stories like that.

Whether those claims were true or not, it was natural that such superhuman beings couldn’t just be children lost in the alley.

The Sylvia that Claire remembered seemed almost superhuman, but honestly, how reliable could a child’s memory be?

Claire remembered Sylvia as a girl who got lost or fell behind while coming to the Baron’s estate, and thus went missing forever. That was the most realistic conclusion.

Furthermore, it wasn’t like Claire had never met anyone named ‘Sylvia’ before. In fact, there were a few with black hair and eyes, and there was indeed someone named ‘Sylvia Black.’ Initially, Claire had been very hopeful, tried initiating conversation, and tried to jog her memory, but she had always ended up disappointed.

With each instance of that repeated, Claire’s joy and anticipation of meeting a new ‘Sylvia’ slowly faded away. In the past two years, she hadn’t even mentioned it anymore.

And the one who witnessed all this right beside her was Leo.

That’s why Leo felt something odd about Claire’s current certainty. What could be the reason?

…For now, let’s decide to find out later.

Leo resolved to first address something important with Claire.

“Okay, so let’s say you’re right for the moment.”

Claire’s cheeks puffed slightly upon hearing the phrase ‘let’s say you’re right,’ but Leo ignored it and continued explaining.

“Is it really appropriate to blatantly expose the past of someone in a position like a princess? Do you think they’d appreciate it? That’s something you should consider first.”

“Ah…”

It seemed that with the thought of finally finding her long-lost sister, Claire hadn’t even processed that.

Once again, Leo let out a noticeable sigh and continued, “And even if you remember, the other person may not. If you just go up and introduce yourself, you might end up labeled with an odd image for no reason.”

“…That’s true.”

Claire, who had a slight frown, earnestly nodded.

And soon, a bitter look crossed her face.

“…Well, don’t worry too much.”

Not wanting to leave Claire like that, Leo offered some comfort.

“If she is indeed the person you mentioned, she’ll remember you. Even if she doesn’t right away, she’ll certainly be able to recall you sooner or later. Given her level, she should still retain childhood memories.”

“Got it.”

Clenching her fist as if to cheer herself on, Claire’s action made Leo shrug.

Leo didn’t consider that Sylvia had become a princess and might have reappeared. While on the way back from their exams, Claire had actually checked on that person. The fact that she didn’t react much while passing by was possibly just because she only caught a glimpse.

Moreover, the Sylvia Claire used to talk about in her childhood was a far more caring person than Princess Sylvia. Although only their first meeting had just passed, Leo couldn’t picture the ‘Sylvia Fanggriffon’ telling stories to a young child.

“Oh, by the way, there’s no way we’ll end up in the same class as those two—”

“Ah, didn’t you know?”

Claire’s eyes widened at Leo’s statement.

“The class and seating arrangements have been decided. Both of us are in the same class as Alice and sister Sylvia.”

“Eek.”

Leo’s face, which had just recovered to normal, turned pale again.

Chapter 26

Thwack!

Honestly, the sensation of feeling someone’s gaze is just a subjective interpretation by the person feeling it. Nobody’s shooting laser beams from their eyes. The so-called gaze is just light reflecting off the sun, not some magical illumination coming out of my own eyes.

Cue dramatic music

Unless it’s a midnight eagle or some kind of wild cat, there’s no way that light would be visible through a person’s eyes.

So, strictly speaking, the reason my neck feels prickly is probably just my own thinking! I was aware of Claire’s presence sitting behind me and Alice.

If Claire didn’t recognize me at all, I wouldn’t be this worked up. I might feel a bit gloomy, but I’d probably just be satisfied that Claire has grown up well and let it slide. There’ll be more chances to bond in the future.

Of course, as a character with a stone-face, I can’t just suddenly act friendly, but isn’t there a cliché where these emotionless, indifferent characters eventually start to express more emotion? At first, they wouldn’t react to what others say but then, as they mingle with friends, their expressions gradually crack, and they even start laughing!

Perfect!

Thinking about mingling and having fun with characters I like makes me excited already. Plus, imagining the shocked expressions of my friends when I finally smile!

For this, I have to keep maintaining this stoic character for a while, though.

Well, I’ve been sticking with this concept for over ten years, so it shouldn’t be too hard.

Silence…

There was a strange tension in the classroom.

Probably because of what happened in the hallway earlier. Alice pointed out that I didn’t properly greet the Crown Princess.

They must have seen everything afterward too, but these kids had also witnessed Alice not bowing in front of the headmaster before.

So, instead of choosing to deal with one of us, they might be thinking of watching a bit longer to see ‘how Alice prefers to handle things.’

And if anyone acts overly ridiculous, it could leave a bad impression on someone who is speculated to be the next Emperor. Although in other classes, it may be a storm of chatter among the Duke and Count’s kids, you still can’t just equate dukes or counts with the Emperor!

Moreover, since Alice hardly attends balls or gatherings, no one in class knows her personally. It’s not strange for the whole class atmosphere to feel stiff. The commoners’ class is probably a lot more lively.

Tick tick tick

The classroom was so silent I could hear the second hand of my pocket watch ticking until the creak of the sliding door broke that silence.

By the way, the door is a sliding one and the reason the desk arrangement oddly recalls Japanese manga-style classrooms is because the developer of this world’s original game is a Japanese company. The hallway has a touch of steampunk Victorian style, but the classroom feels so out of place!

Seems like the others weren’t too concerned about that, though.

“Hmm.”

The teacher who opened the classroom door looked a bit flustered by the frozen atmosphere and stopped in front of the door for a moment before entering, clearing her throat like, “Uh, that was nothing!”

She was a young teacher.

In fact, this was her first class as a teacher. Unlike Winterfield’s granddaughter who took on the other noble class B, this teacher had a gentle and serene aura and wasn’t a military type.

But she wasn’t just some average person either. She was the daughter of the Duke!

Carolyn Northwood. A ducal family governing a territory somewhat distant from the Imperial Capital. Though somewhat removed from central power, they still had royal blood in their veins.

With slightly curly, light brown hair and similar light brown eyes, plus slightly droopy eyelids, she appeared somewhat ditzy. To add to that, her uniform looked weirdly baggy like she was wearing middle schooler’s attire. Though there was a remarkable figure hidden beneath that baggy outfit, she usually hides it under such a loose attire.

By the way, she’s not a controllable character, but there’s a romantic route with the main character… I guess she could be considered a heroine of sorts in the main story? To be honest, she’s more of a ‘supporting character who could technically end up as a love interest.’

To control class A, which is filled with high nobility and royal connections, a member of a similarly powerful family needs to be the homeroom teacher. Although Winterfield was perfectly capable of taking charge of class A, it was Carolyn who ended up with the class due to her rather rebellious nature that wouldn’t heed her grandfather’s words… that’s how it’s set in the original story.

Even though she’s a neat and proper teacher with the blood of a duke, she just graduated from university and started her job, and she’s not too far off in age from us.

The very moment she walked into the classroom, spotting two Crown Princesses sitting right up front near the teacher’s desk, it’s no surprise she looked a bit intimidated.

Moreover, due to the presence of those two princesses, the atmosphere in the room was completely frozen, and one girl in the back was staring daggers at one of the princesses.

Just imagining the suffocating tension is dizzying; I can’t imagine how Carolyn feels in this situation.

Silence…

Finally, Carolyn, stiff as a board in front of the open classroom door, seemed to snap back to reality and started to move.

Keeping her head lowered slightly, fixated on the floor, her walk looked almost pitiful.

It seemed like she desperately wanted to avoid eye contact with both princesses—

—Unfortunately, to line her gaze with the attendance sheet at the teacher’s desk, she would have to make eye contact with us for just a moment.

“Um, everyone?”

Oops.

I accidentally let out a muffled laugh when she opened her mouth.

Yet no one in the class laughed. If even one person had burst into laughter, Carolyn might have felt less embarrassed, but the fact that nobody laughed was only pushing Miss Northwood further into a corner.

“I—I’m…”

But she couldn’t back down just because she was a rookie teacher.

No matter how green she was, being an academy teacher still means she’s representing her family’s name. If the nobles hear that she lost face, that would tarnish the reputation of the Northwood Duke family.

Struggling to maintain her composure, Carolyn finally shouted out, but her voice was thin and high-pitched, lacking any strength.

“I’m Carolyn Northwood! The daughter of Duke Northwood!”

Silence…

Of course, there wasn’t a significant response to that. There are twelve dukes in the Empire.

Among the prominent heroines in the main story, two were dukes, and if you count all grades, there are sixteen kids from dukes.

That’s right.

The Empire is so vast it could promote a hierarchy just with the title ‘duke’. While leveraging the status of being a duke might work for a single student, presenting it in class with two dukes seated right in front is a bit underwhelming.

Above all, there are two princesses sitting right in front of this Northwood noble daughter.

“M—my pleasure to meet you!”

And as I observed Carolyn, I couldn’t help but smirk.

I was the one who had conquered every heroine to create a video for “a lazy person who doesn’t want to go through all that.”

Of course, I’d seen the kiss scene between Leo and Carolyn.

I’ve seen the event where they tricked the homeroom teacher Winterfield into wearing a bikini at a pool party.

Though she’s full of flaws, she’s portrayed positively in the game.

Carolyn’s commitment to her new teaching role is genuine and determined.

In the later part of the story, when the Empire falls into civil war due to the Emperor’s global war strategy, Carolyn puts her life on the line to protect the students. No, she intended to safeguard all minors under the Northwood name, not just the academy students.

And she succeeded boldly. At least, until the latest installment.

Though she appears a little clumsy being a first-time teacher, her character is impeccable in terms of personality. That’s the image I have of Carolyn.

So it’s only natural her first impression would be good.

Though I thought that inwardly, my expression remained as impassive as ever.

Silence…

After Carolyn’s greeting, the class lingered in silence for a moment before—

Clap, clap.

Someone finally started clapping, breaking free from the quiet.

The sound of applause came from beside me.

That’s right. It was Alice initiating the applause.

Listening to the slow clapping, I joined in, and then soon enough, the rest of the class gradually followed suit until the entire classroom was booming with enthusiastic applause.

Glancing at Alice, I noticed she had a slight smile on her face.

Seeing Alice’s expression seemed to ease Carolyn’s tension somewhat, as she placed a hand on her chest and let out a tiny sigh of relief.

Well, I guess it’s a relief to know that Alice didn’t give Carolyn a ‘scary’ first impression.

*

Even though the academy is a four-year program, surprisingly, it’s not modeled entirely after a university. It feels more like a mix of three years of middle school and three years of high school. The higher education institution, or university as known in this world, is separate.

So there’s no teacher who just spends the first few minutes introducing themselves and then dismissing the class.

Especially if the person in front is an incredibly passionate history teacher.

And Carolyn Northwood was such a teacher.

It might actually have been slightly unfortunate for the students that the first period happened to be Carolyn’s responsibility.

However, nobody dared to take Carolyn lightly, engaging in chatter or outright sleeping during her class.

Because the Crown Princess seated at the front was studying diligently.

The atmosphere of learning is often determined by the leading student of the class. If the one who could be the class leader disregarded their studies, the other students would likely lose focus too.

Though, since the imperial class also intertwines with the class system, it’s still hard to predict how things would go.

In the original story, class A tended to maintain a good atmosphere for academic study.

“…And that’s how the Empire of Azernar was born.”

The first class covers simple content. It starts with the founding myth of the Empire that nearly everyone knows, discussing how the Empire merged with neighboring kingdoms and the extent of its territory when it was first established.

Most of those seated here likely knew this already since it was part of the academy entrance exams.

But still, they’re all just fifteen years old.

To delve into more complex topics later, it’s necessary to go over the basics. Furthermore, there are even foreign students among the new entrants.

Just as Carolyn finished her remarks, the bell rang perfectly in time.

In the original work, I assumed the bell was timed just to signal the end of the class, but considering Carolyn finished her explanation right as the bell rang, it seems she must have deliberated a lot about how to proceed before coming to school.

“Today’s lesson ends here. Does anyone have any questions?”

No one raised their hand.

They probably didn’t want to waste even the ten-minute break.

“Then we’ll conclude today’s class. See you again this afternoon.”

Having noticed the tension dissipating considerably during the lesson, Carolyn smiled slightly before leaving the classroom.

…But still, she didn’t do a salute or anything. It would’ve suited her!

Well, such a scene didn’t appear in the original work either. Maybe the writers thought that ‘Western-style freedom’ could be defined by whether or not formal greetings were included in a situation.

Though the school system is wholly based on Japanese school themes.

“Not as hard as I thought.”

With the atmosphere lightening, Alice commented, almost in relief.

“Since it’s the beginning of the semester, they start with confirming what everyone already knows. There might be students who could flunk the imperial history portion.”

There’s no failing in the entrance exams for the academy.

“Hmm, is that so?”

Alice seemed pretty relaxed, clearly thinking she could handle this level.

…In fact, it’s not just that, she’s likely one of the best students in this school.

Did I over-exert myself in showing off my skills?

“Have you been well?”

While I was deep in thought, someone unexpectedly greeted me with an overly formal greeting.

That voice…

“Ah, Charlotte!”

Charlotte—!

I was horrified as I turned to see Alice call out to Charlotte with an exuberant voice.

At least, she wasn’t losing her cool expression!

No, wait a minute.

Charlotte?

Chapter 27

Charlotte is a French name.

And Charlotte is just the English pronunciation of that Charlotte.

Of course, even though there are no hard feelings between the Empire of Aetherna and the Kingdom of Velbur right now—well, there are no apparent bad feelings on the surface—still, it is rude to call someone by their name in your own country’s way.

In the original story, it took a while for the friends to start calling Charlotte “Sharlotte.” It only began after they grew very close, when Charlotte urged them to call her that comfortably.

Then, when Aetherna was about to invade Velbur, Charlotte distanced herself from her group and asked them not to call her Sharlotte.

So, this current situation is astounding.

…Could it be that they became this close just from meeting once back then?

“Are you Princess Sylvia? It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Charlotte greeted me politely while looking at me beside Alice.

I hesitated for a moment as to whether to stand up or not, but ultimately decided against it. After all, I agreed that we were just students here. Even if that’s not actually the case, treating it like that would make it easier for me to face the others in the future.

“I am Sylvia Fanggriffon.”

“I’ve heard stories.”

Charlotte smiled as if delighted.

“You came as a representative of the Empire instead of His Majesty the Emperor last time, didn’t you? My father praised you greatly.”

Was that not gossip?

She had behaved so rudely that it wouldn’t be surprising if she had turned around and just cussed me out!

Moreover, that trilateral meeting was known among those who were aware of it as a meeting where the kingdom ended up eating dirt.

While the Empire sent me, a princess, the Pope sent a Cardinal, but only the king of the Kingdom came in person. Of course, from the Kingdom’s perspective, they could say, “Since there was a meeting, the king showed his consideration,” but I wondered if even the high nobility saw it that way.

The Empire was a hegemonic country that could easily crush the military power of other nations, so that’s one thing. While the Papal State has a tremendously small territory, its influence on the world is massive. Although it can’t quite be said to be the benchmark of world religions, it is one of the single religions with the most followers.

Furthermore, all the Cardinals and priests in the Papal State are also citizens of the Papal State. Although it might seem like mere formality at first glance, the more a country has followers of the Goddess Church, the more undeniable its influence becomes. As the number of believers increases, so does the social status of the clergy.

The Kingdom of Velbur, which is directly adjacent to the Papal State… I mean, Velbur was one of the countries that lent some of its territory when the Papal State was being founded, and the proportion of believers in that Goddess Church was quite high. Even if it doesn’t quite reach the level of being called a sole religion, it is likely the largest single influence.

So, it wouldn’t be entirely fair to disregard the influence of the Papal State.

That said, sending Charlotte in place of herself wouldn’t have happened either.

Originally, it was fortunate from the standpoint of Velbur that the details of the meeting weren’t widely known, and if she’s bringing those details up to others, then Charlotte’s mind is like a bouquet…

…That cannot be.

She’s kind. There can be no feigning of virtue. Such a thing does not automatically equate to “not smart.”

Charlotte is someone who gets along well with various people, but at the same time, she also knows how to pick out the most important individuals and get close to them.

Charlotte is an entity that moves for the people of her own country. In other words, she is the kind of person who can boldly do unpleasant things when necessary. Of course, she won’t hide the fact that she dislikes it.

“…Is that so?”

In that sense, it seems that Charlotte hasn’t openly harbored negative feelings towards me yet.

However, her expressions when talking to Alice and when talking to me were subtly different. Her clear gray eyes stared straight into mine without a hint of wavering. As if she were trying to see through my inner self.

“At that time, I had a lot of conversations with Alice. Your name, Sylvia, came up several times.”

Alice.

That’s the French pronunciation of her name.

I see. It seems those two called each other in that way at the time.

“……”

“I-I said nothing particularly bad!!”

As I glanced over at Alice, she blushed a little as she spoke.

“That’s right. I would never insult Sylvia. I can swear to that.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

I replied while looking up at Charlotte.

“Sorry for bringing it up rather late, but I’ve heard that it’s a rule here to talk without regard for our statuses. Would it be troublesome if I called you by your name?”

“No, not at all.”

I replied once more.

If Charlotte truly deemed it fine to get close to Alice, then it was only natural that she would get close to me too. Given the situation, it seemed that Alice and I would likely stick together quite often, and whenever I met Alice, I would inevitably meet her.

Charlotte, who had been silently observing me, tilted her head.

“Do you usually not talk much?”

“……Yes.”

Unless it was before Alice, I did try to keep my words to a minimum in front of others as much as possible.

Of course, since Charlotte is one of the main characters in the original story, she was on my list of people I wanted to get close to. But that said, breaking my poker face from the very first meeting wouldn’t liven up the atmosphere.

…Thinking this way, does it make me seem overly committed to my character concept?

“Um, excuse me.”

While we were in the middle of our conversation, someone interjected.

I could tell who it was without even looking at her face.

Claire seemed to have already confirmed my identity. She had a strangely persistent side in the original story as well, and it seemed that trait was intact.

“Sylvia?”

When I turned to look, Claire was standing there.

And beside her stood Leo, looking quite fidgety.

…This atmosphere seemed to suggest that he was having a hard time speaking in front of two princesses and one baroness, but when I thought about it, isn’t this the vibe of a harem setup? The slightly clueless and stubborn younger sister, and the older brother who nervously tries to manage his sister’s friends… thinking of it that way, I couldn’t recall any specific work that matched that scenario.

“……Claire.”

I decided to clear my mind.

“Oh, sorry. Were you in the middle of a conversation?”

“Not at all.”

In response to Claire’s words, Charlotte tossed her shining silver hair behind her ear and said,

“We were just deepening our friendship. I happened to find someone I knew and was greetings them. But what a situation this is. There seems to be almost no one familiar here.”

“Ah, are you from abroad?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Charlotte slightly lifted her skirt in a gesture reminiscent of what Claire had shown me earlier, but it was far more graceful from her. That’s not to say Claire’s was lacking. It was merely the difference between someone who has that action ingrained into their body and someone who does not.

“I am Charlotte de Velbur.”

“Gack!”

Suddenly, there was the sound of someone choking, and all our gazes turned to one spot.

At the end of our stares was Leo.

He was covering his mouth with both hands, wearing a look as if he might burst out at any moment.

“De Velbur…?”

“Indeed. She’s the princess of the Kingdom of Velbur.”

Charlotte said in a playful tone. It seemed she found Leo’s reaction amusing.

You might wonder why a mere baron’s child wouldn’t know the face of the neighboring kingdom’s princess, but while I didn’t know how things were back in the 20th century, at least in this world and era, leaving photographs instead of portraits was considered a disgraceful act.

Despite photography being expensive, it was still far cheaper than hiring an artist to create a portrait, and above all, while photographs were in black and white, portraits were in color.

That said, it’s not that people didn’t take pictures casually, but putting one’s picture in a newspaper is another story altogether.

If someone’s picture is published in a newspaper so prominently, it could be cut out and used for derogatory purposes.

While it was a time when the words freedom and democracy were on the verge of surfacing, the Empire and Kingdom were still close to an absolute monarchy. Strong media censorship always existed. Who knows what it will be like in about fifty years from now though?

Thus, even though thin modern films and small portable cameras began being sold at the beginning of the year, the photos of nobility or royalty hardly ever appeared in newspapers.

That’s how the gap in information was created and ‘nobles and royalty whose names you’ve heard of but whose faces you don’t know’ came into being.

“Charlotte, is it?”

Should I praise Leo for not making a noise after hearing that?

“I’m Claire. Claire Grace, the eldest daughter of Baron Grace’s Estate.”

If we were to dig into the details, Claire is technically older than Leo. She was born first, but no one would be able to prove that. The only reason I know that fact is that I’ve read and memorized the setting book thoroughly.

“Is that so.”

There was no way Charlotte would know about Baron Grace’s Estate. She wouldn’t be living in a world where she memorizes names of nobles from neighboring countries. However, that doesn’t mean she was stupid enough to disregard the nobility of another country outright.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Claire.”

“Yup!”

Claire had the expression of ‘I already have three friends!’ while Leo, standing beside her, had a look as if his heart might not hold up much longer.

“So, may I ask what the reason is that you approached me?”

“Oh, right.”

I asked Claire while sitting back and quietly observing their conversation, and she clapped her palms together excitedly.

“Is it possible that after class ends, if you have time—”

But before Claire could finish her sentence,

Bang!

the classroom door swung open.

It was opened so forcefully that the ‘creak’ sound of the door was omitted.

And the only person I knew who could open the door in such a manner was one person from the original game.

“Hey, everyone!”

A woman in her mid-twenties with wild black hair shouted, crossing her arms.

Though she was wearing the uniform of an imperial officer, several buttons of the shirt underneath were undone. Over her shoulders, she had a coat draped like a cape.

And on that cape, there were four medals hanging.

“Outside!”

There was only one person in this academy who would say something like that before the class even started.

Jennifer Winterfield. The rebellious granddaughter of the headmaster.

And she was the homeroom teacher of Class B.

*

It wasn’t until the bell rang, ringing off the time left in break, that I was finally able to break away from the instructor’s back and get out to the playground.

Hearing the bell ring ding-dong-ding-dong, the students showed expressions of slight annoyance, but I wasn’t particularly surprised since I knew that the first meeting with Jennifer would be like this.

There was not a single person in the playground. No matter how physically demanding the subject may be, there’s hardly any teacher who would gather students out in the open from the very first day.

Dressed in imperial military attire and speaking like a soldier, Jennifer, however, wasn’t the type to teach students in a strict military style. She didn’t force them to line up or anything and didn’t care if the students were clustered around in the playground.

“My proud academy’s students!”

After gathering us roughly, Jennifer stepped up to the platform and shouted, even without a microphone.

Nonetheless, her voice was loud enough to make my ears buzz.

In the game, Jennifer’s speech font would enlarge tremendously in these situations. The kids would cover their ears or have expressions of shock.

It was the same now. Alice was frowning, and even Charlotte had furrowed her brow.

“I am your tactical instructor Jennifer, here to enhance your practical skills!”

That’s right, tactical instructor.

Since it was a place that also served as a sort of military academy, there were classes like this.

“However, even if you teach tactics written in books, it’s useless if individuals cannot follow them. The situation on the battlefield can vary depending on the weapons used by each soldier and their skill levels. So!”

Students who had relaxed their shoulders at the slight decrease in her voice suddenly flinched again at Jennifer’s raised voice.

“I will ascertain your skills here and now! How you prefer to wield your weapons!”

Clap!

Jennifer clapped her hands together with vigor as she spoke.

“And the best way to measure your weapon usage and skills is through a duel!”

Jennifer continued with a smile.

“Feel free to request any weapon style you want; we’ll gladly provide it. Now, let’s see you all give it your best effort!”

Chapter 28

The sound of the kids in the class murmuring in confusion reached my ears, but I wasn’t really surprised.

Well, it makes sense since this match is basically the first battle in a game. Losing doesn’t matter, and winning isn’t a big deal either. It’s kind of like a tutorial.

Thanks to that, the combat difficulty was set a bit higher than usual…but of all places to have a one-on-one duel, my opponent is treated as a boss in the system, and since there’s a bronze medal on the line, I’d absolutely have to win if I aimed for the platinum medal.

If I just know the strategy and don’t mess around too much, I might be able to handle the duel, but the problem is that this is from Leo’s perspective, the main character.

The game I’m feeling right now isn’t a turn-based JRPG where each character takes turns attacking according to their speed; it’s a hyper-realistic FPS.

… Really, it’s not even an FPS; it’s just reality.

To be honest, I was confident in my personal skills. I could easily dodge the beginner’s sword swung by some nobody. I was sure of it.

Of course, I’ve already dodged Lucas’s sword multiple times, who is stronger than the Sword Saint at this point.

The Sword Saint is still alive. In the second work of the Chronicles of Aetherna universe, he dies at the hands of Lucas, so obviously, he’s alive at this early stage of the first work.

But the timeline between the first and second works doesn’t differ that much—about a year at most. Honestly, if Lucas charges at the Sword Saint right now for a real swordfight, I think Lucas could win. But that’s just my guess.

I looked blankly at the students who were carefully choosing their weapons.

They weren’t using personal weapons. No matter how combat-oriented they were, it wouldn’t make sense to order students to actually shoot each other.

Whether swords or spears, everything was made of wood and rubber. It would probably hurt a lot if hit, but as long as it didn’t hit the head, taking one or two hits wouldn’t be fatal.

There were also staffs for magic users that utilized mana. Of course, the mana stones were minimized to limit the magic cast to something like just a flash of light. When magic users cast spells, the instructor, Jennifer, would judge the magic’s range based on each student’s skill and indicate whether it connected or missed. At least, that’s how it was in the game.

Naturally, there were also guns.

Since guns have a lot of moving parts, they weren’t made of rubber. In fact, they were ‘real guns.’ If they were going to implement the bullets going in and the casings flying out, they might as well just use firearms instead of a model gun. The only difference was that the barrel was a solid metal rod and there were no balls inside, so even if you loaded it, it couldn’t fire.

The bullets inside were just pieces of metal without any gunpowder.

…So, the Ergensen rifle I was holding was heavier than the real gun I usually used. The revolver tucked under my arm too.

That said, it shouldn’t be a big issue for a brief duel.

“Okay, has everyone gotten their weapons!?”

Jennifer said as she looked around at the students. There were no answers, but everyone was holding at least one weapon. The types of weapons they used varied wildly, but seeing that it was perfectly matched without any leftovers indicated that Jennifer had checked all the students’ specialties beforehand.

“…….”

In a moment, Jennifer’s gaze landed on me as she was inspecting the students. Was it a coincidence?

“It might be awkward to face an unknown student right from the first day. If anyone has a partner in mind, get their consent and pair up. If there are any leftovers, I’ll pair them up myself.”

… And the remaining person would have to face Jennifer.

That was the worst-case scenario. I wasn’t sure how many times I would have to rewind time to win if we fought.

Jennifer was a warrior of the battlefield. Even though it was short, she had a strong presence on the battlefield during that brief time. Anything she got her hands on could be used as a weapon.

In the game, she was a character who could mix and match guns, swords, and magic freely due to the nature of turn-based RPGs, but there were times in event scenes where she was depicted fighting with chairs, ladders, cups, water bottles, stones, and even fountain pens or pencils.

It seemed like she was trying to mimic a character from some famous Hollywood film, but honestly, the motions and graphics were so awkward that it didn’t seem cool at all.

Clap!

Another sound of clapping rang out.

“Okay, I’ll give you one minute!”

Jennifer shouted.

I looked over at Alice.

“……I don’t want to.”

Then, as I locked eyes with Alice, she immediately gasped and took a step back.

…That hurt a little.

“I’m pretty sure I’d lose to you, so why on earth should I fight you? It’d be less embarrassing to lose to that instructor over there.”

Hmm.

Alice wasn’t an easy opponent. But her swordsmanship hadn’t reached Lucas’s level yet.

So, I guess I could win if we fought. I could turn my mistakes into nothing.

“Oh my.”

Charlotte chimed in as she was listening to Alice’s conversation.

“Alice, then would you like to duel with me? I’m confident in my swordsmanship, even though it may not look like it.”

Unlike Alice, who was holding a wooden bastard sword, Charlotte was wielding a rubber rapier for the sword part.

Charlotte swung that rubber sword a few times, then pouted her lips.

“Indeed, the difference in material changes the nature of the weapon. This isn’t really a sword; it’s more like a riding whip.”

“If you put it that way, this is just a club.”

Alice lifted her wooden sword and said.

And what I’m holding is a toy gun.

By the way, there was no one around us.

No matter how talented someone is, it seems like no one had the guts to hit a crown princess or a royal. You never know how it’ll be perceived.

“Ah! I, I! Then I’ll fight Sylvia!”

Ah, what?

I jumped in surprise! I almost jolted because Claire suddenly shouted from behind me.

If I hadn’t been through the last ten years, getting attacked by Lucas from time to time, I would have really jumped up.

“Hmm?”

Just then, the moment Alice turned to look at Claire,

“Attention!”

Jennifer’s voice rang out.

All the murmuring stopped, and everyone looked at Jennifer.

“Anyone who has found a duel partner, sit down!”

At Jennifer’s words, one by one, they started to sit down on the ground. Everyone looked a bit reluctant since they were all nobility, but none dared to oppose this battlefield deity. After all, it was the first day.

Alice and Charlotte sat down,

“Sylvia, quickly!”

As soon as Jennifer shouted, Claire, who had plopped down, grabbed my sleeve with twinkling eyes.

“…….”

But over there, Leo was looking over here with an extremely resentful expression.

Still, it seemed much better than facing Jennifer, so I quickly sat down alongside Claire.

Sorry, Leo. I won’t forget this debt. But I have no intention of repaying it.

Since Class A was a place where nobles with some connections were gathered, most of the kids sat down.

“Alright, then you two over there, pair up.”

After pairing the remaining two female students, Jennifer grinned at the last remaining Leo Grace.

“Oh? The firstborn of Baron Grace? Is your father doing well?”

“Yes? Ah, yes, yes! I’m doing well!”

As Jennifer spoke, Leo snapped to attention and shouted.

“Your voice is loud and good. Good. You will duel with me. Take a seat.”

Seeing Leo’s face turn pale, Jennifer didn’t even blink.

Once Leo finally sat down, Jennifer scanned the students all at once.

“Alright, let’s see….”

Then she took a pocket watch from her pocket to check the time.

“It seems we’ll be short on time to duel one team at a time. Okay, we’ll do it in groups of three. Don’t worry. I’ll be watching all of you and will be able to decide who wins.”

No, no one was worried.

If anything, what we were worried about was your insane level of exertion. Of course, I wouldn’t have the guts to say that to her face.

“Well then, first… okay, let’s see who will be the pillars of our country first.”

Jennifer pointed at me and Alice with a smile.

“You two, come up with your respective partners. And you two, come forward as well. These three teams are going first.”

“…….”

At Jennifer’s words, everyone started to get up cautiously while checking each other’s reactions.

No, wait, there was one person whose eyes were sparkling with excitement.

“You’re also a Grace, right?”

Jennifer said, looking at Claire like that.

“You have a good eye. I hope you can maintain that keen sight regardless of what you do.”

“Yes!”

How oddly fitting.

It seems Claire would actually fit better in the military…Well, that doesn’t matter right now.

Jennifer’s gaze lingered on me for a moment.

And I was convinced. This wasn’t just a feeling or a coincidence.

Why? Is it because I am the Emperor’s children? Is it possible that Winterfield is behind the Count Crowfield death incident—ah, everyone suspects it has to do with the Duke family, so…

…Did I get marked on the very first day of the semester?

“Alright, don’t just stand there. Everyone forward!”

“…….”

Under Jennifer’s urging, we moved to the front.

Alice and I stood back-to-back, keeping our distance.

And in front of me, Claire stood with a quite large sword firmly gripped in both hands, an incredibly upright posture.

Her eyes sparkled, and her lips twitched as if she was so excited to be able to duel with me.

…….

Hmm, well, I feel a bit good about her being like that.

But I couldn’t gauge her skill. Unlike those games where I learned unorthodox combat techniques, Claire would definitely have a straightforward swordsmanship just like the main character, Leo.

Would it actually be easier to deal with her?

I had seen her practicing with a real sword before. Certainly, handling such sword play would be much better than dealing with that annoying style.

Alright then.

I pulled the bolt of the rifle I was holding to load the first bullet into the chamber.

Then, just like a soldier holding a rifle, I rested the stock on my shoulder and bent forward slightly, spreading my legs a little to make it easier to jump—

—No, wait, is it really okay to have me, a simple soldier, standing right in front of someone holding a sword like this?

“Then, let’s start!”

Before I could even raise an objection, Jennifer shouted like that.

…Right, if it’s that person, she’d think ‘In battle, you must be able to win under any circumstances!’—

“Then, I’m coming!”

—Before finishing that thought, Claire shouted and charged at me!

Like in a swordplay scene, she lunged forward, putting her left foot out and lifting her arms high.

In a game, this would be more like ‘head strike’ rather than ‘vertical slash.’

It’s simple, but the motion is incredibly quick.

I jumped to the side with all my might. I barely managed not to fall over. The soles of my shoes made a rough sound as they scraped against the sandy ground.

Dry sand from the playground flew up, stirring up dust.

The rifle was long, and even though I was ready to lift it quickly, there was no time to align the muzzle as Claire closed in much too fast for a long rifle.

Alright then.

Let’s prepare for a shorter gun next time.

Click.

Even so, I pulled the trigger out of instinct, but Claire seemed to have anticipated it; she leaned forward and slipped out of the rifle’s line of fire.

“Missed!”

Jennifer’s voice echoed.

I jumped back.

Letting go of the handle with my right hand, I was about to bring my left hand under my armpit when,

“Yeah!”

I heard Claire shout that and immediately pulled my body back.

With her sword swung downwards, Claire immediately turned its direction and twirled the sword inward. If I had still been standing there, I definitely would have taken a hit—

“Ugh!?”

A moment’s delay, I felt the impact on my right arm and fell to the left like I was thrown.

Huh? What’s happening?

I hurriedly got back up. Everyone’s gaze was on me.

“Are you okay, sister?”

Claire looked at me with a very bewildered expression.

My arm ached. For a moment, I didn’t feel any pain in the struck area, but gradually agony returned, and my brain screamed.

Claire’s sword was glowing green.

……That’s a blade aura. Claire swung the wooden sword with an aura wrapped around it.

And that aura trailed behind her sword, moving as if following along with the swing.

Like a whip.

……Is it a wooden sword with a blade aura?

That’s totally unfair!

“Again!”

Feeling unjust, I shouted that with all my might.

Chapter 29

No matter how many times I rewind time, the embarrassing sensation doesn’t just vanish. It only gets erased from other people’s memories, not mine.

Well, fine.

For now, I realized Claire was being sincere when I got hit and found out for myself.

Since I’m not revealing my identity, it seems Claire wants to figure out my true self by herself. Especially with that cheerful smile on her face.

When I got punched and fell, Claire was probably surprised for that reason too.

The time Claire and I spent together wasn’t that long. But the memories of her treating me warmly during my hardest times are very vivid.

Moreover, from young Claire’s perspective, I might have looked like someone with extremely mysterious abilities. After all, I brought her all the way to Baron Grace’s Estate while making her run around, almost as if I knew the future.

Honestly, I thought about hiding a bit longer. Not because I had any grand reason, but just because I wanted to maintain that character. It was a persona I built over ten years, and it would be a waste to crumble it all at once, right?

However, if I dodge Claire’s attacks here and manage to win, she will notice that I was the ‘Sylvia Black’.

Well… that might not be so bad.

It’s the long-awaited reunion of sister and little sister. A relationship proven through skills. If it’s a story with a Japanese manga vibe, wouldn’t that be just splendid?

“……”

I slung my rifle across my back and pulled out my revolver.

And I hooked my finger on the trigger. The Wexler revolver is a double-action revolver, so there’s no need to pull the hammer back.

“Alright then!”

Once again, Jennifer’s voice echoed.

“Start!”

The moment Jennifer shouted that, Claire lifted her sword upward again—

But since I had switched to the gun, things didn’t flow the same way as before.

I didn’t avoid Claire’s movement and reached out directly.

click

As I pulled the trigger, the hammer of the gun was pulled back and jolted forward. There was a slight recoil, but that’s all; a gun without gunpowder wouldn’t push back.

“Missed!”

Jennifer declared.

The moment I extended my arm, Claire had already twisted her body to dodge out of the line of fire. Although she didn’t foresee the future like me, she must have seen my arm rising.

You can’t dodge a bullet. But considering shooting, adjusting your stance is possible.

In the original work, it was about walking in and hitting, but in reality, such combat is obviously impossible. To face someone with a sword while holding a gun, I needed this level of speed.

To me, it was to the right. To Claire, it was to the left.

As Claire twisted her body to evade, her stance with the sword changed as well. It was like she was slightly covering her face with the broad side of the sword. She probably wasn’t trying to block the bullet but rather maintained her stance while shifting her body with all her might.

I rotated my arm to follow Claire, but before the barrel pointed at her, she was already swinging her sword.

My arm’s speed didn’t slow down; rather, Claire’s next move was just faster than mine.

The distance was insufficient for her to hit me with the sword. In actual fact, Claire’s slash didn’t reach me.

But slightly delayed,

“Ugh…!”

A strong impact hit my right shoulder.

I dropped the revolver I was holding.

Again.

*

Immediately after I first pulled the trigger.

Claire had taken the same stance as before, but before she gently swung her sword downward, I moved first.

Half a step to the left.

As I stepped left while aiming the gun at Claire, the sword hit the ground late, kicking up sand.

click

“Missed!”

Was that voice a little too excited?

This time, I rushed too much. The pistol has quick aim, but its barrel is short. If the distance gets a bit longer, the bullet misses due to slight deviation.

With all that moving, if I’m only using one hand, it’s bound to be tough.

Before I could pull the trigger again, this time Claire ducked to the left. click The revolver made an empty sound. Jennifer didn’t need to yell. It was too obvious I had missed.

And this time, Claire raised both hands above her head.

swish, with a sound like slicing through the air, the sword came down at terrifying speed.

Again, it was still too far to reach, but again, the ground kicked up dirt from the late follow-up of the sword’s speed.

And I couldn’t avoid that sword strike.

Again.

*

I think I understand a little now.

Claire’s sword strike followed her movements like a whip attached to the sword, but it didn’t move freely like the melee weapon from the game. Compared to the game, where it moved like a snake, Claire’s sword strikes now are much straighter.

Is the inability to move like a whip a characteristic of the sword? Or is it just that her skill hasn’t matured yet? It didn’t bother me either way. It was to my advantage, after all.

Of course, it’s annoying to be hit twice in succession.

…Alright, I’ve decided.

Next time, I’ll prepare a short shotgun. In a battlefield where entities wielding swords run rampant, having more options is always better, even if assassination missions are different.

For now, I only have the revolver.

I aimed at Claire while stepping left. This time, I supported my gun hand with the other hand.

Once I aimed at Claire, she ducked left again.

Even in this world, machine guns exist. And the most famous way to counter a machine gun is to zigzag while running. If the opponent can’t predict your next movement, the likelihood of the bullets missing rises. Of course, only those with extreme physical abilities can dodge bullets like that.

But I’m not carrying a machine gun or submachine gun; I’m holding a revolver. Although it can shoot quickly, a double-action revolver requires more pressure on the trigger to shoot rapidly. On top of that, Claire not only swings her sword but also has long-range strikes with sword energy.

Alright.

Again.

*

Claire’s feet began to move. The movements I hadn’t caught earlier started to become clear after seeing them a few times. She was preparing to shift to her left, from her perspective, or my right.

It was, in a split second, a subtle movement that you wouldn’t notice in the heat of battle.

However, even if it’s a moment captured in a video, if you watch it repeatedly, it’s clear as day.

I don’t have the ability to calculate that tiny difference and aim precisely in a moment.

But that wasn’t a problem.

I had an opportunity with one shot, and even if I missed, I could try again a hundred times.

As I turned the barrel left, I pulled the trigger.

“Missed!”

Again.

*

click

“Stop! Claire Gracepath!”

Jennifer, who had been closely watching the two of us, announced. The other two teams had used swords, so Jennifer’s intervention wasn’t necessary as students could judge reasonably well. Of course, that’s not to say they hadn’t been paying attention.

Nobles handling guns isn’t that common.

After all, firearms are often treated as weapons that ‘anyone can use’. In reality, for those reaching a certain level, it takes considerable effort to train with cold weapons, while gunpowder weapons have shorter training periods. Typically, after about three months of training, you could raise a soldier who can fight on the battlefield.

But that doesn’t mean weapons have no limits.

Once the training starts, the end never exists; the same goes for guns. Calculating ballistics to hit targets at distances typically difficult to hit or rapidly aiming in close combat to take down enemies. Wielding the gun itself to protect one’s body is also part of mastering firearms.

However, typically, soldiers using firearms sharpen their skills not through long periods of training with excellent masters but rather through wild experiences in actual combat. After all, it’s tough to make training with guns akin to actual ‘battlefield’ experiences. Even the gun Jennifer is wielding now likely has no gunpowder inside, and the feeling of firing it would differ from an actual firearm.

Those who survive become stronger. This phrase applies to all soldiers who’ve experienced actual combat, but… a mere fifteen-year-old child?

Could she really have been a talent destined for the Northern Region?

Or perhaps there was a prior reason she had to fight with that weapon for her life?

Moreover, there was something strange about Sylvia’s own movements.

It looked like she could predict how her opponent would swing their sword, how their body would move.

Even when Claire tried to thrust down her sword, Sylvia seemed ready to aim at her once again, and when Claire swung downward with her sword, she calmly sidestepped.

And…

While she might not think of her own aiming, from Jennifer’s perspective, it looked like Sylvia was already pointing her gun in the direction Claire was dodging to.

And the moment Claire entered her line of sight, bang.

Unlike the other students who fiercely clashed swords, the showdown between them concluded in an instant.

That said, it didn’t mean the duel looked easy.

“Hmmm.”

Jennifer found interest in whether Sylvia coming to the Academy instead of heading to the Northern Region was a good thing for the Empire or a pity.

*

There was no physical exhaustion.

No pain. Mentally, I was a bit drained, but in terms of time, even counting the rewind, it wouldn’t have taken that long.

But still, the feeling of getting hit isn’t exactly pleasant.

If my opponent weren’t Claire, it would have felt much worse.

While I was holstering my revolver, Claire approached me.

Even after losing, she looked so cheerful that I wondered why. Claire was bearing a wide, beaming smile on her face.

It was a very lively and bright smile. Claire had only smiled like that once in the game, at the very last moment.

And at that time, the ‘sister’ wasn’t me but Alice.

From behind, I could hear the tap, tap of two wooden swords clashing. It seemed Alice and Charlotte’s duel wasn’t over yet.

clink

As Claire approached, she extended her hand to me. It seemed like she was asking for a handshake.

“……”

I paused to look at that hand for a moment before slowly reaching out and lightly grabbing it.

However, the light grip was only on my side; Claire held my hand tightly.

And then she pulled me toward her.

I didn’t think it was a surprise attack. The reason I was able to stay steady was that I somewhat imagined this situation.

As I stepped a bit closer as Claire pulled, she looked straight into my eyes and said,

“Sister.”

“Are you sure it’s me?”

Claire’s eyes already held certainty.

…Hmm.

I had anticipated this. I thought that Claire would prove I was Sylvia Black the moment I cleanly defeated her.

That’s why I panicked when I got hit by Claire’s attack.

“You seem to be very sure…”

Even as I said that, Claire’s smiling expression didn’t change at all.

“Because you knew how to dodge like that. Just like you did back then.”

Claire and I had spent very little time together. And honestly, the foresight I exhibited back then was similar in principle but differed in type. Back then, I was avoiding threats from the start, while now, I had been dodging attacks by using that ability sparingly.

“I looked into it afterward. Those people back then were definitely a human trafficking ring.”

It was a mystery that there was only one victim, even with the orphanage having burned down. Truthfully, we did make a visible escape, but with the fire spreading on the side, reports flew in from all over.

Children who vanished without a trace. Then, the very next morning, children suddenly showing up at Baron Grace’s Estate.

If Baron Grace and his wife hadn’t noticed, that would have been even stranger.

“…Did you find those traffickers from that time?”

The deal happening at Count’s house was separate from the transactions involving that orphanage. If I could find that creepy guy, I would shoot him myself. He might not remember, but I got punched hard enough to faint.

I imagine countless other children were also beaten to death by those fists.

…Were they all fabricated?

Would Claire have survived just long enough to not die? Maybe it’s related to the resurrection ritual that only existed as a plot device in the game? Or perhaps she was just lucky to escape from a necrophilic child molester.

Although I exposed my identity, Claire’s expression slightly stiffened.

Claire shook her head.

I see.

Even though she was a character I had never seen in the original, there’s no guarantee she wasn’t an important character. She might be set to appear in a sequel.

If she’s still alive now, she could have become a big shot.

“……”

I glanced around. There were numerous eyes on us. Some students were looking at us curiously as the first duel came to an end, while Jennifer’s gaze still lingered.

“Claire.”

“Yes, sister.”

“…Here, please call me Sylvia.”

As I revealed my identity once more, Claire’s eyes widened, and she nodded vigorously a few times in response.

“Don’t carelessly reveal information to others. You never know how it might be used against you.”

“I understand.”

Claire, who obediently nodded like a good girl, wasn’t all raggedy like before; her hair was neatly arranged, and she was wearing much better clothes. Though it was still a design resembling military uniforms for the academy.

At least she didn’t look like an ‘orphan with nothing’.

“……”

“……”

Hmm.

Even though the conversation seemed to end, Claire didn’t plan on letting go of my hand.

I hoped we could set this aside and continue the conversation instead.

Chapter 30

First of all, there’s one thing I’ve definitely decided in my heart.

I’m planning to push this concept as far as I can.

I do want to blend in as a character in this story, but separate from that, I feel like it’s too late to show my true nature—an otaku.

Well, I wonder if people in this time period would even understand the concept of being an otaku.

No, wait…

Thinking about it, there are actually quite a few famous characters in this world. Not the ‘characters’ that appear in the game, but ‘characters’ that exist as part of the background setting.

The old characters that resonate with 21st-century Earth mostly came about in the early to mid-20th century. With the development of printing and film technology, many characters gained popularity through short animations, weekly and daily serialized comics, and have lived on until now.

Of course, some might wonder if it’s too early for characters like that to appear in this backdrop set in 1901. But in fact, there were characters like “The Yellow Kid,” who had explosive popularity even before that. Particularly, this “Yellow Kid” character was so famous that it became the origin of the term “yellow journalism.” The comic based on this character was serialized in the 1890s.

…This was something the production team had said in an interview to defend the game’s setting.

That setting concerns a character that’s somewhat popular in this world. So, within the game, it’s treated as a ‘character’ and functions as a mascot.

This dog character named “Digger” is a character from the play-within-a-play titled “Digger the Dog.”

It’s a short comic made about the stories that unfold every time Digger, who loves digging, digs a hole. Apparently, this comic has become a huge hit at the newspaper agency.

Since “The Yellow Kid” has content that is discriminatory towards Asians, it seems they created an original character like this. Still, it had the thick pen strokes typical of 20th-century characters.

Last year, after the appearance of film reels and cameras, the film industry was just starting to form, and short silent animations of around 3-5 minutes were slowly being produced. Although all of them were still in black and white.

So, what if I have a set-up where I like this character?

“…”

I don’t think that’s a bad idea.

I’ve always liked reading comics. I wasn’t fanatical about Disney comics, but I’ve read almost all the famous ones.

Coincidentally, cheap-quality plushies are now being produced, so maybe I’ll think about getting a few later.

Of course, not right now. Maybe in a year or two, after some time has passed.

Because if I break this now, it would be way too embarrassing.

Even with the ability to turn back time, I wouldn’t want to embarrass myself in real-time. No matter how much I’ve lived as a woman for 10 years, I still have those 30 years as a man before that.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

Suddenly pulled from my thoughts, I looked up to see Alice asking.

Her gaze caught my own, “You’re looking at the book, but your eyes aren’t moving at all.”

I realized I wasn’t concentrating. I didn’t really feel like concentrating either.

“I was thinking about the sparring we had in the morning.”

“Sparring? Ah.”

Alice seemed to have come to some conclusion after hearing me.

“Were you evaluating the movements of the kids in your class?”

…I haven’t done that, but let’s pretend I did. That fits this character better anyway.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Nodding, I answered like that.

Honestly, attending the academy felt much harder than living in the palace. I don’t know about other things, but maintaining this character is proving more difficult than I thought. We had just finished our first day of classes.

Displaying the belief that ‘a student’s duty is to study,’ Alice headed straight to the library as soon as class ended. I decided to sit in front of her and read a book as well.

…I decided not to stress too much about organizing class content. Even if I did, I’d probably have to redo it several times anyway. It’s better to cram when the exam period comes. It might be cramming for others, but I’d still have enough time.

“How was it?”

Alice put down her pen and asked me. It seemed she was expecting my evaluation.

While I hadn’t properly watched Alice’s fighting scenes, I believed what she wanted wasn’t an evaluation about herself.

“Most of it was average.”

I said honestly.

Even characters who appear as main characters in the story often live lives far removed from fighting due to their settings. Although the academy also serves as a military academy, not every student who graduates intends to become an officer.

So from my perspective—no, even from the view of an ordinary person who has never had any special training, most of the students had awkward movements.

“But there were a few outstanding ones.”

Alice seemed to feel the same way and nodded as she spoke.

The winner of the sparring between Alice and Charlotte was Alice. However, Alice thought she had won by a narrow margin. From my perspective, having briefly observed Charlotte’s swordplay, I agreed with her. While she didn’t release any sword energy, her refined swordsmanship was certainly worthy of high praise.

As for Claire Grace, since I faced her directly, that’s a pass.

Considering Leo Grace’s opponent was Jennifer, he performed quite well. Though Jennifer hadn’t used firearms, so Leo likely held his ground thanks to that. At least in terms of movement, he wasn’t inferior to Claire. I guess that’s what being the protagonist gets you?

And… Crowfield.

In Class A, there’s Mia Crowfield, the daughter of Count Crowfield, whom I killed.

She had dark hair like mine with a gloomy atmosphere, her bangs long enough to nearly cover her eyes.

It was understandable, given that her kind father, who had been so good to her, was horrifically murdered. The largest piece found amongst the remains was said to be a finger. The rest were bones and flesh. It’s presumed they determined the remains to be that of the Count based on the clothing and what stuck to it.

While she likely didn’t see that corpse directly, she must have heard the story. And she probably heard rumors that it was the Emperor who ordered the assassination, assuming the same circumstances as the original work.

The staff she held was a dummy that couldn’t be used in a real battle. She could cast a bit of light magic, but couldn’t use magic powerful enough to kill someone.

That magic staff had a magical measurement window shaped like a thermometer that clearly displayed the ‘magical power’ of the spell she intended to use.

As Mia tried to cast magic with the dummy staff, that measuring device shattered completely.

Of course, Jennifer declared Mia’s victory right then and there—with a very satisfied expression.

…In the original, she had used a spell that shot massive icicles into the enemy.

Though she hadn’t once made eye contact with me, I wondered how she’d react if she ever found out I was the one who killed her father. After all, she barely spoke to me because I’m a Crown Princess; she might actually try to kill me! That’s how Claire’s past showed it in the original work.

Thinking about it that way sends a slight chill down my spine. Based on that graphic design, there wouldn’t be any injury, and it would just end as an effect; if I was hit for real, there’d be a giant hole in my body. But hey, in games, even if you get slashed by a sword or shot by a gun, you just lose HP and stand there unscathed. That’s just the game’s allowance, and players often didn’t find it odd.

Actually, those who cared about such things often ended up being considered strange. In FPS games, there were folks who pointed out that if you get shot and rest for a few seconds, you’re fine again.

I think it’ll be unrealistic to get close to her.

And it’s not really a big problem if we’re not very close. The Crowfield family storyline develops separately from that. There’s no need for me to help. Leo is there after all.

“Well, at least it’s a relief that it’s not just a bunch of nobodies. It’s definitely a place where there’s something to learn.”

Alice said with a satisfied smile and picked up her pen again.

And I knew very well that the reason she was smiling didn’t just come from the fact that there was something to learn.

She was probably happy because she could make new friends. Like Charlotte.

I hope that smile never breaks.

I’ll make sure of it.

*

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

My brother… or at least, the one who claims to be Claire’s brother, the ridiculous Leo, asked Claire like that.

The two of them were sitting side by side in a café on the street. It was mid-April, and warm sunlight poured down as if to prove that winter was completely gone. Claire thought it would be foolish to let this sunshine slip by.

The buildings near the academy were made to use the most modern boilers possible. The smoke billowing from the chimneys couldn’t be helped, but at least the smoke pouring out from the area was white instead of black. Just water vapor, not thick smoke.

In the empire, many people proudly consider black smoke a symbol of modernization, but Claire didn’t quite agree with that. Coming to the academy had made the world look different. What on earth did those people find good about that black smoke? Then they should clean those chimneys themselves.

But that’s not the only reason the world looked different—it’s also because the sky was clear and blue.

“It’s a secret.”

But she couldn’t share the reason with him.

She thought of her precious family. In fact, Leo had known Claire much longer than Sylvia when taking into account the time they spent together. But still, Claire felt much closer to Sylvia.

Perhaps it was because Sylvia was the first ‘guardian’ she had ever felt. A child who was not even an adult yet was more mature than all the adults around her.

Even if a child separates from their biological parents during childhood, that bond doesn’t completely disappear. A child will remember their biological parents for years and will shed tears of joy when they meet again later.

Well, Sylvia wasn’t that much older to be called her parent. Looking at her here now, she might actually be the same age.

Truth is, Claire wanted to come out to a place like this and have tea together this morning. While doing so, she wanted to share stories about what had happened and how each had been doing.

But Sylvia must have her own story as well.

Once an orphan who nearly died unnamed in a back alley, she was now living as a Crown Princess within the royal family.

“……”

She was someone who used to laugh so well as a child.

Though not someone who laughed loudly, she would quietly smile at kids and share various snacks while telling old stories. Those memories from her very early childhood were something Claire could never forget. It had been the first ‘memories’ she ever had.

Now, that person had turned into someone who spoke formally to kids her age and wrapped herself in mystery.

What could have happened during her time in the royal palace?

At the very least, it wouldn’t have been a memory she could just laugh off.

“……No, I mean… Hah, forget it. I feel like knowing more would be problematic, so I won’t ask.”

After laughing alone, Claire’s serious expression caught Leo’s attention, and he was about to ask something but ended up shutting his mouth.

Even if he asked her to speak, she probably wouldn’t, since Sylvia had told him not to.

Well, that’s alright.

After all, they’d see each other’s faces going forward.

Considering the last ten years of hoping and being disappointed repeatedly, there would surely be plenty of opportunities for Claire to find a smile on Sylvia’s face.

“Here we go again, smiling.”

Ignoring Leo’s mumblings that sounded like astonishment, Claire took a sip of her milk tea, which was loaded with sugar and milk.

Chapter 31

The game’s main story doesn’t delve into the detailed daily lives of characters.

Of course, there are parts where everyday life exists—like attending classes, going to the library to study, or wandering around campus to chat with other students. There are even quests where a teacher sends you on errands.

In the process, depending on how you interact with certain characters, you build relationship points, and based on that, you can experience specific events with those characters at certain times—like going on dates or accidentally running into each other… and ultimately, kissing.

In the first playthrough, the setting is “time is limited,” making it impossible to talk to everyone, but in the second playthrough, you can chat without restrictions, leading to the ability to randomly pick any heroine or male character in the end.

Choosing a male character doesn’t trigger a BL route or anything like that… it ends on a friendship ending. Of course, there are certain players who diligently extract every last drop from that.

In reality, the story’s endings are predetermined, so it’s only depicted at the level of experiencing events of becoming lovers or close friends before that point. So, is it really that important? It’s more like a dimensional service in the game allowing you to have a chance to date your favorite heroine.

In the sequel, if you connect your data with the previous game, the story continues with the premise that you were dating a heroine from the first game. If you don’t have a save file, it’ll ask whom you were linked with from the start. And since the game’s story isn’t heavily tied to romantic outcomes, whatever choice you make, the story will progress similarly. During story progress, the romance can fade into the background, allowing you to switch to other characters by the end.

However… the fact that romance can be so casual in the story is merely a game mechanic, and it wouldn’t be the same here. You can’t just casually transition to being “friends” if you break up. It would also be strange if there were no conflicts among the female characters.

On top of that, the relationships between the characters have changed drastically due to my existence.

…Will this really play out like the original? Hasn’t it already deviated from the original? I’m not sure if knowing the original story will actually help.

“Sylvia.”

While I was sitting and preparing for class, lost in thought, Alice, sitting next to me, spoke up.

“Yes.”

“What’s your plan for the student council?”

The moment I answered, Alice wasted no time in asking that.

…Right.

There was a student council too.

Alice was in the student council in the original story as well.

The student council is chosen 100% by the recommendation of the student council president. Only the president is purely elected by a vote. Naturally, the student council president usually has a good reputation, a wide network, or both.

In other words, it’s almost impossible for a commoner to become the student council president. Unsurprisingly, there are no commoners in the student council.

In some sense, it’s not much different from the political landscape of the country. Most commoners don’t even have time to vote because they’re busy working. Even if they do, they don’t know who anyone is. Since the emperor is the head of the administration, most appointed ministers are nobles, and those who can run for parliament and have the time and money to campaign are all nobles. The number of nobles is overwhelmingly fewer than commoners, but they dominate the voting rate. This political landscape extends to the academy as well.

Even if commoner students try to elect a commoner as student council president… well, any family that can send their children here probably has strong connections to nobility. They usually get filtered in during the entrance exams, first before the test, then again afterwards.

Anyway, since the student council operates that way, if a child from a high-status family enrolls, it’s customary for the student council president to recommend them as a member. That’s not just done as a formality; if they’re willing, they really get to take part. If someone doesn’t want to, they’re not forced into it.

If I’m talking about Alice, she will most likely be recommended for the same role here rather than in the original story.

“I haven’t thought about it yet.”

I replied while taking out the first period’s textbook from my bag.

In the original story, joining the student council was optional. However, when you do join, there’s an additional benefit of increasing Alice’s relationship points, and there are events and items exclusive to the student council. Above all, if you want to create character cards, you must join.

Moreover, becoming a member of the student council is treated as a hidden quest. To earn the silver medal, you must join, and there’s also a minor benefit of increasing Alice’s affinity, which means extra action points that can boost other characters’ affinities as well in the first playthrough. The quest rewards also help somewhat in the first playthrough.

In other words, what you gain from joining the student council amounts to adding minor events to the daily life parts and gaining access to the student council room, so it becomes unnecessary in the second playthrough. In a second playthrough with limitless action points, it’s entirely possible to max out Alice’s relationship gauge purely with the events found between main events.

And I had no reason to earn a platinum medal here. Reality wasn’t a game.

“Really? Then should I put your name in too?”

“…….”

But it seems Alice doesn’t think that way.

When I stopped moving and turned to look at Alice, she gazed back at me with a questioning expression.

“What? Are you not going to?”

Alice looked at me as if finding me strange.

Hmm…

Honestly, I don’t really feel like it.

Once you hear the explanation, you’ll understand, but the student council in this academy is essentially a place to showcase how strong the nobility’s privileges are—inside the game and out.

Even when Leo joined, he often faced various dismissals for being from a baron’s family. Of course, Alice drove those kids away with, “How dare you treat someone who has been awarded nobility by the emperor?”

Naturally, as a crown princess, I wouldn’t face any dismissals. While you sometimes see “dukes older than the royal family” in fantasy novels, in the context of this game, the empire’s founding effectively dates back to the mythological era known as the “Creation,” and there’s no name older than Fanggriffon in this world.

Still… it’s not a place I want to go.

It may be expressed as a simple quest, but in reality, it’s a place where there’s a ton of work to do.

Furthermore, considering that only real highborns are present, it might be difficult to maintain a straight face.

“……Do you not want to?”

As I kept staring blankly, Alice asked with a somewhat pitiful expression.

In the original story, Alice was included in the student council at some point, but still, there must have been a moment when Alice joined the student council in that original storyline.

And it’s not like Alice had any noble friends with whom she had established connections.

Well, I guess it doesn’t matter.

If it gets too troublesome, I could just rewind time or something.

“Alright then. Can we go together after school?”

“Yeah, that was the answer I was hoping for. After all, you’ll be getting an invitation too, right?”

That’s true. It’s probably coming soon. Maybe it’s already arrived in front of my dorm room.

“Sylvia!”

Before I could even convey my thoughts to Alice, someone interjected between us.

“Hey there!”

Naturally, it was Claire.

“…….”

What should I even say?

Truthfully, I tend to be quite stingy with greetings. The only person I normally greet is the emperor, and even then, my greetings lack any human warmth, like “Did you have a good day, Your Majesty?” or “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Imperial Majesty.”

Considering what my character is like, there’s often no real need for me to greet anyone.

Even when Jayden and Lucas are making a racket right beside me, I’d just ignore them. In fact, the emperor’s children and Alice are usually the ones who easily strike up conversations even if I don’t say anything in the morning.

Thinking back, I even introduced myself instead of greeting on our first meeting.

So now, trying to greet her feels incredibly awkward. It’d be easier if no one else was around. But with Alice right next to me, who has seen how I usually act, it’s difficult to blunder my way through it.

“Ah, hello…?”

Still, it was unusual that Claire didn’t use the term “sister” as she said that as if trying to keep to the promise of what I’d said.

“Doing it that way won’t mean much.”

Alice, sitting next to me, rested her chin in her hand and chuckled lightly, finding the situation amusing.

“Sylvia doesn’t really handle greetings well. She rarely greets others first.”

Nice one, Alice.

That’s right. The character I’m maintaining is a cool… beauty character. Hmm, it’s certainly correct that there’s no way for me to be ‘dere,’ so perhaps ‘cool beauty’ fits better than ‘cool dere.’

The idea of a character who smiles and greets like that only happens after they start valuing their friends.

In fact, I had felt some degree of intimacy already before we even met, and I considered them precious in my own way, but they don’t know that. So maintaining this character is what’s important for now.

Who knows when that day may come?

There might come a time when, after finishing the final battle, I awkwardly tell the kids talking to me, “I really don’t know what expression to make in moments like this.”

Someone might even ask if I’m a reverse harem character, but honestly, that animation doesn’t even exist here!

“W-Was it like that?”

Worried that I might hate her, Claire sighed deeply upon hearing Alice’s words.

“Oh dear, that would be a trouble.”

And amid such conversation, yet another person interjected.

If you were to write down the tone of her voice without even needing to listen, it would be immediately understood that it was Charlotte.

With her beautiful platinum hair curling slightly at the ends, Charlotte sat next to Alice, moving like a scene from a drawing.

As she hung her student bag, reminiscent of a briefcase often seen in Japanese subculture, Charlotte said,

“If you’re a member of royalty, it’s best to be polite in your greetings. Even if someone has a low title, they are surely worthy of respect.”

“Hello, Charlotte.”

“I trust you are well, Alice.”

Alice lightly greeted Charlotte, to which Charlotte replied equally gently.

It was a truly pleasant sight. The truth is, throughout the first game… well, not throughout the entire series, but until the early to mid-part of this Aetherna Empire series, Alice always wore a stiff and tense expression.

It seems my efforts in boosting her confidence really helped.

…Well, it’s quite something that Charlotte shows the same attitude toward me as she did when I acted rudely in front of her father.

“And oh, Sylvia.”

After greeting Charlotte, Alice turned back toward me and spoke.

“There are times when you should greet your father first, especially when meeting the duke family that was once part of the old royal lineage.”

Though her head still remains upright.

Moreover, all those dukes are on the list of people pending cleansing. No matter how many hundreds of years have passed since the kingdoms became part of the empire, the people from that region possess strong regional characteristics. There’s even a significant regional sentiment among the people from the capital and the northern folks.

“…I always strive to act with courtesy.”

“No, just using honorifics doesn’t mean it’s respectful…”

Upon my reply, Alice let out a long sigh.

Chapter 32

“Student Council?”

“Yeah, I got an invitation too.”

Charlot took out an envelope that looked like a wedding invitation from her bag.

“I don’t really know much about the academy’s atmosphere or traditions… but is this sent out based on grades?”

“It’s not sent out by grades.”

At Charlot’s question, Alice shook her head.

“To be precise, it’s based on whether you’re from a noble family or not.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Alice’s answer left Charlot with a strangely understanding expression.

“So I received this invitation because I’m royalty.”

“That’s probably it. Do you know who the student council president is?”

At Alice’s question, Charlot slowly shook her head.

“Honestly, I don’t know much about the nobles of the Empire. I do have quite a few acquaintances in my home country, though…”

“That makes sense.”

Truth be told, Alice wasn’t particularly close to the nobles of her own country either. If even a noble who received a title directly from the royal family didn’t know who Alice was, it essentially meant that Alice had completely disregarded her connections with the nobility.

Of course, that was okay since the imperial authority was quite strong.

“So, has Sylvia received one too?”

Claire leaned on my desk, her eyes sparkling as she asked.

“No, I haven’t received it yet.”

“Maybe we left too early?”

Even though Alice disregarded her ties with the nobles, she definitely had a desire to be recognized by the Emperor. She had been diligently studying out here in the morning.

And I inadvertently followed her out here to study too.

Still, I sank into a fluffy bed every night and slept soundly, so it wasn’t a huge problem. Besides, there wasn’t really anything to do all night in this world.

In a sense, I had been living far more comfortably since arriving in this world than I did back in my original world. Probably because I wasn’t a working adult but the Emperor’s daughter?

“Since Charlot received an invitation, I think there’s already a letter at the front of our dorm room.”

Claire’s eyes sparkled at Alice’s words.

Honestly, they sparkled so much that I wondered if it was even optically possible.

It was also incredibly burdensome.

“Sylvia, are you planning to join the student council?”

“…….”

I briefly glanced at Alice and said, “If the Crown Princess joins, I will likely do the same.”

“Then it’s settled.”

Alice answered with a confident smile on her face.

“I’m planning to become the student council president later. Thinking about taking my father’s position someday, I think it’s good to experience being at the top at least once, don’t you think?”

Well, since the student council of the academy was composed of children from influential noble families, it wouldn’t be bad to build relationships for when they would run the country in the future. Alice had joined the student council for such reasons in the original story when she entered the academy all by herself.

As for Charlot… she didn’t seem particularly interested. Considering the setting, she probably received a letter too.

But then again, since Charlot was literally the princess drawn in a picture, she might not be bothered by some student council full of injustice. The only reason she came to this academy was that the King of Velbur had sent her here.

“Then should I visit as well?”

However, having Charlot from this world changed things a bit. Although she had started to make friends with Alice much later, the sense of inferiority Alice felt towards the title of ‘the perfect princess’ was gone now. She didn’t have any reason to feel that inferiority in the first place.

This too was probably a change that occurred because I was here.

A pleasant change.

“Oh, are you interested?”

As Alice turned her gaze towards Charlot, she shook her head.

“Actually, I’m not that interested, but, well…”

Charlot smiled brightly.

I could hear the soft gasping sounds from the boys around who were glancing our way.

No matter how much the races were not that different, given their perception of “coming from a foreign land,” the boys’ eyes saw Charlot as “a beautiful princess from another country.” Plus, her accent hinted at the unique softness of Velbur.

Beautiful women from foreign lands have always been popular. Although that was just a fantasy the viewers concocted.

Still, maybe Charlot would be an exception? I mean, with her mysterious vibe and hair color.

“I thought it might be worth considering if I could be with my friends.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I, I want to go too!”

Seeing Alice smile at Charlot’s words, Claire quickly interjected.

“Can I come with you?”

“You too?”

This time, Alice looked a bit surprised. Going to the student council without an invitation pretty much meant she would just get rejected.

In the original story, Leo, who got involved with Alice, was the one who entered the student council room for the first time upon Alice’s suggestion… but Leo wasn’t necessarily interested in entering just because Alice asked him. According to the game’s timeline, this event would occur about a month from now, when the real story quests would begin.

So, saying that she wanted to go too would make the daughter of a baron seem somewhat out of place. Alice herself had insisted that “within the school, we’re just students,” but even then, she was quite aware that they weren’t exactly the same kind of students.

“Huh? Is that not okay?”

Claire, looking at Alice, turned her gaze toward me with a pitiful expression.

No, don’t ask me…

…wait, maybe this is a good opportunity.

While the student council was filled with quite authoritative people, being authoritative also meant they were likely fearful of that authority.

So, it could actually be fun to take Claire along.

Hey, what’s up with that girl? Why is the daughter of a baron sandwiched between the princess and the crown princess so comfortably? Why are they chatting so casually? We’ve never seen each other before—

—Wouldn’t it be tasty if the same scenario were to repeat itself? Like a refreshing soda storyline?

Hmm, maybe not. I mean, I wouldn’t want to see Claire get dismissed first…

…I’d rather not.

Despite all that, I’ve waited seven years for that game series. I cared for not only this world but also all the worlds and most of the protagonists from that game series. Of course, there were some characters I absolutely hated, but they hadn’t shown up yet, so I’d let that slide.

Because of that, I didn’t want to see my beloved characters caught in frustrating situations.

If I see the student council bullying Claire or Leo, I might not be able to hold back.

“…….”

So that’s why I was torn.

“……Huh?”

And seeing me in such a dilemma, Alice, sitting next to me, let out a perplexed sound. Have I worried too much? I hope my emotions didn’t show on my face just now.

“Let’s do it.”

In that moment of worry, Charlot lightly responded.

“Isn’t there any reason not to?”

“Such reasons… don’t really exist, do they?”

I felt a bit relieved watching Alice’s head turn at Charlot’s words. No way, it’s been ten years keeping up this concept, and quitting over this small issue would be a bit too much.

“While it’s a bit strange that only those with invitations can enter the student council…”

Charlot gazed down at the envelope still in her hand.

“But the students in this academy are equal within the academy, right? I doubt anyone would mind if Claire joins us when we go.”

She looked like she found something amusing.

“……Hmm.”

Noticing such an expression, Alice let out a groan. I mean, after seeing my poker face for the past decade, she could probably tell when Charlot’s expression subtly changed.

It was an expression that indicated she found something entertaining but also harboring excessive pride.

She hated people who break the self-imposed rules. That’s why she had despised the “equal” student council.

“…….”

Alice’s self-esteem had improved a lot compared to the original story, but that didn’t mean her pride had diminished. She still held her head high as the Empire’s princess.

And she bore the pride of having entered the Empire’s top academy as its top student. Although I had inadvertently messed things up, Alice always seemed to view me as an ‘exception’ and had likely not taken her losses against me as a significant hit to her pride.

And that’s why I was in conflict.

Would taking Claire along to expose the student council be more humiliating for her?

Or would it be a bigger blow to her pride if she left Claire behind somehow?

However, I was certain of one thing.

Alice, who had both strong pride and self-esteem, wouldn’t choose either of those options.

“Okay, let’s go together.”

At Alice’s words, Claire’s expression brightened.

Yeah, probably, Alice…

Was more likely to choose the path of turning everything upside down.

*

In the original story, Alice wasn’t confident at first and was a shy character, but with my persistent suggestion that “You are the heir to the Emperor,” Alice wasn’t like that anymore.

If there were things she didn’t like or parts she found embarrassing to show to others, she would just fix them.

Because Alice had that kind of power.

In fact, this wasn’t just me; Leo, during the process of becoming friends with Alice, unknowingly boosted her confidence, and by the end of the first part, he stood up to the Emperor.

The Alice now had previously stood up for herself.

She even visited the Emperor to get me into the academy. Leo didn’t even know what happened in that conversation, but I believed she didn’t speak with a demure tone when addressing the Emperor.

“…….”

Meanwhile, Leo, who had awakened Alice in the original story, was sitting here trembling while sipping tea.

Meanwhile, Claire, his sister, was acting far too composed, similar to Alice and Charlot.

And a group of current student council members, shrouded in silence, were casting suspicious glances at us from a distance.

It wasn’t strange for me to come with Alice. I had been with her ever since I started attending the academy.

It wasn’t odd for Charlot to join us either. Being a foreign princess, it made more sense for her to have ties with royalty than with the Empire’s nobles.

But what on earth were those two offshoots from the baron’s estate doing here?

Of course, not all barons were bound to be of lower status.

If they were barons who received their territory directly from the royal family, they were esteemed individuals who received the Emperor’s orders directly, which meant they could even wield more power than local lords. Moreover, Grace’s estate had distinguished itself as a military asset, contributing greatly in multiple wars and earning significant prestige.

However, the noble children in the student council were a whole different breed. No matter how noble they were within the realm, their status wasn’t higher than that of the Duke’s or the Count’s children closely connected to the imperial lineage. That’s why invitations didn’t reach them.

And yet, seeing two princesses and a royal easily entering here would naturally lead one to think there was something behind it.

And the crux of the matter was that those baron’s children didn’t know the reason at all.

Because they didn’t know why Charlot was teasing the student council, which Alice had accepted, it held a meaning of its own.

“…….”

But apparently, no one was thinking about how to navigate this awkward situation.

Chapter 33

If we hadn’t brought Claire along to the student council, maybe the atmosphere would’ve been better.

Two Crown Princesses and one Princess. It’s not an odd arrangement, is it? The children of those standing at the peak of a nation. One might not share blood with them, but who’s gonna raise any objections?

But in between them, there’s a Baroness, which messes up the hierarchy.

Truthfully, it wasn’t something to worry about too much. If any of them were sharp enough or had experience mingling as high-ranking noble offspring, they’d know how to treat the Baroness and her sibling.

For instance—

“Oh, Your Highnesses, and the Princess.”

Just like the student council president who just walked in.

This noble, stylishly flaunting brilliantly cut blonde hair, belonged to the ‘Grandchester’ Duke family, the second most noble after the imperial family in this empire. Actually, aside from imperial family members, they have the most royal blood flowing in their veins.

Of course, the most famous figures in the royal family are the Emperor and Alice. That doesn’t mean there are no other royal family members. Some live leisurely in places somewhat detached from central power, and there are those who accept honorary positions and live like high-ranking officials.

All of them are just prioritizing their safety.

Among Dukes and Counts, there’ve been cases of individuals who foolishly got into troubles, ending up on the Emperor’s hit list or assassinated, but it’s precisely because they’re part of the royal family that they know to keep their heads down.

In fact, frequently in games, royals turn up as extras, usually speaking blankly as if they know nothing, but sometimes they inadvertently reveal that they indeed keep their heads down and ask for it to be kept a secret.

Of course, they wouldn’t reveal it like that in reality. It’s just a way of conveying the situation in games.

“And… the Grace family.”

Just as the student council president greeted me, Alice, and Charlotte, he politely and equally greeted the Grace family members with a smile.

The reason it had been quiet until now was probably because he didn’t know the names or personalities of the Grace kids, so he hadn’t engaged in conversation. Since they were brought directly by the Crown Princess, they might have more power than they appear to.

As mentioned before, in noble society, it’s considered rude for those of lower rank to speak first to those of higher rank… Anyway, there were several reasons for the student council room being quiet until now.

“I apologize for making you wait. I had some work to take care of.”

That statement is likely true. The student council president is indeed busy. Even if he sent an invitation, he wouldn’t know when we’d actually arrive.

“No, we didn’t wait long.”

“Hmm.”

Hearing Alice’s response, the student council president briefly squinted his eyes. He quickly returned to his original demeanor.

Alice likely used honorifics when addressing him because she wanted to show respect for him as a ‘senior.’

The student council president’s gaze lingered on Alice, then shifted to Charlotte, and finally landed on me. The duration of each gaze was short. As for Claire and Leo… it would be more accurate to say they slipped by rather than drew his gaze.

“It’s an honor that you came so soon after sending the invitation. How do you find the tea?”

“Is it leaves from the salon? Using something similar to what the royal family uses, it seems the student council is quite considerate.”

I had no clue about it at all.

No matter how much I rewound time and ate again, distinguishing the origin of food was impossible by my standards. It would be different if I listened to the whole story and then came to a conclusion.

This is part of why I play the quiet card. It eliminates the need to reveal information while tiring myself out.

“We brought the leaves from our territory. I’m glad it suits your taste. However…”

Finally, the student council president’s gaze lingered longer on the Grace children.

“May I ask what the relationship between the Crown Princess and others is?”

This time, Claire and Leo’s eyes also turned to Alice.

So, what kind of relationship do we have?

It’s not like we’re friends; we’ve only known each other for a little over a week, and while we’ve talked, we don’t exactly have any deep connections.

Alice brought along the Grace siblings merely because she thought it would be fun, after hearing Charlotte.

“They’re friends.”

But Alice confidently answered.

And then, she became slightly flustered under Claire’s sparkling gaze.

For some reason, it feels like their images are turning completely opposite.

…..

Well, it’s not like it’s a bad thing.

In fact, doesn’t it create balance? Alice doesn’t need to feel jealous of Claire, and Claire doesn’t need to envy Alice for having parents.

It feels like a conflict was sealed before it could even start.

Moreover, I thought it looked good. You know, there are those fanfics where relationships are reversed or the gender switches. In a game with many female characters, pushing for gender switch would’ve had me coughing blood, but this relationship reversal isn’t a bad idea.

“Oh, really?”

However, the student council president didn’t seem to believe it at face value.

He might have partially grasped Alice and Charlotte’s intentions. After all, they would have been raised with noble education in a strict household and attended social parties like nobility.

“If so….”

The student council president slowly walked to his seat.

And then he leisurely sat down.

“Do you know why we sent you an invitation?”

“Was it to encourage us to join the student council?”

“That’s correct.”

The student council president smiled at Alice’s response.

In noble circles, there’s no reason to dislike someone who speaks so bluntly. They’re the type who wouldn’t even realize that they’re revealing their weaknesses.

Except for the fact that the other party is Alice.

“Do you perhaps have the intention to join us?”

That means he’s likely asking Claire and Leo too, who are sitting here. In the original work, Leo inadvertently followed Alice and got presented with the choice to join a bit earlier than expected.

At that time, Alice and the student council president were exerting their power against each other in various ways. Now, however, that’s not the case.

“May I ask which positions are still open in the student council?”

“What positions—”

However, the student council president wasn’t able to continue with that suggestion.

Knock, knock.

There was a sound of knocking at the student council room.

“Is it okay for a moment?”

The student council president asked politely.

As Alice nodded, the student council president also nodded towards a female student.

The person outside the door was likely someone the student council president had summoned in advance…

…or maybe not.

“Oh.”

The student council president’s eyes widened slightly. As if an unexpected visitor had arrived.

It wouldn’t be strange for other high-ranking nobles to visit since invitations weren’t sent only to us.

However, the problem was,

“Lady Crowfield.”

Yep, the person the smiling student council president addressed was none other than Mia Crowfield.

And she didn’t look like a well-maintained Countess’s daughter. But since she’s high nobility, it seems she doesn’t neglect hygiene altogether.

However, her normally glossy black hair appeared quite dull. Some ends were slightly tangled.

The most ominous part of her hairstyle was the long straight bangs that carelessly draped over her face.

Do you know the ghost from the Japanese horror movie Sadako?

Her hairstyle looked like it was about to crawl out of an old black-and-white TV screen.

If this were a normal Earth setting instead of a game-based world, I bet beneath that hair would be an unkempt, acne-ridden face. Because no matter how well you manage the hair, oil will inevitably shine through.

Of course, the face beneath Mia Crowfield’s hair was that of a lovely girl with a pure image.

“…I received an invitation…”

The somewhat weak voice was so gloomy that even I, with over ten years of experience, could immediately recall that sound. Gloomy enough to be thought of as distinctive. Not a bad voice, though.

“Indeed, I sent the invitation.”

The student council president, who had been using honorifics to us, suddenly dropped his tone. But it wasn’t like he tossed courtesy out the window. It felt like, as if it were rightful, a polite boss talking to a subordinate.

“Oh, but…”

“It’s okay.”

As the student council president began to apologize to Mia, Alice interrupted.

“It wouldn’t be a problem for her to listen in on our conversation, right?”

“That’s true, but…”

As we were talking about joining the student council, there shouldn’t be an issue with Mia Crowfield, who came for the same purpose, listening in.

Though it’s not technically an issue…

That would only be true from the perspective of the student council president and those listening, but honestly, it posed a slight problem for me.

Er, did Mia Crowfield even show up in the original work?

Her grades were decent, and the Count Crowfield family didn’t fall into ruin. The family head had merely died; the territory was intact, and there were no revelations of wrongdoing. The Emperor ordered that assassination strictly for political reasons, not out of a desire for justice.

In fact, with power and territory intact, Mia Crowfield’s personal worth might have risen. If she graduated from the academy or dropped out midway to marry, she could manage the vacant territory somehow.

There are methods to seduce the now-aloner Countess as well, but a Countess wouldn’t easily fall for such blatant temptation.

Although her face was hidden, if one looked closely, their eyes could be seen through the locks of hair. Naturally, she had to look ahead, so when she glanced this way, part of her eye would naturally peek out.

And I was convinced that Mia Crowfield and I met eyes.

In fact, she stared at me for a while.

“…”

It doesn’t really matter how outstanding Crowfield’s information network might be. The Emperor undoubtedly had backdoor dealings with the remaining Countess after the Count’s death. He probably advised her to keep her mouth shut and live quietly, turning a blind eye to what transpired in the territory, who the Count was, and so on.

He must have told her not to confront him politically, or she’d be next.

And if she chose to live quietly under such circumstances, that would create a significant grudge against the Emperor.

That resentment would be passed down through generations. Parents teach their children only reasons to despise the opposing party, without explaining how such weaknesses came to be.

If Crowfield was raised that way, it’s only natural for her to hold extremely negative feelings toward me.

If she did her homework, she had likely heard the rumors about the Emperor’s children.

“…Huh?”

Alice’s gaze was going back and forth between Mia Crowfield and me. Since I could read my expression, it was natural for her to notice Mia’s ‘behavior’ as well.

“…Are those people over there…”

“Hmm?”

The student council president seemed somewhat flustered by Mia Crowfield’s sudden statement.

She hadn’t shown any etiquette toward the Crown Princess or Princess, nor to those who had greeted her.

“Are those people also interested in joining the student council?”

“…”

Her voice was ominous and somewhat unclear, but I could almost grasp her intent.

Does she want to participate in the same activities as me?

…Is she trying to approach me?

I scrutinized Mia Crowfield’s face once more.

This time, our eyes indeed locked.

And if my guess was right, Mia Crowfield was glaring at me.

Chapter 34

The moment my eyes met Crowfield, one thought popped into my mind:

Dun dun dun!

How much does he know?

Considering the Emperor’s personality, he might have completely revealed his involvement in the matter. After all, ‘showing off’ is the Emperor’s style.

Ba dum tss!

“I dealt with your husband. So if you want your daughter to be okay, do as I wish.”

In this era, a recording device is excessively cumbersome, and its performance is lacking. While magic stones can serve as an energy source by themselves, fully replacing the rest of the recording device is impossible. So even if the Emperor openly says such things, collecting evidence will be impossible.

Womp womp!

Magic isn’t all-powerful. At least not while I was playing the game; devices like listening devices never appeared, despite the ongoing political and legal situations.

Bzzzt!

“…….”

Both Alice and Charlotte can sense their enemy’s killing intent. That notion of killing intent and aura seems to be commonplace in this world, just like how it might be portrayed in Japanese manga or anime. The moments of surprise like ‘how can there be such killing intent?’ or ‘how can you hide your presence?’ pop up free-flowingly.

Gasp!

…I can’t feel any of it at all.

Not knowing how to use magic or feel someone’s presence or killing intent? Honestly, if I had been able to sense it, my expression would have shattered ages ago. Lucas toyed with me using his killing intent too. He probably stopped upon seeing that my eyebrows didn’t budge.

Eek!

But the truth is, I simply can’t feel it.

Ding!

“…….”

All eyes turned towards me. It seems Mia Crowfield is radiating killing intent towards me now. She isn’t a character that normally wields a sword, so while her killing intent might not be overwhelming, it’s still fascinating how I’m not panicking at all in the face of such an atmosphere.

“Dun ta da!”

“Crown Princess, are you involved in student council activities?”

She asks me clearly while looking me in the eye.

In the original work, Mia Crowfield was a very quiet character. She knew that the Emperor, Alice’s father, had killed her own father but didn’t send unnecessary killing intent towards Alice.

Clink!

She probably wouldn’t have thought that Alice did the killing herself. After all, that was Claire’s action in the original work. Later on, she did try to take Claire’s life but got easily subdued and screamed on the way.

Whoosh!

“I’m curious as to why you are asking me that.”

I quietly asked while gazing at Mia Crowfield.

…It’s not that I have no guilt at all. After all, my actions led to the collapse of a family.

Still, I don’t think I should have refrained from doing that. I don’t know if justifying it this way is right, but at least I had no intention of killing unless there was ‘no reason to do so’.

Yet, I saw that Count Crowfield was with a child who barely seemed eight years old on the bed.

Both the child and Count Crowfield were under the influence of opium.

Shiver!

‘When I had killed him’, that situation was certainly different, but had I let that man go, it’s obvious that it would definitely have happened in the future.

Since then, such dealings within Count’s Territory have been strictly prohibited. It wasn’t because it was immoral. Countess Crowfield cut off all business dealings later, fearing she might be caught red-handed again.

Dum dum dum!

Did that lady feel disappointed in her husband when she learned of the Count’s identity?

Well, looking at the Mia Crowfield in front of me, it doesn’t seem like she felt that way.

Uh-oh…

“I…”

Realizing that everyone’s gaze had shifted back to her, she seemed a bit flustered. A moment ago, her expression of sending killing intent towards me crumbled a bit, looking around in confusion, showing that she’s actually not that bold of a character.

Gulp!

That might be the same as in the original work.

“Did you mean that you killed my father?”

“……Uh?”

The atmosphere in the student council room turned tense in an instant.

The previously loosened atmosphere tightened as if it would snap any moment. Even I, who can’t feel killing intent, felt like the temperature in the room dropped several degrees.

Eek!

Someone in this room might have heard the rumors, but nobody would openly confirm it like this. After all, it’s better for assassination to not be found out.

“Y-You…!”

“Yes, I did. I set a bomb in the carriage. Twelve died.”

Boom!

“What are you talking about…?”

Alice’s face turned pale as she looked at me.

“I’m talking about when I assassinated Count Crowfield. Did you not know?”

Alice shook her head.

She probably had some suspicions. Even with that answer, she wouldn’t have thought that I killed Crowfield myself. After all, I was only twelve at the time.

Dun dun dun!

“……What do you mean? You killed someone?”

“Even when escaping the orphanage, I already killed someone.”

When I answered Claire’s statement calmly, everyone around turned even paler.

“If you join the student council… what do you intend to accomplish if I find out that you killed the Count?”

I asked again, looking at Mia Crowfield.

“……Why?”

Yet, Mia Crowfield looked blankly at me without answering.

Was it the sudden revelation of doubts that left her unsure of how to respond?

Maybe it was because she was unarmed that she didn’t show any inclination to kill me yet.

Thud!

Suddenly, Mia Crowfield’s legs seemed to give way as she knelt right there.

No one tried to support her or help her up.

They merely looked at me with eyes as if they were staring at a monster.

Gulp!

“Did you not come with a clear understanding? Isn’t that the reason you were looking at me as such?”

“…….”

Mia Crowfield didn’t answer.

“……You.”

As I quietly observed Mia Crowfield kneeling on the floor, a cold voice echoed from the side.

Charlotte, having set down her teacup, glared at me as if her gaze alone could freeze ice.

“Are you saying that the Emperor of the Empire killed one of his own nobles?”

In such a situation, could it be that Charlotte was courteous out of her extensive etiquette training?

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“For the Emperor’s power.”

Alice’s face grew even paler.

I had already made it clear to Alice that I supported her. Even if I was pointed out as the next Emperor instead of her, I would only support Alice.

In Alice’s eyes, knowing this, my reason for killing the Count might appear as grounding her power base.

Uh-oh

“…So you believe that everything’s permitted for the sake of power?”

Charlotte looked at me, genuinely disgusted.

“It also involved my personal judgment.”

“Personal judgment…”

Claire echoed my words with a whisper.

“…What do you mean by personal judgment?”

Her eyes were those of disgust, yet Charlotte didn’t interrupt me, asking once more.

Even in this situation, the princess was trying to view me fairly. Maybe she didn’t fully believe what I was saying. After all, while I did kill, there was no evidence. The Emperor might have ordered me, and that thought could fit the situation.

“The Count was dealing in opium. There were mines in the Count’s Territory, and a brothel operated inside that used opium and underage children. Even if the Count were not the main trader, he was clearly a customer of that brothel.”

“……Proof?”

“I saw it with my own eyes.”

“…Investigation and trial—”

“Were impossible.”

If they could have, such things wouldn’t have occurred in the Count’s Territory in the first place. No matter how powerful the Emperor is, the highest authority in the territory is the Count. The Emperor could, of course, make a direct visit and wield power there. And that’s exactly what the Emperor did — got rid of the Count using the power of violence.

Boom!

“Would it be possible in the Kingdom?”

“…….”

When I questioned, Charlotte fell silent.

The expression of someone looking at a monster seemed to be gradually changing. What that emotion could be was hard to discern precisely.

“…Dad? Why…?”

Mia Crowfield, having heard my story, murmured to herself.

“Mia Crowfield. I still haven’t gotten an answer.”

I looked at Mia Crowfield and asked again.

“What did you plan to do if you joined the student council? Were you planning to kill me the moment you realized I was the one who killed the Count?”

“…….”

Mia Crowfield seemed at a loss for words for a moment.

After staring at me blankly for a while, she finally spoke,

“I…will kill you.”

She said that.

“I will kill you!”

“Even if your father was such a man? If he sacrificed countless children?!”

“I don’t believe it! I don’t believe you!”

“Crowfield!”

At that moment, the student council president finally regained her composure and jumped to her feet because Mia Crowfield seemed ready to charge at me.

“You mean to say that you believe I killed your father, but you don’t believe he committed such vile acts?”

“You… I will kill you with my own hands!”

Seeing the president jump in, the surrounding noble ladies rushed in to stop Mia Crowfield.

“Wait, Crowfield! Calm down…!”

“…Understood.”

I quietly replied, and once again, the entire student council room stiffened.

Dun dun dun!

“So that’s what you think?”

“Wait a moment, my lady.”

Seeing Mia Crowfield glowing with killing intent, it’s clear she has no idea how to sense killing intent, and thus she surely doesn’t know how to radiate it either.

Most likely, I could only stare at the opponent with all my might.

But I might have assessed that there was something more than that.

Realizing that I was a being who had killed people without changing my expression since I was twelve, they probably thought something felt off. Maybe they even wondered if I’d attempt to eliminate Crowfield right then and there.

Claire, who had already half-risen from her seat, was looking at me.

Perhaps she felt that this needed to stop? At least the look in Claire’s eyes wasn’t filled with contempt or disgust. It was filled with concern.

“C-C-Claire.”

Alice stammered, attempting to intervene.

“Everyone, let’s stay calm. We don’t know if all of this is true or not.”

Alice tried to wrap herself around my words in whatever way she could.

Leo looked completely frozen, while Charlotte remained in a state of confusion.

Suddenly!

Well, yeah, that’s how everyone would react.

I slowly scanned the faces of everyone in the student council room and committed their looks to memory as best as I could.

And then—

Ding!

“The conclusion is still undecided.”

I spoke to Mia Crowfield in a calm voice.

“The Crown Princess… no, I will do as Alice wishes. What would you like to do?”

“Uh? A-Um, okay.”

Alice, glancing between Mia Crowfield and me, seemed a bit flustered when she responded.

“I’m… positively considering it.”

“If that’s the case, then I’ll positively consider it too.”

I answered and took a little sip of milk tea.

“…Then I would like to positively consider it too.”

Mia Crowfield, still glaring at me, said that.

Chapter 35

“……Hey, wait a sec.”

So, after the awkward meeting in the student council room, or rather, after the school classes ended in the afternoon…

Since I hadn’t really joined the student council yet, I was in a ‘maybe I’ll join’ state, which meant I had nothing else to do after class.

I studied at the library yesterday, though.

Claire seemed eager to see my face for a bit after class, but I hurried back to the dorm to sort out my thoughts. Well, maybe there’ll be another chance after I get my thoughts in order. If I really want to, I can just rewind time and hang out with Claire.

As for a heroine… um, to be honest, I’m not thinking about romance.

It’s true I got immersed in the game playing as Leo Grace. I’m definitely not as good-looking, wealthy, or skilled in studying or swordsmanship as he is. Honestly, comparing myself to Leo—who can have women flocking to him just by sitting still—while I’m just scraping by with a job and spending my free time on games and comics is simply impossible.

But still, the character I moved around in-game was Leo. The choices weren’t that plentiful, nor did they create huge differences in the endings, but of course, you tend to develop some fondness for your avatar.

And now, I found myself thrown into that game.

I’m interested in who Leo might end up with, how the altered storyline will flow. Honestly, I get a kick out of the fact that ‘I’ am the catalyst for the changes in the story.

In reality, I’m a character that would still be remembered even if I were to put my heart into it during the original game.

An infinite reincarnation with no risks! While my physical abilities aren’t superhuman, I still have the capacity to outsmart quite a few powerful characters.

Not to mention, thanks to this ability, I’ve absorbed all the information I normally wouldn’t know since my childhood.

I’ve read all the prophecy texts in the forbidden storage deep within the Imperial Palace. I don’t even need to worry about escaping back; if I can get through just once, I can read the contents and come right back.

…Anyway.

For that reason, I had turned down Claire’s request and returned to my dorm.

As a luxury dorm, it was clean and well-kept, comparable to my own room in the Imperial Palace. In some ways, there were even better amenities.

Just before I entered my dorm room and closed the door, Alice had stopped and said something while grabbing the doorknob.

I couldn’t overpower Alice. If it was a matter of avoiding her, that would be different.

“……”

Knowing that well, I let go of the doorknob, and Alice opened the door, stepping into my room.

Bam!

The door slammed shut a little hard.

Somehow… it seemed like she was mad. Or maybe just emotionally charged. Is that it?

“Earlier, Crowfield didn’t look at you just any old way.”

After securely closing the door, Alice crossed her arms and asked me. She seemed mad but also took an approach that was rational.

“Do you know something?”

“……”

What should I do?

Alice probably knows that Count Crowfield is dead. She might not know the exact cause. The Emperor wouldn’t have specifically informed her of that.

She might be suspecting something. Alice isn’t stupid; she doesn’t lack information. She might be wondering if the Emperor is potentially assassinating his own political opponents. After all, she’s lived with her father all her life.

“Answer me. This is…”

Just then, Alice suddenly went quiet, her face contorting in thought for a moment, then she seemed to resolve something and opened her mouth.

“This is a question I need to ask as the next Emperor. It seems like it’s necessary information.”

“……”

So that’s how it is.

There was a scene like this in the original story too. But at that time, most characters didn’t really care about it. Alice’s demeanor back then was more like grabbing at straws rather than a serious attitude. Most of the time, she was dealing with the Emperor’s children.

But right now, Alice in front of me has a very serious expression. She’s not just throwing her weight around; she genuinely is asking me a question while putting her authority on the line.

And the person who created this Alice is me.

…Then, I should respect that authority.

“I did it.”

“……”

Alice just stared at me silently for a moment, her posture unchanged, then said,

“……Huh?”

Her expression finally loosened up about five seconds later, letting out that sound.

“The carriage that the Count was riding in exploded because I planted a bomb underneath it.”

“……”

Alice, who had been staring blankly, wobbled and plopped down on my bed. Looking up at me, she asked,

“Why?”

“Because His Majesty the Emperor ordered it.”

“……At that time, you were….”

“I was twelve years old.”

“……Since then, have there been other assassination orders?”

“That was the first and last one for me.”

“What about the others?”

“I can’t say. However, it’s likely that there have been more such orders.”

“……”

Alice fell silent, lost in thought.

This was different from when I had openly stated the facts in the student council room earlier. This time, she was the only one hearing it, and in such a situation, it would be close to impossible to manage things.

“……You just killed the Count for that reason?”

“……”

Alice’s gaze as she looked up at me was tangled with complex emotions.

Alice trusts me. However, that doesn’t mean she knows everything about me. Forget the fact that I’m from another world; she doesn’t know about everything I’ve done in this world either.

While the Emperor might see me as a difficult tool to handle, Alice doesn’t think of me as a mere tool. Just look at how shocked she was to see the morphine I had kept.

“The Count was involved in the opium trade in the territory.”

“……”

Seeing Alice waiting for me to continue, I continued speaking.

“And he brought children to create a brothel. He often used that brothel.”

I couldn’t tell if he made it himself or if he was receiving something in return for turning a blind eye. However, it was clear that Count Crowfield frequently used that place.

It wasn’t just a one-time encounter. I’d gone back in time several times to confirm it myself. I had also heard it directly from the Count himself.

“They must have been children from the orphanage.”

“……”

“And I’m also from an orphanage.”

“……”

As I spoke and looked down at Alice, she let out a small sigh as if feeling a little relief.

“Then… I’ll ask one last thing. If that Count really was innocent. If your father was just trying to kill the Count for power, what would you have done?”

“I wouldn’t have killed him.”

What I would have done afterward is uncertain. I could have helped to conceal the death by uncovering the truth or just left it as it was, having not killed him. I can’t say for sure since that situation never occurred.

But one thing is certain: I wouldn’t have killed him. Since I’ve played the game, I know what kind of deeds Count Crowfield has committed, yet, I also wanted to confirm once more. His actions could have differed for any reason in this world.

The conclusion was drawn as killing him.

“I understand.”

Alice let out a long breath and nodded at my words.

“So that’s how it is.”

She then closed her eyes and sat there for a few seconds before standing up.

“Alright.”

Standing up, Alice looked straight at me as she spoke.

“From now on, such things won’t happen.”

Huh?

I stared at Alice in confusion over what suddenly emerged from her mouth. Alice looked at me with a resolute expression, her face set with determination.

“From now on, there’s no need for you to stain your hands with blood.”

“…….”

Um, well.

Uh, that…

“If I become Emperor, I won’t make you do such dirty things.”

Uh-oh.

Even if she’s becoming Emperor, I can’t imagine someone in such a position would never do something dirty.

Isn’t it common for modern-day national leaders, if not to the extent of assassinations, to have soldiers or spies do their dirty work? Reality doesn’t turn by chivalry.

“If His Majesty directly orders it—”

“Ignore it. I’ll take care of it in any way.”

“……”

What’s this?

Did I somehow press some button within Alice?

What she was saying seemed far from reality in many ways. Honestly, it sounded like something a spoiled child would say. No matter how much she is the future Emperor, the current Emperor is still alive and kicking. Even if she takes over, it’ll be decades down the line.

If she’s telling me to refuse orders from an existing Emperor, what should I say in response?

…Even thinking that this was nonsense, I found myself wanting to answer.

“……Understood.”

For some reason, that’s what I felt compelled to say.

I don’t believe that Alice’s words will be completely fulfilled. But separate from that fact, I could tell that Alice was speaking from the heart. She genuinely intends to soothe the Emperor’s orders.

And that sight of Alice made my heart swell with pride.

“……Why are you making that face?”

Alice spoke bluntly, acting like she felt displeased looking at me.

Huh?

“……What do you mean by ‘that face’?”

I was expressionless. If I had changed my expression, I would have noticed it too. After all, I had trained to keep my face expressionless diligently.

I wanted to raise my hand to touch my face but stopped myself. If that’s a fake, then I’d fall into her trap. It’s better to just quietly observe Alice with full confidence that my face holds no expression.

“Hmm.”

While looking at me, Alice made that sound and turned her body around.

And without a moment’s hesitation, she stomped toward the door.

Click

The door opened with a click.

…Had she locked it?

“Then, rest well.”

Alice said that and closed the door.

“……”

I was going to rest anyway, so she didn’t need to say that.

I sat on my bed.

Initially, after collecting my thoughts for a bit, I was thinking of rewinding time to grab a cup of tea with Claire but…

I feel sorry for Claire, but I’ll have to skip that. After having such a conversation with Alice, it feels a bit wasteful to rewind time. Even if I returned after having tea with Claire, I’m not sure if Alice would still have those questions or if I’d even have a chance to respond. Trust me, having rewound time multiple times, I know for a fact that time doesn’t roll the way I want it to.

If I change my actions just a little, the results dramatically differ. If I already experienced the ending I desire, it would require me to act without a hitch in order to achieve that same conclusion.

“Ignore the Emperor’s orders, huh.”

Did Alice manage to catch a weakness of the Emperor? Or is she planning to use what I told her today as leverage?

Neither possibility seems very likely.

Then again, it seems Alice is genuinely determined about this herself.

…Thinking like this again makes me realize Alice is quite unique.

Seems like coming to this world wasn’t a waste after all.

With a pleasant smile, I laid down on my soft bed.

Chapter 36

Crowfield.

In fact, despite its name, Count Crowfield’s territory wasn’t a place swarming with crows. At least, it wasn’t somewhere that would earn such a name just for having a lot of crows.

There was a vast meadow. Up until autumn, it was a place of beautiful green. But if you ask if it gets cold in autumn, the answer is no. The green just turns to gold, and it certainly doesn’t become a desolate wasteland.

The city had undergone some modernization compared to other territories. While there wasn’t a massive cloud of smoke blocking the sky from colossal chimneys, there was still a factory area far off that emitted black smoke.

The territory itself wasn’t that large, so despite the existence of a factory area, it wasn’t a place where public order was lacking.

That’s why those who felt a somewhat ominous atmosphere from the name of the territory would often ask after visiting,

“Why does such a beautiful place have such a creepy name like ‘Crowfield’?”

Crowfield was originally a territory of the Kingdom of Velbur. More precisely, it was on the border between the Kingdom of Velbur and the Empire of Aetherna at that time.

In the past, it was the site of the largest battle during the war between the Empire and the Kingdom of Velbur, where many lives were lost after numerous occupations back and forth. Empire soldiers, kingdom soldiers, and those killed for being citizens of the kingdom, as well as those who were executed for conspiring with the Empire during its occupation… countless corpses piled up in that place.

Bodies that were never properly disposed of lay scattered all over the meadow, and the corpses tossed haphazardly into the forest began to rot away.

And many crows flocked to those bodies. They picked at the corpses that no one wanted to touch and continued to breed, filling the skies with flying crows and their cawing for some time.

Travelers eventually began calling the area ‘Crowfield.’ The old name hardly came to mind. Those who had made that area their home had almost all vanished.

Yet, despite so many deaths, the Empire did not cease its expansion, resulting in the borders we see today. Now, Crowfield wasn’t even considered a ‘border region’ anymore since a smaller territory was wedged between Crowfield and the Kingdom of Velbur.

It was assumed that the days of corpses piling up in Crowfield were over. It was thought that the region would continue to develop and prosper forever.

That is, until the count’s death from a single explosion.

“…Mia.”

Not long after the count’s funeral, the Baroness called for Mia.

Wiping away the tears on Mia’s face with her fingers, her mother hugged her tightly and gently patted her back.

“This incident was orchestrated by the Emperor.”

“…What?”

The official announcement was that the carriage carrying the count and his entourage had exploded due to a gas leak under the vehicle. Since gas explosions happened occasionally, Mia simply thought her father’s death was an unfortunate accident. Until she heard her mother’s words.

“The Emperor… it was the Emperor’s doing. Maybe it was one of those kids’ mischief.”

It’s not certain. But her mother seemed to believe that. For some reason, Mia just couldn’t understand it.

“Mother?”

“Mia. My daughter.”

Her mother, clutching Mia tightly, whispered into her ear.

“Never forget that fact. Right now, there’s nothing we can do, but…”

In a voice barely loud enough for her only flesh-and-blood daughter to hear, she said,

“One day, until the Imperial Family becomes ‘Crowfield’.”

*

After Count Crowfield’s death, the Baroness diligently gathered information. Among that information, some were accurate, and some were uncertain, but she didn’t particularly mind. After all, everyone in Crowfield’s list of targets for revenge was documented anyway.

Collecting information was just to keep that hatred alive. To see if she could possibly draw others in.

At the very least, wouldn’t it be better to fight for revenge when Crowfield was at a more advantageous position?

Mia also remembered that hatred. Continuously studying and memorizing so as not to forget.

There was a rumor circulating like this.

‘On the day a prominent figure of the Empire dies, one of the children around the Emperor disappears.’

It was just a rumor, but the nobility of the Empire seemed to believe it was true. Among the information circulating among the high-ranking nobles, there was even a list of ‘children who disappeared on the day an imperial figure died.’ They only suspected based on circumstantial evidence, but the specialties of the missing children coincidentally overlapped with those of the nobles.

Moreover, the Emperor showed no intention of suppressing such rumors. If that list were indeed true, the Emperor would have been aware of the fact that the list was circulating.

Thus, Mia Crowfield found the Emperor even more detestable.

As if he were waiting patiently, daring someone to come up to him while sitting on that high throne. The Emperor, who remained calm even after killing her father.

The entity that disappeared on the day Count Crowfield died was Sylvia Fanggriffon, who was the same age as Mia, just twelve years old.

Indeed, that’s why some nobles didn’t believe that list. The idea that a twelve-year-old child could infiltrate the heavily guarded count’s mansion, plant a bomb in the carriage, and assassinate the count was just absurd. It was simply speculation that pieced together facts into a conspiracy theory.

Regardless of the information garnered from the palace maids and servants, that information was not necessarily accurate. Dates could be confused, and perhaps the princess hadn’t come out of her room or was visiting elsewhere.

Some of those listed had simply passed away.

But…

During the dueling event on the first day of class, Sylvia Fanggriffon had used explosive projectiles. From the perspective of someone wielding firearms, even in an extremely disadvantaged close combat scenario, the Emperor’s daughter calmly evaded all attacks and subdued her opponent.

It wasn’t the movement described in textbooks.

It was movement that could only be executed when one already knew their opponent’s next move.

Would someone equipped with such abilities really have trouble infiltrating the Count’s territory?

That wasn’t the only strange point.

When Sylvia Fanggriffon received the invitation to the student council and came head-to-head with Mia, the murderous intent in Mia’s gaze didn’t even cause her to flinch. Perhaps Mia’s magic prowess was so lacking that it didn’t register, but right next to her, Alice Fanggriffon and Charlotte, the princess of Velbur, seemed somewhat startled.

She displayed murderous intent right in front of the imperial princess. It was strange that she wasn’t rattled, but…

Sylvia Fanggriffon remained composed.

As if that was completely normal.

*

Returning to her room, Mia looked at her desk.

There was a small frame sitting there. Inside the black-and-white photo were three people.

Mia and her parents.

Nobles usually preferred portraits over regular photographs. They viewed it as more ‘sophisticated’ and ‘noble-like.’ Only those lacking time to wait for a portrait or money to hire an artist resorted to taking pictures.

Moreover, a person’s face depicted in a portrait is usually more idealized than in a photograph.

Unlike photographs that depict only the reality, portraits involve the artist’s interpretation. And that interpretation most often aligns with the tastes of the noble who pays for it.

Thus, Mia did not hang a family portrait in her room.

The father Mia remembered from her childhood.

He often wasn’t home at night as he diligently ran around for the people of the territory, and although he had a rather haggard appearance, she remembered that it was always the face of her father who worked hard.

Mia recalled Sylvia Fanggriffon’s face, who had been staring at her without averting her gaze. That expression seemed devoid of any guilt whatsoever.

Silently sipping tea with bloodstained hands, Sylvia Fanggriffon.

“…I won’t forgive you.”

Mia murmured like that.

Deep in her heart, she reaffirmed her hatred.

Sylvia Fanggriffon must die. She must pay for her sins with her life.

Even if that meant Mia would have to sacrifice her own.

*

Could it be because they were both Fanggriffons? Alice Fanggriffon treated Sylvia Fanggriffon with familiarity.

Of course, Sylvia’s expression never changed during their conversations. No matter how long Alice Fanggriffon spoke, Sylvia’s responses were usually short.

Yet, despite that, there was a mysterious warmth between the two. Both princesses rarely smiled, and they always held stern expressions.

Why could they be so composed?

Could it be that, in Sylvia Fanggriffon’s eyes, Mia Crowfield appeared to be an innocent girl who didn’t know how to take revenge?

“…Ah.”

However, today was a bit different.

The expression on Alice Fanggriffon’s face while looking at Mia was somewhat clouded. It was a different look from when she saw Mia yesterday. Yesterday, she had merely been startled by Mia’s murderous intent towards Sylvia.

No, perhaps it was precisely because of that that her expression had darkened today.

Without a staff, if Mia tried to rush at Alice Fanggriffon, she would merely be subdued. The princess was an excellent swordswoman.

So, in truth, it wouldn’t be due to her murderous aura scaring her.

Could it be that she felt an ounce of guilt?

“…Mia Crowfield.”

“…Your Highness.”

At least today, she decided to hide her hatred just a little. No matter how loathsome the opponent was, if she continuously emanated such an atmosphere, she was bound to fail.

But still, could she succeed?

“…”

Mia could see Sylvia Fanggriffon’s face staring at her intently.

With a chillingly expressionless face, nothing could be felt from her. It was as if the existence of Mia Crowfield before her was so worthless that she couldn’t feel a thing, her demeanor just as icy—

“Are you hungry?”

Suddenly, Alice Fanggriffon asked Sylvia Fanggriffon.

The cold gaze that had been directed at Mia shifted towards Alice Fanggriffon.

“…”

Sylvia Fanggriffon remained silent.

“Well then, let’s go. We must have breakfast. You know you tend to eat a lot in the mornings.”

“…”

Sylvia Fanggriffon still didn’t respond.

Could it be that Alice, the princess, intentionally drew Sylvia Fanggriffon’s attention?

Why?

“Well then, we’ll be going ahead. One must eat three meals to function properly.”

“Ah, yes…”

At those words from Alice Fanggriffon, Mia’s expression cracked just a bit.

But soon, flames reignited in her heart.

“…”

Indeed, was she merely being ignored?

If so, she would only show that this justifiable anger could pierce like a terrifying blade.

Mia Crowfield stood still, glaring at the two figures moving away.

*

No, how did she know?

Did my stomach growl or something? There was no way Alice would have a basis for making such a judgment, was there?

“It was written all over your face, why?”

On my face?

“…No, even if you look at it like that…”

As I stared at Alice, she averted her gaze as if slightly embarrassed.

Could it be that her eyesight was at microscopic level, able to detect tiny, imperceptible twitches of my facial muscles that even I wasn’t aware of? It would have to be so minute that I wouldn’t even notice it myself.

“…And just because the other side shows hostility, it doesn’t mean you have to always accept it.”

“I have no intention of accepting it, at all.”

As Alice spoke as if giving advice, I also replied like that.

“It’s just that I think that anger is perfectly expected as well.”

Because it was the person who killed her father.

And she knew nothing of the circumstances. Given the events of yesterday, it was unlikely that she would immediately accept whatever I said.

It might be better to give hints so she can find out for herself.

“…”

Alice stared intently at me as I thought alone.

Her expression wasn’t emotionless. Yet, it wasn’t an expression I could decipher. It was a mix of many emotions all bundled together, making it vague.

…It felt a bit unfair that Alice could read my expression, yet I couldn’t read hers.

Chapter 37

“Gentlemen, do you know what the most glorious battlefield among all battlefields is?”

True to her character, Jennifer took all the students outside again, just like on the first day of class.

It seemed like ‘curriculum’ didn’t exist in this person’s mind.

We definitely received textbooks upon entering school, but we hadn’t even opened them. Seriously, if we didn’t need them, why give them to us? My bag gets heavier every morning.

However, I already knew what kind of person Jennifer was, so I wasn’t too surprised.

Jennifer was a character designed to turn ‘class time’ into ‘gameplay’.

The purpose of a student is, of course, to study. But if students only study in a game, it makes the game incredibly boring. It’s not like we’re playing a dating sim or a setting games quiz.

Thus, this game significantly reduced the studying part and created ‘combat time’ during class.

And in that process, the conflict between characters was highlighted, and the one who effectively utilized that conflict was none other than Jennifer Winterfield.

Of course, if Jennifer kept gathering students for duels every class, the story wouldn’t progress, so she grouped them in the early part for character introductions, while the latter part would be filled with incidents happening left and right.

“Hmm.”

No student raised their hand.

And I knew exactly who Jennifer would pick.

The one she pointed to was—

“Leo Grace!”

That’s right. It was Leo Grace.

He was the protagonist, and in the settings, Baron Grace was also Jennifer’s childhood role model. Although she didn’t openly show favoritism, there were often descriptions suggesting a closeness between them.

Of course, Leo Grace was unaware of such background settings and thought it was just a random choice by the teacher.

Ah, speaking of which, in the original work, depending on choices, Leo could end up dueling against Jennifer. So, maybe this wasn’t too far-fetched. Given that Jennifer and Leo had fought a few days earlier, it didn’t seem too much of a coincidence either.

It wasn’t a coincidence in reality, either.

“Ah, yes.”

Leo got up, looking like he regretted being chosen, but Jennifer didn’t seem to care much.

“Where do you think the most glorious battlefield is?”

“Ah…”

At this point, a choice appeared.

However, it didn’t matter which one he picked. All three choices had their own reasons and were equally valid, so they didn’t fit the intent behind Jennifer’s question.

“Is it the battlefield in the North?”

True to his diligent nature, Leo thought long and hard before giving that answer.

Indeed, that was the first choice.

The others were the South and the West, respectively. The South was still underdeveloped, with ongoing minor conflicts with local tribes, while the West was coastal. While the coast was safe, once you ventured inland, pirate ships were swarming, targeting trade ships heading to the new continent.

All three choices cited maintaining order in the Empire as the reason, but the Southern battlefield, with its particularly imperialistic undertones due to conflicts with ‘natives’, made players in the minor gallery joke about the ‘Imperialism Route’. Though it wouldn’t change the endings or progress, they still found it amusing.

For the record, there are some sequels focusing on the conflicts in the southern Empire, but there, Leo seems to genuinely help the natives.

“Hoho.”

Jennifer, who had served in the North, looked intrigued by Leo’s answer.

“In that case, may I ask why?”

“Yes. The North borders the Riclant Autonomous State. However, the Autonomous State’s security is extremely unstable, leaving them incapable of properly managing their borders close to the Empire, hence their warlords often invade the Empire’s borders. Therefore, I believe the most glorious battlefield is where soldiers are always vigilant to protect the Empire’s citizens from danger.”

“Is that so?”

Jennifer nodded, looking satisfied.

“Indeed. Although they’re called warlords, they are similar to mercenaries without employers. They’ll do anything for money. They won’t care one bit if what they do is dirty. Battling against such people can definitely be called a glorious task. However…”

Jennifer looked straight at Leo as she spoke.

“That glory can only be enjoyed after surviving or by returning as a corpse. The glory of the ‘battlefield’ itself is not the same. But it was a good answer. Sit down.”

Leo sat down again, noticeably relieved.

“The battlefield is—ah, that’s right.”

Cutting her explanation short, Jennifer paused.

Hmm.

This was supposed to be where she explained her theory, but it felt like she had never done this before.

Jennifer’s gaze turned toward me after pausing.

“Sylvia Fanggriffon. Stand up.”

“…….”

Um, why?

Of course, I didn’t say that out loud. It’s not abnormal for a teacher to call on a student. At least it’s far more reasonable than an emperor sending a fourteen-year-old girl as their proxy to international negotiations.

As I stood up without saying anything, Jennifer quietly regarded me before asking,

“What do you think? Where do you believe the most glorious battlefield is?”

“…….”

I absolutely hate presentations.

Even when working on group projects in college, I would take all the slides, but I would always make someone else present. Even when it was advantageous to get the highest score from the presentation, I loathed it immensely.

After all, if you say something wrong, it’s embarrassing.

Naturally, I knew the answer Jennifer wanted. I might have skipped every event after the third or fourth go, but at least until the second go, I replayed the story and watched it again to properly translate each line.

Especially, I remember replaying that scene several times to know which answer was correct among the three choices.

“……There is no glorious battlefield.”

Yes, this was the answer Jennifer wanted. If Headmaster Abraham Winterfield were here, he would have probably blown a gasket.

“Hoho.”

A smile crept onto Jennifer’s face.

As she gazed at me, her lips curled into a grin. Did she like my answer?

Choosing to align with an answer that could be seen as correct rather than something embarrassing was my thought process behind the response.

In fact, I was also a bit curious to see Jennifer’s reaction if I had given a fourth answer.

“Why do you think so?”

Jennifer repeated her question.

“Because the battlefield is hell. There is no glorious place in hell. Although surviving there may be glorious.”

The time was still close to an interwar period.

It was a transitional time from the age of pre-modern linear infantry tactics to modern warfare that maintained cover and shot from afar.

While modern-looking tanks and airplanes began to appear, there were no smart, precise advanced weapons that could accurately strike what was necessary.

Barbed wire was laid down, trenches were dug, and bunkers were made. Thousands of soldiers rushed into the enemy trenches to be chunked up into pieces by machine guns. Shells and mortars rained down intermittently above, and a single direct hit could leave you unidentifiable as a corpse.

In the no-man’s land between trenches, corpses lay strewn about haphazardly.

Flamethrowers, poison gas, land mines, machine guns… weapons so shocking they were impossible to face with just a human body poured over, yet the means to accurately strike those weapons were extremely limited.

The modern wars of the Earth I lived on were hell too, but in terms of a full-scale war, the battlefield in this world was another form of hell.

“…….”

A hint of expression faded from Jennifer’s face.

She took a few steps closer and stared into my eyes.

“……I see.”

And after some private understanding, she nodded.

“Yes, indeed. The battlefield is hell. The tales of knights clashing swords in battle are merely stories of yesteryear.”

And the war where swords clashed was hell in another sense too.

“Sit down.”

At Jennifer’s words, I sat back down. I could feel the gazes piercing me from around, but I tried to ignore it.

“I cannot predict how any of you will survive in battle. Honestly, such things cannot be learned. No matter how much I teach my know-how, it’s impossible for anyone to completely master it. Actions in the field will inevitably evolve to fit each individual’s comfort.”

Jennifer spoke with a serious expression.

“Some of you might even become soldiers. But at least, the subject I’m in charge of is about raising soldiers. And the most essential thing for a soldier is the ability to survive any unpredictable ordeal.”

This was why Jennifer had called us for duels since the first day. She always spoke earnestly.

As someone who had experienced the battlefield firsthand.

“So today, you will learn how to confront unpredictable trials.”

A smile returned to Jennifer’s face.

With a beaming grin, Jennifer gestured like a theater director introducing actors on stage.

“Today, your opponents in the duel will be the commoner class over there.”

At that moment, the commoner class, Class C, was just exiting the building.

The reason they came out later was that Jennifer had suddenly changed the class schedule. It would be more accurate to say that she coordinated with another teacher to overlap the schedules of Classes A and C rather than stealing their class time.

“……Instructor?”

“What is it?”

One of the students cautiously raised their hand to call Jennifer, who turned her head towards them and asked.

“Aren’t the kids from that class commoners?”

“Yes. They are commoners. Is there a problem?”

Uncertain about the unfolding situation, the C-class students looked at us with anxious expressions, and the same student asked again.

“Commoners… haven’t they undergone proper training in any martial arts? Can the way commoners fight really be a ‘trial’ for us?”

Several students chuckled softly at this remark.

“Hoho.”

Jennifer replied, seemingly finding it amusing.

“Is that so? Even the weapons used by Her Royal Highness Sylvia Fanggriffon cannot exactly be labeled as ‘martial arts.’”

“…….”

With her biting sarcasm, the students fell silent instantly.

Indeed.

Among the commoners, very few belonged to a proper martial arts school to train in swords, spears, or magic.

In other words, it meant that they often used ‘weapons that could be easily wielded without training.’

The approaching commoner students were unmistakably visible.

Most of them had rifles or hunting shotguns slung across their backs. Though more civil than military, there were still quite a number—

“…….”

That alone was enough to silence the noble students.

Chapter 38

There are bears in this world.

But this bear isn’t like the kind you think people encounter on Earth.

Ah, of course, Earth’s bears are dangerous too. They tear people apart. If you get hit by a bear’s claw, your intestines would spill out onto the floor in no time. And the bear would happily snack on that.

Similar to the reasons for elephants, rhinoceroses, and other large land animals, there are lions and tigers as well.

They are actually called that. ‘Bear’, ‘lion’, ‘elephant’… they all have the same names in the game’s monster compendium, but…

Well, I wonder if it’s okay to treat the beasts I know and the beasts in this game as the same thing.

First of all, the fur color is different. On Earth, there were bears with brown, black, or white fur, but the bears in this world have a much more colorful fur.

Red, blue, green, or brown.

And the shape of their claws is different too. If you think of ordinary beast claws, you’re in trouble. Unlike the hard keratin structure of regular claws, these bears’ claws look like they’re made of solid ice, are always on fire, or create winds strong enough to blow people away or cause tremors in the ground when swung… Anyway, they could do things that absolutely no ordinary bear could, making them frankly just beasts with forms of attack that are utterly unbelievable.

Lions, tigers, elephants, and rhinoceroses are similar. The only animals that resemble what people on Earth would recognize are horses. In fact, even those horses have a story that says humans bred them for convenience, so wild horses might even have manes made of flames…

…Anyway, that’s how it is.

And surprisingly, humanity has survived in a world dominated by such insane beasts and has become the apex of all creatures.

Well, I suppose it isn’t particularly strange, considering the first emperor ruled over the gryphons with his bare hands.

Because of this, one shouldn’t look down on civilian firearms. Shotguns, rifles, they’re all weapons made to take down those monsters. There are even people who make money selling the parts of the monsters they’ve hunted.

Like using a large-caliber shotgun to smash the skull of a bear or using a rifle that’s much larger than standard military rifles… Wizards would have likely focused on practical magic purely for survival.

“…Instructor!”

And, no matter how much one lived as a noble, it’s impossible to be entirely oblivious to this fact. Just because you’re a noble doesn’t mean you stop eating meat, and there are plenty of taxidermy decorations on the wall.

“Still, aiming a shotgun at them! This is blasphemy! How can you shoot a beast with a gun…!”

Strangely enough, the creators seem to have drawn this perception from reality. They say that Europeans were horrified to see the Americans using shotguns during World War I. Conversely, the Americans felt annoyed that the Germans were using submachine guns, saying, “They’re using weapons meant for gangsters.”

Well, regardless of whether one feels annoyed or not, it doesn’t mean anything. In the confines of a narrow trench, shotguns or submachine guns are extremely useful. When you’re in an urgent situation where there’s no time to aim, you could just pull the trigger while pointing randomly, or you can grip it tight with both hands and spray bullets without thinking, there’s no reason not to use a firearm that could silence the opponent.

And this might be the reason why they’re pitting commoners against nobles in a fight.

Jennifer has been fighting warlords who shoot down both nobles and commoners.

“Do people think they’re not beasts?”

As a noble student raised a hand in protest upon seeing the crowd of commoners approaching, Jennifer quietly looked at that student and asked softly.

“Be it human or beast, if you get shot, you bleed and die. Just because you’re a human doesn’t mean every pellet of birdshot will completely miss. Once again, let me emphasize, there’s no honor or glory on the battlefield. There’s only a muddy beast struggling to survive in a trench full of water.”

Saying this, Jennifer raised one side of her lip slightly.

“Or else, asking our Crown Princess might not be a bad idea. Sylvia.”

Wait, what?

I’m not saying anything and just standing still—

—Hmm, thinking back again, it seems I was the only one standing speechless. The noble class students, even Leo, Charlotte, and Alice, were showing some discomfort on their faces while I remained calm.

To put it another way, Claire was pretty calm too, but she probably recalls what life’s like at the bottom of human society.

“What do you think? Will the enemy protest against using shotguns? Do you think they’ll request us to use ‘honorable weapons’?”

As I had just responded that there was no glory in battle, it was likely they asked me that because they were sure I wouldn’t say something like that.

I mean, I’ve never just dismissed a Count with an assassination. I did set a bomb on a carriage, but honestly, that wasn’t exactly ‘noble’ either. If you’re a noble, it would be proper to boldly declare a duel and neutralize or kill your opponent fairly.

I wonder if Jennifer knows that much. But at the very least, I get the sense that she has some strange trust in me.

Jennifer seems to view me as a ‘soldier.’

…Did she hear that I was supposed to go to the battlefield?

“Can we get shotguns or submachine guns?”

At my words, the surroundings murmured.

Revolvers and rifles have already conjured images as essential weapons on the battlefield. So, no one would challenge someone carrying such weapons. If they want to ridicule a commoner who’s practically without affiliates, they won’t go as far as to boldly say, “You’re a coward.”

“Of course. The most important thing on the battlefield is to ‘prepare weapons in advance’. I’ll allow you to choose your weapons before the fight. Whether it’s a rifle, a revolver, or a shotgun, feel free to choose.”

“Thank you.”

Perhaps pleased with my answer, Jennifer nodded with a smile on her face.

…She’s a pretty attractive person, just like people coming out of games.

Honestly, from the way she talks, she doesn’t seem fully sane.

Well, given that she’s seen such a battlefield, it’s no surprise.

*

The duel itself is close to a one-on-one battle, but that doesn’t mean the noble class is all on the same team. With fifteen people, it might not be bad to move as one unit, but among the noble students, there’s those who think that ‘holding a shotgun on the battlefield’ is an unpleasant thought.

As the grade increases, their awareness might change, but at least for the students who have just entered the academy, it seems that’s considered ‘cowardly behavior.’

“……”

And the people gathered around me didn’t seem to be in particularly good spirits either.

“If you really don’t want to use it, you don’t have to.”

Seeing Alice treating me with no prejudice and even Charlotte, who treats people fairly, not having a particularly good look, I said that.

“If you’re going to use a weapon you’re not familiar with, you might end up making mistakes. No matter how easy a weapon is to use, it won’t feel right in your hands if you’re picking it up for the first time.”

As I said that, I loaded the shotgun.

The M1889. This shotgun that Jennifer brought was supposedly the weapon designated by the Winterfield family’s soldiers in the Northern Region. It has a heat-shield plate with a hole on top, and the absence of a hammer, which is typically outward, or a groove for attaching a bayonet, makes it look like the shotgun used by the American troops in World War I commonly known as a ‘trench gun.’

Or, thinking about the game’s developers, it’s possible they just changed the name of that gun and threw it in.

The incoming ammo is five rounds in the tubular magazine and one in the chamber. So, a total of six shots.

While my primary weapons are rifles and revolvers, that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to use a shotgun. I practiced a fair amount for this too. Honestly, I think I practiced more on reloading than shooting. To be frank, the reloading method is one of the coolest in modern firearms.

“…For now,”

As I finished loading the shotgun and was packing the speedloader that looked like a cigarette box, Alice finally opened her mouth.

“I’d like you to tell me how to use it first.”

At Alice’s words, all the surrounding gazes shifted towards her.

“If you know how to shoot, that means you can use it, right? Certainly, there’s nothing better than this gun for taking down enemies that appear close by.”

“……”

I quietly looked at Alice as she spoke and picked up the break-action double-barrel shotgun next to me.

I loaded each barrel with birdshot and handed it over to Alice.

“Two shots are loaded. Point the muzzle toward the enemy and pull the trigger.”

Even though there are two triggers, they’re set up for easy consecutive shots, so you can shoot both at once just by pulling the trigger, making it good for immediate firing.

“After firing both shots, you could just drop the weapon and draw your sword right away.”

If you’ve already shot twice, it means you’re close enough to the enemy.

Moreover, Alice can handle a sword too. If she’s approached within sword distance, she might be able to go for it.

…If that doesn’t work, we could always reset time and try it from the start, adjusting our tactics step-by-step.

“Is there anyone else here who needs it?”

“……”

At my question, there was a moment of silence before,

“Ah, I don’t know.”

I heard Leo mumbling.

“Claire, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell Father.”

“Why would I bother to say that?”

Claire answered cheerfully at Leo’s words. Leo frowned at her.

…Haven’t you said that a lot?

“Crown Princess—”

“Please call me by my name. While it may not be the case in the classroom, we could make a mistake if we use titles here.”

Because we have two princesses on our team. Some even share family names.

“……Sylvia. I’d also like to learn the usage.”

They say nobles hunt ducks on Earth, but it seems it’s quite different in this world.

Do they all swing swords on the battlefield?

I handed Sylvia the same gun I gave to Alice.

“You heard my explanation earlier, so I won’t repeat it. Don’t try to reload while fighting. If the situation allows you to draw your sword, it’s better to do that instead. You aren’t soldiers trained in firearms combat, after all.”

At my words, Leo nodded, seeming a bit tense.

Commoners… but they’re all people who have enough skill to get into this academy. Their shooting skills shouldn’t be too poor. Perhaps they might be better than me, who has had relatively few real-world shooting experiences.

Though, if they miss, we can always reset.

“I want one too!”

Claire chimed in, her voice still cheerful, and I handed a shotgun to her without a word.

There are submachine guns as well, but it would be uncomfortable unless you’re not primarily using them. They’re bigger than the shortened double-barrel shotgun.

If the shotgun doesn’t fit Claire, I’ll hand her a submachine gun instead.

“……”

And, with each of us holding firearms, we all turned to look at Charlotte.

“……”

Charlotte, who had a strangely strong sense of pride, seemed uneasy with our gazes as she turned her head elsewhere, and finally,

“Ugh, seriously!”

She complained while holding out her hand since we wouldn’t stop staring at her.

She’s cute after all.

She was a character popular due to such cute gaps.

Should I consider adopting that?

Chapter 39

Alice, the Grace siblings, and Charlotte were all sporting firearms, and I had mixed feelings about it.

One of the JRPG features is that you can’t just switch your weapons whenever you want.

It doesn’t mean you can’t swap weapons like in an FPS. Each character is limited to certain weapon types, so basically, you can’t equip anything that’s not for your character.

There are probably various reasons for this. Maybe to save resources, fewer motions and skills to create, or to avoid confusing party members with their weapon choices.

For whatever reason, in the original game, it was impossible for characters to equip various gear, especially gear they weren’t originally allowed to wear.

Well, if it were the ‘original,’ this type of battle would have been impossible altogether.

You can’t just create a real battlefield in a playground. You can’t just dig trenches in a playground, after all.

So, in the end, the only obstacle we had were some sandbags stacked slightly higher than us. It felt pretty awkward to call it a ‘real battlefield’… but, hey, if the instructor insists, what can we do?

In the game, it’s turn-based, and even if you get shot by a gun, it just knocks down your HP—it’s not instant death. Sure, it was pretty detached from reality, but that’s just how JRPGs roll.

But… just like you can give a sword-wielding character a gun, here it’s different.

Jennifer was up on the platform, looking down at us.

She seemed to have climbed up to tell us who got shot.

…There were forty-five people in total, myself included. Is that okay? It didn’t matter in a turn-based game, but…

Well, the instructor would handle this, I decided not to worry.

“First, I’ll provide cover while you run. Make sure to run in a zigzag pattern, as fast as you can. If you don’t, it’s instant death.”

“……”

Everyone nodded.

There were very few in the noble class who were skilled in handling firearms. And I was one of those few. Because of that, it seemed they all trusted me somewhat.

In fact, the battle had already begun earlier.

But no one was thinking about going outside. The first person to poke their head out would get eliminated.

Still, I wasn’t particularly worried.

“……Is it okay if I don’t go out?”

Alice, who was lying next to me, asked like that.

“It’s fine.”

I replied.

It’s really fine. The reason being—

*Boom!*

—those fools.

The game doesn’t automatically flow from just one person’s perspective. Sometimes, the camera moves from the viewpoint of side characters or extras.

And I knew there were idiots charging in like that. That much was depicted in the game.

Kids who think standing behind the defense line is ‘not glorious.’

In truth, the only reason they can rush out here is that they judge this isn’t a real battlefield. After all, they can’t really die. It’s their way of showing their version of ‘glory.’

That doesn’t mean they’re completely dumb; they won’t just charge straight in.

*Bang!*

Alice flinched as the sound filled the playground, her shoulders shaking. Her eyes widened in surprise.

It was way quieter than actual gunfire. They probably used much less gunpowder. You can’t let the barrel explode after all.

But still, there was enough gunpowder to make some noise. A tiny hole was drilled at the end of the barrel just in case.

If someone gets hurt, it’d be just a little burn.

“Mackenzie, eliminated!”

…Well, that was a quick exit.

“It’s a blank shot. No need to worry too much.”

I said that and slightly lifted myself from my position.

It was dangerous, but I had to be careful not to stand out too much.

And then—

*Bang!*

There was a loud sound from the rifle in my hands. The buttstock lightly hit my shoulder.

“James, eliminated!”

A commoner who was peeking out from behind the sandbags stood up and fell back.

*Bang!*

“Sylvia, eliminated!”

Right, so you pop out from there?

I remembered where the gunfire had come from.

Again.

*Bang! Clank. Bang!*

Two shots. Each one hit someone.

“Sylvia, eliminated!”

But then the bullets started flying in a row. Once the gunfire began, the kids from Group B started firing back en masse, and the battlefield turned chaotic in an instant. Jennifer was rapidly calling out the names of the eliminated, and dropouts started falling behind the fake trenches.

I remembered all the spots where I had poked my head out.

Again.

“Covering fire! Run!”

As I said that, I fired continuously.

*Bang!*

Before I could check if I hit, I quickly pulled the bolt back, turning my aim to another direction, firing again without hesitation.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alice leap over the sandbags. In her left hand, she held a double-barrel shotgun; in her right hand, a sword, and she sprinted at full speed.

Alice’s speed was much faster than I expected. Running in a zigzag as I told her to, the commoners had a hard time hitting her.

But—

*Bang!*

“Alice, eliminated!”

Just because it was hard to hit didn’t mean they couldn’t hit her at all.

Alice turned to look at me with a somewhat empty expression—

Again!

*

The Ergensen rifle has five rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber. Unlike other rifles that are loaded with a clip, it has a bit of a hassle with the side-loading magazine, which involves opening the side and inserting five bullets before closing it, making it rather cumbersome, requiring a large movement of both the rifle and my hand.

There’s a speed loader, but since the bullets are just ‘slipped in,’ it’s less stable than bolt-action rifles that ensure the bullets are inserted properly.

However, if you get used to it, it can be possible to load bullets quickly by slipping them in.

If there had been many people around here who could handle a rifle precisely, I would have fought by reloading as well—

“Charlotte, eliminated!”

Unfortunately, no one on our team was good enough to handle a rifle like that.

Even though we were pushed back a bit with so many easier targets, still, bullets were coming our way.

However, we were getting better.

I had stored several Ergensen rifles. I had known this situation would happen from the beginning. The doctrine of “In battle, whatever preparations you make is up to the individual’s judgment,” espoused by Jennifer, held true, and even if I had laid out several rifles behind the sandbags, Jennifer didn’t say anything unusual.

…One problem was that it would be better to have a few riflemen with six-shot rifles instead.

Ah, for real, this is unbearable.

At least I succeeded at getting it close enough. The problem is when I get there and get eliminated.

“Once you’re close enough, you can use firearms if you want. Just aim the muzzle and shoot.”

I had said that before the battle—

“Eliminated!”

In the end, I was only able to take out a few more, but still eliminated.

“……”

In the original, that scene transitioned to an event scene.

The issue is that the one using magic in that scene was Crowfield.

With my team members wiped out, I looked to the side.

Mia Crowfield was still behind the sandbags.

She was gripping a magic staff tightly in her hands. It seems she ended up alone because everyone else had charged in recklessly.

Hmm.

Well, should I at least give it a try?

Again.

*

Before handing out shotguns to my teammates, I stood up and confidently walked over to where the other nobles had gathered.

“Sylvia?”

Alice seemed startled, calling out my name as I walked toward Mia Crowfield, but I continued on confidently to where she was.

As if I hadn’t done anything wrong at all.

Even if I got awkwardly rejected, I’d just rewind time anyway.

I had already told Mia Crowfield the truth once. I’m not the sort to shy away from making a suggestion.

The nobles gathered around Mia Crowfield moved aside for me. The title of Crown Princess, even if only in name, does come in handy.

When Mia Crowfield turned around upon hearing me approach, she flinched and took a step back.

“Crowfield young lady.”

I spoke to her directly.

“Ah, um, why, why are you…?”

When I had seen her in the student council room, Mia Crowfield hadn’t been able to hide her hostility, but now she wasn’t showing any of that.

The hostility she showed in front of me was likely just her emotions getting the best of her. She had probably looked at me directly and let her animosity show for a moment.

But I didn’t react in any way.

Mia probably wouldn’t think of it as a mistake.

….It didn’t really matter if she outright hated me. Anyway, Mia Crowfield said that if I joined the student council, she would as well. If I showed a gap, she would try to exploit it somehow—whether trying to take me out or get rid of me. The chances of success are slim, though.

I wasn’t sure how she’d feel about my lack of reaction, but at the very least, Mia Crowfield was attempting to stay close to me.

While that was separate from her wanting to help, there was still a possibility, so I decided to make a proposal.

“Our side needs your help. Could you possibly assist us?”

My words made the students hold their breath.

…Is it that unusual for me to say something like this?

It certainly might come off as odd. I had never asked the students for any favor before. I was trying to maintain an image of being a cool beauty… the kind who doesn’t need any help.

But right now, I needed that help.

In the original, the protagonist’s party relied on Crowfield’s assistance to navigate this situation.

To be honest, it wasn’t about performance but rather about ‘recreating an event.’ At this point, the ability to create that event would likely fall within Crowfield’s capabilities.

“Help…?”

Did my offer seem too brazen? Mia Crowfield stared at me with wide eyes.

Though her bangs were long, overall, her demeanor gave off the vibe of a cute junior character.

In the original, Leo was without me or Claire. There were various reasons Leo interacted with other characters. He got involved with Alice and then with Crowfield, who wanted to watch Alice…

Truth be told, at this point, Mia Crowfield should have been part of Leo’s party.

With me around and Claire alongside us, it created a little twist where Leo ended up with a party somewhat different from his regular one.

So, by Mia Crowfield’s assistance disappearing from this event, it meant we couldn’t fight properly.

“……”

At my words, Mia Crowfield briefly fell into thought. The gazes of those around us were focused on this side, but I ignored them and continued looking at Mia.

Would she refuse me? Would she delight in my failure? That expression earlier didn’t show any signs of that, but perhaps she’d just been alone, lacking confidence.

“…What kind of help do you need?”

Finally, Mia Crowfield asked me that.

“I need light.”

I explained succinctly.

In the original, it was an idea that Mia Crowfield had come up with herself, but since it was the same timing as in the original, Leo would likely have already been eliminated by now.

“I want to create the strongest light possible, but could that be done?”

Chapter 40

The battle in the original work is an ordinary JRPG combat system, if we’re being honest.

Of course, it’s not completely identical to other games. Within the framework of turn-based combat, it has its own variations to establish a bit of uniqueness.

However, because of the combat system, there were significant restrictions on storytelling through battles alone.

For instance, expressing a ‘huge battlefield’ is impossible.

Even if it were a turn-based RPG made in Japan, if it were an SRPG genre, capturing the essence of the battlefield wouldn’t be that difficult. Especially when describing the trench warfare of World War I, it might be the perfect genre to depict moving from trench to trench. In fact, there are games that do similar things.

But perhaps to maintain the identity of the series, this game adopted a relatively traditional JRPG-style combat system, which gave rise to challenges in depicting situations solely through battles.

Well, whatever.

So the method chosen by the developers was ‘consecutive battles.’

After finishing one battle, you would transition to the next after an event scene, and then another event scene leading to the next battle… If you win all three battles, it ends with the temporary capture of the trenches, but if you lose at any point, you’re out. The downside is that you won’t receive the items that come as rewards.

In fact, those items are only helpful very briefly at the beginning. Their importance is low, but…

Still, the thought of someone else taking it didn’t sit well with me. Right? In a game, such items were all mine. If I couldn’t take the benefits while having some vague memory of what would happen in the future, then there would be no reason for me to have crossed over into this world.

Well, I didn’t come over because I wanted to, though.

Moreover, it could negatively affect the image I’ve built up in this world. I’ve established an image of ‘I can handle anything,’ and I didn’t want to create an image of ‘Ah, he can’t even handle this.’

…Maybe I should have built an image of ‘I just don’t do annoying things’ instead?

And there were a lot of other things I wanted to verify. Especially the items obtained ‘systematically’—like, ‘You received ●●● as a success reward,’ I was curious how that would work in reality. There wasn’t exactly a status window or anything in this world.

I knew that if it were something already systemically blocked, then if it could be done realistically, everything would be possible. What about the parts that ‘the system intervened in’ outside the world or the story?

To check that, I needed to win here.

“Light…?”

Upon hearing my words, Mia Crowfield fell into thought for a moment but soon seemed to understand what I was thinking.

“But if you emit such bright light, it would obscure your vision, wouldn’t it?”

I could understand why Mia Crowfield was quite suspicious.

After all, light isn’t visible only to specific people. If someone didn’t see it, that means there was a serious issue with their optic nerves or brains.

There are magic related to hallucinations, but casting such a wide area spell on dozens of people would be impossible. At least, I’d never seen such magic throughout the game.

…I have seen magic where a giant hand emerges from the sky and shoots lasers, though.

“…Why do you look at me like that?”

As I stared silently at Mia Crowfield, she took a step back and asked.

Yeah, it was just a visualization made to look ‘as cool as possible’ in the game. Like the techniques from the Super●●● Wars series. Techniques that could be used without regard to whether you’re indoors or out.

But what happens to those skills or spells in reality?

This was something I’d have to check eventually.

And I had to remember that those spells could fly toward me if I wasn’t careful.

“Is that possible?”

It should be possible. It was in the original work.

Mia’s specialty was magic related to ice and water, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t use other spells. In the game, there were ‘basic spells you could use’ and ‘spells that required additional equipment.’ Just because it was a specialty didn’t mean it was especially stronger, but because of the basic magic she could use, it allowed for more flexibility with other spells.

And her base ‘magic attack power’ was exceptionally high as well.

If the right equipment was matched, other characters could use the same spells, but since they wouldn’t have any magic to use as a baseline, their options would be limited, and their magic attack power wouldn’t be great, leading to reduced damage or effects.

At this point, the only character who could use such ‘magic’ was Mia Crowfield.

“…”

Mia Crowfield’s expression showed she didn’t like my silent questioning, but in the end, she nodded.

Yeah, it’s how it should be.

She may have radiated a bit of hostility in the student council, but ultimately, she was the one who said she wanted to join if I was in the student council. Regardless of whether we became friends or not, she had to be around me to find proof that I killed her father and possibly take revenge if the opportunity arose.

It was impossible to clear up misunderstandings with Mia Crowfield after revealing what her father had done. The atmosphere was what it was, but I had already attempted this once. Even if I spoke calmly in a private space between us, there was no way she would believe me.

Who would want to believe that their dad was a drug addict and a pedophile?

It would be better to give her time to process it.

“But that magic wand…”

“As it’s not intended for killing, there shouldn’t be major issues. Just sending out ‘bright light’ as far as possible will be enough.”

“…”

In the original work, everyone blindly charged forward with their eyes covered. They succeeded in the end, but both Leo and Jennifer, having witnessed it, said, “You did great at succeeding, but don’t do that in real combat.”

But what if there were variables involved here?

‘Inevitability’ rather than ‘coincidence.’

Of course, what I was trying to do was also totally reliant on coincidence.

Well, it would appear inevitable to those facing me.

When I briefly turned my gaze, I noticed Jennifer watching me closely. Her face was full of interest. It seemed she’d developed a bit of interest in me since our last duel.

Jennifer would have heard at least some rumors about ‘the Emperor’s children’ and the questions surrounding Count Crowfield’s death.

“Well then, over here.”

As I turned my body back to my original group, I heard Mia Crowfield follow just a moment behind me.

Seeing Mia Crowfield leave without anyone stopping her made it seem like I was that intimidating.

Or perhaps it was that Mia Crowfield hadn’t truly fit in among people.

*

“Well, putting us aside.”

Alice, having heard my plan, asked with a serious expression.

“What about you? If you can’t see, you won’t hit anything with a gun.”

“I can provide suppressive fire.”

“…You’re confident you won’t hit us?”

“I’m confident.”

“…Well, fine.”

Since Alice didn’t harbor any doubts about my abilities, she eventually agreed to my words.

“But still, since you can’t see…”

“Sylvia says so.”

Leo’s doubtful comment was immediately intercepted by Claire.

…Originally, this was your suggested strategy. But, back then, there probably wouldn’t have been anyone willing to shoot from behind.

Claire seems to have gone beyond merely trusting in my ability to a kind of faith…

But putting that aside.

Charlotte was narrowing her eyes at me.

Her gaze seemed filled with suspicion, and conversely, it also contained a strange sense of certainty. She definitely must have learned something from her father.

“I’ll agree. There’s no other way.”

Eventually, Charlotte said the same.

“Then when should we head outside?”

Confirming everyone’s opinions aligned, Alice asked me.

“The timing is—”

I was about to speak about the timing I was considering, when—

“Doolhyeoruhhhh!”

A sound echoed from a spot slightly distant from us.

It was the group where Mia Crowfield had just been.

“Now.”

As I said that, glancing at Mia Crowfield, she seemed a bit flustered at first but then began to cast her spell—

“Mia Crowfield! Elimination!”

—Only to get shot mid-incantation.

…Again.

*

“Now!”

I said that and immediately turned to face the enemy. As I aimed at the opponent with only their face visible, I pulled the trigger, and soon enough, they received an elimination notice.

“Luxina!”

Let there be light!

It was quite astonishing to hear the original language of the game combined with the language of people.

Thinking back, this was the first time I’d seen magic actually being cast in a world where magic operates as an important element.

In an instant, my vision was filled with blinding white light, and I could see that glowing mass flying away into the distance.

It felt not like a flashbang but the sensation of viewing an extremely bright floodlight. It was like staring directly at the high beams of an approaching car.

But unlike car high beams, the incredible thing about this light was its ability to spread in all directions.

Given the circumstances, I could tell that the light was also brightening up the nearby area, and even from here, I couldn’t fully see the silhouettes of those people over there.

Sounds of Alice, Charlotte, Claire, and Leo leaping over sandbags reached my ears.

Each of them wielded a shotgun.

Well, fine.

Either way, the operation had begun.

Then, I had to do my part.

With swift movements, I pulled back the bolt, ejected the spent shell, and loaded the round. The process felt quite exhilarating.

As for the enemy’s position, I had seen it several times before.

Click!

Though hitting them was another matter.

Even pulling the trigger didn’t produce the sound of ‘elimination!’

Then—

Again!

*

The reason I jumped over the sandbags was that the people who rushed ahead had nearly become invisible in my line of sight.

Of course, it wasn’t that they were too far away to see. It was because of the enormous light floating in the sky.

Regardless of my feelings, Mia Crowfield faithfully followed my instructions, sending that mass of light into the sky several times over.

In that time, I had taken down several opponents. Seven? Eight? I don’t quite remember the numbers; I shot so quickly. But I switched to another gun after taking down at least six opponents one by one.

With one shell in my chamber, I had a pump-action shotgun in hand and was about to spring into action again when I addressed Mia Crowfield.

“Please stay here and use your magic one more time.”

She nodded with a somewhat stiff face at my request.

After going this far, she would likely listen to me.

Well, even if she didn’t, it wouldn’t matter much. I could find a way myself.

By now, the rest of the group probably reached very close to the trenches.

Thinking that, I immediately sprung into action and leaped over the sandbags.

“Ugh!”

And tripped, falling forward.

“…”

There was a brief moment of silence.

I thought perhaps the whole battlefield fell silent momentarily, but that wasn’t it. It was just my feelings playing tricks on me.

Probably… only Jennifer looking down from above or Mia Crowfield watching for danger behind me saw that.

How embarrassing.

Again!

*

Fortunately, this time I didn’t fall. Looking back, there was a small stone right in front of the sandbag, and I must have stepped on it and tripped.

Alright.

With a sense of accomplishment for having jumped over with a decent style, I immediately started sprinting forward.

I kept my gaze downwards to avoid looking at the light in the sky, zigzagging my way forward.

During that time, no gunfire was directed at me.

There had to be other successful students from the other noble group crossing over as well. From beyond the sandbags, I could hear sounds of movement and someone swinging something, indicating they were also in a panic state.

As I ran hard, I saw the sandbags piled high in the brightly lit gymnasium, more radiant than during the day.

With all my might, I leaped into those sandbags.

Chapter 41

Ta-da!

In the end, we won.

Over a third of the noble class received a fatal verdict, but there were none from the group like you. In fact, it wouldn’t have been surprising if more than half had received a fatal verdict, but it was Mia Crowfield’s magic that played a significant role in bringing things to this point.

Looks like the commoners were completely thrown into a frenzy by the enormous bright light flying over their heads. They might know in their heads that there really can’t be any dangerous magic flying around in a situation like this… but seeing it with their own eyes is a whole different story.

Besides, that magic wasn’t without its effects. At least it was able to obscure one line of sight for sure. Thanks to that, the ones who got hit by the shots from afar could be narrowed down to the noble group that had started the charge.

Honestly, if I had been crafting swords in my hands just before jumping over the sandbags, I could have gotten away from the danger… but the kids in my group were all holding rifles instead.

Sure, we had two shots in the chamber, but they were double-barreled rifles that didn’t need pumping when firing. It wouldn’t have been that hard to take out the enemies right in front of us.

And then we drew our swords and charged in, which probably left the commoners even more flustered.

Just because it’s swordsmanship doesn’t mean it’s simply about wielding a sword; the very idea of being slashed by one, and having someone full of life charging at you with a sword, is terrifying from a defensive perspective. Plus, there’s this common belief that nobles are generally skilled with swords.

So it couldn’t have been too difficult to intimidate the psychologically weakened commoner kids.

By the time I jumped over the sandbags, the noble kids had nearly gained the upper hand.

All I did was shoot and take out a couple of people after jumping across. Well, it wasn’t like they actually fell over due to getting shot or anything.

“Your shooting was something else,” Alice said once the battle ended.

“When we jumped in, everyone was huddled behind the sandbags, I heard they thought, ‘If I peek out, I’ll get shot’ or something like that.”

…Although to be fair, it was more because I already knew their positions.

And every time the enemy didn’t get hit, or our allies did, I simply reversed time. Of course, from their perspective, I must have seemed like I was killing them one after another without mercy.

“…That’s right.”

As I was talking with Alice near the sandbags, someone suddenly intruded into our conversation.

“I’m curious how you managed to hit the enemies in a situation where you could barely see because of the light.”

Even though it was a ball of light created by magic, there’s a limit to its range. No matter what, you can’t send the commoners too far away where they can’t be seen due to the light. From Jennifer’s perspective, who was standing on a high platform, she could see most of the commoners’ situations and could declare their elimination.

And through Jennifer’s eyes, my shooting must have looked quite strange, like I was hitting the commoners.

“…”

“…Hmm.”

The issue was I had no way to explain. Saying I reversed time would be risky in many ways. If I mentioned it to my classmates, they might just brush it off as a joke, but Jennifer had a serious personality that took everything seriously despite appearances. Even if she didn’t believe me outright, she could very well consider it ‘possible’ and dig into it.

It wasn’t only Jennifer; the Emperor and my other siblings were the same. There was a reason I didn’t mention my abilities to anyone, even in jest.

“Well, whatever.”

Jennifer shrugged her shoulders with her arms crossed.

“If it were the usual me, I would have said something about executing such a risky plan and moved on. At first glance, it could appear as if you were simply relying on luck.”

…Although, there was honestly no other way.

After all, there were no mortars or artillery, and besides, the distance was too close for such things anyway. In truth, we were closer to a street brawl than anything else.

Probably, Jennifer wanted to have us personally experience ‘this is how dangerous the battlefield is.’

That’s what the conclusion of the original story was too. “But in battle, even that luck ultimately is the result. Well done.” I think Jennifer might have said something like that in the original, though it didn’t come to me very clearly.

“But… your shooting.”

Jennifer said quietly, staring at me.

“Honestly, it doesn’t look like you were just shooting by feel. You seemed to know exactly where they would appear. So… yeah, it would be unfair to call that ‘luck.’”

Well, it was luck, you know.

Of course, I made that luck into inevitability by reversing time multiple times. To be honest, the number of bullets I shot couldn’t possibly be just seven or eight. It must have been much more than that.

Since every time one of our running party got eliminated, I reversed time and shot like crazy at where the bullets would fly.

The difference from real combat was right here too. A gun without gunpowder doesn’t make noise. So there’s no way to know where or who got shot. All I could do was reverse time and slowly move the gun, hoping the opponent would get hit.

What else could it be if not luck?

Well, I didn’t want to wish for actual combat. I didn’t want to see the characters I had grown fond of genuinely get hurt or die from gunfire.

“Thanks to that, my plan got messed up.”

Jennifer said, looking over at the commoners who were watching us with expressions that seemed somewhat horrified.

Originally, it was meant to show that even commoners could use firearms to take down nobles, but instead, since we suffered far less damage, it ended up concluding that ‘nobles can even turn the situation around.’ Especially since there were double the numbers on the commoners’ side.

I could see a few kids who became the main character party in the original story among them. Some of them were looking at us with bored expressions, while others gazed at us with a look of great interest.

Should I try talking to those kids next time?

My affection knows no classes; they could be commoners or nobles. No, there were characters I liked even more because they were commoners.

“Well, it’s fine. Nobody says commoners can’t become officers. In fact, looking at it from that perspective, today’s events will serve as a lesson. It has proven that battlefields are filled with monsters with ridiculous skills.”

Well, that’s certainly true.

In reality, it was a world overflowing with monsters wielding swords.

“Anyway, a victory like this requires adequate compensation for the one who led us to victory.”

Jennifer said that and stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets.

Oh.

It seems that instead of just saying, ‘You received an item,’ in this world, it was exchanged for words from a person. I mean, this is much more natural than simply having it pop into your pocket.

“Here.”

What Jennifer handed me was a gem carved into the shape of a ruby, like a crystal ball.

Marmaros.

This gem, which uses the Greek word that became the origin of marble, shines a subtle red light as its name suggests, ‘shining stone.’ Anyone could tell that it was a gem imbued with magical power.

As I held the stone that rested in Jennifer’s palm, the part that touched felt subtly warm. It wasn’t hot enough to burn me, but it felt like a perfect temperature for use as a hand warmer in the middle of winter.

Of course, it was a very expensive item for that purpose.

Marmaros is refined magical stone. Magical stones have a basic ‘attribute.’ Usually, portions with these attributes are all mixed up, making it impossible to use them for a specific purpose when used as-is.

Magical stones that get too many types mixed and can’t be refined are simply used as fuel, but sometimes there are magical stones that are almost purely of one attribute. The part of that attribute is cleanly cut out and additionally magically processed to make it safe for use, and that is exactly this Marmaros.

In the original story, it could change the weapon’s attribute by being attached to it or provide additional damage.

It shouldn’t be any different here either.

“This is a fire attribute Marmaros. It’s yours now, use it however you like.”

I nodded.

In fact, by the later half, there would be an abundance of Marmaros of different types. You could even obtain something powerful enough to possess two or three attributes while simultaneously bearing the strength of just one. Of course, those wouldn’t be the magical stones mined from the ground, but obtained from monsters in water.

So for now, it means it’s quite useful. In the game, days just flew by, so the latter part came relatively quickly, but in my situation living here, a year is a year.

“If you want, I can introduce you to a craftsman. I’ll also return the firearms you’ve personally entrusted. Honestly, I’m quite curious about how you’ll use that Marmaros.”

…This was a storyline that didn’t exist in the original.

Well, I have a feeling I kind of know who the craftsman being introduced is.

“Thank you.”

I said, slightly bowing my head toward Jennifer in response.

*

“So, where will you use it? Still planning to use it for your firearm?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

But I’m still pondering which firearm I’ll end up using.

I’ve realized that there are peculiar differences between the original and this world. People who couldn’t use any weapon in the game were using firearms and swords together here as if it was the norm. So it’s clear that ‘bullets’ would definitely follow the laws of physics.

In the original, I mounted the Marmaros with attributes on the gun to add attributes to the attack. So I should be able to do the same here.

But how does one fire a bullet with the ‘fire attribute’?

It seems there’s no particular meaning in heating up the bullets. After all, bullets fly out hot anyway.

But if they get too hot, that’s a problem. If the barrel overheats too much, it leads to a malfunction. Having a gun jam in battle means death. No matter how much I can turn back time, I don’t want to die.

Besides, I’ve never died to rewind time before. The first time I reversed time? I can’t be sure if I wasn’t just knocked out instead of dying.

So… for now, I’ll avoid dying unless it’s an unavoidable situation. And that ‘unavoidable situation’ naturally refers to situations where I might die without realizing it.

I hope I don’t end up creating a situation where that’s the case.

“I’ll think about it slowly and consider which firearm would be beneficial to attach it to.”

“Well, since they say it can be reused anyway, there’s no need to worry too much, right?”

…That’s also true. Thank goodness. In the original, if needed, it could be taken off to be attached to other equipment, so it’s only natural it’d be the same here.

“…”

“…”

Then we walked for a while in silence.

The people walking were the same six that had just gathered in the gym; me, Alice, Claire, Leo, Charlotte… and Mia Crowfield.

Mia Crowfield, who seemed to have followed us by chance after being nearby, wore an extremely awkward expression.

And that awkward atmosphere had infected us, leaving us walking in silence.

Having lived among the noble society, they might not have any sense of it…

“Ah, right!”

There might be no way they wouldn’t be awkward, huh.

The one who broke the sudden mood with an unexpectedly bright voice was Claire.

“How about we hit the café together after class? I found a place with delicious parfaits last time.”

“…Should we?”

And perhaps the awkwardness was so thick that it was warmly accepted by Alice.

“Parfait, you say? There are several wonderful cafés in Lutetia as well… very well. It wouldn’t be bad to compare which is better, Rondarium or Lutetia.”

And the three turned their gazes towards Leo, Mia, and me.

“….”

Even if they stayed silent for a bit, all three didn’t have a reason to reject it, I suppose.

After all, they were all characters I liked, and not joining in this situation would be quite rude as a fan.

Chapter 42

There’s a meme that British food is bad, but I don’t really agree with that.

When you think of British food, the first thing that comes to mind is ‘fish and chips.’ I mean, it’s just fried food, right? It can be greasy, but it’s not actually bad in taste. Of course, if you hate fish, that might be a different story.

When I tried it once, it was actually pretty good.

The problem is, that was food I had in my previous life, in ‘Korea.’

The source of the ingredients may vary a bit, but I don’t think the taste of fish and chips can differ significantly just because I’m eating it in Britain. Sure, they might use a bit more oil or vinegar for that flavor, but come on, it’s just battered and fried fish! How different can it be?

Even aside from fish and chips, there are quite a few edible dishes in British cuisine… I guess. You don’t need someone to defend it; it’s pretty common in subcultures that tend to stereotype certain races or nations. Honestly, I feel British food is a similar case.

The problem is, this world is neither ‘Korea’ nor ‘Britain,’ but the ‘Empire of Aetherna.’

Yeah. It’s a world that doesn’t even exist in reality.

Or rather, since reality is reality, saying it’s a ‘world that doesn’t exist on Earth’ would be more accurate.

But here’s the thing.

This ‘Empire of Aetherna’ comes from a game series called ‘Chronicles of Aetherna,’ and the company that made it is a Japanese one called Millennium.

And in Japanese subculture, when someone mentions ‘food made by foreigners,’ British cuisine tends to come up, usually portraying Brits as incapable of cooking or suggesting British food is inedible.

One of the inspirations for the Empire of Aetherna is the ‘British Empire.’

It was set during the ‘Industrial Revolution’ when life for the common people was pretty miserable—if you ignore the nobility.

That’s right. The food in the Empire of Aetherna mostly tasted terrible.

Ah, but the meat was generally excellent. If it’s ‘grilled meat’ like steak, it can be delicious.

Desserts were also decent, and the tea served during tea time wasn’t too bad either.

But honestly, isn’t it true that those are foods that wealthy people enjoy? If you pour money into making anything, it becomes delicious.

Whenever I went out to understand the geography of Crowfield, I’d often purchase street food from vendors or roadside stalls, but most of the food that costs a few pence isn’t worth eating.

No, seriously.

When you think of ‘fish and chips,’ you imagine crispy—worst case, soggy—fried fish cutlets served with equally crispy or decent-tasting fries, but the fish and chips in this world aren’t in a good state.

Boom!

The Industrial Revolution.

A time when everything shifted to a mass production system.

The ‘fish’—usually cod—that became the ‘main ingredient’ for fish and chips was caught haphazardly using steam ships.

And the best way to manage all that fish at once was to dump it into boiling oil.

Poor quality fish, right before it spoils, is fried in low-quality oil, just about ‘cooked’ with flour to ensure the fish doesn’t get too oily, that’s the fish and chips of this world.

The fried batter soaked in cheap oil is usually peeled off and discarded, with only the fish being eaten.

That’s right. It’s never deboned like a fish cutlet; you’ve got to deal with bones and little fish spikes while eating that sad excuse for fish fillet.

It’s not just fish and chips. Most of the common folk’s food in this world was made strictly for survival.

Have you ever tried toasted bread seasoned with salt and then stuffed between two slices of bread as a sandwich? I’ve had that toasted bread sandwich once. It tasted like bland, salty bread. Who decided to sell this? Sure, maybe someone thought, “Let’s make this,” but please, let such food not exist on Earth.

After experiencing this first-hand, I stay far away from ‘common folk food’ in this world. Sure, there’s curry from the colonies that made its way here, but even after coming to this world, my distinctly Korean palate struggled with those unfamiliar spices.

On the bright side, black pudding, which has a somewhat similar taste to sundae, and sauerkraut from Germany, one of the themes of the Empire of Aetherna, suited my taste really well… but neither of them was a main food course. Plus, both have divisive opinions on taste.

Ta-da!

When Claire returned with the drink after seating us, what she showed us was stunning enough to shatter my image of common folk food.

Actually, could it really be called common folk food?

Technically, it wasn’t cheap. But it wasn’t priced for nobles either. It was a dish that a common person might splurge on. Of course, after eating, my meals would be pretty poor for the next week.

Well, this neighborhood isn’t that impoverished. At least in the Empire of Aetherna, it’s one of the safer places.

They laid out tropical fruits, probably based on mango, piled high with whipped cream, added more fruit and again topped with cream, topped off with various fruits in abundance.

Since it was served in a glass, it looked somewhat like cake at first glance.

“This shop’s pride, it’s parfait!”

Not just one type, there were various forms.

“I wasn’t expecting much from the price, but this is amazing.”

Alice said in a voice full of pure admiration.

“Right? I ordered it without much expectation at first!”

If the labor class of the Empire of Aetherna overheard Alice and Claire’s conversation, a revolution would’ve seemed imminent. This dessert is highly burdensome for someone in the proletariat class of this world…

Of course, from the nobles’ perspective, it is indeed cheap since you can ‘buy it.’ Especially for someone like Princess Alice.

“It’s wonderful. I don’t think it’s too different from what I’ve seen back home.”

The word parfait is French, so for the idealized country of Velbur, it might just be an ordinary dessert.

“Still, you never know until you try it.”

Charlotte said, looking slightly eager.

“Honestly, the bread from the academy wasn’t that great.”

“Hmm?”

Alice whipped her head around at Charlotte’s comment.

“Wait… are you saying the academy food is bad?”

Now that I look, not only Alice, but Claire, Leo, and even Mia Crowfield all had shocked expressions as they stared at Charlotte.

“…What?”

And Charlotte gazed back as if that reaction was the truly shocking part.

“Did you just say… those breads are delicious?”

“No, they are! Right?”

Charlotte said in a slightly dazed voice, while Alice looked bewildered and turned to Claire and Leo. They both nodded.

They are tasty.

In fact, they might taste better than what I had in Korea. Most of the bread I had was convenience store bread from factories. If it were freshly baked bread, it can only be good.

However, Charlotte is from the “Land of Taste,” Velbur. And one of its inspirations is France.

France. A place where the method of making baguettes is even established by law.

If the Empire of Aetherna is known for meats, black tea, and biscuits, then the Kingdom of Velbur could be described as the land of breads, wine, and chocolates.

Of course, the narrative agency could have added a special flair to each country, but if there is a consensus in this world, Velbur has the tastiest bread.

It’s mentioned in the setting guide, after all. It’s what ‘officially’ means.

It’s probably accepted as ‘common sense’ here.

“Alice, haven’t you been to the Kingdom of Velbur? Didn’t you try their bread then?”

“Oh, no, it was good. It was indeed good, but just because one is incredibly good doesn’t mean the other is bad. Even if it’s ‘tastier.’”

“No, absolutely not. The ‘bread’ of the Empire of Aetherna is not good at all.”

By the way, ‘bread’ comes from the word ‘bread’ in this world.

“No, I mean, they’re both tasty but the Velbur ones are better.”

Alice, perhaps due to her pride as the imperial princess, seemed intent on not backing down.

“The statement that Velbur’s bread is ‘better’ means that Aetherna’s bread is ‘less’ tasty, which means you can say that the Empire’s bread is worse than the Kingdom’s. Honestly, can you genuinely say that Aetherna’s food can be declared delicious? It’s just fresh produce being grilled or boiled!”

“What!? I can’t believe you!”

Alice looked flabbergasted.

“If you’re going to argue like that, then the velbur food that doesn’t even allow the original tastes to shine and drowns them in wine is truly sinful! Don’t you feel sorry for the fish that died just to be eaten!?”

Velbur food is famous for frequently using wine. Even the poorer classes use wine due to its high production.

Among the nobility and royalty of Aetherna, the top-tier wines are considered to be from Velbur.

“Velbur wine is considered the best even objectively. Naturally, that means the food that uses such ingredients must be the best too, right? Besides, the dish we’re about to eat here also originates from the Kingdom of Velbur.”

“No! The Empire has plenty of delicious desserts!”

“All those ‘delicious desserts’ are now pushed aside and the dessert we’re eating right now is from the Kingdom of Velbur.”

“No, we can’t just only eat Aetherna’s food!”

“I can live solely on Velbur cuisine without a single problem.”

“No, what I’m trying to say is not that…!”

“…Sister?”

The heated debate between the two abruptly halted.

Arguing over food is pointless. Honestly, the British inspiration overshadowed this, but one of the themes of Aetherna was indeed Germany.

In this world, sausages are Aetherna’s food, and when you think of ‘sausage,’ it’s Aetherna, so why are they battling over bread like this?

As long as it’s this tasty, who cares?

“…Is my sister… smiling?”

The first to drop her jaw was Claire. Then Leo, and finally, Alice and Charlotte gasped in unison.

Mia Crowfield looked as if she couldn’t follow the conversation.

“…Sylvia?”

“I-Is this parfait really that delicious…!?”

Alice murmured my name with a blank expression, and Charlotte asked me with an astonished look.

It’s delicious, indeed.

Having tasted common folk food in this world a few times, I’ve learned to appreciate such food.

It’s about relishing the food without arguing over its quality when delicious food is right in front of you; it’s embracing the humble experience of savoring the meal.

If someone eats a wonderfully sweet dessert and doesn’t smile, they must either have destroyed taste buds or a lack of emotions.

…But that doesn’t mean I’m ready to show such a face just yet.

Smiling should be saved for truly important moments.

Plus…

I made a very princess-like move, grabbing a napkin to wipe away the whipped cream stuck on my mouth.

Then, I took a small breath and muttered.

“Again.”

Now that this has happened, I might as well enjoy all the parfaits in front of me.

Chapter 43

……Alice has been reading my expressions more often.

No, it’s not just more often; she’s been reading my expressions daily.

In fact, it’s not been long since she started focusing on my expressions. Alice, who viewed me as a kind of ‘rival,’ wasn’t very skilled at reading my emotions. To be precise, she had no interest at all. She was interested in me, sure, but she never showed much curiosity about what I was personally up to.

However, at some point, she seemed to start feeling a personal fondness for me, and now she’s reached a level where she can even guess my expressions.

If I were to ponder over when that “point” was…

Was it during that triad meeting?

I had felt a bit more “friendly” since then. Maybe that’s only natural. No matter the circumstances, I was the same age as Alice, and I was the only peer she could talk freely with in the Imperial Palace.

There were other maidens around Alice’s age, but considering they were ‘maids,’ they must have been daughters of noble houses at least at the Count level to act as maids in the palace. They were aware of how distant they were from the Crown Princess, so there was no way they would get close like friends.

Alice herself might have also been reluctant to act overly friendly.

And above all, I had been very kind towards Alice.

Since she’s the game’s main heroine, and having seen her face throughout the game—although it was just a polygon mess in reality—I felt a certain closeness internally, and that attitude showed every time I interacted with her.

Moreover, she was a bit pitiful.

Claire, who was the source of Alice’s inferiority complex, had disappeared, but I popped up instead. Even though I didn’t tease her like Claire did, my abilities were almost similar. No, considering how the Emperor and his associates viewed me, I might even be seen as a superior backup.

If I started to bully and look down on Alice too, I thought her personality might just break.

Whether I was a genuinely mature person or not was a different issue, but I didn’t want to stoop so low as to severely tease someone who was more than ten years younger than me.

I had been trying to help build some of Alice’s confidence by doing various things, and if she felt a barrier with me, it would have been quite disappointing for her.

Disappointing, but…

“Did you not sleep well last night?”

“…”

When she asks that with such a worried expression, I get curious about how she reads my face.

It’s not surprising; I checked my face thoroughly in the mirror before stepping out this morning. I thought hard about how to not look tired, how to not appear worn out.

And my expression was successfully turned into a rather blank one. It wasn’t just a simple ‘I have no expression,’ but I corrected my face bits by bits whenever someone pointed it out until I crafted that blank expression.

So, what I’m saying is, my poker face was unreadable even to myself.

How on earth is she able to figure it out? I thought, no matter how much I think about it, it’s bizarre.

“Sylvia?”

Looking at Alice, who was asking with a concerned demeanor, I pondered how to respond.

Her statement was certainly valid.

This morning, I had woken up at four.

*

My true nature is that of a nerd.

In the past, I tried to deny it in any way I could, but no matter how hard I tried, my hobbies inevitably reverted back to their original state.

If I quit reading Japanese manga or watching anime, I’d end up moving on to Japanese dramas or American dramas, and if I tried to stop collecting figures, I’d be building model kits instead, and even if I tried to quit nerdy games, I still ended up buying and playing western games.

Plus, I eventually circled back to square one. I would shop for military model kits, move on to Gunpla, buy cute girl model kits again, and finally revert to collecting cute girl action figures and statues. The same pattern happened with movies. After purchasing some movie Blu-rays, I would unknowingly buy theatrical animation Blu-rays, and eventually end up with TVA and OVA Blu-rays.

After repeating that kind of life for about a decade from my late teens, by the time I hit thirty, I simply gave up and decided to embrace my true nature.

Furthermore, during those ten years, I had continued playing Chronicles of Aetherna, so I should say I didn’t even attempt to escape in the first place.

Anyway, since I was a nerd, naturally, I read light novels and web novels all day long.

And I believe I was well-versed enough to understand the clichés of protagonists in isekai stories.

You know the one, right? When a character who wasn’t the protagonist ends up hoarding the legendary items or advantages that were originally meant for the protagonist, ultimately becoming a much stronger and more important character than the actual protagonist.

I had no intention of going that far.

Leo, Claire, Alice, Charlotte, even Mia Crowfield and various other characters who hadn’t joined the protagonist party yet. I had affection for all those characters.

I had no intention of stealing the spotlight from all those amazing characters.

I merely thought of myself as a safety measure against any of the main characters dying. That’s how I viewed it.

The problem is—

“…Are you saying that the request has already been completed?”

“Ah, yes. I-I’m sorry, Crown Princess…”

Well, it’s not like you should be sorry.

I turned my head to look at the clock, leaving the trembling attendant who stood before me behind.

The large mechanical clock working with weight was signaling that it was six in the morning.

That’s right. Six in the morning.

“…I believe the working hours start from six in the morning.”

Indeed. The working hours for the academy’s internal staff primarily begin at six a.m.

Of course, not all staff start at that time. I heard there’s a morning shift assigned separately.

And there are also positions, like security for the dormitory, that work through the night.

Today was Sunday.

Yesterday and today were days off. Naturally, all the students had no classes.

Even though there are no classes, there were voluntary service activities.

In this world, there’s often no common part-time jobs like those found in adventure guilds as seen in fantasy novels. The Empire is fundamentally a centralized nation ruled by the Emperor, and other kingdoms are similar. There are places like the noble republics, but even there, order isn’t left to adventure guilds.

The era of modernity is slowly when the concept of ‘nations’ began to sprout. The fact that Alice and Charlotte argued after school on Friday was also evidence of kids starting to be influenced by such thinking.

And the best way to prove the superiority of that ‘nation’ was, of course, to demonstrate how livable the country is for the people living there.

Security falls within that.

…Though, coming from the perspective of someone from an orphanage, the level of security isn’t that great, but hey, it’s still a decent country for middle-class folks, so I’ll roll with it.

Anyway, that’s why there’s no adventure guild. But that doesn’t mean they could totally exclude the ‘quest’ function, the flower of RPGs.

Thus, the system in this world was the ‘volunteer work.’

Students who entered the academy are strong, and certain areas of the Empire have unstable security. There are risks for both human and material damage from beasts that sometimes appear around the back alleys, and between cities.

The job of preventing and solving such damage is, simply put, volunteer work… but since giving no rewards for quests feels a bit unfair, the people applying for volunteer work would prepare some kind of benefit which could be seen as a ‘gift’ given out of ‘goodwill.’

I had already received a reward from Jennifer before. If it was something to be received outright, I could secure it even more reliably.

“Ah, that’s….”

However.

“I usually come out around five-thirty to get ready for work. But….”

But here’s the twist.

“There are students waiting right at the door, so I thought it was commendable…”

“….”

So, in other words—

At a place where the work shifts begin at six in the morning.

The students had completed their requests and were waiting there for me, conscientious enough to come in thirty minutes early to get ready for work.

I slowly raised my hand and pinched the skin between my eyes.

Waking up at six in the morning was hard enough, but those crazy students were already hard at work even before that.

“C-Could I know the names of those students?”

At my words, the staff hurriedly rifled through the paperwork on their desk.

To be honest, it isn’t usual for a staff member to divulge student personal information just by asking like this, but if a ‘Crown Princess’ clearly made such a displeased expression, it’d be hard to refuse.

“So, um… it’s Leo Grace and Claire Grace.”

“……”

Is that so.

I took a slight breath and murmured quietly.

“…Again.”

“Pardon?”

“Again!”

*

Six in the morning.

Yeah, it is six in the morning.

What that means is they must have completed their tasks earlier and had been waiting for some time.

According to the staff, they had already come to wait thirty minutes prior, which really means they wrapped up their work before five-thirty.

…Right, so the starting time for their volunteer work was today at the stroke of eight. The person who put up the request might have been someone who worked yesterday evening. Since it starts at exactly eight, it’s likely they posted the requests right before clocking out.

The requests were aimed at addressing issues that residents and government offices might encounter, something students could handle reasonably well. So, if they wanted to resort to a loophole, they could have technically started their work yesterday evening.

However, I didn’t think Leo and Claire would go so far with such tactics.

Isn’t ‘fair and square’ the motto of the Grace family?

So they must have started acting only after the day had turned.

And regardless, it wasn’t something worth staying up all night for. It’s still the beginning. The main story just kicked off, and side quests shouldn’t be affecting the main storyline now, should they?

So I had chosen the time of five in the morning.

Turning back to yesterday, I set my alarm for 4:30, got up early to prepare, and headed out. Otherwise, I’d appear disheveled from just waking, and I didn’t want to ruin my image.

And I failed to wake up.

I did manage to wake up, but by then it was already ten past four. Being grateful that I didn’t have long hair but kept my hair in a bob, I quickly washed up and got ready before bolting out of the dormitory.

And then I realized.

To get to the quest’s scheduled destination would take at least two hours on foot.

In a game, you skip the process of moving from one area to another, and time doesn’t pass until you start a certain event, but reality is different.

The quest destination is a path outside the Imperial Capital. It involves hunting beasts causing issues there.

…And of course, the capital itself is unimaginably vast.

So, Leo and Claire woke up this early to take a carriage and head out to handle the quest.

…Why?

Chapter 44

Honestly, I was curious.

Where does one find the time to span that colossal Empire from end to end while also completing every single side quest and relationship event?

Of course, I’ve never really thought that seriously about game mechanics. Quite frankly, life doesn’t have a “second playthrough.” From that perspective, the protagonist’s life can only be limited to the first playthrough, and in that first playthrough, the protagonist cannot possibly see all the relationship quests.

Side quests are often hidden, so if you forget to talk to an NPC, you just miss them altogether.

So, just think of it as “game convenience.” Just like how an FPS character survives a bullet with a single shot and walks around shrugging off being shot just because they wear a bulletproof vest, RPGs bring in a simple time concept so that players don’t have too hard a time with real-time flow.

But what if that crosses over into reality?

In an FPS, the protagonist would be phenomenal, avoiding all shots while taking down enemies left and right. Because you can’t respawn in real life!

So, what about that unique RPG sense of time?

The answer: you shove everything into the limited time frame.

Having such weekly weekends in games isn’t always practical. If you implement “every week a weekend,” the game would stretch on endlessly. So there are about three important events sprinkled throughout the semester, and in the second semester, you have two at the start, followed by diving into the main story while the protagonists run around outside the academy.

And those crucial weekends have a total of seven side quests. Three in the morning, three in the afternoon, and one at night.

And obviously, the morning is literally ‘morning.’ The time before lunch, typically between 7 AM and 12 PM. In that time, three!

I mean, logically, wouldn’t it make more sense to have four in the afternoon and three in the morning? No matter how you think about it, that morning time is absurdly limited!

Plus, the side quests aren’t even the problem. The “relationship events” between characters in this game overlap with that ‘morning, afternoon, night’ concept. Side quests separately, relationship events separately. And those relationship events aren’t just brief chats—they involve errands, consultations, training, studying, helping with requests, etc…. Each one could easily take dozens of minutes up to an hour!

With that in mind, if you assume you’re seeing ALL those relationship events, handling those ‘time-unlimited setting’ side quests in that period might actually be the right move.

…But still.

“Dawn… four AM…?”

Four AM, you say?

Four AM!?

Were they already out hunting beasts at that time!? Are they out of their minds?

And the party consisted of just Leo and Claire.

Ah, right, the 24-hour stagecoach service at the academy is known to be trustworthy. Even making stops or being hijacked doesn’t happen, running on time between stations that even the residents use from time to time. They might get paid, of course.

So maybe it’s for nutcases like Leo and Claire who move around at such an unearthly hour, but I seriously didn’t expect anyone would take the stagecoach from that crack of dawn!

“Hmm? Sylvia?”

Right after I arrived, having just taken down the elemental dog they were after, Claire turned around as she heard my footsteps.

With the light from the streetlamp reflecting, I could see Claire’s slightly dazed expression.

“…May I ask what you’re doing here at this hour?”

I tried to keep my voice as calm as possible, making sure not to reveal that I had just jumped off the stagecoach.

“Uh? Uh…”

Did I look mad? Claire looked a bit flustered and glanced at Leo. Leo shook his head as if clueless too.

“Well, you see,”

Claire, still baffled, opened her mouth first.

“We were doing early morning training with Leo—”

“…Early morning training?”

“Oh, yeah.”

Despite the interruption, Claire continued explaining nonchalantly.

“Every morning, we do mental training and sword practice. We’ve been consistent with this training.”

“…Morning?”

I looked up at the sky.

It was slowly getting brighter, sure. But anyone could see it was still ‘night.’ The sky was tinged with a little blue, but frankly, it looked more like the dead of night than dawn to anyone’s eyes.

“Um, yes, but…?”

Claire tilted her head in confusion.

So, rising at four AM… No,

That means they must have woken up even earlier to be practicing mental clarity and swordplay at that hour. Plus, it takes a while to get here. No matter how clear the path is, the only means of transportation we have is the stagecoach.

Well, sure, they could ride, but honestly, I doubted they had horses. While the academy has a stable, very few people keep their own horses.

There are cars, but… Honestly, there must be fewer people using cars than riding horses. Plus, right now, cars had so many restrictions due to friction with the stagecoach drivers; you’d be hard-pressed to find one running in the Imperial Capital.

As for bicycles… Sure, they could have ridden one here.

But that said, I hadn’t seen any bicycles parked in the interim.

“Doesn’t getting up at such a time make you feel tired?”

“Tired?”

Claire looked genuinely perplexed by my question. Then she turned to Leo.

Leo had the same bewildered expression.

A chill ran down my spine.

No, it wasn’t just that the morning air was cold. It was more like… Well, how should I put it?

It was related to my feelings, rather than anything physical.

“Uh… So, that relates to energy, right?”

“Energy?”

Is this guy talking like a wannabe guru?

“The first thing you learn in the Grace style is how to circulate clear energy through your body… You need a clear mind at all times to handle sword intent, and you shouldn’t be tired doing that, so we always practice meditation to keep our minds balanced…”

Leo explained that with a tone as if he was trying to swallow his words.

Hah.

Energy? Clarity? Mind?

Wait, is this a steampunk fantasy world we’re talking about with an industrial-age background? What nonsense is this?

….

Oh, right.

Well.

Even I, who break settings, know that already.

This universe is one where terms like sword saint and sensation are casually thrown around. It was the same for Claire when she shot out her sword intent at me earlier. Sword intent in the Age of Enlightenment? What nonsensical thing is that?

But ta-da, this world has magic and mana stones! Absolutely! there’s no such thing!

“…”

But I never considered that calming the body and mind through meditation had benefits beyond mere self-hypnosis.

“So…”

I decided to ask one last time.

“You mean to say that even if you don’t sleep long, you can dispel fatigue and maintain a clear mind through morning meditation? And still use sword intent perfectly?”

“Uhm… right?”

Leo answered, as if to question why there was anything odd about that.

Ah, so I’m the weird one.

I had the wrong idea.

I was mistaken, right?

I should’ve thought the protagonists would genuinely complete all the side quests in the game!

“…Hey.”

Wait, hold on.

I just felt chills run down my back again. It’s probably just a feeling, but it felt like my body temperature dropped a couple of degrees.

Then… what about the other characters?

The number of characters Leo can take on side quests, including himself, is just six. Two of them are support characters who join in.

So, what about the remaining characters? Do they do side quests or what?

If, by any chance, the protagonist shares the workload with them, what happens then?

“Sylvia? What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

As I stood quietly, sweat trickling down my forehead, Claire came closer with a worried look.

“…”

I took a quick glance at her and then,

I rewound time.

*

Let’s get a driver’s license.

Inside the swaying stagecoach, I vowed.

I don’t know whether a driver’s license even exists in this world, but one way or another, I should learn how to drive a car. That seems like the best plan.

Because horses need constant care. Sure, cars need maintenance too, but they’re less of a hassle than a living, breathing horse.

Plus, learning to drive a car is definitely easier than riding a horse. As long as you’re nearby, you can hop back into one anytime.

Yeah, just like now.

“…”

No matter what the driver says from the driver’s seat, I probably won’t catch it, but even without hearing his words, I could tell from his demeanor that he felt ‘this situation is super awkward.’

How could it not?

Essential information about important students is definitely shared with academy staff. They probably all know I’m a crown princess, and naturally, seeing me alone in a carriage at this hour must be incredibly awkward for them.

Well, I doubt anyone thinks I’m off to assassinate someone or anything like that.

“…”

If a high-ranking official with a nasty personality sat there, crossing their arms with a scowl without saying anything, from the perspective of the driver, they must be wondering if I did something wrong.

Of course, I did nothing wrong.

I’m just annoyed all by myself.

“We have arrived at the eastern Gado of the Imperial Capital.”

“…Thank you.”

As the carriage stopped and the driver opened the door for me, I thanked him.

“The next carriage will arrive in thirty minutes; will you be alright?”

“I’m fine.”

Seeing my stiff reply, the driver must have sensed the odd vibe, bowed his head, and quickly climbed back into the driver’s seat.

“…”

As I quietly watched the carriage pull away, I took my hand out of my coat pocket, retrieving my pocket watch.

Tick-tock, the quiet night made the ticking sound incredibly loud.

“…Three thirty.”

I muttered quietly afterward, looking up at the sky.

The moon was bright.

…Phew.

Letting out a big sigh, I began walking slowly.

Well, good.

Let’s finish this quickly and get back.

Since I rewound time and got to bed early last night, I could still get five hours of sleep.

…

Should I learn that meditation thing?

*

The elemental dog isn’t that strong of a beast. Though called a dog, it’s larger than a wolf; its fur color and the effects surrounding it vary based on its attributes.

Of course, that ‘effect’ was represented by actual wind or grass or fire or ice in this reality.

I’ve encountered these beasts a few times already.

They make for great practice for shooting.

The information on the quest request read, “An elemental dog has appeared on the Gado, threatening people. Please take care of it.”

The elemental dog that appeared before me had green fur, swirling with wind around its body. Surely, if I captured it and brought it back, I could sell it for a high price.

But here, it was just another common beast.

“…Sigh.”

I suddenly fell into a reflective state.

So, was I seriously awake at dawn to catch this one beast?

Knowing already that it would be a monster like this?

“…Grrr.”

The elemental dog growled, keeping its distance, clearly aware of how dangerous a single human could be.

“…”

Click.

I stared at it while silently pulling back the bolt to load the bullet into the chamber.

Chapter 45

The reason why the academy operates the reverse carriage 24/7 and the reason why there’s always someone managing the students’ weapons around the clock is this:

Even at midnight, students might need to take their weapons home. No, it’s not just the weapons. There are students who might have to pack their bags and head home at any time.

If it’s a situation where they have to pack up and leave at the dead of night, it’s easy to imagine them going into hiding. Of course, that’s not the only case, but more often, it’s because a major incident suddenly breaks out in their family.

Like when a lord croaks and the family has to take over right away, or when they hasten a wedding at home, or in extreme cases, it’s due to border disputes that require the family to join the fray.

The noble society is always full of unexpected variables. Plus, the academy isn’t exactly compulsory education. If a situation arises where one has to drop out, it might be better to just bow out, even if it’s disappointing.

So even if they accept as many incoming students as possible, by the time graduation rolls around, about 10% of the students will drop out for various reasons.

…And here I am, using that emergency system just to catch an elemental snake.

“……”

I mean, not that I’d suffer any disadvantages in school life or anything.

It’s just… how should I put it?

Thinking back on it now, I wonder if I should’ve just bought the quest reward with money instead.

Leo and Claire might have a bit of trouble, though. The Grace Baron’s estate isn’t broke, but they wouldn’t waste money on useless things. In the game, they only gave out just enough for “barely enough living expenses,” so it was impossible to fully upgrade weapons with just money coming in without quests.

Even if I don’t do any sub-quests, money comes in from main quests, so it’s not like I can’t upgrade weapons at all… but still, the money was pitifully insufficient to equip the characters with full sets.

In fact, unless I focus on upgrading the characters I primarily use in the first playthrough, managing gold is quite tight. There are other places to spend money aside from weapons and armor; Marmaros for instance.

But I’m a crown princess, after all.

If I need something, can’t I just shoot a letter to the Emperor?

…That thought only started to creep in now.

“……”

My backside feels oddly cold.

I got up. I had been sitting on the corpse, tied up and dragging it along, and boy, that cadaver was freezing as if it were made of ice. If it had been ice elemental, I wouldn’t have even thought to sit on it.

It’s the end of April, but it’s still chilly in the early morning. Even with a coat draped over my shoulders, that cold aura seeped in.

…Should I just wear it? Instead of draping it over my shoulders?

“……”

I thoughtfully rested my chin on my hand.

And then dismissed the thought.

It looks cooler having it over my shoulders.

I’m not a middle schooler, but in this world, many soldiers dress like this. So did Jennifer and the other soldiers.

So in terms of this world, it’s the latest trend.

Better to follow the trend a little rather than look uncool by not following it.

Plus, the coat has a string in the front to keep it draped like a cape.

Even the navy officers in One Piece wore their coats draped over their shoulders, right? It’s a pretty common sight by Japanese subculture standards.

As I gazed down at the corpse of the elemental snake with a hole in its head, I suddenly heard the distinct clop clop clop of horse hooves from afar.

“Sylvia?”

Claire’s surprised voice rang out.

I turned my head to see her looking my way, having rolled down the carriage window.

As soon as the carriage stopped, Claire leaped out before the driver even had a chance to open the door.

“What are you doing here at this hour?”

That’s what I want to ask.

It’s all because of you guys.

Of course, I couldn’t say that from the moment I turned back time.

“…I just went outside and completed a request that was posted on the board.”

“At this hour?”

So, is it really something you should be questioning me about at this hour?

Ah, well, when I think about it from their perspective, I guess I could seem incredibly quick to rise. Even if I only sleep a few hours a day, thanks to meditation and training… what’s the point of explaining? Anyway, the time seems to be early even by their standards.

“Did you have something to do?”

“……”

Hmm.

Not really.

It’d be a bit weird to answer that I came out early just because I got motivated after seeing you two complete a quest first. Anyway, it’s not like they’d understand if I told them, and I can’t very well reveal that I turned back time here.

But as I hesitated in my response, I wondered how Claire interpreted my silence, as her expression turned wistful.

“Is it about the imperial family…?”

Hmm.

“I can’t say right now.”

It’s not that I have nothing to say, so let’s just leave it at that.

After all, it’s not even a lie. I didn’t say a single word about being here because of the imperial family’s orders. Plus, there’s a reason I can’t tell her right now.

Upon hearing my response, Claire bit her lip.

“Could you help with loading this corpse?”

“Oh, sure.”

As my words made the driver fidget since he wasn’t sure whether to get back into the carriage or not, he quickly got to work, opening the iron trunk at the back and pulled out a thick cloth. It looked shiny, probably painted with something for waterproofing.

Just typical of the reverse carriage the academy operates. Students often seem to take these items as proof after completing requests.

Originally, if you hunted beasts in the same spot, the pieces of Marmaros would automatically express themselves, but this world is real. That convenient system doesn’t exist. To extract Marmaros from a monster’s corpse requires specialized processing.

And since I didn’t know the process in detail, it was safer to take the whole carcass rather than just part of it.

Claire and Leo probably thought the same way.

To prevent any blood from leaking and staining the trunk, we wrapped the corpse in layers and hoisted it into the trunk before getting back into the carriage.

“By the way, Sylvia, you’re amazing.”

In the returning carriage, Claire said with a smile.

“To take down a beast with a single kick.”

“It wouldn’t have been a big deal even if it were you two.”

And I had plenty of time to catch it with that single kick. If I missed or misfired, I could just turn back time.

“No, still. It’s pretty tough to handle something that big with just one swing of a sword,” Claire remarked while glancing at Leo, who nodded in agreement.

There was an actual hint of admiration in his eyes, which surprised me.

“Well, it does seem a bit strange to be surprised now. Sylvia managed to hit an enemy even in that almost blind situation back then.”

“…It’s nothing special.”

Since Claire’s praise made me feel embarrassed, I tried really hard not to let my expression slip as I turned my gaze out the window.

*

“The condition of the corpse is good. We should be able to extract excellent Marmaros from it.”

The academy staff looked a tad impressed as they checked the corpse with a single bullet wound in its head.

“However, it will take time to extract the Marmaros. Therefore, I will draw out Marmaros with the same element as this elemental snake. Would that be alright with you?”

“That’s fine.”

I nodded.

Thus, rewards come in this way.

Regardless of the process, the outcome wasn’t really different from the game. This Marmaros, too, would’ve been extracted from other elemental snakes or beasts.

The Marmaros drawn from a mana stone and that extracted from living beings with specific attributes are fundamentally the same substance. However, each process does have its pros and cons. Extracting raw mana stones from mines gives a large quantity of high-quality Marmaros at once, but the mines themselves are dangerous.

On the other hand, hunting beasts like this can yield a somewhat stable output, but there aren’t many beasts that can produce high-quality Marmaros.

In fact, the Marmaros I received this time was far less impressive and smaller than what I got from Jennifer last time. But it’s not completely useless.

In the game, it was somewhat low in attribute value, but in a way, it’s handy because it doesn’t take up too many slots and can fill in awkward gaps.

Marmaros is widely believed to be found in nature. So there’s a theory that high-quality mana stones condense where ley lines converge deep in the earth, or they can be extracted from top predators that feed on various creatures… this is how it’s explained in the settings.

If we’re talking about “top predators,” then could it be asked if Marmaros can be extracted from humans as well—

Indeed. The highest quality Marmaros can be drawn from humans. They aren’t coated with mana all over like beasts, but using the innate mana in their bodies to cast spells and unleash blade techniques makes them humans in this world’s lore. Isn’t it strange that they can’t extract Marmaros from them?

Of course, in general, such acts are frowned upon. However, settings like this that “deliberately” incorporate such elements often feature characters that defy such normal common sense.

“Thank you for your cooperation, Crown Princess. You being the first one to succeed in a request will serve as a great example to other students.”

Oh no, I hope that doesn’t happen.

I’ve already had enough hassle dealing with just two diligent people; if all the academy’s students try to imitate me and work hard, then the rewards I could receive would drop.

The quest rewards increase as you progress.

So after completing the request, I stepped outside and suddenly handed the Marmaros I’d been holding to Claire.

“Take this.”

“Eh?”

Claire took the Marmaros I handed her with a blank expression.

“What? Why?”

“It’s not something I particularly need.”

Right. I didn’t need it. Now that I got it… I realized this wasn’t something worth going through so much trouble for.

“Oh, um… thanks?”

Stunned, Claire muttered her thanks while looking confused, and Leo was staring at the both of us, surprised. I turned away.

… I should just hurry back and doze off.

*

“…I’m not particularly tired,” I said, yet Alice looked at me with disbelief. Her eyes narrowed.

“Is this about your Father?”

How is it that everyone’s thoughts align so perfectly?

Well, I guess the Emperor should seem a bit suspicious. Who would believe someone who blatantly acts like “I’m plotting something”?

So, I’ve decided to offload all of the misunderstandings about me onto the Emperor.

After all, since he’s the one being suspected, no one will mind if I pile more onto it.

Plus, I didn’t even have to lie to create those suspicions.

“……”

All I have to do is keep my mouth shut and be still.

“……”

Alice’s eyes narrowed further as she looked at me.

I’m sorry, Your Majesty.

If you want to complain, perhaps act a little nicer in your daily life.

Or perhaps criticize the protagonists who wake up at dawn to start training.

Chapter 46

Alright, let’s make a plan.

No matter how good someone’s memory is, it’s impossible to memorize every single detail of a game’s settings. Even the biggest fans rarely know every line of their favorite works by heart.

You can tell from the number of people who don’t translate the lore of their favorite games themselves. Many don’t even bother reading the setting guides out of sheer laziness to learn a foreign language—so how many of them are going to go through the trouble of memorizing every single line?

I was one of those people. No matter how many times I cleared the game to write guides or because I personally liked it, or even pointing out bad translations while comparing the original and the Korean version, I still couldn’t memorize all the lines.

But games aren’t really about “studying and memorizing” like that, to begin with.

Most games, whether 2D or 3D, present backgrounds where you can move characters around, and unless you have serious spatial perception issues or the game company is lazy with level design and the textures are absurdly copy-pasted, you’ll eventually get an idea of what’s where and what events are happening as you explore the map a few times.

At least, I could recall what had happened from start to finish while taking my time in the game.

It helped that this game series had only continued the same world setting without sharing all backgrounds and lore for every title.

The steampunk-style setting has been used since the 14th installment. Aside from the unreleased titles I haven’t played, there were already 14, 15, and 16 out. So I only needed to think of the three settings.

The playtime is long. But most of that time is spent exploring the map, leveling characters, and reading long dialogue scripts. There wasn’t much I actually needed to remember from the guide.

Having walked around the Imperial Capital, the appearance of this world’s city is almost exactly the same as what was shown in the game. Of course, the paths looked quite different. After all, it’s not exactly easy for a company that’s not a huge corporation like Millennium to realistically implement a long path like that.

Wait, even AAA games don’t go that far. Some games claim to have recreated entire regions like Egypt or Greece, but when you check them out, the buildings are only a few hundred meters big, and the map spans just several kilometers. If the map were truly to scale, it could potentially be boring to play through.

Well, it is impressive that they can manage to create regions at least that big.

Anyway, since I jumped into this world and things settled down, I figured that the guide notes I jotted down about “the path” wouldn’t help much. For that part, I decided to focus just on the side quest list.

Though, if an important area does show up in the path, it might be properly implemented.

“Then, next is….”

I flipped through my notebook and pointed at one section.

“Dungeon.”

That’s right. If quests are the flower of an RPG, then the foundation is the ‘dungeon.’ The hero’s party fights the monsters in the dungeon to grow stronger and get rewards. It’s a framework that’s hard to escape from unless it’s an SRPG where the battles could take an entire episode.

Whether it’s set in open spaces, dense forests, bustling urban areas, or even on a spaceship, in the end, there’s always a path, there are obstacles, and in between, there are monsters—so it can’t escape the “dungeon” framework. Otherwise, it becomes the “field,” and in a sense, that field is pretty much an open dungeon too.

So, what about the dungeons in this setting?

Strictly speaking, the path can be seen as a type of dungeon, but since the scale can’t be maintained 1:1, the limitations are clear. There are many places, like an abandoned castle’s underground prison or sewer systems, that could easily be thought of as 1:1 in size.

Especially in this game, there’s always a complex dungeon in the latter half where reality and the spirit world get twisted together. A vast and extensive dungeon provides fun in itself for exploration.

And if that’s the case, that dungeon probably wasn’t implemented at scale, right?

Well, I can’t be 100% sure. Even so, it would seem strange to imagine bizarre creatures piling up in the city sewers.

“…Should I check it out?”

The serious dungeons usually don’t show up until the second chapter of each series. I’m not talking about the second installment of the entire universe, but each individual work within one setting about two chapters in. The prologue and first chapters are typically tutorials to adapt to new systems.

However, there were still quite a few places that could be called “dungeons” left.

Surely, the Imperial Capital’s sewers would be sufficient?

*

Thanks to two people who wake up at an ungodly hour, I got up early this morning.

That said, it wouldn’t look good for Alice to be sleeping in, so I started my day with some espresso that didn’t even suit my taste.

Thanks to that, my Sunday was going to be very long, and even counting my time with Alice, I had plenty of time to explore somewhere.

…Or so I thought at that moment.

Just as I was packing something, Alice casually spoke up.

It wasn’t like Alice and I were always glued to each other. Although we had become much closer than I had expected, it wasn’t like we were always longing for each other. It was just a vague relationship somewhere between sisters and friends.

The problem is, unlike me, who finished studying before time rewound, Alice always returns with her situations and memories to her initial motivations.

They say a swan floats gracefully on the surface but is paddling furiously under the water, right?

In reality, swans can stay afloat pretty easily because of their body structure, and with their long legs, they can just gently paddle to move forward, but the issue is that “people around” often don’t perceive it that way.

From my perspective, Alice’s skills were always top-notch, but to meet those expectations from people around her, Alice always studied hard and trained diligently. Not in the same way as Leo and Claire.

And for Alice, those golden weekends were precisely that—golden. Time is something you can’t buy with money. Studying and training during that precious time would significantly help improve her skills.

…And for Alice, the best study and training partner was none other than me.

As I was getting my bag ready in my room, there was a knock knock at the door, and Alice walked in, carrying a pile of books and widened her eyes to ask.

“Where are you getting ready to go like that?”

“Ah, that is—”

“…Could it be because of your father?”

“……”

That’s right. I had already met Alice in the morning and dumped all the blame for my fatigue on the Emperor.

I thought that later, if Leo and Claire found out, I could just brush it off by saying, “It’s all part of the Emperor’s grand strategy.” They’d probably understand it well enough. Claire didn’t exactly disagree either.

In truth, this time, I simply had no words left to say, but it seemed Alice took it a bit differently.

“I want to go too.”

I unconsciously slapped my forehead.

“…Huh?”

“Ah.”

Here we go again.

*

I barely managed to stop myself from slapping my forehead. “No, why?” almost slipped out of my mouth, but even that I managed to hold back. If I can control myself like that, maybe I have another pretty darn amazing ability, right?

“…I don’t mind seeing that expression.”

What expression are you even talking about?

Of course, I couldn’t outright ask. Alice could read my expressions without much thought anyway.

Just because she could read my expressions doesn’t mean she could see my thoughts clearly like looking through transparent water. A person might make a worried face and think they’re in pain, or they might look terrified.

“It’s not a place for the Crown Princess to go.”

“Aren’t you the princess?”

“…I’m different from the Crown Princess.”

When I said this, one eyebrow of Alice lifted slightly. It was clear she found my words quite distasteful.

“The Crown Princess is destined to become the Emperor of this nation.”

“Do you think there’s anywhere the Emperor can’t go?”

Well, no matter what…

…Huh, thinking again, it seems the Emperor wouldn’t care where they were, be it the Imperial Palace or the sewers. If it could help them or wield power, they wouldn’t give a hoot.

If there’s something to be done, they would do it without a second thought. And they’d proudly say they have no shame whatsoever.

“And.”

Alice pointed a finger at me and said.

“I think you’re the most difficult being to control in this Empire. You don’t tell me what you’re thinking, yet you expect me to become the Emperor. Frankly, I don’t even know what you want from me becoming the Emperor, so shouldn’t I keep an eye on you properly?”

“……”

Well, she isn’t wrong at all.

That said, from this world’s perspective, I was indeed a very mysterious entity. And that mystery was something I had deliberately created. Looking back, it was like the barbs on a hedgehog’s back. A warning like, “Don’t touch that!”

The problem is… that warning works precisely because no one around can truly know my intentions.

I solely want to see Alice shake off all her insecurities and confidently rise to the throne. Because it’s Alice.

Whether Alice is the rightful heir, or the Emperor’s only child with royal blood mixed correctly, none of that matters to me. As long as Alice maintains her current self and personality, I would dare to wish for Alice to become the Emperor, even if the settings change a bit.

Because, that’s how it goes in the game.

At the end of Chapter 16, Alice becomes Emperor. Alice is a character whom Claire would sacrifice her life to save, which means she isn’t a “possible death character” just yet. True, even heroines who die can come back through various means in sequels. And there’s a few clues I’ve gained since I arrived here… but I’ll think about that later.

The original Emperor caused the world to plunge into chaos only to be defeated by the protagonists.

…Of course, there were still two scheduled works after that, so it’s possible that the Emperor’s death is a fake or that someone would resurrect the Emperor.

“…Understood.”

In the end, that’s what I told Alice.

Well, sewers are, in this world… no, even more so because it’s this world, a place that’s avoided. I thought that just reaching the entrance would make Alice freak out and scream about going back. After all, she hated it in the game.

“…I don’t particularly like your expression, but fine.”

At least, I think she understood what my expression was this time.

It was most likely “annoyance.”

Chapter 47

Sewers.

It’s a place nobody wants to enter unless absolutely necessary. It’s important enough that regular folks can’t just waltz in there, so why would I, of all people, need to venture into such a notoriously dirty space?

Of course, Chronicles of Aetherna isn’t a hyper-realistic game or anything. Sure, there are creepy monsters lurking around, but that’s just for the design; it mostly features typical, animated-style characters geared towards otaku culture, and has a story so long that you wouldn’t be surprised if the word ‘epic’ was slapped on it.

They didn’t exactly depict cockroaches crawling on the floor and ceiling or floaty bits of filth in a graphic setting, right?

The sewers are sprawling under the Imperial Capital, and recreating the vastness of that system in-game would be impossible. But since portions of the Capital were accurately represented, I assumed the sewers might look similar.

At first, I thought about getting the sewer blueprints, but I quickly concluded that doing so in just one Sunday would be impossible. Plus, if I got lost in there, I could just rewind time and easily exit, so I didn’t think it would be a big deal.

“……”

“……”

That was until I found myself followed by the Crown Princess and the Princess.

Leo and Claire had gone off to tackle another request. Even if they were doing a different side quest, the rewards wouldn’t exceed what I got this morning, so rather than suffering the fatigue of considering every possible outcome to get ahead of them, I figured I might as well check out something else first.

However, it turned out that even in this game-like reality, the main character and crew were just as dedicated to their work as they were in the game.

In the series, there were times the party would split up due to various events, or they’d start in different regions, but even then, the lore stated they worked hard wherever they ended up.

For the people designing the game, these characters were practically their children. Besides, as popularity among characters needed to be evenly spread for merchandise and sequels to sell, I felt slightly optimistic even when it came to choices that would lead to one of the heroines’ deaths, and it didn’t spawn much controversy among players either.

Some of those heroines were quite popular, which certainly helped.

Considering the sales for sequels and the impossibility of crafting routes for every significant choice, the resurrection of heroines felt inevitable. Even Claire, who was supposed to die, was so popular that some were skeptical about her demise.

Anyway…

So, the protagonists were supposed to roll with the punches, but to avoid the image of the heroine just lounging about, the creators often made it so that the heroine in a different region was ridiculously diligent.

And that diligent characterization seemed to hold true in this world too.

“Crown Princess, and Princess.”

I spoke to the two following me at the entrance of the sewers.

“Alice.”

“Please call me Charlotte.”

“……”

If they had looked determined, I wouldn’t have had much to say, but these two looked annoyingly nonchalant, as if their presence here was totally normal.

Well, I guess it’s no surprise Alice is here, but Charlotte?

What reason would the Princess of Velbur have to crawl into the Imperial Capital’s sewers?

“This place can be much dirtier and more unpleasant than you both might think.”

It probably would be dirtier and more unpleasant than I imagined. There’s definitely an experience of reality that you can’t depict in a game. The developers were notoriously infamous for their optimization blunders. The absence of small bugs or rats wasn’t because they didn’t want them, but rather they thought including them would drop the frame rate dramatically in comparison to the graphics.

After all, the door I was about to enter compared to what I’d seen in-game displayed major signs of rust.

But up to this point, it didn’t look too different from what I remembered. Expecting a small company to create textures that were realistic was ridiculous.

So… I suspected at least the interior of this sewer wouldn’t deviate much from what I remembered.

“So? I’m the Crown Princess of the Empire. No matter how unpleasant a place is, if it belongs to the Empire, it will be beneath me. Why would I shy away from being here?”

“……”

Well, with a statement like that, I was left speechless. It was I who instilled that attitude in Alice, after all.

But I wondered… one day she’d get a rude awakening. It’s the same in the original as well.

There’s a massive gap between knowing something intellectually and seeing it with your own eyes.

Ah, wait. Now that Claire hasn’t fallen, maybe Alice won’t need to witness anything shocking after all?

“……”

I glanced at Charlotte, standing confidently by Alice.

“Well, there wasn’t much else on my schedule. The Velbur royalty isn’t the type to ignore a friend in need.”

I never asked for help, though.

I simply bumped into Charlotte while walking with Alice, and she just naturally decided to tag along after hearing our conversation.

Still, I had something to say to Charlotte.

“The sewers are a critical governmental facility. No matter how you slice it, I don’t think it’s right to bring a foreigner in—”

“Oh my.”

As I was speaking, Charlotte unexpectedly interrupted, causing me to stop mid-sentence.

Charlotte’s eyes were focused on my hand.

……What I was holding was a lockpick.

Right. That item you often see in overseas RPGs; a one-time-use master key that looks like it belongs in a horror game.

There’s no way I look like I had permission to go in here.

That’s right. I had no permission. It was a place that only opened up after a related main quest.

And right now, we were still at the very beginning, still waiting ages before this place would unlock.

“Key design is certainly unique these days. Are they making keys one-time-use for security?”

“……”

Her expression didn’t change as she openly made a jab, and I simply turned my head in silence.

The lock indeed looked somewhat unique. This world had terms like magic and aura casually floating about, but fundamentally, wasn’t it basically steampunk? The brass lock looked quite sturdy.

Yet, its internal structure was way simpler than ones used on Earth.

It could’ve been made complex if they wanted to, but it’s just sewers. No need to use an expensive pocket watch-grade lock here.

And that’s why the lockpick worked easily.

I realized I was significantly weaker compared to the monsters in the game and decided to expand my skills toward ‘utility.’ One of those skills was lockpicking.

In the original, there was a significant moment where a lock was picked, so I assumed I could do it too. It took time, but eventually, I learned how to pick locks.

“Why? What’s with that look? My thoughts haven’t changed.”

I saw Alice looking back at me, and she raised her chin as she spoke.

No, I was about to complain about Charlotte… but never mind. It’s fine. The reason this place was blocked off is primarily to prevent people from going in and getting lost. Besides, Charlotte wouldn’t set any bombs inside.

If it starts smelling atrocious, would they just run away?

I suppressed a sigh and turned back towards the lock.

I knelt down, inserting the pick into the lock.

After attempting to pick the lock for a moment,

Click—

With a bright sound, the lock released.

“You certainly have a lot of skill.”

As I opened the maintenance door to the sewers, Charlotte genuinely expressed her admiration.

Charlotte and Alice were skilled swordmasters, but it seemed they didn’t possess such handy tricks. Both Charlotte and Alice were looking at me with a hint of admiration in their gazes.

“It’s nothing special.”

I replied in that manner and as I entered the sewers—

—thankfully, I entered first so the two behind me couldn’t see my expression.

My face probably crumbled to bits.

I barely managed to return to a poker face, but the smell in the air was genuinely strong enough to make me consider turning back.

“……”

It appeared the two trailing behind me were feeling the same way.

“Ugh.”

Alice’s voice caught in her throat, muffled by her hands.

Having barely succeeded at maintaining my expression, I turned back to speak.

“If you wish to turn back even now, feel free.”

Alice, who had been squinting and covering her mouth, pulled her hand away.

And surprisingly, the mouth beneath her hand was smiling.

“You’re the one with the questionable expression, aren’t you?”

“Is my expression questionable?”

At Alice’s comment, Charlotte, who was glancing at me from behind, tilted her head, but actually, Alice was right.

“If you feel like turning back, you can do it right now. Right?”

“……”

In response to her words, I turned back again.

Yeah, that’s true.

If I’d come alone, I would’ve given up and turned back, but once Alice said that, I completely lost the desire to give up.

Let’s see who gives up first then.

*

“By the way, that weapon you’re holding…”

Charlotte asked, noticing what I was gripping in my hand.

The weapon I held wasn’t the typical firearm I carried. It looked like a complexly intertwined crossbow, showing brass and steel parts. The size was nearly the same as my usual Ergensens rifle.

Inside, various cranks and gears were packed intricately enough to load ammunition with minimal effort, but compared to a gun, its only advantage was being somewhat quieter, and even when compared to a bolt-action rifle, it lacked in reloading speed, rate of fire, projectile speed, and durability.

“It’s for precaution.”

For now, it only smelled bad, but being in the sewers meant explosion from firearms was a risk.

Though if there was enough gas here to explode, we’d probably be sick long before that.

“Is that so?”

Fortunately, the foul stench wasn’t unbearable nor was it causing me headaches or making my head dizzy, but…

…still, I didn’t want to stay here any longer. I decided to quickly confirm what I needed and head back.

I held up a glowing magical stone lamp at head height, resolving myself.

Honestly, I planned to wander a bit more if I came alone, but it was obvious that wouldn’t be possible.

Chapter 48

Thinking back, the game from Chronicles of Aetherna episode 14 wasn’t just about Leo.

Leo is the playable character, and he can’t leave the party or anything. You could say he’s designed to be easy for players to immerse themselves in. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use the other characters.

If there are other characters in the same party, you could set a representative character to switch up who you see in the field. You can snag the first hit by attacking monsters first or sneak up from behind for a stun. Those field-specific gimmicks made things interesting.

So usually, guides would select a ranged character as the representative instead of the sword-wielding protagonist, starting battles by sneaking up and whacking monsters from a distance.

One of the most commonly used characters was Mia Crowfield, who could shoot ice arrows with basic attacks.

And among the party characters, there wasn’t a single one who would say things like, “It’s too dirty here; I’m not going in,” or, “I don’t want to go where it smells.” Not even when they had to crawl through a vent. Even the Crown Princess, royal ladies, or guest characters like Jennifer didn’t refuse.

“……”

“……”

“……”

So my choice of thinking, “The smell is so awful they’ll just give up,” was honestly a pretty stupid one.

About ten minutes after entering the sewers, I was already regretting it.

The two following me were superhumans, so they could probably stand the smell, but as for me… I could barely hang on at the ‘C’ level. Gulp…

Plus, that ‘C’ level was just my guess; who knows what the actual deal was? During those ten minutes, I seriously contemplated turning back… but ultimately decided against it.

It was like when you bravely start your first playthrough at max difficulty, only to get stuck at a boss thanks to a bad strategy, watching your party get wiped out three times, and then staring at the “Would you like to reset to a lower difficulty?” message.

The developers likely included that message hoping players wouldn’t give up, but reading it just pricked at my pride. It’s not like anyone is watching; I’m not even streaming the game, but suddenly, clicking it feels embarrassing.

But since multiple playthroughs are a must to write a guide, even if I can’t earn difficulty-related medals right now, I’ll end up getting them eventually.

So in the end, I pressed “No” at that choice and decided to brave it out.

At least the good news was that the two others behind me seemed too preoccupied to say anything. If they opened their mouths, the smelly gases would definitely waft right in. You can’t smell it, but that unique sticky, unpleasant feeling is there, you know?

“This way.”

I spoke cautiously, hoping to keep the conversation going. No response came from behind, but at least the footsteps kept going.

At this point, even if I wanted to wander off alone, it would be awkward. We had already taken a complex route to get here. While it wasn’t a complete labyrinth, it was definitely a confusing place for someone visiting for the first time.

But hey, I’m not a first-timer.

There were parts that didn’t match my memory. The downgraded textures made the makeshift map feel less dreadful. And while it was claimed to be dark, it wasn’t so dark that I couldn’t see at all.

Wait, actually, it was kinda bright, like a fluorescent bulb was on. Not a horror game, and adding annoying gimmicks wouldn’t get good reactions anyway.

The minimap lit up by blocks, so as soon as you stepped into a block, the layout popped right up on the mini-map. Plus, the clock wasn’t bad, so getting lost in the game was nearly impossible—just a minor annoyance of forgetting something and having to backtrack.

In that sense, this sewer we were walking through was quite different from the game. Especially the atmosphere.

It wasn’t dark enough that I couldn’t see ahead. There were lamps powered by magic stones, faintly lighting the area where people come and go.

But the paths between the lamps were quite dark. Water flowed through, carrying some… yuck… nasty liquids, and I could see what definitely looked like cockroaches scuttling along the floor.

But still, the structure was the same as I remembered.

I had no clue about the areas blocked off by iron doors. But I didn’t need to. You couldn’t access them in the game anyway.

The dungeons I had traversed multiple times for game攻略.

Oh, I don’t mean I remember every little detail like a navigation system. It’s been ten years.

But I had solid memories of the really important places. I had noted down everything I could remember in my notebook once I crossed over.

“Are you sure you know where you’re going?”

“Yes, of course.”

I replied with confidence to Alice’s slightly anxious voice.

At least I knew where we were. If we went deeper, real monsters would probably be crawling around too.

But those monsters wouldn’t come this far. We were still at the very beginning of the game. The monster issues would come some time later.

And, well…

Even if they did show up, it wouldn’t be a major problem.

In the game, they were considered strong monsters because of their ‘level,’ but in reality, that didn’t matter. Sigh… Aetherna isn’t a game about exploring vast fields; areas unlock based on progress and monster appearances are predetermined. Their levels only serve to match protagonists who would be strong enough by the time they get there.

Since it’s turn-based, it’s not like I’m standing still getting hit by swords and bullets; these beasts here will die just from being hit by my crossbow while they chase me.

“This way.”

I made a sharp turn and entered a small room that looked neat and tidy.

Honestly, I’m not sure why there’s such a space in the sewer. In the game, the sewer acted as a dungeon for adventuring, but in reality, there probably isn’t a need for this kind of space in actual sewers.

…Well, it looked like a storage space. Since sewers are long and wide, maybe they created spots where people could take little breaks in between.

But surprisingly, the room wasn’t locked, and inside was just a few scattered bits of trash and a single closed box.

Moreover, the box looked almost identical to the item containers from the game.

With no lights and an empty room, the box standing there felt a bit creepy.

“…A box?”

I heard Alice’s mutter from behind, but I didn’t bother answering and walked straight up to the box.

Thick dust was piled on top; I could probably draw a picture in it with my finger.

I pulled out my black leather gloves from my pocket and put them on.

Then I slowly bent down to open the box.

The dusty box opened as easily as a light breeze; there were no special locks on it.

Which was something that matched the game too.

“…”

While I confirmed that my thoughts and memories were right, it felt a little strange once I looked inside for real.

When was this item left here? Who brought it and how did only this box remain in this empty room?

I bent down and pulled out the item inside the box.

“Uh?”

“What’s that…?”

Marmaros.

What I was holding was Marmaros.

Compared to the ones that appeared in the game, this wasn’t particularly expensive or rare.

But in ‘reality’ rather than in ‘the game,’ this Marmaros was genuinely top-notch. Sure, within the game, towards the latter half, circumstances in the Empire allowed for a higher chance of obtaining rare Marmaros, and those might happen in reality too… but at least right now, it wasn’t something you could easily buy even with money.

The perfectly carved blue Marmaros felt cold even through the gloves. While I wouldn’t hurt myself just touching it without protection, my hands would feel chilly, like holding a drink straight from the fridge.

This powerful Marmaros I got from Jennifer was much stronger than the fiery one, and it would be mounted on Mia Crowfield’s staff to enhance her attack power later on in the story.

In the game, its ice magic damage was probably all that mattered, but in reality, it would be far scarier.

“Why is such a thing here?”

Charlotte asked, taking a few steps closer to me. Since Marmaros is used as a magical weapon attachment, if I had taken this and secretly crafted a weapon, I could have gone around with it without anyone knowing.

…But if someone else found this instead of me, it might have turned out a little risky. Is it more dangerous than the gun itself? I can’t argue against that.

But regardless of danger, this item is valuable. Charlotte’s question about why ‘this item’ is here isn’t just about that.

More than that, it’s about why I know this item is here.

I glanced at both Charlotte and Alice. Their faces, illuminated by the magical lamp’s light, were filled with confusion.

Until now, I could’ve passed it off as simply ‘being skilled,’ but coming this far meant I acted completely differently.

I must have known from the start that this item was here to even get here.

And the dust piling up in this room showed that someone had prepared this in advance. It looked like it had been left here to gather dust for a long time.

So it was no surprise Charlotte was asking me about it.

“How did you know this was here?”

That’s the essence of the question she wanted to ask.

“I’ll let you know later.”

I said that as I slipped the Marmaros into my coat pocket.

Honestly, doing so made the reason for even wearing the coat feel pointless, but still… well, I couldn’t just carry it in my hands.

As I said that and turned towards the door,

Swish.

Someone’s body blocked my path.

Without needing to look, I knew it was Alice standing in front of me.

“Tell me.”

Alice stared at me with determination in her eyes and said, “How did you know such an item would be here? If you don’t tell me, I won’t let you pass.”

“……”

Hmm.

What should I do?

Chapter 49

The truth is, one of the reasons I ended up here is that I was afraid of death.

Just because I can turn back time doesn’t mean I’m invincible. The first few times I turned back, it wasn’t really my choice, but at least I didn’t die. To be exact, I thought I ‘myself’ was not going to die.

After that, it was all me turning back time on my own.

In fact, it’s probably more accurate to say that my strong desire influenced the first few times. I don’t know if this ability is truly ‘mine’ or if it’s some other power watching me from above. I didn’t meet a god or receive any explanations during the process of coming over to this side, nor did I have a system or status window.

It’s also different from saving and loading. Unlike saving at a specific moment and then rewinding, my ability is to turn back time to a necessary point whenever I need it.

The trigger is said to be a ‘strong desire,’ but it doesn’t necessarily have to be at the moment of life-threatening danger. Time easily rewound just by me feeling embarrassed or desiring a different choice.

But what if I couldn’t have such desires?

Like getting shot. Or my body being shredded before I can do anything about an explosion.

… Or being impaled by an ice spear.

Mia Crowfield was a huge threat to me. She might not yet have the means to kill me, but with that Marmaros, it could be possible. After all, her specialty is ice magic.

I don’t want the main protagonist party to be in danger, but I can’t disregard my own life either. For now, I should hold onto this, and when the chance of Mia Crowfield being able to kill me almost disappears, I could hand it over. Until then, I won’t be able to easily obtain a Marmaros of this level before the first semester ends, which gives me time.

The problem is, I have no way to explain this reality.

What they’re curious about now is not why I brought this, but how I knew to bring it.

“… I can’t tell you yet.”

In the end, as I grew frustrated for not being able to answer, I could only dodge the question.

“…”

Alice’s gaze, fixed on me without moving aside, felt prickly, but I tried hard not to change my expression and spoke again.

“I’ll tell you when the time is right.”

Alice watched me silently.

She’s gotten somewhat skilled at reading my expressions. She might have noticed that I was flustered right now. Though I’m not too sure how she would interpret my expression.

“…”

“…”

For a while, we stared at each other in silence.

“… Phew.”

Fortunately, it was Alice who broke the silence first.

“… You know,”

Alice said, glaring at me, “I have a good memory. I’ll never forget that you said such a thing. If a moment comes when you can really tell me, please make sure to do so.”

“Understood.”

Well, I had thought so anyway.

After we’ve become close enough and when everything is over, if I no longer need to use this ability again, and if my relationship with the protagonist party is positive at that point, there wouldn’t be anything to hide. By then, my whole concept would mean nothing anyway.

But not now. It’s only been a week since the story started to unfold properly. It’s too early to reveal all the hidden agendas, and doing so could put the protagonist party in danger instead. If they’re a bunch of fools who only know this much, they would immediately antagonize the Emperor.

Above all, once Charlotte learns that the Kingdom of Velbur and the Empire of Aetherna are on a collision course, she wouldn’t just sit back and watch.

“When that time comes, will I be able to hear about it too?”

“… Probably.”

When I said that, Alice’s expression brightened a bit.

“The fact that Sylvia said this means she’s confident about it. Perhaps Charlotte will hear it together with you when the time comes.”

“Is that so?”

Alice’s tone suggested she was willing to let it go for now, but Charlotte seemed to not be able to fully trust me yet.

That’s understandable. After all, I directly threatened King of Velbur, Charlotte’s father.

“… Well, then, there’s nothing I can do. If you, Sylvia, keep your mouth shut… Honestly, I don’t see any way to open it.”

I had built that image quite well in everyday life. While Alice could read my expression, to others, I was an enigmatic presence. As long as they give up first, that would be enough.

“Are we done? Then let’s head outside. Honestly, it stank the moment we came in. I feel like my nose is almost numb now.”

“… Let’s change our clothes first. I might not be able to wear this outfit again.”

… Indeed, it seemed my coat was likely to smell. Will it wash out?

“And since we’re at it, how about we all gather together for parfait? After we change.”

Alice said this while turning back to me, smiling brightly.

“You like parfait, right?”

…Even though I was maintaining my expression, it seemed I couldn’t hide it from Alice.

“Was that the expression of someone who liked it?”

“She wears her feelings on her face.”

After Alice said that, she turned around and started walking ahead, and Charlotte looked at Alice as if something was strange.

At least at this moment, I couldn’t help but empathize with Charlotte.

I really have no idea how she figures these things out.

*

Even after waking up early, carrying out requests, exploring the sewers, washing up, changing clothes, grabbing a light meal at the café, and even eating parfait, it was still not yet 3 PM.

I thought, “Wow, mornings are so fast that there’s actually this much time”.

“Do you have more things to do?”

When I said I had things to do after finishing the parfait, Alice gave me a slightly annoyed look.

“Well, that’s fine. I am curious about what your things are, but… honestly, even if I look more, I don’t think I can figure anything out.”

In that regard, I was genuinely grateful.

And Alice’s judgment was accurate.

I was planning to go to my room and roll around in bed.

After working for several hours, even going so far as to rewind time, I thought it was time for a little break.

Leo and Claire are still probably wandering around solving various requests, and Mia Crowfield will probably be holed up in her room.

“Charlotte, why don’t we go study together?”

“Then, shall we? Sylvia, today was quite fun. I don’t know exactly about you yet…”

“Right. How many times are we going to have to go into the Imperial capital sewers?”

I wondered what kind of expression Alice would make if I told her that we had to go to a much deeper place and face a hideous monster.

Well, thinking about it again, I realized that even if I told her, she would probably just ask me “How do you know about that?” rather than grimacing at the thought, so I decided to keep it to myself.

Sometimes, there are things you can figure out without needing to rewind time.

“Well then, let’s meet again around dinner.”

“Understood.”

I slightly bowed to the two who were leaving in front of me.

“…”

And then I relaxed my shoulders slightly.

Phew.

Even after going off on my own, I still felt drained, but now with two more people along, it felt like twice the exhaustion.

…Alright. From now on, I’m really going to do nothing.

I’ll head back to my room and roll around on the bed. And when dinner time comes, I will rewind time and roll around again, and then rewind once more to roll around. That should be enough for my mental fatigue to ease away.

“Oh, Crown Princess.”

And just like that, my expectations were shattered marvelously by some bronzed blonde punk.

I’m not kidding; he was really a bronzed blonde punk.

He was flanked by two girls.

“… What can I do for you?”

Aren’t you asking me that?

I barely held back those words and asked.

After all, this was our first encounter.

I didn’t know if he merely passed by and happened to speak, or if he had been deliberately waiting.

But… looking at him, it seemed more like he was the latter.

“Oh, my apologies.”

The bronzed blonde punk quickly bowed slightly toward me. Despite having a somewhat rugged demeanor, his greeting was soft and composed enough to make me impressed.

That’s to be expected since he was the eldest son of a fairly renowned duke family from the Empire.

For reference, the reason his skin is brown is that he really tanned. It’s not that he was born with dark skin.

But the girl with black hair beside him genuinely did have dark skin.

Among the two girls flanking him, one with a particularly emotionless expression… is a colonial. In illustrations, it’s hard to tell the difference between races, but in reality, she wouldn’t seem out of place to call “Indian.” However, she was not a pure blood colonial; she had some Imperial blood in her.

The bronzed sun who spoke to me had the girls acknowledge him, and despite the giggling noises a moment ago, they didn’t seem amused by my expression.

“I just happened to pass by and saw the Crown Princess, so I came to greet you. I apologize if I disturbed you.”

“…”

What’s the point of beating around the bush?

He’s also one of the main characters in the story.

When it comes to a ‘golden sun,’ many might think of them as a character stealing a heroine from a light novel, but that’s usually a setting found in adult comics or games. In fact, in media like this, golden suns are often just hot-headed fools.

While I can’t say this character is a complete hot-headed fool… well, he definitely has a character that can’t tolerate injustice.

He enjoys life, looks well-groomed, is popular with girls, but he’s only focused on one particular girl. The mixed descent colonial is merely a distant relative. Though he carries some of the Duke’s blood, in the end, she’s still just a colonial and remains by the golden sun’s side as his ‘maid.’

Nevertheless, she was able to enter the academy not as a servant but as a student, but since commoners usually receive different treatment, they ended up in different classes.

“I’m Jake Lindbergh.”

In the original story, he wasn’t skilled in plots. Although he wasn’t completely devoid of noble sensibilities, honestly speaking, he’s the type to act before he thinks.

He’s nice to girls but ruthless towards boys. He occupies a somewhat ‘comic relief’ role. He’s the typical protagonist’s friend character found in harem stories.

The production company likely placed him next to this character to avoid creating the image of being a harem disruptor.

However, because of that, he adds up some pure-hearted boy charm, securing his status.

“Sylvia Fanggriffon.”

As I responded like that, Jake Lindbergh straightened his previously bowed body.

“It’s an honor to meet you.”

“…”

Do you have anything else to say?

I threw that thought into my gaze, but honestly, the only person who could read my expressions was Alice, so the chances of this fool understanding my thoughts were much lower. As a result, Jake Lindbergh was just wearing a silly smile.

…But if he spoke to me, there must be a reason.

I slightly turned my gaze to the mixed descent girl next to Lindbergh.

In the original story… actually, she had a lot of interest in Jake Lindbergh as well, but her role was merely to assist him. While it’s possible to exclude one of them from the party, there’s no way for her to get involved with the protagonist.

I figured she must have told him to speak to me.

Chapter 50

In truth, Jake Lindbergh is a character who has quite a bit of unfairness.

Despite the internal setup of being in a love that is difficult to achieve, the external appearance setting has led to him being portrayed negatively in various fan works. Of course, the number of such fan works isn’t too many, given that the game itself is well-known.

Although many of those images have disappeared in the sequels, this time, due to the ‘pure love’ setting, there are works where someone steals the person he likes… Well, he was just a pitiful character in various ways.

“……”

“……”

The problem is that we don’t really have much to talk about.

At this point, Alice would have more conversations than I would. Alice was in a position to become the emperor and would likely be perceived that way by other nobles too. Honestly, even if I tried to become friends…

Ah, wait, no? After all, I was someone who was almost always by Alice’s side, so from that viewpoint, it wouldn’t be bad to get closer. The fact that it’s hard for them to approach due to my image was another story.

By the way, the girls next to me slowly slipped away the moment Jake and I started talking.

“I’ve often heard stories about you, Your Highness. I apologize for not greeting you sooner as a fellow classmate.”

However, the other party is a rather easy-going individual who knows how to chat with women without hesitation. Just because there was a moment of silence, he doesn’t get awkward around me.

Even at this moment, isn’t he surrounded by girls on both sides?

… Come to think of it, he is also a ‘clueless harem protagonist’ type character. Although, unlike the heroines around the protagonist, the heroines next to this noble seem to be almost all supporting characters. They may have names since they’re from a noble class, but at best, they just appear briefly to play the jealousy role.

And those supporting characters were stealthily backing away as Jake and I began our conversation.

Even if a scene of jealousy and isolation comes out, in the end, they are daughters of noble houses. Regardless of their background, there is no one among them who can openly challenge a person like me, who has even been rumored as a noble killer in some noble houses.

Even the nobles who directly converse are rare.

“I don’t care.”

I answered that way while looking at the maid standing a little behind Jake.

Though there’s a noble class and a commoner class, the design of the uniforms isn’t that different. It seems that, aside from the characteristic skirt pleats, it’s challenging to distinguish between military uniforms and school uniforms. It’s like they’re trying to convey the message that ‘all students are the same’… but among nobles, most already know each other, so it doesn’t really mean much. Plus, even if they don’t know each other’s faces, the rumors spread quickly.

“However, at least within the school, we are just the same students. There’s no need to call me Your Highness just because you see me.”

“Oh, then…?”

Hmm, Jake pondered for a moment and then spoke.

“Can I just call you Sylvia?”

“……”

No, well.

That said, calling me ‘adult fanggriffon’ felt a bit ambiguous too. After all, it was a royal name, so it felt a bit wrong to address it casually… But on the other hand, the fact that he immediately called my name like that makes me wonder if he’s bold or not.

But hey, it was Jake. He was a character who calls every character by name from the beginning, so it wouldn’t make much sense to point that out.

Rather, I looked towards the maid who must have brought Jake to me.

Her skin was a bit darker. There were events in the game where people were discriminated against based on skin color. However, it wasn’t just a dark complexion. After all, she was of mixed race from the start.

‘If they’re going to discriminate against people based on skin color, does that mean I should be discriminated against too?’

That was something Jake had once said while defending this girl.

Others knew that Jake’s skin color was sun-kissed, and that’s why some people would mention it’s different, but…

‘Just because skin color changes with sunlight, does it make sense that someone can’t do something just because of that?’

I couldn’t say anything to Jake, who had said that. He probably had a lot he wanted to say. But what could I do since he was a duke?

“Oh, this is…?”

Did Jake notice that my gaze was directed back? He reached over, patted the back of that girl next to him, and stepped her forward while speaking.

“This is Roti… She says.”

He introduced the somewhat petite girl.

Just like in the orphanage, she didn’t have a surname either. In this world, if a child doesn’t inherit a surname from their parents, they end up living without a surname unless they marry someone later or create a surname themselves.

Roti was an illegitimate child from Lindbergh. Even if a commoner gave birth to a child, they wouldn’t recognize it as their own, so it would be even more so for a child born between a maid brought from the colonies.

Roti had lived as a maid since birth, and Jake had been a noble since the moment he was born.

Though they were a sub-couple, they were quite interesting characters.

“I am Sylvia Fanggriffon.”

“…I am Roti. I’m sorry for not introducing myself earlier.”

Usually, maids wouldn’t introduce themselves directly. Though she’d been raised alongside Jake since childhood, Roti must have been acutely aware of her situation.

Roti’s face was… perfectly expressionless, enough for me to consider copying her.

“Did you have something to do? I’m sorry for suddenly talking to you. Roti said it’d be better to talk to you to get the girls away.”

“Master.”

“……”

I quietly stared at Jake’s face.

There was no hint of negative emotion in his expression. As a member of the duke’s family, the most noble existence among nobles, he would know how to handle words. So, the remark he just made was somewhat indirect.

But still, I didn’t think it was a comment to test me. Rather, it seemed genuine, taken literally.

“Don’t worry, Roti. Sylvia is not that kind of person.”

Jake assured her in response to Roti’s remark.

I couldn’t quite tell where he got that confidence from.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

To my question, Jake nodded and replied.

“Other people might think differently, but I don’t think you’re that bad of a person.”

The game doesn’t indicate whether Jake has good or poor judgment of people. He was simply a character who treated everyone kindly. In parts where the protagonist’s party was on the run, he casually lived in a port town, mingling with commoners and fishing leisurely enough to lie about being newlyweds with Roti.

Thinking about it that way, it did seem like he had a good eye for people. If he hadn’t trusted the people around him, he wouldn’t have been able to live so carefree.

It could also be attributed to luck, but still, wouldn’t it be better to have a bit of doubt?

I slightly raised my guard towards Jake.

“So… yeah. It’s kind of similar to Roti.”

“……”

“…Master.”

Roti’s expression didn’t crumble, but seeing me remain silent, she once again called for Jake. Yet, his expression remained unchanged.

I looked at Roti once. Her gaze fell beneath my feet. Since it was the eldest son of the duke speaking, she couldn’t dare to collect her thoughts in that moment, nor did she have the authority to apologize instead. Although her face was still expressionless, her attitude conveyed a sense of fear.

“It’s not that one can’t be completely different.”

When I answered that way, Roti’s face rose slightly. She still couldn’t meet my eyes.

“The reason you spoke to me was just that?”

“Ah, yeah. It was just to have a casual greeting. We’re in the same class, after all?”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

“Then, I shall take my leave.”

“Alright, see you tomorrow.”

After catching a look at Jake, who waved cheerfully while smiling, I turned back without necessarily needing to say anything else.

In fact, I was getting close to my limit of fatigue. I had gone to bed early after rewinding time, but waking up at dawn had dealt a critical blow.

… First, I should take a deep nap. I can think about the two later when I wake up.

Thinking so, I hurried towards my room.

After all, it wouldn’t matter if at least resting went according to plan, right?

*

“……”

“……”

As I quietly watched the two walk away with firm steps, the first one to speak was Roti.

“Master.”

“Yeah?”

“…Do you know who you just spoke to?”

“No, it was Roti who told me to speak to her, right?”

“…Master.”

Unable to hold back from grumbling about the many girls surrounding us, Roti shot a glare at Jake, and he recalled that he had executed it. Taking advantage of the absence of the princess and the other princess who always hung around him.

And the result was remarkable. In fact, all the female students surrounding Jake had dispersed.

“It was effective, after all. Hmm… Should I start hanging out with that group too?”

“Master.”

“No, really, it’s fine, right? With the princess of the Kingdom of Velbur here, and a potential future empress in the crown princess. And Grace’s Estate is said to have close ties to the royal family, even more so than many dukes. Each of them is the perfect companion for making acquaintances, right?”

“……”

Ultimately, Roti fell quiet, and Jake chuckled.

“No, well… alright, I admit. Initially, I was just saying that to mess with you.”

“……”

Roti still kept her mouth shut, but Jake just shrugged his shoulders and continued talking.

“But talking to you made me realize something. Sylvia doesn’t seem like a bad person at all.”

“… How can you be so sure of that?”

“Well…”

When Roti questioned him, Jake tilted his head slightly, pondering.

“To be honest, there isn’t really a logical reason.”

“……”

“You’re somewhat similar. Sylvia. She herself didn’t claim to be really different. If she were an ordinary high-ranking noble with that kind of personality, how would she react when compared to you?”

Certainly, Sylvia Fanggriffon’s reaction was unexpected. Even if she wasn’t a noble, most imperial citizens… No, white people would be pretty upset if they were compared to someone of a different skin color from the colonies.

Yet, Sylvia, despite being a princess, didn’t seem to be bothered by it much.

…Though she was expressionless.

“The princess hardly shows any changes in expression from the start.”

“I know. I saw it right in front of me.”

Jake replied immediately to Roti’s words.

“But I know someone who maintains a blank expression almost all the time. Even if I look like this, I’ve been learning to read expressions for over a decade. Thanks to someone.”

“……”

“Why, are you trying to say you and Sylvia are different?”

Jake said with a smile.

“So, want to make a bet? Whether Sylvia is a good or bad person.”

“… Is this really the right time to say that? If Your Highness… if she were…”

“Really, do I need to worry if she’s that kind of person? Thanks for the concern.”

“……”

Roti seemed at a loss for words, but Jake didn’t hold back either.

“Even if it’s certain that Sylvia is the kind of person who has killed someone, well, you know. I doubt that someone like Sylvia, who has a similar vibe to you, would kill someone for no reason.”

Looking at Jake, who said that with a bright smile, Roti sighed as if she couldn’t communicate with him.

Chapter 51

It’s not that easy to follow someone.

People are surprisingly perceptive, reacting keenly to even the faintest sounds nearby. Especially at night when there’s hardly any movement, those sounds become even more pronounced.

Of course, there are plenty of spells to minimize those sounds. They all require the hefty use of the expensive Marmaros, but if there’s really a need to observe someone in secret, Mia Crowfield could easily afford such costs.

Especially if that someone is the one who killed her father.

The problem is, if it’s true that Sylvia Fanggriffon has really assassinated the Count and is carrying on without a care, the chances of being discovered after using such means is pretty high.

Mia Crowfield was a magician, not an assassin. She had received some training, but that training was meant to expose the royal family’s weaknesses as a noble, not for killing assassins.

Besides, Mia had the rare opportunity to observe Sylvia Fanggriffon from very close during that covert battle. She was horrified as she watched Sylvia nonchalantly take down one after another while aiming at a place so bright it was hard to see properly.

Sylvia didn’t even spare her allies.

That sight… made Mia think there must be some magical influence at play, it was just that terrifying.

Mia was well aware that wearing soft shoes, choosing the darkest clothes she had, and opting for pants instead of a skirt, while also donning a mask looked incredibly silly. She also knew that when caught, no excuse would help her.

But… if she gets caught…

Well, then they can try killing her. Mia certainly had no intention of dying alone. No, even if they couldn’t kill her, she would make sure to inflict a significant injury before she went down.

With that resolve, Mia Crowfield started following Sylvia Fanggriffon from the early morning—no, at a time still awkward to call anything but midnight.

From Mia’s perspective, who didn’t know much about Sylvia’s lifestyle, it was vital to properly confirm her way of living.

“…At this time?”

It was a stroke of luck that she started her observation from midnight, having thought of a slim chance. Sylvia woke up and started moving incredibly early. Clearly, if she had any errands to run, it would need to be done at this hour.

But….

“…Huh?”

If it was something that needed to be done stealthily at such an early hour, wouldn’t it be obvious that she should be on alert for her surroundings?

Sitting on a bench, seemingly waiting for a carriage, Sylvia Fanggriffon showed no signs of vigilance.

Or rather… how should she put it? She seemed even more dazed than usual.

Sylvia Fanggriffon was…

Nodding off while sitting on the bench.

“Eh?”

And that position looked very vulnerable. If someone were to attack Sylvia Fanggriffon, she’d surely fall victim to that assault.

…No, wait.

Maybe that pose is a disguise. Mia Crowfield shook her head at that thought.

Right. If it’s a disguise, it wouldn’t be out of the question. Perhaps she was trying to lull any tail into lowering their guard by appearing relaxed while being on high alert.

…But if she knew she was being followed, wouldn’t it be better to strike back instead?

“Eh?”

As if shaking off the drowsiness, Sylvia Fanggriffon jolted awake, her head bobbing forward before she rubbed her eyes. It wouldn’t be surprising if her eyes were bloodshot.

What is this?

What the heck is going on?

This was the steel-willed Sylvia Fanggriffon who had maintained her composure even while enjoying delicious food.

Of course, while Alice Fanggriffon might claim there were other emotions hidden beneath her unchanging expression, Mia completely doubted Alice’s words.

“Yawn.”

“Uh?”

…But looking at Sylvia, yawning without covering her mouth, even Mia’s certainty started to waver.

As she tightened her coat around her like a cape against the cold morning air, stretching her arms like she was reluctant to move, and then startled herself awake by looking around… it almost seemed like she didn’t want anyone to catch her faking that blank expression.

“…”

Is that an assassin?

No, it can’t be.

Mia shook her head vigorously once more.

That… might just be an act. An act to shed the label of an assassin placed upon her. After all, she was a princess.

Clap, clap.

Hearing that sound, Mia quickly turned her gaze to see Sylvia Fanggriffon slapping her own cheeks with both hands in an attempt to wake herself up.

“…”

Now, even words of surprise failed to come forth.

It was entirely different from the persona she was used to.

…Could it be, she’s not even aware of the presence around her? Of course, the distance was quite far. A regular student wouldn’t notice someone trailing them.

In fact, that was a calculated action knowing she wouldn’t realize it. If she caught on to Mia following her, Sylvia Fanggriffon would immediately go after her. And Mia had figured that by provoking Sylvia, she might uncover some clue, even the slightest one.

“…Ah.”

Could it be?

Could it be that this entire situation was premeditated?

The imperial family had indeed been taking advantage of the fact that Mia’s father was killed, but they would never outright admit it. The incident was merely a tragic accident, and officially, the imperial family’s stance was to mourn the Count’s death.

Thus, they couldn’t carelessly reveal any evidence.

Officially, it wasn’t a direct murder. They could use the nobility’s trembling fear but deny any claims when someone pointed it out.

The Emperor had spoken with her mother about something. Mia hadn’t heard that conversation, nor did her mother tell her what it was about. All she had been told was the fact that the Emperor killed her father.

So then…

“…”

Sniffle.

Sylvia Fanggriffon sniffled, evidently thinking there was no one around her.

…..

Could it really be true that she killed my father? Is she really a heartless killer who caused countless innocent victims when she blew up several carriages?

Am I wrong in my thinking?

Mia Crowfield pondered seriously as she watched Sylvia turn back to her blank expression upon hearing the sound of a carriage approaching in the distance.

*

“Crown Princess.”

Monday morning.

As soon as Mia left the dorm for class, she headed straight for the area where Sylvia and Alice were.

And she bowed slightly to Sylvia Fanggriffon.

“Did you sleep well throughout the night?”

After seriously contemplating Sylvia’s behavior throughout Sunday, Mia still couldn’t come up with a satisfactory answer.

“I’m glad to hear that, Mia.”

“Thanks to you, I’m doing well.”

The first to respond to Mia was Alice, the ‘true princess’.

“Were you well?”

“Thank you, Your Highness. I am well.”

For someone like Mia Crowfield, who has always been shy since childhood, greeting others like this early in the morning was somewhat of a burden. Especially when needed to greet someone in a group.

But Mia Crowfield had something to confirm.

She had to see if the Sylvia Fanggriffon she observed on that Sunday morning was genuine or not.

No matter how fueled by a desire for revenge one might be, two consecutive sleepless nights were pushing it. Thus, the way to check up on Sylvia on that Monday was to see her expression as early as possible.

If there was even a hint of fatigue in her expression right now, it would put Mia’s heart at ease.

“…”

However, the expression on Sylvia Fanggriffon, who gazed blankly up at Mia, was fundamentally unchanged from usual; her face remained expressionless.

“Sylvia, even if you’re tired, you should at least respond to greetings from those who greet you first.”

…Tired?

Upon hearing Alice’s comment, Mia reexamined Sylvia Fanggriffon’s expression.

Undoubtedly, her expression was as expressionless as usual.

“…Good morning.”

There wasn’t even the slightest indication of hoarseness in her voice.

“Watching you both, it’s just so fascinating.”

“What do you mean fascinating?”

When Alice asked, Charlotte responded.

“To me, Sylvia’s expression is always blank. Yet, Alice, you seem to read it without any issue.”

…Can you read it? Mia, who had seen the ‘other expression’ of Sylvia Fanggriffon just yesterday, also wondered. Was she perhaps fooling herself into believing she could read it?

“Hmm.”

Alice made a noise as if she was proudly asserting something.

“The imperial family has plenty of people who annoy Sylvia. It’s not just a reaction that only does that. Most of the time, it’s her annoyance… Ah, well, most of it is that, but she at least reacts more towards me than with the other siblings.”

“…”

Sylvia Fanggriffon turned her head upon hearing Alice’s words. Still expressionless, so whatever she was thinking was unclear.

“Is that right?”

While Charlotte listened to Alice and then glanced back at Sylvia’s expression, she still seemed puzzled.

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“…”

Mia took another quick peek at Sylvia Fanggriffon’s expression…

…And indeed, the expression from early yesterday morning was nowhere to be found.

*

…Have I been too complacent?

Certainly, she maintained a blank expression, but the way she reacted to Alice or Lucas, Jayden was different. She was curt with Lucas and Jayden, whereas she was fairly affectionate towards Alice.

Couldn’t be helped, right? Lucas and Jayden had already been a bit older than her from the first time they met, but Alice was a child when they first met. She was the same age as Claire.

Seeing how Alice struggled during her early childhood since she was an excellent but unrecognized sibling didn’t help motivate her to be kinder.

On top of that, with the background knowledge of a protagonist journey in the original story, it was no wonder Mia would subconsciously try to be a little kinder.

Then again, aside from Lucas who swings his sword at me every time he sees me and Jayden who overly expresses his fondness, I think I spent a fairly ordinary time with the other two.

Or wait, maybe it’s because of such varied reactions that Alice has reached a level of reading my expressions?

“…”

Even without making eye contact, Mia Crowfield’s gaze was clearly fixated on me.

What is she trying to accomplish again?

She hadn’t seen me throughout the weekend. Did something happen with one of the other Emperor’s children in the shadows?

“…Hmm.”

That same thoughtful noise broke through Charlotte’s lips.

“I really don’t get it.”

I mean, right?

Honestly, even if I took a picture of my own face, I wouldn’t recognize it.

How can Alice, who wouldn’t even be able to recognize the expression I can’t even discern myself, seemingly read it so easily?

…Could it be that Alice has some hidden ability?

Thinking it would be worth investigating, I looked at the smiling Alice.

Chapter 52

I’m at least someone with minimal awareness.

Well, I mean, there was a time when I brought up game stories in front of someone who didn’t care at all, mistaking their bored politeness for interest, thinking we had become close. Thankfully, that was back in high school, and since there were no girls around me, it ended with a rumor of me being a nerd, and from then on, I thought I should at least learn to read the room a little.

I don’t exactly have the looks that make people feel friendly when they see me, nor do I have the gift of gab. I lived online without giving it much thought, but that’s just because you can’t see the other person’s face, right? Since I can’t see their gestures or expressions, I wouldn’t even know how uncomfortable they might feel.

I’ve learned to navigate situations at work, figuring out how to act just enough to get by decently. At least now I can tell when someone makes an expression indicating they really don’t want to hear what I’m saying.

If not that, then there’s the expression of people who don’t know how to deal with me.

For example, at this very moment, Mia Crowfield, who is sitting across from me, had that expression.

People find it more burdensome to make eye contact with someone who has no expression than you might think. Especially when the expressionless person is someone higher up.

Of course, it’s a different story for those who, despite seeing such a blank stare, are confident enough to say, “I can read that expression,” or those who confidently claim to be that expressionless person’s sister, or those who are just overall assured and don’t mind having an extra emotionless girl among a bunch of girls around them.

Now that I think about it, I do seem to have a lot of strange people around me. But thinking back, all these people were once part of the protagonist’s party in the original story. Even if there are quirks, I could just roll with it.

The real problem is Mia Crowfield.

Just last week, every time I made eye contact with her, Mia would glare at me with all her might. She didn’t even try to hide her intent to kill me, to the point where I almost had to stifle a laugh.

Being a game heroine, she had quite a curvy body, but she was a bit short, and her hair often covered her eyes, so she looked quite timid. In fact, she usually remained in that timid state unless she was glaring at me.

So naturally, I couldn’t help but notice the change in Mia Crowfield.

She used to act like a scared rabbit in front of Charlotte and even Alice, the Emperor’s daughter, but these days, she often avoids my gaze.

Has her mindset changed?

If so, then why? What could have caused such a change?

“……”

“……”

Hmm.

Wait a minute.

Thinking about it, I don’t exactly have a reason not to ask her directly.

Right? I’m someone who can rewind time, after all. I could just ask her in front of me.

Also, I had said worse things than this before.

I glanced around. Alice and Charlotte were all present in the student council room. There were other committee members as well, including the student council president.

We had entered the student council, but we didn’t have any particular roles yet. It seemed like we were just valuable assets they wanted to keep around. I guess the student council president was quite aristocratic in the original story, but he was also someone who judged people based mainly on their abilities. He just gave significant bonus points for background.

And then there were the two Graces who had entered with Alice quite confidently.

I had offered milk tea to both of them, but they naturally didn’t welcome me, Alice, Charlotte, and Mia Crowfield nearly as warmly. It felt more like they were just passing it over.

Leo had a look as if he was sitting on a thorny cushion while Claire was completely unfazed.

Hmm.

I can ask. After all, even if people stare at me in surprise, I can just rewind time and it won’t matter.

But Mia Crowfield doesn’t know I can rewind time. So, she might hide the truth during the process of answering.

Would I really get a proper response if I asked here?

“……”

As I quietly observed Mia Crowfield, she glanced around nervously. Judging by her non-blushing face, it didn’t seem like she was particularly embarrassed.

What’s going on with her?

This uncertainty only made me more anxious.

“……”

Hmm.

Ah, I don’t get it.

“Mia Crowfield.”

As I quietly called her name, Mia jumped in her seat like a rabbit startled awake.

Thud! The sound of the chair and table scraping echoed, and I felt everyone’s gaze quickly shift to us.

…… This sensation feels familiar. Of course, it wasn’t as intense as last time. Mia’s reaction was quite different, and we hadn’t engaged in a serious conversation yet.

“Y-yes!?”

The response I got back was pure bewilderment.

Is it really that surprising?

I rarely call out someone else’s name first. I didn’t want to reveal any flaws by trying to extend the conversation too much. Of course, I could have adjusted the conversation while rewinding time, but finishing a conversation like that would leave me mentally drained. My mind feels like it has lived through hours of normal conversation in just a few minutes.

For someone who was born a social outcast, dragging out conversations with others like that was torture.

“I have something I want to discuss; do you mind if we have a moment?”

“I-I, I-I don’t want to!?”

Mia Crowfield immediately rejected my suggestion to talk privately.

But I thought I was suggesting a conversation just between us, away from the others.

For the record, the people around us looked completely dumbfounded.

…… Is this really that shocking of a thing? Even someone a bit reserved might want to have a one-on-one conversation sometimes.

…… Wait a minute. Could it be?

I thought I had built a cool beauty image pretty well, but had they actually just seen me as a total loser? Like someone who struggles to speak to others because of social anxiety?

Am I really seen as being similar to Mia Crowfield in that way?

“…… You don’t want to?”

“Absolutely not! What do you want to do to me!?”

I’m not going to do anything.

No, more than that, if you talk to me like that, I’ll come off as some kind of predator! Although, I get that Mia meant she would “kill” me, but it was a word that could easily lead to misunderstandings.

In reality, everyone except Alice, who looked serious after hearing that, just stared at me with their mouths hanging open.

…… Or not? Am I the only one overthinking it? Have I watched too many comics or animations in this genre?

I wanted to shake my head and clear my thoughts, but no matter how much I planned to rewind time in this situation, I still had to maintain some sense of character.

“I won’t do anything.”

“How can I trust you?”

That’s true.

From Mia Crowfield’s perspective, it makes sense to see me that way. I am the nemesis who killed her father.

The real question is why has that gaze towards that nemesis changed compared to a week ago?

“Then, I’ll ask you a question. Is that okay?”

“…… Ugh.”

However, when I said that, Mia Crowfield’s expression momentarily froze. Thinking about it, how would I know what she expected me to say here? She might not think I would bring up her father’s story, but if she sees me as an “assassin,” she should realize that any information I provide could be significant.

“Um, is that so…”

Yet, Mia Crowfield decided to act like it was no big deal.

“…….”

I quietly watched Mia Crowfield, narrowing my eyes, and slowly opened my mouth.

“Then, I won’t hesitate.”

After a brief pause, I continued, “Mia Crowfield, the feelings in your gaze when you looked at me last week and now have changed. May I ask why?”

A ping sounded above Mia Crowfield’s head as a question mark appeared.

Well, I didn’t mean literally; it was just how I imagined it. There aren’t any helpful functions like systems or status windows in this world.

“W-w-well…”

Mia Crowfield stumbled over her words at my question, “W-w-well, even if there’s a change! It doesn’t concern you at all!? Why would I have to tell you something like that?!”

Saying that, Mia immediately turned around and fled the student council room.

“…….”

Hmm.

In the brief silence of the student council room, I organized my fleeting thoughts.

Based on her reaction, even if I had called her over for a conversation, I doubt I would have gotten a proper answer.

…… Guess I’ll just have to wait for now.

“Sylvia?”

Seeing Claire still with a surprised expression talking to me made me realize it was time to restore the situation to normal again.

Once again.

*

I may not have the ability to distinguish tea leaves, but you can definitely tell when you’re drinking something really good and expensive, even if you’re not well-informed.

The milk tea we had in the student council was really good. It was smooth and fragrant. I’d want to dump a ton of sugar into it, but even adding just two cubes would make it sweet enough to tolerate.

After all, even a cool beauty shouldn’t let herself get chubby.

The rich aroma of high-quality tea infused the student council room. If we kept drinking good tea every day, the smell would permeate the room, making it so faint, you could sense it upon entering.

And while leisurely enjoying that high-quality tea, I kept an eye on Mia Crowfield.

Like before I rewound time, she was desperately avoiding my gaze.

…… So far, the only people I had ‘killed’ were the Count and his henchmen. The Emperor had asked about the world’s political situation in a ‘game’ context while I managed to provide some insights based on that, but as far as any rumors went about someone ‘killed’ by me, it had only been the Count.

Could she have heard a silly rumor somewhere else?

Is she scared of me now that she might think I’m a much more dangerous person?

Given her response a moment ago, that thought crossed my mind. She seemed terrified of being alone with me.

“……”

I gently sipped my milk tea, feeling the pleasant warmth fill my mouth.

…… Should I follow her?

After all, tomorrow is the weekend. Maybe I could properly observe Mia Crowfield’s whereabouts.

If I receive information from someone, I can figure out who it is. Unlike the original, this world has changed significantly due to my involvement in the characters’ backgrounds.

Sounds good.

The weekend schedule is set!

Chapter 53

“I will keep an eye on Mia Crowfield.”

At first, I had planned to hide it, but our diligent Crown Princess would come looking for me to study together every weekend. It wasn’t like she was really obsessed with studying all day, but for some reason, she thought it was perfectly normal to review the week’s lessons during the weekends since there weren’t any exams coming up.

Surely, when exam time rolls around, she’ll really start hitting the books.

It’ll be helpful for me too. Well, I tend to rewind time and listen more than a few times when there’s something I don’t understand during class.

In any case, if I didn’t say this beforehand, Alice would definitely come searching for me everywhere.

“…Did Crowfield do something wrong?”

“Not at all.”

I lightly shook my head at Alice’s slightly worried question.

“However, Mia Crowfield might pose a threat.”

In the original game, she was one of the strongest magic dealer characters. If you fully powered up her staff and equipped it with Marmaros properly, she could rain down what others would use as ultimate skills as regular magic. Especially in the not-so-perfectly balanced first game, there were some overpowered Marmaros that made mana regeneration easy, allowing almost infinite spam once it was her turn.

Of course, while this world has some differences from the game… still, some systematic aspects seem to remain. If the magic from the game exists here, even just that ‘part’ could mean the end of my life.

“Are you thinking of eliminating her or something?”

Alice’s expression was full of rejection when she said that. It’s understandable. To her, Mia Crowfield was just a fellow classmate without knowledge of such a future.

And honestly, I don’t harbor any ill feelings toward Mia Crowfield. Her father may be trash, but Mia herself isn’t a bad person. If anything, she leaned more towards being virtuous.

“No, I won’t.”

So I could answer that way.

What I intend is to evade danger and prepare means of defense, not to eliminate Mia Crowfield who might be the cause of it.

I didn’t want that… and what about the body if I kill a student in the academy?

“Really?”

“Really.”

To Alice, who hesitated to ask again, I answered with certainty.

Alice stared at my face, analyzing it, then sighed deeply and nodded.

“…Alright. If you say it with that expression, I have no choice but to believe you.”

…Honestly, I’m not even sure what expression that is. I was just being expressionless as usual.

For a moment, I wondered if Alice had some kind of superpower to read human emotions or something, but I quickly discarded that thought. Given the original settings, I had already read everything in detail. That included character abilities and all.

Of course, parts that would spoil the sequel were not included in the setting book, but still, the settings regarding the protagonist’s group were almost all revealed. Alice didn’t have such a power.

If she did, she would have definitely figured out the Emperor’s plans by now.

“Well, Crowfield’s attitude has changed… if you feel that as a threat, it can’t be overlooked.”

Alice muttered to herself, then suddenly looked at me.

“Do you want me to help?”

“I’m fine.”

“…You answered too quickly.”

Alice seemed a bit hurt by my response.

“The fewer people tailing, the better. It lowers the chance of being caught.”

That was my prepared answer, anticipating Alice might say something like that, and indeed, it was useful.

“But still… what if I get friendlier with Crowfield and extract some information?”

“Crown Princess. You are the Emperor’s daughter, therefore a Crown Princess.”

If the daughter of the person who killed his father approached, he’d definitely be on high alert. It seemed Alice didn’t harbor ill feelings toward her, but even so…

If it took a semester to slowly get close, maybe it would work.

“I suppose that’s true?”

“That’s correct.”

In response to Alice’s slightly disappointed tone, I confirmed again.

No, more so, being alone is much more reassuring. It allows for a little peace of mind.

*

Anyway, thanks to what I said, I could shake Alice off.

I’ve already had the experience of monitoring someone. I had a blast while assassinating the Count. After considering every possible route and rewriting time again and again, I could make it work.

The same strategy could work in the academy as well. I have a well-functioning pair of binoculars and a scope attachment for my gun. Even if I didn’t attach it to my gun, it was useful enough on its own.

Every dorm room definitely has a large window. And it was wide open for a good view of the surroundings. Of course, it wasn’t simply a case of the Academy being the only skyscraper towering alone. Even though the neighborhood was well-kept, it was ultimately in the middle of the city, surrounded by buildings.

Instead, there was a large lawn between those buildings and the dorm, making it a pleasant sight when looking out the window. Although it wasn’t as vast as Central Park right in the middle of New York, the greenery amidst the urban landscape was soothing in itself.

It was the weekend, and students were sprawled there. Couples spreading out mats and happily eating sandwiches, or people lounging around napping. Well, it’s spring.

But the places I need to focus on aren’t those.

Since the windows were quite large for regulating the students’ conditions, if the curtains weren’t drawn, the room would be clearly visible. Especially on a bright, sunny day like today.

At that moment, I knew Mia Crowfield was inside.

In the original, Mia preferred to stay in her room. She was a character who genuinely had lines like, “Outside of the blanket is dangerous…”

She particularly disliked the hot sun.

Gloomy, timid.

Mia Crowfield had such traits fitting her design.

…Maybe the atmosphere softened a bit since her father’s enemy is right next to her.

“Hm.”

I let out a sound of contemplation.

If so many characters have changed because of me being here, isn’t the unfolding ahead going to change drastically?

If the progression alters that much, will the future I already know become useless?

“…”

Regardless of how much I pondered, the conclusion didn’t come easily.

…Well, I’ll think about that when the time comes.

For now, observing Mia Crowfield takes priority.

If it gets too urgent, I could always rewind time, right?

*

“….”

I should have anticipated this.

People who firmly believe in staying home might not want to come out all day.

After half a day of being on top of this residential area, as the sun began to set, Mia Crowfield’s curtains had yet to open.

No, there wasn’t even a glimmer of light inside.

Could she be sleeping?

Thinking seriously, but with no movement after contemplating, no answer came.

“….”

Alright then.

I pulled back the scope I was holding and thought.

Since it has come to this, should I just go to Mia Crowfield’s room?

Come to think of it, Mia avoiding answering properly yesterday in front of so many people might have backfired.

If Mia doesn’t want to be in a situation just by the two of us, then what I need to do is create a situation for just the two of us.

…But wouldn’t that mean I’d also be wasting my time if I go now?

“….”

At this point, since I’ve already wasted time, let’s at least have a conversation with Mia Crowfield.

After conversing, I can then decide whether to rewind time or not.

Thinking like that, I lay down for a moment, tapped my various aching body parts, and stood up.

Fortunately, just before lying down, I had laid out a military poncho.

I sighed deeply while rolling up the poncho.

*

Fortunately, I didn’t run into anyone while making my way back to the dorm. If I had run into someone, those highly sociable individuals wouldn’t have let me be at all.

While going to the café to have a parfait or something would be pretty enjoyable, there were things to do today.

I headed to Mia Crowfield’s room, which was on a different floor from mine and Alice’s.

Standing in front of the large door, I took a deep breath and scanned the surroundings.

Luckily, no one was wandering the hallway yet. Well, it’s Saturday. Many would have gone back home to relax. Or, not exactly relaxing. High-ranking nobles might be getting various education back at home.

But Crowfield territory is far away. It shouldn’t be a distance to bother going back every weekend.

In the game, Mia Crowfield always stayed in her room as well.

Alright.

I raised my hand and gently knocked on the door.

“Crowfield.”

And then I said that.

“….”

I waited a moment, but there was no reply.

I raised my hand again, and this time knocked a little harder.

Knock knock.

…But again, there was no response from beyond the door.

Looking around once more, I pressed my ear against Mia Crowfield’s door to listen for sounds inside.

Nothing at all.

…Is she really not there?

“….”

After some moment of consideration, I glanced around again.

…No one was there.

Alright, then.

There are plenty of opportunities, and time is on my side.

I took a lockpick out of my pocket.

Chapter 54

And I repeated way more failures than when I was trying to unlock the entrance to the sewers.

Well, obviously! The lock was expensive enough that not just anyone could open it carelessly, but in the end, it was a lock that had to be exposed outside continuously. A simpler but sturdier lock that could withstand wind and rain exposure for a long time would have been better. The person who originally put that lock on probably never thought anyone would go down there. Still, they probably chose a reasonably sturdy yet cheap lock so that not just anyone could come and go.

But Mia Crowfield is the daughter of a Count, you know! Or rather, the security of the dormitory itself was quite impressive. The guards thoroughly checked and recorded everyone who entered, stopping any unauthorized person at the dormitory entrance.

The facilities in the aristocrats’ rooms were basically the same as those in the commoners’ rooms, but that doesn’t mean the quality was lacking. This academy is the ‘best’ after all.

Fortunately, none of the keyholes to the locks used Marmaros, nor were there any magic spells placed on them. In other words, the doors were not at a level where they couldn’t be opened with lockpicks.

…I did break almost thirty of them, though.

Still, if I hadn’t practiced opening various doors with lockpicks in the past, I would probably have broken over a hundred and still not managed to open a single door, so I believe my efforts weren’t in vain at all.

I might not feel much difference between thirty and a hundred since I can turn back time, though.

…

Well, anyway.

Pushing aside the emptiness I felt deep in my chest, I opened the door to Mia Crowfield’s room and stepped inside.

I had a fleeting worry that the owner might be asleep inside, but fortunately, that was not the case.

“……”

The room was clean. Well, it was that way in the original story as well. Most of the rooms of aristocratic students were tidy. They were raised like that since childhood. So no matter who might visit, they wouldn’t feel embarrassed. Even if the visitor were a maid or servant.

Of course, there were a few exceptions, but let’s skip over that for now.

In any case, the fact that Mia Crowfield was keeping her room this tidy in an academy where personal maids or servants were not allowed deserves some praise.

The layout of her room was the same as mine.

Beds, desks, wardrobes, and other furniture are originally provided by the academy, so there was no need to make a fuss over design. No aristocrat would throw a fit saying, “This furniture is of poor quality.” Since it was all prepared as top-notch.

However, the books on the desk and the bed cover… all the personal belongings clearly showed her preferences.

It felt a bit strange, yet somehow familiar. It was a sight I had seen many times while playing the game. Though the atmosphere was quite different from the poorly rendered room in the game, it was enough to stimulate the memories I had.

Most of the books on the desk were related to magic. Not a single book on swordsmanship or shooting art existed.

A training wand hung on the wall.

In fact, there were almost no decorations, so the overall atmosphere of the room was nothing particularly eye-catching—

Click.

“Huh?”

I turned my head at the sudden sound coming from the direction of the door.

At first, I thought someone had come in behind me. I thought it could be Mia Crowfield herself or someone else sneaking in after watching me pick the lock, but when I looked back, there was no one.

Of course, it wasn’t the sound of a ghost or any other supernatural entity.

…Unless you consider magic a supernatural phenomenon. After all, this is a steampunk world where history flows differently than reality, so nitpicking on such matters isn’t really important.

This is a place where the existence of ghosts is real, anyway.

“……”

I quietly approached the direction of the sound and examined the device.

A strangely shaped device was locked on the inside of the door.

The softly glowing red Marmaros was probably providing energy to the device through a faint warmth. I had a feeling there were a few magical devices involved too.

The device, resembling the lock mechanism of the front door of an old apartment in my old world, tightly grasped the door shut with a sturdy metal piece, preventing it from opening.

It looked like a mechanism designed to automatically lock if someone tried to enter without permission.

“……”

I don’t think there was any device like this in the original story.

*

After a few attempts to figure out how to open it, I gave up.

It was a mechanism that didn’t have a keyhole or anything. Unless someone who knows how to unlock this informs me, it was absolutely impossible to open.

Mia Crowfield probably had to directly infuse magic to open it.

“Hm.”

But I wasn’t in a rush. Even if Mia Crowfield catches me, well, I could just have a brief chat, extract some information, and then turn back time.

“……”

In that case, since I’m already here, should I take a little more time to explore the room?

I knew that Mia Crowfield often hid important items under the floorboards beneath her bed. I knew what was hidden there from the original story, but this room had a device I had never seen before. There might be something different inside.

I lifted the bedspread stretched beside the bed and crawled under the bed, where a person would barely fit.

Surprisingly, there was hardly any dust. If someone were constantly going in and out, the dust would inevitably gather on that very spot, so it must mean that Mia had cleaned it to ensure no traces remained. Anyone would suspect that she had obsessive-compulsive disorder, but for Mia Crowfield, that was probably enough.

There were no noticeable marks on the floorboards, but as I pushed a coin between the gaps, one of the wooden planks that composed the floor lifted up.

There wasn’t enough space to fit a large item. But there was definitely enough space to store Marmaros of various types.

“……”

Indeed. The Marmaros were sorted by element.

I didn’t find anything as ridiculous as the items I pulled out from the sewer boxes, but… when combined with a magic wand, they were enough to kill a person.

Looking at it this way, it was quite chilling.

In the original story, Mia Crowfield was portrayed as someone who secretly brought these in for her research due to her strong interest in magic… but in this world, she was starting at the academy as if she were taking her father’s enemies. It wouldn’t seem strange if she had collected them to seek revenge if she had the chance.

Moreover, the real problem wasn’t the Marmaros.

Next to the neatly arranged Marmaros, there was a small pistol.

It was a small gun that seemed rather unsuitable for serious combat, like the revolver I used. With a break-action design, it could hold one round of relatively large caliber ammunition in the two barrels that run parallel to each other. Strictly speaking, it was closer to a self-defense weapon.

But even if it was for self-defense, as long as you hit the rounds in properly, it was more than enough to kill a person.

“……”

I took the gun into my hand. It felt quite heavy for its small size. Well, it was practically a hunk of metal.

As I broke the barrel downward, I noticed two rounds already loaded inside.

There were no extras.

Had she judged that she could kill two people for sure, or had she thought there wouldn’t be time to reload even if extra rounds were available?

Or was she thinking of using one round for one person and the other somewhere else?

Click.

As I closed the barrel back up, the gun made a small sound.

It was a weapon that didn’t suit the original Mia Crowfield.

Well, then again, that might just be my prejudice. In the original story, it was possible to equip weapons other than the main weapon that each character used. But this is not a game; this is reality.

Sleeves, pockets… if you can hide it, sneaking in a small firearm wouldn’t be hard at all. It wasn’t even the age of metal detectors yet.

I crawled out from under the bed, still holding the gun.

I dusted off my clothes and sat myself on the edge of the bed.

And while holding that gun, I quietly waited for Mia Crowfield to return.

*

I was scared to go in.

Mia thought this as she stood in front of her room door.

Last weekend, she had been questioning how an assassin could be so careless while following Sylvia Fanggriffon.

But upon reflection, it seemed a bit odd.

It didn’t make sense that Sylvia Fanggriffon, who showed such a cool and collected face in front of everyone, would behave just like any other girl when there was no one around.

After all, wouldn’t she be gaining nothing?

Playing the part of a cold and calculating assassin would only raise unnecessary suspicions amongst those around her. If she really wanted to kill someone and assert her innocence, she wouldn’t have engaged in such “assassin-like” behavior in the first place.

Instead, she would have acted as a warm and friendly person, building relationships, and then gracefully slipping away with the help of others’ eyes and words when she sensed that her true self might be exposed.

That’s why Mia couldn’t understand.

What if Sylvia Fanggriffon knew that Mia was following her? Maybe she was deliberately acting to confuse Mia’s thoughts.

That seemed more plausible.

And so, Mia avoided making eye contact with Sylvia Fanggriffon all week. She had been acting like this until the weekend approached, so perhaps Sylvia had noticed something.

That was why she had begun taking action this morning.

The area around the academy was a residential district. And ever since the Industrial Revolution, all the housing buildings that had sprung up were narrow. When going up the stairs, if one person stood, the staircase was nearly blocked. If two people met from opposite sides, one would have to step up a few steps to give way in order to pass.

Sylvia Fanggriffon had gone up to the rooftop of such a building. A place Mia could not follow without getting caught, one that was very narrow.

The rooftop itself was probably not wide either.

If Mia took a little time before venturing up, there was no way she could avoid encountering Sylvia Fanggriffon up there.

And Sylvia had waited there until sunset.

Like a spider waiting with its web for prey to entangle itself.

Mia couldn’t bring herself to go up there.

After waiting for quite a while, Sylvia Fanggriffon casually came down from the building with a nonchalant expression.

She walked proudly toward the dormitory as if no one was following her.

…And with an equally indifferent expression, she slipped through Mia’s door.

Though it was set up so that the door would auto-lock if someone sneaked in.

However, if she opened that door and went in, this time Mia would be trapped in the same place as Sylvia Fanggriffon.

Even so, this was still a student dormitory.

Would Sylvia really try to kill Mia inside?

No, if it was Sylvia Fanggriffon, it wouldn’t be strange if she knew how to persuade someone without killing them.

“……”

Mia hesitated in front of the door to her room for quite some time before finally steeling herself.

Alright.

If Sylvia Fanggriffon wants a one-on-one encounter with me, then let’s give her one.

Even if I die, I’ll die honorably under the name of Crowfield.

Taking a few deep breaths, Mia pulled the Marmaros from her pocket.

Click.

She placed it against the door and unlocked it, then opened it straight away—

—Inside was Sylvia Fanggriffon, sitting on Mia’s bed and casually fiddling with the pistol she had kept hidden, waiting.

Mia almost fainted on the spot.

Chapter 55

Mia Crowfield’s face turned pale as she entered the room. Gulp!

She must have guessed that someone was inside since the door was locked in a way that was different from usual.

Moreover, if the person inside was someone she suspected had killed her father, then it was only shocking.

Especially if that person was sitting on her bed fiddling with a gun.

…Did I go too far? Uh-oh!

For a moment, that thought crossed my mind but I quickly brushed it aside. If I really thought I went too far, I could just turn back time and adjust the situation again.

“W-What’s going on?” Squeak!

Mia looked between my face and the gun in my hand and asked.

“Do you know what this gun is?”

“……”

Mia Crowfield hesitated for a moment. She could have just said she didn’t know and moved on. Although it was found under the bed, it wasn’t in a particularly locked place. If she wasn’t someone who already knew about it like me, she would have never noticed.

So, she could easily argue that it had just been there all along, and she had no clue.

But the problem was, it was me she was dealing with.

It wasn’t important that I knew this space existed in the first place; what mattered was that people around me saw me as some kind of genius.

The Emperor and those kids acted as if I had almost prophetic abilities, and I showcased my terrifying powers during the last class.

So, they would think I could find something hidden under a bed.

But showing what I really found was a whole different ball game.

“It’s illegal to bring a firearm on campus. Did you not know that?”

How I snuck it in isn’t important. The key point is that I got caught.

“May I ask why you brought this gun?”

I said while looking up at Mia Crowfield, still sitting on the bed.

“…W-Well…”

Mia hesitated for a bit. Her face was still turning a sickly shade of green, trembling a bit, which was almost pitiful.

After all, it might not have been her fault. The one at fault was her father. And perhaps that Baroness too.

She honestly knew nothing and just grew up listening to her parents.

And she still hadn’t even used the gun.

But according to Empire law, the story changes.

Getting expelled from the academy was a given, and the reason for hiding a firearm could lead her to face the death penalty.

Plus, with circumstantial evidence, if the Emperor wanted, he could pin anything on her.

Meaning, it was a far more dangerous situation compared to when Count Crowfield died. If justified, they could eliminate the entire Crowfield family.

After all, I’m a princess! Dun-dun-DUN!

“D-Do you plan to kill me?”

Mia Crowfield, struggling to form a coherent sentence, finally asked me that.

“…Let’s close the door behind us and talk.”

Only after I said that did Mia Crowfield hurriedly close the door.

Silence. Zzzz…

In the locked room, it was just the two of us. Alice knew about what I said beforehand, but no one else knew I had a bad relationship with Mia Crowfield.

“Could you explain why you think I’ll kill you?”

“…B-Because I’m a Crowfield!”

“Well, then you should also know I can’t just kill you, the Count’s daughter, without any reason, right?”

“B-But my father…”

Mia Crowfield gulped again before continuing.

“My father was killed, and you…”

“……”

I quietly stared at Mia Crowfield.

Did she say that based on some kind of evidence, or was it merely a blind belief?

Last time, I revealed the truth first and asked questions, but it was also important to understand how she was aware of such a situation.

“May I ask why you’re so certain?”

I inquired.

“……”

Mia Crowfield squeezed her eyes shut then opened them again, saying, “…On the day my father died, you weren’t at the Imperial Palace.”

“……”

I waited for a moment, but she didn’t continue her sentence.

“Is that the only evidence you have?”

“It’s not just that. Noble deaths are often followed by one of the Emperor’s children disappearing from the Palace.”

“……”

Indeed.

The Emperor probably had no intention of hiding that fact. No, he likely showed it off. Acting like a noble who didn’t listen to my words deserved to be taken down.

That’s why it made sense for her to have such certainty.

And the truth is, I did kill Mia Crowfield’s father.

“So you seek revenge, huh? By killing me?”

“…”

Yet she couldn’t answer my question properly.

Was she afraid of me? That if she got the answer wrong, I might just kill her on the spot? So she’d end up being unable to properly seek revenge?

“…I’m not sure…”

Mia Crowfield hesitated for a moment and said in an uncertain tone.

“…I don’t know.”

“……”

Now?

So after preparing a gun and Marmaros, she was still questioning whether to kill me or not?

I drifted off into thought.

In the original work, Mia had tried to kill Claire but ultimately gave up, and that change occurred after she got solid proof of her father’s actions against Crowfield. But that story was still far ahead.

Since Claire’s appearance, Mia Crowfield’s suspicions had never wavered.

Could that unwavering doubt be shaken by my appearance?

To be precise, wasn’t it easier to kill me? I mean, regardless of the means, psychologically speaking.

I’m just an emotionless killing machine. Someone who wouldn’t feel the slightest remorse for killing someone, that kind of person.

Wouldn’t it be actually easier to kill me since I’d shown no human side?

“…I want to ask you one thing.”

Mia Crowfield said.

“Why did you show such human emotions in a deserted place?”

“…Human emotions?”

I tilted my head in confusion.

Human emotions? Did I do something funny when no one was around?

Mia Crowfield, continuing her story, looked like she had thrown something away. Her face bore an expression of exhaustion from thinking too much, as if she just wanted to fall asleep and forget everything after going through too many things all at once.

“…I followed you.”

…Huh?

“I was trying to observe what you do when no one is around.”

…What?

“And… once I was sure no one was there, you acted just like a normal person. You sniffled, yawned, and sat down, dozing off.”

“……”

What in the world was she talking about? When did I do something like that?

…Oh.

A chill ran down my spine.

While I was always tense, knowing someone was hunting me in the Imperial Palace, the real problem was when Lucas hadn’t ‘killed’ me.

Unless Lucas popped out and said, “Surprise! I’m here!” I wouldn’t have any idea where Lucas was lurking.

So, I had no choice but to stick to my usual persona. If not, Lucas would report everything to the Emperor regarding my behavior. Even if Lucas has a cocky attitude in front of the Emperor, nobody could deny that he harbored respect for him.

He genuinely wanted to kill me in the end, but still…

Yet after coming to the academy… I might have relaxed a bit too much.

Mia Crowfield had followed me?

“When did you start?”

“Just answer my question first.”

Mia Crowfield still looked confused as she talked to me.

But there was a certain determination in her eyes. She seemed intent on getting an answer out of me.

“Was everything you did an act? Just to confuse me?”

“……”

“Is it true that you killed my father? Did you come into my room to silence me? I don’t know. What’s your logic behind your actions? What’s your consistency?”

“……”

Hmm.

Mia must have been following me for at least a week. She could only have seen me dozing off while waiting for the carriage that early dawn.

I must have done all that yawning and sniffing then too.

But there was no evidence that she hadn’t been trailing me before that. If I turned back time to prevent that moment, at least I could hide that specific image… but the problem is that there was no evidence I hadn’t been caught before or after that moment.

If I were to turn back time… I’d better turn back to the beginning of the semester completely.

As this conclusion sank in, I felt a sense of dread wash over me.

It was the weekend of the second week, but so much had happened in that span that I still felt overwhelmed. I had the ability to turn back time, but I had no ability to fast forward.

I’d barely set everything up to come to my desired conclusion, and now I was supposed to redo everything from the beginning because of this one thing?

No, well, sure.

I could probably handle it faster. Although the speed of time passing is the same, I would end up making far fewer turns.

The question was, even if I did rewind, could I maintain the relationship I’d built with every character until now?

For others, I might be meeting them for the first time, but by my standards, I’d seen them multiple times.

Could I really act as if this was the first time meeting them and keep up the image I’d built so far effective enough?

Moreover, I didn’t want to lose those feelings either. The sense of awe I’d experienced upon meeting characters I liked from the game for the very first time. If I erased those memories and experiences, that feeling would diminish.

No matter how much I might have dissociated from that game, those feelings were genuine.

Even with Mia Crowfield standing right in front of me now.

…

“Please answer me.”

Mia Crowfield, who had been silent, was now almost pleading.

“Why did you go out of your way to talk to me, trying to solve this together when no one else was around? What was the reason behind you being so nonchalant in front of me?”

The more I listened to her, the more I realized I had been overlooking so much.

“……”

I raised one hand to cut Mia off mid-sentence.

After sorting my thoughts in my head, I slowly spoke.

“…I know about the truth.”

Yeah, rather than turning back and starting over, it might be wiser to escape the situation first and then slowly reestablish my stance.

“But I can’t tell you just yet.”

I looked straight at Mia Crowfield and said.

Chapter 56

No way.

No way no way no way.

What about the cool beauty concept?

I’m not planning to spill the truth right here, right now. But since I’ve hinted that I know the truth, I have to create at least a little atmosphere that makes Mia Crowfield believe I might know something.

What kind of expression should I make in a situation like this?

I racked my brain fiercely in that short time.

Should I just rewind time? Start over for about two weeks?

But could I maintain that concept for those two weeks?

Is there a backup plan? I kept brainstorming ways to escape this situation without ruining my ‘cool beauty’ image.

And then,

“Also, what you saw was… practice.”

I blurted out nonsense.

I was trying to redirect the attention with my words, but I ended up spouting complete nonsense.

No way, even if I have nothing to say, calling it practice? And not even practicing faces but yawning and sniffing? That’s the kind of story that makes anyone think it doesn’t make any sense.

Even though my opponent is somewhat dull-witted Mia Crowfield—

“…P-practice?”

…Maybe not?

She was meticulous enough to follow me. It wasn’t just casual stalking; she probably prepared thoroughly before sneaking after me. Seeing her set up under the bed makes me think so even more.

But despite that, we’re still talking about Mia Crowfield.

She grew up without friends and was filled with hate for the Emperor by her mother.

In some ways, she resembled the original Claire. Of course, the outcomes were different.

She could come up with plans and was quite exceptional in her magical abilities, hiding her true self by opposing the Emperor, but when it came to forming relationships, she was incredibly awkward.

“Yes, it’s practice.”

I recalled the character card of Mia Crowfield from the game and decided to push forward with it. Whatever happens, I could always rewind time and start over.

Right, the advantage is on my side at the moment. At least Mia wasn’t holding a staff.

“I…”

I slightly frowned. Just that would change my expression significantly. Normally, I barely showed any expression, so if anyone had seen this, it would probably be Jayden or Lucas—maybe both.

“I don’t know how to express emotions well.”

I lied without even wetting my lips.

Not expressing emotions? Pfft, I roll around on the bed or eat sweet treats making silly faces all the time, so I could be considered a very emotional person.

Of course, if I rewound time, it would be like it never happened.

Anyway, I tried to act expressionless and emotionless in front of others… but it seems I’ve loosened up a lot since starting at the academy. After all, I got caught red-handed like this.

“B-but what I showed was—”

“It’s practice.”

I put on a poker face.

Honestly, I’m not sure if she’d be fooled. I just said what I believed based on Mia Crowfield’s image from the game.

“If I suddenly show my face, everyone around will get shocked.”

And actually, they did get shocked. Alice was reading my expression pretty well, but that doesn’t mean I was openly grinning. The expressions I showed while eating parfait last time made everyone really dumbfounded.

“That nodding off… was… practice…?”

Mia Crowfield muttered with a blank expression.

Crap, I forgot about that.

Practicing nodding off or yawning? It sounds ridiculous. If anything, practicing a smile or something would make more sense.

The problem is, I already decided to push this forward with a poker face. So, this means I have no other option but to go along with this unless I rewind time. And I’m maintaining this poker face to avoid rewinding.

“…My practice isn’t just about expressions.”

“…?”

It seemed like Mia was somewhat engaged in my words, so I continued speaking slowly.

“Just changing my expression doesn’t mean I’ll appear more human. For example, let’s say I smile.”

I kept my eyes quite still, only slightly lifting the corners of my lips. Mia shivered as she saw my expression.

“How does it look? Does it seem natural?”

“…Umm, no, not at all.”

Mia Crowfield took a couple of steps back as if she was creeped out and pressed against the door, shoulders trembling in surprise.

Good, that was the goal. I purposely made it look as awkward as possible. Not only awkward, but if my mouth smiles and my eyes don’t, that’s the perfect mixture of creepy to convey that “this is awkward” vibe.

…Alright, if I ever have to use this expression again, let’s not do it in front of someone else.

“Expressions need all parts of the face to move properly. A smiling face isn’t just about the mouth; the eyes matter too. And not just one type of smile—smirking or laughing looks different too. The sound is crucial for a good laugh. I had some practice, would you like to see?”

“Ah, n-no, I think that’s fine…”

Mia Crowfield said with a creepy expression.

…

Hmm, I did intend for that, but seeing her look that way makes it a little sad.

Mia, like many anime girls, was genuinely cute. Her oddly clueless personality combined with her gloomy backstory is what made her popular.

“…The difficulty of expressions is quite challenging. That’s why I decided to start with simpler ‘actions’ first. Nodding off in a chair or yawning are things I can mimic without changing my expressions.”

“…”

It seemed like her doubts hadn’t completely vanished, but as I kept throwing out my absurd statements, her frowning expression had finally disappeared.

“I was practicing to appear just like a normal person during those times. The way you saw me was during one of those moments.”

It wasn’t a setting from the Chronicles of Aetherna, but it was a setup I’d seen in other manga. A robot acting just like everyone else was simply mimicking learned behavior. The protagonist sees that robot in despair… it was a serious hard sci-fi anime that left me feeling down, to the point I couldn’t finish it.

“…”

Mia Crowfield stared at me for a while.

Then, for a long time, she said nothing.

Would she believe me?

Honestly, it wouldn’t be surprising if she didn’t. I’m not the kind of person anyone should trust by her standards. Anyone who can entirely trust the person who killed their father would be the weird one.

But on the flip side… it was a situation where she almost had to believe me.

After all, Mia seemed confused seeing me act just like a normal person when I should be emotionless, cold-hearted. If she thinks I have feelings like everyone else… that’s surprisingly generous of her. It’s similar to how people during WWII could see Nazis and think, “These are people too.”

…Back then, I couldn’t even think of Mia’s father as a person—so it wouldn’t be strange if Mia felt the same about me.

Yet, with the knowledge that “this is actually my human side and not a disguise,” wouldn’t she lean more towards trusting me?

“…”

As I silently stared at the frozen Mia Crowfield, I extended my right hand.

Mia jumped back as if I’d startled her, then gazed at my outstretched hand with slightly parted lips.

I was offering her the gun I’d been holding. Not aimed at her, but presenting it with the handle facing her.

If she accepted it as is, she’d be able to shoot me right away.

…Well, I didn’t expect she’d be able to blow my head off in one shot.

Mia Crowfield couldn’t kill Claire because her nature wasn’t suited to killing. Being timid and growing up without friends, Mia desperately wanted someone close to her.

While Claire could be quite sarcastic and annoying, as you can tell from the current Claire, her behavior came from a messed-up upbringing—she isn’t such a bad person at heart.

That’s why I felt some sympathy for Mia Crowfield, who had lost her father because of herself, and that feeling showed in my actions.

By the time Mia found out who killed her father, she was already very close to Claire. Claire even said, “Well then, if that’s how you think, go ahead and attack me.” It might sound sarcastic, but she meant it sincerely as well.

But in the end, Mia couldn’t bring herself to kill Claire.

The reason I was offering her the gun was that I understood this situation.

Besides, while Mia had circumstantial evidence, she didn’t have anything solid, and I didn’t even hold enough conviction.

There’s no way she would shoot me for taking this.

…Well, even if she did shoot me, as long as it wasn’t instant death, I could still rewind time.

Mia Crowfield reluctantly accepted the gun with trembling hands.

And she stared at me blankly.

“If you have the conviction to kill me right now, go ahead and shoot.”

“…”

Mia Crowfield just fumbled her words, unable to respond.

“One day, you will know the full truth behind that situation. If then you still think killing me is the right choice, then sure. I won’t dodge the bullet.”

“…Can’t you just… tell me now…?”

“Not right now. You’re not ready to accept it.”

“…”

At my response, Mia bit her lip.

“If by any chance, you are fully ready but still can’t comprehend the truth, then I will personally tell you what happened. About that time.”

“…”

Mia Crowfield bowed her head deeply.

I slowly walked and carefully passed by her.

Luckily, I didn’t get shot in the back at the door. Phew.

“…Oh, and.”

I turned my head slightly and said.

“Please keep this practice a ‘secret’ from others. It’s not a ‘complete’ act yet.”

“…Okay, I will do that.”

Her lacking response made me turn my head back around.

Then I opened the door and came out.

My heart was racing.

Honestly, I wanted to cheer, but—

—I can’t blow my cover this time.

I tried my best to maintain my normal walking pace and headed back to my room.

Chapter 57

“So, how’s Sylvia doing?”

Lucas made a very odd expression upon hearing the Emperor’s voice.

Not that the Emperor’s question was wrong, but because it triggered strange memories of his untainted sister. Frankly speaking, he had almost wondered if he had misseen something.

“Hoo.”

Seeing Lucas’s expression, the Emperor leaned forward slightly, appearing quite intrigued.

“Did something interesting happen?”

“More like… ”

Lucas frowned slightly, organizing his thoughts before slowly beginning to report, “I saw Sylvia’s human side…”

“What do you mean? My daughter has always been human, hasn’t she?”

In response to Lucas’s mumble, the Emperor smiled.

It’s as if she has a face that wouldn’t bleed even if you poked it. Of course, thinking again, one might wonder if she could even be poked. That’s why sometimes Sylvia didn’t feel like a human at all.

And that remained the same even after witnessing her training at the academy.

That mock battlefield, created to openly crush the elite class, was actually a battlefield heavily skewed to one side.

No matter how many trenches are arrayed against each other, it’s almost never just an open field in between.

Even with machine guns and tanks, you can’t perfectly stop the enemy from advancing. The machine gun can only fire in one direction at any given moment, and you can’t hope to take down thousands swarming from all sides.

So barricades are installed between the trenches. And all kinds of artillery and mortars rain down on the enemy’s heads, creating craters big and small in no man’s land. This means that there arises a “space to hide” that can be used by both allies and enemies whenever they advance.

The attackers are fewer than the defenders. In fact, most of them are armed with long-range weapons. While the distance was relatively close, the bright daylight made the enemy too visible, and there weren’t any cover points to hide in.

It was an absurd battlefield, no matter how you looked at it.

…However, Sylvia led them to victory on that battlefield. Concealing the sight of both parties—she even obscured her own vision—and casually picking off one enemy at a time, she ravaged the very defensive line, perfectly covering her allies specialized in close combat, ensuring they all survived.

Of course, it didn’t all make sense. Asking someone to zigzag while being fired at only gives the enemy a better chance to hit. In those situations, the crucial point is to run as fast as possible and get to the enemy as quickly as you can.

Was she perhaps trying to prove her abilities?

“Still, one hardly ever sees Sylvia dozing off, right?”

“Hoo.”

The Emperor raised one lip in amusement.

“Do you think that was sincere?”

“….”

Lucas pondered seriously.

“….I guess… that doesn’t seem right, does it?”

He wasn’t sure. That behavior of Sylvia seemed too perfect to be acting…

Yet now that he thought about it, he also didn’t think she wouldn’t be capable of such acting.

“Weren’t there any unusual occurrences? Something that would make Sylvia show such behavior?”

“….”

After a moment’s thought, Lucas answered briefly, “There was a tail on her.”

“A tail?”

“Count Crowfield’s daughter.”

“Hoo.”

The Emperor wore an expression of genuine delight. He didn’t even bother to hide the interest clearly revealed on his face as he continued speaking.

“Was there an opportunity for Sylvia to have any association with the Count’s daughter?”

“Once. During training…”

“You said she struck up a conversation during training to coax cooperation. Right, I remember. How was Crowfield then?”

“Crowfield had a look that didn’t indicate much. But still, ultimately followed orders.”

“I see.”

The Emperor fell into thought momentarily before speaking again.

“Then, surely Sylvia must have known that she had a tail following her.”

“Probably, yes? She wouldn’t have gone out in such a late hour without a reason. Isn’t it rather suspicious to let that awkward tail reveal itself when there’s no one around to notice?”

“I think so too.”

The skies above the Imperial Capital were bright. The streetlights were always on, and sometimes the police patrolled the area. Especially near the academy, there were carriages going around, so you could say the security was decent enough.

But that didn’t mean it was a fun place. Just because it felt safe to be on the avenue at midnight doesn’t mean the alleys weren’t dangerous. There were hardly any people around to assist, and the patrols weren’t all that frequent.

So, if someone were to think they were being followed, and wanted to reveal that tail, coming out at midnight wasn’t a bad idea.

“Then wouldn’t that lead to an answer?”

“….Are you saying she provoked an attack?”

“Correct.”

Seeing the Emperor nod, Lucas contemplated seriously. At that time, Sylvia looked exposed enough that Lucas felt he could have sliced her apart in an instant—

“—Ah.”

“Exactly. If you thought ‘I could slice her apart,’ how do you think the enemy felt?”

“….That’s certainly true.”

To draw out the enemy, Sylvia herself would have to be in a position to be attacked or injured—only with such conviction could anyone dare to attempt to assassinate the Empire’s Crown Princess.

But for some reason, the Countess’s daughter didn’t take the plunge, whether out of fear or extreme caution.

“We can be certain that Sylvia wasn’t attacked, so what happened next?”

“I took the hired carriage that arrived and completed a simple request before returning. The Marmaros I received in the process, I ended up giving to friends who were up early to complete a request.”

Having come back with friends late after taking a carriage to the station, Sylvia simply handed off the Marmaros she received as a reward to her friends.

“Then, it seems reasonable to assume that fulfilling that request was meant to dispel suspicions regarding someone following her. There must have been a good reason to venture out at that time.”

“However, the enemy hasn’t completely dismissed their doubts.”

“We don’t need to concern ourselves with that. After all, Sylvia presumably knows that you’re following her.”

At the Emperor’s words, Lucas nodded.

For now, they were ordered to observe Sylvia in a way that wouldn’t be detectable to others. But in reality, Lucas had no thought that Sylvia wouldn’t figure something out. If he swung the sword during one moment of her seemingly careless demeanor, she would dodge it without a second thought.

“Then, we need to look into why Sylvia is trying to involve the Countess’s daughter.”

“….Isn’t it because she is wary?”

“Perhaps.”

The Emperor fell into thought for a few seconds before slowly speaking.

“Sylvia is emotional. She doesn’t show it openly, but she has clear likes and dislikes. And she has named Alice as the next Empress, which isn’t a bad thing. I had thought about Sylvia too, but if Sylvia were to follow Alice to the end, both situations wouldn’t be a huge issue from the Empire’s standpoint. In fact, it might even be better.”

“Indeed, that’s true.”

Rather than Sylvia ruling with an iron fist, it might be better for her to place someone she desires on the throne while she follows orders. After all, a ruler who doesn’t want the throne won’t be able to run the country properly.

“Now then, what would be the biggest obstacle to Sylvia putting her sister on the throne?”

“Well, naturally—”

Other imperial children are out of the question. Those free-spirited individuals would probably run away in terror if offered the throne. This includes Lucas.

Moreover, Alice had no sisters or brothers with a different bloodline.

“Those clans with a potential for rebellion, maybe?”

“Exactly. That’s actually why I assassinated Crowfield.”

While there were several names of clans written in the kill list, the Emperor hadn’t assassinated anyone from other clans since then. Every time he tried, Sylvia had given him a disapproving look.

He didn’t do everything precisely as Sylvia wished. But in a situation like that, leaving it to Sylvia to handle directly seemed like the best course of action.

There were various methods aside from assassination to choose from, so the Emperor decided to take a slight detour. And he often followed Sylvia’s advice without fail.

As if he could read the future.

Well, he thought that maybe that was genuinely the case. Perhaps it’s not far off from actually reading the future with how accurately he could see what lay ahead.

He wanted to run experiments related to this but put that on the back burner, fearing too drastic trials could lead to complications.

For now, it was best to be content with Lucas wielding a sword.

“Wouldn’t you think there’s a ‘potential’ in that noble lady?”

“What kind of potential?”

“The potential for conversion.”

The Emperor spoke with a smile, as if he had just thought of an amusing joke.

“Not the current head of the Crowfield clan, Countess Crowfield, but rather if that noble lady were to become the head of the clan, it would benefit the imperial family. If she were to move for Alice, who would be the future Empress, wouldn’t that be a possibility?”

“Ah…”

In that case, it also makes sense why she went out of her way to lure her in with such behavior.

If the opponent had aimed to kill Sylvia, that would have been game over. The noble lady would likely have met the same fate as her father.

“That seems quite likely.”

In response to Lucas’s words, the Emperor shrugged.

“Well, that would just be our speculation. Sylvia is emotional but has a mind that’s overly complex, so we can’t really grasp her intentions.”

The Emperor looked at Lucas, saying this.

“Thus, we are observing as diligently as we can to get a proper handle on things.”

“I understand. However…”

Lucas gazed at the Emperor, a slightly more serious expression than usual crossing his face as he spoke.

“What about the story regarding the Goddess?”

“I’m still investigating. There are many unclear parts in the prophecy. We haven’t yet found any evidence of Sylvia being the Goddess.”

“Is that so?”

“What would you like it to be?”

The Emperor asked, smiling, as if he was asking his son.

“Would you prefer Sylvia to be the Goddess?”

“No.”

Lucas frowned outright and replied.

“Isn’t it better just for her to be my little sister? If she was a Goddess wielding a sword at every opportunity, it would be a one-way ticket to hell.”

“That’s true. I share the same opinion.”

The Emperor casually shrugged in response.

*

By the way, is that prophecy book all messed up?

I flipped through my game notes for the first time in ages, getting lost in thought.

Nothing was written in the prophecy book for me.

…If the content of the prophecy book were to follow just what’s in the game, wouldn’t it simply be worthless kindling at this point?

“….”

Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter. What’s important right now is whether Mia Crowfield will tell others my story or just keep it to herself.

I shut the notebook again, feeling a bit restless.

Chapter 58

Spring has arrived.

The chilly weather has warmed up considerably, and now it’s the kind of weather where I could toss my coat aside. Even if I draped it over my shoulders like a cape, the warm sunlight makes the inside feel like a sauna.

Maybe it’s because Japan, known for its distinct four seasons, gives off a different vibe in gaming, but once winter ended, the weather suddenly got hot. Well, it was the same in my country. Just when I think, “When will it cool down?”, it suddenly becomes freezing again, forcing me to dig out my long padded coat that I had tucked away deep in the wardrobe without even getting a chance to wear the autumn clothes I bought.

Now it’s the opposite.

The reason it was a bit warmer was that I was still clinging to the winter fur that I didn’t really need. But… there’s no helping it. Because it looks cool! It’s not just for show, but it really is high-quality leather made from real animal fur, and that’s why I’m still wearing it.

It hasn’t even been a month since I entered the academy, but I’ve adapted quite well. It’s been a while since I attended school, so the reason I adapted quickly might be that I have a certain familiarity with the characters around me.

Maybe it’s because I’ve seen them so often in the game, but even though I’ve known them for less than a month, it feels like we’ve known each other forever.

Still, those characters were literally just “characters”—polygon models made with low-resolution textures that only spouted prewritten lines. Comparing those characters to the real people around me might be unfair.

Well, anyway.

Even though the green grass was already sprouting in the plains when I enrolled, it’s now become even more vividly green. In between, colorful flowers I couldn’t name bloomed beautifully.

And in the midst of that beautiful plain, I was…

Haa.

Letting out a deep sigh.

I had come outside to test the fire-element Marmaros, which I received as a reward from Jennifer two weeks ago.

The workshop near the academy that Jennifer introduced was really skilled in crafting.

It really was impressive, but…

“Are you really going to use such high-quality Marmaros on a gun?”

The workshop manager looked at me like I was crazy and said that.

“Is that a problem?”

I asked as I gazed down at the Ergensen rifle resting on the table.

I had used that rifle for quite some time, but it wasn’t in bad condition at all. No, I could say it was in great shape. I had practiced shooting thousands of rounds with it, and every time I shot, I always ended up reverting time afterward. So in the end, it’s a rifle that is in very good condition because I only used it when absolutely necessary.

I’m sure front-line soldiers would scoff at how well it was maintained.

“No… that’s not it.”

The young man, whose eyes were so thin they looked like they were squinting, would have seemed like a powerful hidden military official if he hadn’t been wearing a craftsman’s apron, scratched his head with his gloved hand as he spoke.

“It’s just that it’s a ‘gun.’ Honestly, there’s really no need to modify it this way, right? Wouldn’t it be better to reinforce the barrel and change the powder capacity? Typically, Marmaros is more effective on close-range weapons like swords or spears.”

In the game, it merely added a percentage to attack power or enabled the use of specific magic, but in reality, it was something quite different.

I had heard stories of dreadful effects like how a fire would follow a sword slash, or how the sword’s temperature would drop to the extreme, causing anyone injured to instantly get frostbite…

“How much damage can a flaming bullet really do to the enemy?”

“…”

Um…

“Is it impossible for the bullet to cause a small-scale explosion?”

“If such a bullet existed, wouldn’t the military already be using it?”

That makes sense.

Of course, large-caliber rifles existed in this era. Back in the days when tank armor was similar to armored vehicles, people recklessly engaged in anti-tank battles with oversized rifles. They even had high-explosive shells for machine guns… Oh, wait, wasn’t that a story from World War I? Well, I don’t really understand the order of firearms’ advancements. I don’t even know if snipers would even use such bullets.

“Can it be removed once attached?”

“Oh, that’s possible, but…”

The young man glanced at me cautiously.

“The removal will incur an additional cost, if that’s alright?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

“Then I’ll go ahead with it.”

At my words, the craftsman tilted his head but eventually went into the workshop with my rifle and Marmaros.

And after that…

With hardly anyone around, I practiced shooting outside.

Thanks to the Marmaros, which was attached to the bottom of the rifle barrel where the wooden barrel cover ends, flames definitely ignited on my rifle’s bullets.

Not just physically ignited, but magically ignited, so the flaming bullets went all the way through.

They embedded deep into the target and burned it.

That was it.

Well, I guess it’s good for creating wounds. Ordinary infantry might think it’s somewhat effective.

The problem is, given that Marmaros is an incredibly expensive item, I feel like it’s a waste for it to end there. If a bullet hits anywhere, it could be deadly. And if it hits a spot that doesn’t cause fatalities, a bit of burn can just be healed with magic, right? For common soldiers who can’t conveniently access magical healing, it would be terrifying, but…

Given my abilities, I’m bound to have high-value targets, and if that doesn’t result in an instant kill, I’m left questioning the need for such a feature?

After all, it wouldn’t mean anything to roast brain fragments that have been blown to smithereens.

… I now understand why the military hasn’t officially standardized the use of Marmaros. I also understand why the Emperor and his brothers have been reluctant to offer such items to me.

I suppose that sword that looks like it was made using Marmaros was made for me.

“Again.”

I nodded in understanding and rewound time.

*

Since only one bullet fits in the rifle, it might not have much significance if it ignites, but what about a shotgun?

There are actually shells for shotguns, too. A flamethrower-like weapon that spews fire seems incredibly useful.

At least in this world, which is fundamentally trench warfare.

“Are you heading to the battlefield, by any chance?”

The craftsman must have thought so too since he widened his round eyes and asked me like that.

“I might end up going.”

In the original story, the plot tends to focus on preventing the war itself rather than fighting in the midst of the battlefield.

But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t head toward the battlefield.

“Is that so…”

News of my abilities isn’t widely known. At least not to the general populace outside the palace. The nobility is somewhat aware, but normal people don’t know who I really am.

While Jennifer has already informed that I’m a ‘Crown Princess,’ they certainly don’t know much beyond that.

“Are you thinking of supporting the military or something?”

With that, he picked up my shotgun and Marmaros without any more commentary.

“I’m not sure yet.”

I only gave a vague answer.

*

“It’s done.”

A few hours later, when I returned, the craftsman presented the modified shotgun to me.

Just like before in the rifle, this time, Marmaros was installed in front of the shotgun’s signature tubular magazine. However, it didn’t seem to interfere with disassembly, as the part with Marmaros was also detachable. Though I would have to unscrew it to take it off.

Still, it didn’t seem like a forced attachment but rather naturally seemed like it was designed that way from the start, which I liked.

“Um… this might be an unnecessary comment, but.”

As I held the completed modified shotgun and checked its condition by turning it around here and there, the craftsman cautiously spoke up.

When I turned to look at him, he flinched slightly and said, “War is a horrifying place. If you’re thinking of going there looking for some sort of romantic notion of honor, then you might want to think again…”

After saying that, I silently stared at him and asked, “Have you been to war?”

“Oh, yes.”

I knew that. He was a character card in the original story, after all.

Though he walked quite naturally, one of his legs was a prosthetic. It was a very expensive item obtained thanks to Jennifer, who was from the same company. It was made of countless gears and springs that moved automatically and wound up according to his gait. There’s even a side quest related to this item later on.

“… Is that so.”

I said, slinging the shotgun over my shoulder.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

When I showed respect as a retired soldier, the craftsman made an immensely uncomfortable expression.

Well, he’s not a bad person.

The northern front has a certain justification in protecting civilians and aiding the legitimate government, the Riclant Autonomous State. In fact, the autonomous state even reached out for help. So currently, it’s not a full-blown front line, allowing for privileges for retired soldiers, but… as time passes, the tide of war could change drastically.

At least most of the people currently on the battlefield enlisted initially thinking it was romantic before they faced the brutal reality.

Leaving behind the craftsman, who looked bewildered by my formal stance, I exited the workshop.

*

And just like earlier…

When I returned to where I was, there were again a few beasts roaming around.

A little while ago, I shot from a distance, but now I was holding a shotgun. While I could somewhat feel the power of Marmaros at a short distance, I probably wouldn’t be able to maximize its performance. After all, the firepower directly spewing from the muzzle wouldn’t reach that far.

Grrr…

It wasn’t as massive as the elemental wolf I had seen before, but it’s not exactly a beast that an average person should approach unarmed.

If it stood on two legs, it would roughly reach my chest? Though with its long ears included, it might be taller than me.

It’s quite big from the sides, and the body is pretty muscular too. I might not guarantee survival if I tried to brawl with it barehanded.

A rabbit… if you could call it that. It looked a bit menacing and a bit larger than average.

… Anyway, it’s ridiculous that such a monster is living so close to a place where regular people pass by. I guess it’s a good thing it doesn’t just roam around the middle of the road like in the game.

Grrr…

… Don’t make such noises for a rabbit.

Click.

I aimed the shotgun at the rabbit.

GRAAA!

Letting out a sound totally uncharacteristic of a rabbit, its muscular hind legs kicked off the ground—

I immediately pulled the trigger—

Boom!

“GYAAAH!?”

—And was startled by the huge flames spewing from the gun.

The flames engulfed about 3-4 meters in front of me.

Thud.

And the rabbit that was charging at me dropped down to the ground, hit by the 12 pellets spewing from the muzzle.

Its fur turned a charred black.

I could smell grilled meat.

“……”

Um…

Yeah, I get why Marmaros isn’t used even on shotgun rounds.

Chapter 59

Still, what can I do? I can’t think of a better way than this.

I had no intention of learning swordsmanship from now on. In fact, even if I started learning from now, I wouldn’t know how far I could reach.

…No, can I even reach a level that could be called ‘skill’?

Besides specific sword styles, there were military sword techniques in the Empire. Although firearms started being used more than swords in battle, there were still plenty of monsters with incredible skill running around swinging their blades, and even true masters who were literally one against a hundred existed.

Guys like Lucas would run amok on the battlefield, effortlessly cutting down enemies, so the significance of swordsmanship hadn’t completely faded.

But still, sometimes I think it might be better to deal with close-range threats using a pistol or shotgun… However, if you shoot a gun at a swordsman deeply engaged in combat with allies all around, friendly fire could also become a risk.

That particular scene was rendered in 3DCG, but since the motion was poor, I couldn’t precisely tell how the fighting happened. It was a game where even the anti-air fire wasn’t well depicted in large-scale drop missions, so without witnessing it personally, I wouldn’t know how they actually fought.

Not that I thought the battles from the original would be impossible here—

“SILVIA!”

—That’s right. Particularly because of kids like those, I believe Lucas can perform well in battle.

I thought I had come out early in the morning, but there were those who came out much earlier than me.

“CLAIRE.”

I happily waved my hand and approached Claire, who was calling me.

“LEO.”

“Hey.”

After all, having seen each other’s faces for about three weeks, Leo seemed to have learned that I wouldn’t bite him, so his expression towards me was much softer. Though that doesn’t mean he was completely relaxed.

Fortunately, Mia Crowfield seems to be keeping my secret well. Otherwise, Leo wouldn’t be approaching me with even a bit of wariness.

In the original work, Leo was very friendly to those he had no reason to doubt. Well, considering he’s the protagonist of a harem story, he only has that kind of personality.

“You’re out early today, fulfilling your requests again, huh?”

I guess he came out around three in the morning.

The request for this week was something I wasn’t aware of. Just because it’s set in the Academy doesn’t mean the day-to-day life of the Academy can actually be fully implemented. Sometimes episodes just pass by without any separate story.

However, looking at the request form, I could at least know what the contents or rewards might be…

“……”

“How about it? I feel like I understand this area a bit better now since I’ve gone around it in the best possible route!”

Claire said, her eyes sparkling.

Just as she said, there were six beasts piled up next to Claire and Leo. They might be called beasts, but if encountered on Earth, they’d easily be considered monsters.

A gigantic eagle with feathers still smoldering, a huge vampiric bat that could probably ask you to HUG ME when spreading its wings towards a person, and a buffalo with horns absurdly huge, which would be terrifying just to stumble upon in reality… Along with three other beasts.

All of them were perfect targets for extracting Marmaros.

…Didn’t the original have simpler requests besides these? Like just running errands.

“Ah, and since I was at it, I hunted a few dangerous beasts on the road. They said they would properly reward me if I brought the evidence.”

Oh, really.

In the original, you would get rewards immediately upon defeating monsters, but that isn’t easy in reality. At least you can’t dissect a wild beast on the spot.

In reality, you’d likely have to bring back the carcass to receive your reward.

“Then can’t you just take a part of the beast and bring that back?”

“Huh? But it would look bad if we just left the carcass lying around, right?”

“……”

That’s true.

Is that called being diligent, or is it just being a pushover?

It seems the environment a person grows up in really matters a lot. Who would have thought this kid, who only used to say such annoying things in the original, would grow so commendably?

Though I suppose being overly commendable might actually be an issue.

“……”

As I silently looked at Leo, he shrugged and said,

“Well, it is true. If we don’t remove it soon, blood will start leaking from the beast’s corpse. It would be a hassle for the managers later on.”

It’s not like we intentionally left waste behind; it was literally something done to help people, so nobody would complain about the road being a bit dirtier, but it seems like they really care about that.

“By the way, why are you out here at this time, Silvia?”

I didn’t think coming out at this time was all that strange.

At least it should be much more normal than you two. It’s currently eleven in the morning, you know.

…By their standards, it would have already been about seven hours since I came out.

“Did you have breakfast?”

“Yeah. I brought bento with Leo here.”

It definitely didn’t feel like a walk in the park.

“…Ah, just to clarify, we aren’t that close, okay?”

“…Who was the one bringing it up first?”

Leo frowned at Claire’s words. It wasn’t a ‘tsundere’ scene you’d often find in games, comics, or anime, but he looked genuinely surprised, like a shocked person who misunderstood the close relationship of a brother and sister in reality.

Well, even in the original, Claire wasn’t a character you could capture… Was she? It’s a bit tricky to say since her ending was predetermined, meaning she couldn’t be captured, just because it had to end with her demise.

“You can relax; no one mentioned anything like that.”

“I’m glad to hear that you didn’t misunderstand.”

“Then, who brought it up first?”

While Leo grumbled, Claire simply ignored him.

…Well, whatever.

“I’m glad to see you two getting along well.”

“What?”

“Me?”

Claire and Leo both said that almost simultaneously.

“This guy?”

“This guy?”

Their reactions were so comic-like that I had to put in a lot of effort to hold back my laughter.

Well, still, how nice it is to see them act like this right in front of me.

They were both characters I liked a lot.

*

Not just Leo and Claire, but most protagonists in this game are quite diligent.

Even Jake, who appears to be living quite lazily on the surface, is like this. He only seems lazy externally, but in reality, he’s been working hard and studying various things. Especially since he’s currently dealing with love towards a foreign race, which is still quite rare in this world. He should know at least enough to properly counter the other characters who belittle Roti.

In that sense, maybe I’m the laziest one around?

If I have time to rest, I completely relax while rolling back time as many times as I can.

Of course, rewinding time doesn’t mean the exhaustion accumulated from that time reflects on my body. When I rewind, all the fatigue I would have felt comes rushing back.

However, it’s still good to have chances like ‘just five more minutes.’

Once I have at least an hour to rest, I take a solid break for that hour.

Then I rewind time just thirty minutes back. It’s never hard for me to do this since I genuinely want to rest.

No matter how hard it is, after about thirty minutes of rest, my body manages to feel okay. At least unless I’ve sustained really serious injuries.

So, I extend rest by rolling back the time repeatedly for those thirty-minutes’ worth of recovery.

Naturally, my body can only recover as if I rested for one hour, but at least during that time, my mind stays connected and I get some time to prepare mentally.

And during that time, if something urgent comes up, I can handle it.

“……”

It was the same now. Under the determination that I didn’t want to meet the approaching Monday, I rewound time for the fifth time.

As I lay on the bed, stretched out to the point of thinking too much about whether it was okay to be this relaxed, ideas suddenly popped up.

Most of the brief thoughts that flashed through my mind were short, but combining those brief thoughts led to a somewhat plausible conclusion.

For example, here’s what just came to my mind.

I had already received the first semester schedule of the Academy.

Thanks to that, from the second week of May, I knew what kind of events were happening at the Academy. That event would be a field practice.

Field practice would take place over a total of four days from Thursday to that Sunday.

The destination was Winterfield. Of course, it was quite far from the battlefield.

So that’s the information I have about the Academy, and from here on, it’s information I have from the original game.

Winterfield is located in the Empire’s northernmost region. There’s always a place where it snows, which is why it’s called Winterfield.

Perhaps due to that image, or perhaps because of the preconceived notions about the fantasy world that originally existed, it has been established that renowned warriors from the Empire often hail from here.

Even if the name Winterfield isn’t a must.

And among the names that come to mind right now, there are several that are crucial in terms of lore or content.

Among them, the Sword Saint is also a famous figure originating from Winterfield.

“…Huh?”

Suddenly snapped back to reality, I sat up sharply.

And putting my hand on my chin, I began to think quite seriously.

The Sword Saint hasn’t died yet in the story. Unless something changed dramatically with my appearance and Lucas went to find the Sword Saint first.

Lucas sought out the Sword Saint because at that moment he was ‘confident in his abilities.’ He sought out someone thinking he could surely fight and win against them. In reality, the dev team’s lore suggests that at this point, Lucas is stronger than the Sword Saint, but Lucas’s confidence in himself would only manifest in the timeline of the second installment of this world.

The Sword Saint had aged a bit, but was still very much alive.

If I just put my mind to it, there’s no reason I can’t meet the Sword Saint next week.

If I were to meet the Sword Saint before Leo or Claire did, wouldn’t that give me access to learn various training methods on my own? Perhaps methods that allow for meditation and rest with slightly less sleep? I could train while rewinding time… well, sure, my physical abilities would reset each time I rewound.

“…Ah.”

Oh, no.

It wasn’t that meeting him wouldn’t be feasible.

I know where the Sword Saint is, but… that location is at the base of a mountain.

The Sword Saint is set to have cut ties with the world and is living in seclusion, so in the game, I wouldn’t be able to meet him through normal means. But there are hidden quests that allow you to meet the Sword Saint.

“But it’s a mountain, isn’t it?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose with my fingers.

Just as the road looks a bit different in this game, surely the mountain wouldn’t look the same as in the game. Climbing a mountain isn’t easy to do in the first place.

Isn’t that right? Just climbing Seorak Mountain alone could easily take over ten hours if you keep going.

The mountain where the Sword Saint resides is likely much more treacherous than that.

“…Wait, no.”

I recalled the two people who had been cheerfully grinning while stacking six beast corpses this morning.

…Even if I don’t want to think about climbing, wouldn’t those two push their way up to find the Sword Saint anyways? They definitely looked incredibly passionate about swordsmanship.

And, probably, Alice or Charlotte might be next to them.

…If Alice is there, I would likely be there too.

“……”

If someone were watching my face right now, they would be shocked to see how pale it had become.

Chapter 60

Spring? What a joke!

Winterfield was as freezing as expected.

Sure, it’s called ‘Winterfield,’ but it doesn’t snow every single day of the year. It’s part of the Empire, after all, and unless you head down to the Riclant Autonomous State, you might actually see spring or summer here.

But spring just means it’s slightly less cold than winter, and summer can only be compared to autumn in other regions because it’s still pretty breezy.

Ironically, because of this, it’s quite famous as a decent vacation spot for nobles. They come here to enjoy the coolness during the scorching summer. Down below, near the bustling city, snow melts during spring, but up on the mountains, there’s always snow, providing a breathtaking view. It’s something you wouldn’t see easily in other parts of the Empire.

Even though the warlords and the autonomous government of Riclant are tangled up in a fight with the Empire’s soldiers, that’s a story far removed from the main territories. Winterfield is vast, and the central areas are positioned in the somewhat warmer southern parts.

“It’s freezing… Is it really still winter, even though it’s May?”

It’s said that when spring comes, the snow melts, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t snow. And when it snows, it doesn’t melt right away! Heck, in a place like Gangwon-do, you can still get snow even in may during the brutally cold years.

“It’s Winterfield. For the locals, it might feel different, but for people from other areas, it seems like winter all year round.”

Leo said to Claire, who was trembling.

“Well, it’s not like it’s winter all the time.”

Then, at Leo’s voice, he flinched, shaking his shoulders.

“It does have summer, sort of. Compared to the Imperial Capital, it’s cooler, but honestly, from my perspective growing up here, the Imperial Capital is way too hot.”

“…But it just turned spring, didn’t it?”

“Exactly, which is why it’s so hot. It’s the kind of place that doesn’t even get snow in spring.”

“…”

Jennifer’s words left Leo and Claire speechless, not to mention all the noble students gathered around them.

“Honestly, I’m already worried about how to survive the summer… but, I guess it doesn’t matter. There’s still summer vacation anyway.”

It’s not like it doesn’t matter at all.

Because before the actual summer even started, Jennifer would already be dripping in sweat.

And she openly wore revealing clothes, making her the perfect ‘character for figure making.’

Of course, this game didn’t often feature such figurines. So it was a bit disappointing.

In the game, it would be set in a cold place, reactions would pop up, and you could choose any outfit. Naturally, if you didn’t choose yourself, characters would show up in warm clothes like the coat I’m wearing. But that doesn’t mean you couldn’t dress them in outfits you bought through DLC.

It felt incredibly awkward to have other characters wander around in swimsuits, but somehow it didn’t feel the same for Jennifer. After all, she was a character that claimed it was hot all along since the beginning of summer in the Imperial Capital.

“Alright, are we all together?”

Regardless of how the seasons went in Winterfield, it’s a vast territory within the Empire and also strategically important, so not only the nobles from Class A were getting off the train.

Businessmen in formal suits were moving briskly while checking their pocket watches, and a few soldiers in military uniforms were walking in the distance. There were also some soldiers who seemed to be returning from leave. No one paid any attention to us. Jennifer wasn’t in her usual officer uniform; she was in civilian clothes so nobody saluted her.

If they had seen her face, they might have saluted, but Jennifer was, after all, a retired soldier. Strictly speaking, that means she wasn’t someone to receive salutes.

Maybe that’s why she dressed in civilian clothes and tied her hair back on purpose?

“Yes, we’re all here.”

Before I knew it, Alice, who had taken the role of the class representative, answered like that.

Jennifer took a slow look around us.

Unlike other teachers, our homeroom teacher, surprisingly, didn’t ask us to line up or anything. This person, unlike our homeroom teacher Carolyn Northwood, was free in a different sense.

“Before coming here, I heard from Carolyn to take good care of you all.”

Jennifer, looking around at us, slowly opened her mouth.

“I’m not particularly fond of high-ranking nobles, but Carolyn is different. You all might have felt it, but there aren’t actually that many good people among nobles.”

People around nodded at Jennifer’s words.

No student would dislike a beautiful, kind, dedicated teacher.

“So, I don’t want to impose on Carolyn. If any of you act up or do something dangerous, I’ll make sure to punish you hard. I can’t just let you injure other students and send them home.”

Then, looking at us again,

“There are plenty of dangerous spots in Winterfield that can get pretty risky for first-timers. I’ll explain in detail later when we gather at the lodging. For now…”

Jennifer took out her pocket watch and looked at it.

“We have about an hour, so feel free to wander around until then. This area is a bit off from the main territory, but it’s not completely deserted, so it’ll be good for you to catch the vibe of Winterfield. Plus, with so many soldiers around, it should be pretty safe.”

Putting her watch back into her pocket,

“That’s it, disperse!”

With that, Jennifer left, as if to show that she genuinely meant those words.

The students, slightly thrilled by their first drill, seemed surprised by this turn of events and began murmuring.

“Sylvia.”

Among the buzzing students was Alice.

Unlike usual, Alice was dressed fully in her coat. The uniform inside it still looked somewhat like a uniform, but the coat itself looked genuinely military, making it not strange to mistake her for a cadet at first glance. After all, this place also served as a military academy.

However, Alice had removed the fur from her collar as it was bothering her.

“Wanna grab a meal together? It’s lunchtime.”

“That’s true, it is just the right time to finish eating.”

Charlotte chimed in with Alice’s words.

“You mean a meal?”

“Yeah. We haven’t eaten yet.”

“…”

Um, well.

In truth, even though Jennifer acted like she was releasing the students freely, there was a certain degree of intent mixed in for them to know a bit about the area.

And the ‘meal’ most noble students were thinking about wasn’t really available here. This wasn’t somewhere nobles frequented often.

It’s not a place with particularly bad security, but it’s also not rich territory.

Most of the places sell food targeting soldiers.

Being from the North, the food is rough and lightly salted.

Besides, isn’t this Empire, which is somewhat based on that ‘meme’ England? Blending that setting of the Northern Empire with the infamous British cuisine—a lot of the food in this Northern region seemed questionable if nobles would even manage to eat it properly.

“Oh, really? Then let’s eat together!”

“Yeah, it’d be more comfortable eating together than separately.”

Leo and Claire walked over to Alice and Charlotte, who were discussing the meal.

“That sounds good.”

Suddenly, one person interjected.

“I didn’t have anyone to eat with, either. Roti’s in a different class anyway.”

It was Jake Lindbergh.

Although Roti had entered the academy as Jake’s maid, they ultimately were in different classes. Roti was at least a commoner.

And supposedly, all students in this school were supposed to be equal. No student was allowed to have a servant or a maid, let alone have that person be a fellow student. By name, Jake and Roti were both students.

“Lindbergh?”

Alice looked at Jake with a slightly surprised expression. Charlotte appeared not too pleased with his laid-back demeanor.

“Isn’t it okay, Sylvia?”

“Sylvia?”

Alice’s eyes widened further.

“We talked and got to know each other a while back.”

At Jake’s words, Alice looked at me with a stunned expression almost in disbelief.

In fact, it wasn’t just Alice; all the kids around were looking at me in that manner.

…If I thought about it, I’d be shocked too if the girl who usually sat quietly in a corner of the classroom suddenly started hanging out with an obnoxiously laid-back blond guy.

But it’s not like that, right?

“Huh? Why?”

As I glanced at Jake, he shrugged lightly and said,

“Aren’t you two close?”

No, it’s our first real conversation in two weeks.

And the only thing we talked about two weeks ago was Jake simply greeting me; it wasn’t really a proper conversation.

So… if I have to clarify, it’s more accurate to say that we’re just acquaintances.

“Sylvia.”

As I was struggling to figure out how to respond, Charlotte came over.

She lightly grabbed my arm, pulling me slightly.

“You don’t know much about guys, so maybe you just didn’t notice, but guys like that shouldn’t be approached. Come on, this way.”

No, it’s not like we’re close! He’s the one being overly familiar!

I discreetly peeked at the back of Jake.

A few girls over there were fidgeting and glancing at him.

…I see.

Looks like Jake had escaped from a crowd of girls surrounding him. All the girls here were from high-ranking families.

Not only that, but they were incredibly beautiful as well.

So, inherently, if he came over here, the other girls would definitely start comparing themselves to us and drift away.

“…”

Charlotte had bumped into Jake at the beginning. Well, strictly speaking, what happened was she disliked his carelessness too much. Especially his tan—she hated that.

But later, after knowing who Jake liked, her attitude changed quite a bit. While she was still shocked by his carefree manner, her outright disdain lessened as she realized why he was in such a situation.

“Oh, really?”

But unlike Charlotte, Alice seemed to have quickly noticed my expression.

She realized that I wasn’t particularly close to Jake and that his friendliness towards me was one-sided. Was there annoyance showing on my face?

Even if others couldn’t see it, Alice must have noticed.

“If you’re just imposing on Sylvia, I’d kind of like to stop you.”

Alice stepped in between me and Jake, looking at him directly.

“Sylvia isn’t as easy as you think.”

“…”

What image do they hold of me among these kids?

I mean, I’ve spent time building a flawless image….

—And at that moment, I suddenly made eye contact with Mia Crowfield, who had silently blended into our conversation.

“…”

“…”

Well, it’s true I’m not ‘perfect.’

Let’s just say it’s ‘nearly perfect’ then.

Still, I hadn’t been noticed by anyone else except that one person.

Chapter 61

“…So, you came to us to get rid of the other girls?”

Alice said with a face that couldn’t decide whether to laugh or get mad.

We were sitting in a nearby Korean restaurant.

Thanks to Jake clinging to our group after some back-and-forth walking, we needed a table big enough for our total of seven people, and as a result, we ended up sitting around a large round table.

The distance between us was quite far, but I actually thought it was better this way. It might be a little less awkward.

“To be honest, that’s true.”

In the end, Jake finally sat down after telling us his real motive to ease the tension between Charlotte and Alice. He ended up sitting between Leo and me. The other girls were hesitant to sit next to Jake.

It seemed that Jake’s rogue style didn’t quite mesh well with the overwhelmingly diligent personalities around him.

Although Jake was among the top students and had a diligent personality with a steady training routine, it’s not like anyone would know that unless they had a keen interest in him.

For the record, Roti’s most hated words were those that dismissed Jake. She knew better than anyone that Jake was training hard where no one could see him, and she couldn’t tolerate any slander about his efforts.

Always expressionless and calm, Roti was still a character where reading her emotions wasn’t completely impossible.

“From the moment we got off the train, you were squealing and sticking to us!”

Jake let out a big sigh and said that.

This wasn’t the Imperial Capital, but it wasn’t like there were no classmates around either. Well, they couldn’t see us in the restaurant, though.

“Well, he is the Duke’s son. Plus, he looks like he’d go along easily if you approached him.”

“You’re being too harsh.”

Even though Jake retorted to Alice’s assessment, it didn’t seem like he was in a bad mood.

Actually, Jake was a character overflowing with self-confidence. It didn’t mean he was arrogant; rather, it indicated he never hesitated in his actions and plans.

And Jake’s plans always aimed at Roti. Ultimately rejecting all the surrounding gazes, his goal was for the two of them to live happily ever after.

“Don’t go too far with it.”

Leo, who had been listening to the conversation, said.

“Jake must have his own struggles too.”

“…And how would you know about those struggles?”

“……”

Claire immediately countered Leo’s remark, leaving him speechless for a moment.

Well, the original story didn’t describe him as having tons of popularity right from the start. The game’s content was about gradually going through episodes and relationship events, slowly progressing.

But Leo’s image was definitely not taken negatively by the group. Even though Leo was the only guy among us, no one felt discomfort or awkwardness about him being in the group.

In a way, this could also be seen as the intro to a harem scenario.

“So you approached Sylvia?”

Alice asked Jake that.

I don’t know the principle behind it, but Alice could read my expressions, at least enough to be sure I wasn’t in love with Jake.

“Yeah. Sylvia isn’t surrounded by other noble girls.”

It’s not just the noble girls who approach boys either.

At this point, three weeks into the semester, two groups had formed within our fifteen-member class. It’s quite something for a small class, really.

Honestly, it was inevitable. Nobles tend to gather strength around the Duke. And these Dukes band together to consolidate their power.

Right now, the Emperor wielded absolute power, but to share that power or to seize it would be impossible with just sheer individual strength.

You either stick to the Emperor or lean on powerful dukes around you. And the best way to ensure that is to grow close from a young age.

Hanging out in school is part of that process.

Thus, the Duke’s daughter often became a popular person in school. Whether anyone genuinely liked her or not was up to the individual, but politically, it contained a degree of strategy as well.

By that definition, Sylvia Fanggriffon should nominally be considered at the pinnacle of power, but… well, rumors and attitudes play a role. Hardly any girls came to me on purpose.

Thinking like this made me a bit jealous of Jake. I realized that whether as a man or a woman, I seemed to have no popularity among girls.

…Well, let’s put aside that gloomy thought for now.

“Still, using people like that…”

But a bad feeling lingered at the thought of using a friend for such purposes.

And I was honestly a little touched by that.

Since entering the academy, I hadn’t done anything special. I just followed around, ate together, and that was it, really.

But still, being treated as part of the same group felt so nice. Especially with characters from a game I used to like.

Even from Charlotte’s point of view, I wasn’t someone worth looking up to.

“It’s okay.”

I said to Charlotte.

“It’s not like it caused any harm, so I’m not too bothered by it.”

“See, that’s what I mean.”

Even though I went out of my way to defend him, Jake added another remark, earning glares from everyone.

“Talk like that—”

Just as Alice was about to say something to Jake,

“Your order is ready.”

The rather stiff voice of a staff member interrupted in the middle.

“……”

clink-clink, several staff members brought the food we ordered to our side.

There were no separate menus. It seemed like this restaurant served pre-determined breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. Considering it also ran an inn, that made sense…

“……”

Everyone at the table, including Charlotte and Alice, suddenly went silent.

“Well then, enjoy your meal.”

The staff, oblivious to our expressions, cheerily said that and headed back to the counter.

“Um…?”

Just a while ago, Jake had been speaking nonchalantly with a clever expression, but looking at this food, he seemed at a loss for words.

“So, this is…?”

I looked at the food that had come to my spot, following the other kids’ gazes.

At first glance, it looked like an enormous fat sausage. Honestly, it was closer to a round ball than a sausage, but in this world, sausages were considered a regional dish of the Empire, so it wasn’t too strange.

Although calling it a sausage was a bit odd.

“It’s haggis.”

Upon my declaration, everyone glanced at me before looking back down at the food.

This was quite a famous dish from Britain that I had known even before coming here. Europeans seem to consider it a ‘disgusting food’…

Although this world could be considered a low-fantasy world, it at least tried to align regional foods decently. It seemed this northern country was based on Scotland, as an inspiration.

As everyone was silently staring at the food, I picked up my fork and knife.

Well, at least it was much better than some of the other bizarre dishes that could come out.

I hadn’t eaten haggis before, but I’d at least heard rumors. I was told that haggis, along with black pudding, was something that could be somewhat edible by Korean standards.

They said the taste was like a mix of sundae and sundae ingredients, made salty.

Finally, I could relish a taste of home after a long time.

*

“So…?”

I enjoyed my meal, Alice, Claire, and Leo managed to eat pretty decently, while Jake and Mia left a bit, and Charlotte couldn’t finish half the food.

“…Is northern food usually like this?”

Charlotte, who couldn’t bring herself to say anything about the food in the restaurant, especially since I was eating quite well, had nothing to say.

If it were about the imperial bread, I could roast it as tasteless, but since this dish wasn’t bread nor anything even remotely similar, I couldn’t really say anything.

Being a royal who learned manners, Charlotte would know how foolish it was to belittle local foods.

“There is bread in the north.”

“Well, thank goodness for that…”

Charlotte replied with a genuine sigh of relief.

Normally, she wouldn’t have liked the idea of having to eat the tasteless imperial bread, but at least it seemed better than haggis in her view.

Well, the inspiration for Velbur came from France and Belgium, so what can you do?

Although I heard there were smelly sausages in France, I didn’t think there was any reason to point that out here.

Chapter 62

The evaluation of the dispatch practice varies greatly depending on the student’s individual temperament.

For a student who enjoys wandering outside and doesn’t like sitting at a desk studying, they can’t help but love the dispatch practice. Academy classes are not that easy. In fact, if they haven’t received proper lessons from a tutor or attended school separately when they were younger, keeping up with the classes would be overwhelming.

Moreover, since they are children who have already been educated prior, they wouldn’t listen carelessly to school lectures. Their academic ranking is connected to their family’s honor, so most noble children work hard to maintain at least an average grade.

For those who find that kind of atmosphere stifling, the dispatch practice that lets them escape the Imperial Capital would be a breath of fresh air. Especially for commoners, who find the idea of traveling outside the Imperial Capital burdensome; they would feel even more so. Well, honestly speaking, if a commoner is struggling that much economically, they probably wouldn’t even be able to enter the academy in the first place.

On the other hand, if someone has a somewhat introverted personality and isn’t good at asking questions to people passing by or dislikes wandering outside, this kind of dispatch class would be completely unsuitable for them. They would prefer staying in their room reading books. If they at least have a group to hang out with, they might manage to blend in somewhat, but for those who have no one, well, even getting the minimum score would be tough.

As for me, I belong to the latter group.

I’ve been playing a game that comes out every year, where initial playtime is at least 50 hours and up to 80 hours, going through multiple rounds. Outside of that, I was the one buying short spin-off novels, comics, and setting books, and even when I wasn’t playing Chronicles of Aetherna, I was watching books, movies, dramas, and anime.

I occasionally traveled, but when I did, I tried to book the coziest accommodations and minimized wandering outside. If I had no plans, I preferred to stay indoors.

“Bam! Sylvia!”

“Ugh?”

“……Sylvia Unnie?”

So, the personality of my half-sister, who barged into my room at 4 AM without any blood relation and whom I hadn’t seen for ten years, wasn’t compatible with mine in many ways.

Again!

*

Why did I even choose the cool beauty image?

Couldn’t I have chosen to be emotional and optimistic instead? I could have been a character who usually has a laid-back personality but can solve difficult problems with ease when she puts her mind to it.

When I first took on the cool beauty concept, the reason was “I could minimize expression acting and it’s easier to hide my thoughts,” but thinking back, if I had a personality like Lucas or Jake, just adding something like “dark inside” might have made me an excellent character.

If I didn’t have to maintain this cool beauty concept, I wouldn’t have had to wake up 30 minutes earlier than Claire and get ready, pretending to polish my firearms.

“Sylvia! Ah, you’re still awake.”

Honestly, the phrase “you’re still awake” wasn’t really necessary.

Claire had been extremely flustered upon seeing me startled from my sleep. There was no reason for her to have her eyes widen as if it was surprising to see me up this early and already polishing my firearms.

“Well, the last time it was Sylvia who woke up before us.”

……When was that?

…………Ah.

She must be talking about the time I managed to catch the elemental dog on the first commission after enrollment while Leo and Claire were already outside at 4 AM. Since then, I hadn’t felt the need to wake up earlier than those two for commissions. Instead, it was better for my mental health to wake up at the same time as Alice to study. If I occasionally had something separate to do, I would ask for permission and move on my own.

Even with the side quests I knew about, waking up at 3 AM would be hell, and if I tried to take on other commissions that weren’t mentioned in the game while also waking up earlier than these two, I might end up not sleeping at all.

“Leo and I are planning to go out first. How about you, Sylvia? Wanna join us?”

“…….”

I momentarily fell into thought. If I head out now, what quests do I even have?

Normally, unless there was a setting that the commission came in urgently, the tasks had been gathered by Jennifer beforehand. In the game, these would be called ‘quests’… unlike the first week, which was practically a tutorial, we were about to slowly enter the main storyline with the first dispatch practice.

The game’s story isn’t solely composed of the protagonist characters. Regular hunting quests that wouldn’t affect the storyline too much can be done at any time, but quests involving people would definitely have to be performed at the right time.

My goal is to experience this game’s story as a character and save those destined to die for a happy ending.

……Since I haven’t really done anything bad, having reincarnated into this world, I decided to take that as my aim.

“How about the Crown Princess?”

“The Crown Princess? Ah, Alice.”

At my question, Claire’s expression darkened slightly.

Claire probably didn’t hold any particular ill feelings toward Alice. It was more about the sense of bittersweetness she felt knowing she had grown close to me, who was like a sister, instead of Alice.

Well, if Lucas hadn’t been around, I might have ended up at Grace’s Estate. In that case, Leo, Claire, and I might have become the three siblings, and I wouldn’t have had to choose a ‘cool beauty’ character.

Well, that was all in the past, and I did like the character Alice, so I was enjoying the current situation in its own way.

“Alice seems to still be half asleep. Actually, before coming here, I stopped by Alice’s room first, but she just mumbled in response, so I couldn’t properly hear what she said.”

“…….”

Hmm.

But I thought Alice would eventually join us.

The reason was simple. In the game, I was able to include Alice in the party. If Alice was set to still be sleeping, it wouldn’t have been possible to place her in the party from the first quest.

“Understood. I’ll head down soon.”

“Got it!”

Claire’s expression brightened instantly at my reply. Is it really that good?

Well, since Claire was someone who hadn’t had any family-like figures show up at all, it might really make her happy that she has someone like family with her now.

Speaking of which, what happened to all the kids from the orphanage that were barely depicted in the original? Are they still at Grace’s Estate? Maybe they’re working as helpers or maids there now.

Now that I think of it, Claire, who’s now in a position of being a lady of Grace’s Estate, might treat any orphan that’s come in as if they’re siblings.

Just imagining it makes me feel good.

Since I’ll be visiting Grace’s Estate later in the story, maybe I should check it out then.

“Well, I’ll go down first and order breakfast!”

“Understood. I’ll just tidy up what I was doing and head down right away.”

“Okay!”

Claire nodded vigorously and carefully closed the door. I could hear hurried footsteps leaving in a hurry.

Is she excited?

Well, maybe I can understand that. With two people who are practically family present and all her friends gathered here, she’d definitely feel that way.

To Claire’s eyes, it probably feels like we all came to play together. Can it be thought of as some sort of training camp?

“…….”

As I began to slowly reassemble the firearm parts I had been disassembling and cleaning in a daze, I thought.

Well, still, it was a bit tiring, but that’s just how it is.

*

Even though I pretended to disassemble the firearm early in the morning to appear thorough, it wasn’t a bad thing. Thanks to that, I could double-check the condition of my weapon before diving into work. If I were to experience any extreme situation with a malfunctioning firearm, there might have been a scenario where I’d spend hours reassembling it.

Since I wasn’t heading out right away, I left the firearm safely in my room and stepped out.

“Ah… Sylvia….”

A voice calling me was distinctly different from what I usually heard—dry and cracked.

“Your Highness.”

“……Though it’s part of the practice… I’m still an academy student, so call me by my name…”

Though Alice could barely open her eyes and was half zombie-like, she still managed to throw a little jab at me.

“Are you okay?”

“……Do I look okay?”

In response to my question, Alice turned her face toward me. The reason I described it as her facing me instead of saying she looked at me was that Alice couldn’t open her eyes properly.

Her face wasn’t swollen, and apart from the hair being a little messy, her beautiful face still looked just like Alice’s, but even someone as meticulous as Alice seemed to find waking up at 4 AM quite challenging.

“……Your hair is a bit messy.”

“……It’s fine. I know, but I can’t fix it right now.”

Despite my words, Alice said that and slowly started to walk.

However, while talking, she seemed to be waking up little by little; her cracked voice was gradually returning to normal.

Following behind Alice, who couldn’t properly open her eyes while going down the stairs, I paid attention to her steps as she moved down. Fortunately, Alice didn’t stumble and maintain her balance.

The dining area on the first floor had several round tables that looked similar to what we had seen near the station before.

However, the surroundings were somewhat different from the place we had seen before.

Unlike the slightly dark place we had seen in the daytime, this place was bright even though it was still early. The floor was made of wood, but it had been excellently polished using high-quality materials, unlike the tavern that had creaked and dark stains everywhere, and the hotel lobby we had seen before was also wonderfully built.

Clearly, a lot of money had been spent on completely different construction materials, yet seeing this dining hall brought the realization that this place was still in the Northern Region.

“Hey.”

Leo, who had been sitting and waiting, raised his hand to greet us.

“…….”

And beside him, there were classmates in a nearly zombie state like Alice, sitting consecutively.

In truth, Mia Crowfield looked like she was already dead. She was sitting in a chair but had her head on the table, completely unresponsive.

Jake was rubbing his eyes repeatedly, while Charlotte was barely sitting in a way to maintain the Crown Princess’s decorum.

……Thank goodness.

I’m not the only one feeling ordinary.

Well, in the first place, the original protagonist was Leo.

The original protagonist characters move according to the lead of the protagonist.

The problem would be that this protagonist’s morning was a bit too early.

Chapter 63

“Good morning… Well, I’m not really sure if it can be called morning yet.”

Jake waved his hand slightly at us, then yawned widely without covering his mouth. Alice frowned a bit at that sight but didn’t really scold him.

“Good morning!”

Alice responded like that and sat next to Charlotte. I took my seat beside Alice. Claire, who was sitting next to Leo, looked a bit disappointed, but I pretended not to notice her expression.

It wasn’t intentional, but because of that, Jake and Mia Crowfield ended up sitting a bit apart from us. I don’t mean they were sitting together—there was just a little more space at the table than in the dining room.

So, I, Alice, Charlotte, Leo, and Claire were sitting a bit closer, while Mia Crowfield and Jake were sitting further away. Of course, Mia Crowfield and Jake’s spot was also slightly apart.

Fortunately, it seemed like no one was overly concerned about the gap. Jake wasn’t the type to care about such things, and Mia Crowfield was still asleep with her face buried on the table.

Seeing her breathe softly with her shoulders rising and falling a bit, I didn’t feel inclined to wake her up. Apparently, everyone else thought the same, so it seemed Mia Crowfield could enjoy a few more minutes of precious sleep.

“…I have to ask, is breakfast coming out at this hour?”

Alice finally opened her eyes and asked that while sitting with her eyes closed, trying to gather her thoughts.

Indeed, there was no one else in the dining room but us. I mean, seeing even the embodiment of diligence like Alice and Charlotte struggling to wake up at this early hour meant other students wouldn’t be coming out early to sit here.

“You don’t need to worry about that. I chatted with the staff while coming down here. Apparently, meals at Winterfield Castle can be served at any time.”

“…Is that so?”

Alice tilted her head at Leo’s words.

We were in Winterfield Castle. In other words, it was the residence of the Lord of Winterfield.

Of course, the lord, Abraham Fitzgerald Winterfield, was at the Empire as the headmaster of the Hawkrilondarium Academy, and his only child, Jennifer Winterfield, had only recently been in the Imperial Capital.

It wasn’t that there weren’t any other grandchildren of Lord Winterfield. But since they all actively engaged in politics, effectively, the lord’s position at Winterfield Castle was almost vacant.

Of course, thanks to loyal vassals, the castle wasn’t handed over to someone else. There were even a few people near the border who carried the blood of Winterfield.

“One of Winterfield’s specialties is reindeer leather, right? They’re pretty ferocious beasts that are almost impossible to raise separately.”

Of course, it’s not like that specialty is produced in large quantities.

While it appears as a crafting material for armor in the game, it wasn’t a game that required excessive farming for materials. But since it described ‘precious’ in the item’s details, it would probably be treated as a very rare item in this game.

Then again, when I think about it, even on Earth, items made from genuine leather were quite pricey. Even in modern society where cows are raised on a large scale.

So, the reindeer leather that can only be obtained through hunting would certainly be way more precious, especially if you want to get it without any injuries.

“They said they can prepare meals at any time since they never know when the hunters will come back to eat.”

“…That’s a relief. But if they’re dispatched to another region, the story could change, so be careful. You never know how they’ll regard us there.”

Claire added to Leo’s explanation, and Alice responded.

“Mm….”

Claire, hearing Alice’s words, seemed a bit embarrassed, her cheeks turning slightly red.

“……”

And watching those two, Charlotte showed a slightly worried expression. It seemed like the impression left by the haggis we had yesterday was bad. After all, Charlotte hardly touched her meal.

Are animal innards really that hard to eat? Honestly, I can eat liver without thinking twice.

…Of course, that’s because in a developed modern society, I trust what I eat, but there’s no way I’m eating unprocessed innards in this world.

Then again, at this time, some people might regard sushi or sashimi as daring food, so it’s probably very difficult for Charlotte to enjoy a dish that is basically innards mixed with oats and thoroughly stuffed before being cooked. Honestly, it smelled a bit too.

“No need to worry too much. We are in Winterfield Castle, after all.”

“Huh?”

When I talked to Charlotte, she flinched a little and asked back.

“I mean, since it’s a noble castle, meals are served like nobles eat. Haggis aside, ham and sausages are also quite famous in the region.”

Winterfield maintains a cool temperature year-round, and in the colder times, it actually gets painfully cold to the point where going outside becomes difficult. Naturally, they prepare a lot of winter preservation food, among which ham and sausage are famous.

The fact that haggis and sausage are both stuffed with meat inside the intestines but sausage is regarded as delicious while haggis is considered a delicacy is a bit strange, but anyway, the impression of sausage is very good.

At my words, Charlotte’s face turned slightly red.

The concept of ethnicity is gradually establishing itself, and although people do sometimes diss each other’s food, rejecting food served to you as a guest is generally considered shameful. Although haggis is food we paid for, the food we are served here is thoroughly provided by Winterfield.

If she happened to leave some behind, it wouldn’t be a good look as a princess of a foreign country, let alone from another region.

Leaving food simply because you’re full might be seen with pride by the host, but if you eat only a few bites and leave it, it’d leave a bad impression on the host too.

Moreover, the granddaughter of the local lord of Winterfield was the one leading us, Jennifer Winterfield, and circulating rumors about refusing food in a place with a professor from the Academy would be devastating.

“…I-I wasn’t worried about that.”

When Alice, sitting next to me, looked at Charlotte with a smile, Charlotte quickly replied like that.

She really didn’t need to protect her pride that much.

…Well, looking at me, who was going to great lengths to protect my pride, it’s not like I have the right to say anything.

While we were engaged in such a conversation, the sound of footsteps entered my ears.

When I turned to look, the dining room door opened, and well-dressed servants entered carrying a plate in each hand.

Just as I expected, the food they were carrying was something that you would immediately visualize as ‘European breakfast.’

It’s probably what we’d refer to as Azernar breakfast here?

“Let’s eat first, then talk. Mia needs to wake up too.”

As the dishes were being placed on the table, Claire smirked while looking at Mia, who was still dead to the world.

I glanced up at the servants carrying the food on the table.

All of them had very calm faces. No one looked sleepy.

…Inside, I was honestly impressed and grabbed a knife and fork in both hands.

*

After shoveling food into my stomach like crazy and getting energized, I felt much more awake than when I had just gotten up.

“……”

Mia Crowfield was somewhat sitting up too. She couldn’t finish half her meal due to sleepiness, but considering her size, it looked like she wouldn’t have been able to eat that much anyway.

“Phew.”

Claire sighed with satisfaction.

Charlotte also wore a somewhat satisfied expression. She’d left a bit of black pudding, but she had almost finished the other dishes.

To be honest, we had a grand meal last night as a welcome feast, with whole roasted reindeer and well-prepared beef steaks. But those kinds of dishes are special after all. It’s understandable to worry about everyday food looking like haggis.

“Okay, then… Let’s think about which request to tackle first.”

Claire said as she took out a piece of paper from her pocket.

It seemed she hastily scribbled down the requests written on the bulletin board.

…The fact that we’re not thinking about which request ‘to’ handle, but rather which request ‘to tackle first’ felt a bit terrifying.

Chapter 64

It may be Thursday already, but they didn’t really have us do any work as soon as we arrived.

We had time to slowly look around the place we would be staying for a whole day yesterday. After finishing lunch, we wandered around the station for about thirty minutes before gathering again and moving to Winterfield Castle with Jennifer, exploring here and there while being introduced. It was good to get familiar with the residents since it would make it easier to get help later on, no matter what happens.

Since there were fifteen noble students gathered around, led by a noble teacher, residents didn’t come near us while we wandered around. Well, given that the teacher was at the front, and all the students behind were wearing coats, it’s understandable.

The inner school uniform seemed like a slight improvement with some resemblance to school attire, but the coat was almost indistinguishable from an officer’s coat. To the residents without detailed military knowledge, it must have looked like a bunch of officers wandering around.

In the afternoon, I, Alice, and Charlotte went inside to rest until the next day, but the others seemed to be actively wandering around. Even Mia Crowfield was one of those students.

“…Ugh, it’s cold to be out this early in the morning,” Alice muttered, shaking her body as she stepped outside.

Even though it’s already May, it’s still cold, proving that the North is indeed the North. Is this chilling feeling due to the meticulous creation of the world by the producers, or is it just the atmosphere of the fantasy continent giving rise to the image that ‘the North is cold’?

Well, the reason doesn’t really matter.

Regardless, the weather was so cold that I ended up putting on my coat, which I had draped over like a cloak.

By the way, I already put on thick black stockings on my legs long ago. Even without Jennifer telling me, as soon as I stepped off the train, this unsettling cold made me think about mere survival first.

And I guess my actions seemed desperate to the others as well, since everyone quietly purchased warm gear next to me.

Thanks to that, we were able to be out here at this hour.

“Anyway, the quest board is open. Look,” Claire pointed to the quest board nearby Winterfield Castle.

All the surrounding stores and restaurants were dark. While the gas lamps were lit, they didn’t completely dispel the gloomy atmosphere of the street. At least, since we were inside the castle walls, it wasn’t too dreary; if we were near the station, the forest at the end of our sight would have looked incredibly eerie.

The Empire’s security system is surprisingly modern, with the military and police being separate. The army takes care of military affairs, while the imperial police handle security.

However, the range of activities for the imperial police is mostly limited to the emperor’s direct jurisdiction. Even though the Empire has centralized governance and abolished private soldiers, the lords desired at least minimal autonomy. So, regions that could manage their police force with just their tax revenues had their own police.

While they can’t militarize out of fear of the emperor, they still maintain enough troops to protect themselves somewhat in case the emperor attacks.

Though general private soldiers have been abolished, special lords, such as those on the border or the Duke of Winterfield who have somewhat unstable security due to outside factors, can operate an exempted private force as ‘auxiliary troops’ of the imperial army. However, beyond military status, the ultimate command remains with the emperor.

If the emperor deems it an army that falls outside those exemptions and orders disbandment, then it must be done. Otherwise, the imperial army would come rushing in like a storm.

Well, I’m not sure if the Duke of Winterfield can even reach that far. The local commanders of the imperial army seem to be extremely loyal to Winterfield.

In any case, due to this ‘strangulation’ from the royal family, prominent lords in the region have pondered how to create something similar to private soldiers. This led to the establishment of these ‘quest boards operated by the territory.’

To put it bluntly, they are mercenary groups directly hired by the territory.

The quest boards were founded decades ago under the pretense of dealing with threats from beasts on the roads, maintaining security in undeveloped areas of the territory, or addressing the grievances of residents requiring some level of force…

And to monitor these quest boards, the Empire sends students under the guise of ‘dispatching’ them to solve a certain amount of quests registered by the boards. As a result, the quest boards find themselves somewhat under the supervision of the Imperial Academy.

“…At this rate, we might freeze to death, so let’s go inside quickly,” Charlotte suggested, and everyone nodded in agreement. Even Mia Crowfield, who looked a bit sleepy, and Jake, who had a drowsy expression after the meal, now showed signs of alertness.

…But seriously, are they actually planning to carry out quests in this weather?

Are their eyes sharp as eagle eyes or something?

…After thinking for a bit, I concluded that their eyes might just actually be as sharp as eagle eyes, and despair settled in.

In a world where terms like sword energy, meditation, and Sword Saint casually come up, it makes sense.

I guess today I’ll find myself rolling back time dozens of times.

Thankful that the stone paths where the wagons run had no accumulated snow beneath the hot steam pipes underground, I hurried to follow the main characters ahead of me.

*

“Ah!?”

Bang!

“Yikes.”

A muscular woman slammed her hands down on the counter with an extremely ‘angry noise’ that seems straight out of a Japanese manga, causing Mia Crowfield to let out a frightened sound.

“Are you kidding me, making me work at this hour!?”

The woman, who looked incredibly pissed, seemed like she used to be quite something in her younger days, as she had multiple large scars across her arms. Wearing a fitting short-sleeved shirt that showcased those wounds as if she had fought a bear, it honestly felt like she was anything but an ordinary receptionist.

Flinch.

Alice’s eyebrow twitched slightly. Clearly, she was not liking the attitude of the person in front of her.

Nevertheless, she didn’t say anything. Most probably, these people had already had some back-and-forth discussions between Jennifer and her.

“Um, but we saw the door was open, so… aren’t you on duty yet?”

Oh.

Leo’s nonchalant remark was something I was familiar with. It was a line that came up when you chose ‘don’t be scared and reply honestly’ in the original work. Extra point one.

However, I wasn’t sure if that kind of point had any meaning here.

…In the original, they at least seemed to move after dawn, making this look like merely a stubborn display, but right now, it felt like… well, it slightly came off as a legitimate complaint. Still, if this was indeed her working hours, getting mad didn’t seem normal.

“Huh?”

And the receptionist’s response was as I saw it before. I recognized it from having seen the choice sequence a few times.

In the game, the expression data was limited, so she would have still looked mad in this situation, but the expression on the receptionist’s face that came into my view now seemed to say ‘what’s up with this punk?’ The dialogue would have been “……”.

“I’m really sorry for being here so early. But… we did come knowing it’s duty time…”

Leo carefully asked.

“Well, that’s true,”

the receptionist maintained a bothersome expression but shrugged her shoulders and pointed to the right wall with her index finger.

“There’s plenty over there, so pick a suitable one. If you fail and give up, I’ll just whack your head for each failure, so be prepared and choose carefully. Only what you can handle.”

I slyly glanced at the receptionist’s hand.

…Her hand looked so big that my face could fit right into it if she spread her fingers wide.

Is it really okay to refer to that punch as merely a ‘whack’?

Well, if I’m with these guys, I’m sure I won’t fail, so I’m not worried.

The receptionist, scratching her sprawling orange hair with her fingers, seemed to lose the venom in her expression. Well, if it were me, I’d lose my edge fast if I had to be angry since dawn.

Leaving the yawning receptionist behind, we approached an enormous corkboard that filled the wall.

“…So many.”

“Right.”

Claire murmured, and Leo responded.

In the game, only about three or four quests would pop up at once, but the tasks displayed in front of us now were so numerous that I couldn’t even count them at a glance.

Well, considering fifteen students have been added, there must also be quests that hired mercenaries need to handle, so realistically, it’s not surprising that there are this many.

“Hmmm….”

“Is this one okay?”

While Claire was lost in thought, Charlotte pointed to one of the quests.

[Quest – Eliminate the Elemental Bear “Red Claw.”

Capture not necessary. The body will be dealt with on contact.

Quest Fee 5 Pounds. Additional compensation is possible if the corpse is intact. Other details have been communicated to the receptionist.]

5 pounds per quest is quite a decent amount. If we convert it by regional standards, it’s just over 500,000 won. Since the value of the pound in the 1900s is being converted to yen with an easy formula of 1 pound = 10,000 yen for players, it should be around that.

Well, if the yen drops, it might even be below 500,000 won.

If five of us work together, it’ll be 1 pound each. It’s sufficient to get by for a day. Well, if we sell the corpse directly, it might be a different story, but the people who post these quests are not fools. Among those handling the disposal, they have their own networks, so if a hunter tries to sell directly, it won’t sell unless they offer significantly lower prices.

Moreover, things like Marmaros’ magical processing require quite a few acquaintances.

Everyone nodded at Charlotte’s words. Catching a bear alone may be impossible, but with all of us, it’s definitely doable.

Charlotte selected a few more quests apart from the Elemental Bear one. There were four in total, and fortunately, they were all side quests I was aware of.

“Hmm? Elemental Bear?”

When the receptionist glanced at the quest, her gaze fell on Leo’s hair. After spotting Claire’s hair color beside him, she seemed to realize and said, “Ah.”

“You guys are the little ones from Grace’s Estate, right?”

Having her recognize the kids from the Baron Grace’s estate before the Crown Princess felt a bit odd, but well, that’s how it was in the original.

“Ah, yes, that’s us.”

“I see. Then this would be something I can entrust you with.”

…And then I noticed her glance pass over to Alice and me for a moment, so it didn’t seem like she failed to recognize us.

“Alright. Let me give you the documents with details.”

Quest details sometimes contain information too good to be revealed to just anyone. That’s why the receptionist won’t reveal precise details unless they find the person trustworthy.

“Thank you!”

With that, Claire happily accepted the slender bundle of documents.

“We’ll handle this quickly!”

“Sure, just don’t die.”

Seeing Claire’s lively expression, the receptionist seemed to lighten up, smiling as she spoke.

Chapter 65

In the game, no matter how long you walk around, the character doesn’t get tired. Well, of course! If the character got tired just from walking, it would be super annoying for players.

If a character who has been wandering for an hour can’t move unless they take a break every ten minutes, that would be a critical flaw in a genre like JRPG where playtime matters!

Besides, there aren’t even big restrictions on running in these games. Unless it’s an action RPG, having a stamina limit doesn’t really impact gameplay much. After all, the battle mode switches every time you fight a monster, so there’s really no reason to restrict fast travel and frustrate players.

The problem is, that only applies in games!

Huff… Huff… Huff…

I heard heavy breathing behind me.

The place where the Elemental Bear was located was deep in the forest. It wasn’t without paths, but it wasn’t exactly rugged mountains either; compared to the sturdy roads of the village, it was a tiring little trail.

Naturally, if you walk on such a path for dozens of minutes without rest, you’re bound to encounter some stamina issues.

…

At least I had done some minimal training. While I might not have superhuman strength like other protagonists, my stamina wasn’t the worst.

The real issue was Mia Crowfield, who didn’t seem to have anything to do with exercise at all.

“Are you okay?”

While I was gritting my teeth to maintain my expression, Claire looked worriedly at Mia Crowfield, who was struggling to keep up behind me.

Huff, I-I’m okay…

“No, you don’t look okay at all,” Alice chimed in.

“Let’s just rest here for a bit. It’s better for both Miss Crowfield and us to meet our quarry in optimal condition after all.”

“True enough. Let’s take a short break here.”

The sun was starting to rise in the sky.

We had woken up at four in the morning and left after breakfast, but everyone seemed to realize how foolish it was to enter the forest at such midnight. However, we hadn’t been idle; we reviewed the quest details again and double-checked our supplies before heading into the woods.

No matter how hard I played the game, this forest didn’t look exactly like it does in the Empire’s paths. The layout of the village looked like a carbon copy of the game, but… there’s no way they could replicate a forest of this size exactly as it appears in the game.

Haa…

Mia Crowfield sat down on the ground and exhaled.

…

I pulled out the flask that was strapped to my waist and handed it to Mia Crowfield. I had boiled water in the morning, put it into the flask, and stored it in a leather pouch at my waist, so it still had some warmth left.

Ah…

Mia looked a bit surprised that I handed her the flask, her eyes widening as she glanced up at me.

Th-Thank you…

But perhaps due to the gazes around us, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse the flask.

Mia, after receiving the still-warm flask, cautiously took a sip and sighed, Hoo…

I might not be able to complete some of the quests…

Jake made a pretty cold remark.

However, at the same time, I had to agree with Jake. Leaving Mia aside, even I had my stamina limits. Others might see me as some sort of iron man, but no matter how hard I trained, aside from Mia Crowfield, I couldn’t beat anyone here in strength or stamina.

…

The problem is, what happens to the game’s story in that case?

It’s fine if a few side quests can be skipped with a character missing, but the main quest has fixed party members. Well, even now, it was already quite different from the game. In the game, only four party members could join a fight at a time.

The fact that several people were wandering around together like this was already a significant deviation from the game.

But then…

What happens if the characters playing important roles in the main quest get exhausted, hurt, or collapse?

As I sunk into serious thought, Mia Crowfield, possibly a bit scared from my gaze, handed the flask back to me again.

I took it without a word and took a sip from the flask.

The warm water trickled down my throat, warming me up a bit.

…Well, considering the story is still in its early stages, it’s not too late to observe a bit more before making a judgment.

And, well…

This quest was chosen by Charlotte, and Leo and Claire agreed on it.

The three of them had determined they could definitely take down the Elemental Bear, and the guide, upon hearing the name of Grace’s Estate, nodded along as if it were only natural, so it should be alright somehow.

How could anyone get seriously hurt in a mere side quest?

*

The Elemental Bear was about the same size as a wolf.

But its physical abilities were probably no different from a wolf’s. It was said to possess Marmaros, but that didn’t mean it was strong enough to deflect bullets.

Then again, think about it; that beast was a monster you encounter in the first battle of the story.

Naturally, it couldn’t be a monster that was incredibly strong here.

GROOOAR!

But that ‘Crimson Claw’ howled wildly, and its aura was different.

…So, this time we were supposed to hunt a ‘bear.’ A bear whose skin and bones sometimes deflected bullets.

But it also possessed fire-attribute Marmaros and instinctively used magic as a bear.

Its size was double that of polar bears I had seen at the zoo, and I’d have to tilt my head back fully just to look up at its head.

Usually, bears might seem a bit cute if they just sat there with their mouths closed, but the Elemental Bear exuded a savage aura even while remaining still.

“Alright, I’m going in!”

Leo said that as Claire nodded.

GROOOOAR!

The Elemental Bear swung its arm, and Leo deftly dodged. He jumped to the side while Claire ducked her head. I felt a shiver just watching Claire’s hair, tied back, get slightly cut by the sharp claws.

“We’re going together, Princess!”

…Just call me Charlotte.

Jake and Charlotte dashed next. The two turned around the back of the Elemental Bear to swing their swords. Of course, with its thick skin, it didn’t seem like it would fall easily.

Claire distracted the Elemental Bear with her whip-like sword while Leo dove in from the front to swing his sword. Although he couldn’t deal a fatal blow in one go, he was certainly cutting its stamina down.

As the bear would turn to Jake and Charlotte behind, the two in front would attack again to keep its attention redirected ahead. The combat flowed well with Grace’s estate’s heavy-hitting swordsmanship and Charlotte’s triple sword usage, featuring Jake’s fast hit-and-run tactics.

“Then, it’s my turn.”

Alice, gripping her sword tightly, declared.

“Cover my back!”

“Yes.”

I nodded, and Alice darted forward.

Royal swordmanship placed great weight on each attack. It was slower than the swordsmanship of Grace’s estate, which used the same two-handed swords, but simultaneously, each hit carried immense power. The sword energy was strong enough to crack the ground!

In the game, Alice was a melee dealer whose attacks were powerful but slow.

Alice charged straight towards the Elemental Bear through the gaps created between Leo and Claire, swinging her sword, and the bear’s belly began to rip open, spraying blood everywhere.

GRAAAAAAH!

A painful roar echoed, sounding very different from just moments before, ringing in our ears. Thud! Thud! The enraged Elemental Bear slammed the ground, sending dry leaves, thick with dust, flying everywhere.

“Eek!”

Mia Crowfield shrieked at the scene.

“We’ll stick to the plan.”

I calmly told Mia Crowfield.

While the scene felt much more vibrant and… brutal than in the game, I had already witnessed bloody scenes and gunned down wolves before. There was no reason to be shocked by such sights now.

“Prepare for water magic. I’ll position myself a bit away and get ready to shoot.”

At my words, Mia nodded her head repeatedly.

I saw Mia Crowfield, slightly hunched, move to a position somewhat removed from the battle, staff in hand, preparing her spell, and I also took my position.

If time had allowed, I might have climbed a tree, but there didn’t seem to be any time for that now.

I climbed onto a nearby large rock, knelt down, and aimed my gun at the head of the Elemental Bear.

Even though the head was quite large, it was quite hard to aim at a crazed bear charging toward Leo and the others.

But I had several chances.

I placed my finger on the trigger and pulled. The solid metal felt like it was forcefully pushing my finger back, but it eventually relented to my strength and shot backward.

BANG!

The sound echoed, possibly louder than any gunfire I had ever heard in the military.

It was sheer luck that I could hit the bear in the head in one shot without rewinding time.

GRAAAAAAH!

However, the prey didn’t drop with one hit. Despite blood gushing from one eye, it straightened up, fierce and imposing, looking a bit intimidating.

Meanwhile, injuries had continued to pile up on the Elemental Bear, yet it seemed uninterested in those.

Pure rage.

If the bear could express emotions, that’s how it would feel now.

As I aimed through the scope, I watched blood and some sort of transparent fluid ooze from the bear’s right eye, and I gripped the bolt, pulling it back.

Click! The satisfying and delightful sound of firearm components settling came, and simultaneously, a casing ejected with a ting sound.

As I pushed my hand forward again…

…

Flames began to erupt from the bear’s back.

Even I, who couldn’t feel the instinctive dread or danger, found the bear’s form to be extremely unnatural.

“Get back!”

Leo shouted at the sight, and everyone close to the Elemental Bear instantly fell back.

Yet amidst all this, the Elemental Bear chose not to chase the humans surrounding it.

Fwoosh—

A sound like a kettle boiling echoed, and the massive bear head slowly opened its mouth.

That gaping maw was directed straight at me.

…Ah.

Right.

I had completely overlooked it, but in the Chronicles of Aetherna, even the minor mobs could use magic without difficulty.

And it was the same type of effect that humans used for magic.

I had always been curious how humans could cast spells without uttering incantations.

Flames ignited deep in the bear’s mouth, and I could see it through the scope.

It was coming directly from its body?

In a panic, I pulled the trigger.

BANG, the sound reverberated, and the kick of the firearm shot through my shoulder entirely. As I fired the gun, my scope lifted from the recoil, so I couldn’t see the bullet pierce through the bear’s cheek.

At the same moment, Mia Crowfield’s previously prepared magic activated.

Chapter 66

The game is different from reality. Doot doot!

Especially turn-based RPGs are so far removed from reality that it’s on a whole different level. BOOM!

In reality, when you’re fighting for your life, you don’t take turns to hit your opponent. You don’t waste dozens of seconds preparing for a powerful attack, and you certainly don’t miss when attacking the enemy right in front of you. Womp womp!

So, to put it another way… when you’re casting magic, you don’t just stand there numbly and take all the enemy’s hits. WHOOSH!

In Chronicles of Aetherna, there are attacks that can cancel the opponent’s big attacks before they land, wasting their turn. If a skill has the term ‘action cancel,’ there’s a certain probability that it will cancel a scheduled big attack from the enemy. Swoosh!

Unless it’s an ultimate skill that comes out of nowhere, all magic will display its name at the moment of execution, and the number of turns it takes to use that magic is determined by the monster’s or character’s agility. In such situations, if you get hit by an action cancel skill, the magic will be canceled, and instead of executing the magic on that turn, the character will wait for a new command with reset action points. Thud!

The best way to increase the action cancel probability is to choose an attack of the opposite element from the fast magic or instant skill that’s about to be used. Of course, it has to be a magic or skill with ‘action cancel.’ Zing!

At first glance, it seems logical. If you pour water on fire magic, it sounds pretty convincing, right? It wouldn’t be easy to continue acting while getting drenched by a massive amount of water falling from above. Splash!

The problem is that this theory only applies in theory. Uh oh!

…Knowing that a large amount of water falling from above would be disadvantageous, who would try to avoid it? Duh duh duh!

The Elemental Bear is a ‘bear.’ And bears, while appearing clumsy at first glance, are actually fearsome beasts made up mostly of muscle. Grrr!

And the Elemental Bear in front of us was much larger than any bear I had known. Whoa!

Naturally, it had way more muscle mass too. Flex!

“Ah…!”

It seemed that the bullet didn’t deal a lethal blow to the Elemental Bear. As I pulled the trigger, Mia Crowfield’s magic activated, and water poured down from above. Almost simultaneously, the bullet hit a part of the bear’s face, but it didn’t die. PING!

Actually, the reason I asked Mia Crowfield for that magic was that I worried the fire attacks of the Elemental Bear would set the forest ablaze. Indeed, there were small fires where the claws had touched, igniting the area. Fwoosh!

But such things could have been handled after the attack ended. Whoosh!

The Elemental Bear was no longer in the spot where I had last seen it. Zoom!

The time it took to lower my gun after the recoil wasn’t long, but it was enough time for the bear to move and change its stance. Thwack!

By the time I lowered my gun, it had completely moved away from where it had gotten wet and had its front paws planted on the ground, lying flat. Thud!

…Its mouth was still wide open. Gulp!

The magic hadn’t been canceled. Poof!

The bear was looking at Mia Crowfield. Stare!

“Again!” Shout!

I shouted urgently. Bam!

“Huh!” Gasp!

Taking a big breath, I hurriedly got up. Whew!

The room was still dark. Shhh!

…I had gone back to the time I woke up this morning, moments before Claire woke me up and I first got up to clean my gun. Tick tock!

“……”

Ah. Ding!

I must have rewound too hastily and gone way too far back. Whoops!

…When I think about it, maybe it would have been better to just rewind it shortly like during training or sparring and make sure to get a bullet right in the brain. It was right before the bear was about to cast magic, but I was also watching it. Zap!

I rubbed my face with both hands. Rubbing!

But… yeah, I was also shortsighted about that. Hmmm…

The name ‘Empire of Aetherna.’ Ding ding!

And the countless character names I had seen in the game. Zap zap!

For that reason, I unconsciously recognized this place as part of the game. Bing!

But… it’s different. Clearly different. Whoa!

In the game, if you get hit by a bear’s flailing arm, you’d just lose a little HP. You can restore HP by casting magic or drinking potions. Chug chug!

Actually, it doesn’t really matter if HP goes down. Shrug!

For some reason, the cutscenes show you getting shot and assassinated or dying from bombs, but in battle, as long as your party isn’t wiped out and doesn’t lead to game over, it’s just expressed as ‘fell.’ Thud!

After the battle, you could just restore your health with magic, potions, or restoration devices at save points. Ta-da!

But in reality, that’s not the case. Oops!

In the forest, there are no convenient devices like health restoration devices. No auto-save points either. Crash!

If you get hit by the bear’s front paw, you’d probably not even think about HP recovery before your bones and flesh are separated and your insides come bursting out. Eek!

…If you get hit by a straight line of fire-element lasers coming from its mouth, no matter how much recovery magic you use to keep your life, your fingers might get melted to the bone, or your face might get scorched and melted… In any case, you might have hideous scars for the rest of your life. Yikes!

“In the original story…” Hmmmm…

That phrase, “in the original story,” only applies to the narrative and the shape of the village. Hmmph!

Thinking back, even assuming I hadn’t been there, it didn’t seem like Leo and his party could break through the fake trench. Even if they had asked Mia Crowfield for help… could they have jumped into the trench and taken down the enemy before grabbing a pre-loaded rifle? Bloop!

“Is it my fault?” Gulp!

Because I suddenly jumped into the party, is that why such things are happening? Blink!

I frowned and sank into thought but couldn’t reach a solid conclusion. Ugh!

Does my presence or absence in such battles make that much of a difference? It’s very likely to take lethal damage from even a single attack when fighting against an enemy with a gun compared to one with a knife. So if I wanted to follow the story… I had to ensure not to allow any attacks beyond just a scratch while continuing to fight. Whoosh!

Even if the story progresses as planned, is it really possible for the protagonist’s party to reach the end without getting hurt ‘even once’? Hmm…?

In the first place, if that were possible, there wouldn’t be a reason for me to be here, would there? Isn’t there a goddess or some deity from other religions existing in this world, or at the very least some system that created my existence? Poof!

“……” Hmmm!

I don’t know. Since no one has told me why I exist here, all I have are my own thoughts to find such reasons. Hmm?

To become a character suited for the game and not be abandoned by anyone. That’s what I chose. Ding!

“Phew…” Sigh!

Still, well, at least knowing the future enough to keep my wits about me kept me wide awake. Yikes!

I got up from my seat. Stand up!

It was already almost time for Claire to barge in. Rumble!

*

“Is there a blacksmith nearby?” Knock!

When I abruptly asked the guide after finishing my explanation, she glared at me. Glare!

“At this hour? Are you planning to wake someone up to ask for a weapon?” Hmmph!

“That’s right.” Nod!

“Ahh?” Huh!?

The guide, who just made a remark that sounded a bit like a delinquent, but when I didn’t avoid her gaze and looked straight at her, she seemed a bit flustered and blinked. Blink!

“Sylvia?” What!?

Claire, nearby, called me as if she was a bit surprised by my demeanor. Surprised!

“I have money. It must be tiring to hastily craft a weapon at this hour. If you wake the craftsman, I can tip you.” Tip!

“……” Stare!

When I said that with a confident demeanor, the guide stared at me silently for a while. Cautious!

She must already know who I am. She must have heard it from Jennifer. Ding!

The guide who introduced us yesterday was a different person. It’s obvious. No one can work all night without resting. Yawn!

Even if they replaced each other, they would have briefed each other. Yawn!

“……Alright. I don’t need a tip.” Alright!

Honestly, I don’t exactly know what she felt, but the guide picked up the receiver from the phone on the table. Ring ring!

“Requesting the blacksmith.” Boom!

The guide spoke those words in a voice completely different from what we had seen and fell back into silence. And then, as if to judge me, she moved her gaze up and down to scan me. Scanning!

In the game, upgrading your gear didn’t take long, almost like playing with toy parts, but reality is different. Originally, the magic staff has a slot for the Marmaros, so even if it doesn’t take long, inserting it properly and adjusting the condition will take at least several minutes to an hour. Tick tock!

Fortunately, we weren’t heading off immediately to make a request right now. We still had some time, so it would work out if we left the weapon there for a bit. Shoo!

“Are you feeling sure about something?” Curious!?

When Alice asked that, I nodded. Nod nod!

Seeing my expression, Alice didn’t ask anymore. Quiet!

“Uh, sorry to bother you so late. I just—” Apologize!

The guide, who had been holding the receiver for a while, opened her mouth. Talking…

*

“……” Whoosh!

While we were returning to where the Elemental Bear was, Mia Crowfield looked deep in thought. Pondering!

She was still panting heavily, but her expression suggested she had something serious to think about that went beyond how it appeared. Hmm!

At the tip of her staff, a blue gem sparkled. Sparkle!

It was the Marmaros I had obtained from the underground waterways. Glint!

…Honestly, it was a bit scary. If she used magic with that, I wouldn’t even be able to scream before I died. Yikes!

But more than that, I didn’t want the protagonist’s party to get hurt. No way!

There might have been ways to avoid taking this request from the start. But I wouldn’t want that either. Nope!

Then, well, I guess I should look for another chance, even if it’s risky. Think!

“……Let’s take a short break.” Pause!

Because Mia Crowfield was openly gasping for breath, my party didn’t realize someone was exhausted until I said that, and they turned around looking slightly surprised. Surprise!

There stood Mia Crowfield, dripping with sweat. Sweat!

“If you’re tired, just say so!” Concerned!

Claire said that, and we decided to sit down for a moment. Sit!

I silently handed Mia Crowfield the water bottle like I did earlier. Pass!

She took it without a word and carefully sipped the water. Sip!

Meanwhile, she was looking at me with confused eyes. Confused!

It was understandable, as I had just given her the precious Marmaros at this point. Wow!

I’d have been extremely suspicious too. Suspicious!

But I had no intention of explaining that I had seen the future. Nope!

I just thought that this method better work this time around as I accepted the warm water bottle that Mia Crowfield handed back. Hope!

*

The more you equip specific attributes of Marmaros, the shorter the ‘execution time’ of magic becomes. Zoom!

To put it in real-world terms, it means you are getting aided by the magic of Marmaros itself without having to concentrate for long. Phew!

The possible spells would increase, and the time you could use those spells would become much faster. Whoosh!

…Reality isn’t a game, but still, game settings tend to mirror reality in some way. Huh?

“Spiritus Glafes!” Whoosh!

Oh, elemental spirit of ice. Bing!

Mia’s shout sounded like that. Zap!

A massive ice spear was stabbed deep into the wide-open mouth of the flat-lying Elemental Bear. Thud!

The glowing mouth of the Elemental Bear instantly turned red. Red!

The hard ice that had been thrust into its mouth got stuck in there, and crimson blood began to seep between its cracks. Drip!

But the bear didn’t die. Uh-oh!

BANG! Boom!

Well, it did get its head pierced right after. Pow!

As I shot again towards its right eye, which had been targeted before, its head crumpled as the flesh caved inward. Crunch!

With ice stuck in its neck and its skin torn by the gun, the side of its head slumped down, looking incredibly horrific as it fell. Thud!

It had a posture that seemed like a carpet made from peeled bear skin, even if it was puffed up above. Eek!

“……Hmm.” Hmm!

Looking at the Elemental Bear like that, Jake opened his mouth. Open!

“I don’t think it meets its worth.” Hmmph!

No one laughed at that joke. Cricket!

Chapter 67

After handling some business all morning, I barely made it back to my room.

Whew… Being out in the cold all this time made me sweat, and my overall condition was just not great.

I managed to hide my expression, but… thinking that Alice might catch on, I couldn’t help but feel tense.

Joining the protagonist’s group was nice and all, but the issue was that my stamina couldn’t keep up with those kids. At least Mia Crowfield wasn’t someone who fought with strength.

Well… I mean, I could just shoot from a distance, but there was a huge difference between relying on Mia Crowfield and relying on me. I had a reputation for dodging attacks easily, after all.

“…”

Surely, Claire would come to wake me up again tomorrow morning.

Not just tomorrow, it seemed like I’d be spending all my time like this in the future. I could relax for a moment now, but after this break, Claire would be knocking on my door again.

Of course, following Leo and Claire would definitely lead me to meet the Sword Saint. But by then, it would be too late. The Sword Saint would be more interested in Leo or Claire, or maybe Alice or Charlotte.

Mia Crowfield and I were far from being skilled in swords, and we’d probably be overlooked by the Sword Saint.

But that cannot happen.

This morning, the moment I woke up, I was determined to avoid facing the Sword Saint by any means necessary. Yet, having gone through all this, it became clear that I desperately needed more than just shooting skills.

…Alright.

I jumped up from the bed.

After all, I possessed the ability to turn back time. While turning back several weeks would be too burdensome, I had spent over a month in the past turning back a few hours multiple times. When I was planning to assassinate Count Crowfield, I had trained in various assassination routes and gathered information.

In many ways, I was inexperienced, but time was on my side. I could fix my mistakes. While it was impossible to increase my stamina through training, I could definitely repeat the same actions enough to make it a habit.

Fortunately, the sun was still high in the sky.

I got up and immediately opened the door.

And headed towards Jennifer’s room.

*

Jennifer’s room was surprisingly humble for a duke’s daughter. It wasn’t that it was low-class, but it was neatly organized with hardly any decorations. There weren’t even any little marble statues or ceramics, just a single mirror hanging on the wall.

There weren’t even any laces hanging over the bed.

To put it bluntly, it felt more like an ‘officer’s quarters’ than that of a duke’s daughter. Of course, I had never actually been to an officer’s quarters. That’s just how it felt.

“Let me meet my master?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Upon hearing my request, Jennifer looked at me with intriguing eyes. Sitting in her chair, she seemed just as arranged as the room, unlike her freer demeanor during our academy days, here she was more formal, it seemed.

“Hmm.”

Jennifer snapped her notebook shut.

“I hear you know who my master is.”

Curiosity piqued, she looked straight at me as if she were pondering why I wanted her to introduce someone she hadn’t even mentioned.

“Isn’t it the Sword Saint?”

Not just the Sword Saint, she had several masters. However, the only two masters mentioned directly in the game were the Sword Saint and Jennifer’s grandfather, Abraham.

Being one who could handle a multitude of weapons, it was natural that she had many who could be called her masters; however, if asked to choose the two who had the most significant influence, it would undoubtedly be those two.

“And you already seem to know where he is.”

“Yes. I believe he’s here in Winterfield.”

“Then can’t you just go find him yourself?”

With an amused expression, Jennifer kept probing me as I subtly averted my gaze.

“I don’t know the exact location.”

In the game, that mountain had been depicted quite simply.

But in reality, it couldn’t possibly be that way.

“Hmm.”

Jennifer rested her chin on her hand, gazing at me silently, then stood up.

She walked slowly towards me.

Though we were about the same height, she felt much larger due to the presence radiating from her.

When she reached me, she suddenly—

Smack!

“Ow!”

She gave my head a swift thump.

“Huh?”

Despite hitting me, she looked confused as if she didn’t quite understand her own actions.

…Do it again!

*

I rolled back time three times just to barely avoid the high-speed thump.

I was proud that I managed to avoid it in just three tries. Lucas swinging his sword at me had really turned out to be good training. Though it was a lot more dangerous than it had been with Lucas.

“…Is that so?”

I’m not sure what she read from my expression, but it seemed Jennifer took something from my gaze.

“In that case, how’s your performance? To be honest, to get to where he is, you’d have to walk for quite a while. You can take a carriage down the mountain, but you’ll have to walk for a long time up. By the time you arrive, it will probably be midnight.”

…Was it that far?

Well, in the game, I had spent a day in the Sword Saint‘s cabin before coming down.

“If you really want to learn something properly, a few days won’t be enough… Ah, but that might not apply to you?”

The sudden chill down my spine made me wonder if she had figured out my time-reversal ability, but—

“You seem to have some basic talent, so if you’re just looking for advice, a day may suffice.”

After saying this, Jennifer smirked as if trying to provoke me further.

“No, that’s not just ‘basic’ now, is it?”

It wasn’t ‘basic’ at all.

Honestly, I had no foundation at all.

Of course, I couldn’t just say that out loud.

“A single night should be sufficient.”

“…”

Jennifer stared at me quietly before shrugging her shoulders.

“Well, I do have many questions, but I can think about those once you come back down. It doesn’t seem like you’re leaving right away.”

But there wouldn’t be time for such questions.

I’d probably forget that I even said such a thing.

Jennifer was a doer; when she decided to do something, she wouldn’t think twice. Just like now, having decided to find her master, she walked straight towards the door.

I turned around, ready to follow Jennifer, but just before she opened her door, she stopped as if remembering something.

“Oh, right.”

She glanced back at me casually.

“Thinking about it, helping out a royal girl unilaterally would be a blow to Winterfield’s pride.”

…

How hypocritical of her.

“I would like one thing in return for introducing you to my master.”

“…”

“I know you’re not a typical teenage girl. It’s definitely a lot easier and more honorable than assassinating a count.”

She looked as if she was utterly convinced that I had killed the Count.

But it seemed she didn’t mean to threaten me with that. It wasn’t like she had anything to actually pressure me with.

This was purely a ‘transaction’.

“May I hear what this deal entails beforehand?”

“There’s a warlord causing trouble in the border area. I’d like you to take out the head of that warlord. Our Imperial soldiers have been dying for months.”

“…Is that where I was supposed to go?”

“Right.”

Jennifer nodded seriously.

“It must have been you that His Majesty sent as reinforcements.”

“…”

I couldn’t say for certain, but it seemed highly likely. I had indeed been planning to head to the northern front instead of the academy.

In the original story, it was probably Claire who had gone. Though the details weren’t written out, she must have played a significant role in disrupting that border area warlord.

“Understood. I will do that.”

“Thank you.”

Jennifer nodded and opened the door.

*

Leo and Claire were in the dining hall, while Alice and Charlotte were in their respective rooms.

Mia Crowfield was in her room as well. I had no idea where Jake went, but it didn’t look like he was planning any major incidents.

Therefore, there was no one else to run into as we headed outside. While there were a few other noble students around, they wouldn’t dare to say a word to someone they recognized as the Crown Princess and her instructor.

Not just any Crown Princess and instructor, but one suspected to be a direct assassin of the royal family and a former soldier active on the northern front. It was no surprise that they wouldn’t approach us; we looked like we were heading off for a serious discussion.

“Well, at least there’s a road down the mountain. There aren’t any of those decrees here, so we don’t have to worry about speed.”

Because of the fierce pushback from carriage drivers fearing for their jobs, no steam vehicles could travel faster than 20 km/h within the Imperial Capital. That was why I didn’t particularly worry about getting a driver’s license. After all, hardly anyone even drove themselves around.

It would probably be far better to learn to ride horses instead.

“I’ll be the one driving, is that fine?”

Jennifer nonchalantly said as she hopped into the driver’s seat.

“That’s fine.”

I nodded and took my seat in the passenger side.

And only after getting in did I realize that this car didn’t have any seatbelts.

Ah.

But by the time I realized that, Jennifer had already slammed down on the accelerator.

Chapter 68

Fortunately, I didn’t feel nauseous. My chest was a bit tight, and the road was super bumpy compared to the asphalt roads I’ve experienced, but according to Jennifer’s words, it wasn’t too rough since it was a supply route.

Well, thinking back, I rode on much shakier carriages than this. Many of them didn’t even have suspensions like cars do. I don’t even remember wearing a seatbelt in there.

That said, unlike carriages where the side windows are mostly the only openings, the front passenger seat of the car had absolutely nothing blocking my view. The speed was about 80 km/h, but after a long time in a car with an unobstructed front view and without a seatbelt, I felt my knees getting weak.

Plus, in a world where cars are pretty rare, and traffic was extremely light in this countryside, the car drove remarkably smoothly.

With a refreshing feeling, yet strangely a bit scary, we drove along for about 40 minutes.

The place we arrived at was a base hidden in the forest.

“This isn’t a place where soldiers live. It’s a site guarded by hunters protecting the vast forests of Winterfield.”

As Jennifer parked the car in a suitable spot, she said.

“Though, considering their level of armament, they’re just like our soldiers, I guess.”

Jennifer glanced at me as she spoke.

“Is it a bit unsettling for you, Your Highness?”

“No, it’s not.”

I answered immediately.

After all, this was something the Emperor should be concerned about, and even if we stretched it a bit further, it was something Alice, who would become the next Empress, should be worried about.

The people of Winterfield were loyal among the dukes. This group of soldiers was formed to protect the territory’s forests when northern warlords invaded, not to grow more powerful with designs on the Emperor’s position.

“Lady!”

Opening the car door, Jennifer stepped out, and a burly hunter with a bushy beard immediately ran over.

He was wearing a thick fur hat. Was it called a ushanka? It looked like something a Soviet soldier from World War II might wear, complete with ear flaps.

Of course, the clothes the hunter wore weren’t military uniforms at all. A glimpse of a red checkered shirt peeking from underneath his fur coat and sturdy jeans gave him more of a lumberjack vibe than a hunter’s. Maybe the difference between the two wasn’t all that great. To keep from freezing to death in these mountains, he would have had to chop wood for fuel 365 days a year.

“Hey everyone, the lady has arrived!”

When the hunter shouted that, other men dressed similarly to him seemed to pour out of the wooden cabins scattered around as if they were made of popcorn. The faces of the people coming out of the cabins were all bushy with hair.

“How have you been?”

“Yes, of course!”

As the man politely removed his hat, the tangled hair underneath was revealed. It seemed he hadn’t had a haircut in ages, as it was growing wild all over.

Perhaps because of the cold or because he’d had a drink since noon, the hunter’s face flushed a bit.

“It’s been a really long time, Lady. But…”

The hunter’s gaze eventually landed on me a bit late. Naturally, the other men who had come out also directed their attention my way. Their eyes were full of curiosity. It made sense since a teenage girl had shown up in a place like this, and it seemed there were no other women around.

“She is the Crown Princess from the Imperial Capital.”

“Oh.”

At Jennifer’s words, the hunter’s face tightened slightly. Whether because he was nervous or had a not-so-great impression of the royal family, it looked like he was doubting if the soldiers accompanying me had come along too.

“Well, there’s no need to be too nervous. Right now, the title of Crown Princess is secondary to being a student. Since I’m here as your mentor too, I’m not expecting any special treatment from you guys.”

Even though I had come as a royal, I wasn’t thinking of getting treated any differently.

“I’m planning to climb the mountain. Can I borrow some hiking gear? The place I used to visit when I was little should still be around, right?”

…Had I ever stayed here?

Well, to meet the Sword Saint living on that mountain, it might have been better to stay here than in the center of Winterfield.

“That’s right. The clothes you used to wear should still be around.”

“Thanks.”

…Clothes?

“Come this way. I might have some hiking clothes I wore when I was little. It might be a bit tight in the chest, though.”

While Jennifer was joking, I followed her with a bit of hesitation.

*

…It certainly was madness to climb a mountain wearing a school uniform skirt that exposed my legs. Even if it was a path trodden by people, mountain trails are unbelievably bumpy. Furthermore, the peculiar chill of the mountains burrowed relentlessly into the gaps between my legs.

Since my thick pants felt insufficient in this situation, I shivered at the mere thought of how freezing it would have been if I just followed with thick stockings on.

In games, unless there’s something special, outfits don’t change, so it’s easy to overlook that.

…I wonder what would have happened if Jennifer had never spent her childhood here.

“…Phew.”

I let out a soft sigh. Although Jennifer would hear it, there was no helping it. Climbing the mountain was indeed hard work.

Honestly, I wanted to collapse and lay down on the ground, but I was holding myself back.

Thanks to the minimal exercise I had kept up with regularly, I wasn’t out of shape. Surprisingly, Jennifer climbed the mountain slowly, as if considering my situation, and the mountain path itself turned out to be much better than I had expected. Though it was not as flat as a village road and had strides of stones jutting out here and there, it seemed to be a path used by hunters.

Every time I stumbled or walked too inefficiently and expended too much energy, I would rewind time a little and try again, so at least I could minimize my physical exhaustion as much as I could think of.

“Well, even someone living in the mountains can’t be entirely self-sufficient for food.”

Seeing Jennifer say that made me think that at least if a path existed in the game, there must be a walkable path too.

However, it took us four hours to get here.

The sun was already setting. Maybe my friends were fervently searching for me right now.

…Well, I’d come back as soon as I finish my training, so it shouldn’t really matter.

Of course, that would be before I met Jennifer.

*

“Master—”

Jennifer barged into the Sword Saint’s house built on the edge of a cliff without permission and swiftly ducked to the side.

A small pot flew through the air at a terrifying speed and dropped down the cliff below.

“Oops.”

Though Jennifer made a sound like that, she didn’t really show any surprise on her face.

“What a foolish girl!”

And I wasn’t surprised either.

“What face do you show to come back here!?”

“With my face still intact, of course, Master.”

“Huh…”

As Jennifer boldly answered, a voice from inside the cabin sounded incredulous.

“Still, at least I can handle half of your sword techniques. So shouldn’t I at least be a decent apprentice?”

“…”

It seemed Jennifer’s words left the Sword Saint utterly speechless.

“I’ve come to introduce someone to my Master. Is it alright if we go in?”

“…Fine. Even if I tell you not to, you wouldn’t listen, would you?”

“You got that right.”

“You foolish girl.”

Hearing the same phrase he always uses, Jennifer glanced at me and nodded, then went ahead into the cabin first.

The cabin I followed her into was warmer than I thought.

From the outside, it looked shabby, but upon seeing the inside, it was evident it was a well-built log cabin. It seemed properly constructed with carefully stacked firewood, and not a single draft of wind was blowing through. The interior was adorned with various animal furs.

In fact, it felt more like a hunter’s house in the woods than that of a Sword Saint.

However, above the fireplace hung three swords that could easily be called ‘katana’ instead of the heads of animals. Each one was different lengths.

“Hmm.”

After seeing the Sword Saint looking at me with more interest than his own disciple who had gone in first, I finally thought, ‘Ah, so this is the Sword Saint.’

With his long, white beard and white hair tied back, he looked almost like a Japanese-style topknot. Yet, his ethnicity was definitely that of a typical Westerner. To be honest, just looking at his pupils, they were blue.

According to the lore, he traveled to the East in his youth and returned with the name of the Sword Saint.

“Is this the one?”

“Yes.”

“This brat?”

Hearing Jennifer’s words, the Sword Saint exploded in anger.

“What nonsense is this, bringing along a talentless brat!?”

“…”

Uh-oh.

I was found out on first sight.

Well, it was to be expected from a Sword Saint. In fact, both Lucas and the Emperor probably see me as a strange anomaly too.

“If you’re curious, why don’t you swing a sword or two and see?”

“What?”

Huh?

I couldn’t respond because I’d already shown these people far too much.

…Did I really mess up the character portrayals?

Chapter 69

The Sword Saint Frederick had met many humans in his 70 years of life, but the little one before him was truly the most peculiar being.

First of all, there was no aura of magic when she entered.

He knew there were two people outside based on the footsteps. He could guess who they were by the sound of their steps, but pinpointing exactly whose footsteps they were was quite a challenge.

Of course, if it was a sound he was used to hearing, it would be a different story. There might be similar strides, but absolutely no identical person.

The footsteps he heard from behind belonged to one of the few disciples of the Sword Saint. This disciple had come to learn swordplay but decided to leave halfway through, proclaiming that he had learned enough to handle things in real combat.

If he had completed his training, he would have had the talent to inherit the title of ‘Sword Saint,’ but that disciple’s ambitions weren’t solely about the sword.

He often dropped by for a chat, and every time, Frederick would throw something like a bowl, an ashtray, or a jar at that disciple’s face. Of course, the disciple had never actually been hit. It was never thrown with the intent to hit.

But then whose footsteps were leading the way ahead of that disciple?

They weren’t as light as the disciple’s. Rather, they were heavy and weary. At the same time, they were confident, not pausing for a moment.

“Hmm.”

Indeed, the moment those footsteps approached Frederick’s cabin, they became even more pronounced. It was as though they crossed over some invisible wall.

To be honest, it was a bit intriguing.

If those footsteps continued, they would definitely arrive at the door before the disciple, and they would probably be the one to open it too.

Frederick picked up a basket from the table. It was empty, so it was light enough; if it were to hit someone, it wouldn’t cause serious harm. Moreover, if he was standing right in front of the door, it would be hard for someone to avoid it.

Holding the basket and readying himself, Frederick quietly waited when—

“Huh?”

The footsteps stopped at the door.

To be more precise, they stopped just a step away from the door.

It was as if the one beyond the door understood that the Sword Saint was holding something, and thus paused their advance.

Then the door opened.

Nothing was there.

“…Don’t just stand there, come in.”

After a few seconds of waiting, the Sword Saint spoke, and in walked a child too young to be called a ‘girl’ just yet. Although the age might be judged differently among the nobility, to Frederick, who had lived a bit more than 70 years, calling this girl a ‘child’ was no oddity.

She wore a fuzzy outfit, and her forehead was damp with sweat.

Did this kid sense him inside the cabin and open the door herself?

Yet she looked quite tired from the journey. The upper half of her body appeared as though she was holding back her breath. Her face was utterly expressionless.

Above all, while he could feel ‘presence’ from her, there was no sign of the unique ‘energy’ found in those who had learned to wield a sword.

As if she had no talent in this direction whatsoever.

“Master, how have you been?”

A foolish-looking disciple full of a mischievous grin walked in, but the enthusiasm was broken as Frederick let go of the basket in his hand.

“What brings you all the way here? And who is this child? Clearly, you didn’t come just to chat like usual.”

“Yes, well, I have a favor to ask, so I thought I’d combine it with visiting.”

“…”

Frederick caught the disciple’s gaze shifting toward the girl.

Oh ho.

It’s been 15 years since he found everything tedious and entered a hermitage.

For the first time in ages, Frederick felt like he might discover something interesting.

*

The girl’s strangeness didn’t end there.

“So, you want to learn something from me?”

“Yes. I would like to learn how to control my energy. I’m aware that through meditation, one can gather their mind and bring their body into the right state. I want to be taught that method.”

“Hmm.”

Frederick narrowed his eyes and stared at the girl. He thought she might show some fear, but in contrast, she didn’t flinch at his gaze.

To Frederick, it seemed as if the girl wasn’t perfectly hiding her energy but rather unable to express any. In other words, it felt like she had no talent for it at all.

“You seem like you have no talent.”

He couldn’t outright declare that she lacked talent, though. There was a sensation that this girl was different from the ordinary kids he encountered every day.

Was the cautiousness she showed when entering just part of her personality?

“Perhaps in swordplay, that might be true. But I am confident in what I already know.”

“Oh?”

But her confidence gave Frederick an oddly uneasy feeling. It wasn’t the usual swagger; there was a certain firmness that suggested some genuine confidence.

“Also, I’m not asking you to teach me without offering something in return.”

“Something in return.”

Frederick observed the girl before him. Was she a Crown Princess? Maybe she was talking about money.

“If I needed money—”

“It’s not money.”

—then he would have been living much more extravagantly by now.

But that thought was interrupted.

This bold little princess didn’t appear to be discussing money at all.

“It’s a matter of strength.”

“Strength?”

“Yes. You seek a worthy opponent to duel with, don’t you, Sword Saint?”

“…”

She wasn’t wrong.

With life being so brief, there was nothing better than finding someone to clash blades with.

However.

“…Are you talking about the Emperor?”

“No.”

The Sword Saint’s guess went spectacularly wrong.

“One of the Emperor’s children is a swordsman. Surely you would find them satisfactory.”

The Crown Princess looked straight into Frederick’s eyes as she spoke.

“If you wish, I could arrange a meeting.”

“…”

The girl wasn’t lying; her eyes weren’t deceptive.

Frederick briefly glanced at Jennifer, who was just leaning against the wall with a shrug, a smile on her face as if she found it funny.

“Hmm.”

Frederick pondered briefly and then said, “Fine. I was also feeling a bit bored.”

With those words, he consented.

*

“…”

Did the Crown Princess have talent or not?

If he were to ask, the Sword Saint would likely have declared, “No talent.”

Yet at the same time, he felt something strange about her.

She certainly lacked talent. Her ability to learn was no different from any other ordinary person on the street. He believed there was little chance she would master the meditation techniques in just one day.

But aside from that—

The Crown Princess was complete.

Specifically, she had come to meet the Sword Saint just on the brink of completion.

As if someone had devoted months of doing nothing—no sleep, no food—just purely engaging in meditation, she entered a state of mental stability almost immediately before the Sword Saint could even teach her anything.

She seemed to soothe her worn-out body, recovering her breath almost as if she had just hiked moments ago.

“…”

There was a tranquility in her demeanor, as if she was merely continuing what she had been doing until now, almost divine.

And Frederick wasn’t the only one at a loss for words due to her presence.

…Had she brought the future here somehow?

It was an absurd notion, yet that’s how Frederick felt.

“…”

After thinking for a moment,

swish!

He swiftly struck the Crown Princess’s head with the edge of his hand.

He didn’t mean to strike with full force.

But neither did he swing it merely as a joke. If it were anyone who had never trained, they would have certainly lost consciousness from that blow.

However, the edge of the Sword Saint’s hand split the air.

The girl, who was sitting cross-legged with her hands resting on her knees and eyes closed, shifted her body slightly back at the last moment to evade the strike.

Even though she wouldn’t have sensed the energies around her while meditating.

“Oh?”

The Sword Saint made a sound of surprise.

She had no talent.

But she was already complete. At that age.

In terms of age, she was achieving it much earlier than Frederick had at the same age.

If that were the case, was she hiding her energy? Had she perhaps reached a clarity even beyond what Jennifer could attain?

If that were true, then there would be no reason to come all the way here to learn meditation.

Slowly, the Crown Princess opened her eyes. She looked up at the Sword Saint with her deep black pupils, eerily calm as if she knew how things would unfold next.

Her demeanor resembled the statue he had seen in the East.

“You, are you truly serious about learning swordplay?”

“I have no talent.”

As if she had completed some business, the Crown Princess dusted herself off and stated.

Chapter 70

“Then how have you been training all this time? Why did you come to find me? Didn’t you already know how to meditate?”

“I’ve practiced it hundreds of times.”

At the Crown Princess’s voice, emotion showed for the first time. It sounded as if she was completely worn out.

However, the Sword Saint saw that the Crown Princess’s physical condition looked much better than when she first climbed the mountain. She must have already refined her internal energy.

“When I first scaled the mountain, I didn’t know anything. When I first learned meditation from you, I just started from the moment I entered and kept reflecting on the times I practiced.”

“Um?”

The Crown Princess was an odd figure, but what she said now was the strangest thing among all that atmosphere.

“After getting a grasp on things, I started again from the bottom of the mountain. No, before I even talked to you, Master.”

“Oh.”

It didn’t make logical sense, but both Jennifer and the Sword Saint listened calmly to the girl’s words.

Outside the window, the sun was rising.

“Gathering my thoughts, putting my body in the best condition, climbing the mountain again, learning meditation, and refining my body into a better state. If I go back, my body will revert to its original state, but the memories and sensations I’ve learned will remain as they are.”

“I see.”

Frederick, listening to the story, chuckled.

“So that’s how it was.”

“Do you believe my story, Master?”

“Don’t you believe it? From your expression, it looks like you’ve accepted it after hearing it.”

Above all, Jennifer’s face was also smiling.

“Are you saying you can turn back time?”

Like solving an amusing riddle, the Sword Saint asked, grinning as he pulled out the chair. Having finally given his place to the Crown Princess and his disciple, he sat down on one side of the messy table.

“That’s right.”

“I see. But I have one disagreement.”

Seeing the Sword Saint speak with a smile, the Crown Princess took a seat in a corner and asked.

“Disagreement?”

“Is this your first time having such a conversation?”

“Yes.”

With a slight frown, the Crown Princess spoke with a thoughtful expression, and Frederick nodded as he replied.

“Then, how about thinking about it this way? Predicting, I mean.”

“To call it predicting… I can turn back time to the moment I want.”

“To put it another way, you might think you’re seeing up to the point you want to see, right? The future when you didn’t know the future.”

“…..”

The Crown Princess tilted her head.

“Well, even if I say this, your thoughts based on your experiences would be much closer to reality.”

Creek, the sound of Jennifer sitting down was heard.

“This is quite regrettable. I wish I could serve you tea while you were here, but alas, it’s just fallen cold.”

“That’s fine.”

“Perhaps I might be older than you.”

“That’s not true. I can’t believe I’ve turned back time that much.”

“There’s no frog that remembers being a tadpole.”

“…..What if it’s a frog that remembers being an egg?”

“Anyone has a few memories from their very young days. And human memories are so fragile that they can break apart with just a little trigger. You could list quite a few spells that can influence memory using just ten fingers.”

“…..”

Frederick watched the Crown Princess, who was lost in thought, for a while before speaking.

“Are you planning to turn back this memory too? You’ve gotten what you wanted, after all.”

“…..”

The Crown Princess remained silent, but much more could be felt from her demeanor than from her words.

She looked a bit uncomfortable. After all, having seen her face hundreds of times might have fostered a sense of intimacy.

“This is a new expression for you. You usually have no expression at all.”

Hearing Jennifer say it was amusing, Frederick became even more cheerful. He felt that even if he didn’t remember, the Frederick who laughed like this would remain in the girl’s memory.

And if this girl thought of him as her master, she would surely come back someday.

“Is that your final condition?”

“Yes. I may not remember, but if you’ve endured so long under me, you are my disciple. So think proudly wherever you go. There aren’t many disciples accepted by a Sword Saint. Though I must admit, not many come here either.”

Seeing Frederick laugh, the Crown Princess Sylvia Fanggriffon found it strange. Frederick found it even more delightful. Even if he didn’t remember, this joyful Frederick would stay in the girl’s memory.

And he believed that if this girl thought of him as her master, she would come back someday.

“Understood. I’ll remember that.”

“My thoughts are a bit different.”

And as Jennifer quietly watched the warm exchange between the Sword Saint and the Crown Princess, she opened her mouth.

“To be honest, I’d like you to fulfill the terms of our agreement. I’m a pragmatist.”

“…..”

The Crown Princess watched her instructor calmly before nodding her head.

“…..Understood.”

“Well, there’s no way for me to know if you don’t.”

“Then please tell me what I need to do and where I need to go this time. I will remember.”

“Hmm.”

Jennifer found the Crown Princess’s insistence amusing and shrugged her shoulders.

“If you’d like to do that, so be it. If you don’t turn back time right now, that would bring me joy as well.”

“…..”

The Crown Princess said nothing in response.

Frederick thought that if there had been a teacup in front of her, she would have quietly sipped from it.

And that gesture would have suited her perfectly.

*

To fulfill part of the ‘conditions,’ the two disciples descended from the mountain, and Frederick sat quietly in the calm cabin and muttered.

“If you need something, come in.”

“…..”

The one who opened the door and entered silently was a young man with red hair.

“You look dazed, young man.”

Tut, the young man, who was staring blankly at him, finally walked over to the table where the Sword Saint was sitting and took a seat.

“Sorry, but there’s no tea.”

“I don’t have such noble tastes.”

“Good to hear.”

The Sword Saint smiled brightly as he spoke.

“So, you’re that swordsman the Crown Princess mentioned? You might be my equal.”

Indeed, Frederick thought to himself, one step at a time, as he looked over the young man.

He wasn’t simply talented; maybe, at this moment, the level of the young man might even surpass the Sword Saint, who had lived for over seventy years.

“Remarkable. Would you consider matching swords with me?”

“…..Well, what’s the point? Time’s about to turn back soon anyway.”

At those words, Frederick burst into laughter.

“You look like a child who just learned the simple secret of a sleight of hand trick. Why do you look so disheartened, thinking you can’t return to those wondrous days?”

“…..”

The young man, who looked as if he lost something, was left by the Sword Saint, who rose from his seat.

And he strode over to the wall where the swords were hung and began to take them down, strapping them to his waist one by one.

“Since—”

“Hey there, young man.”

The Sword Saint interrupted with a firm voice, cutting off the young man’s sulky murmurs.

“Even if our world ends and begins anew, we’re still here, sitting together and talking, aren’t we? I think we still have a few hours left.”

“…..”

“Even if the world ends tomorrow, those alive must continue living, don’t you think? If we remember, think, and acknowledge that we existed at this moment here, no one can deny it. Not even that Goddess up there.”

The Sword Saint rested his hand on the hilt of his katana as he spoke.

“Even if you turn back time and forget your memories, that would simply be the result. How could results erase the causes? Even if time turns back, it’s likely that girl will still be flowing in one direction.”

Frederick wore a bold smile. His back was straight, and his feet firmly rooted to the ground.

That imposing stance was truly that of a Sword Saint.

The image of the kind old man just moments ago vanished.

“So, young man. How about sparring with me for the time we have left?”

The red-haired youth, mouth slightly agape as he stared, eventually chuckled briefly.

“You must have lived long to speak such wise words, old man.”

His face was devoid of the previous disheartened expression.

“Fine, let’s have some fun while we still can.”

His attitude was confidently that of someone who could be called the ‘Kicking Sword Saint.’

Chapter 71

Meditation was, quite literally, meditation.

It was a time to sit down, calm the mind, and reflect on oneself.

Of course, it wasn’t all that easy. Even though I had the ridiculous ability to reverse time, there were plenty of stress-inducing things in my life.

Having Leo and Claire, along with the protagonist crew, being honest—sure, it wasn’t exactly stressful. My body might be tired, and regardless of what I predicted, those kids were energetic enough to shatter my expectations, but honestly, it was a pleasantly delusional situation.

Wasn’t it? Maybe Leo’s personality was worse than I thought, or perhaps there were other time travelers among the protagonists messing with what I envisioned as the “original” story… Sure, I was an alien presence invading from outside, and another person who loved the original might think I was messing it up, but there’s a huge difference between perceiving it from the perspective of the one messing it up and the perspective of the onlooker.

If I do it, it’s romance; if someone else does, it’s adultery… Well, that might be a little different.

So, the only time I’m affected by the protagonists behaving like protagonists isn’t really even a problem—it’s just how things were supposed to flow.

The reason I found myself stressed was when the story went “too close to the original” and “somehow, it felt like it wasn’t flowing according to the original” at the same time.

First, when the story went suspiciously close to the original.

From what I’ve experienced so far, protagonist Leo seems likely to clear every single sub-quest. He probably moves diligently through the parts I can’t play, ensuring the story flows just like the original.

For someone who enjoys the original, that might seem like a good thing.

But if it proceeds exactly as in the original, there will definitely be characters among the protagonist party who die.

Not just the heroine. Male characters can die too, and girls they like could die as well. No matter how strong the protagonist grows, it’s impossible to be with every character scattered around the vast Empire; in the end, you can’t prevent every moment of danger.

Moreover, there are characters who “definitely die.”

Claire.

Right now, I was occupying Claire’s role, so maybe that death might be mine. Would reversing time really be a way to prevent that death? Is some overwhelming force causing either one or both of us to bite the dust? I’ve reversed time before, but I’ve never died. What happens after you die? Would I be moved to another world and become a different character to live again?

Plus, this world doesn’t just flow in a straightforward original manner. Strangely enough, it mixes game-like elements with realistic ones.

In games, getting shot, stabbed, or even hit by a giant’s hand falling from the sky—if your HP doesn’t drop, you don’t die. Even if HP hits zero and you fall, it doesn’t count as death; in cutscenes, you show up just fine. The only downside is that you can’t use that character in battles anymore.

But there are countless instances of contradictory animations between gameplay and cutscenes. Characters that should have certainly died from attacks still “falling” even when they took shots to the chest or had knives poked into their bellies. You could say it’s all just game mechanics, but in reality, what happens then?

Does that mean throughout that lengthy narrative, the protagonist party must avoid being stabbed or shot, even when facing beasts, and must never enter the range of magic?

…But clearly, one of the most important characters in the story, Mia Crowfield, nearly got hit by a bear’s magic just a moment ago—right after I reversed time.

Was it ultimately because I was there that the outcome diverged? Or was it my responsibility to save everyone and make it that far?

By my standards, during those continuous 300 days of meditation, I constantly pondered these matters.

Being able to meditate without eating, sleeping, or even washing was quite beneficial in many ways.

Especially in organizing my thoughts.

I hadn’t even thought about any of this until now.

*

“……”

Before my eyes lay a battlefield. Just moments ago, it seemed a battle had taken place; the faint smell of gunpowder wafted through the air, and something burning in the no-man’s land between the trenches sent out a stench.

Craters appeared in several spots, as if shells had fallen multiple times, and snow piled high within.

The battlefield itself was overwhelmingly in favor of the Imperial Army. The enemy had dug trenches and fortified the surroundings, but the Imperial Army was surrounding those trenches.

The enemy didn’t have tanks, but the Imperial Army did.

They also had combat planes.

However, transporting such armored equipment across borders was a complicated matter. The Republic of Liclant asked the Empire for support, but there were some reservations about ‘latest equipment’ advancing across the border.

From what I heard, it seemed that this military crossing was actually essentially a political pressure from the Empire, unable to endure the “we couldn’t properly eliminate the warlords at the border, resulting in damage to our side. What should we do?” situation.

“There are many.”

Jennifer said, looking at the fortress through binoculars. It appeared to be a pretty solidly built concrete bunker, but it was quite far away, even appearing small from here.

“But that doesn’t mean they have enough to break through the defensive line.”

Soldiers would die trying to reach there.

“They don’t have machine guns. But they use several muzzles tied together as substitutes for machine guns. Many soldiers died due to that in the early offensive. While the rate of fire isn’t quite the same as a machine gun, the fact that several bullets come flying quickly doesn’t change, right?”

Assault rifles hadn’t been developed yet. Machine guns were also one of the latest weapons, and they were extremely heavy. They were definitely not portable items.

“What do you think? Can we do it?”

“……”

I stayed quiet, prompting Jennifer to look at me intently before asking again.

“Or have you already done it?”

“I’ve succeeded seven times.”

Of course, it meant I had to attempt it numerous times.

This was a whole different dimension from infiltrating the Count’s residence. The journey through the no man’s land to reach that trench was long. The moment I showed myself, bullets rained down.

To not die, I had to go without being detected.

The fact that it was already dark was, in a way, an advantage for me.

Even in a standoff situation, a person’s vigilance doesn’t remain sharp for hours. There are soldiers dozing off in some extended sections of the frontline, or there are soldiers who are getting excited thinking it’s nearly time to finish their shift and go to sleep.

It took an eternity to find a place like that, but I finally managed it.

Once I entered that trench, I had a massive advantage. I could take down one enemy at a time as long as I had bullets. Fortune was on my side, as nobody managed to get a clean shot on me amidst the dimness and chaos.

Dodge, hide, shoot.

There was no suppressor to muffle gunshots. Even if I somehow had a modern suppressor, a shot would still be hard to conceal; the moment you fire, you’re sure to be spotted.

What I could do was simply cause further chaos to the enemy’s situation.

I made every effort to drop grenades into every little room among the trenches, trying to explore as much of the trench as possible.

Equipping my shotgun with Marmaros had definitely proven effective. Just the fierce flames erupting from the barrel was enough to terrify the opponents. Without carrying a massive fuel tank on my back, I was still able to create mayhem in the enemy’s camp.

With a submachine gun, shotgun, and revolver. Once I exhausted the ammunition of all the guns I had, I began picking up and using other weapons to advance. Eventually, I stumbled across a deep stash of ammunition in the base.

Moreover, around that time, the Imperial Army started their attack as well.

Seeing the gunfire and explosions occurring inside the enemy camp, it seemed that the Imperial Army thought it was the perfect moment to attack.

Amidst the simultaneous assaults from both inside and out—

Boom!

A massive sound shook the ground. For a moment, everything went silent.

As I regained my senses, I found myself lying on the ground. I must have fainted for a few seconds. My back and shoulders were in excruciating pain. As quickly as I could, I shook off the daze and stood up to see the enemy soldiers staring blankly.

When I glanced back, I saw a bright flame blazing. Smoke billowed darker than the black sky. There were several more gigantic explosions.

……The ammunition depot has blown up.

One of the grenades I carelessly tossed in must have ignited the ammo stash.

The gunfire coming from outside the trench grew closer and closer.

Waaah—

The cheers of Imperial soldiers sounded almost like a triumphant chorus.

One by one, the mercenaries knelt, hands raised overhead. They seemed to realize it was all over.

Everyone was watching me with fearful eyes.

Silently, I crawled up over the trench to gaze at the place where the original bunker had been.

The bunker had partially collapsed inside due to the explosion. Even if someone were inside that remaining half, they wouldn’t have come out unscathed.

Even if they had survived, they’d likely be captured or killed by the hordes of Imperial soldiers coming in.

That was my first success.

Chapter 72

Since then, it was the sixth time I’ve fine-tuned that strategy and succeeded. Zoom!

Naturally, there were many times I reset completely and started from the beginning, and if I include the minor rewinds, the number would be even higher. Bing!

But I succeeded. I was able to create one successful route. Ding!

“Really.”

At my words, Jennifer muttered. Murmur…

“You’re thinking about rewinding time again, aren’t you?”

“That’s right.”

I said quietly, a white breath escaping from my mouth. Whoosh!

“To be honest, I’m surprised you even have such ability. It’s hard to believe someone could enter and conquer such a fortress.”

“I just caused chaos within the fortress. If the Imperial Army hadn’t advanced during the process, it would have been tough to succeed, no matter how much I could rewind time.”

It was fortunate that the inside was called a ‘trench.’ No matter how many enemies there were, they could only see a limited number of me at once since I was within the trench. Plus, it was nighttime. If I shot the lights, poof! They’d all be gone! One grenade could wipe out the illumination of the whole area. Boom!

Fail until I succeed. Thud!

“……”

Jennifer remained silent for a while. Tick-tock…

“When I first heard that you’d be sent out, I couldn’t believe my ears.”

After a long silence, Jennifer finally spoke. Her tone was hesitant, as if she was pulling thoughts from the depths of her mind, which surprised me. Hmm…

“Imagine how ridiculous it was to hear that there was only ‘one’ support soldier. Well, I’m not a knight commander or anything, but they were comrades I fought alongside, and it’s right in front of the territory where I spent my childhood. Of course, there were various political reasons to consider, but honestly, I was quite happy when I first received the letter. I thought the political issue was finally resolved and that we’d receive more reinforcements.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. I was dumbfounded when I opened that fancy envelope.”

“……”

“Do you know what my grandfather said when he heard the news?”

“I don’t.”

“He said the Emperor must have some thoughts on this.”

“……”

“Turns out he really did have thoughts. I thought that even after showing such loyalty, I’d be discarded with the territory.”

Jennifer laughed as if she had heard a funny joke. But there was a hint of emptiness in her voice. Her giggles faded to a whisper. Hehe…

“Does the Emperor know about your abilities?”

“He doesn’t.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

He likely thinks I’m immensely strange and capable. But I doubt he can imagine I have the ability to rewind time. That would be pure delusion. Duh!

Besides, in this world, the general consensus is that ‘time cannot be rewound.’ It’s not just a simple consensus but tied to the magical world settings. Of course, seeing that I can rewind time like this, the developers might have hidden it, planning it as a twist later on. Surprise!

That sudden scene where the main characters were dropping like flies, and the players had to personally decide who would die — I think that connects to it too. I didn’t think a small development company would switch the entire plotline to include two different endings and release a sequel in just a year.

If there’s a setting that allows me to rewind time, I could just rewind and save those characters, and then the main character who knows that fact could just continue the story. Whoosh!

And for that twist element, no other character should be able to do it. Dun dun dun!

“Is that so…”

Jennifer was silent again for a while. Tick tock tick tock…

“It’s obvious you came back after solving things. Hearing that you can rewind time makes it easy to understand.”

Jennifer glanced at me and said. Glance…

“A moment ago, your expression looked a little tired, but suddenly it turned severely worn out. If I hadn’t known your ability, I would’ve thought you realized just how brutal the upcoming missions would be.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. To be honest, your expression right now…”

Jennifer hesitated a bit, which was unlike her.

“Looks like someone who has seen hell.”

“……Is that so.”

I couldn’t think of anything else to say. Sigh…

“……”

“……”

We looked again at the far-off bunker. Stare…

“You’ve heard it from me before, but those mercenaries occupying that place are terrible. They’ve burned several villages and after assaulting women, they’ve hung their heads at the gates of the burned-down villages. It’s hard to understand why they acted so brutally. If you need evidence, I can show it.”

I had heard this story before. I had seen the evidence already. Whew…

“But, even so, those guys are still human. There are some who talk about beasts and such, but if hunters heard those stories, they’d probably laugh. Sure, some beasts treat their prey as toys, but that’s about it. Only humans can be that intelligently cruel. At least among the beings I’ve seen so far.”

Jennifer turned her body towards me. Unlike before when she was just glancing, she looked directly at me and said. Turn…

“To be honest, bringing you here is not my story to tell.”

After a brief hesitation, she said,

“Why not just run away? If you can rewind time, you can negate the lives you’ve lost. Or you could live a life completely unrelated to the Emperor from the start. With your ability, you could live a normal life, right?”

“……”

I quietly stared at the dimly visible bunker in the distance and opened my mouth. Creek…

“I’ve heard that story already.”

“……”

Hearing my reply, Jennifer seemed at a loss for words. Hmm…

“Is that so.”

Standing silently with Jennifer, who fell back into silence, I opened my mouth first this time. Hmm…

“But I appreciate your words. Truly.”

“……”

Jennifer widened her eyes slightly, as if surprised, and then asked. Blink…

“Was that something I’ve said before?”

“No.”

I shook my head. Shake shake…

“This is my first time saying it.”

“I see.”

At my words, Jennifer smiled. Smile…

*

Is there a choice for me to ‘start over from the beginning’?

Jennifer doesn’t know much about my past. Other people might not understand the ‘game’ I was playing, and there aren’t many who know about my past life as ‘Sylvia Black.’ Claire, and perhaps Leo Grace and his wife, who I told stories to. The Emperor, who heard reports, and Lucas, who was watching the orphanage closely.

And all these individuals would agree that even if I rewind time, I would end up in the same situation.

Lucas had been watching the orphanage from the start. No matter how much I could rewind time, I was just a child under ten years old. No matter how fast I ran or hid, I couldn’t escape Lucas’s keen gaze, and even if I rushed in, I would never win. Doom!

Where did this ‘Sylvia Black’ come from?

Probably from nowhere at all.

Just at that moment, a being created for some purpose.

And embedding me, who knows quite a bit about this world’s future in the form of a game, means the entity that brought me here has some definite goal. Boom!

It would be an existence that surely anticipated my ability to rewind time.

“That means, I can do whatever I want, right?”

I muttered softly, staring at the ceiling from my bed in the dead of night. Murmur…

Of course, no response would come back. Silence…

Whether that existence above is a god or the goddess spoken about in the Goddess Faith.

Well, whatever. I guess silence is a right too.

And silence can be interpreted unfavorably for the one exercising that right.

“Alright.”

So I decided to interpret that silence however I wanted and got out of bed. Shuffle!

I was a bit tired. It was obvious since I just had that situation earlier. My mind was foggy, and my body, waking up at midnight, was screaming to return to bed.

But there’s no time. Claire would definitely come searching around four in the morning.

“Huff!”

I took a deep breath in and out. Whoosh!

Sitting cross-legged, I recalled the teachings of my master. Zing!

I focused my mind and recovered my physical state.

Honestly, this doesn’t make sense according to earth standards. If you don’t sleep, your body just gets tired. Yawwwn…

So fortunately, this is a worldview where you can channel energy like that even with an ordinary body. Whew!

“Hoo!”

I exhaled my concerns and troubles into the air, leaving only what I want to do and what I aim for in my mind.

And I opened my eyes. Blink!

Alright.

Now it’s time to go out.

Because I have debts to repay.

Chapter 73

“Did that mercenary group get wiped out? When on earth did that happen?”

Dramatic gasp!

“It was yesterday morning.”

Confused mumble!

The face of Maximilian Schmitt, the governor of the Riclant Autonomous State, turned pale at the report. But his pleased expression didn’t last long.

Facepalm!

“Did the Empire mobilize additional troops?”

Suspicious eyebrow raise!

“Well, that’s…”

Sweaty silence!

The high-ranking officer in a blue uniform frowned a bit, his elegantly curled gray mustache twitching. It seemed something wasn’t adding up.

Dramatic music plays!

But the thought that the Imperial Army would cross the border with a massive force didn’t cross anyone’s mind. If that had been the case, the commander would have been beet red the moment he walked in. The autonomous state was basically a ‘republic’, but it still had its share of aristocratic traits.

Fancy puffs of smoke!

In a way, it was like a kingdom minus the royal family.

Bling bling!

Of course, while the political form may have appeared that way, the territory was much smaller, and its military strength was negligible compared to the Empire. Considering that the mercenary group, which should have been led by the Autonomous State’s military, had turned into a warlord out of the chaos of the revolution, comparing military strength to the Empire was nearly impossible.

Sad trombone!

Thus, while they reluctantly requested support from the Empire, they ‘begged’ not to send Imperial soldiers beyond a certain level due to fear of their military might. Both Schmitt and the aristocrats within the autonomous state shared this sentiment, where the army often expressed open opposition but occasionally let slip their dissatisfaction.

Whispers in the wind!

…In truth, even if the Imperial Army ignored that request, there was no way to stop them, but the Emperor was accommodating the request for now.

Bing!

“There was one person, it seems.”

Lightbulb moment!

“…One person?”

Dramatic drum roll!

Schmitt pondered for a moment before speaking.

“Has General Winterfield returned?”

Wild speculation!

“No, he hasn’t.”

Unimpressed sigh!

“Could it be his daughter…?”

Curious glance!

“…I’m sorry, but that isn’t it either. While she is indeed female, she is much younger than General Winterfield’s daughter. They are saying it’s a princess.”

Grand revelation!

“……A princess? You’re saying that princess herself was sent to the front lines? That she’s the key to victory?”

Jaw drop!

Schmitt briefly stared blankly at the ceiling before lowering his gaze back to the commander.

“Did the Imperial Army sacrifice their forces just to protect the princess? If that’s the case, then a massive compensation will be required.”

Cha-ching sound!

‘Protection’ doesn’t come for free. Even if compensation isn’t directly paid in money, a price must be paid in some form. Otherwise, who knows where the blades of the Imperial Army will be pointed?

Dramatic build-up!

Sure, the border area was currently filled with warlords, but if the Empire dealt with each of those warlords…

Dark clouds loom!

There was a reason for the persistent plea for the Imperial Army not to exceed a certain scale.

Concerned emoji!

“No, not at all.”

Denying wave!

However, Schmitt’s words were dismissed by the commander.

“The Imperial Army reportedly suffered minimal losses. The warlord’s bunker collapsed entirely. A unit stationed nearby sent word this morning. They even took pictures, so let’s take a look.”

Shutter click!

The commander gently placed a thin but high-quality wooden board on Schmitt’s desk.

“……”

Curiosity piqued!

Schmitt flipped through the report.

As the commander had said, the bunker that the autonomous state army couldn’t breach had collapsed. The Imperial Army was cheering all around, while the disheveled mercenaries were on their knees, hands on their heads.

Sad violin music plays!

Among those many photos, one featured the image of a girl.

Spotlight on the girl!

It wasn’t taken from a close distance. Stretched from a bit far away, in the photo where the collapsed bunker was barely visible, a girl with a bob haircut wearing an officer’s coat that resembled the Imperial Army’s stood there.

Focus zooms in!

Her expression was blank, and she was turned sideways, but she didn’t appear to be severely injured.

Relieved sigh!

“That girl is the princess.”

Dramatic announcement!

“……So, what exactly is that princess supposed to have done? Even if they sent one person, the battlefield wouldn’t have changed, right? Are you saying she was sent to gain experience as an officer?”

Puzzled head scratch!

“I don’t think that’s it. There seems to be some confusion in the information, so I can’t pinpoint the exact details… But from what I hear, that girl supposedly played the biggest role in this battle.”

Gasps of shock!

“……”

Bated breath!

Schmitt clamped his mouth shut and looked back down at the photo.

While the girl’s expression was stiff, there didn’t appear to be any visible injuries. The stains on her clothes weren’t particularly noticeable. The photo was a blurry black-and-white, and not everything was in focus, so it was hard to tell where she might have been hurt.

Inquisitive squint!

“According to a messenger sent from the Empire,”

The commander started speaking in a flat tone, almost as if wanting to eliminate emotion.

“The princess was directly deployed to the combat zone, and minutes later, sounds of gunfire and explosions were heard from the enemy camp, followed by a significant explosion. The Imperial Army, ignoring the sounds of battle occurring internally, began advancing as if performing a diversion, causing the defensive line centered around where the princess was to collapse and allowing the Imperial Army to enter the garrison.”

Thudding heart!

“That sounds like propaganda.”

Bitter laugh!

Schmitt scoffed, closing the report and handing it back to the commander.

“……There’s also the case of Lady Winterfield, right? If the blood of the Emperor flows in her…—”

Dramatic pause!

“Even Lady Winterfield wouldn’t have the ability to infiltrate the enemy lines and blow up the ammunition depot alone. That’s something beyond what a human can do! Are you saying the princess is someone who can dodge bullets?”

Comic disbelief!

“……”

Stunned silence!

With those words, the commander had nothing more to say. The truth was that the commander himself couldn’t fully believe what he had reported until that moment.

Thinking emoji!

“But.”

Overdramatic buildup!

Schmitt added, brushing his hair back. Exposing his cool forehead, his face, which could be called a ‘gentleman’ to anyone, seemed a little younger than his actual age.

Charming grin!

“Even if it’s propaganda, there might be some truth mixed in. Just like the case of Lady Winterfield that the commander mentioned, it’s possible she could have provided substantial help in the battle.”

Intriguing wonder!

Even if the Imperial Army had falsely reported to hide their own casualties, the fact that the princess had participated in the battle seemed to be true. The governor thought that perhaps they would need to send someone to extract the truth from the Imperial Army.

Fortune cookie wisdom!

“……Hmm.”

Deep contemplation!

“……What’s wrong?”

As Schmitt narrowed his eyes and stared at the commander, the commander took a step back and asked.

“Didn’t you mention you have a daughter?”

Curiosity sparks!

“……Yes, I do.”

Awkward pause!

Seeing the commander’s overly suspicious expression, the governor continued.

“My daughter is still too young to enter the Imperial Academy.”

Childlike innocence!

“……”

Elevated eyebrows!

“If you’re interested in sending your daughter to study in the Empire, the Autonomous State is willing to support her wholeheartedly.”

Grand offer!

“……”

Speechless gasp!

The commander held his tongue for a moment.

“However, there is one condition… but, if you don’t want to, it’s fine. There will be plenty of young ladies in the Autonomous State wanting to study in the Empire. Or a young lord would be fine too.”

Giggling scheme!

“I’ll think about it.”

With the commander’s reply, Schmitt nodded, leaning back in his chair.

“I hope you can decide as soon as possible. When the students return from the dispatched classes, I want to send the exchange students back on that train.”

Train whistle sound!

Of course, it would require a complicated procedural process, but Schmitt thought the Emperor would gladly accept his proposal.

Exciting buildup!

Although he still didn’t fully grasp the Emperor, Schmitt knew at least that the Emperor had a keen interest in ‘interesting affairs’.

Winking mischief!

“By the way, what do you plan to do with the information about the princess?”

Eager anticipation!

“Well, you see, information is something that will always be useful when it’s in hand. If this princess’ combat abilities are truly worthwhile… I need to think of a way to utilize her for the benefit of the Autonomous State. We still don’t know anything about her personality.”

Mischievous grin!

Schmitt shrugged and replied.

“Oh, but Commander, does your daughter like making friends?”

Playful eyebrow wiggle!

“Ah, that is—”

Seeing the commander’s eyes darting around, Schmitt smiled wryly.

Snickers!

I can tell!

Triumphant laugh!

Chapter 74

The dawn raid operation was something I did by my own will. The promise with Jennifer had vanished into thin air by turning back time, but I still remembered it. If it had been a promise with someone else, it might not have mattered, but I didn’t want to break the promise with characters I liked.

Thanks to this, the time I returned to yesterday had already passed far beyond the morning.

“…If you want a reward, I’ll do anything for you. Winterfield never forgets a debt.”

In the car on the way back, Jennifer said that, and I replied, “I just repaid an existing debt.”

And as I answered that, I felt a little proud.

Of course, I did smell blood and gunpowder that dawn. The memories of the battlefield might not be easily forgotten. Having heard stories about PTSD, those memories might have a significant impact on me.

But still, thinking that it was something that needed to be done made me feel much better.

After all, that’s what war is about. If we don’t fight, our people get killed. Moreover, those mercenaries were people who had committed heinous acts one way or another. Among the people I fought, there might have been someone with normal reasoning… but in the first place, a battlefield is where people risk their lives against each other, and I couldn’t just stand by.

The enemy aimed a gun at me too. If I had been shot and killed, maybe it would have been another story, but if I had been shot in an arm or a leg and incapacitated without turning back time, I would have had a terrible experience with a disorganized mercenary group.

Besides, it wasn’t my first time killing someone.

I had already experienced battles while turning back time repeatedly and had optimized Groots. There was a difference of a day, but in the end, the results came out similarly.

“Debt?”

Naturally, Jennifer asked that back, but I chose not to say anything further.

“……”

Since I didn’t react, Jennifer didn’t bother to ask any more questions. Rather, she seemed deep in thought, remaining silent the whole way while driving. Thanks to that, I could just zone out and gaze out the window until we returned to Winterfield Castle.

The mountain range far away was beautiful.

The Sword Saint was probably still somewhere on that mountainside.

*

When we arrived at Winterfield Castle, Alice rushed out from the lobby, worried, and pulled me into a hug.

Perhaps having caught a whiff of gunpowder lingering on me, Alice immediately glared at Jennifer.

“……”

Jennifer seemed at a loss for words.

Right now, Jennifer doesn’t know that I can turn back time. So seeing me fight like that on the battlefield must have shocked her in a different way. There probably wasn’t even enough time for her to mentally prepare herself.

“Father….”

Alice spoke up to me quickly.

“Did Father make you do that?”

Hmm.

I considered it seriously.

It wasn’t exactly something Emperor Arthur III ordered… to be precise, it was something he had intended to order.

So wouldn’t it be fine to say it was roughly that way?

If anything, I did it because I wanted to.

“……”

I decided to leave it as is. Explaining it was a hassle. To be honest, if I tried to explain while hiding my abilities, there would inevitably be gaps in my words, which would lead to unnecessary suspicion.

And lying would just lead to more questions later when my abilities were revealed, like ‘What about back then…?’

So the choice I made was to ‘silently play along convincingly.’

Whether she took my silence as an affirmation, Alice closed her mouth and stared at me.

“I told you, you don’t have to follow Father’s orders.”

“……”

Alice, who had hugged me lightly, took a step back and grabbed my hand, saying.

“…Well, you wouldn’t have been able to refuse such an order anyway.”

Not that I had received any orders, but…

…She wouldn’t go straight to the emperor and say something, would she?

Feeling a bit uneasy, I decided to change the subject.

“Did you successfully carry out the mission?”

“Mission? Ah.”

Alice looked back at the other kids waiting behind her, then turned to me and said.

“Yeah. Thanks to you.”

I shifted my gaze slightly to find Mia Crowfield. The kids must have entered not long ago since the hems of their clothes were a bit damp, and there were stains on their coats. They must have splashed some mud from the melting snow.

The staff in Mia Crowfield’s hand sparkled with a blue Marmaros.

I had left it on the desk before I left, along with a note to pass it on to Mia Crowfield.

It seemed the kids had executed those instructions perfectly.

“Thanks to the Marmaros, the hunt was much easier.”

Charlotte, who had been watching us, took a step forward and spoke. Charlotte’s expression was quite complex, much like Alice’s. It seemed she was confused about whether to be wary of me returning from battle or to simply be grateful in this moment.

“Th-thank you.”

Mia Crowfield said, appearing a bit frightened.

“Are you… okay?”

Claire, who had been quietly watching me from a distance, approached and asked.

“I’m fine.”

Honestly, I felt much better than expected. Having seen similar scenes repeatedly, I had rather become accustomed to it, which allowed for better mental preparation. Plus, I had some justification.

I then looked at Leo and Jake, who were still a little distant from us. Leo… surprisingly didn’t look too pale. For a second, I wondered if he had reached a transcendental state from being too overwhelmed, but looking again, he seemed to have a contemplative expression.

Could it be that my evaluation of him has changed a bit?

Jake’s reaction was similar. His usual punkish demeanor seemed to have vanished; he was now looking at me intently with a serious expression. When our eyes met, he quickly flashed a goofy smile and walked over.

“Hey, hey, don’t just stand there. Let’s all go eat or something. I feel like I’m starving to death.”

“You…”

Alice glared at Jake, then suddenly turned to me as if she remembered something. Maybe she read something on my face because Alice soon chuckled and said.

“Yeah, well, that makes sense. We’ve all worked really hard all morning. It’s about time we got hungry.”

…Honestly, I have no idea how she reads my expressions.

*

“Are you sure you’re okay? You could just rest in the afternoon.”

Seeing me get ready again for the afternoon mission, Alice looked worried.

“I’m fine.”

I thought that I had done well in learning meditation. Like Claire told me last time, even though I hadn’t slept much, I still felt I could move around a little more just by calming my mind and body through meditation.

Of course, it didn’t mean that my fatigue was completely gone, but after going back and cleaning myself up after lunch, sitting cross-legged on the bed to meditate felt like I was pushing the fatigue back, almost like drinking an energy drink.

“Are you really okay?”

Claire asked from the side, but I nodded again.

“I need to finish what needs to be done. It’s something that reflects on my grades—”

“No.”

While I was speaking, Jennifer, who had somehow approached us, interrupted.

“I’ll give you a perfect score. It wasn’t an official mission, but you accomplished something that no soldier could manage.”

“……”

Jennifer’s face was complicated as she said that.

Even when I said I would ruffle the heads of the academy, her expression had seemed vaguely incredulous. It was a little different from the cool demeanor she had when she was giving me a request at the Sword Saint’s cabin. Did she not believe that I could really do it back then?

That must be it. After all, she was a teacher who taught not to seek honor on the battlefield.

“Then, you can take the afternoon off… no, you should rest until tomorrow. I will take full responsibility for explaining things to the academy.”

I thought Abraham would probably understand well enough.

“Well then, this is something I want to do.”

When I said that, the quiet atmosphere around me grew even quieter.

“Sylvia?”

Alice opened her eyes wide, looking at me.

“…Sister?”

In the end, that word slipped out of Claire’s mouth.

“…Is that so.”

Hearing my words, Jennifer gently closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and then exhaled softly.

“If that’s what the student wishes, there’s not much I can do. Just… thank you. This is a thank you from all the soldiers as well.”

Jennifer bowed her waist slightly.

“…Is that so.”

As I hesitated about how to respond, I eventually decided just to say that.

Chapter 75

Even so, I felt a refreshing vibe this afternoon.

It feels like about half of my worries have been resolved. I’ve gained a method to quickly recover from my exhaustion with meditation, and the issues in the Northern Region have been somewhat alleviated. Plus, I’ve managed to firmly impress my abilities on those around me.

The emotional display I showed Mia Crowfield might have been diluted a lot because of this incident. After all, I’ve shown that even I can inflict serious damage on the enemy.

Perhaps, I may have even given some warning to Countess Crowfield, who might be dreaming of revenge against the Emperor by now. In the original work, Claire was more like a late transfer student rather than a base student, and more importantly, she didn’t engage in open activities like I did, making the Crowfield side perceive me as somewhat harmless.

Well, back then, I also didn’t go and blow the Count away with a bomb.

There’s a big difference between dealing with an assassin and going up against a human weapon that can annihilate enemy squads.

“…….”

I can understand Mia Crowfield’s glancing looks toward me.

Thanks to that, it seems more difficult to become friends.

“Big sister!”

……And there’s another person whose attitude toward me has changed.

I thought that the number of people treating me with more caution would increase due to my human weapon-level activities, but instead, Claire treated me more casually.

It seems what I said earlier about it being something I wanted to do was a big factor. I didn’t mention my reasons either, and the deed itself was about crushing an mercenary group rather than gaining something to eat or possess, but it seems the act itself wasn’t a big deal to Claire.

Rather, it seemed she was convinced that I still had proper feelings left.

“Claire.”

“I know, I know! But this isn’t the Academy; it’s outside!”

Before I could say anything, Claire interjected and tapped my arm.

……Even though it’s outside the Academy, what we’re doing counts as a practical training day in the attendance days.

Moreover, we’re still wearing our uniforms. The only difference is the location; otherwise, it’s practically the same as being inside the Academy.

“However, Claire has been calling Sylvia ‘big sister’ over and over since a while ago. Can you tell me why?”

Claire was walking to my left while Alice was on my right. It made me feel uncomfortably peculiar since both of them were like sisters to me.

Well, it’s not like I’ve thought of them as ‘sisters’ in the exact sense… but you know, there’s that feeling that builds up when you spend time next to someone. Since Claire was following me in that situation, and Alice had been with me for quite a while, I felt that kind of sentiment toward both of them.

“Oh, that.”

After hearing Alice, Claire replied with a confident expression.

“Sylvia has a strangely sisterly atmosphere, right? I had a younger brother, but no older sister. So I decided to just call Sylvia ‘big sister.’”

“…….”

Turning my head slightly, I saw Leo staring at the back of Claire’s head with a look of disbelief, and I almost burst out laughing. While the reason for calling me ‘big sister’ was one aspect, the real amusing part was Claire referring to herself as a younger sibling.

“……You’re saying that’s the reason?”

Alice leaned her head slightly forward, the gaze she directed from Claire to me showed she had a hard time believing Claire’s words.

“…….”

I silently looked at Claire, but she merely turned her gaze elsewhere and avoided me.

Thinking about it, she hadn’t just started calling me ‘big sister’ now; she had been subtly calling me ‘big sister’ for some time.

Well, to be honest… I don’t feel particularly uncomfortable or displeased by it, but calling me like that in this situation makes things awkward for me.

“……I will explain it separately later.”

I quietly told Alice.

“……Alright.”

Once I said that, Alice didn’t ask any further. She wouldn’t press me for details since she trusted me.

Charlotte, who had probably caught my small voice while being close to Alice, had an interested expression but didn’t intervene, as she probably didn’t think prying into secrets seemed like royal behavior.

Jake didn’t seem to have any particular thoughts. He looked around, showing no interest in this side of the conversation… but I couldn’t let my guard down.

In the original work, there wasn’t usually such a bustling atmosphere. The lines characters delivered were fixed, and due to the limits of manpower, if a character did not deliver essential lines during an event, it felt strange, unless they were a central character. As for “potential party members,” they often ended up being mere background characters during an event. After all, there were no dialogue scripts, so even when they appeared in cutscenes, they would just stand in the back.

Moreover, characters roaming around in the field would typically be just the player’s designated character, with one or two following occasionally due to special events. Conceptually, they all traveled together, but the characters manifested to my eyes were just one.

So, this lively atmosphere feels a bit strange to me.

But at the same time, it’s also quite enjoyable. It felt awkward recalling games, but it brought back memories of chatting and hanging around with friends during high school.

“Alright then.”

Claire stretched her arms wide and spoke.

“Then let’s work hard this afternoon! We’ll be going back tomorrow!”

“……When we get back, will we jump back into classes from Monday?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

In response to Claire, Mia Crowfield asked with concern, and Charlotte gave a straightforward answer. Mia shrugged her shoulders in response to Charlotte’s reply.

Tomorrow, we’ll wrap up the practical training by lunchtime and then head back to the Academy by train. However, since this place is quite far from Londarium, we would need to spend several hours on that train. The interior was spacious and pleasant, but there were no sleeping spots provided, so we’d still have to sit in those seats for those hours.

It’s hard to believe we’ll jump right back into classes the next day without even a moment’s break.

……I’m thinking of getting some rest tonight by replaying some of my nighttime routines.

But seeing how naturally I converse with Mia Crowfield and the others, it seems today’s emergency mission has done us some good. We seem to have gotten quite close.

The blue Marmaros still sparkled on the staff held by Mia Crowfield.

*

“Impressive.”

Jennifer said with a genuinely surprised expression.

The afternoon grind wasn’t as much as I thought it would be. Thanks to the protagonist party finishing most of the requests in the morning—though it wasn’t really late—well, relatively speaking, it was still late— the kids rushed into the request office, leaving only a few requests left for the afternoon.

And this also served as a trigger to reveal the hidden quest in the original.

If you finish all the morning sub-quests, after finishing the afternoon ones, you’ll get the event that says “There’s still time left.” It’s not like finishing all the quests in the morning would reduce the number of afternoon sub-quests, though.

By the way, if the morning sub-quests weren’t all completed and time slipped away because they were busy with other tasks labeled as sub-quests, then the dialogue scene with Jennifer wouldn’t even come up.

Anyway, before the afternoon started to wrap up, Jennifer said to the party that had just finished their tasks—

“Today, we have plenty of time left. There’s still a lot before dinner time.”

—She opened the conversation like that.

“Yes, that’s right.”

As Leo nodded, Jennifer mused, “Hmm…” for a moment, then said,

“In that case, do you want to take on quite a challenge during the remaining time?”

“Challenge… you say?”

At Leo’s words, Jennifer nodded, her face adorned with a mischievous smile.

“Yes. If you succeed, it may be a huge help to you guys. Well, considering the time, it’s a bit short.”

“…….”

The kids exchanged glances. Their eyes sparkled with interest.

Actually, Jennifer was half-joking and half-serious with this story. She wanted to surprise her mentor and also thought about rewarding her truly favored disciples.

Moreover, she had been keenly observing Leo, who had inherited the Grace’s sword technique.

At least, she considered that he had the talent.

“Are you interested in hearing about it?”

As the kids nodded after exchanging glances, Jennifer smiled and opened her mouth.

“In that case—”

Chapter 76

“Are you really okay not going?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

I’ve learned what I needed to learn.

More than anything, going now… wouldn’t be dramatic enough.

I thought of the Sword Saint as my master in a way, and he did say to come by, but… it feels a bit off to just drop by the next day.

Plus, I’ve climbed too many mountains already. I really want to stop now.

“…I guess you have a point. You must be tired of all this.”

Alice nodded at my words. It seemed not just Alice but the rest of our party understood me too.

Yeah, I really wanted to take a breather. If it were before I learned meditation, I would have tried to keep up and learn everything possible while turning back time, but now it’s a bit… especially since I had turned the enemy camp into a mess earlier today.

“I think we’ll head down tomorrow once we go up.”

Thinking about that many people going up and staying in that cabin made it hard to breathe.

“I’ll be waiting.”

As I said that, the party looked at each other and then turned their heads towards me.

“Alright, then.”

It seemed a bit disappointing for them that they wouldn’t hear about that ‘sister’ story immediately, but that can wait until I come back.

“See you later, sister!”

Claire waved her hands enthusiastically, and the rest of the party looked at Claire as if they still couldn’t get used to it. The only one who didn’t seem that surprised was Leo. He probably had already heard all the stories about Claire. It makes sense since they had been close.

“…”

I stared blankly at the kids boarding the large carriage.

It was only after the carriage completely disappeared from sight that I turned my body around.

*

“Hey there, lady!”

Was wandering around the village, instead of going straight back, really such a bad thing?

I found myself entangled with a strange man right away.

“Over here, over here! We have spots, so come play with us!”

The shout of the man attracted attention. Most people from the Northern Region are rather blunt. They don’t really like frivolous men. Naturally, the man was receiving unpleasant glances, but he didn’t seem to care at all.

He had bright red hair, so vivid you couldn’t miss it. He had propped his feet up on a chair he had pulled up to his own chair, while the cafe owner shot him an annoyed look.

But no one actually chased him away. Maybe because he was dressed in luxurious attire? He clearly looked like high nobility. It’s probably for the best to leave him alone and avoid trouble.

If there is a noble in this town, there’s a very high chance they are either a guest of the Winterfield family or a soldier, one or the other.

However, this man wasn’t a noble, nor a guest, and certainly not a soldier.

He was royalty, and it didn’t seem like anyone called for him; he just didn’t fit in with the military at all.

“…”

I felt a headache brewing and walked over to Lucas.

As I approached, Lucas smiled widely, seeming pleasantly surprised, and moved his feet off the chair while brushing his hands off to make space. But I silently pulled up another chair next to him and sat down.

Of course, Lucas didn’t seem to mind my attitude.

“Are you enjoying the trip? Little sister.”

“…It was fun until just a moment ago.”

“Now that sounds like you’re saying I ruined your fun.”

“…”

He knows everything, huh?

Lucas didn’t seem to expect me to be happy to see him at all. His face was still smiling, though.

I wondered why he was showing his true colors so openly. Was it because Jennifer, who was taking the lead for Winterfield, was absent? Or Alice had temporarily left?

But there were still students wandering around. The strikingly red-haired Lucas was hard to miss. I don’t think I have a face that stands out, but I definitely don’t have a face that could go unnoticed among those students.

A Crown Princess is sitting across from an unknown handsome guy in a cafe.

Well, if rumors spread, they’d die down quickly, but the true high nobility is probably already aware of Lucas, and once they figure out our identities, this situation would no longer feel cozy, but terrifying, as if one shouldn’t even make eye contact.

“When did you start shadowing me?”

“Why ask when you already know?”

No, I really don’t know.

…But it’s not hard to understand Lucas’s reaction, if he had been following me throughout this training. Naturally, he would have seen me fighting on the battlefield.

If someone who fights like that is unaware of Lucas sticking closely behind, then that would be ridiculous.

“Probably always.”

“Yeah, something like that.”

He replied calmly without being surprised by my words. He didn’t even touch his cup of coffee. After confirming that the kids were gone, he must have settled down; the coffee was still hot and steaming.

Phew! I’m glad it worked out without needing to shout again!

…By the way, has he really always been following me?

“Oh, thinking back, it wasn’t 24 hours. Once you went into your room, it would be hard to follow you, so I didn’t bother. I had to report to the Emperor and take care of my own meals too.”

Well, that makes sense.

Still, that means no one was keeping an eye on me by rotating around.

“And if I had installed something in my room, you would have noticed it anyway.”

I tried to read his face and infer whether he was being sincere or not. …If that was true, it would be safer to turn back time and get rid of everything.

But looking at Lucas’s expression, I couldn’t necessarily tell if he was lying or not. I lack the ability to read minds; my eyes aren’t that different from an average person’s.

So, I decided to take his words as truth for now and be careful in the future.

…Once I go back to my room, I might need to flip everything upside down and investigate.

“Then why are you showing yourself to me right now?”

If he had heard Jennifer and me conversing, honestly, it would have been better for him to follow my friends instead. This was likely his chance to meet the Sword Saint, whom he had been hunting for.

In the original story, even after learning about the Sword Saint’s location, Lucas trained until he could be certain of his victory, so even if he got caught now, it wouldn’t significantly change the original story.

“…I wonder.”

Lucas stared blankly at the sky. The sky was blue enough to be cold, with no clouds in sight. In the Imperial Capital, smoke belched out from various places, making it quite rare to see such a blue sky, even near the academy. Even this place, with its steam engines, wasn’t exempt from emitting smoke.

“I just wanted to ask you a little something.”

“What do you want to ask?”

“…You.”

Despite calling me over, Lucas merely gazed at me.

“…What is it?”

I felt a bit uncomfortable with his lingering gaze and asked that, prompting Lucas to give a sly smile.

“Could you fight me sometime?”

“…Huh?”

“Let’s both put our lives on the line, properly.”

“…”

I tried hard not to show my surprise on my face. Honestly, that effort was quite successful. My expression probably didn’t change that much from usual.

“Hmm.”

Seeing my face, Lucas smirked as if satisfied.

“I think I understand a little about how Alice reads your expressions. She’s impressive.”

Before I could respond properly, Lucas got up from his chair.

Then, he walked over to me and patted my shoulder a few times before leaving.

“…”

Huh.

What was that?

I sat there for a while, feeling stuck, before I finally came to a conclusion.

So, he thinks that watching me fight would be more enjoyable than facing the Sword Saint?

“…”

Wait, so does that mean I’m doomed?

*

I couldn’t feel any killing intent.

But the moment Lucas said that, I felt the cold sweat trickling down my back as goosebumps rose.

I felt nothing, which is precisely what I felt.

Even after watching him single-handedly take down a bunker, I didn’t feel a shred of murderous intent coming from Sylvia.

Was it the calmness I had heard about? Or maybe it was simply that the opponent felt too weak to inspire any real emotion?

…No, it wasn’t just that. It was something different.

It was more like…

More like the attitude of ‘something is bound to happen.’

The attitude of ‘it was only natural for things to turn out this way.’

The way Sylvia fought exuded that kind of aura.

That’s why Lucas couldn’t imagine himself defeating her.

But…

“If I can truly overcome her,”

Then defeating Sylvia would be akin to cutting down the ‘future.’

An intense conviction surged within him, stronger than anytime he swung his sword at Sylvia before.

That’s why Lucas ultimately made his decision.

To attempt to cut down that future.

“How could I just pass by someone who could end things like that?”

Muttering those words, a competitive grin spread across Lucas’s face.

Chapter 77

It’s really pointless to think about where things went wrong now.

I did my best, and this is what I got. Honestly, if I had to rewind time and solve the problem again, I wouldn’t be confident I’d pull it off for sure. No matter how well I know the process, the fact that I’d have to go through the same thing over and over again isn’t good for my mental health.

At least, I really don’t want to go back to the battlefield for a while. The smells, that dampness, and the noisy sounds are things I don’t want to hear anymore.

So, right after I parted ways with Palace of Great Blessings, I just went back to my room and collapsed onto my bed.

And just like that, I fell sound asleep.

My head was overheating, and for at least a few hours, I didn’t really want to think about anything.

Zzz…

When I opened my eyes, my body felt incredibly light.

And based on that fact, I could ascertain a few things.

No matter how much I learned to meditate to alleviate tiredness, in the end, sleeping is still way better than meditating. Meditation just helps maintain the state of the body, it doesn’t actually make tiredness disappear.

To keep the mind clear through meditation, one needs to mix in proper breaks from time to time, and it seems like physical stamina has to be above a certain level too.

I honestly haven’t really liked exercising until now.

I didn’t personally like it much, but more than that, it was because I never knew when I’d have to rewind time.

No matter how hard I trained, if I had to rewind because of some sudden incident, all that effort would just go to waste.

I tried to build up habits that I could resolve through practice and the same goes for knowledge.

Still, since I had to follow the protagonist’s group, I at least forced myself into doing the minimum training, but that doesn’t mean I planned to catch up to those extraordinary protagonists.

…But considering I didn’t faint after all the chaos on the battlefield yesterday and continuing to follow my group to complete requests, it seems that the minimum training and meditation really helped a lot.

Had I not learned meditation, I probably would’ve collapsed right when I returned and wouldn’t have woken up until the next morning.

I could say that being able to hold on just a few more hours was thanks to my master.

I wondered if Leo and the group had returned. I had this feeling they might not have come back yet.

There’s no way the group that went to meet the Sword Saint would be back so soon. Even if they studied through the night, they’d only have learned a little.

Well, as far as this event goes, just meeting the Sword Saint has a meaning of its own.

Grrr…

Maybe it’s because I didn’t have dinner last night and just fell asleep, but my stomach was already growling.

I looked at the clock; it was nine in the morning.

Should I wash up and go eat?

Splash!

No matter how disciplined one’s life is, if they’re not part of the very small minority of truly diligent humans, most people lose their rules the moment they relax.

In the academy dorms, we’re supposed to wake up, get ready, and eat by seven-thirty in the morning, and then attend class by nine.

But here, Jennifer, who oversees this area, wasn’t the type to insist on such strictness.

If you want to, you can sleep in as late as you want. As long as you can maintain your grades, Jennifer doesn’t care how long you sleep or how much you enjoy playing around.

The students knew that too, which was probably why they were bustling around so hard yesterday. If they hadn’t, they wouldn’t have been able to meet the minimum scores.

Maybe that’s why the dining hall at Winterfield Castle felt so empty. There didn’t seem to be many students around.

If it were a game, I would’ve thought it was just that the resources couldn’t handle so many players. But seeing students in academy uniforms and only about three of them visible, it seemed that such reasons didn’t affect reality.

Two of them were people I recognized. They were in Aristocrat Class A, just like me. I had seen them in the game and read about them in guides. We didn’t usually have deep conversations. In fact, they weren’t major named characters that were heavily involved in the story.

A girl and a boy were sitting across from each other, having their meal, and thinking about their different last names, they didn’t seem to be siblings. But it didn’t quite feel like they were dating either… perhaps there were a few more companions who were spread out in the dorms.

And aside from those two, there was another person…

……

Eh.

Who is that?

The girl with short, dark brown hair had a striking face despite the short hairstyle. Sure, her hair was short, but it was still longer than most boys’.

Not only her hair but also her uniform was a female one.

She had taken off her coat and neatly draped it over the empty chair next to her, so her uniform was fully visible, which meant no one could mistake her for a boy.

Was there someone like that in the Aristocrat Class?

As I mentioned before, in the game, all the students in the aristocrat class had their different models, even the side characters. After playing the game and reading all sorts of books, I still had their list in my head.

And that girl was not on that list.

It’s hard to even think she’s a commoner. They must have gone on practical training somewhere else. Sure, I could think she might have come from a nearby area, but if there was really an urgent message that needed delivering, they wouldn’t send a student to do it.

This might be a prejudice, but… I sensed a somewhat noble air about her.

“……”

Hmm.

I had a bad feeling about this.

Isn’t it going to get troublesome if I get involved?

After all the chaos I went through yesterday, I just wanted to spend today peacefully, so I deliberately sat at a distance from her.

This place wasn’t somewhere I could just order food. It isn’t a restaurant that someone operates by taking money.

By sitting down and waiting, a servant would quickly come, inform me about the meal options, and I could say what I wanted to leave out or add. If breakfast seemed too burdensome, I could settle for a cup of coffee instead.

I sat there, dazed while quietly staring ahead, waiting for a servant to come, when I heard footsteps.

They were very orderly and regular footfalls. Moreover, they were different from the ringing steps of the servant. The shoes the servants wore were what you’d expect out of regular office workers— real ‘dress shoes’. While students wore shoes that were presumably still dress shoes, they were much more comfortable and made from softer material.

So when they walked, the clattering wouldn’t be so distinct. On campus, the difference in footsteps between teachers and students was actually quite clear.

Now, the sound I could hear was from those ‘students’.

“……”

I felt uneasy.

For some reason, I had a bad premonition that something unexpected was about to happen.

“Crown Princess.”

And my feeling turned out to be very accurate.

It was a stroke of luck I didn’t flinch. Perhaps it was because I had seen so much chaos the day before and was tired of the bomb blasts and gunshots that I managed to stay calm.

I slowly turned my gaze to the person calling me.

There was a noble girl’s face smiling brightly.

From a distance, I hadn’t noticed, but apart from her upright posture, she looked a bit younger than I expected. The fact that she looked younger than so many young faces I frequently saw at the academy meant she was at least a year younger than me.

She was taller than I had thought and quite physically developed, but there was an indelible air of youth about her face.

Thud.

Then that youthful-looking noble girl saluted me with perfect form. It wasn’t just a hand raise— I could even hear a clap! sound from her heels clicking together!

It wasn’t the imperial way of saluting.

“……”

“……”

Since I wasn’t saying anything while looking up, she stood there in salute without moving.

…Ah, is she actually greeting me right now?

“You may feel free to relax.”

Once I said that, she gracefully lowered her hand. This time, the sound of her clothes moving made the thud! sound again. That was a sound that actually could be heard in reality after all.

“May I inquire about your business?”

“Oh!”

“……”

With that stiff reply, I nearly raised my hand to my forehead, but I held it back.

“I am Rena Meyer!”

So, who’s that?

That question almost slipped out.

“Are you a student at our academy?”

“Yes.”

Rena Meyer responded to my question.

“I came to introduce myself as I’m transferring in this time.”

“……”

I was at a loss for words.

Chapter 78

Gulp…

If someone is watching or controlling this world, I really hope they stop playing these tricks by now.

Well, it doesn’t even matter if the kid in front of me is from outside the original story. It’s pretty cliché to end up making friends with characters who have insane powers or skills when you get sucked into a game or novel world.

I have no idea what kind of abilities this Rena Meyer girl has. She just told me she’s the daughter of the commander of the Riclant Autonomous State, so I suppose that’s something.

The Riclant Autonomous State is one of the regions rumored to be featured in the sequel, so it’s not too surprising to meet someone like her. She might not just be some random character either, but one who could be added in the sequel.

In the original story, she fought the Emperor and foiled the conspiracy, but heroes and major characters died in the process. Even in that situation, the world didn’t end, which means there are other issues apart from the Emperor that will continue in the sequel.

I don’t know what those issues are yet.

Anyway, the fact that the commander’s daughter has come all this way means that they’ve probably deemed me a key figure in the Riclant Autonomous State. Thinking about what I’ve been through, it’s understandable.

…I mean, it makes sense.

But still.

“The noble class A’s quota is already full.”

In the sequel, since several heroines died, it became normal for new students to show up due to the vacant slots. There was a mention in the original story that Claire left the academy due to family matters.

However, no one has left the academy yet. Naturally, if Rena Meyer comes in, it puts us over the limit.

“Thanks to the governor’s grace and the Emperor’s broad-mindedness, I was able to transfer to the Hwangrip Rondaerum Academy.”

“…Really?”

Her stiff answer indicated she didn’t have any strong negative feelings towards me. I am not sure what her father and that governor are thinking, but at least she seems to harbor no ill will towards me.

For the meal, we had beef steak. Rena Meyer ate it with incredibly precise movements. When she sliced the meat with the knife, the sound of the plate and knife clashing was almost nonexistent. With those table manners, you wouldn’t be surprised if she was practically a noble. It was obvious she was raised in a very strict family.

“Do you have any dissatisfaction with going to the academy?”

“No.”

As I asked that, her hand froze.

And though her expression didn’t seem too emotive, when she lifted her head to look at me —

“The Hwangrip Rondaerum Academy is not only the best in the Empire but also in the world. There’s no one who would dislike the fact of being able to attend such a place.”

If it weren’t for the odd pressure in her tone, I might have thought she was just reciting something from memory.

You can’t read emotions from someone’s face, but you can pick up feelings from their attitude. The feeling I sensed from her was… anticipation.

“…”

Could it be that Alice can distinguish my attitude like this?

…If the pressure Alice felt every time I mentioned becoming the next Emperor was such a thing, it wouldn’t be surprising that she could recognize my expressions too.

And eventually, other kids would probably be able to read my expressions as well.

“And…”

And?

Seeing as this unexpressive girl seemed to hesitate just a little, I waited quietly.

“And I think it’s an honor to meet you, Crown Princess. I’ve heard of your achievements on the battlefield. Surely, there aren’t many heroes like you in the world. Especially from our autonomous state, you are the benefactor of many subjects.”

“…”.

Suddenly, my hand twitched, and I almost dropped my utensil.

What’s going on here?

Why does it feel so cringe-worthy talking to her?

I feel like I’ve acted this way before, but…

…..

Yeah. Alice’s face kept coming to mind.

“You must have been able to achieve such great feats because of the Fanggriffon blood flowing in you. I can’t imagine such an honor studying in the same place with someone like you.”

No, not a drop of blood flows in me. Honestly speaking, if it weren’t for Lucas, I’d be just some nobody!

But I couldn’t just say that outright.

The two noble students who had been somewhat dull until now were glancing over here.

“I’ll go say a word to them.”

Just as I noticed Rena trying to get up, I quickly responded, “It’s okay.” I was lucky it didn’t sound too rushed.

She gazed at me intensely, as if she were tensing her legs to rise from her chair.

Emotion could definitely be seen in her voice and attitude, but her face was devoid of expression, creating this intense ‘cringe’ vibe for me. Well, her youthful look and the elegance of her manners seemed quite mature, yet her words sounded incredibly immature in a way that was both cute and frustrating.

Cute, but the problem was that if I got caught up in her adorable actions, I’d feel incredibly embarrassed.

In such a situation, I felt sweat forming on my back and tried to calm Rena Meyer down.

“You don’t need to react to every little thing you say or do. The school you’ll be attending is the Hwangrip Rondaerum Academy. It’s a place where many noble students will be, so a lot of people are attentive to others’ actions or words. If you react to every situation, school life will become quite tiresome.”

Rena Meyer nodded at my advice.

“Thank you for the advice.”

“…”

Is this a concept?

I seriously pondered that.

No matter how I look at it, it seems her expressions and attitude aren’t aligned.

…Maybe am I showing such signs too? Perhaps everyone sees it but pretends not to notice?

Thinking of that gave me chills.

“In that case, will you accompany us today?”

“Yes.”

Rena Meyer said firmly.

“My things are already packed and ready at the train station.”

“…”

Uh… well.

Oh, I see.

“I’ll ask again, but…”

I asked Rena Meyer, feeling somewhat tense,

“What class will you be studying in?”

“Noble Class A.”

“…”

Ah…

Oh, I see.

Um.

Yeah.

…I’m not sure what to say.

*

“Whoa!”

A girl burst into the room, raising her hands and cheering.

Then quickly covering her mouth, she looked around. It goes without saying, but the room she was in for several hours this morning was a personal room. There was no one else around. Given the door’s thickness, the chances of being heard from outside were slim.

Still, a sense of unease crept in, prompting her to crack the door open and peek outside.

Nobody was there.

Having cautiously closed the door again, she exclaimed, “So cool!”

Rena Meyer spent her childhood following her soldier father around military compounds.

Though she was surrounded by kids her age, she could never truly relax. Her father was one of the high-ranking commanders of the Riclant Autonomous State’s military and also a close aide to the governor. The people around her were always cautious with Rena, and her father was strict. Rena’s daily life almost resembled a military schedule.

Hence, she habitually wore a mask and imitated the stiff demeanor of a soldier. Then the people around would praise her for it. Cool, capable, worthy of the commander’s family. She had real talent.

But that didn’t mean she was a soldier through and through either.

Rena dove into her bed and rolled around.

Her father was strict, but her mother indulged Rena’s childishness. Until her mother passed away three years ago, at least in front of her, Rena was no different from any innocent kid her age.

Since then, she had been getting by like this when alone.

That said, Rena didn’t harbor any resentment towards the profession of a soldier. If anything, she admired it. Influenced since childhood, she believed that such a profession was indeed a cool one.

And today.

Rena Meyer met a hero.

She had heard of Crown Princess Sylvia Fanggriffon’s legendary prowess from her father.

Moreover, the few soldiers from the autonomous state who fought alongside the imperial army, as well as surviving mercenaries, often mentioned the Crown Princess’s name.

Breaking through enemy trenches alone, crumbling them from within, that was the very essence of a soldier.

Plus, the very image of the person she briefly spoke to today exuding an aura of nobility: she was a perfect paragon.

“…”

I’m going to attend classes with someone like that.

Ughhhh!

Burying her face into the bed, Rena made an unrecognizable sound, thrashing her legs about.

On her desk, a puppy plush watched her silently.

It looked just like the character from that very famous comic about a land-digging dog.

Chapter 79

“…….”

“…….”

After lunch, on the train back to the Imperial Capital.

There was an awkward silence hanging around me.

Actually, to be precise, the passenger car itself was quite quiet.

When I visited the Kingdom of Velbur in my role as the Emperor’s proxy, it was natural for my escort to be on par with the Emperor, so the only people in the car with me were the Crown Princess Alice, and Prince Jayden and Lucas. If you think of it as a single room, it means that a spacious compartment was exclusively used for just us.

But now that I was on the train as an academy student, I couldn’t be treated any specially compared to the other students.

Of course, we had the whole compartment booked from the academy. The noble class A only had fifteen members, so having booked a whole compartment meant there was a lot of extra space. Still, it was just an ordinary first-class cabin, so there were empty seats everywhere, but it felt awkward to move around and do something.

After escaping from Rena Meyer and finishing my meal, I had locked myself in the room, and as soon as it was time, I headed straight to the train station, where I was greeted by none other than Rena Meyer herself.

It seemed I had arrived nearly 40 minutes early, but Rena had come out even earlier to wait for me.

Actually, she might not have been waiting for me specifically. Her diligent personality might have led her to come early just to wait for the train.

When our eyes met, her expression was still as expressionless as ever.

Thunk.

Once again, there was a salute so stiff it could produce sound effects. I could hear the clack of her heels connecting firmly with the ground.

“…You don’t need to salute every time we meet. Now that you’re in the academy, we are just classmates.”

“Understood.”

…

That stiff tone.

I just couldn’t get used to it.

It wasn’t the first time I met an expressionless character. If it weren’t for this situation, even Roti, who often hangs around with Jake, had that expressionless maid character vibe.

But… how should I put it? The feeling I got was a bit different. Roti was someone awkward about expressing emotions. This was true even in the game, as she wouldn’t dissolve into expressions of joy or laughter even when closer to someone. So… I guess you could say she was similar to Charlotte in personality. However, she was just a bit more focused on safety and didn’t want to cause any problems.

That’s why she reacts as if annoyed or troubled every time Jake clings to her. Even though there was a separate factor—her infatuation with him.

There wouldn’t be a reason for people to be shocked if Roti smiled. It’s just a natural expression that would show up when closer to someone, not a character reversal.

On the other hand, I was playing the role of a character with ‘suppressed emotions’…

For some reason, I felt a similar vibe coming from Rena Meyer. It was like a mask of expressionlessness.

“…….”

“…….”

40 minutes were before the train even arrived. Being the northernmost train station for civilian use in the Empire, the train showed up 30 minutes early to wait. There was, of course, Rena Meyer’s home in the autonomous region slightly further north, but the border area wasn’t exactly what you’d call safe for civilian trains to travel.

“…….”

“…….”

With two expressionless characters standing together, the conversation just wouldn’t flow.

I wondered if she felt as awkward about me as I did about her?

“…Is it your first time visiting the Empire?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

At least when I spoke, she responded immediately. And her demeanor was oddly military-like. More like seeing a fresh recruit, maybe. Her demeanor was rather strict.

…Not that she was a soldier, though.

“The atmosphere will be very different from that of Riclant Autonomous State, are you alright with that?”

“Yes, I’m very much looking forward to it.”

Though she certainly didn’t look particularly excited. With that expressionless face, it was hard to gauge her emotions.

…Is this how the others feel when they look at me?

Thinking back, I had once woken up early to try and catch Leo and Claire on their way to a quest.

Would their reaction have been like this the moment they saw me waiting with the body of the quest target at the entrance?

“…….”

Well, perhaps not.

Since Claire had greeted me with immense joy every time she saw me. Even in that early morning, she had greeted me with a beaming smile.

Leo had been the uncomfortable one.

…Did I overdo it?

While I was lost in thought, the train arrived at the station. Until then, Leo and his party still hadn’t shown up. In the game, they always arrived just before the train was set to depart after completing the quest for meeting the Sword Saint.

Meaning, I had to wait alone with Rena Meyer on the train until the party arrived.

While we weren’t the only students arriving early, none of the others felt the need to strike up a conversation with us. With the Crown Princess, who could kill people without hesitation, and an expressionless student whom no one had seen before together, how many people would dare to approach us?

Usually, I would have felt comfortable with the fact that no one spoke to me, but right now, I desperately wished someone would say something.

Hoping that during the train ride, Rena Meyer would choose to sit a little distance away from me, I found that hope to be in vain.

As soon as I picked a seat by the window, Rena Meyer sat squarely in the seat across from me.

“…….”

“…….”

And then silence.

There was no way I could just get up and move. No matter how expressionless she was, emotions do exist, and if I did that, it would surely hurt her feelings.

In reality, if I had usually sat alone, I might have thought, “Oh, that’s just how that person is,” but I tended to hang around with friends wherever I went. Of course, I wasn’t the leader of that group.

Whenever I sat here, Leo, Claire, Alice, Charlotte, Mia Crowfield, or even Jake would naturally gather near me.

But if I were to leave her here and move to a different seat to sit with my friends…

…That would definitely feel like I was ostracizing someone.

“…….”

“…….”

So I had no choice but to endure the awkwardness. Even though Rena Meyer seemed expressionless, she appeared to express her emotions through her actions… or so I thought. I had no certainty about it.

Perhaps she was the first academy student I had a conversation with, and I felt a kind of camaraderie… but again, I had no certainty.

I must have sat there in silence for about 20 minutes.

As other students began to flow into the train, the atmosphere slowly became lively. Though, the number was still under ten.

Now that I think about it, just counting the protagonist party, that would constitute more than a third of the class… In the original work, there was never a depiction of anyone in the party being ostracized in the class, but thinking about it this way, it seemed like the largest group.

In fact, if they wanted to ostracize someone, they would certainly have the power to do so.

Now I realize it was more like a major social clique.

About five minutes later, some kids came rushing into the train.

It was the kids who had finally climbed down from the mountains and taken a car with Jennifer only in the morning.

Thinking about it, since Jennifer, the teacher, was with them, they could have taken their time and still gotten on the train to return to the academy. Perhaps they were the type who absolutely had to adhere to their promised schedule, trying to make it on time.

“Sister!… Huh?”

Claire, who had come over to greet me cheerfully, was taken aback when she saw Rena Meyer sitting opposite me.

As soon as she noticed Claire, Rena Meyer stood up from her seat as if she were repulsed. Without needing me to introduce them, Rena Meyer rendered a faultless military salute, which she had already displayed twice before, and spoke.

“I am Rena Meyer. I greet the Crown Princess.”

“…Huh?”

Claire murmured in shock once more.

I wanted to wipe my face with my hand, but I held it back.

…So embarrassing.

It was embarrassing even for me, not being the person involved.

It seemed that Rena Meyer mistook Claire, who called me ‘sister’, for another Crown Princess.

…Ah, well.

Among the aristocrats of the Empire, they knew I was the one who had no drop of Fanggriffon blood, but in smaller nations with relatively less information, that was probably unknown. Even so, the Empire never publicly rolled out that I was an “adopted child.” The nobles probably kept it hushed up when meeting outsiders.

For the autonomous state, they must have been overwhelmed just handling their internal problems to have the capacity to investigate the lineage of the royal family next door in detail.

“…….”

With Rena executing her splendid military salute, the atmosphere inside the train froze for a while.

Chapter 80

“……”

There was no way to know if it was embarrassing for her to call someone she had never seen before ‘Crown Princess.’ Surprisingly, her expression didn’t change at all.

I can rewind time, but she can’t do that.

“Maier, Maier…”

It was Alice, the ‘real Crown Princess,’ not Claire, who sat next to me, furrowing her brow as she muttered,

“Oh right. The name of the Supreme Commander of the Autonomous State’s army was Felix Maier.”

Being a diligent Crown Princess, Alice quickly deduced who Rena Maier was the daughter of.

It was only after listening to Alice that the name, buried in my memory, faintly resurfaced.

It wasn’t a name mentioned in the original work or the game’s settings. The only character from the Autonomous State whose name was properly mentioned in the game was Governor Maximilian Schmidt.

In the Chronicles of Aetherna, if a newly introduced character’s name isn’t revealed separately, they are marked as ‘black-haired woman’ or ‘rough-looking man’ in the name field. This is not done series by series, but by individual works, so when characters from the previous work appear, if there’s no introduction or they don’t meet the protagonists, they are expressed similarly.

Honestly, while there are certainly more players coming in from series-level, it was a bit amusing to see a character’s face that is blatantly known, even appearing in the opening, referred to as ‘red-haired young man.’

Well, the name Felix Maier came up only after coming to this world, so that was a slightly different story. Perhaps it was the name of an extra that didn’t exist in the original work by the Governor’s side.

“That’s right. I’m the only daughter of the Maier family, a martial family from the Riclant Autonomous State. I look forward to working with you all.”

Though she had a poker face, anyone with a hint of awareness could tell she was saying that with a sense of pride.

“So you’re a transfer student? But wasn’t Class A full?”

“Thanks to His Majesty the Emperor’s grace, I was able to transfer.”

“My father?”

Alice frowned slightly.

Rena Maier did not know the nature of the relationship between Alice and the Emperor. She might have imagined a normal father-daughter relationship as common.

In fact, Alice had visited the Emperor before coming to the academy, steaming with anger.

I don’t know exactly how she expressed her anger, as I didn’t see it firsthand, but at least Alice’s expression whenever the Emperor was mentioned made it quite clear she didn’t think highly of him.

Alice’s gaze shifted back and forth between me and Rena Maier.

“I met with him in the cafeteria this morning.”

Though it was just a self-introduction. Other than that, we just sat silently, expressionless, and passed the time.

Thanks to that, I can’t even remember what I had for breakfast.

“Ah… is that so?”

Realizing looking at me wouldn’t yield much fruit, Alice turned her gaze back to Rena Maier.

“So… how is it? You’re going to an academy in another country, right? I’ve heard there are some decent academies in the Autonomous State, isn’t it awkward coming to a foreign country?”

“Not really.”

Rena Maier replied promptly to Alice’s question.

“The Rondalium Academy is quite renowned in the Autonomous State. I feel honored to be specially transferred to such a place.”

“If you had been attending another academy, you would have to part ways with your friends, right?”

“I’m still a year too young to enter an academy. However, the Governor and His Majesty the Emperor highly regard my abilities, so I just need to make sure not to hold you all back.”

“Hmm… is that so?”

Alice glanced at me when she heard that she was a year younger than us.

She certainly didn’t appear particularly small or underdeveloped, but Rena Maier’s face did look somewhat youthful. Since the new students entering Rondalium Academy this year are turning fifteen, that means Rena Maier is currently fourteen, assuming she had her birthday this year.

Alice, slightly leaning forward, then leaned back against her chair and said,

“Well, my father must have had his reasons for allowing the transfer.”

The Emperor’s reasoning somehow made Rena Maier appear even more suspicious.

But even under Alice’s scrutinizing gaze, Rena Maier’s expression didn’t change at all.

“……How was your encounter with the Sword Saint?”

I attempted to change the subject. There was still a long time before we arrived at the academy. I didn’t want to sit among the awkward silence of girls.

If anything, the oddity was that the only people who could sit in this place were the people in front of me.

Charlotte and Mia Crowfield were sitting at another table while Jake and Leo sat at another. Since there were plenty of seats left, even with two people sitting per table, there wouldn’t be any shortage of space.

Though Jake and Leo were sitting far from us, Charlotte and Mia Crowfield were sitting close enough across the aisle to hear our conversation.

The fact that both were not sitting by the window but rather in the aisle itself meant they were interested in this conversation.

Well, both of them were likely here in the academy to find ways to bypass the Emperor. If they could carry out even more extreme methods, they would be willing to try.

“The Sword Saint…?”

“Oh, right, Sis, that Sword Saint guy is totally a Sword Saint for a reason!”

In an instant, Rena Maier wore a blank expression, and just when I thought I might have succeeded, Claire seated next to her jumped in with enthusiasm, causing me to miss the chance to observe Rena Maier’s expression.

“I only trained for one night, and it felt like my eyes were opened! He watched our sword practice and immediately identified our weaknesses, correcting them. I practiced almost all night, you know?”

“…Thanks to that, I’m still pretty tired now.”

Alice said, wiping her face as her expression suddenly grew tired.

“Hey, but your sword skills improved a lot! It’ll definitely help you in the long run. He told you to come again, right?”

“…There’s no way I could meet a person who you can only see after a long journey from a distant place, then climb for several hours into the mountains.”

“You could just visit during the break, right?”

“…That little cabin looked like there was nowhere for a person to stay.”

“Huh? Well, you could just go up to the mountain daily. It wouldn’t take that long anyway.”

If you wake up at four in the morning every day, you would have plenty of time for training up and down the mountain.

Of course, Alice made a disgusted face at that.

“…If that’s the plan, I’d prefer to be excluded.”

“Really?”

Claire showed a bit of disappointment, but soon her eyes sparkled as she looked my way again.

“…Still, since he’s a Sword Saint, it might be good to visit him sometime when you have the chance.”

Unable to avoid that sparkling pressure, I nodded.

“Good thinking!”

“Are you talking about… the Marquis Frederick?”

Before Claire could respond cheerfully, Rena Maier, who had been quietly listening from next to Claire, interjected. It seemed she had barely managed to wait until the end of the conversation.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Claire answered without a hint of hesitation, leaving Rena Maier a bit dazed.

“The Sword Saint… is so close…”

Though he was living in seclusion, he wasn’t an unknown name. Rather, among those practicing the sword, he was even more famous than most royalty or nobility out there. After all, he was the ‘Sword Saint.’ Even Lucas aimed to surpass the Sword Saint before challenging the Emperor.

For some reason, now it seemed that I had become the target instead.

“Yeah. If you want to meet him too, how about going together then?”

Claire effortlessly displayed her incredible sociability to the expressionless girl I was seeing for the first time today.

“Would that be alright?”

Ah, if I get any more joyous, the concept will break, right?

Though she continued to maintain her poker face, I could see her corners of her mouth twitching slightly.

“Probably? Whether he teaches or not, it’s up to the Sword Saint. I doubt he’d say anything against someone coming to meet him.”

“……”

I’d think he would be that kind of person. If he recognizes you as his disciple, he’d probably welcome you with open arms. Despite claiming to hide away because he disliked troublesome things, he wouldn’t turn away interesting people.

“Thank you very much!”

Rena Maier responded enthusiastically.

“……”

And the silence fell around me once again.

…Why?

I don’t understand why I feel so uneasy right now.

I certainly thought I was maintaining the concept better.

Deep within my heart, a sense of unease was gradually rising.

The real problem was not knowing what the cause of that unease was.

Chapter 81

Whether they were supposed to appear in a sequel or were never going to be in the game from the start, one thing was for sure.

Rena Meyer was definitely a significant threat to me.

First of all, it was troubling that she was a student specifically requested by the governor to enroll at the emperor’s behest. The governor was just a character that passed by in the game, and since I had never met him directly, I had no clue what his true personality was or how he would judge me, and the emperor was someone you could never truly understand even if you met him face to face.

At least I knew the level the emperor was portrayed in the game. I could see how he viewed this world, each individual, and how he planned to utilize the subjects and nobles of the empire. My existence seemed to have made him move much more gently than in the game, but he was still someone to be wary of.

So, who exactly was Rena Meyer?

She had a somewhat stiff, soldier-like way of speaking. But she had a youthful and attractive appearance.

…Anyone could tell she didn’t just look like an extra.

Ah, of course, even if she were an extra without a distinct model, here everyone was an ordinary person with different looks. The shopkeepers in town, the merchants in the market, all had unique faces.

But still, among those people, not many stood out ‘obviously.’

I had never seen anyone with a character presence as strong as Rena Meyer among the extras.

The fact that she was a year younger than us was also noteworthy, and no matter how I looked at it, Rena Meyer was a character that wouldn’t be out of place in a sequel.

…Yeah, I vaguely remembered there being cool dere characters, but no cool beauty characters specifically.

I silently observed Rena Meyer’s room through my binoculars.

The place I was currently at was the same spot where I had watched Mia Crowfield before.

Naturally, I didn’t bring a gun. I had a slight suspicion of her, but I didn’t feel the need to eliminate her.

Honestly, even if I had to eliminate her, I’d feel uneasy about killing a child younger than me.

So, I thought it was necessary to properly investigate this person named Rena Meyer. Deciding whether to push her away could wait until later.

I honestly didn’t expect to gather any significant information just by peeking through the window—

—But surprisingly, I discovered one thing.

In Rena Meyer’s room, there was a stuffed doll placed at the head of her bed.

That gigantic doll, as big as a person’s upper body, was luggage that Rena must have seen while moving in.

She must have hidden it somehow. If she had put it in the storage closet and brought it all in at once, she could have avoided being seen by anyone.

The appearance of that doll was easily recognizable. It was the character ‘Digger the Dog’ that I had previously considered using as a concept.

…To be honest, it wasn’t that cute of a character.

In the world I lived in, mascot characters were thoroughly tailored to the tastes of the 21st century. Round and seemingly soft and squishy characters thrived in popularity. Alternatively, they were characters that looked a bit odd, making you laugh for no reason.

Naturally, the ‘cute’ characters I had in mind were also these kinds of characters.

But here, we were talking about the early 20th century.

The character industry had just begun to take its first steps, and all the ‘characters’ appearing in the original work were aligned with the early 20th-century aesthetic.

Digger the Dog had a long body and very thin limbs. In cartoons, its limbs looked as though they had no joints, flailing about, which was probably by design to make its movements appear comical.

Its face was a brown dog based character and was deformed enough to be decently cute, and its round body seemed nice to hold. Of course, its arms and legs would hang limply, but still.

And Rena Meyer was nestled against that doll’s body, face buried in it.

She probably was taking a nap.

I quietly lowered my binoculars.

And I wiped my face with both hands.

…Were you also a concept?

Yeah, it did feel a bit like that. It didn’t quite fit the image of a completely emotionless cool beauty character, as the changes in her emotions were too apparent. There was a sense of anticipation behind that blank expression, or the way she had been acting as if greatly respecting me for the past week…

What this meant was that even if her blank expression was an act, there was a high chance she genuinely respected me.

I let out a silent scream and rolled around on the rooftop. Fortunately, I had laid down three ponchos on the ground, so my clothes remained dust-free despite my antics.

It wasn’t a problem that my character overlapped with hers. If Rena Meyer had truly been a cool beauty, I could have slowly changed my character’s qualities over time to add differentiation. No, if Rena Meyer maintained that character until the very end, it might not have been a big deal for me to stick with the cool beauty concept.

The problem was if Rena Meyer got her true personality revealed.

If Rena Meyer was a ‘character meant to appear in the original work,’ then it would be obvious for that personality to be exposed.

Because it’s a cliché!

She might laugh at a trivial joke, or her face might occur with a smile upon eating something sweet suddenly, or someone bursting into the room catching her with a giant stuffed doll in her arms.

She’d be extremely embarrassed, trying to come up with all sorts of pathetic excuses to maintain her character, but no one would believe her, and eventually, her character would completely crumble, turning into a ‘cute character.’

That’s right.

I was pretending to have a character concept.

So, what if Rena Meyer had her ‘concept’ revealed before mine?

…Of course, everything would turn into a ridiculous backflip of me being embarrassed about my concept being exposed.

Thinking that far made me stop rolling on the floor and give my body a little shudder.

Chills ran down my back.

The feeling of ‘What? She was just a normal person too?’ and the feeling of ‘No way, you too?’ are completely different. The former is the fate of subculture characters and a cliché, while the latter is a breakdown of a regular person’s cosplay.

Moreover, the reactions toward someone you’ve just met and someone you’ve spent ten years talking to must differ. If only one of those was true, people might let it slide, but if both were present—

—There wouldn’t even be a need to think about which was more embarrassing.

“No way.”

I muttered without realizing.

Rena Meyer’s concept must not break before mine.

If I had known this would happen, I would have bought the doll in advance and prepared all the dialogues…!

I postponed this because my mind wasn’t ready, and now look where it got me.

No, if she’s a character meant to appear in the sequel, then let her show up during the sequel! Why is she interfering already!

There’s no proof she’s a sequel character anyway!

Quickly, I rolled back to my position and grabbed my binoculars.

“Hmm?”

Rena Meyer, who had been lying on the bed, was now standing.

Not just standing; she was by the door.

With the door slightly ajar, it seemed someone was coming to visit.

Once again, chills ran down my back.

If someone outside walked into Rena Meyer’s room—

They would see the large puppy doll on her bed and the small ceramic dolls on the desk.

Rena Meyer would have to explain it, and that would be the first step of breaking the concept of a character that looked cold on the surface, leading to the cliché of character breakdown.

I leaped up from my spot.

There was no time to collect the ponchos on the ground. This was more urgent.

I hurried downstairs as quickly as I could.

*

Lately, Sylvia Fanggriffon had been acting suspiciously.

Well, to Mia Crowfield, Sylvia Fanggriffon always seemed suspicious.

After talking with her in the room last time, I stopped shadowing her. There was nothing to gain, anyway.

Following someone who could turn the battlefield upside down alone didn’t seem to promise any solutions.

Moreover, she was someone with the courage to openly pass a gun to a person who was clearly hostile toward her in a space just for the two of them.

…That strange attitude with a weird trust in Mia was perplexing.

Additionally, she was the one who gifted a valuable-looking blue Marmaros to Mia Crowfield. If it weren’t for that, Mia Crowfield would definitely have been in serious danger or dead. It was a level of risk that Charlotte, who originally wanted to receive that commission, personally apologized to Mia Crowfield over.

For that reason, I thought maybe she could be somewhat trustworthy.

However, recently, Sylvia Fanggriffon’s gaze toward Rena Meyer had been quite unfavorable.

There was no visible emotion in her eyes as she observed, but Mia Crowfield couldn’t shake off the ‘danger’ sensation.

Because of that, on the first weekend after Rena Meyer was transferred, Mia Crowfield impulsively ended up in front of Rena Meyer’s room.

Deciding after a moment, she thought it was best to talk about it. Though she couldn’t lay everything out, at least a warning to be careful would be necessary.

After all, she was an international student totally unaware of those things.

Mia Crowfield took a deep breath and knocked on Rena Meyer’s door.

Chapter 82

“…Can I ask what you mean by ‘danger’?”

A cautious voice came through. It was Rena Meyer.

On a weekend like today, hardly any students were keeping their rooms. The campus had salons for nobility, club activities, small gatherings, and tea parties. Nobles are nobles, even at a young age. It’s only natural to strengthen social ties and solidify one’s power base.

Those who don’t are likely to be the ones who don’t want to get involved with others in an unusual way, or simply don’t need to.

So it was fortunate that no one was around in the hallway. Even our conversation could be heard at this distance, despite our lowered voices.

Before turning the corner, I slowed down my steps. If I knew who Rena was talking to, it would make it easier to deal with.

“Syvlia Fanggriffon…”

But Rena’s conversation partner couldn’t seem to get the story out properly. It was as if they were hesitating about where to even begin. They knew about me, but it sounded like they were wondering if it was really okay to speak.

Hearing that voice gave me confidence.

I straightened my posture, and my footsteps echoed loudly in the empty corridor again with a clack clack.

“…Ah.”

A flustered voice from Mia Crowfield reached my ears.

As I turned the corner, I saw Mia Crowfield standing in front of a slightly ajar door. Rena’s face was nowhere to be seen; only her discerning gaze on Mia Crowfield was evident.

“Crowfield Young Lady.”

“…Miss Sylvia.”

As I spoke, Mia backed up slightly and bowed her head. I returned the gesture.

I thought we had grown a bit closer, but it seemed she was still hesitating to fully become friends with the person who killed her father. I understand. I said my reasons were different and even told her to come find me once she learned the truth, but the time for that realization isn’t flowing too fast.

“Crown Princess.”

Upon seeing my face, Rena came right out. The atmosphere was completely different from when she was dealing with Mia.

And by immediately closing the door, it seemed she was rather concerned about the state inside the room.

…But wouldn’t that make it glaringly obvious to Mia that she was suspicious of her?

Well, she seemed to be indifferent about that fact.

“As I mentioned before, there’s no need to call me ‘Crown Princess’ within the academy. Strictly speaking, it’s a violation of school rules.”

Among students, equality and not discriminating against each other was ‘basically’ the rules. It was a flaw that no one, from teachers to individual students, took seriously.

“But….”

“Crowfield Young Lady.”

“Yes, yes!?”

Mia flinched in surprise, nearly jumping at the sound of her name being called unexpectedly.

“Earlier, you called me ‘Sylvia’, did you not?”

“Y-Yes, that’s right?”

Before, she hadn’t even called me by my name properly. Now, it seemed she had started to call me that out of nowhere.

At least it meant her guard was slightly lowered.

“Have I ever said anything about that?”

“Uh, no, I suppose not?”

Mia, seemingly flustered by the sudden question, cautiously replied as she mulled over it.

I nodded at her and looked back at Rena Meyer, whose expression was still neutral but now had a hint of tension in it. Was she also wary of me?

“So, if you’re going to call me by name, it’s sufficient. There’s someone in Class A with the same surname as mine, so wouldn’t it be more efficient to simply call by name rather than confusion through family name?”

Moreover, the title ‘Crown Princess’ applied to both me and Alice.

“…Understood.”

It seemed Rena understood my words, responding accordingly.

Though her posture was still awkwardly stiff, it was a relief that she didn’t salute me the moment she saw me.

However, I could sense a bit of hesitation from Rena’s answer. Although her stance remained that of ‘attention’, there was an air of wanting to say something. No matter how much she tried to maintain her composure, it seemed she wasn’t as good at it as I was.

…Should I train that poker face a bit more? That way I can prevent her from breaking character before I do.

“Do you have something you want to say?”

When I asked, Rena paused for about three seconds before speaking.

“If so, could you also call me by just my name?”

She spoke without hesitation when it came to the subject.

“…Understood. If that’s what you want.”

For a moment, Rena’s eyes sparkled… but I decided to write it off as just my imagination.

I turned my attention back to Mia Crowfield.

“I-I don’t need you to go that far!”

Her reaction felt a bit hurtful.

Besides, I wasn’t even thinking of asking such a thing.

It felt somewhat annoying that while she called me Miss Sylvia, she claimed not to need to be called Mia.

What I really wanted to ask was, “What brings you here?”

“May I ask what you came here for?”

“That is—”

Before Rena could respond to my question,

“Th-that’s a personal matter!”

…Mia Crowfield shouted first.

“…”

“…”

In the moment of surprise, both Rena and I went silent, watching Mia Crowfield. Her face was slowly turning red. With her white skin contrasting her black hair, the reddening was all the more pronounced.

“Then, um, Miss Sylvia, why are you here?”

So she’s trying to divert the topic?

Honestly, I thought her evasiveness was quite poorly executed, but just a moment ago, I was able to glean why Mia had come here, so I decided to let it slide this time.

“I’m here to see Rena…”

I shifted my gaze to Rena. Her tense expression had stiffened even more. It seemed she was nervous about me approaching her directly.

“I had some personal matters to discuss.”

“…Personal matters?”

Mia looked back and forth at me and Rena, muttering. There was a flicker of understanding in her eyes, but honestly, I had no clue what she was really thinking. She probably thought I was concocting something suspicious again.

“Rena, you mentioned you grew up in a military family.”

“That’s right.”

As I spoke, Rena took on a standby posture, likely feeling proud in her own way.

This is the kind of era we live in. The notion of ethnicity was just beginning to take shape, and most countries were swept up in nationalism and militarism, with romanticism still in play, leading many to think that risking their lives to protect their country and its people was an act of heroism.

In this world, that kind of atmosphere would probably linger on much longer. Television hasn’t been spread around, radios were poorly developed, and most communication was wired. There was practically no way to portray the grim realities of war to the masses.

So it made sense for someone born and raised in a military family, one that had produced generals, to feel a sense of pride.

“Then, do you know how to handle firearms?”

“Of course.”

“Is that so?”

I looked back over to Mia.

“There are very few who handle firearms in noble classes. While anyone can pull the trigger if they have it, it’s rare for someone to use it as their primary weapon and wield it skillfully.”

In fact, in the game, party members using firearms were commoners. Like Roti, for example.

“So, I’ve come to check on your marksmanship, Rena. In case we need to collaborate with someone skilled in firearms, it might be beneficial.”

I sensed Rena taking a slight breath.

“…What do you think?”

I turned to Rena as I spoke.

“Would you consider going on a mission with me?”

“…”

Rena was quiet for a brief moment before saying confidently,

“I’ll go.”

Thanks to that, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief for now.

Chapter 83

I sometimes wonder if I’m popular.

Of course, not a single noble has gathered around me for over a month since the entrance ceremony. It’s probably because of the rumors going around about me, my emotionless act, or the somewhat intimidating skill I displayed.

In fact, the skill I possess isn’t even traditional swordsmanship or magic that nobles would admire but rather firearms, so there’s really no reason for my classmates, who are nobles, to be drawn to me.

Even if “Sylvia Fanggriffon” looks like someone who could easily gain popularity just based on appearances, if the rest of my setup acts as a barrier, no one would bother approaching me.

Yet, strangely enough, more and more people keep gathering around me.

Alice? Well, I get that. She’s been with me since childhood, and I’ve tried my best to boost her confidence. My father, Emperor Arthur III, loved her in his own way, though his way of expressing it was different from a normal father’s, and my mother died a long time ago, so it makes sense that we’re close.

Claire is the same. I treated her kindly under those circumstances, and later, I helped her escape from that situation. Despite the short time we spent together, it could easily be a very vivid memory for a lifetime.

However, why the others are gathering here is still puzzling.

Mia Crowfield has been an enemy of mine from the past. Charlotte, if you think about it, had no reason to look kindly upon me, who had disrespected her father.

Leo was a bit scared of me, and Jake had no real point of connection with me.

So why is everyone clustering here?

Ah, could it be because of Leo?

In the original story, Leo was the protagonist, and in the game, wherever Leo went, almost all of the party members would tag along.

“W-what’s up?”

As I stared at Leo, he flinched and asked.

“It’s nothing.”

Well, I can’t very well say it’s all Leo’s fault directly. He probably didn’t intend for any of this to happen.

When I turned my gaze, I saw the expressionless face of Rena Meyer.

I had brought her out to check her skills.

But honestly, I wasn’t even particularly eager to check. Right now, she didn’t seem like a threat at all, and she seemed to have a positive regard for me. If she were really spying on me, she wouldn’t be sleeping with her face buried in a doll in the room.

My true intention was merely to see if Mia Crowfield could catch on to Rena Meyer’s true character so that she wouldn’t break her concept.

Strangely, rumors spread, and all the students I’ve been chatting with at school gathered in one spot.

Even Leo and Claire ended up joining us while they were on a quest. They just happened to run into us and decided to follow behind.

“…Originally, we wanted to carry out a quest.”

Of course, because Leo and Claire swept through all sorts of quests since morning, what remained were only minor quest leftovers. With that, it was nearly impossible to use it as a means of checking skills, so I didn’t take on a quest separately.

Even without quests, monsters occasionally pop up on the road.

“Checking your skills with minor quests wouldn’t be possible.”

At my words, Rena Meyer nodded confidently, her expression still blank.

I felt the gazes around me prickling. It seemed like it’s an issue that I had literally called someone out.

“For now, can I see the weapons you use?”

I know all about the protagonist’s party weapons, but I’m not familiar with Rena Meyer’s. In fact, I can already see it now.

The Runedarium is based on London’s climate, so it hardly ever reaches 30 degrees even in the summer. Even in May, there are quite a few chilly days. I’ve even left my coat draped over my shoulders, so it might feel almost like summer weather to Rena Meyer, who has lived in a much colder region.

Still, she wore her school uniform jacket properly, but the two pistols she carries on either side are quite prominent.

Like how I have a revolver tucked under my armpit, Rena had a pistol tucked under each armpit.

Just by looking at those distinctive handles, I could guess what kind of weapons they were.

“Understood.”

Rena immediately drew out two pistols in response to my words.

From their appearance, they looked similar to the automatic pistols used by Nazi Germany during World War II on Earth.

In fact, considering the setting, they were probably inspired by the actual Luger P08. They had briefly shown up as weapons used by the local militia soldiers in the story. None of the protagonist’s party used them, though.

And I couldn’t help but feel intensely jealous of Rena Meyer’s pistol.

Actually, the Empire does have a ceremonial automatic pistol. While its reliability falls somewhat short compared to a revolver, the rapid-fire capability and fast reloading made it seem like a usable weapon. But…

There’s a reason I still stick to a snub-nosed revolver.

The Empire’s ceremonial automatic pistol, the “Wexler Automatic Pistol,” is modeled after the real-life “Webley Automatic Pistol.”

It looked like a short piece of wood with a bunch of tissues shoved into the handle and a metal straw stuck into the barrel.

When I first saw it, I wondered how lazy one had to be in modeling to create a gun like that, but when I learned that it was modeled after an actual weapon, I was shocked.

Indeed, the only reason I don’t use that gun is purely that it’s ugly.

On the other hand, the gun Rena Meyer was holding looked very similar to the Luger pistol, which the U.S. military once wanted to grab as war trophies. Honestly, it’s beautiful. The only problem is that the bullet it uses is incompatible with the Empire’s standards.

“If you fight while wielding a gun in both hands, wouldn’t your accuracy decrease?”

When I asked that, Rena shook her head.

“I’ve been training to use them properly.”

If Rena were the character that was going to be the ‘leading role’, it wouldn’t be unusual to fight this uniquely. Just like a swordsman releases sword energy, there are those who can easily hit a target while fighting with a gun in each hand.

“…Understood.”

I had no choice but to nod.

*

“There’s a fairly decent hunting target among the requests we were trying to solve, so why not use that?”

While I was contemplating what kind of prey would be suitable as a test, Claire spoke up.

Since I hadn’t said anything, I wondered if she somehow guessed I was worried about it.

“…Is that so?”

Then, I decided not to let Claire’s words go by unnoticed.

“Yes, it’s this…”

At my answer, Claire took out a piece of paper from her coat.

The paper, seemingly torn from a notebook, had the name of the prey written on it.

“This is…”

“Yes, it’s a non-corporeal monster.”

A non-corporeal monster.

Most creatures roaming the roads are beasts. Of course, that means beasts by this world’s standards, which would fall under monsters by Earth’s standards. Like a flaming bear or a wolf that drags along the wind.

However, besides those beasts, there are also entities that could easily be called “monsters.” In this world, they are classified separately from beasts as they also appear to be monsters.

Non-corporeal monsters refer to things like slimes.

Some attack by whipping with long tentacle-like appendages, while others mimic the appearance of other beasts.

What Claire showed me was closer to the former. The difference being that its tentacles were not whips but roughly the size of a golem’s fists and instead of being half-melted into the ground, it was standing firmly on two legs.

Physical attacks hardly take effect. Only a magic-user character can properly deal damage by shooting magical attacks, or a swordsman character needs to use skills that unleash sword energy in order to deal proper damage; it can be a nuisance. If the characters are properly leveled, though, it shouldn’t be a big problem.

The reason I could easily picture it just from the description without a drawing is that it has appeared in the game before.

Um…

Still, I think two pistols would make it really tough to handle—

“I’ll give it a try.”

—before I could even conclude that in my thoughts, Rena responded immediately, having read along.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’m thoroughly prepared for cases like this.”

“…Is that so?”

After a moment of considering Rena’s words, I replied, “Understood.”

Chapter 84

If you think it’s going to be difficult, I thought I could help you out too.

The power emanating from Marmaros is not just a physical effect of its properties but also a magical attack in itself. Depending on the enemy type, there may be resistance, but since it’s a magical attribute attack, if the enemy is weak against magic, extra damage will be dealt.

In the original work, there were magic spells without any specific properties.

So, if it’s something like a slime, I can handle it too. If I have a shotgun equipped with fire attribute Marmaros, I could probably melt the slime into goo. The issue is that using it would seriously clog the barrel.

“I don’t need any help.”

But Rena said confidently.

“Have you encountered a shapeless monster before?”

“No.”

…But that response was a bit too confident for having never faced one.

“But I know well about its characteristics. According to those characteristics, it can’t be my enemy.”

At her words, I unconsciously looked at the pistols tucked under Rena’s armpits. If the guns had Marmaros attached, it would show. Just like my shotgun. But Rena’s pistols looked too ordinary.

“Then, I’ll be off.”

She said that and confidently started walking toward the shapeless monster below the hill, leaving us behind.

Excluding the fact that its body was a translucent blue similar to slime, it looked more like a golem-shaped monster. It must have been about 3 meters tall? Up close, its presence would be quite overwhelming.

“Is she going to be okay?”

Alice, who was standing next to me, asked the question I wanted to ask.

“She said she’s confident.”

Claire said to Alice. The others were looking at Rena’s back with interest.

…Well, if it looks overly dangerous, we can just rewind time.

Thinking that, I watched Rena fade into the distance when Mia Crowfield opened her mouth.

“I think she will be fine.”

The moment Mia said that, all eyes in our group turned to her, causing Mia Crowfield to jump in surprise and shake her shoulders. It seemed she was embarrassed to receive so much attention and nervously glanced around before managing to say something.

“When you handle magic steadily, you can distinguish between objects or people that possess magic. I felt… quite a lot of magic from Lady Meyer…”

Hmm.

Unless she’s a grand sorceress or something, it’s quite difficult for an ordinary person to feel magic. There is a theory that swordsmanship is a type of magic, but in the game, it’s treated differently from magic. Though, its attributes might still count as magical.

Well, it’s foolish to logically clarify laws outside of physical principles. Isn’t that fantasy itself? Even the logical physical laws take quite a long time to recognize from a human perspective, and magic, which operates in even stranger ways, would be much tougher.

“Magic? You’re saying it’s amazing magic that would surprise you?”

When Jake spoke up, Mia Crowfield’s face turned even redder.

“Ah, well, um… I don’t think it’s Lady Meyer’s magic. It didn’t feel right when I sensed it earlier in the hallway…”

That means it’s influenced by the Marmaros after all.

“Uhhhh!”

Suddenly, we heard something screaming, causing us to stop our conversation and look toward the source of the noise.

The monster that looked like a slime golem was howling. It was a very low, rumbling scream that matched its size. I couldn’t tell where the sound was coming from, but the way its squishy surface vibrated with the sound didn’t sit well with me.

Honestly, it was a little gross.

Yet, Rena, who was walking in front, nonchalantly crossed her hands and drew her guns.

…And it looked kind of cool. It triggered some lingering feelings of being in middle school that had remained somewhere in my heart.

Without stopping her stride, Rena aimed her dual guns at the slime as it charged at her with a scream.

Despite its size, its actions appeared clumsy, but that was just how it seemed; each stride was quite wide, allowing the slime to close the distance to Rena in an instant.

But Rena didn’t just stand still.

She extended the pistols she held in both hands and aimed.

Then,

“Uhhhh!”

Calmly firing at the slime’s heavy, blunt fist that was heading towards her,

Bang—

Even from this distance, the sound of the gun was quite loud. It was the sound of gunpowder igniting in the bullet casing. The sound of the bullet slicing through the air as it shot forward pierced through the slime’s howl.

And then,

Puff!

One of the slime’s hands blew apart.

It wasn’t just an explosion. It was more like an explosion where the air seemed to catch fire. In war movies, when bullets hit something like a flamethrower, the explosion emits flames, and it had that kind of atmosphere.

“…Ah, it’s Marmaros!”

Claire gasped upon seeing that.

Yeah, it’s Marmaros.

But even though the gun appeared small in this scenario, there were no protrusions visible anywhere on it. And the barrel was not particularly thick either.

That means…

“Are you using Marmaros itself as ammunition?”

Charlotte reacted with interest.

“It seems that way.”

And Mia Crowfield confirmed that once more.

…So, the gun doesn’t need modifications. Since the bullets are just Marmaros to begin with, there’s no need to modify the barrel. The moment it fires, it acts just like a normal bullet.

The activation point is when the Marmaros hits the target and shatters.

“Ughhhh!”

As the slime swung its other hand with a cry that sounded like a shriek,

Bang!

Rena quickly spun the pistol in her left hand and blew off the slime’s left hand as well.

Even though both of the slime’s arms had been blown off in an instant, that didn’t mean its aggressiveness had decreased.

Its already-damaged right arm was slowly regenerating. At the same time, the slime attempted to step forward—

Thud!

It fell over sideways with a clang. White steam was rising from its right leg. The leg that had frozen instantaneously was breaking apart, and steam was pouring out as it melted again. It looked similar to dry ice melting.

In its left hand, it seemed to have fire attribute Marmaros, and in its right hand, ice attribute Marmaros was loaded.

“There are many large beasts in the autonomous region. With the population density being much lower compared to the forest or the mountains, it seems there won’t be any shortage of game because of that.”

…Moreover, there are many mines. Although the autonomous region’s government is almost fully in control, they’ve been persistently short on population and always recruiting soldiers to fight against warlords, so there are supposedly not enough miners to excavate Marmaros.

But even so, it’s also true that Marmaros is relatively easy to obtain. Just like how hunters in Winterfield hunt mountain beasts, there’s probably quite a bit of Marmaros that they extract from hunted beasts to help protect the settlement.

Bang, bang, bang—

The sound of the gun fired successively.

As Rena approached the fallen slime, she fired several times with the pistol in her right hand. With each shot landing on its torso, the slime began freezing at an alarming rate.

And soon, as the fully frozen slime could no longer move,

Bang!

Rena raised her left hand like she was driving a wedge and fired another shot.

Kaboom!

The hard frozen body exploded, scattering in all directions. As the pieces of the frozen shapeless body melted, they didn’t gather to form one again, nor did they regenerate. It appears the core, which was the weakness of the shapeless monster, was shattered along with the explosion.

After swirling the two guns, which were slightly smoking at the muzzles, to shake off the smoke, Rena stuck them back into the leather pouch under her armpits, and it looked impressive.

“Awesome!”

Claire shouted as Rena approached us. At that point, everyone began to clap for her.

Rena, walking toward us, looked a bit proud.

Since she was looking straight at me, it seemed she was hoping for my praise.

“You did great.”

While some might say it was just gear that made it possible, it’s meaningless to judge such things on the battlefield. When it’s life or death, that’s all that matters. And if you think like that, swords also get divided into legendary and ordinary ones.

However…

I subtly glanced behind Rena and thought.

…Considering how much Marmaros she just used, wasn’t this a losing battle? It would be quite difficult to extract Marmaros again now that the slime was shattered.

Of course, I didn’t vocalize such thoughts.

She looked far too satisfied with herself.

…Was this the feeling Alice had when she looked at me?

Chapter 85

Ah, right! I’ll admit that’s pretty cool.

Bam-bam! Holding two pistols that scream 20th-century vintage design and even loading opposite elemental bullets into each, I can’t help but feel a twinge of anxiety.

Plus, when I think about the romanticized weapons that completely disregard practicality, I start to wonder if I really missed the mark on my concept.

Sure, a bolt-action rifle with a wooden stock and barrel cover would be considered stylish in the 21st century, but by early 20th-century standards, it was just your average rifle. And considering I’m using the imperial army’s official model, it’s really nothing special. Honestly, the biggest reason I picked this was that it was the easiest to score ammo for in the Empire.

Now, technically, a shotgun could be seen as violating the “chivalry” code. I picked it purely for practicality, and truth be told, it looks like just your very basic pump-action shotgun, so there’s really nothing cool to argue about.

The only weapon I chose out of style was the Wexler Revolver, but even that isn’t particularly vintage when seen through the eyes of the Empire.

Rena’s use of two Koch 98s is, of course, standard military fare in the self-governing regions.

But by the Empire’s standards, it’s a strange-looking foreign weapon.

Fighting with one in each hand might not seem all that weird by 20th-century standards. Back then, the perception was that a pistol was just a gun to shoot in one hand. There’s a reason it’s called a hand gun in English!

So, if I use one in each hand, they might think, “Wow, this guy’s super confident in his shooting!” Especially since Rena is actually a good shot.

But here’s the thing.

Even though I’ve lived in this world for over ten years and have adapted quite well…

In my mind, dual-wielding still falls under the realm of fantasy. Why do akimbo setups, which are less efficient in FPS games, pop up so often? Because it looks awesome to fire two guns at once! People may know very well why they don’t do it in real life, but they still want that functionality in games.

Honestly, I started to suspect that Rena already knew my true identity.

After all, she’s also a reincarnated human, so did she think it would be fun to tease me with a character named Sylvia Fanggriffon that doesn’t exist in the original story?

But after observing her for several days post-classes, there didn’t seem to be anything amiss. Rena was busy crafting her character by hugging dolls in her room, practicing her poses while walking, and rolling around on her bed.

From the perspective of someone watching outside the window, I desperately wanted to go in and tell her to close the window, but I couldn’t say anything, knowing I’d get busted for spying.

…I mean, who else would be preparing a high-end telescope to meticulously watch a teenage girl through her window?

…

And having those thoughts, I decided to stop observing Rena.

*

“Are you saying you want to process all of this into bullets?”

The workshop master said this with a slightly dazed expression.

“Is that a no?”

“No, it’s not that… but…”

The workshop master cautiously examined my face and spoke.

“You seem… quite tired.”

Well, of course I do.

Leo and Claire are a pair that never tires out. They have been diligently taking on requests to hunt slightly stronger beasts every weekend.

Recently, they even pulled a few others into their group, so now there are four of us. The two other members swap out regularly, but it seems that the quest parties could be changed each time in the original story…

Anyway, because of them, I had to wake up early to frantically run around just to secure a small Marmaros.

Besides, I didn’t tell anyone and just scoured places that could possibly have dungeons later. I didn’t completely conquer the dungeons by myself, but I think I’ve seen a spot where I might be able to find Marmaros at the entrance once or twice.

The amount of Marmaros I gathered was quite substantial for a personal workshop.

If it’s this much, wouldn’t I be able to get at least twenty bullets worth? I was just picturing the size of the round compared to each little Marmaros.

“…That’s interesting.”

“Really?”

The workshop master seemed to think it might be dangerous to ask for more details.

He glanced at the Marmaros and the rifle and revolver laid out on the reception table, then looked at me with a serious expression.

“Then, what type of bullet should I make for you?”

“That’s…”

Hmm.

Honestly, if it’s for reloading, the revolver cartridge would be much better. It’s easier to load each round individually, and in case of need, I can reload quickly using a moon clip, making it faster than a rifle.

However, for me, the Ergensen Rifle is still my main weapon.

While I was pondering this alone, the workshop master spoke.

“If you want to mix multiple types of ammunition, I can make some adjustments to the rifle.”

“To the rifle?”

“Yes.”

The workshop master pointed to the left side of my rifle and continued.

“I can install a magazine block to ensure that cartridges don’t load automatically. So you can typically fire the rounds loaded in the magazine, and if needed, you can block the magazine and use it like a single-shot firearm.”

Oh.

That actually sounds pretty good!

I mean, it would be tough for a clip-fed firearm used in WWII since the chamber and ejection port share the same place, so loading one at a time would be hard. But since my rifle’s cartridge and ejection ports are different, as long as I stop the rounds from going to the magazine, I could use it like a single-shot rifle.

“Marmaros bullets are still quite expensive, you know.”

“How long will the modification take?”

“It won’t take too long. There’s some leftover military parts.”

“Do they use magazine blocking devices in the military?”

“Back in the time when making ammunition was tougher than it is now, they did. From the perspective of high command, every round that flies away is money. But if you distribute single-shot firearms to the whole army, they’d need to create repeating firearms later, so they first made repeating weapons and then added the blocking device. Nowadays, adding blocking devices only adds to the cost of parts.”

“Is that so?”

I nodded and replied.

“Then let’s go with that.”

“Yes, understood.”

“And…”

The workshop master bent forward, ready to start the work but paused mid-motion to look me in the face.

“Um, do you perhaps have a reliable automatic pistol?”

“An automatic pistol? How about the Wexler Pistol?”

“That’s…”

I hesitated for a second.

Honestly, there isn’t a huge difference in reliability. If anything, I think the more complicated 98 has a higher chance of malfunction.

But… I’d still like something that looks more like a weapon if I had the choice.

“If you’re looking for something with the reliability and performance on par with a revolver, then I’m afraid I don’t have such a pistol at the moment.”

“…Is that so?”

Not wanting to ask, “Isn’t there a prettier sidearm?”, I nodded, and the workshop master, after a moment’s thought, suddenly seemed to resolve himself.

“If the Crown Princess wants…”

He glanced around and then spoke in a slightly lowered voice.

“I actually heard a rumor that I might be designated to create a new military service pistol…”

That was news to me! If I heard about such a rumor, it must have come from Jennifer. Jennifer seems to hold this person in high regard for the skills he possesses.

“Ahem! So if there’s such an event, I have a prototype I designed.”

When I looked on, encouraging him to continue, he hesitated a bit before opening a drawer and pulling out a pistol, laying it on the table.

“It’s a bit bigger than regular ammunition, and I designed it to be as simple as possible. It chambers one round and can hold seven rounds in the magazine, so if fully loaded, it has eight shots—stronger firepower than a .38-caliber revolver with the same ammo count.”

“…”

I picked up the pistol as if enchanted. It was quite heavy. I’d say it’s over 1kg? But the weight difference compared to the revolver I used doesn’t seem significant enough to be a problem.

It was the kind of gun that would immediately come to mind when someone says “automatic pistol.”

…To elaborate, it was literally the kind of pistol you’d think of when you hear “pistol”. A .45 caliber automatic pistol that you’d know if you had even a slight interest in such things. With its hammer protruding from the slide, it looked a tad different from the guns trending in the 21st century, but that only added a sophisticated charm to its design.

“It has two safety mechanisms as requested by the military. If your hand doesn’t touch the grip, the trigger won’t be pulled—”

“Master.”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

I interrupted him, and the workshop master, startled, replied. There was a tone of fear in his voice, as if he might be punished for creating a firearm based on leaked information.

As I twisted and turned the firearm in my hands, I spoke.

“Come to think of it, I don’t believe I’ve caught your name. May I ask what it is?”

Even when Jennifer introduced me, she only mentioned him as ‘a competent workshop master’ without revealing the name.

“Oh, um… yes.”

The workshop master seemed taken aback by my sudden question and hesitated for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.

“My name is James Browning.”

Browning.

…Wait a minute, isn’t that a little too on-the-nose?

Chapter 86

“Hmm.”

Jennifer was pondering with the weapons that Rena and I brought in front of her.

Even though Jennifer was Jennifer, she couldn’t completely avoid using textbooks, so after the dispatch practice ended, she continued classes through textbooks. And today, she finally came out to have a practical duel, but the problem was that our weapons were somewhat awkward for a ‘mock battle.’

Bolt-action rifles and shotguns were no big deal. After all, these firearms needed one or two shots before reloading, and if you had a good eye from afar, you could tell whether someone was cheating or not.

My revolver was the same. Since it’s double-action, you can see the hammer moving up and down with just one pull of the trigger.

But the semi-automatic pistol… it doesn’t move on its own unless the internal ammunition ignites. You can’t even see the hammer moving from the outside when you pull the trigger. Although this new model pistol made by the workshop has an exposed hammer at the back, its mechanism is single action.

However, in a ‘real battle’ scenario, it was odd to say, “Use this semi-automatic to shoot one and reload like it’s a BB gun.”

Moreover, considering the countless ways of emptying the magazine and reloading it, and even reusing a partially empty magazine, it was nearly impossible to decide if we would be disqualified or not.

But Rena and I didn’t just use one type of gun. Rena used two semi-automatic pistols, and I was using one semi-automatic pistol, one revolver, a rifle, and one shotgun.

Even that was hard enough for any normal person to remember, but we were even using bullets we crafted directly from Marmaros. It was almost impossible to determine if we would be eliminated or not.

“……”

In the end, after pondering for a while, Jennifer spoke up.

“……You two should practice separately over the weekend.”

Oops.

*

“Well, as for what Meyer uses, that’s understandable, but I’ve never seen the gun you use before.”

It was a prototype, after all. Its name wasn’t even properly set, so nothing was written on the slide.

“Is it a gun received from the workshop?”

“That’s right.”

As I nodded my head, Jennifer also nodded and said.

“It’s a bullet I’ve never seen before. When we met last time, you said you were working hard on it, and I guess this is that gun.”

“……”

I didn’t bother saying anything. The only reason I could respond this way was because it was Jennifer. I normally wouldn’t disclose detailed information to others.

The news of my exploits on the battlefield reached the Imperial Capital a step late. The most important thing about military firearms was to function properly in any situation, so I could somewhat imagine why the workshop master entrusted me with a gun. Since I was someone who would clearly shoot a ton in various situations, they lent it to me as a test.

Moreover, aside from a couple of spare guns stored at the Browning Workshop, this gun didn’t exist in the world. So if it broke, I’d eventually have to take it back to that workshop master for repairs. If it malfunctioned, I would have to hear why it broke; if it jammed, I would have to explain why it jammed.

“Well, that’s good. I know the workshop master’s skills well. Plus, since you chose that gun yourself, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

As I accepted the gun back from Jennifer, I nodded.

“I already know about the Type 98 rifle. Even though it looks like this, I’ve been on the battlefield in the northern regions.”

When Jennifer said this, Rena nodded along.

“Alright. I was thinking about a way to measure your skills, but…”

Jennifer shrugged her shoulders and said to us.

“Since you two are starting to use almost meaningless weapons that aren’t live ammo, I thought it would be better to conduct the test with live ammo.”

And what Jennifer pointed at was… well, should I call it a trench constructed using logs or a hut? Anyway, it was a place like that.

It was not made by digging into the ground. It was above ground to make it easier to enter through the entrance. Looking inside which was piled up with logs, it felt somewhat similar to a real trench.

Inside, there were also areas that could slide sideways like a real trench, and there were spaces that resembled rooms. It shouldn’t be too big since it had to fit in a corner of a playground, but once you entered, it felt like it would take a minute to come out the other side.

“Even though it looks like this, from above, you can see inside clearly.”

The expression on Jennifer’s face as she said that looked somewhat proud.

It was something to be proud of. After all, she had created this training ground in just a couple of days.

It looked like a typical World War-style trench, but its purpose seemed no different from that of a modern firing range.

“If we have this, other students will also be able to use it.”

But since something like this hadn’t appeared in the original work, it’s likely that there weren’t any ‘nobles’ using firearms, so they probably didn’t strive to make a training ground.

In reality, if it weren’t for me and Rena, something like this might not even exist.

“It’ll be live ammo training, so both of you are okay with that, right? Oh, but don’t use the Marmaros. Otherwise, the laborers who worked hard for two days will be pitiful.”

“……”

Well, that makes sense.

No matter how much they got paid to make it, if the result was used just once and burned up, I’d feel deflated too.

*

The first one to go was Rena.

Holding a gun with eight rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber with both hands, she had more than enough ammo. The opponent was only a board that would pop up suddenly due to springs, so it wasn’t too dangerous.

I was wondering how they made a target that jumped up in a world without electricity, but it turned out that each one had been wound up with a spring and placed back down. …There was another reason why Jennifer asked me not to use the Marmaros. No matter how you look at it, it seemed way too expensive for its purpose and seemed prone to breakage.

Moreover, other students would take time to reset each target, too.

“I will work hard to learn.”

And during that, Rena spoke to me.

“……”

When I turned my gaze at Rena’s voice suddenly calling out, I saw her eyes filled with determination.

“I know it’s different in many ways from the battlefield where the Crown Princess fought, but I see this as a good opportunity to see even a fragment of it.”

“……”

She wasn’t trying to provoke me with these words, right? Her bright, shining eyes made it seem unlikely.

“Oh, really?”

And at that moment, Jennifer, who had just finished her work and returned, spoke.

“If that’s the case, it’s fine to watch together from up there.”

“Really?!”

“……”

I quietly stared at Jennifer, who was making an unnecessary suggestion to Rena, but Jennifer merely shrugged her shoulders in response.

*

Well, fine.

I also thought up my own solution.

If Rena was a character with romantic aspirations, what kind of character would I become?

It’s not exactly the opposite of romance, but how about ‘tactical’?

An extremely practical tactical approach could actually become a romance. Right? Like John Wick. Well, that character is unrealistic in a different sense, but.

In short, it means “just look plausible.” Since we’re transitioning from traditional line infantry tactics to modern warfare, I could use modern shooting techniques I know.

For example, let’s illustrate:

Click.

As the spring mechanism activated, the enemy targets rose up. Not just one, two would pop up beside it.

I shot one of them with a shotgun. It wasn’t my personal shotgun with Marmaros attached, but a regular school shotgun.

Yet, even such a shotgun is fundamentally the same shotgun. There’s plenty of ways to use some parts I used to operate it.

As I shot at one target, I simply placed the empty shotgun down. The sling strap that was hanging down from right in front of the shotgun stock drooped down, but unlike a typical rifle strap that connects the ends, the strap I wore was a sling bag style crossing my neck and shoulder. It didn’t drop the gun all the way down, allowing me to grab it again quickly.

I swiftly moved my right hand down to pull the handgun from its holster.

Wrapping both hands around the handgun,

Bang! Bang!

I fired two shots into the chest.

And I advanced.

Next, I shot another target with two shots, reloaded the empty magazine, and after loading seven rounds back into the gun, I placed it back into my holster and slipped back into the previous spot where the targets had appeared.

In the shotgun holster strapped to my right thigh were two rounds, followed by two more, and then another two in a neat line.

I pulled out two at once and inserted them into the chamber.

Repeating this twice, I reloaded and came back out.

As the two targets popped up again, I fired quickly at each.

…Firing felt good; I had reached the edge of the shooting range.

“Phew.”

I let out a small sigh and looked up.

Jennifer was looking at me and smiling. I wasn’t quite sure what the expression meant, but—

—at least, Rena was staring at me with wide eyes.

It felt like the effort of pushing the workshop master for gear over the past two days was worth it.

Practicing reloads all night was fulfilling.

…Sneaking into the newly built training ground last night and going through the motions on my own was also quite satisfying.

Chapter 87

Anyway, this game is a JRPG. I haven’t played many JRPGs from the ’90s, so I don’t know what the atmosphere was like back then, but most JRPGs released in the 2020s are packed with content that would please otaku, kind of like those anime-style games.

There’s just that difference; no matter how realistic the graphics or how Hollywood movie-like the production is, if you dig into the content, you find a lot of handsome guys and beautiful girls, whether they’re the main heroine or hero.

Their personalities feel more like anime character personalities rather than movie character ones, and oddly enough, even though they’re clearly white characters, Japanese dubbing suits them better than English. Their movements just feel exaggerated in some way.

Well, maybe it’s just my prejudice from enjoying those kinds of games… but at least that’s how I feel.

In that sense, if you ask what position “Chronicles of Aetherna” holds in the JRPG scene, I could boldly declare, “It’s a game that’s hard to last in unless you’re an otaku.”

Having character designs based on 2D illustrations is a minor issue. The game itself might receive ratings like “generally positive” on review sites or ESD platforms, but the characters’ personalities and actions are blatantly reminiscent of Japanese anime, plus there’s a dating-sim-like system to pursue those characters.

There’s a significant storyline, but among the brief events that occur, there are quite a few that feel like they’re “blatantly aiming for it.”

You can’t skip the episode where you go to the beach in swimsuits in this type of story. An academy story that misses the episode where the heroine can wear waiter outfits similar to maid costumes loses its reason for existence, in my opinion.

However, aside from those subtly integrated episodes, there are even moments in this game where you’d think, ‘Isn’t this just a bit forced to be aiming for something?’

For example, there’s an episode set in a casino.

…Just hearing the word casino made me anticipate what kind of outfits the heroines would end up wearing, proving I’m a true otaku at heart.

sss

For now, I’ve extinguished the urgent flames, but there were still plenty of parts I needed to resolve.

Yeah, well, being tactical is good. Since this kind of atmosphere is almost nonexistent in this world, it might work. In my view, it’s a combat style that somewhat fits, making it appear as if I’m seeing the future.

If I’m a veteran who’s rolled around enough on the battlefield to hone this combat style, others would undoubtedly acknowledge it. My desired image is like that.

The problem is, then my previously cultivated mystique becomes precarious.

There are characters with multiple concepts at once, but if those concepts don’t harmonize well, they just turn into a hodgepodge character. So, I needed to be a bit more cautious in developing my character.

“Are you worried about something?”

Seeing my face deep in thought, Alice immediately read my mood.

“There’s no big worry.”

“Don’t say that.”

Even when I replied that nothing was wrong, Alice persisted with her questions.

“So, um….”

It seemed that Alice was hesitating to bring up something difficult, her eyes darting around.

“I’m like a big sister to you. If you have worries you can’t tell to anyone else, it’s okay to tell me, right?”

“…….”

For a moment, I was so astonished that I turned my head and stared at Alice. Her cheeks flushed slightly.

It seemed she was aware of how awkward her words sounded, but she still said them.

Of course, it was more frequent for Alice to feel inferior, and I was the one who bolstered her self-esteem.

“Ahem.”

But quickly covering her embarrassment, Alice cleared her throat.

We had stopped walking by then. There were no people around. It was probably because there were no people that Alice felt comfortable bringing it up.

“Look, I may have come first in age, but—”

“…….”

“The thing is, that birthday isn’t really a reliable source of information….”

“…….”

“Um, well, I was the one who stayed longer under Father, right? So, you became his child later….”

“…….”

“So, even if you’re calling me your little sister, that’s not so strange, is it?”

Why does that last statement have a question mark at the end if you’re so confident?

Well, whatever.

Whether to acknowledge it or not, I had no intention of fighting about it. To put it strictly, I can’t even consider myself someone who’s like Alice’s big sister; and if you dig deeper, it’s dubious whether I could even call myself a woman.

I’m physically a woman, and I’ve lived with this body for over ten years… If I count from the moment I was in the orphanage until now, it’s slightly over ten years, but if I include the moments I lived as a man, it easily surpasses ten.

However, the life I lived as a man was longer than the life I lived as a woman.

So, if you ask whether I can claim to be Alice’s ‘older brother’… that raises a really big question too. I mean, isn’t my age closer to that of an uncle?

“……If you want to think that way, you can think that way.”

“……Your reaction is so lukewarm that I can’t understand.”

Was Alice joking? But it seemed quite serious.

Since I left Claire to call me ‘sister’ openly, it seems Alice got a bit jealous. After all, we grew up in a sister-like relationship.

Could she not allow herself to call me ‘sister’ because of her pride?

“Well, fine. Whatever your reaction is, you said so, so I’ll consider you my little sister from now on.”

But still, that’s just absurd.

I don’t use the title ‘big brother’ for Lucas or Jayden either. Naturally, I have no plans to call Alice ‘sister’ either. Alice likely knows that very well.

We started walking again.

We passed through the empty courtyard and exited the academy’s main gate.

The weather was slowly transitioning to summer, based on the seasonal lore. Still, it was much better than the stifling summers in Korea. Apparently, weather-wise, summer rarely exceeds thirty degrees.

However, that doesn’t mean summer wouldn’t be hot. Temperature is temperature, and the sun shining down is the sun. If it weren’t hot, there’d be no reason to seek the sea in summer.

“Okay, why don’t you sit down and wait first?”

The place we arrived at was a café.

It was somewhere I often came after the last time I had a parfait. I maintained a blank expression, but it seemed to Alice that I was quite fond of this place.

And I genuinely was. It was rare to find a café with such delicious desserts but oddly few customers.

“Hmm~.”

Once I sat down silently as Alice suggested, she let out a pleased snicker.

“I thought you’d start wanting to eat soon.”

In reality, it wasn’t that I wanted to eat soon but rather that I almost always craved something sweet.

Well, I love sweet and delicious things. Ever since becoming this body, it seems I like sweet foods even more.

In any case, I felt a bit happy that I was recognized as her big sister, and Alice quickly headed to the counter without waiting for the waitress.

“…….”

And that cheerful manner made her look like a giddy child, making it very hard for me to associate her with the image of ‘sister.’

But if that’s what she wants, I’ll cooperate.

While I sat quietly watching her gleeful silhouette—

“Then, is it decided who the youngest is?”

I heard a voice.

“…….”

Turning to the sound of that mature woman’s voice, I found someone had sat down beside me.

The woman with long, silver hair tucked behind her ears possessed an oddly decadent aura. Though her skin was slightly dark, everything else, from her hair to her soft eyebrows, and even her long eyelashes were silver, giving off a very unique vibe.

There was a hint of interest in her gray eyes that looked as if she was indifferent to everything in the world.

Now occupying one of the empty seats and resting her chin on her hands, gazing at me, her name was Bella.

Her surname was Fanggriffon.

In the original work, she was the owner of the private sword that died before the main story began.

“Oh, Lucas wanted to do something and took a leave without permission. I took over what he was doing. Father didn’t seem too angry, so don’t worry too much.”

This character, who rambled on about things I hadn’t even asked, was indeed one I felt a bit awkward around.

Well, I guess at this point, I can’t really say anyone’s as unpredictable as Rena.

Chapter 88

Bella was a character that existed even if only as a setting. Even if she doesn’t appear dead in the main story, she at least shows up in flashbacks. They managed to fill it with just one illustration, even without modeling.

She currently speaks in a soft voice, but that’s just because there are people around. In reality, her personality is much darker. She usually walks around with her eyes half-closed and a smirk on her lips.

It seems like she’s always exposing her cleavage, regardless of the situation.

And she was dressed like that now.

She wore a tight tank top with a very short jacket, leaving her cleavage fully exposed. Honestly, if someone wore that in a subway, it would be awkward enough to find a place to look.

But from my 21st-century perspective, it felt a bit embarrassing; in this world, such an outfit was genuinely hard to imagine. And the fact that it’s a Crown Princess dressing like this just adds to the strangeness.

“Ah.”

Alice, who returned after finishing her order, grimaced at Bella, who was sitting in the vacant seat.

Of course, Bella didn’t seem to care much about Alice’s reaction.

This was why the relationship between Claire and Alice in the original work didn’t easily close the gap.

From the moment she was born as the Emperor’s daughter, Alice was able to grow up without any shortage, regardless of how bizarre the Emperor’s affection may have been. She wore clothes made from the finest materials and had meals made from expensive ingredients. Sure, she worked hard, but her background was good enough to support that effort.

However, Claire did not have that. Claire, who had been sold to the brothel and suffered all kinds of terrible things, couldn’t fully empathize with Alice’s worldview and clashed with her at every turn.

The other children of the Emperor were likewise. None lived as dark a life as Claire’s. Only Bella, who had experienced a lot, could empathize with Claire, and they were able to get along well.

By the time Claire entered the academy, it wasn’t so strange that she was like Bella mk2.

Of course, instead of Claire entering as the Emperor’s child, I was here, and I didn’t really know if they were cautious because of me or if they genuinely believed there was no need to send a false Crown Princess or Prince into a dangerous place, but anyway, Bella ended up surviving. Since it was only my presence that changed, it would probably be fair to say she survived because of me.

“…Why are you here?”

Alice sat down, sounding displeased. Bella still propped her chin up and shrugged her shoulders.

“Did you come to see your little sisters after a long time?”

“That’s impossible. We’re not that close.”

“How sad.”

Bella sighed dramatically, a bit exaggeratedly, making it easy to tell she didn’t mean it.

“Even if you’re not that close to me, our cute little sister and I are quite close!”

“You and Sylvia?”

“……”

I silently watched the two of them. I didn’t think my interruption would stop their bickering, nor did I think their argument would escalate to a dangerous level.

“Why not? Sylvia doesn’t really bond with others. Isn’t it okay to say we’re somewhat close?”

“If you’re saying that, I—”

“Isn’t it a bit naive to think that just because you’re close to them, we wouldn’t be? Relationships are meant to overlap in different ways.”

“I doubt you’re one to talk about making connections.”

I turned my gaze toward the waitress. From the moment we entered the shop until now, she had been dozing off, barely awake. There weren’t many customers, so it seemed she had nothing to do. Perhaps that’s why Alice went straight to the register instead of waiting for her.

“It’s hard for me to believe what you’re saying, so just tell me your purpose? Going in circles won’t help anyone.”

“Are you trying to protect me as a little sister? Honestly, it feels like you’re the one being protected rather than the other way around.”

“……”

Seeing Alice glaring at Bella, I slowly opened my mouth.

“What brings you here?”

“Of course, it’s…”

“If you really wanted to bond, you could have visited me whether I was at the academy or outside.”

I continued looking at Bella as I spoke.

“Isn’t there something you wanted to convey by showing up like this? Lucas didn’t reveal himself until he had something to say either.”

“……You talked with Lucas?”

“He mentioned that he would kill me someday.”

“What?”

“Really!?”

Bella responded incredulously, while Alice erupted in anger.

Seeing Bella’s reaction, it seemed Lucas had left the Emperor’s side right after their conversation in Winterfield. I suppose if Lucas was still there, there would be no reason for Bella to visit like this.

“……Lucas said that? Really? Him? To you?”

Bella, looking genuinely surprised, was a sight I was glad to witness now.

“What reason?”

Alice, equally incredulous, reacted the same way, but I didn’t feel the need to explain anything to her and just gave Bella a sidelong glance.

“……”

Understanding what I meant, both Alice and Bella fell silent for a moment.

“……Huff.”

Bella let out a sigh as if the table would crumble under her weight.

“Well, okay. Thinking it over, I can roughly understand why he said something like that.”

She then brushed her hair back with her hand.

“It looks like it’s about to get busy.”

Muttering that as if in lamentation, Bella continued her story as if to emphasize that it was sincere.

“You know about the casino near Northwood, right?”

“The Empire’s largest casino built in the middle of the forest.”

I naturally knew that.

And thinking of the events that would emerge around that casino, which was just entering June, I recalled something.

“Did the Papal State forces infiltrate the casino?”

“Infiltrate the casino with Papal State forces…”

Bella opened her mouth almost simultaneously with mine, and upon hearing our voices overlap, she closed her mouth.

“……Did you know?”

“……”

I chose not to answer.

Alice stared at me, still with her mouth open, expecting an explanation.

“So, do you know who infiltrated as well?”

“Isn’t it one of the Cathedral Knights?”

“Just saying a Cathedral Knight does not specify for sure. Although they’re few enough to count one by one.”

Bella asked, as if probing me.

“If you want to bring someone who wouldn’t attract suspicion, it would be better to sneak in someone who wouldn’t be suspected at all.”

“……”

I nodded to Bella, encouraging her to continue.

“Every Cathedral Knight here is also a nun. So if one of them is dressed provocatively and comes in, an average person wouldn’t even realize that the person was a knight from the Papal State.”

That’s how it was in the original as well.

Who would think a nun dressed in a bunny outfit would be a knight?

Moreover, her personality was hardly nun-like.

“……So?”

Bella asked with a serious expression, different from her usual self.

“But a devout Cathedral knight would be highly opposed to behaving in such an unholy manner, and the Papal State likely wouldn’t want to provoke the precious knight unnecessarily. So the one who came up with such an idea would be a rather peculiar character with such a personality.”

And there was only one such crazy female character among the Cathedral Knights.

Well, I suppose most of the Cathedral Knights are fanatics in their own way, but there’s one who’s crazy in another sense.

“So, who do you think it is?”

“Isn’t it Eliza?”

“……”

At my answer, Bella’s expression slightly hardened.

Alice still couldn’t close her mouth, in shock.

Of course. This was probably hot-off-the-press news even in the Empire. Moreover, in the original story, it was information obtained rather by pure coincidence.

Seeing me impart such information so casually that it seemed I had known it all along would naturally make them wary.

“……I think I can understand a bit why Lucas said he would kill you.”

Well, not for that reason, but it’s true that it’s somewhat related to my abilities.

“……”

Without saying anything, I turned my gaze and finally noticed the waitress waking up and moving.

As the waitress approached with the completed parfaits in hand, Bella didn’t pry deeper into the matter.

She looked at me with eyes that seemed to harbor doubts, though.

…Alright.

It looks like I don’t have to completely give up on the ‘mystery’ act just yet.

Chapter 89

“Well, so what?”

But the conversation didn’t end there. Upon hearing Bella’s remark, Alice looked at her with a “what does it matter?” expression and asked.

“So what do you mean?”

“Were you just planning to share that information and leave? It takes ages to get from here to Northwood. Knowing what that cathedral knight is up to over there won’t help us do anything.”

I scooped a spoonful of mango parfait and popped it into my mouth.

The sweet ice cream melded perfectly with the slightly tangy mango chunks, a harmony that was just right. The warm weather made it even better. Was this combination almost perfection? Perhaps that’s why it’s called parfait in French—the perfect dessert.

I regretted not having the parfait when I was in Velbur last time.

The fact that the Emperor had sent me as his substitute had completely clouded my judgment, and I hadn’t thought this far ahead.

I resolved that when I go to Velbur next time, I’d definitely try the recommended menu from the café Charlotte suggested.

“The moment Father gives us information, it’s because he wants us to do something.”

“Because he wants ‘us’ to do something, not ‘you.’”

“Ugh…”

Bella corrected Alice’s statement.

Those who were really on the mission from the Emperor weren’t Alice, the true princess, but were essentially the Emperor’s assassination squad known as ‘the Emperor’s Children.’ I was included among them.

While it seemed the number of missions and their danger had significantly decreased compared to the original story, the fact that I was involved in missions was still true.

“…So? What’s the reason to come all the way here just to inform us that you’re watching Sylvia?”

I took another spoonful of parfait. This time, I scooped up more fruit than ice cream. Even though the fruit was from far away, the juice was bursting with flavor. Could it taste even better if I had it fresh there?

“That assumption is wrong. Do you think that by hiding next to Sylvia, she won’t know? She’s probably been aware of it since Lucas was there.”

No, she probably didn’t know at first. After all, I hadn’t even noticed Mia Crowfield’s stalking skills were inferior to Lucas’s, so it was only natural I didn’t detect Lucas at all.

“If you ask where Lucas is now, she could probably answer immediately.”

No, I wouldn’t know. If I somehow learn Lucas’ location in the near future, I might be able to act like I knew, but honestly, I don’t think I would find out that soon.

Of course, there was no need to reveal that I didn’t know. It would be awkward to talk about untraceable information while making it obvious I had no clue about Lucas’s whereabouts.

Let’s just not respond.

“…You keep dodging the question, so why exactly are you revealing that information?”

Well, that was obviously an order to infiltrate the casino.

In the original, it was Claire who appeared to relay that information. Of course, the character name only listed her as ‘a girl with a decadent vibe.’ Luckily, this scene marked Claire’s first appearance, so the atmosphere wasn’t entirely about pretending to be unaware of known characters.

Alice plays a somewhat suspicious role at first, acting like “outwardly decent but hiding something.” She deceives players by showing up in conversations where the protagonist isn’t present, making it easy to mistake her for the hidden villain.

Besides, they don’t reveal the entire conversation either; it’s just enough snippets of dialogue to sound too obvious.

It was so obvious that no one believed it.

“Before the break… they talked about a dispatch practice, right? The plan has changed a bit. You guys will be headed to Northwood for this dispatch practice. Of course, you’ll be near the casino. Even if it looks otherwise, the surrounding area is completely forested.”

Since the area around the casino is a forest where people can’t just stroll in, the security around the casino would be tight. Anyway, they’ve cut down all the trees near the casino, and the only thing surrounding it is woods, so even if you run away after losing money, you can’t escape that enormous forest alive.

There’s a bit of history tied to local mafia here, but that’s a story for another day.

“They say it’s a pristine forest rarely seen in the Empire… but that also means that wild beasts pop out at any unexpected moment. Naturally, there are requests for hunting beasts in the area.”

“So?”

Poor Alice seemed utterly oblivious to her future.

‘If you’re really the Emperor’s daughter, try carrying out the same mission as us.’

That was Claire’s remark in this scene. Of course, right now, Claire might be either training or studying.

There’s only one reason to include a casino in a game like this.

To put the heroines in bunny girl costumes.

Given that it’s a strangely minor game that doesn’t have good figures either, there should at least be some fan service moments like this.

Of course, Claire would be infiltrating along. Both would be dressed in bunny girl outfits, wearing masks like at a ball, rummaging through the deepest parts of the casino and eventually, an event would trigger where Leo, while working at the casino, would discover them.

Leo would initially think, “No way the princess would be here acting like that.”

… And despite that, there were a few artists who stuck to that line, but that’s unrelated to the original game.

“So, what, you came to ask a favor.”

I wondered what reaction Alice would show.

Honestly, I was a bit curious. In the game, Alice didn’t show the reaction she was supposed to.

I took another spoonful of parfait, wondering about Bella’s next line and Alice’s response—

“To Sylvia.”

I froze.

“Well, I originally wanted to ask our true princess and see her reaction,” Bella said, smirking as she rolled her eyes toward me.

“Apparently, there’s someone here who already knows all the information without me needing to say more.”

“What did Father say?”

When Alice looked at me and asked, Bella shrugged and replied.

“He said to tell Sylvia.”

“……”

Alice bit her lip at that reply.

No, I wasn’t frozen because of the mission… Well, okay, I really didn’t want to do it, but it wasn’t just that.

“……Fine. I’ll make sure to convey it to Father.”

Alice glared at Bella.

Seeing Alice’s fierce expression, Bella shrank back with an expression that seemed to say, ‘Oh dear, how scary.’ Simply put, it wasn’t scary at all.

“This time, I’ll join the mission as ‘the other’ princess.”

Ugh.

No, no, no.

Going there for no reason would likely turn you into a bunny girl too.

Sure, from my perspective, Alice’s bunny girl outfit would just look like an ultra-high-quality cosplay of the original heroine, but the problem was that there was a high chance I would end up in a bunny outfit as well.

And… if the story continues along the lines of the game, Leo would find out about that outfit when he came across Jake. There was no way Alice would be wandering around alone in that bunny costume.

“Oh.”

Seeing Alice’s prideful face, Bella chuckled, finding it amusing.

“Are you saying you wanna play ‘Big Sister?’”

“Of course.”

Alice said, puffing out her chest at Bella’s words.

“As someone with royal blood flowing through my veins, I will keep my promise. Since I’ve declared that I’m Sylvia’s sister, I will protect her as a sister.”

No, that wasn’t the problem.

Alice must know my capabilities. She’s already aware I’ve navigated the battlefield, so she wouldn’t think that things would go terribly wrong if I went alone, or that I’d die.

This was literally a matter of pride.

The way she smiled at me seemed to say, ‘There’s a favor on your side too!’

“Well, fine.”

Bella shrugged at Alice.

“I was going to observe from a distance, but the story is getting interesting. Since the two sisters are infiltrating together, it would be disappointing if I didn’t join. I’ll go too.”

At Bella’s declaration, Alice shot her another sharp glare.

Bella met that gaze with confidence.

… If Bella joins the team…

Could anything be done before my fate was sealed?

The fact that my expression didn’t change at that moment was nothing short of a miracle.

Chapter 90

“Why? Are you worried about something?”

After Bella left, Alice asked me that while looking at my expression.

Of course, I’m worried— a lot.

I’m not worried about the Cathedral Knight. Whether or not the Goddess exists has been a matter of debate among game fans, but even if she does exist, I don’t think it poses a big problem that a nation like this is being tolerated.

In fact, I would rather she took my side. If not, this country wouldn’t have been left as it is for ten years.

If they didn’t know I was here or couldn’t do anything to stop me, then there’s nothing to worry about.

If they don’t know that I’m having such blasphemous thoughts, then that’s no problem. If they know and still let it go, that’s also no problem. Eventually, the Papal State is just a bunch of power-hungry individuals using the Goddess’s name, so if they favor the Papal State, I wouldn’t think of the Goddess as a Goddess at all.

So, I don’t worry much about what happens over there.

The real problem is the clothes I’ll have to wear there.

“… Crown Princess.”

“… I told you to call me Alice…”

But seeing my serious attitude, Alice couldn’t say it too strongly.

I looked at Alice with a serious expression and said, “Even if it’s a legally operated place, in the end, it’s a gambling den. The humans stepping foot in there and the ones running the place can never be righteous individuals.”

“I know that.”

Hearing my words, Alice replied with a slightly relieved expression as if saying, ‘Oh, is that what you meant?’

However, I shook my head at her.

“… It might be a far dirtier place than you think.”

There’s obviously no ‘noble’ bunny girl in that place. Perhaps there are daughters of fallen nobility, but in that situation, they wouldn’t be much better than commoners.

But the ones who can freely go into casinos are mostly rich people. And among the wealthy, the vast majority are either nobles or associated with nobles.

Even if new trends like capitalism or nationalism are blowing in, this world still has a clearly defined class system.

It wouldn’t be strange for any noble to touch a pretty bunny girl they see as eye candy.

It’s hard to find a man who wouldn’t react to women exposing half of their breasts or more, almost baring their backs.

In most regions of the Empire, brothels are illegal.

However, that doesn’t mean they can completely stop free love. If a noble visiting a casino and a woman working there happen to fall in love and have a “short romance,” then the Empire wouldn’t bother with legal issues.

Tips could be claimed as something received as a sidekick.

Strictly speaking, it’s illegal, but they just overlook it knowing full well.

“…”

I don’t think Alice would know all this intricate detail. But as someone who can read my expression, she must understand how serious I am about this.

“If that’s the case, I can’t let you go there alone.”

“…”

Well, I mean, that thought is admirable. Of course, Alice would be helpful. In truth, I can rewind time, grasp the entire situation, and appear to attack first— if I leap into a melee without knowing a thing, Alice would be much stronger.

“What if I say I won’t go?”

So this time I asked her like that.

“If I defy your Majesty’s orders and don’t go?”

“Is that your will?”

Well, obviously, it is my will.

My will not to wear bunny girl outfits.

“Isn’t it because you want me to not go?”

Uh…

I am indeed determined not to become a bunny girl.

“… Even if you don’t go, I can’t just leave it be. Father gave you the mission directly, and even Bella came to provide information.”

Well, I guess that’s true from the Empire’s standpoint.

“Who did you say the next Emperor would be?”

“… Of course, it’s you, Crown Princess.”

“Then, as the next Emperor of the Empire, I have a duty to know as much as possible about everything happening behind the scenes. And,”

Alice said with an expression that looked like sparks were going to fly from her eyes.

“Once I become Emperor, I might not have a choice. The Empire is vast, and the Emperor has many duties, so it wouldn’t be possible to gather information directly. But on the contrary, since I’m still not on the Emperor’s throne, I can do such things without hesitation, right?”

“You, being the next Emperor—”

“What are you talking about now?”

Alice spoke confidently.

“While attending the Academy, I engage in conversations with commoners on equal footing, train together, and practice together. When hunting beasts, I risk my life just as much. Of course.”

Alice pointed a finger at me.

“You and,”

Then she turned that finger back towards herself and said.

“I am equal here. Since we are both students. So, at least while we’re both wearing the same uniform, stop calling me Crown Princess. There’s no need to use terms like next Emperor when I’m not even the Crown Princess yet.”

“…”

“If you don’t like calling me by my name, you can call me ‘Sister’ instead.”

“I’ll call you Alice.”

“… Even if I command you to call me ‘Sister,’ you wouldn’t listen, would you?”

“You said we’re on equal footing here, Alice.”

As I cut her off, Alice had a look that seemed like she was about to burst into laughter.

*

I hoped for something, after all.

So, in this world where ‘game allowances’ and ‘reality’ collide, doesn’t ‘reality’ feel more weighty?

No matter how brilliant a swordsman one may be, they can’t cut a bullet with a sword, and one gets hurt if a beast bites. Even beasts that need to be struck down dozens of times with a sword and hit with countless shots will bleed if they’re cut with a sword refined with sword energy, and will die if hit by a bullet.

Though this world merges steampunk and fantasy in incomprehensible ways, there’s a degree of realism to it.

Thus, I harbored a foolish hope that if there really are bunny girls in reality, maybe such sex appeal outfits wouldn’t exist in this world.

“…”

However, watching Leo’s face turn so red in front of the casino easily shattered my foolish hope.

“It’s unnecessarily flashy.”

Alice grumbled with a frown.

As Alice said, the casino building had a more flamboyant atmosphere than expected. Though even so, it was much more elegant compared to the noise I knew from the 21st century.

When watching American movies or dramas set in New York or Las Vegas from the ’50s and ’60s, there are often very extravagant and bright buildings that are heavily adorned with light bulbs for that time, and this place felt exactly like that.

Of course, there are no light bulbs in this world, so instead, there were abundant similar colored magical stones used for lighting.

The buildings in the Imperial Capital are relatively glamorous compared to other regions, but there aren’t many places as lavish as this.

“… Now I understand why the teacher didn’t want to come here.”

Claire nodded at Alice’s words. However, unlike Alice, Claire’s gaze was directed a bit differently.

While Alice was observing the overall atmosphere of the building, Claire was looking at the entrance of the building.

At the entrance, pretty women with great figures were holding up advertisements. Most of them were for promoting the casino. Some were draped in fabric that bore promotional slogans, while others were promoting the hotels operated by the same group as the casino.

Several noblemen, usually older and with hefty figures, were flirting with those women, and some were already placing their hands on their waists or shoulders, heading who knows where.

A city of pleasure in the literal sense.

If Las Vegas is a paradise built in the middle of the desert, this place resembled a hidden villa of pleasure deep within the woods.

The pristine and innocent-looking Carolyn felt out of place here, and I remember feeling bewildered when I first saw this place.

…It looks exactly like my memory.

“… It’s vulgar.”

Charlotte murmured nervously.

Charlotte’s gaze was on a big-breasted nobleman, dark-skinned, who was chatting and laughing with a bunny girl revealing her figurative assets.

To note, the bunny girl had silver hair. Honestly, if it weren’t for her attitude, it would be easy to think of her as a mystical being forced to work in such a place.

…

Is she really enjoying herself?

Chapter 91

Okay.

gulp

Let’s not make eye contact.

I tried my best to turn my gaze elsewhere.

Trying not to look like I was intentionally avoiding it, I turned my head to not catch anyone’s eye, but whether I was a beat late or if Alice and I actually made eye contact, Bella, who had been slightly visible in the corner of my line of sight, seemed to look this way.

No, to be fair, she had a playful personality regardless of whether our eyes met. She wasn’t a character I saw in the main story, but we’ve had time to bond over the years. I knew just how mischievous Bella was and how little she cared about her clothing choices.

“Hey, there you handsome guys!”

But Bella waved over here, interrupting even the conversation with the nobleman. The middle-aged nobleman was looking at her with a dumbfounded expression, but Bella was completely indifferent.

…..

I thought the age gap made it a bit odd to use the word “oppa,” but I guess that’s just me knowing Bella. In a place like this, using such words in flirting is common.

“Excuse me? Me?”

Leo jumped in surprise.

There was quite a distance between where Bella was and us. So, it was plausible for her to mistake who she was waving at, thinking it was someone behind me.

It was also loud enough to be heard if someone shouted.

In fact, Bella’s voice was pretty loud. It was like she was trying to make sure it reached us.

Claire looked at Leo, shocked by Bella’s sudden call. It didn’t seem jealousy; more like, “It can’t be you she’s calling.”

And rightly so, we were wearing school uniforms. Assuming Bella wasn’t a princess but an unaware commoner, there was no reason for her to call us out when there were plenty of noblemen around. Even if she mistook us for someone else, we were still in military uniforms!

Whether they were students or soldiers, the nobles were on another level in terms of wealth.

“Yeah, you handsome guy!”

But Bella came right over to Leo and continued talking. This flustered not only Leo but Claire as well.

“……”

Naturally, Alice and I were just speechless.

Wait, aren’t we supposed to be undercover?

I thought it was inevitable Bella would act this way while undercover.

But then I thought maybe such behavior was more natural for her. Given her personality, it wouldn’t make sense for her to hide her true self while sneaking around.

As Bella approached us, it felt more like she was wearing a mask suited for a girlfriend ready to do something playful in bed while donning a bunny girl costume. It looked tacky, decorated with cheap materials — nothing a noble would wear to a ball.

“……”

Rena had a rigid expression too.

In fact, since arriving nearby earlier, she had been quite silent, seeming unable to adapt to the very different atmosphere from the self-governed state run by soldiers.

“Hmph.”

Bella, having approached quite close, leaned slightly and peered into Leo’s face.

Being not that short compared to boys, Bella probably had a height advantage due to the high heels that were at least 10 centimeters tall. Her legs were long, her waist slim, but her chest proudly pushed forward. With her bending over, certain parts were emphasized very noticeably.

“What brings you here? Interested in the casino, perhaps?”

“Me? Uh, I, um…”

When the other party spoke to him, Leo couldn’t even manage a proper answer.

Bella, disregarding me and Alice right next to her, took Leo’s hand.

“Looking at your outfit, you must be some noble person, right? Why don’t we hang out together? I can teach you a lot! I know about that casino over there and this area’s geography. Or maybe a hotel?”

“……”

If I had been clueless, I might have felt something from such a Bella. Like, a sexual attraction or something.

But… isn’t there a saying? No matter how uncrossed the blood ties, if you stay close to someone for too long, you learn everything about them and lose any sense of attraction.

I felt exactly that way now.

I was well aware Bella had no intentions of pursuing anything like that, so I didn’t feel the desire to intervene.

“Wait—”

But Claire seemed to differ. She looked at Leo as either a guy or not, and previously, Claire and Leo had been arguing over who was the little sibling!

Honestly, if it were me, I’d step up to chase away some host trying to charm my little sister!

But before Claire could do anything, a man shouted.

“Hey!”

That angry-looking fellow storming over was the same guy who had been talking to Bella just moments before.

Typical rich noble stereotype; he didn’t fit. His well-toned physique was visible despite his ornamented outfit, and his face was… not quite the pretty boy look of the male leads in stories, but still quite handsome.

Of course, even with those points, he gave off the impression of some nameless, sudden wealthy individual.

…No, it might be wrong to label him just ‘a noble.’ If he were a true aristocrat, he wouldn’t dare approach us, especially seeing our school uniforms, or at least, he would recognize Alice’s face.

Plus, Jake, who had distanced himself and was watching this play out, was right there. With a crown princess and a duke present, his inability to recognize either of their faces showed how far removed from the political circle he really was.

“Are you playing with me? Just a moment ago, we were having a good chat!”

I guess he had fallen for Bella’s sweet talk.

“Oops. But my interest has shifted this way, see?”

Bella subtly placed her hands on both of Leo’s shoulders and pulled him towards her.

Then, comparing his face to the nobleman’s, Bella nodded and said, “Yeah, you’re definitely cuter!”

What sort of nonsense for a minor?

…but then again, in these games, mid-teens are practically treated as adults.

“……”

The nobleman’s face turned bright red. Once he blushed like that, the handsomeness I had noticed earlier vanished completely.

“Oh, wait!”

Claire, who had tried to slide in between Bella and Leo, once more shouted in shock.

But this time, her shout had nothing to do with Leo.

“Yow!”

Bella squealed.

The nobleman had grabbed Bella’s arm with determination.

“……”

Hmm…

After observing the situation, I was sure of one thing. Bella had undoubtedly interrupted her chat with that man to drop us into this predicament. Alice looked to be thinking the same, watching with a very complicated expression.

“Shouldn’t we help?”

“……”

Rena, standing next to me and observing the situation, asked.

Hmm…

If I just stood by and watched, wouldn’t my reputation take a hit?

As I stepped forward without saying a word, I heard a small sigh from Alice.

“Hey.”

But we females gathering up wouldn’t be necessary.

Because the man holding Bella’s arm was also being held by another man.

It was Jake.

“It’s quite rude to grab a lady’s arm like that.”

With a smile, Jake said.

“Lady? What are you—”

The man ignored Jake’s words, trying to move his arm, but then,

“Eh?”

He mumbled, looking dazed for a moment.

It seemed like his arm wouldn’t budge. No matter how hard he pulled or twisted, Jake, holding his arm, didn’t move an inch.

“Ahhh…!”

The immobility suggested he was holding on tight. As Jake tightened his grip, the man shrieked.

“My, my hand…!”

Screaming, the man twisted his hand, but finally released Bella’s arm. Bella quickly pulled her arm back and embraced it with her other hand. The assertive expression from earlier was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a look of a pitiful lady.

…What should I say?

Seeing Jake confirm the man released his grip and let go of Bella’s arm, the man, groaning, stumbled backward, tripping and falling awkwardly.

“Do you know who I am?!”

“Do you have any idea who I am?”

Responding to the man’s shout with disbelief, Jake rendered him speechless. Only now did he seem to realize where he was.

There are always wealthier people above the wealthy and higher-ranking people above the nobles.

Though they didn’t flaunt their ranks, a crowd full of high nobles and tycoons existed here.

“……”

Ultimately, the man chose to bolt, rising hastily without even brushing off his clothes.

“Are you alright?”

Earlier, she thought it was tacky, but seeing the situation, Charlotte, perhaps with a change of heart, asked with concern.

“Ah, yes, yes… I’m fine.”

This is ridiculous!

I thought about Bella speaking so pitifully, completely shedding her previous attitude.

Chapter 92

Even in a place that resembles a theme park made for adults to enjoy centered around casinos, there are still spots where one can enjoy an ordinary daily life.

There are people who come to squander their fortunes, but many regular tourists also come to enjoy the splendid streets built thanks to the casinos purely for fun. It’s common for high-class individuals, even those uninterested in gambling, to spend the day traveling and enjoying festivals while staying in luxury hotels with their partners.

However, many of the people working here aren’t exactly rich. Especially if they’re in jobs like the one as a bunny girl.

Thus, it’s only natural that there are restaurants where one can have a regular meal.

There were also quite a few restaurants and cafes for the poor folks working here.

We were in one of those places.

Following Bella’s lead, we arrived at a shabby restaurant located a bit away from the casino.

“Hey! Didn’t I tell you not to bring customers to places like this?”

Another bunny girl with green hair shouted at Bella while sitting in the restaurant. She was dressed in a bunny girl outfit, but it was wrinkled and her hair was a mess. The rabbit ear headband she wore was haphazardly sprawled across the table. Judging by the glitter on her face and chest, it seemed she had just come back from working all night.

“Ah, I’m sorry… But I really wanted to treat the people who helped me.”

Seeing Bella speak timidly took me by surprise. That attitude suited her better than I would have thought. Of course, I knew her background well, but if I didn’t, I might have just accepted her as a character with a story… No, wait, she did show a bit of that side when she spoke with Alice, so it might have crossed my mind that there was something going on.

“They say rich people usually eat what you serve… Hah, fine.”

The green-haired woman roughly scratched her head and said it as though it didn’t matter anymore.

“Well, considering there are way more women than men among the people who tagged along, I guess it doesn’t matter much to me. Even though they dress like nobility, they look like students. They can’t really afford to do such things anyway, given the school rules, right?”

With that, the woman lost interest in us.

I suppose it’s only natural to live like that in places like this. A place where people end up after rolling around and hitting rock bottom. Of course, if you look around the Empire, there are far worse places than this. In that sense, Northwood seems to be managing things fairly well. But that wouldn’t resonate much with the people living here.

“I’m sorry. Even if she says that, she’s just a deep child…”

But even before Bella finished her words, the green-haired woman raised her hand and made a “V” sign over her shoulder toward us, palm facing us.

It was now a globally notorious British insult.

Rena, having occasionally run into the Imperial Army, and Charlotte, who often bickers with the neighboring country, seemed to have recognized it and frowned.

“Hah…”

Bella let out a weary laugh before mumbling, “Please sit here,” and quickly made the offer.

Even though our group was meddlesome, they must have known that being rude to Bella’s colleague would only make her life harder, so they sat down without saying anything.

… Not that it would trouble Bella much. After all, among the people here, only Charlotte and I, being a princess, along with Alice, knew Bella’s true identity.

I had been mostly with Alice, and I didn’t shy away from being in public, so my face was relatively known, but Bella was a different case. For one, she was still officially a princess, and while nobles knew that such a “being” existed, she had never shown her face in official capacities.

The ones regularly seen in official settings were Jayden, Lucas, and me, while handling troublesome matters were Bella and the youngest sibling.

Whenever she roamed the Imperial Palace, she would wear a mask or disguise herself completely, so it was only natural that Charlotte wouldn’t know her.

This role separation wasn’t created by the Emperor. It just happened because each followed their own personality. Bella thought it would be more fun to hide her identity and do many exciting things.

“… Do you often experience things like this today?”

Charlotte asked seriously.

While it was still about the Empire, there were places like Velbur that existed as well. Brothels and opium dens can be found anywhere in the world. Thinking about how such occurrences might happen in her own country, for Charlotte, this place could certainly be of help.

“Not often, but it happens.”

“……”

Moreover, Charlotte herself had a righteous personality.

Perhaps she muttered that it was disgusting to see such sights and kept it to herself.

The atmosphere grew heavy.

“What do you want to eat?”

Then, the owner casually broke the heavy atmosphere by asking.

Before we knew it, the owner, wearing terribly worn-out clothes, approached our table. He had a stained, dirty apron and worn-out clothes. It was uncertain whether he had the money to buy new clothes or was just too stingy to spend it. Based on the broken window I saw when I entered, it might be the latter.

“What’s good here?”

Charlotte gently asked Bella. If it were the usual Charlotte, she would have panicked at the state of the establishment and the owner’s appearance, but considering the situation that brought us here, that was not the time to be picky.

Receiving heartfelt kindness from the other party is a noble’s courtesy.

“Ah, please bring chicken stew for the number of people we have.”

“Huh?”

The owner stared blankly at Bella.

“You, do you have enough to pay for that much?”

“Y-Yes, I have that much!”

Seeing Bella respond while sneaking glances at my party, I couldn’t help but admire her inwardly.

If she had been born twenty years later, she might have become a great actress written into the annals of cinematic history.

Though, considering her personality, I couldn’t guarantee whether she would have taken that path.

The owner shrugged and began counting our heads while turning away.

“Are you really okay with this?”

Claire asked with concern.

“It’s fine. I have money for that…”

Just as the atmosphere was about to sink heavily again,

“By the way, what was that guy?”

Jake quickly picked up the conversation again.

“That was someone who said they liked me. I tried to keep the mood by laughing at a few of their jokes, but it seemed they thought I was serious…”

“We thought they were trying to get away from us?”

Alice finally decided to join the play, opening her previously tightly shut mouth.

“Yes… I’m sorry. I really didn’t expect it to escalate to that level.”

The reality was that she likely wanted to create such a scenario.

“Were there really no other reasons to talk to us? There were plenty of other people around.”

“That’s…”

Bella spoke with considerable embarrassment.

“Other nobles, when I talk to them, either look at me like I’m dirty and move away, or they try to take me with them… it’d be one of those two.”

Charlotte flinched slightly. While her expression didn’t crumble, it was still evident.

“You all are from Rondarium Academy, right?”

Bella asked while looking at Leo. Leo seemed a bit flustered, stuttering as he replied.

“How did you know that?”

He made an incredibly awkward sound.

“Because the uniforms you’re wearing are from Rondarium Academy. I was at Rondarium for a brief period. Back then, I often saw students wearing the same uniform as you.”

She didn’t say something cliché like how she had admired them as a child, but that made the sentiment resonate even more.

Of course, that line was probably made up.

“And so, since you’re students… I thought you might help me. I’m so sorry…”

“……”

The atmosphere became unmanageably heavy again, but among us, one person was showing an even more complicated expression.

That person was none other than Alice.

Having directly declared she would “infiltrate,” Bella, who was right in front of her, was essentially her role model to follow.

The problem was whether Bella’s acting prowess was too high a standard for an amateur to follow.

……

And I too, might have to exhibit such an atmosphere…

Perhaps an expressionless bunny girl might be popular in its own right, but would I really be able to maintain a poker face in that bunny girl outfit until the end?

Not long after that, the chicken stew was served.

Given the atmosphere of the place, I had expected nothing, but the chicken stew was surprisingly delicious.

Maybe that was not just an act when choosing this place.

Chapter 93

Game logic allowance can sometimes have a significant impact on the story.

For example, when a cutscene starts, you clearly don’t have a weapon in your hand, but strangely, when you enter battle, you whip out a weapon from thin air.

The problem is that there’s no setting for this. If only there was a scabbard on your waist, at least it’d register as being drawn from there, but instead, you just pull the sword out of nowhere.

Well, it’s not like there’s a four-dimensional pocket or anything. Characters in this game are always supposed to have weapons, and they aren’t restricted by their outfits, whether they’re wearing school uniforms, dresses, or even swimsuits.

…Even if it’s a bunny girl outfit.

That’s right. Even Alice casually pulled out a weapon when the battle started.

But after ten years of living in this world and observing closely, I found that this just isn’t possible in reality.

To pull out a weapon, you naturally have to carry one first. If it’s large, there’s no way to hide it. Especially something like the two-handed sword Alice uses, which absolutely cannot be hidden under her clothes.

It was the same with the downscale revolver.

I thought about trying to find a smaller gun, like a derringer hidden under Mia Crowfield’s skirt, but even then, there was no place to conceal it in a bunny girl outfit.

Although I didn’t actually have a bunny girl outfit, just to try, I fashioned a paper replica to stuff between my breasts while wearing only underwear, but it was incredibly uncomfortable and honestly, it was just visible.

It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but even with my small chest, it was obvious. Alice looked to have a similar size, so hiding any weapon there would certainly be difficult.

I even pondered if I could hide something in the tail of the bunny girl outfit, but if something went off accidentally, I might lose my pelvis, so I decided against it. Even if I can turn back time, I’d rather not suffer something horrible.

…Besides, wearing a bunny girl outfit means someone is definitely going to grope me, and then the hidden item would be discovered, too. Just standing still, it would droop down due to the weight.

After thinking about all this, I reached a single conclusion.

I had to sort things out before becoming a bunny girl.

If I could just extract reliable information about the infiltrating church knight, that would be a successful mission, wouldn’t it?

And besides, I had already identified where the church knight was located.

…It was evidently the green-haired woman seen after serving the guests, sitting in the dining hall.

She was indeed the church knight.

*

Bella probably knows too.

In the game, the Papal State doesn’t show up lightly, but the Emperor is a character watching over things more.

Even possessing the prophecy book, he’s the type to dig up info directly rather than rely solely on the prophecies, so the Papal State was caught flat-footed instead. Well, the Papal State in the game was never a charming faction, so I didn’t feel much emotion about that.

The Emperor probably had identified not only that a church knight was infiltrated here but also “who” infiltrated, sending Bella on the task. That was how it was in the original work.

If a woman is wandering alone late at night around the casino, just that thought could sound a bit dangerous, but in reality, it wasn’t. Perhaps because they modeled this place after Las Vegas, the security in this area was superior to other regions.

Even at midnight, the surroundings were brightly lit, and I spotted knights roaming about sporadically. Not only that, among the civilians, there would surely be soldiers from this territory mixed in too.

Nothing would hurt a tourist more than having their belongings stolen in a tourist destination. If that money ends up in the hands of undesirables, tourists wouldn’t spend their cash, and it spreads undesirable rumors.

The servants working here don’t get special protection but, when seen from the perspective of ‘tourists,’ they receive quite stable protection from the territory. That’s how they ensure the tourists come back.

So, as long as I was dressed like a tourist, there was no way I’d face harm from anyone.

Emerging from the brightly lit hotel, as I passed through the bustling streets filled with tourists heading to the casino, couples and drunken individuals were joyfully enjoying the sleepless city.

There were folks with bunny girls or waitresses, and even some middle-aged women were accompanied by tall, handsome young men.

While it might not be quite as extreme as Sodom and Gomorrah, it definitely carried an atmosphere that felt rather morally bankrupt, especially judged by the standard of the early 20th century’s worldview.

I passed a slightly alcohol-scented street until I reached the casino entrance.

The individuals in black suits and top hats on either side of the entrance merely glanced at me but didn’t block my way. It was probably because I was a woman and a guest. A place where all kinds of wealthy people gather will undoubtedly have many young women coming and going alone.

Moreover, I didn’t even bring a gun. To the onlookers, I likely wasn’t perceived as dangerous.

Without hesitating, I walked into the casino.

The brilliant golden light filled my vision.

…It was flashy.

Way more glamorous than what I had seen in the game. Well, that’s to be expected; the graphics in that game were limited due to development capabilities.

Even so, the casino’s layout seemed quite similar to what I had seen in the game.

If that was the case, then the place where the church knight was too would probably be similar.

I headed up the stairs directly. Inside the dazzling building devoid of windows and clocks, people were bustling around. Are there really this many wealthy people in the world? It made sense, considering the reputation of this place wasn’t just known within the Empire; it attracted wealthy folks from around the world.

In a place like this, what a bunny girl does is nothing major. They just circulate between the guests, handing out drinks and collecting tips.

Tips mostly go into the space between their breasts.

“……”

Thinking back, that was dizzying.

I hurried my steps and went up to the second floor.

I quickly spotted the distinctive green hair again.

Her expression was strikingly different than the one I had seen in the morning. She wore a bright smile on her face, with her skin sparkling as if glitter had been sprinkled on it, proudly showing it off to the guests. Her cropped hair shone, making her look healthy.

“Oh my, thank you!”

Seeing that woman, who pushed her hips back and coyly thrust her breasts forward, I almost lost my senses again.

So, I was almost wandering around looking like that?

…I should quickly get that information and wrap this up.

I walked directly toward where she was located.

The young woman who had been taking tips from a drunken man looked up, and our eyes met for a brief moment. A flicker of surprise crossed her face before she playfully grinned at me.

That smile didn’t sit well with me.

But it wasn’t like I could just turn around without a word. I mean, why did I come all this way?

“Excuse me, dear guest, but as a devout follower of the Goddess, I cannot accept female guests, though I do not deny same-sex relationships.”

As I approached without averting my gaze, she spoke in a bouncy tone.

She probably already knew my identity. Who wouldn’t act so disrespectful to someone sent in place of the Pope from Velbur? Besides, she wrecked my plan entirely.

The warning probably had gone out long ago.

“……”

Silently, I took out a folded check from my pocket. Holding it up where the number ’30’ was written on it, I poked the folded check lightly against her breasts.

Of course, I was careful not to let my fingers touch her.

…Though honestly, it wouldn’t really matter if they did, but it just felt a bit wrong.

“……”

Seeing the check suddenly poking into her chest, the green-haired woman blinked several times, then beamed a wide smile at me. But her eyes behind the mask didn’t seem to share that happiness.

“Well, since you’ve given me so much, we can’t just skip chatting now, can we? Shall we go somewhere quiet?”

Seeing me nod silently, she turned around and began to walk away.

I followed her without a word.

Chapter 94

Hah, really…

The terrace was sparsely populated.

No, to be precise, it seemed deliberately arranged that way.

Unlike the casino with no windows, as soon as we went up two floors, we arrived at a ballroom with several large windows. There were several more floors above that, so there was probably a hotel up there. Since the academy students lived in Northwood Castle, it would naturally be hard to put a price on its value, but I had the feeling that even if I were to receive money, it would probably be less than what I could get here.

“I’m just a really devoted goddess believer, you know? I can tolerate someone touching my body, but mixing things up is a no-go. Should I take off my clothes right here, right now?”

She said playfully as she peered through the curtains of the terrace.

In fact, just turning her head to the side revealed couples engaging in such acts on the other terrace. Typically, there were just those who sat on their laps and groped their bodies.

Was this more like a place you pass through before getting into the business?

It was an open space, but the distance between the terraces was quite far, and although there was light coming up from below, it was high enough that identifying faces from a distance didn’t seem easy.

“……”

Without saying a word, I went to sit on the guest sofa and crossed my legs.

Then, I stared intently at her as she playfully slipped her hand next to her chest.

“……”

“……”

“……Wait, really? Are you taking it off?”

When I stared blankly at her, she seemed flustered and returned the question.

“If the service is included in the value of 30 pounds.”

When I said that, the woman gaped and quickly flashed a bold smile.

“I didn’t know the Crown Princess had such tastes!”

“If that’s not possible, I can settle for some information instead.”

“That means you already know who I am?”

“Of course. Lady Verati.”

At my words, her face stiffened.

“I came here to find out why Lady Kiara Verati is doing such things here.”

“Wasn’t it already because you found out?”

“To be precise, I’m here to verify the facts I know.”

“……You already knew?”

Kiara Verati let out a defeated expression, withdrawing her hand that was just about to lift her clothes.

“There’s a reason the papacy told you to be careful.”

“To be precise, even if you had been careful, you wouldn’t have been able to hide information from me.”

When I said that, Kiara Verati shrugged.

“Well, I suppose.”

And as she looked around, she faced me and said,

“But if you think you could buy a secret with just this much money…”

“I know. But the information you think is ‘confidential’ is already in my head, so you don’t need to worry. Again, the cost is merely for confirming the information.”

“You mean you can reveal the fact that you know so much?”

Kiara Verati looked shocked, but I didn’t change my attitude.

Naturally so.

After all, I planned to confirm things and rewind time afterward.

“If needed, I can pass along some information from my side too.”

“Are you suggesting we trade information? You? With me?”

“Is that strange?”

“Of course it’s strange. Considering your attitude at that gathering last year.”

Had she been there?

Well, there wouldn’t be anything unusual about it. If she were one of the nuns the Cardinal brought along, others wouldn’t have known. Back then, I didn’t care either.

“I’m just thinking about what would benefit the Empire right now. At that time, I merely thought that forming an alliance outside the Empire would harm it; it had nothing to do with personal feelings.”

The truth was that personal feelings had been all over the place, but there was no reason to reveal such truths to this fortress knight.

“……If I give you my information, what will you give me in return? Oh, and just so you know, this kind of check…”

Kiara Verati produced a check from between her cleavage.

“By the standards of the Papal State, it’s hardly a handful—”

“I will tell you the contents of the Empire’s prophecy.”

“—.”

As I maintained my nonchalant demeanor and said that, the woman’s mouth shut again.

The prophecy was one of the treasures that the Papal State coveted. There was no way to extract that book located at the deepest part of the Imperial Palace, so they hadn’t done anything about it. However, had they found a way, the Papal State would have forcibly tried to obtain that treasure. They were a fanatic group that believed all the treasures left by the Goddess should be managed by them, the successors of faith.

And it was the content of the prophecy that was important; the book itself wasn’t something sacred. Kiara Verati in front of me was certainly aware of that fact too.

“……If you are lying…”

“Everything I say in the future will have no value under the Papal State’s standards. The 30-pound check in your hand will become nothing more than a worthless piece of paper.”

“…….”

The reason she brought me here, even though that money wasn’t anything extraordinary, was simple.

It was embarrassing for a bunny girl to refuse 30 pounds.

Even if she decides later whether to sell her body or not, she naturally would want to keep a customer who spends 30 pounds, regardless of gender, a bit longer. They would want to extract just a little more. If not, she’d just be scared and return the money.

On top of that, since she had already grasped that I was the Crown Princess, she must have thought to have a conversation since I’d come this far.

“Alright.”

Kiara Verati, who had been lost in thought with a complex expression, surprisingly said so and took a seat.

It wasn’t the kind of chair that faced each other. The chairs were arranged in a semi-circle, so she sat at the edge, a bit distanced from me, who sat in the middle.

It was a decent enough distance for us to see each other’s expressions.

Even though we were sitting there without a drink, I didn’t feel like forcing any intimacy, so I opened my mouth.

“First, let’s talk about your identity. Your name is Kiara Verati. You are a nun of the St. Antonio Cathedral and one of the Four Knights of the Cathedral. The weapon you wield is a holy spear. The reason you are here is to ‘retrieve’ a treasure from the Northwood ruins. Is that correct?”

“……You know about the Empire’s treasure?”

“At least I do know.”

If a cup of tea had been served, I would have taken a sip with a slurp.

“It’s part of an ancient weapon. It’s not far from where this casino was built. Isn’t that right?”

In the old days, when the world was not properly built.

There existed a civilization before everything collapsed.

And a few of the buildings or items from that civilization remained unbroken amidst the chaos.

The Papal State called these places and objects ruins and artifacts, rummaging around secretly as if they were treasures from the goddess. Of course, they did so in a way that others wouldn’t notice.

And while doing so, to “not get caught,” they would pin various wrongdoings on others.

Whether it be a band of thieves or accidents caused by monsters, or due to unfortunate weather changes.

Or even called “warlords.”

“……”

There were no answers coming through, but more than the answers, I could be certain. The events happening here closely followed the main story.

“If you don’t respond, there will be no prophecy.”

“……That’s true.”

Grinding her teeth, Kiara Verati said.

There was no need to be so angry. At this point, the Papal State’s plans had already been thoroughly disrupted, and their chances of success had significantly reduced.

Rather than hiding it in vain, it would be better to acknowledge it and get something from me.

In that sense, my proposal was quite generous.

“Impressive. Truly fitting for the next emperor of the Empire.”

“The next emperor is not me.”

Though it wasn’t a mocking tone, she corrected my compliment mixed with amazement.

“……So you left the backdoor open for another princess to follow us? I suppose it’s because the next emperor needs to be aware of the situation.”

……Someone following us?

“Are you trying to tease me?”

As I remained silent, Kiara Verati stood up with a slightly irritated expression.

Then she walked over to the entrance of the terrace, parting the curtains without giving me a chance to stop her.

“……Ah.”

The sight of the people beyond the curtain was immediately visible.

Claire, who was dressed lightly like me, Leo, who had probably followed Claire, and in front of those two, there was…

Alice.

Dressed in sky-blue bunny girl attire.

“……”

Alice and I locked eyes silently.

She should have been shocked to hear all the prophecies and other things coming out of my mouth, but…

The expression on her face showed she was much more embarrassed about running into me in that revealing outfit.

…….

So that’s how it is.

I let out a deep sigh and thought.

Again.

Chapter 95

I’ve been feeling lately that this world doesn’t revolve around me.

Even if I try to skip the parts I don’t want to deal with and ignore everything else, the structured characters keep moving according to their thoughts.

Just like how Claire and Alice’s entanglement in the original led Alice to sneak into the casino dressed as a bunny girl, this time Alice was motivated by Bella to sneak into the casino.

She must have felt a lot during our conversation yesterday. Bella was completely different from usual, the epitome of a ‘woman with a story.’ She had dreams but ended up in such a situation due to harsh realities. If I hadn’t had prior knowledge, I would have easily fallen into the same trap.

The reason Bella approached us at that time may be related to her ulterior motives. She probably thought of drawing me in while also teasing Alice.

In reality, I jumped straight into action, neglecting the intermediate steps, and Alice dressed herself up as a bunny girl to sneak in. There’s no need to ponder who helped her find that outfit; it’s obviously Bella.

Bang!

“Gah!”

As I barged in, Alice, who was holding a piece of blue fabric, gasped.

Though she wasn’t wearing stockings yet.

“Did you plan to get dressed from here?”

“W-Wait!?”

As I immediately asked, Alice seemed to want to deny it at first, but after noticing her hands, she hid what she was holding behind her back.

I completely entered Alice’s room and closed the door.

“Getting dressed here is way too noticeable.”

“I-I know that!”

Realizing I had been aware from the start, Alice finally seemed to give up and spoke.

As she let her arms drop, the piece of fabric and stockings she was holding fell to the floor. Turning my gaze, I saw a mask and bunny ears headband on the desk.

“I was… going to wear it under my outfit and just take off my outerwear…”

“…….”

But perhaps she couldn’t withstand my silent gaze, Alice blushed and tilted her head down.

She looked strangely pitiful.

I thought due to the confidence I had instilled in her since childhood, she had become considerably more self-assured than in the original. But it seemed that wasn’t the case.

I almost sighed but held it back. Seeing Alice in front of me, doing that would likely make her pride plummet even further.

“First, let’s sit down and talk. You can decide whether to continue with what you were planning to do afterward.”

“……Okay.”

When I gestured to the bed, Alice silently sat down on it.

She probably thought that what she was planning to do wasn’t exactly royal behavior.

As I looked at Alice slumped on the edge of the bed and was about to head towards the chair, I changed my mind and sat beside her.

Of course, I didn’t sit so close that our bodies touched. I maintained a bit of distance, just enough that I wouldn’t feel like I was too far away.

“First, please explain why you were planning to go out in this outfit.”

Looking at Alice’s hands, I asked,

“N-No, I mean, I wasn’t going to go out like this—”

Alice, who had turned her head to make an excuse, shut her mouth when she saw my face.

“Um, that is…”

Then, after mumbling for a while, she slowly opened her mouth.

“I just felt like I wasn’t doing anything.”

“Not doing anything? What do you mean?”

“When I went on the practical training to Winterfield, I was comfortably taking on requests and doing tasks with friends.”

“That’s just what you should be doing as a student.”

“But… you’ve done something incredible while I was just sitting around. It wouldn’t have been strange if you received a medal on the spot.”

“……”

That was… true. Strictly speaking, what I did had nothing to do with the requests, so my scores should have definitely landed me a fail, but Jennifer overlooked it since she couldn’t ignore my achievements during that time. Separately, it was possible that I would get some kind of commendation.

“What I did was what I was supposed to do—”

“……What you were supposed to do?”

Alice interrupted me.

“What do you consider as ‘what you were supposed to do’?”

“That is—”

“What is it that you, as a fellow princess, should do?”

“……”

Alice was looking directly at me. Even though we were sitting side by side, she had slightly turned her body towards me, looking straight at my face.

And there was a strange intensity in her expression.

I had felt this atmosphere before.

Back when I enrolled at the academy, when the Emperor had tried to send me to the Northern battlefield instead of the academy, Alice had come to confront me. She found Morphine in my room and went straight to the Emperor to broker a deal and take me to the academy.

The expression Alice wore while looking at me now carried that same vibe.

“Father… doesn’t distinguish between you and me. Neither does he between Bella and me, or Lucas and Jayden. You know that, right?”

Alice clenched her fist. The fabric she was holding crumpled in her hand.

“But after hearing you say that you consider me the next Emperor, Father didn’t say much. That wasn’t because he trusted my abilities but rather trusted your will more than mine, right?”

Was that the kind of story I had discussed with the Emperor when we met?

…Certainly, looking at how the Emperor interacted with me, he might have been more focused on my judgment than Alice’s will.

“Let me ask you one question. Last year, I just thought you acknowledged me and overlooked it without considering it… but why do you think I should become the next Emperor?”

“……”

“From where did you see me as the next Emperor? My abilities? My character? Or were you just looking at my lineage? Or my utilitarian value? Am I something that will benefit you in the future?”

I wondered what Alice saw in me to think, ‘I will make him Emperor.’

The reason why I had been so gentle with Alice.

To be honest, it was simple without any need for consideration.

I liked Alice.

Not just her, but I liked all the characters that appeared in the Chronicles of Aetherna.

The reason I treated Alice well was the same as why I treated Claire well. They were simply characters I had liked even before coming to this world.

Honestly, if I said my heart didn’t race when I first met her, it would be a lie.

It was just that there were urgent matters, enemies to face, and many things to consider, which buried that initial joy under thoughts, but the very first thought was, ‘I’m happy.’

When I met Claire, I was scared. Staying there would have inevitably led to the same fate she faced in the original. I also felt the joy of meeting Alice but alongside that came the fear of the Emperor and the annoyance of Lucas lurking around.

But even so, I couldn’t completely erase the enjoyment of being inside that game’s story.

The reason I diligently moved within it was that I ultimately wanted those characters to survive safely.

“……”

However, strangely enough.

Simply saying ‘I like you’ felt oddly difficult. Even though I thought I wouldn’t feel embarrassed if I just said it and later took it back. I could just blurt it out and if I felt embarrassed, I could take it back—

Strangely, it seemed like that was something I shouldn’t do.

“See?”

But it seemed Alice interpreted my silence differently.

Instead of showing disappointment or sadness concerning my attitude, Alice wore a look that was somewhat relieved.

And I didn’t know the reason for that expression.

“Then let me prove it.”

Alice said, looking at me with a strong expression.

“Let me show you that I’m someone capable of standing in that Emperor’s position. Not just someone protected by you, but someone qualified to protect you.”

“……”

“Not merely someone claiming to be an older sister, but someone who can properly be an older sister, give me a chance to prove that.”

“……I,”

“Yes, you might already know everything. So, you’d understand that this is forced. It’s not something an older sister should say either. But…”

Alice’s fist tightened even more.

“But… I want to do it that way.”

Just because I wanted to do it that way.

Going deeper, it was nothing but a wish that lacked logic, just a self-satisfaction request with no real reasoning.

But—

“……I understand.”

In the end, I was moving the same way, so I had no choice but to agree.

“Instead, I’ll go with you. Crown Princess… no, Alice, just move as you please. I’ll follow you and help you when needed.”

“That’s…”

“The Emperor is not someone who moves alone. I think it’s fine to have at least one person under their command.”

If you’re going to do it anyway, I’d prefer to see it myself.

It’s an important event, right?

“……”

Alice was staring blankly at my words.

It was understandable.

At that moment, I wasn’t holding my expression as carefully as usual.

Chapter 96

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

At Claire’s question, Leo flinched, startled.

“What? It was you?”

Once he realized it was Claire speaking to him, Leo let out a sigh of relief.

“What is it? Seeing that relieved expression oddly pisses me off.”

Noticing that he didn’t see her as a woman, Claire made a face of irritation. Of course, it was natural for Claire not to see Leo as a man, so she had no reason to get mad about it in the first place.

It was just, how should I put it, a reason that could be annoying.

…Leo thought to himself that he didn’t really know what he was thinking either.

In the dead of night, the weather outside was finally tolerable. Northwood, unlike its name, was situated below the Imperial Capital, so the temperature was a bit warmer than in the Capital even on such nights.

The name Northwood was acquired when it was a different kingdom in the past. Now, it had been completely absorbed by the Empire, and even the name ‘kingdom’ was no longer relevant.

“Why are you here again?”

“Why do you think? I can take a walk too, can’t I?”

But there was a hint of hesitation in Claire’s expression as she said that to Leo.

Before Leo could ask what was bothering her, Claire playfully said, “What? Is your mind still lingering in your chest?”

“….”

Leo shot her a sideways glance, but Claire merely shrugged with no change in her expression.

“….It’s not that, I just feel sorry for Miss Bella being in such a situation. And there might be a lot of people like her here.”

“That’s….”

However, once Claire heard Leo say that, she couldn’t continue to tease him.

Leo had a general understanding of Claire’s past. The night Claire was being sold, Sylvia had helped her and the other children escape from the orphanage, and thanks to that, Claire and the children were able to be taken to Grace’s estate without any issues.

It seemed that Sylvia had gone to the royal family in the meantime.

Hearing that story, Leo had considered that Sylvia had been affiliated with the royal family from the start, but… no matter how much he thought about Sylvia’s age, it didn’t seem like there could be a two-year gap with Claire. Even if he gave her two extra years, Sylvia would have been seven years old at the time, and even if she was competent, they wouldn’t treat a seven-year-old as a disposable asset in the royal family.

“Hmm.”

Listening to Leo’s words, Claire crossed her arms and closed her eyes.

After pondering for a moment, she suddenly lifted her head.

“Okay.”

“What do you mean okay?”

“Let’s go to the casino.”

“Huh?”

Leo couldn’t quite catch Claire’s train of thought.

“You’re worried, right? About Miss Bella.”

Claire shrugged again and said, “Actually, I’m worried too.”

“….”

As Leo stared blankly at Claire, she scratched her head with her finger.

“You’re right. It might just be unnecessary meddling. If you think about it, there’s probably no one here without a backstory. Still…”

Claire smiled at Leo and said, “We can’t just walk past someone in trouble right in front of us. We’re Grace after all.”

“We might not be able to help everyone, but we can’t ignore those in difficulty right in front of us.”

Leo muttered under his breath at Claire’s words.

“Without that person, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

Claire said with a bright smile.

*

…It feels very empty.

I thought I had arrived with Alice, delivering a somewhat cool line, but I started to wonder if I should have found another way after all.

Usually, unless it was time to change clothes or take a bath, there’s no part of me that would be exposed like this.

Even though most of my body was covered, the black cloth only hid the lower part of my chest. The white skin above it was completely exposed to other people’s eyes.

At least, I didn’t sprinkle any glitter-like dust on my chest like Kiara Verati did.

“…I really shouldn’t wander too far, got it?”

“Don’t worry, I’m right behind you.”

Having confidently declared, “I will prove I’m the Crown Princess,” I realized I felt immensely embarrassed about this outfit myself.

Alice usually wore very neat attire. Of course, since everyone around her was a noble, who wouldn’t? But in my memories, Claire wasn’t a character who always dressed so neatly.

Of course, thinking back on Claire’s model in the game, she was certainly large. Well, at least her visible part must be larger than the first impression one would get.

And this could be said for Alice as well.

Even in the game, while they might have skimped on background textures and recycled character motions, they took care to differentiate the size of the character models, especially the chest area. When modeling outfits like bunny girl costumes, they painstakingly designed even the parts where the flesh would be pressed in, leading players to jokingly wonder if the production team might have some unusual fetishes.

But come to think of it, not having scenes like that in character games would also be inappropriate.

I didn’t know who the producers were that had Alice wear that sky-blue bunny outfit, but it suited her golden hair perfectly. The colors were not too gaudy, and her skin tone peeking through her stockings matched incredibly well.

Moreover, the ‘shame’ that was visible even through her white half-mask was enticingly capturing the attention of people around her.

…I seriously couldn’t understand how I hadn’t recognized her until just prior to reverting time.

And, though it feels a bit inappropriate to express it like this—

My chest, um, I’m not sure if this expression is a bit odd.

Sylvia Fanggriffon’s chest was equally impressive enough to not lag behind Alice.

This was something I often saw, but how should I put it, given how the outfit accentuated the upper chest so much, the shape of it was slightly altered, looking far more emphasized than usual.

Whoooosh—

I could hear someone whistling at us, but we paid it no mind.

It was no surprise. Those who came to a place like this for the first time might act high and mighty. Some might even take delight in breaking such people.

“Cautioning you once more, if anyone tries to touch me—”

“—I’ll kick them in the groin. Got it. I’ve heard it a few times already.”

Even if the guards came running, revealing our identities straight away would settle things. After all, who would dare to casually lay hands on a Crown Princess?

…Though it might be safer to turn back time and give Alice an opportunity to go a different route.

“Don’t worry, I have the information, I won’t waste your time.”

It seemed she had already received some hints from Bella.

“Hey, here—”

Carefully making sure not to bump into people, I diligently followed Alice from behind when someone shouted out. A few bills were stuck between their raised fingers.

Of course, we were planning to ignore it and just walk past—

“Hey, are you just going to ignore me?”

Yeah, naturally, there had to be people like this in a situation like this.

It’s a cliché, right?

…An unwelcome cliché, however.

It seemed my ignoring them felt bad to him, as there was a commotion from behind.

I couldn’t quite figure out what they expected us to do when we weren’t even carrying drinks… Well, no, they might just want to sit us on their lap while having some fun. The person’s height seemed smaller than both of us in high heels.

But even if he was short, he had a rough appearance for a man.

“Let’s go.”

Alice seemed to have heard that voice but quickly grabbed my wrist and pulled me along. From that alone, she looked quite reliable.

Yet, when walking urgently in heels she wasn’t used to, there was only so fast she could go.

“Hey, didn’t you hear? I said I’ve taken a liking to you!”

I felt a rough hand grab mine.

It was a coarse, calloused hand.

If only I could just waddle away, but with Alice grabbing my wrist in one direction and this man’s hand pulling me in the opposite, my arms flew out, leaving me in a predicament.

…No, being pulled like this in this outfit is incredibly embarrassing.

As I found myself at the brink of zoning out mentally, just then—

“Hey.”

Unsurprisingly, another cliché moment was about to hit.

“Let go of that hand.”

“Huh? What the heck are you doing!?”

Despite the appearance, Claire had an incredible grip from training.

Moreover, she looked a bit furious right now.

…It was a familiar expression I had seen in the game several times, but the intensity in her expression right now was much more impactful.

The grip on my wrist opened up.

“…You can take her away, without being a man, right?”

Before either Alice or I could react, Claire pulled out a bill from her pocket and awkwardly shoved it into her chest.

…In the midst of which, if not touching with her fingers is a technique, it certainly is.

“Crown… Alice, over here.”

And with Claire there, Leo had also shown up next to Alice, moving his hand to his waist—

—Stopping just shy of laying it there, but drawing close enough to pull Alice towards himself.

So, um, I guess that explained why Claire, Leo, and Alice all poured words all at once earlier.

As I was pulled along by Claire, I thought hard to not be embarrassed.

Chapter 97

Claire was much more vigorous than I expected, and Leo was way more gentlemanly than I anticipated.

Well, Leo’s character was something I had seen a lot even in the original story. When I think about it, that frustrating harem protagonist personality was just the right kind of gentleness for this era. He doesn’t touch ladies without consent and treats them as gently as possible, even when necessary.

Although I had never seen Leo wearing anything like a silk hat.

The only thing I could see was Alice’s back as she walked in front of me, but with her hair parted, I could catch glimpses of the tips of her ears turning bright red. She probably looked like she was about to have a heart attack from embarrassment. Not to mention, every time Leo and Alice passed by, all the guys around looked on with envious eyes.

Well, even if they ran after her because they liked bunny girls, the chances of that being sincere are pretty slim. It would mostly be because that guy seemed really rich. Of course, the guys were aware of that fact, but there aren’t too many men who would say no when a bunny girl offers that kind of “service.”

On the other hand, even though Alice was still wearing a mask, the sight of her was pure ‘embarrassment’ itself. It wasn’t a face that adventurers would normally make. And since Leo was young and handsome like the protagonist of a game, his presence made Alice’s reaction even more convincing.

On the outside, it really gave off the vibe of a ‘young lady adventurer who fell for a gentleman who is kind to any woman.’ Yeah, I guess that would be enviable from a guy’s perspective.

Both were minors, but still.

Conversely, I was getting a lot more attention from the ladies.

The reason was probably ‘pity.’

Most of the guys wandering around here had bare faces without masks, but the women were almost all hiding their faces behind fans or wearing partial masks like bunny girls. While it wasn’t frowned upon for women to gamble, the atmosphere wasn’t exactly welcoming either.

However, I could clearly feel the emotion of ‘pathetic’ mixed in the gazes of the women looking at me even beyond those masks.

While Leo walked with Alice without daring to touch her, Claire was firmly gripping my wrist and practically dragging me along.

Moreover, Alice’s chest was completely clear of anything, but between my own… well, clearly, there was something that could easily be called ‘payment’ stuck there.

It varied by person, but there are definitely homosexuals in this world. Men who reveal their affection for other men, and women who do the same for other women. And there are also women willing to spend a lot of money on adventurers here.

It seemed that the women sending me sympathetic glances were mostly thinking along those lines.

…Should I turn back?

Should I just go back to square one and get Alice again?

As I followed Claire, dragged along, I seriously considered it but ultimately gave up on that thought.

Whatever.

Since Alice wanted this so badly, I just went along with it.

I knew I was coming knowing this would be embarrassing, so who could I blame?

With a mindset of ‘whatever will be will be,’ I just followed Claire without any thoughts.

Fortunately, that mindless state was great for maintaining a blank expression.

*

“So you came all the way here saying you wanted information? In that outfit?”

Claire questioned incredulously, and Alice’s face turned even redder.

In a corner of the building.

The two people who had led us into a back corridor, rarely frequented by other customers, crossed their arms and stood in front of us.

Claire, without wearing a mask, was standing tall.

But I couldn’t bring myself to mention that fact. It wasn’t that I was scared of Claire, it was more that I was very seriously embarrassed about the current situation. If I opened my mouth, my voice would undoubtedly crack without a doubt.

Alice and I had removed our masks and were holding them in our hands. I was nervously fidgeting with the black half-mask, trying not to touch it, but Alice was already shifting her gaze around, nervously fiddling with her own white half-mask.

“…The person with the information we need has infiltrated as an adventurer.”

Finally managing to speak, Alice’s words made Claire wipe her face.

“There’s really no need to infiltrate in such a getup, right? We could have just come as customers like you.”

“…”

This is a bit strange.

In the original story, the biggest reason Alice donned the bunny girl outfit was because of Claire.

After hearing a line like, ‘I’m doing the hard work while you sit comfortably,’ Alice got so mad that she ended up infiltrating in the same way as Claire… that was the story of the original work.

And now, it was oddly Bella who had stimulated her into this, not Claire.

In a sense, this was a clue that Alice recognized Bella as a true sister. Since the fellow princess Bella was directly on the scene, it seemed strange for her to be stepping back, considering that she was also a princess, just like Bella, feeling the way Alice did towards Claire in the original.

In a sense, it was quite an admirable sentiment.

“Why don’t you say something, too?”

“Uh? Me?”

Leo, who had been staring at the ceiling lights instead of daring to look our way, jumped in surprise when Claire’s gaze fell on him, then turned to us before returning his gaze to its original position.

“…”

Seeing Leo’s unhelpful reaction, Claire wiped her face again.

In the original, Leo didn’t recognize Alice at their ‘first meeting’ either. It wasn’t until the second day when, after hearing that Alice couldn’t make it for a late-night request, he started to have doubts and came looking for Alice.

His current reaction wasn’t strange.

“And you, sis.”

“…Yes.”

I deliberately averted my gaze from Claire, who was looking at me with fiery eyes.

“Why are you dressed like that?”

Hmm.

Somehow, it felt like asking if it was okay to say, ‘What’s wrong with that?’ isn’t going to go over well.

I remembered why Claire was so upset from when she dragged me by my wrist earlier.

That orphanage we were at with Claire was that kind of place. Even if I didn’t realize it back then, I would understand when I looked back during the process of searching for her later.

So… frankly speaking, it didn’t sit well with her that I was dressed in clothes that could be considered “for selling my body”.

“It’s because of me.”

Before I could make any excuse, Alice spoke up first.

“I… decided to infiltrate here, so I wore the same outfit to protect myself.”

“…That’s true enough.”

Thankfully, it seemed Claire understood Alice’s words. Alice was one of the few people capable of reading my expressions. I assumed Claire, who witnessed that right beside her, could understand too.

“Where did you get those outfits?”

“That is…”

Alice couldn’t quite answer that question.

After all, the one who had slyly prepared my bunny girl outfit was none other than Bella. While she had nudged us into wearing these clothes, she didn’t seem to be around to enjoy the sight.

Thinking back, she had also been absent even before I turned back time. Considering Kiara Verati’s reaction, Bella seemed to have gotten quite close to her.

…She wasn’t watching us eagerly from a distance or something, right?

“So, why are you suddenly here? Claire, you’re not even wearing a mask.”

“Uh?”

Alice, who found herself in a tricky situation, immediately fired the question at Claire.

Claire, who had been acting incredibly confident just a moment ago, seemed a bit flustered when confronted with such a question.

“Answer my question first—”

“No need for that. You can get this kind of outfit easily enough if you’re looking to play around. Honestly, how many of the people working in such outfits here do you think can openly reveal their past?”

“…”

“If I say I’m looking to work, I can get this outfit right away. The people giving away clothes wouldn’t care who I am. They probably wouldn’t think for a second that I’m a princess.”

It was a bit forceful, but it wasn’t entirely implausible.

Who would actually think that someone wanting to work as an adventurer in this place was secretly a princess? It was far more believable to think she was just someone who looked similar.

“Alright? So you all tell me your reason too. If it’s Leo, I wouldn’t even care—”

Upon hearing Alice’s words, Leo looked a bit hurt, but Alice ignored his reaction and turned to Claire again.

“—What’s the reason for a woman to wander around here, with her face uncovered? And what was that about Sylvia earlier, shoving money into her chest?”

“…”

Only then did I lower my gaze.

There were still a few pound notes wedged in my chest.

I quickly reached to pull them out to return them to Claire but then hesitated.

…Isn’t this a bit odd, returning damp and lukewarm bills?

Claire looked complicated too.

Chapter 98

“……It was because of Bella.”

At Claire’s words, Alice and I exchanged a glance for a moment.

Could it be that Leo and Claire were suspecting Bella’s true identity? Honestly, I thought Bella’s acting was flawless.

“Well… this might sound like prying, but I felt something when I met Bella yesterday. We wanted to help her.”

It seemed our plan was working much too well.

I could feel Alice’s shoulders relaxing a bit from their previously tense state.

“But we couldn’t find Bella, so somehow we ended up here.”

“You recognized us well.”

“Isn’t it odd if you don’t?”

Claire chuckled and looked at me.

While I wasn’t sure about Alice, I felt confident I could recognize them. Then again, thinking back, Claire must have recognized Alice instantly since they all burst in together even before I turned back time. In the original story, Leo passed it off as ‘It couldn’t be,’ but Claire should have definitely picked up on it.

“……”

The conversation paused for a moment, not for any specific reason, but because a bunny girl was passing by in the hallway. She glanced discreetly at our unmasked faces but didn’t pay much attention as she walked on. She probably noticed the bills still in my hand.

Wearing a mask isn’t mandatory. After all… most people dressed like this just didn’t want to reveal their true identity.

If they were getting paid, they could at least show their faces.

“So, what are you going to do now?”

As we stared at the passing woman, I guess Claire determined that the sound of their voices was now far enough, and she opened her mouth.

“…Even if I ask you to leave, you won’t, will you?”

“Nope.”

Alice’s words made Claire nod. She then glanced at Leo, who, receiving Claire’s gaze, nodded seriously in return.

“Hah.”

Alice let out a sigh, though it wasn’t a particularly unpleasant expression.

“Then, will you cooperate with me?”

At Alice’s suggestion, Claire and Leo exchanged quick glances before looking back at her and nodding.

“Sure.”

“Willingly.”

Hearing their responses, Alice nodded back.

“Alright. You two… well, not only do you have skill, but you’re from Grace’s estate as well.”

And thus, she continued with her explanation.

“According to the information I gathered, there’s a spy hiding here.”

“A spy?”

The moment she said ‘spy,’ Claire’s expression immediately turned serious. Leo’s did too. Just moments ago, he seemed unsure of where to glance, but now he was looking at us directly.

So it’s Grace’s estate! One of the Emperor’s true loyal families.

“Yeah. But I don’t know exactly what this spy is trying to do. However… considering their origin, it’s likely related to some sort of regional issue.”

Bella couldn’t have provided that detailed information, but Alice had come to a pretty close conclusion based on her own deductions.

Well, if you know how the Papal State operates, such reasoning shouldn’t be too difficult. The imperial intelligence agency wasn’t exactly foolish either.

“Regional issue?”

Yet with the lack of access to such information, Claire and Leo both looked somewhat perplexed.

“…I’ll fill you in on the details later. For now, catching the information source in front of us is the priority.”

“Do you know who the source is?”

“Yeah.”

Alice nodded. Her eyes burned with determination.

“I saw them a moment ago. If we leave now, they might still be there. Leo, I need you to do something for me.”

At Alice’s call, Leo blinked.

Before he could even respond, Alice snatched the pound note I had still been holding. And then she handed the now cold bill to Leo.

“…Can I borrow this?”

And she said that while looking at Claire. Claire seemed to understand what Alice was implying and nodded silently.

…Hmm.

I understood what it meant, but… thinking that it was the money stuck between my chest made me feel a bit uneasy. Surely, that isn’t just my strange way of thinking?

*

After that, surprisingly, the situation flowed similarly to when I first arrived here.

In the original story, it didn’t really specify what Alice was doing on the day Leo first encountered her. It’s likely that after the story continued, there wouldn’t have been much gain either.

But here, there were quite a few people willing to help. Especially since a very much male Leo was mixed in.

“Wanna grab a drink?”

“…Shut up.”

Claire quietly asked a fully tense Leo. Unlike before, Claire was now wearing a mask. It wasn’t legitimate; she must have picked it up after stumbling and finding it while drunk.

With that mask on, and unbuttoning a few buttons on her school uniform as if she needed to present a slightly decadent appearance, Claire oddly radiated a hint of the original Claire’s ambiance.

Of course, it was only a hint, considering the earnest aura around her couldn’t be hidden. That vibe probably wouldn’t come unless she let her hair down.

“There she is.”

“Ah, that person…”

Once again, the bunny girl who regained her composure after putting on the mask pointed to Kiara Verati, making Claire gasp in surprise.

Which made sense. If someone who initially seemed so clumsy was actually part of the Order of Knights, anyone unaware of the fact would be shocked. Plus, all women from the Order of Knights were nuns too.

If someone like that is wearing a bunny girl outfit and throwing sparkles on their chest, no one would be the wiser.

From that perspective, the Papal State truly picked just the right person for this role. Other zealots likely wouldn’t willingly take on such a role, but someone just cosplaying as a believer would jump at the chance.

If they could fight for their lives, they’d gladly do it.

“……”

I thought of this spot as Alice’s domain, and I said nothing. After all, the reason I had suffixed myself with a bunny girl outfit was also to cater to Alice’s wishes.

Well, at least we managed to find someone suitable.

Thank goodness the imperial intelligence agency wasn’t incompetent.

Or maybe Bella was just really capable.

“How about it? Can you do it?”

To Alice’s question, Leo nodded despite his face looking rigid from tension.

“Okay, then…”

Alice said that and moved a bit away from Leo. I was positioned close enough to Alice, ready to rush in if needed… while Claire was very close to me.

….

Hmmm.

I felt a bit uncomfortable.

It was like Claire was trying her best to protect me, which made me feel somewhat uneasy. After all, she was just a kid who seemed much younger than me trying to shield me…

Get a grip.

Right now, I have to focus on the task at hand. I can feel the uneasiness later.

I could rewind if things went wrong, anyway.

But why was that?

At this very moment, I didn’t feel like wanting to rewind time. Even if Leo or someone else here made a mistake.

Feeling that way, I quietly observed Leo, who was moving forward with both legs and arms at the same time, a hint of anxiety creeping into my heart.

*

Looking at the results, the operation was a success.

However, it seemed Leo’s mind suffered irreparable damage.

Imagine paying a bunny girl with money but being too far to slip it into her chest and dropping it instead, making the bunny girl pick it up with a stiff face. How embarrassing would that be?

I contemplated whether I should rewind time with minimal mercy and give him another shot, but it was obvious that if the same person saw the same thing again, they’d likely repeat the same mistake, so I decided to just ignore it and move on.

And thinking about it, it wasn’t entirely Leo’s fault. One problem was that the bills had absorbed too much moisture while stuck between my chest and weren’t stiff enough.

The fact that the banknote was damp might also have been a reason why Kiara Verati’s expression looked so sour.

Still, even if she had noticed us from behind earlier, she chose to follow us quietly along.

Then, after going around in circles, we ended up back at the place I had been before I rewound time.

The attire and the person leading the conversation had shifted, however.

“So, what’s a Crown Princess doing in that getup?”

Kiara Verati asked that, her eyes subtly glancing at me.

“Or should I say, ‘Crown Princesses’?”

She corrected herself.

Chapter 99

“Hey, should I say Crown Princesses?”

Of course, as expected, Kiara Verati was aware of our true identities.

She was someone who could infiltrate the Empire. So she must have had that much information before coming.

Before we could even sit down, she took one of the terrace seats and crossed her legs.

It was quite different from how she treated me when I was alone.

Hmm, thinking back, it made sense. At that time, I wasn’t dressed like this… I had just swaggered up without asking questions and stuffed bills into my chest.

I didn’t look like I was trying to sneak in, and I acted as if I knew my identity from the beginning, so she probably couldn’t look down on me carelessly.

And even now, it was the same. She looked relaxed at first glance, but her gaze kept drifting toward me.

If she received reports about how I appeared at the trilateral talks, she’d have a hard time underestimating me.

However, Alice seemed a bit concerned about Kiara’s repeated glances in my direction.

Alice sat down. She chose a seat at the end of the long chair in a semi-circle, facing Kiara Verati. She crossed her legs and folded her arms defiantly.

Thanks to that, her appearance became a bit… well, it was slightly embarrassing to watch, but at least right now, her pride seemed to take precedence over her modesty.

I sat down with some space beside her, then Claire, and next to Claire was Leo, who looked incredibly tense.

“Well, big brother, why don’t you come sit here?”

Kiara Verati said, lightly tapping the seat beside her as if to take control of the atmosphere.

“Though you look a bit innocent, I don’t mind you that much.”

“Aren’t you a knight and a nun? Can you really be interested in men?”

“Well, the Goddess did tell us to work hard on having children. If all the kids she made are holed up in their rooms, not giving birth, and just growing old and dying alone, she might not be too happy about it, right?”

After saying that, Verati shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, that’s not entirely wrong. I’m still keeping my purity for now. But do you think the Order of Knights would kick me out if I stopped? I’d rather eliminate troublesome men to preserve my position.”

“Wouldn’t the Emperor be thrilled if someone from the loyal Grace family got killed?”

“Well, who knows? No matter how powerful the Empire is, it can’t just start a war with the Papal State, right? Maybe burying the death of a single noble wouldn’t be such a big deal?”

That was obviously just bravado.

The whole reason the Papal State and Kingdom were trying to form an alliance in the first place is that they could never win against the Empire in a nation-to-nation conflict. Plus, they were also wary of the Empire rapidly strengthening its military and moving forces toward the borders.

I looked at Alice.

Alice’s expression didn’t change at all. It wasn’t simply maintaining a poker face. She was well aware of the situation between the Papal State and the Kingdom. I had passed on detailed information about that day’s meeting.

“Stop talking nonsense. Father would actually be the kind to use that as an excuse to invade the Papal State.”

“……”

That’s right.

What mattered most in war was justification. No matter how powerful you are, if there’s no justification, the underlings won’t follow. Whether that’s inflated patriotism or the practical fear of dying if they don’t fight back right now, there needs to be a ‘reason’ for soldiers to engage in battle.

The Emperor could stir up an entire nation over the death of a single noble.

Even when the autonomous regions were asking for help, they were paying the price in advance so that no more than a certain level of imperial troops could come in. At least those people knew what kind of person the Emperor was.

“So? I’ve heard the Emperor has a son and a daughter. If you think you can threaten me by leaning on the Emperor’s power, you’d better not. There’s no benefit for us in listening to a mere Crown Princess whose status as the Crown Prince hasn’t even been confirmed yet. Unless…”

Verati smiled sweetly and said, “How about I help you become the next Emperor? If we can get along, sharing information wouldn’t be a bad idea. It wouldn’t be bad for a true friend to become the next Grand Emperor.”

“Shut up.”

Alice reacted immediately.

“Do I look that innocent? The rights of imperial succession belong solely to the Empire’s royal family. No other country, not even the council, can touch that right.”

“Well then, that’s the end of the conversation. You’re not someone who will become the next Emperor—”

Verati’s gaze swept over me again.

“—Just an average Crown Princess with no remarkable abilities, only boasting noble blood. We have no interest in teaming up with you. It would be better for us to just use this information and go back with what we want.”

“…So it seems you want something that’s here.”

I almost laughed at Alice’s words without realizing it.

Sure enough, she’s showing her diligent studying skills.

“You’re saying you want to take something away from here. Right? And, that means you still don’t have accurate information either. If you had, you would have run away with what you wanted before being discovered. At least it’s a relief that it’s not too late.”

“What of it?”

But Verati also didn’t change her expression and shrugged again.

As the conversation passed back and forth between the two, it was like watching a game of ping pong as the heads of the people sitting between them bobbed back and forth.

“As long as I don’t open my mouth, you won’t have any idea what it is we want to take with us.”

“……”

Alice straightened her back. Her legs were still crossed, but her hands clasped neatly on her lap, resembling the posture of an Emperor.

“It seems you’re misunderstanding something.”

There was nothing from Alice’s calm demeanor that gave away her feelings. No hostility, no aura.

Of course, I couldn’t feel any of that, being how I was.

What about the others? Did Claire and Leo sense anything from Alice?

At the very least, they seemed to feel that the atmosphere was different from Alice’s usual self. Both of them were gaping at Alice, their mouths agape.

“I’m the Empire’s Crown Princess, and I am to become the next Emperor. It doesn’t matter what you think of my abilities. In the end, I’m the only one carrying the royal bloodline, and I alone will continue the legitimacy of the Empire’s royal family.”

Alice spoke without changing her expression.

“And this is the Empire. Not the Papal State. No matter how many troops you brought, in the end, all you can do is move in secret. You couldn’t sneak the entire Papal State’s order of knights in here.”

“……”

Verati seemed to sense something from Alice’s calm demeanor.

As if to judge Alice, she stared intently, and Alice spoke as if delivering a judgment.

“You came all this way knowing I was a Crown Princess. Or did you really underestimate me that much and came all the way here for no reason? Either way, it doesn’t matter. Thanks to you, I can deal with you without causing civilian casualties. Above all, I was able to bring you to such an open place.”

“If you’re threatening me—”

“Threatening? Do I look that foolish?”

Alice slightly lifted her chin. Her blue eyes shone brightly in the moonlight.

Turning to Verati, who just a moment ago was looking down on Alice as a mere Crown Princess, Alice said, “It’s not a threat; it’s a plan. I found out two weeks ago that you’d be here and came up with a plan.”

Two weeks ago, that was when we were sitting in the café and listening to Bella’s info.

“The moment you followed us, you fell into a trap. Now you have only two options. Either keep your faith and stay alive, or attempt an escape that would be tantamount to suicide.”

Ah, I see.

So that’s how it turned out.

No wonder Bella hasn’t been around for a while.

As Verati, who was realizing the situation, suddenly tried to get up, whoosh, a terrifying sound made the curtains rip apart.

Something came into the scene, with a glove on the end, looking like a toy that would hit the opponent when the trigger was pulled.

Of course, it wasn’t actually a toy. Each area that unfolded had a deadly blade, and it was so flexible that it was incomparable to any toy.

Whoosh, the weapon returned to its original state and clanged into a single sword. The saw-like appearance with blades on both sides transformed once more into the form of a thin, long sword.

The person standing there said, “Hello~”

Bella waved her hand cheerfully and greeted Leo and Claire. Leo stood there, mouth agape, staring blankly at Bella.

But those two probably wouldn’t recognize Bella.

She wore a fox mask that looked like something from a Japanese festival, and her hair was black, not the original color of Bella’s hair.

Though she wore tight-fitting black clothing that revealed her figure perfectly, her skin was completely covered. Perhaps she was intentionally raising her neck, as she spoke in a high-pitched, youthful voice that didn’t match her usual tone.

It was likely a costume Bella wore because her strength lay in people not knowing her face.

There was clearly some preference of the creators in having her wear the fox mask. Here it would be set as a souvenir that came from the East.

“Kiara Verati, baptismal name is Eliza.”

At that, Verati shot a glare at Alice.

“Congratulations. This is an honor that nobody within the Empire has ever experienced, meeting all the Crown Princesses in one place at once.”

Chapter 100

“…”

“…”

After Bella took Vera T with her, we sat there for a while. Alice let out a big sigh, as if the tension that had built up inside her had finally been released, while Claire and Leo still wore dazed expressions, caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events.

Eventually, unable to bear the long silence any longer, Alice exclaimed, “Ugh, seriously!”

She then spun around to face me and demanded, “Say something!”

“What do you want me to say?” I asked earnestly.

Alice sighed in frustration. “You know, it was way too dangerous for the Crown Princess to be there. I mean, it was something that could have been resolved even if I wasn’t present. Why did they choose such a risky plan?”

“Are you asking me to scold the Crown Princess?” I retorted.

“No, that’s not it, but…”

Alice rolled her eyes and blushed slightly. “Of course!”

I doused her enthusiasm with cold water, saying, “It’s true that anyone else could’ve done it besides the Crown Princess, and it’s common sense that she could’ve been seriously hurt due to unforeseen circumstances.”

“….”

Hearing my words, Alice’s shoulders slouched. It looked like her white rabbit ears were drooping a bit as well.

“But just because of that, it doesn’t mean today’s events aren’t the Crown Princess’s doing.”

With that added comment, Alice raised her head again, her ears perked up slightly.

In truth, there was no one but Alice and me who could create a situation like this.

Lucas was off somewhere, probably not on the run but just taking a long break. Anyway, it was impossible to assign tasks to someone who was absent. Even if he could handle it, as his face was well-known, Vera T would’ve been out of there the moment she spotted Lucas.

Jayden was also impossible for the same reason.

Bella might find it easy to extract information, but she absolutely couldn’t show her face. So, at the very least, someone else had to capture her, and in order to capture Vera T, who was almost always in crowded civilian areas, we would have to lure her to a place where civilian casualties would be minimized.

But if Bella did that herself, her face would be exposed. Sure, she could solve it by killing her, but that would just raise more alarm bells in the Papal State.

The same went for the remaining brother. He held a similar role, and was already gathering information in another country.

That left just me and Alice.

I was a figure the Papal State couldn’t afford to ignore, while Alice was perceived as a minor being among people who could be lured.

The Papal State had personally confirmed that I was the “Emperor’s Delegate.”

And perhaps they had made a significant miscalculation there.

They probably thought Alice would never rise to the throne.

…Well, I can’t blame them.

The current Emperor is obviously a bizarre person, and even though they aren’t blood-related, legally there isn’t a class difference between the Crown Princess and the prince, one of whom is the commander of the Order of Knights, while the other is performing the duties of the Emperor’s Delegate at such a young age.

Anyone who hasn’t heard the “private conversations” exchanged directly between the Emperor and those kids… well, they could be quite confused.

At the very least, Alice was the perfect candidate to draw in attention.

Even if it hadn’t been Alice, Vera T would have been caught, but what the royal family wanted was to smuggle her out without Northwood knowing.

In order to extract Vera T without the Northwood Duke’s knowledge, there couldn’t be any accidents. If Alice hadn’t directly acted as bait, things would have become a bit more complicated.

As for the royal family, they still wouldn’t really know what that “thing the Papal State wanted” is, exactly.

“You did well. Extracting results is a skill too.”

Thus, I said that to Alice.

“Re, really?” she replied, sounding unsure.

“Yeah. The fact that you were in bunny girl attire while threatening her does have me a bit concerned, though.”

“….”

Claire, having finally shaken off the haze from our conversation, probably feeling a bit jealous, unintentionally made Alice realize how embarrassing her outfit was, and Alice quickly uncrossed her legs.

“B-but the other person was in bunny girl attire too, so it shouldn’t matter!”

Yet she said that while quickly standing up.

*

“Yeah. There were no other troops.”

After we returned to the lodging, we shared a bit more about what we couldn’t discuss in front of Leo and Claire.

“So, in other words, it was all bluster,” I nodded at Alice’s boldly spoken words.

Well, no matter how powerful the Emperor’s authority may be, stationing troops in Northwood is a different issue. Requesting the movement of troops from Northwood would be a much bigger issue.

It’s not that they didn’t have troops following from the Imperial Capital, but having them rampaging in Northwood is a completely different story.

Thank goodness Vera T never revealed her true purpose until the end.

Although Leo and Claire wouldn’t casually blab about it in front of others, it’s still best that no one hears it at all.

“…In fact, you know a lot, don’t you?”

When I didn’t say anything, Alice cautiously asked me.

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

But Alice only made a noise and didn’t press for further questions.

“I don’t know how you know about these things,” she said, pointing to the round table in the spacious room. It had four chairs surrounding it.

Even if the Duke’s room was merely a guest room, it seemed to be ready to receive visitors.

Well, a high-end hotel probably has at least this level of preparation.

As I pulled out one of the chairs to sit, Alice took a seat directly across from me and spoke, “Even if I asked how you figured that out, you wouldn’t tell me, right?”

“…”

I thought for a moment. What should I say?

“My greatest talent is finding out things others don’t know. It’s not something I can just share.”

“Right, well, I have a couple of secrets I’d rather not share with anyone, too.”

I was curious about that, but I decided against asking. If it were a secret that needed to be shared, Alice would tell me someday.

“Still, I can’t help but want to know a little more.”

Alice gazed at me intently. Her expression was calm, and her clear eyes sparkled. It didn’t seem like the kind of expression she would use to intimidate me.

It was just—

“I want to ask not as a Crown Princess, but as your sister.”

Alice paused for a moment.

“Is the ability you have ‘foreknowledge’?”

“If you’re talking about the kind of prophecy written in the prophecies handed down to the royal family, is that what you mean?”

“Yeah.”

“Nope.”

I could definitively respond to that.

“Then is it predicting through delicate calculations?”

“Nope.”

I could answer that one just as clearly.

I’d heard it was impossible to perfectly comprehend and predict the future with “Laplace’s Demon” or through “cognition.” At least the laws of physics would apply equally in this world.

“So you can’t calculate or predict, but you can still know the future, is that it?”

“Yes.”

“…”

Could this question-and-answer session lead Alice to realize my ability?

It could, or it might not.

If it’s neither prediction nor calculation, then the only other explanation is that I’ve directly experienced the future. And if I deny even that, it would mean something like “I just move as I want, and it happens that way.” Frankly, that’s an area where you could call me a god.

Alice wouldn’t judge me as a god, so it would probably be possible for her to guess my ability without having to hear it directly.

So if I wanted to conceal my ability, it would actually be wise not to even respond like this.

Yet, for some reason, I felt like I wanted to answer this way.

It wasn’t exactly a conclusion reached after logical thinking.

I just wanted to.

“…Fine. I won’t ask for more details.”

Having seemingly reached her own conclusion, Alice responded like that. She glanced at the clock on the wall and said, “You must be tired. Thanks for staying up late with me tonight.”

“Not at all. I just wanted to follow along,” I replied, giving a slight bow to Alice.

Well, even if I hadn’t followed her, I was planning to go alone regardless.

So Alice didn’t need to apologize to me.

If anything, I almost ruined Alice’s plan.

“If you need me next time, just call.”

“…Yeah.”

In response to my words, Alice nodded readily.

Chapter 101

After sending Sylvia back to her room, Alice got up again and changed her clothes.

She still had her bunny girl outfit underneath her school uniform.

Taking off the school uniform and putting on the bunny costume… which was embarrassingly ridiculous, Alice blushed as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Even upon a second glance, it was an awkward outfit.

It was hard to believe that Alice actually thought to wear this outfit herself.

However…

At the same time, she felt somewhat relieved.

It was as if she had finally spit out something that had been crammed deep down in her chest. Perhaps it was because she wasn’t alone in this—maybe it was because Sylvia and other friends had somehow gotten wrapped up in this together that she could think this way.

“……”

Just as if she already knew Alice would wear that outfit, Sylvia casually visited Alice’s room.

Alice hadn’t even told her deliberately.

But she had thought Sylvia would show up. After all, Alice figured Sylvia had somehow grasped the future.

That thought solidified when Sylvia returned victorious from the battlefield last time.

How many soldiers could return from the battlefield uninjured all by themselves?

Simply infiltrating the enemy ranks was an impressive feat. The reason the area between the front lines was called a “no man’s land” was that anyone who entered it ended up dead. Even if they survived, they were quickly discovered and shot. Sylvia crossed that desolate, dead land alone and laid waste to the enemy.

And remarkably, she didn’t even have a single scratch.

It was an impossible feat unless one was fully aware of the enemy’s base layout, troop placements, types of weapons, and trajectories of incoming bullets. Even Jennifer Winterfield would surely struggle with such combat. If she could do it, she would have done so long ago.

Alice could have easily guessed what Sylvia was thinking about what she planned to do.

In fact, she felt a sense of ease just because Sylvia had come to her directly.

Just like all the times Alice had acted stubbornly, Sylvia stood by her side. This time, she didn’t say a word as if to let Alice do as she pleased. She stayed beside her silently, merely setting the mood so that Alice could take charge to the very end.

Of course, if Verity had tried to jump in, Sylvia would have stepped up…

“This is just disqualifying for you as a sister.”

A deep sigh escaped Alice’s lips.

Isn’t it obvious that Sylvia doesn’t look like a sister at all?

“But…”

However, a smile quickly spread across Alice’s face.

She saw Sylvia smiling.

For a moment, she was taken aback, and although it vanished quickly, Sylvia was indeed smiling softly.

Alice, who usually could sense Sylvia’s feelings, knew she wasn’t a soulless monster, but it was the first time Sylvia openly smiled at her like that.

It was so natural, so unforced, that for an instant, she almost overlooked it.

Seeing that smile, Alice thought for a moment.

Perhaps Sylvia thought of Alice as the next emperor not for practical reasons.

Maybe it was simply because she was ‘Alice Fanggriffon.’

Perhaps it was because she believed in her.

“It’s neither foresight nor calculation.”

Alice mulled over something Sylvia had said.

Then again, had Sylvia already experienced something of the future?

But that would be impossible.

Time travel is scientifically impossible. Even followers of the Goddess or mystics would likely react similarly.

If it were possible, one could erase past transgressions, and that would imply that a proper judgment from the divine cannot be rendered upon the sins committed by humans.

Just suggesting that would cause the believers of the Goddess to rise up in protest, claiming it sacrilegious.

“No, wait.”

Alice chuckled to herself, thinking.

On the contrary, maybe they don’t treat Sylvia like a goddess in order to endure their own contradiction.

How would Verity react if she heard something like that?

Feeling unexpectedly cheerful, Alice giggled while changing her clothes.

*

“What do you think of my little sisters?”

Is this place some kind of safe house?

The place Verity had brought her to, blindfolded, was a basement with no windows. As she was jostled around in the carriage, she tried to memorize the route, but it seemed that the path to this place was anything but ordinary.

Even if it were a typical route, they must have jostled her to disorient her sense of direction.

However, if it’s the Northwood territory, she could find her way back.

The past few months hadn’t been a waste. She had established her presence in the surroundings, rummaged through the forest, and even entered the Northwood Duke’s residence without being caught.

However, she still hadn’t pinpointed the exact location of the treasure. She had gathered some rough coordinates through various equipment brought from the Papal State, but she couldn’t search all of them.

And just thinking of that ‘equipment’ made Verity’s spine tingle.

The best way to find the treasure was to search with another piece that had been similarly crafted. Since they were all fragments that had broken off from one piece, if they matched, it would be possible to identify their locations based on their responsiveness.

…I wonder if the collaborators can retrieve them in time?

“You seem to be deep in thought.”

A high-pitched and annoying voice interrupted her musings. The tone felt mocking, prompting Verity to glare at her opponent.

Her face was completely hidden behind a mask. She likely wasn’t even wearing her own hair. Her ears were hidden by her hair, and even the skin on her neck was obscured by her clothes.

She was dressed from head to toe, quite fitting for this region in a way.

“…Well, that’s true.”

In truth, the moment she laid eyes on the crown princess, she realized the operation had failed. If reports had reached the two princesses, it meant the imperial leadership was already aware.

But to think that this ostensibly empty crown princess was the one orchestrating all the princesses.

Could the emperor really ignore blood ties?

“I don’t know what kind of misunderstanding you have,” the bizarre entity, hearing the words ‘another princess,’ interrupted Verity’s continuous thoughts.

“The emperor’s successor has not yet been decided. It could be Sylvia as the empress, or it could be me. Or traditionally, one of the princes might take the seat, right?”

“……”

“I’m just here to help today. It’s a cute little sister’s request, you know? As someone who has to act like a sister, it’s hard to ignore.”

“Such a great person, Crown Princess.”

Verity bit back.

“Well, aside from that, just wanting the emperor’s seat is just from some people. But whether our father would think of placing that person on the throne is something we don’t know.”

“Would you expect him to put someone who doesn’t want to be on the throne there for the empire to function properly?”

“The empire has a council, does it not?”

“Rubbish.”

Verity scoffed.

“There’s no way a bunch of puppets of the emperor could ever act against his will.”

“It’s only because the imperial authority is strong that they are like this. If the imperial authority weakens in the future, the council might breathe easier.”

“Is the emperor? Well, if it’s the daughter claiming to be the emperor, I’m sure you know better what he thinks, but…”

Verity shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly as she spoke.

“At least, the emperor as we see it from our Papal State is certainly not that kind of person.”

“Do you believe in the Papal State’s information?”

“More than your lot’s.”

“Impressive. I thought you became a cathedral knight just to kill people, but it seems your faith is quite strong as well?”

“……”

Verity fell silent.

And she stared quietly at the kitsune-masked figure before her.

“Well, it doesn’t matter if you don’t want to speak. You’ll want to soon enough.”

“Ha.”

For the first time since entering here, Verity relaxed.

“Planning to torture me or something?”

If it’s torture, she wouldn’t mind. In fact, she had a body that could enjoy pain to some extent.

As long as she didn’t die, the Papal State could somehow fix Verity. They had the treasure.

As long as they had evidence of betrayal.

“No. We are quite gentlemanly. Or rather, should I say ‘ladylike’?”

After a boring joke, the kitsune-masked figure shrugged playfully.

“I hear a lot of speculation about the royal family; how about you just ask the one at the top of the royal family if you’re curious?”

“What—”

But before Verity could respond, the basement door swung open, and dazzling light flooded in.

Squinting her eyes upwards, she saw a figure standing in the light.

Although she couldn’t see the face clearly, she had seen that stature a few times before.

Chapter 102

“Ugh… I really can’t play at a casino.”

The fake golden sun muttered that.

They say there are plenty of quests near the forest, but maybe because I remembered Leo and his group sweeping up the morning quests the last time, my classmates have been super busy with their quests since morning.

Moreover, even if quests arise around here, it’s not because the quest board can’t handle them. They just leave some of the incoming quests for the students. The north really has a shortage of people, but Northwood doesn’t have a battlefield nearby, has plenty of money, and above all, security around here has to be stable.

Unlike the times when they were doing more than just the subquests, the number of quests was low this time, so we had plenty of time to relax after completing some.

Especially in the evening like this, it meant we could sit back at the casino.

“…”

Of course, Charlotte, who followed along, had a very displeased expression. The fact that she didn’t want to come outside last night shows she really has no interest in casinos. That was a relief. Since Charlotte was in the room like in the original story, we could relatively relax at the casino.

Jake, who lost money in the card game a couple of times, returned to the rail where we were waiting and overheard Charlotte opening her mouth.

“Thinking you can win money in a place like this is just wrong. The people running the casino aren’t fools, and if they thought you’d lose money, they wouldn’t run such a place.”

It’s not really a place based on cheating. If they pulled off tricks in front of high-ranking nobles, that would be a big deal. No matter how much the Duke is backing them, you can’t openly commit fraud where people from other dukes also come.

“The teacher said to take it easy as well.”

To be more precise, Carolyn’s expression looked very embarrassed about showing students a place like this.

It seems that the Northwood Duke’s household raised Carolyn too uprightly.

In fact, she was the character that would look the best in a bunny girl outfit among all the characters…but well, it’s not like someone from a duke’s family would have any reason to wear such a thing, so let’s just move on.

“I don’t really understand what’s fun about gambling.”

“That’s obvious. Don’t even try to learn it.”

In response to Lena’s words, Charlotte quickly chimed in.

Lena was the youngest among us. Maybe Charlotte found Lena cute, or maybe she thought of her as someone in a similar situation since she’s a foreigner, but Charlotte often took care of Lena.

Since Lena came from a place that clearly doesn’t have as much infrastructure as the Empire, she looked at the casino with curiosity, but didn’t hold a very favorable view of the bunny girls wandering around or the people engrossed in card games.

There were a few roulette machines operating. They were actually powered by a steam engine connected to gas pipes below the building. After all, it was a place leading the forefront of technology even in the Empire.

“Are you done yet?”

When I asked, Jake shrugged and said,

“I was thinking of getting Roti a diamond ring, but I lost all the money I had. I don’t even have enough to spin the roulette, so I guess that’s it.”

“…You lost all your café money too?”

“Yeah, pretty much. So can I borrow some money?”

At Jake’s words, Alice let out a deep sigh.

“The Duke’s eldest son borrowing money from the Crown Princess…”

“It’s not like it’s enough money to buy a territory or anything, so what’s the problem? Huh? Or should I win some and give it to you?”

“…I’ll lend it to you, so let’s get out of here quickly.”

Alice shot Jake a side-eye as she spoke.

There might be another reason for saying that. Seeing Alice glancing around from earlier, it seemed she was still concerned about what happened yesterday. Even with a mask on her face, those who could recognize her would.

True, her gaze might have turned this way a bit, but it was probably more because of the crowd in academy uniforms rather than recognizing Alice as a bunny girl.

“Ugh.”

After Alice, Claire also let out a small sigh.

…In fact, there were various reasons for Jake’s behavior. To some extent, he was deliberately rebelling against his household.

By the way, Leo was sticking close to Claire. He wasn’t pressing against her, but he was making an effort to express with his whole body, “I’m with these people.”

From the moment we entered the casino, bunny girls had been clinging to Leo enthusiastically. Being handsome was certainly a reason, but given no one was particularly sticking to Jake, it was probably more about the ‘foolish vibe’ he was giving off.

And Claire was looking at Leo as if finding him somewhat pathetic.

“How about it, Sylvia? Are you thinking of trying to win money? If you lend me the money you win, I could make it even bigger. You might hit the jackpot you can’t read the numbers for!”

I silently watched Jake, who was saying things he didn’t mean as if he had a steel plate on his face.

“Rather, I have things to do. I don’t mind you staying here until late, but if you stay here with not a single coin, you might end up in debt by morning to the Duke to the point he can’t handle it.”

“Okay, okay. I didn’t want to get scolded by Roti anyway.”

With just that comment alone, he’d be a hundred percent scolded by Roti.

A prince borrowing money from the Crown Princess— it wouldn’t be odd for his servant to report it, let alone the Duke personally giving a scolding for it.

But that was probably exactly what Jake was aiming for.

“So, what exactly do you want to talk about? Should we go listen in?”

Jake said that and began walking ahead as if it was natural, while we lowered our pace and followed behind him slowly.

*

Before telling the story to the group, we had quite a long conversation.

The Zibo hiding, and something that shouldn’t be discovered by the duke of this territory.

And to make matters worse, two of them are foreigners.

But if we just vanished from each other, that would be a problem too. If we disappeared recklessly, that would draw suspicion as well.

In the original story, in the end, Verati entered first, followed by Alice and Leo. Claire was watching from afar. This was the first time Claire participated as a guest character.

Upon returning, Alice and Leo disappearing together caused romantic comedy misunderstandings.

But this time, we had three people, so it would be impossible not to notice if that many people vanished at once.

So what we thought of was… just talking.

Not openly, but in a manner that was a bit more ‘noble-like’.

“Take a look at this.”

After leaving the casino and gathering at a nearby café, we showed an invitation card to other kids who didn’t know what happened yesterday.

“This is…”

Charlotte said as she received the invitation.

It was an elegant envelope. It had the atmosphere that a high-ranking person’s invitation would be inside.

As Charlotte held the envelope, she glanced our way. When Alice nodded, she cautiously opened it and pulled out the equally luxurious paper inside.

What was inside was a request form.

“Please explore the hidden areas of Northwood Forest…”

After reading that brief content, Charlotte showed a slightly bewildered expression.

“Why would there be such a request if it could go through the request board?”

“Since this is Northwood Duke’s land.”

“…Aha.”

As Charlotte put the paper back into the envelope, she said,

“So, you’re implying that it’s someone ‘other than’ the duke who made such a request.”

“Exactly.”

“But, is there really a reason for ‘us’ to receive such a request?”

“That’s…”

Alice closed her eyes for a moment. Then, she took a slight breath and slowly opened her eyes, exhaling her words.

“…There’s a reason they can’t say.”

“…”

Charlotte squinted at Alice, looking at her quietly before speaking.

“So that’s how it is.”

Charlotte shook the envelope gently between her fingers as she continued,

“They must have enough guts to think about robbing the duke’s territory, but they wouldn’t want to be found out by such troublesome people. Besides, not just a dungeon, but ‘dungeons’ they mention here. It’s just too obvious.”

Alice managed to maintain her poker face, but it seemed Charlotte could see through it all.

However, Charlotte didn’t press on any further.

“Alright. Everyone has stories they don’t want to share with others. Let’s go along with this this time.”

Charlotte glanced at Jake and Lena sitting beside her. Jake looked entertained while Lena tilted her head in confusion.

“It seems like both of you agree, though… but there’s one condition if we’re going along with this.”

“…Just say it.”

“If there comes a time when I ask you to let me trick you, you have to definitely let me do it! That way, it balances out, right?”

“…”

As Charlotte said that as if joking, Alice nodded.

And like what Charlotte had done a while ago, she looked over at the two sitting next to Charlotte.

“Well, I’m from the duke’s family, right? I wouldn’t want to clash with the royal family, so I’ll just follow along.”

Jake answered as if making small talk, while Lena responded as if still not quite understanding.

“Well, if a request has come, then shouldn’t we just solve it?”

Both of them gave their answers in a way that reflected their unique personalities.

Chapter 103

The place where Bella and I made contact wasn’t too far from the casino; it was a forest.

It was also a place I remembered. Outside the casino building, there were areas you couldn’t enter deeply in the game, and although the forest wasn’t fully realized, at least the direction of where we were after leaving the casino matched what I remembered.

“So close….”

Alice said while turning back.

From the perspective of the world I lived in, there was quite a tall building that seemed to pierce the sky. It was the casino and the hotel building stretching above it. Of course, it wasn’t quite skyscraper level that you could list among the world’s best, but when you saw it up close, you had to tilt your head back just to see the top.

And that gorgeous building was illuminated by the bright, flashy lights from below.

Even from this forest, you could see it.

It was a vibrant place, almost unbelievably lush and thick, making it hard to believe it was so hard to develop the area around it.

In a way, this was a great location choice. A fallen city hidden in the forest? Isn’t that something out of a novel?

“Did you arrive on time?”

Bella was a little off the path leading from the forest’s entrance.

There were hardly any people wandering around in the woods at this hour, so it seemed like there was no real issue even with her shining a light around.

Bella was wearing the fox mask we saw earlier along with a form-fitting leather suit. Her demeanor exuded confidence, but her outfit seemed to suggest she was extremely wary of revealing her true identity.

Well, Lucas, Bella, and even the Emperor had shown quite a disrespectful attitude in front of him, but in reality, they would never stray from the plans laid out by the Emperor.

In her left hand, Bella held a small bag. It wasn’t very big. If I had to guess, it was about the size of a handbag. The style was just a shabby leather bag.

That must belong to Verati. I remembered Verati carrying a bag like that while searching for relics in the game.

Inside, there was likely one of the artifacts from the Papal State.

“Hm.”

Bella made an utterance as she looked around us.

Bella was quite capable. Truthfully, you could say she had already reached the pinnacle of her existing talents.

But even so, it would be impossible to conquer a dungeon built in ancient times on her own.

“Impressive.”

Bella said with a smile, still wearing her mask. Claire and Leo had already seen Bella’s appearance once.

The voice sounded different.

To me, and from Alice’s perspective, Bella was just Bella itself, but… I wonder how she looked to others?

Leo might not notice, but Claire was pretty observant.

However, Claire’s expression didn’t seem particularly surprised from the brief glance she stole.

“Two daughters of the Emperor and two heirs from loyal houses. I’ve heard they’re quite skilled.”

“That’s right. Both of them are exceptionally talented. I guarantee that, as a fellow Crown Princess.”

As Alice took a step forward and said that, Bella shrugged her shoulders.

It was a strangely condescending attitude.

Bella was a character I found difficult to grasp. She was only mentioned in passing in the main storyline, with just a few illustrations and some dubbed lines in flashback scenes. Even saying she had a personality similar to Claire doesn’t mean she was exactly the same as the Claire in the main story.

Moreover, the aura of the original Claire had already been significantly diluted in my mind. After all, I had a nearby version of Claire that was immensely diligent for the past two months.

Still, thinking about the personality I had seen over the last ten years…

That attitude was an act.

Bella always played around in front of us without her mask. Sometimes she would pull annoying pranks or tease us.

“Well, if the next Emperor of the Empire says so, I’ll have to follow suit.”

“…….”

Upon Bella’s words, Alice glared at her.

Leo gulped. In the original story, Leo’s attitude would shift to being much closer to Alice from this point on, but due to that ‘next Emperor’ line, it seemed that change would take quite a while.

“Have you found the location?”

“Having three Crown Princesses sticking around, if we can’t figure it out, it would be a hit to the Empire’s prestige.”

However, Bella’s subsequent words were not so reassuring.

“Though, for now, it doesn’t seem like not finding it is going to affect the Empire’s prestige either.”

“Not finding it? What do you mean by that?”

“It seems we grabbed it a bit too quickly. Verati didn’t know the exact location of the ruins. She just guessed based on the Papal State’s records and sneaked in.”

“……Then, how many of those female-like humans are infiltrating the Empire?”

“Probably quite a few. Being that the land is vast is also an issue.”

Saying this, Bella pulled out a piece of paper from the bag in her hand and handed it to Alice. While Alice looked a bit hesitant, she accepted the piece of paper Bella offered without saying much.

Technically, it looked more like a map than a note.

“It’s a rough map of the area.”

It wasn’t made solely for military purposes. The area around here was quite wide and complicated. Northwood certainly didn’t want tourists getting lost, so it was a distributed map made similarly to a theme park guide.

Compared to the theme park maps I remembered, it didn’t have much color or mascots drawn on it.

The simple map described the commercial district formed around the casino and the forest surrounding it.

And there were several ‘X’ marks in intervals throughout the surrounding forest.

“Sorry about Verati.”

Bella said with a tone that seemed to mock Verati.

“It seems like the knight from the Papal State really was incompetent. How did it take her all that effort to pinpoint the location only at the very end?”

“…….”

We all had no choice but to agree with Bella’s remark.

*

The artifacts responded to each other. They weren’t just devices with different abilities; they were part of a larger mechanism.

In the original story, the functionality of these artifacts was never revealed. If we were to think of the series as a different world, you might say that divine power was imbued in it, allowing the impossible wishes to be granted… or something like that would be expressed. However, the narrative about these artifacts had become tiresome, as players started to grumble about it maintaining continuity even with several world changes throughout the series.

Nevertheless, most players surmised, “They’ll definitely revive the dead heroines with those artifacts.”

That said, I had no intention of giving up on reviving the heroines. If this were a game, I might have just enjoyed it, thinking I couldn’t stop it anyway, but this wasn’t a game; it was reality.

“Honestly, I think I understand why Verati couldn’t find it.”

Bella said with an irritated expression.

It had been nearly three hours of wandering through the forest before we finally found the entrance.

In the first place, we had never truly seen what an artifact was, so even if someone said it would shine brighter nearby, we wouldn’t know how bright that shine would actually be.

Only when we got near the dungeon entrance did the light become weakly stronger.

So what that meant was that the artifacts didn’t actually shine as their default state; it seemed they had been shining since we arrived because they were judging that ‘another artifact was nearby.’

“……Has Charlotte’s side not finished the dungeon yet?”

Alice muttered, sounding worried.

“……”

Certainly, at this pace, they’d be too exhausted to fight properly if we went in.

I let out a small sigh.

Again.

*

“…….”

As I half snatched the artifact from Bella’s hands and confidently headed to the dungeon entrance, the kids all had blank expressions on their faces.

There was hardly a path, as I moved through the tall trees.

But still, I had advanced for less than 30 minutes.

…Though for me, it felt like I had taken nearly eight hours.

Even turning back time to navigate around, searching from the starting point was incredibly difficult. At least I knew the direction of the buildings, so I found it sooner than last time, but it didn’t make that much difference.

Thus, I had gone back in time several times to find it so that everyone around me could accept it.

Every time I found the dungeon, the expressions of my party changed from ‘That’s to be expected’ to shock.

And this time, they almost looked speechless.

“……”

Alice’s gaze at me became more meaningful, but I didn’t feel the need to say anything further.

Chapter 104

“How could there be a place like this and nobody knew about it?”

Claire said, gazing at the entrance of the dungeon.

As Claire pointed out, the dungeon entrance was quite large. It was literally an ancient ruin.

There were remnants of a decrepit shrine, but it had mostly collapsed, and its original form was unrecognizable. What should have been a simple floor was thick with overgrown grass, making walking difficult, and the shrine, resembling a shrunken Parthenon, was entirely overtaken by ivy.

However, just because it wasn’t conspicuous didn’t mean it was invisible. Being in the middle of the forest must have made it look like an open area, and even from a short distance away, it was clear that this place had been artificially built.

No matter how much wild beasts wandered in the forest, it was hard to believe that the hunters of Northwood didn’t know about this location.

“It’s probably the effect of the relic,”

Alice said seriously.

The light emanating from the relic was brighter than before. Besides that, there were no special effects visible. There were no magic circles around the relic, nor did any hidden inscriptions appear…

In fact, just having a single mana stone could easily create an object that radiated such a mysterious light.

The relic looked like a broken tablet. There were patterns engraved on it, but we could only recognize it as part of a larger image—what that image depicted was hard to decipher. It resembled pieces of a stone tablet that you need to find to open a door in a horror game.

Whether this tablet was the central part or if it had broken off, creating an unclear overall shape—square, triangular, or circular—was anyone’s guess.

But this was something I remembered.

In the original story, it was an item obtained after defeating Verati.

Verati became a prisoner of the imperial family, serving as a negotiation tool between the Papal State and the Empire.

…She’s not the heroine. The heroine from the Papal State appears later on.

Well, that’s a matter for another time.

“There must be some kind of magical cognitive impairment. It’s a forgotten place even by imperial standards, but it would have been a very important location in the previous civilization.”

“Magical cognitive impairment? Is there such a thing?”

“It might have existed in an era when everything was solved by magic.”

Claire looked surprised at my words, while Alice nodded in agreement with an expression of understanding.

“Then it means they didn’t just bring this relic here, right? At the very least, it indicates that the Papal State knew that places like this existed all around the world.”

“Is there no relic in the Empire?”

“But they didn’t know how to utilize the relic or if there were any maps recording its location. It was just ‘treasures in storage,’ nothing more.”

Listening to Claire and Alice’s continued conversation, I slowly approached the ruins.

As I got closer, the blue light emanating from the relic grew stronger.

When I boldly moved forward, I heard hurried footsteps following me from behind.

“Do you know something we don’t?”

Bella, who was sticking close to my side, asked.

“……”

I chose not to answer.

Well, if there’s anything I know, it’s not much.

For instance, I remembered the structure of this dungeon. I can’t say it was completely accurate, but once I entered and saw the layout, everything would slowly come back to me—just like when I entered the Sewers of the Imperial Capital.

Also, this dungeon wasn’t that difficult. It was the second part of the six-part area where the true dungeon first appeared.

The graphics hadn’t been optimized, so the grass was a bit sparse and the ivy didn’t move as naturally, but as I wandered around, illuminated by the faint light from the relic, the layout of the ruins resembled what I remembered.

“From here on, I’ll take the lead.”

“But what about the risks…?”

“The only danger is the monsters inside.”

I simply responded to Alice’s concern and passed the relic back to Bella.

“Looks like we won’t need the relic inside?”

“It’ll be necessary at the end.”

I pulled out the shotgun I had prepared in advance.

The fire attribute ammunition would definitely help. There were plenty of slimes inside, after all.

This was the first time in a dungeon that actually resembled a ‘dungeon.’ Before, even if the paths twisted like in a dungeon, it didn’t openly mirror the appearance of an underground ruin.

The paths twisted and turned, and there were mechanisms that blocked the way, but there were no traps that would threaten our lives.

It was just that there were a bit too many enemies inside.

As I pumped the shotgun to load a shell, my party exchanged glances. Even Bella met Alice’s gaze.

Alice had seen me calmly navigating through the Sewers of the Imperial Capital, but still, the sewers and an ancient dungeon were completely different. At the very least, there should be a map inside the Empire.

After confirming their expressions, I turned around and smiled slightly.

It was a smile of pride.

After all, I still had a distinct character trait left.

*

The dark and gloomy dungeon was made up of similar stone paths.

In the game, it had been depicted somewhat brightly for player convenience, but once inside, the dungeon was incredibly dark. Even with the full moon outside, it felt like not a single ray of light was coming in. Was this also due to magical reasons?

Conversely, the light emitting from the relic that Bella held was much more intense, brightly illuminating our surroundings. It was a description very similar to what I had seen in the game.

I contemplated telling everyone to stick closely behind me but decided against it. My party members were all more skilled in combat than I was, so there was no reason for them to struggle to keep up.

Following the light from the relic, I moved deeper into the dungeon.

And not long after,

“Enemies—”

Bang!

Before Claire could react to the slime that appeared in front of us, I immediately pulled the trigger.

I hardly aimed, but the intense flame spewing from the gun was more than enough to evaporate the slime.

“……”

Until the sound of me leisurely taking out and reloading a shell into my waist gun reached their ears, everyone just stared at me with their mouths slightly agape.

Well, I prepared for this, after all.

At the very least, I knew what kind of attribute monsters would mainly pop out here.

Feeling a small sense of pride deep within me, I slowly stepped forward.

*

“Sis, you’re amazing…”

…Hmm.

Maybe I went a bit overboard?

The traps were almost non-existent, and the monsters were too easy to handle thanks to my over-the-top preparations. I had only brought along a handgun and shotgun, but slimes were weak to heat and mana, so…

Mia Crowfield might have been of great help, but dragging her out of the casino, where she clearly didn’t want to leave, was not feasible. Honestly, even if I had brought her out, showing her this wouldn’t be right either. I’d have likely kept her near Charlotte instead.

“Heh.”

As we finally reached what seemed to be the deepest part of the dungeon, Bella, who had been following me, sniffed in interest. The mask she wore was blacked out around her eyes, making it hard to read her expression, but I could tell her gaze towards me had shifted slightly.

“……What’s this device?”

The deepest part of the dungeon—the room in front of the boss monster.

In front of it stood an automatic recovery device.

This was, after all, a game mechanics concession. Maybe the developers thought it would make no sense for a merchant to still be around right before a boss fight, so they placed a mysterious device powered by ancient magic in front of the boss rooms. This kind of device appeared not only here but in various places, but it was the first one I had seen since coming to this world.

“It’s still operational.”

Alice said as she approached it.

A strangely spiraled column wrapped with brightly shining colorful lights.

Naturally, it seemed like this device wasn’t equipped with the functionalities of a shop.

“……What could this device be?”

Seeing Leo approach, frowning at the device and examining it closely, I realized.

Ah, we hadn’t taken a single hit on the way here.

In a world where getting shot by a gun meant death, the same fairness applied to other beasts and monsters. If it had the piercing power to pierce through skin, a bear could kill a person.

…Of course, I didn’t need to mention slimes.

Thanks to my thorough preparations, there had been almost no injuries.

So, there was no reason for us to recover here, and it was as if we felt nothing.

…Did I really go too far?

For a moment, that thought crossed my mind.

Chapter 105

I had all sorts of thoughts. Would this device really heal wounds? If someone with an incurable disease came near it, could it cure that too?

Womp!

… Sure, those were pointless musings, but there was something that bothered me more.

Ding!

The device didn’t have a shop or a blacksmith function. I could accept that, but if we were to sell items, who would receive the money? Even if it could modify weapons, that would take at least a few hours, maybe even days. We couldn’t just stand around waiting for that!

Flap!

There was something else that nagged at me more. In games, the healing devices installed at various points in dungeons served as landmarks. Normally, you just keep going straight and see the destination ahead, but sometimes players would get lost in twisted late-game dungeons.

Whoosh!

That’s why the latest series based on the world’s lore adopted such landmark systems. The healing device would remain inactive until a player approached, then it would light up until the dungeon was cleared.

Zing!

Just seeing the healing device glow tells you, “This is the way out!” Honestly, I’m not sure if anyone could get lost in a dungeon, especially when the game provides a mini-map.

Bloop!

Could this be one of the changes when a game becomes reality? Could we assume that this healing device has been operational for thousands of years?

Bam!

If not… that means someone has passed by here before.

Thud!

I looked at the door leading to the boss room. It was a massive stone door that opened from both sides.

Crash!

In the original work, it wasn’t locked. It opened automatically when the player got within a certain range. The mechanics behind it were never explained, but it had to be magic.

Zap!

“Are you ready?” I asked, glancing back.

Claire, who had been curiously examining the dungeon, Alice and Leo – all of them turned to look at me.

Stomp!

Bella, leaning against the ruins like she didn’t care at all, was the same. She had put her glowing orb back in her bag at some point. Light continuously streamed from it, but the brilliance emanating from the healing device made it hard to notice.

Glint!

“This must be the heart of the ruins. If the ancient people who built this wanted to protect it—”

Thunk!

“…There’s surely a very powerful security device or guardian inside,” Alice remarked, glancing at the healing device once more.

Nod!

I nodded. No matter who had passed by, or if it had been continuously activated for a long time, one thing was clear: its durability was incredible.

Crackle!

It wasn’t just the device. The fact that this ruin was in such good shape, and the anti-recognition magic still worked, proved that a civilization far more advanced than the Empire had existed long before.

Whoosh!

As I checked my weapon again, the three of them also examined their own. All three wielded swords, but their styles differed. Alice had a two-handed sword, broad enough to serve as a shield, while Leo and Claire’s were thinner and could be wielded with one hand.

Swoosh!

Even with the same Grace-style swordsmanship, Leo and Claire had different ways of wielding their blades. Leo’s was straightforward, while Claire’s was a bit trickier.

Huff!

Still, it didn’t change the fact that all three handled swords.

Thump!

I pondered if I should be the last to enter, but thinking about my shotgun made me reconsider. It wasn’t the kind to control magic, and shooting from the back could put the three of them at risk.

Bam!

Bella’s swordsmanship was entirely different. Though it was a sword, it was more of a mid-range weapon. Leaving rear cover to Bella wouldn’t be a significant problem.

Bloop!

Well, if anything went wrong, I could just turn back time.

Zing!

“Are you ready?” I asked again. Everyone nodded. Seeing the three of them firmly grip their swords with both hands, I slowly approached the door.

Clomp!

As I placed my hand on it,

Wham!

I heard an exclamation from behind me.

Sparkle!

A light spread from where I touched, radiating in geometric patterns like a computer circuit before fading quickly.

Zoom!

But it was clear that the light had some function. Soon enough, the door creaked and began to scrape open sideways.

Creeeak!

A subtle vibration ran through the floor, and sand fell from the ceiling. Just as I worried that it might collapse, the door swung wide open with a thud.

Boom!

Inside was brightly lit.

Glimmer!

Having encountered slimes throughout the dungeon, I assumed the boss in here would also be a slime.

Slurp!

That assumption wasn’t too far off. The moist floor bore the melted remains of the slime Rena had faced earlier.

Drip!

Indeed. It was a corpse.

Gasp!

“…A person?”

Gulp!

In that wet room, a person stood.

Gug!

No, to be precise, there were people standing.

“Goodness,” Bella murmured.

“…Father…?”

Alice’s voice echoed behind.

“…Father? Alice’s?”

Claire sounded shocked—

“Then…”

Leo gasped, mumbling.

Shudder!

Standing in front of me, there was a broad-shouldered man whose head looked to be more than a size larger than mine, and even here, he had neatly groomed his shining golden hair to the side.

Whoosh!

While he hadn’t shaved completely, the short trim along his jawline projected a tidy appearance. He had a young aura but seemed far from frivolous. His blue eyes, which looked like they were hiding deep thoughts, gave off a serious vibe.

Thud!

“To surprise my daughters, I made quite an effort, but alas, thanks to an unwelcome guest, I can’t even extend my formal greetings,” the Emperor said cheerfully, despite the tense situation.

Gulp!

“Wh-what…?” Leo stammered, like a scratched LP.

Doom!

“Your Majesty!?”

Had this been in the Imperial Palace, he would’ve received quite the reprimand for such a reaction.

Ping!

But our Emperor seemed utterly unconcerned.

Flick!

“Are you a child of Grace? How wonderful to finally see your face.”

He inquired with an almost innocent demeanor.

Spasm!

His vivid red cloak emanated a light, suggesting he too had brought the Empire’s treasures.

Whirr!

“…You intentionally left some enemies behind, didn’t you?”

“If I left a sign of my passing, you wouldn’t have been this surprised,” he chuckled, seeming to recognize my astonished expression.

Blink!

“Let’s save the reunion for later,” the Emperor proposed.

Puff!

Hearing him say that, Leo let out a sigh. Really, being born a noble isn’t a carefree affair.

Thump!

Well, being born from a proper noble family is certainly better than having ambiguous bloodlines.

Thwack!

While I had those thoughts, I pointed my shotgun at the enemy in front of me.

Dramatic tension!

The person facing the Empire’s Emperor… was impossible to determine their age. But looking at that build, I doubted they were male. Unless they intentionally disguised themselves, they were undeniably female.

Creak!

A white mask with hollow black eyes concealed their face. The hood connected to a robe that flowed downward. At a glance, you’d think they were a knight from that famous space opera franchise, wielding a lightsaber. Although the hem had seen better days.

Whoosh!

The silhouette was slender, stretching from shoulder to hip. The chest hidden by the robe protruded enough that you couldn’t help but think it was a woman at first glance.

Silence!

The figure stood still, not even breathing.

Shh!

In one hand, they held a sword—a long double-edged blade like the one the Emperor was wielding, and Alice swung around with her two hands. That sword looked considerably worn, with chips in various places.

Glimpse!

And there I stood, facing the Empire’s Emperor alongside someone who showed no sign of agitation.

Who are they?

Chapter 106

The reason I keep running into people I never saw in the original story must be because I’ve twisted the plot so much, right?

Honestly, it’s a bit frustrating.

Sure, I did a few things behind the scenes, but I didn’t twist the narrative to the point where a completely new protagonist emerged like in other isekai stories, nor did I even go after the heroines.

Well, I can understand the Emperor coming. I probably looked quite capable, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the Emperor decided to act himself to help his talented daughter…

And Rena… well, considering the chaos I caused on the Northern Front, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think she was sent to keep an eye on me.

But what about that guy?

No matter how perceptive the Papal State is, they shouldn’t have noticed instantly that Berati was captured and spilling secrets. Northwood is a territory deep within the Empire, and it’s not the kind of place you could reach in one night from the Papal State.

Even if you’re driving a car, the road to the Papal State isn’t perfectly maintained, and there’s no train heading there at this hour.

Even if they did realize some information was leaked, it would take a long time for reinforcements to arrive… and in order to enter here, they would need permission.

But there was no bright light emanating from the guy’s clothes.

“I’ve actually been trying to have a conversation here since a while ago, but you just stand there, huh?”

The Emperor said with a relaxed demeanor.

“……”

I shot a side glance at the Emperor, but whether he had no information himself or just didn’t want to share with me, he simply shrugged.

“However, there is one thing that’s certain.”

The Emperor said while quietly observing the mysterious woman.

“The guardian should’ve been inside the ruins, but it has already fallen into the hands of the author. Unless we defeat and reclaim it, I don’t think it will come into our hands.”

So, were they waiting for me to come this far? Blocking the door like this?

If that author’s goal was to take the guardian of the ruins, then they could’ve simply fled without confronting the Emperor.

…But if that were the case, it was peculiar that they stood there waiting until we arrived.

“……”

I stepped forward.

That guy was still standing there, not moving at all. Is he even alive? I almost wondered if the Emperor was just playing tricks on us by leaving a statue standing still.

As I took a step forward, the others behind me also took a step forward, spreading out a bit to encompass the target. Sure, there were still gaps between us, but…

The first to move was Bella.

She instantaneously shaped her long sword into a whip and swung it down as if to punish a criminal. The whip itself was already a torturous weapon that inflicted horrific pain, but this was even worse. A simple slash would tear flesh apart and expose bone.

And at that moment, the still motionless opponent also moved.

Directly forward.

Towards me, looking straight at me.

“Sylvia…!”

Alice shouted instinctively. I could hear Claire rushing in from where she stood.

But I—

—I didn’t want to just stand there—

No way.

At the moment I aimed my loaded shotgun at him, a voice echoed in my head.

No, it wasn’t just a voice. More like my instincts seized my movements and stopped me.

Don’t shoot.

If I shoot that person, I would definitely—

Regret it.

“……!”

I felt a chill run down my spine. My finger, which was resting on the trigger, twitched uncontrollably. It felt as if someone was gripping my finger and pulling it in the opposite direction.

It felt like my movement itself was being rejected.

“Sis, don’t…!”

Seeing that the opponent was rushing towards me, Claire swung her sword. The sword’s spirit followed behind like a whip. Just a beat slower than Claire’s swing, the sword spirit—

Was supposed to reach that robed figure—

Did it?

*

What on earth just happened?

Claire surely swung her sword, and the sword spirit, her signature move, should have hit that guy’s arm.

It was supposed to connect. There shouldn’t have been any time to dodge. My reflexes were sharp enough to see it clearly.

Yet, the sword spirit did not make contact.

“Uh…?”

Claire’s voice sounded confused.

I could feel my shotgun being pushed back. The barrel was touching that guy’s abdomen. Not just touching, but his stomach was pressing towards my gun like it was trying to hug it.

His strength was greater than mine. My arm was pushed back, and even the arm holding the gun was being forced downward.

But, despite that, my fingers remained still.

No, even that seemed dangerous, as my index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and pinky all started to slip off the grip one after another.

I completely dropped my gun. It was as if he was trying to pull me in, although of course, it felt strange to think of it that way. That guy was still advancing towards me.

A white mask came closer to my face.

Inside the dark opening, his eyeball stared.

Whoosh, I heard the sound of slicing through the air. Was that Alice’s sword? Or Bella’s whip-like sword? I wanted to check, but my head wouldn’t turn.

The color of his eyes was shadowed and hard to see. But it was clear what glimmered inside—human eyes.

“Sylv—”

The sound stretched like the frame rate was messed up on a computer trying to force a game to run.

As if the time and space between me and him didn’t line up.

At that moment.

Before he could finish his sentence, Claire charged in my direction.

Claire body-slammed into him—

*

Once again, my vision abruptly shifted as if the frame was cut in half.

I was looking in a different direction than before. I was close enough to hear his voice clearly through the mask.

Claire hit the air. She didn’t lose her balance but made a scraping sound with her foot on the ground, clearly flustered.

“—Absolutely—”

Absolutely what…?

But before I could catch the rest of his words,

“——!”

He was thrown aside, knocked away by Alice, who rushed in from the side.

“Are you okay!?”

Before I could comprehend what was happening, Alice’s face filled my vision. It seemed I was about to topple over in his direction. Alice caught me as I was about to fall.

“Are you okay—”

But quickly, that guy reappeared behind Alice. It was as if he had floated in from thin air. The dual swords he originally held had already vanished somewhere.

Instead, he was now holding a revolver.

The same model I used.

With a few new scratches on top of the old wounds from the last fight, it looked like it had gone through the ground a few times.

But…

I hadn’t brought that today—

Before I could react, this time, a long sword slice descended from above, hitting the ceiling and walls as if to behead a criminal.

Zing, a chilling sound echoed as it scraped against the ceiling, walls, and floor, and of course, the hand that had been there fell down.

But it was as if that phenomenon itself had been canceled; he still held the gun.

I gritted my teeth.

Again!

*

Slap, and the space shattered.

My head buzzed.

As if it had hit the wall at incredible speed, my ears rang and my brain felt like it was shaking as if it would break apart.

My vision blurred. Was it tears seeping from my eyes?

Something was clenching my collar. Almost as if it were preventing me from going further inside.

A white hand gripped me and pulled me through the spatial barrier.

The boundary of that broken space was sharp, as if it were made of glass.

Even while getting cut by that glass, the arm pulled me, bleeding, but—

I must have been too heavy for that arm to hold onto.

Rip, the collar that hand held tore apart.

I fell straight down.

*

“—Bia!”

I took a deep breath. Fresh air filled my lungs, which had been deprived of oxygen for a while, lifting the fog in my vision.

I realized I was lying on someone’s lap.

As I blinked a few times, my blurred vision gradually cleared. The liquid that had gathered in my eyes flowed down sideways.

The people looked down at me with worried expressions—Alice and Claire.

Unknowingly, I reached up and touched my collar.

I felt the irregular surface of the torn fabric, as if it had been forcibly ripped apart.

…This is really real. Not a nightmare.

I tried to force myself up, but Claire firmly pressed down on my shoulder, pushing me back onto Alice’s lap.

“What about that guy?”

“He’s vanished.”

I heard the Emperor’s voice.

“As you fell.”

“What about the fight?”

“Fight, huh?”

There was amusement in the Emperor’s voice as he said that.

“Did we fight him?”

“……”

At the Emperor’s question, I found myself unable to respond.

Chapter 107

I couldn’t understand a single thing.

Up until now, I had hardly ever doubted my abilities.

When I was young—so, not long after I came to this world—I had some doubts. What if there are limits to this ability? What if there’s a hidden number of times I can use it, or what if I keep chipping away at some part of myself each time I use it?

But for the past ten years, I never felt like I was losing anything.

When people move, they get tired. If you don’t sleep, you feel sleepy; if you don’t drink, you get thirsty; if you don’t eat, you get hungry.

But I thought my ability crossed all those realms. When I rewound time, no matter how tired I was, I felt comfortable again, and even the moments of thirst or hunger returned to moments of not feeling them at all. The same went for the opposite case.

Only my memories continued to remain intact…

Then, how are those memories still connected?

I don’t even remember how I exited the dungeon. Claire or Alice must have spoken to me several times along the way. The Emperor just led the group up front without a word, and Leo had been frozen the whole time.

Bella wasn’t in sight. She must have been walking at the very back.

Did Alice support me? Or was it Claire?

The only clear memory I had was fiddling with my tattered collar.

Yeah. Up until now, I had never even thought about moving through time. It was impossible in the first place. Within the rewound time, I was just myself. Like winding a clock back, after rewinding time, I was simply where I was supposed to be.

…Was I really just myself?

My memories flowed as time passed.

It’s honestly not a good feeling to start doubting something I had absolutely trusted and used without hesitation after ten whole years.

In the distance, moonlight could be seen. Strangely enough, light did not enter the dungeon. Only the light seeping from the outside illuminated the corridor, making the view of the moon, which appeared to be the entrance and exit of the dungeon, look like a self-luminous dark-framed painting in the dark room.

As I stared at that scene for a while, I rewound time again.

*

That was an impulsive act.

You could say it was expressed by impatience.

Given my personality, it was natural to rewind.

The Emperor seemed to have grasped my abilities to some extent. I couldn’t reveal the identity of that mysterious figure; if I messed up, not only could the Emperor find out, but so could the people around me.

So, as always, I rewound time before my mistake, making it all pointless.

I needed to strip that figure of their mask, be cautious before the Emperor, and make sure to remove the hand that grabbed me—

But I couldn’t.

“—Via!”

Once again, I took a deep breath. The sensation of falling beyond the broken space didn’t feel pleasant at all. The feeling of collapsing to the ground. A strange floating sensation. It felt like I had just returned to the world after being in a vacuum, my lungs empty.

No, it wasn’t just a feeling I could brush off. It was the worst. Maybe it felt so bad because I had experienced it once before. My brain was accepting my situation more calmly.

But because of that, I couldn’t be composed.

I couldn’t go back. It was like there was a wall between the moment I faced that figure and my time, and I crashed into it again.

This time, the wall didn’t break.

My body trembled from the shock. I inhaled deeply several times to supply oxygen to my empty lungs while checking my collar.

The torn collar still felt intact.

With my mouth firmly shut, I barely lifted my head to look where that person had been standing. There was no one there.

“Where did that person go?”

“……They suddenly vanished at some point.”

“The light… it seems they took it with them,” Alice responded, and Claire added.

“…….”

I had no words after hearing that. Just moments ago, I had asked about the battle and ended up revealing my abilities to the Emperor.

“Hmm.”

However, the Emperor, as depicted in the game, was not an easy person to deal with.

Well, just because I kept my mouth shut didn’t mean he wouldn’t extract any information from me.

He had merely been cautious up until now, letting me off lightly.

“Father!”

As the Emperor lifted his sword, aiming at my neck, Alice gasped and shouted in surprise. Claire instinctively raised her hand to the hilt of her sword but pulled back as if startled.

However, it seemed the Emperor didn’t really intend to behead me.

Considering the sword he had earlier aimed at Alice, he could have easily taken my life without a second thought—regardless of my ability to rewind time.

The thick sword blade moved surprisingly delicately, brushing against my collar. Then, it traced the irregular and frayed edges as if it were torn.

“It’s in a state that shouldn’t just happen on its own. Did someone tear it?”

Alice seemed to have finally noticed and took a breath. Claire followed suit. Leo looked completely out of it, as if he hadn’t grasped the situation yet. I couldn’t interpret Bella’s expression, who was wearing a mask and observing from a distance.

“It’s not just the collar; there are wounds all over your body. Are those bruises?”

One side of the Emperor’s lips curled up. He looked like someone who has heard a slightly morally questionable joke and found it funny.

That’s why I felt scared by that face.

“Bruises.”

The Emperor said as he withdrew the sword from my neck.

“That Sylvia Fanggriffon?”

“…….”

The Emperor leaned slightly toward me, lowering his voice.

“Have we had this kind of conversation ‘before’?”

The ‘before’ the Emperor mentioned must be a question based on me.

I was sure of it.

There was no way to escape from the future ever again.

*

In the end, things continued much like the beginning.

It seemed the Emperor had come to some comprehension regarding my abilities. I couldn’t tell how much he had figured out about the principle behind it, or if he had the insight to grasp it deeper than I, who used the ability, could understand, but I could feel it wasn’t a good sign through my skin.

Alice, Claire, and Leo said nothing. They kept glancing my way as if gauging my reaction.

Bella… was humming. At that moment, in her high-pitched voice.

“Well then, everyone, let’s go inside and rest.”

Even though one of his possessions was stolen, the Emperor showed no signs of regret. In fact, he was smiling pleasantly.

“It was a lovely walk, but it seems you’re all quite tired. I hope the rest of your journey is enjoyable.”

With those words, the Emperor turned and walked away, leaving us behind. But the last place his gaze lingered was on my face.

I didn’t say a word until the very end.

*

“I won’t ask you anything right now.”

Alice spoke with a serious expression.

When I regained my senses, I found myself in my room. That is, the room I’d decided to stay in at Northwood. It was a large room, comparable to the one Alice used, and the decor was similar. However, we weren’t in the reception area with a guest table in the room.

Having seated me on the bed, Alice and Claire stood around me. Leo wasn’t there. Did they decide girls-only means he couldn’t come in? It wouldn’t be odd if Leo said he wouldn’t enter himself.

But that wasn’t the important part.

“We don’t know what happened, but…”

Alice and Claire briefly locked eyes. Then, at the same time, they looked at me.

The first to speak was Alice.

“You seem really worn out right now, so….”

This must be the first time for them to see me like this.

They might not believe that I had ever appeared tired. Honestly, walking through a dark dungeon, wandering through a snowy forest, or going around in the sewers could be exhausting enough.

They wouldn’t think I had unlimited stamina.

However, suddenly collapsing for no reason was strange.

Especially with bruises all over my body.

As if something had happened to me alone in that time.

“First off, get some good rest.”

Claire completed Alice’s interrupted sentence.

“…Let’s talk about it tomorrow.”

“…….”

The concern on both of their faces was evident.

They didn’t press me to reveal the abilities I had or what had happened.

I was grateful for that kindness.

“Understood.”

For now, I decided to gratefully accept that consideration.

Chapter 108

“Have you ever played dice games?”

When Velati first sat down with Emperor Arthur III, the words he pulled out were nothing short of cloud fluff to her, who was prepared for death.

“… Dice games?”

“Anything that uses dice. Board games are fine, and street dice games by street performers are okay, right? Or haven’t you seen anything like that in a casino? There should be gambling like that.”

“…”

Velati kept her mouth shut and glared at the emperor. Even after meeting that perverted woman in the fox mask, the emperor’s expression remained utterly unchanged.

Even with a cathedral knight with undeniable power right in front of him, the emperor maintained a calm smile, treating her like a child.

The gas lamp on the table flickered, casting shallow shadows on the emperor’s face.

If someone were to attempt an assassination, now would be a ripe opportunity.

Velati wasn’t even restrained in any way.

However, the fact that the emperor was having a one-on-one conversation with Velati was also a sign of his confidence that he could handle someone like her alone.

Fanggriffon.

There was no evidence that the myth actually existed. But as if trying to prove that the evidence was real, all the emperors throughout history possessed formidable power. Nobody thought it was possible with bloodlines alone. Because of that, some emperors were suspected of switching children or making others within the royal family the throne heirs.

Thus, the Papal State had speculated that Sylvia Fanggriffon might become the emperor—

“Don’t you know? It’s a game where you roll dice and compete for numbers. You can challenge with higher numbers, or roll multiple dice to get the same number, or in order of numbers—”

“I know that much.”

Ignoring the emperor’s attempts to lead the conversation as he pleased, Velati answered tersely.

That was not the kind of reaction to show to an emperor. But the emperor seemed to not care at all. That attitude annoyed Velati even more.

“Yeah, that’s right. Not everyone plays games betting money, but is there anyone in the world who hasn’t even touched a die once?”

The emperor nodded and continued, crossing his legs to shift comfortably. It was a pose you’d expect while treating an old friend. Of course, the underground chamber wasn’t exactly a comfortable setting.

“If the opponent is in a situation where they absolutely can’t notice your trick—no, wait.”

The emperor paused, thinking perhaps his analogy was a bit off, before continuing.

“If the opponent knows your trick but is completely at a loss, what do you think you should do to win?”

“… Well, I’d naturally keep using the trick I was using.”

“What if you know the opponent is using tricks?”

“Even if I know, I have no choice but to fall for it, right?”

“That’s true.”

The emperor laughed, seemingly satisfied with Velati’s answer.

“What if you were the one being played?”

“… I’d try to make the opponent eat dirt somehow. You do realize I’m aware of the trick, right?”

“Even if it’s said you’re in a situation where you have to fall for the trick?”

“That means I don’t know the trick, but it doesn’t mean I don’t know the opponent.”

The emperor chuckled, finding Velati’s reply amusing. The huehuehue laugh sounded like that of a wicked villain, yet could also be mistaken for the amused chuckle of a middle-aged man sharing a funny story with a friend.

“What if the opponent were a goddess?”

“What?”

“It’s a dice game with a goddess. You both use the same dice. The die you use is a glass die, made so thin and weak that just one roll can shatter it. You can barely confirm the result. But the goddess’s die is made from carved ivory. It won’t wear out or break even after multiple rolls.”

The emperor continued as he wiggled his fingers placed on his lap.

“The rules of the game are simple. The one with the higher value wins. The dice can be rolled as many times as they like, whenever they want.”

“That’s a ridiculous rule.”

Velati responded in disbelief.

“You say one roll and you’re out. So what’s the point of saying you can roll as many times as you want?”

“Well, can’t you roll a 12 with just one throw?”

“Even so, it’s overwhelmingly unfair for us. And if the game has to follow such rules, then we have no choice but to accept it from the get-go. If the opponent adds one or two more dice, do we have the right to refuse?”

“No, we don’t. Because it’s a goddess.”

“… That’s true.”

At the emperor’s answer, Velati let out a deep sigh.

“If the opponent truly is a goddess, then we naturally have to bow down. Is it even reasonable to think of playing a game with the ruler of this world?”

“Is that so?”

“… You may be fine with it, but I am from the Papal State. A knight and a nun. Even if my personality is a bit unruly, that fact doesn’t change.”

“Hmm.”

The emperor smiled as if he found her answer pleasing.

“So, why are you asking such questions?”

“Who knows.”

The emperor spoke slowly, as if he was mulling it over.

“It seems that we may have found the goddess you were guessing.”

“…”

Velati fell silent for a moment before asking.

“………………What?”

After a long silence, she finally spoke.

“You probably won’t believe it. But it doesn’t matter.”

“Ha.”

Velati sighed, incredulously.

“So, does that mean you want to say you found a goddess?”

“Nothing has been proven yet.”

“So, you wish to prove it?”

“Yes. For that, I need the cooperation of the Papal State.”

“What, are you asking me to send a saint? To sit down with the goddess and say, ‘Ah, this person is indeed our true goddess!’ Do you think the Papal State will allow that?”

“What, there’s no need for that. I just need you to lend me your treasure.”

“……”

Velati kept her mouth shut, but the emperor continued to speak.

“How can we understand the power of one who turns back time?”

“Why are we suddenly talking about that in relation to dice?”

“I’m talking about finding a way to prove that trick.”

“……”

“I’ve thought about prophecy and calculation. Or the idea that one has already experienced the future. And I realized that all three conclusions are similar. If that’s the case, what remains is to prove it.”

“What exactly is that proof?”

“I’ll plan something that the opponent wouldn’t like.”

The emperor explained with delight.

“If someone keeps rolling dice to get the value they want, the way to prove it is to do something to fix the dice value.”

“Still, they can just roll again, right?”

“The timing of their roll will change.”

The emperor casually dismissed Velati’s words.

“If I can ensure that a value of 2 will come up when throwing ten times, then the opponent will suddenly bring three dice or try to manipulate the value on the eighth or ninth throw. If we can confirm that, then we can see if the opponent knows our future or not.”

The emperor shrugged nonchalantly as he spoke.

“Just making a plan is not enough. To get what I want, I have to act greedily and move forward. If there’s something the opponent would want, I’ll step in and snatch it first.”

“But what if the opponent turns back time again?”

“If the opponent possesses that object while I’m none the wiser, that would prove they were using a trick. And if I can confirm that, I would be very pleased.”

The emperor spoke with a smile.

“At least, it would be proof that my plan could move the opponent.”

“……”

For a long moment, Velati stared at the emperor in disbelief.

… At least,

If she returned alive, she’d have something to report to the Papal State.

That fleeting thought crossed Velati’s mind.

*

“… You seem to be enjoying yourself?”

Bella, who followed closely behind the emperor, asked.

“It’s good, indeed.”

“But the thing you wanted to obtain escaped with that guy.”

“Treasure is meaningless unless everyone gathers. Besides, I gained more than I was trying to prove.”

As the emperor walked through the dense forest, he spoke.

“Even ivory dice can break on occasion.”

“… We still don’t even know who that opponent is.”

“Really? I have a pretty good idea, though.”

At the emperor’s words, Bella simply tilted her head in confusion.

Chapter 109

I hit a wall with my abilities.

But it’s not that they disappeared entirely, and it doesn’t seem like an additional penalty has kicked in either. After that, I tried using my abilities a few more times in the room, and they worked properly.

But I doubt I can return to the moment before I met that nameless one yesterday.

Since then, I haven’t tried to go back again. Because if I did, I would have to see the Emperor’s face. Even if I don’t say anything, he would jump to conclusions by himself, so what’s the point of trying to go back again?

Above all, I didn’t want to experience that pain again.

Lying on my bed, I stared at the ceiling and got lost in thought.

I had healed my bruises, and maybe it was because I had slept long, but I wasn’t tired at all. However, my mind was a complete mess.

I was thinking about that nameless being I encountered in the dungeon.

“……Am I that?”

I mumbled to myself, but it didn’t feel real.

If I were the protagonist in a isekai novel, it would be cliché that it’s my future self.

That being had disappeared with a glimpse. In that future, is the Emperor going to stir up some incident through that glimpse? So I was trying to stop it—

But even with that thought, there’s something strange.

Let’s say it really is me, for argument’s sake.

I was using time-related abilities, and it was clear that I used those abilities at that very moment. Watching that movement made my head spin. Past, present, and future were all mixed up.

My voice was like that as well. It sounded like a high-pitched noise, uncomfortable to hear. I doubt it was on purpose. Also, it wasn’t just due to my injuries that I sounded that way.

When I used my abilities to reverse that situation, the opponent probably used their powers at the same time. Then it smashed the space and grabbed me tight, and while I went back in time, I could only return shakily. That’s why my body state, which should have ‘returned together’ as usual, stayed the same.

Now, if I assume both of our abilities clashed. If that being remained in a future that shouldn’t exist because of that error, then I couldn’t have returned to that point before it.

Thinking that way still seems odd.

I had the gun I was using, but the opponent pointed it at Alice, not the Emperor.

You might think I was aimed at, but Alice was just in front of me… Well, even if my physical ability isn’t that remarkable, I’ve shot that gun plenty of times. In that range, it wouldn’t be easy to misfire. Especially if that was ‘future me’.

That person was trying to say something to me.

“Sylvia, absolutely—”

But I couldn’t catch the end.

Moreover, that intense aversion I felt when I aimed at them…

….. Oh, I really don’t get it.

I scratched my head and got up.

Thinking about it now won’t help me understand the situation. For now—

The moment I barely got out of bed and slipped on my slippers, I heard someone carefully tapping on the door.

“Yes, come in.”

Thank goodness my voice didn’t crack.

The door opened carefully, and the person who entered was Claire.

“Sister.”

When Claire called me like that, it usually sounded high-pitched, like she was excited.

But now, her eyes were filled with concern. Her voice calling me was gentle.

“Are you feeling a little better?”

She didn’t ask anything else.

“I’m fine.”

Since I had been healed with magic, there was no pain left. I hadn’t even been seriously injured to begin with.

Some drops of blood stained my clothes, but that was all. It wasn’t my blood. It was the blood that flowed from the arm that had grabbed me.

Of course, Claire’s worry isn’t only because of that reason.

“Um…”

Claire looked around nervously before meeting my eyes. There was an atmosphere around her like a younger sister visiting a sister who seemed really angry.

“Right now, the others are all gathered in the dining room. I thought it might be good for everyone to have a meal together.”

“Got it—”

But as I was answering, I remembered I hadn’t washed up yet. That must have been one of the reasons Claire asked so carefully.

“I’ll wash up quickly and come down.”

As I said that, Claire nodded.

“Okay. I’ll be waiting.”

*

When she said, “I’ll be waiting”, it didn’t mean she’d wait in the dining room. Claire was quietly sitting on one of the chairs in my room.

In a world without gadgets like smartphones, she must be getting very bored just sitting there.

I squeezed as much water as I could from my damp hair with a towel.

I tried drying it with a little fan that works like a winding toy, but I still felt dampness somewhere in my hair.

“Uh, are you going somewhere like that?”

As I finally gave up drying my hair and started putting on my uniform, Claire exclaimed in surprise.

If it were the usual me, I wouldn’t have had such a disheveled appearance at all.

What would the usual me have done?

I would have probably turned back time to before Claire arrived.

Then I’d quickly wash up and be waiting for Claire. Of course, my hair would be completely dry.

Anyway, I had thought about it all morning, so turning back time wouldn’t mean my memories would vanish.

“……”

Caught up in that thought for a moment, I considered doing that,

“Do I look strange?”

I asked Claire like that. Claire quickly shook her head left and right. The motion was so innocent, like a child being asked by their mother if they didn’t like broccoli, that I almost laughed.

It was oddly peaceful, as if yesterday’s bizarre events never happened.

It wouldn’t have hurt to ask her a word or two.

But I wouldn’t be able to get any answers.

“Well then, I’ll go down like this.”

“Okay.”

At my answer, Claire nodded quickly this time.

*

“What happened last night?”

That was what Charlotte said as soon as she saw my face.

Honestly, besides not preparing properly before coming down, the fact that I came down this late was probably surprising to Charlotte.

Up until now, I had been thorough in everything, calculating nearly prophetically what would happen next and solving it.

For me to sleep in late when everyone ate breakfast and show up still half-damp with hair…

……Does this mean I’m beyond even the standards of nobles or royalty?

But first, a delicious smell tickled my nose.

It was freshly baked bread. Even though a little time had passed by the time I came down, a silver cover was covering my portion of the meal. It was probably to conserve heat, even a little.

Not rushing, I walked over to the empty seat and sat down.

Alice looked at me with a worried expression. Did she read something from my face again?

Since it was Claire who came to get me, Alice must be the one who had to explain yesterday’s events at this table. After all, Alice was the one who asked Charlotte to go to another dungeon.

“Alice?”

Charlotte, realizing she didn’t get a response from me, looked back at Alice. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like she was angry at me. Rather, she seemed to realize I was really hungry.

“Last night…”

I could almost hear Alice’s wheels turning in her head.

“…I’m sorry. It’s hard to talk about it.”

“I see.”

But Charlotte didn’t pry into it either. In fact, her gaze was directed at me rather than Alice.

Feeling Charlotte’s curious gaze as I munched on my unbuttered roll, I turned my eyes to her.

“Looks like you were really hungry, huh?”

“……”

I looked at the bread in my hand. I wasn’t tearing it into smaller pieces; I was holding it whole.

Did it seem uncouth?

That being said, Charlotte didn’t seem to give me hint either, though.

At least she wasn’t making a face like she did when I ate the parfait.

“Yeah, a lot happened yesterday.”

At my words, Alice flinched slightly.

Charlotte was alternating her gaze between Alice and me. Her deep eyes glimmered with curiosity, but perhaps it was because she was someone who hears lots of unspoken information.

She didn’t pry further into us.

“What about the others?”

“Leo got dragged off by Jake. They probably went to the casino or something.”

In answer to my question, Charlotte spoke with a sigh.

“Mia still hasn’t woken up, and Rena went right back to her room to sharpen her weapons after breakfast.”

Alice filled in the details behind her.

“Sister, want more?”

Seeing my plate quickly emptying, Claire asked.

“……”

If it had been the usual me, I would have declined…

But honestly, I was just too hungry right now.

Chapter 110

People need to eat something to regain their energy, right? grumble, grumble

After my belly was full and my head started to feel a bit sluggish, I felt a little more at ease.

After mulling over various concerns, I concluded with a simple ‘so what?’

Yeah.

So what?

It’s not like I’ve never encountered a random stranger popping out of nowhere before. I’ve already seen it with Rena.

I already knew that the Emperor thought I was some kind of big deal. After all, he had already been throwing tasks my way. He flat-out ordered me to assassinate a Count and even tried to send me into battle instead of the academy.

And it wasn’t my ability that got me out of it; it was Alice. After she flipped out seeing the morphine in my room, she sprinted straight to the Emperor for a negotiation.

Limits of ability? That was bound to happen sooner or later. To be honest, my power was pretty OP. Other time-rewinders in novels, comics, and anime had been through so much more than I had. They had to die to turn back time or exchange something of equal value. Honestly, if you said I had it too easy, I’d agree.

Plus… well, all things considered, there had really been no critical mistakes that warranted a rewind.

So, I just decided to shrug it off.

If he shows up again later, I’ll think about it then, right?

There’s something a therapist I visited out of curiosity once said: ‘Don’t worry about things you can’t solve right now. At least try to not worry about them.’ Exactly! Stressing over a future I can’t possibly prepare for is pointless.

“……”

I could feel Alice’s gaze boring into my expression.

We were sitting across from each other. Outside the window, trees marched endlessly in a line. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t the trees that were moving; it was us.

“Seriously, your resilience is impressive.”

“……Can you see something on my face?”

“Yup.”

Alice nodded at my question.

“Just like when you returned from the battlefield last time; you were all deep in thought alone and then came back as if nothing happened a few hours later. You’ve done it again now. Right after meeting your father, you looked super shocked, but now you’re fine.”

“That’s true. I had a blank expression when I went to my room earlier this morning.”

Claire chimed in from beside me.

By the way, Leo was sitting next to Alice, looking extremely uncomfortable. They were both student council members, so maybe they had been slowly breaking down barriers by drinking tea together, but after meeting the Emperor yesterday and being reminded that Alice and I were really ‘the Crown Princess,’ it seemed to have thrown him off.

Claire noticed me looking at Leo and shot him a slight glare, as if questioning why he was making me uncomfortable like that.

…Sorry about that.

“I’ve been thinking too much, you know.”

“Really?”

“……”

When I didn’t say anything, Alice fell silent too.

“……Aren’t you going to ask me something?”

“Hmm.”

After a moment of thought, Alice replied,

“I don’t want to ask.”

She cut it off just like that.

I stared silently at Alice with her mouth closed, and she let out a small laugh.

“Curious why?”

“I am curious.”

Of course I was curious. If it were me, I would have grilled her for details in various ways. Sure, if I couldn’t get to the bottom of it, I might have given up at some point.

I had already rifled through the Empire’s restricted archives. I had confirmed that my existence had never been clearly mentioned in any prophecies.

Of course, that wasn’t just to uncover personal secrets but to find clues for progressing the story.

“There’s really no particular reason.”

Alice said and leaned back in her chair, shifting her gaze from me to the window.

The forest outside was mesmerizing and was showing off itself. So far, I had seen places that could be called towns and cities, but they existed as if buried in the forest. If there were any other races in this world, I would think this would be a place for elves to live.

“You don’t need a logical reason to ask a question or not ask one. Right now, I just don’t feel like asking. No, I probably won’t ever ask directly.”

While still facing the window, Alice turned her blue eyes my way and gave me a slight smile.

“Not until you tell me.”

“……”

I couldn’t muster a response.

Alice… had already expressed her thoughts to me. Before infiltrating the casino in a bunny girl outfit. In the game, the only reason given was a mix of inferiority complex towards Claire, and I had thought of it as merely an event scene to provide service.

But if there’s something different between the game and this world, it would be that game characters move for the sake of the story, while the people here move to create their own stories.

“Understood.”

“You look somewhat relieved.”

“……”

When Alice said that as if she could read my mind again, I turned my face towards Claire.

“Claire.”

“Uh, yes!?”

Claire, who had been blankly staring at Alice and me talking, was startled. It seemed she didn’t expect me to suddenly talk to her.

“Is my face that expressive?”

“Uh… Maybe sometimes? I can’t say you do all the time…?”

Claire stammered, as if something had jammed in her throat.

“Hm.”

Alice let out a small snort.

Hearing that made Claire’s brows furrow deeply.

“What’s with that reaction?”

It wasn’t chilling or cold, just a voice tinged with mild annoyance, perhaps.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“No, not wrong. It’s just that feeling superior sometimes comes when you see someone who can’t do what you can.”

“What!?”

Um…

Hey, Claire, even though we’re in a train from the 20th century with poor soundproofing, yelling like that is going to turn everyone’s heads over here.

Moreover, if you stand up like that, it’ll be even more noticeable.

Probably, most people looking at Claire right now were wearing expressions of shock. They knew very well who she usually hung around with, and screaming like that in front of anyone, regardless of the reason, was extremely impolite.

If word got out that the daughter of Baron Grace yelled at the Crown Princess—

The reaction you could easily expect from a noble was being decisively displayed by Leo, who sat beside Alice.

“C-Claire…!”

Leo, whose face turned pale, was trying to intervene somehow, but given that he wasn’t sitting right next to her, it wasn’t easy. There was a small table between us.

Plus, Alice was keeping Leo from getting up.

Faced with that fact, Leo froze stiff. He shot me a look that screamed for help, but…

…Um, sorry.

I was just as confused as he was about the situation right now.

“You’ve spent a lot of time with your sister! If I had the same time as you, I would definitely read her feelings much better than you!”

Um…

Isn’t it better to fight about that back at the academy? If you’re going to argue, at least lower your voice a little.

No, really—couldn’t you just wait until we’re on our way to the academy? Watching this unfold next to me is incredibly embarrassing.

Even now, I was barely managing not to break my expression.

Of course, Alice was just grinning at me watching that.

She definitely picked up on what I was feeling.

“Well, how would you know? You haven’t done it, so how can you be so sure?”

“Ugh…!”

At Alice’s words, Claire briefly scowled in anger and then,

“……”

Let out a long sigh.

With a calm and noble posture, she returned to her chair, as if pretending that her earlier outburst had never happened.

But that demeanor was merely an act. Claire’s fighting spirit hadn’t gone anywhere.

“Sister.”

As proof of that, as soon as Claire sat down, she looked over at me and said,

“……Yes.”

“Look me straight in the face.”

She turned slightly in her seat and said that to me.

I obliged without a word.

Claire’s deep blue eyes were locked onto mine. Alice, Claire, and everyone else had blue eyes, but while Alice’s felt like a clear lake, Claire’s felt like looking into the Blue Hole, and it was a little intimidating to look her straight in the eye like this.

“From now until we get to school, we’re going to practice matching your emotional expressions.”

“……”

I looked towards Alice, but she was just putting on a smug face.

……

I’m done for.

Chapter 111

July is a time when students get to relax in various ways.

And especially in this world, it seems even more relaxed than the place I used to live.

Since this academy was built following the Japanese high school system, there’s a final exam at the end of July. But that doesn’t mean the excitement for the upcoming break has completely fizzled out.

And this relaxed atmosphere seemed to spread more among the commoners than the children of the nobility.

Nobles are creatures that live off their pride.

No matter how much they think academic connections are the most important goal and that building good relationships is more important than getting good grades, many of them still consider falling below a certain grade as ‘shameful.’ Even among noble parents, there were many who were sensitive about grades.

On the other hand, many commoners felt as if their fortunes had turned the moment they entered this academy. Although there are twice as many commoners as nobles, that’s because the number of commoners far exceeds that of nobles in the empire. When it comes to the number of applicants, it’s much tougher for commoners to get in compared to nobles.

Just graduating from the academy is enough to find a way to make a living. Since it also serves as a military academy, applying to become an imperial officer is also an option. Still, you need to maintain at least a minimum grade to not get held back.

And I… I may have lost the way back to before mid-June, but surprisingly, it hasn’t hit me that hard.

It’s all thanks to my thorough preparation and review.

To be precise, it means that after each class, I went back in time multiple times to make sure I fully understood everything. During self-study, I turned back time several times to grasp each problem’s solution.

Even so, thinking about looking at exam questions and rolling back time to re-solve them feels somewhat off even for my standards. But thinking of rewinding several months just to take one exam seemed insane, so I studied diligently throughout the semester.

No matter how ordinary a person is, if they take their time, anyone can become a genius. What I have in abundance is time, and this is what I achieved by steadily using it without missing opportunities.

Still, I wouldn’t say I’m particularly looking forward to summer vacation.

Because if I go to the ‘home’ known as the palace, I’ll definitely run into the Emperor.

After last June’s incident, the Emperor hasn’t said anything specific, but I’m sure that when I return and see him, conversations I really don’t want to have will come up, and I’m convinced of that.

*

But not everything bad happens to people.

Even if it’s just a minor delay of that bad thing, sometimes good things do happen.

“An invitation?”

About a week before the final exams started, Claire, who visited my room, handed me a luxurious envelope containing a letter.

It was similar to what Alice gave to Charlotte, but at least the contents written here weren’t meant to divert my attention elsewhere.

“Yep. It’s an invitation to our estate.”

The Grace estate within the Imperial Capital isn’t that far from here. It’s a somewhat special form of estate that differs from general noble estates from the get-go.

The practical size is more of a mansion than an estate. If I think of it in modern terms, it’s somewhat like a slightly large school—one big building, a few average-sized ones, some land between them, and a lawn that could pass for a playground…

Of course, having such a size of land and buildings owned in one’s name is quite impressive, but compared to the size of a country or region, it’s still a realistic size when compared to baronies and duchies.

“I’ve told Father and Mother about you, and they really want to meet you.”

Hearing that, I gazed at Claire blankly, to which Claire quickly shook her head.

“It’s okay. I just mentioned that you were the sister I was looking for. I didn’t say anything else… Ah.”

It seems Claire realized that the fact itself was almost unknown to anyone else at that moment.

Claire, looking at me with a slightly anxious expression, strangely appeared younger even though she was about the same height as me.

“Was it a careless thing to say?”

“No, it’s fine.”

I replied while opening the letter envelope.

“The Grace family is a loyal house. And… as long as you’re there, it’s a story that will come to light someday.”

Upon my words, Claire blinked a couple of times.

“Above all, the one who brought you there is me. There’s no reason to be upset with you now.”

“Y-yeah…?”

With a slightly happy look on her face, Claire stood before me as I pulled out the letter from the envelope. The stationery was also made of luxurious paper, the kind nobles would use.

Even if they’re called a baron family, a noble is still a noble; I thought as I unfolded the letter, and the contents, written in such a neat handwriting that it made me suspicious if it was printed, came into view.

[To Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Sylvia Fanggriffon of the Glorious Empire.

The scorching sunlight warms the earth, and the breeze coming from the sea carries humidity. While some may find the weather somewhat unpleasant, it’s also a good season for excursions, serving as an excuse to go out sometimes.

Though we can’t offer you a cool breeze or pleasant air, as we are not far from where you reside, our estate’s green lawn is well-maintained and receives good evaluations among the nobility. It is known as one of the few places for the eyes to take a rest amidst the somewhat dreary city.

It would be our utmost happiness if we could enjoy a cup of tea with you in the cool shade while appreciating such greenery. We pray earnestly for a positive reply from you through our lady.

Tuesday, July 11, 1901.

Baron Edward Grace.]

Putting aside the content of the letter, the writing alone exuded a ‘I am honest’ atmosphere. Well, good handwriting is common among villains too, after all. Perhaps my preconceived notion of Baron Grace was influencing how I thought about him.

After reading the letter, I looked up to see Claire in front of me.

Claire didn’t seem quite sure I would respond positively to this letter. She was fidgeting a bit with her hands behind her back as she looked at me. The way she slightly bowed her head and looked up at me looked strangely familiar.

It resembled the expression Claire had when I used to share my food with her in the orphanage.

Even though she probably lived without the need to worry back then, seeing how that habit hasn’t faded even after a decade, I could tell how greatly those five years of having nothing impacted Claire’s life.

I suppose that’s why it remains a vivid memory for me too. She must be the first person to show kindness in my life.

“I understand.”

As I carefully folded the letter again and put it back in the envelope, I said, “I will accept the invitation. Is there any date that doesn’t work for you?”

“Ah, yes!”

Upon my answer, Claire’s face broke into a bright smile.

Honestly, what kind of ordeal has to happen for such a child to turn crooked like in the original work?

Perhaps it’s a miracle that she has managed to stay intact. It also means Claire is that strong of a person.

After all, she had that kind of character where she would have been willing to sacrifice herself for that younger sibling she couldn’t get too close to.

Nonetheless, thanks to that, I will be able to see the Emperor a little later, and my mind feels a bit lighter.

And besides, I wanted to visit the Grace estate at least once. Though it’s a place I’ll be going in the original work too, just waiting around until then felt a bit frustrating.

“Then I will make sure to visit right after the final exams and vacation ceremony. Is that alright?”

“Then that’s perfect for me! I’ll let my parents know in advance!”

Parents, huh.

Thinking about it, I realized I had only been wandering around with Claire without actually hearing how she had grown up. It must have been an infinitely better environment than in the original work, and perhaps that’s why there was no need to mention it.

Besides, it’s the protagonist’s household.

It wouldn’t be so bad to hear directly from Baron Grace and his wife how Leo and Claire have grown up.

Chapter 112

I didn’t have particularly great memories during my school years. sigh But I didn’t have especially bad memories either. I just went to school like everyone else, graduated normally, and my grades were neither outstanding nor terrible. Still, I think I managed to make some friends.

But I never got a girlfriend.

I was an otaku, and my friends were otaku too. We didn’t often go out together on trips, but we did gather for related events, used our pooled money to buy manga, or swarm into internet cafes after exams.

Yeah, those memories were definitely trivial compared to the experiences I had here in the academy. They weren’t so vivid I could remember exact dates, plus only a handful of those friends were still in touch. Some I barely remembered their faces or names.

But perhaps because we were all teenagers in school, being here oddly brought those times back to me.

“It’s goodbye for a while.”

The first to speak up was Charlotte.

It was the same here; we finished school early during exam periods. Since we were done, we immediately gathered and wandered around.

We didn’t have much to do outside of school, so we spent time sitting in a café drinking tea and eating parfaits. In the midst of that, we shared such trivial daily conversations that I barely recall them; we laughed and chatted.

It felt like no time had passed at all, yet the sun quickly dipped below the horizon, painting the sky red.

“Are you going back to Lutetia?”

“Of course. I’m a princess of Velbur, after all.”

To Alice, who seemed a bit regretful, Charlotte said with a gentle smile:

“But we can meet again soon. Vacation isn’t that long, after all.”

It was a little over a month of vacation, so unless something special happened, we’d meet again when the second semester began.

However, thinking about it again meant that after graduating, it would be hard to meet again.

If only Charlotte weren’t a princess but just someone noble from Velbur, maybe she could visit Rondarium for a few days a year. We could drink tea leisurely, catch up on life for a few days, and then part ways.

The reverse would be true as well.

But Alice and Charlotte were both extremely important figures in their respective royal families. Although it hadn’t been officially announced yet, Alice was a strong candidate for the next emperor, and Charlotte didn’t have any brothers or sisters.

“…”

Maybe because of those thoughts, Alice’s expression grew a bit somber.

…If the story proceeded as in the original, these two would become enemies. Of course, Alice would confront the emperor to end the war and unite again, but that joy wouldn’t last long.

Charlotte, gazing at Alice, suddenly extended her hand.

“Well then, let’s meet again after the vacation. If you ever visit Lutetia again… I’ll make sure to show you that Velbur’s food is much more delicious and varied than the Empire’s.”

Alice laughed only after seeing Charlotte’s intentionally boastful remark.

And, holding Charlotte’s hand, she replied:

“The Empire’s cuisine is developing too. Come back in about ten years. By then, I’ll serve meals that even someone from Velbur won’t easily dismiss.”

Charlotte shrugged lightly.

“I’ve heard that Rena is also heading back to her autonomous state.”

“That’s right. I’ve already packed my bags.”

When I asked, Rena replied in a firm stance. She wasn’t in short sleeves even in this weather. It felt like she thought wearing light clothing would diminish her soldier spirit.

Of course, that didn’t mean Rena wouldn’t get hot.

Having lived in a cooler area even during summer, this weather was probably not easy for Rena to endure. In fact, her nape was slightly damp.

“I’ll make sure to improve my skills so that I won’t hold the Crown Princess back during the second semester.”

It seemed that Rena was still dwelling on our trip to the dungeon without her last June. She didn’t overtly show she was upset, but it seemed she thought, “It’s only natural I was left out because my skills weren’t enough.”

Rena wasn’t by any means someone with poor grades.

“Um…”

As Rena was speaking, she suddenly made a cautious sound, and I was a bit surprised. It’s not often that Rena shows this side of her, especially not so openly in front of others.

After hesitating a bit, Rena looked at me and carefully said:

“Can I write you a letter?”

I almost burst out laughing at that moment.

To be honest, Rena hadn’t done much that would make her admire me. The only thing I could think of was running around the training grounds in front of her, which apparently made a strong impression on her.

She had already developed a sense of admiration towards me after hearing accounts from the battlefield, and that moment solidified it. She’d actually seen how I fought firsthand.

“Of course,” I replied, and Rena’s mouth curled up slightly.

*

I didn’t feel it necessary to see the two off all the way to the train station. With the academy vacation going on, it would be packed, and having two princesses show up would pretty much cause chaos.

Charlotte would be taking the guest seat, while Rena was on the relatively less crowded northern train, but they would end up at the same station. If there wasn’t likely to be an incident near the academy, I wouldn’t expect a princess to travel among common people without heavy escort.

The airships weren’t being used for civilian purposes yet, and although passenger planes were being developed, they weren’t yet commercialized. So, regrettably, we made our farewells within the academy.

“Well then… I’ll take my leave too.”

Mia Crowfield spoke in her usual somewhat timid voice.

“Thanks for all your hard work. I really benefited from your help.”

“N-No, it’s nothing…”

Mia blushed and lowered her head at Alice’s words.

And then—

“…”

She looked at me with a somewhat complicated expression.

“Thank you for everything.”

With that, she bowed again.

She didn’t have a staff in her hand. It wasn’t like students could wander around the academy grounds with weapons just because it was the last day.

But the blue jewel shimmering at the end of that staff was still what I had given her.

Thinking about it, it was a jewel I hadn’t managed to obtain by this point.

If I considered that, I could understand why she was making that expression.

“Thank you for your hard work,” I said, bowing my head as well. She showed a moment of astonished expression before quickly turning and jogging away.

“Oh, you really don’t have to say goodbye to me.”

With a slightly bittersweet feeling watching her back, a light male voice caught my attention.

When I turned around, I found Jake standing there, accompanied by a loyal maid.

“We’re planning to stay for another day before leaving.”

Despite the presence of the two princesses, Roti shot a disapproving look at Jake, who was moving rather casually. But Jake didn’t change his attitude at all.

“Even so, we should at least say goodbye.”

Alice said.

“We’re planning to leave today too.”

“Oh, really?”

Jake had a look that seemed to say that since they were all in the same capital, there was no need to rush with the farewells, and Alice shrugged in response.

“Since we’re in the same capital, it’s more convenient to finish things quickly, right? Plus, even if we leave first, the stuff can wait for a while.”

It wasn’t like we’d be packing it ourselves anyway.

“Is that so?”

Jake probably wanted to spend at least another day with Roti here.

“Well then, I guess we should say our goodbyes in advance. Thanks for your hard work. See you in the second semester.”

“Make sure to come back as a slightly more serious man in the second semester.”

At Alice’s words, Jake just laughed cheerfully.

*

“W-Well then…”

Leo said with a very tense expression.

“As the next head of Grace’s Estate, I would like to invite the two princesses to our territory.”

“…”

Alice looked at Leo with a somewhat incredulous expression and said:

“You really don’t have to be so formal. Even among nobles, if there’s a friendship, you can just say it casually.”

“U-Um, is that so…?”

“No, I mean, that’s not quite right,” Alice sighed deeply, and Claire brushed her face.

“Well, since I’ve been formally invited, we’ll accept graciously.”

With a playful expression, Alice stood up, lifted the hem of her skirt with both hands, and said, “We’d be delighted to accept your invitation.”

Then she slightly bent one leg to the back, and without bowing her head, just slightly bent her knee to elegantly show her appreciation.

It wasn’t surprising to see Leo’s face turn even redder.

Chapter 113

Even in the same Seoul, going from one end to the other takes quite a long time in a car or subway, and the same goes for the Imperial Capital.

Of course, the Imperial Capital hasn’t grown to the level of a ‘megalopolis’ like the advanced countries’ capitals on modern Earth. Its technology and welfare levels are stuck in the early 20th century, so while the population has exploded compared to the medieval period, that doesn’t mean all of humanity has achieved an average lifespan of 70 years either.

According to official surveys, the Empire’s population is just over 110 million. Considering the many bastards and orphans born and dying in industrial zones, the actual number is likely a bit higher than that.

The population of the Imperial Capital has just started to be densely packed, with a little over 7 million. By this world’s standards, it’s an overwhelmingly large metropolis, but with my experience knowing real megalopolises like Seoul, New York, and Tokyo, it’s hard not to feel it falls slightly short.

Still, a city with a population of 7 million is certainly not small. It might be said to be smaller than Seoul, but honestly, there isn’t any city in Korea that can match the population of the Imperial Capital when excluding Seoul.

Thanks to a ridiculous law known as the “Red Carriage Ordinance,” steam cars are practically impossible to operate within the Imperial Capital, leaving us with only the option of carriages. So, when considering a transportation speed that barely exceeds 10 km/h, a city of 7 million people feels much larger than any modern city.

Fortunately, the Grace Estate isn’t that far from the Academy.

I had only visited once as a child, but even now, it was an impressive place.

The smoke spewing into the sky is widely accepted as a symbol of industrialization, and the steam released from locomotives at train stations is seen as a sign of modernization; it was a rarity to see a lush green lawn maintained so proudly amidst all that.

It’s not that I find it quaint or anything like that. I simply thought that with such a wide expanse of land, one would typically use it for other purposes. Nobles wouldn’t build factories in their front yards, but usually, they’d create large gardens instead.

Moreover, for an ‘estate,’ there weren’t that many guards in the area. Winterfield, Northwood, and Crowfield had a lot of security around their lord’s castle. People would avoid those guards, who were armed with swords and guns, and stared sharply at anyone passing by.

But here at this estate, only two people were guarding the entrance.

Even their weapons were not that different from those carried by the police wandering around the Imperial Capital. The only difference might be that they had swords strapped to their waists.

On the left was a sword, and on the right was a pistol. Their attire didn’t differ much from the outfits worn by the police of the Imperial Capital—think of a British cop from the early 20th century, with a large buttoned coat and a thin leather belt, along with suit pants and shoes. The color was black, not blue, probably to distinguish them from the officers. They just didn’t have the characteristic hats.

In fact, it was a sight that could be intimidating enough to scare passersby just based on their outfit and arms. But the relaxed and easy expressions of the two at the door made the weapons seem irrelevant. Honestly, I felt like if I had no one else to ask for directions, I could just ask those two.

“Welcome, Young Master. And Miss.”

“It’s been a while!”

After what was practically a formality—really just checking if we were armed—the guard smiled as he spoke, and Claire waved back with a bright smile, as if excited to see him. The guard’s face broke into a smile as well at Claire’s blossoming smile.

Even upon second glance, his demeanor gave off more of an impression of a friendly uncle who would sit and laugh with his niece than someone wielding a sword.

Since Claire said it had been a while, those guards were probably more like retainers of the Grace family than just hired help. Although, retainers do get paid.

“Have you been well?”

Following Claire’s lead, Leo, seated across from her and looking out the same window, spoke up too.

“Of course, Young Master.”

The guards, showing familiarity, spoke without much tension in front of the soon-to-be lord, Leo.

“Yes, definitely.”

The older guard grinned, “The head of the family seems worried that you’re not doing too well.”

“…Huh?”

“For instance, losing muscle and gaining weight…”

The younger guard scrutinized Leo from top to bottom, prompting Leo to shout in alarm.

“No, I’ve been training hard, I swear!?”

“Isn’t it up to the head of the family to determine that?”

The atmosphere seems a little different when it comes to Claire. Perhaps it’s because Claire is a girl and Leo is a boy. Considering the gender norms in this world, it wouldn’t be seen as gentlemanly for a man to fight or quarrel with a woman.

Plus, Leo is the heir. He’s the one responsible for the family as a member until he dies of old age.

Meanwhile, Claire… well, she’ll probably marry some guy from another noble family someday. Even though she will still retain a connection as a member of the ‘Grace family,’ she will eventually take on her husband’s surname and become part of another family, no longer a member of the Grace family.

Thus, it wouldn’t be such a big deal to let Claire be a little freer. As long as she knows the bare minimum of etiquette for a noble, that would be enough.

After some playful banter, a quaint ding-dong chimed from a speaker-like device at the main entrance.

The younger guard went over, leaning in to listen.

After a brief moment, he returned smiling.

“Lady Crown Princess has graced us with her presence, and Baron and Baroness Grace send their regards.”

Then the two elegantly drew their swords and gave perfect sword salutes. Holding their swords upright in front of their faces, with one hand behind their backs, their pose could be on the cover of a game package; it looked that impressive.

“On behalf of the royal family, I express my gratitude,” Alice said, doing her utmost to show respect while sitting in the carriage, and the two released their salutes.

“Then we hope you enjoy a delightful and enriching time at Grace Estate.”

*

Saying it’s simple doesn’t necessarily mean it looks shabby.

Typically, noble estates are adorned lavishly—gardens filled with colorful blooming flowers, beautiful fountains. Occasionally, they even create mazes.

But as I mentioned earlier, the Grace Estate isn’t adorned in such a grand manner.

That said, keeping a lawn this neat and tidy isn’t an easy feat either. Not a single blade of grass was out of place, nor was there a hole or a yellow patch anywhere.

The buildings constructed were similar. The buildings of the Grace family, seemingly built using the latest construction methods, bore hardly any ornate decorations like other estates. Instead, they reminded me more of a 20th-century New York building than a European castle.

The restrained style of these buildings made it look less like an ‘estate’ and more like ‘some facility.’ To put it another way, it felt more like an esteemed university with a deep history.

“It’s an honor that your Highnesses have visited us.”

Baron Edward Grace, the head of the family, was already waiting at the main entrance of the main building.

I couldn’t tell how much he had changed from the face I had seen ten years ago. In fact, since I had only seen him briefly from a distance, it’s hard to form a clear recollection.

Though some aspects of his face bore a resemblance to Leo’s—his blue hair and eyes. Claire must have easily blended into this family due to this person’s hair color and blue eyes. Without knowing the background, one could easily assume she had some blood relation to the family.

He might even be a distant relative. I haven’t learned anything about Claire’s parents up until the part I played.

The Baron bent slightly at the waist, showing noble courtesy, and the Baroness, who was a bit further back, also gave a slight bow at the waist and knee. She too had blue hair, though not as bright as her husband’s; it appeared to shimmer with emerald hues in the light.

“Since I’m visiting as a friend of Claire and Leo, you don’t need to stand on ceremony.”

Alice said calmly, and I nodded in agreement.

That said, we didn’t bow our heads or lower our waists.

It seems that status complicates human relationships.

Chapter 114

When we visited, the sun was already setting, so we quickly entered the main building. Since we planned to stay for a few days, exploring the estate could wait until tomorrow.

Leo and Baron Grace seemed to have something to discuss separately from us. When Leo turned to look at us while following Baron Grace, his expression suggested it wasn’t just a casual chat. Knowing the Grace family’s reputation from the original story, they were probably going to train together.

Plus, Baron Grace’s martial prowess is among the top in the game. He wouldn’t go easy on his own son either.

…I understand why Leo looked like that. If I had come home during vacation only to face tougher training than at the academy, I’d probably wear a similar expression.

At the same time, I felt a bit gloomy. Wouldn’t I have to meet Emperor Arthur III when I returned to the imperial palace?

Actually, even if Leo didn’t undergo special training, being around us was a different story. The academy was mixed-gender, so that was unavoidable, but in noble society… it’s difficult for a man to earn good impressions among women when he’s surrounded by them.

If a really macho-type guy was surrounded by girls throwing themselves at him, that would be something to brag about, but if a beautiful boy like Leo was mingling and laughing with girls… um.

I couldn’t help feeling sorry for Leo. While Alice and I were around, he’d have to show that side to different people repeatedly.

“When I heard that ‘sister’ you always mention is the Crown Princess, I honestly had some doubts about Claire’s memory,” said the Baroness smoothly while elegantly sipping her tea.

I briefly considered not putting sugar in my tea, seeing as she didn’t, but it felt like I’d leave tea behind if I did, so I reluctantly added just one sugar cube.

Thankfully, the atmosphere didn’t seem to focus on such actions.

“…”

Not knowing how to respond to the Baroness, I took a sip of my tea to stall for time and replied, “I think it’s completely understandable.”

“Sister.”

At my words, Claire replied sadly, then quickly shut her mouth. She stole a glance at the Baroness.

The Baron and Baroness wouldn’t have discriminated against Claire just because she wasn’t of their blood. It was more likely they were concerned about me being called “sister.”

While the Baron and Baroness were relatively progressive, they were still nobles. And for nobles, referring to someone as “sister” in a non-blood-related context was quite inappropriate.

Especially since the other person was a Crown Princess.

Ironically, since the Grace family didn’t show discrimination towards non-blood-related individuals, they likely viewed me as a definite member of the royal family.

“It’s alright,” I spoke up before the Baroness could say anything.

“We lived relying on each other in our childhood.”

Claire’s face grew a bit red at my words. Alice looked between me and Claire, her eyes filled with interest.

Alice had never asked me about my past before. We hadn’t promised to avoid talking about it, but it was sort of an unspoken rule. Not just for me, but for the other Emperor’s children as well.

That was also why, in the original story, Alice didn’t know about Claire’s past.

But now, with someone in front of me who openly knew about it, it was only natural for curiosity to arise.

That said, I didn’t pry.

“Is that so…?” The Baroness said, eyeing me closely.

She must have been a little cautious, as it would reflect on her daughter’s memory being correct, especially if the Crown Princess confirmed it.

“Claire and I are from the same orphanage. I’m also the one who brought Claire here.”

“And you took care of the other children too, right?”

“…That’s right.”

While I didn’t sense blame in her voice, actually saying that in front of them made me feel a bit embarrassed. In a sense, I had kind of dumped the kids onto them, knowing the Grace family’s nature.

Besides, initially, I planned to entrust Claire along with the others.

I often imagined how my life might have been if I had entrusted them there. Would I have grown up like Claire, squabbling with Leo over who called whom brother or sister? Or would I have grown up as the oldest?

Well, I didn’t have sword skills, so I may not have been adopted by the Grace family. In reality, Claire was the only one among the children who was adopted.

Still, I would have taken the academy entrance exam; perhaps I would have been placed in a different class.

If that were the case, Alice and I wouldn’t have had an equal relationship; I might have looked up to Alice instead.

Each choice completely alters the future.

“There’s no need to worry too much,” the Baroness said, smiling warmly at me, as if my expression and reaction reassured her.

“The children all grew up splendidly. Some have already started working as retainers for our family.”

“Is that so?”

Well…

Honestly, I wasn’t sure how they remembered me. While it seemed like Claire had strong memories, for the other children…

Truthfully, their faces and names were a bit hazy.

I diligently revisited the game’s contents. I copied notes repeatedly onto paper to avoid forgetting and visited places that served as game backgrounds within the capital.

But I didn’t make such efforts for other memories. Simply living felt overwhelming back then.

At least they hadn’t turned out badly, which was a relief.

“Actually,” the Baroness said, placing her teacup down with a slightly heavy tone, “I didn’t disclose the Crown Princess’s identity to those children. It’s a sensitive subject in many ways.”

“Thank you.”

I spoke frankly.

It wouldn’t matter if the fact that I wasn’t of their blood circulated, but it was better for the truth of my identity to stay hidden. The fewer people who knew, the better.

On that note, Claire calling me sister could also be risky, but… well, Claire was treated like an oddball even among the nobles.

Moreover, the noble kids all thought something shady was going on behind me, so nobody really wanted to get close. So, I didn’t mind too much, even if her calling me sister was unique.

“But if the Crown Princess wishes, I can arrange for you to meet the other children as well.”

“…”

I looked over at Alice and Claire.

Alice seemed a bit interested. Since Claire was among the kids I cared for, she probably wanted to see how the others were doing.

And as for Claire, she looked like she was expecting something.

Although she was adopted by the Grace family, she must have been close to those kids previously. While I had only briefly interacted with them, Claire must have spent her childhood with them. In a way, they would be childhood friends.

So, I was a little intrigued.

Those kids might not recognize me, but I was curious about Claire’s relationships with them.

Since the Grace family had a laid-back atmosphere with their retainers, maybe Claire wouldn’t hesitate to speak to them.

And above all else, I was curious about how significant my past actions were.

But…

“However, it’s getting late.”

Although I hadn’t had dinner yet, that meant it was about time to do so.

For commoners, their sleeping hours could be counted on one hand, but nobles were different. The Grace family wouldn’t treat their retainers like commoners working in a factory.

Still, wandering around the family at this hour felt a bit off. Plus, with a Crown Princess around, people would have to come and greet us.

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

But the Baroness spoke confidently.

“There are children learning within this mansion as well. Since they planned to learn in the afternoon today, it shouldn’t be a big deal for you to visit.”

At the Baroness’s words, both Alice and Claire turned to look at me simultaneously.

“…I understand. In that case, I will gladly rely on your kindness.”

In the end, that’s how I responded.

Chapter 115

The job of a butler is a profession of expertise.

Especially if that butler manages a bourgeois who is involved in various businesses or an aristocratic house with a deep history, it’s even more so.

While it may not be as complex as dealing with the royal treasury, the flow of money involved is definitely not something that can just be recorded in a household ledger like in a typical family.

In a world where calculators, mechanical calculators, and computer-like devices exist, the work done by machines is, of course, slower and more complicated than in my world that utilized semiconductors. Because of that, the quality of the people operating those machines and the people managing them is extremely important.

The most crucial factor is, without a doubt, human trustworthiness.

It is essential to have someone you can trust so much that they wouldn’t even think of slipping a little into their own pockets in the face of large sums of money. Someone who can accurately calculate taxes so that they won’t get caught by the royal court. It’s not easy to bring someone from the outside who meets all these criteria. If they were such a person, they would most likely be working for someone else already.

Thus, noble families of a certain level attempt to cultivate such individuals within their own lineage. It’s best if it’s someone from the family from the start. Even if they try to take a little, it’s ultimately from their own family, so attempting to take too much would be a loss, and they conduct tax calculations with precision. They may try to reduce the amount, but they don’t think they could be smarter than the royal treasury’s interpretation agencies.

What an excellent worker!

However, not all members of noble families are such discerning and intelligent individuals.

So, they will try to train individuals from the beginning. Ideally, with a sense of loyalty as well.

The butler in Baron Grace’s Estate was no exception.

“It is my lifelong glory.”

While he exaggerated a bit in his words, his attitude felt sincere, as if it were not an exaggeration at all. It seemed so sincere that one might even doubt if it was genuinely sincere.

The butler had his short hair styled with a 2:8 part and applied pomade to have it neatly arranged. Judging by his face, one would expect him to have white hair, but perhaps he dyed it black.

His mustache was neatly groomed, showing no signs of stray hairs. A thin golden chain flowed from the pocket of the black vest of his three-piece suit, likely containing a pocket watch.

“We are pleased to visit such a splendid place. Surely, the beauty of this territory has been made possible through your efforts.”

“Thank you for your kind words.”

The butler responded as if it were nothing, but he couldn’t completely hide the pride radiating from him. Of course, the level of that pride wasn’t so excessive that it was against etiquette. It was like merely adding a hint of fragrance to a drink.

“I was showing the Crown Princesses around the mansion. They will be staying here for a few days, and it’s possible they may visit again.”

The butler’s gaze shifted slightly toward Claire, who was nearby. In that brief moment, he seemed to understand what was going on.

Or maybe he was someone who talked to Claire often. Thinking back to the guards I met at the entrance of the territory, this might be the more plausible assumption.

“In that case, I can assist you.”

The butler said this to the Baroness, but she gently shook her head. Just looking at her movements, one might think she was a noblewoman who had grown up spoiled without knowing anything since childhood. However, a look at the tips of her fingers hinted at calluses.

It wasn’t just that she had wielded a sword; it was proof that she still does whenever the opportunity arises. She probably noticed, even if she didn’t show it, when my gaze briefly drifted toward her fingers.

“Guiding the Crown Princesses should fall to me. I am the mistress of this house.”

“Understood.”

The butler bowed deeply without showing any signs of questioning the Baroness, who appeared younger than himself.

“The reason I sought you, Butler, is to meet a child being trained to work in this mansion.”

The butler’s gaze lifted again. There seemed to be a flicker of curiosity in his eyes for just a moment, but by the time I caught that gaze, it had already disappeared.

“If it is that child, he is currently finishing his duties and is resting.”

“Would it be rude to visit now?”

“No, not at all. He is one blessed by Baron Grace, after all. I’m sure he would be happy to come out when he hears the story.”

It would indeed be somewhat rude to visit after work hours. It’s essentially the same as the boss coming to see someone who just clocked out for a chat.

But this was a noble society, and most of the children working in this house were orphans taken in during their childhood to save their lives. Not only were they saved, but they also managed to live much better than in typical peasant households. The loyalty born from such hearts must be genuine. Or at the very least, that feeling of wanting to be here must be sincere.

Thinking about it, the child I was about to meet was, in fact, a character that didn’t exist in the original story.

The butler remembered. While not a significant character, he was someone present every time I visited Baron Grace’s territory in the game and later became an NPC who gave side quests.

However, the orphans I had forced onto the back burner back then were different.

At least, they didn’t make me feel as uncomfortable as the strange individual I encountered when I first met Rena or that dungeon.

At the very least, I could imagine why the kids here would end up meeting in this way.

Furthermore, had I continued to stay here, those kids would probably have called me sister or big sister.

Thinking that way felt a bit strange.

“……”

Ah.

Realizing Alice was looking at my face intently, I subtly shifted my gaze to the side.

What had happened had already happened. Time… Well, I couldn’t turn it back anymore.

If I had tried to find a way out from Lucas, maybe there was a one in a thousand or ten thousand chance.

But I didn’t do that. Even if time could somehow go back, I probably wouldn’t have acted that way.

Well… Yeah.

Lucas was a bit scary, Jayden was annoying, and Bella was somewhat irritable, but I still liked Alice.

Dealing with Alice, who was whining like a child—no, as a child—was not as bad as I thought. In the original story, she was always a serious character unless she had some wacky antics, and I never got to see her whine like this in person.

So, that memory was too precious to be dismissed as ‘nonexistent.’

If I were in this position, I probably would have felt the same way.

Choosing between two things would undoubtedly leave me conflicted until I die, so it would be much better to just not experience one of them. That way, it would be easier to let it go.

“Please come this way.”

The butler led us without hesitation toward the place where they resided in the mansion. The Baroness also followed behind without any concerns.

This must mean that they keep the rooms clean enough that they wouldn’t be embarrassed even if their masters came at any time.

“……”

Up until we reached this point, both Alice and Claire had warm smiles on their faces, but after seeing my expression, they both became a bit stiff. The first to change their expression was Alice, and after she looked back and forth between me and Alice, Claire gradually stiffened, too.

What kind of expression am I making right now?

……Probably a blank expression.

Even looking in the mirror, I would not recognize my own feelings in that blank face.

That was my character trait.

*

Some older folks who are a few years older than me often have a habit of reminiscing about their elementary school days as if it’s a moment of nostalgia. However, I didn’t really agree with that.

I’m not sure if it’s due to my poor memory compared to others, or something else, but I don’t have many clear memories of elementary school and they often feel hazy.

A few kids come to mind, but typically either their faces or names don’t ring a bell.

So, there’s not really much to reminisce about. I suppose one of the few memories I have from elementary school is how delicious the tteokbokki was at the place in front of the school.

Therefore, to be honest, when faced with a boy who looked a few years younger than me, I had to think a long time to conjure up that face.

However, it seems that the boy who has not yet escaped his childhood was slightly different.

Chapter 116

It’s a no-brainer, but in games like this, girls and boys are usually drawn to look cute. Boop!

Right. Boys too. Honestly, there aren’t many ways to draw ‘kids’ in a cool way. No matter how cool they look, to an adult, they just look like kids. A fifth grader saying “I will protect you!” is just going to be adorable. Squee!

…Right. Fifth graders.

Come to think of it, I’m currently 15 years old. Taking out the age of the soul inside me and adding the setting age of this body when it was created to how long I’ve lived in this world, that’s what I get.

In Korea, that’s the age of a third-year middle school student. Although I look like a high schooler, really! I don’t know if the modeling from the game works here too.

Thinking about it, dressing these kids in bunny girl outfits is a kind of insane thing to do, but… I often forget that since the characters wear bunny girl outfits and their physical development is different from Earth. In the context of the first episode, these characters were just kids.

If we hadn’t had masks on, everyone at the casino would have immediately figured out we were underage. Ding!

Maybe someone would have recognized Alice as a princess before that.

And obviously, the kid in front of me, who looked a few years younger than me, unmistakably resembled a higher-grade elementary student or probably even a first-year middle schooler, even though the concept of middle school is still vague in this world.

Her green hair, the outfit looking like a children’s butler cosplay, and her very cute, gentle face made it seem like she could have been a regular character in the original, but… I had never seen this face in the original.

Of course, if I hadn’t been living here, she’d probably have been sold off somewhere. If her face wasn’t cute, she probably wouldn’t have been in that orphanage in the first place.

And then that kid looked up at me with emerald-like eyes, showing a slightly surprised expression.

I don’t have the talent to read people’s faces like Alice does, so I’m not sure if she was surprised just by my face or if she realized I was ‘Sylvia Black.’

“You are honored guests staying here for a few days.” Wow!

The butler said this looking at the kid.

“Ah, yes.”

I heard the kid’s voice responding immediately, and the butler’s brows furrowed slightly. It seemed she didn’t like that the kid had zoned out for a moment.

But it seems she wasn’t the type to scold a kid in front of us. No, it really didn’t seem like she would raise her voice to scold anyone. This little prospective butler in front of me wasn’t intimidated at all. If she was treated poorly, she wouldn’t stand so confidently like this.

The kid placed one hand gently on her heart and, while keeping the other hand behind her back, slightly bent forward toward us. The fluidity of her actions showed how well she had been educated.

“I’m Daniel, and I’m in training as a butler. I hope to get along well in the coming days.”

Of course, it was unlikely she would guide us directly around… Ah.

Daniel.

Upon hearing the name, memories buried deep within me slowly surfaced. There was a kid with bright green hair. Very quiet and well-behaved. I guess the vibe was similar to Claire, though younger.

We all were kids back then. Me, Claire, barely at five years old, with even younger kids around. Those were just the kids the old woman from the orphanage brought in from somewhere.

And they were ‘merchandise’ she had kept and later sold at a high price.

Did Daniel follow me around well?

Hmm, I’m not sure. Back then, my attention was almost entirely on Claire. I would share food or awkwardly tell old stories, but that was about it. I had a number of little followers. Not to the level of dozens, but there were many to the point where I couldn’t look after every single one of them.

Still, considering I don’t remember any of them particularly bothering me, he probably was a good follower.

“Daniel!”

Claire jumped forward as if she hadn’t seen him in a long time, then paused to look at her mother.

The baroness gazed at Claire with a slightly stern expression.

I looked at Claire.

Claire raised her hands slightly. It seemed like she was going to run and hug Daniel.

But it would be problematic for a fifteen-year-old lady to do that.

Getting married in the late teens isn’t uncommon in this world, but that doesn’t mean kids in the academy are treated like toddlers all the time.

The lines between ‘adult’ and ‘child’ in this world are very blurred; there are even stories of a 17-year-old who snuck into the army being treated like a hero, while at the same time, when teenagers try to take on various tasks, ‘real adults’ over 20 appear saying kids shouldn’t do those things.

Human rights charters and such hadn’t been created yet. Who knows if they ever will.

“Oh, long time no see?”

Claire hurriedly spread her hands apart as if she had intended to do that all along and waved energetically.

“Haha…”

Daniel looked at Claire, seeming troubled, smiled slightly, and said,

“It’s been a while, Miss Claire.”

“……”

Then Claire made an unhappy face upon hearing that.

The atmosphere between the two didn’t feel romantic at all. In fact, it was hard to imagine it being so. One looked very mature despite being young, while the other was still closer to being a child.

Instead—

I slowly raised my gaze and scanned the room.

It was very neatly arranged. Not empty, but everything was well-placed, giving a comfortable vibe.

There were two bunk beds in the room. It seemed like a room originally meant for several people.

“The other kids have all found other things to do. So for now, the only one staying here is Daniel.”

The butler answered before I could ask, looking at my gaze. The baroness nodded gently in agreement.

Perhaps Claire had spent time here with Daniel. Of course, they would have to have separate rooms for different genders. Still, before being adopted by Grace’s estate, they probably had a sibling-like relationship.

Did they hug each other without thinking twice? Thinking of Claire’s personality, that might have happened.

My gaze, which had been wandering around, slowly came down to lock onto Daniel’s face.

And I carefully examined his face.

Seeing if there were any injuries. Checking if he looked unhappy or sad. I’m not sure why I was looking for those things, but for some reason, I felt I had to.

And I found no signs at all.

Realizing that fact, I felt satisfaction and opened my mouth.

“Are you doing well?”

It might not be polite to ask such a question without properly introducing myself first.

But Daniel answered as if he already knew who I was.

“Yes, I am doing quite well.”

“Is that so.”

I pondered what to say next. How should I continue this conversation?

“I’ve heard there are others from the same orphanage…”

“All are under the protection of Grace’s estate. Right now, we are all looking for ways to repay that kindness.”

“I see.”

I understood from that the others were all doing well.

“……”

I almost carelessly asked if he remembered my face but swallowed that back.

I feel like I already know.

At first, he would have been shocked by a sudden visitor like me. The whole estate must be aware that two princesses are visiting the mansion.

But… the understanding on his face seemed different from that kind of surprise.

“Today is late, but,”

I slowly opened my mouth and carefully ventured into what I wanted to say next.

“If tomorrow your schedule permits…”

I hesitated briefly over whether it was appropriate to say this, then decided,

“Could you introduce me to your friends?”

In that instant, the room fell into a brief silence. It wasn’t a particularly tense silence.

“I’d be happy to do so.”

Daniel said that to me, bowing his head slightly.

Chapter 117

Alice lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling as if she could pierce it with her gaze. Sigh

Sleepless.

Just because it was the baron’s bed didn’t mean it was particularly uncomfortable compared to the academy’s. In fact, the priciest bed brand was pretty much established, and any noble household, or relatively wealthy commoners, would have that brand’s beds. So really, there was no reason to worry about being uncomfortable as a guest in a house of some standing.

The reason Alice couldn’t sleep wasn’t the bed itself, but Sylvia.

Or perhaps not just Sylvia, but Claire, or the kids from the orphanage who had been with Claire.

To be more precise—it was due to “the kids who had been with Sylvia.”

Alice prided herself on having known Sylvia for quite a long time. At five years old, that was a very young age in anyone’s life, and having known her for a whopping 10 years, it would be hard for others to argue against her claim of sisterhood. There are very few people in the world who can clearly recall memories from before the age of five!

But… today Sylvia’s expression was reminiscent of the memories from those five-year-old days.

Every time Alice got Sylvia’s expression right, everyone around would be shocked, and Sylvia would look at Alice as if asking how on Earth she could do that, but really, that “talent” was nothing spectacular.

If you wanted to read Sylvia’s expressions, you just had to quietly stare into her eyes.

Her eyes, aimed at someone or something, were never a moment ‘emotionless.’ Sylvia always lived calculating and thinking about something.

And the expression Sylvia had while looking at that guy, Daniel, was almost reminiscent of ‘longing.’

Seeing Sylvia with such a look filled Alice with an utterly bizarre feeling.

Discovering something unknown about someone you thought you knew your whole life wasn’t as enjoyable as one might think.

She wanted to know, yet the emotions she felt couldn’t be summed up in one simple term.

Even a dark ceiling in a pitch-black room would let some light sneak in if you stared at it long enough. Of course, it was too faint to even clearly see the faces of those nearby.

Turning her head to the side, she could barely see Sylvia’s face in the other bed in the guest room.

All she saw was a blurry shape beyond the darkness.

When she thought about it, Alice had hardly ever seen Sylvia sleeping. Since they had used different rooms since childhood.

Even during train rides lasting several hours, she never dozed off, whether in class or during her personal free time.

She knew that Sylvia lived a very orderly life, heading to bed without fail by 11 PM—

“Ah.”

Now that she thought about it, Sylvia always had a good night’s sleep. She would go to bed around 11 PM and wouldn’t wake until morning. Unless there was a mission to carry out or some task to do, Sylvia always maintained that regular routine.

Was Sylvia someone who needed a lot of sleep?

It surprised her that she was only now having that thought.

Always meticulous and organized, never failing to complete her tasks—

—like the last time, not just from that ruin.

“……”

She could distinctly feel the gun pointed at the back of her head. It wasn’t something she had seen directly or heard, but the murderous intent was clearly palpable.

A killer instinct that promised she would kill for sure.

Sylvia had never shown such a murderous intent—not even in moments where her life was on the line. So having her be in front of Alice like that intensified the strange type of killing energy.

It was strange. Something she’d never felt from anyone else.

Yet at the same time, it felt oddly familiar.

When she turned to look at him, she saw the gun in his hand.

The one Sylvia always carried around. It looked slightly older than the one Sylvia had.

At that point, Alice stopped her thoughts.

Somehow, it felt wrong to keep thinking about that strange person.

“……”

Had she been thinking too much?

Even though it had already been a month since that incident, the memory of that moment stuck stubbornly in the back of Alice’s mind, refusing to fade away.

They would meet again someday.

At least, she hoped the person who was sleeping next to her now wasn’t that person.

If Sylvia ever grew to hate her enough to want her dead, Alice felt she wouldn’t be able to endure it.

At the very least, she hoped she was as important in Sylvia’s eyes as the others at the orphanage from the same territory.

She knew she shouldn’t be thinking such things, but she felt a bit disappointed that she wasn’t from that orphanage.

*

Last night, she had slept soundly without any worries and had woken up.

She blinked awake before the sun had even come up, feeling far more refreshed than usual, and she pondered the reason for it.

It was likely because there was no one else around to pay attention to.

Leo was an important figure. The protagonist. Claire too, and the Grace couple weren’t exactly lightweight characters in the story.

But none of them had any reason to attack her.

Especially Alice. There was a time when she thought of her as a rival just last year, but in this year, she’d suddenly matured and was acting like an older sister.

Now, she was sound asleep, deeper than Alice was.

Once she sorted out her thoughts, it all made sense.

She didn’t need to worry about Lucas, nor did Leo and Claire suddenly rush out for a mission at dawn. There was no need to waste mental and physical energy being caught by other nobles on the streets. Everyone here was honest enough that Alice could let her guard down.

“Ha.”

And yet, she felt an oddly empty feeling that made her chuckle without meaning to.

She glanced over at Alice, but she seemed deeply asleep and likely didn’t hear her.

Alice got up from her bed. Most of her belongings from the academy had already been moved to the imperial palace, but she had brought some useful stuff with her from places other than the palace. Stuff packed into a large trunk.

She pulled the trunk out from under the bed and gathered some of her underwear and clothes from inside.

“……”

Then she quietly looked down at what she picked up.

What was in her hands was her uniform.

An endlessly military-like uniform.

In fact, the other clothes in the trunk were just as much so. Even if they weren’t uniforms, almost all her clothes had a formal style, just like what Lucas or Jayden usually wore.

However, it wasn’t that there were no dresses.

She thought of Claire. She had just returned last night, so she had worn her uniform until the end, but would she still be wearing it today?

While she liked swinging a sword, it didn’t mean she thought all her taste would be completely masculine.

She glanced down at the uniform for a moment before tossing it back into the trunk.

Then she pulled out another piece of clothing.

*

Even though it was summer, she didn’t want to shower with cold water.

It was quite clean, but the facilities were—at least by her standards—looked quite old. Well, to be honest, even a newly built shower wouldn’t be vastly different. After all, it was still the early 1900s here. Even though it was a different world, it wasn’t like they had smartphones or anything. Magic or steam engines had replaced the tasks that were resolved by electricity in her world, but it didn’t mean they had gone that far.

Steampunk smartphones. She’d love to see those. If they had a wind-up digital clock, surely they could make them too?

While she was lost in those thoughts, hot water was flowing adequately from the shower.

Gazing blankly at the foggy shower’s screen, she began to think about how they made the hot water with steam engines and then gave up. The truth was, she didn’t even fully understand how a boiler worked in her modern world either. Well, it was probably heated by coal or something similar. Back in the day, they had central heating boilers in apartments.

In either world, Alice thought about how she really didn’t know much about how the world works, and she couldn’t help but chuckle at that absurdity.

Strangely, that thought was comforting.

If she’d lived her life without knowing, then what did it matter if there were things she didn’t know in this world?

*

“……Sylvia?”

After finishing her shower, drying her hair, and getting dressed, Alice woke up. To her, it was quite late.

And then Alice was greeted with an expression of sheer shock when she looked at her.

No, it was more than just shock; it was far beyond simply being surprised.

Chapter 118

“Yeah, I haven’t really worn a dress before.” sweatdrop

I thought, noticing Alice’s expression out of the corner of my eye.

“Does it not suit me?”

So I asked directly.

I didn’t trust my fashion sense. I really didn’t think I was someone who dressed well in my past life.

Back then, I couldn’t trust my sense either, so whenever I went to a regular clothing store, I would just buy whatever the mannequins were wearing and wear that. Whether it actually suited me or not was another story.

Still… there’s the saying that “fashion is completed with the face,” right? Not just the face, but the figure too.

‘Sylvia Fanggriffon’ was definitely not lacking in appearance, not at all. In fact, it would be more accurate to say she was beautiful.

So, I thought that as long as I wasn’t wearing something ridiculously strange, it would look good on me.

The dress I wore was a sky-blue color.

There weren’t too many decorations. It didn’t show too much skin.

I thought it was a decently elegant design, but… I wasn’t sure how it would appear through the eyes of Alice, who had really lived in the royal family.

“Uh, ah, no. It looks good, yeah.”

And I couldn’t tell if she sincerely thought it looked good or was having such a hard time looking me in the face that she was just giving me a compliment first.

Alice was reading my best efforts to hide my expression.

How unfair.

But I wasn’t planning to get mad at Alice or anything, so I calmly asked again.

“Is it inappropriate to meet Baron Grace and his wife in this dress?”

Well, I didn’t think so. Wearing dresses is something nobles do regularly, and this dress wasn’t particularly cheap either. Sure, I had prepared this dress at the start of the school year without wearing it even once, but considering the price, it shouldn’t be a breach of ‘etiquette.’

“Ah, that is—”

Alice, who seemed to hesitate before responding, suddenly went silent.

For a moment, I saw her expression stiffen. I barely managed to suppress the urge to tilt my head in confusion.

If she thought the outfit didn’t suit me so horribly that it somehow breached etiquette—

I definitely could see how that might be the case.

I had no idea if there was such a rule or not, but if someone attended a fashion show and looked so terrible they were almost embarrassing to be seen, that might indeed be a violation of etiquette.

Or if someone showed up to a funeral all dressed up, or attended a wedding trying to outshine the bride. So there might be such rules among the nobility, right? Guests shouldn’t show up too extravagantly compared to their hosts.

“No.”

But Alice’s stiff expression softened in no time.

And she quickly responded, a tad hastily in a way that seemed a bit urgent to my eyes.

“Is that so?”

This strange behavior made me suspicious, so I asked again. Alice eagerly nodded.

“Yes. It looks good. And it won’t breach any etiquette. If someone criticizes it, it’s just their personal preference.”

“…….”

I briefly pondered whether Alice’s words were a roundabout way of saying, ‘It honestly looks horrible,’ but ultimately decided to take her words at face value.

Alice isn’t the type to lie over such things. I’ve learned that much over the last ten years.

If we were to compete, Alice would absolutely challenge me in a straightforward manner. Just like she did in childhood.

“I understand.”

Seeing me nodding obediently, Alice looked a bit relieved.

*

In a moment, I realized I almost answered ‘maybe’ and then felt a twinge of stiffness in my face.

Alice’s poker face was much worse than Sylvia’s usual technique of hiding her expression, so Sylvia could likely observe that expression quite clearly.

But there wasn’t much shift in Sylvia’s expression. Just a faint inkling of a question emerged.

That said, I couldn’t exactly ask Sylvia, “Why are you suddenly dressed like that?”

Noble and royal words often carry many implications. Sylvia had lived in the royal family for ten years, so she’d know that very well.

And if Alice voiced such a phrase, the word “suddenly” would hide “why here,” “that dress” would include “ordinary clothes,” and “dressed up” would have the hidden tone of “trying to impress someone.”

And all those hidden words could be summarized into just one: ‘Jealousy.’

Isn’t that a little…

Childish?

Alice had never once asserted that she was Sylvia’s ‘sister’ until recently. That started after Claire began calling Sylvia ‘sister.’

Sylvia didn’t seem to seriously ponder that fact yet, but if Alice crossed a few more lines from there, Sylvia might soon realize that Alice was jealous of Claire.

This jealousy wasn’t dark and sticky. It was simply Alice’s thoughts and feelings regarding questions she couldn’t directly ask Sylvia.

So, it’s like this.

Was Sylvia resenting her kidnapping by Lucas that brought her to the royal family?

Was there even a hint of blame for Alice lurking behind that calm expression?

Had she ever thought of Alice as a sister? Or was she merely thinking of her as a tool to help her ascend the throne and create the future she wanted or avoid something?

Those fleeting human emotions, were they merely tactics to deceive Alice—

“Time is running out.”

Alice’s thoughts were interrupted by Sylvia.

Alice blinked at Sylvia’s words.

Sylvia, beyond that blinking gaze, appeared calm as usual. Perhaps it might have been due to that somewhat mismatched sky-blue dress making her look even more serene than usual.

Of course, Sylvia is pretty. She can pull off nearly any outfit.

But, what can I say…

Sylvia’s shoulders were too stiff. It just struck me that those shoulders were always stiff whenever Sylvia wore her school uniform.

Now that I think about it, maybe it’s not because of the uniform; it’s just how she is.

Her overly militaristic demeanor must have made her stiffen as a habit.

After reaching that conclusion, I felt the tension leave Alice’s shoulders, sagging downwards. It was somewhat of a relief that I hadn’t burst out laughing.

Sylvia is, well, Sylvia.

If Sylvia were to appear different, it would just be Alice seeing her differently.

“Shouldn’t you start getting ready?”

“Before that, Sylvia.”

Hearing Sylvia’s comment, Alice stood up.

Then she walked gracefully, not in the casual way like at the academy, but in a dignified manner fitting for a crown princess, right in front of Sylvia.

Dressed in pajamas, it might look odd to others, but it was just the two of them, so it didn’t matter.

Just like old times.

“You’re too tense in your shoulders.”

“……”

There was no reply, but Sylvia’s eyes were on Alice. Seeing a flicker of curiosity pass through those deep, dark eyes, Alice strangely felt reassured.

“That might be okay when wearing your uniform or formal attire,” Alice lightly tapped Sylvia’s shoulders with her hands, just like a tutor who taught manners when she was younger.

“But if you walk around tense in your shoulders while wearing a dress, it will look too stiff.”

“Is that so?”

The response was pure curiosity.

“You really don’t know anything.”

Alice unconsciously sighed. That sigh was mixed with her earlier worries and hesitations. Once she expelled that thought with her breath, she felt some relief.

“Alright, then. Just wait until I’ve taken a shower. I’ll teach you the necessary movements for wearing a dress in a hurry.”

“……..Is there a separate technique for wearing a dress?”

Should I change back right now?

The mere thought of it made me almost laugh.

Surely, we were trained by the same tutor, so why do the lessons differ so significantly?

“Got it? Just wait there. You came here representing the royal family, after all, and you can’t afford to embarrass yourself.”

Alice urged fervently, dashing towards the shower only to realize, in her excitement, she had forgotten her underwear and change of clothes.

With a slightly embarrassed expression, she turned back to her bed, pulled some clothes out from the trunk underneath it, and headed towards the shower again.

…Honestly, it was a relief they were sharing a room just the two of them.

Chapter 119

Surprisingly, the sense of embarrassment hit me a beat late.

At first, I thought, “What’s the big deal about wearing this dress?”

I had already worn a bunny girl outfit once. It was a costume that almost exposed my upper chest, and if we were to measure shame, normal people wouldn’t even consider wearing something like that. So, I thought wearing a dress that most people wore wouldn’t be that embarrassing.

It neither revealed my chest nor my shoulders. It was just… an ordinary outfit that a noble girl might wear.

In fact, the skirt part was much longer than the uniform I usually wore. That’s obvious. Honestly, considering that a cute girl character is one of the main features of this game, the skirt of the uniform was shorter compared to real-life school uniforms. So objectively speaking, there was no reason for me to feel embarrassed wearing this.

Alice, who saw me in the morning, was a little surprised but didn’t make a big fuss about it.

However, that’s when I realized after going out for breakfast.

Embarrassment isn’t determined by the ‘objective level of exposure,’ but rather by the reactions of those around me regarding my outfit.

When I wore the bunny girl outfit, Alice was beside me, and I felt a lot of shame, but Claire’s response to us was closer to ‘stupidity’. Moreover, we had various reasons for it.

But this time, I chose to wear the dress myself.

And the other people looking at this outfit focused on that fact itself.

“Wow!”

Claire, who had a blank expression for about three seconds upon seeing me, instantly brightened up. She clasped her hands, sparkling eyes, and came over to me, saying:

“Sister, you look amazing!”

I could see the Baroness nearby raising her eyebrow at the term ‘sister’, but she didn’t openly reveal her flustered feelings and came over gracefully to say:

“Yesterday’s outfit suited you well, but this one suits you even more.”

“Really?”

And these reactions…I mean, they were way more than when Leo blushed after seeing me in the bunny girl outfit. It was definitely ticklish.

Even Leo’s response was similar.

Normally, Leo would have his mouth agape upon seeing me like this, but perhaps because he was at his house, or maybe he thought we had gotten a bit closer after knowing each other for a semester, he approached me with a ‘protagonist smile’ and said:

“You look really good.”

And that’s when I remembered.

Although the character Sylvia Fanggriffon didn’t exist in the original story, if such a scene were in the original game, it would definitely be the ‘Sylvia Fanggriffon’ bonding event.

Imagining the heart slot that’s under my name in this world filling up halfway with pink made my skin crawl.

“Is that so?”

But what can I do? If I were to say ‘no’, that would also be a cliché.

I could positively think that my character was taking hold, but I didn’t want to feel like I was being ‘targeted’. Even if I had lived as a woman for ten years, my soul was still that of a man.

“I’m sure the children will find it much easier to meet you, sister.”

Claire, seemingly oblivious to my thoughts, said that. To be exact, everyone around here did. They probably couldn’t imagine that this world was a game… in fact, video games didn’t exist in this world in the first place.

Even if they did exist, they wouldn’t be able to imagine it.

“Is that so?”

‘Is that so?’ was all I could say while Alice was staring at me intensely. Just moments ago, she had given a long speech about having ‘lady-like’ soft shoulders.

Though Alice didn’t show much of an expression, for some reason, I thought there was a sense of ‘satisfaction’ within her.

*

Daniel still had a faint blush on his face in front of me.

I pondered seriously once again if Daniel had recognized me.

I had never thought about being someone’s first love in my previous life. The original me wasn’t… well, that handsome.

But the appearance of ‘Sylvia Black’ is different.

Although all the children at the orphanage were quite decent-looking, there weren’t many that had clearly grown into ‘cute girl’ forms like Claire or me. Everyone else was just too young for that.

Moreover, I was one of the few people who had treated the children kindly at that orphanage.

It wouldn’t surprise me if someone had a longing feeling towards me. Just like Claire did.

“You can come over this way…”

The Baroness left early after breakfast. I heard she was busy, but it was probably partly because she didn’t want to interfere with the reunion with the other children.

“It seems everyone is gathered.”

“Ah, yes.”

When I asked while following Daniel, he nodded.

“Though they aren’t in exactly the same room, the kids with similar duties tend to live in similar spaces.”

That was definitely true.

The spaces for the butlers and maids couldn’t be the same, nor could the spaces for the guards.

Besides, even in a tiny territory, there wasn’t exactly a space that could comfortably house two or three people. Assuming someone has to be around for surveillance 24/7, you’d need quite a few people, and if all the children from the orphanage were hired, most would likely have become guards.

It was true that more than half of the kids from the orphanage were girls.

“Here it is.”

Where Daniel stopped was an annex separated from the main building. It was one of the places visible as I entered the territory.

It was quite a nice building to simply be called ‘lodging’. If this was the accommodation for the servants, then Baron Grace was providing quite decent welfare for them.

Daniel opened the door right away, holding it until we all entered.

It felt a bit awkward and uncomfortable for a boy younger than me to do this, but since it was this world, there was nothing I could do about it. Even Claire, Leo, and Alice acted as if it was perfectly normal.

As we entered the building, I felt like the hot air subsided a little. It seemed there was some sort of cooling system here, whether it was a steam engine or magic.

Surprisingly, the interior looked like a hotel. Not an extravagant hotel, but quite an old-fashioned inn that you’d find in a rural part of Europe. However, there was no one at the reception counter.

“We’ll pair two people per room. For the people the Crown Princess wishes to meet…”

As Daniel’s gaze turned to Claire, she beamed and nodded happily.

“Those who used to live with me.”

“Understood.”

Daniel looked at me again.

“Well then… I will bring them over.”

I nodded at Daniel’s words.

*

After sitting in the lobby for a few minutes, one by one, children began to peek into the lobby.

Among those who escaped together, there were twelve, including me, Claire, and Daniel.

The kids who came out hesitantly didn’t look much older than Daniel.

However, most were taller than him, whether they were girls or boys.

“Hello!”

“Sister!”

As Claire waved her hand, a lively girl with short brown hair shouted that and then quickly shut her mouth when she saw us behind Claire.

I see.

It seemed the kids who had escaped together bonded with each other, like siblings.

Realizing we were ‘nobles’, the girl, who was about to dash over, refined her steps and approached us.

Then, politely curtsying while grabbing her skirt, she greeted us.

“Good day.”

“…”

I was struggling to remember this kid’s name, so I didn’t have the energy to respond to her greeting.

Before the girl could say her name, other children came flooding out of the corridor.

Red hair, blonde, gray, blue…now that I think about it, their hair colors were quite diverse. Was the old hag among the criteria for adopting children based on hair color?

While I lost myself in thought, the children all gathered together.

There were nine of them.

Not a single one was missing.

Chapter 120

The embarrassment of wearing a dress had long since floated away.

In fact, seeing the children in front of me not harbor any wariness made me feel grateful that I had come in this outfit. If they had been scared, we wouldn’t have been able to have a proper conversation.

The problem was… now that I had a bunch of curious eyes staring at me, I had no idea what to say.

I couldn’t outright say, “I’m from the same orphanage as you. Do you recognize me?” There were just too many kids. I thought Daniel might notice my identity but wouldn’t tell the others, but I wasn’t sure about the other nine kids.

“…….”

And just like that, I thought about how I really didn’t know these kids at all.

That’s only natural. You sometimes discover unknown sides of friends you’ve known for ten years, so for kids I had only seen for a few months, just remembering their faces after ten years would be an achievement in itself.

… Not that I felt particularly proud of that.

“Hey, look, sister.”

Claire, who had approached me without me noticing, linked her arm with mine and pulled me along.

I took another step toward the kids.

“Sylvia, sister.”

Claire added as if she was announcing something.

That statement was aimed at me, but it was likely meant for the kids to hear. Claire must have known that she shouldn’t reveal the truth to them, but she probably wanted to give them a little hint.

And a hint is, quite literally, just a hint. If these kids were ever certain enough to ask again, I could just deny it vehemently.

As the kids processed Claire’s words, a few of them blinked in disbelief. Blink, blink. After a few blinks, the light of understanding flickered in their eyes, and soon their faces were painted with astonishment.

That understanding spread like waves, each child glancing at the one next to them, then back at my face, realizing something. Soon, they all stood there with their mouths agape, looking just as surprised.

It didn’t even take a minute for that to happen.

These kids all remembered me. It took less than a minute for them to recognize my identity.

Meanwhile, I couldn’t even remember their names.

“This person is,”

Claire said, still gripping my arm firmly, as if she thought I would run away at any moment.

… The last time we were all together was when I was kidnapped by Lucas and became a member of the royal family.

Claire didn’t fully grasp what had happened back then, but it seemed like she still thought something like that could happen again.

“This person is Princess Sylvia Fanggriffon of the Fanggriffon royal family.”

A few of the kids gasped in surprise. They hesitated, debating whether they should bow in greeting, but when they saw the others standing still, some looked confused.

They were all still so young. Even though ten years had passed.

Does that mean I still look young in the eyes of others?

My head was spinning, and I couldn’t think logically.

“I invited you after getting close at the academy, and when I heard that we were looking after you, the princess wanted to meet you all, so here we are.”

The playful demeanor I had shown Leo completely vanished, and Claire spoke to the kids in a soft, soothing voice, as if it were necessary.

I thought about Claire after I had disappeared.

It wasn’t that I hadn’t imagined it before. I had thought about it multiple times after we parted ways. I wondered if she was doing well, thinking that she wouldn’t grow up twisted since she was at Grace’s Estate, and other such thoughts until we met again at the academy.

And after we met, there was no need to imagine.

She was diligent and hardworking, cheerful in personality, good at making friends, and warm… so it was no wonder that resulting Claire was right beside me.

But could that truly be called Claire’s real self?

Just like the original story, she had grown twisted fighting with Alice at the royal palace after experiencing such events; it wouldn’t have been surprising if her personality was shaped by circumstances beyond her control.

What kind of words had Claire spoken to the kids right after I disappeared, and how had she comforted them?

“How is it? Isn’t she pretty?”

I’ve grown pretty, right?

It sounded that way in my ears when Claire said that with a bright smile, now pulling my arms snugly as if to boast, almost as if she was proud of me.

“The princess is curious about our story; how about you share?”

“…….”

The kids’ eyes lingered on Claire before they all turned to face me.

“Shall we tell her our story?”

Under normal circumstances, that would have been absurd.

There are plenty of nobles doing charity work. Whether it be genuine compassion or to showcase their own generosity due to religious reasons, there are quite a few who donate money and operate orphanages while visiting them.

However, it would be rude to unnecessarily take up the time of someone so kind by dragging out our stories. Since the noble and commoner worlds don’t intersect, it’s natural for most nobles not to care to hear commoners’ tales. Even if they were the ones helping those commoners.

But Claire said that.

As if she believed I would want that.

And—

Yeah, honestly, I did want that.

*

Emma had a knack for cleaning. Not just in the sense of being good at mopping. She had an exceptional ability to judge the size of objects and decide where they would fit in a space or how to stack boxes to fit even one more item in the warehouse. That’s why she was currently training to be a maid. In a few years, she would probably work in the main residence for a while before finding a suitable husband and getting married.

Oliver excelled at swordsmanship. Not as well as Claire, but it was clear he would grow to be a help to his master during battles. So he had been training lately. One day when he grew up, Oliver would become one of those guarding the entrance of the territory.

Chloe had a talent for taking care of plants—and—

One by one, each child shared their stories with me, almost as if they were presenting something.

They were all different. While some might work in similar fields, not one of them had the same exact talent as the others.

And they were all kids I had drawn the curtains for that day.

“…….”

While I listened to the kids’ stories carefully, I didn’t say a word.

In fact, I remembered that day.

I had simply wanted to go out with Claire. The ones who had talked to me about the kids had been Claire.

The kids… the kids are still inside, huh?

Only after hearing Claire’s words did I think to go upstairs and make an effort to save them.

If Claire hadn’t said that—

But the kids, as if they recognized who I was, proudly introduced themselves, as if they were determined to live hard enough to make sure my sacrifice didn’t seem wasted.

And Claire beside me listened with a bright smile on her face, soaking in their stories.

It was embarrassing.

It was shameful.

I wanted to jump into a hole and hide.

That feeling was similar to wearing clothes that didn’t fit.

I… I was probably not as good a person as these kids thought.

“……Sylvia.”

While I was listening to the stories, someone suddenly tapped my shoulder and spoke up.

It was Alice.

Alice, who was speaking to me from the opposite side of Claire, looked slightly worried.

“…….”

Are you okay? I didn’t hear such a question. Alice knew what kind of kids proudly spoke in front of me.

And Alice likely thought that I had saved those kids. Or at the very least, she thought I had done something worthy of receiving such gratitude from them.

“Shall we take a little break?”

I nodded slightly at Claire’s question.

I moved and sat on one of the chairs that were around.

As I stayed silent, the others present also kept quiet.

Ah, this isn’t what I wanted to do.

But even so, I didn’t know what to say.

So I just sat there for a while, focusing on my breathing.

*

Chapter 121

Memory seems to care little about how long it has been or how long it will last.

Rather, it’s those unforgettable, intense kinds of memories—whether they’re positive or negative—that play a significant role in one’s life; those are the ones that are hard to forget.

To these kids, I suppose that’s where I stand.

The story was getting long, and it felt a bit awkward to just stay in the lobby, so we all flocked to the dining hall of the building.

In the dining hall, some other kids and adults were sporadically having their meals. However, the place was spacious enough that we didn’t have to chase anyone away as we settled in one corner.

There were some people casting curious glances our way, but at least it seemed like they knew who we were, as there wasn’t anyone trying to interfere. That must mean they were raised well.

Claire waved her hand to prevent those people from getting up. After a light nod in greeting, we occupied our corner in the dining hall.

For a while, I listened to the kids’ stories.

It was as if they wanted to tell me their tales, as the kids kept sharing how they had been living since coming here.

At first, they received education at the orphanage, and as they grew older, they talked about how they wanted to work at Grace’s Estate—of course, none of them ever thought about escaping Grace’s Estate. Having spent their childhood in such a place, they probably couldn’t easily give up a place where they could live without freezing to death, starving, or being beaten.

As they slowly continued their stories, the kids looked at me with glimmers of hope in their eyes.

Perhaps they wanted to hear my story.

But…

Hmm.

Sorry, but I can’t share anything right now; all I could do was listen quietly to their tales.

Did my atmosphere feel heavy? Or maybe their topics were running dry from all the sharing?

As the story voices gradually dwindled, there came a point where there wasn’t a single person left in the dining hall.

“……”

“……”

A brief silence fell.

For some reason, Alice was keeping an eye on me, and Claire seemed to be hoping I would say something.

But I still didn’t know what to talk about.

Could I really share an honest story back to the kids who opened up about their lives?

Could I admit that I hadn’t tried to save them when I was escaping?

Would I confess that my act of sharing food with them was just a cheap pity for kids who might not live long? Could I say that to the kids who think I’m a benevolent figure?

…..

No, of course not. I wasn’t that honest or brave.

And just at the end of that brief silence, one person finally spoke up.

“Um,”

It was Daniel.

The noise in the dining hall consisted only of the kids shifting in their seats, soft breaths, and the clanging coming from the kitchen. So, even though it was just a single word, Daniel’s voice was extraordinarily loud. It was a sound that would have gone unnoticed, under normal circumstances.

As all eyes shifted toward him at once, Daniel appeared flustered. His face quickly turned red.

It seemed he was still a bit lacking in his training as a butler. Someone at his level shouldn’t be so easily readable.

Well, Daniel was still young. I didn’t suppose the one working now would quit right away either. He had plenty of time to learn.

……Unless, of course, a war broke out and he was dragged off to be cannon fodder.

“May I ask you one thing?”

But Daniel soon regained his courage and asked. His face was still a bit red, and his eyes were trembling, but he evidently had something on his mind.

The kids’ gaze shifted back to me from Daniel.

I hadn’t heard the question yet, but they seemed very curious about whether I would answer or not.

“Yes, please do ask.”

If it was too sensitive a topic, I wouldn’t be able to answer, but if I just turned around silently and left… I thought that would make this reunion meaningless, so I replied that way.

Still, I wanted to answer if it was something I could.

“……Um, that hair of yours,”

Daniel swallowed hard and continued.

“Was it that short from the beginning?”

I felt the kids staring at me intently.

In their memories, my hair must have been quite long. When I was at the orphanage, I had no tools to cut my hair. Perhaps that old woman thought it better for the kids to have longer hair since they could change their hairstyles freely once they were sold off—according to the whims of the owner and all that.

“I had long hair in my childhood.”

Not long after I started living in the Imperial Palace, I cut it short.

“Um, can I ask why you cut it?”

“It was uncomfortable.”

Running around was a hassle.

I had considered tying it up in a ponytail, but the act of waking up every morning, washing, and tying my hair was quite a chore. Plus, longer hair took much longer to dry.

“I’m quite active.”

“Ah….”

Maybe he thought there was a deeper story behind it. Daniel’s face got a bit redder at my straightforward answer.

I absentmindedly raised my hand to touch my hair. Although I touched my hair every morning, it felt incredibly soft to the point that I couldn’t believe it was actually growing from my head.

“Would longer hair suit me better, do you think?”

When I asked Daniel this, his previously red face became even redder.

With his head bent low, Daniel stammered, “I, I think… even now…” His voice trailed off in a mumble at the end, making it hard to catch.

Well, I’ll take that as a compliment.

After all, nobody would dare tell a crown princess, “That hairstyle doesn’t suit you, maybe you should change it.”

*

As it was written in the letter, Grace’s Estate truly was a peaceful and lovely place. It was almost a miracle that such a space existed just a bit inside the bustling city. While it wasn’t entirely free of noise from afar, the sounds cutting through the humid summer air felt distant, as if they belonged to another world.

Or perhaps I had just let my guard down since I knew the kids I remembered were still living here.

“Your hair.”

Sitting under a shady spot overlooking a lawn, I was staring vacantly at the greenery when Alice suddenly spoke up.

When I turned to look, Alice was still facing forward, speaking quietly.

“Are you thinking of growing it out?”

“……I don’t know.”

“It seems long hair would suit you.”

From the other side, Claire’s voice chimed in.

“I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea to grow it out someday.”

I turned my gaze back to the front and replied.

In the distance, I could see a few red brick buildings. Outside Grace’s Estate, the city still spun around like a factory.

“But not right now.”

Yeah, not right now.

There was still so much to do before I could think about growing long hair.

At the very least, for the kids next to me—

And once I confirmed that all the characters I liked made it out safe at the conclusion of the main story, and also after ensuring that those kids I impulsively saved were all safe here as well.

Once I firmly confirmed that there was no need to turn back time again, taking it slow to grow my hair long wouldn’t be a bad idea.

I wanted to avoid the mishap of having my hair long only for it to start over from scratch because I turned back time.

“When you do grow your hair, I’ll teach you pretty ways to tie it up.”

Claire, who had become a master in tying her hair into a ponytail from doing it every day, said.

“What are you talking about? Sylvia should just leave her hair down. No need to ruin her beautiful hair by tying it up, right?”

Alice countered.

“You have a lot of running around to do—”

“On the contrary, a dignified hairstyle would suit a crown princess—”

The two soon started bickering back and forth, with me stuck in the middle.

……It seems trivial, but it’s exactly like sisters fighting.

Will there come a day when I’ll look back and say, ‘Ah, those were the days’?

……I guess I’ll have to try to make that happen.

Chapter 122

Alice and Sylvia returned to the Imperial Palace the next evening.

It had only been a short three days, but to Alice, Sylvia’s face looked more relaxed than ever. It was as if she had completely let go of all her worries.

However, that relaxed expression completely vanished when she changed back into her school uniform before returning to the palace.

Alice then thought about how the palace, which she considered home, might not feel that way to Sylvia at all.

That thought felt… somewhat alien to Alice. It was something she had never once considered or doubted before.

This palace had been a place Alice had assumed was home ever since she was born, and because of that, she had thought Sylvia would naturally think the same.

But that wasn’t the case.

Sylvia seemed to find Grace’s Estate more comfortable.

And, Alice even felt like she could understand why Sylvia thought that way.

“Did you enjoy the academy?”

Sure enough, while entering to meet the Emperor, both Sylvia and Alice had been there, but now it was just Alice and the Emperor having a conversation.

Was it because Alice was of the Emperor’s blood?

Maybe that was it.

Alice knew that Sylvia had exceptional abilities, which is why the Emperor considered her one of the potential successors to the throne. If the Emperor thought of Alice as the next heir, it wouldn’t be because Alice was better than Sylvia, but because Sylvia had no intentions of taking the throne.

It must have been due to Alice’s demeanor before going to the academy. If there was a direct reason, that would be it.

But even so, the way the Emperor acted in front of Alice and Sylvia was different.

He said they were “same princesses,” and he acted as if that was the case, but if one were to pick whom he treated as his real daughter, it would surely be Alice.

“Yes, it was enjoyable.”

As she answered that, Alice recalled Grace’s Estate. The Baroness treated Leo and Claire equally. Perhaps it was because Claire was a girl, that she wouldn’t inherit the title of Baron. They adopted her for her abilities, but in the end, she was still a girl.

Even if she inherited the name of the Baron, Clara’s best bet for a future would still be to marry into a good family. Even considering Claire and Leo as siblings, Grace’s Estate wouldn’t take a hit.

But even considering such reasons, ultimately, the Baroness acted as though Claire was her biological daughter. Unless she was talking about the orphans who spent time with Claire, she didn’t clearly reveal Claire was adopted.

…At a young age, assigned to an assassination mission, nearly sent to the front lines before entering the academy—

If she truly thought of Sylvia as her ‘child,’ would the Emperor have put her in such a situation? Was it simply because he trusted her that he did so?

Did Sylvia know about that fact…? Did she feel it?

“It seems you had quite a good time with your sisters.”

It truly was enjoyable. All the more, there was no need to remember the obsession for the throne she had in her childhood.

“What do you think of Sylvia? Does she seem to be enjoying the academy?”

“…I think so.”

“I see.”

The Emperor said that while gazing thoughtfully at Alice.

“Since Sylvia dressed up like that for your plan, she’s probably enjoying her academy life in her own way.”

Alice silently looked up at the Emperor.

For some reason, she had a feeling she knew what he would say next.

“That person we saw back then.”

The Emperor spoke slowly, like building suspense. Rather than hesitating, it seemed more like he was emphasizing his words.

“Did Sylvia say anything about the person in the grove?”

“Nothing.”

If Sylvia had talked about that person’s identity… no matter who Alice expected, she would have panicked. It’s one thing to ponder alone, and another entirely to confirm that those thoughts were real.

“After that, do you think Sylvia used her special skills?”

“…I don’t know.”

Even if she did use them.

Sylvia remained silent. Alice didn’t pry either.

The Emperor always wore a relaxed smile. To hide her own expression, Alice simply gazed up at the Emperor. She probably wasn’t very successful. If Alice could read Sylvia’s expressions, then the Emperor could undoubtedly read Alice’s even better. And Alice didn’t think she could conceal her emotions better than Sylvia.

“Hmm.”

The Emperor quietly scrutinized Alice.

“At that moment.”

The Emperor continued speaking slowly.

“The one presumed to have the Jiboh, disappeared in an instant. It didn’t seem like they activated any magic or used any other devices. Afterward, we searched high and low, but didn’t find any other escape routes.”

As the Emperor leaned slightly toward Alice, it appeared as though he was looking down at her from a high position.

He spoke with a bit of pressure in that posture.

“At that moment, Sylvia collapsed. No, it would be accurate to say she ‘was already collapsed.’ We didn’t see the process of Sylvia falling. However, from the bruises and torn seams on her clothing, we can infer that ‘something happened in between.’”

The Emperor deliberately shared facts that everyone present that day already knew, laying them out piece by piece before Alice.

“Sylvia told you nothing about that day?”

Nothing.

She hadn’t even bothered to ask.

But—

“Nothing.”

Alice remembered.

For some reason, she was recalling a battle that everyone else there had forgotten. The process leading to encountering that person was clearly vivid to her. Even the fact that a battle occurred afterward.

However, the scenes of battle were fragmented. When she thought she had cut that person with her sword, she realized she hadn’t. If he had been shot, she sensed that also hadn’t happened. It was as if the future and the past overlapped, as if it was predetermined that he wouldn’t die.

But Alice was sure she remembered something that absolutely shouldn’t have happened in reality.

Right up to the moment when that person grabbed Sylvia’s collar.

As the space broke and warped, right up to the moment when he was shedding blood—

And that memory was suddenly interrupted and turned into the moment when the Emperor was speaking.

So what had happened?

No idea. That person ultimately vanished, and after he was supposed to be there, he was gone.

Why was Alice the only one who remembered him?

She didn’t know that either.

“Sylvia still hasn’t said anything.”

And neither had Alice.

“……”

Over the horizon, Alice felt the Emperor quietly observing her. But Alice remained silent, simply waiting.

“I see.”

Finally, the Emperor opened his mouth. The pressure he had been exerting on Alice suddenly lightened.

“But there’s one thing I know for sure.”

A smile danced on the Emperor’s lips, as if it amused him.

“At the very least, Sylvia cannot return to that moment in time. If it were possible, she would have simply erased that very situation. Whoever that person in the grove was, it’s certain they brought us some benefit.”

“Even if that person took the Jiboh?”

“So, what can they do with that Jiboh?”

“……”

At the very least, possessing a few broken pieces of Jiboh wouldn’t mean much. While speculations and legends about it remained globally, that was all. No one had ever collected all the Jiboh pieces.

“But if that person were to appear again and attempt to seize the Jiboh—”

“They won’t appear so easily.”

The Emperor said with a smile.

“If they could show up easily, they would have collected all the Jiboh ages ago. If their gathering of the Jiboh was already determined in the future, well…”

The Emperor shrugged.

“Then we would just have to accept that as our fate.”

But Alice, the Emperor’s daughter, knew well that he wouldn’t simply do that.

“Anyway, thank you for your hard work.”

After such a conversation, the Emperor spoke as if their recent discussion was nothing but ordinary chatter.

“I want to chat with your sisters, but it seems this father has taken up too much time. I hope it’s okay for me to leave now.”

“……”

Alice lightly bowed her head to the Emperor and turned to exit the audience chamber.

All while unable to quell the anxiety deep within her heart.

Chapter 123

The way to go back to a specific point in time was blocked, but that wasn’t a huge problem for me.

Sure, it stung that I lost the ledger and couldn’t identify the identity of that hooded figure, but no one died, and I had no desire to rewind time any further.

So, it was necessary to confirm things a bit more definitely before I encountered that guy again and the path back got blocked.

For example, I could sneak around the Imperial Palace’s restricted library and check the contents of the book more thoroughly.

Just like years ago when I entered there, it was still a place even the Crown Princess couldn’t easily access.

But hey, I’d already been inside before.

I knew which parts were vulnerable from my multiple visits in the game, and I had got a fair grasp of the internal structure after running around a few times.

…It was a lot harder to get in than when I was back and forth years ago, though.

While I crawled through, the sound of clanking gears echoed loudly above me, and the hydraulic cylinders were continuously moving, producing the sound of well-oiled machinery. Luckily, there were no steam-spewing machines here.

The “restricted library” was hidden deep within the Imperial Palace, or in other words, deep underground. Generally, there was no way to get down without taking an elevator, which was protected by thick steel doors, teeming with guards inside and out.

Even when Alice and Leo sneaked into the palace, they decided to avoid that route.

Typically, the characters faced four to six heavily armed soldiers at once, and that few enemies made it a bit strange to dodge them… but hey, in a world where bullets can pierce through people, you could respawn with potions or healing magic no matter how many times you got hit in combat.

Anyway, that’s why those two chose this maintenance tunnel.

The palace was equipped with interpretation and calming mechanisms. To create machines that acted a bit “computer-like” unlike CPUs using semiconductors, they needed huge steam-powered devices. Inside were numerous large and small gears and hydraulic cylinders continuously cranking away while displaying information on something similar to a ‘screen’.

Of course, with so many parts, there were many ways it could break down. From the size of a person to tiny parts as small as those found in wristwatches, there were countless. Therefore, they had to be repaired periodically to maintain their lifespan.

And naturally, there were entrances to fix those things.

Those entrances were guarded, but—

It was still impossible to enter normally and reach the library. You had to find a way into spaces that seemed unreachable by people.

Thanks to Alice and Leo reading the palace blueprints beforehand, they could barely get in.

I already knew the path.

…If I could rewind time, I might just pass through that entrance…

But after spending years conversing with various people working in the palace, well… it felt a bit like a no-go for me.

At least there was some way to get in.

*

Initially, I thought it was just a dungeon, but when I actually entered, everything looked exactly as I remembered. It was so complicated that I had gotten lost a few times, going back in time to navigate through it.

That’s right. It was a dungeon.

That’s why I brought a gun with me.

Lost in thought, I pushed my gun forward, repeatedly moving forward. Having built up some muscle over time, it felt like I could manage the crawling now at a decent pace.

“Ugh.”

Letting out a groan as I crawled out, I heard the creaky creak of a poorly oiled machine moving.

Creek creek, an unnatural sound resembling the footsteps of a beast echoed, but it was just the sound of gears turning.

I stood up, gun loaded, looking ahead.

It was dark, but not completely devoid of light. The weak glow of magic stones faintly illuminated the room.

A person in armor was wandering around the room.

On one hand, instead of a hand, there was a sword attached, and in the other, a short firearm.

But there were no legs. It looked like the waist was cut off and stuck on a pole.

Of course, since it was a complete machine, it didn’t seem gruesome.

Like a moving target in a shooting range, a metal rod extended down to the floor and secured it in place. The sound of turning gears was coming from within.

It would probably move, tracing lines randomly drawn on the ground to follow me.

…They were security devices since it was hard for a person to stay inside all the time.

It was a bit dull-witted compared to a person, though.

I lifted my firearm and aimed at one of the moving machines.

I knew its weak spot. In the game, the final blow usually happened after continuously hitting until HP was depleted, but this wasn’t a game.

Bang!

At the same time as the sound, the metal plate at the back was cleanly penetrated, the machine’s torso fell forward. Meanwhile, the metal rod continued moving, and the disabled machine swayed and adjusted its posture as the rod moved.

Thankfully, it seemed the security system hadn’t changed.

But as soon as I confirmed that one machine stopped working, the remaining two turned towards me swiftly.

First, the right one, then the left.

Alright!

Again!

*

Before the right one could fully turn, I swung my arm and shot it.

The front armor of those machines wasn’t something an ordinary rifle could pierce. It was better to take care of the two first, then deal with the next one.

Watching the remaining machine spin towards me, I rolled on the ground.

As it turned, it fired. With a thud and a loud sound, numerous pellets struck the floor where I had been standing, creating sparks.

Thank goodness they turned with gears.

In a world without real-time cameras or laser motion sensors, physical shock was the only way for a machine to perceive a situation.

The floor was densely packed with tiny switches, and except for the areas for the janitor to stand on, everywhere else was a danger zone. Step wrong, and that machine would fire bullets at me.

Understanding where the rolling gears were coming from and figuring out the direction of the impact… all that couldn’t be done all at once. Either way, you could only make sense of it after the gears moved.

Thud, thud, while the machine centered on the place I had been, I diligently avoided the bullets.

The sight of the machine approaching me through the fastest rails was a tad unnerving, but it wasn’t like I had never faced it before.

Thud!

Firing one shot, quickly maneuvering back—if I had only a bit more time, it could have shot me.

Bang! Bang!

But I was just a fraction of a second faster as I anticipated its move.

I ducked to the side, firing two shots into its ribs. With a creaky, it seemed a couple of its parts popped out, making the torso unable to turn.

I swiftly circled behind the machine and took one last shot.

As the most crucial part in the back fell, the machine slumped down. Despite that, due to the continuously moving metal rod on the ground, all three machines were still following me at a regular pace.

I didn’t have time to delay and sprinted towards the next corridor. The switches on the floor not only activated those machines but also alerted the outside that there was an intruder.

In a normal situation, even if you retrieved information, you’d lose all means of escape.

But not me.

Chapter 124

Generally, there’s no way to escape.

Alice and Leo sneaked in during the chaos inside and outside the Imperial Palace. In the end, they got caught without a proper escape, but…

But not for me.

If I turn back time, I can go back to before I even entered here.

Thanks to that, I can’t even move my writings elsewhere, but after all, the only thing I have left in my hands right now is time.

The study was quiet.

Is it because this place is considered ‘nonexistent’? Someone must have already been aware that someone had sneaked in, and alarms must be going off in the Imperial Palace, but it seemed no one knew that I had made it this far.

As soon as I crawled out of the ventilation shaft, I headed straight to the door and locked it tight.

Originally, it was made to buy time in case the Imperial Palace faced a dangerous situation, but since I’m not planning to go out anyway…

Then I turned around.

Dust was piled everywhere. Just being here might cause serious health problems.

A faint light illuminated the center of the round room.

In the place where the light was shining from a magical stone, there was a box filled with nails.

However, the nail heads weren’t bumpy. They seemed flat at the ends, crafted like a plate; someone who had never seen it in motion before may have thought it was a peculiar structure.

I approached it and randomly pressed on that ‘screen’.

The shape of my finger sank into the nails. When I lifted my finger, the screen flattened, and then, from the empty space, the heads of the nails all rose up at once.

The surface became uneven. But it was not irregular.

[Please enter the title of the document you wish to retrieve.]

The bumps that rose only resembled letters. Copper-colored nails formed the shapes of letters, as if expressing them on the screen.

Clunk.

I opened the drawer beneath the screen.

Inside was something akin to a typewriter. But there was no place to insert paper. The thin metal plates, connected to each alphabet, all led downwards to the screen.

I opened the drawer all the way until it made a small click, then slowly began to type.

Click, click. Each letter I pressed echoed loudly in the dim study.

[04-08]

The registration number of the prophecy book.

Normally, this wouldn’t be known. It’s not even listed in the thick document list hanging next to the screen.

But it’s not like there was a password set up. After all, there are very few people allowed to enter this far.

Creek, creek, sounded the rusted machine moving, and the brass pillar behind the screen opened up to reveal a slender metallic arm.

Rattle, it made a noise as something began to move into place.

As the arm came out, the pillar also started to rotate.

The arm aimed high and pulled a book stuck near the ceiling.

The machine returned, and the arm came down.

Then it displayed the book cover in front of me.

[04-08]

That number was all that was written on the cover.

The machine arm didn’t let go of the book. To be precise, the tip of that arm was securely fastened to the metal component firmly embedded in the spine of the book.

But it didn’t stop me from opening the book.

Instead, as I opened it, I brought the faintly glowing magical stone closer to show its light.

“……”

I flipped through the pages right away.

[What I wrote about the future is not to prepare for that future, but to prepare you.]

It means the future is already set, so don’t try to avoid it; rather, prepare your hearts.

“Bullshit.”

I muttered like that.

Thud.

There came a sound from the door. It seems they finally realized I had made it this far.

Quite fast.

In terms of time, I might only have about 5 minutes to properly read the book.

If I had to read all the prophecy books here from start to finish, that would be far too short of a time.

But, well. All I have is time anyway.

I placed the book I was holding down and murmured.

“Again.”

*

“Crown Princess.”

“Lord Ford.”

It was another peaceful day like any other.

I wasn’t crawling in the ventilation shaft or fighting off bizarre-looking enemies. Naturally, I wasn’t asking bizarre mechanical librarians for books in a dusty place that smelled dank.

At least, that’s how it seemed to others.

While walking through the corridors of the Imperial Palace, I ran into a man.

A knight with a kind face and a trendy Kaiser mustache bowed his head at me.

He was wearing thick plate armor that seemed too heavy for modern wear, with both a sword and a gun strapped to his waist.

I thought to myself, perhaps he could pierce the armor he was wearing himself with that revolver, which was much bigger and longer than mine.

“I heard about the great deed you performed, Crown Princess.”

“Is that so?”

I nodded at the kind gentleman’s words. Well, I had nothing to hide anyway.

What happened in Northwood is a secret from others, but what happened on the Winterfield battlefield has been heavily publicized in the royal court. It would help raise the morale of the soldiers and promote the royal family itself.

Under normal circumstances, such ludicrous rumors would have been disbelieved, but the soldiers who were present on the battlefield all received long vacations and hefty bonuses as rewards. They must have all gone back home to spend time there, and of course, they would have been eagerly talking about me.

With so many witnesses and the guarantee of ‘Winterfield’, no one would disbelieve the story.

“Each of our knights should have gone with the Crown Princess to protect her personally, but I apologize for not being able to do so.”

The knight’s words were an apology, not praise for my great deeds.

“……”

This gentleman has no idea I weighed whether I should shoot all the knights inside the Imperial Palace or sneak in without alerting anyone else. I reversed time, after all.

“There can’t be any Imperial Palace knights there. And besides, it doesn’t make sense for the Order of Knights to escort one soldier from the battlefield.”

“……”

He made a brief face as if he had something to say but didn’t say a word. It must be due to the knight’s code of conduct; he can’t act recklessly in front of the one he serves.

“…… But.”

Still, leaving this man in this state felt a bit wrong.

After all, he was one of the few people I had seen in the Imperial Palace since I was very young.

To speak with the Crown Princess, proximity alone isn’t enough; there needs to be a reason. Status, position, age, and many other factors must be taken into account.

In that sense, this Lord Ford was in a position that could be justified.

“I appreciate your concern……”

At my words, Lord Ford raised his head.

And surely for a moment, but he looked at me as if he had seen something strange.

Yeah, well.

It’s not something I usually say.

And a gentle smile spread once again across Lord Ford’s face.

“No problem. We’re just doing what we have to do.”

He did mention he recently had a child, didn’t he?

I quietly looked up at the smiling Lord Ford and thought.

If the firstborn was alive, they would have been about my age. If I were a ‘normal princess’, I might have been able to exchange marriage talks with that man’s child. Not to marriage per se, but at least noble enough to be on the list.

Yet, I lost the child shortly after entering the Imperial Palace. It seemed to be an accident. I hadn’t heard the exact story, but it seemed like he hadn’t been able to see this man for some time. He must have been gathering his heart after the funeral.

Hearing someone murmur that it’s hard to believe such a sincere and kind person could suffer something like that.

I pondered whether I should say a few more words to him, but I simply nodded once more and continued on my way.

A bit late, the sound of footsteps began to follow behind me.

If that man died, he would leave only his wife and child in his territory. Many would be plunged into sorrow.

Couldn’t I just turn back time and make it so that never happened?

…Indeed, just half a year ago, I would have thought that way.

The longer I spent here, the more I realized it wasn’t just shooting someone I knew; even if I knew I could nullify it…

Perhaps it’s because I realized one more time that my ability to turn back time could fade away.

The results of the actions I took nonchalantly could alter the lives of countless people; it was a thought that hit me far too clearly after certain incidents.

“……”

Suddenly, Mia Crowfield, who had still looked at me with a bewildered gaze on the day the first semester ended, came to mind.

Chapter 125

If I were really a student, I would have been really happy about the vacation period.

Going to school is quite similar to going to work. It’s a reason to get up when you don’t want to, a reason to shove an unwanted breakfast into your mouth and shuffle along reluctantly, and once you’re in, you have to endure and sit there until the day’s classes are over.

Of course, school is still better than work. Classes ended a little earlier, and there were long vacations twice a year.

But I wasn’t an ordinary student. Neither was Alice. We were both princesses, and there were a lot of things we had to do during the break.

Whether it was a good thing or should I say that I wasn’t aware of any sign of the events that would unfold, the Emperor still hadn’t given me any tasks. He hadn’t even mentioned anything about making a deal. Most importantly, it seemed he didn’t even know I entered the restricted section.

And based on that fact, I could feel a bit at ease. The Emperor’s guess about my abilities was due to his own deduction skills, not some kind of superpower that could see through me.

At least that was one relief.

*

“There’s no need to follow me like this.”

As the carriage rattled, Alice spoke to me. The genuinely apologetic look on Alice’s face almost made me smile without realizing it.

“I have nothing to do even if I stay in the Imperial Palace.”

“Yet you were cooped up in your room just at the start of the break.”

In the end, that was indeed the case.

In reality, I had been wandering around inside the Imperial Palace, sneaking into the docked warship Dreadnought due to regular maintenance to check the internal structure, and throwing bombs at every facility inside the Palace to observe the outcomes or time the soldiers’ arrival.

I repeated this a dozen or twenty times, calculating the average time before jotting it all down in my notebook. Naturally, all in Korean. I didn’t use Arabic numerals, but wrote them in the style of artillery notation.

Since the Emperor found out about my abilities, I had been carrying that little notebook closely, so no one would read it.

And all of this was done while Alice wasn’t around. I didn’t directly shoot anyone, but it was clearly regarded as betrayal from the Empire’s perspective, and I didn’t want Alice looking at me with betrayed eyes, regardless of anyone else.

I had seen the Emperor’s reactions a few times, and they all had that completely unbothered expression, which made me feel uncomfortable.

‘After all, you’ll just revert this anyway, right?’ I could hear that in his tone. Of course, the Emperor would say it in a much more serious manner, but still.

“…Where you’re headed now is far more dangerous than where you went during the break.”

“No matter what, they can’t just openly kill a princess. I mean, even putting that aside, if something were to happen, the entire territory would blow away.”

“But the opponent is Crowfield.”

“In that case, shouldn’t you be the one to be careful?”

While I had been looking for chances in my room with various excuses all break long, Alice seemed eager to publicly assert herself as the next Empress throughout the break.

Up until now, her face wasn’t well-known to the commoners, but now many people could recognize Alice’s name and face. Even the media was questioning her enthusiasm.

“I have already faced Crowfield before.”

“Which was years ago. The security and defenses are far more brutal than they were back then.”

Hearing her say “you’ll lose” instead of “you might lose,” I turned my gaze from the window back to Alice.

“Do you think I didn’t research anything after hearing your story? I’m serious about calling myself your sister.”

Alice said with a somewhat firm voice.

“And protecting you is my job as your sister.”

“In that sense, protecting the next Empress—”

“No.”

Alice cut off my rebuttal abruptly.

“The Emperor is the one who protects his loyal subjects under his name. If you choose to follow me, I must protect you for sure. I—”

Alice paused for a moment, then looked straight at me as she spoke.

“Unlike my father, I won’t just use you. I’m different from him.”

“…”

What more was there to say?

I was happy to know someone cared about me. Especially if that someone was one of my favorite characters.

But at the same time, I felt worried.

In the original story, Alice wasn’t this determined at this point. She was somewhat twisted, filled with inferiority complex, and caused friction with the protagonist, showing her vulnerable side.

She was completely different from the Alice standing right in front of me.

So, I had no idea how the Alice before me would act in the future. If I tried to control something in order to steer the future outcomes to my desire, I could probably say I had already failed.

“…But still, there’s no need for you to visit Crowfield intentionally.”

As I said that to oppose her even a little, Alice let out a hmph and glanced out the window.

It was a beautiful scene of endless green fields, contrasting with the name Crowfield. It was hard to believe there would be so many factories belching black smoke at the center of the estate.

And it seemed absurd to think that this was once a place where children addicted to drugs were sold.

“You don’t know something, do you?”

Alice mumbled.

“Pardon?”

“Or maybe you just ‘don’t know yet’?”

“…”

Alice briefly glanced at me as she stared out the window.

That gaze—

—Um, I’m not sure if Alice would like to hear this, but in fact, it resembled the Emperor a bit.

*

“Your Highness.”

With that, the one who greeted Alice with grace was Count Crowfield’s Baroness. I think she grew up in another count’s house during her childhood. It’s said that she was distantly related to Count Crowfield. It didn’t matter much now.

Pale skin, black hair. In fact, Count Crowfield had somewhat of a similar vibe, so it was a bit ambiguous to say who Mia Crowfield particularly resembled. Maybe I thought they just looked alike because I knew they were mother and daughter.

As Alice received her greeting with a noble posture, the Countess Crowfield turned to me.

There was not the slightest trace of any negative feeling in her gaze.

At least, she managed her emotions much better than her own daughter.

She was like that in the original story too.

“…”

For a moment, the Countess’s gaze, which had glanced at my face, dipped just slightly. As the lady bent her knee to greet, I did the same in courtesy.

It was my first time being looked at by the Countess, but I had seen her several times before. Although, that was a story from years ago.

It was the story of when I had succeeded once by sneaking in as a maid.

Count Crowfield, who shamelessly predated on a child much younger than him, didn’t show such behavior in the mansion. He behaved more like a typical caring father, appearing to be an average, devoted husband. I don’t think of it as acting. The Count must have genuinely loved his wife and been a caring father to his daughter.

He just didn’t treat the orphanage children like people.

And that demeanor was somewhat reflected in his daily life.

Among the servants of the Count’s household, there were children from lower noble families and commoners. The Count was always kind to the noble children. He spoke gently as if addressing a niece, and whenever an uncomfortable situation arose, like when a girl began to notice the signs of becoming a woman, he would kindly excuse her from work.

Basically, it was the same for the common servant children.

…Basically.

However, I had felt the Count’s predatory gaze a few times. The fact that I could suddenly get that close to the Count as just a newly hired maid was due to that reason.

Ironically, my success due to that reason happened just once. So, it was incredibly difficult for me to secure an opportunity to spike the Count’s food while keeping my purity intact.

I can understand why it makes sense that the Count died a few years after the main plot timeline in the original story. A Claire with that kind of background would have probably been unable to endure that situation better than I had.

I turned my gaze to find Mia Crowfield nearby.

True to her character, who had cast me an intensely complicated gaze before the break started, she now wore a look of utter confusion, managing to barely uphold the formality between a princess and a noble.

Countess Crowfield briefly shot a glance at the perplexed Mia Crowfield.

…Isn’t that a bit harsh towards your own daughter?

Chapter 126

I lived in this world for ten years, yet I still couldn’t quite grasp the mindset of nobility.

How on earth could Countess Crowfield allow Count Crowfield to be so… busy with someone else at night? Even if she didn’t regard commoners as people, the fact that her husband was dallying with another… was still a reality.

Was she really unaware? Did she honestly believe that the only reason I would kill her husband was due to the Emperor’s political judgment?

Thinking that way is even stranger.

Perhaps she’s the type whose noble mindset is so ingrained that she can’t even imagine commoners as people.

“We’re honored to have you visit our estate.”

After being guided into the reception room and seated, the Countess spoke to us in a soft voice.

“I too am honored for the invitation.”

At Alice’s response, I almost glanced at her in surprise.

Invited?

I didn’t invite—ah, I see.

There was no reason for me to be invited in the first place.

I turned my gaze to Mia Crowfield.

Our eyes briefly crossed, searching for each other.

Perhaps Mia had overheard something. The next Emperor is not me, but Alice.

In that case, it would be essential to know how much Mia had told her mother.

Personally, I didn’t think she would have shared too much. Their relationship, while not severely broken, didn’t seem to be exceptionally close either.

Alice and the Countess engaged in small talk.

After exchanging some typical noble pleasantries, the Countess said:

“Mia often speaks about you, Your Highness, saying how much fun she’s having with you. I’m relieved to know that she has such friends, as she’s not particularly sociable with others.”

“I have a shy younger sibling myself.”

“Oh my.”

The Countess’s gaze turned meaningfully towards me after hearing Alice’s words.

“If no one speaks first, she just sits there, sulking, so she had no choice but to learn to initiate conversation.”

…It almost seemed closer to Alice’s past self. I, on the other hand, tend to speak boldly when necessary. If I make a mistake, I can just rewind time.

That being said, Alice couldn’t just say, “I was shy and didn’t like talking to strangers in my childhood.” If Alice cherishes me as a younger sibling, my fond memories of caring for her might be precious memories she doesn’t want to share.

If Alice trusts me, she wouldn’t believe the Countess’s words about me.

“I see. Hearing you say that actually puts me at ease. It was all thanks to friends like you that my daughter could adapt easily to the academy.”

Alice took a sip of tea as she listened to the Countess.

…No, it seemed more like she was pretending to drink. Her tea hadn’t gone down at all. The Countess didn’t call her out on it, though.

Surely, the Countess didn’t put poison in that tea. We were in a territory guarded by knights. Moreover, everyone already knew that it was the Emperor who killed Count Crowfield. They know the consequences of harming Alice.

If I were Countess Crowfield, I would have found another way. There are indeed countless ways to poison tea.

“Oh my, look at my mind.”

The Countess suddenly clapped her hands together. At that sound, Mia Crowfield’s shoulders flinched. She seemed to be tremendously tense.

“I’ve hogged the conversation long enough. It’s been a while since friends reunited, so I should’ve given you two more time to chat. I will step out now.”

The Countess stood up, and we all followed suit.

Alice, I, and the Countess exchanged polite greetings. The Countess, true to her word, stepped aside.

Just after the door closed, Mia Crowfield quickly opened her mouth.

“That tea—”

“You should have suspected as much, so it’s fine.”

Alice said while pulling out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth.

Only a slurping sound came from her, yet the contents of her cup hadn’t even touched her lips. Alice knew how dangerous drugs could be.

I was horrified just seeing that morphine from my room, which was even used by soldiers.

“Ah…”

Mia let out a deflated sigh as she sat down.

Then, realizing that Alice knew the truth all along, she began to tremble.

“…Rest assured. I have no intention of blaming you at this moment.”

Alice strolled around the reception room casually. Just slowly moving her feet as she scanned the walls and ceiling gave off an air of ‘I anticipated this all along.’

“…”

Mia Crowfield’s eyes were locked on me.

“Sylvia has nothing to do with this. She just followed me because she was worried.”

I’m not here to kill you or your mother.

I imagined the omitted parts of my words.

…Last year, I might have considered that Mia Crowfield wouldn’t be a target, but I’d looked for ways to eliminate her mother. To avoid leaving any evidence, it would have to look like an accident.

“Is there a hidden space in this room?”

Alice asked in a nonchalant tone.

“Ah, that’s…”

Mia opened her mouth, then fell silent, looking puzzled about how to respond.

Her face was still a turbulent blend of emotions.

“Why did you come today?”

“You sent the invitation, didn’t you?”

“…”

But did she really expect I would respond to that invitation?

Well, it certainly looked suspicious. Even someone closer than Mia, like Charlotte, wouldn’t ‘invite’ Alice. More like sending a letter to inquire about her well-being.

There’s a massive difference between a noble gallivanting around and a Crown Princess visiting. The number of attendants that come along is huge, and accommodating them all is quite a headache. Sure, the royal family covers expenses, but depending on the size of the territory, just feeding and lodging so many people could be burdensome.

Especially regarding national affairs. You have to show your counterpart, “Look how well we’re living.”

In that sense, Grace’s Estate is incredibly unique. Even if we went without a guard, no one would suspect us. It’s proof of the Emperor’s strong trust, and that in itself fuels the Baron’s power.

“I know that’s a kind of warning too.”

Alice spoke up before Mia could open her mouth.

“…”

Mia pressed her lips tightly together, nearly forming a straight line.

“But…I had something to confirm.”

“…About me and my mother?”

“No. I already know all I need about you and your mother. In fact, there’s no easier target to investigate than a noble. I apologize for researching without prior notice.”

Alice slightly bent her knees, but Mia’s expression remained rigid.

Noticing her eyes were waiting for more, Alice continued.

“Of course, it involves matters related to your territory. Perhaps it could even be related to that incident.”

“…”

Mia’s eyes sharpened. Alice watched her expression with interest.

“What a face I haven’t seen at school.”

“You haven’t changed at all.”

Mia’s remark went unanswered by Alice, waiting for the next line.

“Just like you took my father’s life—”

“No.”

Alice chopped off Mia’s words mid-sentence.

“I won’t kill you. There’s no reason to.”

“…”

Watching Mia’s eyes widen, Alice declared.

“I swear on the name of Fanggriffon. I will not harm my ‘friend.’”

Mia Crowfield’s mouth dropped open.

The only reason my mouth didn’t drop open was due to years of training and experience.

Chapter 127

“Yeah, I just called you ‘friend’ a little while ago.”

With her mouth agape and frozen in place, Mia Crowfield received Alice’s somewhat sharp remark.

“Or do you not consider me a friend?”

“Uh, no, it’s just…”

Seeing Mia Crowfield struggle to respond, Alice shook the teacup she had been holding.

“At least, judging by how you hesitated to criticize this teacup, you don’t seem to see me as a target for revenge like your mother does. Or maybe friendship is a bit ahead of vengeance?”

Mia Crowfield clamped her mouth shut at those words. However, she couldn’t maintain her poker face effectively; her lips quivered, her eyes darted around, and her face turned as red as a tomato.

“Anyway, let’s talk. The biggest reason I’m here is naturally because of Sylvia, but… well, it’s also related to your family.”

I found myself staring intently at Alice.

Related to me?

Did Alice somehow learn about my past?

…Then again, thinking about it, if Alice set her mind to it, there was nothing she couldn’t find out. The Emperor’s children, Bella or Jayden, could tell her where I came from since they were somewhat accessible.

But…

“If you thought the place I was from is linked to here, that’s probably a mistaken assumption.”

As Mia Crowfield listened, her gaze cautiously shifted towards me. She seemed to be seriously contemplating whether to interrupt or not. However, inside, her heart appeared to lean towards ‘do not interrupt.’

“Really?”

But even after hearing my words, Alice remained unfazed, simply placing the teacup onto the table with an elegant motion.

“That wasn’t the case when I last investigated.”

Before killing the Count, I had rummaged through various documents. There was no evidence linking me to the orphanage where I lived.

After all, the orphanage that sold children wasn’t the only one. The Empire is vast. Instead of buying children from that place, it would be easier to gather orphans from a nearby location. There would be enough orphans in the Crowfield territory, and due to the border area, it’s possible they could purchase orphans from overseas.

In fact, Claire seemed to have conducted her own investigation to some extent, but since she couldn’t find connections to that orphanage…

Thus, I tentatively concluded that the orphanage operated independently on a small scale. It was consumed by the flames I created.

The man and woman who came looking for that orphanage ultimately couldn’t find it.

“If you thought that, it means you missed something.”

Alice fidgeted with her fingers as if she felt empty-handed. Perhaps she thought discussing this over tea would fit the atmosphere better.

“No matter how clandestine the operation, there must be connections.”

When I continued to stare at her as if to say, “Explain further,” she shrugged her shoulders and replied,

“It’s like saying that no one buys from only one store continuously. If there’s nothing appealing, they’ll go around other shops until they find what they want. Especially when there’s custom-made merchandise involved.”

“Ah, um…”

Even though Mia Crowfield had just shown a ‘don’t interrupt’ expression a moment ago, it seemed she ultimately couldn’t contain herself while struggling to understand the ongoing conversation.

“What are you talking about? Are you saying that merchandise relates to our territory?”

Alice and I simultaneously turned to Mia Crowfield. The one who took less time to look away was me. I caught a glimpse of her flustered expression before immediately turning back to Alice and staring at her intently.

Did Alice want to reveal that I killed Count Crowfield?

“Yeah, it’s related. It’s about the business the Count was involved in before he died.”

But Alice didn’t go as far as to say I killed him. It was still a tightrope act… Then again, thinking about it, Mia Crowfield already knew that I killed her father. Even if she didn’t know exactly, she had already come to that conclusion.

So the more I did for her, the more confused she would become. For her, the less she saw me as a target for revenge, the more chaotic it would be. After all, it would feel empty if she didn’t want to kill someone she had considered a lifelong enemy…

“…”

No matter what Alice said, I had no intention of stopping her.

It wasn’t easy to stop a stubborn Alice, and above all—

I wasn’t sure if it was okay to say this, but to be honest, I found the current situation a bit interesting.

I wasn’t taking the lead, but rather seeing the ‘relationships between characters changing on their own’.

“What kind of business was it?”

Was Mia Crowfield genuinely asking out of ignorance?

She might not have known anything during her childhood. But as time passed, after her father’s death, wouldn’t she have started to notice little by little when her mother prepared for revenge and brought Mia Crowfield into it? She might have just been turning a blind eye…

“Anyway, let me finish my explanation.”

However, Alice neglected to provide a proper answer to the oblivious Mia Crowfield and continued with her explanation.

Conveniently, or perhaps unfortunately, Mia Crowfield wasn’t reckless enough to argue against the Crown Princess, who almost explicitly stated, ‘I won’t say it.’

“So, looking for connections is pointless if you search the already burnt down shop. That place turned to ashes ten years ago. Instead, you should look for the ones that are still operating.”

Alice let out a small sigh, almost like a lament.

“Start from the top, look for the nobles addicted to opiates, pick out the debauched ones from among them, and as you dig through the opium dens one by one, you’ll likely find what you need more easily than you think.”

“…Did you go there yourself?”

As I asked with a hint of disbelief, Alice frowned.

“Of course not. That’s unrelated to my skills— I don’t give off a very intimidating impression. Instead, it’s much scarier to send a knight holding a warrant backed by the Emperor.”

“Are you saying the Emperor permitted that?”

“I didn’t exactly ask for permission. I just borrowed the warrant format. I already knew how my father’s signature looked. Despite the appearance, I am his daughter, you know? It’s not odd that my handwriting resembles his significantly.”

“…”

I had to use all my strength to refrain from making an ugh sound. Alice’s face looked far too proud as she said that, leaving me temporarily at a loss for words.

“Are you saying you forged the Emperor’s warrant?”

“The Great Emperor surely knows I’m doing this, so I consider it as being authorized, in a way.”

No, but even so, the Emperor doesn’t really know everything.

This time, I had to tighten my arm to avoid smacking my forehead.

“Anyway, so… you wreaked havoc in that area you were in, right? So you learned some things for sure.”

Alice said with a smile.

“Nobles, no matter how much they want to escape, often can’t. Leaving behind their territory and name is so much more of a burden than their own worth.”

“…”

“And seeing someone looking out for them, they think, ‘That’s only natural.’”

Mia Crowfield seemed to be deeply lost in thought, perhaps a bit slack-jawed. At this rate, shouldn’t she at least see an orthodontist or dentist?

“Hmm.”

Having said that much, Alice seemed a bit disappointed as she took up the teacup again, reflecting her face against the surface of the tea.

“…But, do you really think there’s something in here?”

Alice asked with a somewhat serious expression.

“…”

Well, it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious. There might actually be a trace of drugs in it. To be honest, the Countess wasn’t that crazy, and it could just be that Mia Crowfield was the only one scared.

But was that really the important matter right now?

Chapter 128

“Sylvia, just calm down for a second.”

“I am currently in a perfectly calm state.”

Of course, the hand that was calmly resting on my knee had lifted about 3mm. I barely managed to calm it down before it could smack my forehead again, but judging by the brief downward glance of Alice’s eyes, I couldn’t say I was completely hiding it.

Yeah, to be honest… I wasn’t calm at all.

“It doesn’t look to me like you’re in a calm state at all.”

Alice’s eyes were spot on, just like they always are this year.

It was natural that I couldn’t calm down.

Didn’t Alice take actions the Emperor wouldn’t even think of? While I was looping back in time gathering all sorts of information, the imperial army was flipping over some of the nobility and bourgeoisie in the Imperial Capital.

“Don’t worry too much. I’ve coordinated things so we can turn everything upside down before a report gets to Father.”

“…”

For just a moment, I doubted whether Alice had the ability to turn back time.

Right now, it must be before Alice used the ability to turn back time.

“I’m supposed to be the next Emperor, right?”

Alice said to me.

“Then I should be able to handle at least this much, right?”

“…”

Mia Crowfield’s face had shifted from unease to near panic. She looked like she thought there was something more she shouldn’t know.

“So,”

I could only finally say that after taking about 30 more seconds to calm down.

“So, you mean you’ve found something out?”

“Yes.”

Alice replied.

“Though the organizations weren’t connected, there were thin lines like spider webs above them. Obviously. I’m not sure about the kids going to and fro, but drugs get produced somewhere and flow into the Imperial Capital. There aren’t many places in the Imperial Capital that could grow poppies on such a scale.”

Mia Crowfield was startled by those words as well.

“Well, I understand the reason why you can’t eradicate the origin of poppies. No matter how advanced magic is, they can’t stop producing painkillers. There are many situations where people have no choice but to use them, even if they’re not good for you.”

Especially for the commoners who couldn’t benefit from magic. Or emergency supplies for soldiers trying to survive in the worst-case scenario where all the magicians are wiped out.

“So, you’re saying it’s flowing out of our territory?”

Mia Crowfield finally mustered the courage to speak.

Her expression was stiff as a rock.

“… It seems you trust your parents. You were just thinking earlier that there might be drugs in my teacup.”

“….”

It seemed Mia Crowfield had nothing to say in response to Alice’s words.

“Well, fine.”

Alice let out a small sigh and stood up.

“You probably can’t know everything going on in your territory. Until recently, I—”

Alice nibbled at her lip.

“There were things I couldn’t even imagine. I won’t blame you.”

“….”

And while Mia Crowfield’s complexion had gone white, she still maintained her stiff expression as she stood up after Alice.

“If you want, I’ll let you see it. What’s been happening here.”

“… If it’s to tarnish the Crowfield family’s honor…”

“There’s no need to worry about that.”

Alice said with a bitter smile.

“To be honest, the imperial family isn’t that clean either.”

I couldn’t help but silently agree with that.

*

“Are you going out for a walk?”

As we stepped out of the reception room, Count Crowfield’s wife who had been sitting by the window in the living room rose. Seeing that expression made me gasp—it was a soft smile that felt like an act of high drama. Is that what nobility is like?

Not that her expression always looked positively cheerful, of course. Maybe it was because I somewhat knew what was in this person’s heart.

“Of course. Is it okay if I stroll around the territory with Mia?”

“Of course.”

At Alice’s words, the Baroness glanced towards Mia. The face of Mia Crowfield, who was following us out of the reception room, was still pale. Seeing that expression, the Baroness turned her face back to Alice as if in doubt. Of course, she still presented the caring demeanor of a noblewoman.

“Our territory—”

While following Alice, the Baroness’s words were cut off.

As the door to the mansion we were heading towards burst open, a knight entered.

He wasn’t one of the bodyguards trailing behind us. He was wearing armor with the unique crow emblem of Crowfield.

A knight from the Crowfield territory.

“Milord…!”

But the knight who burst in with the door froze stiff upon seeing Alice and me beside the Baroness.

My gaze returned to Alice.

But Alice remained with her smile intact, not a single brow twitching.

At least, it seemed she knew why the knight had come in.

“What’s the matter?”

The knight’s behavior was rather rude for an audience with the Crown Princess. But if a well-trained knight showed such a demeanor, it meant the matter at hand was urgent. That’s probably why the Baroness had furrowed her brow without blaming the knight.

The knight took off his helmet. His well-groomed face was glistening with sweat, hair stuck to his forehead.

Finally finding his senses, he walked cautiously toward the Baroness. He raised a hand and placed it beside his mouth.

Even seeing the Baroness tilt her ear that way, Alice spoke to me.

“Well then, let’s go do what we have to do.”

The Baroness lost her composure just before we were about to exit the mansion.

“Crown Princess!”

At that shout, Alice, I, and a hesitant Mia Crowfield behind us all stopped in our tracks.

“Right now, what is this—”

The frown she previously had when speaking to the knight faded as the Baroness ran towards us in an exceedingly unbecoming manner for her etiquette.

“Crown Princess.”

Before she could get any closer, our knight stepped forward.

Already, our knights were packed at the entrance of the Count’s mansion. That wasn’t unusual. It’s only natural for knights to be waiting out in front when the lord is about to come out.

However, the atmosphere was exceedingly tense.

Though swords weren’t drawn, the knights of the imperial family and the Count’s territory seemed ready to draw their swords at any moment. If I could sense tension, my back would be drenched in sweat right from the get-go.

“All measures have been taken as per the order.”

“Good.”

Alice nodded at the knight’s words.

Then she turned around and looked at me, who was almost at her back, and at Mia Crowfield, who was timidly standing behind me. Without minding the Baroness behind, Alice spoke to me.

“Do you want to come along? If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. After all, I just want to know the truth.”

“….”

I didn’t say anything. Saying, ‘What if the Emperor finds out about this’ would only alarm the knights.

Besides, thinking back, wouldn’t it be stranger if the Emperor didn’t know this?

Initially, I thought I could just kill the Emperor. Just half a year ago. I thought I could go back in time as many times as necessary, assassinate the Emperor, and let the story flow as I liked, but strangely, the longer time passed, the more I felt that ways to definitely kill the Emperor were disappearing from my mind, one by one.

It felt like he would know everything I did… and even if I prepared a way to surely kill the Emperor, I weirdly thought he wouldn’t be there when the time came.

I was also anxious, wondering if I had fallen into the Emperor’s scheme.

Alice was silently watching me.

“… Understood.”

I answered Alice like that. A small smile flickered on Alice’s lips.

“I, I…”

Mia Crowfield looked anxious and turned to her mother. The Baroness was trembling, shoulders shaking. It felt like she wanted to kill the two princesses right here and now.

But the knight speaking to the Baroness would definitely know it was by the ‘order of the Emperor.’ The orders must have come in the Emperor’s name.

Refusing that name in front of the massively centralized imperial army wielding tremendous military power would mean asking for death.

Well, from a long-term perspective, resolving things so clumsily like this would be troubling even for the imperial house.

What would happen to the next Emperor after the powerful Emperor died?

I looked back at Alice once more.

Seeing Alice’s confident smile… um, somehow I briefly felt like it would be fine, and it frustrated me.

Chapter 129

Whoosh!

It’s not like I really had no expectations at all.

I could make my own guesses about the information Alice had discovered. After all, the memories of that time still lingered in a corner of my mind.

Especially, it wasn’t easy to forget the face of that person who had smashed my face with a fist. If it wasn’t my face under that fist, it would definitely have been Claire’s, and thinking about that made it even harder to let go.

I made my own efforts to find that guy. However, I didn’t rely on others. Unlike Alice, who used royal power to twist things ruthlessly, I moved quietly without anyone noticing.

And I didn’t find him. To be honest, I didn’t search for too long. In this changed timeline, he was someone who had never been involved with me, so I thought, why bother searching?

But… it seems Alice had a slightly different thought.

“Do you know this place?”

As she looked at the scenery outside the carriage, Alice asked me.

The view outside the window was a beautiful and peaceful estate. There weren’t fields of poppies, nor were there beggars by the road. Most of the people walking around looked like ordinary folks dressed neatly.

A not-so-wide river flowed by, with a stone bridge crossing over it. Beyond the bridge were rows of uniformly designed brick houses that seemed straight out of an Industrial Revolution-themed artwork.

The carriage was heading towards the edge of that residential area. As if the river was the boundary, there were many brick houses on the other side, while this side was almost undeveloped prairie.

And I remembered that place.

There was a hill a little way off from here. And there should be a tall tree there. Someone might have cut it down, but the hill would still be there.

And from that tree, I watched the Count’s carriage explode. The people inside turning into pieces. Even innocent horses getting caught up in the blast.

Right now, there was no trace of that left. Quite naturally, of course.

The overall shape hadn’t changed much, but the number of brick houses across the river had increased significantly. Some of the buildings looked different from the way I remembered them. I could be sure of that because I had already wandered around among those buildings several times. I could accurately remember the insides of some.

Especially the one in the middle, which seemed to be better maintained than the others.

I furrowed my brow slightly.

I wondered if that building was still being used for… such purposes?

“……”

I wasn’t the only one with a stiff face. Mia Crowfield, sitting next to Alice, also had a rigid expression.

Despite her somewhat youthful appearance, Mia Crowfield was about the same age as us.

She was old enough to vividly remember the day her father died, so she would know what kind of place this was.

But she didn’t say a word.

It would have made sense to ask why she brought us to such a place.

As I recalled, the carriage came to a stop in front of that clean building.

Knights were already stationed at the entrance. The police were also present, but they wore expressions as if they had no idea what was going on. And beyond those knights and police, it seemed like the royal knights and local knights were standing in a standoff.

The royal knights were outnumbered, yet their spirit was unyielding. I had no basis for this feeling, but it seemed like, even if both sides were to engage in battle, the royal knights would win.

The fact that the carriage made it this far safely was thanks to that spirit.

“Your father is really something.”

Alice said in a somewhat dazed voice as she stepped off the carriage. Her gaze was directed at the local knights clashing with the royal knights.

“It’s obvious that a territory that hates him this much would not just leave such soldiers unpunished.”

“…Crowfield Territory borders the Kingdom of Velbur.”

Mia Crowfield rebutted Alice’s musing, but Alice merely shrugged and replied.

“That doesn’t look like they’re ‘assisting’ the Imperial Army.”

“……”

Mia Crowfield couldn’t refute those words.

However, Alice wasn’t glaring at Mia Crowfield nor displaying any hostile expressions. Rather… she looked just like she did at school.

In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that she had a slightly worried expression.

Alice turned her head to glance at the building once more. Then she lowered her gaze back to Mia Crowfield and spoke.

“Inside, there will be information you may not want to know.”

“Information I don’t want to know? What do you mean?”

Mia Crowfield attempted to glare at Alice, at least making an effort to do so.

“Before coming here, I heard that your father was much more of a father figure than mine.”

Alice spoke in a flat tone, hiding her emotions.

“Are you saying that Count Crowfield has been doing the opposite of his kind image?”

Mia Crowfield’s expression darkened even further than before.

I might have reacted similarly. If my father had done something bad that I didn’t know about, and if my memory of him was just that of a proud and loving dad, and on top of that, he was unfairly murdered…

What would I do if the daughter of the person who ordered his murder told me, “Your father isn’t as good a person as you think.”?

…Thinking this way, Mia Crowfield seemed to be exercising tremendous restraint. Perhaps the royal knight and Alice surrounding her helped her maintain that restraint.

“Sure.”

But Alice replied without a hint of hesitation.

“……”

Mia Crowfield’s expression reset beyond mere hostility. Suddenly feeling uneasy while watching Alice speak without any guilt, she seemed to realize something.

Mia Crowfield had spent the past several months meeting and conversing with Alice. And several months were enough time to gauge a person’s character roughly.

Mia Crowfield would surely know that Alice wasn’t the type to joke about such matters.

“Even so, are you going to go in together? It might cause you a great deal of emotional pain.”

“……”

Mia Crowfield’s head slowly dropped before it suddenly shot up.

Her eyes were trembling, and her lips were slightly downturned. Her face was paler than usual.

But the expression that emerged on her face was one of noble determination.

“Fine.”

Mia Crowfield spoke with a somewhat trembling voice.

“If you two are going to say that, then I won’t just avoid it either. My father is definitely not that kind of person.”

“……”

Alice let out a small sigh.

“Alright, then.”

Alice turned and began walking. I followed, as did Mia Crowfield.

A knight, standing by the door, opened it for us.

Inside the building… even though it certainly had windows, it was way too dim.

Creek!

The only sounds we heard as we walked were the creaking of the old wooden stairs and our footsteps.

If there were people inside who were being subdued by the knights, we’d at least expect to hear some complaints, but there was nothing, which felt a bit unsettling.

Royal knights stood intermittently in the narrow corridor. Despite their outfits looking like they could rustle, they stood still, welcoming us. How well-trained they must have been.

The smell I recalled from my last visit was absent. Thankfully, it seemed it wasn’t still being used for that purpose.

“This way, Your Highness.”

In the corner of the second floor, in front of the smallest room, stood a knight.

As Alice, Mia Crowfield, and I approached silently, the knight opened the door for us just like when we entered the building.

And inside—

“What do you think?”

As we stepped into the room, Alice turned her face slightly towards me. She didn’t turn all the way, so I couldn’t clearly see her expression hidden by her hair.

But the contempt in her voice was unmistakable.

Inside the room, a middle-aged man was lying on the floor, kneeling beneath a knight. His arms were bound behind him and trapped beneath the knight’s knee. He looked to be relatively older and in good shape, but he didn’t seem to have the strength to push off the armored muscle.

…Back then, when I saw him as a child, he looked truly terrifying.

A few books were scattered on the floor. These were novels celebrated as classical literature.

And beside the books, a glass lens lay cracked.

Chapter 130

“What the… Who is this?”

As Alice entered the room, both of us fell into silence, and Mia Crowfield asked with a somewhat anxious voice. It seemed like she couldn’t grasp the current situation accurately.

But I didn’t answer. Alice didn’t either.

I simply took a slow step forward and looked down at the man’s face.

The man was staring blankly at the floor.

What should I do?

To be honest, it was a rather ambiguous situation.

It was true that this man had beaten me. He probably didn’t intend to kill me. While I did lose consciousness, I woke up shortly after.

Since Claire managed to survive and escape in the original story, what made me so battered was probably just ‘processing’ in the literal sense. If he intended to sell me to a necrophiliac, he would have likely killed me right there instead of taking me away and then delivering me fresh.

Should I grab him by the hair and make him look up?

After seriously contemplating, I decided against that. If I did such a thing while crouching like this, this man’s eyes would be able to see right up my skirt. And Alice and Mia Crowfield, who were standing nearby… No, they probably wouldn’t care since those two weren’t in school uniforms.

Sigh.

Was my return so shallow that I was thinking such things in front of a person I had tried so hard to find?

“……”

Well, one thing is certain. If it weren’t for me that night, another girl would have been in that situation. There were orphanages in other places besides where we were.

“About ten years ago.”

As I sorted through my thoughts, I finally opened my mouth.

“There was a burned-down orphanage. Do you perhaps remember?”

“……”

The man was silent for a while.

Just as I thought he had no intention of responding, he answered in a rough voice.

“I remember.”

He used formal speech.

He might not know who we are or why we are in this situation. But he couldn’t possibly miss the royal emblem depicting a gryphon clearly emblazoned on the armor of the knights barging into this building. It’s a symbol that even commoners from nearby countries would recognize, let alone spies.

It’s a rare occurrence to see such a symbol up close like this.

“Were you nearby?”

“Yes.”

Does he know why I’m asking this? Perhaps he just thinks it would be far more disadvantageous not to answer directly in this situation.

“At that time… there was a woman beside you. Do you know where she went?”

She seemed like a noblewoman at a glance, but upon closer inspection, she looked a bit too extravagantly dressed. It was the man’s job to select and process the children, but since the woman played an important role too, she was probably nearby.

“…The last time I saw her, she was in the Imperial Capital.”

“……”

I fell silent, quietly staring at the back of the man’s head.

He had a thick head of hair. It looked like someone who had never truly experienced hardship. Well, given his role, it’s not that he didn’t experience any real hardship, but at least, he must have lived confidently while spending ill-gotten gains.

I slowly stood up and looked around.

Upon entering the room, my gaze had been locked onto the man, so I hadn’t noticed the surroundings until now.

It’s a place I don’t remember at all. The atmosphere was quite different from the last time I visited. Well, that makes sense. To furnish it so lavishly, they would have had to at least repaint the walls. It’s been ten years, and back then, the walls of that house would have been stained with opium smoke and bodily fluids.

“Is this house yours?”

I slowly walked around the room while asking. Everyone in the room was holding their breath. Naturally, Mia Crowfield, but even Alice, who had shown a confident attitude up until she brought me here, and even the knight pressing down on the man.

“……Yes.”

“You must have worked hard.”

Even purchasing a room like this would be difficult on a regular wage. It’s not just a matter of land prices or house prices; the wage paid to laborers is ridiculously low.

Ah, those were the good old days, weren’t they?

The age of capitalism at its peak. Anyone could earn money by working, and those who earn honestly could live with dignity.

And even the people paying the wages can adjust that amount however they see fit.

There are no laws protecting tenants. To pay rent one had to work fourteen hours a day, and working late nights inevitably leads to tiredness.

If you doze off while working, you could lose your hand to a press. If your hand is gone, your job is also gone. Then the laborer drains the rest of their money to enter an opium den or drowns their reality in alcohol. They would go begging in alleyways, smoking opium and drinking until their stomach and liver can no longer take it, and when finally, even the long-lasting life gets cut short, that would be within the embrace of the great nation, the Empire of Aetherna.

On the streets of the Empire.

And this man had worked hard at cutting down those lives while using children—who are far too young even by this world’s standards—as his materials.

“……”

The man couldn’t speak.

“You sold illusions so that laborers, worn down by life, could find comfort.”

Through opium.

“……”

“If left alone, those children would have died frozen in the streets without any value, yet you gave them value and the opportunity to contract with suitable employers.”

The opportunity to sell their bodies.

Whether they wanted to or not.

To children who are too young to even comprehend such things.

“……”

The man was completely silent.

Or perhaps he couldn’t speak? Did he understand the meaning of my words?

“Isn’t it something to be proud of? The one brightening the dark side of the great Empire is people like you, isn’t it?”

Before I knew it, I had walked all the way around the room and stood in front of him.

The man still only showed the back of his head.

The wallpaper in the room was certainly not cheap. The solid wood used for the bookshelves and the desk. And the mana stone lighting on the desk.

Curtains, mattresses, leather-bound books filled with raw leather, silk curtains, and even expensive shirts hanging on the coat rack, and the wristwatch and pocket watch neatly placed on the desk.

Not a single thing was cheap.

In this cramped room, those expensive things made it seem modest and cozy at first glance, but upon closer inspection, one could see just how extravagantly this person lived.

Thinking back, it was the same then.

The fur attached to the coat he wore. The cane he held.

None of it looked cheap.

What he sold to make that much money, I could easily guess.

“How did you live in this mansion?”

“……”

“Who introduced it to you?”

I could hear Mia Crowfield taking a deep breath, but I didn’t turn around.

My gaze was still aimed at the back of the man’s head.

“Did you have any acquaintances on this land?”

“Your—”

As I spoke, Mia Crowfield took a step forward, raising her voice, but it seemed like Alice stopped her. The emerging words were abruptly cut off. It was as if my wandering thoughts came rushing back the moment Alice grabbed my shoulder.

“……”

The man was silent.

Bam!

A loud noise erupted. A small scream could be heard from the back. In that instant, the knight who was firmly pressing down on the man looked up at me. His round eyes seemed startled, peering through the helmet slit.

The man’s head slammed loudly against the floor and then bounced back up.

The well-arranged hair at the back of his head became disheveled. It was fortunate that it didn’t break.

Fortunate? Well, if it breaks, I can just fix it.

I wonder how the man’s face was doing? Did it get smashed against the floor and break at the nose?

A small groan was heard. Since his head wasn’t drooping downward, it didn’t seem like he fainted.

I slowly lowered my foot back to the ground and asked softly.

“Answer me.”

“……”

I counted silently to five.

5, 4, 3—

“That’s too much.”

With two seconds left, the man spoke.

His voice, which had been normal until just now, was now rough, as if it were being ground against the earth. Moreover, it sounded like he was gritting his teeth.

“Too much?”

As I asked back, the man continued.

“…The Imperial family knew about this already, did they not?”

“……”

The room grew exceedingly quiet.

I shifted my gaze back to the knight’s face.

Just like when I swung my foot earlier, his wide-open eyes were visible.

“Could you please restrain this man and step out for a moment?”

As I spoke calmly, the knight nodded.

“We can continue our conversation after this person leaves.”

“……”

The man stayed silent.

Chapter 131

The man was now sitting up.

Thump!

Of course, it wasn’t a comfortable position. He was tied up to the chair. His arms were bound behind his back, his legs were tied to the chair legs, and a strap wrapped around his chest was secured to the backrest. If he wanted, he could at least squirm a bit to try to escape. But in the end, he’d probably just tip over.

Just like all the furniture and decorations in the room, even the chair he was sitting in looked luxurious. It wouldn’t easily break just from toppling over.

Crash!

“I knew about it from the Imperial Court.”

I repeated the man’s last words.

“What does that mean?”

“It means exactly what it says.”

Blood was flowing from the man’s face. Seeing his face made me remember much more clearly. The man with the monocle. That distinctive mustache and well-groomed hairstyle. Of course, he was dressed differently now, just in a shirt with rolled-up sleeves and pants.

His nose was crooked to the side. It looked like it had broken when he had slammed his face into the floor earlier.

From the way he answered my questions readily, it seemed he thought that my reason for asking was merely because I belonged to the Imperial Court.

And there was no way he could think otherwise. He had never seen my face before. At least not since I had turned back time.

“In the Imperial Court, there’s no way they wouldn’t know. There are places in the Imperial Capital and other cities… where drugs and people are sold.”

I heard a small whimper and turned to see Mia Crowfield with a pale white face standing there. She looked as if she couldn’t stand comfortably while leaning against the wall.

But Alice didn’t let her go out.

She seemed to think she needed to hear this.

After all, it was she who had asked the questions and brought him here.

Moreover, Mia Crowfield didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving. Although she was barely standing, her eyes were fixed straight on the man.

“Nobles turn a blind eye to it all. As long as it doesn’t challenge their authority, and doesn’t harm their fiefs… they don’t really try to catch us. It’s easier to control those who gather right in front of them rather than those hiding in places they can’t manage.”

So that’s how relationships become entangled.

“But the Emperor would never have given such permission. Unlike some nobles.”

“……”

However, the man didn’t provide any more excuses to my answer.

It was as if he was blindfolded and playing possum. The orphanage I had been in was under the watch of Lucas. If Lucas had wanted, he could have killed the director of the orphanage and taken all the children. But Lucas didn’t seem inclined to do such a thing. And the Emperor also didn’t give Lucas any orders to save the children…

…Wait a minute.

“What position did you hold in the Imperial Capital?”

At my question, the man looked up at me with wide eyes. It was as if he was asking if I really didn’t know that.

For a moment, I thought about smashing his cheekbone, but I held myself back and waited patiently for his reply.

“I was just a middleman. I brought what those busy folks ordered and resold it.”

“……”

I turned to Alice. She nodded with a stiff face.

She had said they had pulled all the strings to get to this point.

This man was just an insignificant guy. He put on a gentlemanly façade and used a seemingly relaxed tone, but the real buyers were the nobles, and he was merely a distributor who received orders… buying raw materials and processing them for sale.

That “item” could have been a child at one time, or it could have been drugs.

But if that were the case…

Then this man’s orphanage was just one amongst many.

If so, what reason would Lucas have to keep an eye on such an ordinary orphanage? Unless the Emperor had no intention of destroying that organization, it wouldn’t make sense for Lucas to watch over an orphanage ‘for no reason’ at all.

“Sylvia.”

Suddenly, Alice’s voice calling me snapped me back to reality.

“Are you okay?”

She asked, but her expression clearly said she knew I was not okay.

I wasn’t okay. But it wasn’t because of this man. I felt upset and thought I could just kill him on the spot, but a bigger problem had arisen in my mind.

If Lucas had been intentionally watching that orphanage, and of course, I thought he must have had some kind of agenda regarding that orphanage—

What if the reason Lucas was there was to look for ‘Claire’?

There must be a reason why Lucas chose me and not Claire.

And the Emperor, seeing me brought by Lucas, must have judged me for ‘what I was.’

What was it that the Emperor had been ‘looking for’?

What had things been like in the original story?

Claire, barely surviving in a terrible environment, eventually awakened her powers under extreme stress and caused a huge fire in the Imperial Capital. The cause of the fire was a lamp, but she escaped without a scratch due to her prodigious talent.

In the original story, Lucas sought Claire because he had seen that talent.

In the original story, after Claire sacrificed herself for Alice, the Emperor’s plans started to crumble rapidly.

In the original story, there were several hints that Claire’s birth held some kind of secret.

If that were the case, then here…

Here, Lucas must have seen ‘my’ talent and sought after ‘me.’

If that is the case… that must be mistaken. I had no birth secret or anything. Such a thing simply did not exist.

What did the Emperor mistake me for in order to accept me?

“Sylvia?”

Alice carefully called my name again.

I looked at Alice’s face.

It was a face I had seen for the last ten years. Since I was very young until now.

Perhaps it was because of that, Claire’s sacrifice for Alice was for this reason; a sister-like Alice, with whom she had fought and bickered every day.

Then, what if…

What if I sacrificed myself for Alice in this world?

If Claire was still alive and the story continued similarly to the original…

…How could I have not realized this until now? I knew that Lucas had gone out of his way to take Claire, and I knew there were plenty of orphanages besides that one. I had even held similar questions many times in my mind, but only now did it come to me?

Clatter!

“So, what happened here?”

After the man was taken away, Mia Crowfield asked, almost clinging to me.

“Who was that man? What relation does he have to our father…”

Oh right, that was another issue.

“Mia, first, just sit down for a sec.”

There were still no knights inside. Only us in the room.

Alice had chosen to sit on the bed rather than the chair where the man had just been. It wasn’t that the chair was stained with blood, but she seemed hesitant to sit where a criminal had been tied up moments ago.

Of course, this bed was also one that the criminal had used.

“That man… he sold things to your father, Count Crowfield…”

“What kind of things?”

Even with Mia Crowfield, she might vaguely recall from the previous conversation.

Was it because she didn’t want to believe it? She asked us as if she knew nothing.

“…Children. On the opposite side, opium was probably among those things he was selling.”

Alice hesitated for a moment before answering that.

Mia Crowfield’s face fell blank. It looked as though all emotion had drained from her.

“…No.”

After a long pause, she muttered.

“No!”

And that word grew louder.

“No, my father wouldn’t… he couldn’t do that!”

The vacantness in her eyes sharpened once again. It was the sharpest expression I had seen from Mia Crowfield, even including her face before I turned back time.

“You are tarnishing the honor of our deceased father—”

“…The eyes.”

Just as Mia Crowfield was about to stand up, I opened my mouth.

“Do you remember your father’s eyes?”

“…”

Mia looked up at me with a confused expression.

“Have you ever seen his pupils constricted like a dot?”

Mia’s mouth parted slightly.

I had seen it. Every time I faced the Count, his pupils became like dots. I had never seen them change size.

A pale face. A skinny body. Dark circles under his eyes. And bloodshot eyes as if he hadn’t slept for several days, with pupils shrunk to dots.

Even in dark places, even in such dim rooms, his pupils remained like dots.

“That’s the kind of eyes that people with drug habits have. The pupils keep constricting even in dark places.”

“A- father… he was just working hard for the territory…”

“Do you truly believe that?”

At my question, Mia Crowfield looked up at me without being able to muster a single word.

Chapter 132

“Father….”

Mia Crowfield muttered weakly.

“Your mother… the Baroness might have instilled a sense of vengeance in you. She could have told me, Alice, or even urged you to seek revenge against the Imperial family.”

“…”

I continued speaking to her, who had bowed her head deeply.

“But you know, don’t you? Your mother does too. If she attempts revenge, that alone will spell the end for Crowfield.”

“That’s…”

“And if that’s the case, your mother should have sought revenge right after the Count’s death when there was still justification. Isn’t that the best moment to expose something if she knew anything? The surrounding nobles would have all welcomed it. Even if they couldn’t kill the Emperor, it would have dealt a significant political blow. But Crowfield didn’t start revenge right away. Why do you think that is?”

“…”

“It’s because some story passed between the Imperial family and Crowfield.”

Mia Crowfield remained silent, her head still bowed.

“At that time, ‘for now’ there was a card the Emperor could have played if such actions were taken. It may be known to everyone but cannot be openly revealed – a dreadful reason. Your mother must have needed to erase proof of that reason for her revenge.”

“And that man…”

Alice, who had been quietly listening, picked up the thread.

“He likely used that. By using the information that Crowfield was erasing proof, he probably was able to buy a house like this. There’s nothing that would damage justification more than someone who knows even a little about the past opening their mouth.”

A faint look of discomfort passed over Alice’s face as she spoke. After spending a semester together, they had even fought side by side at times, risking their lives.

One might think about ways to just kill that man without further ado.

But there’s no way a man like that would threaten the Baroness without preparation. At the very least, he would have put on a show of bravado.

And that man had his own value of use. He wouldn’t have only dealt in this location. If he were the one who ‘bought drugs’, he might have sold them in other territories too. Later, when establishing ‘justification’, he might be able to use that as leverage to bring others into alignment. It would be extreme behavior that’s ‘rude’, but…

Since he’d been caught like this, he would probably just spill the beans anyway.

“…”

Mia Crowfield slowly raised her hands to clutch her head.

“…You killed my father.”

“…”

For just a moment, I debated whether to respond to those words.

It was strange. At the start of the semester, I had openly said that on the first day of properly talking to Mia Crowfield.

I killed your father, and that father was a drug-addicted pedophile.

Yet, oddly enough, it was incredibly hard to bring up those same words again. It felt as if the words had turned into objects stuck in my throat.

This must be the weight of time. Even though I wouldn’t say I had completely become friends with Mia Crowfield, still, the time spent knowing each other was pressing down on me, preventing me from speaking those words.

“Yes.”

So I could only muster that one word.

The next moment was but an instant.

“Mia!”

Alice screamed.

I could barely breathe.

The shorter Mia Crowfield was squeezing my neck tightly with both hands. With all her strength. Though her hands were small, they had enough power to choke someone.

But it was just that—an instant.

Before Alice could rush in and pull Mia Crowfield away, Mia’s grip loosened.

Her hands fell away from my body. Down and down.

Mia Crowfield sank to her knees on the floor. No, she collapsed.

While lying face down on the ground, she clawed at her hair with both hands.

“Mia…”

Alice also knelt beside her but couldn’t bring herself to touch Mia Crowfield.

“You… you too.”

With a very slight, trembling voice, Mia Crowfield asked.

“You knew, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I knew.”

From before I even came here.

“…Was it here?”

“It was here.”

“The children that were here, the last children… where did they all go?”

“I don’t know.”

Whether the Imperial family took them or if the Count’s family disposed of them, I have no idea. I hadn’t returned here since then.

“…How many…?”

“I don’t know.”

The evidence must have already been burned to ashes. The children that were here, they probably just disappeared. Without anyone even knowing their names.

“Ah…”

The moan Mia Crowfield let out turned into a wail that was hard to express in words.

A few knights who had been outside instinctively barged through the door and froze stiff.

*

Returning to the Count’s mansion, Mia Crowfield staggered past the Baroness without a greeting or embrace.

Without even making eye contact, she brushed past, and the Baroness shot a look filled with hatred at us before quickly turning away and following behind.

Leaving the mansion behind, we boarded the steam car that had been prepared ahead of time.

Alice and I sat side by side in the back seat, but for a long time, we didn’t speak. With the driver present, we had to choose our words carefully, and above all… we weren’t in the mood for any cheerful laughter.

“…Was it the right thing to do?”

After a long silence, Alice finally opened her mouth with that.

And I already had an answer prepared.

“You did well.”

It was a sincere statement without any ulterior motive. Initially, I had been lost for words at the idea of forging the Emperor’s orders… but eventually, it was something that would happen someday.

At least it would be better for Mia Crowfield than if it happened during the semester. She would have time to gather her thoughts.

“But…”

Alice bit her lip.

“If what the Imperial family is doing is the same as the bad deeds of other nobles….”

The confident Alice before entering that building was nowhere to be found. The Alice sitting next to me was merely speaking with a pitiful voice.

“Do I really have the right to punish those sorts of things?”

“…”

I gazed quietly out the window for a while.

There was no authority to grant such a right to me either. Though I used to be a child in that orphanage, now I was just a pawn of the Emperor.

But it wasn’t Alice’s fault either. Just like the Count’s deeds were not Mia Crowfield’s fault.

“At the very least,”

I cautiously opened my mouth.

“At the very least, the fact that the Crown Princess thought to take such actions means she is different from His Majesty the Emperor.”

With my words, Alice was silent for a while.

“…Thank you.”

That was the response that came from Alice after a long deliberation.

*

“Your identity.”

After taking Alice to her room, I immediately went to meet the Emperor. I was glad that Alice had a lot to think about. If not, I would probably now be sitting here beside Alice, unable to ask such questions.

“Why are you asking me that?”

Seeing the Emperor casually turn the question back to me, my insides churned, but I endured and asked again.

“If you brought me here, there must have been a reason. What was the reason for placing Lucas in that orphanage?”

“I find it curious that you’re asking about that now.”

The Emperor gazed down at me, placing his hand on his well-groomed golden beard.

“I won’t ask you to guess. That could be entertaining too.”

“I didn’t come here to play riddle games.”

I glared at the Emperor, but he continued to regard me with a look of amusement.

“Don’t you already know your identity well?”

In that instant, my heart sank.

Could it be that the Emperor has already noticed? Is there some other truth that I couldn’t read in the book? Does he already know I come from another world?

“You are my daughter.”

But my anxiety quickly vanished. The moment I didn’t exhale a sigh of relief was due to how much I was annoyed. I was grateful for that fact.

“So, other than that answer—”

“Hmm? I’m telling you the truth. That’s the answer you wanted.”

The Emperor said with a smile.

“You are my daughter. You definitely inherited my talents. Perhaps, you may have also inherited your mother’s talents. Of course, I don’t remember what kind of person your mother was.”

So simply.

As if asking his own biological daughter if she’s “a child found under a bridge?”

“…Huh?”

“You are.”

The Emperor leaned slightly toward me with the same smiling face.

“You said you are my daughter.”

…And that there were probably stories about Claire.

And that there’s a tale about the ‘Emperor’s children’ too.

The reason the Emperor was able to think of his ‘children’… as ‘children’.

“…”

Since coming to this world, it was the first time I had an astonished expression before the Emperor.

Chapter 133

How on earth did the Emperor find such capable orphans among so many?

It’s not like he has thousands of children running around, and he definitely didn’t send knights out to look for them.

There were some theories among the players. After all, the Emperor must have gathered those gifted children by some ‘special means’, and that ‘special means’ was likely related to Claire or the bloodline of other imperial children. I got sucked into this world’s game before uncovering the truth.

But I never thought that ‘special means’ would be mixing blood!

If that’s the case, the Emperor must be outrageously confident. No, more than confident—he’s probably overconfident. He’d think his children would obviously inherit his ‘amazing abilities.’

Ha!

The thought made me chuckle.

The idea of ‘Emperor’s children’ isn’t something unique to the current Emperor; previous Emperors had their groups of elite guards too, and there were those who were known to have them.

The overconfidence about bloodlines isn’t just the Emperor’s; it’s a pride that radiates from the entire royal family.

But if that’s true…

Then I, who wasn’t supposed to be in that position, definitely wasn’t the ‘child’ the Emperor was after. Claire was the one who rightfully belonged there.

If the Emperor planned to just spread seeds, he wouldn’t care about the specifics. He’d just trust someone to keep an eye on where that woman’s child ended up. Whether the child had blue hair or black hair… that wouldn’t matter to the Emperor.

“Whoa…”

Sitting in my chair, staring blankly at the ceiling after reaching that conclusion made me gasp in awe.

If someone brought me into this world, that being really put me in the right spot. Hurting me with a secret about my birth, too.

Plus, the ability they granted me was in practical terms. Rather than some uncertain talent like swordsmanship I might spend a lifetime honing, I was given infinite chances to fix things when I made mistakes.

And yet… the Emperor still thinks how I fight is all tied to that ability, while believing I’m his daughter.

That’s right. The Emperor mistook me for Claire.

The reason for that confusion is purely because Lucas brought me, not Claire.

…I need to find Lucas.

*

Lucas probably has no idea he might be the Emperor’s true son! After all, he doesn’t resemble the Emperor much. Plus, considering the circumstances, Lucas’s orphanhood likely rivaled Claire’s misery.

He wouldn’t think the royal blood was running in him. Who would have thought that a child born in such conditions would even be able to roll around freely?

So, I must go to Lucas and find out why he chose me and what his past is like. Only then can I hold some certainty about the situation.

The damn Emperor just threw that bomb at me and laughed, as if to say, “figure the rest out yourself!”

The problem is, I have no clue where Lucas is.

Bella and another person were already sent on a mission. In fact, those two were among the lesser-known faces among the Emperor’s children, so they were very useful and always busy. If Bella hadn’t received a separate mission, I wouldn’t have even crossed paths with her.

Thus, I went to find the only ‘brother’ I could meet right away.

And that person is—

“Lucas?”

Jayden furrowed his brow at the mention of Lucas.

“How would I know where Lucas is?”

Fortunately, Jayden didn’t seem angry with me. His irritation was directed at Lucas. To Jayden, the Empire’s greatest knight, leaving without informing the Emperor would indeed be seen as treachery.

I quietly gazed up at Jayden’s golden hair, which was distinctly split into an 80-20 ratio.

Seeing it like this, his hair color reminded me quite a bit of the Emperor and Alice. Of course, using that as evidence would be tough, since golden-haired people aren’t rare in the Empire.

But… after hearing such stories, seeing this golden hair makes me think differently.

Jayden has been thoroughly trained in the royal sword techniques, but he too probably has a dark past like Claire or Bella.

Perhaps that obsessive obsession with elegance comes from that background.

“Is that so?”

“Why? Is something up? Did he do something to you?”

“No.”

At my answer, Jayden shrugged and continued packing. The large trunk was packed so tightly that it made me wonder how he managed to fit everything in like a jigsaw puzzle.

Admiringly, I asked,

“Where are you being dispatched to?”

“That’s right,” Jayden nodded while packing.

“I’m heading to the North. Thanks to your great efforts—”

While saying that, Jayden glanced my way. His expression was clearly one of pride. For a moment, I nearly got chills, but I held it together.

“—we managed to obliterate one faction, but there are still similar factions overflowing everywhere. We can’t afford to pour our army into a war with the autonomous nations, but having one reliable regular would greatly help in combat.”

As he spoke, Jayden shut the open trunk.

“The North…”

Thinking about how I’m the only one left in the Imperial Palace as the Emperor’s child, I started feeling a bit gloomy, but suddenly a bright thought flashed through my mind.

“By any chance, how will you be traveling?”

“I requested for it to be as fast as possible, so I’ll probably be riding along on a supply ship?”

The term ‘supply ship’ doesn’t refer to the regular type of boat. If there’s a sea or a massive lake nearby, that might make sense, but a supply ship moving overland means ‘airship’.

The speed of the transport ship can’t even be compared to that of the sky battleship, Dreadnought. It barely goes about 100 km/h.

However, since it’s an airship, it would surely fly straight toward the destination. It wouldn’t stop along the way. Therefore, the actual arrival time would be faster than a train.

“Is there any chance I could ride along on that transport ship?”

With only about two weeks left until the end of the holidays, I was running out of time.

“Huh? Still, it’s a military supply ship… It’s not that I suspect you, but there are procedural issues with riding those. I’ve already completed my affiliation a week ago, but you…”

Seeing how he refuses to let me ride just because of his position, it’s clear how much of a ‘model citizen’ Jayden truly is. That’s probably why the Emperor trusts him for ‘visible action.’

“I… have something urgent.”

“Something urgent, huh?”

Jayden grew a bit serious upon hearing that.

“Is it related to His Majesty’s orders?”

Uhh…

That’s not true.

I could make excuses and dodge the question, but as an imperial knight, Jayden had a stern side when it came to such matters. If I lied, he’d definitely check with the Emperor. Not because he suspected me, but to know things more clearly and deal with the orders correctly.

“…”

“Silvia?”

Jayden cocked his head, looking at me as I suddenly fell silent.

…Alright then.

In this case, I should take advantage of Jayden’s weak points.

Drawing a deep breath, I steadied my heart and clasped my hands in front of my chest.

Then, I looked up at Jayden. This part wasn’t too difficult. He was taller than me anyway.

But the problem was what came next.

“O…”

“Huh?”

As I paused in the middle of my sentence, Jayden responded back.

“O… Brother.”

Since I couldn’t bear to call him ‘oppa,’ I opted for an extremely respectful title fitting my character.

Right, this is merely my character’s persona; it’s not something I said out of my own will.

Let’s think of it that way.

With Jayden stiffening up like ice in front of me, I inhaled deeply again and spoke.

“Brother… please?”

“…”

Jayden stared at me in shock for a long while, his mouth hanging open, and eventually raised a hand to his forehead.

For a moment, I wondered if I had failed.

But Jayden swiped his hand down his face and then touched his forehead again.

A small smile was tugging at his lips, and his eyes were filled with an expression that seemed like, ‘Have I ever seen a troublemaker like this?’

“Oh my.”

Almost regretting what I said, I seriously contemplated if I should rewind time.

“If my sister says that… there’s no helping it. Don’t worry, Silvia. This ‘big brother’ will do whatever it takes.”

…I seriously agonized over that.

Chapter 134

Vacation is essentially just a holiday for working people.

Of course, compared to that of laborers, it was much longer, and children with enough social standing to attend the academy generally had more leisure time during their break rather than working.

Claire and Leo were no exception to this rule.

However, both were highly motivated. Neither Leo nor Claire hesitated to train hard throughout the vacation to improve their sword skills.

Moreover, they had met the ‘Sword Saint’ during the term. Although the time they could learn was very short, both received the title of ‘disciple’ from him.

They were also told they could come anytime to learn.

Therefore, the vacation was obviously a great time for that.

Having thought this way, Leo and Claire quickly planned to head north right after the Crown Princess’s visit.

Of course, it would be nice if life always went according to plan.

“Claire, you stay behind.”

Naturally, that was never the case.

“Mother?”

But, things didn’t always roll along as one expected or desired.

“It’s good to inherit the Grace-style swordsmanship. If you have a good teacher like the Sword Saint, it would be wise to devote yourself to swordsmanship with gratitude. Such opportunities aren’t given to just anyone.”

“Mother, then—”

“But.”

Baroness Grace let out a small sigh and spoke to Claire.

“Claire, you’re now at an age where you should start preparing for marriage.”

“…What?”

Claire’s face went blank. Staring at her mother with slightly parted lips, her expression was one of ‘What is that?’

“I’m not saying you should get married right now. It’s something you can think about slowly after becoming an adult. However, even so, you should at least have the basic knowledge.”

As Claire listened, her face gradually turned red.

“At the very least… I should definitely be raised to be a ‘young lady’ in terms of manners. Let’s focus on that during this vacation.”

“But, Mother—”

Though Claire spoke with a whiny expression, the Baroness seemed firm in her thoughts.

“Claire, aren’t you a daughter of our house? I believe you should receive proper education so that nothing will tarnish your reputation when you marry someone.”

And there was unmistakable affection in her words.

Claire found herself lost for words.

Seeing Claire’s bewildered expression, the Baroness spoke with a small smile at the corners of her mouth.

“However, if you can improve your manners enough to represent our family during this vacation, I can allow you to go north for sword training in winter.”

“Really?”

Upon hearing that, Claire’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Is it true? Really, Mother?”

As she bounced in her seat, the Baroness let out a small sigh.

“…Yes, but first, let’s work on your rather clumsy mannerisms.”

“Heh heh….”

Hearing Leo’s story, Sword Saint Frederick chuckled helplessly.

“It seems that people’s perceptions are not so easily changed over time.”

He shook his head in dismay.

“Even in such a enlightened family, they have to think that way.”

Frederick mumbled on,

“Of course, even if one thinks it doesn’t matter personally, other nobles might think differently.”

He nodded as if he understood that one of his disciples hadn’t shown up.

“Well, it’s fine. That kid can easily overcome that kind of adversity. Let’s hope I can teach both of you properly during winter.”

Frederick uncrossed his arms and continued.

“So first, shall we calm our hearts through meditation?”

“Understood.”

With a serious expression, Leo nodded and sat down.

This happened at the end of July.

Under the Sword Saint, a month is a very short period. The Sword Saint had spent his entire life, meaning decades, honing his swordsmanship, and naturally, it would take a significant amount of time to master that skill in its entirety.

However, that doesn’t mean there’s no progress with just a month.

Leo was able to aim for swordsmanship with more certainty and calmness, and the tip of his sword became much sharper and more accurate. If before, his sword skills were nearly equal to Claire’s, now he felt he could win by a slight margin.

Even though the weather had improved, staying in a cabin built in such a rugged location helped as well. After all, living in a place that barely offered any protection from the wind, especially in a perilous area, served as a training in itself.

So, even if the body felt uncomfortable, Leo felt a sense of satisfaction, realizing he was indeed growing.

“Hmm.”

As he was soothing his mind through meditation as usual, he heard the Sword Saint issue that sound.

Slowly opening his eyes and looking up at the Sword Saint, he saw him resting his chin in hand while gazing at the thin walls of the cabin. He wasn’t looking at the wall itself, but rather what lay beyond it.

“It seems we have an uninvited guest.”

Sword Saint Frederick said that, then placed his hand on a basket filled with herbs resting on the table.

“Could it be Jennifer?”

“That’s not her footsteps. If it were, she would have come loudly without hiding her voice. Plus, she wouldn’t be this unsteady.”

Frederick’s eyes narrowed. It was the first time he heard that sound, but he didn’t think it was from a formidable opponent that could threaten the Sword Saint.

In contrast, he felt hardly any killing intent. Normally, those who lack skill can’t hide their murderous aura and end up failing in stealth. If someone were skilled, they’d conceal their presence and take down their target with a swift strike.

Could it be that a visitor really has come? Or perhaps someone lost while climbing the mountains for fun?

Well, it didn’t matter much.

Gripping the basket tightly, Frederick thought.

“….”

The visitor approached the Sword Saint Frederick’s cabin without hesitation and boldly opened the door.

Frederick gauged the timing as the door opened and immediately threw the basket.

As the door opened, the basket flew into the air, scattering the herbs inside all over—

And it precisely hit the center of the forehead of a girl who was walking in through the door.

“Eek!?”

Surprised by the unexpected cute sound, Frederick blinked in shock. Leo did the same, turning just his upper body to look at the door while remaining in a seated position.

The girl, who ended up on the floor, rubbing her head, appeared quite fragile at first glance. That’s not to say she didn’t exude any feminine charm, though.

As the girl was wiping her forehead with tears welling in her eyes,

“Sylvia?”

Leo asked in a somewhat dazed voice.

The girl called Sylvia seemed to realize only at that moment that she was sitting on the floor, blinking as if forgetting her hurt forehead for a moment.

With a momentarily dazed expression, the girl suddenly wore a shocked look and yelled—

“Again!”

And shouted that—

“Why do I keep bumping into that basket?”

Well, it had been months since she’d last visited, so it was only natural, but… it was still embarrassing.

Not to mention Frederick and Leo had seen her like that.

“Huff.”

Rewinding a few seconds, I collected myself and opened the door again.

Creak, with a sound clearly made by an amateur, the lukewarm door let out an ugh and opened.

Then what came into view was the basket flying toward my face.

I raised my hand that wasn’t gripping the doorknob to catch the basket.

Thwack.

Fortunately, they weren’t actually trying to kill me with it; I managed to catch the basket quite skillfully.

“Oh.”

Frederick let out an impressed exclamation he had heard a few times before.

“Sylvia?”

This time, his voice was surprised, not confused or aghast.

I pretended to be nonchalant and calmly placed the basket I was holding on the nearby table.

“I am Sylvia.”

Frederick made a thoughtful expression for a moment before breaking out into a somewhat fierce smile.

“I see. You must be that girl who excelled in the last tournament.”

…What could this mean?

Why was the reaction different from what it was the first time we met?

For a moment, I wondered if Frederick remembered me, but thankfully, it seemed he didn’t.

Rather,

“If you’re a friend of my disciple, it might be good to assess your skills.”

He was holding a sword.

Wait, hold on a minute.

Chapter 135

At least the Sword Saint didn’t try to cut me down with a real blade. Swoosh!

But the annoying part is that his positive aspect isn’t really that positive for me.

No matter what, even if I get sliced by a real sword, I can just rewind time, so it’s just a matter of “it hurts for a moment.” However, since the sword Lucas wields is a sharp blade worthy of a prince, I didn’t feel the pain immediately after being cut. My brain was probably pumping endorphins right after the cut.

Thus, getting “hit and feeling pain” ended up being more or less the same. In a way, this “clubbing” didn’t even trigger endorphins, making it feel even worse.

Moreover, it was the same that I had to send it back after taking a hit.

Unlike Lucas’ sword swings that usually end after one swipe and I dodge it, the Sword Saint’s strikes came at me repeatedly, making it even more of a hassle.

“Hmph.”

In the blink of an eye, the Sword Saint unleashed a series of strikes, making me rewind time a dozen times, while he rested his sword on his shoulder, raising an eyebrow.

“How strange.”

He muttered something I’d heard a few times before.

“You have no talent whatsoever.”

“Talent…?”

Leo, who was listening beside me, murmured in shock, looking confused.

Whack!

“Gah!?”

The Sword Saint hit Leo on the forehead, causing that sound.

“You, who is supposed to be my disciple, can’t even recognize whether someone has talent or not? This kid, in any way you look at it, has no talent. To be honest, right now, your dodging method just looks like you’re going with the flow.”

That was a very accurate assessment. I was just dodging randomly.

I thought I was being as graceful and neat as possible, but in reality, there was no system to my movements at all. Just flailing around without any style.

In that sense, the Sword Saint was clearly superior to Lucas when it came to teaching. Although Lucas might outperform me in sheer fighting ability, he would probably just think “my physical ability” was astonishing by seeing my movements.

…And he probably declared he would cut me down for that reason.

“Who the hell are you—”

“Um, Master.”

When the Sword Saint bluntly referred to me as “you,” Leo, who was standing awkwardly nearby, flinched.

“Hmm? What is it?”

“T-that….”

Leo approached and whispered to the Sword Saint, likely about my identity. More specifically, about “the identity of the Crown Princess.”

Smack!

“Urgh!?”

However, as soon as the Sword Saint heard that, he slapped Leo on the forehead.

“Does it matter if she’s the Crown Princess or whatever? Have you ever thought about why I’ve set up a cabin here on this cliff? I’m fed up with status and politics. At least in here, only swordsmanship determines a person’s worth. So,”

Sword Saint Frederick pointed his sword at me.

“You’re the lowest of the low here.”

Sure, I have an appearance that definitely doesn’t hide femininity, but I wonder why he still refers to me as “you.”

…Thinking about it, calling me “you girl” feels a bit too harsh. Given that he has a somewhat old-fashioned personality, it could be problematic if he gets seen as unlikable.

Of course, Leo’s face, upon hearing me being called “the lowest,” was turning from “white” to “almost blue.”

Honestly speaking, I mean, I am a disciple after all. Even if my master doesn’t remember me.

In that sense, I’m also a fellow disciple with Leo.

“Understood.”

So, well, for the sake of my fellow disciple, I could say this.

“Oh?”

The Sword Saint raised one corner of his mouth, seemingly amused.

“Well, fine. Since you’ve come all the way here to find me and you aren’t using that weapon, you must not be a small fry. I’ll listen to your story.”

And then he pointed to an empty chair as if telling me to sit down.

*

Sitting down, I honestly laid out the reason for my visit.

Of course, I left out the parts related to my abilities or lineage. It wasn’t something I could just reveal right away. I’d probably have to talk about it eventually, but first, I wanted to resolve the immediate situation at hand.

“So, your stepbrother wants to cut your head off, and you want to find his stepbrother?”

“Yes.”

“And you have something you want to discuss with his stepbrother?”

“Yes.”

“You think his stepbrother is likely stronger than me?”

“Indeed.”

“……Do you want to die?”

The Sword Saint asked with a look of disbelief.

Well, I don’t think this is something I should be saying.

Hearing that I’m after someone stronger than him lit a spark of interest on his face, and when I previously said I’d introduce him to Lucas, he immediately took me on as a disciple. If we’re talking about “wanting to die,” he’s the one treating it way too lightly.

It just felt a bit funny when he said that to me.

I didn’t actually laugh, though.

I can read the atmosphere, after all.

“……”

During our conversation, Leo was standing next to the tea set, his face rigid with tension.

When I didn’t respond, a moment of silence enveloped the cabin.

I silently lifted my teacup and took a sip—so long since I’d tasted something that made me frown purely for its taste, I looked up at Leo.

When our eyes met, Leo made a very distressed expression.

The tea Leo gave me… looked different from what I was drinking. Now that I looked at it, the color was pitch black, resembling more of herbal medicine than tea leaves. Maybe it was brewed from the green stuff Sword Saint had tossed into the basket earlier.

“Is there no sugar?”

“Ugh.”

When I made this bold request, the Sword Saint smirked as if in disbelief.

“Are you seriously asking if you can add sugar to medicinal brew?”

“……”

Upon reflection, that wasn’t a great idea.

I placed the teacup down in silence.

Then I spoke to the Sword Saint.

“I have no thought of wanting to die. However, there is something I desperately need to ask.”

I needed to delve deeper into why Lucas chose me. Moreover, if Lucas had been watching the facility from the start, he would know how I ended up getting in there, or at least how I suddenly popped in.

And about Claire’s arrival too.

I might not get to know everything, but for now, Lucas was the only person I could draw information from.

If things go south, I can just rewind time and make it as if it never happened. Then, I wouldn’t die at Lucas’s hands, and while rewinding, I could cancel the embarrassing history of calling Jayden “big brother.”

The image of me happily introducing myself as “his little sister” to the commander while heading towards the battlefield is… something I want to forget at all costs.

“Hmph.”

The Sword Saint, having heard my story, turned to look at Leo.

Leo’s face was tense and taut.

“However, I’m curious why you came to me specifically to find this Lucas.”

Turning his gaze back to me, the Sword Saint leaned slightly forward, tilting his head.

His face clearly showed an interest that surpassed when he had heard about me.

“……Lucas,”

I slowly spoke, hoping to persuade the Sword Saint with my words.

“Before he can deliver his final blow, he will certainly consider you as an intermediary target and seek you out.”

In reality, in the original story, the Sword Saint’s death was much later.

Also, I don’t know if Lucas is currently chasing after me or not.

So expecting him to suddenly show up in front of me in a few days is unreasonable.

But at the very least, I could make it so Lucas could “show up at any time.”

If I hear that Lucas has appeared in front of the Sword Saint, I just need to rewind to a moment before that and pop myself back in front of Sword Saint.

And to accomplish this, it would be ideal for Sword Saint Frederick to come out of hiding and come down from the mountain. The more he’s out and about, the easier he will be to notice, and it would be easier for me to approach him.

If possible, it would be better to bring him closer to the Imperial Capital.

“Oh?”

At my words, the Sword Saint grinned wider than when I first entered the cabin, showing a wicked smile.

“So you think I would consider you more ‘dangerous’ than I?”

“That’s right.”

“You’re so cocky.”

“……”

I stiffened up with tension upon seeing the Sword Saint gripping the hilt of his sword again.

Chapter 136

“Let’s go to the Imperial Capital.”

I said with a tense expression.

“There, you can be with your disciples and everyone else.”

“Hmm.”

The Sword Saint let go of his grip on the sword, seemingly lost in thought after my persuasion.

Seeing that, I relaxed for a moment —

Thud!

“Ugh!?”

The Sword Saint struck my forehead again with his sword.

Without thinking, I clutched my head with both hands and looked at the Sword Saint.

He was staring at me with a look of disbelief.

“Did you not hear what I said a moment ago? I came here because I’m tired of the mundane world. Now you want me to live in the busiest place in the Imperial Capital surrounded by all kinds of people?”

The Sword Saint snorted.

“Moreover, as your bait? I’m not some softy who would fall for such a trivial scheme.”

Well, that’s true.

I silently agreed with his words.

If a person who had been living in the mountains for decades came down just because of the words of someone he met for the first time, I would have tried that long ago.

“Well then, I’ll stay here.”

“Hmm?”

“I’ll stay here until I can convince you, Sword Saint.”

But I wasn’t completely unprepared, either.

Although there are only about two weeks left of vacation, I would try hard to persuade him during that time, and after narrowing down the most promising arguments, I’d rewind time to —

Thud!

“Eek!?”

“Do you have his voice recording in your head or something?”

Hitting someone’s head without warning and saying such a thing is really annoying.

Of course, I didn’t think I had the ability to overcome this person properly.

“A grown woman, even if she’s a bit older, says she’ll be spending the night at a man’s house? That could tarnish your honor, you know? No, more than that, the fact that you can boldly say you want to stay at a man’s house is a problem. And you’re a Crown Princess too.”

“……”

When I came with Jennifer, I stayed all night, and he didn’t say anything back then.

Furthermore, Alice did the same thing before. Claire did too.

Of course, Jennifer must have been beside me then, but in the original work, the Sword Saint was a character who didn’t care about that kind of thing. He’s probably just saying that to have an excuse to send me away.

Ignoring my glare, the Sword Saint turned his gaze away from me.

“And why are you frozen like that?”

“Ah, that’s…”

Leo’s forehead was already damp with sweat. It was no exaggeration to say that a few strands of hair were sticking to his forehead.

“Why, don’t you like me using ‘Your Highness’ as a weapon?”

“……”

“I met another princess long ago, you know? And if I were the type to care about status, I wouldn’t even consider taking Jennifer as my disciple.”

“Y-Yes, that’s true…”

“Oh, right, I see.”

The Sword Saint turned back to me.

“Is Alice your sister or your younger sister?”

“Older sister—”

Leo was about to answer from the side, but upon meeting my gaze, he quickly shut his mouth.

“……‘Sister.’”

“Hoh.”

At my words, the Sword Saint grinned.

“Is that so…?”

Then, with his arms crossed, he fell into thought for a brief moment.

“Well, fine. It’s already late. It wouldn’t be a manly thing to send you away at this hour.”

Having said that, the Sword Saint stood up.

“I’ll allow you to stay for today. But tomorrow, you must leave. I’m not so idle as to dance to your tune.”

No, you are pretty idle.

That being said, there’s no reason to have to dance to my tune unconditionally.

Still, having received permission to stay for at least a day, I felt a sense of relief.

That means an opportunity has arisen.

*

“Did you learn it from Alice?”

The next morning, the Sword Saint asked after seeing me meditating in a cross-legged position, having woken up around the same time as Leo.

That was the first thing he said to me since our conversation yesterday. After that, he completely ignored my presence.

Looking back, I could see that I had given him a reason to ignore me. Besides, I had spoken rather presumptuously, almost like a command.

But if he doesn’t start a conversation, I can persuade him through action.

Since he told me ‘you have no talent’ yesterday, I would need to show him my ‘talent’. And I would do that by waking up at the same time as Leo.

Peeking with one eye slightly open, I saw that Leo was looking at me with a mildly surprised expression.

However, his face showed more of a deep contemplation rather than surprise. Though he didn’t elaborate, he was also present when I fought against that black robe at the Northwood ruins.

Maybe he’s considering that I might have been here before.

“……”

It’s true that I have no talent in this area at all, and I’ve never learned it before; it took me 300 days to learn the most basic meditation from the Sword Saint, of all people. Learning a different technique might take even longer.

But at least for now, I have to pretend that this ability is my ‘talent.’ That way, the Sword Saint might trust me, even just a little.

I heard the sound of the Sword Saint’s footsteps. I closed my slightly open eyes and fully immersed myself in meditation again.

As if he’s trying to see my posture closely, I heard the Sword Saint moving in front of me —

Before the Sword Saint could say anything to me —

Bang!

The door swung open with that sound.

“……Alice. If you open the cabin door like that, it might break.”

The Sword Saint said lazily as if he already knew Alice was coming. It was a completely different attitude from when he greeted me.

“If it breaks, I’ll buy the best door I can find and replace it.”

Alice’s voice, saying that, was very calm, but it sounded incredibly angry in reverse.

“Even if you go buy that door, it doesn’t seem to fit at all.”

The Sword Saint replied in a very bewildered tone.

But it seemed Alice didn’t hear him.

Honestly, their conversation was quite interesting.

I had met the Sword Saint and seen what kind of character he was in the game, but it was the first time I was actually witnessing a conversation between Alice and the Sword Saint directly.

In the game, aside from the main story dialogues, other party members excluding Leo often ended up being just empty space. While it was said they made in some effort, the sheer volume of the main text made it hard to pay attention to every detail in the side quests.

As the story progressed, there were more characters to set as party members, and since the personalities of those characters were all different, dialogues had to be crafted according to the situation, which became quite a challenge to balance based on production costs.

However, reality is not a game.

One cannot just skip the narrative with ‘everyone discussed’ or ‘everyone trained together.’

“What brings you here? It doesn’t seem like you’re here to train like Leo.”

“……I came to find my ‘younger sibling.’”

While I might not be able to read other people’s vibes, at least I could perceive that the Sword Saint was glancing at me.

“Is there something going on in the royal family?”

I tried hard to maintain my appearance of being engrossed in meditation, eyes tightly shut, as if I didn’t even notice Alice’s arrival.

Though that didn’t seem… very successful.

Well, even if I tried, it’s not like I’d become invisible.

“Excuse me, but I’d like to have a conversation with Sylvia.”

With Alice’s words, the sound of her clothes brushing against the table was heard. It seemed the Sword Saint gestured towards the table.

“If you want, you can use that table as much as you like. There are no separate rooms, so we can’t have a secret conversation.”

“That’s fine.”

The tone in Alice’s voice as she replied was laced with amusement.

It didn’t seem like a warm laugh at all.

*

“I’ve heard the story.”

“……What story are you talking about?”

We sat facing each other across the old, shabby table, and about three steps away stood Leo and the Sword Saint. Both looked curious about what we were discussing.

I pondered seriously. Could it perhaps be related to Lucas? Could Alice possibly be my biological sister?

“You called Jaiden ‘older brother,’ didn’t you?”

—It seemed she hadn’t heard that.

Of course, regardless of that, I knew that what Alice was saying was an incredibly important fact.

I turned my gaze towards Leo.

Leo stared at me with his mouth agape, seemingly shocked.

As if he had never expected me to say such a word.

Regrettably, I didn’t know how to control the rapid beating of my heart due to embarrassment.

…At least for the two weeks I’m here, I’ll make sure to learn how to do that.

And I’ll make sure to kill Jaiden, who failed to hide the fact that I called him ‘older brother.’

It was me who forgot his request for secrecy, after all.

Chapter 137

I first tried to steer the conversation.

“How did you make it here?”

“Last night, by car.”

“…Is there someone who drove you all the way here?”

“There are a lot of people in the palace. But I can’t ask for a train to move at a time when it doesn’t run, right? It’s not just a few coins.”

Taking a steam car all the way here probably wouldn’t cost just a few coins either.

No, more than that, coming from the Imperial Capital to here by ‘car’ is definitely not an easy task. The roads were somewhat established, but there were so many dirt paths. I mean, they’re somewhat maintained, but still…

“Don’t worry. I didn’t come alone; there are knights escorting me.”

While leaning back on the chair, crossing her arms, I felt an impulse to smack Alice’s forehead again.

If it were just the two of us, I might have done it.

“Is this about the time I called you ‘brother’?”

“Is it ‘just because of that’? You don’t think that’s a ‘trivial’ matter, do you?”

One eyebrow of Alice raised.

“……”

If that’s not ‘trivial,’ then what is it?

But I wasn’t dumb enough to actually say that out loud. Whatever the reason, Alice seemed pretty serious right now.

“You don’t use such… intimate titles for others. Doesn’t that mean there’s something important that needed you to come all the way here?”

That’s… sharp.

That this would be a huge bombshell of ‘Alice and Claire might be blood sisters’ and that we came here to confirm the truth of it, well, I couldn’t say that.

If I brought up the Emperor, Alice would definitely think it was my story instead of Claire’s.

Turning back time and all is fine since it’s a fantasy world, and who knows if goddesses actually exist; it would just end with the other party feeling scared or surprised. Of course, it’s not exactly something I could just laugh off either.

But telling her I came from another world and that this world’s story is just that of a game… that’s an entirely different matter. Telling her that, in fact, your will might not be very important and that you could be a being that was already predetermined to move as such is… well, that just doesn’t seem right.

“……”

Seeing me hesitating to answer, Alice let out a deep sigh.

“Well, fine.”

With her arms still crossed, she squinted her eyes and spoke.

“You came here to live, right? So I’m going to stay with you while you’re here.”

Snap!

I turned my head at the sound, and the Sword Saint Frederick was covering his forehead with his hand. His eyes were tightly shut, making the wrinkles on his face look twice as many as usual.

“Are you saying that two kids who aren’t even adults are going to stay at my cabin?”

“Don’t worry too much, Master.”

At that, Alice put on a gentle smile and looked at her master.

“If Sylvia says she’s going back, I’ll consider going back today.”

Then she turned her face back to me, looking at my expression and said,

“Doesn’t look like you want to go back that much.”

She murmured that.

“……”

I stared silently at Alice for a while and then slowly opened my mouth.

And then closed it again.

Hmm.

When I used the word ‘brother’ with Jayden, sure, I was embarrassed, and I regretted it now, but honestly, it wasn’t exactly a huge deal. I had originally thought I would just turn back time and find out the truth afterward.

Of course, there was no guarantee I would definitely find Lucas during those two weeks before the end of the holiday. Lucas might be in another country or might be training in the mountains to get a chance to bite me again.

But if I couldn’t find him, that was fine too. Surely I could think of another way after turning back time, or I could just take my time enjoying the remaining holiday and think about it later.

But saying ‘sister’ to Alice…

Even if I could turn back time, for some reason, I really didn’t want to do that.

This is just my thinking, but for some reason, it felt like it would become an enormous… flaw in my life.

“……”

Alice was still looking at me with a ‘say what you want’ expression.

“…Uh….”

“Uh?”

“Uh… uh….”

I took a deep breath and said.

“Can you just go home and wait for me? Instead of being here?”

I blurted it out like a rapid-fire gun.

“That was too fast; I missed it.”

“……”

I took another breath.

“…Sister.”

Only after I said that did Alice fully turn her head towards me.

Her face was filled with a victorious smile. Her eyes sparkled, brighter than the stars still left in the sky.

“Yeah? Why, Sylvia?”

Seeing Alice speak with a deliberately sweet voice, I began to seriously think about whether to turn back time and erase the incident with Jayden, but ultimately, I concluded that my embarrassment would probably never fully disappear.

“Just say it to big sis.” In that state, I slowly opened my mouth and said.

“Would you please…?”

“……”

Upon hearing my words, Alice smiled widely.

“I understand the heart of a sister thinking about her big sis,”

And upon hearing that, I was engulfed in intense anxiety.

“But you can’t just leave your little sister in a place like this and go back, can you?”

“In a place like this…”

The Sword Saint muttered in a somewhat hurt voice. No, just a moment ago, he was acting like it didn’t matter.

“Big sis will stay by Sylvia’s side.”

“……”

Feeling a different kind of irritation than Jayden, who had been facepalming, I finally understood what the anxiety I felt before saying ‘sister’ to Alice was.

…That’s right. Deep down, I knew that the method that worked on Jayden wouldn’t work on Alice.

“Is that alright, Master?”

“……”

The Sword Saint remained silent for a while before asking,

“What will you do if I refuse?”

He asked with a very serious expression.

“I’ll let every swordsman in the nation know your location. I will mobilize all the powers of the imperial family to do it.”

Then all kinds of people would probably swarm in.

Those wanting to learn swordsmanship, those asking for a duel. People seeking vengeance who had once been cut by the Sword Saint’s blade when he was younger.

It would probably become a massive headache.

I could just run away, but then I would lose the relationship formed in my old age again.

Though he was a cranky old man hiding in the mountains, saying he hated the world, the Sword Saint wasn’t a heartless person either.

“……”

The Sword Saint stared at Alice, letting out a sigh that almost seemed like the ground would swallow him.

“Well, if that’s the case, then fine.”

And he turned his gaze toward me.

It didn’t seem like he had any particular feelings behind his gaze, but somehow that sharp look felt very piercing. Like he was looking straight through me.

Just the other day, he said he wouldn’t let me sleep here, but maybe after seeing me meditating just now before Alice arrived, he changed his mind.

“However, don’t be a nuisance. I’m already teaching one disciple here.”

The Sword Saint’s eyes turned toward Leo.

Leo was standing completely stiff, standing at attention in front of us.

I thought his attitude had somewhat softened since the academy, but apparently, it was a different story outside the academy.

Well, that’s probably why commoners really dislike nobles and don’t want to talk to them. Even if they become friends and talk casually, once four years pass and they graduate, they have to treat them with respect again.

It was better to think that it was always that kind of relationship rather than getting into an awkward situation thinking they were ‘equals.’

“Instead, among you three here, you’re equal existences. There’s no one higher or lower.”

The Sword Saint said as he looked at Leo disdainfully.

“And,”

Seeing us nodding, the Sword Saint added,

“There are no genders here either. Just because the training content is the same doesn’t mean it will be adjusted based on gender.”

“I’ve already experienced that,”

Alice nodded readily at the Sword Saint’s words.

And I…

“……”

That was when I realized that I was in big trouble.

It was a relief that I wasn’t kicked out, but…

The way the Sword Saint looked at me was anything but normal.

Just like when I was meditating and training here.

Chapter 138

I’ve been training hard lately, so I guess my stamina has improved a bit.

But the problem is that keeping up with the ‘main character’, Leo, or the ‘sword-wielding heroine’, Alice, is no easy feat with just this stamina.

“That’s because you’re pouring your abilities into something like a firearm,” the Sword Saint said, looking quite unimpressed as he watched me.

“Comparing skill with a gun to wielding a sword, of course, swordsmanship requires way better physical abilities. A gun is something you can master with just a few weeks of training, right?”

Hearing that, I seriously considered whether to argue back or not, and ultimately decided to just keep my mouth shut.

After all, I’m the one who sought out the Sword Saint, not the other way around.

Moreover, one of his disciples, Jennifer, learned swordsmanship just enough to go back down and immediately started mixing firearms into her training. To the Sword Saint, firearms must seem like the most unpleasant thing.

“Well, still.”

The Sword Saint said, gazing at me quietly, “Your determination doesn’t seem too bad.”

I’ve been training repeatedly while turning back time. If my stamina is inferior to the other two, then what I could do was find ways to cut corners.

I’m not planning to cheat by pulling any tricks. If I did that, I’d definitely fall out of favor with the Sword Saint.

While climbing the hill, I look for spots to step on by rewinding time. Places that don’t slip when I step, spots that are easy to grab, and ones where I can push with my toes without losing balance, allowing my thighs to exert less strength.

I search for spots with each step, conserving as much stamina as possible as I move forward. Rewinding time didn’t require any extra power from me.

“Wait, have you been here before or something?”

The Sword Saint spoke as if genuinely curious.

It’s a natural assumption. As far as I’m concerned, I’m basically making the optimal route and running by turning back time, but from another’s perspective, it must look like someone who has already been here is moving through the paths.

Even the Sword Saint, who must have trained diligently while living on his own, would have thought so.

“Anyway, you seem like a curious guy. At first, I thought you were just a talentless person having a stroke of luck.”

The Sword Saint squatted down a bit, a little away from where I was sprawled out on the ground, and began to assess me.

“Who did you hear from to find out where I live?”

“…….”

“I first thought you might have heard it from one of my disciples, but you seem like you found it another way. Although I’m hiding, I didn’t actually use anything special.”

As expected of the Sword Saint, he seemed to be somewhat piercing through my identity just like when I was training before.

Given how his lips curled up slightly, I must have succeeded in catching the Sword Saint’s interest.

An enigmatic being suddenly popping up in the midst of a boring routine. That’s how he must see me.

“You, what in the world are you?”

“…….”

I thought seriously about it.

Flashing back to the Sword Saint’s face that told me to ‘come back again’, I pondered. Well, neither he nor I have changed—just met at a different time.

So, should I tell him about that this time? I hesitated and then decided against it.

He might believe me, given his exceptional situational judgment. But…

Ding!

Ding!

If I want to receive information in return, come find me before I kick the bucket. And when you do, I’ll try to guess your identity. I’d prefer you not give me any hints. It’s no fun if the quiz master gives away too many hints.

He said that once.

For some, it might feel like their life has been denied, or everything they’ve done is meaningless, and yet the Sword Saint said something like that.

If the quiz master gives away too many hints, it ruins the fun of getting the answer right.

Moreover, I was also the Sword Saint’s disciple. Recognized directly by him.

So, as his disciple, it wouldn’t be right to take away his amusement.

I propped myself up from the ground and looked toward my ‘master’.

“Do you want to know how I came to know this place, and how I was able to use this training method?”

“Isn’t it only natural for a person to be curious?”

But as he said that, the Sword Saint still wore a slightly enigmatic smile, as if already knowing I wouldn’t share anything.

“It’s a secret.”

But I can’t just spill the beans right here.

For a moment, the Sword Saint’s eyes widened slightly at my words.

Then immediately after, he burst out, Kuhahaha…!

Letting out a short laugh as if he had drunk some bitter but delightful liquor.

“So, is that the case?” he chuckled, looking at me.

“If you want to know my secret, you want me to accompany you to the Imperial Capital? Since you can see from the side what secrets I might hold.”

“That’s not entirely an incorrect assumption.”

I spoke while looking directly into the Sword Saint’s eyes.

“There are plenty of secrets in the Imperial Capital that would be quite delightful once discovered, in addition to the secret of how I manage to operate here.”

“And of course, you have no intention of telling me all those secrets directly.”

“Of course not.”

At my words, the Sword Saint stared at me for a while, a rather sinister smirk still on his face.

“Arrogant brat.”

But at least this time, he didn’t smack my forehead or anything.

*

“Everyone, pack your things.”

The next morning, the Sword Saint said that while we sat around an old small table, eating what looked like rabbit-like beast meat.

“Master?”

Leo, who was seriously devouring his meat, suddenly looked dazed. However, it seemed the Sword Saint didn’t change his mind at the sight of Leo’s expression.

“Everyone, we’ll be going back down after this meal today.”

…Did I push my luck too far?

Did I appear too arrogant and offend the Sword Saint’s sensibilities?

In the original work, the character was boisterous and thought if it was about practicality, it was better to make it intriguing—guess that was not the case.

I was debating whether to rewind to just before that conversation when the Sword Saint continued.

“By the way, Sylvia.”

“Yes.”

Unconcernedly shifting his gaze back to his own bowl, Sword Saint Frederick remarked while popping a piece of meat into his mouth.

“Is there a place in the Imperial Capital where I can stay?”

“…….”

For a moment, I was at a loss for words before I quickly gathered my thoughts. That moment was so brief that, without Alice or the Sword Saint, no one would probably have noticed.

Even so, out of the three people sitting with me, two were indeed involved.

“Of course.”

Just in case, I set aside one of the guest rooms in the Imperial Palace. It wasn’t specifically for the Sword Saint; it was a room I had prepared in case I brought anyone else to the palace.

Finding a separate house would require a bit more time to think slowly about, so for now, it would be best to have him stay there.

Probably, there wouldn’t be many opposing voices even within the palace. The knights would probably be thrilled!

The Sword Saint might not be too fond of it, but I decided not to bring that up intentionally.

“Then I’ll trust you.”

The Sword Saint said that and continued his meal.

Alice and Leo turned their gazes towards me as if they wanted an explanation, but like the Sword Saint, I just focused on my meal.

*

“……Sword Saint?”

The supply ship, having completed its supply, would check its status before heading back to the Imperial Capital.

Normally, we wouldn’t have the luxury of boarding a flying ship. If we had been even one day late, the supply ship would have been flying to the Imperial Capital already.

But the Sword Saint had decided quickly, more hastily than I expected, allowing us to board the supply ship on the return trip.

Leo was the eldest son of the royal family, and the Sword Saint… well, he was the Sword Saint.

So it wasn’t surprising that Jayden was surprised to see the Sword Saint.

Upon hearing that his younger sister was returning to the Imperial Capital, Jayden had rushed over from the front lines, instantly recognizing the old man wearing ragged clothes.

“Are you Jayden? I’ve heard a few stories from Jennifer.”

With his chin resting on his hand, the Sword Saint said that, but Jayden couldn’t even muster a proper response and simply gaped.

Soon, he seemed to realize he had to be here and couldn’t engage in longer conversations with the Sword Saint, his expression quickly dimming.

“I’d like to see your skills since you’re the brother of my disciple.”

Hearing the Sword Saint say that, Jayden quickly turned his head towards Alice and me.

“…….”

For reference, I had decided I wouldn’t converse with Jayden, so I just turned my gaze aside.

Jayden seemed to droop his shoulders once again in disappointment, but what does it matter?

Chapter 139

“The world has really developed a lot.”

While waiting for departure, the Sword Saint gazed at the airship and shared his thoughts.

“When I was young, I never thought humans would be flying in the sky.”

Wasn’t there more clashing of swords than guns in the Sword Saint’s younger days?

Just a few decades ago, swordsmen wielding karate were leaping with much greater ease. There were still guns and cannons back then, and despite the ammunition being a hassle, guns were still favored by most armies due to the high cost of bullets, which were just beginning to be mass-produced. That’s why they included cumbersome features like the ‘magazine cutoff switch’ in firearms.

But in modern warfare, with fighter jets flying and steam-powered cars and machine guns in use? Well, it was fortunate that the warlords in the north couldn’t operate such modern weaponry.

“Even so, the greatness of your swordsmanship, Sword Saint, hasn’t diminished.”

“……”

At the flattery heard from the side, the Sword Saint turned his gaze. Naturally, it was Jayden.

Jayden had been glancing at me and Alice for quite some time, as if he wanted to introduce the Sword Saint. But I was keeping my distance from Jayden, while Alice was in a huff.

She must have been miffed that I called myself ‘sister’ before calling Jayden ‘brother.’

It was just that, while I wanted to say the same thing, I knew Alice might explode in some way, so I decided to stay silent.

Instead, I just vented my frustration on Jayden.

“I am Jayden Fanggriffon, Captain of the Gryphon Order.”

“Then you must be a prince.”

The Sword Saint glanced briefly at me before continuing.

“Unintentionally, I seem to have taken in both of your younger sisters as my disciples.”

At those words, Jayden’s mouth dropped slightly. His look toward me was incredibly burdensome, so I subtly looked away.

“Is that so?”

Excitement was evident on Jayden’s face. The Sword Saint had accepted two of the Emperor’s children as his disciples, so Jayden thought he might be accepted too.

“Seeing such a mature brother, it seems your skills come from your family legacy.”

Then he looked back at Alice and turned to me again. The gaze he had when looking at Alice was different from the one directed at me.

He must have sensed something when he saw how I fought during training. While he hadn’t seen Jayden’s skills firsthand yet, if he understood that my movements were ‘tricks,’ he’d surely be curious about Jayden’s abilities.

To the Sword Saint, that would serve as a hint for the puzzle. Solving puzzles like that… that was so typical of the Sword Saint.

“Hm.”

The Sword Saint made a sound as if deep in thought and then said,

“Captain of the Order of Knights.”

He smiled a sly yet satisfied smile.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how well the Empire’s Order maintains its swordsmanship.”

Upon hearing that, a large question mark appeared over Jayden’s head. It would definitely feel like some game dialogue.

“I’ll be honored to welcome you any time!”

…Hmm.

Watching those two, I thought about it.

Once I gather all the information, I’ll need to rewind time to the beginning.

If those two got excited, I could only expect a much more troublesome situation than calling Jayden ‘brother.’

*

After offloading supplies, the transport ship moved faster than when it had been loaded with supplies. While it was still getting faster, it was still significant enough to reach the Imperial Capital even quicker than riding in a steam car or a train.

Well, considering that a typical running steam train moves at about 100 km/h, an empty transport ship would be much faster in terms of absolute speed.

Even when I departed and arrived, there wasn’t a grand welcome. I was a crown princess, but it was hard to prepare such welcome ceremonies every time, as I had to travel frequently. The same went for Alice, who was known as the ‘only blood-related’ true princess.

However,

“What’s with all this commotion?”

The Sword Saint asked while looking out the window of the slowly landing transport ship.

Outside, knights in white uniforms were lined up.

There seemed to be around twenty of them? Some looked relatively young, while others were older. Still, they appeared younger than the Sword Saint.

And behind those knights, soldiers in standard army attire were around, lined up and waiting.

“Is it because there are two princesses?”

“No.”

Alice and I shook our heads simultaneously. Looking at Alice’s expression, it seemed she had an inkling. It was probably the same thought running through my mind.

“…Perhaps, it seems Jayden has stirred something up.”

Although the Northern Region and the Imperial Capital were quite far apart, there was a working telephone line.

Just a single comment that the Sword Saint was coming could be enough to prepare this kind of welcome ceremony.

“Hah.”

The Sword Saint chuckled in disbelief, then turned to me and said,

“See? This is why I’ve been hiding in the mountains.”

This welcome ceremony was probably more of a spontaneous event organized by the people at this air force base and the knights from the capital rather than an official one. They probably gathered as long as it didn’t interfere with their duties.

I guessed there were many who wanted to come but couldn’t.

“……”

As the airship got closer to the ground, the faces of the gathered knights and soldiers became clearer. Upon closer inspection, there were not only foot soldiers among the gathered soldiers. Quite a number were wearing the darker-coloured attire of officers, contrasting with the foot soldiers’ uniforms.

Among those in officer uniforms, one familiar face stood out.

It was Jennifer.

Dressed in a military uniform quite similar to the one I was wearing, Jennifer stood proudly, looking up at us.

To briefly express the expression on her face, it looked like ‘holding back a laugh.’

Seeing her so eager to tease her master, deep wrinkles formed on the Sword Saint’s forehead.

*

“The Imperial Capital is always bustling.”

“It’s been nearly ten years since your last visit, hasn’t it?”

“Seems it has become more chaotic because of you, Jennifer.”

Jennifer, who had been in the Imperial Capital for academy-related matters, ran over as soon as she heard her master was coming and joined the welcome ceremony.

And even while leading the way to the Sword Saint’s room, she kept teasing her master.

“It’s you who chose to personally come to such a chaotic place, isn’t it, Master?”

“……”

The Sword Saint had nothing to say to that. Perhaps he understood that responding further would just be futile, or maybe he felt it wasn’t worth it.

“Where will I be staying?”

He suddenly asked me.

“……In the Imperial Palace.”

At my answer, the Sword Saint’s expression became much more promising, so I hurriedly added,

“For now, you’ll be staying at a temporary lodging, and soon I will arrange a place for you outside the palace.”

“Oh come on, there’s no better place than the Imperial Palace for Master to stay. After all, you made such great contributions in the last war—”

The Sword Saint’s hand flew out, but Jennifer sidestepped it.

“My plan to stay quietly is completely ruined.”

Gazing solemnly at his hand that sliced the air, the Sword Saint sighed deeply.

…Hmm, should I apologize?

But to be honest, the biggest reason for this situation becoming what it is now was due to Jayden.

Though the cause lay with me, still, the flow of events had certainly stemmed from Jayden’s excitement. If he hadn’t informed them about the situation in the Imperial Capital, there was no way the Sword Saint would be this angry!

“Alright then.”

The Sword Saint suddenly spoke in a calm voice.

“Since I’ll be near my disciples, I’ll do my very best to teach you all.”

“……”

His voice and expression were much more peaceful than when he was frowning earlier—

—So, it must be my imagination that he looks angrier than any expression I’ve seen so far, right?

Instinctively sensing something, I noticed Jennifer quietly whistling beside me.

“You guys are in big trouble.”

“……”

“That state of Master is ‘serious.’ Sylvia, be grateful. This could be an explosive opportunity for your swordsmanship skills to skyrocket.”

…And my body would probably end up crumbling under the explosion.

“Well, then, I have business in our territory—”

“What do you mean by that?”

Even I, who felt nothing, sensed something, so Leo, who had been practicing swordplay for a while, seemed to keenly feel the threat to his life.

But of course, the Sword Saint had no intentions of letting Leo go easily.

“Does it make sense for just you to be absent when the other disciples are receiving training? What happened to your plan of grinding your skills while staying together in the same cabin with me during the remaining vacation?”

Then, the Sword Saint looked at Alice and me again, smiling gently.

“There should be at least one room left in the palace, right? It’s not like it has to be in the palace itself, right?”

“……”

Hmm.

It seemed this person was truly serious.

Chapter 140

Everyone has a plan.

Until they roll around on the floor like a crazy person and become a rag.

Of course, I kept rewinding time during that training. The training ground was in the Imperial Capital, and I was pretty familiar with it since I’d used it multiple times. Being on the grounds of the imperial palace, it was naturally much flatter than that mountain. So theoretically, it was much easier to run around.

Theoretically.

That theory didn’t include a Sword Saint wielding a wooden sword.

Dodging the sword once or twice was still doable. After getting hit, at least the trajectory of the sword was similar to what Lucas swung. Of course, the Sword Saint wouldn’t be swinging for real like Lucas would either.

But even if I could dodge a few times, dodging perfectly until I reached my physical limit was impossible. No matter how much I managed my stamina and tried my best to evade, infinitely dodging that wooden sword was a no-go, unless I had skills similar to the Sword Saint.

I tried blocking with my mock gun, but that was all. Whenever I tried to block, the Sword Saint just swung harder, making it more obvious how weak I was.

Still, it wasn’t all bad.

It had been quite a while since Lucas randomly swung at me with a sword. The sensations I had almost forgotten were slowly coming back to me now that Lucas was out of the picture. At least, if Lucas were to seriously come at me…

…Uh, honestly, I still wasn’t confident. I had no idea if I could dodge if Lucas came at me with lethal intent.

But…

“I have to say, you really lack talent.”

The Sword Saint said that while looking at me. But there was no dissatisfaction in his voice.

“But you don’t seem to be planning to give up.”

I couldn’t help but think about how pathetic I must have looked when I fled before; apparently, the Sword Saint was a bit impressed by my appearance.

“I don’t dislike that kind of tenacity.”

That sounded like something out of a boy’s manga.

When I thought about how the original game had been made by a Japanese company, it didn’t seem that strange.

“Alright! That’s enough for today!”

At that, Alice and Leo let out a long sigh of relief. Still, the two of them stood until the end. As for me… well, I thought laying on the floor wasn’t really dignified, so I stayed seated on a chair.

It felt a bit difficult to sit straight, so I bent forward with my elbows resting on my knees.

Worried about me, Alice and Leo rushed over.

“Sylvia, you okay?”

Not really. The thought of having to live like this for at least two more weeks hit me with regret right away.

Looking for Lucas? Do I really need to do that right now?

Can’t I just rewind time and make it all disappear and take a nice long break for the remaining two weeks?

Such thoughts crossed my mind but…

When I raised my head, my gaze met the Sword Saint’s, who’s a bit removed from Alice and Leo.

The Sword Saint was smiling at me. I have no idea what’s so funny. Was it a content smile?

Then, seeing that smile made me feel like maybe I was about to rewind time.

…Yeah.

Regardless, let’s wait until the end of these two weeks to rewind time.

At least, it wouldn’t be too late to rewind time after I took full responsibility for what I was planning to do.

Although from the start, there was no option of ‘being late’ since I had the ability to rewind time.

“It’s fine.”

I replied.

But my gaze was still fixed on the Sword Saint, not on Alice or Leo.

I could see the Sword Saint’s lips moving.

It was a facial expression I had seen several times when I was training in meditation for 300 days.

Judging by how often I saw that expression compared to back then, it seemed my training hadn’t been completely in vain.

*

…So, I was thinking quite leisurely about that.

If I rewind time and erase that conversation where I called someone “big brother” or “big sister,” will that just be gone?

Well, still, it might be better to return the favor with “big sister” to Alice someday. It would probably be around the time when my persona starts to break down, so maybe toward the end of my plans.

I was not thinking of looking for a treasure this time. There may be treasure in the Imperial Capital, but at least that’s not something I need to be looking for while smashing through dungeons.

So… I didn’t think that the “masked figure” presumed to be ‘me’ would suddenly pop out.

“……”

I thought it wouldn’t.

“……You.”

I spoke towards the masked figure in the training grounds.

The area leading outside didn’t have the lights on. Especially in the middle of the training facility, that was even more so. There was really no reason to keep them on.

Unless someone were to sneak in over the roof of the imperial palace, there was no way someone could come here. Even if they entered through the gaping roof of the training grounds, the guards in the corridor would definitely catch them.

…Originally, there should have been guards inside as well, but I had sent them all out because I wanted a better look at the training ground.

That masked figure had somehow made it inside during that time.

“How did you get in here?”

It mustn’t have been a coincidence.

If that was indeed ‘me,’ I would at least remember what I had done. Even if I couldn’t recall every day, the days when something happened were certainly something I’d remember.

Like the day I met the Sword Saint when I first arrived in the Imperial Capital, or…

…Or maybe even this moment.

Honestly, asking how they got in might be a wrong question anyway. That entity was indeed a being that existed deep within those ruins. Normal methods or procedures that we think of wouldn’t apply to them at all.

Moreover, that being could block my powers.

Whether simply coexisting in the same timeframe and causing a collision with my power, or whether they were intentionally blocking it—

And recalling that fact sent chills down my spine.

“…Why now?”

Yeah, why now of all times?

If they could appear at any moment, there would have been much more opportune times. Well, unless they were gunning for my life, then maybe it made sense.

If that’s truly me, then I shouldn’t even think of doing something foolish like approaching me like this, right?

But even after hearing my startled voice, the other party didn’t respond at all.

No, there was a reaction, but it wasn’t really anything that could be considered an answer.

The entity shook their shoulders at the sound of my voice.

It wasn’t out of fear, tension, or anything like that. If they were afraid, they wouldn’t even show up in this situation.

Rather, that movement seemed…

Like someone trying to stifle laughter.

Wrapped in a long robe, their shoulders trembled slightly forward as they suppressed their laughter, confirming that my thoughts were likely correct.

“……”

I tensed up for a moment but then dashed forward.

And just like that, I was able to easily grab the edge of that robe.

The person was still smiling. As I got closer, I could hear the breath of someone holding in their laughter.

“Who are you…?!”

But before I could say anything more, the mask suddenly moved forward.

And as if trying to convey something clearly, they spoke through the mask.

“Sylvia.”

“……”

It didn’t seem like they were going to attack, nor did it seem like they were trying to escape. The somewhat giggly voice was hard to understand clearly, but it didn’t feel like there was any malice in it.

But—

“■■,■■■■■■■.”

That sound didn’t come through clearly.

Like trying to talk to someone a few meters away underwater, it felt blocked from reaching me properly.

“…What?”

At the moment I couldn’t quite hear what they said, the masked figure’s shoulders slumped.

For a brief moment, they looked disappointed about something.

“……”

“……”

For a while, we just stared at each other.

The gleam in the holes of the mask sparkled. I still couldn’t tell what color they were, as the only light illuminating us was the faint moonlight.

Slowly, I let go of one hand.

And I took that hand closer to the mask.

Right before I was about to take off the mask, they showed no resistance whatsoever.

But—

“…Ah.”

At that very moment, that figure vanished.

As if they had never been there from the beginning.

…Did someone take them away?

“…No, more than that.”

As my brief daze faded, my mind snapped back to reality.

Once again, chills ran down my spine.

No way, no way, no way…

“Ah, surely not.”

I muttered to myself, trying to calm myself down.

No way, could my ability be blocked just because I ran into them?

We didn’t even clash or anything, did we?

After catching my breath, I steadied my mind and shouted,

“Alright.”

I steeled myself,

“Again!”

I yelled with fervor.

And then I hit something hard and blacked out.

When I woke up again, I was in the training grounds.

It was probably around the time I had first arrived at the training ground. At least, my location in time didn’t change.

That masked figure was gone, though.

I lay flat on my back in the middle of the training ground, gazing up at the sky and muttering,

“I’m screwed.”

Was that smile from a moment ago about this?

…That bastard, I’m definitely going to kill him, future me or not.

Chapter 141

Alice wasn’t really expecting much.

When Sylvia called him “brother,” it seemed more like she just needed Jayden’s power rather than a sincere attempt to bond. Alice didn’t know how Sylvia acted before using her “abilities,” but she could certainly imagine a few things.

Sylvia never directly talked about her abilities. Alice hadn’t asked her to either. However, considering what Father said back then, it wasn’t impossible to guess what they were about.

What if I could just erase my mistakes? Whenever she thought about it, Alice reached the same conclusion: “Just do what you want, and take whatever you can get!”

But still, she felt a little wronged.

Right?

After all, Alice had spent a significant amount of time with Sylvia, even if it wasn’t the longest. Although it took quite some time, Alice genuinely thought of Sylvia as a sister. The claim of her being an older sister was honestly a bit prideful.

Moreover, hadn’t Sylvia been friendly only toward Alice since childhood? While she kept a cold attitude toward their other siblings, she never hesitated to help Alice.

Sighs “Brother,” huh?

Right. She felt a bit wronged.

Even if it could all become a thing of the past, it still felt unfair. After all, Alice was the one who remembered it all.

Therefore, Sylvia’s reaction this morning was quite surprising to Alice.

“Sylvia?”

Alice hardly ever had to wake Sylvia up in the morning. Usually, Sylvia woke up earlier than her. It wasn’t that Sylvia slept less than others; she just seemed to prefer maintaining a regular lifestyle.

When there were duties to attend to, Claire would wake Sylvia up even earlier.

Alice envied Claire. The difficulty between ‘calling’ someone sister and ‘hearing’ it was like a chasm between the sky and the ground. Calling someone sister was something you could just decide to do, but hearing it required the other person to accept it and use the word themselves.

It meant if Sylvia said she didn’t want to, that was it.

“…”

Anyway.

In that context, if Sylvia was waking up later than Alice, it meant something had happened to her. It meant she had some reason, however trivial, that caused her to stay up late last night, a reason that she couldn’t just undo with her abilities.

Or, maybe she was even preparing to go back to a time before she used the word “brother” and didn’t care about little things like sleeping in.

Whatever the reason, it was about time to wake up. The Master was waiting, and from experience, the Master didn’t like lazy people. Although she wouldn’t be excommunicated or anything, that day’s training could potentially become several times more intense.

Alice raised her hand again and knocked on the door.

“Sylvia?”

There was no response from inside.

“Can I come in?”

Getting no answer despite asking for permission, Alice decided to just open the door and walk in.

What she found inside was Sylvia, who was already fully prepared to leave.

Dressed in her academy uniform, which she wore almost every day since starting at the academy, Sylvia sat in a chair with a blank expression on her face.

Yes, a blank expression.

From Alice’s perspective, who could read Sylvia’s expression, it wasn’t exactly ‘expressionless,’ but it definitely looked vacant.

“Sylvia?”

Only when Alice approached did Sylvia blink out of her daze.

“…Crown Princess.”

Hearing her addressed not as “sister” or even by her name but as “Crown Princess” made Alice’s temper rise again, but she held it in for now. If Sylvia couldn’t even hide her expression, things must be pretty serious.

“What’s wrong?”

“…”

Alice asked in a serious voice, but Sylvia stared blankly at her for a while, then suddenly raised her hand to sweep her face.

“Is it something serious?”

“Um…”

When Alice said that, Sylvia hesitated a lot.

Seeing that, Alice’s heart sank again.

*

I’m unable to go back to the moment when I called you sister.

How could I even say something like that?

Especially to someone asking with such a serious expression.

Considering the image I usually projected, I shouldn’t be this flustered. I was supposed to be cool and beautiful, after all.

Well, I did think about how that image might crumble one day.

But I never entertained the idea that it could happen at this moment.

“…It’s nothing.”

I exhaled deeply and again composed my expression. It appeared that morning had already arrived while I blanked out. I got sleep, but it wasn’t restful. After waking up multiple times during dreams where Jayden popped in saying, “Come on, call me brother again!” I was left with hardly any sleep at all.

“Really?”

Alice had a serious expression, but she didn’t pry further.

She’d always been like that. Even if I didn’t want to say anything, it seemed fine to her to leave it at that.

…Then again, she hadn’t backed off calling me sister.

Now it was too late to take it back.

I managed to suppress the urge to roll on the floor, covering my face again.

Huff.

Well, fine. Since it’s come to this, I’d better cling to whatever scraps of my character I had left.

“That’s right.”

I answered that way and stood up.

“Let’s go see the Master.”

“Ah, sure.”

I stood and confidently walked out the door.

“Um, Sylvia.”

Then, I heard a voice calling me from behind.

Turning my head—

“The way is this way, right?”

Alice pointed to the hallway in the opposite direction I was headed.

“…”

Stiffly, I turned back and walked toward Alice.

Still, she wore a serious expression…

But I could never say I wouldn’t call you sister again.

With the feeling of a girl in the nearby distance, I couldn’t even say that the checkpoint was being updated in real-time, no matter how many times I tried since then.

Alice would never miss that opportunity.

*

“Sister!”

The moment they entered the training ground, that word rang out loud enough to become almost traumatic.

For some reason, Claire was waiting at the training ground.

…Should I give Claire a nickname soon?

If I could come up with something like “Flash” from those light novels for Chuuni people, maybe Claire would be embarrassed enough to stop calling me that?

But at this point, the risk was too high.

With Claire’s cheerful personality, wouldn’t she start calling me a nickname too?

A chill ran down my spine again—a chill I felt several times yesterday.

“Claire.”

Claire dashed toward us with a beaming smile.

“Since the Master is nearby, Mother got permission for me to train here too.”

“Though the condition is that I still have to return home for evening lessons,” Leo added, following Claire.

“Evening lessons?” Alice replied, as if unsure what that meant, and Leo shrugged.

“Well, we’re from the Baron’s estate. If we were a bit higher rank nobility, there would be suitors lining up for Claire even if she wasn’t ladylike, but being from the Baron’s, we have to consider the other side’s conditions unless they’re an equal family.”

Though Claire shot Leo a glare for using honorifics like they were at the academy, she didn’t deny it.

“Well, we’ll all become adults eventually.”

“Tsk, tsk.”

At Claire’s words, the Sword Saint clicked his tongue.

“Isn’t it the case that someone your age shouldn’t even think they’re an adult? When I was your age—”

At the Sword Saint Frederick’s remark, the expressions of the three people chatting grew strange. If I hadn’t been particularly careful with my expression because of what happened yesterday, I would have shown a similar expression for a moment.

Though the Sword Saint tried to dissuade Leo when he mentioned wanting to fight in a war.

“Ahem.”

Sensing the strange atmosphere from the expressions of the three, the Sword Saint coughed slightly and said, “Well, what can we do? Times have changed, and even an old man like me has to keep up.”

Then looking around at us, he said, “Now, let’s start morning training from here. We’ll eat afterward. Understood?”

“Yes!”

A strong voice echoed throughout the training ground.

I subtly glanced at the soldiers standing by the door.

Everyone seemed to be looking at us with envious eyes.

…Well, I guess even just not participating in the training like that was commendable enough.

Chapter 142

The masked woman vanished in front of me that day, but at least she definitely existed somewhere in this world. Since then, every time I tried to turn back time, I couldn’t go back again. Swoosh!

And, it’s probably still the same now.

I could have tried another experiment, but the risk was too high.

If I suddenly collapsed during training—and without even showing the process of falling down, just whoosh—wouldn’t that be suspicious?

As for whether I could turn back time or not, I thought it would be better to try after my training was finished, but—

“Today you look exceptionally tired.”

The Sword Saint had only seen me for a few days, yet it seemed he could definitely tell my condition was different from yesterday. No, being the Sword Saint, it would be weird if he didn’t notice.

Besides, I hadn’t slept well last night due to worry and nightmares. I thought I was wide awake in the morning, but my body wasn’t lying. I was definitely more tired than yesterday.

It was only thanks to yesterday’s time rewinding and getting used to the training ground that I was still holding up.

“Hmm.”

But that didn’t mean I wasn’t trying hard.

I gave it my all in my own way.

And maybe that very appearance pleased the Sword Saint, as he had a look of satisfaction on his face.

However, that expression didn’t last long.

It was during breakfast when we all gathered after the morning training.

The training hall door suddenly burst open. If it wasn’t the training hall but someone’s room, it wouldn’t be weird to curse at the person who walked in without any manners.

And the person behind that open door was Jayden.

…Jayden?

His usual perfect 2:8 parting… wasn’t there.

As if he had run in a hurry, several strands of hair had fallen out of place. With his shoulders heaving up and down, and his face slightly flushed, it looked like he had just rushed over.

When Jayden made eye contact with us, he combed his stray hair back into place with his hand, adjusted his clothes, and walked over our way.

Watching his rough breathing gradually calm down as he approached, I realized he really was the head of the Order of Knights.

“What is it?”

The Sword Saint was as confident in front of the prince. I could easily imagine he would act the same way in front of the Emperor.

“I am Jayden, the head of the Empire’s Gryphon Order.”

“Didn’t I already hear that yesterday?”

“Yes, but considering what I’m about to say now, I thought it would be good to reintroduce myself.”

The Sword Saint openly sighed. And then he shot me a glance.

Well.

I did call him over, but it was the Sword Saint who got all caught up with it. So, it’s not my fault after all.

…Wait a second.

I can’t turn back time right now.

Then what should I do when Lucas appears? Won’t I die if I get hit by his sword?

Could it be that the masked woman laughed at me yesterday while imagining I would get stabbed to death by Lucas?

This time, instead of chills, I felt a cold sweat run down my spine. It was just for a moment, but the icy shiver brushed through my body.

At least it didn’t show on my face. I think Alice noticed, though.

“I understand you have a problem to resolve over there?”

That’s right. Jayden is the head of the Order and has a very uptight personality. He often fought with Lucas.

So, there was no way Jayden would have ignored the Emperor’s order and returned, but—

“I resolved it using air power.”

“……”

With those words, we all became speechless.

“Jayden.”

I called out to Jayden.

But Jayden flinched, looked at me once, then turned his gaze away.

It seemed like he was refusing to answer me.

What’s up with that?

I wanted to sweep my hand through my face in frustration but held back and looked over at Alice. But she seemed to be pouting and turned her gaze away from me.

As if she was saying, “Do as you please.”

… I can guess.

Alice must be furious that I called Jayden “Brother” and came racing all night in a car to find the Sword Saint. Since I hadn’t even told Jayden I was going to see the Sword Saint, it’s clear this attitude has something to do with that ‘brother’ comment.

It’s likely that Jayden isn’t looking me in the eye to show his refusal to respond unless I use that term.

I didn’t grab my head… just clenched my fists tightly to hold back.

That masked woman won’t let me off easy when we meet.

If it’s in the future, she won’t kill me, but I still need to hit her just once. Really.

“……I understand you can’t send any other forces to the battle because of the autonomy request from the Federation.”

“……”

But Jayden stubbornly refused to answer me.

I looked at Alice once more.

It seemed Alice wasn’t planning on helping me either.

Seeing me, Alice, and Jayden, Leo was stiffening up again and Claire, who hadn’t seen the situation at all, was flustered. And the Sword Saint was—

—snickering.

No, if you start the conversation, you should lead it to a conclusion!

“……”

Eventually, I found myself in a predicament and took a deep breath.

Well, whatever.

There’s nowhere else for me to retreat to.

Moreover, now that Leo has found out I referred to Jayden as my ‘brother’ because of the whole situation Alice had come looking for me, and I even called Alice ‘sister’ before him.

Ah.

Thinking that far made me feel oddly at ease.

It’s like my anger surpassed a threshold and turned into peace.

In the end, I accepted that all the blame was on me.

Is this what enlightenment feels like?

…But maybe it’s closer to a moment of wisdom. Anyway.

“……Sister.”

I looked at Alice and said that.

I could hear Claire gasp in surprise.

“Could you ask on behalf of Brother for me? How did you resolve the situation?”

“Ah….”

Alice had a look of surprise rather than a happy expression.

And the same went for Jayden.

“Ah, uh, um… right.”

Alice nodded and looked at Jayden.

“How did you manage to deal with the situation? You couldn’t have brought heavy armored vehicles or air power across the border.”

Seeing Alice ask in a blunt tone, as if it were his fault, a frown appeared on Jayden’s brow.

“Isn’t it a matter of simply ‘not stepping over’?”

And Jayden dropped a bombshell.

“The range of a fighter’s machine gun shouldn’t cross the border.”

“Did I say I used a fighter?”

Watching the serious conversation play out like a silly sibling squabble was quite a talent, if I must say.

“It’s a monitor ship.”

Ah.

Only after hearing that did I finally understand what he was talking about.

I knew they had air power stationed at Winterfield. It was at a crucial stage of preparation for war in the original story.

But it’s hard to produce dozens of those expensive air battleships, so instead, they just equipped supply ships with a single naval cannon each. Not bothering to consider any defense.

Supply ships didn’t house cutting-edge technology like battleships either. They were much smaller compared to battleships. Just attaching a single twin-barrel dreadnought’s main gun to it would be quite a burden.

But that made them cheap. Plus, they had a long range.

…So that’s why they used supply ships instead of a train. They planned to rush shells for transport and execute a surprise attack on the enemy right outside the border overnight.

“And then I flew here this morning riding behind a fighter. The monitor ship is just too slow.”

“……”

With Alice bringing her hand to her forehead, she was doing what I wanted to do.

“What does Father think…?”

“I suppose he wishes to announce to the world that the Empire is the best in the world.”

“……”

Seeing Jayden speak so confidently as if it were too obvious, we couldn’t find words to say.

“……Do you still want to learn swordsmanship from me after witnessing that scene?”

“Of course!”

In response to the Sword Saint’s question, Jayden straightened his shoulders.

“No matter how advanced weapons become, in the end, it’s the infantry that occupies and defends the land! It’s the duty of the Order! Naturally, we must enhance our individual capabilities to the maximum!”

“Ugh…”

Seeing the Sword Saint admire that, I had to suppress a sigh with all my might.

Chapter 143

Even when I could properly use my abilities, I had a certain level of confidence in being able to resolve situations.

No matter what the circumstances were, the fact that I could cancel them out and revert to the most favorable conditions was a tremendous privilege. Honestly, it’s rare to find characters in other games or comics with abilities as good as mine.

The problem is that I can’t use that ability right now.

Thanks to that ability, my image was hanging by a thread, and more than anything, without my powers, I felt utterly helpless in front of the situation.

Was that Masked Girl still somewhere out there, laughing at me?

Thinking about it made my insides boil, but for the moment, she didn’t seem to have the intent to kill me. If her identity is one of the people I guessed, then that’s probably how it’ll be going forward… maybe.

I need to be wary of the fact that she tried to shoot Alice, though.

Thinking about it that way, the current situation could be seen as quite good for me. I have no idea what would happen if Masked Girl charged at me, but at least there were quite a few people who could protect me if Lucas rushed in. Each one might fall a bit short of Lucas’s prowess, but I doubt Lucas could win if they all charged at him at once.

That doesn’t mean this situation was truly without any ‘problems,’ though.

“…So.”

Jayden wore a really rare expression of ‘serious anger,’ which was hard to see on him most of the time.

“You mean to tell me you spent the night with my sister?”

“Uh? No, it’s not like that…!”

“How does it mean that?”

Finally unable to take the situation anymore, I jumped in between Jayden and Leo to speak. Otherwise, Jayden seemed ready to swing his sword.

“Both you and that punk were together in the same place—”

“Lord Sword Saint was also there, though.”

“Right. No matter who you are, you’re not gonna interpret that situation like that.”

Even Sword Saint, who had been spouting tedious lines just a moment ago, now had a look of exasperation as he addressed Jayden.

“But clearly that guy—”

“I would appreciate it if you refrain from emphasizing the term ‘one night.’ Are you deliberately throwing that term around? Oh…”

I swallowed the word “literally” down my throat.

“…Do you wish to tarnish my honor like that?”

“I don’t think we need to break that word up midway through.”

Seeing Jayden say that with a look of disappointment, I ultimately couldn’t help but place my hand on my forehead.

“…I’ll clarify.”

I spoke while trying to maintain the calmest voice possible.

“Leo studies in the same academy, in the same classroom, and is also from the same student council. Plus, I have a friendship with his sister Claire, so naturally, Leo and I are friends too. Even after this year passes, we still have three more years ahead of us to face each other, so I suppose our friendship will deepen.”

“Of course!”

No, stop getting angry over that. This isn’t elementary where kids tease you for holding hands with a girl during a school trip’s folk dance.

“Just because a boy and a girl are together doesn’t mean they’re necessarily in that kind of relationship. Oh… do you want me to be lumped into the rumors just because I talked to another noblewoman at the ball?”

“…”

Jayden had no response.

Ah, right.

This guy probably wasn’t popular with girls.

If Lucas is a character who has many admirers yet shows no interest, then this one is the type who has interest but just isn’t popular. Though described as a handsome man, strangely, he doesn’t attract girls…

I mean, it’s not that strange. He has a setup where he talks endlessly about the fancy sword he made or his exploits on the battlefields every time we converse.

In other words, he’s the type of character who talks about the military in front of girls.

…Wasn’t there also a setup where he never actually danced with any girls at the ball?

“Unless it’s a girls’ school run by an orthodox church, it’s perfectly natural for girls to have light conversations with boys. There’s no need for you to interrupt everything.”

I turned my head to look at Leo. Leo had a slightly touched expression. I mean, it must be shocking for the Baron’s son to get scolded directly by a prince. Given that the Crown Princess stopped him herself, it was worth being grateful.

“Has our conversation progressed beyond the mundane into any sort of romantic feelings?”

“Of course not, obviously not!”

“Even at the Sword Saint’s cabin?”

“That’s right!”

Claire eagerly nodded along with Leo’s words. Jayden looked back at the two of them, then turned his intense gaze back to me.

“Is that so?”

“Indeed.”

You idiot. I would never actually verbalize what I was thinking.

If I was in a situation where I could freely use my regression ability, I would have certainly said something like that.

Well, I guess it’s partly my fault that the situation has turned out like this due to my lack of those abilities.

Jayden slowly lowered the hand he had been resting on the hilt of his sword. Then, he let his hand hang pitifully.

Hmm, not that I feel particularly sorry for him.

“And more than anything…”

Like she was trying to hammer the point home, Alice spoke up, having quietly listened.

“No matter whom Sylvia marries, that’s none of your concern, right? If Sylvia brings a guy she likes, are you going to react the same way?”

“Well, of course—”

As Jayden was about to say that and looked towards me, he suddenly shut his mouth.

I was proud that my expression was one of neutrality.

However, the thing is, that neutrality can be interpreted differently depending on who’s looking at it.

…At least I was glad that Jayden still didn’t know enough about me.

*

And just like that, the already chaotic situation was driven further into chaos. Why do people keep gathering? Even the most important people in the empire are here. It’s like S●sb brothers or something.

“Oh dear, oh dear.”

Naturally, Leo and Claire were flabbergasted by that voice. Even if they didn’t know that thick and deep voice, anyone living in the empire would surely recognize the face of the Emperor.

“I apologize for not coming to see you immediately upon your arrival, Your Highness.”

Seeing him talk like that to a Sword Saint who looked to be almost twenty years older, you have to say the Emperor was being quite emperor-like.

The Emperor’s gaze, which entered the training ground for a brief moment, slightly landed on me. With a smile of amusement on his lips, he seemed to be certain that I must be up to something.

Which, to be fair, I am.

“Oh.”

And even Sword Saint smiled as he saw the Emperor. Not bowing his head even once shows that he too is no pushover. Not caving to authority, as seen in the original work, makes it expected.

And—

BANG!

The Emperor instantly drew his sword from his waist and charged at the Sword Saint.

What kind of explosion sound comes from swords clashing?

The mere swishing of two unsheathed swords created winds around us. While it wasn’t fearfully violent enough to blow things away, it was ample to cause my hair and clothes to flutter.

“……”

Silence.

Both the Emperor and the Sword Saint swung their swords and exchanged glances while laughing. The smiles on their faces made one question if they could truly be called ‘smiles.’ It didn’t seem like they particularly disliked one another.

“You still seem quite vigorous, old man.”

“You’re the one who never leaves your seat, aren’t you?”

……Huh?

Before I could even question that line of dialogue, the two quickly sheathed their swords back into their scabbards.

Then they reached out their hands, grasping tightly and shaking hands.

Wait, what’s happening?

It seems I wasn’t the only one thinking that way. Alice, of course, and Leo, Claire, and even Jayden were wide-eyed in astonishment, staring at the two.

“Well, I certainly didn’t expect to see you like this again.”

The Emperor said with a friendly tone he had likely never used before.

“I didn’t know I’d end up coming to such a troublesome place either.”

The Sword Saint casually replied.

……So they know each other?

Well, I had somewhat anticipated there would be some acquaintance, but I never expected they would have a friendly relationship. I just thought it was one of those cases where a famous person and a president are aware of each other’s existence.

“In that case, you should compliment your daughter. After all, I was tricked by her into coming down here.”

Ugh.

As soon as Sword Saint said that, everyone present in the training ground turned to look at me at once.

Ah, uh….

Well, I mean, I suppose that happened…

I only intended to bring the Sword Saint with me. I just wanted to provoke Lucas a little and have a conversation.

How did it escalate to this point?

Everyone watching me had expressions that screamed, “He’s plotting something magnificent.”

……

If Masked Girl happens to be my future self, or perhaps someone else I’m close to, I wouldn’t mind.

When the time comes, I will definitely make sure to smack her until she cries.

Chapter 144

The game’s setting book was packed with numerous stories, but it wasn’t like a history book or a full biography of any character.

Especially, some of the important background settings were intentionally left out. Naturally, that’s because of spoilers.

But what if they had written a bit about the past of the Emperor and the Sword Saint? In the original, the Sword Saint dies in his cabin, and the Emperor never meets him again, so there were no dialogues between them. In fact, both characters weren’t present throughout the game. The Sword Saint teaches the protagonist an important lesson and then exits, while the Emperor is the final boss.

Particularly, the Sword Saint is a character you might not even meet in the first part unless you complete a hidden quest.

“Good then. I wasn’t in the mood to train today anyway.”

The Sword Saint said that to the Emperor while casting a glance at Jayden. Jayden flinched his shoulders.

He then moved his gaze again, this time looking at me.

“……”

I slightly bowed my head.

It was understandable. After seeing my remarkable talent and trailing after me, it would indeed be disappointing to find a ‘plain, talentless human’ upon reaching the palace. While his gaze might not seem like much at first glance, I figured the Sword Saint could hide his thoughts well.

“It’s been a while, so let’s drink and catch up.”

“Can the old man hold his liquor in the daytime?”

“Isn’t that exactly what you do, sitting around in the palace playing politics? You probably couldn’t even get drunk in front of others, so your liver is probably nice and clean.”

The Sword Saint answered back at the Emperor without losing an ounce of his stance and then turned towards us.

“I’ll continue training tomorrow. Don’t slack off just because I’m not here. That’s how you get lazy.”

“Understood!”

Jayden replied energetically, looking eager to redeem himself from today’s fiasco.

“Oh, right. Jayden.”

The Emperor said suddenly, as if he had just remembered something.

“I want to hear a report. Come see me as soon as you’re ready. We’ll both be there.”

After saying that, the Emperor glanced at me once and then turned away.

“Understood!”

Jayden replied vigorously and then added,

“Well then, Sylvia, see you tomorrow.”

He looked my way when he said that.

Of course, I didn’t reply.

*

Both Alice and Claire seemed to notice that I was acting a bit strange today. Alice had come to my room since morning, and Claire had felt it while training with me. Leo was the same.

All three managed to ask me in their own ways if I was okay, but I simply replied,

“I’m fine. Just… I’d like to rest a bit.”

I couldn’t share the details, so I just gave that answer and headed towards my room.

I was exhausted.

I knew it was all because of what I did. And as I thought earlier, it’s best to stay close to the Sword Saint and the Emperor for my own safety, no matter what happens.

But at this point, it was all just a hassle.

I just… wanted to sleep soundly.

I couldn’t sleep well worrying, plagued by nightmares, and my mind was all tangled up from not being able to meditate properly.

Ignoring the worries around me, I dashed into my room without even changing my clothes and threw myself onto the bed.

Lucas… Ah, right, it would be troublesome to be alone…

That was probably the last thing I thought before drifting off.

But what I should be worrying about wasn’t my body.

*

“Sylvia!”

The voice I heard right after the door burst open was from two people overlapping each other.

As I barely opened my eyes, I saw Claire and Alice looking at me with worried expressions.

“Are you hurt!?”

Claire asked.

“No, there’s no sign that anyone came in. Everything’s just as I saw it last.”

Alice looked around my room and said that, and only then did Claire seem to breathe a sigh of relief.

After blinking my eyes several times, I finally gained focus. At the door stood Leo, facing my direction with his back turned. Seeing him gripping the sword tightly, it looked like he was on guard while Alice and Claire came in.

“What’s going on…?”

“It’s an attack.”

Alice answered even before I could finish my question.

“An attack?”

“Was it Lucas?”

Claire’s words made Alice nod.

“Yeah, that’s right. It was Lucas. He had been in hiding for a while.”

That made my mind snap awake.

I sat straight up.

“Who’s the target?”

The Sword Saint? The Emperor? Judging by the fact that I was doing fine until Alice and Claire showed up, it seemed I wasn’t the target.

“The Inquisition.”

But Alice’s answer completely deviated from my expectations.

Not the Sword Saint, nor the Emperor, but the Inquisition.

Who in the world is there—ah.

“Exactly.”

Seeing the look of understanding dawn on my face, Alice nodded.

“Kiara Verati is still being held there.”

The Cathedral Knight they captured in the Northwood territory.

“What does Lucas want?”

“I don’t know either.”

Alice bit her lip slightly.

“We have to go.”

As I headed straight for the gun I had set aside, Alice grabbed my arm.

“Wait a moment, Sylvia.”

When I turned my head and met Alice’s gaze, she hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Your condition…”

Claire too was watching me closely. All three of them, including Leo over there, had seen how horrible my condition was today.

But…

If Lucas had gone out of his way to find the ‘Papal State’s captive,’ then I had to know exactly what was happening. There might be something much more significant that I didn’t even think to ask about.

Plus, that masked woman who was still hiding around me.

Even though the picture wasn’t entirely clear with a few pieces missing, I could still see some contours forming in my mind as I tried to fit those pieces of the puzzle together.

“We have to go.”

As I emphasized my words once more, Alice looked at me for a moment and then nodded.

“Then we’ll go together.”

As much as I wanted to go alone, those three would never let me leave just like that.

Without the ability to rewind time, I wouldn’t be able to push through them.

“……”

And without that ability, I wouldn’t be able to protect all three of them.

But—

“…Alright. But under no circumstances, overdo it.”

“Who would say that?”

Alice answered with an exasperated tone to my words.

It’s all turned upside down because of me.

I absolutely had to see that situation.

And I also had a bit of faith.

Because inside this Imperial Palace, there were two people who wouldn’t overlook the existence of Lucas.

*

“…Why are you doing this?”

“There are several reasons.”

With the red-haired man in front of her, Kiara Verati backed away as far as she could, her back hitting the wall.

She knew that as a glorious knight of the Papal State, doing things like this was beneath her dignity, but Verati had a much more important mission.

At the very least, she could not die.

“I don’t know where to start,” the man stated, swinging his sword. Blood clung to the blade, and it splattered downwards. The blade was clean just from that. As if he couldn’t bear to see it become dirty.

Looking at the now-clean blade, Verati’s mouth fell slightly open.

“…Jerico’s sword.”

“Oh, you know? You really are a Cathedral Knight.”

Lucas raised the sword as if showing off. It was so sharp that it could cut through anything, yet it also had never seen the light of day.

Though it wasn’t a ‘treasure,’ it was a sword made with lost ancient magic, hence treated as a prized possession.

“…What about Antonio?”

“What do you think happened to him?”

As soon as Verati spoke the name of the sword’s last owner, Lucas shot back.

“At least, he wasn’t skilled enough to be the master of this sword.”

Creep. Verati gritted her teeth.

“When I headed toward the Papal State, I didn’t expect much. I just went there on a whim, thinking I might find a hint about what my future-reading brother was trying to say.”

Lucas shrugged.

“Surprisingly, there were all sorts of hints. It seemed like you all couldn’t even begin to imagine.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Lucas stared silently at the questioning Verati. Looking into his eyes, Verati felt goosebumps wash over her.

I’m going to die.

The man before her had no intention of sparing Verati.

“I was thinking of asking you the same thing, how about it?”

“I….”

Verati opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again.

If the ‘interrogation’ was enough for those cardinals to open their mouths, then the ‘gentlemanly’ manner she’d seen thus far from the Empire would not be part of it.

That means…

“Well, if you’re not willing to talk—”

Just when Lucas took a step toward Verati,

“—Oops.”

Lucas quickly ducked.

A sword whooshed past the spot where Lucas’s head had been just a moment ago, flying straight ahead, scraping the ceiling above Verati’s head.

A few shards of stone plummeted down.

Lucas leaped back to create distance between himself and the presence behind him.

He turned around, and,

“Oh?”

He uttered a word of astonishment.

There stood a woman in a black robe with a smooth, white mask that only had two eye holes.

Chapter 145

The interrogation chamber was quite far from where we were staying. Naturally. No matter how ‘gentlemanly’ we had to treat an important prisoner, they were still the enemy. Who knows, they might try to escape and assassinate key figures within the Imperial Palace.

The facility itself, although it resembled a typical room, was essentially a prison.

At the very top of a towering spire within the Imperial Castle, the interrogation room awaited us.

Of course, there were plenty of guards surrounding it, but—

“This is….”

We had only just arrived near the tower, yet Claire and Alice hesitated, as the surroundings were a disaster.

The so-called elite knights of the imperial castle were strewn about haphazardly. Some appeared to be dead. There were splotches of red blood and charred remains scattered across the desolate dirt floor.

It seemed not just the knights but also soldiers had put up some resistance. Various fragments and half-cut firearms littered the ground, along with grenades that had yet to be used.

Wail! Wail! went the sirens.

New soldiers were coming in to replace the fallen ones. The sound of clattering feet amidst the blaring sirens was erratic, with shouting echoing from every direction.

Although artillery surrounded the tower, they couldn’t fire indiscriminately.

“Crown Princess…!”

A knight charged towards us.

“What’s happening inside?”

“Lord Lucas has revolted!”

I hadn’t even had the chance to comprehend what was going on before I had a question for the knight, who immediately assumed a rigid stance and reported in a stiff voice.

“In the tower?”

“Yes. It seems they aimed for the prisoner from the Papal State. And…”

The knight hesitated slightly, glancing at me and Alice.

“The Emperor and the Sword Saint are inside.”

“…Father went personally….”

“I’m sorry!”

As Alice murmured with a troubled expression, the knight shouted.

“We should have stopped this…!”

“No, we couldn’t have.”

I responded immediately to the knight. There wouldn’t have been time to intervene anyway. By the time they tried to act, it would have happened in the blink of an eye.

And the reason the Emperor went there…. it surely wasn’t just to stop Lucas.

It must be enjoyable, undoubtedly.

I gritted my teeth and loaded my gun.

“Crown Princess, wait a moment…!”

The knight attempted to restrain me with some protest, but I was already running.

Inside the tower, a substantial number of knights were already deployed. The Gryphon Order, directly under the Imperial Family, known as the finest in the Empire.

The spiral staircase winding up through the spacious tower was filled with knights, and although the scenario was set up for Lucas to slaughter them all, I couldn’t help but wonder, Could that really be physically possible?

Moreover…

“Wait, Sylvia.”

Alice grabbed my arm as I set foot on the staircase. It wasn’t just a gentle pull; she held on tightly, as if not intending to let go.

“It’s dangerous.”

Do you know what’s going on? That suspicion crossed my mind before I could appreciate her warning. But.

“You know very well what Lucas is capable of.”

“And you know that I’m the one who has dodged that sword the most, Crown Princess.”

For a brief moment, I saw a hurt expression flicker across Alice’s face, but her grip didn’t loosen.

“…There’s something I need to hear from Lucas.”

“Is it really that important? More than your life?”

Of course, it wasn’t more important than life.

But I had my beliefs.

No matter how strong Lucas was, he couldn’t escape unscathed while facing both the Emperor and the Sword Saint. In the original story, it was already stated that he surpassed the Sword Saint’s skills around this time, but that didn’t mean he was overwhelmingly powerful.

In a duel with the Sword Saint, Lucas got his chest slashed. While it wouldn’t be an immediately fatal wound, it left a scar of significant depth.

And if the Emperor, who was yet to be in his prime, was there, Lucas had no chance.

Furthermore, the Emperor wouldn’t end the fight without ‘keeping him alive’.

If I had to hear what I wanted, this might be my last opportunity.

“It’s absolutely a vital story.”

I spoke firmly, directing my will through my eyes.

About what I really was. How I ended up here like this.

Lucas was the only one who could provide the bare minimum answers to that question. At least among those I could think of right now.

“So, will you let me go?”

“….”

At my words, Alice released my arm. Seeing her hand drop limply made my heart twinge a bit, but I looked directly at her and said.

“There’s absolutely no way I’ll get badly hurt. Crown Princess, please wait here. And Claire, Leo too.”

All three of them had expressions of utter disbelief at my words, but I immediately turned to the knight next to us.

“Could you make sure they don’t follow me?”

“B-but the Crown Princess is—”

“Do I look like I’m going to go die?”

“….”

At my words, the knight turned into a dumbfounded statue. Considering it was a man who had swept away so many troops on the battlefield, he couldn’t just brush off what I said.

“Sylvia!”

“…….”

I could hear someone calling out from behind, but I turned around and stepped up the stairs.

*

However, things didn’t unfold as I had hoped.

The Emperor and the Sword Saint. They were the top beings concerning swords in this world, so it wasn’t surprising that Lucas hadn’t fallen.

But—

“Oh, my little brother finally showed up.”

The moment I entered, the scent of blood hit me. I was surprised I didn’t flinch.

“Cough…!”

“I’ve been starting to miss you. After all, you’re the only one who can perfectly dodge my swordsmanship.”

Crack, echoed the sound.

“Gah!”

A muffled groan escaped from the teeth-gritting man.

Verati was pierced by Lucas’s sword—he seemed winded. It looked like he had been cut in the stomach, but it didn’t appear to be a fatal blow. At least, his insides weren’t spilling out.

As the sword pulled from his thigh, some droplets of blood splattered.

The interrogation room had become complete chaos. The furniture that should have been there was barely recognizable, shattered into bits, and blood was splattered over the walls.

That blood wasn’t just Verati’s.

“I’m very proud that my son has grown this much.”

As the Emperor spoke to Lucas, he chuckled in disbelief. Given the blood streaming from his forehead, it seemed the Emperor had been cut by Lucas as well.

…The Emperor, cut by Lucas.

“What? Honestly, it’s because of the equipment, isn’t it?”

Lucas wore a nonchalant expression.

“…Did you visit the Papal State?”

“Right. You recognized it right away?”

In Lucas’s hand was the sword used by a knight from the Papal State. An ancient relic crafted during a time when humanity relied more on magic than physical laws.

Moreover, he was clad in attire resembling ceremonial robes. It looked as if he had returned from a far-off journey, with a small bag strapped to his side. The strap tightened around his body to avoid hindrance while wielding the sword—almost resembling a streamlined soldier’s gear from this era.

Lucas probably hadn’t suddenly converted. The more likely scenario was that he thought it was useful enough to steal it.

Ceremonial robes mostly looked alike, so it was unclear what specific abilities they had. Vitality? Recovery? Defense? …Whatever they were, they would undoubtedly be of great help.

“Sylvia, that’s not someone you can face.”

The Sword Saint, appearing more wounded than the Emperor, said.

“…….”

Of course, I didn’t heed the Sword Saint’s words. Even if I ran away now, Lucas would chase me down immediately.

It was a misjudgment.

Considering Lucas suddenly burst out like this, I should’ve assumed he was thoroughly prepared.

“Well, under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have thought to rely on equipment like this.”

Lucas said while shaking his sword. After just one flick, all the blood that had stained the blade flew off, leaving it perfectly clean.

“After all, if I’m to face ‘you’, I need to be prepared too. Plus—”

Lucas turned, grinning, toward a corner of the room.

“—I’ve got an interfering presence here as well.”

Following his gaze, I froze.

There, a masked woman with a large wound across her body leaned against the wall, gasping for breath. She was not completely down but struggling to stay upright.

How…?

“Curious?”

Lucas’s voice pulled my attention back to him.

“I won’t tell you.”

And in an instant, Lucas’s face loomed near.

“Gah…!”

The reason I could immediately lift my gun was merely that my body moved as I had practiced countless times.

But luck only lasts so long.

Lucas’s sword swung, slicing my gun in half.

“Ah—”

“…….”

Seeing my gun reduced to mere halves left me dumbfounded, and Lucas’s previously grinning expression fell into an ominous neutrality.

And that expression… was truly terrifying.

“This is what I mean. Those who rely on tricks.”

Lucas said in a sigh-laden voice.

“When that’s countered, you’re left with nothing.”

Like a death sentence.

Chapter 146

But Lucas couldn’t immediately swing his sword at my neck.

SWISH!

A blade of killing intent flew in from both sides, colliding where Lucas had just been standing.

SHING!

If a person had been in between, they might have been shredded to pieces. This was a genuine killing intent, completely different from what I had seen during training with Claire.

TCH…!

Lucas, stepping back, let out a sound as he slightly bent at the waist.

That was—

“That’s right.”

Noticing my gaze, Emperor Arthur III spoke.

“There was indeed a reason to come equipped like that.”

Lucas was injured. That meant he couldn’t unleash his full power yet.

Was it an injury from acquiring that priestly robe and sword?

If he intended to face the Order of Knights all at once, it would make sense. Even if he could take them all down, he couldn’t expect to go unscathed in a single attack.

And among those wounds, some were probably beyond simple healing magic.

“Heh, did you really think that’s all there was to it?”

Lucas laughed, and the masked woman flinched slightly.

“Even if I look like this, I know much more than the emperor here. You aware that rumors about your true identity are already circling in the Papal State?”

“…….”

That might be true.

With the Verati incident… well, Verati would have been caught even without me around.

Slowly, I rose and took my stance.

I couldn’t keep sitting on my rear no matter how much I wanted to.

“Shall we do this?”

Lucas grinned at me.

“Aren’t you curious? Why you have to be like this. Usually, you’d dodge my sword without a second thought.”

“…….”

“At least one question that the Papal State had has been answered.”

It seemed Lucas had come to some sort of truth on his own. Something far more significant than the fact that the blood of the emperor flowed through his veins.

“What on earth are you talking about—”

As I tried to say a few more words, BANG! the door burst open dramatically.

At the same time, Alice, Claire, and Leo rushed in. Knights poured in behind them, filling the room.

“I told you to seal off the room!”

At the emperor’s words, the knights flinched.

“I insisted on coming in.”

Alice stepped out beside me as she said that.

“Do you really think you can help? Honestly?”

The emperor scolded harshly, but Alice only glanced at me.

“Alice.”

“Lucas.”

As Lucas called Alice’s name like a greeting, she responded. It seemed casual at a glance, but her eyes were far from smiling.

“And are the folks from Baron Grace’s estate here too? No matter how many of you there are, you won’t be of any help at all. Instead, you’ll just become a nuisance. You won’t even be able to unleash your killing intent at will.”

“Well, if that’s the case, it’d imply that having a large number of people in battle is always a hassle, doesn’t it?”

The Sword Saint responded, seeing Leo and Claire go pale at Lucas’s words.

“No matter how crazy a guy throwing around blades might be, in the end, he’ll bow down before a majority.”

“Hmph, really?”

Lucas smirked, lifting one corner of his mouth.

“Then let’s give it a shot. I confirmed what I needed to confirm anyway.”

With that, Lucas charged straight at us.

Simultaneously, all the knights in the room rushed at Lucas—

WHOOSH! suddenly, my vision was tinged red.

Several knights who charged ahead of me collapsed. I didn’t have the time to check if they were critically injured.

My hands were already moving. Like a video game where I kept pressing the same button, my hands drew the automatic pistol from beneath my armpit,

BANG! BANG!

Two shots in quick succession.

My aim was spot on.

But I caught a glimpse of Lucas’s gaze moving toward my gun.

Lucas was already moving his body before I pulled the trigger.

A monster.

That was the thought that flared in my mind at that moment. Not the usual slack demeanor of Lucas but a genuinely deadly expression, as if he intended to kill me.

Yet, at the same time, his expression was oddly joyful.

As Lucas dodged my muzzle, he spun to the side, unleashing his killing intent.

Two more knights fell.

TCH…!

With a sound like a boxing punch, the masked woman was pushed back. Some of the ki I couldn’t entirely block grazed her arms, leaving shallow cuts.

CLANG!

Before I could even process that, the sound of swords clashing filled the air. It seemed Emperor Arthur III had swung his sword and had it parried by Lucas.

The tip of the emperor’s blade dug into Lucas’s sword halfway.

“Is that killing intent? Truly impressive, Father…!”

Does this mean that because of the killing intent surrounding the blade, it wasn’t cleaved in two?

“Oh dear…!”

Lucas easily dodged another blade of killing intent swooping in from the side.

“Old man, keep worrying about those around you and you’ll end up dead.”

That guy never shuts up.

With that, Lucas twisted his sword. DING! With a clear sound, the tip of the emperor’s sword split apart, and Lucas slipped his blade through the widening gap.

“Hmph…!”

Reacting quickly, the emperor slashed down hard on the now-swirling killing intent, splitting it in half.

COUGH…!

But that wide killing intent was enough to slice through all those around.

BANG BANG!

Two more shots. But I must have hurriedly turned the gun, as I only grazed Lucas’s shoulder. The priestly robe tore a bit and stained red, but Lucas paid it no mind, maintaining his gaze on me.

Grinding my teeth, I pulled the trigger once more—

PING!

A clear sound rang out.

In that moment, I couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.

Was that the sound of Lucas deflecting the bullet with his sword?

“Impressive. Just seeing that expression of yours made coming here worthwhile!”

Lucas continued swinging his sword with that same grin.

And then, a wave of killing intent came rushing toward me.

I couldn’t dodge.

For a moment, that’s what I thought, when—

“NO!”

…My sister’s golden hair, whom I’d never defeated without cheating, blocked my view.

SPURT! Blood splattered.

Huh…?

The person who had blocked my path collapsed. My slow reaction time, barely at the level of an average person, made it feel like her fall was in slow motion.

“Alice!”

A scream echoed through the air.

The masked woman charged at Lucas, and once more, Lucas swung his sword. Carelessly, just like swatting at dog grass, left and right twice.

Screams filled the air again, and blood sprayed.

My abdomen felt hot.

Looking down, I saw it stained red.

My vision slowly shifted sideways, downward…

But what filled my mind wasn’t my own condition.

Alice.

Alice, who lay on the ground in agony, bleeding.

Alice’s gaze turned toward me. Her expression was painted with despair.

Much worse off than I was.

Alice looked up at me with a pained expression.

I could hear Claire’s scream, Leo’s battle cry.

Probably, in the next moment, the two of them—

In my fading vision, I saw their backs as Lucas swung his sword—

No!

Everyone can’t die because of me—

“Again!”

The words exploded from my mouth like a scream.

*

THUD! A sensation I had experienced so many times before.

My head buzzed as if it had collided hard somewhere, and my breath escaped.

As the tinnitus gradually subsided, the twinkling stars in my vision let in light again, and what met my eyes was the back of a girl with blue hair rushing ahead.

“Again!”

*

THUD!

The sensation was like crashing my body straight into a rock.

Strangely enough, it felt like my head was clearing a little. I hadn’t been able to effectively use that ability every time I met the masked woman.

But was it truly like that?

Had my ability been completely blocked?

Thoughts, thoughts.

Again, the girl running ahead. The two bleeding princesses.

“Again!”

*

THUD!

CRACK!

For a brief moment, I felt the space.

As if I had fallen into the center of a kaleidoscope. Light passing through a prism, splitting into colors like a rainbow, creating a world where everything was indistinct.

But even while observing such a world, I could understand one thing.

I had definitely experienced this world before.

By crashing hard against it.

By breaking through space, I was certain I had turned back time at that moment.

I had rewound to just before my battle with the masked woman.

If that hand grabbing my collar hadn’t held me back, I—

“Again!”

*

THUD!

My whole body resonated.

But I still felt it wasn’t enough.

I think I understand why I couldn’t turn back.

It was clear that something was blocking a path that should have allowed me through. But it wasn’t a barricade so strong that I couldn’t break through it.

Rather, it was unstable enough that I could crash through without much effort.

It hurt a bit when I crashed into it, but if I just weren’t scared—

Right.

If I wasn’t scared, I could definitely break the barrier.

Ha, this is just ridiculous.

Nobody deceived me outright; it was just me whimsically imagining things.

The reason I was able to break the ruins then was because of one simple fact.

Because I didn’t know.

I didn’t know how painful it would be to crash into it.

Like someone charging at a window that showed no indication of being a window, I just crashed through that barrier.

After the first collision, I was the one scared.

Well, I probably wouldn’t come out unscathed. Crashing that hard would take a toll.

But back then, I had gotten a bruise but didn’t die.

That’s true.

Watching the swaying blue ponytail in my line of sight, I thought.

Then there’s only one thing I need to do.

Hit harder.

Go farther.

With all my might.

If I go back, that’s all there is to it.

“Again!”

Chapter 147

Between space and time, light appeared.

Amidst the dizzying rainbow-colored light that was scattered everywhere, a clear blue light was visible.

Before I could properly examine that pale blue light seeping through a crack in the invisible wall, I was already colliding with it.

With a crack, the fragments shattered like a broken mirror, reflecting the situation I was in. That moment I saw with my own eyes.

Alice collapsing while bleeding.

My body, which had bounced back after hitting something, seemed to float in the air as if feeling a recoil.

The sensation I felt as I repeatedly collided and bounced off something, as if there was an obstacle.

My whole body ached as if it would break, and I couldn’t think logically due to the spinning in my head, yet I tried to look directly at the situation in front of me.

No.

It was all my fault. It had happened because I was too complacent and relied too much on my abilities.

Ever since I got seriously involved in the story, I don’t know how much I’ve helped. In fact, would everything have turned out fine even without me? Each of them would face challenges and grow as they overcome them, understanding each other… Wasn’t it like in the game, where everything just went well?

Didn’t my appearance just complicate things and make the situation worse?

…No.

The situation and everything else. Once I appeared in this world, the story had no choice but to change. I don’t even know why I ended up here in the first place. If the Goddess really exists and brought me here, she was definitely a heartless one. At least she could have explained the reason or purpose for my arrival.

But since that doesn’t exist, I’m just living as I please.

Again!

I shouted to keep from losing consciousness. My body, which had bounced back, surged forward again.

Honestly, there was no need to shout like that with my mouth. I could rewind time just by thinking about it.

Thump. My body collided.

But frankly speaking, I don’t have that strong willpower, nor was my perseverance exceptional either. After working hard while rewinding time, I had to rewind it a few more times to relax; I was that type of guy.

Even knowing it would hurt, if I didn’t do this stubbornly and bump into things, I probably would have given up a long time ago.

Crack. I heard a sound like something splitting, and pain shook my entire body.

But, well, whatever.

No matter how much it hurts, it’s better than getting sliced by a sword or shot by a gun.

I’ve experienced that already. Just a little…

So, let’s concentrate.

I rubbed my blurry eyes and shouted once more.

Again!

This time, I could definitely hear it.

Something is breaking.

*

I got lucky.

I barely rewound back to the moment before Alice was struck by the attack, but due to having to push through something, I ended up toppling forward. Thanks to naturally crashing into Alice from behind, neither of us got struck by the attack.

I felt something brushing past the back of my hair. If I had been even a moment slower, if I had hesitated to charge in, I would have needed to rewind time again.

As I fell, I stretched my hands forward.

Bang!

One shot fired. I felt a strong recoil from the gun in my hand, but this time Lucas evaded it. It seemed he noticed the end of my gun and moved sideways to dodge my shot. I could see the bullet embed itself into the wall beyond where Lucas had been standing.

So that’s how it is.

I gritted my teeth and pushed down on Alice’s back to rise again.

“Sylvia!?”

Because Alice had suddenly been knocked down from behind, she couldn’t get up immediately. Well, I partially intended for that to happen.

“Sister?”

Claire looked at me in confusion.

Ah, for some reason, one side of my vision was red.

It felt like something had brushed against my forehead, causing blood to flow there.

I fired my gun again with one hand. This time, it took slightly longer, so Lucas easily dodged my shot compared to before.

The slide of the automatic pistol stopped with the chamber pushed back.

All seven bullets were spent.

Lucas looked at me with a somewhat surprised expression, but that didn’t mean he slowed his movements.

Lucas’s hand moved toward the sword hilt again—

So that’s how it is.

Again.

*

“Kya!?”

Again, from where I had knocked Alice down.

My injuries were increasing. But at least it didn’t hurt as much as before. That was only natural. Getting hit with a blunt object and scratching a sharp place were completely different impacts.

It’s okay. It’s not a serious injury. At least looking at how I could stand again proves that.

The moment I stood up, I dashed toward Lucas.

“Crown Princess!”

I heard Leo’s voice shouting from behind. Since the masked girl was approaching me instead of Lucas, I fired a shot toward her.

It was a warning shot, but at least it seemed to work as the masked girl froze momentarily.

Why? Are you scared you can’t call off your attack like me?

If you’re mad, then just take a hit like I do.

I might achieve my goal of making you cry if I do well.

Rustle.

Ah.

But maybe because I paid too much attention to the masked girl, I didn’t notice Lucas swinging his sword.

“Sylvia!”

Alice’s voice filled with despair echoed.

It’s okay. I’m not dead yet. Even if my vision is oddly low, my thoughts aren’t stopping.

So there’s still an opportunity.

Again.

*

Bang!

From the moment I shot toward the masked girl.

I had already seen the reaction, so it wasn’t something I needed to worry about. I quickly turned the gun toward Lucas.

The gun spat fire, and the .45 caliber round was fired at Lucas. Of course, Lucas dodged my gun again this time.

It’s too close. He would definitely swing his sword at me before I could reload my bullets again.

It’s okay. I just shot to see how you move.

I’ll know where to aim next based on that.

Again.

*

Seven times, nine times, fourteen times, twenty-eight times.

I went back to the old style. Like I used to practice shooting hundreds of rounds with a single shot gun. I fired repeatedly at the moving Lucas.

In the meantime, I learned a few things.

The injuries I received in ‘reality’ would vanish when I rewound time. I was steadily running toward the past.

However, injuries acquired in the ‘transitional’ process wouldn’t be immediately healed. My physical state would revert back to when I entered that incomprehensible space. Any scratches from coming out of it would remain.

Well, still…

At least I’m glad that rewinding time twice doesn’t lead to amassing scars from the transition.

And one more thing.

The more frequently I rewind time, the slower the space heals. Space doesn’t recover the moment I enter. Although the scars aren’t visible in reality, each time I enter that space, the expanded round slowly gets smaller.

So I only have one thing to do.

As short as possible, down to the second.

Break again and again. Hundreds and thousands of times. If I maintain the situation this way, I could continue using my previous abilities.

Well, it’s still the same as hitting with my body.

*

Lucas instinctively sidestepped to his left, meaning to the right from my perspective.

Even so, the physical difference made it hard for me to hit Lucas—

Bang!

“Ugh!?”

Well, that’s right.

All I needed was one success.

A bullet struck Lucas’s right shoulder. The bullet hit the strap of the small bag he was carrying. It wasn’t completely severed, but…

I immediately jumped toward Lucas.

Lucas swung his sword toward me, his eyes widening slightly—

Thud, the sword buried itself in my abdomen.*

The room went silent for a moment.

Blood surged up from my neck, and I coughed out blood.

But still, I managed to cling onto Lucas.

Grabbing his collar, I said,

“Not… satisfied yet?”

Seeing me grinning with blood dripping from my mouth, Lucas’s expression hardened.

“You, how—”

“Exactly. How could it be?”

I whispered to Lucas.

“I won’t tell you.”

And then, I swung the gun I was holding at Lucas’s head. Whack, Lucas’s head spun around.

Well, I knew this wouldn’t be enough to knock him out or kill him.

I just… felt like giving him a hit.

Again.

*

Returning to the moment Lucas was hit by the bullet, I once more rolled to the side and hit the ground. A sword wave then flew from my back. He must have been preparing in advance. Was it the Sword Saint or Claire? It didn’t seem to belong to the Emperor.

“Ugh!?”

Lucas, not understanding the situation, took that sword wave head-on.

In the meantime, I reloaded my next magazine. Luckily, nothing happened while I was lying on the ground reloading.

Lucas glared at me while gritting his teeth.

Why? Is it that unpleasant for me to use a ‘trick’?

Um… Yeah, it’s probably unpleasant. I would’ve thought the same if I were in his place.

But this isn’t the same situation.

After exhausting all the bullets in the chamber, I switched magazines, leaving six bullets in the gun.

Of course, that was more than enough for me. At least, it was enough to take down one enemy.

With my gun aimed at Lucas, I slowly stood up.

Even after receiving a sword wave directly, Lucas was still standing. Any ordinary person would have been rolling on the ground even if their body wasn’t sliced.

This showed that Lucas’s outfit was defensive gear.

“So, that’s how it is…”

Lucas took a deep breath and then said,

“Alright, I’ll admit it. There’s no way for me to win here.”

He said that.

But before anyone in the room could respond, Lucas had already finished taking his stance.

And then he shot forward.

He knocked down all the knights in front of him and charged toward the door. —

*

Damn it.

Thinking back, I hadn’t been bleeding from the spot where the bullet had hit me. Though I’d been hit, it seemed the protection magic had pushed the bullet away.

I tried shooting a few times at the running Lucas, but it was no easy task to catch him as he poured all his energy into fleeing rather than fighting.

However, even if it wasn’t easy for me, there were certainly people in this room who could.

The Sword Saint and the Emperor.

And Claire, Leo, and Alice.

A multitude of knights.

A flurry of sword waves flew toward Lucas. Every individual strike wasn’t that strong, since they had to adjust their strength so as not to hit the surrounding people all at once.

But it was enough to wear Lucas down.

Thud.

Lucas’s bag fell to the ground. As he bent down to pick it up,

“Tch.”

Seeing the incoming sword wave, he gave up.

After glancing briefly at the few bullets flying towards him, Lucas dashed straight for the door.

I wondered how many knights were in the hallway below.

It was a tower without a single window, and it wasn’t an easy place to break through with any bombardment. Unless Lucas went through them all using his body, he wouldn’t be able to escape.

“Ha…”

Listening to the sounds of screams and clashing swords from outside, I knelt on one knee.

My body shook weakly.

Having smashed through everything blocking me with all my strength so many times…

The repeating cycle of injury and recovery was mentally exhausting.

“Sylvia!”

I heard a voice tinged with tears. It seemed to be Alice.

But I couldn’t respond there.

My eyelids felt too heavy.

Ah, even though the battle isn’t completely over yet. I still need to check on the masked girl.

I avoided falling flat on the ground thanks to someone rushing toward me to support me.

Through the fading and darkening vision, I saw the Emperor moving toward the bag Lucas had dropped.

Seeing the Emperor pick it up was the last memory I had.

Chapter 148

I opened my eyes and saw the ceiling of my room.

Of course, where I was lying was my bed. I didn’t even need to get up to know that. It had been my bed for almost 11 years now, a constant in my life, and the blanket I used every day.

Well, the blanket might have changed a bit, but it’s certain that I’ve used this one for quite a while.

Is it… all over?

Was Lucas caught? Did the Emperor find out what Lucas had? Those were the first thoughts that popped into my head.

I didn’t feel like I had actually slept. It was more like I just closed my eyes and opened them again, lying here in my bed.

“Sylvia?”

I heard a voice from beside me.

I turned my head slightly and saw Alice with wide eyes, clearly startled.

“Sylvia!”

Hearing Alice grip my arm and shout made Claire, who was doing something by the table, jump a little.

“Sis?”

Claire had a face that looked just as surprised as Alice’s. There was no sign of Leo, though. Were they all busy with something?

Well, if they caught Lucas, then they’d definitely be busy… I’m not sure what Leo’s been up to.

“What about Lucas…?”

“That’s not important right now.”

No, it is important!

I hadn’t asked Lucas anything yet! We just fought as soon as we met.

After thinking about it again, I realized how foolish I was. The fact that Lucas came back meant that he intended to fight.

As I sat up, Alice looked anxious, rising a bit before sitting back down.

I felt refreshed.

I lifted my arm and checked for any injuries, but I didn’t see anything. I didn’t even need to think about it—being a princess, I must have received top-tier healing. Most of my wounds were just scratches, so treatment wouldn’t have been too difficult. I probably fainted from exhaustion.

After lying on that soft bed for hours, it made sense that I felt good. Especially since I hadn’t been able to sleep well due to nightmares before.

And I felt mentally better too.

“What happened to that masked woman?”

Last I checked, she was still fighting, tangled up with someone else. The wounds were the same, though.

“She disappeared while we were handling the situation.”

Again?

I knew it was a situation where she couldn’t use her powers. If that’s the case, disappearing like that must be a separate issue altogether.

Did she vanish of her own will? Or was she fixed in a specific temporal state, making it unavoidable for her to show up like that?

Whichever it was, it was hard to accept.

“Water, sis.”

While I was talking to Alice, Claire suddenly shoved a cup at me.

It was only after seeing that cup that I realized my lips were dry.

I gratefully took the cup Claire offered, drank, and then asked again.

“What about Lucas?”

At my question, Alice and Claire exchanged glances before answering.

“… He ran away.”

“With that condition—”

I quickly shut my mouth and thought about it.

Actually, it might be possible for Lucas. Considering the clothes he was wearing, he could probably withstand the Emperor’s and the Sword Saint’s attacks and, despite dodging knightly swords, still escape.

He wouldn’t have come out completely unscathed, though.

“And what about the people who were down…?”

“…”

At my words, both Alice and Claire averted their eyes.

I see…

“How much time has passed?”

It wouldn’t be surprising if I had slept for a whole day. That would explain my dry throat.

However, the answer I got back came with a hesitance in their voices.

“Almost two weeks have gone by.”

“… What?”

For a moment, I thought I misheard them.

“Two weeks, sis. While you were out, it’s almost the end of August. School starts tomorrow.”

“…”

I couldn’t hide my blank expression.

“You mean school starts tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

Alice nodded seriously at my question.

“What about the Sword Saint?”

“He’s still at the palace. He has… a strangely cheerful look on his face, which is scary.”

Claire spoke with a hint of hesitation.

“… And Leo?”

“He’s training. He thought it would be too much to leave a man to take care of you.”

Thinking about the comfortable clothes I was wearing, someone must have changed me.

“How did you manage meals while I was down for two weeks?”

“We basically took care of it, along with the caretakers.”

“They fed you little bits of food, chopped up, and water too in that way,” Alice and Claire explained one after the other, as if they were afraid I would panic.

“…”

I lay back down on the bed.

Huff.

Two weeks like this?

With other people taking care of me?

Though they explained it succinctly, a lot must have happened in that time. If Lucas escaped, a bounty would have been put out for him. The gunshots heard from the tower would have spread rumors near the palace. With diplomats and consuls in the Imperial Capital, and agents planted there, it would have been impossible to completely block off the rumors.

Even if the fact that Lucas was the one who caused the incidents is hidden, it’s unlikely to hide the fact that there was an incident. Plus, if Lucas really shook up the Papal State, they might know what’s going on.

I felt like the ironclad status the Empire had maintained was cracking.

How would the Emperor react? I wasn’t expecting any positive responses from my perspective.

“Well, things have been mostly settled. At least there are no issues with the palace’s functions…”

Alice was trying to excuse things, but with so many knights injured, there’s no way it could be the same.

“… That.”

As I remained silent and lost in thought, Alice tentatively spoke up.

“… I’m sorry. I was the one who suggested going inside.”

“No.”

Claire quickly jumped in at Alice’s words.

“It was me who insisted we couldn’t just wait down there.”

I stared at the two of them. Both looked like they wanted to hide somewhere.

“So—”

“No.”

I cut Alice off as she tried to continue.

“The one who didn’t explain why things turned out that way and what you were trying to do is me.”

At my words, both of them fell silent.

They looked as if they had a lot to say, probably leaning towards apologies.

But I didn’t want to accept their apologies. It didn’t mean they were at fault towards me. To begin with, it wasn’t a situation where I should demand an apology.

It was just a tangled situation because of me.

I claimed I would save all the heroines, but I was the one who put them at risk.

“…”

I lay down again and stared blankly at the ceiling. Gazing at the ornate Victorian-style decorations that were far from minimal, I suddenly thought.

Ah, all the remaining vacation was shot to pieces.

*

I almost thought of rewinding the whole vacation period but decided against it.

Just trying to rewind a bit had already hurt my head, and if I tried to go further back, well…

Wouldn’t it just end up like an egg smashed against a rock?

The truth is, what I did in the first place was mind-numbingly stupid. What if I had actually ended up dead?

…

So what would happen then?

It would be better than Alice dying. After all, I was practically a bonus character in this world. More precisely, I was a character whose true identity was unknown.

… Well, since no one died, it should be fine.

“Um.”

Hearing a tiny sound, I looked up to see Charlotte. She didn’t seem to have changed much during the break.

“I’m glad you’re looking healthy.”

“I’m glad to see you’re well too, Princess.”

“It seems like we reset the titles.”

Charlotte sat down with a smirk.

After staring at me for a moment, she shrugged.

She probably heard about the happenings in the Imperial Capital through the news or Velbur’s information channels, but she didn’t ask any more. What happened within the palace was royal business. Conversely, it would have been a faux pas for us to probe.

“Hello, Charlotte.”

“How have you been, Alice? But we’ve already exchanged greetings in the hallway.”

After accepting the greetings from other nobles a bit late, Alice said hello to Charlotte, who smiled back.

“Well, greetings in the classroom feel different, don’t they? There were other people in the hall too.”

Saying this, Alice took a seat behind me.

“This vacation felt so long.”

When Alice complained with a sigh, Charlotte replied, “Indeed.”

It really had been long.

It felt like it had been ages since I’d experienced such a peaceful atmosphere.

Chapter 149

It seems that the ceremonial robe didn’t quite fit your body, huh? Rumble…

The Emperor was lost in thought while holding a bag. Swoosh…

Wearing the ceremonial robe allowed Lucas to escape. Considering he was able to fend off the Emperor’s sword and the Sword Saint’s sword strikes, its performance is indeed overwhelming. Clang!

However, there are limits to the robe. Creak…

If the person wearing it is not insensitive to pain or lacks the ability to get out of a situation, they will ultimately be incapacitated by continuous attacks. Looking at how Sylvia grimaced in pain from a single bullet, it might not be something to worry about too much for the Imperial Army, after all. Pop!

Not everyone who wears that robe can be like Lucas. Sigh…

“Your skills seem not to match Lucas’s.” Pfft…

“…I’m sorry.” Whimper…

Jayden responded, bowing his head. Thud…

“Well, what can be done? It was impossible from the start.” Sigh…

“……” Silence…

Though the Emperor meant it kindly, it didn’t seem to resonate that way with Jayden. Hmm…

The Empire’s strongest knight. He must be proud of that name. Shine!

Come to think of it, it seems they’ve never truly fought for their lives. At least, he thought there was some camaraderie among the kids. Ding!

“Verati isn’t dead, right?” Stomp!

“That’s correct. Currently, she is recovering. Her life is not in danger, but when she will wake up is uncertain…” Tick…

“Just like Sylvia.” Sigh…

Jayden’s face frowned. He probably thinks it’s because of Lucas. Thump…

That statement was half-correct. Nod…

But the other half… Gulp…

“Understood. For now, return to your mission.” Salute!

“Yes, sir.” Snap…

Jayden was injured, but it didn’t seem too serious. After all, Lucas was using all his strength to escape. If it had been a proper duel, Jayden wouldn’t have emerged unscathed either. Slice!

Jayden assumed an army stance and then turned to leave the reality. Whoosh…

Alice had been sticking by Sylvia’s side ever since. Even though she was told that the wounds were not life-threatening, she still seemed unable to feel relieved. While the nurse was in the room, Alice wanted to help Sylvia herself. Tap…

I wonder how they became so close. Hmm…

…Probably because of Sylvia. From the moment she arrived, Sylvia had been considerate of Alice. Aww…

“Hmm.” Sigh…

The Emperor opened the bag he was holding. Rustle…

Inside was the Zibow. Dun dun…

It wasn’t entirely unexpected. After causing such a ruckus in the Papal State, there’s no way he came out empty-handed. Clatter!

However, he hadn’t expected the Zibow to have such effects. Bam!

“I’ve never met people of that kind until now.” Whisper…

Responding to his own question, the Emperor muttered. Murmur…

“Wait, can I even call this an ‘human’?” Question?

Most countries around the world, especially those with myths related to the Goddess Church, know that Zibow is something very important. Just judging by the amount of magical power it holds, it’s clearly a key to be used for something ‘important’ somewhere, but very few people knew exactly what it could do. Glimmer…

Indeed. It was rare. Glint…

The Emperor was one of those ‘rare individuals’. Shimmer…

There is a legend that can only be passed down to those who inherit the imperial throne—from Emperor to Emperor. One entangled with the Fangriffon and the Goddess. Chime!

Nevertheless, according to that tale, the Zibow could not be utilized unless all pieces were gathered. Swoosh…

It would be good to get them all at some point, but there was no need for the gathering to be the Empire. After all, the place where the Zibow has to be used is the Holy Land. In the end, a war with the Papal State was inevitable. Crash!

Even if the Empire secured just a piece of the Zibow, in the end, they could push through by force and seize it. Bam!

The cogs that move the world. Clunk!

The incomplete device of the Fangriffon that sought to usurp the Goddess’s power. Vroom!

That broken cog was precisely the Zibow. Boom!

“I never thought that a single one could possess such power.” Gasp!

A piece that makes up an important device. Common sense dictates that a single piece holds no value. Even if it did, it wouldn’t be able to activate the device. Click!

But— Glimpse…

Does that mean that even if it’s a fragment, it holds the essence of the Goddess’s power? Wide eyes…

It wasn’t about the woman wearing the mask being important. It was the Zibow she possessed that suppressed Sylvia’s power. Zap!

The Zibow blocked the power of that masked woman. If you think about it that way, it makes sense. Thought bubble…

Of course, there are still questions. If Sylvia is the Goddess or her avatar, why would she aid the Fangriffon, who is practically an enemy? Why is she trying to elevate Alice instead of herself to the Emperor? Gaze…

Perhaps she might be pondering the same thing as I. The Emperor thought so. Hmm…

If the Emperor waits for the moment when he gathers the Zibow to snatch it away at the end… Tick tock…

Even so, he would still need the Zibow. Clatter!

Sylvia was able to use her abilities despite having the Zibow. The backlash afterward was tremendous, but— Rumble…

And if that masked woman’s Zibow isn’t near, there will be no restrictions on her powers when she wakes up again. Swoosh…

For the sake of countering any similar beings that might exist, he absolutely needed to gather the Zibow. Nod…

“This could come in handy.” Grin…

The Emperor looked down at the bag once more and smiled. Shine!

*

Another failure. Thud!

Dragging her creaky body, she thought. Creak…

Click, click. The sound of machinery moving echoed every time she moved a finger. In fact, the sound didn’t only come from finger movements. Clunk…

Even when walking, when moving her eyes to see something, and even when thinking, the sound continued to resound in her head. Tap tap…

She wanted to stop the noise, but couldn’t. It was the only proof of her existence that the sound of movement brought. Thump…

There was definitely blood flowing in her body, and she had bones and flesh, but— Whirl…

No matter where she looked, everything seemed the same. It felt as if her body were floating in the middle of a kaleidoscope. It was as if she had become something infinitely small. Zoom…

Every time she saw Sylvia, she heard that clicking sound from her chest. The feelings that arose were fondness. Longing. Joy and sorrow. Ding ding…

Yet, in this body, she couldn’t even produce a proper voice. She couldn’t even laugh. Whimper…

Alice—am I Alice? Whir…

She had memories. If she had memories, then it makes sense she’d feel that way every time she saw Sylvia. Swoosh…

Sylvia wore a sad expression. Sylvia was shooting ‘Alice’ herself. But that shot went off course—and— Wham!

Then Alice’s wings— Flap flap…

Endlessly, endlessly regretting and lamenting. Sigh…

No, could it be said that she ‘regretted’? Could I really have regretted anything? That would certainly be the wrong expression. Alice didn’t exist back then. To be precise, it’s something that hasn’t happened yet. Tick tock…

Click, click. The more her head became complex, the louder the sound of something moving grew. Her head trembled and shook. Brrr…

Perhaps the flesh and blood that wrap her body are merely decorations. Blink…

If only the devices in her head prove her existence. Flicker…

Who made this body and placed these memories into her? Think…

Why did they drop her in such a place and teach her nothing? What could they possibly be thinking when creating this chess piece, and making her into— Ponder…

—Still, at least, she could do one thing. Nod…

To communicate the facts she knows, she might still be able to do that. Tap…

*

In the student council room she hadn’t visited in a while, she encountered someone a little uncomfortable. Uh-oh…

No, could it be explained as just ‘a little’? In some sense, they were practically enemies. Growl…

Especially from their perspective even more so. Grr…

“Lady Mia Crowfield.” Ahem!

As I spoke first, Crowfield lifted her head to look at me. Shadows were cast heavily under her eyes. Shdaow…

“What happened during the break?” Curious…

Charlotte, who entered together, observed that Mia Crowfield was in a rather bad state before she asked her greeting. Nudge…

From the dried-out pupils, it showed she must have cried a lot. Drip…

That was understandable. She had just heard that her beloved family… was such people to her face. It couldn’t be helped. Back then, Mia Crowfield had cried out on the floor. Bawl…

She probably doesn’t even know who to blame. It’s easy to blame in one direction, but if there are multiple reasons layered on top of each other… Sigh…

Still, I thought there is hope. Shimmer…

She hadn’t quit the academy, nor was she just holed up in a dorm. Although she couldn’t make it to the opening ceremony today, she was here in the student council room. Tock!

The will to converse must be there, right? Nod…

“……” Silence…

I thought I needed to say something, but as I tried to speak, I didn’t know what to say. Umm…

Words containing ‘hello’ didn’t sit right in English. Mia Crowfield was definitely not in a ‘hello’ state. Shudder…

Likewise, ‘peace’ wasn’t suitable either. Clash!

Alice glanced at me with a sidelong glance, and it seemed Charlotte, Claire, and Leo had noticed that this was somewhat related to me too. All four of them were keeping a little distance from Mia Crowfield. Eek…

“In the future….” Calm…

I organized my thoughts and slowly opened my mouth. Breathe…

“Shall we do our best to get along?” Smile…

And the words I could think of were not very cool. Awkward…

I waited with a little anxious heart, unsure how Mia Crowfield would respond, and she nodded her head ever so gently. Nod…

With that, I could at least breathe a small sigh of relief. Phew!

Chapter 150

A week has passed since the start of the second semester. Phew!

Fortunately, nothing out of the ordinary happened. The masked girl disappeared again, my abilities returned to normal, and I didn’t face any major issues during classes. I studied, understanding things while rewinding time as usual… The subjects were full of useful knowledge for living in this world, so I had no problem getting through them.

“So, rewinding time is something even the Goddess can’t do. This world is thoroughly physical. Sure, there are things like magic and whatnot, but in the end, the results they yield can’t go beyond the laws of physics,” said Ada, our physics and mechanics teacher. Yawn!

I listened to her explanation with half-hearted interest. Well, I would have thought the same. Even if the physics of this world wasn’t as advanced as what I lived in during the 21st century, and even if the talk about time changing leading to parallel worlds was nonsense, it was only natural to think that way generally.

No one in this world or any other could turn back time. Not a single person. Just like science evolved from geocentrism to heliocentrism, if I couldn’t scientifically prove my abilities, I wouldn’t have a way to explain them to others.

So I didn’t feel the need to comment on her words.

But there was one person who didn’t think so.

“Uh, teacher?”

Johannes.

He wasn’t a significant character in the original story, and it was the same in this world from what I could tell. He never interacted with me in the first place. He was just someone I remembered because he was in the same class and I memorized the names of the named NPCs from the original work.

But I still remembered his basic setting. He was a devout follower of the Goddess.

“I believe it’s hard to accept that a divine being can’t do something,” he said.

“Oh really?”

But Ada didn’t seem particularly interested in his question.

Had she been working here for a decade or something? Starting in her early twenties, getting married, and becoming the ‘Strange Baroness,’ while still continuing her teaching career, she must have received countless questions like that.

“Yes, that’s correct. For example, in the holy texts of the Goddess—”

“Does it give examples of being able to turn back time? Like winding a clock?”

Ada cut him off with a bored expression, silencing the student, and shrugged her shoulders.

“Let me ask you something. Do you think winding a clock is the same as turning back time?”

“Uh… no, not really…”

“I think so too. Even if we say the world is like a clock moving in a set direction, if the Goddess rewinds it, time itself still flows. The hands just move backward. From the Goddess’s perspective, time continues to flow in one direction. She’s just reverting the situation, but you can’t say she’s literally turned back the timeline.”

“Uh…”

Johannes looked around, then spoke up.

“But if that’s the case, isn’t it just the same as turning back time?”

“From our standpoint, yes. But not from the Goddess’s perspective, right? The position of the stars, the location of the fallen sand, the flow of the water would all return to their original states. Nevertheless, absolute time itself can’t stop flowing. The Goddess who rewinds the clock can feel time flowing outside the clock.”

Johannes tilted his head.

Honestly, I found myself slightly agreeing with him.

*

I’m slowly engaging in conversation with Mia Crowfield.

We weren’t really the best at talking before, but leaving it as it was felt a bit off.

And I genuinely liked almost all the heroines from the original work, including Mia Crowfield. Mia’s parents were the kind of people no one could possibly like, but she was a character who never forgot what she suffered and tried to overcome it.

I also liked Claire, Alice, Charlotte, and Roti. This included even the commoner heroine, whom I hadn’t had a proper encounter with yet.

There was only one heroine I… didn’t really like.

“My name is Sophia Bianchi. From this month, I’ll be studying with all of you. Nice to meet you.”

The girl with purple hair, purple eyes, and a gentle gaze bent at the waist, greeting the students. Ding dong!

She exuded an air of elegance that was different from Alice or Charlotte, imbued with humility rather than confidence.

Simply put, rather than a royal or an empire, it felt closer to the elegance of a clergy member.

Yes, the girl greeting us over there was none other than the heroine from the Papal State.

Originally, she was supposed to appear from next year.

I had to desperately hide my shocked expression. If Alice saw my face now, she would probably react in one of two ways: either look extremely serious or burst into laughter. Maybe both at the same time!

“Sophia comes from the Kingdom of Velbur. She received approval from the Empire to study with all of you here.”

Carolyn, the homeroom teacher who was with Sophia Bianchi, introduced her that way.

That’s a lie.

Sophia Bianchi is from the Papal State. However, in the eyes of the Papal State, only clergymen are officially considered ‘citizens’.

Of course, most of them are orphans brought from other countries.

Among those orphans, the ones with exceptional abilities or deep faith mostly become clergy, and even if they don’t, they at least live as nominal capital residents. In reality, they are no different from praying citizens.

Sophia Bianchi had shown great potential since childhood and could become a member of the clergy—and she enjoyed her position as one.

She found it so delightful that she kept her spot there.

So…

Sophia’s purple eyes turned towards me. When our gazes met, those crescent-shaped eyes curved. An innocent gaze that puts others at ease. Ding!

So, that character is like that.

A character aimed at middle school syndrome. Covered in blood after a battle, yet laughing away.

It reminded me of an embarrassing phase I had with friends when I was in middle school.

…I really dislike her.

*

Even if she genuinely had that power, it wouldn’t be middle school syndrome anymore. Honestly, in my situation, viewing this as a game was not something I could relate to much. After all, she’s not even a character that exists in reality.

Moreover, this character, at the beginning, was initially portrayed as extraordinarily powerful and was supported heavily in the storyline.

In the first part, there was an event where characters introduced had lost to her at least once in battle. And even the way they lost wasn’t due to hard-fought effort but rather an “Oh, did I mismanage my power?” type of situation, which made it even more infuriating!

Though it’s said that the stats don’t carry over between parts, it felt a bit questionable, to say the least.

Eventually, she does come around to some degree and joins the party, but that bad first impression lingered, leading me to dislike her. To put it frankly, I felt more inclined to declare my hatred.

But…

“Silvia.”

With her constantly trying to act friendly, it was incredibly uncomfortable.

If only she had come out as antagonistic like in the games, I could’ve clearly shown my dislike, but—

“Let’s have lunch together.”

“Do you have plans after class?”

“Oh, are you heading to a café? Can I go along too?”

With such assertiveness, I found myself without a way to respond. At least with Mia Crowfield, she openly expressed her discomfort and dislike towards me, so I could behave rudely back, but this girl was different.

“Sophia.”

The only silver lining was that I wasn’t the only one feeling uncomfortable about this.

Alice, noticing Sophia, who had by then joined us at the café, commented, “Uh… Was she from Velbur, right?”

“Yes, she’s from Lutetia.”

“Really?”

Hearing that, Charlotte quietly gazed at Sophia Bianchi.

“But I’ve never seen you before.”

A student from another country, even having received approval from the Empire, had transferred in—a noble class to boot. If so, she should have been someone of note, yet Charlotte hadn’t seen her even once…

“I’m a bit awkward in social circles. Also, my family’s only of a knight rank, so I rarely had a chance to meet a princess in person.”

If she said that, it left no room for Charlotte to doubt.

“…Alright?”

Even while tilting her head, Charlotte let it go for now.

“Lady Bianchi.”

“Please just call me Sophia.”

I ignored her response and shot my question straight.

At the sound of my words, Sophia Bianchi’s eyes curved like a crescent moon again.

“No, not at all.”

…What a straight-faced answer. BAM!

Chapter 151

“Then why do we have to call each other by name?”

When I asked that, the already awkward atmosphere suddenly froze.

“Ah, um….”

Sophia Bianchi’s eyes darted around before they returned to me.

“Don’t you like it?”

Of course, that was an act. It was like that in the game too. Very few people noticed her true personality until it was fully revealed, so her acting skills must have been really good.

Maybe a little bit of sincerity was mixed in. Seeing her follow me around, she must want something from me, and if that doesn’t materialize, it could be troubling for her.

“Lady Crowfield.”

Instead of responding to her, I called Mia Crowfield, who was sitting at the café table with me.

She flinched slightly and looked at me cautiously.

“Have I ever called you by your name?”

“N-no?”

Mia shook her head vigorously in response to my question.

I redirected my gaze back to Sophia.

“It’s been a whole semester since I met Lady Crowfield. Yet, I still haven’t called her by name. This isn’t about liking or disliking; it’s about how close we are to each other.”

Actually, everyone in this group, except me, called Mia by her name. Even Alice, who stubbornly refused to change how she addressed Mia, despite what happened during the last break.

Having finished my explanation, I picked up my spoon again and started eating the parfait. To be honest, the weather had gotten quite chilly for this, and considering most people at this table ordered warm coffee, I must be the weird one.

But what can I say? It’s delicious.

“Is that so…?”

When I bluntly stated that, Sophia Bianchi went pale. She looked more ‘lost’ than disappointed or upset.

Maybe there’s a bit of sincerity in that after all.

*

“Sylvia.”

It was an uncomfortably strange situation, but I didn’t stop eating my parfait. Having thoroughly scraped the cup down to the bottom with my spoon, I parted ways with my friends and returned to my room.

And before I could even gather my thoughts, Alice showed up.

“Do you know anything about Sophia?”

Alice asked, looking serious.

“Sophia Bianchi is a spy sent from the Papal State.”

“A spy?”

“To be more precise, she’s affiliated with the Order of Knights.”

At my words, Alice’s expression momentarily went blank.

She was fidgeting with her lips, then sighed dramatically while running her hand down her face.

“Well, okay. I won’t ask how you found that out.”

That was quite generous of her. This was information hard to find even if you went back in time, so I wouldn’t have had any way to explain how I knew unless I admitted I had information from another world.

It’s much more comfortable when they figure it out for themselves rather than me having to forcefully hide things.

Alice sat down in a chair across from me, meant for guests in the room.

“I have some questions, and can you answer them?”

“I can answer a lot about Sophia Bianchi.”

“Good.”

Alice nodded and continued.

“She said she’s from Velbur and is the daughter of a knightly family in Lutetia. How can someone from there be affiliated with the Papal State? Isn’t it a serious crime to misrepresent your identity, especially if you’re claiming a title of nobility? And entering the academy with royal approval? That doesn’t make sense!”

“The Papal State and Velbur have a cooperative relationship. Although the Papal State claims independence from Velbur, there’s not a lot of friction between them. The territory the Papal State governs is just a small fief, and people can freely enter and exit from there. Since there are many Goddess-worshippers in Velbur, the atmosphere between the two countries isn’t hostile.”

“So, you’re saying that Velbur helped create a fake identity for her?”

Alice asked seriously.

“More than a fake identity, it might be another real identity.”

The fact that she’s the daughter of a knightly family could be fabricated. The family itself does exist. It was the same in the original story, so it probably remains true here too. Therefore, her title is real, and ‘daughter’ is legally accurate. It doesn’t mean she’s a biological daughter, but…

A legally recognized daughter’s status could be created as long as their mutual interests aligned, right?

“So, are the two countries allied?”

“It probably isn’t a formal alliance.”

Considering the mess I made last year, I tried to make it seem like there was conflict on the surface. Meanwhile, I had plans to cooperate behind the scenes. They probably wouldn’t completely sever ties just because I stirred things up.

But it must have become more secretive. To make it seem like there’s ‘really’ nothing going on.

“But… that’s just weird.”

Alice tilted her head and said.

“Even if they didn’t anticipate you knowing Sophia’s identity, why would these two countries, which have to operate so secretly, suddenly act this way?”

“Desperation.”

My answer was simple.

Yes, they must have been rushing. After all, the Papal State had faced several unexpected incidents.

Starting with Verati, who still hadn’t regained her consciousness, and ending with the Emperor’s child, who suddenly emerged from the Papal State causing chaos and running away with something important.

The Papal State might suspect the Empire itself. They could think that Lucas’s actions were all part of a grand scheme by the Empire.

Even if that’s not the case, given the circumstances, they couldn’t remain still. For Velbur and the Papal State, time would have seemed awfully tight. War is something that takes years or even decades of meticulous preparation to even start. But in this world, no nation is prepared to go to war with the Empire. From the perspective of these newly industrializing countries, it truly was an urgent situation.

“So, you thought they might try to build friendship with us? That becoming close with the princesses could prevent a war?”

“……”

Well, honestly, I’m not sure about that.

In the original story, characters appeared during the second installment, when the war intensified. They weren’t even characters I encountered in the academy.

“I still don’t have any clear idea about their objective. Maybe… they want to discuss something with me.”

“With you? What the—ah.”

Huh?

Before I could teach her anything, Alice suddenly seemed to understand something on her own and her face darkened.

“Do you have any insight?”

When I asked that,

“Uh? Ah, um… I do, but…”

But Alice couldn’t respond properly.

“If you have an idea, it would be great if you could share it with me—”

“Ah, no!”

Alice hurriedly shook her head.

Then she stood up and said,

“Thanks to you, I cleared up a lot of questions. I’ll also keep a watch on Sophia to a certain extent.”

“Okay…”

As I blankly looked up at the rising Alice, she just left the room, saying, “See you tomorrow!”

…… Wait, what?

*

Sylvia has a special ability. Maybe a power to turn back time.

As the teacher said, time is something even the Goddess cannot turn back—but—

If it’s like the explanation I heard back then, simply repositioning the world’s state like rearranging the location of objects, then that is indeed a power of the divine.

I’m not sure if she is aware of that or not. At least from the look on Sylvia’s face, she didn’t seem to think that ‘it might be the power of a Goddess.’

The first anomaly regarding Sylvia’s ability occurred when she went to the place where ‘Ji-bo’ was.

That was the moment I encountered that entity wielding mysterious power. After that entity disappeared, it seemed like Sylvia’s ability returned to normal. Since then, she hasn’t been flustered by anything.

And again, at the Imperial Palace…

Ability, Goddess, Ji-bo, Papal State.

Thinking about these four keywords—

“Could it be?”

Alice’s face turned pale.

Could it be that the Papal State…

…….

No, no.

I shook my head vigorously to clear the distracting thoughts. There were still remnants lodged deep in my mind, but I managed to calm down somewhat.

Truly, for it to be the power of a Goddess, the ability itself is far too limited. Above all, Sylvia can’t heal or protect others like the priests of the Papal State.

But even so, I somehow understand their reason for coming.

“So that’s it.”

Lying on my bed and staring at the ceiling, Alice muttered.

…… I needed to make the story a bit clearer.

It could be by listening to Sophia herself or hearing the story from the ones backing her.

Chapter 152

It had been a while since I could practice at the academy training ground.

Most of the noble knights of the royal family primarily used swords. While firearms weren’t entirely dismissed, they were generally seen as secondary tools.

Of course, there were also gendarmeries armed with firearms within the palace. By their standards, swords were secondary tools, while firearms were the main weapons. Although there were training grounds for these people…

Honestly, it felt a little off to go train there alone.

It wasn’t that there weren’t any women, but the majority of the roles were held by men. Moreover, all the knights and gendarmes inside the palace worked under the royal family, and it was clear that my presence would put a halt to the training. Talk about a nuisance!

When I practiced with a gun as a child, it was because I learned by shooting at flying birds or just firing at random things indoors. Even as a kid, they probably wouldn’t have taken my training seriously, even if I went there.

So, a training ground where I could hog it all to myself and practice shooting bullets as I pleased was a very appreciated space for me.

Hoo…

As I stepped out of the training grounds and exhaled while checking my gun, I heard clap clap clap from behind me.

I turned around, thinking it was the esteemed Sophia Bianchi, but it was actually Rena standing there.

After confirming who was clapping, I felt a little embarrassed.

Just a moment ago, I had been circling the training grounds, and without a doubt, I had realized something by meeting the masked woman twice. If I relied solely on my abilities, I’d become completely useless once they vanished.

Just as the Sword Saint had said, I was not talented in that regard. I’ve shot so many bullets till now, so honestly, I could hit something when I aimed, but that was it.

That said, I wasn’t going to vow to seal my powers or to never rely on them here. But at the very least, I should be of some use compared to the trash rolling on the streets when my powers disappeared. I was the type to curse useless characters in games and comics. I didn’t want to become that kind of existence.

To avoid that, all I had to do was practice a little more, so I could be of some help in situations like that.

“Excellent!”

“Is that so?”

I was straining hard to avoid showing a shy face at Rena’s words. If I had been turning back time while rotating, I might have been indifferent, considering it was a result I had orchestrated.

But to receive compliments like this without turning back time at all… it at least meant my skills weren’t seen as lacking in Rena’s eyes.

…Though it was probably because I had already turned back time several hundred times at this training ground.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t go with you yesterday.”

“It’s all right. I had a lot of equipment to check, so it couldn’t be helped.”

It felt a bit strange having this conversation just the two of us. Was it because both of us were using extreme honorifics?

Rena said her equipment only arrived yesterday. Because Jayden monitored and bombarded the enemy, the autonomous region got tense, causing the Empire to respond by deploying troops closer to the warlord areas, resulting in a rapidly freezing atmosphere nearby.

What’s more, Rena’s weapons were transported to the Imperial Capital, made by the noble bloodlines gathered at the academy. With the complicated procedures, they had been stuck at the border for a while, and it was only yesterday that she started checking them one by one, so she couldn’t come to the cafe with us.

She didn’t seem to care all that much, but… honestly, if the Empire swept the border area like that, anyone would be terrified, no matter how much they had asked first.

It was no ordinary weapon; it was a naval cannon. Even if they had one for each ship, the size of it was similar to the Dreadnought over Rodalium. Considering the number of ships, it could practically lead to results as if the actual Dreadnought had come and bombarded the area.

After causing such an incident and having the autonomous region move its troops, it was a bit ridiculous for the imperial army to respond.

“Did you come to train?”

“Yes. Since I received my weapons after a long time, I thought to check them as well.”

I nodded and stepped out from my place.

*

Rena’s skills were still outstanding.

Given her personality, there was no way she had slacked off during the break. Rather, I could say her movements had become even more refined than before.

Hmm, in some ways, I could see similarities in our movements.

Previously, she would shoot with two handguns; now she was carrying a submachine gun on her back.

“Excellent!”

As I clapped my hands, just as Rena had after completing a lap around the training ground, I noticed a rosy blush spread across Rena’s face. It wasn’t just because she had been running.

“I referenced the movements of Lady Sylvia.”

Those words almost made my face turn red as well.

Thank goodness it was dark at night.

She had merely mimicked my movements; I had never been in a special forces unit. I had just pulled out every little knowledge of a pretender’s secret skills I had and moved as if saying, ‘This should be right.’

But still, it seemed to appear somewhat practical to those around me, so I was relieved.

“Is that so…?”

“Yeah!”

As I responded to Rena, pondering what to say next, I heard a voice shouting from behind.

“The Crown Princess was incredibly cool!”

…

When I turned around, this time, it was truly Sophia Bianchi.

“I couldn’t even think of such movements!”

Well, that was to be expected; she was a swordswoman.

Thinking about it, it seemed that the Chronicles of Aetherna had too many swordsmen. Wasn’t it a game set in an industrial revolution background? No, using swordsmanship in an era where trenches were dug and machine guns were mowing people down… Of course, those who wielded swords here were only monsters who could survive against those wielding guns.

Still, they all would die if they got shot, too.

“While there are many professions handling firearms in Velbur, I’ve never seen anyone move like you two.”

“…”

Rena’s face seemed a bit dazed as she listened to this.

She definitely knew about Sophia Bianchi. They were in the same class and hung around me a bit. Since Rena was one of our group, it was natural she had opportunities to talk.

It seemed Sophia Bianchi was making her move to conquer at least around me if I wasn’t able to do anything.

“Is this training ground made just for you two?”

As Sophia Bianchi asked that, Rena shook her head.

“No, it’s open for other students as well, but…”

…They probably wouldn’t have thought to use it with me here.

After all, most students dealing with guns were commoners.

“Is that so?”

Sophia Bianchi tilted her head and then shrugged.

“How did you come all the way here at this hour?”

“Oh, I just came for a little stroll when I heard sounds and came to check. If there’s such a nice place, I’d like to use it too, um…”

Sophia Bianchi stared at the training ground for a moment before speaking.

“Is it possible for me to use it as well?”

Rena turned to look at me.

“I have no right to stop you.”

“Oh, then could you tell me how to use it? How do I make that wooden board there with the enemy draw go back up?”

“…”

If I could, I’d want to say, ‘Why don’t you go and wind them up yourself?’

But… Sophia Bianchi was terrible with machinery. She was practically breaking something at least once a month, most like with watches.

She’d break parts due to winding too tightly or completely jamming the mechanism just by pressing a button. While it had been a comical element in the game, it would spell disaster in reality.

“…I’ll help you,” I said, barely suppressing a sigh.

*

And the result was disastrous.

My complacency was the issue.

Yeah, to be honest, I thought it would just be enough to wind the spring.

Who would have thought the recoil from hitting the target board too hard would split the parts in half?

As I watched Sophia Bianchi come out with a proud expression after taking a lap around the training ground, I looked back at the board once and confirmed it was bent in a strange direction and indeed in that state.

“…I’m sorry.”

And just like that, Sophia Bianchi apologized immediately.

It seemed she was quite accustomed to such situations.

“…”

I had to put in an immense effort to avoid wiping my face in exasperation.

Chapter 153

We didn’t have the ability to fix that broken thing, and since it was getting late, we all headed back to our rooms for the night.

The next day was when I informed Jennifer about the training ground being wrecked.

“Well, it was built with the assumption that it would be shot at with guns, so it’s only natural it would break if hit that hard.”

Jennifer nodded her head upon hearing this and replied, “A bullet just pierces through; the bolt won’t bend backward. However, using a sword to hit it with force can certainly break parts, too.”

As she examined the ruined machinery, Jennifer stood up. “We have spare parts, so if we let the academy know, we can get it fixed. There’s no need to worry too much.”

To be honest, I wasn’t worried at all. Even if it cost a fortune to fix, I could easily afford it if I really wanted to.

“By the way…”

Jennifer turned to look at the three of us.

I had told Sophia Bianchi last night that she didn’t need to come, but seeing her here, it seems she genuinely felt sorry about it.

Unless she was just caught up in a situation that made her look genuinely apologetic.

“It’s my first time seeing a knight train here. There’s probably not much a knight can do at a training ground like this.”

“Is that so…?”

At Sophia Bianchi’s words, Jennifer shrugged.

“In combat with firearms, reaction speed is everything. It’s crucial to take down targets that suddenly pop up in one go. But for knights, isn’t the skill of clashing swords more important? Sure, reaction speed training is necessary, but ultimately, the most important thing is training against the actual person wielding the sword.”

“That’s true, but…”

“Hmm.”

Seeing Sophia Bianchi hesitate, Jennifer tilted her head.

“If proper training is needed, we might as well have the two of you help out.”

“….”

Somehow, I expected her to say something like that.

Since that incident on the battlefield, Jennifer had been keeping a very close eye on me. It’s only natural. Anyone in the world could figure that if there was someone who could change the tide of battle alone, it would attract attention.

Even Rena coming from the autonomous state was probably curious about my movements. Although Rena didn’t seem to have a clue.

If we were in modern times, no matter how strong someone was, even someone who had achieved numerous victories on the battlefield would not be considered a ‘hidden card.’ They would only gather such individuals to form a unit that would slightly increase the possibilities of winning in a tough battle where an ordinary soldier wouldn’t stand a chance.

But this world, mirroring the traits of Japanese subculture, is different. Just the rumor of a war hero being deployed causes the enemy to tremble in fear. That being said, even these beings could still die from a bullet in this world.

“Excuse me?”

Sophia Bianchi widened her eyes in surprise.

“Both of you are the best at handling firearms outside of the instructors here.”

Jennifer provided a very simple reason to Sophia.

“Moreover, this ‘Crown Princess’ here has battle experience from the battlefield. She singlehandedly saved the Empire’s forces from falling into a meaningless attrition war.”

“Oh, is that really true?”

Sophia Bianchi glanced at me as she asked.

“Of course it is.”

Rena chimed in.

“When we dealt with that warlord group, it was Sylvia who played the biggest role. Even the autonomous state soldiers with us testified about it.”

“And I was there, too. Sylvia definitely went to the battlefield alone. Not just I, but nearly all the soldiers on the front line looked at Sylvia as if she were crazy—there were plenty of witnesses.”

It was hard not to look at her like a madwoman.

Because there are very few heroes who can actually change the course of battle; in fact, it’s rare to deploy someone who is truly heroic. You can’t just waste a being that is practically a tactical weapon.

“If you think that story is Empire propaganda, how about we have a duel?”

“Ah, that’s not…”

Sophia Bianchi responded flustered.

“Here?”

“There’s no need to consider the environment while dueling.”

I figured only someone like Jennifer would not bother with the surroundings when it came to dueling.

“No, but…”

Sophia Bianchi’s gaze turned towards the gun I was holding.

“Using firearms, cover must be very important…”

“Unless you’re fighting numerous people, it wouldn’t be a big problem facing just one person. Besides, the opponents here are Sylvia and Rena, just the two of them. So you wouldn’t need cover advantages, right?”

I didn’t even have to answer, but Rena was already in combat-ready stance.

“… Can we duel even with a semi-automatic pistol?”

“Ah, about that…”

Jennifer pulled out a pistol from the holster at her waist.

It looked just like the semi-automatic pistol I used in the past, but the muzzle was blocked. Rather than simply blocked, it had a rather unique shape, like a compensator with holes drilled on the side.

“That’s your gun, isn’t it? I requested them to make a training gun for me. If we load it with blank rounds, it will mimic the feel of a real gun.”

As Jennifer handed over the pistol to me, I accepted it somewhat reluctantly.

“This way, I won’t confuse the number of bullets you shot while watching your shooting.”

For a regular person, it would be impossible to count and watch like that.

Well, I was perceptive enough not to mention that.

I received the training pistol from Jennifer, and Rena didn’t need to bother herself with that. Since the gun she was using wasn’t one where the slide covered the barrel, just fitting the blank round adapter that Jennifer probably asked Browning to make would suffice… It might be a bit inconvenient for aiming, but she trained with two guns, to begin with.

After loading the magazine with blank rounds and facing each other, Jennifer looked at us and Sophia Bianchi before saying,

“Alright, then…”

She held a very excited look before pausing for a moment.

She really loves this kind of stuff.

“Let’s begin!”

*

Thinking about it, there were a few things I had yet to see since I arrived in this world.

For example, swinging a sword while shouting out the names of techniques.

Each character had unique skills, and those skills all had names associated with them.

Characters would shout the names of their skills every time they used them.

Of course, some characters would simply say a short dialogue instead of naming their techniques, and if that were the case, they would at least shout that dialogue instead of a technique name.

In hindsight, it was natural not to shout out technique names during combat. After all, it was almost as if I were revealing to the enemy how I intended to fight, and most importantly, there was no time to pose and shout technique names in a real fight instead of turn-based combat. Oh, of course, I think it’s an exception for mages, as they do need to recite incantations.

So I hadn’t thought it was odd knowing this fact all this time.

But—

“I beseech you, Goddess, grant me light…!”

I had no idea there would be someone genuinely saying such lines.

… Oh right, that makes sense.

She’s from the Papal State.

It might not be too strange for her to recite prayers while in combat.

The real issue is how consumed I felt hearing such exclamations.

The company was famous for utilizing many renowned voice actors, and of course, the voice actor portraying Sophia Bianchi had taken major roles in significant works as well.

If it were a game, the language would obviously be Japanese. If the language spoken in this world had also been Japanese, I probably wouldn’t have felt a sense of dissonance.

However, the language of this world is a fictional language based on English.

Even though it was a language I understood almost as if it was my mother tongue—

“By the power of light…!”

Hearing lines like that felt like watching a dubbed Japanese anime, provoking an indescribable cringe inside me.

It might have been somewhat better if it were in Korean.

Moreover, due to my unique ability, I had to listen to that line over and over during combat.

Damn it.

*

It was a relief that I could wrap things up before the bullets dropped. If the training had gone on longer, I might not have been able to endure that cringe and would have turned the story back to avoid the training altogether.

“You really are… impressive.”

It seemed it was somewhat shocking for Sophia Bianchi that I had cut the training short with a gun before she could say, “By the power of light.”

…Well, she is a cathedral knight, so she probably has the vestments to survive a gunshot, but still.

“Of course.”

Rena responded with pride in her expression.

“Because she’s the Crown Princess of the Empire.”

No, normally, princesses shouldn’t be able to do stuff like this.

…Thinking about it, those who bear the title of princess or prince in the Empire are all pretty skilled in their own right.

Chapter 154

But the training where I held back had some effect.

Sophia Bianchi used to have a tremendous ego.

When she first appeared, it was like she enjoyed fighting on the battlefield, and after beating the main characters once, she casually said something like, “I couldn’t control my strength.”

But this time, she started by losing to me.

Even Rena, who was on my side, didn’t get a death sentence, so that was something.

Of course, I fought by rewinding time a few times, but that wasn’t the only reason I could win.

Not long ago, I faced Lucas.

Not that he was looking out for me, but for some reason, he was incredibly angry at me. I came face to face with Lucas, who was wearing defensive gear and wielding artifacts as weapons.

And Sophia Bianchi’s skill wasn’t on Lucas’s level.

What was it a baseball player once said? Right before, he was facing a pitcher throwing a monstrous fastball, and when that pitcher got replaced, the next pitch seemed easy to hit.

That’s how I felt.

It’s not like my opponent was one I could fight without any abilities, but at least if I could rewind time, I could handle a cathedral knight of that level.

That gave me just a smidge of confidence.

That was the only positive effect I could gain.

But, conversely, there was also a negative effect.

That is —

“Sylvia!”

This time, Sophia Bianchi was clinging to me much more than before.

Back when she first got close, I didn’t realize it, but she was probably assessing me at that time.

As a skilled knight, Sophia Bianchi looked at me, and since I had no talent in her eyes, she probably thought it was odd to treat me as ‘important.’

However, it seemed like her gaze towards me changed after that training yesterday.

Well, it’s a relief that “clinging” doesn’t mean she laid her hands on my body…

“Ah, Sophia. How have you been?”

“Yes, of course!”

Her mood is entirely different from the original work.

Claire’s vibe changed too, but Sophia’s was even more extreme. Claire at least grew up in a completely different environment, so that made sense, but her… hmm.

Her environment might have changed, but it shouldn’t be to the point of shifting her identity that much, right?

… Perhaps it’s an act?

“You seem to be in a good mood today.”

Charlotte seemed to feel a sense of familiarity towards Sophia Bianchi. After all, they’re from the same region, even though the disparity in status is quite large.

“Yes, something amazing happened yesterday.”

“Something amazing?”

When Charlotte tilted her head and asked, Sophia Bianchi’s face turned towards me. Seeing her big smile felt a bit unsettling.

“Yesterday, Sylvia and Lady Bianchi had a training match.”

Before Sophia Bianchi could say it, Rena interjected.

“That’s right.”

For just a moment, most people probably couldn’t see it properly since it was that quick, but I felt an annoyance flicker across Sophia Bianchi’s face as she said that.

And seeing that made me feel relieved.

So, it means her character hasn’t completely changed after all.

“I had a training match with Sylvia yesterday.”

“Is that so?”

Charlotte smiled knowingly.

It’s like she can roughly imagine what might have happened.

“Anyone with pride as a knight would definitely change their perspective after fighting Sylvia.”

…..

Hmm, it feels a bit uncomfortable to praise her that much.

“……”

Alice, who had been silently listening, turned her gaze toward me and was grinning.

Thinking that Alice is the only one who can almost completely read my expression among them, it’s likely that her reaction comes from her accurately reading my face.

I barely stifled a sigh.

*

“Lady Bianchi.”

After class.

As everyone was packing up to return to the dormitory, I called out to Sophia Bianchi.

“Yes!”

Sophia Bianchi stopped packing her bag and flashed a bright smile at me, causing everyone in the classroom to turn their heads this way, not just those sitting around me.

… Maybe I should have found another place to talk.

But it wasn’t bad to see the reactions around me.

Since Sophia Bianchi wasn’t a character who met in school in the original story, this reaction was quite refreshing. Knowing how people perceive this character and how her image is forming could certainly help me.

This might sound a bit strange, but since there are so many gorgeous and pretty people around me, I’ve actually become unsure about judging others solely on appearance. If everyone is good-looking and pretty, how can I objectively assess the looks of someone I’ve just met?

Considering how many boys were gazing at the beaming Sophia Bianchi, it seems her appearance is indeed very impressive from an objective standpoint.

“Could we have a brief chat?”

I heard a collective intake of breath from the surroundings. It’s probably because I had hardly ever asked to talk alone with someone else.

By the way, I wonder what people’s assessments of me are like. The image that people around me have of me and how others perceive me must be entirely different.

Well, I decided to think about that later.

“Of course!”

Sophia Bianchi answered, as if she had been waiting for that.

Alice’s gaze felt intense.

I sent a brief glance at Alice before turning back to Sophia Bianchi.

“Then, please drop by my room later this afternoon. I’d like to talk about… yesterday’s training match.”

“Understood!”

Sophia Bianchi responded with a bright smile until the very end.

*

The most comfortable place to have a chat at the academy was obviously my dorm room. Like a room for nobles, the walls and doors are thick, so almost no sound escapes. Unlike the chilly temperature outside, it’s warm inside. Even if the conversation stretches on, there’s no need to change places midway.

As I walked into my room, Sophia Bianchi was glancing around, probably looking for things that are different from her own room.

I quietly prepared tea, letting Sophia Bianchi keep glancing around.

“Well then… let’s talk. Please take a seat.”

“Yes.”

Sophia Bianchi sat down without a hint of nervousness.

And she looked straight at me.

With her amethyst-like eyes fixed on me, it felt a bit uncomfortable. No matter how many years I spent living in the West, I still wasn’t fully accustomed to this kind of intense eye contact.

Let’s keep my mind steady.

There’s no reason for me to be uncomfortable here. In fact, the one who should be truly uncomfortable is Sophia Bianchi, who is undercover.

In that sense, she might be fulfilling her mission diligently.

“Sophia Bianchi.”

“Yes.”

“Are you from the Papal State?”

I shot straight to the point without mincing words, causing her to momentarily freeze.

“Yes?”

“I asked if you’re from the Papal State.”

Faced with her stunned expression, I poured tea into her cup and pushed it toward her.

Honestly, isn’t it strange to think she could use such swordsmanship without being noticed? It’s not like I didn’t mention anything about goddesses and all that.

Well, I guess there might be people in the Empire accustomed to saying stuff about goddesses. Not everyone believes in just one religion, but it’s definitely an influential one worldwide. This means there should be quite a few followers.

Since I, who knew the truth, was able to catch it, others might think, “There’s no way a real knight from the Papal State would act so openly.”

“Aren’t you going to answer me?”

As I pressed for her response, Sophia Bianchi blinked and then spoke.

“Does that mean… you’re saying I’m faking my imperial status?”

“Perhaps not lying. If that status is genuine, then it can’t be called deceit. It could be something real made for purposes, though.”

At least, it wouldn’t be something made just for this time. In the original story, she had always been Sophia ‘Bianchi’ and that name hasn’t changed even in the latest edition.

“If that’s the case, I’ll change my question.”

I looked straight at Sophia Bianchi, just as she had looked at me.

Sophia Bianchi seemed flustered but didn’t shy away from my gaze. Thanks to that, I could better see her expressions.

Is she doing this on purpose? Does she think that showing a flustered expression more clearly will spur the other person on?

Well, I guess I’ll find out soon enough.

“Are you a cathedral knight from the Papal State?”

“……”

In the end, Sophia Bianchi’s expression gradually stiffened.

“If you ask me how I knew, will you answer?”

“Hmm.”

I replied while watching Sophia Bianchi.

“If you show your hand and it’s beneficial, I don’t see any reason not to show mine.”

Chapter 155

Hmm…

Sophia Bianchi let out a deep sigh after pondering for a few seconds.

“It seems you weren’t caught, but rather you were aware from the beginning.”

While that was true, she probably said it out of a confidence that she would never get caught.

I didn’t feel the need to poke at her statement; interrupting would just waste time.

“Then let’s exchange only the necessary information without hiding anything.”

I was slightly surprised watching Sophia Bianchi continue speaking. No, actually, upon thinking again, it might not be so surprising.

In the original work, her character rarely answered questions with an imposing attitude, only saying what she wanted. But that was also because she was confident in her abilities.

She must know it’s pointless to show such a demeanor in front of me after I’ve already won a duel against her.

“Yes, as you guessed, I am from the Papal State.”

The title of ‘Miss Sylvia’ had changed to ‘Your Highness.’

“The reason I’m here is… because of the Papal State’s order to gather information about you, Your Highness.”

“What do you mean by my information?”

“I want to know more about that ability of yours, one that can change the situation on the battlefield with just your own strength. But honestly, I don’t know much about it myself. Cardinals are famous for not sharing detailed stories when giving orders.”

“Is it in case your identity gets exposed and you’re arrested?”

“Yes, well…”

At my question, Sophia Bianchi made a momentarily annoyed expression. She probably thought there wouldn’t be a chance of her identity getting exposed and captured, considering she was confident in her abilities.

“Because there’s also the matter of Eliza.”

Mentioning the baptism name of Verati suggests the Papal State has become more vigilant since Verati was captured by the Empire. This was a story that had been mentioned in the original work as well.

“Is there no other reason?”

Sophia Bianchi shrugged her shoulders.

“Everything else is just information that I can’t know unless I meet the Emperor directly. Basically, my mission is to find out various things about you, Your Highness. It would be good if I could learn more about other matters, but if not, then oh well… that’s how it is.”

Sophia Bianchi’s attitude wasn’t completely the same as before. Compared to what she showed in front of others, she seemed a bit lighter. Especially in her gestures.

“Why are you monitoring me so closely? There must be more than just you as a princess or a prince.”

“Your Highness is unique in many ways.”

Sophia Bianchi answered as if it were obvious.

“Usually, people who don’t have talent in swordsmanship pick up a gun to join combat as quickly as possible. If someone has real talent, they wouldn’t even need to enter the gun’s trajectory… Besides, there’s not much of a feeling of honing one’s skills with a gun. Oh, I’m not trying to belittle you, Your Highness.”

Adding that last part hastily, Sophia quickly continued.

“However, looking at your records changes that perspective. Not every troop can be like you, but if even a fraction of your skills could be matched, then… You know, no matter how strong a soldier is, they can’t be in two battlefields at the same time. Even if they can defend one battlefield, if they lose everywhere else, they still lose the war, right? Not to mention the Empire isn’t without skilled swordsmen.”

“So, are you saying you tried to recruit me?”

“More like, I was told to learn from your movements at all costs.”

Sophia Bianchi spoke in a somewhat deflated tone.

So, to put it simply… it meant I was ordered to have my yet to be codified combat techniques copied.

And after hearing that, I felt like I could understand something.

My combat techniques were basically a mix of my summary knowledge about battle and real experience, so they could be incredibly valuable. Normally, it’d be hard for someone to codify their combat style in such a short time, but I’ve experienced an unusual number of battles compared to others. I’ve had my share of hits from guns and shrapnel.

I fought for my life, so this combat technique holds that much worth.

Hah.

It was a response I hadn’t thought about, which left me a bit flustered.

I never considered that there’d be people trying to approach me because I hold value.

“Well, and…”

Sophia Bianchi shrugged her shoulders once more.

“When you consider the current Emperor, who is a meritocrat, it wouldn’t be strange at all if you could possibly rise to the position of the next Emperor, Your Highness. Maybe they thought it would be good to have a friend of similar age in advance. I wouldn’t know beyond that.”

Ah, I see now.

Verati was still imprisoned within the Empire. In fact, she was currently in a coma and couldn’t even hold a proper conversation.

No matter the magic, long-distance communication is impossible, and this world hasn’t properly developed wireless equipment yet.

What did the developers of the original work say?

Originally, radio technology was supposed to be introduced at the starting point of the game, but due to the fact that electrical technology itself wasn’t properly developed, the radio technology using waves also hadn’t progressed. There are combat planes, but instead of radio communication, they expressed their intentions through the squad commander’s signals or the light of embedded magic stones.

Information from Verati didn’t reach the Papal State. So they probably wanted to introduce a new character in a somewhat safer manner.

“…”

That’s a bit unsettling.

“So, Your Highness, why don’t we become friends? We can even make a deal with the Papal State if necessary. I mean, there’s no way we could win against the Empire just by training troops like this.”

I watched Sophia Bianchi trying to persuade me a bit.

“Are you aware of the incident that happened at the Imperial Palace recently?”

“…Right?”

At my words, Sophia Bianchi’s eyes widened slightly.

“It was the incident when Lucas broke in. Quite a few knights and soldiers died and got injured.”

“Umm…”

“Lucas was wearing a legal robe and was wielding Jericho’s sword. It seems he committed some wrongdoing under the Papal State. What do you think? What happened in the Papal State?”

At my question, Sophia Bianchi opened her mouth, staring blankly at me.

“Uh, suddenly giving me such high-level information… I’m not sure how to respond…”

“…”

As I glared at Sophia Bianchi without a word, she made a slightly flustered expression.

“The upper echelons of the Papal State are a thoroughly secretive group. If those receiving commands think the information isn’t necessary, they won’t give it out at all. I’ve heard something happened in the Papal State, but beyond that, I don’t know. I just learned that the infiltrator was a prince just now.”

Hah.

“I’m from the Papal State, but I’ve lived in Lutetia since childhood to create this persona. I’m confident in my skills, and while they trust me in the Papal State, I haven’t received any knowledge beyond what’s necessary to enter here. I apologize.”

I silently stared at Sophia Bianchi. As my gaze directly met hers, she seemed uncomfortable and fidgety.

Just until a moment ago, she was making me uncomfortable by looking straight at me, but now the atmosphere had completely reversed.

I also thought that Sophia Bianchi might be hiding the truth from me… but, who knows. In the original work, even though she showed a relaxed expression, she had no talent for hiding her feelings, to the point where she was genuinely shocked and speechless after losing even once.

Though she’d hidden her attitude a bit and revealed more of herself in our conversation a moment ago, there wasn’t really much that had changed except that she seemed a little more at ease.

Right, no matter how that character is, she was only fifteen now. By next year, at the time of the second installment, she would only be sixteen.

Still an age where one’s ego is large, believing themselves to be special.

Perhaps her previously confident demeanor in the main story was born from having a solid grasp of her abilities.

…Ah.

I let out a long sigh.

Thinking like that made me realize something.

Even if the ball has rolled my way, I’m still just a kid who’s just transferred here. It seems the Papal State knows this as well.

Was I just taking things too seriously?

Feeling a bit awkward, I thought.

Once again.

Chapter 156

By the end of September, I had just lived an ordinary life.

The disgust I felt towards Sophia from the original work had mostly faded.

The beings I disliked were merely characters, and the one in front of me was… a different Sophia from that entity.

It was similar to Claire’s case. Of course, I liked Claire even when she was a character, but if someone asked me whether the Claire near me and that character were the same person, I would say no.

Right after that, I went back in time and asked a few things—

“Huh? Me? I’ve never actually hurt anyone, you know?”

“I was happy when I heard the request to become a knight in the Papal State, but that’s to pay back the kindness I’ve received until now. How many people become knights because they want to hurt others?”

— Sofia answered, shocked.

In the original work, the character’s backstory didn’t come out much; it simply said, ‘I became a knight of the Cathedral because I like killing,’ but… perhaps there was some backstory here as well. Was becoming a knight of the Cathedral a later development in the original? Did I rush into it because of my presence?

At least, I remember the way it was set up as, ‘Still, not everyone went around just attacking.’

Since I couldn’t confirm the content by asking the person directly, I gave up on asking more. Waiting for Berati to wake up might be more helpful.

Or, I could just charge into the Papal State and grab the Pope by the collar to ask him.

Maybe it was a story meant to be revealed in the sequel. Since I jumped over here before anything from behind was revealed, I might have missed intended content?

…Really, thinking back again, it’s absurd.

If you’re sending someone to such a place, shouldn’t you at least let them know about the backstory? That way, they can properly prepare for future situations.

Sending someone like this without any regard leaves them clueless about their goals. With only a vague and roundabout plan of ‘saving the characters I like,’ what can I even set as a goal?

Perhaps inducing such a situation itself was the entity’s goal, but that’s something I can’t confirm right now, so I decided to focus on what’s in front of me.

In Millennium’s RPG series, especially the Chronicles of Aetherna series, the focus of the first game is on introducing the regions, characters, and societal conditions of the setting every time the world is changed. In the second part, the characters that had formed bonds during the first game tightly unite to solve the events, often after a major incident occurs in the latter half of the story.

The first game covers events until the end of the second semester for the first year. The second game is from right after the first up until the end of that year. The third game spans the next six months after the second, with the time frame getting shorter in subsequent installments while the story’s density increases, lengthening playtime as it goes on.

In the third installment, the heroine who dies is already decided.

Of course, in games, it’s difficult to interlink save files one by one, so everything tends to explode all at once in the third installment, and since this is reality, it’s better to think ahead from now on.

That’s why I didn’t create a battle manual.

If I did, the Emperor would find it very useful. Jennifer never suggested that I create such a thing.

Rather, it’s possible that Rena might go to the Autonomy State and whip something up, but… that’s fine. If the Autonomy State gains some capability to disrupt the Imperial troops or the local warlords at the border can manage things on their own, the Emperor is likely to reconsider.

The Emperor is already ruling the Empire far more favorably than in the original work. And that’s entirely because of my existence.

Though the presence of the monitoring ship that bombarded the border was a variable, it came up in the original as well.

So far, the story is actually moving in a positive direction, I think.

So far.

*

The person bowing their head to me without a word was wearing the same school uniform as me.

Now that the weather was genuinely getting colder, I started draping my coat back over my shoulders. It was a bit concerning that Rena, who occasionally followed me, also started wearing her coat over her shoulders for some reason, but well, at least my fashion didn’t seem completely out of place. After all, Jennifer also wore her coat over her shoulders.

But the person was different. All the buttons of their shirt and coat were fastened to the top, and the outfit didn’t have a single wrinkle.

Their appearance, which could be described as impeccably neat, vaguely reminded me of a soldier’s demeanor, but it felt somehow different from Rena’s neatness.

As I followed this strange dissonance, the entity that came to my mind was none other than the royal maid.

Ah, right, Roti was, after all, Jake’s maid.

“Roti, was it?”

If she were just a maid, I would have casually nodded my head and walked past her, but she was a regular character from the original work. Not a heroine to pursue, but still a character that garnered quite a bit of popularity due to her connection with the pure-hearted Jake.

“It is an honor that Your Highness remembers my humble name.”

From a modern person’s perspective, this might sound a bit sarcastic.

But not here. Here, Roti’s background being “humble” is common knowledge. I don’t think that way, but I’m not sure what to say to that.

“You were Jake’s friend, correct?”

“I am a maid.”

Roti replied curtly, as if erecting a fortress against my question.

“Hmm.”

Hearing her say that somehow sparked in me a bit of competitive spirit.

Her skin color was dark, indicating her background as a colonial mixed-blood. The greatest motif of the Empire had once been the great British Empire, so the motif of Roti’s hometown was colonial India.

Whether Roti spent her childhood in the Empire of Aetherna or in a colony, it’s not surprising that the caste system is deeply rooted in her mind.

“I don’t think Jake sees it that way.”

When I said this, Roti’s eyebrows twitched.

“Jake merely treats me comfortably because he has known me for a long time.”

“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be natural to consider him more a friend?”

“…Your Highness.”

I quietly gazed at Roti.

Since Roti was looking down, I couldn’t see her expression exactly, but it seemed she thought I was belittling Jake.

Hmm.

But I can’t exactly claim to have any imperial blood in me while still holding my title of Crown Princess.

That’s the nature of the imperial regime. If the Emperor does that, then that’s just how it is. I shouldn’t speak out and create unnecessary conflict.

“Oh, Sylvia.”

As I was racking my brain for what to say next, Jake suddenly showed up. Had he been up to something momentarily?

“It’s nice to see you two getting along.”

“…Jake.”

Roti warned Jake with those words, seeing how neither of us looked friendly at all.

Naturally, Jake shrugged off that sharp comment with a dismissive shrug.

“Were you two just running into each other by chance?”

“That’s right. Just passing by, coincidentally.”

When I said that, Jake smiled as if he found it amusing.

“Are you trying to get information since our next dispatch practice is in our territory?”

I hadn’t really thought of that.

I had a rough understanding of the structure of Lindbergh Manor. It wasn’t fully manifested, but at least I could picture places where I needed to read books or verify items.

“Right.”

But since I was too lazy to think of any other reason, I just went with it.

If I casually spoke up for no reason, I would draw suspicion on myself for being someone who isn’t known for being friendly to others.

Especially since Roti had been watching me quietly since a while ago.

Since she was that child from that royal family. She might think that I could cause some trouble at Lindbergh Manor.

And the biggest reason she would be on guard against me would probably be none other than Jake Lindbergh.

How heartwarming.

As I was about to casually place my hand on Roti’s shoulder, she brushed my hand away, and I nearly pulled my hand back nonchalantly, pondering if I should create a bit more trouble.

“If there’s any crucial information you need, I might be able to tell you?”

“Really?”

Saying that, I glanced over at Roti.

Seeing Jake glance over at Roti, it seemed like for a brief moment, our thoughts aligned. Though, Jake and Roti probably wouldn’t have guessed that I was thinking about teasing Roti.

“Then, could we have a brief conversation?”

“Really? Then just the two of us—”

“Master.”

Seeing Roti cut off Jake, he shrugged again.

“Oh dear, my childhood friend dislikes it. Then there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Probably, if I weren’t here, Roti would have even rolled her eyes.

I slightly regretted that I didn’t have a chance to see it directly.

Chapter 157

I also liked a character named Roti. She wasn’t someone you could pursue, but when Jake and Roti were in the game, they usually just had banter like this. Not laugh-out-loud funny, but still heartwarming.

“So, what information can I give you?”

The notion that he wanted to talk just the two of us wasn’t sincere anyway. He probably thought he could joke around since Roti was right there.

The first time he spoke to me was just Roti saying something in a fit of anger.

He was generally a stoic character who hid his emotions, but that didn’t mean he had none—he just got used to holding back since childhood.

Jake felt sorry for Roti like that.

“What information can you give us?”

“Hmm.”

After a brief moment of thought, Jake replied.

“That it’s hot down there even at this time?”

Because it was right next to the desert.

The Empire occupied most of the western end of the continent, and they had colonized the northern parts of the southern continent, which stretched below.

The Lindbergh family was the first to lead the invasion of the southern continent. Back when the Empire didn’t even have a council, they recruited pirates and made them their subordinates, taking over and absorbing the place into their territory over a long period known as the Weak Century.

Thanks to that, the Lindbergh territory is divided by the sea into upper and lower parts.

With the sea in between, the northern territory is peaceful and pretty much insignificant. It’s a duke’s territory and quite vast, but that’s about it—there aren’t any notable specialties.

Most of the Lindbergh family’s wealth comes from the territories on the southern continent. They occupy every fertile spot in the northern part of the southern continent, and trade with the colonies beyond the desert below accounts for most of the Lindbergh family’s income.

Renting out the naval bases they stocked up on before the troops were abolished must also bring in quite a bit of cash.

And like the Winterfield family, they operated some soldiers since they were adjacent to the border.

“Maybe it’s okay to play by the seaside? Swimsuits have become a trend in the territory these days.”

“…….”

After hearing what Jake said, Roti looked like she was trying to hold something back.

If we were to follow historical accuracy, swimsuits back in the early 20th century were just baggy clothes. Particularly for women, they had to be even more so.

But… what kind of world is this, anyway? It’s a setting made by a Japanese game company at the forefront of otaku subculture.

Naturally, swimsuits look a lot alike to the ones from the world I lived in.

It’s quite funny to consider such details when there are bunny girls roaming around casinos.

“And, well… I can talk about specialties or whatever, but honestly, it doesn’t relate much to what we’ll be doing, does it?”

“That’s true.”

Even if Jake knew some crucial secrets of the territory, he wasn’t the kind of character to blab them around carelessly.

“I’m just glad~ At least I can be warm for a few days. Coming from a warm place during break to here, it’s tough to adapt.”

“A sudden change in temperature can make you sick. You should actually worry about your health, my lord. You’re making two round trips this month.”

“Don’t worry, Roti. I’m tougher than I look. And if we’re nitpicking, shouldn’t a lady like you be the one to worry?”

“I….”

Looking at Roti trying to say something but then shutting up with the expression of ‘What’s the point?’ made me stifle a laugh.

*

Most territories didn’t require crossing vast oceans, so even if factions went separately, it wasn’t a big deal, but Lindbergh was different.

Going to the northern Lindbergh territory wasn’t particularly educational, so the practical training would naturally be in the southern Lindbergh territory.

The southern continent colonies were incredibly important by Empire standards. The reason the Empire could be called an “Empire” was due to all those numerous colonies.

Many believed that once the Empire took all the colonies and the Emperor declared, “I am the Emperor of two continents,” it was effectively complete.

Well, sure, they had been brazenly writing ‘Empire’ behind the continent’s name since the first Emperor Fanggriffon era, but still, it would be easier for other countries to accept the claim from a real imperialistic standpoint than to call a single country an Empire.

The reason the Empire can truly be called an Empire.

That was partly why the Academy sent students here at least once.

Moreover, as the Academy often mixed in foreign students, it would be a grand opportunity to showcase the Empire’s prestige.

Sending a flying ship instead of a regular ship served both practical reasons and showcasing the Empire’s status.

“The Empire claims that the vast sea is all its territorial waters.”

“Because the Empire’s territory stretches up and down.”

Charlotte replied to Alice’s words.

Strictly speaking, not the entire sea could be classified as territorial waters according to international law, but the Empire applies those laws to the islands and reefs they occupy, effectively claiming about half of the Mediterranean Sea as territorial waters.

With the Empire’s naval power being colossal, no other country dared to dispute it. They had airships; how could they not use the sea?

“Velbur hardly uses this sea since it’s in the northern part of the continent.”

“…There’s a saying that the prices of goods crossing this sea are excessively inflated.”

“That’s because the Empire treats the sea as its own territory. Rather, it’s more about the Lindbergh family hogging the benefits. It’s the reason that even if you get the same goods from the Empire’s mainland, the difference isn’t that vast compared to foreign sources. And if you want to trade, just deal with the Iberia Kingdom.”

Since the talk of a country that Alice might inherit was being slandered, she reacted a bit snippily.

However, Charlotte didn’t seem intimidated by Alice’s reaction. After all, they were already friends beyond being a princess and a crown princess.

“Iberia has almost no colonies on the southern continent. It’s only been 20 years since the unification, right? In that time, the Empire has occupied all the prime lands on the southern continent.”

“That’s because those people have spent centuries fighting among themselves.”

…….

Hmm.

These were stories I had hardly heard about in the original work. No, I definitely knew them from the setting, but I’d never heard the characters discuss such matters. Even if political conversations came up, they usually revolved around direct conflicts between the Empire and the Kingdom.

Though, it made sense considering that these two characters were from the era when imperialism and nationalism were rampant in the 20th century. Their pride toward their country was at its peak, and that pride naturally rested on their power over colonies and nations they occupied.

Well, that would break down soon enough.

I shifted my gaze toward Roti.

Even though all the first-year students of Rondarim Academy were aboard the airship, most of those out on the beautiful observation deck were noble students.

When noble students seize the good spots first, commoners often can’t even come down due to discomfort.

But among them, there was one particular student who stood out.

No, it wasn’t that the student stood out, but rather the attention directed at that student was noticeable.

It was Roti.

Roti, standing next to Jake.

Jake surely didn’t drag her here by force. No matter how mischievous Jake might be, he despised it when others looked down on Roti. She’s the girl he likes, after all.

Roti being here was probably her own decision.

She must be making the excuse of ‘I’m here to assist my lord as a maid’ after all.

In reality, she just wanted to be together.

The moment I turned my gaze toward Roti, our eyes met for an instant. Roti quickly turned her gaze back to the window, but it was clear that she was bothered by our conversation.

And rightly so; Roti was from the colonies.

While she may have grown up in Lindbergh territory and was considered one of them, due to her appearance, she was openly discriminated against. Hearing two people casually discuss something concerning that discrimination would understandably be unsettling.

However, no anger or frustration showed on her face.

If anything, it was more like resignation.

A character caught between being part Empire and part something else, not belonging wholly to either side.

Before dating Jake, even after they became a couple, she frequently attracted gossip from various nobles.

“…….”

At first, I hadn’t paid much attention, but now that I felt the reality in such facts, it felt much more compact than when I just saw it in the game.

Chapter 158

He didn’t worry too much about Alice and Charlotte’s way of thinking. He felt the same about Leo and Claire.

After all, they were the protagonists and heroines, right?

Unlike a picaresque story, the protagonist and heroines mostly had righteous personalities. Once they understood the realities of imperialism, they would be shocked and change their minds. Well, in the original story, it was more described as “they were originally righteous,” but that’s just because the story I heard on the airship never appeared in the main story.

“Wow, it’s really hot… No, more than that, this is just like the seasons have swapped!”

Alice, who stepped off the airship, said nervously.

It was easy to see why she felt that way with temperatures nearing 30 degrees during the day. Rondarium rarely reached such temperatures even in the peak of summer.

“There’s no need to worry too much. Once night falls, it gets cold enough that you can barely stand it without an outer coat.”

“The weather is just too extreme…”

“But with a much larger population living here than back in the Empire, this place might actually have a much more pleasant climate than where we live.”

“… This is practically a desert that could be its own country, though?”

Jake shrugged in response to Alice’s rebuttal.

Half of it was a joke, but half was serious. Jake had lived here since childhood. He felt a blend of affection for his hometown and a sense of guilt for it being a city built at the expense of the original inhabitants. It was understandable that he wanted to put a positive spin on it.

“Alright, everyone, pay attention! Gather and line up, everyone!”

Jennifer, the loudest teacher, clapped her hands to grab the students’ attention.

It was the commoners who rarely got to travel far, of course, but even the children of nobility were excitedly chatting and gathering here and there. The airport built with Lindbergh’s money had walls made entirely of glass, as if to raise Lindbergh’s status. It reminded one of the Crystal Palace that used to exist in London.

The glass building built under such blistering sunlight naturally made the interior feel like a sauna, but thanks to an air conditioning-like device that forcibly expelled the hot air outside, it wasn’t unbearably hot. Although the roof was also glass, there were also shades installed here and there to create some shadow.

To my eyes, the building had a very vintage design, but based on 1901, it was a perfectly modern structure. It was remarkable considering how many years had passed since it was built.

And the orderly street visible outside of that building was an exotic sight that was hard to find in the Imperial Capital. Palm trees lined the streets, along with steam cars and intricate devices that clearly functioned by steam power.

This city, which was established right from nothing, could surely be called a testing ground for cutting-edge technology.

By the way, the airship airport was the largest in the world.

“Okay, okay.”

As the students formed a line after hearing Jennifer’s words, she nodded and said,

“The place we’ll be staying at is the Lindbergh Hotel. It’s the largest and most modern place, named after the family that governs this territory.”

When they heard that, a few students glanced toward Jake. He merely wore a slight smile and did not react further.

“The means to get there will be via a ‘bus.’ Once there, follow the instructions closely. Even though the chances of something going wrong are low, there will be various unfamiliar things from the perspective of the Empire, so if you don’t know anything, you could easily get into an accident.”

Even though there were crosswalks in the Imperial Capital, the carriages that roamed around weren’t particularly fast. Some steam cars drove at a snail’s pace due to the “Don’t Startle the Horses” ordinance. That said, while collisions could still lead to major accidents, they wouldn’t be as fast as the cars zipping by here.

Still, listening to Jennifer speak like that somehow made me think, “Ah, so that’s what a car is,” which was kind of funny.

“Since this place is quite unfamiliar for most of you, individual actions are prohibited. If you want to go somewhere, you must group up with at least three people. If no one can accompany you, ask a teacher, including myself.”

Jennifer scanned us before adding,

“Any questions?”

I thought no one would raise their hand, but surprisingly, one person did.

Jake.

“You.”

When Jennifer pointed at Jake, he opened his mouth.

“This is my hometown, but when I go somewhere, do I have to have someone accompany me?”

A quiet laugh rippled through the surrounding students.

Jennifer smiled in response.

“Right, there are no exceptions. If you let you off the hook, I’m sure someone dumb will say, ‘I’ve gotten used to it, so I can go alone’ and get in trouble. Besides, no matter where you go, isn’t ‘alone’ unlikely for you? The girls will follow you around anyway, won’t they?”

The laughter around grew a bit louder.

“Well then, does anyone have any other questions? None? Good, let’s head to the hotel. Don’t worry too much, your bags will be moved to your rooms.”

*

Including the hotel, the surrounding buildings resembled sets from dramas or movies set in 20th-century New York. Or, given the palm trees lining the streets, one could say it was closer to Miami. It’s not like I’ve been to either place.

Regardless, the hotel itself was quite similar to the Empire State Building, so let’s just imagine a blend of both.

“…”

Charlotte looked somewhat troubled at the departing bus.

It was understandable. Velbur hadn’t fully completed its industrialization and modernization yet. There were far more carriages than cars, and soldiers were still gradually being supplied with modern equipment.

In the Empire’s case, it’s not that modernization is ‘impossible’, but rather that it is ‘not being done’. They had to keep the horse-drawn carriage drivers and saddle makers fed, hence, some modern devices were restricted due to the ordinances.

Therefore, this city lacked many aspects needed to truly feel ‘modern’, but here, that was a completely different story.

While it couldn’t be said that the streets were packed with cars, carriages were hardly in sight. Wealthy commoners and nobles traveled in their own vehicles, while workers took the city bus to and fro. I occasionally spotted things that looked like motorcycles as well.

This was an atmosphere of a modern city that one could never find outside the Empire.

The reason it was just right to promote the Empire’s strength to the students was precisely this.

“It’s amazing…”

Sophia managed to honestly express her sentiment since she had no reason to develop the Papal State.

Being the one to inherit the throne, Charlotte was undoubtedly feeling much more conflicted than others.

“This city is special; in reality, most of the Empire isn’t even close to this. There’s still a long way to go.”

Alice, perhaps sensing Charlotte’s mood, tried to comfort her, but…

“Lutetia isn’t even close at all.”

When Charlotte replied like that, it left Alice speechless.

I thought about saying something in Alice’s place. Lutetia is a beautiful city. One could boast about it without modernization.

“If we could apply such transportation methods to the military, how fast could we transport that many troops at once?”

“….”

Well, saying that leaves me without words too.

After all, even if the streets are beautiful, if you can’t stop your enemies, they’d just take them.

“Don’t worry too much.”

In our conversation, Jake chimed in.

“Those were just brought in recently this year. It might look impressive, but they’re quite rushed and have a lot of minor malfunctions. It’s still far from ready for military use.”

Of course, even with that said, it wouldn’t be too big of an issue for the imperial army, which was already rolling out tanks.

“Is that so?”

However, Charlotte didn’t bother to refute Jake’s words. Continuing that conversation would lead nowhere.

“More importantly, let’s get into the hotel. Everyone’s hot, right?”

… Hmm.

I know Jake doesn’t have particularly positive feelings about his family, but…

How do I say it? It seems like he doesn’t quite take to praising his own family.

Could it be that there’s something I missed in the original story?

Thinking this, I entered the lobby of the hotel, impressively designed—modern by their standards.

Chapter 159

As expected of a hotel that looks incredibly fancy on the outside, the interior was just as impressive. It wasn’t overly lavish, nor overly simple—just perfectly elegant. In fact, it looked much more expensive than places decorated with all sorts of jewels.

If a hotel run by a noble family was this perfect, it was certainly something to brag about. Grace’s Estate took pride in being the only green lawn in the midst of that dreary city, while Winterfield showcased the strength of its territory’s residents, and Northwood proudly flaunted its splendid streets.

But no, this place also boldly displayed its grandeur. The actual owner, however, only wore a faint smile and didn’t seem to have a braggart vibe.

Jake, unlike when at the academy, was quite calm.

“You probably already know your room assignments. I arranged it so you can comfortably be with someone, so don’t worry too much.”

I was in the same room as Alice. It could have easily been a cramped four-person room filled with students, but instead, they put two people in a spacious two-person room… Probably thanks to Lindbergh’s influence rather than any intention from the academy.

The ability to be this generous shows their willingness to make sure that next time they visit here for business, they’ll want to stay here.

Being equally generous to the commoners likely means Lindbergh was being ‘proactive’. Among all the noble families, they react the most sensitively to money. Not to mention they were always short on staff. It wouldn’t be bad for a common student to become a bourgeois or a professional in this family after getting close right away.

Of course, that ‘proactive’ label applies only to pure citizens of the Empire, or more specifically, to white people.

“I imagine you’ve built up a lot of fatigue from the days it took to get here. So, make sure to rest well today. However, as I mentioned, before going outside the hotel, report to the teachers waiting in the lobby, including me. And definitely stick together with at least three people. As an additional piece of advice, don’t fall for anyone’s sweet talk.”

Laughter rose among the students at Jennifer’s last comment, but her expression was rather serious.

“This area isn’t bad in terms of safety, but it doesn’t compare to the Imperial Capital. So stay sharp and act accordingly. That’s all.”

Well, the truth is, most students here weren’t from the Imperial Capital, so they likely knew of places much less safe than this. Still, there might be some who had never actually been to a dangerous area.

“Sylvia.”

After Jennifer finished speaking, the students started to gather in their own groups, and Alice poked my shoulder.

“Shall we check out our room? It’s quite high up.”

Alice’s expression, saying this, looked pretty excited, so I just nodded without saying much.

*

If I said I had never felt excitement since coming to this world, that would be a lie.

When I realized I had entered the world of my favorite game series. When I somehow found myself beside Alice as the Crown Princess.

Whether it was when I entered the academy with the main character’s party or got swept up in the main story…

There were many times I had to think hard, but at the same time, I felt a thrill in my chest. Honestly, I don’t think anyone would not feel giddy about entering the world of a game they loved.

In stories about reincarnation, people usually complain about how terrible it is at first, saying this world is doomed, but in the end, they meet the heroine and live happily ever after.

…It’s a bit different for me, but anyway.

“It’s amazing; I think I understand why we were made to stay at this hotel.”

Alice said, looking out the window.

72nd floor, the top.

No matter how big the hotel is, it’s impossible to pack all those student rooms into such a scenic spot. The reason our room is likely in the best view here is that the room assignments weren’t random.

The road visible through the clean glass window was straight. No kidding, it looked like it had been paved perfectly, extending in a straight line to the faintly visible city boundary at the edge of sight. There seemed to be a diagonal road crossing through that city.

It boldly revealed itself as a city built from the ground up with a clear plan.

At the far end of the view, it seemed to lead right into the industrial zone. From beyond the city boundary, I could see black smoke and white steam rising. There was probably something like plantation farms even further out.

“If we had stayed at Lindbergh Castle like the other places, we wouldn’t have felt this way.”

“Lindbergh Castle is more modest compared to the estates on the Empire’s mainland.”

Literally ‘castle’, unlike the centers of other territories, Lindbergh’s building was just a mansion in the middle of the city. Of course, I can’t say it’s tiny, but calling it a castle is a stretch.

It ended up being in that form since it was built in an era without reasons for noble families to wage medieval-style sieges against one another.

“A new form of business for a new age, huh…”

Alice murmured softly while gazing down at the scenery outside.

“Well, okay. Since we’ve confirmed the room and our stuff, let’s head outside and explore. Charlotte will probably be itching to go out, so if we gather the kids and all go together—”

Before Alice could finish her sentence, someone knocked on our room door.

“I’ll go see who it is.”

Hearing the knock, I had a good idea of what was going on. This was a storyline from the original material, after all.

Crossing the wide room to reach the door, no further knocking was heard. The person who knocked was waiting quietly without pushing us inside.

As I pulled the heavy door open, I met Roti’s eyes outside.

“Crown Princess.”

Roti bowed her waist slightly. Even when she met me at the academy, she greeted me more elegantly than other students, but her formality now was on another level.

A graceful greeting as she held the skirt slightly and bent her knees.

‘A deep bow’ would probably be more fitting.

“What brings you here?”

I kind of knew what was happening, but not asking anything felt a bit neglectful, so I asked like that.

“I have a message from Duke Lindbergh, inviting both Crown Princesses to tonight’s banquet at Lindbergh Mansion.”

With that, Roti politely bowed her head and handed over a pair of invitation cards.

Upon receiving them, I noted one side contained the elegant handwriting ‘To Her Royal Highness Alice Fanggriffon,’ and the other side had ‘To Her Royal Highness Sylvia Fanggriffon.’ Both were placed in dark purple envelopes nearly black, sealed with red wax. The wax seal had a drawing of a horse raising its front legs.

“It would be an honor if both Crown Princesses could attend the banquet and grace our presence.”

Roti said this in the most polite tone imaginable.

“…Roti?”

Alice’s voice sounded from behind.

Curious about our conversation, she had followed and was now looking surprised at Roti, who was bowing politely to me.

She was still in her school uniform, but her posture made her look like she was wearing a maid’s outfit.

I silently passed Alice’s invitation card to her.

“We’ve been invited to a banquet at Lindbergh Territory tonight.”

“…Really?”

Alice looked down at the envelope with slightly furrowed brows and then looked back at Roti.

“Roti, you don’t have to be that formal. We’re both wearing school uniforms right now.”

“But the invitation was delivered in the name of Duke Lindbergh.”

That had many implications.

Roti was Jake’s personal maid. So naturally, she had to deliver such messages properly as a maid.

Whether she was in a school uniform or not, when it came to addressing nobility, Roti would fulfill her duties as expected.

“…Okay.”

Having read between the lines, Alice nodded.

Roti bowed deeply to us once more and then took a step back.

And she stood there until I closed the door.

“Right. Roti is from Lindbergh…”

“Must be a maid. Jake claims she’s his childhood friend.”

“It’s more natural to think of her that way. Spending so long at the academy, I end up forgetting such facts.”

Alice’s expression was complicated.

I don’t think that’s a bad thing, but I didn’t feel the need to share that thought with her.

Chapter 160

When Alice returned to the lobby, Claire and Leo were there. I heard Claire is sharing a room with Charlotte. Leo was in the same room as Jake.

Mia Crowfield was with Sophia and… I have no idea what this combination was thinking. “So they won’t feel uncomfortable?” With this duo, isn’t it just uncomfortable for each other?

But thinking about it again, even if those two were with someone else, it still would have been awkward. Mia Crowfield doesn’t like building friendships with others, and Sophia hasn’t been here for long. Plus, being a foreigner, she has no connections in the Empire’s social circles.

Maybe that’s why they thought there wouldn’t be any conflicts. It would have been… tricky to place Mia Crowfield in the same room as someone like Claire, coming from a royal or imperial family.

“Oh, that.”

As Alice pulled out the invitation she brought, Claire immediately reacted.

“Did you get one too?”

“No, I didn’t get one.”

Claire’s expression was full of disappointment while she answered.

“But I saw Charlotte receiving one. From Roti.”

“What’s that about?”

Leo asked, sounding curious.

“It’s an invitation to a stuffy banquet happening at our estate tonight,” Jake replied. The atmosphere was strangely heavy compared to the academy, making it seem much more serious than usual. Well, Jake’s personality always gave off a light vibe, so even just settling down would make him appear weightier than usual.

“I’ll say it early; there’s no obligation to attend. Father didn’t send it thinking we would come.”

“But we can’t just turn down an invitation from the local lord, can we?”

Charlotte furrowed her brow slightly.

“Providing this venue wasn’t because we invited them here. We are offering it in cooperation with the academy’s curriculum. Strictly speaking, we are still in class, so it’s different from an ordinary invitation.”

She looked around as she spoke.

“Is there anyone else who got one?”

In that brief moment of silence, a girl cautiously raised her hand.

“I… I also received one…”

It was Mia Crowfield.

And noticing that, everyone seemed to realize what criteria the invitations were distributed by.

“That’s… really blatant. So, does that mean the commoners didn’t receive any?”

Alice replied with a look of disbelief.

“Well, that’s true. It was sent only to families of counts or higher.”

Seeing our gaze shift, Jake said with a wry smile.

“Even for a duke’s family, isn’t that just too obvious?”

“… Well, I can’t say that’s too severe. At banquets held by other dukes, counts usually don’t invite unless it’s their own people. Commoners go without saying.”

Alice opened the envelope and unfolded the invitation.

“We would be honored if you could grace the evening banquet we prepared with your nobility.”

And it had the duke’s signature along with the place and time written on it. Aside from the signature, the rest didn’t seem that important. Even if we forgot, there would be someone coming to pick us up.

“Is this a chance to build connections while we’re still students?”

If Alice becomes the emperor, there might not be a chance for either of us to come this far again. Alice as the emperor and me supporting her.

So right now is the perfect opportunity to build connections, not just with royalty like Alice but also with other nobles’ heirs.

“Well, I guess that’s right?”

Jake answered vaguely.

“I’m curious about the banquet…”

Sophia’s eyes sparkled as she spoke. Naturally, Sophia is officially a ‘hereditary knight family,’ making her a touch away from being considered noble, but by the ranks, she was still beneath a count. She didn’t get an invitation.

“Well, it might look that way from an outsider’s perspective.”

In reality, those who received invitations — Alice, Charlotte, and Mia Crowfield — didn’t seem particularly thrilled. And neither did I.

…Plus, I know the duke’s ulterior motives. While I may not be included, it would be better for me to join for the sake of other girls who might get caught up in it.

“… Hmm.”

Jake listened to Sophia’s words, stroked his chin thoughtfully, then a smile crept onto his face.

“Hey, buddy.”

“Wha-?!”

When Jake abruptly put his arm around Leo’s shoulders, Leo jumped in surprise.

“Are you thinking of tagging along to the banquet? I hear there will be pretty noble ladies inside.”

At that, the girls around shot cold glances at Jake. Even Sophia… Ah, now that I think about it, she’s into the whole premarital chastity thing, huh?

“Uh? No, I…”

Leo looked overtly uncomfortable. It was a natural reaction for a clueless male character, but honestly, Leo’s reaction wasn’t that important.

There’s no way the game’s protagonist would miss out on such an important event.

In the original story, Jake, realizing the duke’s true purpose, would bring Leo along and stir things up.

I’m not sure if that thought will work here with the developments being different, but having the protagonist nearby can’t hurt, right?

“And there’s Leo’s little sister.”

“My name is Claire. And I’m not his little sister; I’m the older one.”

“Okay? Then, Claire.”

Jake smiled at Claire.

“Do you want to join us for the banquet?”

“Uh? Is that okay?”

“Of course. If the brothers are going, the sisters can’t be left behind. Sophia, you too.”

…Hmm.

How should I put this?

Although the original work had a similar atmosphere, I can see why some male characters in the story liked Jake so much.

Just looking at his attitude, it’s obvious he has a hero aura that draws in heroines like a golden sun.

He seems to be deliberately giving off that vibe, too.

Just as well that Roti was still handing out invitations. Otherwise, I might not have been able to resist the urge to smack Jake on the back of the head.

“… What’s the catch?”

“The catch? I just want to have fun with my friends.”

Alice’s reaction was a bit different from the original, though.

Alice, who once thought social interactions were awkward because of all the studying just to beat Claire, nearly refused the invitation at first. But when she heard Leo was going, she finally made up her mind.

The other female characters had similar motives.

In reality, it didn’t seem like Alice held any romantic feelings for Leo.

“I’ll go.”

I suddenly inserted myself into the conversation, and this time, the attention shifted entirely to me.

“Oh, really?”

“There’s a huge difference between just hearing about what kind of person the duke is and seeing him in person.”

Honestly, I was brimming with enthusiasm to join in on Jake’s plan.

Well… of course.

It’s common sense to link up a pure couple engaging in forbidden love in such a setting.

“Hmm.”

Jake looked at me silently for a moment before shrugging his shoulders.

“Well, alright. You’ve already received an invitation anyway.”

“Is it okay?”

Alice quietly asked from the side, still casting skeptical glances at Jake.

“I doubt anything major will happen. And…”

I looked clearly at Claire and Sophia, who seemed visibly excited.

“Two people would be extremely disappointed if I said I wouldn’t go.”

“You’re quite the troublemaker,” Alice said with a bitter smile.

Chapter 161

The place where the banquet was held was definitely cramped.

But that didn’t mean the overall area was small. It was just smaller compared to other noble estates. After all, it was a mansion, not a castle.

Unlike noble estates that typically have separate banquet halls, this place was simply using the mansion itself as the venue. As long as guests didn’t enter the rooms that required separate access, they could use the space freely.

In fact, there weren’t that many guests to begin with. Since there were hardly any other noble territories nearby, the invited guests mainly consisted of the Duke’s retainers and a few high-ranking officials from the Colonial Governor’s Office, with the rest being students from the academy.

The students looked quite normal aside from their uniforms. After all, the children of the Baron and knights weren’t even invited. Those from a Count’s family were likely to be quite familiar with social circles.

In that sense, our group could be considered quite unique in various ways.

Only those accustomed to society and high-ranking people.

Charlotte seemed to be quite famous in her country’s social circles as a princess, and Jake, as a prince, had also made quite a name for himself in various social settings. Though he had a light-hearted image among friends, he was known for being serious and reserved within the territory… at least, that’s how it was portrayed in the game.

The last one among us, Roti, was familiar with social circles in a slightly different sense. Since Jake was always hanging out with her.

And then there was—

“Um, can we drink something like alcohol?”

Claire cautiously asked as she approached me.

In the direction Claire was looking, the students from Noble Class B were chatting while holding champagne glasses. They looked slightly flushed, suggesting they had at least one drink. However, they didn’t appear to be outright drunk.

“Just thirty years ago, we would have been considered adults at our age. It’s not a big deal to have light drinks at a banquet.”

“Really…?”

Claire looked surprised.

It wasn’t that she had never been to a banquet. However, she likely accompanied her parents, Baron Grace and his wife, when she did, and at that time, she would have been younger and probably wouldn’t have dreamed of drinking.

“Claire.”

I stopped Claire, who was eyeing the line of champagne glasses on the table with curiosity.

“If you want to drink, please do so in moderation.”

I said with a serious expression.

“Uh? A, ah….”

“Do you understand? Moderation. If you feel even a little dizzy, you must refrain from drinking any more.”

“Okay…. ”

When I warned her again with a serious expression, Claire responded, looking a bit dazed.

In the original work, Claire was a heavy drinker.

Just because she could drink a lot didn’t mean she wasn’t affected by it. In fact, the character Claire was known for causing a ruckus while being conscious but not collapse.

Looking at the current Claire, there was no way I’d think she could handle a lot. The character had gone through a lot of things that shouldn’t have happened to her in childhood.

“Leo.”

Just in case, I called out to Leo.

“If Claire tries to drink more than one glass, please stop her.”

“Got it.”

Leo, the epitome of a well-behaved guy, wouldn’t even consider drinking when he was told it was “acceptable.” He nodded seriously and trailed behind Claire.

“Aren’t you going to drink?”

Alice asked me, a smile playing at her lips.

“Alice, don’t you plan on drinking?”

“Well… um, not yet.”

Exactly. Even though Alice was a princess, she wasn’t that accustomed to such places. She thought that attending such an event would take away precious time she could spend studying to surpass me.

Probably her not drinking was because she didn’t know how much she could handle. If Alice were to research her drinking capacity, she would probably experiment in her room, gradually drinking until she found out how much she could drink, and then do just that in front of others.

“You thought well.”

Charlotte said, responding to Alice’s comment.

“In fact, even if you do drink, it’s not all that enjoyable.”

“That’s unexpected.”

Alice shot back at Charlotte’s comment.

“Velbur is one of the main wine regions! That champagne is even named after a region of Velbur. But can a Velbur resident not drink?”

“…Then can Alice eat eel jelly or something?”

“Eel… what?”

Alice questioned Charlotte’s somewhat random rebuttal.

“It’s a jelly made by solidifying both eel oil and eel meat at once.”

“Why would you eat something like that?”

Alice said with a look of disbelief at my explanation. Well, indeed, if there’s an eel, you should think of grilling it instead of preparing it in such a way.

“It’s a proud traditional dish of the Empire of Aetherna, you know.”

Well, it wasn’t exactly traditional, but it was indeed true that it was an imperial dish.

“…”

Alice had no rebuttal to Charlotte’s comment.

*

That said, not all foods from the Empire are inedible.

In fact, dishes like eel jelly and toast were fundamentally prepared for people to eat, so they could be consumed without issue. The problem was that they didn’t taste good.

Mostly, such odd dishes were created from strange ingredients because of unfortunate circumstances, but it didn’t usually lead to fatal endings… Uh, well, sometimes it did, but they weren’t exactly life-threatening.

However, such foods were generally the fare of the impoverished lower classes, and the dishes served at a banquet like this were completely different from those.

“Lady Crowfield.”

Even though Mia Crowfield was formally invited as the Count’s daughter and not just brought in by Jake, she was still separated from the others, unable to mingle joyfully.

In fact, she didn’t have many friends at the academy either. She was the type who wouldn’t say much unless someone else approached her first.

Even though she had the title of Count’s daughter, it seemed not many people were inclined to approach her especially after the incident involving Count Crowfield’s murder.

If someone were to have the Duke title, they probably wouldn’t pay much mind to such things, but those types were generally kind to all noble youths.

“The party—”

I was going to ask if she was enjoying herself, but then I caught sight of the biscuits in Mia Crowfield’s hands and fell silent.

It seemed she was indeed enjoying the banquet in her own way.

Noticing my gaze, Mia Crowfield couldn’t put the food down, nor could she shove everything into her mouth at once, and was fidgeting restlessly instead.

I silently walked over, picked up a biscuit from nearby, and put it in my mouth.

“It’s soft and delicious.”

I commented. The fact that it tasted good was genuine. I had given Mia Crowfield time to chew and swallow what she had in her mouth.

“Y, yes, it is.”

Mia Crowfield barely managed to swallow the biscuit I had given her time and then responded. Unfortunately, she still had one biscuit in each hand.

“It seems you aren’t used to coming to places like this often.”

“Well, um, right?”

Why was her answer phrased as a question?

Was she still that scared of me?

Well… I mean, if we switched places and looked at it that way, it wouldn’t be so easy to settle feelings. No matter how bad a guy her father was behind her back, he must have been a good father to Mia Crowfield… well, it’s questionable whether he really was a ‘good’ father after reflecting on what he did behind closed doors, but at least he must have treated her kindly when she was in front of him.

If someone like that got murdered and the murderer was right in front of her, well, that makes sense.

Mia Crowfield was now fifteen years old.

Thinking it might just raise her guard if I continued to engage in conversation, I shrugged and attempted to back away. Even though I was an outcast, I knew that outcasts generally don’t like being fussed over. Letting them have their time undisturbed was actually better for relationship improvement.

“Um, excuse me.”

But as I was about to back away, Mia Crowfield called out to me.

Of course, she did it verbally, as her hands were still busy with biscuits. Well, even if they were empty, it wasn’t like she’d have anything to hold on to anyway.

When I turned to look back, Mia Crowfield had a surprised expression on her face. She seemed surprised by the fact that she had called me over.

“Um….”

Mia Crowfield looked conflicted as she fumbled with her words, glancing around, and finally asked,

“Are you, um, enjoying yourself, Your Highness?”

“…”

I turned my gaze.

In the distance, Claire and Leo were quarreling about something. Charlotte and Alice were bickering with each other, and Sophia was somehow caught in the middle of it. Jake was as always flirting with Roti.

Even among the students all dressed in the same uniforms, those kids stood out like a splash of color in a black-and-white photograph to my eyes.

“Yes, I’m enjoying it.”

“R, really?”

And then there was a pause in our conversation.

Mia Crowfield seemed to have something to say but didn’t seem to know how to continue the conversation, opening and closing her mouth repeatedly.

“I’m just glad the two of you are enjoying yourselves.”

Then, someone else jumped into our brief conversation break.

He was a tall man with golden mustaches, curled at the end like a painting, and his skin bronzed like Jake’s from the sun.

Although his aura was similar to Jake’s, the heaviness of his presence didn’t carry the same hooligan feel.

“Princess Fanggriffon.”

The man bowed gracefully toward me.

“And Lady Crowfield.”

Then he bowed once more toward Mia Crowfield.

“Duke Lindbergh.”

As I responded to his greeting, I noticed Mia Crowfield’s mouth slightly agape.

Chapter 162

“Isn’t the food really delicious?”

Despite his tall stature and very masculine appearance giving a somewhat intimidating first impression, his voice as he spoke to us was incredibly soft and gentlemanly. You could almost picture him as a gentleman from the early 20th century.

Noticing the Duke’s gaze directed at the biscuit in his hand, Mia Crowfield’s face flushed red. As she noticed this, a warm smile spread across Lindbergh Duke’s face. His mustache, which was already curled at the sides, seemed to rise further with the movement of his upper lip.

“You need not worry too much. All the food here is prepared by top chefs who have come over from the mainland. We certainly can’t serve our guests dishes made by colonists.”

“Is, is that so?”

Mia Crowfield replied absentmindedly. The Duke offered her another gentle smile before alternating his gaze between her and me.

“It is a different environment than the mainland in many ways, but I hope your health is fine?”

“I’m okay.”

“Ah, yes, me too… Thank you for your concern?”

Mia Crowfield still seemed puzzled by why the Duke was speaking to us.

If I suddenly found out that my friend’s parents invited us to a party out of curiosity to see if there was a suitable girl for their son, I’d be baffled too. It might not be so strange in this world, though.

Indeed, from the edges of my line of sight, I saw a few girls trying to talk to Jake. They were all daughters from prestigious families. It seemed that Roti, who was beside Jake, was paying no attention to them at all.

“I hear you both are in the same class as Jake.”

“That’s right.”

I replied politely while studying the Duke’s expression closely. He looked genuinely curious about what kind of people his child’s friends were.

The Duke’s gaze shifted from Mia Crowfield to me.

“I wonder how close you are with my child. Is Jake behaving appropriately?”

“At least he hasn’t been rude.”

“Is that so?”

The Duke appeared pleased with my words.

He then turned his attention to Jake.

Jake was skillfully maneuvering away from the girls trying to engage him. It didn’t look like he was outright escaping; he was just slowly redirecting the conversation.

The Duke, seemingly not having expectations for Jake’s behavior, turned his focus back to us.

“I’ve seen the Countess Crowfield a few times already. Though it was many years ago when she was still quite young, you may not remember.”

Mia Crowfield shook her head. The Duke seemed unconcerned.

“Now that we’ve met in the same place, we should remember each other from here on. If you happen to encounter any troubles within my territory, please feel free to come to me. I will do my utmost to help you with anything.”

Did he interpret Mia Crowfield’s timid nature as being proper? It seemed he rather liked her.

After all, from a noble’s perspective, she likely looked better compared to Roti in every way. Most importantly, Mia Crowfield had no siblings or father. Perhaps Jake might inherit the Count’s territory after all.

“The Crown Princess is, of course, the same. Due to the vast sea in between, the Empire’s influence may be somewhat difficult to navigate. My Ducal House will serve as loyal vassals to the Emperor.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

…And it seemed the Duke also liked me. After all, I’m the child of royalty. Although it was known that there was no flowing bloodline, still…

I wonder how Lindbergh Duke will react when he learns that Claire has the Emperor’s blood running through her. Will he be pleased that she showed up without an invitation?

Well, maybe he wouldn’t even need to know; he’d likely be pleased anyway. After all, it would mean that Jake brought a “woman not invited.” She may be a Baroness, but she’s from a noble family within the Imperial Capital, so receiving information from the Capital would certainly be beneficial. The Duke would see her as a much better choice compared to Roti.

“Oh dear, I hope this old man hasn’t interrupted the ladies’ conversation. Please, enjoy the remaining time.”

As he slightly bowed his head to us, Mia Crowfield and I each grasped the ends of our skirts and curtsied.

“What was he trying to say…?”

Mia Crowfield murmured while watching the Duke’s retreating figure. I’m just glad we had something to talk about now. Otherwise, it would have just been awkward silence.

The Duke leisurely walked towards Alice, Charlotte, and Sophia.

“Jake is at the age where he should probably have a fiancée.”

“Excuse me?”

Mia Crowfield blurted out in surprise. She almost dropped the biscuit she was holding.

“But, Jake… he has Roti, right?”

Hmm.

Roti, huh.

That was truly a Mia Crowfield-like way to refer to her. Come to think of it, I hadn’t witnessed the two of them talking. They weren’t the type to initiate conversation.

“That is—”

“Hey!”

Before I could explain anything, someone shouted loudly.

It seemed a maid had made some kind of blunder. The maid, looking somewhat local with her dark skin, was bowing her waist repeatedly in apology.

The shouting man was sporting purple-stained clothing. Has he spilled wine or something?

Judging by the broken glass on the floor, it looked like a collision had taken place.

…In the original story, it was the man who bumped into someone.

“Do you have any idea how much this outfit costs?”

“I’m really sorry…”

The maid apologized while bowing. The maid who was lowering herself was quite a beauty. She was clearly older than us, but she certainly didn’t look old.

“I—”

“Are you going to pay for it? Hmm? Do you even have the funds for that?”

Probably not, of course. That outfit must cost a fortune.

The man with black hair was a minor character in the governor’s office. I don’t think he had a name.

And as for the maid—

“I’m really sorry.”

Just as the man was about to shout again, someone else stepped in.

“Oh, young master.”

“This maid works for our family. A maid’s mistake is the master’s mistake, after all. If it comes to financial compensation, I will handle it.”

Jake’s words instantly changed the man’s expression to one of politeness.

“Ah, no, that’s not necessary. She made a mistake, after all. There’s really no need for you to say that.”

“But, as I said, this maid also works for our family.”

“Young master…”

The maid looked flustered, trying to dissuade Jake, but he waved his hand slightly, as if to tell her to step back.

And in the midst of that, another person intervened.

The girl approached silently with an expressionless face, kneeling down to start picking up the scattered glass shards from the floor.

“….”

The flustered maid quickly knelt beside her to help clean up as well.

The murmuring noise grew louder.

The girl picking up the shards was wearing a school uniform too.

“Roti…?”

I heard someone beside me whisper that.

“Roti.”

Jake tried to state casually, but Roti continued her meticulous work without bothering to raise her head.

Most of the students were whispering amongst themselves about Roti, considering her just another face in the crowd, but—

The kids who knew Jake over the past semester, like Alice, Charlotte, Claire, Leo, and Mia Crowfield, all wore puzzled expressions.

Mia Crowfield glanced back and forth between the maid and Roti, then uttered,

“…Huh?”

As if realizing something, she spoke up.

It seemed that others were having similar thoughts as well.

The maid’s face closely resembled Roti’s.

And taking the age difference into account…

It wasn’t out of the question to assume they were mother and daughter. Roti appeared youthful for her age, and the maid seemed mature.

But at the same time, there was a peculiar atmosphere that would also imply “sisters with a significant age gap.”

In reality, the age gap between them wasn’t even that large, just twenty years apart.

More accurately, it was seventeen years.

While the actual relationship was the former, not the latter.

“Could it be…?”

I refrained from answering Mia Crowfield’s murmured speculation.

Even without answering, she could accurately grasp the reason why Jake and Roti could not marry.

Blue blood and common blood.

In the eyes of society, that was the relationship between them.

Chapter 163

“Alright, what should we do?”

The reason I came all the way here was that I wanted to see Jake and Roti as a couple. It was one of the relatively significant episodes in the original.

To be precise, Alice and Leo’s story was also an important episode, but that relationship has changed in many ways from the original.

In the original, Alice stops Leo from going to help Roti. That was the reason their relationship momentarily became a bit distant… Hmm.

I turned my gaze toward Leo. Leo, of course, looked like he was about to cling onto Claire as well.

Alice didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping them. She had much more composure than the original Alice and probably didn’t have to worry about her position being reduced because of something like this.

But I still couldn’t let Leo and Claire help Roti.

The two were from Baron Grace’s Estate. They weren’t even properly invited guests. The reason Alice stopped Leo in the original was the same. If Leo went to help Roti, a commoner, who had the blood of the oppressed natives from the colonies, without an invitation, his reputation would tank.

Here, we all came together at Jake’s suggestion, but in the original, it was Alice who crucially asked to come along. Alice, who had never been to such an event, asked to join just because she wanted to be with the guy she liked—precisely, that guy was Leo.

From Alice’s perspective, it would have been an effort to care about how the reputation of the man she brought was affected, but to Leo, it only seemed like discrimination against a fellow schoolmate—and well, that was the story.

In that case…

Fortunately, I was closer to Roti than Leo and Claire were.

I could reach Roti first just by walking normally.

I quietly went over and sat down right next to Roti.

There was no time for anyone to react.

Ironically, all eyes were on this side, so when I suddenly entered the view, there was no room for anyone to say anything.

“……”

Roti’s eyes, which always had a blank expression, grew wide for a moment. It wasn’t just Roti; her mother also looked the same. Both were staring at me in surprise.

Not only their gaze, but all the nobles’ attention was also directed at me.

The murmuring stopped. What followed was a suffocating silence.

I couldn’t do anything about the spilled wine on the floor, but at least I could quickly pick up the large pieces of glass. After all, it was just one wine glass that broke, and if those with wine-stained clothes didn’t loudly complain, it was something that could be cleaned up quickly.

I carefully placed the glass piece on the cloth held by Roti’s mother and covered it with the edge of the cloth. The hand holding it trembled as if it couldn’t handle the pressure.

All the maids and servants here must have heard about who the visitors today were.

And among those they had to be particularly careful about, I must be on that list.

“T-Thank you, Your Highness…”

“No need for that.”

I said that and stood up.

The nobles, unable to comprehend what was happening, looked at me with confused expressions.

I glanced at the face of that noble and then turned my gaze toward Jake. Jake’s expression also seemed complicated. Was it confusion?

“You mentioned earlier that compensation for the dress would be handled from Lindbergh side, correct?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Then it’s simply a matter of processing that and ending it here. Is there really a reason to ruin the banquet atmosphere by getting angry on a nice day?”

When I looked back at the nobles, this time their faces turned pale.

In the original, Leo would have used more courtesy and provided a more suitable reason. To be precise, if you choose the right options here, you could earn bonus points, and the official story progression was to obtain those bonus points.

But I didn’t feel the need to do that.

If they truly disliked it, they could just come to the Imperial Palace in the Imperial Capital.

“N-No, I’m sorry. I didn’t grasp the atmosphere.”

And it turned out that this was more effective.

By making it seem like I helped the two because I was nice, I could create the justification that I stepped in to handle a situation I couldn’t stand due to the shattered atmosphere.

The noble quickly regained his composure and retreated. It seemed he wanted to get as far away from me as possible.

“Sylvia.”

As that noble’s back faded away, and as the silence began to break with murmuring again, Alice approached me.

Alice hesitated for a while, seemingly unsure of what to say, then finally smiled and said, “You did great.”

I shrugged without saying much.

“…Thank you.”

Roti’s voice came through. When I turned my head, Roti and her mother were looking my way. Roti still had a bit of wine on her knees, and her mother’s maid outfit was also covered in wine.

However, it seemed that no one had cut themselves on the glass. The cloth must have been thick enough.

“There’s no need to thank me. I just didn’t like the atmosphere.”

“……”

Still, the two of them slightly bowed their waists towards me and gradually retreated.

“Impressive.”

And only then did Jake start talking to me.

“That reaction in such a situation… that’s not typical behavior for a noble or royal. Ah, I’m not criticizing. I just wanted to say thank you.”

And then he fell silent, gazing at me.

As the son of a duke, he probably had his share of complex stories. Well, since Duke Lindbergh didn’t show any signs of directly being wary of me, it didn’t seem like he treated me as an assassin.

“Like I told Roti, there’s really no need to thank me. I just disliked that atmosphere.”

I said that and turned away without any lingering feelings.

Then, I walked over to where Mia Crowfield was still blankly standing.

Hmm.

Did I appear a bit cool?

*

Should I call it fortunate or unfortunate? That incident didn’t completely ruin the atmosphere.

Duke Lindbergh, as if nothing had happened, continued to circulate around the banquet hall, chatting with the invited students one by one.

Even to those who entered without invitations, like Leo and Claire, the duke seemed quite interested.

Seeing the two of them respond while sweating bullets made it look like the duke hadn’t said anything particularly harsh. Did he know that Claire was an adopted child?

Well, probably not something the duke cared about. After all, even if she was an adopted child, her status was undoubtedly noble. Just thinking that even I, known as an adopted child, was seen as a potential match for his son made it seem that Duke Lindbergh had quite an open mindset.

Though that open-mindedness doesn’t apply to everyone.

I wasn’t specifically drinking or anything. It’s not that I disliked alcohol in my previous life, but my tastes were terribly cheap. Rather than expensive wine with a nice aroma, I preferred cheap beer or diluted sake that could be bought at a convenience store.

…In fact, there were snack-related issues, too. If there had been some spicy Korean dish, would I have ended up drinking vodka?

“…Your Highness.”

I might not have been drinking, but the smell of alcohol wasn’t absent from the banquet hall. I had been feeling a bit off after being in such an environment for a while, so I stepped out to the nearby terrace for some fresh air.

The voice that came from behind me was Roti’s.

“Roti.”

When I turned slightly to address her, Roti politely bowed her head.

“There’s no need for formalities. We’re just students from the same school until we graduate.”

“……”

Roti didn’t respond to that remark.

I tapped the terrace railing in anticipation of my departure. Roti looked like she hesitated for a moment and then began to walk toward me.

However, unlike what I intended, she didn’t lean against me. Instead, she stood a step behind me, diagonal from where I was standing, leaving me no choice but to turn around.

The bright light pouring in from the window cast a shadow over Roti’s face. Her expression was generally blank, but the shadow made it hard to read even the faintest changes in it.

“Do you have something you want to say?”

“……”

At my question, Roti fell silent again, seemingly contemplating something, before slowly opening her mouth.

“Did you know what my relationship with that maid was about earlier?”

Well, there was no need to hide it.

I stepped away from the railing and walked forward. Roti hurriedly turned her body to create space. It seemed she thought I was going to ignore her and try to leave.

But I merely drew the curtain of the terrace window.

If someone had made up their mind to eavesdrop, I couldn’t help it, but for now, it was a personal matter after all.

Chapter 164

“Honestly, if there’s someone observant among those present, they would have noticed.”

I spoke calmly.

In truth, Mia Crowfield glanced back and forth between Roti and Roti’s mother, clearly surprised. They resembled each other that much.

If they only looked alike, she might not have recognized them. After all, unless you were a notable flirt, there’s really no reason to scrutinize a maid’s face. And considering this world… in a setting that blatantly embodies the early 20th century, a woman over thirty isn’t regarded as particularly attractive.

Sure, there are remarried widows or women who’ve switched husbands multiple times, but those characters are usually from noble families. They’re not the maids without a background.

“It was crucial that you went to help them directly.”

Even if I hadn’t known the background in advance, I would have caught on just by seeing this. Setting aside the fact that the two resembled each other, Roti was connected to Jake.

“Is that so…?”

Roti’s voice lacked strength. It seemed she wasn’t accustomed to the situation, unlike her usual bubbly self when she was with Jake.

Her expression was neutral, so it wasn’t as obvious as Jake, yet she clearly didn’t seem comfortable being here.

This moment revealed that Roti had relaxed a lot while at the academy.

“Do you think that might be a major issue?”

In response to my question, Roti lowered her head, lost in thought.

“…I suppose it could be an issue. That action back then might have… been a mistake on my part.”

Hmm.

As I listened to her story, I found it somewhat amusing.

While I had seen Roti’s face quite often, I had rarely had a conversation with her face-to-face. We weren’t classmates, and whenever I saw Roti, she was usually with Jake. He was always the one chatting away. Unless someone spoke to her, Roti wouldn’t approach anyone.

“You can’t call helping your parents a mistake.”

I spoke as calmly as I could, trying to eliminate any emotions from my voice. Any mix of emotions could end up sounding unpleasant to Roti.

Upon hearing my words, Roti lifted her head to look at me.

She had regained her composure, her face returning to a neutral expression.

“Why did the Crown Princess help us back then?”

“…”

I gazed quietly at Roti.

“I already stated my reason.”

“Are you saying it was simply due to the atmosphere?”

Hmm.

Did I let my guard down needlessly?

Well, in the original story, Roti had a hard time accepting Leo’s help too. It was incomprehensible that a noble unrelated to her would help her.

In the end, she accepted Jake’s assistance, suggesting it was just a difference in familiarity.

Thinking back, if Jake hadn’t been around, I probably could have pursued my own storyline. The plot feels completely like a dating sim, after all.

“It could also be due to the atmosphere.”

I turned to lean against the railing.

Even in a world devoid of electricity, this city was incredibly bright. The gas lamps lining the streets and the lights visible through the windows of houses far away were enough to illuminate the city.

Well, maybe the smog spewing all day made the stars nearly invisible in the sky. No, there were areas that belched out smoke even at night. In this era, labor rights wouldn’t have been a priority even at night.

“There could have been festivity in the air, and the atmosphere regarding the situation might have contributed as well.”

I paused briefly in my speech.

“I have no parents.”

I said this.

Though I couldn’t see Roti’s face or hear her voice, it was easy to imagine she had tensed up from behind me.

“I can’t tell you more details, but if you’ve heard stories regarding the royal family, you know that Alice is the only one truly inheriting the Emperor’s blood.”

To be more precise, everyone except me shares the Emperor’s blood, but there’s no need to mention that detail.

“I won’t say I envy you. Everyone has painful memories, and it’s not something to empathize with so lightly. Even if you think you empathize, you won’t truly know until you experience the same thing directly.”

I directed my words at the silent Roti.

“However, if your biological parents are both alive… or at least one of them is, and if there’s someone who could help them regardless of the time or situation, I would certainly be willing to help that person.”

“….”

Roti remained silent for a while, then said softly,

“…Thank you.”

That was all.

*

“Roti.”

As she finished her conversation with the Crown Princess and stepped out from behind the curtains, someone called out to her.

There was no need to confirm the face. It was her master, the one whose voice she recognized her whole life.

Jake was leaning against a lantern next to the entrance to the terrace, seemingly having seen Roti go to Sylvia, the Crown Princess.

“Did you hear?”

“No, those curtains are thicker than expected. Thanks to that, with the curtains drawn, I couldn’t hear what kind of conversation they were having—completely drowned out by the party noise.”

Roti recalled the Crown Princess’s earlier demeanor. Whenever she maintained that calm expression, it felt like she wouldn’t even flinch if she overheard something like that.

And that information likely wasn’t too critical either. If she directly told Roti about it, it wouldn’t be something of great importance.

Most of the Emperor’s children are orphans, and that rumor had clearly reached Roti as well.

“So, how is Sylvia?”

“….”

Roti briefly opened her mouth at that remark, but closed it again.

Earlier, when a hand had unexpectedly popped out beside her while helping her mother, she really was startled. Her expression even fell momentarily.

And she had her doubts.

While Jake didn’t seem to have any strange thoughts, Sylvia… Sylvia Fanggriffon, the Crown Princess, was someone to be cautious of.

Even when the Duke’s household had put Roti next to Jake, they had expressed similar concerns.

However, the more they spoke, the less it felt like she was someone devoid of compassion. Even when they first met at the academy, it had seemed she was a person who could care, despite initially appearing as someone to be on guard against.

“Did Sylvia… say something bad about you?”

Even Jake asked this, but he didn’t sound convinced. Roti felt the need to ask, just in case.

“Do you think so?”

“Well, I don’t think so.”

Jake briefly furrowed his brows.

“That… it was like at the academy. I had heard there were some who called you out to threaten you.”

“Those people are completely different.”

The attitudes of the commoners in the lower class varied. Some discriminated against her because she was a resident of Crowfield, while others didn’t dare speak to her due to her association with the Duke’s family.

Among those who discriminated, a few even overstepped their boundaries.

…Commoners aiming to rise in status by marrying Jake would try to manipulate or intimidate Roti, his maid.

There were plenty who didn’t realize Roti was there to fend them off under the guise of assisting Jake.

“And I approached her first. The Crown Princess didn’t say anything.”

“That’s right. Sylvia has that characteristic.”

At Jake’s response, Roti’s eyes widened slightly.

While he usually maintained a light demeanor, Jake wasn’t the type to easily trust people. No matter how high someone was in the royal family—or precisely because they were from such a family—Jake would require a consistently aligned behavior to build that trust, whether it was a noble or a commoner.

Otherwise… they would just be ‘that kind of person.’

For a brief moment, Roti’s heart skipped a beat.

It was intrusive to think this, but she had felt a strange camaraderie with Sylvia during their conversation earlier… a peculiar sense of intimacy.

Yet seeing how Jake portrayed Sylvia like that left Roti…

“….”

And then that thought abruptly vanished.

I nearly chuckled in surprise at my own fleeting thought.

Jealousy.

That’s the last emotion that would suit Roti. Jealousy. It was an emotion she had no need to feel.

After all, Jake would eventually marry someone else.

Roti…

Hmm.

“Uh, did I just almost laugh?”

Jake, who was familiar with Roti’s expressions, commented.

“No.”

“Are you sure? Because I saw it.”

“No.”

Even as Roti replied firmly twice, Jake continued to pester her from behind, but it didn’t matter. That was the usual Jake.

At the very least, Jake’s behavior here was enough for her.

After all, Roti could never be first.

So, wouldn’t it be enough to just be by his side?

There hadn’t been anyone else particularly catching her eye until now… so, judging from a rather presumptuous personal evaluation, if someone like Sylvia the Crown Princess ended up being her master, Roti wouldn’t have any major complaints.

Chapter 165

“Rena, where were you yesterday?”

Charlotte asked Rena while they were having breakfast.

Now that I think about it, Rena wasn’t there when Claire and Leo got a direct invitation from Jake. I don’t even know if she received the invitation or not… but judging by the atmosphere, it seemed she had no idea about it.

After arriving at the hotel by bus, she disappeared right as free time started and hadn’t shown up until this morning.

No, more importantly, who is Rena sharing a room with?

“I went to the weapon shop yesterday.”

“The weapon shop? Were you there all day?”

Charlotte was surprised by Rena’s words and asked, to which Rena nodded.

“I received information that there are unique weapons I’ve never seen before, given that the climate here is completely opposite to the North. I went to confirm their usability yesterday.”

She hadn’t talked to anyone on the airship and seemed to have been looking at some catalog, probably guns.

“Did you find any decent weapons?”

Alice asked with a face that seemed hard to resist.

Rena looked unsure whether to nod or tilt her head.

“Actually, I’m not sure how to judge.”

After a brief moment of contemplation, Rena said, “There were a few interesting weapons specialized for this climate and beast hunting, but I’m not sure if they can be used for military purposes.”

She said that in a slightly hesitant voice.

Are there specific firearms specialized for certain climates?

Well, I heard that in places like the former Soviet Union, the cold weather caused frequent gun malfunctions, so they made the internals simpler to reduce the chance of breakdowns, and made the trigger pulls bigger so you could shoot even with thick gloves on…

But do they really need to worry about that here, where the temperatures are generally high?

I’m not an expert, so I can’t say, but for some reason, I’m intrigued. I used to have a bit of interest in firearms in my previous life. Of course, I never had the chance to actually buy any since owning guns is almost banned in my country.

In the original story, no matter which shop you went to, they only sold a limited variety of weapons. The weapons usable by each character were predetermined, so changing weapons didn’t alter the modeling either.

I was interested but hesitated to suggest going to check them out first. Thankfully, someone spoke up for me.

“Is that so?”

Charlotte said nonchalantly, but her eyes sparkled a bit. It seemed she was interested not so much because of the firearms themselves, but because they were ‘Empire weapons.’ Even if they were civilian firearms, military weapons are generally modified from those civilian versions.

“Well then, should we check it out after breakfast?”

“Are you interested in such things?”

Charlotte shrugged at Rena’s words.

“Well, Sylvia seems a bit interested.”

“……”

Seeing Charlotte smirk while glancing at me made all my previous grateful feelings disappear.

Did she just throw me under the bus, or is she starting to read my expressions and gestures?

I noticed Alice’s surprised wide-eyed expression and felt the need to change the subject.

“By the way, Rena. Who are you sharing a room with?”

It was a way to change the topic, but it suddenly came to mind. The others were all with their classmates.

I’m somewhat close to Rena, having ended up sharing a room with Alice, so who on earth is Rena with—

“I share a room with Teacher Jennifer.”

Gasp.

All three of us—me, Charlotte, and Alice—froze, but Rena seemed oblivious.

“Teacher is an excellent person. Last night I got to hear about various real combat experiences—”

Rena spoke proudly, her expression not one of someone forcing out a story.

Well, I know Jennifer is a decent person, but…

Is it really okay to share a room with a teacher here?

*

It wasn’t until we had finished our meal that Claire, Leo, and Sophia returned.

It seemed that Claire and Leo got pretty friendly during the party yesterday, dragging each other out on a request at the crack of dawn.

The sight of them stumbling in looking a bit lost was somewhat pitiful.

With the original appearance nowhere to be found, Leo and Claire’s workout seemed a bit unusual even in the eyes of the Papal State knights.

For reference, I had already given up following those two. Even though I learned meditation, I could never fully shake off my mental fatigue. More than anything, I couldn’t adapt to the feeling of waking up at dawn to work.

“Did you eat?”

At my question, Leo and Claire nodded right away.

“Yeah. We had breakfast before going out.”

I thought the kitchen staff at the hotel had a tough time, but I had the sense not to voice that.

“What about Mia?”

“She seems to still be asleep in her room.”

I answered Claire’s question.

“Were you out somewhere?”

“To a nearby weapon shop. I heard there are unique weapons only sold in this area.”

This time, it was Sophia who asked, and Alice replied.

“Oh, really? Can we go together?”

“I don’t mind if you come along…”

Claire asked excitedly, and I subtly glanced at Sophia. A clear thought of ‘I just want to relax’ was written all over her face. Anyone would feel that way. Just getting through what they did in the early morning probably wrapped up a few days’ worth of requests.

“I, I remember I have things to do!”

“Really?”

Claire’s disappointed expression surfaced at Sophia’s shout. Seeing that face, Sophia seemed to get a chill down her spine, saying sorry multiple times, waving her hands, and running eagerly toward the elevator.

“…Did we make it too hard for her?”

No one answered Leo’s question. Only Claire cocked her head.

*

Surprisingly, this world uses a mix of international standards like yard-pound system and centimeters.

It’s really fortunate that the more commonly used standard in everyday life is the metric system, like meters or grams. Currency still uses both base-12 and base-20 systems, though.

It seems like the developers tried to align the units with the imperial system as it was during the industrial revolution but got fed up with the damn irregularities of yard-pound and gave up, which is what some players guess.

Because of that, it seems the everyday was metric, but the military stuck to the yard-pound, which is why caliber measures are presented in inches.

For example, right now I’m looking at a .600 Nitro Express.

I somewhat understand why “Nitro Express” got that name, but the “.600” part is beyond me. After all, isn’t it just 0.6 inches? Do we really need to specify .600 inches?

… I thought about that, absolutely irrelevant thought, as the bullet was ridiculously huge.

“It’s a bullet that delivers a 0.6-inch diameter projectile packed tightly with nitrocellulose in this enormous casing, a high-powered bullet meant to take down any foes. Naturally, the firearms using it are very sturdy and reliable.”

It really didn’t look like something made to shoot at a person’s head.

“It’s a bullet capable of taking down elephants or rhinoceroses. What do you think? Wouldn’t it be perfect for performing requests here? If you feel burdened about purchasing firearms, we also have a rental service during the practice period.”

I recalled the elephants and rhinoceroses that appeared in the original game. The elephants in this world shoot out lightning through their trunks, while the rhinoceroses are encased in a tough armor-like plating covering their entire faces.

… I might as well use such a bullet.

Crossing paths with a tank rifle might be a better option, though.

For reference, the gun the shopkeeper showed off looked more like a revolver that would be better off made into a rifle.

“Do you have rifles?”

“Of course!”

At my question, the shop owner’s face lit up, and he immediately pulled out a cardboard box from beneath the counter.

As he dusted it off and opened the box, there was a very simply-made bolt-action rifle inside.

“This is a single-shot bolt-action rifle. Just one shot! One shot to take down your prey, so you won’t need cartridges!”

While I half-listened to that sales pitch, I examined the firearm and spoke up.

“Can I use Marmaros as the bullet?”

“Excuse me?”

At my question, the weapon shopkeeper’s face froze momentarily.

Chapter 166

“Daegugyeongmarmarosutan? Why would I even need something like that?”

Alice’s expression seemed quite serious.

“I’m just making it in case there’s a day I might need it.”

Honestly, I don’t know if there’s a day I’ll actually use it or not. For now, I’m just making it. You never know when some special ammo might come in handy again on the battlefield.

But Alice seemed most worried about the fact that I ordered such ammo.

After all, I’ve been acting like I could read the future until now. It’s not unreasonable for her to think that my ordering such ammo implies that it will be ‘used someday.’

“I’m not predicting every future. I’m just preparing various things so that they might be useful in any situation since I don’t know what will happen.”

At least, it would be good when fighting against the huge summoned beasts that appear in the latter half of the story. Who knows, I might even be able to catch a gryphon.

“……”

It seemed Alice had nothing more to say, but she hadn’t completely let go of her suspicions.

By the time we returned to the hotel, lunch hour was nearly over.

The shop owner didn’t want to lose a customer, so they contacted the company making the ammo to see if they could create custom rounds and even promised to deliver it if it wasn’t finished while I was here, hence the paperwork and checks filled out.

Especially since the top-grade Marmaros is priced like a ridiculously expensive gem and is practically treated like top-tier luxury goods, we even had to take out a one-time insurance policy.

I wasn’t worried about money since the royal family would be covering it.

“By the way, can’t you catch a rhino with a sword or something?”

“……”

Hearing Leo mutter that, I finally understood why Sophia looked so ragged.

Even if they are both swordsmanship, there’s a difference between fighting humans and beasts. Even if Leo lost to Sophia in the second part of the story, I don’t think it would be the same as ‘rhino hunting’.

Moreover, the protagonists, including Leo, weren’t exactly mentally stable due to the circumstances at that time.

“You’re not using a sword but a gun.”

Claire said, tapping Leo’s back.

Well, that’s the case.

No matter how much I swing a sword, I can’t keep up with those two.

I just hope my skills won’t trip up the kids later.

“Um.”

Charlotte, who had been walking silently while listening to our conversation, suddenly made a sound.

“What’s up?”

“Oh, it’s nothing much. I see Jake and Roti over there.”

Charlotte spoke with a less-than-bright expression.

All four of them—Charlotte, Alice, Leo, and Claire—had the same look. They all remembered what happened yesterday.

“What happened yesterday?”

Rena seemed to catch the atmosphere and inquired.

“Ah, well…”

Alice opened her mouth to answer Rena, but then immediately closed it again. It was understandable.

Talking about the commoners and illegitimates was a frequent topic of discussion, but mentioning a friend that way would be quite rude.

Besides, Roti’s mother wasn’t just any commoner. Being a colonized resident, simply stating that fact could, in some way, come off as ‘insulting’.

“…….”

After seeing Alice’s expression, Rena didn’t press for any additional details.

“Still, we can’t just ignore it and move on.”

The first to speak up was Claire.

“……That’s true. Since we’re in the same school and Jake’s friend.”

As Leo said that, all eyes shifted to him, even Rena’s gaze.

“Why, why? Did I say something weird…?”

“Ugh.”

Claire let out a dramatic sigh so Leo could hear.

It seemed that among us here, Leo was the only one who didn’t know that Jake had a rational interest in Roti.

He never noticed the attention directed at him in the original story, after all.

While I was pondering whether reassuring Leo contradicted my character’s integrity or not,

“Hey!”

They had noticed us first from over there.

We couldn’t ignore Jake, who was beaming and waving at us, so we all gathered where Jake and Roti were.

“Where have you all gone together?”

“We just stopped by a weapons shop for a bit. I was curious about the weapons you use around here.”

“A….”

Jake’s expression turned a bit complex.

“Isn’t there anything useful? They’re mostly for hunting. With your skills, you could hunt without any of that, right?”

Oh.

From Jake’s question, it seemed he felt some resistance about capturing elephants or rhinos.

Did that happen in the original story too?

Come to think of it, Jake was rarely part of the party in this episode of the original work.

Not that he seemed like an environmentalist or a vegetarian or anything… But I decided to put that thought in the back of my mind for now.

“I could think of various ways to utilize something that large. I was just about to order some custom rounds.”

“Oh…?”

Jake shrugged his shoulders.

“If you think so, it must be useful then. Oh, right. Don’t just stand there, come sit down, will you? Although we’d probably have to use a few tables to seat everyone.”

“I’m just worried I’d be interrupting your time.”

Roti’s face didn’t show any signs of annoyance, but Roti was definitely someone who excelled at hiding her expressions.

“You are all welcome.”

I guess the phrase ‘after what happened yesterday’ didn’t come up because Rena was here.

After exchanging glances, we carefully took our seats… I ended up sitting at the same table as Jake and Rena.

…What’s this? No one arranged the seating, yet here I am.

I know Rena has been imitating me a bit since the start of the second semester, but I didn’t expect her to sit so boldly at the same table.

Well, it might feel more natural since the others went off to a different table on their own.

“Do you usually spend time like this?”

“Sure.”

Jake smiled as he said that.

“I’ve been doing this since childhood.”

“……”

Roti didn’t say anything at all.

“Are you childhood friends?”

“Oh?”

Jake reacted as if he was surprised by Rena’s question.

I have no memory of Jake and Rena talking directly. Not sure if it was because I was sitting beside her that she became more active or if she was just following my lead.

At the very least, Rena doesn’t seem shy like Mia Crowfield—her speech flows without any stuttering.

…So, did she just not feel the need to talk before?

“Does it look like that?”

“Otherwise, how could a guy and a girl be stuck together all the time?”

At those words, Roti flinched. Jake said “Oh” once more.

Rena looked at their strange reactions, tilting her head in confusion.

“You’re Rena Meyer, right?”

“Yes, I’d appreciate it if you just called me Meyer.”

…What a clear boundary.

“Then, Meyer.”

Jake smiled and asked.

“What do you think about love between commoners and nobles?”

“What reason is there to even think about it?”

“Is that so?”

I couldn’t help but admire Rena’s boldness.

No, maybe it’s not boldness; perhaps it’s just her mind being clear. It feels like if I asked her how to make a baby, she’d seriously contemplate it and then say something she picked up from somewhere.

“How about those two getting married?”

“Is there a legal issue that would cause a problem?”

“Um, well.”

Jake thought for a moment before responding.

“Marriage itself wouldn’t be a problem, but there could be complications regarding the status of a legitimate child.”

“……”

Throughout this conversation, Roti continued to be silent.

“If they marry from the outset, is there any reason to worry about legitimacy?”

Rena looked genuinely puzzled, glancing at me for confirmation.

“How about in the self-governing region?”

“If you said that in the self-governing region, you might get killed by the Baroness.”

“……”

“Pffft.”

I was left speechless by Rena’s remark, and Jake burst out laughing. Rena looked at Jake as if he were the odd one.

“Yeah, well, I definitely wouldn’t want to die; I’d better be careful.”

It seems the women of the Northern Region are even stronger than I thought.

Oh, wait, now that I think about it, that might actually be true. Just look at the receptionists at the information center and Jennifer.

“Then let me ask one last thing.”

Jake, having barely stopped laughing, asked with a slightly serious expression,

“What do you think about not being able to get married because of skin color?”

He posed the question.

Roti flinched again.

“There are many dark-skinned people in the North as well. Especially people near the snowy mountain base can get tanned from the sunlight reflecting off the white snow.”

“But someone’s skin color could be determined from birth.”

“Isn’t everyone’s skin color different from the moment they’re born?”

Rena seemed to have difficulty grasping the point of the ongoing conversation.

“Just like how the Crown Princess and Princess Silvia have slightly different skin tones, and Claire and Charlotte have slightly different skin tones—everyone’s skin color is different, right?”

“That’s an interesting point.”

Rena raised her eyebrows slightly at Jake’s comment.

“And I’ve never seen a ‘white’ version of you, Jake.”

Roti’s mouth dropped a bit.

After Rena fell silent for a moment, seemingly deep in thought,

“While skin color can be part of preference… If someone truly loves another person, and skin color isn’t part of their conditions, is there really a reason to stop that marriage?”

The more I listened to her talk, the more curious I became about what kind of country the self-governing region was. Whether it was the family education that shaped it, or if it was due to the circumstances of the self-governing region that made Rena think this way, or if it was simply her personality.

“Skin color can change easily depending on the situation, so I think judging a person solely by their skin color could lead to wrong conclusions in future evaluations.”

“Hey, I really like you.”

“……”

Upon hearing Jake’s remark, Rena subtly shifted her chair a bit closer to me.

…That last assessment clearly seems to include Jake’s skin color.

Of course, I wasn’t dense enough to mention that and ruin the mood.

Chapter 167

“Is it okay to form a team with kids from other classes?”

“It should be fine. That’s probably why they gathered us all together in the first place. Besides, our group formed not because the teachers decided our teams, but because we ended up sticking with the people we’re comfortable with. Do you really think expanding that to other classes would cause a huge problem?”

In the elite class of the academy, you’d only get to meet kids from other noble classes. Meeting commoners was simply not on the radar.

This was also true for the commoner class, which meant that unless you were a weird case like Jake, who actively sought out a specific friend, they wouldn’t even think about mingling with noble kids.

Moreover, this year’s noble class, especially Class A, was so ridiculously powerful that even the student council couldn’t touch them.

There were two beings who could potentially become the next emperor and one person who might become the future king… Sure, there was Count Crowfield, but there was also a Duke in the mix.

And with such people all stuck together, nobody—nobles or commoners—would even think to approach them. Reflecting on it, I could almost count on my hands how many times I saw other noble kids speak to me all semester long.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

As I stared at her face, Claire tilted her head in confusion.

Just how big is her social bubble?

Leo, who had recently gotten somewhat used to it, would turn pale every time he came near us at first.

Once I decided she was an ‘older sister’, Claire came right over and spoke to me with confidence, so it was clear that being a member of the Grace family had more than a normal amount of pressure.

Well, even in the original story, she was a character who casually talked back to Alice.

“…It’s nothing serious.”

“Oh really?”

Claire tilted her head again but didn’t say anything further.

“Anyway.”

Claire continued her conversation with Alice.

“The motto of the academy is ‘all students are equal within the academy’. I know that it’s not exactly followed, but at least that’s the idea. If you think about how I can talk to you like this.”

“That’s true, but…”

“So that’s the reason we’re all gathered here. While it would be a massive waste of time and money to send us in groups of four, I think they might actually want the kids in the academy to cooperate.”

“That’s pretty insightful of you—cough!”

Leo was yanked by his collar for saying something unnecessary next to her.

As if this was a usual occurrence, Claire glanced over at us with a smirk.

“Anyway, I’m in favor. Having Roti in the group won’t put us in danger, especially since Jake has proven his skills.”

“Hmm.”

Alice turned her head towards Charlotte.

“I agree… The beasts from the Southern Continent are notoriously ferocious. I’ve only seen them in a zoo, but wild ones would probably have a far worse temperament, right? Having an extra pair of hands wouldn’t hurt.”

Hearing Charlotte’s opinion, Alice turned her gaze back to Roti.

Roti looked like a doll.

No, not just because of her appearance, which was doll-like, but because she hardly reacted to our conversation.

She just kept her gaze down, waiting silently to see if we were going to take her with us.

“Roti, are you feeling uncomfortable?”

Alice probably didn’t ask just because of her social status. From spending time together, she had picked up on how perceptive Roti was.

Jake wouldn’t just drag someone along by saying, “Let’s go!”

“I will follow your decision.”

Roti spoke in a calm and gentle voice.

“No, what I want to hear isn’t that…”

But then again, I wouldn’t really want to hear her say no.

Alice seemed to finally hold back a small sound, deciding to directly ask.

“You also… must have friends in your class. At least someone you hang out with or form a group with like us.”

If they suddenly snatched a child with many friends away, the kids she used to play with might feel bad.

But—

“…”

Roti didn’t give any particular answer.

Alice looked even more confused because of that lack of a response.

It was hard to judge whether this meant ‘I don’t want to but I have to follow you’ or if it just meant ‘I really don’t have anyone to go with.’

I knew the answer.

Roti had no friends.

The reason was that she was a colonist.

If Roti were Jake’s maid and a citizen of the Empire, it might not have been a problem at all. Rather, that fact might have even made her popular among the kids.

However, discrimination against colonists was prevalent even among the Empire’s citizens.

In a world without minimum wage or any job rights, workers were perishing left and right. And those dying in the Empire were mostly fair-skinned citizens.

Typically, such situations would lead to the kind of labor movements seen in Earth’s history, but in this world, there were none in sight. I wasn’t well-versed in the historic period of actual communist revolutions, but it felt like the story was unfolding a bit differently here.

The Emperor advised that wherever there were rebellious workers, they should just eliminate all the laborers and replace them with colonists.

Colonists were not slaves.

But even if they were paid amounts that were essentially slave wages, they had no say in it.

In the mainland, colonists were a thorough minority, existing in an environment that exploited them harshly.

With just a small number of colonists, there wouldn’t be a shift in the market. There simply weren’t enough of them to group together to resist, and they purposefully mixed them with classes that had issues or social tensions, making it even harder to unite. After all, they were forcibly gathered from completely different countries or tribes.

However, the workers in the Empire, who had never been taught these facts, only saw them as “those who steal jobs with astoundingly low wages.”

This setting was not presented in the main story but was instead included in the setting guide as an answer to questions like ‘Why didn’t a nationwide independence movement occur in the colonies?’ or ‘Why didn’t the workers unite to revolt?’

There may be some holes if we tried to apply it directly to actual history, but in the end, this is a world created by those people, and since it operates this way, there’s no reason to argue against it.

“Hmm…”

As Roti’s atmosphere grew gloomier from the discussion, Alice’s expression turned helpless.

Alice glanced my way. It was a look that pleaded for rescue.

Sister, huh?

A part of me wanted to tease her with that, but it felt too inappropriate given the mood, so I held back.

“Can Roti’s skills be trusted?”

I asked while looking toward Jake.

“Of course. Honestly, she might help even more than I do.”

Jake’s words seemed to resonate with everyone oddly.

Despite Jake’s appearance and slightly goofy demeanor, he had built a lot of trust after completing several requests together.

The only one who tilted her head curiously was Sophia.

“Well, she said she uses firearms.”

Alice shot a quick look at Rena and me.

“Okay, then.”

Alice nodded.

“Let’s have her join us. Oh, and if you have any friends you want to bring along, just let us know. It’s fine if you want to bring someone along.”

“…I understand.”

But seeing Roti in that state…

Hmm, considering the original, there were other options. The commoner’s class was one I hadn’t touched, so there wasn’t much that could be changed there.

If I recall from the original story, not long after we started moving with Roti, there would be a girl who would approach us.

We could take her along.

As I was distracted by such thoughts, Alice looked at me with a suspicious glance.

…What’s this? Can she now read my mind?

*

“Since Leo and Claire already went on a request, let’s take it easy today.”

Alice said, directing her gaze at Jake.

“After all, you said there’s a lot to do, right?”

“Yeah.”

Jake answered nonchalantly at Alice’s question.

“It’s super vast here, and there’s almost no one to ‘manage’ things like us. You guys went hunting beasts, right?”

Jake spoke after noticing Leo and Claire nodding along.

“There are many other tasks available besides that. Since this trip lasts a week, let’s take it easy. I can guarantee you there won’t be a lack of work to do or any issue filling your quotas.”

Hmm, well.

I wonder if our earnest protagonists actually intend to lounge around like that?

Chapter 168

Roti is a hybrid character. BANG!

Basically, she uses firearms. Fitting her quiet image, the weapon she uses is a rifle. She safely provides fire support from the back of her party.

However, she doesn’t just use guns. Since she has talent in magic, it’s set that her magic-related skills are excellent. Although she falls slightly behind Mia Crowfield, a character completely focused on magic, Roti, being able to deal physical attacks and provide support with magic skills, has been quite useful in the party.

And the other civilian party member who follows Roti only uses firearms completely.

Still, having already dealt with Rena, I didn’t spend too much time worrying that my character would overlap with them.

Roti and I have completely different images. At first, I was a bit worried, but it turns out a cool dere character in love and a cool beauty character aren’t exactly the same.

The civilian character coming in afterward was quite lively by nature.

“Uh, um…!”

But, no matter how lively the character, I didn’t expect them to pop out like this.

WHOOSH!

Alice considered me a sister, and so did Claire, but that didn’t mean we were always stuck together.

I sometimes liked to enjoy my alone time, and both of them had enough sense to read that atmosphere.

Especially after the whirlwind of vacation, and with the remaining vacation time completely gone, I often found myself just lying on my bed blankly after the school started.

Alice and Claire most likely wouldn’t think I’d be languishing in bed, but they seemed to clearly notice that I was enjoying being in my room with the door closed.

So, I was alone now. Alice was chatting with Charlotte, and Mia Crowfield was still in the room.

Rena had gone up to check her firearm again for tomorrow. Was she stimulated by the fact that I bought new bullets today?

Sophia tried to talk to me but got caught by Claire and was dragged away. I was truly grateful for her consideration in not interrupting my alone time.

“Well then, I’ll head upstairs for a bit.”

“Oh, okay.”

As I stood up and spoke, Alice nodded.

“I’ll call you if I need anything.”

There was a guest phone near the lounge. It didn’t connect all the way across the sea, but it was good enough to connect to each room within the hotel.

…Still, I wished there was some electric technology that at least made wireless communication possible.

Well, even if it did, smartphones probably wouldn’t have been invented.

While drifting into thoughts that had nothing to do with anything, I moved my feet and met someone on the way to the elevator after leaving the lounge.

“Ah….”

It was a familiar face.

Since this character appears as a party member in the original work. However, their significance isn’t that great. They seem to have been included to fit the setting of “an academy with both nobles and commoners.”

Though they could still be interacted with, and while they didn’t have importance in the main quest, they had their own substantial personal side quests and relationship events.

But since this was the first encounter at this point, there was no need for either of us to greet each other warmly.

At least, that’s what I thought.

“Uh, um…!”

As I was passing by, she called me.

Hey there, maybe?

Honestly, I was a bit surprised.

No, it wasn’t that I thought that girl was rude or anything. Even if she looked like this, the prevailing thought from Earth had firmly stuck in my head, much stronger than the classism of this world.

More than that, I was a bit surprised that someone knew who I was, enough to call out to me like this.

“What can I do for you?”

As I turned toward her while saying this, she clearly showed a look of fluster on her face.

She had dark brown hair neatly tied at the back. A physique that suited a heroine. And pale skin.

The round glasses she wore were an unexpected touch, and some people wished they could see her take them off later on.

Her almond-shaped eyes were slightly droopy, with irises of a similar dark brown to her hair.

You could tell at a glance she had a “class president” vibe.

Naturally, there’s no such title as class president in an academy. Maybe a student council president?

If it were a commoner class, maybe it would work, but if they tried to designate a class president among nobles, it would turn into a real political war.

That said, there are characters who are trusted by the teacher as a “class president-like” figure.

And this girl was one of those characters.

“Ah, um….”

As she tried to continue speaking, she jumped back in surprise and took a step back.

Did a tiger jump out from behind me or something? It was such a move that I almost turned around, but it didn’t seem like that was the case.

I didn’t hear anyone else in the corridor aside from myself.

“W-Welcome, Your Highness.”

She awkwardly held the end of her skirt and bowed her head, which showed she wasn’t really used to such greetings.

You know that type of character, right?

A common character who would fit perfectly as the protagonist in a romance novel. They think of themselves as ordinary and insignificant, and they actually don’t have much to boast about at home, but they’ve come this far entirely on their own study skills, like a picture-perfect “commoner character.”

Despite being a commoner, she seemed to have quite a bit of interaction with the upper class, unlike some kids in her class, who evidently had no interaction with them at all.

She must have been quite unaware of how “clueless” she sounded by just talking to me at this point.

Well, putting that aside, I was already receiving a good impression from her.

Since she was included among the characters I liked in the original work.

“What can I do for you?”

The overly polite speech sounded a bit cold to her, causing her to flinch once more.

“I-I’m Lily Baker….”

Her introduction held firm even after I said it a second time, indicating she must have heard some saying that ‘nobles should reveal their status before talking to others.’

It seems she didn’t hear about ‘Never start a conversation by startling someone’ or ‘slowly approaching from the side allows the other to think before responding’ or ‘If the other gets straight to the point, it’s okay to skip the introduction.’

Well, even among nobles, few people stuck to such formalities.

“Miss Baker.”

As I nodded, Lily Baker finally spoke what she had to say.

“Is Roti… doing well?”

Hmm.

If my gender were a guy instead of a girl, this would be the perfect moment to dive straight into a romance route.

I didn’t feel particularly disappointed about that. Being a person who believes heroines should be paired with the protagonist, I likely wouldn’t have felt great if I unknowingly became an NTR character if she got closer to me.

“She’s doing well.”

In reality, if I had to say, I’d say my level of animosity toward her had likely decreased a lot since being in the commoner class. At least, there wasn’t anyone in our group trying to discriminate against Roti because of her skin color.

“Ah…”

Though she was worried about Roti and tried talking to me, it seems she didn’t think much about how to continue the conversation afterward.

“N-No, I mean, um….”

I quietly observed her before slowly opening my mouth.

“Is Roti not getting along well in her class?”

I brought up a topic that Jake would be very interested in.

“Um….”

Lily Baker couldn’t quite respond properly to that. But just that alone made it clear that Roti was not doing very well.

I decided not to pry too much.

“What weapon do you use?”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m asking what weapon you use during practice.”

“…I use a Winterfield rifle.”

The original rifle made at the Winterfield Arsenal was some kind of Austrian rifle, if I remembered correctly. I remembered the feature of simply pulling the loading handle back, unlike other bolt-action rifles.

“I see.”

I nodded.

If it were Earth, the ammunition might not be compatible, but in this world, since they were all made by the same empire, the ammo is interchangeable. Even if we were in the same party, it shouldn’t cause any significant problems.

“Then how about coming over and seeing it for yourself?”

“…Excuse me?”

“I’m asking if it wouldn’t be better to see it directly and make your own judgment rather than explaining it verbally.”

“…Y-Yes!?”

It was an incredibly manga-like surprise.

It’s nostalgic to see it after a long time.

Chapter 169

Am I being bullied right now? sfx: dramatic tension

Lily Baker pondered seriously.

Though she was common-born, she grew up in a fairly wealthy household. She took pride in starting her mornings earlier than most nobles.

Her parents ran a famous bakery in the Imperial Capital. If Lily hadn’t gone to the academy, she would be the one to inherit the bakery—or it would someday be passed on to her husband. Who that would be, she didn’t even know herself.

However, since she was enrolled in the academy, running the bakery may become a bit challenging. Her parents hoped she would rise higher, and Lily wanted that too. If she graduated with excellent grades after four years, it might just be possible.

Of course, without a care in the world—looking back now, she had no idea what she was thinking—she spoke to the Crown Princess.

Her homeroom teacher, Ada, had entrusted Lily with just about everything that a class representative would do. Announcing schedules to classmates, collecting assignments, relaying sudden notices… While it wasn’t stated outright, Lily seemed to hold a similar position as class representative for Class C. As time passed, it appeared that not just her homeroom teacher but also the other kids in her class accepted her role.

Therefore, even though no one assigned her the job, Lily felt a sense of responsibility.

Roti felt out of place in class.

When it came to hanging out after school, she was always with Jake.

There were various rumors about their relationship, but only a handful of people truly believed them. It just seemed illogical for the heir of the Duke’s household to see a commoner as a romantic partner. Usually, those rumors were simply good excuses for gossiping about someone.

In Lily’s case, she held onto a ‘what if’ feeling, but she knew that the reason Roti was by Jake’s side was clearly because of her role as a maid. Whether or not they had feelings for each other was something Lily wouldn’t know unless she asked directly.

And she had no plans to ask. After all, it was a personal matter.

The reason Lily spoke to the Crown Princess wasn’t due to that; it was purely an impulse driven by a sense of duty.

It was also somewhat due to guilt.

And the answer she received was—

“Uh, what should I do…?”

Lily, however, had quite a few friends. The half-year she had spent getting to know her peers her age was plenty of time to bond.

Of course, she couldn’t say she was as close to them as the kids she grew up with in the neighborhood, but that would be resolved as they continued to get to know one another.

Being in the southern territory of Lindbergh, a famous resort area, there were already friends with set plans—

What choices would her parents make?

The image of her parent’s faces, shouting “Seize the opportunity!” popped into Lily’s mind.

It wasn’t helpful at all.

“…Hoo.”

As she adjusted her slipping glasses with her hand, Lily spoke.

Alright.

Even though she hadn’t done any practical work together, watching the noble class students during lessons, she figured that her absence wouldn’t cause any significant issues for the noble class. Everyone was talented. Lily still remembered the mock battle led by Jennifer-sensei.

Experiencing comrades falling one by one to bullets that seemed to fly towards them in a situation she couldn’t see clearly was a memory she wouldn’t easily forget, even if it was virtual.

Jennifer was a noble and often heard people say that she only looked after the noble class. However, as she observed the movements of Crown Princess Sylvia Fanggriffon, those voices gradually diminished.

Yeah, that’s right.

So, this could be the benevolence of Princess Sylvia.

She was merely given the opportunity to come check on whether Roti was struggling or doing well.

Thus, waking up early tomorrow morning to decline wouldn’t be a big issue—

—she thought naively.

Then, when someone knocked on her door around four in the morning, she reconsidered.

Is this, like, bullying? sfx: suspicious thoughts

*

“There’s no need to worry about that.”

Claire said, as bright as a morning sun, even after waking up early.

Since she had already mentioned it the previous evening, Lily Baker’s existence quickly fit among them.

It was slightly ambiguous to call her common-born… but people like Sophia, who was common but not really, and Roti, an outright commoner, were already part of their group. Even if she tried to refuse now, her status couldn’t serve as an excuse.

Moreover, her claim of having plans with friends was—

“So you agreed to meet at ten in the morning, right? Then let’s finish this quickly and meet comfortably!”

With Claire’s terrifying logic, all reasoning fell apart.

Looking at Alice and Charlotte behind her, the thoughts of ‘does that make sense?’ transitioned to ‘but she must be serious.’

At first, Lily Baker wore a doubtful expression as if she were unsure about her ears, but after seeing Alice and Charlotte’s faces, she changed to doubt the whole situation.

Since their gazes were on me, I stared blankly back at them with a straight face.

Why. What. Why.

You were the one who spoke first!

“Your name was Lily, right?”

Leo, who was beside Claire, spoke up, and Lily Baker’s face turned crimson.

Though I couldn’t tell if it was because of me, Leo seemed to be unconsciously showcasing his harem protagonist talents within our group. Still, as a harem protagonist, he looked quite handsome. Plus, he was tall and broad-shouldered.

That meant he was directly the type of guy girls found popular.

“Nice to meet you.”

As Leo smiled and extended his hand, Lily Baker looked utterly conflicted, wondering if she should grab her skirt or hold Leo’s hand.

Watching her like that was quite amusing.

After all, even in the original story, she was that character who ended up getting dragged into the group after following Roti around.

…

Hmm.

Is this bullying?

Who cares, she probably doesn’t even know!

I chuckled to myself while quietly watching the two.

*

Anyway.

Returning to the matters of Roti and Jake, I had a plan in mind.

Of course, I never intended to execute that plan right away.

To be precise, I needed to confirm a few things before putting it into action.

“Indeed, it seems too large and heavy for practical use.”

I said, holding a rifle that was almost as big as a .50 caliber sniper rifle.

At least, it was way too big to shoot while standing. Sure, anti-tank sniper rifles were also nearly that size, but I hadn’t shot one myself.

“Still, you’ve prepared a decent Marmaros tank for it.”

“That’s true, but…”

…I wondered if there’d really be a use for it unless it was absolutely necessary. Hmm, maybe it would come in handy to incinerate whoever was riding inside the carriage with the carriage itself.

“For now, let’s use it for hunting, and we’ll see later whether I can use it in actual combat.”

“Right, which weapons you choose is entirely up to you.”

Alice shrugged her shoulders casually.

However, the way Jake looked at the rifle I was carrying didn’t seem very approving.

…Given that animal protection laws hadn’t been enacted in this world yet, I began to wonder if Jake wasn’t particularly fond of animals.

But soon, I’d find out why.

Bang!

The sound of the shot was as loud as the gun itself.

Even while aiming down, the recoil slammed against my shoulder.

Indeed, the power of the gun was ‘expressive.’

However, the real issue was that the firearm’s power was just too evident.

The elephant, unaware of us, had its skull shattered.

My bullet pierced its forehead, and after a moment, it seemed like the elephant was pushed back as it plopped down on its backside.

And as it toppled over, its long legs shot up into the air, trembling.

“…”

In response to the sight, even Leo and Claire, who had caught a rhino just the day before, stood there with their jaws dropped open.

All the other elephants in the vicinity bolted, leaving only a few small calves behind.

Even as we approached the dead elephant, the calves fussed around their mother until they finally scattered when we laid hands on it.

“…Yesterday, we were hunting beasts that threatened the village.”

Leo muttered, and I finally understood why they were so taken aback.

“All I need are those tusks over there. The rest… well, those vultures will take care of it later.”

Ah.

I see now.

I understood why Jake didn’t approve of the ‘request.’

Well, for now.

At least I was able to test the firepower of the firearm.

To steer things in the direction I wanted, I would also need to turn back time.

…Again.

Chapter 170

With my strong insistence, the request shifted from elephant hunting to lion hunting.

It was supposed to be a hunt for an old lion wandering near the village, which at least posed a real problem. It was certainly different from the elephants leisurely grazing in the vast open fields.

The massive lion was indeed colossal enough to be regarded as a real monster, with teeth as solid as frozen ice, but it had taken to raiding villages and preying on livestock.

Moreover, it was said it had attacked people a few times. Those folks managed to hide inside their cars, and the lion fled upon seeing the hunters approach before it could break the windows.

“According to the description, it’s supposed to be a very tricky target.”

Since they could tell I was holding a rifle, I couldn’t bring along heavy weaponry. The first mission was supposed to be for elephant hunting because I had chosen that gigantic elephant gun under the pretense of testing firepower.

And evidently, it seemed that it could recognize both men and women. Although it hadn’t eaten anyone yet, that day, the husband was out working while the mother and her two kids were returning from the market. There was a man present, but he was just an old driver who stood no chance against the lion.

He had been hiding until the lion pounced, and luckily managed to get back into the car.

“…So, you’re going to do this alone?”

“That’s right.”

I replied calmly.

“At least have someone else—”

“The other people here can’t conceal their presence perfectly, so that won’t work.”

I cut off their words with that brief statement.

There was some truth to what I said. I had no talent in this area, so I couldn’t radiate a killing aura, but those skilled in swordsmanship here could all overpower their opponents with their energy. If they faced someone stronger than themselves, however, they’d be no better than fodder.

When dealing with people, it’s a useful ability; hiding from a ‘human’ is indeed easier, but it’s a different story with beasts.

Especially, an experienced old lion wouldn’t charge at someone like Leo.

That said, I couldn’t send out Roti or Lily Baker.

Not because I didn’t trust their skills, but because of what I wanted to accomplish.

“…Alright.”

Alice nodded.

“But if it seems even a bit dangerous, we’ll immediately abort the mission and all run away.”

“Understood.”

Well, I didn’t plan on dying either.

I meant to make it all seem like nothing was ever happening if it became truly dangerous.

*

…It’s really huge.

The lion that let out a growl was incredibly massive. Even while it stood on all fours, its eye level seemed nearly equal to mine.

Did I look like a delicious prey in that lion’s eyes?

I thought so. Just swinging its claws would leave me in two pieces. To the lion, I must look like a soft pudding.

Of course, I wasn’t going to let myself be sliced that easily.

As I saw the lion approaching me within three strides, I drew the pistol I had been hiding behind my back.

The lion seemed to know what a pistol was.

It looked at me, tensed up for a moment—then charged straight at me.

Did it think it could withstand a pistol? Or did it think attacking first and eating me would be more advantageous?

But then what?

The pistol in my hand was a bit larger caliber than the usual automatic pistols, a revolver I used originally.

With .455 Marmaros rounds loaded in it.

Flame rounds are particularly effective against beasts like that which exude a cold aura.

And no matter how fast that lion was.

I had already matched shots against Lucas, who was fast as a near-human.

Bang.

One round.

That single shot was enough.

At the moment the round hit the charging lion’s face, it exploded, creating a massive flare that sent the charging lion crashing to the ground.

I watched as it slid across the ground, flailing its legs, so I fired a few more shots.

Bang, bang, bang,

To be honest, it was a loss. Even if the lion’s hide was sold and Marmaros was refined from within, the cost of the rounds I used would be pricier.

Well, still better than dying.

The lion, now on the ground, slid toward me and happened to stop right in front of my feet.

Great. This much is enough.

Now I knew I wouldn’t be dying alone.

Again.

*

This time, it was the same.

But the premise was different.

Bang!

For an ordinary human, it would be strange to get hit and roll over, but the shot didn’t affect the lion.

There was no reason to panic. After all, I had loaded a standard round this time.

Only the first two shots.

Strictly speaking, the cylinder had bullets loaded in the same order as before.

Three flame-type Marmaros rounds and two standard rounds.

I simply rotated the cylinder to change the order.

But the results were completely different.

The lion jerked its head. A bit of blood splattered. However, unlike before, it didn’t just drop to the ground.

Bang!

I fired one more standard round.

The lion still seemed intent on making me its meal.

I pretended to panic, taking two steps to the right, then fell to the ground. Hmm, from a distance, it might still look like I tripped over with my legs crossed?

Bang!

A loud gunshot rang out.

But it wasn’t my gun; it came from off to my right.

In the vast open grassland stood a single tree.

As I turned my gaze, I saw a glint there.

Roti’s rifle scope was reflecting light.

I had positioned Roti and Lily at a distance where they wouldn’t be able to feel any energy. However, Lily’s position was somewhat unfavorable. If she wasn’t careful, she might accidentally shoot me while trying to hit the lion. Specifically, from the building above which I moved to the right, it would be easy to overlap.

Since Rena had brought her pistol and submachine gun today, she wasn’t close enough to take aim.

Watching the falling lion while I smirked with satisfaction, I hoped Roti couldn’t see me—

“Uh, wait—”

But the next moment, seeing the angle at which the lion was falling sent me into a panic. Well, there was no doubt I had guided it to fall at that angle—

The lion’s front paw crashing down upon me was much larger than I anticipated.

Gah!

…I was grateful the onlookers were far enough to not hear me making that sound.

*

“Sylvia!”

Shortly after, I heard Alice’s almost-scream voice.

Seeing my companions rush toward me, I quickly pushed aside the lion’s paw that was draped over me like a blanket.

I hadn’t sustained any serious injury. It hadn’t struck hard; it had merely fallen on me.

Still, I might have a bruise or two, right?

I could say I was lucky its claws hadn’t grazed my body.

“I-I’m so sorry!”

Lily quickly rushed over and bowed deeply.

“Due to the angle of the Crown Princess and the lion overlapping—”

She stopped herself, realizing it might imply it was my fault.

“Don’t worry about it. Falling to the ground was my fault.”

Just as I was saying this, I felt a coolness in my side; looking over, Mia Crowfield was pointing her staff at me. Had she cast a healing spell?

When I nodded in her direction, she averted her eyes shyly.

Amidst Claire and Alice’s persistent concern—wondering if I was really alright, if I was hiding an injury, or if I had sprained my leg—Roti quietly approached.

“Roti.”

I addressed Roti, who had come close enough to stand with her hands respectfully clasped.

“Thanks to you, I managed to avoid serious injury… No, technically, I could say you are my lifesaver. I really appreciate it.”

“…No, it’s nothing. I just did what I had to.”

As I spoke, I noticed Jake, who had been silently watching us, narrowing his eyes a little.

“No, no,” I firmly replied to Roti.

“Even though I may look like this, I am the Empire’s Crown Princess. I cannot simply brush aside the fact that you saved my life.”

Roti’s expression remained unreadable, but she seemed somewhat flustered at the same time. Her gaze, which had been cast down, lifted to meet mine.

And the expression of Alice, who had been worried about me, subtly changed.

A flicker of understanding crossed her face, followed by a hand raised to her forehead.

Well, it is what it is.

If there were a way for a commoner to rise in status, earning merit would be the best way. The higher the status of that individual in the country, the better.

Seeing Jake’s narrowed gaze shift to one of amusement, I shrugged.

Chapter 171

“Did, did you really arrive before 10 AM…?”

GASP!

I wanted to say something in response to Lily’s mumbling, but I bit my tongue.

Leo, being the honest and diligent protagonist, is known for keeping promises very well. It’s not just about arriving at the meeting place on time. Even in situations where lives were on the line or when facing real difficulties in the game, he would leap in just to uphold his promises.

Finishing work on time is a given.

Of course, the person who gets caught up in this can’t just laugh it off.

In the game, there wasn’t a separate stamina system for walking, running, or fighting, so there were hardly any expressions of the characters being tired after finishing work. But right now, everyone around me looked just as tired.

Even Lily, who had just gasped.

Especially Mia Crowfield, who looked like she was on the brink of death.

She woke up early in the morning, went out in the chilly air, and returned at the height of the sweltering sun after all that hard work. It’s only natural that she would be exhausted.

“Do you all move this early every day?”

“‘Every day’ isn’t accurate.”

Alice answered firmly, looking at Lily who was staring at us with disbelief.

“Only these two move like this every day.”

Charlotte pointed at Leo and Claire, and the two of them looked bewildered.

I can understand Leo, but how did Claire end up with this personality from the original?

I know that my presence in this world caused such a deviation from the original work, but no matter how much I think about it, it’s pretty ironic.

“Oh, but are you okay? You said you had plans with your friends.”

Leo asked Lily.

When the handsome noble boy spoke to her, Lily momentarily looked dazed, but quickly realized reality and turned sullen.

It’s because she had just spent all morning working, and now she had to go work with her friends with hardly any break in between. And unlike the human-like companions of my party, ordinary people mostly had to handle their work without relying on magic or weapons.

Naturally, it would take longer, and surely the work wouldn’t end quickly. No matter what, she’d probably have to work until at least 5 PM. If they planned to take a break during the hottest part of the day, it could get even later.

………..

If there are bad rumors going around about our class from the peasants’ side, I guess we’ll just have to endure it.

But Lily’s frown didn’t last long.

Suddenly, she had an expression like she forgot something, then it seemed she remembered why she had come here. She glanced at me once and then at Roti.

And following her gaze, everyone else’s eyes slowly turned towards me, then back to Roti.

“Ah…”

And as if she had understood something by herself, Lily looked at me again, and soon others followed her gaze.

Well, she was pretty smart in the original as well. Even though the top spot was usually occupied by Alice, and the place right below by Charlotte and other noble classmates, I remembered that Lily’s name was mentioned somewhere in the rankings too.

Considering that she was a commoner, it’s remarkable that she was even able to keep up with the nobles, given her foundational knowledge was likely lacking.

“Got it.”

Lily murmured as if she understood something.

I can’t fully follow her line of thinking. Her thought process is different from mine. But at least, she probably understood that we don’t look down on Roti just because she’s a commoner.

“Thank you all. This was a great experience.”

Then, she bowed to us in gratitude.

“Huh? We just happened to have some free time and went to solve a request together. Don’t think too much about it.”

When Leo said that, Lily gave a bitter smile.

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Yes, much more than I initially thought.”

Lily beamed at my question.

“Then let’s meet again next time. If we cross paths in the hallway, don’t ignore me like you don’t know me.”

“How many commoners do you think will ignore nobles while attending the academy…?”

Lily responded to Claire with a smile.

Well, that’s that.

I’ve left a good impression on Lily, one of the main characters from the original, and I managed to lay the groundwork for the story to unfold in a direction I was thinking of.

You could say it was killing two birds with one stone.

*

After heading upstairs to wash up lightly, I came down and finished lunch. I was sitting at a lounge table, zoning out when Jake plopped himself down in front of me.

“Sylvia.”

His voice calling my name sounded brighter than usual.

No, perhaps it could be said that the ‘type’ of brightness was different. Normally, it’s exaggerated, like he’s acting; now, it felt like he was casually greeting a friend.

At least, there was no longer a reason to maintain his act in front of me.

Whether it’s trust building or today’s events that uplifted my image in his head, I couldn’t tell.

“Have you thought of why I’m sitting alone here?”

“What’s the reason?”

I replied indifferently, and Jake responded with a sly smile. Honestly, it’s hard to believe someone with such a face could act like a love-struck fool. From what I saw, he looked more like a rogue hitting on a heroine who already had someone she liked.

Maybe that’s why rom-com tropes keep repeating.

Well, it’s not entirely Jake’s fault that his character turned out that way in the original; the developers who designed him are to blame as well.

“Most of the people around me understand that when I claim a seat and sit alone, it means I’m ‘organizing my thoughts.’ So Alice or Claire, and even Rena, rarely disturb me during these times.”

“Those are all the kids you call by name.”

“…I call almost everyone around me by name.”

“Mia doesn’t count.”

Mia doesn’t count because we’re not close.

I don’t particularly want to get close, but it’s difficult due to our past. If I suddenly rush in and pretend to be friendly… it would look a bit psychopathic, wouldn’t it?

“Your expression and voice may be somewhat concealed, but if I quietly watch you act, I can tell who you distinguish as friends and those who aren’t. Oh, of course, I’m not saying you’re bad; it’s just you’re being considerate of others.”

“On which basis are you making such assumptions?”

“You went and stirred up trouble today and still say that?”

“….”

“You, who normally never waste a single shot, suddenly mixed up bullets? I saw you checking your gun before heading into battle. You’re not someone who would suddenly start confusing how Marmaros stones look.”

I should have let him hear what I said while being crushed under that lion’s paw.

Of course, that would have sent things back to square one.

“So, let’s just lay it all out.”

Jake leaned back comfortably in his chair and said.

“You’re planning to elevate Roti, right?”

“…….”

Well, he isn’t wrong.

“But still, I can’t wrap my head around your reason for doing so. Are you seriously hoping Roti and I get married or something? I just don’t get why you’d suddenly show us such kindness. Is there some hidden intent behind it?”

Not really.

I genuinely want to see you two get married.

Why? Because—

Honestly, watching Roti be cool yet tsundere gets irritating when there’s an obstacle just dragging it down. It feels like trying to eat a sweet potato without water.

“So.”

But I can’t just say that out loud.

I stared silently at Jake before speaking.

“Are you saying I plan to use her?”

“Hmm, well, honestly, I can’t pinpoint where Roti fits into your thoughts since I can’t organize what you’re thinking right now.”

Jake shrugged.

“I’d think it’s better for her to be utilized by someone than treated as mere decoration.”

But Jake’s words didn’t end there.

“Still, if Roti’s life were to be in danger, I wouldn’t just sit back and watch.”

Naturally, that would never happen.

Both Roti and you are among those I want to protect.

At least until this grand story comes to an end.

“I’ll take that to heart.”

That thought allowed a fair amount of sincerity to seep into my reply.

Chapter 172

The rumors spread in an instant.

It was because I openly acted that way. Whether it was borrowing Roti from Jake to walk around with her—though I didn’t really “walk around” like that, you know what I mean—or carrying her around our “noble group,” it was impossible for news not to spread at least within the hotel packed with first-year academy students.

Besides, I wasn’t just acting that way on the surface.

“Are you talking about the knight title…?”

“Isn’t it someone who saved the Crown Princess’s life? It’s possible to grant such a reward. Even if it’s a temporary title that won’t carry down to the next generation.”

“But to grant such a title, permission from the Emperor is required, isn’t it?”

“Do you honestly think the Emperor would just let it slide without a word to the person who saved his beloved daughter?”

At my words, Roti went silent.

Alice, who was glancing at us from the next table, had an expression like she was trying to hold back a snort, but I ignored it and continued talking.

Well, the Emperor would likely find this suggestion entertaining and accept it.

It could serve as a reason to say I benefited the “future Duke Lindbergh.”

Normally, I would have chosen a seat by the window or against the wall when picking a restaurant table. I didn’t want to attract attention even more by sitting in the middle of the restaurant as it was.

However, it wasn’t like that now. In fact, the more eyes on me, the better.

So, I endured the discomfort and intentionally chose a spot in the center.

“But, Crown Princess, that incident back then—”

“Miss Baker.”

I interrupted Roti and called out to Lily, who happened to be passing by our table.

“Y-yes!?”

Immediately on being called by the Crown Princess, Lily turned pale.

Since she had been eyeing us for a while, it seemed like she had been doing it on purpose. With Roti and me at a table alone, it was understandable she would be concerned. She even jumped into the crowd of nobles to figure out whether I was bothering Roti.

However, the conversation we were having was a bit different, so this action was purely out of curiosity.

She’d probably been sneaking smaller portions of food onto her plate to eavesdrop as she walked by.

“Miss Baker was nearby at that time, right?”

“Eh? Ah, yes…”

Feeling her gaze shift from us to the floor as it slightly rose again, Lily began to twist around uncomfortably.

“Didn’t you see Roti come to rescue me then?”

“Y-yes, that’s right?”

“Indeed.”

I reiterated for confirmation and looked at Roti.

“With this witness present, I think there’s no way anyone can refute it.”

Alice looked flabbergasted, but she didn’t attempt to argue against my words.

Claire, who was seated across from Alice, and Leo, who was between Alice and Claire, gaped at me. It wasn’t until Claire slapped Leo’s arm that he snapped back to reality and quickly stuffed a piece of steak into his mouth. But he moved so hastily that sauce splattered onto his clothes.

Why? Are you envious?

Maybe I should create an opportunity to tease Leo as well? Watching Leo’s face turn pale at hearing this story could be quite entertaining.

Besides, Leo is a guy, so maybe there’d be some romantic rumors stirred up.

“Anyway, my mind is already made up.”

“But then, would you be okay with that, young lord…?”

“I’ve already told Jake.”

“…”

Roti’s expression clouded for the first time after I said that.

“Did the young lord agree as well?”

“That’s correct.”

Seeing Roti’s gloomy expression took me by surprise.

Why? Shouldn’t she be happy? Jake wouldn’t even glance at another girl besides Roti.

After briefly pondering, I thought maybe I was misunderstanding something fundamentally.

Uh, so…

Was it that Roti wasn’t assured of Jake’s feelings for her? So, she believed it was more comfortable to stay by his side as a maid?

Hmm.

However, if that’s the case, there’s nothing more I can do. Even if Jake might keep Roti around as something more than just a maid, if Roti herself doesn’t have confidence, then…

“You don’t need to worry too much.”

Still, I felt it would be wise to say a few more words for assurance.

“You won’t have to worry about losing your job. It’s quite common for the Duke’s family to employ the daughters of Barons as maids. Roti won’t be anything superior to that; she’ll simply receive a knight title, so unless she wants to quit on purpose, she can continue with that job for the time being.”

“…I understand.”

Only after my words did Roti’s expression ease a bit.

Looks like my thoughts were correct.

This couple was more bothersome than I expected.

Well, I’d done my part, so the rest would be up to Jake. In this day and age, that’s common sense, right?

I suppose I’ll just settle for having lowered the difficulty a bit.

*

As we finished our meal and came out, a maid was waiting for us.

Though she wasn’t wearing a maid outfit, she introduced herself as “a maid of the Lindbergh Duke,” so it wouldn’t be wrong to call her that.

Dressed in splendid attire, she handed me an equally splendid-looking letter and said,

“The Duke of Lindbergh wishes to have a cup of tea with you, Crown Princess. He expressed that he’s always ready to rush over as soon as you set the time and place during your stay.”

She looked like she wouldn’t leave until I opened the letter, so I opened it right away to check the contents.

Indeed, aside from a few decorative phrases, the message was generally the same.

“Understood.”

As I responded, the maid bowed slightly toward me—

“Then, would now be possible?”

—And then suddenly stiffened up.

“The location—”

“I’ll come to you. You can just join me on your way back, right?”

They say to seize the moment. It would be more convenient to talk while we’re going, anyway.

However, in response to my words, the maid instantly wore an apologetic expression.

“But the Duke of Lindbergh is not at the estate right now.”

“May I ask where he is?”

“…He is currently at the farm. There is a mansion there as well…”

“I’m fine with that. It would be mutually beneficial to solve matters while we’re at it, wouldn’t it?”

“Understood.”

It seemed the maid had decided after hearing my words.

Since I mentioned it was alright at any time or place.

“Are you really going to meet the Duke now?”

Alice, who was listening beside me, spoke up.

“Will you come with me?”

When I asked, Alice frowned slightly before answering.

“Yeah, I’ll go with you.”

“But then—”

“I’ll handle the conversation myself.”

“…Understood.”

The maid, caught off guard by Alice’s words, seemed unable to oppose what the Crown Princess said.

“Oh my. Then may I also join to take a look?”

Charlotte jumped right in.

“I’ve never seen a farm since coming here. It wouldn’t be a bad experience to see the Empire’s pride in large-scale farming.”

“…”

The maid made a slightly troubled expression for a moment before looking back at me.

“In that case, it would be best to confirm with the Duke.”

“…Understood.”

The maid once again bowed politely.

As I watched her walk back to where the phone was, I suddenly thought she looked like a white person.

*

People often think that the military-industrial complex, which trades weapons, is the root of all evil ruling the world.

After all, weapons are tools for killing people and require cutting-edge technology to produce. Even in a place where semiconductors haven’t been developed, the pinnacle of technology is still the military business.

There’s a saying that the most advanced technology gets deployed on battlefields first, so it’s not strange to think that way.

However, in reality, the people making guns and cannons always have buyers who determine who they sell to. And the moment these buyers switch their purchasing sources, they go bankrupt, making them always crawl on the ground trying to sell at least one first. It’s the suppliers in the military business who are always the ones catering to the customers.

It doesn’t make sense that those gentlemen dominate the world; if they were being dragged around by the collar, then it would be one thing.

The real businesses ruling the world sell fruits.

Fruits that anyone can easily buy and eat, and which people must have, no one would miss even if no one bought them. They process surplus and fallen fruits into juice for sale, and they discard their almost spoiled stock onto colonized natives as if it were a clearance sale. Of course, it’s not for free. They surely charge a price that covers the two boat rides across the sea.

Thanks to this, fruit trading is always a profitable venture. The same goes for other goods. The transactions between the motherland and the colonies are structured so that the motherland always profits.

Due to the unexpected increase in customers for the Duke’s services, our means of transportation turned into a bus.

And after entering the vast farming estate on that bus, the people aboard couldn’t keep their mouths shut.

The scale of the farm was anything but small.

“…This is impressive. It wouldn’t be strange to say that all the oranges roaming the Empire come from here.”

Though no one replied, it seemed they all agreed with Charlotte’s words.

Even though the sun was almost setting, many people were still working on the farm.

Of course, most of them were colonized natives.

Chapter 173

The interior decoration of this era was incredibly lavish no matter where you looked.

Even the newly built houses were the same. This was probably due to the faithful reflection of the original setting. When you think of the Belle Epoch era, the unique Victorian-style decor immediately comes to mind, so it makes sense. In fact, in the game, even if it was decorated like that, it didn’t look that grand because the graphics weren’t enough to showcase it all perfectly.

Experiencing these actual logged-in things while wandering around this world… was refreshing.

Well, it made sense; most of the Victorian-era artifacts I saw in the world I lived in were ‘old.’ No matter how ornate and antique they may be, once things age, the feeling of newness diminishes significantly. I felt the same even in the historically rich Imperial Palace of the Capital.

But here was different. Although a long time had passed since this place became a colony, new houses and farms were being built here and there, and the mansion on this farm didn’t seem that old either.

Seeing interior decorations that sparkled a bit too much no matter where I looked felt oddly fascinating. Yet, I didn’t get the vibe of ‘nouveau riche,’ so I could guess how capable the era’s interior decorating experts must be.

“Your Highness, the Crown Princess.”

Considering the age gap between us, the Duke bowed his head a bit too much.

“I’ve heard you have something to say.”

“Yes.”

I wondered where he had heard about my personality. Or maybe he figured it out from the last banquet. The Duke didn’t seem to mind my straightforwardness that cut right to the chase.

The Duke gently opened his palm to indicate a chair, and I sat down. With a small table between us, a maid swiftly poured a cup of black tea for both of us. Then she quickly set the teapot on the table and hurriedly left.

That maid was also a white person.

“What do you wish to talk about?”

“I’ve heard that Your Highness, the Crown Princess, cares for Roti.”

Hmm.

It wouldn’t be wrong to say I ‘care’ for her. In fact, though we aren’t close like soulmates, Roti is one of the people I wish to save.

In reality, there’s almost no chance of Roti dying. Depending on the choices, it’s just Jake saving Roti and dying instead.

Even though Jake isn’t the heroine, I don’t want to see the pure couple’s relationship shattered by death.

“I received great help from her.”

“Then, is it really possible to grant that knighthood?”

The Duke asked again directly. Well, better straightforward than beating around the bush.

But even being direct, there had to be another meaning behind those words. Inside was the question, ‘Is it possible for colonial subjects to receive titles?’

“It wouldn’t be impossible.”

I stated firmly.

“First of all, the Emperor Arthur III trusts me. He’s not the type of person to give nothing to someone who has helped me.”

Hearing my words, the Duke nodded earnestly.

“Also, my older brother, Prince Jayden Fanggriffon, is the commander of the Royal Order of Knights. He values me greatly, so he wouldn’t be so harsh as to refuse my request.”

After hearing this, I watched the Duke’s expression.

If the Duke were simply a character who oppressed the colonials, he would have shown an unpleasant expression.

But if he were more of an opportunist, he might bite the bait.

In fact, the ‘parent generation’ of the protagonist doesn’t play a central role in the game. They’re sometimes portrayed as representatives of the regime, sometimes as love blockers, and sometimes as reliable supporters. Their faces and names might appear, but the narrative center is always the protagonist’s party.

I’ve read and remembered the text that exists in the setting.

The Duke is a racist and an imperialist. But at the same time—

“Is that so.”

The Duke smiled.

—Yeah, the Duke is also a power-hungry opportunist.

The Duke got up from his chair and walked over slowly. Then he stood in front of the large window and quietly gazed outside.

The farm was now dim. There were sporadic lights visible, but it was hard to tell whether they were guarding against intruders or if they were lights left on because someone was still working.

“Your Highness, do you know how long this regime will last?”

“It can’t last forever.”

“Correct.”

I opened my eyes a bit wider at his unexpected words, but thankfully, it seemed I hadn’t been caught by the Duke, who was looking out the window.

“Some say that because there are many people in the colonies, we can buy raw materials cheaply and sell them at high prices, there will always be buyers. But that’s not true. There’s a limit to the wealth any group can possess. If we keep draining it, eventually what seemed an endless gold mine will run dry.”

The Duke turned back.

“And I’ve been feeling that lately.”

“Are you implying a rebellion might happen?”

“Not exactly.”

The Duke responded to my question with a bitter smile.

“Do you know? It seems that people from the mainland think of the colonial residents as something akin to slaves, but legally, that’s not the case.”

I remained silent.

“First of all, slavery was abolished long ago in the Empire. There were times when those slaves had the same skin color as us and times when they did not, but legally, there are no more slaves.”

“Are you saying the colonial residents are considered free people?”

“Not that either. Legally, they are lawful subjects of the Empire, but that’s all. They can’t move around freely, and there’s no right to vote. What I’m trying to say is that we’ve already missed the timing to enslave them.”

The Duke looked out the window again.

“Before we came over here, they were divided among various nations. They had different classes, and thus could not have a single identity. Even now, that atmosphere hasn’t entirely disappeared. But it’s not like there’s no sense of community at all.”

The oppressors and the oppressed.

Those with different skin colors.

“There was once a massive empire on this land. It split hundreds of years ago, but at least once, there was a great empire that ruled over the entire continent, a blooming cultural empire. And now, they are gradually starting to recollect that history again. It’s only a small part, but the awareness of ‘the same race in the same cultural sphere’ is starting to take root.”

This world was just at the point where the concept of ‘nation’ was being born.

“Legally free people can choose not to work if needed, and if they start forming a group with some sense of community, within the jurisdiction…”

“……”

“I’m trying my best to manage things. If I pay them just enough to get by, they won’t have the luxury to think differently. After all, they need to survive, right? If I instill the awareness that if they strike, they will starve, I could delay it a bit.”

“They will eventually rise up.”

At my words, the Duke nodded.

“Thus, Your Highness’s actions are quite significant. ‘Even if you are from the colonies, if you contribute, you can rise up,’ right?”

…….

Uh……

No, I hadn’t thought that far!

“If your calculations are correct, Roti would indeed become a groundbreaking figure. Perhaps one day her name might appear in textbooks.”

Well, would that happen?

I was just trying to create at least the minimum conditions to marry the Duke’s son.

“Do you wish for my son to marry Roti, Your Highness?”

Well… I guess?

As I nodded, the Duke seemed to know something and smiled.

“I have a rough idea of what Your Highness is thinking.”

What do I even think?

No, I was just hoping the sweet potato couple would get together quickly and enjoy their romance!

“But honestly speaking, there’s a slight discomfort in my mind when my son marries someone of a different skin color…”

The Duke said to me with a kind smile on his lips.

“It’s true that my son values Roti, so as long as certain conditions are met, as a father who loves his son, I cannot refuse.”

“By certain conditions, do you mean something above a title?”

“Though quite a bit of time has passed since we moved over here, it doesn’t mean that there is no affection for the mainland. It’s just that, as a vassal, I can’t demand too much from Your Highness.”

The Duke slightly bowed his waist as he spoke.

“We wish for a ‘genuine’ friendship with the royal family. I hope that Roti can be the witness to that.”

Chapter 174

I feel like there’s been some huge misunderstanding, but I decided to just roll with it.

Reversing things now—well, I could, but the effort I’ve put in is just too precious to waste. It’s not like I’d suffer any major losses, but convincing the Duke was a hurdle, and finding another way will be such a hassle.

Besides, it’s not like there’s a need to worry about it because eventually, the colonies will start their independence movements in the later parts of the story.

By then, the Empire will have declared war against nearly the entire world, and as a result, the Emperor will die, which will somehow put an end to the war. However, by then, it’ll be a mess, and those who don’t want to fight anymore will have to settle for a haphazard truce. Meanwhile, there’ll be continuous bloodshed in the colonies while the Papal State moves in a suspicious manner… that’s how the story goes up to the point I played.

Moreover, some of the protagonist’s group will be dead, which makes the situation even gloomier.

…Well, no need to dwell on that here.

“Are you talking about true friendship?”

“Yes, indeed.”

Well, I could talk about friendship if that’s what they want.

It seems they’re purposely being vague, so we can also just match their vagueness. There are political statements and all that jazz, but whatever, I could just brush it aside later. It’s not like I’m going to incite a rebellion against the royal family. In that case, we’d be the ones in a tight spot.

“If you marry the son of my house in the future, it might indeed happen.”

“Understood.”

At my words, the Duke responded with a smile.

“Then we shall think positively as well.”

*

Somehow, we wrapped up the situation.

Looking back, didn’t that end much smoother than I expected?

I was worried there’d be shouting and ashtrays flying around. Of course, they wouldn’t throw that ashtray at me.

“What kind of conversation did you have?”

Jake asked as I came out of the room. He seemed puzzled that his father didn’t come out with him.

“Multiple positive discussions took place.”

Alice squinted her eyes as she looked at me in response to that, but I deliberately ignored her gaze.

After all, we’ll all be in the same room tonight, so there’s no way I can hide it.

I could almost visualize Alice pinching her forehead after hearing about my conversation today.

“Is that so?”

Jake probed, but luckily he didn’t press further.

“….”

Apart from that, nobody had said anything particularly significant.

Leo seemed awfully serious.

“Is there something wrong?”

When I approached him to ask, he shrugged and redirected his gaze from outside.

“No, it’s nothing major.”

“Then why have you been staring outside since earlier?”

Jake chimed in.

“Is it that rare to see so many people working on such a vast farm?”

“….”

Jake’s words had no particular meaning, but his tone suggested he wasn’t too keen on the situation.

He may look like the kind of guy who easily charms multiple women, but in reality, he’s a pure-hearted guy who only has eyes for one woman while feeling sorry for the colonists… Why isn’t he the hero? Roti would fit much better as a male character instead, wouldn’t she?

While I was lost in those thoughts, Alice interjected.

“There are plenty of people like that in the Empire. Those who work in factories. It’s not like there aren’t farms either.”

With her gaze drawn to her, Alice showed a slightly awkward expression as she replied.

“That’s not a good thing. Just… it is what it is. It means that the nobility is surprisingly unaware of such occurrences happening everywhere.”

“Even in Velbur, fruits named after Lindbergh are quite famous.”

Finally, Charlotte, who had been quiet like Leo, spoke up.

“They’re cheap and tasty… Even if they wanted to cultivate such things in Velbur, they wouldn’t be able to replicate this method at all.”

That would require the citizens of Velbur to be directly employed.

Of course, just because Velbur hasn’t industrialized doesn’t mean the lives of the people there are particularly great. Most of the national industry is agriculture, and that agriculture relies on landowners exploiting tenant farmers. And those landowners, of course, are mostly the nobility.

It must be frustrating, huh?

Even if they squeeze every ounce of strength out of the people to boost national power, there’s no way they can match the Empire, which creates colonies like this.

And if they try to create colonies now, they’d have to spark a war, and once those colonies are formed, the cycle of exploitation begins anew.

Well, who created the ‘good’ of those good old times anyway?

“….”

And Claire, who would end up being among those exploited, had nothing to say.

A moment of silence fell in the guest room.

“Our business is finished.”

When I opened the door, the kids turned to look at me.

“Shall we head back? Although the Duke said it was fine for us to stay here.”

If we stayed a day longer and woke up tomorrow, we’d be greeted with a much more horrific spectacle. A far more depressing scene.

“…No, let’s just go back. There’s nothing left to see if we linger here.”

It seemed Alice had realized what kind of scene we’d witness the next morning.

Everyone nodded eagerly to follow Alice.

*

“Your Highness.”

The fact that Roti called me before Jake means she has a lot she wants to say.

She had come along, but the fact that Roti wasn’t in the guest room… It seems it wasn’t because she was treated differently.

Roti had been talking in the hallway.

Her conversation partner was her mother, who was dressed in a maid’s outfit.

I thought all the maids here were white.

Well, maybe one person is getting special treatment. From the Count’s point of view, Roti would be the connection point with me.

As for what she was doing in the banquet hall… I’ll ask about that later.

Roti’s mother noticed me and quickly bowed her waist.

“The conversation has ended well.”

“Is that so….”

Roti had an expression that showed she wanted to ask many things, but she couldn’t directly ask anything.

Even through her emotionless facade, I could sense her feelings… Hmm, maybe Alice is able to notice my expressions like this.

Roti’s mother kept her head bowed.

Speaking of which, if Roti were to receive a knight title, how would that affect Roti and her mother’s relationship?

I should keep that in mind as well.

As I casually turned my gaze, I noticed Alice had a complicated expression too. It’s only natural for ‘a friend’s mother’ to show such feelings.

“Then, let’s return.”

As I said that, Roti’s mother lifted her head slightly to look at us.

When I slightly bowed my head in her direction, she hurriedly hid her face.

*

After wandering around the room for a while, Alice finally spoke up.

“Is Roti the daughter of Lindbergh?”

“If you mean ‘the daughter of Lindbergh,’ that would be correct. But she isn’t the daughter of ‘Duke Lindbergh.’”

“….”

Alice squinted her eyes as she stared at me for a moment and then said,

“Well, fine. Let’s put aside how you figured that out for now.”

She sighed as she said this and plopped down in front of me.

“Tell me. If Roti is the daughter of Lindbergh, then ‘which’ Lindbergh’s daughter is she?”

“Roti is a distant cousin of Jake.”

In Korea, that counts as incest, and they can’t marry, but in this world, there’s no such restriction for nobles.

Moreover, internationally speaking, many countries allow cousin marriage… That’s the law, although public perception is a mess. But here, where they go out of their way to find a family with mixed blood for marriage, it’s a different story.

Roti was the daughter of the Duke of Lindbergh’s cousin, who had raped a colonial citizen in her teens. Naturally, she wouldn’t be able to use the name Lindbergh and wouldn’t acknowledge her status whatsoever. It would be as if nothing had happened at all.

The rumor would go that the Duke of Lindbergh offered her a maid position out of generosity after she was born from an affair while living loosely outside… that would be the common knowledge.

“….”

After hearing my words, Alice pinched the bridge of her nose.

“No, well, fine. That’s good.”

She said it with a completely displeased expression.

“You do know, right? No matter how esteemed the royal family’s authority is, if you meddle in the family matters of the Duke’s house, it can get incredibly messy.”

“….”

Uh.

Ah, I was aware of that.

Alice’s gaze on me narrowed even further.

“What did they ask you for over there?”

“True friendship.”

In the end, Alice pinched her forehead.

“I hope you know what true friendship means, right?”

“….”

“If something goes wrong over there, it’s only natural that the imperial family would step in to sort it out together, right?”

“….”

Oh, is that how it is?

“Don’t give me that relaxed expression… Seriously.”

It seems Alice caught on to me thinking the Emperor would somehow manage it.

Chapter 175

The meaning of “diligent” can change significantly depending on where you place your emphasis.

Usually, “diligent” is used positively unless you’re being sarcastic, but that doesn’t mean it carries the same connotation in every situation.

For example, when someone is said to be diligent in studying, people tend to think of them as a “goody two shoes.”

If someone is diligent in sports, they might be seen as healthy and lively, whereas if they’re diligent in following rules, they might come off as a bit stiff.

And of course, there are those who are diligent in social activities. This doesn’t simply mean they like to have fun. Even in modern society, where explicit social hierarchies have disappeared, socializing is still important. If a university student skips all the gatherings, they might find themselves in a pretty disadvantageous situation when they’re in class without any information. Similarly, if someone avoids all company meetings at work, they could face setbacks when it comes time for promotions.

Especially in a world where explicit class distinctions exist, what about the upper class?

In fact, it’s rare for a noble’s child, like Alice, to disregard social events like she has for studying during her childhood; typically, they start joining social gatherings in their early teens.

Well… some gatherings do seem to stray far from the image of “diligence.”

“Is that really true?”

Alice narrow-eyed and glared at Jake while saying that.

“Yeah, it’s not that unusual around here. You just don’t talk much with other kids in your class; it’s not like we weren’t all expecting it after the practice area was set.”

“….”

No matter what era, there exists something like the latest trend. This world is no different.

And no matter how non-illegal it is, the latest trends often seem a bit immoral and vulgar by old standards.

“So, according to you…”

Alice slowly opened her mouth.

“On the beach, a place that isn’t owned by anyone, a common beach where anyone can go—”

“Not just anyone. It’s a property of Lindbergh. I can assure you that outside students or teachers won’t peek at it.”

“—Anyway, in a place full of people whom I’ve never seen before.”

Ignoring Jake’s explanation, Alice spoke.

“You’re saying you’re going to have fun swimming in clothes that barely cover important parts of your body? And that too, with both genders mixed together?”

Alice’s expression was difficult to describe.

It wasn’t disgust so much as… well, it looked like the kind of expression old people make when they hear how young kids are hanging out these days.

“Oh, haven’t you seen it? They sometimes have pools set up in a spacious indoor area or backyard to have fun in.”

Now that’s modern party style.

I’ve never seen it even once while living in the modern world, but…

I feel like I’ve watched it in movies or dramas a lot.

“So…”

But Alice still didn’t respond to Jake’s words.

“Those swimsuits, you’re talking about, right? The swimsuits that often show up in the latest photo shoots. They’re practically underwear, aren’t they?”

“No, they’re not like underwear.”

Jake frowned at Alice’s statement.

“What’s so different?”

“They’re waterproof.”

“…….”

Alice had nothing to say in response to Jake’s explanation.

“Even if it looks that way, it’s actually fabric that’s been layered on natural rubber and compressed. It’s definitely thicker than underwear.”

“Still—”

“I disagree!”

And surprisingly enough, a loud voice came from the table where the teachers were seated, shocking everyone.

Moreover, shockingly enough, the content of the conversation was not that much different from the one Jake and Alice were having.

“How can men and women be so, bare, bare, bare-skinned together! While wet! In the same place!?”

“While we’re at it, I’m sorry to say, aren’t you the lady of the ‘Northwood’ family? It’s kind of odd for someone who has grown up seeing those kinds of places since childhood to feel such aversion to something so ordinary.”

“Ugh…!”

It was Carolyn and Jennifer.

Carolyn had shot up from her seat, while Jennifer calmly sat with her coffee cup in hand. Ada seemed uninterested in the conversation of the two, engaged as she was in the small book in her hands.

“That, that’s different! Those people!”

“Those people?”

People who sell their bodies.

Carolyn’s face turned bright red as she couldn’t bring herself to say such a thing, and Jennifer found it amusing.

“They at least cover up some decency!”

“…….”

It seemed Carolyn’s statement left Jennifer speechless.

Even Ada, who had been reading, lifted her gaze to stare blankly at Carolyn.

Realizing the surrounding quietness a bit too late, Carolyn turned bright red and sat back down.

“……Anyway, just because one teacher says no now, things have already been decided. The students are already excited. If us adults suddenly go and shut it down, it’s not like the students would listen well after that.”

“Mostly it’s because of you, Jennifer.”

Ada shot a retort at Jennifer, not caring much as she started to read her book again.

“See? It’s already been settled.”

Jake said to Alice.

Amidst this, when my eyes met with Jennifer’s, she just shrugged her shoulders at me.

Well, I knew already.

Though my homeland is nearing winter, it’s this warm here. If we can’t enjoy the ocean in such a perfect resort at this time, the students would be so disappointed—

Is just something I felt upon arriving here; in reality, I already knew through the original story that events like this would happen.

After all, the game itself was a fantasy JRPG targeting otaku. Even if the setting is modern with industrial revolutions and all, if there is no swimsuit event featuring well-shaped heroines, how can that be an anime-style RPG made by a Japanese company?

“…You haven’t said a word.”

While I sat quietly sipping my drink, Alice narrowed her eyes and looked at me.

Well, I already knew.

I couldn’t say it outright here, but…

“Are you just fine with the possibility that your sisters might be exposing their bare skin among a crowd of men?”

Sorry, Alice.

Although I may look like this, I’ve lived in quite a liberal society.

Of course, I wasn’t some handsome guy with lots of money who fit well into that liberality.

But as far as common sense, I knew. Even if I didn’t partake, I had gone to the beach or pool with friends now and then.

“…Don’t you think it’s strange to claim you’re ‘the older sister’ while saying that to your ‘younger sister’?”

“Ugh.”

When I said that, Alice made a sound as if I had pricked a sore spot.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the one protecting your sister?”

“…”

Alice turned her head away as if feeling guilty.

Though I’m older in actual age… since she claims to be the older one, I might as well treat her that way.

Well, I was already thinking of a good excuse to escape…

“Sister.”

Just as I was trying to clarify my somewhat vague plan, someone suddenly butted in between us.

“Are you talking to me with those words?”

With her eyes sparkling, Claire asked that, and I lost my words.

It didn’t seem like she was trying to hold me back just because she anticipated I would run away. There was sincerity in her voice.

“…”

Wouldn’t you be able to protect your own body better than I could?

I’m pretty sure there won’t be some thug popping out during the event to snatch away the heroine only to reappear an hour later with her.

Because the ultimate top-tier thug was already among us. And that thug was, in fact, a pure-hearted guy only looking at one person.

And why Jake orchestrated Jennifer’s playful words to lead to real events? Partly it was because of Roti.

It was a perfect opportunity to legally dress Roti in the latest trendy bikini, who usually wouldn’t wear anything revealing!

This event was one of the few times Jake turned red and stumbled over his words.

I glanced back towards Roti, who was slightly lowering her gaze, so we didn’t meet eyes.

“Huh? Huh? Sister?”

Actually, Claire’s attitude wasn’t really that annoying. She didn’t have malicious intent from the start.

However, the expression on Alice’s face, laughing at that moment, was… a bit infuriating.

“Alright. Then let’s go buy the swimsuits today. We’ll need them for tomorrow.”

At my suggestion, Alice’s excitement visibly crumbled.

Sure, why not?

I wore bunny attire; can’t I wear a swimsuit too?

Chapter 176

While I did see it in the original work, the swimsuits in this other world were bolder than I expected.

Thinking about it, the bikinis we see in anime are surprisingly rare in design. Sure, you see plenty at the beach, but swimsuit designs vary widely, and there are those who don’t wear swimsuits at all. Many people just wear regular clothes into the water and change after.

I think there were lots of swimsuits that covered almost the entire upper body, though.

But typical of a game like this, every person around me wore swimsuits that managed to show skin no matter what. There were one-piece swimsuits, at least.

Swimsuits… we chose for each other. Naturally, the two male characters were excluded.

Me, Alice, Claire, Charlotte. And Mia Crowfield and Sophia, Rena. Roti too.

Since it wasn’t voluntary, our swimsuits ended up having pretty daring designs.

“I mean, how is this any different from when I was a bunny girl?”

“Well, at least I don’t think the guys will be bothering us.”

Still, when I relaxed, I wasn’t panicking like Alice. The gazes we attracted were rather annoying and embarrassing, but most of them were filled with admiration. It was different from the creepy stares I got as a bunny girl.

Is that the same? Whatever.

Alice and I selected typical bikinis for each other. Mine was black, and Alice’s was sky blue. Somehow, it did remind me of our last bunny girl outfits matching, but let’s just forget about that.

Carried away by the atmosphere, Charlotte and Claire ended up in similar bikinis.

Claire’s was a deep blue to match her hair color. But at least, it had much more fabric than mine. It wasn’t like mine, which looked like two tiny scraps held together by strings. In terms of design, it seemed like a sturdy piece of fabric was tied up, and while it looked like it could come undone, there were real ties inside, so it wouldn’t fall apart.

Well, considering that these swimsuits are sold to nobles, they should be sturdy enough.

Charlotte’s swimsuit was white. While the exposure wasn’t much different from ours, she wore a slightly sheer top over it, which covered her skin a bit.

Of course, being ‘sheer,’ it could look very revealing depending on who wore it.

Plus, while Charlotte seemed unaware, in this age, those kinds of sheer materials couldn’t possibly be waterproof. Given that waterproof fabric is basically natural rubber bonded with cloth, it’s obvious that if rubber is in the middle, it couldn’t be sheer like that.

If Charlotte went into the water, that fabric would stick to her body.

…I suppose it’d end up looking like her clothes clung to her skin and made it seem like her underwear was showing.

That’s how it was in the original work.

Should I have given a warning in advance?

“Hmph. Does a crown princess have no confidence in her own body?”

“What? You’re the one hiding behind a covering. Isn’t that because you’re lacking confidence?”

“M-my skin is sensitive to sunlight! I might get a sunburn, you know?”

“C’mon, it’s not that serious!”

Caught in our aggressive swimsuit picking, it seemed Charlotte reluctantly wore such a swimsuit too.

As for the remaining people who weren’t embroiled in the argument—

Sophia wore a fairly decent swimsuit, similar in design to Claire’s, dyed in purple to match her hair. However, her pupils were trembling hard. It seemed like the ‘group’ was being compared to her body in many ways.

Especially with the size of certain areas…

…Don’t worry. You’re the weird one; she’s just normal. If you see the stares in your direction, you’d certainly think that way.

Looking at Rena, Roti, and Mia Crowfield beside me, the answers were clear.

…….

By the way, there really are a lot of girls. Not just in the noble class, but looking at the people grouped around.

There are only Leo and Jake as the males. Jake’s only staring at Roti, while Leo is… the favored one.

It’s just that Alice and I stand out a bit too much, but the other kids don’t look bad in their swimsuits either. No, rather, they fit their swimsuits quite well.

Rena… for some reason was wearing a swimsuit strikingly similar in design to mine. Her face was a bit red, but her bold attitude didn’t make it feel inappropriate. Perhaps it’s just that I firmly have the impression that she’s a year younger than me.

Mia Crowfield wore a black one-piece. While the absolute size of her important areas didn’t match Alice or mine, Mia was a bit shorter. So the proportions felt slightly different. Considering the gazes directed at her, it seemed others could view her the same way.

And Roti.

Roti also wore a similar one-piece swimsuit.

If Mia Crowfield’s one-piece looked oddly accentuated due to its shape, Roti’s slightly taller and well-proportioned body suited her swimsuit in another way. With her build resembling that of a swimmer, the black one-piece with white lining enhanced that vibe even more.

Looking over at Jake, he seemed unable to take his eyes off Roti.

…Hmm.

I did cause a scene to see those two play around, but now that I’ve encountered this atmosphere, it strangely made my stomach hurt.

Damn it, I should have been a male character too. Of course, I didn’t get the choice in the first place.

As I was lost in thought, watching Leo, who seemed at a loss where to look, there was a babble from somewhere.

Right. There was also this event.

Carolyn, tricked by Jennifer, ended up wearing a bikini with a very aggressive design.

Her usual demeanor—no, even in this situation, Carolyn’s face remained innocent and unaware, yet she was wearing an even bolder swimsuit than mine.

Her face turned bright red as she repeatedly covered and uncovered her body with her hands. Hiding it was making it seem like she was even more naked, and if she lowered her hands, the swimsuit appeared clearly visible.

Just so you know, this game is rated for 15 and up in Korea, mainly due to its suggestive content.

Players highlighted Carolyn’s scenes as the main reason for that.

Thank goodness the game graphics aren’t too realistic; otherwise, it could have been precarious.

That’s what I thought, observing Carolyn’s body.

Speaking of which, if I consistently trigger Carolyn’s event, I might see a scene like that again… at the school pool.

This incidental event is quite crucially linked to this scene.

Could the same happen in this world too?

I glanced at Leo, but upon making eye contact, he merely blushed and looked away.

…Somehow, he seems even more clueless than he was in the original.

Is it just my imagination?

*

Still, thanks to Carolyn, the gazes that had been on us diverted for a moment, and we quickly moved to a corner of the beach to take a seat.

“Phew.”

Alice sighed in relief as she sat down.

“At least it’s good that people aren’t gathering around us here…”

“Well, first off, it’s Lindbergh’s property.”

In response to Charlotte’s words, Jake shrugged.

“Alright!”

As we gathered together, Claire cheered.

“Since we’ve come to the beach, we should have all the fun we can! Come to think of it, this is my first time at the sea!”

Ah… is that so?

Well, even for nobles, getting to play at the beach like this shouldn’t be very easy. Even without attending school, there’s plenty they need to learn.

“Right, big sister? Let’s hurry and go play!”

Claire quickly grabbed my arm and started to pull me up, but suddenly a thought crossed my mind.

I can’t swim!

No, more importantly, can Claire swim? Leo could swim in the original, so there’s a high chance Claire can too.

“Wait.”

Claire halted immediately at the sound of my voice.

“…Wouldn’t it be better to bring some drinks first?”

Good.

Anyway, Alice can’t swim either.

Then making Alice get into the water before me would definitely benefit me.

“Oh, right!”

Fortunately, Claire reacted as I’d hoped—

“Th-then I’ll go too!”

Whether she read my mind or just trying to delay getting into the water for a moment, Alice quickly stood up to follow us.

…Somehow, getting Alice into the water before me didn’t seem easy.

Chapter 177

Anyway, my flailing to somehow get into the water worked out quite well.

It’s not like I came all the way to the coast just to mess around. I ate this and that, ran around together, soaked up the hot sun, and then jumped in the water to cool off.

I can’t quite recall who went in first. I just came to my senses and realized I was already in the water.

Speaking of which, how long has it been since I played in the sea?

Years? No, I think it was almost a different life. When I was at the Imperial Palace, I could hardly think about coming to a place like this.

Every time I looked at Alice, I was way too tense, but it seems I was just as nervous myself.

I’m not sure if I managed to keep a blank expression while playing in the water, but Claire and Alice seemed to be having a blast.

Since we didn’t go deep, we didn’t really need to swim. Maybe Claire was trying to be considerate in her own way?

“Lady Crowfield.”

Of course, there was someone sitting there with a stubborn expression as if they absolutely would not enter the water.

“Mugh!?”

Ah, but it wasn’t exactly a stubborn face.

Mia Crowfield, with her mouth stuffed full of fruit, made an expression as if I might try to talk to her. I felt a bit guilty.

“May I sit next to you?”

The sand on the beach was surprisingly soft, as if someone had deliberately gathered it. There were no sharp rocks mixed in.

Next to Mia Crowfield were the slippers of children carelessly sprawled out. At first, everyone had their shoes on when entering the water, but somehow, everyone was barefoot now.

“Ah, yes, yes.”

After somehow swallowing the fruit in her mouth, Mia Crowfield replied.

I sat next to her, brushing my wet hair behind my ears.

Of course, there was a mat laid out. There was also an umbrella. But for some reason, the grains of sand, being so small, seemed to be slowly invading the mat as if blown by the wind.

The reason Mia Crowfield was holding the plate was probably because she was worried about sand getting on the fruit.

Not that I was trying to look, but there was a lot of sand stuck to Mia Crowfield’s legs too.

“Are you not planning to go in?”

Considering she was wearing a swimsuit.

As I sat down, the water running off my body dripped onto the mat spread out on the sandy beach, forming a small puddle. The sand that had slightly risen sank quickly.

“Ah… well…”

Mia Crowfield hesitated for a moment.

“I’ve never been in the water before… I’m a bit scared.”

That’s understandable.

There are actually quite a few people like that. Those who come to the sea but only stare vacantly at the water without going in.

“I see.”

I just replied shortly like that.

“……”

“……”

We both stayed silent for a while.

Why did I sit here?

While chewing on that awkwardness, I blamed myself from a few seconds ago.

No, the mat is big, right? There are plenty of places to sit other than here—why did I end up sitting right next to Mia Crowfield?

Of course, this was the spot that got the proper shade from the umbrella, and it would have been even more awkward to sit far away just because it felt weird.

Still, I had casually started a conversation during the banquet, but thinking about it now, there wasn’t really a reason to do that here.

Wouldn’t it be weird to act overly familiar?

“Um…”

But luckily, Mia Crowfield didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving me in silence.

“Why are you taking care of me like this?”

Taking care—

Uh, well, I wasn’t exactly taking care of her.

…Was I? If she keeps coming over here like this, it must mean I’m somehow taking care of her, right?

Mia Crowfield didn’t seem to have anyone else to talk to aside from us. Although she was pretty, there were rumors about her not being on good terms with the royal family.

Plus, thinking about it, the Crowfield estate was originally part of Velbur territory. Among the neighboring areas, Crowfield estate was the largest, with plenty of Velbur-related folks living there.

That said, it doesn’t mean Crowfield is of Velbur blood. Anyway, with all kinds of tricky histories mixed in, it certainly wasn’t easy for people to become friendly. I suppose only someone like the student council president, Duke Lindbergh, could invite Mia Crowfield without a second thought.

Also, another reason people might have a hard time approaching her is Mia Crowfield’s own aura.

She always slightly covered her face with her bangs and bowed her head to hide her face. Plus, at the start of the semester, she openly antagonized me.

I guess, growing up under a mother like that, she couldn’t be bright and cheerful, right? She practically received revenge like a programmed education.

“Are you acting this way because of the stories you got tangled up in before?”

Mia Crowfield asked, her voice quiet.

That must be a story she didn’t want to bring up. The tale of how her father, who wasn’t just an ordinary man, committed acts no human should…

“……”

I didn’t feel the need to answer.

I don’t regret having killed the Count. If I hadn’t, far more kids… would have suffered the same fate. Besides, I also could have ended up in a similar situation.

But that doesn’t change the fact that the remaining child is pitiful.

If I hadn’t seen this child in the original work, and only judged her based on my first impression when we met, I would have only held an abstract feeling of animosity.

But I remember her trying to acknowledge what her father had done, striving to change the situation somehow.

That’s why I suppose I can’t just leave it be.

“I often think about it. If my father were alive, what kind of life I would be living. Maybe my mother wouldn’t have become so sharp, and I might have received my father’s love like other kids.”

“……”

“But at the same time… if my father hadn’t passed away, those children would have continued to die.”

“Would you have wished for another way?”

“…I’m not sure.”

Mia Crowfield spoke while staring blankly ahead. She seemed lost in thought.

“I spent the whole vacation locked in my room thinking about it. If my father hadn’t died… maybe, just like I mentioned earlier, I would have grown up receiving my parents’ love…”

I listened quietly as she spoke.

“Just the thought that ordinary life might not have continued makes me feel uneasy.”

Mia Crowfield said in a somber voice.

“My father… did drugs, and how did those children… how did my mother see him? Did she just see him as a tool? Did she feel even a little jealousy? She claimed to love my father, but how many people would actually tolerate a husband who acts that way?”

“……”

“Maybe, my mother’s blind love for my deceased father was completed because he passed away… she might have delved into revenge, forcing herself not to think about anything else.”

“Did you feel that kind of atmosphere?”

“When I was one-on-one with my mother, she always spoke of revenge.”

Mia Crowfield continued.

“I used to think it was natural, but it felt strange. Why does she only talk about that when we converse? Why does she never speak of my father?”

I quickly reached out to catch the tray she was about to drop as her hands went slack. “Thank you,” she muttered quietly and continued.

“So, I tried it. I brought up my father while talking one-on-one with my mom.”

She said she screamed and covered her ears.

“And then I realized, ah, I’ve been living in a not-so-good place until now.”

“……”

Uh, well.

I mean, I appreciate that she’s sharing what’s been on her mind, but since I completely didn’t expect to hear something like this out of the blue, I’m not sure how to respond.

“Do you blame me for killing my father?”

“……”

Mia Crowfield sat quietly.

“Did Your Highness ever think of leaving your father alive?”

“……”

No, she didn’t.

If she were a somewhat decent person, she would have thought of just refusing the mission and running away, but the evidence I searched for time and again was nothing but horrifying.

“I guess this conversation is just going to be parallel lines.”

“I think so.”

As I spoke, lost in thought, Mia Crowfield nodded as well.

“But at least we got to understand why we did what we did.”

“…Yes.”

Mia Crowfield sat silently, looking ahead.

“And I’ve found something I need to do. Something new, other than revenge.”

“Best of luck with that.”

“It better go well.”

At that moment, I handed the fruit tray I had been holding to Mia Crowfield.

And only then did she seem to realize what kind of conversation she had just had, her face turning red.

Somehow, it felt like I could just address her by her name from now on.

Chapter 178

I was mindlessly sitting next to Mia when Claire finally realized I was still in the water and dragged me out again to splash around.

The sea here was just as salty and bitter as the one back home. When I first got in the water, Claire dramatically exclaimed, “Wow, it’s really salty!” which was quite the comedic line. I also saw Alice, who had never been to the sea, sneakily dipping her finger in to taste it.

For the sake of establishing the Crown Princess’s authority, I would never say that to anyone else.

Even Mia, who seemed like she’d never step into the water, got pulled in by someone at some point. I sadly watched sand erode the tray she was carrying as she dropped it, but those who always claimed they wouldn’t get in the water eventually found Mia splashing around energetically.

Leo, in the middle of all the fun, seemed to sense gazes on him and tried to subtly back away, but that was hopeless.

The people in this world often looked like models from a game; they were usually pretty. However, this was a place filled with ‘heroines.’ If there was a character named Sylvia Fanggriffon in the game, she’d undoubtedly rank among the heroines here, just like the other women.

The Crown Princess, the Duke’s daughter, even the Count’s daughter.

Rena and Sophia were treated as precious guests as well.

These women were not just hard to overlook because of their looks but also due to their status.

Yet here I was, a guy from a mere Baron’s estate, and I wasn’t receiving any glares at all.

The only guy among practically half-naked women.

What a confusingly enviable situation.

But as the term ‘the only’ implies, Jake, the other guy, was nowhere in sight.

Not just Jake; Roti was missing too.

I could definitely picture Jake playing in the water, but not Roti. For some reason, the image in my head was of Roti in a black swimsuit with a maid hairband standing behind Jake.

Although, I had never really seen Roti in a maid outfit in front of me.

“……”

But I found both of them quite easily.

I spotted Roti’s ponytail disappearing behind a rock in the distance.

…If it were anyone else, I might wonder what they were up to, but with Jake and Roti? Nothing would happen.

They liked each other but kept their distance subtly.

I took one last look at the noisy group and quietly slipped away.

What could those two be talking about?

I hoped it wasn’t anything too serious.

*

“…But in the end, that position is also obtained through the logic of those in power.”

That was Roti’s voice.

“To establish that kind of credit without doing anything is no different from the other noble’s children, is it?”

“Exactly! Just accept it to elevate your status, and then you can rise on your own strength. Once you become a knight, there will be plenty of opportunities to establish credits.”

“……”

Roti fell silent at Jake’s words.

“Do you know how much this swimsuit costs?”

“……Well…”

“Honestly, I’m not sure. I just chose it since I was told to pick. But I suspect a considerable amount of rubber went into making it. It’s made by wrapping fabric around natural rubber and compressing it, you know?”

“……”

“To be perfectly honest, I’m neither the one to wear this nor the one to be handled. I’ve already received so much from you, my lord. This ‘break’ was arranged by you, after all?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“That too, in the end, is only possible because of you, my lord. I…”

Roti seemed to have something to say but swallowed her words.

“You…”

Just then, as Jake was about to say something,

“What are you doing here?”

“Eek!”

I screamed at Alice, who had suddenly appeared next to me.

“…Eek?”

A sound came from behind the rock.

“…Again!”

Alice shouted before I could react, and I yelled, “Again!”

*

“So, you’re saying the authority you gained means nothing?”

I decided to interrupt the conversation between the two.

“…Sylvia.”

“I’m sorry. I accidentally eavesdropped on your conversation.”

Though it wasn’t exactly ‘accidental,’ but whatever.

I immediately turned to Roti.

“Did you think that my offering you a title was simply out of ‘benevolence’?”

“……”

Roti couldn’t respond, avoiding my gaze.

“I have one question. Do you think all this kindness, including the knight title I’m offering and all the gifts Jake has given you, is just something you don’t deserve to receive?”

As expected, Roti had no reply.

Oh, how frustrating.

I bit back a sigh.

“All of this is done because I find you admirable.”

I told Roti,

“If you were anyone else, without the qualities you have now, and merely viewed the situation pessimistically, I wouldn’t have offered you this chance. You have desires, don’t you?”

“……”

“Even if you obtain what you want, would you simply think you got it due to someone else’s kindness?”

Issues like colonization and the inhumanity of plantation farming, or those ‘good old days’ that will soon meet their catastrophe.

Yeah, they all needed to be resolved. Especially for us sitting in the upper seats, this was a story that needed to be addressed sooner or later.

But that didn’t mean we could act on it right now.

Suddenly, the class system wouldn’t collapse, and Jake and Roti wouldn’t become equals. That sort of thing isn’t happening anytime soon. The noble class would still exist ten years or twenty years from now, and it would continue to be a tool to exploit others.

So, would they be satisfied being just a serving maid until then? How long would they keep watching Jake marry someone else, while they were left unrequited?

Of course, Jake wouldn’t marry someone else, but still.

“Don’t bother with reasons. If you have a means at hand, willingly utilize it. Being a knight is certainly far more freeing than being a maid bound to one household.”

I stepped a little closer to Roti.

After all, the opportunity would soon come. The noble society wouldn’t completely collapse, but there would be a moment when everyone would realize there are people who bleed and can be killed.

Would she still try to distance herself from Jake even then?

“You have something you want, right?”

I whispered, just loud enough for her to hear. Noticing my gaze land on Jake, Roti’s mouth slightly opened.

She seemed surprised at how I knew.

…How could I not know? Even someone who hadn’t seen the original work would have questioned, knowing those two hung out so closely.

It was also one of the reasons Roti was often isolated.

“Don’t say anything silly like ‘I’d be fine with just being nearby’ or ‘the second-best is okay.’ I don’t really like hearing the people around me rationalizing themselves like that.”

Roti looked up at me.

My shadow loomed over Roti.

…Hmm.

I wasn’t trying to create a creepy atmosphere.

“I want it. Isn’t that reason enough? Do I need to come up with more excuses?”

“……”

Roti was left speechless.

“Sorry for stealing your time, you two.”

I took a step back from Roti and said, then slightly bowed my head before turning around and walking away.

“……”

And from a direction where I couldn’t see, someone was leaning against a rock.

It was Alice.

The ‘Eek!’ had been canceled, but… the smile on Alice’s face was far more complicated than when she had heard my scream earlier.

She looked like she had a ton of questions piled up, but—

I raised my index finger to my lips. Alice simply nodded quietly.

It was an incident that would undermine the royal authority, knowing both princesses were secretly eavesdropping on the Duke’s son.

When I pointed the index finger back at the beach, Alice nodded and quickly moved to my side.

“…How are the two of them?”

After walking for a while, Alice finally asked once she was sure the sound wouldn’t carry back.

“To be honest, I’m not sure.”

I really hoped she’d take my words at face value.

Was she overthinking things and layering in political issues like the Duke of Lindbergh?

…Did I meddle unnecessarily there?

Now I found myself feeling a tinge of regret.

Chapter 179

Roti and Jake didn’t really blend in with us until the very end, but they also didn’t attempt to forcibly drag themselves into our group.

Being a noble means you have to be aware of everything. What to ask, what not to ask, what you need to know, what’s better to remain ignorant about… and what that person might not want to talk about. This fact was known by Leo, the Baron, Charlotte, the royalty, and also by Alice, who is a Crown Princess just like me.

Those two must have something to talk about, huh? Looking at the situation, everyone seemed to think that way.

Of course, I awkwardly butted in between them.

“It really feels like it’s been so long since I played like this. It reminded me of my childhood.”

“Childhood?”

Alice asked, puzzled by Charlotte’s remark as she sat on the mat.

“Yes, back to the days when I didn’t know anything… just running around without a care for politics or international affairs.”

…But weren’t you fifteen?

When I was fifteen, I was just watching cartoons and saving up pocket money to buy figures and knick-knacks.

No, wait, thinking back, my way of life hasn’t changed much since I became an adult. I never really had that so-called “graduation.”

“The days when you didn’t know anything…”

But it’s nonsensical to think that the musings of an ordinary person in my world would be the same as someone destined to ascend the throne in this world.

Take Alice, who’s sitting between me and Charlotte. Alice… well, she never had the ‘didn’t know anything’ days like Charlotte did.

I can’t even imagine the Emperor playing with kids.

No, even the image of the Emperor leisurely sitting down and enjoying some hobby doesn’t come to mind.

Thinking about it, it makes sense. An Emperor who wouldn’t lack at all in terms of state affairs, and thus, the act of maintaining that power and trying to climb up the ranks can be considered a hobby in itself.

“Did you never have those days, Alice?”

“Me? I…”

Alice couldn’t respond properly to Charlotte’s question.

The sharp-tongued Princess who had never had a chance to play freely, thus doesn’t even know how to have fun.

That was the original Alice.

When Alice failed to answer, Charlotte’s gaze turned towards me. Her eyes, slightly downcast, held a question in them.

Alice and I had a good relationship. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say we were quite close. I could easily imagine Alice risking her life for me if I found myself in danger.

Whether I wanted that or not was another story.

“…Sylvia has always followed my father’s orders before she matured. If she lived a harsher life than I did, she likely hasn’t had many moments of peace.”

“…”

Charlotte’s mouth dropped open slightly as she heard this.

“Oh, I see…”

See what?

Whatever Charlotte had in mind, it was likely that the story she thought of was why I appeared to be pitiful.

Could it be that she realized I finish all the whipped cream every time I eat parfait without leaving even a little behind?

The atmosphere became awkward for no reason.

“This winter,”

Charlotte finally spoke after a moment of silence.

“I’ll definitely invite you to Velbur. Forget all the worries filling your head and just have fun, alright?”

“…Really?”

Alice’s expression brightened a bit at Charlotte’s words.

…However, I knew that invitation would ultimately not materialize. According to the original story, war started that winter.

*

Before the sun completely set, we hurriedly changed our clothes. It was a hot place during the day, but the temperature dropped significantly at night, and wearing swimsuits after sundown would be a perfect way to catch a cold.

No matter how detailed the character modeling and hidden settings were in the original story, there are always aspects that can’t be shown.

You can decide on likes and dislikes concerning food. Character’s measurements or underwear size can be set.

But you can’t craft every little quirk a character may have.

It’s fundamentally tied to the capabilities of the famous company, known for recycling models and motions; it would be difficult to include such intricate motions for individual characters, and if added, it would likely provide crucial hints to the game’s narrative rather than just being ‘small quirks.’

This was the biggest revelation I had since coming to this world.

The way meat is cooled down after being cooked hot, the way one holds a fork and knife, movements of the hands while talking, or walking.

Those subtle differences that feel so different from the ‘original’ made me feel that all the characters here were alive.

No, it’s correct to say they are alive.

They all breathe, laugh when happy, cry when sad, and yell when angry. They’re not just reciting pre-defined lines, but speaking what they think or showing it through actions in accordance to the situation.

That’s why I want to keep them all alive.

But at the same time, I also found myself wondering if I could really accomplish it.

“Sylvia.”

When Alice called my name, I turned my head and bit down on the sausage in my mouth.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

If you’re expecting a response, it’s probably better not to stuff a sausage in your mouth at that moment, right?

I chewed and swallowed the juicy, smoky sausage before answering.

“I was thinking about the things that are yet to come.”

“…”

Alice stared at me silently for a while.

“Do you know what’s going to happen next?”

I didn’t bother answering.

Seeing my silence, Alice sat next to me and asked,

“Is it something really terrible that’s going to happen?”

Well, who knows?

I used to think I knew, but… actually, I don’t really know.

In the original story, battles were depicted as people collapsing after swords and bullets exchanged, but in this world, it was different.

Bodies could be blown apart by shells, or guts could spill out from sword cuts… Certainly, in the original, such expressions were omitted for various reasons.

I’ve already witnessed the battlefield. I’ve seen people fall from my shots and get shredded by grenades I threw.

If one of my friends were to die like that, could I endure it?

“I have to prevent such things from happening.”

“…”

At my words, Alice looked at me again.

Her blue eyes were quietly gazing at me as Alice opened her mouth.

“Don’t try to bear everything on your own.”

Alice said so.

“There are so many people around you.”

That’s true.

There are so many that I don’t even know how to protect them all.

“…I understand.”

But since I couldn’t say such things to Alice, I merely responded that way.

Alice’s gaze lingered on me for a while after that.

*

After that, everything went smoothly.

We completed our quota by taking a few more requests.

Even though all the first-year students had gathered, the atmosphere was generally relaxed. Most requests from this side were related to hunting wild animals, so there was no need to jump in competitively. Jake appeared dissatisfied with hunting, which was also a reason we didn’t engage in it.

Above all, there wasn’t much hidden here. There were a few concealment quests, but most were just for securing Marmaros, and only one had a significant impact on the main story.

“Well, I’m glad we could take it easy before we go. Sometimes… spending a vacation like this isn’t too bad.”

“You’ve made a good call.”

I replied.

“If you never rest and only work, you’re bound to break down.”

“…Is that what you’re supposed to say?”

I was resting comfortably.

Of course, when time rewinds, physical fatigue comes back. Still, thanks to that sense of ‘I can do even better,’ my mind felt relaxed.

“Since it’s the last day, we should just take it easy and go back.”

“Even without you saying so, that’s what I intended.”

Alice said playfully, adding a comment.

Well, there was still one thing I had to do.

*

One of the differences between the game and reality is that I need permission to enter somewhere.

In the game, I could just walk into a house and speak to the people inside without any issue. Though it was ‘game permission,’ strangely enough, sometimes quests would progress just from meeting people that way, making it hard to label it simply as ‘game permission.’

What this means is, even if I’m a Crown Princess, I need to be invited by the Duke to go back into the Duke’s residence. It wouldn’t be proper to invade the Duke’s personal space without his invitation.

However, fortunately, I had the ability to sneak into that mansion.

“…”

Alright.

After getting caught by the guard five times, I finally made it inside; I’ve certainly improved.

Now then, let’s go handle that important concealment quest.

Chapter 180

How to do a stealth quest is simple!

Enter the room and talk to the NPC who has the quest. The conversation will progress, and by the end, the quest will appear in your quest window.

There’s no notification saying you’ve accepted the quest, so sometimes you might not realize you’ve taken it and just keep advancing the story, causing the quest to fail.

Well, in reality, there isn’t even a status window, so I have to remember everything on my own.

The internal structure of the duke’s residence was less guarded compared to the outside. It was still a personal house, no matter how spacious it was. They would probably feel uncomfortable letting anyone in without permission.

Thank goodness for that! The thick luxury carpet in the hallway was a blessing too.

I can barely hear my footsteps! Tiptoe, tiptoe!

The problem was bumping into a maid or servant while wandering inside, but I decided to think about that later. It was deep into the night, so there probably wouldn’t be many people wandering about anyway.

So all I had to do was meet with Roti’s mother, who gives the stealth quests, and have a chat with her—

“Sylvia.”

Did I not scream this time? Have I really grown? Just a few days ago, I screamed when Alice called me at the beach, so I must be growing up fast!

“…Crown Princess?”

“So, Alice— Ugh, never mind.”

Seeing Alice following behind me nearly gave me a heart attack! In the original story, Alice was definitely a physical damage dealer wielding a huge sword. Has she somehow transitioned into a ranged character!?

“After having that conversation yesterday, is it really that strange for me to know your movements in the same room?”

“…Then why did you only speak up now, after coming in?”

“….”

Alice avoided my gaze and stayed silent.

Right, it must be out of curiosity. I’ve known Alice for several years now. Not just casually, but living in the same place… awkwardly, but we’ve sort of been like sisters.

“It seems you have quite a skill for stealth.”

“Oh, really?”

Although she was whispering, Alice looked agitated when she said that.

“Well, since you go wandering around without telling me, I can’t help but develop such skills, can I?”

Wait a minute. Are you saying Alice has seen me almost getting caught by the guards five times?

Gulp.

That’s embarrassing! Alice might not remember, but I definitely will!

I tried my best to not show that feeling.

“So, what are you doing here?”

Talking in a crouched position in the corner of the hallway was a refreshing experience in many ways, but there was no time to enjoy that sensation.

After all, you can’t just wake someone up on purpose after they’ve fallen asleep to chat with them, right?

“…I’m here to meet someone.”

“You sneak in to meet someone? If you told the Duke, he’d gladly invite you.”

That’s probably true.

But at the same time, that would mean keeping an eye on me. I need to be careful around other nobles, not just around Alice.

Who would suspect that I’d be the one to install a bomb in the mansion?

“Who is it?”

Hmm…

I thought for a moment and then stopped contemplating.

Thinking too much here wouldn’t help get Alice off my back.

Actually, to get her off me, I might need to reverse time completely. From the looks of it, Alice seems to have followed me since the hotel.

“It’s Roti’s mother.”

So I just said it.

Alice’s mouth dropped open momentarily before closing it again.

“At this hour?”

“At this hour.”

Responding to Alice’s question, she made that complex expression she’s been showing me lately, then sighed deeply.

“Fine, then. If you say so, let’s go check it out. Just so you know, don’t think of separating us.”

“I already figured you’d say that after following me all this way.”

When I said that, Alice suddenly looked a bit flustered.

*

One of the reasons for the human rights movements that occurred in the U.S. started with a woman who sat in a white person’s seat on a bus.

Of course, such an event doesn’t exist in this world. For something like that to happen, it’ll probably take decades to come. That’s a tale so distant you could call it ‘the future,’ well beyond the game’s main plot.

But at the same time, there were similar elements.

Colonial residents are not allowed to ride buses. More precisely, there were separate vehicles for colonial residents.

Colonial residents are usually transported in the back of trucks. While riding in the back of a truck on a cool day along a scenic country road may sound charming, it’s a different story if you have to do that under the blazing sun.

“They are different from us!”

The Empire citizens were eager to show that off.

And naturally, the same goes for the maid’s room. White maids and servants’ rooms are typically separate from those for colonial residents. Ironically, since there was only one maid of colonial origin in this mansion—Roti’s mother—she inadvertently got a room all to herself.

But that doesn’t mean she received better treatment than other colonial residents.

She surely would feel envy and jealousy from the maids sharing rooms with others. If asked to share a room, no one would volunteer, yet they think it’s special treatment because “She gave birth to a child from Lindbergh.”

…It’s strange not to hear any sound coming from behind the thin door.

Alice’s expression tightened as soon as we reached the door.

Before coming here, she had quite a bit of imperialistic thinking, but it seems her views have changed a bit because of that incident at the banquet.

As I quietly opened the door, I saw Roti’s mother curled up with her face in her palms, sobbing.

Only Roti’s mother was in the room.

Roti’s mother, startled by the creaking door, looked up at me and instantly stood up.

“Y-Your Highness the Crown Princess!?”

The sound she made was almost a scream, so I quickly put my index finger in front of my lips to gesture her to be quiet. Perhaps thinking it was a royal command, Roti’s mother’s mouth shut tight.

“Wait, I have something to discuss. Is that alright?”

At my statement, Roti’s mother exchanged nervous glances between Alice and me, then finally nodded her head.

I closed the door.

Hmm…

Once the door was closed, I was a bit stumped about what to say next.

In the original story, there wasn’t a description of sneaking in, and Leo was the main conversationalist.

Leo found Roti’s mother crying and just sat beside her, letting her talk.

Could I do that too?

“First, could you please have a seat?”

When I said that, Roti’s mother still looked terrified as she sat down in her chair.

Hmm, it’d probably be difficult to sit next to her like this.

I pulled up a chair at the old table in the middle of the room, then took a seat, keeping some distance from Roti’s mother.

Alright.

Then, let’s see where this conversation goes…

Even if I mess up and don’t communicate properly, I can always just rewind time.

*

“Indeed….”

There were quite a few attempts.

When I acted stiffly like usual, Roti’s mother paled and couldn’t say a proper word. Well, it’s understandable. How could she badmouth the Duke in front of a princess?

What’s more, it’s not just any princess, but one who was most likely to succeed to the throne.

Seeing Roti’s mother’s face slightly turn pale when I forced a smile made me think I ought to rewind and ask Alice for help.

Things might’ve been different in the original, but Alice has adopted a softer tone lately that doesn’t make others uncomfortable.

And we were just on the verge of hearing the story of the day Roti was born.

Initially obstinate about talking, Roti’s mother eventually opened up after Alice sat down beside her and spoke gently several times, all the while looking like she was ready to let everything go.

It must have been painful for her. It wasn’t a story she could share with just anyone.

She didn’t have anyone she could call a work colleague. Even if she spoke to a local, she would just be treated like someone who got involved with an imperialist.

In the end, the reason she finally opened up in front of us must have been that she wanted to share something she couldn’t tell anyone else.

“….”

Seeing Alice’s jaw twitch, it was clear she was also quite angry upon hearing the story.

“P-Please don’t tell my lord. If you do, I—”

“I understand. No need to worry.”

After pouring out her story, Roti’s mother said that with a terrified expression, but I clearly saw the flames of fury in Alice’s eyes.

Perhaps it’s fortunate that I ended up coming here with Alice after all.

Chapter 181

In the original story, the issue regarding Roti’s mother was resolved by granting her the status of a free citizen.

You might ask, “In a world without slaves, why would there be any mention of free citizens?” but as I mentioned earlier, just because slavery is illegal doesn’t mean it can’t be circumvented to create something akin to slavery.

In this era, the wealth of the world is monopolized by a small percentage of people. Just because a human life is considered valuable doesn’t mean it’s unaffordable. Moreover, in fact, life isn’t as valuable in this world as one might think.

One of the most typical ways the Empire treats colonized residents like slaves is through “debt.”

They burden individuals with unpayable loans and then force them to pay it back. If they can’t repay the debt, they’re made to work as labor in exchange for the money. And if someone lies down and says they have no intention of repaying, they’ll alert the financial authorities immediately.

You might think it’s better to be stuck in prison, but of course, labor continues even in prison. Outside, they do work to pay off the debt, and inside, they labor to repay their sins.

Moreover, corporal punishment still existed in this age. Of course, it doesn’t apply to the Empire’s citizens. It’s a law enforced “to respect the culture of the original natives who used to enforce corporal punishment.”

“Is there really no way to live without getting into debt?”

Alice, who listened to my explanation, asked with a bored expression.

It was a chilly night, but not cold enough to be called winter. As long as we wrapped our coats tightly, the cold was bearable enough that we could sit late into the night at a café after leaving the Duke’s residence.

The Lindbergh estate was bright even at night. In some sense, it was more developed than the Imperial Capital. The city center didn’t darken at night, and there were quite a few cafés and pubs that didn’t close even at midnight.

Well, distinguishing between the two wasn’t easy. Many places sold coffee in the morning and alcohol at night. We weren’t sitting at the outside table sipping non-alcoholic cocktails out of necessity; the inside was too noisy to hold a quiet conversation.

“Debts incurred by natives in the colonies aren’t limited to personal loans.”

Of course, there were personal loans involved. The natives, who became serfs the moment their fields were forcefully taken from them, received small rations no matter how hard they worked. And naturally, they were rarely given money, leading them to borrow from landowners.

To avoid starving themselves or feeding their families.

Some might wonder if this issue could be resolved by simply starving. It’s a story often told by those who have never truly experienced ‘hunger,’ thinking that the ‘hunger’ they feel just before lunch is the same.

Well, fine, let’s go with that.

But then, how do we understand the situation regarding infrastructure?

It goes without saying that infrastructure can’t be built for free. They lay out piping for drainage, lavishly pour magic stones to connect telephone lines, construct modern buildings, lay roads, and create airports and ports.

All of that was built for the Empire and directed at the Empire, but the bill for that goes to the “colonized residents living the life of modernization.” After their original homes were demolished, they were charged for the land’s depreciated value, and everything else was counted as modernization costs. Even if a new road was built on land where a house once stood, it was the same story.

“Alice, after hearing my story, was momentarily at a loss for words.

“All civilizations of the world are modernizing and supposedly breaking down the class system,” she said.

“The class system hasn’t even been dismantled in the Empire,” I replied.

“But… isn’t that wrong? I heard that the original class system in this land was different from the classes in the Empire.”

There was indeed a class structure borrowed from the Indian caste system.

With the highest position occupied by a priest, and at the very bottom, the untouchables, who were considered defiled just by contact.

“Exactly. That’s why one of the first things Lindbergh eliminated after occupying this land was the surnames. If you don’t know the family name, you can’t figure out what class someone belongs to. But that doesn’t mean you can’t infer class at all.”

“How can we infer classes?”

“If there is a native in a high position, it’s likely that they originally belonged to a lower class.”

They actively employed untouchables to oppress those who were above them. For those at the top, it felt as though the world had turned upside down, and they willingly took on that role.

At first glance, it seems like a dismantlement of class, but in reality, it was just a strategy for the Empire to manipulate society to its own taste.

And by doing so, it may also allow them to package that act itself as “noble.”

“If the Empire truly cared about the natives, it wouldn’t have built all modernized facilities directed at the Empire. All facilities are directed at the Empire, which is ultimately for sending all crops and resources produced in this land to the Empire.”

“…”

Alice raised her hand to wipe her face.

“Why didn’t I know this?”

“You couldn’t know. There are almost no people genuinely interested in this.”

Upon hearing my words, Alice fell silent, pondering for a while, before suddenly lighting up.

The gleam in her eyes was certainly not one of joy.

If I had to describe it, it was the look of sorrow raised by stubborn determination.

“I can’t save everyone in this land.”

“That’s true.”

At least, not with our power.

Even if the Empire realized its mistake and withdrew from the mainland decades later, it would be difficult for the once-chaotic society to return to its original state. Plus, because of the twisted class system, the untouchables would have created justifications for them to remain as untouchables.

“It may only be a trivial act of self-satisfaction, but still… I want to help those people.”

“In that case, you should help them.”

I responded simply.

“And that might serve as a bit of a warning, considering the Crown Princess is the one helping.”

“…”

At my words, Alice bit her lip tightly.

*

How much money does the Imperial Family actually have?

It’s a subject of curiosity for the dukes with royal blood mixed in, as well as distant relatives far removed from the line of succession.

And honestly, I was curious too.

Even someone like me, who ran amok inside the Imperial Palace and saw all manner of hidden treasures, found it hard to gauge just how much gold was in the palace.

Of course, it’s not that one could buy an entire country with that money—well, no. If I recalled how America once purchased Alaska, one could probably buy a duchy with just the money within the palace.

Inside the Imperial Palace, there were about six places that could be called secret vaults. Those secret vaults, not even featured in the game, were strictly secured and organized with gold and artworks.

That’s why they didn’t give the princesses an allowance.

Without even needing a budget, they could just borrow directly from the bank and repay later with interest. There were plenty of sources for getting more money, and even if they ran out, there was enough for three generations to live comfortably.

And because the Imperial Family had so much money, it was after hours when the bank president was summoned with great haste.

“Yes, um…”

Scratching his head, the bank president started speaking.

“Actually, it’s rather ambiguous to convert that into money.”

It was painfully obvious that he was trying his best to lend a significant amount to Alice, but at the same time, that statement was sincere.

“Thanks to obliterating the last names of the native residents here, it’s difficult to tell who is who… I feel a bit awkward saying this, but from Lindbergh’s point of view, it doesn’t really matter. The debts incurred by the natives are theoretically infinite.”

How on earth do they manipulate every little thing to turn them into debt slaves?

But Alice, sitting with her legs crossed, stated confidently.

“In that case, how much are you willing to spend to acquire a native maid, bank president?”

Upon hearing Alice’s words, the bank president’s face instantly brightened.

I assumed she’d probably demand an outrageous price.

Well, that was something we could manage. After all, being able to borrow money is also a skill!

Chapter 182

And immediately, another person jumped out at the news that the Crown Princess had come to visit, _bang!_

Of course, it wasn’t Duke Lindbergh. If someone of his status was to meet, naturally, no matter how much of a crown princess she was, an appointment would need to be made in advance.

In terms of protocol, the Crown Princess may hold more power, but politically, the position of a duke is definitely not one to be taken lightly.

However, that’s just talking about the duke himself.

Even if she belonged to the imperial family, outside of direct lineage, there aren’t many who hold significant power. Most are just living leisurely off their family’s wealth, and if someone’s lineage is split by hundreds of years, it’s often mocked just to carry the name of the royal family.

If the imperial family is like this, then what about the dukes?

As long as there is a rightful heir, unless something significant happens resulting in that heir being incapacitated or killed, it’s practically impossible for another from the duke’s family to take that position. It’s not just unlikely, it’s entirely impossible, as the imperial family wouldn’t recognize them.

So, the person in front of us, George Lindbergh, unlike his cousin, was in a position where he couldn’t help but come out to greet us no matter how or when we arrived.

“It is an honor to have you visit.” _clap clap!_

Usually, a visit like this isn’t something you’d be happy about. When royalty or nobility visits at night, it often signals that there’s an urgent matter to address.

But for someone feeling like they’re slowly drifting away from politics, especially one worried that their own child might not belong in such circles, it’s a different story.

“Though this place is humble, please feel free to relax.” _shhh!_

Although it may be a smaller mansion compared to the duke’s, it wasn’t something that could truly be called shabby.

Well, it was probably just being polite.

“Thank you for your hospitality.” _smirk!_

Alice’s attitude was certainly polite, but it didn’t quite give off the impression that she was genuinely grateful for the reception.

However, it seemed the other party didn’t notice that our attitude wasn’t particularly positive.

We were guided into a lavishly decorated parlor.

The maids here were different from those in the Lindbergh mansion. Most were of colonial indigenous descent, and some appeared to be mixed-blood.

Alice’s gaze lingered on those maids for a brief moment. Perhaps she was wondering if those maids were in a situation similar to Roti, but that’s probably not the case.

This had already left quite an impression in the original story, so this world should be no different. This man wouldn’t have touched anyone other than Roti’s mother.

“Could you excuse the people for a moment?” _whoosh!_

As soon as she sat around the round table, Alice spoke.

George Lindbergh immediately gestured to the servants in the room.

After the servants left, Alice took out a white piece of paper from her pocket and placed it on the table.

To be precise, it was a check.

A check guaranteed by the local bank.

“What is this….” _huh?_

The amount written on the check was enough to make even someone from Lindbergh raise an eyebrow.

Originally, this quest would have ended without any money, as it would have been Leo directly digging up dirt and George Lindbergh, who didn’t want any unnecessary scandal, would have handled it quietly.

But what’s the use of a crown princess?

“With this, I’d like to pay off someone’s debt. Is that possible?” _tap tap!_

“Debt?”

Of course, George Lindbergh, who had heard this much, looked puzzled about why we had come here.

“It’s Roti’s mother, Lydia’s debt.”

At hearing this, George Lindbergh’s face went blank for a moment, then turned pale.

“Where did you hear this?”

“To be precise, I knew from the beginning.” _gulp!_

As I answered instead of Alice, his face turned not just pale but blue.

In fact, it’s common for a white person to have relations with indigenous people and produce children. Of course, this story mostly applies to white men and indigenous women. We live in a world where women don’t even have voting rights. The child follows the mother’s bloodline, while the wife follows the husband’s. However, just because an indigenous person follows their husband doesn’t mean they become noble… well, it’s a typical story.

So strictly speaking, while it could be a scandalous topic, it wouldn’t be considered an enormous blemish. As seen through the eyes of nobility, it’s just enjoying a bit of entertainment.

However, there was someone in the Lindbergh family who despised that kind of tale more than anyone else.

He was a man who even chose to use imperial citizens over colonial indigenous ones as servants in his own mansion because he abhorred mixing bloodlines. He somewhat values indigenous people, but simultaneously considers them as ‘other’ who shouldn’t mix with imperial citizens.

—To be precise, that’s exactly how the Duke Lindbergh presented himself publicly.

George Lindbergh stood up and began pacing the room.

That said, Duke Lindbergh isn’t unaware of Roti’s existence or identity. If he didn’t know, there would have been no reason to keep Roti’s mother in his own home.

The reason was simple: he was concerned that if she stayed here too long, she could end up giving birth to another mixed-blood illegitimate child.

“…That cannot be.” _thump!_

George Lindbergh, who had been pacing, said.

“Why not?” _huh?_

“…Since you’ve come this far, there’s nothing left to hide.”

George Lindbergh spoke with a determined expression as if he were declaring an unattainable love.

“I love Lydia.” _thud!_

It was indeed an unattainable love.

But it wasn’t because of class—

“Ugh!”

Even Alice, who had previously heard the story with me, lost her composure for a moment from this guy’s nonsense.

Even I, who already knew the situation, almost doubted my ears in shock.

“Did you just say love?”

“Yes, of course. How could I share a body with someone I don’t love?”

“…Then what about the incident at the ball, where you lashed out at Lydia?”

“That was unavoidable. Our love is forbidden by Duke Lindbergh. We had to have some pretext to talk, you see.”

Alice was left speechless for a moment, turning to look at me with her mouth agape.

I silently picked another sugar cube and dropped it into my tea.

Noticing that I had no intention of saying anything, Alice brushed her face with her hand. George Lindbergh was so lost in his fantasies that he didn’t even notice her actions.

“I can tell. The longing expression she makes every time she looks at me! One day, when all barriers are broken down and we come together under the name of Lindbergh, I’ll be able to call Roti by the name Roti Lindbergh!”

“So that’s why you named her Roti? ‘Liberty’?”

I couldn’t hold back anymore and asked.

“…If it weren’t for Duke Lindbergh, yes, that child could have been free,” George Lindbergh answered with a fiery gaze.

“Do you know Lydia’s real name?”

Alice asked next.

“…”

A brief silence followed.

“No matter how you call someone you love, it doesn’t change that love, does it?”

Now that’s some convoluted logic! _wow!_

“Then, let’s clarify one thing before moving on.”

Alice spoke as if she was about to leave at any moment.

Honestly, just listening to George Lindbergh at this point already made it clear he was completely out of his mind, but I guess the princess felt it was necessary to hear him out before judging everything.

“You and Lydia… no.”

Alice closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, stood up, and after a few big movements of her shoulders, continued speaking.

“On the day Roti was conceived, did Lydia really share her love with you? What did Lydia say that day?”

“Of course, the barriers of class stood between us, so at first, Lydia rejected me. But in the end—”

“What are you talking about, you madman!” _bang!_

Finally unable to take it any longer, Alice lifted the chair she had been sitting on and threw it towards George Lindbergh.

“Ugh!”

I never expected Alice would go this far, and I let out a noise of surprise.

But as I tried to stand up to stop her, Alice was already mid-kick at George Lindbergh!

Chapter 183

At first, I thought I should intervene.

I even lifted my body slightly and contemplated internally for a very brief moment whether to shout “Again!” but—

Well, even if I did rewind time, would Alice have stayed seated and quietly listened to the story instead of throwing her chair?

Even I, knowing the situation—plus having lived as a man for quite some time—felt uncomfortable, and it seemed absurd to expect a teenage girl, who still had fantasies about love, not to be outraged by that story.

If I stopped her from throwing the chair, she’d just end up hurling herself at me instead.

In the original story, Leo was the son of the Baron Grace, so although he couldn’t inherit the title of Duke, he couldn’t easily deal with George Lindbergh, a close relative of the Duke from that spot. Instead, he merely gathered evidence and subtly pressured Roti’s mother until she was freed.

Hmm.

I thought while quietly looking down at George Lindbergh, groaning in pain after being kicked by Alice.

At first, I thought, “Can I really beat up someone from the Duke’s household?” but upon further consideration, couldn’t this be seen as groundwork to promote Roti to knighthood?

“Crown Princess.”

I called Alice, but it seemed she didn’t hear me.

“Alice.”

When I called her name again as she raised her foot, she finally paused her movements.

“I think it’s best to stop here.”

Fortunately, it seemed like the parlor was well soundproofed, as the servants hadn’t noticed the ruckus inside.

It wouldn’t take them long to realize, though.

I leaned slightly forward to observe George Lindbergh’s condition.

Unfortunately, it seemed he had hit his head on the corner of the chair that had flown through the air, and blood was trickling from a small tear on his scalp. His right eye was swollen, and although his lip was split, it looked like his teeth weren’t broken.

Seeing him curled up on his side, clutching his stomach, it seemed like he must have been kicked there as well.

“No matter what, if someone were to die, that would be a huge problem. When discussions arise between the royal family and the Duke’s house in the future, this could turn into a debt.”

Looking at how George Lindbergh was treated, it didn’t seem like the Duke actually cared for him, but regardless, as the head of the family, he wouldn’t simply let this slide. It’s not about George Lindbergh’s personal injuries being the issue. It’s the Lindbergh name that’s tarnished.

“Lydia… No, regarding ‘Asha’— the truth is that you don’t have the right to decide.”

‘Asha’ is Lydia’s real name. When the Empire colonized the Southern Continent, people’s surnames were abolished, and they unified names into the Empire’s language, resulting in the name ‘Lydia.’

Well, that guy probably didn’t care at all.

After listening to me, George Lindbergh lifted his head slightly, as if confused by my words.

“What are you talking about?”

“In fact, Asha has always been a free person. Isn’t that right? In this country, I mean, in all territories and colonies under the Empire’s laws, there is no slavery. The same goes for all the servants working here. They are merely substituting labor because they can’t pay back their debts.”

I watched him stare wide-eyed at me as I spoke.

“The money here doesn’t necessarily have to be given to you. We merely came to deliver it just in case Asha directly received it, and something unfortunate happened.”

I had no way of knowing how Asha would manage sudden unexpected wealth, and more importantly, I had no idea how the other white servants and workers in that estate might react.

Human nature knows no bounds, regardless of skin color. If someone weaker than you has more, there will inevitably be people who try to take that from them, and once one such person emerges, a line of followers will surely follow.

“I came to find you because I knew Asha’s debts were tied to you, but honestly, there was no need to come looking for you. We could have gone directly to the Duke to negotiate.”

Perhaps it was because the Duke moved Asha to his estate with a myriad of reasons that left a significant impression on this guy’s brain.

…Then again, if that hadn’t happened, it might have only ended with Roti alone.

“……”

George Lindbergh was rendered speechless.

“Moreover, considering that Asha is legally a free person, there’s definitely grounds for a trial for what Asha has suffered.”

That’s right. Anyway, there are no slaves in this country.

To have slaves in the first place would have been an excuse to discriminate against people with all sorts of complicated reasons. Isn’t it just a law to prove that this country is far more civilized and advanced than others that have had slavery?

The colonial police composed of Empire citizens and those persecuted on this land don’t willingly resolve issues when a colonial citizen claims they’ve been wronged. If it’s an incident between colonists, it might be different, but if anything happens between an Empire citizen and a colonial resident, the police will unconditionally side with the Empire citizen.

However, what if the legal process were addressed directly by the royal family?

Nobles might resist as if it were interference in domestic affairs, but…

……

What would it matter if they resisted?

“So, please just accept this money and quietly step aside. Otherwise, there will be a massive scandal in the Duke’s household. The Duke is already preparing for scandals that are going to arise in the future, but it would be truly delightful if you sparked one before that.”

The engagement, or perhaps marriage, between Jake the Prince and Roti, a mingling of colonial and noble blood, would in itself cause quite a scandal, but the reason the Duke could allow it after listening to me was because Roti also has a bit of Lindbergh blood running through her. Since she wasn’t a ‘pure’ indigenous person, he could grant permission.

While he maintained a somewhat relaxed demeanor when speaking to me, the reason he was willing to concede so much was precisely because I was ‘me.’ If someone of low nobility like Leo had said it, it wouldn’t have had any effect.

However, separating that aside, it was inevitable that this news would slightly tarnish the name of Lindbergh. For a firstborn son destined to become Duke to marry someone of a different skin color, it would surely be something they must bear.

So, to somewhat lessen that impact, the Duke must already be plotting things out. Primarily, he’d indirectly imply how close he had become to the royal family by permitting that marriage.

But, before that comparison was over, if a scandal broke that a cousin of the Duke had raped a native and had a child…

“……”

“If you continue to be silent, I will take it as an acceptance.”

Even after I said that, George Lindbergh’s mouth remained shut.

I glanced at Alice, shrugged my shoulders, and stood up from my seat.

Alice seemed still agitated and unsettled, but at least it appeared she accepted that the conversation was over.

We turned around and headed straight for the parlor door.

“Even if you try to block my love like that…”

But upon hearing that voice from behind, I couldn’t help but stop in my tracks.

“If you say anything further, I can’t guarantee what will happen next.”

I turned back to respond.

Then, I moved forward again and approached George Lindbergh, who was barely able to sit up from the ground.

“My not intervening is solely because Alice moved first. If I had jumped in too, and you ended up getting killed in the process, it would escalate into a serious matter.”

Seeing my expression, perhaps he felt something, and George Lindbergh closed his mouth.

“If you, at all, approach my friend Roti’s mother, Asha, even a little…”

I deliberately paused my words while staring intently at George Lindbergh’s face.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his eyes were subtly trembling. It was a look I hadn’t seen earlier when he was hit by Alice.

Could he finally be realizing the gravity of the situation? Or perhaps he had never imagined he could truly die?

“You will die in whatever way it comes. So, you may continue to stay in the southern lands for the rest of your life. For any reason, if you return to the main country, I will come after you myself.”

Having said that much, I paused in thought,

“Now that I think about it, that doesn’t sound too bad. ‘Please’ do visit the main country sometime. At that point, I will personally come to greet you. I’ll prepare someone special for you to share your love with. Just as you did with Asha, I will ensure you experience what it means to feel the plight of someone beneath you.”

I said that with a slight smile at the corners of my mouth.

I didn’t bother waiting for a reply.

Chapter 184

“The Crown Princess is a bit difficult to grasp.”

“Which Crown Princess are you talking about? Alice? Sylvia?”

“Of course, I mean Crown Princess Sylvia Fanggriffon. Sure, Crown Princess Alice Fanggriffon is different from ordinary nobles, but it’s not like her way of thinking is hard to follow. She’s a good person who sets her own principles and sticks to them.”

“Your evaluation is pretty good. You’ve been observing closely.”

“……”

As Roti shot Jake a sideways glance, Jake exaggeratedly shrugged his shoulders.

“Of course, it’s because of you, young master. Since you’re hanging out with those people, I need to be aware of their tendencies—”

“Oh, so you’ve figured out Charlotte too?”

“……Young master, why don’t you listen to what people have to say until the end?”

“No, I mean, I was just.”

Jake chuckled and turned his gaze out the window.

Since they were already high in the air on the airship, almost the entire city was visible outside. At first glance, it looked like a place filled with nothing but prosperity. But Jake, being from there, knew that once you entered, you would find that many places were already starting to show signs of decay.

… From there.

Now it was called Lindbergh, but in the past, it had a completely different name. But could Jake really say ‘from there’? If the locals heard that, it would be the kind of story that gave them a pain in the neck.

“You were the one who told me to at least talk to Sylvia, right?”

Roti, hearing Jake’s words, rare for her, gently rubbed her temples with her fingers, as if convincing herself that she didn’t need to frown anymore.

“I’ve told you many times that was a joke.”

“You don’t usually joke around. So that means your words back then were either— you genuinely meant to say that Sylvia was a good person, or you accidentally let it slip and now you’re trying to cover it up by saying it was a joke.”

“……”

“So, which is it, the first or the second? Were you perhaps jealous of all the girls hanging around me back then?”

“…… It’s the second.”

“Eh?”

Hearing an unexpected response, Jake let out a strange sound for a moment.

“The second, huh?”

Jake had teased Roti many times before with the same kind of words, but this was the first time he saw her react like this. Until now, Roti had just been keeping her mouth shut in response.

“What I mean is, there wasn’t a woman among those surrounding you at that time who was suitable for you.”

At those words, this time Jake displayed a rare expression.

In simple terms, his face had turned slightly red.

“I would much rather take care of it myself than pass you onto such women.”

“…… Why are you saying that? Did you eat something funny today?”

Hearing Roti say that so openly, Jake responded with a look of near disbelief.

His face was now completely flushed. Thankfully, since there was no one around, but if they had been in a crowded lounge full of students, this alone would have become a topic of gossip.

“It’s because the Crown Princess told me to give her whatever she needs without hesitation.”

Seeing Jake’s expression, Roti spoke with a hint of satisfaction in her voice.

“So out of the Crown Princess’s command?”

“…… Not exactly.”

Roti stared at the receding city for a moment before speaking.

“I’ll say this again, the Crown Princess is a rather unpredictable person. She seems to act solely based on logic, but sometimes… a little…”

“Emotional, right?”

“That’s right.”

At Roti’s answer, Jake hummed thoughtfully for a moment.

“Well, if you think of those two sides as Sylvia’s true nature, it should be easy to understand. Everyone is like that.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, even you. At first, you were so wary of Sylvia, but now you mention her so casually.”

“……”

“Ah, maybe not? If you had been that wary, you wouldn’t have told me to talk to her in the first place—”

“—Don’t you think it’s about time we stop this story?”

At Roti’s words, Jake closed his mouth.

“I just… can’t figure out why she’s helping me so much.”

“Ah, that.”

At Roti’s words, Jake smiled.

“That’s simple—she’s just a fundamentally good person.”

“…… Is that so?”

“Yep. But because of her position and situation, she probably has that blank expression. Think about it. Alice is a Crown Princess too, but there’s a huge difference between her and Sylvia’s status, right? You’re aware of that, aren’t you?”

The ‘real’ royalty who carry on the bloodline and the ‘Emperor’s children’, chosen to handle the dirty work among those closest to the Emperor. Alice was the former, and Sylvia was the latter.

“In reality, she’s just an ordinary, deeply caring person, but the circumstances have forced her into that image. Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense, right?”

“……”

Roti thought Jake’s words made sense.

But if that were the case—

What a tragic situation.

As Jake, seeing Roti’s silence, seemed to suddenly recall something.

“Oh, but your mother is on the airship too, right? You don’t have to be alone with her.”

“…… That’s…”

“Why, is there a problem?”

“No, that’s not it, but I’ve hardly ever been alone with my mother, so… I don’t really know what to talk about when it’s just us.”

“……”

Hearing Roti’s words, Jake was momentarily at a loss for words.

“Just be next to her. That should be enough.”

Jake struggled to think of something to say.

“Do you really think so?”

“Yeah.”

To be honest, Jake wasn’t sure.

But he thought that encouraging her was the best thing to do right now.

“You finally get to be alone together. Go and… as you stay together, some topics will pop up. And before you know it, you’ll be chatting away without realizing how much time has passed.”

“I understand.”

With a pensive expression, Roti finally nodded in response.

Then she managed a thin smile.

“Well then, I’ll go now.”

Before Jake could fully grasp and accept the situation, Roti bowed her head lightly and left.

“…… Huh?”

After a slight delay, Jake uttered a dumbfounded voice.

*

I thought I wanted to see those two getting all lovey-dovey.

To be honest, I never expected them to get this close so quickly.

Roti seemed to take my words to heart and started sticking to Jake without a care. Previously, she had followed a little from behind, but now it was like she was his girlfriend or something.

Well, if we get technical, it’s more like they’re in a relationship similar to a girlfriend.

So now all I have to do is watch them with a satisfied expression as I achieved my goal.

Watching the two enter a small meeting room, I felt a strange feeling.

That’s right. This feeling is…

Similar to that dirty feeling I had when I stepped out to the convenience store for a moment on Christmas and was overwhelmed by the number of couples wandering around outside.

I wanted to see them being lovey-dovey, but I didn’t want to witness such a massacre.

Thinking back, there’s about a two parsec distance between game characters being lovey-dovey and real-life people doing the same. In games, it’s just lines and pre-programmed motions, but reality is usually far more detailed.

“You could create one too, if you wanted, right?”

And of all people, the one next to me happened to be Alice, who could read my expressions better than anyone else in the world.

As I silently turned my gaze, there was Alice, grinning from ear to ear.

“You were the one who brought those two together. That ruckus was because of this, wasn’t it?”

“…… That’s true.”

But still, that and this are different for various reasons.

I can’t even tell what I’m saying myself.

“If you’re that jealous, why don’t you just get yourself a boyfriend?”

“…… Are you joking?”

“Oh, no, I’m serious.”

Well, yeah. I mean, for me, having a boyfriend wouldn’t be a big deal. Besides, in this world, holding a title like that doesn’t become such a heavy burden. It’s somewhat of an ‘officially recognized but unofficial’ status.

But I have no intention of dating any guys.

Not to mention I don’t even feel like dating any girls at this time.

Everyone around me is just a bunch of kids.

“Have you ever thought about that, Alice?”

“…… No, I haven’t.”

There’s really no need to look that serious.

Shouldn’t this be the timing for Tsundere Leo around this point in the original story?

As I sat there awkwardly sandwiched between the girls, watching Leo sitting all alone over there, looking like he was in a bit of a bind, I felt a strange sigh escape me.

Should I be envious of that, or not?

Chapter 185

October was busy from the start.

It wasn’t because of the academy schedule. The main reason for my busyness was my personal goal.

The goal to prevent war.

I don’t know if I should say it’s a relief, but the academy was located in the Imperial Capital, near the Imperial Palace, which could be considered the heart of the Empire. It was a bit far to walk, but not impossible. Especially for someone like me who seemed to have infinite time, that distance was hardly a problem.

In other words, I could roam around the Imperial Palace at night, gathering information without any issues.

I didn’t even need to secure an escape route. Once I saw what I wanted, I could just rewind time. If I rewound time to just the moment I entered the same place, I could minimize my movement routes and secure even more time.

War does not just break out overnight.

Currently, there weren’t any big changes at the border, but to stab at the opponent’s intentions, I had to make plans long in advance.

The problem was, no matter how much I looked, I couldn’t find any evidence of that war.

The defense budget hadn’t changed much from previous years. It had increased, but most of it was just money spent on producing new weapons, which was a different story from directly deploying them to the battlefield.

While the monitor ships were being heavily constructed, they had moved back to the satellite city near the Imperial Capital after annihilating the warlord faction near the northern border last time. Some ships had gone into repairs and inspections due to excessive recoil compared to their hulls, and naturally, similar types of ships had also entered indefinite standby status.

There were no additional construction plans for battleships. Even for an Empire, building extra battleships takes a long time. And to not even have that plan in the Imperial Palace…

…Could it be hidden in another region? Had the Emperor noticed my abilities and scattered the information so far away that I couldn’t find it physically?

I thought it was a very likely story.

“Oho.”

After collecting various bits of information and failing to find anything decent, what I chose to do was visit the Emperor.

“So you’re saying you tried to find ‘the information that I might have hidden’ by ‘asking me’?”

In response to my question, the Emperor returned it with a look of amusement.

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

The Emperor stared at me quietly for a moment and then smiled slightly.

“Then let me ask you. What would you do if a being capable of killing you was watching you?”

“……”

“Wouldn’t you consider not doing anything that a being who could kill you would dislike? Of course, it might mean altering your lifelong goals. But that doesn’t mean your life loses all meaning, does it? A goal is something you can lose one of and find a new one.”

“…So, Your Majesty is saying that because you realized I hoped for no war, you decided to give up on starting one?”

“You seem to think I was planning to start a war against the entire world.”

The Emperor said with a look of extreme interest.

“If you had thought that from the beginning, the assumption you held was shattered shortly after you assassinated the Count. If you still believed it until now… I see. I’ve already accomplished something greater than you think, haven’t I?”

“……”

“I wish you could know this fact after you return.”

Seeing the Emperor speak with a face that resembled a father enjoying a game of chess with his daughter, I was left speechless.

Again.

*

I can’t believe it.

Isn’t the opponent the Emperor? There’s a high possibility he never gave me proper information in the first place. Even though I hadn’t found anything substantial yet, I still had to prepare for the worst at all times.

Still, not everything was in vain. After wandering around the corridors of the Imperial Palace dozens, hundreds of times, I could remember them all by heart. Even the parts that didn’t appear in the game.

And the sewers leading from the Imperial Capital were the same. At the very least, I knew all the places that led to the Imperial Palace and could roughly calculate where to blow up what to cause a collapse. If something were to happen, I was already considering installing bombs in advance to bring the whole area down.

There would definitely be casualties in that process, but—

…That was talk for when the worst-case scenario happened.

And the more positive thing was, my stealth skills were improving with time.

The body of ‘Sylvia Black’ was actually quite similar to an ordinary person compared to the people in this world, but I could manage all the actions that regular soldiers could do, not needing to wield a sword or swing a weapon taller than myself. Rewinding time would cause my increased stamina to revert, but the sensations of those actions remained vividly in my memory.

If I focused hard enough, I could definitely follow someone secretly.

And soon enough, that opportunity came.

*

If there was any existence I was wary of, it would naturally be the Papal State.

The plot around the ‘Goddess’ was never resolved in the work I played. Details about the Papal State’s divine power were never clearly revealed, and whether that Goddess was a real being or, if she existed, whether she was truly benevolent was just speculation floating around among the fans. There were times I got caught posting that speculation as if it were an official translation, but that wasn’t really important now.

Anyway, it wasn’t strange that I sensed something highly suspicious when I saw the ‘Cathedral Knight’ Sophia secretly following behind Leo, the ‘male lead’ of the original work.

Since Claire and Leo were siblings, they often went around together, but as time passed and new friends were made, they sometimes ended up apart. Claire got along well with Alice or Charlotte, and she would follow me around too.

Since there weren’t many beings like that around, the time spent with friends of the same gender, sharing stories, lengthened, and that occasionally caused Leo to be left behind.

In fact, during those times, I was also part of that ‘girl group’, so I didn’t really know what Leo was doing all alone.

“……”

So, when I saw him sitting alone on a park bench filled with almost bare trees, I was quite shocked.

Thinking about it, having no close friends of the same gender despite being friendly with the surrounding girls was a more serious issue than I thought. Especially since Leo was out there mixing with the pretty girls, he inadvertently became a source of jealousy among the other boys in class, and I had no idea that it would manifest in this form of exclusion.

While it’s true that harem manga typically shows scenes of male leads being rejected by their male friends, it’s usually drawn in a playful, funny manner. Of course, portraying it in a serious form like this… was just too serious.

But seeing it with my own eyes—

“……Huh?”

And then, I saw it again.

From far away, in a corner well-separated from Leo, I caught a glimpse of the purple hair fluttering.

If it hadn’t been for the sudden strong wind, I might not have noticed it at all.

“……Sophia?”

My brows furrowed deeply.

Though her image was quite different from the Sophia of the original work, she was still the same essence of the character. Perhaps her behavior in front of me was also a perfect act, or maybe she hadn’t awakened that personality yet; she could be faithfully carrying out her duties as a Cathedral Knight.

No, she was definitely following those duties closely. It wasn’t something I had told her not to do, nor would she refrain just because I told her not to.

Was it possible she had discovered something happening to Leo? Perhaps she thought she could gain something regarding the Papal State.

“……”

As I was about to approach Leo and speak to him, I quickly turned my body and returned to my room.

Then I immediately prepared my gear.

Of course, it wasn’t a place where Leo could see me; I circled around the academy grounds so that he wouldn’t notice me at all.

At the same time, I ensured I could see where Sophia was hiding.

As I expected, it was Sophia.

Through the telescope, I could see Sophia intently watching Leo. Luckily, it seemed she hadn’t noticed my presence.

I adjusted the telescope’s angle again to watch Leo—

“……Sylvia?”

That pure voice came from behind me.

At that moment, I was proud of not screaming.

Though my shoulders shook significantly.

Carefully lifting my head, the person looking at me was none other than Charlotte.

Charlotte’s face was pale as she looked at me.

As if she were looking at a stalker.

…

No, it wasn’t like that.

Chapter 186

Charlotte kept her cool while listening to my not-so-great excuse. Tsk tsk…

“So, let me get this straight,” Charlotte said in a calm tone, “you just wanted some fresh air on your day off and found Leo sitting alone over there? Is that correct?”

“Exactly!” I nodded eagerly.

“Then you accidentally spotted Sophia watching him from afar, right?” she continued.

“Right!” We both nodded for dramatic effect.

“And without even considering the situation, you dashed to your room, grabbed your battle-ready camouflage cloak, sniper scope, tactical mat, canteen, and emergency rations before heading to the roof to spy on the two of them?”

Cue awkward silence

“Uhh…” Was it really like that? I mean, come on, I was just cold! Sure, it happened to be a military-grade cloak, but I just chose it to keep my body temperature up while being practical. It’s not like I was in a military situation—better to not be discovered, right?

The mat was the same deal. Laying on concrete in this weather? Extremely cold! At least the mat is sturdy enough for that.

And I brought food and a canteen, obviously. If I left them alone out of hunger, what if those two disappeared? Gulp…

“…Sylvia.”

Charlotte rubbed her forehead. “I knew you were a bit dense in expressing emotions, but…”

“No, I’m not!”

“Watching someone you like like that isn’t exactly okay, you know? They do have a right to privacy.”

“That’s not what I…”

I tried to argue, but my words didn’t seem to sway Charlotte at all.

“And let’s be real. If you’re that worried, you should just approach them and ask for a date. Times have changed! It’s not just the man’s job to ask anymore! Even as a crown princess, I doubt anyone would think badly if you teased a dance partner at a ball.”

Definitely not happening.

Time to reverse!

What if I shifted places? I wouldn’t need to outsmart Charlotte! Alice might fall for that, but wouldn’t Charlotte catch on to my tail?

But halfway through this thought, another question hit me—

“…So, why are you here, Princess Charlotte?”

“Huh?”

Charlotte’s eyes widened for a moment after I interrupted her. I took the plunge and asked again, “You were up here, weren’t you? You didn’t come to spy on Leo, did you?”

Hoping to catch her off-guard like she did to me, but watching her release a heavy sigh didn’t thrill me.

“Well, I just…”

Charlotte sighed deeply and then took a step closer to me. “Can I take a seat on your mat?”

I didn’t answer, but I shifted to give her a spot to sit on just one part of it.

“Thank you,” Charlotte said, sitting cautiously on the mat.

“I just needed a break,” she added.

As I remained silent, Charlotte smirked, “You do know I’m somewhat of a ‘celebrity’ here at the academy, right? Kind of a ‘popular one’.”

Not that it matters, it’s not like she was doing anything significant. However, she still belonged to the student council, and as one of the few foreigners here, she kind of had an air of ‘nobility’ about her, unlike Lena or Sophia, who got in purely through skill.

“Who knows, I might even be more popular than Alice,” she continued, and I wondered what the nobles thought of her and contrary to that of Alice.

“Honestly, the noble women look down on those who purposely avoid social engagements, especially when their backer is the Emperor. If someone were to see you, they’d be thinking, ‘You think this is enough to take me on?’”

“Drama much!”

“Can you believe how many invitations to social events I’ve received from the Duke’s family? It’s absurd how many Dukes are around. Three Dukes near the Imperial Capital? The sheer number of twelve Dukes overall! Ridiculous!”

I kind of agreed. No Dukes are merely names—they all have their own strengths, whether close or distant from the capital.

“I stuck it out a few times as courtesy. It’s kind of tradition back home, but these Dukes…”

Charlotte made an exaggerated sound as she breathed out.

“Maybe they think of me as a daughter-in-law. If one day I become queen and marry a son of their family, they’d think about taking my surname ‘Velbur’ as their own! Hell, they might even want to change their country’s name!”

“Seriously? So you’ve been dodging them by coming here?”

“Pretty much, what’s the issue?”

Her pout almost made me laugh. I mean, I can’t blame her. If men kept crawling around me, I’d be annoyed too—wait, different scenario?

Regardless, I had to clarify why I was there. Charlotte is my friend; perhaps I should warn her about the war? She needed to know Sofia wasn’t even from Velbur but from the Papal State!

But that might be too direct; it could backfire on me if the emperor wasn’t thinking about war.

“I see Claire as a little sister.”

So here comes my ‘excuse’.

“And Leo is Claire’s…brother.”

Well, whether they’re siblings was still under debate; for now, I’d label it that way.

“So, you want to personally evaluate what kind of woman your sister’s boyfriend dates?”

Charlotte sounded skeptical.

“Let’s say I am Claire’s older sister. If Leo is indeed Claire’s brother, he’s technically my brother too,” I explained.

“Hmmm.”

Charlotte’s eyes became slits, her lips that were previously annoyed began to twitch a bit.

….Not buying it!

Still, it was better than having no excuse.

“Alright then.”

At least Charlotte seemed to understand, if not wholly agree.

“Then I’ll help you out. Plenty of time left!”

“…”

Right, exactly the opposite of what I wanted!

“Why do you look at me like that?”

“Are you maybe planning to help as you did last time at Northwood—”

“Oh, that time.”

Whoops! Mentioning that was a trap!

Charlotte…hmmm, she had that mischievous smirk and suddenly stood up.

Leaning playfully while smirking at me, she said, “That debt you owe me from last time still stands. Let’s consider this your repayment. Honestly, as a woman, I think I’d be more accurate than you when judging whether Sofia fits Leo or not, no?”

But while saying that, her eyes screamed something different, like ‘You’re only doing this to watch Leo, aren’t you?’

“Not true at all!”

Chapter 187

Charlotte seemed to be quite happy.

Well, thinking about it, she wasn’t in a position that was all that different from Alice’s. Unlike Alice, she wasn’t left practically alone, but she also hadn’t grown up loved and free.

The King of Velbur was indeed a great parent and a king who loved his country, as mentioned in the original work, but due to that ‘king’ status, he had to be somewhat strict with Charlotte. If not, she would definitely have grown up not knowing proper etiquette.

And although she was still legally a minor, such laws had only been established recently, not that long ago. In the public’s mind, anyone who could walk, carry things, and follow instructions was considered an adult, no matter the age.

By fifteen, a commoner would have already been working hard in a factory. No gender distinction—everyone was in the same boat.

So, in the eyes of nobles, royalty, and the imperial family, a child of that age could be adequately raised as a noble or royal.

Teaching politics, strict etiquette.

Learning how to hold back what she wants.

Charlotte didn’t truly want to come to the academy. There must have been a famous school in Velbur as well, and maybe the kids she thought were her friends were already attending there.

But with the Crown Princess of the Empire sneaking around, and the academy being filled with children from influential noble families, she was probably sent there on a command from the King of Velbur to assess the situation.

Although Charlotte seemed to be enjoying school life in her own way, there must’ve been plenty of annoying and unpleasant things, just like earlier on the rooftop.

That’s why she might feel a little joy from her current somewhat treacherous behavior.

“But, Sylvia.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Call me Charlotte, not Your Highness. We’re currently in ‘stealth’ mode.”

It was a bit too blatant to use the name Charlotte with a heavy Velbur accent!

But, whatever.

Currently, Charlotte—or rather, Charlotte was wearing clothes quite different from her usual school uniform. They looked like something she might have bought around here, a simple dress often worn by commoners. In other words… a modest brown dress one would expect the female lead to wear in the beginning of a romance set in the Victorian era.

Of course, the completion of fashion is the face, and since Charlotte was wearing it, no one could call her an ordinary heroine.

Charlotte went a step further, tying her hair to one side and wearing a wide-brimmed hat.

It seemed she was trying to impersonate a commoner, but honestly, thanks to her outstanding looks, she didn’t quite manage to pull off the commoner vibe. Changing her walking style would probably be a good start!

“Then why should my name stay as Sylvia?”

“Exactly!”

At my words, Charlotte—or rather, ‘Charlotte’—puffed her cheeks a bit.

“You aren’t disguised at all! Even the clothes you’re wearing are your school uniform! What does it mean if I call you by a different name?”

“…….”

At Charlotte’s words, I glanced around.

It was a sunny Sunday. Although the weather was getting a bit chilly, it was bearable with a coat.

Groups of male students, female students. Occasionally, couples were walking around happily. Some seemed to be out to buy something, while others looked like they were just enjoying a stroll and laughing.

I looked back at Charlotte.

Without needing to change my expression, she seemed to fully understand what I wanted to say as she blushed and replied, “B-but! The target could escape from this place, right? There aren’t many places crowded with academy students nearby!”

“Then we can disguise ourselves later, can’t we?”

From my experience of moving here and there through time, I can say that when sneaking in, it doesn’t really matter if you’re wearing a school uniform or a dress. If someone isn’t on high alert, they’re unlikely to pay any attention to me unless I’m wearing something outrageous.

Of course, since the academy’s uniform had an oddly modern design, wearing it and just walking around would draw some attention, but a coat on top could give me a suitable soldier-like vibe.

Though I’m a princess, commoners don’t know my face well. Well, I’ve started mingling with some commoners since I began attending the academy, so my face spreading through the masses is simply a matter of time.

“That takes time!”

“……It shouldn’t take that long unless you’re planning on a major disguise, though?”

“Ah! I know that already! Stop with the excuses and let’s put on different clothes quickly!”

If I change clothes here, I feel like I’d miss Leo and Sophia ahead of us, right?

But Charlotte didn’t care about my thoughts and pulled my arm into a clothing store.

Well, let’s just let her enjoy this.

Honestly, having her nagging me from the side is actually pretty fun.

*

I don’t know if I should consider it a good thing, but I didn’t lose track of Leo and Sophia.

Sophia’s hair was a bright purple, so it stood out easily.

With her leading the way, keeping a distance and following her bright purple hair was no problem.

Sophia didn’t seem to notice us at all.

“……”

At first, I thought Sophia followed Leo for some political purpose.

But the more I looked, the more it didn’t seem like that at all.

Because Leo… what he was doing was really nothing special.

He went to a bakery, bought a bunch of bread, and visited a thrift shop, buying a ton of clothes. Then, he packed them neatly into the large bag on his back.

He seemed to be carrying a hefty load, yet he walked properly without wobbling at all.

And now I understood why Leo was doing that.

Charlotte seemed to be in the dark about it.

Even Charlotte, who kept tilting her head in confusion, was starting to have a slight doubt about Leo’s actions.

“What’s the reason for him doing that?”

I had an idea, but I wasn’t entirely sure, so I just shrugged my shoulders.

Leo, carrying his various burdens, was headed towards a nearby back alley.

“Uh…”

And it seemed like Charlotte came to her senses once she reached the entrance of that alley.

She probably hesitated to go in.

Leo was confident in his sword skills, and above all, he’d likely been here several times before, they probably felt no hesitation entering here.

It seemed Sophia felt the same way, as she was following without any worry.

Of course, considering my skills and Charlotte’s, I didn’t think there would be any problem gaining entry, but…

Isn’t Charlotte a princess? Going in without any guards would definitely feel uncomfortable.

I did have a gun at my waist. I could easily take care of a few people without needing to rewind time.

And if I fired, Leo would rush over upon hearing the gunshot.

If Charlotte decided to back out at this point, I was prepared to return as well, but it seemed like Charlotte wanted to go in.

“……”

Having Charlotte stuck in indecision for a while, I turned to a burly man standing at the entrance of the alley.

He looked like a rather scruffy individual, but at the same time, he was dressed better than a typical street thug. Not in rags, but seemingly trying to resemble a gentleman in a proper suit. Although it didn’t suit him at all.

“What brings you here, miss?”

As soon as I approached, the man immediately changed his posture to one of politeness. He seemed quite experienced with this type of interaction.

“Having two young ladies enter this alley might be a bit dangerous, right?”

“Of course, miss. We have no right to stop you from entering. However… since you spoke to me, you don’t seem to be completely clueless about the world.”

To be honest, I wasn’t certain if I could fully trust this man. But seeing him stand confidently at the alley entrance, and his well-dressed attire showed he seemed to operate in this line of work.

Sometimes curious nobles or some upper-class commoners might be interested in seeing this beneath-the-surface lifestyle of lower-class folks.

Of course, not for the sake of welfare policies or anything like that.

It’s like viewing animals in a zoo.

What you’d call a back-alley tour, perhaps?

To keep selling such ‘products’, a minimum level of trust is required to keep news circulating, attracting more customers.

I nodded at the man, then pulled out my wallet.

I took out some pound notes and handed them over.

“Oh my! So much! Don’t worry! I will treat you like the Imperial Princess you are!”

Seeing the amount of money, he bowed at a 90-degree angle. It’s clear that in this country, money is the ultimate answer!

Chapter 188

Charlotte had an incredibly uneasy expression.

Rather than not trusting the man leading us, it was more like… his method of guiding us was just downright… odd.

For example,

“Ladies, look here. This man lost his left hand in a tragic accident at the factory not too long ago. Isn’t it heartbreaking? So unfortunate, isn’t it? Without someone’s help, he’ll surely struggle to make ends meet. Hey, John, show them your stump!”

As he said this, a guy named John showed us his severed left wrist. Aside from the sewn-up look of the stitches, it was a smooth wrist.

“How about it?”

Then Charlotte gave the man a complex look, and I quietly placed a few silver coins into a can in front of the man. His face lit up like a light bulb, and the man’s expression brightened immediately.

As we walked down the street, it was like a theme park attraction where people appeared in line one after the other. Kids, who looked like they smeared soot on their faces, came running at us with arms wide open, while a hunched old woman stood holding an empty basket.

Then the man introduced these people as poor souls again, and I distributed a few coins to those pitiful beings.

This was happening over and over.

“Uh, Sylvia?”

Charlotte spoke up, clearly uncomfortable.

“Isn’t this, like… viewing people as zoo animals?”

“But this is how these people survive.”

“…Like this?”

“Because it’s a business selling happiness.”

“…Happiness?”

Everyone thinks their life is unfortunate. There’s always someone above you, and no matter how wealthy someone is, there’s someone richer above them, then the nobles, and then dukes or royalty.

And even royalty often feel jealousy towards other royalty around them in this world. The world I lived in was no different.

And while targeting such people, one shows joy even while receiving ‘a small amount of money’, creating a sense of relief, thinking, ‘Ah, I’m still doing much better than those kids.’

Of course, that ‘small amount’ is actually a lot of money to these people, enough to fill their bellies for a day.

“…”

Well, it seemed Charlotte didn’t quite comprehend my words.

“Ah, you folks are lucky!”

The man pointed ahead excitedly, perhaps thrilled to see me tossing money around.

“Look, the alley saint is over there!”

“…”

Upon hearing that, Charlotte quickly pulled her hat down. It seemed she didn’t expect the man to actually lead us to Leo.

Saint of the alley, huh.

In the original story, Leo didn’t have such a grand nickname.

But it made sense. While he could talk to street people, they had no further interaction; if there were NPCs begging, unless the game developers provided a ‘donation’ option, you could only hear their predetermined lines.

In fact, there were often times there wasn’t even that.

But this world was different from those games. If you gave a person any stimulus, they’d react somehow.

“Thank you.”

I told the man and pulled my wallet out again.

Then I took out the remaining bills from my wallet and handed them to the man.

“We’ll manage to find our way out shortly. This is enough guiding for now.”

“Eh? Are you sure? This is a back alley, and the police don’t come around here…”

As I shoved another thick wad of pound notes at him, the man looked flustered.

“It’s okay.”

When I waved my hand again, he nodded and accepted the money I offered.

“In that case, I’ll make sure to inform everyone in the alley. We can’t lose customers like you ladies. Please make sure to visit again next time!”

I nodded, and the man quickly took his leave.

“…Really.”

Charlotte wore a face filled with many things she wanted to say, but ultimately, she just let out a long sigh.

She must have realized that the money was necessary for orphans without parents, men without hands, and old women unable to work to survive.

From what I knew, at least that man wasn’t a purely bad person among the thugs of this era. He was the ‘righteous thug’ responsible for the livelihoods of his hometown people, often appearing in Japanese games or comics. He never appeared in the main story and didn’t have any associated side quests, but you could tell from the interaction lines.

Having received such a large sum, he would surely share some of that with the people we just saw.

“Well then, Charlotte. Shall we go?”

As I said that, Charlotte nodded.

We were quite far from Leo now. Sophia was already getting close to Leo.

We moved our feet slowly, trying to get into a position where we could see well what Leo was doing.

*

“Wow….”

Sophia seemed to exclaim in admiration. Her eyes were sparkling, and her face was oddly flushed.

Anyone could see that she looked like a girl in love.

Sophia… Well, even in the original work, she wasn’t particularly good at acting. Those psychopathic behaviors were just done because she thought so. I didn’t know what happened in just a year to change her character so drastically.

Or maybe she just didn’t have time to change her personality after meeting Leo so soon?

Anyway, judging by appearances, he was an incredibly good-looking character. In the original work, Sophia’s personality softened due to Leo.

“It’s not that great. All the clothes are hand-me-downs, and the bread is ordered in bulk from the cheapest place nearby.”

Leo said with a shy smile, but Sophia shook her head.

“No, it’s amazing. No matter what, how many people would pour all their pocket money into helping others? Even wealthy nobles don’t go that far…”

True.

That’s really commendable.

Especially impressive was the fact that he didn’t boast about that to others.

Perhaps this was the very reason Sophia was immediately captivated.

While she said she became a knight of the Papal State because she loved killing people, she would furiously get angry if someone insulted the Goddess.

In contrast, here was Leo, genuinely doing charitable deeds that the Church emphasized, which might make him seem different.

Plus, he was good-looking.

He probably had a nice body? It was suspiciously a game full of bath scenes, with female characters wrapping themselves with towels below the chest, while male characters like Leo only covered their lower bodies. And Leo’s body was filled with lean muscles.

Of course, it was a game that had quite a number of female fans.

“Can I help too?”

Sophia proactively approached Leo and said.

Initially, she was just following him because she liked him, but now it seemed she genuinely wanted to help with that task. Of course, I couldn’t be sure as I didn’t have the ability to read people’s minds.

“…”

Charlotte, watching the two from the corner as they turned the alley, wore an indescribable expression.

“Seriously… pathetic.”

“…”

“Ah, I’m not talking about you or Leo or Sophia. I’m just saying I feel pathetic.”

As she said that, Charlotte squatted down, letting her long skirt fall to the ground, getting all sorts of dirt attached. She didn’t seem to mind it much.

“People who casually follow and tease those who engage in such noble acts…”

Hmm.

It seemed she had been feeling skeptical about royalty lately.

And it made sense. She probably didn’t feel any sense of accomplishment since coming here.

After all, she was just fifteen. If she claimed she achieved something, that would be a curious thing indeed.

“Not knowing isn’t an excuse, is it?”

“You can’t say that just because a princess didn’t know.”

Charlotte grumbled.

“A kingdom can crumble because of one thing it didn’t know.”

“That depends on the time and place.”

I cut her off.

“There’s a big difference between not knowing about breakfast and not knowing that you lost a battle. And no one could know everything, could they?”

Exactly.

If that were the case, would I have gone through so much trouble and turned back time?

“…”

But it apparently didn’t resonate with Charlotte.

I thought for a moment and grabbed Charlotte’s arm.

“Sylvia?”

“Well then, let’s go and help.”

“Uh, if we do, Leo will find out that we were secretly following him, you know?”

Sophia had also been secretly following us.

But rather than that, I found myself wanting to tease Charlotte first.

“Then I’ll just call you Charlotte from now on.”

“Is that really okay!?”

Chapter 189

“This person is named Charlotte, and while she resembles the Charlotte we know a bit, she is a completely different person.”

“……Sylvia.”

“Although the only differences are her clothes instead of the usual uniform and her wide-brimmed hat—”

“Sylvia, stop.”

If I kept teasing, I felt like Charlotte would really glare at me, so I decided to hold back.

“Um…”

As I pulled Charlotte’s arm to lead her out, Leo looked at both of us with a slightly dazed expression. It was as if he was wondering, ‘Why are you two suddenly coming out from there?’

“Did you not notice that we were following you two?”

“Oh, really? How far back did you follow?”

“Since Sophia was in between, it wasn’t that close. Besides, there were a lot of people before we came in here, so it wouldn’t be strange if you didn’t notice.”

I often failed to notice Alice following behind me too.

…But that’s because I completely didn’t catch her presence.

She wouldn’t have followed us here, would she?

I turned around for no good reason. I could see a few people, but those who heard that ‘Saint of the Back Alley’ had arrived were just peering curiously out the window. I didn’t see any brilliant golden hair shining brightly in the sunlight.

Since I said I’d study with Claire, it was only natural she wouldn’t come out. Once those two started studying, they would be glued to their books for a long time.

Claire had asked me to join her, but honestly, I wasn’t fond of studying, so I quickly escaped. Alice was already well aware of my personality, so she didn’t try to hold me back.

I thought just reviewing a few classes during normal times was enough. I didn’t want to spend my after-school time studying more than that, so there was no way I could agree if they insisted on doing more.

If Alice had been alone, she might have stayed back.

…Thanks to that, Leo ended up alone.

I turned my head back forward. Since Leo seemed to be pondering why I abruptly turned around, Leo, Charlotte, and Sophia were all looking my way.

I decided not to explain the reason.

“So.”

I looked back at Leo and said, “When did you start doing these activities?”

Since it had been quite a while since I gave up on following Leo and Claire, I had no idea Leo was doing these things.

That said, it didn’t seem likely that he was with Claire. If he had been, Claire wouldn’t have followed him with her personality.

“Oh, that’s…”

Leo gave a wry smile at the corner of his mouth.

It seemed like a self-deprecating smile. I couldn’t quite figure out the reason, but well, other students generally played outside happily at this time. That said, wandering around alone without friends would just attract attention.

Even though there was a carriage service operated by the academy, Leo was not the only one using it. If I tried to go out solo like when I was in the capital, I’m sure I’d run into several other students on the same carriage.

And if that happened, they would gossip more.

The most important thing in noble society is ultimately social skills. Without ‘friends,’ your influence diminishes accordingly. While he might have a female friend, after they all get married in the distant future, they wouldn’t even be able to meet freely, and exchanging letters could lead to a scandal.

His only male acquaintance, Jake, was probably with Roti now.

“……”

When I thought about that, I felt a bit sorry for him.

Is this why?

“Just, well. I came out to kill some time. And now that I have spare change, there’s not much to spend it on. I had already prepared my supplies at the beginning of the school year, and I’ve gathered what I needed. So I figured, why not use it in this nice place after wandering into this alley?”

“Impressive.”

Sophia, who had been listening to the story, nodded vigorously.

Her eyes gleamed like well-polished crystals.

Leo looked like he was genuinely pleased.

The sound of Charlotte shifting her body uncomfortably next to me caught my attention, and I looked over to see her alternating glances between Sophia and me.

…No, seriously. It’s not like that.

I think I should still be cautious about Sophia, but if those two end up liking each other, I won’t stop them. For now, the Sophia in front of me wasn’t exactly the Sophia I despised back then.

“Sounds good.”

I nodded at Leo and said, “Can I join you for that volunteering activity?”

“Uh?”

Leo looked up at me with his eyes wide open.

Why?

Did I really look like someone who would refuse?

…Thinking about it again, I wouldn’t refuse. I had been forced to do volunteer work at school in my previous life due to the time set by the school.

“Anyway, since there’s still a lot of time left today. It would be strange to come this far and just check out what you are doing and go back.”

As I glanced briefly at Charlotte while I spoke, Charlotte looked somewhat guilty.

“Consider this my apology for following you today.”

“Uh, um… really?”

Leo was unable to keep up with my words until the end.

No wonder.

If two classmates suddenly followed me to help with work and said, ‘This is an apology for following you today,’ I would have no idea what they were talking about.

But in situations like this, how else would I break through without being shameless?

“……”

“……”

Feeling Sophia and Charlotte looking at me with slightly blank expressions, I once again sensed that I had grown.

Mainly in the thickness of my facial skin.

*

Almost nobody hates free stuff. Of course, those who are incredibly knowledgeable, ethical, and have a different will towards their life might refuse to accept anything for free, insisting on paying their dues. But generally, those people can find a way to survive without accepting such things in the first place.

Those who can eat and live on their own capabilities are the ones who can confidently say such things.

Typically, those humans are artisans who have inherited family businesses or nobles who have inherited their fathers’ fortunes.

“It’s quieter than I expected.”

“The people living here are all working.”

“Even on a Sunday?”

As Charlotte showed a slightly surprised expression, Leo gave a bitter smile.

“Is Charlotte a follower of the Goddess Church?”

“Oh, not really…”

Charlotte glanced at Sophia while she spoke.

The Goddess Church itself is an original religion of this world that doesn’t exist in reality, but it has taken a lot from Christianity. The Goddess created the world in six days and rested on the last day, so her followers call that day the day of rest.

And that has become an implicit rule here that Sunday is recognized as a day of rest even for non-followers.

Leo surely knew that.

“There’s no official religion in the Empire, which is why there are no legal holidays. Depending on the factory, the days off can vary, sometimes once a month or twice a month. It might be a Sunday or it might not.”

“…Is that so?”

While Velbur has a relatively strong religious color, it still hasn’t centered its economy on industries like the Empire.

Of course, that doesn’t mean the people aren’t poor. But the types of poverty are different.

The atmosphere of a big city where various individuals come for various reasons is completely different from that of villages where family units of farmers live together. At least those family units might have some time to rest on weekends.

“After all, most of them have families. Plus, there’s a regional system as well. It’s an area the nation can’t meddle in, so they would have their own rules made among themselves.”

Of course, even Leo didn’t seem to have a comfortable expression while saying that.

A system made only through verbal agreements among people isn’t very sturdy. It can decay more easily.

“……”

No matter how quiet it was, there were still children and the elderly. We shared bread and worn clothes with the children that approached us. It seemed Leo had already come here several times before—considering he had even gotten a nickname, he must have been here quite often—and he seemed to have a rough understanding of the family situations of the kids.

The things Leo brought moved quickly in less than an hour.

“Big brother! Show me that, that!”

While preparing to go back, a child ran up and yelled at Leo.

Both Charlotte and I were a bit surprised. After all, thinking about it again, Leo probably hadn’t revealed that he was a baron’s son.

“Should I? Alright, I’ll show you.”

“Wow!”

Hearing that, more and more children started to gather around Leo one by one.

Chapter 190

Leo showed a sword aura.

In a back alley where there weren’t many playthings, such a sword aura wasn’t something you could easily see. I mean, it’s not like mastering swordsmanship to the point of wielding a sword aura is easy.

Even at the academy… if you compare it to the main character’s party, there were certainly more characters wielding swords, but if you think about the total number of students, there were several times more kids handling firearms. They’re much easier to handle, easier to hone skills with, and they’re used often in daily life.

Surrounded by kids sitting in a semicircle around Leo, their jaws dropped as they watched Grace’s unique swordsmanship.

“I want to be like my big brother when I grow up…”

“Are you an idiot? Big brother goes to the academy. We can’t even dream of it.”

“Haha…”

Leo couldn’t affirm or deny what he heard from the children.

Saying they could go to the academy was just planting a delusional hope. Conversely, saying they couldn’t go was like stomping on even the slender thread of hope they had.

Watching these kids talk, Charlotte clasped her hands tightly in front of her chest.

“Hey, over there.”

A girl not far away was talking to Sophia.

“What do you do, big sister? Do you go to the academy like your brother? Then can you do stuff like that too?”

“Hey, that person is an older sister. Sisters don’t do stuff like that. The sisters at the academy just cover their mouths and laugh ‘hohoho.’”

Now, that was some blatant gender discrimination.

In reality, the girls at the academy mostly knew how to protect themselves.

But then again, what the kids were doing outside wasn’t much different from what that girl was saying. The higher the grade, the more students were trying to attract potential future husbands, and once they got into relationships, there were those who laughed like that on dates too.

“Whew.”

But Sophia brushed her hair up with a nonchalant smile even as she saw those kids.

“Well, it seems that you all don’t understand my skills very well.”

Sophia’s confident voice… I feel like I’ve heard that in the original work too.

Well, the situation was completely different. Still, it suited her a bit to speak like that in front of kids.

Maybe it’s because she’s essentially from the cathedral? She might have a slightly softer personality around kids.

As Sophia brandished her sword and murmured a prayer, a sword aura surrounded her blade. Who would have thought she was a holy knight of the cathedral, yet her aura had a different flavor from Leo’s.

“Wow!”

After Leo’s swordsmanship display concluded, the kids turned their heads and exclaimed in awe.

“Haah!”

Sophia laughed as she swung her sword. A sparkling sword aura followed behind like a Milky Way.

Now that was a show.

It was more suitable for presentation than practicality in combat. The more you try to shape the sword aura into a specific form, the harder it becomes to control. Claire recreating a sword-like appearance or Bella’s sword flowing whimsically in her hands both required an extraordinary level of control over the sword aura. Naturally, its practicality would generally fall short.

But for the eyes of the kids, nothing could beat that.

Sophia, hearing the children’s cheers, seemed even more excited and jumped around, showing off some more complex moves before taking a grand bow towards the children.

clap clap clap clap The sound of applause filled the air, and Sophia wore a very proud expression.

…Hmm.

For some reason, that expression looked perfectly suited for the situation.

After Leo and Sophia showcased such a show, the kids’ gazes naturally shifted toward me and Charlotte.

They looked like they were expecting something.

We weren’t even wearing academy uniforms!

“…Huff.”

Charlotte couldn’t withstand the gaze and borrowed a sword from Leo.

It wasn’t the thin sword she usually used, but Charlotte was quite prideful about her sword skills. Even if she couldn’t perfectly showcase her usual swordsmanship, it was enough to get applause from the kids.

The problem was the eyes that gathered on me afterward.

…Hmm.

I did have a gun, but…

Well, it’s not like showing something with a gun was impossible.

I stepped in front of the kids, pulled a coin from my pocket, and flicked it with my finger.

At the same time, I swiftly drew the pistol from my waist and fired bang!

Thud.

The coin that hit the ground didn’t have even a tiny hole in it. Not even a bullet mark on the edge!

The kids’ gazes shifted back to the coin, then up to my face.

Hmph.

I definitely wasn’t planning to hit it in one shot.

Again.

*

“Today was a fun time after a long while.”

As we exited the alley, Charlotte spoke up.

No matter what, it was better to leave before it got completely dark, just like what that guide had said earlier. So we were coming out of the alley while the sun hadn’t completely set yet.

To be honest, my gunshot was quite fatal.

I had shot at the coins floating in the air several times and even managed to make a bullet hole through one, but the issue was that the guide from earlier had turned as white as a ghost and ran towards us after hearing the gunshot.

Well, if a gunshot is heard in a back alley, you’d typically think someone got killed.

Even if the police don’t patrol this far inside, they’d still act if a report came in. Then it would become quite a big deal.

Seeing the man’s pale face as he kept glancing over at the automatic pistol in my hand, I silently handed him a business card.

The card had no name, but it was printed on luxurious paper with the Fanggriffon emblem.

That card was equipped with complex anti-counterfeit patterns that couldn’t be made unless the stamp was forged.

I suggested that if the police conducted an investigation, they should present that card, and the man’s face turned as pale as could be.

I shrugged my shoulders in response and left the alley with my friends.

Leo and Sophia had slightly flustered expressions, but Charlotte seemed satisfied with how I handled the situation.

After living such a ‘royal’ life, was she glad to enjoy such a deviation?

“I’m glad you had fun.”

“…”

When I said that, the smile on Charlotte’s face faded slightly.

I wondered what was up with that, and Charlotte quickly approached me with an apologetic expression.

“I’m sorry. I got excited on my own… I forgot that you wanted to be with Leo.”

“…”

Ah, right. That’s true.

The reason I even tagged along this far was that Charlotte said she would help me.

“It’s not a big deal.”

I said with a serious expression, but Charlotte seemed to have already completely misunderstood.

“I’ll set up a meeting between Leo and you in the near future. It’ll be a secret from Alice, right?”

If I really liked Leo, then of course, I would keep it a secret not just from Alice but from Charlotte, Mia, Rena… no, everyone around me would need to know too.

“We certainly have a huge wall between the Baron and the Crown Princess…”

No, it’s not like that!

The Emperor would probably be happy to arrange a marriage if I told him I liked someone! He was a guy with zero expectations in that department!

He started sowing seeds in the royal palace, trying to create capable kids, and if he found out he had a grandchild, he’d be happy about it, not upset!

And the Fanggriffon royal family wasn’t a bunch of beggars who would be so concerned about bloodlines or political standing. A loyal Baron would probably be enough. Plus, I wasn’t someone destined for the throne either.

But if I said something like that, it would just pour gasoline on Charlotte’s thoughts, so I kept my mouth shut.

“What’s going on?”

Out of nowhere, Leo interrupted us.

“I feel like I heard my name.”

“Uh, it’s nothing!”

Charlotte quickly replied, startled at Leo’s reaction.

“We were just talking about stuff from earlier in the alley. Right, Sylvia?”

That’s true, but…

But if I told Leo the full story, it wouldn’t just burn the house down; it would set the whole mountain on fire, so I decided to hold back for now.

…For some reason, Sophia’s gaze felt piercing.

She wasn’t glaring, but she seemed to have her own solid misconceptions.

No, it was true that I monitored a bit.

But it wasn’t because I liked Leo that I was keeping an eye on him.

It was because of you…

But then again, if I said that, it’d lead to a whole different misunderstanding—

Things were tangled up tight.

From the first day of October, I sensed that my life this month would be anything but smooth.

Chapter 191

“Hmm.”

The reason Alice was narrowing her eyes at me was usually one of two things.

One was when I did something ridiculous and absurd, then dumped the blame on the Emperor.

Most of my friends had seen some parts of my personality, but the only one who almost perfectly saw through my essence was Alice. Claire had become a bit of a threat lately, and Charlotte was also starting to guess my expressions little by little, but so far, that’s how it was.

The problem was that I hadn’t done anything like that recently.

Right after returning from Lindbergh, it hadn’t been a full day before I caused some chaos. Thanks to the airship that flew non-stop all day, coming back didn’t take several days, but almost immediately after that, I started messing around at the most important places in the Imperial Capital. Of course, I always went back in time to destroy the evidence after causing a ruckus.

So Alice’s gaze couldn’t possibly be because of that.

That left only one reason.

She had found a reason to tease me.

I didn’t quite know when exactly Alice had completely opened her heart to me, but at some point, she started teasing me without caring about my expressions at all. Even after figuring out a little about my abilities, she continued to do so.

No, maybe she could tease me precisely because she had figured out my abilities.

Anyway.

The person who had a rival mindset towards me in my childhood was Alice, but now it seemed I was feeling something similar toward her.

Just thinking about how I flared up at Alice’s gaze made it clear.

“What’s going on?”

Unable to hold back that gaze anymore, I asked.

We were seated in the classroom after a long time. You might think after so long of going on various internships, classes would be running smoothly, but there’s no compulsory education curriculum under the law in this world.

They call it the best faculty in the world, but they’re not teaching based on centuries of educational theory; instead, they provide various bits of common knowledge based on their lifelong research findings, which is more akin to a university than a high school.

So it’s not a big deal if classes get a bit cut off in between. Besides, since the teachers knew about the internships, they set their schedules accordingly.

Thus, the atmosphere in the classroom was a mix of joy and regret. Among all the internships so far, the last one at Lindbergh felt the most like a ‘trip’ because of that. Well, Winterfield and Northwood also had their travel vibes, but Lindbergh had the most exotic atmosphere.

Murmuring, the kids chatted about the last internship even after the weekend had passed, so my voice didn’t spread to others.

“No, well, you see…”

Alice turned her eyes away as if she was playing coy. But those eyes soon returned to me.

Yep, that was clearly a teasing gesture. As evidence, the muscles at the corners of her mouth that seemed to be hiding while she propped her chin up were slightly raised. Alice was smirking at me.

“……”

And somehow, I felt like I could guess the reason.

I turned my body a bit more toward Charlotte. The foreign princess, whose gaze met mine, quickly looked away.

I knew it.

I held back a sigh. No matter how much my concept had become precarious lately, I didn’t want it to completely break—

*

…….

No, well.

A cool beauty falling in love and becoming a cool dere, then eventually breaking that icy expression and awakening into a mega dere could be considered somewhat of a cliché.

But here’s the thing.

I had no intention whatsoever of getting involved with male characters.

Not to mention male characters, I wasn’t really keen on getting involved with female characters either. If I genuinely had possessed Leo, or even just came to this world as a male character, I might have had the chance to flirt with a few of the heroines. With so many female characters around, as long as it wasn’t NTR (netorare) with the main character, I could sneak in, right?

But now I had become a female character. Moreover, I was an utterly basic character whose cameo in the original was uncertain.

In this day and age of homosexuality, given that the game was made to target otaku subculture, they might be lenient towards it, but I wasn’t looking to stir up problems by taking unnecessary risks.

Still, if I were to date someone, it would have to be a girl.

That’s right.

At least for the foreseeable future, I wouldn’t be dating a ‘man’.

“Uhmm… well, you see.”

Charlotte, facing me and Alice, spoke with a slightly uneasy expression.

“Actually, I didn’t want to talk about it. Keeping ‘that kind of thing’ a secret is etiquette as a noblewoman, you know?”

I didn’t really want to hear about ‘that kind of thing’, so I stayed silent.

“But, still… I can’t just keep my mouth shut when his sister asks like that.”

“So you mean you told Claire that ‘I like Leo’?”

But I couldn’t hold it in until the end.

The following words were so absurd that I quickly asked to stop other absurdities from leaving my head.

“N-No, I didn’t say that much!”

Seeing my expression look genuinely terrifying, Charlotte unusually flustered replied like that.

“Yeah, Charlotte didn’t say that much.”

I turned my head to Alice’s voice.

“I heard it from Claire.”

“……”

“If my sister might like someone, I can’t just ignore that. Besides, don’t say too much to Claire. She had her own reasons for not saying it in the first place.”

“How did you persuade Claire not to say anything?”

“I said I would support Claire’s plan. At that time, I didn’t even know what the plan was.”

I struggled not to touch my forehead.

“You mean you said that without even knowing what the plan was?”

“You also agreed to something not knowing what the Duke of Lindbergh’s plan was, right? Isn’t what I did a much lighter mistake?”

“……”

Touché.

“And listen.”

Alice leaned against the wall, crossing her arms.

“If you really don’t have feelings for Leo, Claire’s plan would be pretty good for you.”

She said that while snickering, and it didn’t seem like that plan would be good for me either, but I decided to hear her out for now.

“What’s the plan?”

“Claire doesn’t want Leo to marry you.”

“……What!?”

Charlotte gasped, covering her mouth.

As our two pairs of eyes shifted toward Charlotte, she asked Alice with a look of shock plastered on her face.

“Why is that? Claire calls Sylvia ‘sister’ and follows her, right? Isn’t it a very important thing if she can become a true ‘sister’?”

“That’s the problem.”

Alice replied.

“Claire wants Sylvia to stay her ‘sister’ and doesn’t want to be her ‘younger sister’.”

…….

……….

………..Ah.

I see.

After a while of my brain freezing, it finally began to turn again.

Claire claims Leo is her ‘younger brother’. Of course, since they were both claiming ‘brother’ and ‘sister’ respectively, it’s impossible to tell who is older.

But it seemed that the rivalry was more genuine than I thought.

Claire genuinely sees Leo as her younger brother, and she’s worried that if I marry Leo, I will start calling her ‘sister’.

I clenched my fist once more. If I wasn’t careful, I might have made that fist collide with my forehead, so I tightened my arms.

“No way!”

Charlotte looked genuinely invested in this drama.

“So for that reason…!”

“Moreover, Claire doesn’t just call Sylvia ‘sister.’ She already thinks of her as part of her family. Just think about it. How would she feel if her younger brother and her sister were to get married? Even if the blood isn’t mixed.”

“……”

That was truly a bewildering line of thinking.

“So if you really don’t like Leo, just keep that feeling to yourself until the end. Right? It would help ease your sister’s worries at the very least, wouldn’t it?”

No, the way Charlotte looked at me felt like she was seeing a sister sacrificing herself for her young brother.

…….

Alright then.

If that’s the case, isn’t there a completely different way to approach this?

I had already been successful in making a couple… a couple that was too successful, to the point I felt sick each time I saw them.

Making Leo a girlfriend wouldn’t be too hard, would it?

Since he already likes a girl, it shouldn’t be that difficult, right?

Chapter 192

It wasn’t easy at all.

“Hmm? Really? Then shall we eat together?”

First of all, Leo’s situation was far from easy.

Before he could make same-sex friends, he had already accumulated a bunch of opposite-sex friends, so there weren’t many people around Leo who would invite him to eat together first.

Normally, I would have had meals with Alice or gathered with our group of friends. Of course, Leo was among them.

So, I should have just sat there quietly.

As soon as I decided to talk to Leo first, he looked at me with a bright smile. For a moment, it felt like light was shining on me, and I couldn’t help but squint my eyes a bit.

Leo considers me a friend. So, it must be a nice surprise for him that ‘his friend’ initiated the meal invitation.

The problem is, it seemed to be seen differently in the eyes of others.

Yeah, I realized that only after I spoke.

Even if Alice and Charlotte initiated the conversation, there were hardly any people who would misunderstand that they liked Leo. This was because the class difference was too severe. There was no need to look for a logical reason why jealous people only interpreted things that way; they just wanted to gossip behind their backs.

The issue here is that ‘I’ initiated the conversation.

Usually, I wouldn’t invite someone to eat first, especially not Leo.

And he even replied with a smile.

Ah, if others see this, it might look like some special treatment—only realized that after speaking up.

At least it was fortunate that I didn’t look around. If I had done that, I would have immediately realized my actions and scrambled to read the room, like a cool but slowly returning dere heroine.

“…”

I felt a blazing gaze directed at me from the side.

Claire was squinting her eyes at me. That ‘Claire Grace’.

Usually, she would have looked up at me with sparkling eyes like a golden retriever.

No, that’s not it. You’re not thinking that, right?

Saying that would be pointless now. By this point, doubts had already penetrated deep into my bones; whatever I say would be taken as a suspicious excuse.

“Claire.”

Then, someone moved first while I was too cowardly to voice it.

Charlotte.

“Uh?”

Claire was startled and turned to look at Charlotte, who suddenly grabbed her shoulder.

“I found a nice restaurant nearby, want to go eat together? It’s a place that serves Velbur cuisine, and I’ve tried it; the taste is quite excellent.”

“Oh, then I could go with you and Leo—”

“Ah, but unfortunately, it’s a shame. The seats are almost fully booked. I barely made a reservation yesterday. I can only bring one or two more people, and I certainly don’t want to look like I’m on a date with Leo. It’d be better to go with two girls!”

She was doing something completely useless.

Well, it would still be a problem if I tried to ask Claire to join. She was already suspicious of me liking Leo, and Claire was against me marrying Leo.

This was definitely going to make the situation extremely awkward.

And I had my own plans for talking to Leo.

“Then can I join the remaining seats? I’d love to see what kind of Velbur restaurant a proud person recommends.”

Saying that, Alice stood up and quickly took a place next to Claire.

And Claire was then unexpectedly dragged out of the classroom by both of them.

“Uh, wait, sis, sis—!”

Claire screamed as she was pulled out of the classroom, and everyone inside watched with astonished expressions.

Then, their gazes shifted back toward us.

…

Well, fine.

So you’re leaving, huh?

I also have my own thoughts.

Leo had already grown somewhat close to Sophia yesterday. There’s hardly a better way to build intimacy than doing things together. And if that ‘thing’ was community service, even better. It’s a chance to showcase how good a person you are and subtly highlight similar interests.

Most importantly, it’s nice to spend time together.

So, calling Sophia over for a meal with the three of us wasn’t that bad of an idea. Leo wouldn’t refuse either.

If Leo had ‘one definite girlfriend’, the jealous stares directed at him from around might lessen a bit.

Even if we came from different countries, we were both from Baron and Knight households, so it wasn’t a huge difference. Given Sophia’s current personality, the Grace couple would likely accept her.

There’s the issue of the Papal State spy, but… well, that’s something to solve later.

Thinking like this, I turned my gaze toward Sophia’s seat—

—only to find Sophia looking back at me.

Her eyes were half-filled with tears.

Ah.

Wait, that’s not it.

Before I could even think of an excuse, Sophia jolted up from her seat and dashed out of the classroom.

“…”

And after everyone in the classroom witnessed that scene, they all turned back to look at me.

“Huh? What’s wrong? Is there something troubling Sophia?”

It’s you.

It’s you, it’s you!

No, of course, the current situation was something I created!

“…Sylvia.”

Someone called out to me, and when I turned my gaze, Mia had quietly approached and was looking up at me.

Was she perhaps suggesting to eat together—

But before I could finish that thought, Mia gently took my hand and said,

“Finally, you’ve learned about emotions.”

What a ridiculous ghost making a remark.

After about 2.5 seconds of being stunned, I recalled what she meant.

That was what I said to Mia when I found Marmaros and the gun in her room as an excuse.

Mia smiled gently as if she truly congratulated me, then quickly let go of my hand and rushed out of the classroom.

“…”

While I stared blankly at her swaying black hair, someone tapped me on the shoulder.

“Crown Princess, good luck.”

With a serious expression and tone, Rena said that to me.

And without needing to say anything more, she nodded once knowingly before leaving the classroom.

By the way, Jake and Roti had already disappeared long ago. They probably dashed out as soon as lunchtime started to cause mischief somewhere.

As a result, the only acquaintance left in the classroom was Leo, who was sitting in front of me with a puzzled smile.

“…”

Why is this story panning out like this?

*

Not again!

I didn’t shout, but while carefully holding onto the last strand of my reason, I thought this was actually a pretty decent opportunity.

It was extremely embarrassing, but sitting across from Leo and having a face-to-face conversation was a chance to understand the situation Leo was in and what was truly on his mind.

No matter how friendly a sister can be, there are things you can’t say just because the other person is a sister.

Especially when it comes to the difficulties of school life.

With Claire’s personality, even if she always seemed to bicker with Leo, she would immediately step up when it came to helping him…

When it comes to friendship issues, it doesn’t get solved that simply.

Such problems need to be approached systematically by identifying the root cause.

“Somehow, it turned out that just the two of us are having lunch today.”

I thought it would be a bit awkward having lunch in the classroom where all the eyes were on us, so we came outside.

Yet, it wasn’t the academy garden either. It was quite cold to sit outside and eat.

So we chose a small bakery not too far from the academy.

Even though it was lunchtime and students occasionally dropped by, this bakery had only one table. If the two of us just sat there, no one could squeeze in next to us.

There were a few kids lingering around to eavesdrop on our conversation, but when our eyes met, most of them quickly left the place.

“Now that I think of it, this is the first time I’m doing this.”

“That’s true.”

I replied immediately.

“I’ve hardly ever had a meal with someone one-on-one.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

I was desperately wracking my brain to continue the conversation while slowly chewing on a baguette spread with cream cheese.

“Thanks to that, I think there’s been a ridiculous misunderstanding in the classroom.”

“Haha….”

At my words, Leo forced a laugh.

“Well, everyone always misunderstands something anyway.”

And then he said that with a slightly exhausted voice.

“…”

I silently stared at Leo and asked.

“Has someone been bothering you lately?”

“…Huh?”

At my question, Leo widened his eyes as he looked at me.

“Why do you think that?”

“Because your behavior seemed a bit off lately.”

“Ah, that….”

Leo smiled awkwardly and sighed deeply.

“I guess my… uh, how should I put it… my friendships have been a bit skewed, so maybe I don’t have someone to talk to frequently?”

“Is that so?”

So that really was the case.

I held back a sigh that was about to escape.

Chapter 193

But before we continue with the story here.

“Sophia.”

I pointed at one of the women who had been lurking around.

“Y-yes…!?”

The blonde woman, dressed in a long coat and wrapped up in a thick scarf, let out a startled squeak at my words.

“Sophia, please come over here and take a seat.”

“S-sophia? Who are you talking about? My name is Je-dan!”

“Throwing out the most common name in the Imperial Capital and acting innocent will just make you look more suspicious. If you want to hear the story, quit eavesdropping and just sit still here and listen.”

I gestured to the remaining chairs at the table.

In fact, Sophia’s disguise was quite convincing. If I hadn’t seen Sophia’s transformed appearance in the original, I definitely wouldn’t have recognized her.

Besides, while other students would bolt the moment they made eye contact with me, she was the only one hanging around like that—no way I could miss it.

…Well, I was half just taking a shot in the dark. Either way, if I’m wrong, I can just rewind time and fix it.

“…….”

And thankfully, it seemed she really was Sophia.

Realizing how pointless it was to keep up the act now that I had caught her, Sophia removed her wig and tossed the scarf aside.

Her face still bore an expression of bewilderment.

“Sophia? Is it really you?”

Leo’s eyes were wide as saucers.

Can you blame him? The Sword Saint can detect people just from their presence. Leo had been seriously training under the Sword Saint himself. If his instincts were sharper than in the original, there was no way he wouldn’t notice.

“…….”

Blushing, Sophia approached us and occupied a seat.

She tried her hardest to look haughty, but with that flushed face, she didn’t come off as very dignified at all.

Besides, her eyes were puffy. I had no idea how long she had been following us, but she must have been crying somewhere beforehand.

Being a heroine, Sophia was indeed a beauty. Setting aside my previous bad impression of her from the original, I should feel a twinge of guilt if someone like her cried because of me. But right now, all I wanted to do was tear my hair out.

It was just bewildering.

No, seriously, what did I do wrong?

“What happened?”

It’s because of you, you!

Even Leo, who was as clueless as they come, seemed to recognize Sophia’s expression clearly.

So, what should I do now?

At first, I thought about hearing what Leo had to say and then rewinding time to create a more natural time and place for a conversation between Sophia and Leo… It was a bit different from what I expected, but somehow, the opportunity arose.

But telling Leo, “Sophia likes you,” was definitely not an option. That would be the absolute worst move. Even though I led a life completely distant from romance in my past life, if I thought someone was spilling the beans about my feelings for someone I liked, I might have actually wanted to kill that person.

…The problem was that Leo was even more clueless about romance than I was back then.

Alright then.

In that case, let’s just say what can be said plainly.

“Leo, are you aware that people have been misunderstanding the relationship between you and me lately?”

“Huh?”

In an already awkward atmosphere due to Sophia’s downcast expression, my comment sent Leo into an even deeper state of confusion.

I heard someone gasp, and I shot a glare in that direction. It seemed like two noble girls from Class B had just entered the bakery, noticed us, and were eavesdropping while trying to be discreet. As soon as their eyes met mine, their faces went pale, and they bolted out of the shop.

Even the shopkeeper’s face turned ashen.

…It wasn’t my intention to disrupt business.

Should I buy a bunch of bread on my way out as an apology? I can’t eat them all, but… since I’m buying, I could just pass them out to the residents I visited last time. I mean, I did make some of them tremble with my gun antics, so it counts as an apology.

“What does that mean?”

“It means exactly what it says. People think I have feelings for you. I don’t think you feel the same way about me, though.”

“…”

Leo’s face went pale after sitting there dumbfounded with his mouth agape.

“I, no, do I?”

His tone changed due to his astonishment.

“That’s right.”

“With the Crown Princess?”

“Yes.”

“……”

Puff, puff.

Leo, who looked like a goldfish gasping for air, finally rubbed his face with his hand.

I glanced at Sophia. Her eyes were still puffy, but at least the expression on her face wasn’t sadness or despair.

Rather, it was surprise.

“Let’s make one thing clear.”

I said to Leo in my negotiation voice.

“Do you think I like you?”

“Excuse me? No, of course not.”

Leo immediately stiffened his face and replied.

“I didn’t have such an overstepping thought.”

“Well, I don’t think it’s an overstepping thought…”

I couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly.

“Still, I’m glad you’re not misunderstanding.”

I looked at Sophia once more, then got up from my seat.

As Sophia was about to rise to follow me, I put my hand firmly on her shoulder.

Honestly, if we were to talk about strength, Sophia was stronger than me, so if she decided to get up, she could easily do it, regardless of whether my hand was on her shoulder or not. But maybe because I was the Crown Princess, or perhaps she just had no intention of getting up, she sat back down immediately.

“Please finish your meal here. I trust you understand that getting up before everyone is finished is a great discourtesy to those seated at the table.”

Upon hearing my words, Leo’s face instantly turned indignant.

Well, of course. My current action was the very definition of getting up without finishing the meal.

But what’s the big deal?

I’m the Crown Princess, and you’re a mere Baron—still not even a real Baron.

And because Leo was well aware of that fact, he didn’t get up to follow me.

I turned around without a second thought, ready to leave the bakery.

Just then, I noticed the bakery owner with a face that screamed he heard something he shouldn’t have and bought up all the remaining bread except for a few that the two could eat.

The bakery owner’s expression brightened a little at that point. He even called out as I left, “Please do drop by again next time!”

See, money talks!

*

“……”

“……”

After a brief but stormy time, Leo and Sophia sat staring at each other with blank expressions.

He was sitting there with a blank expression.

Both of them had that look of someone who just couldn’t figure out how things had spiraled into this situation.

“…You can’t actually believe that, right?”

Sophia said, narrowing her eyes as she stared at Leo.

It finally dawned on Leo that Sophia’s eyes were a bit red and puffy. He hadn’t noticed this in the morning… or had he? Honestly, he couldn’t be sure. After all, Claire had always treated him like the oblivious little brother whenever she saw him.

Of course, that was a bit off. He couldn’t deny being oblivious, but he wasn’t her little brother; he was her older brother.

“What do you mean you don’t believe it?”

Sophia’s eyes widened as she did a full rotation of astonishment. She looked utterly baffled, and in another way, she almost looked pitiable. Leo felt assured that at least that ‘pitiable’ part wasn’t directed at him.

“It’s obviously a lie. Just look at all the things the Crown Princess has done until now.”

As Sophia crossed her arms and glared at Leo, he was baffled all over again.

“But just a moment ago, the Crown Princess herself said it’s not true!”

“Then, would someone who likes an unattainable guy say, ‘Actually, I love you’?”

“…Well…”

That might be true, but…

Hearing that made Leo’s insides twist uncomfortably.

At least…

At least he thought the Crown Princess wouldn’t feel that way about him.

The reason was simple. The Crown Princess hadn’t shown the least bit of embarrassment or shyness during the summer break when she was spending the night in the same place as him.

At the very least, he had the ability to notice that she didn’t harbor any special feelings for him, given her reaction.

“Have you seen the Crown Princess talking to any other guys?”

“There’s Jake, you know?”

In response to Leo’s immediate answer, Sophia facepalmed.

Why on earth is this happening to me?

After seeing Sophia’s reaction, Leo began to understand why Crown Princess Sylvia had intentionally seated Sophia beside her when she said those words.

She must have wanted to clear up any misunderstandings.

If it were a man, it wouldn’t matter much, but for a woman, just having such rumors spread could become a scandal.

“No, I mean, what I’m saying is…”

Leo calmly decided to explain to Sophia, step by step, why the Crown Princess wouldn’t be interested in him.

Chapter 194

“…….”

Claire was sitting with a boiling expression, and Alice and Charlotte were desperately trying to soothe her.

“Since Sylvia doesn’t seem to be that interested in men, I’m sure nothing major will happen even if they have a meal together.”

“What do you think of your sister? Of course, a meal alone won’t lead to anything big! One is a Baron, and the other is a Crown Princess!”

At Alice’s words, Claire finally exploded.

“No, more importantly, didn’t you say you’d help prevent my sister from getting involved with Leo?! Why did you drag me out of there like that? You might as well do it with Charlotte!”

“Claire, that’s not a good way of thinking.”

Charlotte countered Claire’s words.

“No matter how much you love your sister, you have no right to interfere with her feelings for someone else.”

Charlotte still wasn’t entirely sure about the relationship between Claire and Sylvia. But anyone could see from Claire’s attitude toward Sylvia that she truly thought of her as a sister and followed her.

The relationships among nobles, royals, and aristocrats are incredibly complicated. Even if it appears that they are as far apart as the Emperor and the Baron, they often hide incredibly close ties. Charlotte instinctively interpreted the relationship between Claire and Sylvia in such a way.

“No, if my sister loves another man, I’d understand. Of course, if he’s handsome and capable, and comes from a good family that can fully understand her, that’d be even better! But if my sister loves him, what can I do? I guess I’d have to hold my nose and let it go as long as he’s not too much of a jerk.”

“Well, at least you’ve learned some basic decorum as a noble….”

Charlotte sighed in relief, placing her hand on her chest, but Claire shot her a glare of indignation.

“No, I’ve worked hard to learn too, you know?!”

“But Claire….”

In an effort to calm the angry Claire, Charlotte gently placed her hand on Claire’s shoulder and spoke.

“There will inevitably come a time when a noble must enter into an unwanted marriage. Particularly in higher circles, like royals and aristocrats. Since Sylvia is of royal blood, she might have to marry a Duke several years older than her.”

At this, Alice’s expression turned a bit vague. Luckily, Alice was behind Charlotte, so she didn’t see the expression.

Sylvia was… actually in a position where it didn’t matter much whether she married or not. In fact, she was much freer with matters of romance than the daughter of a Duke.

Of course, if Sylvia actively sought a “political marriage,” she would have many families willing to accept her… but the Emperor wasn’t foolish enough to squander Sylvia’s position on a political marriage.

“So, isn’t it fine if she can at least have a light romance? And if it’s someone like Sylvia, she could find someone she loves even after marriage. After all, there’s always the concubine thing.”

“…….”

Claire narrowed her eyes and spoke in a cold voice directed at Charlotte.

“Charlotte, would you want to spend your wedding night with a man you hate and then live the rest of your life with the man you love as a concubine?”

“…….”

Claire’s words made even Charlotte look away.

“No, more importantly, that’s not the point! I’m sure our father would be thrilled if Leo says he wants to marry my sister! Our mother also seems to quietly like my sister!”

Claire said with exasperation.

“But the class difference between Leo and Claire is….”

“That doesn’t matter.”

Alice cut off Charlotte’s words.

“Right now, the only one among the royals who thinks marriage is important is me. I’m meant to be the next Emperor, and Sylvia is someone who would support me. Naturally, who Sylvia marries doesn’t matter. Her child won’t carry the imperial name. In fact, my father would welcome her marrying the Baron family, wouldn’t he? At least there wouldn’t be any moves to sway Sylvia around!”

Charlotte and Claire stared blankly at Alice saying all of this.

“Then why did you pair my sister with Leo?!”

And Claire exploded once again with renewed vigor.

“But Sylvia—”

“What do you mean, what’s it to you?”

“…….”

Somehow, Alice, who had been about to say something, froze at the voice coming from behind.

“……Since when have you been listening?”

“I just arrived a minute ago. You were debating so loudly it could be heard outside the classroom. And the contents of that debate were about my love life.”

Sylvia said this while leaning against the door, her voice seemingly gritting her teeth.

“Wh-what about the conversation with Leo?”

Usually, even Charlotte wouldn’t stammer in front of Sylvia, regardless of her demeanor.

“…….”

Sylvia, leaning against the classroom door, glared at the three for a while, before pulling away from the wall.

*

“Aah, it’s not like that!”

Is the inability to understand people’s words a noble etiquette in this world?

Or is this world truly one where sayings like “A woman’s rejection is a strong affirmation” are genuinely accepted?

…….

Come to think of it, it might actually be the case.

All the women in front of me are incredibly open-minded by the standards of this world, but at the same time, they’re also just young girls who just passed through the 19th century.

It’s still a time without women’s suffrage. In many ways, the girls here may have all the worst traits to attract men aside from their looks.

“I’ll make it clear, I have no romantic feelings for Leo.”

I decided to be straightforward so I wouldn’t create any more misunderstandings by beating around the bush.

“The meal request I made just now was to make that clear. I told Leo the same thing, so he shouldn’t get any wrong ideas.”

Hearing this, Charlotte wiped her face.

“……What is this?”

“Of course, there’s no way Leo would misunderstand.”

Charlotte said with a sigh mixed in her voice.

“From the start, Leo probably doesn’t even think you like him.”

“……That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to say.”

“…….”

Seeing Charlotte look at me with pity made me almost grab the back of my neck.

What’s with this? Are you asking me to duel or something?

It’s been a while since I felt such emotions from a woman.

It’s surprising that it’s been a while, not that it’s my first time feeling this way. Just to clarify, the first time was with Sophia from the original work. It was quite frustrating since she was a character I could only lose to plot-wise.

Alice looked like she was about to burst out laughing again.

“Sis, is it true?”

The Claire who had been dragged away with Alice and Charlotte peeked her head between the two.

“Of course. I have no intention of becoming your sister-in-law.”

“Really? Is that true?”

No, is this even something to be so happy about?

I know Claire isn’t trying to wallop me with a slap. The issue is that if I make dialogue, it might be taken that way.

Claire already thinks of me as family. It’s not someone who has shared parents or grew up in the same household; it’s family tied together by connections. So, even with the short time we spent together in childhood, she confidently calls me sister from the moment she sees me.

So, it’s unnecessary to go through the process of “Making me a husband or a brother-in-law to become family.” When you think about it, it’s a refreshingly straightforward way of thinking.

“So… is this settled then?”

After making a pinky promise with Claire, I turned to Charlotte and Alice.

Alice just shrugged. She still had an amused expression, so I felt a little uneasy, but as I had said it this clearly, there shouldn’t be any issues causing her to continue bothering me about it.

The problem was with Charlotte.

I figured Charlotte’s feelings wouldn’t go well, not because of my attitude but because of Claire’s attitude that might have made Charlotte feel uncomfortable.

From the perspective of this world, where you change your surname upon marriage and form a family, asking me not to marry when I might become part of her family would likely be seen as a strong rejection of “becoming family.”

In reality, Claire was just shocked at the idea that her brother might marry her sister.

“…….”

Somehow, it feels like I keep climbing mountains only to find another mountain ahead.

As I looked at Charlotte quietly observing me, I thought that.

Chapter 195

Even though I have the ability to turn back time, there are moments when I hesitate to use it.

If I had made a重大なミス, then it would obviously be right to use my powers. After all, preventing someone from getting seriously hurt or saving someone who should be dead is always a profitable deal.

I could also use my powers to be a perfect human. I could turn back time, study perfectly for exams, and maintain excellent grades, or shoot my gun with hundred percent accuracy in any situation.

And I have actually done just that. On the battlefield, I’ve avoided a single bullet and collapsed the entire front line, and I already knew all the most important military secrets of the Empire. It would be impossible to perfectly replicate warship designs or maps, but at least I had enough knowledge to explain how certain parts were significant.

However, it was 정말더럽게어려웠다 to clear up the misunderstandings that had been placed upon me.

Right, since there are no limits to my abilities, maybe I could just persuade them while continuously turning back time. Thinking about the numerous time travelers I had seen in my previous life, complaining like this might sound like a privileged problem to them.

But… but…

“…”

Despite everything, I found myself facing a three-way standoff again today without turning back time.

Alice said she wouldn’t meddle in my love life anymore. It seemed she had accurately read that I was genuinely annoyed. And as promised, even during lunch today, Alice didn’t bother to talk to me or give me advice.

Claire trusts me. If I said something like that and ended up dating Leo, Claire would be seriously hurt, but there’s no need to worry. I have no intention of dating a guy.

Moreover, there’s common sense I had from my previous life. While I might appear to be a slightly developed teenage girl in her mid-teens, the contents inside were just that of an old man. No matter how I look at it, talking about such things with a teenager… felt uncomfortable.

Charlotte decided not to meddle after following Alice’s lead, but when our eyes met as we left the classroom, she clenched her fists.

In the past, I had wondered why streamers used to hate that malicious bridal reality show so much, and it turns out I get it now.

*

We went to the same bakery as yesterday. The bakery owner brightened up upon seeing me.

Looks like I’ll need to buy a bunch of bread again today. After all, I’ll need to drive away the other kids to have a conversation.

“…So.”

As soon as I sat down, I opened my mouth.

“Today, you said that you would start eating first, but could I hear a little reason behind that?”

“Ah—well…”

Before Leo could even open his mouth, Sophia shot her hand up. It looked like a child wanting to present something during class.

“Sophia.”

Seeing Leo nod, I spoke to Sophia.

“I don’t know why the Crown Princess gave up on you yesterday.”

“…”

I looked towards Leo. He was already burying his face in his hands. Fortunately, the part of his face visible next to his hands wasn’t bright red.

“I don’t think you need to do that.”

“…Though the premise is a little strange,” I continued because I knew she wouldn’t care what I said anyway.

“Is there a reason I can’t give up on Leo?”

“Well, of course, love is something to be fought for.”

Sophia said with a determined expression on her face.

…What is this?

Did she secretly read romance novels while sneaking around in the convent during childhood? It wouldn’t be too surprising, I guess.

“If there is a way to fight for love, then there must also be a way to give up.”

“I can’t accept that!”

Sophia quickly replied to me.

“Winning like that—”

“Winning?”

I have no idea how this normally dense person could pick out that word so well at a time like this.

“Hey, Leo.”

I said to Leo with a serious expression.

“Could you wait outside the bakery for a moment while we two talk?”

After saying that, I remembered how chilly it was outside and added, “It won’t take long.”

“…”

Leo made a slightly bewildered expression at my words, but he soon nodded and got up from his seat.

Thank goodness. He was the type to treat girls like a gentleman. If Leo had a personality like Jake, he would have been grinning slyly and stayed in his seat.

Watching Leo leave, I pulled the chair next to Sophia and settled in close.

The scent of flowers wafted through the air.

Given how she was acting about ‘winning,’ it looked like she had put some perfume on to come meet Leo. What a surprising move for someone from the church. I wonder if it’s okay to be this proactive about relationships.

“Uh, um?”

As I squeezed into the seat beside her, Sophia seemed a bit flustered.

“It might be a little uncomfortable, but let’s have a quick chat like this. It’s a conversation that can’t get out to others.”

Sophia nodded with what looked like a hint of fear on her face.

“Sophia, you like Leo, right?”

“…”

She almost reflexively looked like she was going to say no, but after a moment’s hesitation, she eventually nodded.

“…Yes.”

“I’m not interested in why you like Leo or where you’re attracted to him. It’s not something I should get involved in. I’m not particularly interested in other people’s love stories.”

While Jake and Roti tried to get them together—

—I think the effect was a bit too intense. They got too close, and if they took one more step, the genre of their story might switch. Mostly in a ‘19+’ sense.

So it was uncomfortable for me. Since I had lived a life without a girlfriend, watching two couples stick together wasn’t exactly soothing.

I couldn’t care less about whether Leo gets a girlfriend or not. If it were to be Sophia, then… I would have 100% thought she would have a different agenda if she were like the Sophia from the original story, but at least this Sophia didn’t show that side.

Most likely, she was drawn in by Leo’s looks.

“But I’ll say it again, I’ve never particularly liked Leo. I think of him as a friend. If he were in danger, I might help him, and if there’s something politically necessary, I can use my position as Crown Princess willingly. But that’s not because Leo is my type; it’s because he’s a ‘friend.’”

I looked Sophia straight in the eye as I said this.

“Ah, ah. Eek.”

Since we were so close, Sophia looked like she didn’t know how to react.

Well, I can’t blame her. I did that on purpose, after all.

That said, it wasn’t like we were close enough for our bodies to touch.

“Alice, Claire, Mia, and Rena could also receive similar political support from me. However, in those cases, it’s not because I think of them as my relationship partners, either.”

“Is that so?”

“Right.”

After saying that, I pulled the chair back slightly.

“Of course, I think the same about Charlotte, but since she’s a princess of a nation, that’s different. Plus, she’s someone who will become the queen of that nation in the future. No matter how much of a princess I am, once Charlotte becomes queen, I won’t have a position where I can ‘help’ her.”

“…”

It seemed Sophia was momentarily lost in thought.

“And you, Sophia Bianchi.”

When I called her name, Sophia blinked.

“Perhaps you might also receive that ‘friendship type’ support. I could help a small knight family a bit.”

“…”

At my words, Sophia’s expression changed slightly.

I already knew Sophia’s identity, and she knew the truth as well.

However, the only target for help in my statement was the ‘small knight family.’

I have no intention of helping the Papal State, but I’d be willing to assist Sophia as an individual.

Even if Sophia’s way of thinking might be a bit simple, I believe she understood what I was saying.

“But if you keep spreading rumors that are not true and make my feelings worse, you might just drop off my friend list.”

“Ah.”

Upon hearing my words, Sophia turned pale.

Yeah, I know she’s been enjoying her school life, but there are still responsibilities to uphold.

If she’s a spy sent from the Papal State, she must carry out a spy’s duties.

And the highest priority of that mission is getting close to me, Sylvia Fanggriffon.

Seeing Sophia turn pale, I felt satisfaction knowing my words had hit their mark.

Chapter 196

Satisfied.

After that conversation, Sophia doesn’t say strange things to me anymore.

Leo never really had a misunderstanding, and Alice just wanted to tease me halfway, so there’s no reason to bring up that story anymore.

Charlotte sometimes looks at me with sad eyes, but that’s all; she wasn’t planning to associate me with Leo any further.

There’s nothing as satisfying and uplifting as solving a big incident without rewinding time.

In the past, I thought it was fine to use my cheat ability anytime… but now my relationships have changed.

The friends around me were literally my ‘friends’. And each conversation with them was a cherished memory.

The act of rewinding time meant recovering from my mistakes, but at the same time, it also meant all those memories would vanish.

At the beginning of the semester, I used my abilities several times for the sake of my perfect image… of course, if I feel my image might shatter too much at this moment, I would still consider using them, but I didn’t want to use my powers for every little mistake. Especially after conversations that affect relationships.

Thus, being satisfied simply by the fact that I didn’t use my powers while forming a relationship with someone is quite something.

Well, that being said, it’s not like there aren’t any occasions to use my powers at all.

“Seriously, you’re so unpredictable.”

Saying that in a dying voice was Kiara Verati.

Lying on the bed, wrapped in bandages, she looked at me and smiled weakly.

“Even with such an uncomfortable outfit on.”

“Even if I look like this, it’s a uniform made of a lot of new materials. It doesn’t hinder my activity.”

I said that as I sat down on the chair beside the bed.

Thud.

A sound came from the door. There was a louder crash a couple of times, and someone was mumbling outside.

Naturally, even if they were injured, they were knights of the Cathedral. Even without weapons in hand, they are beings that can easily overpower common soldiers, so even in this injured state, they were trapped deep inside the Imperial Capital.

…Though I wonder if there’s even a need to go this far for someone who’s injured like this.

“How do you plan to get out…? I guess you wouldn’t answer if I asked, right?”

“Well, who knows…”

At Kiara Verati’s words, I shrugged and replied.

“Depending on the conversation we have from now on, I might tell you.”

“Hmph. Still, you’ll only tell me what you want anyway.”

“I promise. I’ll make sure to reveal my secrets adequately.”

As long as the mask girl doesn’t suddenly pop out, there shouldn’t be a reason to rewind time.

And at this point, I don’t think there’s a need for her to pop out. The mask girl… only appeared in relation to the Divine Relics.

Whenever that Divine Relic first appeared before me. I confirmed the bag that the last Emperor picked up long ago, quite a while ago. It was so well hidden that I had to do things I didn’t really want to just find out, but everyone who hurt me back then is fine now, so isn’t that okay?

So, the mask girl might have been unable to use her abilities because of that Divine Relic. Just like how my abilities were sealed whenever she showed up.

The goddess’s power is related to the item, blocking both my and the mask girl’s abilities.

“And do you plan to kill me or something?”

“……”

If the moment my powers are blocked comes, maybe.

At my silence, Kiara Verati frowned.

Then, after a while of thinking, she let out a deep sigh.

“…… Fine, tell me. Is there something you want to discuss?”

“Will you share it with me?”

“Do I have a choice?”

Thud, again there was a sound from the door. They might be preparing some magic or cannon over there.

No, probably not a cannon. The Emperor might stop that.

“What did Lucas ask you last time?”

“About the Divine Relic.”

Kiara Verati answered as she had said herself.

“She asked what that Divine Relic is and why we are searching for it.”

“You said you don’t know much since you’re not in a high position, right?”

“Did you actually believe that straight away?”

“Well, not exactly.”

It wasn’t like I thought she’d give me more information just because I asked. What’s more, I couldn’t torture someone in front of Alice, right?

“……”

Kiara Verati clenched her lips and then spoke.

“I’m a person dispatched to the Empire to investigate the Divine Relic. And even if it’s not Northwood, there aren’t many places worth searching for the Divine Relic. For example, this place, the Imperial Palace.”

“Are you saying you intentionally got captured to search for the Divine Relic?”

“No, I didn’t get captured intentionally. But having been captured, I tried to turn the crisis into an opportunity.”

“Did you succeed?”

“No.”

Kiara Verati answered with a scoff.

“Even though it’s such an important place to bring an important prisoner, it appears the Divine Relic is hidden in another location.”

“How do you plan to find that Divine Relic?”

“The Papal State hasn’t been idle for the past few hundred years. To find the sacred Divine Relic and return power to the Goddess… so that the Goddess can descend into this world, we were trying to complete the device. Of course, we don’t move only based on records from hundreds of years ago. There’s a sacred magic that only the highest people of the Papal State can use. It’s a magic used on people, and even if I don’t know the principles, someone who accepts that magic will feel discomfort when near the Divine Relic.”

“Have you ever felt that discomfort?”

“The Papal State trains using its own Divine Relics, so they ensure that feeling is unmistakably recognized.”

“And one of those Divine Relics is currently in the Empire.”

“…… That’s right.”

Kiara Verati sighed deeply as she answered.

“Can you tell me more details about that magic?”

“No. No matter what, the high-ups of the Papal State wouldn’t want that magic to spread externally. The magic itself puts the subject to sleep and leaves no evidence afterwards. If you think maybe I got a tattoo or something, that’s a misconception. Something might have been marked, but to confirm that, you’d need the Papal State’s specific magic.”

“I see.”

Thud!

There was another sound, and I turned my gaze to see the door significantly dented to the point I could see it from my side.

“Can I know why you’re telling me this story?”

Feeling that time was limited, I asked that question.

Just a little while ago—when Lucas barged in and got hit hard before losing consciousness. Back then, she was thoroughly uncooperative.

“Sigh, indeed.”

Kiara Verati gazed blankly at the ceiling as she spoke.

“I thought I could just die for the Goddess. According to doctrine, suicide is not permissible, but still… I was ready to do what I could and die for the Goddess.”

But.

“Now that I’ve come this far, the Papal State has been leaving me here without any way to save me, and even some inhuman guy suddenly appears and claims to have killed my old comrade. The Papal State was left without the Divine Relics. I just… wonder what this is. It feels like everything I’ve believed in until now has shattered. To be honest, I wish I hadn’t just woken up after losing consciousness back then.”

“Is that the reason?”

“Yes. And you mentioned you’d tell me about your abilities, right? How you found me, and how you plan to escape from here. To be honest, I’m really curious.”

The hinges of the door were shaking like they were about to fall off.

“Is that so.”

I nodded and replied.

“Then I’ll answer you. I knew about the things that were going to happen before they happened. Because I looked outside of this world and returned.”

“…… You mean you knew the future?”

Kiara made a sound of disbelief.

“And secondly, I have the ability to turn back time.”

“……”

“So there’s no need to think about an escape route. All I have to do is go back once I get what I need.”

“Heh.”

Kiara Verati let out a laugh as if she found it absurd.

“Do you not believe me?”

“No, that’s not it. Logically, it doesn’t make sense, but if I think of it as ‘such an ability’… it fits perfectly. I just…”

Kiara Verati spent quite a while gazing silently at the ceiling.

Bang! The door completely shattered, and the sound of clattering armor followed, but I was waiting for Kiara Verati’s words.

They were shouting at me to lie down, but even through that, Kiara Verati’s words were clear.

“How empty. I worked so hard for the Goddess’s power… but in reality…”

But her words didn’t continue further.

Well, I guess I heard enough from her at this point.

Again.

Chapter 197

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about myself while living in this world, it’s that I surprisingly don’t care much about what others think of me. Bloop!

Well… I mean, aside from maintaining the character I’m trying to keep up. That’s something I’m trying really hard to do for my personality, but besides that, especially when it comes to people around me, I don’t think I pay much attention to the eyes of others. Wink!

I only recently found out that the rumor of me being an “assassin” has been going around for months. Gasp!

To make things even more amusing, when I heard that rumor, I just shrugged it off. To be honest, isn’t it true? Even if we set aside the now-stashed secret about the assassination of Count Crowfield, I’ve been to battlefields and have definitely taken shots at people. Bang!

And not just a couple of them. So many that I can’t remember them all. I mean, it’s not like it was a dozen or so, but in situations where bullets are flying everywhere, bombs are going off, and the sounds of machine guns mixed with charges are all over, while fighting and rewinding time hundreds of times, I barely have time to remember how many I shot! Zoom!

Honestly, I get it. Nod!

No matter how much this academy also serves as a military school and how there are people graduating here to join the army, there’s probably not a lot of folks who’ve actually killed someone. If there were, that would be weird instead. Scratching head!

Still, in this world, there is at least a common sense that war is an adult’s job. Hmm…

Even though it’s annoying that they can’t properly distinguish between what’s adult and what’s child, they oddly can draw that line when discussing things that are, well, serious. Eww!

Because of that line, I’m labeled as an ‘assassin’ for shooting people without a care! Dramatic gasp!

Yeah, from an objective standpoint, they’re not wrong. The issue is that if we really apply the term, it would also apply the same way to the many soldiers that are praised as ‘heroes’ in this country. Big sigh!

Hearing that accusation was purely by chance. Ding!

If it was just me hearing it, I would have easily ignored it, but—

“You, what did you just say?” Dun dun dun!

The problem is, right when I opened the student council room door, there was someone standing right next to me. Whoosh!

And that someone was Alice, who is considerably more physically capable than I am. Zoom-zoom!

Hearing the clear words ‘Assassin Sylvia’ right next to my ear, it wouldn’t have been strange if Alice heard everything before and after that line too. Eek!

“Repeat what you just said in front of me.” Zing!

Before I could even fully open the door, Alice swiftly went straight to where that voice came from and said that. Snap!

Seems like Alice had already pinpointed the owner of that voice. Unlike me, who doesn’t care at all about what nobles talk about, Alice has been putting effort into her social life since coming to the academy. Surely, figuring out who the voice belonged to wouldn’t have been that difficult. Bing!

In the student council room, there were a few tables. It didn’t have those gigantic conference tables that you’d expect in a corporate meeting. Eh?

Instead, they were more suitable for tea parties, small tables that fit about four to five people, scattered around. Clink clink!

According to the rules, anyone can make a presentation or a suggestion. You can stand up and tap a champagne glass with a spoon or just raise your voice a bit to grab everyone’s attention, so to say, the student council operates in a very typical noble social style. Cheers!

Naturally, if it’s not that kind of meeting—no, to be more precise, even if it is that kind of meeting—the student council room is almost always used as a social gathering place for council members. Socialize!

“Ah, um, well…” Uhh!

No matter how positively you take it, calling someone an assassin is never a word with a good connotation. Gulp!

It’s natural for that girl, who spoke in front of the crown princess’s name with that word, to turn pale. With her light sky blue hair, which would be odd even for one of the protagonist’s party, her face turned as blue as her hair color. Colors, where?

A little later, she entered the student council room. Tip-tap!

The sound of student loafers echoed loudly. Thud thud!

I heard the gazes of the seven students in the student council room turn toward me. Gaze!

Do they think I’m going to get mad? Hmm, honestly, I’m not that bothered by such a word. Boring!

I knew all the names of the noble class kids and had some understanding of their backgrounds, but I had no intention of getting close to those who didn’t involve themselves in the main story. Nope!

“Ah.” Oops!

Though I had no intention of getting close, it’s not like I was completely ignoring their faces either. Eye see!

Since we’re both in the same student council too. Weird vibes!

I didn’t plan on going near her, but since Alice went straight toward that direction, I couldn’t just keep silent. Uh-oh!

Noble conversations are like mathematical formulas; they require managing ‘official emotions’ separately from personal feelings. Eureka!

Even if I personally think something doesn’t warrant anger, expressing ‘anger’ can sometimes earn praise among nobles, and even if I’m really mad about something, not showing ‘anger’ is usually expected. Hmm…

The former often relates to one’s own honor and family, while the latter ties to relatives or spouses. They look really similar, but just that single paper’s difference completely alters the response! Flip!

And a truly capable noble can freely swap those two positions and utilize them excellently. Proud!

“I’m… I’m sorry!” Gulp!

As our gazes met, the girl’s face turned even paler, and she quickly stood up, bowing deeply toward me. Bow bow!

So… she’s a count’s daughter or something. Since she’s joined the student council, she can’t just be any ordinary noble. Huh?

Even if she doesn’t match the Fanggriffon royal family level, of course. Ponder!

Without saying anything, I was about to head towards a vacant spot, but I suppressed a sigh as I walked over to the table where those students were. Sigh!

“Claiming that fighting for the Empire and risking your life is ‘murderous’ shows a questionable loyalty to the Empire.” Oof!

When Alice said that, the already silenced student council room seemed to sink even deeper into silence. Crickets!

If a moment ago it felt like being ten meters under the sea, now it felt like being underwater, to the extent that the pressure might actually kill someone. Panic!

“I-I didn’t mean that! I just…” Uhh!

The count’s daughter was desperately rolling her eyes, trying to find an excuse, but it seemed she couldn’t come up with anything coherent. Whistle!

“If Sylvia’s an ‘assassin’, then isn’t Duke Winterfield, the head of this academy, also one?” Dun dun!

With a smile on her face, Alice pressed, and the other girl couldn’t say anything in reply. Silence!

Glancing sideways, I saw the student council president frozen in the same position, still holding a cup of tea. Cringe!

“I wonder how many of the others in this room agree with that. Before I walked in, the atmosphere was quite friendly, yet it seems you just casually had conversations like that when we weren’t around? The families I thought were pillars of the Empire turned out to be parasites living off the name of the Empire, and I’m surprised too!” Shock!

“Ah, that’s…” Oh no!

At that moment, the student council president, who had been gaping until then, started to move his jaw. Chatter!

“The previous comment was a personal opinion of Lady Rassel…” Uh-oh!

As the student council president slowly spoke, Lady Rassel’s gaze turned toward him. The look in her eyes was filled with desperation. Like a plea not to discard what she said. Plea!

In a brief moment, I could see a calculation cross the student council president’s eyes. Thinking!

“The words ‘assassin’ and ‘Sylvia’ are two different terms that accidentally came to be used together.” How so?

And just like that, he wrapped up his calculations in a moment. It seemed they preferred to keep Lady Rassel in good standing. Eh, good choice!

“Please, go on.” Nod!

Alice said, gazing silently at Lady Rassel. Focus!

“At that time, Princess Sylvia Fanggriffon was indeed on the battlefield. The opposition was a group of ruthless warlords. They were a bunch of murderers and rapists.” Set the record straight!

The student council president continued speaking slowly as he crafted his excuse. Smooth talking!

“And Princess Sylvia Fanggriffon played a significant role in ridding the world of that ‘murderous’ faction. Although it was quite distant, and I can’t say for sure that there were other students around to hear it properly, at least from what I’ve heard, it seemed that Lady Rassel wasn’t trying to frame Princess Sylvia but rather was applauding her efforts.” Clap clap!

Although he didn’t state anything firmly, it was enough of a defense. Coming from the duke’s eldest son, that statement carried weight. Worth it!

Lady Rassel nodded vigorously. Yes!

“Really?” Wait what?

Until then, I had only been listening and talking. I decided to chime in. Chime!

“I appreciate that compliment. Since you’re personally supporting me, I only wish for the Rassel family to help the royal family in our future endeavors.” Strategy!

“For the esteemed Fanggriffon royal family, is there anything I can do? I will surely follow that request.” Sure!

At my words, Lady Rassel lowered her head. Respect!

Chapter 198

Honestly, at first, I thought Alice was kind of blackmailing that young lady for the royal family’s benefit.

Still a bit emotional, but ever since coming to the academy—no, ever since going to Velbur together last year, she had been moving as the ‘Crown Princess’ quite often.

But Alice was just sitting there, glaring at Lady Rassel the whole time in the student council room.

As the party involved, I had accepted the apology, and she even said her family would be loyal to the imperial family, so it would have been right to let it end there. Yet, it seemed Alice’s anger couldn’t be quelled by just that.

“I think it’s unnecessary to be so angry since you’ve gotten an apology.”

“Aren’t you angry?”

At Alice’s words, I furrowed my brow slightly and sank into thought. Hmm…

If the other person had been an adult with a big head, it might have been different. If someone who wasn’t clueless was gossiping about me, I’d probably be dumbfounded at first and then feel really bad about it.

But she was just a fifteen-year-old kid, after all.

Even when Mia showed me a grudge, I didn’t get that angry because I understood she didn’t know the truth and was still young.

Well, from the perspective of someone in their twenties, having killed someone might be disturbing, indeed.

While I was deep in thought, Alice swept her hand across her face and sat down on a chair at the customer reception table in the room.

“So what if I were the one being insulted like that? What if the one called an assassin was me instead of you?”

“…….”

Hmm… That would definitely have made me angry.

Not just Alice, either. If Leo or Claire were gossiping about me, or if Jake or Roti were, it would have bothered me too. Mia and Rena would feel the same… Sophia is a bit complicated still.

Without saying it directly, it seemed Alice noticed my expression and figured out what I was thinking.

“Well, you’re probably thinking that’s natural, so you wouldn’t care what I say.”

“…….”

Alice rolled her eyes for a moment before speaking.

“I think there’s a need to be cautious in this situation.”

“I agree.”

“If someone who thinks like you just lets the nobles gossip about the Crown Princess, isn’t that a problem?”

“Given the current situation, I’m trying not to create unnecessary enemies.”

‘I wouldn’t mind how many enemies I end up with. If it gets too bad, I can just rewind time and cancel the situation altogether, and I already have plenty of information that could expose weaknesses on influential families.’ Ever since meeting the masked lady, I made sure to gather as much necessary information as possible, utilizing all the common sense from the original work and my time-rewinding abilities.

That said, I didn’t visit each of the families’ territories, so my methods are certainly a bit limited.

The reason I could remain unfazed by the gossip I heard was that Lady Rassel had already shed a few tears in front of me, spilling her family’s secrets several times.

“…….”

Seeing my expression, Alice seemed to decide not to press the matter further.

“Anyway, it’s a problem if more nobles start to disregard the imperial family. Until now, things have been well suppressed, but… you know about the northern bombardment last time.”

She must have been referring to the incident when Jayden led the monitor fleet and swept everything away from the border.

“After that, not only neighboring countries but also local lords have been wary of the imperial army. They had no idea when those monitor ships flew over their territories.”

“And the local soldiers have no way to stop that fleet.”

If a monitor ship bombarded a lord’s castle, it would be the end for them. A civil war could follow, but the imperial army is strong. If a rebellious family arises, that family will definitely be crushed first.

Yet paradoxically, because of this possibility, more families wanted to rebel.

No matter how large the Imperial Capital is and how many goods it produces, it can’t sustain the country on its own. To produce all those shells and bullets, an enormous amount of gunpowder and lead is needed. Gunpowder necessitates a cornerstone. And the Imperial Capital doesn’t have those cornerstone mines.

In fact, even before the game started, there were nobles going around openly saying, “We feed the Imperial Capital.” It’s just that the group actions of those nobles only began in the latter half.

Even if the Emperor doesn’t think about conquering the world, the nobles’ thoughts don’t change. They don’t know about my ‘ability.’

“However, that doesn’t mean a rebellion will happen.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because His Majesty the Emperor has no intention of projecting military force externally.”

In the original work, the rebellion was a ‘burglary.’

No matter how great the difference in combat power between the empire and neighboring countries might be, the military force needs to be projected clearly for a war against the whole world.

The ships protecting the Imperial Capital would have to move closer to the border, and the monitor ships would be deployed on the front lines. The air force would move to the front lines, leaving only the minimum defense forces behind to support the army. The loyal Winterfield would have most of its military force bound to the north, and Lindbergh, which wasn’t having a bad relationship with the royal family, would be flustered by the revolt in their colonies.

Since the military power that the empire boasts would have vacated the capital, it would be the perfect moment for lords harboring ill intentions to take action.

But of course, the Emperor isn’t a fool.

He was already aware of that situation, and that’s why he had designated a few treasonous families to crush thoroughly, ensuring discipline within and outside the empire. If dukes are assassinated and those scoundrels die in broad daylight in their own territories, their families would realize something was wrong.

Furthermore, on the borders of the empire, the territories weren’t directly ruled but mostly belonged to counts or dukes.

When the imperial army pulls out during the war, the angry soldiers from rival countries would come trampling in. The armies that suffered losses from the imperial forces wouldn’t care about whether their enemy is ‘pro-Emperor’ or ‘pro-noble.’

Ultimately, because of that fact, the lords near the borders had no choice but to become pro-Emperor, which eventually led to the defeat of the pro-noble factions.

But the starting point of that whole process is the imperial military heading toward the borders.

“Local lords fear the military power of the empire. If they try to rebel, all they’ll gain is scorched territories and shattered corpses of their children. If they can keep their heads, they’d be incredibly lucky.”

“But it’s a fact that the atmosphere among the lords is uneasy.”

I nodded.

“But that won’t last forever.”

In the end, notions like absolute imperial power and nobility can’t last. Sooner or later, it’ll all come crashing down.

In about a hundred years, there will come a time when citizens will govern the land. It’s an unavoidable fate. Even if the noble class manages to stick around, they cannot prevent the republic’s emergence. Furthermore, there’s already a parliament of sorts, even if nominally, in the empire.

If they try to resist, they’ll just be cutting their own heads off.

“…Do you know something?”

“…Honestly, I don’t. Things have changed too much from what I knew.”

I could make such predictions. Thinking of the world I lived in, the future of this world, which is somewhat based on actual history, was bound to turn out like that. It had been mentioned in interviews with the production team.

The problem is, that’s a prediction for a hundred years ahead. I hardly have any certainty about the finer details.

Thanks to the existence of the country, the story has diverged too much from the original work.

The Emperor was focusing much more on internal management, and there were still no distinct signs of the nobles’ unrest. The Papal State was moving much more cautiously than in the original, and Bella was alive.

And considering people like Lucas and the masked lady…

Sometimes I thought it might have been better if I hadn’t done anything at all.

“Well, okay.”

Alice shrugged her shoulders as if it were no big deal. But I knew she was probably having complicated thoughts inside.

“Then how about putting off the unpredictable future for now and talking about the future that’s just around the corner?”

Alice crossed her arms and said.

“What do you think about Charlotte’s idea?”

“You mean suggesting Lutetia as the practice location?”

… In the original work, going to Velbur was not just for practice.

It was to persuade Charlotte to join me. To gather companions to fight against the Emperor, who wanted to bring everything under his control.

The original story was about secretly entering the ruined Lutetia to find Charlotte.

Well, I mean, it’s a nice change, but…

I felt an overwhelming urge to pull my hair out.

Chapter 199

No matter how good or bad someone’s first impression might be, usually, when you spend enough time with them, that impression tends to change slowly.

Even if the first impression is the worst, after around a year, somehow you start to notice their good sides. On the contrary, no matter how nice someone is, if you know them for a long time, their flaws will inevitably come to light. This is often the reason why couples break up. As you get to know each other, flaws start to show one by one, and as they pile up, they eventually reach a point where you can’t stand it anymore.

…Honestly, I’ve never dated, so I don’t really know what it’s like.

Anyway, the change in image comes not just from getting to know the unknown sides of someone, but also because the person has actually changed.

From my perspective, Charlotte’s change in image seems more because her personality has mysteriously changed than because I’m discovering unknown sides of her.

In the original work, Charlotte had a somewhat cold impression. As the story progressed and she formed a bond with the protagonist, Leo, her image softened a bit. However, when the Empire and the Kingdom went to war, that relationship broke apart.

The problem is that in this world, whether it’s due to the butterfly effect or something else, there’s no sign of the Emperor starting a war.

It’s a good thing—a really good thing—but…

Hmm hmm hmm.

I looked at Charlotte, who was letting out a suspicious laugh, with an expression of disbelief.

Right. Since there’s no reason for Charlotte to be wary of us anymore, she’s been showing us this strange side of her as time goes on.

“I have a surprise course prepared that will truly astound you all. Though the Empire may outshine us in industrialization, we will show you that when it comes to traditions and cuisine, we are incomparable!”

In the original, every time Alice and Charlotte fought, it seemed to revolve around political issues, but in this world, Charlotte was developing her logic in a bizarre direction.

“…Did you plan this during the break? Inviting the academy students to promote the excellent history and culture of Velbur?”

“I thought quite seriously about it,” Charlotte said, not at all flustered by Alice’s words.

“I think it will be quite difficult for Velbur, which is just now starting industrialization, to overwhelm the Empire in military or economic power. It’s a matter of time. We could enhance our military strength to the point where we can nip at the Empire when war breaks out, but we can’t grow it enough to occupy the entire Empire.”

“So, you intend to project cultural power?”

“Isn’t that a possibility? After all, the place you all frequently visit is a café that sells Velbur-style desserts.”

Charlotte’s gaze turned towards me.

“Even the café owner promotes themselves as having skills learned in Velbur, right?”

So, Charlotte is thinking about a cultural victory.

Well, personally, I don’t think it’s an absurd idea.

Culture is incredibly important in inter-country matters.

It’s hard to find an excuse to block it, and even trying will elicit strong backlash from the already-cultured class. To prevent such a phenomenon, the best method is to grow your own cultural industry so that the people enjoy their own culture.

Moreover, Velbur and the Empire have been neighboring countries with borders for a long time, and culturally, they’re quite close. Velbur still holds onto many cultural elements lost during the Empire’s industrialization process—such as culinary culture—which is why Velbur cuisine is trending, especially among the upper class.

Charlotte figured this out perfectly while attending the academy.

However, if there’s one thing I find a bit unsettling—

“I’m confident that when you all come to Velbur and taste food made by actual Velbur people, your thoughts will change drastically. It’s not just food; there are many sights to see. Velbur didn’t recklessly demolish existing buildings in the name of industrialization.”

Looking at Charlotte with her chest puffed out, I couldn’t help but feel a resemblance to my junior from Busan, who said, “When you come to Busan, I’ll make sure you experience the full Busan course.”

…There’s no need to remind anyone that I’ve already tasted Velbur food last year.

Seeing Alice glance at me with a hint of anxiety, I had to suppress a sigh.

*

Well, it seemed like only Alice and I thought that way, while the academy thought Charlotte’s invitation to Velbur was acceptable.

There were legal and cultural differences, but it wasn’t like there wouldn’t be any communication barriers. While Velbur commoners might not communicate well, most of the higher-ups who would welcome the academy students could speak the Empire’s language.

Of course, if it’s under the guise of broadening the students’ perspectives, the academy wouldn’t have any reason to refuse.

Naturally, the academy students were mostly filled with anticipation. After all, there were only two students from Velbur, Sophia and Charlotte.

In the world I lived in, there were many flights and if you saved some money and made an effort, you could go on a holiday abroad every few years, but in this world, overseas travel is not as easy. Since most places required manual applications, there are hardly any spots that grant free passes just by looking at a visa.

While nobles, guaranteed by their countries, would have their chances, for commoners, unless they were involved in commerce, overseas travel was quite tricky.

“…Mia.”

I called Mia quietly.

“Y-yes?”

Mia looked a bit flustered as she lifted her head, only to be startled and quickly closed her notebook when she saw where my gaze was directed.

The subject of my gaze was the notebook in front of Mia.

As the weather turned chilly, most students had entered the academy building to relax. The once green lawn was gradually turning yellow, and the leaves of the street trees had fallen, leaving nearly no landscape worth enjoying.

In the academy’s main hall, while students spent their time having tea, we were out in the student council room.

It was a sight I rarely saw, Mia’s face in the student council room, which I often forgot. At the beginning of the semester, Mia had followed me into the student council. No, ‘followed’ might be inaccurate; it’s more correct to say she ‘chased’ me.

During the days when our relationship was awkward, Mia barely had her name on the student council list, but these days she occasionally came out like this.

And now was one such occasion. Mia occupied one of the small tables in the student council room, diligently writing something in her notebook.

“Are you perhaps writing a food list?”

At my question, Mia’s face turned slightly red.

“I don’t see it as my obligation to answer that.”

Look at this.

Seeing Mia answer with a hint of defiance, as if trying to hide her embarrassment, I took a seat at one of the unoccupied spots at the table she was sitting at.

“Are you that excited about going to Velbur? Writing down a list of foods you want to try.”

“N-no, that’s not it,” she insisted.

What do you mean ‘not it’?

It was clearly a food list from Velbur.

Looking at it now, Mia had undergone a significant change in image. She used to have the sharp spikes of a porcupine when I first met her, but now she seems more like a hamster or a squirrel.

Sure, she might nip at you if you touch her the wrong way.

I briefly recalled the Mia from the original work. Did the Mia from the original really have such a gluttonous side?

Hmm… It seems like there weren’t many characters who showed that side anyway.

If it were something along the lines of “eating a lot,” that would change the story, but it’d be difficult to squeeze in scenes where she happily munches on various snacks or has a preference for specific food from a certain country. Plus, Mia was a character who took a long time to overcome her circumstances.

Whether it was because of me or something else, Mia in this world has understood her situation at high speed and overcome her trauma, and although she still comes off as somewhat timid, she’s not the gloomy character she used to be in the original.

“Isn’t Velbur just next to the territory? If you want, you can easily cross over and taste the food.”

“…Are you speaking seriously?”

Mia looked at me with wide eyes.

“I’m from Crowfield, you know.”

…Ah.

Right.

Crowfield was originally part of Velbur’s territory.

She’s not just living next door; she’s a descendant of the invaders.

“…”

“…”

A moment of awkward silence passed between us. It was just a brief moment, but I think I caught a glimpse of a look in Mia’s eyes that seemed to say, “As a Crown Princess, you don’t know that?” Maybe it was just my imagination.

Um, uh.

Back to the topic.

Chapter 200

“Certainly, just because the territory is right next door doesn’t mean we can freely go back and forth when thinking about the past.”

“Yeah…”

In my analysis, Mia nodded and drooped a little. I’m not sure if she genuinely likes Velbur or just wants to eat Velbur’s food, but I guessed it was probably the latter. Still, she had enough sense not to voice that thought.

“There’s no need to worry too much.”

As we entered the student council room, Charlotte, taking a seat at the empty spot, chimed in.

“Many might recognize the name Crowfield in the border area, but we’re going to Royal City Lutetia. Nobles there probably won’t pay much attention to the name Crowfield.”

Or maybe they’re just pretending not to care. Of course, that’s obvious. It’s one thing if you’re Countess Crowfield, but there’s nothing to be gained by blaming her daughter, who doesn’t know anything yet. It’s a relief if they don’t end up calling her unrefined. Nobles usually deal with women through their wives or daughters for a reason. Alice and I are just incredibly unique cases.

“Is that so?”

At Charlotte’s words, Mia seemed to perk up a bit. Nationalism may be budding, but it hasn’t completely blossomed yet. It’s still just spreading among intellectuals and nobles, and honestly, even among those nobles, a solid ideology hasn’t fully formed, except for royalty or nobility. Many countries where medieval feudalism hasn’t ended still exist. Even if they claim to be ‘fellow Velburians,’ those who mobilized armies from their territories just decades ago won’t suddenly hold hands and call themselves the same ethnicity. So Mia should be safe.

“Of course. The customs of hospitality are upheld in every country. Mia, I’ll do my best to ensure you can stay safe in our country. Not just you, but for all the visiting students from the empire.”

Charlotte said that with a smile. Well, if she says that, then I should at least prepare in my own way. All the weapons I’ve prepared will be transported on our train. I don’t plan to rob Velbur, but there are heaps of information I can gather by interrogating the knights at the cathedral in Velbur.

Still, seeing Charlotte’s face makes me feel guilty. Maybe I should turn back time before I see her face. I had such unsettling thoughts while observing Charlotte smiling across from Mia.

*

I felt it again since my last visit; the Empire of Aetherna and the Kingdom of Velbur were really close. There’s nothing blocking the way, like a sea or lake; we could just take the train and go.

Thinking about it, the fact that a perfectly compatible railway connects these two countries, which are on such bad terms, is fascinating. Even Velbur, which is extremely cautious of the empire, demonstrates that it has no real alternative if it’s not imperial weapons or steel technology.

However, no matter how deeply imperial technology has infiltrated Velbur, it’s impossible to completely crush their culture, as Charlotte mentioned. For instance, take Velbur’s musical level.

“Wow….”

I wonder who let that exclamation out. As soon as we got off the train, we were greeted by Velbur’s welcoming committee.

Even if the orchestra wasn’t top-notch, the various instruments Velbur takes pride in and the players lined up were performing welcoming music for us. I already heard this music when I arrived last time. It was the national anthem of Velbur.

They said it was composed by a very popular musician in Velbur. Compared to the somewhat boring national anthems in my world, it was elegant. Although based on France, it wasn’t set after the French Revolution, so the lyrics didn’t seem particularly gruesome.

Colored confetti rained down from above. The buildings weren’t exceedingly tall like in Lindbergh, but about four stories high, where citizens cheered us on while showering us with colorful confetti. It was literally a festive atmosphere.

And thinking that this festive atmosphere arose because we arrived made even me, who knew about Charlotte’s idea, feel a bit giddy. The capital with its blue skies was different from the Imperial Capital. The fresh air was nothing like the stench.

Honestly, I could now understand why Charlotte loved her country so much.

“Welcome!”

In front of the line of us disembarking from the train was an elderly gentleman dressed sharply in formal attire.

“I sincerely welcome the students of the Aetherna Imperial Academy to Lutetia.”

I couldn’t pinpoint his exact status, but as he spoke and courteously bowed, an air of nobility radiated from him, almost dripping. Naturally, the expressions of the students receiving his guidance brightened even further.

*

“Haah…”

After entering the room, Alice let out a long breath. Being invited was a good thing, but of course, Alice had to act as the representative of the students.

Given her status and the fact that she has maintained the top rank from her enrollment until now, she’s always the one representing us during occasions like this. If it included students from other grades, then the student council president would normally be the representative.

“Are you okay?”

As I asked, watching Alice jump onto the bed the moment she took off her shoes, she replied with her face buried in the bedding.

“Why? Are you going to step in for me if I say I’m struggling?”

Alice mumbled in a muffled voice still buried in the bed.

“No, I just wanted to let you know that the next agenda is to meet with the King of Velbur.”

“…Seriously, can’t you step in for me? You have an acquaintance with His Majesty the King.”

Hmm… Well, the last meeting didn’t end on a positive note. Alice used the title ‘Your Majesty’ as he was Charlotte’s father, a close friend, but I had called him ‘Your Highness’ during our previous encounter.

In the empire, my title is Crown Princess ‘Your Highness.’ So, during that last meeting, I had basically brought the king down to my level while speaking.

He might really be offended when we actually meet. Honestly, it was impressive that Charlotte hadn’t openly shown hostility toward me during our first meeting.

But I can’t turn back time. Even if we hypothetically could because a certain someone is back there, it would involve immense suffering. I might even end up being passed out for months after all that effort.

“…”

As I momentarily pondered and didn’t respond, Alice tilted her head and looked at me. With her eyes wide open and resting her chin on the bed, she seemed to find her position uncomfortable, so she lifted her upper body slightly and said,

“You look like you’re thinking of something pretty serious.”

Um… Do I have to answer this? After some brief contemplation, I decided to just say it up front. Well, since Alice will be meeting the King of Velbur soon, knowing in advance would be better for her.

*

And as a result, I succeeded in getting Alice to sit up.

It wasn’t exactly what I intended, but still.

As I looked at her, Alice opened and closed her mouth several times as if searching for words before finally unable to find anything, she started wandering around the room.

Then she looked back at me, touched her forehead, brushed her hair back, sighed, and opened her mouth again…

“What were you thinking when you said that!?”

She shouted.

Oh… Should I say it honestly?

That the mix of rebellion against the Emperor who carelessly sent me to such a meeting and my desire to prank the Papal State was intertwined?

“I thought it was the best course of action at the time.”

Of course, I can’t say that. Regardless of how open I am with Alice, there’s a limit.

“The best—”

Alice opened her mouth to say something but eventually clamped it shut. Her expression could be summed up in a short ‘let’s not talk about it’ look.

“If I apologize, that would be a problem too, right?”

“If you apologize now, it would be a provocation in itself.”

“…”

Alice seemed to cradle her head and then leaped back onto the bed. Now that I noticed, she had completely forgotten to put her shoes back on while running around the room.

“Ah~ I don’t know. Just go. You did it, so you should fix it.”

“Sorry, but the rightful heir to the empire is only you, Crown Princess.”

“…”

As I firmly replied, Alice fell silent for a while again.

…

Should I make a run for it?

Alice hasn’t said a word and didn’t look my way, but for some reason, I could feel a menacing aura radiating from her sprawled-out figure on the bed.

Is this… the life-threatening vibe?

Chapter 201

I had already visited the castle of Lutetia once before.

The imperial palace looked no different from a medieval castle at first glance. Of course, the interior was properly renovated since it was the residence of the Emperor, but basically, the external appearance was somewhat rugged.

However, Lutetia Castle… Honestly, it felt more like a ‘palace’ rather than just a ‘castle.’

Perhaps one of the inspirations for the country of Velbur was France. From the appearance of the palace alone, it was like a dazzling replica of the Palace of Versailles in France.

This was likely due to the different concepts of ‘fortresses’ that the two nations had. One had to endure wars with various countries at the center of continental chaos, while the other, Velbur, had been accumulating strength somewhat distanced from that center.

While the Fanggriffon family was drawing attention through endless wars, Velbur built walls around Lutetia. Although the expansion of the city was somewhat restricted, they believed it would protect the entire kingdom.

Of course, nowadays, such walls weren’t much of a problem. In a world where airships could bombard you, the meaning of a ‘wall’ had greatly diminished. Though it still had its usefulness in preventing the occupation of ground forces.

“…”

“Are you nervous?”

I asked Alice, who was walking silently. Alice merely shot me a glance. It seemed she still hadn’t completely calmed down from our earlier conversation in the guest room.

Last time, Charlotte had personally sought Alice out. This would be Alice’s first time coming into the palace since we were simply staying at a hotel.

“… Hah.”

As I stared intently at Alice, who seemed unwilling to speak, she finally let out a sigh.

“To be honest, I’m a bit nervous.”

Beside us were several imperial knights, some knights from Velbur, and a few maids dressed as attendants walking with us.

Although we were visiting as students, there were many issues with treating Alice and me as ‘equal status’ since we had come from a foreign land. Even if we were fine with it, the imperial and royal governments were afraid.

Apart from being welcomed as representatives of students, this was also because we both held the status of princesses.

“What a splendid palace. The last time I saw it from a distance, it looked impressive, but the inside is indeed magnificent. It shows just how fertile Velbur must be to decorate this much without a proper colony.”

Looking up at the golden ceiling of the palace, Alice candidly remarked. Perhaps it was just my imagination, but the shoulders of the Velbur knights seemed to puff up a bit.

“Just in terms of interior design, it’s a notch above the empire.”

“They say Velbur is a land of the arts.”

In the lore, Velbur was home to many renowned artists. Not only painters but also musicians and sculptors are said to be numerous. In reality, there were street painters who drew portraits of passersby for money and musicians performing with violins or guitars on the streets.

“…”

Alice didn’t respond at all. Maybe she was feeling jealous?

Honestly, even though the steam, smoke, and brass pipes represented humanity’s future, when compared to something made purely for artistic purposes, it did look somewhat shabby and rough.

Saying anything wouldn’t improve Alice’s mood, so I followed her silently afterwards.

*

“Alise!”

In the audience room, Charlotte had already arrived ahead of us. I thought she would have changed into something like a dress to wait, but she was still in her school uniform.

… Before coming out of the room, I had pondered whether to change clothes with Alice, but it turned out coming out as we were was the right choice.

“Princess Alice.”

“Your Majesty the King of Velbur.”

While not as brightly smiling as Charlotte, the King of Velbur also faced us and spoke with a smile.

Alice used the title ‘Your Majesty,’ unlike me, but she didn’t bow; she merely lifted the hem of her skirt slightly.

Neither the King of Velbur nor Charlotte commented on that behavior. There was no sign of discomfort.

Did I perhaps set my expectations too low from the last time I visited?

“I had been thinking of inviting you for a while, so it’s fortunate that it happened this way. I’m sorry that you were invited not as royalty, but as students.”

“Not at all. In fact, visiting with such a light purpose makes it easier for us.”

“Hmm.”

After slightly nodding, the King of Velbur glanced at me.

For a moment, the smile on the King of Velbur’s face faded a bit. Well, it would be hard for him to have positive feelings towards me.

Or maybe he thinks I’m plotting something?

If that’s the case, that’s a bit unfair. This visit wasn’t something I pushed for, but a proposal made by Charlotte in an unexpected situation. I didn’t even coax Charlotte into it.

“It’s better to keep the greetings light since this meeting isn’t political. You’ll be staying in Lutetia for a while, and I’m sure there will be several more opportunities to share friendship.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“If you encounter any inconveniences during your stay, please let one of the knights nearby know. I will assist as much as I can.”

“Since we are visiting Velbur, it only makes sense to follow Velbur laws during our stay. I will do my best to adhere to what is prepared.”

“Thank you for the kind words.”

The King of Velbur smiled slightly at Alice’s words.

Hmm.

Perhaps it was right for me to act so arrogantly last time.

Thanks to that, Alice got some extra points, didn’t she?

Of course, saying that to Alice would likely risk getting slapped.

*

“Alise, how was it?”

Charlotte, who had been waiting in the audience room, came out with us.

“How was what?”

When Alice asked somewhat haughtily at Charlotte’s question, Charlotte spoke with a beaming smile.

“I mean the palace of Lutetia! Isn’t it beautiful?”

Charlotte spread her palm forward as if to present something while saying that, causing Alice to snort again.

“The palace is certainly a magnificent place.”

“Well, of course, it is! No matter where you look, there’s a grand castle towering above. But isn’t ‘magnificent’ and ‘beautiful’ different?”

Perhaps Alice was absolutely unwilling to say the place was beautiful, as she kept dodging answering, while Charlotte cheerfully encouraged Alice with her smile.

In the armor of one of the knights following us, there was a clatter. Though it was hard to make out their expression through the thin slit, I could easily guess they smiled for a moment.

It was one of the Velbur knights.

Well, they must have overheard the conversation Alice and I had while walking side by side. Seeing Alice now trying to deny it probably looked cute to them.

When Alice shot a glare at the knight, he must have straightened his expression and began walking silently again.

“It’s a beautiful place.”

Since Alice was unwilling to respond, I answered instead. Alice shot me a glancing glare again.

“The fact that it’s beautiful is true.”

But I only repeated that to Alice again.

Yeah. It is indeed a beautiful place.

But beauty doesn’t necessarily mean prosperity. Even a nation that boasted impressive technology and supported a massive population during its prime could be ravaged by others if it lacked military strength.

Of course, there was no need to tell Charlotte that now.

… At least until now, the Empire hadn’t shown any signs of attacking the Kingdom of Velbur.

It truly has been annoyingly peaceful.

Something significant should have shown signs of brewing, but I still couldn’t identify those signs.

Is this a calm before the storm? Or has a great tragedy that should have existed due to the existence of nations simply vanished?

“Right?”

Seeing Charlotte smile brightly at me for answering in place of Alice, I forced a smile in return.

“This is just the beginning. I still have a lot to show you. During your week’s stay here, I will do my best to introduce Velbur to you!”

As I observed Charlotte, who seemed ready to say “ahem,” I fervently wished that I could somehow avert that future.

Chapter 202

No matter how close friends may be, it doesn’t mean only positive feelings exist between them.

Of course, “most emotions” are positive, which is why we can be friends.

The negative feelings that arise between friends are usually subtle and just a tad annoying, making them feel a bit like leftovers.

For example, imagine two friends from different countries watching a soccer match.

Even if someone usually doesn’t care about soccer, if the teams playing are their national teams, they suddenly become the top cheerleaders for their countries.

It’s not like they lose or gain anything significant from the outcome, but it just happens.

Right now, Alice’s irritation was that kind of annoyance.

“Ugh, I’m so annoyed!”

Grumble!

Hmm. I don’t think she kicked and flailed around when she threw tantrums as a kid.

Noticing me quietly watching, Alice sprang up and glared at me.

“Why? What? Is this the first time you’ve seen me like this?”

“To be honest, yes.”

I nodded.

I had seen Alice throw tantrums often. Since childhood, she had felt various inferiority complexes and jealousy toward me, so whenever I went around taking orders from the Emperor, she would throw fits, insisting she wanted to meet him too.

Every time, I chose options to help her as much as possible. I’d quickly finish what I had to say and let her in.

However, during those times, Alice never kicked and flailed on the floor. She was careful to throw fits just on the edge of damaging her dignity as a Crown Princess.

Moreover, Alice only threw fits when there were no other nobles around. There were other nobles on the train to Lutetia, but everyone was in different compartments.

“……”

When I answered with a serious expression, Alice’s face turned a bit red.

“Is that so?”

“No, you’ve never thrown a tantrum like that. Do you do it when no one is in the room?”

At my words, Alice immediately flopped back down on the bed.

She hit the bed a few times with her fists and feet, then raised her body to glare at me again.

“Just say it anywhere else. If you do, I’ll tell everyone your real self.”

“My real self isn’t much different from what I am now.”

As I said that, Alice let out a “Hmph.” and flopped back down on the bed. But this time, instead of burying her face, she turned her head to look at me. I wonder if that’s comfortable…?

“I think I used to throw fits in front of you a lot when I was younger.”

“And I was very accommodating to those fits. If we had to categorize it, I think I was more of the older sister.”

I tried to explain the situation very objectively, but Alice huffed,

“Really? Then should I start calling you ‘big sister’ from now on? Just like Claire?”

She asked that.

“……”

I paused to imagine Alice calling me ‘big sister.’

And quickly concluded, ‘Honestly, this state is better.’

When I shook my head, Alice frowned.

“…..Even if you ask me to call you big sister, I wasn’t planning to, but your reaction is annoying. What’s the reason?”

“Claire’s ‘big sister’ and Alice’s ‘big sister’ would have very different vibes.”

“……”

At my words, Alice narrowed her eyes.

Isn’t that right?

Claire honestly has a ‘younger sister-like’ vibe about her. She laughs a lot, is lively, and acts her age.

If the original Claire called me ‘big sister,’ it would’ve sent shivers down my spine, but the current Claire saying ‘big sister’ fits her very well.

On the other hand, Alice…

Well, she has childish parts, but at the same time, as a Crown Princess, she’s clever and a bit arrogant. Hearing ‘big sister’ from such an Alice would only seem forced.

She doesn’t even call Bella, who is significantly older than her, ‘big sister.’ How could she call me ‘big sister’ who is practically the same age?

“—Eek!?”

As I was alone imagining this, a big pillow flew right at my face.

Having not dodged in time due to my other thoughts, I was hit squarely in the face and looked at Alice—

“……I don’t know why, but I’m annoyed.”

Alice said that and turned over to face away from me.

“Speaking of which, it hasn’t been long since we both opened up to each other.”

As I picked up the pillow and seriously contemplated whether to throw it back at Alice’s face, she suddenly said something rather embarrassing.

“Really?”

I replied while thinking it did seem somewhat true.

My trip to Lutetia with Alice was only last year. Until then, we never had a conversation just the two of us.

Most of the time, Alice would throw fits, and I would play the role of accommodating her. Coming to Lutetia happened because Alice threw a fit about wanting to get on the train with me.

Perhaps that conversation we had while sitting face to face was the turning point that made us close.

“Yeah, it was after that we started to talk like this…”

Indeed, it seems like it started from then.

Alice suddenly dropped by my room, talked about the exam or studying, and even got mad when she saw the Morphine I had brought out from my room.

“Even now, I’m not someone who’s overly honest.”

Alice turned to look at the ceiling and spoke.

“But I felt it.”

“What do you mean?”

“That you were taking care of me.”

“……”

Hmm…

No matter how much I took care of her, she always complained and threw fits, so I thought she didn’t notice anything.

“How could you feel that?”

“Even if you ask how, I don’t know.”

I had just taken care of her because she was one of my favorite characters from the original work. There weren’t any deep thoughts like trying to change future Alice or wanting her to live a happier life.

There’s something like that, you know? Strictly speaking, we should be fair to those around us, but because you like someone, you tend to give a little extra. That’s the feeling.

And…

“Because you were still young.”

“You were the same age.”

Alice replied with a chuckle and let out a long sigh.

“Right, I heard from Claire that you were like that from a young age. Even when you were in the orphanage—”

Alice’s voice suddenly cut off.

It was probably because of the word ‘orphanage.’ Even in the world I lived in, that was not a positive term, but it was even worse in this world.

“You can just say it. The fact that I was there is the truth.”

“……You shared everything with the kids back then.”

“……I already knew.”

“What do you mean you knew?”

It’s okay to share this with others, but with Alice, who had already guessed my abilities, it should be fine.

“I knew all the kids in the orphanage would meet such a fate.”

“……”

Knowing they would face a tragic end, I just wanted to abandon everything and make sure that at least in their last moments, they were accompanied by someone kind.

Even so, there wasn’t much I could give. Only small pieces of bread or lukewarm porridge at most.

The story I shared about the past was almost entirely made up, so the content was strange.

“Wasn’t that the same for you too?”

“……”

There was nothing to say when put like that.

“Even so, you saved a lot.”

“Not all of them.”

“Hmm?”

“There are a few kids I couldn’t save.”

There was a kid who was ‘adopted’ right after I arrived. Originally, he was the leader among the oldest in the group.

The kids didn’t think highly of him. He was known for being strict with those who didn’t listen to him.

But… the kid was still a kid. And there were a few more like him.

I only began to think of them a few days after I went to the palace. During the escape, there were so many things to worry about, and I was too out of it to think about them, but once things calmed down and I had time to think, that kid, who was certainly facing a tragic fate, came to mind.

But there was no going back in time.

I met Claire after that. I could only escape because it was that day.

What if I could go back in time and take those kids with me? Would I have been able to go to the palace? Would Claire have not been sold off?

There were too many variables.

So I gave up on going back in time.

I chose Claire over those kids.

“……”

Alice didn’t say anything after hearing that.

I had nothing more to say either.

Chapter 203

If it’s a sad thought that can’t be changed no matter how much you think about it, it’s better not to think about it at all.

That said, I haven’t been feeling guilty about it for the past few years. I’ve just lived with the thought that it couldn’t be helped.

It’s not just about those kids; there’s also the Count Crowfield I killed and countless nameless people I faced on the battlefield. It’s the times we live in and the world we’re in. It was arrogant of me to think that I could live in a world like a game where people openly die and not kill anyone.

“Sylvia?”

I blinked at the sudden call.

Charlotte was looking at me with a slightly worried expression.

“Is something wrong? Did you not like the meal?”

“No, it’s fine.”

I answered immediately.

I just briefly recalled the conversation Alice and I had yesterday. It wasn’t that I forgot what to say because the food was bad.

On the contrary, the food was delicious.

Food at the academy or Imperial Palace is generally tasty. No matter how much it’s based on the internet’s ‘British food’ meme, nobles don’t just stuff their mouths with something that doesn’t even resemble food.

Like well-cooked steak, or a traditional English breakfast. Many kinds of desserts enjoyed at tea time.

And it’s not like you only eat authentic imperial cuisine just because you’re in the Empire. Just as people in Korea don’t eat only Korean food every day and enjoy various cuisines, it’s the same for the Empire. So, it wasn’t easy to complain about the food while attending the academy.

In that sense, I was curious why Charlotte often expressed dissatisfaction with academy food and how delicious the food in Velbur must be to warrant that—

…It was really good.

It wasn’t something that was decisively at the level of ‘Ah, this is so good I can’t eat anything else.’ But, somehow, the subtle details were different. The texture of the meat, the lingering aroma. The sweetness and richness of the sauce.

When you combine all those subtle details, it felt like eating completely different food, even though you were eating the same dish.

“It’s very delicious.”

“Is that so?”

Charlotte didn’t show much emotion in her voice, just like a courteous noble responding out of politeness, but her gaze briefly turned towards Alice.

Alice had a somewhat disgruntled expression.

…Why does she react like that to my evaluation? I’m not some great gourmet.

Well, maybe my usual poker face was finally showing some signs of life. Could it be that if I could smile even a little, people would think the food there was super delicious?

To be honest, the best way to break my poker face would be to put eel jelly in front of me, but I decided not to mention it.

It wasn’t just me, Alice, and Charlotte sitting at the table. Claire, Leo, Mia, Rena, and Sophia were also there. Jake and Roti had decided to have their meals separately. When Leo heard the only other male in the group was having a meal alone, his expression briefly crumbled, but what could he do? His friends were all women.

Claire was sparkling with excitement as she ate, while Rena calmly handled the knife and fork as usual. Sophia looked nearly the same as always, but she would occasionally glance at Leo’s face. Mia had her mouth full of food, chewing happily.

……Should I try eating like Mia? I seriously considered it. After all, I could just rewind time after eating.

But I gave up quickly.

Since it’s steak, it’s just food I usually eat anyway. If I rewind time while eating here, I might have to do that every time I eat the food Charlotte introduces in the future.

Especially since Charlotte looked like she had something quite solid prepared. If possible, I’d like to eat genuinely delicious food while rewinding time.

As I shifted my gaze between Charlotte, who was smiling confidently at Alice, and Alice, who looked a bit disgruntled at Charlotte, I focused on the plate in front of me.

*

“Hey, sis, sis, look at this!”

After finishing eating and stepping outside, Claire tapped my shoulder and said.

“Tada!”

Saying that, Claire pulled out a camera.

Of course, it looked significantly different from the digital cameras I was used to back in my world, exuding an antique atmosphere at first glance.

I meant it looked antique by my standards, but considering this era, it was cutting-edge technology. After all, it was small enough to carry around. It was said that the design was inspired by a super expensive camera called ‘La●Ka’ that still exists in modern times.

“I brought this because I said I was going on a trip abroad! What do you think?”

“I’ve heard they’re quite expensive.”

I generally wasn’t that interested in cameras, but I knew about this latest model and its price because I had thought about whether it could be useful for breaking into places.

Unlike digital cameras, this film camera had none of the easy post-processing functions to brighten photos taken in dark places, and you had to develop the film in a dark room with chemicals. It was cumbersome to ask someone else to do it since it’s secretive, and above all, all those carefully obtained photos would become irrelevant if I rewound time.

Moreover, it obviously had no autofocus or anti-shake functions.

Well, it would be nice to use for keeping memories, though.

“Hehe.”

Claire let out a laugh that seemed to mimic Charlotte for a moment, puffing her chest out confidently.

“I worked hard hunting, you know. I organized everything except for a few essential Marmaros for myself.”

Thinking about it, this was one difference from games.

In games, no matter how much you organized items and earned money, aside from recovery items like potions, armor, and weapons necessary for advancing the game, there weren’t many sellable event items, but in this world, if you had money, you could buy whatever you wanted.

And the party buying items weren’t players but people.

For a moment, Charlotte’s gaze shifted from the camera in Claire’s hand, clearly made in the Empire, to Alice.

Alice looked quite proud, smiling.

Charlotte’s expression briefly turned to one of frustration.

Why are you two competing over something that isn’t even yours? I thought they had matured a bit, but looking at them again, they still act like kids.

“So, can we take a picture together? Since we’re out like this, I want to make sure to keep some memories.”

With that statement, even the expressions of Alice and Charlotte, who had been secretly glaring at each other, wavered slightly.

Despite everything, everyone here were friends after all.

“That’s a great idea.”

And my words became the decisive blow for the mood, ultimately getting Charlotte and Alice to nod as well.

The camera obviously didn’t have a selfie function. Everything—distance, focus—had to be manually set. Plus, there was no one among the passersby who knew how to handle a camera.

Fortunately, it seemed Claire had anticipated the situation, as she pulled a camera tripod out of the large bag she had been carrying around since morning.

Considering it was an age where lightweight synthetic materials hadn’t been developed yet, it must have been a heavy metal lump, but Claire shrugged it off, saying, ‘It’s not much heavier than a sword.’

……Surely, all the kids here knew how to wield their weapons as combatants.

The place for taking the photo was a street where the distant Lutetia Palace was visible.

Standing in line with our backs to Lutetia Palace, we looked toward the camera Claire was fiddling with.

“Okay, I’m taking the picture!”

Claire called out like that and quickly pulled down some kind of lever on the front of the camera before dashing back in a way that resembled a performer.

Then she squeezed in between me and Alice, linking her arm with mine.

“Ah—”

Before Alice could complain, click, the camera shutter went off.

In the developed photo that night, only Claire was brightly smiling at the camera.

Everyone was looking at me and Claire with surprised expressions.

Well, at least everyone’s faces came out clearly, and it was a joyful shot, so it was a rather good photo.

If not for someone who accidentally came into the corner of the photo, that is.

Chapter 204

Well, it’s not like every street of Lutetia belongs to us.

Lutetia itself was the territory of Velbur, and of course, it wasn’t a space where the Empire could just waltz in claiming it as their own.

That said, it doesn’t belong to Charlotte, who’s with us either. Even if the royal capital is directly governed by the king, the Kingdom of Velbur couldn’t avoid the winds of capitalism either.

Someone had bought land in that direct jurisdiction and built a home to live in. The streets themselves were public spaces, not belonging to anyone specific, and naturally, it wasn’t just us posing for a picture that could stroll around there.

If this were modern South Korea, people would know what a camera is, so they could deliberately take a detour or wait until they could take a picture. But Velbur was still unfamiliar with the very concept of a camera. It wouldn’t be strange at all if one or two passersby were accidentally caught in the photo, not caring about what it was.

Yet, it was completely bizarre that the face of the person caught in the corner of that photo was familiar to me.

“……”

Moreover, it wasn’t just me who recognized it. Alice, who shares a room with me, also knew that face.

“Isn’t that Damien?”

Alice immediately pulled out the name I had been thinking.

“It has been two years since we last saw him… but that definitely seems like Damien, right? What do you think?”

Alice waved the photo that Claire had given us.

“I think it looks like him too.”

Damien Fanggriffon.

He was one of the emperor’s children, deployed to places where he absolutely couldn’t be exposed. In the original story, he didn’t reveal himself until much later.

Though, to be honest, he didn’t play a huge role, just acting as a gatekeeper on the way to fight the emperor.

However, despite being among the typical pretty boy and handsome young man characters of the protagonist’s party, he was quite popular for being one of the few characters with an androgynous design.

Because of the early 20th-century setting, most male characters appearing here had designs with broad, masculine shoulders.

Even Leo and Jake didn’t have hair as long as female characters, but Damien had hair that reached down to his back.

Plus, during battles, he wore a black T-shirt and pants that clung to his body, and when he appeared in disguise, he even tied his long hair back, which made some people wonder if he was made to attract female players directly.

“But why is he here?”

Good question.

Damien was supposed to be in the Papal State in the original story.

Neither Alice nor I knew where Damien had been sent, I only knew it from the original story.

The Papal State wasn’t that far from Lutetia, but it wasn’t exactly close either. In fact, in terms of distance, it was farther from Lutetia than the Imperial Capital was.

So, it seems he wasn’t crossing borders from the Papal State to get to Lutetia but was instead here from the very beginning?

“Was he waiting for us?”

Alice asked, and I nodded.

That would make sense. It seems like Charlotte had been preparing for the academy’s visit to Lutetia since the summer break. If she could extract information, she might have known when we were coming.

But then again, there was no need for him to reveal his identity by being caught in the corner of a photo. Sure, he looked a bit blurred as he passed by, but he had features that clearly said “Damien” that both Alice and I could recognize. Despite wearing a coat collar up to cover his face, the area around his eyes peeking out between his hat and collar was undeniably Damien.

“If he wanted to meet us, wouldn’t it just be easier for him to come find us? We’re not enemies with Damien or anything. If necessary, we could have talked at least.”

Alice couldn’t say her relationship with Damien was good, but it wasn’t bad either. They barely crossed paths to begin with.

“Could it be a mistake? He might have been looking at us and accidentally wandered into the camera’s field of view…”

“That’s highly unlikely.”

I cut her off.

Our connection was almost nonexistent, but I wasn’t ignorant of Damien’s personality. If it were Damien, he would have easily noticed the existence of the camera, and he would likely know at what distance he would need to stand to be captured in a photo based on the lens.

So this means…

“Perhaps, he was trying to tell us to come find him.”

“In a photo? Really?”

Good question.

“…To hear that answer, I suppose we have no choice but to go find him ourselves.”

I said as I stood up with the photo in hand.

*

Just from the image of Damien captured on camera, how were we supposed to find him?

First, Alice and I made our way back to the spot where we had taken the photo. With the photo in hand, we moved around to align ourselves exactly with the angle we had taken the picture from.

Then we glanced at the photo again.

Since it was already getting late, we had to rely on the streetlight to see the photo, which made our poses a little awkward, but we did notice one thing.

The direction Damien was facing.

In the photo, Damien was walking in a way that seemed completely uninterested in us, heading in some direction. Naturally, the other friends caught in the photo wouldn’t have any doubts about his identity. They probably didn’t even know him to begin with.

And the direction he was heading towards was the only clue we had in the photo.

Turning towards the direction Damien was looking, we spotted a store.

It looked shabby. It seemed more like it wasn’t even open for business, with the glass windows boarded up. While it didn’t have a feeling of being a ruin, there was an atmosphere suggesting no one had stepped inside for a while. The nearby streetlight was broken, making that store appear particularly dim.

And with that alone, we had a solid conviction that someone inside was waiting for us.

Alice and I exchanged glances and nodded.

No one had followed us. During the day, Charlotte had kept the knights busy, so there was no one around, and it was the same now since we had sneaked out. Mostly, I had been leading Alice along.

Turning back a few times as we carefully moved, I was confident that no one had followed us.

Since there were very few people on the street, we quickly made our way to the shuttered store and turned the doorknob.

Surprisingly, the doorknob turned very easily.

“Let’s lock the door.”

As soon as we entered the dim store, a low voice came from the darkest corner inside.

“Uh?”

All of a sudden, Alice let out a confused voice.

“……”

I closed the door without saying anything.

Then a small light turned on from the lamp inside.

Because it was so dark, the faint light revealed the figure of a well-built man sitting in a chair at the corner of the store.

“…Father?”

Alice again exclaimed in surprise.

“It’s quite a poignant feeling to meet my daughters so far from home. It’s almost appropriate to say it’s nice to see you.”

“No, why are you here, Father?”

Alice asked, her voice slightly raised, unable to maintain her usual courtesy in front of the emperor.

“It’s not good to speak too loudly. Even if they look like that, the windows and wooden boards are quite thin. If you shout inside, it will surely reach outside.”

At that, Alice seemed to momentarily lose her ability to speak, her mouth moving but no words coming out.

“You seem to have a look that suggests you were expecting something.”

The emperor’s gaze shifted towards me as he spoke.

“I wasn’t expecting anything.”

To be honest, if Alice hadn’t been surprised first or if I had just come here alone, I might have ended up asking, “Why are you here?” without thinking.

Thank goodness Alice was surprised first. Otherwise, I might have reversed time a few times out of shock.

I turned my gaze away.

Far from the light, there was a man standing quietly, with a pale face and long hair. While he had a rather androgynous handsome appearance, his pale skin and calm atmosphere gave him a somewhat gloomy vibe. I doubt it would have looked that different even in daylight.

When I had read the novel about Damien before, I’d thought it had a slightly gloomy atmosphere, and it seemed like the developers had taken the name from there.

“Why would you come all the way overseas?”

I asked in a quiet voice, noticing Alice nodding at her father.

“I have my own preparations to make, just as you have things you do without telling me.”

Now, what kind of petty response is that after all this time?

Chapter 205

“… Are you saying that since I haven’t shared my thoughts, Your Majesty isn’t going to share yours either?”

“Well, there might be some flaw in that statement.”

The Emperor replied with a pleasant laugh, seeming amused by my question.

“Perhaps you’ve told me all sorts of things, but I just can’t remember them.”

“……”

I had no retort for that.

No, wait, that’s not right.

I do have something to say.

You’re the Emperor, after all. You’re the pinnacle of that massive landmass, a person who once claimed he’d bring equality to the world under his feet in the original story.

Yet here you are, shutting your mouth just because your daughter didn’t say a word to you? Isn’t that a bit petty? Even if you think of your imperial children as your real kids—and according to your claims, they are—before being a father, you are the Emperor. No one even knows that fact.

“Hmm.”

I tried to keep a blank expression, but it seemed the Emperor caught a hint of my discontent from my poker face. I mean, he’s been watching me as long as Alice, and when it comes to perception, he’s got to be better than Alice. So I suppose it’s not surprising he could read my face.

“We could have a lot to talk about if we open our mouths, so let’s exchange some information, one detail at a time. May I go first with the questions?”

As if I could say no while he was clearly going to ask anyway.

Nodding stiffly, the Emperor grinned a little mischievously.

Before I could feel the impending dread from that expression, the Emperor opened his mouth first.

“What’s the reason for you carrying so much luggage on the train?”

“What luggage are you talking about?”

“I mean the stuff you hid yourself. You used the fact that the Crown Princess was going to gather some cooperation from the Imperial Knights to pack up a bunch of weapons. Among them were some things that are a bit over the top for use against humans.”

As he stroked his neatly combed golden beard, the Emperor inquired with keen interest.

“What? Did you pack weapons or something?”

Alice, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, looked horrified.

“……”

When I slightly averted my gaze, Alice wore an even more terrified expression.

“You mean you brought illegal weapons into another country? Are you saying you dragged along more than just the swords the knights would use? You were invited by Charlotte, for crying out loud!?”

Um… well, did it work out like that?

“I had no intention of using them against the Kingdom of Velbur.”

“Are you saying you brought that many weapons onto Velbur’s land?”

“…… How many weapons did I bring?”

Alice asked the Emperor, who answered brightly before I could intervene.

“A gigantic rifle whose specially forged barrel can easily crush an elephant’s skull with standard gunpowder, along with a Marmaros round meant for that rifle. If necessary, it could probably shoot a hole through a building wall.”

Alice’s mouth dropped open in disbelief.

“Oh, and I also found some armor that looks somewhat peculiar. At first glance, it resembles Jack Chain’s gear, but it had more mechanical contraptions attached to it. Honestly, using it for defense would be complicated with all those springs and gadgets attached. There are places for magic stones and Marmaros as well.”

Even if the Marmaros used as a projectile holds most of the destructive power, the amount of explosive necessary to launch that massive Marmaros isn’t something to ignore.

And of course, it would be incredibly difficult for anyone to wield such a firearm.

But to use it effectively, you’d need to run around with it.

So, I had to seek Browning out alone as the rain began. I asked if he could create a device that could disperse some of the force by attaching springs and gears to my body.

…Listening to me, Browning excitedly entered his storage and brought out that ‘exoskeleton.’

I’m not entirely sure how it works, but it apparently creates steam based on the water boiled by magic stones, enhancing the strength of my arms and legs. It was covered in a complex hydraulic system and springs. They claimed the container holding the boiling water strapped to my back wouldn’t burn me. I actually tested it briefly, and I felt no heat. The container was only as big as a CamelBak, so it wasn’t too cumbersome.

Although it looked like it could break down in a thousand different ways, such contraptions surprisingly work well in this kind of world. So, I brought it with me.

“While I can’t ascertain the specific purpose of that armor, looking at the other ammunition gives me a sense of how grand your plans are. With all those various bombs and Marmaros-based projectiles, it wouldn’t be strange for you to wage a one-man war.”

Alice shot a quick glance my way.

If I knew how to whistle, I would’ve turned my gaze elsewhere while whistling.

“Yet you still intend not to use any of that in the Kingdom of Velbur? Can I assume you’ve already devised a means to transport that equipment elsewhere?”

“……”

That’s not quite true.

The gazes from the Emperor, Alice, and even Damien were all directed at me.

The common feeling behind their stares was ‘curiosity.’

“Aren’t you a bit too interested in your daughter’s private life?”

“Are you saying I should consider the emotional sensitivity of a teenage girl? At least the teenage girls I know don’t take away weapons capable of waging war on overseas trips.”

I had no response to that.

Even Alice seemed to nod in agreement with the Emperor’s words. Normally, they didn’t get along that well.

In the end, I couldn’t withstand their combined gazes and let out a long sigh.

“Even within the Kingdom of Velbur, there are areas that don’t count as its territory.”

“Are you referring to the embassy?”

“Sort of. I intended to break into the Cathedral of Saint Latina in Lutetia.”

“…….”

An eerie silence enveloped the room after my answer.

Alice took a deep breath and exhaled again. Her breath trembled slightly.

Then, she marched right over to me—

—and grabbed me by the collar.

“What are you thinking—!”

“I was just planning to gather information.”

With Alice clutching my collar and shaking me, my response came out in chunks.

“Gathering information!? Information collection!?”

“Alice, calm down.”

The Emperor urged Alice to soothe down, still holding my collar.

“If the noise leaks outside, won’t we all be in trouble?”

“……”

At the Emperor’s words, Alice finally released my collar and stepped back. But she was still panting furiously.

…Should I have warned her in advance?

But if I did that, Alice might have insisted on coming along. Or she might have tried to stop me. Given her reaction now, it may have been the latter.

“… I’ve answered you, so now it’s your turn, Your Majesty.”

When I said that, the Emperor shrugged his shoulders.

“Then, ask what you want to ask. If I can answer, I shall.”

I wanted to question what the Emperor couldn’t possibly not answer, but I also wasn’t laying everything on the table myself. The Emperor probably knew that.

So, I resolved to make one clear inquiry.

“Your Majesty, is the reason you are here to prepare for war?”

Alice’s eyes widened comically. At this point, I was wondering if her jaw was going to fall off.

Seeing her fingers twitching, she looked like she wanted to rush at her father and shake him. I suppose that makes sense, after all.

“No.”

The Emperor responded firmly.

“Are you sure? You don’t have plans to instigate a world war?”

“Seeing you look at me with those big eyes, how could I possibly do that? Honestly, I think it wouldn’t be strange if you rummaged through all the imperial military secrets. No matter how much I try to hide things and carry out plans, you’d definitely find out. And if that was the case, would I even be able to sit here and chat with you?”

“……”

That was… true.

“Of course, there was a time when I considered that. I used to think ‘if I can conquer everything under me,’ perhaps the world could become a bit more peaceful. Whether that’s possible or not is another question, but about ten years ago, I thought there was some possibility.”

That’s weird.

Hearing those words sent a shiver down my spine.

Wasn’t the content slightly different from what I had heard before?

Chapter 206

“Honestly, let me tell you. Even after knowing your ‘brilliance’—”

The Emperor’s gaze briefly shifted towards Damien. It seems he didn’t talk about my abilities with others. If he had, he wouldn’t need to beat around the bush like this.

“—I have indeed prepared for war for a while. There were times I wanted to wage war without you knowing or hoped you would acknowledge my ambitions. But it seems that causing a world war isn’t really your style.”

That smile the Emperor wore while saying this… was not a bitter smile.

“So, I seriously thought about why you despise war so much. Is it because you lack patriotism for the Empire? Are you concerned it might complicate things if you succeed me as Emperor? Or perhaps you fear your precious sister might get caught up in the war?”

The Emperor shook his head.

“No, it’s not that you lack patriotism. I believe you worry about the future of the Empire in your own way. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have given advice every time I asked about the Empire’s future, nor would you have been furious at the corrupt nobles.”

Uh…

Well, I was just trying to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to myself. Plus, I only got mad at the corrupt nobles because they were blatantly doing crazy things. If they had just taken bribes and acted for their own benefit, I probably wouldn’t have reacted as much.

“And you don’t seem to have ambitions of becoming Emperor. Rather, you show greater interest in your sister becoming Emperor. To me, your actions suggest you want her to become Emperor sincerely. Whether it’s trust in her abilities or a reluctance to take anything away from her, the result is the same.”

Alice’s gaze shifted back to me.

But this time, the expression wasn’t one seeking to pick a fight. It was a bit more complex than that.

And that gaze was slightly more uncomfortable than before, so I averted my eyes from Alice once again.

To be more specific, I tried to focus on the Emperor.

“You show no hesitation in shooting people. However, the ones you shoot deserve it. That’s why you feel discomfort in pushing ordinary citizens of the Empire into war. On the surface, you portray yourself as a ruthless war machine, but to me, you seem profoundly human. Yet, at the same time, you are wise enough to see into the future.”

The Emperor smiled again.

That smile was… well, it felt like a type of smile that wasn’t fitting for someone like the Emperor.

Rather than feeling dangerous, it was that kind of smile one wouldn’t expect from an Emperor, as if he were looking at a commendable daughter.

“Therefore, over the years, I imagined the Empire you would want. This is, in a way, my challenge to you. To establish a mighty Empire that is the strongest in the world, one that no one can oppose, in a way you can’t possibly deny. That has been my goal for the past few years.”

Uh…

Not letting out a sound was a testament to my growth in patience.

Good job, me! To develop such incredible patience!

…No, wait, I haven’t grown at all!

I got so caught up with the original work that I nearly screwed up!

Until now, I thought the Emperor was preparing for war. The Empire would eventually become the Evil Empire, and several heroines would be at death’s door or definitely dead, and my goal was to prevent that.

But what if the premise itself was wrong?

What if the Empire wouldn’t become the Evil Empire, and the Emperor turned out to be strangely righteous, and a world war simply didn’t happen?

Well, from a fundamental perspective, that would be a good thing. None of the protagonist’s party would get hurt while achieving their goals.

The problem is that this means the future is completely skewed.

It’s been drastically different from what I thought.

And it started happening much longer ago than I imagined.

“Have you found your answer…?”

“Almost.”

In response to my question, the Emperor continued to smile as he spoke.

“It’s not perfect. I can say it’s less perfect than the world-conquering plan I had in mind. However, if we consider the ‘possibility,’ this route carries less risk. It’s nearly impossible to achieve an ideal conclusion, but that means even if I fail, I can certainly come to a positive conclusion. This answer was entirely thanks to you. For that, I appreciate it.”

“……”

I paused for a moment before asking again.

“Can you answer me about that answer?”

“Of course.”

The Emperor nodded with a smile and began laying out his plans one by one.

“First, the colonies will gradually gain independence. The borders will slowly revert to their pre-occupation state. During this process, all modern facilities built on their lands will become theirs.”

“……All the benefits the Empire gained from them would disappear.”

“Will it? Do you think they can catch up to the Empire just because they gain independence?”

Absolutely not. Just like Korea can never catch up to the United States.

“Unilateral exploitation always has an end. In that case, it’s better to nurture them properly so they can engage in fair trade with us in the long run. They will gain independence, but they will remain in our alliance. By gradually resolving the issues they face for several centuries, we can create a dependence and form an unbreakable alliance.”

The Emperor spoke as if he were enjoying himself.

“And if others see this relationship and want to join our alliance, we will gladly accept them. We will unify the currency under the Empire’s and guide the military arms to be unified as well. They may not belong to us anymore, but it will be hard for them to survive without the Empire.”

“……But to realize that thought, Your Majesty would need to live for centuries.”

“Then it would be necessary to make that happen.”

“Are you saying you’ll create heirs that can follow your ideas to the letter?”

“Exactly.”

I looked at Alice.

“Ah, and of course, Alice will be one of those heirs. You will be one too.”

“Are you saying you want to split the throne?”

“There can only be one person ascending to the Emperor’s seat. As you wish, that seat will be held by Alice.”

Seeing my flustered expression, the Emperor explained further with the face of a kid that landed a punch on a pro boxer.

“I will divide my absolute imperial authority and hand it over to those who will never yield it. They will not be swayed by the nobility’s words, but rather, they will ardently detest the nobility, yet be individuals that the nobility will never be able to perfectly handle.”

Ah.

I think I slightly understand what he is talking about.

“Who on earth…?”

When Alice asked absentmindedly, the Emperor chuckled.

“The people, my daughter.”

With a playful smile, the Emperor continued.

“I will pass on my absolute imperial authority to those common folk before I die.”

Strengthening the council’s authority. Universal suffrage.

If the nobility had even a shred of power stronger than the Emperor’s, there would have been fierce backlash. But in the Empire, there’s no one who can obstruct the Emperor’s thoughts.

You can’t kill all the citizens.

The fact that the Emperor’s power is transferred to the people means that power will be distributed so finely that it seems immeasurable, but in reality, it is quite different.

There’s no way to take away that tremendous power until all the citizens are dead.

Even if you slaughter 10% of the Empire’s citizens, the remaining 90% will still possess it.

“Actually, all the systems to do that are already in place. My job is simply to plant my thoughts in the minds of the people. I may not live eternally, but there is still plenty of time left. Thirty years is enough time to educate a generation.”

“……”

“How about it, my daughter?”

The Emperor leaned slightly towards me as he spoke.

“This is the answer I present. A way for the Empire to become the center of the world that you absolutely cannot refuse. What do you think?”

I had no response to that question.

It’s not a perfect plan. There’s no such thing as a perfect plan in this world. There’s no perfect system, and there’s no perfect politics.

I’m not even specialized in that area.

But, but…

Dictatorship is bad, and I’ve grown up surrounded by countless media where empires appear as the villains.

I lived in a republic, raised with the education of such a nation. I grew up hearing that humans are equal and rights should be distributed evenly to everyone.

In that sense, the Emperor has really understood my tendencies quite well.

What the Emperor’s words that I hear now are simply because he has made it justifiable.

Unquestionably.

Chapter 207

No, no, no, no!

No matter how you look at it, people can’t change that easily.

Even if the Emperor speaks like that, I can’t trust those words one hundred percent. After all, he was the one who turned the world into a sea of fire in the original work.

Could an antagonist who dreamed of “world domination” just easily give up his power?

Is he really going to share his power with the commoners, saying, “Everyone under me is equal”? Welfare policies haven’t even been properly implemented yet, and we don’t even know how many commoners there are. Is that a realistic statement?

When the Emperor said that directly, I felt for a moment like he might actually do it!

There were documents I had seen that seriously considered welfare policies!

But I will never believe it!

“…So, you really mean to attack the Cathedral?”

“Yes.”

I said confidently.

“I can’t just blindly believe your words, Your Majesty.”

“Well, I mean, I think that too… Are you saying that you’re not satisfied with just Verati’s testimony?”

“Verati didn’t know as much as I thought he would.”

If we’re talking about the largest Cathedral in the Kingdom of Velbur, it’s a different story. It was a very important place even by the Papal State’s standards. It was one of the major sacred sites and also served as a kind of advance base.

In the original story, it was where Sophia was based.

“Well, you might think that I can revert even the worst situations back, but…”

Alice said as she plopped down onto the bed.

“You’re saying you plan to ignore my father’s request for you to stay quiet?”

I thought about what I just said to the Emperor before I came out of that building. He said not to do such things for the sake of the relationship with the Kingdom of Velbur.

…He probably said that because he’s scheming something. The very fact that the Emperor is in Velbur is a highly suspicious situation. If there isn’t a ‘real reason’ for him to be here, there’s no reason for him to come all the way here himself.

Because of that plan the Emperor told me about, my head was so cluttered that I couldn’t even hear the real reason why he’s here ‘now,’ but anyway, I could at least suspect that he’s diverting the conversation because there’s something going on.

“It wasn’t an order.”

“Even if it were an order, you wouldn’t follow it.”

To that, Alice held her head in disbelief.

“……”

After a brief silence,

“No matter how much you can turn events back to nothing, can you really remain unaffected watching how Charlotte will react to that incident? You might forget, but she won’t remember.”

“……”

This time, it was my turn to be speechless.

Charlotte… will surely be furious. Perhaps her reaction will be similar to the one she showed to Alice right after the capital was bombarded in the original work.

It’s not just Charlotte. There’s also Sophia, who has become a friend. While others may think, “This isn’t about my country, and she must have had her reasons,” it’s a different matter for those two since a part of their own country was destroyed.

“…Fine.”

Alice spoke with a voice laced with a sigh.

“Whatever I do to stop you, you’ll somehow worm your way out and cause an incident. In that case, I’d rather be there next to you when it happens to feel more at ease.”

“Crown Princess.”

At my words, Alice frowned slightly.

“Call me Alice. You only call me that when you’re trying to persuade me. Hey, honestly, aren’t we both Crown Princesses? Isn’t it a bit strange to think one is more important than the other?”

If it were when we were kids, Alice would have puffed up her cheeks at that, but it seems she’s matured too much for that to work now.

“Now that I’ve made up my mind, I’ll follow you no matter what, so don’t think about persuading me.”

Alice said decisively.

“When I finish my work—”

“Finish your work? Isn’t everything going to go back to the way it was, and I won’t even remember that incident, so there’s no need to worry?”

Alice stood up abruptly, visibly angry.

She came toward me, bent over, and looked straight into my eyes.

It was a gaze I wanted to avoid but couldn’t.

“Stop talking nonsense. What about me while you’re off causing a ruckus wherever you go? Or are you planning to rewrite this moment away? If we go back to before we left to find our father, we could erase this situation before I even reacted. Right?”

“……”

When I didn’t say anything, Alice smirked.

“You don’t actually want to rewind, do you? If it’s a big event, sure, you might feel forced to rewind, but really, you don’t want to be erased from everyone else’s memory, do you? Or are you scared? Is that it?”

I could say nothing to Alice’s words.

“You don’t want the memories we had together to become just your own memories. So even now, you’re trying to persuade me with words instead of turning back the situation.”

“……”

“I’ll make it clear.”

Alice straightened up, looking down at me with a confident expression.

One hand on her hip and the other on her chest, she looked truly regal.

Just like when she was a child, puffing up her confidence without any basis.

But—

“I am a Crown Princess, and I’m your sister. So as long as I can help, I will help you, whether you want it or not. I may look like this, but I’m quite capable too.”

—Even with a very similar appearance to that time, Alice saying this doesn’t come off as a claim made without basis.

*

“Are you okay?”

After Sylvia and Alice left the building, Damien and the Emperor listened quietly to the sounds for a while. It was only after their presence completely faded that Damien finally asked the Emperor.

“Oh, you mean regarding my power?”

The Emperor responded to Damien’s question. Damien didn’t say anything else, but the Emperor knew very well that silence implied agreement.

“Well, to be honest, I don’t think it’s entirely impossible.”

But the implication of that was that, to some extent, it was something not entirely possible.

“Reversing the world would be much harder than conquering the world with my power.”

The Emperor muttered as if to himself.

“But let me ask you, Damien. If at any moment there’s a person who can certainly cut your neck, who finds your life’s plans disgusting, do you think you could carry out that plan?”

“……”

Damien fell silent, seemingly lost in thought, but the Emperor didn’t wait for his answer.

“My goal remains unchanged. I want to take control of this world. So the words I said to Sylvia were a kind of compromise. If Sylvia is watching me closely, then that’s one of the best choices I can make.”

The Emperor said with a smile on his lips.

“But, a compromise is just a compromise. And there could be several compromises. The compromise that I show to my opponent and the compromise I offer to myself.”

“If that’s the case, does that mean everything you told Sylvia was a lie?”

“It’s not a complete lie. I genuinely planned it. For my clever daughter to think that the plan is real, it needs to be ‘genuine’. And as I said before, it’s a compromise. If my plans fail, it’s a second compromise to block my daughter’s choices.”

“But… what if Sylvia listens to your words and stays quiet?”

“That would be problematic.”

The Emperor stood up and walked slowly. Then he turned off the only lamp lighting the inside of the building.

Though the window was boarded up, faint lamplight slipped through the crack of those boards.

“It’s just that Sylvia won’t listen to what I say properly. She’s a suspicious child. At least I’m glad to know that she can see that I plan to attack the Cathedral.”

And the Emperor slowly ascended the stairs, stepping one by one, illuminated by the faint light. Damien followed behind him at a leisurely pace, keeping some distance.

“Fortunately, the place you want to attack is the building of the Papal State.”

The Emperor opened the door to the second floor.

Although the window was perfectly sealed to avoid spilling light outside, it must have been pitch dark inside the room, but there were a few magical stones emitting a faint light, just enough to barely make out the room’s contents.

The walls of the room were covered with numerous maps, marked with red lines and photos. The table was cluttered with more maps, with colorful pins stuck all over them.

These were the collected intelligence of the Papal State gathered over the years by Damien.

“If Sylvia had perfectly read my thoughts, she would surely have tried to stop this.”

The Emperor said with a cheerful laugh.

“My daughter is intelligent, but that intelligence comes from experience. It seems that Sylvia hasn’t had that ‘experience’ yet.”

The Emperor walked over to the table and leaned on it while looking over the map.

“I still have opportunities left. And perhaps it looks like I have collaborators from the future as well. There’s still a way to win. The order of the plan has changed a bit, but maybe this way could be more effective. I should thank Sylvia for pointing out such gaps.”

The Emperor—Arthur Fanggriffon’s face, reflected in the dim light, wore a smile that did not match his age.

Chapter 208

“Instead, there’s a condition.”

Alice added a condition in exchange for allowing me to hit the cathedral.

“Going today is a bit of a hassle. We just got here, right? Since we’re here, let’s just relax and have a good time before we execute the plan at the end.”

Alice shrugged her shoulders and continued.

“Regardless of your abilities, there’s no guarantee it won’t backfire, right? So, it might be better to create some memories at least.”

Alice had a point. If it weren’t for the masked woman, I would have let it all out, but if she interfered while we were in the middle of something, it could become quite chaotic.

Was there a safe in the cathedral? I thought the possibility was low. In the original story, no safe ever came out of the cathedral.

Inside the cathedral was a military hideout—acting as a dungeon in the game—and various reports deep within that hideout.

I could have transferred the reports directly to the Papal State, but I needed space to gather the materials and draw conclusions. On top of that, in the original story, the Papal State was in cahoots with Velbur.

Until now, the masked woman had only appeared where there were safes or where a safe might appear, so I thought it was unlikely to encounter her in the cathedral. But who knew?

“Got it.”

It’s not like I had to investigate right this moment.

And I needed time to prepare. Collecting the weapons I had sneakily stashed on the train, assembling the over-tech exosuit Browning made for me, organizing ammo, selecting weapons… It’d be better to take my time and make proper preparations instead of rushing in.

When I replied promptly, Alice let out a long sigh as if she felt relieved.

“Alright then. I’ll help you with the preparations, so let’s keep it low-key while we’re with the kids.”

I nodded at Alice’s words.

*

Being with my friends was quite helpful for me.

Charlotte diligently showed us around. Thanks to her, I became well-acquainted with crucial locations in Lutetia. I noted the distance from the hotel we were staying at to the Cathedral of St. Latina, the police in the vicinity… that sort of stuff.

“If industrial facilities come in, some areas of Lutetia will inevitably be demolished. It’s a beautiful place, but modernization is unavoidable.”

Charlotte often expressed sentiments like that with a somewhat bitter expression.

“Rondarium is the same. Factories popping up here and there, gas lines coming in… Honestly, I’m a bit envious of the clean air in Lutetia. You can barely feel that back in the Imperial Capital.”

As Alice chimed in, Charlotte jumped in surprise.

“Are you saying you’re envious of Lutetia right now?”

Alice’s expression changed dramatically at that. Just a moment ago, she was gazing off into the distance with a somewhat nostalgic look, but Charlotte’s words seemed to snap her back to reality.

If I had to summarize Alice’s changed expression in one word, it would be ‘Hmph!’

“Still, Rondarium is more comfortable. Honestly, it’s an easier place to live, right?”

“If we think of a ‘good’ place to live, the conversation might change.”

In response to Charlotte’s counter, Alice didn’t bother to say more.

Eventually, industrialization will hit Lutetia over time, and it would become increasingly hard to breathe the good air like this.

If that happens, Lutetia might end up becoming a secondary city with a level of modernization slightly behind Rondarium. An ironic situation.

But both Alice and Charlotte knew that, yet they didn’t voice it out loud.

Well, nobody knows how a city will change in the future anyway.

*

The Cathedral of St. Latina was historically significant, regardless of whether I planned to hit it or not.

It might not be at the level of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, but it was the largest cathedral built outside the Papal State. Moreover, it had the highest number of visiting believers. Naturally, the donations collected here surpassed any cathedral in the Papal State.

In both a spiritual and practical sense, this place was extremely important to the Papal State.

Well, its location was in Velbur, and the nation that built it was also Velbur.

“So beautiful…”

Even Alice, who always reacted with a tick tick sound, couldn’t help but mumble that once she entered the cathedral; it was grand and gorgeous.

The walls were intricately carved from white stone, and the stained glass created by mixing various colors.

And there were beautiful and grand murals painted on the ceiling.

Although a large part of the Goddess Church drew from Christianity, the two religions were not entirely the same. The contents of the sacred texts one could obtain in the game seemed to swap out Greek and Roman myths for monotheism.

In addition to tales of the holy war between the followers of the goddess and opposing beings, there were similar stories to those in Greek and Roman mythology, like why a certain flower is red or why the leaves of a certain tree are wide.

For reference, the people living in this world are said not to truly believe in such stories. Just as many in modern society focus on the hidden meanings behind biblical texts rather than interpreting them literally, the same goes for the sacred texts in this world.

Of course, in modern society, there were still those who took the texts literally and were fanatical about it.

“Hmm.”

It was only natural for Charlotte to beam with pride, but for some reason, Sophia nearby was also wearing a proud expression.

Aren’t you in a bit of trouble? You’re still undercover, after all.

“But Charlotte isn’t part of the Goddess Church, right?”

Claire questioned the proudly beaming Charlotte. In that moment, Charlotte’s shoulders flinched slightly.

Indeed, Charlotte had no religion. The Velbur royal family deliberately doesn’t adhere to any specific faith. That fact itself served as a negotiating factor when dealing with the Papal State, helping Velbur as a whole to not sway under their influence.

The setting shows that there were kings who, deep down, believed in the Goddess Church, but even those kings officially claimed to be non-religious.

“Well, the architectural style of this church is Velbur-style!”

Claire nodded as if she didn’t particularly have any great doubts about Charlotte’s statement.

“This cathedral was built when there were no machines at all, right?”

Leo looked up at the ceiling as he spoke.

“That means every single carving was made by hand.”

“It wasn’t just simply carved,” Sophia answered in place of Charlotte.

“Both the architect and the workers were deeply devoted believers. They prayed every time they struck a chisel and every brushstroke was accompanied by prayers, and they prayed and inscribed the sacred text words on the walls just the same.”

Everyone’s eyes turned toward Sophia as she continued speaking. Even Charlotte, who had introduced us to this place, was looking at her.

However, it seemed Sophia didn’t fully grasp what that meant. Guess she was that excited.

“And because of that, this building is known for holding as much divine power as those constructed with the involvement of clergy in the Papal State. The sacred power of each person might not match those of priests, but the sincere devotion gathered together became strong enough to bestow blessings. It really is a miracle.”

As a side note, one reason that such devout individuals were able to gather was that Velbur had just recently stopped persecuting the Goddess Church.

Although the building was made by the people of Velbur, paradoxically, at the time it was built, the Velbur royal family did not offer any support. This occurred before the Papal State was firmly established, so they could not support it, and St. Latina, which shared the same name as the cathedral, had already been executed ten years before it was built.

They say it took dozens of years to build the cathedral. All the funds used to build it were purely collected by the believers, and all the workers who gathered were volunteers.

The reason that the Papal State considers this place as important, even though it is not on their land, is partly due to the number of believers and money, but also because it holds deep meaning for the Goddess Church.

Though Sophia didn’t explain all this, the facial expression of Charlotte, who knew the background, became a bit complicated.

However, the children were just looking up at the building with a mixture of awe, so the situation didn’t get too weird.

“……”

But amidst all this, one person cast a peculiar glance in my direction – none other than Alice Fanggriffon, the rightful heir of the Empire.

‘Are you really thinking of destroying such a historic place?’

I felt as if I could hear that thought, so I subtly averted my gaze.

Ah, I’ll fix it after breaking it.

Chapter 209

I learned how much the people of Velbur and Papal State cherish the Cathedral of Saint Latina, but that didn’t change my thoughts.

I already knew about that setting in the first place. So even if I confirm it with other people’s words now, that fact itself can’t affect my thoughts.

The problem lay elsewhere.

Wasn’t there something similar in the world I lived in? When Notre-Dame in Paris caught fire, global attention was drawn to it. France is a famous country, and Notre-Dame itself holds historical significance, plus it was filled with cultural artifacts.

In this world, without the internet or global news networks, the news of the collapse of Lutetia’s Cathedral of Saint Latina may spread later than in my world, but it will eventually reach the whole world. Especially centered around countries with strong influence from the Goddess Church.

And when they find out that the one who destroyed that cathedral is me, both Velbur and Papal State will turn against me.

Including Charlotte.

Up until I arrived in Lutetia, I hadn’t really paid much attention to it. I figured I could just turn back time, and even if worst comes to worst and I couldn’t turn back time, I could just take the blame myself.

Since I came to this world from another, there must be some intention of a divine being behind it, and ultimately the meaning of all my actions would be connected to that being. I thought maybe I would be understood in the end.

But seeing Charlotte, who was guiding us with a genuinely cheerful expression, made a flicker of hesitation rise deep within me.

“While I can’t say the security in Lutetia is terrible…”

A voice came from behind.

“No matter what, I wouldn’t think it’s safe for a woman to wander around alone at midnight.”

It was Charlotte’s voice.

“I think that applies to you as well, Charlotte.”

“I have my guards with me. It’s not something I’d expect to hear from someone who’s wandering around alone without any friends after ditching all their escorts, right?”

I rolled my eyes and glanced around Charlotte. There was no one near her, but it was clear that there were people looking down at us from building corners or several second-floor terraces.

Of course, disturbing the master’s stroll is a no-no.

I was sharing a room with Alice at the hotel, but no matter how much we were sisters, we never went into the same shower room together. Rondarium also had public baths, but honestly, I hadn’t been to such places. Considering I was recognized as ‘male’, going into the women’s bath was a bit… awkward.

So, the best time for me to sneak out was when Alice went in to wash up. I carefully exited without making much noise, so I thought Alice wouldn’t have caught on.

“Alice was looking for you. Wandering around with damp hair.”

“……”

Uh… I didn’t see that coming.

Was she that worried?

“Did she look very anxious?”

“Well…”

Charlotte, crossing her arms, tilted her head as she spoke.

“She seemed confident. There wasn’t a big difference from her usual self. Even while looking for you, she didn’t show her anxiety on her face.”

Charlotte slightly shrugged her shoulders.

“But a person’s anxious feelings aren’t just shown through voice or expression. Especially someone trained from childhood like royals or nobility to hide their emotions. In that sense, Alice lacks a bit in completely concealing those feelings. To appear nonchalant, at least she should keep her appearance tidy.”

“Is that the reason she looked for me?”

“That’s partly true.”

“Partly?”

“The truth is, I wanted to share thoughts with you just between us.”

“……”

I silently gazed at Charlotte.

“To be honest, you are one of the best at hiding your emotions among the people I’ve seen. The emotions you occasionally show are the types that don’t bother you in front of others, and when it comes to crucial moments, you remove those emotions from your face and act.”

Charlotte took a couple of steps closer to me. Thanks to the streetlight outside the alley, her shadow stretched long in front of her.

“But in high society, merely faking indifference isn’t enough. In truly necessary moments, you have to laugh even if you don’t feel like it, cry even if you don’t want to, and genuinely get angry even if it may not warrant so. Engraving all those actions deep within your body is what defines a true noble and royal. In that sense, your behavior is…”

Charlotte paused for a moment, smiled a little, and said,

“…a bit meaningful. Always keeping a blank expression opens many opportunities for suspicion. They call it ‘poker face’, right? If you always have a blank face, people will think you’re always betting on something.”

Charlotte took another step closer.

Still, we weren’t close enough to say I could just reach out and poke her shoulder.

At this point, Charlotte’s expression was much clearer than before.

Charlotte looked hesitant.

After a while, she seemed to be choosing her words and finally opened her mouth.

“But… honestly, I didn’t want to do that. Just like I have until now.”

I also chose my words. I couldn’t immediately think of what to say in response to what she said.

“I see.”

So the only words I could come up with were those trivial ones.

“When I first entered the academy, I was cautious of you. The reason I approached you right away was because of that, and the reason I requested to have a private meeting with Alice in Lutetia was due to that.”

But then, Charlotte added,

“…You treated me as just a friend. That was a feeling I’ve never experienced before. Just having a normal conversation without any expectations in return. I’m the only daughter of His Majesty the King, and I have no sisters. All the nobles who talked to me treated me as royalty. So, yes, it’s a bit strange to say this, but it’s the first time I’ve met someone who spoke to me confidently as if we were equals.”

Charlotte gazed at me quietly and said,

“Not just you and Alice, but everyone I met at the academy. Only now do I realize what a blessed thing it is to just relax and live a normal life.”

Uh…

No, wait a minute.

“I want to keep being friends with you from now on. Would it be possible for me to ask that?”

Ah.

That’s cheating.

Chapter 210

At first, when Charlotte started talking, I thought I could just chat a bit and rewind time.

Then, the times I went out alone would seem as if nothing happened, and Alice and Charlotte who had been searching for me would merely have been hanging out in the hotel.

I wouldn’t achieve my original plan of secretly entering the cathedral to look around, but at least I could gauge how the Kingdom of Velbur thought of me and how wary they were of me.

I believed it would be fine to rewind time and exit in a way that Charlotte wouldn’t come back.

But…….

The footsteps returning to the hotel weren’t just mine.

Charlotte was walking beside me, and there were troops trailing behind us as guards.

There wasn’t much conversation between us.

But at least Charlotte looked much more comfortable than when she encountered me in the alley.

My head, on the other hand, was much more complicated.

As Charlotte said, maybe I should have practiced my poker face. After all, even a criminal can get focused on one thing for a long time and start to manage something.

It took quite a while to reach the hotel. I had walked so much while Alice was washing up that we had covered quite a distance.

Still, I got caught before reaching the cathedral.

“Sylvia.”

Alice was in the hotel lobby.

True to Charlotte’s words, Alice’s hair was wet.

When she saw me entering the lobby with Charlotte, she looked shocked for a moment, then her expression became a bit complex.

That makes sense.

“You must be tired from wandering around outside, so how about resting soon? We need to check out the Lutetia Culture Festival after doing some practice tomorrow.”

With Charlotte’s comment, I could only nod in agreement.

*

After returning to the room, Alice didn’t sit down immediately. Instead, she kept pacing around the room before turning sharply toward me.

“What’s the reason you didn’t use your powers?”

“If you thought I would use my abilities, why were you looking for me?”

“…So you weren’t planning to use it?”

“I was thinking about it.”

“…….”

Alice walked over with a somewhat complicated expression and plopped down in front of me.

“I… Well, no matter how much you can make everything seem like it never happened, the fact that you vanished without a word can’t just be ignored. I can’t just leave everything to you and do nothing.”

I had no words in response to Alice’s statement.

After all, it’s understandable for her to worry. It’s not just a matter of whether I can rewind time or not. Alice had seen me trying to rewind time and failing, and even seen me fall into a coma while trying to overcome that failure.

It was only natural for her to feel anxious not being able to directly witness it beside me.

“So what’s the reason for coming back on foot without using your powers?”

Alice asked.

Hmm.

To be honest, there wouldn’t be any problem telling Alice. Alice thought of Charlotte as a close friend, and I didn’t think she would give any negative reactions just because I had gotten close to Charlotte.

But thinking that I didn’t want to rewind time because of today’s conversation with Charlotte… That was a bit awkward.

It felt itchy and embarrassing.

“……”

As I exercised my right to silence, Alice squinted at me. Then she said, “Well, I’ll just ask Charlotte tomorrow.”

I wouldn’t bother mentioning the ability to rewind time, but at least she would probably hear what we talked about yesterday.

I thought that was within the acceptable range, so I decided not to object.

If Charlotte didn’t think it was embarrassing, she’d tell her, right?

But, considering we had that conversation after keeping the guards around us silent, I wasn’t sure if she would or not.

*

The next day.

For some reason, people gathered around me.

Thinking about it, I actually had quite a few friends in this world. I wasn’t sure if I should call Claire a friend or a real little sister, but considering her as a little sister-like friend… I might actually have more people to contact and spend time with than in my original world.

The problem was that all those friends were right in my vicinity.

Recently, friends who would usually leave me alone, whether it was just Alice and me or I was alone, were all gathering around me, subtly observing me, so I couldn’t help but feel that something was off.

When I stared silently at Alice, she quickly averted her gaze.

That’s right.

Yesterday, Alice was wandering the hotel, asking where I was without even drying her hair.

…Then it was obvious she didn’t just ask that of Charlotte. It was highly unlikely that I was someone who would be alone with Charlotte.

Claire probably went looking for me too, as well as Leo, Mia, Rena, Jake, Roti, and even Sophia.

And all those friends knew very well that I wasn’t exactly the same as an ordinary person.

Naturally, they would think that my disappearance was something that might lead to trouble.

And thanks to that, I found myself surrounded by friends, being monitored.

Or rather, from their perspective, it might not be monitoring but rather concern.

“…….”

I stealthily moved near Alice and poked her side with my finger. Since I checked my surroundings carefully, it shouldn’t have attracted much attention.

At least this was something I could rewind time for again.

“Ugh!”

At that sound, Alice quickly glanced around and thankfully confirmed that no one was looking our way before scowling at me.

“What?”

To Alice, whose voice was low, I replied as quietly as possible.

“Just how far did you go with those conversations yesterday?”

“No, I thought you… well, I thought you would.”

Seeing Alice hurriedly change her tune while looking around made me almost facepalm.

So that’s it.

Alice thought I would rewind time.

Of course, she thought it wouldn’t be a big deal for her to ask about me. Even though she saw that I couldn’t rewind time because of the Masked Girl, I hadn’t leaped away from here yet… so it must have mixed feelings of anxiety and trust that led to illogical behavior.

“…….”

When I continued to quietly stare at Alice, she averted her gaze.

Then she said, “You also push this and that onto Father when it’s necessary.”

She tried to deflect the blame.

Hmm.

I couldn’t refute that.

I had no choice but to shoulder everything concerning the cathedral because it was directly linked to the Emperor, but for all sorts of small issues, I had been shoving them over to the Emperor without any guilt.

I contemplated poking Alice’s side once more but decided to keep walking silently.

Because a few people were looking this way due to Alice’s remark.

Charlotte was walking in front so she wouldn’t turn around, but Claire, who was walking a little away, and Leo and Sophia, with their senses as inspectors.

Mia had been glancing our way for a while now, and while Jake and Roti were walking close together, they were still checking our direction occasionally.

For a moment, I seriously considered rewinding time back to yesterday.

But.

To be honest, I didn’t feel entirely unpleasant about it.

If the beings watching me were merely concerned because of their mission, I would have done anything to escape that surveillance.

But the eyes of the people here were worried.

Receiving those gazes felt a bit tinglish, strangely embarrassing, and an altogether odd sensation.

It was a strange feeling, but somehow.

Because of those gazes, I felt that I had managed to get along just fine since coming to this world.

Someone might ask me how I could say such a thing after causing trouble and getting worried, but well, what can I say? My personality is like that.

*

That said, I couldn’t just wander around like a tourist.

No matter how much Charlotte broke the rules, I needed to find a way for myself.

“Are you going to be okay?”

Uhm… no, I didn’t think it would be just me.

“I don’t mean that I’m going to tell everything.”

I answered Alice who followed me. Alice thought for a moment and then nodded seriously.

I nodded back at her and knocked on the door in front of us.

[Yes, please come in.]

Charlotte’s voice came from beyond the thick door.

I turned to Alice once more.

The two of us nodded and opened Charlotte’s door to enter.

Chapter 211

“…….”

“…….”

I can understand why they’re speechless. That’s probably because what Alice and I just said was complete nonsense.

After staring blankly at me for a while, Charlotte placed her hand on her forehead.

“So you’re asking me, the princess of Velbur, to help you destroy one of Velbur’s proud cultural heritage?”

“To be a bit more precise, I’m not asking to destroy it but to help sneak inside.”

“…….”

When I said that, Alice next to me buried her face in her hands.

What.

Why.

What.

If I don’t say it clearly, they’ll just end up asking later if it was a lie, right?

It’s better to lay everything bare from the start.

“Let’s go back to what Sylvia just said a moment ago…”

Charlotte began to methodically unravel everything I had said.

“The Papal State is doing something suspicious.”

“Yes.”

“So I want to meet someone important from the Papal State and have a conversation.”

“Exactly.”

“……So, you’ve prepared all sorts of weapons to infiltrate the Saint Latina Cathedral, where that important person is likely to be?”

“Correct.”

“But then I thought again and realized that this might not be a good idea, so you came to me for help, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“Sylvia, do you want to meet them?”

At Charlotte’s last question, I stared at her intensely, and Charlotte seemed a bit embarrassed, covering her mouth with her fist and clearing her throat gently.

“Though the cathedral had a bad relationship with the Kingdom of Velbur when it was built, now it is something that truly represents Lutetia. Moreover, the ‘important people’ inside are usually not just the citizens of Velbur but also have Papal State nationalities.”

Charlotte looked at me seriously and said.

“But asking me, the only princess of Velbur, to do such a thing? It’s likely to create a conflict between Velbur and the Papal State.”

Hmm…….

“If that’s the case, should I just take care of this myself?”

Charlotte’s words do have a point. In fact, that’s precisely why I was about to act unilaterally.

I have thought about asking Charlotte, but… Charlotte is somewhat in a similar situation to Alice.

However, unlike Alice, who had only a few friends before going to the academy, Charlotte has a certain level of noble support.

Of course, if she went off and did something like this alone, she could face significant political repercussions.

“Is that even something you’re saying?”

Well, I do have a personality that wouldn’t leave things like this without acting, but still.

Alice, sitting next to me, was clutching her head with both hands, but I tried my best not to look her way.

“…….”

Charlotte fell into thought for a while.

She could have stood up and paced around the room, but instead, she sat cross-legged with her arms crossed and her eyes closed, clearly embodying the royal decorum of not acting rashly.

“First… let’s avoid any violent methods.”

After some time, Charlotte opened her eyes and said, though her glare was still fixed on me as before.

“If this turns into a real incident involving an ancient cultural asset, it could lead to war. Even if the royal family does not want war, if the nobles and people do, it could become unavoidable.”

“So rather, if I take the blame alone—”

“Sylvia.”

I heard Alice’s voice from beside me. Although Alice was still covering her head, making it impossible to see her expression, from the tone of her voice, it seemed like pressing the issue further would really put us in danger.

Even if the two of them charged at me, I might manage to slip away in time, but the process would surely be incredibly exhausting, so I decided to just keep my mouth shut.

“Is there a way?”

Alice finally removed her hands from her head and raised her body to ask.

“Before that, I’d like to say we should just abandon the whole plan…”

Charlotte glanced at me and let out a deep sigh.

“Even if I tell you not to, if it’s Sylvia, you would likely go ahead with the plan without a care.”

No way, that’s not true.

It’s more like I was convinced by Charlotte’s words and ended up here when I was about to execute the plan silently. I mean, originally, Charlotte didn’t even know that I was planning to destroy the Saint Latina Cathedral until she called me a friend.

But now that I’ve come here and am trying to convince Charlotte, I should say that I am being considerate of the other side.

That said, I do intend to go ahead with it, even if they tell me not to.

“…Actually, we’ve been pondering about the Papal State too.”

Charlotte said while stroking her chin thoughtfully.

“Until last year… we were genuinely considering various ‘treaties,’ but after the Empire intervened, those discussions collapsed, and during our reevaluation, we discovered some suspicious circumstances.”

Though Charlotte didn’t describe it directly, these treaties refer to a full-fledged military alliance between the two sides. In the original story, Sophia was seen moving alongside the Velbur soldiers.

“What do you mean by suspicious circumstances?”

“…I can’t give specifics as it’s confidential.”

Charlotte responded in a cautious tone to Alice’s words.

In fact, even Charlotte herself probably doesn’t know the complete details. Just from the fact that she thinks Sophia is a citizen of Velbur.

The Papal State had been steadily planting people in Velbur long before that. Not as ‘people of the Papal State’ but rather completely disguising their identity as ‘people of Velbur.’

……My actions in last year’s talks were just me trying to provoke the other side, but it seems Velbur picked up on the Papal State’s suspicious behavior because of that.

“So, if we manage to persuade the King… Your Majesty the King, it might not be impossible if we deal with that side well.”

As Charlotte said this, she cast a side glance at me.

She seemed to be looking for some information.

“…….”

Hmm.

If needed, I could betray Sophia. After all, her identity is definitely a disguise.

However… while I can’t say we’re super close, Sophia is still a friend. Plus, to be honest, I find it a bit amusing to see Sophia getting involved with Leo. In the original story, she was a heroine that could be captured, but the personality of Sophia that I knew in the original and the one I’m aware of now are quite different.

Right. I can sell her out, but I don’t want to do that.

And frankly, there’s something much juicier than that.

“In the basement of the Saint Latina Cathedral, there is a massive base.”

“…….”

Yeah, well.

In the original story, Sophia was a pretty significant figure in the church, but she seems to be just a commoner in this timeline.

Rather than leaking the position of a commoner, providing much bigger information would be more beneficial.

Looking at the expression of Charlotte, who was staring at me with her mouth slightly open, it seems that this might actually work.

“The Saint Latina Cathedral is like a bridgehead for the Papal State’s westward expansion. Back when the cathedral was being built, the Kingdom of Velbur still didn’t completely recognize the Goddess faith. And even before that, the Goddess faith had been opposing the Kingdom of Velbur. There’s a deep and complex underground cemetery of the Goddess faith beneath Lutetia. The idea of the Goddess faith establishing the Saint Latina Cathedral as a holy site and building the structure was to hide the entrance to the underground.”

And that complex underground cemetery—this hidden base—was, in fact, a dungeon with many important events in the original story.

The inspiration for Lutetia is, of course, based on Paris, the capital of France.

While the historical reasons might differ between the game and reality, it’s unthinkable that the developers wouldn’t take advantage of the awesome catacombs in the basement of Paris.

Moreover, the vastness and depth of history meant that there would be lots of information out there, and it was also a dungeon for many important figures.

I wasn’t just trying to mess around for no reason.

“So…”

Charlotte said, glancing around with her eyes.

“The Goddess faith has been scheming something in Lutetia for hundreds of years, then?”

“More than that, they probably think the grudges from back then still haven’t ended. The mission of the Papal State is to ensure that everything in this world functions according to the will of the Goddess. The reason they have been persistently trying to manipulate Velbur is to ultimately convert Velbur’s national religion to the Goddess faith.”

And when I mentioned the national religion of the Empire, I knew very well, even though it was empty words, that it would provoke a reaction.

“Would this be enough information to persuade His Majesty the King?”

When I asked this, Charlotte brushed her face with her hand.

She didn’t say it outright, but I’m sure she wouldn’t be able to ignore it.

Chapter 212

BANG!

There’s a tunnel under the Palace of Great Blessings, and hundreds of North Korean tanks are waiting down there!

CONFETTI FALLS

Yeah, right. Who would actually believe that? Probably not even the folks claiming it! Most of them are just after a quick buck.

So what if it was Charlotte, out of nowhere, bringing this up?

WHAM!

The story goes that the North Korean army dug tunnels to attack the South and they usually just doodle on a map claiming “Here’s a tunnel, and here’s a tank,” with zero evidence.

If some serious politician or so-called expert took it seriously and rushed in with fancy gear, who knows what would happen? It’s an investigation of something nonexistent, so the only conclusion left is “nope.”

But if, by some cosmic miracle, those experts said, “Uh, there’s actually something here?”—then, oh boy, things will change!

Imagine if they really found tanks and bombs down there. What could you even say when the evidence is just chilling in front of you?

In that sense, I was definitely not an expert.

NOPE!

No expertise here, just a little history from Velbur learned from a textbook and some basic classes in this world. Naturally, that “external history” doesn’t talk much about how their folks oppressed others.

Actually, modern historical research just started popping up around here. Most historical accounts are just massive events seen from their perspective.

Given that, calling myself an expert would be a joke, so it’s totally understandable if my claims about a tunnel get ignored—

DING!

“…Can you take responsibility for what you say?”

That night, I went straight to the Lutetia palace and got my shot to convince King of Velbur with my claims.

Sure, I’m no expert, but I’m definitely a ‘proficient crackpot’ who can spin a tale nicely!

WHOOSH!

Proficient crackpots are usually semi-experts in another field, showing off their “barely mingling knowledge” to humbly contest actual experts’ claims.

In that sense, I was the perfect crackpot.

“I swear on the name of the Fanggriffon!”

A perfect crackpot, no doubt.

POP!

In an authoritarian society, I had the best credential to boast about.

“…”

With my chest puffed up, the King of Velbur touched his forehead, looking confused.

WOWZA!

No matter how serious Velbur is about planning a military alliance with the Papal State, having a tunnel dug in someone else’s country—well, it’s a world of wonders!

“What’s the reason for sharing such ‘important information’? Do you want something in return?”

Um, that wasn’t the plan from the start!

I took a glance at Charlotte beside me. Her eyes trembled slightly. It wasn’t from panic but rather trying not to betray any thoughts in front of her dad.

You can’t just shake your head at the King—no way!

If someone’s sharing info and doing that while standing next to them, it just screams “STOP TALKING!”

Last year, I was practically an enemy to her—so if she’s doing a sneaky exchange now, that’s a whole other mess!

“Just passing this information gives a massive profit to the Empire.”

Not that I didn’t think of an excuse beforehand!

It was a little forced, but hey, it kinda makes sense.

“Does the Empire still believe we could make an alliance with the Papal State?”

KA-CHING!

As long as the Kingdom thinks there’s no opportunity for military alliances with the Papal State, it’s a huge win for the Empire! Moving military force is a pre-war situation, after all.

But saying “yes” directly would be too obvious.

“Does the Kingdom think the Empire is still capable of starting a war?”

My question threw the king into a brief silence.

PAUSE!

At least the current Emperor doesn’t seem to be planning a war. Or, rather, it’s not showing on the surface.

But from the Kingdom’s perspective, they can’t just trust the Empire’s attitude either.

As Charlotte said, if suspicious circumstances arise with the Papal State, the Kingdom and Papal State might have formed a covert alliance.

“Then let’s change the question.”

The King said, adjusting his posture to one that radiates royal authority.

“Does the Empire wish the relationship between the Kingdom and Papal State to become irreparable?”

GASP!

“…”

From the Empire’s perspective, sure.

From my perspective—well, it’d be great if there’s some kind of control over the Empire. But ideally, I would prefer the Kingdom to hold that power, not relying on the Papal State. They’re super shady!

I didn’t want Charlotte turning into a puppet of the Papal State ten years down the line.

But spilling all those thoughts here? No way!

Tunnels can be dug and checked on, but info about the Papal State? Nah, there’s no way I should know that right now!

Thankfully, it looked like the King interpreted my silence correctly.

“Whatever the reason is.”

He gazed down at me.

“You swore on the name of the ‘Fanggriffon’, so you didn’t say that without consideration. Perhaps you’re confident in it. We’ll have to find out how the Imperial Crown Princess knows such information unknown to our Kingdom.”

GRIMACE!

He seemed to be trying to assert authority while maintaining his gaze, but his lips curled slightly, as if he wanted to cover his forehead in frustration.

YIKES!

If the roles were reversed, I’d probably feel the same way.

“First things first, we should confirm the urgent matters. Do you know how that underground facility is concealed?”

I took a moment to think.

The tunnel sits beneath the sewers of Lutetia. Clearly, the quickest route involves the entrance via the Cathedral of St. Latina… But is there a guarantee the Papal State didn’t hide that entrance?

Oh, of course, they did hide the entrance. What I’m questioning is whether they left that ‘original entrance’ intact after realizing my existence.

I mean, sure, I could just blow up the cathedral, and the entrance would pop out, but that’s exactly why I’m over here, right?

BOOM!

Still, that doesn’t mean I don’t have any alternatives.

“There are ways to get underground besides the St. Latina Cathedral,” I said.

In true JRPG style, Azernar’s lore was filled with hidden spaces. Common fields—like towns and cities—often had treasure chests in places you’d least expect.

And those ‘unreachable areas’ were designed to later be accessed through other dungeons, typically found in the sewers or ruins beneath towns or cities.

Of course, just grabbing items from people’s homes without facing consequences is the game’s way of saying “not gonna happen.”

Much like the underground facilities spread across Lutetia, the entrance isn’t limited to just the Cathedral of St. Latina. There must be ways for forces to sneak in from the outside or escape without making a fuss.

The most critical structures might be near the Cathedral, but now isn’t the time to quibble about that.

“I have a hunch about a few places.”

“…Is that so?”

The King narrowed his eyes.

I felt like his doubts just shot up to a maximum level, almost stretching beyond the limits. You know that feeling when a game’s meter suddenly spikes into the danger zone?

“If so, you must disclose the locations of all those places… We’ll discuss how you knew about those locations after the search.”

RUN!

Once the search wraps up, I’ll have to bolt.

“While it’s not like we can just do anything to a princess, the Emperor will likely show interest in this issue.”

SERIOUSLY, RUN!

I really need to escape before this whole mess wraps up!

Chapter 213

I felt it once again.

I have grown.

If it were before, I would have definitely shouted ‘Do it again!’ by now. And I would have methodically planned everything from the start.

Well, it’s not like a grand ‘plan’ would be spilling out of my head like the Emperor concocted.

To be honest, compared to just a year ago, I was really just going with the flow.

But…

“…….”

Charlotte’s gaze is a bit uncomfortable. And understandably so. It hadn’t been long since Charlotte called me her true friend, and now this ‘friend’ was about to cause a ruckus in her country.

However, the reason I felt awkward about Charlotte’s expression is that I thought we had gotten close enough for that.

Above all, if she didn’t think we were this close, then Charlotte wouldn’t be making such expressions towards me. She would surely have put on a fabricated smile hiding her true feelings like she was in some beginner’s class.

Right now, she couldn’t possibly have shown that kind of bold expression like—

‘Is it really okay to trust? Is there even a plan? Should I even believe that what I felt when I saw Sylvia wasn’t all a misunderstanding?’

…

It’s okay. Even if her eyes are a bit colder, she’s still my friend, right?

Thinking like that, I looked around.

It wasn’t just Charlotte who had changed her attitude in front of me.

Right now, I definitely could not stand in front of Mia and boldly say something like, ‘I killed your father. And that father deserved to die.’… I can easily imagine the expression Mia would show if I said something like that.

To rewind time and remake relationships is akin to destroying the connections that have been built up. It’s not just about fighting and drifting apart, or seeing an unflattering side of someone making it difficult to act towards them… all those negative aspects were part of the ‘relationship’ too, and honestly, it’s something that should be overcome with effort. To extend a word of reconciliation, to understand why the other acted that way…

Rewinding time ignores the weight of the memories built with those people.

I think it was more Mia who considered things first and offered me all sorts of good advice, but let’s just go with that for now.

“… So.”

After sitting for a while, holding his head, Leo was the first to speak up.

“So, the people trying to raid the cathedral in the heart of Lutetia had to be the ‘most trustworthy’ people?”

“That’s right.”

I answered.

“So, you couldn’t trust the soldiers of Lutetia?”

“Couldn’t trust them.”

It felt like the temperature of Charlotte’s gaze towards me had gotten a bit colder, but I decided to ignore it for now.

“Then what about the people coming from the Empire—”

“—I’d rather not take those.”

Upon Charlotte’s words, Leo shut his mouth, then looked up at me.

“……”

“……”

An uneasy silence lingered in the room for a moment.

“Excuse me.”

At the end of that silence, Mia carefully spoke up.

“There’s only one person here who isn’t from the Empire… besides Charlotte.”

Right, that’s true.

But even so, they were all people we could trust. We had already combined forces several times, and we knew everyone’s skills were absolutely top-notch.

Sofia was out. She must be sleeping in her room by now. Or maybe praying or something.

Rena was also excluded. She was a close friend, she admired me greatly, but she’s a foreigner for now.

As for Jake and Roti… I couldn’t find them anywhere.

They must be doing something somewhere. But still, since they’re students… I only hope they don’t rush ahead too much.

Despite those four being missing, I felt it was still definitely possible. I rewound time, and Leo and Claire, who had trained swordsmanship under the Sword Saint, would take charge, and above all, I had plenty of firepower.

There were variables like the masked woman and Lucas, but… well, if those two appeared at the same time, I would call that luck. Even if my abilities are restricted, they wouldn’t be completely sealed, and the masked woman wouldn’t team up with Lucas either.

While I had considered these variables to some extent—

“……”

That’s strange.

Even Claire, who usually shouts ‘Yes!’ at everything I say, was looking at me with a very uncomfortable expression.

With her arms crossed, she glared at me as if I had a huge complaint against me.

“Hey, what about the people who are missing?”

That was what Claire threw out.

“…… Are you talking about the missing people?”

“Sofia, Rena, Jake, and Roti.”

“Jake and Roti must be having a good time together. If I go looking for them, that would ruin their precious memories together.”

“Really? Well, forgetting those two, what about Rena and Sofia?”

Claire’s voice, with her arms slightly twitching, had an oddly cold tone.

“Those two are likely on foreign soil—”

“Uh, um!”

Mia raised her hand, looking nervous.

“We’re also foreigners! By Velbur’s standards…!”

Being from a frontier territory, she seemed to grasp the situation quickly. If it became known that she was part of this expedition, she would be in a huge dilemma.

“True. To me, you all are ‘foreign friends’. And I deliberately invited you all here. Besides, Sofia is even from the same district as me.”

Ah, right.

Charlotte still didn’t know that Sofia was from the Papal State.

Moreover, if Charlotte were to discover Sofia’s true identity, things would get massively uncomfortable in many ways. I’m not talking about national-level issues, but rather the bond between friends.

How many people can regard a friend as a ‘friend’ after discovering that friend is a spy from abroad?

“Furthermore, you know, Sofia… If you say you purposely left her out, she would be incredibly hurt when she finds out later. And Rena looks up to you immensely, right? Do you know how she talks about you?”

“……”

For reference, Alice had been glaring at me with a face full of grievances since the audience with the King.

Honestly, it looked like she was thinking, ‘Let’s see how far you can go.’

……

Well, the proper way to handle relationships is to face each other and tackle things head-on.

That way, memories remain, you know how to act in the future, and shared memories are born—

—.

Ah, who cares.

Do it again!

*

In situations that have clearly gone awry, there’s nothing better than rewinding time.

If I had such an ability in my past life, I would have used it incredibly well.

Surprisingly, timing is essential when apologizing. If a situation drags on even a little, getting forgiven becomes nearly impossible.

I can recall all the troubles I faced due to my clueless actions in my past life.

Yeah, in the community where I posted my translations, misunderstanding piled up, and when we started asking about each other’s parents, we even attempted some manipulation of public opinion to get a win.

If only I had recognized my mistakes first and apologized, the relationship with that person would—

No, that’s not right; that person was the one at fault first. Why should I even think about the feelings of someone I wouldn’t have to see again in my lifetime?

In my past life, I would have just bought a ton of coins and made sure ‘others adjust to my feelings.’ It wasn’t just to earn a lot of money, it was an enormous advantage to utilize that information.

And in that sense, I’m really grateful that I gained this ability only after coming to this world.

The very first action I used my ability for was to ‘save someone,’ so I’m truly relieved.

If it hadn’t been for that, I might have gone wild with this power in this world and still not been able to become friends in the genuine sense with anyone.

“I’m sorry.”

“Uh, what?”

Right after the meeting with the King ended, but before I gathered my friends, when the three of us had briefly gathered in Charlotte’s room, I bowed to Charlotte and said that.

“……”

Charlotte seemed momentarily frozen, not saying a word. Then her voice came out incredulously.

“Do you even know what this action means? For the Emperor’s daughter to bow her head to the Kingdom’s daughter…”

“If you want to think of it that way, feel free.”

“……”

At my words, Charlotte fell silent.

“But my apology doesn’t stop there. I’m not apologizing as ‘Fanggriffon’, but as ‘Sylvia’.”

That was something that could be taken negatively. Without the title of Fanggriffon, I was no longer such an important person.

“I’m sorry for hiding such plans until now. It’s not a simple military or political apology. It’s just… I wanted to apologize for hiding the fact that I was thinking of destroying your hometown while being your friend.”

It seems I could only realize that after rewinding time because I was that foolish.

I grew up, I’ve grown. What good would it do for me to mutter to myself? The people around me need to recognize it too.

Those words of mine wrapped the room in silence for a while.

“…… Then, I will speak not as a princess but as your friend, Charlotte. Please raise your head.”

At those words, I felt my heart brighten.

I managed to control my expression and lifted my head.

When my eyes met Charlotte’s, she was smiling brightly.

Yet, for some reason, next to her face, she had her fist tightly raised.

If this were not ‘reality’ but a game, there would be adorably exaggerated muscles bulging on that fist.

And I can assure you, that fist would be incredibly painful even without those muscles.

Charlotte, still radiating a bright smile, said,

“I’ll forgive you, but can I hit you just once?”

*

Chapter 214

Ouch!

When Charlotte asked, “Can I hit you?” I seriously considered whether I should rewind time for a brief moment, but Charlotte didn’t give me the time to finish my thoughts.

In an instant, my vision flashed, and a pain spread across my forehead.

With the thwack sound, it seemed Charlotte had given me a “delicious” smack on the head.

Although, it certainly didn’t taste sweet at all.

If I were to rewind time, I could avoid that too, but—

“Phew.”

Behind the dazzling flash, Charlotte’s expression looked so refreshing that I decided not to rewind time after all.

Fortunately, I didn’t shed any tears. Not that it didn’t hurt, but I had the urge to rub it, though I held back.

With my hand hovering over my forehead, I watched as Charlotte settled into her chair.

“Alright then.”

Charlotte plopped down in her chair and said,

“You must’ve shared information with His Majesty because you have something planned for later, right? You didn’t just randomly come to me without any thoughts.”

Hmm…

It’s not like I had ‘no thoughts’ about it.

The biggest issue was suddenly changing my solitary plan into a group effort.

But what can I do?

I’ve already decided to do it this way. Otherwise, I would have already changed things back several times and made sure this incident never happened.

Taking a moment to gather my thoughts, I took a deep breath.

*

In the end, my argument hadn’t changed much from before.

But the number of people definitely increased.

I had summoned everyone I had considered before rewinding time.

Well, Jake and Roti are Imperial citizens anyway. I didn’t think Jake would reveal the truth of this incident to his father. Roti would likely keep it to herself as well. If Jake doesn’t say anything, Roti probably won’t either. I thought these two wouldn’t be much of a problem.

Next up, Rena.

I was a bit uneasy about Rena. Given the circumstances, she was definitely someone sent by the autonomous region to keep tabs on me.

However, her pure nature, coupled with the timing not being right for a trip to the Northern Region, might be why nothing significant was coming up.

“Do you understand? You cannot tell anyone that you are part of this operation. Especially not your family or superiors.”

I made sure to reiterate that several times, but strangely, Rena continued to sparkle with excitement throughout the reminders.

“As long as I’m associated with the Academy, I’m also a student of the Empire. It’s only natural for me, as a soldier, not to disclose any operations carried out under a specific command.”

“……”

To be precise, this is not even an ‘Imperial operation.’

I wasn’t sure why she was looking at me so eagerly while I spoke… Could it be that she trusts me that much?

Or could it be that her inner “chuunibyou” is being stirred up by the idea of a “secret operation”?

Not knowing what else to say, I simply nodded.

Surprisingly, in the original story set during an ongoing war, the protagonist’s party didn’t commit ‘murder.’ No matter how many people were set ablaze, stabbed with ice spears, shot, or slashed with swords, after the battles, the enemies would just kneel and surrender rather than die.

Yes. The righteous protagonists worry about the lives of nameless extras even in their fights.

……I’m the one who has seen people shot several times, and saying that it’s possible in reality doesn’t make sense.

No matter how “not quite right” the chuunibyou types are, you can’t expect to remain mentally sound after shooting someone.

Not just Rena, but all the kids I’ll be going with.

Well, if we really need to ‘shoot’ someone, I’d be the most reasonable choice.

“How about Leo?”

When I asked Claire, who was coming over after checking her weapons, she looked a bit ambiguous.

“They’re still talking alone, just the two of them.”

They still couldn’t figure out who was older. Although, having a boyfriend all of a sudden would be quite weird for whoever is the older sibling, whether it’s an older brother or younger brother.

Of course, it’s not like he really got a girlfriend; it’s just that one girl has a one-sided crush on Leo.

From Claire’s perspective, she might be thinking, “What does she see in him?”

I’m curious how Claire would react if Leo actually built a harem like in the original story.

Of course, for that world to exist, I would have to stop existing, and if that happened, the world would roll on ‘like the original.’

They say there’s no such thing as ‘if’ in history.

No matter how much one can rewind time, there come moments when you simply don’t want to or can’t anymore. Beyond such standards, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that time becomes ‘fixed.’

“Then let’s wait a bit longer.”

After I replied, Claire nodded, and the room fell into silence once more.

It’s a sudden operation launched without a word until now. To be honest, it’s strange that everyone gathered so nonchalantly.

“……”

Looking around the room, anyone I meet my gaze with could be considered a ‘friend.’

For some reason, I felt a baseless trust that I could leave my back to these people.

In that moment, I had to suppress a smile that was about to burst out from sheer absurdity.

Well, they were characters I already liked from the beginning, but honestly, they’ve only known me for just over half a year.

Why can they trust me so much?

……Well.

At the very least, I ought to be able to become someone who can reciprocate that trust.

*

“Sylvia.”

After chatting with Sophia for a while, Leo came out and called me.

“Sophia said she wants to talk to you.”

Leo’s expression was exceedingly serious as he said that.

As the traditionally ‘righteous protagonist’ in an JRPG, Leo had the kind of personality that would feel sorrow over the death of extras barely mentioned in the game.

It’s only natural that he wouldn’t feel good seeing Sophia confused after hearing about our operation.

I nodded to Leo and walked towards the door he came out of.

Charlotte’s room has an attached dressing room. Unlike me, who tends to wear nearly identical dark clothes and Alice, who didn’t enjoy going to parties, Charlotte often mingled with nobles and sometimes attended balls.

So that ‘dressing room’ isn’t really that cramped. It might even be bigger than a monthly-rent room in a university that’s built to squeeze out students.

In the middle of the dressing room, two chairs were facing each other, and Sophia was seated in one of them.

Sophia was glaring at me.

And honestly, I couldn’t blame her.

I slowly walked over and sat down in front of Sophia.

“……Did you think I would betray my country because of Leo?”

“Historically, there have been those who betrayed their country for love. Of course, I don’t think you would do that.”

At my comment, Sophia contorted her face as if to protest, so I quickly added.

Sophia continued to glare at me as if telling me to explain.

“The reason I brought you here is—”

In fact, Claire and Charlotte had the biggest reactions. If those two hadn’t been so opposed, I wouldn’t have brought Sophia here. Moreover, considering Sophia’s position, she’s likely much more comfortable thinking we backstabbed her.

But, since I brought her here, there’s only one reason for that.

“……Because you are our friend.”

“…….”

At my words, Sophia’s eyes widened for a moment.

The protagonist’s party in this game had a common trait.

Except for the protagonist Leo, everyone had gone through a childhood seriously lacking something.

They were kids raised in a noble society. It’s only natural that children growing up around adults who think it’s a virtue not to show emotions and act inhumanly wouldn’t know how to open up to others.

If we were to unravel the intertwined stories in the Chronicles of Aetherna, that would be it.

Through the always honest protagonist Leo, everyone ultimately opens their hearts and becomes true friends.

What happens with the Goddess, or how the war unfolds, or the religions… All of those were just decorations. The most important story in that game was ultimately about the friendship of the protagonist’s party.

That’s what made it so enjoyable and immersive for me.

The reason I had resentment for Sophia’s position in the original story was that she barged in and disrupted the nearly complete ‘friendship’ of the protagonist’s party.

But that’s no longer the case.

She appeared much earlier than in the original story.

Moreover, to be precise, the ‘character that shouldn’t be here’ wasn’t Sophia, but me.

Chapter 215

“I understand. Even if you tell me to attack the holy site of the Papal State, just because we’re friends, I doubt I can easily comprehend that.”

“…”

Fortunately, Sophia didn’t snap back or shout that we weren’t in that kind of relationship, so I was able to cautiously continue the conversation.

“Then, how about this? You’ll be our watchdog.”

“Watchdog, huh?”

Sophia seemed a bit flustered by my words.

“It’s not like I’m planning to turn historically important cultural assets into ashes.”

Sure, I was thinking about barging in and taking all the information, but ultimately, I was planning to turn back time, so it wasn’t exactly a lie.

“I just want to know a little something.”

“Can’t you just ask me directly?”

“Yeah.”

I cut her off firmly. There were plenty of stories that even the original Sophia at a high rank didn’t know. Naturally, if Sophia, being pretty much at the bottom among the Cathedral Knights, knew even a fraction of the crucial information of the Papal State, I’d be surprised.

“…Then, you know I have an obligation to protect that information from getting leaked, right?”

“…”

After a brief moment of thinking, I replied, “If I were to get that information, I’d be sure to share it with you.”

With that, I added, “And I’d also share that story you’re so eager to hear about ‘me.’”

Sophia’s eyes widened slightly at my words.

“The story about how you were told to learn about my combat methods — you wouldn’t think that’s all there is to it, would you? Surely, you heard the phrase ‘report anything unusual’ too.”

I could almost see an exclamation mark popping up over Sophia’s head.

“I’d guess that the Papal State thinks my power is connected to the ‘goddess’s power.’ If you accompany us this time and cooperate, I’ll share my story with you. I’m sure it won’t hurt you either.”

If it really came down to a situation where I couldn’t turn back time, I’d have no choice but to keep this promise.

But I didn’t think sharing such information would bring me any real loss.

So… well.

“How can I trust you?”

Sophia hesitated slightly and asked.

“The only proof I can show you is friendship. I don’t know how much you feel that friendship, but I think we’re pretty close.”

Right. I could honestly congratulate Sophia if she and Leo were together.

That way, I’d feel a bit less guilty towards Leo.

“…Can you speak in the name of the Fanggriffon?”

“That name isn’t that important in this conversation.”

I looked directly at Sophia as I said that. “I’m not asking you as a Crown Princess but as your friend, ‘Sylvia.’”

“…”

Yeah, it’s the same for Sophia.

Having grown up being constantly brainwashed by the Papal State since childhood.

Everyone’s a rival, and they’d have to step on each other just to climb a little higher.

Once you reach up there, you might taste the crumbs of friendship. After all, it does seem that friendships exist among the ‘knights’ of the Papal State.

“I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether to trust me or not.”

With those words, I stood up.

*

It wasn’t long after before Sophia came out of the room, having made up her mind.

Most of our group had finished grooming their weapons, and as time went on, the tension was slowly easing when Charlotte suddenly burst through the dressing room door, and Sophia emerged.

“…”

When our eyes met, Sophia nodded to me with the same stiff expression.

“Then it’s decided?”

Seeing Sophia like that, Charlotte opened her mouth.

“Let’s make one thing clear. What we’re looking for is that secret facility spread underneath Lutetia. As a princess, I cannot permit the destruction of the cultural site, the Cathedral of St. Latina. And collapsing the underground is also out of the question. After all, there are homes of the citizens of Lutetia above it.”

Everyone nodded at Charlotte’s words.

Seeing that, Charlotte looked at me.

Then she took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and with a determined expression, spoke to me.

“Alright then. Let’s give it a go.”

*

The secret tomb beneath Lutetia is inspired by the catacombs of Paris.

The real catacombs are very cramped. There are spaces where a few people can walk side by side, but sometimes you’d have to squeeze yourself through gaps just to fit. It’s so overly dug out that people can go missing entirely.

And of course, our Millennium doesn’t have the technology to translate all of that into a game.

Unlike the real catacombs, which are worm-like and spread everywhere—

“What is this place…?”

The underground tomb we arrived at was a site that had ‘proper’ burial chambers. There weren’t skulls scattered everywhere or weird skull towers like in the real catacombs, but rather a grand and immaculate underground tomb that looked like something right out of a sub-culture anime.

Of course, the setting that “it’s spread all over the underground of Lutetia, and we can’t grasp the overall scale” is similar to the real catacombs.

“Such a place existed beneath Lutetia, and nobody knew until now?”

Right?

Well, in the original game and in this world too, beasts running around like ‘monsters’ exist, and in the sewers, boxes containing Marmaros sit there for some inexplicable reason — it’s a bit strange that nobody knows…

If it were a game, I’d think of it as ‘game allowance’ and move on, but now that this has become reality, it’s a different story.

Everything in a game dungeon is placed there ‘intentionally’ by someone. Just because this place is so spacious is not simply a matter of technological limitations, but also because if it were too small, it would make gameplay difficult.

Then who’s responsible for this ‘reality’ where that ‘game allowance’ so brazenly exists?

Moreover, this game allowance only applies to the ‘similarities of places’ and does not apply to other general aspects. There are no HP or MP. There’s no inventory either, so if you want to carry something, you have to hold it or put it in a bag.

I guess it’s pointless to seriously think about the reasons for the existence of this ambiguous part in a ‘reality.’

Anyway, the space spread before my eyes was undeniably real.

“Even if we use explosives here and there, the ceiling is unlikely to collapse. But let’s be careful, just as Charlotte said.”

When I said that, the party members, who had been staring blankly at the ruins, nodded.

…Well, I did blow up part of the sewer during the entrance, but there shouldn’t be any big problems.

I waved my arm once more. The reinforced armor embedded with a few mana stones was still functioning well.

“I’d really like to meet the artisan who made that equipment.”

Rena had said that.

Maybe I should introduce her to him once this matter is settled.

I slung the specially crafted elephant-hunting revolver across my back and held my trusty rifle in hand.

In my holster, I had an automatic pistol and a revolver, with magazines full of regular ammunition and a round of Marmaros ammo alternately loaded.

I’m probably the most heavily armed I’ve ever been with all my gear.

“If there are people around, I’ll do my best to minimize casualties. It’s a massive place, but because it spreads widely over Lutetia, it’s easy to get lost. Make sure to follow closely behind me.”

“…I’m itching to ask right away how you knew all this information, but since I’ve just seen that such a place actually exists, I’ll let it slide for now.”

“I’ll explain everything once it’s all over.”

With that said, I looked towards Sophia. She seemed a bit pale. Maybe it was because the torches hanging around the underground ruins emitted a pale blue light.

“…”

Alice still hadn’t said anything.

I could see a thought in her eyes: ‘You didn’t see this in advance, did you?’

…No, wait.

Did I just read Alice’s expression?

Chapter 216

No matter how differently things happen in this world compared to the common sense of the world I lived in, to be honest, I really couldn’t grasp the current situation.

“Claire, I’ll leave the back to you!”

“Got it!”

With Leo’s shout, Claire ran straight to the rear. It seemed a bit unsettling to have Roti with her firearms and Mia with her magic in close combat behind.

Moreover, what was charging at us was—

“Cough!”

Claire’s swing of her sword left thick scratches on the ground and walls of the ruins. Then, naturally, a few dogs caught in between let out their unique sounds of distress into the air, as if they were under attack.

“Glasseista!”

Mia’s shout resonated just as the sound of a gunshot went off.

One of the two dogs that had been lifted into the air was pierced by an ice spear, while the other fell with a bullet to the head, blood spraying everywhere. If an animal protection agency from my world had seen it, they would have fainted.

We didn’t have time to be startled by each and every scene, though.

Click.

I heard a magazine being loaded into a pistol next to me.

Rena calmly swapped the empty magazine and fired two shots straight ahead. Two blue fireballs erupted in front of the large wolf that seemed to weigh more than both me and Rena combined, who had blue fur.

In an instant, smoke rose from the wolf’s face, followed by a roar that anyone could tell was extremely angry: “Grrrooooo!”

The wolf immediately leapt up—

Thud!

It crashed to the ground after being hit by my shot.

Not the Marmaros gun. A special round made with increased gunpowder for my rifle. Still enough penetration power to pierce through the wolf’s skull.

“This won’t end anytime soon!”

Alice shouted.

If the passage had been a bit narrower, we could have placed warriors wielding swords both in front and behind, and centered our firepower and support teams. But even though the ruins were large, they were overwhelmingly spacious.

It was enough room for ten people to form a circle, and there was even more space left; with beasts charging from all directions, it was difficult for just six swordsmen—myself, Rena, Mia, and Roti—to protect everyone.

I could still rewind time and had two pistols on me, so there was no problem there. Rena also had her pistol and submachine gun, so there shouldn’t be any issues in close combat.

But Roti’s rifle was a bolt-action rifle, and Mia needed time to cast spells. Thanks to those two managing to shoot down the beasts charging from afar, the number approaching us wasn’t overwhelming, but it was far from a level to feel secure.

“How on earth are there so many beasts living underground in Lutetia!?”

“Sorry, Princess. But I don’t think they’re actually ‘living’ down there.”

As Charlotte swung her rapier, she said so, and Jake, also swinging his sword nearby, chimed in.

Indeed, as Jake said, the beasts had collars around their necks like dog leashes. Some even had tags attached.

In the original story, such beasts poured out from the later dungeons, making it easy to obtain Marmaros—

—But back then, it was surely part of the Emperor’s plan to use even those beasts as weapons.

Besides, if the situation remained as is…

I shot down a few more dogs running toward us and, while pouring bullets into my rifle from a speedloader that looked like a cigarette pack, I glanced over at Sophia.

While swinging her sword imbued with light, Sophia had an extremely complicated expression. It must have been hard for her to comprehend why so many beasts were overflowing from the position of the nation she belonged to.

“Let’s take a moment to regroup.”

I spoke up.

“If we go further, there should be an empty room ahead… Even if there are other troops inside, we can handle them all and close the door to rest for a bit.”

In the previous game, there was no ‘auto-save’, so players had to manually save every time they felt uneasy, but with the transition to this new world, auto-save points seemed to have emerged. Usually, those points appeared in areas with some dialogue events or recovery devices set up.

Just like the recovery devices we saw in the Northwood ruins.

…Now that I think about it, I’ve only been to a ruin once. There must be many more than what I saw.

I felt like I was experiencing a condensed version of the series’ story all at once. It seemed like a few narratives had been skipped along the way… Well, even in the original, not all ruins appeared, and it wasn’t even possible to collect all the treasures.

But that’s not something to be thinking about right now.

What I really needed to seriously contemplate was this situation.

Clearly, the closer we got to the cathedral, the more formidable beasts would appear.

I’m not sure if reconfiguring the strategy would be meaningful, but at the very least, we needed a short break. Especially as the bodies of those swinging swords were gradually getting soaked with sweat.

A few people whose eyes met mine nodded.

Even those who couldn’t nod would probably follow us if we moved.

“This way!”

I shouted and turned my body to start running.

*

“Phew…”

Standing before the recovery device, Claire let out a long sigh. I could see a few of the minor wounds on Claire’s body disappearing in an instant.

Not just Claire; the injuries on the bodies of those who entered the room were also vanishing.

“What is this…?”

Charlotte muttered blankly as she watched her own wounds disappear.

“…”

Sophia didn’t say anything. I couldn’t tell whether she was at a loss for words because she knew about this device or if she was genuinely unaware since she was still at a lower rank.

“Roti, are you okay?”

“Yes, I have no injuries. But I wonder if the ammunition will be enough…”

“I have spare ammunition.”

I took off my coat covering my back. Under the coat was an exosuit that looked like it belonged in sci-fi novels, but upon closer inspection, it was made more of brass than steel, with gears spinning constantly in various places. Some of the visible gears even had a few scratches on them.

Though labeled a prototype, it was quite useful.

Perhaps it was scheduled to make a proper appearance again in a sequel when another war broke out. For now, it seemed impossible for mass production.

I placed the metal box I had strapped to my back on the ground.

“Roti, Rena, take what you need.”

“Thank you!”

Rena replied immediately. Roti hesitated for a moment before saying, “Then I won’t hold back.”

Saying that, she approached me.

I was glad that I had brought bullets of various calibers just in case. I didn’t think my considerations about whether or not to use the submachine gun would come in handy.

Honestly, I had simply loaded everything onto the train because I was too lazy to search and take each item out.

I was already carrying a rifle for elephant hunting on my back, and there were bullets strapped to my waist, abdomen, and even thighs, so I was feeling a bit heavy. Even in this state with such special gear.

“…Those beasts we encountered until now.”

While the two chose the right caliber bullets for their guns, Alice finally spoke up.

“Those things were all raised by people, right?”

“That’s correct.”

Perhaps they were even ‘created’.

There exists magic like that. More precisely, there are artifacts that make such magic possible. Opening doors to a world completely different from this one, contaminating ‘beasts’ to make them into colossal monsters, and even drawing in monsters from beyond to dominate them.

In the original work, it was magic the Emperor used in the later stages. So, in the late dungeons, beasts and monsters filled with Marmaros would pour out, and by spinning through certain intervals a few times, characters could finish their final setups.

Of course, in this world, just capturing beasts or monsters didn’t drop them on the ground like bags of marbles; that wouldn’t be of any use at this point.

The ancient relic itself was one of those that the Papal State had secured and was hiding, and it was a development where the Emperor would seize it and use it… but the Papal State would treat this ‘magic’ as ominous, right?

Because it goes against the perfect world created by the Goddess.

Then, if the Emperor…

No.

It’s not like that yet. If the Emperor had taken control of the underground, the Papal State wouldn’t be this quiet.

And there was no reason to use that magic in the underground of Lutetia. If he wanted to use that power, he would have gone straight to the Papal State. It’s a way to deliver a significant blow to an opponent opposed to the Empire without provoking a world war.

Then that would mean the Papal State used this magic.

“…Did you recall something?”

I raised my head at Alice’s voice.

Looking around, my friends were all staring at me. They all had anxious expressions.

“…”

Yeah, at this point, if I kept my thoughts to myself, it might interfere with future events. Emotional turbulence can greatly affect combat.

“I think the Papal State was preparing for war.”

So I decided to be honest and say it straightforwardly.

Chapter 217

“………”

The moment I spoke, the room was engulfed in silence.

“War…?”

Our hometown, Charlotte, murmured blankly.

“T-That can’t be true!”

Sofia flinched at Charlotte’s murmuring and immediately stepped forward as if to defend the Papal State.

“The Papal State wouldn’t have a reason to go to war with Velbur! There was the past, but that was settled long ago through negotiations between the two countries!”

“I didn’t say the Papal State was preparing for war with Velbur.”

“What if it isn’t the Papal State?”

Alice, who had been deep in thought with her arms crossed, spoke up.

“Maybe they were preparing for war with the Emperor.”

At my words, Alice let out a groan that rose from her throat.

“What on earth are you talking about? A war between the Empire and the Papal State? Why on earth would they prepare for such a war in Lutetia?”

Charlotte couldn’t hold back any longer and interjected.

“It’s not a war between the Empire and the Papal State; it’s a war between the Emperor and the Papal State.”

At my words, the room fell silent once more.

In the original story, the Emperor was preparing for war, and he actually carried it out. According to the timeline, this world would become a battlefield in approximately two months.

The training in Lutetia occurred because I was pulled into this world. In the original narrative, Alice hadn’t perfected her growth until just before the war broke out. During the months when the Emperor openly prepared for war, the relationship between Velbur and the Empire deteriorated, and Charlotte’s personality became sensitive as well.

No, actually, Charlotte and Alice had never been friends from the start, unlike in this world. The two met for the first time at the Academy, grew close slowly, but their friendship deteriorated again due to the war, only to be rekindled in the process of stopping the Emperor.

“They were trying to do whatever it took to stop the Emperor.”

“What reason is there to stop the Emperor? Is he preparing for war or something?”

No.

To be precise, he ‘had been.’ But in this world, due to various reasons, he had stopped that war and changed his plans. I didn’t know the specifics of those plans yet.

“The Emperor—”

I opened my mouth, glancing at Alice and Sofia.

Alice nodded, while Sofia’s face was pale. Honestly, I found it harder to read Sofia’s emotions since her expression was so stark compared to Alice, who was trying to hide hers. It was all so mixed up.

…Well, to be fair, I was oblivious in both my past life and this one.

Mia was looking at me while gripping her staff tightly. The Marmaros embedded in her staff had increased since I first gave her the ice attribute Marmaros, yet it still remained there. She must have gotten better ones since then, and I wondered why she kept that one on her staff… Hmm.

Roti and Jake were standing side by side, watching me. They didn’t ask anything and just followed us. It was as if they thought it was only natural to help since I had come this way.

I hadn’t expected things to escalate this far, so I didn’t mention that ‘we might need to risk our lives,’ but for some reason, I felt those two would still have followed even if I said that.

Rena was… the same as usual. Completely duped by my ridiculous act and following along. I wondered how she would have reacted if she saw my true self. Would she have been disappointed? Reflecting on this made me forget that I had been competing with myself over my own persona.

And finally.

Claire and Leo.

Claire was the first major character I met after coming this way.

…And she had a birth secret I never could have imagined. Looking back now, I think I understand why I ended up in that place to begin with. It might be due to Claire’s birth secret that the Emperor’s plans fell apart dramatically after Claire died.

As time passed, when she first met me, Claire confidently called me ‘sister.’ And to this day, she acted as if I was the most important person in her life.

As for Leo… I had plenty to apologize for.

It was almost miraculous that he kept helping every time I asked him for favors. Maybe someday, after a long time, we could share a drink and talk openly. Lately, though, he hasn’t looked as pale when I had one-on-one talks with him, so it might be possible.

…Hmm.

Maybe I had been lost in thought for too long, as the expressions of the kids in the room seemed to grow increasingly anxious, and I decided it was time to finish my thoughts and speak.

“The Emperor, in the past, had plans to conquer this world. But now he has ‘folded’ those plans, primarily due to me.”

“………”

The children’s eyes turned toward Alice. She nodded and added to the explanation.

“But Sylvia refused to become the Emperor. She insisted that I am the rightful heir to the Empire. Father fully trusts Sylvia’s judgment. So it seems he thinks it’s useless if Sylvia is against such a path.”

“Huh?”

Mia blurted out a question while listening to Alice. As all eyes returned to her, she quickly covered her mouth. There was no need for that.

“That’s right. I don’t have a drop of the Emperor’s blood. Since I came from the orphanage.”

After all, it was a story everyone in this room already knew.

…The reality was quite different, but due to a string of coincidences, this statement was also true. If the one saying this was ‘Claire Fanggriffon,’ it would be a lie or would mean she didn’t even know the truth herself.

“And even so, does that mean the Emperor sees you as the next Emperor?”

Charlotte asked.

“Father believes… that ability is more important than the bloodline of the person who will take over the Empire.”

Alice explained.

In reality, he was more concerned about bloodlines than anyone else, scattering seeds here and there to choose capable kids. It would be more accurate to say he doesn’t care about ‘purity.’ Just look at Claire in the original story.

“But I don’t think the Emperor has completely given up on that plan. When we last met, he acted like he had entirely abandoned it, but I now think it could have been a smokescreen. And I believe the Papal State thinks the same way. I was only able to think of that after coming this far.”

“………”

As I finished speaking, silence descended upon the room once more.

“So… does that mean the Crown Princess?”

Sofia was the one who spoke up.

“Does that mean the Crown Princess is moving to extinguish the flames of war, now and back then?”

“That’s correct,” I nodded.

One thing was certain.

Of course, it wasn’t with such noble thoughts. I didn’t have the right to think about avoiding the many deaths that would come from a war or all the sorrows that would follow…

I was simply acting to save the characters I liked.

If on the contrary, it required war to do so, I would have turned towards war without hesitation. However, doing so would make the path to a happy ending incredibly perilous.

“That’s why I need to understand this situation in detail. I need to know where those beasts are pouring out from, and whether the Papal State is truly behind it. If the Papal State is indeed behind these incidents, I need to know how they are doing it.”

I had an idea of what to expect. We had already wandered around this dungeon so much that there was no way it would lead us down a bizarre path—one that did not appear in the original narrative.

However, even though this world is reflected from the game’s content, it was more resembling reality than a game.

Therefore, if there were any variables, I needed to know their causes in advance. That way, I could find a way to deal with it afterwards.

Or move accordingly so I can find it ‘before.’

As I finished speaking, everyone stared at me quietly.

No one made any noise or nodded energetically.

Clink.

The silence was broken by a small metallic sound.

“I’m ready.”

Rena stood up, holding a handgun, while I nodded at her.

“Then shall we go?”

No one refused.

Chapter 218

“This is just… sigh”

How many times have I said that?

Probably about nine times now. I was the only one out of ten who didn’t mutter something like that.

As we went further down to the cathedral, bigger and more grotesque monsters popped up. At first, they looked ‘like’ bears, tigers, or lions. Of course, they didn’t resemble any ordinary beasts.

When it comes to ‘monsters’ designed by a Japanese company, there’s this impression that they’d be cute. There’s a famous precedent for it, and Japan has a culture that loves small and charming things, right? So honestly, when I played the first series, I couldn’t really adapt.

The monsters are just too ugly!

With a middling level of bad graphics, they stuck all sorts of textures onto those realistically styled monsters, making them really ‘disturbingly grotesque’. This game, Chronicle of Aetherna, had monsters that showed us exactly what it was like when those middling textures were made ‘realistic’.

I was a little less shocked, having at least an idea of what they looked like… No, that’s not quite right. Still, I couldn’t help but take a step back at the sight of corpses melting and oozing away.

“Hmph…”

This time, it was Charlotte who muttered, “What on earth is this,” taking a deep breath before lightly shaking her wrist. I couldn’t tell if the blue was blood or if the black was blood, but anyway, the creature’s bodily fluids, quite viscous, dropped off her sword with a splash. The sound of it hitting the floor gave me the creeps. … Looking more closely, it seemed less like a liquid and more like slippery mucus.

“…Well, at least I managed to block it properly this time.”

Leo swung his blade around and said that. Most of the ‘swordsmen’ in our party had little wounds here and there. Every time it looked like someone would get seriously hurt, I would rewind time to provide cover fire, but it was difficult to erase all the minor attacks.

“Are you alright, sis?”

While I was catching my breath in place, Claire questioned me.

“I’m fine.”

And I had a few of those wounds too.

To protect Mia, who could barely use a sword, and Roti, who similarly hadn’t had a proper chance to learn swordsmanship, I had to engage in close combat along with Rena.

Rena used a handgun and a submachine gun, and I generally stuck with a bolt-action rifle, but thanks to my performance-enhancing suit, I could manage those kinds of tasks even if not perfectly.

Sure, I was just flailing my arms around and hitting heads by luck. Well, I also had a handgun, so it was just a matter of ‘hitting and shooting’.

“Sis, you’re bleeding from your hand…?”

“Ah.”

Only after I heard Claire’s words did I raise my left hand.

Was it called a jackchain? The brass plate connecting my shoulder, elbow, wrist, and fingers was slightly bent. On the outside, it looked like brass, but inside was supposedly a pretty sturdy steel core, so even if the outside was a bit bent, it shouldn’t be a huge issue.

Blood was running under the brass plate that went over my fingers. In some ways, it looked distinctly like rust-colored water.

“I must have hurt myself a bit when swinging my fist earlier.”

Moving my fingers, I felt a little sting, but it didn’t seem broken or anything.

While I fiddled with the brass plate that was making a creaking noise around my hand, I heard a voice muttering,

“Spitter’s Lucis.”

In an instant, my body was wrapped in a warm white light, and the pain in my fingers vanished.

Turning my head, I saw Mia nearby.

“I healed everyone else too.”

Mia’s face looked a little pale as she said that.

“Are you okay?”

We had been running for quite a while, and we had now reached almost to the center. In every game, there’s always a health recovery device in front of the boss room, so it should exist here as well, but if the mana ran out on the way to that, we’d be extremely tired as well.

Mia nodded, then took a small bottle from her waist and drank from it. After a few minutes of waiting, a hint of color returned to her cheeks.

“…I wasn’t carrying this to use in a place like this.”

Mia averted her eyes slightly as she spoke.

Did she prepare it for me when I first showed up? I mean, if Mia was about to protect herself or use a weapon to harm others, that weapon would likely have been aimed at me. Now that purpose was gone, and only the weapons and equipment remained.

“I’m sorry.”

Out of nowhere, Roti stepped closer to me and bowed.

“If I had trained myself in close combat a bit better, I wouldn’t have relied on all of you like this…”

“But Roti can use some magic too. So can Sophia. If it weren’t for you two, Mia would have collapsed a long time ago.”

Claire said that to comfort Roti.

That was the truth. Mia had used almost firepower-based magic both in the source material and here. If it weren’t for Mia, I would have drained all my ammunition for the massive Marmaros. Thanks to having those two wizards, who were launching giant ice spears and fireballs from the back, I could draw attention or fall back a bit, giving myself time.

Healing magic consumes mana too, just like attack magic. If Mia had taken on both of those by herself, she would’ve collapsed from mana exhaustion long ago.

“The magic I use is based on those recorded in my tools.”

Roti said humbly.

Sure, if such tools existed in the source material, anyone could perform magic, but… still, it requires the ‘aptitude’ to use it. Unless Roti, who was something of a hybrid character, was really a full-on magic-user like Mia, they’d be better off just using their own skills. Those characters usually kept magic for ’emergency’ use after the wizard character collapsed.

Especially in a place where you’re limited in what you can carry, selection and concentration would be even more important.

“By the way, I was surprised. I didn’t expect Sophia to be able to use healing magic. Usually, warriors don’t have time to learn any magic.”

Roti’s words held genuine admiration, but Sophia, who had been listening to us from a distance, flinched at that.

“Ah, well… um…”

There are many types of magic that can be used without uttering spells. In fact, all magic can technically be used without spells. Yet, it’s much easier and more effective to spit out a spell.

Sophia had kept her mouth shut while using healing magic in here.

Mia seemed to have noticed to some extent that the magic Sophia used was fundamentally different from her own, but sensing that discussing it here wouldn’t really help, she opened her mouth, only to close it in an instant.

However, without unnecessarily voicing such concerns, two people already looked at Sophia with somewhat meaningful eyes.

Alice and Charlotte.

Since Alice had already heard about Sophia’s identity from me, she could probably guess that was divine magic.

Charlotte grew up in a city with the Cathedral of Latina. While she wasn’t from the Papal State, that meant she had seen people who used divine magic multiple times. It wasn’t uncommon for clergy to visit royalty or nobles when they fell ill in Velbur.

However, while Sophia hadn’t completely withheld divine magic during her training at the Academy… coating her sword in divine power momentarily and healing someone are two different matters.

“…We’re almost there. That recovery device we saw earlier should be coming up shortly. Rena, do we have enough ammunition?”

I opened my mouth to change the subject.

“Yes. I’ve used quite a lot of regular ammunition, but it’s not enough to say it’s lacking, and I have nearly all of my Marmaros left.”

“Good.”

I nodded.

“Can I ask what kind of monster is over there?”

Jake, who had been near Roti, looked at me and asked.

By now, everyone must have sensed something in one way or another. Of course, they wouldn’t have been able to pinpoint that I was seeing the future or rewinding time, but they could tell that I knew something about this place. After all, I hadn’t gotten lost at all on the way here.

I even ignored the treasure chest rooms scattered along the way. If we entered those rooms, we’d have to fight unnecessarily, and we’d get exhausted if we continued battling in this not-game-like world. If we’d gone through all that, we would have collapsed long ago before even reaching here.

Well, in the source material, only four people would be participating in battles while others were on standby.

I couldn’t bring all ten people here from the start, nor were there many who were still not ‘companions.’

“…….”

I fell into thought for a moment.

What was the ‘monster’ that the Emperor had unleashed in the source material?

As I kept my mouth shut, everyone looked at me, seemingly tense.

“Perhaps…?”

Yeah, I can’t be sure. The Emperor had released the monster back then, and the enemies we’re facing now are from the Papal State.

But, just to say what I know…

“It’s likely a Gryphon. It’s been considerably grotesquely altered.”

“…….”

Gryphons exist in this world. They’re usually found in mountainous regions where ordinary people don’t inhabit, and there’s no reason for them to encounter humans. They’re the kings of beasts that can’t even be tamed by people. That’s how Gryphons are perceived in this world.

“……Ha.”

Until that point, Alice, who had been silent, finally opened her mouth with a laugh.

“This is ridiculous.”

Chapter 219

It’s a funny story. Those named ‘Fanggriffon’ are feeling tension about the name ‘Gryphon’?

Well, technically speaking, the name Fanggriffon was not something we chose on our own. If we’re to be precise, it was the name of the one who ruled as the king of Gryphons and conquered the world in that chaotic age.

But hey, that was a person from the mythical era—if such stories existed in modern times, I would have just brushed them off as ‘founding myths.’ Even in this world, those who look down on the empire think like that sometimes.

However, this world operates ‘as per the original work.’ So if I just thought of that myth as ‘just a myth,’ it would be foolish.

“Honestly, isn’t it a bit ridiculous?”

After hearing my story, Alice spoke as if trying to release some of the lingering tension.

“To place such a recovery device right in front of the ‘main base’ like this. Common sense would suggest it should be inside, right? This is just inviting intruders to take a break outside.”

“Maybe it’s for the guards stationed near the entrance?” Charlotte chimed in, seemingly trying to join Alice in loosening the tension.

“No, even if you think that way, it’s still better to have it inside. It would be more desirable to use it to ‘replenish’ the troops.”

Seeing Charlotte speak with a serious expression, everyone turned to look at the recovery device.

Regardless of the reasoning, the recovery device was indeed effective.

Just a while ago, we barely managed to fight off the monsters at the door, and it was thanks to it that we could have this conversation in one piece.

Our clothes were torn and in tatters, and just moments ago, Leo was bleeding profusely. Mia was swaying, nearly on the verge of collapse… all those situations were resolved with just that one recovery device.

“Perhaps.”

Rena, who had been listening to the two, quietly offered her opinion with her hand on her chin.

“It might have been excluded precisely because this recovery device restores even the enemies. If it were inside, the fighting enemies would continue to recover… perhaps they wanted to install it on the outside for the guards to use, and deal with the threats inside with sure-fire strength.”

It seemed the recovery device had no effect on the monsters, though.

“…there’s no way we can find the answer by talking among ourselves here.”

Alice said this while reaching out to touch the massive door in front of us.

It was a huge bronze door, intricately engraved like Rodin’s ‘Gates of Hell.’ The difference was that this door was cast in bronze, while the hell gate was made of something else, and it looked even bigger than the already quite large hell gate.

And the engraving must be very different too. Since I couldn’t clearly recall what the hell gate looked like, I just got the impression of ‘this kind of vibe.’

“Do you think we can open this?”

“I don’t think it’s locked.”

“…Why?”

Good question.

Alice’s gaze towards me was somewhat different than usual.

Typically, the information I shared with Alice was based on my experiences from the future, and even if it weren’t, Alice generally had an idea about my ability.

But this situation…

It would be too weird to say I had ‘been here before.’

If I had tried first and failed and then called for help, we wouldn’t have made it this far. It would have been impossible to know the way entirely. In the first place, getting a group of people through here was incredibly difficult; saying I came alone and went all the way through to see the inside, then rewound time to lead everyone back in just didn’t add up at all.

Other kids had occasionally shot me looks like that along the way, but the gaze Alice was sending was entirely different.

Though I had become slightly better at reading Alice’s expression, I still couldn’t accurately grasp the feelings she was experiencing right now.

“…….”

When I fell silent, Alice didn’t ask any further questions. She just let out a long breath.

“Well, fine.”

Alice muttered that, then looked towards Charlotte.

“Then… are you ready?”

“Yes, I’ve actually been ready since a while ago. What about you all?”

As Charlotte turned to look back, everyone nodded. Although she was the last to do so and was wearing a somewhat dark expression, Sophia nodded too.

“Alright. Let’s act as we discussed before coming here. Of course, you don’t have to stick to the plan strictly; situations can change anytime.”

“Well, honestly, even if there’s a dragon instead of a gryphon, we won’t have time to change our plan.”

At Alice’s words, Charlotte shrugged.

“Both are winged beasts, so it should work out somehow.”

Someone let out a dry laugh.

“…….”

Then for a moment, there was a silence where no one spoke.

Alice looked at me.

I nodded.

Alright.

After all, no one was going to die. I would make sure of that.

Ultimately, that was the reason I was here.

*

“…….”

Should I say it’s surprising, or should I say it was expected?

The opponent was indeed a ‘Logryphon.’

However, it wasn’t just any gryphon. It seemed to be a gryphon ‘engineered for easy control.’

The head part, reminiscent of a white-haired eagle, was smeared with something resembling black ink, and the yellow eyes that should have been yellow were stained red.

Looking at the body, it had sparse feathers and tumor-like growths sticking out; how should I put it, I felt a little bad to say this about a gryphon, but it looked like a pet that someone abandoned after raising it. An extremely beaten-up one.

Yet despite all that, its majestic demeanor as the king of beasts remained unchanged.

With no sounds emanating, it looked down on us with its head held high and red eyes, and I felt an inexplicable sense of reverence.

However, the problem was…

“Looks like we’re not alone.”

Indeed.

There were several heavily armed knights near the gryphon.

Throughout our journey here, we hadn’t seen a single human until now.

Was the knight force all of them? If so, what were they doing?

All knights wore helmets that hid their faces, so I couldn’t see their expressions, but in an instant, I could clearly see that they turned their heads toward Alice, me, and Charlotte.

Right after that, they exchanged glances as if gauging each other. Were they flustered?

If it were just me and Alice, that would be one thing, but Charlotte dying here would not be something even the Papal State would want.

Moreover, we had already eliminated quite a number of the ‘forces’ that the Papal State had prepared as we came this far. If this ‘place’ doesn’t get breached, they can just regroup, and sure, there are areas we haven’t even inspected yet.

“……You all must know that the owner of this land is the Kingdom of Velbur.”

Charlotte opened her mouth.

“Even if a priest from the Papal State is here in the cathedral, it’s already a matter that was settled long ago that this place is ‘Belbur territory.’ So why are you doing such things down here?”

“…….”

The gryphon merely looked down at us.

All the knights remained silent, not saying a word, but—

“Your Highness.”

Instead, a voice came from above.

It was the gentle voice of an elderly man.

“……Cardinal.”

The Cardinal of Velbur. I had already met him once before.

“Your Highness, it’s been a while since we’ve met. I never expected to see you under such circumstances.”

“I’m glad to see you well.”

I replied like that. The Cardinal then looked down at me quietly, before turning his gaze back to Charlotte. He seemed to have no interest in Alice.

“Did you ask why we are doing such things?”

“Yes. Why are you doing this, especially beneath Velbur?”

“Then the reason is singular. Peace.”

“……Peace.”

“Indeed. Under the goddess’s grace, a peace we shall enjoy in a perfect world. We are merely fulfilling the wishes of the goddess, completing the ‘perfect world’ that the Fanggriffon Empire trampled upon long ago.”

“That world must have been pure chaos.”

As Alice interjected, the Cardinal’s gaze finally shifted to her.

“We were merely creating a new world. To be perfect, we must remove what needs to be eliminated.”

Hah.

So that’s how he interprets it.

Well, fanaticism typically comes with a lot of nonsense.

“In that sense, I was disappointed in you, Sophia.”

The Cardinal’s words caused everyone to glance at Sophia for an instant.

Sophia looked pale.

“I sent you to properly monitor Princess Sylvia, yet you cooperated in coming this far.”

“You were trying to monitor me because of—”

I cut in.

“Was it only because of my powers?”

“Ah.”

The Cardinal seemed to have been waiting for this question.

“Well, we haven’t quite figured you out yet. At first, we thought you were just a human with nonsensical powers, then we speculated you might be an envoy of the goddess, but we still haven’t grasped the full picture.”

“If I were an envoy of the goddess, I wouldn’t be facing you like this.”

“We can never dare to understand the goddess’s thoughts. Ultimately, it will be a world directed by the goddess’s will. We merely struggle to understand that will and make our own efforts.”

“…….”

Hmm.

Perhaps the Papal State has also fallen into quite a state of disarray.

Just as the Emperor lost more clarity about my existence and became a question mark, perhaps the Papal State was also lost and falling apart.

Well, fine.

Whether their contradictory responses were intended to hide their intentions or if they were genuinely confused, I could always directly yank their collars and demand answers.

“……Mia!”

“Yes? Ah, yes!”

At my shout, Mia momentarily panicked, then swiftly wielded her staff.

Chapter 220

Mia’s original plan for the spell wasn’t supposed to be like this!

The Gryphon has wings, so the original idea was to quickly create stairs of ice and have Alice and Charlotte leap up at the same time to take it down!

But if it were just the Gryphon alone, that would have worked; however, having a human controlling that Gryphon changed the game.

“Spitherus Glacia!”

As Mia shouted the spell and waved her staff towards the ground, it looked as if water was spilling on the floor, and instantly, ice began to freeze in its place.

It wasn’t the beautiful ice stairs you see in a Disney animation. Rather, it was more like a rushed, shotgun blast of stairs. The front of the staircase had sharp, thick icicles sticking out, threatening to poke anyone who charged in like a pin cushion!

Whether Mia meant for it to turn out that way or not, it was indeed helpful. To us, it looked like just a staircase, but to our opponents, it must have resembled an icy battle wagon charging at them!

Several knights stationed near the stairs took a step back.

Puyoo! It sounded like an eagle cry, straight out of a Western movie before a showdown, as the Gryphon flapped its wings and lifted its body.

Even standing on all fours, it radiated an immense presence, but with those hind legs backing it up, it truly looked like a monster from a nightmare.

“Mia!”

I shouted as I was already sprinting up the stairs at full speed.

“I know!”

When I shouted again, Mia returned with a shout of her own.

A moment later, the incantation rang out once more.

The ice stairs continued to rise, twisting upward in a gentle spiral.

Once again, the cry of a regal bird echoed—too clear to be a beast’s cry. The Gryphon twisted its body, preparing to unleash.

Tukang! The sound was not from the regular bullets I used before; it had a strange explosive quality that made it sound more like a cannon than a firearm.

Kang! The butt of the gun slammed into my shoulder, rattling my armor, and a creaking sound came from my elbow as a bonus. Should I tell Browning to improve that later?

I never expected a single bullet would take down a Gryphon. After all, it wouldn’t be a Gryphon if it was that easy! Very few people returned alive who ventured into the Gryphon’s home. Even after the invention of the camera, pictures of Gryphons remained scarce.

The Gryphon’s red eyes locked onto mine.

A chill ran down my spine.

It was a completely different sensation compared to being in a battlefield with bullets flying around. In battle, at least you knew the enemy was a human. As long as the opponent was human, locking eyes didn’t invoke a sense of awe like staring down another creature. Especially if that creature looked like just a regular soldier.

But right now, in front of me, stood a Gryphon—the pinnacle of living beings. In this world, unless it was a dragon of legend, there wasn’t anyone who could defeat a Gryphon with bare hands.

But—

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

A sharp voice came from below, and with a swing, a sword barely missed the Gryphon’s face. It was Claire’s attack.

Pishuhhhh! A wound appeared next to the Gryphon’s face. I didn’t have time to see if it was bleeding.

However, the Gryphon didn’t react hastily at all.

It simply rose up and flapped its wings, taking to the air.

“Tch.”

I clicked my tongue and raised my gun again—

Tududu!

But before I could pull the trigger, another bullet flew towards the Gryphon. Judging by the smaller explosion it made compared to my bullet, it must have been another Marmaros round. Flames red, with chunks of ice flying.

I didn’t have time to look down. But I had a strong hunch that Rena was the one who pulled the trigger. Did she cram all the rounds meant for her pistol into a submachine gun?

The Gryphon still didn’t lose its fierce glare, but it appeared my attack managed to draw its attention.

The focus that had been on me shifted toward the ground below.

In an instant, the overpowering pressure on me vanished, and I heard the sounds of swords clashing below. Shouts and gunfire ensued.

“This is as far as it goes! I can’t make it any higher!”

Mia yelled, her voice hoarse from shouting multiple times.

Indeed, I could see the top of the stairs.

And beyond those stairs, I saw the Cardinal’s face.

A faint light emanated from his chest, most likely guiding the Gryphon he was controlling.

If he could control the Gryphon correctly, he should have used it to shield himself first, but the Cardinal’s face twisted in sheer panic as we made eye contact.

…Ah, I get it.

So even with such a formidable object, he couldn’t fully control the Gryphon.

And with only one at that.

So, what does that mean?

It looks like that person isn’t someone who can tame a Fanggriffon.

I crouched low and then launched myself upwards with all my might.

Clang! The sound of the solid ice breaking echoed. My body flipped into the air as my vision reversed.

Is it the adrenaline coursing through me? Or maybe all that shooting up until now was worthwhile? In that flipped perspective, everything moved in slow motion, from the knights rushing to protect the Cardinal to him frantically spinning around.

No precise aim was necessary. The bullets coming from the gun in my hand would explode with no regard for safety.

I aimed toward where everyone was gathered and shot.

Bang! In an instant, part of the second floor was blown apart. A scream pierced the air. Someone was thrashing about, possibly on fire.

“Gak…!”

But I wasn’t going to escape unscathed. If there were Cathedral knights around, they were sure to wield swords.

Swish! In a split second, my right arm became a mess.

I made a grand leap, but I couldn’t reach the 2nd floor railing—

—There’s no way I’m falling, right?

Not again!

*

I twisted in mid-air. The edge of the sword brushed past my shoulder; it was within my tolerance limits. Once the battle wraps up, I could just open the door and heal quickly.

However, my plan for a graceful landing didn’t pan out.

I landed in the spots where Marmaros rounds exploded, but thankfully, I didn’t drop into the enemy’s grasp; instead, I rolled across the ground several times.

The inside of my brass exo-suit was made of iron spikes, so this rough rolling gave me an acute ‘bone-jolting’ feeling. My shoulder was wounded, making it hurt even more.

I’ll be sure to mention this to Browning when I get back.

Without wasting a moment, I sprang up only to roll back down again.

It’s not like the knights were just waiting for me to get back on my feet to fire at them!

Again!

*

Using a revolver that barely contained a few bullets to spray opponents at close range isn’t a great choice. If I were holding an assault rifle with thirty rounds, that would make sense, but with a revolver that only holds six bullets and no speed-loader, the moment I empty my chamber, I’d be a sitting duck.

But,

If my enemies are piled up right in front of me, and the rounds in my gun are not your ‘average’ bullets, and I have infinite opportunities to scatter these six rounds how I desire, then it’s a different story.

I didn’t get up from the ground; I rolled instead.

The sword came flying toward the spot I had just occupied, sending dust and shrapnel flying.

At that moment on the ground, only my head was raised enough to survey my opponents. I pulled out the revolver I had prepped on my waist with my right hand.

Calibrating my aim towards the enemies, I panned with my left hand.

Bang bang bang! The enemies standing before me burst apart. Of course, I saw them burst from my perspective; they likely didn’t meet their end in an explosion. The armor worn by Cathedral knights couldn’t merely be ornamental. It was definitely enchanted metal, not mere steel plates.

So let’s just be satisfied with the few in the front line that fell.

Thanks to that, I bought myself some time.

I immediately sprang up and grabbed the gun lying on the ground.

“Gah…!”

Kang! I felt another sword strike my right arm. The brass plate crumpled, and I felt the iron spikes jab my arm.

Still, Jack Chain held firm and prevented my arm from being completely severed.

For a moment, I thought about rewinding time but decided to fire shot first.

The situation was not yet the worst.

I wedged the butt of my elephant hunting rifle under my armpit and aimed at my enemies.

Then I pulled the trigger.

Chapter 221

Huff A sound of someone catching their breath echoed.

If my comrade, who was cleanly shot through the stomach, fell forward, it made sense they’d make such a sound—but that wasn’t the only reason.

The humans behind them fell as well, collapsing sideways at the same time.

The plate armor all had bullet holes.

Thud! Thud!

The sound of clunky guns firing in rapid succession mixed with ear-shattering gunfire.

I fired continuously toward the direction of the Cardinal, until the revolver’s cylinder was empty.

I didn’t even aim properly. It didn’t matter if I hit or not. The Marmaros was sufficient. With each shot, enemies were engulfed in flames, their armor froze, and they were swept away by the wind.

The reactions coming back were pure horror.

Well, Marmaros is indeed one of the most important resources. It was only natural they’d react like this, wasting it on a single bullet.

Aside from one bullet shot at the Gryphon, there were five rounds left in the gun.

I carefully counted the remaining bullets while shooting one by one, securing my line of sight as my enemies panicked and took a breath.

And finally, I confirmed that the earth-type Marmaros pierced through the enemies with a single shot, then I tossed the rifle down.

Without a moment’s pause, I grabbed the automatic pistol hidden under my arm with both hands and dove into the side of the corridor.

A few sword strokes swept past my previous position a beat later, with some even flying towards the décor I had hidden behind, scattering a few stone fragments as well.

I just reached out and fired a few rounds in that position.

“Ah…!”

And then, my hand was sliced off.

Looks like I didn’t hit.

Again.

*

The reason I was able to instill fear in my opponents on the battlefield was that I could hit them even without looking, and I already knew where the threats would come from. Well, technically, I had only fought for real once, but from my perspective, it wasn’t even a ‘one’ time success.

Once before turning back time, and once after—plus I had gone through that battlefield several times already in practice to get the best results.

So, to put it simply, I could be called a ‘veteran’ relative to my age.

How skilled the Cathedral Knights were, or what their training level was, I didn’t know. But if there was something they could never match, it was the fact that most knights lacked ‘real combat experience.’

If the Empire and the Papal State were to fight, the Papal State would inevitably lose. The Empire would send in the veterans who survived the Northern battlefield. No matter how outstanding an individual’s skills were, facing thousands of soldiers who survived hell was too much for the Cathedral Knights of the Papal State.

It wasn’t just a simple difference in skills or the strength of weapons.

If the protagonists hadn’t defeated the Emperor, the war would have ended with the Empire’s one-sided slaughter.

I couldn’t see the expressions of my enemies. But the human inside those armor surely felt fear.

The smell lingering on the second floor was a mix of smoky gunpowder and the metallic scent of blood. Amidst the burnt smell, there was a faint freshness of earth.

“Eek…!”

As I slowly approached the Cardinal, he hurriedly tried to crawl away from me. With one arm gone and a leg broken with exposed bone, his desperate attempts to escape looked somewhat pitiful.

I wiped the blood trickling down my forehead. It had been obstructing my vision for a while now.

From the first floor, the sounds of clashing swords and the Gryphon’s roars could still be heard.

Were the kids safe?

I desperately wanted to check, but it was more important to stop what was in the Cardinal’s chest. In games, you could defeat an enemy by just reducing their HP—conversely, as long as HP didn’t hit ‘0’ from our side, you could somehow take them down. But here, it was different. Permanent disabilities couldn’t be reversed unless time was turned back, and the dead couldn’t be revived. In battle, there was no option of just ‘falling.’

Bang, bang.

As I stepped forward, I took down the knights who were struggling to get up and grab their swords.

“Ugh…!”

As I finally approached the Cardinal, stepping on his back, blood spewed from his mouth with that sound.

“Why?”

The Cardinal spat those words out.

Right?

That was what I wanted to ask you.

But since he wasn’t dead, it was something I could check once he was treated somehow.

“It’s too late…! The beasts and monsters outside have already…!”

“If this is removed, they won’t be controllable anymore.”

I leaned down and tore off the necklace hanging around the Cardinal’s neck.

“What on earth…?”

Straining to lift his head to see me, as if realizing something, the Cardinal struggled to spit out the words.

“If deities exist, and if they truly are observing this place, it means those deities have not chosen you.”

I let the necklace drop to the ground and lifted my foot off the Cardinal, crushing the object.

Splinter—the delicate necklace shattered effortlessly.

“Ah!”

A noise came from below.

Something must have happened to the Gryphon.

But since the intense clashing of swords suddenly quieted, it didn’t seem to be a change just disadvantageous for us.

I took out the emergency bandages I had kept. …It looked like I didn’t put it in a good spot. I had stored it on the side where there was no brass plate, and of all places, that part had been hit by a sword, leaving the bandages tattered. Plus, blood was oozing out from below, so no matter how I looked at it, it seemed the ‘bandage’ was no longer functioning.

Well, for the purpose I was going to use it for now, it would still be usable.

I stuffed the bandage into the Cardinal’s mouth. If he bit his tongue… well, he wouldn’t die, but it’d undoubtedly be a hassle for the testimony I needed to hear.

“Try not to die. There’s much I want to ask you after this is all done.”

After briefly gazing at the Cardinal’s wide-open eyes as he looked up at me, I turned back.

Even if it said ‘second floor,’ it was really just a corridor. Overall, it looked like a huge hall. So I could properly look over the situation on the first floor.

The Gryphon was bowing its head, kneeling. The previous dignified appearance had vanished, replaced with ragged breaths.

That made sense.

With so many tumors on its body, blood vessels in its eyes bursting, and sores here and there, it must have been agony just to stand still.

The reason the Cardinal couldn’t escape after all was likely due to this. A regular beast could manage to move on just its tumor’s strength, but the Gryphon would have needed immense power just to remain standing.

I knew what that thing was. I had read it in settings books multiple times. So I didn’t feel much regret in breaking it.

Rather than that…

“Not yet! Keep fighting until the end—”

One of the cathedral knights, who had been particularly resilient, said that before slumping face-first into the ground.

Accompanied by the sound of my gunfire.

To be honest, wielding that gigantic gun was exhausting. However, since the suit’s magic stone hadn’t run out of power yet, and the suit itself provided some level of power assist, I was able to keep my sitting position while shooting.

I still had some rounds of Marmaros remaining in the magazine.

After taking down the Cardinal, reloading the fallen gun with bullets wasn’t too difficult, as no further combatants remained on this side.

Five rounds left.

There were more than five knights below, but—

“…”

My gaze met with Alice, who was looking up at me.

Not just Alice. Claire, Leo, Charlotte, Mia, Rena, Jake, Roti.

…And even Sofia, looking up at me with a bit of fear.

They still looked ready to fight.

Everyone had at least one big or small injury, but none had fallen. Even while I had turned back time so many times—they had persistently stood their ground, fighting.

Against the Gryphon.

Knowing very well it was entirely not a situation that allowed for that, a laugh almost slipped out.

“Indeed. It’s not over yet.”

I murmured quietly.

“If you want to end it, then go all out until the end. But for now… I would recommend just acknowledging your defeat.”

One knight staring blankly at me dropped his sword to the ground. In the room, overwhelmed by silence, the sound of metal hitting the floor rang out oddly loudly.

After that, a few more such sounds echoed.

Was I that frightening?

How foolish.

The real ‘Fanggriffon’ that fought against the Gryphon was probably those kids in front of you.

Chapter 222

To be honest, I wasn’t in great shape.

There weren’t many hiding spots here, unlike the battlefield, and the space was even smaller. It even felt like there were more enemies compared to the location. Sure, there were thousands of enemies crowded together on the battlefield, but I wasn’t battling the ‘entire’ battlefield at that time. Unlike a trench where a few people could move around somewhat to maneuver a large-scale force, this two-story corridor was too narrow. There was little space to breathe.

Of course, that meant I was exposed to enemy attacks.

And they weren’t just regular soldiers; they were trained knights in many ways. They might have been humans who had never ‘tasted blood’ before, but that just meant they were a tough opponent for me to face alone against the odds.

If I hadn’t been able to turn back time, I wouldn’t have been able to stand here like this. In the first place, I probably wouldn’t have won at all.

…A game is a game. No matter how many enemies there are, it’s possible for the four members of your party to wipe them all out because that’s a story within a game.

Now that I think about it, my opponents included gryphons, the empire’s best swordsman, and even the Emperor himself.

I used the magic ice stairs to go up, but I took the regular stairs down. After a fierce battle, there was no point in forcing Mia to exert more magical power.

Those ice stairs probably existed because it wasn’t a ‘game.’ In the original game, the magic that players could use was only through commands during combat.

“Sylvia!”

Alice shouted at me in a frightened voice.

As I was barely descending the stairs with my limping leg, sweat was dripping down my forehead and slowly blocking my vision. Of course, I was dragging the Cardinal with one hand while pointing my handgun at the surrendered enemy with the other, so there was no way to wipe the blood away.

With each step down, I could hear the Cardinal’s body thud against the stairs, but honestly, I was too exhausted to even consider him.

…Hmm.

Only after reaching the bottom did I think that my condition might be the worst among our ten people.

Thud.

When I dropped the Cardinal to the ground, I heard a muffled sound. Some of his limbs had been torn off, but it didn’t seem like he would die from excessive blood loss. Maybe the heat from Marmaros had some hemostatic effect as well.

As I wiped the blood flowing from my hand, Alice rushed over to me. She snatched my empty arm and wrapped it around her neck.

“Are you okay—”

Alice, who was about to ask, quickly closed her mouth. To be honest, I probably didn’t look okay at all. I could easily imagine how I looked without even checking a full-length mirror.

During the fight, I was in a state of almost losing my consciousness, but now that the tension was slowly easing, fatigue and pain came rushing in all at once.

I might have been able to calmly rewind time even if my arm got blown off during the battle… That was probably because of all the times I had been cut by Lucas. “If you get hit hard, it hurts less.” This was one of the things I learned after taking a hit from Lucas’s sword many times. And also that the pain would become unbearable after some time.

“I’m fine.”

But even though the battle was over, I couldn’t fully relax yet.

“We need to secure the surrendered ones…”

“Got it.”

Charlotte, who was a little distance away, immediately understood my words.

“I, Princess Charlotte of Velbur, command you. All of you kneel and place your hands behind your heads.”

Charlotte took a step toward the knights and spoke confidently. She had several large and small wounds on her body. Especially on her shoulder, there was a wound that definitely looked like it had been made by a beast. The gryphon’s claws were certainly not small, and the position of the wound was much wider than that of a typical beast’s claw mark.

“You have conducted unauthorized military operations beneath the land of Velbur. This violates the covenant between the Kingdom and the Papal State, and we will hold you accountable later.”

At Charlotte’s words, the rest of the team began to move.

In fact, we hadn’t brought any restraints with us when we came here. We didn’t think we could subdue the enemy without killing them just by looking at how the battle was starting.

But it seemed the enemy had thought otherwise.

It looked like they didn’t intend to kill us? The Papal State knights had several handcuffs hanging from their waists. After all, if they killed Princess Velbur, it would put them in a tricky situation.

Whether they were using our lives as a bargaining chip or thought they had a good chance of negotiation, they had to leave the ‘intent to negotiate’ on the table in some way. The moment they realized the intruders were us, they probably prepared to capture us immediately.

Now, despite being in the situation where they were being restrained themselves.

“…….”

A show of force.

Thinking about it, it didn’t seem like a ‘show of force’ at all.

As I was being forced onto the ground by my companions, the heads of the Papal State knights turned towards me. Some had taken off their helmets, and from those who had removed their helmets… I sensed fear.

Even though I was injured and leaning on others, I must have appeared to the enemies like some kind of calamity. After all, I had swept through the enemies all alone, so it was understandable.

“Sis.”

Before I knew it, Claire had approached me and gently placed her hand on my right arm—the one holding the gun.

“It’s alright. It’s all over now.”

Not everything was over.

There was still much information we needed to extract. The story had twisted so much compared to the original that if I thought about the future—

But my thoughts couldn’t continue.

Claire gently took my hand, releasing the fingers gripping the gun.

She pulled the handgun from my hand and neatly tucked it into my hip holster, applying a slight pressure to my right arm to lower it.

“Let’s go. Let’s sit down for a bit.”

Claire spoke softly, almost coaxingly.

“…….”

I didn’t respond at all.

But at that moment, the tension seemed to have finally eased.

My legs gave way as I stumbled, but thanks to Alice supporting me, I didn’t fall. Claire also lent her strength by holding onto my right side.

“Take a little break. We’ll handle the cleanup.”

Since Alice said so, I decided to go along with her words.

*

Hoo.

I felt like I could breathe a little.

The device controlling the gryphon was broken. But it wasn’t just the gryphon that had broken free from control. Many beasts beyond the setting sun, which we hadn’t yet dealt with, must have also been freed from control.

Of course, I didn’t think those beasts would be unharmed while the ‘gryphon’ was still struggling on the ground. But it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.

I opened the door slightly, and Leo and Claire stood next to it. Just in case it would close again as it had when we entered, both of them were inside the room.

Even through the small crack, the recovery device was working splendidly. I didn’t know what principle it operated on—after all, it wasn’t mentioned in the settings book—but as long as it was deemed the ‘same location,’ it seemed to function just fine.

“……At least it seems there won’t be any scars.”

Charlotte said, looking at her clean shoulder. The skin visible through her torn clothing was flawlessly white. There was no trace of the wound she had suffered from the gryphon just moments before.

“…….”

Sophia didn’t say a word. Although she had cast a holy spell after seeing my condition, it had only caused the blood on my forehead to stop slightly and wasn’t of much help.

Maybe there was a limit to the holy magic she could use. In games, they used points distinct from mana, but considering the ‘twist’ between the original and this world, I wasn’t sure if MP could simply be referred to as ‘mana’ here. After all, it was only possible in a game to express a person’s condition as a ‘gauge’.

So the points used for holy magic must be the same. It would be better to think with some leeway rather than jumping to conclusions.

Alice stood unafraid in front of the gryphon.

With her eyes closed and her head bowed, Alice’s expression as she quietly gazed up at the gryphon was complicated.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the artifact I had grabbed before coming down to the first floor.

It was considerably damaged from being stepped on, and the light that had shone when the Cardinal wore it was nowhere to be seen.

But one thing was certain: something had recognized its identity.

Suddenly, the gryphon lifted its head sharply and shot me a piercing glare.

…Uh-oh.

Was this really the right timing?

Chapter 223

I was actually a very skeptical person when it came to talking to beasts. sigh

And no, I’m not talking about the beasts of this world. I mean the pets people kept back in my old world.

When you try to interpret a dog’s bark with human ears, you can only get a general sense of emotions. It’s pretty much impossible to fully understand that language. Honestly, thinking that a dog has a language system as complex as a human’s is nonsense. Considering a dog’s intelligence, their barking is probably more like mixing in sounds to help understand body language rather than actual conversation.

People who raised dogs or cats often claimed they could “talk” with them, but I’ve never believed that. Sure, they’re cute and healing when you’re with them. So when I visited a friend’s house and came across their dog, I didn’t bother trying to talk. I just patted its head or gave it a gentle back rub in silence.

But…

Hmm, well.

Maybe it’d be different if it’s a Gryphon.

In this world, it’s considered the “King of Beasts,” but honestly, the fact that I could even think of a Gryphon as a “beast” was just because it’s this world. To me, it seemed closer to being a “spirit beast.”

Besides, didn’t they say they form societies amongst themselves? It’s unclear if that society is just a wolf pack level or if they actually developed their own civilization. The info from the lore or monster descriptions in the game barely treated Gryphons as anything more than a boss monster, so there aren’t really any detailed explanations.

I mean, isn’t it a bit too much to treat a being with the name ‘Fanggriffon’ just like that?

“Sis?”

But, well.

If I could at least figure out what was going on, I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to try having a “conversation.”

“Sis, wait a minute.”

Claire, who was by the door, seemed like she was hastily trying to persuade me, but I was already on my feet and walking.

The gaze of my party members, who were lost in their thoughts or doing their own things, all turned towards me.

I was still holding that broken gem. No, I was holding it high so that the Gryphon could see it well. I was kneeling and bowing my head, but the Gryphon was still a Gryphon; it was way bigger than me.

As I got closer, a wary light began to flicker in the Gryphon’s eyes. It made sense, considering I was bringing up something that had just tied it up. Even dogs bark and get cautious if their owner gets close after doing something to them.

“It’s okay.”

But I tried to attempt a “conversation.”

“This object is destroyed. It will no longer bind you.”

As I said that and moved closer, the Gryphon raised its head.

And it looked down at me again with those eyes.

What should I make of this?

Can you explain it?

It seemed like it was in a state where it could die at any moment with a bullet, yet it was just thinking that.

Without needing to explain with words, I held the gem higher towards its face.

“……”

The Gryphon didn’t make a sound but tilted its head slightly to look down at my hand.

It confirmed that the gem no longer emitted light.

No answer came back. Well, I didn’t really expect one. After all, it’s nearly impossible for us to understand each other’s language.

However, I thought I caught a glimpse of relief in the Gryphon’s eyes.

If things kept going like this, it was going to die soon too.

I put the gem back in my pocket and quietly looked up at the Gryphon.

“……”

“……”

While we locked eyes, no sounds were heard around us. Even Alice, who had come close to check on the Gryphon, held her breath, silently watching us.

I approached the Gryphon and placed my hand on its body.

Is it a bird? With four legs, it looks mammalian, but its appearance is closer to an eagle.

At the very least, I could tell that its body temperature was much higher than a human’s. The ancient Fanggriffons used to ride on Gryphons; they’d probably have had some serious chafing on their behinds.

Or maybe it was hurt?

Even with such tattered feathers, the area I touched felt incredibly soft.

Then suddenly, I felt a lumpy part again. It was that tumor I saw earlier.

“Grurrr…”

A sound that didn’t seem like it would come from a “eagle head,” more like the sound of a feline. Was that a sign of pain?

“……Follow me.”

Well, fine.

After all, it is a Gryphon, and as long as it doesn’t chomp down on my head, I can probably rewind time.

Plus, based on its reactions so far, it didn’t seem like it had the desire to chomp on my head at all. It didn’t seem to think of the meat right in front of it as its food like a hungry beast would.

Well, lions and tigers have been raised from a very young age and recognize their keepers as parents.

Whether or not it understood my words, or simply wanted to follow me as I stepped back with my hands raised, the Gryphon slowly lifted its body.

I felt oppressive energy again.

But this oppressiveness was a different kind from what I felt earlier. While the previous tension was like an intimidation meant to threaten, this was genuinely the majestic intimidation of a king of beasts.

Saying that, I felt a bit embarrassed because I was the one who said “king of beasts” right before entering battle… but well, it’s not like I said it directly to anyone else.

As I walked a few steps back while locking eyes with the Gryphon, it struggled a bit and took a few steps closer to me.

Confirming that, I turned around.

The space in front of me was completely clear.

My friends seemed to have understood what I was about to do, so they made way. Even the Cardinal, who was leaning against the far wall, was watching me with wide eyes.

Puyooh, a small eagle-like cry echoed.

It sounded slightly threatening. At that sound, the Cardinal flinched, hurriedly moving as far to the side as possible. Even though its legs were almost healed, it looked like it was truly in a panic.

I walked straight to the door. I didn’t look back even once, but behind me, I could hear something heavy and sharp hitting the ground multiple times.

I was proud of myself for not flinching even once as I walked to the door.

“……”

As I approached the slightly open door, I locked eyes with Claire and Leo, who were guarding it.

I nodded silently, and the two also nodded back and stepped aside. Then they slowly opened the bronze door for me.

Like a sudden gust of wind blowing in, a healing light enveloped us.

Only then did I turn back.

And I saw the true meaning of the “King of Beasts.”

The first thing I noticed was its golden shining eyes.

In truth, the color of its once-dirtied feathers hadn’t perfectly returned. That was pollution, not a wound.

But I saw the tumor that had been visible in the places where feathers were missing had disappeared. Wounds that were all over the place were gone, and robust muscles were returning.

The wings that had been oddly bent returned to their original position and folded properly. Its broken beak and claws had come back.

Such rapid recovery speed was incomparable to that of a human.

Even after the Gryphon’s body was restored, it stood tall, looking down at me with an air of arrogance.

Uh, um…

Did I mess up? Did I unnecessarily heal it? For a moment that thought crossed my mind, but I quickly resolved it when I saw it didn’t immediately chomp down on my head.

I raised one hand to point down the corridor.

“Go ahead.”

Did it understand this? Those golden eyes, unreadable, just stared at me quietly, and I couldn’t make any judgments.

“You are free.”

“……”

Upon hearing my words, the Gryphon finally moved its feet. With an air of dignity, walking with a different grace than when it was under control, the Gryphon took a few steps forward, then suddenly whipped around towards me.

With a whoosh, the Gryphon’s wings spread out to the sides. It seemed like a threatening motion.

To put it bluntly, I was surprised.

But the reason I didn’t show any reaction at that moment was that the degree of surprise was beyond comprehension, and for an instant, my mind went blank.

The Gryphon, seeing me unmoving, tilted its head.

Its eyes narrowed slightly.

They looked like they were smiling.

The Gryphon slowly folded its wings, then lowered its head gently towards me, very slowly.

“……”

Only then did I snap back to reality and lightly grasp the hem of my skirt with both hands.

I did my best to perform the royal salute, a gesture I had repeated several times since arriving in this world, as elegantly as possible.

The Gryphon lifted its head and effortlessly turned away.

Its movements were incredibly swift, light as though one wouldn’t believe such a motion could come from such a large body.

Puyooh, I heard the Gryphon’s cry from afar.

I had no idea what that cry meant, just as I had no way of knowing what it was—not the Gryphon, but me. Honestly, I decided to think of it as a farewell.

Chapter 224

In the epic that records the life of a hero, the heroes’ fight is often described as ‘beautiful.’

The way they swing their swords is beautiful, the way they step forward is beautiful, their resolve is beautiful, and their expressions that never distort even in pain are beautiful.

However, Sylvia’s fighting was not the kind that could be described so simply.

Sylvia’s battle was desperate.

There was hardly any time to observe the fight from the first floor to the second, but the sounds of gunfire, screams, and flesh being ripped apart from the second floor, which was wide open, made it hard to look away.

Even after being hit by incoming attacks several times, she doesn’t stagger. It’s as if she already knew this would happen, putting herself in such a way to minimize damage while continuing the fight. Every step seems calculated; she stops just before an attack lands, takes out another gun, changes magazines, and rolls to the side.

During our time at the academy, we often listen to such discussions.

If the heroes from ancient epics met a modern battalion armed with guns, could they survive? Students humorously concluded that no matter what, they couldn’t dodge the steam-powered tanks and machine gun fire raining down from the skies.

In some ways, Sylvia’s fighting seems to accurately depict that conclusion.

But for Alice, who had to watch the fight from a distance, it didn’t simply seem like a difference in skill.

The armor Sylvia wore was cutting-edge military gear that the Empire’s army hadn’t introduced—perhaps they didn’t even know it existed—and the guns she carried represented the precision of modern industry, but facing knights rushing at her from all directions while armed was a completely different story.

Especially when it wasn’t a matter of engaging them from hundreds of meters away; she was diving right into the fray.

In a situation like that, it didn’t matter what weapon she held.

Without any change in her expression, Sylvia eliminated enemies without so much as blinking.

Alice, too, had opponents to face, so she couldn’t keep watching that spectacle. But every time she glanced up, the number of enemies decreased.

Sylvia stood firm, bleeding from various wounds, not collapsing until the end.

—Alice vaguely sensed Sylvia’s capabilities.

If so, just how many times had Sylvia attacked within that time? How many times had she fallen, how many times—

“……”

At some point, the battle suddenly came to a halt.

The Gryphon knelt unexpectedly. The knights charging towards Alice and her group paused, momentarily confused, halting their sword swings.

“Not yet! Keep your swords up—”

What happened above was unclear, but even after the Gryphon was incapacitated, victory belonged to the Order of Knights.

No matter how skilled these friends were, they were still students. There was no way they could win against professional killers with such a close count.

Yet—

A hole suddenly appeared in the chest of the knight who was shouting with his sword raised. It was a flaming hole. The knight collapsed forward without even being able to spit out blood, dead.

Alice looked up to the upper floor.

There stood Sylvia, who had sustained numerous wounds but remained proud and unyielding.

Sitting steadily, aiming a rifle as tall as herself downwards, Sylvia spoke.

“That’s right. It’s not over yet.”

Her tone was quiet, as if she genuinely believed that.

“If you want it to end, you should charge all the way. But for now… I would advise you to just admit that you’ve lost.”

But the words that followed were a declaration.

If they didn’t surrender here, everyone present would end up like that knight.

Despite Sylvia being battered, blood running down her forehead, and unable to open one eye because of the blood trickling down, the confidence in her voice was so strong that Alice didn’t doubt her words.

And it seemed everyone here shared the same sentiment.

Clang, the sound of a metal bar dropping to the ground.

Twice, three times, and finally, until all the knights of the Papal State dropped their swords.

Sylvia remained unfazed, looking down from above.

Suddenly, Alice thought that if Sylvia had eagle wings sprouting from her back, nobody would find it odd.

*

Alright.

To be honest, considering the situation, it wasn’t all that great, but for now, she decided to think of it as good.

Not a single one of her party had died, nor was anyone gravely injured to the point of permanent disability.

It was a result of thoroughly focusing on defense without breaking formation as they stuck together.

The plan itself had gone somewhat awry because of my reckless charge. The Gryphon’s wings were not cut, and Alice and Charlotte were left behind, unable to leap upwards.

But there was no real need to have cut the wings. Perhaps they had anticipated the moment when they lost control of the Gryphon. Its wings were already broken. Well, to be fair, other parts weren’t in great shape either, so it would’ve been odd if only the wings remained intact.

Huh.

Thinking back on it, it made me chuckle. The king of beasts, a powerful being that nobody could tame, was somehow being controlled even just one of them by the Papal State.

Whether this Gryphon was a young specimen or captured in its youth, that was unknown—

—But it is known.

“Grrr…”

As I pulled out the blood-soaked bandage I had crammed into the Cardinal’s mouth, he finally took a breath. I’d managed to pull it out with my fingers, but I couldn’t avoid the thick and unpleasant mixture of my blood and the Cardinal’s saliva that oozed out.

I tossed it quickly into a corner, crouched down, and looked directly into the Cardinal’s eyes.

He didn’t ask me to kill him or say anything ridiculous like he would never say a word. I didn’t much care though; after all, I had all the time in the world.

“I have a few questions I’d like to ask. Will you cooperate?”

I asked quietly, but the Cardinal merely trembled, looking at me with fearful eyes.

Hmm.

I glanced at the Cardinal’s legs. He should be recovered enough to walk by now. It shouldn’t hurt that much anymore.

His severed arm wouldn’t grow back, but that was unavoidable. I had lost my hand during the fight all the same; he had to bear that much.

Deciding to take his silence as a confirmation, I continued to ask.

“What was the reason for your presence underneath here? If you were contemplating war with the Emperor, you could have just positioned yourselves near the Empire’s border rather than in Lutetia.”

To be honest, maybe I could have even joined forces with Countess Crowfield. With her, betrayal of the Emperor would be second nature. Sure, they would have needed to tie up loose ends afterward, but…

“……That’s…”

The Cardinal tried to answer but then shut his mouth.

Speak!

But scared to say it.

That dual emotion appeared in his eyes simultaneously.

“I—”

So, I decided to help prompt his response.

“I have some knowledge of how to persuade others. But if I ask if you are confident in that skill, you might struggle to answer properly. It could lead to… a fail in regulating the effort. If you lose your mind in the process, it could take time for you to come back to your senses.”

The Cardinal’s eyes turned to Sophia, pleading for help, but she simply lowered her gaze and said nothing.

“What will it be? A long conversation or a short one? Choose one. Now that the fighting is over, I bear no ill will toward you.”

Honestly, I found it cumbersome to linger here any longer.

“……”

After making eye contact with me, the Cardinal then looked towards the knights, but their situation was equally grim. All of them were tied up and muzzled.

In the end, the light of resignation appeared in the Cardinal’s eyes.

“……The reason we are here—”

But since nothing ever goes smoothly in this world.

As soon as the Cardinal opened his mouth to say that, he coughed and blood spewed out.

I guess the Papal State would know how to control the Gryphon.

They probably know a thing or two about silencing someone.

I let out a deep sigh.

Again.

Chapter 225

Honestly, I think the idea of the Papal State was quite a clever way to go.

It was obvious they treated human lives like mechanical parts, but isn’t this the kind of era we’re in? Plus, in these kinds of worlds, it’s pretty common for religious folk to act more inhuman than anyone else.

Of course, the religion here isn’t strong enough to dominate the world; they were in a position where they were being judged instead. Still, the collective mania of their subculture religion insisting it must be the Goddess is too precious not to use as material.

But let me reiterate: I had infinite opportunities.

As long as I could say a word or maintain consciousness, I had more than enough time to get a response. Even if it was some magic that would lead to my instant demise that the healing device couldn’t fix.

Gargle!

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made that sound.

I rewound time repeatedly while dragging the Cardinal all around the room. I wanted answers from him, and I pointed with my remaining hand as well. Luckily, the Cardinal had a few seconds left to suffer before dying, which was enough time to make vague guesses about what he wanted to say.

“…….”

Was it the twelfth time or so?

From that point, I didn’t even bother to ask the Cardinal any questions.

The place the Cardinal pointed to before his demise was a bookshelf in a corner of the first-floor hall.

It was a bookshelf stuck with various versions of scriptures, both big and small.

How classic!

Could it be that one of those books would open if I pushed or pulled it?

But it seemed the Papal State had some tricks up their sleeve too; even after pulling out each scripture, I couldn’t find a switch book. The bookshelf didn’t turn sideways to reveal a secret door, nor did the floor suddenly drop away revealing a passage to the underground.

I glanced back at the Cardinal once more.

He was still alive. I hadn’t asked any questions this time, so I thought it was okay.

It was clear from our few questions that he had consistently pointed to the bookshelf; it meant there was a method here, but… perhaps it was a more complicated method. Something that required a lengthy explanation as he coughed up blood.

Hmmm.

Lost in thought, I stared down at the last scripture I had pulled out.

Without asking anyone any questions—at least that’s what it would have looked like to those around me—I randomly started checking the bookshelf, and the Cardinal and the knights looked extremely puzzled. I wondered if this was enough to be judged as ‘leaking secrets,’ but none of them had coughed up blood yet.

In fact, there was enough time to read through the scriptures entirely. Maybe I could find a passage to read out loud, or perhaps change the order of the scriptures… something like that might work.

If not…

Suddenly, I thought about the Cardinal’s one remaining arm on the second floor.

Hmm.

*

I learned a bit about the basics of magic in this world, but magic has its intricacies just like the laws of physics.

Physics laws may seem like easy-to-understand formulas at first glance, comprising absolute truths, but as we delve into the microscopic world, we get tangled up in quantum mechanics and face absurdly difficult concepts that are hard for us to grasp. Similarly, the rules of magic are more complex than just reciting spells.

So, I don’t really know why the “Cardinal’s severed right hand” would activate this mechanism. Would the Cardinal have needed to be alive to touch the scriptures, or did they just have his fingerprint or something registered?

Well, I don’t need to think about such rules, right?

Those kinds of thoughts are for the creators. As someone using it, I just need it to open up and that’s it.

“In the end, your greed was your downfall.”

I threw the leftover right hand at the Cardinal as I spoke. I didn’t know if a right hand that vanished like that could be reattached, but hey, he’d figure it out himself.

Startled, the Cardinal reflexively caught his own severed right hand and dropped it on the ground. For someone who was just about to kill kids with a Gryphon, he looked rather queasy.

“You wanted control over that powerful beast known as the Gryphon, and you needed to be here for that control. If you had just left your knights behind and ran away from the beginning, everything would have been resolved.”

It’s possible he thought there might have been some alternative method.

If he was wary of ‘me,’ he might have thought that I possessed such incredible ability that I could see through all these side tricks.

Certainly, to those who couldn’t see my actual gaze, I must still appear that way.

Among my companions, the ones looking at me with a strange gaze were Alice, Claire, and Leo. These three had already caught on to my abilities to some extent after watching me fight. Especially Alice, who seemed to know exactly what kind of abilities I had.

The other kids… well, they had pure looks of horror on their faces.

Yeah, I’d feel the same. If I entered a secret base and it turned out I had memorized the shortest route to this very spot, knowing all the important weaknesses of the battle and easily disabling the enemies, while also finding a hidden space from the start, even I would scream, “This makes no sense!”

But what can you do?

It’s already happened.

“…….”

I glanced around at the kids who were gaping at me and looked back at the open floor.

At the center of the hall where the Gryphon had been earlier.

The door there was wide open.

It was a place I hadn’t seen in the original work.

So, there must have been a reason why the Gryphon was ‘there.’

Was it a space hastily created by the Papal State using magic?

“……Shall we go together?”

When I asked my companions like that, they all turned to look at each other.

And when they looked back at me, there was not a single trace of the bewilderment from before.

They all nodded silently.

I also nodded back for no reason.

*

It was quite a spacious area for being quickly made. However, it wasn’t neatly organized like the upper space either.

It felt like a space hastily constructed to hide something, meant for securing ‘safety in the depth.’

…Did the Emperor hide something here in preparation for attacking the Papal State? Perhaps he had picked a hard-to-attain location for hiding rather than being looted within the Papal State.

From my perspective, that was quite a brilliant thought.

“This is……”

In the pitch-black darkness, something was faintly shining.

It looked like whatever it was had cracks like it had been broken, but part of it was ‘clearly’ intact and completed.

“Could it be…?”

Alice muttered as she peered over my shoulder at the object.

“……Wait.”

I said as I held my hand up to stop the members behind me from getting too close.

That was….. ‘the Guardian.’

And it was even partially completed. Whether all the objects from the Papal State were dragged here to be completed, or if I had been incredibly busy gathering pieces while my mind was somewhere else, I couldn’t tell.

Of course, it was just a minuscule part, but— that segment looked ‘clearly’ complete enough to be recognizable.

The object that looked like a broken gear’s edge was quietly placed on a pedestal deep underground.

But that means—

Again.

*

Time had come back correctly.

My powers were not sealed.

At least the Masked Woman wasn’t here. That piece of the Guardian didn’t seem to function to block my powers either.

Why?

If they were relocating to hide from the Emperor, I would understand.

But there was always that Masked Woman appearing whenever the Guardian was present—

“Claire? What’s wrong?”

Claire peeked over my shoulder as she asked.

“……We need to be careful.”

I said that, and slowly began walking toward the Guardian.

As we got closer, the Guardian shone with increasing brightness.

It was as if it welcomed us, as if it had been waiting for our arrival—

…Ah.

No, that wasn’t it.

The existence the Guardian was ‘welcoming’ wasn’t me.

It wasn’t a matter of instinct or some sort of surreal occurrence.

The light pouring from the Guardian was aiming at the place behind me.

Specifically, it was directed towards Claire and Alice standing on either side of me.

And obviously, the light directed at Claire was much stronger.

“……Ha.”

Only then did I vaguely understand why the Emperor’s plans fell apart after Claire’s death in the game.

I’m losing it.

Chapter 226

There are various decisive reasons for failing in battle, you know.

Simply put, it’s about numbers. Generally, the side with more troops has the upper hand. If the ‘many’ possess sufficient strength, they can combine forces to face off against individuals who are stronger than themselves.

However, the leadership of the Papal State miscalculated that ‘sufficient strength’ part.

As the Emperor swung his sword, the blood that clung to the golden blade dripped down, plop plop. Surely, gold is a soft metal, yet the sword wielded by the Emperor seemed to slice through the Papal knights with ease, as if the differences between such metals were negligible.

If it had been just the Emperor alone, perhaps it could have been managed somehow. No matter how skilled and powerful he is, he’s ultimately human. There are limits to those abilities, after all.

But—

“Anto, Nio….”

One knight barely managed to call out that name.

Of course, that knight met their end, pierced by the ‘Sword of Jericho’.

“It was from the very beginning… from the start, wasn’t it?”

The voice of a frail old man could be heard.

When the Emperor turned his head, there sat a small, elderly man who seemed at least 90 years old. The papal robes he wore were luxurious, intricately embroidered with beautiful golden threads on pure white fabric, yet the old man hidden beneath it only seemed pitiful to the Emperor.

“Oh, Your Holiness.”

The Emperor spoke with a smile on his lips as he turned to the Pope.

“Of course. To make a plan, one must firm it up from the beginning, no? In fact, it seems you were the ones who let your guard down. Honestly, I never intended for my son to come this deeply here. If my daughter hadn’t shown such capability, just surveying the internal structure would have sufficed.”

The man called ‘Antonio’ lifted his head as he pulled his sword out of the knight he had just stabbed.

It was Damien.

“…Then, what about the incident where your other son attacked this place—”

“Oh, that was truly a coincidence. I’ll have him apologize for his rudeness.”

The Emperor placed a hand on his chest and slightly bowed his head, expressing his regrets.

“Honestly, at that time, I thought I might need to alter my plans. It was fortunate that brotherly bonds were strong.”

“To be precise.”

Damien, who had silently walked closer to the Emperor, said.

“I happened to escape and survive. All the knights around me died, allowing me to slip away without suspicion; otherwise, they might have noticed my presence here.”

“Well, you could say that at least you have some sense of honor for not revealing everything.”

“…I think it’s simply because there were no witnesses left around.”

At the Emperor’s laughter, Damien replied seriously.

Then, a moment later, he bowed his head toward the Emperor.

“…But in the end, we lost the artifact. No matter how many times I apologize for this—”

“It’s alright.”

The Emperor patted Damien on the shoulder.

“In the end, that artifact has come into my possession. Looking at it from a broader perspective, haven’t my two sons brought me the item I sought after?”

Saying this, the Emperor took out the ‘gear’ from his robe.

The perfectly crafted gear, engraved with stunning blue symbols, shined beautifully.

“…And the rest was brought to me by my daughter.”

Clonk.

Someone nearby seemed like they wanted to respond, but merely let out a soft cough near the Emperor.

“….”

The Emperor lowered his gaze to the bloodied—girl wearing a white mask.

Her body was marred with wounds, all of them serious and deep. If left as is, she would soon succumb to blood loss.

Frankly, given her state, it seemed strange that she was still alive.

There was a gaping wound on her abdomen. Her innards were spilling out, and embedded within them were screws and small gears, as if some mechanism had once been there.

The Emperor quietly gazed at the being he called ‘daughter’ and slowly opened his mouth.

“I have failed in that future, haven’t I?”

The words that left his mouth were of a kind not understood by the perpetrator.

“The ancient Fanggriffon’s mechanical device was designed to operate solely with the power of the Fanggriffon. It was an idea conceived by the first Fanggriffon, who rebelled against the Goddess’s plan to take freedom and will from humans and fit them into her ‘perfect order.’ To realize some of its capabilities, part of it needed ‘the body of a Fanggriffon.’”

The Emperor gently kneeled beside the masked girl and tenderly embraced her, letting her lean against him.

Even while removing the mask, the girl remained completely still.

“Isn’t that right, Alice?”

Gulp, a sound came that carried no meaning whatsoever.

Ignoring the blood splattered on his face, the Emperor gently swept the girl’s hair aside.

“I almost succeeded in that future, yet ultimately failed. As a result, within the repeating world, no one realized that the world had turned even once. And in the future, I must have wondered: how can I seize the next opportunity? How can I win? Isn’t that right, my daughter? I certainly would have thought that way.”

The light from the blue eyes gazing up at the Emperor was fading.

“It was you who tried to kill yourself. And you who resisted so fiercely in front of me. I can understand that much.”

The Emperor smiled down at his gasping daughter.

“But that doesn’t mean I wish to lose. I have always lived with the desire to win.”

“Why?”

The question came not from the ‘Alice’ in his arms.

“Why go so far with that sword? Does your name as the Fanggriffon hold such importance?”

“Well.”

The Emperor cautiously laid ‘Alice’ down on the ground and stood up.

Then, he glared at his son—Lucas, who was speaking in such an informal manner.

“Are you asking why I want to win?”

“That’s right.”

Lucas’s voice came along with rapidly moving footsteps.

The first to move was Damien, closest to the Emperor, who jumped in front and said—

“That’s enough. Step aside.”

As the Emperor lightly pushed his shoulder, Damien took a surprised step back, trembling.

Afterward, Bella and Jayden rushed in. The Emperor, having explicitly told them to step aside, did not block their path, but they stood ready to swing their swords at any moment.

Lucas seemed indifferent to the three of them and continued to stare at the Emperor.

“It’s the same reason you wield your sword.”

“…To become the strongest?”

“That depends on where you derive that strength from.”

The Emperor took a step forward, smiling at Lucas.

“Lucas, you see, it brings me joy to be an Emperor.”

“….”

“When I issue a command, thousands of soldiers march, shaking the earth. Thousands of humans, each whose life is valued equally to mine, march forth into hell, solely trusting my command. Sacrificing their lives for me. It’s tragic. Hence, I am always compelled to produce results that match the value of those lives.”

With no sign of caution, the Emperor took another step toward Lucas.

“Isn’t it thrilling? My single gesture, my words shape the flow of the era. Don’t you understand that?”

“….”

“Right, at first, I might have thought I should become someone worthy of the name Fanggriffon. But not anymore. The first Fanggriffon loved chaos. That the weak and the strong intertwine, that one could topple another purely through sword clashes—not through purity or virtue, but through words, collaboration, schemes, and betrayal to take down the strong.”

Long, long ago.

In an era where order had yet to be established, the first Emperor reigned supreme as the leader of the gryphons despite his grotesque body.

Thus, he earned the name Fanggriffon.

“He wished that beautiful chaos would never come to an end.”

“If so, does Father desire the great chaos to return? To revive the glory of the first Fanggriffon?”

“No.”

The Emperor responded.

“I have no interest in such things. Order, chaos—none of that matters to me. I simply enjoy my current position all too much. Fighting alongside those who, for reasons unknown, received the Goddess’s selection, despite my blood mixing with the Fanggriffon’s, is immensely pleasurable. Creating and executing new plans is fun, and digging traps and waiting is just delightful. Yes, I have come to believe this is my reason for living.”

And the Emperor laughed.

A smile so pure, it resembled that of a child.

“Are you not curious? If I could perfectly control the Goddess’s power, how great the joy I could experience next would be? Thus, in the end, my pursuits aren’t so different from yours, my son.”

The Emperor spread his arms wide.

“To place this world beneath my feet and to slowly and surely amend the places I believe I was wronged—how much I look forward to that day. Perhaps I may even be able to fulfill the deficiencies of your past, too.”

“…….”

“Um.”

Before Lucas could respond to the Emperor’s words, a clanging sound from outside the door echoed. The sound of knights from the Papal State clad in armor charging in.

“It seems the synchronized attack with my daughter has reached its limit here. It looks like they’ve decided to give up on that side.”

“…Did Sylvia agree to this synchronized attack?”

The Emperor merely smiled at Lucas.

“Then, Your Holiness.”

The Emperor turned to look at the Pope, who seemed to gaze up at him blankly, despite the considerable distance between them, as if overwhelmed.

“Where is that incomplete machine you’ve been hiding, Your Holiness? I would like to move on to the final stage soon. Of course, we welcome the knights outside as well. Surely, you don’t believe I came all this way with just this few people?”

“…….”

Thus, the Papal State miscalculated the Empire’s ‘strength’.

It wasn’t just raw power or strategy; they ought to have understood something more fundamental, the Pope thought at that moment.

Something more fundamental than that.

Yes, perhaps—

The conviction they believed was theirs alone.

One that could not possibly be understood, yet unyielding; they should have realized that the Emperor possessed that conviction, too.

*

Beyond the fading field of vision.

Listening to the conversation shared between the Emperor and those children, the being once called Alice was suddenly reminded of something.

Click click click.

In her head rang the sound of gears turning, within the sound of interlocking gears.

Right now, this moment itself turned as if it were perfectly matching the blueprint of gears someone had laid out.

This moment lying on the cold floor was precisely what she needed to be, a component that makes up the world.

Above her—

In the void where she resided, a feeling washed over her that she had glimpsed a pale blue light.

Chapter 227

It’s not like it’s something incomprehensible.

If this ‘Jeebo’ reacts to the blood of the Fanggriffon, it makes sense that it would react to Alice and Claire at the same time.

I don’t think it showed such a remarkable reaction the last time I saw ‘Jeebo’.

I recalled the Jeebo that the Emperor took from Lucas. At that time, I was too out of it to see it properly, but it didn’t seem to have this kind of ‘functionality’ at all.

It seemed to have some function that would limit the mask girl’s abilities, but I’m certain that it never blatantly radiated light and said, “This is something for you to use!”

Then why is this item in front of us currently functioning?

One thing to consider is that the Jeebo is somewhat assembled. According to the settings, “It’s meaningless unless they are all gathered into one,” but if it’s designed to show a believable response as it gets closer to completion, then that’s what it would be.

Surely in the sequel, “collecting Jeebo” was the main theme, so there would have to be some hints in the story the more you collected.

However, there is a problem.

“Sylvia, what is this…?”

“Sis?”

I didn’t know how to explain this situation to the two people behind me.

I originally had not a drop of Fanggriffon blood in me. I have no idea who brought me here or if it was just a coincidence that I ended up here, but judging by the Jeebo’s reaction, it seems I am biologically not the Emperor’s daughter.

I’ve already thought about that. In reality, the one with the Emperor’s blood in the orphanage was Claire, and the Emperor just mistook me for his daughter because he saw my ability.

While the main story claims that the Emperor initiated the war for world domination, if behind that, he was collecting Jeebo, it makes sense. So he was probably trying to select the one among his children who could best utilize the Jeebo, and if Alice turned out not to meet that standard…

It’s not hard to understand why the Emperor’s plan fell apart after Claire’s death.

…In this world, Marmaros can be extracted from humans too. And usually, in narratives where “something can be done by using humans,” there tends to be a villain that performs such actions. Even if it’s not Marmaros, the idea of using one’s children as tools perfectly fits the Emperor.

The problem is, why Claire?

Shouldn’t it be Alice, considering the bloodline concentration? Whether noble or royal, it’s common sense in society to marry distant relatives to maintain a high blood concentration within the family. It’s obvious that even the late empress, who no longer exists, would have been a descendant of the “Imperial bloodline” if you traced her ancestry.

Genetically speaking, Alice should have inherited the Fanggriffon’s blood.

Of course, Claire’s mother…

——.

“Sis?”

Oh.

For a moment, my brain short-circuited, but Claire, who had come closer, spoke to me, allowing me to regain my thoughts.

In the dim underground, Claire’s face glowed pale, illuminated by the light of the Jeebo.

It seemed that Claire was more worried about my reaction than the light of the Jeebo pointing at her.

As Claire got closer, the Jeebo shone brighter, as if begging to be used.

…Claire’s biological parents.

In the original work, that was merely a lingering question. Why Claire showed such talent in swordsmanship, why she was able to attempt to escape at a young age, those things were never properly revealed.

Even if it wasn’t directly addressed in the main story, through events with Claire, there was an aura of “there’s something going on.”

If one side is the Emperor, then what about the other side?

Would the head of the orphanage know? Well, there could be a possibility. Of course, it’s unlikely they were the one who first took on Claire. In the original work, it’s expressed somewhere that she was “bought” from somewhere.

The problem is, there’s no way to know who was involved in the process of that purchase or what happened.

Because that head has died.

I killed them.

If the orphanage were still standing, there might be clues to trace Claire’s past. Surely, they would have left at least some records. If I knew which alley she came from, I could just round up all the delinquents from that alley, and I would get some answers.

But that evidence is gone. It all burned down.

…I burned it.

I wanted to grab my head and roll on the ground.

No, I actually did that.

“Sylvia!?”

“Sis!?”

Ignoring the shocked voices of the two, I rolled around on the dirt for a while before suddenly getting up—

Again.

*

“I have something to say to the two of you.”

Returning to where Claire and Alice had called me again, I quickly turned around to face them and said so.

To others, it might seem I assessed the situation and spoke to them very quickly. Although the three of us were aware of my abilities, even so, there hadn’t been any clear evidence that I had turned back time.

“……”

The footsteps of the people who were following me halted in surprise.

“This is an important matter related to the Fanggriffon royal family. I’m sorry, but could the rest of you wait outside for a moment?”

It was a somewhat self-righteous request, but I did my best to phrase it in a way that wouldn’t sound offensive to them. Everyone here regarded me as a friend, after all.

“Hmm.”

I certainly didn’t expect their reaction to be entirely favorable.

“Are you saying that in the middle of the Velbur Kingdom’s territory, and that too so close to the Lutetia palace, we should step aside for the Fanggriffon royal family?”

It was Charlotte’s words, clearly uncomfortable after all the trouble she went through to get here.

I understand a hundred times. I would feel the same way. Although I personally have little to no patriotism for the Empire of Aetherna, if someone from a neighboring country suddenly came to my hometown and asked me to make way for them, it would definitely feel odd.

Especially if it was some secret base built by someone from another country that I even didn’t know existed.

“…… This item is very related to the blood of the Fanggriffon royal family. And actually, I am the only one who knows about it here.”

Sophia might know a little, but certainly not as much as I do.

“Even Alice here doesn’t know this story. First, let’s have a discussion among the related parties, and then I will share as much information as possible with all of you.”

“……”

“So, you mean Claire is included as a ‘related party’?”

While Charlotte bit her tongue and sent a glance at the Jeebo, Leo interjected this time.

That would be the case. It would sound quite unexpected.

Even I was baffled when I first heard it from the Emperor; so for Leo, who has been living normally as a brother, this might sound almost absurd.

Will I get to see Leo’s pale face after hearing about Claire’s identity?

…

In such a situation, I felt a bit proud of myself for pondering this thought.

I guess it’s okay to feel proud?

*

Leo and Charlotte did not have completely convinced expressions.

But the “trust” I had precariously built up until now was quite helpful. It’s not just about friendship or the efficiency of an ability. Without the assurance that I wouldn’t betray them no matter what, they wouldn’t have moved aside like this.

Honestly, they wouldn’t have even followed me this far.

“So?”

Alice spoke as if she was restless. She was crossing her arms, but her fingers fidgeted nervously, tapping against her own arm.

“What do you mean I’m involved, sis?”

On the other hand, Claire didn’t look as tense as Alice. She probably had no idea why she was even here.

“……”

I stayed silent for a moment before finally managing to speak with a strained voice.

“Claire.”

“Yeah?”

“You have the blood of the Fanggriffon flowing through you.”

“……Huh?”

Claire’s eyes blinked at my words.

Silence.

An uncomfortably long silence lingered in the dim space, and for some reason, I felt like the already low light in the room grew dimmer. Light was still flowing from the Jeebo.

“Eh?”

“What?”

Then, at the end of that silence, both Alice and Claire’s reactions sprang out at the same time.

Chapter 228

“…So, let me get this straight.”

After hearing my story, Alice pressed her fingers into her temples thoughtfully before speaking up.

“Your father was… spreading royal blood here and there, and ended up picking a sprouting seed to raise as his own child, right?”

“If we assume everything the Emperor said is true, yes.”

“But he confused you with Claire and ended up bringing you instead of her?”

“Correct.”

“Wait, that doesn’t make any sense.”

Alice said this with her eyes still tightly shut.

“If they were so diligent about their ‘bloodline,’ at the very least, they should remember the appearance of their kid! I mean, frankly, you have black hair—”

She pointed her finger at Claire, still pressed to her temple.

“—while she has blue hair! And your father’s hair is golden! If you know the other person’s hair color, you should at least know if your own child has black hair or blue hair!”

By the way, Claire, who had been suddenly accused by Alice, just stood there with a blank expression, not knowing how to respond.

Actually, her face showed she didn’t know what kind of reaction she should have. It shifted from serious to shocked to serious again, only to end up biting her tongue repeatedly, unable to say anything. Even I, who knew the original story, was flustered, so Claire, who had lived without ever suspecting that up until now, must have been completely shocked.

“Maybe it’s a recessive trait.”

I said with a serious expression.

Honestly, considering everyone in this world has hair colors of all sorts, pondering ‘genetics’ seriously seems a bit ridiculous. The most unusual hair colors that can come out naturally back in my reality were close to silver or red. There’s no way I can know how blue or purple hair is passed down.

“Or maybe they just didn’t care much about the other person. They might have just focused on bringing in a host and seeding their blood.”

I thought this explanation was more plausible. People who love their children in their own ways may, at the same time, consider those children as tools. Such a person could easily plant seeds in a mechanical fashion without a second thought.

So, if the Emperor had ‘many’ illegitimate children, and the ones who could become the Emperor’s children were ‘a very few,’

AND if the Emperor was confident enough to believe that he could recognize an ‘able child’ as one he fathered—

“…”

Alice bit her lips, looking like she was about to hurl.

She seemed to feel that ‘somehow, the Emperor might be capable of that.’

“And the one who brought me to the palace was Lucas. At least between Claire and me, it could be said that the Emperor’s judgment had less influence than Lucas’s.”

Of course, aside from this, the Emperor must have believed in Lucas. He probably didn’t tell him everything, though. I don’t think he shared much about the true lineage of the Emperor’s children.

And this entire situation snowballed into the massive problem we have now.

“I can’t say how the host was selected… but if we trace the history of the royal family, it wouldn’t be unimaginable. There are countless people who have lost their status, becoming lower nobles due to power struggles.”

Though I had burned any way of knowing what Claire’s mother was, I could imagine a little.

Not everyone with royal blood is treated as royalty. Just as there are nobles without lands and titles, there are also those within the royal family who could very well fit that description. Furthermore, some individuals must have fallen even further than ‘Fanggriffon’ to be out of mention.

Of course, if you were to ask if the blood of these individuals is as potent as genuine royal blood, the answer would be no.

“…My mother was assassinated by a political rival.”

Alice suddenly muttered while listening to my story.

“It’s from a time so young I can’t even barely recall. Even back then, there were claims that it was not my mother but me that was meant to be assassinated. The name ‘Fanggriffon’ is at the highest point in history now, but back then, it wasn’t so impenetrable. Even with talk of absolute power and absolute monarchy, the majority of the empire is still occupied by the nobility.”

With her chin resting on her hand, Alice tilted her head slightly as her gaze turned to me.

“Those who were the first to be wiped out were ‘other royals.’ Many of the royals who held succession rights outside of age were executed and fell from grace.”

Furthermore, the Emperor’s power became that firm.

“At first, I thought… maybe the Emperor assassinated my mother. Creating a pretext and wiping out all the involved powers to establish royal authority and power?”

But if that’s not the case…

If the Emperor had no desire to kill his Empress and they were merely an ordinary couple, only to lose his wife during the power struggle— and if he had only his daughter remaining as the heir, that’s alarming. There are countless reasons a child could die. They don’t necessarily need to be shot or poisoned; numerous diseases during this period could easily take a child—magic can only do so much.

Then, there may have been those who wanted to provide the Emperor with a secondary consort to bear him an heir. Whether they were nobility with diluted royal blood or distant collateral relatives.

If this heir was a ‘son,’ it would provide legitimacy to inherit the kingdom.

If that was the reason for the Empress’s death—

Then the ‘pretext’ would be the collateral royals at the very start.

And among the powerful noble families, the ‘noble faction.’

This power struggle has even continued since my youth. I had received orders from the Emperor to assassinate the Count. That was Count Crowfield.

“…If your father, who trusts no one but himself, was trying to create the ‘Fanggriffon’ that only he believes in—”

“…”

That’s all just speculation.

In reality, he might just be a lecher who doesn’t even care about women’s faces, enjoying his pleasures and randomly picking children to gather after partying.

Or—it could even be that the assassination of the Empress was all part of the Emperor’s plan, and he crafted a pretext for ‘weeding out’ the undesirables.

To learn the real story, I would need to meet the Emperor directly.

“So, this is…”

Alice seemed to have made it that far in her thoughts, halting her speculation and turning back to the zibo.

“Correct. For whatever reason, zibo is clearly reacting to ‘Fanggriffon.’ It’s not responding to me but to Claire, so there’s no doubt about it.”

For a name like ‘zibo,’ it was a strange occurrence. Shouldn’t a divine object typically react more properly to those in the Papal State?

In fact, aside from the zibo’s responses, the original settings and stories also served as my basis for judgment, but the complexity of the story with just the ability to turn back time alone is already immense. Explaining that this world has been influenced by fiction would take forever. I’d have to start from video games to explain it all.

“So, I…”

Claire, who looked confused listening to our discussion, opened her mouth.

“…”

I just stared at Claire silently before saying.

“Claire.”

“Uh, uh?”

“What kind of being do you want to become?”

“What kind of being…?”

“Whether it be the Fanggriffon with royal blood or the Grace you’ve relied on since childhood. The choice is yours.”

The original Claire had no such choice.

She was just swept away, sold off, suffering a terrible past, transitioning from one master to another against her will—

The last choice she could make was to sacrifice herself for someone she thought was her sister at the very last moment.

But the Claire before me now is different.

Claire Fanggriffon?

Or Claire Grace?

She has the power to choose.

There’s no master over her right now.

“I…”

Claire placed her hand on her chest, her grip tightening.

“I want to stay myself as I am.”

Then that’s all that matters.

After all, there’s no need for Claire to sacrifice herself here.

That’s exactly why I’m here to prevent that.

“Understood.”

I answered that way and reached out towards the zibo.

Chapter 229

Alice and Claire finished their conversation and stepped outside, but the situation was far from over.

Just looking at Charlotte, who seemed extremely uncomfortable, and the children who couldn’t grasp the situation, it was clear that there was a mountain of issues to address: the survivors of the Order of Knights bound up tightly, the Cardinal with a severed horn, and much more.

I could understand Charlotte’s discomfort. In an already chaotic situation, I acted as if I knew everything from the start, and now she had no clue how to handle the potential international turmoil that would arise from this incident.

Of course, Charlotte was not yet the King of Velbur. But if we’re to be honest, she was much closer to the “throne” than Alice. The Emperor hadn’t clearly determined his line of succession yet, but the King of Velbur had definitely designated Charlotte as his successor.

And my discomfort mirrored hers.

Where on earth should I even begin and end this explanation?

If I dared to tell Claire that the blood of the Emperor flowed through her, I would have to reveal everything I’ve guessed about the “backstory.” Just that topic alone could spark hours of discussion.

Moreover, Claire insisted that she would be “with Grace, not Fanggriffon.” And that claim wasn’t just her whim; I had presented the options first, and she chose. So, I had an obligation to respect her words. Otherwise, wouldn’t I just be getting a slap in the face?

It would be wise to give Leo a hint as well.

“So…”

However, from Charlotte’s perspective, not knowing all these details seemed quite unsatisfactory.

“Could you explain what that thing is?”

She pointed to the piece of the ‘Zibo’ in my hand.

“This…?”

Exactly, what the heck is this thing?

I had no idea what the “true purpose” was. All I knew was that throughout the game, it was referred to as “an item related to the power of the Goddess,” and there were people wandering around collecting this. The Emperor seemed to ultimately want it as well, but what effect it had when fully collected remained a mystery.

If I had played through to the end of the series, I might have known what it was, but alas, I was dragged into this world before I could enjoy the sequel.

Sad times. If only I were lounging in my chair at home, casually fiddling with a gamepad, my mind would have been much more at ease.

Though I was glad to meet characters I liked and even make friends, those very connections made me feel even more uncomfortable. Unlike the past when I’d get frustrated while watching characters move across my monitor, any action I take now directly affects these kids.

“My guess is that it’s an item related to the power of the Goddess.”

Still, based on what I knew, that seemed to be the case.

“Perhaps it’s a part of some device. If we gather these pieces and assemble them properly into a complete part, and use it at the right place, I believe we could utilize the Goddess’s power…”

I noticed the Cardinal sitting far away flinch at my voice.

Knowing that, I guess the Papal State had been moving as well.

“Then why is such an important item hidden in Velbur and not in the Papal State…?”

“It’s not just Velbur.”

Seeing Charlotte’s complexion turn pale, Alice chimed in.

“It was also in the Empire. While I can’t say for certain what happened with that device long ago, it seems those pieces are scattered all over the continent.”

“So that means this is one of those scattered pieces.”

I nodded at Charlotte’s question.

“Technically, it would be more accurate to say ‘pieces.’ This one itself must already be a significant part of the collection.”

It was quite large compared to the ‘Zibo’ I had seen directly. The reactions visible were also different. A piece of a broken gear that emitted a faint glow. The Papal State must have really put a lot of effort into collecting it.

“The reason for hiding this here was probably to prevent the Emperor from coming in. While Velbur may not be as strong as the Empire, it still has a rather threatening military force.”

Of course, if a full-scale war broke out, the Empire would win decisively. Perhaps the scars etched in the Empire from that war wouldn’t last as long as thought.

However, the military strength of the Papal State was but a handful compared to that of the Kingdom of Velbur.

So perhaps they chose Velbur to collaborate with by force in a war, hoping to flee while Velbur held back the Empire. Royal City Lutetia, while not perfectly modernized, is an ancient city. Naturally, there are complex alleys spreading here and there, and the ruins underneath are probably scattered throughout Lutetia.

Isn’t it a perfect hiding place to stash something for a quick getaway during a crisis? Moreover, if they filled the ruins below with their own “military.”

“…”

Charlotte pressed her hand to her forehead as if her head was about to explode. After standing like that for a while, she lifted her head again, and her gaze was quite sharp.

And that sharp gaze was directed at me.

“If that’s the case, my next question is… Sylvia, how did you know all these facts?”

“…”

This was a direct question regarding my ‘identity.’

While Alice, Claire, and Leo might think it had to do with my “abilities,” it was a different story altogether.

I had a rough idea of how the events of this world unfolded from the outside. I didn’t roam through the entirety of “the setting,” but I did wander around the “core story parts.” That too, repetitively.

If it could be said that I had a sneak peek in advance, it was indeed that—

“I’ve just known from the very beginning.”

Therefore, I could only respond like this.

“…From the very beginning?”

Charlotte’s expression turned incredulous.

“I don’t know who my real parents are. I spent my childhood in an orphanage and later was adopted by His Majesty the Emperor and raised as his daughter. And that ‘daughter’ was probably based on my abilities.”

Pushing past her incredulous expression, I quickly launched into my backstory. And this had an effect. A pity-inducing past always serves to ease the other’s defenses against my suspicion. Generally, it’s the kind of secret one wouldn’t want to divulge.

Bringing up such a narrative made it seem more sincere.

“Honestly, I don’t know who I am. I was apparently once known as ‘Sylvia Black,’ but I have no idea who my real parents are. The orphanage director, who is no longer in this world, said I was there ‘at some point.’”

“…”

While I continued my story, not a single person interrupted me. Even Alice and Claire, who had some general idea of where I was from, kept their mouths shut.

This was the first time I was speaking so detailed about my past.

“Yes, I have exceptional abilities. I’ve been able to act with information that others couldn’t know from the very beginning. I don’t know the reason for this either.”

I omitted the most important parts but stated only the facts. Even without saying I learned this through “playing the game,” I honestly had no idea why or how I ended up in this world. Even with Alice, who could see through my expressions, she probably wouldn’t think I was lying. Because I wasn’t lying, after all.

“Of course, that doesn’t mean I know everything. I knew the location of the ruins and could visualize what they looked like, but I had no idea what was truly hidden in those ruins.”

“So you wanted to check on that, huh?”

Charlotte’s expression was still one of bewilderment as she looked at an oddball of a person, but the piercing suspicion from earlier was slowly fading away.

“You— you don’t even know your own identity?”

“I’m merely trying to find out.”

When I said that, Charlotte pressed her lips together and made a soft sound. At this rate, she seemed to think pressing for more questions might be meaningless.

“Then…”

But still not ready to give up, Charlotte spoke in a strained voice.

“Can I assume that everything you do is… related to the power of the Goddess?”

“…”

I silently nodded.

I thought so too.

What other reason could there be?

After finishing my story, I turned my gaze around the room, taking in everyone present. The Cardinal looked like he had felt a shiver, and the Knights were trembling.

On the contrary, my friends were stiff-faced. What on earth were they thinking—

—Ah.

No, there was one person who looked a bit different than the rest.

It was Sophia.

Chapter 230

“…Here we go.”

With a determined look, Sophia broke the silence.

“The Cathedral wasn’t built by the usual suspects.”

“Bianchi!”

As Sophia opened her mouth, the Cardinal shouted in haste, but upon meeting my gaze, he immediately deflated. Once fear is imprinted, it’s quite effective, and it seems he has no intention of attacking us anytime soon, even after his wounds have healed considerably.

Well, considering all the knights are neutralized and bound, attacking would only get him killed.

“Please, continue.”

At my words, Sophia spoke in a slightly trembling voice. “I was born long after this place was created, so I don’t know the details. But… I’ve heard that this place was completed using what was originally prepared.”

She’s still not fully in control of her powers and is quite low-ranking among the Order, so she probably hasn’t heard the whole story.

“Sophia, you—”

As I looked at Sophia, Charlotte opened her mouth, then quickly closed it. What’s the point of questioning now, she seemed to think.

It was truly a ‘Wise Man’ moment, for sure.

“I’m sorry.”

Sophia just lowered her head and remained silent. Now that I think about it, I had promised to share various things with her once everything was over. Given the situation, it doesn’t seem like we’ll have time for a chat.

Should I feel happy about that, or disappointed?

“So, what’s the plan going forward? What can we do with that fragment?”

“For now, we’d like to keep the fragment safe.”

At my words, Charlotte stared at me silently.

This is Velbur territory. And here’s a secret organization that has taken up a suspicious object without permission.

Logically, it would make sense for the Kingdom of Velbur to keep it, but—

“…You won’t betray me, will you?”

Charlotte merely asked. I recalled the conversation I had with her just a little while ago.

“I won’t betray you, even if it costs me my life.”

I said this expressionlessly, but it seemed Charlotte felt it differently.

She didn’t give a smile or soften her attitude, but she omitted further commentary.

I took that as her trust in me.

*

What we did after that wasn’t really that difficult.

The Velbur Kingdom forces were already deployed around the Cathedral without our knowledge. It seemed the king concluded that my words were true the moment we found the entrance to the facility.

We were the ones who entered, but that doesn’t mean the Velbur Kingdom was just sitting idly by. They were poised to send in a large army if we didn’t emerge or report back within a few hours.

We barely escaped just before the Velbur Kingdom forces openly advanced on the Cathedral.

Coming out was simpler than going in, as we exited through the Cathedral.

The Papal State’s knights in the Cathedral looked utterly flabbergasted when they saw us coming out, as they never imagined we’d defeat the Gryphon and the Order.

Or maybe they were already on edge before that.

“…Ugh.”

As Mia came out, she looked like she was going to throw up for a moment.

Not everyone inside had died, but at least the enemies we encountered on our way out had been turned into mush.

Seeing the remains of the beasts was already quite nauseating, but comparing the bodies of beasts and humans, the latter was bound to be much more shocking. That’s why I tried to keep the kids away from the second floor.

However, the bodies here were in worse shape than those on the second floor that I created.

It seemed the Gryphon made its way through here; the wall near the entrance was destroyed, and the entrance itself was forcibly smashed open.

…I distinctly remember releasing it towards the underground tunnel.

Could it have gotten lost and smashed through the walls while looking for an exit?

The soldiers and knights guarding the entrance were barely able to recognize what was going on.

Enraged by what had happened, the already confused Gryphon seemed to have rampaged as it exited.

The few surviving soldiers could only express their horror upon seeing us.

I had put the tattered Cardinal at the front, but I realized that wasn’t even necessary.

“Charlotte!”

As we emerged through the entrance, the waiting king rushed towards us, his face pale.

“Are you alright!? I saw the Gryphon burst out from inside! What was happening in there!?”

With a hand on Charlotte’s shoulder, the king examined her condition, resembling a father more than a majestic ruler.

Alice probably never got to see that side of him.

“I’m fine. That Gryphon…”

Charlotte paused for a moment and asked with slight concern, “Did that Gryphon attack the Kingdom’s forces?”

“No, I did see it burst out of the Cathedral entrance, but it didn’t touch anyone other than those inside. It soared into the sky without any lingering thoughts. Never in my life did I think I’d see a Gryphon, especially on Velbur territory.”

Saying this, the king seemed to feel relieved only after checking Charlotte’s condition once more.

“…”

Perhaps regaining some of his bearings, the intensity of his gaze shifted back to us, and it was sharper this time.

Especially his gaze directed at me.

Though the king hadn’t witnessed what happened underground directly, it seemed he had a strange notion that somehow, I was connected to the Gryphon’s emergence.

Well, I happened to encounter it there too.

I had just attempted a strategy that wouldn’t be possible in the game, but could fit within the set rules.

“I wish to summon you all to the palace immediately for detailed testimonies… but the situation is urgent.”

That’s undoubtedly true.

Whether to reveal or cover up the fact that a Gryphon flew up in the middle of Lutetia and that insanity was happening inside the Cathedral would entail an incredibly complicated process.

And we’d probably have to run like crazy for a while. Regardless of what the Emperor was scheming, I’ve effectively done something that he wouldn’t approve of.

…Hmm.

Should I just rewind time?

I seriously contemplated that for a moment.

However, my serious pondering was blown away by the king’s next words.

“Something unusual is happening on the Papal State’s land right now.”

“…”

Huh?

“Shortly after you went underground, a strange light was observed coming from the Papal State.”

A strange light, you say?

“It seemed like a barrier covering the entire Papal State. In fact, it’s visible even in the middle of Lutetia.”

…

Seeing my expression, the king seemed to think it would be better to show us the spectacle directly.

As the king turned and walked out of the Cathedral, we exchanged glances before following him.

And what the king mentioned… turned out to be quite literally true.

*

The Papal State was originally a part of the land of Velbur that was ceded to create it. This fact alone is known, and its motif is the Vatican.

Of course, while a country modeled after Italy exists in this world, the creation of lore is entirely up to the producers, after all.

However, unlike the Vatican in the heart of Italy, the Papal State isn’t located in the middle of Velbur—it’s situated on a small parcel ceded from the Velbur border region, squeezed between the Kingdom of Iberia (which is based on Italy) and the Kingdom of Velbur.

Thus, it’s not really close to Lutetia. Using transportation, one could pass in less than a day, but it’s still distant enough to have several other regions in between.

Yet, even from such a distance, the sight of the ‘barrier’ rising over the entire Papal State was starkly visible.

It wasn’t merely a pillar of light rising.

“What the heck is that…?!”

Sophia muttered as she stared at the scene.

“…”

I had no idea how to respond to her murmurs.

I didn’t know anything about what was happening either.

The Emperor, who was supposed to be preparing plans for war, didn’t display powers of that magnitude affecting an entire nation.

The game I played had an impressive scope, but—

…

Is that perhaps the Goddess’s power?

I have no idea how it’s being utilized, but in this universe, it seems that would be only natural for such power. Even in previous works, the powers of the Goddess were something entirely different from conventional magic.

…

No, don’t you think it should be wrapped up when something is finished?

What if something even bigger happens after this?

sigh

Seriously, enough already.

Chapter 231

The situation got way too complicated.

Just the fact that I knew about the secret base of the Papal State created potential diplomatic issues. Lutetia, being directly under the Velbur royal family, meant that whatever the king did there would usually be far less interfered with by other nobles. However, the problem was that this secret base was located under the Cathedral of St. Latina.

While the royal authority of the Kingdom of Velbur was pretty solid, it wasn’t strong enough to completely crush other nobles like the Empire. Plus, the royal family maintained a neutral stance toward religion, but many nobles were devout adherents of the Goddess.

Naturally, if the royal guards directly attacked a place that was one of the holy sites, there would be immense backlash. Nobles would surely recall the oppression faced by the adherents of the Goddess many years ago.

Ironically, the reason that only two people from the Kingdom, Charlotte and Sophia, could dig up that facility was exactly that. The recent battle should ideally remain a secret from the Kingdom. The troops that surrounded the cathedral, unbeknownst to anyone, were all part of the Velbur royal guard and the loyalist knights, hence why they were so on edge.

But then, bam!

A gryphon leaped out from the cathedral’s underground.

Thanks to that, the Papal State forces stationed in the cathedral were obliterated.

Of course, while the gryphon is a symbol of the Empire, it never did anything particularly impressive before. Since taming one is out of the question, using it for military purposes was also impossible. Even if Lutetia’s citizens thought about the Empire at the sight of the gryphon bursting out from the cathedral, they could simply say, “Not my problem.”

The real trouble was the series of events that happened shortly after.

With some kind of incident occurring in the cathedral, strange things also happened in the Papal State.

To make matters worse, the two princesses of the Empire were visiting the royal capital at the same time.

And ‘coincidentally’ the imperial throne was vacant, and there was nobody from “the Emperor’s kids” around.

There were no orders from the Emperor regarding this situation. Typically, when the Emperor is absent, all imperial troops are put on high alert and advised to remain tense.

The nobles of the Empire were restless, and the adherents of the Goddess in the Kingdom were starting to boil over.

“Let’s rest a bit first,” I concluded after hearing all that.

We seriously needed to sleep.

We had been fighting all night, after all. Thanks to that recovery device, my physical fatigue was pretty much restored, but the problem was mental fatigue. Plus, ‘physical fatigue’ and ‘sleepiness’ are completely different matters.

It’s not completely morning yet, and the sun hasn’t come up, but being awake in this state would just leave my brain and my conclusions in shambles.

Thank goodness everyone agreed with me.

“I promise to wake you if anything happens,” the king said.

I kind of wished he wouldn’t, though.

If something happens, I’d prefer to stay asleep. Waking up to find the situation resolved would be great.

But that probably won’t happen. The first one to wake me would be none other than…

*

“……”

And my bad guess turned out to be correct.

“To think you’ve just been sleeping until this hour! I almost want to regret teaching you my meditation techniques,” said none other than Sword Saint Frederick.

With my eyes still heavy, I blinked a few times. Bright sunlight filtered in through the curtains. However, even if the sun was up, it couldn’t possibly be that late. This guy wouldn’t let me sleep in like that.

… To be honest, from my perspective, we’ve spent enough time side by side to build a certain sense of intimacy, but from the Sword Saint’s perspective, I was probably just a kid he had only seen a few times. I was merely a talentless kid he gave a few pointers to during the holidays.

“Actually, if I think about it, it may have been more that you found the method by yourself rather than me teaching it to you.”

“……”

I slowly sat up.

After considering whether to rub my eyes or not, I opted against it. I wasn’t that relaxed yet around the Sword Saint. I might have behaved differently if it were Claire or Alice waking me up.

“How did you come all the way here?”

“I rode on the train.”

The Sword Saint smiled as he responded, fully aware that I wasn’t talking about the method of arrival.

“……”

“Oh, were you asking ‘why’?”

Unfazed in front of the Crown Princess, the Sword Saint spoke with a grin.

“I heard rumors last night. Apparently, a gryphon flew up in the city where you were.”

“Is that why you came all the way here?”

Were you planning on hunting gryphons or something?

No, more importantly, how fast did those rumors spread?

“Well, it wasn’t exactly a rumor everyone knew about. Honestly, I overheard some communications.”

“……”

“And then I blended in among the knights dispatched here.”

“A knight order has been dispatched?”

“It seems it wasn’t summoned from the Kingdom. However, there’s a pretext of ‘we don’t know what happened to His Majesty the Emperor, so we’ll protect the two princesses.’ The Kingdom reluctantly accepted it, even though they found it massively unsettling. Thanks to this, there’s chaos outside right now.”

“……”

I kept my mouth shut as I briefly fell into thought before collapsing back onto the bed.

“……Why did you just get back into bed after finally getting up?”

“If I go out now, I’ll run into the chaotic crowd in the royal capital.”

“The crowd is being effectively blocked by the Kingdom’s forces. The Velbur royal family is pretty respected, so it’s unlikely the crowd would just storm over the walls without reason.”

“……What about the nobles residing in Lutetia?”

“I heard they’ve been gathering at the Lutetia royal palace since last evening. By the way, since you spent the night not in a hotel but here, all the academy students who stayed in the hotel have relocated to the Lutetia royal palace. I learned that this morning.”

“I think I’d prefer to just sleep again. If possible, I’d like you to wake me after the situation has been resolved.”

“It might take a few months, you know?”

“Then please wake me a few months later.”

“I can’t say that to my master.”

But does this mean he’s treating me as a disciple? I mean, given that he’s a Sword Saint, it’s well within reason.

“If you don’t get up, your sisters will have to solve everything on their own, you know?”

“……”

I was very much aware of that fact.

Well, I had no intention of sleeping for months. That’s biologically impossible too.

Most importantly, if I don’t step in now, I don’t know how things will unfold. At least, I should be with the children to determine whether I can save them or if I must rewind time.

“……”

That said, I lay back on the ceiling in silence and contemplated.

After all that, I still wanted to sleep a little longer.

Yeah, well.

I needed to check out my abilities in this situation anyway.

Back again.

*

Even amidst the turmoil in the Papal State, oddly enough, I found that I could still use my abilities.

Whether it’s truly a barrier or whether the story inside changes is still a mystery. If I think about the case with the mask girl, it seems that even a little separation could mean my abilities would become unusable right away.

Well, it’s good that it’s good.

For now, I’d decided not to think too much about it. I needed to use whatever abilities I had and find the safest way to tidy up this situation.

“Sylvia.”

I almost fainted for a moment upon seeing the people gathered behind the Sword Saint.

In addition to the cardinal I had saved last time, there was also the King of Velbur, the academy teachers who came with the students, and many influential nobles from Velbur. Plus, I guessed Alice was there as a ‘princess’, and a few members of the imperial knight order that had rushed over last night.

All the faces of these people seemed a bit angry for their own reasons.

Seeing all those angry faces directed at me, I seriously contemplated whether it would be better to just pretend like this situation never happened.

But that wouldn’t do.

Even if I rewinded time, it was essential to ascertain the current situation.

I had some premeditated thoughts ready. Before anyone could say anything to me, I entered the meeting room and immediately spoke up.

“We need to form a special task force to enter the Papal State.”

As I entered, all eyes turned to me, and a heavy silence fell for a moment.

Then, shortly after, voices began to burst out from all around.

Chapter 232

“Silence! Silence, I say!”

With that shout from the King of Belbur, who was sitting on the throne a few steps elevated from the long table in the conference room, the hall fell quiet.

However, unlike the heavy silence moments ago, it was an uneasy silence, as though complaints could erupt at any moment. The sound of armor clinking, clothes rustling, deep breaths, and quiet muttering created a chaotic stillness.

“Crown Princess Sylvia. I will allow you to speak. If you made such a statement, you must have your reasons. Could you please explain it clearly so that everyone here can understand?”

Well, I’m not sure I can explain it that well.

But then again, the king probably isn’t expecting me to. After all, in a nobility meeting like this, someone is bound to oppose just for the sake of opposing. The only times genuine dissent arises are when it’s a situation where ‘there’s a high chance of dying if you oppose.’

“The Papal State—”

I paused deliberately, hoping to come off as ‘arrogant’ in the eyes of those present.

“The Emperor is highly likely to be in the Papal State. We must immediately form a special forces unit to investigate what is happening there.”

“But isn’t that an issue for the Empire?”

One of the nobles from the Kingdom interjected, as if waiting for the chance.

“We cannot know what His Majesty is doing there, but regardless of what happens to him, that is a matter for the Empire to resolve directly. We are under no obligation to assist. Please remember what you did here last year, Crown Princess.”

In other words, since you hindered our alliance, we have no need to assist you militarily.

“I’m sorry, but we’ve never wanted the Kingdom’s military assistance. The special forces will only add a few members to the team that conducted operations in Lutetia last night.”

“And one of those who went with the Crown Princess yesterday was Charlotte.”

Charlotte was nowhere to be seen. The fact that Alice was present but Charlotte was not likely meant she had been intentionally excluded from this gathering.

This was just my assumption, but if it were Charlotte, she would definitely participate in that special forces unit without a second thought. She might wear a complicated expression like yesterday, showing immense discomfort, but knowing Charlotte’s straightforward character, she would judge that ‘it’s the right thing to do.’ After all, she was trusting me.

In that sense, the one I probably owe the biggest apology to right now is Charlotte.

However, regardless of what Charlotte was thinking, it would be hard to justify that to my father, the king.

Last night, didn’t a gryphon pop out when he trusted me and sent his daughter away? Moreover, while the king didn’t see it firsthand, Charlotte got injured by that gryphon’s claws. Thankfully, it has healed now and left no trace.

However, that doesn’t mean the clothes torn last night are all patched up, so one could only guess what kind of battle occurred then.

“…If there are personnel who must withdraw, it would still be acceptable.”

As I said that, I saw the Sword Saint stepping forward beside me.

He clearly had a look of wanting to participate badly.

After spending quite a long time in boredom, the Sword Saint came down from the mountain after realizing there was someone he could fight.

He must be thrilled at the very possibility of a battlefield where he might have to risk his life. Besides, the knights of the Papal State were already quite known as formidable fighters.

And there were others who might step up to replace the students who would drop out, such as Jennifer and Carolyn, both of whom were exceptionally skilled. Although they were often guest characters in the game, they could certainly be useful in the final battle.

“If only we could get the permission to head to the border region of the Papal State.”

“Are you suggesting we open the Kingdom’s opposing borders to the Empire?”

This time, it was another noble.

This is bothersome.

“The Kingdom and the Papal State have had a close relationship since the past. However, we cannot predict how the Papal State will react if the Empire steps in to assist against them.”

Instead of responding to that noble, I quietly gazed at the Cardinal who was missing an arm.

The Cardinal’s face had turned pale.

“I would like to say that you should ask the Cardinal for details, but then the magic around his neck would cause him to die, so I will explain instead.”

I turned my attention back to the noble and said, “The Papal State has been plotting beneath the Royal City Lutetia. Even in secret from the Kingdom. If the Kingdom does not hold the Papal State accountable for this fact, then who else will? Even if the relationship between the Kingdom and the Papal State is strong, there are still lines that shouldn’t be crossed, right? I don’t know your name, but—oh, you don’t need to bother sharing it. This will likely be our last conversation.”

At my words, that noble opened his mouth, so I quickly raised a hand to interrupt.

“Anyway, are you saying you can accept a situation where friendly neighbors have a bunch of serpents digging a pit right under your house?”

“That is—”

“So, we are offering to help solve it. If the Kingdom’s military doesn’t have to move and a special forces team without any Kingdom personnel can act to assess and resolve the situation, then how do you plan to resolve it otherwise if you do not accept this?”

“…….”

The silence wasn’t because my logic was flawless, but rather because my reaction was more intense than expected.

Even Alice was looking at me with a worried expression.

“And, let me add one more thing.”

I straightened my posture confidently, chest and waist held high.

“Although His Majesty the Emperor may seem unyielding, he has been quite generous towards neighboring countries. While he has strengthened the military, he hasn’t stationed this immense military along the Kingdom’s borders.”

“But wasn’t there shelling at the borders of the autonomous nation?”

That was another noble speaking again.

“That was in response to a request from the autonomous nation.”

The one who responded was Jennifer Winterfield.

“The autonomous nation has been suffering due to the uncontrolled rise of illegal militias for some time. However, as you pointed out, the Empire is wary of its military encroaching too much on the autonomous nation’s side, so the Empire’s assistance was limited in various ways. Therefore, the Empire proposed shelling support—attacking only the enemy positions from a distance without deploying its own troops.”

It was an incredibly shameless explanation, but it was, nonetheless, the truth.

“And after the shelling, the fleet withdrew back to safety. They’re currently near the Imperial Capital, so tomorrow, there won’t be any shelling coming to Lutetia.”

“…….”

I might be just a Crown Princess, but Winterfield is a military family. One with a reputation that is well-known even to neighboring countries.

One can’t easily dismiss the credibility of her statement.

“The Kingdom must have planted spies in the Empire, right?”

I decided to ask outright.

“If so, did any of those spies come back with even a single piece of evidence stating that ‘the Empire is preparing for war’?”

The Emperor had directly told me.

That he intended to take over the world through means other than war.

…It’s hard to believe that completely. But given his meticulous nature, he likely went to great lengths to appear truthful in the eyes of others.

In fact, even I haven’t found any evidence of warfare.

Having scoured all the resources from deep within the Empire, if I couldn’t find anything, it wouldn’t be shocking if the spies planted by the Kingdom couldn’t find anything either.

“The Emperor’s power is formidable. We cannot know for what reason he has vacated the throne, and whether he will indeed be in the Papal State, but if His Majesty’s power were to be left vacant, the Empire would fall into chaos for a while.”

I, along with Alice, still remain here. As a last resort, there’s also Claire, who has the Emperor’s blood running through her.

However, the three of us lack the political weight to truly substitute for the Emperor’s rays of authority. Unless we truly demonstrate significant power, local lords wouldn’t pay us any mind.

…And if that’s the case.

“If a part of the military were to ‘turn into warlords’ amid the chaos of the Empire, could the Kingdom fend them off?”

“…….”

Exactly.

This is why we’re in such a hurry.

If even a portion of the Imperial army becomes warlords or is absorbed by local nobility, and if those local nobility decide to take a different course of action…

That would no longer simply be a band of random terrorists.

They would have all the advanced weaponry of the Imperial army at their disposal once turned into warlords.

Admittedly extreme, but it would be akin to a ‘terrorist organization armed with ballistic missiles, including those who specialize in deploying such weapons’—a spine-chilling existence just hearing about it.

The Empire wouldn’t collapse in an instant. After all, they have established systems and, although it’s flawed, a legislature that can somewhat run the country instead of the Emperor.

However, can we truly guarantee that the possibility of that collapse is ‘zero’?

Neither I nor anyone here could provide a proper answer.

Ah, of course, the Emperor surely isn’t considering that and is just off somewhere.

Still, if I want to bait them, I need to throw out this kind of nonsense first.

Chapter 233

Meeting Charlotte outside the conference room was harder than I thought.

Unlike the relationship between the Emperor and Alice, which was almost entirely dependent on Alice’s efforts, the relationship between Charlotte and the King was a pretty good father-daughter one. While it couldn’t be compared to the warmth of a typical common family, the familial love was definitely present.

And that seemed to be why the King figured that Charlotte would want to help me.

To prevent that, he apparently thought the best way was to make sure I didn’t run into Charlotte.

Of course, such a “method” didn’t work on me. If my abilities were paralyzed, that might be one thing, but I was someone who could rewind time multiple times.

Moreover, I could think of methods I could never have imagined in my original world. For instance, unlike my former self, who was a life-weary office worker starting to develop a belly, I had received quite a bit of training here.

I could sneak up to the roof where Charlotte’s room was and tie a rope to climb down to her window.

“……”

Charlotte didn’t seem to be in a particularly confined mood. Rather, she looked like she had just heard that she shouldn’t meet with ‘those kids’.

Though her expression was dark as she sat in her room, she didn’t seem overly troubled. …I guess that’s obvious? It hadn’t even been a day since we last saw each other.

“You’re the only princess who climbs roofs just to see a friend, you know.”

As she opened the window for me, Charlotte said that.

I didn’t bother to respond and hopped into the room.

Charlotte’s room was… clean. Well, to be honest, my own room in the Imperial Palace was also quite clean. After all, there was no real reason for royal or noble rooms to be dirty. Servants come to clean them at regular intervals.

However, the atmosphere itself was a bit cozier and more feminine than either mine or Alice’s room. Hmm, not sure if it had a girly vibe. I mean, the style of this era leaned more towards Victorian design. Even if it was slightly modernized compared to the actual Victorian era, some old-fashioned feel was unavoidable.

For instance, there was a floral embroidery on the guest chair, and the table had various decorations… but it looked elegant without being excessive.

“Did you come because of what’s happening outside?”

Charlotte asked as I silently scanned her room.

“More than that, I came to check if you were okay.”

“…Is there any reason for me to not be okay sitting in my own room back home?”

Well, judging from her expression, it didn’t seem like she was truly okay.

Saying such a thing when she probably had a mountain of worries wouldn’t have much weight.

“I think it’s not very okay that there’s someone sneaking into the princess’s room through the roof in broad daylight.”

Of course, I couldn’t outright say that her expression didn’t look okay, so I made my own little joke.

“……”

And the joke worked out beautifully in a bad way.

“I just heard an explosion outside a moment ago.”

“……”

Hmm.

Actually, there were a few snipers on the roof, and I caused a small explosion to draw their attention.

“Given that it was an explosion in a deserted area and outside the palace, it’ll end up being a minor commotion.”

When I answered calmly, Charlotte shot me a sidelong glance—

—And that glare quickly turned into a chuckle.

Her laugh burst forth with a pfft, sounding so ridiculous that I didn’t think it was just a forced chuckle. In fact, it seemed like she found the whole situation genuinely funny.

“…Hah.”

After laughing for a while, Charlotte looked at me, who was frozen in surprise, as if to say, ‘This is absurd.’

“It really is ridiculous. Isn’t it usually a prince in love with a princess sneaking into her room in such situations?”

“If you say it’s my fault for causing the explosion and climbing through the window, I have nothing to say, but I don’t think that’s my fault.”

If I had the choice between becoming a super handsome guy or a super pretty girl, I would have confidently chosen the guy side.

*

There was a ruckus in the conference hall, but in fact, the kingdom had no other choice.

After all, ‘someone’ had to confirm things.

Of course, that didn’t mean they were about to barge in today or tomorrow. Before that, there was a mountain of tasks that had to be sorted out.

The kingdom’s stance, the differences in positions between the royal family and the nobility, the slowly rising chaos in the Empire, the turmoil in the imperial army due to the sudden disappearance of its commanders, things like that wouldn’t just vanish as soon as it was decided to ‘go to the Papal State.’

Moreover, the nobles of the kingdom couldn’t really argue in front of me. Once I left the room, they fought among themselves.

…Well, there really was no choice.

Even if the light rising from the Papal State quickly dissipated and the Emperor walked out unharmed, it would eventually end up as a happening that wouldn’t matter much. However, honestly, it seems that hardly anyone in the kingdom’s upper echelons saw things so optimistically. While they were talking about the relation with the Papal State and such, at the end of the day, it was still just ‘another country.’ No matter how many believers of the Goddess there were in the kingdom, there were still considerable factions that were not.

If we fail to take any action while minding that small country, that would be quite embarrassing in itself.

“Besides, the Kingdom of Iberia has started to move.”

Sitting across from me at the table, Charlotte slid over a piece of paper. The paper had a picture printed on it showing the situation in the distant Papal State, and below it were a few lines of news about the Kingdom of Iberia.

The Papal State was a small city-state wedged between the Kingdom of Velbur and the Kingdom of Iberia. While the Kingdom of Iberia was also heavily influenced by the Goddess Church like Velbur, that’s precisely why there were opinions that its situation needed to be ‘checked.’

Considering the history of the Papal State, it made more sense for the Kingdom of Velbur to investigate rather than the Kingdom of Iberia. After all, that land had become part of the Papal State after negotiations with the Kingdom of Velbur.

However, stalling for time was disadvantageous. The longer we dragged this out, the more countries would start to take an interest in the situation of the Papal State.

“I don’t think it’s the news, though.”

“Velbur has already introduced advanced technology in important areas. Even if it looks like this, they have a few flying machines. In the few hours we’ve just been resting, it’s enough time to gather information. They have an embassy in the Kingdom of Iberia as well. Though it might not be at the level of the Empire, they are still gathering intelligence.”

“No, that’s not it.”

I pushed the paper back towards Charlotte and said.

“The Empire is relying too much on the Emperor. It’s not that the Empire doesn’t have an intelligence department, nor do I think that the information-gathering abilities of the various armies and nobles are lacking…”

Ultimately, the existence holding the most crucial information was the Emperor, and he hardly shared that information with others. Moreover, those who gather that information are often individuals directly appointed by the Emperor rather than spies of the Empire.

“Is that so?”

Charlotte rarely wore a somewhat pleased expression at my words.

“By the way, can I show you this kind of information?”

“Didn’t you come looking for this kind of information?”

At Charlotte’s words, I momentarily fell silent.

Um… More than that, I really did come to check if she was okay.

If the King’s words were to be believed, Charlotte wouldn’t be able to follow us. In the original work, the Kingdom of Velbur was in utter chaos, to the extent that the kingdom couldn’t find Charlotte’s location. However, now, the situation in Velbur was even less chaotic than that of the Empire.

Even if I couldn’t take her with me, I just wanted to see her face and have a conversation first.

Not just with Charlotte, but with all the companions who came along.

“……”

Seeing me lost in thought, Charlotte’s brows narrowed slightly.

“I’m saying this just in case, but if you hear ‘stay here and wait,’ you won’t just sit around waiting, will you?”

Though not to the level of Alice’s mind-reading, Charlotte had a knack for reading the atmosphere. Maybe it’s because she was royal to the bone?

“They will put up a barrier to keep you from leaving, Princess.”

When I said something so obvious, Charlotte’s gaze slightly shifted.

It was directed toward the window where the rope still hung down.

…Oh.

Chapter 234

“If you’re going to leave me behind, I’ll scream my lungs out right here.”

“…What good would that do?”

I asked seriously.

If I were a guy, it would’ve had a huge impact. In this world, which is conservative in many ways—especially sexually—just being alone in a room with a girl would be a huge issue, and if the girl screamed, that scream would serve as evidence.

But since both of us are girls…

“You used explosives just to get into my room, right? Isn’t it hard to believe that you came to assassinate me?”

As I quietly stared at Charlotte, who was casually throwing around such terrifying statements, I slowly opened my mouth.

“May I ask why you want to follow me to that place?”

“…May I ask why you’re telling me not to go after reaching this point?”

In response to my question, Charlotte answered back with a question.

“Oh, please don’t say anything about ‘danger’. I’ve experienced ‘danger’ when clawed by a gryphon in my life, so I think I’ve had enough.”

“……”

Hmm, that’s true.

“Or do you think my skills aren’t needed? That you can just pick some good knights and go?”

If I think about it logically, that’s a fair statement.

Let’s think about it. Even if we’re getting older, we’re only 15. It’s weird to be treated like a little kid, let alone an adult.

Of course, in this world, even if you’re legally a minor, socially, you’re treated like an adult, which makes this a complicated age. But still, we’re not at an age to be involved in the nation’s political ties or the conspiracies that move the world.

In a game, it’s possible for the main party to fight for their lives in the final battle and ultimately save the world because it’s ‘a game.’

In reality, they would’ve sent in a highly trained special forces unit by now.

In fact, I didn’t think it was such a bad idea to think like that even while pondering such things.

However, the very fact that I felt I had to go myself means that my way of thinking has already changed to fit this world’s style.

“It’s not that I don’t trust your skills. It’s just that the political situation—”

“Once again, I’ll ask the same thing, ‘Why now?’”

“……”

“If you had any thoughts in the first place, you wouldn’t have barged into the palace and said such things to my father—the King, nor would you have thought to create a infiltration team with friends to go underground. Originally, do you know why my father listened to you? Because there was no other way in that situation. He resigned to it because it was you.”

What on earth does that mean?

“Because the opponent is ‘you’, ‘Sylvia Fanggriffon’.”

Charlotte emphasized once more.

“At just fourteen, you met representatives of two nations, preemptively preventing a military alliance and even making that relationship ambiguous. The Emperor trusts you completely, and you know secrets that even the Kingdom of Velbur isn’t aware of… So when you bring up something, they have no choice but to comply because they can’t foresee what would happen if they don’t.”

“……”

“So, do you really think my father agreed to your plan because he believed it was flawless?”

Uh…

No, that’s not it. But I thought he judged there was no other option.

Thinking back, the reason there was ‘no other way’ seemed to be simply because of my own existence.

“So, now to say it would be better this way or that it has a higher chance of success is irrelevant. So I want to see the conclusion of this story myself. It’s better than only hearing rumors if I’m unjustly left out in the middle.”

Now, it no longer matters if my life is in danger or if I’m plagued by political threats.

I got involved, and I wanted to see the end, so I’d just go and confirm it myself.

In summary, that’s what Charlotte was saying.

“And, as I said.”

Charlotte spoke with a slightly pouting expression.

“We are friends, after all. I was born into a political position. No matter what I do, enemies will arise, and there will be acquaintances I meet for political reasons. Among them, there might be people who approach me claiming to be my friends. Well, it’s possible to think of such beings as friends. Just because we call each other friends doesn’t define everything.”

Charlotte’s gaze, which had been looking at her tea, rose and met my eyes.

“But even if one of us shouts that you’re not a friend, even if we imagine that our political opinions don’t align or that we’re competing for a single benefit… Somehow, I feel like I will continue to think of you as ‘friends.’ I’ve never encountered someone where I can’t imagine ‘not being friends’ in my life. To me, that’s you.”

Charlotte shrugged her shoulders.

“And probably, you will be a type of friend I can’t ever recreate outside the academy.”

So, rather than losing it, I’d stick with it until the end.

“…Do you realize that we’ve barely known each other for less than a year?”

“Oh, are you saying that because we’ve only known each other for a few months, we’re not ‘friends’?”

…No, that’s not it.

I just found myself at a loss for words.

What kind of situation would we be facing if we went there, and now I was considering following someone I’d only known for a few months?

“Alright then. If you really think so, I won’t stop you any longer.”

“Even if you tried to stop me, I was going to follow anyway, so I’m not particularly grateful.”

In the end, I was persuaded by Charlotte’s words once again.

*

“…You look like you just rolled around somewhere.”

When I entered Alice’s room, Alice squinted her eyes at me and asked.

Well, I really did roll around.

Had I been chatting with Charlotte for too long? The snipers on the roof had all returned to their positions. The kingdom had a secret base underground already, and because of that, vigilance had been greatly intensified. But it seemed the precaution level skyrocketed because of the explosives set off while entering Charlotte’s room.

I don’t know how many times I’ve turned back time while trying to climb back up the rope and evade the snipers’ fierce line of sight… I’ve rolled around for sure.

Naturally, I did roll around.

However, snipers were meant to prevent people from going up on the roof rather than to engage with those who had already reached the roof. It’s not like they were immune to being caught either, so most snipers would lie flat on the roof, monitoring around the palace, making it not impossible to remain undetected.

If I hadn’t had any skills, I would have been caught and locked up long ago.

“Speaking of which, I heard an explosion outside earlier.”

“I was just passing by Princess Charlotte’s room.”

“……”

Alice looked like she had a lot to say but didn’t press for details. The atmosphere didn’t make it hard to imagine. She had been observing me causing trouble all this time.

“Leo and Claire aren’t back yet. So how about you fix your appearance a little bit before they arrive? Seeing you like this, they’re probably going to worry a lot.”

“Understood.”

At Alice’s suggestion, I immediately entered the shower room attached to Alice’s room.

*

The one on the table was still shining brightly.

And those two streams of light were naturally directed toward Alice and Claire.

“…So Claire is…”

“My half-sister.”

Leo’s face turned pale after hearing Alice confirm it. I figured that would happen.

“But I’m a Grace, not a Fanggriffon. So don’t worry about losing a sister.”

Even if Claire said it jokingly, Leo could only twitch his lips with a ghastly face.

“Is there a reason you’re telling me this?”

“…We’re back to using formal speech again.”

Alice sighed heavily. Lately, Leo had been gradually dropping formal speech at the academy, but it felt like their relationship had reverted to the way it started.

Alice shrugged her shoulders, as if to say, ‘Well, what can you do.’

“You’re Claire’s sibling, so it’s better that you know.”

“Claire said she would remain a Grace and not a Fanggriffon. Then, regardless of bloodline, you are still Claire’s sibling, just as you have always been.”

As Alice and I said this to Leo, he gazed at Claire in a daze.

Claire briefly avoided Leo’s gaze, but after taking a big breath, she looked Leo straight in the eye and said,

“But I’m still your older sister.”

“…No, if we’re both Graces, I’m obviously the older brother.”

Upon Claire’s words, Leo reacted instinctively.

…Still, I’m glad it seems the relationship won’t be destroyed.

Chapter 235

“You two don’t seem too worried about what’s going to happen in the future.”

If it had been some other noble instead of Leo, they would have turned pale like Leo did and fainted.

No matter how weak human rights awareness was and how strong the imperial power was in this era, there is still a line. The original game was fundamentally a family-friendly game; it probably wouldn’t have had a commercial adult-oriented setting operating human farms. Still, having a child with the royal family that one might have brought down would be a huge political issue.

Maybe that’s the reason the Emperor didn’t directly tell his children about it. He revealed the truth to me as if it were obvious, but that’s because he was confident I wouldn’t disclose the truth to the other children.

Setting aside the moral problems regarding the Emperor himself, if other nobles wanted to form factions around the ‘children’ who have the imperial blood—

—Hmm. Upon further thought, that probably won’t happen.

Bella, Damien, Lucas, and Jayden all have their unique personalities, so it’s hard to say for sure, but they likely aren’t considering “I want to be Emperor!” Instead, they might be more inclined to enjoy their current free life.

The one with the most ambition among them is definitely Jayden… But Jayden lived the most uneventful life among the Emperor’s children. Though he certainly had a rougher life than typical noble kids, compared to the other three—especially Bella—he wasn’t enduring as much hardship.

It was probably because of that personality that he could take the lead among the kids. If word got out about the alliance of kids and nobles, it would actually indicate suspicion towards the Emperor. It would mean the nobles were planning to deal with all of them at once.

While I was momentarily lost in thought, Leo’s expression had somewhat returned to normal. Though he still looked like he could break out in a sweat any second, he wasn’t as pale as when we first met—now he was at least capable of speaking.

“Uh, well…”

Leo contemplated for a moment before speaking.

“I was thinking that maybe it’s as Claire said…”

“…If it’s not an official setting, you don’t need to use honorifics.”

“R-Really?”

He still seemed a bit confused about his position. But even without Leo, it appeared other kids in the academy felt similarly. If they had consistently used honorifics from the beginning, they could continue to do so when they met again later; however, Leo didn’t have that kind of personality.

“So what does it mean when you say ‘as Claire said’?”

Alice, listening to the conversation, asked, looking frustrated.

“It means that no matter which family Claire’s true bloodline comes from, she’s still my sister.”

Having resolved to drop the formalities, it seemed Leo decided to say that, and Claire shot him a glare. But this time, she didn’t raise any particular objections.

“Our parents raised Claire without treating me differently. Of course, they distinguished between whether it was a son or a daughter, but Claire’s bloodline wasn’t part of that distinction.”

It was obvious that Baron Grace and his wife would have acted that way. In the original story, there was no character who was Leo’s sister, but even if such a setting didn’t exist in the original, considering their straightforward character, they must have done so.

“Even if it’s said that Claire has the blood of commoners instead of royal blood, Claire is still Claire. So no matter who her true father is, it wouldn’t mean much to question that now. Especially if Claire herself thinks that way.”

“Leo…”

Claire wore a genuinely rare expression of being moved by Leo’s words. And that expression was strikingly similar to one Claire had shown Leo just once in the original.

Of course, this expression was far more vivid. While every major character had their own models, the facial expression presets in that game felt somewhat recycled; however, Claire’s expression here was much more animated.

That goes without saying. Unlike the devices and settings that blatantly reveal that this is a game, the characters here truly exist in reality. They were, quite literally, ‘alive.’

“But still, the fact that I’m your older brother doesn’t change.”

“No, now that you can even find out when you were born, isn’t it about time we figure this out?”

“I told you, I’m not a Fanggriffon; I’m a Grace.”

“…If you put it that way, you’re the one who came into Grace’s family later. Aren’t you my brother then?”

But right after such an emotional scene, seeing them bickering again, it seemed siblings really are siblings. I had never had a younger sister or an older brother, so I had no real experience of it.

And this ability to create such an atmosphere was Leo’s forte. A talent he probably didn’t even know he had, one that others couldn’t easily imitate.

In the original, Leo didn’t have much chance to get entangled with other characters. The story followed a strict boys meet girls harem format, and as a son of a lowly noble, Leo merely existed within his role in the academy. He gradually got pulled into various situations with all the characters in the academy.

He met Alice, became rivals with Claire, developed connections with Charlotte and Mia, and even got involved with the teachers, embroiled in all sorts of incidents.

Despite having no political advantages, Leo, by simply treating those around him comfortably and supporting them from behind, became the ‘center’ of the story, a character I quite liked.

I envied him.

Even if Claire… Even if she escaped such a grim past because of me, would she have grown up this brightly if she had gone to a different clan, not the Grace family?

“……”

“Uh, um, Sylvia?”

Since I was quietly observing the two without saying anything, Claire and Leo had stopped arguing and were now glancing at me.

Well, we were having a somewhat serious conversation, and then suddenly jumped into a petty debate, so it made sense they would notice me.

There really was no need to do so.

It was still early. It wasn’t like we were departing today; we had plenty of time left. It wouldn’t hurt to relax a little.

Because soon enough, we wouldn’t have the chance to do that.

However, once the mood was broken, it’s hard to regain it.

Feeling a slight regret in my heart, I pushed the goblet I had on the table toward Claire.

Even in broad daylight, the blue glow was vivid. The light still gleamed brighter towards Claire.

At this point, even if someone didn’t know exactly what that goblet was, they could guess what it ‘meant.’

It meant that the blood on Claire’s side was closer to royal blood.

I noticed Alice slightly biting her lip, but I intentionally pretended not to see it.

“The reason I called you all here is because of this.”

As I began to speak formally, all three of them fell silent.

“The Emperor gathered the capable ones among his scattered seeds to form a group called ‘the Emperor’s children.’ Of course, that name itself was merely assigned by others to refer to people like Alice and me.”

“…But there have been such groups in previous generations, right? Did their blood mix like this back then?”

“We can’t know that.”

Since those from previous generations had died decades ago.

“However, it is clear that this generation’s existence has mixed blood. Among the Emperor’s children, all except ‘me’ have the Emperor’s blood in them.”

I could almost see a question mark pop up above Leo’s head. Only then did Leo’s eyes widen as he looked back and forth between me and the goblet.

No light beam from the goblet was directed toward me at all.

“So, that means…?”

“That’s right.”

I addressed Leo, who was starting to turn pale again.

“It means the Emperor was mistaking me for Claire. Due to a series of coincidences from our childhood event, the places where Claire and I should have been have switched.”

“……”

Already having an inkling of the situation, Alice closed her eyes tightly.

Claire was covering her mouth with her hand, and Leo looked at me, somewhat dumbfounded, as if he were worried about his jaw dropping.

Yeah, the situation really is a mess, isn’t it?

Chapter 236

“Then, the success or failure of this operation depends on this.”

“You mean… that you don’t have the imperial blood running through you?”

“That’s correct.”

I gazed silently at the gears once more.

An incomplete cogwheel.

That cogwheel shape doesn’t just symbolize ‘parts.’ In a game like this, if an item looks like a cogwheel, it’s certainly going to be used as a part somewhere.

And that ‘completed item’ will likely possess the goddess’s power or an equivalent ability. That’s what the Emperor is after.

In the original story, the Emperor claimed he would control everything underfoot and govern equally.

But is that really possible?

In the world I lived in, we called it a ‘great war to end all things and bring peace,’ but soon the Second World War broke out, leaving people in shock. In this world, since there hasn’t been a world war yet, it’s not strange for someone to have those thoughts.

But it’s odd that the being with such thoughts is the ‘Emperor.’

Throughout the story, the Emperor confidently prepared for war, and with all those advanced weapons, did he really think he could create a perfectly peaceful world with just ‘that one war’?

It’s often said that a character labeled as a genius in original works cannot surpass the intelligence of their author; still, it felt a bit strange for someone repeatedly described as having an ‘extraordinary intellect’ to not anticipate such outcomes.

Actually, there was a separate section on the wiki critiquing the character, citing real-world examples.

Well, among players who had consistently played the Chronicles of Aetherna, most believed ‘there must have been something behind that.’

If the world war was a ‘means,’ perhaps the Emperor intended to find something through that world war?

The reason he obliterated the border territories of the self-governing nations that were highly suspected to be the backdrop of the sequel. The reason why Damien, who often made appearances in the original, had been outside for years.

And the masked girl who never appeared in the original, and me.

There are simply too few puzzle pieces to fit it all together. But with just the corner pieces of the puzzle, it’s not impossible to shape the framework.

“I couldn’t fully utilize my abilities when that masked person was around before. At least you all here must have an idea of my abilities, right?”

“……”

Alice, Claire, and Leo all had serious expressions on their faces at my words.

“In the ‘future’ that I know…”

I hesitated a bit before speaking. How much should I reveal?

The conclusion was quick to reach.

“I can turn back time, but that doesn’t mean I have foresight. I do not know anything I haven’t experienced.”

“……”

“And the situation we’re in now is something I’ve never experienced before.”

“Then, how do you know about that ‘future’ you just mentioned?”

Alice asked carefully. Her not being easily visible was somewhat refreshing.

“Shall I say I read the script from outside the stage?”

Silence.

What I just said was a much heavier topic than just talking about abilities.

“Do you mean our actions… have already been predetermined?”

“Well, I’m not sure.”

I didn’t know either.

It’s true that this world resembles the game. But there are also many obvious differences.

I can strengthen weapons with Marmaros, but I can’t swap them around as freely as in the game. Moreover, how I attach certain elements changes the properties of the weapon entirely.

There are recovery devices, much like in the game. But not a single person questioned why, how, or for what reason those devices were there. Plus, in the game, recovery devices often served as shops, but that was impossible in reality. Naturally, a device created hundreds of years ago wouldn’t use ‘pound sterling.’

In the game, taking damage lowers your HP. And until that HP drops to zero, whether you’re stabbed by a sword, bitten by a beast, pierced by a spear, or shot by a gun, you will never die. Even after sustaining such severe attacks, the cutscene shows you without a scratch.

Yet in cutscenes, if you’re stabbed with a sword or shot, you die. Scars from significant battles remain, too.

Given all that, as someone who perceives this place as a ‘game-based’ world, I didn’t think the narrative of this world would flow exactly according to the game script.

To put it bluntly, if I weren’t here, Mia would have been killed by a bear in Winterfield.

“I can’t be completely sure about that. But at least it seems the ancients thought so. There are many prophecies foreseeing the future deep within the Imperial Palace.”

These were prophecies that theoretically exist and could be read in the original work.

“…So?”

“The contents of those prophecies largely aligned with what I know. However, they were much more… metaphorical.”

Honestly, compared to the real Bible, the Bible was way easier to understand. At least the Bible tells stories as stories. It’s not filled with metaphors like some poetry.

If I hadn’t grasped the future of the original clearly, it would have been nothing but meaningless word vomit.

A being with a grand plan appears, and that plan could undoubtedly succeed. But in the end, it fails.

…The Emperor must have been aware of that content. But knowing his personality, he’d probably think, ‘Then I shall overcome it.’ He’s a character immensely confident in himself. Even if he failed, he enjoyed the attempt itself.

“But I, the being referred to in that prophecy, do not exist. And neither does that masked figure. Meaning, there must be a being hoping for the prophecy not to unfold as foretold.”

Everyone was quiet, concentrating on my words, so I continued with the explanation.

“If there are beings like me who can manipulate time, there might be beings who can intervene from outside of time.”

“…The Goddess?”

Alice asked cautiously.

I neither confirmed nor denied. Nothing was certain yet.

“The reason I’m here, whatever that may be, can at least be called oppositional to whomever sent that masked figure. Because when that person and I are close, my abilities are nullified.”

But ‘not perfectly.’ If the power I possess is that of the Goddess, then the power of the opponent that nullified it cannot surpass the Goddess’s strength.

‘Not perfect.’

That could mean the suppressing power is ‘not fully realized.’ Even if I couldn’t definitively say who sent that masked girl from the future, that plan probably wasn’t an outright success.

Additionally, the masked girl’s abilities were blocked by another piece of knowledge.

There were some clues regarding the identity of the masked girl. The masked girl had a gun very similar to the one I used and was hostile toward Alice, yet she didn’t act aggressively toward me. In fact, she seemed to tease me, laughing as if having a wonderful time.

That attitude resembled someone who was just teasing me for fun.

If that was a badly flawed future version of Alice, and I thought she was being manipulated in some way by someone from the future…

…Every time I encountered that masked girl, pieces of knowledge didn’t go to anyone else but the masked girl and the Emperor.

And now, the barrier that enveloped the entire Papal State. That was something merely produced by magic and cannot be achieved.

To put it metaphorically, it could be said to be the power of the Goddess.

“The completed piece of knowledge will not be just one.”

What the Emperor is after is to use the Goddess’s power for his own gain. I didn’t know how it operates, but through a being with strong Fanggriffon blood, he’d gain access to the power of the Goddess.

Causing a world war to gather pieces of knowledge, using the piece on Claire, the strongest ‘suitable candidate’ with the thickest blood, to obtain the power of the Goddess in his hands. Then, ruling the world beneath him like a god.

That is surely the Emperor’s plan.

But if that’s the case, then this piece we see before us is…

“If there’s a piece of knowledge from the Empire to use or counter the power of the Goddess, then the opposite object must exist as well. Whether it was prepared by the Goddess herself or the Papal States over the past few centuries.”

And the Papal States were also collecting pieces of knowledge.

If possible, they must have wanted to possess both sides. Though one side was stolen for various reasons in the end.

“Then this is…”

Claire gasped and looked down at the piece. The light emanating from the piece shone brightly on Claire’s face.

As if it were asking to be used.

…If the Fanggriffon attempted to use its blood to stop the Goddess, then conversely, the Goddess must have sought a similar way to protect her own power.

That was the conclusion I reached while turning back time and organizing my thoughts on the way to Alice’s room today.

Chapter 237

Ding ding!

Actually, the NPC marathon isn’t just limited to the Chronicles of Aetherna.

Boom!

In both the East and the West, most RPGs put the focus on ‘role-playing’—the most important part! It’s a game where you enjoy moving the character you’re immersed in, becoming one of the cast. If you think about it, dialoguing with various characters might actually be more important than the character’s battle power!

Wah wah!

Well-made Western RPGs often allow you to finish the story without fighting, relying on persuasion skills instead. So if we’re talking about the importance of ‘conversation’ content, some could argue that Western RPGs take the cake over the clearly linear story of the Chronicles of Aetherna. But somehow, I don’t think I ran any marathons while playing those Western RPGs.

Hmmm…

Is it because I’m an otaku who immersed myself more in JRPGs with cute girl and boy characters? Or maybe it’s that in open-world or expansive Western RPGs, I just didn’t have the nerve to explore every nook and cranny?

Shrug!

Thinking about it now doesn’t mean much. To truly get ‘video games’ in this world, we’d have to wait at least half a century. And if we’re talking about video games as I know them, it could be a century or more, and considering the ‘computers’ in this world, they might never show up at all.

Whoa!

That said, directly making board games or TRPG rules to suggest to friends feels a bit… off.

Gasp!

These thoughts arise mainly because I’ve seen devices similar to games in this world a few times recently. Plus, in the original, having conversations with all the main characters before the final battle was somewhat of a tradition. Even as the world changes and new series emerge, that hasn’t changed.

Knock knock!

What I’m doing now is very much in line with that.

Tap tap!

I knocked on the big door I arrived at after walking down a long corridor.

“Mia, are you inside?”

The door was thick, but it seemed my voice reached her. She must have been alone inside.

Creek!

A moment later, the door opened, revealing Mia’s face.

As always, her bangs were slightly covering her eyes. Initially, I thought her hairstyle looked a bit gloomy, but now it seemed somewhat cute. Maybe she just looked youthful?

Hmm…

The way a hairstyle can change its image based on how the person is reacting is fascinating. In reality, having that hairstyle would take a lot of courage.

In the original, since the art was based on 2D illustrations turned into 3D models, no one dared to complain about “messy hair” because it’s easily excusable. But in real life, it looked like a perfectly cut fringe styled smoothly with flowing hair—there’s no way to claim it was unkempt!

Ding ding!

I pondered if I should suggest she switch to a different style later on.

That thought only crossed my mind because I could no longer feel Mia’s ‘gloomy image.’

“Ah, hello…”

Eep!

Her voice was filled with tension.

It was understandable she was nervous since I came to discuss what’s ahead.

After all, Crowfield isn’t exactly known as a positive name in the Kingdom. Plus, Mia was one of the individuals who went underground to Lutetia and now found herself involved in a ‘delicate’ issue for the Kingdom, so it was surprising she wasn’t nervous.

Thus, I came looking for her. If we didn’t have at least a little conversation, who knew when things might fall apart?

“Can we talk for a moment?”

“Uh, of course. Please.”

Mia timidly gestured for me to enter.

Even though Mia was silent, this wasn’t her room. It was a room that the Kingdom provided for us to stay in temporarily.

Lutetia Palace isn’t a hotel. There are guest rooms available, but they aren’t clustered like in a hotel. When foreign ambassadors come, they have a separate building to stay in, and it seemed like the other students were mostly there, while those who entered and exited Lutetia’s underground were scattered throughout the palace.

Step step!

That said, they didn’t stop me from entering—maybe it was merely Charlotte’s room.

Though I figured the maid silently standing next to the door was probably not just any maid.

Shh!

Just like the room where Alice stayed, there weren’t any watchers here. Well, even if they were present, I wouldn’t pay much attention.

Mia and I each took a chair next to the table in the room.

“Let me get straight to the point.”

I looked Mia in the eye and spoke.

“If we’re heading toward the Papal State this time, would you come with us?”

“……”

Mia hesitated for a moment, then glanced up at me and nodded.

“Yes, I’ll come too.”

“Just by following me, it won’t give you any political advantage. If anything, it might leave a bad impression on the Kingdom or the Emperor.”

Door slam!

In fact, it’s not an exaggeration to say that she’s already being watched from this point. From Crowfield’s perspective, it would create numerous uncomfortable and annoying situations. The Kingdom isn’t going to just storm in and retake Crowfield, but since Crowfield has trade routes with the Kingdom, those past feelings can’t simply be brushed aside.

“B-but, I want to go!”

Mia responded to me like that.

“You want to go?”

“Yes.”

So, she’s prioritizing her emotions over practical gains.

“Can I ask why?”

Is it because of me?

In the original, Mia is one of the heroines you can pursue. She knew her father was killed by the Emperor, so naturally, she and Alice have a strained relationship that leads Leo to be caught between them.

Ultimately, it was thanks to Leo that Alice and Mia reconciled.

It’s expected that both characters would end up entangled with Leo!

But in this world…… due to me, those events went out the window. By the beginning of the original, Alice had already gone through significant character development, and Mia had more concrete targets for revenge than Alice.

Resolving the issues naturally fell on me.

It’s more appropriate to say that things turned out that way by chance rather than me intentionally solving it.

But if Mia thinks of me as a ‘real friend’ through that process, I couldn’t be happier!

Most of the original characters, except for a few, were all beloved to me. I had already run through multiple game cycles, linking Mia and Leo together, so it’s hard not to feel a bond.

“That’s…”

But after a moment of thought, Mia said,

“I want to see the end of this story.”

GASP!

That was a response far more grandiose than I had imagined!

“The end of the story?”

I could only respond like that.

“Umm…”

Mia seemed to be considering how to convey this story before opening her mouth.

“U-um, it’s a bit awkward to bring up now, but… I tried to kill Sylvia, right?”

“Correct.”

I don’t know exactly when her murderous intent vanished, but at some point, Mia stopped showing open hostility towards me.

I believe that happened after I barged into her room and left. Since I could kill her whenever, Mia probably kept a wary eye on me. Of course, after everything we went through afterward, the very thought of killing her must have completely vanished.

Yikes!

“Actually… even after learning the truth, I thought about that a few more times.”

GASP!

But what Mia said was far more shocking than I expected.

“Uh, no! Of course, I didn’t really think of killing her! It was more like… I was just thinking about how to defeat Sylvia!”

Ding ding!

Wait, saying it’s winning versus killing gives off a different nuance, doesn’t it?

I’ve also pondered if I should kill the Emperor if needed, but…

Choosing targets is a huge difference from being chosen as a target by someone else.

“Honestly, I just can’t understand how someone who barely uses magic can fight like that.”

It seemed Mia preferred to quickly explain and move past this.

Chapter 238

“So, you assumed there was some other way?”

“It’s not like I didn’t feel a bit of foreknowledge when we fought.”

Mia’s observational skills were surprisingly impressive.

If you think about it, it wasn’t that strange. It’s not like her physical abilities were exceptional, and since she preferred to hole up in her room rather than be active, it didn’t show much. Mia had been somewhat brainwashed by her mother since childhood.

She was the one whose life goal was to kill me until just recently.

“But isn’t it weird? The existence of foresight abilities in reality. Even in a situation where visibility is obscured, hitting the enemy with pinpoint accuracy, as if knowing what threats lay ahead, casually handing over expensive Marmaros to me… How could you pull off such achievements against multiple skilled opponents?”

Mia unraveled all the feats she had seen me perform nearby.

“Plus… I haven’t personally experienced the battlefield, but if Jennifer’s training is weaker than an actual war… Is it even possible to go into such places alone and come back alive? Isn’t it certain that my life would be at a severe deficit?”

“…….”

“And you seem to know everything about the underground labyrinth, even predicting what waits in the heart of it. To instantly change tactics as if you had a solution handy and then massacre trained knights single-handedly… I thought that could only be possible with more than just physical abilities. Anyone present had to notice something was off.”

As she talked more, Mia’s voice, which had initially seemed tense upon meeting me, gradually settled down.

As she articulated the thoughts she was pondering, she seemed to relax instead.

“So I could arrive at a conclusion. Do you remember? When Sylvia came into my room looking for the gun.”

“I remember.”

“Until recently, I thought that was the only chance I had to kill Sylvia. I had a loaded gun in hand, was close enough to hit with my skill, and it was a pretty hefty caliber. But thinking back now… If there was a future where I would shoot that gun, Sylvia wouldn’t have handed it to me in the first place.”

“…….”

That was undeniable.

In truth, even amidst rewinding time, I had never actually died. I hadn’t died instantly even while recklessly charging through the battlefield, so I couldn’t know if rewinding time would bring me back or not.

So, Mia’s words were half right and half wrong. If Mia hadn’t killed me with a single shot, I would have chosen to rewind time and not return the gun.

But if Mia had killed me in one go, I wouldn’t know what would happen afterward.

“And from that point onward, it’s needless to say. No matter how I think about it, I can’t see a way to defeat Sylvia. Even with my magic.”

“So, does this mean you want to see that future until the end?”

“Um, maybe.”

Mia answered ambiguously.

“After completely abandoning the idea of killing Sylvia, I’ve noticed so many things I hadn’t seen before.”

Mia slowly articulated her thoughts one by one, as if to organize her mind again.

“I was thinking only of killing, purely killing. While I had that thought, I didn’t even consider what I liked or what I should do after killing Sylvia.”

Well, she even secretly stalked me.

At that time, I had even spouted some nonsense to her about ‘learning emotions’ just to muddle through the situation.

Mia definitely remembered the recent incident related to Sophia.

…I wonder if she still remembers it?

“But after giving that up… It’s strange. I clearly ‘gave up’ the most important thing in my life, yet countless other things have filled the void left by that importance.”

“When you say ‘other things’…”

“Things I want to do entered the place that lacks what I have to do.”

Mia lowered her gaze slightly. Her expression looked bitter.

“My physical abilities have somewhat declined. This was in the realm of innate talent, something I couldn’t change. So, I chose magic as my ‘offensive means.’ It would be more useful to hide evidence after succeeding, and I thought it would be better to apply it in various ways. I never thought I liked that.”

Her gaze, which had lowered, sparkled again as it rose to meet mine.

“But… it’s odd. That ability I only thought of as a means to kill you, Sylvia, you helped me use it for ‘another purpose.’ Protecting allies on the battlefield, using it to guard myself.”

Hmm…

Truthfully, I did that out of consideration for myself rather than for Mia.

But even I, with no sense of the atmosphere, realized that bringing that up now would be a buzzkill.

So I just kept quiet and listened.

“If we can call the Marmaros Sylvia gave me a gift, then it’s the first gift I’ve received from someone other than my parents. After attaching that Marmaros to my staff, while pondering how to utilize it and why she gave it to me, I realized one thing.”

Mia paused for a moment before continuing.

“I found it quite enjoyable to think that way.”

A slight smile flitted across Mia’s lips.

“I also thought about how I could defeat Sylvia again. That came from pondering what I could do with magic. How to utilize and apply it, thinking of what magic I could create by using the new Marmaros. At first, I simply chose magic to fit my talents, but now thinking about how that magic moves is enjoyable.”

“…….”

“And the various foods I’ve eaten while tailing Sylvia were delicious… I’m gradually finding things I like that way. So, this time too, I want to follow along.”

“I don’t know what might be at the end of that.”

“But if I reach that end, I’ll be able to see what it is.”

Mia’s words felt, what should I say… very wizard-like.

“And I’m curious. Whether Sylvia’s abilities are truly magical or something else entirely. It seems you’re not planning to tell me right now, but to figure out the cause, I have to follow to the end and see for myself, right?”

In Mia’s voice, there was no trace of the tense air she had shown just moments earlier.

“There might be an existence stronger than me deeper inside.”

“Th-there’s that, and it’s a bit scary.”

At my slightly mischievous remark, Mia stammered, looking a little flustered, but she didn’t seem to change her mind.

“But still, I’m not preparing and executing this alone.”

“……That’s true.”

If I had to think and execute everything alone, I definitely wouldn’t have made such a straightforward decision to go there.

I would have spent much longer contemplating, stalling for time, and strategizing.

“Now that you’ve said that much, I can’t think of any justification to stop you.”

“……D-did you come here intending to stop me from the start?”

Well, I tried to persuade you to come along.

But before I could persuade her, she seemed to have already made the conclusion, so I had nothing more to say. I’d given all the warnings I could.

Instead of responding, I stood up.

“Then as soon as the specific schedule is set, I will let you know.”

“Alright.”

Mia said as she got up to follow me.

“I’ll be waiting.”

*

As soon as I stepped out of Mia’s room, I almost let out a breath, but seeing the maid still nearby made me quickly hold it in. Luckily, the maid seemed to be slightly bowing her head, not quite catching my exact actions. It was not like I moved in such a conspicuous way or anything.

So who should I meet first next…?

It wasn’t dark yet. But I might not have enough time to meet everyone in just one day.

The Lutetia palace was vast, and among those I wanted to meet, there might be some in the annex.

Could I manage to circle around in just one day?

If I rewound time, the conversation would reset, so I couldn’t do that either.

I suddenly found myself respecting Leo, who would casually talk to every extra.

Well, in the game, talking to a few people didn’t cause time to pass.

Chapter 239

Jake and Roti were… well, it was hard to explain.

Should I say it was hard to find them, or rather easy?

Last night, we had been scouring the depths of Lutetia. No matter how well the healing device healed my body, everyone would still want to rest.

We stayed up late and fought until nearly the end.

In reality, Charlotte, Alice, Claire, and Leo were all in their respective rooms. If you knew the locations of the rooms, you could easily find them.

But… Jake and Roti were not in their rooms.

The locations of the rooms themselves weren’t exactly hidden, so if I asked any of the servants, they could easily tell me. But if the person I was looking for wasn’t in that room, knowing the location was pointless.

Jake and Roti weren’t officially in a relationship yet. If I could call it a “relationship,” the two had already been “dating” for quite some time. They were almost always together and were relatively friendly with each other… though Roti kept some distance in front of others.

Honestly, it was a bit ambiguous to even consider it. There are many who mingle without being in a relationship, and conversely, there are those who wish to maintain premarital purity even while dating. In this age, it wouldn’t be strange at all for such extremes to coexist.

But whether the two were dating or not—

“Sylvia.”

—To be honest, as someone who has never been in a relationship in either life, I couldn’t help but think those two were a bit… ugh to look at.

Right? They’re not even all that romantic.

Well, compared to the Leo in the original story, they were much better. Leo had no characters he was dating, yet the female characters would just kiss him. If you saw all the fate events, you’d probably witness several kissing scenes throughout the story.

If this world’s Leo were like that Leo, I might have seriously considered giving him a whap on the back of the head.

Still, these two were maintaining their own boundaries, and above all, they were a pure couple for each other.

They didn’t openly hold hands or link arms. But they were close enough to feel each other’s warmth. It was a distance only possible because they had feelings for one another.

Well, yeah.

I did nudge them a bit.

I’ve always liked pure love stories, so I hated it when pure couples acted frustratingly distant. That’s why I worked hard to help the two of them get closer.

Seeing it in-game as a ‘story’ and seeing it ‘in real life’ was a huge difference.

It felt somewhat similar to watching a friend brag about having a girlfriend in my past life. Back then, I could at least curse him out; but with these two, since I was the one who pushed them together, I couldn’t say anything.

“Jake, Roti.”

Jake turned toward me, looking like he was glowing with a smile. That was the face of a friend right after he got a girlfriend.

“You came all this way to find us? If you’d told the servants and waited, we would have gone to our room,” he said.

…True.

Even if I hadn’t found the two of them in one shot, all the servants would probably be gossiping. Since they were important guests, wherever they went within the palace, that location would already have been shared. If I said, “I’m looking for them,” they could have easily relayed that message to the two.

There was really no reason for me to come to the terrace, asking all those servants.

“…I’ve been wandering around since waking up, and I thought it wouldn’t be bad to chat and get some fresh air,” I said.

But saying “I didn’t think that far” felt embarrassing, so I just left it at that.

It was, after all, the truth—at least the part where I thought it wouldn’t be bad. Of course, I had climbed onto the roof to sneak into Charlotte’s room, but I couldn’t say that loudly in front of the other servants.

Well, at least I got lucky finding both of them at once. In that regard, I could say it was ‘easy’… thinking about it, if the two of them weren’t in this kind of relationship, they wouldn’t have been here at all.

“Really? Looks like it’s not that serious of a topic?”

Jake leaned back against the terrace railing as he spoke. Roti, who had been slightly turned inward, turned to face me too. Though, seeming aware of the differences in status, she didn’t lean back like Jake did.

I wondered how Roti would react if she found out my true identity.

Thinking about it, she likely wouldn’t change her attitude too much. Even in front of commoners, Roti was the type to use formal speech.

“It is a serious topic, but it’s also something the kingdom folks can’t do anything about.”

After all, it was decided that we were heading towards the Papal State. So trying to hide the circumstances here would be an exercise in futility. No matter how clueless someone was, it wouldn’t be hard to connect the dots that ‘the group that entered beneath Lutetia’ would head to the Papal State. The fact that Charlotte was likely to be excluded, but considering that, she still intended to follow was just more meaningless worrying.

“First, I’d like to apologize to you both.”

“Apologize?”

Jake tilted his head in confusion. Roti’s gaze was sharply directed at me. It seemed they couldn’t figure out what I was going to apologize for.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to appoint Roti as a knight for a while.”

“Oh, that.”

Only after I said it did Jake nod his head.

The appointment of a knight itself wasn’t a huge problem. After all, both princesses recognized the duke, and if I suggested that, I didn’t think the Emperor would refuse it either. Although the Emperor had a lot on his plate, and things had been somewhat delayed, if this situation hadn’t turned out like this, Roti would probably have received her knighthood within a few months.

But now the situation had turned upside down.

That Emperor was currently missing.

I roughly knew where he was, but that didn’t mean I had confirmed that he was really there, so for now, he was considered ‘missing’. Naturally, all the official duties the Emperor was supposed to do had come to a standstill.

In a normal ‘constitutional monarchy’, if the king is absent, the council should manage the country. But in this Empire, the council was basically a puppet of the Emperor. They were the ones with the highest support if they acted according to the Emperor’s wishes, and thus, to become a council member, you had to openly parade around as the Emperor’s dog.

If they were incompetent, the Emperor would have cut them off in the first place, so for each council member, their abilities aren’t questionable; but ‘being good at following orders’ and ‘responding to unpredictable events’ are entirely different ranges of capability.

That said, asking another noble to grant Roti her knighthood was problematic. It would mean owing a debt to that noble, and primarily, Roti’s knighthood carried the significance of being given by the royal family. It was that authority that allowed Roti, a commoner, to possibly marry the duke’s eldest son.

“If that’s the case, there’s really no need to worry.”

Jake shrugged and said.

“Well, if we’re talking politics, it would be better for Roti to receive a knighthood. But… actually, we’ve already discussed it among ourselves.”

“You mean you’d get married even without a knighthood?”

“It’s not illegal, is it?”

Upon hearing Jake’s words, I looked toward Roti.

Roti was, very rarely, slightly flushed and avoiding my gaze.

Hadn’t she hesitated just a few months ago because of ‘status’? That’s why I was trying to gift her that knight title, and I figured that it had changed her thinking a little.

“Well, it’s a thing to be congratulated, but…”

Seeing those two together was somewhat ugh to look at and made my stomach ache, but that didn’t mean I wanted them to break up. Honestly, it would be even better if they got married, had kids, and lived well together.

Yet, even so, I was curious about the sudden shift in thinking.

Perhaps sensing a hint of that in my words, Jake opened his mouth instead of the quiet Roti.

“Somehow, it seems Roti has gained a bit of confidence since then.”

Roti jumped in surprise and looked at Jake, but he continued speaking without paying her any heed.

“I think it was after hearing what you said at the beach that time.”

He was probably referring to the time I had eavesdropped on their conversation at the beach and butted in.

Chapter 240

“Whatever the circumstances, in the end, it was all Roti’s skills that got us here. Seems like Roti was a bit shocked by that.”

Roti was now lightly tugging at Jake’s sleeve. She looked like she wanted him to stop, but Jake’s mouth had no intention of shutting up.

No, it seemed he was actually enjoying this situation.

Jake looked down at Roti, flashed a small smile, then turned his gaze back.

“Honestly, anyone could see that you forced the situation back then. It wasn’t because you didn’t have hunting tools or lacked ability. I didn’t realize it at the time, but after watching you fight last night, it became clear. You were deliberately in that spot while calculating the distance.”

That was both true and false.

I could never have the ability to calculate the distance at which a beast would charge in at a glance.

However, I had the skill to confirm it and the ability to revert it even if I failed, so I had no burden.

I just listened quietly to Jake’s words without agreeing or disagreeing.

“So Roti thought, ‘Why is this person helping me like this?’”

“Jake.”

Roti blurted out like she wanted to stop him, then quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

Oh ho.

My eyes narrowed just a bit as I looked at Roti. Did she feel that way too? She quickly turned her head away. But she was still holding onto Jake’s sleeve with one hand.

‘Jake,’ huh.

Even when they were alone, she usually didn’t directly say his name. Even if she did, she would add another title. But if she was flustered enough to refer to him by just his name, it meant they had become incredibly close.

“At first, I thought it was for political gain.”

In fact, I had persuaded Duke Lindbergh using that ‘political gain.’ It would work much better than just ‘wanting it.’

“So you couldn’t accept the goodwill without being cautious. You might have thought I was trying to use you as a tool just in case.”

“So that means, from that time, Roti already knew you liked her, doesn’t it?”

I didn’t put any emotion into my voice. My eyes, which had narrowed slightly, returned to normal.

But with a shy girl in front of me, I couldn’t help but want to tease her a little.

“Hmm, well, at least I’ve never hidden it.”

Though I’ve never outright said I liked her. In fact, there are many ways to show feelings without explicitly saying it, so I didn’t poke at that.

“Well, anyway, I was keeping a watchful eye on you, and then you suddenly jumped out and said that. If you have something in hand, just use it all up. And only then did I start to think you shared ‘usable things’ as goodwill.”

And there were probably a few more reasons. A prime example was when I pulled Roti’s mother out of that house. That was literally something that gave me no benefit at all.

When thinking of the original Roti, she probably wanted to stand next to Jake ‘by her own strength.’ So she wouldn’t have been too concerned about status. In the end, if she could set up beside him, she would be satisfied.

But to Roti, what I said was, “Anything that has come into your hands is your power.”

Even if it’s strength given by others, if I use it, it becomes my strength. Since the person who gave that power said it, it seemed Roti decided to accept it after some thought.

“So now… it would be better if I had that knightly title, but it doesn’t matter if I don’t. Just the fact that ‘I have come to like Roti’ itself is Roti’s ability, right? Since she already has power, the rest is just an option.”

At Jake’s words, I could only nod.

So, at this point, they were just a lovey-dovey couple. The impossible love arising from the difference in status was something to simply ignore.

“More than anything, Roti and I are getting through this battle together. ‘Anyone can see’ that we’re the crown princess’s closest confidants, right? There are positions in the world where nobility doesn’t have to be shown, after all.”

“Is that so?”

If the person who greets you warmly is royalty, then status becomes secondary, and other nobles can’t treat them carelessly. The royal family is already small, so to have a conversation, you have to schedule a time and wait in line. But Jake and Roti could just go and meet without that hassle.

The fact that they have a direct line to plead to the royal family is significant. Even though Grace’s Estate is just a baron estate, other noble families cannot openly ignore them because of that. Well, technically, it’s a bit different, but still.

“Okay. So here’s the thing, we’re going to follow you into battle.”

“…….”

Jake suddenly changed the subject, causing me to shut my mouth for a moment.

“How does that relate to what we were just talking about?”

“I said it before. Those who have fought alongside each other can’t think of our relationship as nothing. So… well, I don’t really know the details, but if we’re beside you in a situation where the fate of the world is clearly at stake, I think our position will be solidified even further.”

It wasn’t entirely wrong. Even common soldiers build camaraderie with noble officers while rolling around on the battlefield, and they often end up being treated like friends. And then that commoner wouldn’t be treated carelessly by others.

Let alone if that ‘noble officer’ was a crown princess; the weight is even greater.

“You just said a moment ago that you don’t really know the details.”

“Well, because you haven’t told me.”

Hmm.

I really had no counter to that.

“Weren’t you two supposed to come here to tell us that?”

“More like, I came to hear if you wanted to participate or not…”

“Then that’s fine. I’ve heard what I needed to.”

Huff.

Well, still, Jake’s reasoning wasn’t as emotional as Charlotte’s. He had his own ‘political reasons.’

But due to Jake’s straightforward attitude, it seemed that reason didn’t matter much at all.

“I truly hope I can be of help this time.”

“…….”

At that moment, Roti, who had been shyly turning her face away, finally spoke up.

Her face, turned back toward me, was still a bit red, but it was much better than when she was getting all lovey-dovey over Jake. She was still firmly holding onto Jake’s sleeve, though.

“I don’t want it to be an artificial opportunity; I genuinely want to help this time.”

“Is that so?”

I quietly responded to Roti’s words.

“And no matter how much you are, you can’t finish that battle alone, right? So you came to find us like this, didn’t you?”

Jake asked me.

I nodded.

Can I manage everything alone?

Well, if that place could control my power, it might be impossible alone. This time too, it might be possible if I could somehow ‘break through,’ but that puts a strain on my body, and it’s hard to think clearly when in pain.

If there’s a presence that could definitely help me—

“…….”

—that thought seemed a little strange.

Common sense says that a battle-hardened veteran soldier or knight rolling around in the battlefield would be a much safer choice.

Yet, oddly enough, I was first thinking of my friends as the ones who could help me.

But I couldn’t change my words now after coming this far. That would be… betraying everyone’s expectations.

If I just handle it somehow, it will work out. My initial goal was to save everyone, so let’s commit ourselves to protecting everyone with all our might.

Whether they knew it or not, Jake and Roti were looking at me quietly, waiting for my response.

“I understand. Then I will gladly accept that help.”

“What, we also received significant help.”

Jake said that and then brushed Roti’s hand off his sleeve, wrapping his arm around her waist.

Roti jumped in surprise and slapped Jake’s arm.

……The warm atmosphere from a moment ago disappeared in an instant.

Is he showing off now?

Just throwing kindness back as a gift. How can the loveless person live like this?

Chapter 241

No matter how much I think of everyone around me as “my friends,” their thoughts are all different. Even if we seem very close and exchange conversations and jokes when I’m around, the moment I’m not there, some of them immediately fall into silence.

It’s not that there are particularly bad feelings between us; it’s just that we became friends through my mediation, and what they know about me is only what they have learned “through me.” One careless comment can lead to something that shouldn’t be said, potentially ruining the relationship between us.

That’s why I almost instinctively watch what I say and do. Usually, that awkward silence doesn’t disappear until we consider each other completely friends.

Ah, of course, that’s not always the case.

“Why were you following the Crown Princess?”

“I’ve been saying that I wasn’t exactly following her since a while ago.”

Sometimes, even when there’s no particular reason to dislike each other, there can still be dislike, and sometimes a small misunderstanding can derail a relationship from the very start.

And when that happens, I’m the one who ends up with the biggest headache. If one side has made a huge mistake and I feel resentful or need to cut ties, I can just end it cleanly. But if a relationship derails for a reason that I don’t see as a big mistake, I find myself in a very uncomfortable position.

At least, it’s a relief that I wasn’t the cause of the conflict before I got to know the two of them.

After finishing my conversation with Jake and Roti, I stepped out onto the terrace, and there, Sofia and Rena were wrestling.

Sofia is ‘currently’ a Velbur citizen and a person of certain status, so I can let that slide, but Rena was a person from a much more distant country according to Velbur standards. It’s not that she has to cross the entire Empire, but the distance between Velbur in the east and the Riclant Autonomous State in the north isn’t exactly short.

Moreover, the autonomous state was in a complicated situation when it came to engaging in serious diplomacy with other countries outside the Empire. As you can tell from the name ‘autonomous’, it’s not a country with a grand monarchy or a deep history. If it had a voice in international affairs, it would almost be serving as a mere puppeteer for the Empire.

The reason Rena came to the academy was to keep an eye on me and the Empire’s movements. But since Rena herself was showing friendliness towards me, she was also a target of surveillance like other Empire folks according to Velbur’s standards.

In fact, there was a servant in the hallway. But I didn’t intervene in the argument between Rena and Sofia.

“It seems like my name has come up in the conversation. What’s going on?”

Since I was planning to find the two of them anyway, I approached them directly and spoke. For a brief moment, Sofia’s expression reflected surprise when she heard my voice. Rena was still glaring at Sofia.

“This person has been following the Crown Princess.”

“She says it’s not following, but…”

While Sofia repeated the same answer as before to Rena, her tone seemed to have lost some of its sharpness. It seemed she was a bit hesitant to give the same answer with me right there.

Looks like she really was following me.

Although I had already reached that conclusion in my mind, I didn’t let it show on the outside.

Honestly, I didn’t think that Sofia was the only one trailing me. If Rena hadn’t followed me, then the two of them wouldn’t have had a reason to meet like this.

Thinking that, I maintained a neutral expression and said.

“This is good timing. I was thinking both of you should meet and talk.”

Only after saying that did their gazes turn toward me. Sofia’s expression flickered with a hint of anxiety again, while Rena’s face remained expressionless. But somehow, her eyes seemed to shine a little while looking at me.

Rena’s fascination with me hasn’t diminished over time. Rather, it seems to deepen as time passes. I mean, every time I run around in front of her, the enemies keep falling like thud!

The same goes for Sofia. Even if we were to spar solely based on skill, I wouldn’t have a way to win against her. But… Sofia witnessed me knocking out a bunch of cathedral knights just the other night. Even if it was through a time manipulation trick, the outcome itself was still my victory, so it’s not unreasonable for her to be tense like this.

“Both of you, please follow me.”

I hurriedly said that before either of them could voice any complaints since otherwise, I might find myself in a situation where I’d have to meet with each of them separately.

There was no need to go to either Sofia or Rena’s room. Since it wasn’t one that either of them had been using all along, visiting one of their rooms wouldn’t yield anything particularly interesting.

As I started walking without waiting for a response, I heard footsteps following behind me after a brief pause. The footsteps that came later were likely Sofia’s.

It was a bit of a distance from here to my room.

I could sort out my thoughts during that walk.

*

“Neither of you are citizens of the Empire.”

No response came to my statement.

Although I clumsily poured a cup for both of them, it seemed neither was in the mood to drink tea.

Sofia was frozen stiff with tension the moment she entered the room, while Rena seemed to radiate a sharp atmosphere as she kept a watchful eye on Sofia.

I briefly contemplated whether it was right to point out their behavior, but I decided to just pretend I didn’t notice and continue the conversation. I had a somewhat naive thought that if I stammered my way through, it might get better.

…And that thought turned out to be incredibly naive.

“Therefore, there’s no need for you to fulfill my request. Even if you are acting as a student of Amoria Academy and have been treated the same way as the Empire’s academy students, you can’t just abandon your ideas or identity.”

“……”

Neither of them answered, but at least their gazes were directed at me.

“Rena is a student who came here from the autonomous state. In fact, bringing her this far might have been a mistake. I might have entangled her too deeply as a single foreign student.”

Rena seemed to want to say something in response to my words, but I quickly followed up to cut her off.

“Now that you’re studying in the Empire, and thinking about your parents’ position, it implies that the autonomous state has certain expectations from you, Rena. However, I can only ask you to keep quiet about things that will occur in the future. And that might directly conflict with the national interests of the autonomous state.”

“……”

Now that I said all this, it seemed difficult for Rena to easily reply with, “But I’ll still follow you.”

It’s hard to know if Rena’s parents directly told her about her mission. However, whether they spoke of it or not, the only reason they sent Rena to study in the Empire was to monitor me and report on my activities. They might have subtly inquired about me during break or outright commanded her to report back.

Though Rena has a fundamentally diligent and loyal personality, whether she can refuse such parental orders remains uncertain. If she were like the characters in the original story who can see into places the protagonist cannot, then I could have trusted that personality completely, but Rena had never appeared as a character in the game I played.

But that doesn’t mean what I wanted to say was, “This secret is too important, so I can’t take you along.”

“I need power. And the one who possesses that power must also be someone I can trust. Rena, you are someone I can trust. I know it’s shameless to put such unfavorable conditions, but could you help me?”

I could firmly believe in Rena’s skills. She wasn’t just a conceptual character; she was the only person who absorbed my fighting style directly and developed it into her own.

If Rena, trained in using a gun, supported me in that way, it would truly give me an advantage in battle.

So, I hope that one of the people fighting alongside me at the last moment would be her.

…Besides, honestly, what would happen if Rena learned about the Emperor’s plan and started talking about it to others?

It’s not like the Velbur nobles were oblivious to certain situations.

Even if the autonomous state became aware of the situation, they wouldn’t have the strength to retaliate against the Empire. I had already seen the scale of the bombardments happening at the border area.

Could the Emperor have launched such a strategy thinking about that?

I think there’s a possibility.

Chapter 242

“……Then, I shall willingly follow in this battle.”

Rena slightly bowed her head towards me as she spoke.

The atmosphere felt like she was trying to hide her expression a bit. No need to forcefully check her expression.

“Thank you.”

I politely thanked Rena and turned my gaze to Sophia this time.

Sophia’s pupils shook when they met mine.

“Sophia, you too—”

“Crown Princess.”

Just as I was about to speak to Sophia, Rena interrupted.

“Before you speak, may I voice my opinion first?”

“……Go ahead.”

I had a feeling I knew what she was going to say, but I nodded. If I were to bring both Rena and Sophia with me, it was important to clear up any misunderstandings that might arise… Well, calling them “misunderstandings” would almost be too charitable since they were very much grounded in ‘facts,’ but anyway, it was crucial to lay everything out as clearly as possible to avoid any friction.

In truly important moments, if I couldn’t trust my companions when I had to put my life in their hands, all that awaited me would be death.

What I wanted was to save all my party members while reaching the end of the story; I had no intention of creating a divorce in the party along the way.

“Well, someone might ask, ‘Wouldn’t it be better to go alone rather than dragging everyone along?’… But in the original story, heroines who were separated from the protagonist often meet tragic ends. In the original work, the maximum number of party members is four, and with two support characters, you can swap them out during battles.

Naturally, those who are left behind once you’ve formed a party for the final battle end up being ‘out of sight of the protagonist.’

Claire shows up as a guest character, destined to die for Alice, so that death is fixed, but characters who are ‘susceptible to death based on circumstances’ are locked into triggers that go out of the protagonist’s line of sight. By the time you finish the situation and return, there could be a character bleeding and dying, and the protagonist will be unable to prevent that death.

Of course, these out-of-sight triggers are somewhat fixed, so if you exclude Roti and Jake from the final party, then Jake is guaranteed to die to protect Roti, or Jennifer or Carolyn might sacrifice themselves to protect their apprentice… There were many conditions involved.

So, if this world follows the original even a little bit, the safest method would be to gather all the main characters near the protagonist, Leo.

In a game, this would be impossible due to system limitations, but here, there are no such restrictions.

“There’s a high possibility that Sophia Bianchi is connected to the cult we faced last night.”

That was a reasonable deduction. If anyone remembered what the Cardinal had said to Sophia at that time, they’d probably think along the same lines.

“Therefore, if we need to deal with the Papal State… I cannot say I trust her one hundred percent.”

What that essentially meant was, ‘I just don’t trust you.’

The reason Rena and Sophia were butting heads seemed to stem from the fact that Sophia had been secretly following me.

So did that mean Rena hadn’t been secretly following me? Huh, she might have been out looking for me just like I was searching for Jake and Roti. In contrast, Sophia might have been acting suspiciously out in the open.

“……”

Sophia couldn’t respond to Rena’s remark. It must’ve been exceedingly suspicious in her own mind.

So, this time, I decided to side a bit with Sophia.

“I was already aware of that fact.”

At my words, Rena turned her gaze towards me.

Should I say she looked surprised or more like she was demanding an explanation?

But before I could elaborate, Sophia spoke up first.

“Yes, that’s right. Crown Princess, you’ve already noticed my identity. In fact, the command to watch you might have lost its meaning at that moment.”

Whether Sophia was watching me or not, I was just living my life doing my own thing. Even if she was keeping tabs on my every move, I couldn’t imagine how she would have reported that, especially since she seemed to be aware of every step I was taking as if she could see the future and had even prevented the dangerous deeds the Papal State was trying to orchestrate.

“If so, then even more—”

“But.”

As Rena was about to refute Sophia’s statement, she interjected with her follow-up.

“I have my own thoughts to consider, you know?”

Maybe Rena’s irritation was rising, or perhaps she thought being somewhat assertive would help; Sophia’s voice took on a bit of a cheeky tone.

In a way, that voice was infinitely close to the original Sophia’s tone.

Honestly, I found that voice a bit amusing. If it were the original work, it would have been really annoying, but now hearing Sophia, who was always cautious around me, finally speak like this was actually kinda refreshing.

Well, the original version had a voice dub in Japanese, and here it was more like an artificial language closer to English, so the feel isn’t exactly the same.

“At this point, it’s clear that we need to stop both the Empire and the Papal State, right? And the Crown Princess is boldly stating she’s going to confront the Emperor. Even if I’m part of the Papal State, working against the Crown Princess now seems the most rational decision, don’t you think?”

I think it’s somewhat awkward to say, but yes, at this moment, it was indeed me who was openly opposing the Emperor.

“Even so—”

“Alright then.”

Seeing Rena still skeptical despite hearing Sophia’s words, Sophia brushed her front hem a little roughly with her hand.

She clearly wasn’t trying to take off her clothes but was instead pulling out the pendant hanging around her neck.

The small silver decoration in the shape of a droplet had the profile of a woman engraved on it. While the engraving only reached her neck, at least from what was depicted, it showed a beauty with incredibly long hair. Of course, it wasn’t hyper-realistic; more like an uncolored stained glass design.

The profile of a goddess with her eyes closed is a symbol of the Goddess Church.

“I swear to the Goddess. At least until that operation is over, I will not oppose the Crown Princess nor anyone else following her. I won’t betray you either. You know how heavy a vow to the Goddess is, right?”

“But then after the operation ends—”

“Ugh, seriously!”

Seeing Rena, whose expression didn’t change but continued to poke holes in her vow, Sophia once again got irritated and said,

“Even after the operation ends, for a while—let’s say a few days—no matter what happens, I will not oppose the Crown Princess and those who follow her. Regardless of my feelings or any religious reasons. And! Those whom I consider equal to the Crown Princess will be the same. I swear before the Goddess that I will never betray those who fight alongside us!”

Just as Rena was about to rebut again, Sophia exclaimed loudly before a word could escape her lips.

At the same time, a gentle blue light started to emanate from Sophia’s right hand, which was tightly clutching the ornament. In an instant, a translucent tattoo-like shape became vividly visible.

That was the Code of the Order of Knights.

In this world, there are many who speak sweet words while harboring deceit. Those who claim to be followers of the Goddess and vow false oaths in her name certainly exist.

But if that happens again and again, the value of an oath sworn in the name of the goddess tarnishes.

So, members of the Order of Knights, who play a crucial role in the Papal State, brand themselves with a symbol when they swear. This combines with the divine power of the pendant itself, and the vow binds the knight until the moment it is fulfilled.

While it won’t kill you, it will cause pain, or so they say.

One could say this is a weakened version of the magic used by the Cardinal. The magic placed on the Cardinal didn’t appear in the original work, but the vow shown by Sophia did show up once. For me, the latter was much more familiar.

“……Understood.”

Of course, Rena wouldn’t know all that, but she at least figured out that ‘some kind of magic’ was involved in that vow. The light must’ve been visible to Rena as well.

“Is that alright now?”

Sophia said with a haughty demeanor before sitting back down, lifting the now-cold tea cup to sip.

Well, I had thought about bringing her along without needing a vow.

Just when I was thinking it might be time to wrap this up and speak—

Knock, knock.

A sound of knocking came from the direction of the door.

“Yes, come in.”

As I spoke, the door cautiously opened.

And the person standing there was someone I had never seen before. Given her maid attire, she must be a servant of the Lutetia royal palace.

“Crown Princess, His Majesty the King has requested an audience with you.”

What the servant said was not a statement to be taken lightly.

Could it be that the report on the Papal State’s movements had finally come in?

Chapter 243

Meeting with the king wasn’t a one-on-one chat.

But it wasn’t packed with nobility like before either.

I met some friends in between and had a pretty long conversation, so it felt like a lot of time had passed, but thinking back, it hadn’t even been a day since we visited the underground of Lutetia. I had a short nap, and since then, I hadn’t taken a break, wandering the castle to meet people.

Maybe it was even more exhausting because I tried to sneak into Charlotte’s room. But I couldn’t just rewind time and recover my condition. If I did, all the conversations we had would go to waste.

Considering the time, it should’ve only been a few hours, so I thought the nobility would come along and chat excitedly again, but surprisingly, there were hardly half the people in the meeting hall to meet the king compared to the morning meeting.

The nobleman who’d challenged me earlier was still there, but this time he was keeping his mouth shut. Could it be that the situation had become urgent? Or were they just facing something that couldn’t be resolved without me?

Fortunately, all the academy teachers were gathered. They didn’t say anything, but at least knowing someone here was familiar would ease the awkwardness a bit.

The king was sitting on his throne like this morning—but—

“Ah, you’ve arrived.”

From the look on the king’s face, it seemed like he had gained about five more wrinkles in just a few hours.

Well, thinking about it, he would’ve hardly slept at all. Unlike me, who got some hours of rest, he might have spent the whole night arguing with nobles flocking to the palace.

“You said you had important news.”

“Indeed. It’s important.”

The king replied while wiping his face with the hand that had been propped up.

“Last night, after the incident on the Papal State’s land, I sent some people over there. They say that not only us but also the Iberia Kingdom, which borders the Papal State, sent people.”

“What happened? Were you able to assess the situation?”

“That’s the problem.”

At my question, deep wrinkles formed on the king’s forehead.

“We failed to grasp the situation of the Papal State.”

“…Was it because of that pillar of light?”

“Exactly.”

The king let out a heavy sigh and leaned back against his throne.

“No matter what that pillar of light is, all those who came into contact with it received serious burns. It seems that it’s different from fire, in that you don’t feel pain just being nearby, but touching it is like sticking your hand straight into a flame.”

“Are the soldiers safe?”

“…At least, no one died. They had a healer with them, so it’s likely they won’t have serious disabilities.”

The king answered while narrowing his eyes a bit at my question.

“You said you would organize a special unit to enter. That means you know how to get in?”

“……”

No, I don’t.

Actually, I wasn’t sure.

However, the circumstances suggested that the emperor was responsible for creating that pillar, and if that were the case, I assumed the emperor would allow me to enter.

The emperor needed materials.

“I think at least I will be able to enter.”

“What about the others?”

At the king’s question, I couldn’t respond.

“…Charlotte has been insisting on following you since last night.”

The king opened his mouth heavily.

“If she follows you in, is there any guarantee that she won’t be harmed by that pillar of light? Charlotte is the only bloodline in this country. She is also the one who will inherit the throne.”

The king paused for a moment,

“If I were to simply ask if there would be another to ‘inherit the throne,’ I might say there are others besides her. I have relatives, after all. But even so, she is my only daughter. If that child were at risk of serious injury, I would, of course, have to oppose her following you.”

With a firm voice, he declared thus.

It’s only natural. I don’t have any children, but if I did, I would have reacted the same way.

No, even without kids, it’s the same. If my friends were in danger of those flames, I would immediately abandon organizing the special unit and march in alone.

“…I’ll make sure to confirm and act accordingly.”

I told the king, just as firmly as he spoke.

“If it seems dangerous, I’ll make sure to strongly tell them not to follow me in. Charlotte knows how important she is.”

Even if she doesn’t realize it, I should make her stay behind by force.

“If you go in alone, is there a possibility of calming the situation?”

“……”

That’s something I really don’t know. Even though it’s a world following the original story, the plot has moved forward so hurriedly that it has progressed to situations I don’t even know. Even if my abilities work properly while I’m inside, I still don’t know if I can win. I definitely wouldn’t be facing the emperor ‘alone.’

“There’s a possibility.”

But I answered like a promise.

Yeah. There’s a possibility. It’s not non-existent.

And if there’s even a slight possibility, I have the capability to seize it.

So, I will definitely resolve the situation. For a proper happy ending.

…Well, that’s what the original story says, and in reality, there likely won’t be anything that ends after that.

We aren’t even twenty yet. Alice will ascend the throne, Leo will take over Grace’s Estate, Mia will become the lord of the Crowfield territory… and even after a few years or decades go by, our lives will continue. And amidst that, countless annoying and headache-inducing events will inevitably occur.

For now, relationships might be fine, but as time passes, those relationships might naturally fade, or we might remain good friends for life.

But to welcome all those futures, I had to make sure to wrap up this incident clearly.

“You don’t need to worry too much, Your Highness.”

As if reading my mind, Jennifer, who had been silent until then, spoke up.

Unlike at the academy, she used formal language instead of casual speech.

“The Winterfield family will spare no support for you, Your Highness. We will do our best to find ways to support you through that pillar of light.”

“M-Maybe so. As your teacher, I’ll do my best too. I’ll mobilize all my magical knowledge if I have to.”

Carolyn chimed in after Jennifer.

“…If it really works like ‘fire,’ well, it seems like it shouldn’t be, but… even so, there might be a way to physically prevent injuries. The time given is short, but I won’t even think about sending a student in alone.”

And then Aida also chimed in.

Several other faculty members nodded in agreement with her words.

“Then, I’ll confirm one last time.”

The king, watching us, said this, turning his gaze away from me to the other nobles.

Among the nobles who had chatted so much that morning, not one person spoke to me in this meeting. The king seemed to be quite aware of that.

“Is there anyone among the nobles present here willing to support sending soldiers on their behalf? If, just as you all mentioned in the morning, it would be better to resolve relations with the Papal State based on our Velbur rather than seeking help from foreign lands. If you think that resolving the situation with only your private soldiers would be better, then I think that’s the way to go.”

“……”

However, no one responded to the king’s words.

In contrast to the Empire, where private soldiers have been abolished and imperial troops roam the territories, the kingdom still retained some feudalistic characteristics. Although not to the extent of the independent status found in the medieval period of the world I lived in, private soldiers were still an important resource for local lords.

And those private soldiers aren’t very numerous. Each one requires pay based on the lord’s capabilities.

However, it’s unlikely there are lords willing to push such precious existences into a place where they might die just from contact. Especially not at a time when there were people insisting they would go in voluntarily.

“…Then, I take it there aren’t any.”

The king said that with a weary expression and turned back to face me.

“Sylvia Fanggriffon, I’ll be counting on you. If there’s anything you need, ensure you’re well-supported.”

“Thank you.”

And so, the personnel destined to go to the battlefield were determined.

Chapter 244

“It’s better to leave as soon as possible!” whoosh

I said this at the place where the ‘Special Forces’ had gathered.

“But that doesn’t mean we can just rush in without any preparation.” thud

Everyone nodded at my words.

After talking to the King yesterday, I met with the people I had spoken with that day to share the news. Fortunately, I didn’t have to climb the roof again to meet Charlotte. As the saying goes, “Parents always win over their children,” it seemed the King of Velbur couldn’t break Charlotte’s stubbornness either. That night, Charlotte came to my room, and like the others, she could hear the decisions that had been made.

After that, I actually got a good night’s sleep. I wasn’t just wasting time meditating; it was a real, proper rest.

Not that I needed it, but since I had worked late into the night before, I think I fell asleep almost as soon as I hit the bed. I woke up to find it was morning, even though the sun hadn’t fully set yet.

With a refreshed mind compared to the day before, I called in the candidates for the Special Forces.

Alice and Charlotte.

Leo and Claire.

Mia.

Jake and Roti.

And Rena and Sophia too.

With me included, that made ten who had entered beneath Lutetia.

These were people I had personally chosen. People I could trust to have my back—people I needed to protect until the end.

And there were volunteers to add to this list.

First, there was Jennifer Winterfield and Carolyn Northwood.

Jennifer was a veteran who had already proven her skills on the battlefield numerous times. She was much younger than you’d typically expect from a veteran, but no one could diminish her abilities.

Honestly, to an outsider, Jennifer alone felt more reliable than all nine following me combined.

Carolyn, on the other hand, lacked real combat experience. At least, she had never used magic against people—she was a noble’s housekeeper.

But that didn’t mean her abilities disappeared. If we think based on the original story, Carolyn was as useful a character as Mia. She felt more specialized in healing magic compared to Mia, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t go on the offense either.

So, the addition of these two wasn’t too surprising to me. In the original work, they were already characters that could be used in the offense, so I would have found it more surprising if they hadn’t offered to join.

Ada decided to stay back and find ways to support us. Furthermore, even if we leave, most of the common students would remain in Lutetia. If all the faculty were to leave, there wouldn’t be a single adult to control and protect those kids.

“C-Can I volunteer too?”

But there were a few applicants I found ‘unexpected.’

First was Lily Baker.

A common student from Roti’s class.

In fact, there were a few other common party members in the original work besides Lily Baker. Each had their own backgrounds and some were pretty interesting characters. Some even created tension in the story by clashing with other noble party members.

…I originally aimed to take a bit more time to get close to everyone slowly, but the story was flying by so fast that I couldn’t even have proper conversations with some kids.

To be honest, there were so many ‘party members’ that many characters became ‘air’ in the main story excluding their individual stories in the original. Especially since the protagonist Leo was a noble class character, common class characters found it difficult to appear prominently in the main story.

Moreover, by the time I had progressed the part I played, the story had been centered around the ‘Fanggriffon’ more than anything else.

“…I’ll decide based on the situation.”

So, I told Lily Baker that for now.

There were a few other kids around Lily besides her; they were likely common class students who were friends with her. Among them, I could see some characters that could be used as party members in the original.

I wanted to save all the important characters and see a proper happy ending.

That was my goal after coming here and confirming my abilities.

If so, it would have been better to gather the ‘party members’ I hadn’t had the chance to get close to yet—but—

—to be honest, even with me included, just ten was overwhelming.

And now that Carolyn and Jennifer were tagging along, my coverage area had also widened too much.

At least, since there wasn’t an all-out war being fought between the Empire and the Kingdom, it was unlikely for shells to drop where we are. Though I can’t say we could be considered perfectly safe as we were outside of their sight.

“If you need assistance, please make sure to request help. However, unless the number of people entering there isn’t too great, forcibly increasing the numbers might actually make things more dangerous.”

I spoke to Lily Baker, who looked deflated at my words, in a comforting tone.

If a large army were to enter, it might actually be safer to blend in, but currently, that just wasn’t the case.

Since we were entering in small numbers, it was more important to gather a small group that surely matched well together.

And, I had a certain conviction.

In the original, the ‘death of a party member’ was a device that emphasized the tragedy of the story by thrusting the protagonist into an uncontrollable, disastrous fate.

If this world were to follow the ‘original,’ then the common class kids who hadn’t really interacted with us probably wouldn’t have a reason to die.

And the ones with death ‘flags’ were all noble class kids. In the original, no matter what, I couldn’t send all the characters with those flags off together, but in this ‘world,’ it was different.

So those kids should be relatively safe even if they were separated from us.

“Got it. Then I’ll be preparing to support you from the back.”

Lily seemed to feel a little more at ease with my words.

Lily’s gaze briefly turned towards Roti.

Did that mean she was close with Roti?

…These were kids I hadn’t managed to get close to this time, but after this battle ends, there would still be three more years ahead. Who knows, maybe we could get closer during that time if no one drops out.

“Thank you.”

I nodded seriously as I said that, and the common kids gathered with Lily showed expressions of both disappointment and relief as they stepped back.

“Ahem.”

And one person had been waiting for me to finish talking with the others.

His hair had turned completely white, his face lined with wrinkles typical of old age, and his beard… Oh, at least he had somewhat trimmed it. Still bushy, but much tidier compared to when he lived in the mountains.

If you just looked at his face, he had the perfect elderly visage, but his back was completely straight. The lack of a hunchback typical of elderly people made him stand tall like an unyielding fortress.

Despite being an old man, his shoulders were broad and his body under the clothes looked strong.

Sword Saint Frederick.

In this situation— no, because of this situation, the swordsman had a menacing smile on his face.

“…Are you looking forward to this?”

He didn’t ask if I was going to go. For one, it’s not like he would listen to “please don’t go.”

Even when I tried to persuade him in the mountains, he only responded after hearing, “There are those stronger than you.” While he had a title like ‘Swordsman’ to his name, he was actually someone who moved ‘strictly by interest.’

Not that he was childish or anything, but…

“Is that ‘Lucas’ kid inside?”

“I can’t say for sure, but when it comes to possibilities, I think it’s very likely. Besides, there should be the Emperor’s other children gathered inside too.”

After the Emperor disappeared, I hadn’t received any contact from any of the ‘Emperor’s children.’ Moreover, there were no movements from them either.

There was no way the Emperor went in there ‘alone.’ He must have brought in key troops capable of penetrating to the center.

And those key leaders would be the Emperor’s children.

“I see.”

Frederick nodded, as if satisfied with my words.

…Somehow, I felt like this person would charge right into that pillar of light despite the risks. Ultimately, as human bodies can’t continue moving once they’ve received serious burns, I couldn’t picture this person collapsing in my mind.

So, this is what they mean by the Sword Saint.

Even I, who knew that there would be someone who would take him down in the original, could still feel that way every time I saw him.

“Anyway, I’ve lived long enough, so if there’s something worth risking my life for in the end, I might as well give it a shot. After all, there’s not much time left to lose.”

As the Sword Saint said this with a grin… Hmm, there’s no other way to put it other than to say he looked ‘like a Sword Saint.’

Chapter 245

It took three days to prepare.

First, we needed to replenish the ammunition used underground. Most of the bullets Rena and I used were just standard lead rounds, but we had also burnt through a lot of the Marmaros rounds we brought along.

Luckily, the processing itself didn’t take too long.

“There were beast corpses scattered around underground. We had to clean them up anyway.”

When I smashed the device, it seemed that most of the beasts being controlled were already dead. Even if they were alive, they were too messed up to stand and attack us.

Many soldiers spent the entire day clearing the beast corpses.

“If it were usual, we’d need to refine the Marmaros from the corpses…”

But there was no need for that. Just like in the original story, chunks of Marmaros had been released from the strangely mutated beast corpses.

Just a little bit shaved off could be inserted into the bullets.

“Honestly, if we knew the method, we would have loved to try using that magic.”

Charlotte said that while conveying the information to me.

Of course, trying to find out the method was likely to endanger those who responded, making it impossible to learn the method perfectly.

“And I also called the expert Sylvia mentioned. Because of the device she was wearing back then?”

“That’s right.”

The reinforced outfit I had on was now a ragged mess. The most important frame and moving parts were relatively intact, but the outer layer designed to fend off attacks was all twisted and bent. The creaking sounds coming from the moving parts indicated that some of the internal gears were damaged.

It was such a complex device that it was still a long way from being mass-produced, so I hadn’t expected it to be perfectly fixed. I just hoped there would be spare parts available, no matter how unique the piece of equipment was.

“From the report you wrote, it seems she is quite eager to come.”

“I guess so.”

I didn’t really know what the real ‘Browning’ was like. Although he was a historic figure, being famous enough that photos remained, information about him was spread everywhere. However, all I knew about the real Browning was that he was an “incredibly famous firearms manufacturer.”

But regardless of what the real Browning was like, the ‘James Browning’ in this world was undoubtedly a weapon enthusiast.

To explain more accurately, he was a stereotype of a ‘weapon otaku’ often found in this kind of setting.

He usually acted quite respectable and sensible, but whenever something peculiar was needed, he would dish out odd devices with ease.

“It seems certain that he chose to fix the equipment over meeting me first.”

I shrugged at Charlotte, saying this.

“Well, that’s okay. If we can fix that equipment, it will be a huge boost in battle.”

Charlotte didn’t push for more details. There were a lot of things to figure out anyway.

“Have we confirmed the personnel?”

“If there’s anyone else you think would be good to bring, I’m open to recommendations.”

“…I can’t say whether those recommended can even enter.”

In fact, even if Charlotte recommended additional people, I wasn’t sure if everyone I was bringing along qualified to enter.

…Even if that’s the case.

Of course, since it seemed the Goddess’s power was involved in me coming this way, it would be odd if I couldn’t enter, but…

“Phew.”

Charlotte sighed deeply with her eyes closed.

Her dark circles were a bit pronounced. Usually, she managed her dark circles so well that they were almost unnoticeable, but with how busy she had been over the past three days…

It seemed she had spent time convincing her father.

“Since we are charging in tomorrow, it’s probably best to rest a bit.”

“…Sylvia should do the same.”

“…”

In response to my advice, Charlotte remarked with a somewhat exhausted expression.

“Well, fine then. Charging into battle while exhausted is dangerous. It seems checks are all done, so let’s call it a day.”

Charlotte stretched her arms and let out a yawn.

“…When I become Emperor, I won’t undertake military operations in other countries again.”

Alice, who had checked off all the details alongside Charlotte, sighed deeply and said this. I wholeheartedly agreed with that statement.

“Honestly, such tasks shouldn’t be ones that Emperors or Kings directly handle. It’s truly the job of the ‘soldiers going into battle.’ The only difference this time is that we are the soldiers going into battle.”

…Hmm.

It was hard to refute her when the ones affected directly spoke that way.

*

The day after, we finally reached our destination.

Just as we had discussed earlier, I had a sound sleep and departed, even managing to relax on the train ride here.

I woke up about thirty minutes before we arrived and jumped straight into meditation.

Thanks to that, my mind felt clear.

It doesn’t mean I wasn’t nervous, but in a way, it was even a little relieving.

If the story had really unfolded just as in the original, this wouldn’t be the end of it. I would have only met Sophia the following year, and the Sophia I would meet then would undoubtedly be entirely different from the one I knew now.

…I had no idea what had happened in just a year, but I couldn’t be sure I’d have been able to accept Sophia after all of that pressure had passed.

Yes, right now was better.

Claire knew her true identity, and Alice had a firm handle on the situation.

And nobody had died yet. I hadn’t seen a single indication that anyone was about to die.

So let’s not worry.

“…Alright.”

When I had seen it from the royal capital, it was literally a ‘pillar of light,’ but up close, it turned out to be an unbelievably vast and tall ‘wall of light.’

I had met soldiers who had failed trying to enter here, and they had stories of laying metal plates or even wearing thick protective gear to escape the flames. And they all suffered burns that were said to ‘override the laws of physics.’

“Isn’t this a bit too much, even for magic?” Ms. Ada remarked.

Though it was said to be a flame that burns people, standing this close to it still didn’t feel hot. It seemed like so long ago that my memory was faint, but that light was probably much cooler than the light from an LED lantern.

“In that case, I’ll check first.”

As I said that while turning back, Alice nodded with a stiff expression, tense from anxiety. Claire looked like she was about to leap out and enter in my place, but Leo was holding her back, and Charlotte was looking at me with an extremely serious expression.

“If anything seems off, come right back out.”

“I’m aware my life is precious.”

“Hmm.”

I replied to Alice, who said that, and Jennifer gave a small huff like she had something to say, but I chose to ignore it.

I turned back again to look at the infinitely rising wall of light above.

Then, I stretched out my left hand and gently poked my fingertip into it.

I felt nothing.

It didn’t seem like my nerves were burned out—if they were, I would have felt pain for at least a moment.

My body was just absorbing the light.

It wasn’t like anything spectacular was happening, but neither did it block my fingers like a regular light would. The light seemed to continue past my hand as if passing through transparent light.

I took another step forward.

Still, I wasn’t hurt.

My entire left arm went in, followed by my leg, chest, and head, and nothing was there to stop me.

The light was blinding, but it was merely a mystical light as if to signify that I was there.

I looked outside from within that cluster of light.

My anxious friends were watching me, and the soldiers who had seen what happened to the ones who entered were wide-eyed at me.

I turned my gaze back and moved forward.

And I passed through the thick light and entered into the Papal State.

What entered my view at the end of that cheerful light that felt like a blessing was—

“…”

Just an ordinary city scene.

No, it would be better to say it felt strangely foreign rather than ordinary.

There was no vibrancy to it, as there were not a single person wandering outside. No guards, no patrols. Despite being in such an obviously strange situation, no one came out to confirm what was happening.

It was as if the entire city had ceased to function, divided by that wall of light.

Chapter 246

“Sylvia.”

A voice came from behind.

When I turned around, my companions were entering the Papal State one by one, following me.

The first person to step inside was Alice, who had been right behind me. She stepped out from the light and examined her hands and legs for a bit, then quickly bounced a few times in place before hurrying over to stand close to me.

She looked tense, gripping her sword with both hands, but once she saw the situation in the Papal State, her expression turned somewhat blank.

“…”

She probably realized that the Papal State was strange, just like I did.

This was our first time truly visiting the Papal State, so neither Alice nor I knew how quiet it usually was. However, no matter how quiet a city could be, it shouldn’t be a dead one.

It was a city run by clergy, but those clergymen were still people. They eat, poop, and throw things away. Not every affair could be managed by other clergymen. Unless it was a small self-sufficient monastery, a country powerful enough to send ambassadors called Cardinals to other nations would need a social infrastructure.

But the current appearance of the Papal State seemed to lack all those functions. It was a silence not of sacred majesty but of mere corpses.

It looked even creepier since there were no signs of battle either.

While we were surveying the surroundings, one by one, our party joined us. The sounds of footsteps from behind grew louder.

None of them had sustained any burns. They all came over the wall unscathed.

At least it was clear that ‘royal blood’ wasn’t necessary to get over that wall.

“…It’s quiet.”

Jennifer muttered. Everyone didn’t respond, but they probably agreed with her words.

In fact, as if the very silence were more dangerous, they were all gripping their weapons tightly.

In a typical country, just crossing the border wouldn’t immediately reveal a massive city. Sure, if trade were developed, both cities could thrive greatly, but the situation with the Papal State was a bit different.

The Papal State itself was a small nation. It was originally established by receiving part of Velbur’s territory. It didn’t have as many people as the Imperial Capital or the Royal Capital, but being a nation made up of just ‘one capital’ meant that development was also concentrated. Though the buildings seemed old and industrialization hadn’t taken place, they were still well-maintained, showcasing that it was a significant city. If the situation hadn’t been like this, I would have enjoyed visiting.

It was also not strange that the very first city we saw after crossing the border—the Wall of Light—was the Papal State.

The fact that the border itself wasn’t closed indicated that the Papal State and Velbur were quite close to each other.

But that was what made it dangerous.

We could never know if there were enemies hidden in every densely packed building.

“Sophia.”

Thus, the first person I called was Sophia.

Without further ado, I asked her as she promptly approached me.

“Do you know the way to the center of the Papal State?”

“…Yes, I do.”

“Can you guide us?”

My question included the implication of “avoiding places where Papal troops might be hiding.”

Sophia wasn’t the kind of person to miss such a subtext.

Nodding silently, Sophia moved ahead.

“…Let’s go.”

Seeing Sophia’s back, I turned to my companions and said.

No one felt the need to ask further questions. Everyone knew that there wouldn’t be enough time for more questions and answers here.

*

I’ve never explored an abandoned place. The closest experience I had was during our school field trip’s courage training.

Even knowing that there were no ghosts and that only people in disguise could jump out at any moment, the eerie atmosphere still felt a bit daunting.

But that wasn’t comparable to what I felt here. Even if I had actually visited an abandoned place, I’d still feel this way.

An abandoned place is just an empty house; it wouldn’t imply an empty city.

The neatly organized streets seemed to prove that this place had been maintained until just recently. The white walls of buildings proudly reflected the bright sunshine.

But there were no people inside those buildings. If there were, they showed no signs of life.

I hadn’t checked every single building. I didn’t want to carelessly open a door only to unleash a swarm of soldiers like hitting a beehive.

But if there was indeed a large group of soldiers hiding inside, there should have been some signs.

Even though the sun was up, the empty city felt chilling.

“It’s strange.”

With a tense posture, Sophia murmured anxiously.

“It wasn’t a place with an extremely large population, but it shouldn’t be this quiet…”

Sophia’s words sparked a thought in my mind.

In this world, all ‘living beings’ possess their own magic. Just as we can extract Marmaros from magical beasts rich in mana, people from this world could also be used as equals.

Fundamentally, such actions are deemed ‘inefficient’ and ‘morally questionable,’ so it isn’t common. After all, this world isn’t so low on mana stones that it requires capturing dozens or hundreds of resisting individuals just to extract their Marmaros.

…However, in works across manga, movies, or games, if there’s a setting where ‘humans can be materials to create something,’ it’s inevitable that some entity would engage in ‘such deeds.’

They either present their own reasoning or somehow find a ‘justifiable reason to utilize only humans.’

“…”

Yet, I wasn’t oblivious enough to voice such ominous thoughts.

Sophia was from this area. I wasn’t sure if her real parents were truly around, or whether she had a teacher or friends. But regardless of how few close acquaintances she had, people tend to hold affection for the places they were born and spent their childhood.

…There was no way I could say to that person, ‘The city you knew might have died for some reason.’

I could only hope that my imagination wouldn’t turn out to be reality.

*

Having ventured quite a distance, we finally reached the Cathedral located in the heart of the Papal State.

…To put it bluntly, the Papal State wasn’t devoid of ‘everything.’

I didn’t know what had happened to all the citizens, but at least the Knights of the Cathedral were present.

Most of them were dead.

“…Ah!”

Having noticed the red glow from a distance, Sophia rushed ahead before I even had a chance to stop her. Fortunately, she didn’t get hit by anyone’s attack. I couldn’t tell if they were ignoring her presence or if it had been set up this way intentionally.

The bodies of the Cathedral Knights were sprawled on the ground, unattended immediately after the battle.

Having taken place on a plaza made of white marble, the dried crimson stains stood out vividly.

“…There’s no smell.”

The first person to respond, aside from Sophia, was Jennifer.

“Smell?”

Carolyn, who had gone pale while gazing at the distant bodies, asked cautiously.

“Well, given how many days must have passed since this happened. Watching the dried blood on the ground indicates that these bodies have been dead for several days now. Even though the weather is starting to get colder, and they wouldn’t rot away fully, if they’ve been left out like this, they should be giving off the ‘smell of death’ after just a short while.”

After saying that, Jennifer followed Sophia. Each had a gun in their hands.

As they moved cautiously forward, Jennifer knelt beside a body, looking at it while Sophia had already crumpled to her knees, peering down at the corpse.

“…What on earth happened here?”

“Hmm.”

At Alice’s mumble, the Sword Saint stroked his beard thoughtfully before speaking.

“It’s a clean cut. They were attacked with a very sharp sword. Not just that, the skills shown are impressive. The blood that has flowed is all from these corpses. Plus, this sort of blade work is something I’ve seen before.”

“…”

Hearing those words, I could instantly recall someone.

It seemed the Sword Saint was thinking of the same person as I was.

Having moved ahead to examine the bodies, the Sword Saint turned back towards me with a serious expression.

“It appears that that bastard Grukas is involved here. This time, he is working with the Emperor.”

Alice inhaled sharply.

“Be on guard. The fact that they weren’t waiting for you here indicates that they are likely preparing a welcome indoors.”

As the Sword Saint spoke, he fiddled with the hilt of his sword at his waist.

Chapter 247

If this were a typical ‘game’ story, what lies before us would be the final dungeon that exists at the end of the story, and enemies would be waiting for us inside.

As we break through the dungeon layer by layer, one by one, high-ranking beings from the opposing side would emerge at the end, and our protagonist party would take them down one by one to move forward.

Of course, if the opponent is a being that is preordained to be extremely powerful, even if we achieve victory in terms of the system, they may not fall in the story, meaning in the cutscene. In such cases, it’s common for another ally character to crash in with a cliché, saying, “Leave this to me and move forward.”

…That was how it should have been.

“Surprisingly, you’re just waiting here, aren’t you?”

The one who said this incredulously was the Sword Saint.

As the Sword Saint said, there wasn’t a grand dungeon waiting for us, nor was there a large beast blocking our path.

“Why wouldn’t I be confident?”

The one who retorted like that was the Emperor.

This was my first time visiting the Cathedral of the Papal State. Since I never had a religion, I had never been in a place like this, so I didn’t even know what the inside of a cathedral truly looked like.

But even for me, the appearance of this cathedral was rather unusual.

There were no pews for believers to sit if you were to call it a cathedral or a church. There was only a spacious hall, and in front of it, several high-backed chairs were lined up. All the chairs were a luxurious red.

So… no matter how you look at it, this place felt more like an imperial palace than a cathedral.

Well, I guess it makes sense. Although it was a very small place to be called a nation, it possessed a power that couldn’t be ignored enough to impact the whole world. And the beings the Pope had to face were the kings of other nations. They couldn’t afford to look inferior. One could say they are entirely different from the modern-day Pope.

So, the throne-like chair over there was actually for the Pope.

But for now, the Emperor was seated there.

Sitting proudly with one elbow resting on the armrest and supporting his chin, he certainly looked like a cliché.

“Have you really just been sitting there waiting all these days? How rude of us to think we’ve kept you waiting too long.”

“What can I say, I had plenty to do on this side. I wasn’t bored adjusting this and that.”

The Emperor replied with a smile to the Sword Saint who spoke provocatively.

“And, in fact, the ones I was waiting for were my daughters.”

“Oh ho, does that mean we are uninvited guests?”

“Well, I can’t just kick out those who come knocking. I will graciously forgive you.”

The Emperor wore an expression that seemed genuinely pleased as he said that.

“… So it means that it wasn’t your intention for others to enter here?”

As I stepped a foot closer and asked, the Emperor’s gaze turned toward me. It was exactly the same gaze he always had when looking at me. His expression showed no significant difference despite the unusual circumstances he created waiting for me.

Or perhaps, could it be said that what is happening now is simply an extension of what the Emperor usually does?

“Well, I was wanting to ask you that.”

The Emperor grabbed the armrests with both hands and slowly raised his body.

The Emperor couldn’t be called young. But he looked too healthy to simply call him middle-aged. He had broad shoulders and was much taller than me. Even without looking up right in front of him, the sight of the Emperor standing over us was just big.

Above all, the dignity of someone who wouldn’t lower themselves before anyone could be felt.

“The device has been completed.”

The Emperor said as he stepped down from the throne.

“Therefore, the power of the Goddess, which controlled this world, should have broken as a norm. However, that hasn’t happened. The rules left behind by the Goddess still exist in this world.”

The Emperor spread his arms wide as he spoke.

“…”

I thought about asking a question, but decided to just keep my mouth shut. Somehow, it felt like the Emperor would tell me everything even without me asking.

“You must have read through all the records of the Imperial Palace. You must have had enough time.”

The Emperor suddenly said as if he had become engrossed in something, gazing at the ceiling. I chose to remain silent again. It was as if the Emperor didn’t expect a response from me, and he slowly began to narrate.

“There is a tale only passed down in the Fanggriffon lineage. It’s a story so irreverent that others wouldn’t understand it, and it’s shared only with those who can properly continue the Fanggriffon name. It’s a tale told just once when in the presence of one who would inherit the legacy, left unwritten so no one else can hear or read it.”

The Emperor lowered his gaze to look at me.

“So, listen well. You will have to tell this story to whoever will inherit your place someday.”

The Emperor’s gaze moved this time.

Not to me, but to Alice.

*

Once upon a time, there existed a world.

A world shattered and jumbled due to some unknown reason.

In a world where even the most basic laws were intertwined chaotically, people were groaning. In a world where even time wasn’t organized, people aged differently, dulled, and decayed.

Then one day, a revelation descended.

A beam of blue light came down from the broken and cracked sky.

In the midst of that light, the world began to organize for the first time.

Limbs and arms that sprouted haphazardly became two each.

Eyes that popped out in various places on the head gathered on the face.

Fingers and toes that were bent backward, and spines spinning around, all found their rightful places.

As time had passed long ago, humans who no longer knew their original forms were finally able to remember their true selves, following that blue light.

However, the light did not touch everywhere in the world.

The cracks in the broken sky were limited, and thus those who did not receive that light continued to live painfully in a twisted world with twisted bodies.

In the space where the light did not reach, one day, a hero was born.

He subdued other twisted monsters with his distorted body, leading a bizarre creature that blended eagle and lion in a struggle against the Goddess. His one and only goal was freedom.

Those who were fixed in shape by the Goddess never attempted to step outside the light. They feared everything beyond it, and sought satisfaction only in the Goddess’ embrace.

And to protect themselves, they created their own “order.”

They placed one person above another. Placed another person below each.

A solid tower of people, distinctly separated layer by layer. A city that is order itself, sustaining everywhere in society according to each person’s role.

The king of the bizarre creatures, the Griffons, did not like that at all.

He loved to fly through the skies of the mixed red and blue light.

To gaze upon the endless golden veins deep within the shattered land.

To endlessly admire the frozen earth that burned at the same time.

—In a world where, as long as one has their own will, they could rise higher without stronger or weaker beings.

To the King of Griffons, Fanggriffon, the world of order seemed to deprive all those opportunities.

So he decided to confront the Goddess.

*

“But no matter how you look at it, he didn’t have enough power to confront the Goddess.”

The Emperor explained in a relaxed voice.

“I mean, you can’t expect a systematic weapon system for the distorted beings. They can’t demand armor in the exact forms they want and distribute it accordingly, nor could they use the commonly used weapons; they were terribly uncomfortable. There was no way to win against those who moved consistently under one being and one order, almost like a single organism.”

“But if that’s the case—”

“The Fanggriffon ultimately surrendered.”

The Emperor said flatly.

“And he accepted the Goddess’s words, entered the world of order, and ascended to greatness once more within it.”

“….”

Up to this point, it was a story absurd enough to leave one in disbelief. But there was still a smile lingering on the Emperor’s lips.

Surely, the story could not end here.

And as if answering my thoughts, the Emperor opened his mouth.

“Do you know what the Goddess’s flaw was?”

No one replied to the Emperor’s question. Only Sophia, who was seen far away at the end of the horizon, trembled slightly.

“The Goddess was obsessed with ‘order.’ The Fanggriffon conformed to that order. But in his mind, he still envisioned chaos.”

The Emperor raised his right palm toward the ceiling.

And slowly lifted his hand.

“As much as the Goddess was obsessive about order, the Fanggriffon’s obsession was not trivial.”

The ground began to tremble.

Thud, thud, sounds like rough rocks scraping against one another echoed as the Pope’s chair began to crack.

“So he thought, ‘Could I invoke chaos using only ‘order’ without the Goddess noticing?’”

Chapter 248

What is order?

It’s lining up to buy things, following the law, paying taxes after earning money, and not recklessly coveting others’ belongings.

But the ‘order’ we think of is merely what appears to human eyes.

If you dig deeper into the concept of order, what ultimately emerges are physical laws. Ideologies and emotions are meaningless. In the end, everything is bound by physical laws.

So, the Fanggriffon thought.

If the order that the goddess loves is for humans to live orderly, wouldn’t it be better to touch something much more microscopic to make all of that ‘meaningless’?

Wouldn’t it be the greatest chaos to create the Fanggriffon’s ‘order’ and prove that the goddess’s order is wrong?

And he had no strength to execute such a delusional plan.

Thus, he thought of ‘using’ the order of this world to manipulate the goddess’s power in reverse.

“If order is so wonderful, isn’t the best way to usurp the goddess’s power within that ‘order’? And with that power, he planned to reshape the world as he wanted. Back to the beautiful days he longed for.”

The emperor, speaking like that, really seemed to enjoy himself.

Now, the position of the Pope no longer existed. Thanks to a ‘mechanism’ that had risen from below, it had collapsed pathetically to the side, becoming a rather unremarkable entity despite its splendid decorations.

In fact, the mechanism itself had no embellishments.

However, every vividly colored part used in the mechanism was shining brilliantly under the light.

Large and small gears were intricately entangled. It looked like a giant version of the moving part of an expensive wristwatch. It reminded one of the inner workings of the ancient Greek relic, the Antikythera mechanism, seen once on the internet.

The delicate movement of that machine was so regular that it was hard to believe it was made for thoroughly blasphemous reasons.

“Ah, ah…”

But it wasn’t surprising that such a sound came from Sophia’s mouth upon seeing the machine.

According to the emperor, the device created by the Fanggriffon was merely to oppose the goddess.

Nothing else, no grand purpose, just pure vandalism in its most basic form.

…And the result of that vandalism was—

“Do you wish to plunge this world into chaos too?”

“No.”

The emperor stepped back and smirked.

“An empire cannot exist in a chaotic world. The very existence of an empire is ultimately built upon the delicate order of humans. But yes, I covet the goddess’s power. With it, I can place the world under the order I desire.”

That’s right.

The emperor had taken the equality of his envisioned world as his ultimate goal.

While it sounded absurd in general terms—

Clang! Suddenly, the sound of blades clashing resonated.

“Kuh…!”

The person who was flung back, spitting out a groan, was Sophia.

Creak, the sound of her shoes scraping against the smooth stone floor was heard. Sophia stumbled for a moment but didn’t completely fall.

“Oh, you shouldn’t interrupt His Majesty while he’s speaking. That’s quite rude, isn’t it?”

With a swish, the whip-like blade gathered again. With a clank, the sword, which had been writhing like a snake, returned to the ordinary form of three swords.

“Bella.”

“Our sisters have gathered.”

Bella, who had blocked Sophia’s attack, waved at us.

It wasn’t only Bella.

Until just before we entered, there were hardly any people in the building. I almost believed the emperor had sacrificed everyone in this city.

…But that wasn’t the case.

The eyes of those slowly pouring into the room had no focus. Although they were all faces I had never seen before, it was easy to tell they were originally from the Papal State.

They had color, so they were not dead.

But that didn’t mean they were conscious either.

“…Why?”

“Hmm, why do you think?”

As Sophia mumbled in a daze, Bella shrugged her shoulders and replied.

“Honestly, I can’t fully understand it either, but if I think about what Father said, this could be ‘order’, don’t you think?”

“…Does that mean it’s already succeeded?”

“Not perfectly, though. It seems that a final piece is needed.”

The emperor said this as he took something out from within his robes.

What the emperor held was a ‘completed’ part.

A gear, slightly larger than an adult male’s palm, fully formed.

“I received help from my future self.”

Seeing my expression, the emperor genuinely seemed entertained.

“If I can use parts sent from the future, why would I need to search for new parts here?”

Future, huh—

Ah.

Without realizing it, I turned to Alice. It looked like she was a bit flustered by my sudden gaze.

No, no, no.

Right, she was suspicious indeed. I get that. I couldn’t use my powers properly when I was next to her. It wouldn’t be odd at all if she had some part of the Masked Girl’s essence.

But if that was a ‘part sent from the future’—

Have they eaten time paradox for breakfast?

No matter how much quantum mechanics and parallel universe theories aren’t well-established in this worldview, isn’t it a bit too cavalierly assembled? Is there really that much overflowing confidence in oneself?

But the real problem wasn’t such things.

I turned my head again.

What the emperor held was clearly a completed part.

…It wasn’t the time to think about whether or not there were two ‘Jibos’.

“Once this part became complete, the goddess ultimately had to change her words. Her promise to grant freedom whatever one does under ‘order’ had to be broken, and the Jibo had to be broken as well. That’s only natural. No matter how outstanding and magnanimous a king may be, he won’t overlook those who challenge his authority. And the Fanggriffon was satisfied.”

In the end, he was able to shatter the goddess’s ‘order’ with his own power.

“The most important part of order is to ‘maintain’ it. If the principle isn’t upheld, it becomes chaos. At that point, the goddess’s power is nothing but an impure substance that intrudes upon order.”

The emperor turned his body and began to step up towards where the mechanism was located.

“Since then, until now, no one has seen the blue light. The holy power remains, so we can tell that the goddess is somehow watching us from somewhere, but that’s it. We don’t know if it’s due to the shame of breaking her own principles or if this machine’s one-time activation had such a considerable impact. That story isn’t passed down. I think the latter is closer to the truth.”

The emperor stood before the mechanism.

Inside that complex device, there was a space just right for a single gear to fit in.

“And one thing is certain.”

The emperor placed the gear he held into the device.

“The goddess will never abandon this world. That’s probably why you’re here.”

The emperor turned around and looked directly at me.

“If the goddess still possesses enough power to intervene in this world, she would have sent out the most important being at the most critical moment.”

…The emperor had birthed children who carried his blood from numerous women.

In the original story, there were no children between the emperor and the goddess. This is still just speculation, but it seems that by chance, Claire, who inherited the imperial bloodline, was born, and the emperor would attempt to use her to utilize the device. Since the device itself was created by the Fanggriffon, it can be seen as an understandable condition.

So I struggled not to look toward Claire. The emperor was now mistaking me for a being ‘born from the goddess and himself.’

As much as possible, that misconception should be maintained to the end.

Because whether I win or lose, it doesn’t matter; the emperor will fail regardless.

“But I won’t sit idly by. The goddess’s power isn’t perfect. This is a device that even the goddess couldn’t perfectly destroy.”

The emperor quietly gazed at me and said.

“First, why don’t you say something? Don’t you want to join hands with me? I am different from the Fanggriffon. I intend to do my utmost to establish a new order and create a wonderful world.”

Of course.

In his own way, he would think that way.

For that, devising and executing plans was the emperor’s hobby.

“…What if I refuse?”

“Then I will usurp your power. Do you understand? This mechanism has a ‘space’ to do that. Originally, it would have been sufficient with just someone who is a descendant of the Fanggriffon, but if there is an existence that carries both bloodlines, it would be a different story. Wouldn’t you agree there’s worth in testing it?”

Is he saying he’ll use me as a part?

…If he knew that Claire was such a being, he would try to use her for that purpose.

I silently raised my gun.

“Is that your answer? Understood.”

The emperor nodded.

“Then it seems there’s no choice but to converse with power.”

Chapter 249

The craftsman who made the enhancement armor came all the way to Velbur, but in the end, he couldn’t completely fix my equipment.

Browning had the skills, and Velbur had the materials. But time was running out.

If the firearm had broken, I could have either found a similar item anew or, if I was lucky, procured parts for the same firearm. In reality, Browning had brought a pile of parts and equipment while riding the train.

Among them were of course parts for the enhancement armor he had created, but those alone wouldn’t suffice as the outer layer of the armor was too damaged.

Browning almost fixed everything he thought of as ‘consumable’ parts. The mana stones suitable for the enhancement armor slots and gears that were too small and prone to breaking were nearly all replaced.

However, there was far too little time to replace the entire outer brass plate. If patching up was one issue, many areas that were supposed to be detachable for easy replacement had warped, making it impossible to even force them together. The gauntlet plate was made as a consumable, but the frame holding the gauntlet itself was not.

Even with spare parts available, it meant I’d need complete disassembly and reassembly to replace the frame.

“Since it’s a gauntlet plate, a simple patch job won’t work. If I just hastily put it together in a few hours, it’ll fall off the moment a battle starts.”

Saying it could last even once was meaningless. It would be a problem if the gauntlet fell off before even blocking an enemy attack. It was hefty because it was made for blocking attacks, and if it fell and trampled my foot, that’d be a huge issue.

“Isn’t there a way?”

“Um…”

As Browning pondered, stroking his chin, he said, “How about we strip off the gauntlet plate entirely?”

He proposed an idea that was the exact opposite of the previous design plan.

Shwoosh.

When I slammed the button conveniently placed on my chest, it made a sound like a steampunk train letting off steam.

No, it wasn’t just a ‘like’ sound. Steam was genuinely bursting out.

That was the design Browning hastily changed. He filled the water in the steam engine attached to the back to the max and instead of a simple mana stone, he used concentrated Marmaros as fuel and cranked the enhancement armor’s engine to its absolute limit.

In the process, he responsibly made it easier for over-expanded steam to escape without bursting.

When I asked if such a design was considered for safety, Browning nodded.

…But when I asked if it was safe, he didn’t answer.

Given the urgency, I had a feeling it was better than nothing, so I allowed him to modify it.

And I was clearly witnessing the effect of that modification.

Geh!

There was no ‘artificial intelligence’ in the enhancement armor. Naturally. In a world where computers are the size of buildings, it couldn’t fit such a thing inside this small enhancement armor.

The armor itself works with internal steam and hydraulic systems, along with various interlocking parts that ‘assist’ my strength.

The problem was that this overheated armor didn’t just stop at ‘assisting’ my strength.

With just a little joint movement, the steam engine went wild, amplifying my strength to the max. Previously, when I moved the armor roughly, it made creaky sounds, but now ominous sounds came from my joints.

It wasn’t broken, but—

Well, whatever.

Let’s say it’s better than nothing.

One step, two steps, three steps.

As I leaped step by step like an athlete in a running start, my vision soared into the air. Perhaps the steam fiercely spraying from my ankles was helping lift me? I thought that for a moment, as I was soaring upward far too easily.

When there were about five steps left between me and the Emperor—

Hup!

I jumped into the air and twisted my body. My field of vision turned upside down in an instant, just like when I had leapt from the underground of Lutetia to the second floor. I spun in the air just like then, but this time I flew much higher and faster than the last time I had jumped on the stairs.

In the inverted vision, I could see the white steam pouring out from beneath my feet had not yet dissipated. And just as I heard a swoosh ominous sound, I saw a sword-like cutting edge flying toward the place where I stood just moments ago, leaving a long mark behind.

“Oops.”

A completely unexciting voice echoed.

I roughly aimed my gun toward the direction of that voice and pulled the trigger.

Bang, and a loud noise erupted. The sound of the bullet exploding was louder than the gun firing. A hole appeared in the billowing cloud of steam that followed the bullet’s trajectory, and at the same time, I could see red flames flickering from its end.

Swoosh—

However, it seemed my shot did not hit properly, as a long streak of light rose, slicing through the round pillar that had been punctured.

I lurched my body again. I felt steam escaping once more from my ankle with a pshhh sound. The water likely boiled with Marmaros inside, but the cloud of steam pouring out around my ankle felt strangely cold.

I landed on the ground, rolling to the side. Immediately, I pulled back the firearm’s bolt to eject the cartridge—

And then I did it once more.

“Umm.”

As I dodged the second strike, a voice came from beyond the cloud of steam.

“Have you improved since then? It doesn’t feel as if time has rewound again.”

The figure strolling towards me with a thud-thud sound— well, there’s no need to mention who it was.

In this situation, only Lucas and the Emperor would chuckle happily.

With his fiery red hair, it was certainly not the Emperor.

“But it still seems insufficient. It feels like it would take at least ten years to fight without ‘cheating’.”

“……”

Even he didn’t bother to answer the provocation. I steadied my aim toward Lucas and pulled the trigger once more.

At the same time, Lucas swung his sword. As if trying to deflect my bullet—

“Ah.”

But in an instant, the relaxed look on Lucas’s face crumbled.

While my gun had a magazine inside, it also contained components that separated the magazine and chamber.

In other words, if needed, I could fire one shot like a single-shot rifle and then chamber another round separately.

Generally a useless mechanism, but for someone like me wandering around with various types of Marmaros bullets, it was quite handy.

Glancing at Lucas, who was gripping his frozen sword with a frown, I released the magazine block and reloaded.

“Ten years might be too soon indeed,” I thought.

I might never grow enough, even if it took ages, to beat someone like Lucas who had a natural talent for combat.

But isn’t that precisely why humanity’s technology has advanced?

Knights dominating the battlefield can fall from a single stray bullet without proper aim, and heads can be blown apart by shells raining down from above.

Even if there are monsters that can deflect incoming bullets, it’s only natural to die if a bullet pierces your body.

And I can certainly say one thing.

Despite how it looks, I’ve never stopped training with firearms throughout my life. I’ve shot in real combat until it became tiresome, and I’ve seen more people die from bullets than I could possibly count on my fingers.

I just hope he doesn’t underestimate me.

Bam, bam, bam.

I pulled the bolt as fast as I could for rapid-fire.

For one wielding a ‘sword’, the change in weight of the sword can be somewhat dangerous. A sword is a weapon meant to be ‘swung’. If a gun is too heavy or too light or if its weight balance is off, it won’t be comfortable to use, but it can’t compare to a ‘sword’.

Lucas was a skilled swordsman. Even with a heavy chunk of ice attached to his sword, his skills wouldn’t diminish that much.

But even so, he wouldn’t be able to deflect a flying bullet.

Deflecting bullets transcends the realm of human skills. It’s a feat only possible in this world’s ‘setting’, making it utterly impossible in reality. Even in this world, the act of deflecting bullets itself was pushing the limits of human ability.

So if a penalty were imposed on a human who reached that limit, it’s natural that performing such an act would become exceedingly difficult.

“……!”

Clang! The large ice block attached to his sword shattered into pieces. I couldn’t tell if it was because of the ice shards flying all around that obscured my vision or if it was because he wasn’t able to sufficiently absorb the bullet’s energy, but for a moment, Lucas’s body swayed.

The successive shots that followed didn’t hit him.

But in trying to dodge quickly, Lucas had no chance to strike back at me.

And I had time to calmly observe such Lucas.

Chapter 250

Bang, bang.

I emptied the entire magazine without holding back.

Now that they had crossed into my territory, I didn’t want to miss my chance.

Of course, Lucas didn’t just sit still. He dodged quickly to the side, avoiding my bullets, and readied his stance again.

I dropped my weapon. The gun, secured with a strap, dangled near my chest instead of hitting the floor. I quickly pulled out my automatic pistol and aimed at Lucas again.

Considering the power difference, my pistol had to be loaded with Marmaros, a fire-element bullet. Even if the gunpowder was less compared to a rifle, a .45 caliber bullet isn’t exactly something you’d want to ignore. It was more than enough to cause an explosion if it hit something.

Boom, boom, small explosions erupted at Lucas’ feet.

But Lucas was a character who had surpassed even the Sword Saint in the original story. He was a monster capable of deflecting bullets and wielding his sword towards me without a hitch.

He leapt sideways, completely stepping out of my firing angle, and swung his sword towards me.

I gritted my teeth and tried my hardest to jump to the side—

—But before I could even move, the sword strike split the air.

It was like two-colored rays of colored mirage colliding and scattering in mid-air, almost distracting me even in this situation.

“Huh?”

For a moment, Lucas wore a dumbfounded expression.

“Have you always had a habit of jumping out without a word to your companions? You should really fix that. I enjoyed my alone time too, but if we’re not fighting solo, we should at least communicate, don’t you think?”

The Sword Saint, chuckling joyfully, sauntered forward as he spoke.

As he said, sounds of fighting echoed around us. There were sounds of ground being torn up, submachine guns firing in rapid succession, and things breaking and exploding.

“And, if there’s someone who handles a sword, shouldn’t he ideally be handled by someone who uses the same weapon? I didn’t follow you just to spectate.”

The Sword Saint flashed me a grin before turning his gaze back to Lucas.

“It’s the first time we’ve seen each other since last time.”

And just like an old friend reuniting after a while, the Sword Saint greeted Lucas.

“Ha.”

At the Sword Saint’s words, Lucas let out a sigh, as if his tension had eased.

“Why, does this old man seem too insignificant for you to handle?”

Lucas responded to him with a defeated expression.

“……I wouldn’t have thought so in the past.”

When Lucas said that with such a feeling of emptiness, the Sword Saint shrugged and replied,

“I might have let you slip last time, but I don’t think I demonstrated a shameful skill. In fact, aren’t you the one being toyed with by the young girl right in front of you?”

The Sword Saint slightly turned his head towards me. His eyes were slightly slanted.

“She’s the least talented among my disciples.”

“……”

Was it really necessary to point that out, Master?

“Go. We have things to do, don’t we? The fact that you’re not alone here means you need our help, right?”

The Sword Saint said quietly.

…In the original story, the Sword Saint dies at Lucas’s hands.

Of course, that time isn’t now. He dies a bit later than this.

Even in the original, Lucas was already beyond the Sword Saint’s level. In this world… I couldn’t say for sure, but… he certainly doesn’t seem weaker than the original.

Even knowing such facts, the Sword Saint’s voice was so confident that it felt easy to believe.

“Go.”

The Sword Saint said once more.

“……Understood.”

Wishing for his safety, or urging him to retreat if things got too dangerous… such words would hold no meaning.

It was I who called Frederick, the Sword Saint, all the way here.

Yes, this world is different from the original. Just like the Sword Saint is here, so too are his disciples.

The situation was different from when I faced Lucas alone.

I turned my head.

Far away, the Emperor was still standing.

He was quietly looking up at a machine rotating right before his eyes.

I leaped towards him, throwing my body as if to explode in that direction.

*

“Are you willing to risk your life for a talentless disciple?”

“How would you know if I’m risking my life or just enjoying a bit of fun?”

In response to Lucas’s provoking words, the Sword Saint chuckled.

Unlike Lucas, who was tightly gripping his sword with both hands, the Sword Saint was standing comfortably with his sword-hand relaxed.

Lucas was confident he could defeat the Sword Saint. He had already been confident in his level of skill. Even when he invaded the Papal State or when he fought his brother to steal resources from him.

Lucas was self-assured.

Yet—

The Sword Saint before him seemed to possess something beyond that confidence.

“If you think I see any potential in my talentless disciple, then you’re fooling yourself.”

“Oh?”

The Sword Saint found interest in Lucas’s words, laughing.

“Even though I carry the title of ‘Sword Saint,’ I want to ask how a talentless person could deceive my eyes.”

“…What if I could turn back time?”

“……”

“If I could turn back time and try a few times to always come out with a perfect conclusion, then I could deceive an opponent.”

“Hmm.”

The Sword Saint made a short snort.

“Is that so?”

Then, in a flat tone, he continued.

“I’ve certainly been curious about how someone with absolutely no talent could move so well. You often acted as if you already knew things in advance.”

“Exactly, so—”

“However,”

the Sword Saint said, looking steadily at Lucas,

“if that ‘talentless’ person had to turn back time to face a regular swordsman, no, a few better swordsmen, how many times do you think they would need to attempt it?”

“……Huh?”

“Someone who can’t even swing a sword properly nor walk without struggling—someone who might need to spend years just to master the simplest technique—how many times do you think they’d have to turn back time to properly learn and utilize the skills we can actually use?”

“……”

“That’s impossible. At least, I couldn’t. Because I was a genius from the moment I was born. From the first moment I picked up a sword, I thought it was my path, and so I lived that way. Having swung a sword my entire life, I’ve amassed a wealth of experiences separate from talent. I’ve known for a long time that not everyone in this world is like me.”

The Sword Saint lightly waved the arm holding his sword.

In the background, there was an explosion sound and the dust stirred up, but the calm voice of the Sword Saint reached Lucas with incredible ease.

“Do you call the act of someone less talented putting in unlimited amounts of time to grow ‘deceit’? Well, to me, it seems like we born with talent are the ones who are playing the bigger ‘deceit’ game.”

With each step, the Sword Saint walked closer to Lucas while speaking.

“……Then what is turning back time if not deceit?”

“Well, there is such a beautiful word as ‘effort.’”

The Sword Saint laughed.

“That talentless disciple, he was simply putting in his time to bring about the best possible outcome.”

“……If that ‘effort’ renders all my actions meaningless—”

“Yet, here we stand face to face.”

The Sword Saint stated.

“It doesn’t matter whether time goes back or not. In any case, we won’t be able to feel it if time did go back. So, don’t you think we should just do what lies before us?”

Saying that, he gripped his sword firmly with both hands.

“Simply facing the opponent with the sword and feeling that we’re alive is what matters. No matter how many times time rewinds, my time will always flow right before my eyes.”

“……”

“I made a promise with that talentless disciple.”

Frederick said, still wearing a smile.

“This disciple’s promise to show someone stronger than me has been kept like this. Thanks to that, I’m having quite an interesting time in my old age. So, this time, I suppose I should grant my disciple’s request a little.”

Bang, bang, several gunshots rang out from where Sylvia had fired.

“I swear by the name of the Sword Saint. I will do my utmost to prevent your sword from striking that overly dedicated disciple of mine. And I’ll be honest, I’m really curious about what that disciple is aiming for. If I’m not mistaken, having turned back time countless times to arrive here, things to come won’t simply be ordinary, right?”

As he spoke, the Sword Saint’s blade shone with a blue light.

Chapter 251

“Big sis!”

Sylvia charged towards the Emperor, the center of attention despite the formidable beings surrounding her and the mist escaping from her device obscuring her view.

Naturally, Sylvia was the most important person in this scenario. Not only was she the target of the Emperor’s gaze, but she also possessed a complete grasp of the situation. The reason so many had followed her here was to assist her.

Wasn’t it the Emperor who said it? The reason others could enter aside from Sylvia… while he didn’t state it directly, one could tell there was some sort of power related to the ‘Goddess’ within Sylvia.

So, Claire desired to help Sylvia as well—

“—Ugh!”

Claire, who was moving forward, quickly pulled back and swung her sword.

Swish! The sound of slicing air rang out. It was closer to the crack of a whip rather than the swing of a sword. In fact, the manner in which she wielded the sword looked far from a sword at all.

“I saw this last time too, but I really don’t get how you’re moving that sword.”

“Oh?”

As Claire quickly retreated, the blade of her sword glowed with a bluish aura. Usually, sword energy is a ‘straight beam of light’. Just like the blade should always be stiff unless intentionally made otherwise, the same was true for the sword aura.

The fact that Claire’s sword aura bent like a whip, coiling like a snake, meant she was controlling it with precision.

“Isn’t it a bit strange hearing that from you?”

Bella replied, somewhat surprised. As she lightly shook off her right hand gripping the sword, the black blade, akin to a coiling snake, returned to its ‘sword’ form.

“Your way of wielding sword energy is similar to mine, right? Who did you learn it from?”

“Grace.”

Claire responded tightly gripping her sword with both hands.

“I wouldn’t think Grace would teach such unconventional swordsmanship. She only teaches proper stances, doesn’t she? Didn’t you get scolded for showing something like that at first?”

Even as Bella said this, she walked slowly to the side, not taking her eyes off Claire’s blade.

Tsk! Claire clicked her tongue at the sight.

While Bella appeared at ease, her actions weren’t underestimating Claire. Bella blocked Claire’s path to Sylvia. She believed that if Claire joined Sylvia, she would be a significant help.

“Speaking of you, how did you come to possess that sword?”

Claire entertained Bella’s question.

“The palace is filled with various weapons. I simply chose the one that fit me best among them.”

“Same here. I just opted for the method I could utilize the most while learning swordsmanship.”

“Hmmm~”

Bella narrowed her eyes at Claire’s words.

“Maybe our way of thinking is similar. Is it because you’re also from the orphanage like me?”

“…….”

“You called Sylvia ‘big sis’; did she happen to rescue you from there when you were young?”

“……Yeah.”

“I see.”

Bella nodded clearly to Claire’s answer. For a moment, Claire thought Bella’s expression had dulled. Perhaps that expression was closer to ‘bitterness’. It was different from the artificial smile Bella was constantly wearing.

“Such a pity. I didn’t have a sister-like figure.”

Claire had nothing to respond with to that.

“……So, is that why you’re helping the Emperor?”

“Hmm?”

“Is it because the Emperor saved you, that you’re following him?”

“Well, maybe.”

Bella shrugged her shoulders.

“It’s true that he took me in. But that doesn’t mean I follow him for that. More like, well, I don’t really know what else I might be doing if it weren’t for here, you know?”

As she spoke, Bella twirled the sword she was holding.

“And, well, if my father were to gain the Goddess’s power…”

Bella fixed her gaze on Claire as she continued.

“Don’t you think he could at least grant one wish?”

For instance, gifting a past that wasn’t dark.

Not the fake child that the Emperor picked up, but reborn properly as a genuine child.

“…….”

What would Bella’s reaction be if she revealed here that she was truly the Emperor’s daughter?

Claire pondered, mouth about to—

“Claire, be careful!”

—before she could say anything, that shout rang out.

Then, thwack!, came the loud sound of something solid being struck.

Turning around, she saw Leo smacking the head of someone rushing toward Claire with the hilt of his sword.

Already, civilians had been flooding into the cathedral like a tidal wave. While Claire had been distracted with her conversation with Bella, it seemed an entity had approached from this side.

“Claire!”

Leo shouted at Claire again.

As Claire hastily ducked her head, at that very moment, the blade of Bella’s sword flew right past the very spot Claire’s head had been with a swoosh. A few strands of blue hair fluttered by; the ends of her tied hair had been severed.

Claire swiftly twisted her body and unleashed her sword aura towards Bella.

“How disappointing.”

Bella gracefully leaped back and said.

“It’s funny how people always react that way when I mention my past. I mean, it’s all in the past now, isn’t it?”

Watching Bella smile with a twirl made Claire regain her composure.

Right, if it were something that could be solved with words, they wouldn’t have come this far. If it were Sylvia, she would have resolved it without fighting.

“Claire.”

Leo quietly initiated a conversation.

“I’ll hold this as long as I can, so find an opening to reach Sylvia. …You still have what Sylvia gave you, right?”

“……Yeah.”

Claire nodded slightly in response.

“Good. Let’s do as Sylvia said before we got here.”

Claire nodded at Leo’s words.

*

“Antonio!”

Sophia’s voice could be mistaken for a noble’s. It sounded different from her usually higher-pitched voice, now raspy and hoarse.

Sophia was not an emotionless figure. Rather, if anything, she was closer to being emotional.

And so, she still couldn’t figure out exactly what she felt.

She recognized her identity as a devotee of the Goddess. She was also aware she belonged to the Cathedral Knights and was a citizen of the Papal State.

Yet—

She believed in the figure known as Antonio.

A legendary character who suddenly appeared in the Papal State years ago and became a knight solely through skill. Within the knights, he was acknowledged for his sincerity and competence, garnering high expectations from many.

He was a man who wouldn’t dare to call upon the Goddess’s name without due cause.

“Sorry, but the name Antonio is just a placeholder.”

As Sophia swung her sword, ‘Antonio’ lightly deflected it with the sword held in one hand.

“My name is Damien. Damien Fanggriffon.”

“……!”

Sophia let out a cry that couldn’t even form into words and swung her sword again.

Even within the knights, Sophia was seen as an upcoming talent. She was still in the process of growing, with fast-paced growth that garnered praise. They said she’d definitely become a fine knight once she accrued enough experience through various battles.

But against ‘Antonio,’ no, Damien, she didn’t yet possess comparable skill.

Ugh…!

Damien’s light effection sent Sophia stumbling backward.

Scrape! The sound of rubber soles dragging across the smooth marble floor gave an unpleasant noise.

There was no need for further dialogue beyond this point.

In fact, there was no room for conversation now.

Before he was announced as ‘deceased’, Antonio—no, Damien was evaluated as the strongest among the cathedral knights. Moreover, the very sword he wielded right now was Jericho’s sword—his weapon as a cathedral knight.

A relic that was extremely sharp but would never dull.

How preposterous.

Was it true that the deepest part of the cathedral had been an enemy? What had the cathedral even accomplished?

They were fighting for the Goddess; thus, believed that the Goddess would grant them protection—

Kaboom!

Sophia’s thoughts, muddled with such doubts, came crashing back to reality at the sound of an explosion.

“Focus! You can’t win this battle alone.”

As Damien took a few steps back, that voice reached her ears.

“There’s nothing more dangerous than losing focus in combat. I’ll support you from the back, so please draw the attention of that Damien fellow.”

Rena said as she reloaded her weapon.

“You—”

“There’s no time to deliberate over this. Don’t worry, I won’t be shooting from behind. At least, as long as the Crown Princess trusts you, I’ll trust you too.”

“…….”

For a moment, Sophia was left speechless by Rena’s words.

Chapter 252

“It’s a relief that we have this many people. If it were only four or five, we would have been surrounded by the enemy long ago.”

“Is that so?”

Carolyn said that with a hint of fear in her voice in response to Jennifer’s words. However, her hands moved calmly despite her tone.

With one hand gripping her staff, she traced a magic circle with the other and chanted some spell. It’s not something anyone could do unless they had nearly reached their peak. Skipping the chanting means maintaining concentration, even with enemies closing in—definitely not an easy feat.

Jennifer felt a bit surprised inside, seeing someone who had never been in a real battle display such capability, but she didn’t show it on the outside. After all, she was a teacher at the Empire’s top academy. If she didn’t have the skills, she wouldn’t have made it to that position.

Most of those fighting ahead were students. Each enemy was a formidable force that couldn’t be dismissed lightly.

However, Jennifer wasn’t too worried just yet.

It wasn’t simply about trusting the students’ abilities.

Having spent a long time on the battlefield, Jennifer had learned to assess the situation at a glance. The most important thing for a commander is to observe the battlefield and effectively manage support from the rear. That’s how the front-line troops can maintain morale and minimize damage while fighting.

Moreover, the number of enemies pushing from behind was simply too high.

If it were only a dozen, they might be dealt with in an instant. But the opponents were civilians that couldn’t be recklessly killed. Besides, there were too many to consider when speaking of a ‘dozen’ from the rear. People were also entering from the other side, naturally affecting the students fighting ahead.

“Jake, Roti. You two will go ahead and support the fighters.”

Jennifer said this for that very reason.

What Roti was holding was a rifle. It might be a different story if she had specially designed ammunition for riot control—but no, even such bullets didn’t exist for ‘rifles’ yet—Roti’s ammunition was thoroughly meant for actual combat.

Naturally, if hit, it would be lethal. The risk of death was present no matter where it struck.

Then, it’s wise to use such ammunition on ‘those who can afford to die.’

Of course, Jake would be there to protect Roti. Having a couple in love on the battlefield comes with its risks. If one gets seriously injured or killed, the other would likely lose their mind. Yet conversely, if both could safely keep each other alive, they could create a greater synergy.

Roti nodded rapidly in response and immediately moved along with Jake. Though Jake glanced back for a moment, Jennifer merely nodded back.

“Haah!”

In the meantime, Carolyn completed her casting.

As Carolyn’s staff shimmered with a green light, a gust of wind rushed through the surroundings. It was as if a typhoon had invaded the building; everyone coming forward was pushed back. It seemed she had adjusted her power to avoid serious injury, as no one was rolling on the floor or dangerously bumping their heads.

Had the opponents been knights and not civilians, the effect wouldn’t have been so effective. Whether it was the emperor’s arrogance that prevented controlling the knights or it was just not possible, Jennifer felt grateful for that situation for a moment.

And then Mia moved.

Gripping a staff as big as herself, she drew a large arc as if painting the ground.

Simultaneously, with a crack, an ice wall shot up along the arc she drew.

“It won’t break for a while…,”

Mia said in a somewhat timid voice. Jennifer responded with a slight smile at Mia.

“It’s okay. If we can hold them off for even a moment, it means we have time to shift our strength elsewhere. We’ll move forward as well. But let’s not neglect watching the back… let’s get to where we can support with magic and firearms.”

Carolyn and Mia nodded in unison to Jennifer’s words.

The three of them moved to where the battle raged, using wind and ice to shift furniture like chairs into barricades.

Thud—

The sound resonated, and Jayden quickly raised his shield.

With a ping, a bullet whizzed past the angled part of the shield. Just for a moment, sparks flickered there.

“This is why I hate guns.”

Jayden muttered, lowering his shield slightly.

As a series of gunfire followed, Jayden jumped to the side. Pew pew, bullets hit the ground where he had been standing, causing debris to fly.

It was Roti’s gun.

Alice concluded that. With Jayden in front, she had no leisure to look back.

“I’m sorry, but Father wants to meet Sylvia. He still has unfinished machinery.”

“…Does the machine need someone with ‘Fanggriffon’ blood to operate?”

“Well, there’s no reason to hide it now; let’s say that’s true. But you can’t go.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’ve already seen the results.”

“…”

Alice couldn’t come up with a response to that.

She felt it. When the masked woman aimed a gun at Sylvia, clearly intending to kill her. But she didn’t show any killing intent toward Sylvia herself.

Although she was holding Sylvia’s weapon, the woman hadn’t used a proper sword technique that would befit Sylvia.

So, perhaps, that masked woman…

“Is this situation representing that result?”

Jayden didn’t bother to answer.

With a shield in one hand and a sword in the other—a sword so large that it was difficult to wield with one hand—Jayden charged toward Alice.

“Ugh!”

There was no time to dodge. All Alice could do was brace herself to take Jayden’s blow.

“To be honest, you’re a bit lacking in inheriting your father’s talent. Did you slack off on training?”

“…!”

Alice gritted her teeth and poured strength into both hands to push back Jayden’s sword.

She had trained. She truly took pride in saying she had done so diligently. She could confidently say she worked harder than anyone else, studying and swinging her sword.

But in the end, talent was a different story. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t catch up to someone at the top.

Besides, Jayden seemed oblivious, but—if he were a little more like the ‘child of the empire’…

“You definitely have nothing to say to a lady.”

Clang!

With the sound of blades colliding, another sword struck against Jayden’s sword.

Pushed slightly back by the combined strength of the two, Jayden steadied his posture.

“Phew.”

With a light exhale, Jake ran his hand through his hair.

“Your name was Jayden, right? Since it sounds similar to mine, I can’t easily forget it.”

Jake said with the light tone reminiscent of his academy days.

“They talk about talent and such, but isn’t it really that you envy Alice? She’s the emperor’s true daughter, after all. I’m sure that’s why you worked so hard to become a Knight Commander.”

“…”

Upon hearing Jake’s words, Jayden scowled, clearly displeased.

Jayden genuinely liked Sylvia. From Alice’s perspective, at least that feeling appeared to be sincere.

Someone who, like her, managed to maintain dignity without ‘mixed blood’, focusing on the work that needed to be done without care for status.

But he didn’t even consider that this was due to an inferiority complex toward Alice.

After all, Alice had also been envious of other children.

“I know because I’m someone who has continuously betrayed my father’s expectations. It’s the exact opposite of your case, where you continue to meet those expectations yet still fail to get what you desire. You’re still fighting so hard to meet the emperor’s expectations, aren’t you?”

“What do you know?”

Upon seeing Jayden reply like that, Jake merely shrugged once.

“…You want to go see Sylvia, don’t you?”

“…”

As Jake indirectly asked, Alice lightly nodded her head.

“Okay, then I’ll cooperate. Go and do what you need to do.”

“Got it.”

Seeing Jake prepare himself, Alice also gripped her sword with both hands.

Jayden glanced at the two, shifting his gaze slightly.

…From behind the cathedral, from the area where the Pope’s seat was located, knights were entering.

Not the cathedral knights, but clearly knights clad in imperial armor.

Though they weren’t a massive number, clearly, it would be quite a struggle to get through to them.

“Well, knights die just like anyone else when shot, I suppose.”

With his words seeming to ease the tension, Jake muttered that, and Alice let out a small chuckle.

Chapter 253

I had never directly opposed Emperor Arthur III, not even once.

I thought about trying to oppose him, maybe even attempting an assassination. If it worked, I’d just rewind time, and if it didn’t, I’d rewind again and try something else.

But let’s be real, the Emperor is the final boss halfway through the series. He’s not the kind of foe you can just easily defeat.

Moreover, if I were to confront the Emperor alone, once the word got out, everyone in the Imperial Palace would come rushing at me.

…I’ve already checked the response time inside the palace. I tried blowing up a bomb inside the palace and even infiltrated a battleship that was briefly docked for repairs. I could escape somehow, but honestly, it was far more dangerous than being on the battlefield.

On the battlefield, my allies were waiting for me and so the enemies couldn’t focus solely on me. But in the Imperial Capital, if I were the only traitor, all the soldiers there would obviously chase after me.

Even if I succeeded in killing the Emperor, I doubted my chances of surviving and escaping were that high. Though if I kept rewinding time indefinitely, maybe someday I’d succeed, but when I actually attempted to assassinate the Emperor, the circumstances would be different.

In the end, I never faced the Emperor directly.

Is the Emperor’s swordsmanship above Lucas’? This was a topic of debate among players. If the Emperor and the Sword Saint had similar sword skills, then wouldn’t Lucas have defeated the Emperor by the time he managed to kill the Sword Saint?

Well, in the game, as expected of a ‘final boss,’ the Emperor’s stats were set higher. Even if the battle ended, it was often portrayed as if the opponent just let the player win. I couldn’t think of that kind of stats balancing as anything less than ridiculous.

Moreover—

Huff…!

As I rushed towards the Emperor, I suddenly twisted my body.

Of course the Emperor wasn’t about to just hand over the victory. He had changed all his plans because of my existence, yet he wasn’t about to give up on taking over the world.

Were his words directed at me lies? If I knew about the Emperor’s future and had foreseen it, perhaps the Emperor really would have acted as he did back then.

And in the meantime, he must have been watching for opportunities.

Just like that old Fanggriffon.

I dodged two swift sword strikes and rolled to the side, feeling my shoulder hit the ground. Bang! It made quite a loud noise, but my enhanced armor seemed to disregard the sound, amplifying the power in my legs severalfold as I slammed onto the ground.

As I suddenly moved my joints, I heard my signature crack sound, and I rolled sideways with the back of my head still on the ground. It wasn’t intentional, but to anyone watching, it would have looked like I planned it all along.

I meant to draw my gun, but then I remembered I had emptied the magazine during my fight with Lucas. In a panic, I pulled the bolt back to open the chamber—

And calmly rolled to the side again. This time, I clearly saw the Emperor’s movements.

Could it be because I had just fought Lucas moments ago?

The Emperor’s movements were surprisingly similar to Lucas’. Or to put it differently—Lucas was mimicking the Emperor since he had aimed to defeat the Emperor before he tried to cut me down.

If anything was different, it was that Lucas’s movements were comparatively smoother, while the Emperor’s were a bit more abrupt.

No, to be more precise, it felt like he forcibly connected movements that shouldn’t connect. But even so, it didn’t feel awkward. It seemed as if he had entirely stripped away any flair from swordsmanship, presenting a sequence of blows that flowed without any intermediary steps.

Rather than moving according to swordsmanship, it felt like swordsmanship dictated his movements.

Chaka-chaka!

Another strike etched onto the ground, and before that sword stroke could reach me, I dashed to the side quickly.

If I hadn’t been wearing my armor, I would have sustained serious injuries for sure. Opting to sacrifice defense for pure power seemed to have been a wise choice.

I took the bullet I had tightly gripped from the magazine moments ago and placed it back into the chamber, pushing the bolt forward. Click, it echoed cheerfully against the tense situation.

Then, I immediately aimed and pulled the trigger.

Thump, the sound of the gunstock hitting the shoulder of my armor echoed through the air.

“Hmm.”

But there was a significant difference in physical ability between the Emperor and me. Didn’t the Sword Saint also tell me that I lacked talent?

Of course, the moment the Emperor saw my aiming posture, he was already preparing to dodge my shot.

Naturally, the bullet I fired whizzed past the Emperor, hitting the ‘device’ situated behind him instead.

Bang, a small explosion followed. But it wasn’t enough to destroy the device. Well, it makes sense—after all, it was a contraption specifically designed to seal the Goddess’s power.

Unless destroyed using the power of the Goddess, it probably wouldn’t break.

The Emperor must have confidently dodged precisely because he knew that.

If the device remained intact—

I lowered my hand and grabbed the small valve at my knee.

I loosened the tightly shut valve a little. The steam that only escaped when I moved began to seep out.

Given that my joints were already aching with every movement, if I continued running in this state, I might really get hurt.

Well, what can I do?

Even if I confronted the Emperor, I was still just a Crown Princess. I could return and get treated by the healers later.

Should I have kept the morphine with me? Or at the very least some amphetamines—

That would have just angered Alice.

I recalled Alice, who had flipped out after discovering morphine in my room for the first time. Thinking about it, it wasn’t that long ago; it hadn’t even been a year.

Even now, gunshots and clashing swords echoed from various directions. Listening closely, I recognized every voice. Everyone seemed to be shouting vigorously, so it looked like they were still safe.

In just under a year, so many people believed in me. And yet, I hadn’t properly explained anything to them.

I let go of the valve and pressed my hands down onto the ground.

Then, just like a sprinter on the starting line, I crouched down and gave it all I had to run forward.

The target wasn’t the Emperor.

What I focused on was solely that contraption in front of me.

I wasn’t sure if I could destroy it or not. Everyone kept saying that I had the Goddess’s power, but I had never felt anything close to it. It was impossible to move forward just by rewinding time. Continuing to attempt with no means to destroy it would only be meaningless.

But then, if destruction was impossible, I would just have to dismantle it.

Before the battle began, the Emperor definitely had that junk—those parts—held in his hands.

The Emperor wasn’t a fool. He must have figured out the direction I was looking and what I was trying to do.

As the Emperor turned to face me and prepared his next strike, I pulled out my pistol and unleashed a barrage of gunfire toward him.

My trusty .455 caliber revolver, which I had adored since childhood.

The trigger pressure was a bit high, but being a double-action revolver, I could empty the cylinder in an instant if I wished.

Inside the cylinder, I loaded custom bullets filled with long-tipped Marmaros instead of conventional gunpowder.

Surely, the speed would be slow, and the range short.

But at this distance, that didn’t matter.

Bang, bang, bang!

The explosions from the bullets leaving the revolver were way smaller than expected. The Emperor swung his sword and managed to deflect some of the shots mid-air, but he couldn’t prevent the explosions.

If I had truly wished to kill the Emperor from the beginning, this plan would have failed.

It only momentarily covered his line of sight.

If it were a game, this would have been a situation rife with misses, right? If I were in a game, I’d have thrown the controller in frustration, cursed several times, and reloaded from the start since I had failed to land even a single hit with such strong gear.

But that kind of thing only happens in games without choices.

I briefly held the Emperor’s feet in place.

But I didn’t stop running.

The Emperor skillfully wielded his sword, dispelling the smoke. Through the gaps in the smoke, I could see the Emperor’s eyes.

I felt fear.

The Emperor’s smile seemed genuinely delighted by the situation, almost as if to say that nothing I tried would matter.

“Sister!”

“Silvia!”

But any worries vanished as soon as I heard those voices.

How Claire and Alice managed to break through the swarm of enemies, I couldn’t tell.

As the Emperor cleared the smoke and raised his sword, he lunged straight toward me.

Did he think he couldn’t completely evade the attacks from those two? Or did he decide that taking me out first would solve the problem right away?

The Emperor’s sword strike aimed for the space between us—it was Alice’s attack.

It was precise, timed perfectly, but—

Swipe!

Blood splattered.

The Emperor took that strike head-on.

But he didn’t even turn his head.

The Emperor was looking directly at me.

Chapter 254

Thud

It was just a step.

Grrk…!

My body was pulled back.

“Sis!”

I could hear Claire yelling in panic.

Rustle, rustle, it felt like something was being sliced, and a few drops of blood splattered towards me. No, was it really just a few drops? That blood touching my face was just that, but in reality, much more blood must have sprayed.

It wasn’t my blood.

It was the Emperor’s blood.

As I was yanked from behind, I was dragged back. Even with the power from my enhanced armor, I couldn’t match the Emperor’s strength.

Maybe I got so flustered running that I lost my posture the moment I was caught by the Emperor.

I flew backward and slid onto the ground.

Bang!

If I hadn’t spread my legs to dodge, my legs would have been sliced into pieces right there. The Emperor’s blade struck the exact spot where my legs used to be.

…Does he really not intend to kill me?

The Emperor was bleeding from various parts of his body. It seemed he had sturdy armor on, but that didn’t matter when getting hit by strikes from all directions.

“Hmm.”

But it seemed the blood flowing from the Emperor’s body was still insufficient to take him down.

“You think holding back your abilities will lead to your potential being sealed?”

Well, obviously.

Even with just the fragment of the Guardian, I had received a shock so great I lost consciousness for days. Would I do something reckless in front of a completed Guardian?

I thought it would be better to trust in the others who had come with me instead.

Click.

I emptied the revolver’s cylinder. The empty bullets inside flew out as the gun tilted forward.

Seeing that I didn’t respond, it seemed the Emperor thought there was no need to talk anymore and lunged at me.

The sound of swords clashing.

Ugh!

Alice, who had arrived in a rush, caught the Emperor’s sword in front of me and let out a groan. The tip of Alice’s sword was trembling.

“Hmm.”

Seeing Alice barely blocking with both hands, the Emperor made a sound of slight disappointment and withdrew his sword—

No, he didn’t really withdraw; he just lifted it.

Before Alice could follow up with her next move, the Emperor struck down again. It wasn’t even with all his strength, but Alice staggered.

“I’m not doubting your abilities, but you still fall short of expectations.”

“……”

I could see Alice’s back shuddering.

Fall short of expectations, huh?

Alice was way more talented than I was. In both swordsmanship and studies. While I had to keep going back in time just to barely understand, Alice could always grasp things in one go. I had given up on swordsmanship anyway.

Expecting her and then excluding her based on those expectations… Well, the Emperor was a selfish man who knew only himself. Though he could love someone else, he wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice them for what he wanted.

Bam!

I fired a shot next to Alice, and the Emperor recoiled.

Yeah, no matter how good his sword skills were, in the end, if you get shot, you get hurt and bleed like anyone else.

Clang!

As the Emperor stepped back, a serpent-like wave of sword energy flew at the same spot, but he waved his sword as if it were a nuisance to block it. But it wasn’t something he could easily handle. Even if he was talking big about expectations, Claire’s swordsmanship was not something to be taken lightly.

In the original story, he was depicted as not particularly inferior among the Emperor’s children. If you were to rank, he might not match Lucas, but you couldn’t just disregard the sharpness of his attacks.

But that wasn’t the end.

Swish, another quick thrust came in succession.

Charlotte.

Charlotte, who had joined Claire, was glaring at the Emperor with a terrifying expression. …I guess I could understand that, but thankfully, those eyes weren’t aimed at me.

Charlotte’s sword was already stained with blood. She must have taken down a few people on her way here.

“We’ll buy some time.”

Alice said quietly.

Some knights were stealthily approaching from the front.

“Roti is keeping an eye on this side. Mia and the teacher are coming this way too… so, we’ll go for the device as soon as we get the chance.”

“Understood.”

I nodded at Alice’s words.

I still didn’t know exactly what the power of the Goddess was and how it worked.

But even so, I couldn’t give up just because I didn’t know. At the very least, it would be better to try to resolve what was right in front of me, something I could grasp.

“Alright then.”

In that moment, Alice’s and Charlotte’s eyes met.

“Let’s go!”

Alice said that and charged ahead.

Claire and Charlotte, who were directly confronting the Emperor, did the same.

They weren’t concerned about the knights charging toward them, just focused on the Emperor.

I couldn’t let their efforts be in vain.

I dashed forward once more.

And—

Ah.

Bang, I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder.

“Sylvia!?”

I heard a scream whose voice I couldn’t identify.

My left shoulder was burning. The arm I had been swinging powerfully to run now wouldn’t move properly. I didn’t have time to examine the wound, but I still had a moment to look toward the sound of the gunfire.

The Emperor was holding a gun.

…A gun just like the one I carried around. But it looked a bit older.

Now that I looked closely, the scars that had formed from it rolling around had also been on this gun. Not super visible, but there were a few major scratches.

Ah, right, of course.

No matter how close this world was to the ‘original,’ reality was still reality.

Whether a person swings a sword or pulls a trigger depends on the thoughts of the one wielding that weapon.

It was the Emperor’s choice to pick up the gun his own daughter had used to take her down.

I didn’t aim my gun at him. I didn’t hear any gunshots from his side either, but it seemed we all failed to hit each other.

Should I turn back time?

For a moment, that thought crossed my mind, but—

I could see the three people in my line of sight and the Emperor.

Alice, who had been glaring at me with wide eyes, was now behind the Emperor. The Emperor had been swinging his sword and, in a rush to pull out his gun, took Alice’s attack directly. I could see blood splatter from his arm. A critical wound? I couldn’t say for sure. But at least he seemed to grimace in pain.

Then, as he tried to swing his sword again, he was forced to retreat as two attacks came flying simultaneously. The sharp thrusts aimed at the center of his body were like snakes coiling. The trajectory was dreadfully straight, but responding to both an extremely quick strike and a slow, irregular curve at the same time was no simple task.

The Emperor took a few steps back from the three.

The knights prioritized protecting the Emperor. Alice, Claire, and Charlotte didn’t strike at the knights.

If I were to turn back time—turn back time and be fine myself, would those three be okay?

If I eliminate the cause of the gunfire entirely—

There wasn’t much time to think.

In the meantime, my legs were moving, and the shining device in one corner of my vision was getting closer.

Bang, bang.

Gunfire flew in from behind. Some knights rushing towards me fell, stirred up in a spray of blood. Was that Roti’s shots?

…If I were to turn back time, could I make it here?

Thinking that, I realized I only had one choice left.

Touching the device could be done with one hand.

I ran with everything I had.

And.

I dropped the gun I had been holding right to the ground. It was empty anyway. No point in carrying it since it could only be used for swinging.

I stretched my right hand out and grabbed the rotating gears right in front of me.

I pulled with all my might. While I tried to push the device away with my feet and pulled as hard as I could, it didn’t come out easily. Just as the gears were rotating and about to draw my fingers in, I finally managed to pull them out with a drip noise.

Squeak, the armor made an eerie sound. A few joints around my shoulder must have burst, steam coming out and soaking my underclothes beneath.

My left arm, still dripping with blood, had no sensation left.

Grrk…!

I gritted my teeth and, with all my weight, leaned back as hard as I could.

“Ah…!”

The gears were pulled toward me.

And within that gap, I could see inside.

“…Alice…?”

Inside, there was a face I knew well.

Alice, with her eyes closed, looked as if she were peacefully sleeping.

—Was it truly the case that the blood of a Fanggriffon was needed to complete the device, literally?

“Don’t, Sylvia…!”

Someone shouted that loudly from behind.

A heavy sound was rushing towards me. Thud thud thud, once again, there were a few rustling sounds, but this time too, there was no sign of that sound stopping.

However, faster than the sound that reached me, Alice inside the machinery opened her eyes.

And with her blue shining eyes, she looked at me.

The light flowing from her eyes was the same as that which was radiating from the Guardian I had entrusted to Claire.

For just a moment, the world between us stopped.

I unconsciously stretched my hand out toward Alice.

All the reasons for why I had come this far, the times I had gone back to find my way, all felt like they led me to this moment.

It just felt that way.

Chapter 255

Yeah, from the start, things were weird.

In games, novels, comics, or movies, the ‘story’ usually completes itself. You can’t just jump in from the outside. It’s just another finished piece of work. If something interferes from the outside, the original story loses all meaning. It’ll just become something completely different from what it was.

Yet, I still felt this world was a ‘story.’

To be more precise, I felt it was ‘a story’ while also feeling it was ‘reality.’ In terms of common sense, this world was indeed ‘real.’

In games, there’s no time limit. Morning and afternoon are separate, but within that ‘event,’ it doesn’t matter how many times you visit an area, or even if you travel a great distance; unless you purposely choose a specific trigger to let time pass, you can do whatever you want within the morning.

You can pop into shops to gear up or sell unnecessary items. You can chat with characters, hunt for hidden events, or tackle side quests.

But reality is different from games. To do all that in the ‘morning,’ time was clearly short. Leo and Claire were so diligent that they managed to handle everything by waking up at dawn… But what if something else happened to those two? Then those events might not have even triggered in the first place.

That’s why I couldn’t see this world as just a simple game.

In games, you can sell items at shops. It’s a game element added because if your funds are too low, clearing the game becomes a pain. Naturally, in this world, you can’t just walk into any shop and sell whatever you have. Unless the shopkeeper is a strange person who’d allow it.

Like sticking a Marmaros into equipment, or ordering items that are out of stock and waiting. There were way too many troublesome parts that felt more realistic than a game.

Yet, there were also many aspects in that situation that made me feel this world was ‘in a game.’

The geography was too similar to that in games. Places that could be called ‘dungeons’ looked almost exactly like I remembered. The types of magic are the same. Even the names of the basic equipment you can buy are the same.

There were even suspiciously odd things for reality. A healing device right in front of a room where enemies were clearly waiting. A valuable item sitting around for an incredibly long time, with no clue who brought it there or why no one has taken it.

What existed in the game for ‘user convenience’ was boldly present in this world.

…Who made all those ‘illogical’ things? With what intention were they made? Was there any reason to match the content from the ‘game’ I remembered?

No, what reason was there for a character named ‘Sylvia Black’ to exist there?

Snap, a sound echoed in my head.

Alice’s blue eyes were still staring at me.

That expression was chillingly blank. It was not an expression Alice would show me.

As if it were natural to be waiting for me there.

‘As if it were obvious for me to come here.’

…What if the character ‘Sylvia Black’ was inserted into this world by someone’s will to change it?

Then this ‘Alice’ is—

The future emperor’s messenger sent for his victory.

—But why did I think that?

Why did the one who sent such an existence have to be the emperor? Did he think that?

Or was it because of this ‘Alice’ that my powers were being sealed? The emperor might have created her to suppress or usurp the goddess’s power that protects the Fanggriffon—

—And if so, if the goddess broke that protection…

The chaotic future is unknown. It’s a story I heard as a side note long ago, but ‘knowing the future by grasping the movements of all particles in the world’ is impossible. There was something about quantum mechanics involved, but I didn’t understand it properly and just brushed it off.

The Fanggriffon succeeded in breaking the goddess’s order. But that was a half-success. I have no idea what would have happened if Fanggriffon had directly entered that place to complete the device, but before that, the goddess destroyed the protection.

The order was not fully broken, and the world did not plunge back into perfect chaos.

And if the goddess governed that order…

…Since when had the prophecy book deep in the imperial palace existed?

Who, and for what reason, had written down so many prophecies to keep them safely guarded?

The Fanggriffon must have longed for chaos. But I can’t believe he would have written and stored such prophecies. …I couldn’t think that way.

I speculated there were two protections. One was created by the Fanggriffon to usurp the goddess’s power, the other… I don’t know how it was created, but it contained the goddess’s power.

Ultimately, it was correct that there were two protections.

I realized that now.

But that protection is not ‘something originally there.’

This ‘Alice’ brought it here somehow.

The emperor believed it was a piece of protection he had been searching for, combining it with the other pieces he had already found.

If the goddess could push a being called ‘Sylvia Black’ into this half-finished world—

Then, if she could ‘deceive someone’…

…Wouldn’t it be strange to assume she couldn’t do such a thing ‘one more time’?

I reached out to ‘Alice.’

Into the mechanical device. Into the device that was glowing with light.

Inside the mechanical device, ‘Alice’ reached out.

Our hands touched for the first time.

Her hand was cold as a corpse.

“…It wasn’t Alice.”

I was deceived.

There was no reason to ponder time paradoxes or anything. If she was a being from ‘the other side’ like me, then she wouldn’t have to be a future being at all.

Through the cracks where pale blue light poured in, as soon as I touched ‘Alice,’ I finally understood the ‘intent’ of the being waiting for me.

Once long ago, the moment when the order was about to fall apart again.

The goddess thought.

Then, she just had to think a little longer.

Start from the beginning over and over again, preparing step by step, preparing for some events that would take place in the far future.

The light-filled gap closed, but the faith of those who still believed in the goddess remained firm.

Through that faint connection, the goddess slowly and leisurely began to re-establish order.

She scattered faith across the world, increased her followers, and expanded her influence. Under her power, she re-established order and created opportunities to intervene in the world.

She spread facts about the future based on order, ensuring people’s confidence in phenomena, and completed the necessary stages one by one.

Like enjoying a game of chess all alone.

Like a child joyfully piecing together a puzzle.

And finally, when that stage was set, the goddess placed her lovely chess pieces on the board.

—Even a goddess cannot turn back time.

But, that was not a problem.

If you can’t turn back time, then you just change the rules.

According to the flow of order moving under her will, she rearranged the positions of the stars that had already moved and returned the axis of rotation. She put back the crawling bugs and returned the aging beasts’ cells to their original state.

The one thing she wouldn’t change?

Her lovely chess pieces, placed on the board, would not lose their way; their memories would remain intact.

Many times over and over.

Until she finally reached the conclusion she desired.

So, dear, come.

The ending you wanted is right here.

Everyone can be happy. No one has to suffer. I will make it that way with my power.

The poor souls groaning under the colonial empire.

The people who are lost in opium and suffering from reality.

The children who are sold without choice and are abused.

They won’t exist in the world I will create. Everyone can live happily.

Under perfect balance and order.

So, this story ends here.

This is the predetermined ending.

Who decided that?

I’ve been thinking ‘happy ending,’ happy ending all along, so it looks like someone misinterpreted that; but what I think a ‘happy ending’ is not like that.

People groaning under the colonial empire? They have nothing to do with me. I feel sorry for them. I hope they find freedom and happiness.

But so what?

Children being sold without choice are pitiful. I do have thoughts about wanting to save those children, who are repeatedly dying and suffering at the hands of adults who should be protecting them.

So, what does that mean?

People who are wrapped up in opium, robbed of their belongings by landlords, exploited through labor—

Is that my problem?

That was the same in the world I originally lived in.

In the end, people can only see themselves and those around them. The happy ending people think about isn’t a perfect world where no one is hurt and everyone is happy. It’s about the protagonist and heroine getting together, or defeating the demon king to end the war, or finding the hidden villain—

No one wants to hear about how ‘what about the economy after the war, and how are taxes affected’ in stories about defeating the demon king.

People—

—So.

I.

What I want to hear is.

A story in which everyone I like survives in this war and wins.

And, of course, it’s a story in which I proudly participate.

That’s what I think a happy ending is.

Anything else is none of my business. Don’t just decide how it ends.

Yeah, I could say that sounds a bit hypocritical, considering I said democracy looked just and all, but so what?

I’ll judge by my own standards.

And you know.

Why did a being capable of turning the world back to its original state numerous times not step in themselves, but instead create a fake Alice?

While disturbing my powers and even lying.

…They still can’t fully intervene in this world, can they?

Could it be that the ‘real protection’ actually has some effect?

The gathering thing the church was supposed to do was just a way to push the emperor to find an easier path, right? If the church gathered fervently and rebelled, the emperor would come up with more tricks. Plus, it could ensure the scattered protection pieces, which the emperor might have had a chance to discover, would be safely secured.

Sending the ‘fake protection’ made by ‘you’ through the fake Alice and getting hints from there to trick the emperor into falling for their own tricks.

Wasn’t he afraid of how much ‘protection’ might become complete?

“Why don’t villains just spill the whole plan at the last minute? They always give the chance for a counterattack.”

I pushed away the hand of Alice—I mean, the fake, no matter how much she looked like Alice or what thoughts she had, this was not Alice.

She was just made to act that way.

“Sister!”

Claire’s scream echoed.

Someone roughly grabbed my shoulder, and at the same time, I heard a thump.

Chapter 256

“Sister!?”

Claire let out a scream, but Alice couldn’t make a sound.

If you think about what Sylvia said before she got here, it was clear that the center of this situation was Sylvia.

She knew what powers were used to get Sylvia here, but it seemed even Sylvia herself didn’t know if it was truly the Goddess’s power.

It was a force distinctly different from the divine powers of the priests they occasionally saw. If Sylvia’s power was really that of a Goddess, it was unclear why it was so different from the sacred power used by the priests.

So, if it wasn’t Sylvia herself, then no one else knew the ‘situation’, and everyone gathered here to help with Sylvia’s plan.

With a knife embedded in her back, Sylvia made no sound at all.

No, her expression didn’t even change.

Sylvia’s eyes looked dazed, as if she were staring far off—was it from being stabbed?

Claire shouted and ran forward. A couple of knights tried to grab Claire, but they fell, one by one, to the incoming bullets.

Alice also ran.

Blood was flowing, flowing. It wasn’t blood coming from the Emperor’s visible gash. That was definitely Sylvia’s blood.

With the broken armor shredded away, there was nothing to protect Sylvia’s back—

Bang!

But in the next moment, such a sound was heard.

“…Ah!”

Light returned to Sylvia’s dazed eyes.

She coughed up blood, but Sylvia was still alive.

Following that, more bang, bang, bang sounds of gunfire erupted. It wasn’t from the revolver she was holding when she charged at the Emperor. Flames erupted from the automatic pistol she had drawn at some point.

The Emperor turned his body, but he couldn’t avoid a few bullets fired by Sylvia that had been aimed at his side.

But the Emperor’s hand still held tight onto Sylvia’s shoulder.

Shlick, the knife pulled out of Sylvia’s body.

Cough. Sylvia coughed once more, moistening her chin with blood.

For a brief moment, everyone’s gaze converged on Sylvia and the Emperor. Those who had taken their respective positions, and those who were blocking them.

Even the knights who had come with the Emperor.

In that extraordinarily brief moment, the wide space was engulfed in silence before it shattered again.

Their targets had changed.

Sylvia’s companions focused solely on helping Sylvia. Regardless of the circumstances involving the presence in front of them or their own feelings and purposes, that had become less important.

The very reason everyone had gathered here was Sylvia.

If not for Sylvia, the Emperor wouldn’t have moved like this.

On the other hand, those blocking their path felt the same.

Their ultimate goal was to ensure the Emperor’s plans finished properly. To seize the Goddess’s power.

The directions of their steps, the direction of the swords, the muzzle of the guns, and the tips of their staffs all changed.

Numerous sword strikes, magic, and bullets aimed in one direction.

Sylvia and the Emperor probably wouldn’t be able to dodge all of that.

Sylvia turned her head.

She was still soaked in blood, grimacing in pain. This was a sight that would be almost unthinkable for the usual Sylvia.

Sylvia’s piercing eyes scanned the surroundings. Those eyes searching for someone locked briefly with Alice’s.

For a moment, time seemed to slow down.

Sylvia’s pained gaze narrowed slightly. Though she still looked grimaced in pain, for a moment, Alice felt that expression looked like a smile.

No, it actually was a smile.

Sylvia’s lips moved slightly.

“It’s okay.”

That’s what it seemed like she was saying.

It was the first time Sylvia, always so polite, had passed on such a—

Sylvia’s gaze shifted back, this time toward Claire.

Running ahead while scattering swords, Claire was closing in on Sylvia much faster than Alice.

Countless blades and spells intertwined chaotically. Many of them broke apart in mutual collision and cancellation. The stunningly sparkling scene of countless shards and dust could have made someone think it was a festival, were it not for all the bleeding souls beneath it.

Red, blue, green, and icy reflections of light successively illuminated Sylvia’s face. In a moment, the Emperor’s hand that had been gripping Sylvia’s shoulder finally let go.

But Sylvia’s body turned not toward the mechanical device nor the ‘Zibou’ that had fallen below.

*

Claire, who had been running with all her might, quickly slowed her feet.

Sylvia, having broken free from the Emperor, was running toward Claire.

Sylvia was already losing a lot of blood. If they collided like this, she might not make it out.

With a screech, the rubber-soled shoes squeaked against the ground—

“Claire!”

Sylvia dashed right at Claire.

Claire didn’t fall. Even as Sylvia came barreling at her in a weakened state, Claire managed to support her.

“Sister, are you okay?”

After saying that, Claire immediately shut her mouth. Sylvia looked far from okay. Blood was gushing all over her mouth, and Claire’s hand, which was mostly supporting Sylvia, was covered in blood too. The blood pouring from her body was still warm.

“Claire.”

“Uh…?”

It was supposed to be the usual way she called her name.

Was it because Sylvia seemed so desperate calling for her? For some reason, that voice felt far from the calm tone Sylvia usually had.

Rather, it was like a voice she’d heard in her childhood—

“Do you have the Zibou?”

“Ah, yeah.”

“Good.”

Claire blinked at Sylvia’s words. Despite bleeding like that and having such wounds, Sylvia’s voice was still strong.

In an instant, Sylvia’s hand dove into the pocket of Claire’s school uniform, causing her to gasp in surprise.

Without changing her expression, Sylvia pulled out the Zibou from inside her pocket.

It was an incomplete gear, sized appropriately for a small hand to fit inside.

“What do you plan to do with that…?”

“Guess you’ll find out soon.”

“Huh?”

At Sylvia’s mysterious words, Claire blinked again.

*

Honestly, there wasn’t much time to think, so I couldn’t say this was a perfect plan.

In truth, the ‘Zibou’ I had brought was meant to block another ‘Zibou’, and since I might get in trouble if I encountered the Emperor, I had entrusted it to Claire, who was far more skilled than I was…

Moreover, the Zibou itself had indeed reacted clearly to Claire.

If I think back to the truth I saw a little while ago—

The reason I couldn’t use my powers in front of that fake Alice was because ‘the Goddess controlled it that way.’ To deceive the Emperor.

Of course, it might turn out to be a double, triple-layer trap. They might already have figured out how I would act.

But even so, it felt unpleasant.

I hated seeing someone else’s playthrough, so I forced myself to buy the Japanese version first, translated everything, and then wrote my own walkthrough. Besides, it felt bad that my story interpretation was different from others, and I’d ended up passionately munching on translated proper nouns of things that hadn’t even been officially released.

I knew that kind of attitude made me an ungrateful person. In this world, it seems people thought I had a character that deserved some respect for various reasons, but deep down, I knew.

If it wasn’t the story I wanted, I’d attempt to change it, no matter how many times it took.

If it were a story written by the original author in a company, then fine, but in this world, it was a different tale altogether.

If the criteria by which the Goddess chose me were that I was ‘a nerd who loved this world and had an excessive fondness for characters, incapable of distinguishing between reality and virtual space,’ then she definitely picked right.

But if she had chosen me, she should have also considered that I might think in that nerdy way.

The Zibou pulled from Claire’s embrace was shining brightly. Naturally, it was directed toward Claire, not me.

I could say that I had ‘returned the world to its original state,’ but I didn’t believe that. How could I trust the words of someone who had lied from the start?

There had to be powers transferred to me. I needed to change something ‘from within.’

What had been transferred, even if it wasn’t as perfect as the real Goddess’s power, didn’t matter.

Because, anyway, this ‘Zibou’ I held was also imperfect.

It was all according to the Goddess’s plan. Up until now.

“Claire, can you lend me your hand for a second?”

“Uh, yeah…”

With a face that still didn’t seem to grasp the situation well, Claire obediently followed my words.

Even now, she’s a good little sister.

Now, what to do.

The storylines altered because of my existence.

An imperfect, temporarily transferred Goddess’s power.

And likewise, not perfect, but created to block and seize that Goddess’s power.

A being that could surely use that item.

“Claire, listen closely. There’s no time.”

There were still people running toward us. Sure, there were those desperately trying to block them, but it was clear we were out of time.

“I’ll count to three. Then—”

Would this work properly?

I decided not to dwell on such thoughts.

“Got it.”

Claire nodded after hearing my explanation.

I also gave a slight nod and said,

“One.”

The Goddess wanted to make the world into her perfect vision.

“Two.”

The Emperor, while rebelling against her, actually sought to become a new deity who had seized the Goddess’s power.

They had one thing in common.

To both, I was merely a tool. Whether they had affection for me or how far they’d use me was uncertain.

Regardless of the outcome, I’d likely end up unhappy in their ending. I could end up being something that never existed in the first place.

That’s not a happy ending.

In a moment’s look back, my companions came into view. They were all still alive. Each relying on one another while gathering around to protect Claire and me.

Finally, I locked eyes with Alice once more.

It’s okay.

It’ll be alright.

I gave Alice a slight wink before turning my gaze back to Claire.

My resolute eyes filled my vision.

“Three.”

At my last word, Claire opened her hand. And I simultaneously—

“Again!”

—again.

For the first time.

Chapter 257

Wait a second, what the heck!

I said “from the beginning,” not “from the beginning’s next part!”

Memories from quite a while ago have been unfolding right before my eyes, even by my standard since I came to this world.

Every time I yell “Again!” my ability activates and rewinds time—not time traveling as someone else, mind you.

Since I caught a glimpse of the Goddess’s thoughts, it’s impossible to time travel ‘that way.’

So, what’s happening right in front of me could be called “the real situation I’m facing right now.”

A gentleman with round glasses and a bushy mustache, all broad-shouldered.

He was dressed in a silk hat and a fancy coat, but honestly, I don’t think he fits the title of ‘gentleman.’ In appearance or actions.

His tightly clenched fist rises.

This is the first real pain I’ve experienced since coming to this place, once again—

Thump!

“Hm?”

However, before that fist could connect with my face, a sound came from the direction of the carriage window.

The man turned his face toward the window. He was still pinning me down with his other hand, so I wasn’t able to move easily; at the very least, I wouldn’t get smashed in the face this time.

Bam!

A louder sound hit, and the carriage window shook. From outside, someone was shouting something. It was a voice I barely remembered and didn’t really want to remember.

“You little brat!”

I definitely thought I heard something along those lines.

Then came the clang.

That sound rang a bell. Of course, I’ve broken countless glasses in my life, but there’s a significant difference between breaking a regular window and smashing a lamp. A lamp involves both glass and metal.

The dull sound of the iron part of the lamp hitting the floor, combined with the shattering glass and a noise that sounded like something spilling all over the ground followed by the whoosh of flames flaring up.

And then screams.

Right, Claire was outside during that time.

The blue flames reflected on the man’s round glasses.

He immediately straightened up and started banging on the wall of the driver’s seat with his fist.

It seemed the driver understood without needing to be told. The sound of a whip cracked, and the horse whinnied.

The carriage began to move forward.

“Sis!”

From outside, I heard that voice. Was it Claire shouting?

Yet, that voice turned pale as the carriage sped up even faster.

No matter how skilled Claire was, she was still a child now.

Could she keep up with the carriage?

Well, it doesn’t really matter if she could or couldn’t.

“Again!”

*

The ability was triggered.

There wasn’t even a moment to think about what was happening in this world.

Because I had rewound time to just before I was about to get hit.

I could see the man raising his fist—

I gritted my teeth and moved my legs.

He must not have expected me to react so fiercely; he looked momentarily flustered.

But soon, he raised his hand up. After all, he’s just a child. An adult male squishing a kid doesn’t really count as resistance.

He grabbed my neck with one hand, making it hard to breathe.

But it was okay. I knew there was a chance.

If there was one opportunity, it meant I had countless opportunities.

Again.

*

Crack!

My foot, which I could only move once, struck the man right in the groin.

His face instantly turned pale.

Yeah, I know how that feels from my past life. Getting hit there hurts like hell.

That was precisely why I aimed for it.

I felt the strength leave the hand pinning me down, and I moved my foot once again. The man’s hand completely released me, allowing me to barely rise my upper body.

Then I charged at him, swinging my fist with all my might.

Crack! The man’s glasses shattered with a satisfying sound. Some shards embedded in my fist, but more importantly, the state of his face was far worse.

Since his glasses were only glass lenses placed on his face, it was no surprise.

“You little brat!”

At the same instant, I heard that shout from outside, followed by a crash, and the sound of a lamp breaking.

After a ripping scream, the carriage door jolted.

While the man was clutching his eyes, I hurriedly grasped the handle and opened the carriage door.

“Sis!”

And finally, I caught a glimpse of Claire’s face—

“Ah.”

Just as I did, my neck was grabbed. The man must have had a terrifying expression.

However, someone reacted before I could respond.

“Again!”

Claire shouted.

Yikes!

*

Thud!

A rock flew and hit the man’s face as the door swung open. Claire had thrown it right at the man’s hand that was covering his eyes.

“Quickly, sis!”

Claire extended her hand toward me.

She didn’t look so great either. There didn’t seem to be any major wounds, but her clothes were totally dusty as if she had rolled on the ground.

At least, she hadn’t suffered burns from breaking the lamp, thank goodness.

I quickly grabbed Claire’s hand and stepped outside.

Then, Claire pulled my hand and started to run.

“You guys are such trash…!”

What a talkative piece of trash!

I could hear the angry man shouting from behind us.

Despite getting beaten up, he still managed to maintain a polite demeanor, but clearly being beaten by a child was getting under his skin.

“What about the kids?”

“Of course, we’re taking them all. Just like you did, sis.”

Claire said that while pulling my arm.

…I couldn’t precisely figure out what was going on, but it seemed things were flowing similarly to what I had hoped for.

The Goddess’s power was still intact, but at the same time, it had also been transferred to Claire. Perhaps it was due to her inherent power. Claire had the potential for that.

But even so—

I heard the sound of hooves from behind.

It seemed he had given up on chasing us after spotting the flaming corpse of the orphanage director ahead. Maybe he thought involving himself further would complicate things?

At the very least, the orphanage itself wasn’t currently on fire.

“This time, I’ll take the lead.”

Claire, smiling brightly, looked like the Claire from my childhood memories, yet strangely also reminiscent of the brave Claire I had just recently recalled.

*

“……”

“Your Highness?”

There was tension in the voice of the knight addressing Alice.

A young princess who could hardly be called a ‘girl’ had once again stepped into a dangerous zone.

Why she knew about this ‘dangerous place’ and how she knew about the ‘orphanage’ within it, the knight didn’t know.

Besides the carriage the princess rode in, there were several more for protection, surrounded by knights on horseback.

It was the first time a child, barely ten years old, had come out and ordered the adults beneath her. Naturally, reports had been made to the Emperor. He had approved of this situation, seeming highly intrigued.

What on earth did this young princess know, and what was she looking for here?

“It seems there was a fire last night. The orphanage director handled the lamp carelessly…”

“Is the orphanage safe?”

“Yes, the building is intact, but it appears the children inside have disappeared for some reason overnight.”

The knight reported nonchalantly, without including any speculation.

“I see.”

Princess Alice Fanggriffon paused, lost in thought.

“Understood. We’ve confirmed everything, so let’s return to the Imperial Palace. Thank you for your help.”

“Not at all. It’s my duty.”

The knight, under the young princess’s command, still looked a bit dazed, bowing his head.

*

Light began to emanate between Sylvia and Claire.

And for the first time, I realized the position of my sight.

It was way lower than where Alice remembered it to be.

I looked at my hands. Delicate and small hands. My arms and legs were much shorter than what Alice herself remembered.

And I only realized it after looking in a mirror.

Time had rewinded.

“……”

If that’s the case, what reason does Alice have to remember that situation?

The eyes of Alice in the mirror widened. Staring intently at her reflection, she suddenly realized.

Inside that mechanical device.

Inside it, Alice herself was present.

Whether it was real or fake, how she ended up in that situation remained unclear, but at least she was sure that the entity inside the device was ‘a woman wearing a mask.’

And when that masked woman was present, even after time rewinded, Alice hadn’t lost her memory.

Her heart raced.

How many people live without regrets? But Alice had committed many regrettable actions in her childhood.

Especially how she had been too harsh for too long on Sylvia, who had simply treated her kindly without any special conditions.

After years of showing such a demeanor, it was only natural that Sylvia would develop feelings.

Thanks to Sylvia, Alice was able to regain her consciousness.

So now, if she were to meet Sylvia again here…

Could she possibly make amends for the mistakes of her childhood?

Chapter 258

It feels like just a few years ago I thought…

“……”

“……”

Inside the rattling train, the person sitting across from Alice was someone she didn’t recognize.

Her shoulder-length blue hair was surreal. Unlike Alice’s memory, the ends of her flowing hair cascaded in waves, giving the impression that she might be a child of some noble family if seen from a distance.

Actually, it was undeniable that she indeed was a child of some noble family.

In her very early years, she had lived on the streets, then spent a short time in an orphanage that treated people like objects before she killed the director and escaped, but noble blood flowed within her.

Even more so than Alice, the legitimate child.

“Did you always do things like this?”

“What do you mean by ‘things like this’?”

Suddenly opening her blouse, Alice fixed her gaze on Claire, who seemed quite annoyed.

“You’re butting into things that the Emperor directly ordered and throwing a tantrum about wanting to do it too.”

“……”

Well, she did that before.

At a time when she had intense jealousy and inferiority towards Sylvia, she had attempted to replicate everything Sylvia did. Every time, Sylvia accomplished the task more perfectly than Alice could, and naturally, Alice felt even bigger feelings of inferiority.

Ironically, it was the first time Alice had a long conversation with Sylvia inside this train. Originally, Alice had felt uncomfortable being near Sylvia. But in the train, two even more uncomfortable beings were present, and Alice had no choice but to choose Sylvia over them.

And the conversation they had in the train had a huge impact on Alice.

“So, you did, huh?”

Claire made a huffing noise and looked out the window.

“I thought you must have gotten really close ever since you were little because you looked so cozy.”

Alice had no reply to that.

“Still, this time it can’t be helped. I met Charlotte for the first time here.”

“……If that’s the case, then it can’t be helped.”

Hah, Claire wiped her face.

“I thought for sure I could be with my sister.”

“……”

“Oh, I know. You’re saying I should be extra careful in this situation, right? You shouldn’t even bring up this kind of talk.”

Fortunately, Lucas and Jayden were engrossed in their own competition, so they didn’t react much to this side of the conversation.

Until now, neither Claire nor Alice had mentioned anything about Claire’s lineage.

Moreover, the target chosen by ‘Lucas’ this time wasn’t the untarnished blood of the Fanggriffon named Sylvia, but the very real blood of the Emperor that belonged to Claire, which made things riskier. If things went wrong, it could mean the world would unfold according to the ‘Emperor’s plan.’

“But your sister said, right? ‘It’s unlikely to roll that way.’”

After coming this way, Alice had only met Sylvia exactly twice.

Sylvia had become ‘Sylvia Grace’ instead of ‘Sylvia Fanggriffon’ and was working hard to participate in the ball being held at the Imperial Palace.

If Claire had become ‘Grace’ through her ‘swordsmanship,’ it seemed Sylvia stood out due to her unique knowledge. Thus, Sylvia was living a different life from Claire, who had devoted herself to swordsmanship as a child. If Claire was one of those who inherited the Grace-style swordsmanship, ‘Sylvia Grace’ looked like a true noble lady.

Unlike Alice, Claire, and Sylvia, who recalled the past, Leo, who attended as Sylvia’s partner, apparently had no memory of the two.

Meaning those unrelated to the Goddess’s plan like Leo were not properly remembering the world.

“That might not be the case.”

Having changed her tone once at Grace’s estate, Sylvia had said this. It was only natural, since they were in a ball. Even if the Baron’s daughter was on close terms with the Crown Princess, it wouldn’t be appropriate to speak casually.

But Claire made a displeased face watching Sylvia.

“The story’s introduction is different. The past where I got beaten in the carriage is, in fact, an impossible past. From the very beginning, I should never have faced that man since I escaped before it all happened.”

It seemed she had softened her tone a bit. Unlike her previous military-like speech, Sylvia seemed just like a baroness, earnestly explaining her situation. In some ways, more so than Claire.

Watching her with long black hair flowing down her back in a deep navy dress, Alice did wonder if they were even the same person.

…Alice wasn’t so clueless as to fail to notice something so significant during such an important conversation.

She tried to suppress a laugh.

“So maybe what we’re experiencing right now isn’t truly a ‘past.’ Either way, the Goddess probably didn’t like what I was doing, and that artifact we were holding at that moment wasn’t even a completed product. Plus, I still don’t know how some of the powers I held ended up shifting to Claire.”

“So, are we in some kind of illusion?”

“It probably isn’t just a simple illusion. But at the same time, the Goddess must have some intentions as well. If it wasn’t time that turned back but just a situation that was rewound and replayed, creating ‘such a situation’ might be part of the Goddess’s power.”

“……Does that mean my sister could become even more dangerous from now on?”

Claire asked with a serious face. Alice, who had been momentarily distracted, regained her focus upon hearing that.

“That might be a possibility. So we need to prepare as well.”

“How?”

Alice asked.

“Well…”

After a moment of contemplation, Sylvia replied.

“Finding the artifact beforehand would be best.”

“But you just said this might be an illusion, right?”

As Claire spoke, Sylvia narrowed her eyes slightly, taking time to gather her thoughts.

“Even if it is an illusion, if it’s a space where we can feel reality so vividly, it isn’t a place that can simply be dismissed as ‘just an illusion.’ It definitely wouldn’t differ much from the world we used to live in. The Goddess wouldn’t have enough power to create it from beginning to end. It must have been created based on or temporarily altered from the world we lived in.”

Sylvia gently shook the drink in her hand. The liquid inside gleamed as it sloshed around. It felt like something that couldn’t simply be made from mere imagination.

“In any case, the Goddess originally planned to repair everything from scratch. It’s likely this world is okay to get damaged for a moment during that process of removing impurities.”

“……”

“And besides, honestly….”

Sylvia slightly frowned for a moment before shaking her head.

“No, this isn’t definite yet, so when I’m sure, I will tell you again.”

That was everything that had transpired during Alice’s second meeting with Sylvia.

Since it had been recreated according to the Goddess’s intentions, Sylvia’s opinion was that it wouldn’t necessarily unfold according to the Emperor’s will.

“Even so, we shouldn’t just sit around without any worries.”

“……Right. Your sister is doing her best in her own way too.”

In response to Alice’s words, Claire replied in a voice mixed with a sigh.

*

After I returned like this, time flew quickly.

No, it really ‘flew’ fast.

This isn’t metaphorical. It felt as if, much like gaps in memory disappearing, scenes were abruptly cut like an awkward film frame, that the story was rushing forward without my will.

My will itself was being reflected. I could tell whether certain plans I made had succeeded or failed.

But the moments when I wasn’t focused, when I thought it was unimportant, or when I was spaced out, passed by at an unbelievably rapid pace.

Someone was rushing significantly.

And I felt I knew what that rushing entity was.

After I looked at those two for the last time, so much time had already passed that it was time to enroll in the academy. It felt like at least ‘a few years’ had gone by.

Did Claire and Alice realize this fact too?

“Ah—”

In a crowded corridor, from afar, a familiar voice rang out.

Unlike before, Claire was already certain of me being her ‘sister.’

But before Claire could come over and greet me, there was also another entity rushing towards me, excitedly.

“Sister!”

“Eek.”

Claire couldn’t help but let out a gasp at Leo’s voice.

“Leo.”

As I calmly answered Leo, Claire seemed frozen in place.

Hmm, she looked like she just saw a ghost.

Chapter 259

“Leo, introduce yourself. These are the esteemed princesses of the Empire of Aetherna.”

“Greetings. I am Leo Grace, the eldest son of Baron Grace’s Estate. It is an honor to meet two noble ladies.”

Leo politely greeted the two princesses. He was truly a model of a ‘gentleman’.

This was a completely different demeanor from when he first met me and Alice.

Of course, by “the first meeting,” I don’t mean after rewinding time. I’m talking about before that, specifically “before this situation.” Leo had recognized both of us as princesses and would turn pale every time he saw us.

Especially with Claire, who openly called me “sister” and acted casual, Leo struggled quite a bit. It was a miracle he hadn’t lost all his hair.

In the original story, he also turned pale every time he got involved with Alice early on, which made sense as it added to the comedic elements.

But right now, there was none of that on Leo’s face. His expression while greeting Claire and Alice was very composed.

This wasn’t the first time Leo was meeting these two in a semi-public sphere either.

Unlike Claire, who was focused solely on swordsmanship, I had diverted my talents a bit. Despite appearances, I had diligently studied while rewinding time. I thought repeating classes until I understood everything was far more useful than memorizing test problems, and I had continued that way up until now.

Thanks to that, I had already learned most of what children typically learn in their early years. Had I crammed just for exams, I wouldn’t have remembered much and would have had to rewind time to review, but since I had already adequately learned many subjects, I didn’t need to turn back time multiple times.

…Still, I did rewind once or twice for the small things, but anyway.

I had earned favor in the eyes of Baron Grace and his wife, not through ‘swordsmanship’ but through ‘studies and refinement,’ allowing me to grow up as a baron’s daughter. While I wasn’t able to practice shooting like in the Imperial Palace, I used that free time to practice proper noble etiquette.

Even though Baron Grace’s title came directly from the previous emperor, it would have been impossible for the baron’s daughter to meet a ‘princess’ without any particular reason. To meet royalty, one needed to have a justification. To build a ‘friendly relationship,’ it was necessary to have at least met in person.

So, I chose a banquet.

Nobles attend banquets to build such friendships and justifications. Although it’s called a ‘social gathering,’ it’s really more like a battlefield of wit and social cues. It’s common to calculate and present every little promise one makes.

If I became famous by actively participating in places like that, I thought it would soon be clear to Claire and Alice, who previously had no interest in that kind of thing, what I wanted.

The problem was that it wasn’t so easy for a ‘baroness’ to make a name for herself. No matter how pretty her face or good her figure, that alone wouldn’t suffice. While Grace’s Estate was close to the royal family, it wasn’t particularly outstanding in any notable way. Originally, it was more famous for swordsmanship than for anything else.

It took me years until I got the strange nickname of ‘The Black and White Lily of Grace,’ which sounded like a bad omen just to hear.

Thanks to that, it took an extremely long time for Alice and Claire to understand my message, and we had only met twice before.

One of those times, I had to waste as a ‘first face-to-face introduction and time to get to know each other.’

Since I had no particular fiancé—although there were some connections—I purposely ignored such people, every time I attended balls, my partner was my ‘younger brother,’ Leo.

Thus, Leo had indeed seen these two.

But even so, they had only exchanged glances twice. It was considered rude for a man to listen to a conversation between women, so Leo would take a step back every time we spoke, which naturally meant he had almost no opportunity to engage with them.

Despite that, his lack of fluster and ease now was clearly different from the ‘Leo I had known.’

In addition to time feeling strangely accelerated, this served as a decisive reason for me to be convinced that not everything from those previous events had been completely cancelled.

“Did you just say ‘sister’?”

Generally speaking, when a man says ‘greetings,’ it’s customary for the other side to respond politely as well.

However, it seemed that the ‘sister’ remark that Leo had made earlier had irked Claire.

“Excuse me?”

Leo lifted his head, looking flustered as he answered. I observed his expression closely. Indeed, he wasn’t scared or turning pale.

Rather, he simply bore a confused look.

“Because Sylvia said ‘sister.’”

“Claire.”

Claire couldn’t conceal her disgruntled expression as she continued speaking, and Alice quickly stepped in to intervene.

“Well… Sylvia sister really is my sister, you know?”

Leo pondered the situation without comprehending it.

“Why?”

As Claire abruptly asked, Leo scratched his head and replied.

“Well… sister always acts maturely, studies well, and explains things kindly when I don’t understand something. Sometimes she covers for me if I make a mistake.”

“…”

As Leo spoke, Alice and Claire turned their gazes toward me. Well.

Honestly, I never intended to be called ‘sister’ by Leo. When I was portraying the ‘emotionless cool beauty’ in the past, now I was acting as the perfect noble baroness. And I can confidently say this is much harder. By being cautious in my everyday life, I must have appeared to Leo as a reliable older sister.

However, after hearing that explanation, Leo seemed to remember something and finally asked.

“Oh, is it because I’m a fellow freshman with you, sister?”

“No, no, that’s not it. There’s this thing. Earlier—”

“Claire.”

Alice hurriedly stepped in front of Claire.

“…My sister was rude. I’ll apologize on her behalf.”

“Ah, no, that…”

Seeing Leo roll his eyes, I took a step forward and chimed in.

“It’s something you might be curious about. However, that story concerns the internal matters of the Grace family. Sorry, but it’s not something I can go around speaking about.”

“No, actually, the one who was wrong here is us. Claire.”

Alice glanced slightly back at Claire and continued.

“Since we bothered you, hurry and apologize.”

“Ah, seriously!”

Claire seemed to have so much to say, yet after wrapping her head, she stood there for a while, then spoke in a tiny voice, “…I’m sorry.”

Seeing her like that, Alice nodded and said.

“And there’s no need to speak so formally. We’re all students here. According to the rules, we’re ‘equals,’ right? At least until we graduate from the academy, I hope we can all get along easily. What do you think?”

Then she extended her hand to Leo as if to shake hands.

“Um…”

Leo looked a bit flustered as he glanced my way. I nodded at him.

Then, Leo, with a slight smile, took Alice’s hand and replied.

“Alright, then. Until we graduate.”

Yeah, that seems right.

Leo doesn’t have a complete memory of ‘what happened.’

But it’s clear that Leo knows something. He just hasn’t realized that he knows it yet.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so easily able to accept Alice’s words.

And if Leo is like this, the other kids likely are similar.

“Then I will continue to be casual as well.”

Claire, who had been speaking informally since the first moment we met, said that. Leo just awkwardly smiled at her.

*

“I’m not too familiar with the imperial social chair,”

Charlotte said while walking toward the student council room.

“But it does seem a bit strange for a baron’s daughter’s name to spread throughout all social events. Especially that it’s even reached Velbur across the border, it’s quite remarkable. As far as I know, Grace’s Estate is much more famous for swordsmanship.”

“I’ve just worked hard to polish my refinement.”

“Impressive. It’s no surprise you’ve caught the student council’s attention. ‘The Black and White Lily of Grace.’”

Someday I’ll hunt down whoever gave me that ridiculous nickname and have them spilling their guts.

I swore I’d make them suffer far more than they had when they twisted my insides.

While Leo wore a proud expression, the two princesses beside him struggled to suppress their laughter.

…Please tell me I didn’t have such a nickname before, right?

Chapter 260

Before, I was called to the student council because I was a ‘Crown Princess,’ but now it seems it’s because I’m a ‘Noble.’

In the Empire, where the ranks are simply divided into Duke, Count, Baron, and other ranks, if we exclude the royal family, the number of people who can truly be called Nobles is extremely small, mostly clustered around Dukes and Counts. There are a dozen Duke families alone. Naturally, there are even more Counts, and Barons are as common as dirt.

So, for a Baron to become a ‘Noble’ means they might actually be more of a hot topic than the average kids from Counts.

Well, there might be some who think, “Who does a Baron think they are?” but considering there are two Crown Princesses hanging around me, I really have nothing to worry about, right?

“Ah, Lady Grace!”

The student council president greeted me oddly.

“I think you’ve become even more beautiful since we last met. Did you not read the letters I sent?”

“……”

Oh.

Did we actually meet?

At the banquets, I just mingled due to the endless stream of men pestering me, usually only exchanging cursory greetings and hanging out with Leo. I often talked to older women or haughty high nobles. They seemed to enjoy simply having me listen to their stories and nod along, talking proudly about me in front of other nobility.

Sure, there were some male nobles who looked at me with certain eyes, but I always held my ground, knowing they couldn’t just mess with a Baroness. Plus, the fact that I had already chatted with two Crown Princesses spread like wildfire.

To be honest, Alice and Claire aren’t that social either, right? Just my conversing with them at the ball must have been quite the talking point.

Maybe that’s the decisive reason I ended up here, or perhaps it’s just the president’s personal favoritism.

One thing’s for sure: I don’t carry that harmful image I had before.

“It’s an honor for us all to have the Crown Princesses visit. And Princess Velbur, too.”

Cough cough, the president said, seemingly flustered.

Yeah, it’s kind of rude, isn’t it? Especially considering there are a few people above my rank here, yet he reacted to me first.

In reality, Alice, Claire, and Charlotte do not look worse than me. However, since it was the first time those three had met the president, it’s understandable that the greeting didn’t just jump out immediately.

It was a rather unrefined reaction for someone from a supposedly esteemed family.

*

“We would all like to be invited to the student council.”

Charlotte calmly asked.

“That’s right. At the Rondarium Academy, there’s no distinction between foreigners and locals. Our goal is to learn together and reach higher places, so I believe nationality or rank isn’t that important.”

Lie.

To be honest, there are barely any foreign students, and those that do apply are mostly from high-ranking families.

Even though I’m a Baroness, I’m kind of here as an exception. Rather than ‘Grace’s Estate,’ it’s ‘Sylvia Grace,’ so… that, ‘from the Grace family—’ anyway, it’s the title they’re referring to me with.

In truth, some of the female students in the student council had been casting not-so-friendly glances at me. Rumors can spread quickly, especially since most of the nobility I mingled with were much older. They might have thought I was just chasing them around aimlessly.

On the contrary, the male students looked kind of affectionate. It was quite different from the days when simply making eye contact would send them shaking.

I once again assured myself; those carrying the ‘previous image’ of me are probably only the people around us. Surely, only those who were in the Papal State at that time could be affected by the ruins and devices.

“And… there was supposed to be one more person coming—ah.”

The student council president murmured while checking his pocket watch when suddenly the door of the student council room opened, and he gasped.

“Lady Crowfield!”

At the president’s words, Alice, Claire, and I all turned to the door.

There stood Mia, her image even more gloomy than when I first met her—no, rather than gloomy, maybe it seemed more timid? Anyway, her atmosphere was like that.

Moreover, the only one greeting Mia was the president. The moment she walked in, the student council room became eerily quiet. Even the few girls who had been whispering after I entered suddenly shut their mouths.

There’s a reason for that.

Unlike when I was one of the Emperor’s children, this time, Lucas apparently picked someone well.

It seems Claire’s proactive personality, along with her ability to rewind time, led her to rescue others, catching Lucas’s eye.

I heard a brief update, but it seems the Emperor in this timeline is just as cautious as he was when I was his daughter.

… Whether it’s because he remembers or because he feels something like Leo, I can’t say. Claire becoming the Emperor’s daughter is the same as the ‘original,’ but everything else is rolling in a direction I don’t know.

Perhaps it’s because Claire and Alice’s relationship is different from mine.

“……”

And thanks to that, Mia’s father… survived. He probably continued that life after that point.

And that life would have influenced Mia as well.

He was said to be a kind father in front of Mia. I think that’s probably true. He wouldn’t have shown any dark feelings; he must have acted like a really competent Count.

But even if Mia respects her father, could his wife do the same?

No matter how high-nosed aristocrats treat commoners like bugs, I still can’t imagine someone treating them like mere ‘toys’ for their enjoyment.

No, that’s it. I’m not speaking from a man’s perspective; rather from that of a woman watching her husband indulge with commoners.

How many women would like a man who goes out every day to embrace other women?

Moreover, there must have been some affection between the two. In fact, after the husband’s death, the Countess Crowfield plotted her revenge almost immediately.

Love and hatred can coexist. And all those feelings, tangled together, would usually negatively influence a child raised in such a home.

And among the nobility, such negative rumors spread incredibly quickly. Especially if a character becomes addicted to drugs and begins to ruin themselves.

“Ah, hello….”

Seeing Mia looking more at a loss for words than when I first met her, I didn’t feel great.

The last memory I had of Mia was of her overcoming all that.

“Lady Crowfield.”

Even the president was slightly flustered by the heavy atmosphere in the student council room, so I immediately called out to Mia.

Mia raised her head slightly to look at me.

I could see glimmering eyes under her bangs.

Despite the overall somber feeling and her weak voice making her seem at a loss for words, looking into those eyes gave me the certainty that this was the Mia I knew.

She had already once overcome it all.

I… couldn’t tell if this world was an illusion created by the Goddess, or if it was a world where time had truly turned back. Yet, regardless of which world, I believed Mia could overcome it once more.

I decided to believe that.

“Since there’s an open seat here, why don’t you come and sit?”

I said while giving Mia a slight smile. Leo and Claire were sitting next to me, but there was an empty seat next to Alice.

And Alice naturally didn’t refuse Mia. Charlotte, who sat opposite her, was the same.

Claire’s expression was one of open delight.

Seeing us, Mia’s expression transformed for a moment. To put it in one word: ‘bewildered.’

If two Crown Princesses and a popularly known Baroness suddenly acted friendly, I would probably react the same way.

Charlotte looked intrigued, as if she found our reaction interesting. Perhaps it was because of ‘our reaction’ that she felt a bit curious about Mia.

… Oh, wait.

Wasn’t there a manga I read before coming over here where a shy protagonist suddenly had a popular group approach them, and they became friends?

Isn’t this the same situation?

Chapter 261

Why did we go through all this trouble of turning back time?

To change the very premise of the story itself! Instead of a future desired by the Goddess or the Emperor, I needed to shatter their plans right from the start to get the future I want.

The problem is, I can’t choose sides between the Goddess or the Emperor. If I move as the Emperor desires, he’ll eventually take the place of the new god. On the other hand, picking the Goddess’s side would lead to a boring, monotonous world with zero fun.

Plus, the Goddess’s world is worse because I’m not in it! She plans to take back all the power I possess—basically meaning my very existence would be erased from this side.

My soul and memories seem to stay intact, so I think I won’t vanish completely. But what I truly want right now is to achieve a happy ending together with everyone in this world!

The urgency here is far greater. Time has been rushing by like whoosh for me! If time really turned back just as I spun it, that would break my mental state!

But I don’t like time moving without my will, especially when I drift off, then wake up to find time has flown like zoom and I have these jumbled memories stuffed in my head—it’s the worst!

The tricky part is, I’m the only one feeling this weird sensation. Claire, who inherited some powers, and Alice, whose memories are kept by that fake Alice, feel time flowing naturally.

Even when turning back time, I can only rewind the parts I’m sure of as “my memories.” I can’t access the jumbled mess of forced memories. In contrast, Claire, who “properly remembers,” smoothly rewinds time to places I couldn’t—I’ve heard that.

The issue is that, even then, my memories aren’t intact.

“So, where have you been, sis?”

Chillingly, Claire asked me right after.

“You couldn’t find me?”

“Yeah! After turning back time, no matter how hard I looked for you, you seemed to vanish into thin air! Even searching every room, even the whole academy!”

Alice answered my question. She stared intently at me, asking, “Where were you at the time?”

“…”

After vigorously rummaging through my head, I finally answered, “I don’t know.”

Of course, I didn’t have a proper answer.

“I have no recollection of that time.”

It’s true—unlike the fake memories that were created while jumping around, after Claire rewound time, I had no memories at all. It was as if I had never experienced that event! Like cutting a film’s middle section and just sticking the front and back together.

“But… I rewound time several times when we left the orphanage…”

“…Maybe back then, I had ‘memories’.”

I spoke slowly.

“I mentioned that my time feels twitchy. The memories from the orphanage weren’t fabricated. They are experiences I went through myself.”

“And actually, to be strict, those memories were ‘ones I shouldn’t have.’ They should’ve already been canceled and vanished, and even if we ‘went back,’ you should have experienced what happened before.”

Nodding at Alice’s words, I realized something.

That means one thing.

“It’s not that you all are wrong; I must be influenced by the Goddess.”

Unless it meant Claire ‘snatched’ the Goddess’s powers. But I didn’t say that part.

“From the Goddess’s standpoint, I’m a being that should vanish. Not only that, but it would be more favorable for her to give up on the plans so far and start over. I possess some of her powers, yet I oppose her wishes.”

“But if that’s the case, the time we experienced…”

“If this world is forcibly created by the Goddess, then time itself likely flows based on my existence. Whether I exist or not would be crucial for the world. But that doesn’t mean the world itself is an ‘illusion.’ After all, you all exist and feel time together.”

So, when Claire ‘rewinds time’, it forcibly creates nonexistent parts. Naturally, in those jumbled sections, I cease to exist.

It’s illogical, but if there’s disorder in the process of this world forming, things change. In a sense, this world could be similar to what the Fanggriffon wanted.

The Goddess can’t wield her power perfectly.

But it doesn’t mean the existence created by the Goddess—me—holds that power completely either.

Yet the Fanggriffon didn’t fully snatch the Goddess’s power either.

“So, Claire created the world while rewinding time? Filling in the nonexistent parts?”

“I think so.”

I’m not certain. This part wasn’t in the original setting book.

If the Goddess were that kind of being, she wouldn’t appear positively in the original; the game often reacted negatively to trying to define human thoughts like that.

She’d likely be the final boss in the sequel. The Emperor might revive as an ally, or it could turn into a three-way battle. Or maybe the Papal State would exploit the power the Emperor gathered.

Then I realize why the Goddess ‘dropped’ me here.

If she were a being capable of such, she could even bring me here having played through the entire series. There must be a parallel world where I exist as well.

Yet to make me act according to the Goddess’s wishes up to the last moment, I needed to be oblivious to her true intentions.

And in the end, I mess things up with my excitement during the last moment.

What a mistake straight out of a JRPG villain—I can’t help but chuckle!

“So… what should I do? Should I avoid using my abilities?”

“You should use them if necessary.”

Take Lucas, who’s been thinking about defeating me since childhood.

“Hmm? But Lucas didn’t particularly try to do that.”

“…”

But Claire tilted her head and said, “We’ve crossed swords a few times, Lucas definitely had the upper hand. I wasn’t getting completely crushed, but it wasn’t a cakewalk either.”

“…What did Lucas say?”

“He said, ‘Come back when you’re older, kid.’ Of course, he said it playfully, but it was still a bit frustrating.”

So Claire is diligently training. She seems to have become quite close with Bella.

And Lucas wasn’t particularly trying to outshine Claire back then, which is why there seemed to be no reason to rewind time in the Imperial Palace. Repeating what I already knew was enough for my studies.

…What?

That seems unfair!

*

“So, you came to find me?”

“Exactly.”

I told the Sword Saint.

In my previous world, I actually already revealed my abilities to the Sword Saint. Of course, I rewound time after that.

But this time, I planned to act differently. The assistance I needed from the Sword Saint was far greater than that.

“So you need a way to stay awake for as long as possible to prevent the Goddess from overlaying your memories?”

“That’s right.”

Meditation is possible.

But that’s not a fundamental solution. I could extend my waking hours by concentrating and calming my mind, but I couldn’t avoid sleep altogether.

So I need to learn something much more fundamental, so I can stay awake while opposing the Goddess—

“Hey, you brat!”

Bam!

“Ah?!”

But before I could say another word to the Sword Saint, the edge of his hand hit my head hard.

Wait, what?!

Chapter 262

“Who do you think you are, not sleeping just because you want to pick a fight at such a young age?” Sigh…

It seemed like the Sword Saint’s point of anger was directed at that.

I rubbed my head and looked back at the others following me.

Since I knew the way here anyway, there was no need to seek Jennifer’s help.

As soon as we arrived in Winterfield, we quickly fulfilled the allocation needed to maintain our grades and came straight to find the Sword Saint. Claire and I could both rewind time, and for now, we clearly remembered each other, so Claire rewinding time wouldn’t make me disappear into thin air.

So, we had plenty of time, but since there might be coordination needed with others, we decided to move with a bit of extra time.

And isn’t it better to resolve matters on the original schedule as quickly as possible?

I turned back, thinking about persuading the Sword Saint, but Claire and Alice were both looking down at me with their arms crossed.

“It’s wrong for you to say you’ll fight your opponent or that you’ll destroy me.”

Hearing the Sword Saint continue, I turned my head back to look at him.

Sword Saint Frederick spoke with a serious expression, arms crossed.

“You might swing your sword by cutting down your break time or stay up all night learning various things. But if it results in you destroying yourself, that’s not something to do.”

His voice carried a compelling weight, making me wonder if he might have experienced that himself before.

“…But the being I have to face is a Goddess.”

As I rubbed my still throbbing head, he snorted.

“Then all the more reason not to! To face someone, your own condition must naturally be better than the opponent’s. Isn’t that obvious?”

I mean, the opponent is a ‘Goddess.’

It’s not like she gives a hoot about health or anything.

So, wouldn’t it not matter how healthy I am?

“I’ve heard that one of your sisters seems to have acquired a portion of that Goddess’ power.”

The Sword Saint said, sitting down on a creaking old wooden chair, as if it had twisted somehow.

“Can’t you trust your sister’s abilities?”

“Of course, I believe in them.”

“Then why don’t you ask for help when it’s needed? Did the Goddess request a one-on-one duel with you?”

“….”

I couldn’t quite grasp what the Sword Saint was trying to say, so I stared at him in silence for a while before speaking.

“If my sister uses the Goddess’ power, I will temporarily disappear from this world.”

To be precise, logical gaps would arise as the parts hidden by false memories surfaced, but from the viewpoint of those within that logical gap, it was essentially the same.

“Then isn’t that something you can leave to your sister in that situation?”

“….”

With a look that genuinely couldn’t understand my position, the Sword Saint continued to watch me, making me fall silent again.

“Is your sister’s ability inferior to yours?”

“No, it’s not.”

Of course, both Claire and Alice are far more talented than I am. Alice could maintain top grades without twisting time like me, and while Claire wasn’t at the absolute top, she still maintained quite decent grades. Moreover, both of them weren’t particularly lazy.

They had talent and knew how to make the most of it. Yet, they recognized their shortcomings and constantly strived to improve.

Compared to me, who only made a living off the ability to rewind time, they were far superior.

“So, what’s the problem?”

“….”

“Are you worried they might get hurt or die?”

“….”

I couldn’t respond, but the Sword Saint seemed to grasp my thoughts and nodded his head.

“Right, that’s understandable. I felt the same way.”

The Sword Saint looked at me quietly as he spoke.

“In battle, I’ve seen comrades who are weaker than me, yet they are way better than I am, dying. I thought, if I could just stand out and protect everyone by myself, wouldn’t that work?”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“But it turns out that doesn’t go well. No matter how strong I become, others won’t just sit still. ‘I’ll protect everyone alone, even if I have to sacrifice myself’… Sounds extremely noble when you put it into words, but it solves nothing. The more you live, the heavier that burden becomes, until you eventually collapse under it.”

Perhaps it’s because he’s someone who has experienced everything; his voice held immense persuasiveness.

“Death on the battlefield is unavoidable. It’s not just in battle. People die from illnesses, unexpected accidents. You could even die struck by lightning on a clear day if luck’s really against you. Do you think you can shoulder all of that alone?”

I nodded.

That was something I couldn’t deny.

If I didn’t have the ability, I might have thought it was unavoidable.

But I now had the ability to rewind time.

I could save someone from a sword swinging at them.

Even if lightning fell from a clear sky, I could save that person ahead of time. It’s easy as just rewinding time.

Moreover, I’m not trying to save the world.

I believed that if I could just protect my friends around me, that would be enough.

“…Hmm.”

The Sword Saint gazed into my eyes quietly, then murmured, “That’s sincere.”

And then he laughed as if it were ridiculous.

“Well then.”

The Sword Saint clapped his knees and stood up.

“Are you going to give me some advice?”

“Sorry, but there are no such methods.”

The Sword Saint answered my question.

“There are always limits to the human body. If you train too much, it becomes poison, and if you avoid sleep too much, you eventually lose your sanity. In the worst case, you could die. So, what you can do is simply eat well, sleep well, and get up well while preparing adequately for the situation.”

“….”

I was left speechless by such a conventional response.

Well, if you could just keep doing what you want without sleeping, the Sword Saint himself would have already been utilizing it.

“But, I think I can give you a little help. That’s actually why I came here, isn’t it?”

That’s right.

I had come to ask the Sword Saint for help.

Previously, I summoned the Sword Saint only after meeting the Masked Girl, but since the situation had become more urgent than back then, I truly needed any assistance I could get.

Especially in the northern border region.

There would definitely be some kind of defense in the autonomous country. The Emperor didn’t blaze through the borders just to help the autonomous country; he must be looking for something within.

…Apart from the ‘wrong item’ I obtained from Fake Alice, the Emperor had another piece of the defense. Ultimately, it was something that had come together as one.

If that’s the case, it’s best for us to scour the places the Emperor is targeting, but… it feels like the border region is just too vast.

Maybe if I rewind time numerous times, I could find something. But even so, with just me, Alice, and Claire, that seems impossible.

So, I came to ask the Sword Saint, one of the most skilled individuals in the continent.

“I’d like to ask you one thing before I make my request.”

Before making such a greatly burdensome request, I decided first to ask the Sword Saint one thing.

“What is it?”

“…Can I ask why you want to help us?”

That’s right.

In the original story, and from my previous experiences, the Sword Saint had a strong tendency to live according to his own pleasure. Naturally, I thought he would refuse such a bothersome request in one swift motion.

After hearing my question, the Sword Saint scrutinized me for a while, looked at my sisters behind me once, then spoke.

“First of all, I gather it’s not a lie to say you brought two Crown Princesses with you.”

Then he looked back at me.

“And from my perspective, you don’t seem to have any talent. Just looking at how you couldn’t avoid my previous attack is proof of that.”

A small smile played on the Sword Saint’s lips.

“But still, you showed movements similar to my disciples. For someone talentless to have such movements, you must’ve practiced a considerable amount. So, I thought there was a high chance you could really be my disciple.”

Finally, the Sword Saint shrugged his shoulders as if it were no big deal.

“And also, at the end of this dull life, you’ve been given the chance to confront the Goddess. Who wouldn’t want to jump into that?”

….

It was indeed a typical Sword Saint remark, and I could only nod in agreement, having no choice but to be convinced.

Chapter 263

After I turned back time like this, the plan I came up with was to keep my body safe.

Since I started at the point where my life was under threat, it was only natural to realize that the Goddess had some degree of interference in this world. I knew that every time I lost my mind, time would go haywire.

So, when would that ‘timing of time returning to normal’ happen—

Ding!

—I understood it was during that ‘perfect time for me to die.’

Of course, it wasn’t always like that. If it were, I wouldn’t have ended up with a ridiculous nickname like ‘Grace’s Black Lily.’

But it was easy to understand that the normal flow of time was the timing that ‘the Goddess had prepared.’

So, I worked hard to stay safe. I didn’t try to move alone whenever possible. If I had to go somewhere, I made sure to take Leo with me, and if possible, I also accompanied Claire and Alice. Unlike before, I didn’t dive into the battlefield. Thanks to that, the northern border area was still in a deadlock.

…There was also no meeting with Rena. The reason Rena came to the academy was because of me in the first place.

That said, I didn’t want to just leave Rena alone, but there was no way to do that for now. It would be strange for someone who isn’t even a princess to suddenly say they wanted to cross the border to meet the governor of the Riclant Autonomous State, and it would be just as odd for Claire or Alice to insist on meeting Rena without cause.

Rumors were circulating that the Sword Saint was directly moving near the border, throwing the battlefield into an uproar.

But putting that aside and returning to the current situation.

While keeping my body safe, my thought was to quickly combine the artifacts and smash the world where I couldn’t tell if it was an illusion or reality—or both—and crush the Goddess’s plans.

Bam!

“Fancy running into my daughter in a place like this. What a coincidence.”

Why did the Emperor pop up in front of us?

If we moved ‘as quickly as possible,’ before the Emperor gathered all the artifacts, I thought we could gather them much more effortlessly and faster.

That’s why I skipped the academy and visited Northwood.

Of course, at this moment, there was Kiara Verati disguised as a bunny girl in Northwood, but we didn’t care at all. We just had to raid the ruins without running into her.

But why was it that the Emperor was here ahead of time?

“Seems like you’re wondering why.”

The Emperor, who arrived a step ahead of us, spoke while holding a fragment of the artifact.

“I actually wanted to ask that first. How did you find this place?”

“…….”

The three of us fell silent.

Right now, Claire, the Emperor’s daughter, and Alice, her sister, were exactly the same. I had no ties to the Emperor here. Sure, I had glimpsed the Emperor at the end of banquets, but I intentionally kept my distance and avoided conversation.

“Was it Sylvia from the Grace Family?”

It wasn’t that we hadn’t exchanged pleasantries, but…

I was quite famous in the social scene, and the Grace family was known as a loyal faction.

“I want to ask you why you’re here.”

“……Is it the Emperor’s command?”

“Depending on the situation, it might turn out that way.”

Claire and Alice’s gazes flew towards me.

…At the point I faced the Emperor, the decision to keep my body safe shattered into pieces.

I didn’t think the Goddess could control free will. Of course, she seemed to hope that the world would ultimately become ‘that kind of place,’ but at least for now, it was reasonable to conclude that it couldn’t happen. If it were possible, the Emperor would act according to his own wishes without caring about anyone.

What she could do was to foresee the future to some extent and set traps for the other to move as anticipated.

And I had fallen into that trap.

Then how did the Goddess move the Emperor—

…Wait, there was no need to ponder that.

Leo seemed to feel something about Claire and Alice. The fact that he wasn’t turning pale in front of the Crown Princess and was acting naturally was a clear indicator. He just didn’t know exactly what that ‘feeling’ was.

Mia was similar. At first, she had a very dark and gloomy expression, but after I took her around the academy with great effort, she brightened up. Her stuttering improved in an instant, and after reconciling somewhat with me, she was able to hold proper conversations.

She still refrained from talking about her father, but that was within the understandable range.

Charlotte also became friendly, just like Alice had before, and she had shown quite a bit of interest in me from the beginning. Unlike her previous perfectly cool beauty character, my current expression was far more varied than before—mostly ‘calm’, though—so I felt like I became friends with Charlotte even faster than before.

Then, the Emperor definitely wouldn’t be oblivious to everything.

Even if he didn’t perfectly retain the memory of his past failure, he must have felt that much. If he did, it gave him a reason to move his plans forward. He might be feeling anxious.

Though he didn’t show it on the surface.

I glanced to both sides of the Emperor. Bella and Lucas were there. Both of them looked at me as if I were fascinating.

…Yeah, they also had a pretty big emotion towards me.

Therefore, there was no need for the Goddess to manipulate anyone.

I was feeling anxious too, so she could have easily guessed that I would take action as quickly as possible.

What the Goddess had to do was merely to arrange the timing so that our paths would cross as I moved as quickly as I could.

With just that, I became something immensely suspicious and unidentifiable that suddenly popped up before the Emperor.

Also, gathering the artifacts behind the Emperor’s back.

Whoosh!

In that brief moment, I pushed my brain to the limit.

And the conclusion I reached was just one.

I knelt down on the spot and prostrated myself.

I saw Claire and Alice flinch in surprise. Claire probably had the words “Sister!” rising to her throat.

…It was an action I would never have taken in the previous country. After all, it was slightly weird for a cool beauty girl to kneel in front of others.

But right now, that wasn’t important.

My life was important.

“……I greet you, Father.”

“……”

And for a while, the world was shrouded in silence.

Well.

I was already considered a father-daughter relation before turning back time anyway.

Ding!

I had no intention of pushing Claire away.

I just needed to say that there were others besides Claire in that orphanage. The Emperor seemed to have relations with many women, to the point he couldn’t distinguish something as simple as his daughter’s hair color.

“You say you’re my daughter.”

The Emperor looked down at me quietly.

“Yes, I was in the same orphanage as Claire.”

“Is that proof enough to say you’re my daughter?”

“…….”

Fortunately, there is no DNA testing in this world. Drugs were at a level comparable to early 20th century, but for complex medical procedures like surgeries, it was still worse than those in the same period in my previous world. After all, it was a world with healing magic, so there was no need for such complicated surgeries. Even if they did, it seemed more like a temporary measure in extreme situations without a healer.

I think I read somewhere that even in the early 20th century, certain protein tests could determine if blood was mixed or not, but that really didn’t matter.

So, I decided to take a gamble.

“…My mother said that my father is His Majesty the Emperor.”

I fabricated a mother who didn’t even exist.

The Emperor nodded as if to say, “Keep going.”

I racked my brain.

My previous name was Sylvia Black.

When a surname includes a ‘color’ or ‘object,’ that usually indicates the person is likely a commoner. And there are those who don’t even have that surname.

Once I had heard that the Emperor’s children were actually said to have blood mixed, I hadn’t just remained quiet. I did my research.

Records were so thoroughly erased that I couldn’t pinpoint Lucas’s mother or Bella’s mother accurately, but it was evident that fallen royal families had been demoted to ‘commoners.’

That didn’t mean they had forcibly hidden them somewhere; they probably had some sort of deal, coercion, or persuasion.

The plans likely began before Alice was born, and after Alice’s mother died, the plans would have accelerated. Even at this moment, there could be ‘younger siblings’ of Alice or Claire somewhere. They just weren’t chosen by the Emperor.

That means one of those who ‘mingled with the Emperor’ was dreaming a ‘futile dream,’ right?

“At the moment, I can’t remember my mother’s name. But I vaguely remember the stories I heard in her arms. To survive and to be of help to you, Your Majesty.”

Whether the Emperor wooed, seduced, or coerced, there was only one reason why she would mingle with the Emperor—hope of returning to royalty.

Or the desire that her child might inherit the Empire.

“Doesn’t that make you think there will be no price for that ‘help’?”

It seemed the Emperor understood my words.

“……”

I didn’t offer any response.

But that alone seemed to be enough for the Emperor.

Chapter 264

“…Do you really believe that?”

The Emperor shrugged at Lucas’s words.

“I don’t completely believe it.”

The Emperor was not entirely unaware of the existence called Sylvia. She had been quite famous in society for some time. It’s unclear if she was fully aware of this fact herself, but at least she seemed skilled enough to extract information from those who showed affection towards her.

He had heard that she was adopted. Through Lucas, he learned that “she was the girl from back then,” and so he had already been somewhat cautious. Grace’s Estate was definitely not a family that would just abandon anyone.

He also knew that the Emperor’s two daughters had made acquaintances with the Grace young lady during a banquet.

However, the story that Sylvia Grace, the black lily of Grace’s Estate, was the Emperor’s daughter—

“Perhaps she wants to use me for something.”

“Then shouldn’t we eliminate her beforehand?”

“That would be problematic. As far as I know, the orphan was raised with great care at Grace’s Estate. Everyone knows that the child came from outside, but even so, no one thinks that she ‘isn’t from Grace’s Estate.’ That family thinks of any child who bears their name, regardless of blood, as their own.”

In other words, if the Emperor harmed Sylvia Grace, the Baron of Grace would turn his back on him.

Still, he was just a baron managing a small territory within the Imperial Capital. If the Emperor really wanted to push him away, he could do it physically.

But doing so would cost the Emperor his political standing.

If a family had pledged their loyalty to the Emperor thoroughly, then dismissing them due to mere suspicion—especially for reasons that couldn’t be told to others—would only make him appear as someone who eliminated a loyal family without justification in the eyes of other loyal factions.

The Emperor’s power was solid. And most families that pledged loyalty to him had bowed their heads to that authority.

If he touched one of the few families that genuinely served him, it was clear that the rats, believing themselves cornered, would go wild. No matter how foolish a rat might be, it knows to bite a cat when it feels trapped.

And it was a problem that there was not just one rat.

“Above all, didn’t you say that the child definitely knows something?”

The Emperor slightly raised one corner of his lips and spoke.

“…Is it really true that there’s a child born outside?”

“Hmm.”

Lucas’s words made the Emperor pause for a moment.

Right, that was the issue.

He had separated those children from their mother during their early childhood so they wouldn’t realize they were “the Emperor’s children,” yet this “Sylvia” remembered.

After hearing her call him “father” that day, he had conducted an investigation, but he couldn’t find her mother.

Was she truly dead, or did she lack the talent to shine enough that even the Emperor wouldn’t keep her in mind?

Many women whispered false love and promised status. Of course, for most of them, such benefits never came. Even if they did, they themselves wouldn’t be able to become nobility or royalty.

If the child lacked any noticeable ability, he wouldn’t bother with her. There had been several children who had died working before Lucas and Bella, so the Emperor didn’t pay much attention to the overall number of children.

Even if some nobles found such orphaned daughters of ex-royalty and managed to find children carrying the Emperor’s blood, it wouldn’t matter. The Emperor could simply deny it; who could contest him? After all, “evidence” would amount to nothing unless the Emperor acknowledged it himself.

Thus, the existence of Sylvia was incredibly fresh to the Emperor.

If he had thought of her as just another child with no ability, he was finally seeing her potential.

A child who retained memories from such an early age that an ordinary person would be unable to recall.

How did she know about the existence of the heir? No, she might not have known about the heir’s existence. Perhaps she was simply observing the Emperor’s movements while scouting locations.

If she had such an extraordinary brain, it was possible she could guess someone’s intentions by observing their actions.

“Just because I’m a man doesn’t mean I can ignore this.”

The Emperor decided to give an evasive response to Lucas.

It was essential that “the children” did not realize their true bloodline.

“Then is it truly that Sylvia girl—”

“We’ll have to wait and see.”

As the Emperor answered, Lucas let out a small whistle.

“Hmm.”

The Emperor looked at the small piece of heirloom he held in his hand.

Even with this bit alone, he could not understand what it was “for.”

Yet, perhaps, if that Sylvia had known of the heirloom’s existence all along…

Then that child might not simply be “the Emperor’s child.”

Thinking about the plans the Emperor was currently establishing, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Goddess were also moving.

“Let’s watch a bit longer.”

Whether Sylvia would side with her “father” until the end, or whether she’d try to betray him at the last moment.

After all, there was only one way to confirm it.

Completing the heirloom.

But—

“Indeed, I can’t shake the feeling that the face of that Sylvia girl is familiar.”

The Emperor casually remarked.

Was it because she resembled the woman he had lain with, or was it merely the memory of having met her at the ball? Or was it an instinct from blood relations?

The Emperor was very curious about this.

*

“To Crowfield Territory?”

Claire tilted her head and asked, while Alice looked somewhat troubled.

In my previous life, I had been invited to Grace’s Estate during the holidays, but now I was already the daughter of Grace’s Estate.

Moreover, I had a very good relationship with the orphans. After coming to Grace’s Estate, I had taken great care of them for a considerable time. Perhaps that was why I had been able to become the daughter of Grace’s Estate.

In any case, there was no need to do so now.

Claire had already spent her childhood with the kids coiling around each other in her previous life. And these kids had been with me for a long enough time that they wouldn’t miss me too much. Even now, when it’s just the two of us or only with the children, we spoke to each other informally.

Well, I still used formal language with the kids, but that was due to the nature of having become a “noble young lady.”

Besides, Alice had originally had nothing to do with the other kids. Naturally, there was no need to go visit them.

So, rather than losing my mind and wasting the entire holiday, it would be better to resolve unresolved issues quickly.

…In this world, Count Crowfield, who is not dead.

And Mia, whose life had turned upside down because of that count.

That bespectacled thug might still be in Crowfield Territory. But at the very least, I could greatly disrupt the business the Count was running.

I didn’t know whether the Emperor truly believed my words.

However, if I stick to this kind of justification for dirtying my hands to help the Emperor, it might help me score some points.

In this world, there are no hidden maidens. If one wants to scrutinize me, it would be best to have someone like that in place, but perhaps they are just wary because of the being that has “usurped” the Goddess’s power.

If you want to triumph over something for sure, it’s common sense to block as many variables as possible.

Conversely, if you want to completely ruin someone’s plans, it’s best for me to become a variable.

“I want to help Mia.”

When I said that, Alice nodded seriously. Since she had been with me at that time, she must understand how important that moment was.

“Above all, that man who tried to crush me in the carriage is probably there.”

“…Got it. I’ll go.”

As I explained, sparks flew from Claire’s eyes.

Mia might be pitiful, but it seemed that the man who had almost tried to kill me was even more despicable.

To be honest, I was awash with emotions back then.

I had made him bloody.

…The head of the orphanage is dead.

But at least, in this world, the children who were in the orphanage wouldn’t disappear without names.

Because the orphanage didn’t burn down, even though the head was dead.

And if I diligently memorized that list, it would ensure that the existence of those children wouldn’t be forgotten even when I return to my original world.

Chapter 265

Meeting Count Crowfield felt extremely strange.

I know Count Crowfield, not just by face, but surprisingly, we’ve had a proper conversation. That time I disguised myself as a maid and infiltrated the Crowfield mansion. When the Count ambushed the tavern.

Especially in the tavern, I rewound time several times to deal with the enemies and to extract information as well.

While absorbing the information stored in the tavern, I pondered whether the Count deserved to die, and even had a separate conversation with him. Who knows? It might just have been because I was being threatened.

After a bang of genuine conversation using bullets as a means, I concluded that the Count was indeed a villain.

And that villain was alive in this world.

“How grateful I am that my daughter could make good friends at the academy.”

The Count’s voice was quite calm, neither terrified, enraged, nor lustful. Contrary to his gaunt appearance, his deep and husky voice was enough to leave a good first impression.

But his looks weren’t exactly charming.

Still, back when I was trying to assassinate him, he had dark circles under his eyes and was somewhat thin but still had a decent face. Now, he looked even skinnier, with bones glaringly protruding.

It seemed he tried to hide that frailness with a mustache, but it didn’t work well. Originally, the shadows under his eyes made that mustache just add to his deteriorated appearance.

“No, it’s rather a blessing that Mia and I could become friends.”

I spoke to the Count in a soft voice.

Next to the Count sat Mia. The Baroness also sat beside the Count. At a glance, their relationship seemed harmonious.

No matter how strained their feelings were, both were nobles to the core. At least in front of guests, especially with two royals present, they wouldn’t show their vulnerabilities.

In the original work and the previous world, Count Crowfield was removed from favor by the Emperor. He might have thoughts brewing now, but he’d probably be on guard against the three of us since we were of royal blood and from the Emperor’s faction.

Mia, sitting next to her father, looked a bit anxious.

“My daughter isn’t very good with words, so I wonder how she could befriend such esteemed individuals like you.”

The Count’s words were literally true. It seemed humble, but in reality, Mia really struggled with conversation. Or rather, she didn’t try to converse much.

They say children growing up hearing their parents fight become timid. Yet, while she opened up before us, she didn’t show any signs of deliberately trying to make new friends.

“I heard it was thanks to you that Mia could join the student council.”

“Mia qualified to be a council member from the start. It’s not just because of our help.”

As I spoke, Claire and Alice quietly observed the Count. The Count seemed to notice this; our conversation was thoroughly revolving around Mia.

…Hmm.

At this rate, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to have the conversation I really wanted to have with Count Crowfield.

After that, we spent over ten minutes on such unnutritious small talk while I racked my brain.

*

It wasn’t clear what the bespectacled man was planning to sell me off to.

But among those candidates afterward, I included Count Crowfield in my thoughts. He liked children and surprisingly enjoyed having twisted preferences.

The original work didn’t specify exactly how Claire ‘killed’ Count Crowfield.

Just that during the escape from the tavern, she killed a noble who was trying to attack her, and that the tavern had burned down.

…Does that mean the noble Claire killed that day could have been Count Crowfield?

I ended up being sold just because I caught the eye more than Claire did.

“…”

Thus, I reached one conclusion.

The way to have a private conversation with Count Crowfield—

“No way.”

—And Alice sharply cut off my idea when she heard it.

After finishing our conversation with the Count and the Baroness, we had gone up to Mia’s room. Mia had briefly stepped out to talk to her parents. She was probably confirming something that shouldn’t be discussed during our conversation. She might even be picking up some tea and snacks.

In a household like the Count’s, it would be normal for a maid to handle that, but strangely, there weren’t any ‘maids’ in this mansion. Although there were male servants and butlers, it wasn’t very polite by the standards of this world for a male servant to enter a room full of ladies.

If Mia were alone, she wouldn’t have to care about such things, but we were in the presence of honored guests. Not that we could tell them to bring it to us, so she’d likely be ordering her daughter.

…This was probably the fault of the Baroness.

No woman could avoid neurosis when her husband goes out rolling around the tavern every night—or even during the day. Especially if she still had feelings for her husband.

And when I infiltrated disguised as a maid, I sensed that the Count had likely messed around with some maids.

The mere fact that I, disguised as a commoner, could infiltrate as a maid in a place as high as the Count’s mansion meant the Count picked someone who he thought could be ‘untouched.’

In the end, if he became suspicious of all the maids and sent them all away, it wouldn’t be unusual.

And because of that, their marriage might have gotten worse.

But thanks to that, we had time to chat like this.

“I may not be a princess now, but I am the daughter of the Baron. No matter how much of a count he is, he can’t just mess with me.”

When I told Alice that, she frowned and replied.

“But if you seduced him first, it would be a different story. Legally, we are still minors, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get married. It’s not completely forbidden for engaged couples to engage in relations. Besides, for a Count, it wouldn’t be strange to have a few wives.”

Um…

“Grace’s Estate might object, but after all, he is still a Baron. If it’s a Count owning a Count’s Territory, and if his daughter personally said, ‘I want to marry,’ there’d be no way to refuse.”

“But I wouldn’t say I want to marry.”

“Which woman would openly tell a man, ‘I want to marry you’?”

At my words, Alice made an extremely boring remark.

No, I thought Alice would be a pretty progressive woman.

“A man’s pursuit is ‘Will you marry me?’ but a woman’s pursuit shouldn’t be so explicit. ‘Is there a wedding happening? Would you like to join?’ would be considered a very direct advance. If others heard, they’d think it’s embarrassing.”

“True.”

Claire, who was listening from the side, nodded in agreement.

Hmm… Since Claire, who had no interest in romance, agreed, it truly seemed like that.

I already know that conversation among nobles is separate from emotions and reason. Even trivial matters that may not require anger in ordinary situations have established formulas for noble conflict, and it’s troublesome if one just ends it by saying they’re no longer angry. Both parties need to show emotional regards to conclude a matter.

However, applying that to advances regarding romance completely is…

Ah.

Thinking about it, one of the couples around me in this world was indeed dating in a manner that deviated massively from the norm.

…Could Jake and Roti’s dating style nearly be considered porn by the standards of this world?

“Is the thought of me seducing someone conceivable?”

Suddenly, that thought popped into my mind, and I asked Alice and Claire.

The two looked a bit dazed, staring into each other’s faces, then returned their gaze to me.

“Right?”

“Yeah.”

Both nodded in agreement.

Hmm.

I paused for a moment and came to a conclusion.

“Well then, it might be a good idea for me to seduce Count Crowfield for a moment.”

If that small flirtation were to block my marriage path and make it appear as though I were engaged to the Count, that would be that.

Because, after all, that’s something I would never do.

Order versus chaos, right?

Chapter 266

Ah, just because I say I’m thinking about getting engaged doesn’t mean I actually want to.

Wink!

Of course, I need to keep an escape route open. I’m dealing with the Count Crowfield here.

Zoom!

“I would appreciate your assistance, as I have plenty of chances to attempt this.”

I quickly said that to the two before Mia arrived.

“First, find that glasses-wearing guy tomorrow morning. I’m not sure if he’ll be in the territory again, but… if he is, it’ll probably be the same place as last time.”

Ding!

“I remember.”

Alice nodded in agreement. Claire didn’t know the place as she wasn’t with us at the time, but she still nodded along with Alice.

After all, Claire saw me almost get killed by that guy.

Gasp!

…Then again, unlike me who managed to restrain myself, that guy might actually end up in hell.

Boom!

But I don’t care! Even if he goes to hell, I intend to reset this world.

Whoosh!

I mean, my companions are growing, and I can’t just ruin that progress.

“Send the two of you to that place. You need to stick together. That way, Claire can assist in case of an emergency.”

Thud!

And we’re not the only ones here. Claire and Alice have their own escorts, even if they’re not mine.

“It’s best if it happens that you ‘coincidentally’ encounter an illegal gambling den while ‘coincidentally’ getting involved and ‘coincidentally’ offer help.”

Whistle!

“…Won’t they notice if we act like that?”

“If they notice, it doesn’t matter. In the meantime, I’ll be convincing Count Crowfield.”

Chime!

“Is that okay?”

While answering Alice, Claire asked with a worried face.

“The Goddess has been manipulating time, so it’s an excellent moment for my death, right?”

Uh-oh!

There’s no way Count Crowfield would be trying to kill me.

Gulp!

Although he’s someone at odds between the Emperor’s faction and the nobility faction, the Count I know is thoroughly self-serving. He may have the talent to lead a territory well if it weren’t for the drugs and that depraved hobby, but his head’s not fit after living in addiction for so long.

Facepalm!

To put it another way, he probably lost any values of loyalty to the Emperor or aristocracy long ago.

Shudder!

The Emperor might not have gotten rid of Count Crowfield for that reason. Even considering his underlying anxieties.

Yikes!

But that’s why I should be even more careful. The Count might succumb to his desires and try to pounce on me, and if he slips and hits his head just wrong, who knows where he’ll end up!

Splat!

So, I came prepared.

Ta-da!

I pulled out a gun from my pocket.

Pop!

It was a small gun. The barrel was shorter than my finger, so even if I aimed carefully, I wouldn’t know where I’d hit.

Pew-pew!

For such a minor weapon, it took .455 caliber rounds.

Bang!

It was a women’s self-defense revolver. A model that holds two rounds. With the voluminous dress typical of this era, it’s easy to hide anywhere.

Shhh!

Thank goodness they don’t have metal detectors here yet. I tucked it inside my thigh and even the searchers couldn’t find it.

Ha-ha!

To reiterate, all the servants in this mansion are male. There’s no one here capable of ‘properly’ searching a noblewoman’s body.

Zing!

“You do realize this gun could hit a person from ten meters away with two shots if I needed it, right?”

Boom!

As long as I can get a shot to land, I can hit anyone. I can just reset time infinitely.

Time warp!

I hardly practiced shooting in this world. I had to be a pure ‘strategist character.’ I had to be physically weak enough to be easily broken.

Crack!

That way, the Emperor would underestimate me.

Uh-oh!

He must clearly recognize that besides my ‘intelligence,’ I’ve got nothing else.

Uh-huh!

But that doesn’t mean I can entirely let the talents I’ve nurtured go to waste.

Bingo!

“…Okay. If that’s what you think.”

Alice said with a sigh.

“Then let’s discuss that matter—”

“Let’s do it tomorrow morning.”

I quickly cut off Alice mid-sentence.

Snip!

I heard footsteps outside the door. That must be Mia coming in.

Shuffle!

This was still information I couldn’t share with Mia yet. Even if she’s disappointed in her father, she’s still the daughter of those two.

Dilemma!

…Moreover, if I were to get engaged to Count Crowfield, then I’d be Mia’s mother, right? Just the thought makes my head spin.

Whee-oo!

There’s absolutely no way that’s happening.

Knock knock!

“Um, everyone?”

Creak, opens!

Mia pushed the door open with her elbow and came in.

Bam!

As expected, Mia was carrying a tray. A teapot, teacups, and a bit of snacks.

Ding-dong!

Considering the tea we had downstairs earlier, I bet those are quite high quality too.

Cha-ching!

This territory profits from selling drugs. They must have money dripping everywhere. Plus, they cleverly sell it as morphine precursor, after all.

Wink!

“I brought tea and snacks.”

Mia smiled, her face looking so pure that it pricked a corner of my heart.

Ouch!

Wham!

The person selling drugs and addicted to them still usually decorates their home nicely. They wouldn’t be living in a mess with that much money.

Huh?

Or maybe not? Think about it; it’s common in dramas, movies, or even news to see the homes of drug addicts being a sight for sore eyes.

Shock!

The fact that this place is so well-kept must just mean that someone is exceptionally skilled at maintaining the garden.

Garden party!

“So, what was the reason for calling me here, Lady Grace?”

A deep baritone voice stroked my back.

Whoosh!

It’s not like anyone actually touched me. That voice just slid across my body. And the gaze too.

Glance!

When I turned around, there stood Count Crowfield, gazing at me intently.

Heartbeat!

…Looks like I really had a type.

Heart eyes!

Honestly, even I think ‘Sylvia Black’s’ appearance is beautiful. If this weren’t ‘my’ body, I’d definitely feel some attraction. The ridiculous nickname ‘Black Lily’ must have come to be because of people being attracted to me.

Eye roll!

Getting Count Crowfield to come all the way here was harder than expected.

Challenge accepted!

Inviting the Count himself was easy. He naturally trailed behind me as soon as I suggested talking privately, as if it was obvious.

Trotting!

The problem was getting Countess Crowfield here.

Eek!

She glared at him intensely while he conversed with another woman, and whenever I tried to involve him in a conversation, she’d somehow squeeze herself in.

Interrupt!

Being the closest aide to the two princesses, she couldn’t openly insult me, but it seemed she was intent on keeping an eye.

Spy mode!

Does she feel jealousy over a girl her daughter’s age? Well, that’s not uncommon in the world I lived in.

Drama alert!

So, I twisted time a few times, observing Count Crowfield in detail. Only after rewinding about four mornings could I subtly ask, “Could we meet in the garden in thirty minutes?”

Tick-tock!

“We have important matters to discuss.”

I said while glancing down at the flowers planted in the garden. At least they didn’t plant poppies there.

Pretty flowers!

“If it’s about something important…”

Count Crowfield’s voice carried an unexpected excitement.

Exciting!

Thinking about it, it’s quite funny. I merely mentioned that we had something to discuss, but I hadn’t whispered any words of affection or love.

Nope!

But the Count isn’t exactly a stunning beauty either. Maybe he was back in his youth. I wouldn’t know, but Mia’s good looks must’ve come from her parents. The Baroness had a slightly sharp edge, but she was quite a beauty, so I can see how the Count’s looks could have been one of the ‘conditions’ for winning her affection.

Condition check!

He might have been trapped in those memories of his youth ever since.

Lost in time!

“It’s about the current political situation.”

Alert!

“Oh? The political situation.”

Whistle!

Did he think I was just a bashful lady trying to attract his attention awkwardly? I could even see his thick mustache twitching as he spoke.

Wiggle!

The sight of his prickly beard moving was quite unpleasant, so I cut to the chase.

Slash!

“A war is about to happen. At this rate, Crowfield will be at the frontlines, and of course, all the accomplishments you’ve worked hard for will be at risk of collapsing.”

Bam!

Count Crowfield’s footsteps toward me abruptly stopped.

Halt!

“A Dreadnought-class imperial battleship will be passing over Crowfield. Along with fighter jets slicing through the sky.”

Uh-oh!

“…What?”

Shocking!

“I happen to know the vulnerabilities of that Dreadnought-class battleship. If it’s needed, I can share that information with you. What do you think?”

Whispering!

Count Crowfield’s expression suddenly drained of emotion.

Blank stare!

He didn’t hide his expression to suppress his feelings; he was genuinely ‘dazed.’

Dazed!

Well, even if I look like this now, I’ve had my share of massive accidents in the previous timeline.

Whoosh!

I know just where to hit inside the battleship to bring it down properly, after all.

Kaboom!

That means I don’t necessarily need to do it ‘myself,’ right?

Right on!

Chapter 267

That’s right. In this world, the Emperor has no other choice but to stay firm.

Claire was capable, but she didn’t act like she knew the future, and she certainly didn’t push Alice to be the next crown princess without question. Of course, while she might not have been as proactive as I was, she probably still thought that was given. But there’s a big difference between just thinking and actually acting on it.

So, it means that next to the current Emperor, there is no being that acts like a ‘divine messenger from the heavens, keeping an eye on all his movements.’

I suddenly intervened in the Emperor’s life. I claimed to be his daughter, and I knew a lot of facts I shouldn’t have known.

However, it’s unlikely the Emperor would be extremely wary of me for that alone. In a world without a mask girl, I wasn’t a lunatic with the ability to turn back time.

They probably just thought I was a suspicious person who had too much information, someone they should be cautious of. It wouldn’t make someone who’s been preparing for war for years just give up completely.

Though he was more careful than in the original world, preparations for war were underway. Many troops were deployed much closer to the borders than I had known, and ships were being diligently constructed.

So, in this world, a war is definitely going to break out.

And when a war starts between Velbur and the Empire, the first place to suffer damage will be Crowfield Territory.

“If war breaks out, this place is indeed the most dangerous location.”

No matter how much I spouted plausible words, the other party had lived as a noble their entire life.

A count has their own factions and many people beneath them. They probably have their own means of information gathering as well. They might have even seen the unrest brewing under the Emperor beforehand.

Although they’ve been swimming in drugs and pleasures, they certainly haven’t lost all their judgment. If they truly did that, they would have lost this territory itself.

“But does that give me a reason to side with the enemy? Regardless of political beliefs, I don’t think I’d stoop so low as to induce the division of my own country in front of the enemy.”

Well, even if he had that kind of patriotism, the Emperor wouldn’t care even the slightest bit. He was the kind of person who would think about eliminating anyone who opposed him.

This Emperor was not just about this count. He had already been purging the royals and putting the names of the dukes on the death list. Since there were twelve duke families, he probably thought it wouldn’t matter to cut back a little.

If the Emperor truly thought he could dominate the world solely with military might, that would be a mistake. Even if, by some chance, he united the world with force, people who lost their families would remember that vengeance, and rebellions would continually arise in occupied territories.

But the Emperor’s ultimate goal is to seize the power of the Goddess.

And with that power, ascend to the divine seat. Only then can he clean up all the chaos he had set in motion beforehand.

But it’s a bit awkward to say this fact to this person.

“The war will leave great scars on the Empire and the world. Since this Count’s Territory will be embroiled in war, Count, you will certainly be affected too.”

“……”

The Count quietly closed his mouth, as if he was listening.

“I’m not saying to confront the Emperor’s army. It’s foolish to directly clash with an army capable of unilaterally crushing overseas military might. However….”

I deliberately paused for effect before continuing.

“What if, even after finishing the war between the Empire and other countries, the Emperor has a Dreadnought-class battleship in his possession?”

The reason that battleship was terrifying was not because it had no weaknesses. As I investigated, there were numerous vulnerabilities within. Even the computer onboard was a thorough mechanical one that could become ineffective if certain parts were damaged.

However, there was simply no way to resolve that battleship from the outside.

The reason battleships were feared during World War I was that people thought the only weapon against a battleship was another battleship. Later, when aviation technology advanced and aircraft carriers loaded with numerous planes showed up, the name of the battleship sank under the sea, but at least until every country had pulled out ‘that aircraft,’ the only way to face battleships was to build ships of equivalent design. There were other ways, but it was “most efficient” for battleships to confront battleships.

The position of battleships at that time was very similar to modern-day intercontinental ballistic missiles. There were even treaties to prevent an influx of these battleships, and some countries went through all sorts of tricks to bypass those treaties.

However, in this world, the only country capable of building those aircraft is the Empire. While they do export, the numbers are minuscule. Furthermore, it’s evident that exports will halt entirely once the war starts.

Building naval guns requires an extraordinarily high level of difficulty. The Dreadnought sacrificed some defense to fly, but at least with the anti-aircraft weapons in this world, there’s none that could shoot down a Dreadnought. The range, power, all are lacking.

In summary, right after the war, while the Imperial army will indeed suffer considerable damage, if that battleship remains in the Emperor’s hands, which inherently acts as a ‘deterrent,’

“Once the absolute imperial power collapses, the Count’s position after the war can flow much more favorably. By no means am I suggesting complete betrayal. Just… balance the situation afterwards.”

Velbur will lose. Although Crowfield Territory will sustain some damage, it is Imperial territory, so it will benefit from the protection of the Imperial army throughout the war. If the aftermath of the war does not turn out to be worse than expected for the Emperor, the absolute imperial power will be maintained post-war.

“And knowing the weaknesses means, in another sense, that I grasp the structure of the battleship accurately.”

I didn’t explicitly say I remembered all the designs. Naturally, I don’t have the brain capacity to memorize that complicated blueprint.

But even that hint changed the Count’s gaze towards me.

“Is there insufficient reason to accept my information?”

It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t believe it. If so, I would just pass the information to Charlotte next. Only, because the battleship itself must be destroyed from within, the chances of success would significantly drop compared to if Count Crowfield moved, who might be able to plant someone secretly.

“I wonder why a person from Grace’s Estate is trying to pass me such information.”

Count Crowfield asked me like that.

What should I say?

There might be ways to seduce the Count here.

But would that actually make the Count fall for me? For someone of the Count’s level, wouldn’t he have met many such women? Women seeking to climb up a bit more by seducing a Count, even if the information isn’t top-notch.

So, rather than that kind of reason, it would be better to give a slightly different reason.

What should I say?

“If you know my nickname, you probably also know that I’ve made many acquaintances since childhood.”

I slowly opened my mouth.

“I just want to build a friendship with someone a little more promising… and get to know them for a long time.”

It was an extremely ambiguous statement, but that made it sound so noble too.

“Hooh.”

And that seemed to resonate well with Count Crowfield—huh?

He stepped a few paces closer to me, as if to regard me with caution.

“I see.”

No, wait a minute.

Did he misunderstand my words a bit?

“Are you saying you’re looking for someone worthy to possess?”

“……”

No, that’s not what I meant.

It seems this guy is taking everything I’ve said as a seduction from start to finish without me even trying.

“Competing for something valuable requires competition. I understand well.”

No, that’s not the case!

More importantly, while Sylvia is a pretty girl, it’s not like I should put my life on the line to have her.

…Or is it?

Or maybe… is this person facing issues with decisiveness?

“… By now, the Crown Princess is probably visiting the ‘criminal’ of this territory.”

“So you came together? To discuss that story?”

I tried to change the topic, but the Count simply responded that way.

Fortunately, he didn’t lay a hand on me. If he did, I would have either been shot or had to turn back time.

“Understood. If there’s a rival, it’s better not to spoil the goods. Flowers should be taken when their petals haven’t fallen yet, to capture that fragrance in full.”

“……”

Uh, hmm.

I don’t know. Let’s just leave it at that.

Chapter 268

There were a lot of things happening.

No, seriously. Literally a lot of things were happening.

I even fell asleep and when I woke up, time had flown by, making it feel even more so.

It felt like incidents just kept coming even back in my original world, but now that I only had concrete memories and intentions during important moments, it felt intensified.

Here’s a list of the events I’ve experienced continuously so far.

“Is this what you were looking for?”

Out of nowhere, the Sword Saint appeared in the Imperial Capital without even being called, coming to Baron Grace’s Estate to hand me a relic and say that.

…Huh?

Sure, I distinctly asked for assistance in finding the relic. There had to be ruins along the border of the Autonomous Region and the Empire where Jayden had gone, and that’s probably why it had been bombed to bits.

I’d braced myself for not being able to find it, but the Sword Saint proudly brought me a piece of the relic.

The pieces that still couldn’t be properly assembled didn’t really shine. Well, Alice and Claire weren’t here, so there was no reason for it to shine like it did in the previous world.

As I watched the Sword Saint sitting there confidently with the relic, my mind was racing.

If the Goddess was trying to manipulate the world by excluding me as much as possible, what could be the reason for time to be flowing properly for these “other people”? Strictly speaking, even if the Sword Saint had the ability to find something like this, they could just claim that such an event never took place from the beginning.

Is it because I blocked the Goddess’s power using the relic with Claire?

Perhaps the Goddess is obsessed with “order.” While I can be considered a being that fell into this world due to the Goddess, the other beings are likely moving according to their original order.

Even if I’m stationary, other beings are moving according to their own schedules and orders, so there’s probably no way to obstruct that, right? Considering how the Emperor was avoided and traps were set so that they could finally regain their power, it seems like a convincing deduction.

But—

“How did you find this?”

“Northwood is my hometown. Besides, despite how I look now, I used to charge through battlefields in my youth. Did I mention I had a passing acquaintance with the Emperor?”

“……”

Oh, right.

Now that I think about it, the Emperor did rummage through a ruin by himself. He was waiting for us where the relic was located.

If the Sword Saint had the same capabilities as the Emperor, as long as they could pinpoint the location of the ruins, they’d definitely be able to find the relic.

I stared blankly at the shattered stone tablet—how could this possibly transform into such a form as ‘brass gears’?

“But to find the ruins, there should be another relic.”

“Is that so?”

The Sword Saint, arms crossed, stared at me intently.

That’s true. There’s a reason why ruins that clearly exhibit the shape of ‘ruins’ go unnoticed by people. If it was clearly visible, it would have been scavenged by many already. Even if it had magic that prevents it from being revealed unless you had a relic, it wouldn’t mean that people wouldn’t notice it at all.

The reason we could enter that ruin in Northwood… must be thanks to Claire, who stole the Goddess’s power. Fortunately, the Emperor seems to believe that we came here on our own.

“I figured that red-haired guy was the one you mentioned, so I chased him to help.”

“……”

Was Lucas connected to this somehow?

Surely, considering Lucas didn’t come to monitor me when I was in Crowfield, it means he was up to something. If that something was searching for ruins in the North, I can’t exactly complain. It’s not strange for an Emperor who has become a bit timid to send someone to investigate secretly rather than sweep through the North with Jayden.

…Wait a minute.

“Does that mean you faced off against Lucas…?”

“Haha.”

The Sword Saint just smiled brightly at my question.

“How on earth did you survive…?”

Whack!

Before I could finish my next question, I received a light smack to the forehead. I don’t know why the sound was bang! instead of whack!, but there you go.

“Indeed, he’s quite the formidable one.”

As I held my forehead with both hands and finally looked up at the Sword Saint, he said, lifting one corner of his lips.

“He seemed to be stronger than me in my prime. But considering that his ‘goal’ differs from mine, naturally what he could do was different.”

“A goal, you say?”

“My goal was to find that relic and then find you, while his was simply to strike me. Do you think someone who can’t differentiate between the task they were given and their desires could achieve their goals?”

Uhh… Hearing a guy who didn’t want to live as a soldier saying this feels a little out of place.

“My goal is to witness that fight with the Goddess directly. But losing to a kid who might be a bit stronger than me would mean I’d miss out on that interesting spectacle. It’d be much more poetic to save that fight for the very end, right?”

“……”

At his words, I lost my ability to respond.

“However, while it’s great to have obtained this from facing Lucas, does that mean you directly came to this estate after that…?”

“That’s right.”

I lifted my hands again, holding my head in disbelief.

This was the first event I experienced after getting up.

*

The events related to Jake and Roti flowed similarly here. However, the backdrop was much more urgent, making it rather easy to persuade Duke Lindbergh.

“We might lose our colonies in this war.”

The Duke, who had been somewhat formal when I was a Crown Princess, now spoke comfortably in front of me.

That didn’t mean he treated me like dirt. More like he looked at me as a potential young noble lady with possibilities.

“While it sounds good to use the colonists as shields, there’s a high risk that they’ll become a burden after the war. No matter who they are, they won’t work without compensation. Right now, they’re working to survive, but teaching them how to kill people with weapons is an entirely different story.”

“And it’s also a ploy by the Emperor, who will have relatively diminished power after the war.”

I lied smoothly, without even moistening my lips.

“Losing colonies might sting, but considering the future, it’s a possibility. If we make Duke Lindbergh the villain leading the pillaging and then present the imperial family as bringing a future to the colonies, we might ‘relatively’ reduce friction.”

“And if we treat the colonists who went to battle as heroes too. Do you not care much for your nation’s lineage, Your Highness?”

It’s funny how one can speak with such a strong air of rebellion while still using formal titles like ‘Your Highness.’

“Just because you care doesn’t guarantee victory.”

At my words, Duke Lindbergh stared at me blankly.

“Then, wouldn’t it be wise to allow the relationship between the young lord and Roti?”

The relationship between the two would serve as a minimal barrier against upcoming events.

Of course, it wasn’t perfect. Roti could still end up treated like a ‘traitor.’

But Duke Lindbergh still didn’t seem to be completely onboard. When I, who used to be a ‘Crown Princess,’ declared that my close aide was receiving knighthood, it would feel more like a ‘smart young noble’s share of conjectures’ rather than something solid.

Nothing would feel ‘certain.’

So, I should probably have some insurance around here too. Something ‘certain.’

“Duke, do you perhaps have any questions about the Dreadnought?”

I lowered my voice slightly and spoke to Duke Lindbergh.

Yes.

Betrayals have to be executed in layers so that the target doesn’t catch a whiff.

This was the second event I encountered within this series of incidents.

*

And—

“Are you telling me to give up the battleship?”

I said exactly the same thing to the Emperor.

“If the plans of His Majesty are set in place after the war.”

I took a step forward and spoke to the Emperor.

“Whether the battleship exists or not, this world will flow according to His Majesty’s will. If those who sought to harm His Majesty fall for my tricks and collapse, wouldn’t His final plans be implemented more smoothly?”

“……”

As I looked up at the Emperor with eyes full of admiration, he observed me silently for a while.

In front of me, there was a beautifully wrapped piece of the relic made of fine silk.

Alice and Claire weren’t by my side.

Yes.

Betrayals need to be conducted in layers so the target remains oblivious.

And the timing of detonating all of that is important too.

This was the third event in my busy life.

Chapter 269

At this point, the Emperor is starting to suspect my true identity.

Even if what I said is ‘really’ true, meaning I’m truly the child of the Emperor and a fallen noblewoman, I still have a lot of information I shouldn’t know.

Of course, the Emperor doesn’t know all my information yet. Putting aside the fact that I can turn back time, the knowledge I have about the ship’s inner workings and having thoroughly explored the Imperial Palace are things he could never know.

But still…

The Emperor wouldn’t have been chatting about national secrets with a woman he’s merely letting sleep for now.

Moreover, while the Grace family has traditionally been aligned with the Emperor, they aren’t one to actively meddle in politics. They’re a family that can provide strength when it comes to defending the Imperial Capital, but they’re not a family that could be of any help in the Emperor’s political battles.

Here I am, just a lady raised in the Grace Baron’s estate, knowing not only the Emperor’s ultimate goal but also claiming to help resolve it—

“…I’m curious about your true identity.”

—So, it wouldn’t be weird for him to say something like that.

Count Crowfield and Duke Lindbergh could brush it off. They know how to gather information in aristocratic circles, living life understanding that they might not know what I know or vice versa. Being a baron’s daughter close to the royal family, it’s reasonable to think I’d have at least that much information.

And they’d probably cross-reference that information in their own way. It wouldn’t be easy, but they’re not the kind to throw their lives away simply based on my words… Right? Looking at Count Crowfield’s face back then, he did look like someone who’d ruin his life for one woman.

Well, anyway.

I wasn’t particularly worried about those two. In fact, I wouldn’t care if their operation failed. They wouldn’t bat an eye even if a couple of their subordinates died because of their orders.

The ship explodes in the sky. It doesn’t matter who succeeded or how that happened inside. Regardless, seeing that spectacle, they’ll each think they succeeded in their own way.

What’s important is that the ship actually falls.

The position of the Dreadnought is extremely symbolic in the Empire. Even the Emperor himself might forget for just a moment how insignificant the ship’s location is to his plans.

“Your Majesty, you wouldn’t remember my mother.”

“……”

I spoke carefully, trying my best to avoid any trace of resentment in my voice. Honestly, I wasn’t really feeling resentful, so it wasn’t too hard.

“I remember my mother. My mother…”

I chose my words carefully.

“She was not an ordinary person. While she craved your love, she sometimes showed hatred towards you. And, for just a fleeting moment—”

And then I brought up that word.

“She said that the order of the world was in utter chaos.”

I lifted my gaze and met the Emperor’s eyes.

He was silently watching me.

Lucas and Bella, who were in the room, looked bewildered. Some sort of signal had passed between the Emperor and me, but they probably didn’t know what exactly it was. After all, it was information only one who possessed all knowledge could understand.

“If that’s the case, why are you helping me?”

“I don’t want to live just according to my mother’s will. Your Majesty, do you know what kind of life I’ve lived until now?”

“I only know what is generally known.”

“But no one can look into my mind.”

“In your mind, huh.”

“That’s right. I’m bound by some curse. A curse inherited from my ‘mother.’ An obsession with something I must do. I feel more and more that it eats away at my freedom as time passes.”

“……”

“Because of my words, you might distrust me. Since half of my blood is from that mother. However, at the same time, half of my blood is Fanggriffon blood.”

At my words, the Emperor gazed at me as if trying to gauge me.

I quietly looked up at the Emperor from the floor.

“My half of freedom has led me here.”

I pushed the document in front of me back toward the Emperor.

“Please free me from this curse at the last moment. That is my genuine desire.”

“……”

Those who understood my story and those who didn’t all looked down at me in silence.

“At the last moment, when Your Majesty gains all power, it would be convenient for you to distinguish between those who oppose you and those who don’t. That’s what I meant regarding the ship. There’s already a part I’ve set in motion. If you could create that ‘symbolic scene,’ it would help the new order you create, I thought with my humble mind.”

I ended my speech with my head lowered again.

After I finished speaking, the Emperor remained silent for a while.

I noticed his foot slightly moving as he sat down, looking down at me.

Thud, thud. I heard the Emperor’s footsteps. As he slowly approached me, bending slightly, his hand appeared above my view.

The Emperor picked up the document placed in front of me.

“I understand that wind.”

And another hand rested on my shoulder.

“You are truly my daughter, aren’t you?”

No, I’m not.

Of course, I couldn’t say such a thing out loud.

…Thank goodness the Emperor doesn’t resemble Alice.

If Alice had seen my current expression, she would have asked, “Are you happy?”

*

What I heard was a deafening roar.

Or should I say an explosion?

It was a massive explosion visible enough to see the shockwave spreading in all directions from the sky.

How many people died inside there—I decided not to think about such things.

From the moment I rejected the goddess’s proposal, I lost any right to speak about the deaths of those who are unhappily dying in this land.

How many would agree with what the goddess said? I don’t know, but surely many more than I’d ever imagined would have consented.

But let me emphasize, I wanted a happy ending in which all the heroines survived, and I too, was alive in the full meaning of it.

And among those survivors, I did not include people I don’t even know.

“What the… how…?”

Alice beside me mumbled in shock. Claire couldn’t continue her sentence either.

It wasn’t just the two of them.

Even Charlotte, who stood opposed to us, looked the same.

Opposed or not.

The war had broken out. The Empire invaded the autonomous regions and Velbur. The imperial navy was carving through the sea, advancing towards the Iberia Kingdom, while countless other nations were suffering blows both large and small.

It wasn’t a war to win but rather a war for just one small goal within it.

The symbol of the imperial military’s power caused a tremendous explosion in the sky, enough to draw the attention of all the armies on the battlefield.

Even the armies of the Papal State, which likely lay below Lutetia.

By now, the Emperor and the children must be sifting through that underground. In a world without the mask girl, there’s nothing other than the treasures they’ve hoarded.

“At least that means the Lutetia Palace will be safe, right?”

I spoke in a calm voice.

The ship was still in the process of crashing. Even after all the helium inside had leaked out, the remains of that enormous mass, thanks to the plentiful use of Marmaros and magical stones, were bizarrely falling slowly from the sky.

The biplanes guarding beside me were the same. With the canvas wings catching fire and the wooden bodies ablaze, those countless aircraft that were gliding down looked almost artistic.

…Once this world has been successfully destroyed, those sacrifices will simply become non-existent.

I looked down from the sky at Charlotte.

“What does this mean…?”

In a situation where she still couldn’t understand anything, I stepped forward a little.

“I didn’t want to see a friend’s house get destroyed and their family die, even in this situation.”

It’s contradictory. Saying I’d rather see people I don’t even know die and this world disappear is entirely different.

But that’s just who I am. I’ve been changing my words diligently online, lying hard to make others on my side.

From the beginning, I wasn’t someone who would save the world or anything.

The goddess picked the wrong person, that’s for sure.

As I walked towards Charlotte, I held my empty arms wide open.

“If you want to stab me, go ahead. I will never harm you.”

“……”

I could see the venom in Charlotte’s eyes fading away with my words.

Yeah, that’s all I needed.

Chapter 270

The fall of the battleship turned out to be quite a significant help.

With the artillery support of the battleship, the Imperial Army’s advance had slowed due to the absence of the greatest firepower. Naturally, only Emperor Arthur III, his companions, and the Imperial Order of Knights who supported them directly entered Lutetia.

Thanks to this, most of the Velbur forces were engaged not in urban combat but in the defense of Lutetia. While there were bombs falling in the city, it didn’t turn into a total wreck like in the games.

And here was one point in favor: it was easy for the elite forces centered around the Emperor to slip towards the Papal State.

Since the Papal State had most of its military power hidden under Lutetia, they couldn’t properly stop the gathering of monsters led by the Emperor and his companions. As I remembered, the Emperor easily infiltrated the Papal State.

Well, during that process, there were some who died after seizing a train and a car… But, you know.

“Do you plan to use me as a hostage or something?”

“Let me remind you again, I have no intention of killing or harming you.”

Honestly, I wondered if it was Charlotte who couldn’t screw up and just let me go.

No, more importantly, it was Charlotte who followed us.

The group gathered here wasn’t large. Rena ultimately didn’t come out of her country to the Empire, and Jake and Roti built a friendship with me but prioritized defending their own territory.

Mia was protecting the Crowfield territory.

I haven’t even seen Sophia. Carolyn wasn’t a soldier, so she stayed at the academy, and Jennifer seemed to be heading to the battlefield, but I didn’t know exactly where she was.

Honestly, I felt uneasy. Even if one of them died, I wouldn’t even know that they had died.

I had kept moving forward, certain that this was a fantasy created by the Goddess, and even now, with countless sacrifices happening, I was worried that because of that slim chance, I wouldn’t be able to reach a ‘happy ending.’ If this world isn’t a fantasy and I’m being duped by the Goddess in double layers—

—No, it’s okay.

If that’s the case, I’ll just rewind time over and over again.

And the fewer people here with me in this world, the better. Because the Goddess seems to want to get rid of me. Until now, I’ve mitigated that threat by sticking close to beings stronger than me, but this is a battlefield, isn’t it?

With the battleship’s explosion, the likelihood of artillery fire above me had decreased. At the same time, since planes were dropping all over the place, the threats were lowered, but still, I felt uneasy.

“…”

In the end, the only ‘party’ here, who was silent amongst us, was Leo.

Me, Leo, Alice, Claire, Charlotte.

There were only five of us gathered like this.

“It would be much safer to return to the palace of Lutetia. I won’t insist on holding you back.”

“…”

As I said calmly, Charlotte shot me a glare. But her expression was one as if she didn’t know what to respond with.

Surely, she must have some lingering feelings buried beneath her consciousness.

In the end, Charlotte, who was trying to find some excuse, chose to keep her mouth shut and follow us.

The road we were traveling via carriage was so peaceful that it was hard to imagine we were in a nation at war. Well, it made sense since the means to fire artillery at this point had already fallen.

The monitor ship had headed to other countries. The firepower a single battleship could produce was about eight times that of a monitor ship. From the moment the battleship set its course to Lutetia, other artillery support was almost unnecessary.

We hadn’t targeted this area deliberately, but still, it was a relief.

Clatter, clatter, after a while of running, the carriage came to a stop.

The distance from Lutetia to the Papal State wasn’t that far. But that didn’t mean a carriage was faster than a train. We had indeed been on the road for quite a while.

Because the train had been hijacked, checkpoints were tightly packed around the nearby train tracks, which made it much more cumbersome.

Who would guess it would take two days to get here?

On the way, we found a family that had fled and stayed freely. The food was the bland, tasteless combat rations we brought. Even Charlotte, who would usually be horrified by bad food, silently stuffed her mouth with what we handed over.

“…There’s probably a reason we came this far, right?”

As Charlotte got off the carriage, she said that.

Typically, border-front villages have a certain scale, but the place we arrived at was devoid of such towns. It was merely a narrow pathway connecting everything.

Although it didn’t mean the Papal State, which had developed compactly in this narrow land, wasn’t visible.

“That is correct.”

The ‘machines’ hadn’t activated yet. Well, it still lacked ‘parts.’

I stared at the spire of the cathedral in the distance for a while and then took a deep breath.

“Let’s go.”

And I said that in one breath.

*

Round and round, and ultimately here.

“Hah, hah…”

There were still those who hadn’t fallen yet.

Was it because the Emperor couldn’t use the power after completing his declaration, or perhaps this Emperor thought a bit differently? Maybe it was because he conserved some energy after hitting the underground of Lutetia before coming here.

After all, there was a gryphon there. Though it wasn’t a being that could exert full power, since I had warned ahead about who would control that gryphon, there seemed to have been no major damage.

Among the knights who hadn’t fallen were faces I recognized.

“Sophia.”

A voice came from behind. Charlotte’s gaze turned around with surprise.

That much was understandable. Sophia’s skills were undeniably impressive, but she was hardly a knight known throughout the world.

No, to be more precise, the knights of the Papal State are unlikely to be known globally. They operate while trying to keep their faces hidden as much as possible.

Claire’s words surprised Sophia for a moment, but soon she regained her posture.

Not just Sophia, but Verati was here too. Both were injured here and there, but still standing. There were a few more knights like that, but they likely wouldn’t last much longer.

“I’m a little late. Did you meet a friend?”

With a fatherly voice as if waiting for his daughter back home, the Emperor spoke to me.

I walked silently towards him.

I could hear a gasp from behind me.

Claire and Alice would trust me. But what about Charlotte?

Unfortunately, there was no longer a way to persuade Charlotte.

“Father.”

I slowly approached the Emperor and spoke.

“Yes, my daughter.”

“…”

Step by step, as I climbed—

I raised my hand.

Bang!

Once, someone had crafted reinforced armor, so hiding a gun under a slightly loose sleeve was doable.

Slash!

My arm got severed. Not just cut by a sword, but literally chopped off and fell down.

The one to move first was Lucas.

Good.

*

However, before I rewound time again, I found myself back in my original state.

Turning my gaze back, Claire looked at me with wide eyes, surprised.

It seemed Claire was the one who rewound time.

Well, I somewhat anticipated it. Just as I hoped the protagonist and heroines from the original story wouldn’t die, Claire must have hoped the same for me.

And thanks to that, I could be certain of one thing.

Even if I were to get my head chopped off in one shot, as long as Claire was here, I could keep trying again and again.

I smiled at Claire, then turned my head back to move forward.

Again and again, and again.

*

“Cough, hehehe…”

It was the first time I heard the Emperor laugh like this.

How defeated he must have felt.

If a plan he had prepared his whole life was really already meant to fail.

I looked towards Lucas. Sitting on the ground bleeding, he looked up at me with an expression of incomprehension.

After all, it must be hard for someone with no discernible talents to comprehend how someone like him could shoot me with a wretched ability.

But no matter how incompetent a criminal, repeating something countless times can lead to a successful outcome.

The sound of swords clashing rang out.

“Hm, has the situation already reached its conclusion?”

“You don’t need to be too disheartened. You’ll see the spectacle you’ve been waiting for shortly.”

Responding to the words of the Sword Saint, who had entered the cathedral a bit late, that’s what I said.

Leo had been staring at me with wide eyes, not saying a word until now, and Claire and Alice were also readying their swords alongside Charlotte, yet remained immobilized.

Especially, Claire’s breathing was rough… I feel sorry for putting her in this situation.

Even if Bella swung her sword, stopping the situation was impossible since the Sword Saint had already arrived.

“May I ask one thing?”

Amidst everyone lost in thought, the Emperor opened his mouth.

“What are you? What on earth are you?”

“…”

I glanced down at the Emperor, pondered for a moment, then opened my mouth.

“At least, I am not the Goddess. I have no intention of becoming that.”

“I see.”

At my words, the Emperor only shrugged his shoulders and chuckled again.

Chapter 271

I slowly moved my steps toward the stairs. tap-tap-tap

Everyone looking at me froze. I didn’t think it was some physical or divine power at play.

There were far fewer of us. gulp

After all, there were knights who followed the Emperor. In fact, I had no assurance that I could win if I fought those knights right now.

The reason I managed to defeat countless knights of the Papal State before was because I had all sorts of weapons and bullets, plus my reinforced armor applied with the kind of over-technology that didn’t even exist in the reality I came from.

What I had in my hands now was just an empty small self-defense pistol. I had packed spare bullets, but I hadn’t bothered to reload.

The Emperor fell from being shot. Lucas fell from being shot. No one could understand how an ordinary teenage girl pulled off such results.

The Sword Saint was on my side, watching us with keen interest. But despite his slightly relaxed demeanor, everyone here knew that if someone tried to harm me, he would move in an instant.

Bella and Damien were frozen, looking at me.

I hadn’t specifically aimed for this… but, oh well, it didn’t matter.

Since I could shoot down Lucas, my allies should be able to do the same with Bella or Damien.

“What is it that you want?”

The Emperor asked, bleeding from his chest, clearly curious about it.

“A happy ending.”

I answered.

“By the power of the Goddess?”

“No.”

The reason I ended up in this place was thanks to the Goddess. Should I be grateful for that? Honestly, I still couldn’t definitively answer.

I met characters I liked, went on an adventure I longed for, and even built my own character traits as best I could. I had become close enough to those characters to gamble our lives on one another. And all of that was what the Goddess desired of me.

But at the same time, I lost my life. In this world, no one knows who I “really” am. There’s only Sylvia, Sylvia Black, Sylvia Fanggriffon, Sylvia Grace’s Estate. The character I built, the image of me I created.

That was a bit regrettable. It’s not that I was dissatisfied with life, but I still tried desperately to get by, pouring time into the things I loved.

It’s not a splendid story about encountering a happy ending and going back to meet my loving family. I had long given up on such a thing. I didn’t even know what had happened to the me from the world I lived in.

The Goddess’s power was useful. Thanks to that power, I was able to protect my friends— or is that too arrogant to say?

It was just that because I had that power, I could stand by my friends. Yes, that feels like the right thing to say.

But if that power were to place my hard-gathered friends in peril, then I wouldn’t need such power.

“It’s the greatest danger, so it must be eliminated with certainty.”

I said that and approached the machinery.

Up until now, I didn’t feel ‘like I should.’ In this moment, I was moving solely with my own strength.

“Order, chaos, none of that matters. I just want to live in the world I desire.”

As I muttered that in front of the machinery, the Emperor let out a laugh that sounded like the wind telling tales.

“Now that sounds like something a Fanggriffon would say.”

I didn’t respond at all.

“Claire.”

When I called her, Claire’s shoulders trembled.

Seeing Claire look up at me with trembling eyes made me feel guilty.

I made her see something distressing. Something that had repeated countless times.

Did I spend more time turning back, or did Claire spend more time?

Well, I suppose I won’t need to count that going forward.

“Sister.”

Claire, who had approached me in no time, spoke.

“How many times have you lived like this…?”

“Once.”

That much I could answer.

I have lived once. I’ve only gone through many experiences in that one life.

“What… what’s happening? What’s going on in this situation?”

Charlotte, who had been blankly standing until now, rushed to ask.

Even though just Claire and I were standing in front of the motionless machine, they must have sensed that we were going to do something.

“No need to worry. You’ll figure it all out soon.”

I looked at Claire.

“Alright. Then we just have to do what we did before, once more.”

Ah, but…

“‘Again’ might be a bit misleading. I’m not trying to ‘turn back time.’”

I reached out to the device.

Just reaching out didn’t activate the device.

But when Claire reached out—

A gentle, blue light reflected.

“If we go back, I really plan to ask you one thing at a time, Sister.”

“I’ll answer you.”

When I nodded, Claire lowered her head. Her shoulders were shaking a bit, so I placed my hand on her shoulder.

Really, I had come back a long way.

“Then, I’ll be waiting.”

The Sword Saint spoke in a leisurely voice.

“I hope to hear a proper explanation, Sister.”

Leo, who had maintained silence, opened his mouth. It was the angriest voice I’d heard from him so far.

He must not just be unaware of the situation. After all, Leo was a complete dope in the original.

If I were to guess, he was likely angry because his friends had put themselves in danger without him knowing. Plus, I was currently Leo’s ‘sister.’

In an instant, Claire let out a little laugh. It was a clear sound of amusement. I understood. To be honest, I nearly laughed too.

“…I hope you don’t regret saying that.”

“…Huh?”

It was a long-lost casual tone. Surprised, Leo asked with a blank look on his face, but I didn’t bother to answer.

“I have much I want to say, but anyway, we have enough time.”

Alice said that. I smiled at Alice like that. In an instant, her face turned blank too. The only one not flustered was Claire, who remembered my childhood smiles.

“Alright, then what should I say?”

“Let’s continue, how about?”

Claire asked.

“Continue?”

To be honest, ‘Again!’ didn’t sound like that impressive a line, and ‘Continue’ felt even stranger. It was like something that would be tagged onto the end of an anime episode. “To be continued…” or something like that.

“Yeah, so ‘continue.’ You said it’ll be a happy ending, but there’s no way this story ends here.”

Maybe so.

I kept thinking about games when I thought of ‘endings,’ but that’s definitely true.

We were now crossing the threshold of fifteen and sixteen. I may have had a previous life, and I hadn’t completely lived fifteen years in this world, but still, there would surely be more stories to come after this.

With or without the Goddess’ power.

“Alright then, let’s do that.”

So, in the sense of expecting some kind of comforting resolution, it was quite a fitting phrase.

As I agreed, Claire smiled brightly. Though her face still lacked color, and her eyes were teary.

Still, we hadn’t sustained any major injuries coming this far.

That’s enough, right?

“Then let’s all shout three together.”

“Alright.”

The two of us looked at each other and counted to three.

And—

“Continue!”

Hmm, but honestly, saying it out loud made it—

BOOM

—no longer a problem.

“……Ah.”

The silence-filled space suddenly burst with noise. It was as if we had jumped into the middle of some incident.

To be precise, we were the only ones who had gone back.

Even if everyone there was real, if they weren’t beings directly influenced by the story, it made sense that, like most people in that world, they wouldn’t have proper memories. Kinda like the fake Alice was affecting Alice, or Claire having a strong affinity with the narrative.

But then—

“Huh?”

The first one to utter such a sound was Mia.

From her expression, which displayed something was off, it seemed she had ‘realized something.’

Did she have an affinity for magic and catch on to that strange difference—

While I was thinking that, I realized one thing.

“Sister!”

Claire screamed. I also heard Alice calling “Sylvia!” from over there.

My vision began to shift sideways.

Ah, right, I remembered.

With the standards of my body, I’d come back far enough to not instantly recollect.

I had a hole in my stomach, oh right.

It seemed I was slowly reaching my limit.

Claire hurriedly caught me and laid me on the ground. The sounds of fighting grew fiercer, and as my consciousness began to fade—

CRASH, I heard something breaking.

And the sound of shattering glass.

It didn’t seem like something had burst through the wall or door. The noise was coming from above.

Chapter 272

In a world that’s obviously pure fantasy, there’s something I keep forgetting even after living here for several years.

I’ve gotten used to the existence of magic, so it’s not a big deal anymore. At least, I’m confident that I won’t be shocked if someone conjures a fireball right in front of me. To be honest, nowadays, I find the hand movements of street performers way more impressive than things like fireballs or ice spears.

But the reason magic doesn’t seem so extraordinary to me is that the ones wielding it are just people.

Anyway, since magic exists in this world, it’s obvious that it’s humans who use it—just like how it was humans who created and used semiconductors and internal combustion engines in the world I came from.

But here’s the thing.

In this world, even beasts use magic.

That’s right. I’m not talking about some divine beast or anything significant; I’m just referring to the common animals you see on the street. It means that even the huge rats scuttling through the city’s filth or wolves sprinting across the fields can use magic.

I have no idea how it works. I thought this world followed a system similar to the original, but it seems the Goddess’s preparations had nothing to do with the world itself—only the devices I could use.

Humans need to memorize spells and swing wands to use magic, but the beasts don’t need any of that. When you see a bear breathing fire or an elephant swinging a giant ice hammer, it’s beyond comprehension. And I don’t mean in a good way; it’s hilarious in the literal sense.

Then there are gryphons that know healing magic.

“Phewyooon!”

Honestly, if a gryphon that can only make that sound were to use healing magic that requires Mia to concentrate, it would just be infuriating from a human’s point of view.

And honestly, calling a gryphon a beast seems a bit off. It’s more like an incredibly powerful monster that only exists in people’s imaginations.

That being said, a gryphon burst into the cathedral through a window, crashing and shattering glass everywhere.

It looked far more majestic than when I last saw it. Even right after healing, its dirty feathers weren’t completely clean, but somehow, it looked as if it had been grooming itself for days, its white and brown feathers shimmering with luster.

And most strikingly, those wings spread wide.

Honestly, just looking at the size of its wings made me think, “Is it even physically possible for an animal looking like that to fly with wings that huge?” The wings were enormous, reminiscent of those eagles you see on documentaries, though calling them similar might be a stretch because of their sheer size.

Even more surprising, the gryphon didn’t even bother flapping its wings. Its posture was effortlessly natural, but the way it glided down while just flaring its feathers didn’t look “physical” at all.

A similar white light poured out from its feathers.

As the gryphon slowly descended closer towards me, the warm sensation from its belly grew stronger.

No way, really?

Looking at it now, I totally get why the gryphon is considered such a troublesome being. If it can use magic on top of already having such physical capabilities…

How did the people of the Papal State even manage to catch a gryphon? Did they just find a newborn one or something?

The gryphon, which brought an eerie silence around it just by being there, landed right on top of me. Not that it flattened me or anything. To be precise, it stood right in front of me at a height that allowed me to meet its gaze.

That’s right. Without bending its neck, the gryphon looked down at me.

I heard a sniffing sound. Not being able to see its expression since it has a beak instead of lips, the only thought that came to mind was…

That little punk is smirking at me.

But if I dared to say anything, I felt like I would get my waist sliced in two by its claws, so I bit my tongue.

The gryphon then raised its right foot.

And skillfully hooked its claws under my side.

“Ugh!”

Then it flipped me over.

Wait a second. If you’re going to help me up, then just help me up instead of making me wait until I’m standing on my own.

I thought the gryphon might flip me again if I didn’t get up immediately, so I hurriedly stood from the ground.

And I looked up at the gryphon again.

The gryphon looked down at me with an expression that said, “Me? This guy?” as it slowly bent its head down like before.

“……”

I could hear the sound of breaths being held around us.

What’s happening here? Is it trying to raise my spirits or something? Or is this just how gryphons communicate in their culture?

Since there was no chance of conversing with a beast, reading its intentions relied solely on body language. Honestly, I didn’t want to learn any gryphon language anyway.

So just like last time, I grabbed the ends of my skirt with both hands and slowly bent my waist.

For a while, we both bowed our heads towards each other, then raised them simultaneously.

I turned around.

Well, honestly, when I noticed the hole in my gut, I was unsure of what to do.

I hadn’t confirmed it yet, but it was right after the Goddess’s power got blown away entirely. Just seeing how the world has returned to “normal” shows that much. I have no idea when the Goddess might return, but up to now, it seems unlikely that will happen in my remaining lifetime. Even if she starts planning things from scratch, it might take hundreds of years.

“Fanggriffon…”

I heard someone mutter that.

Right. Fanggriffon.

Here, I’m considered a Fanggriffon too, even though there’s not a drop of blood mixed in.

“Haha!”

Startled by an unexpected laugh, I turned my head to see Lucas grinning. He didn’t seem particularly insane; he just looked genuinely amused.

“Is that so?”

The Emperor Arthur Fanggriffon’s voice was neutral as he spoke. It felt almost like a father asking his son who just got back from school, “What happened today?”

“Hmm? Of course, it’s because of that, my Emperor.”

Finally stopping his laughter, Lucas replied while still clutching his side with one hand.

“The reason you brought Sylvia to me is obviously tied to you stealing the Goddess’s power and working hard to step on the world, right?”

Lucas said it with a refreshing expression that someone who has completely let go of everything would have.

“It’s just that it seemed like it would be more interesting.”

That was a reason truly befitting Lucas.

And thus, it sounded like something a son of Arthur Fanggriffon would say.

“……I see.”

The Emperor answered with a smile tugging at his lips.

If he had said from the beginning to his children, “You are truly my offspring,”

If he hadn’t tossed them into strange places to choose abilities,

If he hadn’t made his children live woefully deficient lives,

The story might have been different. No, perhaps it might not have even begun.

But the Emperor couldn’t even give enough love to Alice, the daughter he claimed as his own. He loved his children in his own peculiar way, but that love was just as vital as it was useless.

Well, it doesn’t matter to dwell on it now. Either way, from this point onward, there won’t be a second chance.

But honestly, with a badass gryphon like this at my side, why would I care about rewinding time?

“Phewyooon!”

As I pondered this, an abrupt loud noise from above startled me. I glanced up at the gryphon, which was looking down at me with an expression that seemed to hold a lot to say.

…Did it read my mind or something? I thought such magic didn’t exist.

Probably not, right?

Looking into those golden eyes makes me a little less sure.

Still, it seems like it won’t abandon me, so I readied myself again. I had tossed aside everything, weapons and all, but I could still see some objects lying around.

If necessary, I could just pick something up—

“AAAH!”

—Before I could figure out what to grab, my feet left the ground.

W-wait a second.

Feeling a heaviness on the back of my neck, it seems the gryphon is lifting me up by my collar—

And then I was suddenly soaring into the air.

Without even a chance to scream, I was launched upwards and landed with a thump onto the gryphon’s broad back.

“……”

Well, if you’re going to carry me, couldn’t you do it a bit more gently?

I was wearing a dress, for crying out loud.

No, more importantly, I hope you don’t just take off flying without a saddle on your back.

I flattened myself on the gryphon’s back, trying to hold on.

“Phewyooon!”

This time, as if instinctively knowing my thoughts, the gryphon lifted into the sky, completely ignoring my will.

Chapter 273

I’ve never thought about being afraid of flying.

I had ridden a plane in my previous life, and even after coming here, I had no aversion to riding an airship. If I had to stand in a place as high as a building rooftop without any safety measures, my legs would definitely shake, but generally speaking, a “plane” or “airship” is a vehicle designed to transport people safely.

So, there’s no need to suddenly worry that I might drop down to the ground while inside. Unless, of course, something catastrophic happens that causes the vehicle itself to fall.

Planes have large wings and fly in one direction, making them relatively stable, and airships hover in the air, so unless there’s extreme weather, they don’t shake excessively.

But the Gryphon… the thing with the Gryphon is different.

That’s right. The wings of the Gryphon are attached to its ‘back.’ And I’m sitting right on that ‘back.’

Every time the Gryphon flaps its wings to stay airborne, my body swayed up and down accordingly. Not to mention, the Gryphon didn’t just leave the area between my shoulders and its back alone. Every time I heard a flapping sound, my eyes bobbed up and down. I can’t say for sure, but I’m sure the height of my seating position is substantial.

Fwyoooon!

Normally, it would look majestic, like it was poised with its front paws lifted in the air, but to me, it was just a terrifying position where I might roll off backward.

Also, is there really a need to strike such a pose while floating in mid-air?

And a moment ago, when coming down from above, it completely disregarded the laws of physics and didn’t move its wings an inch. Why is it flapping its wings like this now?

Of course, it seems the knights below can’t see my expression very well, as they all had their mouths agape while looking up at me.

Even if I looked like ‘the one who controls the Gryphon,’ they wouldn’t suddenly drop to their knees. After all, that kind of story only comes from myths. There isn’t even a tale in legends that says, “In distant future, the true Fanggriffon will appear leading the Gryphons.”

In this world, power follows the law. So, even if the situation is a bit odd, the knights are still serving under the Emperor for now.

Once more, an ear-piercing eagle cry echoed, and the Gryphon tilted its head down, descending.

I clenched my teeth. To be honest, I wanted to praise myself for not screaming. It was obvious now that there would be no turning back, so it would be better to avoid such mistakes.

Thud, thud, sounded something colliding. I even heard someone bravely shout something like a battle cry followed by a thunk.

The Gryphon didn’t even bother swinging its claws. Just by flying low and sweeping the ground below, knights were falling off.

Charlotte, who took a bit of a scrape, was really something else.

In that situation, discovering something falling overhead was pure luck.

Maybe it was because the Gryphon cleared the area below and landed, giving me a little clarity. A rifle dropped towards my face.

I hastily caught the rifle. In a reflex, I checked and found bullets inside.

With squinting eyes, I looked at the Gryphon.

The Gryphon, having slightly turned its head towards me, had an expression that seemed to say, “Heh,” which kind of pissed me off.

…Right, just don’t sit back there and slurp honey or something, will ya?

The space, once filled with silence, started to swell again with the sounds of clashing blades. Even with the Gryphon’s appearance, the battle was far from over. The Emperor was still standing firm, and Lucas had yet to be knocked down. Though, if he fought the Sword Saint one-on-one, Lucas might actually have a greater chance of winning, so I should commend the Sword Saint.

I tightened my grip on the rifle with both hands.

And I pressed my legs together with all my strength.

Without a saddle or anything, my legs honestly hurt. The Gryphon’s feathers looked incredibly soft at a glance, but upon touching them, they were stiff enough to hurt.

So, it would be better to finish this battle as soon as possible.

Once again, letting out a majestic cry reminiscent of a fierce bird of prey from a Western movie, the Gryphon took to the skies.

*

It was truly a scene fit for a painting.

Sitting behind the Gryphon, Sylvia couldn’t possibly look like a Fanggriffon. Though there’s no proper record of the Fanggriffon’s gender, it was generally depicted as male in illustrations.

And it certainly wouldn’t be portrayed in a haphazard manner like the tales. Ignoring the saying, “Born in chaos with a misshapen body,” the images of the Fanggriffon depicted in art showed a proud, muscular white figure.

So it didn’t match the myths or the paintings. Not that it should.

The Gryphon raised its front paw while casting a spell, and light shone down along its wings.

Sylvia, expressionless, was reloading her rifle while perched on the Gryphon’s back.

Seeing that sight, it would be no wonder if one thought of the term ‘Fanggriffon.’

Ha.

Alice couldn’t help but smirk at that moment.

Her head was still overflowing just trying to keep up with the situation.

It wasn’t because Sylvia had seen things that she hadn’t.

Starting from that moment when Claire and Sylvia activated the device together, an overwhelming amount of information had flooded her mind.

It was like memories of “something she seemed to have experienced before” suddenly surged forth.

Similar situations, indeed… but somehow unmistakably different ones kept pouring into her head, just like forgotten facts suddenly springing back to life.

Clearly, the same moment and same place, yet eerily different memories.

And within those memories, Sylvia’s face was included.

Alice hurriedly scanned her surroundings. For just a moment, it felt like the familiar faces of those who knew Sylvia had paused, too. If it weren’t for the Gryphon distracting the foes, something significant would’ve happened.

“…….”

Claire, who locked eyes with Alice, nodded slightly.

And Alice understood.

Ah, I see now.

This memory is—

…….

Got it.

Alice clenched her sword firmly with both hands. Finally gathering herself up, she swung at the knight charging towards her.

The knight, who didn’t seem like a novice, raised his sword to block Alice’s strike.

And with that sight, Alice shook off her distractions.

Alright. For now, let’s focus on what’s happening right in front of me.

There’s a lot I want to ask, but that can wait until after this is all over.

I’m also a bit curious about how that happy ending is going to pan out.

Alice thought as she dashed forward.

*

Okay, the skills are starting to kick in.

Maybe a lifetime of shooting has its effect, surprisingly enough, the shots fired from the Gryphon were hitting just fine. In fact, the more I shot, the better the hit rate seemed to increase.

How the Gryphon managed to gather the spent bullets every time I shot them, I had no idea, but it flung bags and ammo belts filled with bullets my way.

…To be honest, I couldn’t help but think, shouldn’t you just go rampaging on your own? But for now, I decided to hold my tongue. It seemed the Gryphon was enjoying this situation in its way.

Could it be that it couldn’t distinguish between Papal State and Empire people? Is it just differentiating between ‘the one who saved me’ and ‘the rest’ and simply running wild?

Well, thinking back to its expression when looking at me, it didn’t seem entirely like that, but still…

Fwyoooon!

Maybe after being cooped up for so long, it was just thrilled to finally be able to run wild. The fact that this resulted in people dying was a tad frightening, though.

Swinging its claws, stirring up winds with its wings. Even from close range, ice spears and fireballs would form and fly off in all directions.

When I saw how tedious it was not to have all kinds of statuses in turn-based games, I might have thought it to be bothersome. But in the current non-turn-based scenario, it was terrifyingly overwhelming.

But even so…

“Sylvia!”

The Gryphon wasn’t invincible.

Because in the ‘original,’ it had been possible to bring it down.

Far off, a blade of energy came flying from a direction the Gryphon didn’t seem to notice.

The Gryphon hastily lifted one wing.

Psschh! Blood sprayed from my face. From the right wing that raised up protectively, the Gryphon was bleeding.

As the wing descended, I could finally see who had slashed at me.

It was Lucas, wearing a grin.

Chapter 274

It was truly instinctive to raise the gun in that moment.

How many bullets have I fired since coming to this world? From the very first moment I started using a revolver in my childhood, I always carried a gun with me and practiced whenever I had the chance.

With my ability to turn back time, swinging a sword means that time rewinds and goes back to square one. No matter how hard I train, the effort disappears the moment I turn back time. Therefore, the option I chose was firearms.

Just pulling the trigger would fire a bullet with a certain force. And the speed at which that bullet traveled was so fast that a regular person couldn’t even see it coming and would only witness the immediate result.

It’s not that shooting doesn’t require physical skills. The firearms of this era were mostly heavy metal objects, and skillfully wielding and aiming them quickly required some level of physical fitness. However, the most important thing was still the senses.

The calculations of wind flow, gravity, and heartbeat overshadowed normal reasoning. Even in this era, there were plenty of rifles that existed for long-range shooting.

But in the end, the most crucial factor was the shooter’s sense.

Without needing to calculate various things, “Ah, at this distance, it would be like this. With this kind of wind, the bullet would curve like this. How is my arm right now, and how would the muzzle sway…”—

—I needed that ‘sense’ to instinctively think and shoot without even realizing it.

I had no talent other than the power of time manipulation. Therefore, to retain that sense, all I could do was shoot a lot.

Right now, if I still had the power to turn back time, I wouldn’t even be thinking like this. I would just shoot first and rewind if I missed.

But Lucas was smiling. He wasn’t pouting, acting displeased, or glaring at me in frustration.

He seemed to enjoy that he could ride the gryphon and knew I wouldn’t use any ‘cheat’ moves.

“I thought that would be more fun.”

Lucas replied that way to the Emperor’s question as to why he chose me.

He seemed to be enjoying this moment.

Well, I guess it must be nice to be able to ride a fanggriffon.

“……”

Holding the gun was instinctual. But there was a thought that followed behind it.

Could I hit that guy even without powers?

At this point, Lucas was strong enough that he could probably defeat a Sword Saint, especially at this distance. He wasn’t even standing comfortably on the ground like usual.

But that fleeting thought dissipated in an instant.

The hard stock of the rifle model I was using rested on my shoulder, my cheek pressed against the stock. That familiar sensation made my mind go blank.

The long rifle got lined up. The sight came into view between the sights, and my finger rested on the trigger—

—I aimed at Lucas.

I pulled the trigger.

The barrel lifted, my shoulder pushed back. I didn’t hear the gunshot. That’s not unusual; the sound of my gun is always perceived as much quieter than when others shoot.

Lucas twisted his body to dodge the bullet. To the right.

What crossed my mind at that moment was ‘Of course.’

How Lucas dealt with a Sword Saint, and whether he had truly escaped and was coming toward me—I wasn’t sure, but if he was running towards me wanting to slice me, then he could easily predict the trajectory of my bullet and dodge it.

Right. ‘Of course.’

I swiftly pulled the bolt back. Ping- With a clear sound, the casing flew to the side. The closed chamber opened, and the pungent smell of gunpowder filled the air.

As I pushed the bolt forward again, the next round was fed into the chamber with a clack.

Bang!

This time, Lucas deflected the bullet with his sword. At the same time, the blade flew, but the gryphon swerved just in time, barely grazing the ends of my hair.

What was remarkable was that despite the blade zipping right by my face, I didn’t change my posture. Was it that it was a fleeting moment, not allowing me any time to be scared?

And this was also ‘obvious’—

Ah, I think I understand a little now.

Even after seeing Lucas dodge and deflect my bullets multiple times, I didn’t feel fear. I calmly assessed it as ‘natural’ in my mind.

Why was that?

I pulled the trigger once more.

Lucas again evaded to his right.

‘Of course.’

Lucas always dodged like this. He only moved in the opposite direction when absolutely necessary.

And the moments Lucas needed to dodge bullets weren’t many. To begin with, if a human were to confront Lucas, especially at a distance where the sword could reach him, he would have already been split in half before I even got to shoot.

So, this was—

I pulled the bolt again and pushed forward. Clack. The sound of the bullet being chambered rang especially loud.

Lucas was now close enough that his jubilant expression could be clearly seen. As if the gryphon was preparing magic, my sight started to blur. The wings lifted, as if they were trying to protect me.

But Lucas’s sword could definitely reach me.

As Lucas prepared to swing his sword again—

After Lucas saw my muzzle moving—

I ever so slightly adjusted my finger on the trigger to the right. Just as my figure was hidden behind the white light.

With a firearm, a slight misalignment would drastically change where the bullet went. The further the distance to the target, the more pronounced that effect. Well, it wasn’t that far right now, though.

Before Lucas could swing his sword again, I pulled the trigger.

This time, Lucas rolled to his left.

Yeah, that makes sense.

He looked slightly surprised himself as he did so.

I had lived by shooting everything I encountered with a firearm. Be it the china in the Imperial Palace, small flags hanging on the streets, pigeons, sparrows, wild beasts, and even people.

And among those people was Lucas.

And I can confidently say, I’ve shot Lucas more than anyone else and I’m probably the only one who actually hit him.

Therefore, ‘of course.’

I had honed that sense through numerous time resets.

Feelings engraved in the body are hard to forget.

“Cough!?”

A bullet that had been shot in advance pierced Lucas’s right shoulder as he charged in.

Yeah, that must hurt a lot more than the last bullet he was hit with, right? I’m not sure if he’s wearing a bulletproof outfit like before, but there’s a big difference in energy between a pistol bullet and a rifle bullet.

Unlike that time when he maintained posture, Lucas, holding his sword, got shoved back, causing him to lose his balance.

Click.

I loaded another bullet,

Bang!

And lastly, I pulled the trigger.

Everything that happened up to this point occurred in the blink of an eye.

I could see the enemy’s morale breaking.

The gryphon flew around casting magic haphazardly. The Papal State’s army of untrained citizens had become useless. People running in without any awareness can only be blocked by other people who have no intention of defeating them.

Moreover, the machinery had already stopped moving. Those gears that should have been there had disappeared entirely, and the bright light that had soared high had now ceased. The light in this room felt as if it dropped below half its intensity.

For a moment, it seemed like the power of the Goddess was sustained, but not long after we returned to this world, that army began to lose consciousness and drop like flies. Naturally, only my companions who followed me, the Emperor, the Emperor’s children, and a few knights who hadn’t fallen remained standing.

Not to mention—

“It’s over.”

The Emperor murmured that.

The Emperor was bleeding.

The battle continued, and he bore the marks of injury from various foes. Honestly, I thought just standing there so dignified was impressive.

Lucas had already been hit by gunfire, and Bella and Jayden were not in good shape either. Everyone was barely catching their breath.

The only one who seemed slightly okay was Damien, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t bleeding.

“They’ll dispatch an army from Velbur soon enough.”

With the barrier down, that would indeed happen.

“…Are you hoping for proper prisoner treatment?”

Charlotte asked that, and the Emperor shrugged.

“Well, it’s under consideration.”

The Emperor said that as he looked up at the fanggriffon I had mounted.

For the first time, I felt like I saw a glimmer of despair in the Emperor’s eyes.

Chapter 275

Nothing ever ends.

The Emperor’s plan had two parts to it – a ‘no-back’ plan.

World War? That’s a given. No matter how powerful an empire is, if it declares war on the entire world, it’ll end up losing eventually. Even if it manages to unify the world, it would still be the same. That’s why the most crucial element of that plan was the ‘power of the Goddess.’

And if they couldn’t seize that Goddess’s power, even if they won the war in the end, they wouldn’t be able to maintain that victory for long.

The second plan, which was set up after observing the nation’s existence, was no different.

It wasn’t a plan to turn the world into a sea of flames outright, but it was one that didn’t consider any friction with neighboring countries. Striking right through Velbur and targeting the most important places in the Papal State was nothing short of mocking the very religion held dear by the Papal State.

It was outright terrorism. Terrorism conducted by someone sitting at the very top of the Empire.

In this case as well, if they could seize the Goddess’s power in the end, it wouldn’t matter. Whatever happened with the neighboring countries, they could make all complaints disappear using the power of the seized Goddess.

“…So?”

Charlotte, having listened to my explanation, asked in confusion.

“The Goddess was planning to ruin that plan from the beginning, right? And she used the Emperor’s psychology against him to extend her influence into this world.”

While the Velbur army quickly overtook the Papal State’s borders, the Kingdom of Iberia also deployed its troops at the border. However, fearing military conflict with Velbur, they held back from crossing it. The Kingdom of Iberia is less modernized than the Kingdom of Velbur, which is right next to the Empire. Besides, it seems there are issues with minority populations internally as well. They find the situation too unstable to initiate a serious military confrontation.

Still, true to being a country heavily influenced by the Papal State, they announced a statement of protest against Velbur… but judging by Charlotte’s lack of reaction to that news, I couldn’t help but think it was merely a formality.

We were still in the central Cathedral of the Papal State. About four hours had passed since the battle ended, and all the Empire’s knights, who had lost their motivation to fight, had been detained.

The Emperor and his children were no exception. Not a single one among them had died.

…In many ways, it’s a JRPG-like ending. Neither enemies nor allies, nor important characters had died; those who were dead or severely injured were all common folk with little fame.

Actually, rather than a JRPG-style ending, one could consider it a characteristic of the Chronicles of Aetherna.

“Sylvia?”

Charlotte called me again, having noticed I was off in my thoughts for a moment.

Oh, we were talking about the Goddess.

“Yes.”

I answered briefly.

“…”

“…”

Then there was a moment of silence.

“Uh… is that it?”

Charlotte asked again, sounding incredulous, and I tilted my head.

“No, I mean, there’s, like, those things, right? Since we fought for the world, there’s something more grand behind it all or some concrete reason hidden for the complicated plans…”

“I don’t think so.”

In fact, I didn’t understand Charlotte’s question at all.

“The Goddess and the Emperor were indeed competing over the whole world. The Goddess wanted to make the world ‘beautiful in her eyes,’ and to do that, she needed to get rid of the device created by the Fanggriffon in the past. To remove that device, she had to start planning from the time ‘when that device was created,’ and the result of that planning was the doctrine of the Papal State. Since the device was broken just before it was completed, there was an opening for the Goddess to intervene in the world.”

And through that opening, the Goddess actually intervened in the world.

Before the Papal State was established, she delivered revelations to her believers linked by faith to ‘me’ and prepared a place to deceive me. She crafted it to resemble the ‘original work’ so that she could prepare a path for the happy ending I desired. For centuries.

And I had been tricked along the actual log path and arrived here. If I hadn’t had such a selfish personality from the start or had a somewhat righteous character, I might have agreed to that ‘ordered’ world under the Goddess’s words.

The Goddess’s intentions were thwarted because she wished for me to be in that happy ending with her.

But how could the Goddess have made such plans?

No matter how much this world resembles the rules of the ‘original work,’ it’s ultimately not the game. There’s no system, status windows, or stats here. The Goddess created as many ‘similar’ aspects to the original as possible, perhaps for that reason.

It wouldn’t be strange for cities or towns to resemble those in the original. The Millennium Company diligently constructed cities and towns in their own intricate and convincing ways. However, the ‘dungeons’ that should have been made ‘like a game’ are completely different. Strange rooms everywhere and boxes containing oddly useful items…

The Goddess is a ‘Goddess.’ There must be worlds beyond this one. I don’t know much about quantum mechanics or parallel universes, but I’ve heard that there could be a chance that the worlds we can imagine exist in parallel universes.

Looking around at several worlds to find possibilities, preparing to deceive, and finally choosing a suitable character for the deception.

In that process, perhaps I was just a pawn selected to play the game.

…Or maybe everyone involved in the game was merely a pawn of the Goddess. The Emperor’s plan went awry from the start because of that being that is the nation.

The Goddess is a divine entity. There’s nothing certain I can conclude from the Goddess’s thoughts that I could only read piecemeal. Even at this moment, the Goddess might be crafting new plans beyond the world.

Well, by the time that plan is executed, I’d likely be long dead and aged, and honestly, I couldn’t care less about what happens to this world then, just like I don’t worry about people starving on the opposite side of the Earth. The only people I think “I want to save” are those whose faces I know intimately. Even those are divided into ‘people close to me’ and ‘just acquaintances.’

“I think she contacted her followers through that opening and created a stage to regain her power in advance.”

“That means the Papal State’s knights are moving all around the world, right?”

I nodded at Charlotte’s words.

If not, then it could mean there are quite a few in the Empire who have received ‘revelations’ as well. I think it would be best to investigate this directly later. The device was activated and the Goddess’s power was pulled back, but that doesn’t mean we can relax. We need to confirm whether or not there are still openings left.

I looked towards Sophia. If I had to pick the most injured among us after the battle, everyone would probably point to her.

The betrayal and anger towards someone she thought was a comrade must have driven her to throw herself at Damien without holding back.

However, thanks to Mia, she had healed a lot by now. If we searched around the Cathedral, there would surely be healing devices made by the Goddess… oh, hold on. The Goddess is now unable to intervene in this world. If that’s the case, the functionalities of that device might have disappeared too.

And the Divine magic as well.

Sophia’s gaze met mine and fell.

I didn’t quite know what she was thinking right now. The reason she came all this way was to confront the Emperor.

As the Goddess’s pawn who betrayed her and drove her out of this world, I had become something greater than Damien in some sense.

…Maybe I should save that conversation for later.

“My questions aren’t finished yet.”

While I was off in my own world with a distant expression, Charlotte spoke up again.

“If you really were the Goddess’s pawn, why did she choose you?”

“…”

Uh…

Was it because I am a thirty-something who immerses in JRPGs with tons of cute girls?

…Or maybe it was because I’m the type who gets emotionally invested in fictional characters and wants to save them all.

And I can’t be the only one like that. Those who get immersed can be found everywhere in the world. Perhaps the Goddess just picked someone who fit the bill among them.

The problem is that the one she chose happened to be a troublemaker who doesn’t care much about being the ‘chosen champion of the Goddess.’

Even if she analyzes people’s behavior and appropriately places them in the future, it seems she couldn’t read their ‘inner selves.’ This shows that the Goddess might not have much influence on free will. To put it precisely, she likely didn’t have enough power to intervene in that free will. If she could do that from the beginning, the world would have long become the orderly world she envisioned.

“Shall we change the question?”

Since I didn’t answer, Charlotte continued speaking.

“Why did you betray the Goddess at that moment?”

Because I thought you guys would be happy.

Not the false happiness implanted by the Goddess, but the happiness wrought by our own efforts, a happy ending to achieve.

And to be a bit more greedy, I wanted to be there smiling alongside you.

But naturally, I had no intention of stating such an embarrassing thing.

“Answer me, Black Lily of Grace.”

Huh?

Chapter 276

“Ugh, should we now call it the ‘Black and White Lily of the Fanggriffon’? Hmm, that sounds a bit weird. After all, ‘Fanggriffon’ is just a family name… But then again, the term ‘Fanggriffon’ itself sounds like an alias. It’s like I’ve tacked on two aliases.”

“Maybe it’s because I just saw Sylvia riding a griffon earlier.”

At that moment, Alice, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, finally chimed in.

“Well, the name ‘Fanggriffon’ in the old Imperial language means ‘the leader of the griffons.’ It’s also referred to as the dominator.”

Huff.

I heard a sound that seemed like an exaggerated sneeze. Looking up, I saw a griffon looking down at me. It had that smug demeanor, sitting proudly like a cat baking bread while staring down at me.

That sneeze probably sounded like a chuckle from a human.

…Anyway, aren’t you going home?

It felt odd that it was still sitting behind me, eavesdropping after the battle ended.

If that’s the case, why didn’t it just fly away from the start?

Was it timing its entrance for when I was in danger? Trying to make a cool entrance at the most crucial moment? I thought it couldn’t cross the barrier created by the goddess’s power until just a moment ago, but now I was beginning to wonder.

“…I don’t know if it agrees or not, but someone did acknowledge it as the Fanggriffon.”

Alice paused briefly before continuing the conversation.

“So, the name ‘Fanggriffon’ attached to Sylvia is not just a family name; it’s also, at the same time, an alias. So if you attach another alias like ‘Black and White Lily’ to it, it would look like you are calling it by aliases alone.”

Saying the ‘Black and White Lily of Fanggriffon’ is like calling a person by two nicknames.

“No, wait a minute.”

I raised my hand, cutting off their conversation.

“…Where did that term ‘Black and White Lily’ come from?”

I felt like I knew, but I pretended not to, holding onto a tiny glimmer of hope.

“Of course it’s from when you were at ‘Grace’s Estate.’”

“I was never a child of Grace’s Estate—”

“Oh my, isn’t that an alias you got while wandering around? You were the one who diligently attended balls and parties and made a name for yourself in high society.”

“……”

Pop.

I could hear the sound of that little glimmer of hope shattering.

Charlotte smiled elegantly as she spoke.

“Why, did you think I wouldn’t remember? It’s not as clear as day, but I can recall it well enough to say ‘it’s definite.’ It feels like a dream, but I know it actually happened.”

Of course I thought she couldn’t remember.

After all, the only ones who had memories from that world were me, Claire, and Alice. Because I was created by the goddess’s power, and Claire was the one who seized that power. Alice was under the influence of that fake Alice.

Charlotte had no recollection of me in that world. The reason we got close from the start was that she took an interest in me, someone with a solid position in the Imperial social scene.

“Sylvia.”

Alice looked at me with pity.

“Think about those who were able to cross the barrier meant to stop the goddess’s power.”

“……”

“Whether it was due to their strength, or because the goddess intended it—at least passing through that barrier means you benefited from the goddess’s power for even a moment.”

Uh…

Wait a second…

I looked around.

Everyone’s eyes were on me now. My friends and acquaintances were gathering around me after finishing their respective tasks.

“There’s another possibility.”

Claire, who had been chatting with Leo, spoke up.

“The place where we blew away the goddess’s power at the last moment wasn’t really this place, right?”

Ah.

Right.

Conceptually, it wasn’t this place. It was a sort of illusion hastily created by the goddess. It was a place that was simultaneously a fantasy and reality. If the goddess’s power had transferred to the goddess while in that place, it would have turned that world into reality rather than an illusion. The goddess must have been mindful of that when she created that world, even in that brief moment.

And the place where I shouted ‘continue!’ with Claire was that fantastical world.

So, the mechanism that activated and sent the goddess’s power away wasn’t here, but ‘there.’

By the time the world returned to normal, the effects of the goddess’s power had already ended, so there was no time for the memories from that world to fade away.

Listening to Claire’s story gave me shivers down my spine.

“W-wait, does that mean other people’s memories besides us—”

Seeing me startled enough to almost forget my character, Claire shrugged.

“Well, I don’t think you need to worry too much about that.”

Claire’s attitude seemed so much like her usual self that I almost forgot where I was.

“Anyway, the others probably lived almost identical lives. Those unrelated to you will just experience a bit of déjà vu. They might think of the events that happened after the war as just a nightmare. They wouldn’t have the slightest thought that such a thing occurred.”

“……”

I see, maybe that’s true?

“And even I, who experienced that event firsthand, couldn’t be completely sure until I saw your reaction.”

Charlotte chimed in with her explanation from the side.

“Well, let’s put it this way—it’s like a dream I had last night. Most parts are vague, but some parts are quite vivid. Especially the memories of being with you are uniquely clear. So, I think the only parts you really need to worry about are those you directly interacted with.”

And seeing her smile, it was apparent that Charlotte fully understood the meaning of what she was saying.

…

The reason I got the nickname ‘Black and White Lily of Grace’ is simple. I was that active in high society. I hardly interacted with those my age but mingled eagerly with older nobles who could be called the pillars of the Empire.

That means that those who directly spoke with me are likely to remember that nickname.

Of course, they’d probably think of it more as a vague dream. The image of me with long hair and a dress is different from how I look now. I’d have no intention of talking about Grace or the goddess with them.

But even so, that nickname inscribed deep in their perceptions won’t just vanish easily.

The name ‘Grace’ may fade away easily, but—

“…Ah.”

At that moment, my brain froze once again.

Right.

In that illusory world, I had been the daughter of the Grace family for a very long time.

The Baron and Baroness Grace had loved me dearly. I could understand why Claire had grown up so bright and healthy. Even though they only saw me as an orphan living a bottom-tier life, once accepted as their daughter, they treated me just like Leo without any differentiation.

Well, they did differentiate based on ‘daughter and son,’ but being so active in high society made me, in many ways, a ‘model noblewoman.’ There was no room to feel that kind of discrimination.

And of course, I often conversed with Baron and Baroness Grace. After all, we were parent and child.

The relationship was harmonious. In fact, I sometimes felt they were like real parents to me—

—while still keeping some distance, thinking of this relationship as merely one in an illusion.

“Perhaps it’s time I visit my parents again. Sister Sylvia.”

“……”

At those words from Leo, I froze with my mouth agape.

Of course, Leo spoke with a hint of mischief, but I could also sense the sincerity behind it.

…Just like I had a parent-child relationship with Baron and Baroness Grace, Leo was also my brother.

“Now that I think about it, didn’t we really become siblings?”

Claire said with genuine joy, and Alice gave a bitter smile.

Alice walked up to me and patted my shoulder.

“Well, if there are parents out there, we should at least greet them. I’m sure this sister can understand.”

No, rather than using the name of the Fanggriffon, you should just let it be!

But I knew Alice’s personality well enough, having spent time as a sister with her.

…It feels like after defeating the final boss, a bigger boss is waiting behind.

Chapter 277

I won! The story is over! Ta-da!

But wouldn’t it be nice if, like in the novels, it could just wrap up with a few lines summarizing the aftermath? If life were that simple, the world wouldn’t be so complicated.

Thinking about it, the Goddess might have hated such a complicated world. Maybe she tried to establish her own order to create a simple and beautiful world. But being in an enormously complex situation made me think otherwise.

First off, cleaning up the mess after the battle was a problem.

Among the people who were truly awake here, only Sophia from the Papal State was present.

But even Sophia had no immediate way to prove she belonged to the Papal State. Her nationality was listed as Velbur. Although she was a spy planted by the Papal State, the issue was that all the high-ranking officials from the Papal State had departed to join the Goddess.

…Could they really have left for the Goddess? Did I perhaps ruin their path while they were leaving?

Well, that’s a story that only the deceased could know, so let’s set that aside for now.

The Pope is dead. Naturally, the knights protecting him from the Papal State are mostly dead too, and even the ones who survived have no sense of rationality. They were all sprawled out in front of the Cathedral.

What a dull ending. There was an insider, but for everything to fall apart over just that—ah, well, considering that it was all a path laid out by the Goddess, it makes sense. Ultimately, to make things go according to the Goddess’s plan, the Emperor had to carry her will here.

The abilities of the knights of the Papal State stemmed from the Goddess’s power. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to say that the number of those with power and the strength of that power were all controlled by the Goddess.

The fact that the Emperor brought everything to this point was simply the Goddess creating and filling a vacuum herself. The ‘fake Alice’ thought to be sent by the future Emperor was, in fact, a being sent by the Goddess, not the future Emperor himself. No, there was never a future Emperor to begin with. The fake Alice was created to seem plausible as the Goddess tricked the Emperor from the start.

The will of a person can’t last for hundreds of years. No matter how strong-willed a human is, the body ages. And as time flows, the thoughts left behind by the deceased are twisted and lose their meaning as they are passed from mouth to mouth. Just like how the Emperor—his descendant—had no intention of continuing the legacy of Fanggriffon.

However, the Goddess who continues to exist even as time passes is different.

Whether it’s for hundreds or thousands of years, the Goddess has the ability to faithfully implement the plans she thinks of. If she’s an existence that lives for countless eons, even the way she perceives that long passage of time would be different from ours.

Right now, she might be plotting a new plan, or she may have already put it into action.

If she truly wants to execute that plan correctly this time, she should pick someone a bit nobler than me next time.

Well, it’s harder to find a reasonably normal person among those who deeply dive into games.

She seems to have chosen someone with a poor social life who appears to be useful; I really don’t get what she thought she could accomplish by choosing someone like me who has hardly any friends.

Does the Goddess not have any friends?

Maybe she doesn’t, and she couldn’t fathom how strongly someone without many friends would cling to the few they have when they finally made any.

*

“So… this isn’t me, right?”

Alice asked seriously once again.

I couldn’t dismantle the machine itself. Except for that last piece classified as a ‘Guardian,’ the other components were all tangled together in a ridiculously complicated way, and I had no idea how to pull them out.

The only existence we could retrieve was the fake Alice inside.

The space left after extracting the Guardian was just barely enough for a person to squeeze in. The space itself was much narrower than expected, and I couldn’t imagine that the magnificent-bodied ‘Fanggriffon’ could fit inside.

Well, in the legends, the Fanggriffon was often described as a variant. Not only with its physical prowess but also with its unique charisma and cleverness, it became a leader among the gryphons, despite being abandoned.

Ultimately, it never truly understood the Goddess’s order and wanted to rebel in its own way.

In a sense, that was probably the reason the Emperor didn’t consider stepping in himself.

“The Goddess’s abilities don’t work that way.”

It functions like winding a clock from the outside, restoring the position of the world. The positions of the stars in the sky, every grain of sand—all must be put back into their original places. It’s not about reversing time itself, so ‘time travel’ or anything like that is impossible.

…And it seems like completely erasing human memories was also impossible.

The gazes of the people looking at me had been suspicious since earlier. Especially among those I was frequently entwined with.

Perhaps the memories the Goddess had been hiding so far were pouring in.

…Even Alice, right next to me, had an oddly different look in her eyes than usual.

Alright, let’s play dumb.

Let’s act completely oblivious until those memories feel like déjà vu.

“There’s no way to send the presence of the future, so to interfere in this world, it must be a ‘different’ existence. Hence, this being cannot be the Crown Princess.”

“……”

She shot me a glance when I called myself the Crown Princess, but this time, Alice didn’t bother to argue.

“But you tried to kill me. You held back on attacking me.”

“I had to act that way to make those who should notice catch on.”

From Alice herself, to myself, and the Emperor included.

We were genuinely deceived.

“So… are you saying I’m a poorly mimicked version of my experiences or memories?”

“I think that’s a reasonable interpretation.”

Alice fell silent at my response.

And for a while, she quietly watched the being that was lying on the ground, identical to herself.

I felt a bit bad about laying it on the hard floor, so I laid my coat over it. I really needed to take off the exoskeleton suit, which had become tattered like a rag anyway.

The fake Alice was in a serious state.

Wasn’t it said that the Guardian piece was inside her?

Her insides looked completely drained of blood, as if all of it had spilled out, giving a sense of unreality. Looking at the small gears embedded in between, it wouldn’t be strange if I threw up at any moment.

Though she definitely wouldn’t die gently, her expression was calm. It was so different from when her eyes shot wide open and met mine; I was almost inclined to think I glimpsed a slight smile in that expressionless face.

“From the moment of her creation, she was just destined to be used.”

To block my abilities and get suspected of being on the Emperor’s side while simultaneously making Alice feel convinced about being rebellious towards the Emperor. But at the same time, her appearances were thoroughly ‘helpful to the Emperor in terms of time and place’… I concede. Honestly, I was fooled.

Alice seemed to feel sadness upon realizing this fact. Despite the fact that she was almost killed by that being.

“If it weren’t for her, I could have ended up like that.”

“……”

Even with the existence of Claire, if I had crossed over to this side, whether the fake Alice existed or not, the plan would have ultimately failed. Alice had faint blood ties and I was an entirely separate being with no connection to Fanggriffon.

The parts of the Guardian that the Goddess sent through the fake Alice would unite, and in preparation for the situation where the Goddess could unleash her power in this world freely, I would return the Goddess’s power bestowed upon me back to her. That was the Goddess’s plan, so honestly, if the fake Alice hadn’t existed, the Goddess’s plan would have failed in any case.

If it were the Goddess, she would take a step back. The Goddess has a long time. Someday, she could set plans again and retry.

But in that situation, the Emperor would not have given up on his plans. Because he only has a lifetime of time to work with.

And in that situation, the only one who could step into the machine would be Alice.

“I don’t mean to say thank you. After all, I almost died because of her. Still…”

Alice sat down beside the being that looked just like her, bending one knee with a complex expression.

“Still, I strangely empathize with her.”

“……”

I said nothing to Alice.

Chapter 278

I had a decent conversation with Alice, but the problem was that there were plenty of potential conversation partners around that could really get on my nerves at this moment.

I remember all the situations when I turned back time—no, even if I don’t remember everything, there were plenty of people that made this situation extremely uncomfortable.

That’s right. I was just rushing to deal with the situation right in front of me without thinking about what would happen next.

But really, how many people could think about what’s next in that situation? Even the Emperor charged in without a second thought, and me having to deal with him—without any preparation, no less—how could I think about what came next?

With fake Alice before me creating a somewhat somber atmosphere, I stepped back a few paces and scanned my surroundings.

Just that alone made me realize that the people making eye contact with me were almost surrounding me.

Of course, it wasn’t like they were truly surrounding me, more like a psychological barrier. Physically, they were spaced apart enough that it wasn’t like a wall or anything.

I quickly racked my brain.

First, I picked out the people who followed me that weren’t uncomfortable to be around. For example, the Sword Saint, Jennifer, and Carolyn, maybe? Both of them were somewhat acquainted with me but hadn’t suffered any disadvantages because of my abilities. In fact, the Sword Saint had a look that said he found this situation quite amusing, and Jennifer seemed lost in thought.

Also, Carolyn was my homeroom teacher. Under normal circumstances, the teacher-student relationship would feel somewhat awkward, but thinking about it now, there really was no better relationship. We would have a solid reason to ask each other how we were doing after this situation was over!

If I mixed in some conversation, we could probably chat for quite a while, right? I mean, who would want to intrude on a student talking to their teacher?

Therefore, I decided to approach the teacher-student group that met my gaze immediately.

That was my resolution.

In other words, I never realized that resolution.

“……Fanggriffon.”

Um, that was a title I had barely heard since coming here.

Of course, it’s true that the name Sylvia comes with the surname Fanggriffon. In fact, when I sign, I write the surname Fanggriffon properly.

But that doesn’t mean anyone calls me “Fanggriffon!”

Friends I hadn’t gotten close to yet or staff members meeting me for the first time—no one called me “Miss Fanggriffon” or “Lady Fanggriffon.”

There’s a massive psychological barrier here.

If you translate a surname to English, it becomes a “lastname” or “family name”… Anyway, something with “name” attached. In other words, it’s part of the name.

And just calling out that heavy surname “Fanggriffon” was way too weighty.

I’m not sure if titles like “Miss Windsor” are used in England, but in this world, I’m addressed much more by my first name. People calling me or Alice usually said either “Crown Princess Sylvia” or “Crown Princess Alice.” This was especially true for distinguishing between us, and when we were alone, it’d simply be “Princess.”

Naturally, my close friends just called me by my first name. Alice and I spent a lot of time together, so if someone referred to us as Fanggriffon, it’d be impossible to distinguish between the two. Plus, considering “Fanggriffon” is also the imperial family’s surname and the name of the first Emperor of the Empire, it made it awkward to call out publicly.

However, for someone to specifically address me as Fanggriffon right now, it meant that name held quite an importance in the conversation we were about to have.

Just the thought of hearing that name almost yanked my gut out; it physically made me roll on the floor, yet I was still managing to stay put—impressive, if I do say so myself.

Not that I was particularly proud of it.

Stiffly turning my head like a broken wind-up doll, I caught sight of Sophia’s face as she grabbed hold of my sleeve.

That expression… it was something beyond explanation.

What kind of expression would someone believing in a god have if they lost faith right in front of them? Would they cry like they’d lost their country? If anything, it would’ve been better if she had because Sophia’s eyes looked completely dried out.

They weren’t just dry; they looked hollow, like peering into a dry well. That look in those eyes, which should always be at least a little moist, only solidified my urge to escape.

But even if I ran away here, it wouldn’t end the story. The presence before me was a real person, not some character in a story.

“…It’s enough calling just by that name.”

Still wanting to clarify that I was not okay with the title Fanggriffon, I said something that didn’t really fit the situation.

“……”

Sophia’s eyes shifted.

Looking at Sophia gazing up at the gryphon still seated in a baking-bread position, I pondered how I would clear that misunderstanding.

That gryphon was not under my control. Just like when I arrived here, once it thought its work was done, it would probably fly away again. Additionally, Fanggriffon wasn’t just one gryphon but a “group,” apparently.

I wonder how many people have ridden a gryphon in this day and age, but that still makes it a bit far-fetched to call me Fanggriffon.

It seemed Sophia wasn’t particularly interested in starting an unnecessary argument either.

“…Is the Goddess not coming anymore?”

…I think an unnecessary argument would have been better.

“……”

I carefully chose my words.

Back in middle school, there was a kid in my class who wanted to be a pastor, and I once asked him, “Are you planning to hit on married women?” After he said, “My dad is a pastor,” I replied, “Then your dad too,” and got slapped.

Religious people can be quite sensitive about these issues.

“It’s true that I intervened so that wouldn’t happen.”

I decided to stick to the facts.

Sophia was… at first, a character that came off as a fanatic psycho, but as the story progressed, she became a character more entwined with the protagonist, gradually getting cleaned up. I found it somewhat irritating that she was completely scrubbed clean in just one work, but if you took a closer look, it was quite plausible.

She had been raised in the Papal State from childhood, learning that it was the truth. Not to mention, something like ‘evil opposing the Goddess’ had emerged, so she was probably thrilled.

But before facing that overwhelming evil, Sophia met Leo. And then me.

As a result, she had become a character quite different from the original.

This Sophia wasn’t the original content Sophia but my friend Sophia. So, it was better to speak the truth than to tell a half-hearted lie.

“You are….”

It seemed Sophia was also choosing her words carefully.

“Who are you, exactly? What is your relationship with the Goddess?”

I imagined there were hints she already knew and perhaps stories she had heard directly from me—

…Yeah, I promised, didn’t I? After everything was done, I would share the story.

“I am indeed someone sent by the Goddess.”

I calmly stated.

I was aware that many people were looking at me. Not only for my actions but also the imperial knights who had been tied up and glanced over here since earlier.

But what good would hiding anything do at this point? We were already mounted atop gryphons.

“I was also a person meant to be used for the Goddess’s plan.”

“Then why did you betray the Goddess at the last moment?”

Sophia’s words seemed like a casual inquiry, but her tone was so flat that it didn’t give off any feelings of resentment. It felt more like she was just confirming the facts, asking without any emotion.

“……”

I paused for a moment.

How was I supposed to express this?

When I first arrived in this world, the ‘character’ I built was to blend in with the protagonists. I considered it somewhat successful because I really did join the protagonist’s party.

My opposition to the Emperor was all to create a happy ending where everyone survived. And that worked; in fact, no one died.

My overturning of the Goddess’s plan was… because I wanted to be part of that happy ending.

…

Was this a happy ending?

I quietly contemplated while watching a believer who had lost their god.

Would Sofia understand the answer I give her?

But I had to respond. I promised I would.

“I want to be with you all.”

So, I answered.

Chapter 279

“I just want to be with you all.”

Nobody answered my words.

It was unlikely that anyone could fully understand what that meant. After all, I was the only one who had heard the goddess’s voice, even if just for a moment.

But I guess it was possible to infer the meaning to some extent.

If I was following the goddess’s will, it meant I shouldn’t even be here.

“……”

Sophia erased the expression from her face.

In truth, it was a bit ambiguous to say that Sophia and I were extremely close. Among the people around me, we had spent the least amount of time together. That said, there hadn’t been any significant events to build a proper trust. All I had done was tell Sophia that I wasn’t necessarily fond of Leo, whom she liked.

Moreover, it was hard to say how high her feelings were prioritized given the current situation.

For those who believe in the goddess, her existence would be more important than anything else. If the goddess directly told someone to stop loving her… Well, feelings aren’t that easily severed, but at the very least, they would try to hide their affections outwardly. The belief in the goddess would come before any feelings of liking someone.

“So, are you saying that, to you, the fact that you are with us is more important than the words of the goddess who allowed you to be here?”

“That’s correct.”

“Why?”

That was a question I couldn’t properly answer.

There’s nothing more meaningless than assigning reasons to feelings. After all, isn’t it ’emotion’? A word that’s completely opposed to logic. No matter how much logic you attach, it merely serves to justify the feelings.

I just wanted that.

I thought I wanted to be here.

That was all I could say.

Maybe Sophia realized that I couldn’t provide a suitable answer, so she didn’t press further.

“Do you blame me?”

This time I asked.

When Sophia first spoke to me, I felt like things might get tangled up, but as our conversation continued, my heart became calmer. Well, it’s not like I felt completely at ease, but at the very least, I didn’t feel the urge to run away.

“……”

This time Sophia fell into thought.

Her face still expressionless, her gaze just stared blankly above my head. After contemplating for quite a while, she finally opened her mouth.

“I… I don’t know.”

Even after a long period of pondering, the meaning behind her answer was unclear.

“I definitely think I should, but isn’t that strange? The being I believed in as the truth disappeared because of you, but I don’t feel any resentment toward you when I see you. So…”

Sophia raised her hand and looked up.

She had been the one who wrapped divine power around her sword to heal people’s wounds.

But now, even if she tried to use that power, she wouldn’t be able to. In this world, the goddess’s power no longer operated.

Magic still existed. Creatures like Gryphons, which seemed biologically impossible, casually sat around. There were also steam engines that functioned better in specific areas than the world I lived in, and villains that seemed right out of a game were all tied up and sitting there.

Only the goddess’s power had vanished from that mystical world.

To me, it was a comforting sight, but…

“If the goddess were here, and you hadn’t stopped her, what would this world be like?”

That was a pure question. I genuinely didn’t know, so I asked.

“The goddess would desire to create an orderly world.”

“In that world, you would have no value.”

“That’s correct.”

I was an alien presence from the very beginning. Thus, I was something that needed to be caught after being used once. Because that wasn’t done, we were in the current situation.

“Then in that world, would I still be me?”

Sophia’s gaze flicked, however briefly, toward Leo.

“……”

Ah, I think I understand.

The goddess is a being that loves order. And even the believers of the goddess know that at least to some extent.

They would also understand what kind of world the goddess sought.

And in that world, governed solely by order, emotions might be seen as impurities. The Fanggriffon pretended to obey order but ultimately couldn’t shake off its resentment toward the goddess, and that result led to this ‘disorderly’ world.

Sophia’s feelings of liking someone are merely part of a chaotic heart.

Even Sophia’s feelings for Leo didn’t stem from some logical reason. I couldn’t completely guess the reason since I’m not Sophia, but that handsome appearance might have played a fundamental role.

And to ‘fall in love’ because of someone’s looks is highly… illogical.

“I really don’t know.”

But I couldn’t assert that to Sophia.

After all, I couldn’t even imagine the world created by the goddess. A society where even people’s free will is controlled under the order crafted by the goddess doesn’t seem appealing just by imagining it.

“……”

Sophia merely repeated opening and closing her hands silently.

*

Maybe it was a relief, but before I could exchange words with others, the soldiers of Velbur had taken over the Papal State.

Or should I say they had taken it over? It was technically empty, so there was no fighting.

There would likely be significant backlash from the Iberian Kingdom, but the land of the Papal State was originally territory that Velbur had ceded. When it came to legitimacy or justification, the Iberian Kingdom would be far behind Velbur.

Moreover, one of the most important figures of Velbur was right here.

“……I’m sorry.”

Charlotte spoke in a genuinely feeling voice.

Me, Alice, Claire, and all the other imperial citizens were surrounded by Velbur soldiers.

“This is just a formal procedure. I promise you all will be able to return home soon.”

“I understand.”

I figured it would end this way.

While overturning the underground of Lutetia was sanctioned by the king, in this situation now, Alice was essentially just the Emperor’s daughter, who was a criminal. Of course, she had played a significant role in toppling the culprit and thwarting the scheme, so for now, as Charlotte said, this was just a formal procedure.

In reality, we weren’t restrained like the emperor and other knights.

“……We still have quite a lot to resolve… Yes, a lot.”

Alice spoke with a distant look, seemingly staring at a faraway mountain.

As the Emperor’s daughter and currently the only recognized Crown Princess of the Empire. Well, other Emperor’s children were recognized too, but nobody would go as far as to elevate any other to the emperor’s seat in this situation.

If the Emperor were to be dethroned, the available space for that position would be massive. So much so that Alice’s stature would seem small in that position.

“First, we have to deal with that Gryphon as well.”

The Velbur soldiers surrounding us were all wearing extremely tense expressions and refused to come any closer, and the reason was the Gryphon that had been glaring threateningly at the soldiers from behind me.

Its wings were spread wide open in an overt display of intimidation.

“……I think it will eventually come back.”

When I said that to Alice, she scoffed.

“So how long does it take for it to come back?”

“……”

I looked up at the Gryphon. Indeed, when would it have plans to return?

“……Maybe tomorrow?”

Huff.

The Gryphon let out a big breath through its nostrils.

Well, it seems like it has no intention of coming back at least until tomorrow.

Seeing this, Alice wiped her face with her hand.

“You know the Gryphon is the symbol of the Empire, right?”

“I know.”

It had been prominently marked in the royal seal of the Empire.

“And that Gryphon’s master is you.”

“I’m not the Gryphon’s master.”

If it thought of me as its master, it wouldn’t be tossing me around like a pancake.

It wouldn’t have treated me like a suitcase either.

It didn’t seem like it would return just because I told it to go back.

“Anyway, it’s following you.”

Ignoring my words entirely, Alice continued.

“What do you think people will think when they see the Crown Princess appearing with a Gryphon?”

“……”

Hearing Alice’s words, I fell into thought for a moment.

Then, I recalled the voice of a knight murmuring ‘Fanggriffon’ after it charged in.

And Sophia had called me ‘Fanggriffon’ too.

……

No way?

Chapter 280

Hmm…

The reaction of people seeing the gryphon follow closely behind me while returning to Lutetia was, well, weird.

I mean, can you even call it “following closely”? The gryphon would sometimes pat-pat-pat behind the carriage, and other times it would suddenly fly off to a distance and then come back.

To be honest, when it soared high into the sky, my stomach dropped. I thought, “Yeah, just go fly over to where your family is and live happily ever after~” But just as that thought was becoming a certainty, it would come right back.

It always came back just when we were about to cross into some territory.

It seems there’s some kind of reporting and procedure needed to transport animals in this world too. The discourse around ecological destruction isn’t really serious yet. More often than not, rare animals are treated as local “specialties,” so they usually get caught up in customs.

Like monkeys, colorful tropical fish, parrots, or reptiles. Of course, many of them are much more exotic than animals with similar names from my world.

Also, as I’ve said a few times, a lot of the animals in this world are indeed dangerous. It’s not just about biting people and spreading diseases; some can set fire to you using magic. In a world that uses massive amounts of gas, oil, and coal, those beasts could cause a huge disaster if they got out of control, so procedures like this are usually put in place for inspections.

The issue is, that beast following me is a gryphon.

…But can I really just call it a beast?

I mean, nobody categorizes dragons as “beasts,” do they?

In most fantasy settings, dragons usually engage in conversation with humans. They’re typically represented as sentient beings, not just giant winged reptiles. Even in media where they aren’t treated as intelligent, they usually show power that goes beyond mere “beast” level.

Since the gryphon following me obviously doesn’t have a human vocal cord, it can’t speak human words.

But when I look at its reactions to my words and those of the people around me, it seems like it comprehends everything perfectly.

Hmm…

Even the reaction of the Velbur border guards was the same.

Can I just think of it as a simply beast?

If I consider it a beast, how should I classify it?

No, more importantly, can this thing even be brought into my nation?

But wait, does it even have the strength to stop my entry?

It felt like those thoughts were being read.

Passage!

Passage, you say?

Well, if you see a gryphon with its head raised high and glaring at you, it’s understandable you’d say that. If I tried to put myself in their shoes, I probably would have thought the same.

…But, I really wish they’d stop looking at me with the “that person will handle it” gaze.

I also lack the strength to handle it.

Hmm…

And surprisingly, the king of Lutetia had a similar reaction.

It looked like they had already decided how to accept and manage this situation. As soon as we entered Lutetia, there was the immediate sound of trumpets and petals flying in the air. It seemed like Velbur was trying to declare that they “won” this battle.

They couldn’t possibly hide the fact that the emperor did this. The Velbur nobility already knew about it. If so, it makes more sense to declare “victory” outright.

What to do with the captured emperor was another story, and there’d be a long, tedious process behind it, but for now, I decided to ride on its coattails.

The problem was, it looked like it wasn’t only “people” who decided to ride on those coattails.

Even though it was a nation governed by the descendant of the Fanggriffon, the stories about gryphons haven’t been passed down that much. The beings that ruled over the gryphon were individuals from the Fanggriffon bloodline, not the Empire itself.

So, while gryphons exist as real creatures, their status is almost akin to that of a mythical beast. What do they eat? What is their way of life? Do they perhaps have their own culture? Since there are few cases of people returning safely from such investigations, it tends to be seen this way more often.

So, I had no idea that gryphons love to show-off.

It seemed startled at first by the trumpet sound and lifted its front foot, but soon regained its composure and looked around.

After confirming all the carriages behind it came to a halt, the gap between it and the carriage ahead widened, and the expressions of those around were bright, it charged forward again. Right towards the carriage it had been distant from.

…The carriage without a roof that I was riding in.

And it grabbed me.

Naturally, screams erupted from the surrounding crowd. How shocking would it be for a crown princess who came bearing news of victory to be killed by a gryphon? If a descendant of the Fanggriffon were to die at the hands of a gryphon, that would be the most ironic twist of fate ever.

But, to be fair, it didn’t actually bite me; it rather grabbed the back collar of my outfit.

And just like that, without any mental preparation, I was thrown onto the gryphon’s back.

Thank goodness I was wearing shorts this time.

As I barely balanced myself on the gryphon’s back, the momentary silence returned and was soon overwhelmed by cheers from the crowd.

I have no idea why the citizens of Velbur are so excited about a foreign crown princess riding on the gryphon’s back, but it seemed they thought of it as an event that was meant to happen.

The gryphon proudly spread its wings wide and strutted forward as if to hold its head high.

If you dissected a gryphon, I’m sure half of it would be filled with pride.

Anyway, we advanced to the Lutetia royal palace just like that.

Of course, I dismounted in front of the king, but the gryphon did not relent and followed behind me, standing its ground without bowing its head.

Hmm…

After looking up at the gryphon in silence for a while, the king turned his gaze back towards me and said,

“Is this gryphon the one the crown princess saved before?”

“…Yes.”

I just hope my voice didn’t sound too embarrassed.

Hmm…

Lutetia has no intention of starting a war with the Empire. That one thing is for certain.

No matter how vacant the emperor’s seat is, the Empire is still the Empire. The killing machines in the Empire overwhelmingly surpass all weapons of mass destruction in the Kingdom. While some battleships fell in the world created by the goddess, here, those battleships and monitor ships were just fine.

Therefore, the king wanted to end this situation as peacefully as possible.

“The beings who made the most contributions in battle are the people of the Empire, so I wouldn’t assume the emperor’s judgment is the Empire’s judgment.”

“…….”

Huh?

I felt something strange in the king’s tone.

And it seemed Alice felt it too. Noticing some sort of tension, she tilted her head.

“And in reality, the emperor himself didn’t exactly commit a grave sin against Lutetia. The ones plotting under Lutetia was the Papal State.”

While the fundamental cause does lie with the emperor, his words aren’t entirely wrong. Just because someone is planning to harass you doesn’t give you the right to harass someone else.

“But, even so, we can’t simply let the emperor go. But conversely, the Empire might feel differently. I think we need to have quite a serious discussion about that.”

“…….”

Hmm.

I can’t shake this off.

I even thought about just letting it slide but thought it would be better to at least know the reasons so I wouldn’t be as flustered later. So, I decided to ask right then and there.

“Your Majesty.”

“Go ahead.”

“…May I ask why you’ve changed your tone?”

“…….”

In response to my question, the king of Velbur paused for a moment, his mouth slightly agape, before turning to me with a look of confusion.

“Isn’t it quite natural?”

“What do you mean by ‘natural’?”

“The next emperor, who carries the legitimacy of the Empire, is here before me. Naturally, that demands the proper level of respect, wouldn’t you agree? And given the current situation, there’s a chance that this next emperor may truly become the emperor right after returning to the Empire.”

“…….”

I pondered for a moment before asking again.

“…Are you referring to Alice?”

“What are you talking about?”

The expression on King Velbur’s face became even more incredulous.

“Is there anyone in Velbur who doesn’t know the legend of the Fanggriffon? The one who governs the gryphons is the one who has emerged from the Fanggriffon bloodline, so naturally, the next emperor would be that ‘Fanggriffon,’ wouldn’t it?”

Um, no, that’s not exactly the case.

That’s just a legend.

Of course, considering the situation, it seems like something that truly happened, but that doesn’t mean “in the distant future, a real Fanggriffon may appear to establish a new emperor…” it’s just a plain myth with no clichés at all.

Staring at the bewildered expression of King Velbur, I seriously contemplated what I should say next.

Chapter 281

“The imperial law does not explicitly state the conditions for ascending to the throne. Determining the next emperor is an exclusive right decided thoroughly by the royal family’s will.”

ZAP!

“That’s easy to guess. Velbur is the same.”

BOOM!

The Empire is ‘for now’ a constitutional monarchy. It may be more of a puppet show with the emperor as the marionette, but at least legally the roles of the parliament and the royal family are separated.

WHOOSH!

The rights over the governance of the country belong to the parliament, while the obligation to maintain the national legitimacy rests with the royal family.

BAM!

Thus, deciding on the next emperor is also the royal family’s unique right. Of course, that doesn’t mean the emperor can just decide on a whim. There are indeed specific rules within the royal family.

CLANG!

The problem is that currently, the only ones who can be considered part of the imperial family are Alice and myself.

DUN DUN DUN!

All the other close relatives who could express opinions about the next emperor have either been directly eliminated by the emperor or have fallen out due to power struggles. Even Alice’s mother has been dead for quite some time.

BOOM!

The emperor himself is currently stuck in Velbur as a suspect and most of the children have been arrested as accomplices.

RUMBLE!

Claire, whose blood mingles with the emperor, is asserting that she is not a Fanggriffon but rather the daughter of Grace.

NONSENSE!

…In summary, the current situation means that ‘all royal family members who have the right to decide the future of the imperial family are right here.’

GASP!

It’s neither an exaggeration nor a joke.

WOOOSH!

Though I’m a bit late to the party, I’ve come to realize the gravity of the situation, and I chose my words very carefully. Given the current circumstances, anything Alice or I say will be taken as the royal family’s intent, whether official or unofficial.

GONG!

“Following past precedents, generally, the first child of the royal family who inherits the imperial bloodline has typically become the next emperor. There are cases of selecting based on individual merit, but unless there are specific personal or capacity issues, the firstborn son tends to inherit the throne. If there’s no firstborn son, then the firstborn daughter follows suit. And…”

WHAM!

I glanced at Alice next to me as I continued.

THWACK!

“And I already have a capable elder relative, so treating me as the next emperor seems a bit premature.”

CRASH!

“…That’s true.”

PHEW!

Luckily, my words seem to have landed well.

YAY!

Such things do happen in reality from time to time. Even if someone is deemed insufficient or somewhat unpopular in the eyes of the people, if there is no reason to dispute their legitimacy, that unpopular figure can still rise to the throne.

RING!

If the king were truly an active ruler in a monarchic state, it could be accepted that placing a more competent individual in the king’s position is desirable, but generally in a constitutional monarchy, ‘legitimacy’ is often all that remains for the king.

PING!

In cases like this, if someone wants to change the ruling monarch, it often involves the former king sitting on the throne, even briefly, before handing over to the next ruler.

WHOOSH!

Of course, Alice and I had no intention of doing something like that.

FAIRY TALE END!

“Then, what does the First Princess think?”

POP!

The King of Velbur threw a glance at Alice.

SWISH!

Alice, who had been deep in thought, finally lifted her head to respond.

TA-DA!

“Nothing has been decided yet. Everything has happened too suddenly, and I think we’ll be able to figure out what to do with the vacant emperor’s position only after sorting everything out one by one.”

BOOM!

That was a very standard response.

HMM!

“Rather, I believe it is more appropriate to first discuss the treatment of my father.”

GASP!

Silence.

Looking at Alice, who spoke calmly without any expression, the King of Velbur slowly nodded.

THOUGHTFUL!

“Indeed, the throne of another country is a matter for that nation to handle. I apologize for jumping to conclusions.”

WINK!

“No need. I believe it is something that could be misunderstood from another’s perspective.”

POOF!

“Then, as you said, shall we proceed to tackle the urgent matters one by one?”

LET’S GO!

But even as he said that, the King of Velbur shot a meaningful glance my way.

DUN DUN DUN!

Did he end up misunderstanding the situation?

HMMMM…

Well, to be fair, it was an understandable situation for anyone to misinterpret. After all, there was someone caught in a country with such myths.

POOF!

That ‘someone caught in such circumstances’ isn’t doing too well, either.

SIGH…

*

HA…*

When Alice returned to the room, she plopped down on the bed as if completely exhausted.

THUNK!

Although it hasn’t been long since we left Lutetia when counted by days, the long time we endured in our memories made it feel like it’s been ages since I last saw this state of Alice.

WOW!

Was it because it was a fantasy world created by a goddess? The events that took place in that world felt like a long time, yet also a hazy dreamlike experience, making me feel as if what happened ‘yesterday’ was merely ’10 years ago.’ It was likely not just me; everyone who held those memories in that world must feel the same way.

SHIMMER!

“There are so many things to think about.”

ZAP!

“Mostly because of you.”

POW!

As I sat in the prepared guest chair in Alice’s room, she shot a glare at me.

GLARE!

“…”

CRICK!

And with Alice’s words, I turned into a ‘silent bee.’

BUZZ!

Well, she wasn’t wrong.

TRUE!

“I mean, what was I supposed to do? To claim I’m the only one fit to be the next emperor and then reenact a scene from a myth… what were you thinking?”

SHOCK!

While it sounded like a complaint, oddly, it didn’t seem like there was genuine resentment in her tone.

HUH?

Just a year ago, Alice had been incredibly annoyed at me.

OHHH!

“Are you not interested in the emperor’s position?”

POW!

“Is that really what’s important right now?”

SWIRL!

Then what is important?

THINK!

Oh, right, the emperor’s situation. And also being ready to answer all those awkward questions we’d have to face after returning to the Empire. At least in Velbur, since it was a different country, there wasn’t much we had to resolve ourselves, but the Empire was another story.

SHUDDER!

But looking at me, Alice scoffed.

HMPH!

“…Isn’t that what matters?”

PUFF!

No, it’s not important that the emperor’s seat is vacant?

HUH?

I mean, who knows if the nobles in the Empire think it’s actually vacant or not? There might be those who wish to reclaim authority and attempt to elevate someone back on that throne.

RUMBLE!

And it’s possible someone might try to manipulate things if Alice and I were to sit there.

CLASH!

“No, more importantly,”

ZING!

Alice cut off my question.

SLICE!

“Let’s talk about your abilities.”

WHOOSH!

“My abilities have disappeared now.”

WISP!

“I know.”

POOF!

Alice nodded. Then, with a frown that suggested discomfort, she continued.

WOBBLE!

“What, did you think I was going to ask if you wanted to help me with those abilities?”

GASP!

Hmmm… Well, Alice isn’t really that kind of person.

SMIRK!

“That’s not it; I wanted to talk about your abilities and the memories I’ve returned to.”

HA!

Alice, now sitting upright from her sprawled position on the bed, still comfortably propped herself up with her hands while looking at me.

BRIGHT!

“Remember that time when you did better than me in tests when we were young?”

SPARKLE!

Ah, talking about those days, huh?

WHIRL!

It was indeed quite a cheat; I could have secured way more time to study compared to anyone else.

WOWZA!

“Thinking about it, couldn’t you have just taken the test and then turned back time? Why didn’t you do that? You did it every time during the tests.”

RING!

Alice asked, genuinely perplexed.

CURIOUS!

“…”

HMMMM.

Well, to put it frankly, I didn’t want to be that cowardly. Of course, there were other reasons too. I was worried that if I kept relying on shortcuts, I’d make irreversible mistakes due to holes in my ethical code regarding actions in this world.

POOF!

So I thought I’d learn properly and understand thoroughly since I had the time anyway. And I felt that to build this character, I needed proper depth, not just shallow acting, and indeed, I’ve reaped the benefits from that deeper understanding many times.

DING!

Most importantly, I didn’t want to resort to such tricks while seeing Alice study so hard.

YUP!

I understand. If viewed from the eyes of someone without such a capability, it does seem unfair.

YIKES!

“Seeing the diligent Crown Princess makes me not want to resort to those tricks.”

OOP!

But I decided to just be honest about it.

TRUTH!

After all, it’s all come to light now anyway. What can I really hide further?

PANIC!

The reason I was able to outperform Alice until now was that I had infinite opportunities.

WOOOSH!

However, without that now, she’s undoubtedly the superior one.

VERDICT!

Chapter 282

“……”

Alice watched me in silence. It seemed like she wanted me to add something to the conversation, so I slowly began to speak.

“If I still had my skills, I could argue that I should take the Emperor’s position. It’s not about how excellent or lacking my abilities are; it’s that I could instantly reverse any serious mistake. If mistakes never happened in the first place, I could remain a perfect being.”

But that’s not the case right now.

“But now that those abilities are gone, it’s different.”

“Why?”

“Because the Crown Princess’s abilities are superior to mine.”

I simply stated the fact.

“The achievements I had to strive countless times for, the Crown Princess can achieve in one go. There’s talent, but also a significant amount of effort. Plus, the justification is with the Crown Princess. It’s not publicly known yet, but I don’t have a drop of the Emperor’s blood flowing in me.”

“……”

Alice squinted at me.

And while keeping her mouth shut tight, she didn’t say a word, so I continued to speak with a slightly anxious heart.

“So… actually, the only advantage I have over the Crown Princess is that I have a Gryphon following me. That might catch people’s eyes, but I know you are aware that it’s not the only requirement to rise to the Emperor’s chair.”

So, she has been trying so hard to surpass me for a long time.

The fact that the Emperor’s children really have the Emperor’s blood is a story that only came to light after that incident. Alice, who was striving to beat me in her childhood, thought that the Emperor’s position might genuinely slip into my hands.

Alice has known from childhood that the person who will ascend to the Emperor’s throne must not only have the right bloodline or justification, but also abilities suited for the position.

Deep down, she probably wanted to beat me, who was taking away the attention that was rightfully hers, even though they weren’t blood-related. But I believe that Alice, who fundamentally loves her country and has an interest in politics, didn’t just think that way.

“……”

When I finished speaking, Alice narrowed her eyes and stared at me for a while.

Then she let out a big sigh, slumping her shoulders dramatically. Despite clearly lowering her head and sighing tiredly, that sigh felt exaggerated enough for me to sense it.

Alice exhaled a huu~, straightened her head, and looked at me.

“Let me ask you one thing.”

With a sharper-than-usual gaze, Alice asked me.

“You don’t want to be Emperor, do you?”

Ah.

Busted.

I opened and closed my mouth for a while after those words from Alice.

Well, it’s not like I was planning to live my life doing nothing and being a loser. I mean, sure, I thought it would be nice to do that if possible, but if that isn’t an option, I was just thinking it would be great to be as busy as I was in the academy.

Isn’t it said that the royal family or nobility is blessed by not having a job? I heard that European nobility lives off the real estate passed down from their ancestors, spending their lives attending charity parties.

If I stayed as I was, I’d have to be careful not to lose my head while living. But if Alice sat in the Emperor’s seat, that’d be a different story. At least she wouldn’t come after me to eradicate me.

I tried to maintain a blank expression, but Alice’s face seemed to indicate that she had already read my thoughts.

“When I said those words to you in the train, I genuinely thought you meant it. But after observing your movements, it seems it’s not just that.”

I thought I was working hard after all.

Well, my ultimate goal was to save all the main characters and then chill with them in peace. Considering that, Alice’s words aren’t necessarily incorrect.

“Regardless of how much I don’t want to be Emperor, I believe the one destined to take that position is you, the Crown Princess.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

However, Alice’s expression didn’t remotely reflect that of someone who thought that way.

Surely she doesn’t seriously want to hand over the Emperor’s position to me.

As I thought that and broke into a cold sweat, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Alice’s lips as she looked at me.

“Well, forcing someone who doesn’t want to be Emperor would only cause problems, right? The Emperor’s position isn’t just a decoration. But I also don’t trust anyone other than you and me. Honestly, who can we trust inside the Imperial Palace?”

I nodded. Finding a fallen royal and making them Emperor again was bound to lead to problems. If there’s any noble claiming that, that noble would be the first one we’d need to get rid of.

“Then I guess reluctantly, I need to become the next Emperor.”

“……”

Feeling a bit uneasy while looking at Alice who shrugged her shoulders like that, I began to wonder if this was really okay.

So… we’re discussing the ‘throne’ right now, which is a pretty heavy topic. Is it right for us to discuss the position of the ruler of the Empire, and furthermore, the continent, so lightly? And not to mention that the only ones having this conversation are two teenage girls. I mean, I might be a more mature character, but Alice is definitely a teen.

…Although quite some time passed since then, let’s ignore that.

“Alright.”

Alice said.

“Then are you planning to become the next Emperor?”

“First, I’ll finish the academy. I’ll keep my name in the running, but I won’t actually manage the country yet. You’ve praised me a lot, but honestly, I still have a lot to learn at my age.”

Even though that’s true, hearing a teenager say that was a strange comment.

“And I need to normalize the council that barely exists. My father was an amazing person who handled everything alone, but I’m not like him. Despite appearances, I don’t overly trust my abilities.”

“I know.”

Still, since the conversation was flowing well, I nodded in agreement.

The path ahead wouldn’t be easy, but that didn’t mean it was an impossible journey. Just like before, if I walk along with trustworthy companions, it would be something we could overcome together.

“However, with one condition.”

“What condition?”

Um, you’re the only person available for this role, so what condition are you talking about?

“You have to share a position with me.”

“……”

I didn’t respond to Alice’s statement.

“Well, right now, there are only you and me as the royalty. Claire is my sister, but I don’t think she’d want to call me ‘sister’ any time soon. She’s pretty proud, you know?”

Surely, if Alice said such a thing while making an adorable face, Claire would definitely be furious.

It seems that Alice has accepted Claire as her sister to some extent. In that fantasy where Alice lived together with Claire as sisters, she probably can’t fully erase those feelings now that she has come to this side. Seeing Alice’s expression while saying that felt comforting, as if we were talking about family.

“Of course, separate from that, I’d want to give Claire a position too. Honestly, since everyone I can trust is someone I met at the academy, I’ll give everyone a position. I think that would make me feel at ease.”

Hmm.

Alice probably wouldn’t just give them positions. Of course, she’d properly reward them, but I bet she’d also make them work hard.

Charlotte, Rena, and Sophia, who are complete foreigners, might escape that rigorous treatment, though.

“And you. Why do you look like you’re deep in thought?”

Alice said in disbelief, looking at me with a distant expression.

“You’re the one who made the biggest contribution in this battle. Naturally, you should stay close to me as one of my aides. There’s more than enough left to share among the trustworthy members of the royal court. And really, considering the contributions, it’s only reasonable for you to receive a few titles, right? Honestly, it was weird not having any title until now. Usually, nobles would hold titles along with their royal blood.”

And Alice’s expression while saying that looked full of joy.

Despite wanting to raise several objections, just looking at her expression made it feel so nice that I couldn’t find the will to do so.

“This is my condition. Otherwise, I’m not going to be Emperor. How about it?”

With Alice cornering me into a place I absolutely couldn’t back down from, she asked.

I merely shrugged my shoulders in response.

Well… if daily life gets too tough, I could always ride my Gryphon and escape somewhere far away, right?

That is, as long as that unpredictable creature continues to be by my side.

Chapter 283

Claire had already given up on being called “sister” years ago.

From the very first moment Leo and Claire met, they fought over who got to call the other “sister” and “brother.” Honestly, Claire couldn’t even remember who started it. They had been at it for so long, even in the oldest of memories.

But even longer ago than those fuzzy memories, Claire was calling Sylvia “sister.”

That memory was so vivid that it couldn’t be completely erased by the passage of time.

After all, she was the first “good person” Claire had ever met.

Of course, now that time had passed, her image had changed a bit.

The “sister” who once looked like an angel was actually not that perfect. She made mistakes like any human and had clear likes and dislikes. Claire thought she did everything perfectly, but in reality, she was someone who tried over and over until she succeeded.

Even if it meant sacrificing her own body.

But even after seeing that side of her, Claire still wanted to call Sylvia “sister.”

There was no way she could give up. She couldn’t help but call someone who had done so much for her “sister.”

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

…However.

“You called her ‘sister,’ didn’t you?”

“Not that again.”

Leo furrowed his brow at Claire’s words.

To be honest, Claire didn’t mind this expression. He looked pretty laid-back on the outside and didn’t seem to care about the details, but in reality, Leo often revealed his feelings like this in front of close friends.

Well, to be fair, he was the type to express his feelings freely anyway, but it felt like there was a difference in degrees.

Just because she didn’t mind didn’t mean it wasn’t annoying, though.

“I told you, Sylvia… she’s someone worthy of being called ‘sister.’ Wouldn’t it be for the same reason you’re using the term ‘sister’?”

“No, that wasn’t what I was getting at this time.”

Of course, there was a bit of frustration. Calling it jealousy concerning Sylvia was a bit ambiguous, but there was a slight annoyance like, “Why can’t I hear that?”

Well, honestly, she could just think of it as a childish brother’s pettiness and move on.

“Are you going to keep using that title?”

“….”

At that, Leo closed his mouth.

In his previous memories, Leo was a sibling with Sylvia.

Surely, over those few years, they had shared memories together. It seemed Leo didn’t harbor romantic feelings for Sylvia because of that, but he accepted her as family quite naturally nonetheless.

“Can I not use it?”

“….”

There was a brief silence before Leo opened his mouth, and this time, Claire fell silent.

Can she not use it?

No, that’s not it.

If you put it that way, it meant Claire had been using the title “sister” for Sylvia since they met again, which was also something one shouldn’t do. Very few people knew that Claire had imperial blood mixed in, and from the perspective of others who didn’t know that story, Claire was merely the daughter of the Baron.

In close relationships, it’s common to use terms like “sister” and “brother.” Especially among nobles, it’s quite frequent. Even if they come from different families, there are those who are connected by blood and grew up like real sisters due to interactions since childhood.

However, royalty and nobility are different. From the perspective of commoners, all noble statuses are exalted, but in reality, there are clear distinctions. It’s not that a noble can never become royalty or vice versa, but the two should not be considered in the same context at all.

Of course, such distinctions become meaningless in the face of money or gains. But for now, it is right to act that way on the surface.

“Well, it’s not strange to think that way after being with your sister for so long.”

Claire said that while raising her nose for no particular reason.

“Fine, I’ll allow it. After all, you’re the youngest.”

“Why do you get to grant permission? And the youngest is you.”

As Leo grumbled, Claire shrugged her shoulders.

*

The carriage entered the Imperial Palace without any restrictions.

A month had passed since the decisive battle in the Papal State. November was now well into its second half, but there were no signs of the academy classes starting up again.

That was understandable. Most of the teachers who taught students at the academy had outstanding achievements in their fields.

Not only were they remarkable in their achievements, but they were also nobility from positions that were hard to overlook. Just like the Grace family was a well-known family while being a barony, the families of the academy’s teachers were similar. Even if they weren’t from prestigious dukedoms like Winterfield or Northwood, there wouldn’t be a family that would let the heir just sit by idly amidst such a massive political shift.

And it wasn’t just the teachers; the same applied to the students.

There were many students who had to drop out before completing their four years at the academy. Most of the reasons for dropping out were due to family circumstances. In many cases, it was to receive direct heir training, and sometimes they would get married and start a family.

In such a situation, it was only natural for nobles to take their children back after the emperor’s position suddenly changed.

Of course, that didn’t mean the academy itself would be closing down.

Rather, local nobles saw having their children in the system as an opportunity. Moreover, Headmaster Winterfield had stated that he would soon normalize the academy.

“It doesn’t seem as chaotic as I expected.”

“Well, isn’t it just a facade?”

In response to Claire’s murmuring, Leo replied.

“It’s a bit ambiguous to say this, but Alice’s image isn’t the one that existed with His Majesty the Emperor originally…”

Claire didn’t feel the need to respond to that.

But she couldn’t deny it. While Alice had a straightforward personality, her image was quite different from that of the emperor, who was ruthless towards others.

Plus, she was still young, and technically, she hadn’t “ascended” to the emperor’s position yet. Alice had said she would take the throne after graduating from the academy, so officially, the emperor’s position was still vacant. Although it was essentially Alice’s seat, the title was still empty.

This was part of the reason Claire could think the academy would be normalized again someday.

Of course, whether the noble students could attend classes normally at the academy, where the “de facto emperor” roamed, was another matter.

“Still, it’s a relief that sister isn’t becoming the emperor.”

“Isn’t it usually something to regret?”

While Leo teased, he didn’t deny Claire’s words.

She had ridden the gryphon, thwarted the emperor’s schemes, and even blocked the goddess’s plans, just like the Fanggriffon had.

In fact, the last part was confidential, but with just the first two, Sylvia was already being revered.

“Well, Alice has a point too. If Sylvia were to take the throne, the emperor’s faction would strongly oppose it.”

They had just entered under the emperor, yet now their leader would be imprisoned.

In such a situation, having Sylvia rise to the emperor’s position would be a huge risk. While Sylvia was someone who garnered resentment from the noble faction, she was not one who received massive support from the emperor’s faction either. Given that Sylvia played the largest role in thwarting the emperor, if she were to take the throne—

—Well, knowing Sylvia, she’d find a way to navigate through it.

While Alice had also played a part in thwarting the emperor, she still had that justification of being the emperor’s biological daughter. In fact, Alice’s lack of overt political inclination seemed to have helped mitigate the backlash.

“Please wait here for a moment.”

The knight guiding Leo and Claire stopped and said that.

The two quietly listened to his words.

In fact, Claire’s expression hardened slightly. The idea of having to go through such a hassle to see her sister, whom she could usually meet without any issue, was somewhat displeasing to her.

The knight seemed not to recognize them.

Well, even if he did, what could he do? He likely already heard from Sylvia to “treat them well.”

…Now that she thought about it, being in the center of imperial power was quite troublesome. It seemed that matchmaking talks were slowly coming in, and she only hoped this wouldn’t fast-track those discussions.

“You are permitted to enter.”

After receiving word from the knight stationed at the audience room, another knight approached Leo and Claire to relay that message.

The two nodded slightly while still a little tense and moved forward following the knight’s guidance.

Chapter 284

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Tension, huh? But honestly, ding-dong, tension is just an optional feature that comes with the time and place, and once you pass it, it often feels like nothing at all!

Walking to the Imperial Palace while being scrutinized for meeting the ‘Crown Princess’ and ‘Crown Princess’ of the Empire, passing through those big doors and finally facing a familiar face, all that tension just poofed away!

Claire felt the same.

“Un—”

Claire was about to say “Sister,” but quickly glanced around. There were no knights or soldiers in sight. It looked surprisingly empty for an ‘audience room.’ I mean, can you imagine receiving a foreign envoy in a place like this and thinking, wow, is the Empire unexpectedly poor?

“The Emperor uses this audience room personally. It’s a place to meet important people officially, but the discussions should be unofficial. There’s really no reason for anyone but the Emperor to come in here, hence no decorations.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Claire instinctively asked, but honestly, it was her first time here too. Given that the next Emperor, Alice, was here, what else could she think?

And, if you put it that way, Sylvia was next to Alice as her bodyguard. She looked properly armed, but given the lack of any killing intent emitting from her, it seemed she was just armed in name. If you think about it, even Sylvia, the current only princess, should have her own guards. After all, she had the second highest claim to the throne after Alice.

“What about the Gryphon?”

“Outside.”

The moment the Gryphon was mentioned, a frown appeared on Sylvia’s forehead.

Honestly, it was tough to get news about how the Gryphon was doing outside the palace. It’s ‘the symbol of the Empire’ and the only one that follows humans. The nobles were super cautious just seeing the Gryphon’s form.

Sure, there were people muttering about it being just a luxurious beast, but there were also murmurs about the myths surrounding it. Because the Gryphon was treated more as a mythical creature than a mere beast, people often wondered, “Isn’t the Gryphon choosing the royal family instead?”

Alice decided to leave those rumors alone.

“… It ate a knight’s pet yesterday, so for a while, it’s banned from entering the palace.”

Seeing Sylvia’s reaction, Alice frowned in the same way.

“Is it causing trouble a lot?”

“More like it’s just eating too much. Pure carnivore at that.”

Alice let out a sigh.

“If I don’t supply enough things like pigs or cows every day, it hunts down nearby animals without hesitation. Luckily, it hasn’t attacked a person yet, but it’s true that the knights around the palace are easy targets… I’m even considering creating a pig pen inside the palace.”

As Alice threw a glance at Sylvia, the latter dodged her gaze.

“… Isn’t it just a lump of meat?”

“What can I do? It’s refusing to go out. And all expensive animals are basically lumps of meat anyway. There were even Emperors before who raised elephants or rhinos as pets, so consider this an extension… Oh, and don’t call it a pet in front of the Gryphon. It gets angry.”

“…”

Claire lost her words at that.

“Well, it did save our lives.”

Leo chimed in, as if it was regrettable, and Alice just shrugged.

Even though they were calling it a mere lump of meat, there was no trace of resentment on their faces. Maintaining a supply of animals for the Gryphon wasn’t particularly hard by imperial standards. It wasn’t that the Gryphon asked for anything outrageously difficult either. Considering the symbolism of the Gryphon and the benefits it brought because of that, it was a reasonable trade-off… unless the Gryphon threw a fit and made it difficult.

“Alright, enough about the Gryphon for now.”

Alice lightly eased her shoulders.

Though she was sitting confidently in the battered seat of the Emperor, it was made for the already large royal figure, causing Alice to feel a bit overstuffed. Leaning on the armrest, her shoulders just hunched up in tension.

In the end, all Alice or Sylvia could do was to sit with their hands neatly placed on their laps.

“I believe you came here to pass along a message.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

At Alice’s words, Claire took out a letter envelope from her dress.

It was a rather luxurious envelope she had seen before. The moment Sylvia saw the envelope, her shoulder twitched.

Everyone here knew why. With all three pairs of eyes on her, Sylvia looked around, her eyes darting around. It was a face she never used to show before losing her power.

Now, they all understood how much time Sylvia spent spinning around to maintain that ‘expressionless’ look every time she was flustered.

“It’s a letter from our parents. It says they want to invite the other ‘daughter’ home.”

Claire directed her words to Sylvia instead of Alice. This was indeed accurate. There was no chance the high-and-mighty Emperor would read a letter personally, obviously. Of course, Claire handing the letter personally to Sylvia had another reason behind it.

“It’s because every time the letter got delivered to you, you were absent, so we brought it ourselves this time, hoping you’d accept it.”

At Claire’s words, Sylvia let out a small sigh.

It was true. The Grace couple had sent letters to Sylvia multiple times before. And every single time, for some odd reason, Sylvia would go hunting with the Gryphon, and the letters would come back undelivered. Surely, there were many ways to keep the letters rather than returning them.

Moreover, strangely enough, every time the letter was sent, Sylvia had been away before it arrived. Since her time-rewinding powers were now gone, it would be pretty reasonable to think someone was doing those errands for her. Sylvia had been ducking out of the way as much as possible.

“…”

Without saying anything, Sylvia stepped forward and took the letter envelope from Claire’s hand.

“Now that you’ve received it, read it here.”

“Pardon?”

When Sylvia tried to store the letter in her dress, Claire quickly interjected.

“Because Mother said so. She wants to confirm that you read the letter yourself.”

“…”

At Claire’s words, Sylvia’s eyes tightly shut. Then she took a deep breath, whoo, and exhaled.

After repeating this deep breathing a few more times, her expression returned to her usual neutral face.

“… Understood.”

Seemingly realizing there was nowhere left to run, Sylvia cautiously pulled the letter out of the envelope.

Although it was a letter in an envelope, it wasn’t sealed. It was written in a way that assumed Sylvia would definitely open it as Claire had said, so there was no reason to close it. That said, it wasn’t like Claire or Leo would read anything problematic either.

Sylvia silently pulled the letter from the envelope. Unfolding the cream-colored premium paper, she read the letter slowly.

Her eyes slowly moved from left to right, from top to bottom, as she read the letter.

Her expression didn’t change at all while reading.

But Claire could easily see the tension gradually tightening around Sylvia’s mouth.

“What does it say?”

Once Sylvia raised her gaze from the letter, Claire quietly asked.

“It says, let’s have tea at home sometime.”

“What else?”

“Nothing else.”

Sylvia said that as she folded the letter and put it back in the envelope, then tucked it into the pocket of her coat.

“So?”

Claire asked once more.

“Will you go to our house? Sister?”

Sporting a bright smile, Claire asked, and Sylvia stared at her for quite a while.

Then, she averted her gaze towards Alice.

“Well, I’m just an outsider, so I won’t bother you. Feel free to go.”

When Sylvia glanced at Alice, the latter waved her hands playfully, teasing Sylvia.

“What does that mean?”

That answer was promptly denied by Sylvia.

“The letter also states that the Crown Princess is to come along.”

“… Huh?”

At Sylvia’s words, Claire turned her gaze away.

“Right. If you think of me as your ‘sister,’ it means we’re pretty much sisters, right? Isn’t that so?”

“… Huh?”

The surprised tone from Alice was surprisingly more out of place than Sylvia making a surprised expression.

Chapter 285

Of course, it’s a given, but I had a family.

That is, even before I came to this world.

We weren’t exactly wealthy, but I also don’t remember ever starving. I do recall struggling for money when I was very young, but by the time I reached middle and high school, our financial situation had improved enough to get by.

I couldn’t afford to buy a game console or new games, but I could occasionally buy comic books or novels to read, and we had enough to send me and my brother to college. We weren’t the picture-perfect family, but we still regarded each other as family and valued one another.

It was after I graduated college and entered the workforce that I really immersed myself in hobbies like gaming and manga.

…I’m probably someone who died in the original world. I don’t remember exactly how I crossed over to this side, but the fact that it doesn’t bring me any good feelings when I try to recall it suggests that it was likely something unpleasant.

I find myself wondering how my remaining family is doing, but I think it’s pointless. In a distant future, after living my life and dying, if I meet them in the afterlife, maybe we can talk it out. With goddesses and all sorts of monsters and magic around, the existence of souls is only natural.

I had already put away my memories of my “original family” years ago.

So, what about here in this world?

Maybe it’s because my way of thinking is very East Asian, but I found it was not so easy to consider a family that isn’t connected by blood as a complete family.

On the one hand, I could think of them as sisters I’ve grown up with since childhood, but for me, they felt more like acquaintances I met after turning thirty.

Claire, who calls me “big sister,” or Alice, who proudly declares me her “little sister.” Leo, who calls me “big sis,” wondering if it’s just teasing or something that has stuck in his mouth.

Are we close? If you were to ask, I’d nod. Could I risk my life to protect them? I could nod for that too.

But do I really feel like family? That question was one I couldn’t easily nod in response to.

How could I call them family when I’ve hardly done anything for those kids?

Thinking like that made the seat I was sitting on feel as uncomfortable as if I were sitting on thorns.

“…….”

After visiting Baron Grace’s Estate and exchanging light greetings, we were sitting in the guest reception room of Grace’s Estate, drinking tea.

I was sipping tea slowly, unsure how to start a conversation, while Alice sat next to me, mimicking my movements, and Claire and Leo sat across from us looking far more relaxed.

And Baroness Grace watched us with a slight smile on her lips.

Ironically, I was extremely familiar with Baroness Grace.

Though I hadn’t lived through all that time again, combining all the time I’ve been awake would equate to several years.

And during that time, I had called Baroness Grace “Mother.”

That was a rather calculating move on my part.

When Lucas took Claire instead of me, I was quite flustered, but being the only one left at Grace’s Estate, I turned that into an opportunity. Since it was impossible for me to train in swordsmanship like Claire, I played the part of a “genius” based on the knowledge I had solidly possessed up until that point.

Of course, the label of “genius” would fade as I got older. While it might be remarkable for a child to read books meant for adults, it’s not particularly special for an adult to do so.

In that sense, I could say I deceived Grace’s Estate.

If the memories of that time hadn’t come back to me, I probably wouldn’t have even realized I had deceived them.

Though I deceived them, the ones I deceived never deceived me in return. Baron and Baroness Grace were not the type to have such black intentions.

They probably meant it sincerely when they called me their daughter. And when they said they were proud of me, that was genuine too. When they praised my grades or worried about me when I was sick—

…Hmm.

There’s an old saying from Native Americans that conscience is triangular and that it spins around, hurting your heart whenever you do something wrong. As you become an adult, that triangular conscience turns into a circle, so you start lying without any pain when it spins.

If my conscience had dulled and turned into a round shape, then at this moment, it seems that conscience is spinning fiercely, making me feel as if it has become pointed again, pricking me inside.

“I have something to discuss.”

After waiting for a while with no word from the baroness, I cautiously asked. I knew that being in a position like mine wasn’t suitable for pushing the conversation forward, but I didn’t want to sit in this uncomfortable silence for hours without saying anything.

“Yes, that’s why I called you.”

…Um.

In my memory, Baroness Grace had two appearances.

The first was when she treated me as a princess. The elegant noblewoman she showed me when I visited during summer break, of course, spoke formally to me due to our difference in status.

And the second was her role as “mother” in the goddess-created world.

At that time, my status was “Grace’s Young Lady,” so it was only natural that “mother” spoke informally to me. Still, she didn’t lose her basic dignity while managing to maintain a friendly demeanor. This meant she truly regarded me as her daughter.

Ironically, the version of Baroness Grace that I had seen the longest was the latter.

I assume she saw the same version of me.

“However, I was pondering who you are sitting in front of me. If you are indeed the Crown Princess, then as a noble of this country, I must show you the proper respect, and if you are my daughter, then it is only right to treat you in a much more familiar manner.”

…Uhm.

Even the guilty needle named conscience that was digging deep inside my heart seemed to pause in surprise, thinking, “Isn’t she going to die from this?” Of course, Baroness Grace likely didn’t intend any harm by her words.

“……”

I opened my mouth, then closed it again, not knowing how to respond.

“Baroness.”

As if unable to bear the situation any longer, Alice spoke up.

“Yes, Crown Princess.”

Even now, Alice, who remains a “Crown Princess,” didn’t seem to be fazed by Baroness Grace’s voice. Still, though, it’s not like she has done anything unprincipled against Grace’s Estate, so she was fine.

“I know I am in no position to comment on the two of you. However, if it’s a question of ‘status,’ then you needn’t worry. Sylvia is not prone to such matters.”

……

Is that so?

Given how much I have taken advantage of my status, I wouldn’t say it’s something I don’t care about. But since nobody here was crazy enough to nitpick about such trivialities, I stayed silent and listened to Alice’s defense.

“Is that so?”

Hearing Alice’s words, Baroness Grace responded with a gentle smile, placing her teacup on the table.

“Still, regardless, until I hear your opinion, I cannot treat you recklessly. I can’t be sure if the image of the Crown Princess I remember is truly her or just an act. If it’s the first case, I would willingly return to my previous demeanor, but if it’s the latter—”

The baroness’s expression wavered for the first time. Of course, that didn’t mean the smile completely disappeared. Her eyebrows simply lowered a tad, and she glanced down at me for a moment.

But even that subtle change made her expression appear so very sad.

“If it’s the latter, then I would have no choice but to bury my feelings deep within my heart.”

“……”

Is that so?

I felt Alice’s gaze reach me.

But I didn’t say anything. As the baroness said, it was I who should speak up now. No matter how much Alice defended me, without my own opinion, it would just be a collection of empty words scattered in the air.

I took a moment to sort out my thoughts again.

Then I spoke up.

“……Mother.”

Chapter 286

When I think about it, it’s quite rare for me to use “Father” or “Mother” since I came here.

Even when I was the Emperor’s child, I thoroughly called him “Your Majesty.” To be honest, it wasn’t just because I didn’t want to call him “Father,” but also because of his position. No matter how much of a child you may be, when calling your own father, you have to prioritize his status over “Father.”

In that sense, the words “Mother” and “Father” that I used in this world were just words to deceive my counterparts and put myself in a more advantageous position.

Just being at Grace’s Estate means I don’t have to worry about my life. They raise all the orphans they take in to ensure they belong to their family. It’s not that they use them as meat shields or anything; they provide housing and food and treat them as proper servants.

However, at that time, it was a troublesome situation according to my standards.

No matter how well cared for I was as a servant, I was still just a commoner. The gap in status was too great to have a decent conversation with Alice and Claire, the Crown Princesses.

To properly exchange opinions with those two, I needed to be a noble, and I had to utilize my abilities to become a daughter of Grace’s Estate. And that process was something that everyone knew along the lines of “Claire became the daughter of Grace’s Estate,” so it was possible to attempt it.

The process by which I came to call Baroness Grace “Mother” itself was full of lies.

“Mother.”

Yet, here I was, calling Baroness Grace “Mother” now.

“That’s right, Sylvia.”

And Baroness Grace replied with a smile on her lips after hearing my words.

“You finally came back.”

“……”

Listening to the “Mother” in front of me, I was at a loss for how to continue the conversation.

I had no intention of going back into Grace’s Estate and living as their daughter. And it was impossible, anyway. I already had the status of a Crown Princess and was even directly in line for succession, right after the Crown Princess. If I said I wanted to become a daughter of the Baron now… who would listen?

I’m sure Baroness Grace knew this fact as well. After living as a noble for her entire life, she might have felt it even more deeply than I did.

“But, I……”

I thought I had to somehow mention that fact, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak.

How should I explain this?

There’s a saying about children born of the heart. Even if there’s no shared blood, it refers to the children who are lovingly raised as real children.

To Baron and Baroness Grace, I was such a child.

Even though there was Leo, who truly carried the blood of Grace, I never felt discriminated against while being their daughter compared to Leo. If anything, since I was a girl, perhaps I was considered more precious because I was a daughter who didn’t know how to fight.

I never worried about it at all, but I felt relieved to think about how much Claire must have been loved while growing up in Grace’s Estate.

That’s why I wasn’t sure if it was okay to use the word “Mother.”

It wasn’t unconditional love; I had only become their adopted child based on conditions, so I just thought it was a ridiculously calculating relationship.

“It’s okay.”

But before I could say anything, “Mother” spoke.

“Since then, I’ve thought a lot alone. Why did a child who held the title of Crown Princess want to become my daughter? What was she aiming for? What did she want when she came down here? Why did she interact with so many people and act differently from before?”

“Mother” said this to me.

“But the conclusion I came to was just one. I thought of you as my daughter. No, you were my daughter. I decided not to think of anything else. You were the child we accepted because we liked you, and that’s why I thought of you as my precious daughter. That alone was enough for me.”

“……”

“So, there’s no need to apologize. We were happy to have a kind, smart, and beautiful daughter like you.”

I couldn’t respond at all.

*

In fact, it could have been a moment to tease me.

So, despite how it appears, I have successfully maintained a cool beauty concept for quite a long time. Although right now, that concept is completely shattered, and there’s no way to restore it.

When you’re trying to hold onto a concept, the biggest risk comes when that concept breaks. Especially, there’s nothing more embarrassing than being caught acting emotionally when you’re supposed to be emotionless.

For a cool beauty, it would be ideal to slowly rediscover their emotions. Not like me, who broke down in an instant.

However, if such a person had cried to the point of their eyes turning red, honestly, it would be teasing for others, right?

But Alice, Claire, and Leo looked at me with immense pity.

“……”

Well, at least the feeling of sitting on a bed of thorns has largely disappeared.

There were many things to talk about other than teasing, too.

To use Alice’s gaze as an example, she could say, “I’ll allow you to call Baroness Grace ‘Mother’ as a Crown Princess, but don’t do it in front of others.” We could act like that because we have such memories, but if it caught the eyes of other nobles, things could become complicated in many ways.

Of course, I knew that Baron Grace wouldn’t care a bit for such nonsense rumors. But for Crown Princess Alice, it could be deadly serious. Baseless rumors tend to grow unexpectedly in ways that were totally unpredictable.

Yet, Alice didn’t bring that matter up. Neither did Claire or Leo.

Baroness Grace… I mean “Mother” excused herself from the conversation.

“Why don’t you stay a bit longer and have dinner before you leave?”

She asked before I left, and I just kept my mouth shut and nodded.

She probably wanted to have this kind of conversation with “Father” as well.

…We owe so much, so I think we should at least return that much. It’s the least a “child” can do.

“Have you calmed down a bit?”

Alice cautiously asked that.

I nodded.

The reason I hadn’t opened my mouth was simple. I was afraid that if I answered, a choked voice would come out.

“Thank goodness.”

Claire said while patting her chest, sporting a bright smile on her face.

“Now I can call you ‘Sister’ confidently.”

“No, you called me that confidently before.”

Leo, sitting next to her, said in disbelief, but Claire smoothly ignored him.

“Now I’m really your sister, right?”

Claire said that almost as if to double-check with me, and I nodded again. I still didn’t feel like saying anything. My throat still felt tight.

My sleeves were already damp. In my rush to dry my eyes, I had even forgotten I was carrying a handkerchief. By the time I took it out, my sleeves had absorbed as much of the tears as they could. Of course, the handkerchief was in a similar state now.

Come to think of it, it was my mother who told me to carry a handkerchief.

“So… what should I do?”

Leo, hearing Claire’s words, spoke up.

“Should I call you ‘Elder Sister’?”

“……”

I raised my head and looked at Leo quietly.

“Why not?”

Leo protested after getting a different reaction from me, but Claire, sitting next to him, clicked her tongue.

“Calling you that sounds too teasing. It feels overly formal and lacks the intimacy of family.”

“Is that so?”

No, it’s not really that.

I was just embarrassed that Leo referred to me as “Elder Sister.”

“Right. There’s no way you could be my brother.”

Claire said something a bit off-point.

“Well then, can I just call you ‘Sister’?”

No, that’s not what the problem is.

But then again, it would also feel a bit wrong to leave Leo out. Since Leo and Claire definitely see each other as siblings. If I wanted to get in between that, I shouldn’t avoid being addressed that way.

“Sister?”

“……”

Well, what can you do?

It might be better than calling me “Elder Sister.”

“Then,”

Alice, who had been watching the scene with a content expression, finally spoke up.

“Sylvia is my sister, so both of you are my siblings.”

“Eek.”

Claire made a genuinely disgusted face at Alice’s words.

“Why am I your sibling? Have you ever called me ‘Sister’?”

None… right?

Thinking that some dark history might resurface, I tried to stop my thoughts.

“I don’t mind if Alice calls me ‘Sister.’”

“Anyway, you’re my sibling too, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Eek.”

…Let’s avoid that issue for now.

Somehow, the feeling of sadness had flown away, carrying me along with the silly conversation.

Listening to the gradually heated back-and-forth between the two, I reached for my cold teacup.

It seems I’ve been giving off a sisterly vibe. Well, if I were to say that, both Claire and Alice would surely be shocked.

Chapter 287

Time passed, and the academy opened its doors again.

In this world, there is no compulsory education. Naturally, there’s no set ‘mandatory class hours’ either. It was an academy that somewhat replaced high school, but unlike the world I lived in, there are no laws like ‘we took too many breaks during the semester, so we should reduce the summer vacation and attend more classes.’

However, while there may not be such laws in this world, money does exist.

And the Imperial Academy demands quite a hefty tuition fee.

For citizens of the Empire, the royal family ‘supports’ the entire amount, and even for foreigners, a significant amount is ‘supported,’ but that doesn’t mean the academy is free.

From the perspective of the royal family that funds the tuition, especially those managing the royal finances, ‘reducing class hours’ is a very unpleasant matter. They are spending money to nurture talents that will help the Empire in the future or raise pro-empire individuals, and it sounds like someone wants to pocket a certain portion of that money.

Ironically, because it’s the royal family providing that tuition, such things as ‘due to the circumstances of the academy or teachers, the class hours have been reduced’ don’t hold any weight.

As a result of those circumstances, the winter break at the academy was completely canceled.

It seems there are quite a few students crying out about it, but what can be done? It’s a situation caused by the royal family meddling with the academy.

“No, seriously, we need to save up.”

When this topic came up, Alice frowned slightly.

“They wrapped up the issue by arresting the ringleaders, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t any negotiations behind the scenes. After all, since the ringleader is the Emperor of the Empire, compensation had to be provided.”

“The Papal State must have suffered the most, right?”

At my question, Alice nodded.

“But that doesn’t mean the soldiers from Velbur came out unscathed. Some soldiers were seriously injured while entering the barrier. Thankfully, it wasn’t a full-on war, so it wasn’t necessary to provide nationwide compensation. It was settled with the royal budget paying for it, but… conversely, that means this year’s budget is tight. We can’t even ask to get the already-paid tuition back.”

The budgets of the Empire and the royal family are separate. The imperial budget is essentially the ‘national money’ used rigorously to run the Empire. No matter how much of the Empire’s owner the royal family is, they cannot arbitrarily use it. It’s the same as a president not using the national budget as personal money aside from their salary.

On the flip side, even if the Empire’s budget is tight, there’s no right to demand a budget from the royal family. The royal budget is literally just that—the royal budget. If some tactless noble were to say to the Emperor, “Why not use some of the royal budget?” then the Emperor would counter with, “Then why don’t you contribute a bit from your family’s budget?”

The academy runs on the tuition paid by the royal family, which is why it’s called the ‘Imperial’ Rondarium Academy—not the ‘National’ Rondarium Academy.

“So, we need to make sure we collect what’s already been paid.”

Alice said as she neatly adjusted her school uniform.

“There’s no need to be such a bother, right? We can finally see our friends’ faces again. You used to enjoy the food at that café near the academy, didn’t you?”

Well, I did kind of like it.

I mean, I loved it so much that I actually went back in time to try all the different flavors.

But that’s not what I was talking about.

“And there are still those school events left. Like the cultural festival.”

Oh.

Right, there’s that too.

Whether it’s in games, comics, or light novels, whenever school life appears in Japanese subculture, cultural festivals always show up without fail. Even in works where club activities or classes aren’t well illustrated, cultural festivals are always included.

And typically, in those cultural festivals, pretty girl characters love to cosplay. Most likely as waitresses or maids. Honestly, the only real difference between those two outfits seems to be how flashy the colors are.

…And in some sense, I am one of those pretty girl characters.

“What’s with your expression?”

“Nothing at all.”

When Alice noticed my expression and asked, I shook my head.

Well, Alice is right. Giving up on the second semester entirely isn’t exactly a choice I like.

And it’s not like I’m the only one who’d be cosplaying either.

*

While I’m not as bad as Claire or Leo in waking up at dawn, Alice is quite diligent too. By the time we arrived at the academy, there weren’t that many students who had come before us.

It felt nostalgic to be back at the academy after a while. Thinking back, it wasn’t that far from the Imperial Palace, after all.

As I sat down and briefly organized the things related to today’s classes, a familiar voice called out.

“Alice, Sylvia.”

The only person who calls Alice by that name around me is one person.

“Charlotte.”

Similarly, the only one who calls Charlotte by the imperial title ‘Sharlot’ is Alice.

“Did you rest well during the break?”

“Rest? What’s that?”

Charlotte responded to Alice’s greeting with a question.

“I had a mountain of things to take care of afterward. Especially since I was one of the people who participated directly in that battle. I had no time to rest, running around giving testimonies here and there.”

Charlotte, who had been complaining a bit, soon grinned at us.

“Well, I wasn’t busier than you two, I suppose.”

That’s right. They probably weren’t as busy as us. In fact, the reason the academy was practically halted was that we were swamped with work.

At least in Velbur, the king was still around. Plus, he was a perfectly healthy and vigorous person. He’d probably remain in his position for at least another 20 years, right?

So even if they are a lawful heir, there’s no rush to receive various handovers immediately. They can take their time with heir duties and step into the position of princess regnant at a more suitable moment.

So Charlotte’s ‘busyness’ could be said to be a one-time event related to this incident.

In contrast, the handover that Alice and I had to go through… well, there was still a lot left to learn. It would likely take us at least a few more years. Alice had also delayed it for a few more years, using the academy as an excuse because she was terrified by the amount of stuff we have to learn and memorize in such a short time.

Due to the unprecedented major incident of ‘the Emperor being arrested,’ nobles were pressing for the next person closest to the imperial throne to take charge of the handover. And beneath that pressure lurked an unspoken threat: ‘If you can’t even handle this, someone else will take the Emperor’s place.’

If that griffon that understands human speech a little too well learned such words, I’d worry about how those nobles would end up being crushed in their heads, but well, it wasn’t like I would say that directly.

“Thanks for your concern.”

Alice laughed off Charlotte’s teasing.

It was true that we fought with our lives on the line, and moreover, the goddess got involved, escalating things further. In some sense, a situation occurred that could completely change the future of the world.

The Emperor is still waiting for trial. And certainly, other children who have his blood mixed in. The gap in perspectives between Velbur and the Empire is not easily bridged, and although the Emperor is still detained in the Lutetian aristocrat-exclusive prison, his future place has not been determined. This would also be something we’d have to deal with in the coming years.

In the original story, Charlotte and Alice often clashed for reasons far weaker than this. While it’s true that they are close friends, at the same time, they both have strong pride.

But seeing them now, with smiles on their faces, I couldn’t sense any feelings of wanting to fight. It was clearly different from when they were arguing over the culinary comparisons between the Empire and Velbur at the café.

Could it be that a deeper friendship blossomed among comrades who fought together?

“The griffon seems to still be at the palace.”

“Well, I can’t take it along to the academy.”

“I thought you would ride it.”

“…If I tried to use it instead of a carriage, it would definitely throw a fit.”

Charlotte made a remark that was hard to tell if it was a joke or serious, and I was slightly taken aback. Hearing that the griffon wasn’t around made my shoulders droop slightly, revealing a bit of genuine concern. What kind of sense was that, seeing it like a pet dog?

But honestly, if I think about it, it does resemble a puppy in some way.

The issue is that it eats like a pig and poops just as much.

Of course, it’s a relief for me that I don’t have to take care of it myself.

…Thinking about it this way makes me feel a bit sorry for those taking care of the griffon.

I should consider giving them a raise after this semester ends.

Chapter 288

The familiar faces weren’t just Charlotte.

The Empire is a vast country. If I think of the size of the one country I lived in before, South Korea, the Empire seems like it’s the size of several countries combined. If you count the colonies as territories, the Empire extends all the way across the sea.

Wait, no, with Lindbergh directly occupying some of those colonies, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that there’s really an ocean between the country and the Empire.

There’s Crowfield, which borders entirely different nations, Lindbergh, where you have to cross the sea to see the center of the territory, and then there’s Northwood, which you have to take a train for several hours to reach in the far north of the Empire.

Not only Duke and Count, but even the relatively small Baron’s kids often lived far from the Imperial Capital. The ones living closest were actually commoners from the capital, but I didn’t have much of a relationship with them.

Even if I did have a relationship, due to class differences, it wasn’t easy to meet them. The other party might not even want to meet me in the first place. To meet up, it would require a tremendously complicated process.

For that reason, during the time we didn’t go to the academy, the only ones I could meet properly were Claire and Leo.

As I sat in the classroom waiting quietly, one by one, my friends I knew started to come in.

“Hello.”

Rena greeted me plainly without any grand words despite it being a while since we last met.

“Did you, um, have peace?”

Mia tried her best to adopt the tone of a noble lady.

“Oh, looks like you’re a bit more relaxed than I expected?”

“…I apologize on behalf of your rudeness, young master.”

Jake and Roti still looked friendly as ever.

And—

“It’s been a while, everyone.”

Sophia had a slightly dark expression, but it seemed much better than the last time I saw her.

Lily Baker was probably in the commoner class. She wouldn’t come all the way here just to greet us.

Surprisingly, my friends seemed quite bright. I was relieved to see that Sophia, who had her entire belief system challenged, had a much better expression than before.

The ones being more cautious were the other kids from the same class.

There are probably several reasons for that. It could be because Alice had truly become the “Crown Princess,” or maybe they heard rumors about the Gryphon. It seems like some nobles thought that Alice had pushed out the Emperor. … And the fact that those rumors weren’t entirely wrong made it all the more troublesome.

It wasn’t something we hoped for in the first place.

Whatever happened that day, I probably wouldn’t have heard the details. But news spread widely about who was there. Also, the ‘results’ of that incident.

While the noble kids who had returned to their territories hadn’t been attending the academy, it was easy to guess what orders they received from their parents.

Of course, they would have been told to make sure to listen to everything we talked about.

And since the noble friends knew this fact too, we didn’t say a word about that day in the classroom. If the conversation slipped out, it would be quite troublesome.

That doesn’t mean we didn’t talk about it at all, though.

*

“I’ve lost quite a bit of weight over the past month.”

Sophia sighed heavily as she spoke.

“I didn’t even lose this much weight during sword training…”

It was a bit ironic that a girl of a high school age worries about losing weight instead of gaining it. Normally, such concerns would be from middle-aged people who really risk their health if they didn’t manage it properly.

“That’s because you were blatantly ignoring the laws of Velbur.”

Charlotte shot a piercing gaze at Sophia, and Sophia evaded it.

…Ah, maybe the reason she looked so dark was entirely because she was being scolded around that time.

“Regardless, being a national traitor is a serious crime. Be thankful you can sit here safely.”

Charlotte said sternly while stabbing her parfait with a small spoon.

We were sitting at a café we often visited since we came to the academy, seated on the usual terrace. While people passed by, the street was quite noisy, so if we didn’t speak too loudly, our conversation wouldn’t reach the ears of those nearby.

Not that we could talk about anything too sensitive either.

“Still, the procedures were legal…”

Sophia protested in a small voice, but it seemed to have no effect on Charlotte.

“Even if legally you became a citizen of Velbur, if your loyalty is to the Papal State, that’s a crime. If you only had patriotism in your heart and didn’t show it, no — even if you did, you wouldn’t get caught if you didn’t do anything illegal. If you declare it as you did, it would count as ‘treason.’ Are you okay with that?”

“…I’m sorry.”

With no way to counter Charlotte’s words, Sophia bowed her head in response.

…No wonder she lost weight. For an entire month, not just from Charlotte, but she probably heard those words drilled into her ears by other officials too.

At least in the end, we fought on our side, and the place where I actively engaged wasn’t Velbur but the Empire, the target being me, the Empire’s Crown Princess, so I wasn’t treated as a major criminal that should rot in jail for life.

On the flip side, if it had been known to the Empire, it would have really been a major crime. But we decided to keep silent about Sophia’s identity regarding her status.

After all, the Papal State is on the brink of collapse. While they wouldn’t entirely let the country disappear, for now, the leadership has been completely empty. The Emperor and his children, along with the Knights, had ransacked the place thoroughly.

The only ones left were the Cardinals who were outside the country, but it seemed there was a divided opinion on who should take the Pope’s position among those Cardinals.

Overnight, the phenomenon of divine power vanished. Who would prove their faith in what manner?

Even in the world I lived in, there was a Pope, and there were massive religious organizations, so they would eventually be rebuilt, but it seemed the debate would continue for a while. Moreover, from now on, they wouldn’t be able to covertly engage in aggressive policies like before.

“How’s the situation in Velbur?”

Although we exchanged letters, the difference between communicating in writing and face-to-face conversation is significant.

“Well…”

Charlotte’s pupils relaxed slightly at my question.

“There are complaints coming in about the stench from the underground, which seems to come up every once in a while. And experts say the size of that underground facility under the castle is so large that it will take decades to investigate it all.”

“……”

This really is like the Paris Catacombs.

Of course, unlike the real catacombs, it was much bigger, but that’s what made it more troublesome. Until now, the Papal State managed that underground, but now it’s empty. Moreover, the existence of that place has already been made known to the public.

With that empty underground at its center, there is a possibility that security may deteriorate.

And while I was breaking the device held by the Cardinal, all kinds of beasts that the Papal State had laid down below perished instantly. If the smell of those corpses began to rise as time passed, it would be a truly troublesome matter for the kingdom.

If it were just the smell, that would be manageable. Decaying bodies become hotbeds for all sorts of bacteria. Although viruses and bacteria are still being uncovered in this world, the common sense that ‘diseases spread from decaying bodies’ had already taken root long ago.

Every time the smell rises, finding the area causing the issue and cleaning up the corpses is said to be much more challenging than expected.

“You don’t need to make that face. If we hadn’t cleaned the underground like that, it would have been far more dangerous later.”

When I made a somewhat remorseful expression, Charlotte spoke refreshingly. Thanks to that, my mental load was somewhat lifted.

“……”

And there was one more person who reacted to my ‘expression.’

No, two.

There were two people staring intently at me.

One was Mia, and the other was Rena.

Neither of them had any particularly grand expression, but I could definitely tell their eyes had widened.

…That’s right. They were the two people who had seen my ‘emotionless act’ most clearly.

I had forgotten for a moment since it had been so long, but clearly, it wasn’t time to show a completely expressionless face yet.

I’m doomed.

Chapter 289

In fact, human emotions are not so easily controlled. If everyone could easily manage their feelings, the profession of acting would have been something anyone could take up.

I have no talent for hiding my emotions. The extent of my control is just enough to hide the grumpy expression when facing my demanding boss. Even that, if I don’t have a drink later and complain to someone, time will go by and my lack of face management will start showing.

Coming back to this world, I could maintain a poker face solely because I have the ability to rewind time. There’s no need to act; I can spill my emotions beforehand or at least only show the necessary parts of my expression when facing others. That way, at least my expressions won’t falter in front of them. It’s like watching a jump scare in a horror movie and rewinding to see it again.

But right now, I can’t do that.

“……”

Still, that day just passed by. It wasn’t just me and Rena or Mia alone. The conversation we were having was pretty important, and to be honest, Alice, Charlotte, and I were each politically tied up in very deep places in our respective countries. This wasn’t exactly a conversation for ordinary nobles.

But even if that day went by unnoticed, we would see each other many more times. It isn’t limited to just seeing each other at school; we’ll run into each other often in the future.

“Sylvia.”

“……Yes.”

It feels like it’s been forever since Mia called me by my name.

Well, Mia’s personality in the illusion created by the Goddess back then was different from her current self. The shy Mia hadn’t overcome her introverted nature enough to make that leap.

And that Mia was the same person as the Mia standing in front of me now. She simply had fewer connections with me.

I never expected to run into Mia like this the very next day.

……No, it doesn’t seem like a coincidence. We ran into each other in the dormitory hallway.

Under the guise of practical training, I’ve been wandering to faraway places here and there for a year, and since I often shared a room with Alice, I had temporarily forgotten, but the academy’s dormitory rooms are single-occupancy. No matter how often I hang out with Alice, she wouldn’t be glued to me in the dormitory. There are times when everyone wants their alone time.

Mia’s room is quite a distance from my hallway. Since we hadn’t had time to spare before the academy went into indefinite closure, the room placements hadn’t changed.

In that situation, Mia walking in my hallway obviously meant she wanted to meet with me alone.

“I’d like to have a private conversation for a moment. Would that be alright?”

Mia asked carefully.

The Mia at the start of the semester, and the Mia from the world where her father wasn’t dead, were completely different; she now had a much more proactive attitude.

Of course, while saying that, she still couldn’t make full eye contact with me and kept fidgeting with her fingers, so I can’t say her personality was entirely bold.

“……Alright. Shall we talk in my room then?”

But I was prepared for this. Though I didn’t expect it to be today, I thought that eventually, we would have this conversation.

If Mia recalled the events when I rewound time, she would have so much to say. No matter how nicely I wrapped it up, my first meeting with Mia wasn’t exactly friendly.

Having killed her father, I had only lived with one goal—to avenge him. It was natural that the two would not get along.

Mia nodded at my words and didn’t say anything until we arrived at the door of my room.

*

“Ultimately, what you said was true.”

“What do you mean by ‘true’?”

“The things you said when you first met me.”

I suppressed the groan rising in my throat.

To be honest, back then, I thought I was nearly fully grasping my abilities, which is why I boldly rewound time. I needed to know how negative the feelings Mia Crowfield had toward me were to suitably respond.

What did I say back then?

I think I said I killed her father for the Emperor’s power.

And that her father was trash who abused and killed children, I think.

Even Charlotte, who was beside me, looked at me with a judging gaze, so it’s clear how openly I dropped that bombshell.

If I could see my past self sitting there, I’d want to smack the back of my own head, but since I lacked that ability now, sadly, that wasn’t happening. No, more than that, in this world, rewinding time didn’t mean I could see my past self; indeed, it was impossible from the start.

Above all, if I rewound time to that point, I would be undermining Mia’s efforts to grow. Even if I could do it, I shouldn’t.

“My father ended up getting caught by my mother. No, I think my mother may have known from the very beginning. When I was very young, so young that my memories are hazy, I existed because of the love my mother had for my father, but… there’s always a limit to a person’s heart.”

“Is that so.”

The only answer I could muster was that.

What should I say to someone who casually makes light of their dead father? If the person who uttered that casually said, ‘Well, actually experiencing it confirms you were right,’ what could I respond?

Honestly, the uncomfortable time I spent at Grace’s estate not long ago felt like a soft and warm place compared to this. Thinking about it, that place was indeed a warm and soft seat. It reaffirmed the meaning of family and once again welcomed me as a family member.

On the other hand, here—regardless of whether Mia’s true feelings were different—my past wrongdoings were being dissected one by one. If I were to rank the black history of my actions since coming to this world, the infamous bombshell I dropped, which I thought was ‘absolutely unfathomable to the other party,’ is probably the worst of them all.

Well, I’m not really sure how to explain that situation to the daughter of the person I killed.

“Watching my family fall apart since childhood was painful. I didn’t understand why I had to live that life or why things turned out this way, just blaming the situation, until I happened to overhear my parents fighting and learned the truth… In a sense, I could say my second childhood felt like hell.”

But there’s no need for me to be grateful for killing that father. I couldn’t do anything for Mia back then. I might have encountered Mia a few times in the mansion, but just like Mia doesn’t remember me, my memories of her are also faint. To Mia, I was just a passing little maid, and I had been desperately trying not to reveal I was a princess.

Perhaps I might not have recognized the Mia of my childhood properly. She probably wouldn’t have dressed overly fancy either. Maybe it was because she didn’t wear lavish clothes like a noble lady.

“…….”

“I’m sorry. If I say this, you might not have a response, Sylvia.”

It was uncomfortable. Frankly, it wasn’t something I wanted to hear. It wasn’t that I was uninterested; I wanted to avoid listening because I had some involvement in Mia’s misfortunes as well.

But that didn’t mean I had the right to not listen.

I too have my own thoughts. If it comes to having to kill someone, especially if that person isn’t just a target I have to rush against on the battlefield but one with whom I should have solid reasons for their death, I would think through the details more closely.

I did the same when I killed Count Crowfield. In the original story, the count’s death was pivotal in connecting Mia and Claire, and I investigated why that Count Crowfield met his demise thoroughly, even though he wasn’t even in the original.

I concluded he was a person deserving of death.

Even if I went back with the knowledge of the current situation, I would repeat the same actions. If someone were to ask me who gave me the right, I would retort, “Would you let him live?”

But saying such things in front of his daughter was indeed a line I shouldn’t cross.

Chapter 290

No matter how I responded, Mia’s words continued.

“When I realized I had returned to this world, I felt a rush of emotions at once. Ah, my father will no longer be here in this world.”

Just that fact that there would be no father must have stirred countless emotions. But I could only guess how that felt.

Ironically, I had never lost my parents. In the world I originally lived in, I had left this world first, and in this world, everyone I could call my parents was still alive.

So I couldn’t even imagine that feeling.

Moreover, Mia hadn’t experienced an ordinary family like I had.

They say family members live with love and hate for each other, but the ‘hate’ rarely surpasses ‘love’. There might be cases where it can’t be helped between couples, but in parent-child relationships, unless things turned extremely horrible, ‘hate’ doesn’t exceed ‘affection’.

But Mia…

What kind of feelings did she have toward her father who was still alive?

Perhaps it would have been better for Mia if I had regretted killing the Count. I might regret it and not gain Mia’s forgiveness, but at least her wounds would be smaller than they are now.

But the Count I met was just like the Count I knew.

A man who boldly declared he would ‘claim’ the body of a Baroness, looking at her like she was nothing more than a commoner. He might have been old enough to be considered an adult by this world’s standards, but frankly, I could never accept that. To me, teenagers were just kids.

“I was sad. But at the same time, how should I put it? I felt relief too.”

“……Is that so?”

“Yes. Like waking up from a nightmare. It’s strange, isn’t it? Just a moment ago, my father was perfectly fine, and now he’s gone.”

Even if the world had changed, most people’s lives probably continued as usual. Those who participated in the last part of the fantasy world battlefield might have died, but they would probably remember it as nothing but a nightmare. Unless they realized that it was reality, the memories of the fantasy world would overlay on the memories of reality and sink deep into their subconscious.

So, there wouldn’t have been a situation where someone who should have died was still alive. The Goddess wouldn’t have had the leisure to recreate all that.

But Mia was different.

The most important ‘killer’ had lived a completely different life.

For a long time, she must have witnessed how her father fell apart and disappointed people.

I cannot tell whether that ‘Count’ had truly returned or if it was just an extremely elaborate illusion. That was a realm that only the Goddess could know.

But to Mia, it must have been the living nightmare itself.

“I was sad. Yes, of course, I was sad. But… as memories rushed back, I also recalled how much I had lost just to have my father in that illusion.”

“……….”

I shut my mouth and only rolled my eyes. It was very hard to keep a straight face. Every word from Mia felt like it was digging deeper into me.

“But still, I… about your father…”

As I struggled to continue, Mia gazed at me quietly and spoke.

“This time, you’re saying the same thing but with a completely different expression.”

“……”

“Perhaps, it’s because you can’t turn back time anymore.”

“…… Yes, that’s right.”

Until now, I would easily turn back time.

To capture that ‘concept’. Always calmly and coolly assess the situation, achieving the maximum result with minimal action as a mysterious being.

“Do you remember what you said back then?”

Mia fiddled with her teacup as she spoke.

“About learning emotions.”

I felt my mind go blank.

The guilt of being the one who killed a friend’s father, the guilt of making Mia experience such a terrible past twice, the guilt of still not having said I was sorry… All the accumulating guilt in my mind flew away in an instant at her shocking words.

That’s right. I had gone to Mia’s room and said that.

That I was learning emotions and practicing them where no one could see me.

Of course, that was complete nonsense. I had just babbled it to get through that situation somehow, but it seemed Mia had believed those words right up until recently.

“That’s… was a lie.”

As I finally managed to catch my breath before my consciousness slipped away, I opened my mouth to say that.

My voice was cracking. To be honest, I was feeling chills down my spine as I spoke. It was a strange feeling, as a cold energy seeped into my bones while cold sweat was streaming down.

Of course, I couldn’t afford the luxury to analyze that strange feeling.

“Is that so?”

This time, Mia asked.

“Yes, that’s right. Actually, back then…”

Now there’s no reason to hide it. But it was painful to say.

Mainly because I was immensely embarrassed.

“I thought you could attack me.”

“It seemed like that.”

Mia nodded calmly.

“But you… you handed me the gun. You said I could shoot if I wanted to. If I’d really tried to kill you, that would have been the best opportunity right then.”

If we think about it logically, now would also be a good opportunity. But Mia wouldn’t kill me. Right now, Mia and I are friends.

…Isn’t thinking that way too calculating?

“And actually, I didn’t think you would follow me.”

Mia Crowfield wasn’t a character like a thief or rogue often found in JRPGs. She was a magician character, so while she could draw aggro from the first target depending on her equipment, it didn’t mean she would completely disappear but merely reduce the aggro.

That was my blunder. Since I had played the original work, I couldn’t even imagine such a situation. So back then, I made that absurd excuse.

At the time, I thought I had brushed it off reasonably well, but I had forgotten that Mia was very intelligent.

…The intelligent Mia remembered everything I had said back then.

“So I hurriedly thought up an excuse, and that’s how it happened.”

As I barely finished explaining, Mia stared at me for a while.

Then, she chuckled softly.

“So, you mean that the perfect being Sylvia Fanggriffon actually made a lot of big mistakes from the start? You had to come up with such a ridiculous excuse that no ordinary person would even think of it?”

“……”

I had no satisfactory reply.

“When you thought Sylvia liked Leo.”

“……”

Why does my dark history keep surfacing? What on earth was I thinking back then to act like that?

If I had known that the ability I had wouldn’t be usable later and that everyone would remember the time I turned back, I would never have thought to use that ability. Or I would’ve minimized using it.

“Back then, I said I was learning emotions, right?”

I kept my mouth shut.

I steeled myself to not be flustered by anything that came after. …After all, this fiasco was happening because of my mistakes, so I should accept it, shouldn’t I?

“I don’t think that was incorrect.”

But what Mia said was something completely different from what I had thought.

“So, I can’t explain it well either.”

Mia looked around and then slightly tilted her head to look up at me. Her black pupils peeked through her bangs, which fell just low enough to cover her forehead. But contrary to how it had seemed the first time, they sparkled like well-cut jewels.

Blushing slightly, as if shy about saying that, Mia spoke.

“Emotions are something everyone gradually comes to realize, after all. I think the same goes for someone who is rich in emotions as well as someone who lacks them. So, I see you, Sylvia, who could casually say such things when we first met and the Sylvia in front of me now as completely different people.”

Mia’s words felt like they were both understandable and incomprehensible.

But one thing was certain: there were no negative feelings in her words.

“So, I think it wouldn’t be strange to say that Sylvia now is gradually rediscovering her emotions.”

But thanks to Mia’s last words and poking at my dark history, in the end, I collapsed onto the table, my upper body leaning in deeply.

…Seriously, I have no idea how to handle my concept.

Chapter 291

Gulp…

I almost let that slip out, but quickly bit my tongue.

No matter how much my character seems to be falling apart and the truth being exposed, there are still some parts I need to keep intact. I’m trying my best to maintain at least a minimal semblance of my character even after losing my abilities. Someday, my true self might come to light, but I don’t want it all to come out at once in one go.

Starting a conversation with “Um…” doesn’t fit my character. Until now, I’ve been saying whatever came to mind without hesitation.

“…Can I ask how much you remember about me?”

I asked with a threadbare hope.

“……”

Mia’s gaze momentarily drifted to the air. After a brief silence as if she were rummaging through her memories, she said, “I think I remember almost everything you’ve shown me, at least…”

She said that in a somewhat uncertain voice.

Although she thinks she remembers almost everything, she’s probably playing it safe, just in case she’s wrong.

But I know the truth.

Mia has a remarkable memory, capable of reciting complex magical incantations. Her grades are always at the top. While I study for hours just to keep up and Alice employs her efforts to maintain her grades, Mia is simply smart enough to achieve good grades naturally.

Of course, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t put in the effort. But her thoughts about studying are on a different level compared to ours.

While Alice begrudgingly tries hard to set an example as a princess, Mia genuinely enjoys her studies. As she mentioned before, she’s really interested in magic and studies out of her own enjoyment. With her good head, it’s only natural her grades are excellent.

For the same reason, if I did anything embarrassing in front of Mia, there’s a high chance she remembers it.

“……”

The problem is, I can’t remember any of those embarrassing moments.

There’s a limit to human memory, after all. I mentioned that Mia has a good memory, but that only applies to her; it doesn’t reflect on me.

My good grades and my knowledge of game settings, stories, and the insides of dungeons all come from having thoroughly repeated those experiences. To be precise, it would be more accurate to say I repeated them until I mastered them.

In my case, I can’t remember all the little details, so hearing Mia say that is tremendously unsettling.

Still, I can’t ask about it here. If I had a way to turn back time, I would have first asked her, then clutched my head and rolled on the floor, crying out and turning back the clock.

But thinking about it, if I had the ability to turn back time, I wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place. No one would remember that I went back in time.

“…Understood.”

In the end, after much deliberation, the only response I could muster was that.

*

Trials never seem to end.

Typically, trials lead to some good outcome after overcoming them, but the trial in front of me offers nothing of the sort.

Looking back, this was all karma for my past actions.

So, I could say I’ve already reaped the good things that come after these trials, which I put aside for later.

No, if I had known it would turn out like this, I probably wouldn’t have gone back in time at all. I would have only turned back time when I made a fatal mistake while sticking to my silent character.

“Your Highness.”

The one who spoke to me cautiously was Rena.

There are almost no people around me who look up to me. Most simply regard me as an equal friend, and I’m not bothered by that at all. In fact, I prefer it that way.

However, there are a few who look at me with admiration from a slight distance. These people are those who likely never witnessed my mistakes, and even if they did, they probably think it was just a moment of confusion, unaware of the time travel involved.

Having come back on a Gryphon to stop the Emperor, who sought to turn the world into a sea of fire, I became someone difficult to talk to within the academy, except for my close friends.

Among those friends, there was only one who openly admired me.

That was Rena Meyer.

She most likely entered the academy to keep an eye on me or report my actions to the higher-ups, yet from the beginning, Rena’s eyes sparkled at everything I did.

When I first met Rena, I worried that our characters would overlap. In fact, in terms of the ‘cool beauty’ image, Rena was ahead of me. If all my actions were mere ‘acting,’ Rena was the real deal. Beyond just appearing calm and collected, she genuinely loves cute things, adding a layer of ‘authenticity’ that I couldn’t match.

I tried to show off in front of Rena to prove I could surpass her, and thanks to that, she truly began to admire me.

To the point that when there was an empty seat next to me, she’d naturally sit there, and if anyone tried to badmouth or suspect me, she’d step up to defend me. Even her fighting style was influenced, adopting my ‘tactical’ moves from movies in her own way.

However, even Rena has regained her memories.

Many people are disappointed when they see the flaws of someone they admired. And though my flaws weren’t particularly severe, they still fell within the realm of what should be expected of a person.

But my flaws… well, weren’t they much worse than that?

“Can we have a moment to talk?”

The day after my conversation with Mia ended.

As usual, after class, Rena said this as we were leaving the classroom.

I glanced at Alice. She shrugged her shoulders slightly and nodded silently.

Uh… I was hoping for a better environment to discuss things together.

…Well, I guess we’re bound to have a private moment, eh? If that’s the case, maybe it would be better to discuss things beforehand.

“Yes, that’s fine.”

In the end, I nodded and said that.

*

“……”

“……”

Thinking back, I’ve never really had a deep conversation with Rena.

It’s not that we’ve never talked.

However, because Rena wasn’t one of the ‘characters’ I knew well, I never fully understood her personality, and the mix of how she looks at me and what I feel from that meant we had almost never had a serious conversation.

So, it’s no wonder I couldn’t think of what to say first.

“I have memories of the war.”

It seems Rena felt the same. Previously, she would have chitchatted with me, but now that her memories have come back, I might not feel like the same person I used to be.

Talking to someone without knowing their true feelings and doing so while aware of them involves a level of difficulty, even if we’re the same person. Strictly speaking, I’ve already become someone else in my mind.

“Is that so.”

“Yes. I remember the Empire attacking the Riclant Autonomous State… that is, my homeland.”

“……Did you participate in the war?”

At my question, Rena shook her head.

I had no connection with Rena in that dreamlike world. I didn’t step onto the battlefield like I did in the real world.

“My father sent me and my mother to safety in the rear, and then we lost contact. All I received were news of the border area being devastated by shelling. Later, I heard that the government had even allied with some of the opposing warlords.”

“……”

Rena’s expression as she continued to speak was composed.

“I wanted to participate in the war… but my mother stopped me, so I was left by her side until the end.”

She couldn’t send the only remaining family member to the battlefield.

Now that I think of it, I don’t know anything about Rena’s family. I only know her father is an important figure in the autonomous state.

“And after realizing that all those memories weren’t real, I felt quite relieved.”

“Is that so.”

I once again responded with the same answer.

“……So, there’s something that’s a bit confusing, can I ask a question?”

“Yes, please.”

“I sometimes feel that the actions you took, Your Highness, are different from what I clearly remember.”

“……”

I wanted to take a deep breath, but I held it back.

Chapter 292

“Did that really happen?”

dramatic pause

“…Yes.”

At my answer, Rena slightly furrowed her brow. It didn’t seem like it was because she was displeased with what I said.

“It feels strange.”

“Probably.”

Rena didn’t ask me to explain the situation any further. She likely already knew some details about the incident and could infer why such phenomena were happening.

I couldn’t feel the same things that others were experiencing. Because I remembered everything from the time I rewound.

It wasn’t that memories that never existed suddenly appeared; it was simply how it had always been. Moreover, in that fantasy world, I had intentionally created situations with all my previous memories intact.

I knew for sure that I had forgotten something—and I didn’t just forget; that memory had completely vanished from my mind and then suddenly returned. I couldn’t fathom what that must feel like. I could only assume it was like waking up from a dream.

“…”

“…”

A brief silence ensued. Probably, I was the only one uncomfortable. Rena had never done anything embarrassing in front of me. Come to think of it, she had acted fairly honestly without damaging her image. Even if her expression changed, it never felt out of place, nor did anyone around her seem horrified.

Did I take my character too seriously?

“I’m sorry.”

As I was deep in thought, Rena suddenly apologized.

Not knowing what prompted such words, I stared at her silently. Rena slowly spoke with a slightly cautious demeanor.

“If it’s something so embarrassing that you have to rewind time, it’s only right to pretend it didn’t happen.”

Um…

Well, I mean, that’s true.

If you’re really close friends, you might dig up the past to tease each other. But if it’s something truly touchy, like a physical disability, you wouldn’t touch it. So, mistakes made at a party or clumsy blunders can be good material for fun.

And in that sense, most of the mistakes I had made were really at a level worth sharing.

“Even after battling so fiercely, you rewound time countless times just so we wouldn’t worry.”

“…”

Wasn’t that a stretch?

From my point of view, rewinding time just erased the dangerous situation itself. I did it not because I cared about others’ opinions, but because it was more desirable to handle it that way in battle.

Of course, I also cared about appearances. I wanted a character that was completely flawless, so I needed my combat style to be polished as well.

“Thanks to you, we’re still alive.”

“…”

Hearing such words but having no response was—no, I couldn’t reply because my heart started tingling at Rena’s words.

I’m not especially emotional, but I’m not a psychopath who feels nothing when hearing something touching either. Believe it or not, I’m the type who’d shed a few tears while watching a sad movie.

In fact, just a little while ago, I burst into tears, but that was because it touched on family love, so that was cheating. Thus, I didn’t count that time as a moment I cried. How can you go against instinct?

It might be that I didn’t cry when hearing Rena’s words because I had already cried beforehand.

“I just acted the way I wanted.”

“But thanks to that action, everything could end properly. You were the one who stopped the war, right?”

What kind of assurance does she have saying that?

Of course, the one who halted the war was me. Not exactly something to brag about in front of anyone, though.

To be honest, a part of me felt a bit proud.

“…”

“…”

After such an awkward exchange, we fell back into silence. I wasn’t used to receiving gratitude. I wasn’t accustomed to giving thanks either, but the truth is, I had hardly ever heard anyone thank me in my life. It’s something that’s said casually, but it’s not genuine—more like a greeting like “hello” when you meet someone in the morning.

Like when you hastily point out some small mistake of a friend or hold a spot while waiting for someone who’s late. It’s not dishonest, but it’s not heartfelt gratitude either.

However, what Rena was saying now was different. It was a profoundly sincere, honest gratitude.

It was the kind of gratitude Rena would express.

And maybe because of that, I felt a twinge of envy.

While I was trying my best only to end up ruining my character’s essence, Rena had consistently maintained hers without faltering from the beginning. Despite being a character who could overlap with mine.

While it’s true that it’s just her nature, then you could also say that being jealous of someone who is handsome or good at studying is envying an innate trait. Is it so wrong to feel envy toward someone who continues on effortlessly despite all the hard work I put in?

So, I decided to just throw a little shade.

“Well then, I’d like you to tell me one thing.”

Rena sat there, lips sealed, wearing a look of deep unease, so I opened my mouth loaded with jealousy. Of course, the intention was filled with envy, but I wasn’t going to openly show that emotion. I wasn’t that dumb.

“If you want, I can tell you what I can.”

But upon hearing my words, Rena’s expression became even more apologetic.

Did she think I was going to ask about the self-governing state?

Surely, from Rena’s perspective, it was plausible. To her, I was an entity that had erased an entire war by manipulating the world itself. On top of that, I was controlling Gryphons and battling countless people without breaking… Everything must make me seem inhuman when you look at the end result.

If such an inhuman being were to ask for information about a certain nation, they might think I would use it for good purposes.

Rena, who is very direct yet has an overtly naive side, wouldn’t find it strange to think that way.

And I’m sure those around Rena, like her father or the leaders of the autonomous nation, would feel the same way. Rena never hides her emotions from others. It’s clear that they’d notice that she looks favorably on me.

Could they somehow consider handing over their information to someone like that?

Well, all my worries were actually misguided; maybe it was just Rena being a typical teenager. When I think of Sophia’s case, maybe she genuinely doesn’t have any specific info to share.

However, what I wanted to ask wasn’t about the information from the self-governing country.

“I’ve shown you my hidden side.”

That was nonsense. I didn’t show it on purpose; I was just caught red-handed. But right now, Rena in front of me seemed like she’d believe if I said, “I did that on purpose.”

Being too naive can lead to regrets later. I don’t know how precious a daughter she is, but sometimes you have to let them taste the bitter truth of reality.

…At least, that’s what I thought, still filled with jealousy.

“Then Rena, wouldn’t you also be able to share your secrets with me?”

“A secret, you say?”

Rena tilted her head in confusion.

“Yes. Is there nothing you’re hiding from me?”

“…”

At my words, Rena fell silent, lost in thought.

Hiding something? Of course, there is.

She’s a cool beauty character drawn in an illustration, after all. On top of that, Rena has these fantastic ‘gap elements’ that seem like someone designed them for her.

It was a ‘gap element’ that I ended up not being able to utilize but Rena naturally utilized it from the very start. And until now, no one else has known about that ‘gap element’. Except for me, who watched Rena closely in the beginning.

…Ah, but did Mia catch wind of it? That’s one dark history I need to be cautious of. I should find a way to either trade or persuade Mia later to ensure Rena doesn’t hear about it.

“…Well, if we’re talking about hiding something, then yes, I do.”

After much contemplation, Rena cautiously opened her mouth.

“If that’s the case, how about we share our secrets? If we both learn about each other, we could become closer.”

Somehow, that sounded like something a shady old man from an adult comic would say.

Realizing that, the jealousy in my heart shivered and trembled, but by then, Rena had already nodded.

“Alright. I do have something I can show you.”

Seeing Rena determined, the guilt that had been suppressed beneath my jealousy began to resurface.

Chapter 293

Dun dun…

Well, what can I do?

Here I am, trying to comfort someone who isn’t even at fault! I’m just trying to ease her guilt as much as I can; otherwise, it’ll be super awkward every time we see each other.

And honestly? I already knew what Rena was hiding. I had done some digging beforehand. If she were a character I recognized, I wouldn’t have bothered with an in-depth investigation unless my life was at stake, but Rena? She was a fresh face—a character I had never seen in the original story!

What Rena was keeping secret was her fondness for the character “Digger Dog.”

Silence…

But Rena doesn’t know that I know. She probably can’t even imagine someone would snoop on her when she has a crush on a fictional character.

Even Rena, who doesn’t hide anything in front of everyone else, seems to find it hard to admit her love for a specific character.

Honestly, I wonder if it’s even something worth hiding.

In this world, subculture is still in its infancy. Movies are just starting to emerge and aren’t even recognized as art yet. Back home, filmmaking techniques were an established thing, but here? We’re stuck with “short slapstick videos” at best. Comics and animations? Don’t even get me started.

On the flip side, maybe it’s precisely because their standing is so low that the term “otaku” hasn’t popped up.

So, I don’t see why she should be embarrassed about revealing that fact.

After a good bit of hesitation in front of the door, Rena finally gathered her courage, shot me a glance, and opened the door.

Click…

Following Rena inside, I spotted a room that didn’t look too different from mine.

Well, it is a dorm. No matter how you dress it up, there are limits. Four years isn’t a short time, but at least she has to return after that.

From that perspective, I’d say Rena did her best to decorate her room.

Usually, noble rooms are distinct from studies; not many of them have bookshelves. The place with books in a mansion is the study. You’d naturally read in the study if you had work or wanted to read.

But since they can’t provide individual studies for all nobles in the dorms, the academy rooms each have a decent-sized bookshelf.

On one shelf of Rena’s bookshelf—well, let’s call it a layer—was stuffed full of dolls.

I could see it from the window, but stepping inside and getting a closer look, I was surprised by the variety of doll shapes. Some looked like dogs in traditional outfits, akin to mascots from my world, and others appeared to be gender-bent derivates.

Woof woof!

“Digger Dog!”

I feigned familiarity.

Sure, I actually knew. I was planning to use that character as a reference so I had done my homework.

It was an adorable little dog character, but honestly, I thought the name was quite silly. While naming pets based on their behaviors is common in the West, calling a digging dog “Digger” just raises too many questions.

Not that I would say that in front of a fan of the character.

“Did you know?”

Rena asked, seeming a bit surprised, and I felt guilty again but played it cool.

“Well, it’s not every day you find a popular ‘character’ like this. It’s cute too.”

Gasp!

Did I touch a nerve with Rena or something?

Thinking back, Rena just revealed a hidden hobby she’d been keeping under wraps! And all thanks to my subtle pressuring.

To be fair, there’s really no need for her to feel guilty for that weakness.

But having kept it hidden means it’s something she finds somewhat embarrassing to reveal to others. Even back home, some people looked down on adults who bought figures or games; what about this world? If she was from a military family, I could imagine them saying, “A grown kid with dolls?!”

“Can I touch it for a moment?”

Speaking from my previously otaku knowledge, I reckoned that some of these things could be ridiculously pricey despite how they look. Didn’t teddy bears from famous places run in the millions?

And the reason those teddy bears are expensive? They’re handmade and they’ve gained a premium over time.

So perhaps these ‘Digger Dog’ dolls would be the same.

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Hearing Rena’s nod, I casually picked up a doll. It was a basic version with no clothes on.

As I held it and gave it a gentle poke, it felt pretty soft. But it was heavier than I expected. Must be more stuffing than anticipated.

“When did you start liking this character?”

Since I couldn’t just play with the doll in silence, I asked Rena about the story behind her collecting these figures.

“I got my first one from my father.”

Gulp…

Oh boy…

I had just been casually asking how she got into this hobby, and now it sounded like it had some deep, heavy backstory behind it.

And just as I imagined, Rena’s story was heavier than I thought.

“My father, due to his job, couldn’t come home often. Even when he promised he would, sometimes he wouldn’t manage it. My mother and I would wait up for him late into the night, but we often ended up sleeping before we got to see him.”

Sniff…

“I thought it was okay. It was for the country, after all. But it seemed my father thought differently. One night, he left a doll by my pillow after peeking in to see me asleep. That was—”

Rena’s gaze dropped to the doll in my hand.

I froze; this is way more precious than I initially thought. Holding the doll now felt like a hot potato. If I just tossed it down, it’d seem disrespectful, but keeping it in my hands was making my heart race. It wasn’t just a matter of being costly.

“My father was a bit inept at showing emotions, so… there wasn’t a letter or anything, but I was sure he gave it to me as a gift. Unlike me, who was deeply asleep, my mother had seen him come back late, and she suggested I write a letter to him.”

“Is that so?”

Knowing he was a guy who’d sent his daughter here made me think he wouldn’t be much different from the Emperor. But hearing he left a doll when evacuating his child during a war? Now he seems like a pretty family-oriented guy.

“I wrote to my father. I’m not great at writing, so it was just a short thank you. But it seemed he enjoyed receiving my letters.”

At first, Rena spoke without expression, but as she continued, a blush began to creep onto her cheeks.

Well, exchanging letters with one’s father isn’t exactly an everyday story either. It’s that kind of heartwarming tale that can tickle a sensitive spot in one’s heart.

“After that, my father would often gift me dolls, and I… would hug them while sleeping. And that’s continued until now.”

“…”

“I know it doesn’t really suit my age, but it’s become such a habit that it’s hard to break…”

Gasp!

Oh no.

I thought Rena just liked dolls, and with a light heart, I suggested sharing her embarrassment, but her tale was way heavier than I’d expected.

“Sounds like you have a great father.”

I dug deep into my thoughts to find something supportive to say, but Rena had already turned beet red and averted her gaze.

Drip…

I was sweating bullets. Thank goodness for the coat covering my shoulders! If not, my shirt would be soaked with sweat right now.

“…”

I kept my mouth shut for a long moment before finally saying something.

“I also enjoy sweet things.”

Yeah, I should at least share a somewhat similar story, right? I can’t have Rena looking uncomfortable every time she glances at me.

Chapter 294

“I know that.”

The moment I saw Rena with a question mark floating above her head, I was at a loss for words.

Ah, right. She said she remembers everything.

The gap between those who suddenly regain their memories and those, like me, who have always had them—that’s what this is. It’s me, who never found anything strange in the first place, realizing it now.

Therefore, it’s only natural that Rena can recall that I went back in time at the café to eat every type of parfait.

“……”

Um, so… yeah, honestly, it’s a pretty light thing compared to what Rena told me. Saying I like sweet food is nothing against the gifts from a father who rarely sees his daughter.

But I couldn’t just backtrack on my words. I had already lost that ability.

So, I needed to stretch my words as much as possible to sound convincing.

“I spent my childhood without parents.”

Right, even if someone knows I can turn back time, very few would know about that time in my life. Besides, I only figured out how to turn back time after I got beaten up, so my time in the orphanage was one of the very few periods I spent in this world.

In other words, it was a past I could talk about honestly without any lies.

Rena inhaled sharply at my words.

It felt a bit awkward, like I was bragging about misfortune, but I thought I’d feel too guilty if I didn’t at least share this much, so I continued my story.

I moved my legs while holding the doll and sat down on the chair in Rena’s room.

“I realized it while I was at the orphanage. It’s kind of obvious. If my existence came from the goddess, then I obviously couldn’t have any biological parents.”

As I spoke, Rena cautiously came to sit in front of me.

She looked at me seriously.

“The food at the orphanage is not something you could even call tasty in passing. But at that time, I thought it was delicious.”

That was only half true. The food itself was garbage. Cold oatmeal with no seasoning had the worst texture and taste.

But even such food can seem edible when it goes into a hungry stomach. It might be trash when I think back on it later, but forced into my mouth for survival, I could still taste the slight nuttiness from the small bits of nuts floating around in the grim broth.

And I shared most of that with the younger kids and ate only a tiny portion myself.

It wasn’t because I was some kind of saint. I just couldn’t bring myself to finish my share while seeing the kids starving in front of me. Besides, there was no need to make them suffer more when they were already destined for a miserable future.

In a way, it was self-destructive. I thought that neither the kids nor I had any hope of salvation. I may have been thinking like a vet euthanizing stray dogs. Proud, of course.

“Then after finally leaving the orphanage, I only got to eat real food after becoming a Crown Princess.”

People say British food is bad, but palace food isn’t bad at all. I mean, bread and meat combined can’t possibly taste bad. It’s not like there wasn’t food that didn’t suit my taste, but still, most of it was quite delicious. I’m pretty sure it would be classified as high-end food back in the place I used to live.

Especially in the early days after leaving the orphanage, that food tasted even better.

And among those, the ones I particularly liked were…

“I especially loved sweet desserts.”

Well, that’s it.

The parfait I had at that café was especially delicious. I probably had a face full of joy as I devoured it.

I couldn’t pinpoint why I like sweet food so much. Even in my past life, I liked sweets, but only as much as others did. I’m sure I never liked them enough to eat every type of parfait out there.

“Maybe the reason developed due to those times I couldn’t eat such foods.”

It felt like how the sweet food you eat at the end of military training is so much better.

Perhaps it was a primal instinct to enjoy while I could, not knowing when I would die. After having gone through a past like that.

“……”

After a brief silence, Rena gathered her thoughts and cautiously opened her mouth.

“Actually, I never imagined this. I… I grew up in a happy family.”

Rena’s demeanor and tone of voice had to do with her father’s presence. It wasn’t so much that he forced her to be a soldier; it was more likely that she admired her soldier father and followed his path. Honestly, dual-wielding pistols is a bit awkward in a military, after all. Maybe Rena’s father is also someone with a unique fighting style like Jennifer.

“Anyway, since everyone lives differently, you don’t need to feel sorry just because you heard my story.”

Claire was wholeheartedly accepted as a daughter despite not sharing blood, while Alice, who shared blood, was neglected by her father. Rena could indeed say her family was notably harmonious, despite her busy father.

Just because someone was unhappy doesn’t mean someone else has to feel guilty about being happy. After all, everyone’s way of living is different.

…It’s a lesson that we shouldn’t force a single definition of ‘happiness’ onto everyone.

“The Crown Princess of the Empire liking sweet food just because of poverty—surprising, right?”

“Ah, no.”

When I said this playfully, Rena was taken aback.

I decided to drive the point in deeper.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t share this story with others.”

In truth, Alice and Claire definitely knew, and Leo would have probably heard about it too.

But still, I was sincere about keeping it a secret.

Charlotte looked a bit pityingly when she saw me joyfully enjoying ‘Imperial’ parfait. To someone from Velbur, known for its cuisine, it might seem tragic to be that happy over such average parfait.

What would Charlotte react if she fully understood my past?

…Even I have some pride. No, my pride is why I’ve hidden my true nature until now.

I want to be on equal footing with my friends. Not as someone they pity or look down on.

“I understand.”

I wasn’t sure how much Rena grasped my intention, but seeing her nod seriously made me feel I wouldn’t have to worry about this story spreading from her.

“Then, we’re sharing secrets now.”

When I said that, Rena’s cheeks turned slightly red.

Honestly, I felt a twinge of jealousy again. No matter how much I practiced and turned back time, I could never match her naturalness. Rena’s actions were genuine and not an act.

“Ah… could you wait a moment?”

Suddenly, as if she thought of something, Rena stood up.

She walked to the desk, opened a drawer, and rummaged around for something.

“…Here it is.”

Coming back towards me with a small item, Rena carefully opened her hands to show me.

It was a small version of ‘Digger Dog.’

This little doll, about the size of a finger joint, was made of a ceramic-like material. A pin was firmly fixed to its head, and it had a round ring attached to that pin. This wasn’t stainless steel like in my previous world. It looked like metal, employing a somewhat primitive method of bending to open and close.

However, given the era, we had to take that into consideration. Keys were not yet widely used throughout the world, and material science was still developing.

I picked up the object silently. Then I quietly looked at Rena.

“I’ll give this to you.”

Rena averted her gaze as she spoke.

“Are you sure it’s okay? This must be something your father gave you, right?”

“That’s exactly why I’m giving it to you. I know a Crown Princess wouldn’t handle it carelessly.”

“……”

I briefly looked at the small puppy keychain on my hand, which had just been in Rena’s hand, and squeezed it slightly. Thanks to her having held it a moment ago, it felt a bit warm.

“Then I’ll gratefully accept it. Can I think of this as a token of our friendship?”

I said with a slight smile on my face, but Rena didn’t see my expression.

Her head was bowed, her ears flushing red.

…Didn’t she have peers back home? It piqued my curiosity, but I decided against asking.

Even very close friends have secrets they don’t share.

Let’s stop prying into others’ secrets around here.

Chapter 295

Though they grandly call it an ‘academy,’ the truth is that the academies depicted in games, manga, and light novels bear a striking resemblance to regular high schools.

In fact, the Imperial Capital Academy has a completely Japanese high school-style curriculum. The classes are quite different from what you’d see in an ordinary high school, but the schedule follows a similar pattern.

Of course, this year, the schedule has been thrown off considerably due to a big event. They shortened the winter break dramatically, and even crossed into the new year still stuck at the academy.

Originally, the culture festival was slated for the end of October, but it got pushed back and only normalized in November, so it was unavoidable.

And since it was delayed anyway, the student council even proposed starting the culture festival at the end of December. Since it was going to be cold winter regardless, they figured they might as well align the schedule with the time of year when most people celebrate.

In simple terms, the culture festival is now set to run from December 30th to January 2nd.

Even if Amuria Academy is practically a high school, there are hardly any ‘high schools’ in this world due to its lore. Put simply, the high schools that can execute a culture festival are few, including the Imperial Capital and Rondarium. Even the places that resemble schools are really just slightly enlarged tutoring centers.

Thus, the culture festival at the Imperial Capital Academy is essentially a festival for the entire capital. Well, there’s a caveat that only invited people can attend, so it’s technically not a festival for ‘everyone,’ but the streets around the academy get filled with festive vibes, and students often join in on the fun, so you could say that’s about right.

In reality, Alice and I have never attended it. Of course, we could have gone if we’d wanted to, but neither Alice nor I had the luxury of time.

Culture festivals in typical Japanese subculture content are depicted far more extravagantly than actual school festivals, but in this world, it stretches even further.

Plus, the organizers are the kids of the nobility.

Since the era still clings to aristocratic and macho culture, many noble families believe that not contributing a penny to such a festival would be a blow to their pride. There are differences depending on the noble class, but generally speaking, parents who send their children to the academy would make substantial donations to make the festival more lavish.

And managing and efficiently distributing the enormous funds that come in is also the student council’s responsibility.

“This year’s donations are especially high. Compared to last year, there’s almost a 40% increase. With this amount, we could expand the scale significantly and still have plenty left over!”

One of the student council members said excitedly. She wore round glasses and looked a bit plain, but she was also the child of a high-ranking noble. After all, only those recommended by other students could join the student council.

“We don’t have to use the entire budget. We can save some and allocate it elsewhere,”

The student council president shrugged and said that.

“It’s better to keep some as a reserve since we’re overlapping right at the year’s end. Unexpected additional expenses may come up, you know?”

Another student at the table raised a hand and chimed in.

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

And Alice, Charlotte, and I just sat there in silence, not saying a word.

Even though it’s called a ‘noble society,’ it generally just lumps everyone together as ‘nobles,’ meaning it doesn’t exclude royalty and imperial family members. In terms of words, nobility, royalty, and imperial family have separate meanings, but in reality, it’s not uncommon for members of royalty or the imperial family to become separate noble branches through titles, and on the flip side, nobles can also marry into royalty or the imperial family.

Moreover, when you look at the concept of a ‘society,’ it would be too small a framework to separate royalty and imperial family. Naturally, they have to mingle with the closest class, which is the nobility.

And if you were to consider who must preserve their ‘pride’ among them, it would undoubtedly be royalty and the imperial family.

The imperial royal family contributed a massive amount of donations. They were already managing the operation of the academy with royal funds, but they put in even more money. Saying, “We can’t provide this year due to lack of funds,” would simply not be an option pride-wise.

The pride being referred to here isn’t just a personal feeling I have. The emotions of nobles are calculated like math. They’re not perfectly quantifiable or visible; it’s more of an implicit understanding.

And the pride that royalty and the imperial family must uphold falls under that category too.

Both the imperial and Velbur royal families have taken quite a hit financially lately, but to maintain their pride, they’ve offered significant support.

Additionally—

“……Do you have any thoughts regarding the budget?”

After finishing their discussion among themselves, the student council president cautiously directed the question toward us, who had remained silent until now.

The reactions of the student council members, including the president, had grown extremely cautious lately. They were careful even in eye contact, with some not daring to look at us directly.

Well, considering Alice isn’t just any princess, but the Crown Princess, and I am the second in line for the empire’s throne. It’s likely to remain that way until Alice has children of her own.

“……I’m fine, so you can use it as the student council needs,”

However, at least here, we kept our silence.

We mustn’t appear ‘out of touch.’

If the giver of the funds takes an active role in deciding what the money is spent on, it could look bad. It’s much easier and more advantageous to maintain silence instead.

If Alice were simply a ‘Princess’ instead of a Crown Princess, maybe she could contribute opinions here and there. She would be the daughter of someone who merely provided support. In that case, her situation wouldn’t be that different from the others present.

But Alice is the head of the royal family now. She’s the one who determined the amount of the donation.

“I don’t know how the academy held last year’s culture festival, so I’ll leave it up to you all,”

Charlotte also said that.

Charlotte might not be the head yet, but she’s here representing Velbur. Being a student and not contributing the funds herself allowed her some room to speak, but she’s probably holding back because she sees herself as somewhat of a ‘representative’ of her nation.

“…….”

As for me, even if I had the right to speak, I wasn’t going to say anything.

The festival runs smoothly in the original work anyway. I don’t need to come up with some grand plan; they’re bound to come up with something ‘manga-worthy’ on their own.

“Then, we’ll proceed according to this plan.”

Perhaps thinking we would sneak in some comments, the student council president looked as if a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders as he replied with a sigh of relief.

*

“Sometimes, I envy the Iberian way of dealing with things.”

“You guys say it’s dirty, so you dislike it, right?”

“Isn’t it the same for the Empire?”

Charlotte countered Alice’s words and let out a light sigh.

“Still, I can’t deny that sometimes their approach seems more efficient.”

“……I can agree with that.”

Following Charlotte, Alice also gave a light sigh.

Unlike the Empire and Velbur, where making a scene and fighting back when wronged is the norm, in Iberia, it’s considered admirable to do whatever it takes to achieve one’s goals. It seems that people who keep pushing forward, even if they aren’t getting their due respect at the moment, are respected for their single-minded pursuit of a goal. While in the Empire or Kingdom, a man using deception to kill someone becomes the ultimate loser, in Iberia, as long as you ensure your target is dead, it doesn’t matter how you go about it.

They call it vendetta, maybe.

And this cultural atmosphere also applies to money; offering funds beyond one’s means is simply regarded as foolish.

“But in the end, we’re in the Empire, so we have to follow the Empire’s laws.”

“Are there people opposing that idea and wanting to apply Velbur’s laws?”

Charlotte’s words refer to the still-ongoing issues surrounding the previous emperor’s circumstances.

“…….”

Alice quietly averted her gaze from Charlotte’s eyes.

Chapter 296

I had no complaints about the fact that the finances were handled by the royal family and nobility while the Academy and student council took care of everything else.

To be honest, I’m not great at managing money. I’ve often lived on a tight budget, spending on games and merchandise, only to find myself unexpectedly short and starving. Things changed when I started earning my own money, but at least until I graduated college, I often went hungry.

Even after coming to this world, I didn’t really think about budgets and just spent freely. Looking back, the amount I’ve spent would probably leave anyone dizzy. Forget buying a gun; turning Marmaros into bullets and running around in some insane enhanced exoskeleton that couldn’t even be made with the technology from my previous world were all possible because of the royal treasury backing me.

If I ever got my hands on that budget as a member of the student council, I’d definitely splurge extravagantly, leading to all sorts of trouble!

The other students in the council weren’t poor enough to embezzle money, and more importantly, they were politically savvy enough not to risk mixing the funds from various noble houses with the royal treasury and foreign monarchs. So, I really didn’t need to worry; I could just watch the Academy gradually change for the cultural festival.

“Uh, Crown Princess?”

It was only when one of the students from the council came to find me and called me that.

“What is it?”

The little girl, who looked like she’d shrink away just for talking to me, jolted when she heard my voice. Well, you called me, didn’t you?

“U-Uh, the teacher asked me to bring you to the Crown Princess…”

“Me?”

I tried to think of the teachers’ faces. Carolyn had no real reason to call for me. It’s not that we had a bad relationship; we just really didn’t have any overlapping matters.

Sure, we had swiped a jewel from the Northwood territory, but that was something Duke Northwood wouldn’t know about.

So, the only teacher who could be calling me would be Jennifer.

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I felt a bit uneasy. Jennifer knew that my abilities had vanished, so she wouldn’t tell me to head to the battlefield. But still, I had this nagging feeling that something so annoying was waiting for me.

“The teacher?”

Alice, who was sitting next to me, asked the same thing. The student who’d tried to talk to me looked like she was about to disappear into thin air from all the tension. With Charlotte’s gaze on her too, she looked like she was physically choking.

I knew her name. She’s from the noble class B.

Speaking of which, Jennifer was the homeroom teacher for class B. So it would be Jennifer, then.

I stood up from my seat.

“Then, I’ll go.”

“…Should I go with you?”

Alice’s suggestion made me pause for a moment.

“…No, I don’t think it’s necessary.”

If she were a really awkward person, maybe I’d consider it, but with someone like Jennifer, it seemed like there wouldn’t be any major issues. Not that I’m saying she’s easy to deal with, but I hadn’t done anything to get myself into trouble in front of her.

I had gone into debt before, but I repaid that by charging into the battlefield. At the time, Jennifer didn’t even realize I had settled my debts.

“Then, please guide me.”

“Ah, understood.”

The girl straightened her back like she had been given an order and answered.

*

“Oh, you’re here?”

Despite being a prominent figure in the imperial family, Jennifer’s attitude towards me hadn’t changed.

I thought that was a relief. If she had acted all formal like the Headmaster lately, I would have turned and bolted out of there.

But honestly, given Jennifer’s personality, she probably would treat me the same way even if I became the Emperor. Truly a case of ‘like master, like student.’

“What was the reason for calling me?”

“Well, it’s not anything serious.”

Jennifer picked up a document from her desk and handed it to me.

“I just thought we might need to hire another teacher.”

“…Why did you call me about hiring another teacher?”

I asked as I held the paper she presented to me.

“Because the person who might fill the teaching position is someone you know well.”

“….”

I looked down at the paper.

There was a whole lot of empty space that made it hardly a proper resume. The only things written were a date of birth and minimal self-introduction; the rest was blank, as if the person thought that was sufficient.

Or maybe they figured it wasn’t even necessary. Just one glance at the image they pasted would say it all.

“…The Sword Saint said he wants to be a teacher?”

Jennifer shrugged.

“Right? I also don’t know why he said that, which is why I called you.”

“Isn’t calling me going to yield the same answer?”

I replied, stunned, and Jennifer shrugged once more.

“Well, I figured you might be able to explain the reason.”

“….”

How would I do that?

If we’re talking about the time I spent with the Sword Saint, it’s safe to say it was quite lengthy. I had trained while rewinding time, and I had picked up some techniques along the way. Eventually, the Sword Saint came to the palace and helped us train as well.

But even so, there shouldn’t be any particular reason for him to mention me.

If we’re talking about proper disciples, there were at least several people who had been his student for many more years than I had, like Jennifer and even Claire, Leo, and Alice who had way better talent than I ever did. Yet somehow, he held me in higher regard?

“Just because I’m not able to read his mind—”

Seeing my complete lack of understanding, Jennifer slowly opened her mouth as if she were adding more explanation.

“The Sword Saint doesn’t just favor those with talent. I hear he had many students beneath him before me. Most died in battle, though.”

“…….”

“The Sword Saint keeps saying you have ‘no talent,’ but he never said you weren’t his disciple. In fact, if you really want to get specific, he considers you a student like any other. Honestly, I haven’t seen any of his students whom he called ‘talentless’…”

Up until that point, Jennifer peeked at me for a second, as if she felt sorry for repeatedly calling me untalented.

But I didn’t react. The fact that I was talentless was true.

“What I mean is, for someone like the Sword Saint, generally, his students would fall off the radar before even reaching him. Do you understand?”

I wouldn’t say I fully understood, but I could imagine it.

After all, he was the Sword Saint. He was hailed as the best swordsman in the empire, maybe even on the continent, so anyone wanting to become his disciple would naturally consider their own talent.

And eventually give up. ‘No way I could be eligible to learn under the Sword Saint.’

That’s the image of a skilled master, isn’t it?

“In that sense, you might be viewed a bit unusually by the Sword Saint. You came boldly and asked for his teaching even though you have no talent, and you’re one of the few students who managed to learn something from him.”

“…….”

Hmm.

That does explain why I was called, though.

But to think the Sword Saint had been caring for me like that?

The Sword Saint?

Seeing my utterly unconvinced expression, Jennifer chuckled softly.

“Anyway, that’s why I called you. It’s a somewhat unclear reason, but I still want you to have a short conversation with the Sword Saint.”

…A conversation?

“After all, you can’t just hire a teacher without any sort of interview. But I know my master, the Sword Saint. He doesn’t easily reveal his true feelings to anyone.”

“So you want me to dig that out of him?”

“I thought you could pull it off.”

Wait a minute, am I being overestimated here?

Even with all my prior blunders piling up on me like a tsunami while I was rewinding time, she’s asking me to extract information from the Sword Saint now?

“…Isn’t that something the Academy should handle?”

“That’s true, but honestly, it’s not like the Sword Saint is just an ordinary applicant either.”

“….”

It really looked like she wouldn’t give up convincing me no matter how much I protested.

I let out a dramatic sigh, trying to show my reluctance, but Jennifer just kept smiling.

Chapter 297

BAM!

Honestly, isn’t it about time we savor some peace?

Sure, there are a bunch of stuff to sort out like the ex-emperor’s A-Team issues, the still not functioning imperial council, and the absurdly bloated military forces that have nowhere to go. But come on, this isn’t exactly a real war, is it?

We managed to stop conflicts before they turned into wars, and thanks to that, we were able to prevent the Papal State from being a potential threat. I mean, we literally kicked the Goddess out of this world!

As for the royal family, Alice, the one in charge, can handle that. And for the imperial council, I’ll just let it be for now! Unless they look like they’ll do something stupid, I’ll just swoop in on my Gryphon for a little around-the-council flight! And the military? It wouldn’t hurt to take my time keeping things in check, even if the chief is a bit overloaded.

So really, can’t I just chill out a bit, at least while I’m at the academy?

But it seems like everyone around me is not in the mood to let me be.

“Am I facing you in this interview?”

WHAM!

… I mean, this is how I’m treated even after becoming the supreme leader of the Empire?

Not that I wanted to be treated any differently! If someone asked me whether I’d prefer this or being treated with immense respect, I’d say the former is better! Having to show excessive respect to someone who’s lived decades longer than me is a tad pressuring, you know?

Every time I had to bow to the Headmaster, it felt like my stomach twisted by 1 mm. By the way, after twenty more encounters, wouldn’t that have a significant impact on my stomach’s health? Mostly in the not-so-good way.

But hey, there’s no need to react like this! Can’t we talk a bit more casually, if not perfectly respectfully?

“I’m not here of my own volition.”

“Were you such a useless brat that you couldn’t even follow your own lead? Such a terrible disciple!”

Do we really need to repeat ‘useless’ like that?

But instead of saying that and risking the wrath of flames on my head, I decided to respond humbly as a disciple should.

“… My other mentor, Jennifer Winterfield, requested my presence. While I’m not obligated to comply, I feel it’s only fair as a disciple and a member of the Academy, especially since the royal family runs it. There are things in the world we must do even if we don’t want to. Hiding away in the mountains because of an old man’s whim is simply… GAH!”

BZZT!

Before I could finish my thought, flames erupted on my head.

I swear, it felt like a literal fireball hit me!

Sure, I infused a bit of my real feelings into that response, but I still think I explained myself well enough!

“You really have no problem saying that in front of your mentor, do you?”

Even as he said this, one side of his lips twitched, so he seemed to be somewhat amused by my answer.

If he liked it that much, why can’t he just listen? What’s with the need to slam down on someone else’s head?

“However, that answer is very much like you. Other students who seem more grounded don’t dare to speak in such a way to me. I’ll have to reconsider what I said earlier.”

Even with his grin, the pain in my head didn’t lessen. If he was planning to compliment me, I wish he could have just refrained from hitting me in the first place!

“And yes, you’re correct. I’ve forsaken my duties in the past. As a soldier of the Empire, you’re supposed to dedicate your life to the Empire.”

Technically, it’s not legally defined, but it’s akin to the “Our Resolve” chant that South Korean men recite daily during their mandatory service, which is sort of like an oath read during the commissioning ceremony.

Legally speaking, it doesn’t have zero impact, but in general, no one cares much. Just imagine bothering someone excitedly chatting about military service with, “Aren’t those statements military secrets?”

Generally, unless it’s about manuals or serious top secrets, it’s a part people tend to avoid digging into.

“So, does that mean you’ll start following that duty from now on?”

That’s why I found it kind of surprising that the Sword Saint would say something like that. The guy who seems to find everything tedious going off on a serious note like that—

“Do you think I’ve gone senile?”

—No way, right?

“Then what’s the point of submitting such a resume?”

“Isn’t that important? Isn’t it a good thing that a Sword Saint bothered to come and take a look at the students?”

“That’s quite significant, which is why I suspect you specifically asked me. The role of a teacher isn’t just about passing on knowledge. You must also set an example through your actions to be a proper teacher.”

Then I paused for a moment, mulling over what to refer to the Sword Saint as.

“So, naturally, the Academy would want to know your true intentions.”

“Oh? Are you implying that my actions don’t seem to reflect a good example?”

I straightened up, getting ready to leap back in case he strikes again.

“Do you genuinely believe that your actions would serve as a model for the students?”

“….”

And thankfully, the Sword Saint couldn’t bring himself to answer me.

He had lived life on his own terms, so it’s no surprise he’d feel stuck for words.

Even if somehow among his disciples, someone could truly stand up to his stature, if that disciple adopts the same attitude as him, it would be a headache for the Empire.

Having one strong individual wouldn’t do the Empire any good. Unless that person were to take on positions beyond the military or such, what help is a guy just practicing alone in the woods? Keeping tabs on such oddballs committing crimes would be far more tiring!

“So, are you saying that I’m not cut out to be a teacher?”

“Not exactly. It’s more like the Academy wants to understand your underlying motives. If you were a teacher of sufficient skill and reputation, you wouldn’t have to go through me for such detailed inquiries. If you had previous experience teaching elsewhere, even better. This isn’t just about personal abilities, you see?”

So, me acting out suddenly has raised suspicions. If the Sword Saint had steadily nurtured students before, he likely wouldn’t face such scrutiny, no matter what institution he dealt with.

Even Jennifer, who had been under the Sword Saint for quite a while, felt dubious about his intentions, so naturally, the higher-ups of the Academy would dig deeper into his actual meaning.

“Hmm.”

Hearing my words, the Sword Saint fell silent for a moment, pondering.

“Could you express your reasons?”

“I can state my reasons, but I’m not sure if you’ll relay them to the Academy.”

“Are you planning to slice me after explaining?”

“… No matter how I am, I wouldn’t go that far.”

Since I asked with quite a serious face, this time, my head did not catch fire.

“I was merely implying that knowing your temperament, I doubt you’ll convey my words completely.”

“….”

Hearing this made me hesitate as well.

Should I hear him out till the end? If the Sword Saint is going this far, something about me must indeed be part of the reason.

From everything I’ve circled back to understand about him, the Sword Saint’s insight into character tends to be remarkably accurate. And for someone with such an accurate perspective to consider me a disciple despite my lack of talent—that means he might be viewing me quite positively, irrespective of him hitting me every now and then.

If he were to express those reasons, I’m sure I would get quite the ticklish feedback.

“… Still, I’d appreciate if you shared it with me. How you spin it for presentation rests on my shoulders.”

There’s no way I could let the Sword Saint flop in this interview.

Seeing how he took the time to express himself so seriously makes it clear he’s put some thought into it.

Besides, it’s the Sword Saint we’re talking about. While the ratio of swordsmanship may decrease as time goes on, why not learn from the best while I can?

“Is that so?”

Nodding, the Sword Saint responded.

“Very well then. I shall tell you. The reason is you.”

Chapter 298

“Excuse me? Me?”

shocking sound

“I wasn’t particularly surprised.”

thoughtful noise

“Because I had some inkling of it already.”

thinking sound

“In the original story, the Sword Saint dies before the war even ends, but even if he were alive, I doubt he would have taken a job as an academy teacher afterward.”

shaking head

“His character is described as determined yet eccentric, and he hates being tied down anywhere; that’s how he’s portrayed throughout the story.”

dramatic flair

“So, if his personality changed, it could only be because of me. Saying that sounds like an egotistical overreach, but no matter how I think about it, I can only come up with one reason.”

cue introspection

“The reason this world doesn’t follow the original story is me.”

pointing finger

“Because of my existence alone, the original story got derailed. People who were supposed to die didn’t, and the ending that was meant to happen didn’t arrive.”

surprising revelation sound

“So, if the Sword Saint’s heart changed, it’s obvious that it’s because of me, and if my name isn’t mentioned in the reasons for the Sword Saint’s actions, I’d find that even weirder.”

head shaking

“Is that what you mean?”

curious sound

“You don’t seem too surprised. Did you expect it?”

intrigued joke sound

“Yeah, sort of.”

casual response

As I replied with a half-hearted expression, the Sword Saint burst into laughter.

laughing sound

“I see you’ve heard similar things many times. It makes sense.”

logical sound

“Do you remember all the things I’ve done?”

intrigued tone

“If I didn’t remember, would I be here talking to you? Would you like me to continue? Honestly, considering your personality, it may very well be that you wouldn’t want to hear it all.”

teasing sound

“…….”

silence

I pondered deeply once more.

deep thought

Why on earth was I trying so hard to justify myself?

confused sound

I thought around and around, but no suitable answer came up.

frustrated sound

At first, I suggested a deal: “I’ll introduce you to someone stronger than you,” and then demonstrated, “Look, I’ve already learned this level of skill!” I had no talent naturally, so I had to rewind time several times just to barely learn and then lied, saying, “I mastered it all at once.”

embarrassed sound

Honestly, as a teacher, it’s pretty embarrassing, isn’t it?

awkward laugh

“First, I’ll say one thing. You have no talent in swordsmanship. Your head seems quite good, but your physical abilities aren’t great, and if I ranked my disciples by their strength, you’d be near the bottom. Honestly, you’re not a talent in wielding a sword.”

harsh truth sound

“…….”

silence

Was he trying to lead me on to say I have no talent? But I’d heard this already before. I myself thought I had no talent too.

self-reflection sound

“When I say that, what do you think most other people would do?”

curious tone

“……Give up and go home?”

thoughtful response

“Exactly. Normally, they’d give up and go home. After all, it’s coming from the ‘Sword Saint.’ When someone who has reached the top says, ‘You have no talent,’ there are some who’d even look relieved. Usually, they’d just retreat to find another way to make a living.”

snickering sound

The Sword Saint leaned back on the sofa casually.

relaxed sound

“And even if someone didn’t give up, nobody lasts long after hearing that. Usually, they quit within a year. The more they train, the more they start to think it’s just not for them.”

nodding sound

I get it. If someone at least cheered me on, it might be different, but when the teacher says I have no talent, there’s no way my motivation would rise.

sad sigh

I looked at the Sword Saint with furrowed brows, and he shrugged.

neutral noise

“So what would you like me to say? Physical limits are something one cannot overcome. Training without knowing your own limits only leads to injury. It’s better to inform you of your lack of talent and have you train accordingly. Usually, people can’t last even that long and end up quitting.”

thoughtful tone

Feeling pricked by his words, the Sword Saint continued.

raising voice

“But you were different. Hearing you had no talent, you still decided to train to the end, and you stubbornly trained. You rewound time multiple times and eventually acquired the abilities you wanted. Honestly, it’s not like you reached an extraordinary level as a swordsman, but it’s still an impressive feat. You’ve trained much longer than others and surpassed what I thought was impossible for you.”

proud statement

“But that must be due to the talent you mentioned.”

pointing out tone

Even the Sword Saint said it himself. Rewinding time multiple times.

nodding sound

The level I acquired, as the Sword Saint just mentioned, couldn’t be considered extraordinary. It was merely touching the threshold of a must-have level for a swordsman.

explanation tone

While it might seem impressive for someone with no talent to reach that point, on the flip side, it implies that anyone could reach there given enough time.

representative sound

And I had enough time.

confirming sound

“Even with ample time, very few will wholly dedicate that time to effort.”

philosophical tone

The Sword Saint said leisurely.

calm voice

“If you hear that you need to put in double or triple the effort to reach a certain level, most will look for something else. That’s true even if there’s a method to reverse time. I’m convinced.”

serious tone

“…….”

silence

With my lips tightly pressed together, I showed a puzzled expression, and the Sword Saint chuckled like an old man.

chuckling sound

“I heard your story.”

intrigued tone

“My story?”

curious tone

“Yeah. I have other disciples too, you know.”

implying sound

“…….”

surprised silence

Uh… So you mean you met with others before coming to see me?

logical deduction

I think Claire and Leo could have done that. They weren’t always stuck to me. Alice too… well, she wasn’t always attached to me, to put it that way.

realization sound

“What do you think a person who can rewind time would do during an exam? Do you think they would just keep studying while rewinding time?”

skeptical tone

The Sword Saint shook his head.

negation sound

“No, usually after taking the exam, they’d remember the questions and just pick the right answers. From what I hear, you didn’t do that. You spent that time studying hard, didn’t you?”

teasing tone

“Because if you don’t understand what you’ve learned thoroughly, you can’t use it elsewhere.”

defending sound

And I thought I should at least put in minimal effort since Alice was working so hard. Admittedly, my choice was pretty much cheating.

confessing sound

“Usually, people don’t even think that way. And even if you hadn’t been able to rewind time, you would’ve already had more than enough time to understand it. Aren’t you the Crown Princess? Did you think the tutor would skip explaining things just because?”

defensive statement

“…….”

daunted silence

Uh… Well, that left me momentarily speechless.

struggling sound

Is that how it is?

realization sound

Indeed, when I didn’t understand something at first and asked again, the tutor had diligently taught me. Even though it was known that the bloodline didn’t matter, you were still a princess, and the Emperor wouldn’t differentiate much based on blood.

elf clapping sound

So, um, maybe if I asked for a couple more hours, that person could have kindly taught me…?

pondering sound

I wondered if maybe the royal family offered additional allowances or something?

thinking sound

“Anyway, I started getting curious.”

inquisitive tone

As I was lost in thought, the Sword Saint spoke.

revelation sound

“While you’re at the academy, I thought if I could find a few more kids like you, life would be quite interesting. Don’t you think? No matter if they have talent or not, seeing someone who just keeps moving forward solely focused on what they want is quite commendable.”

appreciative tone

After saying that, the Sword Saint looked at me and grinned.

meaningful smile sound

He didn’t add words, but I felt like I understood the meaning behind that smile.

epiphany sound

Alright, I’ve said this much, so how would you like me to relay this to the academy?

flexing sound

Seriously, just as the Sword Saint said, if I went back to Jennifer and said, “The Sword Saint mentioned that he wants to come to the academy because of me!” she’d give me the most significant knowing smile ever.

snicker sound

And my reputation would spread like wildfire within the academy. It might already be well-known, but I could possibly add even more weight to it.

building suspense sound

“…….”

contemplative silence

I contemplated for a moment,

inner monologue

“Alright, I’ll handle it. As for the academy… I’ll make sure to let them know properly.”

determined sound

I responded accordingly.

confident tone

“Great! Ideally, I’d like you to relay my words as closely as possible. I wasn’t going to say it for the sake of my disciples, but you insisted on hearing it, didn’t you?”

mocking tone

No, I never actually insisted at all!

defensive tone

More than anything, I had no intention of relaying it as it is.

worried tone

But how should I convey this?

confused pondering sound

Chapter 299

I thought long and hard about how I could present the Sword Saint’s answer without mentioning my name, but the conclusion I arrived at was that there was ‘no way’.

I believed that I was the biggest reason this world was diverging from the original story. And the Sword Saint’s answer was closely related to that ‘reason’.

However, if I explained the situation while neatly omitting the reason, I would inevitably be unable to answer the question, ‘So why did the Sword Saint apply for the position of teacher?’

It was probably that reason why the Sword Saint laughed at me.

That guy probably knew from the beginning that I would end up in such a situation. So he partly teased me and guided the conversation in that direction.

In the end, I was the one who walked into the trap.

So I couldn’t blame anyone else, which made it even more awkward.

For days, I spent my time unable to do anything with myself. I was truly grateful that Jennifer was not our homeroom teacher. If she had been, I wouldn’t have had the chance to run off to the dorm the moment class ended.

For some reason, Jennifer hadn’t sent a student to find me, nor did she come looking for me. I wasn’t sure if she was giving me time, or if the teachers at the academy had reached a different conclusion on their own.

But for me… well, it’s a bit awkward to call it a good thing, but at least I managed to buy some time, right?

But even so, there were limits. No matter who I was, I understood that I couldn’t keep putting this off indefinitely. So as each day passed, I grew more anxious.

About four days after my meeting with the Sword Saint, Alice began to look at me suspiciously. Since she had a knack for reading my emotions while I was trying to keep a straight face, it was only natural that she would easily catch on to my current expression, which was much less controlled.

As I was at the point of giving up and considering just telling Jennifer everything—

“Do you want to summon a Gryphon for the academy festival?”

“Um, well, not exactly summon, just something like having it fly around in the sky.”

—Surprisingly enough, the student council, who were busy preparing for the cultural festival, requested a meeting with me.

As I explained before, the imperial family holds a somewhat different status than other noble families. They donate the most, but meddling in budget execution would look rather poor. It would be like saying, “I donated money, so do it my way.”

That might be expected in a completely capitalist society, but in this world, which is marked by extreme capitalism alongside a stark aristocracy and imperialism, such justifications and pride are very important.

Although Alice and I attended the same academy, we ended up in this complicated situation due to overlapping circumstances: Alice, now the Crown Princess and second in line to the emperor, and me. It never crossed my mind that they would request something from us like this.

“You do know that Gryphons are ferocious beasts, right?”

As Alice squinted slightly while saying that, every member of the student council flinched.

…To be honest, describing it as just a ferocious beast is an understatement. A Gryphon could tear apart a tiger or lion with just its claws.

Or roast them with magic.

Right now, it’s just lounging in the imperial palace garden, sitting around and eating, making it hard to tell if it’s a flying pig or a Gryphon. But for now, it seemed like a legendary beast… or something similar. It was also a symbol of the Empire.

There seemed to be numerous of them, but strangely, this one hadn’t returned to where its kind lived.

“Knowing it’s a ferocious beast, I suppose you’d be satisfied with just watching it fly through the sky.”

When I said that, the student council president nodded quickly.

“May I ask how you came to such a thought?”

Honestly, I was a bit curious whose brainchild this was. Leaving aside the fact they were trying to involve Alice and me, the audacity to bring a Gryphon to the academy festival was worth points in my book.

They were clearly a few sandwiches short of a picnic.

“Ah, well, that’s….”

The student council president averted his gaze as if it was troublesome, but the other students all turned their heads away to evade eye contact. No loyalty at all. Although, I wasn’t sure if there was such a thing as loyalty among nobles.

“…There are two guests from another country in the first-year class, aren’t there?”

Charlotte and Rena. While it’s acceptable for Charlotte, since she’s a princess and speaks formally, the autonomous region governed by the military likely had a more ambiguous nobility system than the Empire yet still uses formal language. If you think about it that way, it would be quite an ordeal to look down on people from other nations that do not match titles one-to-one.

It wouldn’t cause a major issue to underestimate commoners as mere peasants, but what if that person was the child of a nation’s leader? Then the issue becomes significant. If the person looking down were a Duke of the Empire, it could escalate from being a personal issue to an international matter.

Having reached that conclusion, I nodded.

“Additionally, this cultural festival is different from previous ones as it falls between the last day of the year and the first day of the new year.”

Ah, I think I get what they were trying to say.

It seemed Alice also figured out what the student council president was hinting at, but her expression remained somewhat strained.

“So… I thought it might not be a bad idea to demonstrate just how impressive our country’s abilities are as the continents’ dominant power…”

As we remained silent, the student council president’s voice trailed off until only silence remained.

It was a valid point.

Both Charlotte and Rena were daughters of high positions in their respective nations. While Rena was one thing, Charlotte was a literal princess, the rightful heir to the next throne.

And it wasn’t unusual for parents, siblings, or relatives of those students to visit during the academy cultural festival. Nobles had their social events, and commoners had opportunities to showcase their abilities before those nobles.

If Charlotte’s father, the King of Velbur, visited this place, he wouldn’t be coming alone. There would be some nobles who assisted him, and then those who served those nobles might come along… there could be an entire delegation.

It made sense why the student council felt pressured. Showing the Empire’s symbolism directly wasn’t a bad idea either.

If Charlotte’s father were to actually come, that is.

When a king from one nation visits another, it’s vastly different from a president or prime minister going abroad. No matter how much a president represents a country, they aren’t ‘royalty’. In a crisis that might lead to the president’s death, a new one can simply be elected.

There would be social upheaval, but a presidential system has contingencies in place for such events. It wouldn’t matter whether the new president is of the same bloodline as the previous one. In fact, suggesting otherwise would be considered foolish.

But when it comes to a king, especially one with power befitting ‘a king’, haphazardly visiting another nation is dangerous. A king is an irreplaceable figure. The king’s authority stems from legitimacy, and that legitimacy must not be recklessly moved around. They should firmly sit at the center of their own country.

In that sense, Charlotte attending this academy is an incredibly risky action by Velbur’s standards. It means the ‘next king’ of their nation is learning in another country that could potentially be a hostile one.

In this universe, with its European-themed setting, it might be fine, but from an East Asian perspective, it could easily have been interpreted as taking a hostage.

“Rather than causing unnecessary problems by focusing on appearances—”

“I’ll cooperate.”

It seems Alice reached a similar conclusion as I did, trying to refuse the student council president’s proposal. However, my thoughts were different.

Since the Empire was born under the name of the Fanggriffon, there has been no record of anyone flying through the skies atop a Gryphon. It’s almost as if there should have been some fabricated story, yet there was truly ‘none’.

What does that mean?

Exactly.

It means that no one knows how much effort and time it takes to train a Gryphon.

In other words, if I were to just hide away and emerge saying, “I was out training a Gryphon,” there wouldn’t be anyone who would understand.

And to say that once again differently, it means I could finally have a plausible reason to put off my meeting with Jennifer.

“So on the day of the cultural festival, I’ll show you the sight of the Gryphon cutting through the sky.”

Thus, I accepted those words.

Chapter 300

Honestly, I was feeling quite optimistic about this issue.

I’ve never had a pet before.

Of course, I’ve never gotten any certifications or training related to animal care. The extent of my experience with raising something was when my homeroom teacher in elementary school told us to take care of a flower pot, so I just bought a decent one from the neighborhood flower shop and kept it at home.

In fact, even now, the responsibility of caring for the gryphon is handled by others, so strictly speaking, I’m not ‘raising’ it.

But wait, can we even say that I’m raising it in the first place?

It’s clear that this creature understands human language. It’s at the Imperial Palace because it wants to be, not because people brought it here to keep it.

This gryphon wasn’t just judging based on the nuances of our language or recognizing specific words; it comprehended what I was saying and had the ability to move accordingly, so there was really no need to tame or train it.

The reason for my optimism was precisely that.

And for exactly the same reason, I soon realized that it wouldn’t be an easy task.

Hmph.

If I just put it in one character, it’s quite a cute feeling. It’s a phrase typically used by cute characters or female characters rather than burly male ones, so it makes sense that such an image would stick.

Also, that sound effect represents a small, cute creature snorting. Obviously, if a much bigger creature were to make a sound, it wouldn’t be like that at all.

The noise that the gryphon made was definitely not ‘Hmph.’ Given that its mouth structure is different from ours, and while humans have lips, the gryphon has a beak. It does have nostrils, but since its structure is different from ours, when the gryphon snorts, it sounds more like a large pump blowing air.

More importantly, as a creature soaring through the skies with such a massive body, its lung capacity is enormous, and the air coming out of those nostrils raised little dust clouds around my feet and swayed my hem slightly.

Yet, even with that, if I had to express the action the gryphon took after listening to me in one character, there was no other way to depict it.

Hmph.

“What’s the problem…?”

Confirming that no one was around, I asked in a quiet voice.

“If you’re hungry, I’ll give you food, and it’s cozy and warm here. You want to be here in the first place, right? If you’re living comfortably, isn’t it fine to grant me a small request?”

A large breath came from the gryphon’s nostrils, and once again, a little dust whirled around my feet.

“No, didn’t you come here to acknowledge me in the first place…?”

It was something I couldn’t say openly in front of others, but I could say it in front of the gryphon. I thought it was impossible for the gryphon to speak human words given its different mouth structure, no matter how smart it might be.

Since it was quietly watching as I drooped my shoulders, I didn’t think it didn’t understand my request.

Hmm.

Looking up at the gryphon again, I contemplated while rubbing my chin.

There’s a term called non-human sentience.

It refers to beings of equal intelligence to humans, but are not human. It’s said that the intelligence of crows or parrots is comparable to that of human children, and elephants or dolphins have their own cultures… It might be a human-centric way of thinking, but it’s quite plausible. It’s a bit strange to think that among the countless animals on Earth, only humans possess intelligence that matches our own.

Regardless of whether that classification is scientifically valid or overly sentimental, if that classification is practically possible, I would place the gryphon within the category of non-human sentience.

If this creature, sitting with its head raised high like a loaf of bread, truly had intelligence only akin to that of a common animal, I would be genuinely shocked.

“Alright then.”

I looked up at the gryphon and said,

“Tell me what you want. If I can grant it, I will. But you also have to do something I want in return. Doesn’t that sound fair?”

Even after hearing me say that, the gryphon stared at me for a while.

It can’t be that it doesn’t understand, right?

Just as I began to earnestly ponder, the gryphon moved.

It wasn’t a grand movement; it simply lifted its seated body.

Then it stretched out its folded wings as if to loosen up.

It wasn’t an impressive action, but just that made it incredibly intimidating. The gryphon was already large, and when it spread its wings wide, the tips reached far above its head. Naturally, for that massive body to take flight, its wings had to be that big.

From even my frequent observations, the sight was so majestic it could momentarily steal my gaze.

It’s a gryphon with a head of a white-headed eagle and the body of a lion. From the front, seeing it with its wings spread wide was like watching a gigantic eagle standing tall.

I wondered if this was a truly special action, my heart racing as I looked up, but perhaps spreading its wings was merely a stretch, as the gryphon soon folded them again.

Then, it looked down at me and abruptly bowed its head.

So, it looked like a polite greeting posture.

For a moment, I wondered what it was doing, but I, like before with the gryphon, grabbed my skirt with both hands and bowed politely.

A brief silence passed, and we lifted our heads again.

“Is this okay?”

When I asked, the gryphon tilted its head.

Then it let out another Hmph.

What.

When I frowned and looked up, the gryphon lowered its head to me again.

This time, it also bent its knees slightly.

“…Huh?”

What’s this? Is it telling me I’m dead?

For a moment, that thought passed through my mind, but this was a Western world created by a Japanese game company. There’s no way there would be Confucian rules like that concerning deaths… That’s not right; since it’s a Japanese game company, it might have a Confucian hue, but surely they wouldn’t go to the trouble of inserting that into a Western setting.

Regardless, refusing to acknowledge the greeting in this situation would look odd. Plus, I had grown quite accustomed to seeing the gryphon frequently, but it could easily devour me like pudding if it truly wanted. It’s better not to provoke it unnecessarily.

I bowed politely again and then stood up.

“Do you want to say something?”

Upon hearing my words, the gryphon tilted its head once more and solemnly performed another bow.

I accepted that greeting with a bow of my own—

…and we repeated that gesture three more times.

It was only then that a faint thought brushed through my mind.

When I first spoke to the gryphon, I had used polite language. In fact, at that time, I had used polite language with everyone around me.

Of course, I still do that now, but I was aware that I had bent that principle a few times.

Like during the moment when Claire and I turned back time.

Perhaps ever since then, I had subconsciously lowered my standard a bit.

No, more than that, honestly, it felt odd to be using polite language alone in the presence of a beast. Isn’t it strange to talk to a pet dog in polite language?

Of course, I’m not raising it.

Strictly speaking, I don’t think I’m raising it at all, but…

“…”

Regardless, the situation was quite clear.

The gryphon couldn’t speak human words due to its mouth structure, so it was trying to convey its intentions to me through body language.

And every time I spoke to it informally after greeting it, the gryphon would bow to me more cautiously and respectfully.

What could that gesture mean if it didn’t imply that it would do the same to me if I did so?

…Though, by the way, it seems to have tossed me a few times by the scruff of my neck, but I decided not to dwell on that.

“So, do you mean we should respect each other?”

Only after I spoke in honorifics did the gryphon slightly bow its head, as if satisfied.

What a pain in the neck.

“Then, if I courteously ask, will you consider granting my request?”

“…”

In response to my question, the gryphon sat down again, returning to that loaf-of-bread-like posture it had before.

In a way, it almost looked like it was cradling something.

….

Now that I think about it, I don’t even know if it’s male or female. Would it get mad if I tried to check?

Anyway, it seems that ‘mutual respect’ is the standard for our conversations, and whether it will grant my request is a separate matter altogether.

…What a pain.

I thought the same thing again.

Chapter 301

Hmm… I realize it’s pretty absurd.

Sure, the Gryphon seems to be showing some manners. It always bows respectfully when greeting me.

But other than that, I don’t really feel respected.

Like when it snorts at what I say or pretends not to hear me. Or it tosses me aside like I’m a rag doll when it decides to give me a ride. It hasn’t dropped me yet, but that doesn’t make it exactly a pleasant experience.

On top of that, the Gryphon can’t talk.

The only sounds it makes are these phew phew noises like an eagle, which might be a form of language among Gryphons but just sounds like bird cries to my ears. Even if it contains some respectful language, I can’t tell the difference.

So, when we say we respect each other, I’m the only one using honorifics.

… I’m not even sure if it makes sense to feel like this about a creature that’s not even human, but whatever, it really annoys me.

And let’s not forget, after declaring mutual respect, the negotiations that followed were just a whole different story. If I wanted something, I needed to offer something first before I’d get a response.

If the Gryphon owed me a debt, I’d say it has been paid off. I saved it once, and it saved me back. After that, it just sticks around whenever it feels like it.

So I don’t hate it, but I can’t figure out why it sticks around.

Wait, what’s with the Gryphon being all excited in the parade, but acting like a grump now?

And why doesn’t it go back among its own kind? Have its comfy human companions made it completely soft?

“……”

“……”

After a staring contest with the Gryphon for a while, I sighed and got up.

“Well, for now, I understand you have no intention of responding to my words. If you just sit there and don’t say anything, I won’t be able to guess what you’re thinking. But if you happen to think of something—”

… if you think of something?

The Gryphon can’t exactly waltz into the Imperial Palace. It’s a place designed for humans to roam freely. The corridors, while wide and the doors big compared to other buildings, are still way too cramped for a Gryphon to stroll in confidently. It could come in squished up, but it would leave scratch marks all over the floor and knock over every decoration in the hall.

Besides, it would be awkward to tell others. If I, the one who communicates best among the humans, can’t figure out what the Gryphon wants, how could the palace staff do any better?

“—So if you ever think of something you want, please express it when I visit next.”

That was all I could come up with.

Hearing that, the Gryphon looked at me for a bit before nodding its head slightly.

*

“What were you thinking to accept that request?”

After what I can only call a conversation… or maybe just me mumbling to myself, I returned to the room, where Alice was already waiting.

The fact that she was waiting in the Imperial Palace, not the dorm, meant she was quite worried about my decision.

Even if it’s Alice, I figured I couldn’t tell her what I discussed with the Sword Saint. So, I racked my brain for an excuse.

Actually, I had already thought about it before coming here. I knew Alice would definitely ask me the reason.

“Do you know how much it costs to raise a Gryphon inside the Imperial Palace?”

“……”

Alice paused at my question, thinking.

Gryphons eat a lot.

I remember hearing that land turtles like the sulcata tortoise eat several heads of cabbage per day. If I adjusted that for a carnivore, it would be about how much a Gryphon eats.

No, thinking about it, maybe for its size, it doesn’t actually eat that much. But still, Gryphons are full carnivores. If it’s like it eats a whole pig at a time, that’s certainly not pocket change for the royal budget.

“… It’s quite a lot. But it’s still manageable.”

“However, just throwing money around won’t work. If we’re going to raise a Gryphon, we need to think about getting some return from it.”

“Most people don’t think about making a profit from their pets…”

“If you treat it as a pet, then there’s even more reason to say that. If it’s a pet, shouldn’t it follow its master’s orders? Can you really call something a pet if its owner can’t control it?”

Alice looked thoughtful for a moment but then nodded seriously.

“That’s true. If we can’t control it, then it really is a wild beast. Though, given the Gryphon’s attitude, I don’t think it’s quite like that.”

“You don’t have to worry about being polite. The staff who clean its space and bring it food don’t seem too scared, but I’ve heard those who handle its fur are scared out of their wits every time they enter to work. The Gryphon may not care, but it’s natural for people to be scared when touching it. For them, the Gryphon is as wild as it gets.”

“……”

“Of course, I don’t consider the Gryphon as a wild beast.”

Even in the palace, and including Alice and the people around me, everyone sees that Gryphon as a creature beneath me.

So, to put it another way, that means I’m the master. If the master goes around saying their pet is wild and dangerous, it’s not surprising that people would be shocked.

I sat down on the chair facing Alice and spoke.

“And truth be told, I don’t see that Gryphon as a ‘pet.’ From the moment it chose to follow me, that Gryphon hasn’t thought of itself as beneath me.”

“If it’s not a pet, then how do you see it?”

Alice tilted her head.

“It’s a guest.”

I said simply.

“Whether it will become part of our group in the future is uncertain, but as it stands now, the Gryphon is a ‘guest in the Imperial Palace.’ It’s treated with respect simply because it’s a symbol of the Empire and has done great deeds in battles.”

I exhaled lightly.

“I know that it isn’t that unusual for the royal family to host important guests every few years. But usually, such guests are just guests in name only. They often function as a direct line of communication with other countries or have some significant status.”

“So, you think the Gryphon should be treated that way?”

“Yes.”

“But… the Gryphon isn’t human.”

With slight hesitation, Alice said that, and I shrugged.

“Of course it’s not human. But it’s also a being that can understand and take in human speech perfectly. And that’s why it’s important to let it know that ‘hitching a ride without giving back is unwelcome.’”

If it were an unintelligent beast, I wouldn’t even have this worry. A dog or cat is kept for cuteness, and most people don’t need a deeper reason to own pets.

And such animals don’t need to understand their status so intricately. They lack the capability to do so. As long as a clear hierarchy exists between the human and the animal, that’s enough. Animals are not there because they chose to be with humans; it’s humans that want to have animals around them. The responsibility lies entirely with the owner.

But the Gryphon never intended to be beneath me from the start. And I certainly have no ability to put it fully under my control.

In that case, shouldn’t we at least find a way to exchange things as equals?

… Well, I admit the thoughts I’m sharing are because I didn’t want to reveal to Alice what I discussed with the Sword Saint, but at the same time, they are my genuine thoughts.

“So basically, you’re saying you’re asking for at least that kind of help?”

A glimmer of understanding crossed Alice’s eyes.

“Exactly. This will be the first step.”

Well, if I fail, it won’t matter much. I’ve already achieved about half my objective.

Of course, it would be lovely if I succeeded, though.

Chapter 302

After that, I had several conversations with the Gryphon.

And I found out a few things.

In various subcultures, four-legged beings that can communicate with humans usually shied away from carrying humans on their backs.

Thinking about it, it’s only natural. Creatures that carry humans are typically treated as ‘livestock’ like horses or donkeys. It wouldn’t be surprising if they thought carrying a human on their backs was lowering themselves to livestock levels.

Most of the humans in those stories would nod in agreement when they heard this. It’s just plain odd to picture another human riding on someone who is already face down on the ground.

But you know…

It seemed that the Gryphon was not like that.

When I asked, “Is it okay if I ride on your back?” the Gryphon knelt down before me, spreading its wings to make it easier for me to climb on.

Could it be that the Gryphon’s culture is different from humans, and it has no particular aversion to kneeling?

I didn’t think so. Every time the Gryphon greeted me, it bowed its knees politely. While it could totally kneel completely… well, if needed, but showing that in front of people seemed a bit awkward.

No, more than that—didn’t the first Fanggriffon struggle like crazy to become a leader among the Gryphons? I doubt it was all that easy to fly around while carrying a human on its back.

…Thinking back, I don’t think there were any detailed expressions about that process.

After briefly pondering how the Gryphon so willingly offered its back, I carefully climbed onto it.

The Gryphon’s feathers looked tough at first glance, but they felt really soft when I touched them. However, it seemed they were coated for waterproofing, as a white powder came off on my hands after a few touches. Not just on my hands either; that powder got all over my clothes, which wasn’t exactly great.

I had heard that those who manage Gryphons collect fallen feathers afterward.

Since there wasn’t really anything to collect the Gryphon’s feathers for, I didn’t care much. I wasn’t overly concerned about whether they took them to sell or not. Honestly, compared to managing a beast like a Gryphon, that was just a minor benefit to me.

Confirming that I was indeed on its back, the Gryphon gave a gentle shake and then stood up. It swayed a bit but held its ground with its feathers.

Is it in pain?

Well, if my pulling on it like this doesn’t make it lose a feather, then maybe it’s not in pain. The structure must be different from human hair. The feathers coming out weren’t because of my pulling. Even a Gryphon would have to molt at some point.

“Alright then—”

I was just getting ready to say something while sitting on its back when the Gryphon jumped straight up into the sky.

flap A huge sound of wings flapping filled the air. It felt like I was in a supercar that goes from zero to a hundred in less than five seconds; the Gryphon soared into the sky in the blink of an eye.

I gripped the feathers tightly. My butt shot backwards due to the steep angle of the Gryphon’s rise, and I was terrified. Thankfully, my knees got caught on its wing joint, so I didn’t fall off.

Of course, the way it flapped its wings continued to lift me up and made me shiver.

As I finally focused and looked around, I was startled again. The Gryphon was already soaring way above the Imperial Capital. It was cold down here, but up this high, the temperature felt even colder.

I was worried that if I looked around too much, my knees might buckle, so I turned my gaze straight ahead, and the Gryphon glanced back at me.

It was a bit funny trying to read expressions on an eagle’s face, but it seemed like it was thinking, “So, how do I look?”

“…”

Ah, I get it.

The reason it so willingly let me ride was either to tease me or to show off its abilities. Or maybe it was both.

In this situation, making a scared face would probably be a losing battle.

I inhaled quietly.

Since I don’t have the ability to turn back time, I couldn’t maintain a perfect expressionless face, but I had at least learned to manage my expressions to some extent. I could manage to look casual.

“Is there somewhere you want to go?”

At my question, the Gryphon tilted its head.

It seemed like it didn’t quite understand what I meant.

“If you have a place you want to go, it’s okay to go there. I’ll come along too.”

Well, it was obvious that if I got off here, I’d just fall straight down and die, so I had to go along.

However, my pride wouldn’t allow me to just ask to be taken somewhere.

“…”

The Gryphon stared at me in silence for a while before it turned its head and started flying forward. It took off faster than it had been climbing.

Some scholars wrote that Gryphons don’t actually have a specific territory but rather travel the world, and it really felt like that was true at this moment because of how fast we were going.

I bit my lip to avoid screaming.

*

…And the place we arrived at was the Imperial Palace.

To be precise, it was one of the courtyards in the Imperial Palace occupied by the Gryphon.

After hearing my words, the Gryphon flew around the capital at full speed. I was too busy hanging on to grasp the exact location, but by the context, it seemed we made several big loops around the Imperial Capital. Since we didn’t fly for too long, it probably wasn’t a complete tour of the entire capital.

And then, we landed in no other place than the inner courtyard of the Imperial Palace.

I tightened my quivering legs and stood up again, looking up at the Gryphon.

It seemed hard to believe that we had just been flying at full speed; the Gryphon sat there in a relaxed bread-baking posture, looking down at me.

But how to put it… its attitude seemed a bit different this time?

I’m not exactly a person who can read emotions by just looking into someone’s eyes, but I could still pick up on the vibe to some extent.

And judging by that vibe, the expression on the Gryphon’s face looked like ‘embarrassment.’

Earlier, when that Gryphon was flying up in the sky, my words had been to “just go wherever you want.”

And then it circled the capital a few times as if it was deep in thought before landing where it lived.

“Is this place the best?”

At my question, the Gryphon tilted its head.

I thought its tilt wasn’t because it didn’t understand what I was saying, but rather that it didn’t know why it had chosen to land here.

“…”

After resting my chin on my hand and pondering for a moment, I spoke up.

“Have you not been to many places?”

“…”

At my words, the Gryphon froze for a brief moment before proudly lifting its head and looking down at me with a hmph sound.

Looks like that might be the case.

It did sound strange when I thought about it.

The Gryphon, called the apex creature in the world, being casually caught and raised by the Papal State.

If they had done that, where on earth did they capture this Gryphon? Were they using magic to capture it alive without killing it and controlling it as they pleased?

If the Gryphon had been fully grown, it would have been impossible for them to think of such a thing.

“How old are you?”

“…”

The Gryphon turned its head away as if refusing to answer.

Is this Gryphon younger than I thought? Like, not even ten years old.

It might have been caught when it was still a fledgling, or perhaps someone found an egg and stole it. In either case, a lot of people must have died in the process, but if one could control a Gryphon, that would become trivial.

Of course, even then, it seemed they couldn’t fully control the Gryphon, leaving it in a state of suffering.

“Where were you born?”

“…”

Silence.

I was beginning to understand why it was just sitting here.

So, it actually wanted to go somewhere else, but there was nowhere to go. It probably didn’t know any better.

There are quite a few places known to be Gryphon habitats. Of course, almost no humans come back alive after going there, which leads many to question, “Is there really a Gryphon there?” It’s not just baseless speculation; there are decent pieces of evidence too.

However, if this Gryphon grew up under human control in the first place, it would make sense that it wouldn’t know those places.

Moreover, even if it did know them, it probably wouldn’t feel any urge to go back. There was nothing to attach to in the first place.

By the time I thought this through, I felt a bit sorry for the Gryphon.

“Is that so?”

“…”

I went closer to the Gryphon and tried to touch its body gently—

thud

I stumbled as it kicked me away with its foot.

Definitely not very receptive; what is this, a teenager?

Chapter 303

I didn’t really want to feel a sense of empathy over something like this, but in some ways, the Gryphon and I were in similar situations.

Of course, if I were to nitpick, my situation was definitely better. In this world, I had many friends and a place I could call home.

Regardless of what happened elsewhere, I had somewhere to return to. And it wasn’t some recent find; it was the place where I had spent my childhood.

Saying that the location was the Imperial Palace meant it was far from ordinary, but technically, my “childhood” wasn’t actually that “childish,” which was a tad off-point. Still, if you ask me to point out some nostalgic places within the palace, a few come to mind.

Before enrolling in the academy, Alice was in a position where she seemed to unilaterally get annoyed and jealous of me, but that didn’t mean our relationship was the worst. I was being considerate of Alice to a degree, and she was somewhat aware of it too.

If I expressed this kind of sentiment in front of her, I would get a response like, “What are you talking about?” but… in some way, Alice was in a position to act like a little sister to me.

And even now, given that she insists on calling me her “older sister,” I could say she’s still acting a little sisterly.

…If only I had no ability to turn back time and had not escaped then, what kind of life would I be living now?

At least the Gryphon was being used because of that power, but I might not have been even that. I could have been treated as a disposable tool after using me a couple of times. I could very well not exist in this world anymore.

Even if I had survived until now, unlike that Gryphon, I probably wouldn’t have had anywhere to call home, nor would there be anyone who considered me family or a friend, leading a lonely existence.

In that sense, I felt an affinity for the Gryphon. And because of that, it was not a feeling I wanted to experience much.

“If you want, it’s fine to call this place home.”

Saying that felt a bit funny. It’s not like the Gryphon would use the word “home.” It can’t even talk like a person in the first place.

But it couldn’t be helped. I couldn’t speak the Gryphon’s language. I don’t even know if it has a concept of it.

If this Gryphon has never experienced living among other Gryphons, then maybe this one is the same. Perhaps it understands human speech better than its own kind.

…Thinking that way just made me feel even more sorry for it.

Trying to ensure that that thought didn’t show on my face, I continued speaking.

“However, if you think of this as home, it would be problematic if you keep acting as you please. Since we are living together in the same home, there’s a certain etiquette we must maintain.”

The Gryphon simply stared at me. Its head was still far above my line of sight, and it didn’t seem like it had any intention of lowering it, but for some reason, I felt that its ‘looking down’ vibe was somewhat diminished.

“It’s not acceptable to fly off and eat the animals of the nearby farms. If you do that, it would create problems for the people living here.”

It’s not just about the livestock getting harmed. It’s easy enough to pay for the damages, but mending the hurt feelings is quite difficult.

Even if compensation were offered afterward, it wouldn’t change the fact that the livestock it raised was taken. Moreover, if the very culprit of the theft is the symbol of the Empire, the damage to reputation would surprisingly be significant. That’s why Alice has been careful in managing the Gryphon’s feed since that incident.

“And if you consider me as… family or an ally, please show some courtesy to my friends as well.”

I looked up at the Gryphon, which was silently observing me.

“If you can just abide by that rule, this place will always be your home.”

I didn’t quite know how long the Gryphon lived. Given that there hasn’t been much research on its biology, that’s understandable. It could very well be a creature that lives over a hundred years.

I’ve heard that several universities within the Empire are trying to contact us to study Gryphons.

Since it’s a creature raised by a Crown Princess, they can’t exactly dissect it, but it seems they want to conduct various experiments… well, if we consider it family, they shouldn’t be doing such things.

“…”

The Gryphon, after listening to my words until the end, looked down at me quietly, then slightly lowered its head.

I decided to take that as a sign that it understood what I was saying.

“Alright then.”

And I, like the Gryphon, also slightly bowed my head.

*

“I’ve heard that Gryphons are proud creatures.”

“It seems their sense of pride is different from that of humans.”

It was the first day of the cultural festival—a day before the last day of the year.

It had lightly snowed last night, but today the sky was clear.

I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.

If it had snowed, no matter what, I wouldn’t have thought about flying in the sky. I was already sitting on the Gryphon’s back without any protective gear, and if I met snow there, it would’ve been not only cold but terrifying beyond imagination.

My visibility would be poor, my clothes would get wet and heavy, and if my gloves got soaked, my hands would freeze, making it impossible to hold on properly.

But because of that, I probably wouldn’t have felt the need to fly in such cold weather. The clear sky made me think about soaring like this instead.

Dressed in a thick winter coat and even wearing a furry cap like a pilot in an airplane, Jennifer looked at me and chuckled.

“The student council president must have been rambling.”

“That was what I took to heart.”

“I see.”

After hearing me, Jennifer looked up again to see the Gryphon.

While it was often sitting like a loaf when at the palace, now it was standing firmly on its four legs, looking down at both of us with a serious gaze.

But still, having spent quite a bit of time together, I knew exactly why the Gryphon was standing there.

There was no soft straw spread beneath us now. After all, we were on the roof of the academy’s main building.

That’s right. The Gryphon just disliked lying on a hard, cold surface.

Though it had never directly shown that attitude, the Gryphon always chose places that were sunny and had a soft floor to sit on. If it wasn’t, it would definitely be standing.

Still, even if it was a Gryphon, being that picky is a bit troublesome… well, it was indeed a Gryphon, but it had been raised by humans and was still being cared for by humans.

Even house cats and wild cats have very different lifestyles.

“So… um.”

Jennifer started to say something but then closed her mouth. Then she wore a thinking expression for a moment before asking me.

“So, what’s this Gryphon’s name?”

“Eh?”

“That ‘Gryphon’ is the species name. Nobody calls their pet dog just ‘dog’ when they have one.”

“….”

Oh… is that so?

Now that I think about it, I’ve just referred to it as ‘the Gryphon’ and didn’t even think about giving it a name. After all, this was the only Gryphon I could see in the Empire, and I didn’t really call it by name anyway.

But… thinking about it, maybe it would be better to name it?

When I looked up at the Gryphon, it also had a slightly puzzled look on its face as it was looking at me.

“…I haven’t decided yet.”

“Is that so? Well, I’m not its owner, so it’s not really my place to say anything.”

Jennifer shrugged and looked down toward the bottom of the building.

“It seems quite a few people have gathered. It’s probably going to start soon.”

“It seems so.”

I thought it was the case too. Students lined up, and there was a guest seat prepared in the back.

I could see the headmaster coming out to the podium placed in front of the lined-up students.

“Well then, I’ll start preparing.”

“Hmm, my father is looking forward to it. It seems it’s quite an emotional moment for him to directly see the symbol of the Empire in his lifetime. Even though he could have personally come and seen it, it’s likely he sent me here because he didn’t want to see it until he can see me soaring.”

Incidentally, it seems the headmaster was not present during the enrollment ceremony. He had already retired from the military, but the name Winterfield carries quite a bit of weight. It seems he went back to the military for a while in case the autonomous region tried to move.

“Since the Sword Saint is accompanying you, I’d like to hear the rest of that story soon. I’m curious about what kind of discussion took place between the two of you. It seems it must have been a pretty tough conversation, right? From how you’re dragging it out like this.”

“…….”

Ignoring Jennifer’s playful remark, I walked up to the Gryphon.

Chapter 304

The results of the flying show were successful.

I’m not sure if I should really call this a flying show.

In shows commonly referred to as air shows, planes usually leave colorful smoke trails behind them or perform all sorts of weird aerial maneuvers, but since the gryphon I’m riding is a living creature, it’s kind of hard to do that.

Moreover, the gryphon really hated having a saddle on its back or a bridle in its mouth, so there were many restrictions on its flying movements. If I were strapped tightly into a plane, I wouldn’t fly out even if it did a 360-degree spin, but just a 90-degree turn from the gryphon could send me flying off.

I only thought about this after the flight, but it might have been unnecessary for me to ride on the gryphon’s back. I’m not the one controlling or giving commands, anyway. It could have performed a more spectacular show all by itself if it had just flown solo.

Fwoosh!

But since the gryphon’s face looked extremely satisfied as it landed on the rooftop, I decided not to say anything like that.

Though I feel like I’m thinking ahead a bit too much, the fact that the gryphon trusts me enough to let me ride on its back speaks volumes. If I were to tell it to fly solo, it might not have done it.

Before we took off, there was Jennifer, but now it seems she’s gone down as well, leaving the rooftop empty.

This was my request. I didn’t want some random person the gryphon didn’t know to be up here and possibly cause an accident by touching it without permission.

I thought we had built some trust based on our previous conversation, but no matter how it is, I can’t know all its thoughts since I’m not the gryphon. The people around me are sensible, but among the noble guests sitting over there, there could be someone who treats the gryphon as mere livestock.

If the proud gryphon’s feelings were hurt… well, it won’t kill me, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful.

“Excellent job!”

I pat the gryphon’s back gently as I get off.

Having flown down from the cold winter sky, my body had frozen up. Plus, I had tightly gripped its feathers to avoid falling off, so my hands felt stiff.

I shook my hands a few times without taking off my gloves and looked up at the gryphon.

As I confirmed a moment ago, the gryphon’s face looked really pleased. It seems like it enjoys showing off its own body in front of people.

Despite living so lazily, the gryphon’s body was in great shape. No, in fact, its feathers were shinier than when I first saw it. It looked like the effect of having expensive trainers who are renowned for breeding birds in the Imperial Capital was showing.

Well, having a prominent belly would be odd for a gryphon too.

… I should probably think about the fact that it’s not really gaining weight too. It might be a good idea to investigate how much a gryphon typically eats.

“If you want, you can go back and wait. It’s just going to be cold here.”

Considering the gryphon’s feathers, it shouldn’t be cold, but then again, sitting on that hard, chilly floor might not be very comfortable.

Upon hearing my words, the gryphon nodded once and took off.

Despite its size and wing span, there wasn’t a strong gust of wind as it lifted off, unlike a helicopter. With every flight, it seemed to be quieter and quieter.

Does using magic become more natural with experience?

If the gryphon is still growing, it’ll probably reach a level in a few years that I can barely imagine right now.

I’m not sure if I will still view the Imperial Palace as home by then.

*

After doing some stretches and confirming my body had warmed up a bit, I took off my fur hat.

I combed my hair, which was frizzing from static electricity, with my fingers to make it look decent, and after taking off my thick gloves, I opened the rooftop door and headed into the hallway.

The hallway was bustling with people.

Of course, the academy building is huge. Even with a few people, it doesn’t get crowded to the point that it’s hard to move forward. Moreover, only those certified can enter this space. Even if there are more people than usual, it won’t get as loud as a market.

Still, I have to admit that there was a much livelier atmosphere compared to usual.

No matter how many aristocratic kids and upper-class commoner kids gather, they are still kids. The first-year students had just turned 16, and even the fourth-year students are still only 19. Since it’s the end of the year, that age is accurate, but usually, the youngest students are 15. If you think of it as a mix from middle school to high school, it’s just a bunch of kids hanging out.

In keeping with the festive atmosphere, the classrooms had various decorations and things stuck up, but it still looked pretty childish, like it was made entirely by kids.

Using desks as stalls, and under those, hand-painted signs hanging from cloth.

… I don’t remember school festivals feeling this much like a ‘cultural festival’ when I was in high school. Of course, since this is a world with an original game, it makes sense that school culture festivals have a bit of ‘subculture’ vibe to them.

The top floor of the main building is occupied by fourth-years. Many students from the academy leave midway through the semester, so naturally, the number of fourth-years is the least among the grades.

But still, with four years of experience at the academy, you could see decorations that were relatively orderly and well-done.

Some of the students politely bowed when our eyes met.

These kids are going to enter society next year. Whether they are from noble families or the upper class of commoners, there’s no harm in making a good impression on someone like me, a member of the royal family.

I lightly nodded back and moved on.

As I went down each floor, the hallway got progressively louder. Naturally, it was to be expected since these were kids who’d have to wait many years before facing that reality.

A bit noisier, a bit more naive, a bit more… fun.

Oh right, even with all the events I’ve been through, I hadn’t really remembered that I’m now 16. I still have three more years to be here.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that nothing big will happen, but conversely, as long as nothing major happens, I can certainly afford to take it a bit easy.

Of course, my lack of ability means that studying will be much tougher, but… well, with everything else, I’ll end up worrying too much about grades anyway.

“Sister!”

As soon as I stepped into the first-floor hallway for first-year students, I heard a voice from afar.

It was Claire calling for me.

Feeling a bit lighter as I walked down the hallway, I turned around to face Claire and—

—froze.

Claire was running toward me, smiling brightly, and she looked really pretty. Well, that’s only natural. Besides Claire, all the heroines are beautiful too. Even the passerby extras in this game usually look pretty.

But the reason I froze wasn’t because of Claire’s beauty.

It was because of what Claire was wearing.

Claire was in a maid outfit.

“………………What is that outfit?”

When I asked, Claire twirled around cheerfully in front of me, the wide, long skirt of the maid outfit elegantly flared out.

But my heart wasn’t at ease watching it.

Ah, right.

It’s the ‘festival’ in the game.

This is a cultural festival that features a bunch of cute female characters and even has romantic elements involved.

While it’s rare to see maid cafés in real school festivals, strangely enough, they are a staple in cultural festivals in subculture content.

And it was the same in the Chronicles of Aetherna that I played.

“It’s a maid outfit!”

Well, I know it’s a maid outfit.

“By the way, all the girls in our class are wearing them. The shop hasn’t opened yet, but we need to prepare ahead of time, right?”

“Is that so?”

“……Huh? Why do you sound like you’re talking about someone else?”

At my reply, Claire tilted her head while speaking.

“I told you, all the girls in our class are wearing them!”

“……Even Alice?”

“Of course!”

She had a look that seemed to say I was asking a silly question.

“So, you should wear one too.”

“…….”

Hmm.

Thinking back, maids still exist in this world. And those are the kind of maids that die-hard fans picture when they think of maid outfits.

So, from the perspective of living in this world, wearing a maid outfit might not be much different from wearing clothes from other professions.

… It’s not really cosplaying in my opinion, but that’s what it is.

“C’mon, c’mon, this way! I have one ready for you too!”

Claire hooked her arm through mine and pulled me along while exclaiming.

Ah, now that I think about it, I haven’t given any opinion about the cultural festival to Claire or Alice.

… It might have been a good idea to express some thoughts? If I could avoid the maid outfit, I guess I could put up with looking a little out of place.

It’s not like I can say much after wearing a bunny girl costume before, though.

Chapter 305

“Is someone who is a Crown Princess really dressed like that?”

Chirp chirp!

“Are you starting a fight as soon as you see me?”

Grrrrr!

The classroom was still a bit chaotic, as it hadn’t officially opened yet.

Whoosh!

Still, everything except for the desks and chairs for the students had been cleared away, and they had brought in round tables and chairs that looked quite suitable for a regular café, but there were still some scattered supplies and tools left on the desks.

Clatter clatter!

Everyone seemed to have changed into employee-style outfits.

Swish!

…Thinking about it, I might be the only one who sees this as a ‘maid café’. In this world, maids and female servants are almost indistinguishable. It’s just that maids helping high-ranking individuals tend to wear slightly more modest clothing.

Ding ding!

If you’re in a black dress with a white apron, that’s maid attire, so given the time period, it made sense.

Wink wink!

“It’s a cultural festival. We’re wearing these just to enjoy ourselves, so what’s the big deal?”

Ta-da!

And it seemed I wasn’t wrong, as Alice promptly replied to me like that.

Puff puff!

“And if we don’t experience this now, when else will we? Since we’re royalty, that aside, all the kids here are from noble families.”

Bazinga!

Is she talking about some kind of commoner experience?

Hmm…

But thinking about it, that kinda makes sense. Even if the kids here weren’t all from noble families, it’s common to sell things at high school cultural festivals for money. At universities, they even sell food. It’s like a brief job experience.

Cha-ching!

Of course, just because one has such experiences doesn’t mean they’re something special. Especially here, since these kids are nobility. Even if not everyone who enters is a noble, there’s no way they’d act like it was an ordinary store once they realize they’re dealing with kids from noble families.

Shifty eyes!

“…”

Dum dum…

But still, something felt off about it.

Bzzzt!

I didn’t even know why I couldn’t come to terms with it. It’s not like I have any grand pride as a Crown Princess to get offended by being in such a position.

Whoosh!

Above all, I had already worn a bunny girl outfit with Alice.

Blush blush!

“So, are you not going to wear it?”

Doom doom!

Seeing me suddenly zip my lips, Alice asked. Her voice was a bit softer than when she reacted earlier.

Squeaky!

“Well, if you really don’t want to wear it, you don’t have to. Participation in the cultural festival is free. You’ve already come down here and worked hard since this morning.”

Chirp!

“…”

Silence!

Her voice didn’t sound teasing but genuinely felt sincere, making my heart twitch with confusion.

Thump thump!

When I came to my senses, the kids around were all looking at me. Of course, Alice, the Crown Princess, was already in maid attire, so it wasn’t that the situation was wrong, but the one who raised an objection was the Empire’s prestigious noble beneath this. It was only natural for them to feel tense.

Gulp gulp!

If I refused to wear the maid outfit and turned away, the atmosphere would sink throughout the cultural festival.

Whoosh!

“… No, I will wear it.”

Ding ding!

Rather than feeling pushed by the atmosphere, I thought to myself, now or never.

Deep breath!

I still had some lingering resistance, and I couldn’t tell where that resistance came from.

Fsss!

“Great, then.”

Yay!

As Alice shrugged her shoulders, the kids who were looking at me worriedly let out a sigh of relief. The children who had been frozen in place started bustling about again, returning life to the classroom.

Vroom vroom!

“Ta-da!”

Ta-da!

And then Claire, who seemed to believe I would naturally wear it, cheerfully held out the maid outfit to me.

Jazz hands!

It was the traditional maid outfit—whether this design truly was ‘traditional’ or just an image solidified by subculture, I couldn’t decide. Anyway, it was the black-and-white traditional maid outfit usually thought of by otaku.

Bing bing!

“Did you buy all these maid outfits with the budget?”

Confusion!

“Huh? No? I borrowed them?”

Shrug!

“We’re in a noble class. Anyone here can get something like this easily.”

Klutz!

Oh, right.

Ding!

Looking closely, none of them had the exact same design. They were generally in good condition and had similar designs, but the sizes of the ruffled parts on the shoulders and the lace on the aprons differed slightly. It didn’t look like they were all made from the same place.

Aha!

“… Is there any chance the lace part is a bit smaller?”

Brring brring!

The outfit Claire showed me had a ruffled lace part on the shoulders that was a bit too big—like it could hide my blush if I tried. It felt more cosplay-like because, perhaps?

Honk honk!

“Huh? Oh, the sister’s size was specially set aside, so this is all I have… should I ask?”

Hmm…

“… No, I’ll just wear it.”

Decision time!

Listening to Claire, I held my breath and took the outfit.

Whoosh!

*

The reason I felt inexplicable resistance to wearing the maid outfit was soon revealed.

Duh duh!

When I wore the bunny girl outfit, I had actually thought I was in front of people who didn’t know me. A little embarrassment felt brave because I thought I wouldn’t have to see them again after passing by.

Whoosh!

And above all, Alice was already in the bunny girl costume, and it was obvious that if I didn’t wear it, Alice would be sneaking around in that outfit alone. I felt like I had no choice but to wear it just to cover that situation.

Quick thinking!

But now… well, I was also pushed to wear it against my will, but the vibe was similar.

Uh oh!

It might be the case, but—

Hmm…

“Thank you, Crown Princess.”

Giggle!

“No, I’m just doing what I should be doing.”

Blip!

—The noble who received the tea a moment ago was someone I recognized from my memory.

Flashback!

Mostly from my memories of the ‘world within a fantasy.’

Brainstorm!

In my original timeline, I rarely attended balls or parties. There was no need to.

Boring!

I could obtain all the information I wanted without ingratiating myself with the nobility, and if it came to it, I could just have them assassinated.

Shh shh!

But in that fantasy world, to deceive the Emperor, I moved in another way, and that was the image I had constructed as ‘the White and Black Lily of Grace’s Estate.’

Ta-da!

Honestly, I didn’t want that nickname. It was just something that had stuck to me somehow.

Ding ding!

Whether it was a lily or a white lily, what’s up with the ‘black and white lily’? Tell me, isn’t that an absurd nickname?

Geez!

And now in front of me stood the Duke, one of the middle-aged men I had talked to back then.

Eyes bulging!

As a high-ranking noble, he didn’t seem to look at me as a woman, but it was humiliating enough to have to wear a maid outfit in front of someone I clearly had connections with from my memories.

Facepalm!

“… Um?”

Indicator!

Moreover, yes.

Bing!

On that day, when the power of the goddess was broken, people began to recall buried memories.

Duh duh duh!

Of course, most were just passing memories or overlapping memories with previous ones, so they probably forgot entirely, and if someone did have a distinct memory, they would think it was some dream.

Dreamy!

Even if I had had the nickname when I was a princess, I had been the daughter of Grace’s Estate in that fantasy world, after all.

Reality check!

“What’s the matter?”

Hmm?

“Oh, it’s nothing. I think I must have just been mistaken.”

Oops!

“Is that so?”

Confused!

The Duke, who had looked up at me with a puzzled expression for a moment, quickly shook his head.

Nope!

That makes sense. No matter what, he couldn’t ask a Crown Princess, “Are you perhaps born from Baron Grace’s Estate?”

Awkward!

And the fact that I was from the orphanage was a widely known story among the high nobility.

Whispers!

The rumor that the Emperor’s children really had his blood hadn’t leaked, at least not yet. If that story spread, it might cause a justification of “We must rescue the imperial descendants captured in Velbur.”

Wham!

In the end, the Empire would likely end up receiving the new revelation, but at least until then, the secret needed to remain a secret.

Shh!

“Well then, I’ll excuse myself due to the other guests…”

Ding!

“Oh, I see. Sorry to hold you up. Please enjoy your tea.”

Cheers!

Upon my words, the Duke came back to his senses and nodded again. I politely bowed my waist and turned away from him.

Twirl!

…And I saw the guests filling the shop.

Gasp!

They were all familiar faces. Mostly faces I had gotten to know while having the nickname ‘White and Black Lily’.

Blush!

Ah, I see.

Eureka!

This is why I didn’t want to wear the maid outfit.

D’oh!

If I talk too much, buried memories might come rushing back. Even if it’s a foolish dream, I didn’t want to think that there could be something strange if other nobles talked too much among themselves.

Yikes!

Of course, even so, it wouldn’t become a fact that I was the daughter of Grace’s Estate.

Sci-fi!

“…”

Exhale!

Oh, I’m already tired.

Slump!

Looking at the clock on the wall, it hadn’t even been ten minutes since the start of my shift.

Time flies!

I felt like the world before my eyes was becoming dim.

Fade out!

Chapter 306

The best way to avoid mixing with people is to stay busy.

I was someone who really hated being busy, but I had no choice if I wanted to avoid awakening the deep subconscious memories about me sleeping within the aristocrats filling this place.

I kept my conversations short and served as many guests as possible in that brief time.

Should I be thankful? There were quite a few guests who were not aristocrats here. The parents or siblings of commoner students. They managed to get in after passing the academy’s strict identity checks, so they couldn’t be treated like ordinary commoners.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like people were looking at me strangely. No, some aristocrats even showed blatant relief when I passed by without bothering to speak to them.

The situation hadn’t been fully revealed yet, but from what I could see, it was a situation where the ‘Emperor’ was countered and another emperor took his place. The high nobility couldn’t help but be tense, as we could support either side; they just didn’t know which.

Honestly, if I hadn’t been surrounded by the noble children with Alice—my friends—there could have been a near-rebellion in such a situation. The existing emperor was abruptly ousted for whatever reason, and foreign forces were involved. In a way, the empire’s prestige was openly shaken.

If, at that time, Winterfield hadn’t held its troops firmly, and if Lindbergh hadn’t held onto its neutrality, and if the only heir of Crowfield wasn’t by my side… I could only imagine what the imperial nobles would have thought.

Plus, there was that gryphon I rode on.

In such a situation, if I had to interact with the emperor or show off a gryphon, I couldn’t really complain if I hesitated.

“Hoo…”

After dealing with a wealthy commoner, I returned to the kitchen and let out a small sigh.

Most commoners knew I was a princess, so they were a little scared of me, but that particular commoner, knowing that I was ‘the target’ and being somewhat acquainted with either his daughter or me, was a bit clingy.

“Baker is quite impressive.”

Alice said with a somewhat astonished expression as I barely finished the conversation and returned.

Before I arrived, Alice had been stuck in conversation for quite a while, so it made sense.

That person seemed to have come in calculatingly from the moment they entered. Deliberately drinking tea and eating dessert at a speed that seemed to be timed for when Alice or I would pass.

“She seems a bit different from Lily.”

“Well, she is an entrepreneur. Even if she feels scared inside, she often has to overcome that fear to seize opportunities.”

“Is that really a fearful look?”

Alice looked again at Lily Baker’s father, who was sitting leisurely with his wife and enjoying tea time, without a hint of fear.

“…Perhaps they are naturally fearless, which is why they managed to rise to where they are as commoners. Perhaps Miss Baker inherited her character from her mother.”

In reality, Mrs. Baker was glancing over this way, worried that her husband might be overstepping etiquette.

“Why the change in words?”

Alice replied with a chuckle.

Seeing me shrug my shoulders, it seemed she felt a little reassured. It appeared that her earlier remark about ‘you don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to’ was somewhat of a hollow comfort.

I suppose that if I didn’t enjoy the school festival properly, I would have been worried too. Plus, since the actual person was genuinely enjoying themselves, it might feel awkward.

… I overreacted earlier.

I needed to be cautious while talking with the guests, but nonetheless, it was quite enjoyable. While having to hurry around and work was slightly bothersome, chatting with close friends in the gaps was enjoyable, and it truly felt like I was at a ‘school festival.’ Thinking back, I hadn’t properly enjoyed the festivals in high school or college either.

In high school, the festival was just a day with slightly shorter classes, and in college… well, I didn’t like drinking much. I was known as a wallflower in my department.

I didn’t even have any interest in celebrities, so I never went to concerts featuring invited singers.

So, being here with friends like this… wasn’t bad at all.

“Hah… why are there so many guests…?”

While Alice and I were talking, Mia slid into our conversation.

It was something unthinkable back then. Mia speaking up first and wearing a maid outfit to part-time at a café. Though this is a bit much to call part-time.

“That’s because opportunities to receive service from noble young ladies like us will be rare in the future. Plus, given it’s a place where their sons or daughters are present, it’s only natural they would show up.”

Indeed, I noticed quite a few people briefly chatting with their daughters or sons, who were doing another job instead of serving. Everyone had happy faces as they laughed.

Noble children grow up as nobles from the moment they are born. While it might seem like a family doesn’t have affection for each other if they only create stories like that, seeing happy faces in person feels different.

“…”

Indeed, it was a distant topic from the three of us here.

I heard that Count Crowfield’s wife didn’t come today. From how Mia was keeping quiet, it seemed that if it wasn’t her, she might have been planning something using that incident as a stepping stone.

Mia was hesitant to talk about it, but maybe we should have a good conversation about it later. If there’s anything I can help with, I want to.

“… By the way, the food made by the kids is quite tasty. It seems to lack something compared to what’s made in the café, though.”

Realizing she had misspoken, Alice awkwardly shifted the conversation.

“Of course, it has to be tasty. It’s a menu using the Velbur-style recipe I brought.”

And the one who saved Alice was not Mia, who was nearby, but Charlotte, who happened to pass by.

Though it might be described as ‘just happened to,’ I wondered if she truly just happened to pass by. Among the nobility and royalty I saw, Charlotte was quite clever, so maybe she timed it on purpose.

“Aren’t we supposed to refrain from interfering with the children’s decisions?”

“But it’s also not right to ignore those who asked for help.”

In response to my question, Charlotte held her chin up proudly and spoke confidently.

“The imperial folks tend to lack culinary skills.”

That wasn’t entirely untrue.

The Empire of Aetherna was inspired by England, and of course, ‘tea time’ also existed just like England.

I heard that thanks to the existence of tea time, even desserts flourished in England, so there was little chance of being one-sidedly edged out in this regard. True, parfaits are Velbur desserts.

“… Are you saying that because you can cook?”

Exactly.

Nobles or royals hardly ever had to cook for themselves. Unless they completely fell into decay and needed to live like commoners, which was highly unlikely.

“…”

At Alice’s comment, Charlotte briefly looked speechless, but soon regained her confidence.

“Well, since I needed to pass on the recipe, I at least know how to do it now.”

“…”

Alice narrowed her eyes at Charlotte’s words but chose not to say anything more.

“By the way, are we just going to keep wasting time here? Others over there are diligently moving around. Isn’t it a bit inappropriate to not work just because we’re royalty?”

“We were about to get back to work anyway.”

Truthfully, I wanted to hang out a little longer.

But Charlotte was right. While no one could question us if we didn’t work, that didn’t mean negative feelings wouldn’t arise. No matter how much we intended to do the work with a half-playful heart, if some were working and some were playing, discontent would inevitably grow.

“I’ve rested enough—”

However, just before Alice could tell me it was time to work again,

“H-Her Highness.”

Someone approached us first.

It was a boy from our class. Judging by his expression, he didn’t seem to be here for work.

With a startled face, looking half-astonished.

“What’s the matter?”

Though he faced us, his gaze was mostly directed at me, so I answered on behalf of everyone.

“Could you look over there?”

The boy pointed to the window, behind which we were standing.

“…”

Following the boy’s hand, my gaze turned to—

… right outside the first-floor window, a gryphon was sitting and peering into the classroom.

Wait, there should be a flowerbed outside with expensive flowers planted, right?

Chapter 307

I rushed outside, and as expected, the flowerbed was in complete shambles. Sigh…

Could it be that the roof was just too cold and hard, prompting me to find a warm spot?

The classroom had a nice window for sunlight, and of course, the flowerbed underneath was a perfect place to bask in the sun.

The soil there was also nice and soft.

For the Gryphon, it might have been the optimal sunbathing spot.

“Are you a cat?”

Seeing that mess, I just couldn’t hold my tongue.

Um… no. Now that I think about it, it was quite a plausible thing to say. Sure, its face and upper body resembled a bird of prey, but the back end was a lion. And lions belong to the cat family, right? Whether a lion sits like it’s baking bread is a mystery to me, though.

The Gryphon tilted its head at my words.

And only then did I realize that I was wearing a maid outfit while jumping in front of the Gryphon… but well, that’s beside the point. This was way more urgent.

It felt slightly off to say the Gryphon caused a massive disaster, but the spot it was sitting on was the flowerbed. Naturally, its big body didn’t fit there. There was a little brick wall marking the flowerbed’s corner, but part of it was now crushed under the Gryphon’s weight.

“You said it was okay to go home.”

But for some reason, it seemed like the Gryphon had no intention of heading home.

“Well… at least we could pay for the damages.”

Alice said that beside me, but I couldn’t relax at her words.

“It’s not just about money. If the Gryphon is to continue living in human society, it has to learn how humans live. If it keeps causing damages like this…”

“Ah, that’s true.”

Alice understood my concerns immediately since she witnessed the Gryphon stealing livestock alongside me.

“But often, pets that don’t know anything cause problems. If it doesn’t bring major harm to lives or property, I think this is just a minor issue worth letting go.”

“…That’s because incidents caused by pets usually aren’t that big of a deal.”

As long as dogs or cats don’t bite someone to death, their antics are usually just small annoyances.

Sure, people might want to strangle the cat that scratched their car sitting on the hood, but imagine if that was a Gryphon doing the same thing.

It would definitely not be something you could brush off as just the actions of an unknowingly innocent animal.

“…Hmm.”

As I shot a stern look at the Gryphon again, Alice tilted her head and chuckled.

“You’re really worried about it, huh?”

“Excuse me?”

I looked at Alice, trying to convey my confusion, and she just grinned like a Cheshire cat.

“It’s that you’re worried others might reject it. That’s why you scold it every time it makes a mistake.”

The Gryphon, who had been shifting its gaze around while watching me talk with Alice, now stared at me intensely after hearing her words.

“What are you looking at?”

“There’s no need to deny it so much! And it’s only been a month since it started living here. You said it seems young. It’s smart enough to understand what we said a few times, so isn’t it much calmer now than when it first came? Maybe give it a bit more time?”

Listening to Alice, I was left dumbfounded.

“…Are you saying, ‘How could it have such mature thoughts?’”

“…”

Ignoring Alice’s complaints for the moment, I turned my gaze back to the Gryphon.

As always, it had that unapologetic look on its face for messing up.

Even so, Alice had a point. I had scolded it after it had gone out and snatched livestock. Back then, like now, it pretended to listen and then didn’t cause any similar problems after that.

I thought it was because the people feeding it came and went more often, but now that I reflect, it might actually understand.

“Anyway, I’d like you to be a bit more considerate of your surroundings.”

As I looked at Alice, Charlotte joined in.

After her words, I glanced around and noticed people were gathering around us.

They didn’t seem scared of the Gryphon.

Despite its ferocious appearance and fierce depictions in stories, it had never eaten a person. And every time the Gryphon appeared in public, it did so with me on its back. Honestly, it felt ridiculous to expect people to be scared of a Gryphon that had become such a familiar sight.

“See, people aren’t really that scared. The Gryphon doesn’t look like it’s about to attack either. Isn’t it better to relax a bit?”

“…”

I looked back at the Gryphon.

As it held its head high and gazed down at me, I started to see it a bit differently after hearing Alice’s words.

True, even with that lofty attitude, it was still a socially awkward nerd with no friends. If it had any, it was just ‘humans’ like me.

“Understood.”

I said that to the Gryphon.

And then—

“But let’s get one thing straight. If there’s a place that someone has worked hard to create, you mustn’t trample on whatever is inside it—be it livestock or flowers. It’s someone’s labor of love.”

“…”

“And if you can’t maintain even that basic courtesy, I can’t be with you. If you want to have an equal relationship, you should also respect me.”

“…”

The Gryphon’s expression didn’t change after hearing my words.

But,

“Ah.”

From among the gathered crowd came a sound. It was an impressed noise.

The Gryphon was slowly getting to its feet, showing off.

I was a little worried it might sulk and head home after what I said, but it didn’t seem that way.

It acted as if it was going to clearly show it was fulfilling my request, moving slowly and lazily stepping aside before plopping back down.

Um, that’s a path meant for people to walk, you know.

While the Gryphon sitting down didn’t completely block the way, I doubt anyone would feel comfortable passing by it.

Well… it was better than it sitting in the flowerbed, I guess.

I examined the spot where the Gryphon had raised itself. Just as expected, all the flowers lay flattened beside it. Thanks to its sharp claws digging into the ground, it looked like it would take more effort to replant rather than starting fresh with the flowerbed.

As I raised my gaze back to the Gryphon, it quickly averted its eyes.

So it at least realized it messed up.

Maybe it would be better to cut down on its food as a lesson.

As I pondered this seriously,

“Crown Princess?”

Someone called me cautiously.

“…Headmaster.”

As I responded politely, Abraham Winterfield, the headmaster of the academy, lightly bowed his head toward me.

But his gaze was directed at the Gryphon.

“Indeed, as I heard, it’s a magnificent sight.”

And there was awe in his voice as he said that.

He seemed to ignore the broken flowerbed, so I subtly moved to stand between him and the flowerbed. Alice and Charlotte seemed to notice my action but chose not to comment.

For a while, the headmaster looked silently at the Gryphon before raising one hand hesitantly toward it, a slightly bewildered expression on his face as he looked at me.

“Am I… perhaps…?”

Feeling embarrassed to utter his intention, he couldn’t finish his sentence.

“…”

I looked at the hand he raised. Then, I glanced at the Gryphon, and it was also looking at that hand.

To put it bluntly, the Gryphon looked outright displeased. No one could tell how it appeared to others, though.

I boldly rode it and assumed it hated the touch of old men?

And looking at that Gryphon’s expression, a good idea came to me.

“It’s fine. It’s a sweetie.”

“…!”

The Gryphon’s head whipped around to face me. Its eyes widened as if it couldn’t believe I said that.

But ignoring the look of resentment, I continued.

“It loves people. It’ll easily accept a gentle touch.”

“But the reaction a moment ago…”

“It loves people too much.”

“Is that so?”

Though he looked a bit uncertain, he seemed to choose to believe my words in the end.

As I watched the headmaster approach cautiously, the Gryphon looked back at me.

I shot a stern look at it.

If you did something wrong, you should be punished.

Try running away. Next time, I’ll bring the orphanage kids with me.

Chapter 308

The café decided to close at the end of tea time.

Originally, it wasn’t set up to be a full-fledged café. The noble kids didn’t really need the money, and it was such a pity to not enjoy the cultural festival properly.

There was a method of alternating shifts, but anyway, the number of guests would drop significantly after tea time. The number of guests that came into the academy was limited, and those who came once weren’t likely to stop by again multiple times.

Moreover, the academy’s festival didn’t just end with the academy itself.

Even though the new year was still a day away, the atmosphere outside the academy was already filled with year-end celebration vibes. Having dressed differently than usual, I understood the desire to roam around with friends and enjoy the atmosphere to the fullest.

And to be honest, I felt the same way.

“It looks like the B-class kids are putting on a play.”

Alice said while looking over the guide she had prepared in advance.

Usually so high and mighty like a Gryphon, she actually seemed pretty excited. I’ve spent my childhood with friends and, being an old enough guy, I wasn’t as thrilled as Alice, who spent her childhood without friends.

Seeing Alice so happy warmed my heart a bit. At least her teenage years would be shining, I thought.

“Didn’t Jake go to help the C-class?”

Alice nodded as if that was the case, not seeing my expression because she was absorbed in the guide. Charlotte and I exchanged glances, but we just laughed it off. I didn’t want to provoke Alice’s pride and see her sulk throughout the festival.

Just like that, Jake was supposed to assist in the C-class activities. There were boys in the C-class too, but it seemed like it was better for the play if Jake was the main character.

What was it about, exactly? Was it a steamy affair with the Gold Sun as a character? For sure, a noble with the looks of the Gold Sun would fit right in if it was an NTR (netorare) scenario among commoners.

Was this story acceptable by today’s standards?

“The play itself isn’t that long. About 30 minutes? Before going outside, it should be fine to catch it once, don’t you think?”

Alice looked up from the guide and said to us.

No, to be precise, it was three of us. Charlotte and I had stopped Mia, who was trying to dash off to the dorm right after finishing her work.

“I think it’ll be fine since it’s right nearby.”

“We should definitely watch since it’s our friends’ play.”

“I… I just want to take a bit of a break…”

Sadly, Mia’s brave statement was not accepted.

By the way, Claire decided to join us after finishing her work. At first, Leo was supposed to gather with us, but after seeing Sophia subtly lingering around him while working at the café, he seemed to change his mind.

I think he thought, ‘I shouldn’t interfere with my brother’s love life,’ but why was he so proactive about interfering when he misunderstood that I liked Leo?

“We still have a bit of time, but since there’s nothing else to do, let’s go ahead and wait.”

We nodded at Charlotte’s words.

*

The reason they took another guy from a different class as the protagonist was clear as soon as you saw the casting.

The heroine was Roti.

Moreover, the genre was romance.

Looking at it this way, I thought the C-class kids probably didn’t invite anyone else; Jake likely had insisted he’d do it.

And…

“…It is a play, but is that really okay?”

Alice, with slightly flushed cheeks, said seriously.

“If it’s according to Velbur standards, it shouldn’t be impossible. It’s just a bit concerning that the actor is a noble…”

And Charlotte also had a slight blush on her cheeks.

“That’s impressive, you two…”

Mia looked a bit dazed.

The play was a romance story between two people in a love that was hard to realize. In simple terms, it was like a Romeo and Juliet story.

With the time shortened to 30 minutes, the story was quite rapidly developed, and from the middle, the villains dropped out so easily that I wondered if there was any point in them showing up.

But, there was definitely one passionate kiss scene.

It was an intense one.

Even if there was a kiss scene, it was likely Jake’s desire that prompted it.

In fact, after that, Roti couldn’t deliver her lines properly. It was obvious to anyone that her flustered state wasn’t acting but genuine.

By the way, the story was written by Lily Baker, and it seems she was the one who subtly called for Jake as well.

The actual writer was left speechless by the sight.

“Is Roti going to be okay…?”

Mia asked cautiously. Up until Roti was pulled off the stage by Jake after the play ended, she had seemed a bit lost, so it was natural for her to be worried.

But I wasn’t too worried.

Both of them had been getting really close recently, it was clear. In fact, Jake was almost always in Roti’s class during break times, hard to spot his face otherwise.

During the unexpected long holiday, they both would have gone to and returned from Lindbergh territory together.

That implies…

“…”

Ah, but I genuinely wanted both of them to be happy. I really did. I even tried to give them a nudge now and then to help them get together.

However, I never wished for them to be that happy.

It’s just that I didn’t have anyone to go out with now—

—No, right, that’s it. It’s the jealousy of a solo person burning because he has no partner. So what?

The two of them would probably be somewhere whispering sweet nothings to each other. They might even be quarreling cutely about what happened earlier, just like a couple.

“… I guess the two of them will handle things just fine, so let’s go elsewhere. We might get caught again by Miss Baker’s father if we stay here.”

“Oh, right.”

Alice snapped back to her senses at my words.

“Let’s switch places and think about it. I mean, it’s not that I dislike that person, but I don’t want to talk about work on a day off.”

It seemed she couldn’t bear to speak ill of a classmate’s father to his face, so Alice said that.

*

When I was a child, I would get excited as New Year approached.

Growing older and becoming an adult was enjoyable, and the thought of being one step closer to freedom from studies was also nice.

I liked the feeling of spending another year and welcoming a new one. I enjoyed meeting friends during the holidays packed at the year-end and aimlessly wandering outside during break.

I wondered when I stopped liking those things so much.

Maybe it was when I started working.

Even with no exams or being crushed by studies, there were no vacations.

Since my work hours differed from my friends, I had to coordinate the schedule well in advance to meet them.

Working late every night without a long break made any idle time precious, and if I had free time, I’d just stay home to recover my energy.

As those same days continued consecutively, even when the date changed, I didn’t feel any different. I wondered how it might have been if I had forced myself out.

“Do you remember?”

“What memory are you talking about?”

“Ever since you came, you’ve invited me to spend the first day together every year.”

“Did I?”

Hearing Alice’s words, Charlotte reacted with surprise.

“It wasn’t anything special. We hadn’t been together that long; you just occasionally came to my room for tea, or vice versa.”

Indeed, that did happen.

At least I attended school, and there wasn’t even such a thing in this world.

Alice was always alone in her room.

It was only natural that she’d compare me to her daily grind of work.

But, since my imagination was too lacking to do anything, all I did was visit her once at the end of the year and once at the start of the year to say hello and share a cup of tea.

“…”

Neither Alice nor I felt particularly thankful for that act. In fact, if I were to trace back, Alice in her younger days seemed to be very wary of me.

“Just, I thought of it for no reason. Tomorrow is the last day, but I might forget again when it actually comes.”

“If that’s the case—”

After pondering briefly upon hearing that story, I said, “Then this year, let’s have a little gathering among friends.”

“Eh?”

Seeing Alice blink, I shrugged.

“Well, since we’ll end up at the academy that day anyway. I think spending the last day of the year with friends wouldn’t be bad.”

“That’s true…”

Alice glanced at Charlotte and Mia.

Neither of them seemed to have any objections. Even Mia nodded her head!

“Then shall we go with that?”

“Let’s do it that way.”

After responding to Alice, I quietly gazed at the street in front of me.

Everyone was laughing joyously. As if they wanted to forget all their hardships and troubles, at least for today.

Someone must have brought a stereo and played some carols, for the sounds added to the street’s bustling atmosphere.

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have liked this much noise either.

Was it because I wasn’t alone in this chaos?

Just walking around without any specific actions or words like this—

Honestly, it was quite enjoyable.

Chapter 309

The list of friends invited to the party included all the names of the kids who were with me at the Papal State that day.

Now that I think about it, as the one who suggested such an idea, it’s a bit too late to say this, but gathering friends on the last day of the year isn’t as easy as it sounds.

Sure, there are some friends who want to celebrate the new year by clinking beer glasses with others outside, but honestly, when you reach around thirty, some of them start to get girlfriends and wonder if they should get married or not—and those guys usually want to spend the day with their girlfriends.

Not that I could crash into that situation. Of course, it’s not just me and my two friends gathering; if it were a meeting where everyone came together, sometimes friends would bring their girlfriends to introduce them. But since I don’t have a girlfriend, I skipped those kinds of gatherings altogether.

…So what I want to say is, there are people who don’t particularly want to spend January 1st with friends.

If not that, it’s often a family affair on January 1st anyway.

Especially if the person is aristocratic, I remembered that the day after suggesting the idea.

“Huh? Isn’t that not a big deal?”

But Alice reacted as if it was nothing after hearing me.

“Among nobles, those who like to party never miss the last day of the year or the first day’s banquet, right?”

…Ah, that’s true.

Because they’re ‘nobles.’ While many think of attending a banquet as a chore, there are plenty who enjoy the banquet for what it is.

Naturally, there would be a party on January 1st as well.

“Well, that’s a relief.”

And I quickly came to accept it.

Among my friends, there’s no one who enjoys such parties. Well, maybe Charlotte could go for it, but even then, it seems more like she just thinks she has to go rather than truly enjoying herself.

If she really wanted to enjoy it, there have been countless banquets even within the Imperial Capital. No one would stop her if she dropped the royal name, but from the looks of it, she doesn’t seem to be one for enjoying banquets.

Alice acted like she didn’t attend such places because she was busy studying, but deep down, I suspect it’s just her nature.

Even in that fantasy world, after I purposefully built a reputation and became somewhat famous, Alice still didn’t show up at any banquets for a long time. She hadn’t even considered it in the first place.

Claire, who spent time with Alice like that, was no different.

Claire’s brother, Leo, is the same. Otherwise, there’s no way a person could be that clueless. Male nobles nearly always have to dance at a banquet, after all.

Even if Roti attended, she wouldn’t have been treated properly as a noble, and Jake would have participated in the banquet to protect Roti, so he certainly didn’t enjoy himself much either. After all, he’s just escorting women around, yet the only one he’s actually dating is Roti.

Sofia probably wouldn’t be able to fit in at such a grand banquet because her disguised identity isn’t high enough. Plus, being a devoutly religious person, I doubt she would’ve liked it much either.

Mia… well, there’s really no need to imagine how she’d feel.

“What’s up?”

Alice asked, looking at my expression.

“Uh, it’s just… I’m surprised to find out there isn’t a single typical noble among the people around me.”

“I don’t get why you think you’re the most unique one here,” Alice replied with a laugh as if she found it ridiculous.

I couldn’t think of a rebuttal.

*

When I first suggested the idea, it wasn’t about throwing a grand party.

Just as Alice thought, it was simply an informal suggestion to sit and drink tea together. If anyone really wanted to drink, I would gladly sponsor that.

“…Why is there a box of alcohol on the table?”

Right. A box full of alcohol was proudly sitting on the round table meant for the tea set.

It wasn’t even high-quality alcohol. In fact, it was the kind of liquor that didn’t quite suit noble families. The reason I knew that is because I had heard that it was often used for cooking purposes.

“It’s the best to drink heavily on a day like this. Plus, if you use expensive liquor for that purpose, the taste doesn’t stand out,” Jennifer replied, who had placed the box on the table.

“Well, don’t worry, I’m not planning to give any of you students alcohol,” she added.

I seriously regretted inviting Jennifer.

“I apologize for what my student doesn’t know.”

Then, blocking the view of my apologetic self, the Sword Saint placed a very old-looking bottle on the alcohol box, as if he’d just dusted it off.

It wasn’t even a glass bottle. Judging by its white porcelain, it looked like some strong liquor imported from the far east.

“First, before drinking heavily, you savor the expensive liquor. That way, you can tell what makes good liquor good. Don’t worry too much. I’m not planning to give it to rookies who don’t even know the taste of alcohol,” he said.

And now I regretted calling the Sword Saint.

Since the people who were with me that day should be invited, it felt rude not to, but after inviting him, he immediately started bringing in all this alcohol, as if he had made up his mind.

“Really? You really won’t let the students drink, right?”

Our homeroom teacher, Carolyn, asked.

While it isn’t illegal for us to drink, depending on the observer, some might frown upon it, while others could be more lenient. Generally, educators tend to look unfavorably on it.

Well, it would be enough if I just didn’t drink, but the issue was the location.

The reason I picked my room was that I genuinely wanted to have ‘tea time.’

So why am I suddenly having all these things coming into my room?

The formerly bare room was now decorated with pink lace hanging from various places.

“Oh, that.”

When I asked, Alice rolled her eyes and explained.

“They said they were told that several nobles would be invited to your room. Since the people visiting are all important in their own right, they took it to mean that it was going to be quite a gathering. So it seems the staff have interpreted it as a banquet.”

Moreover, that ‘party’ was scheduled for today.

In the end, combined with the tight timeline and the bureaucratic situation of the Imperial Palace, and with the Crown Princess offering a testimony, it seems that they concluded with “we need to get banquet preparations done right away.” Apparently, the whole process was so rushed that no one even questioned why the banquet location was not a banquet hall.

“…”

With a dumbfounded look on my face, I stared at Alice, who quickly averted her gaze.

“Big sister!”

And someone else butted in between us.

“Since we’re all gathered, let’s take a picture! The first-year class is nearing its end. When else would we have such a great day for photos?”

Claire, appearing with a camera, sparkled with excitement.

“…”

I surveyed the table piled high with alcohol, the busy servants decorating the room, and the guests caught between it all, not knowing what to do.

I decided it would be better to stay outside until the preparations were done.

“Alright, then let’s take the picture in the courtyard. The Gryphon happens to be there as well.”

Well, ‘happens to be’ isn’t quite right; the Gryphon is always there.

At my words, Claire’s face lit up with joy.

*

And it turned out to be quite a good choice. The sun was still hanging slightly in the sky, providing ample light with just the sunset.

The Gryphon likely has no idea what a camera is. This would probably be its first time seeing one.

While the initial reason for getting everyone to step outside was to escape the crowded room, upon getting outside, I felt it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to capture the Gryphon in a photo.

Later on, if I say that there are memories but no video footage, they’d think it’s all a lie.

Well, as for the descendants, they’ll handle their own stories.

More importantly, I wonder if I’ll even have descendants.

…

That’s something to think about later.

We’re still young. No matter how much I am originally thirty or whatever, in the eyes of others, I’ll ultimately just be accepted as sixteen.

That means there’s plenty of time ahead.

How to weave our stories can be thought about slowly over time.

“Everyone’s here, right? Good.”

Claire had even brought a tripod, having prepared who knows when.

She could’ve easily had someone else do it, but it seems she’s taken a liking to taking pictures herself.

…But if it were a different story—

—No, there’s really no need to worry about that.

Whether it follows the original story or not, here we are right now.

No one is dead, and everyone is alive. It can’t be called a perfect ending, but…

The fact that everyone could be smiling makes it enough.

Yeah.

“Alright, then everyone, please smile!”

Claire said that and quickly ran over after pressing the camera lever.

The way she slipped into the gap left open for herself showed that she was quite trained.

Yeah. That’s all that matters.

All of us gathered, smiling without fail,

And among us was clearly me,

A happy ending.

This was what I had envisioned since the moment I first came here.

I smiled at the camera.

Chapter 310

If the production team of Chronicles of Aetherna stood up and said, “This game series ends here. Thank you for your love until now,” I would be really disappointed.

I’ve been playing for quite a long time, and when my friend first recommended it, I was like, “What kind of game is this?” But I couldn’t help but follow along since I got hooked on the story!

Actually, I’ve experienced something similar before—where the world setting changed and the characters’ stories ended in the previous series.

At first, it was bittersweet. The aftereffects lingered longer than I expected; for months, whenever I saw that portable game console with the last episode, the ending would keep popping into my mind.

I thought, “So I can’t see these characters’ stories anymore.” Even if there’s a sequel, it might just be a short novel or a comic. Even if they made an animation, the characters I cherished through gameplay won’t be in it.

Those thoughts kept haunting me.

Eventually, I got better.

No matter how much I felt the aftereffects, it was just a game, and those feelings usually fade away with time. Once the swell of emotions subsided and I stopped seeing the game every time I picked up the console, I didn’t think much about it anymore.

Then a new series with a different setting came out, and I reserved those games.

In the end, isn’t life a game?

No matter how much you love a work, you can’t spend your entire life just enjoying that one work. Life goes on, and if I want to eat, I have to keep myself busy.

But sometimes, when I think back to that old console, which now has no new games, I might pop in that title whose cover has faded from the light, and wait for it to load.

Then, I’ll retrace everything from the beginning, and while sifting through my hazy memories, I’ll remember why I loved that game so much and why I played it so zealously.

I guess even the last games I played went through the same process.

I think the CEO of Millennium said they wanted to wrap up the series before retiring, so there’s bound to be an end after all.

Others might feel differently, but for me, the day that game was released was like a festival!

No matter how much criticism there was, I would have eagerly awaited the sequel and bought it each year to play.

What does it feel like to follow a game series that spans the world from beginning to end for over ten years and finally see it conclude?

I can’t say for sure, but I’d expect the emotions I’ll feel will be much bigger than what I experienced with the previous series—

*

—Well, I can’t see that kind of “ending” now.

If we call the end of a person’s life a conclusion, then what’s considered the epilogue? Where does the prologue start and end, and where does the main story lie?

The teenage years are too young! Spending half that time figuring out who I am feels like I shouldn’t label the last five years as my “glory years.” So, up to now, could be considered the prologue.

But then, what about the main story?

Just trying to define what I want to do in the 20s I finally reach after finishing my teenage years feels like it passes way too quickly. In fact, many events planted during this time often bloom later, so there’s really not much of a “main story” to go on.

The thirties are a time when I’ve finally settled down. Honestly, starting from now, there’s just so much work that it’s tough to stir up any big events. Frankly, there’s not enough exciting content here to call it part of the “main story.”

After that… well, I don’t really know. I’ve transitioned here without experiencing what comes next.

To be honest, in my view, the main story has already ended. I’ve already dealt with the Emperor’s ambition, the Goddess’s conspiracy, and the Papal State’s delusions.

And yet, I’m still just sixteen.

Even by tomorrow, I’ll still be sixteen. We don’t count age in this place.

Honestly, isn’t it a bit unfair to say, “The main story is over,” at this age?

If everything that follows is just an epilogue, that’s quite harsh.

And if those “epilogues” involve situations like a war breaking out, isn’t that just a bit too much?

“I don’t think mixing tea with alcohol was a good idea…”

Alice said, with her face buried on the table.

Honestly, she didn’t look much like a Crown Princess at that moment.

She was in her mid-teens, and aside from her youthful looks, she looked like a rookie employee who had just come back from a drinking party the night before.

Even though I said I wouldn’t let the kids drink, it wasn’t as easy as that.

First, Charlotte already had a tolerance for alcohol. I mean, being from Velbur, a country known for its wines, she didn’t seem to have an issue with drinking in general.

Of course, Jennifer hadn’t touched the cooking wine since that first sip. However, she praised the Eastern wine brought by the Sword Saint.

And then there’s Rena. Rena claimed she didn’t like wine.

Well, saying she didn’t like wine pretty much indicates she had tasted other spirits before.

The Empire isn’t just mixed with England, but also with Germany. Naturally, you find places where beer flows like water!

Including the Northern Region of the Empire, that was part of that German cultural sphere. Apparently, here in the autonomous regions, even kids can drink beer.

Jake and Roti had disappeared from the room halfway through. I heard they went to the guest room, but… I didn’t pry any further. They probably spent time together as long as they didn’t cross any lines.

Jennifer, who I had expected to be a lightweight, was actually downing her drinks straight from the bottle. What really surprised me was how strong Carolyn turned out to be with alcohol. She didn’t go crazy like Jennifer did with the wine, but she kept filling her glass and drinking.

“Northwood is known for its alcohol, after all.”

“More accurately, it has a lot of quality oak.”

Jennifer supplemented Carolyn’s explanation.

So, they were saying it was famous for making liquor aged in high-quality oak barrels.

In no time, the box Jennifer had brought was empty, and soon enough, a bottle of rum appeared.

It was a very expensive liquor that had been stored in the Imperial Palace!

I have no idea who fetched it, but it seems the Crown Princess requested suitable drinks for her guests.

Even the Sword Saint, who brought that nameless Eastern wine, looked wide-eyed at how expensive that whiskey was!

Until then, Alice, who had been holding out against drinking, and even I, who had only slightly indulged in drinking in my past life, found ourselves intrigued.

“I don’t know why anyone drinks such things…”

And this was the result.

“After a few drinks, the person asking, ‘How do you drink?’ is none other than the Crown Princess!”

When I said that, Alice glared at me with her face still on the table.

“And what about you?”

Honestly, I was lucky enough to have memories up until Alice fainted.

I think I remained conscious until the point Alice was sobbing in Mia’s arms.

“Relative to that, I was fine—”

“Oh, I took pictures of my sister!”

Huh?

As I turned towards the source of the voice, Claire was there holding a camera.

And that camera had a large… bulb? It looked like a bulb, but the melted glass held a small magic stone instead of a filament. So, it seemed like a magically adjusted stone that emitted a bright light for a moment.

Considering the glass was melted down like that, I had a good idea of how many pictures she’d taken!

And I was sure I was in that picture as well.

…Could it be that the blinding flash I saw yesterday was because of the alcohol and not the flash?

“You wouldn’t command me as a princess to hand over that film, would you?”

“Of course not!”

In response to my statement, Claire looked at me as if I were ridiculous.

Moreover, judging by her posture, she looked ready to bolt any second, so it seemed she had no intention of getting caught.

“Leo, capture Claire!”

“…I’m sorry, sister.”

“I’ve taken tons of pictures of Leo too! And I’ve already developed the films with Leo’s pictures and hidden them. Even if you take this away, it won’t remove all of my sister’s pictures!”

A roll with twenty-four frames? It was clear that taking just this one wouldn’t erase all of them!

“If you’re going to fight, do it after school, okay?”

Jennifer, who had just woken up from sprawled on my bed, interrupted.

“If we want to attend school tomorrow, we have to start getting ready now, right? Even if it’s a day off, we still have to participate in the culture festival.”

“……”

Oh right.

Today wasn’t a day off.

Logically, it felt unusual to have a day off today, but we still had quite a few classes we needed to make up for.

“…This is the worst New Year’s Day ever…”

Alice mumbled with her face buried on the table.

“……”

Hmm.

What to say?

I think I was murmuring something about an epilogue, but after looking at this situation, it didn’t really matter anymore.

Whether big events happened or not, and how the story unfolds,

it really didn’t matter when it came to life.

If today exists, tomorrow will follow.

We’ll continue living like this, right?

Creating one event after another.

In that sense, the remaining parts of life are always the epilogue. And it’s also the prologue for new events.

“That’s right, just as the teacher said.”

I said, laughing to myself.

“Let’s start getting ready. We have our schedule today as well.”

As I stood up, Claire said,

“Yeah, I think you really need to prepare seriously, sister. Your hair is sticking out all over, looking like a lion’s mane.”

“……”

Chapter 311

People often say that those in positions labeled ‘noble’ live their lives enjoying many advantages.

If I lived in a modern society that theoretically considers people equal, then most of those who fit the term ‘noble’ would actually be capable individuals in their own way.

But I’m not talking about things like money, brains, or athletic skills. Sure, people might have those things.

What I mean is self-sacrifice.

People who do things for others, regardless of their own gains.

Like volunteers or firefighters. Or those who quietly do good deeds without any affiliation.

Since there are no legal boundaries to differentiate people, those living in such a society usually think of the ‘noble’ when they hear the term.

However, in a society where ranks are legally defined, it’s different.

In such a society, ‘noble’ refers to the aristocracy, or those above them.

They are literally born into nobility, grow up that way, and live nobly until they die, only becoming ‘un-noble’ when those below them rise up and pull them down.

Of course, it’s not just the nobility; royals and emperors are no different. In fact, it’s worse for them. They get pardoned for specific crimes just because they belong to the royal family and often start at an advantageous position in trials. Sometimes, their actions never even go to trial!

Some say they must work hard to appear noble because their lives may be in danger due to that nobility and they literally have to work day and night.

What a joke.

If we are talking about effort, it’s much tougher for those below to climb to the top.

In danger? Those who have never seen photos of workers building skyscrapers in the early 20th century or those who shoved their hands into regularly moving presses without safety gear wouldn’t know what danger is.

Working day and night? That’s funny. There are those who work until they drop and then sleep on a soft bed nearby, completely unaware of those barely hanging on a thread, suffering through a life of 16-hour shifts.

“It’s been a while, my daughter.”

And I’m one of those so-called noble people.

Under normal circumstances, I would be scratching the bottom of the barrel in this world, but somehow I got caught up in some strange event, whether by someone’s plan or pure coincidence, and became the second most noble being in this country.

I don’t think that at all.

But I’m not planning to become a ‘real’ noble either.

“It seems like you’ve been comfortable during this time.”

I spoke to the Emperor.

Ever since I became the second person in the Empire and Alice made herself the Crown Princess, I hadn’t been given any tasks. Alice was really averse to thinking of me as ‘above her.’

We still don’t know how Alice plans to run the Empire. She hasn’t taken the Emperor’s position or presented any vision. For now, it was just her saying she’d think about her future while living an academy life.

But that doesn’t mean she can avoid doing at least the bare minimum expected from a Crown Princess.

“Am I going to the Empire?”

“Yes,” the Emperor responded, and I answered honestly.

Well, he’s not the Emperor anymore, is he? Should I call him the former Emperor, or is it still ‘situation’?

Eh, I might as well just stick with what’s in my head. It’s not like the Emperor’s position is filled anyway. Using the term Emperor won’t confuse anyone.

I looked around unnecessarily.

Though they called it a prison, it was not your average prison that people usually imagine.

The floor was covered in thick velvet, and the walls had fancy decorations. There were iron bars, but there were also sunny windows and what looked like a guest reception table and chairs—like a noble’s room.

“I see you’ve been well.”

“I’ve been doing fine, thanks to the King of Velbur’s warm hospitality.”

Well, ‘warm hospitality’ isn’t exactly true; this prison isn’t built solely for the Emperor. It was originally a prison for the aristocracy and royalty.

Yes, a prison for the ‘noble.’

Velbur wanted to keep the Emperor in their custody. Those making such claims were the nobles. The King of Velbur seemed to agree to some extent, but at least he was more realistic than the nobles around him.

The Emperor was trying to ‘start’ a war. But he ‘couldn’t.’

Where the Emperor ran was the Papal State, and that action ultimately failed.

The Papal State effectively collapsed. And Velbur practically occupied the territory of that Papal State.

More than anything, the troops building up under Lutetia were all from the Papal State.

So, if we remove emotions and think about the gravity of his crimes, the Emperor was guilty of crossing Velbur with weapons.

And those weapons he had were nothing spectacular—basic hand-held melee weapons—and in this world, carrying such weapons isn’t that big of a deal. It’s a lot more troublesome to carry firearms like me.

Of course, the Emperor did have something else.

The ‘Jibo.’

But that’s just a worthless rock now. Moreover, the events that happened in the Papal State were too sensitive to announce casually.

So for various reasons, Velbur had no justification for keeping the Emperor imprisoned for the rest of his life.

“Was all of that your plan?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m asking if you guided everything so that you could still be left intact, even if it all failed.”

The Emperor smiled at my words.

“No, that’s not it. If I succeeded, everything would be under my feet, and if I failed, I would lose everything anyway. I prepared to have a backup plan, but that was only up to choosing one of my plans. The current situation can be called nothing less than a game of divine providence.”

“……”

“Did Alice order you to assassinate me?”

“Alice isn’t the type to issue death commands against her own father.”

“Then what about you? Do you think it would be better for you to kill me?”

I narrowed my eyes and looked at the Emperor.

“Shall I take a guess? If you still had that capability, you would have tried to kill me first. Then observe Alice’s reaction and how the world spins before turning back time, right?”

“……”

I can’t completely deny that.

I think the chances are high that it didn’t happen, but at the same time, I thought there might be a method of choosing if it was more beneficial.

“You never know what might happen if you kill me.”

“That’s true.”

I don’t know how many supporters the Emperor still has left.

While I’m sitting here quietly watching, fearing him, and slowly watching Alice’s faction emerge, there are surely those who would gladly follow him if he stepped back into the Empire as a figure named Emperor.

If I kill him here, I might get killed too.

“I…”

I almost called him ‘Your Majesty’ but quickly corrected myself.

“I’ve come with orders to return you to your homeland.”

“That order must have come from Alice.”

“Right now, she is Crown Princess.”

“But Alice is Alice. You don’t think she’ll appreciate you using that title, do you?”

I decided to ignore that comment.

“Even if you return, you’ll be in confinement for a while.”

“Does that ‘while’ mean the rest of your life?”

“That depends on how you conduct yourself. If you cooperate during the transition of power to Alice, you’d probably live your life out normally in that situation. If not, then ‘for a while’ would indeed mean for your entire life.”

The Emperor silently looked up at me.

“Why do you think I’d be cooperative?”

“Do you really think I came to meet you first after coming to Velbur?”

I stared down at the Emperor as I spoke.

“I met my ‘siblings’ before meeting you.”

“Oh.”

The Emperor laughed in interest.

“And to all of them—meaning those who can’t save themselves anymore by turning back time—I spoke about your relationship with them.”

And I was able to glean a bit about my siblings who had passed on. At least I’m sure that ‘they’ existed.

“One side reacted with indifference, but the other reacted—a bit differently. Yes, I’m talking about your daughter, who almost ended up in a similar situation as mine.”

I gazed steadily into the Emperor’s eyes, but his expression didn’t change.

“It took quite a long time to convince her.”

Such is the age we live in.

And she’s a woman.

The already miserable life gains even more weight because of the age.

“I don’t think it’s about living long or short.”

“I see.”

The Emperor, having heard my words, laughed.

I don’t know if that laugh was because he realized it hasn’t come to an end or if it was just a refreshing laugh of letting everything go.

Chapter 312

Before the start of the second year’s first semester.

Because of an incident in the Papal State, our vacation was severely cut short, but that didn’t mean we had no time to rest at all.

If there hadn’t been any time, I wouldn’t have ended up here.

Political matters can’t take precedence over a student’s education, but Alice wanted to resolve this issue without drawing too much attention from others.

We couldn’t hide the fact that the Emperor’s seat was now empty. Alice had become the Crown Princess, and I had taken the top position in the Empire. In fact, by the time we held the coronation ceremony, news had already spread widely among the citizens, and the nobles were all aware of it too, so there was nothing we could do about it.

The Emperor’s plans had never been publicly disclosed. Probably, they never would be.

He had a scheme to usurp the Goddess’s power and dominate the world? Surely some citizens would be tempted by that story, and if that happened, it could undermine Alice’s political base. The majority of the nobles could also be at risk.

No matter how much the pro-Emperor nobles are, they don’t want to become the Emperor’s slaves, so they won’t support him out of such an intention.

Aiming to control the world through the use of the Emperor as a pawn, they wouldn’t have made nobles into slaves either, so from the nobles’ perspective, the Emperor’s plan was absolutely unsupportable.

On the contrary, considering the Emperor had practically ruled with an iron fist, he would be looking for an opportunity now that he was no longer in power.

However, it would be troublesome to keep the Emperor outside the Empire. While it’s unlikely that the Emperor himself would be used as a pawn in foreign political games, it could establish a reason for anti-government organizations to operate under that guise. If some commoners who’ve never even spoken a word with the Emperor organized a terror group under the pretense of inheriting the Emperor’s body, it would be a real headache.

In the end, our conclusion was to ensure that, at least on the surface, the Emperor could live safely within the Empire.

That way, it would look like we had “inherited” power.

However, we weren’t thinking about throwing a grand welcoming ceremony for the Emperor. We planned to bring the Emperor to a quiet place, and if anyone nitpicked later on, we could use that as justification.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

After a brief visit to Velbur, the day we were returning to the Imperial Capital. Charlotte was there to greet us at the train station.

The train itself was an ordinary one. Even though I was the top person in the Empire visiting Lutetia, it was an unofficial visit, and since it was a top-secret mission, the train shouldn’t stand out at all.

In fact, the time was not even one when trains usually run. It was completely midnight, and although it had passed midnight, it was still too early to be considered dawn. We even chose a day when the moon wouldn’t be out.

Still, the train would inevitably run with its lights on, so it wouldn’t go completely unseen.

Fortunately, there were many freight trains running between the Imperial Capital and the Kingdom. There were postal deliveries on the route too. It wasn’t particularly strange for a train to run at this hour.

“If anything, I want to ask you. Are you okay staying awake this late?”

“Are you joking? I’m not a kid.”

On a winter night, Charlotte came out to the station, dressed in a thick winter coat.

Of course, the fact that Charlotte was there was unofficial too.

“We’ve made significant efforts to prevent information from leaking, but I can’t be certain it was perfect. There are eyes and ears in the Kingdom and the Imperial Capital. The rumor that a crucial prisoner we’ve been managing for a long time has disappeared will definitely spread.”

So we took the train. Among the transportation methods in this world, there are very few that can match the speed of the train, except for planes.

“I’m aware.”

When I replied calmly, Charlotte nodded.

“Well, I don’t think anything major will happen.”

“Still, I’m not going to let my guard down.”

I answered that way as I turned to look back.

“Right, we’ve prepared pretty hard ourselves as well.”

“If such a situation arises, I am confident we’ll be able to face it.”

Claire and Leo chimed in with a word each.

Grace’s Estate was still firmly pro-Emperor despite the change in leadership. Since the beginning, Grace’s Estate has been on the Emperor’s side without paying much attention to such political issues. That’s why they have been able to survive until now.

“Moreover, there are many others on the train besides us.”

Indeed, there were more people aboard who were quite reliable.

“…Focusing too much on what’s outside the train is also dangerous. The people inside the train are also extremely dangerous individuals.”

Probably reflecting from her experience as the Princess of Velbur, Charlotte said that.

“My father seems a bit disappointed, but personally, I feel pretty relieved now that it’s come to this. The guy who tried to turn the world against itself and pull it down from under him and his gang are leaving Velbur.”

“I will manage it strictly so that such things don’t happen again.”

“…There’s no need to go that far. At least, we received a reasonable level of compensation, didn’t we?”

And that compensation was decided to be paid from the royal budget, not the Empire’s national assets. They’d pay it not all at once but in portions.

To be precise, it was a premise that “the Emperor smashed the Papal State, so hand over the cost to rebuild it,” but given the Papal State was practically ineffective now, the representatives receiving the funds would be the royal family of Velbur.

Since there was some justification tied to the money, we can’t just throw it around recklessly, but if we make various excuses, it would be easy to change the usage. There were things the Papal State had done to the Kingdom, so it should be permissible to “repair” some of the Kingdom with “Papal State’s money.”

“It’s a bit painful for the royal family.”

“Well, it’s a choice that can’t be avoided if we want to avoid clashes.”

By squashing the incident with the royal family’s money instead of the Empire’s funds, it would be hard for the nobles of the Empire to object. Because the “royal family’s authority” is just as important as the “nobles’ authority.” If a noble meddles in the royal family’s affairs, it’s as if it is saying the royal family can meddle in the noble family’s matters too. Rather, it would provide a rationale for the royal family to meddle even more strongly and crudely.

On the flip side, from the Kingdom’s perspective, after all, they did receive compensation, so it would be hard to complain.

Even among friends, it’s important to separate work and personal matters, so Charlotte responded firmly but soon wore a longing expression.

“Well then… it seems we won’t meet again until April.”

Now that Alice had become the Crown Princess, Charlotte also had to receive matching education. Since Alice would be the next Emperor, having her friend Charlotte as Queen would hold various advantages for both countries. While the Kingdom was considering that, it seemed they were also trying to prevent Charlotte from becoming too much of an Imperial figure.

“On the contrary, once April arrives, we can meet again.”

Upon hearing my response, Charlotte smiled softly.

“That’s true.”

Charlotte also wanted to continue attending the academy she had been going to.

Once Alice and Charlotte both became the Emperor and Queen, the chances of the two of them facing each other would be almost nonexistent.

They might have occasional summits, but personally visiting another country would be tough unless there was someone to fill in the palace later.

…Or maybe not, who knows?

In any case, that’s a matter for four years down the line. Plus, it’s uncertain when Charlotte would become Queen.

So, there’s no need to worry about that now.

We should simply enjoy our remaining school days to the fullest.

We’ve still got three years left.

“Oh right, and since Leo and I can personally drop by again.”

“If that happens, please make sure to let me know beforehand. The Lutetia Palace will always be open to friends.”

“That sounds good.”

Charlotte’s words brought a smile to Claire’s face.

*

“Finally made it in, huh?”

As I boarded the train, the voice of an old man filled with dissatisfaction welcomed me.

“It takes a lot of preparation for a train to depart, doesn’t it?”

“Your answers are becoming increasingly arrogant as the days go by. Have you finally revealed your true colors?”

Well, one could say that, I guess.

There was no longer anyone freezing up at my smiling face.

Or was it? It seems those who weren’t particularly close to me were still a bit scared.

If I had known it would turn out like this, I wouldn’t have bothered with any concepts from the start.

Honestly, I was a bit deflated because everyone adapted way too quickly compared to what I expected.

“Have you spoken with the persons inside?”

“I spoke briefly.”

Besides the Emperor, three of the Emperor’s children were also on the train. It seemed the Sword Saint took quite a liking to Lucas. It seems he wants to mentor him, but… I’d rather he didn’t take such dangerous actions.

“Lucas’s skill is already better than your master’s, isn’t it? There’s no need to go out of your way to teach him or anything…”

“I think he could use a bit of training in character, though.”

“Not like your character is that amazing—”

Smack!

For a moment, stars appeared.

And it wasn’t even outside the train.

Chapter 313

What is this feeling…?

I remembered when Alice and I arrived in Lutetia.

The situation back then was very different. This time, instead of Alice, Claire and Leo were with me, and the Sword Saint was on the train too.

It wasn’t a luxurious royal train, but it wasn’t exactly subpar either.

We were huddled at one end of the train. Inside the car, several knights and soldiers from Winterfield were on board in case of emergencies, but they were all keeping a respectful distance, waiting at the front of the cabin.

I wondered how much important conversation we’d get to have, but it wasn’t particularly delightful to think others might eavesdrop on us.

“Are you very nervous?”

Claire spoke to me while I stared out the window.

“I am a bit nervous.”

I honestly replied.

How could I not be nervous when the Emperor and that kid are on the train?

The compartment they were in was specially modified. It looked like a cargo hold from the outside, but they had built a room inside to carry ‘guests.’

Basically, there was a train, and they made another room inside, so if you break through one wall, there’s still another wall waiting. Moreover, soldiers and knights guarded the area around the room, including the Sword Saint.

They reinforced the floor and ceiling with thick steel so that it couldn’t be breached by normal means.

So, I wasn’t uneasy.

But still, I couldn’t shake off the anxiety.

“We just crossed the imperial border, didn’t we? There’s no need to be that tense.”

“Indeed, we should be more nervous now that we crossed the imperial border.”

“… Huh, you really haven’t changed in this regard.”

I always thought a little tension was a good thing.

“You checked multiple times before coming here, right? I don’t know much, but if Alice is to be believed, there likely aren’t any nobles willing to take the Emperor’s side in this. It’s too dangerous, and honestly, the Emperor has been hated by nobility for quite a while.”

“Even if that’s the case, there are definitely those who are loyal to the Emperor.”

When we filled the train with people, we were cautious. If we only filled it with the knights who guarded the royal family, we might unwittingly include someone who still has loyalty to the Emperor.

Knights’ loyalty can be bought with money. Ordinary knights work for what they are paid and obviously owe loyalty to whoever pays them. No matter who sits on the throne, as long as it’s not blatantly illegal, they won’t need to turn against the current Emperor or the next one.

But, wherever there are people, there will always be those obsessed with their own ideals.

Not compromising for money might be seen as the right thing to do, and some might think that if they pledged their loyalty once, it’s right to stick with it, even unto death.

Just look at the Sword Saint; if he’s not one to care about money and such…

There could be people wanting to become heroes deep down even if they don’t show it outright, so we had to be really careful when gathering people.

In the end, we ended up borrowing some people from loyal factions like Grace’s Estate and picked trustworthy knights from the royal guards, even bringing the Sword Saint along.

The soldiers were basically the imperial army, not the royal soldiers. Of course, we also sifted through them.

“And if there are those in the Empire looking to seize the Emperor…”

“Really, what a worrywart.”

Claire interrupted me mid-sentence.

“No matter what, how are you going to stop a moving train at this hour? We deliberately pressed the schedule to be tight. Smoke screens are set up all over. We’ve planned it so the opponent can’t prepare beforehand, so how could anyone stop the train and take only the Emperor?”

“……”

Well, I wonder.

In truth, Claire was probably trying to reassure me, but she still wore her sword at her waist. In case something happened, she had to be ready to draw her weapon immediately.

Leo, quietly listening to our conversation, was obviously sitting there a bit tense too.

I didn’t worry about these two. Even if a situation erupted, they’d handle it skillfully. They were definitely capable people.

But me—

With my abilities gone, would I even be able to move properly in that situation?

Fiddling with the grip of the gun holstered at my side, I quietly pondered.

And ominous predictions always tend to come true.

“What’s happening?”

“Ah, well…”

The conductor started sweating at the edge of my sharp voice.

The train, which had been moving well, came to a stop. It wasn’t a sudden stop. Although the speed decreased rapidly, the experienced conductor carefully slowed it down to avoid derailing.

“There’s someone blocking the way ahead, so we stopped.”

“Someone? At this hour?”

“Yes, it appears to be a person who’s intoxicated. For now, the soldiers will check it out.”

I looked outside. It was completely dark. The sky was filled with stars, but there was simply not enough starlight to illuminate the area around the train. The only things visible were the places lit by the light that came through the windows.

But it wasn’t in the woods. It looked like a wide-open plain. Just like the plains I saw on my way to Lutetia with the train.

“Let’s distance ourselves from the window for now.”

I drew the curtains and stepped away from the window. I wanted to ensure that no silhouette of us could be seen, so I moved to the aisle between the seats.

This time, Claire didn’t act like it was nothing.

The situation was obviously strange to anyone who saw it.

There wasn’t even a village around. Even in rural areas, it wouldn’t make sense for there to be zero light.

I drew my gun, while Claire and Leo unsheathed their swords. The soldiers and knights who were in the cabin with us stood up, each brandishing their weapons in sync with our movements.

“C-Crown Princess…?”

“It might be an enemy attack. Conductor, you stay in this cabin. Could you gather all the civilians in the train into the cabin where the soldiers and knights are?”

One of the soldiers responded quickly, “Yes, understood!” and immediately began moving. Seeing two more join him to make three taking action, it seemed there had been a plan for emergencies all along.

“I-Is it really that dangerous?”

It seemed to be the conductor’s first time experiencing such a situation as he sweated profusely.

“Yes, at least it’s not a normal situation.”

I answered immediately and moved from where we were sitting, walking among the soldiers and knights towards the front of the cabin.

At the very front, close to the train’s head, I reached the cabin door and peered outside. From what I could see, the soldiers across were bustling around, probably having started preparing for combat upon hearing the conductor’s words.

“How far was the drunk man? Was he far away?”

“No, it shouldn’t be that far due to the train’s braking distance—”

Bang.

I distinctly heard a gunshot from beyond the cabin wall.

Bang, bang.

Then, just a few shots later…

………

Silence.

I strained my ears, but I couldn’t hear anything further.

In the next moment, everyone in the train moved in unison.

We didn’t just throw together soldiers and knights without thought. We had trained multiple times in case such a situation arose.

As for why we had to keep pushing the schedule back, it was because these weren’t just units made up of royal soldiers.

The movements of soldiers and royal guards differ. Even if they all use swords, movement styles can greatly differ depending on legacy.

Although they were all citizens of one nation, it was essentially a coalition. Fortunately, there were no bad families pulling strong divisions.

So, to synchronize, and considering how critical it was to move perfectly in emergencies, we couldn’t slack off on training.

“What kind of fools are they?”

Claire asked, frowning.

“Well, I guess we’ll only know when we meet them directly.”

Watching the soldiers take their positions in the cabin, I turned back and replied.

“Are they trying to get that person back in his seat?”

“…Can’t be sure until we see it firsthand.”

This time, I took Leo’s words in response.

Bang, bang.

As we were talking, gunshots began to echo from outside. It mostly sounded like we were the ones shooting.

Then, the sounds of shouting overlapped a few times—

Thud, and something exploded.

“…At least it means our enemy didn’t plan on using bombs.”

I said.

Well, they might have set something up, but the train definitely stopped before that. Otherwise, how could they plan to save the Emperor?

Whether they were incompetent or we were lucky, or maybe both.

“Let’s get ready.”

When I said that, Claire and Leo both nodded.

Chapter 314

Since then, I’ve been consistently practicing my shooting skills.

After being caught by the Sword Saint, I trained my stamina alongside Claire, Leo, and Alice, and due to gaining a bit of strength, I started to awkwardly learn swordsmanship.

And—while following that Sword Saint to watch, Jennifer claimed she would teach me close combat and rolled me around everywhere.

To be honest, my confidence didn’t exactly skyrocket. The ‘guarantee’ that I could ‘definitely’ succeed vanished. The reason I hadn’t been shot while traversing the battlefield was because the Goddess had calculated the odds for me, but that could also have faded by now.

But I couldn’t just sit around doing nothing. As the Sword Saint said, I’m a guy who knows how to put in the effort. So I had no choice but to increase my skills as much as I could.

And—

Roooooar! A monstrous sound echoed from outside the train.

The bangs that followed were different from the screams.

To describe it accurately,

“AAAAHHHH!”

It was the sound of something falling from the sky and crashing to the ground.

Of all places, it seemed to land near my window with a crash that echoed eerily.

The gunshots that had been distant turned erratic.

“…Uhh…”

Yeah, pretty horrifying, right?

Claire and Leo had lost their words.

While I had experienced the horror of battle before, comparing a person being killed by another person to being brutally murdered by a monster was far worse.

“I had prepared for the Gryphon to follow once the train crossed the border. It seems it heard the gunshots and came down from high in the sky.”

Exactly.

My skills had diminished, so I had to pull out all the stops to cover that loss.

The noise of the airplane was still incredibly loud. If I brought the Air Force behind the train, Velbur might react violently. Even if we weren’t crossing borders, bringing troops up to the border was already a display of military force.

But the Gryphon could fly much more quietly. It was dark at night, so a Gryphon flying high in the sky would be hard for people to see.

Besides, for now, it wasn’t treated as a ‘military.’ To the eyes of the people, it was just my pet beast. As long as it didn’t harm the people of Velbur, I could come up with plenty of excuses.

…Honestly, considering the personality of that one who doesn’t seem to listen properly, I wouldn’t be surprised if it had followed us all the way to the skies of Velbur instead of just to the border.

The outside of the window flashed brightly.

It seemed the Gryphon was casting magic.

The Gryphon launched an aerial assault, while a large army inside the train attacked from the ground.

There was no way to win against an enemy that brought armored forces instead of regular troops.

Claire and Leo looked somewhat bewildered, but on the contrary, I felt relieved.

As expected, if you’re going to prepare for something, you need to prepare thoroughly.

As a side note, I had also arranged for the Imperial Army to be deployed if the train didn’t arrive on time.

So, regardless of what happened to us, it meant our opponents were undoubtedly doomed.

*

What kind of crazy person could this be?

If they didn’t realize we were us, that would be a problem in itself. It meant there were robbers inside the Empire that were hijacking trains.

Moreover, the idea of leaving a drunkard on the tracks to stop the train was also absurd. Wouldn’t the train just run over the person? If the conductor hadn’t been someone experienced with operating the locomotive, the train wouldn’t have stopped.

“What happened?”

“Yes, we’ve apprehended them all. Twelve dead, seven alive.”

It was unusually low for a capital.

“Were they disarmed for sure?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

I stood up from my seat.

Accompanied by Claire and Leo, I wore a wide-brimmed hat that obscured my face. If it were during the day, my face might have been vaguely visible, but at night with hardly any light, as long as I wasn’t too close, my face wouldn’t be revealed. By the way, Claire and Leo wore bland masks.

Following the knight’s guidance, we arrived at a place where, just as he had said, there were seven bound individuals. All were men, unwashed and looking rather scruffy. It seemed they hadn’t trimmed their beards in quite a while.

Their clothing was… all different. Since it was winter, they were all wearing thick clothes. Some wore tattered coats, while others had leather outfits.

“P-please, spare us…!”

As I approached, the men, hands tied behind their backs, all pressed their foreheads to the ground and shouted.

“And these?”

“I don’t know for sure yet, but they seem like armed robbers.”

“Armed robbers near the border?”

Originally, border areas often had better security due to their proximity to other countries. Of course, things could change if the two countries had an extremely good relationship, practically making the border a mere drawing on a map, or if the economic differences between the two were so severe that one side attracted people aiming for illegal entry.

But no matter how much Velbur might be smaller compared to the Empire, it wasn’t a place so impoverished that it would be abandoned.

And generally, for security to collapse like that, it would be the side with the lower economic level that would falter.

As I regarded my question with a hint of sarcasm, the knight slightly bowed his head.

…Well, this isn’t his fault. If there really were robbers showing up, then it would be the fault of the person managing this territory.

And where this territory was managed—

“Crowfield…”

“….”

At my mumbling, Claire and Leo nodded heavily.

Considering the state of the Countess, this wasn’t due to negligence but simply a failure to manage things properly.

At this rate, Mia would almost certainly be the next lord, but the next lord is not actually the ‘lord’ yet. The one managing this place right now is Count Crowfield’s lady.

And naturally, I hadn’t given any hint to the Crowfields whatsoever. Sorry, but even Mia doesn’t know that I’ve visited Velbur.

I shook my head, pushing those thoughts away. This wasn’t something to worry about right now. Rather, it was correct to decide how to handle these individuals now.

“Did you happen to find anything notable about them?”

“Yes. Look at this.”

What the knight showed me was a sword in its sheath.

I received the sword he held with both hands and drew it out.

It seemed like it hadn’t been properly maintained for quite some time; the blade was dull and nicked in some places. That said, it didn’t seem completely worn out.

It hadn’t been maintained for years, but perhaps on a monthly basis, it seemed. The blade itself gleamed enough to shine when light hit it.

“…”

But rather than that, something sprang to mind at the shape of the sword.

“Papal State?”

That was the sword used by the knights of the Papal State.

Without needing to think hard, I felt like I roughly understood what was going on.

“…It seems there have been people from the Papal State infiltrating even here in the Empire.”

“It’s not certain yet, but…”

They weren’t wearing the official attire of the Papal State. Plus, they looked too shabby to be people from there.

But they were holding a sword from the Papal State.

“If they are from the Papal State, why would they have this sword?”

Claire quietly asked from the side.

“This sword might have been ‘important.’”

Like the sword I previously saw from Jericho.

If it was a sword crafted using the Goddess’s power, then I could understand.

If they infiltrated the Empire to collect all sorts of information and then suddenly lost their divine powers, all the strength supporting them might have vanished.

If they couldn’t continue their operations and lost all contact with headquarters, and only received news that the Papal State had collapsed…

And if they determined that news as ‘completely untrustworthy,’ then…

“…They are armed robbers, but not the usual kind.”

I placed my hand on my forehead.

Then I would have to revise my evaluation of Count Crowfield’s lady once again.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t managing things. She must have been trying to manage as best as she could.

But the skills of those ‘robbers’ were just too good for them to be completely caught by the soldiers.

If they attacked the village or ambushed a passing merchant, it would bring tremendous losses to the territory. That would be the case even for a count’s territory that happens to have a decent population.

Thus, they would have to exert effort to hunt down those robbers, and as they kept fleeing in dwindling numbers, they would become increasingly desperate and aim for a ‘sure-hit.’

The train we were riding was also selected to run at a time similar to the trains that operate at night, making it hard to distinguish from other trains. At the same time, it wouldn’t overlap with other trains’ schedules, attracting little attention.

However, that would have meant nothing to robbers who had been just waiting for the ‘next train’ from the beginning.

“…You guys were just unlucky.”

If it had been a normal cargo train, their plan might have worked properly. There would have hardly been anyone onboard, and the armed individuals’ skills would have likely been weaker than those of the ‘Holy Order Knights.’

If they secured materials and crossed the border of Velbur, they might have had other hopes.

Truly, they were incredibly unlucky.

Fwoosh, and the Gryphon’s cry echoed up in the sky.

Chapter 315

I decided to change my thoughts about the gryphon.

Until now, I thought it was interpreting my words however it wanted and acting accordingly, but after experiencing today’s incident, it doesn’t seem that way.

The gryphon hates the people of the Papal State.

Actually, it’s not just a matter of dislike; I wouldn’t be surprised if it outright loathed them. The reason the gryphon is alone without family or friends is because of the Papal State.

Moreover, I had abused it almost to the point of death and forced it to move with magic the moment it refused to listen.

Ironically, that was a decisive reason for the gryphon to follow me.

Anyway, there’s no way a gryphon with eagle eyes wouldn’t recognize the shining holy sword.

It must have noticed the peculiar gestures and sword techniques of the Papal State people as well.

In such a situation, the fact that it spared me this much means it has demonstrated quite a bit of restraint.

“Well, this is troublesome.”

Alice said while clutching her head.

When I returned, Alice, who had been waiting up without sleeping, watched her father and siblings getting off the train with a puzzled look, and then tilted her head at the straggling defeated soldiers of the Papal State. Upon seeing the corpses that followed, she was left speechless.

After hurriedly coming to the audience room with Alice, Leo, and the Sword Saint, the reaction everyone showed was just that.

“Are there any other spies from the Papal State?”

“I think there will be. The Empire is vast.”

The Empire has territory beyond the sea. Even if the central administrative power is incredibly strong, it’s impossible to exert that power in every nook and cranny directly.

Furthermore, there is religious freedom in the Empire, although it is still a matter of fact.

However, the founding myth is much more widespread than the Goddess Cult in the Empire. Of course, it can’t be regarded as a systematic religion like the Goddess Cult, but the beliefs embedded in people’s thoughts are not easily broken.

It’s somewhat like trying to evangelize an atheist. Moreover, to the citizens of the Empire, the evidence of that founding myth is always right before their eyes.

The story of the first emperor, the Fanggriffon, ultimately entering under the Goddess, and the tales of opposing the Goddess may be absent, but the story of being born in chaos, becoming the king of the gryphons, and establishing a great nation serves as too substantial evidence for the Empire.

To believe in the Goddess Cult is to challenge that pride.

Of course, religion can penetrate even such feelings, but the Empire itself has held back from the shadows and has subtly pressured the churches being established within it to prevent them from growing.

Perhaps that situation has made the Papal State try harder to sneak in spies into the Empire.

“There probably aren’t as many as in Velbur.”

“That doesn’t exactly comfort me.”

Alice sighed deeply.

“Should we just leave it be? After all, the Papal State is practically gone, and even if they rebuild, it’s not the same Papal State they believed in. Having lost their power, maybe they’ll just give up and try to adapt to their fake identities… then again, that reasoning doesn’t really hold, huh?”

Alice pondered to herself as if she figured it out alone.

The proof that this wasn’t the case was the ones we had brought onto the train.

Religious aspirations don’t just vanish easily. Even in my previous world, where there was no substantial evidence or miracles, there were those who killed people and blew up buildings out of blind faith, so it’s even more likely to be extreme in this world. Especially for those who lost what they believed was the proof of that miracle.

“We’ll just have to cooperate with the lords.”

“……”

Alice closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh.

“Umm… should I step aside?”

Claire, who had been listening to the conversation, cautiously asked the two of us.

It seemed she felt a bit uncomfortable discussing such a political topic.

Leo felt the same way. Though his face wasn’t turning blue like at the beginning of the semester, he still appeared to not want to get caught up in such matters.

“No need to do that.”

Claire and Leo seemed surprised at Alice’s response.

In a good way or a bad way, Alice wasn’t a tough person. At least, she didn’t possess the personality to hold the entire nation in one hand while wielding a sword in the other like the former Emperor Arthur Fanggriffon.

If Alice were to become the Empress, she might give up part of her imperial power.

But that was inevitable. The reason absolute monarchies fall after a few generations is that they fail to adapt while trying to cling to power. Eventually, as time passes and technology progresses, even commoners will at least receive a minimum education and realize how wrong their situation has been.

In that scenario, if one tries to cling to privileges without question, all that awaits them is a knife at their throat.

It would rather make sense to firmly secure that image while it’s still positive.

Claire and Leo are the children of the orthodox imperial faction, the Grace family. Alice will probably make every effort to maintain a connection with these children for life.

Well, besides being the children of the Grace family, there’s also the fact that they are friends.

“Oh, I don’t mind if you don’t consider me. This conversation is quite interesting.”

The Sword Saint, who had been somewhat distanced from Claire and Leo, said that. …I didn’t expect much anyway.

“But starting negotiations with the lords right now could make us look too submissive before even becoming Empress.”

The Emperor never backed down in negotiations. Ignoring the growing number of enemies, he gained the cooperation of the nobility based on military might and the royal budget.

Those who have spent so long wouldn’t express gratitude simply because of a sudden peace treaty.

They would look down on it.

But apart from that, there’s no other way—

“I don’t know why you think so complicatedly.”

The Sword Saint abruptly cut through the convoluted thoughts.

“After all, aren’t they the kinds of folks who can’t even use the power they were relying on?”

…I had a rough idea about what the Sword Saint was thinking.

Not that I wanted to know.

“Then, isn’t there just one thing to do?”

He spoke with a smile on his face.

“Just go find them and deal with them directly.”

It was a ferocious smile, as if he had found something entertaining.

“…Master, it might not be a very entertaining opponent for you.”

“But there are multiple enemies, right? And those opponents are all quite thoroughly trained, and should we encounter them, they’ll certainly rush at me as if to kill. It won’t be a big issue for us whether we capture or kill them, but if they get caught, they know it will be gruesome for them.”

That’s… true, but…

But today, those I captured ended up begging for their lives when the power difference became apparent—oh, right. The opponent was a gryphon.

Suddenly being captured and taken up high only to fall back down sounds a bit… horrifying. Plus, there were reports that the gryphon was thrown once more after that without dying.

“I don’t even know where they are yet—”

“But starting now, they’re probably thinking about finding out, right?”

“….”

I closed my mouth.

“Those who confidently step forward won’t do things like that, creating chaos like what happened today. They are the kinds who will just continue to live thinking their identities are real as you discussed. Conversely, those who believe they must go back to the Papal State will surely cause problems again, just like they did today.”

The Sword Saint explained leisurely.

“Right now, the Papal State is perfectly controlled by Velbur, and exchanges between the Empire and the Velbur people have also been restricted since that incident. Border checks have become much stricter. Ultimately, to return, they have to go sneakily, but all their contact routes are cut off. The highest tier has disappeared, after all, so their only option is to band together and somehow cross the border. However, the Empire is far too vast to just ‘walk out’. Any way they try to escape will be troublesome.”

On top of that, the imperial army was famous for its elite troops, and given the ongoing aftermath of that incident, the lords were quite on edge.

Crossing from territory to territory is much more complicated than moving from state to state in America. The lords can’t act out against the Emperor, but they won’t tremble in fear towards another lord.

Moreover, in order to maintain their own power, it’s natural for the nobles to protect the authority of others to a certain extent, so crossing the Empire would be much tougher than imagined.

“So what you need to do is simple. Just find out if there are any territories where there are issues with security, and test how you can help. It doesn’t matter if they don’t accept. Just go as a small elite team, wrap things up quickly, and come back, right?”

“……”

At the Sword Saint’s straightforward conclusion, everyone in the audience room was momentarily lost for words.

Chapter 316

“There’s probably no one else in the world who can boss around the Crown Princess like this, except for the Master.”

“Well, if we’re going to nitpick, haven’t all the Emperors sitting on the throne done the same to you, and are still doing it?”

“…Alice isn’t one of them.”

“Oh ho.

In the dead of night, with winter still holding on and the air chilly, we hadn’t even turned on the lights.

At night, even a small glimmer of light can be seen from afar. The military rations made in my former world were designed to avoid a fire, preventing the entire unit from being wiped out while trying to fill a hungry belly.

But the worst of winter had passed, and this region wasn’t too far south, so it wasn’t freezing enough to die from it.

Just annoyingly cold.

I was the one caught up in the Sword Saint’s proposal to track down and deal with this suspicious person.

Claire and Leo wanted to help us, but after all, they were from different families.

If they were truly active as knights in the Grace’s Estate, they might have helped us naturally, but those kids still had a lot to learn and were quite inexperienced.

Even though they helped solve a major incident, that was an exception to the rule.

Alice was busy with the handover. The Emperor hadn’t educated Alice to be the next Emperor, so she had to learn everything from scratch, literally.

Since she had decided to stay at the Academy, she had to prepare for her duties as the next Emperor outside of her time there.

Everyone else also had to take over their family businesses. Even Jake and Roti seemed to be preparing for marriage already. Although they didn’t directly bring it up, the circumstances between the two made it obvious.

But I couldn’t exactly bring along Sophia, a former Cathedral knight, to catch a former Cathedral knight.

In the end, even though there was plenty of time, I was the only one firmly on Alice’s side to step forward.

The Sword Saint must have realized that fact before making that suggestion.

The two of us sat side by side, watching the enemy camp. They said it was a bandit that had suddenly popped up in this territory. It was called ‘bandit,’ but the area was relatively flat. Given that the locals lived in a pretty flat terrain, they seemed to call what I perceived as ‘a slightly elevated hill’ a mountain.

This hill we were sitting on was probably considered a mountain by the locals.

“Are you saying this isn’t being bossed around?”

“I’m here because of the Master, aren’t I?”

I continued the conversation, peering through the telescope at the faint light shining through the sparse trees atop the opposite hill.

“But at the end of the day, the one who asked is the Crown Princess. To be honest, when I suggested it, you were just standing there with your face like you’d bitten into something unpleasant. If Alice had said you didn’t have to do it, you would at least have pondered it for a bit before stepping up.”

“…How can you be so sure?”

“There are people out there whose insides are as transparent as their faces. Plus, there’s someone who’s been trying their hardest to hide their expression nearby, making it much easier to guess your feelings in comparison.”

That person trying to hide their emotions was obviously me.

I was still being careful not to expose my feelings too blatantly. So it wasn’t that I was maintaining a blank expression but rather trying to slightly refine it.

But even in that refined expression, there seemed to exist a type of ‘unpleasant’ expression.

“But didn’t you just say a moment ago that you would eventually step up after some thinking?”

“There’s a big difference between stepping up on your own and stepping up because someone asked you to. No matter if the outcome of the task is the same, the feelings involved are different.”

“What does that mean?”

“Think about it like knowing you have to clean your room but putting it off because it’s too troublesome for now.”

“…”

“In that situation, someone prompts you to clean your room. What emotions would you feel?”

“Alice hasn’t prompted me to do anything!”

“Right now, you might feel that way, but eventually, when something urgent comes up, people often ask the same favor two or three times. And as you hear the same thing over and over, you eventually get annoyed.”

“Are you saying Alice would do that too?”

“I don’t know.”

In the end, I took my eyes off the telescope and looked at the Sword Saint.

He seemed to have been looking at me for quite some time. He didn’t appear to think that camp at a distance would change positions.

“Are you saying that without being certain?”

“There are very few things you can be certain about in this world. What you can be sure of are just such clear facts like an egg falling from chest height onto a hard floor. A person’s heart is not something you can ‘know for sure.’”

“…”

“So, the certainty you have about Alice right now can’t really be called ‘certainty.’ If you think so, that’s just an illusion.”

With the Sword Saint saying that much, I had nothing to retort.

But somehow, I wanted to deny those words, so I was rummaging through my head as hard as I could when the Sword Saint spoke up first.

“So, what I mean is, don’t just accept everything passively. I don’t know how long it’s been since you two have opened up to each other, but letting the relationship become something that’s taken for granted over too long can cause cracks. And the moment one side refuses that given thing, it will shatter the relationship.”

The Sword Saint turned his head again to look at the opposite hill.

“Make sure to create opportunities to talk openly with each other. Even if it’s something unpleasant to hear, speaking about things as they come up is much less irritating and easier to forget than blowing up after it’s all piled up. If there’s something you dislike, say why you dislike it and what you would like in the future. Doing so will help maintain your relationship. It might not be necessary if you were simply a loyal subject and an Emperor, but you’re sisters, aren’t you?”

“…”

I stared at the Sword Saint, then said,

“No, how can someone who knows such important things give up on society and live in the mountains?!”

“Shut up. At night, just as light travels far, so do sounds.”

If it’s against his interest, his hands get moving first, huh.

*

But the Sword Saint was saying the right thing.

I could handle subduing the bandit-like former Cathedral knights. There were other knights with us who had been on the train back then.

Still, I didn’t want to spend all my break on such things.

Honestly, I was tired. It wasn’t that I was worn out from Alice’s attitude or such; it was just that the events had been happening one after another at a tiring pace.

Besides, I had been killing people since a very young age, after all.

With all that stacking up, it wouldn’t be surprising if I were to experience burnout.

I didn’t want to be in cold or hot places. If possible, I just wanted to hole up in my room without going far. As someone who was an otaku in my past life, home was the best.

I knew Alice was having a hard time. She had too much on her plate and needed to learn and memorize a lot. Even if there were some tasks that might reduce the role of the Emperor a bit, it was still a lot.

However, even so, it was still a situation where I didn’t want to do what I didn’t want to do.

“…”

After listening to my story, Alice was frozen, holding her teacup.

“Jay’s story ends here.”

“…Um.”

At my words, Alice tilted her head and put down her teacup.

“So… you don’t want to work?”

“Yes.”

“But you still will?”

“That’s right.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to, but I want to help you. So if you ask me to do something in the future, please understand that I won’t always do it willingly.”

“Uh, oh… thank you?”

At my words, Alice’s face turned a bit red.

“…”

“…”

Then she tightly shut her mouth, as if sealing it with a lid.

After a brief silence, feeling somewhat frustrated, I opened my mouth again.

“This time, it’s your turn.”

“…Ah, okay.”

With a slightly dazed expression, Alice nodded and, after a moment of thinking, finally spoke up.

“Um, I would like you to address me a bit differently.”

“Are you talking about how to address you?”

“Yeah. I’d prefer if you called me by my name, not ‘you’ or ‘Crown Princess’ or ‘Crown Princess.’ We’re sisters, after all?”

“…”

I briefly thought about it and then spoke.

“Understood.”

So, it wasn’t like I was being told to call her ‘Big Sister.’

“And also, stop with the honorifics. It makes it feel distant. You used casual language that time, right? Even though I couldn’t hear it well over the distance, I saw the shape of your mouth. You said ‘It’s okay,’ didn’t you?”

Alice, who initially had a clueless expression on her face, seemed to gradually find her words from the process of speaking things out.

“…”

I thought for a moment and nodded.

Right, the honorifics I used were originally a concept.

“But completely switching to informal language all at once might be difficult. Even if the titles can change, since I’ve been doing this for a few years, I’ll gradually adjust.”

“Okay.”

“Is there anything else?”

At my question, Alice took a moment to pause, then,

“Yeah, there’s more—”

And from there, Alice’s requests went on for a while.

…Although we had known each other for years, in the end, there were still many things we didn’t know about each other. It had only been just a little over a year since we began to open our hearts to each other.

Now I understood why the Sword Saint had said such things.

If this had built up and built up, it would have eventually exploded.

Well, even so, living without fighting at all would be impossible, right? They say siblings grow up fighting.

But even if they fought—at least, it would be good to be able to reconcile. It is indeed a good idea to lay bare what each of us likes and dislikes, and where our lines are.

This alone could prevent piling on bigger problems on top of the existing ones.

Chapter 317

“It looks like you’ve put everything out there on your face.”

slap

“I never even had it to begin with.”

whoosh

The one who answered Alice’s question was Bella.

Bella Fanggriffon.

The place she was in looked more like a free space than a prison.

Since Bella had once been royalty, she would never be treated poorly until the moment she died. It didn’t matter if that royalty had committed a crime or not; there was the pride of royalty to consider.

Bella’s residence was a mansion.

Though it was quite far from the Imperial Capital, it still belonged to the imperial administrative district. It wouldn’t take more than an hour to get there by carriage, but the surroundings were barren. Alice thought that at night, she might hear wild dogs barking from beyond the walls.

Of course, this was a mansion, but at the same time, it served as a prison to keep Bella confined. Numerous soldiers and knights were always on watch, and nearby, there were even military facilities prepared for emergencies.

However, judging from Bella’s reactions up until now, it might not have been necessary to prepare to that extent. But then again, one could never know what was in a person’s heart.

“I didn’t expect you to come looking for me first.”

pop

“……”

silence

“Moreover, I didn’t expect you to come all this way alone.”

thump

At Bella’s words, Alice shrugged her shoulders.

Bella followed suit and shrugged her shoulders, inhaling from the cigarette in her hand. As she exhaled, a long stream of smoke floated from her lips to the open window.

whooooosh

“What brings you here? Do you think there’s something more to figure out about me?”

twinkle

“Do you think there’s anything like that?”

squint

“……I guess so. Even when we were swinging swords at each other back then, we didn’t know anything.”

swing

“Was the story you heard from Sylvia that shocking?”

bang

Alice pulled a chair and sat down.

“It was shocking.”

thud

“I didn’t think you’d be the one receiving it.”

eh?

“Right. I didn’t know that either.”

shrug

Bella slowly rested her cigarette on the window frame. The tobacco stuck to the end was halfway burned, sending smoke rising lazily. It almost felt like a scented candle.

For a while, Bella gazed at the rising smoke, then turned to walk over to the table where Alice was sitting.

She pulled out a chair and sat down facing Alice.

“You didn’t come all this way just to play some jokes on me, did you? Could you tell me what you really want to talk about? Honestly, your face isn’t one I want to stare at for long.”

poof

“Should I have called Sylvia? Or Claire?”

spin

“……”

awkward silence

Bella stared intently at Alice’s face, then lazily leaned back in her chair.

She was wearing nothing but a thin nightgown. Even though the sun was high in the sky outside, Bella didn’t seem to think about changing into everyday clothes.

“Yeah, it would’ve been better to call one of them. I’d get along better talking with either of them than with you.”

shrug

However, the two of them hadn’t experienced the same past that Bella had.

…Actually, thinking it through again, Sylvia might be a bit different. She hadn’t experienced a past like ‘Bella,’ but in some sense, she had seen even worse things. Losing limbs was not an everyday pain. Nor was being ambushed or having one’s carotid artery cut.

Though Bella had never seen such scenes directly, she felt a kind of affinity for Sylvia because of that ‘background.’

Sylvia had never been particularly kind to Bella directly, but Bella always treated Sylvia warmly. It wasn’t a normal kind of warmth, but that’s how it seemed to Alice.

“Are you jealous of me?”

smirk

“Probably very few people in the world aren’t jealous of you.”

whistle

“……”

dramatic pause

Alice had a far better past than Bella to make such a statement about being unfortunate.

“So, what did you come here to say? Did you suddenly want to bond as sisters? Why, did you suddenly realize you have the same blood and want to have some sort of conversation?”

wink

“……”

awkward silence

“……Wait, were you really thinking that?”

shock

Alice kept quiet and stared at Bella, then hesitated before speaking.

“Do you know? I thought I was all alone in this world.”

deep breath

As if expelling her breath, the words came out a little fast, and Bella blinked.

“I’m… not as talented as you. Not only compared to you but also when compared to Damien, Lucas, and Jayden. Be it swordsmanship or knowledge, I was always behind someone. And of course, I was with Sylvia too.”

gulp

Alice’s eyes slowly fell to the table for a moment, before slowly climbing back up to meet Bella’s.

“And Father acted like he would pass the next imperial throne to someone else, not me.”

dramatic sigh

“Ha.”

giggle

At Alice’s words, Bella laughed incredulously.

“That person?”

“Why, weren’t you guys in the dark?”

quizzical look

“Of course. In the end, the one to succeed is… supposed to be the Fanggriffon.”

shrug

“……”

heavy silence

“And the Fanggriffon needs to be recognized by others too. It isn’t simply determined by ability. The person sitting on the throne of the emperor must have no weaknesses. And there’s also purity among those.”

mysterious tone

Bella fell silent for a moment, then added,

“It was a thought since I didn’t know I had the bloodline.”

ponder

“I feel the same way. I really didn’t know that I shared blood with you guys. So I thought I was all alone.”

heavy heart

“You—”

exclamatory

Bella began to speak but then stared quietly at Alice’s expression. Then she chuckled.

“Well, I was alone. Ignoring what others said, trying to butt in while that person and I were talking.”

laugh

“You teased me. That’s why I hated it.”

defensive tone

“Oh~ I did do that, didn’t I?”

reluctant markdown

Bella’s gaze slowly rose to the ceiling. Then she slowly focused as though trying to count the decorative patterns on it.

“Honestly, it was fun. And, um, what? It was a bit cute too. Seeing you all riled up and angry.”

smirk

“I really hated it.”

scowl

“I hated you too. Because you had everything. I thought it was only natural that I got a little angry and annoyed.”

pout

“……”

blinking silence

“I don’t exactly remember when it was, but there was a time when Sylvia came looking for me, you know? She said that.”

whisper

“Sylvia said that?”

curious

“She did. It wasn’t anything grand. She just told me not to bully you and left. Maybe she saw something in you back then. Or maybe… she really knew that she was the one who was truly alone.”

somber tone

Alice silently stared at Bella.

“Are you saying it’s just a matter of thinking?”

thinking emoji

“No, it’s not that. What you’ve gone through is too much for me to say that.”

serious tone

Bella lowered her gaze and stared blankly at Alice.

“So, you really came all this way just to have a sisterly chat?”

wink

“Yeah.”

nod

“I thought you wanted to talk about something really important since you wanted to be alone.”

curious raised brow

“It is a crucial conversation.”

admitting tone

“……You know? When we’re alone like this, I could charge at you and kill you without anyone stopping me.”

duh

“So are you going to kill me?”

challenging tone

As she stared back at Alice, who was meeting her glance directly, Bella laughed shortly,

“You really are you. You haven’t changed a bit since childhood. Well, maybe you’ve become a little more confident?”

teasing smile

“It’s just that unnatural confidence turned into natural confidence.”

confident grin

“So, after settling this, are you planning to release me or something?”

sarcastic

“What would you do if I did?”

quizzical tone

“Well, I was thinking of trying to kill the person I used to call Father. What do you think?”

evil laugh

“In that case, releasing you might be a bit hard for a while.”

serious reply

Hearing Alice’s words, Bella widened her eyes.

“Are you really planning to release me?”

gasp

“It seems like the political pressure is severe.”

sigh

“When you were in the kingdom, there was immense pressure to bring you to the empire, and now that you’ve been brought here and imprisoned, the pressure to release you is just getting heavier. ‘What did the empire do wrong after all?’ It’s hard to answer that. In the end, it’s not a plan that can be announced to the whole world, and if Father’s plan fails, it would mean the Papal State’s plan succeeded.”

fact

Alice kept staring at Bella, who had her mouth agape.

“Of course, it won’t be right away. At least it’ll be a story for a few years down the line, and even if I do release you, it’ll only be formally. You would probably only be able to roam around the vicinity, and maybe if you’re lucky, you might even make it to the heart of the Imperial Capital.”

hopeful shrug

“Above all, first and foremost, I must concretely establish the ‘crime’ you all committed.”

somber tone

“……”

heavy emphasis

Bella stared blankly at Alice.

“Why are you saying this to me instead of going after that person first?”

logical question

“What do you want me to do about telling Father this? That person would start plotting the next plan the moment he hears my story.”

eventual

“……That makes sense.”

nodding

Bella stared intently at Alice.

“In the end, it seems I was born from someone like you or me.”

dark revelation

“That’s right; really. I can’t believe I didn’t know that.”

shocked tone

Alice replied with a hint of grumbling.

Chapter 318

Is comparing people to animals a breach of etiquette?

I often think about this seriously, and every time I conclude, ‘It could be, or it might not be.’

If you compare someone to a pig, of course, they’ll feel offended. That’s basically saying they’re fat. Cows aren’t a great comparison either.

For horses, there are many instances where it’s used for the face, so that’s definitely out, and the same goes for ‘dogs.’ Usually, when calling someone a dog, only negative images come to mind. If you want to say they’re cute, it’s better to call them a puppy, or at least add ‘looks like’ in front of it.

Then what about hamsters?

Hamsters are cute. Honestly, they’re cute no matter what they do. Even if they bite a person’s hand, their round and adorable appearance doesn’t change.

But… at the same time, there’s a vibe of being greedy and gluttonous. The way they stuff their cheeks full of food and chew away looks cute but also makes them seem a bit silly and greedy.

And I was thinking this while looking at Mia sitting in front of me.

How should I put it… Is it that she has a big appetite? When I see her stuff her cheeks with various food and munch away, I can’t help but think of hamsters.

But then again, I wonder if hamsters exist here. They might exist in some form, but like other beasts, that hamster could potentially use some explosion magic or something.

Why explosion magic? Well… because that’s just the image it gives off, right? It looks like it’s about to pop with all that stuff in its cheeks!

“Don’t they get to eat stuff like this in Crowfield?”

I slid the dessert plate in front of Mia while I spoke.

“Oh, yes!”

Since I suddenly started talking, Mia quickly responded without realizing I had pushed the plate forward. There was a slight delay in her response; it seems she was busy munching on various things in her mouth.

“There’s no café selling desserts like this in Crowfield.”

“Crowfield is right on the border with Velbur, isn’t it?”

Charlotte, sitting next to Mia, asked in surprise.

“I thought some dishes would be influenced by Velbur cuisine.”

Alice shot a glance at Charlotte as she proudly proclaimed, “Velbur food is definitely tastier than imperial food.”

Right now, we were sitting in that café we often visited during the semester.

Since the academy runs on a boarding system, all the students moved their stuff to the dorms a few days prior. Generally, students who live far from the capital tend to arrive early. In this era, apart from trains and airships, other means of transportation don’t guarantee reliability. There are cars, but not every area of the capital has paved roads.

In fact, for Charlotte, there’s a train running from Velbur to the capital, so she didn’t need to come early.

But did she arrive early because she wanted to see her friends?

She’d never admit to that, though.

“Ah, well…”

Mia rolled her eyes slightly and said.

It might be a bit uncomfortable for her to think about the fact that Crowfield used to be part of Velbur territory. The existence of Velbur cuisine signifies not just a border influence but rather the fact that “it was originally Velbur territory.”

“My mother focuses on her business…”

Crowfield has industrialized to a degree. Apparently, there are some factories.

But that factory? It’s a morphine factory.

Since the topic of opium is still well-hidden, I have no idea how much is produced, but even the legal drug morphine is more than enough to keep Crowfield alive.

And in that way, as an ‘industrialized’ place, the economy for common folks has totally crashed.

When I say the economy for common folks has crashed, it means there are almost no cafés like this. Although this café isn’t exactly somewhere regular commoners can drop by every week, its prices are reasonable enough that middle-class commoners can visit from time to time.

This café doesn’t sell food at insane prices and only cater to nobles; instead, it operates by maximizing its profits from the occasional visits of commoners. I’m sure having someone of royal blood like us patronizing is a huge help since regular citizens can say, “I’ve eaten where the royals eat.”

But that works only if there’s a relatively large population.

In places like Crowfield, where there’s a smaller population, it’s hard for a café in such an ambiguous position to blossom. It either turns very upscale selling only to nobles or ends up selling cheap, low-quality food, splitting like this.

Naturally, Mia wouldn’t be able to eat ‘food like this.’

It’s difficult enough to enjoy decent meals. Whenever there’s a lot of food, it tastes absolutely awful, and all the gourmet food comes out slowly, like just ‘a bite’ or ‘a spoonful’ at a time.

“Ah…”

Charlotte, hearing Mia’s words, seemed to realize that fact and kindly patted Mia’s arm.

Then she pushed the slice of cake that had been sitting untouched in front of her toward Mia.

Mia looked a bit embarrassed by Charlotte’s gesture but didn’t refuse.

“By the way, it seems Claire and Leo haven’t entered the dorms yet.”

“They’ll probably come in on the day of the entrance ceremony. Their home is nearby, after all.”

“I’m a bit envious that you get to attend an academy so close to home.”

At Alice’s words, Charlotte smiled bitterly and replied.

“How about Velbur? Is there an academy like this?”

“Actually, there aren’t. There’s a similar place that teaches some noble kids, but nothing of this scale. There are universities, but those places aren’t for kids our age.”

“I see…”

“In fact, even without going to another country, such academies are quite rare. Across the empire, the academies are few and far between, and among those, the only ones as systematic as this one are in the Theoridarium Academy.”

“…”

As my words finished, both Mia and Charlotte’s gazes fell on me.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

As I saw the suddenly silent duo, I asked like that, to which Charlotte and Mia exchanged glances before looking back at me.

“When exactly did you start speaking so casually to Alice?”

Whether Charlotte was the representative of the two or not, she directly asked me that.

“Ah, we mutually agreed to drop the formalities during last break.”

“…Is that so?”

Charlotte tilted her head with a puzzled expression.

“Then why do you still use formal language with me and Mia?”

“Well, that’s because both of you are still using formal language with me.”

“Is it… is that how it works?”

Guess it is!

It seems like they’re thinking about getting me to drop the formalities too, but unfortunately, I’m not ready to do that with them yet.

It’s a bit… uncomfortable to use informal language while they are still using formal language.

And it seems my explanation left them without much to counter with.

Looking at Alice’s slightly proud expression, I felt somewhat incredulous, but—

“Oh, there they are!”

Claire’s voice rang out.

Waving from the terrace on the first floor of the café, Claire bounded over to us.

“I heard Charlotte was here, so I thought maybe you were all gathered here, and— voilà!”

“Long time no see, Claire.”

“Have you been well?”

“Yep, it’s been a while. And I’ve been well.”

“Both of you, it’s been a while too.”

Claire greeted Charlotte and Mia in turn, and behind her, Leo followed, a bit late, to say hello.

“Oh, by the way. Sylvia.”

“Hmm?”

As Claire was greeting everyone, Alice suddenly spoke up to me.

“Oh, that’s… no, wait. I was going to say something, but I can’t remember.”

“…What? Why toss that at me like that?”

I thought she might bring up something related to Claire, but an out-of-character line came from her.

Well, Alice babbling like this could be a sign that she’s comfortable around me now.

With a shrug, I turned my head back to Claire, only to be taken aback.

Claire was staring at me, completely frozen.

“Sister.”

“Yes?”

“Nehe???”

Ah, I’ve heard that tone somewhere.

It’s exactly how it was when seniors reacted with ‘Huh?’ instead of saying ‘I didn’t hear you’ back in the army. That kind of tone, ‘Nehe↗!?’

“…What’s the matter?”

“’What’s the matter!’?!”

Claire was outraged as if my words struck a nerve. People passing by turned to look at us.

Um, why is this happening?

Chapter 319

“Why are you using formal speech with me? Do you feel a wall between us or something?”

“That’s not it, though…?”

As I gave a puzzled expression to Claire, who was getting angry, she groaned for a while, then said,

“Then why! Do you use formal speech with me while you’re casual with Alice! And!”

Having said that, Claire suddenly lowered her voice slightly and added,

“Besides, you spoke casually with me back then.”

“Back then…? Ah.”

It seemed Claire was referring to the time when we turned back time together.

“Back then, there wasn’t really time to think deeply.”

“And now, are you thinking deeply?”

“Because the situation is much more relaxed than it was back then.”

“Ugh.”

Claire let out a short, disbelieving sigh and turned away.

I was startled, thinking she might be angry and going home, but she turned toward the café entrance instead. Even though Claire usually didn’t bother much about the eyes around her, it seemed she still acted like a noble lady. The fact that she didn’t just jump over the fence was proof of that.

It was a bit amusing that we passed by the counter to order her drink. Perhaps she thought that even if she was angry, she still needed to eat, right?

And that was very much a Claire-like action.

Following Claire, who was fuming, was Leo with a smile on his lips.

Claire’s angry expression… Well, I hate to say it, but it wasn’t that scary.

Claire could certainly adopt a serious expression when she wanted to. If someone were to stab me with a knife, she might very well look fierce enough to be intimidating.

But Claire wasn’t very good at acting. She didn’t have the personality that could show genuine anger through acting.

Right now, Claire’s expression looked like a child who had their cookies or toys snatched away, and honestly, it was hard to suppress laughter while watching.

“You really do have terrible taste.”

“…….”

Then, noticing my expression, Alice shot me a glance and said that.

It seemed like we used to bicker a lot in the fantasy world, but did some affection develop in the meantime? Judging by how she was siding with Claire.

“So, you’re really not thinking of speaking casually with Claire?”

“I plan to speak casually with Leo as well.”

It felt a bit unfair to only speak casually with Claire. Claire was my sister, but Leo was also my brother. I had decided that during the previous conversation with Baroness Grace… I mean, ‘Mother.’

“Did you speak casually to Leo when you were Leo’s sister?”

“That was not the case.”

I shook my head.

“…In that situation, if you suddenly spoke casually to Leo, wouldn’t he be confused?”

“That’s why I plan to do it.”

“Your taste is really terrible.”

Alice made a face of disbelief.

But that expression wasn’t perfect. From her slightly raised corners of her mouth and eyebrows, it seemed Alice was secretly enjoying the situation.

“…I think both of you are the ones with bad taste.”

Charlotte, who had been listening to our conversation, said that. Unlike Alice and me, who could read each other’s feelings from expressions, Charlotte likely guessed our emotions based on our dialogue. Or maybe she learned a bit about our mannerisms over the past year.

On the other hand, Mia seemed completely lost with question marks over her head. It’s as if she couldn’t follow the conversation flow. Perhaps she took our conversation at face value but was a bit confused by what Charlotte said beside her.

Mia was usually quite mature, but she turned back into a child whenever food was involved.

As we were chatting like this, there was a thud thud sound from over there.

Claire stomped her foot, coming toward us with a somewhat exaggerated pose as if saying, “Look at me!”

Who was indulging young Claire’s childish whims, her father or mother? Hmm, based on my experiences in the fantasy world, it was probably her father. He appeared strict on the outside, but he was likely a doting father at heart.

“Sister, I think we need to think seriously about this matter.”

She emphasized the word “think” twice, saying that. If you wanted to emphasize something, it would probably be better to emphasize “seriously” than “think.”

“About what matter?”

“I mean, the way you’re talking right now.”

Claire pulled out a chair and sat down. She folded her arms and looked at me as she spoke.

“So far, I’ve endured it. I thought you’d been in the Imperial Palace for quite a while, and that’s why formal speech had stuck with you.”

“That’s not wrong.”

Hearing that, Claire frowned and glanced at Alice.

Ah, right, that’s true. Even though Alice is a Crown Princess, she speaks casually with anyone her age. The highest-ranking person using formal speech around me is none other than Charlotte.

And strictly speaking, Charlotte was different from Alice and me. She had been on a clear elite path since birth. Alice and I had been somewhat neglected in that regard. Charlotte had been guided accurately by someone. The “formal speech” Charlotte used probably stemmed from that reason.

“No, that’s a lie.”

Claire saw right through my lie in an instant.

“The only person using formal speech in the Imperial Palace is you, or the servants, or the non-royal nobility. All the royals I know have spoken casually to me.”

And in some ways, that was to be expected. Just as I had lived as a daughter in Grace’s Estate, Claire had also been a Princess.

“Sister, that’s acting, isn’t it?”

…

And Claire surprisingly dug right into the essence of the matter.

“You don’t need to do it, but you’re doing it on purpose. I don’t know the reason…”

Hmm.

The reason.

The reason…

To secure my own stake among these colorful characters—

Calculating how long I’d keep up the cool beauty image and how this cool beauty would fight through its weaknesses… it had become a carefully constructed character trait.

Simply put, it was ‘playing a character.’

“……”

“So, sister—”

“I got it.”

I answered quickly before Claire could dig any deeper.

“Really?”

Claire’s face lit up instantly. It might just be my imagination, but it felt like the ambient light increased slightly.

“Really? You’re not going to suddenly switch back to formal speech after speaking casually, right?”

“Right.”

I nodded and looked over at Leo.

“Of course, I’ll speak casually with you too. I’m ‘older sister’ after all, right?”

“……”

Just not long ago, Leo teased me by calling me “big sister,” but now he looked utterly bewildered by my statement.

It seemed like he would take a while to get used to me speaking casually.

As I had this conversation with my siblings, Charlotte and Mia watched us with somewhat bewildered expressions.

…In the midst of that, Alice was squinting her eyes at me.

I hope she didn’t realize I was playing a character completely.

*

After school started, news that I had switched to casual speech with Claire and Leo spread through the school in no time.

Honestly, there was no reason for it not to. I had been speaking politely with everyone.

Of course, I occasionally talked informally due to being able to rewind time, but generally, my speech was polite.

The problem was that I had divided the people I spoke casually with and those I spoke formally to.

Casual speech was only for Alice, Claire, and Leo, while I spoke formally to everyone else.

At first, I didn’t pay much attention to the reactions around me, but after about two weeks, it seemed the rumors started circulating among the students.

“Sylvia, could you please unify your speaking style?”

“Is there a problem?”

“If it’s a problem, it’s a mountain of problems.”

Charlotte looked a bit flustered at my response.

“You’re not pretending not to notice, are you?”

“……”

No, I really wasn’t aware.

Perhaps she could infer my reaction from my silence, as Charlotte rubbed her forehead.

“So, the other students think you’re separating people.”

…Huh?

Isn’t it natural to separate people?

Chapter 320

Those trendy folks who look at the world through a love-filled lens might not understand, but of course, people categorize when dealing with others.

Family, friends, those who are sort-of friends, acquaintances who you only know by face, colleagues at work… If someone says it’s cold-hearted to categorize these relationships, then they probably haven’t experienced social life. It’s necessary to categorize to get along without discomfort.

It’s not about jumping straight into calling someone a friend; it’s more like gradually getting to know each other from afar, which helps avoid awkwardness later.

Plus, having these categories lets you think of the right person to contact when you need help or want to help someone else.

Of course, the situation in school was a bit different. The only time we weighed each other’s benefits was during grades, which you can’t negotiate with others; it’s about your own studies.

Otherwise, there’s no need to calculate losses or gains, so you can interact comfortably with anyone, regardless of whether you’re meeting for the first time. After all, school is where kids from the neighborhood gather, and unless there’s a drastic wealth disparity in the district, you generally find similar kids. With similar ages, it’s only natural to get along somewhat.

The problem was, the academy in this world didn’t work like that.

“Alright, since we’re on formal terms and I don’t feel a wall because of that speech style, we’re good to talk freely,” Charlotte said, lowering the hand she had raised to her forehead down to her waist.

“But other people who don’t know you well don’t feel the same, right? If a Crown Princess suddenly speaks informally to some people and remains polite to you, it feels like she’s building walls.”

If the counterpart was friends, sure, that would be true. But I had always spoken formally to everyone.

“…So, it means the others are scared of you. If you’re going to build walls, you should build them appropriately.”

Alice said, pointing out my confused expression.

“Think about your image; it seems you’ve forgotten, but at one time, you were one of the fearful figures among the nobles of the Empire. Right now, you’re the only one outside of that group.”

Oh, right.

Just because the academy had a similar system as a school, it didn’t mean they were the same – ‘Academy = School’ wasn’t true.

This was a place where nobles resided. Moreover, if you went to certain classes, there were commoners too.

Even without going into the noble-commoner relationship, the hierarchy among nobles was significantly different.

There were rivalries, relationships similar to master and servant… In any case, it was way too different to compare to a school.

“These days it’s good to relax, but don’t be too spaced out just because you’re relaxed. You still need to remember the basics,” Alice said.

“…”

Alice’s words were so on point that I had nothing to say in response.

“So what should I do?” I asked.

“Well, it’s simple,” Charlotte replied, but Claire jumped in unexpectedly.

“Just speak informally to the others. Simple, right?”

“…”

However, at those words from Claire, the three of us fell into silence.

Alice, who had just been scolding me, and Charlotte, who brought up the topic in the first place, both looked like ‘Is that really okay?’

They had suggested it, but now hearing it from someone else made them realize how unnatural it sounded.

Imagine Sylvia Fanggriffon being friendly and speaking informally to everyone?

…That’s even hard to picture!

“But besides that, there really isn’t any other way,” Alice finally managed to say after some deliberation.

“Yeah, but I can’t just go back to the days when I used formal speech with everyone.”

“Exactly, I don’t want that either,” Charlotte and Claire chimed in.

“So, starting today, does that mean I just speak informally to everyone?”

“…”

At my question, everyone fell silent for a moment before nodding. Among them, Claire was the only one smiling as if it were obvious, while Alice and Charlotte wore worried looks.

Wait, what am I supposed to do here?

*

Anyway, I decided to accept all three of their suggestions.

However, the ‘everyone’ I applied this to didn’t immediately extend to the entire academy.

I’d start with those around me first. That way, the shock would be minimized.

“So, Charlotte, from today, I’ll start speaking informally to you.”

“If I’ve been speaking formally, you said you would do the same, didn’t you? Well, it’s fine either way.”

Charlotte said that while acting coy but took it quite easily. In fact, she seemed delighted to say it.

“Of course, I’ll continue using this speech pattern with everyone. So, I’m going to speak informally to ‘everyone’.”

“That’s right.”

I nodded at Charlotte’s words.

Honestly, it felt strange. I thought of her as a friend, and this was sincere, but it felt like I was crossing that line with a close work colleague for the first time. In fact, I had never spoken informally to work colleagues before, so I wasn’t sure how that felt; if I had, it would be something like that.

Still, it wasn’t a bad feeling.

Okay, let’s apply this to the next friend.

Just then, Sophia, who had stepped out for a bit during lunch, was coming back in.

“Sophia, hey!”

“What’s up?”

As soon as I greeted her, Sophia froze at the door, rigid, and said that.

Then she took a step back as if changing her mind about entering the classroom and said, “What’s going on? What are you thinking? Are you planning to use me for something? Was my thought that we became friends a misunderstanding?”

She was letting out a stream of random words.

“…”

“So, it would have been nice to speak informally from the start.”

Seeing Sophia’s reaction, I turned to Charlotte, who let out a deep sigh.

“Um… I guess we missed the timing.”

Alice tried to comfort me, but it didn’t really help.

“No, Sophia, it’s okay. Just come and sit down.”

Only after Claire said that did Sophia hesitantly return to her seat.

Although the desk was the same, she seemed to subtly shift her chair over to maintain some distance from me.

“Well, my sister said she’s going to get closer to others. So, we decided to speak informally like this.”

“Don’t.”

Sophia said, blushing, and looked at me.

“Don’t do that.”

Then she emphasized it again.

…That kind of hurts to hear.

“A moment ago, I almost had a heart attack. If you didn’t respond like that, I’d have bolted straight to the Papal State.”

The Papal State was far away from here, and even if I went, the Velbur military was occupying it.

Honestly, I thought Sophia would be better off staying in the Empire, but I kept that to myself.

“It’s thanks to the fact that I’ve known you guys for a while and that I can gauge the situation from your reactions that I’m managing this much. If it were someone with even slightly weaker heart condition, they might just faint from a heart attack.”

Will I turn into some kind of grim reaper?

“Hmm… Why is that? You’re not a scary person.”

At Claire’s words, Alice, Charlotte, and Sophia turned their faces toward her simultaneously. They all looked like they wanted to question that, but realizing it wouldn’t work against Claire, they quickly turned their gazes back to me.

“…Um, is it because of my expression?”

Alice mumbled, resting her chin on her hand.

“Definitely, it might be about your expression,” Charlotte said with a serious face.

“Expression isn’t the only issue, but it does play a significant role,” Sophia added as if to reinforce.

“What’s wrong with my expression?”

When I asked, Alice said with a slightly serious expression.

“After years of training, I can interpret your expressions, but others might not be able to. Whether you speak informally or formally, if you keep that blank expression and flat tone, others will find it scary.”

“…So should I greet them with a smile?”

“If you greet them with a smile, the other person’s heart might just tighten and cause a cerebral hemorrhage.”

What on earth is wrong with her!

Chapter 321

So, are you telling me to drop honorifics or what?

Well, judging by the nuance, it seems closer to telling me to drop them.

I felt some unfairness that nobody said anything about Charlotte and Mia using honorifics, but then again, those two really never broke the rules of honorifics.

Mia did use informal speech once.

I’m gonna kill you!

…I mean, she yelled that at me once.

That situation shouldn’t be considered a “typical situation.”

For me, using informal speech was my way of showing familiarity, but for Mia, that moment was so infuriating that she must have felt like she was going insane. Assuming a state of losing rationality is the “normal state” is just something those foolish game masters of death games say when they drag people into a death game, claiming “people show their true nature under extreme situations.”

Should I have just built a character who uses informal speech from the start?

Like, I don’t know, An●ami or Na●tosu? You know, those famous characters. They drop the formalities and are cool beauties. Sometimes, they even show a human side.

It’s too late to think about that now.

“Hello.”

Anyway, since I had decided to drop the formalities, I figured I should at least give it a try.

“……”

The next target of my informal speech was Rena.

Rena, who had stepped out during lunch to make a reservation for parts at the weapon shop, turned to me with a brief dazed expression after hearing my light greeting.

“Well, it’s fine to drop the formalities, but isn’t that a bit sudden? If you’re going to drop them, at least do it since the morning.”

Alice remarked after observing Rena’s reaction.

“But whether it’s in the morning or during lunch, it would eventually feel sudden to the other person.”

“No, still, if you do it in the morning, you haven’t seen each other for over ten hours, but if you do it during lunch, it hasn’t even been an hour yet, so it feels too sudden!”

Hmm, is that so?

But that critique was already too late, as I had already talked to Rena informally while she was on her way back.

“……”

Fortunately, Rena didn’t look as shocked as Sophia. Thinking about it, Rena was probably the purest kid around me. So pure that she might actually be more innocent than Mia or Roti, who also used honorifics.

Sophia and Charlotte are definitely not the kind of people you’d call pure.

Mia, having learned some inconvenient facts while knowing about the things her father did in his lifetime, and Roti… isn’t she in her own little romance? I can’t know how far her relationship with Jake has progressed, but I can bet that there’s at least one ‘inappropriate act’ they’ve definitely done.

It’s not that Rena knew nothing of this, but if I had to pick someone farthest from all those matters, it would definitely be Rena.

Especially in human relationships; Rena didn’t seem to have any particular desires for anyone.

Since there was nothing for her to be cautious about in our relationship, she had no reason to doubt me like Sophia.

As Rena silently approached us and turned her body to face me, she spoke.

“Finally, have you decided to shed the shackles?”

“……”

A heavy silence descended.

No, it wasn’t the kind of heaviness that makes everyone around go silent just because it was too serious.

It was more like a massive question mark hanging in the air.

‘What is this girl talking about right now?’

That kind of questioning silence.

And at that moment, I almost got crushed by the weight of that silence.

To be honest, I was having the same exact thought.

What on earth is she saying right now?

I hadn’t grasped the situation well, but my instincts were sounding alarm bells. If I let Rena say something right now, I would definitely regret it immensely in the future.

shudder

But before I could stand up to stop Rena, someone grabbed my arm tightly.

It was Alice.

Alice smiled widely at me. Her face was all ‘smiley’, but her eyes were gleaming with interest.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

And Claire inquired to Rena. Claire, who had been listening while standing, didn’t have the same openly teasing expression as Alice, but she genuinely seemed curious about what Rena had heard from me.

Should I stop here? Should I at least try to cut off Rena’s words?

But if I did that, it would just reveal to everyone that the story Rena was about to tell was something incredibly embarrassing for me.

And even if I managed to stop it, Charlotte and Alice wouldn’t be the type to just let go of such bait.

My mind, racing, suddenly recalled a memory.

Before the vacation, when I visited Rena’s room.

I had asked for her to share a secret without a thought, only for that secret to be far heavier and more serious than I expected, forcing me to stumble through a half-baked story just to balance things out.

“That is…”

Rena hesitated as she looked at me.

Now was the time to decide. Should I just spill it all cleanly here and end it, or should I at least try to block it this one time?

If I just blurted it out now, I probably wouldn’t have to hear such stories again in the future. But this is a classroom. I don’t know if the other kids would hear this. In fact, a few people were already pretending not to be interested while subtly angling their ears.

On the other hand, if I stop it, even though the classmates can’t hear this, later, I’d probably have to explain it multiple times to each of my friends—worst case scenario, someone might even ‘hear’ it.

…

Fine. It’s whatever. It’s mostly made-up anyway, so let’s just let it slip.

Concepts and everything, I don’t care anymore. Once the classmates know, they might look at me a bit differently, but whether it’s pitying looks or terrified stares, I couldn’t care less.

“No, it’s not something I can talk about here.”

But Rena was even more loyal than I thought.

Noticing that someone was eavesdropping, she simply replied like that.

Since Rena said that, I missed the timing to say it was okay to talk.

“……”

The gazes of my friends around me all turned to me simultaneously.

…Hmm.

I feel like this is going to come back to bite me in the end.

*

Better to get hit first than to let it fester—so I decided to just spill it out and finish it.

Knowing Rena’s loyal character, I didn’t think she’d talk about it in front of others, so we decided to meet in a room instead of the usual café.

The dorm room was a single room, but it was spacious enough for a few students to fit in. Of course, it looked a little cramped compared to being alone or with just one other person.

There were only four chairs at the reception table.

Me, Rena, Alice, and Charlotte sat around the table, while the others had to stand; Sophia occupied a study chair, and Claire, Roti, and Mia sat on the bed.

Sitting together like this made me realize I actually had quite a few friends.

Even though wandering around the dorm is relatively free, it’s still hard for boys to enter the girls’ dorms. The dress styles and the way the kids think are oddly modern, but this is a world borrowed from the Industrial Revolution era. It would cause a scene if a guy entered a girls’ dorm even in modern times, and it would be even worse in this era.

“So, what’s this about shedding the shackles?”

The one who spoke for the group was Alice.

Hearing Alice’s question, Rena looked at me. I nodded with my lips tightly sealed.

“You all know where the Crown Princess comes from.”

Everyone here had probably heard it at least once. They must have heard it from me directly or through rumors.

The rumor that ‘all of the Emperor’s children have humble origins.’

“So… the shackles I mentioned were related to that story. It’s nothing special.”

“……”

Silence fell.

Hmm.

Would Rena keep my secret?

Actually, there wasn’t anything that significant about it. If they thought about my origins and followed that line of reasoning, they might guess what the story was. Claire, who is from a similar background as me, would immediately understand if I shared even a tiny bit of information.

“I… I mentioned I like sweets, right?”

“I haven’t heard that directly, but it was pretty obvious,” Charlotte responded.

“That’s the story. My love for sweets stems from my background; it’s not such a grand tale.”

And as I spoke, I thought to myself.

Oh? If I handle this well, it might not be too embarrassing and could smoothly pass by, right?

Chapter 322

“Is there anyone here who knows what kind of food the orphans live on in the orphanage?”

Silence…

No one could answer.

Sophia’s eyes sparkled for a moment, and Claire nodded. Thinking about it, Sophia grew up as a spy from a young age. She may have experienced orphanage life, even if only for a short time. Claire can relate since she was in the same place as me.

“At the place I was in, we ate watery porridge. It was made with way too much water and barely any seasoning. You could hardly taste it, and there was almost nothing to chew.”

Silence…

While I was speaking, I wondered if someone would butt in, but thankfully no one did.

“And it wasn’t much, either. Looking back now, I honestly don’t think it was fit to be served to humans.”

It’s not that porridge itself was unfit for humans, but rather ‘that’ porridge was not edible. It’s barely even food if there’s nothing to eat.

“We endured by sharing that.”

“No way.”

This time, someone interrupted me.

Claire, with a serious expression, raised her hand slightly.

“That’s not true. The only one who shared was my sister. She always shared with us, and we only got a few spoonfuls to get by. We fought over the food, but no one shared.”

Oh, was that how it was?

It seems that way.

I was about the same age as Claire back then, so my physical age wouldn’t have been much different.

But even if my body was the same, I was still an adult inside. No way could I take food from starving children. I believed I shouldn’t do that no matter how dire the situation was.

And honestly, I knew what that place was like. I thought I couldn’t change the future, and since those kids would end up like that, I wanted them to at least have a memory of meeting a kind person, even for a short time.

Besides, there were children I couldn’t save. So, it wasn’t something to brag about.

Silence…

The room fell into silence after Claire’s words.

“And I told them stories from the past.”

Claire added.

I had nothing to say. The stories from the past were just roughly pieced together from stories I already knew.

Of course, I wasn’t that great at storytelling, so I improvised parts I couldn’t remember, and the endings of parts I forgot, I just made them happy endings.

Alice had heard those stories before, but the other kids hadn’t. Especially Charlotte looked absolutely shocked.

She was staring at me with a look of utter disbelief. Why is it so amazing that I know how to tell old stories?

It does sound amazing, yeah.

Thinking about it, this could be a pretty good gap. A cool beauty character having been a warm and nice person in the past is a cliché after all.

“And since I lived in such a place, I hardly ever got to eat sweet food.”

If I left it at that, Claire would keep boasting about me, so I seized the moment to continue my story.

“The reason I like sweet food, especially desserts, is because of that.”

To be fair, I always liked it. But it’s not like I could come all the way here to talk about that. After all, I only mentioned it to Rena because it was related to her and her father.

…Everything was practically exposed, so it’s fine to keep at least one little secret, right?

“And it’s also the reason why my sister wanted me to drop the formal speech.”

Once the story ended, Claire said as if she had been waiting.

Seeing the attention shift towards her, Claire shrugged her shoulders and spoke.

“Sister was comfortable with us back then.”

“…No way, was the reason you started using a stiff honorific…”

Charlotte mumbled, but I didn’t feel the need to answer.

After all, how could I say that it was part of my act?

Silence…

Hm, at first, I thought this would reveal another secret and make me feel embarrassed, but in a sense, the conversation… well, I’m not sure if it went well, but at least I think I avoided the worst situation.

As I was thinking about wrapping up the story, Charlotte suddenly shot up from her seat.

“We’re going to the cafe.”

And she gave me an extremely serious look and said,

“…Huh?”

“Right now.”

Looking closely, I noticed that Charlotte’s eyes were a bit wet.

…Did she cry? After hearing my story?

I didn’t mean to go that far…?

“I… I’ll wait outside, so you prepare quickly and come out, okay?”

Charlotte said that and turned around, bouncing out of the room.

…What’s going on?

If I follow her, it seems like I’ll have to stuff every type of parfait into my stomach at the cafe without being able to turn back time.

“Then, I’ll also wait outside.”

The next person to get up was Rena. She smiled gently at me before turning away and leaving the room.

“…I’m sorry for asking you not to. So, this really was your true self. Congratulations on taking off the mask. I hope I can become like you someday.”

Then, Sophia patted my hand and said that before leaving.

“I didn’t speak up during the commotion, but I could grasp the situation to some extent. If you want, I can teach you how to make desserts. I’ll take special care to teach you.”

Roti said politely before exiting.

“There are many cafes in Zeido. I’m sure there are several other nice places too. When we have some time later, let’s find those places together. I also enjoy sweet desserts.”

Mia said with a somewhat serious expression before leaving.

Silence…

That string of events occurred so quickly I couldn’t even say anything; I felt a bit dazed.

“If I’d known this was going to happen, I would have just spoken up earlier.”

Claire muttered as if complaining.

“Yeah, right? It would have been nice if you just started like this.”

Alice squinted at me and said.

“…I had my own thoughts too.”

After hearing my reply, Alice continued to stare at me for a while before finally letting out a big sigh.

“Fine. I won’t deny it. Thanks to you, I’ve been able to take it easy like this.”

“Same here. No matter if you drop the formalities or not, you’re still my sister.”

Claire smiled as she said that,

“But you know, sister, you just used the formal address a moment ago, right?”

She asked.

“Ah.”

Did I?

After using that tone for so long, it looks like it popped out unknowingly. Since I’ve been speaking in polite terms whenever I’ve had to explain or make excuses up until now.

The atmosphere of the conversation we had earlier in the room was just like that.

“Well, it’s fine. That’s not wrong, right? You seem to be conscious of changing it… um, actually, that’s similar to you. You seem perfect, yet there’s some sloppiness. That’s what makes you human.”

“Actually, that perfection was just created on the foundation of that sloppiness. Like coloring on a white canvas.”

Alice chimed in from the side.

“…Are you trying to tease me or compliment me?”

Maybe she was trying to make me feel embarrassed. The truth is, I’m feeling quite embarrassed right now.

“See, with no ability, your true self gets exposed.”

Alice laughed while saying that.

“But that’s exactly the Sylvia we know.”

“I never knew it was like this until now.”

I protested in response, but Alice just shrugged.

“Let’s go out quickly. The kids are waiting.”

“…If I go out, I’ll probably be dragged to a cafe and keep eating desserts until I’m full.”

Especially Charlotte seemed to look endlessly sincere.

“So, you really shouldn’t have said that. Hearing that you learned to love sweet food because you were starving makes me want to fill that empty stomach.”

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll help you out.”

Isn’t it basic that each cafe will have a set for individuals? Even if I drink coffee…

“…For now, should I go call Leo and Jake?”

If I can’t handle it, I might have to ask Leo for some help.

After all, I’ve been a good big sister for a long time; a day of being a bad big sister shouldn’t matter, right?

Seeing right through my thoughts, Alice and Claire burst into laughter.

Chapter 323

The Academy of Hwangliplondarium pulled a lot from the Japanese high school culture, true to its title as a Japanese subculture game, but it wasn’t just your regular high school.

Even though the kids’ ages and class formats felt high school-ish, the fact that it was a four-year program, allowing students to drop out freely, and the immediate transition to society post-graduation made it more like a university.

Since it was a blend of high school and university, the relationship between students and teachers wasn’t strictly hierarchical. Students would naturally seek out teachers when they had questions, and teachers would naturally approach students to share their insights.

Hiring dukes, who are among the top nobles in the nation, as teachers wasn’t a coincidence. It was crucial to have teachers who could understand the students seeking advice. Being the ‘best’ academy, it was only natural that they ensured the best welfare for the students.

In truth, I ended up in the staff room just to meet my homeroom teacher, Carolyn.

Just as students were granted maximum freedom, a fair bit of freedom was given to the academy’s teachers as well. If the teachers wanted to consult with students, they could do so as long as there was an agreement between them.

It seemed Carolyn intended to understand the students a bit more closely this year. It looked like she had gained insights from the series of events that happened last year due to Juro.

After a brief consultation with Carolyn, Jennifer caught me as I tried to head back, and just like that, I found myself having a meeting with a teacher who wasn’t even my homeroom teacher.

“You look great these days.”

Jennifer, sitting across from me, casually opened the conversation with that line.

The staff room wasn’t just hers alone. The spot Jennifer had asked me to sit at actually belonged to another teacher. Various teaching materials were piled haphazardly on the desk.

I wondered what would happen if that teacher returned, but thinking it over again, I figured they wouldn’t be back anytime soon, which is why she must have left me here.

“I’ve been thinking a lot of things differently.”

“Really? When I overhear you talking sometimes, it does seem that way,” Jennifer replied with a smile.

And indeed, it was true.

It’s said that a person’s image is largely determined by their appearance; since coming to this world, I had felt that exceedingly well.

Sylvia Fanggriffon is pretty. Just sitting quietly with her lips sealed, most people would find her charming enough.

I felt the same when I looked in the mirror, so how did those looking at me, especially the guys, perceive me?

Moreover, this image helped me in ‘changing’ how people viewed me.

At first, the students would jump in surprise every time I spoke or talked informally, but they adapted incredibly fast. Within less than a month, it was as if they had been calling me by name right from the start.

And perhaps because of the way I now spoke, their fear of me seemed to have lessened a bit.

In the past, there were hardly any students willing to talk to me, but these days, it was gradually increasing.

They probably figured out the rumors they’d heard circulating about me hanging out with Mia were false. After all, how could one get close to the murderer of their father?

…There was quite a complex story behind that, but both Mia and I felt no need to explain it.

“Well, I won’t dig too deep into that. Even if I did, that would be Carolyn’s job as the homeroom teacher.”

Though I felt I had pried too much already, I didn’t want to be too stubborn about it.

“My master, the Sword Saint Frederick, is now officially a teacher here. But you already know that since you’ve attended his class.”

The Sword Saint was joining from this semester.

I made all sorts of excuses without revealing the reason why he had applied to the academy, but it seemed that both the Headmaster and other teachers thought it would be a waste to let him go.

Additionally, he was one of those who had greatly contributed in the last battle, even helping to escort the Emperor.

That seemed to be the reasoning behind the assumption that the Sword Saint wouldn’t do anything strange.

“Now that it’s come to this, there’s no need to ask why he applied for a position here, but I can’t help but be curious. What was it about me that made him decide to teach ordinary kids he hadn’t paid any attention to until now?”

“…….”

As I quietly looked at Jennifer, she had a slight smile on her lips. And that smile was… quite literally just a smile. It seemed like there was nothing being hidden behind it.

Well, I guess it wouldn’t be her style to act that way. One might even say she resembled her master so closely that it felt like they shared blood or something… But then again, considering they were both from the same region, perhaps it was just a similarity in disposition.

“As a student who learned under the same master, can’t you tell me?”

“Are you that curious?”

I was a bit nervous asking, but Jennifer leaned slightly toward me and replied.

“Yeah, I am. Believe it or not, I don’t just see you as a mere student in my academy. You might not know this since you started learning directly under the master, but he has quite a discerning eye for his students.”

I had experienced this to some extent.

Of course, it was thanks to my interest in swordsmanship that I could even learn from the Sword Saint. If that wasn’t the case, he probably would have turned me down no matter how many times I asked.

And that interest didn’t come from my talent.

“I’m curious about what made him come here as a teacher, given his high standards. What did he see in you that he was willing to consider teaching ordinary students?”

“…….”

As I continued to gaze at Jennifer, I looked around the room.

The teachers seemed busy with their own tasks, not bothering to glance this way. Maybe being teachers at this academy bent them towards a strong sense of professionalism.

“This isn’t a request as a teacher. It’s a request from someone who learned under the same master. I won’t spread what I learned from you to other teachers since it’s not something I learned as a teacher.”

Hearing that made my heart waver a bit.

Not as a teacher, but as someone who learned from the same master—was that how she framed it?

I pondered for a moment, then leaned slightly toward Jennifer.

And in a soft voice, I spoke up.

“My master mentioned that he came to teach here because of me.”

“I know that. There would be no reason for him to come if it weren’t for you.”

That made sense; he had told me to ask.

“He said that my lack of talent made him interested when he saw me working several times harder than others just to get by.”

Jennifer’s expression didn’t change as she listened to me.

Instead, she looked at me sincerely with a serious face.

“I lack talent in swordsmanship. That means I have to put in several times the effort just to imitate others. Literally, ‘several times’.”

Jennifer surely understood what I meant with that.

“I had my chances, so I tried again and again, not giving up until I could somewhat mimic the moves. My master would say that even if one has the time to spare, there aren’t many who dedicate themselves completely to effort. Since I did that, I think it caught his attention.”

“I see.”

“While teaching hundreds of students here, he thought that if he could save even a couple students like me, it would be rewarding enough.”

Having said that, I felt a bit embarrassed. After all, it sounded like I was just bragging about myself.

And with someone listening to my almost self-praising words with a serious expression right in front of me, I felt even more so.

“…I see.”

Jennifer closed her eyes briefly as if lost in thought before a small smile graced her lips.

“I remember as well. While others seem to have forgotten, you repeatedly tried and succeeded back when I first started teaching you. That lesson was actually meant to show that on the battlefield, nobility and status mean nothing.”

“…I apologize for that.”

“No, I had forgotten something important myself. Anything can happen on the battlefield. Even events that might seem out of the ordinary. You reminded me of that.”

Jennifer said with a smile.

“Indeed, my master has spoken wisely. I share the same sentiment. If I could save just a few students like you during my teaching career, it would be worthwhile. And last year, I gained a whole bunch of those students. I’m glad you came to the academy.”

“…….”

I couldn’t respond to Jennifer’s words.

Chapter 324

If I had to pick the most memorable scene from the animation I watched during my childhood, it would undoubtedly be this phrase.

Dum dum dum…

“Next time!”

I don’t know what it’s like in Japan, but when I was a kid, the animations I watched often had the network cutting out bits just to squeeze in another advertisement. They didn’t really cut the main story, but the opening and ending themes became the sacrificial lambs.

They’d edit just the part where the title comes up in the opening, and then the animation would start right away. At the end, instead of an ending theme, you’d see “Next time!” right after the ads.

And every time I saw that phrase, I felt a sense of relief.

“Next time” basically meant exactly that. It meant the same thing as, “We’ll have more of this animation!”

So here I was, watching an animation on TV without any opening or ending, feeling wistful as I watched the episode end, and then feeling reassured when I saw “Next time!” I’d wait with my heart racing for that “next time” to come around next week.

But eventually, there’s always an end.

No matter how long the animation is, that final episode always comes. Even if it’s a collection of unrelated short episodes, it’s the same.

When the episodes prepared for the year come to an end, instead of seeing “Next time!” you see, “Thank you for your love up until now!”

And every time I saw that, I felt a lump in my heart.

It’s as if I felt that once that line passed, something wouldn’t come back again, that kind of feeling.

Isn’t it strange?

Even though it’s not in an animation, the feeling I’m having right now is like that.

“Feeling empty?”

“That’s what I wanted to ask you!”

For some reason, I answered like this because I didn’t want to lose against Lucas.

It felt like I had to see this at least once, so I came to find Lucas.

Not just him. Before, I had met Bella, Jayden, and Damien. I hadn’t met the Emperor yet, though.

Surprisingly, it seemed like these people didn’t have any particular desire toward me. Damien was the type who didn’t show much emotion because he was a stiff guy by nature, but Bella greeted me with a somewhat laid-back expression, while Jayden welcomed me with a slightly overwhelming smile. During our light conversations, I even wondered if these two really were trapped.

I intentionally made the order of meeting Lucas and the Emperor the last on my list. It was because seeing these two was a bit… intimidating.

If I had to pick the people whose lives changed the most because of me, it would be these two. In a negative way, of course.

“Looks like you’ve taken off your mask?”

Lucas slouched on the table with his legs crossed, lifting up the front legs of his chair while leaning on the back two legs, saying so in a ridiculously laid-back posture. He had his hands clasped behind his head in what looked like multiple meanings.

“Guess you don’t need it anymore?”

“Really? It’s not like someone told you to do that?”

“Nope.”

I cut him off sharply.

“Well, given that you wouldn’t be here without a reason, it’s not like someone asked you to do this. Now that I think about it, you’ve always acted as you wanted from the beginning to the end.”

“You seem to remember everything.”

“Of course.”

Lucas frowned a bit.

“Why did you act like I pulled a fast one on you?”

At my words, Lucas stared at me intently.

After a long silence, Lucas snorted as if to say that it didn’t even matter.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry.”

“…….”

How ridiculous! It’s just like a terrestrial broadcast station cutting scenes just to shove in ads during the opening and ending of an animation.

“What are you sorry for?”

When I bluntly asked, Lucas looked at me as if surprised.

“Aren’t you resentful of me?”

“Why would I be?”

“Because I pushed you to death multiple times.”

“…….”

Oh, right.

I thought Lucas would remember how I “defeated him,” but on second thought, it wouldn’t just be those memories that came to mind.

He probably had many more memories of defeating me.

“Looks like you remember everything, huh?”

Before I realized I could turn back time, Lucas didn’t really dislike me. In fact, when he attacked me with a sword, it was probably more of a half-joking action than a serious attempt to kill me.

Wasn’t that called Baldur? I think in Norse mythology, the invincible one was teased by the gods by throwing various things at him, and that was just it. Lucas thought I’d dodge all those attacks and not get hurt.

In reality, if Lucas had wanted to, he could’ve easily beheaded me, who was just a little kid back then. Because he saw me as a somewhat funny opponent, he didn’t seriously swing the sword to kill me, so I just ended up bleeding a lot, with swords sticking into me or getting my arm or leg severed, or my waist almost cut in half.

And surprisingly, Lucas panicked every time. Yeah, that Lucas. He would go pale, tremble, freeze, and tongue-tie himself.

“I-I didn’t mean to—”

That was the line I heard most often in those situations.

The Emperor’s children thought they hadn’t mixed blood at that time, but there was a bond of sorts among us. Though we didn’t often see each other’s faces, we would occasionally ask how each other was doing when we met.

And Lucas, treating me like a real little sister, frequently teased me when I appeared.

What would a brother’s reaction be if he playfully pushed his little sister, and she broke her neck and died?

Since Lucas only remembered the outcomes, he probably had no idea what happened in between.

“So… did you hurt a lot?”

“What do you think?”

Lucas fell silent at my question.

And I found every one of Lucas’s reactions quite refreshing. The Lucas I knew had swung a sword at his little sister, thought it was unfair that I defeated him after I rewound time, and so he thought of killing me, making him a rather dangerously simple-minded person.

We probably weren’t understanding each other at all.

“I can’t even remember how many times I was slashed. It happened every time we met. And also when I dodged. It was good luck if I got slashed once and managed to dodge right after; it took me a few times rewinding time to escape.”

“I know.”

Lucas replied with a slightly dazed expression.

“That old guy said not to overlook how many times you tried by rewinding time. Back then, I thought I understood what that meant, but now that I think about it, my thoughts were extremely short-sighted.”

“…….”

I stared at Lucas for a long time, then spoke.

“Hey, are you really Lucas?”

“Of course I am. If I went through something so monumental, I’d learn something.”

“Pff.”

Should I praise him or not?

I pondered for a moment, then let out a deep sigh and said,

“Well, anyway, it’s practically all water under the bridge now. Plus, I’ve already killed you at least once, so I’ll settle for that.”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

Lucas looked at me directly and asked.

“You killed me?”

“So what?”

“You?”

“Right.”

“How? By rewinding time so many times? Did you even try to assassinate me?”

“No, it wasn’t like that.”

I exhaled before continuing.

“It was just that I shot a warning shot while turning around, and it went out too accurately, piercing your neck.”

“…….”

At my words, Lucas turned pale.

“I actually died?”

“It seems you don’t really recall the memories of that time in detail. Thank goodness.”

“No, hey, thank goodness?”

At the very least, it would’ve been fortunate not to suffer from PTSD for the rest of your life after dying even once in the battlefield of that illusionary world.

“…… whatever.”

He seemed like he had a lot more questions to ask, but realizing I wasn’t inclined to answer any further, Lucas let out a heavy sigh.

“Yeah, let’s just pretend it never happened, just like you said.”

“Honestly, I’m the one who feels wronged here.”

“…… Yeah, you’re the more wronged one.”

Nodding at my additional comment, Lucas conceded.

“How’s the Sword Saint doing?”

“Too well, actually.”

“Let me out before the Sword Saint kicks the bucket. We need to settle who actually won.”

“I’m worried I might actually kill you, though. And the reason you’re here right now is because of what you did with the former Emperor, right? There’s nothing I can do about it. Maybe write a petition to the Crown Princess?”

At my words, Lucas sighed again.

… Saying sorry or whatever, it seems people really don’t change that easily.

Well, to be honest, even though I acted like that, I hadn’t totally cleared my resentment yet. Maybe I’d take a little more time to think it over.

Chapter 325

To be honest, if anyone were to ask if we worked hard in the student council activities last year, I couldn’t say yes for my conscience’s sake.

Tons of excuses!

We were just freshmen, didn’t know much, and if we kept hanging around the student council too much as highborns, the committee members would be super uncomfortable. Plus, if we tried to voice our opinions, even if we were wrong, no one could argue back.

Ugh! Same story now!

Or rather, it probably got worse.

Alice, once a princess, was now merely a crown princess, while I, having been one of the princesses, became the second in the royal family after her.

Charlotte, who was with us in Velbur, was reportedly gaining prominence as a royal due to that incident—though from our perspective, she was just the same old Charlotte. But it seemed the Velbur royal family was planning to thoroughly use that event as a PR stunt.

And Claire, Leo, and Mia were in the same boat. They were all there with us that day and fought hard for their lives.

As for Mia’s mother, I don’t know what she thinks, but Mia was already pretty much part of the royal’s inner circle. If nothing changes, the next generation of Crowfield is bound to be royalty-friendly.

So, when we start saying something, just like in our freshman year, the student council couldn’t do anything to counter it—

“Wait, so you’re going to run for student council president?”

“Why not? Is there a rule against foreign students becoming president?”

“No, but…”

Well, this time it felt different!

Last year, we didn’t meddle with the student council because we didn’t want things to get complicated. Technically, we were at an age where we should have been focused on studying at the academy, and getting involved in too much would have invited a lot of unpleasant attention from our peers, making school life tiresome.

But the upperclassman who was president last year had graduated.

In other words, the president’s position was empty!

Normally, the president’s term is one year, but after that, you can run for re-election as many times as you want. Students typically vote for whomever was elected president before.

Unlike the average high school where you just vote randomly without knowing the president’s name or face, student council candidates are usually nobility. Consequently, the student council is dominated by the largest noble factions.

As long as that house doesn’t suddenly collapse or lose control of its faction, they can hold onto the president’s seat until graduation.

If someone desires power within the school, aiming for the president’s position is a given.

“Tell me you’re not thinking there’s no one else to run now that the president is gone? You think no one will challenge you now that you’re a crown princess and it’ll be easy for you to snatch that position?”

……

Alice didn’t even hide her displeasure towards Charlotte’s blatant provocation.

“I just know I can win against anyone who shows up.”

“Well, you can just compete against me then.”

Charlotte replied with a confident grin.

“As I mentioned earlier, I plan to run for the student council president.”

“……Fine. I can’t let the Ronderium Academy fall into the hands of an outsider. Challenge accepted!”

“Oh my, who’s actually challenging who here?”

What’s up with this brawl? They were so friendly before!

Honestly, I’d rather they argued over food. At least then, I wouldn’t mistake it for a real fight!

While they were arguing like this in the middle of the student council room, everyone was looking at them.

“Sylvia.”

“Yeah?”

While I silently sipped my tea, Alice suddenly turned to me and said,

“Why are you so unfazed?”

“……What expression should I have?”

“If I run as a presidential candidate, it’s only natural for you to be my vice president, right?”

“……Why?”

I’m not power-hungry, you know!

If anything, I have a bit of a desire for money. A full wallet makes for a full heart, after all. If I don’t have to worry about starving, I can skip lightly, and the thought of buying what I want makes me float!

Of course, there’s no need to flaunt my money-grabbing tendencies in this world. I have more than enough when I need it.

As for power… Well, it’s nice to have, but I know the higher you are, the more responsibility comes with it. And if you don’t handle that responsibility well, you’ll naturally face the backlash, too.

More than anything, I despise bothersome things. “Work” definitely falls under that category.

If I rose to a high position, I’d definitely have to deal with loads of work, and that’s why I had no intention of climbing that high up!

I’ve never understood why former student council presidents signed up for such burdens.

“You’re the Empire’s second in command. You have an obligation to protect the Empire from external threats.”

Wait, why would this be an external threat? It’s just students running for the student council!

“……”

At my reply, Alice paused, as if momentarily speechless.

“Are you saying that for real?”

“Isn’t that the logical truth? Here, I’m just a student from Velbur. Rena and Sophia are the same. Naturally, I have the right to run for student council president just like any other student in this academy.”

With a slight tilt of her chin and a gentle look in her eyes, Charlotte stated her position… Honestly, even from a neutral perspective, it seemed a bit annoying.

“You’re my sister, aren’t you? Of course, you should be supporting me!”

“……”

I mean, there’s no need to look at me like I’m a traitor or something!

It seems that Alice thought I would predict she would run for student council president.

And naturally, she thought I would help her in that endeavor.

Yeah, I admit it.

Not because I know the original plot. The original story should still be in the midst of war by now.

I thought that because I’d been observing Alice all along. Particularly in the last year, Alice seemed to regain much of herself. She found her confidence and determination. More than clinging to the opinions of others, she had started doing things she genuinely wanted to do.

Given that it was Alice, I was certain she’d feel like trying her hand at this opportunity.

And I figured she would ask me for help, too.

“I’m not saying I won’t help you, but…”

Also, considering how well I knew Alice, she also knew me just as well. I had changed a lot in the past year. In fact, I’d changed more than Alice. My way of speaking alone completely transformed! If anyone compared me from last year to who I am now, they’d probably say I’m a totally different person.

Though honestly, it was a disguise I desperately worked on, but I’ve also changed significantly in other ways too.

“Right? So that’s settled then.”

Alice then turned her gaze towards Claire and Leo.

“Why are you looking at me?”

Claire responded immediately.

“……”

Leo noticeably turned his gaze away.

“……Sure, I’m not expecting your help anyway.”

With that, Alice turned back towards Charlotte.

“I may have a vice president candidate now, but what about you? Do you have someone to back you up?”

“Why wouldn’t I have one?”

Charlotte asked with an incredulous look.

“Are you thinking of taking Sophia with you?”

“No. That’s not happening. I wouldn’t even bother asking her since she’d reject me outright. Also, I’ve already picked a vice president candidate. Right here.”

“Here?”

Alice’s gaze shifted away from our table and towards the other students.

“Not over there.”

Seeing Alice like that, Charlotte commented as she stood up and moved over.

After reaching Mia, Charlotte placed both hands on her shoulders and said,

“My vice president candidate is right here.”

“……Huh?”

Seeing Mia go stiff as Charlotte placed her hands on her shoulders, Alice made a somewhat stunned sound.

“……Mia?”

“Yep.”

“Vice president?”

“And?”

“Uh….”

Under Charlotte’s assertive declaration, we were all left speechless for a moment.

Chapter 326

Was she lured by food?

The moment I saw Charlotte place her hand on Mia’s shoulder, I thought that.

“Is it really because of food?”

Alice seemed to have the same thought as me.

“There’s no way it could be that.”

Even though I was thinking the same thing as Alice, I still felt the need to say it out loud. Half of me meant it. Initially, I did wonder if it was because of food, but I couldn’t believe that Mia would follow Charlotte simply because of that.

Mia has a very introverted personality.

I was the same, but whenever something needed my action, I tended to move first. If I didn’t act, situations wouldn’t resolve themselves.

But Mia wouldn’t move until there was some external stimulus.

That characteristic had improved a lot by now, but I seriously doubted she’d come up with the idea of becoming the student council vice president on her own.

It was definitely Charlotte who initiated the conversation.

“Why did Charlotte make such a proposal to Mia, and why did Mia accept it?”

That was indeed a question.

The relationship between Charlotte and Mia, as individuals, wasn’t bad at all. In fact, you could say it was good. I had hardly ever seen the two of them laughing together, but Charlotte always approached Mia with a gentle attitude, and Mia always reacted softly… well, it was more like she responded timidly.

But when you looked at it from a family-to-family perspective, the story changes.

Charlotte is the eldest daughter of the Velbur royal family. Mia is the eldest daughter of the Crowfield Count family.

Both would naturally become the heads of their respective families if left alone without any incidents over time.

Crowfield was originally land belonging to Velbur. It was known for being fertile, but now most of that fertile land is used for growing poppies instead of wheat. Some among the Velbur nobility viewed this fact with great displeasure. While it’s acknowledged that morphine is an essential drug in modern society, it can’t be denied that the image of opiate-related substances is rather bad.

It makes sense that it wouldn’t have a good image, especially since they had taken the land from Velbur due to war.

“……”

So, like Alice, I found it difficult to understand Mia’s decision.

Was it to build a bridge for the future?

To reiterate, Mia’s personality is one that shies away from power. If she could, she would rather stay locked up in a room or at home, spending her time reading her favorite books.

So Mia, becoming the student council vice president?

“I guess there’s no other way than to ask her directly?”

It seemed Alice had come to a similar conclusion.

She didn’t particularly think about trying to suppress it or anything like that.

She was simply genuinely curious about what Mia was thinking.

*

“Is there a reason I accepted the Crown Princess’s proposal?”

The next day.

Since it was the weekend, there was plenty of time.

I was worried that Charlotte might refuse to talk to us while having strategy meetings with Mia over the weekend, but it seemed she had no intention of doing such a thing.

Well, in reality, it was just the position of the student council president. Although Alice and Charlotte were holding onto their pride, I believe they also thought it wasn’t as important as all that.

While they could influence the opinions within the academy, and to some extent, affect the academy itself, those who desperately needed that influence didn’t usually include royals or nobles.

Unless they were living suppressed by the royal or imperial family, the Emperor, who had completed absolute power, or the still-viable Imperial family, or even Charlotte, a foreign princess, wouldn’t need to control the influence of the empire’s academy.

Yet still, surely the reason for running in the election was primarily because they wanted to.

“Yeah. Well…”

Asking, “Aren’t you usually not into this sort of thing?” wasn’t a very good idea.

“I was just curious why you accepted Charlotte’s proposal.”

“Is it because I’m from Crowfield?”

Fortunately, Mia brought up the topic of her family instead of her personality’s flaws. Alice visibly relaxed and nodded.

“Yeah, I was just thinking it might be a bit awkward given the family-to-family situation.”

Of course, aligning with Princess Alice might be even more awkward. The ill-fated relationship between Velbur and Crowfield was an irreparable feud from a long time ago, but the bad blood between Crowfield and the royal family was only from one generation ago, and Mia, the current generation, had also suffered from it.

However, the process of Mia and us becoming close was something we had witnessed firsthand together. It was a reason that didn’t need to be asked.

In that sense, one could somewhat guess the reason Mia could become friends with Charlotte, but… aside from that, I was curious if that reason could really surpass Mia’s personal inclinations.

“That might… be true, but…”

Mia raised her gaze slightly as she spoke.

After a brief moment of silence, it seemed she had been lost in thought, as she slowly opened her mouth.

“Actually, I’m not really sure either.”

“Not really sure?”

“When Princess Charlotte made that proposal to me, I involuntarily accepted.”

“So what you’re saying is… it was too sudden and you answered without even realizing it?”

“It’s a bit different, so…”

Mia frowned slightly as if explaining was hard, tilted her head, and after a moment of contemplation, she finally spoke up.

“She was the first person to offer me something like that.”

“Ah…”

At Mia’s words, Alice seemed to realize something.

“Actually, I’ve always hated stepping forward. I worried about whether I could do well if I were entrusted with something important, and until last year, I was thinking that I shouldn’t be doing it at all.”

She must have been referring to the time she was plotting to kill me.

“I thought that if I talked with others, they would figure out what I was really thinking. Just the thought of thinking that was a dangerous matter in itself. So I didn’t make plans for important tasks and kept my distance from other people. Because that was the most important thing for me.”

Mia paused for a moment before continuing.

“However, after I let go of that thought and became friends with all of you… well, I actually still didn’t have any thoughts of wanting to step forward at that time either. I was quite content with the way I had been living up until then, and it was just more pleasant to stay locked up in my room, reading books and studying magic. Above all, I didn’t even think I could do well if I were entrusted with such an important role.”

In some sense, that was true for us too.

Since Mia hadn’t spoken up about wanting to do anything, we thought she wouldn’t want to do it. Of course, Alice probably always had the idea of making me vice president from the very beginning. I didn’t think she had even thought about proposing it to Mia.

Yet, even aside from the student council president role, we had never thought of Mia representing us in doing something.

“Princess Charlotte came and persuaded me. At first, I outright refused, saying I had never thought of doing something like that, but she kept persuading me until I gave in, should I say I was persuaded in the end?”

Mia said this with a shy smile on her face.

“Somehow, when I heard that I could keep doing it, it began to feel like I could actually do it…”

Alice and I stared at Mia’s smile, lost in thought for a while.

“So that’s how it was.”

It wasn’t some grand reason.

But since it wasn’t such a grand reason, it was much more understandable than any other political motive.

If someone you consider among your closest friends believes you can do something that you didn’t even think you could do, you probably wouldn’t think to refuse it.

That being said, while I told Alice I wouldn’t refuse the vice president role from the beginning, the truth is I had never thought of refusing it.

“Okay, I got it.”

Alice replied with a refreshing expression.

“Then for a while, we’ll be rivals.”

At Alice’s declaration, Mia smiled. Well, it seemed she was trying to put on a brave smile, but it didn’t quite work out. The corners of her lips quivered and twisted, her face was flushed red, and her eyes were fluttering.

But still, it was a look that might just barely fit the word “hopeful.”

“Ah, let’s do our best from now on.”

“Yeah, I’ll definitely win.”

“We won’t be losing either.”

It was quite different from when they were in front of Charlotte.

I mean, if she acted like this in front of Charlotte, Mia would probably be crushed.

…Wait, could it be that Charlotte lured Mia in knowing all this?

Chapter 327

“Feeling uneasy or something?”

“What do you mean ‘worried’? Ha.”

If only the ‘Ha.’ at the end was left out, it would’ve been quite convincing acting.

From the outside, it looked like Charlotte was at a disadvantage in this fight.

After all, Charlotte is a foreigner. No matter how well she’s evaluated within the academy, the student council election isn’t a popularity contest but rather a power struggle.

Charlotte would eventually become the queen of the Kingdom of Velbur. No, in fact, even before becoming queen, it’s almost certain she won’t meet Charlotte again.

How often does a noble from the Empire get to meet a foreign princess or king? At least with Alice, there might be a chance to see her at a ball or banquet, but Charlotte is different. The only nobles who can attend foreign balls or banquets are those who are diplomats in Velbur, and only high-ranking nobles are invited to weddings.

So, it’d be much better to stick with Alice than with Charlotte. Alice is from the same country, and there’s the excuse of being from the ‘same school.’ Later, at a banquet, saying, ‘Your Highness, do you remember? We were in the same class. I voted for you back then,’ would give significant leverage.

Of course, the voting itself is a secret ballot.

But usually, when nobles talk, they find out who voted for whom. Just like modern times, nobles also discuss who they voted for with friends afterward.

If one were to lie, it wouldn’t take long for it to be uncovered. There are differences in attitudes. There may be someone who can hide it until the end, but…

“I’ve never thought I would lose, you know? This isn’t ‘Royal Lutetia Academy’ but ‘Crown Princess Rondairem Academy.’ I’m overwhelmingly favored.”

“Oh really?”

As I retorted, Alice shrugged her shoulders and spoke.

“It’s a fight I’m going to win anyway, but that doesn’t mean I can just sit back. Winning without doing anything wouldn’t feel good for the opponent. It’s not polite either. So, I’ll fight with all my might.”

Watching Alice talk with her chin held high, I thought: she’s feeling uneasy.

No matter how much her personality has improved, Alice hasn’t discarded her pride in her lineage or her self-respect.

If she’s up against someone like Charlotte, of course, she would fight with everything she has. Otherwise, she might lose.

I don’t know how Charlotte will fight, but I suppose she thinks she has a chance and is willing to fight, right?

Honestly, I don’t care whether Alice wins or Charlotte wins, but if Alice wins, I’ll be in for a long, tiring time, so for now, let’s just do my best to help her.

As I watched Alice steeling herself, I thought that.

*

“Where’s Charlotte?”

The next day.

Seeing that Charlotte wasn’t in the classroom, Alice looked around and asked.

“Charlotte? She wasn’t here when I came in either,” replied Claire, who had arrived early to prepare for the lesson.

“…….”

Alice glanced around the sparsely populated classroom before sitting down. Claire, who sat in front of Alice, turned around to face her.

Hugging the backrest and peeking at Alice with a teasing expression, Claire said,

“Why, feeling uneasy or something?”

She perfectly recalled the question I had asked Alice last night without a single alteration.

“I am uneasy.”

Alice sat up confidently, raising her head, but Claire continued to look at her teasingly.

Though the Claire who came back after her memory returned was the same Claire I knew, she definitely had changed in some ways.

Claire’s personality hasn’t changed much, but it’s as if she’s become a bit closer to Alice.

In the illusion created by the Goddess, Claire lived with Alice instead of me. Based on what I heard later from the two, it seems like Claire didn’t treat Alice as well as I did.

It doesn’t seem like she bullied her outright, but it appears she had teased or complained about her plenty.

Of course, the Alice back then wasn’t the Alice of my past; she was the grown-up Alice, so Claire’s teasing wouldn’t have hurt her feelings or made her sulk.

“Hmm, is that so? But Charlotte has also learned politics one way or another, right? From what I know, you didn’t exactly dive into politics that much.”

…Or maybe not?

Did Claire learn more about Alice’s past and grow to tease her even more?

Before, they had been somewhat distant due to me, hardly knowing much about each other; now, it feels like that barrier has completely vanished.

That should be a good thing…

“It doesn’t seem like a matter for you to worry about?”

As Alice shot that back at Claire while narrowing her eyes, it didn’t seem like a completely cheerful matter. The atmosphere might not have been one of genuine fighting, but it didn’t look particularly friendly either.

If they’re going to spend time together, it would’ve been nice if they had gotten a bit friendlier.

“Why, are you worried about your sister?”

Claire grinned at Alice while slightly tilting her head, and looking back at me, sat behind Alice.

“What about you? Do you want Alice to win?”

“…….”

“Why can’t you answer right away?”

When I hesitated for a moment, Alice exclaimed as if baffled.

Of course, I want Alice to win, but if she does, I’ll become the vice-president.

Well, the vice-president’s position doesn’t really have much to do, but still, there would be a sense of obligation to do something.

Especially if the Sword Saint or Jennifer, who are now teachers, give me work, there’s no getting out of it.

“…Ha, well, whatever. I’m going to win anyway. I’ve thought of some methods yesterday too.”

“Oh, like what?”

“I’m planning to meet with the student council members and listen to their opinions.”

“Is that enough? Won’t Charlotte do that much as well?”

“It’s a completely different story if a foreign princess listens compared to a crown princess from this country.”

Alice saying ‘I’ll listen’ means she’s willing to remember some ‘family matters.’

From the perspective of noble students, it’s not a bad story. Tales of power struggles between families, or how one family became independent and the main family keeps meddling.

For Alice, it wouldn’t be bad stories to hear either. They could help when establishing policies later on.

“Is that so?”

Claire tilted her head, but she looked like she already knew that much.

“Why? Is there something you’re not happy about?”

“No, not really.”

Claire replied with a smirk.

“Just wondering if you forgot something.”

“Forgot something?”

“Think carefully. What must you do to gain votes? …Well, figuring that out is also part of the job of someone who wants to be the next student council president.”

It seemed Claire didn’t intend to share her thoughts at all.

“……”

“Why are you like this?”

As I stayed silent looking at Claire, she poked her head sideways to look at me again and asked.

“No, it’s nothing.”

The truth is, I’m experiencing PTSD right now.

In the original story, Claire had quite a strong dislike for Alice upon her first appearance, but I can’t help but wonder if that was because she already somewhat liked Alice back then.

This is because Claire’s reactions now resemble those of the Claire from back then.

Of course, back then it was much more intense. It didn’t end with a mere tease like now.

It gradually improved with time, and just before the game’s death scene, there seemed to be a reconciliation atmosphere with Alice. Knowing about her father’s plan, it felt like she’d undergone a sort of sage time, wanting to bond a little more with her sister.

Even then, she probably died without ever knowing they were true sisters.

“Huh?”

Seeing me shake my head, Claire tilted her head in confusion.

Well, for now, there’s no need to worry about death.

*

Charlotte entered the classroom just before the start of the lesson with Mia.

“Where have you two been?”

“We went to a very important place to become the student council president.”

“…A very important place?”

Alice looked over at Mia, but Mia simply avoided her gaze.

“It wouldn’t be good to pressure Mia. It’s not gentlemanly to threaten candidates to learn their strategies, right?”

As Charlotte casually declared with a relaxed smile, Alice turned her eyes away from Mia, looking disappointed.

In the end, that morning, we learned nothing at all.

Alice seemed slightly anxious, but she was doing well at hiding those emotions on the surface.

Chapter 328

The Royal Lyrindarium Academy is a four-year institution.

The reason this was decided probably stems from the developers wanting to add three more years of high school to the middle school curriculum.

This academy doesn’t have a legally established curriculum. From a system standpoint, it’s thoroughly a private academy. The system is determined based on the intentions of the people operating it—that is, the ones funding it.

In the first place, this nation didn’t even have a proper concept of elementary school, let alone high school. There were similar places, but those were exclusively for wealthy families.

In the long term, it might be better to establish such places to educate children. I plan to suggest it once Alice really becomes the Emperor.

Anyway, looking at modern society, there are very basic aspects that have never been established by law, so what about other parts?

In modern society, things that should be illegal are naturally carried out legally and openly.

And Charlotte was properly utilizing that “legal aspect.”

It took three days to figure out the whereabouts of Charlotte and Mia, who disappear every morning.

During that time, Alice and I were working hard in our own way. Primarily, we wandered around the student council room, chatting with the noble kids, subtly asking them for things we hoped they’d handle later, all while spinning our words around to make the answers ambiguous so they could decide what it meant.

We couldn’t even later ask why they didn’t help. After all, those were just conversations we had briefly during student days.

But just that ‘possibility’ alone would make the noble kids vote for Alice. And that would be useful until the moment Alice becomes Emperor.

…In a sense, it was a more cunning method than the modern politicians who throw around empty promises.

The problem was that Charlotte’s actions had gone a bit further than what we did.

“I can’t just let this slide.”

Until I finished talking with the kids from the noble class, Alice hadn’t caught on to Charlotte’s movements, but she said that to me after school.

“If we don’t see any countermeasures, we have no way of dealing with it. We need to find out what method Charlotte has chosen.”

“How do you plan to find that out?”

“…The only way is to go there in the morning and find out directly.”

Alice replied.

“That’s exactly what I said two days ago.”

When I told Alice a similar thing after seeing Charlotte not moving among the noble classmates, she insisted she wouldn’t do it out of pride.

But it seems she changed her mind after seeing the faces of the noble kids.

“It can’t be helped. If we don’t, we’ll just get beaten up without knowing what the opponent’s strategy is.”

This time, she didn’t mention that ‘it’s a foregone conclusion that I’ll be elected.’

In fact, I still viewed the situation somewhat optimistically. After all, no matter what Charlotte does, Alice is the Crown Princess of the nation. What are they going to do, cast aside the next Emperor?

“Alright then. I was curious about what Charlotte was up to too.”

*

Charlotte was quite a skilled swordswoman. In this world, being a “skilled swordswoman” means you quickly notice when someone with similar or lesser skills is tailing you.

Thus, it was difficult to wait in front of Charlotte’s room and follow her. My swordsmanship was terrible. My strength lay in shooting arrows. It would be one thing to tail her from a distance, but sneaking along the same hallway in the building was out of my capabilities.

If I had the ability to rewind time, I could manage it somehow, but that wasn’t possible right now.

It wasn’t like I could just follow Mia either; the student council president and vice president probably wouldn’t act separately while promoting themselves, so if Charlotte was next to Mia, the result would be the same as just following Charlotte.

So the method we chose was—

To boldly follow the two of them.

Since we’d eventually get caught anyway, we might as well just go along.

After all, we were just wandering around the classroom; what difference did that make?

Of course, we didn’t just start following them from the beginning. Charlotte would definitely notice and try to shake us off.

…Honestly, I really don’t understand what we’re doing over something as trivial as electing a high school student council president.

“Oh, over there.”

The first person to spot Charlotte was Alice.

And when Alice saw where Charlotte was heading, her expression was a mix of surprise and then turning pale.

That’s because we found Charlotte at the very classroom of the commoners, Class D.

There aren’t that many students in a single grade at this academy. Combining the two noble classes, there are 30 students, and in the two commoner classes, 60.

In reality, even though they say all academy students are the same, it’s quite a blatant discrimination to only place about fifteen nobles in one class while stuffing thirty commoners in another.

However, in a world where social classes are still strongly prevalent, simply saying “we’re all the same” is already quite shocking.

And because these students in the academy prioritize “equality,” each person is given “a precious vote.”

It may seem commonplace, but in this world, it’s not.

Commoners do have the right to vote. But most of them are too busy working to go vote, and even if there are commoners who do vote, they’re typically those who are wealthy and well-off. Naturally, they vote in a way that benefits the established powers.

Naturally, the ones who dominate the voting process are those rich and leisurely nobles.

Moreover, there is still no suffrage for women. Women lack both the right to run and the right to vote. The acceptance of Alice and Charlotte’s candidacy is simply because this is an academy.

And this distorted reality is considered “common sense” in this world. It’s something even Alice, with her somewhat principled thoughts, overlooked as a ‘given.’

Now that I think about it, the academy being run like this might just have been a foresight that “the world will change later” built into the system.

“……”

Anyway, upon seeing Charlotte enter the classroom, Alice quietly approached it.

Then, looking through a window in the hallway, she gasped.

I too stealthily followed and looked into the classroom—

…And there were bottles of alcohol everywhere.

No, it wasn’t that a drinking party was happening.

It was literally ‘bottles of alcohol’ everywhere.

Bottles full of high-quality Velbur wine.

“……”

I can see why Alice, with her mouth agape, couldn’t say anything.

Even I, who thought Alice would win in the end while knowing the number of commoners and that votes were equally distributed among them, never expected this.

Since anyone can run and anyone can vote, I naturally thought of modern electoral systems, and therefore thought that all legalities existing to maintain that sacred election would be similarly present.

Of course, in modern society, whether it’s a legitimate election or not, the practice of buying votes is to be avoided.

But this era is one of harsh aristocracy.

And at the same time, it’s the era of fierce capitalism.

“No, this is definitely cheating, isn’t it?”

After being momentarily dumbfounded, Alice suddenly snapped back to seriousness.

…It seemed Alice, with her eyes wide open, felt that this was somewhat excessive.

Indeed. I also thought Charlotte would use more orthodox methods.

But then again, thinking about it, if she used any other method, Charlotte wouldn’t stand a chance at all.

I kind of understood…but not really.

No matter what, living in modern society, I just didn’t find that situation appealing.

Look at Mia next to us; she has a look on her face that questions whether this is right.

This looks like a conversation is needed.

*

“I didn’t bribe anyone, you know?”

However, surprisingly, Charlotte seemed to not have really handed out that alcohol.

“I simply held a tasting event for cultural exchange. Velbur wine is quite famous even in the Empire.”

“And you brought only the most renowned of the bunch. Plus, you brought all those bottles just for a tasting event?”

“Exactly.”

That’s right.

When you listen to someone’s words while feeling good after drinking, things often sound a bit better.

Moreover, since it’s a ‘tasting’ event, there’s no need to get drunk enough to forget the conversation.

But…

Still, it’s the same as giving them the drinks outright, isn’t it?

Isn’t that dangerously close to bribery?

……But then again, thinking of this era, it might be acceptable.

The term industrial age is a magical phrase.

What kind of era turns all kinds of bizarre crimes into common sense? What the hell was going on back then?

Chapter 329

It’s a bit too far-fetched to decide whether Charlotte’s way is right or wrong.

Originally, people’s values change over time. Even the values I held in modern times might seem overly outdated and conservative in a few centuries.

I have no intention of running around trying to change the values of this world all by myself.

I don’t plan to just conform either, but at least I can’t change the values that are so openly expressed in everyday life on my own.

“……”

“……”

The day after the student council president election.

We were gathered in the classroom without saying a word.

From what I heard, the previous student council elections didn’t have such a heavy atmosphere. The student council president is usually one of the Duke’s children, so once the candidates are determined, most people can figure out who the next president will be.

The previous student council president was like that too.

However, this time seems to be a bit different.

Alice, who is about to become the next Emperor of the Empire. And Charlotte, the only child of the neighboring kingdom’s king.

If you just look at the terms “Empire” and “Kingdom,” the Empire seems higher, but in reality, they are just different countries. No matter how much the national power differs, you can’t outright disregard the authority of another country. Since it’s not like the country actually entered under my control, there’s no justification for that either.

On top of that, Alice and Charlotte are close friends. They often get along well, but suddenly they’ve turned into this competitive relationship. So, for those watching from the sidelines, the atmosphere must feel incredibly tense.

“Actually, it’s not something to think about so seriously.”

“Is that so?”

As I mumbled and popped a snack in my mouth, Mia tilted her head in question.

“Anyway, even if you become the student council president, it’s not like anything amazing will happen.”

“Is that so?”

Mia asked again, and then she picked up a snack and put it in her mouth.

“Well, the academy is a special environment. Outside, there aren’t even suffrage rights for women, and most commoners aren’t interested in how politics work. The fact that all members are somewhat interested in voting is due to the academy’s special rules that state everyone is equal.”

“Ah, that’s right. So it means you can’t apply the relationships formed within the academy once you graduate.”

Mia nodded at my words.

“You can use the friendships made here, but… no matter what, there are very few people who can freely meet the Emperor of the Empire. Moreover, if Charlotte becomes president instead of Alice, it’ll be even harder to meet her. She’ll become the king of another country after all.”

Mia’s expression darkened a little at my comment.

“But it’s okay. It’s not like we’ll never meet again. If we contact them first and visit, they should be able to spare at least a little time.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“Hey, Sylvia.”

Just as I was having a leisurely conversation with Mia, Alice chimed in.

“You’re on my side, right? If I’m feeling tense, how about you get tense with me?”

What’s that? Are you praying for me not to become president? I honestly have no interest in the vice president position.

Of course, Alice is just trying to make an effort that suits her status, so I decided not to say anything that would undermine her efforts.

“It’s not like I can’t talk to Charlotte just because I can’t become the student council president.”

“That’s… true.”

“And there’s no reason for Charlotte to kick us out of the student council just because she becomes president. So, there’s really no need to be tense.”

“Right.”

Charlotte, who was quietly listening, spoke up, taking a sip of her tea.

“We are equal competitors, after all. I think there’s no need to feel tense.”

“I’m not tense!”

Alice, who appeared visibly anxious, refused to back down.

We are currently in the student council room.

You might wonder why candidates are present at the counting station, but then again, there aren’t any real legislative candidates entering an election count hall in the Empire. This is an academy, and the one being voted for is the student council president of the academy. Naturally, it’s quite different from voting for someone who actually participates in politics. Even class representatives are counted right in the classroom.

And the fact that both candidates are present might actually make it fairer.

We’re candidates for president and vice president, but at the same time, we’re still student council members. So it’s not weird to be in the student council room for such events.

“……”

“……”

As Mia and I fell silent, the student council room once again plunged into silence.

Rustle rustle, the sound of papers being counted could be heard, along with scribble scribble sounds of recording. There were also faint murmurs of conversation.

A few students glanced over at us.

I could understand why. Normally, these two would be so friendly, but now they’re having a stare-off.

In fact, I’ve convinced Charlotte in even more serious situations, and I’ve climbed onto roofs in attempts to persuade her, so nothing about this felt too serious to me.

Besides, Alice has been with me since childhood. Compared to the irritable little Alice who used to get annoyed every time she was in a bad mood, her current demeanor is almost cute.

Well, anyway, the voting is already over.

Charlotte focused on persuading the commoners while ignoring the nobility, and Alice seemed to focus on persuading the nobility, fearing that if she got involved in that situation, she might end up following Charlotte. Alice did visit the commoners’ section, but she didn’t bring gifts; she just spoke about her ordinary campaign promises.

If all the commoners voted for Charlotte, things would be different—

But, well, I guess we’ll see how it goes.

*

“The next president is… Crown Princess Alice Fanggriffon.”

And the result was just as I expected.

If I were to ask why, the reason is simple.

If all the nobles voted for Alice, that means about one-third of the entire grade voted for her. Therefore, if just one-third of the commoners voted for Alice, she would secure the majority.

In fact, over half of the commoners voted for Alice.

The reason is simple: Ultimately, Alice will be the next Emperor of the Empire.

All the nobles voted for Alice. In fact, a few abstained, which could have happened, but that was mainly because of the presence of Charlotte.

Once a favorable opinion towards Charlotte grew among the commoners, the noble kids probably thought, “Could this mean Alice isn’t winning?”

And if any votes from the noble kids went to Charlotte in a ‘true’ situation, that would mean they lost because of ‘that part.’ Even if it wasn’t a tight competition, it would still hold true.

Alice could end up becoming the Emperor with a negative image among the noble kids attending this school.

For the noble children, this was quite a frightening matter.

The same goes for the commoners. They were relatively distanced from such matters, but since they were kids from well-off families, they had no choice but to make a “political judgment.” The chance of becoming the Emperor and influencing the policies of the Empire will largely be Alice.

“Well, it turned out like this. I expected it, but I’m glad it didn’t go too badly.”

Charlotte said with a smile.

“……”

And then, Alice narrowed her eyes and glared at Charlotte, who remained relaxed.

“You didn’t plan to become president from the beginning, did you?”

“What are you talking about? How could I not be serious coming here?”

Charlotte scoffed at Alice’s words.

“If I achieved this level of success in my ‘first vote,’ then perhaps when I try again next year or the year after, it might be more effective. Plus, it helped raise the status of Velbur.”

“Are you planning to run again next year?”

“At least until I graduate, I intend to keep trying.”

Charlotte said with a smile in response to Alice’s words.

“Descendants of the Velbur royal family must always strive for the best!”

“I’ve never heard that before.”

“Well, it is; that’s the first time I said it.”

Hearing that, Alice let out a long sigh, her head bowed deeply before she suddenly lifted it up.

“Then, as the next president, I’ll have to work hard. Next time, I’ll make sure that those support rates drop dramatically.”

“There’s no reason to refuse a fair challenge, right?”

Charlotte replied to Alice’s words with a smile.

“Th-then I’ll also—”

“Of course. You didn’t think I’d be relieved just because I lost this time, did you?”

Mia’s face, previously relieved by Charlotte’s words, instantly turned pale.

“Did you hear that? You have to prepare properly for next year. I was lax this time, but I won’t let that happen again next time.”

Alice said with determination in her voice.

…Well, this is something.

It seems that despite everything that has happened, some aspects of everyday life stubbornly repeat themselves.

“Next time, I’ll definitely win!”

“I think it’ll be the same next time. I’m not going to sit idly by either.”

Look at that.

With that attitude, it feels like ending music is playing in the background and “to be continued” will pop up.

“……”

But still, well.

It’s certainly better than some lame “thank you for your love” farewell or whatever.

For now, let’s relish this repetition of daily life to the fullest.

Chapter 330

I lived a life far removed from marriage in my past life.

Actually, it was a life far removed from dating.

My friends thought of me as a lifelong single advocate, but I was definitely not that.

If I ever happened to have a girlfriend, and if we matched well enough and had the capability, I would consider marriage.

In short, it wasn’t that I chose not to, but rather that I couldn’t. That situation continued for so long that my friends just assumed I wasn’t able to find someone.

The truth is, if I didn’t deliberately think about it, I occasionally got confused myself. As the time spent alone grew longer, I found myself thinking less and less about wanting to date actual women. It became a point where I stopped questioning the very possibility of it.

I had drawn a thin circle around myself, deciding who could enter it. Generally, only my family and friends I had known since childhood could step inside. Since graduating from university, no one new had managed to enter that circle, regardless of gender.

But even I, in such a state, still enjoyed attending weddings.

Some friends got married, and some relatives tied the knot as well.

It was a joy to see those who I had been close to come running up to me, shaking my hand, and thanking me for coming, trembling with tension. It was lovely to give good wishes to my friends for their future happiness and to reunite with people I hadn’t seen in a long time.

When I was younger, I think I enjoyed the meal after the wedding more than the ceremony itself, but as I aged, my perspective shifted a bit.

And honestly, after coming to this place, I never thought I would be able to attend such weddings.

No, in this case, it’s more accurate to say I couldn’t.

Maybe I just didn’t have the time for it.

“Crown Princess.”

“…Are you intentionally using that title?”

“No, I thought it might look a bit strange if I didn’t use some form of address here, don’t you think?”

Is this my first meeting since I graduated from the academy?

In fact, that graduation was not long ago—it was just last month.

“Who cares? It would probably be more advantageous to speak casually. After all, you’re talking to a Crown Princess.”

Still, as a show of respect, I said it in a somewhat softer voice, and Jake frowned slightly in response.

Jake quickly glanced around us. There were quite a few people nearby. Well, that was only natural, as we were close to the wedding’s protagonists. For a wedding, though, the only difference in attire was that they were dressed a bit more formally.

Well, at least they looked much more put-together than when they were at the academy.

“Cut me some slack. I really don’t want to be that lunatic who speaks casually to a Crown Princess.”

“You’re not really in a position to talk, having spent your school years without caring about others’ opinions.”

To be honest, I didn’t think we were that old to be talking about “school years,” but from the perspective of others in this world, that was a different matter.

If I maintained a lifelong single status like back home, it would be easy for rumor to spread. Of course, that doesn’t mean I was planning to get married.

“Well… ”

But this is my friend’s wedding, after all.

Even though people surrounded us, they were far enough away that I doubted they could hear our conversation.

Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious, as Jake suggested. After graduating from the academy, I wouldn’t want others to look down on me for still using academy slang everywhere.

This time is really exhausting.

“Have you seen the bride, Sir Jake?”

“Sadly, I haven’t seen her yet. I was told it’s a bad omen to see the bride’s face before entering the venue.”

“Is that so? Then where is the bride?”

“She’s naturally in the bride’s waiting room. The sister who came earlier is probably there too.”

“Which sister are you talking about?”

“Both of them.”

Oh, it seems things wrapped up sooner than I expected. Of course, Alice was there, and even Claire.

It looks like I came in the latest.

I looked around, but I couldn’t see any of my friends’ faces. They might all be gathered around the bride.

As I scanned the area, a particular person caught my eye.

It was a woman with slightly darker skin than Roti. If Roti aged gracefully, she might end up looking just like her, and she wore a rather luxurious dress—but…

She looked rather nervous. Maybe it was because it had been a while since she had worn such a dress, as she fidgeted, unable to settle down, clutching the hem of her gown, with no one around to engage her in conversation.

“Wait a minute.”

I quietly said to Jake, who seemed to realize what I was thinking and nodded right away.

“Thanks.”

In fact, just before I said that, Jake had been talking to her. Perhaps it was because he had been seeing his daughter’s partner, Jayke, for years that their conversation flowed well, but there was no way he had any links to a family of such high status to attend this wedding.

…No, it’s not entirely accurate to say he had no connections.

If we were to count them, they would be connections, though not very good ones. Perhaps it’s more accurate to call them bad ties.

I slightly bent my knee towards Jake and moved closer to Roti’s mother, Lydia, or “Arthur,” as I should call her.

“Have you been well?”

“Oh, Crown Princess.”

Roti’s mother recognized me immediately and greeted me politely. Although her status was commoner, she had worked alongside noble families for many years and, of course, her etiquette was impeccable. Honestly, she was at a level far superior to mine.

“Congratulations on your daughter’s wedding.”

As I said this politely with a slight bow, I heard whispers around us.

There was no one here who wouldn’t recognize me, given that not a single person of significantly lower status was invited. Even the commoners present were from the academy’s commoner class, and among those kids, there wouldn’t be one who didn’t know my face.

It was only natural for all eyes to fall on the “Crown Princess” who bowed before someone of “colonial descent.”

“Wah, Crown Princess, please, don’t lower your head!”

Roti’s mother quickly said with a small voice.

“How do you feel? Your daughter is getting married to the partner she loves so much.”

Now that I think about it, Roti’s mother’s status also seems to need addressing.

Roti had received a knight title as promised. To be precise, she was now the knight of “Sylvia Fanggriffon.” In the Empire, having a knight title did not necessarily mean noble status, but it was influenced by the rank of the one who granted it.

With the imperial family nearly non-existent, a knight title directly granted by the imperial family carried immense weight.

Moreover, Alice or Charlotte must have spoken to her before I arrived.

Ironically, the reason why people found it hard to approach her might be due to that. While she was clearly linked to higher status, she didn’t seem too noble, and thus, there weren’t many willing to start a conversation without any connections.

At least from now on, there wouldn’t be anyone who could be disregarded.

“…I am happy. I never imagined a day would come when my daughter would smile like that…”

Roti’s mother said with slightly wet eyes, as though recalling her emotions.

Seeing that made my nose sting a bit too.

“And I often hear that it’s all thanks to you, Crown Princess. How can I repay this kindness?”

“Please don’t think of it as a favor. We’re simply helping each other as friends. After all, I received so much help from Roti without thinking of it as a debt of gratitude.”

“Oh, no, that’s not it, but…”

“You can just pursue the happiness in front of you. I will ensure that my friend and my friend’s family do not suffer any unfairness in the future.”

“…Thank you very much.”

Roti’s mother bowed her head once more to me.

*

“Oh, sister, you finally arrived!”

I ran into Claire as she was coming out of the bride’s preparation room.

“I had some things to take care of. But I managed to arrive before the wedding.”

“I was out looking for you.”

With that, Claire was holding the camera she had been using for the past few years.

“Where’s Roti?”

“She’s inside. She looks stunning. I’ve already taken several photos of her.”

Seeing Claire excitedly say that, I couldn’t help but smile and went in with her to the bride’s room.

And I realized immediately that Claire’s statement was far from an exaggeration.

Chapter 331

Chronicles of Aetherna, wait, all consumers of games released by Millennium are otaku. I was an otaku too, and there were many otaku gathering in the community for that game.

In the subculture world, the term “heroine” usually refers to pretty female characters who are linked to the protagonist, and in that sense, the heroines of Chronicles of Aetherna were all pretty characters, regardless of the world they belonged to.

Of course, Roti was a character a bit removed from the position of heroine. After all, she wasn’t created to be linked to the protagonist.

But that doesn’t mean her design was done carelessly.

Isn’t that right? Even if they aren’t the main couple, a couple is still a couple. If the sub-couple doesn’t have proper design, people generally don’t like it. As someone who writes stories, I want the characters I created to be loved, and I certainly don’t want to get criticized for it.

In the case of Chronicles of Aetherna being released a bit late in the West, it seems like some people claimed that Roti’s character was “tainted by PC culture,” but originally this series often had characters with darker skin tones.

Female characters are just pretty when depicted nicely, regardless of skin tone. Moreover, in the past, such skin colors were accepted as a “moe element.” Well, it seems like people don’t use that word much nowadays. But do they still use it in maid cafes?

Anyway, in that sense, Roti was a pretty character. The fact that she appears in doujinshis sometimes proves her popularity.

And, of course, the Roti in reality was also very pretty.

A beauty with distinct facial features that harmonize well is quite rare. Roti was that kind of beauty.

Normally, she would lower herself a lot, using polite speech, and her outfits were either maid uniforms or school uniforms… Or rather, perhaps that made her stand out even more? Hmm, I think Jake often interrupted the conversation among the boys to change the subject.

Anyway, Roti was looking very beautiful in a wedding dress that must have cost a fortune, with a bridal veil on her head.

Her makeup wasn’t heavy, which actually emphasized her innocence. After all, when it comes to “cute girl characters,” if makeup is too lacking, it tends to result in an odd character depiction.

“Your Highness.”

“You can just call me by my name in front of others.”

But Roti just couldn’t correct that way of speaking until the end. When I suggested calling her by her name, she’d start doing it, but eventually, polite speech would slip back in, and she’d revert to calling me “Your Highness.”

To point it out would lead to her apologizing, and I felt leaving the title as it was would be less awkward for Roti.

Well, since Charlotte, Mia, Sophia, and Rena still spoke politely to me, I guess it’s better to consider it a unique trait at this point.

In that sense, was my politeness also a unique trait? I mean, I just tossed it aside like yesterday’s trash.

“It seems like the nobles who were here were full of curiosity. It’s a wedding in Lindbergh, so it makes sense to have high-status guests. But those high-status folks seem to be chatting more with the bride than with Jake.”

“……”

“Sister, Roti has already heard that a few times….”

Oh dear.

That was meant to ease the tension, but I think I missed the mark.

Moreover, hearing that statement a few times implies it sounds like a widely known fact that everyone can see, not just a joke.

Given that Roti isn’t exactly accustomed to being the center of attention, being stared at curiously by high nobles might not be too pleasant.

“But that’s something unavoidable. Lindbergh is a famous name even in the neighboring Velbur. If you count the ‘must-invite families,’ you’d need several fingers to count them all.”

Charlotte, who had been there before, said that.

The saying “Guests shouldn’t outshine the bride or groom” seems to apply in this world as well. Of course, I personally don’t like standing out, so I came dressed simply, but seeing that even royal Charlotte dressed simply implies there’s that common understanding.

Though to be fair, the definition of “simple” here might mean that a simple silver dress that slightly exposes the shoulders could look more extravagant than the bride. But then again, next to a white wedding dress, the wedding dress color would stand out, so perhaps it’s alright.

These nobles have to live thinking about such things, and just imagining that is exhausting.

“Ultimately, it’s something we have to overcome.”

Alice, who wore a dark green dress instead of the empire’s colors of gold and red, likely chose that color for a similar reason. Similarly, Claire wore a navy dress.

Just for reference, I was in a deep blue dress that just barely avoided black. The fabric wasn’t too wide, so it wouldn’t be too glaring. In fact, even if each one stood alone, they were all unique dresses, but as most women at this wedding wore such designs, they tended to blend into the background.

It was colorful, but I guess you could say it was all about blending in. Rather, it’s because of those bright dresses that the pure white wedding dress stands out so much.

They say that someone wearing white clothes to a wedding in this world is basically saying, “let’s fight,” and honestly, it looked like that would be the case. Thinking again, who usually wears something like a wedding dress out and about?

“Uh, it’s okay! Someone like me is also high nobility! Just because I’m high nobility doesn’t mean everything is scary!”

“Mia, that sort of statement isn’t really helpful…”

Charlotte replied with a sigh to Mia’s remark.

“It’s a wedding. No one will say anything if you stand a little taller. After all, today’s the day for you to shine.”

Sophia gently placed her hand on Roti’s shoulder as she spoke.

“Honestly, who here would criticize you? Anyone who did would probably get beaten up from all sides.”

When I said that, Roti looked up at me.

“Really? Won’t they care? I’m just a commoner….”

“But that commoner got close to the Duke’s son, didn’t she? You didn’t ask for them to like you; they fell for you first. Besides, Lindbergh is a far greater noble than expected. Their estate might be on the southern continent, but they also have a sizable territory in the northern continent, and they grow quite a lot of produce there. Being a warmer region, there must also be plenty of fruits.”

Alice said with her arms crossed.

“And now that you’re the Duchess, it would be the Duke of Lindbergh’s utmost effort to protect you. That’s just who he is.”

And while that fact affected matters concerning Roti’s mother negatively, it’s better not to bring that topic up here.

The fact that Roti has Duke blood mixed in is a public secret. However, being treated as a “commoner with no connections” anyway means that Roti’s father is somewhat under the protection of Duke Lindbergh. Of course, he won’t show up at public events for that reason.

“So you don’t need to worry that much.”

“Um… Everyone, I understand you’re trying to be nice, but do we really need to talk about politics on a day like this?”

Having been completely worn out by such topics during her academy days, Sophia frowned.

Thanks to that, we were left with nothing much to say.

It seems we’ve gotten into a habit of bringing up such topics when talking, considering the circumstances.

As that somewhat awkward silence engulfed us—

Knock, knock, knock—the sound of someone knocking on the bride’s room door echoed.

Claire quickly went to the door.

“Roti!”

Then as she opened the door, someone dashed in, cheerfully calling out to Roti—

“Ah!”

Upon seeing the people inside, they were taken aback.

“Lady Baker.”

As I smiled and greeted her, she stammered, “H-Her Highness.”

Lady Baker seemed a bit stiff as she said that.

It seems she approached this side to escape high nobility but ended up meeting even higher-ranking nobility and froze instead.

I think I told her to drop the formalities every time we met while attending the Academy, but that didn’t happen easily.

It really seems the walls of the class system are high…

…Should I try introducing her to someone of even higher nobility? It seems her father, Mr. Baker, is a bit interested in that avenue.

Of course, she would absolutely refuse.

Chapter 332

“I-I wonder if it’s okay for me to be here…”

“No one’s going to say anything if you’re here, so relax. In fact, people around might see you as a high-ranking noble!”

“W-Well, wouldn’t that mean I’m deceiving them about my identity—”

“If someone misunderstands that you were just standing next to me, that’s their fault for misunderstanding!”

I tried to reassure Lily Baker, who seemed anxious nearby. Of course, other people around me could speak, but there weren’t many who could chat so casually with Lily like this.

I was still the second-in-command of the Empire, the Crown Princess, while Lily was a somewhat affluent commoner. However, since I was starting to take an interest in external activities and getting involved in business during my fourth year at the Academy, I had met Lily’s father a few times. Mostly related to weapon sales, and perhaps because he thought he had a very good connection with the royal family, that guy would blush every time he met me.

Well, I could see why. I was planning to mass-produce the improved version of the reinforced armor I once wore.

It was originally worn for combat, but honestly, if one put their mind to it, the range of uses could be infinite. Maybe because of the rumors that spread through me, it seemed inquiries were already coming in from noble families. It appeared that among the nobles, there were often cases where excessive inter-family marriages led to physical issues, and they were inquiring about possible support for that.

Also, it seemed there were inquiries coming in from factories and construction sites.

Browning, the designer, seemed thrilled as well, and since the licensing contract was smoothly established, with the Empire’s army being the first to receive supplies, it was natural for him to blush every time he saw me, who was at the center of the story.

“And all your friends are nearby, too.”

“Well, I think it’s only natural since I’m here, right…?”

Of course, Lily wasn’t the only commoner attending this event.

Although there were rumors that some didn’t give Roti the time of day due to their racism even until graduation, at least more than half of our classmates seemed to have gotten along decently with her.

It seemed the fact that Roti and I were friends and that Roti’s lover was the Crown Prince of Lindbergh wiped out the negative biases stemming from skin color with some significant positives.

Of course, Roti wasn’t that foolish; she could differentiate between kids who just wanted to chat because of her status and those who genuinely wanted to be friends. Those who were invited to the wedding were all from the latter group.

The reason why those commoner classmates gathered around us was simply that many had arrived later than Lily.

No matter how wealthy the families were, at the end of the day, they were still commoners. Spending time in a crowded area filled with nobles must have been torture. So, many arrived as late as possible but just in time for the ceremony to start, resulting in them clustering around Lily, who was nearest to us.

At first, they hurried over recognizing only Lily, but when they saw she was next to none other than the Emperor, who had been crowned less than two weeks ago, their faces turned pale.

That didn’t mean they moved elsewhere, though.

Of course, kids from the noble class also came over to greet us, and some high-ranking nobles exchanged light greetings with us. Each time, the commoners turned ashen.

“Everyone’s so tense.”

“Well, I think it’s only natural to be tense.”

Leo commented on my mumbling.

“Oh, it’s almost time to start. Should we go take our seats?”

Claire checked her wristwatch and asked.

“Well, let’s do that then.”

As I looked over my companions and said that, everyone nodded. I almost burst out laughing when I saw the visibly relieved expressions of the commoner kids, but I held it back.

*

The wedding was held grandly.

Roti actually seemed to want a modest wedding. She wasn’t the type who enjoyed gathering people’s attention.

And in fact, even if guests were invited to the wedding, most of them would be Jake’s guests. Almost all of Roti’s mother’s relatives had passed away when she was young, and the remaining relatives had lost contact with each other. It probably didn’t help that her hometown was so far away that she couldn’t remember it accurately.

Even a commoner has pride. It would be natural to feel sad about having no guests at one’s own wedding.

However, the Duke of Lindbergh had a different perspective.

If Roti and Jake’s wedding were held simply, the other nobles would surely become suspicious about Roti’s existence.

In the worst case, they might think the Lindbergh family was embarrassed about the marriage.

And from Lindbergh’s point of view, that would be unacceptable.

Roti was a knight connected to the ‘Imperial Family.’

Hiding the fact that she and the Emperor’s son were getting married was out of the question. At least from Lindbergh’s perspective, they held Roti’s status in high regard and had to boldly declare that marrying into the Duke of Lindbergh’s bloodline was an honorable thing.

That story had to spread among the colonies too.

Jake wanted to go along with Roti’s wishes as much as possible, but it seemed he ultimately couldn’t go against his father’s insistence.

That’s why we all attended the wedding. Even Charlotte, who was said to be vigorously preparing to become the next queen, was waiting for us to arrive. Rena also showed up just before the ceremony.

And we all attended as guests from the bride’s side. Jake thanked us after hearing our stories. From Lindbergh’s side, it was a good decision.

“Wow…”

Rena let out a small gasp as she saw the two people walking down the far aisle. It seemed she really liked Roti’s outfit from the way her eyes sparkled.

If you looked again, all the women sitting around were also sighing in admiration as they looked at Roti.

Well, the one wearing it was that beautiful.

I might have unconsciously gasped too.

Maybe it’s because the world was crafted by a Japanese studio, or perhaps due to the time period, but the music playing wasn’t one I recognized as wedding music, but rather a fresh atmosphere created by the harmonious blend of various string instruments.

I raised my hand and lightly clapped.

Roti, who had been walking from a distance, directed her gaze toward us. Her eyes were searching for someone, moving around before finally settling on her mother, who was sitting between Alice and me.

A smile gradually bloomed on Roti’s face, which had been tense.

Following the gaze of the bride, Jake also smiled lightly. I waved slightly at the two of them.

As the little flower girls who walked ahead sprinkled petals, the two people who would become a couple today walked slowly.

Between the two walking together, the word “forbidden” no longer had any meaning.

There were just a happy couple who would walk together for a lifetime, just like they had until now.

*

“My nose is getting stuffed up.”

Alice said as she pressed her nose bridge.

“It looks like you’re trying really hard not to cry.”

“Shut up.”

Alice glared at me as she responded.

“Well then, since we’re all gathered here, why don’t we chat a bit? It seems like we might be waiting a long time for Roti and Jake.”

The wedding took place at the Lindbergh estate, but not on the southern continent, rather on the original northern continent where Lindbergh land was.

Rooms were provided for guests who came from afar. Of course, this was only for those guests Lindbergh had to especially care for, but in reality, we were all guests Lindbergh had to look after.

The commoner kids had apparently decided to stay in a separate place that Roti had arranged ahead of time. Whether to say it was a good thing or bad, the class division was still glaringly obvious in this era, so it seemed the commoner kids didn’t feel offended by such measures. If anything, they seemed grateful.

Still, it was a nice place to be.

“…I’m not drinking today.”

Sophia said, shivering as she recalled the catastrophes of the first-year culture festival.

“Everyone here experienced that day, so I doubt anyone would want to drink, even if invited.”

Now that Alice had become the Emperor, everyone nodded, including me.

At least, I thought there wouldn’t be a second time where half tea and half liquor was mixed.

—Or at least, that’s what I thought.

Until Jake burst into the room we were quietly conversing in, carrying bottles of alcohol in both hands.

Chapter 333

“What’s with the fancy-schmancy vibes?”

Jake, who came in with liquor bottles in both hands, said with a grin.

He was still wearing that same tuxedo from the wedding. A white tuxedo that was definitely asking for trouble and dirt. Not exactly the attire for a drinking party.

Considering Lindbergh’s wealth, it’s not like throwing away a fancy outfit would be a big deal… but that’s not the issue right now.

“Did you properly entertain the guests? What about Duke Lindbergh?”

“It’s fine! I talked to them briefly.”

Yeah, like a brief chat would ever suffice.

They’re not exactly at the level of the Emperor or the Crown Princess, or even foreign princesses, but dukes and princes are not exactly everyday encounters either. The higher the status, the less likely there is a valid reason for casual chats, and in that sense, the wedding was a great chance for the lower nobility to get to know the Duke’s family, giving them an excuse to congratulate face-to-face.

It’s a special day, so everyone would be smiling and chatting, giving them the chance to have some light chatter.

If the groom just disappears like this, all the attention will shift to his father.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s a good day, after all. Honestly, on a good day, I just want to spend time with my friends. Since my father ignored our wishes and went all out with this wedding, he should be prepared for the consequences.”

Not like he anticipated anything like this… but well, it’s too late for that now that Jake has made it this far. After spending the last four years in the same class, I’ve already seen Jake’s stubbornness firsthand. No, I think everyone here is probably on the same page.

Seeing Jake, everyone wore smirks.

“Roti, why are you hiding? Come on out! No one here is uncomfortable, right?”

As Jake said that, he kicked the half-open door wide open. Thanks to that, Roti, who was hiding behind it, was fully exposed.

Just like how Jake was still in his tuxedo, Roti was still in her wedding dress.

“You don’t need to be so shy. You waved to the kids so happily earlier during the procession.”

“But… I was in a daze back then…”

I couldn’t hide my surprise seeing Roti struggling to keep her formal speech due to embarrassment.

“…Don’t tease your wife too much, just come inside.”

Hearing that, Alice, who had been watching the two with disbelief, spoke up, making Roti’s already red face turn an even deeper shade of crimson.

“Uh—no.”

And just as Roti was about to come in following Alice, she halted with a raised hand and stood up.

“Since it’s come to this, let’s drink with Roti’s friends. Isn’t Jake holding way too little alcohol anyway?”

Roti’s face turned from red to pale at that remark.

“That sounds like a good idea. It feels a bit bad to drink only with ourselves when we have the Baroness’s friends here.”

Charlotte, following Alice’s lead, stood up and said that.

Strictly speaking, we were also guests as the Baroness’s acquaintances. Although, it could be said we were closer to her husband’s friends. After all, Roti and I were in different classes until graduation. Of course, we met often and chatted, but I guess to Roti, her classmates might feel more comfortable.

But hey, if we all gather in one room, wouldn’t those friends, not to mention the innkeeper, faint in shock?

Just think about it, Alice herself is an Imperial Princess. Although her bodyguards didn’t come along, there were plenty of soldiers and knights in uniform openly roaming around the Lindbergh area.

How would they react if we suddenly decided to move with no preparation and start drinking?

…

What do you mean how? If you say to do it, you do it. I mean, it’s the Emperor’s wish, after all.

“Alright, let’s change locations then?”

When Jake, now her husband, said that, Roti’s expression suddenly turned very serious.

If I’m not mistaken, the expression I saw at that moment was one that pondered whether to smack her husband’s back in front of these noble folks or not.

*

Just as expected, the inn was in chaos.

No, calling it an inn was an understatement. It was the place Roti had arranged for her friends. There was no way it would be shabby.

Where we ended up was a hotel. Not just any hotel, but one that wouldn’t make you feel embarrassed even if nobles stayed there.

Did they receive a portion of Lindbergh’s funds even before the wedding? Although Duke Lindbergh couldn’t exactly be called an honorable man, he knew how to maintain appearances, so maybe he figured something like this was justifiable.

“Your, Your Majesty…”

The innkeeper, who was hesitating whether to call her the Empress or Emperor, eventually made a respectful bow, expressing it with that simple phrase.

It’s because the proper formalities or titles have yet to be established. Especially since there are discussions about voting rights, it seems there are various legal interpretations emerging now that Alice, “a woman with no political rights according to imperial law,” has ascended to the throne. It used to not be a problem if a queen appeared during a time when there was no parliament and the laws were at the Emperor’s whim, but it feels like they can’t keep up with the changing times.

Considering three years have passed and they’re still fumbling, it seems the legislators are just as sluggish no matter what world you’re in.

“They said there are people here who wish to meet with you at the hotel.”

“Yes, please tell us. We will serve you with all our heart.”

At the innkeeper’s words, Alice nodded a bit arrogantly and stated our purpose for being at the hotel.

The innkeeper immediately arranged to lend us an entire banquet hall.

“Wow, it’s really spacious.”

Claire said, glancing up at the banquet hall with a slightly excited expression.

“It seems it’s not just spacious in appearance.”

“Roti wouldn’t book a hotel that was just a pretty facade, right?”

Leo responded lightly, as if handing Claire a drink.

Honestly, the banquet hall was overly spacious for just Roti’s friends and us. I wonder if they rented this place solely because the Emperor was visiting.

Regardless of the innkeeper’s intentions, as we sat and waited at our seats,

“Is this really okay?”

Sofia spoke with a very low-class citizen’s attitude.

“Don’t worry; it’s not free. We’ll pay properly when we leave. I can’t have the Emperor’s name go down in history as stingy.”

Alice turned to Sofia, saying that.

“And I’m not planning to ask you to pay either, so don’t worry.”

At Alice’s words, Sofia puffed her cheeks but quickly sat back down quietly.

“You didn’t have to be like that though…”

Eventually, Roti, who had followed us here, timidly protested in a quiet voice, but everyone merely smiled at her.

No, Mia and Rena seemed to have misjudged the situation entirely. They likely just came along for the ride, caught in the whirlwind of events.

They should be fine. Once I feed Mia a few sweet snacks, her expression will melt, and Rena will surely light up once I offer her the mini digger she brought.

“…Why do you have such a proud face?”

Alice, sitting next to me, asked, looking at me incredulously.

I shrugged my shoulders at her. Alice shot me a glare, but she didn’t press any further. She probably figured I’d let her know everything once we just wait.

“Oh, by the way, what’s that alcohol you brought?”

Claire asked Jake.

“Huh? Oh, I’m not really sure. I just brought whatever was around the house.”

“Young master…!”

At that, Roti couldn’t contain herself and shouted, causing everyone in the banquet hall to focus on her.

“Roti, what’s with the ‘young master’? I’m your husband now. You should properly call me ‘dear.’”

Saying that felt really awkward.

No, it’s not that it’s awkward because it’s Roti. It’s just that these two are, in fact, the same age as us.

I mean, if I get technical about it, our actual ages differ, but that makes it feel even weirder to use the term ‘dear.’

“Huh? Huh? What are you going to do? Now that we’re married, it’s time for a change in address, right? Isn’t that right, dear?”

As Jake got closer to her and said that, Roti hunched her shoulders and shivered. It was vividly clear how red her neck and ears had turned.

“D-Dear…”

“Pardon? I can’t hear you!”

Jake moved closer on purpose and said that—

“Dear.”

Roti lifted her head, face still flaming red.

“Do you have any idea how much this costs?”

“Eh?”

And with that, the first piece of nagging from Jake’s ‘dear’ wife followed.

Chapter 334

“Do you remember that?”

Lying on the cold floor and staring at the ceiling, I heard that from above my head.

“What memory?”

“The memory from the last time we drank.”

“When was the last time?”

“Back in first year.”

“That’s too long ago to be called ‘last time,’ isn’t it?”

I couldn’t help but say that with disbelief at Alice’s use of the term ‘last time’ after such a long gap.

“I told you mixing alcohol with tea isn’t a good idea, right?”

But Alice, unfazed by my reaction, continued.

“Yet you drank it like that again this time.”

“Yeah….”

Alice spoke in a voice that sounded like she was about to drift off, then let out a groan.

And then, I could hear sounds coming from above my head.

It seemed like both Alice and I were lying down, staring at the ceiling, with our heads almost touching.

I couldn’t remember why I was doing that.

How far back… Ah, that’s right.

I suddenly sat up, feeling a splitting headache, clutching my head with both hands.

“Camera.”

At least I remembered that this time.

The camera lens aimed at me as I awkwardly sang along to the chanson, using an empty bottle as a microphone.

It was Claire who was filming me.

“Claire!”

“Hmm~ What is it, darling~”

When I turned towards the voice, Claire was lying on the table, looking as if she was dreaming a pleasant dream.

I couldn’t tell if she had just woken up or if she was still in a sleep state answering me.

…Isn’t this the kind of party you have before a wedding? When did we start doing this?

I’m pretty sure until the moment we each had two drinks, it wasn’t like this.

With this, I couldn’t shift the blame for last time’s drunken antics onto Jennifer or the Master. This time, we had caused this ruckus entirely on our own.

We actually ended up keeping our promise to drink for each other since we couldn’t attend because of our busy academy work!

Clutching my thudding head, I called out to Claire.

“Claire, the camera.”

“Hmm~”

Are you really asleep?

But, if she wasn’t asleep, there’s no way Claire would pass the camera to me. After all, someone who has been caught in an embarrassing photo only asks for the camera for one reason.

Claire pushed the camera she was using as a pillow towards me, and then fell back onto the table in the same position.

“……”

I looked at Claire once more, picked up the camera—and just set it back down again.

Claire probably didn’t take it to tease me.

Even if it feels embarrassing now, thinking that this will all become a memory later, I couldn’t bring myself to do much about it. More than anything, just imagining the expression Claire would make if I did that weighed heavily on my heart.

Silently placing the camera on the table, I turned around, and Alice was standing up.

Her expression was still pouty. She looked very tired. I probably looked similar.

“Let’s get some fresh air.”

Nodding at Alice’s words, I headed towards the door.

Outside the banquet hall, it seemed the guards had been on standby all night. Even hotel staff members were gathered.

As soon as the door opened, eyes turned towards us, so Alice and I almost simultaneously pointed our fingers to our lips. Thanks to that, no one greeted us loudly.

We stepped out, making sure the tragic state of the banquet hall was as hidden as possible.

Alice was the first to speak.

“Please don’t go inside until we tell you to.”

Among those inside, there were commoners, but there were also high-ranking nobles who would literally lead this country. We had to at least maintain appearances.

In the end, the staff would see the state of things when they cleaned up, but I could only hope the kids would wake up before that.

“……”

“……”

We exited the hotel in silence. The dawn air was cold. The sky was turning a deep blue, and people were beginning to emerge on the streets.

Alice stood at the hotel steps, and I joined her.

Right then, knights rushed in to form a protective circle around us.

“Honestly, there are many times I think it was better before becoming Emperor.”

“It’s only been two weeks, you know?”

“It’s probably just because it’s only been two weeks that I’m saying that. After a few years, I might adapt to it. But still, I might say it was better before becoming Emperor.”

Alice plopped down on a corner of the hotel steps, and I sat next to her.

“So, do you want to quit? You wanted to be Emperor so much when we were kids.”

“……I guess.”

Alice looked up at the blue sky, pausing for a moment without saying anything.

“Well, it’s only just the beginning. It’s just that we have some guards with us now. If you think about it, we had them before too.”

“That guard was me.”

“Right. That was you.”

Alice chuckled softly.

“Now that I think about it, you should have had guards with you too. In retrospect, it isn’t strange at all, huh?”

“Exactly. This is how it should be.”

Both of us shared a light laugh.

“Well, even being Emperor, I can still attend a friend’s wedding. Honestly, it doesn’t seem like people think too much of it.”

“I think they think it’s quite a big deal.”

“Really? Isn’t it a bit different from how it was during Father’s time?”

“Thinking back, it doesn’t seem like there was that much difference in the past either. We just don’t remember because we didn’t go to the banquets.”

“Oh, right….”

Alice fell silent again, lost in thought.

“Do you think we’ll be going to places like banquet halls often in the future?”

“That’s probably true. In ten or twenty years, who knows, but considering it’s still recently after becoming Emperor, it’s natural.”

As I answered, Alice sighed deeply.

“Don’t think too much about it. Think positively. At least Mia will always be at banquets.”

At my joke, Alice let out a short laugh.

But it wasn’t exactly wrong. Mia, who was originally known for rarely attending events, has been showing up to all the required places lately. Though it seemed she was much more interested in eating than dancing.

“Right, that’s true. Besides Mia, we’ll see familiar faces from the academy often. At least it seems like I won’t have to arrange meetings just to see friends.”

“Exactly! And I think surprisingly we might see Charlotte quite often too. I mean, she was crying as if we’d never see each other again when we parted, yet she just waltzed right in for a friend’s wedding.”

We both burst into laughter again.

“Time goes by, and maybe even the Emperor will be able to travel freely abroad. They said they’re adjusting the rights of the overseas territories, right?”

“……There were parts that were messed up in the last reign.”

Absolute power can be useful if a capable person holds it, but as human beings, it’s hard to remain competent until the end. Even dictators who were capable in their youth become stubborn and set in their ways as time passes.

It seemed like the last Emperor didn’t even think about such considerations, but Alice was different. She knew very well that she couldn’t be like the previous Emperor.

That doesn’t mean she was going to abandon all power. It’s more about gradually relieving herself of the excessively burdensome parts.

“Just imagine the Emperor going on a vacation abroad. That wouldn’t be such a strange picture, right?”

“Thinking like that now seems somewhat reasonable.”

It seemed Alice’s mood had lightened a bit with my words as she looked at me while hugging her knees.

“So, how about you?”

“Me? It’s not particularly hard for me.”

“You got back late yesterday because you were handling official affairs.”

“Still, there aren’t as many things for the Emperor to do. Besides, I’m a Crown Princess. I don’t have actual power, so really, my only job is to show my face.”

I was being truthful. Yesterday was just a matter of having to go a bit far.

“……Really? It’s not really hard or anything?”

“If I’m in a hurry, I could just ride the Gryphon.”

I had tried to come up with a name for it, but in the end, it just became ‘Gryphon.’

Even today, it still eats anything meaty presented to it and has a good appetite. It’s a bit surprising that it doesn’t gain weight, though.

“I’m glad if that’s the case.”

Alice said with a voice mixed with sighs.

“It’s okay.”

I told Alice.

“You’ll do well. You’ve been doing so until now, haven’t you? I’ll vouch for you since I’ve been watching you for a long time.”

“……”

Alice, still looking towards me, shrugged.

“Well, since you said it, I’ll try to believe you. After all, you’re a ‘so-called expert’ who has been watching me for so long.”

The expression on Alice’s face as she said that was the most relaxed I had seen in the past two weeks.

“I’m glad you haven’t changed just because I became Emperor.”

“Do you think I’d change that easily?”

I shrugged my shoulders, mimicking Alice.

When Alice suddenly glanced up at the sky, I followed her gaze.

At the edge of the sky, the blue dawn was slowly melting away, and the sun was rising.

The sky we admired together for the first time in a while was truly beautiful.

Chapter 335

If I were to gain the ability to turn back time…

If I had the power to erase all the mistakes I’ve made until now…

No matter how big those mistakes were, and no matter how many times I could correct them…

What choice would someone with that ability make?

The moment I started thinking that was when a dizzying scent of blood filled my nose.

It was when the person I swore to protect collapsed in front of me, spewing red blood.

Thud! How painful would it be to suddenly be flung onto that hard floor like that?

Ah, my always well-kept, shiny golden hair turned crimson with blood.

In that moment, my brain froze, and my whole body stiffened.

When I could barely start moving again, Alice was already lying on the ground.

I hurriedly moved. My legs gave out, and my knees slammed hard against the floor, but I didn’t care.

“…Alice…!”

In response to my voice, which I called too late, Alice’s eyes turned towards me.

Ignoring my body drenched in blood, I knelt beside Alice and pressed both hands tightly against her pierced chest.

Screams echoed from all around. I saw knights rushing urgently toward the sound of gunfire. Petals scattered through the air for the event. Those fake petals fell onto the blood-soaked puddle and turned red.

“Ah, ugh…”

Every time Alice opened her mouth, blood that regurgitated from her throat came up, muffling her voice. It seemed like she wanted to say something to me, but I couldn’t hear her words. Blood pooled in Alice’s mouth, choking her voice.

It’s okay, there’s no way we could say the same things. It was too late to say, “You can still live.”

Yeah, it was late—

So late—

*

—No, it wasn’t late.

When I blinked, I returned to the previous night.

I was alone in the room.

After it was decided that I would enroll in the academy, I could spend time with Alice normally.

Alice still found me a bit annoying, but she didn’t get truly mad like before. Maybe it was because we’d visited Lutetia together recently.

Just as I was starting to get close to Alice, she got shot in front of me.

I quietly lay on my bed, replaying that moment.

My memory wasn’t sharp enough to recall every detail of the situation all at once. My eyes weren’t as good as a camera; it was impossible to grasp that situation accurately.

I didn’t know the exact direction from where the gunshot came. I only knew that a bullet had flown from somewhere that could hit Alice’s heart.

That was enough.

I still had over twelve hours until that time tomorrow.

And for me, saying I had twelve hours left was like saying I had an eternity.

*

There were many houses in the Empire, but the place where the Emperor’s New Year speech took place was fixed. The direction Alice was looking at was the Emperor’s podium.

So, the place I’d need to search was every house behind the Emperor.

“W-who are you— Gahk!”

“Answer my question. Are there hidden weapons in this house?”

As I pressed the gun against his neck, tears flowed from the man’s eyes. The barrel, no matter how blunt, was as solid as a steel rod. Naturally, it must hurt and be frightening.

“N-no, there’s nothing, I swear, really! I don’t know who you are, but I don’t have anything—”

“You said the same thing last time.”

The gunshot rang out.

Probably, someone in this building, no, someone among the onlookers had been awakened by that sound.

Guh…

With blood dripping from his thigh and unable to speak properly, I whispered into the man’s ear.

“I know there’s a hunting rifle under the window sill.”

At my words, the man froze. Only his ragged breathing was audible in his ear.

I whispered again.

“Right now, you have two choices. Tell me the name of the person who commissioned the assassination of Crown Princess Alice. Otherwise, the next bullet will go through your head. If you deny my words again, the next bullet will blow off your male member.”

“I-I don’t know anything—”

The gunshot rang out again.

The man’s mouth opened wide, but no sound came out. No, there was sound—his scream was so high-pitched it was more like a shrill scratching noise.

“Do you know? Honestly, I wouldn’t particularly care. There’s a way to escape without getting caught here, and there’s someone who will be questioned even after you die from excessive bleeding.”

That wasn’t a lie. I could pretend I was never here, and someone else who might come back would be that man from the past who would die after excessive bleeding.

“So, speak. Then the next bullet will be in your head.”

“…”

The man didn’t respond.

He didn’t seem dead, but it looked like the bullet had just knocked him out.

I heard someone knocking on the door.

*

Gunfire was heard.

There were bullets lodged in both his thighs.

“I swear—I don’t know anything—”

Maybe his thighs hurt less?

*

The man opened his mouth only after seven out of ten fingers flew away from the large-caliber bullets.

In truth, those seven bullets were unnecessary.

After I recited the names of the man’s relatives, I sprinkled a handful of brown hair over his face and he opened his mouth in tears. It seemed that the life of a younger sister, which was more painful than having seven fingers shot off, was precious to him.

Even though he had thought of shooting a girl similar in age to that sister.

I heard someone knocking again, but the door was already blocked by the table. It would take some time for them to break through.

And honestly, I didn’t need to escape by myself from here.

“W-who it is I don’t know exactly…”

The man was shaking violently. Seeing his face turn pale, he would likely die soon without any intervention.

But it seemed he was fast-talking like he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to say anything before he died.

“When the gun and bullets were handed to me, it must have gone through several people—”

“If that’s the case, give as many details as possible about the person who commissioned you.”

“But if I say that, my little sister—”

“If you don’t speak, you will die in my hands anyway. At the very least, please hope that I go to kill that man for you.”

“…”

The man eventually described the appearance of that man.

And also how and where they met.

*

That man was a petty thug.

And the people above him were also human scum.

There were a few nobles mixed in, but they were all tight-lipped types.

But even tight lips can be pried open with a crowbar.

Going back, and back, and back—

Again, again, again—

After trying several times, I was finally able to find the one who commissioned it.

And the result—

“W-why…”

“Sorry, Alice.”

I quietly said, placing my hand on the shoulder of Alice, who was kneeling down looking at me with trembling eyes, murmuring in despair.

“But it had to be done. I needed to find the possibility.”

How far could I go?

That was important.

Until now, I hadn’t done it because it wasn’t necessary.

At the very least, I needed to know how the Emperor would act now that I had burned down the Imperial Palace.

Blood and blood and blood.

Soldiers and knights sprawled out haphazardly over that puddle.

Here and there, the palace that was once very beautiful and now scorched.

Could my stamina handle it? Ultimately, it could. As long as I minimized my movements and focused on shooting and throwing bombs.

And before that, if I repeatedly turned back time to set booby traps, changed the locations when discovered, and memorized the opponent’s patrol routes in advance…

If I could classify those who were capable from those who were relatively less capable, create an incident in the home of the capable, disguise it as coincidence to pull them out of the palace, set off bombs in less important places to divert attention, and place myself among the ‘people I need to hide’…

Then, burning down the palace like this was possible.

“Sylvia, what the hell…”

Leaving Alice as she was, I stood up.

And I turned to face the Emperor.

The children were all collapsed.

Wasn’t it said that the one who moves first in Go has the advantage? But for those who act unfairly by taking the first move, it didn’t mean anything.

If injury is not avoided, you can shoot until you are shot; if you are not hit, you can shoot until you are hit.

“Ultimately, it seems that my future self executed that plan.”

The Emperor said.

“With this, I’ve learned one thing for sure. Your ability is not ‘prediction.’ This isn’t merely the behavior of someone who predicts. There’s no need for someone who calculates everything within their expected range to get this angry.”

“Is this what someone says when they shoot their own daughter, just to see how I would act?”

I said as I aimed my loaded gun at the Emperor.

“But in the end, won’t you restore things back to normal? What’s the point of this?”

The Emperor spoke as if mocking me.

“If the opponent is alive, is there meaning in revenge?”

“I’m not focused on revenge.”

At my words, the Emperor closed his eyes. Then, with a slight smile on his lips, he said.

“I see. You are also just trying to see the possibilities. To know how I would act if you acted like this.”

Of course, there was some venting of frustration.

But… ultimately, if I acted this way, it would be Alice who became unhappy.

“Sylvia… please…!”

Even this man was ultimately Alice’s father.

“…”

I stood still with my finger on the trigger aimed at the Emperor—

*

“Is that so? Did you even predict that?”

The Emperor looked down at me with a serious expression.

Different from when he sat in the heart of the burning Imperial Palace, he looked intrigued.

“Since you already know, there’s no meaning in the plan now.”

“But you tried to execute it, didn’t you?”

“You know why I made that plan, don’t you?”

“Is it just to see my reaction that you planned to shoot your own daughter?”

“I thought this was a critical moment. If it were you from a while ago, you might not have acted this quickly.”

No, you do not know me.

Even if I couldn’t have a proper conversation with Alice, I would have acted for her.

Not just for Alice.

If the characters I loved were within my reach, I would have acted somehow for a happy ending.

…Though without this ability, I wouldn’t have been able to attempt that in the first place.

“You must have a reason for trying to put Alice on the throne. If someone like you can come up with such predictions, it means there’s a reason you wouldn’t ascend the throne yourself. Do you think you would be corrupted if you took the throne?”

“…”

I looked up at the Emperor silently, expressionless.

“Hmph.”

The Emperor, straightening his body that had slightly leaned toward me, leaned back against the throne.

“Then, I understand. I will do as you wish. Alice will be safe. After all, I’ve already gained the reason I made that plan.”

The Emperor raised the corner of his mouth slightly, as if satisfied.

No, it can’t be.

At the very least, you don’t know that I can ‘turn back time.’

Which means there will come a moment when I can truly take my revenge.

By some reason you do not know, without realizing it, and in a way that is inexplicable, you will physically be forced down from the Emperor’s seat.

One day, I will definitely make that happen.

It would be an event that never happened to you, but it won’t be for me.

Alice, who was still bleeding, was vividly imprinted in my mind.

What should I do so that when Alice separates from her father, it would have no reaction even if I died?

I might not know, but to discover all that information and test those possibilities will likely take a lot of time.

Thankfully, what I had in abundance was time.

I continued to stare at the Emperor when I turned my body away.

Chapter 336

I woke up to find out I was a gryphon.

No, it’s not some metaphor or allegory. I truly became a gryphon.

A gryphon—wait, is that really right? I feel a bit small for a gryphon. There’s barely anything around to compare myself with, so I can only guess, but thinking about the size of the stones in this prison-like place, when I get up, my head would probably reach about the height of a person’s chest. It was definitely different from the size of gryphons depicted in media.

Back legs like a lion, front paws like an eagle. Plus, I could distinctly feel wings! When I turned my head, I saw them. They didn’t seem to have grown feathers for long.

At first, I was somewhat horrified, but I managed to regain my composure quicker than I expected.

After all, it’s not like I’ll be trapped in some story just because I said something stupid to a writer. There used to be plenty of serious isekai stories flooding in where someone wakes up as a game character, or a high school student suddenly finds themselves in another world for no reason and becomes a hero.

As I traced the lineage of such isekai stories, I realized there are numerous bizarre stories about reincarnations. I nodded as I recalled the light novels I had read that featured those ‘bizarre’ things.

Well, yeah, being a gryphon is definitely upper-tier.

… biologically speaking.

However, now that I realized the situation, I faced several critical issues.

First, I was a baby gryphon.

“Peep?”

That’s right. If we’re talking about light novels where people cross over to become something other than humans, there’s kind of an unwritten rule that eventually, they start speaking human language. I mean, if you stay in a state where you can’t communicate like an animal or plant, the story would go nowhere. A really skillful author might pull it off, but most would hit a wall pretty soon.

And from the reader’s perspective, that would be so frustrating.

Of course, light novels often feature pretty girl characters. Especially those stories aimed at male readers often include attractive heroines to sell.

But if the protagonist is an animal or monster or an inanimate object, could they have a connection with the heroine?

Uh… well, with animals, I guess anything could happen. There are indeed genres for that.

Yet, even in those genres, the protagonist ends up talking to the heroine eventually.

Isn’t that obvious?

Even if the protagonist became a ‘living being,’ the typical animal — I mean, the pet — wouldn’t end up sparking any sort of romantic feelings with the heroine, right?

If someone suddenly felt attracted to their puppy, that’s definitely not normal. Sure, I guess there might be some out there, but in light novels, that just shouldn’t happen. Wouldn’t the readers feel something’s off?

… I’m not even sure if I’m really in a novel, but in any case.

The story’s taken a weird turn, but whether or not I could talk like a person in the future, right now, I definitely wasn’t going to say anything human.

I was a gryphon. A birdbrain. And among birds, eagles don’t mimic human speech.

“Peep.”

… And I couldn’t even make eagle sounds. I was a ‘baby’ gryphon after all.

No writing, no letters. Even if I could communicate, the characters I could write wouldn’t likely be recognized in this world.

The first problem was that I had no way to communicate with people.

The second problem—

Clank.

When I lifted my front paws — which felt like my hands, oh boy — I heard a clank sound.

A metal chain was around my front paw.

Of course, I was tied up to prevent my escape.

Not just my front paws; there were chains on my back paws, neck, and wings as well.

I was literally incapable of moving.

Did they do this because I was a gryphon? I had no idea why they would go this far with a creature that barely had gray fluff all over.

I didn’t understand the reason I ended up in this position, or how I even got here in the first place.

But one thing was clear: this situation was bad.

Whoever had me here, what kind of human were they? A merchant wanting to sell a gryphon? Or were they capturing me for military modifications?

“….”

I could hear footsteps in the distance.

My senses were sharper than they’d been as a human. The previously unheard sounds were now as clear as if they were right next to me.

A clank from what seemed like steel shoes.

And indeed, it was the sound of someone walking in metal shoes.

I saw the metallic greaves. Looking up, there stood a knight clad in plate armor from head to toe before me.

Good.

Whatever orders they give, I should comply.

That knight looked much bigger than me, and it would hurt a lot if they decided to hit me.

For now, I’d listen to orders and assess the situation—

But my thoughts were interrupted.

Whack, I was slapped, and my head spun around.

“Peep?”

That was the sound that came out of my mouth.

But it seemed the other party didn’t want to hear it, as they slapped my face again.

“Peep!”

An absurdly cute sound came out, completely out of place for the situation.

As I collapsed to the side, barely managing to glance up, the knight was looking down at me.

Couldn’t read their expression, but that shadowy sleeve looked like it was blaming me.

“Because of you, my friends have died just to capture you.”

The greave made a clank as I hastily attempted to get up, but I fell back down as the chains were too tight for me to rise.

“Are you trying to attack me?”

“Peep!”

No, I was thinking of complying for now!

But I had no way to respond.

My body was on fire.

My legs, wings, head, and body all felt like they were being beaten and pinched.

The body of a gryphon should be tougher than a human. So they’d used several chains to bind me. Just because a little gryphon like me terrified them.

“Stop.”

A male voice, not the knight’s, rang out.

Clank, clank, a set of footsteps I felt I’d heard before in my original world.

“Should the gryphon die, your friends’ sacrifices would be in vain. Are you trying to make their deaths meaningless?”

“I apologize, Cardinal.”

The knight instantly cleared the anger from a moment ago and stood at attention beside me.

No, they weren’t just hiding their expression. Who knows what kind of contorted face they might be making inside?

I hurriedly moved my body.

I didn’t want to get hit.

But the chains were too tight for me to even scoot back.

“Don’t worry too much.”

The old man, referred to as the Cardinal, spoke to me.

“If you obey us, you won’t feel any pain.”

“Peep, peep.”

I get it, I get it. I said it several times. But human words weren’t coming out.

I wondered what he thought of those sounds. The Cardinal nodded a few times at me.

“We’ll conduct some tests soon. We have to figure out if you can match our foes.”

“My friends already—”

“I said ‘foes.’ I’m not talking about swords and spears. You know that. The Empire is trying to step into a new era. We need to see if you can withstand guns and cannons.”

Guns? Cannons?

What the heck?

“… Is that so.”

In the knight’s voice, I sensed a damp delight.

Probably the joy of avenging his comrades.

“…”

Trembling, I curled up in a corner, afraid of that joy.

*

“Yikes, yikes!”

That sound came from a human holding a rifle.

I found myself in an arena surrounded by thick iron bars, something out of a movie or a comic.

In this coliseum-like place, I was trapped with a human.

The other one was holding a gun, while I was bare. Of course, that’s the way it was.

And— I realized what kind of situation this was.

The other human understood it too.

We were meant to kill each other.

Not to be precise—

I was the one required to kill that human.

A test to survive against guns and cannons.

That was the story the Cardinal mentioned back then.

“Oh, don’t come near…!”

… Not planning to come any closer.

Seeing the human aiming a gun at me, I stepped backward into a corner of the arena.

… It was terrifying.

The gun and the terrified human.

And my situation where I had to use my claws or beak against that human.

I was just scared.

Chapter 337

But I could never bring myself to kill a person.

Killing a human with the body of a Gryphon means tearing them apart with my claws and beak.

And of course, I’d feel every bit of that sensation. My feet are one thing, but my beak, although hard on the outside, felt like it was wired to my nerves.

So, I decided to just hold on for now.

I’m a Gryphon, after all. I thought that if I just tough it out, this time would eventually pass.

As a result, the nickname I earned was “Coward” and “Useless.”

“You brought this kind of thing here…!”

Your buddy died, huh?

I don’t know how that went down. I have no idea how Gryphons breed, but whether you stole a cub, an egg, or a pregnant Gryphon, if you were going to steal, you should’ve prepared for what would come next.

I heard that Gryphons aren’t exactly common animals. Of course, I hadn’t read it myself, just heard tidbits while passing by.

They say I’d be made to use magic, but seriously, what kind of idiot thinks animals can use magic? A creature that can’t even cast spells is going to use magic? It sounds like the religious nuts have really lost their grip on reality.

Well, those who throw themselves into religion in fantasy worlds often are quite eccentric, anyway.

“Eek… Eek…!”

Anyway, I had no intention of killing someone I just met today, especially not someone I didn’t want to take down.

Thump, thump, I hear sounds of strikes against me. It’s only natural that it hurts, since I was kicked while wearing iron greaves…

But I made a grand show of yawning loudly.

The first year was tough as nails. I was practically shaking in fear every time I saw those guys.

But, the Gryphon grew at an astonishing speed.

I have no idea what the lifespan of a Gryphon is, but the growth rate seems similar to that of a large dog. Look how big it got in just a year!

While I don’t know if it will grow more than this, there’s a massive advantage to growing that fast.

My endurance also increased in tandem.

The first few weeks, every hit was painful. Not just painful, but almost unbearably so; it hurt enough to make movement difficult. So much so you’d think I was developing a trauma.

But as time passed, the pain lessened.

At first, I thought maybe I was just getting used to the pain, but seeing how it became easier to bear, it sure seemed like my body was getting tougher.

I could even properly ignore the ones hitting me now.

It wasn’t just ignoring; I wondered if I might actually be immune to physical attacks, considering I’m not a familiar anymore.

At first, they struck me with their hands and feet, but once I didn’t even blink, they went and brought whips or knives with metal shards attached.

Of course, when I saw those for the first time, I freaked out—

But funny enough, no matter how many times they hit me, all that fell off were feathers.

Hitting my eyes was pointless. If I just close them, it’s all good.

Because of this, I realized clearly why they were sacrificing so many to get just one little cub out.

Surely, there are ways to kill a Gryphon. They must have been able to steal it somehow.

But if they used those methods, I’d probably end up dead myself. Or at the very least, become ‘useless.’ So, even when they were high on their drugs, they couldn’t do anything to me.

And I simply lay there, like a log.

I didn’t care whether I was starved or not. As long as I kept holding on, there was no way they’d send me to kill a human in the arena.

If things continued like this, wouldn’t they eventually just give up?

The chains binding me were still massive, unable to be easily broken. Even the grown Gryphon could do nothing about that.

So, for a long while, this deadlock continued until—

“…Today will be the last of such days.”

Seeing the high priest who came to visit me regularly grin malevolently, I realized something was off that day. The knight who looked like he’d pop a vein every time he saw me seemed particularly imposing that day.

Plus, there was a strange light emanating from the necklace hanging around the priest’s neck.

That better not be an LED light.

“If we weaken you, we can definitely take control.”

A debuff type of magic, perhaps?

As soon as I heard that, I tried to rise with all my might, but of course, the chains made that impossible.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

As the priest yelled that, the light from the necklace shone intensely—

—Just as the priest had confidently stated, it happened.

*

I was conscious.

I could resist somewhat.

But with every struggle, my body creaked.

It seems that weakening my body meant something like this. It made me susceptible to illness, made injuries easier to inflict, and let them fester.

At first, I thought they were trying to control me through pain, but that wasn’t it.

Did physical injuries really weaken the mind? At some point, my body followed the enemy’s commands like it was under hypnosis. Is there such magic, I wonder?

I tried my best to move my body according to my own will against how it was moving under the influence of that light, but it wasn’t easy.

Even if they took control for a moment, the moment they focused a little, I’d lose command of my own body again.

And then they kept inflicting damage on me, making me fester, and as that repeated, my resistance became meaningless.

Eventually, the chains on my body fell away.

I should be grateful that I wasn’t able to soar in the sky or use magic as they wished.

As long as I managed to endure with all my strength, I could attempt to resist in some way. I couldn’t move my body the way I wanted, and ultimately, I ended up moving exactly as the enemy desired, albeit with my claws being swung in a way that wouldn’t kill anyone.

I could make it so that only my claws would deal injuries and not penetrate deeply, and I could swing my beak without opening my mouth.

…And, in the end, I was treated like garbage.

A broken creature that didn’t move as they wished, no matter how they desired.

But the silver lining was, there was no more violence.

My body was in a state where it wouldn’t be weird if I died at any moment.

Eventually, I, who was supposed to soar through the skies and trample enemies, ended up trapped in some ruins. Given the lack of sunlight, it seemed to be underground. Through the process of getting here, I was too dazed to determine what kind of place it was.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it…!”

The knight who had worked hard to torment me finally fell into despair like this.

How delightful.

It was satisfying, yet somewhat absurd.

They captured me on a whim, locked me up without care, made me do this and that, and then got disappointed for no reason.

The victim is me.

But still, when I thought of their useless friends that bit the dust, I felt good.

After all, they became useless because of me, right?

Who’s the trash now?

*

“…Is this all you’re good for?”

The priest looked up at me.

How long has it been since I ended up like this?

My body had grown increasingly frail. Now even thinking about moving freely was unrealistic over there. Though, I was relieved that it was easier for me this way.

“I just hope there’s some use in you. Please show a glimpse of the Gryphon’s majesty, even just a tiny bit in front of the Fanggriffon.”

Fanggriffon?

What the heck is that? Some sub-species of Gryphon?

I wish they would just start teaching me something or shut up already.

You obnoxious jerk.

As if on cue, the necklace hanging around that obnoxious jerk’s neck glowed, and once again, I found myself unable to move my body as I wished.

My creaking body sprang up against my will. In a state where even standing was difficult, I stretched my neck up for a ‘majestic’ pose and stared at the massive door before me.

Knights appeared from every direction and took their positions.

It looked like I was being made to command them or something.

While I didn’t want to kill anyone, ah, if only I could scratch those bastard’s backs with my claws just once.

The one who always beat me up was nowhere to be seen.

He’s probably somewhere on the second floor.

Is the enemy coming this way?

If that’s the case, I only pray they’re competent enough to take them down in my stead.

Well, if they’re that capable, I’d probably die too.

Living in this state would be even more horrifying.

Due to my awkwardly held head, the door ahead came into view.

That massive door was slowly opening. The opponents should undoubtedly be strong enough to deal with those heretics head-on. Something like the magic binding me wouldn’t matter—

—It doesn’t look that way to me?

What I saw were kids who hadn’t even reached adulthood yet.

And out of those, there were only two boys; the rest were girls.

…Those are kids I could probably take down all at once with my weakened claws.

The one at the front at least seemed to be wearing something like armor beneath a cape.

She was a girl with a strikingly beautiful face; too precious to be subjected to my claws.

…Looks like they’re definitely the villains here.

Who’d look at them and not see them as the protagonists?

Chapter 338

Maybe my worries were completely useless after all.

Well, pretty young girls in this kind of novel are usually super strong anyway.

With shiny black bobbed hair and porcelain skin. Her black eyes looked like obsidian, slightly upturned and sharp, giving her an impression that was fierce, yet I couldn’t disagree that she was pretty.

Even on the way here, their clothes were already dirty and torn from what seemed like a battle. There were even parts that looked stained red, as if splattered with blood.

But surprisingly, none of them appeared to be injured.

Well, one of them was obviously holding what looked like a magic staff. It could probably be used as a blunt weapon, but the girl holding it looked too delicate for that. She certainly didn’t have a fierce appearance.

After all, in a world with gryphons and magic to move them around, there must be healing spells as well. A spell that could completely eliminate scars without leaving a trace.

Hmm, I wouldn’t mind having that cast on me too, but in this situation, that’s probably not going to happen.

Ah, I really hate this.

I mean, come on, it’s obvious we’re the bad guys here.

As if on cue, the Cardinal above was dramatically spouting some villainous lines. The girl with purple hair seemed intimidated by his words, while the black-haired girl in front looked extremely angry.

Wow, that’s scary. With a gun in hand and dressed in what clearly looks like armor, the expression on her face could make me feel like I might get shot right in the head.

……

Then again, this might not be all that bad.

Who knows how pitiful I look, but I’ve already suffered for quite a while.

Maybe it’s better to just end it here.

Back in the days when I didn’t believe in anything like religion, I feared death thinking that the end was really the end, but now, knowing that I can still exist as a spirit after death, dying in this gryphon body might not be so bad.

“Mia!”

The black-haired girl shouted fiercely and ran forward.

“Spittersglacia!”

The girl holding the staff swung it forward and shouted some mysterious words.

Blue light burst from her staff, forming ice right in front of me.

See, she’s a sorceress.

Just as I was preparing for the pain to come—

—What unfolded before me wasn’t an ice spear or blade, but stairs.

Stairs that reached up to the second floor.

The black-haired girl began to dash up energetically.

And she stomped up those icy stairs with all her might.

“Mia!”

“I know!”

What a fantastic teamwork moment.

Could it be that one of them knows the internal structure? Climbing up to ambush the knightly group right here seems wise.

Good, you’re doing well.

Just shoot that old fool in the head with your gun.

And if possible, use that big gun on your back to blow off one of those knights’ limbs.

…… Just for a moment, I thought that.

My gaze returned to the front.

I looked down at the girls who seemed to be the companions of that girl in front of me.

It wasn’t my intention.

“…… There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

The silver-haired girl stepped forward and said. In her hand was a slender rapier. Does she have that much skill in swordsmanship?

But if I looked closely, her hands were shaking slightly.

No matter how weakened they were, a gryphon is still a gryphon. There’s no way they wouldn’t tremble in front of a monster much larger than themselves.

“I know.”

Saying that, the girl who stepped forward was also holding a sword. This one was blonde.

Silver hair and blonde hair.

She might just be a noble’s daughter from somewhere prestigious. I don’t really know if nobility or royalty exists in this world.

But, well, I’ve heard something about the Emperor and all, so there must be some kind of hierarchy.

“We shouldn’t be afraid when our sister is in danger.”

The girl who said that had blue hair. She looked quite energetic. If there’s anyone here who isn’t shaken, it’s probably her.

Could it be that the one who jumped up earlier is her sister? That seems likely, though they don’t look alike.

Gunshots could be heard from above. Yelling could also be heard.

It was a man’s voice, and he sounded somewhat frightened.

Seems like a kid who’s already famous.

Serves him right.

Well, fine. I should give it my all too.

Of course, I don’t mean to give my all in trying to kill these kids.

Forward, the children step forward one at a time.

I concentrated as much as I could.

May these kids not die under my claws.

May my beak not gnaw on their futures.

Giving it my all to resist.

*

The reason my legs gave out had nothing to do with those kids.

The kids gave it their all, swinging swords at me and casting spells.

To be honest, it felt a bit magical to see magic in action. This was the first time I’d seen ordinary-looking magic, other than the kind that transformed me into what I am now.

And watching them swing their swords, some kind of wave seemed to ripple out. Could the physical laws of this world be different from what I knew?

But unfortunately…

Even as I got hurt, I didn’t feel more pain.

Only now did I realize that my body was already at its limit. I mean, it was understandable. I had left a lot of wounds untreated, letting them fester all over.

I was in so much pain that anything else felt meaningless at this point.

Thus, my downfall seemed entirely due to my own body.

Feathers that once grew beautifully were now tattered. The grand wings showed flesh in places, making them look pathetic.

And the areas they hadn’t touched were my beak and claws, so those kids had already been injured by my body.

Even healing magic seems to have its limits; sadly, the silver-haired girl was bleeding.

Thus, the battle ended.

While my body was being controlled by magic, I could at least stay standing because of the command, but now I truly had no strength left.

Kneeling on the ground, I hung my head low.

After the battle, I could hear the kids having some conversation, but I didn’t have the leisure to catch the details.

I just want it all to stop now.

Why did I end up in this world, and why do I have to go through this?

Should I hold on to my fading consciousness, or just let it go?

Footsteps were heard.

I unconsciously lifted my head at that creaking sound. I was familiar with that noise. And right after that noise, the knight who always kicked me used to show up.

But what I saw wasn’t that knight.

A girl in tattered clothes with messy hair that looked more disheveled than before— yet without any visible injuries— was standing right in front.

She was the girl who had stomped up those ice stairs.

Her name seemed to be ‘Sylvia.’

The complicated armor she wore was bent and torn in places, but she stood confidently on her two feet.

And she was holding something at head height.

A shattered jewel.

The very jewel that the high-ranking cleric had used to control me, now hanging from her neck.

Ah, I see. That’s why she couldn’t control me any longer.

“It’s okay.”

The girl approaching me said.

“This item has been destroyed. It won’t bind you anymore.”

I lifted my head a little higher.

Could it be because of what she said? My vision seemed to clear up a bit.

As if trying to show me better, she raised the jewel higher above her head.

A sense of relief washed over me.

Now that thing can’t torment me anymore; it can’t make me move to harm people.

Besides, it broke without being properly utilized. What was supposed to be the only thing that could be called a ‘battle’ was over before I could do anything.

The girl, who had been staring at me for a while, placed the jewel in her pocket.

Then, after looking at me for a bit, she carefully approached me.

A hesitant touch grazed my body.

Zing, pain shot through me. At first small, but growing into an awful throbbing as time passed. The wounds on my body seemed worse than I thought. The new pain I received from fighting those kids was barely noticeable.

As she touched my injured body, I heard a sound rising from my throat. She looked at me once more and took a step back.

“……”

Then, after hesitating for a moment,

“Follow me.”

She said softly.

And while still looking at me, she took a few steps back.

In this situation, it almost made me laugh.

Does this girl think I can understand her? Do gryphons in this world understand human speech?

But then again, thinking back, those who locked me up acted as if I understood their words.

I wouldn’t have listened to their words, but still.

She’s the one who just set me free.

Since I’m falling apart anyway, it wouldn’t be so bad to hear what a person says as my last words.

I raised my body. My joints creaked and cried out, but I paid it no mind.

The girl named Sylvia turned around only after confirming that I was standing.

And she walked toward the slightly open door through which they had entered.

Chapter 339

What lay beyond the open door was a contraption I had never seen before.

Of course, I hadn’t seen anything like it in the world I lived in, and it seemed the same for this world too.

It was a small column spiraled upwards, topped with a disc that resembled a compass, but it clearly wasn’t a real compass. After all, it didn’t have the needle that was supposed to point in a direction.

Lights of various colors swirled around that peculiar device as if forming shapes.

Through the open door, I felt a whoosh of wind.

Wait, no, it wasn’t really wind. The hair of the girl in front of me, and the feathers left on my body, weren’t moving at all. The feeling of a breeze must have been just my senses.

My body was healing.

That sensation of ‘wind blowing’ was actually my wounds healing one by one.

From my chest where the light touched, all the way to my back, very quickly.

The colors of the feathers that had lost their brightness returned, and the long, gaping wounds seemed to stitch themselves up without leaving a scar.

The bumps that had bubbled up on my skin, and the pus that had flowed for so long, disappeared one by one.

I didn’t know what that device was.

But one thing was certain: it wasn’t using ordinary magic. Even though I wasn’t knowledgeable about magic, it just felt that way.

The strength returned to my tired legs.

The body I had been forcing to stand was now firmly planted on the floor, standing properly.

“……”

For a while, I enjoyed that refreshing feeling. It was a comfort I had never felt during the last few years.

No chains on my neck, no iron bars imprisoning me.

I looked down at the girl in front of me.

Was she planning to ask something of me now?

Would she tell me to stay by her side and fight together? Would she say that now I was her ally since she saved me?

Honestly, I could afford to help a little. Of course, if she tried to forcefully keep me captive again, I was ready to resist fiercely—

But the girl’s words were different.

Just like I was looking down at her, she quietly looked up at me and pointed to a wide corridor.

“Please go.”

It seemed she didn’t want anything from me. It was as if it was natural, and she simply pointed to the corridor and said so.

“You are free.”

Free.

The right granted to all humanity living in the world. Of course, there were many places where that right wasn’t fully protected. Many people imprisoned and tormented others, and more severely, even killed them.

Moreover, I wasn’t even a person.

It seemed that Gryphons were remarkable creatures in this world too. Based on how highly the humans who had imprisoned me regarded me, it was definitely true.

Yet still, I was a beast. So that was why they could do such things. I didn’t possess the same rights that people held equally.

That’s why they probably had no conscience about doing such things to me.

“……”

I moved forward.

I had no idea what kind of place this was. There were no windows in the corridor, and there were several beast corpses scattered along the way.

Those were probably traces of my party fighting their way here.

Did the girl bring that healing device? It seemed likely. Those who had set up those beasts to stop anyone fighting against them probably wouldn’t have placed a healing device right outside the room where they were waiting.

“……”

After taking a few steps, I remembered something I had forgotten.

I quickly turned around. Unintentionally, I flapped my wings and folded them again.

How long had it been since my body’s joints could move without any hindrance? That’s why I hadn’t been able to control them properly.

The girl, who should have been surprised to see me, was still looking up at me with no change in her expression.

Indeed, she was a child who had crossed such a dangerous line.

Though she didn’t look that old, she seemed already like an adult.

I quietly gazed at her. I would have been smiling if I could have shown any expression.

I lowered my head.

Would anyone recognize me if I did this in the body of a Gryphon?

Still, I wanted to express my gratitude.

Regardless of what her true intentions were, she had freed me and healed my wounds, so I should at least show this much gratitude.

I noticed the girl gently lifted the hem of her dress and curtsied. I didn’t know much about the greeting of fantasy world nobility, but that gesture was certainly perfect.

I raised my head.

Then I turned around.

I ran forward.

The still air collided with my body. I felt a sense of liberation I had never felt before.

There was no pain in my body as I moved. The sensation of the ground touching my toes and air filling my lungs felt wonderful.

As I shouted with all my might, a caw that sounded like a predator’s cry I had heard in the far north echoed out.

I didn’t care about the complex paths. I didn’t mind if the doors were small.

My body, unburdened by anything, could ignore all of that and run.

Even if knights who had imprisoned me appeared, I just ran.

Arrows and swords couldn’t even cut my feathers and flew away uselessly. It was as if magic had never been cast in the first place; it vanished as soon as it hit my body.

The soldiers who collided with me screamed and flew away, and those I stepped on were ripped apart by my claws.

I didn’t want to kill anyone.

That thought had kept me going until now, but the notion that they might have died because of my body was too weak to stop me.

They were the ones who had kept me alive to suffer.

Besides, these were children who were not even twenty years old, fighting for their lives.

I found myself thinking that a few of them wouldn’t matter if they actually died.

So I just ran forward, forward, ignoring everything.

And then—

The air that filled my lungs was fresher than any air I had breathed until now.

As I leaped up the last stairs, crashing through the door and wall at the same time, I burst outside to see a high ceiling.

Was it a cathedral? Decorative stained glass caught my eye. Even though it was night, the stained glass shimmered beautifully under the moonlight and starlight.

“Hah…!”

I heard someone gulp.

Looking down, I saw two types of knights.

One group wore the same armor as those who had imprisoned me, while the other group wore less ornate armor than that.

At first, I thought they belonged to the same faction, but upon closer inspection, I saw they were facing each other in formation.

Oh, they were rivals.

I jumped from that spot.

And I probably crushed a few of those guys who seemed to belong to this cathedral.

After tossing those struggling to get up into the air with my front paws, I spread my wings wide and shouted loudly.

Hooaaarrr!, I let out a splendid sound.

Both types of knights froze as if they had been paralyzed.

I flapped my wide-spread wings and soared upward.

I had never been taught the laws of flight.

Was this instinctual for a Gryphon as well?

Soaring as high as I could, I smashed through the stained glass depicting an unknown woman, flying into the sky.

Higher, even higher.

Even though I was flying high in the cold night sky, I didn’t feel cold at all.

The city sprawled beneath me was shining brightly.

The lights of the lampposts and the lights turned on in every house illuminated the world.

Cold air rushed into my lungs.

Enjoying that fresh feeling, I took a small lap around the city.

Freedom.

Perfect freedom that no one could block.

I shouted repeatedly, and as I flew through the sky, I savored that freedom for a while.

*

After flying around for a while, I landed in a field.

While enjoying the sense of freedom was delightful, thoughts that followed weren’t as cheerful.

What do I do now?

I hadn’t fallen into the world I knew, nor did I have anything specific I wanted to do in this world.

Revenge? Well, honestly, that seems like a hassle. After all, those who tormented me were all defeated by that girl right there.

Especially that priest lost one of his arms.

Honestly, I felt like giving the girl a high five right then. Of course, the size difference between us was too great for that.

Hmm.

If that girl named Sylvia is fighting someone, wouldn’t it be perfectly possible to help her a little in that fight?

Well, the opponents were all people, so they would probably be surprised if I suddenly jumped in…

…….

Alright.

Then, I’ll at least take a look. If things seem tangled up, I can just fly away quickly.

But that’s not for now.

Flying in the sky seems to take more energy than I expected.

After flying for a long time, I came down and realized I was hungry.

First, let’s eat something and fill my stomach.

Chapter 340

It wasn’t that difficult to hunt down beasts.

If it had been only a short while since I arrived here, I would never have even considered it. But thankfully or not, I was treated like a ‘beast’ under those humans.

It’s quite ridiculous when I think about it.

What I wished for was something legendary, but all I got was being treated like just another wild animal. It was the same with the food they gave me and the tasks they wanted me to perform.

If only they had treated me like some divine creature, maybe I could have changed my mind?

But if you start off bound in iron chains, who would hear you out properly?

“……..”

I stared at the few bloody feathers left in front of me.

Honestly, it didn’t put me in the best mood.

First off, killing a live bird myself and chewing it up wasn’t exactly cheerful, and yet somehow I felt a strange satisfaction after I ate it.

Thinking it tasted good to eat living flesh and blood or that filling my growling stomach could bring me satisfaction was something I still couldn’t quite adapt to.

Moreover, the reason I felt happiness over such small things was that those bastards had never once given me enough food to satisfy me.

To be able to eat whenever I want—what a joy that is!

While I chewed on a small piece of meat still in my mouth, I pondered.

…So, what now?

It was great that I could escape, but the problem was that I had no idea what to do next.

Not knowing what kind of world this was turned out to be extremely fatal. I had no clue about the countries existing here, their cultures, what kind of technological level this world had, or what etiquette I needed to keep up with.

At least the one good point was that it wasn’t cold here.

Hmm.

…Should I build a nest for now?

Even though I had become a gryphon, I wasn’t sure if gryphons were closer to eagles or lions.

It seemed that the ‘eagle’ part was bigger, and I didn’t know how lions made their nests.

Though the gryphon feathers were quite warm, I felt it might be nice to have a cozy spot?

…And so I tore off a few branches and started to shape my nest. But then my brain went blank, and I stopped.

The gryphon was much bigger than I thought, and making a perimeter around me was an enormous hassle. Stacking branches on top of the perimeter to make it a wall was even more annoying.

Besides, I wasn’t even going to lay any eggs, so was there really a need to build a nest?

Giving up halfway through just sounded pathetic like a plump pigeon who couldn’t get it together.

I felt ashamed, but I decided this was all thanks to those bad guys.

They never gave me time to grow into a gryphon, you know.

Of course, I hadn’t even thought about growing into a gryphon in the first place.

“……..”

At that moment, should I have just stuck with that Sylvia kid?

If I had been next to her, I might have at least thought of what to do. I could just move as she commanded.

Moreover, thinking back, she seemed to be the protagonist.

I didn’t know anything about this world, but it seemed this wasn’t some past version of my old reality. There was magic, and above all, I was a gryphon. This creature didn’t exist in my world.

Yet, it didn’t seem like an alternate history either. The crosses on those priests’ outfits weren’t of traditional sorts.

No matter how you looked at it, it felt like some kind of story, but I couldn’t pinpoint which one. It made me think it might be a work from Japan, considering there were many pretty girls.

Would it be okay to go find her now?

Considering the knights’ reactions when I soared up, it didn’t seem that great of an idea. This creature called a gryphon seemed to be treated as a dangerous beast, and Sylvia was the only one who had tried to communicate with me. If I went back now, I might get shot.

Regret gnawed at me fiercely.

If she were the protagonist, she wouldn’t treat me like those damn bastards did.

I hadn’t thought it through enough.

While I sat there, lost in regret—

With no warning, a corner of my vision suddenly filled with light.

Turning my head, I saw a massive pillar of light.

A pillar of light stretching endlessly towards the sky from far away.

From this distance, it looked a bit thin, but considering how far it was, the pillar was undoubtedly wide and tall.

Hmm, how should I put it…

It seemed like the kind of pillar that would show up near the end of a story.

I stared at the pillar for a while, then spread my wings and took off.

Just to be safe, I looked around, but that pillar was the only thing in sight.

Then, the only thing I could think of was to head towards that pillar.

Surely, the protagonists of this world would be heading towards that pillar.

And they’d probably have the final battle inside of it.

Even if not, it had to be some sort of extremely important event.

It’s clear that this wasn’t a world from any of the games, novels, or comics I had read, but usually, stories happening in such worlds have their own set paths. Sure, there are authors who go off the beaten path, but if that were the case, there wouldn’t have been a way for me to be saved like this in the first place.

Well, fine.

Then let’s fly over that way.

While I’m at it, let’s get closer and wait to see what happens.

At least, I hadn’t seen any airplanes flying around here. Still, it had vibe like the early 20th century, so I couldn’t entirely let my guard down, but if I was cautious, I could somehow avoid danger.

A rifle bullet couldn’t kill me, but that machine gun on a plane could be dangerous.

I flew as high as I could towards that area.

*

I flew around there for a few days, keeping an eye on the happenings.

Mainly at night when I was high up, I observed that humans who looked like soldiers were gathering around.

And some would attempt to enter, only to get burned and collapse.

…I was lucky I hadn’t barged in.

I almost ended up as a gryphon roast.

During the day, I hid in a forest far from the village, and at night, after surveying the surroundings, I took to the skies for a few days.

Finally, those kids I presumed to be the protagonist’s party arrived.

They were in roughly the same combination as those I saw underground. Or perhaps exactly the same. To be honest, it had only been a short while since I had recovered my body, and I’d only glimpsed the kids for a few seconds. When I was fighting, I wasn’t in my right mind.

And before I knew it, the kids rushed in without a chance for me to stop them.

…And those who went inside looked perfectly fine. The faint silhouettes visible beyond the light walked away and disappeared into the city wrapped in that pillar of light.

Um…

Should I go in too?

Seeing that the kids could go in without injury, it seemed there was some condition, but the problem was that I didn’t know what that condition was.

“……..”

Eventually, I decided to lie low in the surroundings again.

After all, I had just recovered from being in so much pain.

I didn’t want to do anything reckless.

*

Fortunately, it didn’t take long for an opportunity to enter to arise.

How long had it been since I was flying around above the sky observing? Maybe a few hours? I couldn’t gauge the exact time without a clock, but after a somewhat boring period, suddenly, the pillar of light vanished.

Since it was daylight, I, who had been flying from a distance, took off towards where the pillar had been.

Just as I had suspected, I didn’t meet with any harm when I approached where the pillar had been. The barrier that burned any living thing approaching it was surprisingly spotless.

Slight sounds faintly reached me from afar.

Normally bustling, the city that would have been filled with people was silent. That’s why I could distinctly hear the sounds of a struggle coming from far away.

I immediately flew towards that direction.

It felt as if my instincts guided me, and I moved my wings in a way that it was almost like I was meant to do it from the very beginning, crashing straight into the stained glass of the building.

What crumbled under my wings was reminiscent of the first time I took to the skies in this world—a woman’s figure. Perhaps she was a goddess believed in by this world’s religion.

While I shattered the window and damaged part of the wall, what came into my view was the girl who lay bleeding on the floor—Sylvia.

It looked like she had a hole in her stomach, and blood gushed out like a fountain.

I rushed toward her.

What happened next wasn’t something I had been taught by anyone. It felt almost instinctual, as if I had known how to do it all along.

A ball of light gathered around my wings. The place where the light touched felt strangely warm.

My wings moved of their own accord as my body fell, naturally balancing itself. Defying the laws of physics, I landed so smoothly as if gravity itself had no power over me.

With a crack, the ground beneath me split open. A few nearby figures shouted in shock.

I opened my beak wide and let out a screech with all my might.

“Puuyooooh!”

Like the cry of an eagle heard in movies.

At that moment, all the eyes in the church turned towards me.

For a split second, I felt a little proud.

Chapter 341

Oh ho ho.

I didn’t realize how small humans seemed until I was standing here, bracing myself on my legs and looking down at them.

The concept of size is relative, after all. That relativity depends on the observer’s perspective.

I lowered my gaze.

There was Sylvia, lying down and peering up at me with a slightly turned body.

It was the exact opposite of our last encounter.

The slightly dazed expression she wore while looking up at me was kind of funny. Did a smile appear on my face too? My eyes probably narrowed a bit.

Everyone around us was frozen in silence. Even the girl I saved didn’t say a word.

How long are you planning to stay that way?

If you’re the protagonist, get up and fight properly!

I gently extended a claw— which was practically a hand by my standards— and flipped Sylvia onto her side.

Her body didn’t look that heavy, but with my Gryphon strength, it flipped way too easily.

“Ugh!”

That wasn’t a sound I’d associate with a protagonist. As she got flipped, she quickly scrambled to get up.

Was she scared that a suddenly-appearing monster had just landed on her?

Hmm.

It might have looked a little silly. Considering there were enemies nearby, it wouldn’t have made for a dignified situation.

I slowly lowered my head, just like I did last time in front of Sylvia.

“……”

Caught off guard, Sylvia looked around once. But then, as if she made up her mind, she performed an elaborate noble greeting like last time.

“Fanggriffon…”

Someone muttered something.

I had no idea what that meant. Is it a language unique to this world, or perhaps some sort of name? It could be directed at me since the word “Gryphon” is in there. But at this point, it didn’t really matter.

Then someone burst out laughing.

Turning to see, there was a middle-aged man with an unmistakable “I’m the final boss” aura, laughing heartily. He seemed to be bigger than humans of the same age and gender, and from the large sword he held in one hand, he looked like a skilled swordsman.

Unfortunately, I had no idea who he was.

To be honest, this situation was a bit confusing from my perspective. I could tell that this place, like a cathedral, was certainly a stronghold of those who had tormented me, but I had no clue why these folks were fighting or who was on which side.

…Maybe I didn’t need to think so seriously about it.

Couldn’t I just side with Sylvia? After all, she was the one who saved me. If the world ended, so be it. I had no attachment to this place.

“I just thought it’d be more fun this way.”

“…… I see.”

The two people who seemed to be having a somewhat nonsensical conversation wrapped it up.

Is this the timing?

In terms of games or comics, this feels like the perfect moment. Usually, such candid exchanges lead right into a fight, right?

I glanced around, gauging the situation, then decided I didn’t care and went for it.

Taking a deep breath,

“Fuhyooooo!”

I yelled with all my might.

…And Sylvia jumped in surprise.

What does it matter if you’re surprised? I just roared from behind you after thinking so carefully about my angle!

Hah, whatever.

Back when we first met, I thought she looked cool and had minimal emotional outbursts, but now it was clear she was a bit of a clutz.

Wouldn’t she have been in serious trouble if I hadn’t jumped in?

I lowered my head and bit the nape of Sylvia’s neck with care. I had to be careful not to bite too hard. If I messed up, I’d end up yanking out a chunk of flesh.

Then I gave her a little toss upwards.

“Eeeek!?”

In contrast to her first impression, she let out a truly unsophisticated scream as she flew up, landing squarely on my back. Fortunately, she didn’t bounce off and seemed to be holding on well.

So she’s got good instincts.

I was chuckling internally and jumped up high into the air.

“Fuhyoooo!”

With all my strength, I soared upward, then came crashing down again.

Honestly, from the moment I took off, I realized my body’s weight couldn’t just be lifted by flapping my wings. Sure, they were large, but given that I was a Gryphon, it wasn’t just about having wings.

To fly just by flapping my wings while hovering, I’d definitely need more than just sheer strength.

Thinking back, magic must have been applied to my body even then.

So the church folks pressuring me to use magic wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

But it was a mistake to bind me up and say such things.

“Aah!”

The knights in my descent hurriedly dove to roll out of the way.

I hadn’t intended to attack the knights in the first place.

I grabbed a rifle lying on the ground and tossed it up high.

Then I quickly repositioned myself to catch it for the girl on my back to grab.

To be precise, it was the girl on my back who caught it.

Since we weren’t in the air anymore but grounded, she didn’t hesitate and caught it right away.

When I turned to look back, the girl was wide-eyed, holding the rifle with both hands, gazing blankly at me.

I couldn’t help but chuckle once more.

That dumbfounded expression was just right for her age. Of course, I wasn’t exactly sure how old she was. Probably mid-teens or so, judging by appearances.

To think such a girl had to risk her life to fight in a place like this—what kind of world had I ended up in?

…Well, why should I dwell on that? If it’s such a world, they must be fighting. There was evidence that the standards for adulthood differed in the past, so I could just assume this world operated similarly.

I felt the girl gripping my legs tightly.

Yeah, hold on tight.

I’m about to really run and fly now.

Sounds of shouting and clashing swords filled the air again.

And I leaped right into that chaos.

*

The more I fought, the more thrilling it felt.

Could this be the Gryphon’s instinct?

I swiped a front paw to meet the blade swung by the enemy. No matter how long the sword, striking my claws would send it flying back, sometimes even snapping it in half.

The tips of my wings conjured ice spears and large fireballs. I could move them as easily as if they were my fingers.

When I fully embraced the instinct of a beast charging through the battlefield, that instinct suddenly raised an alarm in my head.

It was a kind of warning.

A feeling that something dangerous was watching me. I had never felt this before. Not even when I encountered enemies while bits of my body were rotting away.

I swiftly turned my body to hide the girl behind me and shielded myself with my wings.

I felt something hit my wing with a thud. The sound of feathers being sliced echoed, and a searing sting shot through my right wing. It was a familiar sensation— the long, cutting kind.

It wasn’t unbearable, but I couldn’t just ignore it either.

Lowering my wings, I turned to face the one who attacked me.

Surprisingly, she was quite a distance away. It wasn’t close enough for a knife to reach me.

With her red hair, she looked pleased to see me and was grinning.

So that’s how it is.

Well, with magic being a thing, it’s not unexpected that blade flashes and airwaves exist too. I wasn’t sure which it was, though.

Click.

There was a sound behind me.

It was the girl, holding the rifle with both hands.

Sylvia must be aiming at that red-haired person in front of me.

That person quickly charged at me.

Were they out to get me or Sylvia?

Bang!

The gun went off, but it didn’t hit the red-haired one. Did she dodge to the side at the sight of the gun being aimed? The bullet slammed into the ground instead.

Bang!

I learned for the first time that blades could swipe bullets away. This time, I clearly saw something akin to an energy wave coming from the tip of that sword. I didn’t even bother trying to dodge it. Since she swung it in a hurry, the wave didn’t hit us.

Bang!

The red-haired one dodged again by twisting her body to the side.

I could’ve jumped in at this moment. No matter how skilled the red-haired fighter was, there was a racial difference to consider.

But for some reason, I didn’t want to do that.

I felt like I should give the girl on my back an opportunity to shine—

—No, that’s not it, it felt like this was something between the two of them.

So I decided to wait until it truly got dangerous.

And then—

Bang!

This time the bullet traveled toward the direction where the red-haired one was “dodging.”

I didn’t know if Sylvia was faking it or if the other side made a mistake.

And one last time, bang, the gun went off.

The red-haired one, having been hit once on each shoulder by the bullets, collapsed right there.

She didn’t seem to be dead.

I figured there must be some backstory to that.

I turned my head to look at the girl sitting on my back, Sylvia.

The smell of gunpowder lingered.

She slowly lowered her rifle and looked toward me.

Her expression was somewhat surprised but also bore an air of normalcy, like that was to be expected.

It was a paradoxical expression, but at the same time, I found it to be a remarkably admirable one.

Chapter 342

I was stronger than I thought.

I’m not just talking about strength.

Just by the fact that I’m here, it seems people are already feeling intimidated.

At first, I thought there would be plenty of gryphons in this world. After all, being able to catch a young gryphon means there are quite a few of its kind around.

But I’ve never actually seen one.

When I heard that there had been heavy losses to the church’s forces while escorting me, I thought it was just a dangerously wild beast. However, as I observe the reactions around me, it seems the presence of a gryphon holds much more status in this world.

If a lion or a tiger appeared before me, getting scared would be normal.

But there’s no feeling of longing in those eyes. Usually, people just fear for their lives, keeping their distance, trying to run away, brandishing their weapons to threaten, or wanting to eliminate the beast before it charges at them.

However, in the eyes of those looking up at me, there’s a mix of danger and something like admiration.

The same goes for the way they look at Sylvia.

Continuing from the assumption I made earlier, imagine there’s a being riding a lion or a tiger. Normally, people would send admiring looks or say, “What kind of person is that?” But no matter how skilled, it would be tough to be treated like anything more than a good trainer or circus performer.

But since people see Sylvia on my back, their gazes toward her are entirely different.

It’s the kind of awe you’d have when looking at a figure from a myth.

There’s no way I’d receive such looks just for riding a wild animal.

So the status of the gryphon is more akin to that of a celestial beast than just a dangerous wild animal.

Even in this fantasy world.

*

I could tell that the governing body of this world wasn’t a unified government.

In the throes of battle, I hadn’t noticed much, as I was too busy retaliating against those attacking me. However, after the fight, looking at the fallen enemies and the reinforcements that arrived later, I could see their outfits differed.

I had no way to ask, so I caught bits of conversation and learned that these three factions were the ‘Goddess Cult’, ‘Velbur’, and the ‘Empire’. The Goddess Cult was literally a cult devoted to a goddess. I already knew this to some extent, as I had overheard their conversations about their goddess a few times while I was trapped.

Velbur seemed to be a nation neighboring the Papal State that the goddess cultists dominated, and the Empire appeared to be in proximity to Velbur. Everyone just referred to it as the ‘Empire’, so I didn’t quite catch the exact name. Well, I’d probably learn it eventually if I kept listening.

And one word I heard quite often was “Fanggriffon.”

I couldn’t fathom what it meant, but I heard it all the time when Sylvia and I were together.

The first time I heard it was when I caught a knight mumbling it while looking at Sylvia on my back. It must be related to that action…

Is it simply referring to the act of riding a gryphon? With the looks of awe people give, it seems it doesn’t just refer to that.

Hmm.

Maybe I should set aside the pondering for now.

I thought about writing something down, but then I remembered I didn’t know the writing of this world. If I hastily scribbled in Korean, it would probably lead to trouble, with people researching ‘gryphon script’ or something.

I had barely escaped; I couldn’t afford to be captured again. Who would have the guts to do so?

*

“……”

As I walked, people formed a circle around me.

It didn’t feel like they were watching or guarding me. Rather, it seemed like people were instinctively keeping their distance from something they deemed immensely dangerous.

Am I really that scary?

Even if my appearance is terrifying, I’ve never tried to frighten anyone.

Of course, I do bite down on a whole animal that’s bleeding, but what can I do? If it had been cooked, I would have eaten that too, but there was no choice when it was raw.

At least Sylvia doesn’t seem to find me very scary.

I took the train from the Papal State to the capital of Velbur, a place called Lutetia. It was where the cathedral I had escaped from was located.

Throughout the journey, the meaning of “Fanggriffon” remained a mystery, but at least I discerned that the name belonged to the royal family of the Empire.

Sylvia, Alice, and Emperor Arthur, was it? When other captured nobles were mentioned, “Fanggriffon” was also attached to their names.

Even so, I still think it’s a bit exaggerated for people to react to just the name “Fanggriffon…” It seems there’s a myth or some significance attached to it. After all, they wouldn’t perpetually react that dramatically every time a name is mentioned.

In the carriage ahead of me were two princesses. It was a large, extravagant carriage, open-roofed, like a convertible. It seemed like it was designed for sunny days.

The gentle breeze tousled my black bobbed hair.

In this peaceful, slightly languid atmosphere, I followed along behind the two in the carriage—

BAM—!

Whoa!

I was startled by an unexpectedly loud sound that completely failed to fit a gryphon’s demeanor.

While I didn’t lift my paw dramatically, it was enough to catch the attention of people entering the grand hall behind me.

What an overwhelmingly loud trumpet!

It was accompanied by a rallying cheer that drowned out the trumpet call.

Shredded colored paper and flower petals rained down from above.

Moreover, Lutetia’s beautiful architecture resembled that of a 20th-century European city, blending exquisitely into the celebration.

The gazes of those watching us were all bright.

This was the first atmosphere I’d encountered since arriving in this world.

I was being welcomed. Not rejected or abused.

As I paused to take in my surroundings, I realized the carriage in front of me had stopped. After moving slightly forward, it seemed to have figured out I had halted, and thus stopped altogether.

Sylvia was looking back at me.

So, they called me Fanggriffon, huh?

In that moment, a playful idea sprung to my mind.

The instant Sylvia and I locked eyes, she seemed to understand something, her expression showing a hint of panic—

But I was already charging forward.

I heard screams from the surroundings. Knights were flustered, trying to catch up to me. Far away, those cheering still seemed unaware of what was going on.

I lunged forward, grabbed Sylvia by the scruff, and lifted her up, settling her on my back.

A hush fell over those around us.

Turning my head to look at Sylvia, she quickly adapted her posture, sitting upright on my back.

Simultaneously, cheers erupted once more from the crowd.

Alice, who had been left behind in the carriage, looked at me with an astonished expression, but I held my head high with confidence.

And then, with an impressive stance, I began walking behind the slowly moving carriage.

…Okay, maybe it was a bit exaggerated.

But, who cares? I’ve never seen a gryphon before.

Besides, I’m sure everyone here was seeing a gryphon for the first time too.

So it’s only natural that they’d be witnessing me walking like one for the first time.

Even if my walking style was a bit weird, no one would notice.

With each step I took, the palace, which I had glimpsed when I flew in last time, drew closer, and the cheers of the people grew louder and louder.

My heart raced.

Everyone here was welcoming me.

Of course, I wasn’t the only one, but at the very least, there was no one who hated or cursed me, and no one was waiting to capture or abuse me.

Just joyous cheers.

The negative feelings I endured during my years after coming to this world hadn’t completely washed away yet.

But at least, it seemed like I wouldn’t face such things moving forward.

I glanced back once more, locking eyes with Sylvia on my back.

For a brief moment, Sylvia glared at me, but soon she sighed with a ‘Well, I guess that’s that’ expression.

Yeah, it’s thanks to her.

She didn’t try to use me from the start.

Had she not crushed that jewel when we first met, I surely would have harbored hatred for humanity until the very end.

Well, whatever.

Maybe I should repay her properly.

And while I’m at it, I’ll snag some food too.

I held my head high, spreading my wings wide, and walked forward with authority.

Hearing the crowd’s cheers as they looked at my wings, for the first time, I felt joy since arriving in this world.

Chapter 343

It’s great to have the luxury to laze around without a care.

They say if you relax long enough, eventually you’ll want to work, but I don’t buy it at all.

It’s not wanting to work; it’s just that you have to work because you’ll run out of money to put food in your mouth.

Even from elementary and middle school, you can tell it’s true. Isn’t it fun to do nothing during breaks? College was no different. Just aligning my schedule to skip classes and lying on my bed doing nothing felt fulfilling and time flew by.

Time dragged on when I was in class or working part-time. Even when I worked, the time spent waiting for customers was much quicker than the actual work.

Didn’t they say that being a noble is a job in itself?

Living off the properties bought by ancestors hundreds of years ago, these people have so much money they don’t need jobs. In fact, having a job was just about accumulating experience, right?

I know. I’m aware that those people aren’t really doing nothing.

However, we don’t really call the friendly sports matches, charity work, or social gatherings “work.” That’s just a hobby.

So what I’m getting at is, if you want to do something else while taking a break, just do it for a bit. If I’m not in a situation where I’m starving to death, there’s no need to feel guilty about doing nothing.

Ah, that doesn’t mean I’m not bored.

But, hey, I’m a gryphon after all.

Most hobbies that people have can’t be enjoyed by me. Reading or typical sports… Well, I never was fond of sports, so I can overlook that. But reading? Forget it, I would have to give up as I don’t know the letters of this world. Plus, I’m not exactly keen on learning foreign languages.

So, my biggest hobby in this world? ‘Flying.’

Yeah, literally soaring through the sky.

I had flown on a plane before, but riding in a plane is completely different from flying with my own wings.

Besides, you can’t just, you know, hop on a plane anytime you want.

When the sun is high in the sky and I fly up high, everything below looks tiny. The whoosh of the wind by my ears is nice, and the fluttering of my feathers feels good.

Though, saying it like this makes me feel somewhat animal-like, huh? But what can I say? It’s true.

I have no intention of going back anytime soon. This life is surprisingly free, and I’m already satisfied with that.

Since I’m here anyway, I might as well stay a bit longer, watch how Sylvia and her friends live, and then look for a way back.

By the way, it seems like the Empire has a lot of wild animals, probably because it’s still underdeveloped. There were wolves, and bears in the forest as well.

However, these wild beasts look like they’d be “bad to eat,” which made me hesitant to hunt.

But there were some that looked “safe to eat.”

A herd of cows and goats leisurely grazing on the vast prairie.

Looking around, I didn’t see any people or fences.

Well, with so many wild animals around, it’s not surprising that a herd of cows and goats might be wandering about.

This is a fantasy world, after all.

Just as I was flying and got hungry, I dived down and snatched a small cow.

THUD!

Even in a fantasy world, one must recognize the strange.

Thinking back, the herds of cows, sheep, and goats, they looked too much like what I knew.

To put it another way, these animals looked “pleasing to the eye” even to humans.

The absence of people and fences was likely because the pasture was so vast that setting them up would cost too much time and money.

Additionally, there were cases where cattle were raised without fences on purpose, because if cows wandered and bumped into a fence, it would leave marks on their leather.

Right! Cattle aren’t just raised for eating.

They are also raised for their hides.

So that means—the cow I happily hunted earlier was—

“That cow belongs to someone else. It’s typically raised for its hide. By the way, its owner runs a famous leather workshop. They mostly supply leather for luxury steam cars and carriage interiors, and I’ve heard there are serious talks about a merger with some steam car company recently.”

The Crown Princess, who had personally come looking for me, said that.

“…Is that so.”

Hearing that from Alice, Sylvia looked up at me.

I avoided her gaze.

“By the way, there was also a request for compensation for other cows besides the dead one. It seems your gryphon didn’t catch just one after all. There are cows with long scratches on their hides too and some that were wounded and later died.”

“…Is that so.”

Hmm.

So that’s how it went.

There was one I tried to lift up but dropped because I misjudged my grip.

BOOM! It made a rather loud noise, but I didn’t think it would die!

“By the way, the price is quite steep. The cows are raised for their hides, and good leather cows usually have good meat too.”

“…Is that so.”

As Sylvia said that, she continued to look up at me intently.

She looked like she had a lot to say.

Well, I know I messed up too.

Can’t she tell by the way I’m deliberately turning my head away?

But it’s not like I had any way to compensate for it either.

“Let’s get one thing straight.”

Alice said, looking up at me.

“We need to clarify whether that hunt was the gryphon’s instinct or if you just did it because you were hungry. Otherwise, it could seriously affect the citizens even if we provide food.”

After hearing that, I turned my gaze towards Alice.

“…Seems like I understand your words.”

“The intelligence of the gryphon is unclear, but at least it seems to understand human speech.”

Of course I understood!

I might not know anything about gryphon intelligence, but the one inside me has human smarts.

“Will it understand if I speak?”

Should I act like I know?

If I want to stay here without being kicked out, I need to communicate but how should I express my ‘understanding’ to them?

Just nodding my head might work.

…But that feels a bit… you know, too lame.

I just mentioned “the intelligence of the gryphon,” so it’s not like I should talk down from a high ground, but right now, I am a gryphon, aren’t I?

From what I overheard, I’m said to be the symbol of the Empire. I even saw a big shield-shaped emblem of a gryphon on the massive iron gate coming to the Imperial Palace.

In this world, while the existence of gryphons has been confirmed, almost no one has seen one up close.

So they seem to want to treat me as the symbol of the Empire. …But wouldn’t it be embarrassing to just nod like that?

I looked down at Alice and said,

“…Do you understand? Are you telling me not to take commands?”

“More so, I think you’re just pretending to be gallant.”

Sylvia saw right through my ulterior motives. Truly the perspective of a protagonist.

After answering Alice, Sylvia stepped closer to me and said,

“I don’t quite grasp what you’re thinking, but let me speak under the assumption you understood.”

Sylvia’s height couldn’t be said to be drastically different from Alice’s. She wasn’t short, but if I had to put it simply, I’d say she was of ‘average height.’

Yet, looking up at me from that relatively small height, she didn’t seem diminutive at all.

Honestly, if anyone fits the role of a Crown Princess, it seems like it would be Sylvia.

But, well, since she refused that, there’s nothing to be done about it.

“Staying here and consuming a lot is unavoidable, but please do your best not to harm others. If a symbol of the Empire brings harm to the citizens, how could the prestige of the royal family hold up? You’ve helped us a lot, but for the sake of my image, won’t you keep our name intact?”

“…….”

Sylvia looked directly into my eyes without flinching.

I quietly watched her for a while—

Well, fine.

There are ways to maintain prestige while apologizing.

I stood up from my spot.

And then, I bowed my head politely.

“If you understand, then that is sufficient.”

Sylvia looked up at me, smiling softly, and then performed the Imperial greeting she had shown me last time.

I think I’m starting to get the hang of how to communicate.

Chapter 344

— I thought I was getting the hang of this.

“What exactly is the problem?”

As I spent more time with this girl named Sylvia, she seemed to have let her guard down, to the point where she could casually say things like this.

As I sat on the soft and warm straw as usual, I looked down at Sylvia.

“If I’m hungry, you could give me food, and everything around here is managed to be soft and warm. Aren’t you here because you want to be? If you’re living comfortably, I should at least get one favor in return, right?”

I couldn’t help but let out a snort.

Ah, of course, it’s true that I’m living off their generosity. Everything I eat is provided by the palace, and the only reason I can enjoy myself is because of the people here who help me.

But I have ears, and naturally, I’ve eavesdropped on stories. The stories about Gryphons have been particularly common around me.

So, these kids taking care of me wasn’t just a thought of keeping a pet.

The Gryphon, a symbol of the Empire and its royal family, the ‘Fanggriffon.’ But this Gryphon is such a rare creature that you hardly see it anywhere else, and even fewer have raised one.

So just by living here, it makes the Empire sound like a country with a royal family that uniquely controls this Gryphon.

Thinking about it, it wasn’t so different from my previous world, where no one raised an eagle just because their family emblem featured one, right? Wouldn’t it have been cool if there was an emperor walking around with a trained eagle on their shoulder?

But the reason no one did that was most likely because it was incredibly bothersome and unnecessary. Even if I had the money to prepare food, getting that eagle to listen to me would be an entirely different story. If that were the case for an eagle, how much more for a lion?

That’s probably the reason the Empire hasn’t yet chased me away. Because I’m somewhat cooperative.

“No, didn’t you acknowledge my presence here in the first place…?”

Seeing me snort, Sylvia slumped her shoulders and said.

… Did I go too far?

When I think about it, Sylvia talks politely in front of others. I mean, even in front of someone as close as Alice, she uses honorifics. But for her to speak so casually in front of me, doesn’t it mean she feels that comfortable around me?

But if I react like this, it’s only natural for her to feel deflated.

“Alright, then.”

Sylvia looked up at me and said, “Tell me what you want. If I can grant it, I will. But in return, you have to do something I want. This seems quite fair, right?”

Hmm.

What I want…

What I wanted wasn’t that difficult.

My body is a Gryphon, but the being inside is a human. As I’ve said a few times, I don’t know how intelligent a Gryphon is. To be honest, I didn’t plan to find out directly. Because if I went to check and it turned out to be truly ‘beast-like,’ it would cause problems in many ways.

Things like mating… Hmm, anyway.

So yes, I want to live here, but I also don’t want to be treated without respect. Even if I’m respected, I wouldn’t want to be treated just like a pet. If possible, I’d like it if she would continue to use honorifics like before.

Because after all, I’m likely older than Sylvia. Not as a Gryphon, but as the person inside.

Isn’t the girl right in front of me not just a child?

The question is how to convey that.

Alright.

I have only one thing to show.

I stood up from my seat. Stretching out my stiff body after sitting too long, I proudly faced Sylvia.

Then, I bowed my head.

For a moment, Sylvia seemed perplexed about what I was doing, but she obediently bent her waist in return.

Okay, she seems to get it—

“Is this good enough?”

—Not really.

Well, just bowing again won’t make her understand.

So, if that’s the case, I’ll just keep doing the same thing until Sylvia realizes what went wrong.

I took a deep breath and slowly bowed my head again.

This time, I put a bit more heart into my greeting.

Sylvia, frowning as she looked up at me, slowly returned the bow with a little more courtesy than before and then spoke.

“Do you have something you want to say?”

Well, I do have something to say.

I just couldn’t convey it due to differences in mouth structure.

There’s only one way.

To consistently show politeness while being considerate and elevating the other person.

‘I’ll do this, so you do that too.’

That was my thought.

Truthfully, I was in the advantageous position. After all, I wasn’t in a situation where I could freely use informal and formal speech.

After exchanging greetings a few times, it seemed Sylvia had a fleeting thought.

“So, are you saying we should mutually respect each other?”

Finally!

I slightly nodded in satisfaction.

“Ha.”

Sylvia let out a huff of disbelief. But she seemed to have recognized that I wasn’t an ordinary animal in front of her.

After a brief hesitation, she opened her mouth.

“Well then, if I ask like this politely, do you think you would grant my request?”

Sounds good.

If she respects me, I would be more than willing to grant her request.

Well, I know well enough that the request she’ll make isn’t going to be too troublesome.

I sat back down and quietly stared at Sylvia, as if I was listening.

“Ha.”

Sylvia chuckled again and said, “Alright then—”

And then she told me her request.

*

Sylvia’s request was simple.

She wanted me to fly up in the sky during the cultural festival attended by Sylvia, Alice, and their friends at the academy.

Well, since it’s called ‘academy,’ it’s probably not just a regular high school. Places usually referred to like this are said to be ‘the greatest educational institutions in this country.’

If it’s an education institution centered on the Empire, it might be expected that the Empire’s symbol would come to celebrate. Surely the Headmaster is someone incredibly high-ranking.

I wasn’t sure why they were having a cultural festival in the middle of winter, though.

I didn’t know it well, but it seemed I had an unexpected liking for being the center of attention.

In fact, that stemmed from not being particularly good-looking back then. Since I wasn’t handsome, I could hardly receive much admiration from the stares I got. Thus, the only time I received attention in my past life was when I did something incredibly embarrassing.

But the stares I receive here are filled with admiration.

Well, I’m not a great beauty, but if it’s a gaze mixed with affection, it can’t help but feel good.

“Phew.”

As I let out a sound mixed with satisfaction, Sylvia looked up at me with a smile.

The sky was incredibly cold. I felt it was a bit refreshing, but for Sylvia, even with such thick clothing, she must have been freezing to the bone.

“If you want, I can go back and wait. It’s only going to get colder if I stay here.”

After she had climbed down from my back, Sylvia said that.

Well, that’s fine.

I was originally thinking of taking a look around anyway.

I nodded to Sylvia and took off into the sky.

I circled around in the sky until I confirmed that Sylvia was going back inside the building as she turned to gaze at me.

*

Be it a Japanese manga, animation, or game, if this world existed within such media, of course, there would be ‘contents’ like cultural festivals and school trips.

And naturally, if there was content like a cultural festival, a ‘maid café’ would also be essential.

It wouldn’t matter if it didn’t exist. After all, I was just planning to take a look, and it would be good if it was there, but I wouldn’t mind if it wasn’t. Still, it was the first time I had come to another school’s festival like this, so I wanted to take a good look around.

Not just the academy, but it seemed like the surrounding area was also in a festive atmosphere, but for now, let’s focus on the school first.

I couldn’t enter the classroom, so I intended to get as close to the school as possible and peek inside—

Eventually, I found the maid café.

Through a window beside the flower bed, I saw students in maid outfits diligently working inside.

The boys were mostly busy moving supplies or cleaning, while all the girls were in maid outfits, doing service work.

And among them—

Oh.

If I could talk, I would have made a sound like that.

Among those in maid outfits was Sylvia.

It wasn’t the type of maid outfit that showed off a lot of skin like you’d expect from this kind of content, but the modest elegant maid outfit suited Sylvia’s image perfectly.

It wasn’t just Sylvia; Alice, Mia, Charlotte, and the other kids with them all looked great.

I guess they are children of noble families after all.

As I tried to get a closer look, moving slightly closer to the window, one of the boys working inside locked eyes with me and gasped, immediately pointing outside to Sylvia.

Sylvia turned her head and stared at me blankly.

Hmm.

Without hands, should I just flap my wings?

Chapter 345

Actually, the spot I’m sitting on is warm and cozy.

As expected from an academy with high-ranking individuals’ children, the building’s design has windows facing the sunny side, allowing for warm sunlight from morning till noon.

And in front of the window, there was a flowerbed too.

…Even though I ruined it by sitting there.

The Gryphon’s sturdy body isn’t really great for such occasions. There was certainly a strong metal fence to separate the flowerbed, but I didn’t realize it was there while sitting on top of it. I only briefly thought that my legs felt soft and comfy.

Hearing what one of my classmates said, Sylvia rushed out as soon as she saw me through the window, glancing between me and the flowerbed with eyes wide open.

“Are you a cat?”

If we’re being technical, I’d say I’m more of a bird of prey.

Of course, my lower half is lion, but considering the size, the eagle part, including the upper half and wings, is much larger. Plus, my head is that of an eagle, and since my brain is inside an eagle’s head, I guess I am close to being a bird of prey.

Inside this body is a person, though.

I knew the situation, so I couldn’t say anything. I was well aware that growing flowers takes time and money. Especially if someone wanted to create such a well-kept flowerbed, they’d need a skilled expert.

No, wait.

Thinking it over, I am a Gryphon right now.

Though my inner identity is human, to others, I am just a Gryphon. Since my body is a Gryphon.

So, pretending not to understand their words shouldn’t be too much of a problem, right?

If it involves people or money, can’t I just play dumb?

As I tilted my head pretending I knew nothing, Sylvia let out a big sigh and slapped her forehead.

“I said it’s okay to go home.”

I don’t want to.

I want to enjoy the festive atmosphere too.

Well, resting at home isn’t so bad. Despite how it looks, I used to be someone who suffered in various ways at work, so just doing nothing felt pretty nice.

But still, once in a while, such special days should exist.

There seems to be a lot of food around.

Raw meat is perfect for a Gryphon, and grilled meat too. I was curious about sweets like sugar. My previous life’s food connoisseur credentials weren’t that impressive, but I did enjoy eating.

While Sylvia and Alice briefly discussed the flowerbed price, I was lost in thoughts.

“There’s no need to deny it too much, right? And it’s only been a month since they started living here. You said they look young. They’re sharp and understand a few things after hearing them a couple of times, and honestly, they’re much calmer than when they first came, right? How about giving it a little more time?”

Alice was telling Sylvia a very reasonable story.

I almost nodded without thinking, but I decided to stay quiet for now, fearing I’d be caught knowing everything.

I had been pretending not to know just a moment ago, so I wasn’t sure what I’d get for showing I understood now.

“…Rather, I’d like you to look around a bit.”

Sylvia, while talking, suddenly glanced around and said.

People were gathering around us.

If a lion or tiger boldly entered the school premises, the people would have been in a panic and running everywhere. Even if those beasts weren’t displaying aggression, it would have still been the same. Humans can’t fundamentally communicate with animals, and unless they’ve established mutual trust over a long period, there’s no reason to believe them.

But I had roamed around among people without any particular restraint.

After getting scolded once, I hadn’t touched anyone else’s belongings, and since coming into the academy, aside from sitting on the flowerbed, I hadn’t caused any trouble.

Especially since Sylvia, who is perceived as my ‘master’ in society, was next to me, and no one said anything against me, they must have built some trust over time. Sylvia seemed to have quite an influential network around her.

“See, people aren’t very scared. The Gryphon doesn’t look like it’d attack either. Wouldn’t it be okay to relax a bit?”

The next Crown Princess is indeed quick to grasp the situation.

Seeing my and the people’s reactions, she accurately assessed why I wouldn’t pose a big problem being here. I was sure she would be an excellent ruler implementing outstanding policies after she becomes the Emperor.

Even like this, I know how to read people well.

I didn’t nod this time either. There’s a consistency in not understanding what people are saying.

“…”

After Alice’s remark, Sylvia looked up at me for a moment and then said, “Understood.”

Finally, she conceded.

But it seemed Sylvia wasn’t finished with that. Looking up at me with a serious expression, she said.

“However, let’s make one thing clear. If there’s a place made by someone, you should never trample on it carelessly. Whether it’s livestock or flowers inside a fence. It must have been cultivated through someone’s effort.”

Hmm.

“And if you don’t keep that minimum courtesy, I can’t associate with you. If you want to stay in an equal relationship, you should also respect me.”

That’s something I can obviously do.

In fact, the reason I stepped into the flowerbed wasn’t out of disregard; I simply wanted to look more closely at the inside.

I slowly stood up from my spot. I moved slowly, making sure the nearby people wouldn’t get scared or panic.

And then I settled back down on a patch of ground where the sunlight comes through but was firm enough not to disturb my claws.

Sylvia looked at me with a somewhat dissatisfied expression, yet still didn’t want to go home.

At least she should buy me some cotton candy before saying that.

Wondering if I could just grab one to eat and Sylvia would consider paying, I was seriously contemplating when—

“Crown Princess?”

Someone cautiously approached Sylvia and spoke.

It was the one from earlier who announced the start of the cultural festival. Seems to be the Headmaster.

He was a stern-looking grandfather. A classic, cartoonishly mustached grandpa, but it was quite burdensome that he was looking up at me just as he appeared.

If he had at least sharper eyes, it wouldn’t have been so scary, but his face reminded me of childhood imaginations, making it rather uncomfortable.

“May I, um…?”

The Headmaster raised his hand slightly and said that.

No, if he wants permission, he should ask me! Not Sylvia!

He wants to touch me, doesn’t he?

I stared intently at Sylvia.

I really don’t like it when men touch my body. It might sound a bit blunt, but honestly, which heterosexual man would enjoy a grandpa touching him?

So I quickly looked at Sylvia, indicating to send that hand back, while glaring at the grandfather’s hand.

And Sylvia seemed to have caught on to my thoughts just by observing my actions.

But it looked like Sylvia was still irritated.

“It’s fine. He’s a good kid.”

!!!

I swung my head toward Sylvia in shock. Although she wasn’t looking at me, I distinctly saw one corner of her lips curl up slightly. It seemed like almost no one noticed around us. Probably just Alice.

“He really loves people. He’s willing to accept a human touch easily.”

No way.

“But the reaction earlier was…?”

The Headmaster clearly noticed my actions.

“He loves people so much.”

Ignoring the Headmaster’s words, Sylvia straight out said that.

No, wait a minute!

“Really?”

Don’t you go agreeing too easily! Anyone can tell I don’t want this!

But succumbing to his own desires, the Headmaster was coming closer, ignoring my reactions.

I looked back at Sylvia, but she was just crossing her arms and looking up at me. In her maid outfit, that attitude made her look like quite a strict maid, which suited her very well.

As I flinched and tried to escape, one of Sylvia’s eyebrows slightly raised.

No, for real?

Are you actually planning to sell me off?

But ultimately, the Headmaster stroked my body, and once the nearby kids started to touch me one by one, Sylvia didn’t stop anyone, merely looking up at me.

In the end, she seemed pleased with it, even smiling.

This is too much!

Chapter 346

Ah, my feathers are all messed up!

It wasn’t just the headmaster; it was everyone nearby who was the problem.

Especially the kids who crowded around—it was way worse with them! They weren’t gently patting my feathers; they were tugging them like they were playing with yarn! Thankfully, I looked scary enough and the fact that I had a Crown Princess caring for me likely kept any feather-pulling humans at bay.

After being hounded for about 10 minutes, Sylvia finally went back inside the building, and I could leap to my feet and run away!

Maybe they liked my feathers? I sighed and flew back up to the roof, leaving the sighing people behind.

This time, I carefully sat down, looking down to avoid breaking anything.

I had no clue what happened during the last fight that Sylvia caused. Honestly, even if I knew, what would it matter? I’m not running for office or anything.

I heard they stopped some war or something, and if that was true, Sylvia’s achievements would literally make her the main character.

And because of that, people could live peacefully like this now—and—

……

Well, I tried to wrap the story up dramatically, but considering I only participated in the last battle, I had no reason to feel moved or relate to it.

I had no love for this country, nor did I feel any sense of duty to protect this world.

Well, Sylvia was a worthy opponent to fight alongside, though.

“……”

After looking down for a bit, I thought maybe I should just go back down.

If people were just going to touch me, they’d back off with just a glare. For now, I could roam around and try some food.

There was hardly anyone on campus that wouldn’t recognize me.

Once I eat, I can just charge Sylvia for it, and she’d pay up, whether she liked it or not.

In other words, as long as I don’t break anything, I’ll be fine, right?

If I stare at food like I’m starving, someone will surely offer me some, right?

With that in mind, I tidied my ruffled feathers and stood up.

Alright, let’s go find out if there’s food that Gryphons shouldn’t eat.

*

In conclusion, it seemed that desserts didn’t quite agree with a Gryphon’s system.

I didn’t get an upset stomach or anything; I just realized that foods loaded with sugar didn’t really suit my palate.

They say people love sweet foods because high-calorie foods help with survival.

So does that mean a Gryphon has no need for that level of sweet food?

“Looks like you’re not too fond of cotton candy…”

When I barely finished half of my cotton candy and left it behind, the girl who offered it to me seemed a bit disappointed.

Just for reference, what I had eaten so far included sandwiches, skewers likely made of chicken, and various cookies, and among those, only the meat in the sandwich or the skewers were even remotely to my taste.

“Guess I’m a carnivore…”

Ah, that’s for sure.

In this world, there are herbivores, carnivores, and animals that do both. But the two animals that made up a Gryphon’s body were a raptor and a big cat: the eagle and the lion.

And both of them are typical carnivores.

…… So that means, in my mouth, bugs could be more delicious than vegetables? And I’m already a bird brain as is!

“Shall I go get a steak from that restaurant over there?”

I overheard a well-dressed male student, likely of noble background, say that, and as I turned my head in that direction, he stammered as if startled.

“W-What’s wrong?”

“Did you catch the word steak?”

I understood other words too, you know. I was deep in thought about how to make him carry out that request when—

“……What are you doing?”

I heard Sylvia’s voice.

“Crown Princess.”

Seeing Sylvia, who must’ve finished her work, the kids hurriedly bowed and greeted her. As if used to such a situation, Sylvia approached me with an indifferent expression, as if she were asking why I was causing trouble again.

But before I could protest, the kids spoke first.

“We’re sorry!”

“Huh?”

When the male student said that, Sylvia turned, looking surprised, and he continued.

“We thought your Gryphon wanted food since it was just staring at the food, so we offered it some…”

“Oh.”

Thinking back, it wasn’t really my fault.

At the time when Sylvia came out, I wondered if I had done something wrong again, but now that I think of it, it’s quite rude to feed someone else’s pet without the owner’s permission. It’s normal for the owner to get mad if that happens.

The kids must’ve known that, but still, it’s a Gryphon we’re talking about! If it were a little puppy, one might worry about poisoning it by feeding it the wrong thing, but with a Gryphon that’s way bigger than a person? It’s hard to imagine it would actually die from eating a piece of chocolate.

In the real world, bigger animals usually have fewer issues when it comes to eating various things.

…… I’m not Sylvia’s “pet,” but when I look at it from the incident’s perspective, it doesn’t seem like it’s really my fault.

“…… It’s fine, everyone. It’s not something you should apologize for.”

Sylvia looked at me, who was proudly raising my head, sighed softly, and then looked back inside.

As I was intently watching Sylvia, her gaze shifted briefly to my back, and when I turned around, there was a big clock behind me—a big clock fixed atop the academy building.

“I have plans with my friends, so I won’t have much time to hang out with you.”

I turned my head back to Sylvia as she spoke.

“You seem attracted to the smell of food. How about I take you around to get some food before I meet my friends? Would that satisfy you?”

Of course, I’d be happy with that.

After seeing me stand from my seat, Sylvia placed a hand on her forehead as if to relieve a headache.

*

In the end, I ate various things throughout the day but didn’t feel particularly full.

Normally, I could eat an entire cow in one sitting. Of course, eating a whole cow would leave me without any appetite for a while, but still!

I definitely enjoyed the festival atmosphere!

“It seems you enjoyed the festival to the fullest.”

Sylvia, who came back in a bit later, remarked in disbelief as she checked my state.

I had flowers stuck in various places on my body. I didn’t know who started it, but everyone around realized that I had flowers and crowns on, and they all just had to stick one in as well. Of course, some fell off along the way as I was walking around and even flying over!

Plus, among those who came to me near the school, there were quite a few outstanding beauties.

In that case, it was worth tolerating a guy’s hands brushing against me.

“Pweeeoo!”

As I made a happy sound, Sylvia chuckled softly.

Then, she took a few steps closer and looked up at me.

“……”

After staring at me in silence for a while, Sylvia quietly opened her mouth.

“Did you have fun?”

I gently nodded my head.

Yeah, I had fun.

Even though I wasn’t in a human body and couldn’t talk properly, it was still the most enjoyable I’ve had since coming to this world.

I had spent my entire life being abused. I’ve eaten cooked meat without blood or tried dairy products like cheese, taken pictures with people, and received flowers!

Feeling liked by someone is a fantastic experience.

“Do you regret following me?”

Sylvia asked again, and I just kept staring at her. She had a knowing look, like she was confident I wouldn’t regret it.

“……”

As Sylvia silently gazed at the sunset sky, she walked over to me.

“I want to see the night view; shall we fly for a bit? It’s slowly becoming the last day of the year.”

Last day of the year?

Wow, the festival must be a big one!

I flattened my body to make it easier for Sylvia to get on.

With the light weight of the girl on my back, I spread my wings wide and soared into the sky.

Flowers that had tangled between my feathers fell one by one. Speaking of which, how was it possible for flowers to bloom even in winter? Are there actually flowers that bloom in winter?

I soared with Sylvia above the sea of light.

While the technology of this world wasn’t on par with the world I lived in, the display of lights below was already stunning in its own right.

“I hope we can do this again next year.”

Looking down below, Sylvia expressed her feelings.

Her voice was soothing.

Indeed.

I hope we can do this next year, too.

If possible, for years to come, peacefully.

“Pweeeoo!”

“Are you answering in agreement?”

Sylvia laughed as I chirped, stroking my back with her hand.

“That’s nice. Then let’s go back. I have guests coming tomorrow, so I need to prepare.”

At Sylvia’s words, I turned my body around.

And headed back home.

To the home where I would continue living from now on.

Chapter 347

The protagonist’s party is overly diligent

~if sidestory~

For some reason, I ended up back on Earth.

*

Thinking it over, it seems like challenging the Goddess was possibly a mistake.

Of course! The opponent was ‘literally’ a Goddess, right? One with the power to drag my soul to another world and stuff it into a body she created.

It’s only natural that I would be at a huge disadvantage fighting such a being.

“……”

While gazing at the ceiling of my one-room apartment, I pondered and tilted my head again.

No, wait.

Wouldn’t it make more sense to think that everything that happened until now was just a dream?

Right? I woke up as a woman, and the world I woke up in wasn’t even reality. It was a world from a game series I liked.

No matter how I think about it, it seems more believable to think I just had a pleasant dream.

Thinking that way would probably be better for my mental health.

The thought that everything I did there was all for nothing, or that all the bonds I created just vanished—those kinds of thoughts weighed much heavier.

Thinking that I just had a long, nice dream that’s hard to forget would be way better.

…Though the real issue was that the dream was so long, I didn’t even know what I should do starting tomorrow.

What was I doing before I fell asleep?

Ah, should I just go back to sleep like this?

Feeling a bit empty, I considered closing my eyes again, but I soon got back up. I hadn’t died, so I had to gather my senses and get on with life.

I had to survive somehow, after all.

Wobbling to my feet, I headed for the bathroom. Checking my disheveled appearance was the priority. —

—And then I saw my face, wearing the tattered uniform of the Avalon Academy.

The clothes were in tatters, my face had stuff smeared on it, but there were no wounds. My body was the same.

Ah, right. Thanks to Gryphon’s magic, my wounds had completely healed.

As I touched my face reflected in the mirror, I also felt my body for confirmation.

I didn’t think I was seeing things. My body felt entirely the same as what appeared in my eyes.

I have… returned to my original world.

With my changed body.

“……”

Should I be happy about this?

*

And soon, I discovered a few problems.

I turned on the tap, but no water came out.

I tried igniting the gas stove, but tick tick tick tick, there were only sparks, and the flame wouldn’t light.

It wasn’t just the stove. The lights in the room wouldn’t turn on. I tried turning on the lights, but they didn’t come on—it had been a while since the electricity was cut.

I sat back down on the dusty floor and thought.

This is bad.

The last place I lived was on rent. Even if I wasn’t found dead, the contract would automatically end after the lease expired.

So I needed to know when I came back here. Naturally, the utilities would have been cut off, so it was impossible that the phone and internet services were still running.

How is there not a single clock in the house? Well, it makes sense. In modern society, you wouldn’t need anything if you have a smartphone.

That smartphone had long been dead and out of battery.

The one power bank I had was the same.

How do they calculate overdue electricity or gas fees? No, more importantly, I think there’s something specific that happens when all signals of a person’s residence get cut off.

“……”

The more I sat and thought, the more my mind wandered.

“I need to resolve something ASAP.”

I muttered and got back up.

Right. Now that I’ve come to this world, I need to solve the situation. I can’t just let myself die—

I have to survive.

First things first: what to do about the overdue utilities?

I have clothes at home anyway. The ones I wear now might not fit well, but if I tighten my waist, they shouldn’t fall off.

If it really doesn’t work, I can just buy new clothes once I go out.

Thinking that way, I rummaged through the desk drawer.

*

Isn’t this strange?

Amazingly, I’m still me in this world.

My wallet was sitting inside the desk drawer, and surprisingly, my ID in the wallet had ‘my current face’ on it.

If someone went and changed my info, that’s some seriously unethical stuff. Sylvia Fanggriffon’s face is clearly European. Even if my hair and eyes are black, that wouldn’t be enough to pass as Asian.

Plus, the ‘Korean ID’ in my wallet registered my name as ‘Fanggriffon Silvia’. That’s right. Shockingly, the name I used in the other world was still intact.

Thinking about it, it’s not impossible for a foreigner who naturalized in Korea to keep their name as it is.

My date of birth was also different. Calculating it out, I was just over 18—the threshold of adulthood.

So, does that mean I’ve become ‘this world’s Sylvia Fanggriffon’?

That doesn’t seem right. To clarify, this room was originally my old rented place. An old five-story villa without an elevator.

Moreover, the clothes I returned wearing were torn and damaged, the same ones I had rolling around on the floor just before.

That’s not something that can be easily made up. There’s even a wound on my stomach that matches the original hole, and the blood that couldn’t be washed out was still dark red.

Well, fine.

You wanna play this way, huh?

Even if saving the world and returning to the original world is a cliché, I don’t want that. I do have friends in this world, but I also don’t want to give up what I built over there.

Just as I’m dirty, I’ll return.

First, let’s handle the utilities.

*

Surprisingly, there were no overdue taxes.

Thinking back on it, I had set most of my utilities to auto-pay, so the money would have come out of my account even if I disappeared from this world.

Still, is the power and gas being cut off a courtesy from the Goddess?

I’ve never exchanged a word with her, but thinking about it, this might be part of some ‘order’.

“Phew.”

I let out a sigh of relief knowing that my wallet situation wasn’t as serious as I thought, and that I could exist in this world without any other problems.

Returning to Korea after several years felt both familiar and strange. I’d lived there for so long, and I didn’t know how time passed, but the difference between my last visit and now was only about a year. Most things remained as they were in my memory.

However, even if everything was just as I remembered, redoing things I hadn’t done in a while felt unfamiliar.

Waiting at the crosswalk felt a bit awkward, and standing in front of the ATM felt strange. Inputting my pin code on the touchpad and withdrawing cash felt the same. Walking into a mobile shop with cash in hand to reactivate my phone felt the same too.

In the process, I found it a tad embarrassing that my ‘Korean name’ was ‘Fanggriffon Sylvia’.

Finishing all that and sitting down at an internet café felt the same.

…And above all, the looks directed at me during the process were quite burdensome.

I received looks in that world too. But they weren’t the same kind. In that place, I was ‘of the same race’.

No matter how globalized Korea has become, with foreigners shopping, the ratio of ‘other races’ is still quite low.

Besides, if you’re incredibly pretty and speak Korean fluently, it would be easy to attract attention. The fact is, even if excluding race, I had an appearance that caught attention. In Azernar, every child around me had a pretty face, so it wasn’t that my looks stood out.

Sitting in the internet café, I charged my smartphone and resolved my bills through websites, and those gazes kept lingering on me.

…Let’s get home quickly.

I finished what I needed to do.

After leaving the internet café and going to a supermarket, even while buying daily necessities and checking out, the attention on my face didn’t fade.

It might be because I’m pretty, or maybe it’s just fascinating that a foreigner speaks Korean well. It could be both.

Finally, returning home, putting food in the pantry, and taking out cleaning supplies to tidy up the dusty home—

Boom!

“Eek!?”

Startled by the sound of something exploding in mid-air, I screamed.

At the same time, two objects came falling towards me from the spot where that something exploded.

One was shining golden, while the other was a glossy blue, both about the same size as me.

“Sister!?”

“Silvia!”

And those two objects that tumbled down to the floor called out to me.

…What on earth is happening now?

Chapter 348

My clothes looked like rags just like me, so I put on an outfit I had at home.

It was all loose and baggy, probably due to the size difference between men and women, but in its own way, it kind of suited me. Still, wandering outside like this felt a bit off.

Especially for Alice.

“Wow, check this out! Sis, what is this? There’s a disc inside like a round plate!”

“Claire, let me explain, but first, sit down here.”

I said this to Claire, who was hastily digging through my game collection. I wasn’t too worried since Claire wouldn’t treat my stuff carelessly, but still, I couldn’t help feeling uneasy about her touching things without knowing their purpose.

“Uh, wait a second. What’s drawn here—”

No, wait, that’s!

Seeing Claire pull out another package, I dashed toward her with all my might and snatched it from her hands. Thankfully, Claire wasn’t gripping it tightly, so it was easy to take away.

What Claire had pulled out was the latest installment of Chronicles of Aetherna that I played in this world. The cover naturally featured most of the game’s important characters, mainly focusing on the heroines.

Of course, Claire and Alice were also on it.

BEEP.

WEEEEEENG—

“Oh, it powered on. That’s right, isn’t it?”

I quickly turned my head when I heard the machine start up, and saw Claire powering on my console. Apparently, it was a touch-sensitive button, so just tapping on it would turn it on.

Maybe it was because I had just paid the electricity bill and came back? It seemed like the power had returned to the room that had been cut off. I mean, can it really come back this fast? Isn’t it usually supposed to take longer?

Setting aside those somewhat trivial matters, getting the game console up and running was more urgent.

The account login screen meant the game icons wouldn’t pop up immediately, but as I remembered, the game disc inside was the first installment of the Chronicles of Aetherna for this world. After playing through the latest installment, I had thought I’d go back and replay from the beginning to look for clues.

And due to the nature of game consoles, once logged in, the icon for the last game played would be displayed, usually with the game package illustration taking up the whole background.

I cut the power to the console’s multi-tap. The monitor and console’s power turned off simultaneously, along with the screen that had been active.

“Now, both of you, please take a seat.”

“Do you know what kind of world this is? You seem to know everything just by touching a few things.”

“That’s true. Now that I think about it, it’s suspicious. Not to mention that you were just coming in and out.”

Alice said while glancing toward the plastic bag I had brought in. A playful expression she couldn’t hide was evident on her face.

“Anyway, please sit down.”

“On this bare floor?”

“In this country, we usually don’t wear shoes when we come home, and we live sitting on the floor.”

And you two are already sitting on that bare floor. What’s the point of asking while you’re already in that position? Are you just trying to mess with me?

As I patiently explained, Claire shot her hand up like a student eager to answer a question in class.

“…Claire.”

When I called her out, Claire lowered her hand and asked, “If we live on the floor, why is there so much dust on the ground?”

“…That’s because quite some time has passed since I was displaced in this world.”

FLASH!

This time, Alice’s hand went up.

Alice wasn’t the type to enthusiastically raise her hand like that. While she studies hard, she’s generally hesitant to answer questions from teachers.

Did she catch Claire’s enthusiasm or find this situation amusing?

“Alice.”

As I spoke, holding back a sigh, Alice pointed at the lit LED light and asked, “What’s that?”

“…That’s an LED light.”

It used to be fluorescent, but I got permission from the landlord to change it.

“The light is pretty steady. It doesn’t seem like mana stone. It might be good to introduce it to the Empire. Is that possible?”

If they gathered an immense number of experts, it could be made possible in a few decades. But honestly, it’d probably be more efficient to research how to use electricity in that world.

“…Claire.”

Seeing Claire’s hand shoot up again, I called her with a half-hearted gesture.

“So where is this place? It’s not the world we lived in, right? I’ve never heard of a country like this at the eastern edge.”

“That’s right. If this technology existed, it wouldn’t have gone unnoticed by us.”

After alternating glances between the light and the console, Alice agreed with Claire’s statement.

We’ve gone around in circles, but I finally got to share what I wanted.

Grabbing the opportunity, I spoke promptly, “This is the world where I originally lived.”

“The world you originally lived in?”

Claire tilted her head.

“Alice, aren’t you surprised?”

“Well, I kind of felt that way the moment I crossed over. It’s strange to think that you, someone with a goddess-like being involved, would casually say ‘I was born in our world.’”

Then the conversation got going fast.

“This world is the original realm I inhabited. Thanks to that goddess of order, I ended up crossing over into your world. And when I ended up winning, the goddess either retaliated against me or did it for a reason, sending me back to this world… I think…”

As I continued to explain, I felt I was forgetting something, causing my speech to slow.

“…But how did you both end up crossing over?”

Just then, I recalled what I had forgotten and asked.

It had barely been a day since I came to this side. I didn’t know how the time flowed between the two worlds, but judging by how ragged my clothes were, I figured I must have arrived not long after the battle.

“Ah, that’s…”

Claire awkwardly laughed a bit before speaking.

“After you suddenly disappeared, I tried to follow you no matter what, but I realized there was still some power in the spirit.”

Oh.

Does that mean there’s still strength left in the spirit?

Seemingly reading my thoughts, Alice joined in right away.

“Exactly. Just like how you woke the world using the spirit, Claire brought the spirit out to follow you. I ended up following Claire, and we both ended up here.”

As Alice spoke, Claire stood up and rummaged through her clothes hanging on the wall.

And from the unfinished spirit she pulled out, a faint light was indeed emanating.

“Is there enough power to go back? There better be.”

“…”

Upon my words, Claire and Alice looked at each other suddenly. Then, simultaneously, they sighed heavily.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Uh, it’s just…”

Alice slightly avoided my gaze as she replied.

“To be honest… I thought for a moment that you’d want to stay in this world.”

“…”

I raised my head and glanced around my house.

It wasn’t cramped for living alone. It was a house I rented temporarily because of my job, but it wasn’t really bad living there. It was clean. The only downside was that roaches would crawl in if I left the windows open in summer.

“Any way I look at it, my old place looks much better.”

But that was true.

The room I lived in the Empire was way bigger and better than this place. There were no worries about bugs coming in, and I had plenty of money to do whatever I wanted any time.

Well, there were inconveniences, like not being able to play video games, but over there, the film industry was developing rapidly, and perhaps just like how the technology of the world I lived in advanced overnight, the same could be true for that world.

If I think about over-the-top technology, it might even be faster.

Who knows, maybe during my lifetime, a piece like Star●s could come out.

At my response, Alice smirked. No, it wasn’t a joke.

“For now, let’s stay here for a few days and observe the situation. I don’t plan on sticking around here either.”

“Sounds good!”

At my words, Claire shouted enthusiastically.

“While we’re staying here, I want to see how you’ve been living!”

“I’m curious about that too.”

The two of them looked at me, filled with anticipation.

“……”

I just watched those two silently.

And I recalled the countless books, games, figures, and merchandise in this room that scream otaku.

…I’m doomed.

Chapter 349

“How should I put it, it really feels like another world.”

This was Claire’s first reaction after realizing that their story was literally a ‘story’ in this world.

Should I show them or not? I seriously pondered and clashed those thoughts multiple times, but the conclusion I reached was, ‘In the end, it’s gonna get out anyway.’

I can’t just kick these two out. I have a bit of savings, but who knows how long we’ll be here? In that situation, sending these two to a hotel or motel is impractical in many ways.

Above all, I can’t irresponsibly leave those two in such a place when they haven’t even fully adapted to this world yet.

“……”

“Alice.”

“……”

“Alice!”

“Uh, yes!?”

“Please don’t stare so much at my lower half. It’s ruining your image of me.”

“Well, I didn’t want to! But with this kind of figure, what could I do!? It’s how I look! How can I not be curious about how this side was made!?”

Alice shot back in surprise when I mentioned that. It’s not often that 2D creations like this come out, so I couldn’t blame her for instantly zeroing in on it.

I could see why she would be curious. If I had a figure made of myself, especially if it’s wearing a skirt, I would also want to know what’s underneath.

However, that doesn’t mean I want Alice to be peeking under her own skirt!

The Alice I knew from Chronicles of Aetherna was an overbearing tsundere girl, definitely not one to peek into someone else’s skirt. If I had to nitpick, it’s not someone else’s skirt, it’s her own!

“More importantly, haven’t you already seen Ian? If anything, it’s my image that’s likely to shatter.”

Alice said as she slammed the figure down onto the table. The figure was facing my direction, so it felt like the little version of Alice was looking up at me, blaming me, which was a strange feeling.

“Sis, don’t I have a figure?”

I pressed my temples with my hands to ease the throbbing headache.

No, wait, maybe it’s better than mumbling about denying my own life in shock? I feel like I’d be floored if I said that my life has been just a story from a novel or a comic.

…But then I thought about it again; they already know that I rewound time. Their actions have been undermined, so it’s understandable that they wouldn’t be shocked by something like this.

Thinking back, I really did a reckless thing.

“So, what you’re saying is that we are part of a ‘video game’ story rather than a movie or novel? You mean it’s a game, but how does that work? Do we set roles?”

Alice asked, looking curious.

Was Alice always this curious?

“Why, why are you asking this? Is it weird that I want to hear the story I’m in?”

“No, that’s not it….”

Ah-ha.

As I pondered for a moment, I could start to understand why Alice seemed so excited.

This is completely a different country. No, a different world.

I hadn’t explained to them how the political system here works yet, but that doesn’t matter for now. For these two, this world was totally unrelated to them.

Since there’s no Fanggriffon royal family, there’s no need to worry about anyone looking.

It’s a similar feeling to the strange sense of liberation one feels when traveling abroad.

Of course, how long we’d be here is an issue…

“To play this ‘game’ from start to finish, you need at least twenty hours. You can start and stop, but since you two don’t know the language of this world, starting right now is…”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“More importantly, how long do you two plan to stay here?”

Alice was speaking in a tone that seemed more like ‘Well, if it’s long, we’d better put it off for now?’ and I genuinely asked her.

“Huh? We can’t go back right now, so it’s undetermined, right?”

“…If there were a way to go back right now, how long do you think you’d stay?”

When I turned that question back to Claire, she replied,

“…But I wouldn’t just go back right away, would I? I’m curious about what kind of world you live in. Right?”

“I guess I’d owe you a bit.”

Alice said that while looking directly at me.

“…Understood.”

I held back a deep sigh and said that.

*

I really have no idea how long these two will stay. It could very well end up being a year or more.

In that case, it’d be better to save money for now.

With that thought in mind, I took out the cup noodles I had bought.

I thought I’d eat for a few days, so I bought a variety to avoid overlaps, but the problem is that these two had never seen cup noodles before.

We’ve got a long way to go.

If I had just returned to my childhood, I could have just gone to school. But thinking about having to teach these two everything from scratch already made my head throb.

“Spicy…!”

“……”

On top of that, all the ramen I picked were painfully spicy. Spicy, spicier, and extremely spicy. In fact, the ‘spicy’ ones would be considered standard by Korean standards, but it seems exceptionally spicy for someone who doesn’t normally eat hot food.

Well, I once saw an overseas reaction video where someone said even the mildest Korean cup noodles were spicy.

“Alice, there’s water here.”

I handed the glass of water to Alice, who was grit her teeth in torment. Unlike Claire, who shouted that it was spicy and gulped down her water, Alice drank the entire glass in one go.

To be honest, I deeply regretted choosing only this kind of flavor for the ramen.

…After all, I hadn’t eaten spicy food in a long time, either.

*

It’s a studio apartment without a bed.

To be honest, I debated a lot about whether to buy this place or not, but considering the possibility of moving, I thought it was easier just to rent somewhere decent without the hassle.

…Still, I should have bought one more blanket or two.

I have the habit of rolling around before sleeping, so I made sure to get a bigger one, but since I hadn’t thought about anyone else coming over to sleep, I didn’t have an extra blanket.

I could get out the summer blanket, but it might be too cold if I cover it.

Though it ended up being a ‘by chance’ situation, my sisters did come to visit my place. I didn’t want to catch a cold.

Thanks to that, the three of us ended up lying down on a single blanket.

We managed to keep a distance without touching one another, but if even one person rolled over, someone would definitely end up outside the blanket.

“……”

After a while of silence,

“……Sis, are you asleep?”

Claire was the first to speak up.

“Not yet.”

“Me neither.”

Alice said softly in response to mine.

“……”

Another silence.

“Bringing this up in the current situation seems a bit off, but…”

Once again, it was Claire who spoke up.

“To be honest, this situation is a bit enjoyable.”

“……”

Neither Alice nor I replied for a moment.

To be honest… I still don’t know if we can go back to the world we were in, but yeah, putting that aside, I think I could agree with Claire.

And—

“When we wake up tomorrow, let’s all go buy clothes together.”

I said with my eyes closed.

“And blankets. We need shoes and underwear too… we have a lot to prepare. Since we’re going to be living here for a while.”

“I guess I’ll be in your care for a while.”

Alice said in a voice mixed with laughter.

“No need to worry too much. You two are my guests, so I have to ensure you’re well taken care of.”

—And, yeah.

If we can’t go back, I’ll be very disappointed. Alice and Claire would feel the same.

The reason we ousted the Goddess was that we wanted to enjoy our lives together in that world.

But even so, frankly, even if we stay in this world, I don’t think it’s the worst ending.

At least I was not ‘alone.’

“There’s no need to wake up early, but still, it’d be better to maintain a regular routine, considering the potential of going back.”

I told the two of them.

“Let’s call it a night for now. Tomorrow, I’ll give you more explanations about this world when we go outside.”

“Okay.”

“Understood.”

Claire and Alice responded in turn.

Since none of us could move much, I couldn’t tell who fell asleep first.

But at least I know that I fell asleep a while after lying in the middle.

Chapter 350

I’m glad my sisters are smart.

Usually, in situations like this, clichés arise where people from another world misunderstand those who originally lived here, leading to accidents. At least Alice and Claire didn’t do that.

From the start, there was no way I could let them use public transportation, like subways or buses. Of course, if they did, I would join them, but weekday mornings are usually crowded. If we ended up in a situation where we all couldn’t board because the doors closed, that would be a disaster.

That said, I couldn’t just keep having them wear my old clothes. I mean, I was born this way, and the clothes I wore as a guy were way too big for the three of us. Alice and Claire seemed to recognize that, and thankfully didn’t ask me why. Still, we desperately needed new clothes.

And just in case anything happened, I had to at least tell them a bit about the geography around where we live. We couldn’t afford to get lost out there.

…There were many other things to sort out, but for now, we decided to focus on getting clothes first.

Both Alice and Claire come from noble families. To be precise, Alice is from the royal family, while Claire is from Baron Grace’s Estate. The gap in their backgrounds is quite significant, but at the very least, they needed to have some common sense to survive in this world.

Both of them, following my advice, avoided unnecessary comments. Claire, of course, but even Alice seemed to have a lot of questions she wanted to ask while looking at the world with curious eyes. However, they didn’t ask anything that would make them look suspicious about what they should naturally know.

Of course, once we returned to the room, all those pent-up questions burst out.

“Why are these pants so short? If I wear a long top, it looks like I’m not wearing anything at all! Do people here dress like this?”

“Not everyone dresses this way, but there are definitely people who do it on purpose. I’m not entirely sure why. Maybe they think it looks pretty.”

And honestly, it does look pretty to me too.

Honestly, there would have been short skirts in the world we lived in before, right? The academy uniforms had pretty short skirts. We could adjust it a bit if we wanted to, but there were still limits.

Is it the difference between skirts and pants? Thinking about it, in that world, women wearing skirts was quite normal.

“What on earth is this made of? Is it thin rubber… no, that doesn’t seem right.”

“It’s probably made from something extracted from petroleum… I can’t say for sure, though, because I don’t know the details. It’s too specialized of a topic for me.”

I answered Alice as she fiddled with her windbreaker.

Okay, at least the clothes and shoes were taken care of. Thankfully, the underwear didn’t differ much from what we had in our world. Of course, the underwear worn by commoners looked much puffier than what we think of, but the ones worn by nobles or wealthier commoners were quite similar to what we’re used to.

It seems the price is based on how much effort goes into making it and how much leftover fabric there is.

Anyway, thanks to that fact, I didn’t have to teach these kids how to wear underwear. …If the types of underwear were different, I probably wouldn’t know how to wear them either. After all, I’ve never lived as a woman in this world before.

“So what do we do now, sister?”

Claire asked with sparkling eyes.

Her eyes, which have been shining bright since we first met yesterday, are almost mesmerizing.

Alice’s eyes sparkle too, but not as intensely as Claire’s.

“For now, it seems best if we study this world for a few days. Our knowledge of this world is quite lacking, but at the very least, you should be able to walk around alone when it’s urgent.”

“Are you going to explain it to us?”

I shook my head.

Even I think I’m not good at teaching someone. The reason I’ve hidden so much until now is because it’s ‘hard to explain and ambiguous’ so…

But thankfully, in this world, there are plenty of means to learn without knowing the letters.

Alice and Claire can’t read the letters of this world, but they can understand spoken language, just like I could when I crossed over to the other world.

Whether that would work for videos viewed on a computer, I’m not sure.

*

Fortunately, both Alice and Claire could understand the spoken words in the videos.

One more thing we realized was that the three of us—Alice, Claire, and I—could understand ‘all the languages included in the videos.’

The common language in that world was the Empire Language. There were also Velbur and some other country’s languages, but if someone were of a high enough status to talk to me, it seemed that using the Empire Language was a form of ‘cultured disposition.’

Thinking back, I had been able to interact naturally with people from all over the world in the previous world. Even when I ran into someone who spoke a different language, I could communicate naturally while recognizing that it was another language. Nobles from foreign lands would naturally converse with me in the Empire Language, but with shopkeepers or people in the streets who wouldn’t know such things, I could still talk to them if I set my mind to it.

Having crossed over to another world yet still being able to communicate seemed so normal to me that I hadn’t realized just how amazing that ability was.

“…So, this means that the foreign language skills you’ve had until now are the abilities you gained?”

I thought Alice was just naturally able to chat with foreigners as if it were an everyday occurrence.

Besides, there were plenty of instances where the word orders and vocabulary were similar too.

But like how Korean and Japanese have many similar sounds and word orders, it still wasn’t easy to learn the other languages properly.

“It’s still okay because I could talk with you, right?”

Claire said. Alice shut her mouth tight in response.

“You fell into the orphanage. If we hadn’t been able to communicate back then—well, if it were you, I think you would’ve saved me anyway.”

Claire smiled brightly at me after saying that, making me feel a bit guilty, even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.

“…Well, it seems having this ability is why we can communicate with someone here.”

Eventually, Alice nodded in agreement.

Fortunately, there were several videos explaining how to use subways and buses, and even how to transfer public transport in Seoul. It seemed targeted more towards people who were not foreigners but were using public transport for the first time in Seoul.

First, there were videos about traffic, and then there were videos about conversation methods between Koreans. Videos explaining basic etiquette were plentiful on -Tube, more than I could ever imagine.

With those videos set for us to study one by one, I started preparing dinner.

…It’s been so long since I last cooked, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I couldn’t do it properly, but still, I couldn’t just feed them instant food.

Before earning a decent income, I had to save money by cooking.

Taking out a cookbook I impulsively bought long ago at a bookstore, I found it sitting on the kitchen table where I’d left it, covered in a thick layer of dust.

Even after wiping off the dust, there were still some specks on the sticky notes I had attached throughout.

Those were marks for dishes I found delicious, ones that were okay to make when I was too lazy, or even ones that tasted reasonable even if I messed it up. Later on, I’d gotten so lazy about cooking that I ended up drawing the conclusion that rather than making one serving of a dish, I’d rather just order food because that was easier, but I suppose I used that book quite a bit for the first year after I started living alone.

In any case, there weren’t any particularly difficult secrets, and since I’ll be making three servings from now on, this is probably a better option than just ordering food every day.

Thinking like that, I grabbed some random sticky note and opened the book.

I spotted a recipe for spicy gochujang stew. Recalling the ingredients I had in the fridge, I decided that this would be dinner for today.

*

While I was cooking, I didn’t bother to keep an eye on Alice and Claire. I was a bit nervous since it had been a while since I’d cooked.

I focused intently on the recipe to avoid any mistakes and after finishing the cooking, I turned around to call the two—

“……”

“……”

I realized both of them were intensely watching a video.

The content of the video was a common gaming broadcast.

However, they were playing the Chronicles of Aetherna, and it had scenes with the companions we knew from that game.

Wait, how many people out there are watching this game as a stream??

Besides, it was a broadcast from a pretty woman, even if I didn’t know her name.

They seemed to barely understand the content of the game since they couldn’t read the text, but Claire and Alice’s eyes sparkled at the screen.

…Actually, I don’t know why Alice’s eyes are sparkling too.

Chapter 351

“So, the thing is, I mean, there’s really no reason I can’t do it, right…?”

Looking into Claire’s sparkling eyes, I hesitated a lot on how to respond.

After all, it’s tough to explain to a kid who’s shouting, “I’m going to be a celebrity when I grow up!” just how dirty and difficult it is to actually become one.

If she was a real child, I could just say, “Oh, really?” and move on since kids lose interest quickly, and she’d figure out how hard it is to be famous as she grows up. But if she really wants to do it, then it means she’s prepared for the challenge.

But Claire… well, she’s not technically a kid.

She has the initiative to do what she wants and actually goes ahead and acts confidently, just lacking a bit in common sense for this world.

And Alice over there—

…

Well, either way, being a singer or an actor is often an object of envy in both this world and the other. Sure, the behind-the-scenes of the 20th century was pretty disgusting, but it still looked glamorous on the surface back then and now.

I guess internet broadcasting is a different beast altogether.

“There’s nothing I can’t do, right?”

Claire parroted my words. Alice was oddly focused next to her.

The chances of the two of them becoming actors or singers in the other world don’t seem likely. It’s not about their personal abilities or appearances, but more about the positions they hold.

In the West, it’s common for people from good families to become actors or singers, but if you’re royalty or someone close to it, that’s a different story.

Alice is soon to be the Empress, so of course, she has various issues to deal with, and Claire… well, who knows what might happen in the future? For now, she’s a baroness, but since she recently found out about her bloodline, her future’s uncertain.

That’s a whole different story from another world, though.

…Hmmm. Is there a reason we shouldn’t?

When I think about it, it seems there’s no reason at all, huh?

The reason I haven’t done internet broadcasting is that I don’t want my face to be out there, and I wasn’t exactly pretty enough to succeed in the first place. If you’re not pretty, you’d better have some charm, or at least be good at gaming, drawing, or creating skits… basically, there needs to be something that others would find ‘worth watching.’

Well, I’m not great at gaming, drawing, or having charming conversation now either—

But I’m cute, right?

It’s not just that I look pretty because I’m a foreigner, but I’m genuinely attractive, right? Me, Claire, and Alice.

A trio of pretty girls standing together is bound to draw some attention, don’t you think?

Plus, we have quite the unique vibe. We’re ‘gorgeous foreign girls who speak Korean like natives’—

Ah.

But that ‘Korean’ thing? I’m the only one who really speaks it. I honestly don’t know if they’ll even sound Korean to the viewers when our voices are broadcasted.

…Not that I care much.

“Shall we give it a go?”

That means we can experiment with it, right?

After all, no one around here knows our faces, right? If we embarrass ourselves on broadcast, it’s not like it’ll lead to anything serious, and nobody’s digging up our past either. There’s frankly nothing to find.

We can tackle the language issue while broadcasting and if it’s really bad, I can just accompany them as the interpreter.

Claire’s eyes sparkled with excitement at my words.

“To be honest, I’m kinda curious. This is something that’s hard to replicate in our world.”

Alice also had a bit of a thrilled look on her face.

Exactly. Over there, they film videos and just rotate them on film.

“Since it’s late today, let’s get ready tomorrow morning and try for the evening.”

“Does it need a lot of preparation? Are we bothering you, big sis?”

“Not at all.”

Claire asked a little worriedly, and I smiled as I answered.

I knew we could always swap webcams with smartphones, and as for the mic… it’s just a test for now, so using the one built into the laptop will suffice. Gaming and all that can wait.

We have time until we find jobs, so we can figure things out as we go along.

*

I mentioned that no one knows our faces in this world, but technically, that’s not quite accurate.

Chronicles of Aetherna isn’t a game that every gamer knows about, but it definitely has a fandom. It’s quite niche in many ways, but it has figures, goods, and even an animated adaptation to its name, and it’s been around for quite a while.

After spending time in a world that was too realistic, namely South Korea, it slipped my mind for a moment, but the three of us literally just crossed into a world that mirrors the game’s own.

It’s no surprise we look just like the designs in the game.

To be picky, while the difference between 2D and reality means it’s not exactly identical, we’re basically ‘perfect cosplays.’

Even if our clothes aren’t technically from the game.

“W-What’s coming up… big sis?”

“Is all of that what people are typing?”

“….”

[Oh, you speak Korean well!]

[Are you the Fanggriffon sisters?]

[Wow, that’s amazing!]

[Wait, one of them is an imposter!]

Get out of here.

I banned the one who made the imposter remark right on the spot.

That was clearly directed at Claire.

The Claire sitting next to me had never been through something like that. I mean, it’s my fault that her future has completely changed.

“Everyone, please refrain from using harsh words. The people here are real.”

[LOLLOLLOL]

[Sounds just like a dubbed voice, didn’t it?]

…Hold on. My voice?

[Are you completely the Sylvia Fanggriffon with that voice?]

[Do you change your voice too?]

Glancing back at the chat, someone mentioned ‘Fanggriffon sisters.’

Wait a minute. I’m pretty sure I’m a character who doesn’t appear in the original work?

“Big sis, big sis.”

Claire nudged me, poking for my attention.

“What’s cosplay?”

[LOL, she doesn’t even know what cosplay is!]

[Is she pretending not to know?]

Hearing Claire’s question, I noticed those kinds of messages popping up.

[Did she dye her hair not even knowing she was cosplaying? Sylvia is kinda scary, haha!]

And then a 1000 won donation came in.

[Did she trick the other two just to match the concept? LOL]

[LOLLOLLOL]

[But honestly, that makes sense, LOL. They look just like the characters!]

“Sylvia? What are those people saying?”

Alice, who can’t read Korean, quietly asked.

Wait, hold on a second.

[But since they keep calling her Sylvia, doesn’t that mean they know it’s a concept?]

[This feels scripted.]

[Clarify!]

What clarification are you talking about?

I mean, looking at the chat, it feels like just some playful banter.

Caught in the chaos of the chat and glancing between Claire and Alice, who are oblivious to the situation, I made my decision.

“Well… yes, that’s right. I’m the one who got these two to cosplay. They might not know what characters they’re representing from some game, but I asked them to join me for this broadcast.”

“Big sis?”

I lightly grabbed Claire’s arm from off-screen. Claire quickly understood my intent and zipped her lips.

Alice seemed to catch on too.

“Actually, we just turned on the broadcast without any preparation, so we’ll be ending it here for today. We’ll properly prepare and be back to communicate with you all tomorrow.”

[Hey, why are you disappearing?]

[You just went through the trouble of cosplaying! Can’t we stay a bit longer?]

“That’s not it; we really didn’t prepare at all. As you can see, we’re still adapting in various ways… Yes. We’ll come back tomorrow. So long.”

Saying that, I clicked the broadcast end button.

“…….”

And then there was a moment of silence.

“Big sis, what just happened? What is this cosplay thing?”

“Cosplay refers to dressing up like a character from a work you enjoy or find fun, following their hairstyle and outfit. It’s not something you wear in everyday life, but it’s all in good fun.”

“I see, so it’s similar to how people dress up like ghosts during festivals. Some of those could be from ancient stories as well.”

Alice immediately grasped my explanation.

“So who are we cosplaying as?”

I picked up the game package that had been sitting abandoned on the table since yesterday.

“We are ‘characters’ from that story. I’m not sure why Jake’s story keeps coming up, but…”

…I need to head out early tomorrow to buy the latest Chronicles of Aetherna release.

And a capture board too.

Looks like I’ve got a rough plan on how to proceed with the broadcast.

Chapter 352

Last night, after wrapping up a brief test broadcast, I explained my brilliant plan to Claire and Alice before dozing off.

Honestly, I never thought the broadcast would go well from the start. No matter how pretty the person is or how much like the character they look, unless the broadcast spreads by word of mouth, it’s not easy to gather viewers.

Plus, the broadcast yesterday was a haphazard mess, just me with a smartphone camera, no lighting or anything. Pretty people don’t magically look good in front of a camera without some decent lighting.

But surprisingly, we had two-digit numbers in our room! And the tens place wasn’t even 1!

After the broadcast, I searched online and found that our three faces had been captured.

It was from that gallery I often visited in this world. Since it was a place where fans of the Chronicles of Aetherna gathered, I figured it made sense. Those who joined the broadcast must have seen the posts about it and hopped in.

For a brief moment, I thought about logging in with my account to say, “Hey, I’m the one doing that broadcast!” but that seemed like a risky move in various ways.

Galas don’t allow socializing. Even though I was a well-known figure, it was obvious that promoting the broadcast with that would get me blasted by trolls. Plus, I’d already made a mess with that nickname.

I finally had my identity washed clean, so there was no need to drag up my dark past just for a tiny bit of publicity.

Secondly, I saw potential.

It was just once, but we did receive some donations during that short time.

After all, online broadcasting donations exist to attract the streamer’s interest, so as we kept cosplaying—though technically, we were just being ourselves, in a way—the effort would surely help our finances.

If it doesn’t work out, I can always sell the stuff we gathered and look for a part-time job.

Anyway, the plan I explained to the two of them was to broadcast consistently and sincerely for a while. Claire seemed to agree happily, and Alice looked a bit relieved at the thought that it might help our living situation.

“But why would people give us money just for watching us talk?”

“Think of street performers. People toss coins into hats in front of them. On top of that, they earn the right to say something with their money!”

“Is that how it works?”

When I explained this to Alice, she made a funny face but didn’t seem opposed to our plan.

So the next day, we decided to head out a bit further to buy what we needed for the game broadcast.

And during that process, I stumbled upon a situation I never expected.

“…Where did this come from?”

“It was in my wallet.”

What Alice showed me was a resident ID.

Yes, it was the kind of ID that ‘Fanggriffon Sylvia’ magically appeared on when I crossed into this world, only with the name flipped to match the Korean order.

Naturally, Alice’s name on it was ‘Fanggriffon Alice’.

“I have one too.”

Claire chimed in, handing over her ID that read ‘Grace Claire.’

Both their wallets contained IDs we must have acquired while shopping for clothes together. Naturally, it should have only had transportation cards!

Yet both of them had IDs confirming they were adults.

“Did we undergo some sort of adjustment when we crossed over?”

I thought for a moment after Alice’s comment.

“…Maybe the Goddess oversees ‘order.’”

I wasn’t sure if that goddess controlled this world, but anyhow, our appearance here and Claire and Alice’s entry broke the order of this world.

And if we just left that empty spot after entering, it would create a significant hole. It would become a situation where no one would know where or how the two had come from.

We needed to create a reason; in that case, it was better to handle us as just Koreans rather than treat us as ‘illegal residents’—obviously, the former leaves fewer holes. Just because we were labeled illegal doesn’t mean we’re without nationality.

Creating an explanation about how we came here, how we settled… simple was better just to treat us as Koreans overall. After all, we’re all from another world, so there’s no nationality that wouldn’t cause a hole.

“The Goddess of Order is trying to make us blend into this world?”

“It’s not strange to think that.”

“Then the longer we stay here, the further we may drift from our original world?”

“…Sure.”

Indeed, as time passes, the Goddess of Order might attempt to fill our ’empty holes.’ After all, she’s been someone who wanted to create the orderly world she desires, even if it meant consuming the world itself.

Perhaps from the goddess’s perspective, this world is already perfect. Not in an ideal sense, but based solely on the one law of physics. Despite her creating a massive hole when she took me along with her.

“But in that case, the solution is simple.”

I replied to Alice.

“We just have to not forget that we are ourselves.”

“And tell others that we are indeed ourselves!”

Claire chimed in as she listened to our conversation.

“We should live in a way that screams we don’t fit in, making even the Goddess of Order cringe. That’s what you mean, right, sis?”

“Exactly.”

“……Indeed.”

So, it seems my plan should be to act as if I were waking from the illusion the goddess created.

I just need to show as many people as possible how bizarre everything feels.

“You really seem to enjoy opposing the Goddess.”

Alice noted with a smirk seeing my expression.

*

What we purchased was an external capture board, a microphone, a mic stand, and a monitor.

When I went to buy lighting, I found it was too expensive and more complicated to set up than I’d thought. For now, we decided to broadcast without it and adjust if we felt the need.

And…

“Is that really you drawn there?”

“You said you didn’t realize you came out of the game?”

“That’s right.”

And the latest product of the Chronicles of Aetherna.

Surprisingly, the cover featured me right next to Leo.

“It looks a bit different from the real deal.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. This one looks a bit cooler.”

“……So I’m not the real me?”

“Yep, the one drawn here looks a lot cooler.”

“True. It’s quite different from your real image… Ah.”

Alice, who had been chiming in beside me, seemed to have realized something and kept quiet.

Could she be recalling me from childhood? I hid my emotions far better back then.

[Claire really seems to have grasped it]

[It’s already evident that this world is a joke lol]

Then, while we were talking and looking at the game package, the viewer chats popped up.

…Are they saying my personality is just a concept in the game?

What on earth is my character like in that game?

“Anyway, today we will play the latest Chronicles of Aetherna. I’ve never played this game before, so please refrain from spoilers. If I see any, I’ll ban you right away.”

With that, I started unboxing the package.

*

The introduction of the game felt so familiar.

“Ah, just like when we first entered the academy.”

[???]

[Wait, did they really make that the concept? LOL]

[LOLOLOL]

Indeed.

Before the broadcast, I told them.

Since we agreed not to hide, they could just say whatever came to mind while playing.

Non-believers would think no matter how we acted, it was just a concept tied to the game characters.

And even if one of those people happened to believe it, what did it matter?

That was what we were genuinely aiming for.

Just—

“[Sis… Is that you, Sylvia, right?]”

—The issue is that, as always in the game, it wasn’t ‘fully voiced.’

And since it wasn’t fully voiced, parts of the dialogue were only presented in text.

Essentially, it meant I had to read the lines myself wherever dialogue didn’t show up.

I told Claire and Alice, who were worried, that I would read it without thinking, but this was far more embarrassing than I expected.

“Sis, really? Are you stuttering?”

“There weren’t any ellipses in the dialogue, were there?”

[LOLOLOL]

[She’s blushing over it! LMAO]

[She’s just like the real Sylvia, hahaa!]

[Concept, huh? LOL]

…..

Maybe I should just quit.

Chapter 353

“It seems the game story is a bit strange.”

“Huh? Strange? Didn’t the story start properly from the beginning?”

“That’s what’s strange.”

Claire, who just asked me the question, and Alice, who’s watching us play beside me, don’t seem to realize what’s odd about the game. But as someone who has played all the previous series, I can tell that the starting point is unusual.

In the story of the previous installments, everything had already wrapped up after taking down the Emperor.

Of course, some people died in the process, and the story itself ended on a somewhat gloomy note without reaching a conclusion.

“Ah, I see. This is the part that corresponds to the middle of the novel, right?”

Alice, sitting next to me, also commented on how strange it is.

Hmm, hmm

Hmm, hmm, hmm

Is it a trap?

“It’s not a trap. Although, I will kindly ban anyone who spoils the story.”

It’s Sylvia!

It’s really Sylvia!

Of course, it’s really Sylvia.

But I have no clue what kind of personality this Sylvia has in this game.

I think she hid her emotions pretty well in the beginning.

“Anyway, in the original work, the story was already somewhat resolved. We were able to thwart the Emperor’s ambitions.”

Back to the game story.

So, starting the game ‘from the beginning’ like this feels a bit strange. No matter how many new systems were added or new characters were introduced, isn’t it odd for the story to completely revert to the beginning, like some parallel world play?

Moreover, it’s not just a brief prologue; this has been going on for almost seven hours now.

Even though it’s been seven hours, if I don’t nitpick and just push through the story, this game series generally takes about 20 to 30 hours. We’ve effectively reached almost half to two-thirds of the way through, yet the story feels almost identical to the early part of the first installment in this world.

No, it’s not exactly the same, but…

Still, the answer to my question came quickly.

[…No. This is right. To save the people I liked…]

In her room, sitting cross-legged on the edge of the bed, that’s what the in-game Sylvia is muttering.

“Sis… So, she’s been living with such anguish…”

“…No, I’ve never felt such anguish.”

“Perhaps Sylvia didn’t think this deeply.”

What’s this? Is this a concept?

Looks like she’s trying to hide her true character by cosplaying, LOL

I kinda like it.

The game’s Sylvia seems to be harboring some feelings deep inside.

Surprisingly, her reasoning might be similar to mine. My ultimate goal was to finish the story without the characters I liked dying.

And, I actually succeeded.

*

The game itself flowed from Leo’s perspective.

That’s why it hasn’t mentioned whether the Sylvia inside there has the ability to turn back time, but there is a skill in the playable character’s skills that makes critical hit rates 100 percent, and using that skill allows one to pull up something from the back.

Moreover, the skill’s name was ‘Chrono Reverse’.

Given that skills or magic named ‘Chrono’ frequently appeared in this game, it wouldn’t be easy to think that the character named Sylvia is entirely a time-turning character just from that skill name.

In the first place, the effects when using skills in this game are—

“Wasn’t the background in a city just a moment ago? Why did we suddenly move to the top of a mountain and are now cutting snowflakes with a sword?”

Alice asked seriously while watching Leo’s movements.

“That’s game logic. Like poetic license.”

“…So, that means the griffon roaring behind me when I swing my sword is also game logic?”

Alice does have a skill that definitely has that effect.

“Exactly.”

“Still, my swordsmanship is quite ordinary. Except for when the surroundings suddenly darken. And my movements are too stiff.”

Claire made a plain remark about her swordsmanship.

But saying her movements are stiff seems more about a lack of skill than an inability to reproduce swordplay… or maybe not? It might make sense if she lacks the skill to reproduce the swordsmanship.

My swordsmanship?

Could it be that she’s acknowledging herself?

“Some of the viewers watching the broadcast are asking if the character named Claire in the game is actually you.”

“Huh? Of course, it’s me. You can tell just by looking, right? The name is the same.”

?

???

?

In an instant, countless hooks soared.

Of course, the expressions of the people beyond the screen probably aren’t bewildered or genuinely believing it.

They’re likely just laughing.

When someone compares someone extremely pretty to themselves, viewers tend to react like that. Many people watch streamers just for the fun.

Isn’t that a bit cringe?

“Even if it’s cringy, bear with it. You chose to watch this broadcast from the start. Didn’t you recognize it when characters that closely resemble the ones in the game appeared?”

I admit that

LOL, if it wasn’t for Sylvia herself, why would we watch this broadcast?

If she’s just going to babble the whole time, why would we be watching this, LOL

Right.

In the first place, not many people streamed this game because the game’s pacing is too loose.

It’s nice to play alone and enjoy the story, but since the gameplay style is turn-based, it loses some flair when showing others how to play, plus the dialogues come out as text, and each chapter is lengthy, so once a broadcast begins, it wouldn’t cover the game even if it continued until the end.

In the first place, game fans would prefer to play it themselves rather than watch it streamed. That’s JRPGs for you.

Why would they watch unless three beautiful girls are cosplaying and playing?

Well, they’re saying, what can we do if they’re playing it themselves, LOL? Santa actually exists; why wouldn’t the heroes in the game? LOL

“Thank you for the one-million-won donation, Sylvia’s husband!”

“Big Sis’ husband?”

“Claire, that’s just someone claiming that name for themselves.”

Alice replied to Claire’s reaction. Claire nodded, “Ah, right?”

“And yes, you have a point. Santa Claus exists. If there was no Santa Claus, who would leave the present by my pillow at midnight on Christmas Eve? Plus, the Air Force tracks Santa’s location every year on Christmas!”

LOL, that’s right LOL, Santa Claus does exist

Sylvia, protect your dream!

If it gets cringy, just leave!

As I plainly said that, the viewers defended us.

I mean, it’s funny to hear complaints about getting cringy in a place where we set the concept and are broadcasting. In that sense, what would happen to VTubers streaming while wearing 2D masks? If you don’t understand, just leave.

Well, although the ‘cringe’ reception we’re getting might also be because the three of us are pretty enough to be compared to 2D heroines.

“Ah.”

Just as the play was progressing smoothly, I suddenly felt a bit flustered.

Besides the game prologue, moments appear in the main story where you can periodically see ‘relationship events.’

And you can increase the affection level by watching these relationship events or by buying gift items from merchants during the game and presenting them to the characters—which ultimately determines the characters that appear in the ending.

After finishing the first week at the academy—meaning, after my first quest went south due to Claire and Leo’s diligence, and during the mock battle where I achieved a perfect victory by turning back time—during the weekend of that week, Leo could wander around the dorms.

“Oh, Big Sis, what’s this heart shape on the screen?”

And Claire instantly recognized the change on the screen.

There were three heart shapes, all glowing pink.

With each relationship event watched, the number would decrease, and after watching all three, that week’s events would be completed.

Originally, there were only two, but since I ensured to clear all side quests while playing, I gained extra points to have a total of three hearts to use.

“…….”

And if there are such events—

It means the character Sylvia Fanggriffon is also definitely attainable.

And in this game, when completed fully, there’s usually a kiss scene at the end.

The graphics and motions don’t make it feel that grand, but—

…I’d rather not go through that.

What should I use as an excuse for Claire and Alice?

Chapter 354

Alice’s hand suddenly shot out beside me and tightly grabbed my finger.

If the situation were romantic, I might have enjoyed the touch of the hand of the cute girl holding mine.

But right now, the reason Alice was holding my hand was to prevent me from moving it to control the controller. The reason was simple: she probably wanted to see me control ‘Leo’ to talk to ‘Sylvia’ in this situation.

“Alice, please calm down and let go of my hand. I haven’t done anything yet.”

“Well, I saw your finger going towards the ‘O’ button on the controller. It looks like a circle, but you’ve been using it to go back on the screen ever since.”

……How did she know?

Ah, of course. When you play games hard, you get a rough idea of how to control things even without knowing the language. You figure out what button to press to move on to the next screen and what button to press for attacks… Even when I was a kid and didn’t understand English or Japanese, I could enjoy the games at my cousin’s house, though it was a bit inconvenient.

However, figuring out the controls just by touching them a little is something that only comes from personal experience. If she could grasp the controls just by watching, that meant she had amazing intuition.

After all, even though Alice doesn’t have the power to turn back time, she could manage to achieve top grades at the academy. And her swordsmanship was also outstanding, enough to rival that of regular knights.

“……”

And when I fought her in a fair fight, I had no confidence in winning.

Even now, I couldn’t shake off Alice’s hand that was holding my finger.

“You’re trembling, so it seems you were embarrassed to choose for yourself. Sister, we want to see Leo talk to you.”

“……Didn’t you vehemently oppose my connection to Leo?”

“Well, that’s because the real you would connect with Leo, but in this story, it’s about the you in the game connecting with Leo.”

No, why do they assume I would connect with him?

The connection events are marked with hearts, but they could be seen with male characters too. There were stories where I put just as much effort into creating them, though there’s no overtly romantic content like with female characters, but ‘those with boundless imagination’ can easily imagine them being connected.

Of course, male characters hardly appear in this game. The only major male character in the noble class is Jake, and the rest are from the commoner class.

……Though I hadn’t even had real conversations with them. There weren’t that many, and they didn’t play a significant role in the main story.

Thinking back, it seems all female characters have the chance to connect if you see their connection events through to the end.

“……Alright. I understand, so please let go of my hand for now.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

[It’s not a cosplay, but a real concept]

[Is this an ad? Did you get sponsorship from Millennium?]

[Is this a back ad?]

“It’s not an ad.”

[If it’s free advertising, that’s funny too hahahaha]

[How much of a nerd are you hahahaha]

It’s fine if they tease me about being a nerd. After all, I’m a real nerd.

Plus, with a look like this, I don’t really have to be uptight. The world is quite unfair; as long as you’re good-looking, you can like any cute girl character and wear t-shirts with cute girls on them without getting too much hate.

If there are people who would even criticize someone in cosplay, those people would have extremely twisted minds from the start.

……Hmm, thinking again, it seems like there were quite a few comments of sexual harassment on pictures of cosplayers.

Fine, I’ll stay away from internet boards while I’m here.

[No! Sylvia is going to marry me!]

“Thank you for your support, but I have no intention of becoming your wife. Please calm down for ten minutes and come back.”

I put the supporter on a ten-minute chat ban.

Should I say I’m lucky or fortunate? Usually, crazy people tend to flock to internet streams, but given that the game we’re playing is a somewhat minor series and that we appear foreign by this standard, real crazies haven’t shown up.

I don’t know what will happen when actual viewership picks up later.

By then, I might have to hire a manager or something.

“For now, alright. Since the viewers seem to want it, I will… talk to Sylvia.”

“Sis, do you really have to read it?”

“Claire, do you want to hear your sister whisper sweet nothings with someone else?”

“Technically, I want to tease my sister with that.”

“…….”

“To be honest, it sounds funny.”

Alice chimed in from the side.

[Getting bullied by two younger sisters hahaha]

[Are you the eldest? hahaha]

“Wait. What do you mean I’m the eldest?”

“Hmm?”

Alice blinked at my reaction to the chat.

“Did I just say I was the eldest?”

[Uhm uhm]

[Uhm uhm uhm]

[Spoiler ban]

[It’s a trap!]

“No, wait a minute. How can Sylvia be the eldest? Isn’t she me?”

[Hahahaha]

[Hahaha]

[Hahahahaha]

The chat room turned into a sea of laughter.

Last time, when Alice and Sylvia asked me to explain a few simple expressions, I jotted some down, so they should understand what this means.

“Wait, please tell me what I need to do to hear you call me sister.”

[Trap?]

“It’s not a trap. Should I ring the guidance bell?”

[Just do what you were going to do]

[Okay]

[Go for Sylvia as Leo]

Oh ho.

So that’s what it means.

“Sylvia, upon thinking about it, I don’t think I need to pursue you. How about I pursue Alice instead?”

Alice gave me a serious look and said that—

“Anyway, there are three chances, so I’ll pursue you, Alice.”

“No, hey!”

Anyway, since it’s not the ending yet, there won’t be any kissing scenes right away.

So what I have to do is follow Sylvia’s route to the very end, and then at the end of the first year, choose a character other than Sylvia to make a promise with.

“Alice might end up as my sister?”

“……I can’t say for sure about that.”

Claire asked with curiosity from the side, and I almost laughed without realizing.

Then, I controlled Leo in the game and approached Sylvia.

Even though it was late at night, Sylvia was sitting on a park bench.

*

Leo cautiously approached Sylvia.

Sylvia, who would normally notice immediately, said,

“Crown Princess?”

“…….”

At the call of Leo, Sylvia turned her head to look at him.

“What is the matter?”

“Ah… um, no, I just happened to pass by, and I saw the Crown Princess…”

“……Is that so.”

And then there was an awkward silence for a while.

In the game, the two characters were looking at each other, but the dialogue box didn’t show up for about five seconds.

“There’s no need to be so stiff. There’s no rule that says you can’t talk to me.”

Only after Sylvia said that, a small font appeared showing Leo letting out a “Phew.”

“So, does that mean you had no reason to speak to me?”

“Correct. I was just wondering if I might have intruded—”

“As I said earlier, it’s not particularly wrong for you to have spoken to me. We are both students of the same academy.”

Sylvia was staring intently at Leo.

Still, due to the significantly improved graphics compared to the previous installment, even with her expressionless face, Sylvia was quite beautifully represented.

“I was just contemplating about you, Your Highness.”

“Yes?”

Leo appeared flustered by the sudden mention of the Crown Princess’s contemplation.

“Are you referring to… Crown Princess Alice?”

“That is correct.”

Sylvia nodded and then gazed silently at the sky again.

“I seem to have made some significant mistakes, and it appears that the Crown Princess is quite angry. I have been contemplating how to appease that anger.”

……For some reason, it feels like Sylvia in this world might have been able to turn back time once.

Of course, I had also turned back time several times by this point, so it was natural.

However, I didn’t think she would share such personal matters with someone she was meeting for the first time properly.

It was as if she had already experienced everything and felt like she was already friends or acquaintances with Leo.

“……Is that so?”

“Why don’t you ask what the mistake is?”

“……Am I allowed to ask about a mistake?”

“……Well, if I were to tell you what the mistake is, would you also get angry and contemplate it?”

“……Yes?”

“No, I’m just joking.”

With an expressionless face, Sylvia said that and stood up from her seat.

“It’s late at night. Would you like to head back to the dormitory now?”

“Y-Yes? Ah, yes…”

As Sylvia got up and left Leo standing there in a daze, she swiftly walked away.

Chapter 355

Hmm.

I can’t quite grasp what mistake Sylvia is making.

When I was in that world, Alice getting angry or annoyed with me was more than just a few times.

Of course, ever since entering the academy, that barely happened, but…

Could it be that I couldn’t give up morphine even after going to the academy?

If the Sylvia from that game knew about the future in advance and was trying to prepare for it in any way possible, she might have used ‘all means’ to do so.

And she probably would’ve tried to take all the blame herself.

That’s a classic character cliché, isn’t it?

For some reason, I could predict a bit of the future for Sylvia in the game.

Taking all the blame alone, acting as the villain, and then getting saved by the protagonist, Leo, or something like that.

“Hey, sis. The sauce is dripping.”

Hearing Claire’s voice brought me back from my delusions.

What I was holding in my hand was a hamburger.

I actually made quite a bit of money from the broadcast yesterday. It wasn’t an outrageous amount, but it was enough that stepping out for a meal wouldn’t completely wreck my savings.

Honestly, if I just focus on increasing my viewers, could I survive on streaming for a while?

I thought about whether I could make extra money by editing and posting videos on streaming sites, but I figured that might be something to think about later.

After all, I’d either have to learn editing myself or find a separate editor, which would cost time and money.

I bit into the hamburger with my mouth full.

It felt like I was eating ‘unhealthy food.’

In fact, even though hamburgers are generally considered unhealthy, if you break down the ingredients, they don’t seem that bad.

But this greasy flavor felt like it was directly piling fat onto my body, making me feel guilty while eating it.

Still, it was that delicious.

“I can’t believe how delicious this is even though it’s not that expensive.”

Alice said with a serious expression as she looked at the cheeseburger she was holding.

Of course, it wasn’t just any cheeseburger. I wouldn’t go so far as to be stingy and only buy them the cheapest burgers since the sisters haven’t been in this world for long.

“With two beef patties and a bunch of cheese, it couldn’t possibly taste bad.”

That’s right. It’s a burger with two thick beef patties, cheese in between, and cheese layered between the buns and the patties as well.

It’s a combination that couldn’t possibly taste bad, so it was delicious.

…Thinking about it, I wonder why there aren’t even such simple foods at the restaurants in the Empire of Aetherna. Did the developers just stick too closely to their setting?

Honestly, wouldn’t a fish and chips sandwich taste good with a piece of bread on the bottom? Why do they never think of that while stuffing everything between the bread?

“I think I’m going to miss this…”

Claire, who had been eating equally tasteless street food, looked like she might cry.

…Seriously.

I think I missed it a ton too.

Living in the Empire for so long made me adapt to their food, but I would occasionally think about it.

…Could it be because there’s no country called America in that world?

I watched the two sisters happily munching on their hamburgers.

Both were wearing outfits reflecting modern fashion suitable for this world. Claire wore short denim shorts and a long-sleeved t-shirt, looking a bit like a university student, while Alice, in her cotton pants and shirt, appeared quite professional. Interestingly, neither of them looked out of place despite the age difference.

For reference, I just wore jeans and a hoodie but ended up in a look that was almost as short as Claire’s shorts, with a sleeveless top and a shirt on top.

I wanted to wear something a bit more modest, but their request was overwhelming, so I eventually caved in.

“By the way, about that game we were playing yesterday…”

Claire finished off her burger that had shrimp and beef patties in it and reached for a chicken burger that she ordered extra.

“It felt a bit different from the sister we knew, didn’t it?”

“Definitely, it seemed a bit different from what we went through.”

In response to Claire’s comment, Alice replied like that. Alice had already finished her burger and popped a handful of fries from the three plates spilled onto a tray into her mouth. Of course, Alice still had an unopened burger in front of her.

“If you both keep eating like that, you’re going to get fat.”

“It’s fine. I plan to move around a lot.”

“…Where are you planning to move around?”

I asked, intrigued by Claire’s confident answer.

My room isn’t even big enough to exercise, and the sound insulation is so poor that if I move too much, someone from downstairs will come up to complain.

“Just run around the streets, I guess?”

“Well, even if the room is small, there’s a park nearby, so why not train swordsmanship there?”

“…In this country, carrying swords around carelessly isn’t exactly allowed. It’s not easy to find places to get them either.”

“Really? Then what do you use for self-defense?”

“Even if there’s a need for self-defense… if I walk around the city with a longsword, people would think I’m crazy.”

Crime doesn’t completely vanish in a country known for its top-tier safety, after all.

Honestly, considering the average stamina and fighting skills of people here, wouldn’t Alice or Claire be able to dominate adult men?

Could they unleash their sword energy with a kitchen knife?

“I’ll teach you how to exercise instead.”

I thought about getting them a gym membership, but I have a feeling the workouts they’d do there would be different from the typical workouts people usually do.

Most importantly, I don’t want to go there.

If they go to the gym, I’d have to follow them, wouldn’t I?

I finally managed to escape from under the Sword Saint, and I didn’t want to go there for intense workouts either.

I want to relax while I’m living here.

*

In any case, I wanted to choose an activity to stay comfortable, so I went with cycling.

There wasn’t exactly a place near my house where I could ride a bike freely. The area is generally set up without much distinction between sidewalks and roads, so while it’s still possible to ride, it feels a bit unsafe.

While it’s dangerous for the two of them, if by chance, we had a blast riding a bike, and I scratched a car, it would be tiresome.

Besides, I thought it would be fun to show them the cool spots in my city.

So, I decided on Yeouido.

Though not super close to home, it’s still manageable by subway, and the Han River isn’t far. Plus, there are politically significant places that Alice would like, and—most importantly—there’s a large park.

I’ve never seen Claire and Alice walking around with bikes. I don’t know if Claire learned to ride at home, but Alice has definitely never learned.

Moreover, the last time I rode a bike was back in middle school.

I’m sure you never forget how to ride a bike, but still, there’s that small chance…

“Wow…!”

Alice exclaimed in awe upon seeing the vast park.

To be fair, there was a large grassy area at the academy, and even one in the Grace territory.

But after suddenly coming out to an open area from a densely built city, it was natural to react like that. The place where I live isn’t that far from an apartment complex, and we had just been to a crowd of buildings to shop for clothes.

It’s not necessary to buy a bike when you can rent one. The city offers affordable rental bikes. As for helmets… since today would be just about learning how to ride, I figured they might not be needed.

In fact, with the two of them, even if they fell off, I felt like they could bounce back up and regain their balance.

Let’s just see how today goes before deciding anything.

“Alright then—”

As I said that and turned around, I heard the distinctive sound of a bike chain whirring.

Claire was already riding around us in circles.

“…Have you ever ridden a bike before?”

“Hmm? Nope? I’ve seen people ride, but it’s my first time trying it myself.”

“And how come you’re able to ride so well, then?”

“Well, it’s just about balancing properly, right? If you lean in the direction you’re about to fall, you won’t fall at all.”

“….”

I wondered how I was when I first learned to ride a bike.

Didn’t it begin with my dad holding on to me then? I think I had training wheels forever before I somehow learned to ride.

“Don’t feel too down. Claire is just the weird one.”

Alice consoled me, noticing my expression.

No, I haven’t changed my expression at all.

I still don’t get how she figures these things out.

“So, um… could you teach me how to ride?”

Alice said, looking a bit embarrassed.

Yet her eyes were enviously following Claire.

Well, at least it seems at least one of them would be easy to teach.

Deciding not to think too deeply, I moved on.

Chapter 356

Do you know that?

Claire is cute.

Actually, she couldn’t not be cute. She was one of the “heroines” in the game, so she had a pretty face and a great body. Plus, her personality was absolutely not bad and she was active, so it was impossible not to find her cute.

Alice is the same. She always pretended to be strong and acted a bit bossy on the outside, but inside she was fragile. Moreover, once you got close to her, she became incredibly friendly, making that gap extremely cute.

But her stamina? Not cute.

Neither Claire nor Alice.

Bicycles were the most fun exercise equipment among all the workout gear I knew. Just a little effort could let you zoom off pretty far and fast, so even a little bit of exercise felt great in terms of accomplishment. It makes you think, “Didn’t I hardly move to get here?”

From what I heard, it doesn’t strain the joints either. Other exercises can put pressure on the joints if overdone, but cycling is considered quite safe in that regard.

The problem was that I underestimated Claire’s stamina.

It was the first day of biking, and I thought we’d just ride around a little bit, which was somewhat true.

Somewhat.

“Hey, sis! Why are you loafing around? Pedal a bit harder! You can do it!”

I don’t even know how many times I heard that.

The most ridiculous part was that Claire didn’t say it while running beside me.

She had zoomed off to the other side of the park, turned, and came back around to my side, sparkling her eyes and making that comment.

“Uh, well, I’m still getting there. So you can go ahead.”

That was all I could muster as a response.

Then Claire said, “Really? Then I’ll go first!” and took off ahead.

Fortunately, Claire and Alice weren’t the types to act recklessly and get into trouble. But neither could they be called “well-behaved.”

Today was the first day, and I strictly insisted we not leave the park.

The problem was, Yeouido Park wasn’t so small either.

As soon as Claire arrived, she gasped at the open space, exclaiming “Wow!” It was that vast.

Not that it was worldly huge or anything, but surely it was wider than an average school playground, right?

Trying to catch up with Claire, who was spinning around that open area, wasn’t easy.

Claire seemed to know better since there were people around, so she spun at a speed she could manage, but after a while, it would wear anyone out who tried to follow.

“Hey, Sylvia, struggling?”

And while running, I heard that voice beside me.

It was Alice.

Unlike Claire, Alice didn’t pass us up. She ran slightly ahead next to me, glancing back occasionally to ask.

Alice, who was riding for the first time today, surprisingly seemed better at it than me, who hadn’t ridden in a while.

While I was weakly moving my legs and swaying left to right, Alice rode smoothly without any wobbling despite biking for quite some time.

“I’m… fine.”

I didn’t lack stamina. I definitely trained under the Sword Saint, learned how to wield a sword, and participated as a soldier in battles. I even fought through a battlefield with bullets flying everywhere and led us to victory.

The problem was, I could achieve that because I maximized my stamina management.

While I definitely had the stamina for a fight, going against two people who had an abundance of energy—while I mindlessly pedaled without any of my usual planning—was completely different.

“If you’re too tired, just say so, okay? How about we sit there and take a break?”

Alice suggested casually as she glanced at a bench we just passed by.

Is she messing with me right now?

This is like the person who taught me how to bike making fun of me for not knowing how to ride!

Alice’s grin poked at my pride, and it looked like she was thoroughly enjoying herself.

Could it be… she’s getting back at me for losing to her as kids?

“Well then, shall we go sit and rest together?”

“Hmm? No, I’m actually having quite a bit of fun. If you want to rest, just go do it alone. Don’t worry about me. I’ll only bike as far as what I can see.”

That meant she would continue teasing me within my line of sight.

“…”

I gritted my teeth.

Even if I couldn’t match Claire, I wanted to pass Alice, who was deliberately staying a bit ahead of me.

“Go ahead and keep trying if you want to.”

And it seemed she understood my determination, as Alice smiled and replied.

*

In the end, the one who fell behind was me.

It was inevitable. Among the three of us, I had the least interest in stamina training.

But seriously, how can these two be just fine after devouring all those burgers during the day? Could it be that people from Azernar have different organs from Earthlings?

…But thinking about it, my insides might be the same, huh? The body I’m using isn’t even my ‘original’ body.

“Oof, how’s a young lady this tired, huh?”

As I was catching my breath on the bench, I heard that voice from behind me.

I lifted my head from where I was slumped down.

A kindly looking old lady was saying that while handing me a bottle of water. A 500mL plastic bottle.

“No… I’m, it’s okay….”

“Oh, come on, drink up. After exercising, you need to rehydrate.”

“……”

I stared blankly at the old lady and eventually accepted the bottle.

The water was fresh.

“Thank you.”

After lightly thanking her, I took a sip of water when she continued speaking.

“I was just thinking about my granddaughter. She’s studying abroad right now. Are you a student studying in Korea too?”

I swallowed the water in my mouth.

“Ah… I’m Korean.”

“Oh, really?”

The old lady’s eyes widened a bit.

Claire and Alice, who had been cycling distantly, seemed to find it distracting that I was talking to someone else, as they quickly came over.

“They’re both Korean too.”

Since the three of us had our wallets, we could show it if needed, but… there was no reason to, unless it was the police or something.

“Oh dear, I made a mistake. I’m sorry.”

The old lady said with an obviously embarrassed expression.

If I were truly a Korean mixed with foreign blood, this comment might have stung, but considering our trio was in a basically foreign situation, there wasn’t any reason to feel offended.

In fact, it was more that my ID suddenly appeared, but isn’t that essentially hiding my nationality?

“No, it’s fine. I get misunderstood a lot.”

As I spoke while looking at Claire and Alice, the two of them awkwardly smiled. The old lady probably misinterpreted our uncomfortable expressions as feeling bad about the national mix-up and hurriedly continued talking.

“Oh, so are you three sisters?”

With hair colors all different, how could she assume that?

Of course, you could think Claire dyed her hair.

“Yes! How did you know?”

But Claire immediately reacted to that question.

“Oh, you all look alike. Then who is the eldest?”

We all fell silent at that.

Claire calls me “sister,” Alice insists she’s the eldest, and I never denied either of those. So, I guess Alice is the eldest, but honestly, I wasn’t keen on saying that out loud.

“This one is the youngest, and we’re still debating who the elder among the other two is.”

I pointed at Claire and said that.

Claire clearly wasn’t pleased about being considered Alice’s little sister, but she didn’t push the argument any further.

“So this one is the younger sister, and the other two are twins?”

Upon hearing that, Alice chuckled briefly.

“Do we look that much alike?”

Without a hint of doubt, the old lady nodded.

“All three of you are spitting images of each other. You could go anywhere and people would think you’re sisters.”

Didn’t she fail to recognize us at first?

But I had no desire to nitpick.

“Yes, we hear that a lot.”

Alice replied cheerfully to the old lady, and Claire did too.

Sisters, huh…

Honestly, I don’t share any blood with the two.

I briefly thought about that, but glancing at the two who seemed to enjoy their conversation with the old lady, I figured it didn’t matter.

Right, if that’s how others see us, then it’s good.

Watching the two happily accept that fact made me feel good too.

Chapter 357

[Did the other two jump in the middle? Why do they look so tired?]

Get out.

The moment I turned on the stream, there was a guy babbling nonsense, so I banned him immediately.

“From now on, anyone who talks nonsense will be banned right away.”

[Eh eh?]

[I knew that one would get banned.]

[Even so, that’s a bit much to do to a sister.]

[But are they really sisters?]

I banned the last guy who spoke nonsense without a word.

If they’re sisters, they’re sisters; no need to speak too much.

“What’s going on?”

Alice, watching my hand movements from the side, asked.

“Nothing much. Just a rude person.”

“Hmm, really?”

While I turned on the console, Alice, who had been quietly staring at the chat window, spoke.

“I guess it’d be better for us to learn the writing of this country together?”

“……”

Honestly, I didn’t want to put that much pressure on them.

But who knows how long these two will stay here? It might be better to learn writing after all.

When I looked at the orb Claire brought, the brightness it emitted hadn’t changed much either.

“That might be a good idea.”

“Me, me!”

Claire raised her hand high.

“Claire.”

“I, actually, can read a bit. I’ve been comparing it while my sister reads next to me.”

To be precise, she meant she could match what I say with the writing. She probably doesn’t know the pronunciation. I had read everything in Korean without any translation.

But it shouldn’t matter too much, right? Even if there are slight differences in details, if Claire reads it, it’ll be translated in people’s ears automatically.

Or maybe every little pronunciation will be translated properly. Since the Goddess of Order turned us into Koreans, it’s only reasonable for that to happen. Thinking about ‘order,’ it makes more sense.

“Hmm, I’ve also been trying hard on the side, so like Claire said, I think I can read a bit, but if I want to read it properly, I’ll have to learn directly.”

Alice said that, and I shrugged my shoulders.

“Then let’s start learning to read from tomorrow. Once you know how to read, you can help me with things I usually handle alone, making things much easier.”

Both of them nodded happily at my words.

[You can speak Korean so well yet can’t read?]

“……… It’s because these two learned Korean from dramas and movies.”

[Wows! Wows!]

[Can you really learn Korean so well just by watching dramas and movies?]

I didn’t need to respond to that.

It’s good for us if those people suspect our situation even more.

*

It seemed Millennium was a bit concerned about the story repeating itself as well, so after introducing the character Sylvia Fanggriffon at the beginning, they quickly moved the plot along.

And the story was very similar to what we had experienced.

Just like I rushed through things that would take a few years to happen because I knew the future, Sylvia in there was just like that.

And back to a brief break between the main story.

“Aren’t you going to reconcile with Sylvia?”

“Yeah.”

Ignoring Alice trying to stop me from the side, I was currently on the attack with Alice.

Not all character relationship events appear all the time. They can show up as time passes in the game or not. It’s a matter of course. If all characters were always nearby waiting for Leo to speak, wouldn’t that be super unnatural?

In this case, since I couldn’t choose Sylvia to avoid wasting relationship event points, I was fortunate Alice was in a selectable state.

And the conversation between Alice and Leo went like this.

“Can I know the reason?”

“It’s a reason you don’t need to know.”

“……That may be true, but just keeping everything to yourself is only going to hurt. Sometimes, letting out the worries you’re holding inside is much easier.”

“Why should I spill that to you?”

“Because Sylvia, you, and everyone are my friends now.”

In the original story, Leo had been struggling and using honorifics with Alice until midway through the first episode, yet now he spoke casually.

Seeing this, I was convinced that this world was already a time-reversed world.

The Leo I had seen in the fantasy was now easily speaking to us, unlike before. Just like the Leo I was seeing in the game now.

“……”

At Leo’s words, Alice’s mouth fell open in shock.

Awkwardly, the background music that had been flowing smoothly cut off, creating a somewhat embarrassing atmosphere.

“Ha, haha…”

In the game, Alice burst into laughter.

“Hahaha!”

After holding her belly and laughing for a while in a slightly awkward motion,

“Haa.”

She let out a sigh.

But it wasn’t a sigh born from dissatisfaction with the situation. More like a comfortable sigh as if she had released something heavy inside her.

“You, what in the world are you saying to the Crown Princess?”

“……”

When Alice asked teasingly, Leo looked away and scratched his cheek.

“……Huh, well, if you really want to know. But, don’t tell anyone else… I mean, I hope you don’t think I’d tell my sister’s secrets to others.”

“I swear.”

“……”

Alice hesitated for a moment and then said.

“In Sylvia’s room, Morphine came out.”

“Morphine?”

Leo asked with a surprised expression. Alice nodded with a somewhat heavy face.

“Yeah. Of course, it’s not that Sylvia was using it. Sylvia didn’t show any signs of using such a drug. You know that, right?”

As Leo nodded, Alice continued with a serious expression.

“I feel like I can guess what Sylvia is thinking, but I don’t really get it. You know. We’re Crown Princesses. Even if someone fights, there will definitely be a healer or magician who can use healing magic alongside. But is there really a need to use such Morphine? What could possibly be the reason to fight like that? Sometimes, Sylvia acts like she knows the future, so she must be thinking something, but I don’t know what.”

“……”

“……Sylvia and I might not have always gotten along, but if something like this happens, I wish she’d at least let me know. Not that I’d depend on her, but yeah, just like you said, we can share worries.”

“If that’s the case, isn’t it better to reconcile?”

“I know, I do. I know I should. But I don’t know how to bring it up. Even now… even while saying this, I’m not completely trusting Sylvia. So, it’s just… complicated in so many ways. Honestly, I don’t know what’s what. That’s why it’s frustrating.”

“I see.”

“Yeah… but thanks to you, I feel a bit lighter. Alright. I’ll try to make an effort.”

“I’ll help if I hear of anything.”

“Just saying thanks is enough.”

Alice said that and smiled softly like she was teasing Leo.

*

Then the real Alice next to me narrowed her eyes and glared at me.

As for me, ever since I got caught, I hadn’t brought any narcotics to school, so this was the first I was hearing of it.

“I’ve never done drugs or anything like that.”

“Really? All that time? You’ve never used it even during battles?”

“If I had, I would have been addicted by now. Have I shown any symptoms of withdrawal since coming to this world and being with you all?”

“……Well, you haven’t.”

But Alice’s eyes were still narrowed, so I held back a sigh and continued.

“And there’s no need to worry because I also haven’t used drugs while rewinding time. Would I really be hiding something from you now?”

“……Well, that’s…”

When I looked her straight in the eyes and said that, Alice turned her gaze away, looking somewhat embarrassed.

“But there was a possibility, right?”

Claire said, looking a bit shocked.

“……That possibility has been thoroughly crushed by Alice, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

When I said that, Claire looked at Alice.

“Thank you for protecting my sister.”

“Protecting my younger sister is what big sisters should do.”

“Cough.”

At Alice’s words, it seemed Claire was touched to the point of tears.

[They seem to have a good bond, it’s nice to see.]

[They really look like sisters.]

Well, that’s right.

They are indeed real sisters.

Honestly, if I had been here alone, I would probably feel my mental state cracking day by day. So, being able to hold on like this is thanks to having these two companions to spend every day together with, enjoying life.

[Oh wowwww, is it sisterly yuri? www]

Get out.

I banned the guy who was talking nonsense without any hint of awareness.

Chapter 358

Two weeks have passed since the three of us arrived here.

For me, there was no need to adapt to this world again, so I didn’t have to worry about any adjustment period, but Claire and Alice’s situations were a bit different. It wasn’t just that they were in a foreign country; they were in a completely different world.

A world with completely different natural laws.

There’s no magic here. Even if I learned how to use magic back in the other world, it wouldn’t work here at all. Probably for the same reason, Claire and Alice wouldn’t be able to unleash sword energies or anything like that. Besides, their physical abilities seem to be the same as when they were in that other world.

But if we were to argue which of the two worlds is more complicated, this world is definitely much more complex. Back in the other world, they could put things together with magic, but here they need to develop technology, create a ton of materials and blueprints to do the same.

It’s like this: If you’re used to electronic devices since childhood, you can adapt quickly when you encounter something different later. But if you’ve lived away from such machinery, it takes forever for old folks like me to get used to it. This is even worse nowadays since the gadgets people carry around have gotten more advanced and have more functions.

So, I thought it would take these two a lot longer to adapt to this world—and then—

Ahahaha! Sis, why are you so slow!? Run a bit faster!

Not even a week after learning to ride a bike, Claire was zooming past me so swiftly and steadily, I couldn’t catch up.

Look here! Did you know this function existed?

Alice, having just learned to read, was playing around with my smartphone and showing me new features I didn’t even know about.

…These two are adapting to this world way too quickly.

Now, even taking off their shoes when entering the house has become way too natural. Whenever I leave my shoes lying around, they come in and tidy up after me without a second thought.

When I see Claire, lying on the couch, snacking from a bag of chips while watching a streaming site on the 32-inch monitor I placed in my old room instead of a TV, who would suspect she’s a hidden crown princess from another world? She looks just like any other high school or university student with over 90% of Korean blood in her veins.

To be honest, Claire only looked a bit awkward at first. Looking back, her personality hadn’t changed that much. I think she would have lived like that in a traditional house too. With the Baron Grace couple controlling her gone, it’s no surprise she’s rolling around like she’s finally free.

The problem is, Alice is also beginning to show signs of relaxing.

…What are you staring at?

Alice, who was lying sideways watching a video next to Claire, asked as she stretched her legs out on the sofa.

…Nothing. I just thought you seemed a bit… repressed until now.

…

Alice opened her mouth for a moment in response to my comment, then closed it.

Realizing that she indeed felt far more relaxed than usual, she straightened her posture.

But honestly, she looked just like a “slightly straighter postured college student” as she sat there. If only the ketchup stain on her T-shirt wasn’t there, her hands would have looked more dignified.

…

Well, still, I don’t dislike it.

No, in fact, I wish these two would stay like this even if they return to that other world. Although living like this all the time might not be possible, at least they can relax when they’re alone, or at least when I’m nearby.

Sis, what’s wrong?

Noticing I was staring at her, Claire turned her body to look at me.

Seeing her innocent expression made me feel even more uplifted.

Thinking back, I didn’t particularly like my previous flat. There was no elevator, and the building was pretty old. But it was never at a level where I couldn’t live there—it was just that when I came home to a dark, musty room alone, I felt lonely as hell.

Even when I wanted to meet friends, they all lived far away, making it hard to meet up.

I think I wished to save money and move to another place, and genuinely felt like going back to the neighborhood where I lived as a child, day after day.

But now, it feels a bit different.

With these two around, it feels like I could stick around here a bit longer. Still, my heart’s desire is to return to where we lived, but at least it’s much more bearable than being dropped here alone.

No, it’s just that I’m happy that you guys are here.

…

Claire looked at me silently for a moment, then slowly sat up.

She carefully leaned forward, pressed a key to pause the video, and suddenly knelt towards me.

Sis, did we do something wrong?

…No, not at all.

Then did we eat something wrong?

Alice, watching from the side, asked with a serious expression.

…

Come on, if someone says something heartfelt, just take it at face value!

I seriously contemplated what to say to make these two simply believe me for a moment.

*

I’d like to try the previous episode too.

It was only a little while after Claire said that.

When I went to the other world, learning the alphabet wasn’t particularly hard for me. I thought it was because the letters looked similar to what I already knew, and I had spent quite a bit of time redoing studying like a loser; but maybe it was some sort of ability I got when I returned.

Claire and Alice had an astounding capacity to learn letters. They are smart, yes, but even so, being foreigners, the Korean letters must feel almost like an alien language to them.

It wasn’t just me thinking so—these two felt that way too; could this be one of the Goddess’s tricks?

At least, for now, it was a beneficial trick.

Is that so?

Alice tilted her head, sensing something off about my lukewarm reaction.

Why? You reacted so sensitively when we first picked up that game package.

With the figures revealed now, I have no more shame.

The real embarrassing part is actually the latest project we do while streaming.

That’s where I appear as a target!

However, the previous projects didn’t have the character Sylvia Fanggriffon.

From what I found online, Sylvia Fanggriffon seems to have a lot of anti-fans. At least in our broadcasts, no one thought I was the real Sylvia Fanggriffon, so they didn’t shout insults at me, and they seemed to be careful not to curse too much in the chat, just in case I misunderstood and banned them. Still, the traces of heated conflicts are left behind in the gallery where I used to be active.

Honestly, I understand it. The previous project didn’t even drop hints and suddenly popped in, rewinding time and nullifying the story that the players had progressed in the previous game, so it’s no wonder they got a lot of hate.

I didn’t click most of the discussions because I didn’t want to get spoiled, but they said a somewhat convincing story came up in the later parts, so I should try it directly.

Honestly, had I not personally met the heroine and the protagonist, I would have been furious over that story.

But are you okay with it?

Huh?

Claire tilted her head at my question.

Because in that game, the two of you have… very dark pasts. Since the previous projects don’t include the character Sylvia Fanggriffon.

Ah.

Claire nodded as if she understood something from my explanation. Having an inkling of what might have happened if I weren’t around, she seemed to have a rough idea.

It’s okay. Anyway, it’s not something I went through.

Well, I’m sure it won’t be that severe…

Alice said from the side, and I shrugged.

If that’s how the two feel, then it is what it is.

Did I say something?

*

…

Hmph, hmpf.

Claire had her mouth agape as she stared at her character in the game.

And beside her, Alice’s face was flushed as she forced herself to hold back laughter.

Ahhahahaha!

And in the game, Claire was swinging a casual weapon like a whip with a very revealing outfit on.

Well… Bella does dress like that too in real life.

But honestly, comparing to Bella, who had a slightly more serious side, Claire came off as a little too frivolous in her demeanor.

So, I made sure to say it clearly.

Seeing this kind of appearance is all Claire’s fault!

Chapter 359

The real reason I didn’t show the game to my sisters at first isn’t just because I had glimpses of the future from my past playthroughs. I was also worried it might leave trauma on players like Claire or Alice.

Of course, the game itself wasn’t a full-on adult-rated game. In fact, it had never received an adult rating even from the strict Korean rating committee.

Honestly, considering the graphics, it was impossible to portray realistic violence anyway. Plus, if we think about it, Japan’s game censorship is stricter than Korea’s, so console games like this had to be careful not to go overboard with sexual depictions.

The series before my entry into the game, which was released on classic PC, had much more explicit content. Later remakes and console ports cut out tons of those scenes due to censorship and requests from console manufacturers.

But still, Claire’s past was pretty clearly depicted, yet just like I didn’t see myself as Sylvia from the game, Claire doesn’t seem to think of that character as herself, despite feeling a bit embarrassed.

It’s somewhat like treating it as a possibility.

But—

“Okay, Claire, call me big sister.”

The depictions of characters in the game had quite an influence on both Claire and Alice in different ways.

“No way! No way! I’m not that Claire! The only big sister I had when I was little was Sylvia! I won’t call you big sister!”

“Thinking back, you seemed similar in that world too. You were friends with Bella, right?”

“Sure, I was friends with Bella! But I never inherited a sword!? I’ve never dressed like that! I didn’t walk around with my hair down like that, nor did I wear a corset that barely covered my chest!”

As a side note, Claire’s figure was quite popular thanks to that corset that showed off her assets. It might look nice and soft, but if you touched it, it was just hard plastic.

Actually, when that figure launched, I couldn’t pre-order it because I was broke, but honestly, if I had the money, I would have bought it outright.

If I had, Claire’s mental state would probably have shattered even more than it is now.

“You two, did you fight like this even in the fantasy world?”

“Of course, Alice started it first!”

“You were always irritable! You were the one who started it!”

Hah!

I thought Claire’s personality in the fantasy world wouldn’t be much different except for her hairstyle, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

“No way! No way!? I’ve never dressed that shamelessly!?”

Claire immediately retorted against my gaze. Well, I hadn’t even said anything.

“I haven’t asked, so you don’t need to react that way.”

“Right? Big sister believes me, right?”

“……Of course. I believe you.”

Only after I answered did Claire calm down a bit. Of course, she didn’t forget to glare at Alice.

“And in the game, I’m not the only one with shameless moments, you know? You’re really working Leo hard! He helps you out, and you still throw words at him.”

“……I didn’t actually do that, so it doesn’t matter!”

Alice’s face was a bit flushed as she answered.

Yeah, she probably hadn’t done that to ‘Leo’. Her behavior must have gotten corrected before she met him in this world.

“You didn’t treat him like that before entering the academy, did you?”

“…….”

Alice seemed to want to deny it in many ways, but since I was right next to her, she couldn’t quite bring herself to say it.

“See! You felt guilty about something!”

“Guilt? Did you just say guilt? Well, that means you felt guilty too, right? If that were the case, it means you wore those clothes!”

“No, I’m talking about what you did now, so why is the conversation going that way?”

……

This is chaotic.

But both of them look quite friendly. Back in the day, if I wasn’t in the middle, things felt awkward, but now they talk as if nothing’s wrong without me around.

Were they really quite close back then? After all, they reconciled in the game too.

Claire sacrificed herself for Alice, and Alice grew mentally after witnessing Claire’s act.

In the end, they reconciled in that last moment.

…… Though in the latest installment I’m playing, all of that has been erased.

Will I remember it later?

“Both of you, while it’s good to see you getting along, can you lower your voices a bit? The soundproofing isn’t that great here, and if you keep fighting like that, the people downstairs might come up.”

“Getting along? Who is getting along?”

“Do you have a vision problem or something?”

When both of them turned to me at once and said that, I almost burst out laughing.

How would Claire and Alice react if they saw the last scene in the game?

I’m already curious.

*

I don’t know much about Internet streams, but I do know that the people who do those ‘internet broadcasts’ are indeed ‘people’.

Unless you’re a serious iron man, if you broadcast until late at night, even if it’s just sitting down playing games, it can harm your health. Especially those streamers who have to manage videos while broadcasting well into the night might end up flipping their day and night schedules upside down.

That’s why you need rest days.

Of course, I’ve never stayed up late to broadcast or missed sleep, but still, it’s a rule that humans need to rest when they work, right?

If I had even one person to interact with in this world, I would have scheduled the rest days on the weekend, but since the only ones I interact with are Alice and Claire who live with me, we decided our rest days are Monday and Tuesday.

…… Right. After broadcasting for two weeks straight, someone suggested, “When are you resting?”, and we hastily set Monday and Tuesday as the rest days.

And today is Monday.

Thinking back, I don’t think I’ve walked the night streets with those two at all since coming here, so today we went out together at night.

“Is it safe for girls to be walking around at midnight?”

Claire, who made that suggestion, seemed to admire the bright night streets a bit.

…… If I write it this way, it seems like one of those ‘fantastic countries where girls can walk alone at night’ national pride content seen in broadcasts and such, but actually, the Empire of Azernar isn’t so safe for women to wander the night alone.

Well, it’s obvious since it’s modeled after industrial revolution England.

Still, it was a bit funny that Claire would be saying that. After all, she woke up at dawn to run around solving quests with Leo just the two of them.

I struggled to keep up with those two for a while.

As I was walking in between Claire and Alice, lost in thought without a specific goal—

“……?”

Suddenly, I felt something weird on my left arm, and when I turned my head, Claire had wrapped her arm around mine.

“I heard that it’s not considered strange for girls to have this level of physical contact in this country.”

Claire said, slightly blushing, but smiling as she looked up at me.

…… Ah, did she hear that it’s common for girls to link arms?

“…….”

Then Alice, watching this, slyly linked her left arm with my right.

It was cute how she acted all shy while blushing, but…

How should I put it, both of them act like real sisters too much, so it doesn’t feel like there’s anything particularly special about it. They were definitely beautiful and had nice figures, so I felt it on my arm, but— well, if I reacted to this, there would have been some kind of incident when Alice was wearing a bunny girl outfit. I probably would have confessed and gotten turned down or something.

In that sense, I guess it’s a good thing.

“How about we go have some ice cream?”

I proposed that opinion.

Thinking about it, I haven’t had ice cream since I got here. Especially the ice cream from that brand where you can choose your own flavors and pour them into a container while adhering to the pound law feels like ages ago.

The handmade parfait I had in Azernar was delicious, but— usually, those kinds of pleasure foods have a taste that can only be recreated with mass production.

“……Big sister, couldn’t you at least be a little shy?”

I know that’s the purpose, but do I really have to play along?

Dragging my grumbling sisters along, I headed to the ice cream shop.

Chapter 360

“…….”

“…….”

“……Why are you staring at me like that?”

I asked Claire, who was glaring at me with a spoon in her mouth, and Alice, who was resting her chin on her hand with a serious expression. The two exchanged glances, hardly ever looking at each other.

And then they looked back at me.

“That expression… it feels familiar.”

Alice asked, as if she was the spokesperson of the two.

What expression—well, I knew very well what the expression I had just made was. Squeak—I usually show that expression when I eat something sweet.

I wasn’t sure if I had the same expression back when I was a guy, but ever since I came to the Empire of Aetherna, eating sweets always relaxed my face.

I wondered why that was. Was it because there were fewer variations of ‘sweets’ in the other world? Come to think of it, foods drowned in sugar like this weren’t that common back there.

And there were definitely no delicious ice creams of all sorts like here.

“Well… I understand that your expression softens when you eat something sweet…”

Claire said, with a somewhat suspicious expression.

“It’s just that it’s hard for me to get used to the fact that you lived like that normally.”

“If you don’t like it, I can try to manage my expression.”

“Uh? N-No! Of course, that’s not it!”

Claire shouted, flustered at my words.

“I just wanted to say it’s nice! Seeing you so relaxed makes me happy, yeah.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. Since we moved here and feel at ease, it’s okay for you to live that way too.”

Alice added, smiling softly.

“……”

When I kept silent for a moment after hearing that, Claire asked, looking a bit anxious.

“Why? Are you worried about something?”

“I’m not sure if it’s really a concern, but…”

I organized my thoughts for a second before speaking.

“I was just thinking about how things are going back in the original world.”

Hearing that they were feeling at ease made me think about that. Of course, it hadn’t been long since we came here. It hadn’t even been a month yet… Claire and Alice seemed to be adapting, but it felt like much more time had passed.

“……”

Claire and Alice exchanged glances again.

“We still can’t really do anything yet. It’s not like we have no idea on how to go about things. So, I think it won’t hurt to relax a little.”

The first to speak up was Claire.

“You always had trouble relaxing when you were with us, right? Now that you’re back in your original place, wouldn’t it be okay to live freely and do the things you wanted to do as long as time permits?”

“Yeah. I think you don’t need to worry too much. If it’s not something that can be solved immediately, then having a little fun won’t be a problem. Well, I’m not saying I’m not worried at all… but worrying won’t solve anything.”

Alice shrugged.

… Living freely, huh.

With all the things I wanted to do, I wasn’t that rich. If I had done everything I wanted from the start, I could have bought that Claire figurine I couldn’t afford back then.

But there’s no need to give up on even what I can do now. I had income now, and I could scrape by, so I thought I could use some of the money I hadn’t touched yet for some fun for the three of us.

“……”

“Big sis?”

“Sylvia?”

Seeing that I kept quiet, both of them became a little anxious.

I looked at the clock. It hadn’t been long since dinner started.

Hmm…

This is a bit sudden, but since it came to mind, should I ask?

“Claire, Alice.”

“Yeah?”

“What do you think about going on a trip?”

“A trip? When?”

Alice asked.

“Right after we finish eating.”

“……Huh?”

Yeah, that’s the typical response.

Dramatic whoosh!

But I was serious.

After all, today, tomorrow is a day off.

And we turn on the broadcast usually around 7 PM.

Bing! Meaning, if we leave right now, we have a whole day to relax tomorrow!

“Are you really planning to go?”

“I’m currently looking for accommodations.”

I slightly pushed aside the empty ice cream tub and pulled out my smartphone, pondering over possible destinations.

For reference, the one reacting seriously to this was, of course, Alice.

Claire, who always trusted me 100%, was already in a blissful state since I mentioned the trip.

“Can we really go?”

“Of course! As long as I can book the accommodation, we can go anywhere.”

I might look like it, but I had a driver’s license, but sadly, it seemed they hadn’t provided one for this world. It wasn’t anywhere to be found when I rummaged through the desk.

If they were going to prepare it, I wish they had done it right. But I guess they just ignored such details since there’s no emotional attachment.

For the record, I found out just a few days ago. It just came to mind, so I rummaged through the desk drawer and found it. Luckily, it wasn’t something that needed renewing.

“And it’s not a long-distance trip. If worst comes to worst, we can spend time in this city.”

Anyway, if I gave up on the car I couldn’t use right now, I could invest that money into accommodations. Now that it had come to this, enjoying a hotel as a base and going around the landmarks of Seoul I hadn’t seen before would also be a nice idea.

Both of them, thinking that since we came this far, wouldn’t it be fun to go around a bit?

“……Certainly, the speed is secondary, but the accessibility is completely different. There are no restrictions on how to get around.”

As Alice muttered this against the backdrop, I pondered again.

“Then, shall we go somewhere nearby for starters?”

Saying that, I pressed the hotel reservation button.

Come to think of it, the notion that ‘a trip means going far’ was just my personal idea. It might have been the city I grew up in, but to these two, just being here at this moment would be equivalent to an overseas trip.

If my previous accommodation was cheap as a way to save some money, then the hotel I just booked was a real trip destination.

I had no idea how long we’d be here.

But, on the flip side, it also meant that we could return to our original world at any moment.

So, preferably, I wanted to create lots of memories with them from the world I used to live in.

“Really? Really?”

Claire sparkled her eyes and asked, making me smile bitterly.

Should I say her behavior matched her age, or that she looked younger due to her actions?

“If we leave now, we can reach there in about 30 minutes, but are you ready to go right away?”

“Sure!”

I wonder if they would really be that happy.

…Well, if it means they can just relax without having to do anything while going far, I can see why they’d feel good about it.

Dramatic lighting!

“I didn’t feel this way when we went to the hotel in Lindbergh.”

“……I thought the hotel in Lindbergh was better than this.”

Of course, the manufacturing technology in this world is so advanced that they can make the same items cheaper here, but it wasn’t really a place that could compare to a luxurious hotel.

It seems the height is somewhat similar though.

“So what I’m saying is, I’m talking about the view outside that window.”

Alice said, pointing at the window, and I could tell exactly what she was referring to.

There was an endless sea of light stretching out beyond.

The Imperial Capital was vast, Lindbergh was developed in its own right, but it wasn’t as bright as a modern metropolis.

Even if it were Seoul, there weren’t many activities between midnight and dawn, but that doesn’t mean the streets would be as quiet as dead. There were all-night cafes, lots of convenience stores, and places like karaoke rooms and PC rooms too.

“……”

Since Claire was quiet from the moment we checked into the hotel until we rode the elevator up, I looked towards her and saw her pressing her face against the window beside me.

She seemed to be genuinely fond of the scenery outside.

“I think we made a great choice coming here. Don’t you think?”

“……I guess.”

Alice answered with a wry smile at my question.

Chapter 361

I was pretty excited too.

When I was a guy, I hadn’t spent that much time in hotels.

Thinking back to trips I took with friends, during high school it was basically just school trips, and in college, we reserved a pension to all crash together on the floor.

Even after graduating, when I went out with friends, we just casually booked a nearby pension, so hotels weren’t really part of the picture.

A cozy atmosphere, with three proper beds, and outside the window, the city lights really were something.

…Sure, most of those city lights were probably made by people working, but anyway, we were having fun right now, so let’s not think about that.

“Delicious!”

After tearing open a bag of snacks I bought on the way to the hotel and placing it on the table, Claire said with a genuinely happy expression, grabbing one of each type to munch on.

Mia flashed through my mind for a split second. The only difference was, Mia would’ve stuffed her cheeks full of snacks. Claire was better behaved, only taking one at a time.

If I had to nitpick, the snacks tasted good, but the atmosphere was what made it exceptionally enjoyable.

Is it really this good?

“If this were game Claire, she’d be snarky while eating the snacks, wouldn’t she?”

When Alice remarked after seeing my expression while looking at Claire, Claire froze, still holding a snack.

“…And you’d be full of complaints while eating, right?”

Claire shot a glance at Alice before popping a twisted snack into her mouth.

It seemed like Alice had nothing to say to that.

…After all, the heroines in games are rarely perfect from the start. If they were, pursuing them wouldn’t be much fun at all. The best character dynamics are when they complement each other’s flaws.

“…”

“…”

As they munched on the crispy snacks, the two fell silent.

When I looked up, both of them were staring at me intently.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just that it annoys me a bit how you seem so unconcerned.”

“I’m sure you have flaws too.”

Well, I’m a person too, so of course, I have flaws—ah, they’re still talking about the game, huh.

Claire and Alice’s flaws had already been glaringly obvious from the beginning of the game, both in their backgrounds and personalities.

On the other hand, my weaknesses hadn’t been revealed yet in the latest game we were playing. From what I’ve seen online, people were already complaining about Sylvia Fanggriffon being too perfect a character, so it seems I wasn’t the only one who thought so.

Well, characters like that usually have flaws that come out later on.

There’s no need to worry about flaws that haven’t shown up yet.

If I’m gonna get teased anyway, it’d be better to just accept it merrily and enjoy.

“Your expression is really annoying. It’s like you’ve reached some level of enlightenment.”

“You better be ready for all the teasing when your flaws come out too.”

…

It seemed like Claire was one thing, but Alice was increasingly sounding more serious.

Well, it’s more accurate to say she felt liberated than untamed, which is fine, I guess.

As I shamelessly munched on snacks without saying anything, the two narrowed their eyes at me.

*

“I feel kind of strange.”

“Strange? How so?”

Claire mumbled while lying back on the bed and staring at the ceiling, and Alice asked her.

“It’s only been a day, hasn’t it? It’s still not even midnight, and we’re not that far from home, but it feels oddly like we’re in another world.”

Alice said, her voice a bit dazed.

“If we’re being technical, you’re in another world right now…”

“…That’s not what I meant, sis.”

Whatever.

“What I mean is, have we ever gone out like this, just the three of us? I mean, when we went out it was usually with teachers or staff from the academy.”

“And with the escort soldiers, too.”

Alice chimed in while perched on the bed.

“Yeah. The escort soldiers too. It wasn’t exactly easy to roam freely, was it?”

Though it felt like we roamed almost freely… well, the actual reason we did was not to have fun but to fulfill requests.

I might find it hard to relate, having come from a typical humanities high school, but for them, it might’ve just felt like just attending class. Of course, it was vastly different from a typical class experience.

“True, thinking about it, I do feel a bit strange myself.”

However, my reason was different.

It felt fascinating to be ‘back’ in this world rather than related to the academy.

My family might still be living peacefully, and right now, at this very moment, some of my friends could be working late, one of those lights shining in the distance.

I hadn’t shared this with the two yet, but since I was here, I hoped that one day I could see my family and friends again.

I wondered how they were living after I disappeared—my curiosity was slightly piqued.

And, well.

…In truth, I felt a bit excited.

Thinking of family and friends brought me down a notch, but just looking at the two in front of me made it feel like saying this was perhaps a bit over-the-top otaku-ish, but—

—Doesn’t it feel like we came on a school trip from a Japanese manga?

Of course, I was aware that my age had already well surpassed that of an adult.

Moreover, according to our IDs, all three of us were adults here.

But still, I looked like I was in my mid-teens. Just because the ID says I’m 18 doesn’t mean I suddenly age two more years.

Maybe not now, but during my high school trips, it was always a group tour. We’d generally roam in groups, and let’s be honest, it was more like a package travel experience.

Of course, that was enjoyable at that age, but I didn’t long for it. There were always some classmates I felt uneasy about, and some I didn’t want to get close to.

And in the Japanese manga I read back then, the close friends in a class formed groups and roamed freely, popping into each other’s rooms, and wandering around during the day almost at will.

Though I wasn’t too clear about what actual Japanese high school trips were like.

…Maybe I was reminded of a Japanese school trip because these two seem like characters from a game made by a Japanese company.

“Sis?”

Ah, I think I might have been wearing a bit of a spaced-out expression.

“Honestly, I haven’t really explored while living here either. I had a lot on my plate.”

Well, it was mostly going to and from work, but still.

“So, let’s go check out some landmarks together tomorrow. If you can’t think of any specific places, just tell me a theme, and I’ll plan a route for us.”

Claire and Alice’s eyes both sparkled at my words.

Looks like they must’ve been looking up various things while learning to read.

Well, if they’re happy about it, I’m all for it.

*

The next morning.

We left the hotel a bit early.

It overlapped slightly with rush hour, but our destination wasn’t the subway.

Our lodging was a hotel right in the heart of Seoul. Since we decided to really treat ourselves, there were abundant tourist attractions within walking distance.

“This city is said to be the capital of this country, so I’d like to see some places where I can feel the traditional vibe of this city.”

That was Alice’s suggestion.

Following that, I pondered between visiting a nearby hanok village or a museum that required taking the subway, eventually choosing the hanok village.

The museum was a good place, but it didn’t exactly fit the ‘enjoyment’ vibe. Since it was our first time out like this, I wanted us to walk around together, sightseeing and eating.

“Oh, sis, what’s that outfit?”

Claire quickly spotted something interesting.

“That’s a hanbok. It’s the traditional attire of this country. I think wearing it grants free admission to the nearby palace—”

It was a common sight here. Usually worn by couples if it was local, or by foreign tourists otherwise.

And thinking about it, we must’ve looked like foreign tourists to others too.

“Wanna try it on?”

Actually, I hadn’t worn one despite living in Seoul for quite a while.

“Sure!”

At Claire’s words, I nodded and glanced over at Alice.

Alice was giving Claire an “I-can’t-believe-you” kind of look, but—

Well, since I could read Alice’s expression a little, just as she could mine.

I accurately picked up on Alice’s face showing interest and excitement.

Chapter 362

I’ve been an otaku since my teens, so it’s not like I’ve never talked about such things with my friends.

I mean, you’ve heard those lines about wanting to be reborn as a cute girl in your next life, right?

Of course, that was never serious. Just like non-otakus make random jokes among themselves, it was merely an otaku-style gag.

If only I had been born handsome, I would have taken action – but since I wasn’t, I just make excuses for my fashion choices or whatever, claiming I could have earned money through internet streaming or cosplay if I’d been a cute girl.

I know those things aren’t as easy as they sound. Fashion requires studying too, and I understand that if you just throw on any clothes looking decent, people will give you strange looks.

Being born pretty doesn’t guarantee an easy life either. I get that doing internet streaming and cosplay invites all sorts of weirdos.

But here I am, doing all of that right now.

Life is full of surprises.

Well, as a Korean in a hanbok, calling it cosplay might be a stretch, but even if we’re registered residents, to others, we probably just look like foreign tourists.

After all, tourists wear hanboks like it’s cosplay.

Claire was wearing a somewhat subdued dark blue hanbok. If the top and bottom were the same color, it might feel tacky, but the top was closer to a soft white, which harmonized beautifully with Claire’s fair skin.

Alice’s hanbok had similar color combinations, with the top in white and the skirt a light sky blue. Seeing that color reminded me of the bunny girl outfit Alice had worn, but I didn’t say anything about it.

…Because I had worn the bunny girl outfit at that time too.

Thinking back, I was already cosplaying. From this perspective, even the academy uniform could count as cosplay.

“Hey sis, you look great!”

Claire said that with a serious look while eyeing my hanbok.

“It’s a bit dark, which is a shame, but it really suits your vibe.”

Alice also nodded in contentment since she had a hand in choosing my outfit.

When you mention ‘black hanbok’, one might think of simple funeral attire, but mine was anything but basic.

The sleeves were made of thin mesh, revealing my arms, and both the sleeves and top had some splendid floral embroidery. The upper part of the skirt peeking out from beneath the short top was a soft cream color, preventing the overall hanbok from looking too gloomy.

So, it’s not entirely traditional hanbok.

If it were a real traditional hanbok, it would’ve been impossible to get at this price.

Click!

Claire, who loved taking pictures, held my smartphone and the clicking sound of the camera didn’t stop.

It’s great that she’s taking pictures… but I wonder if we can take all of this home.

Just in case, I should print or develop the photos. And I must remember to bring them back with me.

All the time we spent here will be pure memories of joy for the three of us.

Seeing Claire’s beaming smile, I thought that.

*

“People are staring at us.”

“Is there something strange about us?”

At Claire’s words, Alice looked down at herself, wondering if she had somehow messed up wearing the traditional dress.

“Maybe they’re looking because you’re pretty.”

When I said that, Alice’s face turned slightly red.

“What a weird thing to say.”

“I’m just stating the facts.”

At least, that was my impression.

It was true that, since a while ago, most of the people passing by who stared at us were men, not women.

It couldn’t be helped. All three of us – me, Alice, and even Claire – stand out quite a bit in terms of looks.

Having black hair, I might look fairly modest compared to them, but Alice’s hair was shiny, golden blonde, perfectly maintained, and Claire’s was a striking blue.

Plus, all three of us… though it’s somewhat embarrassing to say, we have quite shapely figures.

Even under somewhat loose hanboks, our figures were blatantly obvious.

“Girls, stay close to me.”

Truth is, I’ve never gotten anyone’s number in my life, nor have I ever had a number gotten from me.

Not having had anyone’s number is obvious. I wasn’t that good-looking or famous. If any beauty out of the blue asked for my number, it would definitely be for a pyramid scheme or a religion.

Conversely, since I’d never gotten anyone’s number, it came to this. I was convinced such stunts wouldn’t pan out. If I had no confidence in my looks, how could I get a stranger’s number?

…But even without experiencing it myself, I get that such things ‘can’ happen.

Since I might look like a foreigner, this could be a bit tricky, but some people with excessive confidence about their looks—

“Excuse me?”

—See? There it is.

Even if my physical abilities might be slightly lacking compared to the other two, I do pride myself on my combat instincts. Especially since I was skilled with firearms. I could at least gauge what some distance away persons were planning to do with a glance.

And from afar, I could see two guys chuckling and nudging each other while looking our way.

They looked to be around the age of university students. They were reasonably good-looking and well-dressed.

They appeared to be bursting with confidence.

How annoying.

If even one of those two felt attracted, they might’ve thought to approach us, but thankfully, Alice and Claire didn’t have a particularly interested expression.

No, more precisely, they looked like they didn’t even understand why these two guys would be talking to us.

“We’re Korean.”

I said it that way. If our words were translated to those guys, pretending to use English would be evident. We would seem to be chatting in Korean among ourselves regardless.

“Oh.”

The guys exchanged surprised glances with each other and then looked back at us again.

“Sorry. We misunderstood…”

“Could you tell us what you wanted?”

The military-like formal tone I used made them noticeably flustered.

“N-no, I mean, if you have time—”

“Sorry, but we’re here just to have fun with my sisters. Spending time with others seems a bit awkward.”

As I deliberately acted stiff, the two of them looked even more confused.

Well, they didn’t look like the typical jerks you see in cartoons.

…To be honest, if all the street hunters were such criminals, this country’s safety would be in serious jeopardy.

“Oh, is that so? If you’re with your sisters then… um, have a good time.”

When I stared at them, they seemed to think they did something wrong. Or else, maybe they were just clueless about why they had approached us.

“Hey sis, what’s wrong? They seemed like nice guys.”

“…They were people who wanted to hang out with us.”

“Really?”

But even after I told her, Claire still had a puzzled look.

Maybe because she grew up as a noble, she didn’t really know where adult interactions could lead in this country.

“Listen up, both of you.”

I said seriously.

“Of course, as long as you two are in this world, I’ll generally be hanging around. But just in case, remember that interacting among adults here can lead to more… intimate stages.”

Of course, I had never experienced that, so I had no idea how far it could go at once.

But I knew very well that getting entangled would be a dirty hassle. And there could be all sorts of misunderstandings.

Especially for these two who seem clueless about such interactions… Well, I could just beat them up and escape if needed, but then I might have to deal with the police too.

After listening to me, the two seemed to grasp the situation.

In the Empire of Aetherna, commoners lead relatively sexually liberated lives, and I had heard that even among nobles, there were those who lived scandalously. But generally speaking, it’s nearly unheard of for unmarried women to live promiscuously. They take that as a ‘blemish’. Perhaps for widows, it’s different, but not for unmarried women.

So, both of them have likely had sex education but probably never imagined such a scenario.

“So, if you don’t want things to get complicated, it’s crucial to be firm from the start.”

I thought for a moment if I should have let one of them know about the others, but I chose to be clear instead.

As if it would lead anywhere.

Even if I’m listed as an adult on my ID, they’re actually only sixteen.

No matter how mature they may look, they’re still kids.

Of course, I should never.

“Well then, shall we go grab a drink?”

I smiled as I suggested, and finally, Claire and Alice’s expressions brightened.

“Oh, sis, wait! The lighting is great here!”

When she said it was great lighting, I realized she was talking about taking selfies.

…Judging by how she instinctively knew how to take them, Claire must really love photography.

Since we’re out, should I help these two set up their phones too?

Chapter 363

There’s a term called “Gukppong.”

It usually refers to the screenplay where something ordinary, or something the foreigners obviously have in their own country, is shown to them, and they react with “This doesn’t exist in my country!” Or maybe they write articles or make videos claiming, “Look at those reactions!”

People whose lives are tough find comfort in watching those, and honestly, I sometimes did too.

I mean, it’s entertaining!

Sure, I feel a bit embarrassed while watching, but there are strangely relatable moments, and most importantly, it kinda felt like I was watching a real-life isekai.

As someone who has traveled to this world, I can say it’s impossible to completely change this other world’s culture with just the knowledge I have.

Oh, of course, I’ve had my effects.

The concept of double-tapping with an automatic pistol, for example, is surprisingly something that anyone could think of, but it didn’t come about until long after the notion of handguns gained traction. Even after automatic pistols were openly introduced, the idea that a handgun is something to be fired with one hand lingered for a long time.

So, as someone who was familiar with future shooting techniques, the shooting methods I implemented through blood, sweat, and tears have a certain potential to influence this world’s culture.

The only ones actually using it, though, were Rena and me.

But other than that, I couldn’t change anything special. The knowledge I had was at best bachelor’s level, and even that I had forgotten a lot of over time after graduating.

Modern specialized knowledge has become ridiculously complex, and it’s not something a single PhD could accomplish. From a PhD’s perspective, what could some bachelor with knowledge equivalent to a potato, just lying on the street, achieve?

In a world where science and technology have progressed in a different direction, the knowledge of a watchmaker is far more valuable than the vague knowledge I have about semiconductors and batteries.

But—

The fact that I could feel that way means that someone from Azernar could come here and feel the same way.

“Wow, so many cars on such a wide road. The technology to create such machines, and the economic power to let common people buy them aside, just how much legal regulation is needed for such a complicated system to operate smoothly?”

Alice’s words made me swell with pride as I listened. At this point, it’s not just about Gukppong. Among the cars roaming the streets, there were plenty of foreign ones, not just domestic. It’s not only Korea that has related laws; most functioning countries have such laws in place.

In some ways, there might be places with more effective laws than ours.

But, how would it hold up on a global standard?

I’ve lived long enough in that world, felt a certain affection for it, and if I return, I plan to live there in the future. But the fact that I was born in this world is something I can’t change.

So this world is my hometown, and if my hometown gets praised like that, how could I not feel good?

Honestly, if I had the leisure, I’d want to take them around not just my country but all the famous spots in this world too.

“How much longer will it take for the Empire to make a camera like this? No need to change rolls, so we can take tons of photos, save costs, and it’s so much smaller. Plus, the colors are vivid. Will there be a day in my life when I can take such photos again?”

Claire gazing wistfully at my smartphone had a dazed expression that made her look a bit melancholic, but knowing that the country that made that smartphone is my country felt pretty good.

I knew it was a dumb, one-dimensional happiness, and I wasn’t even an employee at that company, so I understood that there wasn’t much to brag about. Still, it felt good. What can I say? When you feel a sense of belonging, you can’t help it. It’s like feeling happy when our country scores a goal in the World Cup. I’m not on the team and my salary won’t increase if they score, but doesn’t it feel good?

“Hey, you seem happy.”

Seeing Claire comment about my good mood made me feel a bit guilty.

But, well, it’s true I enjoy being with these two. If they were just strangers, I would only feel uncomfortable and wouldn’t have even the slightest bit of pride.

“It’s ’cause the car is delicious.”

Of course, I had no intentions of sharing my thoughts with them. That would be embarrassing.

“Definitely, it’s a nice leaf. Must be because the transportation has developed.”

“Alice, we’re here to have fun, there’s no need to talk about that.”

Alice instinctively redirected the conversation towards the transport industry, and Claire criticized her.

Normally, Alice would have countered Claire’s remark, and I would’ve heard them bickering—but—

“Indeed, there’s no need to talk about work when we’re off the clock. I’ll definitely bring back related materials if there are any, though.”

That’s not a bad thought. Transferring all the tech from this world in one go might be impossible, but they certainly have more than adequate technology to create steam from coal, so if I could just share basic knowledge about large-scale generators and batteries, maybe a revolution might happen.

Isn’t this an age dominated by over-tech? Perhaps things might develop more straightforwardly than I expect. It’s not like the people in that world are dumb and hindered in their tech development.

“But it seems like it would help. Why don’t we take a look? There’s a large bookstore nearby.”

“Oh, really?”

Seeing Alice’s eyes sparkle with curiosity made me feel proud again this time.

“There should be plenty of books related to photography.”

After the invention of the camera, there must be countless techniques accumulated by photographers.

Even though it’s not about photography, every technique we take for granted today was perfected after extensive research by many directors and universities.

If Claire, who has a keen interest in photography, looks at them, those books will surely help her.

“Awesome!”

Even Claire, who was side-eyeing Alice while saying we were supposed to be playing, sparkled at my suggestion.

Honestly, it’s quite easy to please both of them. I’d say I’m not that different too.

*

Hmm…

Maybe I should have changed the order a bit.

The big bookstore located in the heart of Seoul didn’t seem to be a hot spot for foreign tourists.

How did I know? Because there were hardly any foreigners dressed in hanbok wandering around Kyobo Bookstore.

To be precise, at least not under my gaze—there were only us.

Maybe if I wait a bit, a few people might come in, but for now, we were the only ones, so I felt a bit self-conscious.

However, Alice and Claire didn’t care at all. Perhaps because they heard it was a traditional outfit from this country, they just perceived it as clothing?

So, me thinking it was awkward by myself was strange after all.

Claire wanted books on photography, and Alice wanted books on technologies from this side of the world.

Naturally, we ended up wandering through almost the entire bookstore. The photography-related books were clustered together, but the range of what constituted ‘technical’ books was quite broad.

While specialized books would have been concentrated in one area, looking at those would have been better for us, who lack basic knowledge. Even if we bring them back, since the people there don’t know Hangul, we have to read them out loud, and it would be troublesome if we encountered words we couldn’t read ourselves.

Still, it was enjoyable.

At first, I was a bit shy, conscious of others’ gazes, but Claire and Alice were seriously selecting books and asking me questions, and responding to those was so much fun.

In the end, isn’t that why we do all this?

Claire and Alice were picking out each a book for me with consideration. Alice picked a summary book on the general aspects of technology we initially thought about, while Claire chose a book about a French photographer. He held a camera that looked similar to Claire’s film camera she carried around Azernar.

“…Ah.”

Then, as I was about to leave the store, I realized something.

“What’s wrong?”

Alice asked, and I replied with a tinge of guilt in my voice.

“I should have come to the bookstore later. There were so many places I planned to visit today, but carrying thick books around…”

“Oh come on, sis. What kind of worries are those?”

Claire, who had been following behind, slapped my back.

“It’s fine just to carry them around. We’re not that weak.”

…Ah, right.

Both of them are experts in wielding heavy swords.

“Yeah, you have nothing to worry about. I’m confident we won’t be bothered carrying them all day.”

Seeing Alice respond with a smile eased my worries a bit.

Normal daily life seems to have surprisingly strong infiltrating power.

When the common sense I had during my time here mingled with the memories with these two, they kept making me think they were just ordinary sisters.

Ordinary….

“Huh.”

“What? Why are you laughing?”

“Sis?”

As I chuckled out of nowhere, both of them tilted their heads curiously at me.

“…Nothing at all.”

Well, it’s true they’re ordinary.

Yeah. Here, they were just my ordinary sisters.

Whether it was nobility, politics, rivalries, swordsmanship, or bloodlines, they were simply everyday people that nobody cared about.

“So, shall we go?”

“Wait, why were you laughing?”

“Sis, is something going on?”

As both of them worriedly caught up with me, I gave them a little smile and moved ahead, only to hear their footsteps slowly trailing behind me.

Chapter 364

Is it really okay to be this happy?

I’ve heard that being able to have such a happy time means something dreadfully depressing is about to happen later on.

I know that’s just nonsense. Life isn’t just about living a day or two. In a year, or even a week, happy and unhappy events can happen alternately, and most of the time, these two types of events are not really related to each other at all.

It’s just that the events I experienced earlier make the later ones feel more intense. So does that mean that if I go through unhappy events, happy events must happen afterward?

Of course, there are still many things to worry about.

I can manage for now, but when the money I’ve saved runs out, and the number of viewers decreases, leading to less income, we won’t be able to have fun like we are now.

Both of us are capable, so we could find something to do, but since we’re in a situation where we don’t have any degrees, earning a lot of money would be difficult.

Of course, I’m not saying I haven’t saved enough money for that to come up soon…

There are also strange aspects to consider.

The fact that I can use the money I’ve saved now might serve as evidence that the ‘me’ who lived in this world and the Sylvia Fanggriffon who came over here are continuous beings, but…

If I died in this world, it would only be natural for all the assets I had saved to be inherited by my family, right? If everything was ‘as it should be’, I should have been flat broke. Everything in that room would have been taken back by my family.

That being said, it’s not like I just left everything behind; I’ve been able to use that wealth so naturally—

Click!

I snapped back to reality at the sudden sound.

Turning my head, I saw Claire aiming her smartphone camera at me.

“Perfect shot.”

Claire’s smile while saying that was beautiful.

And looking at Claire’s expression, I thought, ‘Does it really matter?’

Yeah, there’s no point in worrying about something that can’t be solved right now.

I could worry about running out of money when that time comes. I’ve been constantly thinking about how to return anyway.

I should enjoy myself while I can.

Claire was flipping through the photos we’d taken together with Alice today, and they turned out to be adorable.

Though, I kind of wished we had another camera.

*

Where we were was the Palace of Great Blessings. There’s usually an entrance fee, but knowing it was free if you wore traditional Korean clothing, we decided to visit since it was close to the bookstore.

While the concept of ‘the East’ exists, it was the first time for two people, who had only come to a place that was really ‘Eastern’, to hear that this was a ‘palace’, and they were being exceedingly polite as they walked around.

Claire even lowered her voice a bit.

I told her there was no need to be that serious, but—

“Even if there isn’t a king here, if this is a place that symbolizes the legitimacy of the country, we should certainly show respect.”

Alice said that.

But, you know, our royal family doesn’t really receive all that much respect from the people. Even after the constitution was designed to prevent the claim of royalty, it was the same. The image of the late Joseon Dynasty was so low that it had somewhat tarnished the image of the entire Joseon Dynasty from that era.

But I figured it would be too much to explain all that history, so I thought I’d just show them a video from a streaming site later.

“We came from a country with a throne, after all.”

Claire’s comment triggered a lot of desire to counter that.

Right in front of them, I was still a Crown Princess. I would have returned once the battle was over, and although there were people who knew I didn’t actually share blood with the Emperor, who knows how that would affect my position? Claire had boldly called me ‘sister’ even though she recognized I was a Crown Princess.

Plus, the one I was openly bickering with might very well be the next Emperor.

I never showed any sign of being intimidated when talking to Charlotte either.

So why was there a need to feel so nervous about looking at a dynasty that no longer exists?

“That’s…now we’re commoners, right? Nobles don’t come to places like this, do they? They say there’s equality, but that doesn’t mean the noble class disappears that easily, does it?”

When I showed a puzzled expression, Claire responded.

And that’s when I understood why the two were nervous.

They both couldn’t outright ask me, but judging from the state of my room, it was by no means ‘noble’. Just from looking at what we saw today, like the state of hotels and the large buildings in downtown, they must have felt how shabby and small my room was.

Even if there’s no king now, there used to be one. And naturally, if there was, there were distinctions between nobles and commoners.

And that kind of power doesn’t just disappear. Even in various European countries that claim to be democratic, there are still places where the concept of nobility exists. Whether legally or not, they maintain their positions, wealth, and real estate among themselves.

In fact, Korea could be that way too.

“Several decades ago, we all became beggars due to war, so since then, there have been no classes like nobility or anything.”

That’s right. At the very least, dividing people into the noble and the base by ‘family line’ has become nearly impossible. It’s different when it comes to having or not having money, of course.

“At least there’s no ‘class that can be known by name only.’ And even if someone comes from a somewhat well-off family, they can’t just openly look down on others in a place like this, right?”

“…Is that so?”

“That’s right. That being said, it doesn’t mean that it’s perfectly equal.”

As I explained with a wry smile, the two of them tilted their heads.

In fact, I doubt they have a good sense of my position. Compared to Azernar, which still retains the inhumanity of the Industrial Revolution, my position here was certainly much better.

“It really is a place with a lot to learn.”

Alice concluded with such an unexpected remark in the end.

“…But if you blindly follow everything, it could be a big problem. There are countries that suggest things to copy, so it would be better to carry their history books instead.”

Would England, France, and Germany be okay?

…I should get a book about the Russian Revolution while I’m at it. I’d hate to die in a revolution while I’m still alive.

*

“Was it called Samgyeopsal? It was delicious!”

Claire exclaimed, sprawled on the bed without even changing clothes as we entered the hotel room.

“It had a different feel from steak. I think grilling it ourselves occasionally could be nice.”

As Alice plopped a thick book onto the bed, she said that.

“Today was fun, sister.”

Claire said as she sat up on the bed, her face beaming with a big smile.

“It feels like I’ve done everything I wanted to do as a child with you.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. When I was with you, I didn’t know anything, so I barely ever imagined it, but while growing up with Leo, I thought it would have been nice if you were there.”

Claire closed her eyes and then opened them to look at me.

“I sometimes worried about that too, you know? What if the sister I imagined was just a figment of my childhood? Like a friend from my imagination.”

“……”

“Well, hearing that other kids remembered you reinforced my belief that you really existed. I think it was a good thing I entered the academy. I never thought I’d actually see you again, but you knew I would come to the academy, right?”

“……”

I couldn’t answer because I was too embarrassed.

Although I didn’t respond, Claire, who looked satisfied with my expression, turned slightly to lie down on her side and spoke while looking at Alice, who was behind me.

“Alice, what about you? Did you get to do things you wanted to do when you were a kid today?”

“Huh?”

Alice was taken aback for a moment at the sudden question and then turned bright red.

“Who, who, who says that?”

“You probably wanted to be close with your sister from childhood, didn’t you? You may have complained about it now and then, but you really just wanted to play together, right?”

Is that so?

I knew I had gotten jealous and was acting that way, but I had never thought of it from that angle.

As I turned completely to face Alice, her face turned completely red.

It was a color I hadn’t seen since she wore that bunny girl outfit.

“…W-why are you looking at me like that!?”

Gasp!

In the end, Alice couldn’t hold back the embarrassment and threw a pillow at my face.

Chapter 365

The broadcast was growing smoothly.

It wasn’t quite at the level of a big corporation in terms of viewership, but the incoming donations were gradually increasing.

I was starting to think about uploading recorded videos to other streaming sites, but I decided to hold off for now.

I didn’t know how to edit. Alice and Claire were just learning the basics of the language. Of course, their learning speed was abnormally fast, but they weren’t quite at the level where they could use professional video software.

I’ve never considered bringing in someone else.

Who knows how long we could really work with someone new? We were people with a place to return to, but someone who would edit and run the channel for us would need to live here, wouldn’t they?

If they left without even giving us our final paycheck, our images would seriously plummet.

I didn’t want to be remembered that way in my hometown.

[Looks like you guys came to a conclusion.]

And just as I thought that, the three of us hit a wall.

“…Is that so?”

If it were just chat, I would have ignored it, but since it was a donation, I couldn’t help but respond.

“If that’s the case, please keep what you saw a secret. We’re human too, and we need to rest when we’re not streaming.”

The person who donated simply replied “yes.” This time it was a chat message, not a donation.

[But I’d really like to see you in person.]

[Without the lighting, you’d probably look pretty too.]

That’s true. We looked just like the game’s heroines.

…What would happen if we really met?

We lived in Seoul. If you include the metropolitan area with Gyeonggi and Incheon, it’s about half of the country’s populations. People living far away from Seoul in Gyeonggi might not exactly consider it their “lifestyle area,” but for those living in Seoul or nearby satellite cities, it’s a different story.

People living in Seoul would obviously run into each other while going out.

Even though we didn’t rest on weekends, people from Gyeonggi could be working in Seoul and might see us having fun on a Monday or Tuesday.

…I had heard a few stories about female streamers being harassed by stalkers.

With all three of us together, we’d be a lot safer than someone who was alone.

“Just to be sure, please don’t come looking for us. If you cross the line, we won’t hesitate to take action.”

[Oh my god.]

[Eh.]

[Seriously.]

[It should be handled legally.]

At least among these comments, there were none showing signs of being a criminal, so that was a relief.

To go against the goddess’s suspicions and ultimately get us back to our original world, we needed a certain level of recognition, but I didn’t want that recognition to come from “collabing with a big streamer.”

I was sure it would bring unnecessary troubles.

Looking at Claire and Alice, it seemed the two of them were wearing serious expressions as well.

It’s good that they could make quick judgments.

At least now I could relax a bit.

*

It wasn’t that the game was particularly spectacular, which was better than I expected.

Typically, streamers would have a brief communication time before the game stream to warm up, but we didn’t feel the need to do so.

I wasn’t great at conversation, and I felt a bit uneasy leaving the talking to Alice and Claire, even though they were adapting quickly since they were from a different world.

However, the game itself had a rather slow tempo, so I didn’t need to concentrate too hard while playing. At least it wasn’t an action game where I had to move my hands without a moment to talk.

[But you already know the map?]

“I played the previous installment. The map seems to be almost recycled.”

No conscience, huh?

Oh, it’s not completely recycled, and the map has been expanded a bit. Even so, it felt like they just added a few unimplemented areas to the original, making it hard to shake off the feeling of being an expansion pack.

But then again, this series has always been like that with its sequels.

Usually, they’d introduce “completely new areas,” but this time, due to the reason of time travel, the sense of recycling was particularly strong.

“But honestly, it feels kind of familiar.”

“Because you’ve been there before.”

Claire and Alice were chatting behind me as we wandered through the underground of Lutetia.

[??]

[Lol, since you played the previous one, of course you’d have been there.]

[Seriously, they’re the heroines. How can you not know?]

[Where’s Leo?]

“Leo is still in our world.”

Claire, who was reading the chat, replied.

[Lol.]

[Lol.]

[This is a bit cringe.]

I didn’t ban the person who said it was cringe.

To be honest, from the perspective of someone who didn’t know the background, it might look like we got too absorbed in our concept.

Even if our story makes its way onto the internet, I wouldn’t be surprised at all.

“Oh, this is…”

Alice muttered as she watched the game next to me.

Where I had entered controlling Leo was the sewers of the Imperial Capital.

The sewers I had entered with Alice and Charlotte.

Ideally, we should have come here a bit later, but—

[Sylvia came down here, huh?]

[Yeah, I’m sure of it.]

Right now there was a slightly different reason.

As I moved around controlling Leo, I saw Sylvia come down here and Leo came to check it out.

If there really was a reason for being in the sewers, we wouldn’t have burst through the lock to get in.

While Leo pondered whether to follow Sylvia or not, he decided to call someone else to come along.

…Honestly, if I think about it too long, it might seem too chill, thinking Sylvia might come back, but it is typical in JRPGs to summon companions instantly.

If such a thing happened in reality, how would it have gone?

Like Leo and Claire heading out at dawn to handle all the requests, would there have been fellow companions casually passing by?

Well, the events unfolding inside the game were playing out differently than what I experienced, so imagining it didn’t hold much meaning.

“…….”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Alice stared at me, and I asked.

“Did you also dive into the sewer like this first? Is that why you knew the way?”

“No, I knew it because I played the game.”

“……The path is that complicated?”

Pointing to our party which consisted of Leo, Alice, Charlotte, and Claire navigating through the sewers, Alice said.

“It was in the previous game too.”

“It was complicated in the previous game too?”

“I studied hard enough to memorize all of it.”

“Memorized the game?”

“…….”

What.

Why.

Didn’t you read the textbook multiple times saying you’d memorize everything during your studies?

I know games and studying are different, but still.

“Sis, did you adventure somewhere like that with Alice?”

“……”

I couldn’t bring myself to answer Claire and finally said,

“At that time, you were completing requests with Leo.”

That was my answer.

But Claire still pouted as if she didn’t accept it.

[Are you guys talking about the game right now?]

[You guys are seriously addicted to games.]

[Why does it sound so real? Lol.]

[The concept is solid.]

It’s not a concept.

But of course, I had no intention of correcting it.

The fact that we were talking without any filtering during our broadcast was ultimately to make those people believe it.

I didn’t care how many people, as long as it broke the order.

To be honest, I didn’t even know if this was the right approach, but for now, I was going to try.

There were various monsters in the sewers. Animals that looked like bats or large rats… it’s called a “dungeon,” but looking again, they didn’t seem like beasts that would exist beneath the Imperial Capital.

Moreover, the difficulty was tougher than expected.

“…There really are monsters.”

As I defeated each monster one by one and obtained a blue Marmaros in one chamber, Alice muttered as if feeling a bit hollow.

“Somehow, I feel like I understood the trick of magic, but it’s really nothing special.”

…Man, I feel sorry about that.

“Hey, didn’t you get this from Mia?”

“That’s right. This is the Marmaros we found along with Alice and Charlotte.”

“……Uuu, seems I was the only one who didn’t know.”

[What?]

[So cute.]

[700700]

Did people start to accept the concept? The chat seemed to be filled with fewer rejecting comments compared to earlier when we were conversing.

And I agreed with the chat.

Yeah, it really is cute.

Honestly, it felt so absurd that I questioned whether I was even an adult on my ID.

Of course, I didn’t say that out loud.

Holding my expression steady, I focused hard on controlling Leo.

And—

[……Sylvia, what are you doing here?]

—I found Sylvia installing a bunch of bombs on the ceiling of the sewer.

……

……What? Bombs?

Chapter 366

To defend myself, I’ve never actually done it.

I only thought about it. Just thought.

Like when I was considering installing a bomb in the sewers to prepare for the time I need to assassinate Emperor Arthur III during the story, you know?

Of course, if a building is high, you have to dig deep underneath to support it; the same goes for the Imperial Palace.

It’s hard to collapse the palace itself by laying a bomb on the floor. The sewers don’t just loop around the palace, either.

Even if it collapsed, only a part would go down.

“……”

“……”

Alice and Claire stared at me.

“I understand what you’re thinking, but I’ve never done that.”

“Really?”

Alice narrowed her eyes skeptically as she spoke.

“It’s true. I only considered it.”

“Considering it doesn’t mean you haven’t! Don’t tell me you knew about the Dreadnought’s interior because you sneakily went inside?”

“……”

Hmm…

I might know a lot more, not just about the Dreadnought. Like the hidden secret library inside the Imperial Palace or how quickly soldiers and knights move when the bomb explodes… I’ve done a lot of experiments.

As I looked away, Alice pressed her forehead with her hand.

“Still, you’re saying you’ve never tried to explode something?”

“The collateral damage would be too great.”

To calculate something, the damage can’t be too large. I need to confirm whether I can control it, but if it takes too long to confirm, it tires me out too.

But it seems that the version of Sylvia in the game doesn’t think that way.

[Wait a minute!]

Just as Sylvia turned around, Leo shouted.

[…….]

[Wait, wait. Sylvia, hold on for a second.]

[Leo?]

Alice looked at Leo with wide eyes, surprised. The character design hadn’t changed much, but there seemed to be some motion added. It was a rare motion I hadn’t seen before in this game, which tends to recycle animations from previous works endlessly.

[Sylvia, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it seems like you have a way to escape even after being caught by us.]

[……On what certainty do you say that? I could just be panicking.]

[No, that’s not it.]

Leo shook his head.

[You haven’t even thought about ‘escaping.’ I may not be as skilled as Father, but I’ve trained in swordsmanship, so I can sense that much.]

[…….]

[And regardless of what method you use, we probably won’t remember.]

[Leo?]

This time it was Claire responding.

[I’ll ask again; what assurance do you have of that?]

[……It seems like you have some kind of method, right?]

Leo took a step closer to Sylvia as he spoke.

[Are you worried that I might know something?]

Leo?

Hmm, I don’t think that’s the case.

I only realized the things I know after coming out, but if Sylvia were aware of her own identity, she wouldn’t be fooled by that statement.

The only beings capable of opposing the Goddess’s powers are these guys, who have Fanggriffon blood flowing in them. And among those, it wouldn’t matter unless they were suitable with a strong enough lineage.

It wouldn’t work unless it was Claire standing right next to Leo; there’s no other way to resist in the same era.

……And that Claire died in the original.

But if Leo is unconsciously sensing something like he did when he was in the fantasy world, the story could change.

The Leo who first met Alice and me had turned pale.

But the Leo created by the Goddess, as if it was only natural, treated Alice and Claire in a very natural way.

It might have been influenced by me being siblings with them, but I think the bigger possibility is that Leo is feeling the ‘previous timeline.’

If this world was repeatedly forged enough times to create such side effects, it’s plausible that Leo, at the center, would sense something strange.

If I were to recall a famous line from this kind of cliché, it would be, “Huh, why are there tears…?”

It isn’t just about reversing time but also changing what has moved back to its original position and erasing and fixing memories made. If repeated enough, there would be parts too deeply etched to erase.

[……No, you don’t know anything.]

Actually saying that, there seemed to be some doubt in Sylvia’s voice. I wonder if she thought of the same doubts as me or if it’s truly because she doesn’t know yet.

[Are you trying to explode that bomb?]

[…….]

[If we don’t go out together now, I’ll stay right here. If I don’t want to get caught in the explosion you’ve installed, come out with us.]

[Don’t you think that if the ‘method’ you mentioned exists, I could just kill you here and reset everything?]

[Sylvia?]

Alice called to Sylvia in disbelief.

Sylvia was glaring at Leo, not looking at Alice.

As if she didn’t want to care about her.

……And I feel like I can understand that feeling.

[No.]

Leo said.

[You can’t do that. You don’t want to. If you really wanted to, you would have already pressed the button on the detonation device.]

That was truly a line straight out of a shonen manga.

……But it was also true.

I wouldn’t have done it.

Neither Leo nor Claire nor Sylvia nor Charlotte would want to kill.

It wouldn’t make sense for me to gamble their—people I cherish lives just because I could reverse time.

[…….]

Sylvia fell silent for a moment.

[Claire…….]

Looking briefly at Claire who called her, Sylvia said,

[……Is that so? You really are too sharp.]

[Are you going to listen to what I have to say?]

[No, I’ll have to find another way.]

[What do you mean by that—]

[A sure way to excise only the unnecessary parts without being caught by you.]

[Sylvia!]

Feeling something from Sylvia’s desolate statement, Alice stepped forward.

And she reached out her hand toward Sylvia.

But even before that—

[……Again.]

Sylvia spoke.

*

Boom.

[Huh?]

At the sudden loud noise, Leo turned his head to look in the direction of the sound.

[Was that…?]

A massive explosion erupted from the Imperial Palace.

A few aware citizens screamed. In an instant, the surroundings turned into chaos—

[……Father?]

Alice, nearby, muttered blankly—

And then—

*

[……Huh?]

[Leo, are you not focused?]

The entire scenery changed, and this time Leo and Claire, along with Alice and Charlotte, were seated in a café.

[What are you doing daydreaming during your review? You’re not thinking the exam is still far off, are you? If you do that, it’s going to be a big deal during test time.]

At Claire’s scolding, Leo blinked a few times and then chuckled.

[Ah, sorry. I guess I zoned out for a moment.]

[What were you thinking so deeply about?]

[Umm… what was I thinking about again?]

As Leo muttered with a slightly dazed expression, Claire took a deep, exaggerated sigh.

[Are you saying you were just spacing out…?]

“Don’t be too harsh, Claire.”

Charlotte chimed in playfully.

[Sometimes, you need time to clear your head. How about we take a little break with a cup of tea?]

[Yeah, I agree with that.]

Alice responded to Charlotte’s words.

[Then after a short break, shall we continue studying?]

[Sure…….]

Leo’s expression while answering Alice was smiling, but his eyebrows were slightly furrowed, as if something was unsettling.

*

“……”

“……”

“So I said no.”

Even after turning off the broadcast, Claire and Alice continued to stare at me. I reiterated my explanation once more.

“I’ve turned back time several times, but I’ve never caused such a massive incident.”

“Isn’t throwing a bomb right in the middle of the Imperial Palace a massive incident?”

“That’s to know how quickly the palace soldiers would react… right?”

At Alice’s unexpected question, I momentarily appeared taken aback.

“You planned on thinking about your next move while fighting with swords and magic?”

Claire added, and I gaped.

“……How do you remember all that?”

“Um… well, actually I’ve had my memories scrambled until now, so I couldn’t be certain—”

“After coming over here, it seems like I took time to remember my memories and figured out some laws to them. I feel the same way.”

“……”

Ah, no way.

Could it be that as we distance ourselves from the Goddess’s power, we’re slowly beginning to remember the past timelines?

“Actually, it’s still a little vague.”

“Yeah. That’s why it’s also more confusing.”

It seems the Goddess’s power hasn’t fully left us yet, so the memories are not perfectly clear.

And if we went back to that world, and the Goddess’s power fully left this world—

Does that mean all those memories would return to those people, too?

……Should I consider the option of not returning?

Chapter 367

“Doesn’t it seem a bit brighter than before?”

Claire asked in a slightly unsure voice.

We were gazing at the jibo that Claire had brought over after a long time. Since it was the jibo used when Claire and Alice flew over here, we naturally had to use it to return as well. Using the jibo, created to seize the Goddess’s power amidst the chaos she could not handle, was our theory so far.

But for that to happen, the order had to be sufficiently broken.

So far, there were hardly any viewers of our broadcast who doubted our identity.

And the signs of this power returning…

“Hmmm… I guess it seems a bit brighter?”

Alice looked a bit doubting too; it was kind of faint.

Honestly, it did look a little brighter to me, but I couldn’t tell if it was actually brightness or just my imagination.

“Well, there’s nothing to change by worrying about it now. We can think about it a bit longer.”

In truth, I wasn’t sure at all.

Considering that time hardly flowed on this side when I went over there, it could be flowing extremely fast in the opposite case.

But even if that were true, there was nothing we could do. Since we were here, we couldn’t know the situation over there.

“……”

“……”

“……”

The mood sank into a brief gloom.

“…Shall we order some chicken or something?”

“Sounds good!”

“I’m worried we’re going to get fat.”

At the suggestion to order a special remedy for our gloom, both of them responded positively.

*

However, that didn’t mean our broadcast had no effect at all.

“Look at this, it’s a post questioning whether we really came from that world.”

“That’s probably just some internet nonsense.”

In reality, the post was almost half full of ‘lol,’ making it clear it was just a funny joke. The comments were the same.

But there weren’t even such posts during the early days of the broadcast.

“How about we try to verify our identity with our ID next time?”

At my suggestion, Alice and Claire tilted their heads in confusion.

“Didn’t you say we shouldn’t show it?”

“Well, if we just cover the number and address, it should be fine. We just need to show that our name really is ‘Fanggriffon.’”

And surely, someone would report it to the police. They would say our ID was fake.

But we weren’t fools either. These days, you could easily get a resident registration online. Of course, I had already confirmed that Claire and Alice’s IDs were real.

And I had already verified that my ID was real when I reconnected to the internet. If it were fake, we wouldn’t be living like this now.

“Hmmm… Are we proving that we are ‘real’…?”

Alice fell deep into thought for a moment.

“If you don’t like it—”

“N-No, it’s not that.”

Alice said with a slightly awkward smile to my words.

“It’s just that the idea of proving we’re real is a bit funny. The story inside this game is indeed real to these people. They’re, after all, people who didn’t even know our world existed.”

…Was that the meaning?

“It’s funny that the flowing story is different, yet we claim to be the ‘real’ Fanggriffon, right?”

“And my name isn’t Fanggriffon, it’s Grace, sis.”

“…I only said that for convenience since we’re three sisters.”

In response to Claire’s objection, I sighed and replied.

“You can think of it as a name change, right?”

“Names can be changed, but changing surnames is quite difficult. If we were naturalized foreigners, we could choose a surname, but there’s no record of that.”

Of course, it was noted that we were born in this country at the right age.

“The more we deny it, the weirder it gets.”

“That’s the gap, I guess. We need to dig into that gap.”

“Ah.”

While Alice and I were chatting, Claire let out a small gasp, turning both of our gazes toward her.

“Have you thought of something?”

“Soon the chicken will arrive in a minute. Shouldn’t we get ready?”

“……”

I felt a bit envious of that optimistic personality.

Alice seemed to share my thoughts, as a wry smile appeared on her face.

*

[Is it really true?]

[You’ll get punished for forging your ID.]

[Isn’t that a serious crime?]

“I apologize for disappointing you, but we have never forged our IDs. This is truly our identification.”

[Then are your parents’ surnames also Fanggriffon?]

“Our parents don’t exist in this world. They’re all in Azernar.”

For reference, we couldn’t find any trace of our parents’ existence in this ‘other world.’ If the Goddess had a plan, some administrative processing might have been done, but if we wanted to dig further, we would need to go through some office, and I really didn’t want to do that. It would only complicate things.

And if things were to get complicated, they needed to be a societal complication, not a personal one.

That way, the Goddess would be even more flustered.

“If you don’t believe us, feel free to report us to the police. If we’re innocent, you’ll know that’s true, right? By the way, we are paying our taxes properly.”

They usually deduct 3.3%, so that’s handled. The final tax settlement is a matter for next year anyway.

“Even if you can’t believe that we came from Azernar, it’s still true that we have these names.”

Claire, who was sitting next to me, said seriously.

[So that hair is real?]

“Huh? Hair?”

Claire tilted her head in confusion, so I explained why I was asked that.

“In this world, hair colors are quite limited. Alice’s blonde exists, but blue hair is not a naturally occurring hair color.”

“Is that so?”

Claire was taken aback.

“Red is somewhat possible, but purple hair like Sophia’s or your blue hair can only be achieved through dye.”

“Wow, really?”

Claire’s eyes sparkled.

[No way, is that true? LOL]

[It’s obviously dyed.]

“Shall we do a DNA test or something?”

I said with a serious expression.

Well, I wasn’t really planning on going that far.

As long as those people are confused, that’s fine.

…I just hope I don’t end up with a stalker… but well, that’s a problem for later.

[But why do that verification?]

“It’s because we’re fighting against the Goddess of Order. The more you believe us, the higher our chances of winning become.”

[LMAO]

[LOL, solid concept!]

[But even if it’s a concept, crimes are a bit—]

“If you think it’s a crime, it’s only a matter of proving that we are indeed criminals, isn’t it?”

I said confidently.

The chatroom became increasingly chaotic. While some began to wonder if I might actually be real, others staunchly disbelieved it.

All the ones hurling insults got banned. No way you can allow those kinds of vulgarities.

For reference, the number of viewers was the highest it had ever been. I guess someone must have taken a screenshot and posted it somewhere.

Wouldn’t it be nice if it ended up on some wiki?

As long as there was one person believing, that would be enough.

If it looks like we’re getting caught up in some incident… well, honestly, if things escalate that far, we’ve pretty much wrapped up our plans for escape already.

“Well then, let’s stop chit-chatting and play some games.”

I left the still chaotic chatroom as it was and, as usual, booted up the latest installment of the Chronicles of Aetherna.

*

After that, while I was playing, the chat calmed down a tad. Since Sylvia hadn’t noticed other characters about her ability since she turned back time, the story was flowing just like I experienced with my friends.

Of course, the Sylvia in the game seemed much more stiff and emotionless than I was.

Ever since she turned back time, it seemed she had become like that.

That day, I didn’t discover any uniqueness in the story throughout my gameplay and ended the stream as normal, then lightly tidied up my room, washed up, and went to bed.

And—

“Claire! Claire!”

I opened my eyes to the feeling of Claire shaking me vigorously.

Blue light was pouring in through the window, indicating that it was still early morning.

However, an even brighter blue light was catching my eye.

“Look at this!”

It was the light flowing out from the jibo Claire was holding.

“It’s definitely brighter now, right?”

“……”

Of course, it wasn’t as bright as when we saw it from that other world.

The light flowing from the jibo was the most vibrant I had seen since coming here.

“Don’t you think we might be able to go home soon?”

Claire shook the jibo as she said that, giving a broad smile.

“…I think so. If we just keep going like this, it should happen.”

I rubbed my eyes as I saw Alice waking up and smiled again as I looked at Claire.

The way we chose seemed to be definitely the right path.

Chapter 368

Ding dong!

After Claire and Alice learned Hangul, they were given permission to play with anything they wanted in the room.

Woohoo!

There weren’t many options, but there were books and, since they loved watching movies, they happened to have a console that played Blu-ray discs, so they had a decent collection of movie Blu-rays too.

Flick flick!

In fact, they didn’t have to study English separately because they could understand it to some extent. They just needed to memorize some irregular words. To them, it seemed more like a dialect than a foreign language.

Pop pop!

Well, they didn’t really need subtitles, since the sounds would get translated into our ears anyway.

Whoosh!

And both of them got smartphones! Like my resident registration card, theirs wasn’t fake, so getting them connected wasn’t that difficult. We had a Wi-Fi device in the room, so there were no extra internet costs. After all, the three of us were almost always together!

Ding!

But the price of the devices was a problem.

Gulp!

I didn’t want to buy them a cheap model that’s confusing to use. You know, that saying? Sometimes you see companies offering low-performance smartphones as “parental phones” and think, “Parents want to use good stuff too!”

Hmm…

I didn’t want to get them something underperforming just because they were only starting with electronics, but buying the latest models felt a bit… too much. While our broadcasting was going well and sponsorships were coming in more frequently, I wanted to avoid splurging hundreds of thousands on smartphones for both of them at once or getting stuck with an expensive plan.

Bing!

In the end, I opted for used ones.

Wiggle wiggle!

Even though the other person was taken aback by my appearance, I was still able to find a very good smartphone in excellent condition for a nice price after about two years.

Cha-ching!

“If the broadcasting gets even better, I might consider selling this and getting you a new one,” I said.

“Hmm? No, this is more than enough!”

“Right. No need to overdo it. Anyway, the ones needing help here are the two of us.”

Hearing Claire and Alice respond like that made me feel like the eldest son of a family in poverty—but hey, it wasn’t bad either.

Bloop!

They had always been interested in smartphones and would often borrow mine to play, so to be honest, I was worried they’d just get absorbed by them—

“But I don’t want my conversation with my sister to get cut off because of a smartphone.”

“There are plenty of other things to learn here too. Besides… if we just keep watching videos, it feels like a waste of time.”

After spending about three days absorbed in their smartphones, that’s how they felt.

Yay!

It was kind of impressive.

Cheer!

Despite that, Claire had started staying up late at night, and Alice seemed to be interested in mobile games, but I decided to just take it as a good thing. At least they weren’t skipping meals just to watch TV like I did when I was in elementary school!

Nom nom!

Since we’re on the subject of meals, let’s talk a bit about food. The two of them were gradually getting used to the food here.

Yum yum!

It’s not like it was inspired by England or anything, but they were absolutely loving the three-minute curry.

Bloop!

…Although it was kind of a food I got sick of since I ate it too much as a student. Still, I was relieved they were okay with just three-minute curry rather than something really expensive.

Phew!

As long as it wasn’t too spicy, they enjoyed eating a variety of things, which was a relief.

Yay!

Among the three of us, I’d say I was the best cook, so I usually did the cooking.

Stir stir!

But no matter how much I wanted them to eat healthily, sometimes I was just too lazy to cook. During those times, we chose cup ramen or ready-made meals instead.

Slurp slurp!

That’s right. Even after they started living together, my cooking hadn’t changed much from the home-cooked meals I made in this world.

Whew!

I was glad I still remembered at least that much. I thought I’d forgotten everything since I hadn’t cooked in a while.

Bing!

It was the morning of our day off from the broadcast when Claire brought up the movie topic.

Ding ding!

We had just been to a hotel last week, and while it wasn’t as expensive as I thought, we also couldn’t afford to go every week, so this week we decided to stay home and think about what to do for fun.

“Hey, sis,”

At lunchtime, while I was considering whether we should head back to the Han River, Claire spoke up, grabbing my attention.

Look!

Since I still had food in my mouth, I didn’t respond verbally, but it didn’t seem like her hesitation was due to that.

“Um… there’s something I’d like to ask…”

Claire? Asking for a favor?

GASP!

Amidst our somewhat routine life, it was a bit surprising to hear Claire say that.

Hmm…

Now that I think about it, Claire had never asked me for anything like that before. Probably because we never lived together. Claire thought of me as an older sister, and I did consider her somewhat as my younger sister, but we still had different surnames.

Whoa!

Moreover, I was a crown princess and Claire was a noble, so there was really no reason for her to ask me for anything. If she needed something, she could just ask Grace’s estate. In fact, it would feel more natural for Alice to be the one asking.

Sigh…

And, oddly enough, I was a bit happy about it.

Yay!

I wasn’t quite sure how to word that feeling. If I had to compare it, it felt like when my adopted daughter asked me for help for the first time saying, “Daddy, I have a favor to ask,” but of course, Claire wasn’t my daughter.

Hmm…

Besides, Claire was already calling me “sister” without hesitation… so, I guess it didn’t matter.

“Whatever you want, just say it. If it’s something I can help with, I’ll be happy to do it.”

But rather than showing immediate delight, Claire’s expression showed more hesitation.

Ugh…

Alice, who was also eating, put down her chopsticks with a serious look, as if she thought Claire’s favor was quite significant.

Whoa!

However, what came out of Claire’s mouth was far lighter than I expected.

“Um, I want to watch a movie…”

Oh, I see.

Bum bum!

Claire and Alice liked movies.

But it wasn’t the story from Azernar; it was the story from Earth.

Woosh!

Since Azernar’s movies were just starting to emerge, they were barely on the level of black-and-white silent films.

Ugh…

Of course, there are many masterpieces among black and white silent films. No matter how good the technology in the movies from the 21st century gets, there are still many timeless masterpieces that won’t be overshadowed by that.

Oh wow!

But that’s that, and this is this. There’s nothing like “new movies” in terms of entertainment.

Bam!

And I already had quite a few Blu-ray discs in my room, plus I was subscribed to a streaming service, so Claire wasn’t talking about watching movies on that small monitor.

“Ah, you want to go to the cinema.”

“Yep!”

Claire’s response made Alice let out a sigh of relief as she picked up her chopsticks again.

“Hmm… by the way, it’s only been a few weeks since we got here, and you’re already using chopsticks quite well. I wonder if that’s a result of effort?”

Hmm!

After that thought crossed my mind, I answered Claire.

“Well, there’s a way to watch it for free.”

I still needed to think a bit about whether to do 4DX or whatever, but I’d been able to watch regular movies that way multiple times since college.

“Really?”

“Yes. However, it takes a little time. And it might hurt a bit.”

Claire looked shocked at my words, and Alice froze. Both of them were looking at me with somewhat horrified expressions.

Whoa, what?

“…If you’re thinking of something inappropriate, you have nothing to worry about. It’s all totally legal and not sexual at all.”

Hearing that, both of them seemed a bit relieved, but now their expressions were filled with doubt.

Uh?

“It’s something done by a public institution, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

I said once again, but both of them still just tilted their heads.

Huh?

Ding!

“Oh, I see now.”

It was only when I brought the two to the blood donation center that Alice nodded.

Woop woop!

That’s right. If you donate blood at the blood donation center, you can get free movie tickets!

Woohoo!

Coincidentally, all three of us had just turned 16. Of course, on the registration card, it said 18.

Hmm!

“Donate blood?”

After seeing Claire tilt her head in confusion, Alice explained.

“It’s for people who have lost blood due to an accident or are low on blood during surgery. It’s to make sure they don’t die from excessive bleeding. But if you ask someone for blood for free, hardly anyone would do it, so they give away prizes.”

Prize prize!

“You can’t just buy it with money?”

“That would definitely be a problem too.”

Alice seemed to have read about it online.

Buzz!

After finishing the explanation, Alice pondered for a moment and then looked at me.

“By the way… since we came from another world, is it really okay for us to donate our blood?”

…Huh?

Chapter 369

But you see…

The goddess we’re dealing with is the goddess of ‘Order,’ right?

She’s the kind of being who’s prepared us with our own resident IDs to not ‘mix’ in this world.

Plus, did she ensure that we would properly blend into the system of this world, worrying about the things that could happen with just those resident IDs?

You can tell how difficult that must have been just by thinking about it for a little while.

Selecting our birthdates and pretending like officials registered our births on that day…

And on top of that, the only reason we can act like adults is because we’ve been recognized as having gone through actual schooling!

This country’s mandatory education is elementary and middle school, right? If we didn’t have those nine years of records, we wouldn’t be able to act normally. We’d have to go find our parents—who, in this place, don’t even exist—and ask them for forgiveness for any crimes!

It would be a different story if we fell into a country where resident registration wasn’t mandatory, but of all places, this country requires fingerprints along with the resident IDs, making it a huge pain to create any sort of documentation.

It would actually be much easier to fit our genetic information to this world. That’s just a matter of having a little fun with our bodies.

If there was something among the diseases here that could severely threaten our lives or, conversely, if there was a disease we had that could cause a serious pandemic here, we’d be in big trouble by now.

We even booked a hotel and went sightseeing, weaving in and out of many people!

“…So, you’re saying it shouldn’t be a big deal for us to donate blood?”

“That’s right.”

Of course, since the goddess is the goddess of ‘Order.’

Manipulating things may be easier, but the impact could be way more severe.

Would the goddess really just leave things be?

Honestly, the fact that this world and the other world even work together is strange.

If the goddess hadn’t considered those thoughts, she wouldn’t have thrown me back here again.

…If she was just tossing me aside to take revenge and now regretting it while pulling her hair out, that would be her own karma.

“If it seems too complicated, shall we postpone the blood donation? Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to head to a hospital for a health check first.”

“Mm.”

While Alice was pondering, I caught a glimpse of Claire looking a bit disappointed from a short distance away, and I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

“There’s no need to worry too much. The movie theater prices aren’t sky-high.”

If we could watch it for free, that’s great, but it’s not priced so that we absolutely can’t watch it.

Plus—

I pulled out my smartphone and opened the movie theater app.

Right.

Typically, movies that premiere at dawn tend to have early bird discounts regardless of the showtimes.

It was still 10 a.m., and given the commuting patterns of working people, it was a weekday.

“Yup, there it is.”

Of all weekdays, Monday was the busiest, so naturally, there wouldn’t be many people making reservations for morning shows.

At 10:30, there was one movie qualifying for the early bird discount. The theater wasn’t too far from here.

“There’s a movie we can get a discount on, but would you like to go watch it?”

“Okay!”

Claire’s eyes sparkled as she repeatedly nodded her head at my question.

How cute.

I wondered if Claire and Alice had ever watched a horror movie in Azernar?

*

And I realized something I had forgotten.

It had been a few years since I last watched a horror movie.

Having enjoyed various genres of movies, I’d developed some resilience to horror films, but my tolerance for those ‘jump scare’ scenes slowly fades if I didn’t watch such movies or play horror games.

The issue was, I had feelings of ‘fear’ while watching those horror movies.

“…If there’s such a clumsy opponent charging in, wouldn’t it be manageable with the skills we have here?”

As I exited with an empty popcorn bucket, Alice was seriously pondering the realism of the movie.

That’s right.

Though shooting techniques, makeup, and CGI advances made movies quite realistic, conversely, the more you know about that ‘reality,’ the more disconnect you feel because of the alluring realism.

If I’d watched a live theater play, I would think, ‘that’s just fake,’ and it would feel a bit easier, but with Alice’s standards of having actually fought with ‘knives,’ those ‘civilians’ charging in with just a kitchen knife aren’t much of a threat.

“Tut tut.”

Claire didn’t actually click her tongue; she just gave a teasing expression like a playful kitten and said to Alice, confidently.

“Movies are basically an extension of theater, after all. Even if there are standout scenes, you need to close your eyes and accept it.”

It seemed Claire was simply enjoying the fact of having watched a movie in a theater rather than worrying about the movie’s unreality, with a smile on her face.

The problem was that we had just emerged from a ‘horror movie’ with no survivors in sight!

Could it be that I really was the only one scared?

I thought seriously.

So, during the movie—

“Sister, you screamed ‘Eek!’ didn’t you?”

…..

“After that, you were trembling just looking at the knife in the killer’s hand.”

Alice chimed in from beside me.

“…I…”

“Ah, right!”

Claire said excitedly.

“But still, sis, you love horror movies, right? You bought the ticket after all.”

“……”

Well, yeah, I did say that. I do find them somewhat enjoyable.

Even if I get surprised here and there, that’s part of the flavor of watching horror movies. Of course, while some horror movies don’t rely on jump scares, I prefer those kinds, but opinions often vary on that.

However, what Claire seemed to imply was a bit scary.

What idea was she concocting to wear such an expression?

Was she really suggesting we binge on horror films continuously on streaming sites?

“Ah, wait.”

But Claire turned the conversation elsewhere, ignoring my anxious look.

“Now that we’ve watched a movie, it’s lunchtime!”

“…Didn’t you have something you wanted to say?”

When I asked, noticing Claire’s sudden shift in topic, she just tilted her head innocently.

“Eh~? No, not at all?”

“Um, it is true that it’s lunchtime.”

Alice interjected, having eavesdropped on our conversation.

“So how do you want to have lunch? Do you want to eat outside? Or go home?”

“…”

Alice probably didn’t read Claire’s thoughts.

Though the two sisters bore a slight resemblance to each other, that was strongly denied. Their upbringing was different, or perhaps their mother was different; there were plenty of aspects that couldn’t be said to resemble each other at all.

However, there are times they strangely connect emotionally.

Especially whenever they put me in a spot.

I felt that way from living with them for the past few weeks.

Though they were not in sync enough to share thoughts, they quickly catch on when one of them has an ‘interesting idea’ and will subtly set the stage for cooperation without outrightly saying so.

That’s how it was now.

Well… Since we got here, they’ve slyly fed me spicy things or made me eat food that looks like it wouldn’t be spicy but actually is, or they outrightly had me eat something spicy while lying about it not being spicy, but still, I felt like it was a bit much for the two of them to team up like that.

They did buy me plenty of sweets, after all.

“…Fine. I can’t say what you two are thinking, but I guess filling our hungry bellies comes first.”

Well, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to let it slide this time.

It wasn’t like they did something I genuinely hated.

Even if their hearts didn’t fully overlap, the most important common ground between them was that they wouldn’t cross certain lines.

They hadn’t explicitly said it, but from what I could tell, that much seemed certain.

“Since we’re out, how about we eat outside?”

“Sounds good!”

“I’m in favor too.”

The way both girls reacted to my suggestion was exuberant.

…Well, they have resident IDs stating they’re adults, still being only sixteen.

As the eldest, I suppose it’s okay to take it easy a bit.

*

And soon enough, I understood what Claire was thinking.

“…Are you suggesting a horror game?”

“Yep.”

“From the stream?”

“Yep.”

When I looked at Claire in surprise, she gave me a look like a quirky orange cat from an animation.

“…Is that bad?”

“……”

Looking quietly at Claire, I released a deep sigh.

“…Do you have any game in mind?”

“Of course!”

Well, I’ve played my fair share of horror games.

Sure, if the stream keeps going in one pattern, that could be a problem too.

That said, it didn’t mean I wouldn’t sigh.

Sigh~.

Chapter 370

[What is this? Are we playing a horror game today?]

[Have we been stuck on one game for too long? LOL]

“…Yes, after our three-person experience, we believe sticking to one game for a long time might be a bit tiresome. If you all want to continue with the previous game—”

[Actually, that’s fine!]

[Are you trying to sneak something in?]

[Whose idea was this?]

“…It was Claire’s idea.”

[Well done, Crown Princess!]

[Excellent thought!]

“Hehe.”

“…”

I can’t believe I have no allies here.

Of course, I understand why. I used to watch those streamers who played horror games religiously when they uploaded videos.

I rarely watched live streams, but no streamer would neglect to upload good content to YouTube. Many who dislike horror games end up playing them due to audience demands; after all, if they’ve painstakingly cleared a horror game, they might as well make a video out of it.

In fact, horror game videos tend to get pretty good views.

There’s a reason these videos rack up views on YouTube. It’s not just about the streamer’s reactions; people find the story and setting intriguing while having a natural reluctance to play due to the horror genre’s entry barrier.

But if someone else plays through the horror game, and even gives hints about jump scares in the video, it becomes much easier to watch.

That’s why horror games might not sell as well, but their videos do quite well.

Since I’m already playing, why not edit it a bit and upload it?

Thinking about it, I could probably cut and piece the full version together.

…Well, let’s just keep that thought for now. Starting something simple is often way more annoying and involves more learning than expected.

“Thanks to Claire’s determination not to teach me, I’m still unaware of what kind of game she has installed.”

The fact that “it’s not selling well” applies to both horror movies and horror games. Occasionally, there are those rare hits, but they’re typically the minority.

Thus, on both sides, the number of works made by major production companies that cost hundreds of billions is surprisingly low.

And the cheaper productions usually release on PC first since they are easier to publish.

The game Claire prepared is one of those.

“I’ve selected popular titles, so look forward to it!”

With Claire’s excited voice, Alice next to her couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Alright then…”

“Ah, wait!”

Claire shouted and suddenly jumped up, dashing somewhere.

And—

click.

The lights in the room went out.

But the light from the monitor wasn’t too dim, so our faces were still visible on camera. It was just that the noise increased and the frame rate dropped.

“…”

So this means she’s determined to make this a scary environment, huh?

Well, fine. Since we’ve come this far, I’ll grit my teeth and endure it.

I launched the game platform program that Claire had prepared.

There was no background music on the main screen.

[Oh!]

[Isn’t this that trending one?]

“Do you all know what game this is?”

[Hmm?]

[Bzzz bzzz bzzz.]

[Ban this user!]

“…”

Well, that’s a spoiler from the start.

That’s fine. After all, horror games generally share similar concepts. I’ve played a few before. Sure, it’s been a while, so I’m bound to get startled, but let’s see how long I can hold out.

The main screen without background music displayed the entrance of a decaying hospital.

The protagonist who decided to enter there during a stormy night surely wasn’t normal.

Moreover, every time lightning struck the sky, the interior of the building became partially visible, showing that there was definitely someone in a corner of the hospital’s highest floor.

“…Are we starting?”

Alice, who was next to me, asked.

[Scared?]

Someone in the chat poked at my weak point.

“…I will start.”

With those words, I had no choice but to proceed.

*

And about 30 minutes later.

“…Claire.”

“Yeah?”

“Is there no means of attack in this game?”

“Yeah. There’s none, it’s a horror game, right?”

No.

Even horror games usually give you at least some means of attack! There are numerous famous zombie game series, or those settings where humanity transforms due to some indescribable alien device.

There are so many games like that! You can still be scared even if you have weapons!

Yet here I was, playing for a full 30 minutes without receiving a single weapon.

The only thing I had was a flashlight with limited battery.

And why does the battery for this flashlight run out so quickly? Flashlights that take two AA batteries usually last for hours, but it seems this game only lasts about 10 minutes.

“What’s scary about holding an offensive tool?”

“…”

Alice next to me asked, leaving me speechless.

True.

Most horror games I’ve played so far have protagonists wielding weapons.

Even if the ammunition is limited and sometimes it’s better to run away than fight, simply having something in hand provides a great psychological comfort. Plus, in those games, offensive tools usually increase as you progress, or you get mechanisms to upgrade the weapons, thus the action often becomes more intense than the horror in the later stages.

But not in this game.

This game even had stamina limits for running!

“You’ve shot a gun before, haven’t you? Wasn’t that scary?”

“…”

[Were you even a high school girl? LOL]

A donator ridiculed me.

[Didn’t you try bravery training as a child?]

Another donator made fun of me.

Well, still, most bravery training doesn’t happen in a closed mental hospital!

[Scared?]

“…”

I clutched the mouse tightly with my right hand while pressing the W key down with my left.

*

“AHHH!?”

Yeah, I expected that.

If there weren’t any jump scare moments in a game like this, that would be a problem in itself.

The story was extremely simple.

The protagonist, who is a streamer, enters a mental hospital seeking some views, but ends up trapped as the interior keeps changing, a story that feels oddly familiar.

The objective was to rummage through the unnecessarily maze-like hospital, unlocking keys and descending stairs.

And of course, there were monsters roaming around that maze.

The monsters didn’t just pop up directly to scare you; they reacted to player sounds or casually wandered into your line of sight, which, though not a triggered event, was enough to startle someone.

With gritted teeth, I pressed the W key down.

“Pressing the button hard won’t make the character go faster, you know?”

But the way Alice said that while gripping my arm and focusing her gaze on the screen was a sight to behold.

Didn’t she say horror films aren’t scary?

By the way, Claire, who chose the game, also quietly watched the screen.

From behind, there were unpleasant sounds of moans and breaths, mixed with an icky atmosphere. The fact that I was wearing headphones made it feel like those sounds were coming ‘from behind me.’

It was visually displeasing as well, this being that its eyes were stretched wide with a stapler jammed through, nearly skull-like and dressed in constraints.

If it had just looked like that, it might have been better, but its abdomen bulged unnaturally. Anyone could tell it was luridly excited seeing the protagonist, even though he was a guy.

THUMP!

But fortunately, the game had lockers the player could hide in, so if I hid there, the monsters would turn around and go away.

“Phew…”

That genuinely startled me.

Having no means to fight while feeling something following me from behind was extremely unsettling.

Additionally, since there was simply no time to observe the monsters properly, I had to gauge their appearance based on quick glimpses that got burned into my mind, almost like I was taking glimpses of photographs.

“…Claire.”

“Yeah?”

“At the very least, could we turn on the light?”

As I asked while hiding in a locker, Claire thought for a moment before nodding.

“Yeah, then—”

Ding!

[Play in the dark until it ends – 20,000 won]

“…”

Claire, who had been about to stand up, slowly sat back down.

No.

“…Then, since I’ve run once already, how about we switch turns now?”

Ding!

[Crown Princess Sylvia to play until the end – 30,000 won]

“…”

I raised my hand and pressed my temple.

“Everyone, did I do something wrong? How about negotiating?”

[Scared?]

[Lol! You’ve mostly been playing alone until now!]

…Well, I mostly played, true.

But that was just how the broadcast format had been set up! It’s not like I wanted to do it alone! Initially, they couldn’t even read Korean!

But no matter how I try to justify it, they wouldn’t believe it since they had resident IDs.

“Everyone, please don’t—”

Ding!

With increasing stakes for me to keep playing until the end, another 20,000 won was added to the mission.

“Everyone, calm down—”

BANG!

“AHHH!?”

As I was talking to the audience, a sudden noise ringing in my ears caused me to turn around in a panic and there was a muscular guy, not a shred of skin left on him, opening the locker and pulling me out.

“Does this game… have a time limit?”

[Lol!]

[Lol!]

“No, not really—”

As I reacted, the screen jerkingly turned in a strange direction, and then I saw myself fall to the ground.

And slowly the screen blurred until—

“…”

It went back to the very first screen, meaning about an hour ago.

“…Does this game have saving options?”

[It’s manual.]

“…”

I pressed my forehead with my hand.

Chapter 371

Popular games among streamers usually have one of two reasons.

One is simply a masterpiece that attracts viewers as soon as it’s turned on.

The other is that the game is ridiculously hard, scary, or just plain terrible, causing suffering for the player, which in turn draws in viewers.

Horror games often use not only the internal atmosphere of the game but also the external anxiety arising from absurdity as elements of fear.

For example, a game where you have to shoot zombies but can’t do a moving shot.

Or making it so that you need items for saves, putting a limit on the number of saves you can do at once, or only allowing saves in specific locations at the same time.

Forcing players to operate light sources through items in a dark background, thus making it mandatory to play in the dark.

This game didn’t have weapons, so it didn’t fit the first condition, but it met all the other criteria.

Furthermore, save points were at the beginning of each chapter, so to save, I had to return to where I had started.

But since the game is a “maze,” no map is provided.

With monsters roaming inside the maze, it was quite difficult to leisurely navigate using left and right techniques.

And the fact that the save point was at the starting part meant that even if progress gets saved, I still had to start from the ‘beginning of the maze’ to go that far. If I died once, I respawned from that far place.

“…This is a crap game…”

[Oh, it’s not a crap game!]

[It still scored highly!]

[If it were a crap game, would it have sold that well? LOL]

A ton of viewers responded to my mumblings.

Yeah, I know. The level design is pretty unique and well done, and there are a lot of objects scattered throughout, so the paths I’ve taken kind of stick in my mind.

Monsters stubbornly chase me, but there’s still enough hiding places here and there.

As long as it’s not that skinless hellspawn monster, I won’t die in one hit, and the health automatically regenerates, so once I adapt, I can somewhat explore the maze.

But… but, I still couldn’t admit it!

Because I’m in pain right now!

“Eek!”

[LOL]

[Are you doing that on purpose?]

Why would I do that on purpose?

I don’t want to scream like some concept-obsessed person!

Thud.

Once again, my character’s neck snapped.

And then—

“Huh?”

Was the timing of the respawn not great? As soon as my character respawned, I heard a shuffling noise nearby.

It was a monster sporting chains on its feet, making its debut in this chapter.

[King Buro]

[Just for donations!]

Two donations came in one after another.

You think I would do that on purpose?

The amount for this mission was going over 150,000 won combined. Adding that to the donation I’ve received so far made it the highest amount I had earned over the days we had been streaming.

But why the heck would I do that!?

“Where… where am I supposed to go? The path is blocked!?”

[Ugh, ugh, ugh]

[If you give hints, you’ll get banned!]

“I won’t get banned!”

Ding ding ding.

[Please ring the hint bell!]

Ugh…!

When I used to watch streams, I didn’t understand why streamers hated the hint bell, but now I get it.

Streamers and viewers are fundamentally different creatures.

Accepting help from someone while grappling with my dignity isn’t something I can accept.

Of course, if they really want to help, I wouldn’t refuse, but I certainly don’t want to ask for help first.

Gasp!

I clenched my teeth to avoid screaming.

I turned around and ran with all my might from the suddenly appearing monster, barely finding a locker to hide in.

And without realizing it, I moved my hand towards the Esc key, then dropped it.

There’s a time limit in the game, so if players dawdle without passing a certain section—probably a stage—a skinless muscular monster spawns from outside the player’s view.

The walking speed of that monster is slower than the player, but unlike other monsters, it follows the player’s position with pinpoint accuracy.

Plus, since it knows the location, hiding in the locker is useless.

The problem is, I don’t know the timing for when that monster appears in the game. While I could identify it by its ordinary footfalls, that’s only because it’s different from the other monsters; the spawn location is random, and the sound isn’t loud enough to be heard from a distance.

Which means I won’t know if it has spawned until I see it directly.

If I press the Esc key to bring up the menu, time freezes in the game but—

[Look at that hand!]

[We can see your arm moving!]

…there’s no way the viewers are just going to let that slide.

In reality, even if I brought up the menu, I would end up getting caught anyway, but that was something my pride wouldn’t allow.

“Sister, if it’s too hard, I can take over.”

“Right. Alternating might make it a bit easier.”

At first, the two were a bit scared, but after watching scary scenes for a while, maybe they became immune because they returned to their usual expressions.

No, not just their usual expressions; they looked worried about me.

Maybe it’s because we had been gaming for four hours straight.

…Usually, I would take a break after just a bit over two hours of playing games, so it made sense, but this was somewhat of a pride battle.

Not just pride, but…

If I didn’t finish this today, I’d have to continue tomorrow.

I really didn’t want that.

I have to finish this somehow today and wrap it up for good.

I bit my teeth.

Ah, really.

If only I had a power to rewind time.

*

I went through countless absurdities.

“Eek!?”

Because I took too long, a hellspawn was chasing behind me while a rigid, creepy monster came charging at me from the front.

“Wait…?”

I got caught because I got snagged on a tiny object, and—

“Gyaaa!”

Got caught by a monster in front of the stairs.

I even ran towards the stairs, which were in front of me, even while a monster was coming from behind, so I had no room for excuses.

…Regardless, after enduring through all those numerous absurdities, about an hour later.

“I… did it…”

[Human Victory]

[Wow]

[Ooooh]

[LMAO]

That’s right. I cleared it.

Just because it’s a famous game, I thought the story might be grand, but it really wasn’t. After playing through till the end, the game’s fame was probably only due to its unique progression style.

The extremely simple goal of finding stairs to escape the hospital, with the clever traps the player encounters along the way.

Naturally, there were times where I had to break through or circumvent obstacles on my path.

So, judging purely by the game itself, I could say it’s an excellent game that relies solely on gameplay. The save points were downright annoying, but that was honestly a bit of a stretch.

Although I didn’t want to admit it, placing a monster that knows the protagonist’s position was a brilliant choice.

“It was nothing special.”

[?]

[?]

[What?]

I said that while ignoring countless hooks.

“Isn’t five hours reasonable for finishing a game?”

“Sister… that’s so pathetic…”

“……”

[LMAO]

[LOL]

To think Claire would say something like that to me, I must’ve been a bit pathetic.

“And, even though I cleared it in five hours, it’s already 2 AM. That’s well past my usual bedtime.”

Alice said that while yawning with her hand covering her mouth.

“……”

Hmm.

To be honest, I took so many saves while playing cowardly that it also took longer.

It did, but…!

“Anyway, we cleared it, didn’t we? Since the broadcast was longer than usual, isn’t that a win for everyone?”

I made that argument with a steel plate on my face.

[Hmmm]

[That seems to be the case?]

[But how am I supposed to go to work tomorrow, Sylvia?]

“Who forced you to watch the stream with a gun pointed at you?”

[LOL, it kinda seems like that though]

You’ve got a 10-minute timeout.

“In that case, since I kept the lights off until clearing the game and I played all the way through alone, I will consider all the missions a success.”

The total income from the missions had nearly reached around 400,000 won combined.

For a while, I could finally breathe easy.

I barely held back a smile on my face.

[Please do it again next time]

Would I?

As I ended the stream and tidied up around me,

“Sister.”

“……”

Then I heard someone calling me, and when I turned to look, Claire was sparkling at me with wide eyes.

“You’ll do it again next time, right?”

“……”

In that innocent and pure gaze, I momentarily lost my composure.

Looking over at Alice, she just shrugged and smiled.

Looks like she’s on their side.

Is it fun for them to watch me suffer?

But when I thought about it again, that must be the instinct of siblings. Normally, siblings often drag each other down.

“If you both promise to play next time, I’ll make sure to play when it’s my turn.”

“Sounds good! Actually, I was a little curious too. I could only watch because of the missions.”

“Since I’m interested, well…”

Good.

I’ll have to pick the next game.

…It has to be the scariest game I can think of.

Chapter 372

Shall we talk a bit about food preferences?

Of course, my taste is just the standard palate of a typical Korean. I don’t particularly enjoy overly rich dishes and prefer moderately salty and spicy food.

Having spent quite a long time in Azernar—well, not so much the cuisine of Azernar itself, but mainly the foods from Velbur and Niberia—I’ve adapted somewhat, but it seems I’ve failed to completely erase my fundamental taste.

It’s a bit surprising that even though my body has completely changed, my taste buds have remained the same. Could this kind of taste be related to the soul?

…Anyway, in that sense, life has been enjoyable lately.

Eating kimchi stew, soybean paste stew, and various soup dishes has given me strength. Plus, isn’t this place a different world from Azernar? Not only Korean food, but I can almost eat all the Asian dishes I couldn’t have over there.

I should eat as much as I can since I won’t get to enjoy it again once I go back—at least that’s what I was thinking.

However, I couldn’t ignore the tastes of the two people spending time with me.

Both of them have taken quite a liking to Korean food, but still, I can’t just serve them Korean dishes all the time.

Excluding the many local foods of the Empire of Aetherna that are hard to identify, it seems that even if I gather up various foods that are more or less worth trying, the food available in Azernar is typically rich.

Moreover, rather than using chili, sauces often use tomatoes or cream, and the shape of the noodles is closer to spaghetti than thin noodles. Given that it’s based on quantities, that’s to be expected. Besides, it’s a perspective influenced by how a Japanese person sees the West, so it’s understandable that the food might feel a bit exaggeratedly Western.

Claire and Alice look at me.

No matter how much I say to relax, they can’t help it. If you’re leeching off someone else’s home without paying a dime, anyone with normal feelings would be conscious.

So even if the taste of the meal isn’t quite right for them—

“Y-yeah, it’s delicious. It’s not that spicy.”

They say that while sweating profusely, or,

“I can definitely say that foreign food is worth trying.”

They remark, unable to finish half the meal.

Right, even if it’s foreign food, it’ll taste good the first time you eat it. Maybe even the second or third time.

But if you keep eating it, you’ll get tired of it.

The reason I attempted to make dishes like spaghetti or went to the highest-rated nearby bakery to buy bread was for this reason. I wanted my sisters to not have a bad impression of the food here.

Anyway, despite that, seeing their reactions while eating fairly decent Western cuisine—mostly European food—sparkled their eyes, so I figured it wouldn’t be much of a problem.

Yeah.

“I thought so.”

“…Claire, I was counting on you.”

“Ehh!? What’s wrong, sis? Did I do something wrong?”

You did.

After we streamed a horror game, our viewers increased. We didn’t create a separate account on the streaming site, but it seems that clips and GIFs of my scared moments spread around various communities.

Thanks to that, more people started asking about us, and naturally, the donations poured in.

I thought we might be able to enjoy a cushier life now and thought about ordering some pizza—

“…What’s this?”

Alice, after opening the pizza box, tilted her head.

Yes. The pizza inside the box had pineapple on it.

“…Well, it’s not wrong.”

True, it’s not wrong.

No country has made it a crime to put pineapple on pizza. It might be illegal in Italy—although honestly, if you put it that way, most Korean pizza would be illegal—but anyway, it wasn’t to my taste.

“Is that so?”

But Claire seemed unsure, looking up at me with a slight bow.

…Right, it’s not like Claire did anything wrong.

After all, for these two, all the food in this country is ‘foreign food.’ Even if we buy fish and chips we had in Azernar, it’s ultimately British food, not food from the Empire of Aetherna.

That means these two have no fundamental sense of what ‘food should be like.’ Since everything they eat here is basically their first time trying it.

I should have thought of that first.

“Pineapple on pizza is fresh.”

Fresh, indeed.

It might be sacrilegious.

“Isn’t it? That’s why I ordered it.”

Claire said, her face lighting up with a smile.

Now that I think about it, I think mint chocolate was also made in England.

…I must choose the flavor if we go for ice cream. That could’ve been a disaster.

“Sis.”

When I finally came to my senses upon being called, Claire and Alice were looking up at me, surrounding the pizza box.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

Claire still looked a bit anxious as she looked up at me.

…Well, it’s not like I’m going to die just because there’s pineapple on the pizza.

Even though I dislike the idea of pineapple being cooked on pizza, what can I do? The pizza’s already here.

I cautiously sat down in the empty spot.

Both Claire, who thinks of me as her older sister, and Alice, who sees me as her younger sister, seemed to be waiting for me to start eating.

They shouldn’t have to be so aware of it.

“Well then, shall we eat?”

“Yeah!”

“Let’s do that.”

I picked up the first slice of pizza.

Pepperoni and cheese were delicately combined, and on top—was pineapple.

After a brief hesitation, I took a bite of the pizza.

The first thing that touched my tongue was the still-warm pizza dough.

After one chew, the melted pizza cheese became immediately apparent. It wasn’t too rich, and the subtly savory yet strangely salty flavor was very similar to the pizza I usually eat.

It tasted a bit different from the pizza in Azernar, but to be honest, I prefer this pizza more.

As I chewed the pizza again, the taste of sausage hit me. The slightly spicy flavor of the pepperoni sausage came through.

As I slowly savored the familiar Western taste and moved my jaw again—

I felt the pineapple.

The sweet flavor of the tropical fruit enveloped my tongue in an instant.

Honestly, I like pineapple. I could easily finish a can by myself.

But, pineapple on pizza? Really? Why?

I tried not to scowl. I hoped my two sisters—especially Claire, who picked the pizza—wouldn’t feel hurt.

“It’s delicious!”

“See? It really is tasty.”

I see. It really is good.

Compared to the food of the Empire of Aetherna, it’s overwhelmingly better.

Still, the more I put it in my mouth, the increasingly edible it seemed.

If only it didn’t have pineapple.

“Go ahead and have more.”

I finished a slice of pizza and picked up another while saying that.

“Wait? Is that it for you, sis?”

“Yeah, I think this much is fine for me.”

“Is that so? Did you have a hearty breakfast?”

Alice tilted her head.

More like… I just don’t feel like eating more. Of course, I don’t think it’s a meal I find completely disgusting.

The two of them, even while being aware of me, polished off the remaining slices.

…If I had eaten more, it would have been insufficient.

*

“Both of you, there’s something to talk about.”

At my words, Claire and Alice exchanged glances and then knelt before me.

“…Why are you sitting like that?”

“Um, no, it’s just that, during the meal earlier, I felt like you were a bit upset.”

Even so, I wouldn’t get angry just because they ordered something I didn’t particularly like.

And I didn’t completely refuse to eat it either.

“You don’t need to be tense; I’m not angry.”

Still, seeing the two of them kneeling, I held back a sigh and placed a card in front of each of them.

“Uh.”

“This is.”

“This is a debit card.”

Basically, the money I earned is my own money. Of course, I don’t plan to use it solely for myself and am thinking of keeping it as a reserve for emergencies.

But it’s a good idea to split the money earned through streaming accurately among the three of us.

It’s not like I’m the only one earning it.

Of course, while it hasn’t been settled yet, I can still see how much we’ve made.

“I’ve set aside an appropriate amount from the money we earned through broadcasting. Both of you get the same amount.”

In fact, I had already opened accounts for them beforehand. They each created an online banking account, and these cards were the debit cards I applied for at that time.

“If you want anything, you can spend it within that limit. If you need something but don’t have enough money, I’ll give you more.”

“Really…?”

Claire took the card with a slightly bewildered expression.

“…Can we really use it for personal stuff?”

“I trust you two.”

“…”

From my words, the two seemed momentarily at a loss for words.

“I’m sorry for just receiving it like this.”

Claire spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.

“It’s not like that. It’s not something you should feel bad about.”

I smiled gently at Claire and responded.

“If I were here alone, I’d just wither away. Thanks to you two, I’m able to enjoy each day. And this money isn’t solely mine.”

“…I’ll pay you back one day.”

Alice spoke.

“I’m already in the process of repaying you.”

“…”

At my words, Claire and Alice were silent for a moment before—

“Eek!?”

They both jumped at me at once.

No, if you want to give me a thank-you hug, could you please be a little gentler?

I thought that while smiling and patting the backs of both of them.

Chapter 373

When Claire and Alice set up their bank accounts, we added some of the money we earned, but we also threw in a little extra cash.

It wasn’t a massive amount. I contributed a sum and divided the total money by three.

The utility bills and food costs were manageable with the money I earned, and considering the savings I’d built up while working, it wasn’t a big issue.

Anyway, it wasn’t an amount that could be considered “huge,” but still enough to buy “something nice.” While not enough for the latest smartphone, you could get a decent coat, branded sneakers, small accessories, or a pair of Bluetooth earphones.

So, I was curious about how the two would spend the money.

They might use it on street food when they go out or pop into an accessory shop to buy earrings, rings, or necklaces, or even cosmetics—but aside from food, this country’s culture was vastly different from the Empire of Aetherna, and everything they’d see would be brand-new to them.

But then I thought, would cosmetics from this country suit them? I don’t know much about skin tones, but apparently, there’s a noticeable difference between Eastern and Western skin tones. Even if they looked similar, they might lack melanin or something.

…Well, if they had experience with makeup, they probably knew more than I did. I didn’t wear any even when Grace’s voice rang like a black lily.

A day passed after I had that thought.

So, to put it simply, it was the day right after I handed over the check cards.

“I want to go somewhere,” Alice said to me, surprising me a bit.

I thought Claire would be the first to say something like that.

“If it’s a place we can return to before the broadcast time, I don’t see why not,” I replied.

Since there hadn’t been any announcement about taking a break, I figured it was fine. If someone was actually sick or an urgent issue popped up that prevented them from broadcasting, then I believed a notice should be up the day before.

After all, I had never been late until now.

Once trust is broken, all the built-up reliability can collapse in an instant.

“I know that.”

And Alice was not the type to ignore that fact. In fact, she was far more meticulous about such things than I was.

With the exception of that time we played a horror game and stayed up late, Alice and Claire always woke me up early in the morning.

Ever since I got them smartphones, their alarms were always set for the exact same time.

At least Claire wasn’t waking up as early as when she was doing requests.

After getting familiar with this neighborhood, they would go out for a morning breeze and light exercise together. Sometimes, they’d even bike around Yeouido Park like before.

Anyway, as long as they come back by dinner time, it’s all good.

“Okay. Then let’s get ready and head out.”

I had already showered in the morning, so all I had to do was get dressed.

Although Alice looked a bit tense, which made me feel a little nervous as well.

Well, would Alice really take us somewhere strange?

*

It wasn’t a strange place.

Or rather, it might seem strange to certain people.

These days, it was a spot where couples went on dates, but if you were to ask whether it’s a weird place in this modern age, it would definitely raise a few eyebrows: the International Electronics Market, commonly known as “Gukjeon.”

For reference, it was almost an hour away by subway from where I lived, so in Seoul residents’ sense of distance, it was quite far.

But I didn’t really care about that.

“Were you interested in this sort of place?”

If that was the case, they should have said so beforehand!

Though I may look nonchalant on the surface, deep down, a flame of otaku passion was still burning.

Even after returning here, I hadn’t bothered to look for new releases, but if I started, I would definitely binge a few titles. Plus, I was at an age where I would normally start feeling aches and pains, but becoming Sylvia Fanggriffon had corrected a lot of those issues.

“…Not yet.”

“Not yet, but coming all the way here shows interest, doesn’t it?”

“Hey, where is this place?”

“It’s a place where I can buy the game packages I have or a little Alice at my house.”

Of course, I rarely bought anything here. I sometimes dropped by to treat myself and picked up a couple of dumped games.

There’s a store that offers discounts for cash purchases, but honestly, it’s better to buy online and earn points instead.

Still, I wouldn’t deny the appeal of seeing and purchasing something right in front of me.

Anyway, I was an otaku, so…

“Oh.”

Claire’s eyes sparkled at my explanation, but Alice frowned.

“So that’s a no.”

But to me, imagining taking Alice to a doujinshi event was all that mattered.

But then I thought, do the three of us have to cosplay if we attend? I heard they charge a separate registration fee.

Given how we looked, I didn’t think they would believe us if we claimed we just came to look around. The event had a somewhat haphazard organizational style.

Well, that’s a story for another time.

“Have you been here before?”

When Alice asked that, I nodded.

“Then, could you possibly guide us? I know it’s the 9th floor…”

Alice said a bit shyly, and I nodded in agreement.

“Of course.”

It’s always welcome to have more companions.

It was still morning. It wouldn’t take long to look around before heading out.

Perhaps we’d hit Hongdae or Yongsan in the afternoon.

As I pondered seriously, I led the two toward the elevator.

*

As soon as Alice and Claire stepped into the 9th floor, they were both a bit shocked.

“Uh…”

“So, um…”

They might not have realized it when looking at just a single figure in my room, but there were countless other figures in the world.

For example—

“Cough.”

Claire made a sound as if her throat was choking, and when I looked over, I found the exact Claire figure I had missed out on before.

Seeing the price tag on the figure meant it was likely a second-hand item.

Claire’s expression made Alice strangely satisfied as she led the way into that store.

“Hey, wait—”

Claire looked a bit flustered, but she didn’t hesitate to follow.

As is typical for stores in this kind of market, the interior was quite cramped. However, among similar stores, this one was relatively large, but with all three of us, plus the people already inside, it felt packed.

Furthermore—

“Yikes.”

Even Claire’s reaction was enough that everyone in the store turned to look at the three of us.

Alice, who had gone in first, looked a bit stunned as if she couldn’t dare to enter.

…Well, I get it.

The three of us looked like we were dressed up for cosplay.

In terms of subculture, the Chronicles of Aetherna doesn’t take up a large space. It’s a fairly popular game series, but it’s not like it reached a phenomenon level in Japan or held a large share at doujin events.

But this place is also famous for game sales.

Our eye-catching appearance would practically make it impossible for anyone who recognized us to look away.

It’s amusing that all three of us are the actual characters.

As I gently nudged Alice forward, she finally seemed to snap back to reality.

“Um, uhh…. What brings you here?”

The middle-aged man at the cash register stood up and asked.

Alice hesitated, moving her lips a few times before pointing at me with her finger.

…Huh?

Is she signaling me to speak for her?

Surprisingly, the man seemed to get it, nodded, and turned around.

After rummaging through a large box, he asked,

“Huh?”

He pulled out a sizable figure box.

…And on that box was a drawing of none other than me.

“Is this what you’re looking for?”

The cashier said that, then quickly made an awkward expression. Given our apparent foreign status, he must have hesitated.

“Yes, that’s right.”

But Alice calmly confirmed it and visibly relaxed.

The figure was priced at a little over 100,000 won. That amount was enough to buy it and still have some leftover from the money I had put in Alice’s account.

And it was only then, while staring blankly at the payment process, that I realized why Alice came here.

…Is she planning on getting back at me?

For buying her figure?

Or perhaps, did she see it on the broadcast?

Chapter 374

“…….”

No, what are we going to do about this?

I mean, it’s nice to buy the figure, but…

You didn’t seriously buy this just to mess with me, did you?

As someone who once tried collecting figures—well, attempted to at least—I’m not against buying figures, but they’re not exactly ‘toys’ that you can play with.

Especially for the cute girl figures, even if they’re action figures, they aren’t really sturdy and flexible like actual toys. They’re more like things you ‘display’ in a specific pose and admire.

Of course, Alice didn’t buy this with the intention of playing with it.

Besides, this figure didn’t even have movable joints.

“……I bought it for the stream!”

Receiving lukewarm looks, Alice defended herself.

I couldn’t exactly walk around the subway with a giant figure box in hand, so I returned home first. I had lunch once I got back.

I don’t plan on blaming Alice for it, but…

“Are you planning to do an unboxing or something?”

Last time Claire brought up ideas for a horror game, and now Alice is bringing up an unboxing idea?

Of course, Alice’s envisioned content will probably only be about 10 minutes long. If it were a PC or console game, there’d at least be reviews while using the product, but with figures, it’s really just about showing it off.

And that’s precisely why you need to be careful when buying.

The thrill is all about the purchasing, waiting for it to arrive, and unwrapping it. After that, all that’s left is to store it somewhere in the house, and if you didn’t buy something you really liked, you’ll strongly feel, “Why did I buy this?”

In my childhood—when I didn’t know anything about the Chronicles of Aetherna yet—I went through a brief otaku phase and bought a lot of trading figures priced around 10,000 to 20,000 won.

Considering the price, it’s obvious that most of them were of poor quality, and before going to the military, I had a strong moment of clarity and ended up getting rid of them all.

After that, I decided I wouldn’t buy anything unless it was expensive and of good quality. Naturally, I couldn’t afford anything else after buying just one Alice figure.

“……I thought of that when I bought it. Is that not okay?”

Looking at Alice’s expression, it really did seem like she bought it to tease me with an unboxing.

Shouldn’t she show off her figure too? Since I inadvertently made her feel competitive by buying an Alice figure first, it would make for a convincing story.

“I think it’s not a bad idea. But are you sure you won’t regret it?”

“Regret? Why?”

“When I saw the price of the figure earlier, it wasn’t exactly cheap, you know? These decorative items usually end up boring you quickly once you buy them.”

“What do you mean? I plan to take it with me when I go back!”

With those bright eyes, Alice answered that, leaving me speechless.

“……Is that so?”

“Of course! The Imperial Palace has a lot of decorations as well.”

“…….”

Huh.

Wait a minute.

Are you talking about the statues of the past emperors placed throughout the corridors?

“There were full-body representations as well.”

Of course, there were.

There certainly were.

“But weren’t those just depictions of real people? Shouldn’t they be viewed like the portraits hanging in the corridors?”

“Hey, there are mythological figures too. And clearly, carved heroes from local folklore are also placed in towns.”

They do exist!

“So, are you suggesting you’d decorate your room with this?”

“If I’m not going to do that, then why would I spend 140,000 won on it?”

……

Huh.

That’s true.

But dang.

In a place where the concept of otaku doesn’t exist yet, especially in a world where the mass production of such items is nearly impossible, I can’t explain just how unique the concept of otaku is here.

It’s understandable since collecting porcelain from the East, or wine, or even sculptures is seen as a refined hobby of nobles.

……You wouldn’t know that unless you felt it physically in this world.

And it would be nearly impossible to feel that sensibility without visiting related places a few times.

Yeah, that’s true.

“……Alright.”

I stood up.

There are still over six hours left until the broadcast starts.

Getting to the nearest anime place will take much less time than it takes to get to the National Assembly.

If they can’t understand logically, they’ll just have to get it emotionally.

“There’s still plenty of time, do you want to go somewhere together?”

“Where?”

“……It’s a place closely related to the figure we bought today.”

They might even have books related to the Chronicles of Aetherna for sale.

Of course, the ‘connection’ I mentioned doesn’t solely refer to the game franchise.

I meant the overarching otaku culture.

“Where is it?”

Claire, who was listening next to us, asked with sparkling eyes.

Is she really that excited to go out?

After just a few days here, she’s been cooped up at home, and I wonder how she’s coped.

“It’s somewhat like a bookstore but… it specializes in a specific genre of novels and comics. You could say the atmosphere is similar to the place we went today.”

Alice seems to have a rough idea of what kind of place it is, but she doesn’t know the exact location yet.

Well, considering how few days she’s been looking around, she only knows regions like the National Assembly or Yongsan, but nothing about specific shops. People who’ve just become otaku often get surprised to find such places exist in Korea.

“It’s not too far away. Shall we give it a shot?”

“Sounds good!”

Claire exclaimed.

“Well, I’m not against it. What about dinner?”

Alice also got up and added,

“Shall we eat out? There shouldn’t be a shortage of time.”

At those words, Claire’s face lit up.

Alice shrugged her shoulders. Well, it seems they both aren’t strapped for cash yet.

Even if they become tight on money, I plan to cover for them.

But things would change if Alice decides to buy more figures.

*

And then my plans failed miserably.

Thinking back, Hongdae isn’t just a place where otakus gather. In fact, the portion taken up by otakus is minimal, while the rest is just a neighborhood where young people hang out and eat.

I already knew there were many people busking on the streets, and I knew Claire would immediately get distracted by the sights, so I moved straight to my intended destination via the subway passage.

A store filled with comic books, figures, and various character merchandise.

Once I arrived there, I looked at the other two and said,

“What do you think?”

“What do you mean?”

Alice blinked, puzzled by my question.

“How do you feel about the people here?”

“Umm.”

Alice looked around once before replying,

“People absorbed in their hobbies? They all look happy; I think they’re living fun lives doing what they want.”

It seems Alice didn’t have a clue about the problem.

“Yeah, everyone looks happy!”

Indeed.

They do look happy.

Having spent too long with these two, I entirely forgot just how fundamentally righteous they were.

And being righteous also means they view people without prejudice.

Moreover, this place is completely different from the world they originally lived in.

It’s a place where they literally can’t have prejudices. The very concept is drastically different here.

And when you think about it, the stereotypical view of otakus that people usually perceive negatively is surprisingly rare. Most here were wearing clean clothes—

And there were so many women, as if there’s some kind of event happening.

Among them, hardly anyone stood out as an ‘otaku.’

“…….”

Hmm.

Well.

I have no clue.

Let things be as they may.

Chapter 375

“Wow, it’s a comic book!”

Claire sparkled as she entered the bookstore.

Well, of course, it was a specialty comic book store! Sure, it was smaller than the one in our old region, but it was still impressive enough to be called a “specialty store.”

Claire and Alice could read Hangul now. Actually, they were still perfecting it. Even though their learning speed was faster than average, a language that has been written for so long has new stuff popping up no matter how much you study.

But still, they had no problem reading the characters.

Being able to read meant they could use a bit of a short-cut.

If there was a word they didn’t understand just by looking at it, reading it aloud translated it to their ears as well.

… It was a strange feeling in many ways. Even though they were using a different language, it translated in their ears, and if they focused hard enough, they realized it was indeed a different language.

On the flip side, when I used the language from Azernar, it rang in my ears as Korean.

Of course, sometimes reading it out loud would sound different, but as long as it was within a reasonable range of error, it was okay.

And because of that quirk, Claire loved comic books. They were easy to read!

She had almost read everything in my room. Thinking back, it had been a while since I bought comic books. About a year had passed in this world, but in my personal time, several years had gone by.

“If it’s the next volume of the comic book at home, I’ll read it.”

“Really?”

“Yes! Pick whatever you want!”

Claire’s eyes sparkled as she immediately rushed between the shelves.

“Isn’t that a bit too much? Won’t she get spoiled?”

“Claire knows how to distinguish that.”

Alice seemed worried, so I replied like that.

At first glance, she might seem like a childish kid acting impulsively, but she was actually very sensible.

She kept her promises and didn’t take any unnecessary personal risks.

Claire embodied the idea of being a “good child.”

“… Is that so?”

Alice still tilted her head, but well…

… Whatever Alice says goes, but Claire listens to me, so that’s what matters!

Thinking about it again, that description might be slightly shaky, but I decided to trust her for now.

Even if there was a book or two that I didn’t know mixed in, it wouldn’t be a huge financial problem.

“And what we should really worry about right now is…”

As I trailed off and looked around, Alice nodded slightly.

“People are glancing at us. Just like in the morning.”

“That’s right.”

After all, the places we had roamed until now weren’t spots where people shared specific hobbies; they were just ordinary parks or tourist attractions.

Based on our looks, people would just think we were “foreigners” or “dyed foreign-looking people.” It wouldn’t be easy to assume we were cosplaying comic characters unless we ran into fans of the game that we happened to appear from.

But here… this was a place that sold subculture comics and light novels. The chances of being recognized were definitely higher than in regular places.

“Hey…”

And as if my thought was right, someone came up to us.

A pretty decently dressed guy, except for his glasses. He looked like he just graduated from high school.

Besides being a bit skinny, he didn’t stand out too much.

“Are you cosplaying—”

“Nope,” I immediately cut him off.

Seeing that he held a smartphone in both hands, he looked like the kind of guy who asks cosplayers if he could take a picture.

“Excuse me? Oh, yes, I’m sorry!”

At my firm response, the guy hurriedly replied and turned around.

Glancing at where he was headed, I saw a few friends waiting for him. Once he joined them, I could hear a giggling sound. It seemed like someone was teasing him.

“That was kinda sad,” Alice remarked with a slight smirk.

Sure, I felt a bit harsh for shutting him down so coldly, but—

“If I don’t reject properly, more people will come up to us. Out of everyone here, he’s probably the only one who would recognize us.”

“That’s true, but…”

Alice didn’t seem to be blaming me. Since she was someone who played the game and streamed it, she probably knew there would be people who recognized us.

“Sis.”

While waiting with Alice, Claire came over to talk.

“I found it. I tried looking for books related to us, but they seem to be missing…”

“Well, it’s popular, but not so much that we can brag about it,” I said.

It was just popular enough for the main series to get imported. I had read and translated comic books and setting guides that I bought directly from Japan, but it seemed they hadn’t become famous enough for such goods to be translated and imported yet.

“By the way, why are you carrying two bundles of books?”

Claire didn’t pick many books. Just seven in total.

Five of them were in her right hand, and the other two were in her left. Since she was holding them together, it looked like she was carrying them with both hands, but if she wanted to carry them all at once, she wouldn’t need to split them.

“This one is the next volume of the books sis has.”

Pointing with her chin, Claire explained.

“And this one is the one I picked out because I was curious. I’m going to buy it.”

“……”

I silently glanced over at Alice. She shrugged her shoulders but seemed to agree with me.

She could’ve mixed them up and brought them all at once; she really is sweet.

“I’ll buy them all!”

“Huh? Is that alright?”

“I’m going to read them anyway.”

“But then, what about the money…?”

“Buying two more books won’t make me go broke.”

I said that and took the books from Claire’s hands.

*

“What did you think about the atmosphere there?”

After putting the books in a bag and stepping out of the building, I took a moment to walk around. Since I had made it to the Hongdae entrance, I thought I might as well do some sightseeing as well since it had been a while.

“It was quite fun! Being able to enjoy what you want is great, right? It’s even surprising that there’s a place where they specifically sell stuff like that. It’s hard to find a ‘hobby goods store’ in Azernar.”

Well, unless it’s a place for a few nobles, there aren’t many.

And usually, those places have a pretty heavy atmosphere.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

Alice tilted her head as if it was strange that I kept asking, so I gave up trying to explain.

After all, the idea of a princess buying a figurine of a girl still seemed a bit odd to me… but I wasn’t sure how to explain that logically.

Besides, since such hobbies didn’t exist in that world yet, maybe I should just let it slide.

It’ll probably take 50 more years for such markets to arise anyway.

Just as I considered abandoning today’s goal in a corner of my mind,

“Oh!”

Claire suddenly shouted and lightly ran ahead.

I wasn’t surprised at all. It was exactly as I expected.

This world was still autumn. The days were relatively warm, and the nights were a bit chilly, so it could be called early autumn weather.

In other words, the sky was clear and bright, perfect for wandering outside. Of course, that didn’t mean there weren’t street performances in summer!

Claire strolled along, while Alice and I kept a slight distance behind her.

“What’s that?”

“That’s where they have street performances,” I replied.

There were indeed crowds gathering around.

Honestly, I wasn’t someone who enjoyed watching such things on the street.

I could see why people liked it, though. You can recreate a festival-like atmosphere without actually going to a festival.

And sometimes, real idols might come out to perform too.

But still, since one has to stand outside for quite a long time, it didn’t align with my tastes.

“I didn’t know there was such a place.”

Claire said, her eyes sparkling.

… It looked like she wanted to sing there or something.

The person performing was strumming a guitar and singing an old but well-known song.

By the time we arrived, the song was almost at its end.

As the man finished singing, applause erupted from the crowd.

“Thank you!”

The man smiled and said that while looking around, and—

By chance, our eyes met.

… Was it because Claire was clapping so enthusiastically?

After all, given our looks, it was hard not to stand out.

But still, I thought there was no way he’d actually approach us.

“There, blue-haired lady!”

“Yes?”

Oh.

He really just did that.

“Are you perhaps a foreigner?”

Claire turned to look at me.

She didn’t seem perplexed at all. Her eyes widened cheerfully in my direction.

I shrugged and nodded lightly.

“Are you okay with this?”

Alice asked worriedly from the side.

“I’m fine,” I lightly nodded in response.

Claire, Alice, and even my voice sounded just like the voice actors from the game.

And among the Azernar Chronicles goods that hadn’t been imported here, there were “character songs.”

Usually, in such games, unless a character was specifically labeled as tone-deaf, they all sing well.

Of course, Claire’s album existed as well.

“I’m Korean!”

Claire’s voice announcing that rang out loud.

She had already taken the mic and was speaking.

Claire’s response drew several surprised reactions from the crowd.

“What about them?”

“Yes!”

Claire nodded her head.

Desperately trying to ignore the stares focused on us.

“Then, since you’re out here, would you like to sing a song?”

“Can I really?”

“Why not?”

With Claire’s bright demeanor, there were chuckles in the crowd as well.

“Can I just sing whatever I know?”

“Of course! I’ll strum along on the guitar.”

With the man’s words, Claire nodded.

Then she looked at us for a moment, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

And—

“Are you sure I can do it?”

“… Well, yeah.”

Of course, Claire wasn’t singing songs from this world.

What she ended up singing was, if you put it that way, jazz.

… I had no idea how jazz existed in this world where America didn’t exist, but anyway, it was a genre of music that existed in Azernar too.

The cheerful and lively rhythm suited Claire perfectly.

As Claire’s voice rang out, people clapped along, and the guitar chords followed suit.

Somewhere along the line, both Alice and I found ourselves clapping to the beat as well.

Chapter 376

“Wow, you sing really well! Where did you learn that song?”

After Claire finished singing, the original singer asked.

Well, there’s no way they’d know my answer. It’s probably a song that doesn’t exist in this world—

“On the internet!”

—Right, that’s it.

Thinking back, it had already been over a month since these two came to this world.

They must have had plenty of time to learn songs online.

Well, when I think about it, jazz is a genre that stemmed from American history, so it wouldn’t be surprising if a similar genre exists in Azernar. But judging musically, it’s probably different from the jazz in this world.

Not that I care much about it, though.

“Are your sisters with you…?”

A guy said with subtle anticipation in his voice as he looked our way, so I quickly shook my head left and right.

When I glanced over, Alice was shaking her head vigorously as well.

“Oh, that’s too bad. Thank you for the lovely song. Could you at least tell us your name?”

“I’m Claire!”

The people around us murmured a bit.

Of course, it’s only natural to be surprised that a Korean person suddenly revealed a foreign name.

But it didn’t feel like everyone was too shocked about it either.

If there was an otaku passing by, they might have thought of “Claire Fanggriffon” or “Claire Grace,” but generally speaking, they’d probably just assume she’s a naturalized Korean.

“Alright then, let’s give a round of applause for Claire, who sang beautifully!”

As the applause echoed, Claire, her face slightly flushed, ran towards us.

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Yeah!”

Ever since coming back to this world, I’ve been having my share of fun, and Alice looked comfortable too, but it seemed like Claire was enjoying this world the most.

And for that, I was really grateful.

“Did you enjoy singing?”

Even though there were character songs, there really weren’t scenes in the game where Claire sang directly. In fact, there weren’t any scenes of specific characters singing at all.

Thinking about it, that’s kind of surprising.

“I never saw anyone sing in Azernar?”

Alice asked instead of me, echoing my confusion.

“Ah, well, there was the face of nobility to consider…”

Hmm.

In Korea, there was a time when certain artistic professions were looked down upon, but I’m not too sure about Azernar.

Considering the stories of famous Western violinists or renowned conductors that have passed down through history, it can’t have been entirely looked down upon… Well, even if it’s Western-based, Azernar is different from the world we lived in.

Come to think of it, even if a noble wanted to sing, it would be quite ambiguous how they should go about it.

At least, they wouldn’t just stand on the street belting out songs. That would definitely be a matter of face.

So…

“Would you like to sing to your heart’s content?”

“Huh?”

“There’s a karaoke nearby. We’ve got plenty of time until dinner, so how about we spend some time there?”

“Oh, really?”

Claire’s face lit up. Wow, she could shine brighter than that.

I peeked to check on Alice, who just shrugged her shoulders.

It seemed she wasn’t someone who particularly enjoyed singing.

As for me, I was generally a person who turned down friends who suggested karaoke.

I wasn’t particularly good at it, didn’t enjoy the noise, and most of all, the whole ‘in-crowd’ vibe really didn’t suit me. I’d rather sit somewhere like a café and chat or go to a bar and just unwind.

But, well.

If she really wanted to sing.

Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to grant her wish just once.

*

“Sis, hurry, hurry.”

One of the first things foreigners learn when they come to Korea is probably “faster, faster,” and I think that’s accurate.

The reason I ended up holding the mic, despite not being particularly fond of singing, was because Claire had insisted.

Hmm…

If this were a formal event, I might have gotten serious about it, but the two people here weren’t my bosses—they were my sisters.

Even if I got dragged out by friends here and there, I had still sung a couple of songs to match the vibe.

It’s just—

“I’ll say this in advance: I’m not good at singing.”

“It’s fine. Not everyone sings well.”

“It’s just a gathering to have fun, so go ahead and sing your heart out.”

While Claire took it that way, Alice, who up until now had only clapped without singing, said that, and I found it incredibly annoying.

As I narrowed my eyes at her, Alice averted her gaze.

Alright.

After I sing, I’ll have to force the mic onto Alice.

Thinking about what song to sing, I decided to just go with the one I had listened to the most.

…The opening song from the previous game in the Chronicles of Aetherna.

I had been diligently listening to it on streaming sites.

I couldn’t memorize the lyrics, but since the karaoke machine would display them, it shouldn’t be too difficult. The melody was embedded in my mind, so I figured it would be fine.

With that half-hearted resolve to just sing a casual song, I chose it and began.

Claire and Alice looked enlightened.

Hmm.

I didn’t expect to feel the vibes of my otaku friends during karaoke, but there was a strange exhilaration in finding similar souls.

…Is it okay that I’m turning the daughters of a baron and a princess—one who might become an emperor in the future—into otakus? Should I make them figure collectors too?

…

Well, it’s too late now to worry about that.

I decided to stop thinking and raised the mic.

Taking a big breath, I sang the first verse—

—Huh?

“What? Woah, sis, you’re good!”

“It’s not even something to be embarrassed about, is it?”

Claire and Alice both reacted like that.

And indeed, it was so.

While I was singing, I was hitting some pretty high notes without missing a beat. It felt as natural as if I had been doing it forever.

Oh.

I see now.

In games, they often pick voice actors who can sing reasonably well for character voices. You know, to sell character songs.

Of course, some make their identity from being terrible at singing, or if that doesn’t work, they might just process it mechanically or focus on narration and rhythm rather than the music itself.

But it seems the voice actress who played Sylvia must have been a good singer.

As the song continued, Claire and Alice cheered for me, and I managed to sing the entire song flawlessly.

“……”

“Sis?”

“What’s up?”

But as I sank into my thoughts after ending the song, Claire and Alice looked at me with slight worry and asked that.

“Alice.”

“Yes?”

“How about you sing one song?”

“Eh?”

As I suddenly handed over the mic, Alice looked a bit flustered.

“Is there a song you’ve heard since coming here?”

“Um, yeah, there are some, but… why all of a sudden?”

“I have something in mind.”

That’s right, I had ‘something’ in mind.

“……Huh?”

Alice tilted her head curiously, but when I maintained a serious expression with all my might, she took the mic looking very skeptical.

The song Alice sang was probably one of the latest hits going around these days.

And she sang well.

Just as you would expect from a character associated with character songs.

Oh, I got it.

So, theoretically speaking, the three of us could sing well enough to release an ‘album’ without feeling embarrassed.

There’s something we could definitely use here.

Of course, I’m not planning on using it immediately.

Recording isn’t something you can take lightly. Especially singing on a broadcast is completely different from making a separate video.

Trying to use the mic we’re using now would be a bit tricky, in terms of sound quality and environment.

Plus the video has to look decent after recording the song as well.

And most importantly, songs have copyrights, which means we can’t monetize cover songs. It could serve as promotion and create a buzz, but it won’t pay off right away.

“What are you thinking with that sneaky expression?”

Alice asked me after finishing her song.

I was completely expressionless, though, right?

But I guess it was just Alice being able to read me.

“Nothing at all.”

“……It doesn’t sound like it’s nothing.”

Alice said that but soon sighed deeply and shook her head.

“Well, you’ve never really hidden anything from us, so…”

One day, I might tell them. But for now, I want to avoid any expectations then not go through with it.

Doing a broadcast turned out to be quite fun. More ideas kept coming to me.

“Well then, shall we head out for dinner soon? How about some hamburger steak?”

With my suggestion, Claire beamed and Alice couldn’t help but grin at her as we headed out for a meal.

Dinner was delicious. During the ride back, we had a great time. It was indeed a fulfilling day.

And—

“…Are we really going to do it in the end?”

“If we don’t use it on the broadcast, it’ll be such a waste, won’t it? We only get one chance to unwrap the product, right?”

“……”

Sure, holding a figure box while laughing seems pretty otaku in many ways, but I felt like they wouldn’t understand, so I just let it slide.

Chapter 377

As soon as the broadcast started, I could feel something was off, like whoosh.

It wasn’t because our content was any different—nope! The vibe from the viewers was just way different! ding ding ding

[Did Claire visit Hongdae?]

That was the very first chat that appeared.

Usually, people drop in with greetings, but starting with that comment? Something must’ve happened.

“Is that so? But how did you know?”

[Did you see the video?]

[The video dropped!]

[Claire’s song!]

“…….”

Hmm.

It seems earlier today, Claire’s singing was caught on video.

I quickly opened an internet browser and searched for Claire.

[A foreigner in Korea caught singing like a pro on the street!]

… and there it was.

As the thumbnail suggested, the video had a huge close-up of some guy with a surprised expression, and right next to him, Claire looking just as spectacular.

“Is this my video?”

“Looks like it.”

“Now that you mention it, I think there was a camera in front of that guy earlier.”

Alice casually commented.

“Is this person famous?”

[Who knows?]

[Did you think we’d watch something like that?]

[Honestly, if Claire wasn’t in it, I wouldn’t have watched it, LOL.]

That’s true.

Content tends to fall into categories—regular folks watch their thing, while otakus watch their own fun videos. Of course, some people watch both, but it seems none of the folks who showed up right after we started the stream were in that category.

I clicked the video to check the views.

It hadn’t been up long—only about an hour or so.

The video looked like it didn’t have much editing, given that it was just Claire singing.

Yet it had already racked up over 10,000 views.

I don’t really know how many views these types of videos typically get, but compared to our usual viewer count, that’s a significant amount.

“Let’s see, let’s see!”

“Hold on.”

I stopped Claire, who was about to grab the mouse.

“We can’t just play the video or the song on the stream without worrying about copyrights.”

[Do we even care about that during a live show?]

We should.

We don’t have great editing skills. If we just post an unedited video, we really need to be careful about copyright. Even a little hiccup could block any revenue from the video we worked hard to upload.

Since it had come to this, I wanted to boast with just our stream. Finding work out there can get stressful! I know all too well that looking for a job is way more annoying than just doing one.

And if we start working this way, we might end up with our schedules all messed up. Part-time jobs are usually at odd hours compared to regular office jobs!

I didn’t want that. While I was here, I wanted us all to enjoy our time together!

“For now, we’ll watch it ourselves. I’ll mute the mic for a moment, and you all can check it out directly.”

I copied the video link and dropped it in the chat.

Some grumbled for us to play it, while quite a few replied saying they understood.

“Isn’t it weird that I have to worry about copyrights for a video I’m in?”

“Copyright lies with the person who created the video, after all.”

Sure, we could get into rights of publicity and such, but I didn’t want to get bogged down in that.

“Alright, I’ll watch it.”

As I clicked the video—

[After finishing a street performance safely today…]

The video started with the guy just finishing his song, and some simple subtitles popped up.

It was like a VLOG. The main content seemed to feature outdoor performances and the reactions from the crowd.

The camera was stationary. Seeing the guy tilted slightly to the right, it was clear he was planning to film a guest.

Just as we remembered, the guy called out for Claire, and the subtitle popped: [I found a very pretty lady among the audience and decided to talk to her!]

[Can I just sing whatever I know?]

[Sure! I’ll play along on the guitar!]

The two of them chatted like that.

A brief wait time was edited out, and Claire started singing.

[!!!]

Such a subtitle popped on screen.

…huh, watching this really shows how well she sings!

Of course, you could hear the crowd’s cheers, claps, and passing cars, and the mic quality wasn’t top-notch, but considering all that, Claire sang splendidly.

And seeing it in this video showed just how thrilled the audience was!

After Claire finished singing, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause.

The guy asked Claire her name afterward.

[It’s Claire!]

Claire answered him.

[When I got home and looked you up, I realized you do broadcasts. You should totally do a singing stream…]

And just like that, the video ended.

Thinking back, it was just about lunchtime, so there must’ve been a few hours for editing. We did go to karaoke and had a meal afterward. So, if the guy wrapped up his performance then, it wasn’t strange for it to be uploaded at this time.

“Hmm.”

I switched the mic back on.

“It’s clear that Claire really sings well.”

[Do a singing broadcast!]

[Are you three considering a singing broadcast?]

“We’re thinking about it, but for now, we’re just mulling it over. We plan to take it one step at a time.”

[Oh!]

[Looking forward to it!]

Though I didn’t outright say we would do it, folks took the hint.

Well, since I was considering it anyway, no harm, no foul!

“Now I see why there are so many people watching today—all because of this! Thanks for joining us, everyone!”

“Thank you!”

Claire chirped with enthusiasm.

[LOL]

[LOL]

[700]

The crowd’s response spiked! Some were saying they preferred her over the character!

No surprise there—it’s a living character in action, after all.

“Now, let’s wrap up the video talk and move on to today’s content… Last stream, Claire came up with the idea, but this time it’s Alice’s turn. Alice, over to you.”

“Uh… huh? Me?!”

“You prepared the items for this, didn’t you? You said while shopping that you could use them for the stream!”

“No, but I didn’t say I wanted to do it!”

“Since you bought it with your money, you should do it, Alice.”

I pressed firmly.

Honestly, I could do it, but let’s face it: I’m not a huge collector of figures; I’ve seen all those otaku things before, but tearing into a figure would elicit no reaction from me. If I tried to make things exciting artificially, that’d just feel cringe.

It’s fun to get a regular person to handle something they don’t know about.

You know how videos of foreigners eating spicy tteokbokki are more entertaining than locals doing it? It’s the same thing! Sure, this figure was created in a Chinese factory for a Japanese company, but still!

“…Fine.”

Pressed hard, Alice finally nodded.

And she stepped over to the spot I had cleared out for her.

[Alice, hello!]

[Crown Princess is coming!]

[Crown Princess, we await your presence!]

Perfect timing for a royal entrance!

“I’ve been here the whole time, you know? And if we’re being technical, we’re all princesses here!”

“Not me!”

Claire sharply retorted.

“Technically, I don’t carry royal blood myself.”

“Still a Crown Princess on record!”

Alice shot me a side-eye.

Whatever; after that banter, it seemed everyone was a bit more relaxed as we pulled out the items we’d prepped under the table.

I walked over to Alice’s now-empty space and set up the 5,000 won folding table I bought on the way.

[What’s this?]

[A Crown Princess playing with another Crown Princess figure, LOLOLOL!]

[Did you buy this with your own money?]

“Is that a problem?”

[Not that!]

[But really, did you?]

“Well, the Imperial Palace has statues of the Emperor, and there are the statues of the founding Emperor in the plaza too.”

[LOLOLOLOLOL]

[LOL!]

[That’s true, LOLOLOL!]

[Anyway, they’re right, LOL!]

Alice seemed to have said that seriously, but the viewers took it as a joke.

Understandably so! It’s a classic gag—seeing the symbols from the ancient past and joking, “Aren’t these just figures made by some nerd?” Every otaku has probably said that once or heard it at least!

“So then… let’s start with the box!”

Reclaiming her usual composure, Alice pointed at the box.

“Even so, it’s pricey! You should consider the cost of the box too!”

A pretty accurate review.

Chapter 378

It seems this unboxing live stream isn’t as polished as professional reviewers, but hey, who needs fancy cameras when you have genuine reactions, right?

“There’s an illustration of the product on the box… The face isn’t an exact match, but they at least tried,” I mused while looking at the packaging.

Sure, it’d be great if it looked identical, but we’re talking 2D versus 3D here! Just like how the illustrations on the Chronicles of Aetherna box don’t exactly match the game’s 3D models, figures will have their differences too. But let’s be real, with a price like this, the quality is definitely better than the in-game models… at least, for now.

Sometimes you see a plastic window on the box to peek inside, but not for this figure. It’s just a thick cardboard box with a nice picture and little info about what’s inside.

“Here, the back shows what’s inside—uh oh,” Alice gasped, flipping the box around only to quickly hide it again.

“….”

I decided to remain silent.

“Uhh, well, the figure does have that outfit, so it can’t be helped,” Claire chimed in to comfort Alice.

LOL ROFL Crown Princess is exposed!

To our surprise, the figure’s underwear color was a bit too revealing. Generally, if the figure isn’t designed to showcase that, it usually has plain white undies. But to my amusement, the Sylvia figure showed off its panty wrinkles just fine, albeit subtly.

…Couldn’t they have just given it shorts or something?

I mean, I get it. That’s kind of the selling point. If they added anything too modest, the censorship police would probably have a fit. Perhaps I would’ve been one of those noisy people back in the day, but that’s a story for a different time.

Clears throat Alice looked ready to dive into the contents, “Okay, let’s see what’s inside!”

Woo! Finally!

The sound of the cutting tape came next, and I opened the box with great care.

“Wow, so this is how it’s packed,” Alice observed.

Yeah, not something you see every day—how many people can say they’ve bought a figure over a hundred bucks?

“Usually, people play with plastic models, but figures, nah, people shy away from those due to prying eyes at home.”

But don’t think you can just wait to be independent either—figures are like Legos. Once you get that independence, spending money on them feels like a waste compared to other needs. Plus, where are you even gonna store them? Thus, the ultimate goal of an otaku: a spacious home for all their goodies!

Scritch—the sound of thin plastic scraping unpleasantly against the box.

The plastic insert squeezed the figure from both sides. It was snug and secure, of course, because a plastic chunk over a hundred bucks needs proper protection.

Pop!

With Alice’s strength, the bond wasn’t too tough to break.

“The body is in two parts,” Claire noted, looking on curiously.

They did separate the upper and lower parts for safe-keeping—smart move to avoid breaking at the waist. There even was a thin plastic sheet between them.

“Do we have to assemble it?” I asked.

“Yep!” Alice nodded enthusiastically.

“Alright… let’s do it.”

Alice cautiously pulled out the pieces, and while the whole moment felt a tad too otaku-ish, saying it out loud would just lead to a dismissive reaction, so I held my tongue. The viewers surely were aware enough.

She connected the lower body to a clear base first. I’ve got to give it to them—it was sturdy enough to stand without support, though a brace was included just in case.

Then Alice started peeling off the protective film from the upper body…

WHOOP!

Down the skirt went!

Not broken, mind you; just designed to be easily removable to avoid dye transfer.

And just like that, we had a Sylvia figure half-naked!

LOL Too much! Stop right there!

“…..”

I picked up the fallen skirt and attempted to place it back on the lower half delicately—

DING DONG!

Figure is complete without a skirt!

—But a mission for a ten bucks popped up on screen, so I just set it back down instead.

Capitalism is a monster!

“I’m from the Empire of Aetherna, the land ruled by extreme capitalism, so it’s a given!”

The chat filled with affirmations.

“…Are you sure it’s okay?”

“I didn’t take it off myself, so I’m in the clear.”

“Your face is all red though.”

“…It’s still technically not me who undressed it.”

Claire kept teasing, but Alice seemed relieved from the situation.

“Alright, moving on then.”

We sped through unboxing the head and the upper body, putting them together on the waist coordinating a coat fit to be draped over.

We initially wondered why there’d be a brace if the figure could stand alone, and it turns out that brace was to support the coat! The character was in a casual pose, stepping forward with one leg and holding their rifle in a confrontational stance.

But the coat… oh boy, it was flowing in a dramatic manner. Alice probably had to carve grooves deep enough to actually accommodate the shoulders for that nifty detail.

“Hmm… done!” Alice smilingly pushed the assembled figure in front of the camera.

With a commanding stance, rifle at the ready for the next enemy. The coat added a nice dynamic touch, and the wind tousled the hair just right. I couldn’t help but think the pose was far from boring.

However—

Did you forget the skirt? What a boon! Seems fitting considering Sylvia’s character, right?

“….I don’t forget to wear skirts, okay?”

But really, that outfit sure was a bit lewd.

It wasn’t even like it was a short skirt or a leotard; it was literally just the panties!

And with that serious expression and stance, it made it even weirder—as if it was perfectly natural.

Sylvia’s hypnotic edition!

“…”

I couldn’t even retort if I wanted to.

After the unboxing ended, I made sure to put that skirt back on the figure.

A bit embarrassing, but more so, leaving it like that would likely get us flagged.

I wasn’t sure what the standards for this site were, but it made sense to play it safe for now.

“Well then, let’s dive back into the Chronicles of Aetherna.”

I couldn’t afford to stretch out the fun too much.

Because of Claire’s earlier bits and the figure unboxing, time really flew by, and if I wrapped things up at my usual time now, there wouldn’t be much left to do.

It would be a win at this point just to view a cutscene!

We were definitely past the halfway mark since the last save, and the plot was thickening now that the empire’s army progressed toward the borders of Velbur!

“Charlotte…”

As the character appeared, I noticed Alice’s sympathetic mutter, sensing her concern.

It felt like Charlotte was deep in thought, unable to respond properly to conversations as she gazed off into the distance unlike usual.

“I wonder how Charlotte would react if she saw this,” I pondered aloud.

Right?

What would her reaction be?

I found myself curiously intrigued.

Chapter 379

The game mostly unfolds from Leo’s perspective, but there are certain aspects that are hard to showcase just from the first-person point of view. Boom!

That’s why the game often features cutscenes where villains conspire and characters engage in separate dialogues.

Although, cutscenes don’t exactly differ from the usual dialogue scenes in the game.

This time, the characters featured in the cutscene were Sylvia and Charlotte.

[Don’t worry too much.]

Sylvia said this to Charlotte, who looked a bit troubled.

Sylvia seemed to have a serious expression, or perhaps she was just indifferent.

…Actually, the expressions of the game characters weren’t that varied, and Sylvia usually kept a blank face, so it was likely just my feelings.

[I’ll do what I can to solve this.]

[And what can you do?]

Charlotte asked with a hint of reproach in her voice.

It’s understandable since, with the war looming, she was overly worried. There was practically no way for the Kingdom to defeat the Empire in an outright war.

[Isn’t it you who’s been saying that the next Emperor will be Alice?]

[…….]

[…….]

When Sylvia didn’t answer at all, Charlotte let out a small sigh and placed her hands on her forehead.

[I’m sorry. I’m just so on edge.]

[It’s okay. Reacting like that in this situation isn’t strange.]

Sylvia said this and turned away.

[Sylvia—]

Charlotte called out to Sylvia, but Sylvia simply walked ahead without replying.

Charlotte closed her eyes and sighed.

Then, as the scene changed, it was the next day’s class.

[Where’s Sister?]

[Huh? Didn’t she come here first?]

When Claire asked Alice, Alice seemed a bit flustered and replied.

[I haven’t seen her. The class is about to start….]

[…….]

Charlotte was staring blankly out the window while listening to their conversation. She didn’t seem interested in discussing her chat with those two yesterday.

And—

[Huh…?]

A sound slipped from Charlotte’s lips.

[Charlotte?]

Alice looked at Charlotte,

Thud.

It wasn’t a huge sound, but it felt like the kind of sound you hear from afar.

[Is that a battleship…?]

Charlotte murmured as she stood up. The other students in the classroom followed her gaze and looked out the window.

Bam!

The battleship that was emitting black smoke exploded once again.

The imposing Dreadnought-class battleship that had always hovered in the skies of the Imperial Capital was now exploding in mid-air.

With massive flames erupting.

Shudder, shudder

The window rattled. Though it was a considerable distance away, the impact reached here.

[What on earth is happening…?]

The battleship fell downwards.

The ship, which had tilted vertically toward the ground, exploded upon crashing.

Screams erupted from the surrounding students.

I could see a student trembling, kneeling on the floor with their hands over their mouth.

[What about the people…?]

Someone muttered, but no one responded.

[……Sylvia…….]

Charlotte murmured softly—

Thunk.

The screen faded to black with a sound, and the episode ended.

“……”

“……”

And I was receiving the gazes of the two people with me.

“……The battleship I exploded didn’t blow up in reality.”

“Really? You mean to tell me you never blew up a single battleship while turning back time so many times?”

“The fact that you can’t remember means I really never did it. The goddess’s power doesn’t really reach here.”

[Isn’t that getting a bit too immersed? LOL]

[Were they real characters? LOL]

[They do resemble each other, though. LOL]

Well, all three of us knew that was true.

“But the fact that you thought that is just so like you.”

“……What kind of image do you have of me in your mind?”

Still, I can’t completely deny it since I have a history in this.

*

After wrapping up the session adequately and logging off from the game, we got ready carefully.

We pushed the table against the wall and spread our blankets on the floor. Luckily, there was plenty of room for all three of us to lie down side by side. I did choose quite a spacious room, after all. While there wasn’t an elevator and the building seemed to be over 30 years old, if I had ended up in one of those tiny, newly-built studios, the three of us couldn’t have spent the night together like this.

“Wow, Sis, check this out!”

As we spread out the bedding and got ready to lie down, Claire beamed as she held her smartphone in front of my face.

The view count for the video of Claire singing skyrocketed in an instant.

Moreover, the comments were filled with stuff about ‘cosplay’ and whatnot.

When Claire selected another tab on her browser to show us, it had a heated discussion about the identities of the three of us.

Yeah, it seems that the viewer count kept increasing throughout the game. Our story was gaining traction, mostly in the otaku community.

…Also, there was a screenshot of the three of us with our assembled figures placed in front of us, without skirts.

[LOL]

[Looks like she has exhibitionist tendencies by stripping herself!]

[There’s my bride!]

There’s someone here cracking jokes about marriage too.

It’s quite bold to say such things while staring at a real person’s photo.

…Well, for now, I was out of money, so I didn’t have the luxury to go into a lawsuit.

“Aren’t we getting quite famous?”

Seeing Claire laugh and say that made me smirk briefly—

Wait, hold on.

Suddenly remembering something, I turned my body.

I recalled the artifact I had kept in the drawer.

The more famous we got in this world, and the more links there were suggesting it was strange for us to be here, the power of the artifact would return.

So, by now, wouldn’t some power have accumulated to be usable at least once?

“Ah!”

And the artifact I took out of the drawer was indeed shining brightly.

Seeing the blue glow of that artifact, Alice and Claire had complicated expressions on their faces.

“Does this mean we can go back?”

“Maybe so.”

I carefully held the artifact and said.

“……What will you do?”

I asked, looking at Claire and Alice.

If the artifact had glowed at this point where we hadn’t even been here for a week, I probably wouldn’t have needed to ask. Both of them wouldn’t know much about this world.

But, now it was a bit different. They had both been enjoying this world in their own way. Especially since Alice could let go of her duties as the Crown Princess.

So I thought there might be someone who wanted to stay here—

“If there’s a chance, we should go right away. It’s a shame, but I don’t want to spend my life never seeing my family again.”

“Yeah, right. There’s a ton of stuff left for us to do. What happened here will just be a memory.”

“Sounds good.”

I said with a serious face.

“Then let’s get ready to pack up. We can’t tell how long this power will last.”

Upon my words, Alice and Claire nodded and began to gather their things.

*

A few minutes later.

All three of us had changed into the tidiest clothes we could manage and were gathered in the middle of the room with all our belongings.

There were quite a lot of items to take along.

In fact, I felt much regret. I hadn’t been able to meet my family in this world and hadn’t been able to print all the photos on my phone. Surely once I get back and the battery dies, those photos would be useless.

Maybe I could try taking pictures using Azernar’s camera through my smartphone’s screen.

…Well, that was something to think about once I returned.

“Everyone, gather around here.”

When I extended the artifact, the two of them reached out to touch it.

“……What now?”

Alice asked.

“I’ll try to do it like I did when I first came here.”

At those words, Alice and I exchanged glances and nodded.

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

“Please do.”

“Okay, I’ll leave it to you.”

Claire closed her eyes with a serious expression. We followed suit and closed our eyes.

And,

“……”

After a brief silence—

Silence followed—

——

“……U-Um.”

A familiar voice was heard.

“Sylvia…?”

It was Charlotte’s voice.

Could it be that they were still investigating around the place we left?

What’s the first thing I should say? “I’m back!”?

I slowly opened my eyes.

And confirmed that the three of us were still in my studio room.

Yeah, something felt solid beneath me.

Now that I think about it, I forgot to put on my shoes. I can’t wear them in the room, of course.

“……”

Wait, hold on.

So, the voice I heard was…?

“……”

Alice was staring blankly at the corner of the room with her mouth agape.

The glow of the artifact we held had significantly dimmed.

Just like when Claire and Alice first returned.

“……Um, Sylvia? Claire? Alice?”

Charlotte’s voice addressed us calmly.

And I could hear shaky breaths behind her voice; it was the sound of someone clearly in a state of panic.

“……Charlotte.”

I chose to open my mouth calmly for now.

“And Mia.”

“Y-Your Highness.”

Mia was gripping her staff tightly with both hands, guarding the area.

“……”

I wiped my face with my hand.

Chapter 380

Sure, everything’s been moving too fast all of a sudden, huh? Woosh

Well, I mean, it’s okay if it goes fast. It’s better to move along a bit quicker than to just drag it out forever. Tick-tock

The problem is when the story doesn’t unfold the way I think it should. Duh!

Thinking about it, it makes sense. Claire used that device when she came over from there. I didn’t expect it could summon someone from that side, but it could happen. Zap!

Anyway, it’s a device that was made to steal the goddess’s power, right? It actually succeeded to some extent. Ta-da!

“So, we’re….”

Charlotte said, slowly circling the room and examining everything. Swoosh

“You mean this is where you lived before coming to Azernar? For sure, I can see that the things here look like they belong to a different world. I’ve never seen items like these where I lived.” Wow!

Charlotte’s gaze landed for a moment on Claire’s smartphone. Blink!

By the way, we just set down the bags we were carrying on our backs. I’ve gotten used to changing clothes in front of Claire and Alice, but I’ve never done that in front of Charlotte or Mia. Peep!

But looking closely, it feels like it should be Charlotte and Mia who need to change clothes. Hmmm…

Neither of them had visible major injuries, but their outfits looked like rags, almost the same as when we crossed over. Wowza!

“… So, there’s one thing I’d like to ask.”

I spoke to Charlotte. Ding!

“How much time has passed over there since we disappeared?”

“Well…”

Charlotte squinted her eyes at us. Stare!

We were naturally wearing new clothes. After all, I didn’t want to wear clothes with holes in them. Although I might have forgotten about the clothes, looking at their condition, I honestly didn’t feel like wearing them any longer. Eh?

“Maybe five minutes? It’s been a short while since we realized you guys had disappeared and started searching.”

At Charlotte’s words, Alice, Claire, and I exchanged glances. Glimpse!

“I’d like to know the same thing. How long has it been since we came over?”

“… It’s been just a little over a month.”

“… What.”

Upon hearing my words, Charlotte closed her eyes and took a big breath. Inhale!

Then she opened her eyes and looked at Mia. Blink!

For reference, not just Charlotte but also me, Claire, and Alice felt the same way. Sigh!

“I-I don’t know! We were just investigating the remaining ruins!”

Under the gaze directed at her, Mia exclaimed, startled like a little animal caught off guard. Meow!

“Indeed, Mia and I were nearby.”

Charlotte said, seemingly recalling. Hmmm…

“We were investigating the device made to steal the goddess’s power when this incident happened.”

“… What the heck.”

“So…”

Charlotte said, pressing her eyelids down with her fingers. Press!

“That means you have been here for the past few weeks.”

“… .”

“And if things go wrong, we might have to spend even more time here.”

Uhh…

That’s, well, yeah. Sigh!

As we struggled to respond, Charlotte exhaled deeply. Whew!

*

Still, don’t you think we should at least sleep?

It was lucky that we hadn’t unfolded our blankets yet in our rush to leave. Otherwise, we’d have to prepare everything all over again for ourselves. Phew!

Of course, on top of that, I’d need to unpack the mess I had and change into something better for sleeping. Swoosh!

Charlotte and Mia were able to change only because we gave them our clothes. Pop!

Charlotte’s clothes fit somewhat like Alice’s… Mia at least wore clothes that matched Claire’s, but they hung loose like clothes a parent would buy for a kid about to start school, thinking they’d grow into them. Whomp!

I figured we would need to go shopping for clothes again soon. Ding!

Anyways, in this awkward atmosphere, the five of us sat facing each other. Sitting!

Fortunately, the size of the house was precariously okay. Honestly, it felt too cramped for five people, but at least we could manage to sleep. Zzz…

Anyone rolling over in their sleep might wake everyone up at once. Bump!

In fact, there was hardly even enough bedding.

Charlotte and Mia, of course, hadn’t prepared to sleep when they came over, and the three of us were also wide awake, so we decided to have a short chat first. Chat-cha-cha!

“You said magic isn’t used here?”

Thinking Mia, who has a talent for magic, would be disheartened by this, but instead, her eyes sparkled with interest. Glitter!

“But the lights here still shine, right?”

True. Hmm!

“We’re also not entirely sure about that, but at least this world hasn’t developed based on magic.”

“Oh…”

“Let’s take it step by step starting tomorrow.”

“You mean it’s not a monarchy?”

“Exactly.”

In response to Charlotte’s words, Alice chimed in. Ding!

“There are worlds without monarchies, and this country isn’t a monarchy either but a completely republic… I’ll tell you more about it tomorrow.”

Even though she learned about this later on herself, it seemed explaining it now made her head spin. Womp womp!

“…”

And again, there was an awkward silence. Awkward!

Um, how to put this…

I thought we’d be ecstatic to see each other again. Yay!

No, I mean, it was strange to say that. I was indeed happy, like really happy! Joy!

But you know, it’s like when a friend you haven’t talked to in ages suddenly pops up at your place and then says, “I’ll stay for a bit,” you’d feel a bit thrown off. Whoops!

When I was younger, like in college or my teenage years, I’d think that would be super fun, but unfortunately, even in this body, my soul still recognizes itself as thirty-something. Oof!

Yeah, right. Of course, they didn’t come here because they wanted to. Eh?

…

They didn’t want to come here. Right? Nod!

“No need to think too deeply about it.”

The one who broke the silence first was me. Dum dum!

“From what I gather, even if we spend some time here, I don’t think so much time will pass there that we won’t solve everything we need to over there.”

“That’s true.”

Charlotte said with a complicated expression, but I interrupted her with a raised hand. Chirp!

“Since you’re here, let’s make the best of it until you decide to leave. We can’t turn it back now, and judging by the situation, there doesn’t seem to be a way for you to go back for a while.”

“Sorry, sis…”

“It’s okay. It’s not Claire’s fault.”

To be precise, it’s the goddess’s fault. Ugh!

We’re not even sure if it was truly Claire’s fault that Zibo brought Charlotte and Mia here. The goddess could have been messing with us and ended up sending these two instead. Whoosh!

Without a way to communicate with the goddess, we couldn’t know her real intentions. Hmmm…

“And while the house is a bit cramped, I doubt it’ll be too bad living here.”

“… It does seem that way.”

Charlotte, suppressing a sigh, glanced at Alice. Look!

In reality, Alice appeared to have brightened up since coming here. It wasn’t just her mood but also her skin and hair—those parts that were already good before became even better. Shiny!

The skincare products or shampoos here are probably more advanced than anything in Azernar, but seeing Alice’s condition change so distinctly compared to Claire’s subtle change, it probably had a lot to do with ‘stress.’ Huh?

Especially from Charlotte’s perspective, the difference in Alice’s state from just five minutes ago felt very stark. Wowza!

Noticing Charlotte’s gaze, Alice seemed aware of this fact and looked away. Glance!

“Yeah, right! There are plenty of fun things to do here!”

“No, this isn’t exactly the time to be enjoying—”

Charlotte interrupted Claire, but suddenly… Growl!

“… .”

Not someone else, but a growl came from someone’s stomach, cutting her off mid-sentence. Rumble!

“… Ugh.”

As everyone’s gaze turned to Mia upon hearing that sound, her face slowly turned red. Blush!

Hmm.

After a final boss battle, it makes sense she might be hungry.

Mia usually eats a lot given her size, after all. Yum!

I slowly got up from my seat. Stand up!

There should still be something to eat in the kitchen cabinets. If we exclude my frequently eaten spicy instant food… there should have been a cream pasta meal kit. Yum yum!

“I’ll go grab something to eat.”

“Ah, no…!”

“Alright, I’ll help!”

“Sis, can I help?”

Nah, it’s just tearing open a meal kit and making it, so what could you possibly do? Huh?

… They definitely know it’s awkward being here with those two. Wink!

Chapter 381

Looking at the number of people, it would be better to move to a bigger place, but even if I try to move my room now, finding a ‘bigger place’ isn’t easy.

In the first place, how expensive can a one-room lease really be?

Besides, this place was relatively cheap due to its old construction and slightly inconvenient transportation.

It was a bit far from the subway station, and there’s no elevator. I usually took the bus more often than the subway, so I didn’t feel too inconvenienced. If it hadn’t been a place found just for commuting, I would have found it much more bothersome.

At least the kids I live with are friendly, and they like to walk a bit, so they don’t complain about walking for dozens of minutes to the subway.

“……It’s delicious.”

“Right?”

Claire beamed at Charlotte’s assessment.

“……It’s Eberia-style food, though.”

Charlotte added that comment, perhaps feeling a bit awkward praising a person from the Empire for their cooking skills.

“Well, it feels a bit strange to say it’s something we cooked ourselves, though.”

Alice said this while showing Charlotte the paper wrap that had been around the meal kit.

“What’s this?”

Charlotte’s eyes widened as she took the paper wrap.

“This is a kit that gathers all the necessary ingredients for this dish and lists the cooking method—”

“No, not that! Is that a photo of the dish drawn here?”

“…….”

Alice’s enthusiasm for explaining faded as she shrugged her shoulders.

“Yep, it’s a photo! Isn’t it amazing?”

Claire excitedly pulled out her smartphone and showed the photos she had taken so far.

Charlotte, still holding the fork she had been eating with, took the smartphone as if entranced.

“This is…… amazing. Are you saying this isn’t magic?”

After examining the smartphone closely, Charlotte lifted her gaze and looked around my room once again.

Seeing something that was ‘completely different from her original world’ made all the other machines in the room appear new to her. Among them, her gaze was fixed for a long time on the monitor, which could be said to be ‘similar’ to a smartphone.

Although Charlotte was a member of a family in the most important position in her country, her gaze toward new technology seemed somewhat different.

Even Alice, the Crown Princess of an Empire that already possessed world-class technology, thought about integrating new technologies into her country while seeing them, but Charlotte, the princess of a kingdom with less technology than the Empire, seemed to feel those emotions even more strongly.

……If she could apply such technology directly to her kingdom, it would certainly achieve remarkable development beyond the Empire.

“I can’t answer if you ask me about it.”

“Well, that’s true. If such technology could be realized, it’s natural that everyone with that technology would want to monopolize it.”

Uh… in a way, that was a solid point.

“Rather than that, it’s because the technology itself is too complex for a mere craftsman to create.”

“I see.”

Charlotte nodded.

By the way, Mia, who was eagerly slurping up cream pasta next to them, seemed to be seriously contemplating whether to develop interest in the smartphone or maintain her interest in the food entering her mouth, but it seems she ultimately decided to refocus on her meal.

Well, that makes sense. If it looked magical but wasn’t, it wasn’t of much use to Mia.

On the contrary, from Mia’s perspective, it could end up being a rival she would need to compete against.

……And, well, if you leave pasta alone, it just becomes leftovers, but as for the smartphone, it won’t change much except that the battery might drain over time.

Ah, I wonder if Mia doesn’t realize that.

“……Anyway, let’s take a good rest after the meal. You two just went through a fierce battle not long ago.”

I told the two of them.

“I’ll let you know about the facilities you absolutely need to know in this house as much as possible. For now, let’s wash up, get a good sleep, and talk again tomorrow.”

“Got it. Claire, thank you.”

Charlotte said as she handed the smartphone back to Claire. It seems she thinks it’s a very precious item.

Well, if you look at the price, it really is quite expensive, though…

……

Speaking of which, it seems there’s quite a bit to think about, not just about the size of this house.

I should also get smartphones for these two. I have to pay the bills too.

I need to adjust the food budget…

Hmm.

Should I go out and buy a lottery ticket tomorrow?

*

The next morning.

“Are you okay after sleeping on a hard floor?”

The two of them had slept on a bed all their lives. I asked just in case, and they answered,

“We should be grateful for being able to sleep in this house. Falling into another world and not being homeless is truly fortunate, isn’t it?”

“The floor was warm, and the blanket was quite fluffy.”

As the weather was getting chilly, I had turned on the boiler a bit, which seemed to be the right choice.

“Well, that’s a relief.”

I nodded and looked around.

Claire, Alice, Charlotte, Mia……and including me, there were five people.

The room that felt spacious with three people seemed cramped with just two more added.

Moreover, Claire, Alice, and I were bound by blood or relationships, but these two were, technically speaking, from different homes.

They were close friends and could put their lives on the line to help each other if necessary, but…… could we spend time together in a place where individual space isn’t properly separated without clashing?

“……By the way, I have no idea how Charlotte and Mia usually get along.”

Desperate, Charlotte blinked her wide eyes, while Mia was still rubbing her eyes sleepily.

“When Claire and Alice came, I was the only person who knew about this world, so I was a bit cautious, but now three out of five of us have gotten pretty accustomed to this world. So, I think it wouldn’t be a big problem to go out together today, what do you think?”

“I’m in!”

Claire said with a smile, as if she was happy just imagining it.

Is she excited about being able to teach these two new things? It seems like something Claire would feel.

“I agree too. If there are many people to teach, it wouldn’t be bad to start adapting right away.”

Alice replied seriously, nodding her head.

“……Do we really need to hold a meeting about this so seriously?”

Charlotte asked, slightly frowning. Perhaps her pride made her feel like it was something that belittled her.

“This world is completely different from the one we lived in. Just looking outside the window is proof, right?”

“I haven’t properly looked down, but all I can see are strangely shaped buildings and ugly black lines connecting them.”

Now that was quite an evaluation from the princess from the kingdom of Velbur.

“Is… is it dangerous?”

Mia asked timidly.

Even though she had become more confident recently, being thrown into a completely different world unexpectedly seemed to make her a bit anxious.

“If it’s dangerous… then yes, it is. But that danger isn’t about public safety. In terms of public safety, you could say that there’s no country in Aetherna that has better order than ours.”

This isn’t a mere patriotic claim that South Korea has good public safety; considering the level of technological development during the industrial revolution, it wouldn’t make sense for it to surpass the average safety of developed countries in this world.

“Rather, there are things you need to be cautious about.”

“…….”

Charlotte and Mia exchanged glances and then looked back at the three of us.

“Alright then.”

Charlotte spoke, still with a somewhat confused expression.

“Then, just let us know when you’re ready. We’ll follow what the host says.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that too.”

Claire and Alice exchanged a slightly awkward look at Charlotte and Mia’s responses, but I pretended not to notice.

Well, I’ll make sure Charlotte and Mia can adapt as well. At least until I suddenly get money and can move.

*

When we first stepped outside, both Charlotte and Mia looked surprised, but it seemed they didn’t clearly understand the seriousness of the situation.

There were many curious things all around, and although there was a lot to be curious about, there didn’t seem to be anything that looked openly dangerous, to be honest.

Well, electricity poles aren’t dangerous as long as people don’t try to climb them.

Moreover, since it was still a late weekday morning, the cars on the road were mostly parked with almost none moving around.

“……”

However, as soon as we stepped onto the main road, the two of them seemed to understand why we said what we did.

“Indeed, it seems like we wouldn’t be able to do just fine over there. Is that a car?”

“Yes.”

As I was answering Charlotte’s question, Mia, unable to hold back her curiosity any longer, asked,

“Is it a steam engine?”

“It’s an internal combustion engine.”

“Internal combustion engine? What’s that?”

Unlike Mia, who was purely curious, Charlotte’s expression was very serious.

Did she think she could learn some technical hints from what I said?

“……”

Hmm.

Teaching these two seems like it will be different from when I did with Claire and Alice.

Well, I guess I’ll have to try my best either way.

Chapter 382

……I feel really bad for saying this, but it was very simple to reassure Mia.

First, I just needed to give her something to eat.

As the weather started to get chilly, even though it might be a bit early, people selling fish-shaped pastries began to pop up on the streets.

I didn’t see them as often as when I was young, but if I walked about 30 minutes from home, I could find vendors selling them on the main street from time to time.

Since I usually carried a bit of cash, buying some fish-shaped pastries wasn’t a big deal.

Mia seemed somewhat wary when she got her first one, probably because it was a food she had never seen before, but once I, Alice, and Claire each took one and started enjoying it, Mia followed suit.

“Be careful, it’s hot.”

……That was a bit late to say. Mia had already taken a bite and was making a face as she blew on it.

In a way, that was probably the right way to eat it. After all, it’s a winter snack, so taking small bites when it’s fresh and hot, with the outside crispy and the inside steaming, is indeed how it should be enjoyed.

Even though she was flustered at first because it was too hot, she seemed to get used to it bit by bit as she continued to eat. Once she recognized the sweet red bean flavor inside, she started to eat happily.

“What’s in it?”

While Mia was focused on gingerly eating her pastry, Charlotte couldn’t hold back her curiosity and asked.

She still hadn’t taken a bite yet.

“……Charlotte. I know you’re doubting our taste as people from the Empire, but this is perfectly fine. After all, this isn’t the Empire, is it?”

“…….”

Come to think of it, it’s strange that Claire and Alice were easygoing about trying everything thrown their way.

Of course, videos can be a bit exaggerated, but when watching foreigners taste Korean food for the first time, it seems that Westerners are often overly wary of unfamiliar foods.

How should I put it? They seem to have a strong stereotype about food.

Especially those who take pride in their national cuisine seem to be the most affected by this; perhaps it’s only natural for people who come from a world built on such ‘exaggerated ideas.’

“It’s red bean.”

“……Red bean?”

“It’s sweetened red bean paste.”

“So, you mean eating sweetened beans?”

“……Could you at least try it before making assumptions?”

I politely requested.

“…….”

After listening to my explanation, it seemed Charlotte only became more prejudiced against the fish-shaped pastry as she eyed it suspiciously before finally taking a cautious bite.

After carefully chewing a few times, she mumbled, “……It’s tasty.”

See?

Still, I had a strange feeling that I would keep facing situations like this in the future, so I felt a little tense.

*

“What’s that?”

“That’s a croffle.”

“Croffle?”

“It’s a fusion food made by pressing croissant dough in a waffle machine.”

“……Why?”

“……Why not?”

Seeing Charlotte’s confused expression made me confused too, so I stopped walking, and Charlotte, with an extremely complicated look, said,

“If I want to eat a croissant, I can just eat a croissant, and if I want a waffle, I can eat a waffle. Why in the world would you use dough meant for croissants in a waffle machine?”

Seeing her serious face, I realized, Ah, it’s true that Velbur isn’t a country that’s solely based on French culture.

I’m not entirely sure which country croissants come from, but since they sound French and all, I’ll assume they are.

Waffles, on the other hand, are famously Belgian.

As a Korean, I feel like since they’re both ‘bread,’ it wouldn’t matter if you made them with the same dough, but maybe from Charlotte’s point of view, it would seem very strange.

So, I tried to understand Charlotte’s gaze.

……So, it’s like thinking about smashing kimchi with a pork cutlet hammer, right?

……Why?

Thinking about it that way actually seemed plausible. Of course, kimchi isn’t dough or anything, but still.

“Maybe the person who made it thought it was delicious?”

But while I could somewhat understand the ‘that seems odd’ part, I found myself unable to answer the question of ‘Why?’ After pondering a bit, Claire, who had been watching our discussion, asked.

For reference, while we were talking, Claire had already bought one for herself and was having a bite.

Mia, sitting next to her, was already picking at her croffle while watching our conversation.

“Well, it should taste good, right? They probably combined two delicious things.”

Charlotte looked at Mia, who was enjoying her croffle, with a perplexed expression and remarked.

“Well, that’s because they combined two tasty things.”

Alice, who had been quietly listening, finally couldn’t hold back and chimed in.

“Just think about putting eel jelly on a toast sandwich. Does that sound good to you?”

“……No, I don’t think that analogy is very good.”

But surprisingly, that example was quite effective.

In the end, Charlotte wasn’t entirely convinced, but she gave up on pressing further—

*

“It’s strange.”

—I had thought once.

“What’s strange?”

After wandering around for a while, I felt lucky that it was Charlotte who joined us at the café and not Sophia. But there she went, picking on the desserts we had brought back.

For reference, our ordered beverages were one frappuccino, one espresso, and three Americanos. The espresso was to prevent Charlotte from going into culture shock, and the frappuccino was the sweet drink we recommended to Mia.

Thinking that it was lucky it was Charlotte and not Sophia stemmed from the fact that Sophia would have been horrified at the sight of the Americano, which is essentially an espresso with water added.

Seeing Charlotte, who perfectly fits the ‘somewhat exaggerated stereotype,’ made me think that Sophia wouldn’t be much different.

Considering that authentic French cuisine is hardly available in Korea, and most are limited to desserts, I thought it would be a bit better—

“Is this a macaron?”

Charlotte exclaimed with disbelief.

What she pointed at was a macaron filled so thickly with filling that it had become the so-called ‘dung macaron.’

“……They say it’s called a dung macaron because it’s fat.”

“Dung ma…?”

Charlotte pressed her finger on her nose as if in disbelief.

“Why?”

“Maybe it’s the idea that more filling means more deliciousness?”

“……Just because there’s a lot inside doesn’t mean it’s delicious. Food is all about balance, right? That seems excessive, doesn’t it? Besides, if the shell breaks, it turns to crumbs. And if it doesn’t fit in one bite, won’t the filling ooze out when you chew it?”

All those points were quite valid, but unfortunately, I had nothing to say in response.

Because I wasn’t the one who made them.

Somehow, this kind of macaron got popular in Korea and is being sold all over cafes, but my input in that has been minimal. I was someone who probably ate two macarons a year at most. Even if the macarons I had eaten were ‘dung macarons,’ they wouldn’t have made a significant contribution to the entire macaron market in Korea.

“Why on earth?”

And after seeing Claire elegantly eat one of those dung macarons—without spilling a single drop of filling—while looking at Mia, who was covered in filling, Charlotte murmured in resignation.

“Well, don’t worry too much. I doubt most traditional dishes from Velbur have been transformed like that. They haven’t spread out here much.”

I said that and took a sip from the straw sticking out of my Americano.

Honestly, even if I stopped a random Korean and asked them, ‘Have you ever eaten anything other than dessert from French cuisine?’ I doubt many could answer.

I have heard of dishes made with wine instead of water, but I’ve never actually eaten them. I don’t even know where to find them.

“……No, that doesn’t make me feel any better.”

In response to my words, Charlotte answered with a blank expression.

“Well, don’t think too negatively, Charlotte.”

And sitting beside her, Alice casually swirled her drink with a straw and said,

“After all, the dishes you know in this world are all ‘French dishes,’ not ‘Velbur dishes.’ So, even if there are oddly transformed dishes here, they fundamentally aren’t altered from ‘Velbur cuisine.’”

“……But that in itself feels strange.”

Charlotte could only let out a lament under Alice’s teasing remarks.

Chapter 383

“But still, Charlotte.”

On the way home with Charlotte, who had left a bunch of questions about the world, Alice teased her.

“In the end, everything was delicious, right? You did eat it.”

“…It was indeed delicious. That’s because the original was tasty.”

Charlotte said this with a pout to Alice.

When Claire and Alice showed up, they secretly introduced her to the taste of Korean food, but Charlotte’s reaction was quite fresh.

She didn’t outright hate the country, but while she felt curious about most of the technology, she wasn’t afraid to say the things she found strange, which was very impressive. And very much like Charlotte.

Especially her high standards for food, as any dish that deviated from what she called ‘Western food’ was met with bewildered eyes.

Like when she saw potatoes on pizza.

Pizza wasn’t even a French dish to begin with.

“I’ll prepare something ordinary for dinner.”

“Thank you, that’s nice.”

Charlotte sighed in relief as she spoke.

“Of course, ‘ordinary’ means it’s ordinary based on this country’s standards.”

“…Are you teasing me right now?”

Well, she was trying to poke fun, but it wasn’t that she actually intended to serve anything strange.

She had never accepted Charlotte or Mia as her sisters. She viewed them very differently from how she looked at Claire and Alice.

But that didn’t mean these two were unimportant.

In fact, she was incredibly glad to see them. It had been a whole month since they had met. She had been thinking, ‘Will I never see them again?’ so it felt a lot happier than it appeared on the surface.

She was just trying hard not to show it.

Claire and Alice were the same; Alice had been chatting with Charlotte repeatedly while Claire was handing food to Mia.

“I want to show you my country’s food, would you rather not?”

“……”

When I said that, Charlotte couldn’t bring herself to answer.

To be precise, Charlotte hadn’t come here because she wanted to.

While Claire and Alice came over voluntarily in search of me, Charlotte and Mia had come over due to poor timing.

Mia seemed more curious than cautious about this world. It seemed the variety of delicious food had left quite an impression on her.

But Charlotte remained very wary. And that wariness was partly due to the strange dishes she had seen throughout the day.

However, I had already mentioned that this place was my hometown.

So when I said I wanted to feed her the food from my country, she found it hard to respond.

If it were dishes like those from the Empire of Aetherna, they would be incredibly hard to eat, but it would still be hard to deny… um, maybe ‘Talula’ would fit? Of course, Charlotte wouldn’t know that term.

“It’s not weird food. It’s a taste that most people would generally like. It won’t be too spicy or salty—I promise.”

“……There’s really no need to go that far.”

Charlotte exhaled softly and said this.

Then she rubbed her forehead with her hand.

“Today, I might have been a bit… overly tense. The altered foods here must have been rearranged to suit the local palate. Every food in the world tends to be adapted to local tastes, so I shouldn’t have been so sensitive.”

Well… I understand her. After all, the food Charlotte saw today was closer to ‘Does this taste good, so let’s throw it in?’ rather than ‘regional variations.’

As for Croffle, I found out a moment ago from a quick search on my smartphone that it seems to originate from abroad, but that wouldn’t fly. To Charlotte, this world was foreign as a whole.

“What kind of food is it?”

It seemed Claire was more interested in my explanation. Even Mia beside her was sparkling with curiosity. Looking at them, I could see they resembled each other a bit.

Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve introduced them to Claire and Alice yet.

“There’s a place nearby, but I actually haven’t introduced it to the two of you. Since we’ve come this far, let’s go there right away.”

I said this and stepped forward.

*

There weren’t many great eateries near my place.

There were university students living nearby, but like students often do, their wallets were light. So, the local area was mostly filled with cheap places to grab a quick bite or meat joints for group gatherings.

As a person living alone, I didn’t often go to meat joints, but I thought it was great that there were plenty of those affordable places. To be honest, after paying living expenses and saving for emergencies, the money I had to spend was a bit tight.

I didn’t drink, but being an otaku, I still had hobbies that cost money.

Yet, among those affordable places, there was one that stood out with surprisingly high prices.

It wasn’t particularly fancy in appearance. The interior looked just like any other restaurant.

However, the food was somewhat pricey.

The restaurant’s name was Seoul Myeonok.

That’s right. It was a cold noodle shop.

Of course, cold noodles were a rather challenging dish to recommend to Charlotte. Among Westerners, who have an ingrained concept of ‘noodle dish = hot dish’, quite a few people would be horrified by the concept of cold noodles or buckwheat noodles.

But usually, a ‘real cold noodle shop’ doesn’t only serve cold noodles.

To boil delicious broth, you need good meat, and a place that makes broth with good meat will certainly serve excellent dishes with that meat.

This restaurant serves both galbitang and galbijjim.

Today, the dish I wanted to introduce to these people was galbitang.

The price per bowl was relatively high compared to regular rice soup, so I didn’t come here often, but in the dead of winter, sometimes this was the only thing that could hit the spot.

I was relieved it was still there.

As soon as five visibly European Caucasians walked in, the owner looked at us with a surprised expression.

“Five galbitangs, please.”

I said it naturally and took a seat.

Since we came just before peak dinner time, there were still quite a few seats available.

“Oh my, how do you speak Korean so well?”

The owner quickly approached us and said.

Then she pushed two four-person tables together to make a place for us.

“Thank you. Oh, and we’re not foreigners. We’re Korean.”

In truth, I couldn’t guarantee Mia and Charlotte’s ID cards because I couldn’t find them. Well, to the folk around here, Charlotte and Mia’s speech would just sound like Korean anyway.

“Korean? Ah, I’m sorry. I mistook you for foreigners.”

“It’s fine. It happens often.”

The owner immediately apologized, and while I responded with a smile, it seemed the situation embarrassed her, and she quickly left.

Right. In fact, being Korean and having looks that can easily be mistaken, but if we were in America, it would have been outright racial discrimination.

“Galbitang?”

Mia asked curiously.

“It’s a soup made by boiling beef short ribs for a long time.”

“Oh.”

At my explanation, Mia’s eyes lit up.

“Dishes made with meat broth exist in every country throughout history.”

I said while glancing at Charlotte who was sitting diagonally across from me.

“Indeed, it sounds like an extremely safe dish.”

Charlotte said, sighing in relief.

The story I heard was that galbitang, beef bone soup, or gamjatang could be eaten by foreigners from any country in the world. After all, it’s a dish with plenty of meat, who wouldn’t like it? And it’s not excessively spicy either.

When I turned my gaze back to Claire and Alice, both of them were smiling wide, as if to say ‘Well done!’

*

“Indeed, I think I had too many unwarranted prejudices.”

As we left the restaurant, Charlotte said.

The slight redness in her face wasn’t just from the warm Korean soup she had eaten.

“Right? You ate like a champion, without any prejudice at all.”

When Alice teased her, Charlotte’s face turned even redder.

“W-well, there was nothing I could do! There were no forks or knives to cut the meat off the bone!”

She could have used scissors, but that meant she would need to hold one side of the bone first.

Moreover, I had started tearing into the ribs first, so Charlotte thought that was how it was supposed to be eaten and followed suit.

“Alice, don’t tease her too much. We’re not nobles, royalty, or emperors here.”

“Right, exactly.”

“……Aren’t both of you being a bit too casual?”

Charlotte spoke as if she found it a bit absurd—

“I thought it was fine to be a little casual.”

Mia spoke, slightly parting her lips.

Mia had been quite quiet all day. Rather than speaking when she didn’t have something in her mouth, she seemed more focused on taking in the world around her.

But it seemed she was still listening to the conversation.

“I… actually think it’s okay. Here, we don’t need to care about family matters. Above all, even if we spend a little time here and go back, hardly any time will have passed for us over there.”

“……”

Charlotte stared at Mia with her mouth agape for a bit, then closed her eyes and exhaled.

A slight smile appeared on her lips.

When Charlotte opened her eyes again and looked at us, she spoke with a hint of apology.

“……I’m sorry. I think I got a bit too impatient.”

“Yeah, that’s true. And we weren’t just lounging around here.”

Claire said to Charlotte while smiling.

“We’re even earning money through streaming. We need money to live, right?”

And among the three of us, Claire enjoyed those streaming times the purest.

“……Streaming?”

Charlotte didn’t know anything about streaming.

…Well, that’s true.

But I think it would be amusing to teach her.

Chapter 384

When you think about it, Azernar was a world without electricity and many other things.

If you were to ask where the history of broadcasting began, each person would likely give a different answer, but generally, they would probably think of ‘radio.’

With the ability to transmit and receive radio waves, people were able to listen to conversations in real-time, and thus they could play music, read stories, host talk shows, or even air dramas consisting only of voices.

However, in Azernar, that ‘radio’ was never invented.

Of course, considering that radio technology was completed in the early 20th century, one wouldn’t assume that there would forever be nothing like it in a world powered by steam engines. Even if electrical devices were never invented, if magic existed, and using that magic there were phones, then who knows what could happen if we applied that concept.

But a possibility is just a possibility. Anyway, in Azernar, news was still conveyed in writing. So the concept of ‘broadcasting’ as understood by modern people never even got close.

“So, is it like a circus clown?”

“…”

Hmm, well.

It’s not quite right to call them actors; they’re somewhat similar to clowns. But isn’t calling people who broadcast in modern times clowns a bit outdated?

Then again, Charlotte is someone who is indeed out of touch with the times. Although she’s in her mid-teens in Azernar, compared to the 21st century, she’s like someone from over a hundred years ago.

Moreover, being a member of the royal family, probably makes her even more conservative.

It’s even more astonishing that Claire or Alice, who’ve considered trying their hand at broadcasting, find it curious.

“So, what do you all do in this broadcasting thing?”

“Mostly we play games, have conversations, or show off some items.”

Or we might eat something.

Now that Mia is here, the chances of a mukbang have increased significantly. Of course, we will have to see just how much she can eat.

Often, people who eat a little bit frequently end up having trouble when they try to eat a lot all at once. We can’t make her sick after she’s come all this way, so we need to be careful.

“Can you make money just from that?”

“…”

That’s a good question.

I wonder if our broadcasts are entertaining? Honestly, I’m not sure. We never really established a serious comedic concept to make people laugh, so even if we look back at the broadcast, I can’t tell if it’s particularly funny.

But still, the view count has been steadily rising, and the number of viewers is consistently going up, so it seems like there’s some sort of charm to it.

…Or maybe they’re just coming in to see our pretty faces.

“It makes money.”

I nodded and said.

“You said playing games is like having fun? So you can earn money while having fun?”

The look in her eyes resembled that of someone who thought they were being scammed. I had no idea how to explain this.

“Instead of just doubting, how about checking it out for yourself?”

Claire, unable to bear watching this scene from the side, said that.

“It’s almost time to start the broadcast.”

“Okay.”

Charlotte exhaled and said,

“Really, I don’t understand this world at all, even after hearing explanations.”

That’s true. I, too, feel completely lost while trying to explain.

Life really is complicated, isn’t it?

“So, what do you think?”

“Pardon?”

Charlotte blinked at Alice’s words.

“Are you going to join us on the broadcast? Or would you rather watch from the side?”

“…”

Charlotte put her hand on her mouth, pondering for a moment,

“If I could really earn money with log broadcasting, do you think my joining would be helpful?”

“I believe it will definitely be a help.”

After all, the trio of cosplayers, who have a synchronization rate that could break the ceiling, are already a hot topic, and if two more are added, especially two of the heroines from that game series, that will stir up even more buzz.

To be honest, I found Charlotte’s reactions to this world highly entertaining. Just her giving those reactions periodically would surely help.

“Well, then I shall join as well. I can’t just live here for free.”

Charlotte puffed out her chest as she said this, looking quite adorable.

“Alright, then.”

I immediately prepared for the broadcast.

*

[More people?]

[It’s Charlotte!]

[OMG OMG OMG]

[Charlotte? Mia?]

“Somehow, the number of people I’m spending time with has increased.”

I shifted slightly to the side to show the person on screen.

Mia seemed mesmerized by her own image, perhaps not fully grasping that she was being reflected in the others’ eyes.

While it might have inverted left and right like in a mirror, she seemed to realize that seeing herself in the screen a bit delayed told her ‘this isn’t a mirror.’ Plus, people beside her were chatting away.

“So, that’s what they mean by ‘chatting.’”

Charlotte squinted as she spoke.

She obviously doesn’t understand Korean, so to her, it probably looks like some alien language.

“I’ll teach you how to read it slowly.”

“Thank you. I’ll try my best to be of help.”

[Is this too much of a concept? LOL]

[Did you really come from that world? LOL]

[But the quality is great!]

“What are they saying?”

Before starting the broadcast, Mia, who carefully heard a brief explanation about the chat, asked cautiously.

“They think we look like ourselves, and they like that.”

“Is it not obvious that we look like ourselves?”

When Mia tilted her head in confusion, the reaction from the chat exploded.

[Mia is the best!]

[OMG]

[OMG OMG]

[700]

Mia was… in many ways, a character with a bit of a niche following.

“What does this one say?”

“Mia is cute.”

Upon answering Charlotte’s question, her eyes narrowed. While she couldn’t read the chat, her expression stiffened as soon as she knew the content.

“Charlotte, the difference between you and Mia is almost negligible.”

“But there is appearance.”

[Legal?]

I banned the person who typed that in the chat.

… In any case, the resident register shows them as adults, so Mia would undoubtedly be referred to as an adult if such a document were discovered. However, I still know we’re in our mid-teens.

Even if it’s legally acceptable in this country, morally crossing the line openly is a big no-no.

“From now on, these two will also join us for the broadcast. However, since it might be hard for five of us to appear all at once in one broadcast, we might take turns… but nothing is set in stone yet, so I’ll make an announcement once we have definitive plans.”

[LOL]

[Okay, okay!]

I let out a small breath.

I was relieved that people accepted it naturally.

Of course, these two would be Korean too, so I had no clue how they’d react once they heard that story.

“Then… okay. Earlier, you asked why it seemed strange that we looked like ourselves, right? I’ll tell you that reason right away.”

I said this and picked up a game package that was next to the table.

We don’t dive straight into the game. If we do, we’ll run out of energy midway, so first we’ll warm up with a talk for about an hour before jumping into gameplay.

It was a method I had somewhat researched on the internet.

“This is… you.”

Seeing my image on the package, Charlotte’s eyes widened.

“And here I am, and Alice too.”

Claire pointed over Charlotte’s shoulder at the package. There they were, a little distant, but unmistakably drawn: Claire and Alice.

Not only them. Many main characters were illustrated on the cover. Of course, the one drawn biggest was Sylvia, which probably sparked some backlash.

“…I’m on there too.”

“That’s right.”

Upon hearing my response, Charlotte frowned slightly as if something was odd and looked up.

“But, is it really okay to say this openly in front of others?”

“Because I doubt anyone would take it seriously.”

“B-but you said there was no magic here?”

I nodded at Mia’s words.

[Concept is solid.]

[Seems more thorough than most VTubers.]

Well, of course, it’s their own lives.

If we were to pretend to be ordinary, it would be awkward in reverse.

“This is the game we often play during our broadcasts.”

“…We appear in it?”

“That’s right. There’s also romance.”

“….”

Charlotte stared at me intently.

“Yes?”

I glanced at Mia, who wore a clueless expression, then looked at Alice and Claire.

Both seemed to pick up on something from my words.

That’s right.

Alice and I were both trying our best to woo each other, and now there was another candidate in the mix.

Someone completely clueless.

Since the story is still about halfway through, a tough route might be possible, right?

Chapter 385

“[Because it’s you.]”

“Wait, wait a minute.”

“[It’s because it’s you, I believe you can do it.]”

“I told you to stop for a moment!”

“Ugh!”

Suddenly, Charlotte crashed into me, causing me to topple over sideways.

Right.

Since coming to this world, I’ve been exercising to keep up with Claire and Alice, but I still had a strength that made it pointless to compare with the real warriors.

“What do you mean by that? What are you doing? Are you telling me that I was saying such things in there!?”

Charlotte’s face turned bright red, and she looked quite cute.

I hardly ever saw that kind of expression from her.

“Of course. It’s just how the script goes.”

“I could never say that to Leo! No, I definitely haven’t!”

“Charlotte, could you lower your voice a bit? If you’re not careful, your yelling might be heard by the neighbors.”

“……”

Glaring at Alice while smiling, Charlotte got back on her feet.

Crack

This is yuri, right?

“Claire, can you ban that person?”

“Okay!”

As I got up and said that, Claire quickly grabbed the mouse and banned or muted the guys who were spouting nonsense.

Sure enough, managing it together is way more efficient than doing it alone.

“It’s only natural that I haven’t said anything to Leo. The world we lived in and the one in that game are flowing quite differently.”

“……But I think it’s a bit twisted to deliberately pick me and make me say such lines. It’s also weird that I had to read the lines that weren’t recorded directly.”

Charlotte was sharper than I thought.

It wasn’t like the game info was given accurately—no, to be precise, I was only given a rough idea of what a video game was, yet she inferred that there might be parts I could choose in there. It’s just impressive.

Did she realize it while watching me control my character?

“But I think there’s a possibility.”

“Can you give me your reasoning for that?”

I said nonchalantly, and Charlotte shot me a fierce look while pointedly questioning me.

“Do you remember when we were in Lutetia?”

“Why does that matter—ah.”

At my words, the color drained from Charlotte’s face.

Right, that makes sense.

A fair amount of time has passed since then, and I remember it, but there’s no way that Charlotte wouldn’t recall it, especially not long after coming from the battlefield.

Back in Lutetia, Charlotte had told me she was happy to finally make true friends.

And when I said I would leave her behind, she told me not to think that way.

As a reference, just a moment ago, Charlotte’s line was what she said just before going into a pair event with Leo.

Just before the war started, when a battleship exploded, the war itself ended up half-canceled. After all, the Empire’s most enormous and powerful strategic weapon disappeared.

And of course, the rumor was that the entity that could destroy that strategic weapon must be a spy from another country deeply infiltrating the Empire.

As a reference, Sylvia had not appeared since then.

Of course, later on, in the latter half of the story, she would join the protagonist’s party when they were surrounded by enemies right before their defeat, and say something like, “This is as far as you go.” But for now, she was simply ‘missing in action.’

The Empire was thrown into chaos.

The war itself was thwarted, but the boiling public opinion seemed far from cooling down.

And this atmosphere spread to the Imperial Capital, increasing the subtle pressure on foreign nationals and embassies residing there.

Being a princess, Charlotte was one of the most important figures, and even though the army had moved close to the border, a full-scale war hadn’t begun yet, so she was still treated as an important guest.

However, those words somehow reached Charlotte’s ears. It was said that the Velbur residents were in a rather dangerous situation.

As someone from the same Kingdom, no, as the royal family of that Kingdom, she may want to protect her people, but feeling helpless, Charlotte seemed hesitant to reach out to Leo.

……Of course, I didn’t know the details. I just thought that since they were the protagonist and heroine, there’d probably be an affection event or something.

The battle started with the Empire’s people trying to lynch the Velbur residents, leading to Charlotte’s response to Leo’s question, “Do you trust someone like me, who is also from the Empire?” Her face would flush, eyebrows slightly lowered, cheeks bright red—

“……If you bring that up here, I’ll challenge you to a duel.”

“In this country, life-and-death duels are illegal.”

It could skirt the legality in some cases, but at least dueling with swords was illegal.

“The law is just a trap with loopholes everywhere.”

“Is it acceptable for a princess to say that? And doing such will be detrimental to Mia’s education.”

“I’m the same age as you guys!”

Just a moment ago, Mia, who had her face flushed while covering her face with both hands and peeking at the screen, shouted out like that.

Is that an adult?

Were they an adult?

Is it legal?

Ah, right. We were considered adults here.

Mia likely was too, so if she just finds her ID, she could buy alcohol and cigarettes.

……I can somewhat imagine Mia drinking, but I can’t picture her smoking. After all, they are trafficking opium in their territory.

No, but more than that.

“Claire, please ban the person who said it was legal over there.”

“Got it!”

Claire seemed to find that quite amusing.

“Anyway, I can’t allow that.”

Charlotte said with a determined expression.

“Choose someone else. You appear in this game too, right?”

“I’m sorry, but I haven’t shown up since the last event.”

“……”

Charlotte turned her head sharply to glare at Alice.

“I’m sorry, but I’m already being targeted.”

Alice said calmly, her expression neutral.

“……”

“Uh, I don’t mind, but I think you won’t be able to target me in this work. She’s my little sister after all?”

That was indeed true.

I had tried to talk to her, but it didn’t seem like the kind of dialogue that would lead to a romance route. After all, in the previous work, she was also a character who was confirmed to die, so it felt more like creating backstory before death rather than a genuine targeting.

“Ah, Mia is out of the question.”

“Why not?”

At the same moment as Charlotte’s words, Mia also turned her head toward me. She seemed confused about the situation.

“Are you being serious? Do you expect me to target Mia instead of Leo?”

Charlotte glanced over at Mia, then eventually sighed, wiping her face with her hand.

“Certainly, that’s the case.”

“Why me!?”

Mia protested, her face reddening.

“I’m the same age as you all, you know!?”

It was the first time Mia reacted so passionately.

Ah, no. It wasn’t the first time. I had brought up her father in front of her, so…Hmm.

……I’ll set that story aside for a bit.

“Anyway, no.”

“No!”

“I’ll buy you a chocolate cake tomorrow, so no.”

“What kind of logic is that…!”

As Mia shouted that and suddenly became quiet.

So it works, huh.

She really does love food so much. I don’t know how she doesn’t gain weight, though.

Now that things have come to this, I wonder if we should have a mukbang tomorrow. I can’t build a whole broadcast on just eating, but it could be an amusing event, like when Alice reviewed my figure last time.

“Then the ongoing event is…”

“There’s no way to end it midway.”

Indeed, the same background music had been repeating on the screen since earlier, and the characters were just glaring at each other, poised to strike.

It’s a turn-based game, so time passing doesn’t really matter, but they look incredibly awkward just standing there doing nothing.

“Then can we proceed slowly?”

“……You started teasing first…What kind of common sense is that….”

Charlotte muttered, but she no longer hindered me from playing the game.

……Well, anyway, I haven’t seen the Charlotte ending yet either.

We can determine the next person at the end of the game based on our respective abilities.

And by that time, at least I have to avoid strenuous challenges as much as possible.

I am thinking of a few methods, but after all, nothing goes as planned in this world.

I leisurely manipulated the game controller, simply finishing off the battle designed to be easily won like in a pre-event.

*

After the broadcast ended, we all changed clothes, laid out blankets on the floor, and laid side by side.

Hmm, it wasn’t as stuffy as I had worried it would be. I’m sure if any of us started talking in our sleep, all five of us would wake up.

Alice, me, Claire, Charlotte, Mia. We hadn’t decided on a specific order for lying down, but it just so happened that we ended up like this.

“……How was it?”

I asked Charlotte.

“Well…”

Charlotte let out a small sigh.

“……I’m a little anxious, but overall, it was okay. If I’d fallen alone in a place like this, I wouldn’t have known what to do moving forward, but because I have acquaintances here…”

“Me too. This world has quite a few interesting and fun things, so I wanted to explore it a bit longer.”

“I’m glad.”

“As time goes by, you’ll feel more at ease. You were royalty, after all, so since you’re here, why not just relax?”

“……Is it okay for someone of royal blood to say that?”

“What Alice said is right. Since we can’t escape it anyway, we should just enjoy ourselves. And that’s also how we can find a way back.”

“You’re referring to what you said earlier in the daytime.”

There was a moment of silence.

“……If that is true, then until the next opportunity arises, I guess I have no choice but to take it easy.”

“Right?”

Claire’s voice had a trace of laughter.

“We’ve been to quite a few fun places. Starting tomorrow, I’ll introduce them one by one. There are still things I want to experience here!”

“And eat a lot of delicious food.”

Hearing that subtle suggestion from Mia, Charlotte let out a “Hmph” sound in disbelief.

Chapter 386

“How is it?”

“Uh… it’s delicious… right?”

Mia darted glances at me, as if feeling the pressure of my gaze, while furiously chewing.

If I mentioned it reminded me of some small rodent, that would be rude, right?

“Is something wrong with me?”

“No, you’re not weird.”

After my intense staring at Mia’s face, Charlotte shot me a glare and said,

“Come on, sis, just be honest. You have something on your mind, right?”

“Your face looks like you’re plotting something.”

Claire and Alice chimed in too.

While Alice could read my face almost perfectly, I was a bit shocked that my poker face wasn’t working on Claire anymore.

Right now, we were at a toast shop.

It wasn’t exactly a local gem. It was a franchise toast shop with quite a few branches across the country, and it was more like a sandwich place that used toast.

It was a sandwich with thick bread filled with stuff and topped with a perfectly runny egg yolk, but honestly, it was my first time trying it. There are plenty of foods sold in this country, and I certainly hadn’t tried everything—after all, I only had Vietnamese pho for the first time after graduating college.

I knew it existed but hadn’t thought to try it until we stumbled upon it while passing by.

There were quite a few people around, but no one was really paying us any mind. I guess it was natural in a place meant for eating.

“Truth is, I do have something on my mind.”

I said while quietly gazing at Mia’s face.

“Oh, I think I know.”

Claire raised her hand enthusiastically.

“It’s an eating show, isn’t it?”

“… Claire, I think you need to cut down on your smartphone usage.”

Even though it’s been a little while since we came here, Claire’s speed of adapting was absurd. Especially her grasp on this kind of knowledge was scary.

Now that I think about it, that idea to start streaming came from Claire’s reaction as well.

“I move way more actively than you do on a regular basis!”

“…”

I had no rebuttal to that.

“Claire has a point.”

I tried to redirect the conversation by saying that, but—

“What do you mean she has a point? Are you saying you find it annoying that she’s more active than you?”

It felt like I’d somehow stepped in it.

“What I mean to say is—”

“Isn’t it a bit much to ask someone who’s only been here less than a week to do something on a show? At the very least, you should give her an adjustment period.”

Alice interjected, and Mia nodded vigorously. Um, you don’t even know what an eating show is, do you?

Thinking about it again, it did feel a bit inhumane to make someone who doesn’t even know what an eating show is participate in one.

“Speaking of which,”

Alice said while poking me in the side.

“… What are you doing?”

“Well, I haven’t really gained any weight despite just munching.”

“Even if I look like this, I’m still trying to keep up with you guys.”

It’s true.

I have been trying to keep up with Claire and Alice’s active lifestyle. Bicycling in Yeouido Park, going around the Han River like a madman.

I don’t want to gain weight.

If it were the ‘me’ from my previous life, I’d probably be called an uncle by now, and I know losing weight wouldn’t have a drastic impact on my appearance, so I did just enough exercise to stay healthy. But since I’ve developed this fine body, I’ve been making an effort to maintain it.

It would be such a waste if I let it go.

Not that I do anything like makeup, mind you.

As a side note, Claire and Alice had slowly started to take an interest in the cosmetics of this world. They even talked about how they should buy a lot when they go back, sounding like Japanese tourists in Korea.

“But your sides are way too soft, aren’t they?”

“That’s not because I’m gaining weight; it’s because I have relatively less muscle.”

“And that’s the problem.”

Alice crossed her arms and nodded, and Claire’s face lit up.

“Yeah! That’s the thought!”

“… What thought are you talking about?”

“Exercise! You’re thinking about exercise videos, right?”

“No way in hell.”

“Do you hate exercising that much?”

Charlotte said, looking incredulous. I nodded firmly.

“I’ll do the minimum exercise necessary to live, but I won’t work out for aesthetics.”

“Why not?”

This time Alice frowned.

“Because exercise is hard work.”

“…”

For a moment, silence enveloped our group.

Maybe it was just my imagination, but it felt like the entire shop fell silent too.

… They’re not pretending to be disinterested while secretly listening, right?

Well, to be honest, I’d find it fascinating too. Knowing we are legally considered Koreans would probably raise even more eyebrows. By the way, I found Mia and Charlotte’s IDs before coming out earlier—they were sitting neatly in the bottom drawer of the desk for some reason.

“Sis, didn’t we do even tougher things back in Azernar?”

“That was different. That was something I had to do, whether I liked it or not, while exercise is something I can choose. Isn’t that right, Mia?”

“Y-yes!?”

Mia was startled as I suddenly pulled her into the conversation.

By the way, she was calmly eating her sandwich while we talked, so she was almost done by now. She had awkwardly eaten down from the top to the bottom and was just about to put the last piece of crust in her mouth, but now she froze up and stared at me.

“Do you know this? Every human joint has a lifespan. To use them for a long time, it’s safer to use them as little as possible. But exercising puts a strain on those joints.”

“I read on a site that there are many ways to shape up without stressing the joints.”

“Right, sis. They say even things like stair climbing or running don’t actually put much strain on them.”

“Since that’s the case, what will you do?”

Charlotte chimed in with a grin.

“… If someone like me who’s a beginner at exercising suddenly tries to post exercise videos, no one’s going to watch.”

“Isn’t the point of those videos to see inexperienced people struggle?”

“Alice, how about you try reducing your smartphone usage a bit?”

I asked seriously.

I was impressed enough by Claire’s quick adaptation, but it seemed like Alice had also picked up quite a bit along those lines.

“Well, okay.”

When I chunkily rejected her, Alice shrugged. After seeing that, a tense Mia relaxed her shoulders and shoved the remaining piece of bread into her mouth in one go.

So that fits in there, huh? Although, judging by her bulging cheeks, it seems like it actually does.

“Still, since you’re trying to at least keep up with us in some way, I won’t push you into serious training. Just as long as it doesn’t become a health issue, anything beyond that is a hobby.”

“I’m glad we could communicate.”

I relaxed my shoulders a bit too.

“But this game is happening.”

Alice grinned at me while showing her smartphone screen.

“…….”

I briefly checked the smartphone screen that Alice held out and carefully asked,

“Looks like you already bought something though?”

“That’s why I said I’m going to buy it. Just so you know, I bought it with my money, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

“… Then since you bought it with your own money, I really have no use for it.”

“Unless you don’t touch it yourself, that’s pretty much true.”

“…….”

The way she said that so easily made me suspicious of her underlying motives.

But Alice just kept looking at me with a bright smile on her face.

“What did you buy?”

“This.”

Alice handed her smartphone to Charlotte, and Mia, who was sitting next to her, peered at the screen. Then she tilted her head.

“What’s this?”

“Oh, it’s nothing special, just a game.”

Not just any game.

It’s a realistic game.

But well, I said I wouldn’t do anything as long as I didn’t touch it myself.

Even if the device was running a game in sleep mode, I just had to avoid touching it.

“So, since it turned out this way, should we go buy some clothes to wear while exercising? Wouldn’t it be good to get something nice for viewers to see?”

“Do I need to bother with that? You’ll mostly be the one using it.”

“Is that so?”

Is it really so?

*

[Sylvia’s stream until it ends●Play Fit Adventure]

With a cheerful sound, that mission popped up on the monitor.

And the mission start amount was a whopping 100,000 won.

“…….”

“Not gonna do it?”

As our eyes met, Alice looked at me and smiled playfully.

So, this was her plan all along.

I rubbed my face with both hands.

Chapter 387

I went out today and, thanks to Alice’s strong insistence, I bought some clothes…

“Alice, I’m seriously asking, how does the site algorithm work? What kind of videos did you watch to end up with these outfits?”

“What do you mean, what videos? Of course, it’s workout videos.”

“No way, even if it’s workout videos…”

Are all the women in fitness or health videos dressed like this?

…..

Maybe not all, but it sure felt like most were in similar outfits. It seems like quite a few people genuinely think those outfits are pretty rather than just chasing YouTube views.

And, to be honest, they were pretty.

Though my sensibilities are closer to those of an uncle than a girl, I felt they looked good seeing well-maintained bodies. I don’t really understand the psychology of why real women wear such outfits.

Right.

I don’t understand.

“This… This outfit is so revealing. What about the sense of shame for people in this world?”

And then there was another clueless person here.

“Charlotte, you can’t just look at it from the perspective of a different world. This world has its own standards. More than anything, it’s culturally and socially much more open, so it’s okay to show off well-maintained appearances and bodies.”

Sure, it’s open, but the level of openness varies from person to person.

Some people go to clubs every day to meet new partners, while others prefer lounging at home, watching movies, and munching on popcorn. Some can jump straight into intimacy on the first day, while many place a significant meaning on sexual acts and only allow it after dating for a long time.

Well, if you dig into religion and that sort of thing, there are definitely much more conservative cases. But people who seriously care about that are a minority here, so let’s just ignore it.

Of course, the kids here wouldn’t be the type to treat free relationships casually and see things like premarital purity as old-fashioned. It’s too soon for their sexual awareness to change; it’s far too conservative in the other world.

Anyway.

“Alice. Seriously asking, is it possible you just got a taste of freedom from the royal family and now want to flirt on the edge of crossing the line?”

“……”

The way she’s avoiding eye contact means it’s true.

By the way, all five people here were in those kinds of outfits. Tight workout clothes like those worn by female trainers in fitness videos.

They could have chosen slightly looser training clothes, but due to Alice’s stubbornness, we had to wear these outfits.

Alice was in light blue, Charlotte in gray, Claire in navy, and Mia and I were in black.

The pants were all long, but they were tight on the body, and the tops were different. Claire’s was a little bold, showing some midriff. Mia, Charlotte, and I had a bit more baggy clothing. The outfit Alice and Claire strongly recommended for me showed a bit of skin on the torso.

At least, looking at Mia’s top, it seemed Alice had a last shred of conscience.

…Of course, I’ve tried on swimsuits and even a bunny suit, but the former was just casual wear for swimming pools, and the latter was a specific outfit for infiltration situations.

“But they really are comfortable to move in.”

That’s true. They were made for exercising, after all.

To be honest, they’re more functional than the uniforms we wore in battle.

“So, should we start the broadcast again?”

“……”

We had to pause the stream during the outfit change, after all.

Even though the camera was off, nobody here wanted to change clothes while a bunch of random people were listening.

As I moved the mouse to start the broadcast again—

[Oh]

[Not even in game skins, lololol]

[Oh wow oh wow]

[Looks good]

Chat messages started flooding in,

[Crown Princess has finally succumbed to money, huh?]

“……I’m just trying to make a living here.”

I wish my age on the resident registration really was true.

Then I could have provided all kinds of excuses to escape.

…Well, if that were the case, the office would have come looking for me immediately. It’d mean kids were living together without adults. Plus, I wouldn’t have even been able to rent a place like this.

“Then, according to the mission, we will start the game. …The condition was that I play until the stream ends, right?”

Once again the chat started pouring in.

As a character, Sylvia divided opinions.

People had mixed feelings about her design. There was no big issue with her character’s traits, but the most critical point was that she suddenly popped up in the middle of the series. Not just popped up, but she was a character that reversed the story built up in the previous work.

She was both unlikable and had that unique ‘fun of breaking the straight-laced character’ charm. So it seemed she often ended up twisted in various ways on famous Japanese illustration sites. Of course, I never looked it up. It seems petty, but I didn’t want to end up feeling bad for no reason.

But I’m different.

Out of all those people, how many would actually see me as the real Sylvia? Most would probably just view me as someone cosplaying and streaming. Maybe a few might think I nailed my concept down well.

But I’m a living person. If someone dislikes the character and therefore dislikes me, that’s basically mental illness.

They can dislike me just for being a female streamer.

“Here.”

“……”

Claire kindly handed over her signature ring-shaped controller from the side.

I had been stalling by pretending to set things up.

But the mission amount had already gone up significantly, exceeding 300,000 won.

“…Alright then.”

I sighed deeply and took the controller.

*

And, of course,

“Hah, hah, hah… Huh.”

Not long after, I was drenched in sweat. The fact that I hadn’t lost my mind yet was proof that I wasn’t completely out of it.

[Look at her, she’s gonna die, lololol]

[Hey!]

[Crown Princess, breathe!]

“Hah… Phew.”

I forced myself to take a breath and tried to get my body back in order.

[Alright, just try to keep up, breathe in~ phew~ breathe out~ phew~]

The donation recorded with the voice of a famous female streamer was incredibly annoying. It wasn’t her fault, but how could she match her voice with the donation so well?

“Sis, are you struggling? Do you want me to take over?”

“There’s a mission amount, so I’ll do it today. But next time…”

“Got it, got it. I’ll do it too. Is that okay?”

Alice said with a smile, and I suppressed my frustration inside.

This building was over 30 years old. Despite that, the soundproofing was somewhat decent, but it didn’t mean the noise from the place was completely unheard by the people below.

Fortunately, the game company had added options for people in such situations.

Instead of staying still, you slightly bend your knees, and at first glance, it didn’t look like it would take much stamina, but actually doing it was torturous.

My thighs felt like they were going to burst.

Of course, my clothes were completely soaked.

“If you push just a little more, you’ll clear it!”

Charlotte seemed a bit sympathetic, cheering for me hard.

[Help! Sylvia needs support!]

[Are you going to give up? lololol]

[You won’t take the mission’s money?]

“I’m going… now.”

I forced myself to move and confronted an enemy blocking my path once again.

“Hah.”

I took a deep breath and got into position.

And—

“Squats… again…”

That was what slipped out of my mouth.

At the beginning of the game, I had set myself to someone who worked out a little bit, all in the name of pride. Claire and Alice had nudged me on from the side, and most importantly, I was somewhat confident in my abilities.

Following around infinite stamina Claire and Alice, I was technically a candidate, not a full-fledged soldier. But strictly speaking, I had seen enough combat to match most veterans in this world.

But…

That was right. I had always conserved stamina by manipulating time.

And even the stamina that came from that was put to the test in this game that had quite a tough mode.

It was the mode I was currently playing.

Each segment of the stamina gauge at the bottom was narrower than my pinky’s width.

“……Next time, I will definitely make you all do this too!”

“Got it, got it.”

Every time I did one squat, I shouted out these words, and Alice burst into laughter next to me.

And then the chat lit up with “lol.”

Chapter 388

The next day, my thighs were still sore.

By the time the broadcast ended the day before, I felt like a half-dried squid. Sure, I cleared the mission and made more money than usual, but the thought of doing the same broadcast again the next day was daunting.

So, I tossed the same mission aside.

“Should I have done it instead?”

Charlotte asked with a bit of concern, and I shook my head.

“That money was earned because I did the broadcast. You probably wouldn’t get the same amount just by doing it. People want to see me struggling, you know.”

“…I understand the sentiment.”

…No, you can’t understand how I feel in that situation. I mean, my friend worked hard!

Of course, I understood why she felt that way, so I kept my mouth shut. Honestly, if the others around me were suffering through the same broadcast, I would’ve just been laughing at them from the side.

Maybe Mia wasn’t like that? I felt like Mia would think we crossed a line or something.

“Well, thanks to that, we can go on a trip now. Since you two joined the broadcast, the daily income has increased, so there’s no need to worry too much.”

It’s been a while since the two of them joined. Of course, it hasn’t even been a week yet, but I didn’t want to waste the first holiday since they joined.

As soon as the broadcast ended yesterday, I got ready to leave, and after breakfast today, we planned to head out a bit more leisurely.

At first, I thought about saving money to move to a bigger house, but honestly, unless we moved to a different region, there’s no way we’d be able to save enough money to do that.

Even the costs of entering this place were cheaper compared to the size of the house, so if I were to take out the deposit now, I’d probably end up in an even smaller place within Seoul.

We’ve only just gotten the kids used to living here, so moving again isn’t something I want to do. Besides, it’s giving me a headache.

So, it’s better to spend what I can, except for the emergency savings. After all, I’m not planning to live here for the rest of my life.

“Are we going to Seoul again?”

“There are still places we haven’t gone to from last time. I’m planning to book the rooms in a different area.”

Since we’ve looked around the north side of the Han River, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to check out the south side this time.

I’ve always lived in Seoul, but the rest of them aren’t exactly from here. They can get the feeling of a trip abroad without going too far.

For now, we’ll start with nearby places, take our time to prepare, and then venture further down the line.

“You said that if you leave early in the morning, it’s too crowded, right?”

Charlotte tilted her head and asked.

“How crowded could it be to warrant avoiding rush hour?”

“You won’t understand unless you see it for yourself. I’ll find a video to show you after we eat.”

Charlotte nodded at my words.

After the meal, when I showed her the video, she nodded immediately.

See?

Don’t underestimate a Monday in Seoul again.

I’m not even working, and I don’t want to be caught in that mess.

Especially since my body is still crying out in protest.

And frankly, the check-in time isn’t exactly morning, so if we leave early, we’d be dragging our bags around for hours.

Charlotte wouldn’t understand such troubles being royalty, though.

*

“Ah, could you wait a moment?”

On our way to the subway, as I said that, everyone stopped in place.

“Where are you going?”

“Just a quick stop for lottery tickets.”

“……”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Seeing their pitying gazes, I tilted my head.

“Older sister… if you’re short on money, you can just say so. You don’t have to push yourself. I don’t need allowance, you know.”

“Let, Crown Princess, you’re putting us up, so it’s okay to cut back on meals.”

“What are you thinking I am?”

I’m not some charity case!

Among us, I’m the one with the highest mental age. Legally, everyone here is an adult, but in reality, they are still teens.

Since I’m the oldest living with them, it’s only natural that I feel an obligation to protect them.

Reducing allowances or cutting back on meals? Nonsense!

Moreover—

“Do you all know? Buying a lottery ticket is essentially buying a dream!”

“……”

Their faces were blank at my words.

Well, that makes sense.

There are lottery tickets in Azernar, too. It’s even a game system in the first installment—when you return to the capital during the story, you can buy lottery tickets for a certain amount of money at the lottery shop and win prizes based on probabilities.

Of course, if someone just wins tens of billions, the game balance would go haywire, so the amounts won aren’t that high.

As a Crown Princess, I didn’t need to worry about money, so I never bothered with the lottery shop, but I know that unlike my country, there are limits on how much you can buy at once, and they check IDs in Azernar, they don’t have such regulations.

“When I lived as a commoner, buying lottery tickets was a source of enjoyment. Even if I didn’t win first place, I loved imagining what I would do if I won.”

“……Sis, there’s no need to explain.”

Hearing my explanation only made their faces look even more pitiful.

“In any case, it’s not that I need money; it’s just a chance to try since we’re back.”

“If we’re trying just because we’re back, does that mean we’ll try drinking or smoking too?”

“Absolutely not! You’re not actually adults yet!”

When I firmly replied to Alice, she smirked a bit and said, “Hah.”

“It’s precisely because we have the luxury that we can do this. It’s not betting like gambling, so it won’t cost that much. Just think of it as a pastime.”

“……”

At my words, they looked at each other and nodded.

“Then should we buy some too?”

“……”

Well, technically, they are legally adults…

Of course, just moments ago, I had said they shouldn’t be drinking or smoking, but there’s nothing harmful about buying lottery tickets.

Besides, all the kids here usually don’t worry about money. It’s likely that it would be much harder for them to get addicted than not.

“Alright then. It’s not something we’ll do often anyway; it’s just to try it once.”

Truth be told, if I win the lottery, I’m thinking about moving, but since the chance of winning is slim, who cares?

*

With that, we all bought our lottery tickets, stuffed them into my bag, and headed to the hotel I reserved.

“This place is pretty great. The architecture in this world has really advanced. How should I put it? It feels like it’s been standardized to a higher level.”

Charlotte commented as she looked around the room.

The place we reserved had one living room with two attached rooms. One room had a double bed while the other had three single beds snugly packed inside. It was literally a family room.

In a way, we can all be called family.

“Right? Buildings like this are something you would only see in Lindbergh in the Empire. Yet there are so many here in this city, even without a capital…”

“Indeed, and that’s why we can stay like this. If there were only a handful of such buildings in Seoul, the stay would cost way more than this.”

For reference, this place costs about 300,000 won per night. And that’s with a discount reservation on a specific site; the actual listed price was nearly double that.

Of course, not many would pay that listed price, so our reservation price was practically the standard rates.

“Let’s take a quick break before we head out. We’re planning to return late tonight.”

“Late tonight…?”

Mia, who had already laid down on the bed, looked up with disbelief, as if she couldn’t understand how I could say that after booking such a nice room.

“…You’ve gone out at midnight or even before dawn for requests, so have your thoughts changed now?”

“But right now, we’re living a completely different life.”

That’s true.

In a way, Mia was adapting to this world much faster than Charlotte.

Without pressure from her mother and with no need to put on airs of being nobility, Mia was much closer to the trending term ‘dried squid woman’ that was in vogue for a while in this realm.

Recently, it seems she even watches magical girl anime, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything about it, fearing I might ruin her viewing experience.

…And I felt a bit guilty that Claire was the one who introduced her to that.

“I was planning to eat a ton of meat for dinner, but if it’s fine, you can come back and rest alone.”

“I think it would be fine to come back late for dinner.”

As soon as Mia said that with a serious face, Claire, Alice, and Charlotte chuckled at the same time.

Chapter 389

“That’s a strange thing.”

“Is it strange?”

As we passed through the aquarium tunnel, Charlotte suddenly said that, and I tilted my head.

I wondered if it really was strange, but thinking about it, it could indeed seem odd to fill a massive glass tunnel with simulated seawater and pack it with all kinds of fish.

So, it was pretty, of course. But I guess you could say it’s a bit far from nature.

However, it seemed that Charlotte was not talking about how it looked.

“The money collected by kings wielding absolute power in the past was literally astronomical. But could such kings create a city like this just by pouring out money?”

“Ah, that’s true.”

Alice, walking beside me, nodded as if she understood.

“Famous dictators often build gigantic mansions and create personal zoos even as their countries crumble.”

Come to think of it, it wasn’t just dictators; even royalty in the Middle East were like that. They may not have owned the entire country, but some had personal zoos with lions where they took selfies or owned dozens or hundreds of cars that would be hard to afford even if they saved money their whole lives.

Moreover, they built cities in the middle of vast deserts with enormous capital.

“I heard the population of this city is ten million. Are you saying it’s possible to gather that many people?”

Charlotte said that with a genuinely surprised expression, making me ponder for a moment.

Well, I did recall that Dubai also went through a period of severe financial trouble. Just ‘building’ alone would be quite challenging in many ways.

Without going far, there are cases where mismanaged new city plans resulted in entire areas becoming uninhabitable.

“If you’re talking about specific levels of buildings and not an entire massive city, it seems quite impossible.”

In the end, it’s the people living there who come in and fill the city and get the economy running. If the city itself wasn’t livable from the start, that would be impossible.

And the numerous buildings in the city weren’t simply constructed by individuals; they were built by many people hoping for profit, resulting in high, taller buildings. Whether they rented part of a building for money or bought and sold property rights, it was ultimately a product that couldn’t exist outside ‘commerce.’

“In the end, I think it may be better for many people to compete rather than having a single individual directly governing.”

Charlotte murmured seriously, and I was taken aback.

“Just leaving everything alone could also lead to serious problems.”

Just look at the Empire; as soon as you step into the back alleys, public order is nearly neglected. It’s almost impossible for a woman, or even a man, to walk alone through the back alleys at night.

“The country’s policies can’t simply follow the progress of certain regions blindly. The history and culture of the country also play a significant role. In this country, the reason why bloodline aristocracy has mostly disappeared is that it was once overturned by war.”

When Alice, who had arrived before Charlotte and studied various books, said this, Charlotte nodded seriously.

“But it’s also right to learn from other countries if they have something to teach.”

“… Be careful; if you just follow this country’s policies on the Azernar continent too closely, you’ll be called a communist.”

I said seriously.

Of course, it’s not that South Korea is a communist country. There are hardly any countries where you could call them communists just based on a single health policy.

Honestly, how many people haven’t benefited from medical insurance while living here? How many haven’t used cheap public transportation?

Yet, even those health policy concepts could be viewed as extreme leftist claims in Azernar. They set up things that look like clotheslines and called it ‘a place to sleep.’ And it’s not even free; it’s charging people!

Well, this led to the emergence of extreme opposition stories like communism, which then collided and fought each other, leading to bloodshed before modern systems were established. Who knows what problems could arise if ‘royalty’ tried to get involved? At least, the era when citizens revolutionized to behead nobles has passed; it might be better to step back a bit and watch.

Is that too harsh to say?

“What’s communism?”

“……”

Ah, right.

That concept hasn’t even emerged in Azernar yet.

Wondering how to explain it, I said,

“… Mia, what do you think? Was it worth seeing?”

I turned to Mia, who was staring blankly through the aquarium glass.

“……It’s really beautiful. If I had just stayed at the hotel, I would have definitely regretted it.”

Mia’s eyes sparkled at my words.

Honestly, when I came here as a child, I wondered if it was worth spending that much money just to come to such a place, but now that I’m an adult, it felt different. There were times when I suddenly wanted to go to places like aquariums or zoos that I didn’t visit often as a child… but now that I’m an adult, I find it hard to go.

“I might be saying this too bluntly, but it’s good. This time, I’ll let you off.”

“……I have some related books at home, so I’ll lend them to you.”

“Thank you, Alice.”

Hearing the voices of those two chatting behind me, I sighed in relief.

*

“Sylvia, can I try that?”

Unexpectedly, Charlotte’s eyes sparkled because I mentioned we were going for dinner.

Maybe it was because she rarely had the chance to cook herself, but she was watching me grill pork belly with shining eyes.

“Are you sure?”

Though I may look like this, I’ve grilled meat often during company dinners and sometimes held tongs when I met friends. Since coming to Azernar, I haven’t had to grill meat myself, but I hadn’t forgotten the skill, and since I arrived here, I got the hang of grilling meat a few times in my sharehouse.

But has Charlotte… ever grilled before? The most she probably had were steaks expertly grilled by top chefs or stews simmered meticulously using wine instead of water—all those fancy dishes.

“Alright.”

But I didn’t dwell on it for long.

Since we’ve come this far, it would be nice to experience various things.

Despite many Korean barbecue places in Gangnam having staff who grill the meat for you, I purposefully searched for one where guests grill their own meat. The price wouldn’t differ much, but I wanted to share this… joy.

Having come to Korea, though here you can eat Japanese ramen, sushi, or Chinese mala soup, I still wanted to provide an experience that stayed true to my hometown’s way.

“Thank you. So… I just have to watch until it reaches the right color, right?”

“That’s right. There’s no need to feel too pressured. No one here will complain if you burn the meat.”

At my words, Claire, Alice, and Mia all nodded with smiles on their faces.

“I-I don’t plan on burning it.”

Charlotte muttered, her face turning red.

Well, we’ll have to see about that.

My slight smile triggered a bit of competitive spirit in Charlotte, making her puff her cheeks.

*

“… It’s wonderful.”

“Yeah. It’s really delicious.”

When I said that, Alice responded with a cheerful expression as she moved her chopsticks.

To be honest, I felt that what Charlotte grilled tasted better than what I did.

Both Alice and Charlotte excel in observation and physical abilities. If they start learning something, it’s natural that they grasp it much faster and better than I ever could.

Especially when Alice, who understood things in one go that I spent many times trying to understand when we were younger. Of course, I don’t know how much effort she put in afterward.

“I-I think what my sister grilled is tastier.”

Noticing my expression, Claire said that, making me smile bitterly.

“Thanks for the compliment.”

“I-I think they both taste good,” Mia also tried to comfort me, which was heartwarming.

“No matter who grilled it, it’s delicious enough to eat.”

“That’s right. Doesn’t it only matter if the meat tastes good?”

Agreeing with Alice, I picked up the grilled meat.

“… Oh, wait. Thinking about it again, I feel like I might be at a disadvantage here.”

Seeing me casually munching on the meat, Charlotte spoke.

Only now did she realize that.

“Meat should be grilled by the person who grills it best.”

“Is that so?”

Charlotte squinted her eyes at me, but I continued munching on five more pieces before I took back the tongs again.

Chapter 390

When you think about it, the kids’ personalities still shine through even after coming to this world.

For example, Claire always enjoyed the situation here. It wasn’t just a sense of duty that made her go on requests with Leo from dawn while in Azernar; she seemed to genuinely enjoy it to some extent. Here, she quickly understood and embraced the local culture.

She was also the first to grab cosmetics, watch idol music videos, analyze patterns while viewing internet broadcasts, and inform us about short-form videos.

Honestly, she seemed to know a lot more about the latest trends here than I did, who had my tastes somewhat set in stone in my 30s.

As a result of her diligence in embracing those tastes, it seemed like she could thrive anywhere in Korea.

Alice was just as diligent. She adapted to the culture by watching videos on the internet at a fairly swift pace. But her focus was more on “study.”

When I saw her pour herself into studying in her childhood, I thought it was just her forcing herself to do something she didn’t want to. Apparently, that wasn’t entirely the case.

For a while after coming over, Alice lived quite comfortably, but over time, her interests shifted back toward learning. The intensity of the studying was very relaxed compared to when she was in Azernar, yet I think the simple act of studying showed her ambition.

Considering that she primarily watched science and health videos, it made sense.

In comparison, Charlotte and Mia haven’t fully revealed their characters like those two, but bits of it were showing.

Charlotte was studying various aspects of the culture in this world. She showed quite a bit of interest in the fallen monarchy of her country that underwent modernization, thinking that this could apply to her own nation too.

If she can learn lessons from that, then all the better. And having the perspective of a country that has already gone through similar experiences is surprisingly valuable. Even if the future events won’t be identical, it could significantly aid in recognizing the signs of somewhat similar incidents.

As for Mia… it seemed like she had a strong desire to rediscover her lost childhood.

“Are you all not eating…?”

After dinner, we brought back some snacks to the hotel. Mia and Charlotte hadn’t tasted the franchise ice cream yet, so we got the largest size of ice cream and stopped by a convenience store to grab heaps of snacks and beverages.

Honestly, there wasn’t anything particularly significant about that process. I just thought my mouth would get bored if I returned without snacking. It wasn’t so much about being with these kids as it was about simply doing what you do when you go on a trip.

I enjoyed watching Charlotte and Mia’s reactions while eating the ice cream. Although this ice cream brand wasn’t from Korea, thinking of it as something only available in this world gave it a different feel.

There were various flavors, most of which weren’t common in Azernar yet. Some were flavors that hadn’t even been released.

Charlotte, still a girl, lit up every time she took a bite of the ice cream.

But Mia’s reaction seemed similar yet different.

Her eyes sparkled while she kept moving her spoon, which was cute yet somehow pitiful.

I’d seen this kind of behavior before, so I didn’t initially pay much attention. I just brushed it off.

But every time she opened a new snack, grinning with sparkling eyes, I thought her reaction was genuinely childlike.

And only then did I recall Mia’s unfortunate childhood.

Mia, raised solely for revenge during her childhood. Naturally, that meant she couldn’t experience her childhood like most kids.

As for me, I wasn’t really a child at that time, and Alice had me, allowing her to retain some innocence. Claire was adopted into a very good family and grew up with a bright personality.

In contrast, Mia… well, her family situation wasn’t great.

“No, I’m eating.”

I said as I picked up a snack to eat.

I’d already thought about this before, but observing closely again to see her reaction in this world revealed that part of Mia was showing.

Perhaps this innocent appearance stems from how much she suppressed that youthful essence of hers.

…Speaking of which, Mia mentioned she was watching magical girl shows.

Maybe I should avoid that topic altogether.

“So where are we going tomorrow?”

As I resumed eating the snacks, the atmosphere around the kids, who were just following my gaze toward Mia, seemed to lighten.

In response to Claire’s question, I answered.

“We’re going to an amusement park.”

“Amusement park!?”

“Yes, I’ve already booked the tickets. They had a discount event recently.”

“Wow!”

“Is it that great?”

Alice asked with a smile at Claire’s reaction.

“Because I’ve always wanted to go while watching videos.”

If the food in this world is a ‘very rare type or difficult to make’ kind found in Azernar, then the amusement park was something exceedingly hard to replicate due to technological differences.

Well, considering it’s a world where people are dressed in powered armor by steam technology, they could manage to make something similar, but there are still many safety questions. Plus, with a ‘steam’ engine, the surrounding area would be filled with white steam.

“An amusement park?”

Mia looked cutely puzzled, and I unconsciously almost reached out to pat her head, but I held back.

It just seemed… too creepy.

Honestly, in Chronicles of Aetherna, the heroines weren’t the touchy-feely type.

“There are various rides, and it’s a place where you can enjoy yourself on those.”

In foreign countries, they call them theme parks, which typically have a clearer theme compared to our amusement parks, but in the end, the well-known attractions are still ‘rides.’ They even make movies based on those rides.

“There are parades too; in any case, it’ll be a lot of fun when we go. Since we’re here in this world, I think it’s best to enjoy everything we can here.”

Maybe if there’s time in the future and more leisure, we could broaden our horizons.

“It’ll probably be here.”

In the meantime, Claire showed Mia a video on her smartphone, and Mia’s eyes sparkled.

“Um, Sylvia?”

“Yes?”

Charlotte cautiously called out to me from the side.

“Since you haven’t asked us to pay separately, does that mean you booked all those tickets?”

“That’s right.”

“But then…”

Why?

Am I at too much of a loss?

“I’m just doing this because I enjoy it.”

Exactly. I do this because I want to.

What I first felt when I came to this world wasn’t a relief of returning but a sense of loss for what I had lost. Maybe the Goddess knew that, which is why she sent me back here.

Of course, I could try to find family or friends in this world and somehow persuade them to rebuild those relationships. Whether that’s possible or not is something to be seen, but I could at least try to make the effort.

But before making those attempts, Claire and Alice chose to come here to find me.

And spending time with these two in this world was so much fun.

So, I just wanted to do various things for them. I’ve received so much.

“…Is that so?”

Seeing my expression, Charlotte must have felt something, as she didn’t press any further.

But it seemed like she found our conversation heartwarming, judging from her smile while observing us from a distance.

“And just in case, I think I’ll be getting smartphones for you two soon. Both of you must have some information you want. I think it’d be good to be able to search for it yourself. It might be more accurate reading there than me just telling you.”

At my words, the joy on their faces was impossible to hide.

There’s certainly a sense of fulfillment in doing something for them.

“I think Alice and Claire have adjusted to this world just fine. As for you two… I’m still a bit concerned about you going out separately, so it might be better to go out with one of us who’s here.”

“Really!? …Oh, but I don’t think there’s any need for us to be separated.”

Claire, whose face brightened at first, quickly reverted back to her original state and said that.

Yeah, I expected she’d say that.

“Are you avoiding going out with us for any specific reason?”

“….”

I averted my gaze at Alice’s words.

“Okay, so you have to stick with your sister from now on.”

Ah, this isn’t working.

Chapter 391

“I’m amazed that there are so many people here every time we walk around.”

“Well, isn’t that because you’re royalty? I feel the same way every time I go to the Imperial Capital.”

Alice responded to Charlotte while they took a moment to sit on a bench.

“It’s not strange to feel that way. The population in this region is quite large compared to its size. Plus, with nearly ten million people crammed into this city alone, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.”

Also, people living in Seoul might not realize it, but it’s a tourist city. Many foreigners visiting Korea stop by Seoul, and quite a few people come from other cities too. Nowadays, there’s a lot of talk on the internet about things to see in different cities, but still, overseas tourists gather in Seoul a lot… or so I think I saw in the news once.

Well, anyway, it seemed like the people around me were pretty shocked by the idea of a “two-hour wait for a ride.”

“Thinking about it, even if this Empire has places like this, only the bourgeois or nobles could visit. It might be impossible for so many people to gather here.”

“And that’s why the entrance fee is so much higher. With this many visitors, the current costs can cover maintenance, but if the visitor numbers drop, they’d have to charge outrageous amounts just to maintain the facilities. Of course, the nobles can afford it…”

The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.

If Azernar has a big problem right now, it’s probably that. The divide between the classes is so extreme that honestly, who knows when it will explode?

“But I think you two will manage just fine.”

I said.

“There have been two world wars in this world. But the next generation of Azernar will be led by you. I believe you’ll find much better ways to go about things.”

In fact, royalty could just keep a low profile and slip away when needed. Most European royalty survived by switching to constitutional monarchies. Nobles did the same.

… Well, it’s not like it’s an easy thing to do.

“What are you talking about? In the end, you’ll be there to experience it with us.”

“Are you thinking of not going back to Azernar? Even if you spend time here and return, very little time must have passed in Azernar?”

“…”

I had no reply to that.

Speaking of which, I was a crown princess too.

When staying here, I keep forgetting that fact.

“Come on, why so serious?”

Claire waved her hand dismissively.

Just for fun, the other hand was gripping cotton candy.

Mia had a waffle and churro in both hands and looked so happy.

Funny how, even in the same place, the atmosphere feels so different.

“That’s true.”

Charlotte stretched in her seat, agreeing.

“After all, even if we go back, very little time will have passed, so we might as well relax while we’re here. Though, that’s not something you can just decide so easily…”

As she said that, Charlotte’s gaze drifted towards Mia.

She seemed fascinated by how quickly Mia adapted compared to when she arrived.

“… It’s a little strange.”

She mumbled softly, but all three of them turned to look at me at the same time.

“Even though I spent so much time in Azernar, being here feels like it’s been ages, as if I’ve been living like this from the start.”

“…”

They all stared at me in silence for a while.

“Because it’s my hometown. Even if I thought nothing of being in Azernar, you can’t just abandon the place where you were born.”

Charlotte said.

“Sister, if you want to stay here…”

“I have no plans to do that.”

I cut her off sharply.

“Everything I did in Azernar was to be with all of you. I struggled to make it work, so there’s no way I’d just give that up.”

That’s right. What was I enduring for?

If I were only thinking of myself, I would have settled down in some obscure corner of the story long ago. With my abilities, I could have managed to live without a care.

I really don’t know how the goddess would react to that, though.

And I’m sure she would have been thrilled when I returned to this world.

I’ve always found it amusing when people from different worlds want to go back to their original world. Was it because the cartoons and animations I watched in my childhood were all from Japan?

Having gained abilities I never had in my original world and achieving so much, going back to the original world seems like a joke. Even if I immigrated against my will, I wouldn’t want to give up what I built in that world.

Besides, I was a crown princess. Sure, I had lots of obligations, but a bottomless wallet was definitely worth holding onto.

“… Did I say something wrong?”

When everyone averted their gaze from me, I asked, and Claire cleared her throat.

“No, sister, you haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Right. Since you want to go back with us, we’ll definitely make sure to take you back.”

Alice added after Claire.

“We’ll repay the favor of our time here once we go back. So, expect it.”

“I-I’ll make sure to keep in touch often!”

Um… well, it’s nice that they’re saying that, but I don’t really understand why they’re reacting like this all of a sudden.

*

To be honest, I was a little anxious.

As everyday life goes on like this, my sense of purpose might fade, and I might end up choosing to settle down here.

What if, while all the other kids want to go back, I’m the only one pulling strings to stay behind?

Of course, I think that won’t happen, but what if…?

A few days passed since the last holiday to Saturday.

The light from the surveillance was still faint. Of course, it was a bit better than right after Mia and Charlotte came, but it still hadn’t brightened enough to repeat that last incident.

The streaming went smoothly. Honestly, it seemed like I was playing other games more often than the Chronicles of Aetherna lately.

To my surprise, Charlotte was quite fearful. Mia was the same, and the two of them playing horror games left quite an impression on many viewers.

There were times when we streamed just five people chatting instead of playing any games, and we even filmed online FPS games suggested by viewers. Surprisingly, my real shooting skills from training seemed to translate into decent game skills, but teaming up with strangers just didn’t suit my character.

Anyway, we spent a peaceful time like that—

Finally, the much-anticipated Saturday.

Today, we decided to start the stream a bit later.

Since we bought lottery tickets anyway, we thought we’d watch the lottery stream first. If we won first place and started celebrating on stream, it would cause all sorts of trouble.

Of course, the chances of that happening are extremely low, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful.

Plus, in the first place, that’s the whole point of playing the lottery—to buy a little dream. There’s no harm in having a tiny bit of expectation. And getting disappointed isn’t anything to be heartbroken over.

All our selected numbers were different.

“Sister, what would you do if you won first place?”

“Do you even know the chances of winning?”

Charlotte commented on Claire’s words.

“That’s something you wouldn’t know until you check, right? Plus, didn’t you say it? The lottery is about buying dreams, not just winning.”

“If you need to spend 5,000 won to buy a dream, isn’t that a pretty poor hope…?”

“Well, more like buying a fluttering feeling.”

Alice answered with a smile at Charlotte’s words.

“I still hope to win first place.”

Mia said, her eyes sparkling.

Mia seemed much brighter than before she came to this world, much brighter than in the beginning.

Seeing her enjoying delicious treats without a worry in the world makes sense.

Among the five of us, Mia seemed to have the most “dreamy” expression.

Not a bad thing.

I said that and checked the time.

There’s no need to wait while watching the stream. The results would be posted on the website soon enough.

Let’s just pass the time watching other videos with the kids until then.

*

“… Oh.”

And after the announcement time passed.

There was a brief silence in the room where we were all together.

Uh, so…

“Did we win? First place?”

Yes.

Just as Claire muttered blankly next to me.

And we both had the same winning number.

… I mean, how could something so unlikely happen?

Chapter 392

But isn’t it the case that these things happen without any coherence anyway, so who cares?

At first, my brain was a bit dazed, but in an instant, it returned to normal.

“First place? Are you serious?”

Alice asked again.

“No matter how many times I check, it’s still first place.”

And there are two first places, no less.

This first prize is around 2 billion.

Even if half of it goes to taxes, that’s still about 2 billion since there are two winners.

Isn’t that enough to buy an apartment in Seoul? As long as we don’t go looking for somewhere too expensive, I think we can afford it.

Especially if it’s somewhere close around here, it’s a significant amount left over after the purchase.

“Uh, uh, what do I do? What should I do?”

“There’s not much to do. First, we need to focus on claiming the prize.”

Charlotte answered seriously to a slightly flustered Claire.

“What can we do with this amount?”

Mia tilted her head and asked. It seems she can’t quite imagine it since she’s never bought anything with her own money yet.

No, rather, she simply doesn’t know how big this amount really is. Even though both places have a currency economy, the prices in Azernar and this world are drastically different. As far as the same consumer goods go, items here tend to be cheaper and in better condition, whereas land prices might still be cheaper in Azernar.

Well, that’s not what’s important right now.

“We can move to a decent apartment.”

“……”

My answer left everyone momentarily silent.

It didn’t seem like they were shocked into silence. Rather, they seemed to be struggling to grasp exactly what I meant by that.

Still, Alice and Claire, who had spent over a month here, seemed to understand a bit, while Charlotte and Mia looked… well, confused, as if asking, ‘Should we?’

“It’s going to be hard for everyone to have their own rooms, but if we share a few rooms, it can create some personal space. The living room might even be bigger than this room. Then we can sleep a lot more comfortably.”

“I like living with my sister right now.”

“Well, just because we move doesn’t mean we have to live separately.”

“What do you think?”

Alice asked.

“Do you want to move? To a slightly bigger place?”

“More than just going to a bigger place…”

I thought for a moment.

“An apartment is the best living arrangement in this country.”

Sure, there are issues like noise between floors, but that’s the same wherever you live. All we can do is hope our neighbors are decent people.

Even if it’s not a villa, I’d appreciate having an elevator in my home. It tires me out when I sometimes come back after shopping.

“……”

The kids remained quiet, so I decided to speak again.

“What’s wrong?”

At my question, they all exchanged glances before looking back at me.

The first to nervously speak up was Claire.

“Well, I was just wondering if we are relying too much on you, sister.”

“……I already answered that last time.”

When I raised an eyebrow, they looked somewhat embarrassed.

“What I want to say is, it’s not about escaping from discomfort, but rather about moving to a more comfortable place. Since we’re at it, it would be nice to live in a larger space anyway.”

I waved the lottery ticket while speaking.

“And it’s also because nothing else comes to mind that I can do with this money.”

Exactly. What else can you do with 2 billion?

Sure, I could buy various new items, change the furniture, and stuff like that. But 2 billion isn’t exactly pocket money, and ‘spending all at once’ is about all you can do with that.

“Other than that, maybe I could buy a car.”

Of course, the only new thing I have is a resident registration card, all my other licenses and certifications have disappeared.

So I’ll need to get a new driver’s license too, but that’s not a big deal. With enough money and time, it’s not hard.

“Since it’s not money I can take back, I’ll just think about using it freely. Anyway, even after that, I’d still have some left over, so I won’t have to worry about living expenses.”

Only after I explained that did the kids’ expressions brighten a bit.

I guess worrying isn’t necessary.

Once they came around, they seemed to definitely be more shy.

Maybe it’s because they suddenly went from having a lot to having less?

*

The next Monday.

Who knew I’d see a number in the tens of billions on my bank account?

Even that time I first exceeded 10 million seemed oddly unreal, but now thinking about having twenty times that amount was even harder to grasp.

They say there are plenty of people asking for money outside the lottery payout place, but I guess because we look so obviously foreign, no one approached us.

There’s no reason they’d think winning first place wouldn’t apply to foreigners, legally speaking, but… they didn’t seem to realize a bunch of young girls were gathering because of the lottery win.

Well, that’s fine by me.

Whether it was a coincidence or they genuinely misunderstood doesn’t matter. I was able to receive my money without any interference, and that’s nice, right?

I put in a lot of effort not to show any expression during the broadcast yesterday.

Still, viewers didn’t ask, “Did you win the lottery?” They probably just couldn’t even think of that.

I wouldn’t either.

“Shall we eat something a bit more expensive today?”

I didn’t have to hold back with all this money in my account, plus the earnings we had saved up. Nothing to fear!

“Oh, really? What?”

Seeing me in a good mood, Alice seemed to brighten up too and asked with a smile.

“Well… something expensive…”

When you think of “expensive food,” it always seems to point to seafood.

I mean, sure, there are fancy sushi places or steak houses, hotel dining, but within the bounds of just saying, “Let’s go today!” that’s pretty much the range.

“How about crab?”

At my question, the kids tilted their heads.

*

Fortunately, everyone seemed to like it, and there weren’t any picky eaters.

After all, crabs can’t be bad. I loved crab meat when I was little. Though, it probably wasn’t real crab, to be honest.

Eating food I couldn’t afford when I worked felt really nostalgic.

“First, I’m thinking of looking for a house to move into.”

I said to the kids who were enthusiastically eating. I picked up a piece of sashimi with my chopsticks.

It seemed some of them hesitated to eat raw food, as only I touched the sashimi. The kids who seemed curious stopped reaching for it afterward.

It’s just so good, though.

If we hadn’t gone to a sushi restaurant, I might’ve regretted it.

“But before that, I think it’s best to decide how we want to live in the new place.”

After my words, two of the kids who were devouring their food paused.

It was Claire and Alice.

Mia and Charlotte slowed their eating a little too, glancing with interest between Claire, Alice, and me.

Why?

“I’m sharing a room with my sister.”

Before Alice could even open her mouth, Claire said that first.

“…Shouldn’t we think about how many rooms there’ll be first?”

Alice chided Claire.

“It doesn’t matter how many rooms there are. It’s going to be hard for everyone to have their own. So I’m saying I want to share with my sister.”

“There could be three rooms, you know?”

“Then you can use the extra room by yourself. You’re the Crown Princess destined to carry on the Empire, after all.”

“……The same goes for Sylvia.”

“Besides, it’s Sylvia who’s buying the house. If anyone gets a room to themselves, it should be Sylvia.”

“But I’m Sylvia’s little sister.”

“I’m Sylvia’s big sister.”

“Has Sylvia ever acknowledged you as an older sister?”

“……”

I decided to just eat my food in peace at that point.

While I was looking for a place with at least three rooms, it seemed like, at this rate, we would indeed need one room for three people.

We’d have to use the remaining space as a broadcasting room or something.

I’ve never been popular, but in this world, it seems I’ve somehow gained a lot of attention. I guess I could call that a blessing.

Ironically, that attention seems to stem from my sisters, who share the same blood.

…Is it common for sisters to get along this well? Claire and Alice’s relationship seems much more similar to real sisters than mine.

Ah, right. These kids are actual sisters.

Finding the answer in my mind, I nodded to myself.

“……Say something, sister.”

“Yeah, Sylvia. Since you’re the decision-maker, you should decide.”

Hmm.

“Now that I think about it, we have plenty of time. Let’s think about it a bit more before deciding.”

Though I had already made up my mind in my heart, it was quite amusing to watch these two argue, so I decided to stay quiet for today.

“……”

Meanwhile, quietly watching us were Charlotte, who lightly turned to Mia and said,

“Mia, let’s share a room.”

At Charlotte’s words, Mia nodded with her mouth full of crab leg.

Chapter 393

I’ve never directly talked to a Goddess, but I think I have an idea of what her attitude is like.

It seems like the Goddess is trying to exclude me from that world.

Well, that’s how a Goddess can roam freely in that world again.

I mean, as a human, I can’t escape human lifespan, and the Goddess might try to move that world again after I die—but—

Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up researching ways to stop the Goddess while I’m alive. So that a few hundred or even thousand years later, someone like me can pop up and stop her again.

Just like the Fanggriffon Emperor did in the past.

So, it’s probably better for me to stick around in this world. I suspect she’s trying to make me settle down here for good.

To ensure I don’t hold onto any regrets about that world, she sends all my loved ones here whenever she gets the chance, takes care of what I need to worry about, and even gives me a lottery win.

Of course, it’s all possibly just a coincidence.

Claire may have just used her power to come over to find Alice and me, and maybe when she prepared to go back last time, she made a little mistake.

The lottery win might genuinely be just a stroke of luck, not the Goddess’s plotting.

…….

That can’t be, right?

There’s no way so many coincidences would happen in such rapid succession. I mean, I’m not someone who buys lottery tickets every week, and the first ticket I buy after coming back here wins the grand prize? Plus, the two numbers I picked manually are the winning ones?

Give me a break. Let’s be honest, it’s basically saying, “Please just stay there.”

Unless she’s planning to bring that entire world here, I think I’d actually want to go back. It was a mistake to send them here in the first place.

If I were engaged, I might just try to go back and give up if I failed, but since there are kids who have a place to return to, I can’t give up because of them.

Even if I seem fine on the outside, how much worry am I actually carrying inside?

“Delicious…”

…..

Well, I mean, even if Mia looks so happy on the outside, she’s definitely worrying inside—

“I just want to live here forever…”

…..

[Oh my gosh]

[Are you planning to kick Mia out?]

“There’s no such plan.”

With more people around, we’re relocating, so why would I kick them out?

Now, I don’t have to worry about money anymore.

Looking at the apartment prices, it seems I could get something decent for about a billion won if it’s not too expensive.

Out of the remaining billion, if we split another five hundred million won among everyone to one hundred million each, we’d still have five hundred million left.

But since I won’t need to worry about housing anymore, that money will mostly go towards living expenses. No worries when each of us has a hundred million won to spend, no matter where we go!

So there’s really no need to kick anyone out, right?

Of course, I don’t actually plan to split the money ‘for real.’ There’s something called gift tax. If I transfer a hundred million won to someone else’s account all at once, the tax office would be on me like whoosh.

It’s probably much safer to distribute it gradually as pocket money. That way, since they all have a place to return to, they won’t be too greedy. Money from this world won’t be of any use if they take it back.

They don’t even need to be concerned about money in the first place.

[Mia-chan… what kind of life did you lead?ㅠㅠ]

[Were you starved?]

No, technically, in terms of age, we’re the same.

There’s no way I would starve her. Honestly, out of the five of us, Mia has the biggest appetite.

It was a good idea to persuade Mia to try a food challenge, but now it seems I’m being misunderstood for it. With Mia being small and skinny, her stuffing her face with food just looks pitiful in many ways.

I’ve never really starved Mia.

No, not just Mia, I’ve never let any of the kids around me go hungry. As long as I could feed them, I made sure they ate well.

What was in front of Mia was just chicken. I bought a good amount of boneless chicken to enjoy eating together.

Before going to Azernar, I had no idea how much other girls in their teens to twenties actually ate.

But now that I think back to how much my little cousin girls used to eat when they were very young, I feel a bit bad saying this, but Claire, Mia, Alice, and Charlotte eat way more than them.

Of course, I’m not eating as much as when I was a guy. Still, I get it. They burn a ton of energy.

“Mia, just take your time. No one’s gonna snatch it away from you. You’ll choke like that.”

“Uh?”

Mia usually speaks formally, but with her mouth stuffed, it sounds kind of informal.

The chat blew up with cuteness.

I thought about whether I’d have looked cute eating like that at her age, but quickly concluded that I would certainly not have been.

If I had looked that good, I probably would’ve already had a girlfriend.

I silently picked up a napkin I had prepared earlier and wiped the side of Mia’s mouth gently.

[Mommy、Mommy!]

And then you came in, and I just quietly put it away.

“But honestly, people are really watching this just for eating.”

“It’s not just eating; it’s because we have one person who eats well,” I told Alice as she was astonished.

And probably, it’s also because all five of us eating are cute girls. Typical cute European girls who can speak Korean really well.

There are broadcasts with millions of views just showing foreigners eating Korean food when they visit Korea, and I think this is a similar case.

Honestly, I might want to see it too. Well, if we’re not really talking during eating, I’d probably get bored after a few showings.

*

“……”

I ate every single piece of chicken without leaving any scraps behind. I wasn’t particularly lacking.

Actually, it might be that we got a bit more than one piece per person. Seeing everyone lying on the floor, it seems our stomachs are a bit bloated.

Still, I’m glad this isn’t my body from my thirties, but rather a teenager’s body. The bloated feeling from being too full will disappear quickly.

“Thinking about moving to another place from here feels a bit unreal.”

“You used to live in a much larger place before coming here, didn’t you?”

Suddenly, Alice teased Claire as she opened her mouth.

“It’s different here and there. It feels like I traveled with you, my sister, Mia, and Charlotte, away from where I originally lived.”

“To be honest, it’s not wrong to say that. You, and we will eventually return. If we think of it as traveling, then it’s certainly traveling.”

“We haven’t been here long, either.”

Charlotte replied with a voice filled with laughter at my words.

“But thinking of it as a trip makes it more enjoyable,” said Mia.

“Um… to be honest, I do like that we can go to a wider place. It’s a bit uncomfortable with five people living together,” Alice said.

“But, um, how do I put it. I feel like I will miss this time when we laid together like this. This is the first time I’ve ever experienced something like this.”

“……”

Everyone didn’t say it out loud, but it seemed they agreed with Alice’s words.

“Well, then, it’s no big deal.”

But at that moment, just when they started to feel nostalgic, I cut in.

“It’s not like there won’t be a living room there. After all, entering barefoot and living in both would still be the same, and even if the five of us split into two rooms, the living room would be where we’d gather most. If we miss lying around like this, we can just lay out a blanket in the living room and do it together.”

“……”

“Um, sis, I don’t think you should be saying such things right now,” Claire said with a voice filled with laughter.

“If you originally lived here and then went to Azernar, then does that mean that apartment is one of the places you really want to live in?”

Charlotte asked.

“It’s not so much that I want to live there… I mean it can be said that it’s the most optimized place to live in this city. Other places are so expensive that I can’t even dream of it.”

Of course, apartments are generally way too expensive to even dream about.

“Should I understand it like that was a dream I couldn’t achieve in this world?”

“……”

Is that so?

While getting a house was a dream for me, I guess I just wanted a place where I could settle down steadily.

“So what you’re saying is that you thought of us again this time. You’re saying you’d feel uneasy if it wasn’t a place where you can settle down.”

“……”

I didn’t know how to explain myself, so I just kept silent.

No one pressed for an answer. We just lay quietly staring at the ceiling.

But even without saying a word, the fact that someone was beside me felt so comforting.

……I began to somewhat understand what Claire had said.

Chapter 394

It was a bit fun seeing people surprised when we went house hunting.

I was slowly making a name for myself online, but the fandom wasn’t that big yet. I hadn’t run into anyone who recognized us on the street, not even once. Or maybe they did recognize us but just chose not to approach.

So, to strangers, we likely looked like foreigners.

When five white girls stormed into a real estate office, they were shocked, and when we opened our mouths to speak, they were shocked again.

Usually, they reacted like the grandmother who talked to me, Claire, and Alice when we first went to Yeouido Park: “You speak Korean well!”

And when we showed our resident registration cards, they momentarily lost their words.

As it’s quite racist to ask an Asian American if they speak English, the same question to a “Korean” would seem fairly racist too.

Besides, if we had our resident registration cards at this age, they’d probably think we were mixed-race.

Watching the other person sweat bullets was pretty amusing.

…Considering I enjoy situations like this, I guess I still have that twinkle from my days of causing chaos on sites back in my world.

“How about it? I think the price is quite reasonable.”

And this was the second time meeting this person.

Maybe they had relieved their nervous sweat last time because this time they looked pretty bright. We had called ahead before coming, essentially signaling that we meant business about buying a house.

We had checked quite a few places, but this one had the best conditions. It was relatively spacious compared to others, and the subway and bus stops were nearby. Plus, there was a market close by, making it convenient.

“Hmm…”

When I turned around, all the kids who would be living with me nodded their heads.

Well, I had already wrapped up our discussions before I came here, so it made sense.

After comparing the pictures we took last time, I cautiously selected this one. I mean, it’s not like we’d be living here for years, but it’d be nice to have a stress-free time, even if it’s just for a short while.

“Then, let’s sign the contract.”

And just like that, I succeeded in getting my own place.

*

The move didn’t take too much time.

No matter how much of an otaku you are, balancing work and personal collections can be tough.

Living alone meant that I had expenses piling up for various reasons, and I could only buy games or comics by saving on my living expenses.

Aside from various living appliances and clothes, most of my stuff was either books or games.

Well, even if I crammed things into my small studio, how much could there really be? With the movers and the five of us working together, we managed to finish the move by 2 PM after buying new furniture for Mia and Charlotte’s room and placing a couch and new TV in the living room.

“I think… this can go here.”

As I placed the last difficult-to-find item on display, I muttered to myself.

That was none other than my figures.

I was someone who liked these, but I didn’t exactly buy them often. I could cover the costs of books and games somehow within my living expenses, but figures—often more expensive than several full-priced games—were not items I could easily get.

In the end, a figure modeled after Alice and me ended up on the shelf in front of the living room TV.

“To be honest, looking at it is a bit… strange, isn’t it?”

“Huh? A bit strange? What do you mean?”

When Alice, who had been looking proudly at the figures, asked back, Charlotte fell into deep thought with a somewhat baffled expression.

“What I mean is… it’s not really a complete reflection of us, right? Strictly speaking, it’s a three-dimensional re-creation of our two-dimensional images… isn’t there a lot of suggestive stuff in that?”

Charlotte surprisingly hit the nail on the head.

…Although I couldn’t exactly explain to Alice, the original of the figure I purchased, that it’s quite common for figures to be designed to be “appealing.” Of course, there are neutral costume figures too. But just because they’re neutral doesn’t mean they aren’t designed to emphasize certain assets or that they are tamer than daily wear.

Even school uniforms are often depicted shorter than the typical ones worn daily, and characters with a more pronounced body type are usually designed as “well-endowed.”

And most importantly, you can’t declare a figure that fully implements what’s under the skirt as “totally wholesome.” Since I had taken apart the figure to prevent damage, I had wrapped it in bubble wrap and placed it in the leftover shoe box. So it made sense that Charlotte looked at the figures oddly.

Alice seems to think of them like the marble sculptures in the royal corridor, though.

“Hmm? Sylvia’s and my figures are kinda similar, right? Suggestive as it may be, our school uniforms weren’t that different!”

“…”

Charlotte was now at a loss for words.

She looked completely stumped on how to explain that.

…For a moment, I thought about telling Charlotte that there’s a lot of fan art that twists characters from games or comics in quite the peculiar ways but decided against it.

Even if these kids were technically adults according to their resident ID, they’re still minors in every sense of the word.

“…”

Mia was sprawled out on the couch, not moving at all. She must have been worn out from working hard earlier in the day.

Thank goodness my stamina was better than Mia’s. Next time, I’ll make sure Mia does some stamina training while streaming. That might help raise my own stamina’s evaluation a bit!

By the way, Claire had also been glaring at the figures nearby.

“…What’s going on here?”

Finally, Claire opened her mouth.

“Isn’t it just Alice and you who have figures?”

…

Well.

Truth be told, I wanted to buy a Claire figure too.

“But is that really okay?”

“Huh?”

Claire raised her head at my question.

“Is it okay? What do you mean?”

“The figure made based on your appearance would be from older versions, not the latest one.”

“…”

Well, it is possible for there to be a figure of Claire in a more modest outfit. But after searching, it seems there are no plans for it yet.

The Sylvia Fanggriffon figure had been planned for release even before the game’s launch.

Considering that it wasn’t very popular or widely seen, there’s very little variety among the released figures. The game series barely started producing figures for older versions.

Given the time generally taken in the figure market, which can be years from announcement to release, even a tame Claire figure won’t be coming out anytime soon.

“Thinking about it, maybe I could skip buying one.”

“What on earth kind of outfit would warrant such a reaction?”

“It was… a revealing outfit that showed the upper chest.”

“Alice!”

As Alice giggled, Claire shouted back, flustered.

“Well… since we finished things up sooner than expected, shall we start having a meal?”

The moment I said that, Mia’s eyes lit up.

Was she not just sleeping?

But then again, we hadn’t eaten while working, so I understood why she was so hungry. We were the ones who told her, “Just a little more, and we’re done.”

That “little more” had turned into two hours, so it was justifiable for her to be on the verge of collapsing from waiting.

“Since it’s troublesome to take out the plates, let’s just get delivery. I know a great food place that’s perfect for this kind of occasion.”

Indeed, after moving in, it had to be Jajangmyeon.

…Oh, um, is that still a thing these days? Not sure.

*

Watching my friends eat is always enjoyable.

Alice seemed keen to respect the culture, often asking me detailed questions about how to eat. She seemed to have gotten the hang of properly using chopsticks now.

Claire was a bit clumsy compared to Alice but was adapting her own way with the chopsticks. Likewise, her method may look a little odd, but she wasn’t missing any of the food.

Relatively late arrivals, Charlotte and Mia still used forks.

Well, they were both trying hard, but their previous etiquette appeared too ingrained in them; they seemed much more comfortable with forks.

However, seeing them twist their Jajangmyeon from a disposable container like spaghetti was something else entirely.

They were all enjoying their food quite well.

“…”

“What’s wrong, Mia?”

“Is it… good?”

When I asked Mia, who was staring intently at my bowl, she cautiously asked back.

She really was a curious little one when it came to food.

“…It looks spicy just by looking.”

Charlotte remarked seriously.

As a reference, I had chosen the menu after showing pictures on my smartphone and describing the tastes, so everyone knew my Jjamppong was spicy.

“If you’re really curious, I can give you a little.”

At my words, Mia’s eyes sparkled, and I chuckled while getting up.

I brought a small bowl from the kitchen and scooped a little of the noodles and seafood, along with some broth.

“Thank you!”

Even though she couldn’t handle spice well, it seemed she was still curious about the taste.

Alice, Claire, and Charlotte’s eyes all followed the bowl in Mia’s hands.

Mia quickly sucked the fork she was using to eat Jajangmyeon clean and carefully fished out some Jjamppong noodles.

And after putting it in her mouth—

“Ugh!”

Her face instantly turned red.

I did say it was spicy, didn’t I?

Even though it wasn’t super spicy Jjamppong, she still reacted like that.

But watching her finish it without leaving anything made me feel a bit proud.

“Cough.”

“Here.”

Charlotte, having predicted that, passed her a cup of water.

“…”

I don’t know how to describe it, but it felt very familial.

If I kept watching this scene, I might just burst out laughing, so I quickly bowed my head and focused on my food.

Chapter 395

Today’s broadcast wrapped up quickly. Even though moving ended early at around 2 PM, work is work, and Mia still hadn’t fully recovered her stamina. In fact, while I felt fine right now, I figured I’d be sore all over by tomorrow.

But everyone understood just how exhausted we were after moving, so there wasn’t much opposition to ending the broadcast.

When I stepped out of the room after shutting down the stream, I was struck by how small our previous place really was. My old place was somewhat roomy for a one-room apartment in Seoul, but the living room of this apartment felt even bigger since it had three separate rooms. The kitchen also wasn’t just stuck to the living room; it was kind of its own space.

The spaciousness of the new home wasn’t just about the number of people living here relieving space pressure; it also meant we could store things more efficiently, making the place visually appealing. Most importantly, having a wide, unobstructed wall was fantastic.

Because we could put up a big TV!

I didn’t usually watch TV much. I typically watched movies through an online streaming service, and the same went for animations or dramas. I didn’t really care for the emotional impact of screen size, so I rarely felt the urge to go to the theater.

But having a big TV had one considerable perk.

It was nice to watch something together.

In the one-room, it was awkward to watch anything together. To watch a movie, we had to use a computer monitor, and while mine felt big enough for solo use, it was quite small when trying to watch with everyone.

So usually, we spent our time looking at our phones individually. But now, that wasn’t the case.

Watching a movie on a big TV with everyone gathered in the living room was quite a nice scene.

“What’s the point of buying a sofa if you’re just going to sit on the floor?”

Thinking this, I spread a blanket in front of the sofa and sat down, earning a curious look from Charlotte.

By the way, Charlotte was sitting properly on the sofa.

“I’ve lived sitting on the floor for quite a long time.”

“I get that, but is there a reason we bought a sofa?”

“…Sometimes I want to sit on the sofa.”

That was the only answer I could come up with.

Usually, I liked stretching my legs out while half-lying on the floor, but when I needed to sit for a bit, the sofa was more comfortable.

Unlike me, the other kids hadn’t adjusted to floor-sitting, and among them, Charlotte and Mia, who were still getting used to it in this place, seemed genuinely thankful for having a sofa in the house.

Alice was sitting on the sofa, while Claire was sitting on the floor with me.

Anyway, since I had spread a blanket on the floor, and there was a blanket to cover up with, it wasn’t all that cold.

“Well, people in this country have their own ways.”

“That’s true, but…”

If we traced it back, our country had traditionally been floor-sitting until sofas and tables from overseas were introduced and became established. But hey, maybe it wouldn’t matter much.

Sitting like this felt really calming.

I thought about why that was, and it struck me that it was largely because this house felt like ‘my home’. In a rented place… no matter how long the landlord didn’t rush me, there was always the pressure of needing to leave someday. And it wasn’t just me feeling this; others probably felt it too, which might be why they tried to secure their ‘own home’.

But now… there was no need to worry about homes or money anymore.

“…”

After a moment of thought, I opened my mouth.

“Everyone, are you thinking about getting your driver’s license?”

“Driver’s license?”

Claire’s eyes sparkled at my words.

“I’ve already confirmed your resident registration is real. If you all want, you can get a driver’s license anytime. Until recently, I considered the cost of getting a license and thought it might not be useful, but now, we have the money for both the license and a car.”

As I explained, both Charlotte and Alice looked interested.

Well, their intentions were probably quite different from Claire, who just wanted to try driving.

In the Empire, there were still regulations in place, and Velbur wasn’t equipped with proper road laws yet since cars hadn’t fully entered yet.

To develop, we’d need to create and amend relevant bills one by one.

If we could learn about such things firsthand, this was a perfect opportunity.

“I…I…”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. Most of the time, we’ll move together anyway. I’m sure there’ll be someone to give you a ride if you ask.”

“Absolutely! I’ll drive you anywhere!”

Claire, who had never even gotten her license, declared this, making Mia look a bit uneasy.

I hope it’s fine. While she had this lively image as if she’d cause an accident, Claire was really a model student who adhered strictly to the defined rules.

Of course, she would teeter on the edge of those rules sometimes.

“What about you? Thinking of getting it?”

“Since my original license has essentially disappeared, I need to get a new one. In reality, I hardly ever drove even when I had a license, and having spent years in Azernar without getting behind the wheel, it’s probably better to learn anew anyway.”

“Well, let’s think about that slowly later.”

“Yeah, weren’t we just gathering to watch a movie?”

Ah, right, true.

The TV was still showing the OTT program stuck on the movie selection screen.

“Ah! Wait a moment!”

As I reached for the remote, suddenly Mia shouted and jumped up.

Then, in an instant, she dashed to the kitchen and returned with a bunch of something in her hands.

The little thing she was hugging was none other than popcorn.

“I heard it’s good to have when watching movies…”

Mia dumped various kinds of popcorn onto the empty spot on the sofa as she said this. Her face had a hint of a blush, perhaps feeling a little embarrassed.

“That’s a classic choice.”

I responded with a smile.

*

“…Hey everyone. Aren’t you going back to your rooms?”

After the movie wrapped up, I thought to stay in the living room a bit longer before heading to my room.

Watching other videos on the big TV was quite enjoyable too. It was especially nice that I could slump on the floor and still get a good view of the screen.

I was about to doze off while watching, just like my dad used to do at home, but surprisingly, no one was heading back to their rooms.

The beds were properly set up, and each one was even a single bed for everyone to use comfortably. The delivery guys had quite the hard time with it.

Thanks to that, the rooms that Claire, Alice, and I used were filled to the brim, but it wasn’t at a level that made living there impossible.

“Oh? Where’s big sis?”

“I can just stay here and fall asleep if that’s fine.”

“Oh? Then I can also stay here and sleep.”

Claire repeated my words almost exactly, tilting her head in confusion.

“I don’t feel like sleeping yet. I thought I’d watch what you were watching.”

“…”

With Alice saying that too, I found myself at a loss for words.

For now, all the money from the lottery was in my bank account, and the house was in my name, but I didn’t intend to act like the landlord over these kids.

This house was a place we all lived together, and I thought of us as all being the owners. While we were here, it felt like we were five sisters together.

“The three of you are here, so it feels a bit off for just me and Mia to head back, doesn’t it?”

Hmm…

If only two people remained, maybe it could be alright for the three to head back to the room. No, that was a bit tricky; if I was just with Alice or Claire, then only one of the two would head back to the room. Even if it was me and Mia, or Charlotte, the same notion applied — either Mia or Charlotte would end up returning alone.

As long as I stayed in the living room, it felt like the situation grew oddly imbalanced.

“I’m fine with just sleeping on this sofa.”

Mia, who had confidently laid her head on Charlotte’s lap, said this.

“…At least I’d recommend coming down to the floor to sleep. You might fall off.”

“Is that so? Should I just get my blanket? After all, we’re all going to sleep here, right?”

“…”

In response to Claire’s words, I found myself struggling to come up with a reply.

Chapter 396

Why did we move to such a big place—no, maybe it’s because we moved to a bigger place?

The space we lived in was practically the living room. Whenever we were home during the day, we almost always gathered in the living room, watching TV or chatting together. Well, most of our stuff still ended up around the living room rather than the individual rooms.

All the snacks we stacked up were in the kitchen, and most of the things I brought from my old one-room place ended up in the living room as well. A lot of what I bought for myself ended up getting used by everyone in the house.

…Now that I think about it, leaving a hairdryer in the living room for everyone to share is a bit weird, but since it’s already happened, as long as no one complains, I guess we’ll just keep using it.

In this household, the only ones who could be called introverted were Mia and me.

“Hey, sis, what about this?”

Claire was, without a doubt, an extrovert. She preferred wandering outside rather than spending time at home and had no hesitation when talking to others. It wasn’t to the level of having no boundaries with others, but whether in Azernar or Earth, Claire gave off the energetic vibe of an exuberant puppy.

And when I saw Claire picking up an air freshener, I advised her.

“If it’s an air freshener, you should probably buy a slightly more expensive one. If you get something too cheap, the scent can be polarizing, or it might be too strong to use for long. Generally, those are best bought in bulk for common areas.”

“Is that so?”

Claire tilted her head but put the item down anyway.

“What about cups or plates? Since there are five of us living together, shouldn’t we stock up a bit?”

“Definitely, that’s true. Considering the money we have, I wonder if we should spend a bit more on those, but once they start getting expensive, it can go up endlessly.”

At Alice’s suggestion, Charlotte nodded.

Although Alice and Charlotte were a bit different from Claire, they were both extroverted.

Charlotte had developed her sociability by attending various social gatherings since childhood. Alice, who had been somewhat stubborn and difficult in the original story, had become much kinder and more sociable simply because I had been by her side since childhood.

“Until now, we’ve mostly been eating instant foods and takeout, but I think it’s about time we try cooking for ourselves. Now that the kitchen is bigger, multiple people can fit in there without it being too crowded.”

Charlotte smiled at me.

If this had been me during my time on Earth, that smile would have felt extremely awkward. There weren’t that many times when a girl, especially a pretty one, smiled at me.

But ironically, now I was one of those “pretty girls.”

Not that I could easily return a smile though.

“How about this? The room feels a bit barren…”

“If it’s decorations, feel free to buy as many as you want. Some people even collect small figurines for decoration. As long as you can handle it, I won’t say anything about it.”

I responded to Mia, who had brought over a small rabbit-shaped ceramic figurine.

Both Mia and I had introverted personalities, but we often craved company.

When I was living alone on Earth, I didn’t feel that much loneliness since I was busy trying to survive, but ever since moving to Azernar, making friends and having sisters around, being alone… felt a bit different.

Claire wouldn’t leave me alone, and Alice suspected that I was up to something when I was alone, so being alone was quite hard for me in many ways.

Mia was the same. At first, she was very introverted, making it difficult to bring her out, but once she started interacting with the kids, she became that type who always stuck close to them.

I guess she wouldn’t have liked being alone in the room.

So as a result, we spent almost all our time in the living room.

It wasn’t anything to complain about. The living room was definitely spacious enough for five people.

Even though the parents weren’t around, having all five of us felt a bit like family, which was nice.

But still, having a room in the house felt a bit off when nothing was decorated at all.

So Claire suggested visiting Daiso.

I thought it was named after the idea that you could find anything you needed nationwide, but it turned out it was named after a different Japanese company, famous for having practically all daily necessities if you took a look.

There was one in our neighborhood too, but the fact that she insisted on going all the way to Myeongdong was quite obvious, yet none of us bothered to object.

Well, it was fun.

“Every time we come here, it makes me realize just how amazing mass production is,” Charlotte said, holding a basket filled with several plates as she approached me.

When I was younger, I had heard that the 21st century was all about small-batch production, yet there were indeed more types of products, but honestly, was this really ‘small-batch production’? I wonder if they ever produced this much even during the Industrial Revolution.

“Economies of scale are truly impressive,” I said, and Charlotte nodded as if she envied me.

To think she’s still having such thoughts even while out having fun seems quite princess-like.

Not that I meant in the fairytale sense. I meant as a political princess.

If a princess from the Kingdom during the Industrial Revolution and a fairytale princess had a conversation, I bet the fairytale kingdom would turn into a colony.

*

That’s right.

Now that I think about it, there were three people in my apartment that could certainly call themselves princesses, and one of them shared blood with a true princess.

And I was among them too, as I was the Crown Princess.

But the room we decorated certainly didn’t give off the vibe of being “decorated by princesses.”

“…It’s dull.”

“Alice, I’m really curious, but what’s that book over there called ‘How Steel Is Tempered’?”

Seeing the sickle and hammer boldly engraved on the spine, it seemed like an extremely questionable book. Forget other books, what’s up with that one?

“Oh, this?”

The cover of the book Alice took from beside the desk prominently featured a proud Lenin.

It looked like a book that a certain government agency would absolutely love.

The publishing house was one I’ve heard of often, so it probably wasn’t illegal or anything.

“In Azernar, such things haven’t happened yet, but it doesn’t hurt to know beforehand, right? I don’t subscribe to this ideology, but knowing the opponent’s thoughts might make it easier to deal with if a similar incident happens in the future. And just to be clear, it’s not a novel praising that side, despite the cover.”

“…Is that so?”

I was worried that Alice might start a revolution when we returned, but it seemed like that wasn’t the case.

Considering there were also plenty of capitalist books right next to it, it seemed she was just trying to accumulate knowledge about society in general.

“Ugh.”

Claire gasped.

“But your grades were good, right? Why’re you reacting like that?”

“Just because I had good grades doesn’t mean I like studying…”

Claire replied, shivering at Alice’s question.

Claire’s desk was quite simple. Alice’s, Claire’s, and mine were arranged in order, and since there was no wall next to Claire’s desk, it was a bit awkward to put a bookshelf next to it. Of course, it seemed like Claire didn’t really mind.

On her single-tier bookshelf, there were several novels. Most of the covers had pastel colors.

“I’ll probably place a doll on it later.”

Claire said.

“A doll, you say?”

“Yeah. One that you’ll buy me.”

She declared that quite boldly.

But somehow, I didn’t feel bad about it. After all, I had the money to buy a doll, so why not?

Lottery jackpot!

“Well, I’ll make sure to buy one for you soon. What kind would you like?”

“Just have my sister pick something out. That’s the fun of it, right?”

Is that so?

The only woman who has given me a present was my mother, who preferred receiving money more than anything.

“Your side… um, there’s nothing.”

“There’s no need to fill it up unnecessarily.”

I didn’t intend to study or anything here. I just wanted to relax comfortably and chill before I left.

I might read some books and could do a little studying if I found something I wanted… but that’s not on my mind right now.

“Should I fill it up?”

Claire said with a big smile.

“Since you promised to buy me a doll, I’ll also buy you a doll!”

“That’s a good idea.”

Alice said as she put the books back on the shelf.

“It might be nice to decorate it since she doesn’t usually do it.”

No, I doubt guys my age would spend time decorating their places anyway.

As for the things in the room, isn’t it fine as long as they function properly?

“Well, then I’ll tell Mia and Charlotte too!”

But before I could say anything, Claire had already dashed out of the room.

Alice wore a wry smile watching Claire’s back.

…Well, whatever.

I wasn’t saying I disliked receiving gifts.

Thinking back to Claire’s words made my heart race a little.

When was the last time I received a gift from a girl?

Chapter 397

[Sylvia, you’ve been looking brighter lately!]

“Really?”

With no worries about money, having moved to a nicer house, and finally getting a room suitable for broadcasting, it would only be strange if I didn’t look brighter.

“Honestly, you do look brighter. But if you ask me how to express it properly, I’m not sure what to say.”

“Maybe it’s because I upgraded the lighting a bit more appropriately?”

With some money left over, I properly upgraded the broadcasting equipment. I haven’t installed a soundproof booth yet, but at least we’re using better lighting so our faces can show up better on camera, and since I switched to a better camera, my expression might look brighter, even if it’s similar.

“Overall, the situation has improved a lot. My worries have been significantly reduced.”

[Did you win the lottery or something?]

Sharp as a tack! Although it’s more likely they just guessed it rather than being actually sharp.

“At the very least, I can say I no longer have to worry about living expenses.”

[Haha, does the Crown Princess really have to worry about living expenses? LOL]

[So, have you finally inherited the throne?]

A deadly donation has arrived!

“The throne is going to Alice, not me, so there’s no need to worry too much.”

Alice’s expression got a bit subtle at my response, but I shrugged it off and said, “Well then, let’s continue the game today!”

*

After Sylvia blew up the warship and vanished, we still hadn’t found her. Life carried on uneasily after her disappearance. Alice smiled less than usual, Claire had a deflated mood, and the Empire and Kingdom remained tense, but still, there was no one to threaten the entire world with disaster.

Amidst all this, suddenly, an incident broke out in the Imperial Capital.

[Please wait here. As of this moment, no one in the academy may exit.]

[What do you mean by that? Do you know who is here? Especially me, I have a right to know what’s going on!]

Alice shouted at the Imperial troops surrounding the academy, but they shook their heads.

[This is a direct order from His Majesty the Emperor. Nobles must wait here.]

[What the hell…!]

But as the knights did not move, Alice muttered despairingly.

“……”

Everyone stared at me intently as I played the game.

“I’ll say it again, I am a different existence from that Sylvia Fanggriffon. If I were the same as that being, wouldn’t I have caused the same trouble in the world we were in?”

“I know that, but…”

Alice cocked her head at my defense.

“To be honest, isn’t Sylvia the type to stir up trouble?”

“What do you think of me?”

I was at a loss for words.

“Exactly.”

Still, Claire supported my defense.

“If it were her, she would have acted before she thought, and if it didn’t work, she would have reversed time.”

…

What kind of image do these kids have of me?

[Sylvia would totally do that, right?]

Ding ding!

Just as that donation came, I made a serious face and turned it off.

“At the very least, I would have acted when I was with you all.”

At my words, the four who were watching the game behind me pondered for a moment and nodded.

“Definitely true.”

“They won’t just say nothing to us. They would act rashly.”

I had nothing to say to Charlotte’s remark.

Yeah, everything I’ve done so far went down that way.

“……”

Mia’s gaze bore into the back of my head. I decided to ignore that gaze and continued playing the game.

Time passed a bit, and inside the academy, students gathered to discuss countermeasures. Naturally, the main members were everyone but Sylvia.

Of course, Rena and Sophia weren’t here yet either, given that they hadn’t appeared in the storyline.

Sophia appeared in the previous installment, but I really had no idea who Rena was. I didn’t even know that character!

Anyway, with the character Sylvia Fanggriffon appearing, she might show up in the sequel. The Empire’s storyline might have concluded, but conceptually, more than half the continent was still undiscovered on the map. Perhaps the next installment would relate to the Riclant Autonomous State.

…Anyway.

[One thing I’m suspicious about.]

While the students gathered and shared their opinions, Alice voiced her thoughts.

[I know the knights well. They were guarding me since I was little. I wasn’t exactly sociable, but I at least recognized their faces…!]

[……All the knights were wearing helmets.]

Leo muttered.

[They were completely covering their faces. It was like they were afraid someone would see their faces.]

[That could happen if it’s during a mission.]

But Charlotte rebutted Leo’s words.

[Isn’t it normal for them to be armored up during combat?]

[…Then should we check?]

Alice suggested.

[Let’s ask them to lift their visors so we can check. If a Crown Princess says it, they’ll probably comply.]

“That’s true; most of the knights’ faces would be familiar.”

Alice pondered, saying, “I was really worried that Sylvia would take the throne from me during our childhood. I thought if I knew everything about the royal family, my father would recognize me. So I desperately memorized the faces and names of people working in the royal family.”

[Are you sure you’re really a Crown Princess? LOL]

[You’re way too into character, aren’t you? Hahaha!]

It was about time to give up, but there were still people reacting to what we said.

Still, most were like, “Well, it does sound like something Alice would do” or “I remember something similar was mentioned in the developer’s notes.”

…Did I translate those developer’s notes? That thought crossed my mind for a split second, but not wanting to reveal such past details, I pushed that memory deep down.

“Surely, it is only natural to remember the faces of people close to you. Trust is the most important thing in protection, after all. Trust can lead to intimacy.”

Charlotte nodded and added her input.

I wasn’t that diligent, but thinking over a few faces I could surely remember, it seemed like Charlotte’s words rang true. I could probably rely on these kids at least to some extent, even if not to the level of them being my bodyguards.

“Is that so…?”

However, when Mia, who was watching the game behind us, tilted her head and said this, the room turned cold, as if water had been splashed in it.

“……”

Come to think of it, Mia’s family was one that made money by selling drugs.

Moreover, Mia’s mother suffered from extreme delusions, suspicious of every female servant that came into the house.

Did Mia have anyone she could absolutely trust growing up in that kind of environment?

“…There might be people she can’t trust, but in that case, it would still be advantageous to remember more faces, right?”

At the words I barely managed to muster, everyone nodded. This time, even Mia said, “Ahh,” and nodded along.

She still had that darkness within her heart.

[Mia-chan! T_T]

[We must buy something for her to eat!]

…Maybe I should order some late-night snacks for her today.

I pondered seriously while manipulating the controller.

*

“Who are you guys?”

Denied a request, Alice stared with piercing eyes at the knight guarding her.

[…]

[Did your father order you to hide your faces? If that’s the case, he wouldn’t have ordered you to wear knight armor like that. He’s always thorough.]

Alice took a step back. The comrades beside her drew their weapons.

“Honestly, I’ve seen this scene too many times, but… where did you pull those weapons from?”

Charlotte squinted her eyes when she saw weapons suddenly appear in their hands.

“…It must be a setup that they already had them.”

“Is that so?”

“…Probably.”

“So you’re saying you don’t know?”

That’s right.

No one asked such odd questions, and thus it was a story that even the developers hadn’t given insight to.

If we were to dig into every detail, we’d have to scrutinize all the cutscenes.

Guess we’ll just chalk it up to game mechanics!

[If you don’t reveal your identities, we will consider you as enemies.]

[…]

[…Fine. Then we’ll subdue you somehow and see your faces.]

Saying this, Alice laid her hand on her sword.

“…Do you truly think you can subdue the Knight Order with your sword skills? Seriously?”

“…It’s the same for me as well.”

Alice delivered a justification identical to my previous excuse.

Well, in any case, this is a game we control to win.

We’ve defeated monsters much larger than humans, so why not a knight?

So if you asked how we won, well, I wouldn’t have an answer!

Chapter 398

Alice, Leo, Charlotte, and Mia were included as party members, with Roti and Claire as supporting characters.

Well, it’s not like the supporters have much to offer; they could be considered a second-string squad that steps in to fight if any party member goes down.

“Hey, what about me…?”

“……”

But under the scrutinizing gaze directed at me, I had no choice but to swap Claire’s position with Leo’s.

Leo is a physical attacker and tank, while Alice serves as a magic tank and physical attacker.

Charlotte is a well-balanced character, and Mia, of course, is a magical DPS character. This series traditionally favors magical DPS, because once you survive just one turn, it’s like unleashing a magic bomb afterward!

Claire, along with Charlotte, is also a well-balanced character, but unfortunately, she hasn’t been regarded as particularly powerful despite her popularity.

At least, I had steadily equipped her with weapons and Marmaros, thank goodness!

“Thinking about it again, I can’t understand why only about six of us are rushing in against so many knights from the Order.”

“…… Games are a kind of play. It doesn’t really make sense to worry about actual tactics in a play.”

“But isn’t the story that follows the outcome of that play very serious?”

“……”

Damn, I can’t argue back.

If I were someone who had never lived in that world, I might have just shrugged it off thinking, ‘Oh, I guess the protagonists have just leveled up that much.’

But here I am, a person who came over from Azernar.

Moreover, I am someone who has experienced real combat in great amounts.

Just like how career soldiers might find some absurdities while playing FPS games, I can’t simply brush off the magical and swordsmanship experiences I have had over there.

“But we fought and won against the Order, didn’t we? In the end, even the Goddess was involved.”

Claire, who felt better after I let her join the party, said.

“But there were the Sword Saint and the teachers there.”

“…… We have teachers here too, but let’s just gloss over that.”

I thought about countering Charlotte’s rebuttal, but just decided to move on.

“Just think of it as a type of hero story. No one argues that it’s ‘physically impossible’ for heroes to defeat monsters that seem unbeatable.”

Well, someone might, but they’d usually just be treated as a joke. If they were serious, they’d just look foolish.

“Sorry.”

Charlotte said with a voice mixed with a sigh.

“Since the people appearing inside are ‘us’, I keep thinking seriously about it.”

[Us hahaha]

[At this point, can’t we think it’s real? LOL]

[Totally falling into the concept hahaha]

“…… Sylvia, it’s okay for us not to hide our true identities, right?”

Seeing the incoming chat, Charlotte squinted her eyes and said.

“Of course. Whether people choose to believe is up to them.”

“Well, believe us or not, we are who we are.”

[Oh]

[Seriously LOL]

[So quintessentially Charlotte]

As the chat created the atmosphere, Charlotte snorted with a ‘hmph.’

*

Mia thoroughly decimated the opponents with her attack magic.

“Ugh…”

And during that process, Mia got knocked down several times, but with recovery magic and items set on the surrounding characters, I revived Mia a few times and replenished her MP.

“I don’t want to fight like that…”

“No matter what, when we fight in reality, we won’t let things go like that. It’s not like we can just bump up like that with magic every time we go down.”

Reassuring the pale-faced Mia, I maneuvered the game pad.

In the game, an event scene was unfolding where the protagonist’s party was checking on the fallen knights.

[So, do you recognize anyone?]

At Leo’s question, Alice shook her head.

[No, not at all. They’re all strangers to me.]

[What happened here?]

Charlotte murmured with a serious expression.

[Maybe another faction invaded the Imperial Capital.]

[Is that even possible? If so, our territory would have noticed it by now…]

Mia remarked.

[…… Even if Count Crowfield has issues with the royal family, he wouldn’t say nothing when there’s danger… Could it be a special ops unit?]

[…… I don’t think it’s the Royal Army. If they could send a special ops unit to the royal family, they would have done so last time before the war… right?]

[…….]

No one among us could give a proper answer to Charlotte’s statement. Most of us were from the Empire, after all.

[They really started something without permission.]

And someone interrupted our conversation.

[Jennifer-sensei.]

[I’ve been watching from afar, and I must say, you’ve really improved. It was a magnificent battle. I had difficulty stopping Carolyn from rushing in.]

[Is that something a teacher should say!?]

At Jennifer’s words, Carolyn yelled in panic.

[Ahaha…] The characters laughed, as per the script’s direction, and

[So, what are you all planning to do?]

The Headmaster, Abraham Fitzgerald Winterfield, stepped forward.

The name really is long.

Like the other teachers, he seemed to have been observing from a distance before walking towards us.

[Though I can’t be sure of their identities, it looks to me like these knights have received formal training. However, it differs somewhat from the Royal Guard’s style. They are not part of this country’s army.]

[That means……]

[At this point, there’s nothing I can assert.]

As Leo opened his mouth, the Headmaster said this.

[So, what will you do, Crown Princess?]

He looked at Alice while speaking.

[Well……]

Alice clenched her fists in front of her chest and pondered for a moment, then resolved herself to speak.

[I want to find out why this situation occurred.]

[Then do as you wish, Crown Princess. After all, you are the one who will rule this country.]

Chuckling while saying such grand words, the Headmaster.

[…….]

After seriously pondering, Alice closed her eyes and then opened them again with a determined expression, concluding the cutscene.

[Would you like to save?]

“Well, thinking about it,”

I said while pressing the save button.

“When Charlotte said I should step into the battle, you said, ‘I was already planning to go.’”

“……”

“King’s Majesty had snipers positioned around to prevent you from going.”

Charlotte didn’t say anything in response.

Hmm, is it just my imagination, or does her face look a bit flushed?

[What?]

[Did you come from another world and play games? LOL]

“Of course. The real me had pretty decent social skills compared to the me in the game.”

“Are you serious?”

“…… But would a socially skilled person go around saying they murdered your father?”

…… I knew Alice would react that way, but Mia’s remark cut deep.

[Forget the game; tell us about that time!]

Ding-ding, the ‘don’ sound arrived.

There was only text, but it felt as if I was tilting back in a chair and placing my hands behind my head.

“Well…”

I was about to say, “I might,” but then I kept my mouth shut.

…… Now that I think of it, they probably remember everything I did before turning back time.

If I spill the beans now, I’d end up revealing all the hidden dark history!

“Why?”

And it seemed like someone could accurately catch my thoughts, as a teasing voice came from the side.

“Are you afraid of what we might discuss?”

Naturally, it was Alice’s voice.

“But they do need to know our story. What we’ve been through is a tale entirely different from the one in that game. At least to protect my honor, I must tell the tale! After all, I’ve never had such conversations with Leo.”

As Charlotte’s voice grew louder, the atmosphere shifted; it felt less about embarrassment and more about genuine grievance.

“Oh, really? So I can hear stories about you and Alice from back then?”

“……”

At Claire’s words, Alice suddenly fell silent.

Right, most of Alice’s dark history happened in her childhood.

The naive Alice back then wasn’t the ice princess she was in the game, nor was she as socially adept as the Alice next to me now.

“……”

Mia stared at me intently.

“…… Okay, then. Let’s lay it all out. However, today we’re already past the broadcast time, so I’ll slowly unravel it starting tomorrow.”

[Nooooooo]

[Don’t go!]

You really think a broadcaster would listen to requests not to leave?

Chapter 399

“It’s about time to get winter clothes.”

I said while looking out at the darkened window.

Well, to be precise, it wasn’t completely dark. Seoul’s nights are bright. Even though restaurants and most shops are closed, 24-hour fast-food joints and convenience stores still keep their doors open. There were quite a few cars even at this hour, and night buses were running.

The Imperial Capital’s nights aren’t that dark either, but it’s not comparable to this city that never sleeps.

It’s been about two months since I returned to this world. The now chilly weather has reached a point where saying “it’s cold” would be okay.

That doesn’t mean we’re already in winter, but if I don’t start preparing winter clothes soon, there’ll be nothing to wear when it really gets cold.

Finally, it’s Monday. Our day off.

“And while we’re out, let’s also check out the driving school. We have free time in the mornings, so getting a license shouldn’t be too hard.”

Everyone, except for Mia, who looks like she has no intention of getting a license, generally has good motor skills. I don’t think there will be any major issues with driving.

“Ah!”

The moment the word “driver’s license” was mentioned, someone’s eyes lit up.

There was no need to think hard about it, it was Claire. She loves this sort of thing. Last time at the amusement park, she was having the time of her life with the bumper cars.

I knew Claire would be this excited, but—

“Sister, I want a license!”

I couldn’t have predicted that at all.

“A license you want…? Are you talking about getting a driver’s license?”

You want a license, so why bring up driver’s licenses now?

Oh, does she want to get a manual license? I could see Claire enjoying that kind of control. Apparently, there are people who specifically buy manual cars because they love them.

My first license was a regular car license, but honestly, I question whether there’s a need to get such a license in these modern times. Even if manual cars are cheaper, do they even come with that option for regular driving?

“Yes! This one!”

And on Claire’s smartphone—

“No.”

“Huh?”

—was a picture of a motorcycle.

Not just any scooter, but a fancy motorcycle that likely costs as much as a car.

I could just imagine that if you even slightly twisted the throttle, the speed would shoot up instantly and hitting something would send you flying like a boulder thrown by a siege engine.

“…No?”

Claire’s spirits plummeted immediately.

Have I ever told Claire so firmly that she couldn’t do something?

I don’t think I have.

Actually, um… maybe I’m being too rigid in my thinking. I usually don’t care much about what others ride, and as long as it’s not excessively modified with an annoying noise, I don’t mind what people do.

But… how should I put it? If it’s my little sister, I want to stop her.

“It’s dangerous. Even with our skills, we would still get hurt badly if we had an accident.”

Or dead.

“I’ll ride safely!”

Claire desperately tried to persuade me, but I shook my head again.

“It’s not just about you riding safely.”

Even if she follows all the safety rules, that doesn’t mean everyone else on the road does.

If a car that doesn’t follow traffic rules runs into a motorcycle, the person in the car may be fine, but the motorcycle rider could end up dead.

Hmm… or is it just a preconceived notion? I’ve heard that advances in gear have reduced fatality rates lately.

“Sigh…”

“It does look quite dangerous.”

While I was lost in thought, Alice, who had been looking at the picture, spoke up.

“If Sylvia is saying something like that, it would be wise not to ride it. Has she ever been that firm about something since coming here?”

Yeah.

If I go that far, I start to question whether I’m being too strict.

All the statistics I’ve seen are old data… and saying this kind of thing might be rude to those who actually ride…

“…Instead, let’s choose a car that Claire wants. One of the two should at least fit all of us, and how about Claire chooses the other?”

“…Aren’t you being too soft-hearted? Just a moment ago you were so firm about it.”

But it feels unfair.

Am I really that soft-hearted?

But I don’t want to cut her off too abruptly and end up creating a rift. After all, I proposed an alternative. Money isn’t an issue, and getting a slightly more expensive car shouldn’t be a big deal.

Plus, I trust Claire.

I don’t think she would buy something excessively expensive or high-maintenance.

“Really? Is that okay?”

Seeing Claire regain her spirit quickly seemed to confirm that this was the right decision.

Is it just my imagination, or are her tied-up hair also bouncing upwards with excitement?

Turning my gaze to the other three, Charlotte and Alice were nodding with wry smiles.

And Mia was just nodding without even a bitter smile. She doesn’t seem to have any intention of driving anyway.

I guess it’s a relief that they’re all reasonable kids.

I let out a subtle sigh of relief.

*

First, we bought winter clothes. We each bought two thick outer garments and selected a few layers to wear underneath, but… it was a bit tricky to carry them around because of their bulk.

So, I returned home to hang the clothes and then went out again, this time to get passport photos taken at a nearby photo studio.

…And only then did I take a close look at the photo on my ID.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s just that we never took a photo separately, so I was wondering how there was one on the ID.”

“…You’re only noticing this now?”

Right?

Why did I only look now?

The being in the photo was, in every sense, me. It wasn’t even black and white; it was a proper passport photo.

After staring at the photo for a while, I vowed not to think deeply about it and stuffed my wallet back into my pocket.

After all, thinking about it further is pointless. The Goddess must have made it for me, because of some order or whatnot.

Then, we registered at the driving school. Since it’s not the holiday season for universities or high schools, it didn’t seem too crowded. Or maybe it was just our luck.

According to the orientation, the necessary training time for the driving test wasn’t that long. I remember it being like that when I got my license too.

I guess I did fail a few times on the driving test.

…But since I’ve had the experience before, I shouldn’t have any major issues this time.

Sure, it was over ten years ago, but still.

If worst comes to worst, I’ll just ride in the car that my sister drives.

…She seems to like driving.

*

And then, a week later—

“Hey, sis, don’t worry too much. Driving isn’t that hard!”

“It’s not that it’s hard, but you dropped out alone.”

Alice was about to tease me and ended up quieting Claire instead.

“You can just try again, so there’s no need to worry too much. If it really doesn’t work out, you don’t have to get a license.”

Charlotte’s comforting words were just stabbing my heart.

“I… I’m okay with not getting a license!”

“…”

Well, I…

Dreamed of getting an awesome car and driving my friends around.

Having come this far, I wanted to be seen as a cool and successful person from the world I’m from.

Now that I think about it, I didn’t even get my driver’s license in one try last time. Back then, they almost abolished in-garage driving tests. No, perhaps that’s why I ended up failing this time?

Now that I think about it, I did manage to drive decently.

Besides, it wasn’t a manual car, so I wouldn’t stall the engine. The reason I failed this time was purely because I failed to memorize the routes.

“I’ll try again next time.”

I nodded.

“I got confused about the roads this time, but it should be fine next time.”

“Didn’t they guide you with voice navigation?”

“…”

“Why are you saying that to sis!”

Alice interjected, but received a light jab from Claire.

Alice seemed to be enjoying this quite a bit. After all, she almost never won against me in our childhood. I think she might have even felt that I deliberately let her win sometimes.

“…Once I get my license, I’ll challenge you to a circuit race.”

“That sounds fun. Of course, I’ll win, though.”

“…Don’t forget that there’s no need to memorize the routes on the circuit.”

“Hey sis, didn’t you say it was dangerous to go too fast with me…?”

Hearing Claire’s words shift in such a way made me finally stop my argument with Alice.

Chapter 400

Claire, who was prohibited from riding a bike, was wondering if she might want to buy a car with a convertible roof.

Honestly, I didn’t think it was a big problem.

Usually, such cars are foreign brands, and naturally, they are quite expensive. The insurance and part costs when something breaks would add up, so if I thought about it long-term, it wouldn’t be a great choice. I had just won the lottery after all; I wasn’t someone who could earn billions a year.

So when considering outgoing expenses versus incoming income, it would be a problem if I planned to live here for a long time… but hey, weren’t we thinking of going back anyway? Spending some money on a car didn’t seem like that big of a deal.

“How about this one?”

But oddly enough, the car Claire showed was a domestic SUV. Not that it was from some super expensive brand. Something a middle-class family could reasonably consider buying.

“I was thinking of buying a car like this from the start, so it should be fine.”

When I nodded and said that, Claire’s face immediately brightened into a big smile.

“Can I drive?”

“I don’t mind, but are you okay with that?”

Honestly, driving can be quite fun at first, but it tends to get boring the more you do it.

My friends, who bought their first cars in their twenties, were excited to drive their friends around at first, but usually after about a year, they stopped bringing it up. We weren’t riding for free either; even when we went out together, their contribution to the bill was never considered.

Well, I thought Claire might be a little different. Maybe because of her diligent personality, she was the type to stick to what she wanted for a long time. If she had a personality that got bored easily, she wouldn’t have developed a habit of waking up at dawn to tackle requests.

And had that been the case, I might have had it a bit easier.

“Actually, I was considering buying two cars. But if we get this one, we won’t need to.”

It was a car that could easily fit about five women.

“To be honest, I’m a little excited.”

Charlotte, who had been watching us, chuckled and chimed in.

“I’ve spoken for myself before, but it’s my first time thinking of going somewhere with friends like this.”

“Well, Charlotte is a princess. I’m sure whenever she thought about going somewhere, various people were always around her.”

“Exactly.”

“Is it really okay for me just to ride along? Do I really not need to learn how to drive?”

Although Mia had said she wasn’t planning to learn to drive, she seemed a bit anxious now that we had all gotten our licenses, so she asked that.

The three of us patted Mia’s head repeatedly without saying a word.

“Wha—!? Wait, wait!? So is getting a license actually a thing? It is, right!?”

Seeing her flustered like that was adorable.

“By the way, where’s Alice?”

“Huh? Oh, she seemed to be doing something in the broadcasting room earlier. She has something to do on the computer.”

At Claire’s words, I stood up.

I didn’t think Alice would oppose, but it would be best to have everyone’s agreement on the shared car. It wouldn’t be fair to just spring it on her without any warning.

As I headed to the broadcasting room where the computer was, I could hear the sound of a mouse clicking from inside, just as Claire said.

“Alice, what are you doing?”

Upon entering, Alice looked over at me with her chin resting on her hand, deeply focused on the monitor.

“Oh, you’re here? Then could you take a look at this?”

Alice slightly turned her chair to show me the monitor.

The screen displayed a shopping mall website.

And the products on the shopping mall site were—

“A tent?”

Yep. It was a tent.

Not just a tent. There were other browser tabs open as well—one for lanterns and another for sleeping bags.

“Yeah.”

Alice nodded seriously.

“See, all the places we’ve gone so far have been in urban areas. And while I don’t hate that—I’ve really enjoyed it—since we’re buying a car, I thought it might be nice to go a little further, to places not easily accessible by public transport.”

Indeed.

It was a dream of anyone who buys a car.

Camping, as shown in videos, really seems cozy and fun. Even streamers who claim, “This is such a hassle,” end up enjoying camping quite a bit.

To be honest, I had also searched diligently for how to camp after getting a job, but when I thought about setting up a tent alone and preparing everything, then cooking, eating, sleeping, waking up, folding everything again, it felt too overwhelming, and I gave up.

And even those who go camping with family often only do it a few times and don’t go again.

But…

“Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Yes.

My logic here was ‘we’re going back anyway.’

Camping gear? Well, who cares if I buy some and leave it unused after a few uses? We’re going back anyway.

Besides, everyone here was a noble, royalty, or aristocrat. If one can’t enjoy such moments here, they certainly won’t enjoy them back home. What I might enjoy as a normal hobby as I age is likely to become an embarrassing thing over there, especially with work taking up my time.

“Really?”

Alice’s eyes sparkled.

“We were just talking about what car to buy with Claire. Since Claire also wants a big car, there shouldn’t be any space issues.”

Perhaps we could buy a whole bunch of camping gear and enjoy it a bit more widely.

No, wait. Now that we’re at it, a camper van… Nah, that seems a bit much. Let’s just settle for separate camping gear.

“Camping, as in sleeping outside?”

Charlotte said, hand on her chin.

“It’s not just sleeping outside. Of course, cooking is part of it too—things like barbecues that are hard to do indoors.”

“Barbecue!”

Mia instantly reacted to Alice’s explanation.

“Sounds great!”

Claire mumbled, seemingly imagining it at a distance.

“Well, if we’re buying it, let’s prioritize the experience over efficiency. Do they have any wood stoves?”

When I completely went off on a tangent adding that, Alice’s face brightened even more than before.

“Oh, I saw some options. Want to take a look? How about this?”

We then spent quite a while discussing what items to purchase.

*

[How about we turn that into a vlog?]

“Vlog?”

Hmm.

Indeed, since we arrived here, it has been more than two months of continuous real-time streaming.

We have recorded footage. The videos recorded during the broadcasts are all saved.

It’s just that I didn’t bother to edit them because it seemed tiresome.

I could hire an editor, but that also felt overly complicated. It’s like our current state is at a perfect ratio, and I didn’t want to attract people for work and expand my network, for some reason. I still didn’t know how the others felt about that.

“A little simple editing might be doable, but making it a long video wouldn’t be that necessary. We’re going to have fun, not just broadcast.”

[I understand]

[You should take a break!]

[But keeping memories as videos could be nice later. I have backups of videos I made with my family too.]

Ding ding!

The chat was lighting up.

Indeed. Memories.

Smartphones won’t last long even if I bring them back. No matter how much I conserve the battery, it’ll naturally drain, and even if I put it at a maximum, it won’t last more than two years.

But wouldn’t it be nice to share memories, even if not for two years, but one year or just a few months? I could bring a couple of power banks or even a solar charger… though I’m not sure how much I’d be able to bring…

Well, even if I think about charging methods for a bit, sharing memories with those who couldn’t be with us might still be worth it.

“If that’s the case, I’ll think about it seriously. However, I’m not sure if we will actually record the videos.”

The responses in the chat varied, but most showed excitement.

I slyly turned my gaze to the kids gathered in the same room.

They all seemed pretty indifferent.

Hmm.

If that’s the case, how about making a short video of about one to two minutes rather than a full vlog?

…Since that’s the case, should I buy a camera?

Chapter 401

Living spontaneously like this isn’t so bad after all.

In fact, this isn’t the first time I’ve lived like this. Back in my first year of college, I kind of lived like this too. I didn’t study hard for the college entrance exams, and after graduating high school, I was so relaxed with my newfound freedom that I just did whatever I felt like in the moment, which totally messed up my grades. I had to make up for it later in other years.

Of course, things are different now. Back then, I had no money and was living off my parents, so I couldn’t really do whatever I “wanted to,” but that’s not the case now.

Plus, I don’t have to worry about jobs or certifications at all.

My life really opened up after traveling to this world.

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

I looked over at Charlotte, Mia, and Alice, who were sitting behind me.

The one humming a tune in the driver’s seat was Claire. The music selection in the car was based on Claire’s pre-made playlist. It was a mix of idol songs that I didn’t really care about, with random bits of very atmospheric jazz tossed in, making the playlist a little funny yet pleasant.

At first, Claire was driving, and Charlotte was supposed to sit next to her, but before we even got on the highway in Seoul, Claire kept turning around to talk to me, so we had to stop the car for safety and switch seats.

It seemed like Claire was really excited and couldn’t keep her body in check. But at least she was driving well.

“It’s my first time going out like this, so I’m super nervous!”

Mia said with a slightly flushed face and was immediately petted by Alice and Charlotte on either side.

When was the last time I went out like this with friends?

It’s been at least ten years. After graduating from college, all my college friends went back to their own towns, and the friends I had from high school who lived nearby also moved away for various reasons.

And as we got older, friends started getting girlfriends or families. Gathering like this for fun became awkward.

Going to this fantasy world aside, I think this is the aspect I like the most: feeling young again.

Even if we go back to the other world, we still have school life left, so we can enjoy this life a little more leisurely.

I can’t help but feel great.

“Are you enjoying driving?”

I asked Claire, who was humming a tune, and she nodded vigorously.

“It’s fun! Honestly, I’d want to take this car back with me.”

“Yeah, but you won’t be able to keep riding it.”

“That’s too bad…”

A car doesn’t just run with gas. Various parts have lifespans, and if you don’t replace things like engine oil or tires, it seriously affects safety.

“However, I think bringing the car itself is worth considering. Even if we can’t drive it, we could take it apart and see what hints we can get. Since there are steam-powered vehicles, I think we can definitely make internal combustion vehicles too.”

“And we need to think about the batteries and circuits as well. It’s essential to bring back electricity. I wonder if it’s possible to merge that theory with Miss Ada?”

While Alice spoke seriously, Mia opened a bag of snacks.

“Want some?”

“Thanks!”

As Mia offered it, Charlotte smiled and took a yellow snack out of the bag. It was banana-flavored. I hadn’t seen that in ages.

While Mia loved snacks, she definitely had her own tastes—she preferred non-spicy over spicy, sweet over salty, and meat over vegetables.

It’s a bit strange that she loves all those fattening snacks yet doesn’t gain any weight at all.

“Oh, thanks.”

The snack bag made its way to Alice, who smiled and took a snack out.

“Here you go.”

Mia leaned forward a bit to offer the bag.

“Thank you.”

I took out two snacks from the bag, holding one out to Claire. Claire caught it with her mouth.

I had always thought Claire and Alice were sisters, which is why I treated them like that, but I wasn’t quite sure how to act with Mia and Charlotte at first when they first came over.

At first, I thought I’d just get to know them slowly while hanging out together.

But as time went on, they started to feel like sisters as well… Well, it’s not like I could say that outright given our respective pasts.

There was a moment of silence in the car.

But it wasn’t an awkward silence. It was just that everyone was lost in their thoughts, and no one spoke, yet I didn’t feel uncomfortable with five people crowded in this small space.

After a while of just snack rustling and crunching sounds, Claire, who was driving, broke the silence.

“Oh, right! Can we stop at a rest area?”

“Do you need something?”

“Hmm? No, I just want to go check it out.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

Well, knowing how much Claire studied travel, there’s no way she wouldn’t know about the existence and role of rest areas.

“I’m fine with it.”

“Actually, I’ve been thinking of a few things I want to try eating there.”

“Oooh.”

Mia’s eyes sparkled at the mention of food.

Given how interested she was in BBQ when planning the camping trip, that made sense.

Honestly, food at rest areas isn’t particularly special or tasty. In fact, it can be more expensive.

But well, there’s nothing quite like eating on a trip.

Because… well, it’s a trip!

“Alright, let’s go a little further and stop at the next rest area.”

Claire seemed even more excited now as she hummed while nodding her fingers on the steering wheel.

*

“Ahhhh.”

Claire stretched her arms high above her head when we got outside.

“Driving is fun, but sitting still for so long is a bit uncomfortable.”

“Well, it makes sense since we’ve come quite a distance.”

I lightly stretched my body in response.

It wasn’t just us; the other three were also moving around to loosen up. It’s a behavior that seems natural without needing to be taught. My friends used to do the same when they got out of the car.

“Anyway, if anyone needs to use the restroom, go ahead. Let’s meet up in front of the rest area building in about five minutes.”

Everyone nodded at my words.

“Then I’ll go!”

“Oh, me too…”

“I’ll go too.”

Alice, Charlotte, and Mia seemed to be heading to the restroom. I didn’t really feel the need, and it seemed Claire was in the same boat, so we let the three of them go.

“…What can I say, it feels like a mother-daughter duo.”

“Which one seems like the mother?”

Claire mumbled, looking at the three that were walking away in the order of Alice, Mia, and Charlotte, and I playfully asked.

“Hmm, well, since their hair colors are different… if I had to choose, it would be Charlotte, I guess?”

“So, does that make Alice the aunt?”

Claire chuckled for a moment before quickly suppressing her laughter and clearing her throat.

“Then… what shall we do while we wait?”

“Let’s check out the convenience store for a bit.”

It was conveniently nearby.

I bought two cans of caffeinated soda at the convenience store, handing one to Claire. We sat on a nearby bench and popped open the cans.

“…This is nice. Being far away from wars and all that, and having fun with close friends is just the best.”

“But are you thinking of going back?”

“Of course. This is, uh, could we say it’s a short vacation?”

“That seems a bit long to be just a vacation; I might feel sorry for Leo. The last time we took five minutes, so it’s probably ten minutes now? They’re probably starting to worry over there.”

The sky was truly blue. If you looked up, it was almost blinding.

“Well, I don’t think there’s any problem with taking a longer vacation, right?”

Claire took a sip from her drink.

“What about you? Do you want to go back?”

“Of course, I want to go back.”

It’s not that I have no attachment to this place. However, when weighing the attachments to both this world and the other, the scale tips heavily towards the other world.

It’s a happy ending I fought so hard for; I deserve to enjoy the aftermath.

“Why? This is where you originally lived… isn’t it kind of like home for you? Please don’t tell me you’re trying to force yourself to leave because of us…”

“If I were to say I’m not going back, what would you do? You wouldn’t actually say you’d stay here with me, would you?”

Claire fell silent. Maybe she was genuinely contemplating that?

“I’m definitely going back, even if it’s just because I don’t want to waste what I’ve built up in that world. After all, I’m dead in this world. There’s really no reason to be so concerned.”

“Really?”

“Really. Plus, there are so many people I want to see again. Most importantly, I’ve been saying I’ll go back, right? For Sylvia Fanggriffon, ‘the original world’ is Azernar.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Seeing Claire smile brightly, I couldn’t help but smile back.

Chapter 402

I always ate udon whenever I stopped at the rest area.

Not that I particularly liked udon, but it’s just one of those foods that has a decent price and doesn’t fail too badly. I mean, the udon sold at these places just comes from factories anyway, whether it’s the noodles or the broth.

With ramen, I thought, “Do I really want instant ramen at this price?”, and with jjajangmyeon, there were too many times it didn’t taste like what I wanted. I never really thought about the other menu items. After all, you don’t come to a rest area to eat something super delicious.

Not that I would say anything if the others ordered different things, though.

But even without me saying it, most of the things the kids ordered were udon. Only Mia ordered a tonkatsu.

There wasn’t anyone here who could really handle spicy food. Claire held up pretty well, but that didn’t mean she liked spicy food.

So, the ramen sold here would’ve been pretty spicy for these kids. Naturally, when they picked the menu, they ended up choosing food that wasn’t too spicy.

For a moment, I thought maybe these kids were better suited for other countries than Korea, but then again, it kinda made sense.

After all, they weren’t from a big food culture. It was natural that they wouldn’t handle overly spicy or unusual food.

Still, there were non-spicy options available, which was a relief.

“This place is a bit more serious than just a break spot, huh?”

Alice said casually while slurping her udon.

Maybe it was because it was a weekday; there weren’t too many people. Not that it was empty, though.

“During the holidays, this wide space gets filled, and finding a seat becomes a real pain. It’s sometimes better to just use the rest area for bathroom breaks and find another restaurant,” Claire chimed in.

“Is it that bad?”

Alice said, sounding incredulous.

“I can see why given that we’re in the city, but cars are overflowing nationwide. If they don’t think ahead when making policies, all sorts of problems will spring up later on,” Charlotte said.

Well, to be honest, Charlotte would know more about those matters than I did, so I didn’t feel the need to butt in.

These days, Alice and Charlotte exchanged opinions and studied various things together more often. That could be seen as a positive thing. Although it wouldn’t be entirely applicable, studying the history of this side of the world might help them handle unexpected events in the future.

But—

“Today is supposed to be a fun trip; why are we talking about this?”

Claire said with a slightly dissatisfied expression.

“Look at Mia over there. She’s completely focused on eating without a care in the world. Learn to enjoy things a little more innocently,” Claire said.

As Claire mentioned, Mia was savoring her tonkatsu with a look of pure bliss. It’s not like it was some amazing delicacy or anything.

“I feel sorry about that… but given that I’ve lived until now like this, letting go a bit is kinda tricky. It’s already been over two months since we’ve been here, after all.”

“Same here. I’ve lived like this my whole life… But I still think meeting all of you has been lucky for me.”

“Honestly, it doesn’t really matter how we spend our time. We’re not in any rush. We can study a bit or enjoy political debates. I just hope you can have fun,” I said, and everyone nodded in agreement.

*

If I chose udon for a meal at a rest area, what would I choose for a snack?

I usually bought butter potatoes.

They’re something I could easily make at home, but it turns out to be more of a hassle than you think, and there aren’t many places to buy them outside either.

Aside from that, it would be things like squid or hot dogs… I just feel the best options are those you’d want to eat but find too much hassle to make yourself.

Of course, I didn’t choose the snacks alone.

Claire, Alice, Charlotte, and Mia all got a load of stuff they wanted after I handed them a card.

Thanks to that, our table was piled high with food.

It felt like we were already throwing a party before even arriving at the camping site.

If I had been doing this with friends I knew from childhood, I would have felt a bit embarrassed, seeing as they would all be in their 30s like me. Honestly, if we were all sprawled out eating like this, we’d look like pigs.

But right now, we were all teenagers… no, technically, we were women in our 20s.

Plus, it was hard to believe we looked like Koreans just by our appearances. I mean, we’re from another world anyway. Maybe that’s why I felt bolder.

On the table, there were chicken skewers, tteokbokki, walnut cookies, donuts, hot dogs… a mix of delicious foods to enjoy and things you’d be surprised to find at a rest area.

But whatever, right?

As long as we’re having fun, that’s all that matters. We’re on a trip!

Especially watching Mia munch away excitedly, the types of food in front of me didn’t really concern me.

“Is it really okay to eat all this on our way?”

Alice said with a somewhat reasonable concern, looking a bit worried.

“Don’t worry. Once we get there and work hard, we’ll be hungry again,” Claire chimed in with reasonable support.

That’s right. Technically, we were in our 20s on paper but still had the bodies of teenage girls.

We’d probably be hungry again soon anyway.

“Exactly, Alice. Since we’re on a fun trip, there’s no need to dwell on serious thoughts.”

“That’s not your place to say. It was you who talked to Claire earlier!”

Alice pointed out, but Charlotte ignored her and just picked up a chicken skewer.

*

After driving for about another hour after leaving the rest area, we finally arrived at the camping site by the seaside that we had booked.

“What do you think? Did we make a good reservation?”

“I had my doubts for a while, but I think we nailed it,”

The reservation was made by Claire and Alice. Since Claire wanted to drive, they had been eagerly researching camping gear since they heard they could buy a car.

But that didn’t mean the other three of us were uninvolved.

Mia, Charlotte, and I had been busy planning the other details. What we would eat when we got there, what roles each of us would take to wrap things up quickly.

It wasn’t that we had a strict plan, though. Honestly, it was just that the two were so enthusiastic about everything that I felt a bit out of place.

It ended up working out as division of labor, though.

It was autumn.

It was great weather for camping, but today was Monday. Not that there was a holiday, making it impossible for there to be too many people around.

Claire and Alice’s reservation spot was not far from the sea, and we could see the ocean right in front of us. The camping site was lined with pebbles, and as soon as you stepped out, the sandy beach was visible. It might be pointless to come during the summer when there would be lots of people wanting to come.

But it was a beautiful place.

We all worked together to set up the tent. It was our first time pitching a tent ourselves, but I had laid out the parts and simulated it beforehand. Plus, the strength and stamina of the other three exceeded that of an average person, so it took us only about an hour to pitch the tent and finish up the small preparations.

The tent stood alongside the car. We hadn’t purchased anything special for car camping, but it seemed that the tent alone would comfortably fit the five of us.

“Sis, let’s go to the sea, the sea!”

“…If we go in the water in this weather, I feel like I’ll freeze to the bone.”

“Dipping my feet is fine! You’re wearing slippers right now too!”

With Claire’s words, I reluctantly let her drag me toward the water.

Swish—

The sound of the waves was refreshing.

The sea was blue, and the sky seemed determined to match it. We made a good call starting early in the morning. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have gotten to enjoy such a view.

I followed Claire and dipped my feet into the water just a bit.

Even with slippers on, sand slipped between my toes. The water was a touch cold as expected, but it was bearable.

The salty scent of the sea wafted through the air.

“How is it?”

“It’s beautiful, really.”

“Yeah. It’s really pretty.”

Claire and I stood side by side, looking out at the sea for quite a while.

Click.

A sound came from behind, and when I turned around, Alice was holding a camera.

It was a camera I bought on a whim, thinking I might want to use it for vlogging. I chose an entry-level camera with lenses recommended for beginners.

“I want to take a picture too!”

Claire quickly ran over to Alice. Every time Claire stepped onto the sandy beach, little footprints sank into the sand.

Taking the camera from Alice, Claire immediately snapped a picture of her.

Alice might’ve been a bit flustered, but surely the shot turned out well. After all, it was Claire taking the picture, and Alice was the one in it.

Not just her, anyone else too.

There’s no way the pictures we took together while enjoying ourselves wouldn’t turn out beautifully.

When we look back someday, we’d surely be enveloped in wonderful memories.

Chapter 403

The autumn sea is nice.

Of course, the summer sea isn’t bad either. Taking a splash in the water to cool off under the hot sunshine is quite fun.

Going with close friends to splash around and throw each other into the water is a blast. Of course, your clothes get all sandy and you might end up getting soaked in the car if you’re not careful.

As I grow older, I’ve come to dislike that whole process of getting in the water. Being submerged makes your body tired, and most importantly, having to change clothes or take a shower again is quite bothersome.

Even though my body feels young like this, it doesn’t mean it’s waterproof. If this were the summer sea, there’d barely be any time to sit back and ‘heal’ like this.

Would Claire just sit around doing nothing?

Since the sea is cold this season, this is how it is—

Thump—!

“Eek!?”

I screamed instinctively at the sudden sound above my head.

What was that noise? Oh, it was a beach ball bouncing off my head.

“Sis, what are you doing over there?”

It seems a beach ball that kids were playing with on the beach hit my head and bounced off.

“What do you mean…?”

“Since we have so much time until dinner, and we just stuffed ourselves at the rest area, we should skip lunch and save room for dinner!”

“Ugh… I just want to sit here and relax like Sylvia did a while ago.”

“You can’t come all the way to the sea and not enjoy the sandy beach, can you?”

Mia, who advocated for relaxation, was looked at like she was weird by Claire.

“Speaking of four people here including Mia, how about we split into teams and play a game? I’ll be the referee here.”

“Sis, what are you talking about?”

Claire looked bewildered by my suggestion.

“That’s right! You just want to sit out and have fun by yourself!”

I probably pushed in there with too much energy and the extroverted teen girls made their objections clear—Mia rarely raised her voice like that.

“Right, Mia, good point. Sis, it won’t be good if you sit out. Mia isn’t a power player for this game. And from what I can see, you wouldn’t catch up with Alice or Charlotte over there.”

“Exactly! So—huh?”

Mia was agreeing with Claire’s merciless evaluation, turning her head to Claire with a slightly dazed expression.

“So, sis, if you join, it makes Mia and the other two people equal one whole, right?”

“……”

Claire.

Even though I call you ‘sis’ with a friendly tone, your evaluations are starkly cold.

“……Understood.”

While those words were painfully accurate coming from Claire, I couldn’t just let them slide.

Even though I’m not blood-related, I’ve grown up as a ‘Fanggriffon’ for quite some time. I can’t just let such provocation go.

“Your opponents are Alice and Charlotte, huh? I’ll gladly inform you that the number of three heads is not something to be underestimated.”

I stood up with that declaration.

*

“Don’t worry, sis. It’s not like I thought we’d definitely win. It’s just for fun!”

“……”

Hearing those words from the only score holder of our team made me feel even more unjust.

“Three heads is not something to overlook, huh? Who said that?”

Alice kept poking at my pride from the side.

“Don’t be so mean, Alice. Sylvia is a pro with firearms. Of course, her close combat skills are bound to be lacking.”

Yet Charlotte’s eyes saying that were clearly mocking me.

I felt furious.

Really furious.

“Charlotte, do you have a lot of built-up tension against me or something?”

“Are you not going to ask Alice if she has anything against you?”

Well, Alice must have quite a lot against me, considering I’ve hardly ever decisively beaten her since childhood.

Of course, that was because I tweaked time several times to yield only the optimal results. It wasn’t because I was just good at it.

Damn, if only there were a shooting range nearby, I’d be confident I could get first place.

If I ever get the chance to visit the bustling district, I must definitely seek out an air gun range. I’ll show off my marksmanship skills, honed through countless repetitions.

“……There’s really no need to get so upset. Mia seems quite refreshed, doesn’t she?”

That’s not refreshment; she’s just out of juice.

Mia was languidly draped over a folding chair with the backrest leaned back, looking like a half-dried squid.

If that expression could be seen as someone that’s let everything out, sure, but to be precise, it was more of a look of resignation before the brink of death, having let go of everything.

“You two definitely need to raise the intensity of your workouts.”

“I think I’m already exercising plenty. Even with all this eating with you guys, my weight hasn’t budged!”

“That’s the problem. It means what you’ve eaten hasn’t turned into muscle.”

No, I really don’t want to become a gym rat.

Half-listening to Claire’s comments, I rubbed my tummy.

Hmm, it does feel like jogging around was a good choice.

If I had done such intense exercise right after eating, I would have thrown up what I just ate, but having stuffed myself after stopping by the rest area and riding in the car for a while allowed my stomach enough time to settle. Given that, I really worked hard to run around, so I’m feeling quite light.

It’s the perfect time to shove something else into my body.

“Ah, wait a second.”

Claire said that and picked up the camera we had temporarily placed on the table.

She positioned herself for a selfie and included all of us in the shot. Thanks to the rotating LCD of the camera, we could see ourselves on the screen, albeit on a much smaller display than a smartphone.

“……”

We all looked at the screen and struck our poses.

“……”

“……Oh, it was a video.”

Claire said that as if she just realized.

Alice made an incredulous expression.

“What, does it matter? A video will surely be a memory. Of course, I might not be able to keep it for long…”

Still, I had thought of a few things. Even if going all the way to solar generators is too much, is there a way to get a manual charger and figure out how to run a steam engine over there?

The primary goal is to watch videos for a long time, but I also thought I might get some hints during the research process. After all, modern power production is ultimately just boiling water to turn turbines.

“There were people asking for a video to be uploaded anyway.”

Claire finished the recording and said.

“Okay, then!”

And then she spun around and said,

“Let’s get ready for the barbecue party now!”

“Barbecue!”

At that, Mia, who had been lounging around, suddenly sprang up.

“Already? It’s not even dark yet.”

As Alice asked, Claire shook her finger.

“What are you talking about? A barbecue party is not just a meal. It’s about leisurely grilling meat for hours, and once the meat is all gone we gather around the embers and chat for a while; that’s a party! Plus, the pictures taken at sunset come out the prettiest.”

Wow, Claire really has read a lot.

Even Alice, who had been searching for ‘emotional tents’ since before buying the tent, seemed captivated by those words.

“Really? Should we start preparing then?”

Seeing the two decide that, Charlotte, Mia, and I exchanged wry smiles.

Well, good is good.

*

Sizzle, sizzle, the pork was grilling perfectly over the charcoal.

Actually, there were items available from the tent site, but we deliberately bought a separate barbecue grill. Generally, the stuff borrowed from these places tends not to produce pretty pictures.

To be honest, part of it was that I had the money, and it felt a bit bad to tell Claire and Alice, who were so excited about picking out items, that we didn’t need to buy everything.

We unfolded the grill we had loaded into the car and placed in the burning charcoal. Then one by one, we laid the meat on the grill.

When Claire flipped over a steaming strip of meat,

“Wow!”

Everyone gathered around couldn’t help but gasp at the perfectly cooked surface of the meat.

The meat, cooked to a delicious brown, had those diamond-shaped grill marks on the parts that were touched by the grill. It really appealed to the appetite.

“Was it samgyeopsal (pork belly)? I feel like I’ll be thinking about this even later.”

“Is that so? Should we ask the butchers later?”

Alice and Claire started that conversation.

“Even though I still think the food from my homeland suits my taste better, sometimes it’s not bad to eat grilled meat this way.”

Charlotte smiled as she spoke.

While we breathed in the delectable sizzle of the meat, we chatted excitedly under the vividly red sunset.

In this moment, we were no longer a crown princess, a second princess, or a noble lady, but just teenage girls.

…Wait, does that mean I’m not one?

Chapter 404

While preparing for camping, the only food I got was some meat and a few vegetables to eat with it.

Looking back, we all went to the mart and bought what we wanted. Eating only meat is a bit greasy, so I got some salad and wrap ingredients too, and I bought pork belly, other cuts of meat, bacon, sausages, onions, and potatoes.

And we also bought some carbonated drinks to enjoy together. I thought that was enough.

But it seemed like the others didn’t think so.

Since we were grilling over charcoal, we couldn’t stir-fry rice, but at some point, a huge pot of soup appeared on the grill.

At first, I thought they were going to boil some ramen, but for some reason, what was bubbling inside was bulgogi.

“Uh… I thought this would be easier to eat than something spicy…”

When I looked at Alice with a slightly bewildered expression, she said that while avoiding my gaze.

Moreover, it wasn’t just the pot that appeared on top.

Next to it, for some reason, a sturdier and larger pot was on the grill, bubbling with what was unmistakably braised short ribs.

…I should have realized it when I soaked the ribs in water earlier.

By the way, we bought a lot more ribs than that and had already grilled some.

“Um, isn’t it better to have more variety in food?”

When I stared at her, Charlotte defended herself by saying that.

Last time, when I treated everyone to braised short ribs, I guess it left quite an impression.

But did the dishes that required pots really have to be on the grill? Couldn’t they just use a gas burner next to it to cook separately?

It was meaningless to argue about it now that it was already up there.

“I can still eat more, but I think if I eat just a little more, I’ll feel completely full. Can you guys handle it?”

“Of course!”

Claire said with sparkling eyes.

“I can eat more too,”

Mia said with a determined expression.

No, Claire can eat more, but where the heck is Mia putting it? Does she have a few more stomachs hidden away?

After today, I wonder if they’ll grow a few centimeters taller due to excessive nutrition. Well, it’s probably more about gaining weight first, though.

Seeing Claire whip out instant rice, I was at a loss for words.

*

Among us, my food intake was the least, and while it seemed like I ate much more than the other girls, I had my limits. Eventually, the four of them also ended up leaving some food behind.

But that didn’t mean they were going to throw the food away.

For now, they just covered it with a lid and pushed it aside, planning to eat it again when they felt like it.

Around the time the sun set, Alice opened the car and pulled out what looked like scrolls.

Setting up supports in the remaining space, she hung the scrolls up, transforming it into a magnificent screen.

“Did you prepare something like this?”

“Yeah… Well, I had planned to try making something like this during the trip.”

It seemed like she had brought all sorts of sentimental camping supplies for a touchy-feely feel.

Well, I had a bit of a romantic notion too.

I once saw someone’s post on an internet blog about watching movies with friends on a screen set up on a rooftop. I thought it was super cool, but I had never owned a building, lived in an attic, and most importantly, I had never even considered buying a projector.

Now, I had a car, money, and above all, friends to do that with.

I thought time had slipped away, but somehow it had turned back.

“Oh, it’s fine. I’ll prepare it since it’s something I wanted to do.”

“It’s a camping trip for everyone, right? It’s not like I’m going to watch a movie by myself.”

Alice tried to hold me back while unfurling the screen, but I got up and unfolded the small table Alice had pulled out.

“Will this work?”

“Uh, yeah, thanks. I’m sorry for being a bother.”

…?

What was that supposed to mean?

When I slightly frowned and looked up, Alice was glancing around, seemingly trying to explain herself.

“Um, well, it was fun when we first came here, but thinking about it, this costs money, right? Claire did the driving too.”

“Driving was something Claire insisted on doing.”

“No, still. It feels like I’m just receiving all the time.”

“Isn’t Claire the one who has had the most fun running around here?”

I said it genuinely, bewildered.

“And even though I didn’t run around as much as Claire, we all ate a ton! It’s not like we forced it down either; it was delicious! If you really didn’t want to come here, you would have opposed it from the start.”

“Uh… is that so?”

“You’re saying something strange.”

Before I knew it, Charlotte chimed in from the side.

“We’re not just here for Alice. We’re here to have fun together, not just to entertain you.”

Alice’s face turned bright red.

“Why are you suddenly apologizing by yourself?”

Claire’s expression was similar to mine.

“No, that’s not it… Uh, wait! Claire, what’s in your hand…!”

“Oh, sorry, your expression was just too good that I couldn’t help it.”

Claire said while holding a mirror.

Alice stretched out a hand to block the camera lens, but Claire moved the camera around to avoid her grasp.

“This is a video! Blocking it is already useless!”

“Get that away from me!? I’ll delete everything!”

“I just got a wonderful scene! Oh, I could edit this into a vlog.”

…True. It would make a brilliant emotional scene. People would think it was staged for how fitting it looked.

Claire ran towards the beach, and Alice chased after her.

They created a scene where they were shouting at each other while running around.

“Oh.”

Mia watched the scene from afar and exclaimed with fascination while filming it on her phone.

“Let’s keep preparing.”

“Shall we?”

Charlotte nodded at my words.

In the end, we completed the setup for watching the movie while Alice and Claire were running around.

*

Alice meticulously had even picked out a movie beforehand. Perhaps we might end up posting this video on a global streaming site; they had a VOD service selling movies that had been released before, and Alice had bought one.

The movie was a Japanese one.

In terms of years, it had been released a few years ago. To my personal sense of time, it was already over ten years old, but since only about a year had passed in this world after I crossed over, I could say, “it’s not that old of a movie.”

We connected Alice’s smartphone to the portable projector, started the movie, and all of us arranged our chairs facing the screen to enjoy it.

Our poses were unique to each of us. Alice and Charlotte used the chairs literally as “chairs.” Claire leaned back a bit more, lying slightly, while I completely reclined, propping a cushion behind my head, only lifting my head to watch the screen. Mia laid down next to an unfolded chair, tucked in a blanket.

The movie was a great one to watch at a camping site. There wasn’t anything too violent or erotic.

But the content was tear-jerking.

I didn’t know if Alice had searched for a great movie to watch while camping, but the story was about a man and a cat traveling together.

The man had circumstances that made him unable to keep the cat, so he was trying to find it a new home, and the monologues attached to the cat’s lines were impressive.

But as is usually the case with these kinds of movies, who knows why?

Sob.

I heard Claire sniffle.

Mia was peeking out from under the blanket, and while Alice and Charlotte weren’t outright crying, their eyes were a bit moist.

“…I don’t think I can have a pet.”

“Right? If it left me first, I think that would be truly shocking.”

…Though it seems the movie had the opposite content, I think that’s a fair enough sentiment. At least cats can’t live as long as humans.

“Oh, by the way, you also have a pet, don’t you?”

“…Me?”

“Yeah, from that time when we fought.”

“…”

Are they talking about the Gryphon?

“The fact that you can treat the Gryphon like a pet says a lot about the bizarre distribution of power. But no matter how I think about it, can I really call that ‘pet’ just because it jumped in and saved me?”

“Really? It seemed like it liked you.”

“No, no matter what, the Gryphon wouldn’t treat me like its master.”

“I don’t think so either.”

Charlotte, who was listening to the conversation, chimed in.

“After you disappeared, it seemed really anxious, wandering around everywhere. I told it you might be able to find it, and it seemed a bit relieved.”

Did that all happen in just those five minutes?

“That’s right. I’m sure your feelings got through.”

Mia said that.

…What feelings are they even talking about?

I was truly curious.

Chapter 405

Gryphon! Anyway, even after the sky turned black, we were still not sleepy.

Maybe it was because we had come outside.

So, we decided to watch one more movie.

Including Alice, who picked the movie, nobody wanted to feel too hot this time, so we chose a light action movie.

And I recommended it.

If it’s a family movie that’s good for passing time, it should definitely be something from the 80s or 90s.

Since we could watch any movie as long as we had access to OTT.

It was a movie with a ridiculous premise about modifying a supercar into a time machine—absurd by today’s standards—but I actually liked it. It was well made and had a lot of fans.

Since it was a series of three movies, we gathered around the projector to watch.

We opened the snacks we had brought beforehand and started popping them into our mouths—

“…Are you really planning to eat that?”

“Huh? It’s what was left from earlier. It hasn’t been long, so it shouldn’t have gone bad.”

Claire said confidently.

I mean, come on! It’s a bit strange to be hugging a bulgogi pot while watching a movie instead of popcorn or snacks.

“Look over there, they’re eating galbi-jjim!”

Sure enough, Mia was hugging a plate of galbi-jjim.

Is she really fitting more food in there? Didn’t she just eat a ton?

It’s like she has a fourth-dimensional pocket in her stomach!

Alice and Charlotte chuckled at the sight.

Well, Claire had a point.

These days, theaters sell all sorts of things, not just popcorn.

In a few years, they might even start selling bulgogi or something.

…But, I doubt they’d sell galbi-jjim.

*

In the end, we chattered away until the three movies ended, barely watching any of them at all.

I’d wager that unless it’s someone as clueless as me, no one in our group can properly explain the plot. Honestly, it wasn’t like we had put the movie on to watch; it was more like we just played it so the ones who wanted to could see it.

It wasn’t until all three movies had finished that we realized we had been talking well past midnight.

We often ended up chatting that late, so it wasn’t a big deal since I usually streamed until the evening and rested in the morning.

Even if I thought sleeping late might stunt my growth at this age, I believed the rest of us were tall enough already. Whether it’s because people here grew faster or if they just appeared that way due to being mixed, I don’t know, but with bodies like these, we wouldn’t have to be embarrassed anywhere.

And Mia was just cute as she was right now!

…But if a guy tries to approach Mia in the future, I’ll have to seriously question his taste!

No one seemed ready to go to bed just because it passed midnight.

Maybe they think this romantic moment is too precious to waste?

Everyone rearranged their folding chairs and lay down side by side.

Five girls lying together toward the sea.

They looked like they could be models. We probably looked like something out of a magazine. Or maybe a movie in this genre? Well, closer to a drama than a movie, might be right. A slice-of-life drama.

“The stars are really visible here.”

Alice said.

With clear autumn skies and no moon in sight, being far from the city, of course, they could see better.

And in front of us stretched out was the sea, going on and on.

It’s been ages since I’ve seen stars like this. When I used to return to the university dorm every weekend, I could see stars like this… Well, I don’t want to go back to those times, really.

“I should have learned about constellations,” Charlotte said with a chuckle.

“Yeah. Maybe I studied too many worldly sciences. Astronomy is probably a unique science of this world. In a sense, it’s completely different from the other world, right? Like the star maps.”

If those two studied astronomy in this world, I could picture them discussing the risks of intercontinental ballistic missiles at some point, but I didn’t feel the need to interrupt.

Hehe.

And hearing their conversation, Claire chuckled.

“I know; that’s the Big Dipper over there, right? Isn’t it, sis?”

Not that I know for sure.

The sky I watched while returning to the dorm was so tiring that I didn’t really think much about it. I was just walking while thinking I should look at the sky.

Plus—

“Claire, I see it all.”

Claire was holding her smartphone.

I couldn’t tell what app was running, but every time she moved her phone toward the sky, the um… graphic moved along with it, so it must be some kind of star map app or something.

“…At times like this, just admire it, sis.”

Claire said, a bit sheepishly.

That’s something you’d say.

“What app is that?”

As I was about to jump in, Mia, who was next to Claire, asked.

“Oh, would you like me to install it for you?”

“Thanks! Star maps are pretty important for a magician, you know.”

“I heard that constellations affect magic.”

“There are spells that solely utilize the flow of stars… though most are faint ancient magic. The star positions change over time, and modern magic has mostly evolved to not rely on them.”

“Hmm, there was a hypothesis that some stars were made of Marmaros.”

“There are also claims that some stars include Marmaros from outside Earth. It’s all just theories, though.”

It sounds like it’s similar to how the sea is affected by the moon’s movements. I didn’t learn magic in such detail as the academy focused on practical application.

“Then, can magic be reproduced in this world?”

Claire asked while handing her phone back to Mia after installing the app.

Mia shook her head.

“Since Marmaros itself doesn’t exist here, it might be a bit difficult? The principles seem quite different….”

Sounds tricky.

“Don’t think too seriously about it.”

I said to Mia.

“Just like how you all crossed over here, we can go back as well. Until then, we can just relax and enjoy, like now.”

Upon hearing my words, everyone nodded.

We continued to gaze at the stars for a long while after that.

It was only when Mia began dozing off that we entered the tent.

I wondered if we needed a stove, but since the sleeping bags were quite nice, it didn’t seem necessary. Plus, the mat on the floor was decent.

Just in case, I opened the hot packs I had brought and divided them among us, putting a couple in Mia’s sleeping bag with the blanket.

After crawling inside our sleeping bags, looking like caterpillars, we took a photo before finally falling asleep.

*

The next morning.

“Ugh….”

The mat was quite nice, but sleeping outside was still challenging.

I arose from the sleeping bag, and my spine screamed in protest.

I sat for a while, blinking to wake up, then slowly emerged from the sleeping bag.

It felt like shedding skin.

Thinking it was slightly amusing, I tidied up the sleeping bag.

Mia, Alice, and Charlotte were still fast asleep.

I couldn’t find Claire.

Well, she was always the earliest riser, so that made sense.

When I stepped outside the tent, a world painted in pale blue met my eyes. It was still dawn.

To keep the cold morning wind out, I made sure the tent was tightly closed and, with a blanket draped over my shoulders, I headed toward the beach.

Claire was sitting in the middle of the beach, hugging her knees.

“Is the sea really that nice?”

“Yeah.”

She seemed hardly surprised to see me approaching and answered without hesitation.

I sat down next to Claire.

“It feels like it goes on forever. I really like places that are this wide.”

“Maybe it’s because I’ve lived too long in the complicated Imperial Capital. I grew up among those narrow alleys.”

“Is that so?”

Personally, I thought Claire’s hair color matched the color of the sea quite well.

“We should board a boat sometime. Whether here or back home.”

“Oh, can we do that?”

“We’re still young. We have money too.”

“That sounds a bit bittersweet because of the undercurrent.”

Claire said with a bittersweet smile.

“I feel a little sad about going back.”

“I thought I’d have to return immediately when I woke up.”

My back still ached. The hard ground was definitely not my friend.

Even back home, I have a good bed, yet I still end up sleeping on the floor, but whatever.

“Not long ago, I thought returning meant going back to our old routine, but lately, that thought has changed a lot.”

“Really?”

“Sometimes, I think it wouldn’t be so bad to just throw away all my responsibilities and run away.”

“Really? Should we kidnap Charlotte after she becomes queen?”

“Wouldn’t that be fun?”

We laughed, discussing something that would scare them if they heard it.

Would they truly be scared, though?

Somehow, I feel like Charlotte would act differently now.

“Claire? Sylvia?”

We heard someone call from afar.

Turning my head, I saw Alice, wrapped in a blanket, coming out of the tent just like me.

From the sight of her, there was no royal dignity. Just a girl of our age.

“Shall we head back?”

“Let’s go back.”

We said that simultaneously and shared a brief laugh.

Chapter 406

“Did you not wear a swimsuit after coming back from the sea?”

“First, I’m going to block this person temporarily.”

It’s impressive to hear someone say they got blocked even after sending a donation.

“Paid ban, haha!”

“That person’s got no lines, haha!”

Taking a peek at the chat, it was reassuring to see those reactions.

“Even if we wore swimsuits, I can’t guarantee whether we would show that photo. Unless we all agree, I’m not thinking of showing it.”

“In the game, you wore one.”

“Then satisfy yourself with something like a figure. Do you want to get banned?”

As I said that, the chat was filled with emojis of falling over. I didn’t know there were such emojis. Are they exclusive to broadcast chats?

“I don’t know if I’ll edit the video and upload it or not, but for now, I’ll show you at least a photo I took.”

As I said that, I brought up a photo on the screen.

The first one was a photo of the rest area.

I started with a photo taken during the trip to avoid people figuring out where we lived. I began by showing photos from the journey.

In fact, we had a style that was bound to stand out. If someone living nearby was watching our broadcast, they could probably guess where we live. But at least until now, no one had come to find us, and within the scope of my searches, I hadn’t seen any discussions about our neighborhood.

Fortunately, we lived in an apartment, so even if someone found our address, it wouldn’t be easy to knock on our door. Of course, that would be different if the stalker was a local.

Well, there’s really no need to worry about things that haven’t even happened yet.

In any case, it wouldn’t hurt to be careful, so I selected the photos accordingly.

“LOL!”

“Looks like you had a lot of fun, haha!”

“Did you not eat enough there?”

“It was only about an hour’s drive back, so it was no big deal.”

“And besides, we played some more after that.”

Claire, seated next to me, added with a smile.

The photo showed us with a table full of rest area food. Thanks to our appearance, it almost looked like a scene out of a cable reality show: ‘Foreigners Going Crazy Over Korean Rest Area Food.’

If a post popped up on a famous site, I could use it as material for the broadcast.

And then there would be another comment saying ‘Koreans are really discriminatory,’ and maybe I could catch onto another broadcasting gig. It’s truly an infinite loop of content.

“Did you like the rest area food?”

“We’re Korean, so it suited our tastes.”

My statement brought light laughter through the room.

“Wait, are we foreigners now?”

“Ugh, you trash!”

“I’m sorry!”

Ding! A donation came in with an apology. It was a thousand yen.

“Well, since we came from another world, strictly speaking, we are foreigners.”

My answer made the chat room buzz once again. Of course, most of it was playful banter. This time, there were a lot of comments about how I had forsaken my nationality for money, but most of them were just jokes, so I left it at that.

“After eating here, we set off again…”

As I pressed the keyboard arrow key, the next photo appeared on the screen.

“Oh!”

“Pretty!”

It was a beautiful place even to the naked eye, but the photo taken by the camera made the colors even more vibrant. Although the autumn’s unique melancholy was somewhat muted, the blue sea and sky turned out really gorgeous.

“We could stay at a fantastic camping site. We could take a lot of things because we had a car.”

And then the next photo—

Oh?

I thought the next photo would be of our dinner, but it wasn’t.

It was a photo of Claire throwing a ball that hit my head right on the mark.

Since it was taken during the bright daylight, the image was accurately captured without a blur.

As I turned my head, all the kids in the room simultaneously turned their heads too. Even Mia did so.

… Yeah, well. That’s on me for not checking thoroughly at the end.

“We had a lot of fun too.”

I shrugged and said that.

I had a scene of playing with a beach ball recorded, but since that was a video, I skipped it for now.

The next photo was of Mia and me sprawled on camping chairs, then one where we were preparing for a barbecue party, another of us eating together, a photo of Mia hugging her dish of galbi stew, and Alice shedding tears while watching a movie…

It was a plethora of photos, almost unbelievable how many we had taken.

I couldn’t express how grateful I was that everyone had smartphones. Otherwise, those moments would have slipped away without us realizing it.

“… And that wraps up what we did at the camping site.”

After sorting everything out, the last photo was a group picture in front of the car, marking the end of our photo collection.

“You’re amazing!”

“I can’t wait for the video!”

“I want to go camping too!”

“Exactly. I want to go again.”

Charlotte chimed in, agreeing with one of the comments she was reading.

“We just got back, though?”

“But it’d be great to go again. Besides, we all have plenty of time.”

Oh.

It was a bit surprising to hear that from Charlotte.

“Why are you saying that?”

As I stared at her, Charlotte looked a little flustered.

“Nothing at all.”

“No, you definitely had something to say. What was it that made you make that face?”

“My expression hasn’t changed from usual, you know?”

“It has.”

Alice said with a laugh.

Hmm.

I’ve been slowly working on my expressions lately, but the fact that even Charlotte noticed meant I wasn’t taking care of my expressions at all.

After that, Charlotte kept looking at me suspiciously, but honestly, I felt quite wronged.

I really wasn’t thinking of anything at all.

*

“Shall we put this here?”

“Sounds good. We can just fill it from here to the side.”

Claire said with a satisfied expression, causing me to accidentally look at her face.

This was the very back of the TV’s cabinet.

On the way back, we stopped by a photo studio to print out the last photo we took at the camping site. It wasn’t printed on large paper; instead, it was a palm-sized photo. We also stopped by a household goods store on the way back and bought a frame that matched the size of the photo perfectly.

Once placed on the far left of the drawer, Claire said that, seeming like she was intending to completely fill out the upper part of that drawer with photos. It seemed like it could hold way more than ten if arranged like this.

“Well, it’s not that we have to fill it completely, nor that we have to fill it with camping photos.”

Claire said to reassure me.

“We can take photos anywhere, and just pick the good ones from there, right? And when we go back, we can share them.”

“Are you not thinking of selecting by the number of people?”

“Well, that could work too.”

Claire thought for a moment before saying with a bright smile.

“More than that, don’t you think it’ll make us want to meet if we each have different photos? To revisit every memory, we have to meet again just for that reason. Otherwise, we’d just put them in an album and be sad while looking at them every hour.”

… Is that so?

“Sure, that makes sense.”

Charlotte replied.

Then I stared at Charlotte once more.

“Why do you keep making that face? Is there really something going on? Are you planning another scheme?”

“… I don’t think I’ve schemed that often.”

Upon my words, Charlotte widened her eyes as if to express disbelief.

“Is this coming from someone who’s drawn a grand scheme from childhood to drive away the Goddess?”

“That’s true! You’ve done it while overlapping time multiple times!”

Mia exclaimed from beside us.

No, back then, I was only able to draw because I could rewind time. Plus, I only understood the true nature of the world after quite a while.

“…”

But I couldn’t say anything to Mia, as I had joked around with her about the time-reversing ability.

“Well, it’d be nice to set a promise like that.”

Alice stepped in as a mediator.

“No matter how busy we are, isn’t it possible to make time if we really want to? I find it a bit strange that I’m having these thoughts, but honestly, after having experienced this life, it feels like if we don’t spend at least a day or two like this each year, life might get too boring.”

“… I also agree with that.”

Charlotte said.

“Until now, I’ve only lived thinking about my country and the throne, but yes, we do have a long life ahead of us, don’t we? We ought to have some joy in our expressions.”

Mia nodded vigorously.

“Yeah, that’s right, sis. You think so too, right?”

To Claire’s statement, I shrugged.

“Did you know? I’ve lived my life with that kind of thought from the start.”

My answer made Alice chuckle, and Charlotte facepalmed. Mia blinked innocently.

“I wouldn’t have thought that at all.”

“Is that so?”

At Mia’s comment, I unconsciously patted her head.

Then the other three immediately followed suit. Mia tried to resist somewhat, but she couldn’t completely escape the hands of the four taller women than her.

Yeah.

The reason I enjoy running around like this is for a happy ending.

What could that possibly be if not my own whimsical ‘joy of life’?

Thinking about it that way made me smile for no reason.

Chapter 407

“Oh, it’s over?”

As I clasped my hands and stretched with a big yawn, Claire walked into the room and said.

“Yes. I ended up keeping at it all day.”

Having never done any editing before, everything from start to finish was utterly inefficient. When I questioned whether it really needed to be this complicated, I found much simpler examples and templates. But I forgot what I did a moment after using them, so I searched again… and thus, several hours slipped away.

The result was barely about 5 minutes of content.

These days, short videos are pretty popular, but after spending several hours, coming up with a video that’s just long enough for a piece of royalty-free music was a bit shocking.

I thought it was difficult, but I never expected to get so lost in it.

“Eat and then do it.”

Claire said, placing a plate piled high with fruits on the table.

Most of it was apples, with a few pears mixed in.

The state of the fruits was all over the place. Most were sliced rather excessively. Honestly, some didn’t seem to have been ‘peeled’ as much as they were ‘chopped to bits.’

Of course, I was unsure if I could even slice them to this extent.

“Can I watch the video?”

“Of course.”

I got up from my seat and moved to the side of the monitor. Then, I poked the fruits with a fork and started eating.

Yum!

I hardly ate fruits while living alone; they were a bit pricey.

Even when I did buy some, I would only choose seasonal fruits that were the cheapest. Naturally, they looked all different, and the bags they came in were usually transparent or black plastic.

Maybe because of that memory, I was taken aback when the kids I went shopping with came back with beautifully packaged fruits in a box. It was a bit funny that I could buy a car or camping gear without a second thought but was so surprised by mere fruits.

But these fruits weren’t just pretty; they tasted good, and I understood why such fruits sold so well.

“Oh.”

When I turned on the video, a pretty tune played, and Claire gasped in admiration. It had taken a little time to choose the right music that matched the atmosphere while listening to each one. Plus, I had to check for copyright.

When we shot the video, we didn’t exactly take it seriously, so there weren’t any lines. There were sounds of laughter and scenes of us running around and shouting, though.

“I should’ve at least said something next time.”

“Yeah. It’s nice, but it definitely feels like it could use more of a story.”

“Still, I don’t want to make up a story or anything.”

“I don’t want the place we went to relax to turn into a filming location.”

Claire nodded along, seemingly agreeing with that.

“Should we at least add subtitles?”

“Hmm… Since it’s the first video, and I’m only posting it to check the reactions, do we really need to? The main purpose is to preserve memories.”

That’s definitely true.

I speared some fruit with my fork and popped it into my mouth.

“Hmm…”

As the short 5-minute video came to an end, Claire crossed her arms and seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, so I quietly continued to munch on the fruits.

“To be honest, I don’t have the confidence to edit this much.”

When I turned my gaze toward Claire, she had a very serious expression.

“Big sister can’t shoulder this all by herself. We’re already a burden as is.”

“I don’t really mind, though?”

“You’ve been sitting here for several hours today!”

Well, if you don’t want to do it, can’t you just not do it?

I mindlessly grabbed another piece of fruit.

“We all share these memories.”

Sometimes Claire would say these slightly cringey lines. Plus, seeing her with such a serious expression gave off a real protagonist vibe.

Honestly, I didn’t remember Claire from the game at all. It’s just that it’s hard to imagine a polygon character existing in reality.

But I liked those cringey lines. It seems like I still haven’t outgrown my middle school phase.

“Then let’s all watch the video and chat. I don’t want to force it, though. While we’re here, I want everyone to feel at ease.”

“…Thanks.”

Seeing Claire look apologetic like that made me shove a piece of fruit into her mouth.

*

“Wow…”

Among us, the one who reacted the most confidently to the video was none other than Mia.

“Do you like it?”

Alice and Charlotte’s eyes sparkled, but Mia was the only one who gasped out loud, so I asked her.

“It’s like magic.”

Is that so?

I suppose it could be. While you can think of photos as extremely finely drawn pictures, videos are a completely different story.

While we sometimes caught our faces on video during broadcasts, that screen usually just appeared small at the bottom. Plus, the angles hardly changed.

People can easily tell that the game screen isn’t human, and there are films with good cinematography, but they don’t show our faces.

However, the video we were watching now wasn’t just a simple smartphone video; it was shot with a large-sensor mirrorless camera.

Though I took it casually without knowing much about cameras, the colors were so beautiful, and the quality was so good that the video turned out exceptionally well. And since I edited it a bit, it looked even more splendid.

It seemed Mia was reacting to that.

“Would you like to learn how to do that?”

“Uh?”

“How to make something like that.”

At my words, Mia hesitated a bit.

“Is that okay?”

“Of course! I’m just starting to learn myself, so I can’t provide detailed instructions, though.”

“I want to learn!”

Hmm.

It felt a bit burdensome when she looked at me with such sparkling eyes.

I’m still a rookie, after all.

When I awkwardly looked up, Claire was watching me with a pleased expression.

Well, something good is good.

After all, if we’re going back, we need to show our faces, and to do that, we need to post more videos.

*

Even after posting the video, there was still plenty of time left before the broadcast started. Since we didn’t manage any special websites or internet cafes, there was no promotion.

But, somehow, the video started to receive comments.

I thought the video I made with pride was just an ordinary video, but apparently, it was special in some way.

“Aren’t we foreigners?”

Alice read a comment and laughed.

“We’re foreigners but speak Korean really well… Well, it’s only natural to think that. I feel like our looks always stand out when we wander around outside.”

“And someone below is questioning whether it’s cosplay or not.”

Charlotte, having been on air with us for quite a while now, knew what those words meant.

“For the next video, wouldn’t it be good to post one called ‘We’re Korean’? If we include names that sound peculiar for this country, more people might watch it.”

I seriously pondered Charlotte’s suggestion.

“If we’re too blunt about it, some people might dislike it, so it might be good to keep it low-key. How about revealing it when someone comments about foreigners doing ‘nationalistic’ videos?”

“Sounds like you.”

Alice replied to my opinion, leaving me momentarily speechless.

“No, well, that’s a compliment.”

Seeing me caught off guard, Alice quickly said that.

If it’s a compliment, then sure.

“Is it possible that we might really receive requests for broadcasts or something?”

Hmm.

Last time, Claire’s appearance spurred quite a buzz, yet we never received any contact… But that might be because our contact details aren’t publicly available. Since we uploaded the video to a streaming site, maybe we’ll receive an email from that site.

“What do you all think? If a TV station requests us, would you go for it?”

It might be wishful thinking, but you never know.

I thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask in advance instead of deciding later on.

To be honest, all five of us are quite stunning if I say so myself. And each of us has a pretty definite position.

… We might not be idols, but it’s strange that such five women living together have yet to attract attention through broadcasts.

“I’m curious.”

Claire was the first to respond.

“Since we’ll have to go back someday, participating in a regular broadcast might be a bit much.”

Alice added a condition.

“An interview would be fine, though…”

“Yeah, it seems reasonable just for an interview.”

Charlotte and Mia reacted cautiously.

Seeing everyone’s reactions, I nodded.

“Then if the day comes when we’re contacted, I’ll agree to a light interview.”

Everyone nodded at my words.

Well, we’ve just posted one video, after all.

There’s no way it’ll attract that much attention in just one day, right?

Chapter 408

After learning editing, I ended up with quite a few uploaded videos.

Besides just the ones we shot casually, we also had the broadcasts we usually did.

I had kept all the videos from those broadcasts separately.

Thanks to that,

“Eek—!”

Surprisingly, a video titled ‘Eek Dispenser’ was uploaded to our account.

For reference, my face, filled with shock, was all over the thumbnail.

“……”

I quietly looked at Mia who was kneeling in front of me.

“How did this video come to be?”

“W-Well, Claire…”

Before I could even call for Claire, she quickly knelt down next to Mia.

“I-I just thought it would get a lot of views! You said it would be good if we made videos that earn money, right?”

I mean, I did say that.

“……Then who made this thumbnail?”

As I pointed to the thumbnail filled with my face, this time Alice knelt beside Claire.

“……”

I was lost for words.

It’s not just some random person; half of the people I live with are involved in this!

“By the way, the view count is skyrocketing. It hasn’t even been two hours since it was uploaded, and we’re already at 100,000 views.”

Indeed, this video’s view count was doing much better than the last camping vlog I edited.

Honestly, it was well made.

The vlog had only a slight cinematic effect, just some music and short conversations, and there seemed to be something lacking in the camera angles and editing.

But in a gaming video, those flashy things weren’t really that important.

That doesn’t mean there wasn’t a need for good sense, though.

Knowing when and where to cut a long video, focusing on moments of gaming versus the streamer’s face, and highlighting the most entertaining parts.

They even added subtitles quite well.

Since Mia was a diligent studier, of course, she must have studied hard while watching similar types of videos.

“I didn’t exactly call you all to say anything…”

“Anyone could tell you were going to scold us, though?”

Alice retorted but fell silent when I looked at her.

“However, a thumbnail that’s too overly stimulating might bore people later on…”

I tried to say something, but gave up when I received uninterested glances from the other three.

Yep, anything I say here would just sound like an excuse.

Suppressing a sigh, I said,

“You did well. Uploading videos like this sometimes will be helpful.”

“Yeah! I’m sure workout videos will be helpful, too!”

“And horror games too.”

“……”

Now that I think about it, there are workout videos as well.

Is it just my imagination, or does that video title also seem like it would be ‘Eek Parade’?

“By the way, who came up with the video title?”

“……”

This time, Charlotte knelt down and came forward.

No, was it everyone except me?

The view count was great, but still.

*

Our video had garnered an astonishing number of views in such a short time since it was uploaded.

We had only five videos up now, and all the views for videos aside from the “Eek” series just barely surpassed 100,000, while the video of me freaking out during a horror game in tight-fitting clothes had a significantly higher view count.

If I were to ask if we had become completely well-known, that would clearly be a no. But for someone broadcasting, it was immense. Anyone who had ever uploaded a video on that site would probably feel a pang of jealousy.

Moreover, the growth wasn’t stopping; it was still climbing, which was a bit scary.

Well, thinking about it, we did have all the elements to be popular.

Five pretty girls, doing cosplay while gaming, and uploading daily life videos.

And on top of that, we weren’t just pretty; we looked foreign, even down to our names.

Yet legally, we were Korean.

Isn’t it a bizarre charm that completely attracts people?

Of course, we had only disclosed the fact that we were legally Korean in our broadcasts so far.

However,

But here’s the thing—

“……”

I received an email and was seriously contemplating.

Honestly, I had thought that the broadcasting station might contact us. And I also figured that the program would be about foreigners living in the country.

But I never expected the email to come this soon.

“TV broadcast!?”

Claire reacted that way.

“Yes, it’s a broadcast, but this program features foreigners living domestically.”

I know what it is. As far as I know, it wasn’t a show with high ratings. But it was somewhat known.

“……Ah, I see.”

Alice nodded at my words.

Yes.

Except for me, the other four were technically foreigners. Not from this world, but from another country in a different world altogether. They felt that way too.

But the only ones who see themselves as foreigners are them; legally, they are Koreans.

They weren’t ones who had become Korean after coming from abroad or had a foreign parent… nothing like that. They just always were.

Yet their names are foreign.

Well, once we truly start gaining notoriety, the goddess would probably hustle to restore order to the world, so the settings might be filled in somehow, but the issue lay in the difference between how people perceive our actions and the discrepancies recorded by the national agency regarding our identities.

“I might be able to join the broadcasting station someday if they call, but right now I don’t think it’s the right time.”

Even though more than two months was a decent period to adapt to the country, it doesn’t change the fact that a person doesn’t become “one of them.”

Moreover,

“Here, if you read this, you’ll see it mentions that there could be some director involvement.”

And saying there might be ‘involvement’ is no different from saying they will.

“Why would there be direction in capturing our daily lives?”

“Probably to draw out more stimulating scenes.”

I explained to Alice, who had furrowed her brow.

I once read online about how some people had asked for multicultural couples who seemed to be living well to pretend to argue. Perhaps this kind of direction is something similar?

If they ask us, who had always been living together in the living room, to act like we’re fighting, how would that even feel?

“That sounds dreadful.”

With Claire making a face, I decided not to respond to this email.

*

However, it wasn’t just the broadcasting station that thought our life could be a commodity.

Plus it wasn’t only the broadcasting station.

Because we uploaded our gaming broadcasts to the video site, other streamers were also sending us collaboration emails.

“But we don’t have any plans for collaboration at the moment.”

“Good call!”

“But wouldn’t collabing with someone famous increase the viewer count?”

The audience’s responses were mixed.

Some suggested it would be better to keep broadcasting as we are if we weren’t urgently needing to boost income, while others said now that we’ve dipped our toes in, we should dive deeper.

Just yesterday, I was kind of thinking positively about it, though.

“It might be better to think a bit more cautiously. As you all know, we’re people who directly came from Azernar. The more we dig into our backgrounds, the more holes we’ll find.”

“Hahaha!”

“Consistent concept, haha!”

“But they really do look alike.”

I didn’t lie at all.

Well, believe it or not, that’s up to the viewers.

*

In the Chronicles of Aetherna, there are many playable characters.

Even if we exclude the noble faction, there are even commoner faction kids.

Of course, I ended the story before I could get close to any commoner characters in Azernar.

In fact, most of the commoner friend characters surrounding Lily Baker and Roti were also party members I could use.

The commoner characters didn’t have much importance, but still.

“What on earth…?”

The characters who were the most shocked by the incident in the game were the commoner characters.

As the main party exited the academy, there was nothing but desolation outside. It felt a bit like when we invaded the Papal State.

Of course, there were no blazing pillars of fire enveloping the Papal State.

“Dad, Mom…!”

The commoner characters would have likely belonged to quite successful families to have gotten into the academy.

And naturally, many students were children residing in the current Imperial Capital.

Lily Baker was one of them.

On the way to the imperial palace, Lily ran ahead to see her house. Bursting through the door, she found no one inside.

“Where on earth… is everyone?”

Lily knelt on the floor, mumbling in shock, and the scene ended with the party hurrying to look at each other with concerned expressions.

“That’s similar to what we experienced.”

“Does this mean that the incident only happened because Sylvia didn’t act like me?”

When I replied to Alice, she shrugged her shoulders.

“Honestly, it’s hard to say because the events in the game and what we experienced are so different.”

Well… I guess the truth of what happened would come out when I reach the end of the story.

By the way, my personality in the game and my real self is really quite different.

Will I ever find out the reason the goddess chose me by the end of this story?

Chapter 409

The final dungeon is not something to take lightly.

Most Japanese RPGs become like a pig in a slaughterhouse when you increase the difficulty, and turn-based games feel that even more severely than action games.

There’s a set time to wait after hitting once, and when I hit once, the enemy definitely gets to hit me back once too.

Of course, if I’ve leveled up a speed-focused character or an evasion-focused character, that’s not much of a problem.

Besides, I’ve been playing this game for a ridiculously long time. Just by looking at an enemy’s appearance, I can roughly tell what kind of attributes work well against them.

As the series goes on, balancing patches make it impossible to achieve 100% evasion, but hey, just because 100% isn’t possible doesn’t mean 80% isn’t either.

“Wow!”

She’s like her own inspiration… Well, calling it inspiration might be a stretch. It’s more like a completely separate entity, honestly.

Anyway, Claire was amazed seeing ‘Claire,’ who looks just like her, dodging practically all the magic up front.

Some say balanced characters are mediocre on all fronts, but to put it another way, if you set them up right, they can step up in any situation.

Honestly, getting a 70% evasion rate was a bit tight, yet somehow, I was managing it with a stroke of luck.

[Ha! Dodging this one? LOL]

[Just crossing the halfway mark counts as high! LOL]

[Do these probabilities look like a joke?]

In the chat, they were also admiring Claire dodging consecutive spells.

Even if we died, it wouldn’t be a big deal. After all, Charlotte, who I had put in the party, was also a balanced character.

Just because both are magic-physical balance type characters doesn’t mean they’re completely the same. Claire’s skills are all attack types. So, she can completely cope with situations where both magic and physical attacks from the enemy are present. Plus, she has useful self-buff skills.

Charlotte was basically an attack character too, but one of her skills was a group heal. It’s definitely weaker than Mia’s heal, but it can still be quite useful in emergencies.

Moreover, one of the equipped Marmaros turns items into area effects.

So, if either Charlotte or Mia doesn’t fall in this party, the remaining characters can revive and keep fighting like zombies.

This chapter’s final dungeon is the Imperial Capital itself.

As we got closer to the Imperial Palace from the Imperial Capital where civilians had vanished, enemies were pouring out.

“Hey, don’t those enemies kind of resemble what we saw in the royal capital’s underground?”

“Really. They all look like beasts possessed by something. I guess the Papal State is behind this?”

“I think so too.”

“But then, what happened to Sylvia?”

Exactly.

Since this situation arose after Sylvia vanished, I couldn’t think of anything other than that she must have gone over to the Papal State.

But why would she do that?

Is it that the Sylvia from that world decided to somehow align with the Goddess?

“You’ll find out by continuing to play.”

That was my response for now.

*

And—

[Hahaha!]

“……”

The others looked at the character on the monitor, who was swinging her sword and laughing maniacally, with bewildered expressions, aside from me.

Yeah, well.

I already knew what she looked like from the previous game, but I could understand this reaction from those who remembered Sophia’s usual demeanor.

“Um… So, Sophia?”

“At least, that voice is definitely Sophia,” Alice calmly replied to Claire’s murmur.

“…… I’m getting a sense of déjà vu.”

Claire muttered.

Indeed.

If one were to suddenly see a friend depicted as a total psycho in some media they hadn’t seen before, such a reaction would make perfect sense.

Especially since the voice sounds the same. Sure, the game’s dubbing is in Japanese, but it translates to our ears.

[With the power granted by the Prophet, I will stop the unbelievers like you!]

“……”

I was thankful that Sophia wasn’t here.

Or maybe I should be wishing she was.

A blue light was emanating from behind Sophia’s head like a halo.

[That person is……]

Leo looked a bit flustered at seeing Sophia’s appearance.

[Why does she seem so familiar, even though I’m sure I’ve never seen her before?]

And those thoughts drifted out loud.

Looks like this world is tightly woven into the previous game’s backstory.

[Who the heck is this Prophet?]

Alice stepped forward, fuming with her question, but—

[I have nothing to share with unbelievers and heretics like you.]

Sophia said with a smug smile and jumped down from the platform.

[If you came from that world, you must have met Sophia too.]

“Yes, of course.”

I responded to the question that popped up in the chat.

They probably wouldn’t take it seriously, but at least it was proof that our ‘concept’ was getting through.

“She was just a normal girl with a boy she liked, after all.”

“Right? I was really curious if things would turn out alright after the final battle,” Claire muttered.

“Didn’t she get really mad back then?”

“Yeah, I thought Leo might connect with her, that’s why. I wouldn’t mind if Leo were dating someone else, but she’d better be decent.”

“So, you’re saying Sophia was decent?”

Alice questioned with a smile.

“Eh? Of course! If Sophia had that crazy personality, I wouldn’t have approved!”

[What the heck happened? LMAO]

[Sophia without Chuunibyou…]

[I can’t even imagine it!]

I hated Sophia as a character originally, but you know…

“In the end, she even fought alongside us.”

“She was a kind, good person…”

Charlotte and Mia chimed in, each sharing a word about Sophia.

Well, thinking back, she had grown a personality like that because she believed in her own skills, especially since a ‘Prophet’ chose her.

…Still, I can’t help but think that this game’s ‘Prophet’ might be Sylvia, but I quietly kept playing the game.

*

[Even if I fall…… that person……]

Sophia left those words behind before collapsing.

Thankfully, this game isn’t a series known for offing characters without care. Otherwise, Sophia would have died, and the story’s tragedy would have felt more intense.

If I never met Sophia in Azernar, I might have felt relieved, but there’s always an odd discomfort about killing someone you know, even in a virtual world.

The friends I was playing with were growing silent one by one.

While the graphics hadn’t significantly improved, the music was still top-notch for this series. The ominous, melancholic background music gave off a vibe that something very important was about to happen soon.

And then—

[Sylvia!]

Alice in the game shouted.

[Sister!?]

And Claire too.

On the high platform the protagonist’s party was looking up at, there was Sylvia.

However, her outfit was completely different from usual.

She wore a long-sleeved, flowing robe, the sort you’d expect a religious figure to wear in such games.

Of course, underneath it was a skirt, and the side slits revealed her legs, but still.

[Welcome.]

[Sylvia, what the heck happened? Why are you here dressed like that—]

Leo stepped forward and asked, but then he shut his mouth.

Behind Sylvia’s head floated a completed gear.

One gigantic gear.

Soon, the gear started to float, shining behind Sylvia.

The radiating light split like the beams of light from a night photograph, resembling the halos seen in religious paintings.

A blue halo.

Divine yet simultaneously ominous.

“Wow.”

I couldn’t help but be amazed after a long time.

“Looks like they spent a lot of money on this chapter.”

[You had to suffer so much in the motion department, LOL]

[But the graphics are still……]

I had felt that the effects had improved and that the movements had been slightly better, but I never expected they’d use motion capture for every character’s movements in such an important cutscene.

This series typically has characters sliding up steps as if riding a transparent slope. Yet, naturally, one can’t help but be impressed when a character is seen stepping down the stairs properly.

“It would have been nice if they had included more scenes like this in the previous ones.”

[For real, LOL]

[Is this the limit because they are low on budget?]

[It’s improving bit by bit, so maybe the next installment will be even better.]

“Will the series keep coming out until then?”

I thought it would likely keep going even as I answered.

Otherwise, I’d be disappointed if it didn’t.

Chapter 410

Well then.

To be honest, it was a bit embarrassing.

When I was in Azernar, I did have some strict outfits among my costumes. Like a bunny girl.

At that time, I tried to cover my face with a metal plate to somehow neutralize the embarrassment. And honestly, I could avoid looking at myself if I didn’t deliberately try. As long as I didn’t look down, well, you could say my upper chest wasn’t visible.

…No, even if I didn’t look down, it was still somewhat visible. But at least it wasn’t detailed.

But even if I could endure that day, if someone had taken a picture of me and kept it, I would have died from embarrassment.

I might have gone back in time multiple times to burn that photo.

The “Sylvia” appearing on the screen right now wasn’t exactly something I’d find too embarrassing, but—

“Sylvia, it really suits you. You could use it for your wedding dress.”

Alice, with a cheeky grin, said that.

“Isn’t it a bit ambiguous to use as a wedding dress? The upper part should be a little more revealing. Like the shoulders.”

Charlotte casually added fuel to the fire.

“Honestly, you could just use it as it is.”

Unlike the two teasing me openly, Claire said this with a serious expression, resting her chin on her hand.

No, no matter how you look at it, that’s not me. That’s just a polygon mass. It looks totally different when compared to the latest game graphics.

If it were a ★Final Panel★ new title, I might understand.

“Mia, you’re the only serious one here.”

“Huh? Huh?”

I said that out of the blue while petting my head, and Mia was visibly flustered.

“You’re not trying to brush it off now, right? It’s right there on the screen.”

“It’s so blatant that if it were other nobles, they would have jumped right in on your weaknesses.”

“I’d realize it right away, too.”

But all three of them seemed to have made a pact as they placed their hands on Mia’s head.

“What are you doing? What’s going on all of a sudden?”

Mia shouted in shock as if something was broken. This happens every time I pet her head.

It’s definitely the parents’ fault. She should have been showered with affection since childhood, but that didn’t happen.

…Though I can’t say anything since I’ve made cheeky jokes in front of kids before.

Whether the other three caught on to my intentions or not, they succeeded in covering things up at the expense of Mia’s head.

By the way, how is that Sylvia going to fight? Honestly, using firearms in that outfit seems a bit odd. It’s not some high school girl mobile game with cute girls brandishing guns.

[Well then, please come forth.]

[Wait, sis—]

Before Claire could stop Sylvia, the screen went white.

And then,

[Avatar of Order]

The name of the character that had been called Sylvia until just now changed like that.

Just like when the final boss of a game appears, the Avatar of Order Sylvia was the only one there. The battlefield was a limited space, which, to put it simply, was perfect for the enemy’s area-of-effect attack to sweep all allies.

At first glance, it seemed like a very unfair battle, but in reality, it probably wouldn’t be unbalanced.

This game series’ final bosses are surprisingly squishy. The developers are well aware that the space is limited and the enemy’s attack power is strong.

So, if you can somehow withstand the attacks, you can win.

“Are you going to tell us the reason after it’s all over?”

“That’s how this game series works.”

[By the way, Azernar special) Ending takes about an hour to read.]

Can’t argue with that.

Thinking that, I entered the battle.

*

Among the game’s skills, there’s one called the “Ultimate Skill.”

Honestly, it’s not categorized that way, but all characters share the common traits of having an ‘almost full-map range’, ‘various status effects to inflict or remove’, and ‘huge damage, or area heal to recover from incapacitation’. Of course, since the characteristics of that skill differ by character, it was important to choose wisely based on the time and place.

However, the price you have to pay for such power is quite high, as you can only use it after expending skill points, which you gain solely by hitting the enemy or being hit, instead of using limited items.

That’s right. Healing is only possible with ‘limited items.’

In other words, if I had hoarded those limited items like a madman during my playthrough, I could use them to my heart’s content.

I periodically cast the ‘speed buff’ set on Claire and attract aggro using Leo and Alice while taking hits.

Every time it was Charlotte’s turn, I absolutely used the item that recovers skill points. Since Charlotte was set up to turn ‘items into area skills,’ in such a narrow map, it restored the health and skill points of all ally characters.

“…This feels a bit shameful.”

“It feels like we’re exploiting loopholes in the rules.”

Alice and Claire each remarked.

It seemed the fact that the opponent was ‘Sylvia’ weighed on their conscience a bit.

Of course, I, who was actually holding the controller, didn’t care at all.

[The one who wants to erase their black history is youwwwww]

[Don’t wear an embarrassing wedding dress in front of me, lol]

[Was the white outfit that revealed your legs really that embarrassing, Crown Princess?]

Comments trolling me appeared in the chat, but I completely ignored them.

What if I was embarrassed?

“The final boss battle only drags on if you lose focus.”

[Fact) True]

[That’s hard to argue against…]

At the very least, every viewer who has played the game would agree with me.

It’s a turn-based game.

If you drag things out and start getting hit, it’s way too long. Characters falling and getting back up isn’t the issue, but during that process, all the magical power and skill points would get wiped out, and recovering that takes even more time.

And if I just hit normally, the damage is just minuscule.

So you have to push hard all at once.

As Charlotte’s healing skill had the characters unleash their ultimate skills like crazy, Sylvia’s health bar dropped in an instant.

When I was actually in Azernar, I had to deal with ‘reality’ so I employed various tricks, but… that’s why game cutscenes are great. It feels like I’m truly doing something while not having to argue about any setting or anything.

“The main character and their party did their best and defeated it!” How wonderful of a scene is that?

[Keugh…]

As the health gauge hit zero, a cutscene showed Sylvia saying that and retreating.

Thud.

The halo floating behind Sylvia’s head cracked.

“Hey sis, just stop now…”

[For reasons I can’t figure out, Sylvia, it’s not too late!]

Claire and Alice cried out.

The space created by order was starting to crumble.

“No, that’s not it. Not yet, it’s not over yet…”

Sylvia said, glaring at Leo’s party as she rose from her spot.

Thus began the second phase.

Well, calling it a second phase might be a stretch. The developers undoubtedly knew it would be unreasonable to make a stronger second phase.

With all items used up and no magic or skill points left in the characters to heal anymore, this was a sufficient event battle that could still take her down.

As I chipped away at her health bar one more time,

Thud.

The halo behind Sylvia’s head finally shattered.

[…Phew.]

Sylvia seemed to have finally let out a sigh of relief, laughing softly.

[Wait, Sylvia…!]

[Thank you, everyone. This is it, it’s all over…]

[What do you mean, Sylvia! It’s not over yet!]

But even as Leo shouted that and reached out, Sylvia simply smiled softly as she fell backward without a word.

[No, no… Sis!]

[Claire, don’t worry. I was never meant to exist in your life. There’s nothing to regret.]

…She was falling, but very slowly.

[Sylvia?]

Alice called Sylvia as if asking what she was talking about.

[As an avatar of the goddess, I was an artificial being made to maintain order beside you all… but…]

Sylvia smiled.

As if time was flowing slowly in a space where all order had crumbled, Sylvia was slowly being drawn into the abyss.

[Being with all of you has changed my perspective a little, maybe. Even without my presence, you all have done enough—]

[Wait, no way.]

Charlotte’s expression turned to shock as if she realized something.

[As the avatar of the goddess, being eliminated by you all. That’s how I destroy the will of ‘Order.’]

Sylvia seemed satisfied, closing her eyes.

[…May you all find peace. Return everything you’ve achieved back to your hands—]

But before Claire could finish her sentence—

Something sharp rapidly surged from within that abyss and pierced Sylvia’s back.

Bright red blood splattered everywhere, and we all watched as Sylvia was impaled by the black spear—

Amid the children’s screams—

And then, darkness fell.

“…Huh.”

“It seems that wasn’t the end after all.”

I maneuvered the controller, saving as I spoke.

“Kind of a letdown, huh?”

When Alice asked that, I shrugged my shoulders.

“It’s been like this often in the previous installments.”

To be honest, the first part was somewhat extreme.

And then the sequel came out almost two years later.

[But this is the final chapter now.]

[Just a few more hours and we’ll be done.]

It’s a feature of this game that you catch something like a final boss and still have to play for the time it takes to see the ending in other games.

Shall we call it a day here for today’s stream?

Chapter 411

“Does that mean my sister could have ended up like that?”

Claire said it with such a serious face that I shook my head.

“There was almost no chance of that happening to me. I’m a completely different person after all.”

Of course, the Sylvia in the game spoke formally like me and acted emotionlessly in front of people. If someone didn’t know me well, they might not be able to tell the difference between me and that Sylvia.

“Well, to be fair, Sylvia does have a bit of a careless planning style.”

…No, that’s not the kind of distinction I was asking for.

When I turned to look at Alice after hearing her words, Charlotte chimed in.

“Actually, it’s more accurate to say that it’s not that the plans were immaculate, but rather that she succeeded by trying again and again even after failing.”

“That’s true for the game’s Sylvia too, isn’t it?”

“But the game’s Sylvia had zero humanity compared to you.”

“True.”

Claire responded to Alice’s remark.

Hmm… While I appreciated the comment, I thought I shouldn’t agree with the accusation of being humane in front of Mia, who had been staring at me since earlier.

If I really wanted to know how things got this way, I could just play the game right now.

But if I did that, I wouldn’t be able to show a genuine response during the stream. The viewers don’t really like it when we are playing games without streaming.

“Let’s start preparing soon.”

At my words, all the kids went into the rooms they had decided to stay in.

Then everyone came back out with blankets.

We had beds, but none of us actually used them.

How strange.

*

During the day we played, in the evening we streamed, and our routine included preparing together and checking how brightly the Zibo was shining.

Today, Zibo was shining quite brightly.

“But it’s not as bright as when Mia and Charlotte came over.”

“Why is that? We should be way more famous now than we were back then.”

Mia tilted her head in confusion.

That was a fair point.

Considering that our names had been formally introduced online, and we received requests from broadcasting stations or other streamers asking to collaborate, it was clear we had gained significantly more fame than when the three of us were just hanging out.

“Maybe it’s because people have adapted to us.”

I said, looking at Zibo.

“It might be that now, having two additional people joining the stream seems more natural to everyone than when the three of us first started.”

“Plus, unlike back then, we’ve adapted to this world much better now.”

I thought winning the lottery was surely the Goddess’s trick to keep me from leaving this place.

If that thought was correct, then the current situation was indeed going as the Goddess intended.

“It seems we might need to change the content of our streams a bit.”

At my words, the kids all looked over at me.

“How?”

“It’s important that people don’t think we’re just doing… ‘cosplay’.”

I slowly opened my mouth.

“Rather than appealing that we differ while playing the game, I think it would be better to properly tell our story.”

“Oh, like we did last time?”

Charlotte asked.

“Exactly. We can emphasize that the stories we share are real experiences, regardless of whether anyone believes us or not.”

“That sounds fun.”

Alice said with a smile.

“Honestly, I’ve got quite a few stories I wanted to share anyway. It wouldn’t be bad to let it all out at this opportunity.”

…Seems like she has a lot built up.

Did losing to me during childhood really affect her that much?

It probably did, for sure. It would be less frustrating if it was just because of a lack of ability, but I had been using cheap tricks all along.

“So, will we get to hear all about Sylvia?”

“Huh?”

I found myself inadvertently asking that in response to Charlotte’s question.

“I meant, like how we each have stories we’ve kept inside, doesn’t Sylvia have her own stories too?”

“……”

“Now that we’ve come to this world, didn’t she have a family here?”

Hmm…

“I had thought about maybe going to meet them…”

But still, it’s a bit awkward to have a stranger follow you around, especially since we stand out so much.

Even if I tried to watch from a distance, who knows when or how my family would show up. Even if there were some patterns, spotting them within that pattern would be even tougher. Standing outside during rush hour would certainly get me noticed.

“If it’s uncomfortable to meet them, then you don’t have to force it… but this is a story from your past that you’ve never shared, so why not share it?”

“……”

A story from my time in this world.

There’s not much special about it.

If I were some big shot with tons of friends and experiences, I might have some stories to tell. If I had a girlfriend, I could share dating stories.

But before going to this world, I just repeated the grind between home and work, played games in my free time, and met up with friends for a drink whenever I had some spare time.

And other than that… perhaps stories about my time wandering the internet?

“……”

So, um, I don’t think I was being a troll, but I certainly wrote some random nonsense while posting on the Azernar Chronicles forum.

But that was something people commonly did on the internet, and truthfully, I wasn’t saying anything problematic about real people.

I’ve made a fuss about winning before, tweaked my translations to make them slightly more palatable, and had my攻略 posts rebutted. But still, it didn’t really seem like I was actually harming anyone, so what’s the big deal?

…Yeah.

There’s no need to talk about that. Who shares what they read on random websites with everyone?

“I don’t have much to offer, but I could share a few stories from my childhood.”

That was all I managed to say.

*

The next day.

Just because we’re together doesn’t mean we have to be out all day.

By nature, I was someone who preferred to stay indoors, watching streaming sites or movies, dramas, or reading comics during my free time.

Though Claire is generally pretty social, she doesn’t spend all her time away from home.

Charlotte has a moderately social personality but doesn’t venture out much alone.

Alice surprisingly leans strongly towards being a homebody, and Mia, well, there’s no need to explain her.

Today, no one said, “Let’s take the day off at home.” But somehow, a mutual desire to relax at home manifested, and we ended up all staying indoors together.

“……”

Strangely, while everyone was in the living room, we were each deeply focused on our respective tasks—

“Pfft.”

Claire let out a laugh.

Since she was right next to me, I felt a little concerned, but I generally didn’t like it when others meddled when I showed that kind of side.

So I intended to ignore her until—

“Sister, look at this.”

Our social butterfly Claire didn’t seem content to keep laughing about it alone.

Well, since I was a little interested, I followed her words and glanced at her smartphone, instantly freezing in shock.

From the looks of it, Claire hadn’t seen it.

Azernar Minor Gallery.

……That was a site I frequently used before. It was a gathering place for people playing my favorite series, and I had become somewhat known there.

“This person apparently wrote about the follow-up to the Chronicles of Azernar last year, but it looks like everything was wrong. They went missing after getting flamed all over.”

[Didn’t they get every prediction wrong regarding the vibes? LOLOL]

This post titled that compared everything I had written against the latest work and was openly bashing me.

“……”

“Hey? Sister, what’s up?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Seeing me start to sweat, Claire asked, but I shook my head.

Could it be that as we gained fame, the gallery was revitalized?

It was only natural, considering that was the very first place I’d gone after our first stream to check responses.

“More than that, this person apparently used to say a lot of weird things because they wanted to win?”

“……”

“They would get way too into their characters and even fight with people. I heard someone said ‘Claire’ and they ended up writing a lengthy rebuttal.”

My shoulders relaxed a bit.

Phew.

Thinking back, I often messed with the settings but never outright bashed any characters, so that’s a relief.

The only character I outright roasted was Sophia.

……

Though that is definitely something that must not be revealed.

Chapter 412

“Hmm? Sis, your expression doesn’t look good. Are you sick?”

“……”

What should I even say?

To be honest, I had intended to hide this until the end—no, I wasn’t planning to say anything at all. So, it’s not like I actually hid it.

That’s right. I haven’t hidden anything. Hiding and not mentioning it are completely different things, aren’t they?

In the first place, even if I’d gained a bit of fame with the nickname on a not-so-famous minor gallery, it’s not like I’d be known by everyone on the internet. I mean, no matter how famous you are on streaming sites, there are always people who don’t know you at all.

Besides, it’s not like I’m creating something; I’m just buying etymology books and translating some information or translating magazine interviews, or creating a script before the Korean version is out… The only famous part about me is that, and there’s surely someone who remembers my nickname—

—Yeah, I suppose there would be, just like what Claire showed me.

“… I think I have a slight fever. It might just be a cold.”

But now, the story had changed a bit.

That’s right. Just because I didn’t intend to hide it doesn’t mean I wasn’t planning to reveal it. I don’t actually know what that means, but in any case, my mind has changed. Since the situation has changed, isn’t it natural for my assumptions to change too? Initially, I had no intention of hiding it, but since I wasn’t planning on revealing it either, if someone were to dig up that dark history without my knowing, of course, I would naturally start thinking about hiding it.

No, more than that, the characters I wrote back then were simply ‘characters’ and not real people, so there’s really no dark history to speak of.

If my friend finds out, the only one who would actually care would be the person who plays that game with me, and that person wasn’t even part of the entire community.

“Didn’t you stay in all day today? You were fine until the morning.”

Of course, Claire’s eyes were filled with worry as she said that to me. It’s not like she wanted to blame me, but she probably needed to figure out why I was sick to grasp the situation.

“Just lie down for now. Should I take you to your bed?”

“……”

Since I wasn’t actually sick at all, I felt terribly guilty for displaying such a reaction.

“What’s wrong? Why are you like this? What happened?”

As I got up with Claire’s help—even though I hadn’t said anything, she took it upon herself to support me—Alice asked, surprised.

“She said she’s sick. I think it’s a cold.”

“A cold? But you didn’t go out today! It wasn’t like you exercised or anything.”

Alice made a very valid point. It was exactly what Claire had said.

Exactly. Usually, you don’t catch a cold just from being at home. I’m not that active of a person, anyway.

As Claire and Alice spoke, Charlotte and Mia naturally reacted as well.

“Are you saying Sylvia is sick?”

“Where does it hurt? Magic… Ah, that won’t work here.”

No, you can just do what you were doing!

Besides, there’s no need for two people to support me when I’m not even sick.

In the first place, a cold isn’t a huge deal. Sure, it might hurt a bit, but it’s not like I can’t walk at all, right?

“Could it be something that I ate today?”

“But if that was the case, we all would be sick.”

It was quite bothersome to be caught in the middle of Claire and Alice discussing this.

That’s right. Honestly, I felt embarrassed. I ended up acting all sick from saying just the wrong word.

… Ever since I forgot about reversing time, I’ve never felt the need for that ability more intensely than today.

“……”

Without meaning to, I found myself lying in the middle of our room, staring at the ceiling.

There was already a wet towel on my forehead. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any medicine on hand, so I couldn’t take anything.

… But can you take cold medicine even if you’re not sick?

No, more importantly, I don’t get why they’re not leaving the room while I’m lying here.

The room wasn’t exactly spacious; it had three desks, three beds, and a wardrobe, so it couldn’t have much spare room. There was a space to sit on the floor, but it wouldn’t be very spacious at all.

The kids sat between Claire and my beds and started chatting away.

Is this just going to become a habit?

“So, what was that post you were looking at earlier?”

Alice asked Claire with curious interest.

Claire answered while showing Alice her smartphone.

“Yeah. The world we were in is known as a game in this world, right? It’s only natural that there are fans and enthusiasts out there. And this person has been involved in related communities for a long time, writing all sorts of speculative posts.”

Not a community, but a forum.

I don’t even know the faces of the users. No, even from the start, if I had posted something like that, I would’ve been immediately shut down.

I know that from experience.

And it’s not like I only wrote speculative posts! I also wrote a lot of helpful tips! I’ve been banned several times, but I avoided permanent ban because of that!

Of course, later on, my position became precarious because of the translation tools, and I got banned again!

“This is just wrong in every way. Especially… What is this? My bust size? Even if we assume that someone might guess that, isn’t it just too ignorant about a girl’s underwear size?”

I wanted to cover my ears, but if I did that, they’d notice I wrote it, so I gritted my teeth and ignored it.

“And I didn’t have any hidden siblings. If I did, there would be no reason for Father to have made me the heir.”

Charlotte said.

No, that kind of setting is pretty common in these games, isn’t it? I thought there would be some new character or something.

“I’m just glad there were almost no speculations about me.”

Ah, that’s a relief. Now that I think about it, I didn’t write much about Mia.

In fact, if I did have speculations about that, it would lead into Claire’s story.

She was a character I had seriously considered whether to buy a figure of, so naturally, I didn’t want anyone criticizing her or putting her down.

Usually, some fans of these games have a repertoire of complaints when it comes to characters with such pasts.

It was hinted in the game that Claire’s father was killed, and the reason was fairly clear, but I was hesitating to judge whether he deserved to die until I confirmed it myself.

In the end, I did go with killing him.

“… But there are posts like this. ‘Why Claire is a virgin.’”

“……”

“This is a bit… awkward.”

Charlotte frowned slightly at Claire’s words.

“I get a feeling that someone likes her, but, uh, that’s a bit… yeah.”

Alice looked as if she was contemplating how to judge this.

“Honestly, doesn’t it give you the creepies?”

Mia cut it short.

My heart felt like a knife pierced it over all of that.

No, I mean.

At that time, they were just characters in a game. Who’d be talking about human rights while talking about game characters?

“Someone who wasted time in many ways—”

“—That’s not true.”

Ah.

I messed up.

I unintentionally retorted to Alice’s words.

But still, I wanted to say that’s not the case.

“I wrote guides and translated info. Even if it looks like that, people must have benefitted a lot from the things I wrote.”

When I suddenly jumped up and said that, the kids looked at me with dazed expressions.

“Uh.”

“And that guiding and translating takes much more time and effort than you might think. Do you know how hard it is to learn a language from another country without any abilities? And since it’s free translation, it’s only natural that I can throw in a few personal opinions as a bit of fun. It’s not like I’m being paid for it, so isn’t it ridiculous to nitpick about the accuracy? If you think your skills are better, go ahead and translate it yourself—”

“Uh, sis.”

Claire said in a very composed manner.

“Is this person your sister? Are you angry because she’s your sister?”

“……”

Thud.

I collapsed right into the bed.

And I pulled the covers up to cover my head.

“Sis, sis!? Wait, I’m sorry!”

“Uh, I’m sorry! I didn’t know it was you writing that…!”

“I mistook Sylvia for someone from this side!”

“… Was this the reason I’m sick?”

Mia’s last question hurt a lot.

“Don’t worry, sis. You thought we were just characters. The truth is, it wasn’t me who wrote it, but I just wrote it down after seeing a character that looked like me. Yeah, if I thought I was going to meet them in real life, I wouldn’t have been able to write something like that.”

… Ah, that was a kind thing to say.

Yeah, that’s right. I wasn’t writing about Claire or Alice. I was just putting down my impressions of the characters I had seen.

So—

I peeked my face out from under the blanket.

There was Claire smiling brightly at me.

“So, since you wrote something like this, could you read it out loud?”

[Claire is the most virtuous and pure character in the Chronicles of Aetherna, and any claims to the contrary are completely wrong.]

That was the last line of my ‘Claire the Virgin’ post.

“……”

I stared at the post for a moment before pulling the blanket back over my head.

And for about ten minutes, I kicked the air above the blanket.

Chapter 413

There are various kinds of silence.

Generally, silence is awkward and uncomfortable. People are social animals, so even those who don’t particularly enjoy talking to others feel uneasy when left silent with just one person.

Even while feeling like they shouldn’t say anything, they end up letting out a sigh of relief once they finally escape that situation.

When you get into an elevator, everyone pulls out their smartphones or just stares at the changing numbers for a reason.

Well, I suppose people who have completely lost any semblance of social grace would find situations without conversation to be completely natural, but I don’t think I am that far gone.

If the silence isn’t uncomfortable and awkward, it likely means everyone has something they want to say but is just holding back.

And if we’re going to nitpick, the silence hanging in the air right now was that kind.

To be more precise, it was the kind of silence teetering on the edge of laughter yet somehow being kept in check—it was only the one person who was the source of that laughter that felt less than pleasant.

Yep. That person was me.

More specifically, it was those writings I had penned in the past.

“Ahem!”

Claire finally stifled her laughter with a cough.

What could I do when those writings were going to flash before my eyes for the entire time I could use the internet here unless I read them right now?

Of course, I briefly considered just calling the service provider to cut off my internet, but honestly, I felt that would be far worse.

Besides, what was I supposed to do if someone who makes a living through internet broadcasts lost their internet?

So, with a face of pure determination, I tried to read it, but the weight of the text was heavy enough to crush the iron plate I tried to put on my face.

After enduring it all the way to the point where the noblest and purest character in the Azernar series was declared to be Claire, I was knocked down flat on my bed.

I dropped to my knees and covered myself with the blanket.

However, even peeking through the blanket, I could see no sign of anyone leaving the room.

“Don’t worry too much, big sis.”

Claire patted my back gently.

“After all, it’s just us who know that you were that person. As long as you don’t mention it on broadcast, no one will catch on.”

“…Well, the fact that everyone here knows is the most important point.”

Honestly, if the people in this room didn’t know, then who else would—no, of course, my family living in my previous life’s world would be excluded, but I couldn’t care less what anyone else thought.

Right? After all, to others, Claire is just Claire from the game. No matter how much I debate with someone about being a virgin, it would just come off as nonsense. I’ve had actual arguments over such things with friends before.

In fact, it might even be a point of interest. At first glance, I appeared to be a ‘foreign beauty who speaks Korean exceptionally well and understands otaku culture.’

But, but think about it.

What if my younger sister caught me? And what if her friends did too?

Wouldn’t I just want to die? At least right now, I wanted to die.

I felt like running to the goddess and asking for anything—not really, just begging for the ability to turn back time.

“Yeah, Sylvia. Don’t worry too much.”

Alice, cutting in, made it sound like she was the one worrying.

No, more importantly, did she find this situation that delightful? Even though it hasn’t been determined which one of us is the older sister, didn’t she think of us as sisters at least a little?

“Anyway, it looks like it’s already decided that I’ll be the older sister between you and Sylvia.”

“……”

I pulled the blanket I had covering my head down to reveal my face.

“What are you talking about?”

Hearing that when I thought I hadn’t been decided raised my hackles.

“Ah, she’s coming out now.”

“Well, wouldn’t you come out without listening to that?”

I sat up on the bed, leaning against the edge. Claire sat beside me on the floor, looking up, while Mia sat next to her.

Alice and Charlotte perched on the bed.

“By age, I am older than you, though.”

“Not that we’ve been dividing ages that way until now, right?”

“That’s because I was being considerate and didn’t mention it.”

“Big sis… isn’t it a bit weird to say that after reading something like that a moment ago?”

I felt like Claire’s words hit my heart like a punch, but I held back for the moment.

“Claire, isn’t this quite an important topic? If I acknowledge being Alice’s sister here, then you also become Alice’s sister. And that makes you my little sister.”

“……”

Claire’s expression froze in an instant.

“Y-You’ve never mentioned that before, and now you decide to drop it in like that, making it seem like you’re just trying to push me down to maintain your rank as the big sister, huh?”

“It definitely looks that way.”

Charlotte remarked with amusement, barely holding back a laugh.

Claire stood up and sat down next to me. Mia was clearly enjoying the switch between the two sides as if watching a ping-pong match.

“Alright, I agree with what you said. Even if a person has some childish parts, it doesn’t take away from their age. Besides, you have your duties as a big sister and, well, the things you wrote were to defend me, right?”

“Then what about the article I wrote about my chest?”

I almost spit out blood.

“That means you were vigorous at one point as well, huh?”

I was way past my puberty age.

“And besides, you also directly received salvation from your big sister, didn’t you? You said she took care of your childhood pretty well, right?”

“That’s right. During Alice’s childhood—”

“Wait a moment.”

Alice interjected, raising a hand.

“Fine, fine. Let’s just keep things as they’ve been up to now.”

“What kind of childhood did you go through that made you react like that to just one word?”

“Nothing special. It’s not a particularly interesting story. At least it’s not as amusing as what Sylvia has written.”

“If that’s the case, can’t we just tell it? Hmm, then let me share this story: Alice, when she first met you—”

“No! Just wait! Wait a second, Sylvia. I messed up.”

As soon as I brought up something not from her ‘distant childhood’ but something from ‘last year,’ Alice quickly cut in.

That’s right.

Everything that was going to come to light has already come to light. Even if bringing up that time made me feel like I’d spit blood, there was no longer anything to hide.

But Alice still had weaknesses.

“What’s this? What is it? If it’s related to me and you cut it off like that, it’s too concerning!”

“It’s nothing.”

“If it’s nothing at all, can’t I say it?”

“No, I mean it’s a mistake!”

“Then just what kind of story is this that prompts such a reaction?”

Claire looked at the two of us bickering with a completely incredulous expression. Mia was swapping glances between Alice and me, mouth agape.

This nonsensical exchange continued for several more minutes.

*

In the end, we agreed not to bring up each other’s pasts.

Of course, it wasn’t that Charlotte, who didn’t know about the existence of weaknesses, and Claire, who probably wouldn’t think of it as something shameful, were not included in this agreement.

…Mia, however, had a dark history where anything she brought up would deliver critical hits to the person talking.

So even though it was a shaky agreement when you got down to it, I understood that no one here would gossip about my past when others weren’t around.

I understood, but—

“Hmph~”

Seeing Claire fiddling with her smartphone, seemingly enjoying herself, still made me a little uneasy.

So, wasn’t that indicating she could bring it up in front of me, not in front of others?

Each time, it felt like I’d take a mental blow.

…I really should treat Claire exceptionally well.

“……”

Once again, silence fell over the room.

…

Come to think of it, we’ve been in this room since before.

“…Everyone, how about watching a movie? There’s still some popcorn and soda left in the kitchen.”

“Oh, let’s go!”

Claire leaped up at my suggestion.

“It feels like you’re trying to change the subject, but today, I’ll let it slide.”

Charlotte also got up.

Alice stood up with a rather joyful expression. Of course, it probably wasn’t related to the movie at all.

“Popcorn!”

…Mia seemed more interested in food than the movie.

Well, I guess I managed to get through this situation somehow.

I sighed deeply and stood up.

Chapter 414

The doorbell rang, and when I opened the door, there were two enormous boxes waiting for me. One was smaller than the other, but still larger than a normal package. The delivery person had already taken the elevator downstairs.

It wasn’t anything too unusual. Most of my money was still in my bank account, but the others living with me had used it together.

Back when I lived in the villa, I splurged only a little to save up extra money whenever I got cash, but ever since I won the lottery, I didn’t feel the need to do that anymore.

It’s not like they were buying hundreds of thousands of won worth of luxury goods at once, and besides, even if they did, I had enough money to handle it for a while, so I wasn’t too concerned.

But this delivery today—

…is pretty big.

One of the boxes was almost as tall as my thighs. In fact, it was slightly shorter than my height.

Thanking the delivery person for bringing it this far, I lifted the box.

It wasn’t unliftable by myself, but it was still quite heavy. As I lifted it, I heard something moving around inside with a rustle rustle sound.

“Oooh, did the package arrive?”

Claire came running to help me after seeing me open the door.

“Did you buy this, Claire?”

“Yep, it’s mine!”

Claire said with a big smile.

Could it be something like a teddy bear the size of a person? I tried to imagine what kind of large item Claire would buy, but I couldn’t really picture it. In fact, since it was Claire, it wouldn’t be weird no matter what it was.

After placing one box in the entrance, Claire returned with a smaller box than the one we’d brought in.

“Hmmm~”

She thought for a moment and then said, “I think we should take both to the living room and open them.”

“What’s going on?”

Alice must have heard the sound of us moving heavy objects because she dashed out and widened her eyes when she saw the box that was almost the same height as mine.

“Oh, perfect! Could you help me move this to the living room? I can lift it by myself, but the size is just too awkward.”

“What’s up?”

Once one person came out, others began to follow. The temperature was starting to drop, making us spend more time indoors. Still, we usually went out for meals about half the week before returning home.

But the idea of bringing the table into the warm living room and having a hot pot or shabu-shabu sounded pretty nice.

In the end, Charlotte and Mia also came out to help move the box.

“Phew.”

Alice sighed quietly, resting her hands on her hips as she gazed at the box.

The presence of the two boxes taking up the center of the living room was quite significant.

“So, what is this? It doesn’t look like an appliance inside.”

If it were a home appliance of that size, it would definitely be heavier. And if I pressed down on the box, it probably wouldn’t have caved in like that.

Was it something square like the box itself? During the moving process, the corners had already been bent. It was probably some evidence of it getting banged around during the delivery.

“Fufu. This is—”

Claire hurriedly went inside, grabbed a cutter knife, and pulled out just the tip of the blade.

Then she started slicing along the edges of the box from top to bottom.

As she cut through the lengthwise tape on each corner, the box opened in four directions, as though that was how it was supposed to be opened.

“……”

And we were left speechless when we saw what was inside the box.

“Tada~!”

Claire spread her arms wide towards the box, announcing it.

I turned my gaze outside the window without saying a word. The days had been getting shorter lately, but it was still daylight, and the outside scenery was very visible.

The weather had gotten quite dry and chilly, but it hadn’t started snowing yet.

Wait, didn’t they say it had already snowed for the first time in Gangwon-do? Well, at least here in Seoul, I hadn’t seen any snow yet.

But I hadn’t thought about that; it was only the second week of November.

…Isn’t it a bit early to be seeing Christmas trees?

“Oh, you don’t have to worry. It’s fake. You won’t have to water it or change the soil. Plus, after this Christmas, I can just stash it away in storage to take out next year!”

Considering that Claire, who came from Azernar, where the religious beliefs are clearly different from this world, was going to celebrate the day honoring the birth of the saint from this world’s religion indicates quite a remarkable adaptability.

Still, it felt a bit unsettling to assume I would be here this time next year, but I decided to set that aside.

“There’s still over a month until Christmas, though.”

“Sis, you really don’t get it.”

Well, telling me that, who lives in this world, isn’t exactly helpful.

“Those kinds of things are usually prepared in season. I mean, who really only brings out the tree on Christmas Day and then puts it back in storage right after?”

Well, that’s true.

When you look at stores, they usually start showing their Christmas stuff around December and slowly take it down by the end of January.

But still, don’t people generally not decorate their homes with a tree? Maybe in Europe or America, but abroad, it appears only marketing makes a big fuss over holidays. Unless they’re from really devout Christian households.

Though, looking at it, I suppose we do seem like the type to celebrate Christmas and Halloween without fail.

……

Let’s avoid the topic of Halloween. Claire would surely insist we prepare for it late. After all, she is the type to get ready for Christmas in November, so she wouldn’t care that Halloween was a little over a week ago.

“Why? Don’t wanna…?”

“…Nope, not at all.”

As we continued to remain silent, Claire spoke with a slightly more uncertain expression, prompting me to smile and reply.

“I guess we’ll just have to decorate since we bought it anyway. It’ll be a hassle to deal with it all over again in December.”

Claire’s face brightened at my words.

Alice and Charlotte couldn’t help but smile as well.

Mia, meanwhile, still looked a bit curious, glancing at the other box that hadn’t been opened yet.

Oh, right.

She probably hasn’t had much experience with things like this.

“Shall we open this one too?”

Claire eagerly cut the tape on the relatively smaller box with the cutter knife.

And what emerged from the opened box was—

“Tada!”

Huh.

I had expected it to contain little lights or wreaths for decoration, but instead, there were a bunch of items that were completely unrelated to Christmas.

Why is there a plastic pumpkin?

“I didn’t realize until after, but among the holidays, there’s something called Halloween, right?”

No, that’s not a holiday from our country.

Of course, if you think about it, according to their standards, both Korean festivals and Western festivals are all “foreign holidays.”

I’m not sure if Halloween is considered a festival abroad or not.

By the way, we didn’t have to bother with things like ancestral rites during Chuseok. Instead, we just went outside and enjoyed the emptiness of the streets of Seoul with far fewer people. Claire seemed a little disappointed we didn’t do the rites, though.

Maybe this, in some way, was a reaction to spending that holiday not feeling like a holiday?

“Oh, don’t worry! We have all the Christmas decorations prepared for sure!”

As she said that, Claire started pulling out tiny lights from deep inside the box.

“Oh, Halloween items were ridiculously cheap!”

Of course they would be. Halloween had already passed.

Well, I had enough sense to keep those thoughts to myself.

*

In the end, the decorations turned out to be quite bizarre.

There was space to put the tree. Since it was a fake tree anyway and didn’t require concerns about sunlight, I just placed it randomly between the window and the TV.

There was a star on top, and the twinkling little lights wrapped around it met the conditions for being a Christmas tree, but…

The attachments were fluorescent ghosts, jack-o’-lanterns, and all that kind of stuff.

Additionally, instead of hanging large socks for Santa to put presents in, there was a plastic jack-o’-lantern placed under the TV.

In between them were candy cane-shaped ornaments and sparkling star-shaped decorations, making it look even more like a joke.

If I really had to say, the overall atmosphere definitely screamed Halloween. Among Halloween costumes, Santa costumes exist too.

“Um, fantastic!”

Is it really fantastic?

“Are you planning to leave it like this until next January?”

“Hmm? No, I can’t just keep the Halloween decorations until Christmas or anything. By the end of this month, I’ll take down the Halloween decorations.”

…But it does feel like way too much decoration to take down. But again, I decided not to say anything this time.

So… I guess it means I’ll be stuck living with this bizarre interior state until the end of November?

Well, at least it’s cheerful, so that’s nice.

It is kind of a hassle that, after unpacking everything, some clothing-like items were stuck at the very bottom of the box, but I decided not to think too deeply about it.

Chapter 415

I think if anyone around me knows how to enjoy life to the fullest, it’s definitely Claire.

Most people can’t be bothered to remember foreign holidays, but she makes a point to celebrate them.

Of course, even some Koreans dress up for Halloween and throw parties. But unless you’re quite passionate about it, you probably wouldn’t go to such lengths.

Thinking about it, Claire is something of an ‘influencer’ in that sense. If she were born in this world, her smartphone would be packed with countless contacts.

Though, come to think of it, she didn’t have that many friends in Azernar.

…Could it be my fault?

Being around someone as socially awkward as me might have deprived her of the chance to make friends in the triple digits.

Now that Halloween has passed, is the urge to dress up related to her influencer instincts erupting?

“How about it?”

Seeing Claire holding her costume with a big grin, we were momentarily at a loss for words.

No one had really put it on yet, but that outfit looked like something witches would wear.

Did you know? Even in Azernar, where actual mages exist, there aren’t any women magicians with such archetypical witch costumes. So, this witch image is something she learned after coming to this world.

Her learning ability is quite scary.

“It looks pretty! I think it would really suit you, Claire.”

“Huh? What are you talking about, sis? Obviously, we should all wear it together!”

Yeah, that seems about right.

“Do you know? Our workout video views skyrocketed to an alarming level! If we keep dressing like gaming characters, it’s going to lose its freshness! We need to switch up the outfits according to the occasion!”

Speaking of timing, Halloween is already long gone, and even if we wanted to match the location, we’re not even broadcasting outside.

Of course, saying such things to the exuberant Claire wouldn’t matter anyway.

I looked back at the other three. They all seemed somewhat bewildered, but oddly interested.

…As I pointed out earlier, the image of a ‘black-cloaked witch’ doesn’t really exist in this world.

So, it’s understandable if they didn’t feel like Claire’s outfit was particularly special. They might just think it has a fresh design.

Alice didn’t seem to have any objections even when she wore a hanbok last time. Of course, I also wore it without any issues back then.

Wondering how to explain that a hanbok is different from a witch’s attire, I decided to just give up.

*

[What? Is it Halloween? Didn’t it just pass?]

“You do know it passed, huh?”

Eventually, we donned the witch outfits and started the broadcast.

Not all witch costumes are the same. Claire’s and mine were your typical “Gothic-style” outfits. Honestly, without the hats, it would be hard to tell they were witch attire.

Alice and Charlotte’s costumes were a bit more subdued in decoration but revealed a bit of cleavage.

Alice seemed a bit bashful putting hers on, but surprisingly, Charlotte had no resistance at all. From what I’ve heard, the dresses worn at gatherings and parties are often even more revealing than this. Still, the back was not particularly exposed.

Now, Mia’s outfit… was honestly closer to a magical girl than a witch. Unlike our mainly black costumes, hers was a vibrant purple.

Though it suited her, I would definitely not pick that one if I had to choose an outfit for everyday wear.

Not that we were going outside anyway.

“Even though Halloween has passed, we didn’t celebrate it, right? So this is our slightly late Halloween special broadcast!”

At least we can be glad it’s not an early Christmas broadcast?

There’s no doubt she’ll be preparing Santa outfits for Christmas.

“And!”

Claire leaned forward to grab the mouse. I quickly moved back to give her space.

She wanted to decide the content of today’s broadcast herself, so I let her be. After all, I didn’t prepare anything big for today.

As long as she doesn’t make us sweat while wearing these costumes, I’m fine.

“Today’s broadcast is this!”

“…What’s this?”

And the game Claire set up was something I had never heard of or seen before.

“Voice Recognition Game!”

Ah, I think I remember hearing about those.

Even among major games, there are some that utilize voice recognition, but it’s not common to use that as the main content. Even if it’s fun for a time or two, playing such a game alone can feel kind of awkward.

Besides, even if it’s called voice recognition, the tech that actually recognizes ‘voice’ is more advanced than you’d think. When the language changes, it has to be developed anew, so usually, it just reacts to the loudness of the sound. You might have to blow into the microphone or, on the other hand, not breathe or scream.

The most unique indie game I saw was one where you had to shout while controlling the pitch of your voice.

“Tada!”

But the game Claire brought out was a bit different from that.

It seemed like a completely new type of game.

It looked like a side-scrolling shooting game.

“This isn’t an officially released game yet; it’s a shooting game being developed by an indie game maker in the U.S.”

Having accumulated experience from streaming so far, Claire skillfully explained the game.

From what I heard, the game itself was a very difficult bullet hell shooting game if you just played normally.

However, there’s one unique aspect about this seemingly standard shooting game – the ‘bombs.’

In typical shooting games, you have a few lives, and there’s a super attack where you wipe out all enemies with a barrage. In this game, you can use those bombs infinitely. Magical girls confront enemies with courage, after all.

But, those bombs can’t just be used by pressing a button—

“You have to say the designated lines to use them!”

“…Wait a minute, Claire.”

I pressed my nose with my fingers as I spoke.

“Can voice recognition honestly be that detailed in a game made by one person?”

“Of course not. That’s why the creator said, ‘It’s up to the magical girl’s conscience.’”

“……”

“Actually, if we look at the system, you can just scream for a certain amount of time to launch the bombs. You don’t even have to use your own voice; you can play a pre-recorded sound or just blow into the microphone. But!”

There are witnesses in the form of viewers.

This is clearly a game for streamers.

“From now on, we’re going to take turns playing this game. There’s only one stage since it’s still in development, but I heard the difficulty is higher than other bullet hell shooting games. Since it hasn’t had a balance patch, random bullets can lead to situations where you can’t avoid them at all. So it’s better to get rid of bullets beforehand!”

[LOL]

[Where did this crap game come from? LOL]

Viewers reacted in awe after hearing Claire’s explanation.

[Anyone try to clear it within the broadcast?]

Ding!

A mission was immediately placed. The mission amount was 100,000 won.

[Last place gets a three-person dance time.]

Ding!

This time, someone placed another mission. Again, it was 100,000 won.

That’s free money, but… why does it feel so unsatisfying?

“Alright, alright.”

Claire’s eyes sparkled as she said that, then she looked at us.

I glanced back at Claire and the others.

Alice and Charlotte’s expressions seemed similar to mine. It didn’t look good. But somehow, they seemed confident.

Those two were surely good at motion detection. If I had them play a different game instead, they’d likely do fine. They struggled at first because they weren’t familiar with the controls, but they typically performed above average in purely physical games.

So, what face would Mia make, who had lesser physical abilities—

“Oooh!”

Having heard Claire’s explanation, Mia was shining with excitement.

Ah right.

She’s still watching that magical girl anime.

Moreover, her outfit was the closest to a magical girl’s among the five of us.

[Mia is so cute.]

[Agreed.]

Seeing Mia enjoying herself alone, people reacted like that.

This… I guess I can’t avoid it.

I held back a sigh that was about to escape.

“Oh, by the way, you can’t just imitate someone else’s lines. Originally, magical girls have different identities.”

Do you also watch magical girl shows?

When our eyes met, Claire grinned.

Could it be that she set this Halloween setup as a buildup for the broadcast?

What a scary kid, seriously.

For a moment, I felt like I was looking at Claire from the game.

Chapter 416

There are usually specific aspects that otaku tend to be strangely picky about, and Claire was one of those.

It’s not that Claire is an otaku yet.

By my standards as someone who was once an otaku, just playing a game series or enjoying mainstream manga or anime doesn’t qualify you as one. An otaku has a bit of a gloomy side and must make waiting for that game or anime a part of their life’s joy.

If you can just pass by a certain point or forget about it when it goes on hiatus—without feeling like the sky is falling—then you can be called an ordinary person.

So among us, the only one who could be called an otaku is probably Mia.

… Of course, I could also be considered a full-fledged otaku for moving around just to reach a happy ending in the game.

However, even if she wouldn’t openly call herself an otaku yet, Claire definitely had the potential for it.

“By the power of light and justice! Magical Sylvia!”

“Eh, that’s not right, sis.”

At first, I tried to clear the game with determination, but watching me shout out my ultimate move in utter frustration because I couldn’t break through the physical challenge, Claire said sternly,

“A magical girl won’t stutter while chanting her spells! The catchphrases of magical girls are the franchise’s signature! If you don’t shout it right, the toys won’t sell!”

“… Isn’t that a bit too realistic?”

Boom!

While I was inadvertently trying to retort against Claire’s words, I ended up missing my flight target, leading to a disastrous explosion.

Even though the shooting game depicted people flying through the air, they just tossed it aside as ‘flight,’ it seems. Regardless, just because the graphics are of a magical girl, it doesn’t mean blood will burst out. It simply exploded in a flash, like a firework.

“By the way, there’s a serious issue with the game.”

“Huh? What do you mean by an issue?”

“The ultimate move doesn’t activate immediately; it has to listen to everything I say before launching, so it can’t actually stop the enemy’s bullets.”

Exactly.

The ultimate move goes out only after the game recognizes that I spoke into the mic, acknowledges the end of my sentence, and then processes it in the game.

So even if there’s an infinite use of ultimate moves, I need to shout several times in short to use them.

For reference, if my voice is heard from the side, it also gets recognized as part of my ultimate phrase, which means that if there’s continuous conversation happening, the moment it stops is considered one ‘phrase,’ thus making my ultimate move go out late!

I mean, no matter how limited the technology may be, aren’t they being way too lenient about the crucial parts?

Maybe this was intentionally designed that way. If it’s a deliberately lousy game, then it’s entirely possible.

“Well then, I can just create different spell names for each type.”

“……”

I was inadvertently impressed by Claire’s comment.

She had more ideas than I thought in this area.

I quietly passed the turn to Alice. I figured in the end, it’d probably come down to a duel between Mia and me.

By the way, it seemed like Alice had a similar thought, as she first tried to evade by just watching with her eyes.

However, her reflexes aimed at swordplay seemed different from those used for game controls.

“Magical Missile!”

“Wrong!”

Claire cheerfully declared.

“You need to transform before using your abilities!”

“Claire? If you keep talking from the side, the spells won’t go out because they’ll be seen as part of your technique!”

Boom.

“… Um, during the time you two keep chatting, my ultimate move hasn’t gone out either.”

At Alice’s comment, I averted my gaze.

[LOL]

[I don’t think we’re finishing this game today]

[Guess we just need to interrupt each other]

The viewers quickly grasped the essence of the game.

“So from now on, let’s refrain from talking from the side.”

Charlotte said as if she had been waiting to say that.

“Otherwise, the game won’t end correctly! We have to collect the mission money.”

We all stared at Charlotte, but she had an utterly unbothered expression on her face.

Truly a crown princess.

She delivered a statement that truly reflected someone who’s learned politics properly.

*

“Magical Missile!”

“Magical Beam!”

“Magical Whatever!”

And when it was Claire’s turn, who was most knowledgeable about the game, she made up some lines to reach as far as possible.

And I internally dismissed the theory of Claire being an otaku.

If I think back, having her interrupt earlier was merely a distraction.

This was her way of enjoying being the first to clear the game while the rest of us faced penalties.

Among us, she surely lived the life furthest removed from politics… Oh, right! When I rewound time, Claire had indeed become a crown princess. So perhaps she did learn a bit about politics after all.

Boom.

However, no matter how much it went on, I couldn’t dodge the endless bullets that were pouring in.

Ah! If I shouted in a short, frantic way, it might have been doable, but shouting like a magical girl while dodging wasn’t that easy.

“Well, that’s unfortunate.”

But Claire, who had managed to reach quite far, looked satisfied as she passed the stick to Mia.

[But come on, “Magical Whatever” is a bit much]

[A cowardly adult’s incantation]

[Just trying to win LOL]

“But it did have ‘Magical’ in it, right?”

I mean, just throwing in “Magical” doesn’t mean it’s a magical girl spell, does it?

Well, to be fair, the only one in the room dressed like a magical girl was Mia.

All eyes were on Mia as she took her seat.

She was the one among us who knew the most about magical girls.

Of course, I watched magical girl anime when I was younger. I didn’t watch them all thoroughly, though. I was a boy, and when I watched something considered to be girls’ anime by myself, I felt embarrassed. Perhaps due to pride, I avoided it and endured a feeling of regret.

So I couldn’t say I knew it well.

Then how would Mia, who watched magical girl shows streaming regularly on her smartphone, chant her spells?

Inhale—

Seeing us play the game ahead, Mia took a deep breath in preparation.

And then—

“Pipirupaparachange Q!”

… Huh?

That sounded like something that wasn’t human language at all.

The other four watching this froze slightly.

[?]

[??]

[Is this how magical girl chants are these days?]

Good question!

I too couldn’t quite recall.

Thinking back, it really did seem like something unexpected.

“Love Change!”

Or,

“Beat Q!”

Hmm, that’s right.

I realized that even in a series under the same franchise, depending on the era and the preferences of kids, it changed a lot.

When I was young, up to my early teen years, I watched a lot of anime and played outdoors without smartphones, while kids nowadays have smartphones— it seems the age at which they play with toys has dropped significantly.

Perhaps the same could be said for girls’ toys.

[Feeling nostalgic…]

[Is this… the true power of magic?]

[Magical girl Mimical Mia!]

The chatroom exploded into chaos.

And while we were left speechless, Mia marched straight to the boss as the first among us.

The bullets that would’ve made it impossible to advance if just played without strategy turned into a shooting game with the right dialogue flowing in a manageable level of difficulty.

On closer inspection, Claire had a similar style too.

“Oops.”

But even Mia couldn’t clear the game on her first try. The boss was slightly harder to beat. Plus, due to its size taking up about a third of the screen, the distance from where the bullets were generated was a little short.

“Phew.”

Though she lost, Mia’s face shone with excitement as she stepped aside.

[Is this… the power of childlike wonder?]

No, we’re the same age. At least our physical ages are the same.

Besides, in this country, we’re both just regular adults.

“Mia, did you have fun?”

“Yes!”

Watching Mia respond with a bright smile made me realize how unexpectedly deep the darkness in my heart ran.

No, if we’re talking about darkness, doesn’t Mia, who was plotting to kill me, need to have a darker heart?

Is it because she realized her childlike wonder a bit later?

What the heck…?

“……”

And all of our gazes turned towards Claire.

While the playing styles were similar, the gap between Mia, who purely enjoyed the game, and Claire, who merely wanted to clear it first, was pretty substantial.

“… I’m sorry.”

In the end, unable to withstand our stares, Claire turned her gaze away and responded.

Mia watched this spectacle with a question mark floating above her head.

Chapter 417

After countless attempts to chant that incomprehensible spell while playing the game—

“……”

In the end, I was the only one left in despair.

Well, yeah. Honestly, I suspected it would turn out like this. I was the one who had played video games the longest among us, but that didn’t mean I was any good at them.

I wasn’t a big fan of online games. I really hated losing to someone else.

Maybe it’s because I had always run away from all the overwhelming ranking games, living like a coward.

When I faced someone in a game, I simply couldn’t win.

The first one to clear the game was Mia.

Her sparkling eyes while playing the magical girl game made her look dazzling. The rest of us, including me, were just trying hard to win—no, more like trying not to be the last one, but Mia was having none of it.

And after all, a game is supposed to favor the one who enjoys it the most.

[Mia is a magical girl! Mia is a magical girl! Mia is a magical girl!]

[Mia-chan is the best!]

Mia already had a decent fanbase from the game, but it seemed that broadcasting together with us had significantly thickened that fanbase.

Ah, of course, that doesn’t mean she was as popular as the actual character Mia from the game. In Japan, where this game originated, they probably wouldn’t even know we exist. Not until someone spreads it on a Korean channel, at least.

Next up was Claire.

[Cowardly adult Claire]

[Did you even watch magical girl shows? LOL]

[Did you pick this game just because you wanted to win?]

“No, that’s not true!? I watched it next to Mia! Though I didn’t pay much attention!”

Thud.

Having somewhat shared common ground with the fact that she had indeed watched it, Mia, upon hearing Claire’s words, looked like she had been struck by lightning out of a clear blue sky.

“Uh, no, Mia, I mean…”

[Uuuh trash Uuuh]

[As of today, Mia is officially F●Q-Cure!]

“…Do you even know the latest series title to say something like that?”

Claire’s response caused the chat to momentarily get lost in silence.

Good point.

While it was easy to pick up on certain series like Kamen Rider by roaming around the internet, especially on sites packed with otaku, not many cared about how those series were currently progressing. The same goes for those using clips for memes; probably not many genuinely watched them?

Next was Charlotte.

Charlotte played calmly and managed to clear the game with minimal use of her finishing moves.

[Not cowardly… but]

[Your inner child is dead, isn’t it?]

“Hmph.”

Seeing the comments in the chat, Charlotte tossed her hair back and spoke.

“I can’t say the one maintaining their inner child is wrong, but it’s ridiculous to insult someone who put in their best effort at the game.”

Her professional attitude drew some admiration in the chat for a brief moment. Of course, Charlotte wasn’t being entirely serious, and the chat’s reactions were playful too.

Then, obviously, it was Alice’s turn.

“Phew.”

Having cleared the game quite consistently, much like Charlotte, Alice let out a sigh of relief. It was only a slight difference compared to Charlotte.

LOL

And ultimately,

Who could it have been but Sylvia? Everyone was expecting it, right?

Yeah, I kinda thought it would turn out like that. A shooting game can honestly just be a physical game at its core.

But…

“…”

I couldn’t help but feel a little void.

[You look more defeated than Saint Sylvia!]

[Hang in there!]

[Do your best and dance!]

LOL

And, obviously, the chat was completely ignoring me.

Well, of course. There’s someone who’s spent 100,000 won on this, so I guess it’s only to be expected. Broadcasting isn’t free. People pay to watch us have fun, and more popularity means more ads come in, and that’s how we earn a living.

I didn’t necessarily need to earn money to live, but still.

“What am I supposed to do to make them dance?”

As I grit my teeth and asked, the chat was flooded with LOL. Is it funny? Yeah, I guess it is. If I were on the other side as a viewer, I’d find it hilarious too.

“Bring out Zero Two, bring out Zero Two!”

“……”

When I turned my gaze towards the voice from beside me, Claire, who had been excitedly shouting for Zero Two, immediately shut up.

She looked both scared and amused at the same time.

[Zero Two! Zero Two!]

[Let’s divide it into thirds!]

Alright. It’s better to just wrap this up quickly. Didn’t they say it’s better to get hit first? Although, in this case, the one getting hit would only be me.

Claire quickly looked for the BGM, and the other kids in the same room stood up to make some space.

Did they all have a secret agreement or something? Of course, judging by the absurd expressions they wore while playing, it was probably unrelated, but still, it felt like they were really in sync at a moment like this.

Dividing the screen into thirds… Back when I watched broadcasts, I had never understood people being embarrassed about that. But now that I was the only one on the screen, my thoughts had changed.

Actually, it seemed less embarrassing to just leave the sides black like a direct cam video.

“Okay, here we go!”

Claire grinned.

I silently clasped my hands behind my head.

*

I thought we were done—

Yeah.

I had completely forgotten about another streaming site that was different from the one we were broadcasting on. The one that usually uploaded edited versions and full broadcasts.

And I didn’t have to collect my own source material for editing because there was someone other than me in the house who would edit videos.

“……”

To avoid copyright strikes, the music was removed, but my appearance, dancing with my waist shaking on the divided screen, remained as is.

No, it wasn’t just ‘as is’; it had been edited to match the music with emphasis on my embarrassing facial expressions and those unnecessary waist movements. Maybe there was a scene where something akin to a Zero Two blast was shot.

“…Mia?”

Looking over at Mia, who was sitting next to me while I checked the streaming site from the broadcasting room, she swiftly turned her head away to avoid my gaze.

“I distinctly remember Charlotte blocking your sight while we were broadcasting.”

Mia, the smallest and youngest among us, often treated like a child, probably understood everything.

It was just that Charlotte must have acted without realizing she’d need to take those actions.

“B-but, we need to upload the edited versions. Just posting the entire video isn’t going to get us views.”

Mia said this while fidgeting her fingers as if making excuses.

I held my head in my hands.

Yes, that’s true.

But…!

“Sis? What’s going on—”

And just as I was burying my head in my hands, the broadcast room opened again, and this time Claire walked in.

What was playing on-screen was the dance video I couldn’t manage to stop.

Pffft!

With Claire bursting into laughter, I jumped up from my chair.

“W-why are you so mad? Honestly, you wrote stuff about me too!”

“That was aimed at the character Claire, not you!”

“Oh, I mean, that’s what you said, but—”

But as I tried to say that, Claire spun on her heel and bolted away the instant I took a step forward.

It’s okay.

Claire was wearing her casual clothes right now. No matter how lively she was, she was still the daughter of a noble household.

There’s no way she’d think of going outside dressed like that.

So, her fleeing meant she was still at home.

“Sylvia? Claire? What’s going on?”

Seeing me chasing after Claire as I came out of the room, Alice widened her eyes and asked.

I didn’t answer. If I did, Alice would also let out a Pffft! laugh, and I’d find myself chasing after her soon after.

“…Could you at least refrain from running at full speed? You’ll disturb the neighbors downstairs.”

Just then, Charlotte, who had been cooking in the kitchen, spoke calmly, with a very princess-like expression that made Claire lift her toes and attempt to run as quietly as possible. I did the same.

“By the way, what’s all this about anyway?”

I still chose not to answer.

After all, I’d get caught eventually, so…

For now, I had to do my best to catch Claire.

“Sis, I’m sorry!”

“Sorry, but I will not forgive you yet!”

Especially for enjoying the situation while running away.

What I couldn’t forgive the most was myself, who found this entire scenario amusing while chasing after her.

Chapter 418

To be honest, if I could choose a body, I would’ve picked the body of a “handsome guy.” whoosh!

I often select female characters in games, but it’s not that I wanted to become a girl; I just didn’t want a male character cluttering up my screen. poof!

The reason I would’ve chosen the body of a handsome guy is simple. ding!

I just wanted to be a popular guy. I wanted to experience those “handsome guy KakaoTalk situations” I often saw on the internet. bam!

Of course, the body I have now is not that of a handsome guy but a pretty girl. sparkle!

Neither side is ugly; I’m pretty with great hair and an amazing figure. wow!

This isn’t just me trying to flatter myself; there’s some objective basis behind it. ta-da!

First, the “Zerotu” video I uploaded got a yellow sticker within a day. gasp!

It wasn’t a copyright issue; it was obviously about the suggestiveness. uh-oh!

I was definitely wearing proper clothes. nod!

Well, this site is known for handling AI logging stuff, so it’s basically no fault of my own. I think my dance video is a bit too much for kids, but fine for middle and high school students. whoosh!

Honest to god, my body wasn’t that flexible, after all. If you get down to it, it’s just fat wobbling around. wobble!

I think I would’ve liked it though. tee-hee!

The second piece of evidence is that the “no-no” video is actually pretty popular. yay!

The views of the videos posted before and after it skyrocketed, so that effect is definitely real. zoom!

…Could it be that I have some kind of unconscious appeal to people I don’t know? Even though I was dancing fully clothed, it somehow looks overly seductive? oh my!

I mean, it does look suggestive, even to me. Enough for Charlotte to cover Mia’s eyes. oops!

The vlog we posted last time also gathered a pretty decent amount of views, and though it has those ‘uh-oh remix’ vibes each time I watch it, this one got an explosive reaction. boom!

There were even comments not in Korean showing up. eyebrow raise!

“Sylvia, you’re quite popular.” giggle!

Alice said with a mischievous smile. wink!

“Guess you have to play on an international level.” cheer!

“…Unfortunately, more than half the English comments are sexual harassment.” sigh!

“…That’s a bit unfortunate, but…” shrug!

Alice said, slightly avoiding my eyes. shifty!

We may look like typical Westerners, but the broadcast is in Korean, and we’ve already certified that we’re Korean on air. After getting my driver’s license, I also certified that I got it. check!

In fact, every time we go to places like the community center, the civil servants often look a bit surprised, but most of our streaming audience has started to realize we’re Korean and have adapted well enough. nod yes!

And in reverse, it appears to be ‘mysterious’ to foreigners. mystery sound!

It creates a vibe that we’re beauties broadcasting in a language that they have no clue about. chime!

Plus, due to growth or whatever, and since the age of adulthood is often missed here, the others except me are basically ‘teenagers.’ teenage dream!

Being in their mid-teens means our faces look undeniably youthful to Westerners, especially now that we’ve certified ourselves as adults, and it seems we’re slowly becoming famous. fame!

I guess there are quite a few Koreans active in English on overseas sites lately. yay!

That’s a good thing. thumbs up!

We had to become famous to get back to that other world, so it was something to be happy about, but… hmm…

“Why do I not feel happy at all?” sad trombone!

When I lamented, Alice gave a bitter laugh. sigh!

*

These days, surprisingly, we’ve been getting a lot of advertisement emails, but we’ve almost been rejecting them. We didn’t really need the money, so there was no reason to take on the stress of accepting ads and planning stuff. no way!

Editing was something we rotated among ourselves, and broadcasting management was doing just fine with the five of us involved. teamwork!

You could say it was like a cottage industry; there’s no labor cost, and we had plenty of surplus money, so I couldn’t really see the reason to do it. cha-ching!

However, I did ponder a little every time the emails from the broadcasting station came. hmm…?

Even though we had declined before, if they weren’t overtly asking to be fixed members or demanding a specific situation, I thought an interview would be okay. maybe?

Honestly, how many people wouldn’t think about wanting to get their faces on TV since childhood? dreams!

“I think it would be fine if it’s a one-off, but if it’s that kind of program, they’re likely going to want to come into our home and film.” yikes!

In this regard, there was some disagreement between us. uh-oh!

For the most part, the four of them besides me didn’t care much about the whole figurine thing. meh!

Alice and Claire treated it like some bust decorations in the hallway. Charlotte and Mia were completely uninterested. blank faces!

Maybe, because it’s a ‘Japanese stereotype of Westerners,’ Charlotte has a mix of 20th-century conservatism and 21st-century Western openness. Although her ideas about sex are somewhat conservative, she doesn’t seem to care at all about individuality. yee-haw!

Mia has been the quickest to adapt to the concept of subculture, so she’s excluded from that. I bet when she goes back to our original world, she’ll hit it off with Rena. besties!

It looks like I’m the only one really concerned about the whole figurine broadcasting thing. nervous!

…If they quote our broadcast, would they also be airing “Sylvia’s Hypnotic Edition”? yikes!

I was honestly worried that there’d be a wild uproar about such an internet broadcast… uh-oh!

“Well, isn’t that okay?” shrug!

Claire quickly dispelled my concerns with a tilt of her head. nod yes!

“We’re not going to be politicians or anything here, so even if such content comes out, it shouldn’t be that big of a deal, right? As long as our viewers like it, that’s all that matters!” ray of sunshine!

“……” silence!

I had no rebuttal to that logic. uh oh!

Is that how it is? hmm…?

So, I just wouldn’t worry about my surroundings and let it be? let it go!

“Then… should we accept this broadcast?” decision time!

This broadcast is one that shows amazing stories and has a very long history. Weirdos really come on, and people with disabilities come to get help on such broadcasts. ding ding!

Honestly, some cases are obviously scripted, but since what they want is really just us, it shouldn’t be too big of a problem… probably. fingers crossed!

Well, we can just discuss what we’d want, and if it doesn’t work, we can refuse the broadcast. easy peasy!

“I’m okay with it.” yes!

After Alice started to respond, nod!

“Yeah.” sure!

“If a broadcast like this comes out in our world first, it wouldn’t be bad to experience it.” all in!

“I’m okay too.” count me in!

Claire, Charlotte, and Mia responded in that order. team spirit!

I nodded and began to draft a reply to the email. typing sound!

*

You can’t just let broadcasting staff walk right into your house. nope!

It’s not simply because it’s a house with only girls living in it or there are things that might be a bit showy inside; those aren’t the reasons at all. nuh-uh!

It’s just that I feel a bit reluctant to let other people in. uh oh!

When I arrived at the appointed place, the staff member turned out to be one woman and one man. Both were station writers, and it seemed like the female one was in a higher position. noted!

“There’s nothing to dress up or anything. If you want to look that way, we can help, but honestly, you’re already looking great as you are.” compliment!

The female writer said, as the male writer nodded in agreement. nod yes!

“Can you eat Korean food?” yummy!

At that, we all exchanged glances. eye contact!

Honestly, with the five of us plus the two writers, the setting looked a bit awkward. I could tell the writers had invited us to a café with a round table for a reason. Maybe it’s a place university students frequently visit? hmmm…

“Well, we’re Korean but…” uhhhh…

I was the first to speak up. whistle!

It seemed they were a bit surprised by how fluently I spoke Korean when we first met, suggesting they probably didn’t watch our broadcasts carefully. surprised gasps!

They might not have been regular viewers at all. aha!

“No, actually, were you mixed?” curious!

“…I was Korean from birth, though.” matter-of-fact!

My answer immediately made the atmosphere at the table awkward. awkward silence!

Especially with the two writers. zips lips!

Um. uh oh!

I know I shouldn’t think this, but it was honestly a bit funny. giggle!

Whatever they say, it feels like the conversation will inevitably drift off into some ridiculous nonsense. But really, we weren’t going to lose anything. grin!

After all, I truly was a foreigner in the legal sense. I was practically just a foreigner who had been living here for about three months. shrug!

“Ah, um, then what about your name?” question mark!

“Actually, I grew up without my parents, so I don’t really know why I have this name.” shrug again!

“……” speechless!

Seeing me make a somewhat sad expression made the two writers freeze up once more. oops!

The other four were looking quite confused. Should they play along with my performance or just stay quiet? wacky dilemma!

Well, either way, it shouldn’t matter. They probably wouldn’t even think of it as acting. smirk!

This is true reality. ding!

Chapter 419

It’s true that I’m not exactly known for having a good personality; I know that about myself well.

But I never expected to enjoy making people uncomfortable this much.

“So, you all…?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

I answered neatly. I couldn’t bring myself to complete the question, but I had a feeling that the question about whether I had parents would come up again.

At this point, if they had asked me, “So how have you been until now?” I would have been just as uncomfortable. It was only after saying that that I remembered that fact.

Was I a girl who had to take care of myself, or was I from an orphanage? Were there adults to protect me instead?

If I had come out of school, where did I come from and how? What were the circumstances that led children in similar situations to gather and live together?

If I started to ask one by one, there would be no end, and in fact, I couldn’t respond to those parts.

But I came here thinking that the more this kind of story comes up, the more difficult it would be for the Goddess.

If we kept fixing this and that, wouldn’t there be parts where the Goddess would make mistakes too?

And if such parts came up, she might just get tired of it and send us back.

After all, we hadn’t even been here for an hour yet, so it wouldn’t be too much of a problem, would it?

“……”

But the writers chose not to ask such questions.

Well, it’s not like we were in a bad situation. We could just live comfortably and prepare to go back.

“Um, how are you all doing? I mean…”

It seemed the female writer had printed out the emails we exchanged before meeting. After pulling out a piece of paper from the file and reading it, her face brightened.

“You mentioned you won the lottery and were able to get an apartment.”

“Oh, yes, we originally lived together in a villa.”

“A villa?”

“It was an old studio villa without an elevator, but it was still big enough for five people to live in. Now our situation has improved a lot.”

“……”

“Oh, but could you leave out the part about winning the lottery? I sent it in an email, but if such stories come out, I think we’ll definitely get contacted by people…”

“Of course!”

The writer seemed relieved that the conversation hadn’t turned gloomy again, and she crossed that part out with her pen.

Five girls with foreign blood running through them.

But without parents to grow up and live on their own, just a while ago they were barely surviving in a cramped old villa, sharing the space among five of them.

Even a couple of lines could leave one gasping for breath, so it seemed difficult to have a more extended conversation.

It would make for a good story to make into a broadcast.

*

Afterwards, the story continued a little longer.

But once the topic shifted to the story we were broadcasting, the writers’ expressions brightened a bit.

The tale of traveling around, eating what we wanted, and streaming while gaming meant we were doing well.

Perhaps to tie things up like that, the writers said they would contact us again once they figured out the content.

“The administrative system in this country is stricter than I thought.”

Once the writers left, we gathered together again, and Charlotte remarked in awe.

“If it were Azernar, they would have just brushed off stories of children without parents or those living alone.”

That’s right.

In a country where registration isn’t ‘systematically’ enforced and education isn’t required, the ‘commonalities’ in answers would likely be few when asked about the past. Of course, there might be some statistically common answers, but the question “Naturally they must have attended elementary school in this country” wouldn’t really apply.

Yet the country we’re in now requires education up to at least middle school. If you ask a child whether they go to school and they say no, it’s easy to spot problems in that household.

Though that system doesn’t always work properly.

“I find it disappointing that even if we wanted to mimic it, we can’t.”

Alice said.

“In reality, by the time they think they want to mimic something over there, it might be impossible. People’s thoughts tend to differ, after all.”

I’ve heard people get shocked seeing a system like resident registration overseas.

“Nobles would probably hate it to death.”

Charlotte said, laughing bitterly.

Well, that’s one part of it.

“But I think it’s great that they made it mandatory for everyone to attend school. It means you can make friends from childhood.”

“……”

As Charlotte said that, she looked at Mia and ruffled her hair. Mia protested, “Ow, eek?” but she couldn’t run away since she was in the corner.

Still, sitting together adequately in the same room wouldn’t be so bad. If it had been the case, Mia would have had to deal with the hands of the other four.

“I’m glad I’m not a crown princess.”

Saying that, Claire shot a glare at Alice who was happily drinking her beverage.

*

Honestly, aside from the figures, the state of the house was fine.

Everything we bought was properly organized and put away. We don’t usually live carelessly.

I laid down a blanket in the living room to sleep, but after waking up, I clean it all up nicely.

Still, since a broadcast was going to be happening nationwide, wouldn’t it be good to clean the house at least once?

I tidied up places that I couldn’t usually see, and if there was anything unnecessary, I threw it away.

The deep cleaning took a little longer than expected.

And after all that hard work, —

“……”

“……It hasn’t really changed as much as I thought.”

Alice made that remark.

That’s true. In the end, the places we cleaned were the nooks and crannies that were hidden from view.

In fact, all five of us here hadn’t had long periods where we cleaned up ourselves while in Azernar.

At least when we lived in the dormitory, there was minimal cleaning to do, as long as a maid wasn’t asked to come by and clean like hotel room service.

Of course, I did tell them not to send anyone, so they wouldn’t.

Nevertheless, perhaps because the kids are pretty tidy, the house itself was always kept clean. I’ve often heard that girl dormitories can be ridiculously messy, but that wasn’t the case here.

“True.”

When I brought that up, Claire spoke in a somewhat puzzled voice.

“Aren’t we living too formally with each other?”

“……No, not really.”

Alice furrowed her brow slightly and replied.

“Claire, don’t tell me you just tossed your underwear onto your bed when you lived in the dormitory?”

“No, there’s no way I would do that! If I did, the hotel staff would see it immediately.”

“That’s right. We’ve always had to care about how others see us, after all. It’s no wonder that this kind of lifestyle has become ingrained.”

Thinking back, that did sound plausible.

I doubt members of the British royal family would carelessly throw their clothes on the floor in Buckingham Palace.

“Is this the result of learning since childhood?”

Charlotte rested her chin on her hand as she said this.

“Right. When we first started living at Auntie’s place, our stuff was all over the place.”

“……That’s because I was away from home for about a year.”

“Dust aside, the mess was likely from the stuff that got tossed around about a year ago, right?”

Alice’s retort left me speechless.

In reality, it’s been one year in this world, but in Azernar, I spent several years there. I did live somewhat as a princess during that time too, so I developed a cleaning habit.

As Alice said, even if I just threw underwear on the bed, the cleaning staff would definitely notice. Maybe in a dormitory, but it wouldn’t be easy to clean up a spacious room in a palace by myself.

In the end, laundry has to be collected and delivered separately, but you have to maintain at least a minimal sense of decorum.

“……Alright!”

Claire spoke as if she had come up with a good idea.

“Then should we relax from now onwards?”

“……After cleaning all this?”

“No, rather, if we don’t act naturally in the broadcast, people might think it looks forced.”

“Generally, broadcasts aren’t supposed to be that natural anyway.”

“Even so, if it’s too obvious, people might not like it.”

“Isn’t it just that you want to relax and be comfortable?”

At Charlotte’s words, Claire glanced away.

“I-I think I’m okay.”

At Mia’s comment, all eyes immediately turned to her.

“Uh, no, I mean… It’s been this long we’ve spent together, so being too formal…”

“……”

After hearing Mia’s words, I, Charlotte, and Alice exchanged glances.

Um…

Now that they’re saying we should ditch the formality,

Is there really anything more to let go of?

Chapter 420

And surprisingly, there was something else to let go of.

Thinking back, the girls around me were quite decent for teenagers. After all, they had been educated as nobles or royalty.

Among them, even Claire, who had the most active personality, grew up in a baronial family.

In fantasy novels, barons are often described as the lowest-ranking nobles, but in reality, they are lords with territories. It’s not a family that can be deemed low at all, and they received thorough education. It’s just that Claire was naturally lively.

Therefore, in a way, I was the only one who had shown my true self during this period.

I had revealed my home, dropped my expressionless facade, and got caught with my favorite hobbies… finding myself in situations I didn’t even want to recall.

Thinking about it, I was probably the only one who had exposed myself like that. The others still had many untold parts.

The first one to muster the courage was Claire.

“…….”

We stared at the poster Claire had stuck on our room wall for a long time, seriously.

“Claire, what’s this poster about?”

Charlotte, who had been staring at the poster with a serious expression, finally gave up her deduction and asked like that.

What was on the wall was a gym promotional poster. A ridiculously well-bodied woman was striking a pose. It wasn’t just that she was wearing a sports bra and posing; she was wearing a shirt but had it undone in the middle, so it looked like some body profile or something.

She was muscular, but not in a rough way—more like a very nice body where the abs were visible.

“I want to become like her.”

Claire said with a very serious expression.

“……Where did you get this poster?”

“I took it from down there.”

I facepalmed.

“Please return it.”

“No, we agreed to be honest about what we want!”

“But stealing something is a problem.”

Yeah, the edge of the poster seemed torn. It looked like she had ripped it off entirely from wherever it was stuck.

But more importantly, when did she go out alone?

“…….”

I looked around to see who she went out with, and Mia avoided my gaze.

Did she bring it back from the last time she went out? I remembered her carrying a bag then. Looking again, the poster had places that were crumpled and uncrumpled.

“Hey? Isn’t it marked ‘No advertising’ there? It shouldn’t be stuck in a place where it’s not allowed, so is it okay to take it?”

“……Still, it’s not allowed.”

I wasn’t quite sure about the legalities, but it made things more complicated.

Of course, going back to stick it again now would mean we could get caught this time around.

“……I’ll buy a new one, so just stick that one up. Let’s choose again in a bit.”

“I really liked this one, though….”

“…….”

“Ah, okay, sis.”

“By the way, don’t you work out regularly and look like that?”

“Well… even if I exercise, I can’t become like that.”

Claire tilted her head.

I figured the most frequent exercise she did was aerobic. The times when Claire put her energy the most was when we were out in the open fields riding bikes or running. I’m not a gym trainer, but I’ve heard that aerobic exercise isn’t great for ‘muscle loss’ and whatever.

Of course, I didn’t want to delve deeper, so I didn’t know the specifics.

“If you want to look like that, going to a gym would be right.”

As I carefully examined the poster still attached, Claire suddenly asked, “Oh? Then why don’t you come with me?”

“I don’t have a hobby of torturing myself.”

“……You could handle being shot by guns and swords when you had your abilities.”

“That was something I had to do to win, but.”

Hearing my blunt reply, Claire grumbled, and I replied with disbelief.

Well, still.

“……It seems like there are definitely aspects we want to do but haven’t mentioned yet.”

You can’t just casually walk around in t-shirts like guys do. I’ve heard from somewhere that girls sleep in just their underwear, but it seems there’s a higher hurdle amongst us.

But if it’s about revealing ourselves like this, I think it’d be fine.

Surely we decorated our rooms in our own ways, but we hadn’t hung up posters like this or collected albums of our favorite idols or anything.

“The money is mostly managed by me, but the money collected is also earned together, right? I’ve already said a few times, but you can spend it however you like.”

Honestly, the lottery ticket purchase wasn’t because I thought I’d do well; I just wanted to move house. Plus, I hardly bought lottery tickets when the others weren’t around.

The kids listening to me looked a bit more serious than when they usually heard my stories.

*

A few days later.

The appointment with the broadcasting station got pushed back a bit more. After meeting for further discussion, it was decided to schedule a filming that would include our house.

We hadn’t revealed anything about our private broadcasting yet.

In the meantime, even though there hadn’t been many changes for us—

“…….”

Wait, no, it feels like a lot more changes had happened than I thought.

Just after we talked about wanting to enjoy as we wanted, a few packages arrived at our house.

One was a pretty big box, and the other was a little smaller but had a rather peculiar shape.

It was long and thin.

When I brought the package inside and looked at Claire, she shook her head. Since our house was still decorated for Halloween and Christmas, I wondered if Claire had bought New Year’s decorations early, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

“Ah, this is mine.”

Alice said as she pulled the quite large box toward her.

“……You said to do as I please, right? So I bought it.”

Seeing Alice’s face slightly reddening as she locked eyes with me, it seemed what was inside wasn’t ordinary.

“……T-This is mine!”

And Mia picked up the thin box. Her face turned bright red too, so it looked like what was inside was also very personal.

Well, this one was probably a poster.

But right now, I was more curious about Alice’s big box.

Knowing that we would see the contents no matter how it was opened, Alice started tearing the box open, her face still flushed.

And what was inside was—

“……What is this?”

Claire said, grimacing.

It was truly a rare scowl.

“There’s only a figure of me and a figure of Sylvia in front of the TV. I thought it would be fun to buy figures of everyone here. Of course, not everyone’s products have been released yet.”

“Just because of that, you bought a Bunny Girl figure!? It’s even bigger than those two over there!”

“No, this just happened to be released as a figure.”

“Rather, buy previously released figures second-hand!”

Claire screamed.

That’s right. This was a design even more vulgar than the figure of Claire that she despised so much—the ‘before reincarnation’ version of Claire.

But still, at least she was properly dressed.

“Are you laughing? Are you laughing right now? You were just bright red moments ago!?”

“I feel a bit relieved seeing your reaction….”

With that comment from Alice, Claire, who finally exploded, lunged at Alice.

“Be careful not to disturb the lower floors with too much noise.”

Charlotte said while resting her hand on her forehead, and the two began a soundless chase.

By the way, it seems Alice also has a bit of an otaku side. If we live here for a few more years, I wonder if she’ll start regularly watching new anime.

Seeing Claire quietly watching magical girl shows with Mia, it seems most people here have that side too—

“……Why are you looking at me like that?”

Charlotte asked in a tone of “ah-ha” when our eyes met.

……Is Charlotte not like that?

I thought that being from a world so much like a game setting, the characters from that game would have some talent in this sort of thing, but thinking again, it doesn’t seem Charlotte has that kind of vibe.

“What’s that item?”

“Oh, this? It’s a poster!”

When I turned my gaze toward Mia and asked, she answered just like that.

Then, Alice opened the box with a cutter knife she used to open the first box, and out came a poster… a printed fabric poster rolled up like a scroll.

What do they call it? A tapestry?

Of course, it depicted a magical girl. It was a series I wasn’t very familiar with.

But it looked amazing when Mia held it.

“Are you thinking of hanging it up in your room?”

“Yes!”

At Mia’s bright reply, Charlotte laughed.

……But I’m really curious.

If Charlotte were to get into a hobby, what would she obsess over?

It felt like digging deeper would be fun.

Chapter 421

“What country is Charlotte’s homeland?”

Bam!

“It’s Velbur.”

Bam!

“So, which countries inspired Velbur?”

Bam!

“France and Belgium, of course!”

Bam!

“Ah, but that doesn’t mean all French or Belgian people are crazy about chocolate and wine.”

Bam!

“Just like there are Koreans who dislike kimchi or can’t handle spicy food. Though, their standards might differ from foreigners.”

Bam!

“However, subculture characters often follow the stereotypes of their inspired nationalities. It’s simple—it adds more personality to the character and makes it fun! Plus, if it’s not overly derogatory, people from that nationality might actually enjoy it.”

Bam!

“Me? I’ve never been to France and don’t know any French folks, so I can’t really say how they feel about their food—”

Bam!

“It’s delicious…”

Bam!

With a very proud expression, Charlotte served the food, and we couldn’t talk for a while.

Gulp!

Although I had been spending time in my hometown for the past few months, the food I had eaten for the previous few years in the Empire of Aetherna was the ‘stereotype of British food’ circulating on the internet.

Yikes!

Ah, it wasn’t that the food there was inedible. As a Crown Princess, of course, the food I ate matched my status.

Nom nom!

But that doesn’t mean there were no bad dishes, and the variety wasn’t that extensive. Plus, having not fully shaken off my Korean palate, there was a certain ‘fundamental mismatch’ somewhere.

Bing!

So, subconsciously, I had ingrained the belief that ‘food in this world isn’t that great’.

Ka-Ching!

“Charlotte, seriously, I think you have a talent for cooking.”

Reeeally?

“Really?”

Shy!

Charlotte replied a bit shyly to my compliment.

Bashful!

In fact, I hadn’t truly experienced Velbur cuisine from that world, nor had I tasted Charlotte’s cooking in this world before.

Confused!

But what I tasted wasn’t ‘properly prepared’ dishes. Most were made with the ‘Korean ingredients’ I unconsciously used.

Ding!

We often ate out or ordered food, and we only really stayed at home once the cold weather started kicking in.

Brrrr!

Reflecting on it, our wandering outside that morning was probably because our place was cramped. After moving into the apartment, there’s plenty of space, but before that, the one-room was a bit tight.

Cramped!

So, having these ‘properly prepared’ dishes was bound to be hard.

Yikes!

Recently, as part of our ‘hobby finding’ project, Charlotte decided to try cooking.

Chef mode!

Breaking away from the cooking book I used during my university days, she wanted to try dishes she truly liked.

Foodie!

While the languages of this world and that world differ, there are still overlaps due to the inspirations. Since the original work had cooking-related collection elements, the names of dishes frequently matched.

Cooking show!

The dish ‘Boeuf Bourguignon’, which sounds fancy just by hearing it, is apparently considered home-cooked in France.

Fancy!

This dish, which uses lots of France’s pride—wine (although we used American wine)—and beef, tasted incredibly cozy, just as the internet suggests it’s a representative home dish.

Warm and fuzzy!

Since we tried hard to recreate it with hard-to-find ingredients, it couldn’t possibly taste bad, and if someone asked if I ever had something classier, the answer would be no—but…

Huh?

Why is it so delicious?

Wow!

“Maybe it’s the taste of warm home?”

Warm vibes!

Charlotte smiled and said.

Smile!

“Does it taste like what you had when you were little?”

Curious!

“No, not really. Actually, I didn’t eat this often.”

Uh-oh!

Well, it is home cooking. Royalty often ate fancy meals prepared by royal chefs. It’s hard to have any special memories attached to this dish.

Confession!

“Uh, maybe!”

Quick remark!

While we were lost in thought, Mia quickly added,

Surprised!

“It might be the atmosphere.”

Serious!

“Atmosphere?”

Curious!

Alice looked around upon hearing that and suddenly muttered as if she realized something.

Eureka!

“Surely.”

Nod!

Charlotte nodded as well.

Nod, nod!

Cold outside, warm inside.

Cozy!

People who have spent quite a long time together.

Friendship!

And even though it wasn’t quite the season yet, there were Christmas decorations. Of course, there’s no Christmas in Azernar, but there are similar days, so celebrating the year-end is the same here.

Celebration!

Maybe that’s why it felt like this.

Hmmm!

“I honestly haven’t seen this before, us all sitting around together for a meal.”

Surprised!

“……”

Silence!

It was indeed Mia.

Backfire!

Her life is pretty dark, so she sometimes plants mines and boom!

Ka-Boom!

“……Wait a minute, I never really…”

Shocked!

Alice, who was about to say something, quickly shut her mouth.

Uh-oh!

She probably felt my gaze on her.

Watch out!

“What’s up?”

Curious!

Claire tilted her head, clearly interested.

Wonder!

“Don’t.”

Stop it!

Before I could say anything, Alice hurriedly interjected.

Fast talk!

“What story could provoke such a reaction?”

Curious!

Charlotte also asked, intrigued.

What now?

“If we don’t talk about it here, it might flow in a strange direction.”

Caution!

When I loosened my mouth slightly, Alice’s face turned red.

Hot!

“Why? Why? What story is it?”

Curious cat!

Claire seemed anxious, as she probably sensed it was related to me.

Suspicious!

“Oh, alright. Just a little then.”

Reluctant!

Realizing that chatting about this would turn too much towards her, Alice spoke with an incredibly embarrassed expression.

Blush!

“I just need a little context, okay?”

Context please!

“……”

Speechless!

Alice shot a glare at me.

Stare down!

I figured she accepted that whatever story I brought up would reveal her little secrets, and I opened my mouth.

Gulp!

“I’ve eaten with Alice a few times just to keep her company when she was lonely.”

Gasp!

“Oooh.”

Shockwave!

Claire sparkled her eyes before tilting her head again.

Baffled!

“Is that really something to react that sensitively about?”

Curiosity!

“If she thought no one wanted to eat with her because she wasn’t social, it makes sense.”

Understanding!

Charlotte said, not teasingly but seriously.

Support!

“But that’s not your fault, Alice. I don’t know what nobles do, but it can’t be that much different from royalty. My father is busy a lot too, so I often had meals alone.”

Relatable!

“Yes! I used to often have dinner with Leo when I was little.”

Fond memory!

“……”

Awkward!

I just kept staring at a blushing Alice as I took a piece of beef and popped it in my mouth.

Chew!

“……Fine! Just say it. It’s okay to talk about it…”

Breaking!

Perhaps unable to endure my gaze, Alice finally surrendered.

Defeated!

“Are you really okay with it?”

Questioning!

“……”

Silence!

I was gritting my teeth, but I couldn’t help it.

Choice time!

She asked me to say it!

Ding ding!

“Alice threw food at my face when I first asked her to have a meal together.”

Shock!

“……”

Jaw drop!

The dining room fell silent as if a mouse had died.

Dead air!

Charlotte, Claire, and Mia stared at me in shock and then looked back at Alice.

Stare contest!

“……I wasn’t thinking back then! I’m sorry!”

Apology!

“Right?”

Exposed!

I nodded.

Confirmation!

Trust isn’t just granted; especially since Alice envied me for a long time during our early years. The Emperor often acted like he favored me when he was in front of her. That wasn’t something she could help.

Awkward past!

Still, I hadn’t said anything harsh to Alice and accepted her antics most of the time.

Easy going!

After all, she was just a child. Plus, she was quite timid.

Tiny!

Even if food was thrown, it was just a piece of bread that wouldn’t burn me; it wasn’t smeared with anything nasty.

Safe!

Moreover, I had turned back in time to dodge it.

Whew!

Alice was more frustrated because I never got angry about it.

Crisis averted!

Slowly, that piled up without me realizing it, forming the trust I had with her now.

Strong bond!

Of course, I had one more thought.

Calculating!

I wanted to befriend the protagonists and also wanted to save that childhood mess for later when Alice matured.

Future plans!

I had forgotten about that scene from years ago, and here it came back out of nowhere.

Surprise!

“Wow, your sister truly is amazing for putting up with that…”

Praise!

“That’s true.”

Nod!

“No, asserting oneself as ‘sister’ is something…”

Wait what?!

What does it matter? I mean, my true nature has been exposed enough anyway.

Awkward laughter!

“……Alice. Don’t you think it’s a bit strange to call yourself ‘sister’?”

Serious tone!

Charlotte said with a serious expression, causing Alice’s face to turn even redder.

Flustered!

Chapter 422

“Well, to be honest, it’s a bit unfair.”

After finishing the meal and doing the dishes, Claire grumbled.

“Are you complaining about doing the dishes?”

“Huh? Oh, no, no, not about that.”

When I asked with a slightly surprised look, Claire quickly shook her head and continued.

“I meant Charlotte’s hobby.”

“Cooking, you mean?”

“Yeah.”

Claire tilted her head and said.

“It’s just… how should I put it? It’s like she’s in a different dimension and really grown-up all by herself, you know?”

So, it seems like it’s not a serious complaint, just a bit of jealousy.

“Don’t you think being that jealous makes you seem like a child?”

But to be honest, she is a child. Our ID shows we’re adults, but I was genuinely an adult at one point.

At my words, Claire puffed up her cheeks.

“Being adult-like isn’t always a good thing. In fact, having a bit of childlike spirit makes life more enjoyable!”

I tried to soothe Claire.

“If you were just very grown-up and went around saying ‘Santa doesn’t exist’ or ‘there’s no such thing as ghosts,’ then we wouldn’t have any pumpkins or Christmas trees coming into our house. To enjoy the end of the year properly, you need to have that spirit of enjoyment!”

“…Is that so?”

Just because you grow older doesn’t mean you turn completely into an adult.

The things we longed for in childhood, the things we wanted to have, the places we wished to go… those things stay in a corner of our hearts and eventually, when we become adults and have a little cash and freedom, we try each one of those things.

And surprisingly enough, it’s a joyful experience.

That doesn’t mean those who lack that aren’t pitiable. If cooking brings you joy, shouldn’t you just cook?

Moreover—

“Speaking of which, I think your hobby is quite healthy.”

“R-Really?”

“Indeed. Exercising to build your body is a hobby many people enjoy.”

At least it’s better for your health than just sitting around playing games, right?

“But my ultimate goal is to take body profile photos.”

“In this world, that wouldn’t be seen as an embarrassing thing.”

In the Azernar context, it could be a bit of a risqué photo.

A baroness taking nude pictures might just take up part of a booklet titled “Women Ahead of Their Time.” Of course, Claire would never publish that.

“……”

Claire kept silent for a while, focusing on the dishes. It seemed like she was mulling over what I said.

“But it’s still unfair.”

But in the end, Claire sulked and said that.

After all, she is still a kid.

*

If there are introverts in this world, then there are extroverts too. Actually, statistically, there might be more extroverts because they’re the ones “forming groups.” Among them, there are otaku and non-otaku alike.

To me, Charlotte was thoroughly the former. She might not be interested in subculture, but she didn’t overly care about those around her and was good at listening and responding.

Her hobbies are completely wholesome, and she seems like the type to handle herself quite well in society.

She claimed she didn’t have many friends, but considering her personality, that wasn’t due to preference; rather, it was a situation where she had to distrust everyone around her.

Although Claire grumbled last time, I thought it wasn’t necessary to forcefully look for “otaku” sides in someone like Charlotte.

That’s what I thought.

That day was a slightly different morning from usual.

Claire and Mia were editing videos in the broadcasting room. Alice was in her room checking out cosmetics, and Charlotte was alone in her room doing whatever she was doing.

Suddenly, I looked at the clock, and it was almost lunchtime.

For some reason, the thought of preparing a meal and doing the dishes didn’t appeal to me today, so I wondered how about feeding everyone instead.

To tell the truth, it was more about suddenly craving a sandwich.

Grabbing my smartphone and opening the delivery app, I headed to my room to ask Alice for the menu. Next, I would head to the broadcasting room to hear Mia and Claire’s opinions.

Then, as I picked a menu I wanted while moving to the living room and Charlotte’s room, I slung open the door to where the two of them were hanging out.

“……”

“……”

And then, I locked eyes with a startled Charlotte.

I took a quick look at her surprised face and glanced at what she was holding.

Charlotte was holding the shoulder part of a ‘magical girl outfit’ that Mia had left lying around, checking it against her own body.

It probably wouldn’t fit. Mia eats many things but doesn’t gain weight like it’s astonishing.

But more than that, the difference in body type and bone structure was too large; it looked like that magical girl outfit, which seemed unstretchable, would not fit Charlotte whatsoever.

However, the reason Charlotte was holding that outfit against herself was evident.

She must want to try it on at least once.

“……”

“……”

Charlotte seemed to be trying to come up with some excuse as her mouth moved a little, but no sound came out.

I silently observed her and slowly began to back out of the room, grabbing the door handle.

“Wait a moment!”

Thunk.

Charlotte quickly dashed over and slammed the door closed.

“It’s fine; you can finish what you were doing. I’ll ask about the menu later.”

“W-What do you mean? I think there’s been a misunderstanding, it’s not like that!”

It isn’t not like that at all.

“People naturally have personal hobbies. Whether to share them or keep them private is a personal choice. The fact that you were checking out a magical girl outfit secretly means it was a hobby you found hard to share with us, right?”

“That’s besides the point! It’s not like that!”

“You don’t need to worry. I won’t tell anyone else.”

“N-No, that’s not the issue! What’s worse is that someone could misinterpret it! And above all, please get rid of that sympathetic look!”

Charlotte pulled the door hard and opened it entirely, grabbing my arm with her other hand and pulling me into the room.

Clunk.

The door quietly closed. If it slammed, all the children in the house would probably come running to see what happened.

“I’ll explain.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I’m going to, so listen.”

With a fierce gaze, Charlotte said that, and I sealed my lips.

“First of all, I don’t want to be a magical girl.”

My gaze shifted back to the bed. It seemed she had placed the outfit on the bed while chasing after me. It wasn’t just thrown down; it looked like she had care for it, knowing Mia treasures it.

“It was about the design of that outfit!”

As my eyes narrowed, Charlotte’s face grew red in response.

“Because, you know, that outfit has so much lace.”

“Well, it is a magical girl costume.”

“No, that’s not it!”

Charlotte appeared frustrated as she spoke.

“That’s the kind of outfit princesses in ‘old fairy tales’ wear!”

“……”

It took me a second to register her words and my brain lagged in response.

I slowly rolled my eyes and opened my mouth.

“So, you’re saying you were holding that outfit against you because it looks like a ‘princess’ dress?”

“Exactly.”

“But Charlotte, you’re already the princess of Velbur, right? Is there really a need for you to long for a princess position?”

“Th-That’s different! It’s different!”

“……”

“It’s different. The position I hold is a political ‘princess,’ right?”

Aha.

I was starting to see the light.

“Is it perhaps influenced by that D●sney movie we saw last time?”

“……”

Charlotte’s eyes darted around. As my gaze followed hers, Charlotte turned her body entirely away.

“Y-Yes! So what? When the stories I longed for in childhood unfold so flamboyantly, how can I not be affected?”

“……”

A princess longing to be a princess?

I internally marveled.

“But is there really a reason to hide that?”

“…It just seems too embarrassing… besides, I really know what it’s like to hold the real ‘princess’ position…”

Oh, come on.

She is, after all, a princess you’d expect to see in a game.

To think about it, that’s a little odd. In reality—meaning, on ‘Earth’—princesses often lead much tougher lives. In fact, Charlotte’s image is somewhat a result of applying the fantasy world’s perspective of a “princess” to this world.

Yet this seemingly perfect Charlotte, in fact, longs to be a princess from American animation?

“Just so you know, it’s a secret from others.”

Charlotte pointed at me with her finger and spoke.

“…Understood.”

I nodded readily.

Charlotte let out a long sigh.

Chapter 423

Bang!

“!”

Seeing the door open, a question mark appeared over Charlotte’s head.

“Um, excuse me, is the order done yet?”

It was a bit funny seeing Mia peeking in cautiously through the slightly open door, even though it was her own room.

“No, we’re still deciding on the menu with Charlotte.”

“Y-Yeah! We were just debating what to eat.”

Honestly, we were talking about something completely different, but since Charlotte had just said not to mention it, I decided to bring up another topic for now.

“That’s a relief.”

Mia let out a sigh of relief and stepped inside.

“Shall I change the menu to something else?”

“No, not really, but I have something extra I want to add…”

Mia opted to double up on the ingredients. It was going to be quite thick—would she even be able to chew it?

Well, considering Mia always managed to finish whatever food was in front of her, there was no need to worry.

With a refreshed expression, Mia stepped back a bit.

“Shall I add something else? I could add another cookie separately if you’d like.”

“No, that’s not necessary… Huh?”

Mia, who had been smiling, suddenly turned her gaze to my bed.

On the bed lay the magical girl outfit that Charlotte had tossed aside while following me out.

In an instant, Charlotte’s face froze. It was as if she had literally turned to ice.

“…Huh?”

Mia, going back to pick up the outfit, tilted her head. She was puzzled.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, I’m pretty sure this outfit was hanging in front of the wardrobe…”

Certainly, she must have seen it with her own eyes. If it had been tucked away in the wardrobe, Charlotte wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of taking it out to wear.

“Do you usually hang it in front of the wardrobe?”

“Um, yes. It’s a bit embarrassing to wear all the time, but staring at it makes me happy.”

So it seems it gives off a poster-like vibe. I could understand that. Sometimes people hang clothes with anime characters on them outside the wardrobe or on the wall. It makes sense; if it’s something you can never wear, it would feel wasteful to tuck it away inside.

“Did I misinterpret things?”

“Th-That could be possible, right?”

Charlotte spoke quickly.

“You often hold it in your hands and try it on, don’t you?”

“I suppose that makes sense? There’s no reason for Charlotte to go and handle this.”

As she said that, Mia hung the outfit back up in the wardrobe and went outside.

“I’ll call you when the delivery arrives.”

“Thank you!”

As I watched Mia leave, I quietly closed the door again.

“Be grateful that Mia trusts you. Her memory is quite good. To be honest, this is almost like being ‘fooled.’”

Mia is smart. It’s not just that she studies well; she once concocted a plan to assassinate me. After she relaxed, she seemed to live comfortably, but still, she could instantly recall where her things were if she put her mind to it.

There was simply no need for her to do that here.

“…I know.”

“Since it’s come to this, why not just say it comfortably?”

“No way.”

“Why not?”

“Because I must maintain my dignity as a princess. Besides, everyone here is royalty and nobility from other nations, right?”

“Didn’t you say you consider me just a friend?”

“…”

“And by that logic, I’ve danced shaking my butt in front of hundreds of people.”

“…”

After a moment of silence, Charlotte finally spoke.

“Th-That still doesn’t work.”

She said it as if forcing the words out.

So in the end, it’s just pride.

Until now, I thought she was the most mature among us, but perhaps that’s not the case.

Shrugging, I showed my smartphone to Charlotte.

“So, what will the menu be?”

“…”

Seeing me ask so calmly, Charlotte seemed momentarily at a loss for words.

*

The reason I could remain so unshaken after witnessing Charlotte’s antics was that I felt a sense of camaraderie in a way.

Where else would I find the motivation to speak politely to kids over ten years younger than me?

Exactly.

It comes from my concept.

The reason I wore a coat on my shoulders unless it was extremely hot, and didn’t bother to take off the winter fur unless it was actually a frigid place, was all to maintain a cool concept.

Now that I’ve lost the powerful ability to manipulate time, which was the most crucial part of maintaining that concept, I had let go of it, but for quite a while, I managed to uphold the concept of a cool, emotionless, sniper girl.

Charlotte’s dignified princess cosplay was something I could definitely understand and overlook.

“Then what about princesses from manga?”

However.

“Manga princesses?”

“Yes. Especially those from American media. Do you think those princesses have dignity as princesses?”

Wouldn’t it be a waste if I didn’t tease her about this?

It was a slightly forced question to connect to the movie chatter we were just having, but judging by everyone’s reactions, my question seemed to be interesting in its own right.

Alice, who had lived her life as a princess, and Claire, who held a princess-like position in the illusion created by the goddess, both fell into deep thought with serious expressions.

Mia, too, seemed intrigued.

Although not as much as in this world, in Azernar, the positions of princess and noble were still somewhat esteemed. There were still quite a few fairy tales related to those titles. It’s not easy to imagine the honest feelings one might experience in such positions unless you’re truly from royal blood or very high nobility.

Typically, people just have idolized fantasies about those lofty figures.

Mia’s love for magical girls is likely a remnant of her childhood innocence. At the same time, since she’s a noble who has been involved with a princess, she wouldn’t idolize a real princess, but if it was an American manga-style princess, that would be different.

“Dignity? Hmm, I’m not so sure.”

That was Alice’s answer.

“I think they might have some capable aspects, but it’s hard to consider them as dignified. They usually come off as a bit childish, don’t you think?”

Alice tilted her head as she spoke.

“Well, since the target audience is children, they probably adjusted the tone to suit them.”

A few stories floated to mind that I could tease Alice about, but I held my tongue, figuring she might genuinely get upset if I pointed them out.

“Still, they’re cool. Honestly, I can understand why they’re popular here. The content may seem fairy-tale-like, but if you’re looking to capture the feel of a classic tale, you must consider that level, don’t you think?”

Claire said while nodding.

“What do you think about adult women liking them?”

“It shouldn’t matter, right? If we start nitpicking those, we won’t be able to enjoy the games we play. Moreover, the people making them are all adults too.”

Alice coolly replied.

Well, otherwise, they wouldn’t be collecting figures and all, would they? Especially not female figures.

Though, I think Alice still views it as something akin to a bust of royal garments, even now.

“I like magical girls.”

Since magical girls were originally created to target young girls. Manga often needs a certain level of childish exaggeration to be fun. That’s why it resonates with the public. If a parent went to see a show with their child and fell asleep right next to them, how heartbroken would the kids be? So it must be made in a way that appeals to adults as well.

And therefore, there’s no need to be embarrassed about enjoying it.

Listening to the three of them talk, I nodded and glanced over at Charlotte.

Charlotte was desperately avoiding eye contact while eagerly chewing on her sandwich.

Suppressing a laugh, I focused back on my own sandwich.

*

“A manga event?”

At my suggestion, Claire’s eyes sparkled.

Mia also brightened up at the idea.

What I had displayed on my smartphone was a subculture event that regularly takes place in Seoul or its nearby areas. Usually, people sell fan comics, novels, and fancy products there. They enjoy the festival itself while buying and selling these things, or—

“Cosplay.”

Mia nodded as she read what it said.

“Do you know about that? The event staff tend to be a bit picky, so it’s not uncommon for them to lump too flashy outfits together and demand a cosplay entry fee out of the blue. Since we could blend in with the character directly, I was thinking it’d be better to just pay in advance and cosplay ourselves.”

“Oh.”

Claire’s eyes glinted.

Alice let out a laugh that seemed incredulous, while Charlotte looked at me with a hint of confusion.

“If we all wear them together, it wouldn’t be embarrassing, right?”

I suggested while watching Charlotte.

Since we’ve come this far, I thought it wouldn’t be bad to have some memories to take home.

Well, if they didn’t want to do it, that was okay too.

Chapter 424

Charlotte didn’t react right away that day. Duh.

Of course, all the kids were together at mealtime.

In fact, it wasn’t just during meals; we were almost always together. Sure, there were times we were alone in our rooms, but usually we lived in the living room.

How could someone say such things while we were all sprawled out on blankets, watching TV? Sigh.

Charlotte didn’t even give a hint that she was paying attention to me. All the kids in this place were observant. If they had glanced my way even once, they would have figured it out instantly.

So, it was probably the next day when Charlotte finally brought it up.

“Charlotte, between jjajangmyeon and jjamppong—”

“Hold on, let’s talk about something, okay?”

I opened the door to ask about the menu for ordering from the Chinese restaurant, but Charlotte grabbed me and pulled me inside.

It felt like I was being taken by some closet monster. Of course, I was the one being taken.

Thud.

The door closed—

“…Was that on purpose?”

“Are you referring to the choice of Chinese food for lunch? If you don’t want that, I can choose something else.”

“…”

Seeing Charlotte glare at me slightly, I decided it would be dangerous to joke around further.

“Yes, it was on purpose.”

I admitted it straightforwardly.

“Why is that? Is it because you want to tease me?”

Well, of course I wanted to tease her. If there’s someone who’s playing a role, isn’t it more fun to strip away that role?

Just like what had happened to me.

…I absolutely wasn’t feeling wronged or anything.

“I don’t particularly want to tease you.”

Of course, I couldn’t say that for real. Charlotte was already looking at me with narrowed eyes.

“I just thought, wouldn’t it be nice to relax here without worries?”

I raised my hand slightly to open the closet door, continuing my explanation.

“Of course, I understand that you want to maintain a certain face in front of foreign nobles and royalty here.”

Thanks to the fact that we had known each other since the academy, I sometimes forgot, but Charlotte was indeed a foreigner. In other words, her nationality was different from the rest of us living here.

No matter how friendly we were, there could still be a sense of awkwardness, and even when we chose food together, she could feel out of place. Admittedly, Charlotte hadn’t shown any blatant signs of that yet.

But probably, Charlotte’s desire to keep a minimal facade in front of us also contributed to that wall.

Even though she shyly called me her friend from that other world, no one can be perfectly honest with everyone, right?

…Still, I found it extremely unfair that my internet black history got exposed in this case, but I decided not to dwell on it further.

“So, being honest ‘without others noticing.’”

“…Honest without others noticing?”

Alright.

Charlotte was slowly coming around.

“You want to wear the princess dress, don’t you?”

“I—”

The moment Charlotte opened her mouth, blushing from my words—

Click.

The door creaked open, and we both simultaneously shut our mouths and looked at the door.

Mia’s face peeked through the slightly open door.

“Uh… Were you having an important conversation, by any chance?”

“No, not at all. Charlotte was just choosing the menu. Do you want to add something?”

“Well, um, can I have an extra portion of jjajangmyeon, please?”

Mia spoke with a cheerful face while gently opening the door and squeezing her body inside.

“Of course.”

I smiled and manipulated my smartphone to show Mia.

“Thank you!”

Mia, in high spirits, carefully closed the door again.

“…”

“…”

As we quietly listened to Mia’s footsteps fading away,

“I never did something like that!”

Charlotte opened her mouth first.

“Didn’t you definitely try on some magical girl outfits?!”

“I-I wasn’t planning on wearing it!?”

Charlotte’s voice was nearly a scream. Of course, she tried to keep it low enough not to be heard outside the door.

“Do you even know what event I was talking about?”

“I know! I searched it last night!”

Charlotte pulled out her smartphone, showing me with a slightly annoyed expression.

There were various photos there. People wearing all sorts of colorful wigs and posing in character outfits against the backdrop of the event hall, or people lined up in front of the entrance.

“W-What? Wearing that in front of this many people…!”

“That’s a bit strange, though.”

I said a little more seriously.

“Are you saying those people in the pictures are dressed weirdly?”

“Not saying that…!”

“And we’ve already done a broadcast in such outfits.”

“Well, it wasn’t like people could see our faces…!”

“Moreover, I even danced a really embarrassing dance in that outfit; I had no idea you were looking at me like that. As a friend, I’m truly saddened.”

“…”

Charlotte’s eyes narrowed again.

Oh dear.

“…Perhaps it would have been better if you hadn’t said that last part about being sad as a friend.”

This was definitely a judgment call from a real princess raised in a political house.

I quickly erased the sad expression I had on my face and spoke.

“In any case, it’s actually easier to cosplay here without much worry.”

“…You don’t even plan on making excuses. How shameless you are.”

“Don’t you really want to try on the princess dress?”

“…”

When I completely ignored Charlotte’s response and asked again, she closed her mouth and looked deep in thought.

“Again, everyone here is on your side, Charlotte. Ultimately, if we go to that event, we’ll be dressed like that. No one will know that you secretly admire that, and even if they did, there’s no way we’d blab about it to anyone in this world.”

“Well… I know that.”

“Well then, wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy yourself here completely carefree, just like you’ve always wanted? Especially since you’ve grown up in such a strict household since childhood. It’s a wonderful opportunity. Just look at Alice.”

Thinking of how scatterbrained Alice had become, Charlotte’s expression slightly loosened. It seemed like she had entered a bit of a sage moment.

“And.”

“And?”

“You haven’t chosen what you want for lunch yet.”

As I said this to Charlotte while handing her my smartphone, she ended up chuckling.

*

Despite how proud Charlotte was, she knew well that refusing alone in this situation would spoil the fun. In fact, since she had grown up watching others, that feeling must be even more pronounced.

Just as I argued, Charlotte finally begrudgingly chose a costume.

And that costume was of a princess from a super famous animated movie.

A princess in a blue dress casting magic with a wand.

“Oh!”

And Claire’s eyes lit up when she saw Charlotte come out in that outfit.

“Did you deliberately choose that princess?!”

Since Claire was the one who enjoyed watching movies or cartoons the most among us, she definitely recognized whose outfit it was.

The princess character had silver hair. The same silver as Charlotte’s.

“W-Well, of course.”

Charlotte said to Claire.

“Since this princess has the same hair color as me. If I’m going to dress up, wouldn’t it be better to dress up as someone resembling me?”

And she made a pretty good excuse.

“True. It really suits you well.”

When Claire said this, Alice and Mia nodded eagerly.

“If you just learn English, you could even appear as the protagonist in a live-action movie!”

“W-Well, it’s not like it suits me that well…”

I thought she would fit perfectly as a real princess. Although if it was for a movie shoot, it would take at least a few months, and we would need to return to our world, so it was a bit of a stretch.

Well, since she didn’t seem to have any intention to really star in it, I guess it didn’t matter.

“I’m glad it suits you. I’ll go change and come back. After all, I can’t just stay like this today.”

Charlotte said that and went back into the room.

“I’m glad Charlotte likes it. Right?”

“Yes!”

I nodded at Claire’s words.

“I could tell she was really moved by the cartoon. It was a different vibe from when she watches other movies.”

Hearing Claire excitedly talk, I almost burst into laughter.

Well, it’s not like I knew it as accurately as she did,

But, Charlotte, I think you’ve already been found out.

Chapter 425

It’s been ages since I’ve been in a place like this.

I’ve been to crowded areas before, sure. Commuting to and from work is enough to pack in humans like sardines.

But you don’t go to those places because you want to. Even taking the subway just makes you want to scream. Even when you finally arrive, you end up just sitting there doing boring stuff you don’t want to do.

But the vibe we’re heading towards is filled with excitement, even without the subway packed like a can of sardines.

I know it looks like there aren’t many people right now, but all the ones sitting and standing will get off at a specific station.

When I was a kid, I even saw people cosplaying on the subway, but it seemed like not everyone saw it kindly. For some reason, there were also people changing clothes boldly on the train, so it became ‘change in the event venue only’.

In reality, I’m an otaku who lives a life completely unrelated to cosplay, so I have no idea why. I can barely talk to girls, let alone take decent photos with cosplayers.

But at least I’m lucky to have to buy a separate ticket for cosplay.

We all carried a bag each. Inside, of course, were the costumes we planned to wear. All outfits from manga or games.

Honestly, while the characters that fit us best are our own images, isn’t it less frustrating to do it like this rather than wearing regular clothes? Especially since we’re paying more anyway.

Curious glances started to peek at us from around. I wondered how many knew our names. People who recognize us as internet personalities rather than just characters.

Well, I guess we’ll find out once we start cosplaying.

“I’m getting off here.”

As I said that and stood up, the others followed suit.

And—

“Oh.”

Claire let out a slightly surprised sound.

It wasn’t just us; most of the people seated were getting ready to disembark.

Even though we’re otaku, figuring out who’s who in winter isn’t as easy as it seems. You can spot a few with glasses and a bit of weight, or the painfully skinny ones, but in winter, a single jacket hides everything.

So it’s a bit interesting that everyone is preparing to get off.

Then, the train doors opened, and everyone poured out like whoosh.

Some stepped out at a brisk pace, while others were practically sprinting.

“Wow.”

Alice exclaimed in awe.

“Does it mean all those people we were riding with are heading to the same place as us?”

“That’s right.”

I said casually, not in a rush.

Even though we arrived ages before the entrance began, this is what we see. I’ve never seen a train full like this from my experience, but from what I hear, if you leave a bit late, you have to ride a packed train.

“Well, at this point, we’re already late. The place will be packed with people lining up.”

“At this hour?”

Mia seemed genuinely surprised.

True, I’m curious about that too. When did all these people start lining up? I’ve met friends at 4 AM before, and there were already countless people around.

It’s an event that happens only a few times a year, but can there really be people waiting from the day before?

In spring or fall maybe, but in this winter weather, waiting in the freezing cold seems like an awful choice.

When we got out of the station and approached the event venue right next door, just as I thought, a massive crowd was already lined up. I can’t tell if this is just my perception or reality, but it felt like way more people than I remember from my childhood.

The four of them were already looking bored.

“Well, at least technology has advanced a lot.”

I replied with an honest smile.

“Having smartphones or gaming consoles is a blessing!”

Back in the days without smartphones, you had to bring actual books. Or carry around something like a PMP.

“But since we all came together, time should pass quicker than expected.”

Do you all understand the loneliness of coming alone because everyone else was busy?

…Talking about it would just make me sound pitiful, so I held back.

*

Thinking back, I don’t recall seeing many foreigners at these events when I was younger.

If someone truly loves this kind of content, they’d probably choose to live in Japan. Not only domestically, but most otaku know famous circles and attend multiple events associated with these circles.

But then again, considering times have changed and there are more foreigners living in Korea, or perhaps since I look foreign now and my friends are also effectively foreigners, I do notice a few more foreigners among the people waiting in line.

Well, this city has grown quite a bit.

“…Finally made it.”

“How funny that we’re planning to change costumes and head out again.”

When I sighed and muttered this to Alice, she gave me a side-eye.

“Don’t say stuff like that when I’m feeling drained…”

“But the line coming back likely won’t be as long.”

Only after I said that did Alice’s expression brighten a bit.

“Alright then. Shall we change and regroup here?”

Upon Alice’s suggestion, we all nodded.

*

I briefly pondered the idea of defining a character as part of a specific work or series, but that seemed rather dull.

Isn’t it more enjoyable to cosplay as what we each want?

First up, my chosen costume was a princess from an animation by a historic animation company alongside Charlotte.

I figured it’d be less awkward if you went with someone in the same series.

With her black bobbed hair and pale skin, the character’s inspired aesthetics suggested Snow White. She looked way softer than I do, but who cares—

“Sylvia, how about showing a little smile?”

—But there was someone here who didn’t care.

“…Is that really so important?”

“And also, try to soften your speech a bit.”

“…”

“The time you spent as a crown princess is inevitable. I understand why you’d hide such a tone and emotions when you look back at your life. But now, you’re playing a completely different princess, aren’t you?”

If it’s not an official cosplay, maybe there’s no need to stick to personality traits.

“Come on, hurry up!”

Someone undeniably enthusiastic stood nearby.

Looking at the others enthralled by our conversation, I realized I had nowhere to escape.

I simply smiled in silence.

“That’s not quite the smile I meant….”

Ah, geez, how demanding.

“Let’s see a smile that radiates warmth and brings peace to others.”

“Yet you’re not doing that at all, Charlotte.”

“That’s because I’m not that type of character, obviously.”

Charlotte replied with a frown.

“…”

Yeah. I brought her here.

Honestly, if Charlotte showed just a bit more effort to hide her feelings, I’d help her out. But if she’s going to be this blatant, there’s nothing I can do.

Let it be.

Closing my mouth and making a subtle smile with my lips, Charlotte finally appeared satisfied.

*

Striking a pose in front of so many people turned out to be more embarrassing than I expected.

I already knew some people took pictures like this, but experiencing it first-hand felt different.

A few people seemed eager to chat personally, but I firmly shut that down. We weren’t celebrities, but we were somewhat known faces from our internet broadcasts. The last thing I wanted was to get tangled in something weird and hurt our image.

Mia definitely seemed to be the most popular. Her purple dress as a magical girl suited her really well. Plus, her expressions and poses perfectly embodied the essence of a magical girl.

Alice seemed like one of the heroines from some rom-com.

I had no idea Alice was reading comics. Was she looking at them while fiddling with her smartphone?

I guess I noticed it when she was collecting figures.

Claire was another heroine from the same comic series as Alice. It felt like I hadn’t seen her with long hair in ages.

“We’ve taken enough pictures, how about we head inside and see what’s in store?”

“Sounds good!”

Charlotte exclaimed excitedly in response to my suggestion.

That energy truly resembled a lively protagonist from a magical girl show, and I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“That’s it, Sylvia. You’re doing great!”

…..

Charlotte, are you a tad too excited?

Are you trying to pull me into this?

Chapter 426

There was really nothing worth living for.

The works I primarily sell aren’t really popular for second creation in the country. I mean, sure, there are items that caught my eye while getting shoved around in the crowd, but those were mostly series of works over ten years old that managed to survive until now. I glanced briefly, but didn’t feel like buying anything.

In the end, I came out empty-handed. Even Charlotte didn’t find anything she particularly wanted to buy.

Mia bought a badge with a magical girl’s face printed on it. She seemed really happy since she could buy the faces of all the characters from the latest series.

Claire bought an alarm clock featuring a character from a comic I didn’t even know.

“Is it from a work you know?”

“Hmm? Nope. I just thought it was pretty.”

Yeah, it really did have a nice drawing. The flowers were drawn in various colors, and the unknown cute girl was pretty too.

In the end, I had no idea who she was.

Well, it’s common for people to buy fancy products without knowing the character. Maybe it’s a character made solely by the illustrator.

Alice was similar.

Alice was holding an eco bag. Instead of a fancy drawing, it had a neatly drawn cute girl in a more straightforward art style. The character drawn with blue lines without any coloring… Honestly, it did look like a cute girl character that an otaku would love, but since Alice was holding it, it looked a bit more appealing.

Back when I was really into it, I used to buy a ton of doujinshi. But these days, I just don’t have that kind of passion anymore.

“Phew…”

After making a round looking at all the booths, we finally sat down outside. We were lucky to find an empty bench and all five of us squeezed in, so it was manageable.

“It’s tougher than I thought.”

Mia, who had the weakest stamina among us, said that.

“Agreed.”

But seeing Alice say that meant everyone was feeling drained in many ways. I mean, it wasn’t just that we were tired from walking for a long time; it was more about being squeezed between people.

“But it was still quite fun. It’s just about people bringing things they like to sell. Isn’t that filled with passion?”

Claire said something that sounded vaguely familiar. Her way of thinking is definitely positive.

“Really. Today was quite enjoyable.”

Even Charlotte said that, and I felt a surge of warmth in my heart.

“Still, I have no intention of getting on stage, though.”

“That’s true.”

At Charlotte’s comment, we all nodded seriously in agreement.

Doing cosplay together felt like we were in a festival, and since we were all close friends, we noticed a lot more details than when I went alone without any friends. It was way more enjoyable than when I came here alone before.

But still, I didn’t have the courage to get on the designated stage and perform. I’d rather be satisfied with just watching it on broadcast.

“…Should we start heading back?”

When I said that, everyone nodded.

*

In the past, even before I entered the body of this cute girl, whenever I wandered around the event hall, I would have plenty of time left. I didn’t have the stamina to stay until the end, and more than anything, as time went on, the items at the booths would run out, and there would be nothing more to see or buy.

So after a few laps around the booths and buying all the merchandise related to the anime I was watching, there would be nothing more to do.

Since I came out early in the morning to roam, I had a lot of time left in the afternoon. If I had been alone, I would have started heading home, but now I was with friends.

Going home without doing something felt a bit regretful.

“Let’s eat something.”

I said as we were on the subway.

Lunch was decided to be pork cutlets.

Since we were already on the train, we planned to get off at the transfer station and eat at a nearby delicious place.

Well, since we found it through a search, we wouldn’t know if it was actually good until we tried it.

Ever since I started living here with these guys, I’ve been experiencing a lot of this “good” phrase.

“It’s delicious!”

Seeing Mia’s eyes sparkle as she said that, it seems we hit the jackpot again.

She must have been so hungry from all the wandering that she didn’t even realize it. Everything going into her mouth was delicious.

As we were enjoying our meal, Claire suddenly opened her mouth.

“But Charlotte, that outfit really suits you.”

“Pfft.”

Charlotte almost spit out her food, unlike her usual self. Luckily, she managed to close her mouth and didn’t embarrass herself completely.

She hastily grabbed a tissue to dab around her mouth, quickly chewed and swallowed her food before hastily speaking.

“Uh, is that so? That’s good.”

She seemed to be trying hard to act, but unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be going very well.

“You must really like that character, huh?”

At Claire’s words, Charlotte’s shoulders flinched.

I was a bit fascinated as I poked a piece of pork cutlet with my fork and put it in my mouth, seeing her act like that was a rare sight.

“Um, not really. I don’t like it or anything.”

Hmm.

I had the impression she liked not just that character but all the princess characters from that company.

If I counted all the advice Charlotte had given me throughout the day, I’d likely run out of fingers.

“Really? Last time at the movies, your eyes were sparkling.”

But since Claire was doing an excellent job of sinking Charlotte on her own, I didn’t need to intervene. Of course, Charlotte did glance at me, seeming worried that I might spill a secret to them.

I shook my head.

“Did something happen between you two?”

Alice, who was watching, asked.

“No, not really.”

I answered that, and Alice tilted her head in confusion.

Even as Alice was talking to me, Claire was busy questioning Charlotte about this and that.

“Why? Isn’t it fine to say you like what you like?”

“Uh, that’s…”

“Are you holding back because of modesty?”

Claire hit the nail on the head.

“Mia, take a picture of this too. It’s delicious.”

“Wow, thank you!”

“No, you two are having a serious conversation! Can you not focus on that?”

I said, pushing the curry sauce meant for the pork cutlet toward Mia, and Alice gave me a jab.

“Don’t worry, it’s not a big deal.”

“See? You knew something!”

“……”

I shut my mouth.

“I also liked the movie. Especially the princess who wore a purple dress—”

“……It was purple, right?”

Thud.

Oh.

I just heard a sound like something snapped. But since nothing visibly snapped in front of me, it seemed I just thought that on my own.

But even if they couldn’t hear the sound like me, it seemed everyone noticed Charlotte’s mood change.

Oh, this is bad.

I had sensed it a bit earlier, but it seemed Charlotte was a peculiar type of strict enthusiast in a strange way.

Come to think of it, Charlotte did have a stubborn side.

“Purple?”

Claire, who was caught on a strange point, cautiously asked back.

“Um, the dress color you mentioned was purple.”

“Oh… Isn’t dark purple and purple the same?”

Claire wasn’t very perceptive in these matters, so she didn’t seem to write colors down in great detail.

In fact, she often showed quite a sensitive side in games regarding such things, but it seemed her personality changed a bit due to a different living environment.

I liked this version of Claire more, though.

“……Is it the same?”

Charlotte’s expression became one of shock.

Ah, right. Come to think of it, she was from Velbur.

And the motif for Velbur was France and Belgium, with France being well-known for design as well.

“Did you just say it’s the same?”

“Uh? Uh-oh?”

At Charlotte’s words, Claire became so flustered that she couldn’t even speak properly.

“Mia, what sauce is that?”

“Oh, this is yuzu sauce, I think. Want to give it a try?”

“Thank you.”

“No, you both. Listen to the conversation, will you?”

With Alice saying that while I casually talked to Mia, she looked a bit anxious.

*

“……I’m sorry, Claire. I got a little overexcited.”

“Oh, um, it’s fine. Thanks to you, I think I can be more precise with color distinctions when I do my makeup from now on.”

Claire comforted Charlotte, who was sulking as we returned home.

“And… If you ever want to see any works from that company in the future, let me know. I’ll watch them with you anytime.”

“Claire…”

Charlotte said with a slightly touched expression at Claire’s words.

See?

At least in this house, no one cares about what hobbies anyone has.

Isn’t that what freedom is?

That day, watching that warm scene, I couldn’t help but smile—

But a few days later, I was shocked to see an endless stream of princess figures coming out of a giant box that arrived at my doorstep.

Chapter 427

[Cosplay?]

[Cosplay!]

[Looks great!]

[Mia-chan so cute! Mia-chan so cute! Mia-chan so cute!]

Well, it’s rare for someone who doesn’t watch anime to be watching our stream, and since there are people like that, it’s natural there are those who showed up at the event we attended.

So, just because we don’t reveal our photos doesn’t mean people won’t see us in costumes. Someone will post our pictures anyway.

These days, the concept of portrait rights is widely spread, so if permission is ambiguous, people tend to cover their faces when posting, but internet broadcasters exist somewhere between celebrities and regular folks.

So, we revealed the photos we took ourselves during the stream. Of course, we erased anyone wandering around. It wasn’t just a solo job; we picked a few good shots and took turns working on them while setting a time.

The one who mainly took the pictures was Claire. Among us, she had the best camera skills.

The camera we bought for the last vlog turned out to be very useful. The weather was clear, so our faces were captured very clearly.

And among all, Mia’s cosplay was the most popular.

“……”

In reality, Mia was so embarrassed she couldn’t even properly look at the chat.

Normally, she wouldn’t stutter while speaking on stream even when wearing a costume, and she didn’t hide that she loved magical girls, but it seemed seeing her name pop up in the chat made her a bit shy.

[Charlotte, you look great too!]

[You look just like you popped out of an anime!]

Hmm.

If we’re being picky, they came straight out of a game. When considering the story, it felt like a parallel world different from the game.

“……”

Charlotte also seemed unsure of how to respond when reading the chat. But she didn’t look displeased. Who would dislike being told they resembled their character while cosplaying?

[But Sylvia, it doesn’t seem to suit you…]

[Your smile is awkward…]

[You don’t really give off a fairytale vibe…]

[More like you’re here to assassinate a queen, right?]

“……”

And I was also receiving attention in some sense. Rather than compliments like Charlotte’s, it was more like I had the vibe of a ‘fan character’.

I found it annoying to receive these taunts from viewers despite finding it a hassle to be corrected by Charlotte during our work.

Especially remarks about assassination were annoyingly plausible even to me. In the game, Sylvia tried to assassinate her father, and I had my experience with that too.

If I banned those comments completely, people would say I’m being petty.

“……Well then, let’s wrap up the photos for now.”

[Are you sulking?]

[Is Sylvia pouting?]

“……”

My fingers itched to move the mouse, but I held back.

“You did well, Sylvia.”

Alice, who was looking at me from the side, praised me and patted my shoulder.

But that look on her face seemed like she was just teasing me.

“I’ll be fining everyone who just mocked me for the next 10 minutes. Reflect on yourselves.”

[Ahhhhhh!]

[Unfair fine! LOL]

[Isn’t this dictatorship?! LOL]

After fining those two below, I felt refreshed.

“Sis……”

The gaze of Claire, who was looking at me, was quite piercing, but that was bearable.

“I don’t know when we’ll have the chance again, but I had quite a bit of fun this time, so we might go again next time.”

[It’s too bad you didn’t get on stage.]

“I’ll consider it for next time.”

Even if I do, I wouldn’t be going up myself, though.

*

After warming up for a total of one hour with Just Chatting, we finally turned on the Chronicles of Aetherna after a long time.

So…

Uh…

Ah, right. It was right after Sylvia got stabbed by something and had a gaping hole in her torso.

Of course, that doesn’t mean the hole was visible; she was still stuck in the tentacles.

…….

But I don’t think I would have gone that far if it were me.

Did Sylvia in that world have no other choice?

[……May you all find peace. Everything you have figured out, you will return it with your own hands—]

The game started by showing the situation right before the last screen goes dark again.

Sylvia’s chest was pierced, and she was lifted into the air. Just looking at it, it seemed extremely painful. Sylvia’s face wasn’t visible, but that looked like a certain death to me.

[Sylvia!!]

Alice screamed.

Claire was on her knees, with a vacant expression that was never seen in her usual self.

Even Charlotte, with whom I had built a friendship, and Mia, whose relationship was just improving, had similar expressions.

Let me emphasize again; this was very much different from the happy ending I had hoped for.

[————.]

The background music was silent. Even the dubbed voices were unheard, but dialogues were being displayed on screen.

The speaker of the dialogue—

“Order?”

Seeing the name displayed, Alice frowned.

It wasn’t “Goddess of Order,” just ‘Order’.

In this game, ordinary names often reflect ‘self-claims.’ Characters who use pseudonyms have their pseudo names revealed, and those who don’t mention their names are referred to as ‘the guy with OO colored hair’ and ‘the girl with OO lips.’

So it’s likely that ‘Order’ is also a self-proclaimed name.

[In the end, you choose such a path.]

And slowly, the metallic shine of the tentacles that pierced Sylvia’s body began to rise.

What appeared at the end was a faceless woman.

No, rather than a faceless woman, it would be more correct to say a woman whose face couldn’t be seen. The glow of blue light on her face made it impossible to see how she looked.

It looked as if the halo drawn around a religious saint had shifted from behind the head to the front of the face.

And if that halo were not white but a pale blue, it would be similar.

A foreboding yet grand, probably Latin song played in the background.

[Despite having given the ability to correct time—no, the ability to rectify the world, why do you ultimately prolong the chaotic time?]

The tentacles dropped from the woman’s back and soon vanished like dust.

Sylvia’s body dropped down. Thud. In a motion that was not very good for this game, that appearance was expressed with odd delicacy, making it look quite painful.

Blood flowed beneath Sylvia’s corpse.

[Death was an option, and you could have reached a more perfect conclusion.]

[Don’t insult Sylvia!]

Alice shouted.

[I don’t know what happened, but Sylvia fought until the very end for us!]

[That is the problem.]

The goddess folded her hands reverently before her belly. Though, she didn’t look particularly reverent.

With neat attire. It was identical to what Sylvia was wearing.

I wonder if there’s a woman behind that glow who looks just like Sylvia?

[The existence created by mimicking my appearance is not perfect.]

“Wow…….”

Claire, peering at the screen, sounded impressed.

Indeed.

If I had truly seen it, I would have had a similar reaction. Of course, I would have ended up like that, flattened out there.

……So, seeing that the goddess was “not the Sylvia in the game” and had brought me here was likely to prevent scenarios similar to this game from happening.

Perhaps the reason she still doesn’t reveal her true form in front of me until now—could it be because of this game’s ending?

[You needn’t worry too much, everyone. There will be another chance. I shall take responsibility and change this world into a place filled with order once again, since I have regained my power—]

[No way!]

Leo yelled, reaching his hands forward, and the screen slowed down…

……Nothing happened.

And the somber background music that had been playing came to a complete stop.

[……could it be……!]

As the goddess turned her body,

[Protect Sylvia!]

Leo shouted.

Rather than comprehending Sylvia’s secret, he probably quickly judged the situation and made a decision.

Leo ran to block Sylvia and many children who followed him surrounded Sylvia.

And,

[Sylvia!?]

Alice knelt beside Sylvia.

Cough, Sylvia spat blood.

But she was still alive.

[Sylvia, just hold on a little longer! I’ll do something—]

[Of course. I cannot die yet.]

Sylvia’s eyes looked at Alice, then towards Leo in front of her.

[……Everything is prepared. I have connected the world and time, calling forth the goddess into this realm. At least in this space, the ‘rules of Order’ should flow.]

Sylvia said slowly while closing her eyes.

[However, regarding the power to rearrange the world as you wish, the ‘time’ that you refer to is still within my grasp.]

[……!]

[You all. Please return everything you have figured out with your own hands.]

Sylvia said so.

[Not as a mere remnant, but as the protagonist of fate, walking time on your own.]

……Ah, that’s cool.

……I want to do that too.

Chapter 428

[……I Won’t Forgive You.]

Alice stood up from her seat and said.

[It doesn’t matter if you’re a goddess or whatever.]

[That’s right.]

Claire finally came to her senses and said.

[No matter what, I will make you suffer as much as my sister.]

Ah, this.

[I won’t allow you to control the world as you wish.]

That’s it. It’s that event where the protagonists take turns saying a line in the final boss battle of every series.

The dialogue continued even after Charlotte.

[We will take back our time, with Sylvia!]

[You foolish…].

The goddess muttered as she watched Leo shout out a heroic line from the front.

[…You have very little time left. Unless that divine child over there dies and stops time, eventually, you will meet your doom.]

But if Sylvia turns back time, the goddess will find another way to kill her. She’ll probably use a method to ensure instant death more convincingly.

[Fine then. Until then, let me toy with you.]

With that, the goddess’s body expanded to occupy half the screen.

…Yeah, it feels like the ground the protagonists are standing on is fan-shaped.

That’s why that giant boss is right there.

Even in her enlarged state, the goddess’s face still radiated light.

[Whoa, wwww, Sylvia’s giant breasts are back againwwwww.]

“……”

I couldn’t tolerate that chat and immediately banned them.

That’s a goddess. Not me.

Of course, they might have referred to the game’s Sylvia, but it still felt unpleasant to me.

And, the final battle of the game began.

The majestic theme music fitting for a boss battle, described as “somewhat grand Latin background music,” filled the air. Naturally, I couldn’t understand a single word of the lyrics, but it was probably related to this game.

As expected of a company good at making music, this background score was nice too.

“Seeing this, I feel a bit pity that the goddess isn’t fighting directly.”

Alice tilted her head.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s a game, so turns are being taken anyway, but if it were a real fight, it’s unmatchable.”

Alice responded to Claire’s question.

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yeah. When magic is used, the background changes to a place that’s not actually in the game, and when an ultimate move is used, the background either turns completely black or white. They tend to ignore terrain when using skills as well.”

“Right. Honestly, if you had guns, you’d likely be shooting from trench to trench instead of fighting up close.”

Charlotte chimed in.

“Casting magic gets interrupted sometimes, so that feature’s included here, but seeing how leisurely you can use powerful spells multiple times compared to real battles is a bit unrealistic.”

…But pointing that out now…

[Is this… the weight of reality?]

[Let’s keep the game as a game, shall we?]

[These are people who have been through another worldㅋㅋㅋㅋ.]

See, even the chat is bewildered.

“Perhaps the goddess may have seen some detailed future.”

My words gathered attention in the room.

“We might think it impossible now, but it could have been possible in the time of ‘not me, Sylvia.’ So the goddess brought ‘me’ here.”

That’s right. I was interpreting this game a bit differently.

That future, owing to the conclusion that the goddess absolutely couldn’t stop, led her to probably transport me to Azernar.

“Still, we were able to end things without even seeing the goddess’s face, sister.”

Claire said.

“Our being here is also the result of the goddess’s struggles.”

[Was that the setup?]

[They’re surprisingly resilientㅋㅋㅋㅋ.]

I didn’t pay much attention to what was being said in the chat.

Though we didn’t fight the goddess directly, we could still see the story of the game’s sequel.

Having come to this world, I enjoyed several months without any worries, so in the end, there was no need for regret.

Thinking that even the goddess got played, I felt satisfied with that choice.

Even if I return someday, it would become a great memory.

*

It took a bit of time to revive fallen characters a few times.

Because I spent quite a few skill points in the Sylvia battle, the timing for my ultimate move was tighter than I expected.

Still, I managed to withstand the attack while buying time and succeeded in clearing the game.

At first, I thought the kids who grew a lot without me could defeat the goddess, but after actually playing it, it seemed like a game allowance after all.

It had slipped my mind that since the player characters had flashy and exaggerated skill effects, so did the enemies’.

How could one win against an opponent that creates something like a black hole in thin air?

The real goddess probably couldn’t do that much, right? Does some limitation appear when manifesting in the world?

[……I see. In the end, it’s failure again…….]

The goddess muttered as her HP drained completely.

[However, I am an eternal being. Someday, when time flows and even you cease to exist, I can attempt this again.]

[By then, others like us will surely be waiting.]

Leo said.

The goddess didn’t reply to that and vanished into thin air.

[No, no, no!]

[Claire.]

Sylvia was still barely holding on.

But even in the game’s graphics, her face looked very pale, so she wasn’t in a condition to hold on much longer.

[……Thank you, everyone. You all did well.]

Light began to stream from Sylvia’s body.

Could that be the goddess’s power that Sylvia had left over?

Sylvia’s abilities that the goddess couldn’t take until the very end.

Well, I suppose it technically was the goddess’s power.

[It’s time to say goodbye. Thank you for dealing with an unwelcome guest all this time.]

[No, no, no!]

[Claire!]

[Sylvia!]

[Please, Sylvia, no!]

Claire, Alice, Leo.

And everyone else, even the other kids who tagged along, were calling out for Sylvia.

[If I die, the remaining power will be used for you all. There will be conflicting aspects. The fate you held in your hands will return, and at the same time, the world you experienced with me—]

Sylvia’s gaze stopped at Claire.

A slight smile appeared on Sylvia’s lips.

She raised her bloodied hand and touched Claire’s face.

[Surely, your past will return to those blessed times….]

[No, sister? Sister…?]

Sylvia’s hand fell.

As Claire tried to catch that slowly falling hand, it vanished into a flurry of light from her fingertips.

[No, no, no!]

As Claire screamed, the screen slowly faded to white.

And—

Would you like to save?

I pressed YES without hesitation.

Chapter 429

Gyaaaak!

Cut it here? Cut it here?

I wasn’t just playing a game to watch this!

“Surely, this follow-up story will take at least two hours. Can we really do more here?”

But I replied to the chat with this.

“I’m not sure if I can continue right away tomorrow, but I will definitely finish, so please don’t worry too much. I’ll make sure to wrap it up this year.”

Still, most of the viewers of this broadcast were people who had already played this game, so I was relieved. More than half of them must have cleared it before I even returned to this world.

I said a few more closing remarks and ended the broadcast.

Looking at the time, it had just passed midnight.

November was almost at its end.

“I could watch the story to the end and wake up a bit late tomorrow…”

Claire muttered, sounding disappointed.

“I need to check something.”

With a serious expression, I said that and entered the room of Claire and Alice. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if it was fair to even call it a room anymore. Life wasn’t being lived there; stuff was just piling up, so it’s more like a storage room, isn’t it?

I put my belongings in a prominent place. Just in case an outsider came in, I wanted to clean it up before they saw it.

Still, I had to be prepared to return at any time.

…I’ve been saying this for months now.

The light of my belongings had definitely become a bit brighter compared to the last time I checked.

“The rate at which it’s getting brighter has noticeably slowed down. When it was just the three of us, it used to brighten up instantly even with just a little fame.”

As I said it with a serious face, the others tilted their heads.

“…Could it be?”

The first to speak was Mia.

“Isn’t our image being too firmly engraved in people’s minds? At first, I thought they were just surprised and couldn’t speak, but we’re living our lives and broadcasting so nonchalantly.”

“Plus, recently we even went to events in cosplay,” Alice muttered with a serious expression.

“So, it means the longer we stay here, the closer we get to the Goddess’s scheme,” Charlotte said with a serious face.

“…It’s complicated in many ways.”

Hmm.

“We need to be more proactive so the Goddess speeds up how fast we adapt to this world.”

I said seriously.

The conversation with the broadcast team wasn’t over yet. To be honest, it had been somewhat stalled.

Our birthplaces and names are too personal to share, so as long as we were requesting that, the broadcast team couldn’t air it. When I exchanged emails with the writers, it seemed that the higher-ups at the broadcasting station thought that it was a good story.

And right now, simply talking about our lives wouldn’t mean much. The viewers would think, ‘So they’re on TV too,’ and first-timers would just go, ‘Oh, there are such people.’

We needed to make sure we looked ‘foreign’ enough.

“Still, we can’t reveal our birthplaces.”

Putting aside that they won’t think of it as a game birthplace, there’s a chance they might think it’s forged identification.

I’d prefer not to get caught up in the legalities. Though it seems the Goddess would prefer that too.

“…What about foreign broadcasts?”

Claire cautiously spoke up.

As our gazes gathered, Claire said seriously.

“The game we’re in isn’t from this country. If we tell the people there, wouldn’t they find it super fascinating?”

Very true.

There’s a high chance it could just be a one-off event. We’re not foreign residents in Japan. We have no intention of living there, nor do we have the means. It seems getting a visa through internet broadcasts isn’t that easy either.

That said, broadcasting in Japanese for a Japanese audience is equally troublesome.

“Let’s say our names have always been like this, and touch that gap. We need to spread it among people around the world.”

“…That’s something worth thinking about.”

I nodded.

“First, let’s finish the upcoming broadcast before brainstorming more ideas.”

Claire immediately smiled at my praise.

Sometimes I wonder if we’re really the same age.

But Mia is also the same age.

*

Before the camera was ready, the broadcasting staff came to our house first.

“Your decorations are unique.”

The female writer from last time said as she looked around our home. Our place still had Christmas and Halloween decorations up at the same time. Shall I call it Chris-Hallo-Mas?

“Celebrating each season is the best kind of fun!”

Claire responded immediately.

“And what hobbies are these?”

The writer asked, looking at the lined-up figures in front of the TV.

“I-I am.”

“Me too.”

Charlotte and Alice spoke in almost unison.

It was a bit embarrassing for Charlotte when she unwrapped the packages, but I didn’t expect Alice to feel shy too. I thought she might still think they were similar to the palace’s busts.

Did she learn something from the internet recently?

Well, whatever.

We also showed our room. Aside from a few added posters, nothing much had changed.

“My goal is to shape my body like that.”

Claire confidently said, placing her hands on her waist.

“I…I like those things, so…”

Mia explained, but she was quite shy about it.

“So how do you sleep? Do you go to different rooms and sleep at different times?”

At that question, we exchanged looks before looking back at the writer.

“No.”

When I said it without specifying who, the writer looked a bit surprised.

“…We lay out blankets in the living room and sleep together. Normally we scatter around the house doing stuff, but when we go somewhere fun, we all go together.”

“Is that so?”

The writer’s eyes widened.

“You all seem to get along well. Um… not everyone is your sister, right?”

As the writer seemed to ponder our names, I debated how to respond, then turned around.

All my friends were looking at me directly, smiles on their faces.

No matter how I answered, they didn’t seem to care much.

So I looked back at the writer and said.

“Although we don’t share blood, yes, we all think of each other as sisters.”

“I see.”

It seemed my response pleased her. I wonder if she’s concocting some story in her mind?

“Oh, and.”

“Yes?”

As I started to add something, the writer, who had been typing something on her smartphone, looked up.

“I don’t mind some scripts, but I don’t want to show us fighting.”

At my words, the writer smiled slightly and nodded.

“Understood.”

Then she typed a few more letters on her smartphone before putting it back in her pocket.

“Then, I’ll adjust the schedule in detail. Are you planning to go anywhere far soon?”

Since the broadcasting team couldn’t just show up with cameras anytime.

It might not come out right after filming either.

“Understood.”

I said that and saw the writer off.

*

“Um…”

“Why, do you want to go on a trip or something?”

“Huh? How did you know?”

It seems Alice and Claire have become really good friends. Claire just snorts, and Alice understands her meaning.

Well, even when I maintained a perfect blank expression, Alice could read my emotions.

Claire’s reactions were pretty easy to figure out too since she doesn’t hide her feelings.

“Shall we prepare then? Just as the broadcasting team set the date!”

The schedule was set for the first week of December, so if it doesn’t overlap, we should be fine.

“Is the broadcast okay?”

“We can take a break from the broadcast for a few days.”

If I hadn’t won the lottery, I might have thought about it seriously. When you’re strapped for cash, every little donation matters.

But right now, it’s not about the money.

“As long as we’ve been doing broadcasts without being tardy, we shouldn’t have any major issues as long as we advertise properly.”

“Then it’s settled!”

At Alice’s words, I smiled and nodded.

“What about Charlotte and Mia?”

“I’m fine.”

Charlotte replied first.

“As long as it’s not camping in this weather…”

Mia added that.

And honestly, no one would do such crazy things.

“Then let’s slowly think about where to travel. We’ve got plenty of time left.”

I said lightly.

Chapter 430

“Ah, it feels like it’s been ages since I’ve stayed at a hotel.”

Alice said, gazing out the window.

As we shared our stories, we set off on our journey together.

Not near Seoul, but a place far from it where the sea could be seen.

There’s no city in Korea as big as Seoul besides Seoul itself, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other tourist cities.

“The sea is really beautiful,” Claire said, staring peacefully out the window.

While we were trying to decide where to go for this trip, the conversation of “I want to ride a plane” came up.

Azernar had planes too, but it seemed that airships were the trend for passenger transport.

After all, they didn’t have the technology yet to make fixed-wing aircraft that could carry many people.

But it seemed these kids were quite intrigued by the fact that airships could carry a lot of people, just like airplanes.

Going overseas was a bit cumbersome with passports and whatnot, so we chose a domestic travel destination we could go to right away.

It was Jeju Island.

Thanks to the clean winter weather, the blue sea was clearly visible far off in the distance.

I’m not sure if it’s just this area or if all of Jeju’s sea is like this, but the sea we saw on the way to the hotel looked extremely clear. At least, among the seas I’ve seen, it was the clearest.

The palm trees lining the streets gave it a rather exotic feel even though it wasn’t a foreign country.

The low fences and fruit orchards—probably tangerine trees—around the house were also charming.

“Riding on the plane was quite an experience, but there were just too many people inside,” Charlotte sighed lightly.

“That’s true for the seats we had. If we had chosen the really expensive seats, we could’ve had way more space. Considering our status back in Azernar, those pricey seats should’ve been the norm.”

“That’s right. The airship we rode was specifically for academy students,” I said, and Charlotte nodded in agreement, laughing bitterly.

“But it’s a bit disappointing. The weather is too cold to go into the sea,” Claire said, deflating a bit.

Well, it was winter after all.

“Then why did we pack swimsuits?”

“Sylvia said it was ‘just in case’,” Charlotte replied, glancing at me.

Over here, we had never been to a swimming pool. We had been to the sea, but the temperature wasn’t suitable for enjoying a swim.

So of course, we didn’t have any swimsuits, and thus we went shopping for them before our trip.

“While it’s certainly not ideal to enter the sea, the swimming pool here uses warm water in winter. It’s possible to swim even in this weather.”

“Really!?”

Claire reacted excitedly.

“And I made sure to book a room close by.”

Of course, I had no intention of running straight to the pool in a swimsuit. Even so, wandering around the hotel room in a swimsuit felt… kinda wrong, didn’t it?

I think I read somewhere that there were people who did that, though.

“Let’s go, let’s go!” Claire grabbed my arm and dragged me. Seriously, she’s such a child.

“But, um, even if there’s warm water, won’t it still be a bit cold because of the weather?”

Mia timidly, but reasonably, voiced her concerns.

“Well, I’m a bit worried too, but we won’t know for sure until we try it out. Shall we grab our swimsuits and head out?”

When I said that, Claire rushed towards her bag.

*

The pool wasn’t too crowded.

I guess even with warm water, winter is still winter, huh?

The first impression of the warm pool was more like an outdoor hot spring. It looked just like a swimming pool, but with steam rising up, it definitely reminded me more of a hot tub.

“Wow, it’s really warm! Feels amazing!”

Maybe it was because of that image.

Seeing Claire in her swimsuit, enjoying herself in the pool, felt like watching a child play in a hot spring bath.

Her swimsuit was a sporty kind, resembling sports underwear. The top was like a sports bra, and the bottom looked like matching set underwear.

But regardless of that thick blue material, it clearly was swimwear.

“Come on, sis, get in here too!”

“Alright.”

At Claire’s urging, I quickly stepped into the warm… no, pool.

At first, I thought I’d go in later and spend some time outside, but standing out there, I felt like it wasn’t weather for staying outside at all.

Just as Claire said, once I got in, it was definitely super warm and felt great.

Oddly, instead of feeling energized, I felt more relaxed.

Splash!

“Uff!?”

But before I could fully enjoy that relaxed atmosphere, Claire’s attack hit me, and I let out an absurd sound in surprise.

“… Claire.”

“Haha!”

After Claire, who had gotten in before me, splashed me, I immediately lunged at her.

Of course, there was no way I could win against Claire’s physical abilities.

When the others saw us splashing around, one by one they jumped into the pool too.

“Wow, really… ”

“It is warm, isn’t it?”

Alice and Charlotte each commented with slightly bewildered expressions.

“It’s like a hot spring…”

And finally, as Mia joined us, she let slip the observation we were trying to avoid.

“Yikes!”

But that comment was soon followed by an unexpected splash that landed on her own face.

“Whether it feels like a hot spring or a swimming pool depends on how we play, right? If we have fun, it’s a swimming pool!”

So, Claire essentially admitted it felt like a hot spring too.

I tossed some water back at Claire.

“Ugh! Sis…!”

And then Claire splashed back at me, which sprayed Alice and Charlotte who had been nearby.

In the end, the pool—which was practically ours—became a battlefield of splashing water for a while, filled with mid-teen girls.

*

“Ahh.”

Letting out a long breath, we leaned against the wall of the pool.

The reason we didn’t want to get out was simple—it was too cold outside.

But standing there felt surprisingly like being in an outdoor hot spring. Watching Charlotte flipping her hair back and Alice wiping the water off her face felt even more so.

Among us, only Mia had bought a one-piece swimsuit. To be honest, I felt a bit guilty recommending a bikini to Mia. While she liked her dark swimsuit, which she said looked like a magical girl outfit…

I couldn’t help but wonder if there were any magic girl stories that weren’t aimed at kids. It was a bit of a thought, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask. We agreed not to judge each other’s interests.

The rest of us were all in two-piece swimsuits.

Claire’s was like sports underwear, as she mentioned earlier, and Charlotte was in a rash guard on top and bikini bottoms.

Alice wore a bolder white bikini.

And I was in a black bikini.

A bikini.

I never thought I’d wear one of these when I was younger. I mean, of course, when I was a guy, there was no chance I’d wear a bikini.

It wasn’t about the bikini. I was just embarrassed to take off my outerwear and show everyone. My body wasn’t in good shape, and I hadn’t been exercising either.

So I didn’t particularly enjoy going to pools, and even at the beach, I never felt the need to wear a swimsuit.

… I really have changed a lot.

Especially my confidence in myself has shifted in many ways, it seemed.

“Hey, sis.”

“Yeah?”

“Your expression looks kinda old.”

“……”

I filled my palm with water and splashed Claire’s face.

“Huh!?”

With the comical noise she made, Claire immediately glared at me with a mischievous smile.

And then she stretched out both arms—

“Wait, Claire!?”

This time, instead of splashing water, she charged at me shoulder-first.

“Whoa!?”

In the end, I made that bizarre sound as I sank into the warm water—no, the pool—with a splash.

*

It was still a bit early for dinner, but not doing anything felt awkward.

After washing ourselves up and drying our hair, we decided to take a stroll along the beach.

It’s Jeju Island! It’s famous for its beautiful beaches.

And as expected, the beach near our hotel was incredibly pretty.

At first, the five of us walked down the shore together, but eventually, we started to drift apart, doing our own thing.

Alice and Charlotte were having a conversation, while Mia was drawing something on the ground with a stick.

I was with Claire.

“…… Claire.”

“Yeah?”

As I called her name suddenly, Claire responded right away.

Actually, it wasn’t that I wanted to say something in particular.

I just felt like talking since she was next to me.

So I just casually tossed out a question I had.

“Are you having fun?”

“Of course!”

Claire said with a grin.

“This might be the happiest moment in my life!”

“Is that so.”

Hearing Claire’s answer, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction in my heart.

“What’s this?”

“Mia, do you have some talent for drawing?”

“Huh? Oh, no, it’s… hehe.”

Suddenly, we heard that conversation, and we turned our heads quickly towards it.

The drawing that Mia had made on the sand was impressive.

“Let’s go take a picture!”

Claire said that and I nodded with a smile.

Chapter 431

It’s strange, isn’t it?

Typically, characters who fall into another world try to find a way back to where they came from, but I did the exact opposite.

Maybe it’s because my time here hasn’t been that short.

Even though I’ve come back here, I’ve never really thought that I could return to my family.

If the Goddess had sent me back as the “original me,” would I really think, “Ah, I’m back!”?

The answer, of course, was “I don’t know.”

I don’t know a future I haven’t experienced. No matter how many times I go back in time and see various outcomes, I have no power in the present me.

Instead, I just try to enjoy this moment as much as I can.

The time I spent as an office worker in another world is just a thing of the past for me.

I suddenly thought about this, maybe because I think of this place as a separate world.

I’m still on Earth. It’s not like I’ve even gone to another country; I’m just in a region where Korean is spoken.

But still, the fact that I’m in a place I don’t know was enough to spark those thoughts.

Like when I first arrived in this world.

Or maybe it’s because I’m slightly out of breath.

“Hey, sis, I think I need to exercise a bit.”

“…I’m always exercising.”

“No, not just following me around. You could just join a gym like me, you know?”

“I have no interest in torturing myself.”

No, more than that, to be honest, I wish she wouldn’t talk to me so much.

Jeju Island has a unique landform called oreum.

I only remembered studying it in textbooks ages ago, so I forgot what it actually was, but coming back, I found out it’s a “ parasitic volcano.”

Of course, it’s not bubbling magma or anything. I don’t know if it’s an active volcano, but at least the oreum we’re climbing now looks like a ground at the top.

Typically, when I see pictures of oreum, they appear as laid-back paths that aren’t steep. So I thought this place would be just a casual walk-up.

However, once I arrived at the oreum, what stretched out in front of me was a literal “hiking trail” that was over 200 meters long.

I should have realized when I read that the blog comments warned to bring crampons in winter.

Wearing thick clothes in this cold weather and holding hiking poles in both hands, I was just barely making my way up, while Claire next to me showed no signs of fatigue at all.

“Oh, but this isn’t bad either. This country has a lot of mountains. How about going hiking often?”

What a horrific suggestion.

“It feels nice to be up high on days with clear air.”

“As long as it isn’t too often, I think it would be good for a change of pace.”

Uuh.

What are these guys thinking?

At this rate, I half-expect the housemates to get together and start a hiking club.

Right behind us, Mia struggled to keep up, gasping for breath, barely managing to say “Hah, huh…”

Honestly, it was kind of cute though.

“If you’re going, you all can go without me. I won’t follow.”

“…Sis, you do know that this isn’t that high for a mountain, right? It’s barely a staircase.”

Climbing stairs like this is torture just the same.

“Yeah, but I’m glad you recommended this. I’m already looking forward to what the view will be like from up there.”

No, if I had known it was this kind of place, I wouldn’t have recommended it!

I just picked it because everyone said “oreum” when they mentioned Jeju Island!

More importantly, someone should look after Mia.

…Honestly, I didn’t have the energy for that.

*

The view is nice, though.

By the time we nearly reached the top, I was too exhausted to respond to Claire and lost in my thoughts, slowly dragging myself up.

Still, at least I didn’t slip.

Just moments before we reached the top, I’d been cursing myself for choosing to hike all the way to Jeju Island.

“Haah…”

The scenery truly was breathtaking.

“How about it, sis, we made it up, right?”

Claire nudged me in the side with her elbow.

Honestly, I had no idea that climbing oreum is practically hiking. As soon as I got to this entrance, I wanted to give up right away. I just kept trying to persuade the three who love exercise, alongside Mia.

So, well, it’s nice. It really is…

“Mia, are you okay?”

“I’ll never hike again!”

Hmm.

Still, I guess I could use Mia as an excuse every time the others want to form a hiking club.

I’ll just choose to wait down here with Mia.

But since we’ve come this far, looking down…

At first, when we only played near our hotel on the first day, I didn’t really feel it but, yes, winter is definitely here.

It seems it had already snowed quite a bit before we arrived, and the view of Jeju Island from here was truly a ‘winter landscape.’

Mia, who had been panting heavily, seemed to regain her senses slightly and admired the white scenery.

“See, sis? Even from this height, it looks so beautiful. Just imagine how amazing it will be from higher up!”

Should I confess that the reason I didn’t include hiking Hallasan in our plans for Jeju was simply that I don’t like hiking?

Yeah, better not say it. I feel like they’d really want to climb Hallasan if I give them any ideas.

Click.

I snuck beside Claire, who was busy taking pictures, and she smiled at me while snapping a shot of me against the snowy backdrop of Jeju.

Before I knew it, Alice, Charlotte, and Mia all gathered close to me, taking pictures together and then rotating to take shots of each other.

Yeah.

Regardless of when we go back, it’s all about the memories captured in pictures.

When I get home, I should seriously print all the photos.

In the distant future, even if I become an emperor and a king and everything gets torn apart, I mustn’t forget these memories.

So that when I meet them again as an old man who no longer cares about politics and everything else, I can revive this memory.

*

My absolute favorite seafood is sashimi.

And, among sashimi, my absolute fave is flounder.

Isn’t it fortunate? Out of all those seafood, my favorite is a fish that’s farmed.

“…But honestly, I still don’t understand why we eat sashimi.”

“That’s why we bought it wrapped up separately. Just in case there’s any left over, it’s a shame.”

I chuckled at Claire’s remark.

We’d come in from outside after eating various things.

We had extravagantly instant noodles loaded with seafood and Jeju black pork, among others.

The seafood ramen tasted amazing, but honestly, I couldn’t really tell what was so different about Jeju black pork compared to regular pork. Well, I just ate it because it was more delicious.

Since we’re here, wouldn’t it be a waste not to eat local specialties?

“Still, the yukhoe is delicious.”

Alice said, defending me.

“I was shocked the first time I saw it. I thought I might die from eating it.”

Well, I felt uneasy when I tried it for the first time too… but having eaten it for decades without dying, I thought, “Eh, whatever.”

Though overseas, there were cases where people died from bad management, I didn’t think it was necessary to mention that.

“I’m surprised we still have two days left.”

Claire mentioned.

“Time flies when you’re having fun, but still, it’s a bit reassuring when you think about it like this.”

“I can understand what you mean.”

When you combine annual leave with weekends and holidays to create a long break, the first couple of days feel so peaceful. You can think, “Today is gone, but tomorrow is coming~ and the day after tomorrow is here~” and just take it easy.

But then it gets to the last day, and you feel like you might die tomorrow.

Despairing at the thought of not being able to relax anymore makes you feel like your heart will just stop. Yup, I know that feeling.

…But isn’t that just us?

It’s just a matter of turning the broadcast on or off.

“Speaking of which, want to go to the pool one more time?”

“…I’m sorry, but my arms and legs are really sore after that oreum hike.”

“M-Me too.”

As the two weakest of the five-member party whined, Claire let out a long sigh.

“Hih…”

…

Cute, but still, it’s tough.

If we keep playing like this, we might be found dead by morning. Swimming takes a lot of muscle, you know.

“There won’t be many days like this left, so why don’t we have a little fun?”

“Actually, you just want to go out and play, don’t you?”

When I narrowed my eyes at Alice, she stuck her tongue out and looked away.

“Since we came to play, how about making a few more fun memories?”

“…”

But when Charlotte gently urged us with a soothing voice, my heart shifted a little.

“Then, I’ll just watch you all from outside.”

“M-Me too.”

Under the gazes of the three remaining, both Mia and I finally surrendered, saying that.

And we had forgotten one small detail.

The weather outside was way too chilly for just wearing swimsuits.

In the end, escaping the cold, we jumped into the warm pool full of water and got swept up in the playful antics of the three energetic girls for quite a while until we were completely worn out.

Chapter 432

Traveling isn’t over until it’s over. dun dun

Ah, maybe this isn’t the right context for that saying? sweat drop

Well, as long as the meaning is right, it’s all good!

I arrived back at Incheon Airport from Jeju Island and took a direct train back to Seoul.

However, the timing was a bit awkward.

The broadcasts had stopped until today, but it was still a bit awkward to go home at 2 PM.

Of course, Claire, full of energy as always, and Alice and Charlotte, still full of energy, even Mia, who seemed to have regained some strength during the flight, were all buzzing about.

And I, who had been feeling a bit wistful, seemed to be on the same wavelength as them.

“So, how about we just hang out a bit since we’re out?”

When I said that, everyone nodded vigorously. nod nod

After pondering where to go, we decided to head to Gwanghwamun first.

We stashed our bags in a nearby coin locker and dashed outside, starting with a meal.

Without much thought, we headed to a fast food place.

After munching on burgers, my hunger was satisfied. nom nom

“By the way, have Mia and Charlotte ever worn hanbok?”

As I was chatting while devouring fries that came with the set, Claire popped the question.

“Hanbok?”

Charlotte asked back.

I’m sure she knew that hanbok was a traditional outfit of this country. After all, she often looked things up on her smartphone or the internet.

“Yeah! There’s a palace nearby where the old dynasty used to rule, and if you’re in hanbok, you can enter for free!”

Technically, it sounds better to say it’s free to enter if you’re wearing hanbok, but either way, it’s not wrong.

After all, the admission fee for Gyeongbokgung Palace isn’t more than the rental fee for hanbok.

“Have you all tried it on?”

In response to Charlotte’s question, Claire grinned and promptly pulled out her smartphone.

And what she found was our photo in hanbok.

We were all decked out in hanbok, grinning for the camera.

Not only were we wearing the clothes, but our hair was also styled beautifully to match. The rental place offered that service too.

“So that means you two have been having fun like this without us before we showed up?”

Charlotte said with a little pout, to which Alice replied,

“We only entertained ourselves for about five minutes before you all got here, so what’s the fuss?”

A small chuckle erupted in the group.

“Well, I think it’s fine. Since we’re here, I want to make a lot of memories. If we go back… well, it won’t be this easy.”

Mia’s words had us all lost in thought for a moment.

All five of us here were aware that we had to return soon.

No matter how much the Goddess might want to push us out of this place, our thoughts won’t change.

These people, even if I say I’ll stay here, will definitely go back. They have that much sense of responsibility. There’s no point in fighting the Goddess if we don’t.

As for me, not going back would mean my existence was meaningless.

So, everyone will go back.

Just because we go back doesn’t mean we won’t meet again.

But that doesn’t mean the carefree times we had will come back either. There’s a risk that, a few years down the line, we might find it hard to meet properly ever again.

Knowing that, this place feels so sweet. A world with no responsibilities.

“Really, even as a last resort,”

I said, opening my mouth.

“If you all decide to stay, then I’ll stay too.”

“……”

Everyone was silent for a moment at my words.

But—

“If I’m here, who will take care of Leo?”

Claire shrugged and said.

“Eh? So, does that mean Sylvia isn’t needed?”

“Who said that?”

As Alice teased, Claire fired back.

“Of course, I’m kidnapping my sister and bringing her back!”

That bold declaration left me momentarily speechless.

“I don’t care if my sister ends up disliking me for that. But my sister is my family. If she starts to dislike me, I’ll make sure she likes me somehow.”

I don’t know how I would do that.

“Anyway, you don’t need to worry. If I say let’s go back together, we’ll go back together. I didn’t plan to stay here forever. I just asked as a last resort.”

“Honestly, it feels like returning to the academy after a break.”

Charlotte sighed deeply and said.

“Well, considering I felt more anxious during the break, going back to the academy might actually be better. After all, even if we go back now, we still have two more years to create memories, right?”

Mia eagerly nodded at Charlotte’s words.

“That’s right. I think so too. Let’s make unforgettable memories that we’ll never forget!”

Such pretty words.

It feels like just yesterday when she said she’d kill me.

…Well, actually, it hasn’t been a year yet, so I guess it makes sense that it feels like just yesterday.

Clearing those dark memories from my mind, I nodded.

*

It’s the end of November.

While we were in Jeju, it seemed the first snow had fallen in Seoul.

Although it wasn’t enough to fully accumulate, there were traces of snow slightly piled up in the corners.

Quite some time has passed since the time when I, Alice, and Claire were here.

Even compared to the time Claire and I reunited, it’s not a short duration. To put it another way, it was the same for Claire and Mia.

The rental shop also has winter hanbok, so wandering around outside wasn’t a big issue.

Tourist spots don’t close just because it’s winter. Unless it’s a seaside area, Seoul is just Seoul, all year round.

When I returned alone at first, I only had bad feelings about the Goddess, but thinking about it now, it was another opportunity.

No matter how good a person’s memory is, it’s not easy to recall the details of one’s hometown without seeing it clearly.

I was the same.

Seeing the hometown I hadn’t been able to visit for years, revisiting the places I once somewhat liked, was a pleasant experience.

I took a bunch of pictures. Photos that I wouldn’t have cared about when I lived here, but now I was scared of forgetting them, so I snapped away.

Fearing that I might forget that we had such good times together and end up unhappy.

And—

“……”

Having enjoyed all the tourist attractions in Jongno, we changed our clothes again.

When it started to get a little dark, we took a detour into a neighborhood.

I didn’t say what place it was, but all the others followed me quietly. It must have been my serious expression.

A common apartment complex that you can find anywhere in Seoul.

We had been waiting quite a while in a café near the complex.

On the table were plates of cakes we had already devoured and empty cups.

As I gazed silently out the window, the others started to follow suit.

After waiting for a few minutes like that.

“Ah.”

A woman walked by in the distance.

She looked to be in her late fifties. A younger-looking man, perhaps a bit below my original age, walked alongside her.

The surroundings weren’t too crowded, so my friends sitting with me quickly realized who I was looking at.

Those two walked happily, chatting away. Then, a man who looked a bit older than the woman followed behind them, and the three of them entered the apartment complex side by side, chatting.

“……”

They all seem to be doing well.

“It’s ready now.”

“Really?”

When I said that and got up from my seat, Claire looked shocked and asked.

I didn’t specifically mention who they were, but it seemed she thought those three were my original family.

“Yes, it’s someone I’ve never met before. If I approach them and pretend they’re family, it would just be a shock.”

“But…still…”

“Claire.”

Alice called out to Claire.

“It’s really okay.”

I placed my hand on Claire’s head and spoke.

“Right now, my family is here.”

That’s right. My family now consists of Claire, Alice, and my friends here.

That’s enough.

“I see.”

Charlotte, who had been listening to the conversation, smiled and stood up with me.

Seeing her with that expression, it looked like she thought those folks were doing well too.

“……I hope that someday we can meet again and share stories.”

Mia said in a slightly subdued voice.

To cry tears for someone who was once an enemy, Mia must be a much better person than I am.

I absentmindedly picked up the tray on the table.

“Well then, shall we head back?”

“Yes.”

Alice got up from her seat too.

Claire stole one last glance out the window before gently sighing and standing up.

“If my sister says so.”

I nodded at Claire.

Thus, the day came to an end.

It was fun, truly.

Chapter 433

The broadcast station camera was smaller than I expected.

Well, it’s not like we’re filming a movie, and we have to carry it around, so it makes sense that we can’t use a big camera.

Of course, it’s bigger than the mirrorless one we use.

“So, you five have been living together since childhood?”

“Yes, before moving here, we lived in a much smaller house.”

“Were you ever uncomfortable?”

I looked at the four kids.

Everyone shook their heads with smiles.

Of course, there must have been some inconveniences. How could anyone not feel uncomfortable living in such a cramped space without any personal space?

Still, it was comforting to know that I wasn’t completely alone in this world.

I just hoped the others felt the same way.

“There was never a moment we felt that uncomfortable.”

When I replied, the writer nodded.

Speaking of which, it’s funny that the writer is holding the camera.

There were two people with cameras, perhaps thinking of saving some money by not hiring another person.

“The living room has quite a lot of decorations, but is there a reason you set up both Halloween and Christmas decorations at the same time?”

“We forgot about Halloween, so we just decided to put them all up together.”

Claire said something a bit off, but the broadcast crew just laughed.

There wasn’t anyone with a bad first impression here.

If I had to nitpick, my own first impression, with not much change in expression, might not be the best.

Anyway, because of that, Claire’s comment could just be seen as an odd reply from a cute girl.

“This…?”

“We don’t typically interfere with each other’s hobbies.”

As I filmed the items in front of the living room TV, Alice and Charlotte truly looked embarrassed.

“Oh, I know these characters. I’ve seen them often since I was young.”

The camera first pointed to the left. There were mostly princess figures collected by Charlotte.

Surely even non-otaku wouldn’t find it too problematic to see this. They were just figures without any revealing features.

A movie buff might consider it a collection worth having.

“Yes, I like the movies from this company too…”

Charlotte managed to reply somewhat.

But those last two figures that Alice and I had set up…

At least the first two were somewhat acceptable. They were both dressed in ordinary school uniforms. Although the skirts were a bit short compared to usual uniforms, they were still decently dressed for such characters.

However, next to them, Claire’s figure was… dressed like a bunny girl.

“This is…?”

Both the writer and the camera director momentarily lost their words.

Should I say it was Alice who bought it?

But I also had some stake in it, didn’t I?

“These characters resemble us, so we bought them just for fun.”

So I came up with a suitable excuse.

“Ah, looking at it this way, I can see the resemblance!”

The writer’s expression brightened.

Phew.

“At first, I bought the figure of Alice, then Alice bought a figure of me… and through that teasing, before we knew it, we ended up with Claire’s figure.”

“You have quite a mischievous relationship. But it looks nice.”

The writer said with a smile, then tilted their head.

“But does that mean the names of the figures are the same as yours?”

“Ah, yes. Both first and last names are the same.”

“Uh…”

The writer seemed a bit flustered.

“So, you’re saying that the names of you guys overlap with the game characters without a single letter difference?”

The writer exhibited a somewhat surprised expression.

“If you’re not joking, that fact might actually be a better material for the broadcast. You didn’t change the names halfway through, did you?”

“No, we’ve had these names since birth.”

I won’t start counting from one year old, though.

“So you’re saying that, despite being Korean, you have foreign names, and those names are the same as characters in a game?”

“That’s correct. Besides, we were actually born before that game was made.”

“……”

How do the words not make sense?

When examined piece by piece, it could happen.

Two foreigners who became naturalized citizens in Korea could have a child. That child might have a name from their home country.

Names other than Fanggriffon could commonly occur overseas, so overlaps are possible.

It could also happen that a person’s appearance resembles a game character.

But does everything overlap? No matter how you think, it sounds absurd.

“And you’ve never contacted the game’s production company?”

“No, we only started the internet broadcast this year.”

How will the Goddess patch this hole, I wonder?

No matter how it’s revealed as a coincidence, and even if they broadcast it as a coincidence, people won’t easily believe it.

The Goddess can send us this way or that, but she can’t change people’s thoughts at will.

From what I see of winning the lottery, it seems like she can have some effect on this world, but trying to stop stories from spreading internationally is another matter.

“Is it alright if we contact the game’s company during the editing process?”

“Of course.”

There’s no reason copyrights would come into play.

There are many types of people in the world, and some might even name their child after names from games or comics.

Plus, once again, in this world, the names we’ve always had since the beginning are regarded as ours.

“Ah, and…”

“Big sis?”

I grabbed Claire’s arm, who was next to me, and said,

“Her hair color is natural, not dyed.”

It’s blue.

“Yes?”

The writer blinked.

It seemed they were struggling to process so much strange information at once.

Watching the writer and cameraman look at each other, I was convinced that things were moving along quite well.

*

After the broadcast crew left, we grilled meat at home.

It was a small celebration for how well the story had rolled out.

With the spirits high, we spread newspapers all over the living room and grilled using a portable gas burner in the center.

“If this goes well, will we be able to return to our original world?”

At Alice’s words, I nodded.

“That’s probably how it will go. But we still have quite a bit of time left. The broadcast crew needs to confirm that what we said is true.”

“And during that confirmation process, they’re bound to see several illogical parts.”

Charlotte said with a smile.

“That’s the core.”

Claire confirmed.

“If things go well, there’s a chance we could visit other countries during that process.”

“Is that the country that made that game series? Do you have been there?”

Alice said, picking a piece of meat from the front plate with her chopsticks.

“I’ve been there, but I don’t think I got to enjoy it properly. I went with friends, and one of them didn’t have any money.”

“Um…”

Sadly, no one could relate to my words.

It’s probably hard to imagine thinking about having no money while on a trip.

There’s a term called grand tourer, which comes from nobles sending their children to various countries to broaden their horizons. It’s now a term used in automobiles and fits well with expensive cars.

Excluding Fanggriffon and Velbur, both Grace’s Estate and Crowfield had their own historical backgrounds.

Wherever we go, a decent sum of money would be gained.

Mia, even while in the Imperial Capital, never ran out of money.

“So, in short, I’m saying there’s a place we wanted to go but couldn’t.”

“Do you think we can go this time?”

“Well, let’s first see if we can get connected with the company.”

I answered with a smile at Claire’s question.

However.

“Even if we end up not going for work, we could all still go together. Having come to another world, it would be too disappointing to only stay within one country.”

Though we say traveling within the country can be time-consuming, there’s really no reason not to go abroad.

Since we came this far, it wouldn’t be bad to try everything we can do.

“We still have some time left. The filming won’t end just because we’ve had today’s visit.”

They said they’d also like to film us having fun outside.

Then we’ve got to show them that too.

“Let’s think about what we can do when filming outside.”

“Since it’s the end of the year, maybe there’s a festival or something?”

“…Even so, isn’t it a bit harsh to drag the filming crew to a local festival?”

As Claire said this cheerily, I plopped a few pieces of meat on Mia’s plate with tongs.

Seeing Mia wrap up the meat with a happy expression and eat it, I resolved to find a way to live this kind of life even in another world.

Chapter 434

“…….”

“…….”

“……Sis, what are you doing?”

“I’m photosynthesizing.”

“……Mia wouldn’t say something like that.”

I was lying on one of the benches in Hangang Park.

Not far away was a bike path unique to Hangang Park, and nearby were places for people to spend time. Naturally, there was also space for people to run.

I was lying there, taking up one of the benches without permission.

“Why don’t we just go a bit further?”

“I’m fully aware that if I leave you alone, you’d definitely try to escape Seoul.”

“…….”

Look at that.

Look at how she’s dodging my eyes. It’s clear she wanted to get out of Seoul.

I got up from my spot.

I didn’t notice it while running, but it was cold now that I stopped. It’s December, so it’s the middle of winter.

I think Claire, who suggested running in this weather, is out of her mind, and I’m starting to think I am too for going along with her.

Why did I do that?

While running, I was sweating and my legs were hurting, but now that I stopped to give my legs a breather, the sweat started to cool down, and my body began to shiver.

My legs felt a bit better, though.

I pondered when I last felt this way, and I realized it was during boot camp in my early twenties. It felt exactly like this after running in the middle of winter.

“Anyway, there’s a group following behind, right? It won’t hurt to wait a bit.”

“Mia is… oh, she’s coming from way back there.”

Naturally, Mia, who wasn’t as physically fit as I was, lagged the farthest behind.

In fact, Alice and Charlotte were both faster than me when it came to running, but I was in a state where I couldn’t even keep up with myself, so watching over Mia was nearly impossible.

In the end, Alice and Charlotte were sticking together beside the stumbling Mia.

At the speed they were going, it was absolutely not ‘running.’

“How about having the three of you come back instead? I’ll wait here with Mia on the bench.”

“Why do you hate exercising so much?”

I stared vacantly at Claire, who asked that with a look of pure incomprehension.

“How can anyone like exercising?”

“Well, you feel refreshed after running.”

“Running is painful.”

Some people say it feels good to arrive at the finish line and exhale, but that kind of accomplishment can be achieved in games too, right?

If I exercise, it’s strictly for health reasons. And I’m not at an age where I have to worry too much about such health right now.

“Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.”

While I was endlessly bickering with Claire, I heard that sound coming from a little distance away.

If it were any ordinary person making that sound, I would’ve thought they were trying to act cute, but it was convincing because it came from Mia, who looked almost like a walking dried squid.

Mia staggered over and collapsed onto the bench.

Claire looked at Mia, who had her thigh as a pillow and was lying sideways, and once again looked bewildered.

“Mia, what are you doing?”

“……Photosynthesizing.”

“……”

Claire facepalmed.

*

“To be honest, I don’t really like exercising either.”

After we finished running and sat on a nearby bench to eat ramen, Alice said that.

“I just did it because I didn’t want to fall behind everyone else.”

“Don’t you feel refreshed after running?”

Charlotte said the exact same thing as Claire, and I was horrified.

It seems like our five personalities are falling into distinct categories like this.

Claire and Charlotte enjoy moving their bodies. To be precise, Claire is a full-on sports girl, and Charlotte just enjoys it occasionally.

Alice is precisely in the middle, and Mia and I hate exercising. Of course, there’s a gap; I’m a bit more active than Mia.

How could five people with such different tendencies live in the same place for months? Not to mention, we don’t even have our own rooms; we’re living in the same living room with blankets spread out.

……But then again, if we eat ramen after running, doesn’t that completely nullify all the effort?

Thinking that suddenly crossed my mind, but as I watched Mia blowing on her ramen, I didn’t feel like pointing it out.

“……But I can’t deny that I had fun.”

“Huh?”

“Why do you ask?”

“No, Sis, did you just say running was fun?”

At that, I crinkled my eyebrows a little.

“I didn’t say running was fun; I said running with you all was fun.”

“……”

Claire fell silent for a moment, then said, “Hehe.”

She smiled a bit foolishly.

The reason we all came out and did this running—even though we normally didn’t—is that it stemmed from the idea of trying out something each of us wanted to do together.

I did exercise often, but I just didn’t do it as much as Claire, Alice, or Charlotte.

I usually ended up sitting on a bench with Mia, watching the other three exercise in the park.

But since we decided to do it this time, we ran with all our might.

The result? I could barely make it halfway before collapsing.

At first, I thought Claire was just trying to mess with me, but her face genuinely looked refreshed after running, so I realized she meant it.

“But this isn’t the end of the exercise, right?”

At my words, Mia’s chopsticks stopped dead in the air.

She looked up and gauged everyone’s expressions around the table, especially when her eyes met mine; the urgency in her gaze intensified. I guess I feel the same way?

“There’s no helping it. Today is a day to follow Claire’s lead.”

“Right, Mia. Sorry, but I already told the gym you’d be coming.”

“……”

Huh, what?

As I stiffly turned my neck to look at Claire, she looked back at me like it was strange that I was watching her.

“Why, Sis? Today is my day to do what I want.”

“That’s… true.”

The situation was even more ridiculous since I was the one who proposed it in the first place.

I averted my glance as I caught Mia giving me a disapproving look.

*

“…….”

After spending about an hour at the gym, I found I couldn’t even speak.

It wasn’t an important issue. I was just in pain all over my body, literally.

“Would you like to learn to exercise more systematically, member?”

And taking in my condition, a quite pretty female trainer asked me that.

“You’re too weak.”

“……”

No way, I had managed to roll around on the battlefield!

I turned my gaze to Mia, who had become even worse off than me.

“I’m not a member.”

And I answered in Mia’s stead.

Claire, Alice, and Charlotte were working out hard, as if competing.

Especially Claire seemed to have developed some muscles on her arms; it wasn’t the bulky kind, but more like the kind fitness models have, plastered all over her walls.

Well, considering she usually worked out, it’s only natural.

If she keeps it up, she might have a solid body by the time we return.

“……”

Though I never thought that was even a possibility.

*

“Hmph.”

On the way back home.

Claire was walking with a very pleased expression, her steps almost floating.

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Of course!”

Then she spun around to look at me.

“I hope we can keep doing this together.”

“……I’m not going to the gym, no matter what.”

Claire and Charlotte started going recently.

Alice didn’t feel the need to join them, and neither did Mia or I.

Now it seems like it would be fine to just go our separate ways without any major issues.

“That’s a bit disappointing.”

“……Well, I can at least accompany you for running.”

“Really!?”

Claire dashed over and linked her arm with mine.

“Sis, are you serious? No backing out?”

“…….”

I glanced at Charlotte for a moment as I said that.

“……But could you please let go of my arm a little?”

“Oh, sorry.”

Claire said that and released my arm, yet the smile never left her face. Is it really that enjoyable?

Considering we just came from exercising, my arm was sore.

Would I even be able to get up tomorrow morning?

“Well then, it’s Alice’s turn next.”

Charlotte said that and turned to Alice.

“Have you thought about what you want to do?”

“Of course.”

Alice nodded vigorously and said,

“I think we’ll be wandering around a lot tomorrow, so is that okay?”

“A little soreness in my limbs will probably go away after some time.”

“……”

At my response, Mia looked at me with eyes full of disbelief, but I made sure to avoid her gaze.

Chapter 435

I had thought about what Alice would do.

But I couldn’t have predicted this.

In this world, Alice had one major hobby.

Cultural content exploration.

It could be from this country or another. Alice didn’t really care.

She watched movies and dramas, read many books, and enjoyed comics and animations.

Of course, there were also purchases of games and figures, but since she bought the bunny girl Claire figure last time, she hadn’t bought any new ones, and it didn’t seem like she was heavily into games either.

So I expected Alice would suggest watching a movie together.

“…Plastic models?”

That’s right.

Alice led us to buy plastic models.

They said that many shops in Yongsan had closed down, but the shops attached to Yongsan Station were still thriving.

In that shopping mall, there were quite a few toy and game shops, but we headed to the plastic model store.

“I heard you can assemble these without glue.”

I knew that.

Where Alice took us was probably a direct store of a Japanese plastic model company famous worldwide, especially for its robot animations.

“…Were you wanting to try making one?”

“Since I was a child, I’ve had an interest in art.”

Had she?

Looking at the types of content Alice likes in this world, it made sense.

When I fell into a bit of thought, Alice shyly said,

“Well, I’ve never shown it in front of you. I figured… it would be a weakness.”

“How could liking art be a weakness?”

“I thought an emperor shouldn’t have such delicate hobbies.”

Delicate…

I mean, it would be pretty jarring to imagine the emperor assembling robot plastic models in a room.

Maybe miniatures would fit better.

“So, are you saying you want to buy one and assemble it together?”

“Yeah.”

Well, it couldn’t be that bad.

As I grew up, I realized there’s little time to assemble, and if just for display, figures were better than models, so I had been buying figures instead.

Thinking this, it felt like now I’d actually have some time.

Perhaps when we return to the Empire, I wouldn’t be too busy for a while.

This kind of gathering with the five of us wouldn’t happen often though.

“What kind do you want to buy?”

“Hmm, well, something with a lot of parts and a bigger model would be nice, right? Since there are five of us, we can work on it together.”

True, the more expensive models tend to look pretty good even without painting.

I nodded at Alice’s suggestion.

*

“Wow, there are really a lot!”

When we returned home and opened the box, Alice seemed excited seeing the mountain of runners spilling out.

After knowing her for so long, I hadn’t realized she had this hobby.

Actually, might she get along well with Rena? Even though there aren’t plastic models in the other world yet, she also likes collecting things.

Thinking this, I felt a bit nostalgic.

I sat down with a bitter smile.

“Alright, here are the tools.”

Alice happily handed out plastic model nippers to everyone.

“There’s no need to be too serious. We’re just doing this for fun, right? If something breaks, we’ll just assemble it and make it look decent.”

Even though it was a bit of an expensive model for that mindset, I didn’t say anything. After all, today was Alice’s day.

If we take turns, my day will come too.

“Um, I’m not very handy…”

“I said it before, but it’s okay if it doesn’t go perfectly. What matters is the process, not the result.”

But still, if those V-shaped horns broke, I feel like that would really bug me… If I pointed it out, I’d just seem like more of an otaku, so I decided to stay quiet.

*

Not long passed before the room was filled with the snip snip of nippers.

Well, saying it was full might be a stretch. The nipper sounds were intermittent, and there were more snap sounds as parts fit together, and the occasional rustle of instructions or tearing open runner bags.

Everyone was quiet.

“Are you too focused?”

Feeling the silence was a bit awkward, Claire opened her mouth.

“Yeah, it definitely requires concentration during assembly. It’s much easier than making sculptures, but you still need to focus to avoid mistakes.”

“Right. That’s why I wanted to try it once. I heard it keeps your mind clear while making it.”

Charlotte replied to Alice.

By the way, Mia, who was worried about her lack of dexterity, seemed to be the most focused among us.

Watching her fumble with her hands felt like watching a small animal.

But petting her head while she concentrated might be a bit tricky.

“When did this all start for you?”

“Hmm?”

As I asked while assembling the plastic model parts, Alice looked back at me, still focused on her parts.

“I mean, when did you develop an interest in art? Did you like novels or paintings… things like that?”

“…”

Alice paused to think, then said,

“You remember how I sometimes read the newspaper?”

“Yeah. You said you wanted to stay informed about international affairs.”

“That’s actually because I wanted to see the four-panel comics.”

“Was that the reason you bought all those newspapers from different agencies?”

“Well, sort of.”

Alice giggled.

“When did I start…? Hmm, I’m not sure. I just liked it since childhood.”

Well, if I were asked when I started liking comics, I wouldn’t really have an answer either. I could confidently say I started buying comic books since middle school, but that was just when I began to have money to spend.

Mainly from the allowance my parents gave me.

“I had to hide a lot of things in front of you, right? In the end, it became harder to hide than to show. I felt like you were so perfect that if you found out something, you might be disappointed.”

“…”

I fiddled with the plastic model parts before replying.

“To me, you seemed perfect as well.”

“Eh?”

“I rewound time several times to study before an exam. If I missed or misunderstood anything while studying, I’d go back and make sure I understood and memorized it. I didn’t cheat too much, but I did bend the rules a bit.”

I began fitting the parts again.

Snap, and they clicked together, making me feel slightly pleased.

“But you didn’t do anything like that and still achieved results far beyond my original ability. You didn’t know everything from the start, but at least you knew how to put in the effort. That’s why I thought you were amazing.”

“…”

“Maybe the reason I didn’t study just by memorizing answers was that I knew you were working hard.”

“Th-thank you?”

As I spoke calmly, Alice’s eyes twinkled nervously.

“Hey, hey, what about me?”

When we paused briefly, Claire called out to me.

“What is it?”

“How about me?”

“…”

I mean, we were a bit too young to talk about things like that, weren’t we?

“…You were a cute and obedient little one, I think. Back then, you were really well-behaved.”

“I’m still well-behaved, aren’t I?”

“Where’s the evidence of that?”

“Big sis. Next time we race, I’ll add a round trip to the course.”

“Of course I’m well-behaved. Probably the most well-behaved among the kids I know.”

Claire stuck her tongue out at me, as if she knew I was just kidding.

A light laughter filled the room for a moment.

Still, Claire really knows how to read the atmosphere well.

If things had gone wrong, the conversation could have turned too heavy.

*

“…….”

“How is it?”

Alice asked, looking at the completed robot, which was primarily white and blue.

“Nice.”

“Looks good.”

Claire and I replied that way.

“Seems more satisfying since we all made it together.”

“It was pretty fun, especially since it was my first time assembling one.”

Charlotte and Mia said the same.

The results turned out much better than I feared. We didn’t swap or polish parts like serious model builders, but the overall look was still decent. Well, that’s just how this company’s products are.

We placed it on the furthest right side of the figure lineup in front of the TV.

I thought it would feel awkward having a robot at the end of a lineup of cute girls, but it turned out better than expected. Maybe it was because they were all otaku goods anyway?

“Great, I’m satisfied.”

Alice said with her hands on her hips.

“So, whose turn is it next?”

“I’ll go.”

Charlotte chimed in cheerfully.

“Of course, I have something prepared for what I want to do.”

Chapter 436

Charlotte’s wish was simple.

At first, I thought she was just trying to cosplay as a princess, but it turned out she had just booked a movie instead.

“If it featured a princess, that would have been great, but unfortunately, there are no good releases timed just right. Guess we’ll just have to settle for this anime.”

Watching Charlotte, with her hands in her coat pockets, I briefly wondered if she was considering us.

However, looking at the expression on her face, that didn’t seem to be the case. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement.

We packed our hands with carbonated drinks and popcorn and sat down, taking up five seats. Since it was a weekday afternoon, there weren’t many other viewers. Given the nature of the anime, it was unlikely that many people would come at all.

The movie itself was from a company that Charlotte liked. Therefore, I was able to watch it without too much pressure.

There weren’t any significant twists, it didn’t try to denounce society or anything like that, just a plain old happy ending.

The visuals were stunning, and there was a decent amount of humor sprinkled throughout.

Of course, we had devoured almost 30% of the popcorn and cola before the movie even started, during the ads.

“That was fun!”

Mia’s eyes sparkled as she shouted that when we came out.

Instinctively, the folks in our group ruffled Mia’s hair. She seemed a bit startled again, but it looked like she had adapted to us quite a bit over the past few months. She didn’t twist away or shy away like before.

We went home and had a slightly late lunch.

This time, the menu wasn’t anything fancy.

We enjoyed chatting casually while munching on burgers from a nearby place.

“In that movie earlier, the main character…”

“Speaking of which, that brand recently released limited edition shoes…”

“Look at those couples sitting over there…”

This was nothing but the mundane everyday chatter.

There wasn’t anything special about it, just simple stories that, once spoken, would easily be forgotten within minutes.

Charlotte leaned on the table, resting her chin on her hands, or propped on the chair with legs stretched out, sharing in our conversations.

I began to understand what Charlotte truly wanted.

After finishing our meal, we wandered around until sunset.

We had no particular destination.

We just strolled through the streets aimlessly.

Along the way, we passed by a famous brand store with large glass windows and ducked into narrow alleys.

We spotted and bought some fish-shaped pastries from a street vendor, proceeded to enjoy the famous tasty buns on the subway.

While walking through the narrow alleyways, there were areas where no buses or subways played, yet strangely, tourist spots formed. Some streets were incredibly beautiful too.

We dropped by a café to drink a strangely long-named beverage or whiff the scent of coffee beans we didn’t even recognize.

We even found ourselves in a coin karaoke booth. It was too cramped for all five of us, so we split up into pairs or groups of three, mixing our songs.

Honestly, seeing Japanese game characters singing our country’s idol songs was a refreshing sight.

We took a lot of photos, equipped with smartphones in our hands.

Taking turns to snap shots, we squished together for those group selfies, sticking our faces close to the camera.

It was fun. Really.

“How about eating dinner at home?”

As the winter sun fell faster, Charlotte suggested.

“I want to treat you all… but oh, I need to stop by the market quickly before heading home.”

We followed her lead.

Instead of a large supermarket, we bought ingredients at the local market near home.

Charlotte carefully selected each piece of meat and vegetable, while we cluelessly trailed behind her, wondering what dish she was planning to make.

When Charlotte was carrying bags full of groceries, I tried to help her—

“I want to carry it myself.”

Seeing Charlotte refuse with a gentle smile made it hard for me to insist.

The dish Charlotte made was something we had tasted before.

I thought she was just hiding a hobby she really wanted, but it seems she was genuinely into it.

Beef bourguignon.

Even though we had had it before, it was different in a fundamental way.

“Did you change some ingredients?”

“Yes. I purposely bought them from our neighborhood store. Of course, the wine had to be just wine though.”

Charlotte replied with a smile to my question.

While we relished our meals, Charlotte just watched us happily, her plate in front of her barely touching her food.

“Is it strange?”

“No, not at all.”

I responded, and the others quickly nodded along.

Beef bourguignon is said to be a typical French home-cooked meal.

With as many recipes as there are homes in France, Charlotte’s method—making it her way, rather than following someone else’s recipe—could be considered the true essence of it.

“I’m relieved.”

Charlotte smiled sincerely as she continued to eat slowly.

“I wanted to feel this atmosphere one more time before going back.”

At Charlotte’s words, the spoons that were energetically moving all paused for a moment. The rest of us looked at each other.

It seemed everyone had a similar expectation.

Charlotte loved fairy tale princesses.

However, it didn’t mean she wished to be a princess for real.

It was an unwavering wish under normal circumstances.

In fact, it was probably a long-held wish that could never come true because she is a princess. Those precious moments spent here meant so much to her.

Just like how I felt.

“I see why cooking is enjoyable. Watching someone enjoy the meal I cooked makes me so happy.”

“Sometimes, when I visit, you should cook for me.”

Alice said a little playfully.

“Would a reigning emperor really have time to frequently visit another country?”

Charlotte asked cheekily, to which Alice shrugged.

“Well, if I retire, I won’t have much to do anyway. It might actually help strengthen the ties between our nations as an envoy.”

She answered.

“…That’s true. If I do live that long, it would be nice to meet together again.”

Alice’s second response made Charlotte nod seriously with a thoughtful expression.

“Shall we promise that then?”

Claire spoke with a smile.

“Whenever it may be, let’s make sure to carve out time to meet, even if we return.”

“Don’t say that, it makes it sound like I’ll be going back tomorrow.”

At Claire’s words, Mia chimed in, pouting.

“Tomorrow is when we follow my orders!”

“That’s right. Sorry, sorry.”

Claire apologized.

“So, Mia, what are you thinking? Have you decided what you want to do?”

“Yes, I know what I want to do. But… I’ll say that tomorrow.”

Mia said, her face slightly flushed.

Just like Charlotte, Mia might dream of something unrelated to being a magical girl.

After all, she has her own share of loneliness in the past too.

“Wh-what about Sylvia?”

Mia inquired, seemingly diverting attention back to me.

“It’s your last day. Do you have something in mind?”

…

Well, not particularly.

Honestly, I was so content with this life that I didn’t have any thoughts like, “I must do this!”

But it’d be a good idea to come up with something, wouldn’t it?

Well, wandering around with Mia tomorrow to brainstorm ideas wouldn’t be so bad.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Charlotte said brightly.

“Just wandering around today was so enjoyable; I wonder what you all would think.”

“Uh, um, uh…”

“……”

Charlotte’s anticipation was dazzling.

Of course, I knew it was just pure excitement, but still, it felt a bit heavy.

“After our meal,”

So, I decided to change the subject a bit.

“How about we all go watch a movie? A favorite of Charlotte’s.”

“Oh, that sounds good. When watching at the theater, we can’t talk.”

Charlotte nodded with a smile.

I couldn’t tell if she knew I was trying to change the subject or if she was genuinely excited about it.

It might be a bit of both.

Chapter 437

It’s been ages since I dressed up in a suit!

Even in Azernar, suits that resemble those from my world exist.

Since it’s a Japanese game and the background era is just starting to normalize such outfits.

But honestly, I rarely wore such clothes on purpose in Azernar.

Unless you count uniforms or military attire.

“How do I look? Does it suit me?”

“Yes, it looks good on you.”

The kids nodded as they looked at me all suited up.

My outfit was black, making it a bit gloomy, but the colorful attire of the other kids balanced it out, so it wasn’t a big issue.

At least I wouldn’t look too somber in the photos.

Right. Photos.

Mia requested that we take a family photo together.

“My Father and Mother weren’t the closest since I was little.”

Mia didn’t have a proper ‘family photo.’

… And that was partly because I messed up big time. Even if they were that kind of people, in the end, he was still Mia’s father.

If he hadn’t died so early, Mia might have had such paintings or photographs.

If we were just casually wandering around, we might have all worn something decent enough to not look too out of place.

But for the family photo Mia wanted, we needed to dress a little nicer.

We were going to a photo studio for big prints.

The shoot itself was quite expensive, so it was better if it turned out great.

“Uh…”

I had contacted the studio in advance, but when we walked in, the photographer blinked up at us in a bit of confusion.

“We have a reservation.”

“Oh, yes.”

When I spoke fluently in Korean, the photographer finally snapped out of it.

He checked something on the computer before looking back at me.

“Oh, so you must be Mia… Crowfield?”

“Not me, but…”

Turning around, Mia raised her hand slightly and said shyly, “I’m Mia.”

The photographer nodded.

“I thought it was a nickname! You speak Korean so well on the phone…”

“I’m also Korean.”

Hearing that, he chuckled a bit awkwardly.

“Oh dear, I’m sorry.”

“It’s something I hear often, so no need to be that sorry.”

Rubbing his head sheepishly, he looked at us and asked.

“Are you all going to take the photos in your current outfits?”

I glanced back. All the kids nodded.

It was mostly just me and Claire in suits, while the others wore modest skirts and blouses.

Overall, we looked very proper. Even Claire.

“Well then, please wait a moment. I’ll get things ready and we can start shooting right away.”

The photographer wiped his forehead with his sleeve as he stood up.

*

There were plenty of photography studios, but the one Mia reserved didn’t seem too big or famous.

Well, it had a nice atmosphere and appeared decent enough.

Maybe it reflected Mia’s personality, considering she didn’t like strangers talking to her that much.

If we’d gone to a big studio with tons of people, we might have had to deal with a crowd.

“Alright, the person in the middle, give a big smile! You look way too stiff.”

With Mia seated in the center, Charlotte sat beside her, and I, Claire, and Alice surrounded them, striking a pose.

A family photo—going for that sort of vibe.

I told the photographer that we were all sisters, and no one objected to that.

Maybe because Mia looked too tense, the photographer pondered for a moment before turning and walking somewhere.

He came back with a long-necked yellow rubber duck.

“Hey, Mia, look at this!”

He squeezed it, and quack, the silly sound filled the room.

Pffft

We all burst into laughter.

“Great! Hold that expression! Alright, say cheese! One, two!”

The camera clicked rapidly.

The photographer looked at the results for a moment and said,

“Let’s take another shot!”

He squeezed the toy again.

Since we were all laughing, we managed to smile a bit more calmly for the second round.

Mia seemed to ease up a bit after that first shot. After the second shot, the photographer nodded in satisfaction, stretching his back.

“Let’s check the photos.”

He led us to a laptop connected to the camera.

I understood why he had taken so many.

Trying to figure out who had their eyes shut, or whose expression was odd would be much easier by just taking several shots and picking the best.

“How about this one?”

We all smiled comfortably at the camera.

“Looks great.”

Mia nodded.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t answer easily; she sought the best photo seriously as it was her wish.

“Oh, by the way,”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Can I choose one more?”

Mia looked at me earnestly.

Right, it’s not easy to have a large print.

“Yes, it’s totally fine to choose one more.”

“Oh, I’d appreciate that!”

The photographer beamed at my response.

The second photo Mia picked was a different vibe from the first.

The first shot had us smiling comfortably; now, the second was taken when we were laughing at each other, not looking directly at the camera.

I understood why Mia chose it.

“I would like both a small and large print. Just one large for each, but can we get one small for each of us?”

“Yes, that’s possible. The small prints can be done today, but the large ones might take a bit longer.”

“Okay, that’s fine.”

“Then follow me to discuss frames…”

After that, we talked about what sizes and styles of frames for the prints.

*

“……”

Once we returned home.

Mia still hadn’t come out of her room.

“Is it really that good to take photos?”

Claire muttered.

“Well, she doesn’t have such kinds of photos or portraits, so it makes sense she’d be excited.”

Charlotte, who shared a room with Mia, mentioned that Mia was happily staring at the two photos on her desk.

I bet she’s planning to take them back with her.

“I need to learn photography once I go back.”

Claire said.

“I’ll help with the big fancy camera; I’ll take the photos for you when the time comes.”

“I heard it’s supposed to be way harder than the cameras here.”

“Which is why I want to learn, sis.”

Alice chuckled softly at Claire’s comment.

“I’ll be looking forward to it!”

“Yeah. It would be nice if we could regularly get together for more photos.”

Yeah, that would be great if we could pull it off.

As we chatted, Mia and Charlotte’s door silently opened.

Mia, her face a bit flushed, stepped into the living room.

Mia bowed to us, looking a bit shy.

“Thank you for taking the photos together.”

“Of course. We wanted to do it together anyway.”

Charlotte said with a warm smile.

“Let’s buy albums for each of us to hold the ones we’ve printed so far. We can sort out those old photos too, right?”

Mia’s face lit up at Claire’s suggestion.

“Sounds good.”

Alice nodded and looked at me.

“Well… Sylvia.”

“Yes.”

“Tomorrow’s your turn.”

With a smile, Alice stared at me.

“Do you have anything in mind?”

Uh…

I thought that by doing what Mia wanted today, something I desired would come to mind, but that didn’t happen.

Hmm.

“It’s hard if you just say, ‘I’m fine.’”

“Exactly, sis. We want you to tell us what you want too.”

Claire backed her up.

That doesn’t happen too often.

“Surely you’re not saying this moment is what you wanted, right? That would mean it’s the same as what I wanted.”

Charlotte chimed in.

Well, it could overlap a little.

…

Should I have spoken up first?

Chapter 438

And surprisingly, I spent the entire next morning wondering, “What should I do for fun?”

After everyone fell asleep, I stayed awake for a long time before finally dozing off, only to wake up early in the morning and dive back into my thoughts.

The conclusion I reached was, “There’s not much more to hope for.”

As long as we all had fun together, that was good enough. To be honest, that was how I felt.

“First, let’s go out.”

But still, I couldn’t just let it slide without doing anything.

Did I not create some expectations? Then I had to take responsibility for that.

My idea was to go out and think about it while moving around.

“Shall we ride a bike at least?”

“Eh? Is that okay?”

At my words, Claire’s eyes sparkled.

“But today, we take it slow. It should feel more like a stroll than exercise.”

“Got it!”

We went to Yeouido Park and enjoyed riding bikes together.

At first, I thought we would just play around in the park, but since we got up early anyway and had a decent amount of energy left, we headed over to the Han River to rent different bikes.

Instead of just riding solo, we tried renting a tandem bike and bought all sorts of snacks we wanted to eat.

“Next time, shall we go to a museum?”

“That sounds great.”

After spending about two hours wandering around, Alice happily replied to what I said.

The place we visited was the largest museum in Seoul.

If you took your time looking at each exhibit, it could take hours, but honestly, none of us were that serious about checking out a museum.

Even Alice showed some interest in a few relics, but it seemed like she was having more fun just hanging out with us.

Before leaving the museum, we saw the two most famous Buddha statues displayed on the first floor of our country.

“……”

It seemed Alice liked those Maitreya statues the most.

Alice stood there for a long time examining the Maitreya, while we watched her.

“Next time, uh, shall we watch a movie?”

“Sounds good.”

But Charlotte’s eyes narrowed as she said that.

It didn’t seem like she was looking at me to place blame, but rather starting to doubt my true intentions.

The truth is, I was just following the ideas the kids threw out since I couldn’t come up with anything myself.

I was just going along with the ideas the kids came up with, one by one.

To be honest, the movie wasn’t that entertaining.

It seemed the other money-loaded movies avoided releasing around the same time as the one Charlotte picked last time.

To put it plainly, the 15,000 won movie ticket felt a bit overpriced, but—

“The popcorn was delicious.”

After watching the movie, Charlotte said this with a smile, showing me the empty popcorn bucket.

“So, what are we doing next? Honestly, I feel like I’m slowly getting a picture in my head.”

“……”

I avoided Charlotte’s gaze.

“Should we… take a picture?”

“Sounds good!”

Mia laughed at my question.

The other kids seemed to have finally figured out what I was up to and started grinning.

*

That didn’t mean we were going back to the photo studio.

You know those self-photo booths you find while walking through the bustling streets? We went in there.

Posing in front of the camera, we snapped all sorts of pictures.

“Hehe.”

When I handed the printed photo to Mia, she smiled happily.

The other kids also wore expressions of joy, and I let out a sigh of relief.

“Next, I’ll guess.”

Alice raised a finger and said a little smugly.

“We’re going grocery shopping, right?”

“……”

I averted my eyes slightly.

“Alright, let’s go to a big supermarket for the groceries.”

I said this with a bit of defiance, and all the kids laughed. Even Mia.

“Okay, then.”

Alice responded like that, and we headed towards a nearby supermarket.

*

“……”

“……”

Cooking was left to Charlotte and me.

Alice, Claire, and Mia hadn’t exactly been out of the kitchen in the last few months either.

The results were pretty decent, and edible at least, but… they just couldn’t match Charlotte’s skills.

Today’s menu was based on what I used to eat often when I lived alone: soybean paste soup, rice, and some side dishes.

It really felt like ‘home-cooked’ food.

“Come to think of it, we haven’t had meals like this as often as I thought.”

Charlotte suddenly said this while tasting the soybean paste soup.

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes. If you think about it, you always chose meals suited to our tastes.”

“I chose the food to fit my taste.”

At the beginning, when it was just Claire and Alice, it seemed like I catered to my own preferences.

But thinking back, they couldn’t handle spicy food at all, so I refrained from eating too much of it and avoided foods that would be too polarizing from the get-go.

I’ve already lived in Azernar for several years.

Although I got used to the food at the Imperial Palace, I still managed to survive eating some of the absurd dishes from Azernar now and then.

So I figured it was much better for me to adapt to their tastes rather than force them to adapt to mine.

“…I wonder if I’ve been too pampered until now. Now that I think about it, this is your home too.”

“I did it because I wanted to.”

I said it plainly.

“If I had lived here alone, even if I won the lottery, it wouldn’t have been that enjoyable.”

As I scooped rice into my bowl, Charlotte kept her mouth shut.

“You could have made new friends here. You could have forged new bonds, but… that’s it. I’ve been happy to meet you all over the past year, and now you’re telling me to give up? That would be just too empty, wouldn’t it?”

Exactly.

How did I endure such a long time in the Azernar Empire?

Why did I keep building my character, going back in time several times?

It was simply to meet the kids I liked, build relationships, and reach a happy ending.

So, this is how it turned out.

“…I’m sorry for teasing you earlier.”

“Huh?”

“No, it’s just… I thought you were just following us because you couldn’t remember…”

…That’s true.

“You were just enjoying being with us.”

Well, that’s true, but it feels a bit off too.

Of course, I nodded with a serious expression. No need to refuse Charlotte’s kind thought.

Charlotte smiled.

I couldn’t tell if she read my mind or if she just thought my sentiment was charming.

*

Clank, clank.

The sound of spoons clinking against bowls is endearing.

When I eat alone in my studio apartment, the sound of utensils clashing feels annoyingly nagging, but when it’s someone else’s sound, that gloomy feeling disappears.

“Today was fun.”

Alice was the first to speak.

Lisa was the first to speak up.

“Yeah, it was really fun, sis.”

Claire smiled and chimed in.

“Thinking back on the movie, it feels like there might have been some meaning behind it.”

Charlotte gave a bittersweet smile.

“I took good care of the pictures!”

Mia beamed.

“Is that so?”

I chuckled and replied.

“As long as we enjoyed it, that’s what matters.”

Yeah, that’s all that counts.

A happy ending we all earned together.

That’s what I wanted the most.

No need for some profound meaning or significance.

I don’t care about hidden philosophical messages or metaphors in the story.

Maybe I’m still a child at heart, just taller now.

But really, what can you do?

If I’m happy, that’s enough.

“Someday.”

I slowly began to speak.

“If I can fully harness the power of the Goddess, I hope all of you and other friends can join us too.”

“That would be great!”

Claire gazed into the void as she said that.

It looked like she was already imagining being with her friends.

“Indeed, really.”

Alice laughed.

“…I want to gift Sophia with pizza from this country. Piled high with pineapple.”

She said it as if she wasn’t going to suffer alone.

But honestly, serving coffee watered down and calling it coffee seems like it would go over better.

Well, why not do both?

“So then, will we be able to come back here regularly to have fun?”

Mia asked.

We exchanged glances for a moment before looking at Mia.

“Looks like we’ll have to study really hard.”

“Right. Just leaving this expensive house empty doesn’t make sense.”

Charlotte and Alice said with solemn faces.

“And we also have the viewers waiting for us!”

Claire raised her chopsticks dramatically. I nearly burst out laughing at that.

Such a classic Claire comment.

“Exactly. If we just suddenly disappear, the viewers watching would probably get depressed. Let’s make sure they see our faces at least a few times a year.”

At my words, the kids all nodded in agreement.

Is it possible? Is it not?

Well, that wasn’t something to debate right now.

Chapter 439

“So, I think we’ll be on TV soon.”

When I asked, ‘Can I mention going on TV from an internet broadcast?’ I heard it wouldn’t be a problem, so we decided to just spill the beans.

[Though it feels like it’s finally coming out now]

[Fr, it’s like optimally serving the national pride, lol]

“I’m Korean, so what national pride?”

[Oh, that’s true]

[Woooo]

[Woooo, trash, woooo]

The person who called us optimally serving national pride suddenly bowed deeply.

[I apologize]

Ding ding.

“I’ll forgive you.”

It’s only polite to accept an apology when you give a proper amount. After all, we were just joking around when we said it.

“However, the airing date is undecided. They said they would look into our story a bit more after hearing it.”

[Are they really in contact with the game love?]

[But the character has the same name and looks the same, can’t resist]

[For real, lol]

“Well, I haven’t heard that much.”

I had heard it was fine to talk, but it didn’t seem right to go into too much detail, so I cut myself off.

“Still, it was fascinating. I was thinking, so this is how you film and edit.”

Claire, who was next to me, said.

It was definitely a different vibe than just editing something shot with a webcam.

Would it be different if we went to a studio? Of course, I had no plan to go that far.

“Ah, and the photos we took are out.”

[Oooh]

[Show us!]

[I wanna see]

“Please wait a moment.”

I stood up from my seat.

It wasn’t just me—everyone gathered for the broadcast stood up too.

We had placed a small photo of all of us on the desk, and the large photos were already brought out in frames by Miri, just outside the broadcasting room.

We unfolded the stand that we had prepared and placed the two frames on it.

“How is it?”

“Looks good, right?”

[This is a real family photo, lol]

[Mia looks just like a real daughter]

“I’ll say it again, we are all the same age.”

At my words, Mia puffed out her cheeks slightly. Was it because it sounded like I was emphasizing how young she looked?

Well, still, we were all satisfied with the photo.

The picture seemed to have no edits other than color correction as requested. Of course, that was enough since we looked beautiful.

I mean, someone might ask if it was a cosplay photo…but after watching the kids’ faces so closely over the past few years and months, it didn’t look like that to me.

“I’m thinking of hanging these big photos in the living room.”

In the chat, family photo jokes started popping up again.

Well, we are family, after all.

That’s the vibe we were going for.

*

After putting the photos back outside, we gathered in front of the camera again.

“Well then, I will now play the remaining epilogue part of the game.”

I switched to game settings and held up the controller.

“By the way, how much playtime is left?”

[2-3 hours?]

[About 4 hours]

[I took about 3 hours]

Compared to the total playtime, there wasn’t much left.

“Then let’s clear it all in one go today.”

I said that and pressed the button.

The game started again from where we last left off.

More precisely, it began as if nothing had happened.

As if Sylvia had never existed, and as if there had been no battle with the goddess.

But not that time had gone backward…

[……Claire.]

[Alice.]

The two people I met at school.

Claire didn’t look like the Claire I knew, with her ponytail; instead, her hair was slightly wavy and down like in the previous game.

I mean, she’s a character whose hairstyle changes often, so…

With two buttons of her school uniform undone, she looked a bit decadent, and seeing that character made me think—

“Ugh.”

Claire freaked out.

Well, if I saw Sylvia in a bunny outfit in the game, I’d freak out too.

……I mean, I did wear it myself once.

Originally, at this point, Claire is already a ‘dead person.’ In the previous game, Claire had died, and so Emperor Arthur III’s plan had completely fallen apart.

[You look healthy.]

[You too, should I be relieved?]

The two exchanged banter with a tic-tac of words.

“Did you all have that kind of vibe in that world?”

“Well, I mean, it was better than this.”

“Yeah. It wasn’t this cold, at least.”

Claire and Alice replied respectively.

[Lucky you, Alice. You got the chance to become the next empress, after all?]

[Thanks to someone, right? ‘You risked your life’ to save me, didn’t you?]

Alice, who was talking, suddenly cut her sentence halfway as if she felt something strange.

[……. ]

Claire looked quietly at Alice.

[You’re also sensing something strange, huh?]

And then Claire spoke.

[That’s right. I ‘risked my life’ to save you. Thanks to that, Father’s plan was completely ruined, and you got to be in a position to become the next emperor. But how could I ‘risk my life’ to save you?]

Claire said while moving her arms as she crossed them.

[Surely, the attack… would have killed me without question.]

[……. ]

Alice held silent for a moment.

[There’s also a part that doesn’t make logical sense.]

Alice looked at Claire and said.

[Your past.]

[Why about my past?]

[Isn’t it strange? You were… in that kind of situation, how could that child escape safely from there?]

[What? Are you calling me out now? Should I have been assaulted by those men?]

After showing one hand to Claire, who got immediately furious, Alice said,

[No, on second thought, that’s not the issue. I distinctly feel like I’ve heard that past from you. But strangely, that part I can’t recall exactly. Why is that?]

[……. ]

[Actually, you’re also feeling it’s odd, right? Every time I think of parts that don’t make sense, various facts come to mind simultaneously. It feels like this was the case, or that was.]

[Nonsense.]

In the end, Claire answered like that and swiftly passed by Alice.

[Either way, it’s all worked out in the end. Just enjoy the happy ending. Someone did risk their life to save you, after all.]

[……. ]

At Claire’s words, Alice couldn’t say anything.

The screen changed to Leo.

[Princess.]

[You can call me Charlotte.]

“……”

Charlotte was looking at the screen with an expression as if she had something really to say.

“If you have something you want to say, feel free.”

“Why am I making that kind of expression at Leo?”

I looked back at the screen.

One hand was shyly raised to tuck her hair behind her ear. Of course, it was just a motion, as Millennium didn’t have the technology for hair to flow smoothly behind the ear.

“Maybe it’s because I raised the affection level a lot?”

The story doesn’t change significantly. It’s just the characters appearing in a specific event scene that alter.

At first, Alice and I were pushing each other to pursue, but at some point, we were pursuing Charlotte.

I guess the character coming out in this scene isn’t just Charlotte, but also those whose affection levels were maxed out.

“……”

Since Charlotte was glaring at me silently, I quickly turned my head back to the monitor and focused on the game.

[What were you doing here……?]

Leo spoke a bit awkwardly.

[I was looking at the flowers.]

Charlotte said that to Leo and chuckled.

And then,

[When did I say you could drop the formalities?]

She started talking and cut off midway.

[When was it?]

[It seems like it was in the first semester.]

[Wasn’t it after the summer break?]

The two didn’t match their memories.

No, to put it accurately—

[……It seemed like that?]

[Listening to you reminds me, it seems like it was in the first semester…… ]

The reason for the discrepancy in the two timelines is that that event happened at different times in the previous and this work.

This is what Sylvia said as she was dying.

Sylvia judged that her existence didn’t match the future they had chosen.

Thus, she rebelled against the goddess, who was trying to deny everything they had achieved in order to twist the world to her own order.

[ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]

[Sylvia-chan..]

It’s a bit funny how people who seem to know all the contents are typing that in the chat.

[This is strange.]

Charlotte said with a serious expression.

[Yeah, strange.]

Leo agreed.

[Once more, what’s happening?]

[……Well, I’m not really sure either. But it seems we can’t just sit and do nothing.]

Somehow I had a feeling of what the next contents might be.

Chapter 440

If you start searching blindly without any information, you won’t get an accurate answer.

But the group of heroes had experienced this world twice already.

Once they fought against the Emperor, and the next time they battled the Goddess.

And probably, they went through something similar a third time as well.

“Alright, then let’s review the memories,” Leo said as he gathered the children around.

“First, we fought and won against the Emperor of this country. We also finished the battle with the church.”

Leo jotted down the information on the blackboard.

“In this process, we have two conflicting memories in our minds.”

One memory was of fighting against the Emperor.

It was the memory of uniting all their forces to defeat the Emperor and preserve the peace of the world.

However, there was a hazy part within that memory.

“Claire, how did you survive back then?”

A moment of silence filled the classroom where the children were gathered.

“I clearly remember Claire getting attacked and collapsing. But none of us here—even Claire herself—has any recollection of how she made it back.”

Claire quietly listened with her eyes closed.

“It’s as if… it was erased.”

After finishing his words, Leo glanced around the classroom. A few children nodded.

“It’s not just Claire’s story.”

Each time Leo recounted a story, the corresponding character’s face appeared on the screen.

There was surely a memory of fighting in the depths of Lutetia, yet nobody here had actually gone into the ruins of Lutetia.

During this story, Charlotte, who was sitting with a serious expression, appeared.

It seemed like there had been a war, but there were no traces of it left in the world.

Alice’s face appeared during this story as well.

The situations where they fought against Sophia could also strangely be divided into two types—of course, Sophia’s face was shown during this discussion.

“That’s the situation.”

As Leo finished his tale, Alice raised her hand.

“And one more thing.”

All eyes turned to Alice at her words.

“We all have someone we remember.”

“…….”

“Just be honest.”

Even though it was a serious moment, Alice poked my side with a finger.

“…What are you talking about?”

“Aren’t you incredibly embarrassed right now?”

“……”

I didn’t answer and just pressed the button with my finger.

poke-poke.

“Why are you doing that?”

When I glanced over to the person poking my side, it was Claire, looking at me with a sly smile.

“Are you a bit ticklish? You don’t think we wouldn’t do this if big sis disappeared, right?”

“Please don’t tease me too much.”

Charlotte, who had been listening to the discussion, said with a smile.

“After all, Sylvia is usually quite shy, isn’t she?”

“She’s also very lonely.”

It was surprising to hear Mia say such things.

But you know, I also have my own points to argue about.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate for you two to talk about following me to this world just because I disappeared.”

That’s right.

Charlotte and Mia ended up here somewhat unexpectedly while tracking down the three of us who disappeared, but at least Alice and Claire were children who followed me all the way here.

I was quite shocked when I first saw them.

“……”

At my words, Alice and Claire turned their eyes away.

Haha! Imagining it and actually doing it are two completely different things.

Those who’ve actually done it are mocking those who’ve only imagined it, hehe.

“Big sis! Ban them!”

I ignored that and continued to play.

By the way, it seems there are hardly any people left who joke about it even in chat.

Have they come to consider it practically like reality? Perhaps it’s a concept taken from the ‘alternate persona’ idea that celebrities often use.

Even though everyone knows it’s fake, they still want to believe it’s real.

Of course, while we were as genuine as one could possibly be, it was a different matter.

Someone who’s forgotten…

Jake crossed his arms and spoke after a moment of thought.

But, if someone has been forgotten, is there really a way for us to find them? Being forgotten literally means they’ve been forgotten.

It’s only natural that such a statement would surface when asking to find a missing person without any basis or even knowing their name.

…….

After a moment of consideration, Sophia spoke up.

If they were a real person, we might have a chance. After all, souls are immortal beings.

You want to do necromancy or something?

Such a thing doesn’t exist in this world. A soul must cling to the world on its own accord to exist in this world. Even with that, the success rate is slim.

It has already appeared in the game before. Not as a typical mob, but as a named monster. Of course, in a work from before the world changes.

Even if the world changes, only the forms of nations, continents, and history change; natural laws and settings generally remain the same unless we get into very fine details, so that will likely hold true in this work as well.

Is there really someone who would have likely helped us still left in this world?

…….

Nobody could answer Leo’s question.

Is the repository still there?

……It is.

Leo nodded at Claire’s question.

I don’t have any memories, but where is it kept?

In the depths of the imperial castle.

Alice answered. Claire seemed to understand what she was getting at.

But the repository failed to move. Father tried to use me, but it seems the conditions weren’t met. So even if it’s attempted…

We won’t know unless we try.

Claire put a hand over her heart and said.

And at first, I also… didn’t want to think about it.

She then slightly lowered her head.

But the more I try to ignore it, the more I feel a sense of longing. It feels like I have to meet that person. The simple memory is completely blank, yet the emotions feel abundantly intact.

And then she raised her head.

Claire’s face had a resolute expression.

So, I want to try to do something.

…….

Everyone’s eyes turned to Alice.

Alice hesitated for a moment, but eventually opened her eyes and said,

Okay, then. Let’s give it a try.

*

However, even in this last chapter, there remained a dungeon.

Well, it’s a tradition of this series. The main story is completely finished, yet somehow, there are oddly strong enemies left at the end.

What the hell is this…?

Alice said with a perplexed expression.

The place Alice had arrived at was one of the deepest spots of the imperial castle.

The depths of the imperial palace I had once infiltrated long ago in search of a prophecy.

It seemed Alice had hidden the repository there.

Normally, they should have been able to stop the security system and enter by using a key.

But what lay before them was truly a labyrinth.

Walls were rising everywhere, and slight cracks that let some light out could be seen on them; the light resembled that of the Goddess’s radiance from the final battle.

I couldn’t help but guess whose doing it was.

W-when we last checked……!

I know.

Alice cut him off without hesitation.

Such things can’t just be accomplished overnight by anyone.

Alice turned around.

Leo and his companions nodded.

Since something was happening, they must have thought it was time to tie up the loose ends.

“This dungeon is quite complicated.”

I said calmly.

Honestly, if I really wanted to, I could just take a quick look around and finish it right away. As the final dungeon, the chests placed all around would probably contain good items, but I wasn’t sure if we would have time to go for a second run.

But—

“Still, I would like to have a proper look around. Is that alright?”

“Do as you please, big sis.”

“You’re the one who was playing the game in the other world. You probably wanted to see how it ends too.”

“Honestly, it looks like it would be quite fun to play.”

“Maybe it’s because we’ve spent so much time on it; now that it’s ending, it feels a bit sad too…”

Hearing everyone’s agreement, I smiled lightly and said,

“If that’s the case, I’ll play it like I did when I was strategizing.”

Saying this, I pressed the option button to save the game.

*

Who could be the culprit behind this?

Was it Sylvia or perhaps the Goddess?

I thought it might be one of the two, but apparently, that wasn’t the case.

……Who are you?

The person holding the repository looked somewhat grotesque.

Their back hunched, arms of different lengths. While their legs were relatively normal,

their long hair covered their face.

Who are you? This is the imperial palace. And this is a place where no one can enter unless permitted by me.

The imperial palace… the imperial palace. Ahh.

“Uh, wait a second.”

Alice, who had been observing the screen, said in a panic.

“Could it be…?”

Hmm, it probably is what she thinks it is.

The first Emperor Fanggriffon.

…Could it be that Sylvia defeated the Goddess and thereby broke the seal on the other side?

Chapter 441

[So… even after such a long time, this world still isn’t free. My reappearance in this world surely means the Goddess’s power has vanished.]

The image of the first Emperor glimmered slightly behind.

[That’s… everyone, that’s an illusion!]

Mia, who was well-versed in magic, shouted.

[An illusion.]

The Emperor slowly reached out into the air, pulling out a sword from the void.

The black greatsword emitted a sinister light. It wasn’t the clean blue light of order, but a foreboding mix of red and black.

As he swung the sword, several walls beside him crumbled.

[I suppose that could be said. I am the very manifestation of the power I kept hidden. But to merely treat me as a phantasm is quite unpleasant. I certainly have a ‘form’ and ‘power.’ Power that can truly liberate this world.]

The Emperor, who loved chaos, spoke like that.

[Look there!]

Claire shouted.

A blue light glimmered from his chest. There was a gear.

[That’s the Jibo!]

[…Do you want this?]

The Emperor said.

His lips curled upwards.

[Then fine. I am one who does not shy away from battle. Can you, beings from a distant future, truly defeat me?]

Towards the Emperor, Leo stepped forward.

[I don’t know how this happened, but we must… retrieve one person.]

[Oh, a person.]

[Yeah. I don’t know who that is. I don’t even understand how this world was created in such a way. But at the very least, I know that person was incredibly important to us…!]

[He must not be a very welcoming figure to me.]

Heh heh heh, the Emperor laughed as if he had heard a funny joke.

[Very well, I shall entertain you. Jumping into battle right after waking up; reminds me of the era of struggle I lived in.]

[…Fine.]

Leo pointed his sword at the form.

[Then, here I go!]

With that, the intense sound of electric guitar resonated, and the theme of the game began to play.

Yeah, a theme should come out during the final battle; that’s the style!

I smiled and pressed the button.

*

“That’s kinda weak for a final boss.”

“Just like with the Goddess, it started off with a fight for the world.”

“That’s a mercy from the system,” I replied to Claire and Alice.

“We’ve already fought the boss several times before. If they made the last boss even harder, it would feel too exhausting. Rather, it’s closer to a device to show how much the protagonists have grown.”

“Now that you mention it, that does make sense.”

“Y-yeah, but it doesn’t feel too easy either.”

Exactly.

No matter how you slice it, if the final boss is too weak, that would be boring, right? It feels too patronizing.

Moreover, it might have felt easier because cutscenes played each time HP dropped.

Once a cutscene plays and the game resumes, it feels like facing a boss who has lost max HP again.

Maybe that’s why the difficulty was set relatively easy.

If you had to watch a cutscene three times while defeating a boss that gets skipped, it wouldn’t just be stressful after the second playthrough.

Especially if you aim to clear all challenges.

[…I’m starting to remember a bit!]

As the boss’s HP dropped, a crack appeared on the boss’s chest, playing a cutscene, and Claire shouted in sync.

A bright smile spread across her face.

[Yeah, me too.]

Leo muttered along and opened his eyes.

[In front of me, there’s the answer!]

The Emperor straightened his wobbly body again.

The battle continued. The Emperor pushed the protagonist party hard, even using ultimate moves, but they were already equipped with top-tier gear and had leveled up enough not to be fazed.

[At this point, it’s a bit sad, haha!]

[Emperor-chan waking up after hundreds of years,]

[Getting beaten like a dog, seriously, lol!]

Speaking of which.

It is a bit sad.

Well, that’s just how the system works, and in terms of setting, he’s undoubtedly a strong enemy, just like the Goddess.

[I see. She surely…….]

[It didn’t start well, but in the end, she fought for us.]

The characters said such lines during the second cutscene.

Check, the Emperor’s chest cracked again, and blue light poured out from within.

A bit more fighting continued—

[Foolish mortals… What’s so good about becoming slaves to order? Isn’t a truly free world, where all can converse with strength, a far superior place?]

The Emperor, who initially seemed cool, gradually became pathetic.

Well, that was common in this game series.

[That sort of thing doesn’t matter to us!]

Leo declared while clashing swords with the Emperor.

[What do we care about your wars? We just want to bring our companion back!]

Leo collided with the Emperor and was knocked back.

[Leo!]

Charlotte shouted.

But soon, she stood facing the Emperor.

[I won’t back down. Not ever.]

And, thus the battle against the bloodied Emperor resumed.

*

Well, they fought back in various ways, but enemies in such games are made to be defeated.

Guh…!

Haa, haa, haa…

The Emperor staggered back, and Leo gasped for breath.

Check.

The crack in the Emperor’s chest was nearly breaking apart.

Heh heh…

The Emperor laughed again, but this laughter felt like he’d reached some form of enlightenment.

[So, this is the choice of the people of this age.]

[Yes. We shall walk neither the path of the Goddess nor yours.]

[Indeed. But that is also another kind of freedom… Very well. You have ultimately triumphed over my delusion. Magnificent.]

The Emperor’s chest shattered completely.

His semi-transparent body, which had been smiling as if he had let go of everything, broke into pieces.

And what covered the screen was a dazzling blue light.

The remaining power of the Goddess, the final strength needed to turn back time, was now being unleashed.

And.

[Sylvia!]

Leo yelled out—

Gah!

He shouted and quickly turned around.

Not just Leo, but the other male characters who followed suit did the same.

“……”

I silently turned around.

I could see the kids about to burst into laughter. Even Mia pretended to cover her eyes, shaking as she watched the screen.

I looked back at the screen.

[Big sis!]

[Sylvia!]

The kids were running towards the returning Sylvia. It was an emotional scene but I couldn’t fully feel that emotion.

[Hahaha!]

[Gah gah gah!]

The chat was filled mostly with laughter, and some seemed to be holding back numerous things they wanted to say.

Sylvia appeared without a single thread covering her.

Of course, due to the nature of the game, complete nudity wouldn’t show.

It was just that the angle cleverly twisted here and there, hinting that Sylvia lying on the floor was naked.

Well, it makes sense.

If you’re reborn in empty air, there’s no way clothes would be conjured with you.

While it’s not there, it felt a bit unfair too.

[Ugh…!]

Sylvia slowly opened her eyes.

[…Everyone…?]

[Big sis, big sis!]

Claire was now crying. Even though her hairstyle wasn’t the Claire I knew, that voice acting made it feel so much like ‘Claire.’ Truly, a veteran actress is different.

Claire hugged Sylvia tightly, and Sylvia looked around in confusion.

[Sylvia, don’t make such choices anymore.]

At Alice’s words, Sylvia simply looked up at her and murmured,

[…Is that so?]

Then she slowly closed her eyes again and smiled gently.

[You all came to find me, didn’t you? Even I had given up on myself… ]

With those words, that scene ended.

*

There was still a little more epilogue left.

A few weeks passed, and things finally normalized.

The world remained a hodgepodge. It was challenging to wrap up what happened during that time, as it slipped into one of the realities so subtly.

So, they just decided to leave it be.

[Honestly, what were you planning to do if the Goddess’s power hadn’t remained…?]

[I’m really sorry. At that time, I genuinely thought that was the only option… ]

Sylvia slightly bowed her head to Alice.

[Don’t say anything to my sister.]

Upon seeing Claire say that with a frown, Alice forced a smile.

[Well, what matters is that she’s back.]

Leo said that,

[Let’s get through until graduation at the academy, please.]

Charlotte said that.

[Happy ending is the best!]

Ding, and the notifications came in.

I strongly agreed with that statement.

Chapter 442

“Ah, the aftertaste of that game really sticks with you!” swoosh

After finishing the broadcast, Claire said as we lay side by side on the living room floor, staring at the ceiling.

“Yeah, it tends to do that. That’s why when a new installment comes out, we’re always waiting for the sequel. The production team said there’s still more story left, after all.”

“Do you think Rena will appear in the sequel?”

“Since I heard the setting is changing, there’s a good chance.”

“By the way, didn’t you write a speculation post about the Riclant Autonomous State once?”

“……”

I was at a loss for words in response to Claire’s teasing question.

“Well, all the speculations I wrote before were completely wrong, though.”

“……There’s no need to bring that up, is there?”

When I asked in disbelief, Claire chuckled.

“Maybe the reason this story lingers is because it’s ours.”

Alice, who had been listening, chimed in.

“……Honestly, I’ve loved that series for a long time. Even before I met all of you.”

At my words, both Alice and Claire fell silent.

It seemed Charlotte was still awake, but Mia… well, I wasn’t sure. She might have dozed off?

“So when I first met you guys, I vowed that we’d make it a happy ending without anyone dying. Looking back, the last time we lost characters, we just brushed past it like this. I think I understand why this installment is getting criticized.”

I thought there might be a chance to revive them, but I never expected they’d just throw in an overpowered character and reset everything.

For those who were hoping for a happy ending, it might have been a decent work, but for fans who had been sticking with the series and hoping for answers, it was probably unsatisfactory.

I hope everything gets resolved in the sequel, but since the setting is supposed to change, I’m not sure what to expect.

“But thanks to that, we were able to reach a happy ending in a different way,” Charlotte said softly.

“Yeah, I think it’s fortunate,” I replied with a smile.

*

The next day.

[I talked to the game company, and they said they can film for us!]

“Ah, really?”

I received a call from the broadcasting station’s writer.

[Yes, they were super curious! They said if we weren’t from the broadcasting company, they wouldn’t have believed it!]

I looked around.

The voice blared from the speaker, and everyone’s eyes sparkled.

“So… does that mean we’re going to Japan?”

[We’ll need to discuss it further with the higher-ups at the broadcasting station, but it seems likely! I’ll let you know the details as we get more information!]

This was exciting.

I thought this person was more thrilled about the fact that they were going to Japan for a business trip than about broadcasting something amazing.

Well, I could see why. I would be pretty excited too.

After just a little bit of work, I’d be wandering the streets of Japan doing various things. Though I had no experience working at a broadcasting station, so I wasn’t sure how it actually worked.

At the very least, we’d definitely have some time to relax.

Let’s see… where was the Millennium headquarters again?

I think they said it was in Tokyo.

“What do you all think? Are you interested in going?”

“Of course!”

Claire shouted with excitement.

Without realizing it, a smile formed on my face at her innocent expression.

“Alright.”

Seeing that there were no opposing opinions, I nodded.

“Since we’ll head back after the broadcast anyway, it shouldn’t be a problem to take a relaxed trip to Japan. How about we spend a bit more money while we’re there and stay a little longer?”

“That sounds great!”

Alice said with a smile.

“You’re lucky to have a wealthy friend,” Charlotte teased playfully.

“There’ll be different foods and sights here, right?”

Mia’s eyes sparkled as she said this, and her cuteness was so overwhelming that I unconsciously ruffled her hair.

*

As some time had passed since they came to film at our house, the broadcasting station hurriedly arranged the schedule.

Luckily, since we weren’t working for any company, we were able to negotiate a few extra days on our own schedule.

Fortunately, we had already applied for our passports well before our trip to Jeju Island. Usually, it takes about two weeks, but it seems that demand skyrockets at the end of the year, causing delays of up to a month.

Timing was on our side, indeed.

“Wow… this is amazing,” Alice said, looking around.

“It seems the same yet completely new at the same time. It feels different from just walking around a familiar country.”

“Just looking at the signs shows it’s in a different language.”

Plus, in Japan, cars drive on the opposite side of the road compared to Korea.

As I gazed down at the street from the hotel, at first, I didn’t notice much difference, but slowly I began to spot the things that were different from where I lived, and I realized, “Oh right, this is another country.”

It felt like looking at a magic eye.

By the time we arrived in Japan, it was already past afternoon, and by the time we took the train to Tokyo, even more time had passed.

Naturally, most regular companies had already closed.

Well, in a city like this, plenty of people are still working at night, but we couldn’t show that in a broadcasting station.

“Shall we step outside for a bit?”

At my suggestion, they all turned their heads toward me.

Their eyes sparkled as if they’d been waiting to hear that.

We had already had dinner, but well…

To be honest, aren’t we all a little unrealistic when it comes to activity levels?

Eating a bit more wouldn’t cause any harm.

*

When it comes to the preferences of travelers, they can generally be categorized into two types.

Not just busy movers versus leisurely movers.

There are those who seek out local food and those who prefer to spend the day enjoying luxury meals at fancy hotels.

I fell into the former category.

The images I’ve seen in Japanese manga and anime since childhood tend to depict teenage kids from ordinary families rather than the ultra-rich.

Of course, I know that’s not the complete reality. Just as there is a discrepancy between Korean dramas and the reality of family life, I imagine the gap between manga and reality is even greater.

However, restaurants are almost always depicted similarly.

As we barged into a street vendor stall, the owner looked taken aback.

He appeared surprisingly young, maybe only ten years older than the kids there. When he saw a sudden influx of foreign girls, he tried to communicate in English as best he could. However—

“Five ramen, please.”

Upon hearing Claire speak fluent Japanese, he seemed to momentarily short-circuit.

Truth be told, we weren’t really good at Japanese; it just translated in our ears like Korean does.

“Are you Japanese?”

The owner asked, startled.

“Not at all, we’re Korean. All of us,” I said with a smile.

The owner looked both amused and skeptical as he began preparing the menu.

At the food stall, the only option was tonkotsu ramen. There was one pot bubbling with broth, and it looked like that was the only item on the menu since he probably only sold it after boiling it.

Adding chashu would cost extra.

The weather was a bit chilly. Not as cold as Korea, but still, it was winter in Japan.

On such a day, having rich, flavorful ramen from a tiny stall outside… what a luxury.

Well, there was a faint smell of pork simmering, but that couldn’t be helped.

“How did you end up in Japan? Just here for tourism?”

The owner couldn’t help but ask.

“We came here for work. We have a broadcasting shoot planned,” Alice answered.

The owner looked at her with a confused expression again.

“Are you perhaps an idol?”

That question made us all laugh.

The ramen was delicious. To be honest, the taste was quite different from the food I had in Korea. If I had to eat it for the rest of my life, it would be a different flavor, but that’s just a matter of taste.

After all, we weren’t here for just a week-long trip.

“It’s delicious!”

Mia said, her eyes sparkling.

At first, everyone was hesitant about foods that smelled like this. But it seemed that bringing them around to try various foods instead of just Western dishes paid off.

“It’s good, so I’m glad.”

Whether or not we were really Koreans or idols, the thought that we were still foreigners evidently remained.

I thought it might be rare to see a foreigner speak Japanese this well, but who knows if that even matters in the end?

After thoroughly enjoying our ramen, we stopped by a convenience store nearby to pick up various things we had never seen before and headed back to the hotel.

Ah, really.

Already so much fun!

Chapter 443

Hah…

Our schedule was right the next day.

Wondering how to make the company people believe us, we decided to just show them our passports.

Well, it’s not like these folks could really do anything with that info. Besides, it would be known soon enough on the broadcast that we met these people.

“Just to clarify, we absolutely did not make a game based on you guys.”

We all laughed.

They understood it was a joke.

However, even if it was said as a joke, it seemed there was some line being drawn at the same time.

It could turn out to be a real problem. Imagine how tiring it would be for the company if we decided to sue them.

But we couldn’t change the names of characters we’ve used for years now.

Of course, we had no intention of doing something like that.

“The game is always fun to play.”

“It’s amazing that people with the same names as our characters enjoy our game. I often thought, ‘Is there really someone with a name like this?’ during the making process, but I never imagined I’d actually get to see it, and that people with those names would gather like this… it’s really…”

Still not believing it, the company president wiped the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief.

“Especially the name Fanggriffon. I never thought it would actually exist.”

True that.

That name sounded like it shouldn’t exist at all.

The closest mentioned name to that is ‘Pandragon.’

I don’t know the details, but I think it was more of a title than an actual surname… Well, in the game, and even in the Azernar I lived in, it’s a setting where a title turned into a surname over time, so it’s somewhat similar.

“Well, since you came all this way, let me give you a little tour of the company. At first, when I heard the story, I thought the broadcasting folks exaggerated a bit, but now seeing this in person, I just have to give you a tour.”

“Thank you very much.”

It was a bit hard to get used to this person being so nice to me.

This person only just… met me, so to speak? Anyway, this was our first human-to-human meeting, so he couldn’t know anything personal about me, and naturally, he wouldn’t have any particular feelings. But I was different.

It was the president who was one of those biting critics that had a crazed fit, mentioning my real name in some online community.

…Well, I knew he wouldn’t come all the way to Korean sites to sue every single one, so I did it anyway.

I felt a bit guilty.

Looking at him now, he just seemed like a nice guy.

“…”

Claire was giggling, looking at me, as if she had read some other post I hadn’t yet deleted.

Well, I wasn’t so sure Claire would say that to the president, but still, it felt nerve-wracking to be around someone who knew that fact.

I’m sorry! Really!

I silently apologized as I watched the back of the president walking ahead.

*

In the end, we ate some pretty decent company food, did a short interview for the broadcast, and even walked out with our character clear files signed by the voice actors.

“So, one last thing, do you have any requests from the perspective of players who enjoy our game series?”

Before leaving the company, I pondered for a moment as I watched the smiling president before finally answering with a slight grin.

“Then I hope that the next Chronicles of Aetherna game will be simultaneously released in Korea.”

I probably wouldn’t be able to play it by then since I’d be going back to my original world, but I still wished for the people who remained to enjoy it.

I may have stirred up trouble and manipulated the story to my liking, but ultimately, it was because I really liked that game series.

…Well, thinking about it now, did I really need to go that far? But anyway.

“Understood. That’s something we’ve been contemplating as well. We’ll try to ensure that the Korean version is developed alongside it from the very start.”

“Thank you.”

We bowed to each other as we exchanged goodbyes.

“Well then, we’ll be on our way.”

The writer and cameraman from the broadcasting station who guided us to the company waved farewell to us.

“Just to check one last time, you already arranged your flight tickets and accommodation separately, right?”

“Yes. We’ve checked it several times, so you can just go back without worrying.”

“Oh, by the way, we actually plan on staying another day or two. But… you will be heading out separately, right?”

Nodding our heads, the writer smiled.

“Yes, understood. When it’s time to edit, we’ll let you know the broadcast date. It shouldn’t take too long.”

“Okay, understood. Thank you.”

“Oh, we should be the ones thanking you.”

After saying goodbye to the folks from the broadcasting station as we walked away, Claire suddenly poked my side with her finger.

“How’s it going? Still feeling sore in the heart?”

At her words, I shot a glare at Claire, and Alice reacted.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Claire laughed and covered her mouth as she answered.

“You know, the post my sister wrote on the internet back then.”

“Oh.”

Alice quickly understood what Claire was getting at and forced a smile.

“There was a post cursing that president guy.”

“…You wrote a post cursing someone you didn’t even know, in such a public place?”

Charlotte’s words stung more than Claire’s poke.

“…I didn’t know I would meet him like this.”

“Just because you didn’t know, does that mean it’s okay to write such a post?”

Charlotte frowned and looked at me, making me increasingly at a loss for words.

“Um…”

Mia seemed like she had a lot to say, but she didn’t seem to want to voice that thought.

True.

Mia must know well that I have that kind of personality.

Because she remembers the times when I turned back the clock.

“…”

No matter how I tried to counter, all that came to mind were ugly ways to respond, so I kept silent and walked on.

*

As we discussed whether we should grab something more to eat between lunch and dinner, we somehow ended up ordering some tendon.

I mean, if we were thinking of grabbing another meal between lunch and dinner, wouldn’t something lighter like a snack be better?

Well, the tendon was delicious though.

“But is this how you’re supposed to eat it?”

Alice asked quietly.

True that.

It came out as a rice bowl, so I thought we should just scoop it up with rice, but trying to eat it that way felt a bit odd.

Especially since I ordered the chicken tempura tendon, which wasn’t just boneless but had the wing tempura straight on skewers.

“Well… it should probably be eaten separately, I think.”

It was my first time eating in Japan, but I had at least tried it a few times in Korea out of curiosity.

There, they said to serve the tempura on a plate first and then mix the rice well to eat.

“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter how you eat it?”

Charlotte, who usually paid the most attention to these things, said with a smile.

“After all, in the eyes of these people, we’re ‘foreigners.’”

That’s true.

“True enough.”

Claire added with a laugh.

But Claire herself didn’t seem to care much about such things, so she probably didn’t need to agree with that.

“When eating galbitang or gamjatang, we usually eat the meat off the bone with rice first, right?”

“That’s a very valid point, Mia.”

When I responded like that to Mia, she blushed slightly.

“Maybe there’s no specific way to eat this. Now that I think about it, this isn’t exactly a high-class restaurant.”

Hearing Mia’s words, Alice nodded in agreement.

“Right. We’re on a trip, so we should just enjoy it our way. Isn’t it fine as long as we don’t bother others?”

Claire dipped a shrimp tempura into the soy sauce and said.

“Speaking of which, where should we go next?”

“Let’s walk around the downtown area. Maybe Ginza.”

There must be a place in Japan like Myeongdong in Korea, where tourists gather like crazy, making locals tilt their heads in disbelief if you ask if that place represents their country.

But there’s a reason foreigners gather in places where tourists usually go.

“Starting from a broad area and then going into narrower spots sounds good too. Some people say it’s fun to look for places featured in movies while in Japan, you know.”

“Oh really? Then maybe we could catch a movie at night? There was a theater near the hotel, right?”

Seeing Claire immediately wanting to put my suggestion into action made us all smile.

Chapter 444

Before we came here, we all had various ideas, but in the end, what we chose was… no plan at all! dun dun dun

We debated whether to visit a theme park or a museum, but honestly, we just wanted to spend time together. whoosh

“Oh, the list of pilgrimage sites is already out!” Claire said while lying on the bed and looking at her smartphone.

It seemed to be a ‘pilgrimage’ list based on the anime movie we watched yesterday. ding ding ding

Unless the setting is entirely fantasy, they usually draw inspiration from real-life backgrounds. That’s the easiest way to convince the audience. wink

And when such an anime goes viral, a list of those locations is created by the millions of viewers. ka-ching

Most of the anime I watched as a child were Japanese, so it was hard to do in Korea. sigh

I had a little longing for that when I was younger, so I was a bit excited now. bouncy bounce

I’m just barely managing not to show it on my face. sweat drop

“By the way, if we said we were on a pilgrimage in Azernar, people would definitely misunderstand us.”

True. nod nod

Honestly, I think that word is a bit over the top, but hey, there’s something good about that slightly over-the-top atmosphere. rock on

When enjoying something, it’s way better to bounce around joyfully than to stay numb! woohoo

“Well then, shall we start from the closest place?”

At my words, everyone got up from the bed. stretch

We reserved two rooms, but we’re almost always gathered in one room. shrug

However, we did go back to our own rooms to sleep, so it felt a bit lonely… Hm, should we switch rooms tomorrow? scratch head

Or is it possible for five of us to fit in a room with three beds…? huh?

Maybe it’s the relaxed atmosphere, but I found myself following the kids with sillier thoughts than usual. giggle

*

Wherever you go, people live similarly, but the shapes of houses differ due to cultural and geographical reasons. ta-da!

In Japan, once you enter an alley, a unique neighborhood spreads out. whoosh

In Korea, residential areas are densely packed with villas or apartments, and even if there are standalone houses, they rarely have a uniform design. meh

However, Japanese standalone houses feel oddly similar. Is there a construction company that specializes in those? thinking face

“It’s quiet.”

“Everyone must have left for work.”

I answered Alice’s mumble. ding

The vibe felt… kind of like skipping school or using a half-day leave from work. sneaky sneaky

Not many people are wandering about, time feels slow, and it’s quiet. tick tock

It feels similar to everyday life, yet has a special quality that’s almost alien. sparkle sparkle

Plus, this is a neighborhood in another country! surprise!

Thinking this calm atmosphere is normal for the locals feels oddly fascinating. ponder ponder

“Oh, over there!”

As we entered the neighborhood, we spotted three vending machines lined up in a particularly narrow alleyway. ta-da!

With a small roof over them, these machines looked a bit old. hmm…

At first glance, they just seemed like ordinary drink vending machines, but these were featured in the anime as a part of the main characters’ childhood neighborhood. flashback

On a rainy day in midsummer, they dashed hurriedly and hid under those little roofs to avoid the rain. splash!

The male and female protagonists stood awkwardly, and then decided to grab something to drink. pop!

“Where… oh, here!”

Claire smiled and pulled out a bottle of green tea from the vending machine. pop!

Unfortunately, it didn’t have the exact design from the ‘childhood of the protagonists,’ but at least it’s the same brand. It kind of looks similar. wink

“I definitely get why people go on pilgrimages. I might not have any attachment since it’s the first time I’ve seen this anime or heard of its director… but wandering like this isn’t bad at all.” nod

I agreed with Alice. thumbs up

“At first, trips usually focus on famous tourist spots, but as you find more time or go often, you tend to explore neighborhoods like this.” tour guide mode

“That’s probably doable in a world like this.”

Charlotte replied with a bittersweet smile. sigh

“Wandering alleyways in Azernar or Velbur without escorts is probably out of the question.” huh?

“…Maybe one day, when it develops more, the story might change.”

I said to comfort Charlotte. pat pat

“Um…”

While this was happening, Claire took a sip of her drink and made a very wacky sound. gulp gulp

“Is the drink not to your taste?”

“Uh, yeah…”

“It’s likely because it’s not sweet since it probably doesn’t have sugar in it.”

Our usual black tea is from the same tea leaves, but unlike green tea, we often add sugar or milk. tea time!

I heard that in China, they sometimes add sugar to green tea, but I only heard that casually, so I’m not sure how true it is. scratching chin

I swapped my soda for Claire’s and took a sip. It tasted like a typical green tea drink. Seems like it’s a love-it-or-hate-it situation. meh

“Is it good?”

“It suits my taste, but would you like to try?”

I offered the drink to Mia at her question. After taking a sip, Mia tilted her head. huh?

“Honestly, things like this are more like drinks to have instead of tasting. Someone who enjoys tea would brew it properly.” teatime!

I handed her another soda and received the green tea bottle back. swap swap

“Oh, sister, should I take a photo?”

“Would you?”

“Yep, just look here. Later, I’ll take a photo of you in the same pose as when the main character is waiting for the male lead!” clickbait!

Hearing that, I willingly went next to the vending machine. Claire tugged and adjusted my position before snapping a picture with her mirrorless camera. click!

“Oh wow, this turned out great!”

Alice laughed at the result. giggle

Claire’s photography skills had really improved over time. The pose in the picture looked quite similar to the one in the movie. double thumbs up!

If I were on social media, I’d totally post this! pout

“Shall we move to another place now?”

“Sure!”

Everyone nodded at my question. excited nods

*

The next place we visited was a shrine. ding ding!

Since I had never had any religion from my past life until now, and I concluded that the Goddesses I encountered weren’t particularly trustworthy, I didn’t feel any religious emotions. shrug

Thinking about it, outside of Japan, how many people seriously believe in such places? ponder ponder

Wouldn’t even the Japanese think similarly? It seems like something akin to the sacrifices we make during holidays in our country. nod nod

“Look over there. There’s a real priestess!”

Claire said, pointing at a woman sweeping the floor with a broom from afar. whoosh!

“…”

That priestess, I once read somewhere, usually does part-time jobs.

In a cathedral, a nun would generally be in that position, but it seems not many people take it seriously. sigh

Of course, to keep Claire’s dreams alive, I decided to just stay quiet. pat pat

Since it’s a shrine, similar to a temple, it wouldn’t be suitable to roam around and chat excitedly. shhh!

We saw a few people, including some who probably came after watching the anime like us, along with some couples, but there were far fewer people than a famous tourist shrine, so overall, the atmosphere was calm and quiet. zen

We took a couple of group photos and tossed a few coins into the offering box… then… was it called omikuji? Anyway, we drew fortunes. whoosh!

Mine turned out to be great luck! yay!

“Nice job, sister!”

Honestly, it was just a random draw. shrug

I’ve heard that if you draw a great misfortune, people say, “Here, I used my bad luck here, so good things will happen from now on!”

Should I keep the paper as a memento? thinking face

*

While the pilgrimage itself was fun, I felt a bit unsatisfied just wandering around. hmmm…

“Yeah, but still, it’s a place worth visiting.”

Alice murmured from the Tokyo Skytree observatory. whoosh!

“It’s really beautiful…”

Mia’s eyes sparkled. sparkle sparkle

The view outside the window, not yet completely dark since the sun hadn’t set, was even more splendid. wow!

The sunset over the city cannot be anything less than spectacular. amazing!

“Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve really seen this kind of view in Seoul.” huh?

“Oh, is that so?”

I asked back at Charlotte’s words. tilt head

For sure, I remember seeing it from the hotel, but I don’t recall ever climbing to the highest point in Seoul. hmm…

“Then let’s go back and capture the view of Seoul in our memories!”

“That sounds like a great idea.”

Charlotte smiled at my words. smile

Chapter 445

Could it be that I’ve planned the trip for a whole week?

I feel like I could just lounge around for a day and still be fine.

If it had been a 3-day, 4-night schedule, I would’ve been up early with an alarm, but since it’s a week…

Plus, even when I go back, I can still take it easy.

“You look happy.”

“Well, in a situation where I can’t help but be happy, what can I do?”

As I replied while pulling the blanket up to my chest, Charlotte chuckled softly.

Last night, I switched rooms.

Even so, it didn’t feel right to take the hotel blanket into the next room and sleep on the floor. I might as well buy a sleeping bag if I wanted to do that.

Usually, I hang out with Alice and Claire, so last night was all about spending time with Charlotte and Mia.

Just as I expected, they weren’t noisy at all.

Compared to Alice and Claire, who often bicker and make a racket whenever they’re together, it was almost the opposite.

Thinking about it, Alice is a crown princess, and Claire is basically a crown princess too in a way, while just Count Crowfield’s daughter, Mia, is much quieter.

“Shall we slowly get up? It’s already lunchtime.”

Charlotte was already dressed. Mia next to her was too.

“…What about Alice and Claire?”

“Well, our crew is out exploring the area.”

“Since this morning?”

“Yep, all morning.”

That was a bit surprising.

I thought Claire would come bouncing into the room to shake me awake the next morning.

“I-I insisted on letting you sleep.”

As I sat up, Mia said.

“Is that so?”

“Yep… you were sleeping so comfortably.”

“To be honest, I was so surprised at first, I thought you weren’t breathing.”

Charlotte said, sitting on the edge of the nearby bed.

“It was the most relaxed expression I’ve seen on you until now.”

Hmm…

I guess that makes sense. I had been on edge a lot in Azernar.

Even if I rewound time to extend my sleep or repeated holidays to rest my body, that fatigue would come rushing back after time rewound.

The only thing that did seem to heal was a bit of mental stability.

That alone was a huge help, but the image people often saw of me was probably that of someone on alert, always looking around.

I stretched my arms out in front of me.

“Thanks to you, I think I’ve slept deeper than in the past few years. It’s refreshing.”

Even though I learned how to remain fine with reduced sleep, the most comfortable way to rest remains sleeping deeply and waking up.

To lie down on a fluffy bed in a completely safe place without any thoughts is happiness itself.

“That’s good to hear.”

Hearing Charlotte’s reply, I threw off the blanket and stood up.

*

“Oh, sis, you’re up!”

“Did you sleep well?”

I waved my hand lightly to greet the two waiting for me in the hotel lobby.

“You look really good! You must have been tired.”

“It’s just Mia among us who doesn’t wake up early.”

As I replied to Alice’s comment, Mia puffed out her cheeks, and I chuckled a little.

“So, what should we do today?”

“I found a place nearby that sells delicious tarts. It’s not just tarts, it seems they have various breads too.”

Seeing Claire look at Mia while saying that, I guess the searcher was Mia.

“Then let’s go check it out?”

I nodded in agreement.

*

After stopping by the bakery to eat bread, we came out onto the street and bought random street food to munch on while walking.

We took photos whenever we saw parks, and went into strange alleys for no good reason.

If there was an oddly shaped shrine, we even went inside to take a spin.

Even though we were happily wandering around here and there, I hardly felt my body getting tired.

Actually, I felt like I was continuously recovering instead.

It was as if the grime was washing away, revealing the white within bit by bit.

“…”

As I walked down the street, I suddenly stopped, and the children walking ahead turned around at the same time.

It was such a beautiful sight.

No doubt after this time passes, I’ll only recall it vaguely.

After some time passes, even if I seek it out in photos, I won’t accurately remember this day.

While that fact is a bit sad, it’s also just too beautiful.

As if trying to engrave the sight of the four of us standing together in my mind, I quietly watched.

“Sis?”

Claire was the first to break the silence.

“What are you doing over there?”

Alice tilted her head.

“Sylvia?”

Charlotte looked puzzled,

“Are your legs hurting? Would you like to take a minute to rest?”

Mia suggested.

The corners of my mouth curled up slightly as I silently watched the four of them with my hands tucked into my coat pockets.

“No, I was just watching because I wanted to.”

As I resumed walking and slipped by them, Claire tilted her head.

“We see each other’s faces all the time.”

“Right.”

I replied for no reason.

The other three looked bewildered, nodding their heads repeatedly, but I didn’t elaborate.

I wonder if we’ll ever get together again like this at least once.

If that time comes, I want to bring all the friends I made in that world with me.

Is that too greedy?

Well, it doesn’t matter.

After all, people are creatures who want more once they have something. I’m one of those people too.

No one will scold me for desires I didn’t speak out loud.

The somewhat cool Tokyo night gleamed, perhaps due to the end of the year.

Maybe it looked even more sparkling because of the four people around me.

*

Having spent a leisurely week like this, we returned home.

The flight time was just two hours, but it’s really just two hours of flying time; add in the time from Tokyo to the airport, check-in, and customs, plus the time spent wandering around the airport and taking the bus back, and that time doubles.

Of course I’m bound to be tired.

As soon as we entered the house, Claire dashed toward the living room. The hallway from the entrance to the living room was slightly bent, so I couldn’t see her properly, but considering the thud I heard, she must’ve jumped onto the sofa.

“Claire, you need to unpack.”

While the apartment entrance wasn’t small, four teenage girls and five suitcases made it unrealistically crowded.

“Let’s unpack later~ later.”

I heard Claire’s voice from quite a distance.

Alice sighed heavily.

Honestly, I wanted to quickly spread out a blanket in the living room and lie down too.

“Hmm.”

“Why the sudden giggle?”

As I thought of that, too tempted to sit on the bed, I let out a quiet laugh, and Alice asked.

“It’s nothing.”

I said while folding the suitcase handle.

“Then let’s just unpack first. If Claire leaves her bag in front of you, it’ll be inevitable.”

“Let’s do that.”

Charlotte nodded her head.

*

After some fuss, we finished tidying up, and it was about an hour later before I could spread out the blanket and lie down.

“It’s hard to believe I was in another country just a few hours ago.”

“Maybe it felt that way since the travel time wasn’t as long as expected.”

Charlotte responded to Claire’s comment.

“Bellbur and Azernar share a border, and there’s a lot we have in common with building styles too. Since we weren’t blocked by a long sea journey, crossing over didn’t have a huge impact.”

“And in my case, I actually lived in Azernar.”

Charlotte chimed in with Alice’s statement.

“I’m kind of the same. It’s my hometown, right across from Bellbur.”

I guess it could be compared to taking an airship over the sea. While it technically was Azernar land, it’s a bit similar.

For a moment, everyone fell silent, staring at the ceiling.

“If we go back to that world…”

Claire spoke up.

“Let’s all go on a trip together, just like we did this time. We could easily make it work during vacation.”

“That sounds fun.”

Charlotte laughed.

“Yeah, for sure. It’ll be a worry-free trip.”

Alice said as if just imagining it was enjoyable.

“If possible, I hope it’s a place with plenty of sights and food.”

Mia honestly expressed her wishes.

I didn’t bother saying anything.

Another silence descended. Among those who didn’t utter a single word, a quiet breathing sound was heard.

Perhaps it was Mia.

With that breathing sound as a cue, one by one, we began to drift off to sleep.

Of course, it makes sense after a few hours of traveling.

As I listened to those breaths, I too felt the heavy sensation pulling me in.

My eyelids had already grown heavy and shut tight.

“…”

Surrendering myself to that pleasantly tired wave, I felt like I would have good dreams tonight.

Chapter 446

And the long-awaited broadcast day.

“I think today is the right day,” I said to the kids gathered in the living room.

We had already packed our things.

All our gear was stored in the room designated for broadcasts.

It wasn’t just to head back right after watching the TV broadcast; I wanted to greet the viewers we had met since coming here.

Once we head back this time, who knows when we could return to this place again?

“….It’s a bit sad to leave this house,” Alice said while looking around the living room for no particular reason.

“Honestly, when we moved out of our one-room apartment, I felt this way too. But now that I’m told to go back, I feel like I can’t,” she added.

“That’s true,” Claire nodded, and Charlotte laughed.

“I know it’s silly to say now, but having at least a little personal space was definitely much better for living,” Charlotte chimed in.

That’s a valid point, and I agreed with Mia.

We only had two rooms; one had three people, and the other had two. But since we usually spent time in the living room, if someone wanted alone time, they could easily go to an empty room.

Even occasionally, I would hang out in the broadcast room since all the computers and gaming consoles were there.

“Did you pack the albums?”

“Of course, we each packed one in our bags. I’ve checked several times,” Alice reassured.

Just in case, we also packed emergency food supplies.

As a result, our bags were almost as big as camping backpacks.

…Well, it wasn’t entirely wrong since we also packed sleeping bags and personal tents.

I wondered if we were being overly cautious, but it was better than falling over there without any preparations.

The light around us had already grown quite bright. Could it be due to the broadcasts we’ve done over the past few months?

By tonight, it would definitely be much stronger.

“…I thought we could give and receive Christmas gifts,” Claire said with regret while looking at the Christmas—HALLOWEEN—decorations she had set up.

“Maybe there will come a day when we return and take down the decorations,” I suggested.

Claire shrugged at my comment.

None of us were without regrets here.

Still, more than that, the desire to return was strong. After all, in this world, we were just outsiders.

“It’s time,” Alice announced.

We braced ourselves and turned on the TV.

*

The images on TV were like a compilation of our lives in this world.

Now that I think about it, the photos and videos we gave to the broadcast team were only from the last few months.

Of course, that’s to be expected; we hadn’t spent that long here.

Even if it’s a goddess who could change the world to the extent that time itself seemed to rewind, she must know how tangled things could get if she recreated all those past events.

Was the broadcasting team not aware of this because of the goddess’s trickery?

“…Oh, we did send photos from our time in the one-room apartment together,” Claire murmured as a picture of five of us crowded in a nearly full room smiled at the camera appeared on screen.

It was Claire who held the smartphone, while the other four awkwardly smiled at the camera.

That picture was from just after Charlotte and Mia had come over.

[Though our names and backgrounds are different, they say that the five sisters have been together since their very poor days.]

[We just help each other out. Anyway, besides us, there’s no one else we know.]

After the narration, Alice had said that on the broadcast.

She tried her best to sound natural, but you could still tell it was a bit awkward.

The MC and guests on the broadcast reacted with surprise, and a few chuckled softly, finding it heartwarming.

“It looks like a kaleidoscope, made from our memories,” Charlotte remarked, hugging her knees on the sofa, her eyes fixed on the screen.

After the broadcasting team left, our hobbies were shown, which led to talking about how our names are actually the same as those of characters in a game company.

[So, we went visiting that Japanese game company with that backstory.]

We chuckled at that.

The president, the story writer, and the game production team on camera looked a bit more flustered than when we had met them directly. It was probably due to the sound effects and effects added on screen.

We saw a scene of the five of us touring the game company.

“He was a kind person,” Claire said, turning to look at me, her face serious.

“….”

I ignored her gaze.

The screen caught us all waving at the camera together.

[So, everyone, please live happily together for a long, long time~]

I thought it would come out like that, but actually seeing it made me chuckle a little.

Then, the screen moved on to the next story.

“It’s not coming out as long as I thought,” I remarked.

“Well, it’s not just showing one story; it’s a program showing multiple stories alternately,” I said to a slightly disappointed Alice with a smile.

“Still, with this…”

Mia looked down at the light she was holding.

The light was shining brighter than anything we had seen before.

Even brighter than when Charlotte and Mia had just come over.

Looking at the light, we nodded at each other.

*

“For that reason, we were originally supposed to return to our original world.”

The light that was glowing brightly began to glow even brighter during our broadcast.

…Is it going to burst or something?

[What do you mean?]

[LOL, heavy concept here]

[Don’t go, don’t go, don’t go, don’t go!]

The chat was in utter chaos.

Not only was the chatter chaotic, but the number of viewers had recorded an all-time high.

“Thank you for everything so far. If it weren’t for you all, I couldn’t have kept such a bright disposition,” I said earnestly.

That wasn’t just empty words.

It all started with Claire’s idea, and the biggest reason we could stay positive here was that we had these kids with us. But still, I couldn’t shake off the feeling of being completely isolated from the world while being able to communicate like this.

Besides, before we got our luck back, these people made my life bearable.

Although I never saw their faces, they were all so very appreciated.

“That’s right, thank you so much for everything,” Claire nodded in agreement.

“I hope we can meet again someday. If possible, even if it takes time, I’ll continue broadcasting,” she added.

“It was fun, everyone,” Alice said as she gracefully waved behind Claire.

“Everything felt so strange when we first got here, but I’ve learned so much thanks to you all. Please, do take care of yourselves,” Charlotte added, saying her farewell in the Velbur style.

“Someday, I swear we’ll return and meet again,” Mia said, looking a bit sorrowful while hugging the picture we took together.

[? Really?]

[Don’t go!!!]

[Where are you going?]

[Why do you talk like it’s for real?ㅠㅠ]

Since this was our final broadcast, I had blocked donations. I didn’t want to waste money on something we couldn’t even use.

“Well then, let’s go,” Claire declared.

We each placed our hands on the light Claire held out.

The humongous bags on our backs were cumbersome, making it a little uncomfortable.

“This time, we need to get the direction right,” Charlotte joked.

“Oh, can we just leave the broadcast running like this?” Mia asked, and I nodded.

“We can turn it off when we come back someday. Electricity bills can be paid for years.”

At the mention of coming back, Mia faintly smiled.

Everyone here knew the chances of that were pretty slim—

Yeah, someday, for sure. I hope we can return.

When that time comes, I want to bring so much that this apartment is filled and have a blast—

“Well then…”

Claire murmured for a moment before meeting my gaze.

Then she smiled brightly.

“Let’s continue our story.”

And then, our vision turned entirely white.

*

“Claire! Sylvia!”

Amidst the weight of the bags on our backs as I tumbled to the ground, a voice I heard was… Oh my, I never thought I’d long for a male voice.

“Leo.”

The person who grabbed Claire’s hand to help her up was Leo.

“What’s going on? What happened?”

We all wore outfits that were not the school uniforms—clothes of a design you wouldn’t see here—and with the massive bags on our backs, all eyes turned toward us.

I tried to lift my head to explain, but I hastily looked down again.

Not only was the surrounding scenery still the place where we had our last battle, but the fact that all the people around me were those I had missed so dearly caught me off guard.

“I’m so… glad,” I heard Charlotte mumble softly.

Indeed.

I’m really… truly glad.

Chapter 447

There was no chaos after that… or so it seemed.

But if you think about it, it was chaos indeed. We had to discuss solutions right after the battle, handle political issues, and somehow navigate through legal matters.

The tedious negotiations about the defeated side and discussions on reparations dragged on.

If there was a problem—

“…I feel like I’m going to die from working too long.”

Alice sprawled out on the bed.

“I agree that the idea of working until you die isn’t great, but why are you sprawled on my bed of all places? Especially at bedtime.”

Exactly.

I thought I could jump into bed after finishing up, but there was Alice lying there like a corpse.

Did she mistakenly enter my room? After all, she used the room next to mine.

“Why, can’t I come here?”

“It’s not that you can’t.”

I answered while sitting in my desk chair.

“No, it’s just that I don’t dislike it here, and my room isn’t especially uncomfortable. But lying alone in this lonely room makes me feel a bit weird.”

“Isn’t it troubling in many ways that at your age, you’re scared of being alone in a room?”

“…Do I look like I’m scared?”

While glaring at me, Alice turned slightly.

“Uh, maybe I might be.”

She replied like that.

“Don’t you think? Just two weeks ago, we had five people all in one place. Doesn’t it feel empty next to you?”

“……”

I couldn’t disagree with that.

I thought I wasn’t the type to be particularly lonely.

So, it’s not that I’m okay with being all alone in this world or anything like that.

Like living alone in a room or eating alone, those things… You might think I’m entirely immune to them, but I was just starting to think that it might be okay now.

The shock of crossing over to this side was just about realizing how quickly all my relationships had vanished.

However, it did feel quite empty suddenly having five people sitting together during meals and cooking together.

Here, we don’t exactly gather around to eat together, after all.

“With Jibo gone, we have to adapt to this life. But when we start going to the academy, it should get a little better, right?”

“Is that so?”

Alice turned over again and sprawled out on my bed.

…Alice seems to have gotten pretty bold. Well, she did have a bit of a bold side before, but did she catch something from Claire while we were in that other world?

I let out a small sigh as I watched her.

*

“Are you talking about the other world?”

“Yes.”

After things wrapped up somewhat, I conversed with Rena, whom I hadn’t seen in a while at the academy.

It seems we had been missing from this world for about an hour or so.

Considering that time changed a bit compared to when Charlotte and Mia came to see us, it doesn’t seem to be maintained at a constant rate. Though it’s not like we can go back to the past or anything.

And now, since Jibo had disappeared, we can’t even attempt to retry anything.

I know too well.

Using the Goddess’s power has its limits. Just because we had one Jibo doesn’t mean we could use that power indefinitely.

Thinking about how much time we had to communicate with everyone to come over here just emphasizes that fact.

“There are tons of comics and movies, and a lot of merchandise featuring the characters… I can’t really imagine it.”

Rena shares something in common with Mia.

It’s not exactly the same, but there’s a longing for things kids would like.

…I was quite surprised when I visited Rena’s room a while ago.

At that time, I could honestly say, “I just like that kind of thing.”

After all, there were already four people who knew way too much about me in this world. I figured there was no point in hiding it anymore.

“I’d like to go if I could.”

Rena said with a slightly excited expression.

Well, I mean, this world does hit that middle schooler’s fantasy hard. Once you actually go, it’s just another world where people live, but still.

“If we get the chance, it’d be nice to go together. The house we used is still there too.”

As I replied, I heard someone calling me from afar.

“Sister!”

Claire, wearing her school uniform, was back after a long time. Well, technically, I had been seeing her the whole time in the game.

“Oh, Rena is here too. What were you talking about?”

“We were talking about the things that happened after we visited.”

“Ah.”

Claire smiled and sat next to me.

“It was fun, really.”

Claire also had a bunch of pictures hanging around her room.

“Oh, I was talking with Sophia yesterday. When I mentioned Americano and Hawaiian pizza, she almost started foaming at the mouth.”

“…Did she compliment how delicious it was?”

“Uh-huh. It was delicious, you know? Though the Americano was a bit bitter.”

Did she actually go on and say the Americano was bitter?

I admired Claire’s audacity.

“I also told Leo about it. Showing him each photo while telling the story, he seemed to enjoy it.”

“I hope you didn’t talk about the game.”

“Am I crazy? There’s no way I was going to mention that you and Leo could actually date.”

“…The Crown Princess and Leo, dating?”

“…Just to clarify, that’s not a real-life story.”

I shot a sideways glance at Claire. She stuck her tongue out at me.

“Ugh. I already want to go back.”

“I’m looking for ways, but—”

“I feel the same… Where did Jibo go? We were clearly holding onto it at the end, right?”

When Claire and Alice came over, they had it in their hands too, so they should have had it when they returned.

But no matter how much we searched, we couldn’t find it.

“This is troublesome, really. The Goddess seems to have a quirky personality.”

Claire grumbled.

For a moment, we stayed silent.

As we quietly looked at the clouds drifting in the sky, Claire suddenly spoke up.

“Why don’t we just give it a try?”

“What do you mean?”

“Going to that world.”

“You mean without Jibo?”

“We’ve got nothing to lose by trying, right? Huh? Huh?”

“If it’s a try, couldn’t you do it alone?”

“But it’d just be boring to go over there alone. What if I couldn’t come back?”

I was at a loss for words.

“What do you think, Rena?”

“Huh?”

“You’ve been listening to the conversation until just now, right? Don’t you want to go and see it?”

“Ah, yes, I do want to go, but…”

“See? Sister.”

“……”

I looked at Claire suspiciously as she said that.

What’s up with this?

I had the feeling she was super confident about something.

“Alright, alright, both of you hold my hand.”

Claire said that while grabbing my hand, then she grabbed Rena’s too.

“Uh? Uh?”

Rena seemed a bit flustered as Claire took her hand.

“Okay, then, here we go!”

“Wait—”

Before I could even say anything, Claire had already declared—

*

Rena and I rolled on the ground.

But do we really have to roll on the floor every time we move like this? Should I lay down a mat every time we cross over to that world?

Rena instinctively got up and prepared herself.

She took a quick spin around to assess the surroundings, then she stared at us blankly.

I sat up and rubbed my head where I bumped it on the ground, looking up at Claire.

“……What just happened?”

“Hehe.”

Claire smiled and showed me a peace sign.

“Uh, excuse me, where are we?”

“Please tell us quickly. Right now, Rena seems to be breaking down.”

As Rena widened her eyes and looked around, Claire quickly grabbed my hand and Rena’s again.

Then we rolled on the ground once more.

*

“I practiced a bit, and it worked.”

“Practicing and it just working, do you really think that makes sense?”

Claire shrugged.

“Jibo’s gone. So, I think it’s right to view it as having ‘completed’ that Jibo in some form.”

I narrowed my eyes and stared at Claire.

“Are you saying that Jibo… got ‘completed’ by being connected to you, who strongly inherited the blood of royalty? Did you rob some of the Goddess’s power?”

“Very accurate.”

“……”

“We gathered the distortions of the world to activate that Jibo, didn’t we? So probably, during that process, the most power has gathered so far and merged into my body.”

I rubbed my face.

“By the way, I already broadcasted it. Next time I come back I said I’d bring my sister along.”

“……Shortbang?”

Rena repeated like a parrot.

“Oh, but a bit unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like time flows very slowly like when we were over there. Now, it seems to flow the same as this side, so when we go back, we might need to take a vacation.”

“……”

What should I even say?

…Ah, right, in the game, didn’t the Emperor pop up right after chasing out the Goddess?

It seems that remaining power has been absorbed into Claire’s body in a completely different way this time.

Alice would be delighted to hear this.

Sighing deeply as I looked at Rena, who still didn’t understand the situation and was alternating between looking at me and Claire, I let out a big exhale.

Chapter 448

“Maybe it was because we broadcasted at the last moment.”

Claire speculated.

“People might have thought it was CGI, but the fact remains that we haven’t broadcasted since then. And when I looked into it, that scene made it onto the news from our broadcasting station. If I hadn’t called the station, it might have escalated to a police investigation.”

Clears throat, Claire puffed out her chest, and Rena next to her asked.

“What does CGI mean?”

“Com, computer graphics,” Mia answered the question.

“It means overlaying detailed images on top of video to create things that don’t actually exist.”

“I see…”

Rena replied, a bit dazed.

“But then, since Rena fell over, did she also get an ID? Like ours just magically generated?”

“Here!”

Claire answered immediately, placing an ID card on the table.

“…It seems being a goddess comes with lots of challenges.”

Charlotte responded, looking incredulous.

“I really don’t know what to say.”

At Sophia’s words, Charlotte nodded seriously.

“Right. If one maintained their faith from birth to adulthood—”

“Why is there such blasphemous ‘fruit’ on top of the pizza?”

“…….”

Sophia’s serious anger left Charlotte speechless.

I’m not sure if she was scared or just didn’t know what to say.

“What is this fruit anyway? Why would you put something sweet on pizza?”

“I heard it’s Hawaiian pizza. Pineapple is originally a sour fruit, but when cooked, it becomes sweet.”

Claire replied casually, taking a slice and munching on it while talking.

“So the people of Hawaii are the problem.”

“Actually, it was made in Canada.”

“……Why does a dish made in Canada have a name from another country?”

If I started nitpicking, I’d have to explain the madness of the imperial era, but I kept my mouth shut.

“Oh, and this.”

Claire seemed to be getting even more malicious as she handed Sophia a can of coffee.

“What is this?”

“It’s Americano.”

“Americano?”

“Espresso with water added.”

“…….”

Sophia froze.

“Well, this one is pretty tasty! It’s similar to what I had back in Roti’s hometown!”

“Really? It brings back memories.”

“That’s because this was ordered from the real Indian uncle’s curry shop…”

I sighed, addressing Jake and Roti while raising my hand to my forehead.

Seriously, this is insane.

I thought something like this would happen right after Claire discovered her powers, but I never expected she’d bring friends over for the weekend.

Well, at least she didn’t bring the teacher and Sword Saint with her; that’s a relief.

By now, the goddess might be crying tears of blood. Perhaps she regrets ever sending me to this world.

But that’s not really my problem.

Someone carefully poked my back with a finger, and when I turned around, Roti and my classmate Lily were pointing at the TV.

“Can I ask how much those things cost?”

Is it boiling inside her as the daughter of a significant person?

“…First, we need to secure electricity, so buying just one of those won’t be very useful.”

“How can we generate that electricity!”

“Oh, you’re right. We might actually collaborate with bakers to actively introduce electricity.”

Another technological revolution might take place.

I left Lily, who was seriously discussing business with Alice, and thought about just eating pizza.

“Are you really planning to eat that blasphemous food!?”

Ah, come on.

*

After a chaotic moment passed,

I looked at the ten people gathered in the room.

It feels a bit like a family reunion during a holiday. Thankfully, I managed to rent a pretty expensive apartment.

“Is everyone a bit calm now?”

At my words, everyone nodded.

At least Roti and Jake were quietly enjoying themselves from the start, and Rena was too busy exploring the house to say anything.

“Claire.”

“Yeah?”

“Apologize to Sophia.”

“I’m sorry.”

No, apologizing with such a bright smile isn’t really an apology.

Honestly, I didn’t expect Claire to enjoy it that much.

…Could it be she deliberately did that knowing Sophia likes Leo?

Like a sister-in-law mode or something?

“…I’ll forgive you.”

Fortunately, Claire also ordered a traditional pizza separately. They even properly prepared espresso.

It’s not that she’s just tormenting, but she probably just wanted to see Charlotte’s reaction from last time again.

“…Charlotte.”

When Charlotte raised her hand quietly while watching Claire apologize to Sophia, I gave her the floor.

“I’d also like to be apologized for the atrocities against macarons, waffles, and croissants.”

I rubbed my face with my hands.

“…Are you serious?”

“I’m sorry. It was just too amusing to see Sylvia sitting on the sofa deep in thought.”

Charlotte stuck out her tongue slightly.

She seems to have become somewhat more optimistic.

I let out a small sigh and said,

“Anyway, everyone sitting here oddly doesn’t seem to want to go back today.”

No one immediately responded, but their eyes clearly showed a longing for adventure.

“I’ll arrange the rooms, but since the gender ratio doesn’t match, most of you will have to sleep on the floor.”

“That much I can handle.”

“I brought a sleeping bag.”

Leo and Jake responded in turns.

That… can’t we just skip this ‘courtesy’?

After all, there are nine girls in this house and only two guys… yeah, they’d want to sleep, huh.

Of course, I know neither of them would do anything inappropriate to us. Leo is extremely gentlemanly, and Jake, despite his looks, only has eyes for Roti.

Still, they shouldn’t be on a broadcast together. It’s a point of concern for various reasons.

…In the game, Leo was a harem master, after all.

However.

“I’d like for the two of you to use the broadcasting room. I believe there will be enough space for sleeping if we remove the chairs.”

“Sure, of course.”

“Even getting a room is a bonus.”

Leo and Jake nodded again.

I narrowed my eyes and looked at Jake while saying,

“If you cause any disturbances in this house with excessive public displays of affection, I will send you back to your original world immediately.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Roti’s face turned slightly red, but I pretended not to notice.

“The rest of you…”

After thinking for a moment, I continued.

“Change your clothes in the room, and the five of us who originally lived here will sleep in the living room.”

“The Crown Princesses?”

When Rena was surprised and asked again, I nodded.

“We haven’t been using the beds we made. Even if you go into the room to sleep, I don’t think it will be a major problem… Although we’ll need to clean a bit.”

It’s been a while since it was left untouched, and it’s a bit dusty.

“Would this be okay?”

As I spoke, everyone nodded again.

I know deep down they wouldn’t do anything if asked not to… so why do I feel like sighing just by looking at them?

“For now… let’s all go and take a look around nearby.”

At my words, everyone’s eyes sparkled.

All together, eleven people.

What is this, a group tour package?

Or is it really not different at all?

*

I was quite confident that I knew the ‘protagonist party’ pretty well.

I had seen them several times in the game and even talked to them in person.

But the more I see of real people, the deeper and deeper it gets.

Whether positively or negatively, many aspects I didn’t know were pouring out.

Sophia liked ice cream much more than I expected, and Rena loved character goods more than I thought.

Jake and Roti seemed to care little about their surroundings as long as they were together, while shy Lily turned out to have quite ambitions as a businesswoman.

“Having a tough time?”

And Leo turned out to be more mature than I thought.

“Whoa.”

But before I could respond, Claire quickly interjected between me and Leo.

“You’re my younger brother, and my sister is my sister. So you both are just siblings. I absolutely oppose you two dating.”

“…….”

Though it seems she didn’t react that strongly when she had no idea before.

It looks like the game we played instilled a new sense of caution in Claire.

Seoul, a street near our apartment.

As I looked around at the crowd of foreigners congested together, I felt a bit dismal.

…Well.

Still, there’s a slight chance, maybe… it’s a bit fun?

Chapter 449

I remember when I went to the university MT.

We rented a spacious room, gathering as students to drink and have fun, then just naturally collapsed wherever we fell asleep.

Of course, we didn’t really have alcohol, and it wasn’t quite a party atmosphere either.

Last night, while wandering around the neighborhood, I felt like I was on a tour guided by someone.

I mean, it wasn’t just me; Claire, Alice, Charlotte, and Mia were also there, but every time we saw something, it reminded me of how Alice and Claire answered questions, and how Charlotte and Mia reacted.

“…someday, let’s go to a better place. It seems we came here a bit too suddenly today.”

I said that while having a meal back home.

It’s pretty obvious, but eleven people can’t just walk into any restaurant without prior reservation.

It was tough to find a place that would accommodate us without proper bookings.

But splitting into smaller groups made me a bit uneasy.

I mean, I think there wouldn’t be any big issues if Claire or Alice, or even Charlotte and Mia mixed together…

But still, those four aren’t kids like me who have lived in this world for decades, right?

“Sis, you worry too much.”

“Still, I feel uneasy if we don’t follow the rules.”

I replied to Claire, and she didn’t really say anything else other than shrugging her shoulders.

But I’m glad she understood my point.

I looked back to the living room again.

The table was too small to accommodate eleven people, so we were eating food spread out on a camping mat we had brought along.

The dishes were diverse. Everyone had different tastes, and above all, the types of food people wanted to eat from their countries were all different, so it felt like it took forever to order.

No, wait, isn’t it a miracle we only took an hour to order different menus for this many people?

This morning and afternoon, after a long tour around our neighborhood, I didn’t have much appetite, and I kept picking at the pickles in front of my Jajangmyeon.

“…Claire, didn’t you say you went live when you arrived?”

“Yeah!”

“And you must’ve talked about Jake too.”

“She said she missed you a lot.”

Claire laughed.

I placed my hand on my forehead.

That’s right.

In that last broadcast, I had spoken as if I would never be able to broadcast again.

Would those playful viewers really let me off the hook?

*

[We were originally going to return to the other world.]

Ding ding ding.

See? I knew they would send donations like that.

[Hahahahaha]

[Oh man, the concept was heavy]

[Oi oi, did you really just come back?]

[The broadcaster who just couldn’t hold it back, hahahaha]

I rolled my eyes in disbelief and said, “You might not believe it, but we really came back from the broadcasting station.”

[Zunty rue dear Sie if then you~]

[Ahahaha, what do you think you are, a teleporter?]

No, I didn’t think I’d be a teleporter either.

[Can you really call that the Goddess’s power? Sylvia, you really seem like you didn’t play the game properly?]

That chat made me seriously consider whether I should just permanently ban them out of frustration.

No, it’s not about the settings; it actually happened. Why are they acting like this when I said so?

…Is this some kind of mirror therapy?

“Okay, okay, everyone calm down.”

Claire made a gesture like ‘whoa, whoa’ with her hands.

“No matter what, isn’t it a relief that we have come back? Did you all wish for my absence?”

[That’s not true]

[It’s nice to see you again]

[Now we can have a sequel]

Ah, that’s true.

We can have a sequel.

…Not just that; I might even get to see the series come to a conclusion. How exciting.

“Oh, right. While we’re at it.”

Claire, who had been setting up the broadcast before I entered, pulled up a video on the screen.

“There’s going to be a sequel trailer, right?”

“I heard it’s about time for it to come out. We took so long playing this game, to be honest, we could’ve cleared it a while ago if we had played for a few hours every day.”

That much is true.

“Oh, wait a minute.”

Claire said that and left the broadcast room.

As I calmly watched the question marks popping up in the chat, the broadcast room door opened soon after.

And—

“Sylvia?”

The one who came in saying that was Rena.

Ah, by the way, the rest of the people were currently cleaning. Since they had spent the weekend here according to their time standards, they needed to head back by midnight.

[?]

[What’s this?]

[Hahaha, how long has it been since the sequel was released, and a new character is added?]

Looking at the chat reactions, I thought I understood why Claire brought Rena along.

Claire sat Rena next to me and took her own seat beside Rena.

“Well, you probably know without me having to introduce her. This is Rena Meyer. Just like us, she’s Korean and speaks Korean well.”

“…Um, who are you talking to?”

Rena said, looking a bit surprised at the images of us on the screen.

Well, from her perspective, it probably looked like a mirror conversation.

“Can you see this?”

“Yes… the characters are coming up.”

Rena knows enough to recognize this is Hangul. She has seen enough of it outside yesterday and today.

“Right now, the people watching us are typing in real-time.”

“Huh?”

“This is what they call a broadcast. There are over a thousand people watching right now.”

“Wha—!?”

Rena jumped in surprise and immediately touched her hair.

Yeah, she was as much into her concept as I was.

After touching her hair, Rena straightened her back and tried to look dignified.

[Sylvia Mark II, haha]

[This one looks bad too, haha]

“…What are those people saying right now?”

“They’re saying you look cool.”

I told a little white lie.

“Is that so?”

Seeing Rena grow a bit confident made me feel good.

But looking at Claire’s evil grin next to her, I doubt it will last long.

“Well then, let’s start watching the sequel trailer!”

Claire said, pressing the play button on the streaming site.

And—

“Ah?”

That sound slipped out of Rena’s mouth.

“……”

What showed up in the trailer was Rena herself.

It seems I guessed correctly that the sequel would take place in the Riclant Autonomous State.

Rena… would probably be a playable character. The video was so short that she couldn’t grasp the entire plot, but it seemed to show Rena as the protagonist with other characters appearing, and a few characters from the Empire of Aetherna as well.

“What is this?”

“It’s a game.”

[Ahh… that’s a game]

[There are characters that look just like you in it]

Of course, people think this is all a concept.

No, wait, do they somewhat believe it now?

“This… I will make sure to buy it and play on release day.”

When I said that, the chat went wild with excitement.

“Of course, right?”

“Of course! Let’s bring Rena with us!”

“I think it’d be fun to let Rena play the game too.”

“Wait, me?”

“You’re the protagonist, after all.”

Rena froze at my words.

She is charming in her cute way.

I chuckled softly.

*

The broadcast continued after that.

Not just Rena, but I ended up calling in each person who had finished cleaning, filling up the broadcast room.

Of course, I didn’t call Leo and Jake.

Maybe I’ll invite the teachers later.

Not that they have that much relevance, but there are quite a few people who like them. For example, Carolyn. Her figure is quite unreal in many ways, yeah.

“In that sense!”

Then, when the broadcast was about to end, as we were getting ready to really wrap things up, Claire abruptly raised her voice for a major announcement.

[Oh]

[What’s this?]

[Are you preparing something?]

“Hey, do you guys have any plans for Christmas?”

With Claire’s words, the chat filled with anger.

A ton of angry emoji flooded in, and it seemed like Claire was intentionally provoking them.

“So, we will hold a Christmas broadcast!”

With Claire’s words, the speed of chat messages skyrocketed.

“……”

Well, to be honest, that was something we had been planning from the beginning. We just hadn’t thought about executing it since we unexpectedly came back early.

Christmas was just around the corner.

Ah, of course, that’s just around the corner according to this world’s standards, and in Azernar, it’s still a bit early for the year-end celebrations.

“And we’ll also have a New Year’s Eve broadcast!”

[!!]

[Thank you, thank you]

[A broadcast with the heroine from the game is happening?]

Indeed.

I never expected a broadcast like this would come to exist.

If it were to exist, I would rather be the one watching it instead of being in it.

I guess even the Goddess can hear me from here.

Chapter 450

Claire might look like a reckless impulse shopper at first glance, but in reality, she’s quite cunning.

This was true even during her villain days in the original story. While blocking the protagonist’s party, she pretended to let them off easy, but really was picking apart their choices ahead of time, following the Emperor’s orders to the letter. In the end, she threw a wrench into the Emperor’s plans, leaving everything up in the air—that was all thanks to Claire.

And it was the same for the bright Claire I knew.

“Santa outfit…”

I wiped my face.

That’s right. Claire had the foresight to buy a Santa outfit in advance.

Wait, upon reflection, maybe she didn’t buy it ‘in advance’ after all. I don’t recall her picking it up while shopping for Christmas and Halloween decorations; it seemed like she got it after realizing we could return to this world.

However, you can’t underestimate the distribution network of Earth, and especially Korea.

If you buy it at a decent time, it arrives the next day—so Claire probably bought the Santa outfit the moment she thought of “Christmas special broadcast.”

She is quite the planner, perhaps having done her homework on the measurements of the main characters long before we even got here.

“What’s a Santa?”

Rena looked skeptically at the cylindrical dress made of red fabric and white fur.

“A Santa is an old man who comes to give presents to good kids all year round!”

“It doesn’t look like something an old man would wear…”

“Because it’s a woman’s outfit!”

Seeing Claire firmly state that right after explaining it was an old man’s outfit made me feel a bit of cognitive dissonance.

If you think about it logically, there’s no real need to make a Santa outfit into a dress form.

In my opinion, that color combination suits women quite well, which is probably why such costumes exist.

You see bikinis made with Union Jack or Stars and Stripes designs, and they don’t necessarily have to be from that country to wear them. Well, of course, that steers too much into a sexual image, so they probably only get worn in 2D contexts.

“We all saved the world together, so we deserve presents from Santa!”

“Except Santa doesn’t even exist.”

“Doesn’t exist, you say?”

“Alice!”

Claire leapt behind Rena and covered her ears with both hands. Rena’s head swayed with Claire’s movements.

“Here’s someone who’s hearing about Santa for the first time today—what are you doing?!”

She’s barely a year younger than us, right?

Well, besides, Rena seemed indifferent to whether Santa existed or not. She was from another world, after all.

Maybe Claire didn’t genuinely mean to do it, as she quickly let go of Rena’s ears.

“Well, Santa is more of an abstract concept than a real ol’ man, right? It’s a story parents tell to get their kids to behave, while giving gifts on Christmas.”

“Ah, so you mean we should become Santa ourselves.”

“Of course! I prepared gifts for Leo and Jake too.”

“Ours has a beard.”

“Well, Santa is an ‘old man,’ right?”

Despite that, the women’s outfits were all short dresses.

“Wait, am I wearing this too?”

“Of course you are, Roti! Jake’s been looking forward to it!”

“He is?”

“…”

As Roti shot daggers at Jake, he managed to grin awkwardly.

“Okay, okay, everyone else! Quick!”

At Claire’s urging, we split male and female and headed to our respective rooms.

*

“Uh, this skirt seems a bit short?”

“Mia, it’s not too different in length from the magical girl outfits you usually wear.”

“R-really? But those have wider skirts and more lace…”

Sure, Mia’s outfit looked like something that would please the police but ironically, it was legal in this country.

The reason was simple—Mia was considered an adult here.

Well, thinking again, it’s not like she was naked, so there was no legal issue. In terms of coverage, it was much more decent than a bikini.

“Ah, I get it now.”

Charlotte murmured that while closing her eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“I can definitely see how wearing this for a broadcast would draw in way more viewers.”

“…”

I was momentarily speechless seeing Charlotte’s wide-eyed realization.

“Why the long face? We’ve broadcast in outfits even more scandalous than this!”

“This is more scandalous?”

Sofia gasped at that.

The Santa costume design was the same for everyone, bar the measurements. Shoulders revealed, the neckline barely covering anything, and the skirt felt almost as short as a school uniform skirt.

It definitely screamed “what the girls would wear at Christmas.”

“Of course! Remember the workout outfits we wore…?”

Sofia gulped.

…Should I show it to them later, since it’s on video?

That video did quite well in views—almost as good as [Eek! Dispense] and [Eek! Remix]. Though it got a yellow tag slapped on it too.

Just thinking about that embarrassing video made me want to shift my gaze.

“Excellent! You make for a perfect Santa, Roti.”

“B-but if we do this in front of others…”

Roti’s hands were trying to ‘support’ but not really ‘push away’ the act, and it felt a bit strange.

I’d prefer they keep affection displays for private instead of in public. Poor Leo standing next to them.

“Leo, over here.”

I grabbed Leo by the arm and pulled him over.

“W-why?”

Then I shoved Leo next to Sofia.

“Gah!?”

Without waiting for Sofia’s next reaction, I walked over to Lily Baker, who was a bit distanced from our group.

“I didn’t expect you to be this shy.”

After I spoke, Lily looked slightly taken aback then smiled a bit.

“Ah, yes. I grew up in commoner areas, you know? Though it was relatively well-off, I still saw a fair bit of street performers.”

Ah, I see.

In taverns, there were plenty of waitresses with short dresses.

Plus, in a world set in the early 20th century, there were still bikinis and bunny girls! Maybe it wasn’t just skirt lengths she was exposed to after all.

“Plus, seeing the Crown Princess and the nobles wearing outfits like this gives me a bit of courage.”

“Oh, is that so?”

In that case, I had nothing more to say. If it makes her happy.

“Okay, okay!”

Claire clapped her hands.

“Now that all the Santas are gathered, let’s exchange the gifts we prepared!”

Following Claire, everyone clapped along.

Ah, this is nice.

You can definitely feel the Christmas vibe.

It’s been ages since I felt that.

Dropping in and out of homes and school without a girlfriend was bound to lead to that.

Exchanging Christmas gifts wasn’t about anything extravagant. With too many people, we agreed to prepare only one gift each.

It would work like a lottery. If your number was picked, you’d put it back and draw again—simple enough.

And what I ended up with was—

“Oh, that’s mine!”

Alice said with a smile.

“Oh really?”

I had number three.

As I unraveled the modest wrapping that looked like it had been done by hand, a small keychain emerged.

“I bought this last time we were here. I originally intended to take it as a souvenir, but since we returned, it feels like giving it to someone else will turn it into a memory.”

It wasn’t anything fancy—it was a small keychain shaped like a puppy.

But it was cute.

“Thank you! I’ll cherish it.”

“Don’t mention it. I just picked it up on the street.”

Alice still looked delighted.

“Ah, it’s my sister’s gift!”

Claire, in charge of ceremonies, held up the gift labeled with my number one.

“What’s inside… oh?”

Claire’s eyes sparkled when she saw what I had put inside.

“A necklace!”

“It’s not anything expensive.”

I pondered a lot over what could be liked by both genders and ended up choosing a necklace.

To be honest, after all that deliberation, it wasn’t even that pricey.

“No way, thank you, Sis!”

Claire immediately wore the necklace around her neck.

The crescent-shaped ornament sparkled as it dangled.

“How does it look?”

“It suits you well.”

I smiled and commented, watching Claire proudly puff out her chest.

Chapter 451

[Thank you, thank you!]

[Wow!]

[I’m happy, but this seems a bit much…]

The firepower in the chat was immense.

Well, if I were surrounded by girls who looked just like the heroines from the game, I wouldn’t be able to resist joining in either.

And it’s not even a major game; it’s just some indie game developed by a small company that only a few people know about, so it’s even more tempting.

I wonder if Millennium is watching us?

It would be nice if they were.

I wonder if we could do a collaboration someday.

“But we said it’s a Christmas broadcast, what should we do?”

I asked Claire.

By the way, we’re not in a broadcasting room but in a living room.

We set the camera up temporarily and connected the computer to the TV instead of a monitor. We were using a huge TV as if it were multiple monitors with a capture board.

Even if two guys were missing, there were still nine girls. The broadcasting room wasn’t too cramped, but it wasn’t big enough to accommodate nine people either.

Since we hadn’t done soundproofing here, we promised not to be too loud for now.

Claire held up the console game software that was connected to the TV.

“An intuitive game would be nice, right?”

It was a cart racing game that allowed four players to play at once.

“But before that…”

Claire set the software package aside and said, “Since it’s Christmas, how about we all watch a movie together?”

“I’m not saying we should play the movie on the TV. We’ll watch it, and other people can play it simultaneously from their own TVs or computers.”

Oh, I see.

I guess that sort of content exists—like watching anime together.

“Oh, but of course, you have to pay to watch this. So… um, anyone who really doesn’t want to see it can just chat while watching our stream?!”

Isn’t that a bit irresponsible?

Well, we aren’t exactly people who need money.

It’s not like we live here. We usually stay in Azernar and only come here for some relaxation during holidays, spending the money in our accounts, and then going back.

[Oh, I know this movie!]

[I’m logging in now!]

[It’s been a while; it’s nostalgic.]

[I unsubscribed yesterday, though.]

Various opinions came up in the chat. Most were saying it was a movie they enjoyed from childhood and that it seemed fun, but a few people were grumbling about not subscribing.

Well, if we don’t do something like that, we won’t have much to talk about. Claire, Alice, Charlotte, Mia, and I had plenty to discuss since we’d been together for a long time, but these kids had nothing but tales from Azernar.

“Ah, the boys decided to watch separately in another room, so you don’t have to worry.”

Claire whispered in my ear.

…Well, the two of them are pretty close, but is that alright?

There’s nothing more dreary than two guys watching a movie on Christmas. But then again, for these guys, Christmas isn’t exactly a significant day.

“By the way, what movie are we watching?”

Rena’s eyes sparkled, as she was usually very interested in animated movies.

Having already experienced the concept of animation and movies from this world through the TV, she seemed excited about the movie we were about to watch.

“This one!”

Claire selected a movie from the streaming site and said.

It was quite an old Christmas movie that they used to air every Christmas during my childhood; a movie about a child thwarting thieves trying to invade where he lives.

“I enjoyed it when I was little.”

“Then I picked well.”

Claire replied with a smile.

“Alright, everyone watching, get ready! We’ll start in five minutes!”

Claire shouted at the screen with a grin.

*

“…Seriously, if you keep running around with your feet getting stuck like that, you might lose a leg.”

“That’s brutal…”

Hmm.

Hearing Sofia and Roti’s comments while watching the movie felt a bit strange.

Is it brutal? Well, it kind of is. But this is a movie made for kids, and that brutality is exaggerated like in children’s cartoons.

The problem is that all the kids sitting here have experienced ‘real combat.’

Ordinary people might laugh at seeing a comedic scene where someone steps on a nail, but coming from a background where they’ve fought with swords and guns makes that scene look different.

Wait, did I think it was brutal when I was a kid?

“How did someone become a skeleton and come back?”

Electricity turned them into a skeleton and then they returned to their original state… If you just look at it, you could probably express it that way, but that’s actually an attempt to depict the commonly seen cartoonish scene of “the bones becoming visible in a shocked state” in a somewhat realistic way.

But it seemed that, in Lily’s eyes, it looked like someone suddenly turned into a skeleton and then came back.

Now that I think about it, electricity must be strange to her. Besides, it’s not like you would have bones visible if you were electrocuted.

If you don’t understand cartoonish expressions, it’s natural to react that way.

If anyone enjoyed the movie the most, it was Rena.

She enjoys watching cartoons quite a bit. I only realized this recently.

So, she could naturally understand the cartoonish exaggeration often used in movies from the early 20th century.

But the issue is…

Seeing her bursting with laughter while trying hard to keep her mouth shut among all the kids watching solemnly felt a bit—um, how should I put this?

Honestly, it looked a little creepy.

[The normal among the abnormal is abnormal.]

[Among the newcomers, only one of them is normal.]

[The kid’s concept is heavy too, lol.]

That was the sort of chat that popped up faintly in the corner of the screen.

Well, even if there’s a normal person, standing among the abnormal makes it look abnormal.

Usually, Rena is full of concepts, but for just this moment, she was the opposite.

*

The four people with me had to learn letters to live in this world, but the others didn’t.

Sure, they had ID cards, but they weren’t planning to be serious since they would just be hanging out here before going back.

So, the game Claire chose was a racing game.

As long as you know how to press a button, you can somehow play it, and the items are pretty intuitive.

After finishing the broadcast, we were all engrossed in the game.

I actually had a negative perception of online games. When RPGs go online, there are too many tasks, and when FPSs go online, you’re forced to cooperate.

But playing a game together like this made me understand why people play online games.

Playing with people you know is just so much fun.

“I won…!”

“Ah!”

Just for reference, what we were doing now was the real finals, including the two guys after the broadcast.

The ones who made it to the finals were Claire and Leo.

In a sibling rivalry, the one who won at the end was Leo.

“Is it really that hard to give the finals to your sister?!”

“Who’s calling you sister?”

Claire huffed, and Leo looked utterly dumbfounded.

We laughed watching the two bicker.

The floor was littered with snacks, and there were remnants of the takeout food as well.

Time had already passed midnight. We had lost track of time while playing games.

Now that we had the finals, it was about time to clean up and get ready.

“Tomorrow is a holiday in Azernar, right? Should we just all sleep here and go back tomorrow afternoon?”

Claire made that suggestion while cleaning.

“Then can we watch one more movie?” Rena asked.

“Since tomorrow is a day off, if you can manage it without staying up all night, I will allow it. For those sleeping in the living room, is that okay?”

“Why don’t we all just gather in the living room?” Jake suggested.

“You trust me and Leo not to do anything weird, right? We’d just need to change into our pajamas, right?”

“…”

“What’s the big deal?”

The first person to speak up was Claire.

“As long as you all don’t do anything too weird, isn’t it fine to be in pajamas? Especially you two… you know?”

We all looked at Roti.

“…I will manage it well.”

Then our gaze turned toward Sofia.

“Uh? Me?”

Sofia looked very flustered.

Well, neither of them are dating, and Leo is pretty much oblivious, so they have a long way to go to get closer…

But it would be nice to have at least one person marked.

“I’ll help too.”

Claire sighed deeply and said.

“Well then, let’s watch a movie before we sleep.”

I said that and asked Rena, “What kind of movie would you like to watch?”

“Do you have any recommendations?”

“Me!”

Mia raised her hand excitedly.

“Is it okay if we watch a cartoon?”

“I don’t think that would be a problem.”

Charlotte said with a smile.

Certainly, Rena’s expression brightened up significantly.

I even briefly thought about getting her a figurine or something as a gift.

Chapter 452

Lately, there are times when I just can’t fall asleep.

In the past, that would have been impossible. Sure, I could control fatigue with meditation, but to have so much energy left over that sleep eludes me? That’s just laughable.

I’ve been struggling to survive, thinking about how to protect the people I love, practicing something, and trying to turn back time.

Turning back time wipes out physical fatigue, but if I don’t sleep, mental exhaustion keeps piling up.

It’s not great to be physically relaxed but constantly stressed from working without rest.

So, I decided to sleep. I’d be grateful for any time I could sleep and would do my best to stay awake when I needed to.

But now, there was no need for that.

Having so much energy that sleep escapes me? That’s just hilarious.

As I sat by the window, looking down at the scenery, I heard someone fidgeting behind me.

“Are you not sleeping, big sister?”

It was Claire.

When I turned to look, I saw Claire lying and looking at me.

“I can’t fall asleep.”

I replied to her like that.

“Why? Don’t you want to go back tomorrow?”

“That’s not it.”

I answered Claire, who was teasing me, with a smile.

“I just have a little energy left. It seems like my stamina has increased a bit.”

“Really?”

Rustle rustle, Claire got up from her spot.

Since Claire’s place was right by the window, she could sit next to me without moving much.

“I’m glad to see you like this again.”

Even at midnight, the city was bright. Sure, if I went down, there would be more closed shops, but it’s something to see people still wandering about.

“I think so too.”

“……”

We sat quietly.

“Don’t you want to go see your family again?”

Claire whispered softly.

I paused to think for a moment.

“Maybe one day I’ll feel that way. But not right now.”

“If you want to, just say so. I’ll help you anytime.”

“Thank you, that’s kind of you.”

I replied like that.

“Hmm….”

It seemed Alice woke up from the sound of our conversation.

Alice was sitting next to me. So, technically speaking, the order of our lying down was Claire, me, and then Alice.

I was just sitting by the window, having climbed over Claire.

“What’s up…. You two aren’t sleeping?”

“Well, tomorrow’s a day off anyway.”

“The date has passed.”

“Right? But today is still a day off.”

I shrugged at Claire’s remark.

Alice crawled over while yawning, covering her mouth with a blanket over her shoulders.

“What were you talking about?”

With her voice, it sounded like she was still half-asleep. No, it was actually a time when she didn’t even need to wake up.

We had all watched a movie late into the night, so it made sense that she couldn’t even open her eyes properly. In fact, more than half of us had fallen asleep during the film.

“We didn’t talk about much. Just… a little about this world.”

“Really?”

Alice didn’t seem to be trying to share anything specific; she just came over after seeing the two of us awake.

“It was really fun.”

Alice said.

“It was really enjoyable. I’d want to play like this again next time.”

“I’ll help you.”

Claire confidently pounded her chest and announced.

“But after graduating from the academy, things will be tough in many ways. Getting everyone together will be difficult. Besides, time flows the same now.”

“That doesn’t mean we can abandon the people waiting for our show, right? We have sequels to do too.”

That’s true.

Since it had come to this, I wanted to play through the entire series properly to the end.

“Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to gather you all.”

At that, Alice laughed bitterly.

“The moment you try to kidnap two princesses, you’ll become a major criminal.”

“Who’s gonna know? I already ran away to another world; there’s probably no evidence.”

Hearing that, I chuckled snicker.

“I’ll be counting on you when that time comes.”

“Can you really say that?”

Alice shot me a sideways glance.

“If my workload becomes too much, I’ll make a clean getaway.”

“Well then, I’ll just pile on more work and wait.”

That’s a bit scary.

The three of us laughed quietly.

Ugh.

Charlotte, who had been sleeping next to Alice, let out a sound and woke up.

She rubbed her eyes and looked at us when she saw the slight reflection in the window.

“What’s everyone doing? Aren’t you sleeping?”

Well, there goes the neighborhood.

Charlotte sat next to us as well.

“What were you talking about so intently?”

I heard the same question again. I guess it can’t be helped.

“We didn’t talk about much. Just some stories about this world.”

Alice repeated my answer word-for-word.

“Right.”

Charlotte smiled softly.

“It sounds like a dream. I thought I had given up on coming back, but hearing I don’t have to give up again… feels a bit strange.”

“Don’t worry. Even after you become the queen, I can easily kidnap you.”

“Are you trying to start an international incident?”

Thinking about it, Claire had a point.

In the world where Claire is a princess, her role was what it was after all. Of course, she wouldn’t appreciate hearing that.

“…… Yeah.”

“Looks like Mia is up now too.”

Finally, all the original five members were awake.

“What were you talking about…?”

“It’s nothing special, just talking about this world.”

How many times am I going to hear the same thing?

In the living room, there were other kids sleeping besides us. If they get woken up, it’d feel like it was such a waste. If that’s the case, we should have just stayed up all night from the beginning.

“……”

The five of us sat together in silence, looking out.

I could see cars sparkling with lights passing by. If you looked closely at the sidewalk, you might see some people wandering too.

“When I first came here, it was overwhelming.”

I spoke, somewhat unexpectedly.

“I’ve survived because of you all. Honestly, if it were just me, I would have lived like this alone and died old.”

I probably wouldn’t have been able to afford this apartment either. I wouldn’t even think about buying a lottery ticket. I wouldn’t have thought to stream online.

It was thanks to these five that I could endure.

I think about it many times, but no matter how many times I think about it, I’m grateful.

“Eh, you don’t need to be that grateful.”

Claire waved her hand without a flinch.

“…… If your sister says that, can’t you at least take it a little sentimentally?”

“Originally, that’s what sisters are for.”

Saying that, Claire stuck out her tongue at Alice.

“Hasn’t it been less than a year since you two reunited?”

“Time doesn’t matter. The bond between us is strong enough it won’t be weakened by such things.”

Claire insisted against Charlotte’s words.

Well, I do agree to some extent. Claire recognized me immediately when she saw me.

“I also… If you all weren’t here… I wouldn’t be able to live this positively…”

There are a lot of ellipses, but it wasn’t because I was shy. Mia looked incredibly tired. After all, she had stayed awake through the entire movie.

Maybe that’s why she could speak so honestly?

“…… Why are you staring at me like that?”

Charlotte felt the gazes on her and asked.

Charlotte, who was sitting hugging her knees, eventually sighed deeply at our unwavering stares.

“Y-Yeah, I also enjoyed a happy school life thanks to you all. I’m sure my time at the academy will be enjoyable and happy as well. Is that enough?”

It was dark, so I couldn’t see well, but her face probably turned a little red.

The five of us turned our eyes back to the front with satisfaction.

The weather was a bit cold. Though the heating was on, sitting by the window, I could still feel a chill.

Yet, at the same time, I felt warmth.

I paused for a moment, and then—

“If, at this moment, this is the conclusion to a long story…”

—I unexpectedly brought that up.

“Can we call this moment a happy ending?”

The four of them looked at me simultaneously.

There were no words from anyone.

As my face started to heat up slowly, Claire was the first to speak up.

“Of course.”

“I think so too. It couldn’t be a better way to end a story.”

Alice chimed in.

“After long trials, is it a story of finally living happily with friends? It’s a happy ending, of course.”

Charlotte said with a smile.

“…… Finally, everyone lives happily ever after.”

Mia finished with a sleepy voice.

“……”

A smile I couldn’t suppress appeared on my lips.

Yep, it was a long story.

Though our story would continue in some form or another, for now, one grand chapter of that great tale had come to a close.

And, I would say, even I could call that end a happy ending.

Chapter 453

Sure.

It’s okay that I came back to this world.

I did want to come back once, and truthfully, I was a little curious about how the story in the game’s sequel would unfold.

I was definitely planning to go back to Azernar, so I thought that it wouldn’t be bad to drop by like this once—at least that’s what I was thinking.

And I didn’t mind that my sisters came over too.

Claire was the type who would cross worlds to look for me.

Honestly, it was a bit touching that I could think of her like that.

And I could understand Alice following Claire as well. Alice truly cared for me, so it wouldn’t be strange at all if she tagged along to reach me, even if it was a bit forced.

Both of them were precious sisters to me.

But…

But here’s the thing.

“…How on earth did that person get here?”

“It’s a bit disappointing to hear that from someone who’s related to your father.”

No, that’s not a disappointing voice at all!

“Even if you lose a war, isn’t it wise to capture the next opportunity, my daughter?”

“Oh, so you really ran away to this world, is that it?”

I pressed my throbbing forehead.

In my hands were still the fresh vegetables I had just bought and the marinated pork stir-fry ingredients I had in a plastic bag on sale.

After all, I had to live in this world, so I bought ingredients for about a day or two’s worth of food.

Although it looked like they would be gone in no time tonight.

“…Sorry, sis. I didn’t think that person would suddenly jump in.”

“No, it’s my fault. I should’ve been more aware and jumped in first.”

Claire and Alice each apologized in turn.

I carefully set the plastic bag down on the floor and sat down.

With my index finger pressing against my forehead, I said, “…Understood. But could you at least take off your shoes inside?”

Everyone was still wearing dust-covered shoes as if they had just come from a battlefield.

As a Korean, I just can’t allow that, you know.

*

The three of us were sitting around the jibo.

By the way, there were four people in the room, but I expressed it as three because there were three people surrounding it.

The remaining one could very well be deemed… my father…

In reality, I’ve never thought of him as a father. The Emperor may have thought of me as his daughter, but that was only because he was under the impression that his blood flowed through me.

But still, the other two were definitely his daughters.

“So, does that mean that using the jibo allows us to return to that world?”

Claire nodded at my question.

“But the light has decreased now…”

“Probably because it was used already once.”

Our heads turned sharply in the direction the voice came from.

“The power of the jibo is not infinite. It was created by the First Emperor to counter the Goddess’s powers, so naturally, conditions must be met for its power to activate.”

“…Would you care to tell us about those conditions?”

“Well, the more the Goddess uses her power, the stronger the jibo will become. The Goddess of Order will do anything to maintain her order; wouldn’t it be fun to see how the order of this world collapses?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Just like I did.”

Are they suggesting we cause a terror attack?

“Sorry, but this world has its own level of chaos, and even for minor reasons, violence can lead to conclusions like ‘that’s plausible.’”

“What if we step in ourselves?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“This isn’t the world we lived in. I don’t know how you manage to act like you’ve adapted after coming to this world, but if outsiders like us act too conspicuously, the Goddess will rush to settle things. She might reveal that we came from another world.”

Hmm.

Honestly, that was quite a valid point.

Because they resembled characters straight out of a game too much.

Not just in appearance, but their voices were identical too. The only difference was the language they used.

“Sorry, but I have no intention of using such violent methods.”

I stated firmly.

I’m from this world.

Surely, my parents and siblings are still living back in my hometown. I wouldn’t even want to consider dragging such a world into chaos. What do they think of someone else’s hometown?

Although I haven’t informed them that it’s my hometown yet.

“Do you want to come all the way here and do that?”

Alice shot a glare at me, but the Emperor merely shrugged.

“I just mentioned that it was a possibility.”

How annoying!

“Anyway, so there is a way to go back, right?”

Alice turned her head again, speaking. Claire nodded her head.

Okay, knowing that there’s a way back lessened the burden a bit.

I sighed in relief.

*

Even after living a few years in another world, my taste still matched that of Korea.

Well, it was the world I lived in for over 30 years.

It’s not that I didn’t want to eat Korean food in Azernar; it was simply because I had no way to do that.

At the supermarket, I seriously pondered whether to buy ramen or try cooking after a long time, but I decided to cook first and brought home the pork stir-fry ingredients.

Somehow, what I’d prepared for two days alone turned into an amount to share among four people.

“This is what they call chopsticks? I heard they use this in the East, but it’s my first time holding them.”

Why is that old man so happy about this?

Just act cold like usual! The two daughters sitting next to him are feeling super awkward!

To make matters worse, the only table we could spread out was just large enough for four people—it made things even more uncomfortable. At least Claire and Alice were sitting across from each other, but I was facing the Emperor.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just use a spoon and not spill the meat?”

I said as I set the hardened pork onto his plate.

“Hmm? But shouldn’t I be trying to adapt now that I’m here?”

“……”

I was at a loss for words.

“This is a bit spicy! But still delicious!”

To dispel the awkwardness, Claire said that as she earnestly munched on the meat.

“Right? It’s a flavor we could hardly find back in our place. The spiciness here is different from curry.”

Hearing both of their voices lifted my mood a bit.

…

But what should I do now?

Should I look for a job right away tomorrow?

If it were just me, I could have taken two weeks off without a problem. I might even be fine for a month if I’m lucky? After that, I’d feel a bit uneasy.

But now, there are four of us living in this small house.

The Emperor is some old dude, so even if he eats a bit less, it shouldn’t be a huge issue. People’s metabolism tends to slow down as they age, so a little food could last longer.

But the other two people in this house are fifteen years old.

That’s the age when they eat a lot.

“Is this house the only room? If we’re all going to live here, it could get a bit inconvenient.”

Hearing such remarks made me a bit irritated since I had found this place myself.

“Your Majesty, you know?”

I couldn’t hold back and opened my mouth.

“Your Majesty has made a hole in my body not too long ago. It may feel like a day has passed for me, but for you, it was mere moments ago. How can you speak like that while being in the house of someone you hurt?”

‘Your Majesty’s’ lips closed immediately.

Does he have any sense of shame?

“This house is currently in my name. I hope you keep in mind that I can throw you out whenever I please.”

“Oh? So you mean you have the means for forcible eviction?”

…Why is he seeing a possibility for administrative power within a threat?

I tried holding back a sigh and ignored that comment.

“But I’ll assure you that the two of you will never be thrown out, so don’t worry.”

“Thanks, sis.”

“I’m glad you’re here.”

The two answered in turn like that.

“Is this how it feels to be ignored by your daughter as a father?”

“……”

He probably said that jokingly, but why does it make me so angry?

It must be because he got stabbed just recently and is feeling sensitive.

I understand a bit since we fought over everything. Not to the full extent though.

But still—

…If I threw these chopsticks, would they stick? They are steel chopsticks, after all.

If I could turn back time, I would certainly have thrown them at least once.

Chapter 454

I mean,

Honestly, I didn’t think the Emperor would be much help in my life.

And, well… it’s a bit awkward to say, but isn’t he kinda old?

Most of the older folks I’ve seen in this world tend to wave their hands and refuse when you try to teach them how to use smartphones or PCs, saying things like, “I can’t do this; can’t a young person do it instead?” or “The computer won’t turn on; can you do something about it?” They say that a lot.

Yeah, I get it. Sometimes I honestly don’t want to learn new things, and if it doesn’t stick in my brain, I just give up quite quickly.

So, I thought this person would be the same.

Anyway, I just slept on the first day.

Fortunately, the clothes I wore at home fit the Emperor just barely. It was pretty annoying that the Emperor, who looks like he’s lived several decades longer than me, had broader shoulders than my manly days, but at least I put them on.

“Whose clothes are these?”

If only Alice and Claire had come over, I might have shared my past life story. But I had no intention of sharing that with the Emperor.

I mean… he’s the Emperor. Who knows how he might use that against me? Considering I plan to jump back to that other world, it’s better if the past stays hidden.

Though it seems it’s too late for that.

…Should I just leave it all behind when I go back?

Claire and Alice fit into the women’s workout clothes I bought, so I made them wear that for now.

We all decided to compromise and change our clothes in the bathroom.

No matter how mixed our blood is, a daughter can’t strip in front of her father.

“I thought it was about time for my daughters to hit puberty.”

The Emperor chuckled as he observed the barrier I put up between him and us three.

The barrier wasn’t anything special. I just rolled up a blanket that I sometimes used in winter and placed it between the Emperor and me. I laid Alice and Claire on either side of me.

Anyway, after a night of sleep,

“Since there’s no way to go back right now, I’ll teach you how to live in this world. Please, try not to commit any crimes, as I’ll be here for quite a while.”

Of course, the talk about crimes was mainly directed at the Emperor. I could trust Claire and Alice with my life.

“Okay.”

“Got it.”

“Understood.”

The last response came from a deep-voiced middle-aged man, which annoyed me a bit, but I held it in for now.

“Today… I’ll show you a bit of this world. The technology here is highly developed. It might seem a bit complex at first, but once you get used to it, I believe you can use most things quite efficiently. In fact, the machines using steam power are usually simpler and easier to operate.”

The fewer parts a machine has that can break down, the less likely it is to malfunction. Many people mistakenly think electronic devices are easy to break because they consist of a very small circuit, but honestly, they tend to break less when they are made of complicated and small parts unless there’s a flaw. As long as you protect the circuits well and keep them from failing, that is.

If you drop a digital clock and a mechanical clock from a height of two stories in an apartment, usually, the digital clock survives.

“Well then, let’s head out after breakfast.”

At my words, Claire’s face sparkled with excitement. Alice looked a bit anxious—meanwhile, the Emperor was smirking.

Why? What are you planning?

I really wish he’d just say something instead of plotting.

*

“Is that a car? I think it’s about time to maintain the roads of the Imperial Capital. I should push to abolish the recurrent regulations, right, Alice?”

“…You seem to think you’ll lose your position as Emperor when you go back.”

“Of course. What can I do since I lost that battle?”

Seeing the Emperor chuckling, I had no words. He’s just acknowledging it; what can I say?

“By the way, I’m curious about the limits of this smartphone.”

“…I think most internet services should be available.”

Limits of a smartphone, huh.

It really depends on how you define ‘limits.’ If you’re asking about games, that might be a clear boundary, but if it’s just about “what can you do with a smartphone,” the story changes a lot.

So, what can it actually do?

“Does that mean stock trading and voting are possible?”

“Oh, that’s not the case. You can do stocks, but voting is not possible.”

“Why not?”

“Stocks are only the loss to the individual, but voting is a loss to the nation as a whole. Moreover, stocks need real-time price checking, but voting doesn’t need that; you just go in and come out. There’s no need to take unnecessary risks.”

I’ve heard there are places where electronic voting is actively used. Was it Brazil? But most countries still use conservative methods. Many people believe that’s a more reliable approach.

“…But, are you really thinking about getting into stocks?”

“Do you think I want to live with three of us in such a tiny room? We should at least get another room or find a place with two additional rooms.”

At that comment, Claire and Alice glanced at me.

Come on, you don’t need to be that careful on a bus.

“I wouldn’t mind living like this.”

“…Stocks aren’t that easy.”

I’ve tried it.

I only lost.

“Do you think that’s true? I’ve tried stocks too, you know?”

“……”

Did he gain something?

But hold on, wasn’t it because he had the Emperor’s name that he could profit? If the Emperor invests in stocks, they’re bound to surge, right? He’s a person with such high approval ratings in the Empire.

Otherwise, in our country, it would be like saying the president made a fortune off stocks. It seems like… that shouldn’t be legally allowed, but it sounds like it would create a ton of backlash. At least his external image would be tarnished.

“Is that impossible?”

Sigh.

I let out a deep breath.

“Anyway, I was planning to buy each of you a smartphone.”

Of course, I was thinking of getting used ones.

But still, we should have a way to contact each other, right?

*

And for the following week, I taught the three of them Hangul.

Thanks to the Goddess’s powers, they quickly picked it up. Maybe they were worried about being seen as strange for not being able to read Hangul despite being registered as Koreans?

The Goddess is truly an ungraspable entity.

Naturally, I got them smartphones.

Me, Claire, and Alice, well, we used them just for our age-appropriate purposes. We kept in touch, watched videos while lying around, and read various things on the internet.

While Claire and I were just having fun, Alice was studying diligently.

…And the most dedicated among us was none other than the Emperor himself.

“This world is overflowing with interesting things to discover the more you learn.”

The Emperor said this with a wicked smile.

“…Stocks are definitely not to be given as gifts. Always do it within your means. I don’t want to end up in the negative with what I have.”

“Of course. No way should a father leave debts for his daughter, right?”

But then, it’s okay to pierce holes in the body?

I knew all too well that he wouldn’t flinch at that comment, so I decided to stay silent.

*

And then, about three days later,

I found an alert on my phone, showing that a hundred thousand won had come in.

…Why on earth a hundred thousand won?

The sender was ‘Arthur Fanggriffon.’

“…What is this money for?”

“Oh, it’s from the profits of stocks.”

“…Huh?”

The money I had given the Emperor was two hundred thousand won.

Not just the Emperor, but I had given the same amount to Alice and Claire too. In my mind, that should cover what they might want to do for a month since we were already handling our meals together.

It seemed Claire really wanted to do internet broadcasting, and Alice showed some interest too. Even the Emperor seemed intrigued.

Honestly, I was interested too, so the three of us were checking things out.

At some point, I was curious about what the Emperor was doing with his smartphone—

He was trading stocks?

“…So you used twenty thousand won to yield ten thousand and sent this?”

“Not quite. I actually earned twenty thousand. But if I reinvest, won’t I earn even more?”

“……”

I looked at Claire and Alice with a dazed expression.

Claire tilted her head, but Alice shrugged her shoulders.

“Father has always been good at accumulating money through stocks.”

Yeah, I knew that.

But to think that was true no matter if he was an Emperor or not?

“Hmm.”

Hearing the Emperor’s voice made me turn back.

“I think you’re underestimating me. Even if it looks like this, I was an Emperor who had the Great Empire in my palm.”

……

That’s… uh…

There’s no denying it’s impressive, but.

I rubbed my face.

Chapter 455

I’ve had my fair share of serious worries because of the Emperor, but this is the first time I’m contemplating such a reason.

You know what? I gave both Alice and Claire, as well as the Emperor, 200,000 won each.

That money wasn’t meant to be used right away. It was given for them to hold onto and use when needed or when they wanted something.

There wasn’t really a reason to give the same amount to all three. I just thought it would be easier than getting into a fuss about not sharing equally or giving less. Honestly, I even considered giving the Emperor a little less.

But then, the Emperor turned that money into more and has been consistently giving me 100,000 won every three days. This has been going on for two weeks now.

Whenever we go out, the Emperor doesn’t tag along awkwardly. Instead, every morning, he goes to a nearby café, orders an espresso with his smartphone in hand, and enjoys it in style.

I followed him a few times, so I’m sure.

Naturally, his smartphone had stock trading apps and such open.

“Well, isn’t that okay?”

Alice shrugged her shoulders and said.

“He says he’ll earn his own money to spend.”

“……”

“Are you saying you don’t like getting money every three days?”

Seeing my expression, Alice asked with a smile.

“Well…”

“So, we don’t really have much to say about that, huh? Since both of us are part of the royal family, you, me, we’ve all used the royal funds generously.”

“……”

Well… that’s true.

The giant Marmaros cannon I used in the last battle, the futuristic automatic pistol, and the steam-powered exosuit were all bought with royal money. I wasn’t even in a position to earn money for the royal family.

“But not all of that is technically the Emperor’s money.”

“If we’re splitting hairs, it’s still the Emperor’s money. Sure, it’s becoming mine now, but the ownership ultimately lies with the head of the royal family, even if most is managed below.”

After hearing Alice say that, I lost my words.

“Well, there’s no need to pay it back or anything. You’re not completely wrong. The Emperor didn’t earn all that by himself, right? If you want to be precise, he’s just rolling over what has been accumulated from previous generations.”

When I still looked uneasy, Claire, who was beside me, chimed in.

“You can just think of it as him paying back what he borrowed from your family.”

Is he really acting as if he’s paying it back? That’s worth considering.

Honestly, he gives off a bit of a psycho vibe, like he treats people as mere game pieces.

“No, more importantly…”

I said again, looking a bit serious.

“What I’m really worried about is something else.”

“What is it?”

Alice asked as if she was genuinely curious. Claire, listening nearby, also leaned in.

“Well, I’ve been contemplating whether if I increase the money I’m giving, the returns might also grow larger.”

“……”

Both Alice and Claire were momentarily speechless and stared at me.

“So, you’re saying that receiving the money isn’t the problem?”

Alice asked. I tilted my head.

“Is it a problem when someone gives you money? After all, the principal of that profit was my own money.”

“Well, it is kind of accurate when you put it like that.”

Alice rubbed her forehead.

“To be honest, this room we’re in is a bit cramped, isn’t it? It’s overly open for three of us: an adult man and two teenage girls. We’re managing to keep our boundaries, but still…”

“That’s true.”

Claire nodded seriously.

“To be blunt, I can only call him ‘that guy.’ I mean, calling someone who hasn’t raised me for even a minute ‘father’ just because we share blood feels off.”

Claire’s remark was very reasonable.

“So, how about we gradually increase the investment with the end goal of moving houses? Then we could think more seriously about streaming here.”

The room we’re currently staying in is a small studio.

Since it’s a rented place, putting up curtains feels a little awkward, and there’s nowhere to set up partitions.

So if we were to stream, the Emperor would either have to be outside or sitting still somewhere. A wide-angle camera that shows all three of our faces would capture nearly half of our studio.

I feel like sitting pressed against the wall while streaming wouldn’t be comfortable.

“But is that really okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“If the father really starts making a lot of money, then instead of him sleeping over at ours, we might end up living at his place.”

“……”

I thought for a moment before saying, “Then let’s consider moving out from this rental. If we can buy a house, the Emperor can live outside, right?”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Also, according to your logic from earlier, we’ve always been living at the Emperor’s house. A few more months living here shouldn’t change much.”

Alice couldn’t argue against my point.

“Anyway, I’m in favor.”

Claire raised her hand. I raised mine too. As we both looked at Alice, she shrugged and then raised her hand.

“I’m also not particularly dissatisfied with the three of us living here.”

Good.

I nodded.

Click.

And at that moment, the door to our house opened.

The person who entered was the Emperor.

Even though all three of us turned to look at him simultaneously, he didn’t seem surprised at all.

“What were you three chatting about so amicably?”

“We were just talking about money for a bit.”

“I thought I heard that money wasn’t at such a dangerous level yet.”

The Emperor smiled and took off his shoes as he stepped inside.

For some reason, ever since he got here, he seems to be in a good mood, like he just shed an invisible layer of armor.

Is he planning to establish a new empire here?

Well, it’s definitely better than getting into politics while stuck at home fiddling with stocks.

“It’s not about being in danger. Since you’re involved in this, why don’t you join for a bit of a discussion?”

“Oh?”

The Emperor came over with an intrigued expression.

And he seated himself some distance away from us on the floor.

With his legs crossed and hands resting on his knees, he looked very firm. You could probably hit him with a fist and he wouldn’t even flinch.

Well, he actually wouldn’t.

“I have some savings.”

“Oh?”

The Emperor smirked at my words.

I really don’t like that smile of his.

“I’ve saved about 20 million won in my bank account. Of course, I don’t think it’s appropriate to spend all that money, but I can invest anything under 3 million.”

“That’s a brilliant proposal.”

The Emperor rubbed his chin and thought for a moment.

“But I think I could manage to raise that kind of money myself soon. Even without deducting what I give you, I have surplus funds.”

Then he grinned again.

I really, really don’t like that smile, but still, I thought for a moment.

“Do you not trust me? I assumed you were making that proposal because you believed in me.”

“……”

So what amount would satisfy him?

“Are you confident you can assure a profit?”

“Do you not see what I’ve done so far and still doubt me? I designed modern capitalism in Azernar. I understand its fundamental aspects all too well. I built it all by making every mistake possible in my youth.”

But I wonder if that experience would apply in the 21st century?

“Just to confirm, do you also dabble in coins?”

“It’s a high-risk option, but I’ve been dabbling a little here and there. Surprisingly, the gains have been decent. I prefer stocks more than anything.”

“……You’re keeping it within the bounds of not going into debt, right?”

“Well, it’s not easy to go into debt. I still don’t have a job here. Besides, like you said, I’m not touching futures. No matter what, even I can’t read the future, and if I mess up, you might end up wanting to kill me.”

Still, I can’t imagine killing anyone in this world. There’s no way to cover it up. Honestly, if I wasn’t registered in this world as a Korean person with fingerprint records, it would be one of my last resort options, but alas.

Still, I have way more options I can take now than before and feel no complaints about it.

“……How about 7 million?”

At my question, the Emperor lowered his hand from his chin.

He wore a confident smile on his face.

“That’s a kind offer.”

I just hope it’s an offer worth being thankful for on my end.

Chapter 456

And 7 million won returned to me as 7 million won.

What does this mean, you ask? It means just that. The Emperor returned exactly 7 million won to me a few days later.

“Isn’t it a bit too straightforward to return the money I gave you?”

When I asked this after checking my bank balance, the Emperor chuckled and said,

“It’s because I made that much profit. As much as I may seem, I’m someone who remembers favors. Thanks to you, I’ve got quite a bit of capital now, making things much easier for me.”

“…Could you tell me how you made such a profit?”

“Hmm.”

The Emperor thought for a moment and then spoke.

“Actually, I have a plan for that too; would you like to hear it?”

There was no way I could turn it down. Because, quite frustratingly, the Emperor had indeed been a huge help in our lives.

Not just a little help. It was such a big help that we didn’t even need to look for part-time jobs.

It’s kind of funny relying on the Emperor’s stocks like this. I mean… doesn’t it seem wrong? Just the other day we were fighting each other for our lives.

The problem was that once the Emperor moved past a situation, he was a man who didn’t hold grudges. While I was still sorting out my emotions, he seemed to assume it was all water under the bridge.

Otherwise, he would have had bad feelings towards me from the start.

“I’m thinking about doing a broadcast.”

“…A broadcast?”

I repeated his words.

“What kind of broadcast are you planning to do?”

“A stock broadcast. There are many broadcasts like that.”

“…”

Um…

For some reason, the thought of him doing a broadcast made me uneasy. I never thought of the Emperor as someone skilled in public relations. He was the type to achieve things with his own abilities and then announce them to the media to lead public opinion.

He only speaks the truth, but that truth brings definite benefits to the Empire and earns him support, creating that kind of public opinion.

“Are you perhaps planning to manipulate stock prices?”

I asked seriously.

I didn’t know much about economics. I understood the laws. I wasn’t sure if manipulating stocks to what extent counts as a crime, or if merely discussing this and that on a broadcast counts as manipulation.

But if it were the Emperor, it seemed totally possible.

“I’ve thought about it, actually.”

I placed my hand on my forehead.

“But getting involved in crime would cause us trouble in many ways. I’ve heard economic criminals tend to be dealt with quickly, and for us, even a year would be a huge loss.”

“Well then, how exactly do you plan to broadcast?”

“Literally, about market trends. Rather than naming companies, if I just discuss certain stocks, there shouldn’t be any major problems, right?”

I crossed my arms and thought for a while before nodding.

“Alright. That seems like it won’t be a big problem.”

“Good.”

The Emperor nodded and then looked up at the ceiling for a moment.

“But we can’t just do the broadcast right here in such a cramped house, can we? You guys will be appearing behind me.”

“…Well, that’s true.”

In response to my answer, the Emperor smiled and slightly extended his hand.

“So, how about you consider properly investing in me? I’ve multiplied the money enough to return you 7 million won. If you want, I could show you the proof.”

“…”

Are you saying that with a 20 million won investment, I could inflate it to 20 million won?

“Money, after all, comes back more when there’s more at stake. The story differs entirely when you invest 100,000 won as opposed to 10 million won.”

“But even so, I can’t give you everything.”

I made a firm statement.

“It’s not about the success or failure of the stocks. I still can’t fully trust you.”

“Do you think I would run away with your money?”

“It’s not impossible, is it?”

I spoke while trying my best to steer the atmosphere back in my favor.

“…How about this? I’ll add 300,000 won to the 7 million you just gave me, making it 10 million. How does that sound?”

“Hmm.”

The Emperor smiled.

…What’s going on? Why do I feel like I’m being cornered?

“Well then, let’s take our time and let the money grow slowly. There’s really no need to worry. I’ve kept the 7 million won you lent me handy.”

“…Is that so?”

So next time, does that mean the Emperor will have more money than me?

That’s a bit unsettling.

*

“That’s negotiation tactics, isn’t it?”

Alice said with a laugh, seemingly amused.

The three of us were gathered together in a café.

Alice and Claire were seriously considering part-time jobs. They knew well how risky this ‘investment’ could be.

No matter how much of a genius the Emperor was, he wouldn’t know everything about this world’s system.

But the Emperor had returned 1 million won to me just this morning. Honestly, at this point, I couldn’t help but be suspicious. Isn’t this a scam?

Borrow money and keep steadily paying it back several times to build trust. Then, once the other party fully believes in you, you pull a fast one and run away with the money.

“At least, I’m sure this isn’t that kind of scam. The Emperor isn’t someone who would be satisfied with just a few tens of millions. He’s probably using my money as seed money.”

“Then what about that negotiation tactic you mentioned?”

“It’s simple, right? Ask for an absurdly large amount that’s hard for the other party to give immediately, then lure them into investing a smaller amount than that. You thought about 20 million won, then ended up handing over a million. Logically, how many people would simply hand over half of their own wealth? Even if it’s ‘your father,’ you know? And it’s not just lending it; it’s ‘investing,’ right?”

“…”

“I think so too, sis.”

Claire said while spreading strawberry jam on her scone.

“I don’t think the Emperor seems cheap enough to scam us, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t deceive us either, right? There’s a possibility he crafted his words to create a favorable situation for himself.”

“…”

Their words left me momentarily speechless.

“Well, that just means you are that desperate,” Alice said, seeing my expression and trying to comfort me.

“Everyone feels they can’t resist investing when they see money rolling in like that. Unfortunately, there are scams of that sort out there too.”

Like manipulating the screen to show something, while in reality, no money is really moving at all.

Thinking back, it felt like that might have happened to me.

“You’re usually so skeptical, yet you seem to have a bit of a blind spot too.”

Claire chuckled.

“Let’s take some time to think this over. You mentioned you received 1 million, right?”

“Yes.”

I definitely saw the money come in.

“Then, let’s wait and see if your father can restore that 10 million.”

Alice said as she sipped her drink through a straw.

*

“How about it, does this make you believe me?”

The Emperor said after transferring over 15 million won to my account.

Honestly, he looked entirely confident about it.

This was just a week later.

“…So, does that mean you have more than this in your account?”

“Not right now.”

How impressive.

“So for now, there’s no need for me to give you money. I’ll manage what I have.”

“How on earth can you accumulate that much money?”

“Hmm? Naturally, I thoroughly read the world’s newspapers to get a sense of the situation. I don’t always win. There are times I lose. But since I have divided my investments thoroughly, I’m guaranteed to make profits in certain areas.”

“How much… and where do you invest?”

“I invest in about five different markets. As for the companies, it’s obviously a lot more than that.”

“You do all that by yourself?”

“Having ruled a vast empire, I’ve scrutinized every detail. Isn’t it all possible? Besides, with this tiny device in my palm, I can do anything. Oh, but it’d be better to have a computer for a better overview. Would it be okay to bring in a few monitors?”

“…”

I stared blankly at the Emperor for a while, then nodded.

“Excellent decision.”

The Emperor said with a smile.

“Oh, and regarding the broadcast, I thought about it again.”

“…What is it?”

“Instead of just having me on the broadcast, how about you three join me?”

“…”

“I think you three have enough appeal to catch people’s eyes.”

“…I’d rather do a separate broadcast.”

“Hmm, that’s a bit disappointing. The opportunity to start the broadcast quickly has vanished.”

But the Emperor raised his shoulders as if he didn’t care much.

It was oddly irritating.

Chapter 457

Do you know the feeling of helplessness when you see something you can’t change with my power?

So, for example…

The size of the money the Emperor is collecting seems to be getting bigger day by day. At this point, I wonder if it’s economically possible, but the problem is that it’s actually happening.

And I have no justification to stop the Emperor.

The money the Emperor earns is ‘actually’ being used helpfully for us.

In the end, we gave up looking for part-time jobs.

We don’t need to stress ourselves with work when we have enough money to get by. Just the money the Emperor has given me so far could let us lounge around in a room for months.

The problem is that the money is directly from the ‘Emperor to me’, and that’s the source of my stress.

In the Empire, I did not receive money ‘directly’ from the Emperor. The amount of money I could spend was decided within the budget managed by the finance minister, and I just had to take out what was there. Sure, strictly speaking, it was money I spent thanks to the Emperor, but at least he never smiled at me while handing it over.

Yeah, I know. If you’re this stressed and your pride is hurt, then just don’t take it.

Even though I could…

Honestly, if someone just hands me hundreds of thousands won saying I don’t need to pay it back, why would I refuse?

“None, right?”

Alice cut in sharply.

“I think so too.”

“Your pride is hurt because you lack the ability compared to the Emperor. Remember how we defeated Father on the battlefield.”

“That’s true, but…”

I closed my eyes tightly and pressed my fingers to my forehead.

“Are you saying that you think we’ll move to a bigger house if this continues?”

Claire asked with a laugh.

“What’s wrong with that?”

“…No, how should I put it?”

I… well, there’s something I’ve been thinking about since arriving in this world, especially since Alice and Claire have been hanging around with the Emperor since I got here.

So, the story is…

“Doesn’t it seem like we’re a little too much of a cozy family?”

That’s right.

No matter how I complain, I just look like a rebellious teenage girl. Or maybe a twenty-something living off her father without going to college or getting a job in this world.

But Father, in the role of Emperor, just easily smiles and hands me pocket money. Sometimes in the hundreds of thousands won, sometimes even in millions.

In all my previous experiences of earning money, I’ve never received as much as the pocket money the Emperor gives me.

“…”

“…”

And after finally bringing that thought up, Claire and Alice stared at me blankly.

“Well, I think I understand a bit of what you’re feeling. I didn’t live here as long as you, but… I was also mobilized to earn money when I was very young, right?”

But Claire just shrugged.

“But even after becoming a noble, I’ve never felt pride hurt saying, ‘This money isn’t my earned money.’ I just lived gratefully with what was given.”

“I feel the same. I did think about pushing out Father and becoming Emperor someday, but that’s about it—I just thought of the money as mine and spent it.”

Well, that’s understandable, considering Alice has been a princess since birth. Even if there were differences due to the Emperor’s power, she had no choice but to adapt to a life of luxury.

“Above all, all the money the Emperor is earning right now is thanks to the money you’ve worked hard to gather in this world, right? If you think about it that way, isn’t it a big problem? Instead, if you lose money, Father should be apologetic.”

No, that’s not how it works!

“By the way, did you buy a lottery ticket because of that?”

“…”

That’s right.

I impulsively bought it when I went out with Alice and Claire for some fresh air.

We’ve been here for about a month now. We still haven’t started any internet broadcasting. We’re still living in a one-room apartment.

Although the Emperor is earning money, using all that money to buy an apartment is still a bit problematic. I’d have to take out a hefty loan and, no matter how well he’s earning, since it’s stock earnings, there is always risk.

Even without doing anything, the living situation was slowly brightening. I don’t really understand why.

…I think the Goddess purposely sent me here. And the living situation is basically a device that allows someone whose blood flows thickly from the royal family to steal the Goddess’s power.

So the Goddess is pretty much intervening in this world, but why?

Is the Emperor working so well that attention is being drawn here?

As I gloomily stared at the lottery ticket, Claire patted my back.

“You never know, right? If this lottery ticket hits and we get a huge investment, your thoughts might change a bit. It’ll be a ‘sure’ massive help, right?”

Could that actually be?

I seriously fell into contemplation.

*

And on the day the lottery results came out.

I was once again sitting face to face with the Emperor.

Neither of us spoke for a while.

Alice and Claire, who were a little ways behind me, were also silent.

Just to note, I had a slight sweat on my forehead.

“I’ll get straight to the point.”

The Emperor finally opened his mouth.

“How much can you invest?”

“……”

Uh, that…

Actually, my concept of money in Azernar wasn’t that solid.

No, I wouldn’t say I couldn’t calculate. I’d think, “Oh, this must be expensive for regular folks, and with this much I can afford to eat,” while buying things.

But… to be honest, I’ve never felt a sense of reality while spending money.

Of course, there were times when I struggled to live in Azernar, but back then, I couldn’t spend money directly, so I ‘didn’t have’ the experience of ‘saving up.’

To me, the currency of Azernar felt like something that wouldn’t come to me. Even when buying things, I thought of it as getting cheated on the price, but I never actually haggled.

But the ‘won’ in Korea is different.

I’ve lived through tightening my belt, having had experiences of putting a 100,000 won figure in my cart, taking it out again, and finally giving up. I’d carefully pick and choose even for a movie, thinking it was too wasteful to go to the theater and waiting for it to upload on OTT.

Right after I returned to this world, I tried to live a little more comfortably.

Having some housemates might make it a little more relaxing to live together. I also had savings. And I thought I’d be able to go back before the money fell short because of the living conditions.

So to me, a winning amount of 2 billion won was an enormous sum. It was a sum that remained after taxes with the first prize amount, all of which I matched.

I swallowed hard.

The Emperor… only managed to accumulate close to 100 million won in a month from 10 million won.

So, what would happen if I invested that much more money with the Emperor?

“…How about 100 million?”

I cautiously asked.

If it weren’t for the Emperor, I wouldn’t even be dreaming of investing.

I’d just have bought an apartment to move in with them, and I would have kept all the remaining money in the bank to earn interest.

Honestly, using 100 million for ‘investment’ is a bit hard to comprehend for me. Isn’t it possible for it to just disappear?

The problem is, despite considering such a premise, I was still partly thinking, ‘What if it’s the Emperor?’

“Hmm.”

The Emperor leaned forward slightly while resting his hand on the ground.

“Since you’ve got money, how about investing more?”

“……”

“I’m not saying you should invest all your money. Not even half. How about around 500 million?”

500 million.

That was money I’d never touched in my life.

“…Um.”

As I hesitated, the Emperor thought for a moment before speaking.

“Sure, larger amounts of money can bring various problems. For instance, if you just ‘give’ me money, you’d have to pay gift tax. Given that I’ve already deducted tax from your lottery winnings, if there’s more deducted, you’d get angry.”

At the Emperor’s words, I suddenly remembered the gift tax I had forgotten about.

“Then how about this? Write a loan document, and you lend me the money. Then I’ll grow that money and pay you back. This way, the gift tax problem is resolved. You can receive interest at the legal rate, and I’m obliged to pay you back.”

“…But we will eventually have to go back.”

“So you think I won’t pay you back?”

The Emperor laughed.

“Let me tell you one thing. I also plan to return when you all do. Honestly, I’d rather enjoy being in power even if I step down.”

“……”

That’s annoying in its own way. It means he won’t give up power even after going back.

“But if I were to fail to pay you back, you’d be able to sue me. You could even possibly get me locked up. In that case, I wouldn’t be able to return to my original world with you. Right? Because my living situation is linked to you.”

Ah.

“So, I would be legally obligated to pay you back regardless of the circumstances. Alright, what will you do? Even if I calculate with the legal maximum interest rate, I’m confident I could return the amount. No, perhaps I could even return more.”

“……”

In the end, after pondering for a while, I had no choice but to nod.

Chapter 458

I already lent out 500 million won.

With a bit over 1 billion of the remaining 1.5 billion, I could buy an apartment.

Even after that, I still had quite a bit of money left.

Is it enough to live on for a lifetime? If you ask me, I’m not sure. 400 million won is a lot, but I wasn’t living alone anyway.

But… well, to be honest, it’s not an exaggeration to say we shouldn’t worry about it.

The apartment had three rooms. One was for the Emperor, and we decided to use another.

The reason three of us ended up sharing one room was that Claire and Alice didn’t want to be away from me.

In the end, the remaining room became our broadcasting room.

Claire had wanted to broadcast since her one-room days, and Alice was also quite interested.

The Emperor contemplated doing broadcasts too but was told he could just do it in his room since he already had many monitors set up on his computer.

Honestly, being given that consideration felt a bit strange.

“Still, your expression has brightened a lot. Is it because you’re in a separate room?”

“It’s not just about having a separate room; it’s because I bought this place with my own money.”

That’s right.

The thought that I might not be of any help completely vanished after buying the house. Even I thought this was a very positive thing.

Claire and Alice laughed at my answer.

But that was my sincere feeling.

Well, I did think the Goddess was involved in this, but wasn’t it thanks to ‘me’ that the Goddess got involved?

“Then… how should we approach the broadcast? Shouldn’t we start with casual chats?”

“Playing games would be nice too.”

Claire said excitedly.

“Well, I guess it’s important to gauge the atmosphere first.”

Alice’s words made both of us nod in agreement.

*

The broadcast… was going much smoother than I expected.

It took a little time to learn how to open donations, but I had already set up everything. With three monitors hooked up to the computer I originally used, it’s honestly excessive for a beginner broadcaster.

But hey, if we want to play games, some setup is necessary. I think it’s better to prepare in advance since we don’t know how big the broadcast might get.

After all, we had enough money.

[Your cosplay is amazing!]

“It’s not cosplay. This is our real name.”

[LOL]

[Strong concept, haha!]

Well, I kind of expected a reaction like that.

Since Claire and Alice already knew how to read the chat, there weren’t any issues following along.

We talked about everyday matters. Although we didn’t have many viewers, the chat was lively. Must be because of our looks.

Just as I was thinking that if we kept this up, we could earn living expenses…

[So what’s your relationship with the Emperor?]

“Are you talking about the Emperor?”

A short video donation came in as I spoke.

The uneasy feeling I felt for a moment turned out to be spot on.

[In that case, it’s good to invest in this side. The future here looks promising. Also, which country’s market is important—]

The person continuing the conversation was the Emperor, who was in a different room than us.

“……”

[It’s really the Emperor, haha!]

[The concept here is solid, haha!]

[But your voice is really nice.]

Well, it was bound to be nice.

Of course, mine, Claire’s, and Alice’s voices were great. They all sounded like professional Japanese voice actors. Although I couldn’t even tell if my voice was truly ‘voice actor-like’ from a game.

But the Emperor… usually, well-known voice actors are often assigned to middle-aged male voices in these games.

Especially with cool middle-aged male voices, they tend to be exceptionally distinctive. Even low and deep voices come with a bit of acting flair.

The Emperor’s voice was one of those.

[Huh? Huh?]

[By not being able to answer, are you truly his father, haha!]

I hesitated for a moment.

Is it better to lie here? Or is it better just to admit it?

Seeing Claire and Alice glance at me, I quickly made up my mind.

“My Father… is correct.”

If I deny it, what kind of backlash would come later?

I’d become a disgraceful child who denied their own father.

In internet broadcasts, every word is recorded. Naturally, denying it would leave a trace, and later if found out, there’d be a wiki entry like ‘Sylvia (broadcaster) / controversies and incidents / character controversies’.

Even if I managed to conceal it well throughout, well, considering we’re living together, wouldn’t it be odd to get caught at any point?

It’s better to just be straightforward than risk that.

“We all… grew up under him…”

I said while subtly watching Claire’s expression.

“Uh, uh! That’s right! We grew up together, yeah!”

Claire, picking up on my cues perfectly, said that,

“But that doesn’t mean we can just ride on Father’s broadcast.”

Alice added.

“Someday, we might have a joint broadcasting session, but for now, we are broadcasting separately. Most importantly, the topic over there is stocks, and we don’t know much about that.”

[LOL]

[How is even your father part of the concept? Haha!]

“My father… is not part of the concept.”

Every time I used the title ‘father’, it felt a bit strange.

“We really do hold these names. If we can verify it later, we will.”

Ding!

While I was speaking, another donation came in.

[Hmm, all my cute daughters! You’ve helped me in various ways.]

Well, you really did help in ‘various ways’.

As I turned red, the chat was busy teasing me.

[A daughter embarrassed by her father’s praise, haha!]

[It’s nice to see you all getting along.]

[This is totally different from games.]

“…What do you mean games?”

I asked, and the chat replied.

[Haven’t you tried the latest installment?]

[You’re pretending not to know after dressing like that.]

[Fake madness…]

I opened a browser and searched for Chronicles of Aetherna.

The cover of the latest installment… showcased a giant picture of me.

“Oh!”

Claire’s eyes sparkled.

In fact, all previous series had been in the room. I was someone who played these previous world series.

But for some reason, I didn’t want to show it to the Emperor.

As for my figures, Claire and Alice had already noticed them. The Emperor noticed but didn’t mention anything.

“…So shall we play this latest installment?”

As I said, Claire smiled and nodded.

*

I took a deep breath and knocked on the Emperor’s door.

I heard some movement inside, and then the door opened.

“Sylvia?”

The Emperor looked a bit surprised, but still… his face exuded a calm demeanor, though it wasn’t something you’d easily see.

“Can we… talk for a moment?”

“Of course. The fact that I’m staying here is all thanks to you.”

I didn’t really respond to that, and led the Emperor to the dining table.

Claire and Alice were already seated at the table.

I sat next to Claire, and the Emperor occupied the empty seat.

“It seems we both ended up broadcasting.”

“Indeed.”

Cutting straight to the point, the Emperor nodded.

“That said, we can’t just keep using our titles from Azernar.”

“Um.”

“If I refer to you as… Your Majesty, people will surely look at us strangely.”

“I agree. While we do have a monarchy over here, that’s not the story of this country.”

I nodded at his words.

“So… wouldn’t it be best to sort out how we address each other?”

“I already call you by your names.”

In fact, while I was called by my name, only Alice and I received that, while Claire and the Emperor still had a bit of awkwardness.

We had casual conversations with each other. But I had never seen them actually address one another. It was… a bit delicate.

“Claire, would that be okay?”

Given that Claire already had a ‘father,’ in the form of Baron Grace.

“Um…”

Indeed, Claire looked a bit uneasy.

I took a small breath.

I can’t force someone who doesn’t want to do so. Also, if Claire made that kind of expression, it’s clear she was ‘truly’ uncomfortable about it.

So I already had a title in mind.

“How about… ‘Uncle’?”

“Uncle?”

Claire’s eyes widened in surprise.

Hehe!

The Emperor was holding back laughter.

No, I genuinely thought it was a fitting title.

In the end, the opinion was accepted.

Claire would call him Uncle, while Alice and I would call him Father.

…Father.

What a title that stuck in my mouth like mud.

Chapter 459

Time is the best medicine, and as I spent time with the Emperor, I felt like our relationship was slowly mending.

But that doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven and accepted everything about him. Honestly, I didn’t plan to go that far.

More than anything, I didn’t want to bear the risks of the Emperor living apart from the three of us.

This country… I couldn’t call it my country right now, but it was still the place where I spent my childhood. I didn’t want to see the Emperor turning it into an economic colony after separating from us.

I also understand this worry is… not very realistic.

Even if someone made a fortune with coins or stocks, it would be nearly impossible to hold sway over a nation’s economy. There are limits to the shares each company can have, and besides, the Emperor mentioned that he diversifies his investments across several companies. So, his influence over any single company would actually be diminished.

Yet, if I ask if the possibility is ‘completely’ nonexistent, I don’t think so.

I mean, it’s the Emperor we’re talking about. He might be able to sway public opinion with just that brilliant brain of his. It could take several years or even more than a decade, but if the Emperor sets his mind to it, I believe he could achieve it someday.

“……”

Since I acknowledged that even that faint possibility exists, we lived in the same place as the Emperor.

Being in the same place meant we couldn’t avoid facing each other, so naturally, we managed our relationship.

I felt like the Emperor thought the same, as we all gathered around the table for meals every day.

To be honest, it felt more like ‘an awkward dinner with three adult daughters and their father.’ If I looked at it in the best light, that is.

If I looked at it without glasses, it was more like ‘strangers having their first meal together.’

“Bulgogi is delicious!”

Still, we were all ‘trying.’ Claire, too, sometimes praised the cooking like this.

“It’s meat I bought from the grocery store. I’ve never bought it before, but the seasoning is just right.”

I gratefully rode along with Claire’s words.

“I guess I’ll have to go there often. It’s in the shopping district, right?”

“Yes, it is.”

Alice chimed in, and I nodded vigorously in reply.

“No matter how many times I eat it, food in this world is amazing.”

Even the Emperor joined in.

“Honestly, I think food in Azernar is way too messed up.”

“Hmm, did you feel that way?”

“Most of the food that isn’t meat doesn’t really pay much attention to taste.”

To me, how should I put it?

For some reason, it reminded me of ‘the cooking from the cyberpunk era where there are no ingredients, so they just fill you with nutrients.’ I’ve never actually eaten that kind of food, but the typical meals offered in Azernar were kind of like that.

“Alice, when we get back, we should create simple recipes so we can teach others. After all, the food situation itself isn’t that bad.”

“In fact, it’s hardly good.”

I rebutted the Emperor’s remark.

“Although food production has increased, the lives of the citizens are becoming increasingly severe. Laws to protect the people are also insufficient.”

“Hmm, is that what you think?”

The Emperor looked at me with a smile.

“Then what do you think we should do?”

“……How about gradually turning some of the royal treasury’s budget to improve the situation around the people of the capital? The royal assets are sturdier than you might think.”

“But much of that wealth comes from the colonies. And such an economic system can’t last forever. As soon as the colonies’ wealth dries up, it’ll collapse. Then what should we do?”

What comes to mind is wealth redistribution, but—

No, wait a minute.

Why did a casual conversation suddenly shift to discussing Azernar’s economy?

Coming to my senses, I noticed Claire and Alice were looking at me. Both of them had a grin on their faces.

We shouldn’t be discussing politics at the dinner table, to begin with.

“……I apologize for bringing that up during our meal.”

As I apologized, the Emperor smiled and resumed moving his chopsticks.

“No, I enjoyed it quite a bit. …Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I’ve had such a conversation.”

If this was a typical paternal relationship, one wouldn’t even think of having such conversations.

But I didn’t verbalize that thought.

After a moment of silence, the Emperor spoke up again.

“Speaking of which, we organized titles the last time we met. But now, I have one question.”

I lifted my gaze to look at the Emperor again.

He shrugged his shoulders and spoke.

“Claire is my niece, and you two are my daughters. Isn’t that the relationship here?”

“That’s right.”

“And the three of you have already grown up together like sisters, so you all just see each other as sisters, right?”

“……That’s correct.”

I responded after a moment’s thought.

What was he trying to say?

“So, who’s the eldest among you three? You’ll have to figure it out so I won’t get confused later on.”

“…….”

Alice and Claire exchanged glances.

I could swear I saw sparks flying in the air between them.

“Well, obviously she’s the youngest.”

“Of course, I’m the eldest!”

Claire and Alice spoke simultaneously, each taken aback that the other would say something like that.

“Sylvia, you are my sister. So you must be the youngest.”

That was Claire’s claim.

“What kind of nonsense is that? We need to clarify who’s who.”

“How exactly? Are you saying Sylvia isn’t your sister?”

“Of course Sylvia is my sister. She joined the royal family later than I did! No, more importantly, even if Sylvia were to be considered my older sister, what could justify me being your younger sister?”

“Well, obviously, there’s no room for anyone else between Sylvia and me.”

“What sort of logic is that?”

I merely picked up another piece of meat without saying a word.

The Emperor had no idea we were having these mundane conversations. His head was filled with thoughts of economics, politics, and the like, and he even had the hobby of plotting conspiracies.

“……Do they always do this?”

“Only when we’re deciding ‘who’s the eldest.’”

“Hmm.”

At my words, the Emperor let out a hum.

It was the first time I saw him look flustered like this.

Oh right. Being an Emperor, he probably spent a lot of time dining alone at a big table. Even if someone else joined, there wouldn’t be a cozy atmosphere like this.

So, this reaction of the Emperor… was kind of refreshing.

I didn’t think of it as acting. There would be no point in acting in this kind of situation.

“How about you share your thoughts, Your Majesty?”

At my question, both Alice and Claire stopped their chatter.

Then both looked at me, then at the Emperor.

“I…”

The Emperor was flustered under the intense gaze of two girls. At least that’s how it seemed to me.

Ah, this is kind of amusing.

For a moment, the bad feelings I had toward the Emperor lessened slightly.

“I… thought Sylvia was older than Alice.”

“…………Huh?”

Alice froze at the Emperor’s words.

Well.

For someone so skilled in politics and economics to be unable to manage his daughters, isn’t that just the quintessential father?

Though, of course, you’d have to actually try fatherhood to get that.

I silently picked up another piece of bulgogi.

“That… You’ve never called Sylvia your older sister, have you?”

“I’ve never called Sylvia my older sister either…?”

Alice responded, forgetting that she was a Crown Princess.

“Whenever you sulked, didn’t Sylvia always cheer you up?”

“Oh.”

Claire immediately reacted to that statement.

“Can I hear a bit more about that story? Uncle?”

I nearly spat out my drink.

I managed to avoid coughing and calmly set the cup down, looking at the Emperor.

The Emperor’s expression was much the same as usual, but there was a brief moment where he stared blankly at Claire.

“Uncle….”

Alice also looked at Claire.

“Um, that story….”

After overcoming a brief buffering pause, the Emperor started to speak again.

“Whenever Sylvia came to visit me, Alice would—”

“Father.”

Alice warned.

There was no hint of warning in her words, but with just her gaze, one could feel the potential for an assassination attempt against the Emperor.

I hoped there wouldn’t be any killings here. This is a place where forensic science is developed enough that unless you’re extremely lucky, it’s tough to hide a body.

“Um….”

“Uncle, please tell us!”

I think Claire’s persistence is something worth learning.

I’m not sure if I can follow her sparkling gaze perfectly, though.

“Father.”

“Uh…”

Alice’s eyes were dangerously gleaming again, and the Emperor cleared his throat.

…….

Still, today has a more ordinary family-like atmosphere.

I think this can be regarded as a positive thing.

Chapter 460

We’re slowly becoming famous.

We’re a bit too overly set up as Koreans who are ridiculously good at Korean, yet oddly seem European, so if word got around that we weren’t getting any attention, that would be more surprising.

Playing games with characters that look just like us, commenting on them, buying figures of ourselves to review… Of course, fans of Chronicles of Aetherna really liked us. It feels like the audience’s age is a bit on the older side, but who cares? We’re doing this for fun.

Donations are just a side income. The massive profits the Emperor brings in mean we don’t have to worry about money anymore.

Without worrying about money, we’re creating a channel where we can comfortably do what we want, and I’m starting to think we might as well upload edited versions to streaming sites too.

But, the Emperor has become even more famous.

With near-psychic investment skills, the Emperor can predict the future and has created a following on YouTube.

Honestly, it’s weird if people don’t start following after that. Basically, if you invest, you’re guaranteed to profit. What’s more, it’s not even a scam, nor is he doing anything illegal. The Emperor just talks about potential economic trends without telling anyone to buy specific stocks.

And the result—

Ding ding!

[Hey, my nephews,,, I got lucky today,,,,]

“…Please don’t say stock trading is like gambling,” I sighed as I said that.

The donation was a whopping 100,000 won.

Yes. This person watched the Emperor’s stream, and after winning money, decided to throw us a donation under the pretense of giving ‘pocket money to my nephew.’

[LOL, it’s gambling if it’s stocks!]

[You still won, right? LOL!]

“So does that mean my father teaches gambling methods?”

[Sorry about that!]

[Didn’t think of it like that!]

Everyone typed in seriousness at my comment, but I knew they understood it was a joke.

…To be honest, I somewhat agreed with their statement. I’ve never invested directly, in this life or my past life, but I knew that unless you have a lot of money and are unlikely to suffer losses, it’s not good to meddle with stocks.

Well, it’s definitely better than crypto, though. Jumping into this without knowing anything or thinking of studying is basically like diving straight into a gambling table.

[By the way, aren’t you thinking about collaborating among family members?]

[It’d be fun to show Emperor Arthur the games we play.]

[For real! LOL]

Show the Emperor the games we play?

I think the Emperor has probably looked up related information and read about it. There’s no way he wouldn’t want to check out something about this world since there are media discussing it.

“If we collaborate, which way are we collaborating? Us with our father? Or our father with us?”

[It’d be better for the Emperor to come over here.]

[Honestly, you wouldn’t understand even if we talked stocks, right?]

That’s true. I hadn’t thought about learning much.

I pondered for a moment.

In fact, since both we and the Emperor started streaming, the light of Jibo has rapidly started regaining its original brightness.

Of course, it doesn’t seem like the right timing yet. To our memories, it used to shine a bit brighter.

So we agreed to ‘use it once we’re a bit more certain.’ We didn’t fully trust the Emperor yet, so Jibo was kept under the care of the three of us.

Would collabing speed up the timing for returning?

That was worth considering.

“Is it okay if we think about it?”

“I think it’d be fine.”

Initially, Claire, who felt a bit uncomfortable around the Emperor, had now adapted most surely to life with him.

Naturally, she is quick to adapt and friendly wherever she goes.

It’s true that the original Claire had endured a lot to the point of breaking, but at least here, thanks to my presence, Claire wasn’t ruined.

“Wouldn’t it be okay?”

Alice was also adjusting well to the Emperor.

In fact, Alice had already adapted to the Emperor while in Azernar, so there was no reason for her to be afraid of him here. Of course, she still kept a bit of a wall, but that was it.

As for me…

It’s quite ridiculous, but I’ve also lost my initial animosity and now had a mindset of ‘It’ll work out somehow.’

Was it because the wounds were healing so clearly? Now I didn’t feel any hatred or resentment towards the Emperor.

I didn’t want to think this way, but it was also a result of the Emperor’s efforts. He had worked hard to talk to me whenever necessary since moving into this house.

Did he want to restore our relationship? Maybe something changed in his mind after coming to this world?

…Somehow, given that he’s the Emperor, it wasn’t easy to think that way.

“Well, then, I’ll talk to him. Don’t get your hopes up too much.”

[Wow!]

[I really wanna see the collaboration!]

Yeah. To be honest, I feel that way too.

Who else would do a collaboration as a bad father-daughter pair from the same game if not us?

*

“Collaboration, huh.”

When I brought up the collaboration during dinner, the Emperor contemplated for a moment.

And I found his expression unexpected.

“If you don’t want to, there’s no need to force it.”

“Hmm? Ah, it’s not like that.”

But the Emperor denied my words.

“It’s not that, but I find it difficult to understand what comes out from your broadcasts.”

“……”

I lost my words for a moment.

“So… what are you saying?”

“Well, the game you’re playing must involve combat, right?”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“There’s no way a person could withstand that many bullets.”

Ah.

Did he possibly watch our recent FPS broadcast?

If he had seen us playing Chronicles of Aetherna, he wouldn’t have reacted so lukewarmly. That game has quite significant relevance to actual Azernar.

“Games aren’t serious combat training. They’re ‘fun,’ as the name suggests. You play chess, alternating turns, right?”

“That’s true, but…”

Hmm…

It felt like he was speaking as if he had no understanding of games, like a parent might say.

Yet it didn’t seem like he intended to hinder our gaming.

No, but wait.

“Have you not seen us play any other games?”

“I usually stream at the same time as you. And the stock market is surprisingly busy. Time passes quickly checking this and that. It’s quite enjoyable, though.”

So… this guy doesn’t know Chronicles of Aetherna?

I turned my gaze to Alice and Claire. They both wore slightly perplexed expressions too.

“What’s the matter?”

The Emperor asked.

“Uh, well… the game we usually play is much longer than that. The story continues at length, and the character stories interconnect.”

“Is that so?”

So?

The Emperor looked like he wanted to ask me that.

“And that long story content is about things happening in ‘Azernar.’”

The Emperor’s hand, which had been moving his chopsticks, froze.

“Did you say Azernar?”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s Azernar. It’s not just a name that sounds similar. Did you really not know? There were some related products in my room when we all stayed in that one-room place.”

“Knowing your personality, if I rummaged through your room, I wouldn’t keep quiet about it, would I?”

That’s true. If it was Alice or Claire, it might slip by, but if it were the Emperor, I would have genuinely been angry.

Now that I think about it, the Emperor had been somewhat… living like a criminal in that house. Is that why he killed time at the café whenever he had some free time?

Did something change in his mind after gaining a disadvantage in this world?

I shook my head side to side in my mind.

I still can’t be sure. The Emperor was pretty good at hiding his thoughts.

“We do sometimes take recommendations from viewers to play other games, but the core game is still Chronicles of Aetherna. The story is so long that it’s impossible to finish it in a single day. If we were to collaborate, we could show you that game while playing.”

“Hmm.”

The Emperor fell into brief contemplation.

“To be honest, I find it a bit interesting. But it must be a completely different story from what we’ve experienced, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. There are some preconditions that are different.”

“Just watching it once wouldn’t hurt. So, how about we set a date?”

“Sounds good.”

Honestly, I was also curious how the Emperor would react to seeing his own appearance in the game.

Chapter 461

So it happened.

Ding!

However, just because it was a royal gathering, it wouldn’t be much different from our usual broadcasts if I just watched the Emperor play a game. So, we decided to play a game together briefly as part one of the stream.

Typically, when I hand over a game controller to elderly folks, they struggle to adapt. They move the controller too cautiously, so their characters barely move, and when it comes to actively fighting, they feel pressured.

But the Emperor? Is he an ordinary person?

I was clenching my teeth and manipulating the controller. I tried my best to keep a straight face, but it wasn’t easy.

Gulp!

“I heard real driving is much harder than this, but this game seems simplified.”

The game we were playing was a globally famous kart racing game.

It’s well-known as something ‘anyone’ can enjoy, but just because anyone can enjoy it doesn’t mean everyone’s skills are the same.

Honestly, I wasn’t someone who used to play online games before. So in a competitive game like this… I really have no talent.

My emotions were all over the place with the gameplay.

Gah!

That was the same for Claire.

Her usual personality is full of emotion and a strong competitive spirit, so she was taking this game quite seriously.

Maybe it was because her opponent was the Emperor.

Claire knew about her lineage. Although she pretended to be nonchalant, saying “I’m Grace,” she was probably thinking quite seriously about it.

And knowing Claire, she wouldn’t want to lose to the Emperor.

In reality, the Emperor and Claire were battling for first and second place. Of course, the Emperor was the one moving the controller more casually.

And then there was me—

Silence…

Silence…

I was competing with Alice.

To be honest, first and second place were so far ahead that I had already given up reaching them, playing just with the intent of not finishing last.

It’s a racing game, right? If I can manage third place, I’ll at least get a trophy.

I just didn’t want to be the one left out.

“Why don’t you just hand the trophy over to your sister?”

“Who’s your sister?!”

Claire shot back at Alice’s comment. Claire’s eyes were focused on the screen, but her ears were clearly open.

LOLLOLLOL!

Look at them fighting over who’s the elder at a time like this!

“Do you fight like this often?”

“It’s half a joke, so you don’t need to take it seriously.”

I responded to the Emperor’s question. Naturally, my eyes were glued to the screen.

Seeing a father and daughter gaming side by side is heartwarming!

Where else can you find a dad who plays along with this kind of setup, LOL!

“Hmm.”

As I glanced at those chat comments, it seemed the Emperor was aware of what I was thinking, letting out a small grunt.

In fact, Claire and Alice had been getting along well while calling each other by name. The topic had flared up again after our last conversation with the Emperor. Since they had gone through the process of identifying “who’s the elder” once, it became hard to stop.

“Since we’re just having fun, you should feel free to relax.”

“But your fingers are moving like crazy for just having fun!”

Alice countered my comment, but I ignored her and pressed the accelerator.

Zzzziiip!

“Ah!”

But soon, a sound of disappointment slipped from my mouth.

“Done…!”

Seeing Alice shout that made me think grrr, but—

“Claire?”

Suddenly, my car passed Claire, who was vying for first and second place.

“Hehe.”

Claire let out a small laugh.

“Sis, it’s fine. I’ll take the last spot. As your sister, I can do this much.”

So, she was intentionally slowing down.

“Claire…”

In that blink of an eye, the rankings were set.

The Emperor came in first, Alice second, and I was third.

And Claire was left off the rankings.

“I’m fine, sis. If you could’ve won…”

“…Isn’t it just that you couldn’t possibly beat Father, so you pulled back?”

Silence…

Ah, seems that’s right.

“Father, you play games well.”

“Hmm….”

The Emperor let out those words again at my comment.

Honestly, it was rather amusing to see.

The Emperor was someone sitting way up high. He was in a position that moved others beneath him.

Of course, that position must be lonely.

Though I was convinced the Emperor enjoyed that position, there’s a kind of relationship you can’t feel under normal circumstances.

I wondered if the Emperor actually thought of it as a ‘father’ position. In any case, he was experiencing being a ‘father’ for the first time in his life. And he was the father of three daughters.

Well, one could say she was called “uncle” though. Still, since they had been close like sisters since childhood, it’s fine to call her daughter.

“I’ll keep a better lookout next time.”

“…Even after coming in first, no one would probably believe that.”

Hmm…

Having always been in a position to excel, he might be a little clueless.

But it seemed he wasn’t a ‘must-win-at-all-costs’ kind of father.

Though it was just a brief moment, I imagined what kind of father the Emperor would have been if he had been born into modern society.

A capable and good father, perhaps.

…No, the reason why the Emperor isn’t thinking of being the ‘ruler of another world’ is probably because of this. If he was born in my country or any other, he would have bootstrapped himself to power by force. If he had been born in Korea, by now, he would have been a congressman or the president.

It was a thought I would entertain with no basis, but the character traits of being an Emperor were firmly established.

“Then, would you like to try a different game? There are still some fighting games I haven’t tried yet.”

“Then let’s do that.”

As I reached out for help, the Emperor quickly grabbed my hand.

It felt a bit strange. It seemed like we had been really trying to step on each other’s toes in the other world.

I rifled through the software I had prepared on the desk and spoke.

“This is a fighting action game. The goal is to knock your opponent off the map. You can play in teams or as individuals.”

“Then let’s do individual matches.”

Alice spoke up.

That was a wise choice.

If I showed signs of not wanting to be on the same team as the Emperor… wouldn’t we all become disobedient daughters?

Though it had been the Emperor who committed the first sin, technically.

Seeing the Emperor nod seemed to show he agreed with that sentiment.

In the end, we ended up playing individual matches—

Wow, Sylvia isn’t good at online games at all!

…

I realized I had much less talent in fighting games than in racing games.

Dun-dun-dun!

Still, having played games together like that was pretty helpful.

The awkward relationship had improved significantly. It seems fighting really is the best way to get closer.

“Then in this game, I’m the villain?”

“Yeah… well, kinda.”

I nodded.

“But in games like this, it’s often the one in a high position who plays the villain. Not just the Emperor.”

“No need to defend me. I was pretty close to a villain in the other world, too.”

The Emperor chuckled at my words.

Hahaha!

“….”

Right? Why did I say that?

Seeing me close my mouth, Alice and Claire started to laugh.

Tsundere daughter, LOL!

Father-daughter relationship looks really good!

They should have seen the moment the Emperor thrust a knife into my back.

I would’ve been dead if it weren’t for the Gryphon. Really.

“However, the Emperor’s position in this work is a bit ambiguous. It was probably a bit much to appear in a leading role. After all, you were already the main villain in the previous work.”

“In that case, I’m honestly a bit curious about the previous work.”

“…I don’t appear in the previous work, though.”

The Emperor shrugged as if to say, “Well, what can you do?”

“Then, let’s get started.”

I clicked the start button, fearing that if I kept talking, we’d never get to play.

And shortly after starting the game—

“Is that so? A battleship?”

The Emperor murmured with a serious expression.

“Can you do that too?”

“I could do it.”

I exhaled lightly as I spoke.

I had actually done it once. Of course, that was ‘in another timeline’.

“……So that’s what you did back then.”

“In fact, I’ve never directly blown anything up. I just passed on the information.”

“You should be grateful that you didn’t fall on the capital.”

“….”

I had done infiltration. I’d thrown grenades too. Anyway, I had rummaged around inside that battleship.

Now that the time has passed, I can’t do that anymore.

“It was indeed riskier than I imagined.”

The Emperor’s serious expression was a rare sight.

“…Please don’t get too immersed in the game.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. After all, it’s related to me.”

The Emperor was joking.

Well, that’s all in the past now.

I thought that as I pressed the button.

Chapter 462

“To put the entire Empire at risk for a single friend, honestly speaking, I wouldn’t have made that choice.”

“Sure.”

I nodded. The Emperor would never have done that. Not for the many… but he casually sacrificed others for his own power.

At least the first Emperor had the justification of seeking human freedom; the current Emperor just wanted the world itself.

Trying to use that device wasn’t about the power of the first Emperor, but about stealing the power of the Goddess.

“But it’s definitely a very ‘you’ thing to do.”

“…”

I looked at the Emperor while holding the controller.

“I never thought it was wrong. Just that our desires were different. In the end, didn’t you win?”

“…I did win, yes.”

Though I hadn’t fully formed that conclusion here, it seemed unlikely that going back would flip the situation.

“There were many attempts, after all.”

“Hmm.”

The Emperor shrugged.

I took another look at the game screen.

[Concept is solid, lol]

[Just a minute ago, they were just a father and daughter, and suddenly they’re enemies.]

I even glanced at the chat.

It seemed everyone didn’t take my conversation with the Emperor too seriously. They were just treating it as a concept.

“If Your Majesty had a power like mine, what would you have done?”

“I would have solidified my plans.”

“How many times would you have gone back in time?”

“Indeed.”

The Emperor said, sitting with his arms crossed.

“For quite a long time, I thought you could see the future. Ultimately, that was somewhat true, but in reality, it was a much harder path. I think you’re amazing. Just because others think you can do it doesn’t mean it’s easy.”

“When did you become so humble?”

I chuckled.

In the game, news spread that Sylvia had gone missing after the battleship crashed.

If Sylvia had been on the battleship, where could she have disappeared to?

I recalled the internal layout of the ship.

I had thoroughly explored every nook and cranny. But remembering all of that was stretching it. Throughout the time-turning, I had tried to memorize the inside of the battleship.

To be able to instinctively navigate it. To recall exactly what it was like when I closed my eyes.

In the end, I had blown it up. Though it wasn’t my doing directly.

Did she use a parachute? Maybe it was a delayed bomb. It could have been discovered before it exploded, but Sylvia had infinite chances. As long as she succeeded just once after hundreds of attempts, it would appear as if she had succeeded on the first try.

That doesn’t mean it was easy.

In any case, after the battleship fell, Sylvia went missing. No one chased after her.

The remaining children panicked and worried about Sylvia, which the Emperor watched quite seriously.

“Honestly speaking, I’ve almost never thought about being in a position of suffering.”

“Is that so?”

I was surprised by the Emperor’s words. Alice and Claire felt the same.

No, it wasn’t the fact that he had never considered being in a position of suffering that surprised me. It was my surprise at him saying that in this situation.

The Emperor… wasn’t he kind of a self-righteous person? He was someone who would rather crush others than negotiate when he had the power.

For him to sound like he empathized with the people he crushed… it was hard to accept.

[Sylvia looks horrified, lol]

[Is it because the Emperor said that? lol]

[If it’s a concept, it looks like he could act.]

“So, is the feeling of sympathy now overflowing?”

“Well…”

The Emperor quietly stared at the screen.

Alice in the game looked anxious. Claire was ready to jump out any second, but then Charlotte stopped her.

Other characters felt the same. They genuinely worried about the missing Sylvia.

Sylvia was probably, just like I was, a member of a secret force under the Emperor. Known as the Emperor’s children, a name given by others.

“It’s a bit different from that feeling.”

“Maybe it’s because I’m an ordinary person here.”

Alice said in a somewhat haughty voice.

If anyone here had feelings resembling affection for the Emperor, it would undoubtedly be Alice.

Though I stood as the Emperor’s child, we had been at each other’s throats for a long time, and Claire, while having some blood relation, wasn’t a child raised by the Emperor.

But Alice was different.

From childhood, she sought her father’s attention, almost leading her down a twisted path. Fortunately, the Alice I knew didn’t have that twisted personality.

“In this world, there’s no privilege of being an Emperor. It’s far removed from the story of being born with the future of an Emperor in store from the moment of birth, right?”

“Hmm…”

The Emperor pondered again after Alice’s words.

“I wasn’t born an Emperor from moment one.”

[It’s a prequel.]

[This is actually kind of interesting to hear.]

[At this point, it feels genuine.]

There were still people in the chat thinking our conversation was just following the characters.

Yet the atmosphere had calmed down a bit compared to before. There were fewer who seemed to enjoy our dialogue than before.

Perhaps it was a mood where it couldn’t just be light-hearted laughter.

No matter how much it was a concept, if the performers looked serious, it wasn’t too strange for other people to start questioning its sincerity.

“There were countless adversaries, and I dealt with them one by one. I couldn’t let the nobility take power. My blood needed to be shared widely. To ensure the success of my plans, I needed many possibilities, and I prepared for it over a long time.

The Emperor’s words felt like something I had heard before but, at the same time, felt completely new.

Because of his attitude. That one difference created such… an eerie feeling.

“Looking back now, how do you feel?”

“Well, I still have to accept what I did. That was my entire life.”

A life chasing power.

“Does that mean you have things you want to try out now? Is there anything you want to start anew in the remaining part of your life?”

“…To some extent, yes, I can say that.”

“Even so, when you go back, I won’t leave you here.”

I replied firmly.

I don’t think the three of us believed we could keep the Emperor firmly in check. The Emperor was someone capable of plotting new schemes anytime, anywhere. To think we could completely thwart someone like that was arrogance.

So, I can’t leave the Emperor in this world.

Though I might not come back here, even if I never see this world again, I won’t let the Emperor devour this world.

…In this world, my family still exists. Not the family I gained over there, but my parents and my younger sibling who raised and birthed me are here.

Though I hadn’t met them again yet, I wasn’t too comfortable thinking that the Emperor, if left behind, could involve those people in whatever he might do.

“I don’t expect anything either. And—”

The Emperor said after a moment of thought.

“And don’t worry; what I want to try out here isn’t particularly dangerous.”

“You think there’s a fool out there who would fully believe the words of someone who, while claiming to make the world peaceful and free, is plotting to make that very world his puppet?”

Upon my words, the Emperor closed his mouth while chuckling again.

“…”

A brief silence fell in the broadcast room.

The chat sensed the atmosphere, and questions began popping up.

“…Ta-da!”

Claire, having watched the scene, suddenly shouted at the screen.

“This was all part of a script written in advance! What do you think? Was it convincing?”

[Lolololol]

[Of course it was]

[If it’s a concept, it looks like it got a little too serious.]

“I’m sorry. It seems I have a personality that gets immersed when performing.”

I also said with a slight hint of teasing.

“Right? Sylvia, you tend to get a bit too immersed in your acting.”

Alice laughed as she said it.

No, that was just a real diss. She was talking about how I was holding on to a concept over there.

“I had almost completely forgotten it in that performance.”

The Emperor defended me.

I wasn’t really pleased by that.

I wasn’t particularly happy, but…

How should I express this feeling?

…

For now, I’ll just set aside expressing it.

Later, when my feelings become a bit clearer, I can decide then.

I let out a light sigh and continued with the game.

Chapter 463

The first reaction to the first joint session ended up being quite good.

I had recently started learning editing, so it seemed like a good idea to upload it as my first edited video.

“How about a horror game?”

“A horror game… you mean?”

I pondered for a moment. It could be fine. Of course, the main content would be me getting startled while the Emperor has a poker face throughout the entire game.

“Well… I’ll think about it.”

I replied, temporarily setting Claire’s opinion aside.

*

The three of us shared the same room.

The room was large enough for three beds to fit side by side, and there were three desks for each of us.

Actually, I think the term ‘enough’… can be viewed a little differently depending on the person.

I said it was ‘enough’ because there was space on the floor for me to sit, but to those who view space as more spacious, it might seem a bit cramped.

Still, we were grateful to have a room of this size, especially since the previous one-room was a bit… cramped.

“I do miss those times a bit.”

Claire said as she lay on her bed staring at the ceiling.

“It was kind of fun sleeping all snuggled up next to my sister. It was cozy too.”

“… Was it?”

The Emperor is much bigger than us.

Not just taller, but also broader and sturdier. When lying down, I think he occupies about 1.2 to 1.3 times the space of an average adult male?

So, with a wall of belongings separating him from us, I, Alice, and Claire had no choice but to sleep somewhat close to each other.

At first, it was tough to adjust.

I had spent time with Claire in Azernar and with Alice as well, but I never actually shared a bed with either of them.

In the orphanage, even though it was old, we each had our own beds, and in the Imperial Palace, we used different rooms which were large enough to be a bit too spacious for one person.

So, there was no sleeping like this… close to a girl.

Yeah, I know. Claire is my sister. Alice is also my sibling. Of course, I didn’t think about it that way. It’s just how it is. I had been ‘alone’ for too long. In many senses.

“…”

After a moment of thought, I said, “How about we go camping sometime?”

I heard someone suddenly sit up.

Alice was sitting up on her bed.

Since Alice was on my right and Claire was on my left, I also sat up and looked to my right.

“Really?”

Alice said, her eyes sparkling. For a brief moment, they had remarkably similar expressions as Claire. Must be a sister thing?

“I’ve been thinking about it. Camping in this world can only be enjoyed here after all.”

Camping in Azernar would likely just be the same as camping. They might have a lighter, but they don’t have the lightweight tents or all sorts of hobby camping gear like in this world. It’s all heavy metal.

To actually ‘enjoy’ camping, we would need a lot of people over there.

“However, there’s a lot to prepare. For example, if we don’t have a car, it’ll be quite a problem. But none of us three have a driver’s license.”

I originally had a driver’s license, but it disappeared when I traveled between worlds. The Goddess didn’t seem keen on taking care of that.

Sure, I can just get the license again, but… I might be short on time. I was almost at that light of ‘future’ after all.

It seemed that the Emperor’s economic activities had bothered the Goddess more than I thought.

“About the license, that person got one last time.”

But just like that, Claire swatted my worries away.

When I turned around, Claire was sitting up as well. Her finger was pointing toward the door. It was the direction Claire referred to as ‘that way.’

Beyond that door was another room—The Emperor’s room.

“… Wait, did the Emperor get a license?”

“Yeah. When we stayed in the one-room. You know how he went in and out a lot in the morning? He must have gotten it during those times.”

“How do you know that?”

“Well, I asked him.”

“…”

Oh, now that I think about it, during the joint session, he did say that racing wasn’t that realistic.

Could he have been serious when he said that?

“However, that means the Emperor will also be involved in the camping trip.”

“…”

Alice’s eyes widened significantly.

That sort of expression usually means there’s something she wants to talk about, but it’s too embarrassing to bring up.

“… Um, I…”

Alice opened her mouth but glanced at me and fell silent.

Hmm.

I think I understood what Alice wanted to say.

Alice was conflicted.

The Emperor was someone Alice had admired for nearly her entire life. Before entering the academy, Alice did all sorts of things just to catch the Emperor’s eye. We slowly became friends after I calmed her down on the train, and by the time we headed to the academy, Alice considered me a sister.

But that doesn’t mean Alice’s feelings toward the Emperor completely vanished either.

And… Alice also had her share of grievances against the Emperor. Putting aside the political stuff, the Emperor was the one who almost put a knife into me.

But still, the Emperor was Alice’s father.

“Alright, then—”

“I think we should leave out the Father.”

Just when I was about to suggest letting the Emperor drive, Alice cut me off decisively.

“… Huh?”

I asked back.

“If it’s because of that, then there’s no need to force it.”

But Alice shook her head at my words.

“I still… haven’t completely forgiven him. While I plan to treat him a bit easier while I’m here, I still need to judge him according to the law when we go back.”

“…”

“Setting aside what happened in the Empire, he’s the one who almost killed you. You were the only one who stood by my side during my childhood. And if it weren’t for you, it would have been Claire.”

Claire and I were momentarily at a loss for words.

It felt a bit… like we got hit. I had assumed Alice had forgiven the Emperor since she had been treating him so kindly lately.

“I want the three of us to go.”

Alice said firmly.

“…”

I turned to Claire. She shrugged her shoulders.

After thinking for a moment, I spoke.

“However, if we go camping, we’ll ultimately need a car. No matter how close we go, we’ll still have a ton of stuff to carry.”

At my words, Alice fell silent.

Should I get my license first?

I thought about it, but leaving with just the Emperor… made me feel a bit uneasy.

It wasn’t that I was worried something would go wrong… it just felt strange.

“… I do have money to buy a car, so let’s just ask the Emperor. If he’s going to buy a car, he’d probably be happy about it.”

At my words, Alice showed an uneasy expression. Though we shared the same feelings, her reasoning was the opposite of mine.

I understood, not because I couldn’t, but because I understood too well that it would be an issue.

“So, do we have to use the same tent?”

“… Tents could be two. We can just book two spots.”

At my simple suggestion, Alice and Claire chuckled.

“Are you really okay with that?”

Alice asked me again.

“I appreciate you thinking of me, but to get what you want, you should also be ready to give up something. And… I feel that the Emperor…”

I pondered for a moment before saying, “I think things have changed a bit. Although it may not have been long, and perhaps it’s just because the place has changed.”

At my words, Alice and Claire donned thoughtful expressions.

“Then… let’s take some time to think about it. After all, we aren’t at the point of going back yet.”

“Yeah, that’s true. Besides, we’ll need time to choose camping gear anyways, and we can’t just buy a car right away.”

“That’s right. For now, we could either buy or borrow a car under the Emperor’s name, and then we can work on getting our licenses.”

Of course, doing so would lead to various restrictions like insurance and whatnot, but it’s not that we were low on money. And as long as whoever drives has a license, it’s not illegal if the ownership isn’t an issue.

At my words, Alice and Claire nodded again.

Thus, wrapping up our meeting without the Emperor knowing, we ended the discussion.

By the way, I only remembered the fact that the Emperor didn’t know the next day when we all sat down at the dining table.

Was it a bit inappropriate to have a meeting without him knowing?

Chapter 464

And in the end, we became just like we talked about.

Upon reflection, we really didn’t have time. It wasn’t just a matter of buying a car or not, or getting a license or not.

The weather was slowly getting colder.

In a month, winter would officially start, and by then, the kind of weather that would make me reluctant to sleep outside would arrive.

We had already decided whether to go to the mountains or the sea. We didn’t think of any other options besides the sea.

Maybe it was because all three of us were from big cities.

In my past life, I lived in Seoul, and in Azernar, I lived in the Runedarium. These two lived their whole lives in the Runedarium as well.

Living among closely packed buildings, it makes sense to want to go somewhere with a better view.

We just bought a used car. The reason for buying a nearly new car as a used one was that there was a bit of a wait for a new car.

Anyway, a used car is just something you buy and drive away with.

And since I had no desire to die early, I got the inspection done neatly.

In the meantime, I bought various camping supplies.

“Camping, huh.”

Before buying the car, the Emperor, who seemed to be somewhat informed about our plans, had a slightly puzzled expression.

“What’s the point of wanting to sleep outside?”

“…….”

Well, that was something only noble people of the old days would think of.

But it couldn’t be helped. The Emperor was from back then, being royal and all.

“It’s like going on an extended picnic.”

“In that case, wouldn’t it be better to stay at a hotel by the beach? I’ve heard there are plenty of those in this country.”

That’s true.

People naturally want something a bit cozier and more comfortable as they age. Of course, there are those who only develop a taste for camping when they get older.

I, for example, when I was young, would just go down and pick any motel nearby to drink with friends.

But as I got older, I could no longer do such things, so when I went, I would spend more for a hotel.

Of course, as I aged even more, all my friends became too busy and even had families, leaving us with no time to go at all.

But if I had gone alone, I would have definitely chosen a place where I wouldn’t wake up with back pain.

“…… Spending time in such places can be nice too.”

Thus, I couldn’t openly contradict the Emperor. I knew just how wonderful a comfortable trip could be.

Still, I really wanted to go camping with Claire and Alice.

“Hmm.”

It seemed the Emperor didn’t fully grasp our thoughts, but in the end, he went along with it.

Well, what could he do if he didn’t?

…What could he do? He could easily live alone by himself comfortably.

Looking back, there was really no way for the three of us to stop that from happening.

The Emperor was sharing the same house with us, but perhaps the desire to return was stronger? We had talked about this before, and that was his answer back then.

Well, anyway.

So, we hastily made some plans.

Even so, we managed to reach our destination without any strange incidents.

Camping supplies could be purchased. There was someone to drive the car, and we successfully got the car. The only thing left was the location, but that didn’t turn out to be a big problem either.

While it was a season where many people were camping, fortunately, there was an available camping site.

Strangely enough, it was a place with a very good view, yet there weren’t many people.

…Every time I find myself in such a fortunate situation, I can’t help but think it’s a scheme by the Goddess. It feels like she’s asking why I would want to return when it’s so nice to live here.

But if I end up not going back, she would probably retaliate in her own way afterward.

Is this just my paranoid thinking?

It doesn’t matter since I wasn’t planning on going back anyway.

“……”

We rushed, and although we prepared quickly, looking back, we didn’t do nothing. We were quite busy moving about.

Upon arrival, reflecting on it, it was worth being busy.

“It’s beautiful…….”

Claire murmured.

I nodded at her murmuring.

“Indeed.”

“I’m glad we came.”

Well, the Emperor was doing the driving, after all.

The Emperor was watching the sea from a point slightly away from the three of us.

“I want to go in the sea for a bit.”

“The water will be too cold.”

“Oh, I’m not saying I want to dive completely. I just want to dip my feet.”

At Claire’s words, Alice and I looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

The three of us went to the sea wearing sandals.

The seawater was cold. If I had jumped in, I would’ve run out immediately with my teeth chattering in just a few seconds.

But dipping my feet was a pretty good idea.

I could smell the unique brininess of the sea.

I briefly closed my eyes and took a deep breath, then suddenly turned back to look at the Emperor.

The Emperor… well, to say it bluntly, he looked like an uncle.

I don’t know why I suddenly thought that. His outfit wasn’t anything special. He was dressed in a hiking jacket with a zipper just around the neck area and stretchy fabric pants, like something you’d wear at home. Still, he seemed to be aware of the sand at the beach as he was wearing sandals like us.

Maybe it was a bit chilly, so he wore a thin padded vest.

…

I realized it was that padded vest. Every other piece of clothing looked uncle-ish, but that one was the pinnacle.

And the background played a part too.

I had spent relatively few outings with the Emperor. When I did go out, I acted without thinking about his presence. I had no reason to consider his feelings…

But since I had seen the slightly human side of the Emperor while being together, he strangely seemed a bit familiar.

I let out a small sigh.

Then I turned and walked away.

“Sis?”

Claire called me, but I waved a hand slightly and walked over to the Emperor.

After just a moment in the sea, my sandals and feet were soaked with seawater. I could feel the soft sand sticking to my feet instantly.

I reached the Emperor.

He was deep in thought and looked at me, blocking his view.

“Roll up your pants.”

The Emperor seemed to take a moment to interpret my words.

And it looked like he failed to interpret it properly.

“Does that mean… it is exactly what it sounds like?”

The Emperor really asked me, which was rare.

“Of course. Those shoes can get wet, right?”

The Emperor observed me for a moment.

“So, you’re telling me to come into the sea like you?”

“I’m not saying dive in. Just get your feet in.”

The Emperor stared at me for a moment again.

“So…”

“Yes. Since you came with us, you should join in with us.”

The Emperor looked at me again as he tried to interpret what I was saying.

But ultimately, he failed to understand once again.

The Emperor slowly bent down and rolled up his pants.

Wow, rolling up his pants really made him look like an uncle.

I nearly burst out laughing in that moment but forced myself to hold it in and said, “Are you going in now?”

“Did you just try to laugh?”

“No.”

“I’ve been in politics longer than your whole life.”

That’s true.

But considering my past life, it might not be that long. At that time, the Emperor was still ‘young’ enough to be considered so.

…

But thinking back, the Emperor was probably studying politics even back then. Forget that previous statement.

“Anyway, no I didn’t.”

I stubbornly insisted and turned away.

As I started to walk forward, I heard the Emperor’s hesitant footsteps follow behind me.

“Why are you being so timid when you used to swing your sword so avidly on the battlefield?”

“Needing to get wet is different from doing it for no reason.”

“……”

Wow, this guy really doesn’t get it.

Glancing back, I saw Claire and Alice looking at us with intrigued expressions.

I was the first to step into the sea. The sand sank beneath my feet, and the water rose to about my ankles. It was indeed cold. If I stayed too long, my feet would surely freeze.

“The water feels refreshing and cool.”

“……”

At my words, it seemed the Emperor finally gave in.

After some hesitation, he stepped forward, putting his feet into the sea.

“……”

“What do you think?”

“Indeed, the water is cool.”

The Emperor acknowledged reluctantly.

“Sometimes living a little younger is good for your health. If you only think about politics and the economy every day, you’ll age faster.”

“Is there a basis for that?”

I didn’t bother answering.

Chapter 465

Hmm, well…

Seems like bringing the Emperor along was a pretty good choice, after all.

If it was just the three of us, I’d feel a bit guilty, and surprisingly, watching the Emperor who’s almost clueless about daily life was kind of funny.

Let’s see…

At home, the Emperor didn’t really cook much.

It’s not because he’s overly patriarchal; it’s just that picking the menu usually fell to one of us three—me, Claire, or Alice.

We’d decide what we wanted to eat, prepare the cooking together, and then call the Emperor. Naturally, his chances to cook disappeared.

And because of that, the Emperor wasn’t very good at grilling meat.

“It’s only natural since I’ve lived my whole life eating meat grilled by others.”

I said that while I grilled the meat myself.

“Technically, the one who usually grills meat in this kind of setting should be the father figure, but it can’t be helped.”

“Ahem.”

The Emperor made a noise that hinted he was a bit uncomfortable.

This kind of talk was actually rare to hear in Azernar.

The Emperor… well, he rarely got angry, good or bad.

It’s a bit like…

He has one of those frustrating ways of thinking that screams, ‘I’ve thought about that too.’ Maybe that’s why he’s good at stocks or something, meticulously calculating the risks and diversifying his investments.

I was really curious, so I tried watching a rebroadcast, but honestly, just watching doesn’t mean you can imitate it. It’s more of a method where you literally do nothing and just focus on stocks for almost all your time.

But when the Emperor joined us to play around, he seemed a bit relaxed.

“It’s surprising that someone who can do so much can’t cook.”

Seeing the Emperor like this for the first time, I figured this was my chance and started teasing him.

As I watched sausages sizzling on the burner, a shadow fell over them.

Looking up, I saw the Emperor had come close.

“…Do you have a pair of tongs?”

The Emperor asked, and I happily handed him a pair. I brought plenty just in case multiple people wanted to grill at the same time.

“If you teach me how to grill, I’ll give it a try.”

“Are you sure? Cooking is harder than it seems. Didn’t you just fail at grilling meat a moment ago?”

Honestly, that was kind of inevitable.

Unlike relatively easy grilling, like with pork belly or shoulder—which isn’t too tough—the meat the Emperor tried to grill was a thick slab of beef! Without the right feel, he couldn’t help but burn the outside.

But since he was grilling sausages now, it probably wouldn’t be a huge issue.

“You can learn what you don’t know.”

“You have a positive mindset.”

Hmm…

If I tease him too much, would it look like revenge for losing in the last game?

But I figured it didn’t really matter. After all, we weren’t broadcasting. Even though Alice and Claire were watching, they already knew my real personality.

I guess you could say it was the attitude of someone who’s given up everything.

“Then, let’s give it a shot.”

“Okay.”

The Emperor nodded seriously at my words.

…

To sum it up, the Emperor actually learned to cook quite well.

It was his first time grilling today, so I couldn’t say it was perfect. I wasn’t a chef either, so I didn’t think I had taught him perfectly.

Still, he didn’t burn the outside too much, and the insides weren’t cold, so that was good enough, right?

The first thing we grilled was beef; this time it was pork.

“The food in this country is wonderful.”

“Well, more than half of what we’re eating is actually foreign food.”

“But since it’s made in our country, you can’t say it tastes exactly the same, right?”

That was a fair point.

Honestly, the sausages from Azernar were tastier. And it’s no wonder, considering Azernar is modeled after Europe. It’s even bizarrely a mix of Germany and Britain.

It was a country famous for sausages so there were all kinds overflowing.

Still, dining out was mostly awful. I don’t know why that is.

“If I may say, compared to Azernar’s food, there’s a bigger chance that whatever food you bring from anywhere else will taste better.”

Unless it’s a case of them being too poor to cook properly.

I think that even if genuine British food was served, it’d be far worse than Azernar’s cuisine, right?

“With all the ingredients coming from all over the continent’s history, they should be the best.”

“If it’s not properly distributed, then it’s pointless.”

“That’s true.”

“Well, I’m learning various things too, so don’t worry. I’ve heard that countries similar to ours are implementing many forms of welfare policies. We’ll have to apply it slowly over time.”

“There’s no need to discuss national prosperity while camping.”

Claire seemed a bit irritated as she said that, and we all laughed.

“Ah, right!”

Claire clapped her hands, quickly grabbing the camera hanging around her neck.

She loved taking pictures, and she was always printing and storing them whenever she had the chance.

“Everyone, look here!”

Claire said as she aimed the camera at us.

Me, Alice, and even the Emperor all squeezed into the shot, click! She took the photo.

“Great, great.”

It was October, and the sun was already setting. The sky was clear. It was either not a day for the moon to rise, or a few bright stars were already twinkling.

The Emperor quietly watched Claire doing that.

“What’s wrong?”

I asked, and the Emperor shrugged his shoulders.

“Just thinking about other possibilities that haven’t happened.”

“Within those possibilities, someone probably did stop your plans.”

“That’s not what I was thinking.”

The Emperor said with a grin, as if he found it amusing.

“I was just thinking about those who got caught up in the things I did.”

…

I wonder if becoming an ordinary citizen changed his perspective.

But honestly, we’re living a lot better than most ordinary citizens.

…You might have risen to the top even if you were born in the back alleys.

“You think so?”

“I do.”

It really seemed that way.

Even if it was the back alleys of Azernar, the Emperor would have struggled a lot from the moment he realized he was born into this world.

And I think that struggle would bear fruit.

“Perhaps it might have been safer for you to be born as the Emperor.”

“Sometimes, I think that way too.”

The Emperor said with a smile.

“It’s usually less of a sacrifice to be the one rising to the top than it is to struggle just to get there.”

I didn’t have any comeback to that statement.

…

Midnight.

It had gotten pretty cold, but the three of us—me, Claire, and Alice—were sitting together on the beach.

Looking up at the sky, the stars were quite visible.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t like those picturesque illustrations or movies where the Milky Way is on full display. It was just that there were more stars shimmering in the sky than in Seoul.

But even that I found very beautiful.

“I hope we can do this when we go back to Azernar.”

“We should be able to. After all, I’m going to be the Emperor, right?”

“…No, if you go with the Emperor, there will be soldiers everywhere.”

“That’s just something we’ll have to deal with. The other side really has bandits and thieves lurking around.”

Claire made a “Tch” sound in response to Alice’s words.

“Well, if there’s a chance to hang out, you better take me along too. I don’t want to be the only one left out while you two have fun.”

It was such a Claire-like remark that I almost laughed.

“…?”

For a moment, we all paused to speak.

…”Does it seem like that person’s personality has changed a bit?”

Claire was the first to break the silence.

“Yeah, it’s not at all the person we saw in the Empire. Do you think the failure affected him significantly?”

I thought for a moment before I spoke up.

“And living in this world has probably influenced him a lot as well. I think we three are the biggest reason for that.”

“…Us three?”

I quietly gazed up at the heavens and said.

“The Emperor has never experienced family.”

“….”

Yeah, there was an Empress. He had a daughter. He did pick and cherish talented kids in his way.

But could those be termed as family relationships?

I… was a bit skeptical.

“…I think I understand what you mean.”

Alice said with a somewhat bittersweet expression.

“But just because he has that doesn’t mean a person… can become someone else. He’ll have to be careful when he returns.”

“I know.”

At my words, Alice let out a sigh.

Chapter 466

Actually, I’m the one in the three sisters who sleeps the most.

But I don’t think of myself as ‘lazy.’ I typically wake up around eight without even setting my smartphone alarm, assuming the sun is shining outside. Of course, that could be a bit delayed in winter.

Anyway, it was surprising that I was the first to wake up among the three sisters.

Usually, Claire is the one who gets up first and shakes us awake. Then she drags us out, still half-asleep, insisting we make the most of our time until we head back home.

But right now, Claire was sleeping.

Though she’s usually full of energy, sometimes to the point of being too much, seeing her asleep made her look like an angel.

No, wait. Claire is always an angel. She thinks I saved her when she was young, but I believe Claire saved my life in Azernar.

If it weren’t for her, everything I did would have been incredibly difficult.

With her always positive attitude, helping me with a smile, and lighting up my path, Claire has already become a very important person to me.

Alice is the same.

She might grumble a bit and sometimes doubt me, but she believes in me just as much as I believe in myself. It was also because I didn’t want to hurt Alice and Claire that I managed not to go crazy and corrupt in Azernar.

“… Hmm.”

I pondered for a moment while looking at the two angels sleeping.

Should I wake them up?

But… I didn’t feel like it.

I took out my smartphone. Then I took pictures of their faces. It wasn’t to take weird photos, I just thought they looked pretty while sleeping.

Since they both seemed to be sleeping really deeply, they didn’t wake up from the click of the smartphone.

Could it have been because we talked for a long time last night?

I couldn’t even remember what time we went to bed.

Then I grabbed my outerwear and stepped outside.

“Ugh.”

After shivering from the cold dawn air, I put on my windbreaker and zipped it all the way up. With my hands shoved into my pockets, I felt a bit better.

Taking a deep breath, I filled my lungs with the cold yet refreshing air, which helped clear my head a little.

“…”

Then, without saying a word, I walked towards the Emperor’s tent.

Hmm.

It seemed like no one was inside. While I couldn’t see inside from outside, there’s usually some presence when a person is sleeping.

I circled around the tent, which had its zipper completely closed, and shrugged.

If he was sleeping, I didn’t want to wake him up. There was no point in waking him up for no reason.

However, if he was awake—

I took another deep breath, letting fresh air fill my lungs as I headed towards the beach.

Swish, swish, the sound of the waves was magnificent.

I once read a novel that started with a phrase about the sea being like crayons… what was it again? Maybe it was The Ocean Is a Crayon or something. The beginning of the story had left a strong impression on me, just like that. The waves looked like a blue dragon rolling over.

And there was someone unmistakably recognizable standing on that beach.

Though he looked like he could be transitioning from middle-aged to elderly in just a few years, he still stood tall with broad shoulders. Was that the physique of someone who had supported a nation?

But standing alone in front of the sea made him seem so small, even though he was someone who had aimed to put nature beneath his feet.

I strolled aimlessly.

The sand, which had dried out somewhat overnight, didn’t cling much to my feet.

But I definitely felt grains of sand getting stuck between my toes.

With that aimless wandering, I reached the Emperor.

“Awake?”

“If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have come here. Do I look like I have sleepwalking issues?”

“… You’re saying things you wouldn’t have before.”

“That’s because you were the Emperor, holding absolute power. I had to hide my strength.”

“If that’s the case, you weren’t very successful. I never let my guard down around you.”

“Yeah, well, the Goddess felt the same way.”

I sighed deeply.

I listened to the sound of the waves for a moment.

I know that the realm of human emotions doesn’t obey the laws of physics. If the sound of the waves could wash away one’s worries, then everyone in the world would have become a Buddha by now.

But even so, I could still catch that ‘feeling’ to a degree. Honestly, changing the scenery is the best way to refresh oneself.

“Have you felt anything while staying in this world?”

“I’m curious about what prompted you to ask that.”

“I just thought you seemed a bit changed.”

“Is that so?”

The Emperor, with his hands in his pockets, looked rather like an international model in a sportswear advertisement while dressed similarly to me in his windbreaker.

And at the same time, he kind of resembled an old man. The latter is likely my personal impression because I might know this person that well.

“Just like you hid your strength in front of me, I also had things I needed to hide from you.”

“…”

I thought that was a fairly plausible excuse.

“Do you want to go back?”

“I’m thinking of going back.”

“Punishment will certainly be waiting for you when you return.”

“That’s my fault. It was my scheme, my plan. Then the conclusion is entirely mine.”

“That’s something a person who had been briefly sheltering in this world shouldn’t say.”

When I was the first to smile, the Emperor chuckled and said, “I was just thinking of buying some time.”

“Do you think it’s futile?”

“Do you believe there are futile things in this world?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Then this can’t be wholly futile either. At the very least, I had time to organize my thoughts. In fact, maybe it was too much. That seemed to be a bit of a problem.”

“… Perhaps it was a problem that we three got to stay together.”

The Emperor… not the ‘Emperor,’ but the time when he was my Father.

Of course, maybe Alice was the only one who thought of him as a father in the truest sense. But… well, isn’t it common for daughters and fathers to not quite see eye to eye?

This case might be the same.

That awkwardness is a rather serious kind of awkwardness.

“Yeah, maybe.”

The Emperor muttered in response.

After a brief silence, the Emperor glanced at me and said, “Did you say you lived here originally?”

“… Yes, but.”

Strictly speaking, ‘here’ isn’t accurate, but the Emperor didn’t ask if I lived in ‘Gangwon-do.’ To put it correctly, he was asking if I lived on ‘Earth.’

“Then you must have had family.”

“Yes.”

“…”

The Emperor pondered for a moment before speaking.

“Before you go back, wouldn’t you want to meet them?”

“Just a brief meeting would be fine. My family may not fully accept me as I am.”

“I see.”

The Emperor paused for a moment before continuing.

“I could give some of the money I’ve collected to your family.”

“…”

I stared at the Emperor.

“Wouldn’t they be a family that lost a child?”

“Are you the kind of person who would worry about such things?”

“…”

At my remark, the Emperor fell momentarily silent.

“When a person falls into a world of which they know nothing, they inevitably come to rely on someone.”

“…”

Did that really happen?

It was hard to tell, as the Emperor didn’t show it much.

Well, at least he taught me how to read. He was also the one who introduced me to the rules of this world and things like stocks.

The Emperor was the one who learned about smartphones from me.

Wow, I was actually a lot more helpful than I thought.

“Let’s consider it a minimum compensation. For what I’ve done for you.”

“Is this because you’ve changed your mind about your thoughts while staying in this world?”

“It’s not just your help.”

The Emperor spoke slowly.

“Alice and Claire have also helped you quite a bit while you weren’t looking.”

“…”

Well, I had been aware of that. No matter how much the three of us might be together, we wouldn’t be attached 24/7.

Claire helped edit the Emperor’s broadcasts and put them on YouTube, while Alice helped manage that channel.

The two knew about the strained relationship I had with the Emperor, but they didn’t feel the need to mention it. I didn’t particularly object to it, either.

“But still, the only reason I could buy some time in this world was because of your existence. If it weren’t for you, there wouldn’t have been any connection to this world at all.”

“…”

I didn’t quite know how to respond to that.

“… Let’s think about how to proceed step by step.”

“… Understood.”

At his words, I simply nodded.

“Sis!”

A moment later, a voice called out to me from behind.

Turning around, I saw Claire waving her hand towards me. Alice stood nearby, still looking a bit dazed from sleeping with a blanket draped over her shoulders.

“Are you going to your sisters?”

“Yes. Will you stay here?”

“Experiencing the view of the sea without guards is quite nice, too.”

At the Emperor’s words, I shrugged.

Then, I turned towards my sisters to enjoy the remaining time with the two of them.

Chapter 467

I’m a fundamental otaku, so I’m the type to really scrutinize the concept of abilities.

Whether it’s when I watch comics or anime, or even when I play games! Since I hardly play online games, I usually just raise my characters according to my preferences. Of course, if the character concept is clear like in a JRPG, then I won’t think of raising it in another way.

Anyway, that’s why I’ve thought about how to return to my original world when the time comes.

Should I make a grand entrance or just quietly slip back?

We concluded that a quiet return would be the best.

The Emperor didn’t particularly want to draw attention to our return, and Alice and Claire agreed with my words.

We confirmed the bright glow of the portal and took about a week to prepare.

Taking our time, we decided what we would leave behind and what we would take with us.

Alice chose a lot of books. She thought about preparing solutions to whatever might happen in the future once we returned.

Claire mostly packed photographs. It seemed she didn’t want to let go of the memories we built while living here. Besides that, she grabbed a few souvenirs.

The Emperor was… similar to Alice.

“Are you thinking of doing politics again over there?”

“Well, this is my idea; may I share it?”

“…Please go ahead.”

At my words, the Emperor shrugged.

“My shadow won’t disappear so easily. Of course, I might be imprisoned for quite a while. I might even lose the throne. But I don’t think they’ll execute me.”

“….”

I had thought up to that point as well.

“And even while imprisoned, there will be those who fear my name. My political enemies won’t easily attack Alice just because I’m ‘alive.’”

Alice nodded at those words.

“Are you suggesting we use your name?”

“That’s correct. And I could also give some advice in my own way.”

“….”

When I shot the Emperor a glare, he shrugged it off as if it were nothing.

“Well, it’s not that big of a deal. The advice I could offer would be just to apply my knowledge to estimate the current state of the Empire. As long as Alice doesn’t hand over all the Empire’s information, I can’t manipulate her. Besides, I didn’t raise my daughter to fall for those sweet words.”

Alice glared at the Emperor, but he continued speaking nonchalantly.

“I failed to take over the world. But the Empire is still my homeland. I can’t let it fall apart easily. And even if I wanted to manipulate Alice, I assume you wouldn’t think of leaving her side, would you?”

That was… true.

Of course, I had no intention of becoming the Emperor, and I wasn’t planning to rise to any official position, but if Alice were to take the throne, I would become first in line for succession.

So, naturally, I had to help Alice wholeheartedly, and that was my plan as well.

“So… hmm, it feels a bit odd to say this, but you probably don’t need to worry too much.”

“I understand.”

In the end, I could only nod at those words.

We brought the packed items into the living room. A large hiking backpack was almost full. Honestly, it was tough to carry around, but it wouldn’t be a big problem as long as I could head to Azernar.

And—

“About your family in your world…”

The Emperor spoke to me.

“I’ve been thinking about how to give them money.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. I believe the simplest answer is simply ‘to give it.’”

“Didn’t you say you’d think of another way?”

“I had a few ideas, but most would take too long. The most straightforward method is just to levy a tax and give them the money.”

“….”

“So, I think we have no choice but to meet them directly.”

“…Father.”

Alice spoke up, but the Emperor was only looking directly at me.

“If you don’t want to, then I won’t force you.”

I pondered seriously and eventually nodded.

“Have you thought about what you will say?”

“Yes.”

The Emperor nodded with a smile.

*

I… had no desire to meet my family in person.

If I got too close to even talk, I might end up crying or calling out “Mom”, or something like that.

In the end, what I chose was to describe my family’s appearances, tell their names, and things like that.

That wasn’t too difficult. I could easily find a place with a family photo. The computer I used was still in my small apartment, and we took it with us when we moved.

…It seems the Goddess thought a family photo wasn’t information that would disrupt the world’s order.

Well, it’s not like I could do anything just by having that. My ‘previous life’ in this world was already a dead person, and they were a real existence. Such photos would likely already be in my family’s computer.

I memorized their faces with the family photo, memorized names, addresses, and contact details.

The method the Emperor came up with was simple.

Open a bank account, deposit some money, and say, ‘Your son made a fortune in coins. I’ve been protecting that money until I finally found you.’ He would also explain that he was handing over the money because he had invested as seed money for stock trading.

He had many other sad stories prepared, but I figured it wasn’t necessary to enumerate them one by one. It was all just made-up anyway.

At a glance, it seemed like a somewhat… flimsy plan, but I had no choice but to rely on the Emperor’s oratory skills.

Alice, Claire, and I set up a spot on the second floor of a café near the apartment where my family lived, watching the street below.

Outside, the Emperor was waiting for my family.

After about 20 minutes of waiting…

“Ah.”

In the distance, I could see my family.

Even at such a far distance where their faces were barely visible, I hadn’t seen them for years, yet I still recognized them.

Mother, Father, and my younger sibling.

The three of them were walking together happily.

It seemed the Emperor spotted my family as well.

With a demeanor that showed no hesitation, he headed toward them.

When the Emperor approached and spoke…

The three of them seemed very taken aback.

I slowly sipped my coffee, watching as they talked.

As the Emperor spoke, at first, they reacted with uncertainty, but when the Emperor handed over the bankbook, it looked like they figured out the truth.

The climax was… the letter I wrote.

Currently, I had no way to prove that I am me. So the choice I made was to write my will myself.

“If anything happens to me, please send all the investments to my family,” I penned, which wasn’t a particularly long sentence.

But since it was written in my handwriting, I figured they would recognize it. Among my belongings, there were probably many things with my writing on them.

If they did a handwriting analysis, it would surely match mine, after all. It was something I wrote myself.

My mother took the bankbook and will, hugging them to her chest.

The Emperor exchanged a few more words with her, shook hands with my father and sibling, and then bowed respectfully before turning away.

The three of them quietly watched as the Emperor walked away, then slowly turned back toward the apartment.

“Are you okay?”

“What?”

Alice suddenly spoke up, causing me to flinch.

When I turned my head, I saw Alice looking at me with a slightly worried expression. The drink in her glass hadn’t decreased at all.

“Are you sure you’re okay without meeting them directly?”

“….”

Truthfully, I wasn’t completely okay, but I felt this was sufficient.

I knew all three were safe, and I had seen that a fair amount of money was passed to them.

The reason I didn’t write a long letter was to avoid raising any suspicious points while reading it and to show that this wasn’t written as a genuine will.

Who would seriously write down detailed content while making a will to someone while investing money? At least, that’s not my personality.

I wrote it because I was told to, trying to create a casual atmosphere.

So—

“Yes, I’m fine.”

I figured that someday I would be able to meet them again. That’s what I believed.

“…Big brother.”

Claire gently placed her hand on my shoulder.

“….”

I turned my gaze back to the window.

The three of them were slowly walking into the complex, eventually entering the apartment building.

As the lights in the communal entrance lit up, their faces became clear even from afar. They looked a bit… sad.

“This is enough.”

I set my glass down and said with a slight smile.

“My family is here right now.”

At my words, both Alice and Claire smiled a little.

Yeah, I should go meet the Emperor again.

And… I should thank him for today.

Chapter 468

It was quite peculiar to see a middle-aged man gradually edging into his prime facing off against three teenage girls.

Whoosh!

Each of them carried bags that seemed ridiculously large compared to their bodies. Even the Emperor, towering over the average man, had a backpack that looked enormous when compared to himself.

Rumble!

It was packed to the brim with all sorts of stuff.

Honestly, we had no clue how much we could actually carry. I just assumed I could bring whatever was touching my body from the clothes I wore when I came this way.

But isn’t this whole premise a bit vague? If it were just a body swap, that would be one thing, but every work has its own take on how much you can actually bring along.

We just hoped we were right about what we thought.

By the way, Claire had tucked her most treasured photos into her clothing pockets, just in case, vowing that even if she had to leave her bag behind, she would at least clutch onto a few pictures.

“So… everyone ready?”

Claire spoke up.

The rest of us had our hands on the ‘zibo’ Claire presented. We weren’t just lightly touching it; we were gripping it tightly.

Because we wanted to go back.

I might have been born in this world, but I had accomplished far more in Azernar.

I wasn’t the type to easily give up everything I had worked for. I wanted to personally experience the happy ending I had achieved.

Alice and Claire shared the same sentiment.

As for the Emperor—

Just before Claire activated her power, I stole a glance at his face.

His expression was almost blank. It was different from our relieved faces.

Once we returned to the other world— the Emperor would have to step down from his position.

Even though he had fought and lost, losing everything he had built would surely be a despairing situation for an Emperor.

And yet, he chose to go back. He opted for the title of ‘former Emperor’ over living in riches here.

That thought was both understandable and hard to comprehend.

Well, I suppose a day would never come when I could completely understand the Emperor. No matter how much time passed.

…But then again, isn’t that the case for all humans?

Claire closed her eyes.

Seeing Alice and the Emperor do the same, I followed suit and shut my eyes too.

Claire didn’t say anything else. She simply poured her strength into the zibo—

Zoom!

“Yahh!?”

I let out an unexpectedly loud scream after quite some time.

The ground I was standing on abruptly vanished, not the most pleasant experience.

Though I was used to amusement park rides, I knew it was safe because I was securely strapped into something.

Being thrown into the air without anything tethered to me other than my backpack was just not my vibe.

Nevertheless, the bag I was carrying proved to be quite helpful.

I toppled backward. The bag hit the ground first, absorbing a fair amount of the impact, allowing me to avoid injury.

I wasn’t the only one to fall backward.

“Ouch…”

Alice, having apparently packed a lot of hard stuff in her bag, rubbed the back of her head grimacing after getting hit by something protruding from her backpack.

“Ugh… Still, I’m glad it’s not as painful as last time.”

Claire, who had fallen flat on the ground last time she came over, expressed her relief about this being better because of the backpack, sprawled out on the floor.

And then—

“…Hmm.”

I didn’t expect the Emperor to fall too.

Lying back on the ground, arms crossed, staring at the ceiling looked oddly comical. He resembled a serious character from a gag comic, yet somehow managed a slapstick moment.

I didn’t bother the effort of standing up with my backpack still on.

I loosened all the straps of my hiking backpack, slipped my arms out, and shook off my clothes as I stood up.

Looking around—everything was exactly as I had last seen it.

…Well, no, there were a few changes.

The knights who had been sprawled all over the floor seemed to have been cleared away. The local residents too.

There were still quite a few broken things scattered here and there.

I swung my arms around to loosen up and went over to Alice.

I helped yank the hiking bag off her struggling form to get her up.

“Hehe, sis.”

Claire seemed to be pausing intentionally, lying still while waiting for me. I smiled back and lifted her up like I did with Alice.

Now for the Emperor—

“Sylvia!”

I suddenly heard someone calling my name.

Then, I heard some mad footsteps approaching, as silver hair burst into my view.

Charlotte jumped into my arms.

She nearly toppled back just like when she was lugging that backpack a moment ago but managed to catch herself.

“Where have you been disappearing to!?”

Charlotte hugged me once, then went over to give Alice and Claire a quick hug each.

When I came to my senses, I realized everyone had gathered nearby. My friends and teachers from this world, along with everyone who had fought alongside us in the final battle.

“…To put it simply, it’s complicated. Let’s sort out the situation first, and then I’ll explain everything.”

I told Charlotte that.

Yes, there was a ton to say.

“…But how long have we been gone?”

“…Twelve years.”

Charlotte rubbed her eyes and said that.

“…What?”

“That’s obviously a lie.”

The Emperor stood up and stated flatly.

“If twelve years had really passed, someone like me wouldn’t be the only old one. You young folks practically wouldn’t look the same!”

“…”

As I looked at Charlotte, Leo, who had come closer, just chuckled bitterly.

“One hour. Everyone was gone for just an hour.”

I let out a sigh of relief.

“So—”

The Emperor strolled over leisurely and spoke.

“How are we handling the aftermath? Am I going to be arrested or something?”

“…”

Charlotte glared daggers at the Emperor.

It wasn’t just her. Everyone here turned to glare at him. Even those who didn’t didn’t hide their feelings of hostility in their eyes.

…Right.

We had gotten used to being around the Emperor after being with him for some time, but to everyone here, it would look like he simply vanished only to return after a brief while.

They still hadn’t processed their feelings.

The Emperor knew that too.

Watching him get restrained… was a bit unsettling.

“…What the heck happened?”

Charlotte, maybe having sensed my expression, looked at me with sharp eyes and asked.

“I’ll tell you everything.”

I nodded slowly, then glanced at Alice and Claire.

Both of them nodded seriously in agreement.

There was a mountain of things to do.

…But it was okay.

It felt like I had rested enough.

So now, I had to solve the tasks ahead.

Flash!

The zibo had vanished.

Maybe it was because we jumped worlds twice? Perhaps its powerful essence crumbled to dust or burned bright in the light.

Things began unfolding in order. Of course, that didn’t mean there weren’t any headaches, but overall, it went far smoother than I anticipated. The impending friendship between the next leaders of the Empire and Kingdom was quite helpful in such times.

“…Going to another world turned out to be more enjoyable than I expected.”

I stood before the Gryphon that followed me after the battle.

Though it looked at me with serious eyes, I couldn’t tell if that was just its default expression or if it understood my words.

Even if it did understand, it wouldn’t grasp such intricate details.

I shrugged and brushed through the Gryphon’s wing with a comb.

Sure, the wings were way too big for a comb of this size, but the Gryphon spread its wings wide, making it easier for me to comb through.

Well, I didn’t know if it would help the Gryphon, but it was helpful for me. It was a good way to organize my thoughts.

As I combed through its wings—

“Sis!”

That shout came from behind me.

“Claire?”

I turned around.

Claire was waving her hand, her face bright as the sun.

Did she have some good news?

“What about Alice…?”

As I was about to set the comb down, the Gryphon let out a disgruntled squawk behind me, but I waved it off and went over to Claire.

“She said she has something to say. So, I thought I’d tell you first.”

“What do you want to tell me?”

Claire grinned at my question.

Before I even sensed any unease from that smile, she grabbed my wrist tightly.

And—

“Yahh!?”

I felt that familiar sensation of the ground disappearing beneath me after such a long time.

What’s happening now?

Chapter 469

“…So that’s how it is.”

“Is that so? That’s good to hear.”

“……”

It’s been about two weeks since I realized we could travel back and forth across the world by absorbing Claire’s power.

During that time, I showed my friends another world.

With the apartment available, I didn’t have to worry about the location. Every time I brought a new friend, I even had a new ID, just like the times we went there before.

In fact, there might be issues after a few decades.

Right now, it’s easy for friends to meet, but in the far future, it’ll be difficult to find time.

What if it’s around their fifties? Some might never get to visit Earth again.

An ID left untouched, without even a death certificate…

Well, it would be best to keep taking them along consistently to avoid that.

And among all these situations, the most dangerous person was, of course, the Emperor.

“We’re still researching. Why is the place we return to always the starting point when we go that way, and conversely, why do we get similar results when going this way to that?”

It’s unlikely that a multi-story apartment building would just vanish randomly. I think it would last for as long as we could go to Earth.

But what if, by some chance, the apartment disappears while we are here?

As soon as we arrive in that world, we would appear dozens of floors up and fall straight to the ground.

Would the Goddess adjust that? Does she think it unnatural for people to fall from the air?

It felt a little troublesome to think too optimistically.

Well, it wasn’t something to worry about right now, anyway.

“The people over there miss you quite a bit.”

“Do they?”

The Emperor chuckled at my words.

“Yes. It’s not just because you helped them earn money through stocks; they enjoyed the moments when they talked while watching broadcasts. It seems your speaking skills are remarkable.”

“Well, it wasn’t all for nothing to have been in politics my whole life.”

The Emperor was still under house arrest.

It’s true he didn’t start a world war, but he did recklessly meddle in other countries. While I can’t disclose detailed stories, at least those in the leadership of the countries involved know what his objectives were.

So, it can’t be easily resolved. But at the same time, it was difficult to just throw him in prison.

As a result, he’s kept under this separate house arrest in the mansion right now.

“…Have you met the other kids?”

“I haven’t told them yet that we can go to another world.”

“…Perhaps that could be an alternative?”

“An alternative, you say?”

“Yes. Rather than keeping them in this world, it’s better to send them to another one.”

“…Have you developed any feelings of sympathy now?”

The Emperor fell silent, which was quite rare.

He looked a bit surly with his mouth shut.

“You’ve learned how to see people as people, huh? It hasn’t been long since that happened.”

“Perhaps it’s because I never really lived as a human.”

“…But, I still can’t fully trust you.”

“Probably so.”

“Therefore, I will… hold off on sending my… siblings to that world for now.”

The Emperor probably didn’t consider the possibility of going to Earth. Even if he knew it was a possibility, he had no intention of going until things reached this point.

Naturally, he wouldn’t have given orders for his children to conquer that world, nor had the time to do so.

But even so, every time I see the Emperor, I can’t help but think of that one chance.

“Is that so.”

The Emperor simply responded calmly.

I paused for a moment, then spoke to him.

“Maybe it’s because I’m one of them that I can think this way.”

“……”

“I can’t claim to be completely innocent either.”

That’s right. I’m someone with blood on my hands.

I’m not only talking about Mia’s father.

Due to the ability to rewind time, I’ve killed people and then put them back. I personally went in holding a gun when figuring out the inside of the Imperial Palace and the Dreadnought-class battleship.

Separate from rewinding time, I’ve killed before. In that earlier battle, I inadvertently rescued the Gryphon. I clearly committed murder. Although it was a combat situation…

I will definitely never go back to before then. Even if I rewind time, that ‘fact’ remains.

As I remember…

“……”

“In a way, you might be my father.”

I spoke with a self-mocking smile.

“I lived thinking I hadn’t learned anything from you… but, it seems I actually learned a lot.”

“…Hmm.”

The Emperor merely hummed in response.

“To be honest, I can’t just sit here talking to you pleasantly. Years of built-up suspicion and emotions can’t be washed away in an instant.”

I stared intently at the table.

Doing so, I felt the Emperor’s expression flicker.

I didn’t want to see that face directly. I didn’t want to show him my face either.

Yet, what I was saying eventually needed to be shown.

Thus, I ended up in this awkward position.

I intertwined my fingers on my lap, leaning back in the chair, I took a moment to gather my thoughts and said,

“But, I definitely appreciate what you did for my previous parents.”

Not everything in this world can be solved with money.

But that doesn’t mean nothing can be resolved without money. A lot of money makes a lot of things possible.

Having that buffer for my family was certainly welcomed.

“So… yes. I’m thankful to you for that.”

“……”

“Maybe I’m thinking a bit that it could have been your true intention.”

“Thank you.”

At the Emperor’s words, I fell silent again.

What else should I say?

“…My siblings are all under separate house arrests in different places. Fortunately, none of them have lost their lives.”

The Emperor didn’t reply.

“Someday, even after a long time has passed, I hope there will be a chance to do those things for each one of them. And that, like you and me, we could understand each other even just a little.”

“I understand.”

“…It’ll probably be a difficult task. Just a thought, but my siblings’ personalities are all a bit rough around the edges compared to me.”

“I know that much.”

With the Emperor’s reply, I raised my gaze slightly.

That smiling expression at the corner of his mouth never fails to throw me off.

“Of course, I believed you were the most difficult being to deal with.”

…..

Should I be happy about that?

I stood up from the chair.

“Someday… I’ll make arrangements for us to go back to Earth and spend time there again. Collecting money seemed to have been enjoyable for you.”

“Yes, that was the case.”

“Someday the resources over there will be needed too. To fix the broken bits of Azernar, we’ll need the information, technology, and inventions from that side. Perhaps even your talents will be needed to learn all that.”

“Do I have the right to meddle in such important work?”

“That’s why I said ‘someday.’”

I replied.

“Someday… when we truly do not need to doubt each other anymore. By then… Alice and I would think seriously about it too.”

“……”

The Emperor remained silent.

I slowly pushed in the chair.

“…Then, I will come again when there is time next.”

“Alright. I’ll be waiting.”

The Emperor replied like that to my words.

I nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then stepped back to leave the room.

*

“How was it?”

Claire, who had been waiting outside, asked.

“…It was better than I expected.”

Claire nodded with a smile in response to my answer.

“Then, shall we take a walk for a bit?”

Claire said that and walked ahead, and I followed behind her.

We walked silently for a while, even passing by the car parked in front of the building.

In this place, slightly away from the Imperial Capital, the smoke covering the sky was nowhere to be seen.

The sky… was blue. I guess it would be hard to see such a sky even on Earth.

“Thanks to you, various technologies are being introduced here. Pollution like that should decrease a lot.”

Claire said as she looked at me watching the sky.

“I hope so.”

And perhaps, based on the research results here, we could help Earth too.

“It’s going to happen, undoubtedly.”

Claire replied with a smile.

Under the blue sky, her fluttering blue hair looked remarkably good together.

Chapter 470

“…….”

“……”

Hmm.

I kind of regret this a lot.

I actually thought this was a pretty good idea.

Although time doesn’t flow here like it did back in Azernar, with months passing in this world for every hour we spent there, isn’t the world a bit more peaceful now that even the Emperor has softened a little?

So… um, I thought I might be able to help the Emperor’s other children somehow.

As a result, the person in front of me right now is Bella Fanggriffon.

But no, no matter how I look at it, bringing all of the Emperor’s kids together at once strikes me as a foolish idea.

But then I thought about it again, and bringing just one person along seems like a foolish idea too.

“…So, what do you want from me?”

Bella asked me.

Well, it’s not like I wanted something specific.

Maybe I’m just a little… sentimental.

It seems the Emperor thinks Claire is his daughter. Of course, it’s true that Claire is the Emperor’s daughter… I mean, she’s got his blood. The whole mess started when Lucas took me along instead of Claire.

And the Goddess was aiming for that too.

But it seems Claire doesn’t intend to fully accept that the Emperor is… her father.

She acknowledged the fact that they share blood, but everything else, that is, her true parents who raised her and saw her as their daughter, seems to remain the Grace Baron’s couple in her mind.

I think that’s a fair choice.

Anyway.

Claire has decided to cooperate with my plans. She seemed to understand the situation of the Emperor’s children reasonably well, and most importantly, Claire really likes me, another of the Emperor’s kids.

So right now, the people sitting in front of Bella are just me and Claire.

Alice was busy, and this was my first attempt to figure out the personality dynamics before we had any clashes.

“…I don’t really expect much.”

At my words, Bella’s eyes narrowed.

“More importantly, please eat. The ice cream is melting.”

I said that and picked up my spoon. It wasn’t packaged, but served in a shop, so the spoon was metal instead of plastic.

Where we are right now is a world-renowned ice cream franchise.

When I say world-renowned, it probably sounds like it must be a super amazing place, but if you think about it, this is fast food in the ice cream world. Back in my childhood, the prices felt ridiculously expensive, but nowadays, with inflation, this seems relatively reasonable.

Well, I don’t really have to think about prices in my current situation anyway.

I casually scooped some ice cream and put it in my mouth.

The rich chocolate flavor instantly took over my mouth.

Usually, I prefer a milder taste when eating food, but desserts are the exception. Especially cold desserts should feel sinfully sweet enough to make my blood vessels cry out!

Fortunately, Claire agreed with my taste.

Right now, though, Claire was nibbling on her ice cream, a bit self-conscious about it. Even the most cheerful person wouldn’t feel entirely at ease if the two people they were with seemed awkward and distant.

“……”

Bella was looking at me with a skeptical expression, but eventually, she picked up her spoon.

Then she looked straight at me and took a big scoop of ice cream before putting it in her mouth.

And then—

Her eyes widened.

See?

Of course, there’s ice cream in Azernar too. It’s surprisingly good, and the texture and taste are pretty similar to what you can get here.

But the flavor is nowhere near as ‘varied.’

Refrigeration, transportation, and manufacturing technologies are all inferior in Azernar compared to here, after all.

The food produced here by big companies pouring money into it is hard to replicate in Azernar.

“Is it good?”

“It’s decent.”

“Thank goodness. It’s not that high-class a dish.”

“…Huh?”

“In this world, it’s just about an average price to eat.”

“….”

“At least we don’t have to worry too much about starving while wandering around.”

At my words, Bella was momentarily silent.

“The apartment is in a safe place, so you should be able to relax for a while.”

“…What if I end up running away from here suddenly?”

“Are you thinking of running away? Living here won’t be easy, you know. The economy of this world is much sturdier than that of Azernar, and without money, you can hardly do anything. You’re considered part of my family, so restrictions will be even greater. They’ll treat you like a ‘rich and important figure.’”

Well, to be fair, Azernar is probably even tougher in that regard.

“So, what are you trying to say? Just to relax while I’m here?”

“That’s the intention behind the invitation, but is that a problem?”

“…Why?”

Bella asked again, genuinely confused.

Hmm.

I took a moment to gather my thoughts and answered.

“I want to make peace with you.”

“…Huh?”

“We’ve fought for our lives. I want to make peace. But saying it verbally alone wouldn’t be enough to understand, right?”

“…Did you eat something funny?”

“That could be it.”

I took another big scoop of ice cream and put it in my mouth. This time it was banana-flavored. It didn’t taste like ‘real’ banana fruit, but rather like an artificially strong claim of ‘I AM BANANA!’ that looked completely different.

But I liked it. At least that kind of flavor is hard to find back in Azernar.

“Maybe the food I ate while being with the Emperor has scrambled my brain.”

“You’re… siding with the Emperor?”

“No, not at all.”

I said firmly.

And while quietly looking at the ice cream, I continued.

“I don’t wish for you and the Emperor to reconcile. I’m just… curious to see if I could make peace with you too based on how my feelings have changed while being with the Emperor.”

Bella stared at me with her mouth agape.

“Have I said something weird?”

“Yeah. At least not like you, idiot.”

Bella said as if she couldn’t believe it.

“That’s not something ‘Sylvia Fanggriffon’ would say.”

“Of course it’s not the ‘Sylvia Fanggriffon.’ The powers I had back then are gone, so now I have to live cautiously.”

“……”

Bella once again picked up her spoon and scooped out some ice cream.

“…It’s good.”

“Yes, at least it’s a delicacy we can enjoy in this peaceful world.”

I replied to Bella, who was casually impressed.

*

When I got back to the apartment, I also brought Alice along.

At least since she didn’t seem likely to try to kill me, I figured it’d be fine to bring someone like Alice.

But that doesn’t mean we could all just crash in the same space. Not yet… that’s still too much. When it comes to sleeping, we’ll either have to send them back or just have the two of us return, one or the other.

“Movies…”

Bella muttered as she stared at the scene unfolding before her.

“Yes. It’s a movie.”

I replied.

“It’s really different from our world in many ways.”

“Well, in Azernar, it’s still at the infant stage.”

Various techniques are being explored, but it’s literally in the crawling stage. There’s still a long way to go to develop.

Bella seemed captivated by the movies from this world.

She was sitting very close to the TV, hugging her knees and staring at the screen.

Honestly, the movie wasn’t anything particularly special. It was just… something Bella picked based on the thumbnail that popped up on the screen.

The content was just a simple romance.

“Do you like it?”

“…Yeah.”

Bella nodded and replied.

Did she have any dreams from the past?

In the original story, she wasn’t a particularly significant character. Just a background character who died before the main story began.

Dreams… might not be impossible.

Considering her life’s hardships, it might’ve been hard to have any, but usually, even in tough situations, people engage in some form of imagination.

Even if they’re unachievable dreams, people still tend to fantasize.

Acting is a popular profession even in Azernar.

“Are you interested in acting?”

At my question, Bella looked at me as if asking what I was saying.

I shrugged lightly.

“Perhaps someday I might try my hand at it here.”

“…Don’t say such foolish things.”

I didn’t push the issue further.

After all, it was just something I said on a whim.

Neither Alice nor Claire brought up anything in particular about it either.

We just quietly sat on the couch behind Bella, watching the movie and her reactions to it.

…Will it help?

I thought it might help if she gets far away from the world she was born into—

But who knows, I still can’t tell.

Chapter 471

“…….”

“…….”

If there’s someone you’d rather not talk to, it’s better to create a situation where you don’t have to.

However, even if you don’t talk to them, it should be an awkward situation to leave. That way, they can accept the fact that they are near each other.

After learning that I could go back and forth to Earth, a lot of things happened.

My friends have all visited at least once. Everyone loved desserts, some were horrified by certain fusion dishes, and they were shocked that I diluted coffee with water.

Well, satisfaction was generally high. In this world, there was a specific market that could only be created through mass production and overwhelming financial power, and because of that market, there were countless cultural contents.

Just relaxing for a few days and experiencing those things brightened their faces immensely.

It was incredibly gratifying.

Even if Claire agreed, it didn’t cost extra. Of course, Claire would make various conditions, prompting me to visit her house with Alice, drink tea together, or go camping in this world.

But, since I wanted to do those things anyway, I had no complaints. What a splendid deal! It was a textbook win-win strategy.

Anyway, of course, I put effort into calling my friends each time.

I cleaned the house in advance, stocked up food in the fridge, did a bit of broadcasting, and planned where to go for fun.

But usually, everyone came intending to have fun, so as long as I paid attention to a few polarizing foods, there were no major issues.

The ones I was picky about were the Emperor and those kids.

They were set up as being older than me, putting them in the position of older siblings, and most of them had rather… um, unique personalities.

Moreover, they shared a common hatred for the Emperor.

I once thought they would risk their lives to follow him, but it was strange they didn’t resent him, given that he twisted their fates.

And for some reason, I wanted to keep the Emperor and those kids together.

I truly don’t know why. Even knowing that there are kids who find it impossible to fully forgive the Emperor, I just wanted that.

Maybe I hope the Emperor will at least apologize, like he did to me?

Well, anyway.

It took a whopping two years to show all the kids this world, persuade them, have their feelings toward the Emperor calm down a bit, and wait for the curse to break. And even after the curse was broken, it would still take a long time for them to properly resolve that guilt.

If I had to put it, you could say the curse’s location shifted from outside to inside the Imperial Palace.

I’m still a minor. Alice and Claire are also in the same boat. We were just about to graduate from the academy.

So, I had a little time. I thought that once I became an adult, it wouldn’t be easy to relax like this, so I suggested to Claire and Alice:

Let’s all go on a trip!

The place I picked was a fishing spot.

The Emperor, me, Alice, Claire, Lucas, Jayden, Bella, and Damien.

Eight people were sitting side by side, blankly staring at the water.

Since it was fishing, of course, they weren’t squished together; everyone kept a decent distance. Claire, Alice, and I were practically seated together, though.

Still… um, is it a relief that we created a peaceful atmosphere?

“Eek!?”

Suddenly, Jayden shouted.

He reflexively grabbed the fishing rod upon seeing the bobber bobbing, but wore a face that said he had no idea how to catch a fish.

Watching Jayden pulling a flopping fish to the shore but not knowing what to do, Lucas clicked his tongue, got up from his seat, and brought a net near Jayden.

Somehow, the two managed to successfully land the fish.

Jayden beamed at me, raising the fish high.

Um… honestly, this was my first real fishing experience too, so I didn’t know what it was either.

Bella looked at Jayden in disbelief, while Damien silently stared at his own bobber.

The Emperor watched his children, but his expression was blank.

…Right.

Should I call this peaceful, or merely an extended thorny cushion?

Well, I guess we should be thankful it didn’t turn into a bloody killing ground.

*

“It’s entirely thanks to you that we aren’t killing each other.”

That was Bella’s comment.

“Everyone… thinks they owe it to you.”

Is that so?

After all, Lucas had trouble meeting my eyes for quite a while.

When he was enraged at me for using the ability to turn back time, I think he once believed he was stuck in an endless loop of being cut up by me, so it wasn’t surprising he was in shock when those memories returned.

Since Lucas had thought I was somewhat cute in our younger days, it must have been a significant psychological blow. So in that sense, rather than ‘debts’ as in owing my life, it’s better to think of it as a total amount of pain he had dumped on me.

Jayden seemed to give me credit for not killing him. Plus, I gathered he was really impressed I improved my study time and practice time without even looking at the answers, despite having the time-turning ability.

Damien… well, we weren’t really close, but did he think of me as a sort of stick to lean on?

“I even went so far as to plead for you not to kill the Emperor.”

That was true.

I recalled that memory and let out a long sigh.

The Emperor was grilling fish a bit further away. Was he practicing? He was actually doing really well now. Not that I’d expect anything less from him; such a talented person certainly had skills to learn even in this area.

“…….”

We were mostly quiet unless the kids spoke to me.

However, wasn’t it a breath of fresh air without that deadly aura? Well, I almost had no ability to sense such an aura anyway.

The Emperor’s expression was… initially rather rigid.

But as time passed, he began to relax slowly. At least for now, it didn’t seem like he was intentionally maintaining a blank expression. He was adjusting in his own way, but just that much.

I thought that was a positive sign.

It meant the Emperor didn’t view his children solely as tools.

“……So.”

The first to speak during the meal was, inevitably, Lucas.

Perhaps because he had the most karma accumulated with me, he seemed to be trying to match my mood.

“That… you said broadcast? Is that what Sylvia is doing?”

“Yes.”

I nodded.

“Is it like a movie?”

Jayden asked.

“No, it’s a bit different. It’s much more static. In movies, they can’t just shoot whatever they want.”

Bella chimed in.

“Huh? Can’t you just film it appropriately and paste it together?”

“What do you think movies are?”

Seeing Bella frown while saying that, I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit inside.

Bella… well, she didn’t dream of being an actress or anything. She probably thought that was ‘unrealistic.’

Instead, she had taken up a hobby for watching movies.

When I came to this world, I was hoping to bring movies on a tablet.

And I decided to just bring generators into this world and generate electricity with gasoline. After all, can’t I just bring it when I go back? Developing steam turbines properly will take quite a long time now since we’ve just started.

So, there’s a big TV, air conditioning, a fridge in the palace… anyway, that’s how it is.

I stacked up Blu-ray discs there and let Bella borrow them, and she ended up watching all the movies in no time.

So, Jayden probably didn’t like what Bella said at all.

“……Is that so? Hmm.”

Jayden quieted down at Bella’s enthusiasm.

“Yeah. Here, look.”

Bella showed me the edited version of my broadcast video on her smartphone.

What appeared in it was—

“…….”

Me, pathetically crying after a crushing defeat with the Emperor.

Jayden’s face turned blank.

“Puhaha.”

Lucas burst out laughing and then quickly composed himself upon seeing my expression.

Damien was quietly watching the screen with an expression of disbelief.

I glared at Bella, but she simply shrugged her shoulders.

…Did she pick that video intentionally?

No, it was definitely on purpose.

I glanced at the Emperor.

He was looking at me with a slight smile.

Really, it felt like a different person now.

*

“Were you satisfied today?”

While I was briefly outside the nearby pension looking at the stars at night, the Emperor had approached me without my notice.

“……If you ask whether I was satisfied or not, then yes, I was.”

“Is that so.”

“Perhaps, there seemed to be a possibility that we could get along.”

“…….”

The Emperor also stared blankly at the sky along with me.

“Don’t you think it’s gone too far?”

“Since we’ve come this far, we should take a moment to pause so the others can catch up.”

Even though we still had a long way to go, those kids’ pasts would never be compensated, and we couldn’t completely erase that resentment.

But still.

Still, it felt like today, there might be a glimmer of hope.

“Calling you ‘Father’ is the very last step for me.”

“…….”

“If you have that intention, try persuading the others. It’s in your hands.”

“……Is that so.”

The Emperor looked up at the sky for a moment, then turned to look at me.

“……Alright, I’ll give it a shot. Although it seems harder than conquering the world.”

“Still, the odds should be a bit easier, right? I won’t be the one writing this time.”

At my words, the Emperor let out a short laugh.

Then, we both looked up at the sky for a long while.

Chapter 472

After everything was over, I even gave up on the concept.

But life went back to being ordinary.

There were mountains of tasks left to handle, and there was no guarantee that clearing those mountains wouldn’t result in more mountains appearing, but we worked hard anyway.

Since they were mountains, there was no need to deal with them all at once. Slowly, with more people to tackle things together, trying various approaches would be enough.

If we shoveled away bit by bit, well, even if we can’t clear it all in our lifetime, we could at least change the shape of it a little.

The fortunate part was that the connections I had built during the times I could turn back time weren’t just any connections.

Among them were quite a few people with skills close to that of an excavator in certain areas, handling situations I couldn’t solve with ease.

“Come on, you know your resilience doesn’t end here. Pick up the sword again.”

For example, the Sword Saint in front of me right now.

Sword Saint Frederick wasn’t just someone who could wield a sword.

He had already served in the Empire’s military and had led many people beneath him.

He could certainly contribute greatly to the modernization of the Imperial Army. Just look at his disciple, Jennifer Winterfield!

“I’m not here to swing a sword—”

“Ah, hearing that means you still have some energy left.”

No, listen to what I’m saying till the end.

The reason I sought the Sword Saint was certainly not to learn swordsmanship. Nor was it to hope for the modernization of the Imperial Army. Most of the Imperial army was still intact and functioning well. In fact, it was the most modern army in this world.

Rather, I had come to ask him for advice on a certain someone who was just as life-and-death about swords as he was.

“After going back in time so many times to train and increase your skills, you’re complaining because you made just one leap?”

“Is it appropriate to just swing a sword at the Crown Princess like that?”

I vented my frustration, but of course, the Sword Saint wasn’t swayed by her status. After all, he was the one who spoke back to the Emperor without a care, so what would he think of the Crown Princess?

Moreover, he was also the sword instructor of the next Emperor.

And of course, the Sword Saint swung the wooden sword at me, as if my words were a waste of time.

Alright, that’s how you want to play it then.

I also had some muscle memory in me. I had watched the Sword Saint’s swordplay many times. It was incredibly fast, but if I didn’t back down and just dodged like this—

Thwack!

The sword flew from my hands and rolled on the ground.

“……”

“Are you not going to pick it up?”

He inquired.

Well, after all that, how could I not?

Having let him toy with me right after arriving, it would be aggravating to simply stop now.

I picked up the sword again.

“That’s how my disciple should act.”

…… Regret was pointless.

I didn’t say the same thing again. To be honest, there was no way for me to beat the Sword Saint.

However, still.

Even if I had lost the ability to turn back time…

If I kept trying over and over, wouldn’t there be a chance? I had already experimented with it several times, so I knew there was a slim possibility.

The opponent may not have been the Sword Saint, but still.

As I took a stance with the sword in both hands, the Sword Saint smiled as if he was enjoying himself.

Yeah, it’s nice that he found joy in his later years.

Now that he was teaching, he might as well teach it for real.

*

Today, I didn’t win.

The Sword Saint looked down at me, sprawled on the ground, sweating heavily as I gasped for breath, without putting any blame on me.

I guess my relentless charge did work out a bit. Did he like it?

“So, what did you come to ask for?”

“Well… just now…”

Huff.

I took a long breath before sitting back up again.

“…… I would like you to convince Lucas a little.”

“Me? Convince Lucas? Why would you think I would do that?”

“That’s because…”

Lucas would eventually reach a level where he could defeat you!

How could I phrase it nicely? Saying that the Sword Saint might lose to Lucas was something that could lead to him getting killed. Lucas… even if he had lost his passion now, once upon a time, he thought of slicing everyone above him.

Sadly, I was included in that.

“If Lucas is going to learn something, it would only be from the Sword Saint.”

When I replied like that, the Sword Saint exhaled in disbelief, “Hah.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Lucas won’t walk the path of academia, and he wouldn’t learn how to bake bread, so if there’s someone he can communicate with a little, I thought it would only be the Sword Saint.”

Then, I quickly added, “If by any chance Lucas thinking of challenging you happens, I will prepare enough people to stop him.”

“Hmm.”

The Sword Saint sat down in a chair.

Though he no longer lived in a crumbling cabin at the foot of a mountain, oddly enough, the layout of this place was just like that time.

Perhaps this was the Sword Saint’s ideal arrangement for a home or something like that.

“Right. Once upon a time, I thought that dying fighting a strong opponent would be my endgame. I haven’t lived much anyway. Since I’ve lived long enough, I wished to enjoy it until the very last moment.”

The Sword Saint tapped his shoulder with the wooden sword. Even though it was a sword that could kill someone if used as a real weapon, seeing him do it made it look like just a tool for massage. He was an old man, but his physique was still impressive.

“However, recently, my thoughts have changed. There are those I want to see for a little while longer. So these days, I am taking care of my health.”

“…… So, you don’t wish to confront Lucas?”

“Of course not. Wasn’t he someone who tried to kill me once? I don’t want the thread of life I’m barely holding onto to snap.”

If he felt that way, there’s nothing I could do.

I couldn’t force the Sword Saint into that position, and above all, I didn’t want to make him do something he didn’t want to.

As the Sword Saint said, I was still his disciple. Though I was the worst disciple among them.

“Rather, why not have you teach?”

When the Sword Saint said that, I opened my mouth slightly and looked up at him.

“What do you mean?”

“Did you come here hoping that I would teach Lucas something?”

“Of course, swordsmanship.”

And if possible, I wanted him to teach Lucas how to connect with others through swordsmanship and how to socialize a bit. Obviously, I didn’t really expect him to actually ‘socialize.’ It seemed he wasn’t good at that either.

What I was targeting was to have those two, at least those who bonded with each other… something like that. So gently opening their hearts so they could return to social life; that’s what I was after.

“Then you can teach him that swordsmanship.”

“……”

Is he joking right now?

Looking up at the Sword Saint as if I were incredulous, he merely shrugged.

“Don’t underestimate your abilities. Just as you said, it seems that your formidable power no longer exists at the moment, but what you possess is not the ability itself but the tenacity and persistence you gained by repeatedly attempting through that ability. Surely you’ve learned a lot already.”

But still, I was someone who could objectively assess myself a bit.

No matter how much I had practiced swordsmanship, I knew that I couldn’t even touch the tips of Lucas’s talents.

I managed to shoot him with bullets in the last battle. After all, that was something I could only do because I had seen Lucas for so long.

However, that didn’t mean I could ever defeat him in swordsmanship.

And naturally, I wasn’t in a position to teach him either.

“Isn’t effort your specialty?”

The Sword Saint struck the ground with his wooden sword.

Holding it like a cane with both hands resting on the hilt, he smiled at me.

“You can do it.”

“……”

I stared at the Sword Saint for a moment before standing up again.

After nodding slowly, I turned towards the door.

Finally, I turned back towards the Sword Saint and said, “Don’t sit like that. You look like a frail old man.”

Then I quickly opened the door and burst outside.

Smack! Something hit the door hard.

Yeah, I can do at least this much. It’s not like I haven’t been hit several times already.

… But, I’m not sure if it’ll even reach Lucas.

I sighed deeply, scratching the back of my head as I pondered over the Sword Saint’s words.

Chapter 473

“……Hey, say that again.”

See? I knew this reaction was coming.

“Are you saying you’ll teach me swordsmanship?”

I neither nodded nor answered. For some reason, I really didn’t want to.

Well, sure, it was me who brought it up, but it’s not like I wanted to do it.

At first, I asked the Sword Saint, but got rejected. Then the Sword Saint told me to “try it myself.”

Since it’s coming from the Sword Saint, I was a bit unsure, but I went ahead and asked anyway, and naturally, this was the kind of response I got.

It was only to be expected.

After all, the person in front of me was Lucas, who had actually managed to kill the Sword Saint in the original story.

When it came to swordsmanship, there was no way I, just recently past the novice stage, could teach him.

“You? To me?”

Lucas asked again, looking as if he couldn’t believe it.

Well, did he really need to confirm that so clearly?

I knew how ridiculous my statement was.

Realizing that I was the one saying something so ridiculous, I thought for a moment and then said to Lucas, “W-Well, the Sword Saint told me to—”

That’s right. I decided to put the blame on the Sword Saint.

I mean, why not?

After all, if the Sword Saint said so, isn’t it okay for me to push it off on them?

Originally, giving advice is just like providing a guarantee for that advice, right? Like after-sales service.

Besides, if the Sword Saint didn’t come looking for Lucas directly, he wouldn’t even hear about it, so I chose to go through with this without hesitation.

“The Sword Saint? That old man must’ve lost his marbles.”

Hmm.

If I relay this story as is, won’t the Sword Saint get all fired up and come running?

I was seriously contemplating this when Lucas opened his mouth again.

“……I really don’t get what you’re thinking.”

Right? Exactly.

“…….”

Lucas pondered for a second before speaking again.

“Fine.”

“What?”

That was the first time I made a sound after telling Lucas about the Sword Saint’s words.

“If the Sword Saint said that, it must mean something. There must be a reason behind it, right? Or am I wrong?”

I mean, I actually didn’t know.

“……There should be space for that in this mansion. Just follow me. Let’s see if you really have a way to teach me.”

“No.”

I said this, but I stood up to follow Lucas anyway.

Uh, what’s this?

I just intended to lay the blame on someone, but Lucas strangely seemed persuaded instead.

Still, the people around me, like Alice and Claire, are finally starting to figure out my personality and habits one by one, yet Lucas, who has been with me almost all the time, knows absolutely nothing about me.

Well, I guess the day I understand the lives of those who dedicate themselves to the sword will likely never come in my lifetime.

*

“Okay. Then—”

Lucas stood facing me with his sword, showing an expression that clearly said he wasn’t particularly keen on this.

I tightened my grip on my sword and looked straight at him.

I was bracing myself for Lucas to charge at me instantly—

“……Nah.”

Lucas lowered his sword.

No, he didn’t just lower it; he basically just dropped it on the ground.

“Let’s stop.”

What the heck?

Those words almost made it out of my mouth, but I managed to hold back.

“……Was that all you needed to say?”

“That was it.”

At my words, Lucas shrugged, brushed past me, and said,

“Seriously, what a foolish thing to say. That Sword Saint must’ve really lost it. How about recommending him to a nursing home?”

But even as he hurled those curses, he didn’t look back at me, making me feel a little strange.

I quietly observed Lucas’s retreating figure.

His hands were slightly trembling.

……What’s this?

I tilted my head in confusion and followed behind Lucas.

*

“Isn’t it guilt?”

The next day.

While watching the Gryphon eat, Alice asked me that.

“Guilt? About Lucas?”

With an indifferent expression, Lucas was dealing death without a care, as if he could easily take his own life. He had even attacked me, his fellow sibling, several times.

Most of those attacks were successful. While he may not have cut my neck outright, he did slice into my thigh, almost to the bone, exposed my insides several times, pierced my lung leaving me breathless, and made my arm drop to the floor…

Guess I really endured a lot.

Most of the time, I was able to rewind time before feeling the pain, so the damage wasn’t as severe as it could have been. They say if you suffer a major injury, the brain releases chemicals to buy time before you go into shock. It’s somewhat like that principle.

“So, is that not it?”

Alice asked again.

“Lucas…… well, he did point his sword at us, but he must have thought of you as a sibling, in his own way. He was the one who brought you here.”

“That’s true.”

He chose me over Claire because he thought I seemed more interesting.

In a way, he was actually a key player in how we managed to win our fight against the Emperor. Of course, it wasn’t something he intended at all.

“And…… since he chose you, he probably has some affection too. At least, that’s how I see it.”

“Lucas seemed flustered every time he called me.”

I admitted that willingly.

“Whew?”

The Gryphon lifted its head and looked at me.

“That was a long time ago.”

As I said this to the Gryphon, it tilted its head a bit before burying its face back in its food bowl.

It was a bowl filled with fresh raw meat.

It’s as if it’s almost a dog, except for the eating part. Hmm, better not talk about this in front of it just in case. It seems to understand human speech almost completely.

“Do you know how much fun it was for you to be between Jayden and Lucas? To be honest, I was a bit jealous. I tried to act annoyed to not let you know.”

“…….”

“Jayden praises every single thing you do as beautiful, while Lucas, pretending to gag, tries to distance himself from you. Honestly, if it weren’t for Father’s intentions, I would think you two were like a painting of siblings.”

“……You were jealous?”

“A bit?”

When I asked back, Alice said,

“Which is why Lucas…… probably holds a lot of guilt toward you. Much deeper than you might think. Maybe the Master sent you here for that reason?”

“……Really?”

“Yup. So, if you two can properly spar with each other, then that means you’ve restored your relationship.”

Thinking back on it, Alice’s words made sense.

I pressed my forehead and let out a long sigh.

“Then I wish I could’ve heard that from the start.”

“Well, that’s how a Master is.”

Alice said while scratching the Gryphon’s head.

“The point is, don’t leave it to others; solve it yourself. If not, it won’t mean anything.”

……Hmm.

But the problem is that Lucas absolutely won’t take hold of a sword in front of me.

As I quietly watched Alice petting the Gryphon, realization hit me.

Wait, why is he so willing to lower his head without me even needing to use honorifics?

*

Alright. I came up with a plan.

First off, if Lucas feels guilt toward me, that means he won’t let me die while I’m around him. There’s no reason for someone with guilt over not having killed me to actually go and kill me.

So, that means I can be a bit annoying beside him without worry.

What I thought of was ‘imitating the younger version of Lucas.’

Back in the day when Lucas first brought me to the Imperial Palace, he slashed his sword at me.

Of course, that was more of a form of reverence from the gods towards Baldr in Norse mythology.

Whatever way Lucas attacked me, I knew ahead of time and dodged. Naturally, Lucas was swinging his sword, assuming I would dodge.

That was why I never actually lost my head in one fell swoop.

But the difference from Baldr is that while Baldr could never die or be injured, my body was sliced through like pudding. What else could you expect from a child’s body? Besides, the sword Lucas wielded at the time was one of the finest.

As for that fact I should have completely forgotten, since Lucas recalled it, it’s now my turn to pay him back.

“……Ha!”

When Lucas was taking a stroll in the mansion’s backyard, I suddenly leaped out from behind a tree and swung a wooden sword at the back of his head.

Naturally, Lucas dodged that attack so easily it made me wonder why I even tried.

“……What are you doing, you?”

Lucas asked in disbelief, but I just put away my sword casually and turned back.

“No, seriously, what is it?”

I heard Lucas’s voice asking me from behind.

Right? Honestly, I don’t even know exactly what I’m trying to accomplish with this.

But… still, I couldn’t just do nothing.

Because I didn’t want to end things like this.

Chapter 474

“Hey, just be honest with me.”

By the time I had tried to hit Lucas on the back of the head and failed over twenty times, he spoke with a look of disbelief.

“You really have nothing to do, do you? You’re just doing this because you’re bored, aren’t you?”

“……”

I swung my sword again without answering.

Thud.

This time, I actually hit Lucas’s shoulder. It probably didn’t hurt that much, though.

“It’s true that I have nothing to do.”

I placed the sword on the table and said.

“But that doesn’t mean I’m screwing around because I’m bored. I’m just… trying to find a way.”

“A way? What kind of way?”

“……”

For some reason, I felt like saying something like ‘a way to fix our relationship’ would be pointless, so I just kept my mouth shut.

“Ha.”

Ultimately, Lucas rubbed his face with both hands, rolling his eyes as he spoke.

“Then why not just choose the way you’re good at?”

“The way I’m good at?”

“You shoot well with a gun.”

“……”

Hmm.

“Well, if you adjust every time you miss and keep shooting until you hit, who wouldn’t be able to do that?”

“……But my skills are real.”

Right.

I only did that when I needed to ensure I hit the target.

Of course, in actual combat, I always had to hit the opponent, so I couldn’t help but rewind time dozens or even hundreds of times, but hitting Lucas’s shoulder was for real. It was because I knew exactly how and where he would dodge.

“So, you want me to bring real bullets and shoot at you?”

“……Well, go ahead.”

I stared straight at Lucas.

Was he really just saying that to ease his guilt? Up until now, the reason I had been missing was that I was swinging a wooden sword. If it had been a real sword that could actually cut, he might have stood still.

With real bullets, it’d be even less of a problem.

“I’ll think about it.”

I flopped back in my chair. Lucas’s eyebrows twitched slightly. Did he not expect me to respond like that?

But hey, what’s the harm in trying? Getting shot doesn’t always mean you die.

Well, most people would probably just die, but people like Lucas are a bit different.

*

So, what to do now?

Normally, I wouldn’t be able to bring a weapon into Lucas’s mansion, which was now under quarantine.

A wooden sword is a great killing machine, depending on the circumstances, but people would know that I couldn’t kill Lucas just because I charged at him with a wooden sword. So, they didn’t really care about me bringing that kind of weapon.

What about a real sword?

Even if I brought a real sword, unless Lucas intentionally let himself get hit, there was no way I could kill him.

In that case, my life as the Crown Princess would be at risk, so I couldn’t bring a sword for that reason.

What about a gun?

Of course, generally, I wouldn’t be able to bring one either.

Since I had led the Gryphon in battle last time, everyone in the army knew the kind of stuff I could pull with a gun. Ever since then, I had become, without a doubt, an object of admiration to the soldiers.

But just because I was respected didn’t mean I could ignore the rules. I had to adhere to what Princess Alice, the next Emperor, told me not to do.

So, regular-sized firearms were completely out of the question.

There’s no way I could bring a rifle blatantly, and even a handgun would be quite obvious if I tucked it inside my clothes.

Veteran soldiers guarding this place would easily see that I was hiding a handgun.

So, there was only one option left.

Click.

Bang!

Even the smallest handgun sounded incredibly loud in this room.

In fact, a Derringer-style pistol was designed to reliably incapacitate a person with a single shot, so unlike its size and number of rounds, it could pack quite a punch. Of course, considering the size, it would still be firing .433 caliber rounds, which is typical for military revolvers.

The smell of smoke and gunpowder wafted strongly from the muzzle.

“Crown Princess!? Prince!?”

Startled, the soldiers guarding outside rushed in.

Click, click, they aimed their guns at the two of us.

Truly, these soldiers were well-trained. To point guns at the Crown Princess and Crown Prince, nonetheless. But I guess Lucas might feel a bit unfair about that from his perspective.

It didn’t seem like he was showing it on his face, though.

“……What are you doing?” Lucas asked.

The barrel of my gun was aimed precisely at Lucas. If there had been a live round instead of a blank, he would have been dead by now, even at this distance of about five steps away.

So, Lucas was questioning the absurdity of this situation.

Since he was supposed to just drop dead from a bullet.

But, am I stupid?

I knew he wouldn’t dodge, so I shot a real bullet.

“……What are you doing?”

I asked, lacing a hint of annoyance into my voice.

Having decided to speak casually, I had also resolved to be a bit more emotional. Of course, I wasn’t completely hiding my emotions usually, but it wouldn’t be bad to live a little more casually after abandoning my entire concept.

It seemed Lucas was confused by my sudden emotional display. Even though I had already spoken casually in front of him, this was the first time I had shown this degree of emotion.

“You heard the sound, right? I even gave you time to dodge, so why didn’t you?”

“……Oh, I see.”

Lucas sighed deeply and responded.

“Oh, I see? What does that mean?”

I sighed dramatically.

“Crown Princess?”

A soldier cautiously asked.

“The next bullet will be a live round, is that okay?”

“……”

“Well, there’s nothing to ask. If I shoot, it’ll just hit you anyway.”

I spread my fingers, palm facing up.

The device hidden in my sleeve shrank back, allowing me to hide the handgun back inside my sleeve.

I waved my hand slightly at the soldiers. They looked a bit bewildered, but they put their guns down for the time being.

It seemed clear that I had no intention of actually killing Lucas.

I pulled up a chair.

“What on earth is the problem?”

My voice tinged with annoyance made Lucas shrink his shoulders.

He too sat down on a chair a bit away from me.

But he wouldn’t look me in the eye.

What a painfully frustrating guy he is.

“Do you really want to die?”

“……Not really.”

Lucas replied.

“Then what the heck do you want? Do you want me to shoot you? Are you a pervert? Do you want to be shot by someone you thought was your little sister?”

“……”

Wow.

I sighed heavily and looked up at the ceiling.

“……Let’s just be straightforward.”

I had initially tried to approach slowly, but I couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Are you feeling guilty about how many times you took me down?”

“……”

Silence.

“You remember when I shot you in the head, right?”

Of course, I rewound time afterward.

Honestly, it wasn’t like I shot him because my skills were that great. It just happened because Lucas was careless.

I wondered if he remembered that too. I didn’t really know if he could remember dying. I had never really died before.

“You’ve never killed me, but I’ve killed you.”

The soldiers had expressions indicating they didn’t get what I was saying at all, but I didn’t really care. They would struggle to understand no matter how much I explained.

“So let’s just say that was how things went.”

“How can we do that?”

Lucas said in disbelief.

“I remember every time you rewound time to avoid my attacks.”

“It’s all been reverted anyway.”

“As long as I remember it, it’s something I’ve actually experienced.”

“No.”

I rubbed the back of my neck.

“……You really resemble the Emperor in some ways.”

Lucas glared at me.

“You talk like you don’t hear a word anyone else is saying. It’s like you’re only saying what you want to say. Guess blood doesn’t lie, huh?”

“Is that something you should be saying?”

“I’m not even related by blood.”

As we talked, I could see the soldiers’ faces turning pale. I waved my hand at them again. They hastily retreated as if they didn’t want to hear any more.

“Let’s take it one step at a time.”

I said, trying to regain my calm and composure as much as possible.

“So, you feel some guilt or regret about taking me down multiple times. But there’s no way to go back, and even if I do rewind time, you remember it, so it’ll just be your fault. Am I right?”

“……”

Realizing how ridiculous that thought was, Lucas kept his mouth shut.

“……No.”

Huh?

He said no?

“Then what is it?”

“Well…”

Lucas thought for a moment before speaking.

“Well, since I ignored your efforts.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

I said, touching my forehead.

Chapter 475

Phew.

I let out a deep sigh.

“So… you’re telling me that instead of just turning back time and dodging, I actually had to practice, conduct research, and make it my own to avoid getting hit?”

“Right.”

“But you thought that effort was just a trick.”

“Exactly.”

“And because of that, you’re feeling guilty.”

Lucas nodded.

I stared up at the ceiling.

No.

I have no idea how to explain this mess to this guy.

“Hey, listen.”

I raised a finger and said,

“First, I had no choice back then.”

Lucas looked at me. Just by his expression, he seemed pretty blank, but I felt a hint of interest in his eyes.

“Look. One of the fastest swordsmen in the world swung his blade at me. But I had no leisure to dodge. Sure, you didn’t mean to kill me, right? So the incoming sword wasn’t necessarily a death blow. There were plenty of ways I could’ve ended up mortally wounded, though.”

I shrugged.

“I could’ve lost an arm or leg, or I might’ve had my guts spilled out. Who knows? So, is there any way to deal with that? I just had to turn back time to minimize the damage. It wasn’t something I wanted to do.”

If we’re being picky, I kind of wanted to shoot something like a ball, too. But digging deeper, that was still part of my survival efforts, so at least it wasn’t something I did on purpose.

“So, it’s a bit ambiguous to just call it effort, right? I was only dodging the flying stones.”

Lucas crossed his arms.

That gesture clearly said, ‘No, I still don’t get it.’

I extended another finger and said,

“Second. Anyway, I was just lucky. If I didn’t have the ability to turn back time, there wouldn’t have been any chance to grow my skills. I probably wouldn’t have survived this long. My ability to twist my opponent’s victory into defeat is no different from cheating.”

I gestured with my hands, lifting them slightly toward the ceiling.

“So, I really don’t understand what you’re saying. Are you trying to make me feel guilty on purpose?”

“…I just wanted to learn how to wield a sword!”

…Oh my.

“I didn’t grow up in a rich environment like you did in my childhood. But all the adults were stronger than me, and so I learned swordsmanship just to resist. And, quite accidentally, I discovered I had talent.”

“……”

“In the end, it’s quite similar to you. If I belittle your abilities, it’s no different than slandering my own efforts.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

I crossed my arms in the same way.

This was a bit uncomfortable around my chest, so I crossed my arms lower, but then it felt like I was unnecessarily emphasizing my chest, so I just let my arms hang.

It’s nice to look good, but other than that, there’s not much use.

Well, if I were asked to choose between having it or not, of course, I’d pick to have it.

“Now that you know, isn’t that enough? Let’s just think positively about each other and move on, okay? The person involved says it’s fine.”

Lucas was still unmoving.

I let out another sigh and stood up.

“Anyway, I’ll give you some time to think. Honestly, time is all we have right now. I’ll come back again.”

I said that and turned around.

Lucas didn’t stop me.

I stepped outside the mansion and stretched my back.

The soldiers still looked at me with tense faces. They seemed scared of what weird thing I might do again.

To calm those soldiers, I walked forward confidently.

Hmm…

Honestly, Lucas’s attitude was incredibly frustrating, but—

I felt a bit relieved. At least, I think I said all that I wanted to say.

Before coming here, I was at a loss about how to sort this out.

Maybe when the Sword Saint said ‘You must teach him yourself,’ it wasn’t really about teaching swordsmanship, but rather telling me not to pass the responsibility onto someone else.

If I had just said that, I would’ve probably been dodging again.

“……”

Still lacking in training, huh.

I sighed deeply and walked to where the car was parked.

*

I decided to give Lucas a little time.

The next destination was where Jayden was.

Having just spoken with someone who was as hard as a wall, I wanted to talk to someone who seemed a bit easier this time.

I also wondered why I was so fiercely trying to restore relationships. But somehow, if I didn’t do this, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully for the next few years.

They’re probably planning to keep the ‘Emperor’s Children’ locked up forever. To protect Alice and my life, of course.

For the time being, it seems like they have no intentions of escaping, but who knows, maybe their thoughts will change over time.

So, I figured it would be better to clear things up and solidify Alice’s throne instead.

And… there was a bit of sympathy as well.

“Brother!”

As soon as I entered the mansion, Jayden sprang up from his seat. I almost turned around and left.

But still, I had to try talking. That was why I came here.

Forcing my feet, which naturally wanted to retreat, to go forward made me stumble a bit, but in any case, I succeeded in moving forward.

“Are you that nervous to see your sister again, that your footsteps are trembling like this?”

“No, not at all.”

“…Just sit down for a bit.”

“Sit…?”

As I abruptly spoke informally, Jayden seemed shocked, freezing up.

I pulled a chair in front of him and sat down.

The mansion’s halls were massively spaced apart to avoid the Emperor or the Emperor’s children conspiring together.

It took me over an hour to get here by car, even though I was outside the Capital.

“Don’t be surprised just because I’m informal with everyone else. If I stayed formal like this, we wouldn’t be able to talk.”

As I said that, Jayden sat down with a stunned expression.

Hmm.

I thought it would be easy, but now that I think about it, he might be difficult as well. I doubt he’ll understand me the same way Lucas did.

“So, Sylvia, my sister.”

Jayden quickly recovered.

Leaning slightly on the table and grinning a bit too cheerfully, Jayden asked,

“What’s the matter? What brings you here?”

“……”

Seeing that expression made me feel even worse.

It was something I really didn’t want to say, but after some hesitation, I finally managed to say,

“…I need a little help.”

“Oh!”

At my words, Jayden’s shoulders straightened.

“You know we had a clash with swords, right?”

“Of course, I remember. It wasn’t for a glorious reason, but still, it was the most heroic battle of my life. I’ll never forget it.”

This guy is also a battle freak, just like Lucas, but in a different way.

“…Don’t you care about honor?”

“I have my pride, but I fought with everything I had. And I lost. Then it’s a knight’s way to acknowledge the defeat cleanly. Plus, I’m in a much more positive state than being dead, right? So here I am, able to meet my sister!”

Jayden spoke as if genuinely pleased.

I scratched my head.

“Well… that’s nice.”

I let out a small sigh and muttered,

“I’d like you to help Lucas a bit.”

The face that had just been cheerfully smiling crumpled in an instant.

“Me… help him?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

Hmm…

How should I persuade him?

Since they’re brothers, I didn’t think we’d be able to communicate with the same words.

In reality, the two of them looked like siblings who were slightly irritated with each other, and it’s highly possible they think of each other that way as well. Ever since they discovered they actually share blood, it’s only gotten worse.

But because of that, Jayden probably wouldn’t feel inclined to help.

Even if I told him about Lucas’s condition, he probably wouldn’t think it was that serious.

No, more than that, if I reminded him how many times Lucas has challenged me, he might go berserk.

Even if I’m the only child of the Emperor without blood ties, Jayden would still see me as his sister.

But still, I have one sure weapon to use on Jayden.

“Ugh, sigh.”

But even that seemed incredibly awkward to bring up.

“…For a day, I’ll speak formally and call you ‘Brother.’”

“Three days.”

“…….”

When I opened my mouth and looked at Jayden, he grinned and said,

“As much as you know me, I know you, Sylvia. The fact that you came to me to ask for help means it must be something I can’t assist with. So three days. No negotiations.”

I clutched the back of my neck.

Chapter 476

In a dramatic showdown between Jayden and me—where I was insisting that one day was enough and he was adamantly claiming it had to be at least three—we ultimately reached a tense compromise of two days.

I still wasn’t sure why we were negotiating over something like this, but thanks to this, I managed to secure one method.

“So, what exactly do I need to do?”

“I’d like you to persuade Lucas a bit.”

“You know he won’t be swayed just because I try to persuade him, right?”

Jayden looked incredulously at me.

“It’s not necessary to actually succeed in persuading him. Just… talk to him.”

“Oh.”

“That guy… um.”

I pondered for a moment. Lucas only attacked me when I was alone. Otherwise, someone else would obviously block those attacks for me.

Jayden’s skills couldn’t match Lucas’s. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t defend against anything. Sure, if they fought with their lives on the line, Lucas would win easily, but he could definitely block a sudden slap like a pro.

What this meant was that Jayden didn’t know about the time Lucas had actually sliced me with a sword.

So I thought for a moment.

Despite my bravado, Jayden showed that he cared for me.

He treated me like a real brother, even though our blood was not connected.

I had continually rejected this kind of goodwill, but if we were to get technical, it was pretty similar to the kindness Alice showed me.

Of course, there was a difference.

Alice chose the path of not following the Emperor, while Jayden chose to follow him.

Alice was a bit less burdensome, whereas Jayden was quite a bit more so. Alice expected almost nothing from me, while Jayden had some expectations. That was probably the difference.

Since matters related to the Emperor were done and dusted, I could push that to the back for now, but the feeling of ‘burdensome’ was more pronounced just with that subtle difference.

“……”

After thinking for a moment, I decided to lay down a condition first.

“First of all, I’d like you to swear to me.”

“What kind of oath?”

Jayden looked a bit taken aback, his eyes wide.

“I swear you will never kill Lucas, no matter what.”

“What did that guy do wrong?”

“It’s not that he’s done any wrong against you.”

“Still, doesn’t that mean he’s done something that would make me want to kill him?”

Damn.

“Anyway, if you don’t do that, I won’t ask anything more from you, and I won’t call you ‘brother’ anymore.”

Jayden thought seriously for a moment.

He weighed the reason he might want to kill Lucas against the chance to make me call him ‘brother’.

“Okay, I swear.”

Jayden chose the latter.

What’s the big deal about the word ‘brother’?

Looking at Jayden, who was staring at me with a serious expression, I opened my mouth.

“Lucas has tried to slice me up with a sword more times than I can count. He succeeded often enough that I can’t even keep track anymore, and thanks to that, I’ve experienced being sliced all over.”

“……”

Blink.

Jayden blinked.

I thought it would be best to not give him time to fully process what I meant.

“Even though I reversed time and it ultimately didn’t happen, the memories from that time came back, right? It seems Lucas remembers all the times he sliced me up like it was yesterday.”

“Wait, hold on.”

“Lucas didn’t do it just because he hates me—”

“Hold on.”

Jayden raised his hand seriously, and I closed my mouth.

“…So you’re saying Lucas has actually sliced you with that sword? And more times than you can count?”

“Well… yeah.”

If I gathered all the pieces I was sliced off, it would probably weigh dozens of times my current body weight. It wasn’t just a matter of getting lucky once.

“……”

“So he thought I would dodge, so he swung his sword around casually. Every time I dodged, it probably looked like I was doing it out of expectation, right?”

“Do you think that would be a good excuse to swing a sword at your brother?”

“Lucas never made excuses. He just…”

I took a moment to collect my thoughts.

“At first, he thought I was just cheating and dodging easily, and he felt betrayed. But now he realizes that’s not the case. It’s that I’ve analyzed his moves and evaded them. He has to put in ‘effort.’”

“And?”

Jayden spoke in an infuriated tone.

Since I rarely saw him angry, to be honest, I was a bit scared.

“He thinks it’s pathetic that he overlooked that effort. While thinking of it as a mistake, he’s still sulking.”

“So you wanted me to convince him.”

Jayden sighed deeply.

After a moment of silent contemplation, he eventually nodded.

“Fine. I’ll do it.”

“…Thank you.”

“I haven’t heard a genuine ‘thank you’ in a long time.”

But it seemed like the fact that the cause for my gratitude was Lucas didn’t sit well with him.

“By the way, does that mean I can leave here?”

“No. You’re still in confinement.”

“Then? Will you let me make a call? Setting a phone line costs quite a bit. Do you think Alice will approve?”

“Nope, that’s not it either.”

“Is there a way?”

“Well, there is. You might not like it though.”

“Stop hiding it and just tell me.”

I looked at Jayden and simply replied.

“Gryphon.”

*

“When I heard ‘Gryphon,’ I honestly felt a little excited.”

Jayden grumbled.

“I told it to wait by the window, but I didn’t expect it to break the window and swoop down.”

“Well, it did ride on my back halfway.”

The Gryphon was smart.

I was sure its intelligence surpassed that of a human.

Though it did have some beastly tendencies, sometimes seeming silly or timid, it was still a magical beast. It could remember its flight path accurately.

So I asked that Gryphon to abduct Jayden a little.

The soldiers couldn’t dare fire a shot at the Gryphon. First of all, it was my property, and secondly, they didn’t want to accidentally shoot Jayden in the foot while trying to attack.

Halfway through, the Gryphon brought Jayden along and landed, then waited for me to hop on its back before taking off with Jayden behind me.

When we reached the place where Lucas was, we broke through the second-floor window again, pushed Jayden inside, and now we were perched at the entrance of the mansion.

Maybe it was pretending to be asleep.

If I were to say that I didn’t know why the Gryphon did that, I would just apologize and return Jayden to his original spot, and that would be that.

I had a feeling that the Gryphon found this plan a bit entertaining.

It also had a rebellious spirit, after all.

“…What are you two doing?”

Lucas looked dumbfounded as he saw us entering the mansion.

Hmm.

“I just came for a quick visit.”

“With that guy?”

“That’s right.”

Jayden said.

“We made a deal.”

“…What kind of deal?”

“That’s not important.”

Before Jayden could answer, I quickly interjected.

“Let’s, uh, sit down.”

“Well, I’m not sure if sitting down is necessary, but…”

“…Huh?”

As I pulled out a chair to sit down, Jayden said that.

Jayden tidied up his slightly disheveled clothes from riding on the Gryphon and walked up to Lucas.

“What’s the matter?”

Lucas stared at Jayden with an incredulous look—

Thud!

And in an instant, he got knocked sideways.

With a bang and a loud clatter, Lucas crashed into a couple of chairs before rolling onto the floor and quickly got back up.

“Are you okay!?”

There were voices coming from outside.

Hmm.

I thought for a moment. Is this okay?

But thinking about it, I didn’t think either of them would end up dead in a fight.

Making that judgment, I shouted.

“I’m fine!”

“They went inside!”

Ah, see? It’s all fine.

Well, it’s fine. After all, it would take a few more minutes for them to come in. The fight would end up getting resolved inside.

As I sat in my chair and casually pulled a snack bowl toward me from the table, Lucas charged at Jayden, who had just gotten up.

“What are you doing!?”

“It’s my brother’s share.”

“Oh.”

While Lucas paused for just a moment, his face got greeted by another punch.

After hitting the floor again, Lucas didn’t immediately get up this time.

“Get up.”

Jayden approached, cracking his knuckles.

“…Was this the deal? Using you to get revenge on me?”

“Nope.”

Jayden said.

“He said he wanted you to be persuaded.”

“…Persuaded?”

“I plan to make you listen to and understand my brother’s story, since you don’t listen.”

“…!”

Lucas opened his mouth and stared at me.

Blood was dripping down from his nose.

I shrugged my shoulders.

Honestly, the reason I asked Jayden for a favor was that I figured if Jayden was the one trying to persuade him, Lucas would get riled up enough to argue back.

…Well, that’s up to Jayden to figure out how to do it. I didn’t go into details. I didn’t expect it to turn out like this, but it might just work in its own way.

If Lucas has any sense, he’ll counterattack.

Chapter 477

“Hoo, hoo, hoo.”

Jayden gasped for breath.

His face was a mess. It wasn’t serious injuries, but anyone seeing him for the first time would be shocked by his state.

Lucas looked the same way.

Was it because he was ambushed without holding a ‘sword’? Or maybe it was because swordsmanship and combat skills were different fields, or perhaps Lucas just looked strangely unenthusiastic.

I pulled out a handkerchief.

Hmm… I only have one.

Should I give it to Jayden, who has blood slightly running from his nose?

“Thanks, little brother!”

Jayden accepted the handkerchief with a big smile.

“… Take it. Just.”

I said this after seeing Jayden press the handkerchief to his nose.

Then I looked at Lucas.

Did it look like I was taking Jayden’s side? Lucas had a strangely depressed expression.

“Touch my little brother, and that’s what happens, pal.”

Are you really saying that when you’re bleeding too? Well, at least the atmosphere lightened a bit.

Once, I too was a man. Of course, I had never fought fiercely, but I did wrestle around with friends.

Even if I wanted to kill each other at the time, after a little scuffle, it often turned out to be nothing in the end.

This was true even with a little brother. Whether friends or siblings, ultimately, you can’t just throw them away. As time passes, there should be at least a few people with whom you can share your feelings comfortably.

“Did you see that? Huh? Sylvia, did you see? Your brother taught that guy a lesson.”

“Ha.”

Lucas laughed, seemingly incredulous.

“What’s so funny?”

As Jayden got riled up again, Lucas still looked incredulous and scratched the back of his head roughly before glaring at Jayden.

“Considering what I did to that guy, dealing with it with your fluffy little fists won’t be enough.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

I said in a stunned voice to Lucas.

“Are you saying you’re going to settle your debts with death? Dying won’t bring me a single coin.”

Of course, I was in a position where I didn’t need money.

I returned to the table and sat in a chair. I grabbed a snack and put it in my mouth… It was extremely soggy, probably having been left on the table for too long.

“Yeah, that’s right. Do you think your insignificant life can erase the act of daring to mistreat my sister?”

“…”

At Jayden’s words, Lucas was momentarily at a loss for words.

“My fists didn’t say they’d forgive your sins. I just did what I had to do as a brother.”

Jayden walked over to the table and sat down next to me, taking a snack and grimacing like I did.

“And if you’re going to host guests, at least serve some decent food.”

“You broke in through the window while riding a gryphon and you’re calling yourself a guest?”

Lucas said incredulously.

“And you seem to be clueless about the fact that the act of forgiveness is entirely up to the forgiver, given you’ve never asked anyone for forgiveness before. No matter how much you can’t accept it, if the forgiver forgives, that’s it. You can bear your guilt and pay your penance with that heart.”

I looked at Jayden with a shocked expression.

This guy could say something like that?

“Hmph.”

But as soon as I sent him a glance, Jayden said that while pushing up his bangs, shattering the mood.

“Even though I may seem like this, I was a commander of the Order of Knights. I know how to manage subordinates to maintain loyalty. Unlike that idiot over there.”

“…”

Lucas looked irritated.

“So… I…”

“You just need to live like that. What? Is this the first time you’re feeling guilt?”

Jayden continued to speak.

“There are bound to be people who die when you manage an Order. Even in peacetime, there are always operations that ask for lives. Every time that happened, I learned to apologize to the remaining family.”

Oh, I see.

Jayden was a commander of the Order.

Among the Emperor’s children, he was one whose ‘face was known’. Of course, he often participated in secret operations like the others, but he had often appeared officially as a capable figure of the royal family.

Though it felt almost nonexistent in front of me.

“If we did our best here and the other side doesn’t accept it, then there’s nothing we can do. But we have to do our best anyway. And if the other side claims that they did their best, even if we feel uneasy about it, there’s nothing we can do. That’s the best.”

Lucas stared blankly at Jayden.

“I, too, plan to find the families of those affected by the battle once this confinement ends. Fortunately, it seems we’ll have plenty of time. Isn’t this a duty I should be doing? In that sense, think hard about how fortunate you are. The ones you should apologize to are right nearby, and they’ll accept you easily without you even having to say much.”

“… Is that so?”

“That’s right.”

I decided to ride on Jayden’s words.

Lucas stared at the ground, clenching and unclenching his fists, before he finally took a deep breath.

“… Alright.”

Wow, that really worked.

Honestly, I had just acted recklessly.

Yeah.

The reckless operation riding a gryphon was half-baked out of a sense of surrender.

I planned to keep it a secret from Jayden for life.

“At some point…”

I slowly opened my mouth.

“When everything is done, let’s all gather and go on a trip or something. We can go anywhere. After all, we are the prince and princess.”

“That’s a great idea, little brother. I guess that’s when you get to use the right to call me ‘brother’.”

“…”

At Jayden’s words, I held my forehead.

Looking at Lucas, he still didn’t look completely lighthearted.

But… it seemed definitely better than when I first met him.

If I spoke like this, both of them would probably freak out, but I wondered if this was what being siblings felt like. It’s much better to talk with multiple people than to think alone since it’s easier to heal wounds that way.

*

Alright.

Jayden and Lucas had such a conversation… and what about the remaining kids, Bella and Damien?

Actually, we weren’t the only ones among the Emperor’s children. There were kids I hadn’t met before.

Just because I hadn’t met them didn’t mean I could meet them now. The Emperor had used those kids in battles. The ones I hadn’t met were either ones the Emperor hadn’t bothered to look for or just the ones who died.

I thought about how I should find those kids too. The problem was that I had no idea where or how to look.

And even if I did find them, it didn’t seem likely that they’d be thankful.

“… Should I take care of what’s right in front of me first?”

I scratched my head and sighed deeply.

… Before that, I thought I should get a little rest.

After all, I didn’t think it was something that absolutely needed to be done. I just didn’t want to leave it alone because it felt nagging.

I would have to live in this world for the rest of my life.

With the ridiculous law of ‘mandatory military service’ still in effect, moving at a snail’s pace in the back seat, I decided to just walk out.

People got out of the car that had been with me.

In the past, I would have strolled around without any escort. I used to be able to turn back time. But now… without such abilities, my position had already risen close to the highest in the Empire.

I already felt dizzy just thinking about how many more mountains I had to cross.

If I were going to exert myself, I should first consume some energy for that, right?

I headed towards a café near the academy, a place we frequently visited.

I hadn’t graduated yet. There were still two years left.

It’s March. There’s just under two weeks of vacation until classes resume in April.

It was a bit of an awkward period to return home, so most students who didn’t live in the capital stayed at the academy.

“Sylvia!”

Among those still around, there was a familiar face.

“Charlotte.”

I smiled and headed her way.

The café owner merely nodded to me lightly, as always. I liked that. When I first entered a shop, an overly extravagant welcome could feel burdensome.

“Looks like something good happened.”

Charlotte, sipping on what looked like a light cup of coffee, only had a coffee cup on her table, without any desserts.

“You might look tired, but you also look like you’ve achieved something. It’s sometimes the look my father has.”

Charlotte added that with a smile, as if teasing me.

“I did have something good happen. I just came from seeing my two brothers… well, they didn’t exactly reconcile, but I made them face each other.”

“Is that so?”

Charlotte didn’t pry too deeply.

Before moving on to the next task, I thought I’d take a brief rest. It was likely that my side would take much longer.

“You must be going through a lot.”

“Really.”

I lightly sighed and waved to the waiter.

For now… hmm, I think I’ll have a parfait since it’s been a while.

Chapter 478

“Are you okay?”

“Pardon?”

I asked Charlotte, who tilted her head as if she genuinely didn’t understand what I was asking.

“I mean the Emperor and those kids. I guess they were the Emperor’s children, but to you, they might just be strangers.”

And yet, at the same time, they were opponents I battled with my life on the line.

From Charlotte’s perspective, they were not exactly agreeable company.

“That’s true. They’re not exactly someone you can just smile and accept.”

Charlotte lightly scooped some gelato with a spoon, took a moment to let it melt in her mouth, then spoke.

“But that doesn’t mean I’m going to ignore the situation of my friend.”

“……”

At that, I was momentarily at a loss for words.

The only thing I could muster after a bit of struggle was,

“Thank you.”

That was all I could say.

“Did you know?”

Charlotte said with a smile.

“Since I put so much effort into reading your expressionless face, your voice, which shows no acting at all, makes it too easy to feel your emotions?”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I was quite wary of you.”

Ah, right.

I had bluntly said something like that to a king who had lived for decades, backed by the Emperor’s power.

“……Sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

Charlotte replied.

“If I were in a similar situation, I would have acted the same way. What’s more dangerous than other countries forming alliances while leaving ours aside? In this case, the problem is that even if we form an alliance, we can’t easily defeat the Empire.”

“……”

“I can only hope the next Emperor thinks about peace.”

Charlotte said jokingly.

“Because we don’t want to fight either.”

I exhaled lightly and responded.

The only ones who would believe what I said were probably Charlotte and her friends. To everyone else, it would just look like I was gathering the closest aides of the Emperor again.

Still, it was a relief to have someone I could sincerely connect with.

I took a small breath and spooned some parfait into my mouth.

It had been a while since I tasted such a flavor.

I probably would keep coming here even after I graduated from the academy.

It’d be great if I could come with my friends then too.

*

“…So you figured out the recipe?”

“Don’t worry. I’m not planning to make ice cream just yet.”

Saying that, I dragged in a huge icebox.

Inside were loads of handmade ice cream I had received from that café.

The icebox was filled with ice cubes.

Of course, it wasn’t as perfect as a modern icebox. So, I even added Marmaros, which could use ice magic, to maintain the temperature.

Bella looked at me as if she found it utterly ridiculous that I had gone to such lengths just to have some ice cream.

“I brought fruits and ice cream, so it’s fine. Besides, I just need to stack them one by one, so it shouldn’t taste too weird.”

As I said that confidently, Bella placed her hand on her forehead.

“No… Haha, no.”

Bella said that and then sat down.

“Well, do as you please.”

“Alright!”

I rolled up my sleeves and said.

Then a few minutes later, what I created was—

“Here, give it a try.”

“It looks completely bizarre. At least from all the parfaits I’ve seen so far, this is the worst.”

Bella looked at the parfait with a face that seemed to question whether it was even safe to eat.

What stood before us was a ‘parfait’ that had completely failed at stacking ice cream and fruits. The fruits were even so overly peeled that the surface was quite bumpy.

“But it should taste good, right? It’s fruits and ice cream, whipped cream?”

“Whipped cream or ice cream, it’s all melted!”

I had confused the order of pulling things out, taking the ice cream out too early. The ice cream, which hadn’t been kept in a freezer for a while, was apparently nearing its limit.

Thanks to that, what was in the beautiful glass cup turned into a soup-like mass of sticky milk with a few pieces of fruit floating on top, rather than a parfait.

Its appearance was very far off from the original meaning of ‘parfait,’ which meant perfect.

“…I’ll eat it too.”

Not wanting to just watch someone enjoy a nice treat, I made myself a portion, but of course, mine looked the same.

“It’s not like you’ll examine it for poison.”

Well, I was confident in my cooking skills.

I had often cooked for myself during my time living alone.

Of course, there weren’t many occasions to peel fruits. I was never motivated to expend the effort to buy fruits when I could just buy ready-made ones.

Moreover, fresh fruits in my country were a bit pricey for someone living alone.

“……”

Still, when I picked up my spoon, Bella grabbed hers too.

I took a bite, and it actually tasted okay. It had the flavor of a salad without the vegetables, replaced by way too much dressing.

“It just tastes like thick milk.”

Exactly. That was the taste.

“But it’s sweet.”

Bella looked at me as if I was ridiculous at that.

Yet, she didn’t stop her spoon. Though she wasn’t eating it with enthusiasm, she didn’t seem to think it was garbage either. That was a relief.

“This is going to make you gain weight for sure.”

“……”

I had never thought about that while eating anything.

Now that I mentioned it, it was truly strange.

I had moved around a lot, but was it really possible for me not to gain weight like this? Even when I wore that bunny girl outfit, my figure had been okay.

“What’s with that dazed expression? Isn’t that kind of irrelevant?”

“I’ve never thought of purposely trying to lose weight.”

Bella’s mouth opened slightly.

“So, right now, you’re saying you have a ‘body that doesn’t gain weight from eating’?”

“…Is that so?”

“Are you challenging me?”

Bella turned her spoon upside down. Is she a spoon murderer or something?

“What about you?”

“I’m just like everyone else. If I don’t manage myself, my body goes completely haywire.”

She sighed deeply.

“Whether it’s due to youth or some special trait of yours, I don’t know. Since you were able to turn back time, I wonder if your body has something extraordinary about it?”

“Not now.”

“I know. If you could turn back time, there wouldn’t be a parfait like this in front of us.”

Bella scooped a fruit and some ice cream with her spoon, then let it fall back into the cup. The sight of fruit floating in the white, viscous liquid now closely resembled yogurt rather than ice cream.

“…So?”

Bella said.

“You came all the way here just to try one parfait?”

“Yup.”

When I nodded, Bella looked at me with a somewhat astonished expression.

“You?”

“What do you think of me?”

When I asked back, incredulous, Bella stared at me and said,

“A monster gazing ahead at a ne’er-do-well without knowing what’s in its head.”

“……”

Given that, you seemed quite relaxed in front of me all the time, right?

“What else do you expect to do? It’s useless to be scared of a monster.”

Besides, I guess that monster was… ‘our monster.’

That must be how the Emperor saw it.

Though signs of betrayal had been evident for a long time now.

“To be honest, I thought you had an impure character.”

“I’m not pure.”

“Are you sure?”

When someone else asked me that, I had no words to reply.

Am I pure?

“…What.”

Bella said with slightly softened eyes.

“Well, it’s true that if it wasn’t you, I wouldn’t be able to trust anyone else.”

Bella stirred the melted ice cream with her spoon. It was rapidly becoming close to ‘milk porridge’. I thought it couldn’t even be called a parfait anymore.

“Alice and you were the cutest, after all.”

I knew she thought of us as adorable to some extent.

And the term ‘adorable’ had a very literal meaning. It was in a way that made fun of us, but not in a malicious way like Lucas would do. At least, it was more like an older sister.

Though I didn’t get to see that side for very long.

“……”

I pondered for a moment, and ultimately opened my mouth.

“Actually, I had one more goal.”

“See? I told you. I knew you wouldn’t do anything without cooking up some scheme.”

No, where is that thought even coming from?

I was just someone capable of turning back time. Though I questioned if the word “just” applied to such a skill.

“I…”

Carefully choosing my words, I cautiously spoke.

“My goal is to gather the Emperor’s children again.”

“Are you planning for another war?”

“No, I’m not.”

Bella’s eyes slightly widened at my words.

Was she teasing me on purpose?

Chapter 479

“……”

Bella stared at me blankly for a moment before opening her mouth.

“I sometimes feel like you have a flower garden in your head.”

Hmm… I can’t entirely deny that, so I didn’t bother to argue.

I don’t think it’s exactly a flower garden, but it’s true that I’m excessively optimistic.

After all, here we are, making peace after nearly fighting for our lives just a while ago.

And I’m even trying to mend my relationship with the Emperor, who has deceived me all my life.

To those directly involved, it must seem utterly absurd.

“What do you think?”

At my words, Bella shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t really care about meeting the ‘other kids.’ In fact, it wasn’t like we were that bad off, you know?”

Bella said it with a mocking tone.

“At least Lucas didn’t try to kill me. What about you?”

“I… forgave him.”

“See? There you go, that flower garden in your head again. I can’t understand how you can forgive someone who once went crazy trying to kill his own sister.”

Bella’s expression stiffened a bit.

“And you know, there’s a reason why I could hate my ‘Father.’”

I nodded.

“But how do you plan to shrink that gap?”

“I never thought about shrinking it. I don’t have that kind of skill.”

“Right, you definitely don’t have that skill.”

It stung a little to hear Bella admit it, but I held back for now.

“So, you’re just going to wait for time to heal? Do you think that will make me forgive the Emperor?”

“……”

The phrase about time healing wounds is something you can say for wounds that can actually mend.

Using it on someone who has lost a limb? You’d deserve a slap.

There are hints that Bella’s childhood resembles Claire’s childhood from the original game.

That’s why Bella also found Claire quite endearing.

Thinking about it, I received quite a bit of cuteness as well. Of course, it’s likely that Bella wouldn’t find me as cute as the original Bella did with Claire. The Emperor had caught onto my abilities early and has kept his distance, observing me.

Even though Bella was close to the Emperor, she must have been wary of me.

But the reason she found me somewhat cute was probably due to how my situation resonated with her own childhood.

From an orphanage in the slums, sold off to someone who would do terrible things… Of course, I escaped before that happened, and Bella knew about that, but at the very least, she probably empathized with why I wanted to escape.

What would she think when she learned that I had been raised in a good family, well treated, clothed in fine garments, and fed delicious meals?

What would she think, remembering her ruined childhood because of her father?

I couldn’t even begin to imagine.

“I’m not asking you to forgive me. That’s something only you can do.”

“So? You’re telling me not to seek revenge?”

“……”

“Why? Did you feel some sort of duty as a father?”

“…… This is a selfish reason.”

“Then let’s hear it.”

Bella dropped the spoon she had been holding, making an clang as it landed in the cup. Since the cup was tall, the spoon barely fit.

“…… I just don’t want to fight anymore.”

“……”

“That’s all there is to it. I have no other reason.”

At my words, Bella stared at me with her mouth agape.

I had nothing more to say.

This was purely Bella’s issue.

Lucas had done wrong to me in a major way. Naturally, I thought it was right for him to apologize, and even when Lucas was obstinate, I felt frustrated but didn’t feel guilty.

Jayden was someone who would initially listen to anything I said.

But Bella… discussing things like this with her was complicated in many ways.

“So, you’re saying that you just want to do it for no reason other than your own desire.”

It sounded absurd.

So I couldn’t explain it.

If Bella refused, that would be the end of the discussion.

Bella looked at me quietly before opening her mouth again.

“What if I refuse? Would you stop seeing me after that?”

“…… Do you ever want to see me?”

At my question, Bella frowned.

Her expression said that it was a very strange question.

Crossing her arms and leaning against the backrest, she thought for a moment before answering.

“There are times I want to see you.”

Bella looked at me quietly as she spoke.

“After all, you were… family to me. I know that sounds strange. You, Lucas, and Jayden, it’s more about comradeship for all of us than family. But still.”

Bella’s gaze turned to the ceiling.

She stared at the lamp hanging there and said, “Now that that comrade-like relationship is gone, only that shallow notion of family has remained. That’s all I have left in my life now. So yeah, there are times when I want to see you.”

Bella turned back to me and asked.

“What do you think? Are there times you want to see me?”

This time, I was the one staring at Bella blankly.

I had intended to ask a question, but I hadn’t expected her to throw this back at me.

I never thought she would actively take a step forward.

“What about not just me? How about Lucas, Jayden, or Damien? Do you want to see them sometimes?”

I furrowed my eyebrows just like Bella and contemplated seriously.

“…… Occasionally?”

“When you think of me?”

Bella’s expression looked normal, but her voice seemed a bit shaky.

Of course, that could just be my imagination.

“…… If there were someone I didn’t think about at all, I wouldn’t have bothered coming here to make an effort.”

I said, “You guys are all that’s left of my family.”

Bella looked at me blankly for a while.

With her mouth slightly open, she seemed to have lost her spirit.

“…… How did you convince the others? Was it that Jayden beat Lucas?”

“That makes it sound worse. And Lucas would never admit that.”

In reality, Jayden had taken more hits, but he seemed satisfied.

“What were the conditions?”

“Conditions?”

“Yeah. You didn’t ask Jayden for a favor? What did Jayden want from you?”

I felt a bit uneasy.

Why was she asking about that all of a sudden?

“Why?”

“Just tell me. Before you ask for something, you have to set the conditions, right? Isn’t that how it works?”

“……”

I kept my mouth shut and stared at Bella as I seriously thought about why she was saying such things.

However, it was a bit hard to reach a conclusion.

The emotions that had momentarily surfaced had now slyly hidden under Bella’s smiling face. The Bella in front of me now was the skilled spy who could stealthily infiltrate any place and extract information.

“……It’s calling me ‘older brother.’”

“What?”

But my face turned beet red at her teasing response, bringing back that blank expression on Bella’s face again.

“…… I told Jayden I’d call him ‘older brother’ for a few days. Jayden accepted that condition.”

“……”

Bella looked at me with that blank face, then suddenly burst out laughing, “Haha, haha!”

She couldn’t hold it in and laughed so hard she had to clutch her belly.

I worried the cup might spill as she thumped the table.

“That’s so like Jayden! He really cared about you, huh?”

“……”

While I kept my mouth firmly shut, Bella wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Hah, that was really funny. I haven’t laughed like that in ages, heh.”

And looking at me again, she said, “Then I’ll accept that condition for our deal.”

“……”

I stared blankly at Bella.

“What deal was I proposing?”

“You came to ask me a favor. And if someone accepts that favor, and then you set a condition, that’s a deal.”

Is that really how it worked?

“…… So you want me to…?”

“I’d like you to call me ‘sister.’ Jayden asked for that, right? How about… a week? The duration can be whatever I want.”

“…… Jayden only had two days.”

“Well, that’s because he was a one-time thing.”

Bella leaned on the table, clasped her hands beneath her chin, and looked at me.

“But I’m a bit different. You asked me not to kill the Emperor, right? Ah, thanks to you, I have to live my life suppressing the urge to kill for good. Considering the loss I feel, just changing the title for a week is a very advantageous deal for you, don’t you think?”

“……”

I couldn’t deny that.

As I sat there, keeping quiet for a while, Bella extended a hand toward me.

……

In the end, I took her hand.

Bella then burst into laughter again, clutching her belly as she did.

I felt like I had been caught in some trap.

It was clearly a deal where I wouldn’t lose anything, so why was my stomach aching so much?

Chapter 480

Damien…

What am I supposed to do with him now…

I had some acquaintance with the other siblings, but with Damien… I barely ever saw his face. He was usually off carrying out the Emperor’s orders.

After the battle, I met him just once. But even then, Damien was super stiff.

But honestly, in a way, he might be in the best condition among us.

Because Damien showed the least difference between how he was before the battle and how he is now.

“Hi.”

As I approached him and said that, Damien tilted his head.

“Are you doing well?”

In response to my question, Damien stared at me and answered.

“Can’t complain. I don’t have to fight for my life, after all.”

See? He answers like this.

Talking to him is extremely annoying, you know.

“I came to ask you a few questions today.”

“……”

Damien didn’t bother to answer and just kept staring at me. I decided to interpret that look as a yes.

“Why did you follow the Emperor?”

“He saved me from hell.”

Damien answered immediately.

“Didn’t you have any interest in power or anything like that?”

“My life in the back alleys was tough, so getting to become a prince seems good enough to me.”

…Well, that’s not entirely wrong.

Moreover, when the Emperor was at his peak, the powerful nobles in the country couldn’t afford to treat the Emperor carelessly at all.

So, thinking about pushing the Emperor out or pushing aside the successor he appointed is not very wise at all.

“The one who made your life that way could be the Emperor himself, you know.”

“I thought about that for a long time. I’ve had plenty of time to think since I got here.”

Lucas thought the same way too.

At first, he begged to be let out as fast as possible so he could confront the Sword Saint, but every time I went to see him, he got gloomier and eventually said he couldn’t forgive himself and started spouting some weird stuff.

If a person doesn’t do anything, they end up overthinking things, you know? Didn’t we all have all kinds of thoughts while standing guard in the army?

“In the end, that’s how things turned out. If the Emperor hadn’t engaged in power struggles from the start, the royal family would have collapsed somehow. The one who held it together was the Emperor.”

“Do you think it was a necessary sacrifice?”

“No. I don’t think so. More like… it just had to happen.”

I kind of get it, but at the same time, I don’t.

“Wasn’t it something that didn’t apply to you since you could turn back time and change the events?”

“……”

I didn’t even know how to respond to that.

“Wasn’t it because of that situation that you could be there?”

“……”

I could only nod at that.

That I, having no blood relation, could become a crown princess was because Lucas, one of the Emperor’s children, found me interesting.

The reason Lucas was watching the orphanage where Claire and I were was that the Emperor was trying to sift out children with great potential from his scattered bloodline.

From my perspective, it was primarily because ‘there was a game,’ but based on this world’s standards, if the Emperor hadn’t done that, the subsequent story might not have existed.

Alice might have been living a much more miserable life than now, and the kids who were having decent times at the academy might be fighting each other over power.

It’s not the best scenario, but at the same time, it is the best. That’s the situation we’re in.

“So, you don’t really hold a grudge?”

Damien shrugged.

“There’s nothing that can change by killing someone now. It’d just break the peace instead.”

“Hmm…”

When I made an ambiguous expression, for the first time, Damien asked me with curiosity.

“What’s your reason for trying to gather us like this?”

“Because we’re brothers and sisters.”

“Not a very logical reason, huh?”

“Do I look like someone who cares about logical reasons?”

Damien stared at me for a while and then spoke.

“Honestly, I thought that. I thought you were the type to choose only the options that are beneficial for yourself and leave your own mark on the world. The Emperor thought the same way.”

That assessment about me is way too grand.

But I guess that was the impression I left on him.

I shrugged off my awkwardness and said, “It was all an act.”

“But it was good.”

Damien smiled slightly for the first time.

“In the end, you created the world you wanted.”

“……”

I felt myself shivering at Damien’s praise. That gave me the creeps. Ugh. It was different from what Jayden usually said. He’s usually expressionless, and I think that’s why.

“Anyway, I came here with a completely illogical reason. What about you? Do you want to spend time together with your siblings?”

“What would we do if we spent time together?”

“……”

I was at a loss for words.

“Uh… anything?”

“If that’s the case, is it okay to just stay still and do nothing?”

“Right?”

I frowned slightly and looked at Damien.

“You just want to do nothing, huh?”

“Well, I didn’t know I wanted that until now.”

Damien thought for a moment and then said,

“I haven’t really rested since childhood. Back in the alley days, if I stole bread and didn’t run, I’d starve. And where to eat that bread secretly was crucial. If I got pickpocketed, I had to find a hiding spot that was just mine while keeping an eye on where to hide it and regularly change hiding spots to not get caught.”

“……”

“After living a life like that, once I became a prince, I was deployed for various missions in different countries. They were all faraway places, and they were jobs that required constant thinking. So… yeah. I haven’t really rested until now. I didn’t even know what resting was.”

“So, you mean to say you actually like the current situation?”

“Yeah. There’s food, I won’t freeze to death, and there’s plenty of clean water to wash up with.”

Surprisingly humble, huh?

No, actually, it fits his image, I guess.

“If you can’t trust me, then I can’t help that.”

“…… Are you perhaps at a loss about what to wish for because you haven’t tried many things?”

To my question, Damien tilted his head again.

“Is that so?”

“Well, kind of… um, I’m not sure.”

Honestly, I totally relate to his words.

There are times I just want to do nothing too. Lately, I’ve been way too busy.

“If you want to do nothing and just stay still, can’t you just do that here?”

“Huh?”

Did he finally read my expression? Damien made a suggestion.

“It seems like there are no time limits during visitation hours. So, why not just say that you’re spending necessary time for conversation and just sit around doing nothing?”

For a second, I almost fell for that temptation.

Bring a sleeping bag and lay it out anywhere on this floor and just lie down? No one would touch me during that time? That was a brilliant idea, but…

“I’ll pass.”

I shook my head.

Yeah. Just because I don’t work, it doesn’t mean the issues I haven’t dealt with will just deal with themselves.

I wasn’t in a position to take over any important parts of the royal family yet, but Alice was already planning to make me work hard after graduation.

It would be problematic if I started procrastinating.

“Really? It’s your choice, so do as you wish.”

What’s up with that?

Why is he suddenly so irritating?

Up until now, Jayden was number one on my irritation list, but now this conversation just switched the ranking in an instant.

He had this attitude like he’s broken free or something, which was pissing me off. I wanted to ask him to do something.

But in this situation, there’s no way to make him do anything, so it annoyed me even more.

“Anyway, that means you really don’t care about anything right now? You’re saying you’d come if I called you?”

“…… That would be the case, I guess.”

Damien looked at me and spoke.

“Are you aiming for the Emperor’s throne or what?”

“Am I crazy? I’m just thinking of going somewhere to relax and then coming back.”

“…… That in itself is… a bit shocking.”

“Everyone seems to look at me weird when I first bring it up.”

I let out a small sigh and said,

“But honestly, haven’t we had a time like that? I don’t recall us ever gathering around a table for a meal.”

“Not just rarely, but there’s probably never been such a time.”

“See?”

Of course, Damien still had that ‘so why does it matter?’ expression, but I simply shrugged.

“Then, does that mean I can consider you joining? Do you have to eat with the other kids to come?”

“…… There’s really no option of not going, is there?”

“Still, feelings matter, you know.”

When I said that, Damien tilted his head again.

… Is it really okay to be this relaxed?

No matter how I think about it, I’m envious. Damn it.

Chapter 481

I met all my brothers and sisters—except for one still outstanding.

As for Claire, sorry, but she’s out for now. I painted her as my sister, but for her to be one of the Emperor’s kids… well, that’s a bit of a stretch.

So I decided to catch up with Alice later.

Yeah.

Even if Claire is in her own category, Alice can’t opt out. Since I learned all the Emperor’s kids are actually related by blood, it meant Alice had to join this ‘sibling meetup.’

Especially since Alice will be the next Emperor. In a way, she’s kind of at the center of this whole circus.

“… So, you want me to release the restrictions?”

“I’m not saying to lift everything. Just to change the location of the confinement for a bit.”

Alice, who had been busy lately, promptly agreed to my request for time. I really appreciated that.

Plus, she listened to my seemingly nonsensical story with great interest.

“Go on.”

Alice said with her arms crossed.

“Where the Emperor and his kids are right now isn’t really a prison, right? So I thought maybe we could just find a building somewhere and all meet up to chat.”

“……”

Alice gave me a look, then picked up a sheet of paper that had been sitting on the table.

Oh right, we were in Alice’s room. It wasn’t her office, but considering how much she had to read, there were various papers that looked like reports scattered around. Not a mountain of them, but each one looked like a headache waiting to happen if I dared to read them.

And when Alice becomes the Emperor, she’ll have to read a lot more than that.

I’ll have to be there to read them too.

Just thinking about it made me feel dizzy, but I decided to suck it up.

Bam!

“A gryphon suddenly flew in and broke the window.”

“……”

Alice read the report.

I had no words to say.

At first, I thought she was ignoring me because my story sounded ridiculous, but the opposite was true.

“… And it says here that another prisoner was brought in through that broken window.”

I was at a loss for words.

Alice gently placed the report down and picked up another one.

“Here it states that the suddenly appeared gryphon kidnapped the first prince, Jayden.”

“Uh…”

“By the way, this report was filed directly by the knights and soldiers monitoring the mansion. They are instructed to report any anomalies. Naturally, it gets escalated directly to the Emperor. It seems the captured ones are subjects requiring special attention.”

Alice said, keeping her eyes glued to the report.

“And it mentions that the defenders have made certain assumptions about the cause? It’s written like this.”

Alice cleared her throat and read.

“It seems the Crown Princess is up to something. It would be best for the Crown Princess to meet with her directly.”

“……”

Hmm.

That makes sense.

While I thought the gryphon took care of this by itself, it was unrealistic to expect no suspicion from the other side considering the situation.

“You didn’t even give me a heads up about this.”

“……”

“Why not let the gryphon handle it again? If you grab one with your legs, you can move them all at once, right? You can ride on its back.”

“Th-that…”

“Huh? Why? Did you just realize that having gryphons break into houses and kidnap people isn’t such a good idea? Then why not just rewind time? ‘Do it again!’ Huh? Huh?”

Alice rolled up the report and seemed like she was about to jab it at me as she leaned closer.

I twisted my body, trying to dodge the report.

“Well, that might prevent you from keeping them in one place…”

“Even if you think that way, wouldn’t it have been better to at least tell me in advance? You really haven’t kicked that habit, have you?”

“……”

If I had a hundred mouths, I wouldn’t be able to defend myself.

“And right. Let’s worry about that later.”

Alice tossed the rolled-up report onto the table. After being rolled up once, it almost unfolded, but the end just barely stayed crinkled.

“So, what about this?”

Alice read the report.

“It says here someone hid a small gun in their sleeve and threatened the prince… They even fired it?”

“… It was a blank shot.”

“……”

Alice stared at me, and I averted my gaze.

“I thought I told you not to bring weapons?”

“A gun without ammo isn’t exactly a weapon, is it—”

“Sylvia.”

Alice called my name in a stern tone, forcing me to look back at her.

Her expression was serious.

“Do you… not trust me?”

“……”

“Is that why you did this?”

“… No, this is just my fault.”

I said that.

Yeah, it’s my fault.

It wasn’t so much that I couldn’t trust Alice; I just fell back into my old bad habit from the days of rewinding time. I would just take action, and if anything went wrong, I’d rewind time to fix it.

I somewhat realized I couldn’t just rewind time anymore, but when it came to needing to do something, my instincts kicked in.

“……”

Alice, sitting back in her chair with her arms crossed while watching me, let out a big sigh.

“Well, good. At least you came to tell me now.”

Had she been waiting for me to show up all this time?

Thinking about that made me feel even worse.

“I think… it’s okay.”

But Alice’s face didn’t seem very confident at all.

Watching Alice a bit nervously, she spoke.

“Isn’t there someone who might have a hard time accepting that they suddenly became so happy?”

“… Ah.”

The King of the Kingdom of Velbur and his daughter.

And the Papal State, which got fully wrapped up in this incident.

Of course, the case with the Papal State was a bit different. They were somewhat on the side of the aggressor in this scenario.

“……”

I pondered for a moment.

“So, you mean the Emperor and his children need to clearly tie up their relationship with the victims?”

“… Yeah. That’s what I think. Of course, the surface-level issues have been resolved. Velbur has achieved a complete victory, and my father… the Emperor has stepped down. All the kids trailing behind the throne have been pushed out as well. The only ones who can ascend now are you and me.”

Saying that made my stomach churn.

But Alice continued her explanation regardless of my expression.

“While there wasn’t a large-scale war, casualties still occurred. Siblings wanting to reconcile and trying to repair their relationship with their father? Sure, that’s possible. But if they appear to be living happily to others, it could worsen the relationships in the future, don’t you think?”

“……”

She sounds like she’s worried about international relations, but deep down, she’s really worried about her friend Charlotte.

Once the two become heads of their countries, they’ll hardly get to see each other.

“Should we… have the Emperor apologize?”

“Well, who knows? He might not want to see them at all.”

Alice said, resting her chin on her hand.

“Have you met Charlotte?”

“… I have.”

“Did you talk about this?”

“Yeah. We did.”

“How did it go?”

“… I don’t think it was a very comforting subject to talk about.”

When I told her that I introduced my two brothers, Charlotte said that.

“Of course, isn’t that right? If that’s the case, it’s already too early to clear any misunderstandings. It’d be better to wait until those people genuinely regret their actions.”

“… Was I, too hasty?”

“You were way too hasty.”

Alice didn’t back me up this time.

“Still, it was effective. At least, it gave them a chance to think things over differently. As for the rest… we have to hope that time will heal it.”

“……”

“Such wounds won’t heal easily, right? We can consider ourselves lucky that it ended up with this much because we were both there. From Velbur’s perspective, it’s somewhat safe to hold face.”

While she wasn’t openly backing me, she still seemed to have some comforting thoughts.

“So, I don’t think it’ll take decades. To ensure they forget to a degree, I think a few years might be enough. Once they’ve calmed down, we can slowly figure out how to communicate moving forward.”

“……”

“Until then, we’ll just have to work hard ourselves.”

Alice flashed a gentle smile at me as she spoke.

Chapter 482

Tick tock, tick tock…

Time flows.

Now that I couldn’t twist it back anymore, all I could do was accept it.

surprisingly, it didn’t feel that bad.

I got to realize once again how precious time with someone is.

Even if I could turn back time, the choices I could make were ultimately in one direction.

If I rewind, the memories would vanish from the other person’s mind, and everything I built would disappear completely.

After choosing what I wanted through multiple rewinds, all that was left for me was to push time forward again.

But despite that, I acted as if I had infinite time to play with.

In the end, the time I enjoyed now was just a result of those choices.

Right now, everyone remembers that I was rewinding time, but…

“Are you looking at the flowers?”

“Yeah, I’m looking at the flowers.”

A year has passed.

During that time, I tried hard to live my life.

I studied. Maybe because I had a solid foundation thanks to the countless times I rewound time, my grades turned out surprisingly well. Unlike before, I didn’t compete for rankings with Alice, but I was satisfied with my progress.

I worked out, too. Now I couldn’t use the excuse “everything goes back once I rewind” anymore. My athletic skills were still lacking compared to Alice and Claire, but I improved significantly compared to a year ago. Well, it’s not surprising since the opponent is a Sword Saint.

And most importantly, I made an effort to create memories.

I tried hard to engrave as many memories as possible.

After realizing how much I’ve lost once that excess “time” vanished, I understood just how important it was.

I had no leisure.

Even while studying and exercising, I consistently met the kids, talked, and tried to maintain our friendship.

Even if we get far apart someday, I wanted to ensure that we wouldn’t forget each other and could laugh without feeling awkward when we met again.

I dare say, this approach seemed to have worked.

It was clear when I saw Rena smiling next to me.

“It appears to be a tree brought from the East. Isn’t it beautiful?”

Was it last summer?

We decided to expand trade with other countries on the continent. Various items were traded for experimental purposes, and this cherry blossom tree was one of them.

I wasn’t sure how they brought such a large tree here.

Honestly, when the idea first came up, I was a bit worried. I thought maybe the Empire was trying to build a colonizing empire that would eventually collapse while expanding its influence.

However, the countries in the east were engaging in their own forms of power games. Although their technology was definitely lagging compared to the Empire, they developed in their unique ways and surprisingly weren’t falling behind too much in terms of technological level.

Well, this world is similar to the world of the game I played back in my previous life.

Although the setting of “the East” hasn’t been properly revealed in that world, everyone anticipated that it would eventually become the main stage one day.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a situation where they’d be unilaterally crushed by the western nations.

Anyway, the first cherry blossom tree we brought in was planted at the Academy.

And come spring, the beautiful cherry blossoms bloomed.

Students passing by would stop for a moment, staring up at the tree and gasping at its beauty.

“Indeed. It’s really… beautiful.”

Rena’s persona still wasn’t completely unraveled.

But her icy demeanor was slowly melting away, and now anyone could easily notice that change.

To be honest, I felt a bit jealous.

That was the approach I was aiming for. Going from an ice-cold girl to someone who gradually opens up. Rena was pulling it off perfectly.

If this continues, by the time she graduates in my second year, I might see her smiling often in front of us.

“Sister!”

As I was looking up at the cherry blossom tree with Rena, Claire ran over and hugged my arm.

“Are you looking at the flowers?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s really pretty. I thought it was just an ordinary tree when we brought it last year.”

Someday, I could plant a lot of these cherry trees and create a street where cherry blossoms float down every spring. It wouldn’t be bad to have such a street in western scenery.

“Sister, I heard you’re planning a family trip?”

“…Yeah.”

I had discussions with Charlotte and the Kingdom side.

Whether I liked it or not, this world still had a strong class system. While it would gradually fade over time, for now, it was a period where nobles, royalty, and aristocrats could be pardoned for their crimes.

And Charlotte’s father, the King of Velbur, was royalty after all.

Once they took care of Velbur’s face-saving, benefits, and justification, they wouldn’t care too much about the remaining people.

That way of thinking lingered with Charlotte too, if not as a king, leading her to ultimately agree with our plans.

Of course, the biggest reason for that agreement was the presence of Alice and me.

The thought of not wanting to see her friends suffer because of her…

I guess I’ll consider that a favor owed to Charlotte. Though I don’t think she sees it that way.

“……”

“Family matters shouldn’t involve outsiders. Please feel free to talk.”

Rena smiled at me and politely bowed her head. I waved lightly at Rena.

Seeing my gesture, Rena turned away with a pleasant expression, distancing herself from us.

“Speaking of that, can I come along too?”

“……”

I stared intently at Claire.

“Oh, I’m ‘Grace,’ by the way. My parents are also in the Grace territory. But it’s the same for you, right?”

Claire said mischievously with a grin.

“My mother said you could think of her as family, too.”

“…She did say that.”

“So… well, I do want to meet my siblings. After all, we share blood. I don’t plan to get super close, but I still want to know of each other’s existence.”

“I see.”

I nodded.

Honestly, if we’re talking bloodlines, I’m probably the one least connected to any of this.

How did I even get involved in this?

“Okay. I’ll let Alice know.”

“Sure.”

Claire nodded to my words.

After that, we looked up at the cherry blossom tree for a while longer.

As the wind blew, small leaves fell, fluttering in the air.

That sight was truly beautiful.

Maybe I was reminded a bit of my previous life when the cherry trees lined the streets of my hometown.

Flashforward…

So after a bit of time passed, the weekend arrived.

Due to a packed schedule, we failed to plan a trip during the break.

In some sense, that was a good thing. We could adjust and prevent the trip from dragging on too long by making excuses.

Isn’t that right?

Though the kids of the Emperor might be familiar with each other, the relationship between the Emperor and his children is still uncertain.

Rather than awkwardly stretching it over several nights, it would be better to just go for a clean one-night getaway to the nearby outskirts.

“Why are you packing so seriously?”

And that morning.

Right before it was time to leave, Alice asked while seeing me pack my things.

All of Alice’s stuff was already packed by the servants in the Imperial Palace and taken to the train. Meanwhile, here I was, dawdling while packing myself.

“I know. Even if I don’t pack, if we need something, they’d probably deliver it to us within a few hours.”

“And?”

“…… It’s just, I don’t feel at ease unless I do it myself.”

In a way, this is a professional habit.

I’m usually fine, but as the operation approaches that needs me to be alert, I rewound time to recheck my equipment.

Even if I fail, I could just go back and pack again, yet doing it this way feels more comfortable to me. No matter how reckless someone is, they don’t want to be shot and stabbed every time.

Knowing I couldn’t rewind time made me a bit more anxious.

Honestly, what I packed wasn’t that amazing.

Fishing rods, books to read on the train, and a few personal items.

But I was doing this because the upcoming event felt like an ‘operation’ in many ways.

Participating in an operation with no plan, especially when I couldn’t rewind time…

How could I not be nervous?

“We should be leaving soon.”

“Alright. I think I’m ready now.”

I clapped my travel bag shut.

Then I followed Alice outside and handed it over to a servant.

“Why are you so tense? You’re the one who planned it, right? Since a year ago too.”

“…… If the relationship breaks here, it won’t be undoable.”

“Really?”

Alice responded to my words.

“You know, that’s a form of illness too. Thinking that because you can’t rewind time, it’s impossible to retry something that has already failed.”

“…… Is that so?”

“That’s nonsense to someone who’s been living by failing repeatedly, like me.”

I had no reply to Alice’s words, which she said with a smile.

“So relax. After all, we’re young. We’ve got time. If we fail this time, we can just spend a little more time preparing. Even in the worst-case scenario, our trust between us won’t break.”

“……”

At Alice’s words, I quietly nodded.

Chapter 483

Ironically, the atmosphere on the train felt familiar, like something I had experienced before.

“Hey, sis!”

As I returned to my seat after a quick trip to the front car, Lucas waved at me.

It seemed the memories of childhood were still influencing him, but after his fight with Jayden, he decided to respect my thoughts.

“Come over and sit. We have plenty of time, so let’s play some poker.”

“……”

I glanced at Lucas, who was holding cards.

He had done the same the last time we rode the train together. Back then, Lucas had suggested a card game to me as well.

I had refused that time.

The reason was simple. I had no idea how much I would need to rewind time to win a card game, and that sounded like a hassle. In life-or-death situations, it was unavoidable, but going through the trouble of rewinding time just to win a card game was too annoying.

“What are you trying to teach the kid?”

Jayden rolled his eyes.

“Kid? You think she looks like a child? She’s all grown up.”

“You really can’t say anything to your little brother, huh?”

Jayden said this to Lucas and then flashed me a very friendly smile.

“You don’t have to force yourself to join. Just spend your time however you want.”

Hmm.

For some reason, that annoyed me. Last time I was irritated by Lucas calling me over, but now it was Jayden treating me like a kid that was getting on my nerves.

“……”

I briefly stared at the two, then waved my hand to shove Lucas aside.

“Oh, are you going to sit down?”

Lucas said with a blush on his face.

“I don’t know how to play poker.”

I said as I took the seat he had offered.

“Let’s play blackjack. The rules are much simpler.”

“Right, that sounds good. And it’s quick to deal.”

Lucas smiled as he shuffled the cards.

“Blackjack, huh….”

Jayden muttered that under his breath.

Of course, it wasn’t because he disliked blackjack; he seemed a bit shocked that I knew such a game. He probably thought I would stay cute and innocent forever.

“Alright, how much should we wager?”

“Hey.”

Jayden said incredulously.

Seriously, does it even matter what we wager?

Sure, both Jayden and Lucas might be in a pension state right now, but technically, both of them were princes.

Needless to say, there was really no need to worry about money. I mean, unless we were wagering a castle or a mansion, then maybe it would be a different story.

“More importantly, do you even have any money?”

Right. And this was also important.

It wasn’t like I was struggling to eat, but neither was I giving these guys money. First, all the money provided by the royal family had been cut off. They might get items if they request them, but in case of emergencies, they wouldn’t give out cash.

Anything they personally had was probably frozen too.

“I don’t have any money. But how about this? You wager ‘Big Brother’ rights on a daily basis. You promised to give it to Jayden, right?”

“I didn’t know you were interested in that sort of thing?”

When I fumed and asked, Lucas leaned against the window and turned towards me as much as he could.

“Hey, I’m technically your older brother too, you know? You’re the youngest among us siblings. Of course, I want to hear you call me ‘big brother.’ Ah, but you know what? I’d prefer ‘oppa’ over ‘big brother.’”

Imagining myself calling Lucas ‘oppa’ sent shivers down my spine.

I wanted to slice off the part of my brain that came up with that image.

“I can’t just let that slide.”

The person who jumped in with that was… Claire.

I thought she was seated with Alice in another car earlier, but somehow she was here now. Then again, since we were in the same car, the space wasn’t that wide. Plus, the loud chugga chugga sound of the steam train made it easy to overlook her coming.

“Sylvia is my sister. I have no intention of handing her over to you guys.”

“Hey, what about that? Your sister has already transferred that ‘big brother’ right to Jayden.”

Jayden puffed out his chest, looking proud as if he had earned that right.

“Two whole days!”

Jayden said, declaring victory.

Claire looked at me, slightly shocked.

“Really? Only two days? I have a whole week.”

“What!?”

Bella suddenly interrupted, and Jayden’s jaw dropped.

“I reserved a week’s worth of calling her ‘sister.’ I plan to use it from when we arrive at our travel destination.”

Hmm, I think I’ll just hole up in my room at the travel destination.

“……I can’t just let that pass.”

Alice chimed in.

They were all jumping in on this, huh?

I sat down to play a card game only to end up under attack from all directions.

“Aren’t you giving that title too easily to Jayden or Bella? Come to think of it, I think I did that last time too. I remember saying I’d ride on the airship.”

“……”

“Sis, you need to know how to value yourself.”

No, Claire. That story seems quite different. They’re siblings after all.

“……Alice, I don’t think you ever coveted such a title.”

“I didn’t covet it. I just don’t particularly wish to have a younger sister.”

Alice responded.

“But every time you call me ‘sister,’ your expression is entertaining.”

“……”

I paused for a moment and then looked at Lucas.

“Why don’t you say that to Alice?”

“To Alice?”

Lucas glanced at Alice and sank into thought for a moment.

“Um… Well, it just doesn’t feel necessary?”

“……”

“I probably didn’t listen to her a lot during childhood. So now I have this mindset that she would never call me that even if I asked. Back then, I felt a bit of a wall too.”

Ah, right.

From their perspective, it seemed that Alice was technically the next empress in the traditional sense. They probably thought they didn’t have royal blood flowing through them.

I felt the same way too.

But looking at the revealed facts, it turned out that I was the only one here without royal blood.

“Um… So, wanna try calling me that for a test?”

Lucas asked, and Alice’s expression twisted up tightly.

“Why should I?”

“See?”

“No, I’d refuse if you asked me to.”

“You don’t just refuse. You’d use it however you could if it benefited you.”

“……”

I had nothing to say.

“So, will you do it or not?”

“Of course not.”

I cut that off firmly.

“What’s the point of playing a game where you either break even or only lose if you don’t win?”

“……That’s also a fair point.”

Lucas shrugged his shoulders and said.

“Then let’s do it on a point system and see who wins. We still have more than an hour until we get there, right?”

If there’s nothing at stake, it might be alright.

I shrugged, and Jayden nodded his head.

“How about you guys? Want to join?”

As I looked at Alice, Claire, and Bella, Bella shrugged and went back to her seat.

“I’m good.”

Alice waved her hand and turned away.

But instead of going too far, she sat at the opposite side where our table was visible.

“I’m in.”

Claire said, and Jayden graciously moved aside to let her take a seat.

“But how do we do this?”

“Oh, the rules are simple. You get two cards first, and the person closest to 21 wins. It can be exactly 21 as well. But if you go over, you just die. After getting two cards, you can draw as many cards as you like to match the number, but if you go over because of the extra cards, you die.”

“Oh, that’s easy.”

Claire seemed pleased as she smiled.

“Great! Then I’ll deal the cards—”

“No, wait.”

I held my palm up to Lucas.

“I can’t trust you.”

“……”

Lucas looked at me incredulously, but I continued to stare him down as I shouted.

“Damien!”

“……Why are you calling me?”

A somewhat annoyed voice came from a chair behind us.

I couldn’t believe he was still sitting there. I thought he would move away because we were noisy.

Well, he was definitely withdrawn last time. It seemed that maybe Damien sat down first, and then Lucas and Jayden ended up sitting behind him, and Damien was just putting up with it because he was too lazy to move.

“Can you deal this? I can’t trust Lucas.”

“Hey, hey, are you really doing this for a game with nothing at stake?”

“Isn’t it you who’s planning to cheat in a game with nothing at stake?”

“Is cheating already a given?”

Lucas muttered incredulously, but I snatched the cards from his hands and turned to give them to Damien.

Damien sighed heavily as he stood up.

“Fine then, I’ll cooperate for just this one game.”

Of course, Damien wouldn’t be able to leave and continued shuffling cards until we arrived.

In a surprisingly amazing turn of events, Claire had a significantly higher score, enough to scratch Lucas and Jayden’s pride.

When I asked Claire if I should call her “sister,” she freaked out.

……So, the train ride to the travel destination turned out to be way more enjoyable than I had expected.

Feeling tense seemed foolish in comparison.

Chapter 484

The mansion we arrived at was nothing short of a ‘vacation resort.’

Naturally, since it was near the Empire’s interior, it wasn’t a seaside location. However, for some reason, I liked it even more than a beach.

Thinking back, I had hardly been to a proper vacation spot in this world.

I had gone to the beach with everyone from the academy once, but that was it.

Basically, my time was mostly spent doing what the Emperor ordered, and when I wasn’t working, I was just waiting at the Imperial Palace.

In the meantime, I practiced shooting or studied, all while turning back time.

If you include my past life… I’ve been to valleys and seas many times, but I had never stayed in a mansion by a lakeside like this.

Thinking about it, I had never really made an effort to find such a place. Why was that? It would have been harder to find a country without lakes anyway. Well, even without limiting it to lakes, there were still tons of places I hadn’t visited.

The vast lake stretched out before me, almost as far as the eye could see, with towering conifers dotting the distant forest. There was even a dock between the lake and the mansion, lending it an ambiance straight out of a foreign movie, especially with a rowboat moored there.

…Of course, places like this usually end up as murder scenes in foreign films.

Well, as long as no assassins show up among us, it’s fine. I mean, aren’t we all essentially human weapons? No one among us is likely to just die easily.

“…This is better than I expected?”

Bella got out of the car, her expression reflecting delighted surprise.

The driver, who had driven us here, bowed slightly before retrieving our luggage from the trunk and heading toward the mansion.

After all, we aren’t the only ones staying in this mansion. There are also people managing the place.

Moreover, we were only able to move to this location because we received permission from Alice, yet we were still technically in a state of confinement. Just in case anyone decided to run for it, a military force was stationed around here.

I also got the impression that this place was primarily meant for high-ranking officers to rent out.

Apparently, it was quite popular among officers from commoner backgrounds who don’t have territories of their own.

“Shall we head to our rooms first?”

I proposed, and everyone nodded.

Lucas, who had seemed indifferent before we set off, now looked genuinely pleased upon arrival.

After all, it was a sight that could lift anyone’s spirits just by looking at it.

The mansion had three floors. Given the number of people, one might think three floors would be a bit small, but it was quite lengthy, so we wouldn’t run out of rooms.

The room I stayed in was on the second floor.

It had a terrace attached, so I could enjoy a refreshing view of the lake first thing in the morning.

Inside were three beds.

Naturally, it was meant for me, Claire, and Alice to share.

At some point, the three of us had just become a set together. Well, I didn’t mind it at all.

The room next to ours was Bella’s. Our room and Bella’s were connected by a terrace, allowing us to meet outside while sitting.

I wondered if Bella would even bother coming over to see us.

Jayden and Lucas insisted on having their own rooms each, which naturally led to Damien also having a room to himself.

Their rooms were a bit smaller, but they were quite spacious for being individual spaces. They were also on the third floor, and these rooms all had terraces too.

When we entered the room, our luggage was already taken inside and set up for us.

“Wow, this bed is better than what I have in my own room.”

Claire said as she plopped down onto one of the beds.

“If you’re jealous, you can enlist. After all, we’re graduates of the academy, so it’s super easy to join as officers. Then, you can apply to use places like this during your vacation.”

“…They say it’s popular, right? Is it really a place you can use just because you want to?”

At Claire’s words, Alice averted her eyes.

“Hmph.”

Claire scoffed, seemingly in disbelief.

Even if she attended a school that resembled a military academy, Claire had a free-spirited personality. It was natural she wouldn’t want to intentionally join a military-like environment.

I suppose attending the academy was due to its relatively free-spirited atmosphere.

After bouncing up and down on the bed a few times to enjoy its fluffiness, Claire looked at me and asked.

“So, what are we doing now?”

“I was thinking of trying some fishing.”

“Fishing?”

Both Claire and Alice exclaimed at the same time while looking at me.

Why?

I nodded.

“I just thought if we played a game that had a competitive element, Lucas and Jayden would end up fighting.”

“…So you picked fishing?”

“…What’s wrong with that?”

I replied.

Alice seemed to look at me incredulously, and my confidence wavered a bit.

“Should we do something else now?”

“…”

Alice and Claire exchanged glances.

“No, let’s fish.”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

Both of them said in unison.

…It felt like they were saying that just to comfort me, but oh well. They said they were up for it, so whatever.

“But what about the Emperor?”

“He’ll be arriving soon. I intentionally had him take his time.”

“…In case he gets assassinated on the train?”

“I can’t say that’s impossible.”

The Emperor was the most dangerous individual, so there were special considerations in handling him, but ultimately, I figured it wasn’t wise to keep him on the same train with those kids for too long.

Well, in the end, I’d probably have to face a similar dilemma when we met here too.

Knock Knock.

Just then, I heard a knock on the door.

I went to the door and pulled the handle.

“Crown Princess, a guest has arrived.”

“…”

Hearing the servant’s polite announcement, I turned back.

Among the three of us, it was impossible not to figure out who that guest was.

*

Sitting side by side on the lakeside, we were fishing, but it was far duller than I expected.

Though I contributed to the boredom to some extent, I felt like I was sitting too far apart.

Bella, Lucas, Jayden, and Damien had positioned themselves quite a distance apart. Naturally, if I wanted to call Damien over from here, I’d have to raise my voice quite a bit. Perhaps Damien intended it that way. Since he seemed satisfied being here, he probably didn’t want anyone casually bothering him and interrupting his rare peace.

Alice and Claire at least sat relatively close to me. They were still maintaining a distance to avoid tangling our fishing lines though.

And at the far end opposite Damien, a large man was sitting.

It was the Emperor.

The decent atmosphere we’d managed to maintain during the train ride chilled rapidly upon the Emperor’s arrival.

While we had all become quite chummy, the Emperor was… still an inscrutable figure.

In fact, I had been pondering until the last moment about how to address the Emperor. I thought about addressing him after all the siblings became close first.

In the end, I ended up calling him, though.

The bobber on the surface didn’t show any signs of movement. No one had caught a fish yet, and we might as well have been in a drought, or maybe it was just that we had settled in a relatively shallow part of the lakeshore.

After sitting there for quite some time without anyone catching a single fish, we all sat there with blank expressions, just staring at the bobber.

…

Was this a failure?

I wanted to smack my past self hard on the back of the head. Truth is, until last year, I could have probably done similar fishing. After turning back time, all I needed to do was smack my head.

But now, that was no longer an option.

What should I do to improve this situation even a little, I wondered—

“Hey?”

Suddenly, Jayden broke the silence.

All eyes turned to him.

Everyone glanced at Jayden’s face and then shifted their gaze in the direction he was looking.

Splash.

The bobber moved slightly.

Jayden immediately jumped up, grabbing his fishing rod.

“Whoa!?”

Jayden exclaimed.

The bobber was moving! The line was taut, and the fishing rod was bending.

“I got one! Sylvia, look! The fish is biting!”

“Don’t look at me, look at the fish!”

I yelled, and Jayden immediately turned his gaze back to pull the fishing rod toward himself.

It was a relatively simple-looking fishing rod, one without a reel. You pulled on the line with just the right amount of strength to catch the fish.

“Lucas, get the net! The net!”

“Who are you barking orders at?”

But even while Lucas complained, he made his way toward Jayden—

“Lucas! Your bobber’s moving!”

Alice shouted.

Lucas turned his head. This time, his bobber was moving too.

I shot up from my seat, grabbing the net that I had placed near me, and hurried over toward Jayden.

The fish he had hooked was quite large. I wasn’t sure what kind it was, but it had a somewhat dark color, appearing to be a ‘freshwater fish.’

As I scooped up Jayden’s fish with the net, Lucas shouted.

“Hey, hey! I need some help too!”

Wait, what’s with the sudden shift after having caught nothing for ages?

Chapter 485

I really wanted to give Jayden some sort of reward.

Of course, excluding the brotherly tirades. After all, I wouldn’t have to think of something to give since he’s bound to receive it anyway. Ignoring it would mean I couldn’t ask him for anything else in the future.

Hmm, thinking about it, there’s really no need to give him anything. It’s already reserved for him, but more than that, if we’re nitpicking, the credit goes to the fish that Jayden caught first.

I don’t know what kind it is, but it’s definitely different from the one Lucas caught. From the looks of its whiskers, they both seem to be catfish, but this world has magical beasts roaming around carelessly, so perhaps this fish isn’t just any regular fish.

Anyway, since both are dark brown with whiskers, I’ll tentatively consider them catfish. However, the fish Lucas caught was fatter on the sides, while Jayden’s was longer in the front and back.

Naturally, Jayden’s fish was much longer.

“Hey, no matter how you look at it, mine has more meat, right? Cooking it up would feed at least two people!” Jayden puffed out his chest in protest.

I’m not sure if it would actually taste good, though. Some fish are so bony and smelly that I wouldn’t even know how to eat them.

“Lucas, you seem to be misunderstanding. The length of a fish caught by fishing is the measure used to compare.”

That sounds right. In fishing shows I’ve watched before, they only measured the length, not the weight.

“So if you catch something long like an eel, does that mean it’s superior to catching other fish?”

Well, not exactly.

To be precise, it means measuring the lengths of the same species for comparison. If it’s one species, that’s the larger one, and if it’s another species, then that’s the larger one… Unfortunately, there wasn’t anyone here who could compare in such a manner.

“What are you two fighting over something so trivial?” Bella said, looking dumbfounded.

I wasn’t too bothered.

At least Jayden caught a fish, which made the atmosphere cheerful. That alone was worth the effort of “catching.”

“Ah!?”

While Lucas and Jayden were at it, Claire suddenly shouted.

“Wait, look at this!”

The gazes of the two fighters shifted.

At the end of their line—

A fishing rod bent almost to the breaking point. The line taut like it was about to snap.

It was obvious to anyone that what lay beyond was a fish far larger than what Lucas and Jayden had caught. A massive shadow could be seen on the clear surface of the lake. A shadow hooked on the tiny bobber, struggling to break free, looked ferocious.

My instincts screamed.

That must be similar to the beasts that roam around in the realm of ‘Gado.’

Before I knew it, Alice was also pulling on the fishing rod.

“Wait!”

I rushed over to the two and said, “If you pull like that, it’ll break! Lower it a bit…”

Instead of adjusting the bend on the rod, we basically leaned back.

To be precise, we tried to pull back.

But since the ground was all soft mud, our three feet got dragged towards the lake.

Should we just let go? I pondered for a moment, when a thick hand suddenly grasped the fishing rod tightly.

“……”

For a moment, we three forgot to pull and looked up at the Emperor.

He was holding onto the rod just enough for us to manage, not letting it pull us into the lake.

Guess it’s the experience from all those years in politics that gave him that instinct.

Yeah, if you caught it here, it’s basically stealing.

Heave-ho, heave-ho! Claire, Alice, and I began to lean back in sync.

Since we were holding the fishing rod at the end, it was obviously impossible for us to pull out the fish with our hands. It would also be tough to scoop it up with a net.

“Hey, can I help a bit?” Lucas shouted.

“Are you just going to stand there doing nothing!?” Claire yelled back.

Lucas grabbed the harpoon he had prepared in advance and hurled it towards the head of the fish.

The harpoon flew straight and struck the fish’s head, which had just slightly surfaced from the water.

BANG! At that moment, there was a loud cracking noise and the sound of the fish convulsing, all at once. Then, the fish at the end of the line toppled over, exposing its white belly and stretching out.

“……”

The Emperor discreetly let go of the rod he was holding.

Claire glanced up at him and slowly tugged on the fishing rod.

That harpoon was thrown so powerfully, combined with its weight, that the fish was incredibly heavy. Even though it was dead, we still had to be careful not to snap the line while pulling it up.

What we caught was markedly different from the whippy catfish Lucas and Jayden had caught.

I think I know what this is. It’s a carp.

But its color was unusual. It sparkled like silver, almost like a saury…

“……Is it okay to catch this?”

Only after we extracted it did Alice mumble.

Right.

This world doesn’t really have laws like animal protection or endangered species legislation.

But because of the sheer size and majesty of this fish, it had an air about it that screamed “sacred” and felt wrong to catch.

“Uh… well, no one’s warned us, so it should be fine, right?”

Lucas said.

“Is there anyone to warn us?”

When Alice questioned, Lucas fell silent.

“……Well, I suppose it’s alright since it’s caught with the future Emperor. I guess that settles it… The victor is decided. Lucas, Jayden, sadly, no matter how many you two catch, you won’t beat what Claire caught.”

Bella, who had come closer to examine the fish, said with a smile.

Lucas and Jayden slumped their shoulders.

…Well, I can’t blame them.

I couldn’t help but chuckle and look towards the Emperor.

He was staring at us from a slight distance.

His gaze seemed to be observing us, as if he was witnessing something fascinating.

As if he never thought he’d see a scene like this.

That’s what Father said.

The Emperor’s gaze locked with mine.

What should I do? Should I just look away as if nothing happened?

After a moment of contemplation, I shrugged in the Emperor’s direction.

The Emperor just stared at me.

Well, it’s not like we were ignoring each other, so…

That settled it.

*

The Lake’s Owner.

When we presented the fish we caught, the elderly steward who had been managing the mansion for decades lit up with excitement.

Given the atmosphere that screamed “You shouldn’t have caught that!”, the caretaker then asked us if we would be taxidermy-ing it.

Our gazes turned towards Claire.

She thought for a moment before shaking her head.

“Umm… It feels a bit embarrassing to keep it as a taxidermy.”

If that was the last one of its kind in the lake, then turning it into a taxidermy would leave evidence that would mark her as the one who caused the extinction of that species.

To eliminate that evidence, Claire wanted to get rid of it by eating it.

However, there was really no need to worry about that.

“Though it’s called the owner of the lake, it’s not the only one in that vast lake. It may be the largest of the bunch, but if it were truly in danger of disappearing, there would be more anglers who’d be catching it.”

Besides, he said not many people fish in the lake. Since the whole lake was owned by the Empire, there was no chance of overfishing by outsiders.

“Well then, isn’t it all the more reason to feel free to eat it?”

After hearing this, Claire said as such, and ultimately, that ‘Owner of the Lake’ became our meal. Fortunately, they said it tastes delicious. If it hadn’t, we probably wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of catching it.

In exchange, we took a photo with Claire holding the fish.

It was so big and long that Alice and I had to support its head and tail from either side.

The camera was that expensive one Claire always carried around.

While the staff prepared the meal, we returned to the lakeside to set up a bonfire.

After Claire caught that big one, she also managed to catch a few more. Bella and Damien each caught two, and Lucas and Jayden also reeled in two more.

Alice and I were satisfied with just one each.

And on top of that, the Emperor added a pretty sizable fish.

The owner of the lake was a fine ingredient, so the staff decided to cook it with care, but the rest of the fish we caught were simply going to be grilled over an open flame.

If it tastes bad, then… well, it can’t be helped.

“But, do you know how to clean it?”

“I learned how.”

Excluding the fact that we’re royalty, the fish and meat sold in industrialized Korea are usually already cleaned.

Many people wouldn’t know how to clean fish even if they were taught to sneak in and cook.

I picked up a suitably small fish and sat down—

Then, I looked up at the Emperor again.

“……Ha.”

After a small sigh, I grabbed another fish.

I walked over to where the Emperor was and held out the fish with its tail in front of his face.

“……Huh?”

The Emperor made a sound of surprise.

“What are you just standing there watching for?”

I said.

“Don’t expect a free meal, help me clean this. Since you’re here, think about contributing a little!”

“……”

Only after hearing my words did the Emperor pick up the fish I was offering.

He looked incredibly awkward, unlike when he held a knife.

I tugged on the Emperor’s sleeve with my empty hand as I walked towards the place where the kids were.

Everyone was looking over here with slightly dazed expressions.

…Well, after all, this was the objective we started with. Let’s steel ourselves.

I let out a tiny breath and made that resolve.

Chapter 486

At first, it was okay.

Of course, the kids didn’t chat with the Emperor like they were best buddies.

But thankfully, there was no hostility among them.

The grilled fish, lightly salted, tasted quite good. I thought it would be better not to have to deal with the bones, but hey, isn’t that what gathering here to eat together is all about? The atmosphere is part of the whole dining experience.

“Oh, right.”

Jayden said.

“Sylvia, I’d like to use that ‘Big Brother privilege’ from now on.”

“…”

Everyone’s gaze suddenly concentrated on me.

Even the Emperor’s gaze was on me.

“Oh, then I want to use it too.”

Bella raised her hand to speak.

“…”

I clamped my mouth shut.

Well, it was my idea in the first place, so I guess I had no choice.

“If you go silent like that, it defeats the purpose of our deal, doesn’t it?”

Lucas teased.

“If we made a deal, it’s only fair to keep the terms. Otherwise, your partner might refuse your next proposal.”

“I know, I know,”

I just couldn’t shake off the awkwardness of trying to switch back to formal speech after dropping it for a moment.

I’d been using formal speech my whole life in this world, but switching back after such a short break was surprisingly difficult.

“…From now on, I shall refer to you as ‘Big Brother’ for two days.”

“Great, great. That’s wonderful, little sibling.”

Jayden said with an incredibly proud expression and took a mouthful of fish.

“…”

And Bella was staring intently at me.

I took a deep breath and spoke as if I was about to spew,

“I look forward to your guidance over the week, Sister. But we likely won’t be around to use it for the full week.”

“Oh, it’s fine, it’s fine. In the end, we’ll be using it all vacation long, right? I’ll let that slide. There’s no need for you to feel awkward calling me Sister.”

“…”

Alice and Lucas stared at me closely.

“You two should make your deal before talking.”

“What if I say, ‘If you don’t call me Sister right now, I might pass the imperial throne to you’?”

“Sister, don’t give in to threats like that!”

I mean, seriously, can’t she just endure the simple act of calling someone Sister without becoming the next Emperor of the Empire?

“If I become the next Emperor, I’ll pass all the powers to Claire.”

“…Sister?”

“…”

The Emperor seemed to chuckle a bit.

“It’s a bit absurd to see you two passing around the power without wanting to hold onto it for yourselves.”

Lucas said.

“Because I don’t need it.”

“I think you’d do quite well as Emperor, though?”

“…That’s impossible, Big Brother.”

“I’ll give you back that Sister title, so how about letting me have the Emperor’s seat?”

“That won’t do, Sister.”

When I frowned and said that, Bella burst out laughing.

“Hmm, I suppose I can’t trust you with power. I’ll find another way to make you call me Sister.”

Wait, why was she suddenly fired up?

Claire shot a glare at Alice, and Alice shrugged.

While we leisurely chatted and ate,

“Everyone.”

A servant had approached us and spoke politely.

“The dishes are ready, may I guide you to the hall?”

At that, we got up, shaking off our bottoms.

*

The meal continued like a small banquet.

We sat at a large table and tasted the ‘Lord of the Lake’, made from dishes. Saying it like this makes it sound like we’re cannibals, which feels a bit awkward, but it seems that the name is really referring to that fish.

Maybe soon, I ought to call some biologists or such to properly name it.

“Whoa, this is really good.”

Lucas exclaimed.

It was indeed delicious.

There was zero muddy smell one would expect from freshwater fish, and the sweetness of the sauce beautifully complemented the perfectly grilled flesh. The way it flakes was definitely fishy, but the texture felt closer to meat. I have no idea how it tasted so great.

“After the meal, a light drink is prepared. Please enjoy.”

Since we are such high-profile people, or maybe that’s just the service here, I couldn’t tell, but the servants kept a close eye on us throughout the meal.

Well, even if it was just military service, it wouldn’t be surprising. There’s quite a big wall between officers who are nobles and regular soldiers composed of commoners, and on the battlefield, while officers slice their steaks, common soldiers often eat hard, stale bread.

The Empire has a lot of land and plenty of food available, but… generally, the food isn’t that tasty. During missions, I tended to take care of my own meals rather than survive on rations.

Once we finished eating in this relaxed manner, music played from a gramophone in the dining room.

Of course, the sound quality was notably inferior to that of a live performance; however, it felt a bit awkward to call musicians to play in such a place. Personally, I found the crackling sound of the music somewhat charming.

By the way, the LP I knew seemed a bit different; it looked like each plate had only one song, about five minutes long, on it.

So, someone was standing beside the records, swapping each song out as it ended.

…Well, at least they didn’t seem to mind.

“…Nice.”

Bella said.

We were holding our drinks. I, Claire, and Alice were sipping mineral water with fruit juice, while Bella had real champagne.

She wasn’t drunk per se, but her face was slightly flushed. Maybe she was feeling a bit tipsy?

Given how many drinks she’d already had, I guess that was understandable.

“Why? Are you uncomfortable with someone my age being mixed in among you?”

Seeing her whining like that suggested she indeed might be a little tipsy.

I turned my gaze to Lucas and Jayden, who were making faces like they didn’t want to be here while arm-wrestling with Damien as if judging him.

Did it have to come to this?

“There are no other women here besides us.”

“Yeah, that’s right. That’s why I’m here. Hah.”

Bella sighed dramatically as she turned her gaze, suddenly locking eyes with the Emperor.

“…”

Seeing that, Alice, Claire, and I quickly exchanged our glances.

We had to be ready to intervene if anything happened.

Bella poked my shoulder.

She was giggling like she had thought of something amusing.

“Hey, is that charming gentleman over there someone you know?”

“…”

I looked up at Bella with a slightly bewildered expression.

I was trying to gauge whether she was genuinely drunk or just joking around, but it was starting to seem like the latter. My heart raced a bit as I glanced at Alice and Claire before responding to Bella.

“Shall I introduce you?”

“Oh my, would you?”

Bella smiled brightly.

I nodded and led Bella to the Emperor.

The Emperor stood by the window, quietly gazing outside while holding a cup.

As I approached, confirming that Bella was following me, he turned his gaze back to me.

There was a hint of questioning in his eyes.

Did he think that our relationship had completely come apart?

I debated how to approach things and then greeted him politely, just like I was taught in the royal court.

The Emperor appeared to ponder how to handle the situation momentarily, but then he politely returned the courtly etiquette greeting.

“What brings such a beautiful lady here?”

“Well…”

I glanced subtly at Bella and then back to the Emperor.

“…This lady here wishes to greet you, sir.”

At my words, Bella stepped forward and curtsied elegantly. Despite wearing form-fitting pants, her movement resembled that of someone who had been trained in grace.

“I am Bella Fanggriffon. Fortuitously, I have inherited the noble lineage of this Empire.”

Although it sounded quite sarcastic, the Emperor didn’t flinch or scowl.

“Is that so? It’s an honor that a distinguished individual would speak with me.”

As if they were total strangers from the very beginning, those two began conversing.

It was hard to tell whether they were trying to rekindle their relationship or if Bella was merely being sarcastic. From what Bella said, it seemed closer to sarcasm, but…

As a brief silence fell, music from the record player filled the air.

“Charming gentleman, would you care to share a dance with me?”

Bella said while extending her hand. She lifted her hands up, inviting him to dance like a lady requesting a dance.

It was almost as if she were trying to reenact something she hadn’t enjoyed in her childhood.

“…”

The Emperor glanced down at her hand, then slowly moved his hand to grasp it as if to support her.

“…It’s an honor.”

Chapter 487

“What’s up with them?”

Lucas, who had approached without me noticing, asked me.

I guessed that ‘them’ included the Emperor.

“Yeah, I don’t really know either.”

I said while watching the two dancing at a distance.

When it comes to couples dancing at a ball, they usually fall into three categories.

First, there’s the little girl dancing with her father.

Typically, the father looks at his daughter with a honey-dripping smile, and the daughter seems to be having the time of her life. Naturally, this scenario often involves a very young daughter, and those around them watch with warm affection.

But those two were indeed father and daughter, yet there was no such atmosphere.

Since Bella was older than me, there was absolutely no way she looked like a ‘young daughter debuting at the social scene.’ The Emperor and Bella weren’t gazing at each other with joy either.

The second category is lovers.

In this case, it didn’t fit at all. Pass.

Lastly, there’s the common social dance. As the name implies, it’s a dance meant to build camaraderie without any particular feelings involved.

In this case, the two people could be close friends, or on the flip side, could be from two rival families.

Uh… they definitely leaned toward the latter in this case. Although they weren’t from different families, Bella’s glare at the Emperor was icy.

The surrounding people were watching Bella and the Emperor dance with bated breath filled with tension.

“……”

We were discreetly watching the two with growing concern.

If we had to pick the person most likely to harbor ill feelings toward the Emperor, we would unanimously point to Bella.

Lucas and Jayden might have gained the Emperor’s favor at a relatively young age, but for Bella…

There was no story exchanged between the Emperor and Bella.

They just stared at each other, locked in a gaze.

After a few minutes of spinning around, the music came to an end.

“Ha.”

Bella sighed a little and picked up her glass from the table.

Then she downed the champagne in one go.

“You dance well. Honestly, I thought your skills would be rusty.”

Had Bella danced with the Emperor before?

“You probably don’t remember.”

“……I remember.”

“Um.”

Bella received a new glass from a waiter and gulped down the drink in one go.

Then, she crossed her arms and said to the Emperor, “So, gentleman, shall we have a little private chat? Somewhere without other people.”

It was a bit of a chilling scene.

Of course, Bella probably intended it that way. She wouldn’t actually try to seduce her father.

“……Alright.”

The Emperor said after a brief hesitation.

The two walked side by side and exited the banquet hall.

“……”

Even the staff waiting to change the record stood there with their mouths hanging open, staring at the door the two had left through.

We exchanged glances and quickly followed after them.

Who knew what they might do if we left them be?

What if they ended up killing each other?

*

Finding Bella and the Emperor wasn’t that hard.

The mansion was spacious, but it was still a house. It wasn’t as vast as a department store.

I found Bella and the Emperor on the third floor.

As I crept up the stairs, I could faintly hear Bella’s voice, so I slowly moved in that direction, trying to make as little noise as possible.

The two were talking.

Actually, it was more accurate to say Bella was talking alone.

“Why did you do that?”

Bella asked very directly.

It seemed she hadn’t noticed I was nearby.

“Do you know how hard it was for me after you abandoned me?”

Her voice was wet with unshed tears, but oddly enough, it was very calm.

It felt like she was forcibly holding back.

They were on a terrace at the end of the corridor.

I pressed my back against the outer wall of the terrace to avoid being seen by them.

“……”

The Emperor remained silent.

“If your blood was flowing in me, you didn’t have to prove anything. You could have just brought me here, raised me decently, and married me off to an appropriate noble, right? Even if I wasn’t capable.”

Bella lamented.

“Why? Did you dislike the thought of children inheriting the Emperor’s blood? Did you have to grab all the power for yourself?”

Her voice was like one reading a predetermined script.

My heart raced. What if Bella decided to kill the Emperor?

The Emperor had looked strangely weak in all his actions today. When he was first captured, he had seemed ready to concoct and execute new plans immediately, but it felt like something was missing from him after spending so long alone.

“Did you know? The moment I learned about my lineage, I wanted to kill you.”

“……I understand.”

“You understand?”

Bella scoffed. This was the first time I heard genuine emotion from her voice.

“Then will you die for me? I don’t want to dirty my hands.”

At Bella’s words, I wondered if I should jump out now. I hesitated but decided to stay hidden a little longer.

“I can’t kill this feeling I have for you. Given time, I might actually try to kill you.”

“……”

“A sister, they said.”

I stiffened.

“Well, it’s not like she’s the type to call me ‘sister’ under normal circumstances, but isn’t it odd? If circumstances were different, I might have cut her throat myself, but she tried to save me. And here she is, trying to create something family-like. She’s a strange one. She was also used by you, after all.”

“……Is that so?”

For the first time, the Emperor spoke.

“Is it because of Sylvia?”

“Yeah. If you’re going to put it that way, it is. It’s ironic, isn’t it? She, who doesn’t have a drop of my blood, keeps coming to me to talk. All sorts of strange things too. Nonsense that’s completely distant from power or authority. But you know? She’s the first person to come to me like that in my life.”

Bella laughed.

“So yeah, I might feel a little regretful. If I die or if something happens to me that makes me unable to talk to her.”

“……”

Bella had been shown to sympathize a lot with Claire in the original story. Considering the weapon Claire used until her death was Bella’s sword, it likely meant they were very close.

In fact, Bella had wanted family more than anyone. Whether it was her father, mother… or her own siblings.

“I’m trying to talk to her, but you seem to be in the way.”

“……Is that so…”

“Sylvia is really nice, isn’t she? Maybe even nicer than you think? Even in this situation, she’s still trying to look out for you, right? Lucas and Jayden are both startled every time they see you. It’s possible our family’s focus shifted to Sylvia a long time ago. Maybe that’s when your plans started to slip away.”

“……”

“……I said you should die earlier, but that might be a bit difficult. You see, she can’t turn back her plans. So, to come to the conclusion I want, I’ll have to cooperate with her plans. Don’t get it twisted. That’s not me forgiving you. I’ll probably never forgive you. Well, different feelings might overshadow that, but.”

“I understand.”

The Emperor replied.

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. I’ve thought about it for quite a while now. I had plenty of time to think during the alchemy period.”

The Emperor slowly continued.

“The plan has fallen apart. Looking back, no matter how I constructed the plan, there were no options left. Everything was connected to you guys. If I… had been in a properly trusting relationship with you, maybe I could have executed my new plan.”

“Ha, what a conclusion befitting you.”

“Now, to say I found something precious… I wouldn’t think of saying something like that.”

The Emperor said.

Calmly. Just like Bella next to him.

“But… hearing your story, it’s definitely interesting. This plan of Sylvia’s. I…”

“Well, I don’t even need you to say it.”

Bella leaned against the terrace railing.

There was a long silence between them.

Um, I was thinking it might be time to slip out when…

“Sylvia!”

A redhead appeared from afar.

Lucas came up the stairs waving at me.

“Oh, what’s going on? You were all here—”

Bella seemed somewhat relieved that she hadn’t pierced the Emperor after all, but as she moved up, she caught sight of me hiding behind the wall and her expression stiffened.

I placed my hand on my forehead.

Seriously, if you’re going to call out, could you do it a bit quieter!

They’ve figured out I was eavesdropping all this time!

Chapter 488

“Oh my, really? Were you worried that big sister would mess things up? Our Sylvia is so sweet!”

“Not like that!”

No matter how much I wailed, Bella kept giggling and said.

“By the way, shouldn’t you call me big sister? If you keep breaking promises like this, you might not be able to make any promises from now on. Isn’t that scary? Right?”

“…That’s not true, big sister.”

As I gritted my teeth and spoke, Bella laughed and patted my head.

“Don’t worry too much. I have feelings, but I’m not foolish enough to spill them all out. If I were, I wouldn’t have survived up until now.”

However, while saying that, Bella shot a sharp glare at the Emperor.

“Thank this kid.”

“……”

The Emperor said nothing.

“Um… I’m sorry.”

Lucas, who had broken the atmosphere by loudly calling out for me, apologized.

I took a deep breath and said.

“It’s fine. It’s no big deal.”

“Really?”

Lucas, alternating his gaze between Bella and me, spoke.

“Then shall we go back? I heard there’s more food coming out. You like eating, right?”

Well, I do like it, but it’s not like you gotta point it out that much.

But still, dessert was tempting. If there’s anything I can indulge in without getting flak in this country, it’s desserts and cakes. Of course, there are things like sardine pie, but considering how it looks, it’s actually pretty good.

“Alright. You guys go ahead. I’m… going to chat with him for a bit before I go.”

“Is that so?”

Lucas glanced between me and the Emperor and shrugged.

“Then should I tell the others to go ahead?”

I nodded.

“I’ll leave you here.”

Lucas patted my shoulder and turned to leave.

No, it’s not like I’m that obsessed with food! I’m just the type who eats when there’s food around.

“……”

Well, whatever.

I took a big breath and turned around.

And faced the Emperor.

“…So, what do you think?”

“Everyone seems to be getting along better.”

“…Do you have any idea how much effort it took to get back to this point? I had to find and persuade each of those kids. It was a mess.”

I sighed deeply and stood by the terrace railing.

On the terrace beside the building, there was a view split with a wide lake on the left and a forest on the right.

The silhouette of the forest bathed in moonlight was both eerie and magnificent.

I could almost understand why they decided to put the terrace there instead of by the lake.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Yeah.”

I nodded and looked at the Emperor.

“So, what do you think?”

“……”

The Emperor pondered for a moment and then replied,

“It was quite enjoyable.”

“While sitting quietly without saying anything.”

Well, at least that’s good. If he had kept scraping at his insides like the old Emperor, this gathering would have turned into a disaster.

“Still, having days like this in life isn’t bad, right?”

“…I suppose so.”

The Emperor said.

“Your answer is short.”

I complained.

“Take some time and work on that attitude. Talk to the kids some more. Well, if they don’t want to, that can’t be helped.”

“Do you not blame me?”

“When have I ever cared about such things?”

As I looked back, astonished, the Emperor was just staring at me quietly.

Hmm, maybe I should answer this seriously.

But honestly, to answer seriously, there should be something to talk about.

“I did… blame you.”

I nodded.

“Why did you put us in this situation? Why did you make plans that led me to break things multiple times? Couldn’t you have made things a bit better for the kids from the start?”

But it’s all pointless resentment.

Anyway, we survived. The problems the Emperor created are far too many, and I’ll probably be handling them for a long time. I’ll have to deal with the political repercussions, and adapt to the rapidly changing times.

But, in the end, we just returned to square one.

“So, pay it all back. That grand plan of yours, let’s try to steer it in a better direction this time. There’s no point in trying to pull any tricks. After all, all your useful limbs have become independent.”

At my words, the Emperor chuckled softly.

“Just as I thought, you have the talent to be an Emperor.”

“What a terrifying thing to say.”

“I’m serious. It’s completely different from my way, but you’ve made your own side.”

It’s strange.

If it were the Emperor, he would surely add all sorts of conditions before giving a compliment.

But this time, it was different.

“The next Emperor is only Alice.”

“…Yeah.”

The Emperor said.

“Alice is a good girl. She has talent too.”

This time, there was no ‘but’ attached.

Well, what difference does it make?

It’s definitely proof that he’s changing.

“…Shall we fish again tomorrow?”

In response to my question, the Emperor simply chuckled instead of answering.

*

I had a blast throughout the holiday.

The next day, instead of grilling fish, we roasted a whole pig.

Of course, none of us had the ability to roast a whole pig evenly, so we left it all to the servants.

It was delicious. Honestly, it couldn’t be bad.

We shared various stories.

Most were about our childhoods. Questions about what Alice was like as a child, what I was like as a child, etc. I also heard about Lucas and Jayden’s childhoods, and Bella and Damien’s as well.

Still, we hadn’t yet talked about the times outside the royal family. For that kind of conversation, we would need a lot more courage to share and listen.

But that’s fine.

We still had plenty of time.

Slowly—taking our time, we could get to know each other.

In that way, we are becoming a family again.

*

“……”

Splash splash.

The sound of water broke the silence in the middle of the tranquil lake.

In such a lake, we were on a small boat, just the three of us: me, Alice, and Claire.

It was a boat that had enough space for five people, but we felt a bit awkward in our positioning.

I had my back turned to the front, Claire was looking at me, and Alice was behind her.

To have all three of us converse, Claire and Alice both had to shift slightly.

Floating in the middle of the lake felt like being in another world, even though we could clearly see people coming and going at the distant mansion.

“…So, how was it?”

I asked.

Claire and Alice turned their eyes toward me.

“Was it fun?”

“Of course, big sister.”

Claire answered first.

“I hope you’ll call me next time there’s another outing.”

“I will.”

I smiled and replied, looking at Alice’s peeking head from behind.

“It was fun.”

Alice said.

“I can’t really tell if this is normal life or if it’s these days in the Imperial Palace that are normal.”

“If I ever bring those kids back to the palace, this will become the norm.”

“……”

Alice stared silently at me and opened her mouth.

“You’ve done so much for us.”

“……”

“Really, big sister.”

Claire chimed in.

“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be able to be who I am.”

“Same for me.”

“……”

For a while, I couldn’t convey any words, and finally managed to speak.

“Even if it weren’t for me, both of you would have… been just fine.”

Even if there were trials, in the end, they would have overcome them. Claire would surely have survived again. After all, thinking about the game story.

I…

“No.”

Alice shook her head.

“Right. Maybe everything could have magically gone well. But that’s still not us.”

“……”

“Big sister, the ‘me’ who calls you ‘big sister’ exists because of you. Alice is right. Even if I grew up in a fortunate family, I wouldn’t be me today. Our times intertwined and intertwined to become who we are now.”

Yeah, that’s true.

I also…

I too, surely, if nothing had happened, would have been living as an ordinary office worker.

Because of these kids, I became ‘Sylvia Fanggriffon.’

Now, the ‘original work’ or whatever, I couldn’t care less. This isn’t just a few years of a story from a game; it’s the story of a lifetime unfolding in front of us.

We will continue to live on, facing more wounds.

And embracing each other, we will rise again.

“…Thank you.”

Since no one was watching, I spoke honestly to the two of them.

“Really, thank you for appearing in my life like this. Both of you.”

“…Who are you saying that to?”

Claire said with a shy smile, lowering her head.

Alice averted her gaze to the lakeside for no reason.

“I hope we can always be together moving forward.”

“Surely. We will definitely be able to, without a doubt.”

In response to my murmuring, Alice replied.

And I believed that answer.

The ripples of water touching the bow repeatedly flowed steadily forward, to places unseen in the distance.

Never to return again.

Continuing.

Continuing…

Glossaries

실비아 => Sylvia Fanggriffon (Female)

클레어 팬그리폰 => Claire Fanggriffon (Female)

블랙 => Black (Surname)

클레어 => Claire Fanggriffon (Female)

팬그리폰 => Fanggriffon (Unknown Gender)

고아원 => Orphanage (Place)

황제 => Emperor Arthur III (Male)

사창가 => Brothel (English)

제도 => Imperial Capital (Place)

노파 => Old Woman (Gender: Female)

한가지다행인점이있다면 => One fortunate thing

한밤중 => Midnight

남작가 => Baron Grace’s Estate (Male)

밀레니엄 => Millennium (Company Name)

거대한성 => Massive Castle

황궁 => Imperial Palace (Place)

빈민가 => Slums (English)

부모 => Parents (Neutral)

세력 => Faction

경찰 => Police

고아 => Orphan (English)

어린아이 => Child (Generic term, excluded as per instructions)

시민 => Citizen

주민 => Resident

경찰서 => Police Station (English)

남작 => Baron (Male)

루카스 팬그리폰 => Lucas Fanggriffon (Male)

그레이스 남작가 => Baron Grace’s Estate (English)

제이든 팬그리폰 => Jayden Fanggriffon (Male)

그래스 남작가 => Baron Grace’s Estate (English)

크로우필드 => Crowfield (Place)

미아 크로우필드 => Mia Crowfield (Female)

백작 => Count Crowfield (Male)

타고온 마차 => The carriage (Gender: Neutral)

백작 영지 => Count’s Estate (English)

루카스 => Lucas Fanggriffon (Male)

앨리스 팬그리폰 => Alice Fanggriffon (Female)

설정놀음 => Playing with Settings (English)

아제르나전기 => Chronicles of Aetherna (English)

황녀 => Crown Princess (Neutral)

앨리스 => Alice (Female)

황립아카데미 => Imperial Academy (Place)

제국 => Empire (Place)

재상 => Chancellor (Gender: Male)

벨부르 왕국 => Kingdom of Velbur (English)

루테티아 => Lutetia (Place)

법국 => Papal State (Place)

제도론다리움 => Runedarium (English)

왕도루테티아 => Royal City Lutetia (Place)

현대화 => Modernization (English)

왕국 => Kingdom (Place)

교황 => Pope (Male)

제이든 => Jayden Fanggriffon (Male)

샤를로트 => Charlotte (Female)

로말로 왕국 => Kingdom of Romalo (English)

리클란트 자치국 => Autonomous State of Rickland (English)

황립론다리움 아카데미 => Imperial Runedarium Academy (English)

모르핀 => Morphine (Substance)

백작령 => Count’s Territory (English)

살인자 => Assassin (English, Generic Term)

긴장 => Tension (Concept)

황립 아카데미 => Imperial Academy (English)

실비아 팬그리폰 => Sylvia Fanggriffon (Female)

황제 아서 III => Emperor Arthur III (Gender: Male)

클레어 그레이스 => Claire Grace (Gender: Female)

아브라함 피츠제럴드 윈터필드 => Abraham Fitzgerald Winterfield (Gender: Male)

레오 => Leo Grace (Male)

에이브러햄 피츠제럴드 원터필드 => Abraham Fitzgerald Winterfield (Gender: Male)

캐롤린 => Carolyn Northwood (Female)

벨부르왕국 => Kingdom of Velbur (Neutral)

제니퍼 => Jennifer Winterfield (Female)

미아 => Mia Crowfield (Female)

제니퍼 윈터필드 => Jennifer Winterfield (Gender: Female)

레오 그레이스 => Leo Grace (Gender: Male)

황제 아서 3세 => Emperor Arthur III (Gender: Male)

아제르나제국 => Empire of Aetherna (Neutral)

미아크로우필드 => Mia Crowfield (Female)

마르마로스 => Marmaros (Item Name)

제이크 린드버러 => Jake Lindbergh (Gender: Male)

제이크 => Jake Lindbergh (Male)

로티 => Roti (Female)

크로우필드백작 => Count Crowfield (Male)

윈터필드 => Winterfield (Place)

제니퍼윈터필드 => Jennifer Winterfield (Female)

윈터필드성 => Winterfield Castle (English)

제이 => Jake Lindbergh (Male)

프레데릭 => Frederick (Male)

오두막 => Cabin

리클란트자치국 총독 막시밀리안 슈미트 (Male => Maximilian Schmitt

윈터필드 장군 (Male => Winterfield General

윈터필드 장군의 딸 (Female => Winterfield’s Daughter

황제 (Male => Emperor Arthur III

황녀 (Female => Princess

제도 (Neutral => Imperial Capital

성 (Neutral => Castle

제국 (Neutral => Empire

윈터필드 (Neutral => Winterfield

레나마이어 => Rena Meyer (Female)

리클란트자치국 => Riclant Autonomous State (Neutral)

레나 => Rena Meyer (Female)

제임스 브라우닝 => James Browning (Male)

벨라 => Bella Fanggriffon (Female)

키아라베라티 => Kiara Verati (Female)

노스우드 => Northwood (Place)

부인 => Baroness (Female)

다니엘 => Daniel (Male)

남작부인 => Baroness (Female)

그레이스가 => Grace’s Estate

포드경 => Lord Ford (Male)

백작부인 => Baroness (Female)

그레이스남작부인 => Baroness Grace (Female)

북부 => Northern Region

검성 => Sword Saint (Male)

대한해 => Imperial Capital

요하네스 => Johannes (Male)

소피아 => Sophia Bianchi (Female)

소피아 비앙키 => Sophia Bianchi (Female)

소피아비앙키 => Sophia Bianchi (Female)

린드버러 => Lindbergh (Place)

공작 => Duke Lindbergh (Neutral)

릴리베이커 => Lily Baker (Female)

릴리 => Lily (Female)

산성 => Castle

조지 린드버러 => George Lindbergh (Male)

리디아 => Lydia (Female)

조지 => George Lindbergh (Male)

아샤 => Asha (Neutral)

아버지 => Father (Male)

어머니 => Mother (Female)

레오 그래이스 => Leo Grace (Male)

제이크 린드버그 => Jake Lindbergh (Male)

개_’공작 => Duke Lindbergh (Neutral)

크로우필드백작부인 => Countess Crowfield (Female)

벨부르국왕 => King of Belbur (Male)

데미안 => Damien Fanggriffon (Male)

벨부르와법국 => Belbur and Papal State

벨부르 => Velbur (Place)

알리스 => Alice Fanggriffon (Female)

성당 => Cathedral (Place)

기사단 => Order of Knights (Neutral)

캐롤린노스우드 => Carolyn Northwood (Female)

브라우닝 => Browning (Male)

제공작 => Duke Lindbergh (Neutral)

신화 => Myth (Concept)

황태녀 => Crown Princess

그리폰 => Gryphon (Unknown Gender)

아카데미의교장 => Abraham Winterfield (Male)

황녀님 => Crown Princess (Neutral)

북서쪽 => North-West

제어머니 => Mother (Female)

추기경 => Cardinal (Male)

교장 => Headmaster (Male)

하수도 => Sewers (under the Imperial Capital)

Palace of Great Blessings => Palace of Great Blessings (Castle)

휴게소 => Rest Area

캠핑장 => Camping Site

바다 => Sea

여신 => Goddess

한강공원 => Hangang Park (Place)

경복궁 => Palace of Great Blessings (Castle)

도쿄 => Tokyo (City)

아제르나 => Azernar (Place)

벨라 팬그리폰 => Bella Fanggriffon (Female)