《The Protagonist鈥檚 Party is Too Diligent》 Chapter 1 These days, heroines with tragic backstories involving sexual abuse are rare, unless you''re ying an adult game. However, just twenty years ago, it wasn¡¯t umon for heroines with such traumatic pasts to appear, even in all-ages games. Of course, those scenes were never shown explicitly; they were often glossed over with a simple, ¡°This character has had a miserable life.¡± Yet, even with that, the setting was still gut-wrenching in retrospect. ire Fangriffon, however, while being ssified as a heroine character, was never a character you could pursue. At least not in the series I yed. In fact, pursuing her wasn''t the issue¡ªsaving her was impossible. Although the series is now 20 years old, the current world within the game only started five years ago. The 14th installment came out five years ago, and there have been three more games since then. By thete 2010s, characters with backgrounds like ire¡¯s were already outdated. Still, there¡¯s a certain appeal to a character like her¡­ if you could call it that. Tragic backstories can add depth to a character, after all. She might try to cover up her dark past by pretending to be cheerful or be more mature than her peers. Maybe she acts tough to appear stronger or finds redemption from her bleak history, reconciling with her estranged stepsister. Those are the types of character arcs often attached to such tragic backgrounds, though that kind of misery doesn¡¯t need to involve ¡°degradation¡± to be effective. Whether it was due to the developers¡¯ preferences or because the same scriptwriter had been working on the series for 20 years, the shocking aspect of ire¡¯s backstory always seemed to hold back her poprity as a character. On top of that, a few yers constantly dragged her past into every discussion, further lowering her image, at least in the domestic scene. I don¡¯t know how things went in Japan. Eventually, whether the developers intended for this to happen or not, ire ends up rejecting the emperor¡¯s orders and sacrifices herself for her stepsister¡ªthe emperor¡¯s real daughter¡ªin thest installment of the series. Despite the controversies surrounding her character, no one criticized that storyline. "She was unhappy until the very end, but she chose her fate on her own terms." That¡¯s always been a popr trope. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The problem is that the ire sitting nervously in front of me now hadn¡¯t yet earned the surname Fangriffon nor experienced the horrors of her future. ire was sold to a brothel by the head of the orphanage. In fact, the orphanage itself had a special arrangement with the brothel. It masqueraded as a regr orphanage but was, in reality, a ce where children were selected and provided as needed. When one of the brothel¡¯s unfortunate children was broken and discarded, a new one would be supplied from here like a recement part. ...The child who was ¡°adopted¡± recently probably ended up being sold for a simr purpose. Gender didn¡¯t matter much when it came to those with ¡°special tastes.¡± A girl from a brothel bes the emperor¡¯s daughter. It doesn¡¯t make sense under normal circumstances, but there¡¯s a story behind it. ire had a unique talent.@@novelbin@@ During one of her routine assaults, she snapped. Unable to endure any longer, she killed the ¡°customer¡± she had been forced to serve. On her way out, she grabbed a fork and severed the carotid arteries of therge men who hade running at the sound of the scream. Then, by ident, she knocked over an oilmp, setting the entire brothel aze. Without proper fire safety measures or regard for human life, the fire quickly spread from the dpidated brothel to the slums, resulting in a massive inferno that imed countless lives. Ironically, many nobles who had been opposing the emperor perished in that fire, dealing a significant blow to the aristocratic faction. While investigating the incident, the emperor discovered ire and adopted her as his daughter. Many of the emperor¡¯s ¡°children¡± were loyal only to him, having been brought into his fold in simr ways. However, they had no rights to the throne; they were merely tools for the emperor to further his ambitions. ire¡¯s true origins remain a mystery, even up to thetest game. There were hints that her biological parents might be revealed in the next installment, but that¡¯s all we know. Anyway, since she hadn¡¯t yet taken on the Fangriffon name, she hadn¡¯t gone through any of those horrors yet. ...But, conversely, that means this orphanage is the very ce connected to that twisted brothel. Yes, that means not only ire, but even I could be sold off. The reflection I saw in the mirror was that of a mystical-looking young girl. And what difference would it make if the mind inside was that of an adult man? To the nobles buying children for their perverse desires, that would just make it all the more entertaining. ¡°We¡¯re screwed.¡± ¡°Sc-screwed?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ire mimicked my muttering. I buried my face in my hands, watching her innocent attempt at copying me. For the past month, I hadn¡¯t been able to do anything. Not that I hadn¡¯t thought about it. I¡¯d considered trying to escape this orphanage and find somewhere better to hide. And I know a ce where I might have a chance. The main protagonist of this game is a diligent and kind person. Naturally, his parents are the same. They belong to a respectable baronial family with a long history in the capital, and in line with their reputation as a noble and kind family, they run a proper orphanage. Not one like this, which only pretends to care for orphans. No, this was a genuine orphanage, one that sincerely cares for the children, raising them with love until they reach adulthood. I¡¯ve tinumed every console version of Azernian Chronicle, and I even bought the Japanese versions before the official Korean releases, using a dictionary to write detailed walkthroughs. I know theyout of the imperial capital. If this world is truly the game world I remember, I could at least navigate using the map in my memory. But the problem is the game¡¯s scale. Unless you¡¯re a Western studio with a massive budget, it¡¯s nearly impossible for a gamepany to recreate an entire city within a game. For a smallpany with only about 40 employees, it¡¯s out of the question. They did a decent job of representing some areas, but they only included the key locations necessary for the game. In terms of distance, it would only cover a few blocks, with about eight key areas featured in the game. Everything else was an outside battle field, and since this was a JRPG, the fields had monsters and treasure chests, making theyout illogical. The outside areas were designed purely as dungeons, so it¡¯s no surprise that the city¡¯s outskirts in this world might look entirely different. So, I¡¯ve been stuck here, waiting. ¡°Sylvia, is something wrong?¡± The other children had grown quite fond of me. Maybe it was because the previous leader of the group ruled through fear. The children would be punished if they caused trouble, so they kept quiet and out of the way. Even though I was never hit myself, perhaps it was because of this pretty face. ...As odd as it feels to say it, I suppose this face must be considered beautiful from a child¡¯s perspective. From an adult¡¯s view, it would be a ¡°face with potential¡±... And to a criminal¡¯s eyes, it would be a face they¡¯d want to possess right away. I don¡¯t know why I ended up in this orphanage with such a face. In a web novel, this would be the point where I save the child in front of me, and the story would begin to take apletely different path from the original¡ª ¡ªbut how? I nced at the other children who were staring at me. They were all attractive in their own way. It was almost uncanny how the orphanage had managed to gather only such good-looking children from the back alleys. ...Perhaps they weren¡¯t just orphans after all. I have no way to prove it, but still. Sure, being reborn in another world is exciting. Meeting the heroine during her childhood is thrilling. Honestly, when I first realized it, I was touched. Magic, airships soaring through the sky, incredible steampunk devices¡ªall of it was stuff that stirred the heart. The problem is that I¡¯m destined to be sold off and exploited long before I get a chance to enjoy any of it. For all I know, Sylvia ck could be an actual character. Maybe there¡¯s a backstory where she knew ire before ire became the emperor¡¯s daughter. Maybe Sylvia was sold off and disappeared before the main story began. ¡°......¡± No matter how hard I think about it, I can¡¯t find a solution. There¡¯s no status window, no sudden voice offering me guidance. I don¡¯t seem to have any extraordinary abilities either. ¡°Sister?¡± ¡°......¡± Even though thenguage is simr to English, it has that distinct tone unique to Japanese games, and it¡¯s probably not just my imagination. In fact, it¡¯s likely that my age and ire¡¯s aren¡¯t too far apart. At most, we¡¯re separated by a year, or perhaps just a few months. Based on our heights, we¡¯re about the same. Yet, because the old woman said I was the oldest, all the kids call me sister. ¡°...It¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I tried my best to be kind to them. After all, I couldn¡¯t do anything else for them. I¡¯ve never been the type of person who empathizes deeply with others or tries to help everyone. That¡¯s just not me. If I can¡¯t do anything about a situation, I¡¯ll stand by and watch from a distance. That¡¯s my position. But even so... I could at least offer kind words to children destined for a tragic future. ...Looking back, maybe that¡¯s why the kids here took such a liking to me. The day of farewell came sooner than expected. ¡°ire!¡± And it arrived in the worst way. ¡°Someone¡¯s here to take you! Come on, be happy about it!¡± ¡°...¡± Normally, when kids leave this ce, they¡¯re more excited. After all, they¡¯re escaping from a ce where they¡¯ve only known abuse. And the kids still don¡¯t know that they¡¯re being sold. They just think they¡¯ll be adopted into a wealthy family, where they¡¯ll livefortably. ...They don¡¯t realize that nobles and rich folk aren¡¯ting to take children from filthy slums like this. Despite that, ire just looked up at me. Her eyes were filled with fear and regret. Had she grown attached to me in that short time? ¡°...I¡¯ll walk you to the front.¡± I stood up and said it gently. ire, looking uncertain about what was toe, smiled up at me. Chapter 2 ¡°What is it, you? You think you¡¯re going to go along with her?¡± the old woman scoffed. I remained silent, simply looking up at her, and she clicked her tongue in irritation. ¡°Well, since you¡¯re here anyway, take thismp.¡± She shoved the oilmp she had been carrying into my hands. Themp, filled with oil, was heavier than I expected. There were lighter gasmps, but oilmpssted longer, and in this orphanage, everything was cheap. The clothes we wore had been passed down through several orphans, stretched at the neck, frayed at the hems, and full of holes. Even our undergarments were so oversized that we had to pin them to our waists to keep them from falling down. Who knew when the building hadst been repaired? The broken windows had fabric stuffed into the cracks, allowing cold drafts to seep in, and the creaky floor felt like it could copse any minute. The porridge we got each day barely kept us from starving, made from the cheapest ingredients imaginable. In this orphanage, the most valuable assets were probably the orphans themselves. ¡°Always so gloomy. No matter how pretty that face of yours is, if you keep acting like that, no one will want to take you in,¡± she sneered. I kept quiet. Could a five-year-old child like me stand up to this old woman? No, even though she hobbled around with a cane, she was stronger than I was. Thest time she grabbed me by the arm, I was stunned at how easily she overpowered me. If I said anything back, I¡¯d probably just get beaten, or worse, she might not even let me walk alongside ire. I was trying to think of a way to save ire, even in that moment. I didn¡¯t have any grand n, but I couldn¡¯t just let her go. When ire first appeared in the game, her character was anything but likeable. She was bratty, full ofplexes, and constantly antagonized the princess, one of the main heroines. But as her backstory unfolded, and she eventually reconciled with the princess, ire¡¯s image improved. She went on to stand by the emperor, who sought to conquer the world, and in the end, she disobeyed his final orders to sacrifice herself for the princess. I... liked ire¡¯s character. Actually, I liked almost every main character in the game series. Each installment took anywhere from 70 to 150 hours toplete, and I¡¯d yed through multiple times to finish all the routes. Over the years, I¡¯d grown attached to the characters. Seven years. For seven years, I eagerly awaited each new release, preordering and tearing open the delivery boxes with excitement. I even bought the downloadable version once because I couldn¡¯t wait for the physical copy to arrive. ire was one of those characters I had grown to care about. I wanted to save her because I knew what the future held for her. But... I didn¡¯t have the power to do anything. Even though I knew what would happen, I was just a five-year-old. In some stories where people are transported to other worlds, especially game worlds, they gain special abilities or status windows. But I had none of that. Even if I did, I wouldn¡¯t know how to use it. Why did I end up here of all ces? What was the reason for me, powerless as I was, to be near this heroine? ¡°Say your goodbyes,¡± the old woman¡¯s voice came from behind me. The door was open. Was it because it was summer? The night sky was ck. A middle-aged couple, clearly from a wealthy family, hade to the orphanage in the dead of night. ¡°...Hello.¡± Not wanting to get hit again, I bowed politely and greeted them. ire, standing beside me, awkwardly bowed as well. ¡°Oh?¡± The man, with a neatly trimmed beard and wearing a cylindrical silk hat, bent down to peer at my face. It was early winter, judging by the cold wind brushing against my skin. But the chill that made me shiver wasn¡¯t just from the breeze. The man had high cheekbones and a monocle that made his one visible eye appear grotesquelyrge. ¡°This child?¡± he asked. ¡°No, no, it¡¯s this one...¡± The old woman, who usually spoke with irritation, was suddenly polite to the man. ¡°But, of course, this one is also for sale.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The man took the oilmp from my hands and brought it close to my face. The distinct smell of burning oil filled my nose, and the heat from the me was almost unbearable. The me inside the thick ss glowed with a red, almost bluish hue, like the gas mes you¡¯d see on a stove. The man examined my face closely in the flickering light, then slowly lowered themp, scrutinizing my body. Then, he moved to ire and did the same. ¡°I only brought enough money for one today. But this one seems to be just at the right age. The client will be pleased. Are they the same price?¡± The man, having thoroughly inspected ire, asked the old woman. The plump middle-aged woman apanying him stood a few steps away, uninterested in the proceedings. ¡°Well, this one has been kept hidden because she¡¯s premium stock... We were preparing her for a client who prefers slightly older children...¡± the old woman replied nervously. ¡°Hm.¡± The man turned back to me and grabbed a handful of my hair. Goosebumps spread down my spine. Even if I were in my original body, I doubt I could overpower him. Underneath his finely tailored suit, I could see the outlines of his muscr frame. If he wanted to, he could probably crush my skull with his bare hands. Ignoring my frozen posture, he held my hair up to themp, as if checking the color. ¡°This one is more to the client¡¯s taste. Is she experienced?¡± The man asked, letting my hair drop. ¡°Oh no, sir. We always provide only new stock. That¡¯s our policy,¡± the old woman assured him. ¡°I see. Then we¡¯ll handle the preparation on our end,¡± the man said, straightening up and handing themp back to the old woman. Now that I could see more clearly, I noticed he held a sturdy cane in his right hand. Unlike the old woman¡¯s roughly carved wooden stick, his cane was sleek, polished, with an eagle¡¯s head for a handle. It might have been made of silver. ¡°So, what¡¯s the price again?¡± he asked, his gaze cold as he looked down at the old woman. She seemed to have forgotten all the exaggerated praise she¡¯d heaped on me earlier. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. After all, they¡¯re both orphans. We¡¯ll stick to the price we discussed before.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± The man pulled a heavy pouch from his coat pocket and tossed it to the old woman, who barely managed to catch it. She peeked inside and smiled broadly, her face creasing with wrinkles and revealing her nearly toothless mouth. With themp casting shadows from below, her grin looked like something out of a horror movie.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Thank you, sir! Please continue to do business with us,¡± she said, bowing deeply. ¡°Of course. Keep the other one safe until next time,¡± he said, gesturing toward ire. ¡°Certainly, sir. You can count on me.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The man looked at me and spoke. ¡°Sister?¡± ire, not fully understanding what was happening, looked at me nervously. ¡°...ire.¡± I hadn¡¯t expected things to turn out like this... But maybe, at least for now, I had seeded? I couldn¡¯t predict what would happen to ire in the future, but for the moment, had I averted disaster? ¡°...Stay healthy,¡± I said. ¡°Sister, where are you going?¡± ire asked anxiously, her gaze flickering between me and the man. Before I could nod in reassurance, the man spoke. This time, his voice was no longer cold and formal¡ªit was disturbingly warm and soothing. He walked over to ire, bent down, and ced a hand on her shoulder, like a gentle adult. ¡°Your ¡®sister¡¯ is going to a wonderful ce. It¡¯s warm there, and she¡¯ll never go hungry. So, be good and wait here. Soon, someone wille for you, and you¡¯ll be able to live happily with her in the same ce.¡± ¡°...¡± Even at her young age, ire didn¡¯t seem to believe his words. Her eyes darted between the man and me, full of unease. The man smiled at her, then gently patted her head. He stood up, turned away, and walked toward the carriage without saying another word. ¡°......¡± I waved to ire. It wasn¡¯t exactly a moment for smiling, but I forced one anyway. Seeing my smile seemed to calm her, and she waved back. With nothing more I could do, I turned toward the carriage. Thud! A loud noise echoed around me as soon as I climbed into the carriage. I thought it was the sound of the door closing, but then I felt a sharp pain in my forehead and realized that my head had been mmed into the floor. My vision blurred, and my ears rang. The dizziness was worse than the pain. A burly man had just grabbed the head of a five-year-old and smashed it into the floor. It was a miracle I was even conscious. ¡°Ah...?¡± But that didn¡¯t mean I was unharmed. Blood was streaming down my face. Had I broken my nose? I felt something rolling around inside my mouth. I tried to raise my hand to touch my face¡ª Smack! My head snapped to the side with a sharp p. ¡°H-hiee...¡± Only then did the pain truly register. It hurt. It was probably the worst pain I¡¯d ever felt, in this world or thest. Tears blurred my vision, and my ears rang so loudly I couldn¡¯t hear anything. Maybe thatst p had ruptured my eardrum. ¡°Sorry.¡± A voice, emotionless and unfeeling, cut through the ringing in my ears. ¡°I have nothing against you personally. The client just prefers them a little... damaged.¡± A thick hand wrapped tightly around my neck. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t kill you.¡± ¡°Gugh...¡± I wanted to say something, but no words came out. I could vaguely see the man¡¯s hand rising above me through my still-swollen eye. No... Please... Then, all of a sudden, the pain in my body vanished. I remained curled up, waiting for another blow, but it never came. In fact, the warmth of the carriage had disappeared entirely. Was I... dead? Trembling, I slowly opened my eyes. Standing in front of me, looking confused, was ire. ¡°Sister?¡± ire asked, staring at me as I sat on the bed, huddled and terrified. ¡°...Huh?¡± I lowered my arms and looked around. I was back in the orphanage. It was exactly as it had been before I¡¯d left. I touched my face. No wounds. No bruises. Nothing hurt. My teeth were intact, and my tongue wasn¡¯t rolling over anything broken. What... was this...? Before I could even begin to process what had happened¡ª ¡°ire!¡± The old woman¡¯s voice called out. ¡°Someone¡¯s here to take you! Come on, be happy about it!¡± I had heard this before. Chapter 3 The shadows of the three of us flickered violently as we walked down the hallway. The oilmp, unlike the modern fluorescent lights or LEDs, was an actual me on a wick. Since the me constantly flickered, it was normal for the shadows to sway a bit. But now, the shadows shook far more violently than before. That was because my hand, holding themp, was trembling uncontrobly. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s wrong with you? Did you eat something bad?¡± the old woman asked, though she didn¡¯t seem particrly concerned. It was more of a curious look. I had always maintained a nk expression in front of the old woman. While the other children were terrified of her, I had learned to hide my feelings. It wasn¡¯t because I had any extraordinary skill¡ªif I did, I wouldn¡¯t be trembling like this now. I¡¯d once dreamt of bing a voice actor when I was younger¡ª No, no, this isn¡¯t the time to be thinking about that. I needed to figure out what was happening and how to process it. There were no injuries on my body. I didn¡¯t feel any pain. There was no evidence that the man had beaten me. But the pain I had experienced was far too vivid to simply dismiss as a dream or my imagination. The sensation of falling face-first onto the carriage floor. The sickening sound of something breaking in my mouth. The hard, small objects rolling around inside, the metallic taste of blood, the blurred vision¡ª Thud. The old woman whacked my leg with her cane, causing me to stumble a bit. ¡°Useless brat. Can¡¯t even hold amp properly? If the light keeps shaking, it¡¯ll hurt my eyes. What will you do if my eyesight gets worse, huh?¡± Her eyesight was far from poor. She could spot a child misbehaving from the other side of the room and rush over to whack them with her cane. But I tried my best to stand firm. I could feel cold sweat trickling down my back. I didn¡¯t want to get hit again. When was thest time I had been struck? It must have been over ten years ago. And since bing an adult, I hadn¡¯t been in a fight¡ªadults generally avoided situations that involved getting hit. Although the pain wasn¡¯t real at this moment, I knew what would happen if this continued. ¡°Sister?¡± ire called, her voice pulling me out of my thoughts. I turned and saw her looking at me with concern.@@novelbin@@ Right. I had been taken in ce of ire and had been beaten. Though I wasn¡¯t sure why, the man¡¯sments about his ¡°preferences¡± made it clear that this was part of some twisted desire of his. I regretted stepping forward earlier. If the person waiting outside the door was the same man, the situation would only repeat itself. But if I didn¡¯t take her ce... then ire would be the one to suffer. What should I do? How could I get both of us out of this situation? I racked my brain, but no matter how hard I thought, there didn¡¯t seem to be anything a five-year-old child could do. ¡°What are you two whispering about? Look ahead and walk straight. He¡¯s waiting for us,¡± the old woman grumbled. We had barely exchanged a word¡ªire had only called my name. But even that slight interaction was enough to irritate the old woman, and she hit my leg with her cane again. ¡°...¡± Having witnessed one of the children get beaten mercilessly with that cane, ire and I fell silent. I was even more afraid, having already experienced brutal violence. I just hoped the person waiting wasn¡¯t the same man. Then, ¡°Say your goodbyes.¡± The old woman¡¯s voice signaled our arrival. I looked up. The man waiting for us was wearing a fine coat and a silk hat, his face adorned with a monocle and a thick mustache. ¡°Ah...¡± Seeing my despairing expression, the man smiled. ¡°Oh?¡± He seemed intrigued by my reaction. And then, everything proceeded just as I had remembered. ¡°...¡± I woke up, curled into a ball once again. I had returned to a few moments before. ¡°Sister?¡± ire¡¯s voice called to me again. I opened my eyes and checked my arms. There were no injuries, no objects rolling around in my mouth, no metallic taste of blood, and my vision was clear. Once again, I had returned to the moment before we met the man. ire looked at me curiously as I frantically checked my body. The other children stared at me, too. Had I... somehow turned back time? Or had some higher power¡ªperhaps the one that brought me into this world¡ªreset time for me? My mind, still paralyzed by fear, raced to recall the game¡¯s lore. There were gods in this world. But it was unclear whether they were personal deities or just abstract forces. In every series installment, no matter how many times the world changed, the lore around the gods remained consistent. yers often theorized that these gods were the same entity, exerting a kind of ¡°narrative force¡± that shaped events¡ªthough some yers criticized this as azy plot device. Was this one of those conveniences? Could gods rewind time? And if so, what criteria did they use to decide when to do it? Why hadn¡¯t time rewound before I was beaten? Did I have to be in life-threatening danger for it to work? No, the man hadn¡¯t nned to kill me¡ªhe¡¯d been careful not to damage his ¡°merchandise¡± too much. So... was this my ability? ¡°ire!¡± And then, the all-too-familiar, grating voice of the old woman echoed again. ¡°Someone¡¯s here to take you! Be happy!¡± Once again, the scene repeated. I still didn¡¯t fully understand my ability. I couldn¡¯t control it freely. I didn¡¯t know if there was a limit to how many times I could use it or how far back I could rewind. Why had I been given such an absurd power? What was the one who gave it to me thinking¡ª ¡ªI didn¡¯t have time to ponder these questions. The fear of getting hit again gripped me. I wasn¡¯t someone used to pain. A small paper cut would leave me obsessively tending to the wound all day, and a cramp would have me groaning and bedridden. But even so. Even so, I had an opportunity here. I had confirmed that I could turn back time. This time, I had rewound just before the man¡¯s face appeared. ¡°Sister...?¡± Hearing ire¡¯s voice, which I had now heard several times, I opened my eyes again. My body was still unscathed. And finally, I began to understand the conditions under which time rewound. A strong emotion, a desperate need. Whenever I felt overwhelming regret and my emotions copsed, I would return to this moment. Why this specific point? I had no idea. And I didn¡¯t have time to figure that out. ¡°ire!¡± And once again, ¡°Someone¡¯s here to take you! Be happy!¡± Time repeated itself. Even after going through the same events three times, it was still hard to adapt. Heck, even if I were starting a new office job, it would take at least a month to fully adjust and stop making mistakes. And here I was, teetering on the edge of¡ªwell, not death exactly, but something close to ruining my life. Getting hit over and over didn¡¯t make me immune to pain. And there was no way I¡¯d grow ustomed to the body of a five-year-old withstanding the punches of a grown man. Still, I racked my brain fiercely. What could I do? How could I save both ire and myself from this nightmare? Telling the man we were useless wouldn¡¯t work. He wasn¡¯t looking for personality. He intended to ¡°process¡± us in his own twisted way. ire wouldn¡¯t stab a noble or set fire to a brothel until years from now. If she took my ce today, I might be spared, but she would suffer for years toe. Better that I, with my ability, take the blows. I still had a chance to stop this. Let¡¯s just hope there¡¯s no limit to the number of times I can rewind. I decided to act as though there wasn¡¯t. I needed something¡ªanything¡ªuseful in my hands. That¡¯s when I remembered the oilmp I was holding. The man began to approach. There was no time to think. I hurled themp at him with all my strength. ¡°What the...!?¡± The old woman let out a yell, and the woman behind the man screamed in shock. I don¡¯t know what ire said. But amp thrown by a five-year-old... ...didn¡¯t manage to set the man on fire. Thwack! Before themp could hit him, the man swung his cane and shattered it in midair. Oil spilled out, and a small fire ignited, but that was all. ¡°...¡± The man¡¯s expression remained unchanged as he looked at me. ¡°Ah.¡± I was screwed. ¡°Sister...?¡± I had returned once more. Luckily, I rewound time before the man could do anything. Each time, I felt like I was getting better at triggering the ability. There didn¡¯t seem to be any strict conditions for turning back time. Whenever I desperately wished for it, time simply rewound. I hadn¡¯t figured out how to rewind further than this point, but that was irrelevant for now. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I reassured ire, trying to calm her. I still had another chance. In fact, the more time passed, the more I realized I was in a better position than before. Once again, I threw themp. This time, however, I didn¡¯t aim for the man. I hurled it at the old woman. Fortunately, ire was standing closer to me than to the old woman, so she didn¡¯t get sshed with any of the burning oil. ¡°Gaaahhhh!¡± The old woman shrieked in agony as the mes engulfed her legs. The fire spread rapidly, crawling up her body until it consumed her entirely. Soon, she was nothing more than a human-shaped torch. The problem was that I had never done something like this to another human being. No matter how awful the old woman was, she was still a person. Even if she deserved it, seeing someone on fire was horrifying. ire and I stood frozen, staring at the burning figure¡ª Until I felt a rough hand grab my shoulder. ¡°Ah...¡± I was yanked backward¡ª ¡ªAnd returned once again. This time, I resolved to stop the man from entering at all. I couldn¡¯t set him on fire. Even burning the old woman wouldn¡¯t scare him. So, instead¡ª ¡°ire¡ª¡± I waited for the old woman to arrive. ¡°Someone¡¯s here to take you¡ª¡± I followed her willingly. The old woman grumbled, and ire smiled up at me. ¡°Good, while you¡¯re at it, take thismp,¡± she said. As soon as I received themp, I smashed it onto the hallway floor near the entrance. ¡°What are you...!¡± Oil sttered everywhere, but thankfully none of itnded on me or ire. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re¡ª¡± Before she could finish, I grabbed the old woman¡¯s cor and spun her around with all the strength I had. For all her strength, the old woman¡¯s hunched posture made it easy to throw her off bnce. ¡°You crazy brat...!¡± Her eyes bulged with rage as she swung her cane with both hands¡ªbut she fell straight into the burning pool of oil. Chapter 4 A scream echoed from deep within the orphanage. ¡°Hmm?¡± The man and woman, waiting near their carriage, turned their attention to the run-down building. Terrible cries continued to ring out from inside. The man quickly deduced that the voice belonged to the old woman they encountered every time they came to this ce. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± the woman asked, her voice tense. She was a middle-aged woman, her face thick with makeup to hide the wrinkles of age. Her eyes, lined with concern, were fixed on the decrepit building. The screams were loud enough to light up the neighboring windows of the closely packed houses. Light flickered through the windows of the orphanage, but it was no ordinary light. Instead of a faint glow from a single candle, mes flickered like tongues of fire, muchrger than they should have been. Perhaps it was because the wooden building was so old, or maybe it was due to the recent drought that had dried up the Splin River. The dried-out timber of the building burned like firewood, the mes spreading rapidly. ¡°Tsk.¡± The man clicked his tongue. That wasn¡¯t the kind of fire that oil alone would cause. Judging by the strange blue hue deep within the red mes, he could tell that this was no ordinary fuel. It was mixed with magical powder derived from mana stones,monly used to power steam engines. Perhaps the old woman had scavenged the scraps of mana stones near the factories and mixed them with the oil. He wouldn¡¯t put it past her to use the orphans for such a task. But mana stones didn¡¯t just increase the light¡¯s brightness¡ªthey amplified the fire itself. While it might have been useful inside themp, outside, it was uncontroble. Once the mes had spread this far, not even a fire brigade pouring water over the building would be able to put it out easily. ¡°...Let¡¯s leave,¡± the man said, adjusting his silk hat. ¡°But the goods¡ª¡± the woman hesitated, still staring at the fully engulfed building. In his usual, emotionless tone, the man responded, ¡°We¡¯ll have to procure them ourselves for the time being. It¡¯ll be risky, but there¡¯s no helping it.¡± He gestured toward the driver, and the carriage began to move. ¡°We¡¯ll also need to find a new supplier,¡± the man added with a sigh. ¡°This is bing bothersome.¡± The woman, looking nervous, nced once more at the building now engulfed in mes, shivering as the screams continued to echo from within. Bracing herself, she tightened her coat around her shoulders and followed the man into the carriage. Was it a good idea to set fire to the building? I had sessfully avoided the man. It seemed he had no intention of forcing his way in after all. It made sense. The fire had spread much faster than expected, quickly consuming the entrance before anyone had a chance to intervene. Come to think of it, this was exactly what had happened in the original game. At first nce, themps here seemed simr to the ones from my old world, but the fire spread much more rapidly and intensely, leaving no room to react. Many yers had questioned how one overturnedmp could cause such a massive fire. In response, the developers exined that themp¡¯s fuel was mixed with the powdered mana stones, a key resource in the game¡¯s world. The fire¡¯s hue wasn¡¯t the typical orange one would see in a lighter but rather the bluish glow more akin to a gas stove. Even as I stepped back, the heat felt overwhelming, as though it were rushing toward my face. ¡°Sister?¡± ire¡¯s worried voice snapped me back to reality. The old woman¡¯s body was already beyond recognition, consumed by the mes. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± I quickly turned and grabbed ire¡¯s hand. We needed to get out of here. The fire I had started could easily spread through the entire district. Innocent people could get caught up in it, and there might even be casualties. But right now, there was something more important. Our safety¡ªire¡¯s and mine. We had to run first. Then I could think about my abilities and whaty ahead. I had at least prevented one tragedy¡ª ¡°Sister.¡± ire pulled on my hand, tugging me in the opposite direction. When I looked at her, she wore a frightened expression but was still trying to drag me back. ¡°The others... the other kids are still inside.¡± ¡°...¡± She had just seen me kill someone. Yet she wasn¡¯t doubting me. Despite the fact that I hadn¡¯t done anything particrly kind for her, ire still trusted me. It was probably in her nature¡ªher innocent, uncorrupted nature, not yet shattered by the cruelty of the world. Or maybe it was simply that,pared to the old woman who abused her, I seemed like the better option. But still... yes, ire had always been kind, even in the original story. Even after escaping that hellish ce, ire had been tormented by the fact that so many homes had burned and people had died because of themp she knocked over. While she only expressed her guilt in the episodes leading up to her death, she had always tried her best to avoid unnecessary casualties, even while serving the emperor and ying the role of an antagonist. In the end, she sacrificed her life for the princess. If that was her nature after being broken, then it made sense that she would still be this kind now. ¡°...Alright.¡± I turned around. The fire was still zing, but there was some time left. Instead of heading for the back door, we ran upstairs. ire coughed as we went. I stopped, turned around, and had her cover her mouth with her cor. Then, keeping low to the ground, we continued. The house wasn¡¯t filled with smoke yet, thankfully. We reached the second floor, where I could hear the cries of the children. Holding ire¡¯s hand tightly, I rushed to a door and threw it open. ¡°We have to get out of here!¡± At my words, the children staggered to their feet, their faces stained with tears. But going back down the stairs was no longer an option. I could already feel the heat radiating from the doorway. The first floor was likely a sea of mes by now, or at the very least, the hall was choked with smoke. Thick ck smoke was already pouring up the stairs. I mmed the door shut. It wouldn¡¯t stop the fire, but at least it might slow down the smoke for a little while. There was no time to think. I tore down the old, moldy curtains from the windows. The smell was awful, but they looked strong enough to hold the weight of a few children. Seeing me do this, the kids quickly followed suit. In total, we gathered four curtains. We tied the curtains together as tightly as we could. It should be enough to hold the weight of the small children. I tied one end of the curtains to the nearest bedframe and opened the window. Luckily, the fire hadn¡¯t spread to the outside of the building yet. ¡°Hurry!¡± I shouted, and the children scrambled toward me. Could they climb down using the curtains? I couldn¡¯t help each of them down one by one; there wasn¡¯t enough time. But I couldn¡¯t just leave them either. ire¡¯s eyes were fixed on me, silently urging me on. Pushed by her gaze, I called out to one of the children. ¡°James, grab it with both hands. I¡¯ll help lower you down.¡± A boy with straw-colored hair, his face covered in tears, nodded. ¡°Everyone, grab onto the curtain behind me. We¡¯ll help each other get down, one by one.¡± I decided to start with the heavier children. As each one descended, there would be fewer of us left to hold the curtain. One by one, we lowered them. With each child that went down, my strength waned. There were fewer of us to help support the weight, and my own five-year-old body wasn¡¯t exactly strong. But with the curtain tied securely to the bed, no one would fall, even if my hands slipped. ¡°Go ahead,¡± I said to ire, who was thest. She looked scared but nodded, gripping the curtain tightly. The room was already filling with smoke. I couldn¡¯t see what was happening below, but the curtain hadn¡¯t caught fire, so at least the mes hadn¡¯t reached outside. ¡°Sister! We¡¯re all down!¡± ire¡¯s voice came from below. It was faint, but I could hear her through the noise. She must have been shouting at the top of her lungs. ¡°Ah...¡± But my hands were trembling. After helping so many children down, they were weak and shaking. Could I still make it down?@@novelbin@@ As I considered this, a loud crack echoed through the room. The door was now on fire. My eyes and throat burned. I could still breathe thanks to being right next to the window, but if I stayed any longer, I would die. ¡°...¡± I wrapped the curtain around my waist. Would it be long enough? No, it was probably too long. If I fell straight down, I¡¯d crash into the ground. But still... I had more chances than anyone else. With the curtain tied around me, I gathered thest of my strength and jumped out the window. The oue was both good and bad. ¡°Ah...!¡± The curtain was short enough. Even after ounting for the knot I had tied, I dangled in midair, just above the ground. But I hadn¡¯t tied it securely enough. My hands had been too weak to make a proper knot. So, just as my body bounced lightly from the force of the fall, the curtain slipped from around my waist. I crashed into the ground. Fortunately, the fall had been slowed enough that I didn¡¯t suffer any serious injuries. It still hurt, but at least it wasn¡¯t bad enough to warrant rewinding time. When I stood up, I saw the children staring at me. Behind them, the orphanage was now fully engulfed in mes. ¡°Fire!¡± Someone shouted. The sound of horses¡¯ hooves echoed in the distance, and a carriage with arge water tank came rushing toward us. ¡°...Let¡¯s go.¡± I hurried the children along. By now, plenty of people had seen us. The entire area was illuminated by the fire, and people were running everywhere. The streets were in chaos. But at least none of the children were hurt. ire and I had made it out too. Unlike the hidden brothels, this was an area where carriages could pass through. The fire brigade was already here, so hopefully, the mes wouldn¡¯t spread into the catastrophic inferno they had in the original story. This was a world where magic was used to put out fires, just as it was used to start them. But if we were caught here, we¡¯d just end up in another horrible orphanage. It would be safer to disappear into the chaos of the people running around in fear of the fire spreading to their homes. The children did as I said. They trembled in fear but followed me, knowing that the only adult who had ever taken care of them was now gone. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ire asked. The other children looked up at me, curious and scared. ¡°...I know where we need to go.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if I¡¯d be able to find the way. I didn¡¯t know how far it was from here. But right now, there wasn¡¯t any other option. I might have to rely heavily on my ability. Chapter 5 One fortunate thing was that the map of this world matched the one in my head. Of course, I didn¡¯t have the entire map of the capital memorized. In the game, the capital¡¯s map was more decorative than functional, with only key areas being essible. But those "key areas" were also the most importantndmarks in the capital, and thus easy to recognize. At the center of the capital stood a massive castle¡ªthe imperial pce. While not towering enough to be visible from everywhere in the capital, it was still prominent enough to be seen from most of the central districts. Even in the game, when the capital was the backdrop, you could always spot the castle from a specific angle. Millennium, thepany behind the game, wasn¡¯t known for cutting-edge graphics, and theycked the resources and technology to create a fully open-world capital. However, they paid a lot of attention to detail, ensuring that certain views of the pce were visible from key areas. The game¡¯s map also adhered to a logicalyout. Even though invisible barriers blocked off certain areas, it felt like the pathways would connect naturally, creating a seamless world. And I had wandered those areas countless times, either chasing rtionship events that required multiple ythroughs or searching for hidden notes and NPCs scattered by the developers. I even blogged about guides and walkthroughs for the series, so I had to be thorough. Aside from the neglected slums, the capital was rtively well-maintained for this era. The signs along the main roads were enough to help me find my way. However, there was one problem¡ª ¡°Hey, you kids over there!¡± ¡ªThe capital wasn¡¯t exactly kind to orphans and vagrants like us. It wasn¡¯t that the people walking by were unkind. They regarded us much like people in my old world would look at the homeless¡ªsometimes with pity, other times with disgust, holding their noses or avoiding eye contact. But unlike my old world, this one didn¡¯t have the same concept of human rights. The capital, being a hub for foreigners, ced a high value on appearances, meaning they were quick to crack down on anything "unsightly." And if that "unsightly thing" was a child wandering the streets, it became the responsibility of the city guards. ¡°Stop right there! Don¡¯t run!¡± So, whenever we saw a guard, I grabbed the children¡¯s hands and ran like mad. It was the obvious thing to do. Getting caught by the guards meant one thing¡ªbeing sent back to an orphanage. I had tried lying a few times, iming we had parents, but it never worked. Once we were caught, the guards would drag us by the scruff of the neck to the station, and a few dayster, we¡¯d end up in some rundown orphanage. And every time that happened, I¡¯d rewind time. The baron¡¯s estate wasn¡¯t far, but getting there was the hard part. ¡°Nuna, I¡¯m sleepy...¡± We had fled the streets in the dead of night, blending in with the chaos of people running from the spreading fire. No one had paid us much attention, but after hours of walking, the children¡¯s stamina was wearing thin. I wasn¡¯t faring much better. Even though I had the body of a five-year-old, I was just as tired. My legs were stiff, and the mental exhaustion from setting fire to the orphanage weighed heavily on me. With short strides and frequent breaks, our journey took longer than expected. The children, who had been rtively quiet at first, started to whine more as we walked. I was exhausted too. ¡°...Alright, let¡¯s rest here.¡± Eventually, we had to stop every hour or so. We usually found dark, damp alleys where we could hide without attracting attention. It smelled terrible, and the ground was wet, but as long as no one found us¡ª ¡°Hey, who gave you permission to be here?¡± ¡ªIf we didn¡¯t get caught, that is, we could rest for at least an hour. I looked up, weary, at the scarred man who had kicked my leg to wake me. His face was rough and intimidating. ¡°...Rewind.¡± Thankfully, it seemed there was no limit to my ability. I could rewind time as much as I needed to start from the most advantageous moment. Whether we had lost a child, encountered a thug in an alley, got caught by the guards, or were reported by a citizen, I rewound time over and over, finding the best oue. In total, it had taken us half a day to reach the baron¡¯s estate by the time the sun was rising, and people began filling the streets. But to me, it felt like weeks had passed. Rewinding time reset my body¡¯s fatigue. Even if I hadn¡¯t slept, my mind would clear, my legs would regain their strength, and the pain in my feet would disappear. But my mind didn¡¯t get the same rest. No matter how refreshed my body felt, mentally, I was exhausted. I just wanted to lie down and give up. Maybe I could leave a few of the kids behind. Maybe if we got caught by the guards, we¡¯d end up in a decent orphanage. Maybe the thug wasn¡¯t as bad as he looked. Whenever those thoughts crossed my mind, I rewound time again. It was easier to think clearly once my body was refreshed. It felt like trying to beat an impossibly hard action game without a single mistake. Or maybe more like attempting a real-time tool-assisted speedrun. Either way, it was exhausting. But... ¡°...I did it.¡± Yes, I had done it. I murmured to myself as I looked up at the sign hanging above the mansion¡¯s front gate. The Grace Baron¡¯s estate. In the Empire of Azerna, barons ownednd, but not much. Their territory was typically part of arger noble¡¯s domain. And, technically, all thend in the empire belonged to the emperor, so the noble¡¯s territory was merelynd granted to them by the emperor. If it were a duke¡¯s territory, it would be the emperor¡¯snd, managed by the duke. The same went for margraves and counts. Of course, since titles were inherited, things often became moreplicated. Barons were at the bottom of the hierarchy, but if the emperor personally granted the title, the baron could wield considerable influence. While they wouldn¡¯t necessarily rival dukes or counts, they could still hold significant power. The Grace family was one such barony, directly granted by the emperor. Naturally, they were staunch supporters of the emperor in the ongoing power struggle between the imperial and noble factions. This dynamic would shift over the course of the game, but that was something for muchter in the story. Right now, it wasn¡¯t worth worrying about. For now, all that mattered was that the Grace family¡¯s estate was just beyond this fence. It was massive for a private mansion but small for a noble¡¯s territory. ¡°...¡± Now, how do I get inside? There were no guards at the gate, but the gate was locked. Of course, it made sense. Even if they didn¡¯t have guards, they couldn¡¯t just leave their gates open to anyone. Still, I had an idea. The Grace couple were known for being soft-hearted. In the game, yers often joked about them being pushovers who couldn¡¯t refuse helping someone in need. If we could catch their attention when they came out, they¡¯d likely take us in or, at the very least, hand us over to a reputable orphanage. The problem was, the estate was right in the middle of the capital. If we stood out here too long, we¡¯d definitely get caught by the guards. ¡°...¡± I sighed, considering whether I¡¯d have to use my ability again. The kids around me looked up at me, puzzled. Well, it was almost over now. Hiding wasn¡¯t difficult after all the experience I¡¯d gained from sneaking around the city. The key was to stay out of the guards¡¯ sight and avoid being reported by the locals. We didn¡¯t need to crawl through alleys. As long as we didn¡¯t attract attention, we¡¯d be fine. ¡°They¡¯reing out.¡± I muttered as I saw the baron and baroness step outside. I stood at the back of our group. It was easier to keep track of the children that way, ensuring no one got left behind. ¡°Let¡¯s go. All we have to do is get to them. Then it¡¯s really over.¡± ¡°Really? It¡¯s okay?¡± ire, still unsure, looked at the baron and baroness¡ªtwo people who clearly looked wealthy and well-off. I nodded. I remembered their faces. Even though they were 2D illustrations in the game, their features were unmistakable. The baron¡¯s vibrant blue hair and neatly groomed sideburns were impossible to miss. He looked more like a man on the cusp of leaving his youth than a middle-aged noble. His wife, standing beside him, had the same blue hair, styled in elegant waves, and wless skin.@@novelbin@@ As they stepped outside, arm in arm, I urged the children forward. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go. It¡¯s really over once we get there.¡± The couple had no guards. They didn¡¯t need any. They could easily slice a carriage in half with their swords if needed. There was no risk in approaching them. That¡¯s why they didn¡¯t bother with guards at their estate. I pushed the children forward. At first, they hesitated, but after hearing my words, they moved toward the couple. After all, we had gotten this far thanks to me, and half a day¡¯s worth of trust had formed. My stomach growled. We hadn¡¯t eaten breakfast. The children were likely just as hungry. Just as I let my guard down, I felt something mp over my mouth. I was too shocked to scream. The children kept walking toward the baron and baroness, unaware. But I wasn¡¯t moving. My feet had left the ground. Someone was holding me from behind. What? Was this some creep from an alley? Cold sweat ran down my back as I considered my appearance. This body was quite attractive, and it wasn¡¯t impossible that some pervert had targeted me. I started to rewind¡ª ¡°Wait, wait. Calm down. I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡± The voice that spoke was young, maybe a teenager whose voice had just settled after puberty. ...I knew this voice. As I stopped struggling, the hand over my mouth loosened. It wasn¡¯tpletely removed, but it wasn¡¯t as tight anymore. ¡°You¡¯re smart. The Grace family will take those kids in. They¡¯ve been talking about expanding their orphanage anyway.¡± I watched as the children reached the baron and baroness. The couple turned around, noticing the kids approaching them. ¡°Oh no, we¡¯ll get caught if we stay here.¡± My vision spun as the boy picked me up and darted away from the scene. ...Well. It seemed I wouldn¡¯t be going to the orphanage after all. If this guy had been following us the whole time, no matter how many times I rewound, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape. But still... The children had made it. They would be safe now, growing up in a proper environment. ire, too. She wouldn¡¯t have to endure the tragic past she had in the original story. As for me, I would probably be safe with this guy. He wasn¡¯t a crazed murderer kidnapping orphans to kill them. ...It was a shame, though. I wouldn¡¯t get to see how ire grew up. Chapter 7 Recently, I''vee to realize that having the ability to turn back time is, without a doubt, a ridiculously overpowered skill. Of course, people might think I''m talking nonsense. After all, the very idea of being able to erase your mistakes just by turning back time reeks of unfairness. What I¡¯m trying to say is, the scope of application for this power is absolutely absurd. For starters, as anyone would expect, you can correct your mistakes with this ability. For example, ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°Huh...?¡± ¡­Like when my ¡®stepbrother¡¯ suddenly shed me with his sword. In the original story, ire bes one of the emperor¡¯s children. Essentially, she bes one of the emperor¡¯s most cherished officers, wielding a sword that acts like a whip¡ªa recurring trope in Japanese subculture. Even though it was called a whip-like sword, it didn¡¯t mean the de was flexible. Rather, it was a sword with several segmented des connected by a strong wire, kind of like if you separated the individual des of a box cutter and strung them together. Normally, it could be used as a regr sword, but when needed, it would extend and whip around like¡­ well, a whip. It doesn¡¯t exist in reality, but for some reason, it appears frequently in subculture. In addition to her sadistic-looking appearance, ire''s voice was sharp and harsh. Although that wasn''t her true nature¡ªshe was just someone who had given up on everything¡ªher dead eyes and decadent aura somehow fit together, making her a surprisingly popr character. She was asionally a guest character in the protagonist¡¯s party, and you could even raise her affinity level to unlock special events. However, she was also a character who, ording to the story, ultimately met her death. Well, since she was a popr character, the game developers often found excuses to bring her back, so it was possible she would return in a future sequel, but in thetest version I yed, she had died¡­ Of course, that¡¯s not the case now. ire is safely living in the orphanage run by Baron Grace¡¯s estate. I don¡¯t know how the original story will progress in this world, but at least this version of ire won¡¯t have to endure the excruciating pain that might make her wish for death. Nor will she have to be a viinous officer. There¡¯s simply no reason for that. ¡­The problem is that I ended up taking that ¡®viinous officer¡¯ position. My image has changed a lot since I first arrived here. I worked hard to change. I figured it was safer to stay here than risk being discarded by the emperor. So, I always made sure to present myself well, remained polite to my superiors, and even cut my long, unruly hair short to keep it neat. But looking at my current situation, I wonder if I really needed to go to all that trouble. Right here, standing before me, was the perfect example of someone who lived recklessly but still wasn¡¯t cast aside by the emperor. ¡°Hey, you alright?¡± I heard the voice of my ¡®stepbrother¡¯ asking me that. "....." I wasn¡¯tpletely split in two. His strike wasn¡¯t meant to kill me. But it was a critical blow, just severe enough that I couldn¡¯t even feel the pain yet. My brain must be pumping out endorphins like crazy to prevent me from going into shock. Based on past experience, I know this won¡¯tst long. Soon enough, the excruciating pain will hit me, and I¡¯ll be screaming. When that happens, not only will my life be in danger, but my ¡®value¡¯ in the emperor¡¯s eyes will plummet. And that won¡¯t do. ¡°Hey, wait, you''re bleeding¡­¡± You idiot, you did this to me. I red at my stepbrother as I thought. Again. Anyway. By turning back time like this, I can avoid getting hit by a sword. I can even avoid it without looking. Of course, the faster my opponent''s sword is, the harder it is to dodge, and the more mistakes I make. That means I have to retry more often, but it doesn¡¯t matter. I can turn back time as many times as I need. Not only can I dodge, but I can also keep retrying until I dodge in the coolest way possible¡ªwhether it¡¯s scrambling on the ground or narrowly sidestepping by half a step. How I dodge depends on how many attempts I make. ¡­And after seven years of dodging this stepbrother¡¯s sword since bing Sylvia Fangryphon, I¡¯ve had to evade his attacks multiple times a day. Even if my physical reflexes haven¡¯t improved, dodging the sword strikes of one of the strongest swordsmen in the world hundreds, even thousands, of times a day has sharpened my instincts. Now I can dodge half-hearted attacks like this with just a step. Still, I mean, does it really make sense to swing a sword at a twelve-year-old? I¡¯m grateful that he brought me here, but this guy isn¡¯t normal. He wasn¡¯t normal in the game either. He¡¯s here under the emperor because he can spar with more opponents. ¡°Phew!¡±@@novelbin@@ As I stepped forward to dodge the swording at me from behind, I heard him whistle. I immediately pulled out the revolver from the holster under my left armpit and spun around. After bing the emperor¡¯s ¡®daughter,¡¯ I spent a lot of time thinking. Even though I had the ability to turn back time, my physical capabilities weren¡¯t extraordinary. I was just like any other child my age. Compared to the other monsters under the emperor¡¯smand, my body was pitifully weak. To those who didn¡¯t know I could rewind time, I probably looked like a freak with superhuman reflexes, hearing, and senses. I could dodge every strike, detect assassins the moment I entered a room, and recognize who was standing outside a door before they even entered. Of course, I was just acting on what I had already seen, but to others, it seemed like I was using my senses alone. It¡¯s like performing a TAS (Tool-Assisted Speedrun) in real life. But no matter how impressive my ability to rewind time was, the emperor wouldn¡¯t be satisfied with that alone. A man who dreams of world domination would want me to have undeniablebat skills. So, I chose guns. The game developers imed that the setting was inspired by the Industrial Revolution. Although they added many fantastical elements, the design and technology in the world resembled the mid-19th century. However, as a steampunk fantasy, it featured advanced technology, including mass production and press techniques that were still in their infancy in the real world. There were even hints of modern 21st-century technology, especially in things like school uniforms. Some aspects of the technology in this world seemed tog behind Earth''s 19th century, but in the original story, this gap was closed within a few years. Despite the widespread mass production and press techniques, revolvers were still more popr than automatic pistols, and bolt-action rifles were preferred over semi-automatic or submachine guns. Simpler designs were more reliable sinceplex firearms weren¡¯t fully perfected yet. The revolver I carry is a Wexler military model. It¡¯s a break-action revolver that openspletely to eject all six spent casings at once and reloads with a moon clip. It was designed for adult men, so it¡¯s not exactly the right size for my still-growing hands. Naturally, when I first started using it, I dropped it several times. But as I¡¯ve said, I always have infinite chances. I rewound time countless times until I mastered the perfect draw. When I rewind time, any physical training I¡¯ve done, like strength training or running, resets along with my body. But the sensations and muscle memory remain in my head. So, I practiced drawing the revolver thousands, even tens of thousands of times. If I struggled, I¡¯d just rewind time and keep practicing until it felt natural. Shooting was no different. As long as I had a single bullet, I could practice firing again and again, whether it was with the revolver or a bolt-action rifle almost as tall as me. Even if I missed, I¡¯d keep practicing until I could hit the target. If necessary, I could even fire bullet after bullet into the exact same hole until there was only one left. I could keep rewinding until I achieved that level of precision. I guarantee no soldier in the empire has had as much shooting practice as I have. Bang! I felt the strong recoil of the revolver in my hand¡ª ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°¡­Oh.¡± Did you know that if you practice hitting the bullseye over and over again, it bes harder to miss? ¡­My stepbrother now had a bullet-sized hole in the center of his forehead. Uh, well¡­ Again. There¡¯s a god in Norse mythology named Baldur. He couldn¡¯t be harmed by any weapon, and the other gods would throw things at him for fun, knowing he wouldn¡¯t be hurt. ¡­Apparently, it wasn¡¯t bullying; they were just having fun with him because he couldn¡¯t be injured. That¡¯s exactly how my stepbrother and stepsisters looked at me. Whether they swung swords at me out of nowhere or fired arrows at me, it became a joke because I dodged it all as if it were nothing. Of course, the only person crazy enough to keep doing it was the one who just got shot by me. Hmm. Since I rewound time before he died, I guess it doesn¡¯t count as killing him, right? Bang! The sound of the gun echoed, and his movements froze. Even after dodging his initial strike, this madman had prepared for a follow-up attack. The ends of his red hair, specifically the area near his temple, were singed. That¡¯s where the bullet had grazed him. I didn¡¯t aim to hit that exact spot, but since it served as a clear warning, I guess I¡¯ll let it slide. ¡°Whoa, whoa, calm down, little sister.¡± Little sister, my ass. ¡°¡­Would you really swing a sword at your little sister like that?¡± ¡°Well, you dodge everything I throw at you anyway. I knew you¡¯d dodge this too.¡± He made a show of sheathing his sword with an exaggerated gesture. I didn¡¯t dodge it, you lunatic. Not that he¡¯d believe me if I told him. ¡°What if I hadn¡¯t dodged?¡± I asked, and he furrowed his brow, thinking for a moment before replying, ¡°Huh? But you did dodge.¡± And that¡¯s it. This guy¡¯s intelligence does not match his sword skills. Then again, it¡¯s no surprise he let his guard down and got shot by me earlier. Even though I¡¯m skilled, I¡¯m no match for this master swordsman¡¯s raw ability. Of course, no one else knows that since I keep rewinding time to ensure I get the best oue. To dodge his constant sword swings, I even have to keep myself in decent shape by working out every day. Otherwise, I¡¯d just shoot from afar and run, but no¡ªdamn it. And there are still three years until the main storyline begins. The academy selects outstanding children who turn 15 that year, so this guy still has some growing to do, mainly in the intelligence department. At least in the game, he wasn¡¯t such an idiot that he got shot because he let his guard down. He¡¯s only 22, so let¡¯s chalk it up to inexperience. ¡­Then again, I¡¯m only 12. Damn it. ¡°Whoa, whoa, Sylvia.¡± He raised his hands in mock surrender, as if I looked cute ring at him. ¡°Calm down. I wouldn¡¯t seriously hurt my little sister.¡± You literally did hurt me. Although, I guess it¡¯s true that since he didn¡¯t swing with full force, I wasn¡¯t split in two. And technically, I¡¯m not hurt right now. ¡°...Lucas.¡± ¡°Hey,e on, don¡¯t be so cold, little sister. Call me oppa~ (big brother). You¡¯ve known me longer than you¡¯ve known Father.¡± Yeah, by a matter of hours. The emperor had been observing that orphanage from the start. It wasn¡¯t because he was looking for talented kids like ire or me. Rather, he was trying to gather dirt on the nobles frequenting the brothel connected to the orphanage. And the one assigned to watch the orphanage was Lucas Fangryphon. After the orphanage burned down, Lucas noticed how I led the orphans to safety without a hitch and decided I had potential. So, he kidnapped me and brought me before the emperor. And then he swung his sword at me. This lunatic. At a five-year-old. I barely managed to dodge after a few attempts. I mean, I thought I¡¯d entered a game by Millennium, not one by FromSoftware. Well, thanks to that, I caught the emperor¡¯s eye, and my name became Sylvia Fangryphon. ¡°¡­Lucas. If you ever do that again, I¡¯ll make sure not to dodge and will report it directly to His Majesty.¡± ¡°Oh, no, did little Sylvia get upset? Are you going to tattle on me to Father?¡± ¡°.....¡± Should I just kill him? Maybe I should. I seriously considered it as I ran my fingers over the gun in my hand. Chapter 8 Well, if Lucas were caught off guard like earlier, I might have a chance, but in a face-to-face confrontation, no matter how many times I tried, I wouldn¡¯t be able to shoot him in the head. Maybe if I tried hundreds, no, thousands of times, I could hit him once. ¡­But for the sake of the main story, this guy has to stay alive. He ys a pretty significant role as an antagonist in the original. So, in order to ensure the future events unfold as expected, I have to go through the trouble of rewinding time to save this guy I worked so hard to kill. How absurd is that? Besides, even though Lucas annoys me and sometimes I genuinely want to kill him, I don¡¯t truly hate him. I never had much attachment to the male characters in the original game, but I didn¡¯t despise them either. And this situation, to be fair, was partly my doing. Plus, the emperor ys a supportive role for the protagonist until a certain point. He usually helps through his children, and Lucas was one of them. Maybe I¡¯ll end up being one of those children too. After all, I¡¯m the one in ire¡¯s position now, not her. In the original story, ire didn¡¯t enter the academy right away. Initially, she interacted with the protagonist and their party from the outside, and onlyter, when the story really got going, did she infiltrate the academy as a transfer student. She was actually an undercover agent for the emperor, spying on the protagonist. I have no idea if I¡¯ll end up taking ire¡¯s role in this situation. At the very least, I think I¡¯m quite different from ire in personality. ire was a multi-faceted character who lured people in with her devil-may-care attitude, only to reveal a much harsher side when her true nature was exposed. In contrast, the character I¡¯ve built under the emperor is someone cold and expressionless in every situation. It couldn¡¯t be helped. I once dreamed of bing a voice actor and even attended a voice acting academy, but I wasn¡¯t particrly talented in acting. So, instead of trying to convey a wide range of expressions and emotions, I opted for the unchanging, emotionless persona. It suited my ability to react as if I could foresee the future, thanks to my power to rewind time. This cold demeanor fit well with my ability to know what was going to happen beforehand. ¡°Oh, Sylvia. And Lucas.¡± As I walked briskly down the pce hallway, doing my best to ignore the incredibly irritating Lucas at my side, someone approached us from the distance. Unlike Lucas, who wandered around the pce like a delinquent without even bothering to manage his hair, this person had brilliantly shining golden hair neatly parted 2:8, with not a single eyebrow hair out of ce. He, too, was one of the emperor¡¯s children, just like Lucas. His face brightened when he saw me, but when his gaze shifted to Lucas, his expression immediately soured. And I¡¯m sure that wasn¡¯t just my imagination. This person had a particr fondness for cleanliness, and Lucas, let¡¯s be honest, tended to look rather unkempt. Despite looking like a noble, he wasn¡¯t actually one. Out of the emperor¡¯s children, only one was a true royal by blood¡ªa daughter. The rest were all orphans gathered from the streets. Why all these street orphans turned out to be monsters, I have no idea. ¡°Lucas, could you at least try to button up your shirt properly while you¡¯re in the pce?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± As expected, Lucas didn¡¯t like this person much either. They wereplete opposites, after all. ¡°Who are you to boss me around? You think you¡¯re my big brother or something?¡± ¡°Well, I was born a few months earlier than you.¡± And he¡¯s taller too. Saying that now would only irritate Lucas further, though. ¡°Hey, Jaiden.¡± Lucas stomped over toward Jaiden Fangryphon, pretending to be angry. ¡­But it was obvious he was faking it. Lucas liked to pick fights with Jaiden whenever they met, but it wasn¡¯t just because he didn¡¯t like him. Jaiden was already the empire¡¯s strongest knight. And Lucas, in the future, would be the empire¡¯s greatest swordmaster. The difference between the strongest knight and the greatest swordmaster is subtle, but Jaiden earned his fame on the battlefield, while Lucas gained his reputation after defeating the Sword Saint. So, you could say the titles reflected slightly different meanings. Jaiden was a loyal soldier who followed the emperor¡¯smands with utmost dedication, while Lucas was a madman with ambitions to surpass the emperor and be the strongest being in the world. He also loved to fight. If I ever truly challenged him, he¡¯d probably be thrilled and rush at me with full force. ¡­Well, earlier, I caught him off guard, and he ended up with a bullet in his head before he could even react. ¡°I told you before, if you want to boss me around, beat me in a sword fight first. Prove to me that you¡¯re definitely stronger, and I¡¯ll even drink horse piss if you tell me to.¡± ¡°...Sigh.¡± Jaiden let out an exaggerated sigh, ran a hand down his face, and with a flourish, pointed that same hand toward me. ¡°Look at Sylvia. Everything about her, from her posture to her demeanor, exudes elegance! No matter how many times you swing a sword at her, she avoids it all with graceful, noble movements. And that¡¯s not all! Even when she meets with His Majesty, she carries herself with such refined poise, far beyond her years. You could at least try to be half as dignified as your little sister!¡± Of course, all of that was the result of countless hours of practice. To everyone else, it looked as if I¡¯d been that way from the beginning. ¡­And this rtionship between Jaiden and me was a major deviation from the original story. Even setting aside the fact that I was here instead of ire, ire and Jaiden never got along. Jaiden, who loved clean and noble appearances, couldn¡¯t stand ire¡¯s scruffy, shabby attire. Naturally, I had no intention of dressing like that, and it didn¡¯t fit my image anyway, so I always dressed neatly. It seemed that earned me Jaiden¡¯s favor. Thanks to that, I¡¯d be Jaiden¡¯s most beloved ¡®little sister.¡¯ ¡­So much so that he publicly dered he¡¯d personally assess any future boyfriends I might have. Why do you need to do that, you crazy man? Well, to be fair, Jaiden had always been a bit of aic relief character in the game, so his reactions weren¡¯t entirely unexpected. ¡°...¡± Lucas, who had been full of bravado just a moment ago, now looked utterly crestfallen. Yeah, I get it. Even for a madman like him, thatment probably came off as¡­ creepy. Calling a twelve-year-old beautiful and graceful¡­ Of course, Jaiden had no inappropriate intentions¡ªhe genuinely meant what he said. But couldn¡¯t he choose words like ¡®dignified¡¯ instead? ¡°Come on, Sylvia, let¡¯s go.¡± Suddenly, Lucas, who had been talking like aplete thug moments earlier, spoke in a surprisingly gentle voice, as if he were a doting older brother.@@novelbin@@ ¡°We shouldn¡¯t stay near this pervert.¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about? Pervert?!¡± Jaiden protested fiercely, but Lucas just grabbed my shoulder, turned me around, and gently pushed me away from him. In this empire, the term ¡®children of the emperor¡¯ isn¡¯t just a literal term. In the game¡­ no, in this empire, it¡¯s practically amon noun. Whilemoners might not know, among the nobility, the term is used to refer to the emperor¡¯s private organization. And that¡¯s exactly what it was. I don¡¯t know how the emperor managed to gather them all, but every one of the people he called his ¡®sons and daughters¡¯ was a superhuman in their field. ¡­Technically, I¡¯m one of them too. ¡°Oh, everyone¡¯s already here?¡± Lucas said as he pushed open the door to the audience chamber. In a normal situation, there would have been knights guarding the emperor, but inside the audience chamber now were only the emperor, a woman, and a man. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve arrived.¡± Despite being the final boss of the evil organization in the game, the emperor¡¯s voice sounded very fatherly when he called us. Arthur III. The embodiment of Fangryphon. The emperor who established the most powerful reign in the history of the Azerna Empire. A literal viin who sought to conquer the world and put everything under his feet. And kneeling before him were two more of the ¡®emperor¡¯s children.¡¯ The delicate-looking man with long ck hair cascading down his back was, contrary to his fragile appearance, an incredibly strong martial artist. Despite his lean figure, he was all wiry muscle, with almost no body fat. He didn¡¯t speak much, and his handsome face made him popr with the female yers in the game. For the record, Lucas was also quite popr. Jaiden wasn¡¯t. The slightly sinister-looking woman kneeling next to him was the one who, in the original story, served as ire¡¯s mentor. Of course, ire called her ¡®unnie¡¯ (older sister) due to their rtionship. She wielded a sword that resembled a whip. In the original story, she was already dead by the time it began. How she died was never exined¡ªshe was only mentioned as the original owner of ire¡¯s weapon. She apparently adored ire and taught her many things, including her wicked personality, which contributed to ire bing a prizing character. ¡­Well, that¡¯s just backstory, and honestly, the writer was at fault for the way ire turned out, but there¡¯s no point in dwelling on that here. Still, I¡¯m curious what kind of swordsmanship ire will learn in the Grace family. If Baron Grace has any sense, he¡¯ll make sure ire is properly trained and sent to the academy. The emperor¡¯s true daughter wasn¡¯t present. Then again, part of her character arc was her inferiorityplex toward the ¡®children of the emperor.¡¯ Her story was about oveing that. I wonder if she¡¯ll develop an inferiorityplex toward me as well. ¡°Have you been well, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± As I knelt and spoke the line I¡¯d practiced hundreds of times, the emperor nodded with satisfaction and smiled. I could hear Jaiden letting out a soft gasp of admiration behind me, but I ignored it. ¡°Have you been well too?¡± I almost got cut in half by my beloved brother¡¯s sword, but sure. Of course, I couldn¡¯t say that. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been diligently training as always.¡± ¡°Excellent. Even though you know how talented you are, it¡¯s important not to neglect your efforts. You¡¯re at an age where you¡¯re ready, so I¡¯ll soon assign you a task. Don¡¯t worry¡ªit will be a mission you¡¯re more than capable of handling.¡± Despite being a literal viin who dreamed of world domination, the emperor¡¯s tone was like that of a kind father. But I was sure that the mission would involve killing someone. Probably an order to assassinate one of the noble faction leaders, or at least incapacitate them. In the original, it was said that the emperor had secretly killed dozens of nobles. There¡¯s no doubt about it. But using the emperor based on suspicions alone is impossible. ¡°I¡¯ll be ready, Your Majesty.¡± And the fact that he was assigning such a task to a twelve-year-old made it clear¡ªthis man was definitely a viin. He probably yed a big role in warping ire¡¯s personality in the original story. ¡°I¡¯ve returned from my mission, Father.¡± No one took the title of ¡®child of the emperor¡¯ more seriously than Jaiden. That¡¯s why he wasn¡¯t popr. He had no depth and was solely devoted to the emperor. ¡°Good work. The count is still alive, I assume?¡± ¡°Yes, he didn¡¯t die. But I made sure he clearly understood your message.¡± ¡°Very good.¡± Thising from the empire¡¯s top knight? ¡°Lucas.¡± ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± Lucas answered casually, and though Jaiden red at him, the emperor didn¡¯t seem to care. ¡°Excellent. It makes me happy to see my children doing so well. Keep up the good work.¡± The emperor smiled warmly. ¡­And I was certain that smile was genuine. So were the words ¡®my children¡¯ and ¡®father.¡¯ He meant it all sincerely. And that¡¯s what makes him the true viin. That¡¯s what I believed. Chapter 9 Honestly, I never intended to carry out the mission withplete seriousness. Assassinating a count? Oh, of course, it¡¯s not that I can¡¯t do it. I¡¯ve already tested whether I¡¯m capable ofpleting the mission. I took the carriage lent by the emperor to the count¡¯s estate, and I found it entirely possible to infiltrate the count¡¯s mansion. Of course, I didn¡¯t seed on the first attempt. The mansion was crawling with guards, and the count himself was meticulous, with numerous servants and guards inside the mansion as well. But no matter how tight security is, there are always gaps. Especially in this world, where there is no such thing as CCTV. There are devices simr toputers that run on steam engines, called interpretation engines and difference engines, along with mechanical calctors, cameras, and printers, but all of these are based on ¡®analog¡¯ technology. The difference engine can store numbers and letters, but instead of using semiconductor-based storage, it relies on countlessrge and small gears to store ¡®physical shapes.¡¯ Think of it like an expensive analog wristwatch. Theplex gears, driven by steam engines, store information in a ¡®form,¡¯ which is then ¡®printed¡¯ onto paper when retrieved. Of course, the engine constantly needs to be fed coal or mana stones, and you have to worry about the wear and tear on each part. Plus,pared to modernputers, it¡¯s incrediblyrge. Even a difference engine that can store just a few images is about the size of three grand pianos stacked together. Naturally, storing images is highly inefficient, so they are primarily used for solvingplex calctions. If you store numbers instead of images, the engine can store far more data, and the time needed to print the results is greatly reduced. But even then, the advantage of these engines over human calction is only marginally faster and more urate. So unless there''s an urgent need for precise calctions, most people just hire professional ¡®calctors¡¯¡ªhumans trained to do the math. Moreover, a high-end interpretation engine with the power of somethingparable to a 386 or 486puter would require an entire building to house it, with hundreds of engineers on standby to maintain the gears. It¡¯s smaller than a library, but if you consider the cost, building a library might actually be more efficient. Thetest model of interpretation engine, a scaled-down version, was installed aboard the imperial airship Dreadnought that flies above Rondarium, the capital. However, due to the reduced size, it sacrifices functionality, and dozens of human calctors are still needed to assist its calctions. While cameras exist, video recording hasn¡¯t been invented yet. The ¡®film¡¯ in this world isn¡¯t the flexible type we know, but ratherrge ss tes. And, naturally, the higher the resolution of the camera, therger the ss te needed, which increases the risk of breakage. At the start of the main story, a filmparable to the 35mm film we¡¯re familiar with does get introduced, but I haven¡¯t seen any of it yet, probably because we¡¯re still in the prequel phase. ¡­It¡¯s strange how detailed the world-building is in some areas. Anyway, to summarize, it¡¯s a world where steampunk over-technology is mixed with the atmosphere of the 19th century. Through my dozens of failed attempts, I confirmed that Count Crowfield¡¯s estate relied solely on manpower for security, without any difference engines for surveince. And as long as humans are responsible for security, there will always be a way in. Out of 46 attempts, I managed to reach the count¡¯s side twice. Out of 34 attempts, I seeded in creating a situation where I could shoot the count while he was walking down the street three times. Out of 37 attempts, I seeded in nting a bomb on his carriage twice. Lastly, I disguised myself as a newly hired maid and sessfully poisoned the count¡¯s food once. It took five tries, with sess only on thest attempt. However, I decided to discard the poisoning method. It took at least one to two weeks to infiltrate, and the sess rate was too low. I only seeded once, and even then, I had to rewind time multiple times to make it happen. I had to rewind entire weeks five times, and the total number of time rewinds was the highest for that method. Considering the time needed for escape and the risk that someone might remember my face, the second method¡ªshooting from a distance and fleeing¡ªseemed the most efficient. Of course, I didn¡¯t actually kill him. I was just testing the likelihood of sess. For now, the count is still alive. ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± I sat perched in a tree, binocrs in hand, watching the count¡¯s carriage pass by below, deep in thought. I knew the name Crowfield. As ominous as it sounded, the count lived up to the name with his gloomy atmosphere. He sported a curled Kaiser mustache, and his skin was as pale as if he¡¯d been drained of blood. To be honest, this was my first time seeing his appearance. I only recognized the name from the game. Mia Crowfield. One of the heroines. She had a somewhat mncholy demeanor, her hair hanging limply. But if you brushed aside her bangs, which covered half her face, you¡¯d find a stunning beauty. In the game, it¡¯s revealed early on that Mia lost her father to the emperor¡¯s schemes three years before the main story starts. However, it¡¯ster revealed that Count Crowfield had been involved in all sorts of dirty dealings behind the scenes, including human trafficking and the opium trade. Mia Crowfield¡¯s storyline revolves around her discovering the truth about her father, whom she once believed to be an innocent victim of political scheming, and reconciling with the heroine of themoner faction, epting her past, and moving forward. ¡°¡­But I never expected to be the one to eliminate the Crowfields.¡± I sighed lightly. The emperor believed that everything he did was for the good of the empire. He loved the empire so much that he was willing to sacrifice the rest of the world to it. He was the quintessential imperialist, someone who would sacrifice everything beyond the empire¡¯s borders for the benefit of his nation. However, his love for the empire was genuine, and so was his desire to eliminate the opium trade and human trafficking within its borders. What happened to other countries didn¡¯t concern him. He was ready to sacrifice anything for the empire. Of course, there were plenty of ws in his logic. But isn¡¯t that true for all viins? If their logic was wless, they wouldn¡¯t be viins¡ªthey¡¯d be heroes. So, until I learned the name Crowfield, I hadn¡¯t been particrly determined to carry out the assassination. The problem¡ª ¡°¡­¡± I raised my binocrs again to watch the count¡¯s carriage. Through the meticulously crafted lenses, I could clearly see the ck carriage the count was riding in. It was a luxurious carriage made of expensive wood, though it was different from the one the count usually rode in. His usual extravagant carriage was parked in front of another inn. The count had switched carriages twice before heading to his destination. And that destination was a brothel in a secluded corner of the county. By the way, brothel is just a name I came up with. The sign in front of the building actually read orphanage. Out of the 46 attempts I made to get close to the count¡ªwhether by bypassing or neutralizing his guards¡ª12 of them involved this brothel. And once, I even managed to get close enough to press my Wexler revolver to the count¡¯s head. Thanks to that, I knew exactly what went on inside that building. Calling it a brothel was far more fitting than calling it an orphanage. The foul stench of rotting filth. The mind-numbing scent of opium. The screams and moans. The desperate cries of children begging for their lives. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that during my 12 infiltrations of the brothel, I thoroughly searched the ce. I found a list of clients, a list of the children who had been used up and discarded, the prices for their lives, and the names of the people involved. After I shot the count in the leg with a .455 caliber bullet, he spilled everything he knew. That brothel sourced children from ¡®an orphanage in the capital,¡¯ processing them into modities¡¯ as needed. "Do you really think that getting rid of this one brothel will eradicate this problem? This is just one small cog in a muchrger machine! If you want to eliminate the rot in the empire, you need to work with the big yers! Let me live, and I¡¯ll do anything for the emperor. I¡¯ll tell you everything I know¡­" ¡°¡­I have one question. The carriage you¡¯re riding¡ªwhat about the driver? Is he part of the organization?¡± ¡°Y-yes. Of course. To prevent any leaks, we use loyal members at every stage of the process¡­¡± That¡¯s what the count had told me during one of my attempts. Of course, the current count would never dream he had confessed such a thing. There wasn¡¯t a single innocent person in that carriage. Every person involved was entangled in more than just money¡ªthey were wrapped up in drugs and the exploitation of children. They couldn¡¯t just walk away or keep silent, not when the evidence was ready to be exposed the moment they tried. And these weren¡¯t people who had been ckmailed into joining. Those with enough guilt to be swayed couldn¡¯t have been roped in like this. Most of the members propping up this organization were hardened criminals who had been in and out of prison multiple times. Even in a country with such a weak sense of human rights, harming children was still seen as a grave sin. ¡­In hindsight, it was strange. No one seemed to care when a ten-year-old factory worker got their hand crushed in a press, but the moment those children were locked up and abused, society suddenly cared. I¡¯ve never understood the logic of this world¡¯s sense of ¡®good.¡¯ But that¡¯s beside the point. To summarize, The count and his aplices¡ª They were all people who wouldn¡¯t be missed if they died. As the carriage neared the brothel, it began to slow down. I pulled out my pocket watch and checked the time. Mechanical watches aren¡¯t the most urate, but I could roughly estimate when the bomb would go¡ª BOOM! ¡ªoff. I raised my binocrs again, aiming toward the source of the explosion. Half of the carriage had been blown to pieces. The driver, who had been sitting in the front seat, was rolling on the ground, missing his legs. One of the bulky guards escorting the count had lost an arm and staggered out of the opposite door before copsing. The other members of the organization, riding in the carriages behind, were scrambling to dismount¡ª Only to be caught in a chain of subsequent explosions, blowing them away. The entire procession following the count¡¯s carriage was caught in the sts. While I had carefully ced the bomb to target the count¡¯s position, I hadn¡¯t been as precise with the other carriages, so the locations of the explosions varied. Some carriages were blown apart from the driver¡¯s seat, others from the left side, and a few, at first nce, appeared mostly intact.@@novelbin@@ Of course, even the ¡®intact¡¯ carriages had shattered windows, indicating there were likely no survivors inside. I could see a few bodies strewn about, limbs flying in opposite directions. ¡­Along with several horses. A few of them had survived but were wildly thrashing in panic from the deafening noise, causing further chaos among the remaining organization members. I couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for the innocent horses. The count¡¯s body would likely never be found. This was my eighth attempt, and my third sess. ¡°¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t the first time I¡¯d killed someone. But¡­ honestly, it didn¡¯t feel great. ¡°Ugh.¡± Suppressing the nausea rising in my throat, I climbed down from the tree. I changed out of my dirtied clothes, hastily packed them into my travel bag, and closed it. I needed to escape the estate before the chaos settled. Chapter 10 Escaping wasn''t that difficult. With the count blown to bits, themand structure in his territory was thrown into chaos. Moreover, since the count had been traveling with underworld figures without telling anyone, and the explosion hadpletely disintegrated the bodies, the initial conclusion wasn¡¯t that the count had died, but rather that he was missing. Only a few of his closest confidants knew what had actually happened to him, but they couldn¡¯t exactly speak up about it. As a result, the search for the assassin who killed the count didn¡¯t begin in earnest until three days after the explosion, when it was confirmed that the count was indeed dead. They were able to deduce his identity through some clothing fragments and a piece of his facial skin found among the wreckage. "¡­" And I was reading about this in the newspaper. "You really chose quite the spectacr method." As I silently flipped through the pages, Lucas, sitting beside me,mented. Naturally, as soon as the count was killed, I had immediately changed my clothes and slipped out of his territory. In a vast estate, there are many people living in the territory, which boosts productivity. Even though the Industrial Revolution had brought about factories and mass production, those factories still required a vast number of workers. And most of those workers were residents of the territory. No matter how much wealth amoner might umte¡ªwhat we call the bourgeoisie¡ªthey still couldn¡¯t match the starting point of the nobility. Nobles, already possessing bothnd and wealth, were the ones who built their own factories. Even if amoner wanted to build a factory, most of thend it would be built on belonged to the nobility. Thus, a noble with vast estates, like the count, would often be far wealthier than even the richestmoners. "A chain of explosions with a carriage¡ªnot exactly subtle. It screams ¡®murder¡¯ to anyone looking." Lucas wasn¡¯t ming me with his remark. He was indifferent to how a person was killed, after all. Of course, if Lucas killed someone, he¡¯d always prefer to use a sword. When someone as high-ranking as a count is murdered, it usually means the culprit has backing that¡¯s too powerful for the victim¡¯s family to challenge or even question. In this case, the only individuals higher than a count are dukes and the emperor. Even a duke, though politically higher, isn¡¯t always guaranteed more power than a count. The distinction between duke and count oftenes down to whether or not they possess royal blood, but in terms of actualnd and influence, a count can sometimes surpass a duke. Generally speaking, dukes do hold more power, but sometimes a baron can wield more influence than a count, depending on circumstances. Still, even a duke wouldn¡¯t have the social standing to easily assassinate a count. After all, dukes are still part of the nobility in this country, and with the emperor¡¯s faction already at odds with the aristocratic faction, killing someone like the count without considering alliances would only strengthen the opposition. Thus, the only person who could realistically kill a count under these circumstances was the emperor. The problem is that, while it seems likely, there¡¯s no concrete evidence linking the emperor to the murder. The emperor¡¯s power had been solid since the days of his predecessors. He was in a position to send a clear message: "Defy me, and death awaits you." And without any definitive proof, it was hard to use the emperor, especially given how firmly his faction was established. The only ones who might believe such an usation were those aristocrats who already harbored an extreme hatred for the emperor. The emperor likely already possessed evidence of the count¡¯s crimes when he ordered me to eliminate him. So if any of the count¡¯s confidants tried to confront the emperor, he could simply reveal that evidence, leaving them in a shameful position. The Crowfield family would have no choice but to keep silent for at least the next several years, unless they wanted to endure a fate worse than death. Even the count¡¯s daughter likely wouldn¡¯t understand why her father had died. "A boiler explosion differs from a bomb explosion. Even if a car exploded, they¡¯d quickly figure out if a bomb was used." Vehicles powered by steam engines all had boilers. They were loaded with either coal mixed with mana stones or pure mana stones, so there was always the risk of an explosion. And such idents did happen asionally. The car Lucas and I were riding in carried the same risk. But there¡¯s a distinct difference between a boiler or mana stone explosion and a traditional explosive. I may not have specialized knowledge, but the differences were clear enough. Feigning indifference, I responded to Lucas, and he simply shrugged. "Well, I wasn¡¯t really trying to make that point¡­ but whatever. Father wanted something that would serve as a ¡®warning.¡¯ I think I¡¯m starting to understand why Jaden dotes on you so much¡­ though, to be honest, some of the things he says do sound a bit creepy." When Lucas raised his hand as if to ruffle my hair, I quickly smacked it away. "Well done." The emperor spoke those words as he looked at me. "I didn¡¯t specify how you should kill him, but you still executed the task as I intended. Of course, I trust that you would have carried out the mission no matter what method I had requested." "¡­Thank you." The emperor¡¯s words were both true and false. Considering my ability to repeatedly attempt something until I achieved sess, it¡¯s true that, theoretically, I could have aplished the task regardless of the method. And I could have escaped without anyone knowing. "You truly are my daughter. I am proud of you." "¡­" He had sent a twelve-year-old child to kill someone, and now he was praising the child forpleting the mission. And knowing the emperor¡¯s character from the game, I was certain that he was sincere. He wasn¡¯t the type to lie. "Thank you." So, I simply expressed my gratitude. "You¡¯ve done well after traveling such a long way. I¡¯ll hear your detailed report once you¡¯ve had time to rest." "Understood." I bowed deeply again, then turned and left the room, walking with the soldier-like precision I had practiced so many times. Every movement must be graceful, with perfect posture. My words must always be respectful, and my face expressionless. This was the ¡®character¡¯ I had developed. With monsters all around me who could seemingly read emotions from one¡¯s bodynguage or facial expressions, this had be my method of protecting myself. And, though the first few years had been rough, I had managed to survive by maintaining this fa?ade. Even though the emperor had openly killed the count, he didn¡¯t seem to want to talk about it openly, and the audience chamber waspletely devoid of guards or servants. Not that anyone in this capital could likely challenge the emperor in a one-on-one fight. Those of us who periodically used this ¡®family-only¡¯ audience chamber were ustomed to opening and closing the doors ourselves. "Out of the way! I need to see Father!" "Whoa, calm down, Princess. Sylvia is meeting with His Majesty right now¡ª" "But I¡¯m Father¡¯s daughter! I should have the right to enter no matter who¡¯s inside!" "His Majesty specifically ordered that no one else be let in." "¡­Oh¡­" As I opened the door to leave, I overheard this conversation. "Princess." I bowed slightly to the ¡®princess¡¯ in front of me. The princess looked at me with a startled expression. As a reminder, both Lucas and I were also considered ¡®the emperor¡¯s children.¡¯ Officially, our titles were princess and prince. But that didn¡¯t mean we were treated like true members of the royal family. Despite being officially adopted, we had no im to the empire. The real heir to the empire, the one with the legitimate right to inherit, was the true ¡®child of the emperor¡¯¡ªthe girl standing in front of me, the real princess. For people like Lucas and me, we were essentially the emperor¡¯s personal assassins. While the emperor probably considered us his real children in some ways, our roles were different. While my ck hair and dark eyes made it obvious I wasn¡¯t rted to the emperor by blood, the real princess had long, shining golden hair, with the ends slightly curled in a noble fashion. Not that I didn¡¯t look noble myself, but having been a soldier in my past life, I could neverpare to the true royalty who had been born into this world of privilege. Despite having been under the emperor¡¯s care since I was five, I could only pull off a military-like demeanor, while the princess, even in her childish tantrums, exuded an air of nobility. Her skin was so pale and wless that it seemed like it had never been exposed to sunlight, and her eyes were a clear, deep blue, confirming her as the emperor¡¯s true daughter. "¡­" Standing before me was Alice Fangryphon, the princess who was my age in this world, ring at me. Her gaze was filled with jealousy. I couldn¡¯t really me her. Even though she was the princess, she was still a child. Her father, whom she should be receiving all the love from at this age, had adopted a bunch of non-blood-rted children, and spent more time with them than with her. Of course, she¡¯d be upset. If anything, it was abnormal for me to be returning from an assassination mission without feeling anything. "¡­I can go in now, right? Since your audience is over?" Her voice was sharp, and she directed it at me. She was especially hostile toward me, likely because we were the same age and gender. But everything else about us was different. While I went unnoticed and unscolded for my actions, she had to bear the weight of being the emperor¡¯s true heir. It was natural for her to feel resentful. ¡­In the original story, ire and Alice had a simr dynamic. Hmm¡­@@novelbin@@ "Yes, of course." I responded politely, stepping aside to let Alice pass. I even opened the door for her. This only seemed to make her angrier. It makes sense; when you¡¯re furious, and the other person remains calm, it only makes you feel worse. It¡¯s like when an easygoing viin in a story taunts the hero. And, well, I suppose I was something of a viin now. The original story had Alice eventually reconciling with ire. But that only happened because ire died. ¡­ Does that mean I¡¯m going to die, too? "¡­" Alice shot onest re at me before lifting her chin and walking past. As she entered, I slowly and carefully closed the door behind her. Just before it shutpletely, I think I heard her shout, "Father!" "You¡¯re always so harsh with the other siblings, but you go easy on her." Lucas grumbled. ¡­Are you seriously, at twenty-two, jealous of a twelve-year-old girl? "She¡¯s pitiful." Not wanting to exin further, I gave that simple answer. "Huh¡­" Lucas made a strange noise, as if unsure what to make of my response. TL NOTE: Please don''t skimp on the stars for the trantion - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~! If you want to buy me a /kimsu Chapter 11 "Lucas, what do you think of Sylvia?" "Excuse me?" At the sudden question, Lucas momentarily wore a nk expression. What did he think of Sylvia? However, the Emperor would never ask a question without intent. At the very least, it was not simply an innocent inquiry about his opinion of Sylvia. No matter what Lucas answered, it was clear that the Emperor had another agenda in mind. If Lucas showed that he hadn¡¯t fully grasped Sylvia¡¯s character, the Emperor might ssify him as a ¡°useless individual.¡± Well, considering that even Jaiden, who had zero sense, wasn¡¯t treated that harshly, maybe that was an exaggeration. "......" So, Lucas began to contemte his thoughts on Sylvia. Expressionless, always polite in her speech, and quick to brush off any physical contact from Lucas. At a nce, she seemed to have a harsh personality, but there was a gentler side to her. Sylvia, in particr, had a soft spot for Alice. It didn¡¯t seem like it was just because they were the same age. Sylvia, oddly mature for her age, often acted as though she had stolen Alice¡¯s rightful ce. Whenever she had the opportunity to show consideration, she would, and whenever there was a chance to yield, she would do so. Sylvia even seemed to extend this sense of having ¡°taken¡± something not just to herself but to all of the Emperor¡¯s children. Even when it was Lucas¡¯s or Jaiden¡¯s turn for something, if it ovepped with Alice¡¯s, Sylvia would step in as a shield, ensuring Alice received the benefit first. Unfortunately, Princess Alice didn¡¯t seem to appreciate Sylvia¡¯s intentions at all. Just moments ago, for instance, it was Lucas¡¯s turn to have a private audience with the Emperor after Sylvia. Lucas didn¡¯t have anything particr to say, but the Emperor had indicated there were important matters to discuss. Yet, Sylvia had nonchntly allowed Alice to go in first. If it hadn¡¯t been Sylvia allowing Alice in, and Alice had forced her way in on her own, the Emperor would have scolded her. But the Emperor knew that Sylvia had let her through, so he didn¡¯t me Alice. And Alice, perhaps unconsciously, understood this, which only made her more irritated with Sylvia. If Sylvia really were an emotionless machine, Lucas wouldn¡¯t have interpreted her actions as ¡°being gentle.¡± He would have thought she was just acting mechanically to protect the Emperor¡¯s only true bloodline. But Sylvia wasn¡¯t some emotionless, clockwork doll. She would get annoyed if Lucas or Jaiden bothered her and often fled from her brothers. Of course, the way she avoided them wasn¡¯t just a child ying hide-and-seek but more like a professional spy concealing herself and going into hiding. Even when they returned from thetest mission, Sylvia¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t cheerful. One could easily think it was because Lucas was sitting beside her, but in her hand was a newspaper with a ring headline about a count¡¯s assassination. Though Lucas had seen Sylvia kill before... this assassination wasn¡¯t an impulsive act. It was a calcted assassination that Sylvia had nned and executed herself. "She¡¯s... somewhat soft-hearted?" "Ho?" At Lucas¡¯s evaluation, the Emperor slightly lifted the corner of his mouth in a smile. "Is something wrong with what I said?" The smile made Lucas ufortable, so he asked in his usual nonchnt tone. Although, Lucas was alwaysid-back, no matter who he spoke to. "No, that¡¯s not it. In some ways, your assessment aligns with mine." If their thoughts had perfectly aligned, the Emperor wouldn¡¯t have added ¡°in some ways.¡± "Is that why you¡¯re lenient with Sylvia, Your Majesty? Because you know her personality..." The Emperor was a cold-blooded man who would order a twelve-year-old child to assassinate a count, but at the same time, he genuinely loved his children. At least, that¡¯s what Lucas had felt after spending his childhood and growing up with him. If the Emperor thought Sylvia would fail, he wouldn¡¯t have assigned her such a task in the first ce. "Perhaps." The Emperor gave yet another ambiguous answer. As Lucas looked up at him nkly, the Emperor asked again.@@novelbin@@ "Lucas, can you imagine yourself striking down Sylvia?" "That¡ª" He was about to respond with a confident ¡°Of course,¡± but then stopped himself. "......" And then, he seriously began to think. Could he really strike down Sylvia? Not on an emotional level, but purely from a skill-based perspective. If Sylvia didn¡¯t have a weapon, maybe it would be possible. Every time Lucas swung his sword at her, Sylvia would do her best to dodge. In terms of physical ability, Lucas had the upper hand by several moves. But then again, Sylvia was only twelve years old, so that was to be expected. However... Lucas couldn¡¯t imagine a moment where Sylvia wouldn¡¯t be armed. Since she had first been brought to this ce as a child, Sylvia had always carried a gun. Sure, there were times she wasn¡¯t armed, like when attending important events or when she had to wear tight-fitting clothes where hiding a weapon wasn¡¯t an option. It seemed that she wasn¡¯t armed when rxing either. But even so¡ª For some strange reason, Lucas couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that Sylvia would never face anyone without being fully prepared. It wasn¡¯t because he hadn¡¯t seen her fight unarmed. It was just that Lucas had this odd certainty that if he ever tried to strike Sylvia, she would always be ¡°fully armed¡± and ¡°prepared.¡± Maybe he would approach, ready to strike, only to find that Sylvia wasn¡¯t there, but instead, the ce was rigged with explosives, while the real Sylvia aimed an Ergensen rifle at him from a distance¡ªsomething like that. Because that¡¯s how Sylvia had always been. Even if he ambushed her in a ce where he thought it would be impossible for her to notice, she would dodge by just half a step. Even if Imperial Guards couldn¡¯t detect her, Sylvia would somehow know where Lucas was. As if she could read the future. "Yes, I feel the same way." The Emperor nodded, as if he knew exactly what Lucas had been thinking. "Even if I imagined doing anything¡ªmobilizing tens of thousands of troops to kill her¡ªI couldn¡¯t. For some reason, I just can¡¯t imagine Sylvia being ¡®unprepared.¡¯ If I devised a foolproof n to trap her, I¡¯m certain she wouldn¡¯t even be there. That¡¯s the Sylvia I envision." The Emperor leaned forward toward Lucas. "Now, let me ask you again. Do you still think Sylvia is merely soft-hearted?" "......" "Perhaps. Maybe she¡¯s holding back her true abilities and sparing everyone in the pce out of pity. Perhaps she¡¯s showing restraint. But do you really believe that¡¯s all there is to Sylvia?" "Uh..." Lucas hesitated to answer. "The reason I gave her the order to kill the Count was because of that. I didn¡¯t give her any information about the Count. I just told her to kill him¡ªno reasons, no exnations, and I assigned you to monitor her. The reason I chose Count Crowfield was simple: he was the kind of person Sylvia would despise to the extreme." Indeed, Sylvia had previously been part of an organization that ¡°sold¡± orphans. If she had possessed the insight she has now, she would have never believed that ce was just an orphanage. And she wouldn¡¯t have burned it down the way she did. "If Sylvia weren¡¯t an emotional being, she would have followed my orders, killed the Count, and returned. But somehow, within days, Sylvia figured out that the Count was a client of that orphanage. And then, she blew up every single carriage that followed. Do you know what that means?" The Emperor leaned even closer toward Lucas. "It means that Sylvia isn¡¯t staying by my side because of any grand purpose or for the good of this nation. She¡¯s only here because there¡¯s something she wants to do for herself, for the moment. She¡¯s selfish and acts ording to her whims. Think about it. What if the Count had been a kind man, a loving lord of his people? What if Sylvia had ignored my order and spared him? Could we have stopped her?" There was no way to know. But at least, it wouldn¡¯t have yed out the way it did this time. "Do you n to... remove Sylvia?" Lucas asked, and the Emperor burst intoughter. Watching the Emperorugh, Lucas felt a wave of confusion as the Emperor finally spoke. "No, no, Lucas. That¡¯s a misunderstanding. In fact, it¡¯s because of this that I find Sylvia all the more lovable. If we simply continue to cater to her whims, she¡¯ll stay here. And she¡¯ll bring us victory. I suppose, as a father, I¡¯ll have to pay more attention to her from now on." Chapter 12 World-building games are enjoyable precisely because you can pick and y with the most fun parts of their lore. I¡¯ve always loved Azerna Chronicles from the start, so I wanted to memorize as much of the game series¡¯ universe as possible. The myths, the continents, the countries, the magic, the cultures¡­ If there was anything that detailed the lore, I devoured it. I bought thick lore books, read all the in-game ¡°books,¡± learned every description of monsters, beasts, and enemies, andpleted character notes that filled in as I finished events with them. Since a new installment came out only once a year, I had nothing better to do while waiting for the next one. Sure, I yed other games in the meantime, and I also yed previous installments I hadn¡¯t cleared before, but no matter how devoted you are to a single series for seven years, eventually, you¡¯ll run out of things to consume. And even though the series continued, the world would reset periodically. No matter how many texts I gathered from the game or how many lore books I added, summarizing the entire world would probably take just about three books¡ªassuming they were as thick as the lore volumes themselves. So, it was fun to read. ...The problem was, that only applied when it was a game. A game doesn¡¯t always show the bright side of the world, but it doesn¡¯t dive too deeply into the darker aspects, either. Any setting too grim, the kind that would make you feel depressed just by witnessing it, was often glossed over with a brief line of dialogue or shown in passing glimpses. It¡¯s fun to skip over the sad parts and only dig into the interesting ones when you''re researching lore... But if this were the real world, it would be a different story. In the game, a quick glimpse of a shady back alley bes hundreds of pages of actual documentation in the real world. Discussions over how to solve poverty issues would show countless examples and arguments, all defending or disputing one another. History was the same. The game¡¯s story cleanly summarized the most important parts at the time of the main events, but the history books in this world were as thick, boring, and numerous as those in the world I came from. And just like in my world, interpretations of events varied depending on the key figures being discussed, and ambiguous topics led to endless debates. Steam engines, firearms, magic. These three core elements of the world¡¯s lore splintered into materials science, mechanical engineering, chemistry, physics, magical studies, magical engineering... There were so many fields that it made my head spin. And at the heart of all these theoriesy the same daunting subject: mathematics. And I had happily abandoned math when I was in high school. ...Did I really have to tackle math just to dig into lore? But it wasn¡¯t entirely impossible for me to understand all of this. After all, wasn¡¯t time on my side? If I didn¡¯t understand something after reading it, I could always turn back time and go over it again until it made sense. I could ask the same tutor a hundred or even a thousand times, and to them, it would feel like I only asked once. Besides, there were incredible benefits to learning things this way. "Truly impressive, Your Highness!" My tutor eximed, pping their hands with a beaming smile. The title of ¡°princess¡± still felt strange, but it wasn¡¯t as though I could ask them to call me anything else. After all, I really was a princess. Of course, that status was quite different from the true princess, Alice, but to this tutor, that didn¡¯t matter. They were only interested in being able to sayter, ¡°I was the tutor of such a talented princess.¡± "I can¡¯t believe you understand everything I exin right away. Your natural talent is remarkable! I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll blossom even further at the Royal Academy!" ...They were probably over-enthusiastic, but I kept my expression neutral. I had no intention of bing an expert in any particr field. My only goal was to get into the Royal Academy. In games, exams only ask one or two questions and move on, but in reality, I knew it wouldn¡¯t be like that. The actual entrance exam would likely be strict, with dozens of questions to answer in a limited time. Well... I could always turn back time and look at the questions, but relying on that all the time would eventually expose myck of preparation. So, it was better to maintain this image of being ¡°smart and capable¡± from the start. Why was I so determined to enter the Royal Academy, though? In the original story, ire didn¡¯t enter from the beginning; the Emperor arranged for her to be admittedter in the story. The reason I wanted to enter the Academy myself was... Isn¡¯t it obvious? I loved Azerna Chronicles. I had a deep affection for the characters in that world. The thought of spending my school days with those characters... How could I pass that up? Sure, in this world, I was under the Emperor, effectively the head of the viinous faction, so I might end up opposing the protagonist¡¯s party in various ways... But even that was a major appeal to me. There were a few characters who died in the original game. Depending on the protagonist¡¯s choices, certain characters were fated to die. Which characters would die varied depending on the route, but no matter which route you chose, two or three characters, including ire, would permanently die. That¡¯s how it was in thetest installment I yed. The sequel was supposed to carry over the save data, continuing the consequences of those choices. Of course, yers didn¡¯t believe that a smallpany would maintain that continuity throughout the series. Most believed they¡¯d eventually find a way to bring those characters back to life after the grim opening, and I agreed with that opinion. Still... I hated the idea of characters I cared about dying. So, I would stop that from happening. As long as I was trusted by the Emperor, it wasn¡¯t an impossible task. "..." But all that extra effort I was putting into my studies had its downsides. Like right now, with Alice ring at me. Both of us would be turning 14 this year. In this world, you enter the Academy at 15. The entrance exam would be at the end of the year, and those who ranked highest in the exams would receive privileges upon admission. Then, we¡¯d study at the Academy for four years, constantly taking tests to rank ourselves. If I were topare it to the system I knew, it would be like starting high school in the third year of middle school and staying until graduation. In the original story, Alice had been the top student upon entrance. "How did you do it?" Alice¡¯s voice was harsh and dripping with jealousy. She had only gotten five questions wrong across all subjects on the entrance exam. The Royal Londarium Academy¡¯s exam was famously difficult, and scoring over 450 out of 500 points was enough to be considered a genius. With a score of 487, Alice had been hailed as a prodigy. She had worked hard to surpass her "siblings" and take pride in her aplishment. "..." I looked down at the mock exam I was holding. On it, my score read 495. For reference, mock exams are usually considered harder than the actual ones. ...Did I overdo it? "..." Alice¡¯s face flushed red when I didn¡¯t respond. "...Answer me. Did you really solve it all on your own?" Well... Technically, yes? If using my time-rewinding ability was considered part of my ¡°skill,¡± then yes, I had studied and memorized everything. And while Alice was cramming four hours of sleep a night, I was getting a solid eight hours of rest. To everyone else¡ªincluding Alice right in front of me¡ªI probably looked like a genius, not just a prodigy. ...Maybe I did go too far. "I was lucky." "Lucky?" The excuse I had hastilye up with sounded something like that. "Yes. There were a few questions I wasn¡¯t sure about, so I guessed. It seems I happened to choose the right answers. I remember there being five of those, so if I¡¯d left them nk, you would¡¯ve had a higher score than me, Your Highness." I spoke calmly, maintaining my usual tone to avoid sounding like I was making it up on the spot. "As you know, Your Highness, I¡¯ve always been fortunate." In reality, there had been many instances where I foresaw the future, rewound time, and solved problems that way. Some of it might have looked like sheer luck. And naturally, some people who saw me thought I was incredibly lucky. Well, I agreed. After all, one of my favorite protagonists was standing right in front of me. "...Hmm." Alice squinted, as if trying to gauge whether I was telling the truth. But her expression soon softened. "Really? You mean that?"@@novelbin@@ She said, trying hard topose herself, though her expression had already rxed. "Truly. Have I ever lied to you, Your Highness?" "...No." For the past nine years, I had never betrayed anyone in the pce. If I was asked to do something, I did it withoutint, and when questioned, I answered honestly. I hadn¡¯t lied, either. Of course, sometimes I said things and then made it so that they weren¡¯t lies, but the result was the same as what people expected. Incidentally, the Emperor hadn¡¯t assigned me any more assassination tasks since thest one. I wasn¡¯t sure what he was thinking, but I suspected he had some hidden motives. It made my act easier, though. "Heh, I see. So, it was just luck, huh?" Alice couldn¡¯t suppress a smile as she spoke, her mood instantly lifting. ...I did feel a little guilty lying to someone like her, but this should be enough. "That¡¯s right. Congrattions, Your Highness." "Hmph." Alice let out a haughty snort in response. "Well, there¡¯s a saying that luck is a skill in itself. If this had been the real exam, you¡¯d have taken the top spot." Her eyes gleamed with determination as she looked at me. "Just watch. Next time, I¡¯ll make sure even luck won¡¯t help you beat me." "I¡¯m looking forward to it." How cute. ...I¡¯ll make sure to miss five more questions on the entrance exam. And aside from riling Alice up, there was another side effect to all my effort. "Sylvia." "Yes?" "Are you interested in world affairs?" "..." During a private audience with the Emperor, he suddenly hit me with thispletely out-of-the-blue question. For a moment, I almost responded with, "Excuse me?" but I held my tongue. "Hmm." The Emperor hummed thoughtfully, as if considering my silence, before continuing. "There will be a three-party conference next month between the Papal State, the Kingdom, and our Empire." "..." I remained silent. The Emperor had a habit of saying unexpected things when we met, so I had assumed this was just more of that. "But I won¡¯t be able to attend because of prior engagements." So? I forced myself to keep my expression neutral, suppressing the question that wanted to rise to the surface. "That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you to go in my ce." "Excuse me? Me?" "Hmm?" Ah. I couldn¡¯t hold it in. ...Let¡¯s try that again. "...May I ask why you want me to go instead of someone else?" Since the Emperor had said it, I figured he had already made up his mind. If he hadn¡¯t nned on sending me, he wouldn¡¯t have called me here in the first ce. ...Still, the more I thought about it, the more insane it seemed. Regardless of my real age, I was officially only 14 years old. In Korean terms, I was 16, about to enter the Academy¡ªessentially high school¡ªnext year. Sure, anime and other subcultures often show teenagers running the world, but wasn¡¯t this a bit too much? "Because I trust you. What other reason would there be?" "..." Hmm. It seemed I had worked too hard. The people around me¡ªthe other children of the Emperor, the true princess Alice, and even the Emperor himself... It wasn¡¯t just trust in me that had be too solid¡ªit was the trust in my abilities. ...That unshakable belief in my powers was one of the downsides of my time maniption ability that I had been starting to worry abouttely. Chapter 13 Wait a second, why am I being sent to this meeting when the Empire has a Chancellor? Sure, I¡¯ve read a few books and taken a few practice tests, but is that really enough? How can they expect good results if they send me? And why on earth didn¡¯t the Chancellor speak up against such a crazy idea? Isn¡¯t that his job? He¡¯s supposed to be the highest-paid government official, yet he¡¯s not doing anything? Moreover, why send someone like me, who isn¡¯t even rted by blood, and has so many rumors swirling around about being a part of the Emperor¡¯s assassination unit, to a three-nation summit? Is this the Emperor¡¯s way of saying, ¡°If you don¡¯t behave, you¡¯ll end up like those people¡±? Even so, how would sending me to the Papal State or the Kingdom result in any kind of assassination? Or worse¡ªam I supposed to carry it out? No! I kept repeating ¡°no¡± in my head, but it didn¡¯t help me reach any proper conclusion. "..." I stared into the mirror. The summit was to be held in Lutetia, the capital of the Kingdom of Velbur. The distance from the imperial capital, Rondarium, was roughly over 400 kilometers. The Empire¡¯s capital was somewhat skewed to the eastpared to the rest of the country, so that¡¯s why the distance seemed short. In reality, the Empire was about four timesrger than the Kingdom. The poption difference was even greater, as was the military power. The Empire had multiple colonies, while the Kingdom had none. They had tried to establish some, but none of their attempts had yielded significant results. As for the Papal State, it was nestled beside the Kingdom and even smaller in size¡ªpractically the size of a single city. Of course, the influence of the Pope¡¯s words on the world was immense, but the Empire hardly paid attention. The Empire had overwhelming technological and military power, enough to stand its ground even if the Kingdom, Papal State, and other nations banded together. That¡¯s why the Emperor¡¯s grand ambitions weren¡¯t entirely unrealistic. ...Thinking about it this way, sending me to such an important summit might be part of a strategy to ¡°disrespect¡± the other nations. That made sense in a way. In the mirror, I still looked like a child. It wasn¡¯t just a matter of looking ¡°young¡±¡ªI was clearly a kid. No matter how you looked at me, I appeared to be in middle school, or at most, someone about to enter high school. I¡¯d probably grow a bit more over the next year or two. By sending such a young representative, the Emperor was effectively saying, ¡°We have no intention of engaging in serious negotiations with you.¡± In that context, sending me wasn¡¯tpletely illogical. The problem was that I¡¯d be the one bearing the brunt of the other nations¡¯ res. I nced at the clock hanging above the bathroom window. It was just past 1 PM. We still had about two hours before arrival. The steam lotive I was riding on could reach speeds of 100 kilometers per hour. While it had a top speed of 130 kilometers per hour, 100 was considered a stable pace. By the way, despite this being a world that primarily uses steam engines, the Empire already had high-speed trains undergoing trial runs, true to the world¡¯s ¡°over-the-top technology¡± aesthetic. These steam-powered trains could easily maintain a speed of 200 kilometers per hour, and they¡¯d be avable for use in the main storyline of the game. Even at 200 kilometers per hour, it would still take hours to cross the Empire, and it wouldn¡¯t be possible to maintain that maximum speed all the time. However, in the game, the protagonist¡¯s party could conveniently travel from one end of the Empire to the other multiple times in a single day. Of course, that¡¯s impossible here in ¡°reality.¡± ording to the lore, all the events that took ce in those different regions were somehow condensed into just ¡°one day,¡± as outlined in the lore book. This means that if the protagonist were toplete all the side quests in each region, they would have to travel back and forth incessantly, poking around every nook and cranny of the map. Obviously, that wouldn¡¯t be possible in reality. "...Hoo..." Well, there¡¯s no point in worrying about the main storyline now. Actually, the protagonist¡¯s party would likely do just fine on their own. As long as I guide the heroines at risk of dying onto survival routes, everything should go smoothly. So, for now, I should focus on my own problems. "..." I studied my reflection, smoothing out every sign of worry on my face. I rxed my furrowed brow and loosened the tension around my mouth. After gently massaging my face to ease my nerves, I looked into the mirror once more. "Alright." I calmed myself. If the Emperor really did send me with the intention of disrespecting the other nations, then all I had to do was follow his lead. I just needed to keep quiet, say nothing, and return without causing a fuss. "Okay." After steeling myself, I left the bathroom. "Hey, sis!" And as soon as I stepped out, I heard the voice that raised my blood pressure. Because I was the Emperor¡¯s representative, this train was running solely for my sake. All unnecessary baggage had been removed, allowing the train to travel at maximum speed in case of an emergency. To ensure my safety, two of the Empire¡¯s finest swordsmen were assigned to protect me¡ª "Come sit with us, we¡¯ve got plenty of time. Let¡¯s y some poker." ¡ªthose two being Jaiden and Lucas. Lucas, who was casually inviting me to join them, spoke in such a lighthearted manner that I wondered if he even remembered why we were on this train or where we were headed. He seemed like he was on a field trip. Well, it¡¯s understandable. With Jaiden and Lucas on this Imperial-exclusive train, and me¡ªthe not-so-helpless target of protection¡ªit wasn¡¯t exactly a tense situation. Plus, in the other cars, there were Imperial Guards stationed, ensuring further security. Before departure, they had meticulously checked both personnel and baggage, and the train had priority passage through every station. No wonder Lucas was so rxed. "Teaching a kid to gamble, Lucas? Really?" Jaiden scolded him, though he himself was holding a deck of cards. "Aw,e on. Why not join us? What else are you going to do, huh?" I nced over at the table where they were sitting, and it was clear that Lucas was dominating, judging by his mountain of chips. Jaiden gave me a wary look, as if afraid I¡¯d sit down and bankrupt himpletely. ...Were they really betting actual money? Given how prepared they were, with poker chips and everything, that wouldn¡¯t surprise me. Maybe this train even had a casino car. "I¡¯m not interested." At my response, Jaiden visibly sighed in relief. "Why not?" Lucas sounded genuinely curious. After almost ten years of knowing me, he still had the nerve to ask that? How many times had I joined in on their games? Not many. ...Well, I had been roped into ying with them a few times, but never by choice. "..." Instead of answering, I looked toward a corner of the train. From my vantage point, I couldn¡¯t actually see anything but the back of a chair. Still, Lucas shrugged, as if knowing exactly who I was thinking of. "You¡¯re too soft. She doesn¡¯t even appreciate it, so why do you keep going out of your way to shield her?" "..." Without bothering to answer, I walked past him. Lucas, too, didn¡¯t seem to expect a response, merely shrugging again. "Don¡¯t be so hard on her. She¡¯s the only one of your siblings who¡¯s your age." "Yeah, but still... Never mind."@@novelbin@@ I could hear Jaiden and Lucas¡¯s conversation behind me, but I paid them no mind as I made my way to the seat. Sitting there with a prim expression on her face was Alice. "Why aren¡¯t you ying with your brothers?" She asked with a hint of childish irritation, but I didn¡¯t bother answering as I took my seat. ...Of course, one of the reasons I hadn¡¯t joined the poker game was because I didn¡¯t particrly enjoy theirpany. The other reason was that they were ying poker. Even with my ability to rewind time, I was vulnerable to games of chance like dice rolling or card drawing. The smaller the variables, the more easily the oue could be influenced by the tiniest factors. If I made even the slightest remark while the cards were being shuffled, or dyed picking up a card for a split second, those little actions couldpletely change the result. Sure, I might not lose, as long as I wasn¡¯t aiming for a wless victory. If I rewound time each time I drew a card, carefully analyzing my opponents¡¯ hands before deciding to fold or bet, I could probably win. But my opponent was Lucas. If he started pulling off his superhuman sleight-of-hand tricks, I¡¯d be finished. And to prove that, I¡¯d need skills as good as his, which I didn¡¯t have. That was the most dangerous part. The reason I had gained the Emperor¡¯s trust was because of the image I¡¯d built: the one who never made mistakes and seeded in everything. But if that image were to crumble over something as trivial as a card game, what then? I¡¯d have to learn how to cheat like Lucas just to stand a chance. But I wasn¡¯t about to put in that kind of effort. It would be much easier to just avoid card games altogether. "I¡¯m morefortable sitting here." With that, I reopened the newspaper I had set aside earlier. What I needed was information. There were no smartphones or inte in this world. Sure, important information could be ryed to the Imperial family via telegram, but the details were alwayscking. So, I had to gather whatever information I could to reduce the variables that could affect future events. Otherwise, I might end up rewinding time by several years. It was bad enough having to guess cards in poker. If I had to rewind that far, it¡¯d be even harder to control the oue. Years were plenty of time for people¡¯s thoughts and values to change. "..." "..." For a while, the only sound was the rustling of my newspaper pages. "Hey." "Yes?" Alice spoke to me, and I replied without taking my eyes off the newspaper. "Am I annoying?" "..." I lowered the newspaper slightly to look at Alice. She was ncing between the window and me, as if unsure where to direct her gaze. Technically speaking, I was the one headed to the summit. Even as a princess, Alice wouldn¡¯t be able to attend without a direct order from the Emperor. But... Alice, who had always harbored some jealousy toward me, had stubbornly insisted on boarding the train the moment she found out I was headed to the summit. It seemed the Emperor had tried to keep this fact from her, but that only made her rebellion stronger when she eventually learned of it. Had the Emperor been there to reprimand her directly, she would¡¯ve probably backed down. Unfortunately, the Emperor was on theplete opposite side of the Empire at the time. And with Alice throwing a fit right before departure, it had nearly dyed us enough to miss the summit. As a result, she ended up on this train, under my responsibility. So, I understood why Alice was asking that question. "I¡¯ve never once thought of you as annoying." "Really?" "Yes, really." It was the truth. This was favoritism, after all. In the original story, Alice was part of the protagonist¡¯s party, traveling throughout the Empire and supporting the faction opposed to the Emperor. While she was still immature now, I could already see glimpses of the confident woman she would be. And I had affection for all the members of the protagonist¡¯s party, including the protagonist himself. So, well... What can I say? If anything, I was the intruder here. "You¡¯re destined to be the leader of this Empire someday. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad idea for you to get a sense of what the atmosphere at the summit is like." "R-Really?" Alice¡¯s face brightened at what was meant as praise, or at least my attempt at ttering her. In the original game, interacting with Alice in this way was the correct approach in the early stages. She had a high sense of pride but low self-esteem. She was constantly outshone by her step-siblings, who had no royal blood, and in the original story, her self-esteem took a bigger hit because of ire. Compared to the original, though, she seemed to be handling things a bit better. "However, even if you wish to enter the conference room in my ce, or with me, I won¡¯t be able toply. It¡¯s an order from the Emperor." "I-I know that." Alice blushed in response. She wasn¡¯t much of a problem. After all, she hadn¡¯t insisted on getting on the train just because she thought she could attend the summit. It was just a series of coincidences that had led her to be here with us. Besides... there were people Alice could meet, even without entering the summit. As the Emperor¡¯s true heir, it wouldn¡¯t make sense for Alice not to meet any important figures. She¡¯d have a productive time, and I could easily assign either Jaiden or Lucas to guard her. Hmm... She might meet the princess of the Kingdom. In the original story, there was a scene where the princess met the Emperor. Maybe this was the time that would happen. ...Honestly, how did the original protagonist, a mere baron, manage to get involved with both his country¡¯s princess and a foreign princess? Then again, setting aside the main plot, the romance lines did have a bit of that ¡°high school harem¡± vibe. Can¡¯t say I¡¯m not a bit envious. Chapter 14 The royal capital of Lutetia was a beautiful city. I already had a rough idea of the atmosphere from seeing it in the game. Compared to the heavily ¡°modernized¡± imperial capital, Rondarium, it had an undeniably older, more ssical feel. Of course, even though Rondarium was considered ¡°modernized,¡± it still looked ancientpared to Earth¡¯s modern cities, with most of its buildings made of brick, and itcked proper electrical or inte wiring. Well, electricity and the inte didn¡¯t even exist in this world yet. However, telephone lines were installed, as were fully buried water and sewage systems. Most notably, the city had a massive gas pipeline system that lit up streetmps consistently once night fell. There wasn¡¯t any electrical system, so workers had to manually light the streemps as they patrolled, but it was still more convenient than carrying a torch around. Once the gasmps were lit, they would stay on as long as the gas supplysted, which was considered cutting-edge technology in this world. ...Though,ing from a world that primarily used electricity, this setup seemed incredibly dangerous to me. But I suppose it wasn¡¯t that different from how things worked in simr historical periods back on Earth. In contrast, Lutetia, which hadn¡¯t yet undergone full modernization, still had workers carrying torches to light the streemps in areas beyond the train station. The water and sewage systems were only just starting to be installed, and the railways were still in the process of expanding nationwide. Unlike Rondarium, where cars were slowly bing moremon, Lutetia officially only had three cars in total, all of which were imported from the Empire. Since even their parts had to be directly imported, only royalty had ess to them. By the start of the main story next year, morepanies would have begun selling cars, improving the situation, but it would still pale inparison to the imperial capital. But because of this, the sky in Lutetia was clear and blue. While the city center was as densely packed as Rondarium¡¯s, there were no skyscrapers, fewer people rushing about, and no visible factory smoke, giving the ce an oddly rural feel. "It¡¯s much quieter than the capital," Alice remarked, sitting across from me in the carriage. It seemed I wasn¡¯t the only one who noticed the difference. "But... the sky is beautiful. I¡¯ve never seen a sky like this in the capital." Sure, the sky in the capital was blue too, but it was rare to see it stretch far without being marred by the ck smoke from all the boilers running in various factories. Incidentally, the Empire took pride in that smoke. It was seen as a symbol of modernization. Those factories and their emissions were what kept the Empire running, fueling its dominance. "Look at all the colorful clothes. Do the people here like to dress up?" No, they just don¡¯t have the same mass-produced alternatives. Mass production of limited varieties. With the industrial revolution and the rapid advancement of textile technology, most people in the Empire wore simr factory-made clothes. Only the nobles or the wealthy upper ss could afford hand-stitched, custom-made garments. But the Kingdom didn¡¯t have many such factories yet. Even though some were being built, it would still be a long time before mass-produced clothing was widely avable to the general poption. For now, handmade clothes were still the norm in the Kingdom. Although sewing machines had been introduced, making clothes faster and inrger quantities, each household used different fabrics and designs. It was a unique aspect of the pre-industrialization era¡¯s diversity in attire. In a few years, even that would likely disappear. "I¡¯ve never been outside the capital before," Alice said as she gazed out of the carriage window. "Is that so?" "Yeah." I briefly wondered what to say. What kind of response should I give to a princess seeing a foreignnd for the first time? I decided to take the safest route and offer apliment. "Then you¡¯re lucky to be in Lutetia. Since it hasn¡¯t been fully industrialized yet, there¡¯s a lot of unique things to see." Of course, you could find even more beautiful naturalndscapes if you ventured out into the Empire¡¯s grasnds. "Have you been to Lutetia before?" "...No." Well, it felt like I had. What I had seen was the world inside the game. And not even in AAA-level graphics¡ªjust the kind of background design you¡¯d expect from a Japanese mid-tier game developer, with visuals two generations behind. But the design had captured the essence of the ce well enough. At least the level design from the train station to the royal pce was detailed, so everything around me felt strangely familiar. Those developers had really put in their best effort. I couldn¡¯t help but admire that. "This is my first time in Lutetia as well." Though I¡¯d left the capital once for the assassination of the count, this was my first time in a foreign country. And it wasn¡¯t like I had done any sightseeing during that mission either. "Then why did you say that earlier?" "..."@@novelbin@@ Good point. The level of hospitality Alice and I received was identical. It was only natural, and Lucas and Jaiden were treated as true sons of the Emperor as well. In that sense, it was quite amusing to think of them as my ¡°bodyguards.¡± The Emperor treated us all equally, regardless of whether we were blood-rted or not. Therefore, foreign dignitaries had no choice but to do the same. It would be absurd for foreign countries topare us based on internal imperial politics. If they did, they¡¯d only be inviting trouble for themselves. Because of this, the Kingdom was in quite a predicament. "We sincerely apologize. We weren¡¯t informed that another princess would be arriving..." The Kingdom¡¯s diplomat wiped sweat from his brow as he spoke. Internally, he was likely fuming at the Empire¡¯s breach of protocol. Amodating us was already a costly affair, given our status, but now they had to deal with the sudden addition of another royal. ¡°I apo¡ª¡± Alice, realizing the situation, began to apologize, her face flushing red. I quickly raised my hand to stop her. I wasn¡¯t a diplomat. I had no experience in such matters, nor was I particrly skilled in handling them. But even so, I had basicmon sense. Alice hadn¡¯t been officially named the Crown Princess yet, but she was still the future ruler of the Empire. Even though she and I were currently receiving the same treatment, Alice was undeniably in a far higher position than me. Therefore, she shouldn¡¯t apologize to a mere diplomat. It would have been one thing if the matter were personal, but in a formal setting like this, such an apology would undermine her status. If she were to apologize, it should be to someone of equal rank in a private setting. After all, everything we did, even in our personal lives, had public consequences. And let¡¯s not forget¡ªthe Empire was the dominant power. The very fact that the Emperor had sent a mere daughter to represent him at the summit instead ofing himself or sending the Chancellor was a clear message: ¡°I am not your equal.¡± So, the best approach for us was to act as the representatives of a hegemonic power¡ªarrogant and unapologetic. There was no way Alice, the future Empress, should lower her head to anyone. If the Kingdom had an issue with this, they should have demanded the Emperor himselfe. Since they hadn¡¯t, it was toote toin. I subtly signaled Alice to stay silent, then turned to the diplomat. "Do you have another room of the same standard as the one prepared for us?" "Y-Yes, we¡¯ve reserved the entire hotel, so we do have vacant rooms." "Then please prepare one immediately. I also expect the same level of security for her as for me¡ªboth in quality and quantity." "Understood. I will see to it right away...!" Strictly speaking, my demands were rude. Almost tyrannically so. But if the Emperor hadn¡¯t wanted this, he wouldn¡¯t have sent me. And again, if they didn¡¯t like it, they could have insisted on himing in person. While Alice¡¯s room was being prepared, she stayed with me in my room. As she often did, Alice took the seat across from me on the sofa, staring at me intently. "..." "..." Without saying a word. Honestly, her gaze was a little unsettling. Had my behavior earliere across as too much? It was true that Alice was a ssic ¡°tough on the outside, soft on the inside¡± character. Early on, she had a prideful demeanor, much like the original game¡¯s ire, looking down on others. But gradually, she would open up to the protagonist and his party. She also genuinely cared about the future of the Empire and its people. Alice¡¯s personal story was about defying her father, the Emperor, who sought to dominate the world through death and destruction, and... probably, eventually, defeating him. I said ¡°probably¡± because I hadn¡¯t finished the game before being transported here. Of course, given thepany¡¯s preference for traditional narrative arcs, that¡¯s what I expected... but if that¡¯s the case, what¡¯s the point of me being here? The world would be saved even without me. The only thing I could do was try to prevent the deaths of a few characters. But even then, I didn¡¯t know if that would make a difference. There were no gods greeting me with, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m your guide,¡± nor did I have a neatly organized status window detailing my abilities. What was I even supposed to do? "How are you so confident?" Alice¡¯s question pulled me out of my thoughts. I lifted my gaze from the book I had been pretending to read and looked at her. "You always act so confident, no matter what happens. Like you¡¯re sure you can¡¯t be wrong. Earlier too¡ªwhat would you have done if the Kingdom¡¯s officials had reacted badly to what you said?" Hmm. The reason I could be so confident was simple: if I made a mistake, I could always fix it. And to be honest, even if I had made a mistake earlier, it wouldn¡¯t have been that big of a deal. I hesitated for a moment, weighing how much I should reveal. I couldn¡¯t exactly tell her about my ability to rewind time, but offering a flimsy excuse would only confuse her. After some thought, I decided to go with a response that would make sense to anyone. "Princess, who is your father?" "What?" Caught off guard by the sudden question, Alice hesitated for a moment before replying with a touch of indignation. "Th-The Emperor, of course!" Her tone was a little angry, understandably so. I had asked her something she probably thought I should already know. "And who is my father?" "W-Well, that¡¯s..." She didn¡¯t want to admit it. After all, Alice was the Emperor¡¯s only true-born child. From her perspective, she wouldn¡¯t want to acknowledge my status. But the fact remained that, legally, I was the Emperor¡¯s daughter. Even if everyone knew I wasn¡¯t truly his blood rtive, that didn¡¯t change the official records. And the Emperor treated me as his daughter, even sending me in his stead on missions like this. So who could dare say I wasn¡¯t the Emperor¡¯s daughter? Even the blood-rted princess standing in front of me couldn¡¯t openly deny it. "Regardless of what you think, I am officially the Emperor¡¯s daughter. It doesn¡¯t matter if others don¡¯t see it that way. I still have as much authority as you do. Even if people deny it, that authority won¡¯t disappear." "..." As Alice bit her lip, I continued. "Use the Emperor¡¯s authority boldly. If anyone challenges you, assert your status as a princess. No one will be able to look down on you¡ªnot anyone in this world." "But... what if I make a mistake...?" "A mistake? Just act confidently. No one will dare criticize you. The Emperor doesn¡¯t rule the Empire alone. If you make a mistake, there will be people around you to correct it. If you¡¯re hesitant, it¡¯s the Empire that will look weak." Alice lifted her head and looked at me with a slightly dazed expression. "Even if you make mistakes, you¡¯re still the princess, and you will eventually be Empress. Who would dare rebuke you? Maybe they¡¯d offer cautious advice, but that¡¯s all." "But what if... when I be Empress, I¡ª" "By the time you be Empress, you¡¯ll be at the pinnacle of the Empire. By then, who would even dare?" "..." I watched Alice closely as I spoke. "Of course, you¡¯ll need to be the best in the Empire. Even if you¡¯re not the absolute best in everything, you should at least be excellent in all areas. The Emperor¡¯s power reaches every corner of the Empire, and if there¡¯s even one weak link, someone might raise their head and attempt to betray you. But if that happens, use your authority to crush them. That¡¯s your greatest weapon." I strung together what I thought were some encouraging words. Alice looked at me with a slightly awed expression, which made me feel a little proud. Well, once she goes to the Academy, she¡¯ll meet better friends than me and learn far more important things. "...Alright. So I just need to act like that?" "Exactly. And if there¡¯s something you don¡¯t know, just learn it when the timees. The real shame isn¡¯t in being confident without knowledge; it¡¯s in refusing to learn when you need to. No one knows everything. So¡ª" "Even you?" "Huh?" Alice suddenly interrupted, and I reflexively asked in return. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t seem bothered by my reaction. She just kept looking at me with a curious expression. "You too¡ªdo you not know everything about the world?" "...Of course not." I worked hard to keep the disbelief off my face as I answered. "But you always handle things so quickly and efficiently. It¡¯s like you know exactly what¡¯s going to happen. Isn¡¯t that because you already know everything?" "That¡¯s simply due to my knowledge, skills, and luck. I¡¯m not a fortune teller." "Is that so?" Alice¡¯s expression remained doubtful, but I quickly continued before she could dig deeper. "¡ªAnyway, if someoneughs at you for not knowing something, they¡¯re the ones who should be embarrassed. They¡¯re the ones who think they know everything, which is impossible. When faced with something they don¡¯t know, they¡¯ll get angry rather than embarrassed. So don¡¯t envy people like that. You should take pride in being able to admit your mistakes." I knew this from personal experience. Back when I reyed the game multiple times, trying to discover every hidden secret, I¡¯d encounter people who argued with me over lore. I¡¯d refute them with details from the untranted guidebooks, and if they kept pushing, I¡¯d take them down with a well-aimed counter. ...Though, I had to admit I¡¯d been called out and humiliated a few times when I was wrong. Still, what could I do? I was the only one tranting and summarizing all those obscure details. If anyone else wanted to challenge me, they could do the same work. Of course, I couldn¡¯t pull that stunt now, living in the actual world of the game. "I see..." Alice nodded, seemingly impressed by my words. Her expression made me feel a sense of pride. Though I worked hard not to let it show. Chapter 15 No matter how much I carried the authority of the Emperor as his representative, I was still a fourteen-year-old child. To the King of the Kingdom and the Pope of the Holy State, I must have seemedughable. However, they didn¡¯t dare show that scorn on their faces. The military power of the Kingdom of Belbur was insignificantpared to the Empire. Both Belbur and the Empire were conscription-based nations, but the number of soldiers in proportion to the poption was much higher in the Empire, which had a muchrger poption. Naturally, the Kingdom''s military strength was pitiful inparison. Additionally, while the Empire was actively modernizing its air force and navy, the Kingdom¡¯s military remained ¡°medieval¡± inparison. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean they still fought with swords, spears, and bows, but they severelycked tanks and aircraft. The Empire, on the other hand, had already advanced from the chaotic tanks of World War I to state-of-the-art main battle tanks with rotating turrets and powerful main guns. Inparison, the Kingdom¡¯s army was weak. And despite how inefficient air battleships might seem at first nce, in a world without advanced anti-air missiles, they were terrifying. There were no anti-aircraft guns with the range of a battleship¡¯s main guns, nor were there anti-aircraft cannons capable of prating the armor of the Empire¡¯s Dreadnought-ss airships. In theory, one would have to use a battleship¡¯s artillery to hit them, but the range of naval guns fired upward toward the sky and those fired downward from an airship into the sea was vastly different. The Empire¡¯s airships could travel at a maximum speed of 120 kilometers per hour, faster than any ship in the world. And they didn¡¯t fly alone, making it difficult to send bombers to drop explosives on them. To make matters worse, the Empire¡¯s air force was the strongest in the world. Slow-moving bombers would be easily shot down by interceptors long before they reached their targets. And in all likelihood, even those bombers would be of Imperial origin. In short, imagine a massive gunship firing shells more powerful than those from modern self-propelled artillery, from a distanceparable to that of self-propelled artillery¡ªbut from the air, with precision. The gunship¡¯s armor would beparable to that of a battleship, and it would be escorted by dozens of interceptors. To nations just beginning to modernize, it was pure terror. Indeed, in the Empire''s military doctrine, the role of airships was akin to that of the gunships used by modern American forces. The problem was that there was no effective way to shoot them down. For these reasons, even if the King and the Pope¡¯s representative found meughable, they greeted me with utmost politeness. ¡°We understand the stance of the Holy State. However, we cannotpromise on our religious freedom. The Kingdom of Belbur has long been a melting pot of various ethnicities. If we were to establish the Goddess Religion as the state religion, it would cause severe social unrest. I regret to say that we must once again reject this proposition.¡± ¡°As always, we are deeply disappointed.¡± Of course, just because they were polite didn¡¯t mean they seriously considered me as part of the conversation. I didn¡¯t intend to actively participate either. The only nations that had a vested interest in speaking up at this tripartite summit were the Kingdom and the Holy State. The Empire, wielding absolute dominance, had no need to interfere unless its interests were directly threatened. As a result, I spent most of the meeting sipping on a wonderfully fragrant tea. The milk tea, rich with sugar and cream, was delicious. It was a specialty of the Kingdom of Belbur, if I recalled correctly. ¡°The Holy State may be a small nation, but it possesses powerful military capabilities. We believed a partnership with the Kingdom would be mutually beneficial¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The King shot me a quick nce. Oh, these people... The Holy State was an incredibly small nation¡ªpractically the size of a single city. It had gained independence centuries ago due to some ancient treaty. Because of its religious significance, the Holy State leaned heavily toward the ¡°fantasy¡± side of things. Although the Empire, with its airships and modern weaponry, also had elements of fantasy, the Holy State went even further. The Holy State¡¯s Pdins, wielding divine magic, were formidable threats in a different waypared to soldiers armed with guns. There were few of them, but their presence on the battlefield was akin to deploying tactical weapons. In short, the Holy State was proposing an alliance with the Kingdom. I silently observed the two of them as they conversed. I already knew some of this from the game. The Kingdom would ultimately reject religious unification, but the Holy State would still provide covert support to the Kingdom¡¯s key figures.@@novelbin@@ They were setting themselves up as challengers to the Empire¡¯s hegemony. While they might seem like reasonable, rational religious leaders on the surface, the Holy State harbored ambitions of uniting all religions under the banner of the Goddess Religion. The Empire was even more of a cultural and religious melting pot than the Kingdom, with colonists from various territories, annexed cultures, and indigenous faiths mixing together. To the Holy State, the Empire must have seemed like a thorn in their side. Of course, their ultimate goal was likely just that¡ªa distant ideal. Just as the South Korean government¡¯s constitutional objective is to reunify with the North, they had no real intention of acting on it. The Holy State knew full well that trying to enforce religious unification would lead to their destruction. So instead, they sought to gradually and pragmatically shift things in their favor. The Kingdom, exposed to the threat of the Empire, was a natural ally. The Empire might seem content for now, but internal dissatisfaction was quietly brewing. And the best way to channel that discontent was by directing it outward. It wasn¡¯t surprising that the Kingdom and Holy State viewed the Empire through the same lens. Therefore, most of the discussion at this summit was likely just for show. In reality, the two nations were probably negotiating behind the scenes. Even if the talks here broke down, they would likely form a secret allianceter. Of course, they would have to put on a convincing enough show to make the Empire believe their talks were genuine. Was the King¡¯s slight frown a sign of genuine frustration? I quietly contemted my next move. Whether or not they formed an alliance, the Emperor would eventually act. So... it didn¡¯t really matter whether I said anything or not. ¡°We do not intend to reject the Goddess. Our royal family has long followed the faith. However, if we dere the Goddess Religion as the only legitimate faith, it will undoubtedly lead to unrest within the Kingdom. That would render an alliance with the Holy State meaningless.¡± ¡°In that case, the Holy State¡¯s renowned Pdin Order will assist in maintaining order.¡± ¡°That sounds like an offer to station foreign troops in our Kingdom.¡± Nice try. They were already stationed here, though. Of course, their numbers were so small that they weren¡¯t like the U.S. military garrisoned in Korea, draining resources, nor were they deployed as a full unit. But they were still present, disguised as clergy in the Goddess temples throughout the Kingdom. This was a known fact from the game¡¯s lore. Even so, they were likely counting on keeping their secret troops hidden from my eyes. ¡°What if¡­¡± To be honest, I didn¡¯t particrly like the Holy State. Their secretive machinations were annoying, and most of their characters were obnoxiously self-righteous. I wouldn¡¯t have minded if they¡¯d been written as clich¨¦ fanatical zealots from a typical manga, but¡­ Instead, they pretended to be devout believers while killing people left and right or massacring civilians in the name of ¡°justice,¡± all while maintaining this irritatingly smug demeanor. To top it off, they were inexplicably popr with fans due to their good looks. It was such a typical trait of Japanese RPGs to have such problematic characters undergote-stage redemption arcs. Sure, there were a few good characters in the Holy State, some of whom even became the protagonist¡¯s friends or love interests. But I found a few specific characters so irritating that I often sabotaged the Holy State¡¯s entire faction. Sometimes I even fabricated parts of the lore just to mess with them... though I did eventually get caught. Anyway, I was tempted to stir things up here. For example, by saying something like: ¡°If the Empire were to make the Goddess Religion its official state religion, would the Holy State consider forming an alliance with us?¡± The two of them froze at my words. Of course, the Emperor despised the very concept of a ¡°Goddess,¡± so he would never agree to such a thing. That was why I felt perfectly safe making such a bold statement. Whether the Goddess truly existed in this world or not, I didn¡¯t care. I just didn¡¯t like the Holy State, and I had no intention of forming any alliance with them. Besides, the Empire didn¡¯t need them. ¡°Are you saying the Empire is open to adopting the Goddess Religion as its official religion?¡± ¡°That depends on what benefits we would gain. The Empire is a modernized nation, so we have no intention of making an unproven belief system our state religion. However, if the benefits outweighed the harm, it could be considered.¡± The Holy State¡¯s representative narrowed his eyes at me, clearly trying to gauge whether I was being serious or just testing them. Moreover, if the Holy State aligned itself with the Empire, there was a chance they could be absorbed entirely. The Empire was powerful enough to do so. And given the Emperor¡¯s ambitions, he would likely be more than willing to make that happen. Even if the Empire made the Goddess Religion its state religion, it wouldn¡¯t be able to suppress all other faiths. Not unless it wanted to tear itself apart. At most, the Empire would recognize it as the ¡°state¡± religion while allowing others to exist. But this proposal struck at the very core of the Holy State¡¯s identity. Their ultimate goal was to abolish all other religions and establish a single, ¡°true¡± faith. However, that could only happen if the Holy State wasn¡¯t absorbed by the Empire in the process. ¡°Is this the Emperor¡¯s will?¡± the Holy State¡¯s envoy asked. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯d like to know. Since the Pope didn¡¯t attend in person, do your words carry the same weight as his?¡± ¡°I represent the Holy Pope in these discussions. Of course, everything I say reflects the Holy State¡¯s position.¡± ¡°Then my words are equivalent to those of the great Emperor. I¡¯m here as his ¡®representative.¡¯¡± I shifted my gaze between the King and the Holy State¡¯s envoy before continuing. ¡°If what you¡¯ve said here truly represents the Holy State¡¯s official position, are you willing to take responsibility for every word spoken today?¡± ¡°Of course. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here. Doesn¡¯t the same apply to you, Princess?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare lie in the presence of His Majesty, the King of Belbur.¡± The King¡¯s eyebrow twitched slightly when I referred to him as ¡°His Majesty,¡± but I ignored it and continued. ¡°Then, on the authority of the Emperor, I have a question for both of you.¡± I looked directly at them, focusing on the envoy. ¡°Have you had any discussions outside of this tripartite summit? I¡¯m curious whether everything I¡¯ve seen and heard here represents the full scope of your dialogue, or if there are other, secret alliances being forged behind the scenes.¡± ¡°...¡± I didn¡¯t harbor any ill will toward the King, so I felt a little bad for putting him in an awkward position. But watching the Holy State¡¯s envoy¡¯s face stiffen was quite amusing. Not that I expected them to admit anything. They would form their alliance regardless. ¡°Do you have any basis for such a question? If you¡¯re invoking the Emperor¡¯s authority, you should be prepared for the consequences of your words,¡± the King asked with a serious expression. ¡°Do I need a basis? We¡¯re discussing military alliances here. Isn¡¯t it only fair to confirm whether all discussions are truly for the benefit of all three parties, or if one nation is being left out?¡± ¡°...¡± Neither of them responded to my question. It was a weak argument, full of holes, but I had made it clear that I spoke with the authority of the Emperor. That made it difficult for them to tly deny my words. Doing so would be an official rejection, and if it came to lightter, they wouldn¡¯t have a leg to stand on. Of course, this wouldn¡¯t be enough to break their alliance. They were masters of saying nothing without actually saying anything, so they¡¯d never outright deny or confirm anything. Later, they could im, ¡°We never said that.¡± ¡°If I may ask again,¡± The Holy State¡¯s envoy broke the silence. ¡°Does the Empire truly intend to adopt the Goddess Religion as its state religion?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that decision would require the approval of the Imperial Assembly. I cannot give a definitive answer.¡± A double-edged response. On the surface, it appeared as though the executive powers of the Emperor and the legitive powers of the Assembly were separate, and thus the Emperor couldn¡¯t make the decision unterally. But in reality, the Assembly was just a rubber stamp for the Emperor¡¯s will. Anyone paying attention could easily figure that out. Just moments ago, I had spoken as if I had the full authority of the Emperor, only to now backtrack by ming the Assembly. The two men in front of me must have been seething. But what could they do? The Emperor¡¯s authority loomed behind me. And frankly, I didn¡¯t care about the Empire¡¯s reputation in this situation. If the Emperor had cared, he wouldn¡¯t have sent me here in the first ce. As I lifted my teacup again, the two men stared at me for a while. What? Why? What more is there to say? If you¡¯ve got more to discuss, go ahead and talk amongst yourselves. After all, an ¡°evil empire¡± doesn¡¯t get that reputation for nothing, right? Chapter 16 "She''s strange." That was Alice''s first thought when she saw Sylvia. To be honest, it was hard to pinpoint exactly what was strange just by looking at her. When Sylvia sat quietly with her mouth closed, she seemed like nothing more than a pretty girl who liked to read, not saying much. Even if you had a brief conversation with her, you might not notice anything particrly odd. Though her tone was a bit stiff, she still spoke politely, always aware of her ce and bowing her head to those above her. But the longer the conversation went, and the more you watched her actions, the more peculiar things started to stand out. Sylvia had been with Alice since they were very young. Alice didn¡¯t remember their first meeting exactly, probably due to their childhood, but somehow, amidst those vague memories of early years, Sylvia had gradually be part of her world, mixing into conversations. Or more urately, Alice would talk, and Sylvia would respond, usually in brief answers. ording to Lucas, Alice used to be terrified of Sylvia, who never changed her expression no matter how much Alice tried to speak to her. He said Alice would hide behind nearby adults whenever she saw Sylvia, and whenever Sylvia was close by, Alice would run away as if afraid she might start talking to her. "Afraid of Sylvia? Me?" When Alice first heard that, she didn¡¯t believe it. But upon further reflection, she realized it might not be entirely wrong. After all, even now, Alice was still somewhat afraid of Sylvia. Alice was the sole legitimate heir to the empire. She was the only one who had rightfully inherited the blood of the Fangryphon dynasty. No other siblings, half-siblings, or even distant rtives stood in her way. If it weren''t for Emperor Arthur III¡¯s hobby of adopting orphans and making them his closest aides, Alice might have remained uncontested. Even without sharing blood, a Fangryphon is still a Fangryphon. Long ago, during the era when the world was copsing, and all order was being reformed, a child who had been abandoned on a cliff due to a deformity survived among twisted beasts. That child, who subdued a pack of gryphons with nothing but their human form and rode thergest one,ter became the empire''s first emperor. People called him "The Chief of Gryphons" in reverence. That¡¯s the meaning behind the name Fangryphon. Of course, Alice knew it was just a myth. Even in modern times, gryphons still existed, but no one had ever seeded in taming one. They might be captured or hunted, and one could perhaps even ride on their back, but the gryphon would resist to the end. That¡¯s why the story of taming a gryphon was considered mythical.@@novelbin@@ Besides, gryphons weren¡¯t even known to live in packs. But in an empire with such a myth, the name Fangryphon carried special meaning. No one could say what the Imperial Council or the people thought. But at least from the Fangryphon''s perspective, the name stood for the power to rule as emperor. Even if you didn¡¯t share the blood, as long as you had the ability to inherit the name of Fangryphon, the emperor would willingly pass the throne to you. That¡¯s why Sylvia was feared. While she didn¡¯t have the terrifying aura of the mythical first emperor, she handled matters in front of her as if she already knew what would happen. It was hard to imagine Sylvia riding a gryphon, though. And that¡¯s why Sylvia was strange. Despite possessing such incredible abilities, and the name of Fangryphon, she acted as if she would never take the throne. She repeatedly insisted that the real heir was Alice and that she was merely there to assist her. At first, Alice wondered if Sylvia was hiding her true intentions. But after some thought... well, Sylvia had never acted in a way that contradicted her words. In politics, one of the gravest mistakes is judging someone solely by their appearance. But at least in Alice¡¯s eyes, Sylvia seemed more rxed around her. She was still expressionless, but Sylvia, who often ignored or gave short answers to other step-siblings, would actively engage in conversation with Alice. Whenever Alice was anxious, Sylvia would offer encouragement. When Alice was sad, Sylviaforted her. Her words were always spoken in the same emotionless tone, but hearing them always put Alice at ease. Was it all just an act? Was Sylvia merely acting out of obligation because Alice was the princess? Was Alice being fooled by something so simple? If so¡ª ¡ªYes, if even that was an act, then Sylvia was indeed a worthy candidate for the throne from the start. Although she had somehow followed them to the kingdom, Alice Fangryphon now deeply regretted her decision. She knew her father favored Sylvia. That didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t love Alice, but there was a difference between favoring someone as a talent and loving them as a child. While Alice hadn¡¯t yet been appointed as Crown Princess or handled state affairs, Sylvia was already taking on some of the kingdom¡¯s most crucial responsibilities. Sylvia herself always treated Alice as the future empress... but that didn¡¯t ease Alice¡¯s anxiety. After all, it wasn¡¯t Sylvia who would decide the next emperor, but Alice¡¯s father, the current emperor. ¡°I¡¯m going to get scolded again...¡± Her father often called Sylvia to ask her about uing events. Each time, Alice would try to sneak in and listen to the conversation or, failing that, attempt a poor imitation of Sylvia. And every time, it ended with her father¡¯s reprimand. He never shouted or struck her, but the weight behind his words, fitting of an emperor, was heavy. Alice shrank a little more each time she heard them. And each time, the person whoforted her was Sylvia. Alice knew that Sylvia¡¯s words weren¡¯t always genuine. If Alice felt disappointed about doing worse than Sylvia on a test, Sylvia would casually mention that she had gotten lucky on a few questions... though Alice knew that couldn¡¯t be true. If she wanted, Sylvia could easily get a perfect score. But despite knowing that, Alice always felt buoyed when Sylvia reassured her. Hearing someone aspetent as Sylvia call her the "next empress" made Alice happy. In the pce, where Alice had no one she could truly call a friend, Sylvia was both herpetitor and her only friend. And so, after another scolding, Sylvia would likelyfort Alice again. That thought left a bitter taste. Lying on the luxurious bed in the kingdom''s best hotel, just as Sylvia had arranged, Alice stared nkly at the ceiling, killing time. Her main guards were Lucas and Jayden, but honestly, Alice found them both more intimidating than Sylvia. Maybe if there was time, she¡¯d ask Sylvia to walk around the capital with her. While Alice was deep in thought¡ª Knock knock. There was a careful knock on the door, startling her. [Princess, may I have a word?] ¡°Huh, what!?¡± Alice jumped to her feet at the sound. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on!?¡± She shouted, flustered. She had never received guests without Sylvia or someone else by her side. The Imperial Guard was probably outside the door¡ªno, the one knocking must be from the Imperial Guard. They were tasked with directly protecting the princess. But she had never weed a guest into her room alone. The trip had been so sudden that even her personal maid hadn¡¯t boarded the train in time. [Princess Charlotte de Belvure of the Kingdom of Belvure requests an audience.] ¡°P-Princess¡ª!¡± Alice barely managed to stifle her gasp by covering her mouth with her hand. Technically, the princess of Belvure wasn¡¯t on the same level as a Fangryphon imperial princess. Maybe that¡¯s why she hade directly upon hearing that the ¡°real¡± princess of Fangryphon had arrived. While princesses and imperial princesses didn¡¯t take part in governance, they could still form friendships. Rtionships between nobles could lead to practical benefitster on. And if it were royalty, even more so. Even without administrative duties, forming a connection with someone you had at least met before would make it easier tomunicate in the future. Alice, who had received her fair share of political lessons, recalled some information about the Belvure princess. Like Alice, she was an only child. She was likely to inherit the throne. And she was the same age as both Alice and Sylvia. ¡°...Phew.¡± Alice didn¡¯t know why Princess Charlotte hade, but she couldn¡¯t turn her away now that she was here. Though terribly nervous, Alice knew she had to handle this situation herself. She recalled her earlier conversation with Sylvia. Always be confident, as befits the rightful heir to the throne. She quickly looked down at her clothes. Were there any wrinkles, or worse, stains? Fortunately, there were a few creases, but nothing too noticeable. She straightened her back and puffed out her chest, lifting her chin just like she had once seen a duchess do. And she mimicked Sylvia¡¯s expression. After a few more deep breaths, Alice finally spoke. ¡°Yes, please let her in.¡± Of course, her heart wasn¡¯t as calm as Sylvia¡¯s. Chapter 19 A day had passed since Alice¡¯s visit, and there had been no new developments. The Emperor¡¯s order for me still stood. It seemed Alice hadn¡¯t been able to meet with the Emperor yet, as I had heard he was away. The things Alice had unpacked... well, I hadn¡¯t repacked them yet. I simply returned the items she had taken out of the bag to their original ces. Since Alice had personally unpacked them, I figured it was better to wait a bit before packing them back up again. No matter how determined Alice was, she wouldn¡¯t easily convince the Emperor. He was the kind of man who, despite loving his daughter, always prioritized his goals above all else. On the surface, it was always ¡°for the Empire,¡± but in reality, he was a man obsessed with ruling, almost like a governance addict. If he thought something would harm his control over the Empire, he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to discard even his own daughter. The Riend Autonomous State hadn¡¯t appeared in the main story yet, but it existed in the game¡¯s lore. There had been hints that it might y a significant role in a sequel... but that was just a theory. By the time I arrived in this world, the game¡¯s sequel was probably still in development, so I hadn¡¯t even seen any previews. Fans spected that the protagonist, who had retreated to the unstable Riend Republic due to the presence of warlords, would help stabilize the region and gain their trust, potentially finding a new base of operations. Of course, if I wiped out the warlords before that, those spections would be irrelevant... but I doubted the Emperor intended to eliminate them all. He¡¯d likely leave enough warlords to keep the autonomous state in a state of reliance on the Empire, ensuring they¡¯d need the Empire¡¯s support. If the Emperor really wanted to destroy the warlords, he would¡¯ve just sent the army. But sending the army would have likely been met with resistance from the autonomous state. What country would wee foreign troopsing in to ¡°solve¡± their internal problems, even if it meant dealing with criminals? That¡¯s a clear vition of sovereignty. It¡¯s too obvious a move. "...Wait a minute." Could it be that the Emperor was sending me for that reason? Sending the Empire¡¯s military would surely be rejected by Riend, but sending one assassin might not raise the same objections. In fact, the Emperor might not even intend to send me as a soldier. He could disguise me as a diplomat or even send me as a princess on a formal mission. ...I could create gaps in my official duties to move around the autonomous state and carry out assassination missions in secret. Uh... Is the Emperor overestimating me a bit too much? Did ire in the original story receive this much trust? I don¡¯t recall her being sent alone on missions, no matter how skilled she was. I pressed my hand to my forehead, lost in thought. If I had blindly gone to the autonomous state and started taking out warlords left and right, the future could have changed drastically. Then again, Millennium Studio was known for pulling unexpected twists on yers. They wouldn¡¯t have made the storyline so simple that it could be easily predicted. Should I refuse? I seriously considered it. If the Emperor truly trusted me, and if he genuinely believed in what I said, I could go there, do nothing, and return. Even if I lied, the Emperor would likely think, ¡°There must¡¯ve been a good reason.¡± The problem was whether the Emperor trusted me 100%, without even a shred of doubt. And the conclusion to that question wasn¡¯t something I needed to think about for long. The Emperor never trusted anyonepletely. The only thing he believed in was his own conviction. If I returned withoutpleting the mission, he would undoubtedly be suspicious. He might ept that ¡°there was no choice,¡± but he wouldn¡¯t believe that the reason was purely physical. He¡¯d start to specte politically. And once that happened, the Emperor¡¯s actions would stray too far from my predictions. That would be a problem. I¡¯ve been trying to minimize casualties by controlling the future, but if the Emperor starts acting unpredictably, it could prevent me from using my foresight-like ability. I haven¡¯t assassinated the Emperor yet or outright defied him because I¡¯m trying to minimize variables and create a favorable situation for myself. If I break that bnce, new opportunities might arise, but the more time between opportunities, the harder it bes to line everything up. "...." I sat quietly in my chair, resting my chin on my hand, deep in thought, but no clear solution came to mind. Even if I med Alice, the fact that I had already agreed to the mission meant that changing my mind now would only arouse the Emperor¡¯s suspicions. Hmm. There¡¯s no good answer. As I was pondering this¡ª Suddenly, the door swung open. "...." It wasn¡¯t that surprising. Over the past ten years, this had happened quite often. Honestly, nothing could surprise me anymore, not even getting sliced by Lucas¡¯ sword. It was probably Alice again. If she had met with the Emperor, she would¡¯ve been rejected, no doubt about it. She would¡¯ve opened the door looking incredibly dejected. So, most likely, she hade to get me to apany her to meet the Emperor, as she always acted confidently before facing him. ¡°I¡¯ve got it!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± However, hearing Alice shout that made my mind go nk for a moment. Got what? I turned my head to see Alice standing there, grinning triumphantly. Her hair shimmered like gold in the sunlight streaming through the window. With her hands on her hips, she looked like a victorious general as she spoke. ¡°You don¡¯t have to go to the north!¡± "...." I stared at Alice for a moment before responding. ¡°Even if you¡¯re the next Empress, your rank still doesn¡¯t supersede the current Emperor¡¯s orders.¡± At my calm voice, Alice huffed. ¡°I know that! Even I¡¯m aware of that much. But if you don¡¯t believe me, take a look at this.¡± She raised her right hand, which had been resting on her hip. It was only then that I noticed the Emperor¡¯s order in her hand. [By my decree as Arthur III, Emperor of Azernia, I hereby rescind the order for Sylvia Pangryphon¡¯s dispatch to the north.] It wasn¡¯t an official document. It was written hastily on a random scrap of paper with a fountain pen, barely worthy of being called a decree. But I recognized the handwriting. And the Emperor¡¯s signature. ¡°...Forging or impersonating official documents is a serious crime. If you¡¯re using the Emperor¡¯s name¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Alice yelled in response to my words. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, check it yourself! Even I wouldn¡¯t lie about something like this!¡± "..." If Alice was that insistent... Could this really be true? If it was, how on earth had she managed it? Although I kept my face expressionless, Alice must have sensed my confusion because she smirked at me confidently. "See? Now we¡¯re going to the academy together! Of course, I won¡¯t start packing right away, but still!" Her smile was radiant as she added that she would definitely outperform me academically. Uh... I honestly had no idea what was going on. How? Even though I was bewildered, a part of my brain silently cheered, clenching a mental fist in victory. A few minutes earlier¡ª Crash! The sound of something shattering was rarely heard in the Emperor¡¯s audience chamber. All the maids who worked in the pce were noblewomen trained in the highest etiquette, and breaking something by ident was practically unheard of. And no one would deliberately break anything either. After all, meals weren¡¯t usually served in the audience chamber. But this time was different. The sound hade from a small ss bottle shattering on the floor. A clear liquid sttered from the broken shards, though it wasn¡¯t enough to reach the Emperor¡¯s clothes. ¡°¡­What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± The Emperor asked, staring at his daughter, who had justmitted such an outrageous act right in front of him. Lucas, who was standing by as a guard, looked equally dumbfounded, but Alice paid no attention to him. Normally, Alice would have shrunk in front of her father, the Emperor. Especially considering that the mood today was far from good. But Alice was furious. And when a Pangryphon gets angry, nothing can stop them. Alice was a Pangryphon too. She had never been this angry at her father before. While she wanted to surpass Sylvia, she had never wished for Sylvia to be kept frompeting on an equal footing. ¡°This is morphine. I found it in Sylvia¡¯s room.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± The Emperor¡¯s expression changed instantly from one of displeasure to one of intrigue. ¡°Sylvia... using morphine?¡± It wasn¡¯t a strange reaction. The Emperor had been the one making the best use of Sylvia¡¯s abilities in all sorts of ways. While there had only been one assassination mission so far, Sylvia had proven invaluable in gathering information. It was hard to imagine Sylvia needing morphine. After all, she had never been seriously injured by bullets or swords. Lucas, too, looked shocked. His usual smirk had disappeared, his eyes wide in surprise. Despite the tense situation, Alice couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit satisfied at that. ¡°She said it was for emergencies. In case she needed to fight without any time to heal her injuries.¡± ¡°...Ho.¡± If Sylvia had said it, it couldn¡¯t be taken lightly. If Sylvia was talking about getting injured and needing to fight without time to heal, that implied some significant danger. What could she have been nning for? ¡°...Your Majesty.¡± Normally, Alice would have addressed him as ¡°Father,¡± but today, she was speaking to him as a princess addressing her Emperor. What she was about to say wasn¡¯t just from a daughter; it was a statement from the next Empress... or at least, a candidate for that role. ¡°Sylvia told me I would be the next Empress.¡± ¡°...¡± The Emperor listened quietly. ¡°If she ever became a candidate for that position, she said she would do everything in her power to give it to me.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± The Emperor was watching his daughter carefully. ¡°So, Your Majesty, Sylvia belongs to me. Not to you.¡± Alice smiled as she spoke. It wasn¡¯t a confident smile but one tinged with nerves. Her lips trembled slightly from tension. But a Pangryphon doesn¡¯t retreat. Because she was a Pangryphon. ¡°Sylvia might be a griffon, but the first Emperor, Pangryphon, wasn¡¯t a griffon. He was the griffon¡¯s master. He subdued the griffons and rode on their backs. He led the flock. He didn¡¯t need to be stronger than the griffons.¡± That¡¯s right. Pangryphon wasn¡¯t a griffon, but its leader. The one who controlled the griffons. Leading doesn¡¯t always require brute force, especially when leading humans. ¡°So, Sylvia belongs to me. Of course, if you ever need her, I can lend her to you. But not this time.¡± Sylvia¡ªthat Sylvia¡ªhad pledged her support to the true princess as the next Empress. And the princess had realized the significance of that. Now she was telling the current Emperor. The Emperor, upon hearing this, smiled.@@novelbin@@ Chapter 20 There is always a reason why mock exams are difficult. Even though it''s just a mock exam, the question style is different from the actual entrance exam, and the difficulty level is rarely "moderate." The bnce of difficulty itself is inurate¡ªsome questions are too easy, while others are overly difficult. Overall, the difficulty level tends to be quite high. This isn''t limited to just the Academy entrance exam. In the world I came from, most mock exams were also somewhat or excessively more difficult than the actual test. The reason is simple. It''s beneficial for thepany that runs the mock exams to hear people say, "I passed the entrance exam after taking their mock exam." Even though students know that these mock exams are just imitation questions and have almost no official recognition, they still be emotionally invested. Humans, by nature, have a psychological tendency to rx once they believe they''ve already achieved a goal. Therefore, it''s better to make the mock exam harder to prevent students from rxing and to give them an excuse if the real test turns out to be excessively difficult. Alice and I have taken such exams multiple times. Alice, with her brilliant mind, studied hard and consistently scored high¡ª ¡ªwhile I used my ability to exploit loopholes, repeatedly reviewing textbooks and memorizing everything by heart. Honestly, it was incredibly tedious. Even though my mind follows my body, and if I turn back time, my body returns to its original state, my memory doesn''t recognize the ''time rewind'' and instead umtes experience. So, no matter how many times I rewind time, from my perspective, it just feels like the same thing is happening over and over again. ¡­Does that make sense? Well, anyway. During those numerous chances, I took time to rest or sleep. I''d skip ss and take walks outside the capital, or lock myself in my room and sleep. I didn¡¯t care about what others thought. After all, the time I spent doing these things would just be reset. I minimized mental fatigue and turned time back to its original state. Human memory has its limits, but when you see and study something repeatedly, you can''t help but remember it. I don''t know if it''s because this body''s brain capacity isrge or if I had that talent all along but never used it. Thinking about the times when I would save and reload multiple save files while ying games¡­ Well, imagining what my original self could''ve achieved now seems rather meaningless. After all, I''m now Sylvia Fangryphon, a character who never appeared in the original story. ¡°How was the test?¡± Even though Alice is a princess, the entrance exam had to be taken at the designated location. The Empire is vast. Even if one takes thetest trains, it often takes hours or even half a day to travel to Rondarium from the provinces. And if you push yourself too hard the day before, it''ll affect your condition during the test. It''s understandable formoners from the provinces, but if this happens repeatedly, even the nobility will start toin. No matter the era, educating children has always been a critical issue. Except for those who struggle just to earn enough for daily survival. That''s why there are designated exam centers in the provinces as well. Of course, some people can''t even make it to those, but in such cases, they probably don''t even realize they have that kind of talent. After all, they live in ces where they have no ess to education. Anyway, we took the exam at the Imperial Rondarium Academy. Honestly, if you live in the capital and take the Academy entrance exam, it''s a stroke of luck. It means you get to visit the Academy itself. Whether you pass or fail, simply entering that beautifully constructed building is a valuable experience. Outside of festival periods, the Academy isn¡¯t open to the public, so most people never get to see its studious atmosphere. ¡°The test was easier than the mock exam.¡± ¡°Right?¡± Of course, even though we took the exam at the Academy, we weren¡¯t treated exactly the same as the other students. There were security issues, and more importantly, the students in the ssroom would have been incredibly distracted by us. This could ultimately affect their performance. Many noble families are extremely sensitive about their children''s grades. If parents only scolded their children, the Empire wouldn¡¯t intervene, but there are always those who want to me the exam location for their child¡¯s poor performance. Naturally, the Emperor brushes off suchints. Such trivial matters rarely even reach his ears. But the Academy staff can''t do the same, and neither can the high-ranking officials who run the Ministry of Education. If the nobility¡ªespecially from count or duke houses¡ªstart making a fuss, these officials will find themselves in a predicament. To prevent that from happening, we took our exam in a separate ssroom this time. As I nced at Alice¡¯s face as we left the room, I saw that her expression wasn¡¯t bad. It seemed the exam was easy for her as well. It was the same for me. After seeing the material over and over again, I probably performed better than during the mock exam. Of course, I intentionally got a few questions wrong. ¡°Let¡¯s go and do a quick self-check. No need to verify everything. You¡¯ll probably remember a few tricky questions, right? We can estimate our scores based on that.¡± I nodded. Alice was already confident about getting into the Academy. Of course, she was. Alice bes a student of the Academy in the original story. While the building is currently filled with unverified candidates, by the time the semester starts, all the unsavory elements will have been filtered out. Inside the Academy, everyone was treated equally, and students were on a first-name basis. Though those formal rules eventually became meaningless as time passed, social ranks still existed. Alice was so famous that no one needed to be told who she was. As we walked, we heard somemotion ahead. Students were pouring out of the ssrooms. We weren¡¯t the only ones who had finished the exam. We paused for a moment. There were ways to clear out all the students ahead of us, but there was no need to rush. The knights guarding us stepped forward and secured a path. Some students nced our way. However, the presence of the knights prevented them from approaching. Alice never had close friends growing up, so even the children of prominent noble families would hesitate to approach her. They didn¡¯t know how to act around her. Alice wasn¡¯t just a princess; she aimed to be the Emperor. If she had free time, she''d rather read another page or practice her swordsmanship, so it was no wonder she didn¡¯t have many acquaintances among the nobility. ¡°How many of them do you think will get into the Academy?¡± ¡°Probably very few.¡±@@novelbin@@ ording to the original story, the Academy''s admission quota was 30 nobles and 60moners per year. In reality, the number of named characters who appeared was far fewer than that. Compared to the many students passing by us now, it felt like just a handful. We stood aside for a while, waiting for the students to pass. ¡°¡­¡± Suddenly, I almost let out an audible gasp. In the distance, I saw a student with blue hair walking by. She didn¡¯t look like how I remembered. It wasn¡¯t the image from the game, nor the ragged appearance Ist saw. She had grown significantly and had her long blue hair tied up in a proper ponytail. Unlike in the game, she wasn¡¯t wearing bold makeup, nor had she modified her uniform to make it more revealing. She just looked like a very proper student. Honestly, she could easily pass as a ss president. She wasn¡¯t wearing sses, though. It was ire. ire was walking and happily chatting with a handsome boy beside her. That boy must be the son of the Grace family. The protagonist of this game. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Why? Do you recognize someone?¡± ¡°Yes. I see a few children from noble families.¡± ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± I figured it was better to offer a usible exnation rather than deny it, so I said that. Alice hummed in response. ¡°Is there someone we should be cautious about?¡± ¡°There is, but this isn¡¯t the ce to discuss it.¡± I wasn¡¯t referring to ire. It was better if ire didn¡¯t know who I was. But there were still people to be cautious of. ¡­The daughter of the Count Crowfield I killed would also attend this school. She¡¯s one of the heroines in the original story. ¡°¡­Alright. Tell meter when we¡¯re back. It doesn¡¯t hurt to be cautious.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Alice¡¯s expression immediately turned serious after hearing my words, and I responded ordingly. In the original story, Alice and ire had a terrible rtionship, so Alice wouldn¡¯t have received this kind of information. But now¡­ I wasn¡¯t the same ire. And ire seemed to have changed significantly from her original self. So I figured sharing this much information wouldn¡¯t be a problem. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ire, who had been talking, suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned around. Leo, who had been walking with her, asked. ¡°What is it? Did you see something?¡± ¡°Ah, it''s just...¡± ire stood there, looking somewhat dazed as she gazed behind her. Leo thought that maybe she had noticed someone standing at the turn in the hallway. One had shining blond hair, and the other had ck, shoulder-length hair. Leo had a good idea of who the blonde might be. It seemed like the Princess was also set to enroll this year, and if that was true, the two knights standing ahead of them made sense. As for the other person, Leo wasn''t sure who it was. ¡°Was it someone you knew? Should we go back and check?¡± Leo, trying to figure it out, began to retrace their steps, but soon stopped awkwardly as the passing students gave him annoyed looks. ¡°Oh, no, no need for that.¡± Finally, snapping out of her trance, ire responded. ¡°Maybe¡­ maybe I just mistook them for someone else. They might have just looked simr.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± Leo found ire''s behavior a bit strange, but decided to let it go. He knew ire had been searching for her sister. She had mentioned it a few times throughout her childhood. However, even if her sister did exist, there was no way she could be here. To even take the exam here, one¡¯s identity had to be verified beforehand. As much as he sympathized with ire''s story¡ªalthough ire never truly believed it herself¡ªthe odds of her sister surviving and growing up to take the entrance exam for the Empire¡¯s top Academy were extremely slim. Not to mention the idea of her sitting the exam right beside the Princess was even more far-fetched. Besides, the girl with the short ck hair didn¡¯t appear to be a maid. If she were a real maid, she would¡¯ve taken the exam just like any other student. Furthermore, ire had almost given up hope by now. Even if the chance wasn''t zero, ire likely knew how slim it was. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m sure it was nothing. Just¡­ a feeling. Again.¡± As a child, ire had rushed over to check anyone with ck, long hair, only to be disappointed every time. Over the years, she had grown ustomed to these moments, and eventually learned not to expect too much. After all, there were plenty of girls with long ck hair passing through the Academy¡¯s halls. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go.¡± ire said, starting to walk again. Leo, feeling a bit sorry for her, followed behind. TL NOTE: Please don''t skimp on the stars for the trantion - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~! If you want to buy me a /kimsu Chapter 21 The test results came out as expected. I scored 475 points, and Alice scored 492. Both of us had scores well above the passing mark. For me, this was a surprising result. Sure, I had intentionally gotten some questions wrong, but Alice had originally entered the Academy with a score of 487 in the game, earning the reputation of a prodigy. Of course, even that score wasn¡¯t low by any means, but the Alice standing before me now had achieved an even higher score. "Impressive, Your Highness." That¡¯s what I said. There might have been a little emotion behind my words, but not enough to make a big deal of it. I had asionally let my feelings show in front of Alice before. Besides, my reason for going to the Academy in the first ce was to meet the main characters and heroines from the original story, so there was no need to hide my excitement too much in front of Alice. After all, I¡¯d be seeing her often from now on, so it would be hard to keep everything hidden forever. I¡¯d just have to be careful around the Emperor and his children.@@novelbin@@ "Hmm¡­" However, Alice''s reaction wasn¡¯t what I had expected. The pitch of her "hmm" was much lower than usual. Unlike her usual pleased tone, this one sounded suspicious, as if she were openly doubting me. Alice narrowed her eyes and asked, "Are you sure this is your real score?" "..." Hmm. She caught on immediately. "You said it was easier than the mock exam while walking through the hallway that day. But your score didn¡¯t improve¡ªin fact, it went down. Doesn¡¯t that seem strange? Especially for someone as meticulous as you." "..." "Did you intentionally score lower than me?" "..." Hmm. She¡¯s not the Emperor''s daughter for nothing. It seems she inherited his talents. Or maybe I just gave myself away too easily. "You." Alice continued. "Don¡¯t do that again. You¡¯ll be working under me in the future, right? I need to know your real abilities. If you keep trying to make me look good, how am I supposed to evaluate your skills?" I stared at Alice intently. Alice had changed a lot from the Alice I knew. I¡¯m not talking about the Alice from her childhood¡ªalthough she¡¯s certainly different from then as well. The Alice I¡¯m referring to is the Alice from the game. The Alice who, from a young age, devoted herself entirely to studying swordsmanship and reading, never attending royal banquets or balls except when she was very little. She was so focused on following in her father¡¯s footsteps that she ignored the need to socialize with the nobility, even though that was important for bing Emperor. But then again, at fourteen, it¡¯s not surprising she had a bit of a rebellious streak, thinking, "While others are wasting time, I¡¯m studying imperial matters." That part of her is still somewhat simr. But in terms of attitude, she¡¯s different. In the game, early on, Alice was portrayed as someone with very low self-esteem despite her high character stats. Outwardly, she appeared as an arrogant princess, but there were several moments where she felt envious of others who were better at swordsmanship or academics than she was. In the early stages, she never openly acknowledged other people¡¯s abilities like she does now. But this isn''t even the "early stage" anymore. Both Alice and I are fifteen years old now, yet her attitude toward me is far more mature andposed than the childish stubbornness I expected. "Why are you staring at me like that?" Alice, seeming a little unsettled by my gaze, asked. "...It¡¯s nothing." I replied, slightly bowing my head. "I apologize. From now on, I won¡¯t hide my abilities from Your Highness." "Huh? Oh, um, alright¡­" Alice seemed flustered by my suddenpliance and responded hesitantly. And that reaction¡ªthat felt like Alice. The Alice I knew from either version of her. To be honest, I¡¯m a little excited. No, scratch that. There''s no need for the word "little." Actually, I could rece it with "incredibly." In fact, even "incredibly" doesn¡¯t fully capture how I¡¯m feeling. There are no words in existence that can urately express my excitement. If I had to describe it, I¡¯d say it¡¯s like a child jumping up and down on their bed after receiving a console game as a birthday present, unable to contain their joy. Ten years. I¡¯ve waited for ten long years. Since I was five years old, when I first came to this world and realized it was the setting of the game I remembered, it took me ten years to finally meet the characters I loved. And, in reality, it¡¯s probably taken longer since I¡¯ve rewound time multiple times. Even I¡¯m amazed at how long I¡¯ve waited. I mean, I only spent seven years ying the Azernor Chronicles series. That¡¯s shorter than the time I¡¯ve spent waiting in this world. After bing one of the Emperor¡¯s children, I often wondered how long my excitement wouldst. As an adult, there were dreams from childhood that seemed insignificant in hindsight, and possessions I had longed for as a child ended up feeling anticlimactic once I obtained them as an adult. But¡­ maybe it¡¯s not always like that. Sherlock Holmes fans waited seven years for a new book, and game or movie series often have simr long waits. Perhaps it¡¯s more urate to say that I didn¡¯t wait the whole time consciously. I was busy with various things, and before I knew it, the time had passed. Even when you count the days at first, you eventually forget to keep track. Maybe that¡¯s how it was for me. Or perhaps it was because the real-life versions of the characters from the game were nearby, constantly reminding me that I was still in this world. With the Emperor¡¯s children, Alice, and ire around, it meant that Leo Grace and other characters were out there somewhere, alive and breathing. "Hoo¡­" I exhaled deeply, trying to calm my nerves. It feels like I¡¯m about to meet a celebrity. I¡¯d already met Alice and ire, but when I encountered ire, I didn¡¯t even have time to enjoy the moment, as I was too busy thinking about escaping. And as for Alice, I¡¯ve been with her since childhood, so she feels more like a younger sister than a celebrity. Though Alice would be horrified if she heard me say that. Besides, meeting one person at a time is different from suddenly meeting several at once. I had packed my belongings the night before. Not that there was much to pack. The uniform would be provided by the school, and the same went for textbooks. They did say we could bring personal items for the dorm, but the only personal item I had was my weapon. And even that would be stored by the school. In the original game, there were a few characters who used firearms. And even if they didn¡¯t, most of the weapons brought by students were deadly tools meant forbat, so it was natural for the school to take precautions. Who knows what would happen if some maniac decided to go on a shooting spree during ss. That¡¯s why the school did background checks on all students. In any case, there was no need for me to pack additional items. Which meant there was nothing to distract myself with. I wasn¡¯t sure if I could even focus on a book right now. So, I had been pacing back and forth in my room. As much as I wanted to jump on my bed in excitement, I had to maintain my character. After pacing for a while, I heard a knock on the door. [Lady Sylvia, we¡¯re here to move your luggage. May wee in?] Whilemoners carried their belongings to the school themselves, royalty and nobility had many people beneath them to handle such tasks. Their belongings could be sent to the dormitory in advance. This was only allowed on the first andst days of the school term. It was a necessary safety measure to protect the students, so I had no reason to object. I took a deep breath and, hoping my voice wouldn¡¯t tremble, answered. ¡°¡­Yes, pleasee in.¡± It seemed my ten years of acting practice had paid off. The Imperial Pce and the Imperial Rondarium Academy weren¡¯t far from each other. The area around the pce had the best security in the capital, so it was an ideal location for the Academy. There were several other academies in the vicinity, most of which only epted students from prominent or wealthy families. Although it wasn¡¯t far enough to require a long walk, we wouldn¡¯t bemuting. Even students with homes in the capital wouldn¡¯t bemuting. The Imperial Academy had a mandatory boarding school policy for all students. Public transportation like stagecoaches existed, but it wasn¡¯t practical to pack people in like modern buses, and no matter how safe the Empire imed the capital was, it wasn¡¯t as safe as the middle of Seoul. To ensure student safety¡ªor more urately, to avoid being held responsible if a student was harmed¡ªmany schools, including the Academy, had adopted mandatory boarding. Additionally, it was easier to guard someone while they were riding in a carriage, so we traveled the short distance to the Academy in one. "Excited?" "Huh?" Alice suddenly asked me, catching me off guard as I stared out the window. Lately, I¡¯ve been startled by such questions more often. Maybe it¡¯s because my heart has been racing with excitement. Thankfully, since it was Alice, it didn¡¯t cause much of an issue. Sitting across from me, Alice wore an incredibly smug expression. Her expressions had be much more diverse. Was it because she had found peace of mind? If that was thanks to me, then perhaps my efforts to console andfort her weren¡¯t such a bad idea after all. "Why do you ask?" I still maintained a nk expression. I knew this without even touching my face or looking in a mirror. I¡¯d been practicing keeping a neutral face for ten years, so this much was second nature to me. But the fact that Alice could read my mood so well was concerning. If she could, then others might be able to as well. That¡¯s something I¡¯d need to check and fix. "Normally, you don¡¯t care about the view outside. And you¡¯re not even reading the book on yourp. Usually, no matter what¡¯s happening around you, you¡¯d just be focused on your book." "¡­" "And, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s anything new to see in the capital, right? I mean, I don¡¯t know about me, but you must be tired of seeing these sights." I had run various errands for the Emperor all over the capital, so I was certainly more familiar with it than Alice was. Actually, I was confident I could find my way around any corner of the capital since I had memorized all the majorndmarks. No matter where I ended up, I could find my way. "So, I just figured you weren¡¯t able to focus on your book. If that¡¯s not the case, my apologies." Of course, when she said "my apologies," she was still smiling smugly, so it was clear there was no real sincerity in her words. "¡­" I didn¡¯t bother responding to Alice. Even if I said, "No, you¡¯re wrong," Alice would just respond with, "Oh, really?" And admitting she was right¡­ well, that was something I wasn¡¯t ready to do yet. So, I turned back to the window. And for the rest of the short trip to the Academy, I had to endure Alice¡¯s smug expression. Chapter 22 The Imperial Rondarium Academy is grand and majestic. It¡¯s truly a source of pride for the Empire, a building constructed using the Empire''s most advanced architectural techniques without holding anything back. In some ways, it¡¯s even more remarkable than the Imperial Pce. The pce, after all, is a structure that has been maintained and expanded for hundreds of years, but its foundation was built in the medieval era. The Academy, however, was only built about thirty years ago, and new buildings continue to be added. There¡¯s even a building simr to the Crystal Pce from Earth¡¯s Britain within the Academy¡¯s grounds, and the streetmps aren¡¯t gasmps, but powered by mana stones. In fact, not only the streetmps but most of the lighting inside the buildings is powered by magic. There are also significantly more telephone lines installed herepared to other buildings in the capital, and there¡¯s an entire building dedicated to the Academy¡¯s exclusive analytical institution. This ensures that the Academy¡¯s data processing is nearly wless and, more impressively, much faster than anywhere else. The machines in the institution are powered by pure mana stones, so no ck smoke is emitted from coal. The infirmary is well-equipped to handle minor surgeries and is even linked with a university hospital. The students are provided with the highest quality goods, products of the Empire¡¯s finest industrial capabilities, and if needed, a student''s personal weapon can be exchanged for an imperial-made one. Despite all this, the tuition for Imperial students is entirely covered by the Imperial family, and even for foreign students, the tuition is significantly cheaperpared to other academies. The Empire operates the Academy at a loss. Why is the Empire so invested in this Academy? It¡¯s because not only the children of the Empire but also the offspring of famous foreign families, and even royalty from other nations, attend this Academy. The aim is for these students to live in suchfort that they feel inconvenienced when they return to their homes. Moreover, the Academy serves as a showcase for the quality of goods produced by the Empire, instilling trust in the Empire¡¯s products. In this way, the Academy is a ¡®presentation hall¡¯ for the Empire itself. In that sense, the cost covered by the Imperial family is just a marketing expense. There¡¯s no reason to skimp on the funding. These students, once they return home and grow up, will purchase the Empire''s products¡ªand inrge quantities. Ironically, this makes the Academy the perfect ce for the children of the Imperial family as well. Even if Alice and I hadn¡¯t scored as well as we did, we would¡¯ve been admitted under special circumstances. After all, who couldin when the Academy is run by the Imperial family? "Alice Fangryphon, valedictorian of the Imperial Rondarium Academy." Of course, Alice didn¡¯t need any such special considerations. The headmaster, with his hairpletely white, parted sharply in a precise 2:8 ratio, and his mustache curled neatly upward in a ssic Kaiser mustache style, stood in front of Alice. Here, at this moment, neither Alice nor I were princesses. We were just students. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean the other students would treat us as equals, but the headmaster was different. The headmaster was Abraham Fitzgerald Winterfield, a former Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army. He hailed from one of the most prestigious northern noble families, a house that had produced three Supreme Commanders of the Imperial Army. If this were a romance fantasy, you could say he came from a Northern Grand Duke family. It¡¯s no surprise that his granddaughter attends this Academy. However, she¡¯s not a heroine. After graduating from the Academy and joining the military, she gave up her career to be a teacher and instructor at the Academy, appearing as a teacher in themoner ss. Though she¡¯s from a marquess family, she¡¯s portrayed as a character with an open-minded, progressive outlook, often in conflict with her rigidly noble grandfather. Sheter appears as a guest character in the game, and while her abilities are outstanding, herck of synergy with other characters makes her rarely chosen for a second ythrough. Besides, as a guest character, she can¡¯t be used in the final battle. "And ire Grace, salutatorian. Step forward." At the headmaster¡¯s words, the two people standing in front stepped forward. I¡¯d seen ire enter the orphanage under the Grace family¡¯s care, but I didn¡¯t expect her to grow up so beautifully and be adopted into the Grace family. In the original story, Alice was also the valedictorian, but the salutatorian was another character, who was only a supporting role and not particrly important. Besides, ire didn¡¯t take the entrance exam in the original story. If she was adopted by the Grace family, did she learn their swordsmanship? Although her movements didn¡¯t seem particrly impressive, the surrounding characters spoke of her as a ¡®model of uprightness,¡¯ and even the headmaster in the story was impressed by her swordsmanship. Her sword style, which was like a whip¡ªspecifically a rapier¡ªwaspletely different from the ire in the original story. While I am a princess, I was neither valedictorian nor salutatorian, so I stood among the other students. The character Sylvia¡¯s appearance is beautiful, but not enough to rival the two standing in front. Besides, ¡®beautiful¡¯ is just my subjective view. Now that I think about it, both Leo and ire have blue hair. ire¡¯s hair is darker, but if they imed to be siblings, who would question it? The nobles might already be gossiping about it. "Both students have achieved far superior resultspared to their peers. With your brilliant intellects, you must be figures worthy of the Academy''s name and lead the Empire to greatness." What a joke. Both the valedictorian and salutatorian are women, so technically, they don¡¯t even have voting rights. While it doesn¡¯t matter for Alice, who is the next in line for the throne, ire¡¯s best chance to make a name for herself in the eyes of nobility would be through marriage. Thankfully, the Grace barony isn¡¯t your typical noble family. Still, the Imperial military epts both men and women without distinction and treats them equally, so there¡¯s a future for her in that direction too¡ªunless the story follows the original path, and the Emperor suddenly bes an enlightened ruler. ire bowed her head lightly to the headmaster. ¡­But Alice didn¡¯t. ¡­What? "¡­" "¡­" A moment of silence. Even though she was surely aware that all eyes were on her, Alice stood with her chest out, staring at the headmaster without bowing her head. The headmaster¡¯s icy expression cracked for just a moment. And if my eyes weren¡¯t deceiving me, the headmaster even gave a faint smile. A smile of satisfaction. Azernor Chronicles isn¡¯t a historically urate simtion but more of a loosely historical fantasy, drawing from various famous European countries. It¡¯s a Japanese-style fantasy game, closer to a whimsical mix of settings than a grounded historical one. However, to maintain the steampunk genre, it did take inspiration from the atmosphere of real historical nations. If we talk about the atmosphere of a real country from that time¡ªspecifically Ennd¡ª ¡ªbeing a man meant never tolerating unfair treatment, standing up for your rights, and if necessary, engaging in a life-or-death duel to defend them. That was considered manly, a macho attitude. Of course, since this is a game, those traits were exaggerated. Alice isn¡¯t a man, but from an outsider''s perspective, she¡¯s the sole legitimate heir to this nation. The weight of the name ¡®Fangryphon¡¯ is no small thing. Even if you gathered all the names in the Empire, none would outweigh Fangryphon. So, while Alice¡¯s behavior¡ªholding her head high as the legitimate heir of the royal family¡ªwasn¡¯t exactly in line with the Academy¡¯s rules, to the headmaster, a rigid old soldier with a strict sense of tradition, her posture was that of an ideal future Emperor. If Alice bes Emperor while the headmaster is still alive, he¡¯ll be the one following her orders.@@novelbin@@ So it made sense that the headmaster didn¡¯t reprimand her. If another student, like a duke¡¯s child, had done the same, there would have been a harsh scolding. The headmaster handed Alice the que he had been holding with a satisfied expression. Alice took the que with precision, her posture sharp, as if she had practiced it many times, then performed a perfect military ¡®about-face.¡¯ ire, watching Alice in surprise, quickly followed suit and turned around. Alice opened the que and began to read aloud. "In the year of our glorious new century, 1901, we, the 89 new students of the Imperial Rondarium Academy, led by the representative Alice Fangryphon, solemnly swear to strictly adhere to the Academy¡¯s rules, to diligently pursue our studies, to not neglect our training, and to foster friendships with our fellow students as we strive to be the future leaders of humanity." The year 1901. Both in the game and in real life, this was undeniably the era of the Belle ¨¦poque, or the "Beautiful Era." In real life, it would take more than ten years before the world war would break out, but in the game, things would begin to unravel before we even graduated. This glorious era would copse in less than five years. ¡­And I intended to save every heroine who might die in that copse. Even if it meant rewinding time over and over again. "¡­" The atmosphere in the auditorium was heavy. But that was mostly because of the presence of the headmaster and the princess. Most of the students probably just wanted to get this over with and return to their luxurious dorms¡ªsomething most nobles, let alonemoners, could never experience. After all, even though these students had just entered the Academy, they were still only fifteen years old. Well, they were turning fifteen this year, so some of them might not even be that old yet. They probably wanted to make friends and maybe even fall in love. And¡­ to be honest. I, too, wanted to make friends. It would be even better if I could befriend the protagonists from the original story. As I stood there, lost in thought, I suddenly felt someone¡¯s gaze on me. "¡­" I focused on Alice, but out of the corner of my eye, I noticed someone else. I couldn¡¯t see clearly, but¡­ ¡­it seemed like ire, standing next to Alice, was looking at me. ¡­Did she recognize me? It¡¯s possible. ire was incredibly smart in the original story. She might be even smarter now, having grown up in a more stable environment without experiencing addiction or indulging in alcohol and cigarettes. But still, I can¡¯t reveal my identity just yet¡­ ¡­Wait. Why shouldn¡¯t I reveal it? There¡¯s something that feels wrong about just openly revealing myself, but at the same time, I can¡¯t think of a solid reason not to. "¡­" Maybe I should give it more thought. I watched Alice, standing tall and confident, receiving the stares of all the students, as I pondered. Chapter 23 The term "children of the Emperor" isn''t an official designation. By unofficial, I mean it''s not a name that people like me, Lucas, or Jaden have ever personally imed. There''s no secret society emblem or anything cool like that, nor are there any fancy code names or settings tied to it. In legal terms, we''re simply the Emperor''s sons and daughters, just like Alice. Legally, we¡¯re no different from Alice. We are, after all, literally adopted by the Emperor. But even though thew says that, in terms of status and in people''s minds, things are different. The beings that the Emperor has gathered are all monsters in their own right. asionally, they disappear from public view, only to return after some mysterious event¡ªsomething or someone has disappeared, or people have died or gone missing somewhere in the Empire. Sometimes, these deaths or disappearances appear as idents, but other times, they look like gruesome crime scenes, almost as if they were warnings. The Empire wouldunch investigations, but they never seemed to find any conclusive evidence, and the cases would eventually be closed. So, if you''re not a fool, you''d quickly realize that these monsters gathered by the Emperor were likely behind these incidents. Alice, who was often confined to the capital due to her noble position, was an exception. The rest of us¡ªthe "unblooded" ones¡ªwere the Emperor¡¯s finest chess pieces, executing his most importantmands swiftly and without fail. Of course, mostmoners don''t know about this. Lower nobles might have heard rumors, but most would dismiss them as coincidences. Only the high-ranking nobles with the means to gather circumstantial evidence feared us. And that was exactly the Emperor''s intent. He wanted to say, "If you value your life, you¡¯d better kneel." That message would eventually spread throughout the entire Empire. Well, in any case... Most of the attention I receive is due to me being a "princess." The whispers I hear around me... they''re probably because I''m not the "real" princess. "Sylvia." "Yes." Alice, who had been walking slightly ahead of me, stopped and turned to face me. "Don¡¯t walk behind me. Walk beside me." "...Understood." At Alice¡¯smand, I slowly moved forward to walk beside her. Of course, I didn¡¯t get too close. After all, even in a same-gender rtionship, walking hand-in-hand or arm-in-arm like in a manga isn¡¯t really realistic. Well, this world is somewhat simr to those settings, though. Now that I think about it, there wasn¡¯t much physical contact between characters in the game either. Aside from a few kisses with female characters in romance lines and the asional hug of greeting, there wasn¡¯t much contact between the main characters. ...I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s because the developers were trying to be urate to real human behavior, or if they just didn¡¯t bother due to graphical and motion limitations. Either way, it¡¯s something to think about. "You¡¯re the one who told me to be confident. If you¡¯re a princess, act like it and carry yourself as I do." "But, Your Highness¡ª" "And it''s ''Alice'' here. We¡¯re equals, aren¡¯t we? Don¡¯t you know that there¡¯s no hierarchy among students?" That¡¯s rich,ing from someone who proudly held her head high in front of the headmaster. Maybe Alice misunderstood my silence, as she quickly avoided my gaze and resumed walking. Well, I decided to follow her orders for now. I¡¯m not exactly sure how the Academy determines its ss assignments. It¡¯s probably not entirely random, judging by how certain necessary people end up in the same ss. The thirty nobles, including Alice and me, were divided into two groups of fifteen, ced in different sses. But just as I wasn¡¯t separated from Alice, Leo Grace and ire were also in the same ss. It seems they took into ount the fact that the two are considered siblings. There were also other cases where the eldest son of a duke¡¯s family ended up in the same ss as the eldest son of a baron¡¯s family, or an engaged couple was ced in the same ss. Those with connections were all ced together, ensuring that their rtionships remained intact. Whether the fact that it split perfectly into groups of fifteen was a coincidence, or whether it was nned that way, I can¡¯t say. Incidentally, I had already made sure to familiarize myself with all the students in the noble sses. One of the strengths of Azernor Chronicles is that even the side characters are given some degree of a backstory. While these backstories don¡¯t usually impact the main story, they¡¯re often side quests or dialogues that don¡¯t affect the plot.@@novelbin@@ However, those side quests often extend throughout the game, and even those few lines of dialogue can change from chapter to chapter. Sometimes, those characters even appear in sequels, with dialogue that ties back to the previous game. Despite the game''s poor graphics and motion quality, the world felt alive because it gave the impression that every character had their own story. The problem was, to get a tinum medal, you had toplete every single challenge in the game¡ªincluding writing out character cards for every named NPC. And to write out those character cards, you had to see every piece of dialogue at least once. In other words, you had to find and talk to every hidden NPC in some corner of the map,plete every side quest. People called it the "NPC marathon." I even wrote a guide for it. Damn those developers. Thankfully, the sequels improved the convenience of the system, marking the characters you had already talked to so you didn¡¯t have to track them down again. But you still had to talk to them. ...Anyway, those NPCs fell into categories: characters with unique models and dialogue, characters with unique names but no special models, and generic charactersbeled as things like "girl in sailor uniform" or "malemoner in suit." All the NPCs in the noble ss had unique models. While it¡¯s impossible to match a polygonal model to a real person one-to-one, "purple bun hairstyle" or "green twin-tails" aren¡¯t exactlymon. Based on that, I had already figured out most of the backstories of the students in the noble ss. ...Actually, I had made notes on it the moment I had a moment of stability. Since I wrote it all down in Korean, no one here would be able to read it. Before entering the Academy, I took the time to review everything I had written down. "Wait! Wait a moment!" As Alice and I were about to start our first day at the Academy together, a hurried voice called out from behind us. Normally, after some time, students would get used to the routine and arrive at school at their own pace, but in this country, very few students had attended something like a formal school before. Most nobles were homeschooled by private tutors before entering the Academy, andmoner children... well, they usually went to work in factories, unless they were bourgeoisie. That¡¯s why, on the first day, the hallways were packed with students. I didn''t think it was my imagination that only the area around Alice and me was oddly quiet, though. Thanks to that, other areas were even more crowded, and a circle of students seemed to form around us like a barrier. But someone was forcing their way through that barrier toward us. "ire!" No, it was two people¡ªa girl and a boy. The girl was ire, and the boy was Leo. Oh, both heavyweights. What a surprise...! Actually, no surprise at all. I had expected this. ire¡¯s intense gaze during the entrance ceremony was no joke. And while they were heavyweights from the perspective of someone who had yed the game, in terms of the current setting, I was an even bigger heavyweight than the two of thembined. Whether others acknowledged it or not, I was still a princess. "Ah!" "¡­" I blinked twice as I watched ire stumble through the crowd and almost trip when she got close enough to see my face. What is this, a scene straight out of a shoujo manga? Even from a distance, I could sense that ire had a much purer image. Unlike the ire from the game, who wore heavy makeup and had a sharper demeanor, the ire standing before me had almost no makeup on her face. And, of course, she was beautiful¡ªenough to rival Alice. "Ah¡­" Although she staggered for a moment, ire didn¡¯tpletely lose her bnce. After a brief wobble, she quickly righted herself. "Y-Your Highness." She then bowed slightly, cing her hand in front of her uniform skirt, as a noblewoman in a dress would do when greeting a princess. Alice, who had just recently said that there was no hierarchy between students¡ª "Over here. You should bow to this side as well." ¡ªpointed at me without hesitation. "¡­What?" "You should bow to this side as well. She¡¯s also a princess." Alice¡¯s tone was slightly stiff, as if correcting ire, who looked slightly confused. I had to resist the urge to snap my head toward Alice. Managing to maintain my expression with superhuman self-control, I felt a cold sweat break out on my back. Wait, hadn¡¯t she just said there¡¯s no hierarchy among students...? Of course, Alice didn¡¯t know about my rtionship with ire. And from Alice¡¯s point of view, ire probably looked like someone who was desperately trying to curry favor with royalty. Considering that I knew all the noble students in our ss, Alice probably did too. In the original story, there were scenes where Alice could naturally guess the protagonist¡¯s name without seeing or hearing it directly. ire was part of the Grace baron family. Though the Grace family held considerable power for a barony¡ªthanks to their direct appointment by the Emperor¡ªthey were still a baronial family, not a ducal one. If you think of the Academy as a grand ballroom, where nobles observe strict etiquette when initiating conversation, ire had already made a significant blunder. She wasn¡¯t the head of the Grace family, yet she had spoken before any ducal or count families had addressed us, and she had only bowed to one of the two "equal" princesses standing side by side. "ire¡­!" Leo Grace, who had arrived btedly, froze upon seeing the scene unfold before him. Hmm. In the original story, Leo was known for his kindness. Despite being a male character, he always ranked at the top of poprity polls. That was partly because many women yed the game, and Leo¡¯s righteous yet rtable character resonated with yers. I liked him a lot too. But¡­ Given his kind, ordinary nature, it¡¯s no wonder he¡¯s frozen in shock at the situation. "¡­" A heavy silence settled over the surroundings. Alice, ire, Leo, and even I stood in silence. And so did everyone else surrounding us. No one uttered a word. Seriously, what is anyone supposed to do in this awkward atmosphere? Chapter 25 ¡°Hoo...¡± ire finally exhaled a deep breath of relief after parting ways with the two princesses. The students who had been surrounding them now directed their gazes at ire and Leo briefly, then went their own way, wearing amused expressions. ire, however, didn¡¯t seem to care. ¡°Thank goodness¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean, thank goodness?!¡± Leo, who had been holding in his anxiety, finally burst out with frustration as he heard ire¡¯s muttering. Passing students threw nces at the two, but Leo was too worked up to pay any attention. ¡°She¡¯s a princess! And not just any princess, a real one! How could you just approach her like that? What if she got mad at you?¡± Despite Leo¡¯s panic, ire¡¯s expression remained unchanged. ¡°It¡¯s fine. The princess¡ªno, Alice, said it herself. We¡¯re all just students here. We should treat them the same way.¡± Leo pulled at his hair, walking behind ire as she made her way toward the ssroom. ¡°Come on, you know that was just her being polite! We¡¯ve been to noble banquets before. When dukes or counts tell you to rx and speak freely, you don¡¯t actually do it! What would¡¯ve happened if we did?¡± ¡°Banquets are different from school. Banquets end in a day.¡± ¡°Which is why you should be even more careful! We¡¯re going to be here for four years!¡± Even after hearing Leo¡¯s exasperated pleas, ire remained unfazed. ¡°Hmm¡­ did she cut her hair, or is it just easier to manage it that way? Maybe she didn¡¯t cut it before because she couldn¡¯t?¡± ¡°¡­Excuse me, are you even listening?¡± Leo waved his hand in front of ire¡¯s face as she mumbled to herself. ¡°Hello? My dear sister?¡± The word "sister" immediately drew a frown from ire¡¯s otherwise serene face. It wasn¡¯t a deep wrinkle, but enough to show her annoyance. ¡°You haven¡¯t even had your birthday yet, so how can you call yourself my older brother? I was born first, so I should be the elder one.¡± It was a debate they had been having since childhood. ire was born a few months before Leo, but in Leo¡¯s eyes, ire was someone who hade into the family . As children, Leo had often looked after ire, who knew nothing of noble life when she first came to the family. Leo¡¯s role as her caretaker made him feel like the older sibling, but ire, based on her birth date, insisted she was the elder. Over the years, their many arguments over this issue had led to three wins for Leo, three for ire, and two draws. With identical records, neither had a reason to argue further. Of course, ire¡¯s birthdate was just what she remembered, and its uracy was uncertain. ire herself didn¡¯t know why she thought of that day as her birthday, only that she had remembered it as such since before she arrived at the orphanage in the Grace Barony. ¡°Well, it seems like you¡¯re finally back to normal.¡± ¡°My mind is always clear.¡± ¡°Right, because a clear mind is what rushes up to not one, but two princesses, right?¡± ¡°Who rushed?¡± ¡°You, ire Grace! Daughter of a baron!¡± Leo pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose. ¡°...Anyway, Her Highness¡ª¡± ¡°Alice.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°She told us to call her Alice. Remember? The one you keep calling ¡®Her Highness.¡¯¡± ¡°¡­¡± Leo closed his eyes in frustration and pressed harder on his nose, as if the pressure could relieve his growing headache. That¡¯s going to leave a mark, ire thought as she watched him. ¡°Look, just because Alice said we¡¯re equals in the academy, it doesn¡¯t mean you can just ignore everything. You saw it too, didn¡¯t you? Alice didn¡¯t bow to the headmaster.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Leo had a point, one that ire couldn¡¯t easily argue against. Once a soldier, always a soldier. It was a well-known saying, embodying the spirit of the Empire¡¯s military. It didn¡¯t matter who first said it or where it came from; the principle was widely epted. Even if it wasn¡¯t an official motto, it was a concept that soldiers lived by. A soldier who had sworn loyalty to a person or institution maintained their dignity and never brought dishonor to those they served, even after retirement. The headmaster, Abraham Fitzgerald Winterfield, was one of those soldiers. A living legend, anyone who studied even a bit of the Empire¡¯s military history¡ªbasically anyone attending the academy¡ªwould have heard his name. He was a pioneer of modern warfare, responsible for innovations like machine gun emcements, trench warfare, modern ammunition belts, and tank tactics. His legacy was so great that the Empire¡¯s current main battle tanks were named ¡°Abraham¡± in his honor. Alice had not bowed to this living legend because, in her eyes, he was still a soldier. A soldier who had retired, but who remained loyal to the Empire. If the Empire were ever threatened, he would return to the frontlines without hesitation. In her mind, he was still a loyal servant of the Imperial family. ¡°...¡± ¡°See? You¡¯ve got nothing to say, do you?¡± Leo let out a deep sigh.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Think about it. Even if Alice said we¡¯re all equal here, if we start speaking casually while other noble students still use formal titles, won¡¯t that make us stand out? Wouldn¡¯t that make Alice seem too informal, no matter what she says?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± For a brief moment, ire seemed lost in thought. ¡°But Alice doesn¡¯t strike me as someone who would care about that. If anything, I think she¡¯d be colder to people who are overly formal with her.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Leo dragged his hand down his face in exasperation. ¡°Anyway.¡± After walking in silence for a few moments, Leo spoke again. ¡°Earlier, when you said you were relieved¡­ what did you mean by that? You don¡¯t mean¡­¡± ¡°Yes,¡± ire interrupted, smiling brightly. ¡°She said her name was Sylvia. That¡¯s the name of my sister.¡± ¡°Sylvia ck,¡± Leo corrected her. His eyes darted nervously around the corridor. A few students nced in their direction, but it seemed they were just curious about the boy and girl walking together, not eavesdropping on the conversation. ¡°Well, I¡¯m ire Grace, and no one has a problem with that when I introduce myself.¡± Of course, Leo would inherit the title of the barony, but that didn¡¯t concern ire. ¡°That¡¯s exactly the problem,¡± Leo said, scratching the back of his head. ¡°Even if she is the Sylvia you remember¡­¡± ¡°She is,¡± ire said firmly. ¡°¡­¡± Leo pressed his lips together and took a deep breath. In his mind, the shared name was a coincidence. Living in the Grace Barony meant hearing stories about the Imperial family from time to time. The Baron had been granted his title by the Emperor himself, after all. Because of that, they had heard many detailed rumors about the Emperor¡¯s adopted children. The Baron and his wife had made sure Leo, the future heir, understood the dangers of discussing those rumors openly. Leo knew that such talk could cost him his head. Everyone knew the Emperor¡¯s children weren¡¯t biologically rted to him. Their backgrounds were shrouded in mystery, with the official story being that they were orphans of noble or heroic families. But no one really believed that, except maybe some remote barons or poorly informed peasants. More ominous rumors circted among the nobility: that the Emperor was training an elite assassination squad and that his ¡°children¡± were survivors of brutal training. Whatever the truth, no one believed those children were merely orphans plucked from the streets. The Sylvia that ire remembered seemed almost superhuman, but Leo had his doubts. How reliable could the memories of a child be? To Leo, the most logical conclusion was that ire¡¯s Sylvia had disappeared while traveling to the Grace Barony¡ªlost or left behind. That seemed like the most realistic scenario. And it wasn¡¯t as if ire hadn¡¯t met people named Sylvia before. Some of them had ck hair and eyes, and at least one of them had been named Sylvia ck. ire had gotten her hopes up, spoken to them, and each time had been disappointed. After several such encounters, ire had stopped mentioning her search for Sylvia altogether. For the past two years, she hadn¡¯t spoken of it at all. Leo had witnessed ire¡¯s growing disillusionment firsthand. That was why her newfound certainty about this Sylvia struck Leo as so strange. What had changed? ¡­He¡¯d get to thatter. For now, there was something Leo needed to address. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s say you¡¯re right, and she is the Sylvia you remember.¡± ire puffed out her cheeks slightly at his skeptical tone, but Leo continued. ¡°If Sylvia really is that person, do you think it¡¯s right to bring up her past like that? Would she appreciate it? You have to think about how she¡¯d feel.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± It seemed ire, caught up in her excitement at finally finding her lost sister, hadn¡¯t considered that. Leo let out another sigh and continued. ¡°And even if you remember her, she might not remember you. If you just rush up to her and start talking, it could give her the wrong impression.¡± ¡°...You¡¯re right.¡± ire¡¯s expression dimmed, and she nodded seriously. She wore a slightly bitter smile. ¡°...Don¡¯t worry too much about it,¡± Leo said, trying to console her. ¡°If she really is the person you remember, she¡¯ll recognize you too. Even if it doesn¡¯t happen right away, she¡¯ll eventually remember. If she¡¯s as capable as you say, she probably hasn¡¯t forgotten her childhood.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ire clenched her fist as if to motivate herself, and Leo shrugged. He still didn¡¯t think Sylvia ck and Sylvia Pangryphon were the same person. Even when they had seen Sylvia after the exams, ire hadn¡¯t reacted strongly. Was it just because she had only seen her in passing? The Sylvia that ire had described was much kinder and more nurturing. Leo couldn¡¯t picture the current Sylvia Pangryphon sitting down with a child, telling them stories from the past. ¡°Oh, by the way, we¡¯re not in the same ss as those two, are we?¡± ire¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already been assigned to the same ss as Alice and Sylvia,¡± ire said, smiling. ¡°Wha¡ª?¡± Leo¡¯s face, which had just returned to a normal color, turned pale again. Chapter 27 Charlotte is a French name. And Charlotte is the English pronunciation of the same name. Of course, at the moment, there¡¯s no particr animosity between the Azerna Empire and the Kingdom of Belbour¡ªat least, not openly. But still, it¡¯s considered rude to arbitrarily call someone by the pronunciation of your own country¡¯snguage, especially when ites to personal names. In the original story, the friends don¡¯t start calling Charlotte ¡°Charlotte¡± (the English way) until muchter¡ªonly after they¡¯ve grown close and Charlotte herself says it¡¯s okay to do so. Later on, when the Azerna Empire begins its full-scale invasion of the Kingdom of Belbour, Charlotte distances herself from the group and even asks them not to call her ¡°Charlotte¡± anymore. So, this situation now is quite surprising. ...Could it be that just meeting her that one time made them this close? ¡°Are you Princess Sylvia? It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you,¡± Charlotte said, addressing me politely as she looked over at Alice and me. I debated for a moment whether or not to stand but ultimately decided to remain seated. After all, we were all students here. I agreed with the notion that we should treat each other as equals in this setting. Even if that wasn¡¯t strictly true in reality, acting that way would make things easier in the long run with the other students. ¡°I¡¯m Sylvia Fangryphon,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of you,¡± Charlotte said with a cheerful smile. ¡°You came in ce of His Majesty the Emperor during thest negotiations. My father had nothing but praise for you.¡± Praise? Not a word ofint? I had acted quite rudely¡ªenough that it wouldn¡¯t have been surprising if he had turned around and cursed me the moment my back was turned. On top of that, the three-way meeting where I stood in for the Emperor was known among those aware of it as a meeting where the Kingdom of Belbour was the one left in the dust. The Empire sent me, a princess, and the Holy State sent a cardinal, while the kingdom sent their king himself. From the kingdom¡¯s point of view, they might have imed it was out of respect for the location, but I wondered if the higher-ranking nobles felt the same way. The Empire was a hegemon, capable of devouring the military strength of any other nation, so their approach was understandable. The Holy State, though small in territory, wielded significant influence around the world. While the Holy Church wasn¡¯t exactly the world¡¯s temte religion, it still had thergest following among the world¡¯s faiths. Additionally, the cardinals and priests in the Holy Church were also citizens of the Holy State. While this might seem superficial at first nce, the more followers a nation had, the higher the social standing of its clergy. Therefore, nations with arge number of followers could not easily ignore the influence of the Holy State. The Kingdom of Belbour, one of the countries that cedednd to form the Holy State, had a significant proportion of Holy Church followers. It wasn¡¯t quite a monopoly, but as a single force, it was thergest. So, the kingdom couldn¡¯tpletely ignore the Holy State¡¯s influence either. Still, sending Charlotte in ce of the king to a high-stakes meeting wouldn¡¯t have been appropriate. Given how little of the meeting¡¯s content was leaked, the Kingdom of Belbour should have considered themselves lucky, yet here Charlotte was, casually mentioning it as if it weremon knowledge. What was going on in her head? ...It wasn¡¯t as simple as her being oblivious. She¡¯s genuine. There¡¯s no need for deceit. That doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯s not intelligent, though. Charlotte had a gift for making friends with all kinds of people, but she was also keenly aware of who was most important to keep close. Charlotte was the type to move for the sake of her people. In other words, she could boldly do what was necessary, even if she didn¡¯t enjoy it. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t hide her displeasure either. ¡°I see,¡± I replied. In that sense, it seemed Charlotte hadn¡¯t developed any outright negative feelings toward me just yet. However, there was a subtle difference between the way she looked at Alice and the way she looked at me. Her clear gray eyes gazed directly into mine without any hint of wavering, as if she were trying to read my thoughts. ¡°I spoke with Alice at length back then. Your name came up several times, Sylvia.¡± Alice. That was the French pronunciation of ¡°Alice.¡± So that¡¯s how they had been addressing each other back then. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t say anything bad,¡± Alice mumbled, turning slightly red when I looked her way. ¡°That¡¯s right. I can promise you that Sylvia was never insulted. I swear it,¡± Charlotte added. ¡°I believe you,¡± I replied, looking up at Charlotte. ¡°I realize it¡¯s a bitte to ask, but I¡¯ve heard that in the academy, students are expected to set aside their status and speak to each other on equal terms. Would it be an issue if I called you by name?¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± I answered again. If Charlotte had truly grown close to Alice, it only made sense for her to get closer to me as well. Judging by the situation, Alice and I were going to be spending a lot of time together, so naturally, I¡¯d encounter Charlotte often as well. As Charlotte looked at me carefully, she tilted her head slightly. ¡°Are you always this quiet?¡± she asked. ¡°...Yes,¡± I replied. At least, I tried to speak as little as possible in front of people other than Alice. Of course, as one of the mainpanions in the original story, Charlotte was definitely someone I wanted to befriend. But breaking my character¡¯s expressionless facade too soon would ruin the atmosphere. ...Does that make me too much of a role-yer? ¡°Uh, excuse me.¡± Just as we were talking, someone else cut in. I didn¡¯t need to look to know who it was. ire, it seemed, was now certain of my identity. She was oddly persistent in the original game, and that trait hadn¡¯t changed. ¡°Sylvia?¡± Turning around, I saw ire standing there, with Leo next to her, looking incredibly uneasy. Despite the tension in the air created by the presence of two princesses and one princess from another kingdom, the situation oddly reminded me of the early stages of a harem story. The clueless, slightly brash younger sister, and the older brother who follows behind to clean up her messes, eventually bing friends with the younger sister¡¯spanions... That kind of setup, though I couldn¡¯t quite recall a specific story that fit. ¡°...ire.¡± I decided to clear my mind of these thoughts. ¡°Ah, sorry. Were you in the middle of a conversation?¡± ire asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± Charlotte responded, elegantly tucking a strand of her shining silver hair behind her ear. ¡°We were just getting to know each other better. I was greeting some familiar faces. But it seems like I hardly know anyone here.¡± ¡°Oh, are you from abroad?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right,¡± Charlotte replied, lightly grasping the front of her skirt with both hands in a curtsy. It was a gesture simr to what ire had shown Alice and me earlier, though Charlotte¡¯s version was more refined. Not that ire had done poorly¡ªit was just the difference between someone who had it ingrained in them and someone who had learned it recently. ¡°I¡¯m Charlotte de Belbour.¡± ¡°Gah!¡± Suddenly, a gasping sound drew all of our attention to Leo. Leo had both hands over his mouth, looking as if the moment he let go, he might scream. ¡°De Belbour...¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the princess of the Kingdom of Belbour,¡± Charlotte said yfully, clearly amused by Leo¡¯s reaction. Now, you might wonder why a baron¡¯s son wouldn¡¯t recognize the princess of a neighboring kingdom. But in this world, it was considered somewhat distasteful for royalty and nobility to leave photographs instead of portraits. Photos, while cheaper than hiring an artist, were still expensive, and more importantly, photographs were in ck and white while portraits were in color. It wasn¡¯t that people never took photos, but having them printed in newspapers was a different matter. If a noble or royal¡¯s photo was printedrge in a newspaper, it could easily be cut out and used for insulting purposes. While we were nearing a time where words like ¡°freedom¡± and ¡°democracy¡± were beginning to appear, the Empire and Kingdom still functioned under nearly absolute monarchy. Strong media control was a constant presence. Who knew what the future held fifty years from now, but for now, that was the state of things. So, even with the advent of thin, modern film and small portable cameras, the photos of nobles and royals almost never appeared in print. This created a gap in information, leading to the phenomenon of nobles and royals whose names were well known, but whose faces were a mystery. ¡°Charlotte, huh?¡± Leo somehow managed not to make any more embarrassing sounds after that. ¡°I¡¯m ire. ire Grace, eldest daughter of the Grace barony.¡± ording to the lore, ire was technically older than Leo by a few months. Her birthday came first, but there was no one here to prove that. The only reason I knew was because I had memorized the game¡¯s settings from cover to cover. ¡°I see.¡± Charlotte probably wasn¡¯t familiar with the Grace barony. She wouldn¡¯t have the time or reason to memorize the names of foreign nobles. But she wasn¡¯t the type to openly ignore or belittle foreign nobility either. ¡°Nice to meet you, ire.¡± ¡°Same here!¡± ire wore a beaming expression, clearly excited that she¡¯d made yet another friend, while Leo looked like his heart was on the verge of giving out. ¡°...So, may I ask why you approached me?¡± I inquired, looking at ire. ¡°Oh, right!¡± ire pped her hands together, as if suddenly remembering why she¡¯de over. ¡°I was wondering if, after ss, you¡¯d have time¡ª¡± However, before ire could finish her sentence¡ª Bang! The ssroom door burst open. It opened with such force that it skipped the usual sound of the door sliding. And in this game¡¯s original story, there was only one person who would open the door like that. ¡°Attention, everyone!¡± She looked to be in her mid-tote twenties, with wild, unkempt ck hair, arms crossed confidently. Despite wearing an Imperial officer¡¯s uniform, several buttons on the shirt beneath were undone, and she wore her jacket draped over her shoulders like a cape. Four medals adorned the jacket. ¡°Outside, everyone!¡± And there was only one person in this academy who would shout something like that before the bell even rang. Jennifer Winterfield. The headmaster¡¯s rebellious granddaughter. And the homeroom teacher of ss B. Following the instructor out to the training field, we hadn¡¯t even had the chance to fully enjoy our break before the bell finally rang.@@novelbin@@ Ding-dong-ding-dong, the bell echoed in vain as the students shot frustrated nces toward each other. However, I wasn¡¯t particrly surprised, having already expected our first encounter with Jennifer to be like this. The training field was empty. Even though there were physical education sses, most teachers didn¡¯t gather students outside for exercise on the first day. Jennifer wore an Imperial uniform and had a military tone, but she wasn¡¯t the type to impose strict military discipline on her students. She didn¡¯t force us to line up in neat rows, and she didn¡¯t mind if the students loosely gathered on the field. ¡°Proud students of the academy!¡± Standing on a tform without a microphone, Jennifer¡¯s voice boomed across the field. Even without a mic, her voice was loud enough to make my ears ring. In the game, whenever Jennifer gave a speech like this, the font of her dialogue would increase dramatically, and the students would either cover their ears or look shocked. And now, the same was true here. Alice was frowning, and even Charlotte¡¯s brows were furrowed in difort. ¡°I am Jennifer Winterfield, your tactical instructor, here to improve your battlefield skills!¡± That¡¯s right¡ªtactical instructor. Since this academy also functioned as a military school, we had sses like this as well. ¡°But no matter how much you learn about tactics from a book, it¡¯s useless if you don¡¯t have the ability to apply them. And the tactics required in battle depend on the soldier¡¯s weapon and how skilled they are with it. Therefore¡ª!¡± Several students, who had momentarily rxed their shoulders, were startled once again by Jennifer¡¯s sudden increase in volume. ¡°We¡¯re going to evaluate your skills right here, right now! We¡¯ll see which weapons you prefer and how you handle them!¡± p! Jennifer pped her hands together energetically. ¡°And the best way to assess your weapon proficiency is, of course, throughbat practice!¡± Jennifer grinned as she continued. ¡°Feel free to choose the weapon of your choice. Let¡¯s give it our all!¡± Chapter 28 I could hear the sound of the other students murmuring in confusion, but I wasn¡¯t particrly surprised. After all, this duel was the first battle in the game. It didn¡¯t matter if you won or lost; it was more of a tutorial. That said, the difficulty level was set somewhat high... and the problem was that the opponent you faced in this one-on-one duel was treated as a boss by the system, with a bronze medal tied to it. If you were aiming for a tinum medal, you absolutely had to win this battle. It was a fight that could be manageable if you knew the strategy and there weren¡¯t too many random elements working against you. However, that was only from Leo¡¯s perspective, the protagonist. The game I was experiencing now wasn¡¯t a turn-based JRPG where each character had their turn based on speed, taking swings at each other. No, this was a hyper-realistic FPS. ...Well, not even an FPS¡ªjust in reality. Honestly, I had confidence in my personal skills. I could easily dodge a clumsy sword swing from someone who didn¡¯t know what they were doing. That much was certain. Of course, it helped that I had dodged Lucas¡¯s sword several times, and right now, there was no one stronger than the Sword Saint who could swing a sword faster than him. The Sword Saint was still alive. He only dies at the hands of Lucas in the second game of the Azerna Chronicles series, so at this early point in the first game, he would still be alive. However, the timeline between the first and second games isn¡¯t that far apart¡ªabout a year. Frankly, I believe that if Lucas were to challenge the Sword Saint to a duel right now, he might win. That¡¯s just my estimation, though. I stood idly, watching the other students carefully pick their weapons. The weapons they were choosing weren¡¯t their personal ones. As realistic as this academy was, they weren¡¯t about to tell students to genuinely shoot or cut each other. The swords, spears, and other weapons were made of wood and rubber. They would hurt if they hit you, but unless you were struck on the head, getting hit a few times wouldn¡¯t kill you. There were also staves for the magic users. Of course, they had reduced the power of the magic stones inside, so any spells cast would only produce a small sh of light. When a magician cast a spell, Instructor Jennifer would judge whether it hit or missed based on the student''s skill level¡ªat least, that¡¯s how it worked in the game. Naturally, there were also guns. Since guns had many moving parts, they weren¡¯t made of rubber. In fact, they were real guns. Instead of making mock guns, they just opted to use real firearms. The difference was that the barrel was filled with a solid metal rod, so even if you loaded a bullet, you couldn¡¯t fire it. The bullets inside were just metal slugs without gunpowder. ...So, the Ergansen rifle I was holding felt heavier than the real one I usually used. Even the revolver at my side was heavier than normal. It wasn¡¯t going to cause any major issues during a brief duel, but still. "Alright, does everyone have their weapons!?" Jennifer called out, ncing around at the students. No one answered, but each of them had a weapon in hand. The variety of weapons chosen by the students was impressive, and seeing that there were no leftover weapons, it was clear that Jennifer had studied each student¡¯s strengths beforehand. "......" Jennifer¡¯s gaze lingered on me for a brief moment as she looked around. Was it just a coincidence? "Since it might be awkward to fight someone you don¡¯t know on the first day, if you want to choose your opponent, go ahead and ask their permission. If there¡¯s anyone left without a partner, I¡¯ll pair you up." ...And anyone left without a partner would have to fight Jennifer. That was the worst-case scenario. While I could rewind time to keep fighting until I won, I had no idea how many times it would take. Jennifer was a warrior from the battlefield. Her reputation had spread in a short period of time as she had made her name in realbat. The character''s background stated that she could use anything she got her hands on as a weapon. In the game, she was a turn-based RPG character who could freely switch between using guns, swords, and magic. But in some event scenes, she was described as using chairs,dders, cups, water bottles, stones, pens, or pencils in battle. I think they were trying to mimic a famous Hollywood action character, but honestly, the motions and graphics in the game were so awkward that it didn¡¯t look very cool. p! Jennifer pped her hands once more. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give you one minute!¡± she shouted. I looked over at Alice. "...No thanks." Alice made eye contact with me and immediately stepped back, horrified. ...Ouch. That hurt a little. ¡°I know I¡¯d lose for sure if I fought you. Why would I choose to duel you? I¡¯d rather fight the instructor and lose¡ªit¡¯d be less embarrassing,¡± she said. Hmm. Alice wasn¡¯t a weak opponent by any means, but her swordsmanship hadn¡¯t yet reached Lucas¡¯s level. So if we did fight, I¡¯d definitely win. After all, I could erase my mistakes. ¡°Oh my,¡± Charlotte, who had been listening in on our conversation, suddenly chimed in. ¡°Alice, would you like to duel me instead? I¡¯m actually quite confident in my swordsmanship.¡± Unlike the wooden bastard sword Alice was holding, Charlotte had chosen a rubber-tipped rapier. Charlotte swung the rubber sword around a few times, then pouted slightly. ¡°As I thought, the material makes this feel different from a real sword. It¡¯s more like a riding crop than a sword.¡± ¡°In that case, mine¡¯s more like a club,¡± Alice replied, raising her wooden sword. And what I was holding was practically a toy gun. There was no one else nearby. No matter how skilled they were, no one wanted to be the one to beat up a princess or a royal, unsure of how that mighte across. ¡°Oh! Then, I¡¯ll duel with Sylvia!¡± Ack! ire suddenly appeared behind me and shouted excitedly, making me nearly jump out of my skin. Had it not been for the ten years of surprise attacks from Lucas that I¡¯d endured, I might have actually jumped. ¡°Hmm?¡± Alice turned to look at ire just as¡ª ¡°Attention!¡± Jennifer¡¯s shout interrupted the murmuring of the students, bringing everyone¡¯s focus back to her. ¡°Those who have found a duel partner, sit down!¡± shemanded. The students, though a bit reluctant, began sitting on the ground. They were nobles, so they clearly didn¡¯t enjoy sitting on the dirt, but no one dared to defy the warrior standing before them. Not on the first day of ss. Alice and Charlotte sat down. ¡°Sylvia, quickly!¡± ire, already sitting, tugged at my sleeve with sparkling eyes. ¡°...¡± I nced over to see Leo giving me a long, resentful look from afar. But still, this was a better option than dueling Jennifer, so I hurriedly sat next to ire. Sorry, Leo. I won¡¯t forget this debt... though I have no ns to repay it. Since ss A was made up of nobles with connections, most of the students quickly found partners and sat down. ¡°Alright, you two over there, pair up,¡± Jennifer said, pairing the remaining two girls before turning her gaze to Leo. ¡°Hmm. You¡¯re the eldest son of the Grace barony? How is your father?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, yes! He¡¯s doing well!¡± Leo said, snapping to attention and shouting in response. ¡°Good, good. I like your loud voice. You¡¯ll be sparring with me. Now, sit down.¡± Leo¡¯s face turned pale, but Jennifer didn¡¯t bat an eye. Once Leo sat down, Jennifer nced over all the students. ¡°Alright, now then...¡±@@novelbin@@ She pulled out a pocket watch to check the time. ¡°We don¡¯t have enough time to do one duel at a time. We¡¯ll do three teams at once. Don¡¯t worry¡ªI¡¯ll be able to judge all of your performances.¡± Um, no one was worried about that, though. If anything, we were more concerned about your insane approach to teaching. But, of course, none of us had the guts to say that out loud. ¡°So, let¡¯s see... alright, let¡¯s start with those who will be the pirs of this country.¡± Jennifer pointed at Alice and me with a grin. ¡°You two, bring your chosen partners up. And you two over there,e up as well. These three teams will go first.¡± ¡°...¡± Everyone hesitated but slowly began standing up, eyeing each other warily. Except for one person¡ªher eyes were sparkling. ¡°You¡¯re a Grace too, huh?¡± Jennifer said, looking at ire. ¡°Good eyes. I hope you can keep that spirit in whatever you do in the future.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ire responded enthusiastically. They seemed to be getting along surprisingly well. Though, ire didn¡¯t exactly strike me as the military type... but that didn¡¯t matter for now. Jennifer¡¯s gaze lingered on me again for a brief moment. And then I knew for sure¡ªit wasn¡¯t just a coincidence. Why? Was it because I was the emperor¡¯s child? Did she think the emperor was behind the Crowfield Count¡¯s assassination? ...Had I already drawn her attention on the very first day of the semester? ¡°Come on, everyone, get moving!¡± ¡°...¡± We moved forward at Jennifer¡¯s urging. Alice and I stood back-to-back, keeping our distance from each other. And in front of me stood ire, gripping a ratherrge sword with both hands, standing tall and straight. Her eyes were shining brightly, and her lips twitched as if she was delighted to be sparring with me. ... Well, I suppose it¡¯s nice to see someone so excited. But I couldn¡¯t gauge her skill level. Unlike the unorthodox fighting style she used in the game, this version of ire seemed to use a more traditional swordsmanship, simr to Leo¡¯s. Would that make her easier to deal with? I had seen her use a saber in the original game. Compared to that tricky weapon, this would probably be easier. Alright. I pulled the bolt back on my rifle, chambering the first round. Then, like a soldier on the battlefield, I pressed the stock against my shoulder and leaned slightly forward. I spread my legs slightly, ready to move¡ª But wait, was it really alright to have me, essentially a foot soldier, standing in front of someone wielding a sword? ¡°Alright then! Begin!¡± Before I could object, Jennifer shouted the start. ...Well, of course she would say something like, ¡°On the battlefield, you must be ready to fight in any situation!¡±¡ª ¡°I¡¯ming!¡± ¡ªBefore I could even finish my thought, ire shouted and charged toward me! Like a kendo practitioner yelling ¡°Men!¡± she lunged forward, her left foot taking arge step as she raised both arms above her head. In a game, this move would probably be called a ¡°downward sh¡± or something. Simple, but incredibly fast. I leaped to the side with all my might. I barely managed to avoid falling over, and my shoes scraped loudly against the sandy ground. Dry sand scattered as Inded. My rifle was long, and even though the time needed to raise it was short, aligning the sights to fire would take too long. ire was too fast, and by the time I was ready, she was already too close for me to aim properly with such a long weapon. Alright. Next time, I¡¯d go for a shorter gun. Click. I pulled the trigger anyway, but ire had anticipated it and moved to avoid the barrel before the shot went off. ¡°Missed!¡± I heard Jennifer¡¯s voice call out, but I was already jumping backward. I released my right hand from the grip, reached under my left arm¡ª ¡°Hyaah!¡± Hearing ire¡¯s shout, I quickly pulled back again. She had brought her sword down with force but then swiftly changed its direction, swinging it toward me. If I had stayed where I was just a second longer, I¡¯d have been struck¡ª ¡°Ugh!?¡± I felt a dyed impact on my right arm, and I was flung to the left. What? What just happened? I scrambled to my feet, feeling the eyes of everyone in the area on me. ¡°Sister?¡± ire was looking at me with a surprised expression. My arm throbbed. The pain had been numbed for a moment, but now it was rushing back as my brain registered the blow. ire¡¯s sword was glowing faintly blue. ...A sword aura. ire had wrapped her wooden sword in aura. And that aura had followed behind the actual sword,ing slightlyter and snapping out like a whip. ...A saber technique! Isn¡¯t using aura with a wooden sword a bit unfair!? ¡°Again!¡± Feeling a bit indignant, I shouted resolutely. Chapter 29 No matter how many times I rewound time, the feeling of embarrassment didn¡¯t just disappear. It might get erased from other people¡¯s memories, but it still remained in mine. Well, it didn¡¯t matter. At least now I understood that ire was serious, something I realized after taking her attack head-on. Since I hadn¡¯t revealed my true identity, ire was likely determined to uncover it herself. The bright smile on her face made that clear. The shock ire disyed when I fell to the ground after her strike was probably also due to that same determination. We hadn¡¯t spent much time together, but ire surely held a strong memory of me as someone who was kind to her during her most difficult times. Moreover, to a young ire¡¯s eyes, I must have seemed like someone with mysterious powers. It probably felt as though I could predict the future, moving everyone around and leading them safely to the baron¡¯s manor. Honestly, I¡¯d considered keeping my identity hidden for a while longer¡ªnot for any grand reason, but simply because I liked the character I had built over the past ten years. It felt like a waste to let it copse in an instant. However, if I avoided ire¡¯s attacks and ended up defeating her, she would undoubtedly realize that I was the Sylvia ck she had known back then. ...That might not be so bad. The reunion of an older sister and younger sister, proving their bond through skill¡ªit would make for a great moment in a story with a Japanese manga-like feel. ¡°...¡± I slung my rifle over my back and drew my revolver. I wrapped my finger around the trigger. The Wexler revolver was a double-action, so there was no need to cock the hammer manually. ¡°Alright then!¡± Jennifer¡¯s voice echoed once more. ¡°Begin!¡± At the sound of her shout, ire raised her sword high again¡ª But things didn¡¯t unfold exactly the same as they had before, since I had switched weapons. This time, instead of dodging ire¡¯s movement, I raised my arm straight ahead. Click. I pulled the trigger, and the hammer of the gun snapped back before hitting forward with a dull nk. There was a slight recoil, but not enough to push me back, given that the gunpowder had been removed from the rounds. ¡°Missed!¡± Jennifer dered. ire had already twisted her body to the side, evading the line of fire by the time I raised my arm. She might not have the ability to see the future like me, but she had surely noticed my arm rising. She couldn¡¯t dodge the bullet itself, but she could adjust her posture in preparation for the shot. In the original turn-based game, characters would simply walk up and strike. In reality, such abat style was impossible. To engage someone wielding a gun while armed with a sword, you had to be at least this quick. ire moved to her left¡ªmy right¡ªher body shifting in one fluid motion, and she raised her sword as if to shield her face with its broad side. It wasn¡¯t that she intended to block a bullet, but rather that she was trying to maintain her stance while turning swiftly. I turned my arm to follow her movements, but before I could aim properly, ire was already swinging her sword. It wasn¡¯t that my arm was slow; it was just that ire¡¯s reactions were quicker than mine. The distance between us wasn¡¯t enough for her to strike me with her sword. The diagonal sh she performed didn¡¯t touch me directly. But then, just a split secondter¡ª ¡°Ugh...!¡± I felt a heavy impact on my right shoulder, as if something had mmed down hard. I dropped my revolver. Again. The moment I pulled the trigger for the first time, ire had resumed her earlier stance, preparing to strike downward with her sword, but I moved first. I took a half-step to the left. As I aimed the gun at ire and moved, her sword came down just a moment toote, striking the ground as sand kicked up in the air. Click. ¡°Missed!¡± Jennifer sounded almost gleeful. This time, I had acted too hastily. While the revolver allowed for quick aim, its short barrel meant that even a small distance could cause the shot to miss by a fraction. Especially when you were moving intensely and shooting with just one hand. Before I could pull the trigger again, ire darted to her left. Click. The revolver emitted a hollow sound, and Jennifer didn¡¯t even bother to call out the miss¡ªit was too obvious. This time, ire raised her sword high above her head. With a whoosh, the sword sliced through the air,ing down at a terrifying speed. Though it still wasn¡¯t close enough to hit me directly, the follow-up shockwave from the sword aura sent sand flying into the air again. And this time, I wasn¡¯t able to avoid the aura. Again. I think I¡¯m starting to understand. ire¡¯s sword aura followed her de like a whip, but it wasn¡¯t as wild or freeform as the whip-like movements of the saber she used in the game. Her current swordy was too straightforward inparison. Is it the nature of sword aura that prevents it from moving like a whip, or is it simply because she hasn¡¯t mastered the technique yet? Either way, it doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s to my advantage. Although, having to deal with two consecutive strikes was certainly annoying. ...Alright, I¡¯ve made up my mind. Next time, I¡¯ll make sure to bring a short shotgun. While it might be fine for an assassination mission, in a battlefield filled with sword-wielding maniacs, the more options I have, the better. For now, though, all I had was the revolver. I aimed the revolver at ire again, stepping to the left this time, supporting the hand holding the gun with my other hand. As soon as I aimed at ire, she moved left as well. In this world, there were machine guns, and the best-known way to dodge them was to run in a zigzag pattern. By preventing the enemy from predicting your movements, you increased the chances of the bullets missing. Of course, only someone with highly developed physical abilities could dodge bullets like that. But I wasn¡¯t holding a machine gun¡ªI had a revolver. While it could fire rapidly, a double-action revolver required a lot of pressure on the trigger, making it hard to shoot quickly. And on top of that, ire wasn¡¯t just swinging a sword; she was using sword aura, a long-range attack. Alright. Again. I noticed the movement of ire¡¯s feet. I hadn¡¯t seen it the first few times, but after rewinding several times, I finally caught on. It was a subtle shift¡ªire was preparing to move left, my right. It was such a minor movement, something you wouldn¡¯t notice in the heat of battle. But even if it was a brief moment in a fast-paced fight, if you reyed a video over and over, you¡¯d eventually see it clearly. I didn¡¯t have the ability to adjust my aim precisely within such a short window. But that wasn¡¯t an issue. I had an infinite number of chances to try again, to correct my mistakes, no matter how many shots it took. I turned my gun to the left and fired at the same time. ¡°Missed!¡± Again. Click. ¡°Stop! ire Grace, you¡¯ve lost!¡± Jennifer dered, having watched our fight closely. The other two teams were using swords, so they could probably determine the winner on their own without Jennifer''s interference. But that didn¡¯t mean she hadn¡¯t been paying attention to them. It wasn¡¯tmon for nobles to wield firearms. Guns were often seen as weapons that ¡°anyone could use.¡± In reality, firearms required less training than melee weapons to be proficient in. In just three months, soldiers could be trained to fight on the battlefield. But weapons were still weapons. And just like with any other, once you started training with firearms, the depth of skill you could attain was endless. You could calcte trajectories to hit distant targets that were difficult to reach, or quickly aim and neutralize an enemy in closebat. Even using a gun to block or strike was part of mastering firearms. However, most soldiers who became proficient with guns didn¡¯t learn from a great master; they honed their skills through gruelingbat experience. After all, firearm training was hard to simte without the chaos of real battle. The gun Sylvia had been using didn¡¯t even have real gunpowder inside, so the sensation would have been different from a live firearm. You survive, you grow stronger. That applied to every soldier who¡¯d experienced realbat... but a fifteen-year-old kid? Was she perhaps someone who had been destined for the Northern Front? Or maybe, even before that, she had some reason to wield such weapons and fight for her life. Additionally, there was something strange about Sylvia¡¯s movements. It was as if she already knew how ire would swing her sword or move her body. When ire had tried to sh downward, Sylvia had reached out and aimed at her. When ire brought her sword down, Sylvia calmly sidestepped. And... Though Sylvia might not have realized it, from Jennifer¡¯s perspective, it looked like she was already turning her gun in the direction ire would dodge before ire even made her move. Then, as ire shifted diagonally, Sylvia fired. Unlike the other students, whose duels were a back-and-forth of shing swords, this match had ended in an instant. Not that the duel had seemed easy by any means. ¡°Hmm.¡± Jennifer found herself intrigued. Would Sylvia going to the academy instead of heading north be a good thing for the empire, or a missed opportunity? Physically, I wasn¡¯t exhausted. Nor was I in pain. Mentally, I was a bit drained, but even with the rewinding, it hadn¡¯t taken that long in the grand scheme of things. Still, the sensation of being struck wasn¡¯t a pleasant one. Had it been anyone other than ire, I would¡¯ve been far more irritated. As I holstered my revolver, ire approached me. Despite having lost, she wore a bright, cheerful smile. It was a lively, spirited smile. In the game, I had only ever seen ire smile like that once¡ªat the very end. And back then, the ¡°sister¡± she smiled at wasn¡¯t me, but Alice. Behind us, I could hear the sh of wooden swords. It seemed Alice and Charlotte¡¯s match wasn¡¯t over yet. Step. ire stood before me, extending her hand as if offering a handshake. ¡°...¡± I looked at her hand for a moment, then slowly reached out to grasp it lightly. But it seemed I was the only one who intended a light grip¡ªire firmly grasped my hand. And then she pulled me toward her. It wasn¡¯t an ambush, not really. I managed not to stumble, likely because I had somewhat anticipated this happening. As I moved closer, ire looked me straight in the eye. ¡°Sister.¡± Her voice was resolute. ¡°You¡¯re my sister, right?¡± Her eyes were already filled with certainty. ...Well. I had expected this. If anyone would recognize me after a clean victory, it would be ire. That¡¯s why she had been so surprised when I got hit earlier. ¡°You seem... very sure of yourself,¡± I said. But ire¡¯s smile didn¡¯t falter. ¡°I knew you would dodge like that, just like you did back then.¡± The time ire and I had spent together had been short. And that precognition-like ability I had shown her back then... it was simr to what I did now, but not quite the same. Back then, I had used it to avoid danger in advance, whereas now I was briefly rewinding time to dodge each strike. ¡°I looked into it afterward. Those men must have been human traffickers.¡± It had been a mystery, even back then, how the orphanage had burned down with only a single victim. We had made our escape tantly, but the surrounding area had been engulfed in mes, and the authorities had been called in chaos. Vanished children. And the very next morning, those children appeared at the Grace baron¡¯s residence. If the baron and his wife hadn¡¯t noticed something, that would¡¯ve been strange. ¡°...Did you ever find those traffickers?¡± I asked. The transactions happening at the count¡¯s estate had been separate from those at the orphanage. If I had ever found that one-eyed man, I would have shot him on the spot. He wouldn¡¯t have remembered me, but I had been beaten nearly unconscious. Countless other children had likely died at his hands. ...Harvesting, they called it. Had ire survived only because they intended to sell her, or was she involved in some resurrection ritual hinted at in the game¡¯s lore? Maybe she had just narrowly escaped a fate worse than death. I had revealed my true identity, but ire¡¯s expression darkened slightly. She shook her head. I see. Though that one-eyed man hadn¡¯t been in the original game, it didn¡¯t guarantee that he wasn¡¯t important. He could still appear in future installments. If he was still alive, he could have grown into a powerful figure. ¡°...¡± I nced around. There were quite a few people watching us. Other students, curious about our match, and Jennifer¡¯s gaze still lingered on us. ¡°ire.¡± ¡°Yes, sister?¡± ¡°...Call me Sylvia while we¡¯re here,¡± I said. ire¡¯s eyes widened, and she nodded vigorously. ¡°Revealing information carelessly can have unintended consequences. You never know how it might be used against you.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ire nodded again, like a well-behaved child. She no longer looked like the scruffy little orphan I had met all those years ago. Her hair was neatly styled, and she wore much finer clothes now¡ªeven if it was just the academy¡¯s military-style uniform. She no longer looked like a child with nothing to her name. ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± Well, the conversation had ended, but ire still hadn¡¯t let go of my hand. I wished she¡¯d release it so we could move on with the rest of the conversation.@@novelbin@@ Chapter 30 One thing became clear to me: I had decided to stick with this persona for as long as possible. Sure, part of me wanted to blend into the main cast as just another character, but I realized it was toote to hide my true nature¡ªmy deep-rooted otaku tendencies. Although in this world, people probably wouldn¡¯t even understand the concept of being an "otaku" in the way they would on 21st-century Earth. Then again, this world had its own famous characters, just not in the way we¡¯d think of them in our games or shows. In this world, mascots were bing popr, much like early 20th-century Earth. One such mascot character was Digger the Dog, a cartoon dog that loved to dig holes. It was featured in a series of newspaperic strips, and from what I understood, it had already gained a lot of poprity. In the real world, back in the early 1900s, characters like The Yellow Kid were making waves. The Yellow Kid was so influential it became the origin of the term ¡°yellow journalism.¡± And thatic had debuted in the 1890s. The developers of this game even mentioned in interviews that they based the poprity of Digger on the likes of The Yellow Kid to give this world some cultural depth. In this game world, Digger was quite the hit, and there was even talk of it bing an animated short soon, thanks to the emerging film industry. The technology for short, silent animations was just beginning to blossom, though everything was still in ck and white. I wondered if it might be fun to have my character like Digger¡ªor at least subtly show an interest in it. "..." Not a bad idea. After all, I had always liked cartoons. I wasn¡¯t a hardcore Disney fan, but I had seen most of the famous ones. Maybe I could even collect a few Digger plush toys once they started making them. But not now. It would be something I¡¯d slowly incorporate into my persona, perhaps a year or two from now. Why wait? Because it would be unbearably embarrassing to admit openly right now. I could barely handle the secondhand embarrassment from rewinding time, let alone deal with something like this in real-time. Even though I¡¯d lived in a girl¡¯s body for ten years now, I still had thirty years of memories from my past life as a man. "What are you thinking about so deeply?" I was startled out of my thoughts by Alice¡¯s voice. When I nced up at her, she was staring at me, her eyes curious. "You¡¯re looking at a book, but your eyes aren¡¯t moving at all." Ah, that made sense. I hadn¡¯t been focused on reading, and I wasn¡¯t particrly interested in it either. "I was thinking about the duels from this morning." "The duels? Oh." Alice seemed to draw her own conclusions from my words. "Are you analyzing everyone¡¯s movements?" she asked. I hadn¡¯t been, but that exnation fit better with the character I was trying to portray. "Yes, that¡¯s right." I nodded in agreement. Attending the academy had proven much more challenging than staying in the imperial capital. The hardest part wasn¡¯t the coursework; it was maintaining my character. And it had only been the first day of sses. As soon as the lessons ended, Alice headed straight for the library, determined to study and review everything she had learned. She had this idea in her head that "a student¡¯s primary duty is to study," and she acted on it with full force. Naturally, I followed her to the library and pretended to read a book. ...I wasn¡¯t nning to take studying too seriously. After all, I¡¯d have to do everything over again if I rewound time during tests. Instead, I figured I¡¯d cram when exam season rolled around. For everyone else, it would best-minute cramming, but for me, it would feel like plenty of time. "So, what did you think?" Alice put down her pen, clearly eager to hear my evaluation. Though I hadn¡¯t paid much attention to Alice¡¯s fight, I knew she wasn¡¯t asking about herself. "Most of them were average." I gave an honest response. Even among the main characters in the game, there were several whose background stories didn¡¯t involve muchbat. While the academy served as both a general school and a military academy, not every student was destined to be an officer. So, from my perspective¡ªor even from the viewpoint of an average person with nobat experience¡ªmany of the students seemed awkward and unrefined in their movements. "But a few stood out," Alice agreed, nodding thoughtfully. Alice had won her duel against Charlotte, though she considered it a close victory. From what little I had seen of Charlotte¡¯s swordsmanship, I agreed with Alice¡¯s assessment. Charlotte hadn¡¯t used any sword aura, but her refined sword skills were impressive nheless. As for ire Grace, I had firsthand experience of her abilities, so I didn¡¯t need to dwell on her. Leo Grace, ire¡¯s brother, had held his own against Jennifer. Of course, the fact that Jennifer hadn¡¯t used her firearms gave Leo a better chance of survival. His movements wereparable to ire¡¯s, which made sense¡ªhe was the protagonist, after all. And then there was Mia Crowfield. Mia, the daughter of the Count Crowfield I had killed, was also in ss A. Like me, Mia had dark hair, but her long bangs almostpletely covered her eyes, giving her an ominous, gloomy aura. It was understandable. Her father had been brutally murdered, and thergest part of his remains they found was a finger. The rest were just bone fragments and scraps of flesh. They¡¯d identified the remains by the scraps of clothing stuck to them. Mia hadn¡¯t seen the remains herself, but she had surely heard the story. She must have also heard the rumor that the emperor had ordered the assassination. That was how it had yed out in the original story, anyway. Mia Crowfield¡¯s staff was a dummy¡ªit couldn¡¯t be used in realbat. While she could cast minor spells, they weren¡¯t strong enough to kill. However, her staff had a magical power gauge, like a thermometer, that indicated the power of the spell she was attempting to cast. When Mia tried to cast a spell, the gauge shattered. Naturally, Jennifer dered Mia the winner of her duel, looking quite pleased with herself. ...In the original game, Mia had used a spell that conjured a massive icicle to impale her opponent. Mia hadn¡¯t once looked in my direction, but if she ever found out that I had killed her father, I wondered how she would react. Right now, she barely spoke to me because I was a princess. But if she knew I was the one responsible for her father¡¯s death, she would likely try to kill me. In the original story, that¡¯s what she did when she found out about ire¡¯s actions. The thought was a little unsettling. In the game, wounds didn¡¯t matter¡ªit was all just effects with no real consequence. In real life, if I got hit with that ice spear, I¡¯d end up with a massive hole in my body. In the game, you could get shed by a sword or shot with a gun, and all that happened was your HP bar went down. No one questioned it¡ªit was just game logic. People who obsessed over realism in games were often considered weird. Like the ones who pointed out how unrealistic it was to survive after getting shot in an FPS. I doubted I could be friends with Mia. Not that it would matter much. Mia¡¯s storyline would proceed regardless, with or without me. I didn¡¯t need to intervene¡ªLeo would be there to handle it. "Well, at least not everyone ispletely useless. There¡¯s still a lot to learn here," Alice said, smiling in satisfaction as she picked up her pen again. I knew that her smile wasn¡¯t just about the lessons. It was because she had made new friends¡ªCharlotte, for instance. I hoped that smile would never fade.@@novelbin@@ And I¡¯d make sure it didn¡¯t. "What are you thinking so hard about?" Leo, ire¡¯s so-called "older brother," even though ire considered him her younger brother, asked her. The two of them were sitting together at an outdoor caf¨¦. It was mid-April, and the warm sunlight was proof that winter had finally passed. ire thought it would be foolish to waste such good weather. The buildings near the academy all had modern boilers, and though the chimneys still spewed smoke, it wasn¡¯t ck¡ªjust white steam. While many people in the empire still proudly saw ck smoke as a symbol of industrial progress, ire wasn¡¯t one of them. Aftering to the academy, she had realized how different the world could be. She couldn¡¯t understand what people saw in that dirty, ck smoke. If they liked it so much, they could try cleaning out a chimney themselves. Then again, the world didn¡¯t seem different just because of the clear blue skies. "That¡¯s a secret." But ire couldn¡¯t tell Leo the real reason she was smiling. Leo was family, after all. They had known each other for much longer than ire had known Sylvia. But despite that, ire felt a stronger bond with Sylvia. Perhaps it was because Sylvia had been the first person to ever make ire feel truly protected. Even as a child, Sylvia had been more mature than any of the adults around her. Children who are separated from their parents don¡¯t forget them. Even yearster, when they¡¯re reunited, they cry tears of joy at the reunion. Though Sylvia wasn¡¯t old enough to be considered a parent figure, seeing her now, ire couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that they were the same age. ire had wanted to invite Sylvia out to a caf¨¦ this morning, to sit and talk about everything that had happened over the years. But Sylvia clearly had her own burdens to bear. A nameless orphan who had almost died in the slums was now living as a princess of the empire. "..." Once upon a time, Sylvia had been the kind of person who smiled easily. She wasn¡¯t someone whoughed out loud, but she had always smiled softly at the other children, sharing food with them and telling stories. Those memories, faint though they were, had be ire¡¯s first real "treasure." But now, Sylvia spoke stiffly to her peers, keeping secrets and hiding her true feelings. What had happened to her in the imperial pce? It wasn¡¯t something that could be dismissed as just another bad memory. "...No, never mind. I won¡¯t ask. I feel like knowing more would only get me into trouble." Leo had tried to ask ire what she was thinking, but seeing her sudden shift in mood, he changed his mind. Even if he had asked, she wouldn¡¯t have told him. After all, Sylvia had asked her to keep her identity a secret. That was fine. They would see each other again soon enough. After ten long years of anticipation and disappointment, ire felt that there would be plenty of chances to make Sylvia smile again. "You¡¯re smiling again." ire ignored Leo¡¯s mutteredint and took another sip of her milk tea, sweetened with plenty of sugar and milk. TL NOTE: Please don''t skimp on the stars for the trantion - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~! If you want to buy me a /kimsu Chapter 31 In the main game, not all the daily lives of the characters were shown in detail. Of course, the game did have a ¡°daily life¡± section. You could attend sses, visit the library to study, or walk around the campus talking to other students. Some quests even involved running errands for teachers. How you interacted with certain characters determined how much your bond gauge increased, and based on the level of that gauge, you could experience special events with that character at specific points. Maybe you¡¯d go on a date or run into them by coincidence somewhere... and at the very end, you might even get to kiss them. In your first ythrough, there was a limitation¡ªtime. You couldn¡¯t talk to everyone in one go. But in the second ythrough, there were no limits. You could chat with everyone endlessly, and in the end, you could choose any heroine or male character you wanted. Choosing a male character didn¡¯t trigger a BL (boys'' love) route¡ªit just ended as a friendship. Still, some yers enjoyed reading too much into those friendships. The main story didn¡¯t really hinge on these romantic endings, though. They were just a fun extra, a service provided by the developers so yers could romance their favorite heroine. In the sequel, if you carried over your save data, the story would continue with the heroine you romanced in the first game. And if you didn¡¯t have a save file, the game would ask who you ended up with. Still, romance didn¡¯t heavily influence the main plot, and the game could even forget about the romance entirely as it progressed. By the end, you could end up with a different character. But... things wouldn¡¯t work like that in real life. In the game, it was all about game mechanics. In reality, switching rtionships wasn¡¯t that simple. Women wouldn¡¯t just overlook that, and there would definitely be friction between characters. Plus, now that I was here, the rtionships between the characters were already changing drastically. ...Would the original plot even unfold as intended? It felt like things had already gone way off course. Knowing the original plot might not even help at this point. "Sylvia," Alice called to me, snapping me out of my thoughts as I sat at my desk, preparing for ss. "Yes?" "What are you going to do about the student council?" Alice asked, skipping any pleasantries. Ah, right. There was a student council, too. Alice had been part of it in the original game. In this academy, the student council members were chosen by the student council president, except for the president themselves, who was elected by the students. Naturally, the president was always someone popr or well-connected¡ªor both. That meant it was practically impossible for amoner to be president. Unsurprisingly, there were nomoners on the council either. In some ways, the student council reflected the politics of the empire. Mostmoners didn¡¯t have the time or means to vote, let alone know the candidates. The emperor, as the head of the government, appointed most of the ministers, who were typically nobles. Simrly, nobles were the only ones with enough money and time to run for parliament. While nobles were vastly outnumbered bymoners, the nobles¡¯ voting turnout was disproportionately higher. This system carried over into the academy. Even ifmoner students wanted to elect amoner president, themoners attending the academy were typically from families already connected to nobles. They had to pass two rounds of exams just to get in¡ªonce before taking the test and once after. With such a setup, it was customary for high-ranking nobles to be rmended for student council positions as soon as they enrolled. If they wanted the position, they¡¯d get it. If they didn¡¯t want it, no one would force them. Alice would be rmended, as in the original game. "I haven¡¯t given it much thought," I said, pulling out the textbook for our first ss. In the game, joining the student council was optional. Joining increased Alice¡¯s bond gauge, unlocked specific events and items, and gave ess to the character cards feature. Completing the student council quest was also necessary to obtain the silver medal for clearing all quests. Plus, it helped boost Alice¡¯s affection in the first ythrough. In short, joining the student council added some minor events to the daily life portion of the game and granted ess to the student council room. But in the second ythrough, with unlimited action points, you didn¡¯t need to join since you could max out Alice¡¯s affection through other events. And I didn¡¯t need to collect tinum medals here¡ªthis wasn¡¯t a game. "Then I¡¯ll go ahead and put your name in as well," Alice said without waiting for my response. "..." I paused and turned to look at her. She stared back, as if asking why I was making a big deal out of it. "What? You don¡¯t want to do it?" she asked, sounding confused. Hmm... Honestly, I wasn¡¯t too keen on the idea. As I¡¯d exined, the student council was basically a reflection of the rigid, entrenched power dynamics of noble society. Even in the game, Leo, as a baron¡¯s son, faced several events where he was dismissed or ignored. Alice usually stepped in to defend him, citing his noble title granted by the emperor. As for me, no one would dare ignore me. In some fantasy novels, you¡¯d hear about ¡°dukes older than the royal family,¡± but in this game¡¯s setting, the empire¡¯s founding was practically a creation myth. There wasn¡¯t a name older than ¡°Fangryphon¡± in this world. Still... I really didn¡¯t want to join. The student council might have been treated like a minor quest in the game, but in reality, it would involve a lot of work. Not to mention, I¡¯d be surrounded by high-ranking nobles, which would make maintaining my usual facade even harder. "...You don¡¯t want to?" Alice asked, her expression softening slightly. She looked almost disappointed. In the original game, Alice had seamlessly be part of the student council, but there must have been a moment when she was first asked to join. And it¡¯s not like Alice had a wide circle of noble friends to rely on. Oh well. If things go wrong, I could always rewind time. "Fine. I¡¯lle with you after ss," I said. "That¡¯s the spirit. You were going to get an invitation anyway, right?" She had a point. An invitation would probably arrive soon if it hadn¡¯t already. It might even be waiting at my dorm right now. Before I could share that thought with Alice, someone else interrupted us. "Sylvia!" It was ire, of course. "..." What should I say? I wasn¡¯t the kind of person who greeted people often. Usually, the only person I¡¯d greet was the emperor, and even then, it was with stiff, formal phrases like ¡°I hope Your Majesty is well¡± or ¡°It¡¯s an honor to see Your Majesty.¡± I rarely exchanged casual greetings. My character didn¡¯t typically bother with greetings. Even when Jaiden or Lucas acted rowdy right next to me, I¡¯d just ignore them¡ªthat was the persona I maintained. The emperor¡¯s children, and Alice, usually chatted away without needing me to chime in. "Ah, hello...?" I awkwardly replied. At least ire was keeping her promise not to call me ¡°sister,¡± which wasmendable. "You can say hello as many times as you like, but it won¡¯t change anything," Alice chimed in, clearly amused. "Sylvia doesn¡¯t usually respond to greetings. She rarely initiates them herself," she exined with a yful smile. Nice, Alice. That¡¯s right. I was maintaining a "cool beauty" persona. I wasn¡¯t going to ¡°dere¡± anytime soon, so I guess "cool beauty" suited me better than "kuudere." The kind of character that smiles and responds warmly to greetings would only emerge after I¡¯ve grown closer to my friends. Sure, I already felt some affection toward them, but they didn¡¯t know that yet. For now, keeping up my character was important. Who knows? Maybe one day I¡¯d reach the point where, after finishing the final battle, I¡¯d look at mypanions and say something like, "I don¡¯t know what expression to make in times like these." Someone might evenpare me to a certain character from Evangelion, but hey, that anime doesn¡¯t exist in this world. "Was that what it was?" ire sighed with relief, as if she¡¯d been worried I didn¡¯t like her. "Oh dear, that would be a problem," came another voice, inserting itself into the conversation. Without even needing to see the speaker, I knew from the tone alone that it was Charlotte. Her movements were graceful, her tinum blonde hair swaying as she sat beside Alice. Every gesture was like a perfectly crafted scene from a painting.@@novelbin@@ As she hung her school bag on the side of the desk, Charlotte added, "It¡¯s always better for someone of royal status to be polite, even to those of lower rank. After all, everyone deserves respect, no matter their title." "Hello, Charlotte," Alice greeted her casually. "I hope you¡¯ve been well, Alice," Charlotte responded with equal grace. It was a pleasant scene to watch. In the early chapters of the original game, Alice had always been tense and serious. Apparently, my efforts to boost her confidence had paid off. ...It was impressive that Charlotte maintained the same level of formality with me, despite how rude I¡¯d been to her father. "And Sylvia," Alice began, turning back to me, "even our father greets people first sometimes. Like when he meets a duke from a former royal family." He may greet them, but he never bows. And most of those dukes were on the emperor¡¯s list for future purges. Even though the kingdoms had been part of the empire for centuries, the regional differences were still deeply ingrained. People from those areas often harbored strong resentment toward the capital and the northern territories. "...I always try to act with courtesy," I replied. "Saying ¡®hello¡¯ doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re being courteous..." Alice sighed, shaking her head. Chapter 32 ¡°Student council?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve also received an invitation,¡± Charlotte replied, pulling out an envelope from her bag that resembled a wedding invitation. ¡°I¡¯m not too familiar with the traditions of this academy, but... do they send these in order of academic rank?¡± she asked curiously. ¡°No, it¡¯s not based on rank,¡± Alice answered, shaking her head. ¡°They send these based on noble status.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Charlotte nodded, seeming to understand the situation. ¡°So, I received this because I¡¯m royalty.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably it. Do you know who the student council president is?¡± Alice asked. Charlotte slowly shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not well-acquainted with the nobles of this empire. I do know quite a few people from my own country, though.¡± ¡°That makes sense.¡± Alice herself wasn¡¯t too friendly with the nobility of her own empire, so it wasn¡¯t surprising. Even those who had been personally granted titles by the emperor barely recognized Alice¡¯s face, which spoke to how much she had distanced herself from the nobility. Of course, the imperial authority was strong enough that it didn¡¯t really matter. ¡°So, Sylvia, did you get one too?¡± ire leaned on my desk with her hands, her eyes sparkling with excitement. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t received one yet,¡± I replied. ¡°Maybe we came out too early to check?¡± Despite Alice¡¯s disinterest in maintaining ties with the nobility, she was clearly driven by a desire to earn the emperor¡¯s approval. This was why she was already up and studying early in the morning. And, unintentionally, I had followed suit, studying alongside her. Not that I minded too much. I¡¯d been sleeping soundly on a soft bed every night, and there were note-night games keeping me awake in this world. In many ways, my life in this world was much morefortable than it had been in my previous one. Naturally, being the emperor¡¯s daughter was a big upgrade from being an office worker. ¡°Seeing as Charlotte received an invitation, it¡¯s likely that we have some waiting for us back at the dorm,¡± Alice said. ire¡¯s eyes practically lit up. Her excitement was so intense that I wondered if it was even possible for someone¡¯s eyes to shine like that without some optical trickery. It was... a bit overwhelming. ¡°Sylvia, are you nning to join the student council?¡± ¡°...¡± I nced over at Alice before answering. ¡°If Her Highness wishes to join, I suppose I will follow suit.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s settled.¡± Alice grinned confidently. ¡°I¡¯m nning to be the student council president eventually. Considering I¡¯ll take over for my father one day, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to get some experience leading an organization, right?¡± It made sense. The student council was made up of children from influential noble families, so building connections now would likelye in handy when Alice eventually had to run the empire. That¡¯s why, in the original story, she had joined the student council even though she attended the academy alone. As for Charlotte... she never showed much interest in it. From what I knew of her backstory, she probably received an invitation as well, but hadn¡¯t cared to act on it. After all, Charlotte was the picture-perfect princess. A student council full of power-hungry nobles might not have interested her much, especially since she was sent to the academy by the King of Belvur. ¡°Well, should I visit it too?¡± Charlotte asked, smiling faintly. This world¡¯s Charlotte seemed different, though. In the original, she had taken much longer to form a bond with Alice. But now, with Alice having let go of the inferiorityplex she once had toward ¡°the perfect princess,¡± things had changed. There was no reason for Alice to feel insecure anymore. It was a positive shift. ¡°Oh? Are you interested?¡± Alice asked, turning to Charlotte. Charlotte shook her head slightly. ¡°Not particrly. But... perhaps.¡± She smiled, and I could hear a few of the students nearby gasp quietly, especially the boys. Even though the differences between our races were small, the fact that Charlotte was from another country gave her a kind of exotic appeal to the students here. With her soft Belvurian ent, she embodied the image of a ¡°foreign beauty¡± to them. Since ancient times, people have always been fascinated by beauties from othernds. It was often nothing more than an illusion, of course, but Charlotte¡¯s mysterious aura, especially with her tinum hair, likely only fueled those fantasies. ¡°If it¡¯s with friends, I think it might be worth considering.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Alice replied, smiling in return. ¡°I-I want toe too!¡± ire suddenly interjected, trying to join the conversation. ¡°You too?¡± Alice seemed surprised this time. Going to the student council without an invitation would likely result in rejection. In the original story, Leo had apanied Alice to the student council room for the first time after being roped into it by her. But even then, Leo hadn¡¯t been eager to go. That event wasn¡¯t supposed to happen for at least another month, once the main story quest started rolling out. It was unusual for the daughter of a baron to ask to go along with us like this. Alice, for all her talk of treating everyone as equals within the academy, was well aware that she and ire were not considered the same ¡°kind¡± of student. ¡°Is that... not allowed?¡± ire asked, looking at me pleadingly. Why was she asking me? ...Actually, this might be a good opportunity. The student council was full of pretentious individuals who were deeply concerned with authority. Bringing ire along could be interesting. Imagine the reactions: Who is this girl? Why is the daughter of a mere baron standing between the princesses? Why is she talking to them so casually? We¡¯ve never even seen her before! Wouldn¡¯t that be a refreshing turn of events? A bit of ¡°justice served¡± against these snobbish nobles? No, that wasn¡¯t right. I didn¡¯t want to see ire get ignored or treated poorly. Despite my teasing thoughts, I¡¯d spent seven years waiting for each new installment of this game series. I had affection for all the characters, not just the setting. There were some characters I absolutely despised, but they hadn¡¯t appeared yet, so that wasn¡¯t relevant. I didn¡¯t want to see the characters I cared about struggling in painful situations. If the student council members started looking down on ire or Leo, I wasn¡¯t sure I could hold back.@@novelbin@@ ¡°...¡± That¡¯s what made this soplicated. ¡°...Um?¡± Alice made a curious sound, noticing my hesitation. Ah, was I thinking too hard about this? Hopefully, my thoughts didn¡¯t show on my face. ¡°Why not?¡± Charlotte said lightly, breaking the silence. ¡°Is there a reason she shouldn¡¯te?¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t, I suppose,¡± Alice agreed, seeming a bit relieved. I felt relieved too. It wouldn¡¯t do to break the character I¡¯d been maintaining for ten years just because of a single awkward situation. ¡°It¡¯s a bit strange that only those who receive invitations can visit the student council,¡± Charlotte mused, looking at the letter she was still holding. ¡°But aren¡¯t we all equals within the academy? I doubt anyone would have an issue with ireing along.¡± She looked amused, as if she had just thought of something fun. ¡°...Hmmm.¡± Alice noticed the subtle shift in Charlotte¡¯s expression. After spending ten years watching me remain expressionless, Alice had be quite adept at reading subtle emotions in others. It was clear Charlotte had found something amusing and was also itching for a challenge. She hated people who set rules for others but didn¡¯t follow them themselves. That was part of why she didn¡¯t care much for the student council. ¡°...¡± Alice had grown a lot more confident than she had been in the original story, but her pride was still there. As the empire¡¯s princess and the top student in the academy (albeit only because I intentionally scored lower), she had plenty of pride to uphold. That¡¯s why she was hesitating. Was it more damaging to her pride to bring ire along and expose the student council¡¯s hypocrisy, or to make an excuse and leave ire behind? But I was sure of one thing. With Alice¡¯sbination of pride and confidence, she wouldn¡¯t choose either option. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s all go together,¡± Alice finally said. ire¡¯s face brightened with joy. Yes, that was just like Alice. She would always choose to break the rules and do things her own way. In the original story, Alice had been proud but timid. But thanks to all my encouragement¡ªreminding her that she would one day seed the emperor¡ªshe wasn¡¯t like that anymore. If there was something she didn¡¯t like or something she was embarrassed to show others, she¡¯d simply fix it. After all, she had the power to do that. It wasn¡¯t me who helped her find that confidence. It was Leo, who had spent time with Alice in the original story and unknowingly encouraged her to grow stronger. By the end of the first game, she had even stood up to the emperor. Now, Alice had already stood up to him once, when she convinced him to let me attend the academy. I didn¡¯t know what had happened behind closed doors¡ªLucas never told me¡ªbut I doubted Alice had spoken to the emperor with a gentle voice. ¡°...¡± Meanwhile, Leo, who had helped Alice develop this confidence in the original story, was now sitting quietly, trembling as he drank his tea. His sister, ire, on the other hand, was far moreposed¡ªalmost as poised as Alice and Charlotte. And as we approached the student council room, I could see the current student council members watching us from a distance, their eyes filled with confusion. It wasn¡¯t strange to see me walking with Alice. Ever since I started attending the academy, I had been by her side every day. Charlotte being with us wasn¡¯t surprising either. She was a foreign princess, so it made sense for her to associate with the imperial family rather than the empire¡¯s nobility. But what about the two baron¡¯s children? Of course, being from a baron¡¯s family didn¡¯t mean one was insignificant. The Grace family had earned their title by serving the imperial family as their sword and had fought in numerous battles, earning great respect within the capital. But among the student council members, made up of children from the highest-ranking noble families, the Grace siblings were seen as lower in status. That¡¯s why they hadn¡¯t received an invitation. And now they were entering the student council room with two imperial princesses and a foreign royal. Naturally, the student council members were baffled. The key here was that they didn¡¯t know why. They couldn¡¯t understand that Charlotte had suggested this as a way to have some fun at their expense, and that Alice had agreed. That ignorance gave this moment its meaning. ¡°...¡± Yet, no one seemed to have any idea how to break the awkward silence that had fallen over us. Chapter 34 The moment I looked into Crowfield''s eyes, one thought came to mind: How much does she know? Given the Emperor''s personality, it wouldn''t be surprising if he fully revealed his involvement. After all, unting his power and making it known was part of his style. ¡°I took care of your husband. So, if you want you and your daughter to remain safe, do as I say.¡± In this era, recording devices are far toorge and inefficient. While magic stones can act as power sources, they can¡¯t rece all the otherponents of a recording device. So even if the Emperor had openly said such things, it wouldn¡¯t be something that could be recorded as evidence. Magic isn¡¯t all-powerful. At least, in all the time I yed the game, I never saw anything like a wiretapping device, even though there were plenty of political and legal discussions happening. ¡°...¡± Both Alice and Charlotte could sense hostility. Things like killing intent or presence¡ªconcepts that you¡¯d expect to find in martial arts novels¡ªor, to be more urate, in ¡°Japanese manga or anime,¡± were naturally epted in this world. Scenes like, ¡°How can this killing intent...!¡± or ¡°How did they manage to hide their presence...!¡± often appeared. ...I can¡¯t sense any of that, though. I don¡¯t know how to use magic, nor can I feel things like presence or killing intent. In fact, if I could sense such things, my expression would have broken long ago. Lucas used to toy with me by showing his killing intent, aside from just threatening me with a sword. He eventually stopped when he saw I didn¡¯t even flinch. But the truth was, I just couldn¡¯t sense it. ¡°...¡± Everyone¡¯s attention turned to me. Apparently, Mia Crowfield was directing her killing intent toward me now. She wasn¡¯t originally a character known for wielding a sword, so her killing intent wasn¡¯t overwhelming. Still, people seemed to find it strange that I wasn¡¯t fazed by her hostile aura. ¡°Your Highness, do you participate in student council activities?¡± She asked me, staring intently. In the original story, Mia Crowfield was a very quiet character. She knew that the Emperor, Alice''s father, had killed her own father, but she never directed more than a polite hostility toward Alice. After all, she didn¡¯t think Alice herself had been involved. In the original story, it was ire¡¯s doing. Later, she did go into a frenzy trying to take ire¡¯s life. But in the end, she was easily subdued and left screaming in agony. ¡°What is the meaning behind your question?¡± I asked, quietly looking at Mia Crowfield. ...I won¡¯t say I feel no guilt at all. After all, my actions did lead to the destruction of her family. However, I don¡¯t regret it. I may not know if it¡¯s right to justify my actions this way, but I only ever killed when I had a reason. And I had a reason when I saw the Earl of Crowfield in bed with a child who couldn¡¯t have been more than eight years old. The child, and the Earl himself, were under the influence of opium. When I killed him, of course, it wasn¡¯t in that exact situation. But if I had let him live, such an incident would certainly have happened again in the future. After his death, opium dens were strictly banned within the Crowfield territory. Not because it was immoral, but because the Countess of Crowfield cleaned up all the family¡¯s affairs, afraid the scandal woulde back to haunt them. When the Countess learned the truth about her husband, did she feel any disappointment? Looking at Mia Crowfield now, it didn¡¯t seem like that was the case. ¡°I...¡± It seemed she realized a bitte that everyone¡¯s eyes were on her. The hostility she had directed at me moments ago seemed to waver as her expression faltered, and she nced around, appearing slightly flustered. It was just like the original story. ¡°Is it because I killed your father?¡± ¡°...What?¡± The atmosphere in the student council room froze instantly. The previously rxed air grew taut, as if it could snap at any moment. Even though I couldn¡¯t sense killing intent, I could feel the temperature in the room drop several degrees. Some of those present had likely heard rumors, but no one had ever outright confirmed it. Assassinations are, after all, most effective when they¡¯re kept secret. ¡°You... killed...¡± ¡°Yes, I did. I ced a bomb in his carriage. Twelve people died.¡± ¡°What are you talking about...?¡± Alice¡¯s face turned pale as she looked at me. ¡°I¡¯m talking about my assassination of the Earl of Crowfield. Did you not know?¡± Alice shook her head. She probably had her suspicions. Even if she denied it, she wouldn¡¯t have imagined that I was the one who killed him. After all, I was only twelve at the time. ¡°...What do you mean? You... killed someone?¡± ¡°I had already killed someone when I escaped the orphanage.¡± I answered ire calmly, while the faces around me grew even paler. ¡°What were you nning to do if you joined the student council... if you became part of the same council as me?¡± I turned to Mia Crowfield and asked. ¡°...Why?¡± But Mia Crowfield only stared at me in a daze. Her expression was one of confusion, as if the sudden revtion had left her unsure of how to react. Was it because she had no weapon? She didn¡¯t seem to be making any moves to kill me. With a thud, Mia copsed to her knees, unable to support herself. But no one moved to help her up. They all just stared at me, as if looking at some kind of monster.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Didn¡¯t you already know? Wasn¡¯t that why you were staring at me?¡± ¡°...¡± Mia Crowfield remained silent. ¡°...You.¡± As I quietly observed her kneeling form, a cold voice came from the side. It was Charlotte, who had just set her teacup down and was now ring at me with an expression that could freeze the air around us. ¡°Are you saying that the Emperor of this empire... murdered one of his own nobles?¡± Was she still maintaining her manners out of habit, even in this situation? ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°And 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 were to be named as the next emperor, I¡¯d stand by Alice¡¯s side alone. Knowing this, Alice might now think that I killed the Earl to strengthen her im to the throne. ¡°...Do you think it¡¯s eptable to do anything for the sake of power?¡± Charlotte looked at me with true disgust in her eyes. ¡°My personal judgment was also involved.¡± ¡°Personal judgment...?¡± ire echoed my words softly. ¡°...What do you mean by personal judgment?¡± Though her gaze was filled with disgust, Charlotte still asked for rification without interrupting. Even now, the princess of the kingdom was trying to see me with impartial eyes. Maybe she didn¡¯t fully believe me. After all, I imed to have killed him, but there was no real evidence. It could easily seem like I was just saying this because the Emperor ordered me to. ¡°The Earl was involved in the opium trade. There was an opium den in his territory, and within it, there was a brothel that exploited children under the age of ten. Even if the Earl wasn¡¯t directly managing the trade, he was clearly a patron of that brothel.¡± ¡°And your evidence?¡± ¡°I witnessed it with my own eyes.¡± ¡°...Was there an investigation, a trial¡ª?¡± ¡°That was impossible.¡± If it had been possible, such a thing wouldn¡¯t have happened in his territory in the first ce. No matter how powerful the Emperor is, the highest authority within the territory belongs to the Earl. The Emperor could have traveled there and wielded his power directly. And he did¡ªthrough violence, by eliminating the Earl. ¡°Would it have been possible in your kingdom?¡± ¡°...¡± Charlotte fell silent when I asked her this. Her expression, which had been that of someone looking at a monster, seemed to shift slightly. It was difficult to tell exactly what emotion she was feeling. ¡°...My father...? Why...?¡± Mia Crowfield murmured softly, as if talking to herself after hearing my exnation. ¡°Mia Crowfield. I still haven¡¯t received your answer.¡± I turned back to her and asked again. ¡°What were you nning to do if you joined the student council? Were you intending to kill me once you realized I was the one who murdered your father?¡± ¡°...¡± Mia stared at me nkly for a moment, then¡ª ¡°...I¡¯ll kill you.¡± She said it. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¡°Even if your father was a man whomitted such atrocities? Even if he sacrificed countless children?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe it! I don¡¯t believe any of it!¡± ¡°Lady Crowfield!¡± The student council president finally snapped out of his daze and stood up as Mia began to rise, as if she were about to lunge at me. ¡°You believe that I killed your father, but you refuse to believe hemitted such evil acts?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll... kill you with my own hands...!¡± Seeing the student council president intervene, the noble girls nearby rushed to restrain Mia Crowfield. ¡°Please, Lady Crowfield! Calm down, just for a moment...!¡± ¡°I understand.¡± As I spoke quietly, the room froze once again. ¡°So that¡¯s how you feel.¡± ¡°Wait a second, sister.¡± Just as I didn¡¯t know how to sense killing intent, I also didn¡¯t know how to exude it. The most I could do was re at someone. But maybe they thought there was something more to it. They might have realized something was off when they confirmed that I could kill without a flicker of emotion on my face, even when I was just twelve. Maybe they feared I would deal with Mia Crowfield here and now. ire was already halfway out of her seat, watching me closely. Was she worried I might kill again? At least, her eyes didn¡¯t seem to show disgust or hatred toward me. Instead, they were filled with concern. ¡°W-wait, ire.¡± Alice spoke hesitantly. ¡°Everyone, calm down. We don¡¯t even know if all of this is true.¡± Alice was trying her best to defend me. Leo waspletely frozen, and Charlotte still seemed conflicted. Hmm. So, this is how everyone reacts. I slowly looked around the room, memorizing their faces. And then¡ª ¡°Nothing has been decided yet.¡± I spoke calmly to Mia Crowfield. ¡°I¡¯ll do as Her Highness... no, as Alice wishes. What will you do?¡± ¡°Huh? Ah, uh, yes.¡± Alice, who had been ncing between me and Mia Crowfield, answered, seemingly a bit flustered. ¡°I... I¡¯m considering it positively.¡± ¡°Then I will also consider it positively.¡± I said this, and then took a small sip of my milk tea. ¡°...Then, I would like to consider it positively as well.¡± Mia Crowfield, who had been ring at me moments before, said softly. Chapter 36 Crowfield. Despite its name, Crowfield wasn¡¯t actually a ce swarming with crows. At least, it wasn¡¯t called that simply because there were a lot of crows. There was a wide meadow, and until autumn, it was a beautiful stretch of green. Even in autumn, it didn¡¯t turn ugly; it just shifted from green to a golden hue. It never became a barren wastnd. The city was reasonably modernizedpared to other territories. While there weren¡¯t towering chimneys belching massive clouds of smoke, there was still a distant factory district where ck smoke rose. Even though Crowfield wasn¡¯t a particrlyrge territory, the security wasn¡¯t bad despite the presence of factories. People who visited, often feeling uneasy about the grim-sounding name, would find themselves asking the same question after touring the beautifulndscape: "Why is this lovely ce called ¡®Crowfield¡¯? It sounds so sinister." Crowfield had originally been part of the Kingdom of Belbur. Specifically, it was a border region between Belbur and the Azerna Empire. During the war between the Empire and Belbur, thergest battle took ce here, with both sides repeatedly capturing and losing the territory. Many lives were lost: Imperial soldiers, Kingdom soldiers, and civilians who were massacred by the Empire for simply being from the Kingdom, or those killed by the Kingdom for allegedly coborating with the Empire. Corpses piled up, covering thend. Bodies were left to rot in the fields, scattered across the meadow and thrown carelessly into the forests. And soon, crows swarmed the area, feasting on the dead. The skies were filled with their ck wings and the air with their harsh cries. Over time, people began referring to the area as ¡®Crowfield.¡¯ Its original name was seldom mentioned anymore, as most of the original inhabitants had been killed or disced. Despite the countless deaths, the Empire continued its expansion, eventually solidifying the current border. Crowfield was no longer a border region itself, as a small territory had been established between it and the Kingdom of Belbur. It seemed that Crowfield would never see the umtion of bodies again. It was expected to continue developing, eternally enjoying prosperity. Until a single explosion killed the Earl. "¡­Mia." Not long after her father¡¯s funeral, the Countess called for Mia. After gently wiping the tears from Mia¡¯s face and hugging her, patting her back, the Countess spoke. "This was the work of the Emperor." "¡­What?" The official report imed that a gas line explosion beneath the carriage had killed the Earl and his entourage. Such incidents were not unheard of, and until her mother¡¯s words, Mia had assumed her father¡¯s death was a tragic ident. "The Emperor¡­ or maybe even those children," her mother said quietly. She wasn¡¯t certain, but it seemed that was what she believed. Mia didn¡¯t fully understand why. "Mother?" "Mia, my daughter," her mother whispered, holding her tight, close to her ear. "Never forget this. There is nothing we can do for now, but¡­" In a voice so low that no one else could hear, her mother continued, speaking only for her only child to hear: "Until the day the Imperial family bes the next ¡®Crowfield.¡¯" After the death of the Earl, the Countess continued gathering information. Some of it was urate, some not so much, but that didn¡¯t matter to her. Every piece of intel fueled her hatred, regardless of its veracity. The gathering of information wasn¡¯t about the pursuit of truth¡ªit was about ensuring her hatred never faded. And perhaps, if they could rally others, they might even find allies for their cause. For Mia, this hatred was a constant, a fire that never extinguished. She studied diligently, ensuring she would never forget. One rumor in particr circted widely: "Whenever a powerful figure in the Empire dies, one of the Emperor¡¯s children goes missing." This rumor alone wasn¡¯t much, but it was widely believed among the nobles. Lists had even begun circting among the upper echelons, tracking the names of children who had disappeared on the day of a noble¡¯s death. Although the evidence was purely circumstantial, the theory gained traction, especially as certain traits of the missing children seemed to match those of the assassins. The Emperor, however, made no effort to suppress these rumors. In fact, if the list were true, he was likely aware of it circting. This only made Mia hate the Emperor even more. It felt as though the Emperor, sitting high upon his throne, was daring someone toe and challenge him. As if the death of her father hadn¡¯t even bothered him. The one who disappeared on the day of the Earl of Crowfield¡¯s death was a twelve-year-old girl, the same age as Mia: Sylvia Fangriffon. Some nobles didn¡¯t believe the list for this reason. After all, how could a twelve-year-old child bypass heavy security, infiltrate the Earl¡¯s estate, nt a bomb beneath his carriage, and sessfully assassinate him? It seemed absurd, a wild conspiracy theory forced to fit the facts.@@novelbin@@ Even if some of the information had been gathered from maids and servants within the Imperial Pce, it could still be inurate. Dates could be mistaken, and the child in question could have simply been away or in hiding. Some nobles on the list had even died of natural causes. But¡­ During the first day of ss sparring, Sylvia Fangriffon had used explosive weapons. Even in close-quartersbat, where firearms would typically be a disadvantage, the Emperor¡¯s daughter calmly dodged every attack and countered with precision. It wasn¡¯t the kind of movement taught in a standard training manual. She moved as if she already knew her opponent¡¯s every move. Would it really be so difficult for someone like her to infiltrate an Earl¡¯s estate? That wasn¡¯t the only strange thing. When Sylvia Fangriffon entered the student council room, Mia had directed all her killing intent toward her. Yet, Sylvia hadn¡¯t even flinched. Perhaps Mia¡¯s magical power wasn¡¯t strong enough, but that didn¡¯t exin why Alice Fangriffon and Princess Charlotte of Belbur, both seated nearby, seemed slightly unsettled. It had been clear hostility directed at the Emperor¡¯s daughter. Not reacting to that would have been odd, but Sylvia remained calm, as if it were entirely natural. Back in her room, Mia looked at her desk. A small frame stood there. Inside was a ck-and-white photograph of three people. Mia, her mother, and her father. Nobles typically preferred portraits over photographs. Portraits were considered more ¡°elegant¡± and ¡°noble-like.¡± Taking a photograph was something only those without time to wait for a portrait or the money tomission a painter would do. Besides, portraits usually depicted a more idealized version of oneselfpared to photographs. Portraits involved the artist¡¯s interpretation, and that interpretation was often influenced by the patron¡¯s preferences. That was why Mia didn¡¯t hang a family portrait in her room. She remembered the father from her childhood. He was often absent at night, working tirelessly for the people of his territory. His gaunt appearance was a reflection of his dedication. Mia remembered that look, how her father always worked hard. She recalled Sylvia Fangriffon¡¯s face, staring directly at her, without a hint of guilt. Sylvia Fangriffon, drinking tea with hands undoubtedly stained with blood. ¡°¡­I can never forgive her.¡± Mia muttered to herself, reaffirming the hatred deep in her heart. Sylvia Fangriffon would die. She would pay for her sins with her life. Even if Mia had to sacrifice her own life in the process. Perhaps because they shared the samest name, Alice Fangriffon acted rather affectionately toward Sylvia Fangriffon. Of course, despite their conversations, Sylvia¡¯s expression never changed. No matter how long Alice spoke, Sylvia¡¯s replies were always short. Yet, there was a strange warmth between the two. Neither princess smiled often, both maintaining stern faces at all times. How could Sylvia remain so calm? Did she think that Mia Crowfield was too naive to ever seek revenge? "¡­Ah." But today, things felt different. Alice Fangriffon¡¯s face showed a slight change when she looked at Mia. It wasn¡¯t the same expression from yesterday. Yesterday, she had merely been surprised by Mia¡¯s hostility toward Sylvia. But maybe¡­ that¡¯s why Alice looked more conflicted today. Even without a staff, Mia knew she would be easily subdued if she attacked Alice. The princess was an exceptional swordsman. So she wasn¡¯t scared of Mia¡¯s killing intent. Could it be guilt? "Mia Crowfield." "¡­Your Highness." For today, Mia decided to hold back her hatred. After all, constantly exuding hostility toward even a hated foe would only lead to failure. But could she seed? "¡­" Sylvia Fangriffon stared at Mia with that same cold, expressionless face. Her gaze conveyed nothing. It was as if Mia Crowfield, standing before her, held no value, as though she felt nothing toward her. "Are you hungry?" Suddenly, Alice Fangriffon asked Sylvia a question. The cold gaze shifted from Mia to Alice. "¡­" Sylvia didn¡¯t answer. "Let¡¯s go then. You should have breakfast. You tend to eat a lot in the morning, don¡¯t you?" "¡­" Still, Sylvia remained silent. Did Alice deliberately distract Sylvia? Why? "Well, we¡¯ll be off. You know, you need three square meals a day to function properly." "Ah, yes¡­" Mia¡¯s expression faltered at Alice¡¯s words. But the fire in her chest reignited quickly. "¡­" In the end, Sylvia didn¡¯t even care. That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just have to show her that this righteous anger will eventually pierce her with a de of vengeance. Mia Crowfield stood still, ring at their retreating figures. How did Alice know? Had my stomach growled? There was no reason for Alice to make that observation otherwise. "It was written all over your face. Why?" My face? "¡­No, I don¡¯t think so¡­" I stared at Alice, who seemed embarrassed and looked away. Does she have vision like a microscope? How else could she have noticed micro-expressions in my face that not even I was aware of? "¡­And just because someone shows hostility doesn¡¯t mean you always have to respond." "I don¡¯t intend to always respond." Alice gave me some advice, and I replied calmly. "I just thought the anger was understandable." She was angry because I killed her father. And she didn¡¯t even know the full truth. Even after yesterday¡¯s events, it wasn¡¯t something she could easily ept, no matter what I told her. It would be better to let her figure things out herself. "¡­" Alice stared at me quietly as I mused. I wasn¡¯t expressionless, but I couldn¡¯t read her face either. Her expression was a blend of emotions, a mixture too vague for me to understand. ¡­It felt a little unfair that Alice could read my expressions, but I couldn¡¯t read hers. Chapter 37 "Do you know what the most glorious battlefield is, soldiers?" On the first day of ss, Jennifer had taken all the students outside, and today was no different. As soon as her lesson began, she led us out to the field again. It seemed that the concept of a ¡°curriculum¡± didn¡¯t exist in her mind. Although we had received textbooks when we started school, we never once opened them. If we didn¡¯t need them, why hand them out? It just made our bags heavier every morning. But I wasn¡¯t surprised by this behavior. I knew Jennifer¡¯s character well. She served as a device within the game to facilitate the yer''s experience by offering opportunities to fight during ss. Of course, students are supposed to study. But in the game, having characters study all day would make things unbearably dull. This wasn¡¯t a dating sim or a trivia game, after all. To keep the game engaging, the developers minimized the study portions and injected more bat time¡± into the lessons. Jennifer Winterfield was one of the characters who facilitated these moments of conflict and rivalry, which served to fuel character development and drive the story forward. However, it wasn¡¯t just about having duels every ss; as the story progressed, incidents and events would naturally escte. The initial introduction of the characters set the stage for more explosive conflictster on. "Hmm." None of the students raised their hands to answer her question. And I already knew who Jennifer would call on. "Leo Grace!" Of course, it was Leo Grace. The protagonist. ording to the backstory, Leo¡¯s father, Baron Grace, had been a role model to Jennifer when she was younger. Though her favoritism wasn¡¯t overt, the game subtly hinted at the bond between them. Naturally, Leo had no idea about this backstory, so to him, it just seemed like a random selection from the teacher. Come to think of it, there was even a point in the original game where Leo could choose to duel with Jennifer, depending on the choices made. Given the sparring session they had a few days ago, this scenario didn¡¯t seem like a coincidence. It wasn¡¯t random at all. "Ah, yes." Leo stood up with a resigned expression, clearly not thrilled about being picked, but Jennifer didn¡¯t seem to care. "What do you think is the most glorious battlefield?" she asked. "Uh¡­" At this point, the game presented the yer with multiple-choice options. It didn¡¯t really matter which one was chosen, as none of them fully matched Jennifer¡¯s intended answer. Each option had a valid reason behind it, but none of them were entirely correct. "The northern front, isn¡¯t it?" Leo, being diligent, thought it over carefully before giving his answer. So, he chose the first option. The other options were the southern and western fronts. The south was still underdeveloped, with skirmishes against local tribes urring frequently, while the west was along the coastline, where trade ships heading to the New World were constantly harassed by pirates. All three options cited the need to maintain Imperial security, but the choice regarding the southern front had an imperialistic undertone, leading some yers to jokingly refer to it as the "imperialism route" in online forums. Not that it affected the game''s ending or plot progression. In one of the sequels, there¡¯s a storyline focusing on the conflicts in the Empire¡¯s south, but in that installment, Leo actively helps the native people instead. "Hoh." Jennifer, who had served on the northern front herself, seemed intrigued by Leo¡¯s answer. "And why do you think that is?" "Well, the north shares a border with the Rint Autonomous Region, but that region¡¯s internal security is highly unstable, leaving them unable to properly manage their side of the border. This allows warlords to asionally invade Imperial territory. Therefore, the soldiers who vigntly defend the border against these threats must be serving on the most glorious battlefield." "Hmm." Jennifer nodded approvingly. "Indeed. Those warlords are little more than mercenaries without masters, willing to do anything for the right price. They don¡¯t care about the morality of their actions. Facing such adversaries is undoubtedly an honorable task. However," she added, looking Leo in the eyes, "that glory is only realized once you¡¯ve returned alive, or after your body has been sent back. The battlefield itself holds no glory. But still, a good answer. You may sit." Leo, visibly relieved, sat back down. "And now¡ªoh, right." Jennifer paused mid-exnation. Hmm. Normally, this would be the part where she exined her philosophy about the battlefield. But she never paused like this in the original storyline. Her gaze shifted to me. "Sylvia Fangriffon. Stand up." "¡­" Why me? Of course, I didn¡¯t say that out loud. It wasn¡¯t that unusual for a teacher to call on a student, at least notpared to having a fourteen-year-old girl serve as the Emperor¡¯s representative in an international meeting. I stood silently, and Jennifer stared at me for a moment before asking, "What do you think? Where is the most glorious battlefield?" "¡­" I hated giving presentations. Back in university, I¡¯d rather design all the slides by myself than present them. Even if it meant not getting the highest grade possible, I avoided public speaking at all costs. It¡¯s embarrassing if you mess up. Of course, I knew exactly what Jennifer wanted to hear. I had seen this event multiple times, especially during my second and third ythroughs. I even rewatched the scene while tranting the dialogue to make sure I had it right. "I don¡¯t believe there is a glorious battlefield." That¡¯s the answer Jennifer was looking for. If Principal Abraham Winterfield had been present, he would have exploded with rage. "Hoh." Jennifer¡¯s eyes narrowed. Her lips curled into a smile as she watched me. Did she like my answer? It was an answer I had chosen knowing it would embarrass me either way¡ªwhether I got it right or wrong. At least if I got it right, the embarrassment would be worth it. Part of me was also curious to see what would happen if I gave a fourth, unlisted answer. "And why do you think that?" Jennifer asked again. "Because the battlefield is hell. There is no glory in hell. You may be honored for surviving, but the battlefield itself cannot be glorious." This world was still transitioning from the era of lined infantry formations to more modern warfare tactics, where troops stayed behind cover and fought from a distance. They had modern tanks and aircraft, but no precision-guided smart weapons. This was a world of barbed wire, trenches, and soldiers charging into machine gun fire, only to be shredded into pieces. Artillery shells and mortar fire rained down, and if you were unlucky enough to take a direct hit, there wouldn¡¯t even be a body left to recover. No-man''snd between the trenches was littered with the corpses of fallen soldiers. methrowers, poison gas,nd mines, machine guns¡­ weapons far too terrifying for any human to face head-on, yet with limited means to counter them effectively. The modern warfare of Earth was hell in its own way, but in this world, it was all-out, unrelenting war¡ªa different kind of hell. "¡­" Jennifer¡¯s expression softened slightly. She walked over to me, staring directly into my eyes. "¡­I see." She nodded, as if understanding something on her own.@@novelbin@@ "Yes, you¡¯re right. The battlefield is hell. The days of knights shing with swords are long gone." Even those old wars, where knights shed, were hell in their own way. "Take your seat." I sat back down, feeling the eyes of the other students on me, but I did my best to ignore them. "You cannot truly prepare for the battlefield. No matter how much I teach you, it¡¯s impossible to fully master survival. Out in the field, your actions will adapt to whatever keeps you alive." Jennifer¡¯s expression became more serious as she continued. "I don¡¯t know how many of you will be soldiers, but I do know that my role is to train those of you who will. And the most important skill a soldier needs is the ability to survive any unforeseen trials." That¡¯s why she had us sparring from day one. She meant every word she said. She spoke as someone who had experienced the battlefield firsthand. "And today, you¡¯ll learn how to face such unforeseen challenges." Jennifer¡¯s smile returned, bright and wide. With the ir of a showman introducing the cast, she spread her arms dramatically. "Today, your sparring opponents will be themoners of ss C." At that very moment, the students from ss C were emerging from the building, perfectly timed. They werete because Jennifer had spontaneously changed the schedule. Instead of taking away their lesson time, she had coordinated with another instructor to make sure both ss A and ss C had ovepping sessions. "¡­Instructor?" "What is it?" Jennifer responded, turning to a student who had raised their hand timidly. "Those kids¡­ they¡¯remoners, right?" "Yes, they are. Is that a problem?" The student, looking uneasy, nced at the approaching ss C students and asked again. "Commoners¡­ haven¡¯t they been trained in less formal schools? Can they really pose a challenge to us?" A few students chuckled quietly at that remark. "Hoh." Jennifer seemed amused. "Is that so? Even though Princess Sylvia here doesn¡¯t wield any ¡®formal¡¯ weaponry?" "¡­" Jennifer¡¯s sarcastic tone silenced the ss instantly. That¡¯s right. Very fewmoners had formal training in swordsmanship, spear fighting, or magic. In other words, most of them used weapons that required little formal training to operate. As the ss C students came closer, it became clear what they were carrying. Most of them had rifles or hunting shotguns strapped to their backs. Though many of them were civilian models rather than military-grade¡ª "¡­" That was more than enough to shut the noble students up. Chapter 38 There are bears in this world. But they aren¡¯t the bears people from Earth might imagine. Oh, sure, Earth bears are dangerous too. They can tear a person apart. If you get shed in the stomach by one of their ws, your guts would spill out onto the ground, and the bear would eat them with pleasure. There are simrly dangerous animals like elephants and rhinos, and then there are predators like lions and tigers. In this world, they¡¯re called by the same names: ¡°bear,¡± ¡°lion,¡± ¡°elephant,¡± and so on. The bestiary in the game even uses the same terminology, but... Well, it¡¯s debatable whether the animals I know from Earth and these creatures can really be considered the same. For starters, the fur colors are different. On Earth, bearse in brown, ck, or white. Here, though, they have a much more colorful variety: red, blue, green, and brown. Their ws, too, are different. If you¡¯re imagining regr bear ws made of tough keratin, think again. The ws on these bears can be as hard as ice, constantly engulfed in fire, cause gusts of wind strong enough to send a person flying, or even strike the ground to create localized earthquakes. These bears can perform attacks no ordinary animal could ever dream of. Lions, tigers, elephants, and rhinos in this world have simr abilities. In fact, the only animal here that resembles an ordinary Earth creature might be the horse, but even that has its quirks¡ªwild horses in this world often have manes that are literally on fire. And yet, somehow, humanity has survived in a world ruled by such insane beasts and managed to be the dominant species. It¡¯s not too surprising, though, when you consider that the first Emperor supposedlymanded a pack of griffins with his bare hands. That¡¯s why civilian firearms aren¡¯t to be underestimated in this world. Shotguns and rifles are used to hunt these terrifying monsters. Some people even make a living by selling the materials they harvest from these creatures. They use massive shotguns loaded with slug rounds that can shatter a bear¡¯s skull, or rifles with calibers farrger than those used by standard military equipment. Mages, too, have learnedbat magic purely for survival. ¡°...Instructor!¡± Still, even if one has lived as a noble, it¡¯s impossible to bepletely ignorant of these facts. After all, nobles eat meat too, and it¡¯s not like they don¡¯t have mounted trophies decorating their walls. ¡°How can they point shotguns at us?! This is an insult! Using guns meant for hunting animals¡­!¡± Surprisingly, the developers must have drawn inspiration from real-world history when writing this scene. It reminds me of how, during World War I, Europeans were horrified by American soldiers using shotguns in the trenches. Simrly, American soldiers found it unsettling to face Germans wielding submachine guns, which they saw as "gangster weapons." But, as unsettling as it might be, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that shotguns and submachine guns were incredibly effective in close-quarters trench warfare. When there¡¯s no time to aim, being able to quickly pull the trigger or spray bullets can make the difference between life and death.@@novelbin@@ That¡¯s probably why Jennifer has us fightingmoners today. She¡¯s fought against warlords who didn¡¯t care whether their enemies were nobles ormoners, and they certainly didn¡¯t care about honor or fairness. "Do you think humans are different from animals?" Jennifer asked calmly, turning to the noble student who had raised theint. "Whether it¡¯s a human or an animal, both will bleed and die when shot. Just because you¡¯re human doesn¡¯t mean a shotgun pellet will miss you. I¡¯ll say it again: there is no honor or glory on the battlefield. In the mud-filled trenches, all that¡¯s left is a desperate, filthy creature trying to survive.¡± As she said this, Jennifer¡¯s lips curled into a smirk. ¡°Or, if you prefer, we could ask our princess for her opinion. Sylvia?¡± Why me? I hadn¡¯t said a word¡ªoh, wait. It looks like I was the only one who hadn¡¯t said anything. The other noble students, even Leo, Charlotte, and Alice, had all shown some degree of difort. I was the only one who remained calm. Well, ire was calm too, but she likely understood the darker side of humanity. ¡°What do you think, then? Will you object to your enemy using a shotgun? Will you demand they fight you with an ¡®honorable¡¯ weapon?¡± Jennifer¡¯s asking me because she knows I won¡¯t say anything like that. She knows I won¡¯tin about something as trivial as that. I¡¯ve assassinated a count before, after all. I didn¡¯t challenge him to a duel; I just nted a bomb under his carriage. That¡¯s hardly the ¡°noble¡± way to do things. Nobles are supposed to duel honorably, not blow their opponents to pieces. I¡¯m not sure if Jennifer knows about all that, but she seems to trust me in a strange way. She must see me as a soldier. Has she heard that I was meant to go to the front lines? "Can we get our hands on shotguns or submachine guns?" I asked. A murmur rippled through the crowd. Everyone was used to thinking of pistols and rifles as necessary tools for the battlefield, so no one questioned their use. Even if they whispered among themselves about howmoners weren¡¯t formally trained, no one was brazen enough to use them of being dishonorable to their faces. "Of course. The most important thing on the battlefield is being prepared. I¡¯ll give you the chance to choose your weapons before the fight. Rifles, pistols, hunting shotguns¡ªtake your pick." "Thank you." Jennifer smiled, clearly pleased with my response. She was pretty, in that way all video game characters tend to be, but honestly, her words made her seem a bit unhinged. Well, she had seen the horrors of war, so I guess it¡¯s understandable. The sparring match was set up like a team battle, but that didn¡¯t mean the noble students would automatically be on the same team. While it would¡¯ve been interesting to see us work together as a squad of fifteen, some nobles still felt ufortable with the idea of wielding shotguns on the battlefield. Maybe their opinions would change after a few years at the academy, but right now, many of the new students seemed to consider using shotguns to be dishonorable. "¡­" The group around me didn¡¯t look particrly enthusiastic either. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to use them, there¡¯s no need to force yourselves,¡± I said, noticing that even Alice and Charlotte, who usually treated me fairly, seemed displeased. ¡°If you¡¯re unfamiliar with the weapon, there¡¯s a higher chance of making mistakes. No matter how easy a weapon might seem to use, it takes time to get used to it.¡± As I spoke, I loaded a shotgun with shells. The M1889. Jennifer had provided this shotgun, which was the standard issue for the Winterfield family''s soldiers up north. It looked like a trench gun used by American soldiers in World War I, with a perforated heat shield and a bay lug. Knowing this game¡¯s developers, they probably just took the trench gun¡¯s design and pped a new name on it. It held five shells in the tubr magazine and one more in the chamber, for a total of six rounds. Although my main weapons were a rifle and revolver, I knew how to use a shotgun. I had practiced with it plenty of times¡ªthough I spent more time practicing reloading than actual shooting. To be fair, shotguns had some of the coolest reload mechanics in modern firearms. ¡°Alright,¡± Alice finally said as I finished loading the shotgun. She had been quietly observing but now spoke up. ¡°Teach me how to use it.¡± All eyes turned to Alice. ¡°As long as I know how to fire it, I can make use of it, right? If nothing else, it should be effective for dealing with enemies up close.¡± "¡­" I watched her for a moment before grabbing a double-barrel shotgun from nearby. I loaded two shells into the barrels and handed it to her. "Both barrels are loaded. Just aim the muzzle at the enemy and pull the trigger." It had two triggers, but she could easily fire both barrels in quick session. It was ideal for immediate close-rangebat. "Once you¡¯ve fired both shots, feel free to drop the gun and draw your sword." If she fired both barrels, the enemy would likely be close enough for her to switch to meleebat. And Alice knew how to wield her sword. If she could get close enough, she¡¯d be fine. If things went south, I could always reset the timeline and try again, adjusting our strategy little by little. ¡°Anyone else?¡± I asked, looking around. "Ugh, fine," Leo muttered under his breath. "ire, just¡­ don¡¯t tell my father about this." "Do you think I¡¯d rat you out?" ire replied cheerfully, though Leo shot her a skeptical look. ¡­She¡¯s definitely told him things before. "Princess¡ª" "Call me by my name. We¡¯re in the field now, not the ssroom. Using titles could lead to confusion." That made sense, especially since we had two princesses on our team. Not to mention others with simr titles. "Sylvia. I¡¯d appreciate it if you could teach me as well," Leo said. I handed him a shotgun identical to the one I had given Alice. ¡°You heard the exnation, so I won¡¯t repeat it. Don¡¯t bother reloading in the middle of a fight. If you have the chance to switch to your sword, do it. None of you have been trained as soldiers, so don¡¯t waste time fumbling with the gun.¡± Leo nodded, his expression tense. Thesemoners may have been from humble backgrounds, but the fact that they were enrolled in this academy meant they had skills. For all I knew, some of them might be better shots than me. After all, I didn¡¯t have much experience with live-fire exercises. But, well, I could always reset if things didn¡¯t go as nned. "Me too!" ire chirped, her voice as lively as ever. I wordlessly handed her a shotgun. There were submachine guns as well, but they¡¯d be awkward to use unless someone was already familiar with them. The shotgun was much more straightforward, and smaller too,pared to the bulkier submachine guns. If the shotgun didn¡¯t work out, I could always hand out the SMGster. "¡­" Now, everyone had a shotgun, and we all turned to look at Charlotte. "¡­" She was clearly ufortable under our gazes, shifting her eyes away before finally groaning in exasperation. "Ugh, fine!" Reluctantly, she reached out to take a shotgun. Cute, really. It was little moments like these that made her such a popr character in the game. Maybe I should take a page from her book. Chapter 39 Seeing Alice, the Grace siblings, and Charlotte all strapped with firearms by their sides was quite a sight. One of the defining features of JRPGs is that you can''t just switch weapons freely. It''s not that you can¡¯t swap weapons like in an FPS; it¡¯s more that each character has a fixed weapon type, and they literally can''t equip anything else. There are several reasons for this. It could be to conserve resources, reduce the number of motion and skill animations required, or to prevent yers from getting confused about party members'' equipment. Whatever the reason, in the original game, you couldn¡¯t have characters wielding weapons outside of their specific type. Then again, if this were the original game, this type of battle wouldn¡¯t be happening at all. It¡¯s not like we could actually dig trenches into the academy¡¯s sports field. So, we had to make do with some sandbags stacked slightly higher than the ground as cover. It wasn¡¯t the most authentic ¡°battlefield¡± setup, but... what could we do? The instructor wanted it this way, so we followed orders. In the game,bat was turn-based, and even if you were shot, it only took off some HP, rather than being an instant kill. Sure, it was far from reality, but JRPGs have certain rules they follow. However, here we could break some of those rules¡ªlike giving firearms to characters who traditionally fought with swords. Jennifer was watching us from a tform above, observing the chaos below. I suppose she was up there to monitor and call out who got shot. Forty-five students in total, counting both sses. Would this really be okay? In the game, the turn-based system kept things under control, but here¡­ Well, whatever. It wasn¡¯t my problem. The instructor would handle it, and I had other things to worry about. ¡°For now, I¡¯ll cover you when you run. Make sure to run in a zigzag pattern, and do it fast. If you run straight, you¡¯ll be dered dead for sure,¡± I advised. Everyone nodded silently. Not many of the noble students had experience with firearms. I was one of the few who did, and it seemed that the others trusted me because of it. Technically, the battle had already started. But no one dared move. The first person to poke their head out would likely be shot. Still, I wasn¡¯t too concerned. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be moving?¡± Alice whispered from beside me. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I replied calmly. It really was fine. After all¡ª ¡°Charge!¡± ¡ªthere were idiots for that. This wasn¡¯t a game where everything followed one person''s point of view. Sometimes, the perspective shifted to supporting characters or even NPCs. And I knew there were always a few students like that¡ªthe ones who thought staying behind cover was dishonorable. In the game, these characters were portrayed as the type who believed it was unworthy to remain behind defenses and not charge forward. Of course, they only felt safe charging because they knew this wasn¡¯t a real battlefield. No one would die here, so they figured they might as well show off their ¡°honor.¡± That didn¡¯t mean they werepletely reckless, though. They wouldn¡¯t just run headlong into enemy fire. Bang! The sound of a gunshot echoed across the field, and I saw Alice flinch, her eyes widening in surprise. It wasn¡¯t as loud as a real gunshot. They must¡¯ve used a much smaller amount of powder to avoid idents with blocked barrels. But it was still enough to make noise, and there were small holes drilled in the barrel just in case. If anyone got injured, it would probably just be a minor burn. ¡°Mackenzie, eliminated!¡± ...Yup, eliminated in one shot. ¡°They¡¯re using nks. You don¡¯t need to worry too much,¡± I reassured Alice as I carefully rose from my position. I moved just enough to peek without making myself too obvious. Bang! The rifle in my hand roared, the stock nudging my shoulder slightly. ¡°James, eliminated!¡± Amoner student who had poked his head out from behind the sandbags fell back, marked as eliminated. Bang! ¡°Sylvia, eliminated!¡± Great, so they¡¯re shooting from over there, huh? I memorized the direction the shot hade from. Reset. Bang! Click. Bang! Two shots, and I took out two targets. ¡°Sylvia, eliminated!¡± But then a return shot hit me. It wasn¡¯t just me¡ªonce the gunfire started, the students from ss B quickly returned fire, turning the field into a chaotic battleground. Jennifer called out eliminations one after another, as more and more students dropped behind their makeshift trenches. I made sure to memorize every spot where someone had popped up.@@novelbin@@ Reset. ¡°I¡¯ll cover you. Run now!¡± I shouted, pulling the bolt on my rifle and firing in quick session. Bang! Without even confirming the hit, I pulled the bolt again, swung my rifle in another direction, and fired again. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alice sprint from behind the sandbags, holding her double-barreled shotgun in one hand and her sword in the other, running at full speed. She zigzagged across the field just as I had instructed, making it difficult for themoner students tond a hit. But¡ª Bang! ¡°Alice, eliminated!¡± Difficult didn¡¯t mean impossible. Alice turned to me with a frustrated expression¡ª Reset. The Ergenson rifle holds five rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber. Unlike other rifles that use a clip, this one requires you to open a side panel to load the rounds, making the process slower and less stable. There¡¯s a speed loader, but it¡¯s still not as reliable as other bolt-action rifles where you can feel the rounds click into ce. If more of my teammates were proficient with rifles, I might¡¯ve spent more time reloading and firing methodically. But¡­ ¡°Charlotte, eliminated!¡± Unfortunately, none of my teammates were skilled enough with firearms to make a difference. We had more targets, and we were managing to hold them off for the moment, but it was only a matter of time before they hit back. Still, I was getting closer. I had stashed several Ergenson rifles behind the sandbags. I knew this situation wasing. Jennifer¡¯s rule of ¡°prepare as much as you want; it¡¯s all up to your own judgment¡± allowed me to stockpile as many guns as I wanted without her interference. Of course, it would¡¯ve been more efficient if we just had more six-shot rifles and soldiers who knew how to use them. This was exhausting. At least we were making progress. We were almost at the enemy lines, but getting eliminated just before reaching them was bing a pattern. ¡°Once you get closer, feel free to use your firearms. Just point the barrel at the enemy and fire,¡± I reminded my team before the next round. But¡ª ¡°Eliminated!¡± ¡ªwhile we managed to take down a few more opponents, we still got eliminated. "¡­" In the original game, this scene yed out as a scripted event. The key difference was that in the original, Mia Crowfield was the one who used magic. I looked to my side. Mia Crowfield was still crouched behind the sandbags, gripping her magic staff tightly. It seemed like everyone else had charged ahead, leaving her behind. Hmm. Well, it¡¯s worth a shot. Reset. Before handing out shotguns to my team, I stood up and walked confidently toward where the other noble students were gathered. ¡°Sylvia?¡± Alice called out my name in surprise as I headed straight toward Mia Crowfield, but I ignored her and kept walking. I acted as if there was nothing wrong. Even if Mia rejected me, I could always turn back time and try again. I had already shared the truth with Mia once. I wasn¡¯t afraid to make a simple request. The nobles gathered around Mia parted as I approached. Being a princess, even in name, certainly had its advantages. Mia turned, startled by the sound of my approach, and took a step back. ¡°Lady Crowfield,¡± I called to her. ¡°Ah, uh, wh-what do you want¡­?¡± This was the same Mia Crowfield who had red at me with murderous intent in the student council room, but now she seemed more timid. When she had faced me back then, it was out of a loss of control¡ªher emotions had overwhelmed her. But I hadn¡¯t reacted, and now she seemed unsure of herself. She probably thought she¡¯d made a mistake back then. Even if she hated me, it didn¡¯t matter. Mia Crowfield had already said she intended to join the student council if I did. If she ever saw an opportunity, she¡¯d try to kill me or at least bring me down. She¡¯d likely fail, but she¡¯d keep trying. For now, she was trying to stay close to me. Regardless of her personal feelings, I had to make the offer. ¡°We could use your help. Would you assist us?¡± There was a collective gasp from the students around us. Was it really that strange for me to ask for help? I suppose it might have been. I¡¯d never asked any of the students for anything before. I had always maintained my image as the aloof beauty, too self-sufficient to need assistance from anyone. But right now, I needed her help. In the original game, the protagonist¡¯s party seeded here thanks to Mia¡¯s assistance. It wasn¡¯t necessarily about her abilities¡ªit was about recreating the event. Without her, this scene couldn¡¯t unfold properly. ¡°My help¡­?¡± Mia blinked, looking at me in surprise. She looked like a typical cute heroine, with her long bangs framing her face. In the original game, I wasn¡¯t around, nor was ire. Leo¡¯s interactions with other characters were varied¡ªhe could grow closer to Alice, or Mia might align with him out of rivalry with Alice. But because ire and I were here, the dynamics had changed, leaving Leo with a different group. That meant Mia Crowfield¡¯s involvement was missing from this event, and because of that, we were struggling. "¡­" Mia seemed to be deep in thought, and I could feel the students¡¯ eyes on us. I ignored them, focusing solely on Mia. Would she refuse me? Would she mock me for asking? Would she relish in my failure? Her expression from earlier didn¡¯t suggest she would, but maybe she¡¯d just been too overwhelmed by the situation to show it. ¡°...What kind of help do you need?¡± Mia finally asked. ¡°We need light,¡± I replied sinctly. In the original game, Mia came up with this idea on her own. But by now, Leo would¡¯ve been eliminated, so I had to prompt her instead. ¡°I need you to create the strongest light you can. Is that possible?¡± Chapter 40 The battle system in the original game was typical of your standard JRPG. Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean it was identical to other games. The developers had their own unique spin on turn-basedbat, making the game distinct in some ways. However, the turn-based system imposed significant limitations on how certain scenes could be portrayed. For example, it was difficult to representrge-scale battlefields effectively. If the genre had been SRPG, it might have been easier to depict something like trench warfare from World War I, where moving between trenches and taking cover yed a central role. There were actually games that tried to convey that atmosphere. But this series stuck to its traditional JRPG roots, which meant there were inherent challenges when trying to stageplex battle sequences. So, what did the developers do to work around that? They came up with a system of ¡°consecutive battles.¡± After each battle, a cutscene would y beforeunching into the next fight. Win three battles in a row, and you''d capture the temporary trenches. Lose a battle, and you''d be disqualified. The only downside to losing was that you wouldn''t receive the reward items. Those items were useful, but only for the early stages of the game, so their importance was rtively low. Still, it bothered me to think of someone else taking what should be mine. In the game, all those rewards were rightfully mine. Not that I¡¯de to this world by choice. More importantly, I had an image to uphold. I had cultivated the reputation of someone capable of handling any challenge. I didn¡¯t want anyone thinking, "Well, it looks like there are things even she can¡¯t do." ...Perhaps it would¡¯ve been better to go for the "I just don¡¯t do things I find tedious" approach? There were also several other things I wanted to verify. Specifically, I was curious about how ¡°system-generated¡± items would manifest in reality¡ªthings like the message saying, ¡°You received [item] as a reward.¡± There was no status window in this world, after all. While I had already learned that things restricted by the system could be done in reality, I still needed to know how ¡°system-controlled¡± elements functioned here. To find out, I needed to win this battle. ¡°Light...?¡± Mia Crowfield hesitated for a moment, seemingly trying to understand my intent, before finally grasping my meaning. ¡°But if you cast a light that bright, wouldn¡¯t it blind your own side as well?¡± she asked, skepticismcing her voice. It was a fair point. Light, by its nature, doesn¡¯t discriminate between allies and enemies. If someone couldn¡¯t see it, it would mean there was something seriously wrong with their nervous system or brain. There were magic spells that could induce hallucinations, but nothing that could selectively affect dozens of people over arge area. At least, I had never encountered such magic during my ythroughs of the game. ...Though I had seen spells where a giant hand appeared from the sky to shootsers. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Mia took a step back as I continued to stare at her. In the game, spells like that were just shy visual effects¡ªlike something out of the Super Robot Wars series. You could use those techniques anywhere, whether indoors or outdoors, without any real-world limitations. But here in reality, how would such spells behave? That was something I¡¯d need to investigate eventually. And I had to remember that, if things went wrong, that spell could end up backfiring on me. ¡°Can you do it?¡± She had to be able to. It was possible in the original game. While Mia¡¯s specialty was ice and water magic, that didn¡¯t mean she was incapable of casting other types of spells. In the game, there were ¡°basic spells¡± and ¡°extra spells¡± that required special equipment to cast. Her specialty spells weren¡¯t inherently stronger, but having those basic spells gave her more versatility. Plus, her base ¡°magic attack power¡± was exceptionally high. Any character could technically use those spells if equipped with the right items, but without them, their magic damage and effects were greatly reduced. At this point, Mia Crowfield was the only character capable of casting the necessary spells. ¡°...¡± She didn¡¯t seem too pleased with my silent insistence, but eventually, Mia nodded. Good. That¡¯s what I wanted. Despite her hostility in the student council room, Mia had said she¡¯d join the council if I did. It wasn¡¯t about friendship; being close to me meant she could gather evidence that I had killed her father, or take her chance at revenge if one presented itself. There was no point in trying to exin her father¡¯s crimes now. I had already attempted it once. Even if I told her calmly in private, she wouldn¡¯t believe that her father had been a drug addict and a pedophile. I¡¯d have to give her time toe to terms with it herself. ¡°But this magic staff...¡± ¡°It¡¯s not meant for killing. Just send the brightest light as far as you can. That will be enough.¡± ¡°...¡± In the original game, the characters all charged forward blindly, managing to seed, but Leo and Jennifer had bothmented afterward, saying, ¡°You pulled it off, but never try that in realbat.¡± But what if I were involved this time? What if it wasn¡¯t luck, but a calcted strategy? Of course, my n still relied heavily on chance. But to the enemy, it would look like fate. I nced over at Jennifer, who was observing me intently. Her expression was one of clear interest. It seemed I had caught her attention since ourst training session. Jennifer had likely heard the rumors about the emperor¡¯s children and the suspicions surrounding the death of Count Crowfield. ¡°All right, this way.¡± I turned and made my way back to my group. A momentter, I heard Mia Crowfield hesitantly following behind me. No one tried to stop her from leaving. It seemed I was intimidating enough. Or maybe Mia had just never really fit in with the others. ¡°So, that¡¯s the n,¡± Alice said with a serious expression. ¡°But what about you? You won¡¯t be able to aim properly if you can¡¯t see.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll provide cover fire.¡± ¡°...Are you sure you won¡¯t hit us by ident?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°...Well, okay.¡± Alice, who had no doubts about my abilities, eventually agreed. ¡°But still, how will you manage without being able to see...?¡± ¡°Sylvia says it¡¯ll work,¡± ire cut off Leo¡¯s skeptical question. ...That was originally your idea, Leo. Though back then, you didn¡¯t have someone promising to provide covering fire from behind. ire seemed to have absolute faith in my abilities¡ªalmost to the point of religious devotion. But I¡¯ll put that aside for now. Charlotte, meanwhile, was giving me a narrow-eyed look. Her gaze was filled with a mix of suspicion and certainty. She must have heard something from her father. ¡°I¡¯ll go along with it. We don¡¯t have any better options,¡± Charlotte finally said. ¡°So, when do we move out?¡± Alice asked after confirming everyone was on board. ¡°The timing is¡ª¡± Just as I was about to exin, a loud shout interrupted me. ¡°Charge!¡± The noise came from the group that Mia had just left. ¡°Now,¡± I said, turning to Mia. She looked startled but quickly began chanting her spell¡ª ¡°Mia Crowfield! Eliminated!¡± ¡ªonly to be shot before she could finish. ...Reset. ¡°Now!¡± I called out, immediately standing and taking aim. I fired a shot at one of themoner students, whose head was poking out from behind cover. ¡°Rukshina!¡± Light! Hearing the magical incantation in both the game¡¯s originalnguage and human speech was surreal. Come to think of it, this was the first time I¡¯d seen magic being used up close since arriving in this world. My vision went white for a moment, and then I saw a massive ball of light soaring through the air. It wasn¡¯t quite like a shbang¡ªmore like staring directly at an incredibly bright spotlight. It was like facing the high beams of an oing car. The key difference was that the light spread out in all directions. The enemy¡¯s visibility was just as bad as ours, but even from our side, we couldn¡¯t make out the silhouettes of the people on the other side. I heard Alice, Charlotte, ire, and Leo vault over the sandbags, each armed with a shotgun. Well, then. The operation had begun. Now it was time for me to do my part. With quick, practiced movements, I pulled back the bolt on my rifle, ejecting the spent cartridge and chambering a new round. The process felt almost natural. I already had a mental map of where the enemy had been stationed. Click! Of course, hitting them was another matter. I pulled the trigger, but there was no cry of ¡°eliminated!¡± from the other side. In that case¡ª Reset! By the time I vaulted over the sandbags, the others who had charged earlier were already out of sight. Not that they had gone far. The blinding light in the sky had made it impossible to see more than a few feet ahead. Despite Mia¡¯s mixed feelings about me, she had followed my instructions perfectly, casting the light spell multiple times as I requested. During that time, I had shot down several enemies. Seven? Eight? I wasn¡¯t sure. It had all happened so quickly. But I¡¯d gone through at least six rifles, switching each time I ran out of bullets. Before I took off running, I turned to Mia. ¡°Stay here and cast the spell one more time.¡± Her face was stiff, but she nodded. She would probably follow through. But even if she didn¡¯t, I had my own backup ns. By now, the others should have reached the enemy¡¯s trenches. With that in mind, I sprinted forward, vaulting over the sandbags. ¡°Ah!¡± And promptly tripped. ¡°...¡± For a moment, I was sure the entire battlefield had gone silent.@@novelbin@@ No, it couldn¡¯t be. That was just my imagination. Still... it felt like both Jennifer up on her perch and Mia behind me had seen the whole thing. How embarrassing. Reset! This time, I didn¡¯t trip. I noticed a small stone in front of the sandbags¡ªa stone I had probably tripped over earlier. Good. Feeling confident that I had cleared the sandbags with style, I immediately began running. I kept my eyes down, avoiding the blinding light overhead, zigzagging as I sprinted across the battlefield. So far, there had been no return fire. Some of the other noble students had probably made it over by now. I could hear footsteps and the sound of weapons shing, so it seemed like themoner students were in a state of panic. After running for a while, I spotted another line of sandbags, illuminated by the overly bright light that still filled the air. Putting all my strength into it, I dove behind the sandbags. TL NOTE: Please don''t skimp on the stars for the trantion - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~! If you want to buy me a /kimsu Chapter 41 In the end, we won. More than a third of the nobles'' side were dered "dead," but none of the people in my group were. In fact, it wouldn¡¯t have been surprising if more than half had been eliminated, but we managed to keep it down to a third,rgely thanks to the magic that Mia Crowfield had cast. Themoners were thrown into confusion by the sudden appearance of the blinding ball of light flying overhead. Even though they knew rationally that no truly dangerous magic would be used in this scenario, seeing it with their own eyes was an entirely different experience. Moreover, the magic wasn¡¯t just for show¡ªit had a real effect by impairing their vision. As a result, most of themoners who were taken out by gunfire were those who had charged in early on. Of course, if they had been holding only swords when they jumped over the sandbags, more of them would have been eliminated. But the members of my group were all carrying shotguns. The double-barrel shotguns we carried only had two rounds, but they were simple to fire, no need to pump between shots. Taking down an opponent right in front of you wasn¡¯t difficult. Once they fired, they would have drawn their swords immediately, and themoners would have been even more startled. Baybat isn¡¯t just about swordsmanship¡ªit¡¯s the fear of being shed and the terror thates with someone charging at you, weapon in hand. There was also the stereotype that nobles were skilled with swords, which would have contributed to themoners'' intimidation. All in all, it wasn¡¯t too hard for them to deal with the psychologically shakenmoners. By the time I crossed over the sandbags, the nobles had already gained the upper hand. I managed to take down two or three people, though not literally¡ªsince no one was actually hit by real bullets. It was all part of the mock battle. ¡°Your shooting was impressive,¡± Alice said after the battle was over. ¡°When we charged in, everyone was already hiding behind the sandbags. It seems they thought, ¡®if I stick my head out, I¡¯ll get shot.¡¯¡± To be honest, the fact that I already knew their positions helped a lot. And I had rewound time every time I missed or when one of my allies got hit. To them, it must have looked like I was wlessly taking people down one after another. ¡°Right,¡± I responded, nodding as Alice and I stood near themoners'' sandbags, chatting. ¡°But how exactly did you manage to hit anyone when the light was so blinding?¡± another voice interjected. It was Jennifer. Even though the light ball was made with magic, its range was limited. There was no way the entiremoners'' side was hidden by it. From her high vantage point on the tform, Jennifer could still see most of themoners, so she was able to call out when they were eliminated. But for Jennifer, watching me hit themoners with such uracy must have looked strange. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± she hummed, clearly expecting an exnation. The problem was, there was no way I could exin it. Telling her I could rewind time would be dangerous. While my ssmates mightugh it off as a joke, Jennifer wasn¡¯t the type to take things lightly. Even if she didn¡¯t immediately believe me, she would keep it in mind as a possibility and investigate further. Not just Jennifer¡ªneither the emperor nor my other siblings would take it lightly either. That¡¯s why I avoided telling anyone about my ability, even in jest. ¡°Well, no matter,¡± Jennifer said, crossing her arms and shrugging. ¡°Normally, I¡¯d have a word or two to say about executing such a risky n. From the outside, it looks like you were just charging in recklessly, relying on luck.¡± ...There really wasn¡¯t any other way to do it, though. It¡¯s not like we had mortars or artillery. Besides, the distance between us was far too short for that. While we called them ¡°trenches,¡± the situation was much closer to urbanbat. Jennifer had probably wanted to give us a taste of just how dangerous the battlefield could be. That was her conclusion in the original game too. "In war, even luck can determine the oue. Well done," she had said in the game. My memory of the exact wording was a bit hazy, but it was something like that. ¡°But your shooting¡­¡± Jennifer continued, eyeing me carefully. ¡°There¡¯s no way you were just firing blindly. It looked like you knew exactly where they would be. So, calling it ¡®luck¡¯ wouldn¡¯t be fair, would it?¡± It was luck, though. I had simply rewound time again and again, turning chance into certainty. Honestly, I probably fired more than just seven or eight bullets. Likely much more. Every time one of my allies was eliminated, I rewound time and fired in every direction that seemed like a good guess. This was another difference between practice and realbat. In this mock battle, without gunpowder, there was no way to hear where the shots wereing from. All I could do was rewind and pray that my shots would hit their mark. If that¡¯s not luck, what is? Of course, I had no desire to see my favorite characters get hurt or actually die in a real fight. ¡°Thanks to you, my whole n went up in smoke,¡± Jennifer said, ncing at themoners with a slightly exasperated expression. Her original intention had likely been to demonstrate that evenmoners could take down nobles with firearms, but with the way things yed out, the conclusion was that ¡°nobles could turn the situation around, even against the odds.¡± Especially since themoners had twice as many participants as the nobles. Among themoners, I spotted a few familiar faces¡ªcharacters who had eventually be part of the protagonist''s party in the original game. Some looked disheartened, but a few were watching us with interest. Maybe I¡¯ll strike up a conversation with themter. I didn¡¯t care whether they weremoners or nobles¡ªsome of my favorite characters weremoners, after all. ¡°Well, whatever. It¡¯s not likemoners can¡¯t be officers. If they think about it from that perspective, today¡¯s battle will be a valuable lesson. They¡¯ll learn that there are monsters on the battlefield with insane skills.¡± That much was true. In this world, there were plenty of people who could tear through battlefields with just a sword. ¡°In any case, those who lead their side to victory deserve a reward.¡± With that, Jennifer reached into her jacket pocket. Oh. It seemed that instead of the typical in-game notification of ¡°You received [item],¡± I was about to get my reward in person. It felt much more natural than having something just magically appear in my pocket. ¡°Here, take it.¡± What Jennifer handed me was a gemstone, carved like a marble, with the deep red color of a ruby. Marmaros. The name came from the Greek word for marble, and like its name, the gemstone glowed softly with a magical red light. Anyone could tell it was infused with magical energy. When I took the stone from Jennifer¡¯s palm, it was warm to the touch¡ªnot ufortably hot, but pleasantly warm, like a pocket warmer in the dead of winter. Though, of course, it was far too valuable to be used as a pocket warmer. Marmaros is a refined mana stone. Most mana stones have mixed elemental properties, making them difficult to use for specific purposes. Stones with too many conflicting properties are usually used as fuel, but asionally, you find one with almost pure elemental properties. These can be carefully refined and enhanced to safely channel magic, resulting in a marmaros. In the original game, it was used to modify weapons, adding elemental effects or boosting damage. It should work the same way here. ¡°This is a fire-element marmaros. It¡¯s yours now. Use it however you like.¡± I nodded in response. In thete game, marmaros stones became quitemon. You¡¯d even find ones with two or three different elemental properties, and they were just as powerful as single-element ones. Of course, those were typically dropped by high-level monsters, not mined from the earth. But for now, this one would be useful. In the game, time passed quickly, and you¡¯d hit thete game before you knew it. But here, in the real world, one year was still one year. ¡°If you want, I can introduce you to a skilled craftsman. You¡¯ll get your customized firearm back as well. Honestly, I¡¯m curious to see how you¡¯ll use that marmaros.¡± ...This wasn¡¯t in the original game. I had a good guess as to who the craftsman would be, though. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, giving a slight bow to Jennifer. ¡°So, what will you use it for? A gun, I assume?¡± Alice asked as we walked. ¡°Yes,¡± I replied. ¡°But I¡¯m still thinking about which firearm would be best.¡± I had noticed some differences between this world and the game. In the game, certain characters couldn¡¯t use firearms or swords, but here, they seemed to handle both easily. That made me think the bullets would follow real-world physics. In the game, you could slot a marmaros into a gun to add elemental effects to your shots. I¡¯m sure I could do the same here. But how exactly does a ¡°fire-element¡± bullet work? It didn¡¯t seem like simply heating up the bullet would make much difference¡ªthe bullet is already hot when it fires.@@novelbin@@ Then again, making it too hot would be problematic. An overheated barrel could lead to weapon failure, and on the battlefield, a broken gun equals death. Even though I can rewind time, I¡¯d rather not risk dying. Besides, I¡¯ve never actually died and rewound before. That first time? I¡¯m not even sure if I died or just passed out. So, unless absolutely necessary, I¡¯d avoid any situation where I might die. ¡°Absolutely necessary¡± would be if I died without even realizing it. It would be best not to create that situation at all. ¡°I¡¯ll take some time to think it over and figure out which gun would be most advantageous.¡± ¡°Well, you can reuse the marmaroster, right? So no need to worry too much,¡± Alice said. ...True. That¡¯s a relief. In the original game, you could always remove a marmaros and slot it into another weapon, so I guess it¡¯s the same here. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± We continued walking in silence for a while. There were six of us in the group¡ªme, Alice, ire, Leo, Charlotte, and Mia Crowfield. Mia had ended up tagging along, looking incredibly awkward. Her difort seemed to be contagious because the rest of us had fallen silent too. Nobles are usually good at reading the room, but¡ª ¡°Oh, right!¡± ire suddenly eximed, breaking the tension with a bright voice that didn¡¯t match the mood. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go to a cafe after ss? I found a ce with delicious parfaits the other day.¡± ¡°...Sure,¡± Alice quickly agreed, clearly relieved by the suggestion. ¡°Parfaits, huh? Lutetia has some excellent cafes, but... fine. It might be fun topare them to the ones in Rondarium.¡± The three of them then turned to look at me, Leo, and Mia Crowfield. ¡°...¡± For a moment, none of us said anything. Well, why not? I had no reason to refuse. These were all characters I liked, after all. Not going would be disrespectful to my inner otaku. Chapter 42 There''s a popr meme about British food being tasteless, but honestly, I don¡¯t entirely agree with it. Take ¡°Fish and Chips,¡± the first thing thates to mind when people think of British cuisine. I mean, it¡¯s abination of fried food and more fried food. It might get a bit greasy, but it¡¯s not tasteless. Of course, if someone doesn¡¯t like fish, that might be a different story. When I actually tried it, it tasted pretty decent. The problem is that this was something I ate in my previous life¡ªin other words, back in Korea. Even though the origin of the ingredients might differ slightly, I don¡¯t think the taste would be that different if you ate Fish and Chips in Britain. Sure, they might use a bit more oil, and the vinegar they sprinkle on top might change the vor a bit, but how much could it really differ when you¡¯re just frying fish coated in flour? Even if we put Fish and Chips aside, I¡¯ve heard there¡¯s plenty of other British food worth trying... or so they say. Honestly, it¡¯s not like anyone needs to defend British cuisine for me. It¡¯smon in the subcultures consumed by nerds to depict certain races or countries as stereotypes. To be fair, I thought British food fell into a simr case. The real issue is, this world isn¡¯t ¡°Korea¡± or ¡°Britain.¡± It¡¯s the ¡°Azerna Empire.¡± Right. This is a world that doesn¡¯t exist in reality. Well, actually, that¡¯s not quite urate. It would be more correct to say, ¡°a world that doesn¡¯t exist on Earth.¡± But here¡¯s the thing. The game series that features the ¡°Azerna Empire¡± is called the ¡°Azerna Chronicles,¡± and thepany that made this series is ¡°Millennium,¡± a Japanesepany. And when ites to ¡°foreign-made food¡± in Japanese subculture, British cuisine often makes an appearance. It¡¯s typically portrayed as either something that British people can¡¯t cook properly or as food that is practically inedible. And one of the inspirations for the Azerna Empire was the ¡°British Empire.¡± Even the setting draws from the Industrial Revolution era, a time when, except for the aristocracy, themon folk led rather wretched lives. That¡¯s right. Most of the food in the Azerna Empire was pretty bad. Ah, but the meat was generally good. If it was something like a steak¡ªjust grilled meat¡ªit turned out well. Desserts were also quite nice, and so were the tea and cookies served during teatime. But, of course, those are the kinds of things that only people with money can leisurely enjoy. When you pour money into something, it¡¯s bound to taste good. Sometimes, when I went out to get a better sense of the geography of Rondarium, I¡¯d buy food from street vendors or small shops. But when it came to cheap street food that cost only a few pence, most of it was barely fit for consumption. No, really. If you think of ¡°Fish and Chips,¡± you might imagine a crispy¡ªat worst, soggy¡ªfish fillet and some fries that are either crunchy or limp but still decent. But the Fish and Chips in this world? Yeah, that¡¯s not the case. Industrial Revolution. A time when everything shifted to mass production. The ¡°fish¡± in Fish and Chips¡ªusually cod¡ªwas caught in bulk with steam-powered ships. And the best way to handle all that fish at once? Toss it into boiling oil without much care. They took low-quality fish, almost spoiling, and fried it in equally low-quality oil. The flour coating wasn¡¯t so much to enhance the vor but to protect the fish from being soaked in the oil. That¡¯s what the Fish and Chips in this world were like. People usually peeled off the greasy batter and just ate the fish inside. Oh, and there¡¯s no boneless fillets like in fish cutlets. You have to pick out the bones yourself as you eat the nd white fish, which doesn¡¯t taste nearly as good as simply grilling it. It wasn¡¯t just Fish and Chips. Most of the food formoners in this world was made purely for survival. Have you ever had a sandwich made by toasting bread and then salting it before stuffing it between more slices of toast? I had the misfortune of trying that once. It tasted like dry, salty bread. I mean, who even thinks of selling something like that? It¡¯s one thing to make it, but to sell it? I hope to God that kind of food doesn¡¯t exist on Earth. After experiencing that firsthand, I¡¯ve stayed far away from moner food¡± in this world. There was curry from the colonies, but as someone with a deeply ingrained Korean pte, the unfamiliar spices just didn¡¯t sit well with me. At least there was ck pudding, which tasted somewhat like sundae (Korean blood sausage), and sauerkraut from the part of the Azerna Empire that was inspired by Germany, which suited my taste. But neither of those were main dishes. And they were both prizing foods, so I doubted the ¡°cool beauty¡± would like them. ¡°Ta-da!¡± ire, who had gone to get the drinks we ordered, returned with a dish that shattered my image of moner food.¡± Well, maybe it wouldn¡¯t exactly be consideredmoner food? It wasn¡¯t dirt cheap, but it wasn¡¯t priced for the nobility either. It was the kind of food amoner could afford if they were willing to splurge. Of course, their meals might be pretty meager for the following week. Then again, this wasn¡¯t exactly a poor neighborhood. At least in the Azerna Empire, this was one of the safest ces. It was a ss of tropical fruit¡ªlikely mangoyered with heaps of whipped cream, more fruit, then even more whipped cream, and finally topped with a variety of other fruits. In the ss, it almost looked like a cake. ¡°This is the specialty of this ce¡ªparfait!¡± It wasn¡¯t just one kind; there were several variations. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting much based on the price, but this is impressive,¡± Alice said, her voice filled with pure admiration. ¡°Right? I didn¡¯t expect much the first time either!¡± If any of the Azerna Empire¡¯s working ss had heard Alice and ire¡¯s conversation, they might have felt an overwhelming urge to revolt. This world¡¯s... proletariat, if you will, would find this dessert quite an expensive luxury. Of course, from a noble¡¯s perspective, it was certainly a cheap dish. Especially for Alice, a princess. ¡°It¡¯s splendid. It doesn¡¯t seem much different from what I saw back home,¡± Charlotte remarked, her expression showing a bit of anticipation. Well, ¡°parfait¡± is a French word, after all. It might be considered just a regr dessert in Belbur, the fictional nation with cultural motifs borrowed from both France and Belgium. ¡°But we won¡¯t know for sure until we taste it,¡± Charlotte added with a small smile of expectation. ¡°To be honest, the bread at the academy wasn¡¯t that great,¡± Charlotte added. ¡°Huh?¡± Alice¡¯s head whipped around. ¡°What¡­ You mean the food at the academy isn¡¯t good?¡± It wasn¡¯t just Alice; even ire, Leo, and, surprisingly, Mia Crowfield all stared at Charlotte in shock. ¡°Uh¡­ are you saying you actually liked that bread?¡± Charlotte asked, wide-eyed in disbelief. Alice, looking flustered by Charlotte¡¯s words, nced over at ire and Leo for confirmation. They both nodded. "It is good." In fact, it might even taste better than the bread I had back in Korea. Most of the bread I ate there came from convenience stores, after all. When bread is baked with care, of course, it¡¯s going to taste great. But Charlotte is from Belbur, the so-called ¡°Kingdom of Taste,¡± one of whose inspirations was France. France¡ªa country where even the process of making baguettes is enshrined inw. If the Azerna Empire is thend of meat, tea, and cookies, then the Kingdom of Belbur is thend of bread, wine, and chocte. Granted, the Azerna Empire¡¯s bread should be at the highest level too, especially considering that one of its inspirations is Great Britain, where baking has developed extensively. But it seemed like the game¡¯s creators wanted to give each country a distinct personality. So, officially, Belbur is where the best bread is made, and this fact was even mentioned in the game¡¯s lore. It¡¯s practicallymon knowledge in this world. "Hasn¡¯t Alice visited the Kingdom of Belbur before? Didn¡¯t you try their bread while you were there?" "Oh, uh, yeah, it was delicious. But just because one is amazing doesn¡¯t mean the other is bad, right? It¡¯s more like one is ¡®better.¡¯¡± "No, not at all. The bread in the Azerna Empire just doesn¡¯t taste good." By the way, as the name suggests, the word for ¡°bread¡± in this worldes from the Belburnguage. "Come on, both are good, but Belbur¡¯s is just better." It seemed Alice, being the imperial princess, wasn¡¯t about to back down easily. "Saying Belbur¡¯s bread is ¡®better¡¯ means that Azerna Empire¡¯s bread is ¡®worse,¡¯ and that implies the Empire¡¯s bread isn¡¯t as good. Honestly, objectively speaking, can you really call the food here delicious? All they do is grill, steam, or boil fresh ingredients, that¡¯s it." "W-What!?" Alice looked absolutely dumbfounded. "If we¡¯re going by that logic, isn¡¯t Belbur''s cuisine sinful for drowning the natural vor of the ingredients under wine? Don¡¯t you feel sorry for the cows who died only to have their taste ruined by wine!?" Belbur¡¯s cuisine is famous for its use of wine, even among themon folk. It¡¯s a country with such high wine production that even the poorest citizens can afford to use it in their cooking. Even in the Azerna Empire, Belbur wine is considered the finest by the nobility and royal family. "Belbur¡¯s wine is the best in the world, objectively speaking. Of course, dishes made with such ingredients would be the best, too. Besides, the dessert we¡¯re about to eat right now originates from the Kingdom of Belbur.¡± ¡°Urgh... Well, the Azerna Empire has plenty of delicious desserts too!¡± "But here we are, about to enjoy a dessert from Belbur instead of one from the Empire." "Well, you can¡¯t eat only food from the Azerna Empire, right?" "I¡¯d be just fine eating only Belbur cuisine." "No, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m trying to say...!¡± ¡°¡­Sister?" The heated debate between Alice and Charlotte abruptly stopped. Arguing about food is pointless, really. The only reason the British inspiration stands out is because of the game¡¯s setting, but the Azerna Empire also has a German influence. In this world, sausages are an Azerna Empire specialty. When people think of sausages, they think of the Azerna Empire. So, why get into such a heated debate over bread when sausage is right there? As long as it tastes good, what¡¯s the problem? ¡°¡­Sister, are you... smiling?" ire was the first to notice, her mouth agape. Then Leo followed, andstly, both Alice and Charlotte were equally stunned. Mia Crowfield looked like she wasn¡¯t quite following what was going on. ¡°¡­Sylvia?" ¡°Is... is the parfait that good?¡± Alice muttered my name in disbelief, while Charlotte, still shocked, asked me with wide eyes. Oh, it¡¯s good, alright. Having experienced the awfulmoner food in this world multiple times, I knew how to truly appreciate a meal.@@novelbin@@ It¡¯s not about arguing over good food. It¡¯s about humbly savoring it. If someone can eat a sweet and exquisite dessert and not smile, their taste buds must be dead, or they must be devoid of emotions. ¡­Though, I¡¯m not ready to show such an expression just yet. Smiling is something to be saved for truly important moments. Besides¡­ With a graceful, princess-like gesture, I picked up a napkin and wiped the whipped cream from my lips. After a small sigh, I murmured, ¡°Again.¡± Since we¡¯vee this far, I may as well savor all of the parfaits in front of me. Chapter 43 ...Alice has been reading my expressions more frequently. No, at this point, it¡¯s not just that it¡¯s increasing¡ªshe¡¯s practically reading my expressions as part of her daily routine. To be fair, it hasn''t been that long since she started doing this in earnest. When Alice saw me as a kind of petitor,¡± she wasn¡¯t particrly good at reading my facial cues. To be precise, it wasn¡¯t that she couldn¡¯t¡ªit was more that she just didn¡¯t care. Even if she was interested in me, she never showed much curiosity about what I did on a personal level. But at some point, she began to warm up to me. Now, she could even read my expressions with surprising uracy. If I had to pinpoint exactly when that ¡°moment¡± was¡­ It must have been during that three-way meeting. I already had a feeling we were growing closer before that. Maybe it was inevitable. After all, regardless of anything else, Alice and I are the same age, and I was the only peer she could really talk to in the pce. Some of the maids were around Alice¡¯s age, but... well, they were still just maids. And to be a maid in the pce, you had to be from at least an earl¡¯s family or higher. These kids knew all too well how far removed they were from a princess. Getting close to her as a friend? That was never going to happen. Alice herself didn¡¯t go out of her way to be friendly either. And more than anything, I always took a very gentle approach with Alice. She¡¯s a major heroine in the game, and since I spent the entire time ying looking at her face¡ªwell, her face was technically a mass of polygons, but still¡ªI felt a certain familiarity toward her. That attitude showed in how I treated her. Plus, I kind of felt bad for her. Even though ire, the person Alice always felt inferior to, was gone, I had popped up in her ce. I didn¡¯t tease her like ire did, but my abilities were nearly the same as ire¡¯s. Actually, considering how the emperor and others viewed me, Alice might even have seen me as an upgraded version of ire. If I also started teasing and looking down on her, it might have crushed Alice¡¯s spirit. Whether or not I¡¯m truly mature is beside the point. I just didn¡¯t feel the urge to bully a girl who¡¯s over ten years younger than me. I tried to boost Alice¡¯s confidence in little ways here and there. If she still felt distanced from me, that would¡¯ve been quite upsetting. Well, maybe not that upsetting, but¡­ ¡°Did you not sleep wellst night?¡±@@novelbin@@ ¡°...¡± How is she reading my expression so urately while asking me that with such a concerned face? It¡¯s strange, really, because I had checked my reflection in the mirror this morning, making sure I didn¡¯t look tired or worn out. I had perfected my neutral expression¡ªthis wasn¡¯t just some face I pulled out of habit. I had refined it over time, adjusting based on feedback from others until I had perfected an expressionless look. In other words, even I couldn¡¯t recognize my own expression sometimes, that¡¯s how neutral it was. So, how on earth is she reading me? ¡°Sylvia?¡± Alice¡¯s worried tone brought me back to the moment, and I wondered how I should respond. Her observation wasn¡¯t wrong. I had, after all, woken up at four this morning. I¡¯m a die-hard nerd at heart. In the past, I tried hard to deny it, but no matter how much I resisted, my hobbies always ended up reverting back to their original state. When I quit Japanese manga and anime, I moved on to Japanese and American dramas. When I stopped collecting figures, I started assembling stic models. Even when I tried to avoid nerdy games, I found myself buying and ying Western games. And eventually, I came full circle. I started with military models, then Gundam models, then finally back to collecting figurines and statues of anime characters. The same went for movies¡ªwhenever I bought Blu-rays, I somehow ended up buying animated movies, and then, before I knew it, I was purchasing TV and OVA anime Blu-rays. After living like this for about ten years, by the time I was thirty, I just gave up and epted my true nature. Not to mention, I spent seven of those ten years ying the Azerna Chronicles, so it¡¯s fair to say I never truly tried to escape in the first ce. Being a nerd, of course, I spent countless hours reading light novels and web novels. And naturally, I became familiar with themon tropes of reincarnated protagonists. You know the ones. A protagonist reincarnates as a side character or someone with little significance to the plot but ends up monopolizing all the fortuitous encounters and items meant for the main character, eventually surpassing the protagonist. I wasn¡¯t aiming for something like that. Leo, ire, Alice, Charlotte, and even Mia Crowfield... and the characters who hadn¡¯t yet joined the main party¡ªthey all held a special ce in my heart. I had no intention of stealing all the cool moments from those characters. My only goal was to ensure none of the main characters ended up dying. The problem is¡ª ¡°...You mean the request has already beenpleted?¡± ¡°Y-Yes. I¡¯m very sorry, Your Highness...¡± No need to apologize. It wasn¡¯t your fault. I turned my head and nced at the clock, leaving the trembling receptionist standing before me. Therge pendulum clock, powered by weights, showed it was 6 AM. That¡¯s right. Six in the morning. ¡°...As far as I know, working hours begin at 6 AM.¡± Indeed, the academy¡¯s staff were supposed to start working at 6 AM. Of course, not all staff members start at that time. There are those assigned to early morning shifts. And some positions, like the dormitory guards, have people working through the night. Today was Sunday. Yesterday and today were rest days. Naturally, there were no sses for the students. There were no sses, but there were still voluntary service activities. In this world, there¡¯s no adventurer¡¯s guild, like in typical fantasy novels. The Empire is a centralized, authoritarian nation ruled by the emperor, and the other kingdoms are structured simrly. While there are some ces with a nobility-based republic, they don¡¯t outsource security to adventurers either. This era was when the concept of ¡°nations¡± was beginning to take root. The argument Alice and Charlotte had on Friday was also an indicator that kids influenced by such ideas were starting to appear. And the best way to prove the superiority of your nation? Demonstrate how well its people live. Security is a key part of that. ...Though, as someone who grew up in an orphanage, I wouldn¡¯t call it great security. Still, for the middle ss and above, it was a decent country to live in. Anyway, there¡¯s no adventurer¡¯s guild. But they couldn¡¯tpletely get rid of the ¡°quest¡± feature that¡¯s a staple of RPGs. Thus, the ¡°volunteer service¡± system was created in this world. Students enrolled in the academy were strong, and there were still areas within the Empire with unstable security. Whether it was local back alleys or roads between cities, people and goods were sometimes harmed by wild beasts. Volunteer service activities were meant to prevent and resolve such issues. Of course, since it wouldn¡¯t make sense to provide no rewards for these quests, the people requesting help would give ¡°gifts of goodwill¡± as a form ofpensation. Having already received a reward from Jennifer in the past, I knew I could expect to be properlypensated forpleting these volunteer quests. ¡°A-About that¡­¡± But¡ª ¡°I usually arrive around 5:30 AM to prepare for my shift. But...¡± But, you see... ¡°There were some students already waiting outside, so I thought it was admirable...¡± ¡°...¡± So, they were here even before the 6 AM shift started. Theypleted the request and sat there, waiting. The diligent receptionist, who had arrived 30 minutes early to prepare for her shift, saw them and processed their reward. I slowly raised my hand and pressed my fingers to the bridge of my nose. It had been hard enough for me to wake up at 6 AM. But those crazy students hadpleted the task before that. ¡°Could you possibly tell me the names of the students?¡± The receptionist hurriedly began rummaging through the pile of documents on her desk. Technically, it¡¯s against protocol for her to reveal the personal information of students just because someone asks. But when a princess, clearly displeased, makes such a request, it¡¯s hard to say no. ¡°Well... it was Leo Grace and ire Grace.¡± ¡°...¡± Of course. I let out a quiet breath. ¡°...Again.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Again!¡± Six in the morning. Right. Six in the morning. That means they had alreadypleted the task and were waiting before then. The receptionist said they arrived 30 minutes early, so they must have finished the task before 5:30 AM. Sure, the volunteer service activities were supposed to start precisely today. The person who posted the request on the bulletin board must have done itst night during their shift. They probably pinned the request right before leaving. The requests were based on reports from citizens and government agencies, carefully selected to match what students could handle. So, if they wanted to bend the rules, they could have startedst night. But I didn¡¯t think Leo and ire would have gone so far as to cheat the system. Isn¡¯t ¡°fair and square¡± the motto of the Grace family? I was certain they had waited until the date changed before they started. And, honestly, it wasn¡¯t like the quest was urgent enough to stay up all night waiting for it. This is still the beginning of the main story. Side quests this early wouldn¡¯t affect the main plot too much. So, I had set my rm for 5 AM. I went to bed early, set my rm for 4:30 AM, woke up, prepared, and headed out. After all, I didn¡¯t want to ruin my image by looking disheveled after just waking up. But I failed to wake up. By the time I managed to crawl out of bed, it was already 4:50 AM. I was grateful that I kept my hair short, or else it would¡¯ve been even worse. I washed up as quickly as I could and sprinted out of the dormitory at full speed. Then I realized. The quest location was a good two hours away on foot. In the game, traveling between locations gets skipped over, and time doesn¡¯t pass unless an event is triggered. But in reality, things were different. The quest was located outside the city, where wild beasts were causing trouble. And of course, the capital city is enormous. Leo and ire had gotten up at the crack of dawn, hired a carriage, andpleted the quest. ...Why? Chapter 44 Honestly, I was curious. How do the protagonists manage to traverse the entire empire, seeing all the side quests and rtionship events, without running out of time? Of course, I never seriously questioned it by digging into the lore or anything like that. After all, there''s no such thing as a "second ythrough" in real life. From that perspective, the protagonist''s life is limited to a single ythrough, and during that single ythrough, it''s impossible for them toplete every rtionship quest. As for side quests, some are hidden, and if you forget to talk to the NPC at the right time, you miss them altogether. So, I had always just chalked it up to "game logic." Just like how in an FPS, characters don¡¯t die from a single bullet, or how they can walk around while shrugging off gunfire because of a bulletproof vest, RPGs also use a simplified concept of time so yers don¡¯t get overwhelmed. But what happens when you apply that logic to real life? In an FPS, the protagonist would be some kind of superhuman, dodging bullets while shooting down enemies left and right. You can die as many times as you want in a game, but not in reality. So what about the peculiar time logic of an RPG? The answer is simple: you cram everything into the avable time limit. In the game, weekends like this don¡¯te around often. If they implemented an actual "weekend every week," the game would be too long. In the first semester, there are about three key weekends spaced out between major events, and in the second semester, two weekends appear before the main storyline picks up and the characters start adventuring outside the academy. Each of those weekends has seven side quests: three in the morning, three in the afternoon, and one at night. The morning is, of course, the "morning." That¡¯s the time before lunch¡ªroughly from 7 AM to noon. During that period, you''re supposed toplete three quests. I mean, wouldn¡¯t it make more sense to have four in the afternoon and three in the morning? The morning hours are just too short! And it¡¯s not just the side quests. The "rtionship events" between characters also ovep with the "morning, afternoon, and night" time frames. Side quests are separate, but rtionship events take just as much time, requiring you to run errands, offer advice, train, study, or help with some task. Each event could take anywhere from several minutes to over an hour. With all that in mind, it makes sense to get a head start on side quests as early as possible, assuming you want toplete all the rtionship events too. But still... "Four in the morning...?" Four in the morning!? You were already out on the roads hunting beasts at that hour!? Are you crazy? And there were only two of them¡ªLeo and ire. Oh, right. The academy¡¯s 24-hour carriage service, which is known for being reliable, was mentioned in the game¡¯s lore. It runs between stations precisely on schedule without any detours or ambushes from bandits, so even the local residents use it sometimes¡ªthough they have to pay, unlike students. I guess they run it around the clock for crazy people like Leo and ire who want to get started before dawn. But I never expected there would actually be students taking it in the pitch-ck hours before sunrise. "Uh? Sylvia?" ire noticed me as soon as I arrived, right after they had defeated the target of the quest¡ªan Elemental Dog. Under the glow of the streetlights, I could clearly see the slightly dazed look on her face. "...Can I ask what exactly you''re doing here at this hour?" I tried my best to sound calm, hiding the fact that I had run here after getting off the carriage. "Uh, um..." Did I look angry? ire, looking a bit flustered, nced over at Leo. Leo shrugged, just as confused as she was. "Well," ire started hesitantly, "Leo and I were doing our morning training¡ª" "¡­Morning training?" "Ah, yeah." Even though I had interrupted her, ire didn¡¯t seem upset. She calmly continued exining. "We practice every morning¡ªmental conditioning and sword swings. It¡¯s a routine we stick to." "...Morning?" I looked up at the sky. It was starting to get brighter, sure. But it was still clearly nighttime. The sky had a slight bluish tint, but anyone could see that it was still more night than dawn. "Yeah, and?" ire tilted her head, puzzled. So, you¡¯re telling me you woke up at 4 AM... or earlier, really, if you were already doing mental conditioning and sword swings by then. And it must have taken some time to get here, considering our only mode of transportation is the academy carriage. I mean, you could have ridden a horse, but I doubted they had one. There was a stable at the academy, but few students had their own horses. There were cars too, but even fewer people used them. Plus, using a car inside the capital was still limited due to conflicts with the carriage drivers. Maybe they rode a bicycle? That could be possible, but I didn¡¯t see any bikes parked around. "Don¡¯t you get tired waking up and moving around so early in the night?" "Tired?" ire looked genuinely confused at my question. She nced back at Leo. Leo also wore a puzzled expression. ¡­A strange, cold feeling crept over me. No, it wasn¡¯t the chill of the early morning air. It was more like¡­ an unsettling realization. "Well... it¡¯s about our energy," ire said. "Keeping our bodies filled with clean energy is the first thing we learn in the Grace family. To use sword energy properly, we need to maintain a clear mind, and to do that, we can¡¯t afford to be tired. That¡¯s why we meditate and clear our minds of fatigue..." Leo added, speaking as if he were holding back from switching to formal speech. Energy? Clear mind? What are we, in some kind of martial arts fantasy? ... Oh. Right. I knew this. The setting of this world casually uses terms like "sword energy" and "presence." ire had already demonstrated her ability to release sword energy during our duel. Sword energy in the Age of Enlightenment... what a bizarre concept. But of course, there¡¯s also magic and mana stones in this world! Obviously! "......" That being said, I didn¡¯t realize their meditation had the actual effect of eliminating fatigue and sharpening their minds. I thought it was just self-hypnosis at best. "So, you¡¯re telling me," I asked, wanting to rify onest time, "that even if you don¡¯t get much sleep, you can meditate in the morning, get rid of your fatigue, and keep your mind sharp enough to wield sword energy properly?" "Yeah¡­?" Leo answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. So, I¡¯m the weird one here. I¡¯m the one who was mistaken. It¡¯s my fault for not expecting the main characters to actuallyplete all the side quests in the game world. "Um, Sylvia?" Wait, hold on. A cold sweat started running down my back. It must have been my imagination, but it felt like my body temperature had dropped by a couple of degrees. So, what about the other characters? When Leo, the protagonist, does side quests, he can only take six party members with him, including himself. Two of them are usually support characters. So what about the other characters? Do they alsoplete side quests on their own? What if the protagonist splits tasks with the others? "Sylvia? Are you okay? Are you feeling sick?" ire came closer, worried, when she saw me standing still, sweating. "..." I nced at ire for a moment, then¡­ Once again, I rewound time in my mind. I should get a driver¡¯s license. As I sat in the swaying carriage, I made a firm decision. I wasn¡¯t sure if there was even a system for getting a driver¡¯s license in this world, but whatever. I needed to learn how to drive. It seemed like the best option.@@novelbin@@ Horses need constant care from people. Sure, cars need maintenance too, but they¡¯re still easier than dealing with a living animal. And driving would be more convenient for me than riding a horse. Plus, I¡¯d have ess to it whenever I needed, unlike now. "..." Even though I couldn¡¯t hear what the coachman was saying up front, I could sense his difort from his posture. He was clearly not happy with this situation. I mean, why wouldn¡¯t he be? Important information about students gets passed around among the academy staff. They all know I¡¯m a princess. Naturally, he must have found it extremely ufortable to see me riding alone at this hour. Not that he¡¯d assume I was off to assassinate someone or anything like that. "..." But if you¡¯re a coachman and you see a high-ranking noble with a sour expression, arms crossed, staring ahead without a word, you¡¯d probably feel like you did something wrong. Of course, it wasn¡¯t his fault. I was just frustrated. "We¡¯ve arrived at the eastern road of the capital." "...Thank you." The coachman stopped the carriage, got down, and opened the door for me as he spoke. I stepped out and thanked him. "The next carriage won¡¯t arrive for another 30 minutes. Will you be alright?" "I¡¯ll be fine." Sensing something was off, he bowed quickly, climbed back up to his seat, and hurriedly rode away. "..." Watching the carriage disappear into the distance, I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out my pocket watch. The soft ticking of the watch sounded unusually loud in the stillness of the night. "Three-thirty," I murmured quietly, looking up at the sky. The moon shone brightly. ...Sigh. After letting out a deep breath, I slowly started walking. Well, fine. Let¡¯s just get this over with. At least I had gone to bed earlyst night and managed to get five hours of sleep. ... Maybe I should learn that meditation technique too. Elemental Dogs aren¡¯t particrly strong beasts. Despite being called "dogs," they¡¯rerger than wolves, and their fur color and elemental effects change depending on their attributes. Of course, those "effects" appear as real wind, fire, ice, or earth in this world, not just visual gimmicks like in the game. I had encountered these creatures several times already. They¡¯re good practice for target shooting. The quest request was simple: "An Elemental Dog has been spotted on the road, threatening travelers. Please deal with it." The Elemental Dog in front of me had green fur and seemed to be surrounded by wind. If I took it to Earth, I could probably sell it for a high price. But here, it was just anothermon beast. "...Sigh." Suddenly, I felt a wave of indifference wash over me. Was I really up this early just to kill this one thing? And I already knew what kind of monster it was going to be. "¡­Grrr." The Elemental Dog growled, keeping its distance as if it knew how dangerous a lone human could be. "..." Click. Without a word, I pulled back the bolt, loading a bullet into the chamber, and aimed at the dog. Chapter 45 The reason the academy runs carriages 24/7 and why there¡¯s always staff on duty to manage students'' weapons is exactly this: students may need to return home with their weapons at any time, even in the middle of the night. And it''s not just weapons. There are plenty of instances where students might need to pack up their belongings and leave abruptly. If a student suddenly has to pack up and return home in the middle of the night, it might seem like they''re running away. While that does happen on asion, more often than not, it¡¯s due to sudden, urgent matters rted to their family. For example, the head of the family, who had been bedridden, might pass away, forcing the student to return and take over the family. Or perhaps there¡¯s an emergency marriage that needs to be arranged quickly. In more extreme cases, the family might be drawn into a border conflict and need to deploy immediately. Noble society is full of unexpected variables, and since the academy isn''tpulsory, if a student has to leave, it¡¯s better for them to withdraw than stay. As a result, even though the academy epts a full roster of students every year, about 10% of them end up leaving for various reasons before graduation. ...And I ended up using that emergency system just to catch one Elemental Dog. ¡°...¡± Not that I¡¯ll face any real consequences for this. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll be penalized in any way for using the system like this. It¡¯s just... well... In hindsight, I wonder if I should have just bought the reward instead of going through all this trouble. For Leo and ire, it might be a bit harder. The Grace family isn¡¯t poor, but it¡¯s not like they could afford to waste money on unnecessary purchases. In the game, it was established that they were given "just enough" living expenses, so upgrading weapons without doing quests would be impossible. While you do earn money through the main quests alone, even if you don¡¯t do any side quests, it¡¯s not enough to fully equip all the characters with top-tier gear. In a first ythrough, unless you focus on outfitting only your primary characters, money management can be quite tight. After all, there are more things to spend money on than just weapons, armor, and Marmaros stones. But I¡¯m a princess. Couldn¡¯t I just send a letter to the emperor and ask for whatever I need? ...That thought just now crossed my mind. ¡°...¡± My backside felt a little cold. I stood up. I had been sitting on the corpse of the Elemental Dog, dragging it back here with me. As expected of a wind-element creature, its body was annoyingly cold. If it had been an ice-element creature, I wouldn¡¯t have even thought about sitting on it. It waste April, but the early mornings were still chilly. Even with my coat draped over my shoulders, a biting cold seeped through. ...Should I just wear the coat properly instead of draping it? ¡°...¡± I ced my hand on my chin and seriously considered it. But I dismissed the idea. Draping it over my shoulders looks cooler. I¡¯m not trying to be edgy or anything, but in this world, military personnel often wear their coats like this. Jennifer did it, and so did the other soldiers. So by this world¡¯s standards, it¡¯s thetest trend. It¡¯s better to follow the trend and look fashionable than to look uncool. Besides, the coat even had a strap at the front, like a cape, so it was clearly designed to be worn this way. Even in Japanese subculture, you often see navy officers from something like One Piece wearing their coats over their shoulders, right? It¡¯s amon look. As I continued to gaze down at the corpse of the Elemental Dog, which now had a hole in its head, I heard the sound of hooves approaching in the distance. ¡°Sylvia?¡± It was ire¡¯s surprised voice. I turned to see her looking out the window of the carriage, which had pulled up nearby. As soon as the carriage stopped, ire jumped out even before the coachman could open the door. ¡°What are you doing here at this hour?¡± That¡¯s what I want to ask you. Not that I could actually say that, given the current circumstances. ¡°I just happened to be out and decided toplete one of the requests on the bulletin board.¡± ¡°At this hour?¡± I mean, really. Should you be the one asking that when you¡¯re out here too? Then again, from their perspective, they probably think I¡¯m the one who woke up extra early. For them, waking up after only a few hours of sleep to meditate and train is the norm. ¡°Did you have something you needed to do?¡± ¡°...¡± Not really. I can¡¯t exactly tell them that I just came out here because I didn¡¯t want them finishing the quest before me. They wouldn¡¯t understand even if I exined it, and it¡¯s not like I can reveal that I rewound time either. But while I was hesitating, ire¡¯s expression softened as if she had misunderstood my silence. ¡°Is it... something rted to the royal family...?¡± Hmm. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t say right now.¡± It was a convenient excuse, so I went with that. Technically, it wasn¡¯t even a lie. I hadn¡¯t said anything about receiving orders from the royal family. Besides, there was a valid reason why I couldn¡¯t exin everything right now. ire simply nodded, epting my vague answer. ¡°Could you help me load this corpse into the carriage?¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± At my request, the coachman, who had been unsure whether we¡¯d need the carriage or not, quickly moved to the back and opened the iron trunk. He pulled out a thick, shiny cloth¡ªprobably treated to be waterproof. As expected of an academy carriage, it was well-equipped. It seemed that students often used these carriages to transport evidence afterpleting a request. In the game, whenever you hunted beasts on the road, you¡¯d automatically collect Marmaros fragments, but in this world, that convenient system doesn¡¯t exist. Refining Marmaros from a monster¡¯s corpse requires a specialized process. Since I don¡¯t know the details of that process, it¡¯s safer to take the entire corpse back with us instead of just a part of it. I¡¯m sure ire and Leo were nning to do the same. After wrapping the corpse in severalyers to prevent any blood from seeping out and staining the trunk, we loaded it into the carriage and climbed in ourselves. ¡°By the way, Sylvia, you¡¯re amazing,¡± ire said with a smile as we rode back. ¡°Killing the beast with a single shot to the head.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a particrly difficult monster, even for the two of you.¡± Plus, I had plenty of time to line up my shot. If I missed, I could just rewind time and try again. ¡°Still, with a beast that size, it¡¯s not easy to take it down cleanly with a single sword strike,¡± ire said, ncing at Leo. Leo nodded in agreement, a faint hint of admiration in his eyes. It was a little surprising to see that from him. ¡°Then again, I suppose it shouldn¡¯t be that surprising. After all, Sylvia has hit her target before, even in nearplete darkness.¡± ¡°...It was nothing.¡± Feeling a bit embarrassed by ire¡¯s praise, I tried not to let my expression falter as I turned my gaze out the window. ¡°The condition of the corpse is excellent. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to refine high-quality Marmaros from it,¡± the academy official said, inspecting the Elemental Dog¡¯s body, which only had a single bullet wound. ¡°However, refining Marmaros will take some time, so we¡¯ll give you a Marmaros of the same element from our reserves. Is that eptable?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± I nodded. So the rewards work the same as in the game, after all. No matter the process, the oue is basically the same. The Marmaros I¡¯ll receive likely came from other Elemental Dogs or beasts that have been hunted and refined. Marmaros refined from magic stones and those extracted from creatures like this one are fundamentally the same material. The difference lies in how they¡¯re obtained. Mining pure magic stones yields arge amount of high-quality Marmaros, but mines themselves are dangerous ces. On the other hand, extracting Marmaros from beasts is rtively stable, though there aren¡¯t many beasts capable of producing top-quality Marmaros. The Marmaros I received this time was much smaller and less impressive than the one Jennifer gave me. Still, it wasn¡¯tpletely useless. In the game, these kinds of Marmaros had slightly lower stats but were useful for filling in the gaps in equipment slots due to their smaller size. The general theory is that Marmaros is widely distributed throughout nature. It¡¯s said that deep beneath the earth, where ley lines converge, high-quality magic stones condense into Marmaros. Alternatively, it can be extracted from apex predators that have absorbed the magic of other creatures they¡¯ve hunted, or so the lore suggests. And if we¡¯re talking about "apex predators," you might wonder if Marmaros can be extracted from humans as well. The answer is yes. Humans can produce some of the finest Marmaros. While they don¡¯t have magic flowing through their bodies like beasts, they channel magic to wield sword energy and cast spells, so it makes sense that Marmaros can be extracted from them. Of course, it¡¯s generally frowned upon to do so. But in stories that include such a setting, there¡¯s always some group that ignoresmon decency. ¡°Thank you for your cooperation, Your Highness. You were the first to sessfullyplete a request, so you¡¯ve set a great example for the other students.¡± Honestly, I hope I don¡¯t set an example. If the rest of the academy¡¯s students decide to follow my lead and start working as diligently as Leo and ire, it¡¯ll just make my life harder. Fewer quests mean fewer rewards for me. And the rewards get betterter on. Afterpleting the request, I stepped outside and suddenly handed the Marmaros to ire. ¡°Take it.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ire stared nkly at the Marmaros I was offering.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Wait, why?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t need it.¡± It was true. After going through all this, I realized this Marmaros wasn¡¯t worth the trouble I¡¯d gone through to get it. ¡°Uh, oh, um¡­ thanks?¡± ire, still looking bewildered, took the Marmaros from me. Leo, standing beside her, also wore a perplexed expression as he watched us. Without another word, I turned around and began walking away. ...I need to get back and get some sleep. ¡°I¡¯m not particrly tired,¡± I replied, but Alice wasn¡¯t buying it. She narrowed her eyes at me. I¡¯ve been seeing that look from her a lottely. ¡°Is it something to do with your father?¡± Why does everyone always jump to the same conclusion? I mean, the emperor is kind of suspicious. He practically screams, "I¡¯m plotting something shady," so no one would believe him anyway. So I decided to pin all misunderstandings on the emperor. He¡¯s already under suspicion, so adding a bit more won¡¯t hurt anyone. And it¡¯s not like I need to lie. ¡°...¡± All I have to do is stay quiet. ¡°...¡± Alice¡¯s eyes narrowed further as she scrutinized me. I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. But if you wanted to avoid suspicion, maybe you should¡¯ve lived a kinder life. Or me the main characters who start their training at 3 AM. Chapter 46 Alright. Let¡¯s make a n. No matter how good a person¡¯s memory is, it¡¯s impossible to remember every single detail about a game¡¯s lore. Even for hardcore fans, there aren¡¯t many people who can recite the entire script of their favorite game word-for-word without making a single mistake. It¡¯s the same reason not many people go through the trouble of tranting the lore from their favorite games themselves. Some people don¡¯t even bother reading lore books because they find learning a foreignnguage too cumbersome, let alone memorizing all the game dialogue. I was no different. Even though I yed through the game multiple times for walkthroughs and personal enjoyment, and hadpared the original version to the tranted one to the point of criticizing localization choices, I still didn¡¯t memorize every line of dialogue. But games aren¡¯t meant to be memorized like study material. Most games, whether 2D or 3D, offer a navigable world. Unless you have terrible spatial awareness or the developers did a horrible job with level design, after running around the map a few times, you¡¯ll have a general idea of where things are and what events ur. It just sticks with you. At the very least, I could recall the major events and areas from start to finish if I took my time thinking about it. One advantage was that the game series didn¡¯t maintain the same world or lore across all titles. Each game had its own setting, so I only needed to recall three games that shared this particr steampunk world. The ytime was long, sure, but most of it was spent exploring maps, leveling up characters, and reading dialogue. There weren¡¯t that many critical points to remember for a sessful walkthrough. From what I¡¯d seen of the capital, theyout of the city was nearly identical to what was depicted in the game, at least for the parts that had been included in the game. The highways, though, looked different. It¡¯s not surprising¡ªcreating a full-scale version of the highways in the real world would have been too much, even for a mid-tier studio like Millennium. Not even AAA games aim for that level of detail. Some im to recreate entire regions like Egypt or Greece, but when you actually explore the maps, cities are only a few hundred meters wide, and the whole map spans a few dozen kilometers at most. Realistically sized maps would just make the game boring to y. Still, it¡¯s impressive to recreate areas on such a scale at all. That¡¯s why the parts of the guide I wrote about "the highways" weren¡¯t going to be much help here. I¡¯d decided to focus on the side quest lists and ignore the highways for now. After all, if any important areas do show up, they might have been faithfully recreated. ¡°Next up¡­¡± I flipped through my notebook and ced my finger on a particr section. ¡°Dungeons.¡± Right. If quests are the heart of RPGs, dungeons are the foundation. The protagonist and their party fight monsters in dungeons, grow stronger, and earn rewards. Unless it¡¯s a tactical RPG where the battles themselves are the main attraction, this is a core mechanic. Even in open areas like forests or city streets, or inside space vessels, theyout still follows the dungeon form¡ªthere are paths, obstacles, and monsters roaming around. So, whether it¡¯s a wide open "field" or not, it¡¯s essentially still a dungeon. So, what about the dungeons in this world? Technically, highways could be considered a form of dungeon, but they couldn¡¯t maintain a 1:1 scale, making their limitations obvious. However, ces like underground prisons or sewer systems? Those could very well be urate to a 1:1 scale. Especially in theter stages of the game, when reality and the supernatural begin to intertwine,plex dungeons with sprawlingyouts start to appear. These massive dungeons are fun to navigate and explore. And if those dungeons were recreated, it¡¯s possible they¡¯re close to a 1:1 scale in this world. I can¡¯t be 100% sure, of course. It would be just as strange to imagine vast sewers beneath the city teeming with monstrous creatures waiting to be exterminated. ¡°¡­I should check it out.¡± The main dungeons usually appear after Chapter 2 in each game. I¡¯m not referring to the second game in the series, but rather the second chapter within each title. Chapters 0 and 1 typically serve as a tutorial for yers to get used to the game¡¯s mechanics. Still, there were several ces that could qualify as dungeons even in the early stages.@@novelbin@@ The city¡¯s sewers should do just fine for a test run. Thanks to a couple of individuals who start their days unreasonably early, I was up before dawn today. Of course, sleeping in when Alice was around wasn¡¯t good for my character, so I downed an espresso (which I didn¡¯t even like) and began my day. As a result, my Sunday was going to be a very long one. But even with time spent hanging out with Alice, I figured I¡¯d have enough time to explore one area. ¡­Or at least, I thought I would. Every time I tried to gather my things, Alice would strike up a conversation. It¡¯s not like Alice and I were inseparable. Sure, we¡¯d be friends much quicker than I had anticipated, but it wasn¡¯t like we were glued to each other or anything. We were somewhere between sisters and friends¡ªclose, but not overly clingy. The problem was that, unlike me, Alice¡¯s memory reset whenever I rewound time. Her drive to improve also seemed to reset along with it. You know how people say that swans float gracefully on the surface of the water while their legs frantically paddle beneath to maintain that elegance? Well, that¡¯s the perception, anyway. In reality, swans¡¯ bodies are built to float with ease, and their long legs allow them to glide effortlessly. But the problem is how others perceive them. To me, Alice was always top-tier in terms of her abilities, but to meet those external expectations, she was constantly studying and training¡ªmuch like Leo and ire, but in her own way. And to Alice, the weekend was like a golden opportunity. Time is something you can¡¯t buy, and using that time to study and train would help her continue improving. ¡­And, of course, the best study and training partner in her eyes was none other than me. Whenever I was in my room getting ready to head out, there¡¯d be a knock on the door, and Alice would walk in with a stack of books in her arms, her eyes wide with curiosity. ¡°Where are you going, all packed up like that?¡± ¡°Ah, well¡ª¡± ¡°¡­Is it because of your father?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Right. I¡¯d already pinned my early exhaustion on the emperor earlier this morning when I saw her. Even if Leo and ire eventually found out, I figured I could just say, ¡°It¡¯s all part of the emperor¡¯s grand scheme,¡± and they¡¯d more or less understand. ire certainly hadn¡¯t questioned it when I used that excuse earlier. To be honest, I had simply run out of things to say. But it seemed Alice had interpreted it differently. ¡°I¡¯ming with you.¡± I found myself involuntarily pping my forehead. ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Again. I barely managed to stop myself from facepalming this time. Though I almost blurted out, ¡°Why?¡± I also managed to hold back. It¡¯s impressive that I was able to consciously avoid a major slip-up like that¡ªmaybe I have more talents than I realize. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t care if you look at me like that.¡± What kind of look was I giving her? Of course, I couldn¡¯t just ask her outright. Alice had gotten pretty good at reading my expressionstely. Even though she couldn¡¯t read my mind like an open book, she could still interpret my facial expressions ande to her own conclusions¡ªwhether I was frowning in pain or fear. ¡°It¡¯s not a ce for the princess.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re not a princess?¡± ¡°¡­We¡¯re different.¡± At my response, Alice raised one eyebrow slightly, a clear sign she was annoyed. ¡°You¡¯re the future empress of this country.¡± ¡°Do you really think there¡¯s anywhere in this empire my father, as emperor, wouldn¡¯t go?¡± Well, now that she mentions it¡­ When I thought about it, the emperor probably wouldn¡¯t care if he were standing in the imperial pce or the sewers, as long as it served his interests or helped him wield more power. He was the kind of person who would do anything necessary to achieve his goals, without a shred of shame. ¡°And besides,¡± Alice continued, pointing at me. ¡°I think you¡¯re the hardest person to control in this entire empire. You never exin what you¡¯re thinking, yet you still want me to be the empress. Honestly, I have no idea what your real intentions are, so it only makes sense to keep a close eye on you, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t wrong. Not a single thing she said was incorrect. From the perspective of the people in this world, I was indeed a mysterious figure, and that was entirely intentional on my part. It was like the quills on a hedgehog¡¯s back, sending a clear message: "Don¡¯t mess with me." The thing is, those warnings only work because no one knows what my true motives are. I just wanted to see Alice rise to the throne and rule with confidence, free from all her insecurities. Because she¡¯s Alice. The fact that she¡¯s the legitimate heir or the emperor¡¯s only trueborn child doesn¡¯t really matter to me. If she retained her current personality and character, I would support her as empress, even if the lore had been different. Because, in the game, that¡¯s how it goes. At the end of the 16th game, Alice bes the empress. Since ire risked her life to save Alice, Alice wasn¡¯t a character who could die just yet. Sure, there were heroines who came back to life inter installments after being "killed off," but¡­ that¡¯s a whole other matter. There were a few clues I¡¯d gathered since arriving here, but I¡¯ll think about thatter. The current emperor, of course, plunges the world into chaos before being overthrown by the protagonist and his party. ¡­That said, with two more games nned after that, it¡¯s highly likely the emperor¡¯s death is either faked or that someone resurrects himter on. ¡°¡­Fine.¡± In the end, I agreed to let Alicee along. Sewers, after all, are¡­ well, they¡¯re even more repulsive in this world. I bet once we reach the entrance, Alice will take one look and freak out, wanting to go back. She hated them in the game, after all. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t like the look on your face, but fine.¡± I had a pretty good idea of what expression Alice had seen on my face. It was probably "annoyance." Chapter 50 Despite his personality, Jake Lindbergh is a character who often ended up unfairly portrayed. He was written as a hopeless romantic with unrequited love, but because of his appearance, he was often used negatively in fan works. Although the game itself was quite popr, there weren¡¯t that many of those types of fan works, fortunately. Later sequels managed to shed some of that image, but then he became the character who lost the girl due to his "pure-hearted" nature in other fan depictions. Either way, he was a somewhat pitiful character. "......" "......" The issue was, there wasn¡¯t much for us to talk about. At this point, he probably had more to talk about with Alice than with me. Alice was in line to be the emperor, and most nobles would have their eyes on her. Even if someone tried to get closer to me... Oh, wait, maybe not. I was always seen with Alice, so from their perspective, befriending me wasn¡¯t a bad idea. The issue of my intimidating image only came after that. By the way, the girls who had been standing beside him slowly slipped away the moment Jake and I started exchanging words. They had already vanished by now. "I¡¯ve heard a lot about you, Princess. I apologize for not greeting you sooner, given that we¡¯re in the same ss." But Jake wasn¡¯t the type to avoid conversation with women. Just because there was a brief pause in the conversation, he didn¡¯t flee from me. Even now, he was nked by two girls, wasn¡¯t he? ...Come to think of it, Jake had the air of a "clueless harem protagonist." Of course, unlike the heroines around the protagonist, the girls near him were almost always side characters. Nobles with names, sure, but their roles were brief, usually just appearing in jealousy scenes. Those background characters had already started slipping away as soon as Jake and I began talking. Even if they envied or ostracized someone, they were still noble daughters. Regardless of their status or background, none of them would openly challenge me, especially with some rumors in noble circles suggesting I had killed someone. Few nobles dared to approach me directly. ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± I replied, ncing at the maid standing just behind Jake. Though the nobility andmoners had different sses, their uniforms were practically the same. If not for the characteristic pleats in the skirts, it would be hard to tell the difference between the military-style design and a standard school uniform. It seemed the academy wanted to convey the message that all students were equal... but among nobles, everyone already knew each other¡¯s faces, so it didn¡¯t really matter. Even if they didn¡¯t, gossip spread quickly enough. ¡°At least within the academy, we¡¯re all just students. You don¡¯t need to address me as a princess.¡± ¡°Oh, then...¡± Jake hummed in thought before responding. ¡°Would it be alright if I called you Silvia?¡± ¡°...¡± Well. To be fair, calling me "Lady Fangryphon" felt a bit too formal too. It was a royal family name, after all, and using it so casually would¡¯ve been odd. Still, his quick shift to using my first name was... bold, to say the least. But then again, this was Jake. He was the type to call everyone by their first names from the start, so there wasn¡¯t much point in correcting him now. Instead, I turned my attention to the maid who had likely brought Jake over to talk to me. Her skin was slightly darker. In the game, there were scenes where her skin tone was a point of discrimination. But it wasn¡¯t as if her skin waspletely dark either¡ªshe was a half-blood, after all. ¡°If people are going to discriminate based on skin color, should I be discriminated against too?¡± That was a line Jake had said when standing up for her. Most people knew Jake¡¯s tan came from sun exposure, so some argued it was different. ¡°But if something as simple as a tan can change one¡¯s skin color, how can you im someone is incapable of something just because of it?¡± No one could refute Jake when he said that. They probably had a lot to say, but what could they do when he was a duke¡¯s son?@@novelbin@@ ¡°Oh, this is...¡± Jake must¡¯ve noticed my gaze shifting toward his maid, as he extended a hand, gently pushing her forward. ¡°This is Lottie... that¡¯s her name.¡± The girl, who seemed rather small, was introduced by Jake. Like the children from the orphanage, Lottie had nost name. In this world, if one doesn¡¯t inherit a surname from their parents, they live without one unless they marry or create a new family name. Lottie was an illegitimate child of the Lindbergh family. Even if a nobleman had a child with amoner, they wouldn¡¯t recognize the child. It was even worse in Lottie¡¯s case since she was born to a maid from the colonies. She had lived her entire life as a maid, while Jake had been a noble from the moment he was born. Though they were a supporting couple, they were interesting characters. ¡°Silvia Fangryphon,¡± I introduced myself. ¡°I... I¡¯m Lottie. I apologize for not greeting you sooner.¡± Normally, a maid wouldn¡¯t introduce herself like this. Even though she¡¯d grown up with Jake, Lottie was surely aware of this fact. Lottie¡¯s face was... a perfectly expressionless one, one I could probably learn from. ¡°Did you have something you needed to do? Sorry if we interrupted. Lottie thought that talking to you might help get rid of the girls.¡± ¡°Young master.¡± ¡°......¡± I stared at Jake¡¯s face for a moment. There was no hint of malice in his expression. Being a nobleman, especially from one of the highest-ranking families like a duke¡¯s, he surely knew how to navigate conversations. Yet, his words seemed genuine rather than probing for information. Still, it was surprising he¡¯d be so candid. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lottie. Silvia¡¯s not like that.¡± Jake responded to Lottie¡¯s concerns with confidence. Where did that certaintye from? ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Jake nodded at my question. ¡°I don¡¯t know what others might think of you, but personally, I don¡¯t believe you¡¯re a bad person.¡± Whether Jake had good judgment when it came to people wasn¡¯t really addressed in the original story. He was simply friendly with everyone. In the part of the game where the protagonist¡¯s party goes into hiding, Jake nonchntly lived in a harbor town, mingling with themon folk and spending his days fishing. He even pretended to be married to Lottie during that time. In retrospect, maybe he did have good judgment. If he couldn¡¯t trust the people around him, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to live so casually. Perhaps it was just luck, but shouldn¡¯t he at least be a bit more cautious? I raised my guard against Jake slightly. ¡°Well... yeah. She gives me the same vibe as Lottie.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Young master.¡± Lottie¡¯s expression didn¡¯t waver, but seeing that I didn¡¯t respond, she called out to Jake again. Jake, however, remained unfazed. I nced at Lottie, and she averted her eyes, looking down at the ground. Being the son of a duke, Jake¡¯s words carried a lot of weight, and Lottie couldn¡¯t take them back, nor did she have the authority to apologize on his behalf. While her face remained nk, I could sense her fear through her demeanor. ¡°Perhaps we¡¯re not so different after all.¡± When I finally responded, Lottie¡¯s face lifted slightly, though she still couldn¡¯t meet my eyes. ¡°Was that the only reason you approached me?¡± ¡°Oh, uh, yeah. Just thought I¡¯d say hello since we¡¯re in the same ss.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± ¡°Alright, see you tomorrow.¡± Jake waved enthusiastically, and I didn¡¯t bother returning the gesture as I turned around to leave. The fatigue was starting to catch up to me. Even though I¡¯d gone to bed early and rewound time to sleep longer, waking up at dawn had still taken its toll. ...I¡¯ll take a proper nap when I get back. I¡¯ll think about these twoter. With that thought in mind, I headed quickly to my room. At least one thing in my day should go ording to n, right? ¡°......¡± ¡°......¡± As they watched me walk away, it was Lottie who spoke first. ¡°Young master.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Do you know who you just spoke to?¡± ¡°Well, didn¡¯t you suggest I talk to her?¡± ¡°Young master.¡± Lottie had snapped at Jake earlier, frustrated by all the girls surrounding him, and Jake hadn¡¯t forgotten. He¡¯d followed through on her suggestion, using the opportunity to speak to me, especially since neither the princess nor the other royal was around. And the strategy worked. The girls who had been hovering around him scattered. ¡°See? It worked. Maybe I should start hanging out with that group.¡± ¡°Young master.¡± ¡°What? Why not? There¡¯s the princess of Belbur Kingdom, a leading candidate for the next emperor, and the Greys are closer to the imperial family than most dukes. Perfect connections to build, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°......¡± When Lottie fell silent, Jake let out augh. ¡°Alright, alright. I admit it. At first, I just wanted to tease you.¡± ¡°......¡± Lottie remained quiet, but Jake shrugged and continued speaking. ¡°But after talking to Silvia, I realized something. She doesn¡¯t seem like a bad person.¡± ¡°How can you be so sure?¡± Jake tilted his head, lost in thought. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t have a logical reason.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°She¡¯s simr to you. Silvia didn¡¯t deny it either. What would a typical high-ranking noble have said if they¡¯d beenpared to you?¡± It was true that Silvia Fangryphon¡¯s reaction had been surprising. Even amongmoners, most wouldn¡¯t appreciate beingpared to someone with darker skin, let alone the majority of white-skinned imperials. Yet Silvia, despite being a princess, didn¡¯t seem offended at all. ...Even if her expression remained nk. ¡°Princess Silvia is someone who rarely shows any emotion.¡± ¡°I know. I saw it up close.¡± Jake replied immediately to Lottie¡¯sment. ¡°But I know someone who always keeps a neutral face. I¡¯ve spent over a decade learning to read subtle expressions, thanks to someone.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Why? Are you going to argue that Silvia and you arepletely different?¡± Jake smiled as he spoke. ¡°How about a bet? Whether Silvia¡¯s a good person or a bad one?¡± ¡°Is this really the time to be making bets? What if...¡± ¡°What if she¡¯s as dangerous as the rumors say, and my life is in danger? Thanks for the concern.¡± ¡°......¡± Lottie fell silent, but Jake didn¡¯t stop speaking. ¡°Even if Silvia did kill that person, I can¡¯t imagine someone with her demeanor doing it without reason.¡± Lottie let out a sigh, as if realizing there was no point in arguing with Jake. Chapter 51 Following someone isn¡¯t as easy as it seems. People, surprisingly, have sharp instincts and tend to react to even the slightest disturbances around them. Especially at night, when there¡¯s almost no movement, even the faintest sound can be much more easily heard. Of course, there are plenty of spells to minimize such disturbances. These spells, however, require a considerable amount of expensive Maramorus crystals. But if the need to observe someone secretly arose, Mia Crowfield wouldn''t hesitate at such costs. Especially if the person in question was the one who killed her father. The problem was, if Sylvia Pangryphon had truly assassinated the Count and fled without a second thought, even with these precautions, there was a high possibility of getting caught. Mia Crowfield was a mage, not an assassin. She had received some training, but it was more as a noble, trained to expose the royal family¡¯s weaknesses, not for assassinating someone or evading an assassin. Moreover, Mia had the opportunity to observe Sylvia Pangryphon up close during that mock battle. Despite firing towards an area too bright to see clearly, Sylvia had taken down her targets, one by one, with perfect precision, leaving Mia stunned. Not only that, but Sylvia hadn¡¯t hit any allies by mistake either. That sight¡­ It was terrifying, almost as if there were some magical force aiding her. Mia knew how ridiculous she looked¡ªwearing the softest shoes she could find, dressed in the darkest colors she had, opting for pants instead of a skirt, and even covering her face with a mask. She was well aware that if she got caught, there would be no excuse she could give. But¡­ even if she were caught¡­ Well, she could try killing me, Mia thought, though she had no intention of dying alone. Even if she couldn''t kill Sylvia, she would at least leave a severe wound behind. With such resolve, Mia Crowfield began following Sylvia Pangryphon at dawn¡ªno, more urately, at a time when it was still deep into the night. Mia, who knew little about Sylvia¡¯s daily habits, needed to verify them thoroughly. ¡°...At this hour?¡± It was fortunate that she had decided to begin observing from such an early time. Sylvia moved surprisingly early in the morning. No doubt, there must be something important for her to deal with at this ungodly hour. However¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± If the task Sylvia had to do was so secretive that she had to move at dawn, shouldn¡¯t she be more cautious of her surroundings? Sylvia Pangryphon sat on a bench, seemingly waiting for a carriage, showing no signs of checking her surroundings. No, to be more precise¡­ she looked far more spaced out than she usually did. Sylvia Pangryphon¡­ Was dozing off on the bench. ¡°Huh?¡± And she appeared utterly defenseless. If someone were to attack her now, she would fall victim to the attack without even realizing it.@@novelbin@@ ¡­No, wait. Maybe that, too, was a ruse. Mia Crowfield shook her head, considering the possibility. Yes, it¡¯s not impossible that it¡¯s all an act. She could be extremely cautious but pretending to be rxed, hoping to throw off any tail following her. ¡­But wouldn¡¯t it be better to confront and eliminate the follower if she knew someone was tailing her? ¡°Huh?¡± Sylvia Pangryphon¡¯s head drooped forward as she dozed, only to jerk up in surprise when she woke. She rubbed her eyes, and although Mia couldn''t see from her distance, it wouldn''t have been surprising if Sylvia¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. What¡­ is this? Seriously, what¡¯s going on? This was Sylvia Pangryphon, the unshakeable woman who wouldn¡¯t even blink while eating a delicious meal. The Iron Lady. Of course, Alice Pangryphon had once remarked that Sylvia¡¯s expression hid deeper emotions underneath, but Mia had never believed such words. ¡°Haaaam.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡­But watching Sylvia Pangryphon yawn widely without even covering her mouth, Mia¡¯s confidence began to waver. As Sylvia pulled her coat tighter against the early morning chill, yawning as if reluctant to even extend her hand outside, she suddenly looked around as if startled, clearly trying to maintain her usual impassive expression. Could it be that she didn¡¯t want anyone to see through her stoic facade? ¡°...¡± An assassin? Seriously? No, no. Mia shook her head again. It must be an act. A ploy to dispel the rumors that she¡¯s an assassin. After all, she is still a princess. p. p. The sound made Mia nce over at Sylvia Pangryphon again, just in time to see her lightly pping her own cheeks, perhaps in an attempt to wake herself up. ¡°...¡± At this point, Mia couldn¡¯t even muster a gasp of surprise. It was apletely different sight from the Sylvia she was used to seeing. Could it be that she didn¡¯t sense my presence? Admittedly, the distance was quite far. A normal student wouldn¡¯t even notice Mia tailing them. In fact, Mia had calcted that Sylvia would sense her following. If Sylvia realized Mia was behind her, she would no doubt confront her. And by provoking Sylvia in that confrontation, Mia hoped to glean some kind of clue. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± Could it be? Is this all part of her n? The royal family had used her father''s murder to some extent, though they had never directly admitted it. Officially, the incident was a tragic ident, and the empire had simply offered their condolences for the Count''s death. Because of that, they could never present evidence. After all, they hadn¡¯t "officially" killed anyone. The nobility trembled in fear, but when questioned, the royal family would simply deny everything. The emperor had had a conversation with Mia¡¯s mother. Mia hadn¡¯t overheard it, nor had her mother shared the details with her, only confirming that the emperor was indeed responsible for her father¡¯s death. So¡­ ¡°¡­¡± Sniff. Sylvia Pangryphon let out a loud sniffle, seemingly under the impression that no one else was around. ¡­ Could this person really have killed my father? Not just my father, but also blown up multiple carriages, resulting in the deaths of countless innocent people, as a cold-hearted murderer? Maybe I¡¯m wrong? As Sylvia Pangryphon heard the distant sound of an approaching carriage and returned to her usual stoic expression, Mia Crowfield found herself seriously questioning everything. As Sylvia Pangryphon heard the distant sound of an approaching carriage and returned to her usual stoic expression, Mia Crowfield found herself seriously questioning everything. Monday morning. As soon as Mia entered the ssroom from the dormitory, she immediately headed toward the ce where the two princesses and the queen''s daughter were seated. She approached Sylvia Pangryphon and bowed slightly as a greeting. "Did you sleep wellst night?" Mia had spent all of Sunday pondering over what she had witnessed of Sylvia Pangryphon, but no clear answers hade to her. "Did you sleep well, Mia?" "Yes, thanks to you." It was Alice, the "true princess," who responded to Mia''s greeting first. "Did you sleep well?" Mia asked politely. "Thank you, Princess. I slept well." For someone like Mia Crowfield, who had always been quiet since childhood, initiating conversations in the morning was no easy task. Especially when it involved greeting people in a group. However, Mia needed to confirm something. She needed to know if the Sylvia Pangryphon she saw early Sunday morning was the real Sylvia or not. No matter how much hatred a person harbored, no one could stay up two nights in a row. Therefore, Mia¡¯s way to confirm Sylvia¡¯s state was to observe her facial expression as early as possible on Monday morning. If there were even the slightest hint of fatigue on her face now, Mia would actually feel relieved. ¡°¡­¡± However, Sylvia Pangryphon looked up at Mia with her usual nk expression,pletely unchanged. "Sylvia, no matter how tired you are, you should still acknowledge a greeting when it''s given," Alice said, interrupting. ¡­Tired? Hearing Alice¡¯s words, Mia took another close look at Sylvia¡¯s face. Without a doubt, Sylvia¡¯s face was as expressionless as ever. ¡°Good morning.¡± Even her voice showed no sign of fatigue. "It¡¯s so fascinating watching the two of you," Charlotte said suddenly. "What¡¯s fascinating?" Alice asked. "From my perspective, Sylvia''s face is always expressionless. And yet, Alice, you manage to read her expressions effortlessly," Charlotte replied. ¡­Reading her? Mia, who had already seen another side of Sylvia''s expressions just the previous dawn, was curious. Could Alice really be reading her correctly? Or was she just imagining it? "Well, it''s like this,¡± Alice said with a self-satisfied hum. ¡°There were always people in the royal court who found Sylvia bothersome. Sylvia¡¯s reactions weren¡¯t always this nk, you know. Sometimes she was annoyed¡­ well, most of the time she was annoyed. But the way she reacted to me was always different from how she reacted to our other siblings." "¡­" At Alice¡¯s words, Sylvia Pangryphon turned her head. Her expression was still as unreadable as ever. ¡°Is that so?¡± Even while looking at Sylvia, Charlotte still seemed confused. "I¡¯m telling you, that¡¯s how it is." "¡­" Mia, too, nced over at Sylvia Pangryphon. Yet, as expected, there was no trace of the expression she had seen the previous dawn. ¡­Was I being too na?ve? Sure, I¡¯d lived my life keeping a nk face, but my reactions to Alice, Lucas, and Jaiden had been different. I¡¯d been curt with Lucas and Jaiden, but I¡¯d been a bit warmer toward Alice. Wasn¡¯t that understandable? After all, Lucas and Jaiden were adults when I first met them, while Alice had been just a child¡ª the same age as ire. Even though we weren''t rted by blood, I found myself trying to be kinder to Alice, who was struggling through a difficult childhood, pushed aside by our more talented siblings. And then there was the fact that I knew she was part of the main cast of the original story. That¡¯s probably why Alice ended up being able to read my face so well, considering the range of expressions she¡¯s seen from me. ¡°¡­¡± I didn¡¯t make eye contact, but I could still feel Mia Crowfield staring at me. What¡¯s with her? We hadn¡¯t crossed paths all weekend. Could it be that another one of the emperor''s children caused trouble? ¡°Hmmm.¡± It was Charlotte, once again lost in thought, who muttered, ¡°I still don¡¯t get it.¡± Tell me about it. Honestly, if someone took a photo of my face, even I wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize my expressions. So how in the world does Alice manage to understand them so well? Maybe¡­ Alice has some sort of hidden ability? As I nced at Alice¡¯s smiling face, I thought to myself that it might not be a bad idea to investigate. Chapter 52 I¡¯m notpletely clueless. I mean, I¡¯ve definitely had those moments where I brought up some game I was ying to someone who wasn¡¯t even remotely interested, only to realizeter they were just being polite by listening. And sure, there was a time in high school when I mistakenly thought I¡¯d be friends with someone because of that. Thankfully, it didn¡¯t go any further than being known as a bit of a nerd, as there weren¡¯t many girls around back then. After that, I made it a point to be a little more mindful of others. I don¡¯t have the kind of looks that make people instantly like me, nor am I great with words. On the inte, I could type anything without much thought, but that¡¯s different because you don¡¯t see the other person¡¯s face. You can''t tell if they''re ufortable or not. Over time, through working at mypany and navigating social situations, I learned how to handle things without too much trouble. At least now, I can recognize the face of someone who hears something they don¡¯t want to. Or the look on someone''s face when they don''t know how to deal with me. Like Mia Crowfield¡¯s expression right now as she sat in front of me. People often find it ufortable to meet the gaze of someone who shows no expression. Especially when that person holds a position of power. Of course, there are exceptions: people who confidently im they can read such an expression, those who boldly announce themselves as the stoic person''s younger sibling, or those who are generally so outgoing that one more expressionless person in their life doesn¡¯t faze them. And then there are people surrounded by all kinds of women who probably don¡¯t even notice the addition of one more. Now that I think about it, I do seem to be surrounded by some odd people. But then again, these were all characters from the original story, part of the protagonist''s party. I guess it¡¯s only natural for them to be unique. The main character, though, still seems to have a hard time dealing with me, but that¡¯ll sort itself out in time. The issue right now is Mia Crowfield. Up untilst week, every time our eyes met, Mia Crowfield would re at me as if she wanted to kill me. She made no effort to hide her hatred, and I often had to stifle augh at how tant it was. She had the body of a typical game heroine, with noticeable curves, but she was a bit short, and her eyes were often hidden behind her bangs, giving her a timid appearance. In fact, if she wasn¡¯t ring at me, she mostly kept to herself, looking small and meek. That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t help but notice the change in Mia Crowfield. Even when she was in front of Charlotte or Alice, the emperor¡¯s daughter, Mia used to act like a frightened rabbit. Yet recently, she¡¯d been avoiding my gaze more and more, rather than ring at me. Had something changed in her heart? If so, what was the reason? ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hmm. Wait a second. Why can¡¯t I just ask her directly? Right. I¡¯m someone who can turn back time. All I have to do is ask her outright. Besides, I¡¯ve already said worse things before. I nced around. Alice and Charlotte were both here in the student council room, along with some other council members, including the student president. We had been epted into the student council, though we didn¡¯t have any specific roles yet. The council seemed to consider us ¡°talent worth keeping around.¡± Even in the original story, the student president was a noble who prioritized ability, though he did give some weight to one¡¯s background. And of course, Grace and her sister had confidently followed Alice into the room. I had offered them both milk tea, but unsurprisingly, they didn¡¯t seem as weing toward me as they did toward Alice, Charlotte, and Mia Crowfield. It felt like they only epted because it was offered out of courtesy. Leo looked like he was sitting on pins and needles, while ire remained perfectly calm. Hmm. I can ask Mia. Even if everyone around me is surprised by the question, I can just turn back time and it won¡¯t matter. But Mia doesn¡¯t know I can turn back time. So, there¡¯s a chance she might hide the truth in her answer. Would I get a proper response if I asked her right now? ¡°¡­¡± I looked at Mia Crowfield closely, watching her nce around nervously. Her face wasn¡¯t turning red, so she didn¡¯t seem embarrassed. What¡¯s with her? She¡¯s acting suspicious, which is making me feel uneasy. ¡°¡­¡± Hmm. I don¡¯t care anymore. ¡°Mia Crowfield,¡± I called out softly. Mia jumped in her seat as if she¡¯d been hit by a jolt of electricity. The sound of chairs and desks being dragged along the floor echoed as she startled, and I could feel everyone¡¯s eyes suddenly turn toward us. ¡­This was a familiar sensation. Of course, it wasn¡¯t as intense as thest time, and Mia Crowfield¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t as severe. We hadn¡¯t exchanged any particrly serious words yet. ¡°Yes, y-y-yes, yes!?¡± Her response was nothing short of panic. Was it really that surprising? Granted, I don¡¯t usually call people by name first. I didn¡¯t like dragging out conversations and revealing too much about myself. Sure, I could adjust conversations by rewinding time, but doing so always left me mentally drained. While my body might not get tired, my mind still experienced the extended time as real, making long conversations exhausting. As someone who had always been a bit of a loner, having to maintain a conversation with someone longer than I wanted felt like torture. ¡°I have something I¡¯d like to discuss with you. Could we talk for a moment?¡± ¡°No, n-n-n-n-no! I don¡¯t want to!¡± Mia Crowfield t-out rejected my request. But I was only trying to talk to her privately, away from everyone else. The people around us looked on with their mouths hanging open. ¡­Was this really such a shocking thing? Even shy people sometimes need to talk privately, don¡¯t they? ¡­Wait, hold on. Could this be¡­? I thought I had built up an image of a cool beauty, but have I actually been seen as just an awkward outcast who can¡¯t talk to people? Like someone with social anxiety? Could I be seen as simr to Mia Crowfield? ¡°...You don¡¯t want to?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Who knows what you¡¯ll do to me!?¡± I wasn¡¯t nning to do anything. In fact, with the way she said that, it made me sound like some predatory lesbian character. Of course, Mia probably meant it as ¡°you¡¯ll kill me,¡± but it was easy for others to misunderstand her words. In fact, aside from Alice, who looked concerned, everyone else was staring at me with their mouths still agape. ¡­Or maybe I was just imagining it? Maybe I¡¯ve read too manyics and seen too many anime, so now I¡¯m jumping to conclusions? I wanted to shake my head and brush off the thoughts, but even in a situation where I could rewind time, I still needed to maintain my character. ¡°I won¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°Why should I trust you?¡± Fair point. From Mia Crowfield¡¯s perspective, she had no reason to trust me. After all, I was the one responsible for her father¡¯s death. But the question was, why had her attitude toward me changed over the past week? ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll ask my question here. Would that be alright?¡± ¡°...Ah.¡± When I said that, Mia Crowfield looked a bit dumbfounded. Perhaps she was wondering what I could possibly ask her. Maybe she didn¡¯t expect me to bring up anything about her father, but if she still saw me as an assassin, she might be concerned about the kind of information I¡¯d reveal. ¡°G-go ahead, then.¡± She tried to sound confident, though it seemed like she was bluffing. ¡°...¡± I narrowed my eyes slightly, gazing at Mia Crowfield before slowly speaking. ¡°Alright then, if you¡¯ll allow me.¡± After a brief pause, I asked, ¡°Mia Crowfield, the way you look at me now is different from how you looked at mest week. May I ask why that is?¡± An imaginary *ping* echoed above Mia Crowfield¡¯s head, as if a question mark had popped up. Well, not literally¡ªthere¡¯s no convenient system like that in this world. It¡¯s just how I imagined it. ¡°Th-th-that¡­ even if there was a change! What does it matter to you!? Why should I exin every little thing to you!?¡± Mia stammered for a moment before blurting that out, then quickly turned and fled from the student council room. ¡°...¡± Hmm. In the silence that followed, I briefly considered my next steps. Judging by her reaction, I wouldn¡¯t have gotten a proper answer even if I had spoken to her privately. ¡­Maybe I¡¯ll have to wait for now. ¡°Sylvia?¡± ire, still looking surprised, spoke to me, and I realized it was time to reset the situation. Once more. * * * I might not be able to tell the difference between good and bad tea leaves, but anyone can tell when they¡¯re drinking something really high quality. In fact, the milk tea we drank in the student council room tasted excellent. It was smooth, fragrant, and even though I wanted to dump in more sugar, just two sugar cubes made it sweet enough to enjoy. After all, I have to maintain my cool beauty image¡ªcan¡¯t let myself get chubby. The rich aroma of the high-quality tea filled the student council room. It seemed like the scent had seeped into the walls, as you could catch a faint whiff of it just by walking in. As I enjoyed my milk tea, I quietly observed Mia Crowfield. Just like before I rewound time, she was doing everything she could to avoid my gaze. ¡­So far, I¡¯ve only killed the Count and his men. While the emperor sometimes asked me for information or updates on world affairs, I hadn¡¯t yet gained the reputation of someone who kills on a whim. Could she have heard some rumor elsewhere? Maybe she found out that I¡¯m more dangerous than I appear and got scared? It wouldn¡¯t be surprising. Her reaction earlier made it clear that she was afraid of being alone with me. ¡°...¡±@@novelbin@@ I took a silent sip of my tea. The tea, now at afortable temperature, spread pleasantly in my mouth. ¡­Maybe I should tail her? With the weekending up, it might be worth following Mia Crowfield¡¯s movements and seeing what she¡¯s up to. If she¡¯s receiving information from someone, I could figure out who. In the original story, there wasn¡¯t anyone like that, but since this world has changed so much because of me, her background might have changed too. Alright. Looks like I¡¯ve got my weekend ns set. Chapter 53 "I will keep an eye on Mia Crowfield." At first, I thought about keeping it to myself, but our diligent princess, Alice, had a habit of showing up on weekends to study with me. Although she wasn''t the type to study nonstop, she believed it was only natural to review the week¡¯s lessons during the weekend, even if it wasn¡¯t exam season. No doubt, when exam time actuallyes, she¡¯ll probably study even harder. It¡¯s beneficial for me, too. Well, I do have the advantage of rewinding time during ss if there¡¯s something I don¡¯t understand, allowing me to hear the lesson multiple times. In any case, if I hadn¡¯t mentioned this beforehand, Alice would have definitely been looking for me all over the ce. ¡°¡­Did Crowfield do something wrong?¡± Alice asked, with a slight hint of concern. ¡°No, nothing like that,¡± I replied, shaking my head lightly. ¡°It¡¯s just that Mia Crowfield could be a potential threat.¡± In the original game, she was one of the strongest magic dealers. With the right staff and the properbination of Maramorus crystals, she could deal damage on the level of final skills with regr spells. Especially in the first installment, where the bnce wasn¡¯t perfect, there were some overpowered Maramorus crystals that made it possible to spam magic almost endlessly on her turn. Of course, this world has its differences from the game, but some of the system mechanics still exist. If even a portion of the magic from the game remains in this world, that ¡°portion¡± could be enough to end my life. ¡°Are you thinking of getting rid of her?¡± Alice¡¯s expression showed clear disapproval as she asked. That was to be expected. From Alice¡¯s perspective, Mia Crowfield was just a ssmate, someone she knew from school. Honestly, I didn¡¯t have any personal grudge against Mia Crowfield either. Her father was trash, but Mia herself wasn¡¯t a bad person. In fact, she had a strong sense of justice and leaned toward being a good character. ¡°No, I¡¯m not,¡± I reassured her. What I¡¯m trying to do is mitigate the risk and prepare a defense. I¡¯m not trying to eliminate Mia Crowfield as a potential threat. And honestly¡­ what would I do with her body if I killed her inside the academy? ¡°Really?¡± Alice asked again, just to be sure. ¡°Yes, really,¡± I replied firmly. Alice scrutinized my expression for a moment, then let out a long sigh and nodded. ¡°¡­Okay, I¡¯ll trust you since you''re saying it with that expression.¡± ¡­What expression? I wasn¡¯t even sure what kind of face I was making. I thought I was just keeping my usual neutral expression. For a moment, I wondered if Alice had some kind of superpower to read people¡¯s emotions, but I quickly dismissed the thought. I¡¯d thoroughly studied the original game¡¯s lore, including the characters'' abilities. There were no spoilers about any special powers revealed in the sequel, and Alice definitely didn¡¯t have any hidden abilities like that. If she did, she would have noticed the emperor¡¯s ns by now. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s true that Crowfield¡¯s attitude has changed¡­ If you feel threatened by her, we shouldn¡¯t ignore it,¡± Alice murmured to herself, then looked at me again. ¡°Do you want me to help?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll manage,¡± I replied immediately. ¡°¡­You answered that a bit too quickly,¡± Alice remarked, sounding a bit hurt. ¡°The fewer people involved in tailing someone, the better. It lowers the chances of being noticed,¡± I exined, having anticipated her offer and prepared a response. ¡°But still¡­ what if I befriended Crowfield and tried to gather information from her?¡± ¡°Your Highness, you are the emperor¡¯s daughter, the princess,¡± I said. If the daughter of the person who killed her father approached her, Mia would naturally be extremely wary. While she didn¡¯t seem to harbor any ill will toward Alice, that doesn¡¯t mean she would trust her so easily. Maybe if you took your time and built a rtionship over six months¡­ ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I confirmed again. Alice looked a bit disappointed, but I had to be firm. Besides, I¡¯d feel much more at ease handling things on my own. It allowed me to be more rxed. Thanks to my exnation, I managed to keep Alice at bay. I¡¯d already done my fair share of surveince. When I assassinated the Count, I¡¯d exhausted myself trying every possible route, rewinding time over and over again to cover all my bases. Even within the academy, the same method works. I have a high-quality pair of binocrs and a sniper scope, both of which are incredibly useful. Even without mounting the scope on a gun, it serves its purpose just fine. The dorm rooms all haverge windows, giving a good view of the surroundings. The academy wasn¡¯t the only tall building in the area, as it was located in the heart of the city. Despite the meticulously maintained environment around the academy, it was still surrounded by buildings. However, there was argewn between the dormitory and the other buildings, giving a pleasant, open view from the windows. It wasn¡¯t quite as vast as Central Park in New York, but the greenery in the middle of the city had a calming effect. It was the weekend, and students were lounging on the grass. Couples sat cozily on pic nkets, sharing sandwiches, and others were stretched out, taking naps. Well, it was spring, after all. But that wasn¡¯t where my focus was. Therge windows were designed to allow light and fresh air to help students stayfortable. Without curtains, the rooms were clearly visible from outside. Especially on a bright, sunny day like today. I was looking at one of the houses outside the academy. Normally, it would be impossible to observe the dormitory from that far away¡­ but I had a sniper scope. I could see clearly up to 400 meters away. While people still looked as small as the joints of my fingers, it was enough to ¡°hit a target,¡± which was all I needed. I knew exactly which room belonged to Mia Crowfield. There was no need to dig through records; the dormitoryyout had been part of the game. Not every room was detailed, but the key characters¡¯ rooms were. The protagonist''s party¡¯s rooms were, of course, included. In the game, you could enter most houses freely. Even if you entered someone¡¯s home, the NPCs wouldn¡¯t use you of trespassing. Instead, they would tell you about their lives or share random thoughts. That was probably more of a game mechanic than a reflection of actual behavior, designed to flesh out the world. ¡­Thanks to that, I knew that Mia Crowfield kept her most important items hidden beneath the floorboards under her bed. Of course, barging in and opening the door wasn¡¯t an option here, so I had to watch from a distance. ¡°¡­¡± As expected, the curtains were drawn.@@novelbin@@ They weren¡¯t thick ckout curtains, but thin, white ones. If the lights were on inside, her silhouette might be visible from the outside, but right now, it was daytime. The sunlight outside was much brighter, so I couldn¡¯t see anything. ¡­Mia Crowfield was probably in there. In the original story, Mia loved staying inside her room. She even had a line about how ¡°the world outside the nket is dangerous¡­¡± so it made sense. She didn¡¯t like the bright sunlight either. Gloomy, timid. That was how Mia Crowfield¡¯s character was designed. ¡­Although, being in such close proximity to the person who killed her father might have dulled that vibe a bit. ¡°Hm.¡± I let out a small sound as I pondered. With this many characters changing because of my presence, wouldn¡¯t that drastically alter the storyline? If the story deviates that much, would the future I know still be useful? ¡°¡­¡± No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn¡¯te to a conclusion. ¡­I guess I¡¯ll deal with that when the timees. For now, my priority was to observe Mia Crowfield. And if worstes to worst, I can always rewind time. I should have expected this. People who love staying indoors might never leave their rooms all day. I¡¯d been on top of the house for half the day. The sun was starting to set, and the curtains of Mia Crowfield¡¯s room hadn¡¯t budged. There hadn¡¯t even been a flicker of light from inside. Could she be sleeping? I seriously considered it, but with no movement at all, there wasn¡¯t much to go on. ¡°¡­¡± Fine. I lowered the scope and made a decision. Since things hade to this, I might as well go visit Mia Crowfield¡¯s room. Now that I think about it, maybe she didn¡¯t answer my question properly yesterday because of all the people present. It could have made her feel cornered. If Mia Crowfield is trying to avoid being alone with me, then I¡¯ll just make sure we¡¯re alone. ¡­But if I go now, wouldn¡¯t that mean I¡¯ve wasted my time here today? ¡°¡­¡± Alright, I¡¯ve already made enough missteps. Time to have a direct conversation with Mia Crowfield. After I talk to her, I¡¯ll decide whether or not I need to rewind time. With that thought in mind, I stretched out my body, sore from crouching for so long. At least I had the foresight toy down a military poncho before lying down. It made things a bit morefortable. I sighed as I rolled up the poncho. Fortunately, on my way to the dormitory, I didn¡¯t run into anyone I knew. If I had, those overly friendly people wouldn¡¯t have left me alone. I wouldn¡¯t have minded going out for a parfait or something, but I had something I needed to do today. I headed to Mia Crowfield¡¯s room, which was on a different floor than mine and Alice¡¯s. Standing in front of herrge door, I took a deep breath and looked around. Luckily, the hallway was empty. It was Saturday, after all. A lot of students had probably gone home for the weekend. Or, if they were upper nobles, they were probably getting extra education at home. But Crowfield¡¯s estate was far away. It wasn¡¯t the kind of distance you could travel to and from every weekend. Even in the game, Mia Crowfield was always in her room. Alright. I raised my hand and knocked softly on the door. ¡°Miss Crowfield.¡± I called out. ¡°¡­¡± There was no answer. I knocked again, a bit more firmly this time. Knock, knock. ¡­Still no response from behind the door. I nced around once more before pressing my ear against the door to listen. No sound came from inside. ¡­Is she really not in? ¡°¡­¡± I hesitated for a moment, then checked my surroundings once more. ¡­No one was around. Alright, then. I had plenty of opportunities, and time was on my side. I pulled a lockpick out of my pocket. Chapter 54 And I failed more times than when I had picked the lock at the entrance of the sewer. Of course, that makes sense. The lock on the sewer was expensive and difficult to open, but it was still a lock that was exposed to the elements. It needed to be simple yet sturdy enough to withstand constant exposure to the weather. The person who installed that lock probably never imagined anyone would try to break in. At best, they chose a reasonably strong but inexpensive lock to prevent unauthorized entry. However, Mia Crowfield was the daughter of a count. Moreover, the dormitory itself had excellent security. The guards at the entrance were thorough, checking and recording anyone who entered, and they stopped anyone who didn¡¯t have proper authorization. The rooms for noble andmoner students were basically the same, but that didn¡¯t mean the facilities were of low quality. This academy was known for being ¡°the best.¡± Fortunately, though, the locks didn¡¯t use Maramorus crystals or have any magic spells ced on them. At least, the doors weren¡¯tpletely impossible to open with a lockpick. ¡­Though I broke the pick over thirty times trying. Still, if I hadn¡¯t practiced lockpicking extensively in the past, I would¡¯ve broken it over a hundred times and still failed to open the door. My efforts weren¡¯t in vain, even if it took longer than I hoped. Of course, with my ability to rewind time, thirty or a hundred attempts didn¡¯t really make much of a difference. ¡­ Anyway. I pushed aside the hollow feeling in my chest and finally opened the door to Mia Crowfield¡¯s room. For a brief moment, I worried about what I¡¯d do if she was asleep inside, but luckily, she wasn¡¯t. ¡°¡­¡± The room was clean, just as I¡¯d expected. In the original game, most noble students kept their rooms tidy. They had been trained from a young age to ensure their surroundings were always presentable, even if the only visitors were maids or servants. Of course, there were exceptions, but that¡¯s beside the point. In any case, keeping the room this neat without personal maids or servants in the academy wasmendable. Theyout of the room was the same as mine. The furniture¡ªbed, desk, wardrobe¡ªwas all provided by the academy, so there was no reason for the design to be different. Nobles didn¡¯tin about the quality since everything was already top of the line. However, the personal touches were evident in the items on the desk and the bedspread. They reflected Mia¡¯s own tastes. It felt a little strange, but also familiar. I¡¯d seen this room countless times in the game. Although the atmosphere in real life was different from the game¡¯s mediocre graphics, the scene still triggered memories of the original. Most of the books on the desk were rted to magic. There were no books on swordsmanship or marksmanship. A training staff hung on the wall. There weren¡¯t many decorations or anything particrly noteworthy in the room¡¯s overall atmosphere¡ª Click. ¡°Huh?¡± I turned my head at the sudden sound from the door. For a moment, I thought someone had entered behind me. Maybe Mia Crowfield herself, or someone else who had seen me sneak in. But when I looked, no one was there. It wasn¡¯t the sound of a ghost or some supernatural entity either. ¡­Then again, if you consider it, magic is a supernatural phenomenon. And with this steampunk world that diverges from real history, such distinctions hardly matter. After all, ghosts do exist in this world. ¡°¡­¡± I approached the source of the sound and inspected it. There was a strange device locked on the inside of the door. It had a faint red glow from a Maramorus crystal, probably powered by the heat it emitted. There were likely a few other magical mechanisms in y as well. It reminded me of the old apartment door locks from my world. The sturdy metal device securely bolted the door, preventing it from opening. It seemed like an automatic lock that engaged whenever someone entered without permission. There hadn¡¯t been anything like this in the original game. After trying several methods to unlock it, I gave up. There wasn¡¯t even a keyhole or anything to work with. It was clear that this lock couldn¡¯t be opened without knowing the exact method or having the person who set it unlock it themselves. Mia Crowfield probably had to use her own magic to open it. ¡°Hmm.¡± I wasn¡¯t in a rush, though. Even if Mia Crowfield caught me, I could always extract some information through conversation and then rewind time. ¡°¡­¡± Since I was already here, I might as well take a closer look around the room. In the game, Mia Crowfield hid important items beneath the floorboards under her bed. I knew exactly what was supposed to be there, but with this unusual lock in ce, who knew what else might have changed? I lifted the bed sheet and crawled under the bed, which was high enough for a person to fit underneath. There was no dust. It was almost suspiciously clean. If someone had been crawling under here, there would be at least some signs of disturbance. It was clear Mia had been cleaning regrly to avoid leaving any such traces. Someone might think she had an obsessive need for cleanliness, but for Mia Crowfield, this level of care was probably normal. The floorboards under the bed were unmarked, but when I wedged a coin between them, I managed to lift one of the nks. There wasn¡¯t enough space to hide anythingrge, but there was room for a few Maramorus crystals. ¡°¡­¡± Sure enough, there were several Maramorus crystals, neatly arranged by element. They weren¡¯t as powerful as the ones I had found in the sewer, but ifbined with a magic staff, they were enough to kill someone. It was rather unsettling to see. In the game, Mia Crowfield had smuggled them in for her magical research. But in this world, where she had entered the academy with the goal of avenging her father, it wasn¡¯t surprising that she had gathered them with revenge in mind. And that wasn¡¯t even the real problem. Beside the Maramorus crystals, there was a small handgun. It wasn¡¯t asrge orbat-ready as the revolver I used. It was a Derringer¡ªa small, break-action pistol with two barrels that could hold a singlerge-caliber bullet in each. It was more of a self-defense weapon than anything else. But even a self-defense weapon was deadly if fired urately. ¡°¡­¡± I took the gun out and held it in my hand. Despite its small size, it had a decent weight to it. Well, it was a lump of metal, after all. When I broke open the barrel, I saw that both chambers were loaded with bullets. No spares. Did she think two shots would be enough to kill me? Or did she believe there wouldn¡¯t be time to reload anyway? Or maybe she nned to use one bullet on me and save the other for someone else. Click. I snapped the barrel shut. This gun didn¡¯t fit the image of the Mia Crowfield I knew from the game. But maybe that was just my own bias. In the game, characters couldn¡¯t equip weapons outside their designated categories, but this wasn¡¯t a game¡ªit was reality. With the right sleeves or pockets, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to hide a small gun like this. And this wasn¡¯t an era with metal detectors. I crawled out from under the bed, still holding the gun. Dusting off my clothes, I sat on the bed and waited quietly for Mia Crowfield to return. I¡¯m scared to go in. Mia stood in front of her room, hesitating. Last weekend, she had followed Sylvia Pangryphon and questioned how an assassin could be so careless. But the more she thought about it, the more something seemed off. It didn¡¯t make sense for Sylvia Pangryphon, who maintained such a cold and calcting demeanor in front of others, to act like an ordinary girl when no one was around.@@novelbin@@ What would she gain from that? If she were truly trying to convince others of her innocence, wouldn¡¯t she be better off acting friendly and warm to those around her? If she had truly killed someone and wanted to im she was innocent, she wouldn¡¯t behave like an assassin. Instead, she would act kind and approachable, using her charm to escape suspicion and move on with ease. So Mia didn¡¯t understand. Maybe Sylvia had known Mia was tailing her all along and was trying to confuse her with that performance. That made more sense to Mia. As a result, Mia had been unable to make eye contact with Sylvia all week. Her behavior had been so strange leading up to the weekend, and surely Sylvia had noticed. So this morning, Sylvia had acted. The academy was surrounded by a residential area. Since the industrial revolution, the buildings had be densely packed, with narrow stairs that barely allowed two people to pass each other. Sylvia had gone up to the roof of one such building, a ce Mia couldn¡¯t follow without being seen. The rooftop was probably narrow as well. Even if Mia had waited a while before going up, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to avoid confronting Sylvia once they were alone. And Sylvia had stayed on that rooftop until sunset. Like a spider waiting in its web for prey to get caught. Mia hadn¡¯t been able to follow her up. After waiting for a long time, Sylvia hade down from the building with her usual indifferent expression, as if nothing had happened. And now, she had calmly walked into Mia¡¯s room, as if there were no one following her. Mia¡¯s door had been set to automatically lock if anyone entered without permission. But if Mia opened the door now, she would be trapped inside with Sylvia. Would Sylvia really try to kill her inside the student dormitory? No, Sylvia Pangryphon was the type who could probably persuade someone without needing to resort to violence. ¡°¡­¡± Mia stood in front of her door, her thoughts racing. She took a deep breath. Fine. If Sylvia Pangryphon wanted to confront her one-on-one, so be it. Even if she had to die, she would do so with honor, bearing the name of Crowfield. After a few deep breaths, Mia pulled out her Maramorus crystal. Click. She unlocked the door and slowly opened it¡ª Only to find Sylvia Pangryphon sitting on her bed, casually ying with the hidden gun Mia had stashed away. Mia nearly fainted on the spot. ¡°¡­¡± Chapter 55 Mia Crowfield¡¯s face was pale as she stepped into the room. She must have noticed that the door was locked in an unusual way, and she could likely guess that someone was inside. And if that someone happened to be the person she suspected had killed her father, it would have been an even greater shock. Especially if that person was sitting on her bed, casually ying with a gun. ...Had I gone too far? For a moment, I thought I might have overdone it, but I quickly brushed the thought aside. If things really got out of hand, I could always rewind time and adjust the situation. ¡°What... do you want?¡± Mia asked, her eyes shifting between my face and the gun in my hand. ¡°Do you know what this gun is?¡± I asked. ¡°...¡± Mia hesitated, clearly unsure of how to answer. She could try to im ignorance¡ªit wasn¡¯t as though the gun was hidden behind any special lock. Unless someone already knew where to look, like I did, they wouldn¡¯t have found it. But the problem was, I was the one asking. It wasn¡¯t that I simply knew there was something hidden beneath her bed. The people around me assumed I had near-omniscient abilities. The Emperor and his children treated me as if I had some kind of foresight, and I¡¯d already shown in ss that I possessed incredible abilities. They wouldn¡¯t be surprised that I found something hidden under Mia¡¯s bed. Finding it and showing it to her, however, was another matter entirely. ¡°Firearms are prohibited on school grounds. Did you not know that?¡± How she had smuggled it in wasn¡¯t important. The fact that she had been caught was. ¡°May I ask why you brought this gun here?¡± I looked up at her from my seat on the bed. ¡°...Th-that¡¯s...¡± Mia stammered, her face still pale, her body trembling. It was a little pitiful. After all, it wasn¡¯t really her fault. The one who had done wrong was her father. Perhaps her mother too. Mia herself didn¡¯t know anything. She¡¯d simply grown up being told things by her parents. And this gun¡ªwell, she hadn¡¯t used it yet. But, by the Empire¡¯sws, the situation was different. She would be expelled from the academy for sure, and depending on the reason she¡¯d hidden the gun, she could be executed. Given the circumstances and the fact that there was already incriminating evidence, the Emperor could easily twist the situation to his advantage. The danger Mia was in now was far worse than when Count Crowfield had been killed. If the Emperor wanted, he could justify eradicating the entire Crowfield family. After all, I was still a princess. ¡°Are... are you nning to kill me?¡± Mia finally managed to ask, her voice shaking. ¡°Why don¡¯t you close the door, and we can talk?¡± I replied calmly. After I said that, Mia hurriedly closed the door. Silence. Now, it was just the two of us in the room. Alice knew I was here because I¡¯d informed her beforehand, but no one else knew about the connection between Mia and me. ¡°Would you care to exin why you think I would want to kill you?¡± I asked. ¡°...Because I¡¯m a Crowfield,¡± Mia answered, her voice barely a whisper. ¡°And you know I can¡¯t just kill a noble¡¯s daughter without consequences, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°A-After you killed my father...¡± Mia swallowed hard and continued. ¡°After you killed him...¡± ¡°...¡± I looked at Mia carefully. Was she saying that because she had actual evidence? Or was it just blind belief? Last time, I¡¯d baited her into revealing her suspicions. Now, it was important to confirm how she hade to know about the situation. ¡°May I ask why you¡¯re so certain?¡± I asked. ¡°...¡± Mia closed her eyes tightly before opening them again. ¡°Because... on the day my father died, you weren¡¯t at the pce.¡± ¡°...¡± I waited, but she didn¡¯t borate. ¡°Is that the only reason?¡± ¡°Not just you. Every time a noble died mysteriously, one of the Emperor¡¯s children was missing from the pce.¡± ¡°...¡±@@novelbin@@ I see. The Emperor hadn¡¯t bothered to hide that fact. If anything, he¡¯d probably made sure it was obvious¡ªto send a message to any nobles who dared defy him. That was why Mia was so sure. And, of course, she was right. I had killed her father. ¡°So, are you nning to take revenge? By killing me?¡± I asked. ¡°...¡± But she didn¡¯t answer that question. Was it because she was afraid of me? Did she think that if she answered wrongly, I might kill her on the spot? Was she worried that her revenge would be stopped before it even started? ¡°...I¡¯m not sure,¡± she finally muttered, her voicecking confidence. ¡°...¡± Not sure? After preparing a gun and magical crystals, she still wasn¡¯t sure if she wanted to kill me? I fell silent, thinking. In the original story, Mia had tried to kill ire but had given up. However, that had only happened after she¡¯d found conclusive evidence linking her father to the terrible things he¡¯d done. That part of the story hadn¡¯t even urred yet. Mia¡¯s suspicion of ire had never wavered in the original. Could my presence here have caused her doubts? Strictly speaking, I was an easier target for her, wasn¡¯t I? At least psychologically, if not in practice. I was always cold and emotionless¡ªa killing machine. I was the kind of person who didn¡¯t feel any guilt about taking a life. Since I had never shown any human emotions, wouldn¡¯t it be easier for her to kill me? ¡°I have a question,¡± Mia said. ¡°Why did you act so human when no one else was around?¡± ¡°...Human?¡± I tilted my head in confusion. Human? Was she saying I had smiled when no one was watching? Mia¡¯s expression was weary, as though she had already given up. She looked like someone who had been through too much at once and just wanted to fall asleep without thinking anymore. It was the kind of look a soldier had after returning from a war, exhausted and drained. ¡°...I followed you,¡± she said. ...What? ¡°I followed you, trying to see how you acted when no one else was around.¡± ...Huh? ¡°And... when you were sure no one was watching, you acted just like any normal person. You sniffled, yawned, and even dozed off while sitting.¡± ¡°...¡± What in the world...? When did I ever...? ... ...Oh. Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine. Back in the pce, I had always been on high alert. I had to be, with Lucas constantly trying to attack me. Rewinding time to dodge his de was one thing, but the real danger was when he didn¡¯t try to kill me outright. If Lucas was lurking around, I could never know where he might strike from unless he made himself known. That¡¯s why I had to maintain my persona so strictly. If I didn¡¯t, Lucas might report back to the Emperor about my behavior. Despite his casual attitude toward the Emperor, Lucas¡¯s loyalty to him was undeniable. He might have wanted to kill me, but he was serious about his duties. But at the academy... I¡¯d rxed a bit. Even in the pce, I¡¯d let my guard down slightly in my room, but never to the extent I had here. The only one who might burst into my room at the academy was Alice, and she had already started to understand me. Even if she saw me let my guard down, it wouldn¡¯t shock her. As long as I maintained a certain level ofposure, like when eating parfaits, Alice wouldn¡¯t be fazed. But... had I rxed too much? Had Mia Crowfield really been tailing me? ¡°When did you start?¡± I asked. ¡°Answer my question first,¡± Mia said, her expression still confused, but with a hint of determination in her eyes. She wanted answers from me, no matter what. ¡°Was everything you did an act? Were you trying to throw me off?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Did you really kill my father? Did youe into my room today to silence me? I don¡¯t know anymore. I can¡¯t understand the logic behind your actions, or if there¡¯s any consistency to what you¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°...¡± Hmm. She had probably been following me for at least a week. The only time I could have been caught dozing off was that morning when I had gotten up early to wait for the carriage. The yawning, the sniffling... it must have all happened then. But there was no guarantee she hadn¡¯t been tailing me before that. If I rewound time to stop myself from doing those things, I could at least erase that impression from her mind. But the problem was, I couldn¡¯t be sure she hadn¡¯t caught me earlier¡ªor wouldn¡¯t catch meter. If I rewound time, I might have to go all the way back to the start of the semester. Just thinking about it made me feel dizzy. It was only the second weekend, but so much had happened in these two weeks. I could rewind time, but I couldn¡¯t fast-forward through it. I had worked so hard to reach this point, and now I¡¯d have to redo everything because of this? Well, sure. Maybe I could handle things more quickly this time. The time itself would pass at the same speed, but I wouldn¡¯t have to rewind as many times. But even then, could I maintain the same rtionships I¡¯d built with everyone so far? Even if it would be their first time meeting me again, to me, it would be like meeting them for the umpteenth time. Could I really pretend to be meeting them for the first time? Could I recreate the image I¡¯d carefully built up? And the truth was, I didn¡¯t want to lose the feelings I¡¯d experienced. The excitement of meeting characters I had loved in the game. If I rewound everything, that excitement would be dulled. No matter how much I criticized the game, my affection for the characters had always been genuine. Even for the Mia Crowfield standing in front of me now. ¡°Please answer me.¡± Mia¡¯s voice was almost pleading at this point. ¡°Why did you go out of your way to help me with the assignment? Why are you standing here, showing no hostility toward me?¡± The more I listened to her, the more I realized how much I¡¯d overlooked. ¡°...¡± I raised a hand, stopping Mia mid-sentence. After organizing my thoughts, I spoke slowly. ¡°I know the truth.¡± Yes, rather than rewind everything and start over, it might be better to get through this situation first and then figure out my next steps. ¡°But I can¡¯t reveal everything to you right now.¡± I looked Mia Crowfield directly in the eyes as I spoke. Chapter 56 No, no, no, no. What about the cool beauty persona? I had no intention of spilling the whole truth right now. But since I had already mentioned that I knew something, I had to at least create the atmosphere that I had some understanding of the truth. That way, Mia Crowfield could ept it and move on. What happened to ¡°I don¡¯t know what expression to make at times like these¡±? In that brief moment, I frantically racked my brain. Should I just rewind time? Go back two weeks and start over? But then, would I be able to maintain my persona for another two weeks? Is there another option? I searched for a way to navigate this situation without breaking my ¡®cool beauty¡¯ image. And then... "Also, the things you saw... were practice." I blurted out nonsense. I had intended to steer the conversation away, but instead, I just said something ridiculous. ...Practice? Seriously? Who practices yawning or sniffling? Even Mia Crowfield, with her naive side, wouldn¡¯t believe such a story¡ª "Practice...?" ...Or would she? Mia had been thorough enough to follow me around. She wouldn¡¯t have just followed me without carefully preparing and nning. The fact that she had hidden all these things under her bed made that much clear. But still, this was Mia Crowfield. She had grown up without friends, raised with her mother''s hatred toward the Emperor. In some ways, she was simr to ire from the original story, though their oues were different. She could n things out and was skilled enough in magic to oppose the Emperor, but she struggled with personal rtionships. "Yes, practice," I said, deciding to push forward with this bizarre narrative. If worse came to worst, I could always rewind time and try again. At the moment, the advantage was mine. Mia Crowfield didn¡¯t have her staff in hand, at least. "I..." I furrowed my brow slightly. Even that small gesture must have caused a noticeable change in my expression since I usually didn¡¯t move my face at all. The only people who had ever seen me make a face like this were probably Jayden or Lucas¡ªor both. "I don¡¯t know how to express emotions well." I lied through my teeth. The idea that I couldn¡¯t express emotions was absurd. I¡¯d spent time rolling around on my bed, making goofy faces while eating sweets. I was an incredibly emotional person. Sure, I had erased those moments by rewinding time, but I was trying my best to maintain a stoic, emotionless persona. And yet, here I was, caught acting otherwise. "But the way you... yawned and nodded off¡ª" "Practice," I repeated, resolutely maintaining the lie. I wasn¡¯t sure if she would actually buy it, but I was counting on the image of Mia Crowfield I had from the game. "If I suddenly started showing emotions, it would catch people off guard." People had, in fact, been caught off guard. Alice could read my expressions somewhat, but I hadn¡¯t openly smiled in front of anyone. When I had made a slight face while eating parfaits, people had been visibly shocked. "Dozing off... was practice?" Mia mumbled, her face a picture of confusion. Damn it, I forgot about that. Practicing how to nod off and yawn? It was bizarre. Maybe I could have gotten away with practicing a smile or a tearful expression, but this? But the problem was, I had alreadymitted to this lie. My only other option was to rewind time, and I didn¡¯t want to resort to that yet. So I stuck to my story. "Practice isn¡¯t just about facial expressions," I continued, pushing forward. "It¡¯s not enough to just change your face. People recognize emotions through more than just facial expressions." "..." Mia stayed quiet, listening intently. "For example, if I were to try smiling," I said, barely moving my eyes and only raising the corners of my lips. Mia flinched, recoiling slightly at the sight of my awkward smile. "How does it look? Does it seem natural?" "No, not at all," Mia responded, clearly unsettled, taking two steps back until her back hit the door. Good. That was the reaction I wanted. It wasn¡¯t just an awkward smile¡ªit was the kind of smile where your lips smile but your eyes don¡¯t. The kind of expression that would make someone feel uneasy. That was what I was aiming for. ...Maybe I should use this expression on others if I ever need to unsettle them. "Facial expressions involve many parts of the face. It¡¯s not just about the shape of the mouth, but also the eyes. And it¡¯s not just about smiling¡ªthere are different kinds of smiles. A grin is different from augh, and whenughing, sound ys a role. Would you like me to demonstrate augh I¡¯ve been practicing?" "N-no, that¡¯s okay," Mia quickly declined, looking horrified. ... Well, that was intentional, but her reaction still stung a bit. Mia Crowfield was quite the beauty, as expected of a heroine from a game. Her somewhat awkward personality,bined with her tragic backstory, gave her a lot of charm. She was a popr character because of that gap between her personality and her appearance. "Facial expressions areplex, so I¡¯ve been working on simpler actions," I exined. "Things like nodding off or yawning are easier to mimic without changing my expression." "..." Mia still seemed unsure, but the furrowed brow she had been sporting moments ago was gone. "I¡¯ve been practicing how to look like an ordinary person, acting in ways that most people would expect. That¡¯s probably what you saw." It wasn¡¯t exactly a revolutionary concept, but it reminded me of a storyline from a different manga. A robot, designed to mimic human behavior, practiced actions based on what it had observed from people. The protagonist had been devastated when they realized the robot¡¯s behavior wasn¡¯t genuine. It was a hard sci-fi anime, and I hadn¡¯t finished it because it was too depressing. "..." Mia continued to stare at me for a long time without saying a word. Would she believe me? It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if she didn¡¯t. From Mia¡¯s perspective, I was thest person she should trust. Who would believe the person who killed their father? But on the other hand... she didn¡¯t have much choice. Mia had clearly been confused by the sight of me behaving like an ordinary person. If she was inclined to see me as an unfeeling killer, this exnation might actually make sense to her. In a twisted way, it was easier to ept the idea that my human-like behavior was a calcted act. "..." After a long silence, Mia remained frozen in ce, seemingly processing everything. I extended my right hand toward her. Mia flinched as if startled, her eyes widening in surprise when she saw what I was offering her.@@novelbin@@ In my hand was the gun, the handle facing her. If she wanted, she could take it and shoot me. Of course, I didn¡¯t expect her to do that. Mia Crowfield had failed to kill ire in the original story because, deep down, she wasn¡¯t the kind of person who could take someone¡¯s life. She was timid and had grown up without friends. What she really wanted, deep down, was for someone to befriend her. Even ire, who had a biting personality and had grown up hardened by her environment, had softened after getting to know Mia. ire had been harsh, but she wasn¡¯t a bad person. Mia had never been able to follow through with killing ire because, by the time she discovered ire was involved in her father¡¯s death, they had grown too close. So I handed the gun to Mia, thinking about that situation. Mia Crowfield may have circumstantial evidence, but she didn¡¯t have any concrete proof. She wasn¡¯t even sure if I was the one who had killed her father. She wouldn¡¯t shoot me. And if she did... well, as long as it wasn¡¯t a fatal shot, I could rewind time. Mia¡¯s trembling hands epted the gun. She stared at me, her expression nk. "If you¡¯re sure you need to kill me, go ahead and shoot," I said calmly. "..." Mia opened her mouth as if to speak, but no words came out. "Someday, you¡¯ll learn the full truth about what happened. And when that dayes, if you still think I deserve to die, then fine. Shoot me. I won¡¯t dodge the bullet." "Can¡¯t you just... tell me now?" Mia asked, her voice weak. "Not right now. You¡¯re not ready to hear it." "..." Mia bit her lip, clearly frustrated. "If the dayes when you¡¯re ready to hear the truth and you still don¡¯t understand, I¡¯ll tell you everything myself. I¡¯ll tell you what really happened." "..." Mia lowered her head, her shoulders slumping in defeat. I carefully walked past her. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t get shot in the back on my way to the door. Phew. "Oh, and," I said, turning slightly to look at her. "Please keep what I said about ¡®practice¡¯ between us. It¡¯s not quite a finished performance yet." "...I will," Mia replied weakly. Satisfied with her response, I turned back and opened the door. My heart was pounding in my chest. Honestly, I wanted to scream out in triumph¡ª ¡ªBut I couldn¡¯t afford to get caught. I forced myself to maintain a normal pace as I walked back to my room. Chapter 59 But what can I do? No better solutiones to mind. I hadn¡¯t considered learning swordsmanship at this point. Even if I started now, who knows how far I could progress? ¡­No, would I even reach a level that could be called ¡°mastery¡±? The Empire has not only various schools of swordsmanship but also a military-style sword training. While firearms are gradually recing swords on the battlefield, there are still plenty of monstrous swordsmen whose prowess is unmatched. Some could take on hundreds of enemies alone, true masters in every sense. Guys like Lucas would rush across the battlefield, cutting down enemies without hesitation, proving that the sword still had its ce. Even so, isn¡¯t it better to rely on pistols or shotguns to deal with close-range threats? Then again, firing a gun at a swordsman deep within enemy lines, where soldiers are entangled, could lead to friendly fire. Though I¡¯d seen simr scenes in 3D CG, the animations weren¡¯t great, so I couldn¡¯t precisely tell how the fighting unfolded. Given that even anti-air gunfire was poorly depicted in the game, it¡¯s impossible to say what it would actually look like without seeing it firsthand¡­ But that doesn¡¯t mean I thought the fights shown in the original were impossible to pull off here¡ª ¡°Sylvia!¡± ¡ªespecially with people like that around. Lucas, for example, could certainly hold his own on the battlefield. I thought I¡¯de out early, but some people were out even earlier than I was. ¡°ire.¡± I responded, waving cheerfully to ire, who was calling out to me. ¡°Leo.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± It seemed that after three weeks of seeing me without incident, Leo had rxed somewhat around me. Though he wasn¡¯t entirely free of tension. Thankfully, Mia Crowfield was keeping my secret well. Otherwise, Leo wouldn¡¯t be even slightly rxed around me. In the original story, Leo was always friendly to those he didn¡¯t have any reason to suspect. I mean, he is the protagonist of a harem story, so it¡¯s part of his personality. ¡°Out early,pleting requests again, I see.¡± They must have started around three in the morning. This week¡¯s request was something I hadn¡¯t seen before. Just because the academy was the main setting didn¡¯t mean every single day was faithfully recreated in the game. Some events were skipped over without much detail. Though if I looked at the request sheet, I could probably figure out the task and reward¡­ ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What do you think? I¡¯ve gotten to know the terrain around here, so I optimized our route to make a full loop!¡± ire said with a sparkle in her eyes. Indeed, around ire and Leoy the bodies of six beasts, neatly stacked. They were technically animals, but they could easily be called ¡°monsters¡± if you encountered them on Earth. There was a huge eagle with feathers still smoldering, a batrge enough to ¡°hug¡± a person if it spread its wings, a massive bison with absurdlyrge horns, and three other beasts. All were perfect targets for extracting Marmaros. ¡­Didn¡¯t the original have simpler tasks? Like errands? ¡°Oh, we also took down a few dangerous-looking beasts along the road. They said they¡¯d reward us appropriately if we brought back proof.¡± I see. In the original, you¡¯d get rewards immediately upon defeating monsters, but that¡¯s not how it works here. You can¡¯t exactly butcher a beast¡¯s carcass on the spot. Here, at least, you¡¯d need to bring the body back to receive a reward. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just bring back a part of the beast instead?¡± ¡°Huh? But leaving the bodies lying around wouldn¡¯t be very pleasant for people passing by.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Well. I¡¯m not sure if I should call them diligent or just in soft. It seems like someone¡¯s upbringing really shapes them. In the original, ire¡¯s words were always so frustrating to hear, yet she turned out admirably well. Perhaps she grew up a bit too well, if anything. ¡°¡­¡± When I looked silently at Leo, he shrugged and said, ¡°She has a point. If we don¡¯t clean them up, blood will start leaking from the bodies, making things messy for the folks who manage the road.¡± It¡¯s not like they dumped garbage on purpose; they were clearing the path for others. Nobody would mind a little mess if it meant helping people. But they seemed really bothered by it. ¡°But why are you here at this hour, Sylvia?¡± I didn¡¯t think being out at this time was unusual. At leastpared to them. It was already eleven in the morning. ¡­By their schedule, they¡¯d probably been out for almost seven hours. ¡°Have you had breakfast?¡± ¡°Yup! Leo and I packed lunch and ate here.¡± It wasn¡¯t exactly a leisurely stroll. ¡°¡­Just so you know, we¡¯re not like that,¡± ire added, as if anticipating something. ¡°¡­Who said you were?¡± Leo retorted with an annoyed expression. It wasn¡¯t the usual yful banter you¡¯d see in a game or anime; he genuinely looked disturbed, like a brother whose sister had mistaken their closeness. In the original, ire wasn¡¯t exactly a romance option¡­ well, not quite. It¡¯s just that she had a set tragic fate, so there was no final ¡°route¡± for her. ¡°No one¡¯s making assumptions, so you can rx.¡± ¡°Oh, good.¡± ¡°Seriously, who brought this up first?¡± Leo growled, but ire brushed it off without a care. ¡­Well, anyway. ¡°I¡¯m d to see you two getting along.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Me?¡± ire and Leo responded almost in unison. ¡°With each other?¡± ¡°With her?¡± It was such a ssic reaction that I had to stifle augh. Still, seeing this scene y out right in front of me was quite enjoyable. After all, they were both characters I¡¯d liked. --- Not only ire and Leo, but the entire protagonist¡¯s party in this game was diligent. Even Jake, who seemedzy on the surface, was like that. He only appeared to be cking off, but in reality, he was always studying or working hard. Especially since he was romantically involved with someone from a race foreign to this world. He needed to be well-informed to defend her from the judgmental remarks of others. In that sense, am I theziest one? Whenever I get a chance to rest, I rewind time as much as I want to rx fully. Of course, rewinding time doesn¡¯t retain any of the rest I¡¯d umted, and the fatigue returns when I rewind. But it was still nice to have a ¡°five more minutes¡± button on hand. Whenever I had an hour to rest, I¡¯d rest deeply for that hour. Then, I¡¯d rewind thirty minutes. Since I always wanted to rx, this wasn¡¯t too hard to do. No matter how tired I was, thirty minutes of rest would usually bring some relief, as long as I wasn¡¯t gravely injured. So, I¡¯d extend my rest by repeatedly rewinding that improved thirty minutes. Sure, my body only recovered as if I¡¯d rested an hour, but mentally, I¡¯d feel ready to face whatever came next. And if any urgent tasks came up, I¡¯d have time to handle them. ¡°¡­¡± Like now. I rewound time for the fifth time, driven by a single desire to avoid the approaching Monday. As Iy sprawled on the bed, contemting the days ahead, new ideas would asionally pop into my head. Most of these thoughts were short and fleeting, but whenbined, they¡¯d often lead to a promising conclusion. For example, the ideas that crossed my mind right now went like this: I already had a schedule for the academy¡¯s first semester. So, I knew that starting in the second week of May, there¡¯d be a field training exercise. The field training would run from Thursday to Sunday, a total of four days. The destination: Winterfield. Although it¡¯s far from the active battlefront. This is the academy information I knew; the rest was from my knowledge of the game¡¯s lore.@@novelbin@@ Winterfield is located in the Empire¡¯s far north, where there¡¯s always snow¡ªhence the name. Maybe because of its image, or the established fantasy world conventions, the Empire¡¯s most renowned warriors usually hailed from this ce. Not just Winterfield, though. Several prominent namese to mind, each significant to the story and lore. Among them, one of the most famous swordsmen hails from Winterfield. ¡°...Oh?¡± In that instant, I shot upright. I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. The Sword Saint hadn¡¯t died in the story yet. Unless my presence had somehow elerated things, making Lucas seek out the Sword Saint sooner. The reason Lucas sought out the Sword Saint was because, at that point, he was confident in his abilities. He believed he could challenge and defeat him. Though developers had hinted that Lucas was stronger than the Sword Saint by now, Lucas wouldn¡¯t actuallymit until the second installment of this world¡¯s storyline. The Sword Saint, although older, was still very much alive and active. If I wanted to, I could meet the Sword Saint next week. If I could meet him before Leo or ire, I might learn a few unique training methods¡ªlike meditation techniques that reduce the need for sleep. With my ability to rewind time, I could repeatedly train¡­ though my physical state would reset each time. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± No, maybe it wasn¡¯t so simple. I knew where the Sword Saint resided¡­ but he was located on a mountainside. In the lore, the Sword Saint cut himself off from the world and lives in seclusion, so you couldn¡¯t just meet him by conventional means. But there were hidden quests that would eventually lead you to him. ¡°But I¡¯d have to climb a mountain.¡± I pressed my nose bridge between my thumb and forefinger. Just as the roads here look different from the game, the mountain likely wouldn¡¯t be the same, either. Climbing a mountain isn¡¯t easy. Just think about it: even climbing Mount Seorak would take over ten hours, and the mountain where the Sword Saint resides is much harsher. ¡°¡­Wait a minute.¡± I thought of Leo and ire, the two who had piled up six beast corpses with such bright smiles this morning. ¡­Even if I didn¡¯t want to climb up there, wouldn¡¯t these two eventually set out to find the Sword Saint? They both seemed eager to learn swordsmanship. And they¡¯d probably bring along Alice or Charlotte, too. ¡­If Alice is there, then so will I. "¡­" If someone had seen my face at that moment, they probably would¡¯ve been startled by how pale I¡¯d turned. Chapter 60 So much for spring. Winterfield was as brutally cold as its name suggested. To be fair, even though it''s called *Winter*field, it¡¯s not nketed in snow year-round. After all, it¡¯s still part of the Empire, and unless you go further north to the Rint Autonomous Region, it does experience some semnce of spring and summer. But spring here is only less cold than winter, and summer is just cool,parable to autumn in other regions. Ironically, this made it a popr getaway for nobles. In the heat of midsummer, they¡¯d flock here to escape the sweltering temperatures and enjoy the mildness. At the lower areas near the town, the snow melts in spring, but the mountain peaks stay snow-covered, creating breathtaking scenery that you wouldn¡¯t find elsewhere in the Empire. The Rint Autonomous Region may be mired in conflict between warlords, the local government, and imperial forces, but that¡¯s far from the heart of Winterfield. The territory is vast, and the main areas are down south, where it¡¯sparatively warmer. ¡°Brr, it¡¯s freezing¡­ Is it still winter here, even in May?¡± While the snow does melt in spring, it doesn¡¯t mean there¡¯s no snowfall. And when it does snow, it doesn¡¯t melt right away. Even back home, in particrly harsh years, you could get snow aste as May. ¡°It¡¯s Winterfield. The people here may think differently, but to everyone else, it¡¯s winter all year round,¡± Leo said, shivering as he addressed ire, who was trembling beside him. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not literally winter all the time,¡± said another voice, startling Leo. ¡°There¡¯s a summer, too. It¡¯s cooler than in the capital, though. Honestly, from my point of view, the capital¡¯s unbearably hot,¡± Jennifer said with a shrug. ¡°It¡¯s just now spring,¡± Leo said, still shivering. ¡°That¡¯s what I mean by hot. This ce doesn¡¯t go a full season without a single snowfall,¡± Jennifer replied. Leo and ire, as well as the other noble students gathered here, fell silent at Jennifer¡¯sment. ¡°Honestly, I worry about how I¡¯ll survive in summer¡­ but I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter since there¡¯s summer break,¡± she added. Not that it truly didn¡¯t matter. Jennifer would be sweating bullets even before real summer arrived. And with her penchant for wearing revealing clothes, she¡¯d end up as one of those ¡°ideal figure¡± characters, loved by figurine collectors everywhere. Not that this game had a lot of figures, though. Which was a shame. In the game, the cold setting and reactions were present, but the characters could wear any outfit. If I didn¡¯t pick otherwise, they¡¯d default to their winter coats, like the one I was wearing now. But you could still dress them in DLC costumes if you wanted. Oddly enough, putting other characters in swimsuits here felt out of ce. Jennifer, though, somehow pulled it off. She¡¯d always beenining about the heat back in the capital from the start of summer. ¡°Alright, is everyone here?¡± Despite Winterfield¡¯s frigid climate, the territory was a sprawling area of strategic importance, and several people were disembarking from the train besides ss A¡¯s noble students. Businesspeople in suits checked their pocket watches as they bustled along, while officers in military uniforms walked by in the distance. Some soldiers, likely returning from leave, also moved through the station. No one paid us much attention. Jennifer, out of uniform and dressed in civilian clothes, wasn¡¯t saluted. They might have recognized her face if they¡¯d looked closely, but Jennifer was technically a retired officer, so she wasn¡¯t owed any formal gestures. Alice, now serving as ss representative, answered Jennifer¡¯s call. Jennifer nced around, taking us all in. Unlike our homeroom teacher, Caroline Northwood, Jennifer didn¡¯t order us to line up in rows. She was an instructor of a different sort, one with a streak of independence. ¡°Before I left, Caroline asked me to take good care of you all,¡± Jennifer began, addressing us. ¡°I¡¯m not usually fond of high nobles, but Caroline¡¯s different. You probably feel the same. There aren¡¯t many people out there as genuinely good-hearted as she is.¡± Several of the students nodded in agreement. After all, no one would dislike a beautiful, kind, and dedicated teacher. ¡°So, I won¡¯t tolerate any reckless behavior. If you mess around or put yourselves in danger, I¡¯ll make sure you regret it. I can¡¯t send you back injured on another teacher¡¯s watch.¡± She scanned the group one more time before continuing. ¡°Winterfield is a dangerous ce for first-timers. I¡¯ll go over the details once we reach our lodgings, but for now¡­¡± Jennifer took out her pocket watch and nced at it. ¡°We have about an hour to spare, so you¡¯re free to explore a bit. This isn¡¯t the heart of the territory, but it¡¯s not isted either, so feel free to take in the atmosphere of Winterfield. There are plenty of soldiers here, so it¡¯s safe.¡± After tucking her watch away, Jennifer added, ¡°Dismissed!¡± and promptly turned and walked off. The students, somewhat surprised by the abrupt freedom, began to chatter excitedly. ¡°Sylvia.¡± Among them was Alice. She was fully dressed in her academy coat, which gave her a distinctly military look¡ªlike a cadet. Unlike others, though, Alice had removed the fur around the cor forfort. ¡°Shall we grab some lunch? It¡¯s about that time,¡± she suggested. ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s an ideal time for a meal,¡± Charlotte chimed in. ¡°Lunch, you say?¡± ¡°Yes. We haven¡¯t eaten yet.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Jennifer might have let us roam freely, but I had a feeling she also wanted us to get a sense of the area. As it turned out, what most noble students would consider a ¡°meal¡± wasn¡¯t avable here. This wasn¡¯t exactly a hotspot for nobles. The security wasn¡¯t terrible, but it also wasn¡¯t a wealthy area. Most of the establishments around here served soldiers and kept things simple. The food, in true northern fashion, was rustic and lightly seasoned. And, of course, this was the Empire with that infamous British inspiration. The northern regions¡¯ cuisine came with a reputation, making it questionable whether the nobles here would even touch the food. ¡°Oh, really? Then let¡¯s eat together!¡± ire chirped. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯ll be easier to eat together than to go separately,¡± Alice and Charlotte nodded in agreement. As they chatted, Leo and ire joined them. ¡°That sounds good.¡± Just then, someone else spoke up. ¡°I was just thinking I had no one to eat with since Lottie¡¯s in another ss.¡± Jake Lindborough had appeared. Though Lottie entered the academy as Jake¡¯s handmaiden, she was in a different ss, being amoner. All students were nominally equal here, meaning no one could openly employ or keep a servant, especially if that ¡°servant¡± was also a student. Technically, Jake and Lottie were equals. ¡°Lindborough?¡± Alice looked surprised, eyeing Jake with a hint of disapproval. Charlotte, too, didn¡¯t seem pleased by his casual demeanor. ¡°Is that alright with you, Sylvia?¡± ¡°Sylvia?¡± Alice¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°We became friends after chattingst time,¡± Jake exined, grinning. Alice nced at me with a look of mild shock. In fact, every other student nearby was looking at me the same way. ¡­Yeah, I guess seeing a quiet girl who always sat in the corner of the ssroom suddenly hanging out with this bleached-blond, tan-skinned yboy would be a bit shocking. But it¡¯s not like that. ¡°Hm? Why?¡± I asked. Jake shrugged, ncing at me. ¡°Aren¡¯t we friends?¡± Uh, we talked for the first time two weeks ago. And that wasn¡¯t even a real conversation. He¡¯d just walked up to me and said hello. So, really, it would be more urate to say we barely knew each other. ¡°Sylvia.¡± As I wondered how to respond, Charlotte sidled up to me, gently taking my arm. ¡°I know you¡¯re inexperienced with men, so you may not realize it, but you shouldn¡¯t get too close to someone like him. Come, this way.¡± Not that we were close. He¡¯s just the one acting friendly. I nced past Jake to see a few girls, watching from a distance with nervous expressions. ¡­Of course. Jake was escaping from the swarm of girls around him. All the girls here were from prestigious families, and all were strikingly beautiful. By joining our group, he was likely hoping they¡¯d get the hint and stay back. ¡°¡­¡± Charlotte and Jake had shed early on. Well, technically, it was Charlotte who disliked his casual attitude, particrly his tanned skin and carefree manner. Later on, though, her opinion of him softened a bit when she realized who he truly cared for. Though she still found his attitude off-putting, she became less judgmental, knowing why he acted that way. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Alice seemed to pick up on my feelings quickly, reading my expression as she looked between me and Jake. ¡°If you¡¯re approaching Sylvia one-sidedly, I¡¯d like to discourage it,¡± Alice said, stepping between me and Jake, her gaze serious. ¡°Sylvia isn¡¯t as simple as you might think.¡± ¡°¡­¡± What sort of image do these people have of me? I¡¯d been working hard to build a perfect reputation by rewinding time as needed¡ª Just then, I made eye contact with Mia Crowfield, who had somehow quietly slipped into our group. "¡­" Well, maybe not perfect.@@novelbin@@ Let¡¯s call it ¡°close enough to perfect.¡± After all, I¡¯ve managed to fool everyone else buther. Chapter 61 ¡°So¡­ you joined us just to shake off the other girls?¡± Alice said, looking somewhere between exasperated and amused.@@novelbin@@ We were all seated around a table at a nearby restaurant. Despite some back-and-forth on the way, Jake had managed to tag along, so our group now consisted of seven people, which meant finding arge enough table. We¡¯d ended up around a sizable round one, which, though it kept us spaced out, was a relief in its own way. At least I wouldn¡¯t feel too crowded. ¡°To be honest, yes,¡± Jake admitted, his straightforwardness helping him secure a seat between me and Leo. The other girls hadn¡¯t wanted to sit next to him. Apparently, this crowd of earnest types didn¡¯t mesh well with Jake¡¯s ¡°bad boy¡± vibe. Despite his reputation, Jake was actually a top student and disciplined in his daily training, but people rarely noticed that unless they paid close attention. Lottie, for instance, despised anyone who belittled Jake. Knowing better than anyone else just how hard he worked in private, she couldn¡¯t stand when people dismissed him. ¡°From the moment I stepped off the train, they just swarmed me,¡± Jake sighed. Though we weren¡¯t in the capital, the students were still recognizable, even if none were visible here in the restaurant. ¡°Well, you *are* the son of a duke, and you do have that look of someone who¡¯d give in easily,¡± Alice replied, raising an eyebrow. ¡°A bit harsh, don¡¯t you think?¡± Jake retorted, though he didn¡¯t seem offended. Jake was a character full of confidence¡ªnot arrogance, but assuredness in his ns and actions. And those ns always centered around Lottie. Eventually, he wanted to brush aside all the distractions and live happily together with her. That was his goal. ¡°Go easy on him,¡± Leo spoke up in Jake¡¯s defense. ¡°And how would *you* know about his struggles?¡± ire quickly countered, leaving Leo momentarily speechless. To be fair, Leo wasn¡¯t exactly popr at this stage. The game¡¯s progression was all about slowly building rapport, one episode at a time. Yet, the group didn¡¯t seem to dislike having him around. Despite being the only guy among them, no one appeared ufortable or out of ce. It was, in a way, a ssic setup for a harem story. ¡°So, you targeted Sylvia?¡± Alice asked Jake. She had the strange ability to read my expressions urately and seemed confident that I hadn¡¯t developed feelings for him. ¡°Exactly. Sylvia¡¯s the one noble girl other nobles don¡¯t flock to.¡± It wasn¡¯t only noble boys who attracted a following of noble girls. Even though we were just three weeks into the school year, the Academy had already split into factions, despite having only fifteen students per ss. This division was inevitable. Nobles rallied around dukes, who in turn formed alliances to amass power. Even with the Emperor wielding absolute authority, it was necessary to have backing¡ªwhether by aligning with the Emperor or forming bonds with powerful dukes from a young age. School friendships were part of this strategy, with daughters of dukes bing popr among students for reasons beyond personal affection. Technically, as a member of House Fangriffon, I should¡¯ve been in the thick of it too. But rumors and reputation kept most people away from me. In that sense, I envied Jake a bit. Whether I was male or female, I¡¯d never been popr with girls. ¡­Well, that¡¯s a rather sad thought. Better not dwell on it. ¡°Even so, using people like that¡­¡± The group didn¡¯t seem thrilled about Jake¡¯s n, which, honestly, was touching. All I¡¯d done since starting here was tag along on walks and meals with them. But to be treated as part of the group by characters I¡¯d admired in the game¡ªit was more gratifying than I¡¯d expected. Even Charlotte, who had no real reason to view me favorably, seemed willing to consider me a friend. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± I assured Charlotte. ¡°No harm was done, so there¡¯s no need to worry.¡± ¡°See?¡± Jake couldn¡¯t resist adding, which earned him a round of res. ¡°A remark like that¡ª¡± Alice began, about to say something to Jake when the server arrived. ¡°Your meals are here,¡± the server announced, setting our food down with precision. There were no individual menus; this ce served a fixed breakfast, lunch, and dinner, catering to traveling businesspeople and soldiers. But the moment the food hit the table, Charlotte and Alice, along with everyone else, fell silent. ¡°Please enjoy your meal,¡± the server said, unperturbed by our stares, before walking back to the counter. ¡°Um¡­¡± Even Jake, usually soid-back, seemed at a loss for words as he looked down at the food. ¡°So, this is¡­¡± I nced at the food on my te, following the others¡¯ example. It looked like a very thick sausage at first nce. It was more of a ball shape than a sausage, really, but sausage was a local specialty, so it wasn¡¯t entirely surprising. Still, it was an unusual dish for sure. ¡°Haggis,¡± I announced. They looked at me and then back at the food. It was a well-known ¡°peculiar¡± food from Ennd¡ªor rather, Scond, if we were following the inspiration for the Empire¡¯s regions. In this fantasy world, the creators had loosely ced cuisine ording to cultural influences. The northern Empire, inspired by Britain, had its own ¡°local vors.¡± While the group sat silently, I picked up my fork and knife. It could¡¯ve been worse. At least it wasn¡¯t some bizarre fantasy dish. Though I hadn¡¯t tried haggis myself, I¡¯d heard it was tolerable by Korean standards, somewhat like sundae, or blood sausage. This might actually remind me of home. *** In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Alice, ire, and Leo managed to finish theirs as well, though Jake and Mia left a bit on their tes. Charlotte, however, barely touched half. ¡°Is all northern cuisine¡­ like this?¡± she asked afterward. Charlotte, who¡¯d held back anyints while eating, had been especially mindful, likely because I seemed to be enjoying my meal. She might usually find the Empire¡¯s bread unsatisfactory, but at least this dish wasn¡¯t evenparable. As a royal, Charlotte knew that mocking regional food was unwise. ¡°There¡¯s bread in the north too,¡± I replied. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a relief¡­¡± She sighed deeply, genuinely. Normally, hearing about the Empire¡¯s mediocre bread would make her frown, but today, even the bread seemed preferable to haggis. After all, with Belvure¡¯s culinary inspiration drawn from France and Belgium, her standards were high. I¡¯d heard even the French had their share of ¡°pungent¡± sausages, but now was probably not the time to mention that. Chapter 65 In games, no matter how long you walk around, the character never gets tired. It¡¯s only natural; if characters grew exhausted just from walking, it would be incredibly frustrating for the yer. Imagine if a character that¡¯s been walking for about an hour had to rest for ten minutes just to keep going¡ªit would be a fatal w in lengthy JRPG genres. Furthermore, in games like these, there aren¡¯t many restrictions on running. As long as it¡¯s not an action RPG, limiting stamina doesn¡¯t significantly affect gamey. Combat mode takes over whenever you encounter an enemy, so there¡¯s no reason to add a speed limit that would only make traversal tiresome. The problem is, that only applies to games. ¡°Heck... huff... huff...¡± I could hear heavy breathing from behind me. The spot where the Elemental Bear was locatedy deep within the forest. While it wasn¡¯t pathless or an actual mountain, the trail was far more challenging to walk onpared to the solid paths of a vige. Naturally, walking on such a trail for several minutes without rest is bound to strain your stamina. "......" Fortunately, I¡¯d trained myself to a minimum degree. I didn¡¯t have a superhuman body like other protagonists, but at least my stamina wasn¡¯t the worst. The real problem was Mia Crowfield, who hardly seemed physically active in her daily life. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ire, who was following closely behind, noticed me maintaining myposure and looked back at Mia Crowfield with concern. ¡°Huff, yeah... I¡¯m... fine¡­¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t look fine at all,¡± Alice interjected. ¡°Let¡¯s just rest here for a bit. It¡¯s better to meet our prey when we¡¯re all in optimal condition, including Miss Crowfield,¡± she suggested. ¡°That¡¯s true. Let¡¯s take a short break,¡± ire agreed. The sky was gradually brightening. We¡¯d left after a meal at four in the morning, knowing full well that venturing into the forest in the dead of night was foolhardy. But we didn¡¯t spend that time idly; we went over the mission details onest time and double-checked our supplies before entering the woods. No matter how much gaming I¡¯d done, this forest didn¡¯t look exactly like it did in the game¡¯s empire maps. The vigeyout might have been spot-on, but a forest thisrge would have been impossible to render identically in-game. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Mia Crowfield sat down on the ground, sighing heavily. "..." I took the water sk from my belt and handed it to her. I¡¯d boiled water earlier in the morning, and after keeping it in my leather pouch at my waist, there was still a bit of warmth left. ¡°Ah¡­¡± She looked at me with wide eyes, perhaps surprised that I offered her the sk. ¡°T-thank you.¡± Though she seemed hesitant, she couldn¡¯t outright refuse with everyone watching. Holding the still-warm sk, Mia Crowfield cautiously took a sip, exhaling a small, relieved sigh afterward. ¡°We might have to forgo some of the missions,¡± Jake remarked coldly. To some extent, I agreed with him. Mia Crowfield aside, my stamina had its limits too. While others might think I was superhuman, even with all the training I¡¯d done, I couldn¡¯t outmatch anyone here in terms of sheer strength or stamina¡ªexcept maybe Mia Crowfield. The real question was, what about the game¡¯s story? It doesn¡¯t matter if we skip a few side quests, but the main quest mandates a fixed party. Anyway, things were already quite different from the game. In the game, only four members could fight simultaneously, so having a whole group wandering around together was unusual. But what happens if someone crucial to the main quest copses from exhaustion, gets injured, or just burns out? As I pondered this deeply, Mia Crowfield, noticing my gaze, looked back at me, slightly intimidated, and handed the sk back. I silently took it and took a sip myself. The warm water soothed my throat. ...We¡¯re still early in the story, so it¡¯s not toote to observe a bit more before making any decisions. Besides, wasn¡¯t this mission chosen by Charlotte, with Leo and ire backing her? The three of them believed they had the strength to take down the Elemental Bear, and even the guide, upon hearing the Grace family name, nodded confidently. We¡¯ll be fine. I mean, who could get seriously hurt from a mere side quest? * The Elemental Wolf was about the size of a regr wolf, withparable physical abilities. Though its body held marmaross, it wasn¡¯t bulletproof. Considering it was the first monster encounter in the game, it¡¯s expected that it wouldn¡¯t be too strong here. ¡°Graaooo!¡± But the frenzied roar of the ¡®Red w¡¯ was another matter. Our target this time was a bear¡ªa bear whose hide and bones could sometimes deflect bullets. Moreover, this bear had a fire-aligned marmaross, granting it an instinctive grasp of magic. It was twice the size of a pr bear I once saw at a zoo; I had to tilt my head all the way back just to look up at it. A regr bear might look cute just sitting there, but the Elemental Bear had an aura of savagery even while motionless. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± Leo shouted, and ire nodded. ¡°Graoo!¡± As the bear swung its paw, Leo leapt sideways while ire ducked swiftly. Watching her narrowly avoid the bear¡¯s razor-sharp ws by the tip of her ponytail made my heart skip a beat. ¡°Let¡¯s go too, Princess!¡± ¡°...Just call me Charlotte.¡± Jake and Charlotte then moved in, circling around to strike from behind. The bear¡¯s thick hide made it unlikely to go down easily, but they were taking turns attacking, each time forcing the bear to turn its attention between them. ire wielded her whip-like sword with finesse, keeping her distance while distracting the bear. Leo used that opportunity to charge head-on, swinging his de, though it wasn¡¯t quite enough for a fatal blow. Nevertheless, it was steadily wearing down the beast. The battle continued with Leo and ire drawing its focus forward, while Charlotte and Jake attacked from behind. The Grace family¡¯s swordy, with its heavy, cutting strikes,bined well with Charlotte¡¯s rapier and Jake¡¯s swift in-and-out technique. ¡°Alright, my turn.¡± Alice gripped her sword tightly. ¡°Cover me from the rear!¡± I nodded, and Alice surged forward. The royal swordsmanship emphasized the power of each strike. Though slower than the Grace family¡¯s dual-handed sword style, every blow packed immense force. Her strike left cracks in the ground beneath. In the game, Alice had been a close-range damage dealer¡ªslow, but with powerful single-hit moves. Dashing between Leo and ire, she sliced at the Elemental Bear, her de finally tearing through its tough stomach hide, spilling blood. ¡°Gwaaaar!¡± The bear¡¯s agonized roar reverberated loudly. In fury, it mmed its paws down on the leaf-strewn ground, igniting small mes. ¡°Hick.¡± Seeing this, Mia Crowfield let out a small scream. ¡°Stick to the n,¡± I said calmly to her. The scene felt far more intense and brutal than anything I¡¯d seen in the game, but after witnessing people explode and putting a bullet in a wolf¡¯s forehead, I wasn¡¯t fazed. ¡°Prepare your water-based spell. I¡¯ll cover you from a distance,¡± I instructed. Mia Crowfield nodded repeatedly, clutching her staff while moving to a position a bit away from the battlefield. If I¡¯d had more time, I¡¯d have climbed a tree, but that wasn¡¯t an option now. I climbed up a nearbyrge rock, knelt, and aimed my gun at the bear¡¯s head. Its massive head was a tough target, thrashing madly as it focused on Leo and the others, but I had multiple chances. Resting my finger on the trigger, I pulled it. The hard metal resisted, then gave way as the gun fired. Bang! The gunshot sounded even louder than the ones I¡¯d heard in the military. It was pure luck that I hit the bear¡¯s head without needing to rewind time. ¡°Graah!¡± But the beast didn¡¯t fall. Blood gushed from one eye, yet it stood tall, ring at me, undeterred. If that bear had expressions, this was rage. Watching its bleeding right eye, I pulled back the bolt, feeling the satisfying click of metal sliding into ce, ejecting the empty shell with a faint ping. Just then, mes burst from the bear¡¯s back. Even to me, someone who couldn¡¯t sense auras, the bear¡¯s behavior felt unsettling. ¡°Retreat!¡± Leo shouted, and everyone quickly backed away. The bear, surprisingly, didn¡¯t pursue them. A hissing sound like a boiling kettle came from the bear as it slowly opened its massive jaws, aimed directly at me. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± Right. In Azerna Legends, even low-level monsters could use magic casually.@@novelbin@@ Magic with effects identical to human spells. I¡¯d always wondered how these beasts cast spells that humans needed chants for. Through the scope, I saw mes flickering deep in its throat. So, ites from within! I fired again in a hurry. Bang¡ªthe shot fired, the recoil hitting my shoulder as my scope jerked up. I didn¡¯t see it pierce the bear¡¯s cheek, but I knew it did. Simultaneously, Mia Crowfield¡¯s spell, which she had been preparing, finally activated. Chapter 68 Fortunately, I didn¡¯t get carsick. My heart was pounding a little, and the road was much rougher than the asphalt roads I¡¯d known on Earth, but Jennifer assured me it wasn¡¯t that bad, considering it was also a supply route. Then again, I¡¯d traveled by carriage, which shook a lot more than this. Unlike cars, most carriages didn¡¯t have any suspension. Not that they had seatbelts, either. Still, unlike the carriage, which usually had only side windows, the car¡¯s passenger seat offered an unobstructed view straight ahead. Though we were only going about 80 km/h, sitting without a seatbelt in a car for the first time in a while made my palms a bit sweaty. Moreover, the road was wide open. Out here in the countryside, where cars were scarce, the drive felt simultaneously refreshing and slightly terrifying. About 40 minutester, we arrived at a base in the forest. ¡°This isn¡¯t a military post. It¡¯s maintained by the hunters who guard Winterfield¡¯s vast forest.¡± Jennifer parked the car and got out. ¡°Although, in terms of their equipment, they¡¯re practically like private soldiers.¡± She nced at me as she said this. ¡°Does this bother you, Your Highness?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± I answered immediately. This was more of an issue for the Emperor or, if anything, for Alice, the future Empress. Winterfield was one of the most loyal duchies, and this private force existed to guard the northern forest against bandits, not to threaten the imperial family. ¡°Lady Jennifer!¡± The moment Jennifer stepped out, a burly hunter with a thick beard came running up to us. He wore a heavy fur hat¡ªthe kind with ear ps. An ushanka, I think it¡¯s called, the type you¡¯d expect to see on Soviet soldiers during World War II. Of course, his clothes weren¡¯t military uniforms. Beneath his fur coat, I could glimpse a red checkered shirt and sturdy jeans. He looked more like a lumberjack than a hunter. But in these cold mountains, the difference probably didn¡¯t matter much. Survival here required year-round woodcutting to stockpile firewood. ¡°She¡¯s here! Lady Jennifer is here!¡± the hunter called out, and several other men dressed simrly to him came out from various log cabins around the base. Every single one of them had a thick beard. ¡°How¡¯ve you all been?¡± Jennifer asked. ¡°Doing fine, mydy!¡± The hunter removed his hat respectfully, revealing matted hair that hadn¡¯t been trimmed in a long time. His face was slightly red, probably from the cold or maybe from a midday drink, but he looked pleased. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Lady Jennifer. But¡­¡± He trailed off, ncing toward me, the girl who¡¯d just stepped out of the car. The other hunters who¡¯de out also looked at me with curious expressions. It made sense. A teenage girl showing up in a ce like this was bound to draw some attention, especially since there didn¡¯t seem to be any women here. ¡°This is the Imperial Princess, visiting from the capital,¡± Jennifer introduced me. ¡°Oh.¡± The hunter¡¯s face grew tense, likely because he didn¡¯t have the best impression of the imperial family. He even looked around, as if expecting an escort or guards hiding nearby. ¡°No need to worry. She¡¯s here as a student first and foremost, and as my apprentice, she has no intention of expecting special treatment from you all,¡± Jennifer assured him. Even if I¡¯de here officially as a princess, I didn¡¯t n to expect special treatment. ¡°We¡¯ll be climbing the mountain. Can we borrow some climbing gear? The ce I stayed as a child should still be around, right?¡± ¡­She stayed here? Then again, if she was looking to meet the Swordmaster, living here rather than in central Winterfield made sense. ¡°Yes, everything should be just as you left it, mydy.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡­Climbing gear? ¡°This way. My childhood climbing clothes might fit you. They might be a bit tight in the chest, though,¡± Jennifer added with a hint of humor as she led the way, leaving me a bit puzzled as I followed. * Indeed. Climbing a mountain in a school skirt that left my legs bare was an insane idea. Even with a well-worn trail, the mountain path was uneven and treacherous. The chilly mountain air relentlessly seeped through any gap it could find between my legs. I shivered just thinking about how cold it would¡¯ve been if I¡¯de in just my thick stockings. In the game, characters¡¯ outfits never changed unless there was a special event, so it was easy to overlook things like this. ¡­If Jennifer hadn¡¯t spent her childhood here, who knows what would¡¯ve happened? ¡°¡­Hah¡­¡± I exhaled quietly. Jennifer could likely hear me, but I didn¡¯t care; climbing a mountain was exhausting. Though I wanted to copse, gasping, I kept myselfposed. Thanks to the minimal training I did regrly, I wasn¡¯t about to pass out. Surprisingly, Jennifer was pacing herself, giving me time to adjust. The trail was also in better shape than I¡¯d expected. It wasn¡¯t t like a road, but hunters likely used it regrly. Whenever I misstepped or felt inefficient, I rewound time slightly to conserve my stamina as best as I could. ¡°Even for those who live in the mountains, it¡¯s impossible to be entirely self-sufficient,¡± Jennifer remarked, confirming that at least in the game, trails existed where people could traverse. It had taken us four hours to get this far. The sun was beginning to set. My friends were probably searching for me by now. ¡­I¡¯d return as soon as training ended, so it shouldn¡¯t matter. And I¡¯d rewind to the time just before I¡¯d met Jennifer anyway. * ¡°Master¡ª¡± Jennifer opened the door of the Swordmaster¡¯s cliffside hut without asking permission, then swiftly sidestepped out of the way. A small y pot flew out at tremendous speed and shattered as it fell down the cliff. ¡°Oh dear.¡± Jennifer seemed unperturbed, though. ¡°You reckless fool!¡± Neither did I feel much surprise. ¡°How dare you return here!?¡± ¡°My face is still intact, so I figured I might as well, Master.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Hearing Jennifer¡¯s audacious response, an exasperated sigh echoed from inside the hut. ¡°I can manage half of your sword technique now, Master. That should make me at least half an apprentice, shouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°...¡± For a moment, it seemed her master was at a loss for words. ¡°I have someone I wish to introduce to you, Master. May wee in?¡± ¡°¡­Go ahead. It¡¯s not like you¡¯d listen even if I told you no.¡± ¡°Correct, as always.¡± ¡°You fool.¡±@@novelbin@@ Jennifer tilted her head toward me as if signaling for me to follow her in, then stepped inside. The hut was warmer than I¡¯d expected. Although it looked shabby from the outside, inside, it was clear this log cabin was well-built. The wood was dried and stacked tightly, leaving no gaps for drafts. The interior was adorned with animal hides, creating a rustic yet cozy atmosphere. It looked more like a forest hunter¡¯s cabin than a Swordmaster¡¯s home. However, above the firece, instead of animal heads, three ¡°katanas¡± of various lengths hung on the wall. ¡°Hm.¡± The Swordmaster looked more intrigued by me than his own apprentice, and only then did I fully grasp, ¡°Ah, so this is the Swordmaster.¡± He had a long white beard and white hair tied back in a style reminiscent of a Japanese topknot. Although his features were typically Western, with piercing blue eyes, his appearance matched his backstory: a warrior who had journeyed east in his youth, earning the title of Swordmaster. ¡°Is this the child?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You fool!¡± he yelled, his face darkening. ¡°What are you doing, bringing someone with no talent here?¡± ¡°...¡± Oh. He saw right through me instantly. Well, it was the Swordmaster, after all. Lucas and even the Emperor probably found me strange, too. ¡°If you¡¯re that curious, Master, why don¡¯t you have her wield a sword?¡± ¡°Say what?¡± ¡­What? That was thest thing I¡¯d expected her to say. ¡­Did I pick the wrong character after all? Chapter 71 Meditation was, in essence, just meditation¡ªsitting down, calming the mind, and contemting oneself. Yet, even for someone like me, possessing the absurd ability to rewind time, such a task wasn¡¯t without its challenges. Things like Leo and ire''s relentless dedication, while exhausting, weren¡¯t necessarily the things that weighed me down. My stress stemmed instead from two distinct situations: when the story adhered too closely to the original, and when, inexplicably, it diverged. When things went ¡°as nned,¡± Leo was tirelesslypleting every side quest and detail as if he were a perfectionist. However, in the original story, characters¡ªheroes included¡ªwouldn¡¯t all survive. Some would inevitably die, including ire. Now, with me in her ce, would I be the one to die? Or would it be both of us? I¡¯d rewound time plenty of times but had never experienced death firsthand. Whaty beyond? A new world? Another character? On the other hand, there were also times when the narrative broke from the ¡°script¡± in strange ways. The world here had an odd mix of game-like mechanics alongside brutally real consequences. In the game, taking hits didn¡¯t necessarily result in death unless the health points dropped to zero. But here, even a single blow could be fatal. Over three hundred days, I thought about these inconsistencies during my continuous sessions of meditation. The time-reversal ability allowed me to forego food, sleep, and even hygiene, channeling all my focus into contemtion¡ªa definite advantage. --- A battlefieldy before me, tinged with the faint scent of gunpowder and charred remains. The area between the trenches bore fresh craters filled with snow, remnants of recent artillery strikes.@@novelbin@@ The Empire held an overwhelming advantage. They had tanks and aircraft, while the opposing forces, dug into the trenches, had only basic defenses. Jennifer surveyed the concrete bunkers in the distance with binocrs. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of them,¡± she muttered. ¡°But not enough to hold the line against us.¡± Jennifer continued, ¡°They¡¯re using a makeshift machine gun setup. Not as fast as the Empire¡¯s, but the initial assault was rough. Many fell because of it.¡± She turned to me, her gaze steady. ¡°Think you can handle it?¡± I stayed silent, and Jennifer watched me intently, as if reading my thoughts. ¡°Or¡­ have you already done it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seeded seven times,¡± I replied. It had taken countless retries, far more challenging than infiltrating a noble estate. The no-man¡¯snd between the trenches was long and perilous; any misstep would result in a hail of bullets. The only way to survive was to reach the trench unseen. Taking advantage of the dimming light, I pressed forward. There were sections where enemy guards¡¯ vignce waned, where fatigue or distraction offered opportunities. Through endless resets, I¡¯d learned to find these gaps. Once inside the trenches, I had the upper hand; each bullet I fired found its mark. Explosives were critical. In the dark of the trench, I threw grenades into rooms, trying to sow as much chaos as possible. My customized shotgun, modified to emit a sh of me, left enemies in terror. I didn¡¯t need a massive fuel tank strapped to my back¡ªI was a storm unto myself. As I pressed deeper into the trench, I stumbled upon an ammo depot. Around that time, the Empire began its assault from the outside. Enemies were trapped, taking fire from both sides. Then, a massive explosion shook the ground. My vision blurred, and I found myself sprawled on the ground. As I struggled up, I saw enemy soldiers staring, dazed, at a column of smoke and me rising behind me. The ammo depot had detonated, likely sparked by one of my haphazardly tossed grenades. The echo of gunfire grew closer as the Empire advanced. Shouts of victory resonated across the battlefield as enemy soldiers began surrendering, some dropping to their knees in resignation. They looked at me, visibly shaken. I climbed up from the trench, looking back toward the bunker. Half of it had caved in from the internal explosion. Anyone inside likely hadn¡¯t survived. If they had, the advancing Empire forces would capture or kill them. That marked my first sessful infiltration. Chapter 75 That afternoon felt strangely refreshing. It felt as if half of the concerns that had been weighing on me had been resolved. I¡¯d found a way to recover quickly even when tired through meditation, and had at least partially addressed the issues in the north. And, I¡¯d made my abilities clear to those around me. The emotional side I¡¯d shown Mia Crowfield might also be somewhat diluted after this incident. After all, I¡¯d proven that I alone could inflict significant damage on the enemy. Perhaps, by now, even Countess Crowfield, who likely harbored thoughts of revenge against the Emperor, would take it as a warning. In the original story, ire hadn¡¯t transferred until partway through her first year, and she certainly hadn¡¯t acted as openly as I did, which had allowed the Crowfield side to underestimate her somewhat. Back then, I hadn¡¯t blown up the Count with a bomb, either. There¡¯s a vast difference between dealing with an assassin and facing a human weapon capable of decimating whole units. ¡°...¡± I could understand why Mia Crowfield was now ncing nervously at me. This would probably make it harder to grow closer to her. ¡°Sister!¡± ...And there was someone else whose attitude towards me had noticeably shifted. Considering I¡¯d returned after performing as a one-person army, I thought people would find it even harder to approach me, but ire, on the contrary, seemed more at ease around me. It was probably because I¡¯d said, ¡°This was something I wanted to do.¡± I hadn¡¯t exined my reasons, nor had I done anything as straightforward as obtaining a reward. Instead, I¡¯d gone out and dismantled a mercenary group. Yet to ire, the action itself didn¡¯t seem to matter as much. More than anything, it had assured her that I still had genuine emotions. ¡°ire.¡± ¡°I know, I know! But we¡¯re not in the Academy right now, are we?¡±@@novelbin@@ Before I could say anything, ire preemptively responded, tapping my arm. ...Though we weren¡¯t technically on Academy grounds, we were still engaged in practical activities that counted toward our attendance. Plus, we were all in our uniforms. It wasn¡¯t an Academy building, but it might as well have been, considering the setting. ¡°By the way, ire keeps calling you ¡®Sister¡¯ since earlier. Can you exin why?¡± Alice, walking on my right while ire walked on my left, asked. This made me feel oddly unsettled, as they both felt like sisters to me. Though, in reality, I hadn¡¯t explicitly thought of them as ¡°sisters¡±¡­ but, you know, that feeling you get over time when you¡¯re around people. ire followed me closely, and Alice had spent considerable time by my side, so I seemed to have developed such sentiments toward them both. ¡°Oh, that?¡± At Alice¡¯s question, ire responded with a confident smile. ¡°Sylvia has this vaguely older-sister vibe, doesn¡¯t she? I had a younger brother, but never an older sister. So, I decided I¡¯d call her ¡®Sister.¡¯¡± ¡°...¡± ncing behind, I noticed Leo staring incredulously at the back of ire¡¯s head, and I nearly burst outughing. It wasn¡¯t just the reason ire called me ¡°Sister¡± but more so her casual mention of having a younger brother that seemed to leave Leo in disbelief. ¡°...For that reason?¡± Alice leaned forward slightly, directing a questioning gaze at ire, then turned her eyes to me. She clearly didn¡¯t believe a word of ire¡¯s exnation. ¡°...¡± I looked silently at ire, who avoided my gaze, pretending to be distracted by something else. Come to think of it, she hadn¡¯t just started calling me ¡°Sister¡± now. She had been doing so subtly for a while. I didn¡¯t mind as much as I¡¯d thought I would; it didn¡¯t feel out of ce or ufortable. Still, being addressed like that couldplicate things in this situation. ¡°...I¡¯ll exinter,¡± I murmured to Alice. ¡°...Alright.¡± Alice didn¡¯t press further. She trusted me enough to leave it at that. Charlotte, standing nearby and likely within earshot, looked intrigued but refrained from prying further. Apparently, she didn¡¯t think digging for secrets was a proper royal behavior. Jake, on the other hand, seemed entirely disinterested. He was ncing around idly as if he couldn¡¯t care less¡­ but I couldn¡¯t rx my guard around him. In the original story, scenes like this, bustling with people, were rare. Each character had set lines, and unless a character was central to the plot, ¡°optional party members¡± would often fade into the background during key events. Without dialogue scripts, even if they appeared in a cutscene, they¡¯d just stand in the back, idle. Typically, only the character set as the main one by the yer would move around, with maybe one or twopanions during specific events. Although, in theory, they were traveling together, only one character would be visually present. So, this lively scene felt a bit odd. Yet, it was enjoyable, too. It reminded me of hanging out with friends in high school, even if it felt slightly awkwardpared to the game¡¯s scripted interactions. ¡°Alright then.¡± ire stretched her arms high and said, ¡°Let¡¯s give it our all this afternoon! We¡¯ll be heading back tomorrow.¡± ¡°...Are we going straight back to sses on Monday?¡± Mia Crowfield asked hesitantly. ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± Charlotte replied matter-of-factly, prompting Mia to slump her shoulders. Tomorrow, we¡¯d finish our practice in the morning and return to the Academy by train. However, since this ce was quite far from Londarium, it would take several hours to get back. Though the train was spacious andfortable, it didn¡¯t offer sleeper seats, meaning we¡¯d be sitting for hours. I imagined it was hard for them to ept that we¡¯d be back to sses immediately after the trip. ...Though I nned to use a few resets to catch up on sleep. Still, seeing Mia Crowfield engage naturally with the others reassured me that our joint task this morning had been beneficial. It seemed they¡¯d grown closer over it. The blue Marmaros in Mia¡¯s staff still sparkled. * ¡°Impressive.¡± Jennifer looked genuinely surprised. There wasn¡¯t much to do in the afternoon. Since our group hadpleted most of the assignments in the morning, the others had hurried into the guild hall after waking up a bitter ¡ª not that it was veryte, just rtively so ¡ª and had only a few tasks left by afternoon. In the original game, this was also the trigger that unlocked a hidden quest. If you cleared all the morning side quests, an event would trigger in the afternoon about ¡°extra time.¡± Completing the morning quests didn¡¯t reduce the number of afternoon quests, though. If you didn¡¯t finish the morning side quests, the time would simply be filled with various tasks, and Jennifer¡¯s dialogue scene wouldn¡¯t even appear. Anyway, as wepleted our work and returned, Jennifer greeted us with¡ª ¡°We still have plenty of time left before dinner.¡± ¡°Yes, we do,¡± Leo agreed, nodding. Jennifer paused, her expression thoughtful for a moment before she spoke again. ¡°Then, would you like to take on a challenging task with your remaining time?¡± ¡°A challenge¡­ ma¡¯am?¡± Leo¡¯s curiosity was evident, and Jennifer gave a mischievous smile. ¡°Yes. If you seed, it could be highly beneficial for you. Although the time might be a bit tight.¡± "..." The students exchanged nces, their eyes brimming with interest. Jennifer¡¯s suggestion was half a jest and half a serious offer. She wanted to surprise her mentor, but she was also considering rewarding her favored students. She¡¯d kept a close eye on Leo, who had inherited the swordsmanship of the Grace family. She must have seen potential in him. ¡°Are you interested?¡± The students nodded in unison, and Jennifer smiled as she spoke. ¡°Then¡ª¡± Chapter 77 At this point, there was no point in overthinking where things had gone wrong. I¡¯d done my best, and this was the result. Honestly, if I were told to go back a few days and try to fix everything, I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d be able to pull it off. Even if I knew the steps, repeating the same events over and over was mentally exhausting. One thing was certain¡ªI didn¡¯t want to step onto a battlefield again anytime soon. The smells, the dampness, the overwhelming noise¡ªit was all something I¡¯d rather avoid for a while. So, after parting ways with Lucas, I just returned to my room and copsed onto the bed. And I slept deeply. My mind was so overheated that I couldn¡¯t think of anything else I¡¯d rather do than just shut it down for a few hours. * When I woke up, my body felt unbelievably light. And with that, I confirmed a few things. While meditation helped to alleviate some of the fatigue, actual sleep was still superior. Meditation helped to maintain physical and mental condition, but it didn¡¯t eliminate tiredness entirely. To keep up with meditation, you still needed proper breaks in between, and it seemed you had to be in reasonably good shape, physically. Until now, I hadn¡¯t been too fond of exercise. Partly because I didn¡¯t particrly enjoy it, but mostly because I never knew when or how far I¡¯d have to rewind time, which made keeping up a physical routine challenging. Any progress in strength could be reset by an unexpected event that forced me to turn back time, erasing all that effort. Skills that could be ingrained as habits, I practiced repeatedly, and the same went for knowledge. I did keep up with the protagonist¡¯s group, maintaining minimal training levels, but I never aimed to match the inhuman abilities of the main characters.@@novelbin@@ ¡­Still, considering that I¡¯d gone through that battlefield yesterday, thenpleted missions with the group without copsing, it seemed that both meditation and minimal training had paid off. If I hadn¡¯t learned meditation, I probably would have passed out on my bed and not woken up until the next morning. Being able to push through even a few more hours was thanks to my teacher. Had Leo and the others returned? It urred to me they might not be back yet. Their training with the Sword Saint wasn¡¯t likely to be short. Even if they¡¯d trained all night, they would have barely scratched the surface. After all, the point of this event was simply meeting the Sword Saint. My stomach rumbled. I¡¯d skipped dinnerst night, falling asleep right away, so naturally, I was hungry. It was nine in the morning. Maybe I should clean up and go eat. * No matter how much people live by routines, most will rx those routines the moment they have the chance¡ªunless they¡¯re the rare, exceptionally diligent type. In the Academy dorms, students were expected to wake up, get ready, and have breakfast by 7:30 a.m. to arrive in ss by 9:00. But Jennifer, who was in charge of overseeing us here, wasn¡¯t the type to enforce that strictness. If you wanted to sleep in, that was fine by her. As long as students maintained their grades, Jennifer didn¡¯t care howte they slept or how much they yed and rested. So the students likely spent yesterday running around with that in mind. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have put in such effort. Maybe that¡¯s why Winterfield Castle¡¯s dining hall seemed almost empty. There were hardly any students around. In a game, this might have been due to technical limitations, but seeing only three students in Academy uniforms made me realize this effect was real. Two of them were students I recognized. They were fellow nobles from ss A. I¡¯d seen them in the game and read about them in the lore books. We weren¡¯t particrly close, and they weren¡¯t prominent named characters in the story. The girl and the boy were sitting across from each other, eating, and given their different family names, they weren¡¯t siblings. They didn¡¯t seem like they were dating either¡­ Maybe their friends were still back at the dorm, sleeping in. And then there was one other person¡­ ¡­Uh. Who? She had short, deep brown hair, and even with the short cut, her beauty stood out clearly. Her hair was longer than most boys¡¯ cuts, even if it was short for a girl. Not only was her hair noticeably shorter, but her uniform was also clearly the women¡¯s version. She had taken off her coat and draped it neatly over the empty seat beside her, making it clear she was wearing the female uniform. Nobody would mistake her for a boy. Did we have a noble student like this? As I¡¯d mentioned before, in the game, all the noble students had unique models, even if they were minor characters. After multiple ythroughs and poring over lore and guidebooks, I had a mental list of them all. And she wasn¡¯t on that list. I doubted she was from themoner ss either; they were off at a different location for practical training. She could havee from somewhere nearby, but if there had been information important enough to warrant sending someone, they wouldn¡¯t have sent a student. It might have been prejudice, but¡­ she gave off a distinctly noble aura. "..." I had a bad feeling about this. Wouldn¡¯t it be troublesome to get involved? After everything I¡¯d gone through yesterday, I just wanted a peaceful day, so I purposefully sat far from her. This wasn¡¯t a ce where you could order food from a menu. This was more of a dining hall than a restaurant. If you waited at your seat, a server would approach, tell you the meal options, and you could request any additions or omissions. If you weren¡¯t up for a full breakfast, you could just ask for a coffee. As I sat there, waiting idly for the server, I heard footsteps. The sound was remarkably clean and even, unlike the sharp cks of the server¡¯s shoes. Academy students wore shoes too, but they were far softer and more flexible than the formal shoes worn by faculty. So even in the Academy, you could easily distinguish a teacher¡¯s footsteps from a student¡¯s. The sound reaching my ears now was the sound of a ¡°student.¡± "..." I felt uneasy. I had a bad feeling that something unexpected was about to happen. ¡°Your Highness.¡± And my intuition was spot on. Thankfully, I managed not to flinch. After the chaos of the previous day, hearing the sounds of bombs and gunfire nonstop, it took more than this to startle me. I slowly turned to face the person addressing me. In front of me stood a strikingly dignified young girl. I hadn¡¯t noticed it from afar, but up close, her face looked rather youthful. Compared to the many young faces I saw at the Academy, she seemed even younger¡ªprobably at least a year younger than me. She was taller than I¡¯d expected, and her physique was well-developed, but the youthfulness in her face was unmistakable. Snap. This young, handsome girl gave me a sharp salute. It wasn¡¯t just a casual gesture; I even heard the snap of her heels as they came together. The salute wasn¡¯t in the Empire¡¯s style. "..." "..." As I continued to look at her without responding, she held her salute, frozen in ce. ¡­Oh, is this her way of greeting me? ¡°At ease,¡± I said finally. Only then did she lower her hand with a precise movement. Again, I heard the crisp sound of her uniform settling. I hadn¡¯t realized those sounds were possible outside of movies. ¡°May I ask your purpose here?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± "..." Her formal reply nearly made me pinch my temples in exasperation, but I held back. ¡°My name is Rena Meyer!¡± Okay, but¡­ who¡¯s that? I almost blurted out the question. ¡°Are you a student at the Academy?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Rena Meyer answered. ¡°I¡¯ve recently transferred in and came to introduce myself.¡± "..." I was at a loss for words. Chapter 78 So... If someone out there was watching or controlling this world, I really wished they¡¯d stop ying these pranks already. Not that it mattered much even if the girl in front of me wasn¡¯t originally part of the main story. It¡¯s almost a clich¨¦ in novels or games like this¡ªgetting to befriend characters who didn¡¯t appear in the original but have incredible abilities. I still didn¡¯t know what kind of abilities this girl, Lena Meyer, might possess. I¡¯d only just learned from her that she was the daughter of themander of the Rint Autonomous State. Given that Rint was one of the ces heavily hinted to appear in the sequels, it wasn¡¯t too strange to be meeting someone like her. Maybe she wasn¡¯t just an extra-game character, but someone intended to be added in a future installment. In the main story, even though they defeated the emperor and thwarted his schemes, several heroines and key characters perished in the process. Despite that, the world itself wasn¡¯t truly concluded, which meant that another conflict would follow in the sequels, something beyond just the emperor¡¯s schemes. I wasn¡¯t quite sure what that new threat was, but... Anyway, the fact that the daughter of the Rint Autonomous State¡¯smander hade all the way here likely meant that I was now seen as someone to be watched carefully by Rint. Considering what I¡¯d done, it made sense. ...Well, it sort of made sense. ¡°The noble A-ss is already full, though.¡±@@novelbin@@ In the sequel, it was natural for transfer students to join because some of the heroines had died, leaving spaces in the ss. There¡¯s a line in the original where one of the nobles leaves the academy due to family matters, which is how ire was transferred in. But as of now, no one had left the academy. If Lena Meyer joined, the ss would be over capacity. ¡°Thanks to the governor¡¯s grace and His Majesty¡¯s generosity, I¡¯ve been permitted to transfer to the Royal Rondarium Academy.¡± ¡°...Is that so.¡± Her responses were brisk and formal, showing no hint of ill-will toward me. I didn¡¯t know what Lena¡¯s father or this governor had in mind, but at least this girl didn¡¯t seem to hold any particr feelings toward me. Our meal was steak, which Lena Meyer ate with impable decorum. She sliced her meat with such precision that the knife barely made any sound on the te. Just by her table manners alone, it was clear she¡¯d been raised under strict guidance, close enough to a noble¡¯s upbringing. ¡°Do you have any objections to attending the academy?¡± ¡°No.¡± Her hand paused for a second in response to my question. Then she looked up at me, her face devoid of any apparent emotion¡ª ¡°The Royal Rondarium Academy isn¡¯t just the best in the Empire but in the world as well. No one would dislike the opportunity to study there.¡± If it weren¡¯t for the peculiar intensity in her tone, I would have thought she¡¯d rehearsed the line. Even without visible expressions, emotions can still be conveyed through one¡¯s demeanor. What I sensed from her was... anticipation. ¡°...¡± Could Alice have detected my own shifts in demeanor that easily? If Alice could sense that same pressure every time I told her she could be the next emperor, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if she could read my expressions alone. Sooner orter, the others might be able to read me as well. ¡°And...¡± And? The typically stoic girl showed a moment¡¯s hesitation, so I waited. ¡°And, I consider it an honor to meet you, Princess. I¡¯ve heard about your feats on the battlefield. There aren¡¯t many heroes in the world like you. From the perspective of our state, you¡¯re also a benefactor to countless citizens.¡± ¡°...¡± For a second, my hand nearly slipped off the utensils. What was this? Why did talking with her keep giving me d¨¦j¨¤ vu? It felt oddly familiar, as though I¡¯d spoken like that before. ... Of course, Alice¡¯s face shed in my mind. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s because you have the blood of the Pengryphon line that you¡¯ve achieved such greatness. To be able to study alongside such a person¡ªit¡¯s an unmatched honor.¡± Well, not a drop of that blood flows through me. If not for Lucas, I¡¯d be a stranger. But I couldn¡¯t just say that out loud. Two nearby noble students, who¡¯d been lounging earlier, were now paying close attention to our exchange. ¡°I¡¯ll go have a word with them,¡± Lena offered as she noticed my nce. ¡°That¡¯s not necessary.¡± I said it quickly, relieved I hadn¡¯t sounded too hurried. Lena, who had been about to stand, looked at me intently. Her demeanor certainly conveyed emotion, but her face remained neutral, creating a jarring, almost endearing awkwardness. Despite her mature expressions, mannerisms, and speech, her words were still a bit unpolished. It was cute. But getting caught up in such ¡°cuteness¡± felt humiliating. In a situation that felt like it might trigger a cold sweat, I tried to calm Lena Meyer down. ¡°Reacting to every single thing like that, to every word and gesture, isn¡¯t necessary. The school you¡¯re attending is the Royal Rondarium Academy. There are many noble students there, which means plenty of people are always paying attention. If you respond to each and every situation, school life will quickly be exhausting.¡± Lena Meyer nodded at my advice. ¡°Thank you for the counsel.¡± ¡°...¡± Was this part of her act? I honestly wondered. No matter how I looked at it, her expression and demeanor seemed out of sync. ... Could it be that I¡¯m this obvious too? Are the others all just pretending not to notice? Thinking that sent a chill down my spine. ¡°Then, are you traveling with us today?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lena Meyer spoke in a firm voice. ¡°My belongings are packed and have already arrived at the station.¡± ¡°...¡± Oh... well. I see. ¡°Just to confirm,¡± I asked Lena Meyer, still a bit tense. ¡°Which ss will you be studying in?¡± ¡°The noble A-ss.¡± ¡°...¡± Ah... I see. Alright. ...I wasn¡¯t sure what else to say. --- ¡°Eeeeek!¡± A girl raised her arms and let out a cheer as she entered her room. Quickly covering her mouth, she nced around. Naturally, the room where she would spend the morning was private. No one was around, and the door was thick enough that it was unlikely anyone outside had heard her. Still, feeling a bit uneasy, the girl cracked the door open and peeked out. No one was there. Closing the door again, she shouted once more, this time with confidence. ¡°Awesome!¡± Lena Meyer had spent her childhood near military bases, following her father, amander in the Rint Autonomous State¡¯s military. Though there were other children around, she couldn¡¯t y freely. Her father, a trusted associate of the governor, was strict, and everyone treated her cautiously. Her daily life was almost indistinguishable from a military routine. To avoid trouble, she wore a figurative mask and imitated a stiff, soldierly demeanor, earning praise as a dignified and capable heir to themander¡¯s lineage. But that didn¡¯t mean she was a soldier to the core. Lena leapt onto the bed, wriggling with excitement. Her father had been strict, but her mother had always indulged her. Until her mother passed away three years ago, Lena had been just as yful and innocent as other children her age. Since then, though, her moments of fun were in private, alone. That didn¡¯t mean she resented the military; quite the opposite, she admired it. Having grown up around it, she saw it as a noble profession. And today... Lena Meyer had met a hero. ording to her father, Princess Sylvia Pengryphon was a legendary hero. There had been reports from Rint¡¯s soldiers who had fought alongside the Empire¡¯s army and surviving mercenaries, and Princess Sylvia¡¯s name hade up several times. Oveing trenches, breaking through from within to secure victory¡ªthe very image of a true soldier. And when she¡¯d met her today, she¡¯d seen the majesty of a royal, a figure truly unmatched. ¡°...¡± Would she actually be attending sses with such a person? ¡°Uuuuugh!¡± Burying her face in the bed, Lena let out a muffled squeal, kicking her legs in excitement. On her desk, a small stuffed dog stared nkly at her¡ªa doll modeled after a character from a famousic known for being a master digger. Chapter 79 ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± After lunch, on the train back to the capital. An awkward silence had settled around me. To be fair, the entire train car was quiet. When I¡¯d gone to the Kingdom of Belbur as the Emperor¡¯s representative, my security had been on par with the Emperor¡¯s. Thus, the only ones sharing mypartment were Princess Alice, and Princes Jayden and Lucas. It was a rather spacious cabin, entirely for the four of us. But as an academy student, I wouldn¡¯t receive any special treatmentpared to the other students. Of course, the academy had reserved the entirepartment. Since the noble A-ss only had fifteen students, booking a whole cabin left plenty of empty seats. Still, this was just a standard first-ss cabin, with lots of empty seats but not much room to wander around. After practically fleeing from lunch with Lena Meyer, I¡¯d holed up in my room, and then headed straight to the train station as soon as it was time. And there I found... Lena Meyer. I thought I¡¯d arrived almost forty minutes early, but she¡¯d shown up even earlier and was waiting for me. Then again, maybe she hadn¡¯t specifically been waiting for me. With her diligent nature, she¡¯d probably just arrived early to wait for the train. When our eyes met, her face remained as expressionless as ever. Snap. Once again, I heard that sharp, disciplined salute. The sound of her heels clicking together was audible. ¡°You really don¡¯t have to salute every time we meet. Now that you¡¯re joining the academy, we¡¯re just ssmates.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ...That stiff tone of hers. I couldn¡¯t get used to it. It wasn¡¯t my first time dealing with a character who showed no expression. Under other circumstances, Roti, who always apanies Jake, was a simrly stoic maid character. But... there was something different here. Roti was someone who found it awkward to show emotion. In the game, even if you became close to her, she wasn¡¯t one to break into grins or bursts ofughter. Her personality was closer to Charlotte¡¯s¡ªjust a bit more cautious and conflict-avoidant. That¡¯s why, even when Jake constantly bothered her, she¡¯d respond with a hint of irritation or reluctance, separate from her underlying fondness for him. When Roti smiled, it wasn¡¯t shocking; it was simply a natural expression she showed when she became close to others. Meanwhile, I was ¡°ying¡± a character who suppressed emotions... And Lena Meyer had a simr atmosphere. As if she, too, was hiding behind a mask. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Arriving forty minutes early meant that the train hadn¡¯t even pulled in yet. This station, the Empire¡¯s northernmost civilian stop, required the train to arrive and wait thirty minutes before departure. Further northy Lena¡¯s homnd, the autonomous state, but the security issues near the border made civilian train travel in that area rather unsafe. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Two expressionless people standing across from each other made for an awkwardck of conversation. Did she feel as awkward around me as I did around her? ¡°Is this your first time visiting the Empire?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± At least she replied as soon as I spoke. Her demeanor reminded me of a new recruit, her conduct almost overly disciplined. ...Though she wasn¡¯t actually a soldier. ¡°The atmosphere in the Rint Autonomous State must be very different. Do you think you¡¯ll befortable here?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m very much looking forward to it.¡± Her expressionless face didn¡¯t seem to convey much excitement, so it was hard to tell what she actually felt. ...Is this what it felt like for others to look at me? Come to think of it, there was that time I¡¯d set out at dawn to the vige just to get ahead of Leo and ire before a mission. Was this how they¡¯d felt when they¡¯d seen me already waiting at the vige gate with the quest target¡¯s body? ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hmm, maybe not. After all, ire had always greeted me with a bright smile, even back then. She was delighted to see me every time. The one who seemed ufortable was Leo. ...Had I gone too far? As these thoughts ran through my head, the train finally arrived. Leo and the others hadn¡¯t reached the station yet. There was even a game event where the yers only managed to arrive just before the train departed. And, as that implied, I would now be alone on the train with Lena Meyer until my friends arrived. We weren¡¯t the only students who had arrived early, but nobody seemed eager to strike up a conversation with us. With an expressionless princess known for taking lives without hesitation and an unfamiliar, stoic student beside her, it was unlikely anyone would be willing to approach. Normally, I¡¯d find this peace and quiet refreshing, but right now, I desperately wished someone would talk to me. While boarding the train, I had a faint hope that Lena Meyer might sit a little distance away from me... ...But that hope was swiftly dashed. As soon as I took a seat by the window, Lena Meyer confidently sat down directly across from me. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± And silence. It¡¯s not as if I could just get up and move, either. Even without an expression, people still have feelings, and moving away would only hurt hers. If I¡¯d always sat alone, maybe people would eventually think, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s just how she is.¡± But I¡¯d usually hung around with friends. Even though I wasn¡¯t the leader, I tended to travel in a group. If I left this seat to sit with Leo, ire, Alice, Charlotte, Mia Crowfield, or even Jake, leaving Lena here alone...@@novelbin@@ ...it¡¯d feel a lot like I was ostracizing her. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± So, I had no choice but to endure the awkwardness and sit there. Lena Meyer might be expressionless, but she seemed to express her feelings, however subtly, through her actions... probably. Maybe she felt a slight sense of camaraderie with me as her first academy acquaintance... I wasn¡¯t sure. We sat in silence for about twenty minutes before other students started boarding the train, bringing some chatter to the cabin. Then again, there were fewer than ten of them. In the original, none of the protagonist¡¯s friends faced any kind of social ostracism. Now that I thought about it, they made up nearly a third of our ss... a rather powerful clique, in fact. They could have easily ostracized anyone if they¡¯d wanted to. About five minutester, some kids finally stumbled onto the train, clearly rushing. These were the ones who had only juste down from the mountains, taking a car back with Jennifer. Considering Jennifer was with them, they would¡¯ve made it back to the academy even if they¡¯d missed the train. But knowing them, they were probably determined to stick to the schedule. ¡°Sis! ...Huh?¡± ire greeted me enthusiastically but hesitated when she noticed Lena Meyer sitting across from me. As soon as Lena saw ire, she sprang to her feet and gave yet another wless military salute¡ªthe third one I¡¯d seen. She spoke without waiting for me to introduce them. ¡°I am Lena Meyer. Greetings, Your Highness.¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± ire murmured, visibly taken aback. I barely managed to hold myself back from facepalming. ...How embarrassing. Even as a bystander, I felt embarrassed. It seemed that Lena Meyer had mistaken ire, who called me ¡°sis,¡± for another princess. ...Well, it made sense. The Empire¡¯s nobles knew I wasn¡¯t actually a blood rtive of the Pengryphons, but in smaller nations where information flow was limited, they likely wouldn¡¯t know. Even if they were curious, the Empire wouldn¡¯t go around announcing that I was adopted. Nobles tended to keep quiet on the topic when dealing with outsiders. In her autonomous state, they¡¯d have been preupied with their own affairs, leaving little room to investigate the imperial family¡¯s history in detail. ¡°¡­¡­¡± With Lena standing there in a picture-perfect salute, an icy tension settled over the train cabin for a moment. Chapter 82 "¡­May I ask what you mean by ''dangerous''?" Lena Meyer''s voice came through, cautious. Few students stayed in their rooms on weekends like today. The campus had salons for nobles, club activities, and events like tea parties and small banquets. Regardless of age, nobles naturally engaged in socializing to solidify theirworks and strengthen their power bases. Those who didn¡¯t were typically either entric loners or didn¡¯t need to bother at all. Thankfully, the hallway was empty, and their lowered voices were still audible from where I stood, just around the corner. Slowing my pace, I paused to better gauge who Lena was speaking with. Knowing her conversation partner would make it easier to intervene. "Sylvia Pengryphon is¡­" But Lena''s conversation partner hesitated, as if unsure where to begin. She seemed to know something about me, but was wrestling with whether it was wise to divulge it. Hearing her uncertainty, I felt a rush of confidence. I stopped trying to muffle my footsteps and let the echo of my heels ring through the empty corridor. "¡­Ah." A flustered voice¡ªMia Crowfield¡¯s¡ªreached me as I rounded the corner and spotted her standing outside a door, slightly ajar. Only Lena¡¯s gaze met us from inside, scrutinizing Mia with a hint of suspicion. "Lady Crowfield," I greeted. "¡­Sylvia." At my voice, Mia took a step back, bowing her head slightly. I returned the gesture. I felt that I¡¯d grown closer to Mia, but she was still clearly conflicted about the idea of bing friends with someone who¡¯d killed her father. I could understand. I¡¯d exined there was more to the story and told her to find me once she uncovered the truth, but enough time hadn¡¯t passed for her to fully grasp it. "Your Highness." As soon as Lena saw me, she stepped outside, presenting a distinctly different demeanor from when she¡¯d been addressing Mia. She shut the door firmly behind her, seemingly wary of anyone seeing her room¡¯s interior. ¡­Did she realize how openly suspicious this made her look to Mia Crowfield? Not that she seemed to mind. "As I mentioned before, there¡¯s no need to call me ¡®Your Highness¡¯ in the academy. It¡¯s technically against school policy." In theory, the academy¡¯s rules promoted equality among students, discouraging titles and special treatment. Of course, from faculty to students, no one seemed to take this seriously. "But¡­" "Lady Crowfield." "Y-yes!?" Apparently, Mia hadn¡¯t expected me to address her, nearly jumping at the sound of her own name. I looked at her calmly and asked quietly. "You called me ¡®Sylvia¡¯ just now, didn¡¯t you?" "Uh, yes?" She hadn¡¯t even called me by name before, yet Mia had begun to refer to me simply as ¡°Sylvia.¡± It meant she¡¯d rxed around me¡ªat least a little. "Did I ever tell you not to?" "No, I guess not?"@@novelbin@@ She seemed uncertain, struggling with the sudden question. I nodded, turning back to Lena Meyer. Her expression was still unreadable, but there was a hint of tension in her posture. Was she cautious around me, too? "Then calling me by my name is perfectly fine. We already have another student in ss A with the same surname, so wouldn¡¯t it be more efficient to avoid confusion by using first names?" Not to mention, the title "Your Highness" also applied to Alice. "¡­Understood." Lena responded, though she appeared to hesitate. Despite her stoic pose, I sensed she wanted to say something. It seemed that, while she could put on a poker face, it wasn¡¯t asplete as mine. ¡­Should I help her improve her expression skills? It¡¯d save her from breaking character before I did. "Do you have something you¡¯d like to say?" After a brief pause, Lena asked, "In that case, would you also call me by my first name?" When she finally spoke up, she didn¡¯t hold back. "¡­Very well. If that¡¯s what you prefer." I could have sworn her eyes sparkled for a moment¡­ but I chalked it up to my imagination. I turned back to Mia Crowfield. "Um, you don¡¯t need to go that far for me!" That was unexpectedly disappointing. Besides, that wasn¡¯t what I¡¯d intended to ask. It was a bit irksome that she¡¯d feel free to call me ¡°Sylvia¡± but didn¡¯t think I needed to reciprocate with her first name. Regardless, what I wanted to know was ¡°why she was here.¡± "May I ask what brings you here?" "That¡¯s¡ª" Lena started to answer. "It¡¯s¡­ a personal matter!" Mia blurted out, interrupting. "¡­" "¡­" Stunned by her outburst, Lena and I both looked at Mia, who blushed furiously. Her pale skin made the flush even more apparent against her dark hair. "W-well, then, why are *you* here, Sylvia?" A deflection? Her attempt at changing the subject wasn¡¯t exactly smooth, but since I¡¯d already overheard enough of Mia¡¯s intent, I decided to let it slide. "I came here to speak with Lena¡­ about something personal," I said, ncing at Lena. Her expression tightened. She seemed anxious about the fact that I¡¯d sought her out. "A¡­ personal matter?" Mia looked back and forth between us, trying to make sense of it. She probably thought I was scheming something again. "Lena, you mentioneding from a military family, correct?" "Yes." At my question, Lena adopted a rigid posture, as if showing pride in her background. This era was indeed different. Nationalism and militarism were on the rise, and without television or fully developed radio systems, the public had no way to truly understand the grim realities of war. The romanticism surrounding service and heroism remained strong. "Then¡­ are you proficient with firearms?" "Of course." "I see." I looked back to Mia Crowfield. "Few students in the noble ss are skilled with firearms. A gun may be simple to use, but to wield it as a primary weapon with precision is rare." In the game, the only party member who used firearms was from amoner background¡­ Roti, if I remembered correctly. "That¡¯s why I wanted to assess Lena¡¯s skill level. If we end up in practical situations, working alongside someone with firearms expertise could be advantageous." Lena took a measured breath. "¡­What do you think?" I asked, turning to her. "Would you be interested in joining me for a mission?" "¡­" Lena remained silent for a moment, then spoke with unmistakable conviction. "I would." Her firm answer allowed me to breathe a quiet sigh of relief. Chapter 83 There are times when I wonder if I¡¯m more popr than I realize. Since enrolling, not a single noble has willingly approached me. Between the rumors about me, my practiced stoic expression, and the rather intimidating skills I¡¯ve shown, it¡¯s no surprise. And even those skills¡ªrelying on firearms rather than the swordsmanship or magic nobles usually favor¡ªaren¡¯t exactly a hit among the nobility in my ss. Even if ¡°Sylvia Pengryphon¡± is likable enough based on looks alone, the rest of my persona seems to set up enough barriers to keep anyone from trying to get close.@@novelbin@@ Yet, somehow, my circle of acquaintances continues to grow. Alice? That makes sense. We¡¯ve been together since childhood, and I¡¯ve always made an effort to help her develop confidence. Her father, the Emperor, has a unique way of expressing his love, and since her mother passed away long ago, it¡¯s only natural that we¡¯d form a close bond. ire? That¡¯s understandable, too. I treated her kindly in a rough situation and helped her out of it. Even though our time together was short, the impact was strong enough to leave asting impression. But as for the others gathering around me, it¡¯s still puzzling. Mia Crowfield and I were enemies in the past. Charlotte, if anything, would have every reason to dislike me for disregarding her father. Leo seemed somewhat intimidated by me, and I had no prior connection to Jake. So, why are they all here? ¡­Could it be because of Leo? In the original story, Leo was the protagonist, and wherever Leo went, the party would inevitably follow. "Uh¡­ w-why are you staring at me like that?" Leo asked nervously as I nced at him. "It¡¯s nothing." It wouldn¡¯t be fair to say it¡¯s all his fault. He didn¡¯t intend to draw everyone here on purpose. I shifted my gaze and saw Lena Meyer, face unreadable. Technically, I¡¯d brought her here to assess her skills. To be honest, I didn¡¯t actually feel the need to evaluate her abilities. She didn¡¯t seem like an immediate threat, and her attitude toward me appeared positive. If she¡¯d been genuinely spying on me, she wouldn¡¯t have been caught napping with her face buried in a stuffed toy. The real purpose had been to keep Mia Crowfield from picking up on Lena¡¯s true personality and causing her to break character. Yet, somehow, word had spread, and now every student I was on speaking terms with had ended up here in one ce. Even Leo and ire had joined while on a mission. They¡¯d run into us by coincidence and simply tagged along. "¡­I¡¯d nned to assess skills on a mission," I started. But with Leo and ire scooping up every avable job since morning, all that remained were trivial tasks. None were sufficient for the assessment I¡¯d been pretending to arrange, so I hadn¡¯t taken any. Even without a mission, there were usually beasts wandering near the road. "It seems small tasks wouldn¡¯t be much use for a proper evaluation." Lena gave a confident nod, face still impassive. I could feel the others¡¯ curious gazes prickling around us, likely intrigued by the fact I¡¯d specifically called Lena out. "For now, could I see the weapon you n to use?" While I knew the main characters¡¯ weapons by heart, Lena Meyer¡¯s remained a mystery. Not that it was hidden¡ªher firearms were inly visible. Since Rondarium, modeled after London¡¯s weather, rarely goes above 30 degrees even in high summer, it was a bit chilly in May. Even I had discarded my overcoat, so for Lena, who came from an even colder region, it probably felt like summer. She¡¯d kept on her school uniform jacket, though, and her holstered pistols were clear to see. Like me, with my revolver holstered under my arm, Lena wore a pistol holstered under each shoulder. I could guess their make just by the distinctive grips. "Understood." At my request, Lena promptly drew both pistols. At first nce, they looked like the semi-automatic pistols used by Nazi Germany during World War II on Earth. In fact, it seemed her guns were modeled on the Luger P08. The Republic¡¯s soldiers used simr weapons in the story. None of the main party members used firearms, but they were seen asionally. And I found myself intensely envious of Lena Meyer¡¯s pistols. It¡¯s not that the Empirecks semi-automatic pistols. Though a bit less reliable than a revolver, semi-automatics offer rapid fire and quicker reloading, which can be useful. Still, I stuck with my break-action revolver for a reason. The Empire¡¯s standard semi-automatic pistol, the ¡°Wexler Semi-Automatic,¡± was based on the real-world Webley-Fosbery Automatic Revolver. It looked like a blocky stick with a handle attached, as though someone had hammered a paper towel roll into a short chunk of wood and fitted a metal tube into the barrel. When I first saw it, I couldn¡¯t believe anyone had modeled a gun to look that way. But finding out it was based on a real firearm had been a shock. In short, I don¡¯t use it because it¡¯s ugly. Lena¡¯s pistols, on the other hand, bore a striking resemnce to the Luger¡ªone of the most sought-after trophies by American soldiers during the war. It was beautiful, really. The only downside was that its ammunition wasn¡¯tpatible with the Empire¡¯s standard rounds. "Wouldn¡¯t dual-wielding pistols reduce uracy?" When I asked, Lena shook her head. "I train consistently to maintain control." If Lena were meant to be a ¡°main character,¡± this fighting style wouldn¡¯t be unusual. Just as swordsmen could wield sword energy, there were gun-wielders who could shoot two pistols at once with perfect uracy. "¡­Understood," I replied, nodding reluctantly. --- "We have a good target in mind for our job¡ªthink that might work?" ire suggested as I pondered what kind of prey would be appropriate for a test. Her suggestion caught me off guard. I hadn¡¯t even spoken, but it seemed she¡¯d sensed my hesitation. "¡­Is that so?" I decided to follow her lead on this one. "Yes, it¡¯s¡­" ire pulled a small paper from her pocket and unfolded it. Scrawled on the sheet was the name of our target. "This is¡­" "Yes, it¡¯s a type of amorphous monster." An amorphous monster. Most of the beasts that roamed the wilderness were merely animals¡ªor at least, animals by the standards of this world, though they¡¯d be ssified as monsters back on Earth. After all, we¡¯re talking about fire-breathing bears and wind-wielding wolves here. However, there were also true ¡°monsters¡± roaming thesends. Even here, such creatures were categorized separately from regr beasts. Amorphous monsters were like slimes. Some have tentacle-like appendages thatsh out like whips; others mimic the appearance of ordinary animals. ire¡¯s target resembled the former but with a difference: rather than tentacles that act like whips, this creature¡¯s ¡°limbs¡± were about as thick as a golem¡¯s fists. And instead of being a gtinous mass oozing over the ground, it stood upright on two legs. Physical attacks had little effect. One would need magic from a mage or a swordsman using energy-infused attacks to deal any real damage to it. For a well-leveled character, it wouldn¡¯t be much of an issue. The reason I could picture it so clearly, despite ire¡¯s brief description, was because it was also an enemy in the game. Hmm¡­ It seemed a bit much to take on with only two pistols¡ª "I¡¯ll do it." ¡ªBut before I could voice my concern, Lena had confidently answered, reading the paper alongside me. "Are you sure?" "Yes. I¡¯ve trained to handle such enemies." "¡­Is that so?" Considering her words, I paused for a moment before answering. "Very well." Chapter 84 When faced with the unfamiliar foe, I considered that I could step in to help if things turned dire. The Marma Ross, infused with elemental power, didn¡¯t just work as a physical force but also as a magical attack. Some enemies had resistances, but for those vulnerable to magic, it could deal significant additional damage. In the original game, there were spells with no specific element, so if this slime creature proved troublesome, I could handle it. Equipping my shotgun with a fire-imbued Marma Ross would melt the slime down easily enough. The only downside was that it would heavily clog the barrel afterward. ¡°I don¡¯t need help,¡± Lena replied confidently. ¡°Have you ever faced an amorphous creature like this before?¡± ¡°No.¡±@@novelbin@@ She was awfully self-assured for someone with no experience. ¡°But I know its characteristics well, and from what I understand, it poses no real threat to me.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but nce at the pistols holstered under each of her arms. If her guns were equipped with Marma Ross crystals, it would be noticeable, like my shotgun. But Lena¡¯s pistols looked utterly ordinary. ¡°Alright then, go ahead.¡± Without another word, Lena strode confidently down the hill, leaving us behind as she approached the slime-like creature below. The monster looked more like a golem, aside from its semi-transparent blue, gtinous appearance. It stood about three meters tall, and up close, it would be an intimidating sight. ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll be alright?¡± Alice asked, voicing my own concerns. ¡°She seems confident enough,¡± ire replied, and the others watched Lena with keen interest. After all, if things looked truly dangerous, I could always rewind time. As we watched Lena¡¯s receding figure, Mia Crowfield spoke up. ¡°I think she¡¯ll be fine.¡± At her words, everyone turned to stare, making Mia shift ufortably as she gathered the courage to exin, ¡°When someone is attuned to mana long enough, you learn to sense it in objects and people. I could sense¡­ quite a lot of mana from Miss Meyer.¡± Hmm. Most people can¡¯t detect mana without a high level of training. There¡¯s a theory that sword energy is a form of mana, though in the game, it¡¯s treated as a separate attribute. The mechanics of this world defy logical categorization¡ªfantasy worlds don¡¯t have to follow physicalws, after all. ¡°Mana? And that much?¡± Jake asked, looking at Mia in surprise, which made her blush even more. ¡°Um, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s her own mana. I didn¡¯t sense it when we met in the hallway earlier¡­¡± So it must be from the Marma Ross after all. A sudden, guttural roar interrupted us, making everyone turn to see what was happening. The slime-golem monster bellowed, its low rumbling sound reverberating as its gtinous form quivered. The sight was slightly unsettling. But Lena, unphased, calmly drew both pistols, crossing them in a quick, confident motion. ¡­It was undeniably impressive. That small part of me that held onto my adolescent fascination with these disys found itself unexpectedly moved. Without breaking her stride, Lena raised her pistols, aiming as the slime lunged toward her, its sheer size allowing it to close the distance surprisingly fast. With steady aim, Lena fired a shot directly at the creature¡¯s iing, bulbous fist. *Bang!* Even from where we stood, the gunshot echoed loudly. The explosive force of the Marma Ross-infused bullet shattered the slime¡¯s fist in a fiery burst that resembled a fireball rather than a simple bullet impact. ¡°Amazing! That¡¯s Marma Ross, right?¡± ire whispered in awe. Indeed, it was Marma Ross. But Lena¡¯s guns showed no signs of modification to amodate it. The barrels weren¡¯t any thicker, and there was no external indication. ¡°Is she using the Marma Ross itself as ammunition?¡± Charlotte observed with curiosity. ¡°I think so,¡± Mia confirmed. So her guns didn¡¯t require modification; they fired regr bullets, but those bullets contained Marma Ross. The magic only activated on impact with the target. The slime, seemingly enraged, swung its other arm toward her. *Bang!* Lena quickly twisted, firing with her left pistol and blowing off the slime¡¯s remaining hand. Both arms gone, the creature showed no signs of weakening; the destroyed arm was already regenerating. Before it could fully stabilize, Lena aimed again and fired at its right leg. A sharp cracking sound filled the air as its leg shattered, releasing a cold mist as the frozen limb fell away. It resembled the sublimation of dry ice as it crumbled, and the creature tilted off bnce. So, her left pistol had a fire-imbued Marma Ross while the right had an ice element. ¡°In the Republic, there are plenty of big beasts. It¡¯s less popted, so game for hunting is abundant,¡± ire exined. That, and there are numerous mines. Although the government controls most of them, the perpetual shortage of manpower due to the military draft means that there¡¯s still plenty of Marma Ross avable, much like how Winterfield hunters extract Marma Ross from mountain animals. *Bang, bang, bang!* The gunfire continued in rapid session as Lena approached the fallen slime. Each shot shended on its body rapidly froze the creature. Once it was fully immobilized, Lena finished it with a final shot from her left pistol. With a fiery burst, the frozen mass shattered, scattering shards in all directions. The pieces quickly melted, leaving no trace of regeneration. It seemed she¡¯d struck its core, rendering itpletely inert. Lena spun her pistols, casually blowing off the residual smoke before holstering them under her arms with a flourish. ¡°That was incredible!¡± ire shouted, apuding along with the others as Lena returned. A hint of pride showed on Lena¡¯s usually stoic face as she looked in my direction, as if expecting praise. ¡°Well done.¡± Some might dismiss her victory as mere ¡°equipment advantage,¡± but inbat, such distinctions were irrelevant. Life and death were the only oues on the battlefield, and even swords came in both ordinary and enchanted varieties. Still¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but nce at the broken shards of the slime. Considering the amount of Marma Ross she¡¯d used, I couldn¡¯t help but think she might¡¯ve lost more value than she gained in this fight. With the slime in pieces, recovering any Marma Ross seemed unlikely. But I kept this thought to myself. The satisfaction on her face was unmistakable. ¡­Maybe this is how Alice feels when she looks at me? Chapter 85 "Oh, alright, I¡¯ll admit, it''s impressive." Seeing her dual-wielding automatic pistols, each loaded with rounds of opposing elements, crafted with a distinctively old-fashioned design from the 20th century, made me feel a tinge of nervousness. Moreover, seeing her equipped with such romantic, impractical weapons made me wonder if I¡¯d missed something in choosing my own equipment. The bolt-action rifle I carried, with its wooden stock and barrel cover, would probably be considered a vintage charm in the 21st century. But by early 20th-century standards¡ªwhen stic wasn¡¯tmonly used in mass production¡ªit was just anothermon rifle. Plus, mine was a standard model used by the Imperial Army, making it even less unique. Truthfully, the main reason I chose it was because it was the easiest to find ammunition for within the Empire.@@novelbin@@ Strictly speaking, a shotgun wasn¡¯t a "chivalrous" weapon, but I¡¯d picked mine purely for its practicality. It was just a typical pump-action shotgun with nothing special about its design. If I had to pick something for its aesthetic, the only one that came to mind was the Wexler revolver. But even this was widely used by the military, so it didn¡¯t seem particrly vintage or unique from anyone else¡¯s perspective. The two Koch 98 pistols that Lena uses are standard military equipment in the autonomous region, though they¡¯re unfamiliar to the Empire and have a distinct look associated with other nations. Dual-wielding pistols might not be considered unusual by 20th-century standards. Back then, pistols were widely seen as one-handed firearms¡ªa perception rooted in the character for "fist" in the Korean term or the term "handgun" in English. The implication in this world might be, "That person must be confident in their shooting skills," if they could handle a gun in each hand. Lena, for example, was actually quite skilled. However¡­ Even though I''ve spent over a decade in this world and have adapted fairly well, the image of dual pistols in my mind was still part of that romantic ideal. Why else would an impractical "akimbo" feature be so prevalent in FPS games? The sight of zing away with a gun in each hand is undeniably thrilling. Even if it¡¯s inefficient in reality, people still want to see it in games. Honestly, I even started to suspect if Lena already knew my secret. I wondered if she, too, was a reincarnated human like me, and had recognized Sylvia Fangriffon, a character not present in the original story, and decided to y along for fun. Yet, after a few days of observing Lena after sses, I found nothing out of the ordinary. In her room, she¡¯d either be hugging a doll, practicing stances as she walked, or rolling around on her bed, carefully crafting her character. Watching from outside the window, I wanted to ask her to at least close it, but doing so would reveal the fact I¡¯d been observing her. ¡­Then again, who else would prepare high-powered binocrs to meticulously observe the window of a teenage girl? ¡­Right. On that day, I decided to stop observing Lena altogether. --- "Are you asking me to process all of this into bullets?" The artisan at the workshop gave me a slightly bewildered look. "Is it not possible?" "No, that¡¯s not the issue¡­." He eyed me carefully and spoke with a hint of caution. "You, uh¡­ seem quite worn out." Of course, I am. Leo and ire formed an unbeatable pair, relentlessly taking on slightly stronger beasts or quests every weekend with boundless energy. Recently, they¡¯d even recruited two additional people, rotating them as needed, which seemed to mimic the original story¡¯s quest mechanics. As a result, I had to wake up insanely early and run around tirelessly just to scavenge a small piece of Marmaross. Additionally, I scoured areas without mentioning anything to anyone¡ªlocations I remembered that wouldter be dungeons. Though I hadn¡¯t fully cleared any of them solo, I had been to every ce where I thought I might find Marmaross. I¡¯d collected enough of it that it was probably a bit much for one individual to bring to a workshop. If I converted it all to bullets, I guessed I¡¯d have around twenty rounds. Just a rough estimate based on the bullet size and the individual pieces of Marmaross. "...Something like that happened." "Is that so¡­." The artisan seemed to think probing any deeper might be risky. The workshop master gazed down at the Marmaross, rifle, and revolver I¡¯d ced on the table before looking at me with a more serious expression. "So, what kind of bullets would you like?" "Hmm." Practically speaking, revolver rounds would be the best for reloading. They¡¯re easy to load one by one and, if needed, I could use a moon clip to load several at once faster than reloading a rifle. But to me, the Ergensen rifle was my main weapon. While I was pondering this alone, the artisan spoke up. "If you''d like to mix multiple types of rounds, I can make some modifications to the rifle." "To the rifle?" "Yes," he said, pointing to the left side of the rifle. "I could install a magazine cut-off to prevent rounds from automatically chambering. That way, you¡¯d typically shoot from the magazine, but could block it off and use it as a single-shot rifle when needed." Oh. That sounded rather practical. A clip-loading rifle from the WWII era wouldn¡¯t work that way because the loading port and ejection port were the same. But on this rifle, the ammunition loading and shell ejection areas were separate. If I could prevent rounds from entering the chamber, I could use it like a single-shot rifle. "Marmaross bullets are expensive, after all." "How long would this modification take?" "Not long at all. I have some spare military parts." "Do they really add magazine cut-offs to military rifles?" "There was a time, back when manufacturing bullets was much harder. Formanders, every wasted bullet fired into the air was like throwing away money. But they didn¡¯t want to distribute only single-shot rifles, so they made repeating rifles with a magazine cut-off feature. Nowadays, it just adds extra cost." "I see," I nodded. "Please, go ahead with it." "Understood." "And¡­." The workshop master, about to start on the work, looked back at me as I added another request. "Do you have any reliable automatic pistols?" "An automatic pistol? Don¡¯t you have the Wexler?" "Well¡­." I hesitated for a moment. Realistically, reliability wouldn¡¯t differ much, and in fact, the moreplex mechanism of the Model 98 would likely have a higher chance of malfunctioning. Still¡­ if possible, I wanted something that looked more like a weapon. "If you¡¯re hoping for revolver-level reliability, I¡¯d have to say there¡¯s nothing like that avable right now." "I see." I couldn¡¯t quite bring myself to ask if there was a prettier gun, so I just nodded. The workshop master fell into a moment of thought before making up his mind. "If you¡¯d like, Your Highness¡­." Then, after ncing around to ensure no one was nearby, he lowered his voice. "I¡¯ve heard a rumor that a new standard military sidearm might soon be designated." That was news to me. If it were true, it likely came from Jennifer, who held the artisan in high regard. "Ahem. So¡­ on the off chance it happens, I¡¯ve developed a prototype." When I remained silent, urging him to continue, the workshop master hesitantly opened a drawer and ced a gun on the table. "It has a slightlyrger caliber than the standard ammunition, and I¡¯ve simplified the structure as much as possible. One round fits in the chamber, and seven in the magazine¡ªmaking it an eight-shot weapon with more firepower than an eight-round revolver of a smaller caliber." "¡­." I picked up the gun as if hypnotized. It was quite heavy, probably over a kilogram. But since it wasn¡¯t significantly different from my revolver¡¯s weight, it didn¡¯t seem to be an issue. It looked like a ssic automatic pistol with a slide. To put it simply, it was the kind of gun that typicallyes to mind when one thinks of a "pistol." With even a slight interest in firearms, anyone would recognize it as a .45-caliber automatic pistol. The hammer protruding from the slide was a design detail that added a bit of old-world charm, giving the pistol an air of dignity. "It even has two safeties, as per military requirements. The grip safety prevents the trigger from being pulled if¡ª" "Workshop master." "Y-yes, Your Highness?" I interrupted, catching him off guard. His voice wasced with the fear of possible punishment for having used leaked information to create the weapon. Examining the gun from all angles, I continued. "Now that I think about it, I don¡¯t know your name. May I ask what it is?" When Jennifer introduced him, she¡¯d only mentioned him as a "skilled workshop master" and provided directions. "Ah, yes." Momentarily flustered by the unexpected question, he hesitated before answering. "My name is James Browning." Browning. ¡­Was he not being a bit too obvious with that name? Chapter 86 "Hmm." Jennifer was deep in thought, examining the firearms Lena and I had brought with us. Even someone like Jennifer couldn¡¯t skip ssroom lessons entirely, so after our field assignments, we¡¯d resumed lessons from textbooks. Today, however, was our first chance in a while to practice in a setting more like realbat, but our weapons weren¡¯t exactly ideal for a ¡°mock battle.¡± Bolt-action rifles and shotguns posed no issue, as both require reloading after each shot or two. Anyone with a keen eye could observe from afar whether or not someone was trying to cheat. The same went for my revolver. Since it¡¯s a double-action model, the hammer visibly moves with each trigger pull. But automatic pistols¡­ unless a round is actually fired, they don¡¯t move on their own. Unlike the revolver, there¡¯s no hammer motion visible from the outside when the trigger is pulled. While the new automatic pistol created by the workshop master does have an external hammer, it¡¯s a single-action model.@@novelbin@@ Asking us to perform a reload action after every shot with an automatic weapon, as if we were firing BB pellets, wouldn¡¯t feel right in a ¡°realistic¡± scenario. Additionally, the range of reload scenarios¡ªemptying the magazine and reloading, loading partially empty magazines, reusing partially spent magazines¡ªcreated an endless variety of situations. To make things moreplicated, neither Lena nor I use only one weapon. Lena dual-wields automatic pistols, while I use an automatic pistol, a revolver, a rifle, and a shotgun. Even remembering all these details would be a challenge for anyone, not to mention that we use custom-made Marmaross bullets. Determining whether we were eliminated or not would be nearly impossible. "¡­." After a long silence, Jennifer finally spoke. "¡­I think it¡¯s best that the two of you practice separately over the weekends." Ugh. --- "Meyer¡¯s weapon is familiar enough, but the one you¡¯re using is new to me." Well, it¡¯s a prototype. It didn¡¯t even have any markings on the slide since it hadn¡¯t been officially named yet. "Did you get it from the workshop master?" "Yes." I nodded, and Jennifer nodded back. "The ammunition is new as well. Last time I visited, he seemed busy working on something; it must have been this gun." "¡­." I didn¡¯t say much. I was only answering to this extent because it was Jennifer asking, but in truth, I¡¯d received the gun on the condition that I wouldn¡¯t share too many details with others. News of my actions on the battlefield had only just reached the capital. Since reliability under all conditions is a primary criterion for military firearms, it was understandable why the workshop master entrusted this gun to me. He likely wanted to test it through someone who would put it through plenty of use in diverse conditions. Additionally, since this pistol was only avable at Browning¡¯s workshop, any repairs would require me to take it back to him. If it malfunctioned, he¡¯d know why; if it jammed, he¡¯d find out what caused it. "Well, alright. I know the workshop master¡¯s skills well enough, and if you picked this gun yourself, it should be fine." I epted the gun Jennifer handed back to me and nodded. "I¡¯m familiar with the Model 98 as well. I may look like this now, but I was once stationed on the northern battlefield." At Jennifer¡¯s words, Lena nodded as well. "Alright, I¡¯ve been thinking of ways to evaluate your skills¡­." Jennifer shrugged, then addressed us both. "Since the two of you are using weapons that are practically meaningless without live rounds, I figured it would make sense to use live ammunition for the test." She pointed to a structure made from stacked logs¡­ it was hard to say whether it was a trench or a building. Either way, it was something like that. It wasn¡¯t dug into the ground, but built above ground to make it easy to enter. Though it was designed to resemble an actual trench with an interior and side spaces to duck into, as well as room-like sections. It wasn¡¯t too big, upying just one corner of the training grounds, but once inside, it would likely take at least a minute to cross from one side to the other. "From above, you can see the entire interior." Jennifer looked oddly pleased as she said this. And it was impressive¡ªbuilding such a training ground in just two days was no small feat. Though it looked like a trench from a world war, its purpose was much like that of a modern shooting range. "This way, other students can use it too." The absence of anything like this in the original story was likely due to theck of ¡°nobles¡± who would train with firearms, making it unnecessary. If it weren¡¯t for Lena and me, this ce probably wouldn¡¯t even exist. "We¡¯ll be using live rounds, but are both of you alright with that? Oh, but no Marmaross bullets. Let¡¯s not waste the effort put in by the workers over thesest two days." "¡­." Fair enough. Even if they were paid to build it, it would still be disappointing to see it all go up in mes after a single use. --- Lena went in first. With a magazine holding eight rounds and one in the chamber, she had more than enough ammunition. Her opponents were just wooden panels that sprung up thanks to springs, so it wasn¡¯t particrly dangerous. I¡¯d wondered how they managed to make the targets pop up in a world without electricity, but it turned out each one was wound up with a spring mechanism that would release them when triggered¡­ making Jennifer¡¯s request not to use Marmaross make even more sense. The whole setup looked expensive and fragile for what it was meant to do. It also wasn¡¯t ideal for multiple students, since resetting each target manually would take time. "I¡¯ll be sure to learn as much as I can." While I was thinking this, Lena turned to me. "¡­." Surprised, I nced over at her and saw her eyes brimming with determination. "It may not be exactly like the battlefield where you fought, Your Highness, but I think this will still be a valuable opportunity to witness even a fragment of it." "¡­." She wasn¡¯t trying to tease me with thatment, was she? Judging by her earnest gaze, it didn¡¯t seem likely. "Oh, is that so?" And right then, Jennifer, who had finished setting everything up, spoke. "In that case, you¡¯re wee to observe from up there." "Really?" "¡­." I gave Jennifer a long look, but she merely shrugged in response. --- Alright, fine. I had my own n in mind. If Lena¡¯s character is all about the romantic image of firearms, what kind of character should I be? Not the opposite of romantic, but maybe "tactical" could work. The extreme practicality of tactical skills can even be its own form of romance, can¡¯t it? Like, say, someone like John *you-know-who*. Although, that character is fantastical in a different way. In short, if I looked "believable" enough, that would do. This was the transition point from line infantry to modern warfare, so I could employ modern shooting techniques. For example¡­ *Click.* A spring-loaded target popped up, with two panels appearing simultaneously. I fired at one of them with a shotgun. Since it wasn¡¯t my personal Marmaross-loaded shotgun, but a school-issued one, standard rounds went out. But a shotgun¡¯s still a shotgun, even if it¡¯s not custom-made. I had enough recement parts with me to modify it just a bit. As I shot down one target, I let the now-empty shotgun hang on its sling. The strap, mounted just in front of the shotgun stock, hung down slightly. Unlike the typical rifle slings in this world that connect the ends of the gun, my strap was a sling-back style over my shoulder and neck, so it didn¡¯t hang all the way down and stopped just below my chest, making it easy to grab again. Quickly, I dropped my right hand and drew my pistol from my hip holster. With both hands on the pistol, *Bang! Bang!* I fired two shots at the target¡¯s chest. Then, I advanced. For each sessive target, I fired two shots, reloaded the empty magazine with seven more rounds, holstered the pistol, and slipped into the spot where the previous targets had appeared. On my right thigh holster, I had shotgun rounds arranged in twos¡ªsix shells in total. Taking out two shells, I loaded them directly into the chamber. Repeating the action twice, I loaded the shotgun, stepped out, and fired a quick shot at the next two targets. ¡­And just like that, I reached the end of the range. "Hoo." With a small sigh, I looked up. Jennifer was watching me with a smile. I wasn¡¯t sure what kind of expression it was, but¡ª ¡ªat least Lena was staring at me wide-eyed in awe. Looks like all that nagging I did to the workshop master over the past two days to get this gear made paid off. The sleepless nights practicing reloads and drills were worth it. ¡­And the secret training I didst night, sneaking into the finished range to run and drill alone, too. Chapter 88 At least Be was a character with an established backstory. Although she died before the main events, she still appeared in shbacks. They¡¯d skimped on her by using a single illustration instead of a full model, but she was there. Now, she was speaking in a soft tone because there were people around, but her real personality was far more sinister. Her eyes were perpetually half-lidded, with a mocking smile often ying on her lips. And no matter the asion, she always wore clothes that revealed her cleavage. That was one thing that never seemed to change. Today¡¯s outfit was no different. She was in a tight tank top and a short jacket that barely reached her waist, leaving her cleavage fully exposed. Frankly, if someone wore that on a subway, it would be hard to know where to look. Of course, this outfit felt a bit risqu¨¦ to me because of my 21st-century perspective, but in this world, it was unimaginable attire, especially for someone of royal status. "Oh." Alice, returning from cing our order, looked horrified when she saw Be sitting in the empty seat. Naturally, Be didn¡¯t seem to care at all about Alice¡¯s reaction. In the original story, this was part of why ire and Alice struggled to get along. Alice, born a princess, grew up without want¡ªapart from the emperor¡¯s strange disys of affection, that is. She had the finest clothes and exquisite meals made with premium ingredients. While she worked hard on her own, she was surrounded by support that more than made up for it. ire, however, did not. Having endured all kinds of horrors after being sold to a brothel, she couldn¡¯t fully rte to Alice¡¯s worldview, leading to constant friction. The emperor¡¯s other children weren¡¯t much different. None of them lived the life of misery that ire did. Be, who had experienced her own hardships, was the only one who could empathize with ire and be close to her. It wasn¡¯t surprising that by the time ire entered the academy, she¡¯d be something of a "Be Mark II." Here, though, instead of ire, there was me, and whether out of caution or something else, Be survived. The only real change was my existence, so it seemed likely that she was alive because of me. "¡­What are you doing here?" Alice, sitting down, asked irritably. Be, still leaning on her hand, shrugged. "Can¡¯t a sister visit her dear younger siblings?" "As if. We¡¯re not exactly close, are we?" "Aw, that¡¯s harsh." Be sighed in mock disappointment. The exaggerated gesture made it clear she wasn¡¯t serious. "Maybe you¡¯re not close to me, but your sweet little sister and I are quite close." "You and Sylvia?" "¡­." I stayed silent, watching the two talk. I didn¡¯t think my involvement would stop them from bickering, nor did I believe this argument would escte to anything dangerous. "Come on, you know it¡¯s true. Sylvia doesn¡¯t form rtionships with just anyone. Being on friendly terms with her is something, wouldn¡¯t you say?" "If that¡¯s the case, then I¡ª" "Just because you¡¯re close to her doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t be close too, don¡¯t you think? Rtionships can ovep." "I don¡¯t think you¡¯re the one to lecture others on rtionships." I turned my gaze toward the waitress. From the moment we entered the caf¨¦, she¡¯d been nodding off at her station, probably because there were so few customers and thus little to do. That might exin why Alice hadn¡¯t waited for her and went to the counter directly. "It¡¯s hard to believe anything you say, so why not just get to the point? Going in circles won¡¯t get you anywhere." "Are you trying to protect your little sister or something? To be honest, it feels like you¡¯re the one who needs protecting." "¡­."@@novelbin@@ Alice red at Be, and I finally spoke up, breaking the tension. "What brings you here?" "Why, naturally¡ª" "If you genuinely wanted to spend time with me, you could¡¯vee to see me, whether I was inside or outside the academy." I met Be¡¯s gaze steadily. "You must have something to tell me, don¡¯t you? Lucas didn¡¯t show up either until he had something to say." "¡­Did Lucas say something to you?" "He told me one day he¡¯d kill me." "What?" "What!?" Be repeated in disbelief, while Alice was outraged. Seeing Be¡¯s reaction, it was clear that Lucas had likely left the emperor¡¯s side soon after our conversation in Winterfield. If Lucas were still around, Be wouldn¡¯t need toe here. "¡­Lucas said that? Seriously? He did? To you?" Watching Be¡¯s rare expression of genuine shock made me feel satisfied with my decision to mention it. "For what reason?" Alice, equally disbelieving, gaped at me, but I nced briefly at Be instead of exining further. "¡­." After understanding my meaning, both Alice and Be fell silent for a moment. "¡­Hah." Be exhaled a long sigh, sinking slightly into her seat. "Well, fine. Thinking about it, I can probably guess why he said something like that." She ran her hand through her hair. "Things are about to get busy." With a resigned tone, Be continued, as if to show she was serious. "You know there¡¯s a casino near Northwood, right?" "Yes, the Empire¡¯srgest casino, built in a clearing in the middle of the forest." Of course, I knew that. And hearing her mention the casino in early June made me recall something specific. "Has someone from the Papal State infiltrated the casino?" "Infiltrated by someone from the Papal State¡­." Be and I spoke almost simultaneously. She closed her mouth, listening as our voices ovepped. "¡­You knew?" "¡­." I didn¡¯t answer. Alice stared at me, mouth agape. "Then, do you know who infiltrated it?" "Isn¡¯t it a knight of the Holy Knights?" "If you say ¡®a knight of the Holy Knights,¡¯ that doesn¡¯t really narrow it down, does it? Even if there aren¡¯t many of them." Be probed, watching my reaction. "If they wanted a truly inconspicuous agent, they¡¯d choose someone who wouldn¡¯t raise any suspicions." "¡­." Be gestured for me to continue, and I went on. "Every female knight of the Holy Knights is also a nun. So if one of them were to enter dressed in a particrly revealing outfit, most people wouldn¡¯t even consider the possibility that she¡¯s a knight from the Papal State." After all, that¡¯s exactly what happened in the original story. Who¡¯d ever expect a nun dressed as a bunny girl? Besides, her personality was anything but nun-like. "And?" Be pressed, looking more serious than usual. "But a devout Holy Knight would likely refuse to do something so undignified, and the Papal State wouldn¡¯t want to risk alienating such valuable knights. So, the knight who thought of this idea must be¡­ somewhat entric." And there was only one unhinged female character among the Holy Knights. Well, most of the Holy Knights were crazed fanatics, but there was one who took it to a whole other level. "So, who do you think it is?" "Eliza." "¡­." Be¡¯s expression stiffened slightly at my answer. Alice still hadn¡¯t managed to close her gaping mouth. Of course. This was information the Empire had just recently uncovered, and in the original story, it was acquired through sheer coincidence. Seeing me reveal it so casually as if I¡¯d known all along was bound to be unsettling. "¡­I think I understand a little better why Lucas said he¡¯d kill you." Well, he didn¡¯t threaten me for that exact reason, but it was true that my abilities were a factor. "¡­." Without responding, I shifted my gaze back to the waitress, who had finally woken up and was now moving around. As she began bringing over our parfaits, Be didn¡¯t press me for further details. Though she still looked at me with a hint of suspicion. ¡­Good. At least I wouldn¡¯t have to give up on maintaining an air of mystery entirely. Chapter 91 "Alright." I decided to avoid making eye contact. I tried to shift my gaze elsewhere, doing my best to not look like I was purposefully avoiding her while also trying to stay unnoticed. Yet, either I was a beat toote, or perhaps I identally caught Alice¡¯s gaze. From the corner of my eye, I could sense Be looking in our direction. Then again, it was in her nature to pull pranks on us, whether she made eye contact with us or not. Although she wasn¡¯t a character I¡¯d encountered in the main story, we had known each other long enough for me to be familiar with Be¡¯s mischievous personality and her indifference towards what she wore. "Oh my, hey there, oppas!" Be interrupted her conversation with a nobleman to wave in our direction. The middle-aged noble she¡¯d been talking to looked thoroughly perplexed, but Be didn¡¯t seem to care at all. ¡­ The word "oppa" seemed a bit of a stretch given our age gap, but I reminded myself that it¡¯s natural in ces like this to use terms like that for soliciting attention. "Wh-What? Me?" Leo stammered, looking startled. The distance between Be and us was quite substantial. It was enough that one could easily mistake her waving at someone behind me, especially if they were further away. Even though the distance was enough to make her voice audible, Be made sure her call was loud enough to reach us. ire looked at Leo with an expression that was somewhere between exasperation and incredulity, as if to say, "Why would she be calling you?" After all, we were still wearing our uniforms. If Be weren¡¯t a royal or someonepletely oblivious, she would probably choose to approach the many affluent older nobles milling around rather than call us. Even if she mistook our attire for something other than uniforms, it would still look like military wear. Students and soldiers tend not to have as much wealth as the high-ss nobles around here. "Yes, you, the handsome oppa over there." But Be continued walking straight toward Leo. This time, even ire seemed at a loss for words. "¡­" Naturally, Alice and I were just dumbfounded. Weren¡¯t we supposed to be undercover? Though, I had half-expected her to act like this, undercover or not. On second thought, maybe it was more natural for her to behave this way. Be hiding her identity didn¡¯t mean she¡¯d hide her personality. As Be approached us, I could see she was wearing a masquerade mask¡ªnot the sort you¡¯d wear to a grand ball but more like the kind of mask a girlfriend might wear to surprise her boyfriend. It was cheap-looking, adorned with fluffy white trim, making it very clear that no noble would wear something like this to a formal masquerade. "¡­" Lena¡¯s expression was as stiff as mine. Ever since we¡¯d arrived here, she had been unusually quiet, seemingly ufortable with the very different atmospherepared to the military-governed autonomous state. "Hmm." Be, now close enough to see clearly, bent slightly to look into Leo¡¯s face. Standing close to the same height as most men, Be was wearing heels that had to be at least ten centimeters high, giving her enough height to look down on Leo. Her long legs were fully visible, her waist narrow, and her chest prominently forward. With her bending like that, certain aspects were unavoidably emphasized. "What brings you here? Are you perhaps interested in the casino?" "Huh? Uh, I¡­ uh¡­" Leo stammered,pletely thrown off by Be addressing him directly. Without sparing Alice or me a nce, Be grabbed Leo¡¯s hand. "Judging by your attire, you must be some noble young master. Care to join me? I can show you all kinds of things. I know my way around the casino here, and I¡¯m quite familiar with the area¡­ or perhaps, even the hotel?" "¡­" If I didn¡¯t know Be so well, I might have felt something¡ªan allure of some kind. But¡­ there¡¯s that saying, isn¡¯t there? When you¡¯re around someone for so long, even if there¡¯s no blood rtion, you get to know them so well that any sense of attraction disappears. That¡¯s how I felt right now. I knew that Be had no actual intent behind her actions, so I didn¡¯t even feel the urge to intervene. "Wait¡ª" But it seemed ire thought differently. Before seeing Leo as a man or not, ire and Leo had always bickered about who was older. If my own little sister were about to be swayed by some street host, I¡¯d probably want to step in too. But before ire could act, a man shouted. "Hey!" It was the nobleman Be had been speaking to earlier, now storming towards us, his face full of anger. He didn¡¯t fit the stereotype of a decadent noble. His body looked well-maintained, and even through hisvishly decorated attire, one could see he was physically fit. He wasn¡¯t strikingly handsome like the male leads in the protagonist''s party, but he was decent-looking. Yet despite all that, he still gave off the impression of a nouveau riche nobody. ¡­Then again, my impression of him as a ¡°noble¡± might have been wrong. If he truly were nobility, he¡¯d either be wary of our uniforms or, at the very least, recognize Alice¡¯s face. And then there was Jake, watching the whole situation with amusement a few steps away. The fact that he didn¡¯t recognize either the princess or a duke meant this man was far removed from the political scene. "Are you toying with me? Things were going so well between us just moments ago." ¡­Seems like he was just about to fall for Be¡¯s honeyed words. "Oh, but I¡¯m far more drawn to this one. Look," Be said, gently cing her hands on Leo¡¯s shoulders and pulling him close enough to make a side-by-sideparison with the noble. Then, nodding, Be added, "Yes, this one¡¯s definitely prettier." What on earth was she saying to a minor? ¡­Well, in this world, characters in their mid-teens are basically treated like young adults. The noble¡¯s face turned red with anger. Seeing him flush so, the attractiveness I¡¯d noticed earlier vanishedpletely. "Hey, wait!" ire shouted, shocked again as she tried to wedge herself between Be and Leo. But this time, her outburst wasn¡¯t even for Leo¡¯s sake. "Ouch!" Be cried out. The noble had stormed forward and grabbed Be¡¯s arm. "¡­" Hmm¡­ Watching this situation unfold, I realized something for certain. Be had abandoned her conversation with that man ande our way precisely to drag us into this mess. Alice seemed to think the same, watching with aplicated expression. "Aren¡¯t we going to help?" Lena, who had been watching beside me, asked. Hmm¡­ If we just stand here and watch, it might look bad. As I started to step forward, I heard Alice sigh softly. "Hey." But there was no need for the rest of us to get involved. Another man had already grabbed the arm of the noble who was holding Be. It was Jake. "It¡¯s not right to roughly grab ady¡¯s arm like that," Jake said with a smile. "Ady? You¡¯re kidding¡ª"@@novelbin@@ The noble tried to pull his arm back, but his face turned nk as he mumbled. It seemed that his arm wouldn¡¯t move. Despite his efforts to pull or twist, Jake didn¡¯t budge, keeping his grip firm. "Agh¡­!" Not only could he not move his arm, but Jake was squeezing tightly enough to hurt. As Jake¡¯s grip tightened, the noble cried out in pain. "My hand¡­ let go!" Struggling, the man finally released Be¡¯s arm. She quickly drew her arm back, clutching it with her other hand. The confident expression she¡¯d worn was gone, reced by a more vulnerable one. ¡­Honestly, I didn¡¯t know what to think. After confirming the man had let go, Jake released his grip too. Trying to back away, the noble lost his bnce without Jake¡¯s support and fell t on his back. "Do you know who I am?" The man shouted, trying to save face, but Jake replied, chuckling, "Do you know who *I* am?" The man went speechless, seemingly realizing what kind of ce this was. In ces like these, there¡¯s always someone richer, someone of higher status. Though people here didn¡¯t wear their ranks on their sleeves, high-ranking nobles and tycoons abounded. "¡­" Ultimately, the man scrambled to his feet, fleeing without even dusting off his clothes. "Are you alright?" Charlotte, who¡¯d looked down on this ce at first, seemed to have changed her mind after watching the scene unfold and asked Be with genuine concern. "Oh, yes¡­ yes, I¡¯m fine." What a spectacle. I couldn¡¯t help but think this as I watched Be, now speaking in a meek, gentle tone,pletely at odds with her earlier behavior. Chapter 94 "Hah, really." The terrace was sparsely popted. No, it seemed designed that way on purpose. Unlike the casino below, which had no windows, just two floors up was arge ballroom with several big windows. The building extended even higher, likely where the hotel floors were located. While the students from the academy were staying at Northwood Castle¡ªa ce whose value was almost beyond mary calction¡ªsomething told me that even if this ce charged for rooms, it wouldn¡¯t be quite as costly. "I''m *such* a devout follower of the Goddess, you know. I can tolerate being touched, but I draw the line at anything further. Would you like me to start undressing right here?" The woman closed the terrace curtains with a yful smirk. Turning my head slightly, I could see couples on other terraces, some indulging in activities ranging from sitting on each other''sps to heavy petting. It seemed to be a sort of stopover before things escted further. The terraces were open spaces, though spread far enough apart that, despite some light from below, it would be difficult to clearly identify anyone unless they were nearby. "¡­" I took a seat on the guest sofa, crossed my legs, and fixed my gaze on her as she casually tucked her hand next to her chest with a coy smile. "¡­" "¡­" "W-What? Do you actually want me to undress?" She hesitated, her smirk faltering as I continued to stare without a word. "If it¡¯s part of the service included in the thirty pounds." At that, her eyes widened before she quickly put on a bold smile and replied, "I didn¡¯t know Her Highness had such tastes." "Then if you can¡¯t, you could always consider it the price for information instead." "So you came here already knowing who I am?" "Of course. Lady Verati." The woman¡¯s face turned rigid at my words. "I¡¯vee to find out why Lady Chiara Verati is here in disguise." "So you already knew when you came?" "To be precise, I wanted to confirm what I already suspected." "¡­So, you already knew everything?" Chiara Verati looked both exasperated and resigned as she removed her hand from her chest and let it fall to her side. "I suppose the warnings from the Papal Office were justified." "To be exact, caution wouldn¡¯t have hidden anything from me." Chiara shrugged at that, ncing around before meeting my gaze again. "But if you thought such a paltry sum could buy state secrets¡­" "I understand. But what you consider a ''secret'' is already safely stored in my mind, so there¡¯s no need to worry. As I mentioned, the money was merely for confirmation." "So you¡¯re fine with spilling everything you already know?" Chiara¡¯s expression was incredulous, but I didn¡¯t waver. Naturally. I intended to verify everything and then turn back time. "If necessary, I could even share some information in exchange." "You¡¯re suggesting a trade? With me?" "Is that strange?" "Considering your attitude atst year¡¯s meeting, it sure is." So she had been there? Not surprising. Even if she¡¯d been among the nuns led by the cardinal, it would have gone unnoticed. I hadn¡¯t paid attention back then, either. "My actions are guided by what currently benefits the Empire. At the time, I merely thought that new alliances outside the Empire would do us harm. There was nothing personal about it." Of course, my actions back then had been motivated by deeply personal reasons, but there was no need to share that with this temple knight. "And if I share my information, what would you offer in return? Oh, and don¡¯t bother with checks like this." Chiara pulled the check from between her chest and waved it dismissively. "In terms of the entire Holy Kingdom¡¯s wealth, that¡¯s not even a drop in the¡ª" "I can tell you what¡¯s written in the Empire¡¯s Book of Prophecies." "¡ª."@@novelbin@@ My calm response left her speechless once again. The Book of Prophecies was one of the Holy Kingdom¡¯s most coveted relics. Since they had no means to ess the book buried deep within the imperial pce, they had left it untouched. But given the chance, the Holy Kingdom would have forcibly taken it, as they believed that all relics left by the Goddess should be managed by her sessors, their fanatical organization. And Chiara knew well that it was the book''s contents, not the book itself, that held value. "If you¡¯re lying¡­" "Then everything I tell you from now on will be worthless ording to the standards of the Holy Kingdom. It¡¯d be no more than a scrap of paper worth less than that thirty-pound check in your hand." "¡­" The reason she¡¯d epted the check despite iming it was worth little was simple. Refusing thirty pounds from a client would be odd behavior for a bunny girl. She might have had no intention of selling her body, but it was only natural for her to keep a paying guest engaged, even if only for thirty pounds. If she were genuinely uninterested, she would¡¯ve just handed the money back. And knowing I was a princess, she likely thought it wise to have a conversation rather than let this opportunity slip. "Fine." After mulling it over with a conflicted expression, Chiara Verati finally agreed and took a seat, albeit on the edge of the terrace bench rather than right next to me. The half-moon-shaped sofa ced us far enough apart that we could easily see each other¡¯s expressions. It was a stark scene,cking even a drink to sip on, but I had no desire to y friendly. So I began. "Let¡¯s start with your identity. Chiara Verati, nun of the Order of St. Antonio and one of the Holy Kingdom¡¯s Four Knights. Your weapon is the Holy Spear, and you¡¯re here to ''reim'' a relic from the Northwood ruins. Am I correct?" "¡­The Empire knows about the relic?" "I do, at least." If we had tea, I would have taken a leisurely sip here. "It¡¯s a piece of an ancient weapon, located not far from where this casino now stands. Isn¡¯t that right?" Long ago, before the world had taken shape, there had existed a civilization from a time before everything copsed. Some of that civilization''s architecture and artifacts had survived the Great Cataclysm. The Holy Kingdom gave these ces and objects the titles of ¡°ruins¡± and ¡°relics¡± and went about calling them sacred. They scoured various ces in secret. And to avoid suspicion, they used scapegoats. Sometimes it was a band of thieves, sometimes a monster that had inconveniently appeared, sometimes an unlucky weather event. Or sometimes, ¡°warlords.¡± "¡­" She didn¡¯t respond, but I could tell I¡¯d struck a nerve. Everything here was following the main storyline almost to the letter. "No response? Then there will be no prophecy." "¡­Fine." Grinding her teeth, Chiara Verati admitted it. Not that she had any choice. By the time I¡¯d revealed everything I knew, the Holy Kingdom¡¯s n was doomed, with its chances of sess greatly diminished. Acknowledging this and gaining something from me would be a better option. In that sense, my offer was quite generous. "Impressive. You really do live up to being the Empire¡¯s future empress." "I am not the next empress." My tone wasn¡¯t mocking, but I corrected her matter-of-factly. "¡­So, did you let another princess trail after us so she could be informed?" ¡­Someone was following us? "Are you making fun of me?" Seeing my silence, Chiara Verati rose in annoyance and strode toward the terrace entrance. Before I could stop her, she pulled the curtain aside. "¡­Oh." Standing there, in as day, were ire¡ªdressed in casual attire like me¡ªand Leo, who seemed to have followed her. And in front of the two of them¡­ was Alice. Alice, in a sky-blue bunny girl outfit. "¡­" Alice and I locked eyes, both speechless. Though she should have been shocked by all the talk of prophecies she¡¯d overheard¡­ the embarrassment of meeting me in that revealing outfit seemed to weigh heavier on her expression. ¡­ I sighed deeply and thought to myself. Again. Chapter 97 ire was more intense than I expected, and Leo was far more gentlemanly. Of course, Leo¡¯s personality was something I¡¯d seen plenty of in the original work. He was that infuriating, almost stereotypical harem protagonist¡ªa true gentleman by the standards of this world, never touching ady without permission and handling every situation as gently as possible. Though, I¡¯d never seen him wearing a silk hat or anything. Alice was walking in front of me, and though I could only see her back, I could catch glimpses of her red ears peeking out beside her hair. She was probably blushing so hard it looked like she might faint from embarrassment. Even as Leo and Alice walked by, envious nces from men around us followed them like a ma. Not that anyone really believed the appeal of the bunny girl costume was genuine attraction. Most men flocked to the bunny girls because, well, it usually meant the man had plenty of money. Men likely knew this, but still, if a bunny girl offered them that kind of ¡°service,¡± few would refuse. In contrast, Alice¡¯s reaction¡ªface burning behind her half-mask¡ªscreamed pure, honest embarrassment. Hers was not the expression of a seasoned casino server. And with Leo looking young and handsome, as any good protagonist should, the dynamic between them felt all the more convincing. To anyone watching, they looked like a scene straight out of a fantasy: a bashful waitress smitten with a kind, gentlemanly noble. It was enough to make other men feel a pang of jealousy. Though technically, they were both still minors. Meanwhile, I seemed to be catching the attention of more women than men. It was probably because I looked¡­ pitiable. Most men here walked around with their faces uncovered, but women generally hid behind fans or wore half-masks like the bunny girls. Women gambling wasn¡¯t forbidden, but it certainly wasn¡¯t fully epted, either. But even behind those masks, I could sense the clear look of ¡°poor thing¡± directed at me from other women. Unlike Leo, who led Alice without even touching her, ire held my wrist firmly, practically dragging me along. And while Alice¡¯s neckline was clean and empty, mine¡­ well, there was an obvious wad of cash lodged between my chest. Some women in this world preferred the same sex, and some wealthy women asionally paid generously to get close to young servers in these settings. Judging by the sympathetic nces I was receiving, it seemed most of these women were imagining something along those lines. ¡­Should I rewind? Maybe I should go back to the beginning and convince Alice all over again. As I let ire drag me along, I seriously considered it, but in the end, I gave up on the idea. After all, I¡¯d agreed toe because Alice had wanted this so badly. Knowing full well how embarrassing it would be, I¡¯de anyway. Who was I to me? In resignation, I decided to follow ire without a second thought. And, thankfully, that nk state of mind was perfect for keeping a straight face. --- "So, you came here to gather information? Dressed like that?" ire¡¯s disbelief made Alice¡¯s face flush even redder. They¡¯d led us to a secluded corner of the building, down a hallway where few guests ever ventured, and now stood in front of us, arms crossed. ire, of course, waspletely maskless. I, however, couldn¡¯t bring myself to say anything about it. Not because I was afraid of ire, but because this situation was just that mortifying. I knew if I opened my mouth, my voice would crack. Alice and I had removed our masks and held them in our hands. I was doing my best not to fidget with my ck half-mask, while Alice nervously toyed with her white one, eyes darting around ufortably. "¡­There¡¯s someone here who has the information we need, disguised as a server," Alice finally managed to say. ire sighed, running a hand down her face. "Did you really need to infiltrate in an outfit like that? You could havee in as a guest, like us." "¡­" This was a bit ironic. In the original story, ire had been the main reason Alice ended up in the bunny girl outfit. In the original, Alice had been irritated by ire¡¯s snidement along the lines of, ¡°I¡¯m out here working hard, and you¡¯re just sitting backfortably,¡± and out of spite, Alice had disguised herself in the same way as ire. Yet, here and now, it wasn¡¯t ire but Be who had provoked Alice into action. In a way, it hinted that Alice had started to see Be as her real sister. Since Be, a fellow princess, was out working on the field, Alice, also a princess, felt it would be strange to sit back. It was the same sentiment Alice had felt toward ire in the original story. In a way, her consistency was almost admirable. "Say something to her," ire said, nudging Leo. "Huh? Me?" Caught off guard, Leo, who had been too flustered to look in our direction, looked at ire, then us, then reverted his gaze back to the ceiling. "¡­" Seeing Leo¡¯s utterly unhelpful reaction, ire sighed again. In the original story, Leo hadn¡¯t recognized Alice right away when they first met. He¡¯d only started suspecting her absence when she didn¡¯t show up for a night mission on the second day. So, his reaction wasn¡¯t exactly out of ce. "And you, sister." "¡­Yes." Reluctantly, I turned my gaze toward ire. Her eyes zed as she looked at me. "Why are you dressed like that?" Hmm. Something told me that ¡°why not?¡± wouldn¡¯t be the right answer. I¡¯d already guessed why ire was so upset as she dragged me along earlier. That orphanage we¡¯d stayed in had been that kind of ce. Even if she hadn¡¯t known it at the time, she must have realized it during her investigation into my background. So¡­ bluntly put, she was not pleased about me wearing the kind of outfit that implied I could ¡°sell myself.¡± "It¡¯s my fault." Before I could respond, Alice spoke up. "She¡¯s only dressed like this to protect me since I insisted on infiltrating here." "¡­Fine."@@novelbin@@ Thankfully, ire seemed to ept Alice¡¯s exnation. Alice was one of the few people close enough to me to read my expression. ire, having watched Alice closely, must have picked up on that as well. "So where did you even get these outfits?" "That¡¯s¡­" Alice was unable to answer this time. It was Be, of course, who had provided us with these bunny girl costumes. She¡¯d likely arranged this just so she could enjoy the sight of us dressed like this, though she was nowhere to be seen. Thinking back, I hadn¡¯t seen her even before rewinding time. Judging from Chiara Verati¡¯s reactions, Be had probably been quite close to her. ¡­Was she watching us from a safe distance somewhere, perhaps enjoying the show? "Then why are you two here all of a sudden? And ire, why aren¡¯t you wearing a mask?" "Uh?" Clearly flustered by the sudden question, ire, who had seemed so confident until a moment ago, hesitated. "Before you answer that, could you¡ª" "These outfits aren¡¯t hard toe by. Honestly, do you think many people working here would proudly talk about their pasts?" "¡­" "If I said I wanted a job here, I could get an outfit like this easily. Whoever hands out the uniforms doesn¡¯t care who I am. They¡¯d never guess I¡¯m a princess." It sounded a bit far-fetched, but it wasn¡¯t entirely imusible. Who in their right mind would think an actual princess was working here? They¡¯d probably assume she was just someone who looked like her. "Alright, now your turn. I get why Leo¡¯s here, but¡ª" Hearing Alice¡¯sment, Leo looked a bit hurt, but Alice ignored it and turned back to ire. "¡ªwhy is a woman walking around here without even covering her face? And what was that about sticking money down Sylvia¡¯s chest?" "¡­" Finally, I looked down. There were still several pound notes tucked between my chest. I reached to pull out the bills and return them to ire but stopped myself. ¡­Handing back sweaty, damp bills would be awkward, wouldn¡¯t it? ire¡¯s expression was just asplicated. Chapter 100 ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± After Be took Verati away, we remained in our seats for a while, each of us lost in thought. Alice, who had been tense, finally let out a deep sigh, while ire and Leo, who were caught up in the unexpected situation, still looked dazed. Eventually, Alice couldn¡¯t handle the silence any longer. ¡°Ugh, seriously!¡± she shouted, turning sharply toward me. ¡°Say something!¡± ¡°What would you like me to say?¡± I asked earnestly, and Alice looked at me with a mixture of frustration and embarrassment. ¡°You know¡­ like, how dangerous it was for a princess to be there or that there was no need for me to be directly involved in such a risky n.¡± ¡°Are you asking me to scold you, Your Highness?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it¡­¡± Alice nced around nervously, her cheeks reddening slightly. ¡°Well, yes.¡± I replied calmly, ¡°Of course, it was something that could have been handled by someone else, and there was a real risk of unforeseenplications where Your Highness could have been severely hurt.¡± ¡°...¡± Alice¡¯s shoulders slumped at my words, and I couldn¡¯t help but think the white bunny ears she still wore seemed to droop as well. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t change the fact that what happened was something you aplished.¡± Upon hearing this, Alice lifted her head, and her ears seemed to perk up slightly. In truth, it would¡¯ve been challenging for anyone else to pull off a n like this. Lucas was absent¡ªwhether he was running away or simply away on an extended errand, I wasn¡¯t certain. But in any case, assigning a task to someone who wasn¡¯t present was impossible. Even if he¡¯d been avable, Lucas was too well-known. Verati would have likely bolted the moment she saw him. Jaden was also unsuitable for simr reasons. Be, while adept at gathering intelligence, had to remain unseen. Someone else had to handle the capture, and Verati, who was often surrounded by crowds, had to be lured somewhere less popted to minimize civilian casualties. If Be had taken care of the capture herself, her face would have been exposed to Verati. While eliminating Verati might have been an option, it would only provoke further scrutiny from the Theocracy. The same held for my other sibling, who performed simr work to Be and was already stationed in another country for intelligence gathering. Which left only Alice and me. Since the Theocracy viewed me with extreme caution, they couldn¡¯t dismiss my presence, while Alice, whom they likely considered inconsequential, was ideal bait. The Theocracy had directly observed me assuming the role of the Emperor¡¯s proxy, a position that Alice might one day inherit. Perhaps, from that observation, they made a crucial error in judgment¡ªbelieving that Alice had no chance of bing the next Empress. Well, their assumption was understandable. The current Emperor was an unusual figure by any standard, and despite theck of blood rtion, there were no official distinctions among his children. One of them was already a Knight Commander, while another was serving as the Emperor¡¯s full proxy at a young age. To those who hadn¡¯t overheard the private discussions between the Emperor and his children, the confusion was understandable. Alice¡¯s position made her the perfect lure. Verati would have been caught regardless, but the royal family¡¯s goal was to extract Verati without drawing attention to the Northwood duchy. Removing Verati without alerting Duke Northwood was critical, and if Alice hadn¡¯t volunteered to act as bait, things would have been far moreplicated. Although the royal family wasn¡¯t fully aware of what the Theocracy wanted, they knew it was valuable. ¡°Well done. Achieving results is also a form of skill.¡± And so, I said this to Alice. ¡°R-Really?¡± she replied. ¡°Yes. Though it¡¯s a bit concerning that you were dressed as a bunny girl the entire time.¡± ¡°...¡± ire, having finally regained her senses, chimed in with a hint of jealousy, causing Alice to realize just how embarrassing her outfit was. She quickly uncrossed her legs. ¡°W-Well, the other person was dressed like a bunny girl too, so it doesn¡¯t matter!¡± Despite her words, Alice hurriedly rose from her seat. --- ¡°Yeah, there weren¡¯t any other forces around.¡± Back at the inn, we discussed a few things we hadn¡¯t been able to cover in front of Leo and ire. ¡°So, it was just a bluff,¡± Alice said confidently, to which I nodded in agreement. Indeed, even with the Emperor¡¯s authority, deploying forces within Northwood¡¯s domain was a separate matter. Requesting Northwood¡¯s forces to act was an evenrger issue. Troops might have apanied us from the capital, but their ability to operate openly in Northwood was another matter altogether. It was fortunate that Verati hadn¡¯t divulged her true purpose before we took her away. Even if Leo and ire weren¡¯t the type to gossip, it was better if no one else overheard any sensitive information. ¡°...You knew about this all along, didn¡¯t you?¡± After a pause, Alice cautiously asked me. ¡°Yes,¡± I replied. ¡°Hmph.¡± Alice responded with a knowing sound but didn¡¯t press further. ¡°I don¡¯t know how youe by such knowledge, but still.¡± She motioned to a small, round table with four chairs set around it in the middle of the spacious guest room. Even though it was just a guest room in the ducal residence, it was equipped to receive visitors in style. Then again, even luxury hotels have this level of preparation. When I pulled out a chair and sat down, Alice took a seat across from me. ¡°Even if I ask how you came to know all that, I suppose you wouldn¡¯t tell me,¡± she remarked. I paused briefly, contemting my response. ¡°The way I acquire information is one of my greatest talents. It¡¯s not something I can reveal casually.¡± ¡°Well, I suppose we all have one or two secrets we¡¯d rather not share,¡± Alice replied with a thoughtful look. As curious as I was about her secrets, I decided not to pry. If it was something I needed to know, Alice would eventually tell me. ¡°Still, I¡¯d like to know a little, if possible.¡± Alice looked directly at me, her expression calm, her clear eyes shining with determination. Her gaze wasn¡¯t one of interrogation, nor was it one a princess might use to demand answers. Rather¡ª ¡°As your sister, not as a princess, I want to know.¡± Alice paused before asking softly, ¡°The ability you have¡­ is it foresight?¡± ¡°Are you referring to the same kind of prophecy as those recorded by the ancient scribes of the royal family?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°No, it isn¡¯t.¡± I could answer that much with certainty. ¡°Then is it some sort of advanced calction, a prediction derived from careful analysis?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that either.¡± I could also answer that with certainty. If I had such powers as Lace''s Demon, where I could perceive the world with perfect rity and predict the future, that would be one thing. But even if thews of physics worked the same in this world, such abilities were beyond me. ¡°You say it¡¯s neither calction nor prophecy, yet you can somehow know the future?¡±@@novelbin@@ ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°...¡± Would Alice be able to figure out my ability from this exchange? Maybe, or maybe not. If it wasn¡¯t prediction or calction, the only remaining answer would be that I had already experienced that future firsthand. If even that were denied, it would imply that I simply acted as I wished, and everything worked out ordingly, which would imply a divine level of control. I doubted Alice would assume I was some kind of god, so she could probably guess the nature of my ability without me explicitly stating it. If I truly wished to hide my powers, I wouldn¡¯t have answered her questions in this way. But for some reason, I wanted to answer like this. It wasn¡¯t a logical conclusion, just¡­ something I wanted to do. ¡°...Alright. I won¡¯t press for more details.¡± After a moment of thought, Alice concluded with a nce at the wall clock. ¡°You must be tired. Thanks for staying up sote with me tonight.¡± ¡°It was my pleasure. I wanted to apany you.¡± I gave her a slight bow in response. Honestly, I would have gone even if she hadn¡¯t asked. There was no need for Alice to apologize to me. If anything, I¡¯d almost spoiled her n. ¡°If you ever need me again, just call on me.¡± ¡°...Alright.¡± Alice nodded, epting my offer without hesitation. Chapter 103 The ce where Be had arranged to meet us wasn¡¯t far from the casino¡ªjust a short walk into the forest. It was a location I remembered. In the game, the areas outside the casino building were not fully essible, and the forest hadn¡¯t been entirely rendered, but the direction we were headed aligned with what I recalled from the game. ¡°So close¡­¡± Alice turned and looked back. Even by the standards of my former world, the building loomed impressively, reaching toward the sky. The casino and the hotel rising above it were not the tallest skyscrapers in existence, but one had to crane their neck to see the top when standing close by. The structure was bathed in a dazzling light that spilled down from above. Its grandeur could be seen even from the forest. It was hard to believe that such a luxurious building could exist near an area so densely forested that development seemed nearly impossible. In a way, it was a brilliant choice of location¡ªa hidden, decadent city in the forest. Something straight out of a novel. ¡°You¡¯re here on time?¡± Be was waiting, just off the path that led from the forest entrance. Given thete hour, no one else was wandering the woods, so the light she held wasn¡¯t likely to attract attention. Be wore her fox mask and a skintight leather suit. While she exuded an air of casual confidence, her outfit suggested a high degree of caution against revealing her identity. Even though Be and Lucas sometimes acted disrespectfully in front of the emperor, they were, in truth, deeply loyal. They would never stray from the emperor¡¯s ns. In her left hand, Be held a bag¡ªnot arge one, about the size of a handbag, though it looked rather shabby. That must be¡­ Verati¡¯s. I remembered from the game that Verati had carried a simr bag while searching for relics. Inside was likely one of the sacred relics from the kingdom. ¡°Hm.¡± Be gave us a scrutinizing look, making that small sound. Be was exceptionally skilled. In her area of expertise, she had likely reached the pinnacle. But even for her, navigating an ancient dungeon alone was out of the question. ¡°Impressive,¡± Be said with a smile. She still wore her mask, of course. ire and Leo had already seen Be¡¯s appearance once before. Her voice was different, too. For me and Alice, it was unmistakably Be¡­ though how others might see her was unclear. Leo might not notice, but ire had sharp eyes. Yet, a quick nce at ire showed no particr reaction. ¡°Two daughters of the Emperor and two youths from loyalist families. I heard you were quite skilled.¡± ¡°Indeed, they are both very talented. I can vouch for that as a fellow princess.¡± Alice stepped forward as she said this, and Be shrugged. Her attitude was oddly haughty. Be was a difficult character to gauge. In the main storyline, she was only mentioned briefly, with a few illustrations and some voiced shbacks. Even if her personality was described as ¡°simr to ire¡¯s,¡± it wasn¡¯t an exact match to ire¡¯s personality in the original. Besides, my perception of ire had softened considerably over thest two months, as I¡¯d gotten to know this much more diligent version of her up close. If I had to make an educated guess, based on the personality I had observed for the past decade¡­ This attitude was an act. Without the mask, Be usually behaved yfully around us, asionally teasing or pulling pranks. ¡°Well, if the Empire¡¯s future Empress says so, I guess I¡¯ll have to follow,¡± Be replied. Alice shot a re at Be in response. Leo swallowed hard. In the original storyline, his attitude toward Alice became much warmer from this point on, but with Be¡¯sment about ¡°future Empress,¡± that moment might be postponed indefinitely. ¡°Did you find the location?¡± Alice asked. ¡°With three princesses involved, I couldn¡¯t risk failing to find it,¡± Be replied. Yet, her tone suggested less than full confidence. ¡°However, not finding it all at once isn¡¯t exactly a reflection on the Empire¡¯s reputation.¡± ¡°What do you mean, not finding it?¡± Alice questioned. ¡°It seems we were too quick. Verati didn¡¯t know the exact location of the ruins. He was only making an educated guess based on records from the kingdom.¡± ¡°So, there may be more people like him hidden within the Empire?¡± Alice asked, her toneced with concern. ¡°Most likely. Thisndmass is vast, after all,¡± Be replied, pulling a piece of paper from her bag and handing it to Alice, who took it with a slight reluctance but no objection. It was more of a map than a note. ¡°A local map.¡± It wasn¡¯t a military-grade map, but a generalyout of the area. Northwood¡¯snds were extensive andplex. To prevent tourists from getting lost, the Northwood estate had created maps, simr to those found in theme parks. Compared to the theme park maps I was used to, itcked color and mascots, but it showed themercial district surrounding the casino and the forest encircling it. Marked at regr intervals around the forest were Xs. ¡°Poor Verati,¡± Be remarked with a sneer. ¡°The kingdom¡¯s knight had truly terrible luck. After all his efforts, he could only pinpoint the location at the very end.¡± ¡°¡­¡± We all had to agree with Be¡¯s assessment. --- The relics reacted to each other. They weren¡¯t simply individual items with unique powers; they were parts of arger mechanism. In the original story, the function of the relics was never revealed. Given the universe of the series, they were likely imbued with divine power, capable of fulfilling impossible wishes¡­ or something like that. However, the relics were a recurring theme, stretching across several storylines and reboots, to the point where yers had begun to voice their fatigue with the concept. Whether this element would persist in the current story remained uncertain. Most yers spected that the relics would be used to save a heroine who had died. Still, I had no intention of giving up on saving her myself. If this were just a game, I would¡¯ve just enjoyed the story without intervening, but here, this was reality. ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s no wonder Verati couldn¡¯t find it,¡± Be muttered in frustration. After nearly three hours of searching, we finally located the entrance. We had never seen the relics in person, so even though we knew they would glow when nearby, we couldn¡¯t tell how bright that glow would be. It wasn¡¯t until we got close to the dungeon entrance that the glow became faintly stronger. In other words, the relic wasn¡¯t set to glow by default but had been glowing faintly since we arrived in the area, detecting the presence of another relic. ¡°Do you think Charlotte is still dealing with her side?¡± Alice murmured in concern. ¡°¡­¡± Given how long it had taken us, entering the dungeon now would leave us too tired to fight effectively. I let out a small sigh. Once more. --- ¡°¡­¡± When I took the relic halfway from Be¡¯s hand and walked confidently toward the dungeon entrance, the others wore stunned expressions. There was no visible path; I¡¯d simply walked through the dense trees. The time I spent moving forward was barely thirty minutes. ¡­though, to me, it felt closer to eight hours. Retracing my steps, while constantly reversing time and wandering in circles, had made finding the entrance from the start torturously difficult. Knowing the general direction of the building had helped me locate it sooner than my first attempt, but the difference wasn¡¯t significant.@@novelbin@@ So I¡¯d kept rewinding time, adjusting my search until I found it in a way that made sense to those around me. Each time I found the dungeon, the group¡¯s expressions shifted from an assumption of my sess to one of amazement. This time, they seemed nearly speechless. ¡°¡­¡± Alice¡¯s expression had grown even more curious, but I chose not to say anything. Chapter 105 I couldn¡¯t help but wonder¡ªcould this device heal more than just wounds? If someone with a chronic illness were toe near it, would it heal that, too? These were idle thoughts, but something else nagged at me. It made sense that this devicecked features like a shop or forge. After all, who would collect the money if items were sold, and even if it could modify weapons, who could wait around here for hours or even days? But something else was more concerning. In the game, recovery devices scattered throughout dungeons acted as markers to prevent yers from getting lost. Usually, the path to the objective was straightforward, but as the dungeons grew moreplex inter levels, even experienced yers could end up wandering aimlessly. So, thetest entries in the series had introduced these marker systems. The recovery devices would remain inactive until yers approached, then light up and stay active until the dungeon was cleared. Seeing a glowing device meant, "You¡¯ve already been this way." Granted, it seemed unlikely that someone would get lost in a game with mini-maps. But now that this game had be reality, had things changed? Could this device have been running for thousands of years? Or¡­ Perhaps someone had already passed through here. I looked at therge stone doors leading into the boss chamber. In the original story, they weren¡¯t locked. They would open automatically as the yer approached, though the exact mechanism was never exined. Probably magic. ¡°Are you all ready?¡± I turned to face the group. ire, who had been admiring the dungeon¡¯s interior; Alice, examining the recovery device; and Leo, watching me expectantly¡ªall looked my way. Be, who had been leaning against a wall, also turned her attention toward me. At some point, she¡¯d ced the relic back in her bag, though its glow was subdued by the intense light from the recovery device. ¡°It seems we¡¯re at the heart of the ruins. If the ancients built this to protect something¡­¡± ¡°...then there¡¯s likely a powerful guardian or security system inside,¡± Alice added, ncing back at the recovery device.@@novelbin@@ I nodded. Whether the device had reactivated because someone passed by recently or had been running since ancient times, its durability was undeniable. The state of these ruins, the lingering perception-dampening magic¡ªit all hinted at a once-great civilization, far more powerful than the Empire. As I checked my shotgun onest time, the others inspected their own weapons. All three wielded swords, but each was distinct. Alice¡¯s was a broad two-handed de sturdy enough to double as a shield, while Leo¡¯s and ire¡¯s were slimmer, manageable even with one hand. While they all used variations of the Grace family¡¯s swordsmanship, Leo¡¯s approach was more straightforward, whereas ire¡¯s had a trickier, more unpredictable style. ¡­Technically, I should enterst, but considering I¡¯d be using a shotgun, that might not be ideal. It wasn¡¯t a magic weapon, so firing from behind could risk hitting the others. Be¡¯s style was different from the rest. Though she used a sword, her reach made her more suited to mid-range attacks. Leaving the rear to her wouldn¡¯t be a problem. And if things went wrong, I could always rewind time. ¡°Are you all set?¡± Everyone nodded, gripping their swords firmly. I stepped up to the doors. As soon as I touched the surface, a light spread outward from my hand, tracing geometric patterns like circuit boards across the stone. The glow onlysted a few moments, but it was clear the device was working. After a moment, the doors began to open with a low, rumbling sound, scraping against the ground. A faint vibration traveled through the floor, and some sand drifted down from the ceiling. For a moment, I worried it might copse, but finally, with a heavy thud, the doors were fully open. Inside was a brightly illuminated chamber. From the abundance of slimes we¡¯d encountered, I assumed the boss would also be a slime. That assumption was half-correct. The floor was slick with a viscous substance, like the residue left behind when Lena had fought that slime. It was¡­ the remains of one. ¡°¡­Is that a person?¡± Standing in the room, surrounded by the slimy remains, were people. Or, rather, multiple figures. ¡°¡­What the¡­¡± Be muttered under her breath. ¡°¡­Father¡­?¡± The voice behind me was Alice¡¯s. ¡°Father? Alice¡¯s father?¡± ire sounded shocked. ¡°So then¡­¡± Leo whispered, his voice filled with disbelief. Standing in the deepest part of the dungeon, facing a tall figure whose shoulders were more than a head taller than mine, was a man with golden hair, meticulously parted and groomed. His beard was trimmed neatly along his jawline, giving him an appearance that was both youthful and mature. His piercing blue eyes, calm and unreadable, exuded a serious, almost intimidating aura. ¡°To surprise my daughters, I made some preparations, but s, I couldn¡¯t give you a proper wee due to these unwee guests.¡± The Emperor¡¯s tone was jovial, even with the ominous figures in front of him. ¡°Y-Y-Y¡­ Your¡ªYour Highness?!¡± Leo stammered, his voice stumbling like a scratched record. Under normal circumstances, calling out so informally would have warranted reprimand. But our Emperor didn¡¯t seem to mind. ¡°A child of the Grace family, I assume? It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen you in person.¡± The Emperor¡¯s demeanor was almost casual as he asked the question. From the glow inside his red cloak, it was clear he, too, had brought an imperial relic. ¡°¡­Did you leave the enemies here on purpose?¡± ¡°If I¡¯d marked my path, you wouldn¡¯t have been as surprised.¡± The Emperor smiled, as if he¡¯d read my expression of shock. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s save the reunion forter.¡± As the Emperor spoke, I could hear Leo struggling to catch his breath. Being born into nobility wasn¡¯t always as easy as it seemed. Though, it was probably better to be born into a respectable family than one with mixed blood. Keeping one eye on the Emperor¡¯s opponent, I raised my shotgun. The figure standing against the Emperor¡­ their age was hard to guess. Judging by their frame, they didn¡¯t seem to be a man. Unless they were deliberately cross-dressing, this was unmistakably a woman. She wore a in white mask with nothing but two dark holes for eyes. ck fabric draped from the mask, leading into a robe that flowed down to the floor. She looked almost like a character from a famous space opera franchise¡ªif only her robes weren¡¯t so tattered at the hem. From her slender shoulders to her hips, her build was delicate. Even through the robe, her chest was prominent enough to make her gender clear at a nce. She stood there silently, not even making a sound. In one hand, she held a sword. Like the Emperor¡¯s and Alice¡¯s, it was a long, double-edged de, though it appeared quite old, with chips and nicks along the edge. ¡°¡­¡± Even as she faced the Emperor of the Empire, she showed no signs of hesitation or fear. Who¡­ is she? Chapter 107 None of it made any sense. Up until now, I¡¯d never doubted my own ability. In the beginning¡ªback when I¡¯d first arrived in this world, I¡¯d questioned it somewhat. I¡¯d wondered if my power had limits, or if there was some unknown restriction on the number of uses, or if each use slowly ate away at some part of myself. But in the ten years since, I¡¯d never felt that my power chipped away at me. People get tired from moving, they feel sleepy when they don¡¯t sleep, thirsty when they don¡¯t drink, and hungry when they don¡¯t eat. Yet my ability seemed to exist on a different ne altogether. Rewinding time reset everything: exhaustion faded, thirst and hunger vanished, and my body reverted to a state offort. Only my memories persisted. But how was that continuity possible? I didn¡¯t even remember how I¡¯d left the dungeon. At some point, ire or Alice had tried talking to me several times. The Emperor had walked ahead, saying nothing, while Leo was visibly shaken, frozen in ce. Be wasn¡¯t in my line of sight. She was probably walking at the very back of the group. Did Alice or ire support me at some point? Or was I simply holding onto my torn cor, tracing the frayed edges of the fabric? Up until now, I hadn¡¯t truly considered the implications of time rewinding. In my head, I was simply moving through time. Like rewinding a clock, I would reset to a previous moment and exist as myself in the space and time I returned to. ¡­Or had I truly been myself? My memories persisted, unchanged, while the world reset. It was unsettling to only question this after ten years of relying on my power. The very ability I¡¯d once trusted without question now filled me with an inexplicable unease. In the distance, I could see the moonlight. Oddly enough, it hadn¡¯t entered the dungeon itself; only the glow from the relic had illuminated the corridors. From inside the pitch-dark room, the sliver of the moon at the exit looked like a frame of light against a ck backdrop. I stared at that light for a moment, lost in thought, and then¡ª I rewound time. --- It was an impulsive move. Perhaps it was driven by impatience. In line with my nature, rewinding felt instinctive. The Emperor seemed to be catching on to my ability, with his suspicions about the figure we¡¯d encountered lingering. If I wasn¡¯t careful, he¡¯d figure it out and expose my power, not just to him but to everyone around me. So, as always, I tried to erase the mistake by rewinding time. This time, I¡¯d unmask the figure, guard my words around the Emperor, and make sure to escape that grasp. But I couldn¡¯t. "¡ªSylvia!" Once more, I gasped for air. The sensation of falling through that shattered space, tumbling into the void, was as jarring as the first time. My body hit the ground, and I felt a peculiar weightlessness, like being pulled from a vacuum into the world again, my lungs struggling for air. No, it wasn¡¯t just unpleasant¡ªit was unbearable. Experiencing it a second time made it feel even worse, as if my mind was piecing together just how disturbing the experience was. And it seemed I couldn¡¯t remain calm this time, either. I couldn¡¯t go back. Some kind of wall seemed to stand between me and the figure I¡¯d faced. This time, the wall didn¡¯t break.@@novelbin@@ The impact left me shaking, and I took several deep breaths, trying to fill my empty lungs. My hand reached up to my cor, feeling the torn fabric. The rough, shredded edges were still there. I looked up at where the figure had been standing, but there was nothing there. "Where did they go?" "¡­They disappeared," Alice replied. "And the relic¡­ it seems they took it with them," ire added. I had no words. Just moments ago, I¡¯d tried to ask about the fight, inadvertently revealing my power to the Emperor. "Hmm." In the game, the Emperor had been portrayed as someone not easily fooled. Keeping silent wouldn¡¯t prevent him from discovering my secrets. He had simply observed me cautiously until now, biding his time. "Father!" Alice cried out as the Emperor raised his sword, pointing it toward my neck. ire instinctively reached for her weapon but pulled her hand back, startled. However, the Emperor didn¡¯t seem intent on actually harming me. If he¡¯d meant to, I knew he could have cut me down without a second thought, just as he¡¯d effortlessly severed the hand that had pointed a gun at Alice. The thick de moved with surprising precision, touching the torn edge of my cor. He traced the frayed fibers with his fingers. "It¡¯s not something that would just tear like this. Did someone rip it off?" Alice gasped, seemingly only now realizing the significance of the tear. ire, too, seemed taken aback. Leo, on the other hand, was still dazed, as if unsure of what had happened. And Be, watching from a distance in her mask, remained unreadable. "It¡¯s not just your cor¡ªyou have bruises all over your body. From impact, perhaps?" The Emperor¡¯s mouth curved into a slight, unsettling smile, as if he found the situation amusing, despite its disturbing implications. Because of that expression, he frightened me. "Impact," he repeated, withdrawing the sword from my neck. "You, Sylvia Pangriffon?" "¡­" The Emperor leaned in slightly, lowering his voice as if he were sharing a secret. "Have we had this conversation¡­ ¡®before¡¯?" The "before" he spoke of was clearly from my perspective. I was certain of it. There was no escaping this future. --- The rest proceeded as it had before. The Emperor seemed to have deduced much about my power. I wasn¡¯t sure how deep his understanding went¡ªwhether he¡¯d grasped the mechanics better than I had¡ªbut I felt a palpable sense of danger. Alice, ire, and Leo remained silent. They stole asional nces in my direction, as if looking for some clue to what had happened. And Be¡­ was humming a tune, her voice light and lilting. "All of you should get some rest now," the Emperor said. Despite the loss of a relic, he didn¡¯t appear disappointed. In fact, he looked rather pleased. "It was a lovely evening walk, but it seems you¡¯re all quite worn out. I hope the rest of your journey is enjoyable." With that, the Emperor turned and left us behind, though his gaze lingered on me until he waspletely out of sight. I remained silent to the end. --- "I won¡¯t ask you anything right now," Alice said with a serious expression. I found myself back in my room. Northwood¡¯s guest rooms were spacious, with elegant decor simr to Alice¡¯s. But instead of the sitting area, I was seated on the edge of the bed, with Alice and ire standing beside me, as if guarding me. Leo was absent¡ªperhaps because he¡¯d decided not to enter ady¡¯s room, as he often would. But that wasn¡¯t what mattered. "We don¡¯t know what happened, but¡­" Alice and ire exchanged a look before turning back to me. Alice spoke first. "Right now, you look¡­ exhausted. So, for now¡­" They¡¯d never seen me like this before. They might have seen me tired in the past, from trudging through the dark dungeon, trekking through snowy forests, or navigating the sewers. Those were all tiring tasks, and they wouldn¡¯t assume I had limitless stamina. But suddenly copsing, as if I¡¯d been through an ordeal alone, with bruises all over¡­ was strange. "Just rest for now," ire finished Alice¡¯s words for her. "¡­We¡¯ll continue this conversation tomorrow." "¡­" Worry filled both their faces. They didn¡¯t press me, didn¡¯t demand an exnation, or insist that I reveal my power. Their consideration touched me. "Understood." For now, I gratefully epted their kindness. Chapter 109 I¡¯ve encountered a limit with my ability. It hasn¡¯t disappeared, nor does it seem to have gained any additional penalties. I tested it a few times in my room afterward, and it worked as it should. However, it seems I can no longer go back to the moment before that encounter with the nameless figure yesterday. I haven''t attempted to return to that point since. Even if I did, what would be the point? I¡¯d only have to see that face of the Emperor again, and he¡¯d probably make assumptions on his own without me saying a word. Rewinding time wouldn¡¯t change that. Besides, I didn¡¯t want to experience that pain again. Lying on my bed, I stared nkly at the ceiling, lost in thought. I¡¯d healed the bruises, and I felt no fatigue after a long, deep sleep. But my mind was still a tangled mess. I kept thinking about that nameless figure I encountered in the dungeon. ¡°¡­Could it be me?¡± I mumbled to myself, but it didn¡¯t seem real. If this were one of those possession novels, then the figure being a future version of myself would fit the clich¨¦. That figure had taken the artifact and disappeared. In that future, was the Emperor nning some catastrophe using that artifact? And had I gone back to stop it? But even then, something doesn¡¯t make sense. Let¡¯s say, for the sake of argument, that it was me. They were clearly using a time-rted ability, and even in that moment, it was clear they were using it. Watching that movement felt like timelines were getting jumbled¡ªfuture, present, and past merging together. The voice, too, was strange. It sounded distorted, grating, like static interference. It wasn¡¯t something they would have done intentionally, and it didn¡¯t seem like it was due to injury. When I tried to nullify the situation with my power, they must have used theirs simultaneously. They shattered the space around us and seized me. I managed to rewind time, but it was unstable. That¡¯s likely why, despite the rewind, my body¡¯s condition remained as it was. If our powers had shed, perhaps that figure was left stranded in an impossible future. If so, then maybe that¡¯s why I can¡¯t go back to that specific point. But even thinking this, it still feels strange. They were holding my gun, yet they pointed it at Alice, not the Emperor. Maybe they aimed at me, and Alice just happened to be in front of me¡­ but, no. I¡¯ve used that gun countless times. Even if my physical abilities aren¡¯t exceptional, I wouldn¡¯t miss at such close range. And if it really was a future version of me, I¡¯d be even less likely to make a mistake like that. They were trying to tell me something. Sylvia, never¡ª I couldn¡¯t hear the rest. Also, when I aimed at them, I felt a powerful sense of rejection in my mind¡­ ¡­Ah, I really don¡¯t know. I scratched my head and got up. Thinking about it constantly won¡¯t make me understand the situation any better. For now¡ª Just as I finally managed to get out of bed and slip on my slippers, there was a gentle knock at the door. ¡°Yes,e in.¡± Thankfully, my voice didn¡¯t crack. The door opened carefully, and ire stepped inside. ¡°Sis.¡± Normally, when ire called me that, her voice was lively, her spirits high. But now, her eyes were full of concern. She called to me with a soft, cautious voice. ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± She didn¡¯t ask any questions, once again. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I had been healed by magic, so there was no lingering pain. Not that I¡¯d been seriously injured in the first ce. There were a few drops of blood on my clothes, but that was it. And it wasn¡¯t even my blood. It hade from the arm of that figure holding me as it scraped against the spatial rift. Though, that probably wasn¡¯t the only reason ire was worried. ¡°So¡­¡± ire averted her gaze for a moment before looking back at me. She had the air of a little sister checking in on an older sister who was angry. ¡°Everyone else is gathered in the dining room. I thought it might be nice if we all had a meal together.¡± ¡°All right¡ª¡± But as I answered, I remembered I hadn¡¯t even washed yet. ire¡¯s cautious invitation probably had something to do with that as well. ¡°I¡¯ll wash up quickly ande down.¡± At my words, ire nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± * When she said ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you,¡± it didn¡¯t mean she would wait in the dining room. ire was sitting quietly on one of the chairs in my room, waiting. In a world without smartphones or other gadgets, she must have been quite bored just sitting there. I squeezed as much water out of my hair with a towel as I could. I tried to dry it using a small, wind-up fan, but my hair still felt damp in ces. ¡°Are you nning to go like that?¡± When I eventually gave up on drying my hair fully and began putting on my uniform, ire looked at me in surprise. Normally, I would never let anyone see me in such a disheveled state. What would my usual self have done? I¡­ I probably would have rewound time to before ire arrived. Then I would have quickly washed up and waited for her, hair perfectly dried, of course. After all, I¡¯d spent the whole morning thinking things through, and rewinding wouldn¡¯t make me forget any of it. ¡°¡­.¡± For a brief moment, I considered doing just that, but then, ¡°Do I look strange?¡± I asked ire. She quickly shook her head from side to side, a childlike movement, as if a child had asked their mother, ¡°Do you hate me?¡± Her innocent reaction almost made meugh. Oddly enough, the atmosphere felt peaceful, as though yesterday¡¯s strange incident hadn¡¯t happened at all. She could have asked me a question, though. Not that I would have answered it. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s head down as I am.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ire nodded briskly in response. * ¡°What happenedst night?¡± The moment I stepped into the dining room, Charlotte asked. For her, it must have been unusual not only that I hadn¡¯t fully prepared myself, but also that I¡¯d taken so long toe down at all. Until now, my personality had been precise, almost prophetic in my ability to predict and handle situations. But here I was, showing upte, freshly washed, with my hair still damp¡­ ¡­It was out of character, not just for me, but even by noble or royal standards. Yet before anything else, the aroma of freshly baked bread hit me. Some time had passed since I¡¯de down, but my meal was still covered with a silver lid, likely to preserve its warmth. Without rushing, I made my way to the empty seat. Alice watched me with a slightly worried expression. Had she picked up something from my face again? Since ire hade to get me instead of Alice, that meant Alice was the one who had likely been questioned about yesterday¡¯s events. After all, it was Alice who had asked Charlotte to lead us to another dungeon. ¡°Alice?¡± Not hearing my response, Charlotte turned back to Alice to ask again. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t seem angry at me; if anything, she seemed to understand that I might be hungry. ¡°Well,st night¡­¡± I could almost hear Alice¡¯s mind whirring. ¡°¡­Sorry. It¡¯s just¡­ there are things that are hard to exin.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Charlotte didn¡¯t press Alice further. In fact, her gaze was on me.@@novelbin@@ I noticed Charlotte watching me curiously as I tore into the bread without spreading anything on it. ¡°Were you very hungry?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± I looked at the bread in my hand. I hadn¡¯t even torn it into smaller pieces¡ªI was holding it whole. Did I look uncultured? Though Charlotte didn¡¯t seem to be judging me. At least she didn¡¯t look as appalled as when I ate parfait before. ¡°Yes, a lot happened yesterday.¡± At my words, Alice¡¯s shoulders flinched. Charlotte nced between Alice and me. Her deep gaze held curiosity, though she likely heard things she couldn¡¯t discuss. But she didn¡¯t press us further. ¡°And where is everyone else?¡± ¡°Leo was dragged off by Jake. They¡¯re probably off gambling somewhere.¡± Charlotte sighed as she answered. ¡°Mia hasn¡¯t woken up yet, and Lena went straight to her room after breakfast to tend to her weapons,¡± Alice added. ¡°Do you want more food, sis?¡± Noticing how quickly my te was emptying, ire offered. ¡°¡­.¡± Normally, I would have declined¡­ But honestly, I was starving. Chapter 111 July is a time when things generally start to ease up for students. And in this world, it feels like that ease is even more pronounced than in the one I came from. The Academy, which was modeled after the Japanese high school system, holds its final exams at the end of July. But that doesn¡¯t entirely extinguish the anticipation for the approaching summer break. This atmosphere was more prevalent amongmoner students than among those from noble families. Nobles, after all, are beings who live on pride. Even though the primary goal here was to make connections, and many noble children believed forming good rtionships was more important than achieving high grades, there were still plenty who would consider it a disgrace if their grades fell below a certain level. Many noble parents were especially sensitive about their children¡¯s grades. On the other hand, manymoners felt their fate was already set in a fortunate direction simply by being epted into this Academy. Although the Academy had twice as manymoners as nobles, that was only because the number ofmoners in the Empire far exceeded the number of nobles. In terms ofpetition, it was actually more challenging formoners to secure a ce here than for nobles. Just graduating from the Academy was enough to secure a stable livelihood. Since the Academy also served as a military academy, they could even apply to be imperial officers if they so wished. Of course, they¡¯d need to maintain at least the minimum required grades to avoid being held back. As for me¡­ I may have lost the ability to rewind to any time before mid-June, but that didn¡¯t leave me as severely impacted as one might think. That was thanks to my habit of diligent pre-studying and reviewing. To be precise, it was because I had rewound time repeatedly after each ss to make sure I understood everything thoroughly. Even during self-study, I would rewind several times to fully grasp the solution to each problem. No matter what, though, rewinding after looking at the exam questions felt like crossing a line, even for me. And the idea of rewinding several months just to perform well on an exam felt like madness. So, I had studied diligently all semester instead. After all, even an average person can be a genius if they invest enough time. And time was something I had in abundance. I had consistently used it without wasting any opportunity, leading to the results I had achieved. Not that I was particrly looking forward to the summer vacation, though. Returning to the Imperial Capital¡ªthe closest thing to ¡°home¡±¡ªmeant that I would inevitably run into the Emperor. Since the incident in June, he hadn¡¯t mentioned anything, but I was sure that as soon as I saw him again, we would discuss something I would rather avoid. --- But not everything that happens to a person is bad. Even if it was only a temporary reprieve from something unpleasant, sometimes a wee event woulde along. "An invitation?" About a week before the final exams began, ire came to my room and handed me a letter in an elegant envelope. It was simr to the invitation Alice had given Charlotte, but at least this one wasn¡¯t intended to distract me. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s an invitation to our family¡¯s estate.¡± Grace Estate, located within the Capital, wasn¡¯t too far from here. It was, from the beginning, a unique kind of territory, different from what most grand noble estates were like.@@novelbin@@ In terms of size, it was more like a grand mansion than a typical estate. By modern standards, you couldpare it to a slightlyrge school. There was arge building, several smaller structures, some grounds between them, and a grassy area that could be considered a field¡­ Certainly, it was impressive for an individual to own such a property in their name, butpared to the vast counties and duchies owned by some, it was still a more modest, realistic size. ¡°I told Father and Mother about you, Sister. They really want to meet you.¡± When I looked at ire in mild surprise, she quickly shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I only told them that I¡¯d found my sister. I didn¡¯t say anything else¡­ Ah.¡± It was only after she said this that ire seemed to realize even that much was a detail that hadn¡¯t been widely shared. ire, with a slightly uneasy look on her face, gazed at me. Even though she was almost my height, something about her made her appear younger. ¡°Did¡­ did I say something I shouldn¡¯t have?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± I opened the envelope as I replied. ¡°The Grace family is a loyal house. And¡­ it¡¯s something that would eventually be revealed as long as you¡¯re there.¡± ire blinked at my words. ¡°Besides, I was the one who took you there. There¡¯s no reason to be upset now about what you¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°R-really¡­?¡± With a hint of relief, ire watched as I took the letter out of the envelope. The letter itself was on high-quality paper, the kind only nobles would use. Even a baron¡¯s family is still noble, I thought as I unfolded the letter, revealing elegant cursive handwriting that looked almost as if it had been printed. > To the Honorable Princess Sylvia Pangriffon of the Glorious Empire, > > The sun¡¯s intense rays warm the earth, and the breeze from the sea carries a hint of humidity. While some may find this weather ufortable, it can be a pleasant excuse to take a trip somewhere. > > Our estate may not be far enough from your residence to offer a refreshing climate or entirely different surroundings, but the greenwns within our grounds are known among the nobility for their well-kept beauty. They provide one of the few ces in our somewhat dreary city where the eyes can find rest. > > It would be our greatest pleasure to host you here for tea and allow you to enjoy such greenery in our shaded gardens. > > We sincerely hope that, through our daughter, we may receive a favorable reply from you. > > July 11, 1901, Tuesday > > Edward Grace, Baron of Grace Estate. The content of the letter aside, the handwriting gave off a strong ¡°I am an honest person¡± impression. Of course, there were probably many viins with beautiful handwriting, but maybe I was reading too much into it because of my own preconceived notions about Baron Grace. After reading the letter, I looked up to find ire watching me with a hesitant expression, her hands sped behind her back. She didn¡¯t seem confident that I would respond favorably, and there was a faint shyness in the way she looked up at me, her head slightly lowered. It reminded me, vaguely, of an expression I¡¯d seen before. It was the same look she would give me back in the orphanage when I would share my food with her. It seemed that even after a decade, ire hadn¡¯t lost that habit, likely shaped by those five years of having nothing. Perhaps that¡¯s why I remembered it so clearly¡ªafter all, I had been the first person to show her kindness. ¡°All right.¡± I carefully folded the letter and returned it to the envelope. ¡°I¡¯ll ept the invitation. Is there any particr date they have in mind?¡± ¡°Oh, no, any time after exams and the end of term would be fine!¡± ire¡¯s face lit up with a bright smile at my response. Honestly, I wondered what would have to happen to such a sweet child to turn her into what she became in the original story. Maybe it was a miracle that she hadn¡¯t broken entirely, that she had held on despite everything. It was proof of how strong she was. After all, she was the kind of person who could die for a sister she hadn¡¯t been particrly close to in the end. At least, thanks to this, I could put off facing the Emperor for a bit longer, which made my heart feel slightly lighter. Besides, I had been curious to see the Grace Estate at least once. While I would have eventually visited it in the original story, waiting around passively until then felt frustrating. ¡°In that case, after the exams and the end-of-term ceremony, I¡¯ll visit right away. Does that work?¡± ¡°That would be great! I¡¯ll let my parents know right away!¡± Parents. Thinking about it, I¡¯d been with ire often, but I hadn¡¯t actually heard much about how she¡¯d grown up. Compared to the original, she must have grown up in a far better environment, and perhaps that¡¯s why she hadn¡¯t felt the need to mention it. After all, this was also the protagonist¡¯s family. Hearing firsthand from Baron Grace and his wife about how Leo and ire grew up could be quite enlightening. Chapter 112 I don¡¯t have particrly fond memories of my school days. But then again, I don¡¯t have any particrly bad memories either. I just went to school like everyone else, got through it, and graduated without much fuss. My grades were neither outstanding nor terrible, and I¡¯d like to think I managed to make a few friends along the way. Though, I never did manage to get a girlfriend. I was an otaku, and my friends were otaku as well. We didn¡¯t travel anywhere far together, but we did attend rted events as a group, pooled money to buy manga, or headed to PC rooms after exams. Looking back, those memories seem insignificantpared to the things I¡¯ve experienced here at the Academy. None of those memories were vivid enough to remember the exact dates, and out of those friends I once hung out with, I could count the ones I kept in touch with on one hand. I even struggled to recall some of their faces or names. Still, perhaps because this is a school for teenagers as well, I sometimes found myself reminiscing about those days. ¡°We¡¯ll be parting ways for a little while,¡± said Charlotte, the first to break the silence. Just like in my old world, the school closed early for exams. Taking advantage of the free time, we all decided to hang out and wander around. We strolled through the streets outside the Academy, not doing much, then spent some time in a caf¨¦, sipping tea and eating parfaits. We chatted about trivial things and sharedughter over mundane topics that I barely remember now. It hadn¡¯t seemed like long, but before we knew it, the sun was setting, painting the sky with a warm red glow. ¡°You¡¯re going back to Lutetia?¡± Alice asked. ¡°Yes, I am. After all, I¡¯m the princess of Velbur,¡± Charlotte replied, with a faint smile as if feeling a bit wistful. ¡°But we¡¯ll see each other again soon, right? Summer break isn¡¯t that long,¡± she added. The break was just over a month, so barring any unforeseen events, we would all reunite for the second semester. However, on further thought, it also meant that after graduation, meeting up wouldn¡¯t be so simple. If Charlotte were merely one of Velbur¡¯s nobility and not the princess, she might have been able to visit Rondarium for a few days each year, reconnecting with Alice over tea, catching up, and parting ways again. But, both Alice and Charlotte were important figures in their respective imperial and royal families. Although not yet officially announced, Alice was a strong candidate for the throne, and Charlotte had no siblings to share her royal responsibilities. ¡°¡­¡± Alice¡¯s expression darkened as if the same thoughts had crossed her mind.@@novelbin@@ ¡­If events followed the original storyline, these two would be enemies. Though Alice, in her efforts to end the war, would reconcile with Charlotte, the peace wouldn¡¯tst long. Charlotte noticed Alice¡¯s expression and suddenly extended her hand. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll see you after the break. And if you evere to visit Lutetia again¡­ I¡¯ll make sure you get a taste of Velbur¡¯s cuisine, which is far more diverse and vorful than that of the Empire,¡± she teased, as if daring her. Alice finally broke into a smile. Holding Charlotte¡¯s hand, she replied, ¡°The Empire¡¯s cuisine is improving a lot. Come back in about ten years, and even a Velburian won¡¯t be able to look down on it.¡± Charlotte shrugged yfully. ¡°Lena, you¡¯re returning to the Autonomous Region, right?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s correct. My belongings are already packed,¡± Lena replied, standing at attention. Even in this weather, she wasn¡¯t wearing short sleeves. It was as if she thought wearing lighter clothing might somehow diminish her military spirit. Not that Lena was immune to the heat. In fact,ing from a cooler region, this weather likely wasn¡¯t easy for her. I noticed a slight sheen of sweat on the back of her neck. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to train hard so that by the second semester, I won¡¯t be a burden to Your Highness.¡± It seemed Lena hadn¡¯t fully gotten over the fact that we went to another dungeon without her in June. She hadn¡¯t openly shown any resentment, but she must have felt that herck of skill was to me. Lena¡¯s grades weren¡¯t low by any means, though. ¡°¡­Um¡­¡± When Lena hesitated, speaking with a cautious tone, I was a bit surprised. She rarely disyed such hesitation, especially not in front of others. After fidgeting for a moment, she looked at me and asked timidly, ¡°Would it be all right¡­ if I wrote to you?¡± I nearlyughed. Honestly, I hadn¡¯t done anything particrly deserving of Lena¡¯s admiration. If anything, the only time I had interacted with her in that way was running through the training grounds in her presence, yet that one moment seemed to have left a strong impression on her. She¡¯d already held me in high regard after hearing about my exploits on the battlefield, and seeing me in action had likely solidified that view. ¡°Of course.¡± At my response, Lena¡¯s lips curled up slightly in a rare smile. --- We didn¡¯t apany them to the train station. With so many students leaving for the Academy break, the ce would already be packed, and the appearance of two princesses would have practically shut it down. Charlotte would be in a privatepartment, and Lena would be on a train heading north, but they would depart from the same station. Normally, if they were leaving the rtively secure Academy grounds for a busy, anonymous public area, they¡¯d need a retinue of guards. Airships weren¡¯t yet used for civilian travel, and while passenger nes were being developed, they hadn¡¯t beenmercialized yet. So, we said our goodbyes within the Academy grounds. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ll be on my way, then,¡± Mia Crowfield said in her soft, slightly timid voice. ¡°You did well. We really appreciated your help,¡± Alice told her. ¡°Oh, no¡­ it was nothing¡­¡± Mia blushed and bowed her head at Alice¡¯s words. Then¡ª ¡°¡­¡± She looked over at me with a somewhatplicated expression. ¡°Thank you¡­ for everything,¡± she said, bowing her head. She wasn¡¯t holding her staff. It was thest day, after all, and students weren¡¯t allowed to carry weapons around campus. But the blue gemstone that would normally be shining at the tip of her staff was still something I had given her. It urred to me that this gemstone was something she likely wouldn¡¯t have been able to acquire even at this point. Given that, I suppose her expression made sense. ¡°You worked hard, too,¡± I replied, bowing my head slightly to Mia. She looked at me, a bit taken aback, before hastily turning and hurrying off. ¡°You don¡¯t need to say goodbye to me,¡± came a lighthearted voice from behind me. I turned to see Jake, with his ever-loyal maid by his side. ¡°We¡¯ll be staying an extra day before heading out.¡± Even with two princesses present, Jake¡¯s casual attitude didn¡¯t change. His maid, Lottie, gave him a disapproving look, but he seemedpletely unaffected. ¡°Still, a farewell is a farewell,¡± Alice said. ¡°We¡¯re nning to leave today as well.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± Jake seemed unfazed, as if wondering why they were in such a hurry since they were all staying in the same city. ¡°It¡¯s better to get things done early since we¡¯re already here. And even if we leave first, our belongings can stay for a while longer, can¡¯t they?¡± After all, it¡¯s not like we¡¯ll be the ones moving them ourselves. ¡°Is that so?¡± Jake likely wanted to stay back for a day to spend more time with Lottie. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s say our goodbyes now. See you in the second semester,¡± I said. ¡°Come back as a slightly more grounded man next time,¡± Alice added with a smirk, to which Jake justughed heartily. --- ¡°Th-then¡­¡± Leo stammered, looking rather nervous. ¡°As the future head of the Grace family, I would like to formally invite both princesses to our estate.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Alice looked at him with an amused, slightly exasperated expression. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so formal, Leo. Even among nobles, friends can keep things casual.¡± ¡°Oh, r-right¡­¡± ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t even need to be so polite¡ªnever mind,¡± Alice sighed, while ire rubbed her forehead. ¡°Well, since you¡¯ve extended such a formal invitation,¡± Alice said, a mischievous glint in her eye, moving toward Leo and lightly holding the edges of her skirt. ¡°I will be happy to ept it.¡± She offered a graceful, yet yful, curtsy by cing one leg slightly behind and bending her knees just enough, all while keeping her head high. It was no surprise that Leo¡¯s face turned an even deeper shade of red. Chapter 114 By the time we arrived, the sun was already setting, so we headed straight into the main building without dy. Since we¡¯d be staying here for a few days, there was no rush to explore the grounds; we could save that for tomorrow. Leo and Baron Grace seemed to have some matters to discuss separately from us. As I watched Leo follow his father, I noticed an expression on his face that suggested this wouldn¡¯t just be a simple conversation. Knowing the Grace family¡¯s customs from the original story, it was likely that he would be sparring with his father. Baron Grace¡¯s prowess inbat was ranked among the best in the game. And he certainly wasn¡¯t the type to go easy on his own son. ¡­Considering the situation, Leo¡¯s expression was understandable. If I came home expecting a rxing break, only to find training even tougher than at the Academy waiting for me, I¡¯d probably look the same way. This also made me feel a bit uneasy. After all, once I returned to the Imperial Pce, I would undoubtedly have an audience with the Emperor. Even if Leo wasn¡¯t heading off to rigorous training, there was still the question of him being around us. While the Academy was mixed-gender by design, it was generally frowned upon in noble society for a man to linger among groups of women. If he were a rugged, masculine figure attracting female attention, that might be considered admirable, but with Leo¡¯s soft, youthful looks, it wouldn¡¯t leave the best impression if he spent his time chatting with women. I felt a bit of sympathy for Leo once again. As long as Alice and I were here, he¡¯d inevitably be seen in that light by others. ¡°When I heard that the ¡®sister¡¯ ire always talked about was a princess, I must admit I had my doubts about her memory,¡± said the baroness, who had led us to the drawing room and served as our hostess. She spoke elegantly while sipping tea. Noticing she hadn¡¯t added any sugar, I briefly considered forgoing sugar as well, but in the end, I added just one cube. I figured I¡¯d probably leave the tea untouched if I didn¡¯t. Fortunately, the atmosphere was rxed enough that small gestures like this went unnoticed. ¡°¡­.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to the baroness, so I took a sip of tea, stalling for a moment, and then replied, ¡°That reaction is perfectly reasonable.¡± ¡°Sister¡­¡± ire murmured sadly at my words before quickly falling silent, casting a nce at the baroness. I didn¡¯t think the Grace family had ever discriminated against ire for not being blood-rted; she was likely more worried about having called me ¡°sister¡± in front of the baroness.@@novelbin@@ Although Baron Grace and his wife were rtively progressive, they were still nobles. Among nobility, addressing someone as ¡°sister¡± was considered inappropriate if they weren¡¯t truly rted by blood¡ªespecially when that person was a princess. Ironically, precisely because the Grace family didn¡¯t discriminate against those without blood ties, they saw me as unquestionably a part of the royal family. ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± I said, speaking up before the baroness could respond. ¡°During our childhood, we relied on each other,¡± I exined. ire blushed slightly, while Alice looked back and forth between us, her eyes gleaming with interest. Alice had never asked about my past. Although we hadn¡¯t formally agreed not to, it was an unspoken rule. This applied not only to me but to the other children of the Emperor as well. In the original story, Alice hadn¡¯t known about ire¡¯s past, either, for the same reason. But having someone who knew parts of my past sitting in front of me must have stirred Alice¡¯s curiosity, even if she didn¡¯t ask directly. ¡°I see¡­¡± the baroness said, studying me carefully. The confirmation of her daughter¡¯s memories by a princess herself seemed to leave her slightly cautious. ¡°ire and I both came from the same orphanage. I was the one who brought ire here,¡± I added. ¡°And you also brought some of the other children along,¡± she said gently. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Though there was no hint of me in her voice, speaking about it made me feel a bit embarrassed, as if I¡¯d left a difficult responsibility with them. In a way, it was like I had abandoned those children here with the Grace family, knowing their good nature. Originally, I had considered seeking refuge here as well. I often wondered how my life would have turned out if I had grown up here. Would I have yed and bickered with ire and Leo like siblings, like I¡¯d seen them do? Or would I have assumed the role of the eldest among them? Of course, since Icked skill with the sword, I probably wouldn¡¯t have been adopted by the Grace family. In fact, of the children left here, only ire had been adopted. I would have taken the Academy¡¯s entrance exam, but half of my life might have turned out differently. If that had happened, my rtionship with Alice might not have been equal¡ªI might have looked up to her instead. Each decision shapes the future in unexpected ways. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry,¡± the baroness said kindly, noticing my thoughtful expression. ¡°All of the children grew up splendidly. Some of them have already started working as retainers for our family.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Hmm¡­ Honestly, I wasn¡¯t sure how those children remembered me. ire seemed to have strong memories of me, but for the others¡­ To be truthful, I barely remembered their faces or names. I had focused intently on recalling the details of the game. I had rewritten things on paper multiple times tomit them to memory and even visited ces in the Capital that served as settings in the game. But aside from that, I hadn¡¯t made an effort to remember every detail of my other memories. Simply getting through life had been enough of a challenge for me. Still, it was reassuring to know that the children had turned out well. ¡°In fact,¡± the baroness said, setting down her teacup with a slightly more serious tone, ¡°we haven¡¯t disclosed your true identity to the children. It¡¯s a sensitive matter in many ways.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I replied sincerely. I didn¡¯t mind if the fact that I wasn¡¯t rted by blood got out, but it was better to keep the truth of my actual identity hidden. The fewer people who knew, the better. By that measure, ire calling me "sister" was a bit risky too¡­ but ire had always been considered somewhat unconventional among the noble ss. Moreover, most of the noble children suspected I had something backing me, so few wanted to directly engage with me. They didn¡¯t pay much mind to the unusual way ire addressed me. ¡°However, if you wish, I could arrange for you to meet the other children,¡± the baroness offered. ¡°¡­.¡± I nced at Alice and ire. Alice seemed mildly interested. After meeting ire, the child I had supposedly saved, she was likely curious to see how the others had turned out. ire, on the other hand, looked expectant. Though she had been adopted by the Grace family, she had probably grown close to those children before then. I might have only spent a brief time with them, but ire must have shared her early childhood with them, creating a bond akin to that of childhood friends. In that sense, I felt a bit curious too. Even if they didn¡¯t recognize me, I wondered what sort of rtionships ire had built with them. Given the Grace family¡¯s open rtionship with their retainers, ire might even speak to them casually. And more importantly¡­ I was curious to see if what I did back then had held any true meaning. However¡­ ¡°It¡¯s already gettingte,¡± I pointed out. We hadn¡¯t had dinner yet, but it was nearly time for it. Whilemoners might get by on a handful of hours of sleep, nobles operated differently. And the Grace family certainly wouldn¡¯t treat their retainers like factoryborers. If we announced our intention to visit now, it might disrupt their routines. Not to mention, having a princess wander around would mean everyone would have to stop and greet her. ¡°You needn¡¯t worry about that,¡± the baroness replied confidently. ¡°There is a child currently working and training within this very mansion. Today, they happen to be working in the afternoon, so there shouldn¡¯t be any issue with visiting.¡± Both Alice and ire looked at me expectantly. ¡°¡­All right. Then I¡¯ll graciously ept your offer,¡± I replied. And so, my decision was made. Chapter 116 As expected in a game like this, young girls and boys are typically drawn to look adorable. Yes, that includes the boys. After all, there aren¡¯t many ways to make a child look "cool." No matter how impressively they¡¯re designed, to an adult, they¡¯re still just kids. Even if an elementary schooler says, "I¡¯ll protect you!" it justes across as cute. ¡­Elementary school. Thinking about it, I''m currently fifteen years old. Excluding the age of the soul within this body, and counting from when this body was created, I was fifteen in this world¡¯s years. In Korea, that would ce me in the equivalent of ninth grade. Outwardly, though, I didn¡¯t look much different from a high schooler. Maybe the game¡¯s modeling carried over here somehow; I¡¯m not sure. It¡¯s strange to think about how absurd it is to dress kids like this in bunny costumes... I often forgot that the characters here, given the growth dynamics different from Earth, were just kids ording to the game¡¯s standards. If we hadn¡¯t worn masks, people at the casino would have probably recognized right away that we were too young. Although someone might have realized Alice was a princess before that. And naturally, the boy standing in front of me, a few years younger than I, looked very much like an upper elementary or early middle schooler. This world didn¡¯t have a clear middle school concept, but that¡¯s how he appeared. With green hair, dressed in an outfit that looked like a child¡¯s butler uniform, and a face that was neat and cute enough to have been a regr character in the original game... but this was an unfamiliar face. That¡¯s to be expected; if I hadn¡¯t saved him, he would have likely been sold. And if he didn¡¯t have that pretty face, he might not have even been at the orphanage. The boy looked up at me with emerald-green eyes, his expression slightly surprised. I wasn¡¯t as skilled as Alice at reading people¡¯s expressions, so I wasn¡¯t sure if he was surprised to see my face or if he recognized me as the "Sylvia ck." "They¡¯re esteemed guests who will be staying here for several days," the butler informed him. "Oh, yes." The boy¡¯s voice responded promptly, and the butler''s brows furrowed slightly. It seemed he wasn¡¯t pleased with the boy¡¯s momentarypse in attention. But it appeared he wasn¡¯t the type to scold a child in front of guests, nor did he seem the kind to raise his voice. The young apprentice butler didn¡¯t seem intimidated by him either. Had he been mistreated, he wouldn¡¯t have stood so confidently. The boy ced one hand over his heart, sped his other hand behind his back, and gave a slight bow. The graceful movements revealed the extent of his training. "I¡¯m Daniel, a butler-in-training. I look forward to serving you during your stay." Though he likely wouldn¡¯t be guiding us himself¡­ ah. Daniel. Hearing his name triggered a memory from deep within. There had been a quiet,posed child with striking green hair, one who had a simr demeanor to ire. Younger than her, but with the same calm aura. We had all been young back then. ire and I were only five years old, and there were even younger children¡ªorphans whom that old woman at the orphanage had "acquired" from somewhere. They were "goods" she held onto andter resold for a high price. Had Daniel been particrly attached to me? I wasn¡¯t sure. Back then, most of my attention was focused on ire. I had been kind to the other children, sharing my food and telling awkwardly made-up stories, but that was about it. There had been too many to take care of individually. I was just one person. Still, the fact that none of them caused me any particr trouble suggested Daniel had likely been an obedient child as well. "Daniel!" ire, as if seeing him after a long time, instinctively stepped forward, only to pause and look back at her mother. The baroness regarded ire with a slightly stern expression. I nced at ire. She had her hands slightly raised, as if she had intended to run over and hug Daniel. But it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for a fifteen-year-old girl in this world to do that.@@novelbin@@ While teenage marriages weren¡¯t unheard of here, children who attended academies weren¡¯t treated as mere kids anymore. The line between "adult" and "child" was incredibly blurry in this world. Stories of seventeen-year-olds who lied about their age to join the military and became celebrated heroes weremon, but at the same time, those under twenty were often reminded by "real adults" that certain responsibilities weren¡¯t for children. There was no charter of human rights yet. Who knows if there ever would be. "Oh, it¡¯s been a while?" ire hastily lowered her hands and waved them enthusiastically as if that had been her intention all along. "Haha¡­" Daniel chuckled awkwardly, lowering his head slightly as he replied, "It¡¯s been a while, Miss ire." ire¡¯s expression turned slightly discontent at his response. There was no hint of a romantic undertone between them. It would have been difficult for there to be one, anyway. One looked young yet seemed mature, while the other was still closer to childhood. More than that¡ª I slowly looked around the room. It was a very tidy space. Not empty, but neatly arranged, with various items organized in a way that made it feelfortable. There were two bunk beds in the room, indicating it was meant for multiple upants. "The other children are all attending to different tasks. Currently, Daniel is the only one residing here," the butler exined, noticing my gaze. The baroness nodded in agreement. Perhaps ire had once stayed in a simr room with Daniel. They likely separated rooms by gender, but they must have lived as siblings before ire was adopted by the Grace family. Had they hugged freely back then? Knowing ire, it seemed likely. My gaze, which had been wandering around the room, gradually focused on Daniel¡¯s face. I studied his expression carefully. Were there any signs of injury? Did he look unhappy or sad? I wasn¡¯t sure why I felt the need to check, but it seemed necessary. And, to my relief, I found nothing concerning. Satisfied, I finally spoke. "I trust you¡¯ve been well." Though it might have been impolite to ask such a question without a proper introduction. But Daniel replied as if he¡¯d already been informed about me. "Yes, I¡¯ve been well and havecked for nothing." "I see." I chose my next words carefully. How should I continue? "I heard there are others from the same orphanage¡­" "They¡¯re all under the Grace family¡¯s protection. They¡¯re currently finding various ways to repay the family¡¯s kindness." "I see." I took that to mean they were all doing well. "¡­" I almost asked if he remembered my face but held back. Somehow, I felt I already knew the answer. At first, I thought he was simply surprised by the unexpected visit. News of two princesses visiting the mansion would have already spread among the household staff. But¡­ there was a look of understanding on his face that seemed different from mere surprise. "It¡¯ste today," I said slowly, carefully choosing my words for the next part. "But if you¡¯re free tomorrow¡­" I hesitated, briefly questioning if it was appropriate to ask this way. "Could you introduce me to your friends?" In the brief silence that followed, there was no tension, only a moment of stillness. "I¡¯d be happy to," Daniel replied, bowing his head to me. Chapter 118 Right, it¡¯s true that I rarely wore dresses. Noting Alice¡¯s expression, I thought to myself. ¡°Does it¡­ not suit me?¡± I asked straightforwardly. I don¡¯t trust my own sense of fashion. I didn¡¯t consider myself someone who dressed particrly well in my past life, either. Back then, I would usually just buy whatever was on disy in the store, set up on the mannequins. Whether it looked good on me was a different story. Still¡­ don¡¯t they say the finishing touch to fashion is one¡¯s face? And it¡¯s not just the face but the body as well. With the appearance of "Sylvia Pangriffon," I was sure I wouldn¡¯t look out of ce by anyone¡¯s standards. In fact, beautiful might be the more urate word. So unless it was an absurdly mismatched outfit, I thought it would suit me just fine. The dress I had on was a light blue one. It wasn¡¯t overly ornate, and it didn¡¯t reveal much skin. I thought it had a suitably refined design¡­ though, I couldn¡¯t be sure how it appeared to someone like Alice, who¡¯d grown up in the royal pce. ¡°Uh, no, it suits you well. Really.¡± Whether Alice genuinely thought it looked good or was just being polite because she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say otherwise, I couldn¡¯t tell. Alice could read my expressions with ease, while I struggled to read hers. How unfair. Not that I was nning to get upset with her; I simply asked again calmly. ¡°Do you think it would be inappropriate to meet the Grace family in this dress?¡± I didn¡¯t think so. Wearing a dress wasmon for nobles, and this dress hadn¡¯t been cheap. It was something I¡¯d prepared for the academy and hadn¡¯t worn before, but considering the cost, it certainly wouldn¡¯t be "inappropriate." ¡°Oh, well¡ª¡± Alice seemed like she was about to say something but closed her mouth. For a moment, her expression stiffened. I resisted the urge to tilt my head in confusion. If she thought the dress was so atrocious that it was outright disrespectful¡­ I supposed that could be the case. It¡¯s like going to a fashion show and being noticeably poorly dressed on purpose¡ªwhile not an official rule, it would certainly be seen as bad etiquette. Or wearing something overly bright to a funeral, or trying to outshine the bride at a wedding. Nobles might have their own simr rules. Perhaps it was considered bad form for a guest to dress more extravagantly than the host. ¡°¡ªNo.¡± But Alice¡¯s rigid expression soon softened. Then, with surprising haste, she replied. ¡°Really?¡± I asked again, noting her suspiciously flustered look. Alice nodded fervently. ¡°Yes, it suits you well. And it¡¯s not against etiquette. If anyone criticizes it, it¡¯s just because they personally dislike it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± For a moment, I wondered if she was just saying that to avoid hurting my feelings, but ultimately, I decided to take her words at face value. Alice wouldn¡¯t lie about something like this. Over the past ten years, that was one thing I¡¯de to trustpletely. If we ever had topete, Alice would challenge me fairly, just as she had when we were children. ¡°Understood.¡± Seeing me nod without protest, Alice seemed visibly relieved. * Alice caught herself just before saying, "Maybe it doesn¡¯t." As someone less adept at hiding her expressions than Sylvia, her stiff face was entirely visible to Sylvia, who could easily observe it. However, Sylvia¡¯s expression remained unchanged, with only a slight flicker of curiosity. But it wasn¡¯t as though Alice could simply ask, "Why are you dressed like that all of a sudden?"@@novelbin@@ In noble and royal circles, words often carried manyyers of meaning. Sylvia, who had lived within the royal family for ten years, surely understood this. If Alice were to ask such a question, "all of a sudden" could imply "why here," "that attire" could imply "in clothing," and "dressed like that?" could imply "trying to impress someone?" Sylvia would pick up on these subtleties. And if she connected all those hidden implications, they¡¯d boil down to one word: jealousy. And that was¡­ childish, wasn¡¯t it? Alice had never imed to be Sylvia¡¯s "sister" until recently, when ire had started calling Sylvia her "big sister." Sylvia might not have given it much thought yet, but if Alice were to cross a few more lines, Sylvia might realize that Alice was feeling envious of ire. It wasn¡¯t a deep, possessive jealousy. Rather, it was simply that Alice was unable to ask Sylvia directly, her thoughts and emotions tied up in questions she couldn¡¯t voice. So, it was something like this: Did Sylvia resent being taken to the royal pce by Lucas? Behind that impassive expression, was there a faint hint of resentment toward Alice? Had Sylvia never once considered Alice her sister, seeing her only as a means to an end¡ªa tool to secure the future she wanted or avoid something she feared? Were those asional glimpses of humanity in Sylvia just an act to deceive Alice? ¡°It¡¯s gettingte.¡± Sylvia¡¯s words interrupted Alice¡¯s wandering thoughts. Alice blinked at the calm look on Sylvia¡¯s face. Perhaps the light blue dress, slightly out of character, made Sylvia seem even more at ease. Sylvia was, undeniably, beautiful. Almost anything would look good on her. But, something felt off. Her shoulders were too tense, standing too rigidly. In hindsight, her shoulders were always like that when she wore her uniform. It wasn¡¯t the uniform; it was Sylvia¡¯s natural posture. Too ustomed to behaving like a soldier, she¡¯d developed the habit. Realizing this, Alice rxed, her shoulders dropping. She was almost lucky not to burst outughing. Sylvia was still Sylvia. If she appeared different, it was only because Alice herself was seeing her differently. ¡°I think it would be best to get ready now.¡± ¡°Before that, Sylvia,¡± Alice said, getting up and walking over to Sylvia with graceful poise, like a princess. Still in her pajamas, it might have looked odd to others, but it was only the two of them here. Just like in the old days. ¡°You¡¯re holding too much tension in your shoulders.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sylvia didn¡¯t reply, but her eyes were on Alice. Seeing a faint trace of curiosity in Sylvia¡¯s deep ck eyes, Alice felt strangely reassured. ¡°It¡¯s fine when you¡¯re in uniform or dress uniform,¡± Alice said, lifting her hands to lightly pat Sylvia¡¯s shoulders, just as her etiquette tutor had done for her as a child. ¡°But if you walk around that stiffly in a dress, it¡¯ll look far too rigid.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± The response was pure curiosity. ¡°You really don¡¯t know, do you?¡± Alice sighed without realizing it. Her earlier worries and doubts seemed to melt away with the sigh, leaving her feeling lighter. ¡°All right, then. Just wait until I¡¯ve finished my shower. I¡¯ll teach you some quick tips for moving around in a dress.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a specific way to move in a dress?¡± Sylvia¡¯s fleeting thought of changing back was practically visible, and Alice barely held back augh. They¡¯d likely learned from the same etiquette tutor, so why did their lessons feel so different? ¡°Understood? Stay right here. We¡¯re here representing the royal family, so we don¡¯t want to be an embarrassment.¡± With that, Alice turned to head to the shower, only to realize in her excitement that she hadn¡¯t brought any undergarments or a change of clothes. Looking a little embarrassed, she returned to her bed, retrieved her clothes from the trunk, and then headed back to the shower. ¡­She was genuinely grateful to be sharing the room with Sylvia alone. Chapter 119 Surprisingly, embarrassment hit me a beat toote. At first, I thought, *What''s the big deal about wearing a dress?* I¡¯d already worn a bunny costume before, with a neckline that revealed nearly everything. By that standard, a normal dress shouldn¡¯t make me feel embarrassed at all. This dress didn¡¯t expose anything. It didn¡¯t even bare my shoulders. It was just¡­ the type of outfit any nobledy might wear. The skirt was even longer than the skirt of my academy uniform, which, true to the game¡¯s "pretty girl character" content, was shorter than most real-world uniforms. Objectively, I had no reason to feel embarrassed in this outfit. Alice had been a bit surprised when she saw me this morning, but she hadn¡¯t made a big fuss. But I only realized the real source of embarrassment when I went down for breakfast. Embarrassment doesn¡¯te from *how much skin* you¡¯re showing; ites from *the reactions* of those around you. When I¡¯d worn the bunny costume, Alice had been with me, and though it had felt humiliating, ire¡¯s reaction was more of stunned disbelief. Besides, we had our reasons for doing it. But this dress¡ª*I had chosen this myself.* And people noticed. ¡°Wow!¡± ire, who had stared at me for a few seconds, lit up with a beaming expression, sped her hands, and approached with sparkling eyes. ¡°Sister, it suits you so well!¡± At the word "sister," I noticed the baroness¡¯s eyebrows raise slightly, but she didn¡¯t show her surprise, instead approaching gracefully. ¡°You looked splendid in yesterday¡¯s attire, but this dress also suits you wonderfully.¡± ¡°Does it?¡± Somehow, their reactions made me feel even more self-conscious than when Leo had blushed seeing me in the bunny outfit. And Leo¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t much different. Normally, he would¡¯ve stared at me in shock, but maybe because we¡¯d known each other for a semester now or because we were at his home, he walked over with a "heroic smile" and said, ¡°You look great.¡± And that¡¯s when it hit me. While there was no character named Sylvia Pangriffon in the original game, if a scene like this had been in it, this would definitely be one of *Sylvia Pangriffon¡¯s affinity events.* As I imagined a half-filled heart icon appearing beside my name in some invisible status window, I felt chills down my spine. ¡°Does it?¡± But what could I do? If I protested with a "no," that would just be another clich¨¦. I could see the upside in sessfully portraying my character, but I certainly didn¡¯t want to feel like I was being "conquered." Even after ten years in a woman¡¯s body, I was still a guy at heart. ¡°Now the children will definitely feel more at ease meeting you.¡± ire, unaware of my thoughts, smiled brightly. Everyone here was likely oblivious to the concept of a "game world"¡ªthey didn¡¯t even have video games here, after all. Even if they did, they¡¯d never imagine it like this. ¡°Is that so?¡± Beside me, Alice was watching intently as I muttered the same phrase again. She had just given me a lengthy lecture on maintaining a refined posture like a noblewoman before we¡¯d left the room. Her expression was mostly neutral, but I sensed a hint of satisfaction in her gaze. * Daniel¡¯s face turned a bit red as he looked at me. I briefly wondered if he actually recognized me. In my previous life, I¡¯d never imagined myself as anyone¡¯s first love. I hadn¡¯t been particrly attractive for that role. But "Sylvia ck" was different. Though the kids in the orphanage had been decent-looking, few were growing into the kind of "beauty" that ire and I had, simply because they were too young. Besides, I was one of the few people who had been kind to them in that so-called orphanage. If they felt any admiration toward me, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised. ire had, after all. ¡°This way¡­ please follow me.¡± The baroness excused herself early after breakfast. Though she mentioned she was busy, I suspected it was partly to give me space to reunite with the other children. ¡°They¡¯re all gathered, it seems.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± I asked Daniel as I followed him, and he nodded. ¡°They don¡¯t all stay in the same room, but those with simr roles tend to live in simr areas.¡± That made sense. Butlers and maids wouldn¡¯t share quarters, and neither would the guards. Even if the estate wasn¡¯t enormous, it wasn¡¯t small enough to be managed by only two or three people. They needed someone to watch over it 24/7. Most of the orphanage kids must have ended up as guards if they¡¯d all been employed here. Even if more than half of the children were girls. ¡°Here we are.¡±@@novelbin@@ Daniel stopped in front of a detached building separate from the main house, one of the buildings we¡¯d noticed upon entering the estate. Calling it a "dormitory" seemed inadequate¡ªit was quite an impressive structure. If this was where the servants stayed, the Grace family certainly offered them excellent living conditions. Daniel opened the door and waited for us all to enter. It felt odd to see a boy shorter than me holding the door, but this was just how things were here. ire, Leo, and Alice all acted as though it were entirely normal. Inside, the hot air seemed to subside a bit. They must have some sort of cooling system, whether steam-powered or magic-based. The interior looked like an old hotel. Not a particrly luxurious one, but more like a charming, vintage inn somewhere in the European countryside. The lobby counter, however, was empty. ¡°Two people live in each room. The people Her Highness wishes to meet are¡­¡± Daniel nced at ire, who nodded with a big smile. ¡°The ones who stayed with you and me.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Daniel looked back at me, waiting for my response. ¡°Please, bring them here.¡± I nodded. * After sitting in the lobby chairs for a few minutes, the children started appearing, one by one. When we had escaped together, there had been twelve of us, including myself, ire, and Daniel. The children shuffled in, looking around shyly. They didn¡¯t seem much younger than Daniel. Most of them were slightly taller than Daniel, whether they were girls or boys. ¡°Hi!¡± ¡°Sister!¡± When ire waved, a lively girl with short, dark brown hair called out, then quickly mped her mouth shut upon seeing me and Alice behind ire. I see. It looked like the kids who had escaped together had grown close, almost like siblings. Judging by the way they nced at me and Alice, they must have immediately recognized us as nobles. The girl, who had almost run over, now approached us with a more subdued step. She held her skirt lightly and greeted us with a polite bow. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I was trying hard to remember her name, so I couldn¡¯t respond right away. Before she could introduce herself, more children filed in through the corridor. Red hair, blond, gray, blue¡­ Now that I looked, their hair colors were surprisingly varied. Maybe that old woman had selected children based on hair color? Lost in thought, I finally noticed all the kids had gathered. There were nine of them. Not a single one was missing. Chapter 121 Memories aren¡¯t defined by their length or duration but by their intensity and the impact they have on our lives. They linger when they¡¯re deeply positive or negative, something that shapes us profoundly. For these children, I had be such a memory. As the conversation extended and our time in the lobby grew, we moved to the dining hall. There were other children and adults scattered around, but the room was spacious enough that we didn¡¯t disturb anyone by settling in a corner. Some of them nced our way curiously, but seeing who we were, they chose not to intrude. They were well-mannered, raised with respect. As they stood to leave, ire signaled with a gentle hand motion, and we exchanged polite nods. Then we imed a section of the dining hall as our own, and the children continued telling their stories. It was as if they had been waiting for this moment to share their lives with me. They talked about how they¡¯de to Grace Manor, received their education, and grew up. When the time came, they each had the chance to decide if they wanted to stay and work here. Not one of them wanted to leave. Having spent their early years in a miserable ce, they weren¡¯t about to give up the chance to live without the constant threat of cold, hunger, or violence. As their stories unfolded, I sensed their anticipation, a flicker in their eyes that told me they were waiting to hear mine. But¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I thought to myself, but I can¡¯t share my story just yet. Instead, I kept my mouth shut, listening intently to each of them. Did I seem overly solemn? Or had they finally run out of things to say? The chatter gradually subsided, and by the time thest diners had left the hall, our group had fallen into silence too. "¡­" "¡­" A short, awkward silence followed. Alice was watching me, her gaze curious, while ire¡¯s expression suggested she was hoping I¡¯d say something. But still, I didn¡¯t know what to say. Could I share my truth with these children, who had just been so open with me about their lives? Could I confess that, when we escaped, I hadn¡¯t intended to save them? Or that the food I had shared with them back then was motivated by pity for lives that I assumed wouldn¡¯tst much longer? No¡­ I couldn¡¯t. I wasn¡¯t courageous enough to bare the truth to these children who saw me as their savior.@@novelbin@@ Finally, someone broke the silence. "Um..." It was Daniel. In the otherwise quiet dining hall, the only sounds were the shuffling of the children and the faint ttering from the kitchen. Yet, that single syble seemed almost thunderous. With every eye on him, Daniel looked flustered, his cheeks quickly turning pink. His training as a butler must still be iplete; a butler shouldn¡¯t be so transparent. But then again, Daniel was young. He had time to learn. ¡­as long as there wasn¡¯t a war to drag him to the frontlines as cannon fodder. "May I ask you something?" Daniel finally managed, regaining hisposure. His face remained slightly red, and his eyes wavered, but his curiosity won out. The children looked from Daniel to me, eager for my response. "Yes, go ahead." If his question was too personal, I¡¯d avoid answering it. But¡­ if I left without saying anything, this whole reunion might have been pointless. So, if it was something I could answer, I wanted to. "¡­your hair," he said, swallowing nervously before continuing, "has it always been that short?" The children all looked at me expectantly. In their memories, my hair would have been long. There were no tools to cut it back then. Perhaps that old woman had thought longer hair made us look better¡ªeasier to sell, to suit the preferences of whoever would own us next. "When I was young, it was long," I replied. Not long after entering the pce, I had cut it short. "May I ask why you cut it?" he pressed, though his voice was still soft and hesitant. "It was inconvenient." Running around with long hair was impractical. I had considered tying it in a ponytail, but the idea of waking up each morning, washing, and tying it felt burdensome. Long hair took so long to dry too. "I engage in a lot of physical activities," I added. "Ah¡­" Perhaps he¡¯d imagined a more profound reason. My straightforward answer seemed to surprise him, his face turning redder. On impulse, I lifted a hand to touch my hair. It felt surprisingly soft, smooth¡ªalmost too good to be mine. "Do you think it would suit me to grow it out?" Daniel¡¯s face flushed even deeper, and he lowered his head. "It, it already¡­" He mumbled, and his words trailed off, too quiet to make out. I decided to take that as apliment. After all, who would dare tell a princess that her hairstyle didn¡¯t suit her? * As the letter had said, the Grace estate was indeed a peaceful and beautiful ce. It felt like a miracle to find such tranquility so close to the bustle of the city. Though faint sounds from the distant city reached us, they felt muffled, like they were from another world, softened by the heavy summer air. Or perhaps it was because knowing the children I remembered were safe and well here had put my mind at ease. "Your hair." Sitting in the shade, gazing at the green fields, Alice¡¯s voice interrupted my thoughts. I turned to her. She was still looking straight ahead, speaking softly. "Are you thinking of growing it out?" "¡­I don¡¯t know." "I think long hair would suit you," ire chimed in from my other side. "Maybe someday, I¡¯ll grow it out," I said, turning my gaze forward again. In the distance, several red-brick buildings marked the edge of the Grace estate. Beyond it, the city kept turning, nking and grinding like a machine. "But not now." Yes, not now. Growing out my hair could wait until I had fewer things to take care of. At least until I knew that every child sitting beside me would be safe¡­ Until I knew that all my favorite characters from the original story would survive to the end¡­ Until I could confirm that the children I¡¯d impulsively saved were still secure¡­ Once I was sure I¡¯d no longer need to turn back time, then, maybe, I could let my hair grow. I didn¡¯t want to go through the trouble of growing it out, only to reset and start all over again. "When you do decide to grow it, I¡¯ll teach you how to braid it beautifully," ire offered, now something of an expert from doing her hair in a ponytail every day. "What are you talking about? Sylvia looks better with her hair down. Why would you tie up her beautiful hair and risk damaging it?" Alice countered. "But she¡¯s always running around¡ª" "All the more reason to style it elegantly, befitting a princess¡ª" The two of them bickered back and forth with me sitting between them. ¡­they really were like sisters, quarreling over nothing. I wondered if a day woulde when we¡¯d look back on this moment and think, *That¡¯s how things were back then.* ¡­Maybe I¡¯d make it my goal to ensure that day woulde. Chapter 122 Alice and Sylvia returned to the imperial pce the following evening. It had only been three short days, but to Alice, Sylvia¡¯s face looked more at ease than ever, as if she had finally let go of all her worries. It was a calm expression, one that spoke ofplete peace of mind. However, that sense of ease disappeared entirely when Sylvia changed back into her uniform just before reentering the pce. Alice found herself wondering if the pce she thought of as home didn¡¯t feel that way at all for Sylvia. It was a thought that felt... somewhat foreign to Alice, a notion she had never before considered or questioned. The imperial pce was, to Alice, unquestionably her home from the day she was born, and she had always assumed Sylvia must feel the same way. But that wasn¡¯t the case. It seemed that Sylvia considered the Grace Estate¡ªher first visit there¡ªa morefortable ce. And, strangely enough, Alice felt as though she understood why Sylvia might feel that way. ¡°Did you enjoy your time at the academy?¡± Both Sylvia and Alice had entered to meet the Emperor, yet now it was only Alice and the Emperor speaking. Perhaps because Alice was his blood? It could be. Though Sylvia was more capable than Alice, and the Emperor was well aware of her potential as a sessor to the throne, if he had chosen Alice as his heir, it was likely not due to her surpassing Sylvia, but rather because Sylvia had no desire to ascend the throne. It was likely also due to Alice¡¯s behavior before departing for the academy, if there were a specific reason. However, even so, the Emperor¡¯s demeanor differed when Alice and Sylvia were present together. Though he treated them as ¡°equal princesses¡± in words and actions, if one had to say whom he treated as his true daughter, it would surely be Alice. ¡°Yes, I enjoyed it,¡± Alice replied, recalling the Grace Estate. The baroness treated Leo and ire equally. Perhaps it was because ire, being female, was unlikely to inherit the Grace barony. Though she had been adopted based on her abilities, in the end, she was a girl. Even if she retained the baron¡¯s name, the best future for ire was likely marriage into a good family. The barony wouldn¡¯t suffer from seeing Leo and ire as siblings. But even when considering those reasons, the baroness acted as though ire were truly her daughter. Except for asional discussions of the orphans ire grew up with, the fact that ire was adopted was never overtly mentioned. ...Entrusted with assassination missions at a young age, nearly dispatched to battle before even entering the academy¡ª Would the Emperor have assigned Sylvia such tasks if he truly thought of her as his ¡°child¡±? Was it truly out of trust that he did so? Was Sylvia aware of this? Did she sense it? ¡°You seemed to enjoy your time with your sister.¡± Yes, she had. Truly. She had even managed to forget the oppressive expectations tied to the throne from her childhood. ¡°What about Sylvia? Did she seem to be enjoying the academy?¡± ¡°¡­I believe so.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The Emperor studied Alice carefully as he responded. ¡°She went to such lengths with her appearance for your n, so she must have enjoyed her time with you there.¡± Alice quietly gazed up at the Emperor. She had a feeling she knew what he would say next. ¡°That time, the person we saw.¡± The Emperor began to speak slowly, almost deliberately, as if to emphasize his words rather than from hesitation. ¡°Did Sylvia say anything about that robed figure?¡± ¡°No, she didn¡¯t.¡± If Sylvia had spoken to her about that figure¡¯s identity¡­ whoever it might have been, Alice would have been thrown into panic. Wrestling with her suspicions alone was entirely different from having them confirmed. ¡°Since then, has Sylvia¡­ used her abilities, as far as you know?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m not sure.¡± Even if she had, Sylvia hadn¡¯t spoken of it. Nor had Alice thought to ask. The Emperor¡¯s face bore its usual calm smile. Alice kept her gaze fixed on him, trying her best to maintain a neutral expression. She doubted she seeded; if she could read Sylvia¡¯s expressions, surely the Emperor¡¯s skills were far superior. Alice didn¡¯t consider herself better at concealing her emotions than Sylvia. ¡°Hmm.¡± The Emperor looked down at her steadily. ¡°At that time, in that ce.¡± The Emperor resumed, carefully choosing his words. ¡°That figure, suspected of possessing the Relic, vanished in an instant. There was no indication of magic being cast or any device being used. Even after thoroughly searching, no other exits were found.¡± When he leaned slightly toward Alice, his position above her made it seem as though he were towering over her. In that position, his voice took on a subtle pressure. ¡°In that moment, Sylvia fell. No, to be urate, she was already ¡®copsed.¡¯ We hadn¡¯t seen her fall. But from the bruises on her body and the torn cor of her clothing, we could infer that something had happened ¡®in that moment.¡¯¡± The Emperorid out each fact meticulously, as if deliberately cing each one in front of Alice. ¡°Did Sylvia truly not tell you anything about what happened that day?¡± She hadn¡¯t. Alice hadn¡¯t thought to ask, either. But¡ª ¡°She didn¡¯t.¡± Alice remembered. For some reason, she alone recalled the battle that everyone else present seemed unable to remember. Not in precise detail. She remembered clearly the encounter with the figure. Even the ensuing fight. But the battle itself was fractured. Whenever she thought she had struck him down with her de, it turned out not to be so. When he seemed to be shot, that wasn¡¯t the case either. The past and the future ovepped, as though it was somehow predestined that he would not die. And yet, Alice distinctly remembered something impossible. She remembered the moment he grabbed Sylvia¡¯s cor. She remembered the space warping and shattering as he finally began to bleed¡ª And then that memory abruptly broke off, leaving her in the moment the Emperor spoke. So, what had happened? She didn¡¯t know. The figure had disappeared, and the Relic they had expected to find there had vanished as well. Why was Alice the only one who remembered him? She didn¡¯t know. ¡°Sylvia has not mentioned anything yet.¡± And neither had Alice. ¡°¡­¡± Beyond her lowered head, she sensed the Emperor gazing at her intently. But she said nothing, simply waiting in silence. ¡°I see.¡± Atst, the Emperor spoke, and the pressure in the air dissipated. ¡°But there¡¯s one thing we know for certain.¡± A faint smile yed on the Emperor¡¯s lips, as if he found this all rather amusing. ¡°Sylvia cannot return to that moment in time. If it were possible, she would have erased the situation entirely. Whoever that robed figure was, he has, at the very least, provided us with one advantage.¡± ¡°Even if he took the Relic?¡± ¡°And what could he aplish with it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± With just a few fractured pieces, there was little one could do. Rumors and legends remained scattered around the world, but that was all. No one had ever managed to gather the entire Relic. ¡°But if he reappears to seize more¡ª¡± ¡°He won¡¯t appear so easily,¡± the Emperor said, chuckling. ¡°If he could, he would have gathered the Relic long ago. If his future of collecting it were already certain, well.¡± The Emperor shrugged. ¡°Then we would simply have to ept it as fate.¡± Yet Alice knew that her father would never be one to yield to fate so easily.@@novelbin@@ ¡°In any case, you¡¯ve done well.¡± Despite the weight of their conversation, the Emperor spoke as if their words were but a casual, everyday exchange. ¡°You must wish to spend time with your sister, and I¡¯ve kept you here too long. You may go now.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Alice gave the Emperor a slight bow and turned to leave the audience chamber. But she could not shake the uneasy feeling that lingered deep within her heart. Chapter 123 While the way back to a specific point in time was closed off, it didn''t pose a significant problem for me. It was painful to have the Relic stolen and to remain ignorant of the identity of that robed figure, but it wasn¡¯t as if anyone had died, nor did I have a desire to turn back time. Therefore, I needed to take more definitive steps to confirm things before encountering that figure again on my return journey. For instance, I could explore the royal library more thoroughly, checking the contents of the books. Years ago, when I first entered there, it had already been a ce not easily essible even to a princess, and it remained so now. But I had already been inside once.@@novelbin@@ In the game, I had entered many times and learned which parts were vulnerable, and I had actually scouted the internal structure a few times as well. ¡­Though it was far more difficult to get in now than it had been a few years ago. As the noise of the hydraulic cylinders echoed loudly, I thought about how difficult it was to crawl t like this. It wasn¡¯t impossible, but¡ª Whenever characters withrge busts in subculture make remarks about envying tter characters,ining of shoulder pain or unease while going down stairs because they couldn¡¯t see their feet, it struck me how rtable those sentiments were in various ways. When wearing the academy uniform, if I didn¡¯t secure my chest tightly, it became painfully difficult to run. ¡°¡­Hah.¡± I stopped crawling and let out a deep sigh. Above me,rge gears turned, and the hydraulic cylinders moved steadily, emitting the sounds of well-oiled machinery. Fortunately, there were no steam-spewing machines here. The ¡°forbidden library¡± was hidden deep within the pce, in the very depths of the underground. Generally, there was no way to go down without taking an elevator, and even the entrance to that elevator was protected by thick steel doors, with countless guards both inside and outside that room. When Alice and Leo infiltrated the pce, they had also decided against heading that way. Under normal circumstances, it was somewhat strange to avoid a few enemies when my character could take on four to six heavily armed soldiers at once¡­ but then again, in a world where bullets could prate people, characters could survive even after taking several hits with potions or recovery magic in battle. In any case, the two had chosen this maintenance passage. The pce was equipped with interpretation and stabilization devices. Unlike semiconductors used in CPUs, arge steam engine was necessary to produce machines that performed puter-like¡± functions. Within it, numerousrge and small gears, levers, and hydraulic cylinders turned endlessly, disying information on something akin to a ¡°screen.¡± Of course, with so many parts, there were many points of failure. Countlessponents, from those asrge as a person to tiny gears the size of those found in wristwatches, meant that they needed to be regrly repaired as their lifespans expired. And, naturally, there was an entrance for going around to make those repairs. Though that entrance was guarded by people, it was, after all, ¡°generally¡± not a ce one could enter to reach the forbidden library. I had to find a way into areas that seemed impossible for anyone to ess, like this one. Thanks to Alice and Leo having read the pce schematics in advance, they managed to get in. I already knew that path. ¡­If I could turn back time, I could just pass through that entrance¡­ But after spending years talking with the people who worked in the pce, it felt¡­ well, awkward to do so. At least I was fortunate to have this method. * Initially, I had thought it was merely a dungeon, but it was remarkable how it resembled the image I had stored in my memory when I actually entered. It was such aplex ce that I got lost several times, rewinding time as I went in. Indeed, it was a dungeon. That was part of why I had brought a gun with me. While lost in thought, I pushed the gun forward and continued moving steadily. I felt that perhaps after spending this time, I had built some muscle, and it was manageable to crawl slowly. ¡°Ugh.¡± As I crawled out with a groan¡ª Creak, creak. The sound of a poorly oiled machine echoed through the air. Creak, creak, it was a sound of gears turning that was dissonant with the footfalls of a beast. I stood up, holding my loaded gun and looking ahead. It was dimly lit, but not entirely dark. The room was faintly illuminated by glowing mana stones. A figure d in armor was moving around inside the room. On one arm, where a hand should be, there was a sword attached, while on the other arm was a short firearm. But it had no legs. It looked as if its waist had been severed and was simply stuck to a pole. Of course, since that figure was entirely mechanical, it didn¡¯t feel particrly brutal. Like a moving target in a shooting range, it was fixed within the long iron bar extending from the floor. The sounds of gears turning echoed from within. It would probably move around, tracing lines on the floor as it followed me. ¡­They were security devices installed intermittently because it was hard for people to remain inside. Though they were infinitely dumber than humans. I raised my weapon and aimed at one of the moving targets. I knew their weak points. In games, the dramatic moment of striking a weakness only came after hitting their HP to zero, but this wasn¡¯t a game. Bang! With that sound, one of the machines, cleanly pierced through the iron te on its back, slumped forward. Even so, the iron bar kept moving, and the machine that had stopped working staggered as it adapted to the motion of the bar. Fortunately, it seemed the security system hadn¡¯t changed. But as soon as I confirmed that one of the machines had ceased functioning, the remaining two turned swiftly toward me. First the right, then the left. Good. Again! * Before the right could fully turn, I swiftly pivoted and shot. The front armor of those machines wasn¡¯t something a regr rifle could prate. It was better to eliminate the two quickly first before dealing with the next one. As I saw thest one turning toward me, I rolled on the ground. The machine fired its weapon the moment it turned. With a dull thud, a barrage of shotgun pellets erupted from the floor where I had just been, creating a shower of sparks. Truly, I was grateful that they operated on gears. In a world without cameras that could stream live footage or motion detection sensors likesers, the only way the machine could assess the situation was through physical impact. The floor of this room was densely packed with tiny switches, and except for the area where the caretaker could descend, every other area was a danger zone. If I stepped on the wrong one, the machine would immediately fire bullets in my direction. I had to figure out which direction the gears were rolling from and assess the source of the impact¡­ All of that couldn¡¯t happen simultaneously. After all, I would only be able toprehend it once the gears had already started rolling. Thud, thud, I kept dodging and moving as the machines continued firing at the spot where I had been. The sight of a machine rapidly approaching me along the fastest rail was honestly a bit chilling, but it wasn¡¯t as if I had never faced anything like this before. Bang! I fired once, barely managing to slip away as it turned toward me¡ªif I had just a little more time, the machine might have been able to shoot me. Bang! Bang! Still, I was slightly faster as I had already anticipated its movements. Having moved to the side of the machine, I fired two shots into its nk. Creak, creak, some parts seemed to fly off, preventing it from turning its waist. I quickly moved behind the machine and fired onest shot. Only after the most criticalponent on its back had been taken out did the machine slump down. The remaining two machines continued to move toward me, still determined to follow, as the iron bar on the floor kept them moving at a steady pace. Without time to waste, I headed straight for the next passage. The switches on the floor not only activated those machines but also signaled an intruder¡¯s presence to the outside. In truth, under normal circumstances, even if I gathered information, I would have lost every means of escape. But not me. Chapter 124 Generally, there was no way to escape. Alice and Leo had taken advantage of the chaotic moments within and outside the pce to infiltrate it. In the end, however, they had been captured without properly escaping. But I was different. If I rewound time, I could go back before I even entered this ce. Thanks to that, I might not be able to write anything down, but right now, the most abundant resource I had was time. The study was quiet. Perhaps it was because it was deemed ¡°nonexistent¡±? While it was likely known that someone had slipped inside and rms were going off throughout the pce, it seemed no one was aware that I had made it this far. As soon as I emerged from the vent, I headed straight for the door and secured the internaltch. Originally, this mechanism was designed to buy time in case the pce faced a dangerous situation, but I had no intention of going outside anyway. I turned around. Dust was thickly settled everywhere. Just standing there felt like it could pose a health risk to my lungs. A dim light illuminated only the center of the circr room. In the spot where the light from the mana stones fell, there was a box filled with nails tightly packed inside. However, the heads of the nails were not irregr. They seemed to be aligned t at the ends, designed to look like a te. In truth, anyone who had never seen it operate would likely find it a curious structure. I approached it directly and pressed on that ¡°screen¡± randomly. A portion of the nails was pushed inward, shaped like my fingertip. When I lifted my finger, the surface returned to being t, and then the heads of the nails rose collectively from the vacant space.@@novelbin@@ The surface became uneven. Yet it was far from random. [Please enter the title of the book you wish to ess.] The slight rise of the nails resembled letters. The brass nails had risen to form characters, as if expressing something on the screen. Clunk. I opened the drawer beneath the screen. Inside was something akin to a typewriter. However, there was no slot for inserting paper. Each letter was connected to thin metal tes leading downward to the screen. I fully opened the drawer, letting it make a soft cking sound before I slowly began typing. ck, ck. With each key I pressed, a loud sound reverberated through the dimly lit study. [04-08] The registration number of the prophecy book. Typically, it wouldn¡¯t be known. It wasn¡¯t listed in the thick catalog hanging beside the screen. That said, it wasn¡¯t protected by a password. Very few were allowed to enter this far in the first ce. Creak, creak, the sound of rusted machinery moving filled the air, and a brass pir behind the screen opened up to reveal a slender metallic arm. With a ttering sound as if something were fitting into ce, the arm moved. As the arm extended, a cylindrical mechanism began to rotate. The arm reached high, pulling down a book from a shelf near the ceiling. The machine returned, and the arm lowered itself. It presented the book to me, showing the cover clearly. [04-08] The title on the book cover was all there was to it. I pulled the book closer to me. The mechanical arm didn¡¯t let go of it. More urately, the tip of the arm was firmly attached to a metal part embedded in the spine of the book. However, it didn¡¯t stop me from opening the book. In fact, as I opened it, the top part of the book glowed softly as it was illuminated by the mana stone¡¯s light. ¡°......¡± I flipped through the pages immediately. [I have written what I saw of the future, not to avoid that future, but to prepare you.] The meaning was clear: The future was set, so there was no need to try to evade it; instead, prepare your hearts. ¡°Bullshit.¡± I muttered to myself. Thud. A sound echoed from the door. It seemed they had finally realized I had gotten this far. Quite fast, indeed. If I were to estimate, I would have only about five minutes to read the book properly. If I had to read every prophecy book here from start to finish, it was far too short a time. But, well, what I had in abundance was time. I ced the book down and murmured. ¡°Again.¡± * ¡°Your Highness.¡± ¡°Sir Ford.¡± It was a peaceful day like any other. I was neither crawling through a vent nor fighting bizarre creatures. Of course, I wasn¡¯t asking some grotesque mechanical librarian for a book in a dust-filled, musty space. At least, that¡¯s how it would seem to others. As I walked through the pce corridors, I encountered a single person. A knight with a friendly face and a fashionable Kaiser mustache bowed his head to me. Dressed in heavy te armor that seemed too cumbersome for modern times, he wore a sword and a firearm at his waist. A revolver muchrger and longer than the one I carried. I thought to myself that perhaps that man¡¯s armor could be pierced by his own weapon. ¡°I heard about the achievements you established, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± I nodded at the friendly gentleman¡¯s words. Well, there was nothing to hide. What happened in Northwood was a secret from others, but the events on the Winterfield battlefield were widely publicized by the royal family. It would help raise the morale of the soldiers and promote the royal family itself. Normally, no one would believe such ridiculous rumors, but the soldiers on the battlefield all received long vacations and generous bonuses as rewards. They would all return home and spend time there, and naturally, stories about me would be circted vigorously. With so many witnesses and the assurance of ¡°Winterfield,¡± there was no one who would disbelieve the tale. ¡°It is a pity that our knights could not apany you to protect you personally, Your Highness.¡± ¡°......¡± The knight¡¯s initial words were not praise for my achievements but an apology. ¡°It''s impossible for pce knights to be present at such ces. And it wouldn¡¯t make sense for the order to apany a single soldier to battle.¡± ¡°......¡± For a brief moment, he wore a look that suggested he had much to say, but the knight said nothing. It was likely due to the knightly decorum not allowing him to act recklessly before his lord. ¡°...However.¡± That said, I felt a bit uneasy leaving him like this. After all, he was one of the few people I had known since I was very young, seeing him around the pce. To converse with a princess required more than just being in proximity. There had to be a good reason for it. Rank, title, age, and many other considerations had to be taken into ount. In that sense, this Sir Ford was sufficiently positioned to do so. ¡°Thank you for your concern...¡± At my words, Sir Ford raised his head. And, just for a moment, he looked at me as if he had seen something strange. Well, it was a bit unusual for me to speak like that. And once again, a gentle smile spread across Sir Ford¡¯s face. ¡°No, it is nothing. We are merely doing what we must.¡± Had he mentioned that he had recently had a child? As I gazed up at the kind-faced Sir Ford, I thought. If the firstborn had lived, he would have been around my age. If I were a ¡®normal princess,¡¯ a marriage proposal might have been discussed with this man¡¯s child. Even if it wasn¡¯t a marriage proposal, at the very least, he could have been on a list of noble bloodlines to consider. However, I lost my child shortly after I entered the pce. It seemed it was an ident. I had not heard the exact story, but I hadn¡¯t seen this man¡¯s face for a while. It seemed he had been upied with the funeral and trying to recover. People whispered about how it was hard to believe that such a diligent and good person could suffer such a tragedy. As I pondered whether to say a few more words to him, I decided to simply nod again and continued on my way. Footsteps began to echo behind me, slightly dyed. If that man were to die, only his wife and child remaining in his territory would be left. Many would be engulfed in sorrow. Wasn¡¯t it possible to turn back time and erase such things before they happened? ...I was sure that just half a year ago, I would have thought that way. The longer I stayed here, the more I realized that shooting someone I knew, even if I knew I could invalidate it, was... Perhaps it was because I hade to recognize that my ability to turn back time could disappear. There had been incidents where the oues of actions I had carried out thoughtlessly might change the lives of countless others, and that thought felt too vividly real. ¡°......¡± Suddenly, I remembered Mia Crowfield, who had looked at me with confused eyes even on the day we finished the first semester. Chapter 125 If I were a genuine student, I would have been thrilled about the vacation period. Going to school is akin to going to work. It''s a reason to get up when you¡¯d rather stay in bed, forcing down breakfast you don¡¯t want to eat and taking reluctant steps into a ce where you must endure the entire day until sses are over. Of course, school was still better than a job. It ended a bit earlier and included two long vacations each year. However, I was not an ordinary student. Neither was Alice. Both of us were princesses, and we had a great deal to do during the vacation. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, I had yet to be tasked with anything by the Emperor. It seemed he didn¡¯t even know that I had entered the forbidden library. Based on that fact, I was able to rx a little. The Emperor''s ability to deduce my powers was likely due to his own analytical skills, rather than some kind of supernatural ability to see through me. At least, that was a relief. * ¡°There¡¯s really no need to follow me like this.¡± Alice spoke to me from within the rattling carriage. Her face, genuinely apologetic, nearly made me smile without realizing it. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to do inside the pce anyway.¡± ¡°Yet at the beginning of vacation, you were holed up in your room.¡± In the end, that was true. While I had been wandering through the pce, infiltrating the docked airship Dreadnought for inspections due to its regr maintenance, observing the internal structures, throwing bombs at various equipment, and timing how long it took for the soldiers to respond, I hadn¡¯t done much in terms of official business. After repeating this ten or twenty times, calcting the average time and recording everything in my notes¡ªof course, all in Korean¡ªI had never let anyone see them. I wrote in artillery notation, not Arabic numerals. After the Emperor learned of my abilities, I had carried that small notebook with me wherever I went, so no one could read it. And all of this had transpired during Alice''s absence. Although I had never actually shot anyone, from the empire''s perspective, it was clearly treasonous, and I didn¡¯t want Alice looking at me with a sense of betrayal. I had seen the Emperor¡¯s reactions a few times, and they all bore expressions ofplete calmness, which annoyed me. It was as if he were saying, ¡°After all, you¡¯ll just turn this back, right?¡± Of course, the Emperor would likely phrase it in a more serious manner. ¡°...But the ce you¡¯re going now is much more dangerous than anywhere you¡¯ve been during vacation.¡± ¡°No matter what, they can¡¯t just kill a princess openly. Well, even if they did, the entire territory would be at stake if there were an ident.¡± ¡°But the opponent is Crowfield.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s you who should be more cautious, right?¡± While I had been making various excuses to lurk in my room during vacation, Alice had been publicly disying her official duties, seemingly eager to announce her status as the next Empress. Up until now, her face hadn¡¯t been well known even amongmoners, but now her name and face were recognizable to many. She was moving so earnestly that even the press raised questions. ¡°I¡¯ve already faced Crowfield before.¡± ¡°That was years ago, though. The guards and the defenses are much more formidable now.¡± Hearing her assert confidently that she ¡°would have lost¡± rather than ¡°might lose,¡± I shifted my gaze from the window back to Alice. ¡°Do you think I wouldn¡¯t have investigated at all after hearing you? I¡¯m genuinely trying to act as your sister.¡± Alice spoke in a somewhat firm tone. ¡°And it¡¯s my duty as your sister to protect you.¡± ¡°In that sense, protecting the future Empress¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± Alice interrupted my rebuttal sharply. ¡°The Emperor is the one who protects his loyal subjects under his name. If you were to follow me, then I must ensure your safety. I¡­.¡± Alice paused for a moment, looking straight at me as she continued. ¡°Unlike my father, I won¡¯t just use you.¡± ¡°......¡± I didn¡¯t know how to respond. I felt happy that she cared about me. Especially since she was one of the characters I had admired. But at the same time, I was worried. In the original story, Alice hadn¡¯t been this determined at this point. She had had some twisted aspects, feeling inferior and shing with the protagonist, showing vulnerable sides. The Alice in front of me was a different person. Thus, I couldn¡¯t quite grasp what path this version of Alice would take. If I were attempting to control things to pull the future toward my desired oue, I could say I had already failed. ¡°...But you really don¡¯t have to visit Crowfield.¡± When I tried to protest even slightly, Alice scoffed and looked out the window. Whaty beyond was a breathtaking sight of endless green pastures, contrasting starkly with the name Crowfield. It was hard to believe that there were several factories belching ck smoke at the heart of that territory. And it seemed unimaginable that this ce had once been known for selling drug-addicted children. ¡°You have things you don¡¯t know about, don¡¯t you?¡± Alice muttered. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Or perhaps you still don¡¯t know ¡®yet¡¯?¡± ¡°......¡± As Alice gazed out the window, she nced at me. Her eyes¡ª ¡ªWell, I didn¡¯t know if Alice would find it amusing, but they resembled the Emperor¡¯s in some way. * ¡°Your Highness.¡± Saying that, Lady Crowfield greeted Alice with a dignified bow. She had mentioned before that she grew up in a different count family during her childhood. Apparently, she was a distant rtive of Count Crowfield. Though that hardly mattered now. With pale skin and ck hair, Count Crowfield bore a somewhat simr vibe, making it difficult to say whether Mia Crowfield particrly resembled anyone. Perhaps it was because I knew they were mother and daughter that I assumed they simply looked alike. When Alice graciously epted the greeting, Lady Crowfield turned to me. Her gaze held no hint of negativity whatsoever. At least, she was much better at controlling her emotions than her daughter. That had been true even in the original story. ¡°......¡± For a moment, Lady Crowfield¡¯s gaze fell on my face. As she kneeled slightly to greet me, I returned the gesture respectfully. It was my first time being looked at by Lady Crowfield, but I had seen her several times before. Of course, this was years ago. It was the one time I had sessfully infiltrated as a maid. Count Crowfield, who had brazenly attacked someone much younger than himself, didn¡¯t show such behavior openly in his mansion. Instead, he acted like a normal, caring father. I didn¡¯t think that was all an act. The Count had genuinely loved his wife and would have been a doting father to his daughter. He simply hadn¡¯t treated the children from the orphanage as people. And that attitude had been somewhat evident in his daily life. Among the servants of the Count¡¯s household were children of low-ranking noble families andmoners. The Count had always been kind to the noble children, speaking to them in a soft tone, treating them like nephews, and when a young girl began to realize the signs of womanhood, he would kindly excuse her from work. Basic courtesy extended to themon servants as well. ¡­Basically. However, I had felt the Count¡¯s predatory gaze upon me several times. The reason I had been able to get so close to him so quickly as a newly appointed maid was precisely because of that. Ironically, I had only seeded once for that reason. In other words¡­ it had been extremely difficult to secure an opportunity to poison the Count¡¯s food without losing my virginity. It made sense that the Count had died several years after the main storyline began. A child like ire, with such a background, would surely have found it harder to endure that situation than I had. I turned my gaze to find Mia Crowfield nearby. As expected of the girl who had cast such aplicated nce at me before the vacation began, she now wore a thoroughly bewildered expression. She could barely manage to uphold the formalities between a princess and a noble.@@novelbin@@ Lady Crowfield nced briefly at the confused Mia. ¡­Isn¡¯t it a bit cruel to treat your own daughter like that? Chapter 126 Having lived for a decade in this world, I still didn¡¯t fully understand the mindset of the nobility. How could Lady Crowfield tolerate Count Crowfield¡¯s behavior? Even if he didn¡¯t treatmoners like people, it was a fact that her husband was spending the night with someone else. Did she not know? Did she think that the reason I killed her husband was merely a political calction from the Emperor? In fact, thinking that way would be more strange. Perhaps her mindset was so aristocratic that she couldn¡¯t even conceive of the idea of treatingmoners as people. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to have you visit our territory.¡± Once seated in the reception room, Lady Crowfield spoke to us in a soft voice. ¡°It¡¯s an honor for me to be invited.¡± At Alice¡¯s reply, I almost nced at her in surprise. Invited? I hadn¡¯t received an invitation¡ªah, that¡¯s right.@@novelbin@@ There was no reason for her to invite me in the first ce. I turned my gaze toward Mia Crowfield. Her eyes, unable to meet mine, darted around nervously. She might have heard from Mia that the next Empress was Alice, not me. In that case, it would be important to consider just how much Mia had shared with her mother about this. Personally, I didn¡¯t think she would have said much. While the rtionship between Mia Crowfield and her mother, Lady Crowfield, wasn¡¯t severely broken, I believed the rtionship between Mia and me wasn¡¯t significantly damaged either. Alice and Lady Crowfield were engaged in conversation. After exchanging a few mundane aristocratic greetings, Lady Crowfield said, ¡°Mia often speaks about you two. She says she has a wonderful time with you. Since Mia isn¡¯t the most outgoing child, I can¡¯t express how relieved I am to know that she has friends like you.¡± ¡°I also have a shy little sister.¡± ¡°Oh my.¡± As Lady Crowfield listened to Alice¡¯s words, her gaze shifted meaningfully toward me. ¡°If someone doesn¡¯t speak to her first, she sits quietly, sulking, so she had no choice but to learn to initiate conversations.¡± ¡­In reality, it seemed closer to Alice¡¯s old self. If anything, I was bold enough to speak when necessary. I could just rewind time if I made a mistake. However, it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for Alice to say, ¡°I was actually a shy child who didn¡¯t enjoy talking to strangers.¡± Considering that Alice cared for me as her sister, my childhood memories of caring for her might be something she didn¡¯t want to share openly. If Alice trusted me, then she wouldn¡¯t believe Lady Crowfield¡¯s words. ¡°I see. Hearing that puts me at ease. It was thanks to such friends that my daughter was able to adapt easily to the academy.¡± Alice took a sip from her tea. ¡­Actually, it seemed she was just pretending to drink. The tea in Alice¡¯s cup hadn¡¯t decreased at all since earlier. Lady Crowfield didn¡¯t seem to point it out. Surely, Lady Crowfield wouldn¡¯t have poisoned the tea. There was a knight order here to protect us. Besides, they already knew that it was the Emperor who killed Count Crowfield; if they killed Alice, they would know what chaos would ensue. If I were Lady Crowfield, I would have found another way. There were various kinds of poisons that could be administered in tea. ¡°Oh dear, look at me.¡± Suddenly, Lady Crowfield pped her hands. At the sound, Mia Crowfield flinched slightly, clearly tense. ¡°I¡¯ve been upying this space without noticing. It¡¯s been so long since friends have met, so I should have given you time to talk. I will take my leave now.¡± As Lady Crowfield stood, we all rose from our seats in ordance with her. Alice, I, and Lady Crowfield exchanged polite bows, and Lady Crowfield stepped aside as she said she would take her leave. As I watched the door close anxiously, Mia Crowfield quickly opened her mouth once her mother had left. ¡°That tea¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I was suspicious of it already.¡± As Alice spoke, she took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth. The tea only made a slurping sound, but the contents of the teacup hadn¡¯t touched Alice¡¯s lips. Alice understood very well how dangerous a drug could be. She had been horrified when she saw the morphine that hade out of my room, which had also been used by soldiers. ¡°Ah¡­.¡± At Alice¡¯s words, Mia Crowfield slumped back into her seat, sounding utterly deted. And as if she had realized what it meant that Alice already knew the truth, she trembled slightly. ¡°...Rest assured. I¡¯m not ming you right now.¡± Alice said this as she leisurely walked around the reception room, moving slowly while surveying the walls and ceiling. Her demeanor suggested that she had anticipated everything from the beginning. ¡°......¡± Mia Crowfield¡¯s eyes turned to me. ¡°Silvia is not involved. She¡¯s just here because she¡¯s worried about me.¡± I¡¯m not here to kill you or your mother. I imagined the unspoken words that followed. ¡­If it had been the me fromst year, I might have explored the possibility of killing Mia Crowfield¡¯s mother. If I could, I would prefer to make it look like an ident so there would be no evidence that I had done it. ¡°I wonder if there¡¯s a ce in this room where someone could hide?¡± Alice asked casually. ¡°Oh, well¡­.¡± Mia Crowfield opened her mouth but soon closed it again. She wore an expression that suggested she didn¡¯t know how to respond. Still, aplex look remained on her face. ¡°What brings you here today?¡± ¡°You sent an invitation, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°......¡± But did she never think I would respond to that invitation? After all, it was a suspicious invitation by anyone¡¯s standards. Even someone closer to Alice, like Charlotte, wouldn¡¯t invite her. It could be a letter to check on her well-being, but not an invitation. There was an enormous difference between an aristocrat wandering around and a princess visiting. The number of people who woulde with her was substantial, and amodating them would be quite a headache. The royal family would cover the expenses, but depending on the size of the territory, simply feeding and housing all those people could be burdensome. If it were a matter between countries, it would be even more significant. They would need to show the other side, ¡°Look how well we live.¡± In that sense, the Grace family could be considered immensely unique. Even if we went without a guard, no one would doubt us. That was proof of the Emperor¡¯s deep trust, and that fact alone became the source of power for the baron¡¯s family. ¡°I know that much is essentially a warning.¡± Before Mia Crowfield could speak, Alice spoke first. ¡°......¡± Mia Crowfield¡¯s lips pressed tightly together, nearly forming a line. ¡°However¡­ I had something to confirm.¡± ¡°...About me and my mother?¡± ¡°No. I already know all that I need to about you and your mother. In fact, there is no easier target to investigate than nobility. I apologize for not informing you ahead of time about my inquiries.¡± Alice slightly bent her knees, but Mia Crowfield¡¯s expression remained stiff. Recognizing that her eyes were waiting for what woulde next, Alice continued. ¡°Of course, it rtes to your territory. Perhaps¡­ it could be rted to that incident back then.¡± ¡°......¡± Mia Crowfield¡¯s eyes sharpened. Alice regarded her expression with interest. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen that expression on you at school.¡± ¡°Ultimately, you haven¡¯t changed at all.¡± Mia Crowfield¡¯s words left Alice silent. As if waiting for what woulde next. ¡°At that time, just like you took my father¡¯s life¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± Alice interrupted Mia¡¯s words sharply. ¡°I won¡¯t kill you. There¡¯s no reason for it.¡± ¡°......¡± As I quietly observed the widening of Mia Crowfield¡¯s eyes, Alice spoke. ¡°I swear on the name of Fangrifon. I won¡¯t kill my ¡®friend.¡¯¡± Mia Crowfield¡¯s mouth fell open in shock. The reason my mouth didn¡¯t drop open was due to years of training and experience. Chapter 127 "Yes, I just called you a ''friend,'' didn''t I?" Alice spoke somewhat sharply to Mia Crowfield, whose mouth was agape and frozen in shock, unable to respond properly. "Or do you not consider me a friend?" "Uh, no, it''s just that¡­" Seeing Mia struggle to answer, Alice waved the teacup she had been holding. ¡°At least, judging by how you¡¯ve pointed out the teacup just now, it doesn¡¯t seem like you view me as a target for revenge like your mother does. Or perhaps your friendship takes precedence over your desire for revenge.¡± Mia Crowfield tightly closed her mouth at those words. However, she wasn¡¯t very effective at maintaining a poker face; her lips trembled, her eyes darted around, and her face turned crimson. ¡°Let¡¯s talk for a bit. The main reason we¡¯re here is, of course, because of Silvia, but¡­ it also rtes to you, or rather, your family.¡± I found myself staring at Alice, unable to hide my surprise. Something rted to me? Did Alice find out about my past? ¡­Well, thinking back, if Alice decided to investigate my past, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for her to discover. Even if they were beings who were not easily approached, she could ask the Emperor''s children, Be or Jayden, about where I came from. But¡­ ¡°If you thought that the ce I came from was connected to this ce, then you¡¯re likely mistaken.¡± As my words reached her, Mia Crowfield cautiously turned her gaze toward me. Her eyes seemed to be seriously contemting whether to intervene or not. It appeared that her heart was leaning toward not intervening. ¡°Really?¡± However, Alice remained unfazed by my words, gracefully cing the teacup on the table. ¡°That was not the case thest time I investigated.¡± Before I killed the Count, I had rummaged through various documents inside. There was no evidence linking it to the orphanage I lived in. There was no way that the only orphanage selling children was that one. The Empire is vast. If they were to buy a child from a system so far away, it would be better to gather orphans from nearby ces instead. There must have been enough orphans within the Crowfield territory, and given its location near the border, they could have imported orphans from abroad. ire seemed to have conducted some investigation herself, but she hadn¡¯t found anyone connected to that orphanage. Thus, I tentatively concluded that the orphanage had operated independently. It was destroyed by my mes. Though I never did find the man and woman who visited that orphanage back then. ¡°If you thought that way, it means you¡¯ve overlooked something.¡± Alice wiggled her fingers as if she felt empty-handed. Perhaps she thought that discussing while drinking tea would be more fitting in this atmosphere. ¡°No matter how much it¡¯s run like a loose organization, there are connections.¡± As I continued to gaze at Alice, urging her to exin further, she shrugged her shoulders and replied. ¡°Just because someone keeps buying things from one store doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯ll stick to it. If they don¡¯t find anything they like, they¡¯ll actively search around the other stores until they find what they want. Especially if there¡¯s something that someone had custom-made.¡±@@novelbin@@ ¡°Um¡­¡± Though Mia Crowfield had just now worn a face that seemed to say she shouldn¡¯t interrupt, it seemed she couldn¡¯t hold back as I continued to talk in a way she didn¡¯t understand. ¡°What exactly are you talking about? Are you saying that this is rted to our territory?¡± Alice and I looked at Mia Crowfield simultaneously. I nced at her startled expression for a moment before returning my gaze to Alice, watching intently. Was Alice trying to let Mia know that I killed her father? ¡°Yes, it is rted. It¡¯s a story concerning the business the Count was involved in before his death.¡± However, Alice didn¡¯t mention that I was the one who killed him. It was still a risky bncing act¡­ but then again, thinking back, Mia Crowfield already knew that I had killed her father. Even if she didn¡¯t know exactly how, she had alreadye to that conclusion. So the more I treated her well, the more confused she would be. The less she thought I would want to kill her, and the more her negative feelings toward me faded, the more perplexing it would be. If she ended up not wanting to kill someone she had viewed as a target for revenge her entire life, it would be all the more absurd. ¡°......¡± Whatever Alice had to say, I wasn¡¯t going to stop her. Part of it was that it was difficult to easily restrain a stubborn Alice, and above all¡ª To be honest, I found the current situation somewhat intriguing. I was directly witnessing how "the rtionships between characters are changing on their own," rather than leading it myself. ¡°What kind of business was it?¡± Was Mia Crowfield genuinely asking without knowing anything? She might have beenpletely unaware in her childhood. But as time passed, after her father died and her mother began preparing for revenge while dragging Mia into it, I wondered if she started to pick up on it little by little. Maybe she simply turned a blind eye¡­ ¡°First, let me finish exining.¡± However, Alice didn¡¯t give Mia Crowfield a proper answer and continued her exnation. At least it was fortunate¡ªor perhaps unfortunate¡ªthat Mia Crowfield wasn¡¯t reckless enough to openly contradict the princess who said she wouldn¡¯t speak about it. ¡°So, it¡¯s pointless to examine the lowest shops that have already burned down for tracking purposes. They became ashes ten years ago. Instead, we should look for the upper-level ones that are still operational.¡± Alice let out a small sigh, as ifmenting. ¡°From the top down, find the aristocrats addicted to opium, filter out the decadent ones among them, and then search through the opium dens one by one. It might be easier than you think to figure it out.¡± ¡°...Did you go there directly?¡± When I asked somewhat mockingly, Alice furrowed her brows. ¡°Of course, I didn¡¯t go in person. No matter my abilities, I don¡¯t present a particrly intimidating impression at first nce. It¡¯s far more frightening to send a knight carrying amission under the Emperor¡¯s name.¡± ¡°Are you saying His Majesty permitted that?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t really ask for permission. I borrowed the format of themission. I already know what my father¡¯s signature looks like. After all, I¡¯m his daughter. It wouldn¡¯t be too strange if my handwriting resembled my father¡¯s quite a bit.¡± ¡°......¡± I had to exert all my effort not to make a sound of disgust. Moreover, Alice¡¯s proud expression as she spoke was so striking that I found myself at a loss for words for a moment. ¡°Are you saying you forged His Majesty¡¯smission?¡± ¡°The great His Majesty couldn¡¯t possibly be unaware of it, so I consider myself effectively granted permission.¡± No, even so, the Emperor doesn¡¯t know everything. This time, I had to hold my arm tightly to avoid hitting my forehead. ¡°Anyway, you... swept through the area where you were? So you managed to ascertain a few certain facts.¡± Alice smiled with satisfaction. ¡°Those aristocrats often find it difficult to escape, even if they want to. The value of their name and territory far exceeds their self-worth.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°And they often think, seeing others looking after them, that it¡¯s only natural.¡± Mia Crowfield seemed to ponder the implications of Alice¡¯s words, her jaw ck. At this point, wouldn¡¯t she need to visit an orthopedic or dental office? ¡°Hmm.¡± Having said that much, Alice picked up her teacup again as if she found it somewhat unsatisfactory. She then reflected her face against the surface of the tea. ¡°...But, do you really think there¡¯s something in there?¡± Alice asked with a somewhat serious expression. ¡°......¡± Well, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to be cautious. There might indeed be a trace of a drug in it. In truth, Lady Crowfield wasn¡¯t that crazy, and Mia Crowfield might have just panicked. But was that really important right now? Chapter 128 ¡°Silvia, just calm down for now.¡± ¡°I am perfectly calm right now.¡± Of course, my hands, which I had neatly ced on myp, had lifted slightly, about 3 mm off the surface. Just before they could p my forehead, I managed to calm them down and put them back on my knees, but judging by how Alice¡¯s gaze momentarily fell downward, I couldn¡¯t im I hadpletely hidden it. Honestly, I was not calm at all. ¡°I don¡¯t see you as being calm at all.¡± Alice¡¯s eyes were as sharp as ever, just as they had been throughout this year. It was only natural that I couldn¡¯t be calm. Wasn¡¯t it Alice who executed a n that the Emperor wouldn¡¯t even consider? While I was turning back time dozens of times to gather various pieces of information, the Imperial Army had been flipping over some of the nobility and bourgeoisie. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much. I coordinated everything so that we can turn it all upside down before a report goes up to Father.¡± ¡°......¡± For a brief moment, I suspected Alice might have the power to turn back time. This was the state of Alice before she turned back time. ¡°Aren¡¯t I supposed to be the one who will be the Emperor?¡± Alice spoke to me. ¡°If so, I should be able to do this much. Right?¡± ¡°......¡± Mia Crowfield¡¯s face now disyed not just anxiety but almost pure fear, as if she felt she shouldn¡¯t learn anything more here. ¡°...So,¡± I finally managed to speak after about thirty seconds of calming myself. ¡°So, you have found out something.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Alice replied. ¡°Although the underground organizations are not connected, there were fine threads like a spider''s web above them. It¡¯s only natural. I might not know much about the children moving about, but drugs are produced somewhere ande into the Empire. There aren¡¯t many ces within the Empire where poppies can be grown extensively.¡± At her words, Mia Crowfield flinched in surprise. ¡°Well, I understand why we can¡¯t eliminate the poppy¡¯s origin. No matter how developed magic is, we 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 their bodies.¡± This was particrly true for themon folk who could not benefit from magic. Or perhaps in the worst-case scenario where all the mages were wiped out, emergency supplies for soldiers returning home. ¡°Are you saying that it¡¯s flowing out from our territory?¡± Mia Crowfield finally mustered the courage to speak up. Her expression was rigid. ¡°...You seem to trust your parents, huh? Just a moment ago, you thought there might be poison in my teacup.¡± ¡°......¡±@@novelbin@@ Mia Crowfield had nothing to retort to Alice¡¯s statement. ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine.¡± Alice exhaled softly and straightened her posture. ¡°You probably can¡¯t know everything that happens in your territory. Until not long ago, I didn¡¯t know either¡ª¡± Alice bit her lip. ¡°¡ªthere were things I couldn¡¯t even imagine. So I won¡¯t me you.¡± ¡°......¡± Mia Crowfield paled but maintained her rigid expression as she stood up alongside Alice. ¡°If you want, I¡¯ll let you see what¡¯s happening here.¡± ¡°...If it¡¯s to tarnish the honor of the Crowfield family¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry about that.¡± Alice smiled bitterly. ¡°To be honest, the Imperial Family isn¡¯t that clean either.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but silently agree with her words. * ¡°Are you going out for a walk?¡± As we exited the reception room, Lady Crowfield, who had been seated by the window in the parlor, rose. Her expression drew a gasp of admiration. That gentle smile is remarkable, as if it¡¯s a performance. Is that what being noble is like? That said, her expression didn¡¯t always look positive. Perhaps it was because I had a certain understanding of this person¡¯s inner thoughts. ¡°Of course. Is it alright if I walk with Mia around the territory?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± In response to Alice¡¯s words, Lady Crowfield nced at Mia. As Mia exited the reception room alongside us, her face still looked pale. Seeing that expression, the Lady turned her face toward Alice, seemingly suspicious. Of course, her expression was that of a benevolent noblewoman. ¡°Our territory¡ª¡± Lady Crowfield¡¯s words were abruptly cut off as we approached the mansion¡¯s door, which swung open with a bang, revealing a knight entering. He wasn¡¯t one of the escorting knights. He wore armor adorned with the distinct Crowfield crow emblem. ¡°A lord¡­!¡± However, the knight who barged in became rigid upon seeing Alice and me standing beside Lady Crowfield. My gaze also shifted back to Alice. But Alice remained with a smile on her lips. She didn¡¯t even flinch. It seemed she knew exactly why the knight hade. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± The knight¡¯s behavior was sufficiently rude to be shown in front of the princess. However, if a well-trained knight showed such behavior, it indicated that the information he needed to convey was urgent. That was likely why Lady Crowfield frowned but didn¡¯t me him. The knight removed his helmet, revealing the sweaty forehead of a handsome middle-aged man with hair sticking to it. Having regained hisposure, he carefully approached Lady Crowfield. As he raised a hand to his mouth, he watched Lady Crowfield tilt her ear toward him, and at that moment, Alice spoke to me. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go do what we need to do.¡± It was just before we exited the mansion that Lady Crowfield lost herposure. ¡°Princess!¡± At that cry, the steps of Alice, me, and even Mia Crowfield, who hesitated behind us, came to a halt. ¡°What is happening right now¡ª¡± The expression that had previously been on the knight transformed into one of unease, and Lady Crowfield hurried toward us with a demeanor that was quite contrary to etiquette. ¡°Princess.¡± Before she could finish, the knight who was with us approached. By now, the entrance of the Crowfield mansion was filled with our knights. That wasn¡¯t particrly unusual. It was expected that knights would arrive ahead of their lord when they were going out. However, the atmosphere was distinctly odd. While they hadn¡¯t drawn their swords, both the Imperial Knights and the Crowfield knights were on edge, ready to draw weapons at any moment. If I could sense hostility, I would have been drenched in sweat the moment I stepped outside. ¡°Everything has been taken care of as per themission.¡± ¡°Good.¡± At the knight¡¯s words, Alice nodded. Then she turned back, looking at me, who was standing just behind her, and Mia Crowfield, who was hesitantly hovering behind us. Ignoring Lady Crowfield, Alice said, ¡°Do you want to follow? If you don¡¯t want to, you don¡¯t have to. After all, I only wanted to know the truth.¡± ¡°......¡± I said nothing. There was no point in saying something like, ¡°What if the Emperor finds out about this?¡± Besides, thinking it over again... Isn¡¯t it more strange that the Emperor doesn¡¯t know about this? Initially, I thought I could kill the Emperor. Not long ago, anyway. If necessary, I thought I could turn back time repeatedly and assassinate the Emperor to steer the story in the direction I wanted, but strangely, the longer time passed, the more it felt like the methods to kill the Emperor were fading away one by one. It felt as if he knew everything I did... And even if I prepared a way to ensure I could kill the Emperor, I strangely felt that the Emperor wouldn¡¯t be present at the moment. Was I also caught up in the Emperor''s schemes? Alice was silently watching me. ¡°...I understand.¡± I replied to Alice. A small smile crept onto Alice''s lips. ¡°I, I¡­¡± Mia Crowfield turned anxiously toward her mother. Lady Crowfield was trembling, as if she might kill the two princesses standing here at any moment. However, the knight who spoke to Lady Crowfield likely believed that it was ¡®by the Emperor¡¯smand.¡¯ Themission must have been issued in the name of the Emperor. In front of the imperial army, which had nearlypleted its centralization and wielded immense military power, rejecting thatmand would have been akin to asking for death. Of course, from a long-term perspective, handling things in such a clumsy manner would also be problematic for the royal family. What would happen to the next Emperor after the one with such immense power was dead? I nced at Alice once more. Seeing Alice¡¯s confident smile... Um... For some reason, the fleeting thought that everything would be fine irritated me. Chapter 129 I wasn''tpletely oblivious to what was happening. I could deduce what kind of information Alice had discovered. The memories of that time were still lodged firmly in a corner of my mind. In particr, it was not easy to forget the face of the person who had smashed my face with his fist. If it wasn¡¯t my face under that fist, it would surely have been ire¡¯s, and adding that thought made it even more unforgettable. I had made some efforts to look for that man on my own. However, I hadn''t sought help from others. Unlike Alice, who had forcibly twisted things using imperial authority, I had moved quietly, without drawing anyone¡¯s notice. But I had not found him. In fact, I hadn¡¯t looked for long. In this altered timeline, he had never been connected to me, so I felt there was little point in searching for him. However... it seemed that Alice had different thoughts on the matter. ¡°Do you know where this is?¡± As we looked out of the carriage, Alice asked me. The scenery outside was a beautiful and peaceful territory. There were no poppy fields, and no beggars by the roadside. Most of the people walking around appeared to be well-dressed and ordinary. A narrow river flowed, and a stone bridge crossed over it. On the other side of the bridge were rows of uniformly designed brick houses, reminiscent of works set in the industrial revolution. The carriage was heading toward the edge of this residential area. It seemed as if the river marked the boundary, with a cluster of brick houses on the other side, while this side was almost undeveloped grasnd. And I remembered that ce. There was a hill not too far away. A tall tree should stand there, even if someone might have chopped it down. The hill would still be there. And from that tree, I had watched the carriage of the Count explode. I had seen the people inside turned to pulp. I had seen innocent horses caught up in the explosion. Now, there was no trace of that scene. That was to be expected. While the overallyout hadn¡¯t changed much, the number of brick houses across the river had significantly increased. Some buildings looked different from what I remembered. I was sure of this because I had already wandered through the spaces between those buildings several times. I could even urately recall the interiors of some. Especially that one building in the middle, which looked remarkably well-maintainedpared to the others. I furrowed my brow slightly. Was that building still... used for that purpose? ¡°......¡± I wasn¡¯t the only one with a stiff expression. Mia Crowfield, who was sitting next to Alice, had a simrly tense face. Despite her somewhat youthful appearance, Mia Crowfield was around the same age as us. She was old enough to vividly recall the day her father died, so she must have known what this ce was. Yet she said not a word. She could have asked why I had brought her to such a ce. The carriage came to a stop in front of the well-kept building. Knights were already stationed at the entrance. The same was likely true inside the building. Police officers were also present, though they looked utterly bewildered. Beyond the knights and police, imperial knights and local knights stood facing each other, their postures tense. While the number of imperial knights was smaller, they weren¡¯tcking in spirit. It was just a gut feeling, but I thought that if a fight broke out, the imperial knights would likelye out on top. The reason the carriage had made it here safely was probably due to that spirit. ¡°Father is quite impressive.¡± As Alice stepped down from the carriage, she spoke with a somewhat indifferent tone. Her gaze was directed at the local ¡°knights¡± confronting the imperial knights. ¡°It¡¯s obvious that they would hate him so much, yet they allowed this private army to form.¡± ¡°...The Crowfield territory shares a border with the Kingdom of Belbour.¡± Mia Crowfield countered Alice''s statement, but Alice shrugged it off. ¡°Those people don¡¯t seem like they¡¯re ¡®supporting¡¯ the Imperial Army.¡± ¡°......¡± Even Mia Crowfield could not refute that statement. But Alice didn¡¯t re at Mia Crowfield or show hostility. Instead, she looked just like she did at school. Rather, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that she looked a little concerned. Alice turned her head to look at the building again. Then she lowered her gaze back to Mia Crowfield and said, ¡°Inside, there will be information you might not want to know.¡± ¡°Me? Not want to know?¡± Mia Crowfield attempted to re at Alice, but her expression was closer to hostility than she might have liked. If my father had done something terrible and I was unaware, with only the memory of him being a loving and proud father, and he had been unjustly murdered, what would I do? What if the daughter of the person who hadmissioned his murder came to me and said, ¡°Your father is not the good man you think he is¡±? ...Thinking of it that way, Mia Crowfield appeared to be exerting her utmost self-control. Perhaps the imperial knights surrounding us and Alice were aiding her in maintaining that self-restraint. ¡°Right.¡± But Alice replied without hesitation. ¡°......¡± Mia Crowfield¡¯s expression reset, surpassing hostility and returning to a neutral state. It seemed she felt a twinge of anxiety at seeing Alice speak so casually. Mia Crowfield had been living in close quarters with Alice for the past several months. And a few months is enough time to judge a person¡¯s character. Mia Crowfield knew that Alice wasn¡¯t the kind of person to make jokes about such matters. ¡°Still, are you going to enter with us? It might be a huge shock for you.¡± ¡°......¡± Mia Crowfield¡¯s head slowly drooped before it shot back up suddenly. Her eyes were trembling, and her lips were pulled down. Her face was considerably paler than usual. Yet the expression that emerged on her face was one of noble determination. ¡°Alright.¡± Mia Crowfield said in a somewhat trembling voice. ¡°If you two areing out like this, I won¡¯t shy away from facing it head-on. My father is not that kind of person.¡± ¡°......¡± Alice let out a very slight sigh. ¡°Good, then.¡± Alice turned her body and began to walk. I followed, as did Mia Crowfield. The knight standing by the door opened it for us. Inside the building... it was definitely a structure with windows, but it felt too dark. * As we walked, the only sounds were the creaks of the old wooden stairs under our feet and the sound of our footsteps. If there was anyone being subdued inside by the knights, we should at least have heard someints, but there was no such sound, creating a sense of unease. The imperial knights were stationed intermittently in the narrow corridor. Though their attire seemed like it should creak, they stood like statues, ready to greet us. They were exceptionally well-trained. The smell I remembered from myst visit was gone. Fortunately, it seemed that the ce wasn¡¯t being used for ¡°that purpose¡± anymore. ¡°This way, Your Highness.¡± At the corner of the second floor, a knight was standing in front of what looked like the smallest room. As Alice, Mia, and I approached silently, the knight opened the door for us, just as he had done when we entered the building. And inside was¡ª ¡°What do you think?¡± As we stepped inside, Alice turned her head slightly toward me. She didn¡¯t fully turn, so I couldn¡¯t see the expression on her face, as it was obscured by her hair. However, I could clearly sense the contempt in her voice. Inside the roomy a middle-aged man sprawled on the floor, subdued by the knights. His arms were bound behind him. He looked rtively older, yet his physique was still robust, but hecked the strength to push aside the knight who was sitting on his knee. ...He had looked terrifying when I had seen him as a child. A few books were scattered on the floor. They were novels revered as ssics.@@novelbin@@ Next to those booksy a shattered pair of spectacles, one lens cracked. Chapter 130 ¡°Who¡­ is this?¡± As Alice entered the room and fell into silence, Mia Crowfield asked in a somewhat anxious voice. To be more precise, it seemed she couldn¡¯t grasp the current situation. But I didn¡¯t answer her question. Neither did Alice. I simply walked slowly forward, looking down at the man¡¯s face. The man was staring nkly at the floor. What should I do? It was quite an ambiguous situation. It was true that this man had beaten me. He probably didn¡¯t intend to kill me. I had lost consciousness, but I woke up shortly after. Since ire was able to escape alive in the original story, it must have been a literal ¡°processing¡± of me that left me in such a state. If he were going to sell me to a necrophiliac, it would have been better to kill me right there and take me away than to keep me alive and hand me over fresh after killing me. Should I grab his hair and lift his head? After seriously contemting, I decided against it. Doing so while squatting like this would mean that the inside of my skirt would bepletely visible to him. Moreover, Alice and Mia Crowfield, who were standing, would also see... But then again, these two weren¡¯t in school uniforms, so maybe it wouldn¡¯t matter. Hah. Am I really so shallow that I¡¯d have such thoughts in front of a man I had given up looking for? ¡°...¡± Well, one thing is certain. That night, if it hadn¡¯t been me, another girl would have suffered the same fate. There were orphanages other than the one we were in. ¡°About ten years ago.¡± As I sorted through my thoughts, I finally spoke. ¡°There was an orphanage that burned down. Do you remember it?¡±@@novelbin@@ ¡°...¡± The man didn¡¯t answer for a while. Just as I thought he had no intention of responding, he answered in a rough voice. ¡°I remember.¡± He was speaking formally. He might not know who we were or why we were here. But he couldn¡¯t possibly miss the emblem of the royal family, a griffin, clearly depicted on the armor of the knights who burst into this building. Evenmoners from neighboring countries would recognize such a symbol. It was a seldom-seen emblem, but here it was, in such proximity. ¡°Were you nearby?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Does he know why I¡¯m asking this? Perhaps he just thinks that refusing to answer correctly in this situation would be far worse for him. ¡°Back then¡­ there was a woman beside you. Do you know where she went?¡± At a nce, she seemed like a noblewoman, but upon closer inspection, it appeared she was dressed overly extravagantly. While it was this man¡¯s job to process and select the children, she must have yed a significant role and likely was nearby. ¡°...Thest time I saw her, she was at the institute.¡± ¡°...¡± I shut my mouth and quietly stared at the back of the man¡¯s head. His hair was thick. It looked like someone who had never truly suffered. Well, considering the role he yed in life, he must have ¡°really¡± suffered at some point, but at least he lived proudly off money that was less than honorable. I slowly raised my body and nced around. As soon as I entered the room, my gaze had been fixed on the man, preventing me from taking in the surroundings. I didn¡¯t recognize the ce. It felt quite different from when I hadst been here. Of course, it would be. To decorate it sovishly, they must have at least repainted the wallpaper. Ten years had passed, and the wallpaper in that house back then¡­ must have been stained with opium smoke and bodily fluids. ¡°Is this house yours?¡± I asked as I walked slowly around the room. Everyone in the room was holding their breath. Mia Crowfield was naturally anxious, but even Alice, who had been assertive when bringing me here, and the knight pressing down on the man were silent. ¡°...Yes.¡± ¡°It seems you¡¯ve worked hard.¡± It would be difficult to buy even a single room in such a house with a regr wage. It wasn¡¯t just a matter of expensivend or housing costs. The wages paid to workers were ridiculously low. Ah, the good old days, the Belle ¨¦poque. An era pushing the extremes of capitalism. Anyone who worked could earn money, and with the hard-earned cash, they lived with dignity. And even the one paying the wages could adjust the amount to their liking. There were nows to protect tenants. To pay rent, one had to work fourteen hours a day, and if you workedte into the night, you¡¯d inevitably feel sleepy. If you dozed off, your hand might get caught in the press. If you lose a hand, you lose your job. Then the worker would scrape together what little money they had to go to an opium den or drink themselves into oblivion, cutting reality out of their lives. They¡¯d wander the alleys, begging for money, smoking opium, drinking, until finally, their stomach and liver couldn¡¯t take it anymore, and their already fragile life was snuffed out. In the great homnd of the Azerian Empire. On the streets of the empire. And this man must have worked hard to cut away that life. Using children who were far too young¡ªtoo young even by this world¡¯s standards¡ªas material. ¡°...¡± The man was silent. ¡°You sold fantasies so that the weary workers could findfort.¡± Through opium. ¡°...¡± ¡°You gave value to children who would have otherwise frozen to death on the streets and provided them a chance to contract with suitable employers.¡± A chance to sell their bodies. Whether they wanted it or not. It was far too young to even think about such things. ¡°...¡± The man had no answer. Or could he not answer? Did he understand the meaning behind my words? ¡°Isn¡¯t it something to be proud of? The one who sheds light on the dark sides of the great empire is someone like you, isn¡¯t it?¡± Before I knew it, I had walked a full circle around the room and stood in front of the man again. The man¡¯s back remained visible. The wallpaper in the room was definitely not of cheap quality. The solid wood of the shelves and desk, and the mana stone lights on the desk. The curtains, the mattress, the leather-bound books filling the bookshelf, the silk curtains, and the expensive shirts hanging on the coat rack, along with the wristwatch and pocket watch neatly ced on the desk. Not a single item was cheap. In this cramped room, those expensive items created an appearance that seemed modest and warm at first nce, but if you looked closely, you could tell how extravagantly this person had lived. Now that I think about it, it was the same back then. The fur on the coat he wore. The cane he held. None of it looked cheap. I could easily guess what he had sold to earn such money. ¡°How did you purchase this mansion?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Who introduced you?¡± I heard Mia Crowfield gasp, but I didn¡¯t turn around. My gaze remained fixed on the back of the man¡¯s head. ¡°Did you have any connections with anyone in thisnd?¡± ¡°The em¡ª¡± As I spoke, Mia Crowfield took a step forward and made a loud sound, but it seemed Alice stopped her. The sentence was cut off midway. It seemed that reason had fled when Alice grabbed her shoulder. ¡°...¡± The man didn¡¯t answer. Bang! A loud sound erupted. A small scream came from behind. At that moment, the knight, who had been pressing down on the man¡¯s arm, looked up at me. Through the slit of his helmet, I could see his surprised eyes wide open. The man¡¯s head mmed against the floor, making a loud noise before bouncing back up. The well-kept hair on the back of his head became disheveled. Thankfully, it hadn¡¯t broken. Was that a good thing? It could break and be put back together. What happened to the man¡¯s face? Had he smashed his nose into the floor? I heard a small groan. His head wasn¡¯t hanging low, so he didn¡¯t seem to have fainted. I slowly looked down at the floor again and asked quietly. ¡°Answer me.¡± ¡°...¡± I decided to count to five in my mind. 5, 4, 3¡ª ¡°You¡¯re being unreasonable.¡± With two seconds left, the man spoke. His voice, which had been normal just a moment ago, now sounded rough as if it were ground into the earth. Moreover, it seemed to seep out through clenched teeth. ¡°Unreasonable?¡± When I asked back, the man continued. ¡°...Wasn¡¯t the imperial family already aware of this?¡± ¡°...¡± The room fell silent. I shifted my gaze back to the knight¡¯s face. Just as I had seen when I swung my foot earlier, his eyes were wide open. ¡°Could you please tie this man up and step outside for a moment?¡± When I spoke in a calm tone, the knight nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll continue the conversation once he¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°...¡± The man remained silent. Chapter 131 The man was now sitting up.@@novelbin@@ Of course, it wasn¡¯t afortable position. He was tightly bound to the chair. His arms were tied behind his back, his legs secured to the chair¡¯s legs, and a strap crossed his chest, fastening him to the back of the chair. If he wanted, he could probably struggle to free himself, but all he would achieve would be to tip over. Like all the furniture and decorations in the room, even the chair he sat on was luxurious. It wouldn¡¯t break from just a fall. ¡°The imperial family was aware.¡± I repeated thest thing the man had said. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°It means exactly what it sounds like.¡± Blood was flowing from the man¡¯s face. Seeing his face up close brought back clearer memories. The man with the round sses. His distinctive mustache and well-kept hairstyle. Of course, his clothes were different now, as he was wearing just a rolled-up shirt and trousers. His nose was crooked. It looked like it had been broken when he mmed his face against the floor earlier. Considering he was answering my questions so readily, it seemed he thought the reason I was asking him these things was simply because I was part of the royal family. It was understandable. He had never seen my face, at least not since I had turned back time. ¡°The imperial family must have known. That there are ces in the institute and other cities where drugs and people are sold.¡± A soft groan interrupted my thoughts, and I turned to see Mia Crowfield standing there, her face pale. Leaning against the wall, it seemed she couldn¡¯t standfortably. However, Alice didn¡¯t let her go outside. It seemed she thought she needed to hear this. She had been the one to ask the questions from the start. Moreover, it seemed Mia Crowfield wasn¡¯t nning to leave. Even though she was barely managing to stand, her eyes were fixed firmly on the man. ¡°Nobles are all turning a blind eye. As long as their authority isn¡¯t challenged and it doesn¡¯t interfere with running their territories¡­ they haven¡¯t captured us. It¡¯s easier to control those gathered in sight than those moving stealthily in uncontroble ces.¡± Thus, the rtionships became intertwined. ¡°But, the Emperor must not have directly permitted it, unlike some nobles.¡± ¡°...¡± However, my response didn¡¯t elicit any further excuses from the man. It was just a blind eye. The orphanage I had been in was under the watch of Lucas. If Lucas had wanted to, he could have killed the orphanage director and taken all the children away. But Lucas didn¡¯t seem inclined to do that. Moreover, the Emperor hadn¡¯t given Lucas orders to save the children... ...Wait a minute. ¡°In the institute, what was your position?¡± At my question, the man looked up at me as if he couldn¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t know that. For a moment, I thought about striking his cheekbone, but I restrained myself and waited patiently for his answer. ¡°I was just a middleman. I bought the goods requested by busy people and resold them.¡± ¡°...¡± I nced at Alice. She nodded, her face rigid. She had said that those at the top were thoroughly messed up before it reached this point. This man was just a nobody. He acted gentlemanly and spoke with an air of ease, but the real buyers were the nobles, and he was merely a distributor who took requests... buying raw materials to process and sell. Those ¡°goods¡± were likely children at times, or maybe drugs. But if that¡¯s the case... Then that orphanage he frequented must have just been one of many. If so, why was Lucas keeping an eye on that ordinary orphanage? If the Emperor didn¡¯t intend to obliterate that organization, it wouldn¡¯t make sense for Lucas to monitor the orphanage. ¡°Silvia.¡± Suddenly, Alice called my name, pulling my thoughts back to the present. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Though she asked that, her expression indicated she knew I wasn¡¯t. I wasn¡¯t okay. But it wasn¡¯t because of this man. I felt difort and thought that it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to kill him right now, but a more significant issue arose in my mind. If Lucas was intentionally watching that orphanage¡ªof course, he must have had some reason for targeting it¡ª If Lucas¡¯s reason for being there was to find ¡°ire,¡± then there must be a basis for Lucas choosing me instead of ire. And the Emperor saw me, taken by Lucas, and made a judgment on what I was. What was the Emperor ¡°looking for,¡± what ¡°something¡±? What was it like in the original story? ire, who barely survived in a terrible environment, ultimately awakened her abilities under extreme stress, causing a massive fire in the middle of the institute. The cause of the fire was amp, but she emerged from that huge ze without a scratch thanks to her innate talent. In the original story, Lucas sought ire after seeing that talent. In the original story, after ire sacrificed herself for Alice, the Emperor¡¯s ns began to copse rapidly. In the original story, several hints suggested that there was some secret to ire¡¯s birth. Then, what about here? Here, Lucas sought ¡°me¡± after seeing my talent. If so, that¡¯s a misunderstanding. I have no secret regarding my birth. Such a thing doesn¡¯t even exist. What did the Emperor mistake me for to ept me? ¡°Silvia?¡± Alice cautiously called my name again. I looked at Alice¡¯s face. It was a face I had seen for the past ten years. From a very young age until now. Perhaps ire sacrificed herself for Alice for that very reason. For Alice, who had been like a sister she had fought with every day. Then, what if... What if I were to sacrifice myself for Alice in this world? If ire were still alive and the story flowed simrly to the original... ...Why hadn¡¯t I noticed this until now? I knew that Lucas had specifically taken ire, and I knew there were many orphanages besides that one. I had even entertained simr questions in my mind several times, so why was it only now that I was realizing it? * ¡°So, what happened here?¡± After the man was taken away, Mia Crowfield asked with a sense of urgency. ¡°Who is that man? What connection does he have with our father...?¡± Right, this was another issue. ¡°Mia, for now, just sit down a little.¡± There were still no knights in the room. It was just us inside. Alice pointed to the bed rather than the chair where the man had been sitting until recently. While there wasn¡¯t any blood on the chair, it seemed she was ufortable making Mia sit in a ce where a criminal had been bound. Of course, the bed had been used by a criminal too. ¡°That man... sold things to your father, to Count Crowfield.¡± ¡°What things?¡± Even Mia Crowfield should have been able to recall something vaguely from the previous conversation, but maybe she didn¡¯t want to believe it. She asked as if she didn¡¯t know anything. ¡°...Children. Conversely, opium was probably the product being sold here.¡± Alice hesitated for a moment before answering. Mia Crowfield¡¯s face went nk. It looked as if all emotion had drained away. ¡°...No.¡± After a moment of silence, she murmured. ¡°No way!¡± And her voice gradually grew louder. ¡°No way, my father, my dad couldn¡¯t have done that!¡± Her previously dazed eyes sharpened again. The sharpest I had ever seen Mia Crowfield, including her face from before I turned back time. ¡°You¡¯re tarnishing the honor of our deceased father¡ª¡± ¡°...His eyes.¡± Just as Mia Crowfield was about to get up from her seat, I opened my mouth. ¡°Do you remember your father¡¯s eyes?¡± ¡°...¡± Mia looked up at me, still wearing a confused expression. ¡°Have you ever seen his pupils shrink to a dot?¡± Mia¡¯s mouth opened slightly. I had seen it. Every time I faced the Count, his pupils were tiny dots. I had never seen them change size. A pale face. An emaciated body. Dark circles under his eyes. Bloodshot eyes, as if he hadn¡¯t slept for days, and pupils that had shrunk to dots. Even in a dark ce like this dim room, his pupils had remained tiny dots. ¡°It¡¯s the characteristic of someone who uses drugs. In the dark, their pupils keep contracting.¡± ¡°Ah, my father... he was just working hard for the territory...¡± ¡°Do you truly believe that?¡± At my question, Mia Crowfield looked up at me, speechless. Chapter 132 ¡°Father¡­¡± Mia Crowfield murmured weakly. ¡°Your mother... she might have instilled a desire for revenge in you. She may have told you to seek vengeance against me, Alice, or even the imperial family.¡± ¡°...¡± I continued speaking as she kept her head bowed. ¡°But you know, don¡¯t you? Your mother does too. If you attempt revenge, that alone would spell the end for the Crowfields.¡± ¡°That¡¯s...¡± ¡°And if that¡¯s the case, then your mother should have sought vengeance right after your father¡¯s death, when there was still a justifiable reason. If she knew something, wouldn¡¯t that have been the best time to expose it? The other nobles would have weed it. Even if they couldn¡¯t kill the Emperor, it would have dealt a significant political blow. But the Crowfields didn¡¯t initiate revenge immediately. Why do you think that is?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°It¡¯s because there were discussions between the imperial family and the Crowfields.¡± With her head still bowed, Mia Crowfield slumped, unable to say anything. ¡°At that time, taking action ¡®right then¡¯ would have meant that the Emperor had cards to y. Perhaps something everyone knows but cannot openly reveal¡ªa dreadful reason. Your mother must have needed to erase traces of that reason to seek revenge.¡± ¡°And that man¡­¡± Alice, who had been listening quietly, interjected. ¡°He must have taken advantage of that. By leveraging the Crowfields¡¯ efforts to erase the evidence, he was likely able to buy a house like this. There¡¯s nothing more detrimental to a justification than someone who knows even a little about the past speaking up.¡± A somewhat painful expression crossed Alice''s face as she spoke. After all, she had spent a semester with Mia. They had even fought together, risking their lives. She might think there was a way to simply kill the man. But a man like him wouldn¡¯t have threatened ady without being prepared for the situation. At the very least, he would have put on a show of bravado. And that man also had his own value. The ce he traded wasn¡¯t the only one. If he was the one who took the drugs, he likely sold them in some other territory as well. Later, when establishing a ¡®justification,¡¯ he might have used that as leverage to draw others into supporting him. It would certainly be an extremely ¡®discourteous¡¯ act. Now that he was caught, he would undoubtedly spill everything. ¡°...¡± Mia Crowfield slowly raised her hands to clutch her head. ¡°You... you killed our father.¡± ¡°...¡± For a brief moment, I considered whether I should respond to that statement. It was a strange feeling. Back at the beginning of the semester, on the very first day when I had a proper conversation with Mia Crowfield, I had openly stated that I had killed her father, who was a drug-addicted pedophile. Yet, oddly enough, it was incredibly difficult to utter the same words now. It felt as if the words had turned into a physical object lodged in my throat, refusing toe out. This must be the weight of time. I couldn¡¯t say we hadpletely be friends, but still, the time we had known each other was pressing down on me, preventing me from speaking those words.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Yes.¡± So, I could only manage that one word. What happened next was instantaneous. ¡°Mia!¡± Alice screamed. It was hard to breathe. Mia Crowfield, shorter than me, had tightly gripped my neck with both hands. With all her strength. Though her hands were small, they had enough force to choke a person. But it was just a moment. Before Alice could rush in and pull Mia Crowfield away, the strength left Mia¡¯s hands. Her hands slipped from my body, falling down. Mia Crowfield knelt on the floor. No, she copsed face down. With her face pressed to the ground, she wed at her hair with both hands. ¡°Mia¡­¡± Alice kneeled beside her but hesitated to touch Mia Crowfield¡¯s body. ¡°You knew¡­ you knew too.¡± In a faint, trembling voice, Mia Crowfield questioned. ¡°You also knew, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes. I knew.¡± I had known even before I came here. ¡°...Was it here?¡± ¡°It was here.¡± ¡°The children who were here, thest ones¡­ where did they all go?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± They might have been taken by the imperial family or disposed of by the count¡¯s household. I didn¡¯t know. I hadn¡¯t returned since then. ¡°...How many were there?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡± The evidence must have all burned away by now. The children who had been here were likely gone, their names never even spoken. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Mia Crowfield¡¯s moan gradually transformed into a cry that was difficult to express in words. Several knights outside the door instinctively kicked it open, freezing in ce. * After returning to the Count¡¯s mansion, Mia Crowfield staggered past the Countess¡¯s side. There were no greetings, no embraces. Without even making eye contact, she brushed past Mia Crowfield, and the Countess shot us a look of hatred before turning sharply and following her inside. Leaving that mansion behind, we climbed into the steam car that had been prepared in advance. Alice and I sat side by side in the back seat, but even after the car started moving, we didn¡¯t speak for a while. With a driver present, we had to choose our words carefully, and above all¡­ it wasn¡¯t a mood forughter. ¡°...Was it the right thing to do?¡± After a long silence, Alice finally spoke those words. And I had already prepared my answer to that. ¡°You did well.¡± It was a sincere answer with no hidden meanings. At first, I had been at a loss for words when I heard that they had forged the Emperor¡¯s orders¡­ but in the end, it was something that would happen eventually. At least it would be better for Mia Crowfield than if it had happened during the semester. She would have time to gather her thoughts. ¡°But¡­¡± Alice bit her lip. ¡°What if what the imperial family is doing is the same as the wrongful acts of other nobles¡­?¡± The confident appearance she had before entering that building was nowhere to be found. The Alice sitting next to me was speaking in a pained voice. ¡°Do I even have the right to punish such things?¡± ¡°...¡± For a while, I stared silently out the window. I had no authority to grant such rights. I, too, had once been a child in that orphanage, but now I was merely the Emperor¡¯s pawn. But it wasn¡¯t Alice¡¯s fault either. Just as the Count¡¯s actions weren¡¯t Mia Crowfield¡¯s fault. ¡°At least,¡± I carefully opened my mouth. ¡°At least the fact that you, Princess, considered doing such things means that you¡¯re different from the Emperor.¡± To my words, Alice was silent for a while. ¡°...Thank you.¡± After a long contemtion, Alice¡¯s response was that. * ¡°Your identity.¡± After taking Alice to her room, I immediately went to meet the Emperor. It was fortunate that Alice had much to think about. If not, I would be standing here alongside her and wouldn¡¯t have been able to ask such questions. ¡°Why do you ask me that?¡± Seeing the Emperor look back at me as if he found it amusing, my insides boiled with frustration, but I remained patient and asked again. ¡°If you brought me here, there must have been a reason. Why did you ce Lucas in that orphanage?¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious as to why you¡¯re asking that now.¡± The Emperor spoke while cing his hand on his well-groomed golden beard, looking down at me. ¡°I won¡¯t force you to ask. It would be amusing to guess the reason.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯te here to y guessing games.¡± I red at the Emperor as I spoke, but he continued to regard me with a look of amusement. ¡°You already know your identity, don¡¯t you?¡± At that moment, my heart dropped. Could it be that the Emperor had already caught on? Was there some truth I hadn¡¯t read in the books, and he already knew that I hade from another world? ¡°You are my daughter.¡± But my anxiety quickly faded. The sigh of relief I might have released was stifled by how irritated I felt. I was grateful for that revtion. ¡°So, not that kind of answer¡ª¡± ¡°Hmm? I am speaking the truth. This is the answer you wanted.¡± The Emperor spoke with a smile. ¡°You are my daughter. You have undoubtedly inherited my talent. Perhaps, you¡¯ve also inherited the talent of your mother. Of course, I don¡¯t remember what kind of person your mother was.¡± So simply. As if he were answering when his real daughter asked, ¡°Am I a child you picked up from under the bridge?¡± ¡°...Yes?¡± ¡°You are.¡± The Emperor said, leaning slightly toward me with a smile. ¡°You just imed to be my daughter.¡± ...And that... That must be the story about ire. And it would also rte to the ¡°Emperor¡¯s children.¡± The reason the Emperor could think of his ¡°children¡± as mere ¡°children.¡± ¡°...¡± For the first time sinceing to this world, I was struck with a look of shock in front of the Emperor. Chapter 133 How did the Emperor manage to gather such capable individuals among so many orphans? It wasn''t as if the Emperor had hundreds or thousands of children, nor did he deploy knights to go out and search for them. yers spected. Somehow, the Emperor must have had a ¡°certain method¡± to gather these talented children, and perhaps that ¡°certain method¡± was rted to ire or other bloodlines of the Emperor¡¯s offspring. I ended up entering this world before I could see the truth in the game. But who would have guessed that this ¡°certain method¡± involved ¡°mixing his own blood¡±? If that were the case, the Emperor must be an incredibly confident man. Actually, ¡°confident¡± might be an understatement; ¡°arrogant¡± might be a more fitting word. He seemed to assume that his children would naturally inherit his ¡°outstanding abilities,¡± without question. He would spread his blood as widely as possible¡­ avoiding the nobility due to the politicalplications, and instead, spread his blood in ces where no one cared, bringing back only those children who disyed exceptional abilities. Hah. I let out a faint chuckle. The idea of ¡°children of the Emperor¡± wasn¡¯t something thought up only in the current Emperor¡¯s reign. Previous emperors had kept such children close as well, and even emperors known to have ¡°not done such things¡± still had elite personal guards. This sense of pride in one¡¯s lineage wasn¡¯t limited to the Emperor but was shared by the entire imperial family. Still, if that¡¯s the case¡­ In the original storyline, I, who wasn¡¯t supposed to be there, am likely not the ¡°targeted child¡± the Emperor intended. Originally, ire would have been the one in that position. If the Emperor¡¯s approach was merely to ¡°sow seeds,¡± he likely didn¡¯t pay much attention to the specifics of the partner. He probably just sent someone he trusted to keep an eye on where each child from these women ended up. The color of her hair¡ªblue or ck¡ªwouldn''t have mattered to the Emperor. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Sitting in my chair, staring at the ceiling, I sighed in admiration at my own conclusion. If some entity ced me in this world, they certainly put me in the right spot. Even managed to tie me up with a hidden birthright. And as for the power I was given¡­ Instead of a vague talent like swordsmanship that would require a lifetime of dedication to see results, I was given endless chances to correct my mistakes. And even though the Emperor knows that my fighting style relies on that power, he still thinks I¡¯m his daughter. That¡¯s right. The Emperor has mistaken me for ire. And it¡¯s all because Lucas brought me, not ire. ¡­I need to find Lucas. --- Lucas probably doesn¡¯t know he might be the Emperor¡¯s legitimate son. To be honest, he didn¡¯t bear much resemnce. Furthermore, judging by the circumstances, Lucas¡¯s childhood as an orphan was likely as miserable as ire¡¯s. He probably wouldn¡¯t ¡°naturally¡± consider himself of imperial blood. After all, who would imagine that, even if illegitimate, a child of the Emperor would be left to suffer in such conditions? So, I needed to talk to Lucas, to find out why he chose me, and to understand what his past was like. Only then would I have the certainty I needed. The damned Emperor had thrown that bombshell at me and then justughed, saying, ¡°Figure out the rest yourself.¡± The problem was, I had no idea where Lucas was. Be and another sibling had already been deployed on missions. In fact, those two had remainedrgely anonymous, making them quite useful, so they were always busy. If Be hadn¡¯t been assigned a specific mission, I wouldn¡¯t have seen her at all. So, I went to find the only ¡°sibling¡± I could meet immediately. And that person was¡ª ¡°Lucas?¡± At the mention of Lucas¡¯s name, Jayden¡¯s brow furrowed instantly. ¡°How would I know where Lucas is?¡± Fortunately, Jayden didn¡¯t seem angry with me, but rather with Lucas himself. Abandoning his position without informing the Emperor was a show of disloyalty to someone like Jayden, the Empire¡¯s strongest knight. I looked up at Jayden¡¯s golden hair, neatly divided in an 80/20 split. Seeing him up close, his hair color looked quite simr to the Emperor¡¯s and Alice¡¯s. But using that as evidence would be difficult¡ªgolden hair wasn¡¯t umon in the Empire. Still¡­ it was hard not to think differently after hearing that story and seeing such a shade of gold. Though Jayden had rigorously trained in imperial swordsmanship, he, too, probably had a dark past, just like ire or Be. Perhaps his obsession with elegance stemmed from that. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Why? Did he do something to you?¡± ¡°No.¡± At my response, Jayden shrugged and went back to packing. The way he fit his belongings perfectly into the massive trunk made me wonder how he managed to arrange everything like a puzzle. Impressed, I asked, ¡°Are you being deployed?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jayden nodded, continuing to pack. ¡°I was assigned to the north. Thanks to your recent achievements¡ª¡± He nced at me, his expression openly proud. I nearly shivered at the sight but managed to hold it back. ¡°¡ªwe managed to wipe out an entire warlord faction, though simr groups still remain. Since we¡¯re not officially at war with the autonomous state, we can¡¯t deploy an entire army, but even one skilled irregr will make a huge difference in battle.¡± With that, Jayden shut the trunk with a snap. ¡°The north¡­¡± It was somewhat daunting to think that I would be the only child of the Emperor left in the pce, but then, an idea struck me. ¡°Do you have a means of transportation?¡± ¡°They want me to arrive quickly, so I¡¯ll probably be traveling on a supply ship.¡± A ¡°supply ship¡± wasn¡¯t an ordinary vessel. If we were near the ocean or argeke, it might mean an actual ship, but onnd, it referred to an ¡°airship.¡± While not as fast as the Dreadnought aerial battleship, which could reach 100 km per hour, the supply ship¡¯s direct route without stops made it faster than a train in terms of actual arrival time. ¡°Would it be possible for me to join you on that ship?¡± With only two weeks left until the end of the break, time was critical for me. ¡°Hm? Even though it¡¯s a military supply ship¡­ Not that I don¡¯t trust you, but boarding it does require proper procedure. I registered a week ago, but for you¡­¡± Not bypassing protocol with his authority showed Jayden¡¯s ¡°straightced¡± character. That¡¯s probably why the Emperor used Jayden as a ¡°public operator.¡± ¡°I have¡­ an urgent matter.¡± ¡°An urgent matter, huh?¡± Jayden¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°Is this rted to an order from His Majesty?¡± Uh¡­ Not exactly. I coulde up with another reason, but as a knight of the Empire, Jayden would definitely verify with the Emperor. Not because he suspected me, but because he would want a clear understanding to handle the mission properly. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Sylvia?¡± Seeing me fall silent, Jayden tilted his head. ¡­Alright. In that case¡­ I¡¯d have to exploit Jayden¡¯s one weak spot. I took a deep breath, calming myself as much as possible, then sped my hands in front of my chest. Looking up at Jayden wasn¡¯t hard; he was taller than me, after all. But the next part was. ¡°O¡­¡± ¡°O?¡± Jayden repeated, watching as I hesitated mid-sentence. ¡°O¡­dear brother.¡± I couldn¡¯t bring myself to call him ¡°oppa,¡± so I settled on a formal title that fit my character. Yes, this is just part of my character; it¡¯s not something I¡¯m saying by choice. At least, that¡¯s what I told myself. With Jayden frozen in ce like a statue, I took another deep breath and said, ¡°Dear brother¡­ please?¡± Jayden stared at me, mouth agape, then rubbed his forehead. Just as I thought I¡¯d failed¡­ Jayden let out a sigh, dragging his hand down his face, then touched his forehead again. A faint smile yed on his lips, his eyes glimmering with the look that said, ¡°What a little troublemaker.¡± ¡°Oh dear.¡± I immediately regretted what I¡¯d said and seriously considered rewinding time.@@novelbin@@ ¡°If my sister asks like that¡­ there¡¯s nothing I can do. Don¡¯t worry, Sylvia. This ¡®dear brother¡¯ will take care of it.¡± ¡­I genuinely considered it. Chapter 134 Strictly speaking, a school break is like a holiday for workers. Of course,pared to an actual worker¡¯s vacation, it¡¯s incredibly long, and usually, kids with the social status to attend an academy tend to enjoy itfortably without working. ire and Leo could have done the same. However, both of them were highly driven. Neither Leo nor ire hesitated to spend the entire break diligently training to improve their swordsmanship. And both of them had met the "Swordmaster" during the semester. Though the time they spent learning from him was brief, they had both earned the title of ¡°disciple.¡± Moreover, they were even told that they coulde to learn anytime they had the chance. For such purposes, the school break was an ideal period. With this in mind, Leo and ire nned to head north right after the visit from the two princesses ended. Of course, life rarely flows exactly as nned. "ire, you¡¯ll stay here." Naturally, it didn¡¯t. ¡°Mother?¡± But life doesn¡¯t always follow exactly what one expects or desires.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Inheriting the Grace swordsmanship is a good thing. If you have a great teacher like the Swordmaster, then it¡¯s proper to pursue your swordsmanship with gratitude. After all, it¡¯s not a chance given to just anyone.¡± ¡°Mother, then¡ª¡± ¡°But.¡± The Baroness of Grace sighed softly as she spoke to ire. ¡°ire, isn¡¯t it about time you started preparing for marriage?¡± ¡°¡­Excuse me?¡± ire¡¯s face went nk, her mouth slightly agape, reflecting a bewildered expression of ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying you need to marry right away. You can think about it slowly after you be an adult. But, even so, you need to be equipped with the basics.¡± ire¡¯s face began to flush slightly. ¡°At the very least¡­ you need to carry yourself properly as a ¡®youngdy.¡¯ This break will be focused on that.¡± ¡°But, Mother¡ª¡± ire¡¯s face took on a pleading expression, but the Baroness of Grace seemed resolute. ¡°ire, you are the daughter of our family. I believe you should receive proper education to ensure there¡¯s nothingcking if you marry someone one day.¡± Beneath her wordsy an unmistakable affection. ire found herself at a loss for words. Seeing ire¡¯s dazed expression, the baroness smiled gently. ¡°Still, if, during this break, you manage to refine your manners to represent our family well, then I will allow you to go north for swordsmanship training in the winter.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ire¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Really, Mother?¡± Seeing ire bouncing in excitement, the baroness let out a soft sigh. ¡°¡­Yes, but first, let¡¯s do something about that boisterous behavior of yours.¡± --- ¡°Haha¡­¡± Frederick, the Swordmaster, chuckled softly after hearing Leo¡¯s story. ¡°Time passes, yet people¡¯s perceptions don¡¯t change so easily, it seems.¡± He shook his head. ¡°For such an enlightened family to still think that way¡­¡± Muttering to himself, Frederick added, ¡°Though even if they think it doesn¡¯t matter, other nobles may think differently.¡± Frederick nodded as if he understood why one of his disciples was absent. ¡°Well, alright. That child will likely ovee such adversity without much trouble. Let¡¯s hope I can properly teach both of you in the winter.¡± Frederick lowered his crossed arms. ¡°Then, let¡¯s start by calming the mind through meditation.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Leo nodded seriously, taking his seat. It waste July. --- A month under a Swordmaster is an incredibly short time. The Swordmaster had spent decades honing his skills, so naturally, imparting all of that would require aparable length of time. However, that month wasn¡¯t without progress. Leo became more focused and steady in his approach to swordsmanship. The precision and sharpness at the tip of his sword had noticeably improved. Previously, he and ire had been roughly on the same level in skill; now, he felt he could edge out a victory by a narrow margin. Living in a hut built near a cliff¡ªa ce where the weather barely held up¡ªalso helped. The harsh environment was, in itself, a form of training. Despite the difort, Leo felt satisfaction as he sensed his steady growth. ¡°Hm.¡± As he was calming himself through meditation as usual, he heard a sound from the Swordmaster. Opening his eyes slightly, he saw the Swordmaster with a hand on his chin, staring at the thin wall of the hut. He wasn¡¯t actually looking at the wall but at something beyond it. ¡°It seems we have an uninvited guest.¡± Frederick ced a hand on the basket of herbs on the table. ¡°Could it be Teacher Jennifer?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not her footsteps. If it were, she would¡¯ve boldly walked in without hiding a sound. And her movements wouldn¡¯t be this unsteady.¡± Frederick narrowed his eyes. While it was an unfamiliar presence, he didn¡¯t feel it was an expert skilled enough to pose a threat. There was no malice, either. Those whock skill often fail to suppress their killing intent, broadcasting it widely and failing to surprise their target. A skilled individual would suppress their hostility and dispatch their target in one clean strike. Could it be that they genuinely had a visitor? Perhaps someone lost while climbing the mountain for fun? Regardless, Frederick tightened his grip on the basket. ¡°¡­¡± Without hesitation, the intruder boldly approached the hut¡¯s door and opened it. Frederick timed it perfectly and threw the basket. As the door opened, the basket spun through the air, scattering its contents¡ªandnded precisely on the forehead of a young girl. ¡°Eeek!?¡± Surprised by the high-pitched squeal, Frederick blinked. Leo, too, turned his upper body toward the door, still seated cross-legged. The girl, who had fallen onto her rear, was petite and appeared fragile at first nce. Not that shecked a certain feminine charm, though. With tears in the corners of her eyes, the girl rubbed her forehead. ¡°Sylvia?¡± Leo asked in a somewhat dazed tone. The girl, addressed as Sylvia, blinked as if only now realizing she was sitting on the floor. She seemed to momentarily forget the pain in her forehead. Looking nk for a moment, she suddenly snapped out of it and¡ª ¡°Redo!¡± She shouted¡ª --- After bumping my forehead on that damn basket again, I¡¯d forgotten about it. It had been months since I¡¯dste here, so it was only natural I¡¯d forgotten¡­ but still, it was embarrassing. Especially since even Leo inside the hut saw me. ¡°Hoo¡­¡± I rewound a few seconds, took a deep breath, and opened the door again. The door, its ill-fitting hinges creaking, opened with a groan that betrayed its poor craftsmanship. And then I saw the basket flying toward my face. Raising my free hand, I caught the basket. Snap. Thankfully, it seemed Frederick wasn¡¯t throwing it with the intent to kill, so I managed to catch it fairly gracefully. ¡°Oh-ho.¡± Frederick let out a small exmation. ¡°Sylvia?¡± This time, there was no bewilderment or shock in Leo¡¯s voice¡ªjust pure surprise. Trying to keep myposure, I calmly ced the basket on a nearby table. ¡°Sylvia, is it?¡± Frederick looked thoughtful for a moment, then smirked slightly, a bit of a predatory gleam in his smile. ¡°I see. So you¡¯re the one who made a name for yourself on the battlefield recently.¡± ¡­What¡¯s this? Why does it feel different from when we first met? For a moment, I wondered if Frederick remembered me, but it didn¡¯t seem like that, fortunately. Instead¡ª ¡°If you¡¯re my disciple¡¯s close friend, then I should at least see your skills.¡± He gripped his sword. Wait, hold on! Chapter 135 At the very least, the Swordmaster wasn¡¯t actually trying to cut me down with a real de. But that slight mercy didn¡¯t make much difference to me. After all, even if I got cut by a real sword, I could just rewind time to before the injury, so getting shed was merely a matter of experiencing some pain. And Lucas¡¯s sword, as sharp as one might expect from a sword of the crown prince, didn¡¯t inflict pain immediately. My brain would release a rush of endorphins right after the sh, numbing the sensation. As a result, whether I was struck by the Swordmaster¡¯s blunt weapon or a real de, the pain didn¡¯t differ much. In fact, in a strange way, this blunt sword¡ªwithout the numbing effect of endorphins¡ªfelt even more painful. Additionally, getting hit still meant I had to rewind time. Unlike Lucas, who would swing once, and after I dodged, it would end there, the Swordmaster¡¯s strikes came in rapid session, forcing me to rewind time over and over. ¡°Hm.¡± After unleashing a series of five consecutive strikes, forcing me to rewind time at least a dozen times, the Swordmaster rested his sword on his shoulder, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Very strange.¡± He muttered words I¡¯d heard before. ¡°No talent whatsoever.¡± ¡°Talent¡­?¡± Leo, listening from the side, echoed in shock. Thwack! ¡°Gah!?¡± The Swordmaster¡¯s swordnded on Leo¡¯s forehead, prompting a yelp. ¡°You¡¯re my disciple, yet you can¡¯t recognize whether someone has talent or not? This kid has no talent at all. Honestly, the way I see it, the only reason you¡¯re dodging is sheer luck.¡± He was absolutely correct. I was dodging on pure instinct. I tried to make my movements elegant and precise, but the truth was, there was no method or discipline behind them¡ªjust random, instinctive movements without adherence to any particr style. In that regard, the Swordmaster was far better at recognizing my ws than Lucas. Lucas might be a more talented and powerful fighter, but he likely saw my movements as a sign of innate physical prowess. ¡­And that was probably why he¡¯d resolved to cut me down in the first ce. ¡°You, what are you¡ª¡± ¡°S-sir!¡± Seeing the Swordmaster refer to me as ¡°you there,¡± Leo, standing awkwardly nearby, panicked. ¡°Hm? What is it?¡± ¡°Well¡­ that is¡­¡± Leo approached the Swordmaster, cupping a hand by his mouth to whisper something. He was likely exining my identity. Specifically, the fact that I was a ¡°princess of the Empire.¡± Thwack! ¡°Ugh!¡± But as soon as the Swordmaster heard that, he smacked Leo¡¯s forehead again. ¡°Is the fact that she¡¯s an imperial princess really that important? Have you even considered why I built this hut on this cliffside? It¡¯s because I¡¯m sick of statuses and politics. In this ce, only skill in swordsmanship matters. So,¡± Pointing his sword at me, the Swordmaster Frederick dered, ¡°Here, you¡¯re no different from the lowest rank.¡± Despite my appearance that couldn¡¯t exactly conceal my femininity, he continued to address me as ¡°you there.¡± ¡­Then again, calling me ¡°you there¡± was probably his way of avoiding more offensivenguage. He was already a bit of an old-fashioned character, and being even more abrasive wouldn¡¯t help his case. Watching the Swordmaster call me ¡°of the lowest rank¡± made Leo¡¯s face turn pale, almost to the point of blue. Honestly, I could let it slide. After all, I was here as a disciple. My teacher might not remember me, but technically, Leo and I were fellow disciples. ¡°I understand.¡± So, maybe I could help out my fellow disciple with a little reminder. ¡°Oh-ho.¡± The Swordmaster lifted one corner of his mouth in amusement. ¡°Well, alright. Since you made it all the way here without drawing your weapon, it seems you¡¯re not here as an enemy. If it¡¯s a story you¡¯re after, I¡¯ll listen.¡± He gestured to an empty chair, inviting me to sit. --- Sitting down, I candidly exined my reason foring here. Of course, I left out details about my ability or lineage¡ªthings I wasn¡¯t ready to reveal. Someday, I might tell them, but for now, I focused on the urgent matters at hand. ¡°So, your stepbrother wants to cut off your head, and you want to find him?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And you have something to discuss with him?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And he¡¯s likely stronger than I am?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°¡­Are you, by chance, suicidal?¡± The Swordmaster asked, looking at me as if I¡¯d lost my mind. It wasn¡¯t exactly a fair questioning from him. At the mention of a swordsman stronger than himself, he¡¯d looked intrigued, and he¡¯d epted me as a disciple simply because I¡¯d offered to introduce him to Lucas. If anyone was taking these things lightly, it was him. I didn¡¯t actuallyugh, though. I could read the room. ¡°¡­.¡± As we sat in silence, Leo prepared tea for us, his expression rigid and serious. I lifted the teacup to my lips, and for the first time in ages, winced purely at the taste, casting a sharp nce at Leo.@@novelbin@@ Leo, catching my eye, looked incredibly wronged. The tea he¡¯d prepared¡­ seemed different from what I usually drank. On closer inspection, the color was pitch ck, closer to herbal medicine than tea. Perhaps he¡¯d brewed the herbs from the basket Frederick had thrown earlier. ¡°Is there any sugar?¡± ¡°Hah.¡± When I brazenly asked, the Swordmaster let out an incredulousugh. ¡°Are you serious? You want to put sugar in herbal medicine?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± On second thought, it probably wasn¡¯t a great idea. I silently set the teacup down. Then, I addressed the Swordmaster. ¡°No, I don¡¯t have a death wish. I simply have an urgent need to ask him something.¡± I needed to hear why Lucas had chosen me. And if Lucas had been monitoring that facility from the beginning, then he might know how I ended up there¡ªor, at the very least, he might know whether I had simply appeared there suddenly. And perhaps he knew where ire came from, too. There were a lot of things I might not learn, but Lucas was the only person I could turn to for answers. If things went wrong, I could just rewind time and pretend none of this had happened. That way, I wouldn¡¯t have to die at Lucas¡¯s hand. And while I was at it, I could erase the embarrassment of calling Jayden ¡°dear brother.¡± That overly proud face he¡¯d made, introducing me to themanders as his ¡°little sister¡±¡­ I¡¯d rather that memory disappear. ¡°Hm.¡± After hearing my story, the Swordmaster turned to nce at Leo. Leo¡¯s face was stiff with tension. ¡°But I¡¯m curious. Why did you feel the need to seek me out to find this Lucas character?¡± Turning back to me and leaning over the table slightly, the Swordmaster looked at me with unmistakable interest. More interest, even, than he¡¯d shown upon hearing about my status. ¡°Because,¡± I replied slowly, hoping to sway the Swordmaster with my answer. ¡°It¡¯s certain that, before he tries to reach his final target, Lucas will seek you out as an intermediate goal.¡± In the original story, the Swordmaster¡¯s death happened farter. I couldn¡¯t be certain if Lucas was currently tracking me or not. So, expecting him to appear before me within a few days was unrealistic. But, at the very least, I could make it so that Lucas might appear ¡°someday.¡± If I heard that Lucas had shown up to challenge the Swordmaster, I could just rewind time to a few days prior ande here to meet Frederick. And for that to work, it would be best if the Swordmaster Frederick left his reclusive mountain retreat and returned to the city. If he positioned himself openly, he¡¯d be easier for Lucas to find. Ideally, I could bring him near the capital. ¡°Oh-ho.¡± Frederick smiled more wickedly than he had when I¡¯d first entered the hut. ¡°So, he sees you as more of a ¡®threat¡¯ than me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How arrogant.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Seeing the Swordmaster¡¯s hand grip the hilt of his sword once more, I felt myself tense up. Chapter 136 ¡°Pleasee to the capital.¡± I spoke with a tense expression, not letting my resolve waver. ¡°There, you can be with all your disciples.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± The Swordmaster seemed to contemte my words, and for a moment, he loosened his grip on his sword. I felt a momentary relief¡ªonly to be abruptly interrupted. Thwack! ¡°Eek?!¡± The Swordmaster¡¯s de tapped sharply against the top of my head. Reflexively, I clutched my head, ring up at him. He looked at me with a mixture of exasperation and disbelief. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what I said earlier? I came to this mountain to avoid the world. And you want me to endure the crowds in the busiest part of the capital, surrounded by all sorts of people?¡± The Swordmaster scoffed. ¡°And as bait, no less? I¡¯m not foolish enough to fall for such a flimsy trick.¡± Of course, he wouldn¡¯t be. Internally, I agreed. A man who¡¯d lived on a mountain for decades wasn¡¯t likely to leave just because of a stranger¡¯s words. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll stay here.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll remain here until I convince you toe.¡± I wasn¡¯t unprepared. There were only about two weeks left of my break, but I could spend those two weeks persuading him, figuring out what approaches might work, and then rewinding time to refine my attempts¡ª Thwack! ¡°Gah?!¡± ¡°Is that exmation part of your vocabry or something?¡± Hitting someone on the head without warning and then making that kind ofment was beyond frustrating. Not that I could actually defeat him if it came to it. ¡°A grown woman¡ªeven though I may be older¡ªis suggesting spending the night in a man¡¯s home? That would damage your reputation. And beyond that, the fact that you¡¯d even consider such a thing is problematic, especially for a princess.¡± ¡°¡­¡± He hadn¡¯t seemed to care when I¡¯d stayed overnight with Jennifer, or when Alice had done the same. ire had even stayed, too. Granted, Jennifer was with us those times, but in the original storyline, the Swordmaster was never a character who cared about such things. He was just looking for reasons to send me away. Ignoring my re, he turned his gaze elsewhere. ¡°And why are you so frozen in ce?¡± ¡°Ah, well¡­¡± Leo¡¯s forehead was damp with sweat, his hair clinging to his brow. ¡°Are you upset that I keep tapping ¡®Her Highness¡¯ on the head with my sword?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve met other princesses before, you know? And if I cared about rank, I wouldn¡¯t have taken Jennifer as my disciple.¡± ¡°Y-yes, but¡­¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± The Swordmaster turned back to me. ¡°Is Alice your elder sister or younger?¡± ¡°She¡¯s my sister¡ª¡± Leo started to respond, but a quick nce from me made him close his mouth. ¡°...She¡¯s my ¡®sibling.¡¯¡± ¡°Oh-ho.¡± The Swordmaster smirked, his lips twisting in amusement. ¡°I see. So that¡¯s how it is¡­¡± He crossed his arms, pausing to think. ¡°Well, fine. It¡¯s alreadyte. Sending you down the mountain at this hour wouldn¡¯t be right.¡± He rose from his seat. ¡°I¡¯ll let you stay for one night. But leave tomorrow. I¡¯m not idle enough to entertain you any longer.¡± He¡¯s definitely not as busy as he ims.@@novelbin@@ But at least I had his permission to stay the night. It was a start. --- ¡°Did you learn that from Alice?¡± At dawn the next day, as I sat cross-legged in meditation, waking at the same time as Leo, the Swordmaster asked this question. It was the first thing he¡¯d said to me since yesterday¡¯s conversation. He¡¯dpletely ignored me since, which, in hindsight, was justified given my presumptuous request. But if words wouldn¡¯t convince him, then actions would. He¡¯d dered I had ¡°no talent¡±st night, so all I had to do was show him some ¡°talent.¡± And waking up at the same time as Leo seemed a good ce to start. Peeking slightly, I noticed Leo watching me, somewhat surprised. His expression was more contemtive than shocked, though. He¡¯d been there with me at the ruins in Northwood and might be wondering if I¡¯d already trained here before. The truth was, I didn¡¯t have any talent in this area. I hadn¡¯t even learned the basics of meditation untiling here, and it had taken me 300 days to master the simplest technique under this ¡°Swordmaster.¡± Learning any other moves would take me even longer. But for now, I needed to make it seem like this ability was my ¡°talent.¡± Only then might the Swordmaster take me seriously. I heard the sound of his footsteps approaching, and I shut my eyespletely, resuming my meditative state. The Swordmaster moved around to observe me from the front, as if scrutinizing my posture¡ª And just before he could speak¡ª Bang! The door burst open with a loud noise. ¡°¡­Alice. If you open the door like that, it might break.¡± The Swordmaster spoke leisurely, as if he¡¯d expected Alice. His demeanor waspletely different from when I¡¯d arrived. ¡°If it breaks, I¡¯ll buy you the finest door I can find.¡± Alice¡¯s voice was calm, yet somehow sounded deeply angry. ¡°I doubt such a door would suit this ce,¡± the Swordmaster replied, sounding mildly amused. Alice didn¡¯t seem to hear him. I found their exchange intriguing. Though I¡¯d met the Swordmaster before and knew his character from the game, this was the first time I¡¯d seen him and Alice interact directly. In the game, aside from main story dialogue, other party members, besides Leo, often faded into the background during side quests. Although the developers tried to give attention to detail, the sheer amount of main story text meant they couldn¡¯t dedicate as much care to side quests. As the party options increased, it was easier to skip dialogue entirely, especially to save on development costs. But this was real life. I couldn¡¯t just skim over it with a single line like, ¡°They shared opinions¡± or ¡°They all trained together.¡± ¡°What brings you here? It doesn¡¯t seem like you came to train, unlike Leo.¡± ¡°¡­I came to find my ¡®sister.¡¯¡± I couldn¡¯t read people¡¯s energy, but I could tell that the Swordmaster was now staring intently in my direction. ¡°Did something happen at the pce?¡± I kept my eyes tightly shut, trying to look deeply immersed in meditation, as if I werepletely oblivious to Alice¡¯s presence. Of course¡­ I had a feeling that wasn¡¯t particrly convincing. After all, just closing my eyes didn¡¯t make me invisible. ¡°I¡¯d like to speak with Sylvia for a moment.¡± There was the sound of fabric brushing against wood as Alice made her request, likely prompted by the Swordmaster gesturing to the table. ¡°You¡¯re free to use the table. Since there¡¯s no separate room here, I can¡¯t offer privacy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Alice¡¯s voice carried a hint ofughter. It didn¡¯t sound warm, though. --- ¡°I heard about it.¡± ¡°¡­About what, exactly?¡± Alice and I sat facing each other across the worn table, with Leo and the Swordmaster standing about three paces away, both looking curious about our conversation. I pondered briefly. Could it be about Lucas? Had Alice somehow learned that she and I might actually be sisters¡ª ¡°I heard you called Jayden ¡®dear brother.¡¯¡± ¡ªApparently not. Still, I realized the importance of what Alice had just said. I turned toward Leo. Leo looked at me, his mouth hanging open, clearly not expecting to hear such words from me. Unfortunately, I had no idea how to control my rapidly beating heart, which was now pounding with embarrassment. ¡­Maybe I should at least learn how to deal with this kind of shame during my two weeks here. And as for Jayden, who apparently didn¡¯t bother to keep that little incident to himself¡ªI was definitely going to make him pay. Even if it was my fault for forgetting to ask him to keep it a secret. Chapter 137 I first attempted to change the subject. ¡°How did you get here?¡± ¡°By carriagest night.¡± ¡°¡­Did someone drive you here?¡± ¡°The pce is crowded with people. I couldn¡¯t exactly ask them to run a train at such an odd hour, could I? It¡¯s not like it costs just a few pennies.¡± Taking a steam car here wouldn¡¯t be cheap either. No, more than that, arriving by ¡®car¡¯ from the capital to here was no small feat. Although the roads were somewhat established, many of them were just dirt paths. They were maintained to some extent, but still. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I didn¡¯te alone; there were knights escorting me.¡± Seeing Alice lean back in her chair with her arms crossed, I felt the urge to p my forehead once again. If it had just been Alice and me, I might have actually done it. ¡°Is this all because of the time I called you ¡®dear brother¡¯?¡± ¡°That ¡®all¡¯? You don¡¯t really think that was just a minor issue, do you?¡± Alice raised an eyebrow at me. ¡°¡­¡± If it wasn¡¯t just a minor issue, then what was it? But I wasn¡¯t foolish enough to voice that thought out loud. For whatever reason, Alice looked incredibly serious right now. ¡°You don¡¯t call anyone else such¡­ intimate names. Doesn¡¯t that mean you have something important enough toe all this way for?¡± That was¡­ quite astute. The implication that ¡°Alice and ire might be sisters¡± was a significant bombshell, and I couldn¡¯t admit toing here to confirm that truth without bringing up the Emperor¡¯s words, which would lead her to think I was talking about ire and not me. Time rewinding was a fantasy concept, and in a world where goddesses might actually exist, even if I got caught, it would likely just lead to shock or surprise. But telling someone I came from another world and that this world¡¯s story was merely a game? That was a whole different matter. It implied my will didn¡¯t truly matter, and the narrative might already be set in stone. ¡°¡­¡± Seeing me hesitate to answer, Alice sighed deeply. ¡°Well, fine.¡± With her arms still crossed, she squinted at me. ¡°After all, you came here intending to stay, right? So I¡¯ll stay with you while you¡¯re here.¡± Hearing a sound, I turned my head to see the Swordmaster Frederick pressing his forehead with his hand. He had his eyes tightly shut, making the wrinkles on his face appear twice as pronounced. ¡°Are you two girls really nning to stay in my hut?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, Master.¡± With a gentle smile on her face, Alice looked toward her teacher. ¡°If Sylvia says she wants to leave, I¡¯ll consider returning today.¡± Then she turned back to me, observing my expression. ¡°You don¡¯t seem too keen on leaving, though.¡± I stared at Alice silently for a while, then slowly opened my mouth. And then closed it again. Hmm. While it had been embarrassing to call Jayden ¡°dear brother,¡± and I regretted it now, it hadn¡¯t been an overwhelmingly difficult thing to do. I had nned to rewind time after discovering the truth anyway. Of course, there was no guarantee I¡¯d actually find Lucas within the remaining two weeks of break. He could be off in another country or training in the mountains to cut me down all at once. But if I didn¡¯t find him, that was fine too. I could always rewind time to think of another way, or enjoy the rest of my break and reconsiderter. However, saying ¡°sister¡± to Alice¡­ Even if I could rewind time, I felt an inexplicable aversion to doing so. It was just a thought, but for some reason, it felt like it would be a significant¡­ blemish in my life. ¡°¡­¡± Alice was still looking at me, as if to say, ¡°If you have something to say, go ahead.¡± ¡°...Um¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± I took a deep breath and spoke. ¡°Could you just go back home and wait instead of being here?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Alice didn¡¯t seem to catch what I said, tilting her head slightly toward me. ¡°What are you trying to say? It¡¯s hard to understand when you break it down like that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I clenched my eyes shut, biting my lip. Then I took another deep breath and blurted out, ¡°Sister, could you not be here and just go home to wait?¡± ¡°¡­¡± After hearing my words, Alice¡¯s face lit up with a victorious smile, her eyes sparkling as if they were brighter than the stars still twinkling in the sky. ¡°Yes? What is it, Sylvia?¡± Seeing her affect that deliberately gentle tone only made me seriously consider rewinding time and pretending that my earlier history with Jayden had never happened. But I ultimately concluded that no matter what, that feeling of embarrassment wouldn¡¯t entirely disappear. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything,¡± I finally said to Alice, who now looked ready to hear anything. ¡°Please?¡± ¡°¡­¡± After hearing my plea, Alice¡¯s smile grew even wider. ¡°I understand how much you care for your sister,¡± she began, and at those words, I felt a wave of intense anxiety wash over me. ¡°But I can¡¯t just leave my sister here and go back, can I?¡± ¡°This ce¡­¡± The Swordmaster mumbled in a somewhat wounded voice. Hadn¡¯t he just been acting like he didn¡¯t care moments ago? ¡°Alice will stay here with Sylvia.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I felt a different kind of irritation rising, watching the Swordmaster press his fingers to his forehead, letting out an exasperated sigh. ¡°Well, fine.¡± He turned his gaze toward me. There seemed to be no emotional weight in his gaze, but somehow, it felt sharp enough to pierce me. It was the same gaze he¡¯d held when I¡¯d been meditating here. Even just yesterday, he had no intention of letting me stay overnight, but perhaps seeing me in that meditative state had changed his mind. ¡°However, don¡¯t make me a nuisance. I already have one disciple I¡¯m teaching here.¡± The Swordmaster''s gaze shifted toward Leo, who stood stiffly in front of us, havingpletely frozen in a military posture. I had thought his demeanor would soften outside the academy, but apparently not. After all, students frommoner backgrounds often felt ufortable around their noble counterparts. They¡¯d rather keep things formal to avoid the potential awkwardness of trying to build camaraderie, especially knowing they would have to revert to politeness after graduation. It was easier to think of their rtionships as strictly defined from the start than risk getting hurt by being treated as equals. ¡°However, you three are equals here. There¡¯s no one higher or lower among you.¡± The Swordmaster looked at Leo with a certain disdain. Leo seemed utterly stiff, unable to rx in our presence. ¡°Additionally,¡± The Swordmaster continued as we nodded in agreement, ¡°there are no genders here. The training is the same, regardless of whether you¡¯re male or female.¡± ¡°That¡¯s something I¡¯ve already experienced,¡± Alice nodded, affirming his words. And I¡­ ¡°¡­¡± Only then did I realize the gravity of the situation. It was fortunate I hadn¡¯t been kicked out, but¡ª@@novelbin@@ The Swordmaster¡¯s gaze toward me felt ominous. It was the same look he had given me when I was meditating here. Chapter 138 I had been training diligently, so I had built up some stamina. However, the problem was that keeping up with Leo, the ¡®protagonist,¡¯ or Alice, the ¡®sword-wielding heroine,¡¯ was not an easy task with that stamina alone. ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re pouring all your effort into that weapon,¡± the Swordmaster said, looking at me with a rather disapproving expression. ¡°Whenparing the skill of using a gun to wielding a sword, it¡¯s clear that swordsmanship requires much better physical capabilities. After all, isn¡¯t it true that handling a firearm only takes a few weeks of training?¡± Hearing that, I seriously debated whether to argue back, but ultimately decided to keep my mouth shut. The Winterfield region in the north wasn¡¯t oppressively hot, even in midsummer. But summer was still summer, and while the temperature was in the mid-twenties Celsius, the sun hung high in the sky, making training in the scorching heat anything but easy. I found myself lying down, exhausted after running around under that zing sun. And the Swordmaster looked down at me, uttering those words. I felt a desire to counter his im, but I also thought it wise not to tire myself out by speaking. After all, I was the one who sought him out, not the other way around. Besides, one of his disciples, Jennifer, had learned the sword just enough before leaving to immediately start using firearms instead. She thought, ¡°This is enough to be useful in a real fight,¡± and went off to learn how to mix in firearms. From the Swordmaster''s perspective, firearms must have been a rather unpleasant concept. ¡°Hm, still,¡±@@novelbin@@ the Swordmaster said, watching me closely. ¡°Your tenacity seems decent enough.¡± I trained by repeatedly rewinding time. If my stamina wasckingpared to the other two, then my only option was to find the best way to make it work. I didn¡¯t n on cheating by falling back. Doing so would just get me on the Swordmaster''s bad side. As I climbed the hill, I searched for the best footholds, rewinding time to find them. ces where my foot wouldn¡¯t slip too easily, spots that were easy to grip with my hands, ces where I could exert strength without the rocks moving, and where I could save my thighs from fatigue. I looked for those spots step by step, advancing while conserving my stamina. Rewinding time required no extra effort. ¡°Have you been here before or something?¡± The Swordmaster asked, genuinely curious. It was a reasonable assumption. From my perspective, I was effectively creating the optimal route and running through it by rewinding time, but to an outsider, it probably looked like someone who had already mapped out the area was moving through it. Having lived alone without neglecting my training, the Swordmaster must have seen it that way too. ¡°You really are a strange one. At first, I thought you were just someone without talent who got lucky.¡± The Swordmaster crouched down a little away from where Iy sprawled out on the ground, gazing at me intently. ¡°Did you find your way here through someone else¡¯s guidance?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I thought you must have heard it from one of my disciples, but you seem like someone who could have found my location through other means. After all, I¡¯m hidden away, but I didn¡¯t use any special methods to do so.¡± As expected of the Swordmaster, it felt like he could see through my identity to some extent, just as he had back when I trained with him. Seeing the corners of his mouth turn up slightly, it seemed I had seeded in catching his interest. An unknown entity suddenly popping up in his mundane life. That¡¯s how he would perceive me. ¡°So, what exactly are you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I pondered seriously. The Swordmaster¡¯s previous expression when he told me to e again¡± ovepped in my mind. After all, the Swordmaster now was no different from the one I had met then. It was just that I had encountered him a littleter. So, I thought about revealing that to the Swordmaster but decided against it. He might believe me. He was quick to judge situations. But¡­ If I wanted to exchange information, I should have him find me before I die. And at that time, I would see if I could guess his identity. I hoped he wouldn¡¯t give me too many hints. If the one giving the riddle makes it too easy, it loses its fun. The Swordmaster had said that before. Even in situations where someone might feel their life was being undermined, or where their efforts seemed meaningless, he had said those words. If the one giving the riddle gives away too many clues, it bes less enjoyable to solve. And, I was also his disciple. Recognized directly by the Swordmaster. So, as his student, I shouldn¡¯t take away his enjoyment. I sat up from my previous position. Then I looked at my ¡®teacher¡¯ and said, ¡°Are you curious how I knew this ce and how I came to utilize this training method?¡± ¡°Of course, anyone would be curious about that.¡± But even while saying that, the Swordmaster still wore a subtle smile, as if he already knew I wouldn¡¯t share it. ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± I couldn¡¯t suddenly divulge the answer here. Hearing that, the Swordmaster¡¯s eyes widened slightly. Then, he let out a shortugh as if he had drunk some bitter but precious liquor. ¡°So, you mean to say that if I want to know your secret, you¡¯re inviting me to the capital? If I watch closely, I¡¯ll find out what kind of secret you hold.¡± ¡°Not entirely incorrect.¡± I looked straight at the Swordmaster. ¡°Besides the secret of how I could move like this, there are many secrets in the capital that would be fun to learn when revealed.¡± ¡°And of course, you have no intention of revealing all those secrets yourself.¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± At my words, the Swordmaster stared at me for a while longer, still wearing that somewhat fearsome smile. ¡°You¡¯re quite bold.¡± But at least this time, he didn¡¯t hit my forehead. * ¡°Pack your things, everyone.¡± The next morning, the Swordmaster announced. As we sat around the old, small table eating a dish made of rabbit-like meat, he boldly made that statement. ¡°Master?¡± Leo, who had been eagerly eating the meat, suddenly looked dazed. However, the Swordmaster seemed undeterred by Leo¡¯s expression. ¡°We¡¯re all descending after breakfast today.¡± ¡­Did I provoke him too much? Had I appeared too arrogant and offended the Swordmaster? I had thought that since he had such a boisterous personality, it would be better to present something intriguing rather than a practical trade, but perhaps I was mistaken. I pondered whether I should rewind time to the conversation before this, but the Swordmaster continued. ¡°By the way, Sylvia.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± The Swordmaster, casually turning his gaze back to his te, picked up a piece of meat to eat as he spoke. ¡°Is there a ce for me to stay in the capital?¡± ¡°¡­¡± For a brief moment, I was at a loss for words, then quickly regained myposure. The time I hesitated was so short that perhaps Alice or the Swordmaster wouldn¡¯t have noticed. Even so, out of the three people sitting here, two of them were aware. ¡°Of course.¡± Just in case, I had kept a guest room empty among the chambers in the pce. It wasn¡¯t a room solely for the Swordmaster, but rather one I had left empty in anticipation of bringing someone from outside the pce. It could wait to find a separate house for him, but for now, it would be best to let him stay there. I doubted anyone in the pce would oppose it. The knights would probably be thrilled, right? The Swordmaster wouldn¡¯t be too pleased, but I decided not to mention that on purpose. ¡°Then I¡¯ll trust you.¡± The Swordmaster said that and continued his meal. As Alice and Leo turned their gazes toward me, seemingly expecting an exnation, I simply focused on my food like the Swordmaster. * ¡°Swordmaster?¡± After our supplies were replenished, the supply ship, following the manual, would check its status and return to the capital. Normally, we wouldn¡¯t have the luxury of taking a flying ship. If we had dyed even one more day, the supply ship would have been flying toward the capital by now. However, the Swordmaster had made up his mind much quicker than I had expected, so we were able to board the supply ship on our way back. Leo was the eldest son of a family close to the imperial family, and the Swordmaster was¡­ well, the Swordmaster. Seeing him like that made Jayden¡¯s surprise understandable. Having heard that his sister was returning to the capital, Jayden rushed from the front lines, recognizing the ragged old man immediately. ¡°Are you Jayden? I¡¯ve heard news about you from Jennifer a few times.¡± The Swordmaster spoke while stroking his chin, but Jayden merely gaped, unable to respond. Soon, it seemed he realized he couldn¡¯t engage in a longer conversation with the Swordmaster since he had to be here. ¡°I¡¯d like to see the skill of your brother since you say you¡¯re his brother.¡± Hearing the Swordmaster¡¯s words, Jayden quickly turned his head toward Alice and me. ¡°¡­¡± Just for the record, I had nned not to engage Jayden in conversation, so I simply turned my gaze to the side. Jayden seemed thoroughly disappointed, letting his shoulders slump once more, but what did that matter? Chapter 139 "The world has truly advanced a lot," remarked the Swordmaster as he looked at the airship while we waited to depart. "When I was young, I never even imagined that humans would be flying through the sky," he added, clearly impressed. In the Swordmaster¡¯s youth, wasn''t the shing of swords moremon than gunfire? Decades ago, swordsmen who could unleash sword energy had a clear advantage. While guns and cannons existed back then, firearms with cases were still an emerging concept, and mass production hadn¡¯t quite taken hold. This kept ammunition prices high, so most armies preferred single-shot weapons. This was why firearms often had ¡°magazine cut-off devices,¡± which might seem cumbersome today. Things have changed with modern warfare, where nes fly in the sky, steam-powered tanks and machine guns are employed. Fortunately, the northern warlords can¡¯t afford to maintain such advanced weaponry. "Even so, your great swordsmanship hasn¡¯t lost its shine, Swordmaster," I said, hoping to offer some ttery. "..." The Swordmaster turned to the voice beside him. Unsurprisingly, it was Jaiden. Jaiden had been trying to catch my eye, eager for an introduction to the Swordmaster, but I was avoiding talking to him, and Alice was simmering with frustration. It was probably because I had called Jaiden ¡°older brother¡± before I had referred to her as ¡°sister.¡± I felt like calling her out on such a trivial reaction, but I knew that would only lead to another unpredictable outburst, so I kept my mouth shut. Instead, I left Jaiden to bear the brunt of her frustration. "I am Jaiden Fangryphon, leader of the Gryphon Knights," Jaiden introduced himself. "Ah, so you''re a prince as well," the Swordmaster noted with a brief nce at me. "By chance, I ended up taking both of your sisters as my disciples." Jaiden¡¯s mouth dropped open a little at that. His gaze was ufortably intense, so I averted my eyes. "R-Really?" he stammered, a glimmer of hope crossing his face. After all, the Swordmaster had epted two imperial children as disciples, so Jaiden thought he might be weed as well. ¡°Seeing such a grown-up older brother, it seems that skill runs in your family,¡± the Swordmaster mused, then nced at Alice and me, his gaze shifting between us. Having observed me during training earlier, he must have sensed something. He hadn¡¯t yet seen Jaiden in action, but if he figured out my moves were a ¡°deception,¡± then he¡¯d surely be curious about Jaiden¡¯s abilities as well. For the Swordmaster, this was a hint to solve a puzzle. His approach to unraveling things was very¡­ Swordmaster-like. "Hmm." After a moment¡¯s thought, the Swordmaster murmured with a slight smile, "A knight captain, huh?" His lips curved into a smirk as he added, "I¡¯d like to test the swordsmanship of the Imperial Knights someday." An imaginary exmation mark seemed to appear over Jaiden''s head, like in a game. "Any time, I would be honored to wee you!" Jaiden replied eagerly. Hmm¡­ Watching the two of them, I thought, "Once I get all the information I need, I''ll have to turn back time." If those two end up teaming up, calling Jaiden ¡°older brother¡± would be the least of my worries. --- Once we had unloaded all the supplies, the airship was faster than when it had been carrying cargo. While the difference wasn¡¯t vast, it didn¡¯t need to make stops, nor did it depend on the state of the roads, so it was much faster than traveling by steam-powered car or train. When we departed and arrived, there wasn¡¯t much of a weing ceremony. Although I was a princess, it wasn¡¯t practical to prepare such events for me every time I traveled around. This was the same for Alice, the ¡°only true-blood princess¡± known to the public. However¡­ "What¡¯s all thatmotion?" asked the Swordmaster as he looked out of the slowly descending airship. Outside, lined up in neat rows, stood knights dressed in white uniforms. There were about twenty of them, both young and older, though all looked younger than the Swordmaster. Behind the knights, soldiers dressed in standard military uniforms waited in orderly rows. "Is this because there are two princesses on board?" "No," Alice and I shook our heads simultaneously. Alice¡¯s expression suggested she suspected the same thing I did. "...I think Jaiden must have arranged this." Even though the Northern and Central capitals are far apart, they¡¯re connected by phone lines. With just a word from the Swordmaster, Jaiden could have organized a grand reception like this. ¡°Hmph.¡± The Swordmaster let out a scoff of disbelief and looked at me. "This is exactly why I secluded myself in the mountains." This reception seemed more like an informal event put together by people at the airbase and knights in the capital. I guessed that those who hade did so as long as it didn¡¯t interfere with their duties. There were likely many who had wanted toe but couldn¡¯t. As the airship neared the ground, the faces of the gathered knights and soldiers became more distinct. Among them were not just ordinary soldiers but several officers in dark uniforms, contrasting with the soldiers'' attire. And among the officers, I noticed a familiar face. It was Jennifer. Jennifer, dressed in a uniform that closely resembled my own, stood proudly, looking up at us. Her expression was one of barely-containedughter. Seeing his eager student, the Swordmaster¡¯s brow furrowed deeply. --- "The capital is always so bustling," the Swordmaster remarked. "It¡¯s been nearly a decade since youst came, hasn¡¯t it?" "Seems even busier now, thanks to you, Jennifer." Jennifer, who had been in the capital on academy business, had rushed to join the reception upon hearing her master wasing. Now, as she escorted him to his room, she kept teasing him. "Didn¡¯t youe to this busy ce on your own, Master?" The Swordmaster didn¡¯t respond, either because he had no rebuttal or he knew arguing would only prolong her teasing. "Where am I staying?" he asked me instead. "...In the royal pce," I replied, watching his expression darken. I quickly added, "It¡¯s temporary. We¡¯ll arrange a ce for you outside the pce soon." "Oh, surely there¡¯s no better ce for you, Master! After all, you were a great hero in thest war¡ª" The Swordmaster''s hand moved swiftly, but Jennifer sidestepped it with ease. "So much for quietly staying here," he sighed, ncing at his hand before releasing a deep breath. ...Should I apologize? Honestly, this situation was mostly Jaiden''s fault. If he hadn¡¯t gotten so excited about alerting the capital, the Swordmaster wouldn¡¯t be this irritated. "Fine, then," the Swordmaster said suddenly in a calm voice. "Since I¡¯ll be staying near my disciples, I¡¯ll do my best to teach you all I can." His tone and expression were far more serene than when he was frowning earlier¡ª ¡ªYet somehow, he looked more furious than ever. Was it just my imagination? Sensing something ominous beside me, Jennifer let out a quiet whistle. "You''re all in for it." "..." "In this state, Master is ¡®serious.¡¯ Sylvia, you should be grateful. This could be an explosive opportunity to improve your swordsmanship." ...And it¡¯ll probably leave me feeling like I was hit by an explosion. "Oh, in that case, I just remembered, I need to go back to my estate¡ª"@@novelbin@@ "What¡¯s that supposed to mean?" Even I, who wasn¡¯t attuned to sword energy, felt something, so Leo, who had trained in swordsmanship, must have felt an intense threat to his life. But of course, the Swordmaster had no intention of letting Leo go. "Do you really think it makes sense for one student to skip out while the others are training? Weren¡¯t you nning to spend the rest of the break in a cabin, honing your skills?" The Swordmaster looked at Alice and me, then smiled kindly. "The royal pce should have one more room, shouldn¡¯t it?" "..." Well, it seemed he was genuinely serious. Chapter 140 Everyone has a n¡ªuntil they find themselves rolling on the ground like a madman, reduced to a ragged mess. Naturally, I turned back time several times during this training session. The training ground was inside the imperial pce, a ce I¡¯d used often and was quite familiar with. Being located within pce grounds, it was much tter than the mountain, so, theoretically, it was easier to run around here. Theoretically. But that theory didn¡¯t ount for the Swordmaster with a wooden sword. Dodging his sword strikes one by one was somewhat manageable. Once I got hit, at least I could track the sword¡¯s trajectory, which was simr to how Lucas wielded his de. Of course, the Swordmaster wasn¡¯t swinging with full intent, nor was Lucas back then. However, dodging continuously, beyond my physical limits, was impossible. Even if I paced myself carefully, trying my best to dodge, avoiding the Swordmaster¡¯s relentless wooden de indefinitely would be impossible without a skill level on par with his. I tried to block with the training gun I was holding, but that only highlighted my weakness. Whenever I tried to block, the Swordmaster would simply swing harder, emphasizing just howcking I was. Still, it wasn¡¯t all bad. It had been a long time since someone like Lucas randomly swung a sword at me. The feeling I¡¯d almost forgotten began to resurface. At least now, if Lucas were toe at me seriously... ...Well, to be honest, I wasn¡¯t confident. If Lucas genuinely charged at me with the intent to take my head, I wasn¡¯t sure I could evade. But... "No matter how I look at it, youck talent," the Swordmaster said, looking at me. But his tone didn¡¯t sound disappointed. "But it doesn¡¯t seem like you intend to give up." I simply thought about how pathetic I¡¯d look if I ran away now, but the Swordmaster seemed somewhat impressed by my persistence. "I don¡¯t dislike that kind of grit." It was something you¡¯d hear in a shonen manga. Considering the original game was made by a Japanesepany, it wasn¡¯t all that surprising. "Alright! We¡¯ll stop here for today!" At his words, Alice and Leo exhaled deeply. At least the two of them were still standing by the end. I¡­ Well, I didn¡¯t think lying on the floor was quite appropriate, so I was seated on a chair. It was too exhausting to sit up straight, so I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. Seeing me like that, Alice and Leo rushed over. "Sylvia, are you okay?" Not really. Thinking about spending at least two more weeks like this made regret flood over me. Is it really necessary to search for Lucas right now? Couldn¡¯t I just turn back time and make this all disappear, then spend the next two weeks resting peacefully? I considered it, but... When I lifted my head, my eyes met the Swordmaster¡¯s gaze, standing a bit away from Alice and Leo. He was smiling at me. I had no idea why he seemed so pleased. Was it a look of satisfaction? Seeing that smile made me feel that turning back time would somehow be like admitting defeat. ...Fine. No matter what, I¡¯ll wait until these two weeks are over before I turn back time. At the very least, I should fulfill my responsibility to the end before considering it. After all, having the ability to turn back time means that "toote" isn¡¯t really an option. "I¡¯m fine," I replied, though my gaze was fixed on the Swordmaster rather than Alice or Leo. I saw the Swordmaster¡¯s lips move as if to say "Hoho," a look I¡¯d seen maybe three hundred times during my meditation training. If I¡¯m seeing that expression more often now than before, maybe my training hasn¡¯t been entirely in vain. --- And so, I let my mind rx. Turning back time would erase those moments where I called Jaiden ¡°older brother¡± or Alice ¡°sister.¡± As for the term ¡°sister,¡± well... I should probably save that as something to pay back to Alice one day. Maybe at the very end when my nse together. This time, I wasn¡¯t intending to search for a relic. Though there was one in the capital, it wasn¡¯t the type to be found by clearing dungeons. So¡­ I figured there wouldn¡¯t be any surprise appearances from a masked woman in a ck robe who looks suspiciously like me. ... Or so I thought. "...You." In the pce training ground, I spoke to the masked figure in a ck robe. No lights were on in the open space leading outside. Especially in the training ground¡¯s center, there was no need to keep lights on. No one could enter here without climbing the pce walls or slipping in through the open roof of the training hall, where they would still be spotted by guards patrolling the corridors. Normally, guards would also be stationed inside, but I¡¯d dismissed them earlier to familiarize myself with the training ground. The masked woman had slipped in during that time. "How did you get in here?" This couldn¡¯t have been a coincidence. If that was "me," she¡¯d remember the timing of my actions. Even if she didn¡¯t recall every single day, she would at least remember significant days. Like the day I met the Swordmaster for the first time in the capital, ¡­or right at this very moment. In truth, asking how she entered might have been the wrong question. Wasn¡¯t this the very same being that once stood proudly in the deepest part of that ruin? Conventional methods and procedures meant nothing to her. Besides, she could also block my powers. Whether she existed in the same timeframe, causing my powers to sh with hers, or if she blocked my abilities intentionally¡ª Thinking about this sent a chill down my spine. "...Why now?" Yes, why now, of all times? If she could appear at any moment, there would be much better timing. Unless¡­ perhaps she was aiming for my life. If that truly were me, she shouldn¡¯t be doing something this cruel. Despite my startled voice, the figure gave no response. No, there was a reaction, of sorts. Upon hearing my voice, her shoulders trembled. It wasn¡¯t out of fear or tension. If she were afraid of me, she wouldn¡¯t have appeared here alone. Rather, it was¡­ A reaction of someone holding backughter. Her shoulders, wrapped in a long robe, shook slightly as if stiflingughter. I was sure I was right. "..." I tensed up momentarily, then rushed forward. And, almost too easily, I caught the hem of her robe. She was stillughing. Up close, I could hear the distinctive sounds of suppressedughter. "Who are you¡­!" But before I could say more, her mask suddenly moved closer. Then, as if determined to convey something, she spoke through the mask. "Sylvia." "..." She didn¡¯t seem to be attacking or nning to escape. Although her voice was tinged with a hint ofughter, I couldn¡¯t sense any hostility. However¡ª "¡ö¡ö, ¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡ö." Her words didn¡¯te through clearly. It was like trying to talk to someone several meters away underwater; her voice was muffled, blocked by something. "...What?" When I asked, unable to hear clearly, her shoulders slumped. It was as if she¡¯d been disappointed by something. "..." "..." For a moment, we simply stared at each other. Her eyes, visible through the mask¡¯s holes, sparkled. I still couldn¡¯t tell their color. The dim moonlight was the only light we had. Slowly, I released one hand. I raised it toward her mask. Even as I reached to pull off her mask, she made no attempt to resist. But¡ª "...Ah." At that exact moment, she vanished. As if she had never been there. ...Did someone take her away? "...No, more importantly." As the strange feeling faded and I came back to reality, another chill ran down my spine. Could it be, could it really be¡­ "N-no, surely not," I muttered, trying to calm myself. There¡¯s no way just encountering her would block my abilities, right? It¡¯s not like we even fought or anything. I took a deep breath and steeled myself.@@novelbin@@ "Alright." Bracing myself, I shouted, "Again!" Then I felt something hard m into me, and I cked out. When I awoke, I was back in the training ground. It was probably the same time as when I¡¯d first arrived; at least the position of the moon hadn¡¯t changed. The masked woman was gone. Lying t in the center of the training ground, I muttered while staring up at the sky. "Great, just great." Was sheughing because of this? ¡­Whoever that person was, whether it was me from the future or not, I swear I¡¯ll take her down. Chapter 141 Alice didn¡¯t have high expectations, truthfully. Sylvia calling Jaiden ¡°older brother¡± was likely not sincere but more a means to leverage Jaiden¡¯s power. While Alice didn¡¯t know exactly how Sylvia acted before using her ¡°ability,¡± she wasn¡¯tpletely clueless. Sylvia had never directly talked about her powers, nor had Alice asked her to. But from what their father had mentioned, it wasn¡¯t hard to infer the nature of her ability. If Alice could erase her own mistakes, she¡¯d likely do whatever she wanted and then simply take what she could get. It was the same conclusion Alice hade to herself. Still, she felt a bit resentful. After all, wasn¡¯t it unfair? Among those who had spent the longest time with Sylvia¡ªif not the longest, certainly one of the longest¡ªit was Alice. It had taken a while, but Alice genuinely thought of Sylvia as her sister. iming to be her ¡°older sister¡± was partly pride, of course. Moreover, Sylvia had shown a kind attitude toward Alice since they were young. While she maintained a distant demeanor with other siblings, she didn¡¯t hesitate to help Alice. But ¡°older brother¡±? Yes, she felt it was a little unfair. Even if that moment could be erased, it was still unfair. After all, for the time being, Alice remembered it. That¡¯s why Sylvia¡¯s reaction in the morning was a bit of a surprise for Alice. ¡°Sylvia?¡± Alice almost never had to wake Sylvia up in the morning. Usually, Sylvia was up before her. It wasn¡¯t that Sylvia slept less than others, but she seemed to value a consistent routine. During assignments, ire was often the one who woke up Sylvia even earlier, which Alice envied. The difference between ¡°saying¡± you¡¯re an older sister and ¡°hearing¡± it was as vast as heaven and earth. Saying ¡°older sister¡± was something she could do anytime, but hearing it required Sylvia to willingly ept it and use that term. In other words, if Sylvia didn¡¯t want it, it wouldn¡¯t happen. "..." In any case, the fact that Sylvia was upter than Alice indicated something was going on. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t anything dangerous, but it meant she¡¯d stayed upte for some reason¡ªsomething significant enough not to be erased by her power. Or maybe she was preparing to turn back time to before she called Jaiden ¡°older brother,¡± so small things like oversleeping didn¡¯t concern her anymore. Regardless, it was time for her to get up. The Swordmaster was waiting, and Alice knew from experience that he didn¡¯t care much forzy people. While he might not punish them, training could be several times harder for that day. Alice raised her hand and knocked on the door again. ¡°Sylvia?¡± There was no response from inside. ¡°I¡¯ming in?¡± Even after giving notice, there was no answer, so Alice opened the door and entered. Inside, she found Sylvia, already dressed and prepared to leave. Sylvia, wearing her academy uniform, sat absentmindedly in her chair. Yes, absentminded. To Alice, who could read Sylvia¡¯s expressions, it wasn¡¯t quite ¡°expressionless.¡± ¡°Sylvia?¡± It was only when Alice came closer and spoke that Sylvia blinked, as if snapping out of it. ¡°...Your Highness.¡± Hearing ¡°Your Highness¡± instead of ¡°sister¡± or her name made Alice¡¯s temper re, but she held it back. If Sylvia couldn¡¯t even hide her expression, the situation must be serious. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°...¡± Despite Alice¡¯s concerned tone, Sylvia only looked at her nkly for a moment before raising her hand to brush her face.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Is it serious?¡± ¡°Well...¡± Sylvia seemed to hesitate for a long moment at Alice¡¯s question. Seeing that made Alice¡¯s heart sink. --- I couldn¡¯t turn back to the moment before I called you ¡°sister.¡± How could I say that? Especially to someone looking at me with such a serious expression. Given the image I usually aimed for, I shouldn¡¯t be so flustered. I was supposed to be the cool, beautiful one, moving with grace and poise. I knew that my image would inevitably crumble one day, sure. But I hadn¡¯t expected it to be outside of my control. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± I let out a long sigh andposed my expression. Morning had already arrived while I sat there dazed. Though I had slept, it hadn¡¯t been restful. I woke up several times, dreaming of Jaiden grinning and saying, ¡°Come on, call me ¡®older brother¡¯ again!¡± After jolting awake three times, any trace of sleep had vanished by dawn. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Alice¡¯s expression was still serious, but she didn¡¯t press further. She¡¯d always been like that. If I didn¡¯t want to say something, she let it be. ...Well, except when it came to insisting on ¡°sister.¡± Now I couldn¡¯t even undo it. I forced myself not to cringe in embarrassment, barely holding back the urge to roll on the floor. Alright. What¡¯s done is done, so I might as well gather whatever¡¯s left of myposure. ¡°Yes.¡± With that, I stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Swordmaster.¡± ¡°Ah, okay.¡± I got up and walked confidently toward the door. ¡°Um, Sylvia?¡± Hearing Alice call from behind, I turned¡ª ¡°The training grounds are this way, aren¡¯t they?¡± she pointed down the opposite corridor. ¡°...¡± Stiffly, I turned and followed her. Alice¡¯s expression was still serious... But I couldn¡¯t admit it was because I¡¯d called her ¡°sister.¡± Nor could I tell her that the checkpoint was updating in real-time whenever I tried to check if the masked woman was still nearby. If Alice knew, she wouldn¡¯t let such an opportunity slip by. --- ¡°Sister!¡± The moment we reached the training grounds, that word¡ªnow almost a trauma for me¡ªrang out loudly. For some reason, ire was already waiting for us in the training grounds. ...Maybe I should give ire a nickname? If I gave her a name like ¡°sh¡± from some cringey light novel, maybe she¡¯d feel embarrassed and stop calling me ¡°sister¡±? But that seemed too risky right now. With ire¡¯s cheerful personality, she might actually like it and end up giving me a nickname in return. Another chill ran down my spine. I¡¯d felt this several times since yesterday. ¡°ire.¡± ire, smiling broadly, dashed up to us. ¡°Since Master is nearby, my mother gave me permission to train here.¡± ¡°Although the condition is that she returns home in the evenings for bridal training,¡± added Leo, who had followed her. ¡°Bridal training?¡± Alice asked, puzzled, and Leo shrugged. ¡°Well, we¡¯re from a baron¡¯s family. If we were of higher nobility, suitors would be lined up for ire, regardless of her elegance. But as barons, if they aren¡¯t from an equal family, they¡¯d scrutinize our conditions more closely.¡± ire shot a quick re at Leo for speaking formally, but she didn¡¯t deny his exnation. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll all grow up eventually.¡± ¡°Click, click,¡± the Swordmaster clicked his tongue at ire¡¯s words. ¡°Do you think age alone makes an adult? When I was your age¡ª¡± As the Swordmaster Frederick spoke, the expressions of the three who were talking grew awkward. If I weren¡¯t carefully controlling my expression after yesterday¡¯s ordeal, I might have shown the same look. The Swordmaster, for all his talk, had still tried to dissuade Leo from going to war back then. ¡°Ahem.¡± As he prepared tounch into a lecture, the Swordmaster noticed their expressions and cleared his throat. ¡°Well, what can I say? The times have changed, so even an old man like me has to keep up.¡± After looking us over, he spoke. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll begin morning training now. Breakfast will follow. Understood?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The training grounds echoed with our voices. I nced at the soldiers standing by the door. They were watching us with what seemed to be envy. ...Well, I suppose their restraint in not joining training wasmendable. Chapter 142 Though the masked woman disappeared in front of me that day, I knew she was still somewhere in this world. Even now, I couldn¡¯t turn back time to that moment.@@novelbin@@ This was still true at the present moment as well. I could have experimented further to see if I could turn back time, but the risks were too high. Imagine if I copsed suddenly in the middle of training¡ªespecially if it happened so abruptly that one moment I was standing, and the next, I was lying on the ground without anyone seeing me fall. That would look suspicious, wouldn¡¯t it? I figured it¡¯d be better to test my ability to rewind after training ended, but¡ª ¡°You seem especially exhausted today.¡± The Swordmaster, who hadn¡¯t known me long, could easily tell that I was in a worse state than yesterday. Then again, he was the Swordmaster¡ªhe would be able to sense such things. Plus, I hadn¡¯t slept wellst night, gued by worries and nightmares. Though I thought I was fully alert in the morning, my body wasn¡¯t lying. I was certainly more worn out than the day before. The only reason I was managing at all was because I¡¯d rewound and familiarized myself with the training ground yesterday. ¡°Hm.¡± Still, it wasn¡¯t like I was cking off. I was giving it my all. Perhaps the Swordmaster found this effort satisfactory, as he seemed pleased. But that expression didn¡¯tst long. After morning training, while we were gathered in the training hall having a meal, the door suddenly burst open. Had it been a private room, the person who entered so abruptly would have been considered extremely rude. The one standing beyond the open door was Jaiden. ...Jaiden? His usual wless 2:8 part... was a little disheveled. It looked like he¡¯d run here in a hurry; a few strands of hair were out of ce, and his shoulders were rising and falling heavily. His face was flushed as if he had just rushed over. Upon meeting our gazes, Jaiden pushed his stray hair back into ce, adjusted his uniform, and straightened his posture as he walked toward us. Seeing his breathing calm and steady as he approached, I couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡°Well, he is the Knight Captain, after all.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± The Swordmaster, as always, spoke with confidence, even in front of a prince. I could easily imagine him having this same attitude in front of the Emperor. ¡°Jaiden of the Imperial Gryphon Knights.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t we already heard that yesterday?¡± ¡°Yes, but given what I have to say now, I thought it best to introduce myself again.¡± The Swordmaster sighed openly and nced at me. Well... I had been the one to invite him, but the Swordmaster came of his own ord. So technically, it wasn¡¯t my fault. ...Wait, hold on. I can¡¯t rewind time right now. What if Lucas appears? Won¡¯t I just get cut down without any way to avoid it? Could it be that the masked woman wasughing at me yesterday, imagining me being sliced to pieces by Lucas? This thought sent a chill through my bones, cold and sharp, though I somehow kept it off my face. Alice seemed to notice, though. ¡°I was under the impression you had matters to resolve there,¡± the Swordmaster said. Indeed, Jaiden was the Knight Captain, and his personality was rigid and upromising. He shed with Lucas often because of it. There was no way he¡¯d disregard the Emperor¡¯s orders and return without reason, but¡ª ¡°I borrowed air support to get it done,¡± he replied. ¡°...¡± We were all speechless. ¡°Jaiden.¡± I called to him. But he flinched, then looked away, clearly intending to ignore me. What was his problem now? I held back the urge to run my hand over my face and instead nced at Alice, who was also avoiding my gaze, looking somewhat resentful. ¡°Do as you like,¡± her expression seemed to say. ...I had a guess. Alice had driven all night to find the Swordmaster¡¯s cabin, furious over me calling Jaiden ¡°older brother.¡± I hadn¡¯t even told her I was going to find the Swordmaster, yet she¡¯d tracked me relentlessly, so her current attitude was probably connected to that ¡°older brother¡± incident. Jaiden, too, was likely refusing to make eye contact because he wouldn¡¯t respond unless I called him ¡°older brother.¡± I didn¡¯t run my hands through my hair, though I sorely wanted to. Instead, I clenched my fists tightly to restrain myself. When I see that masked woman again, I won¡¯t let her off. If she¡¯s a future me, I won¡¯t kill her, but I¡¯ll definitely give her a smack. Seriously. ¡°I was under the impression that the territory¡¯s request forbade the deployment of any forces beyond infantry support,¡± I said, trying to reason with him. But Jaiden, immaturely, refused to respond. I looked back at Alice. It seemed she had no intention of helping. Watching this exchange, Leo looked stiff, while ire, who hadn¡¯t grasped the situation, was confused. Meanwhile, the Swordmaster¡ª ¡ªwas grinning. If you¡¯re going to join the conversation, at least take charge and help resolve it! ¡°...¡± Stuck in a predicament, I took a deep breath. Fine. There was no further to fall back to. Alice¡¯s appearance had already exposed the fact that I¡¯d called Jaiden ¡°older brother¡± in front of Leo, and I¡¯d even called Alice ¡°sister¡± in his presence. Ah. Oddly enough, realizing this brought a sense of calm. It was as if I¡¯d passed the threshold of frustration and reached a point of inner peace. Perhaps this was what enlightenment felt like. ...Or more like resignation, actually. ¡°...Sister.¡± I said, looking at Alice. I heard ire gasp. ¡°Could you please ask ¡®older brother¡¯ here how he managed the situation?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Alice looked more surprised than pleased. Jaiden looked equally taken aback. ¡°Oh, um, alright.¡± Alice nodded and turned to Jaiden. ¡°How exactly did you manage it? You shouldn¡¯t have been able to bring in armored units or air support beyond the border.¡± Jaiden¡¯s brows furrowed as he gave Alice a curt response, as if this were somehow my fault. ¡°It¡¯s only an issue if we physically cross the border.¡± And with that, Jaiden dropped a bomb. ¡°But wouldn¡¯t a fighter ne¡¯s range fall short of crossing the border?¡± ¡°Did I say I used fighter nes?¡± The serious exchange between these two hostile siblings sounded more like an argument than a discussion. ¡°It was a monitor ship.¡± Ah. Hearing that, I finally understood what he meant. I knew they¡¯d stationed air support at Winterfield. It had been a preparation step in the original story. Instead of building expensive warships, they equipped cheap supply ships with just one naval gun each, with no consideration for defense. Supply ships didn¡¯t have the high-tech features of battleships and were much smaller in size. Just mounting a single gun like the dual-mounted main cannons on a dreadnought was already pushing their limits. But they were affordable. They had decent range. ...So that was why they used supply ships instead of trains. It was a rapid n to bombard enemy positions just outside the border. ¡°And then I flew here on a fighter jet in the morning. Monitor ships are a bit too slow.¡± ¡°...¡± Alice pressed a hand to her forehead, mirroring what I wanted to do. ¡°What is Father thinking¡­?¡± ¡°Probably trying to show the world that the Empire is the best,¡± Jaiden replied confidently. We were all speechless at Jaiden¡¯s obvious and smug response. ¡°After seeing all that, do you still want to learn swordsmanship?¡± the Swordmaster asked. ¡°Of course!¡± Jaiden straightened his shoulders proudly. ¡°No matter how much weaponry advances, infantry is the core of upying and holding territory! It¡¯s a knight¡¯s duty. It¡¯s only right to raise one¡¯s personal skills to the fullest, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Ha¡­¡± Seeing the Swordmaster¡¯s impressed reaction, I fought hard to suppress a sigh. Chapter 143 When I was able to use my powers fully, I felt confident that I could handle most situations. No matter how things turned out, I could cancel the events and rewind to a more advantageous position. It was an incredible privilege. Honestly, even in other games orics, it was rare to find a character with a power as useful as mine. The problem was that I couldn¡¯t use my ability right now. The image I¡¯d carefully maintained thanks to this ability was wavering, and, more importantly, I felt powerless against the situation unfolding before me. Was that masked womanughing at me from somewhere right now? The thought made my insides churn with frustration, but, for the moment, it seemed she had no intent to kill me. If she was who I suspected she might be, then she probably wouldn¡¯t try to kill me... or so I hoped. Although I should be wary, given she had tried to attack Alice. With that in mind, I was actually in a rather favorable position right now. If the masked woman came for me, I wasn¡¯t sure what would happen, but if Lucas showed up, there were plenty of people around who would intervene. Individually, they might be slightly weaker than Lucas, but if they all attacked him at once, even he wouldn¡¯te out unscathed. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean the situation was entirely without problems. ¡°...So,¡± Jaiden¡¯s expression was one I rarely saw¡ªhe looked genuinely furious. ¡°You¡¯re saying you spent the night with my little sister?¡± ¡°What? No, I mean...!¡± ¡°How could you jump to such a conclusion?¡± I interjected between Jaiden and Leo, preventing Jaiden from drawing his sword in a fit of rage. ¡°You were with that brat in the same ce¡ª¡± ¡°The Swordmaster was also with us, you know.¡± ¡°Right. Even I wouldn¡¯t interpret the situation that way,¡± the Swordmaster said, his usual serious demeanor reced by one of mild exasperation as he looked at Jaiden. ¡°But clearly, that rascal¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªWould you please stop emphasizing ¡®spent the night¡¯? Are you intentionally saying it to make it sound worse? O¡ª¡± I swallowed the word ¡°older brother¡± that was almost out of my mouth.@@novelbin@@ ¡°¡ªAre you trying to sully my reputation with such usations?¡± ¡°I mean, there¡¯s no need to cut off your words like that,¡± Jaiden said with a disappointed look, and I couldn¡¯t hold back from pressing my hand to my forehead. ¡°Let me rify this.¡± I spoke as calmly as possible, trying to keep my tone measured. ¡°Leo is a fellow student at the academy, a ssmate, and a former student council member. I¡¯m also acquainted with his sister, ire, so naturally, Leo and I have a friendly rtionship. Even beyond this year, we¡¯ll likely be in contact for another three years, so that connection may deepen.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Jaiden eximed, clearly misunderstanding my point. Seriously, he was acting like an elementary schooler teasing someone for holding hands during a field trip dance. ¡°Just because a man and a woman are together, it doesn¡¯t automatically mean there¡¯s a romantic rtionship involved. Would you like it if every conversation you had with a noblewoman at a ball was turned into a scandalous rumor?¡± ¡°...¡± Jaiden didn¡¯t respond. Oh, right. Wasn¡¯t he unpopr with women? If Lucas was a character popr with women yet uninterested in romance, then Jaiden was someone who was interested in women but unfortunately not popr. Despite being described as handsome, there was just something about him that put women off... Well, maybe it wasn¡¯t a mystery. He was the type of character who, in conversations, would repeatedly talk about the specifications of standard swords or how he performed in various battlefields. Essentially, he was the guy who talks about the military in front of women. ...Wasn¡¯t there even a backstory that he¡¯d never properly danced with a woman at a ball? ¡°Unless we¡¯re in a cloistered church school, it¡¯s natural for men and women to converse casually. There¡¯s no need for you to interfere with every little interaction.¡± I nced over at Leo, who looked somewhat touched. For a baron¡¯s son to face a direct reprimand from a prince must have been terrifying, so it made sense that he¡¯d feel grateful if a princess stepped in to shield him. ¡°Have our conversations ever crossed into anything romantic or inappropriate?¡± ¡°Of course not, absolutely not!¡± Leo replied immediately. ¡°Not even in the Swordmaster¡¯s cabin?¡± ¡°No, definitely not!¡± ire nodded emphatically along with Leo¡¯s response. Jaiden looked back at me, still skeptical. ¡°Is that really the case?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s exactly the case.¡± Idiot. Of course, I didn¡¯t say that out loud. If I had my rewind ability right now, maybe I¡¯d have risked saying it. If I had it, I wouldn¡¯t be in this mess, to begin with. Jaiden finally lowered the hand he¡¯d kept on the hilt of his sword. He dropped his arm in a defeated, slightly pathetic manner. Not that I felt sorry for him. ¡°And, moreover.¡± To drive the point home, Alice, who had been silently listening, chimed in. ¡°No matter whom Sylvia marries, it¡¯s not your business. Would you react the same way if she introduced someone she liked?¡± ¡°Well, of course I¡¯d¡ª¡± Jaiden began, ncing my way before stopping mid-sentence. My expression was nk, or so I¡¯d intended. Still, ¡°nk¡± can be open to interpretation depending on the situation. ...At least he didn¡¯t seem to fully understand my intentions yet, which was a relief. --- And so, in this already chaotic situation, yet another figure appeared. Why did people keep showing up? Important people, too¡ªthe most important people in the Empire. It was starting to feel like a celebrity reunion. ¡°Oh dear, oh dear.¡± Leo and ire¡¯s reaction to that voice was understandably one of shock. Even if they didn¡¯t recognize that deep, resonant voice, few people in the Empire didn¡¯t know the face of the Emperor. ¡°I apologize for noting sooner to greet such an esteemed guest.¡± The Emperor, addressing a man who looked almost twenty years his senior, was as imperial as one could imagine. The Emperor¡¯s gaze briefly flicked to me as he entered the training hall. The amused smile on his lips made it clear he suspected I was up to something. Which, well, was true. ¡°Hoh,¡± The Swordmaster, seeing the Emperor, also smiled faintly. He didn¡¯t bow his head in the slightest; then again, he wasn¡¯t the type to yield to authority or status, which was consistent with his character in the original story. And then¡ª Bang! The Emperor drew his sword and charged straight at the Swordmaster. The sh of their des resounded like an explosion. Without even releasing sword energy, their strikes were enough to stir the air around them. Though it wasn¡¯t a force strong enough to knock anything over, it made our hair and clothes flutter. ¡°...¡± Silence. Both the Emperor and the Swordmaster, having swung their swords, smiled at each other. Whether or not their smiles could really be called ¡°smiles¡± was another matter, but it seemed they didn¡¯t truly dislike each other. ¡°You¡¯re still as sharp as ever, old man,¡± the Emperor said. ¡°And you, aren¡¯t you always seatedfortably in your throne?¡± ...Huh? Before I could fully process the exchange, they both sheathed their swords. Then, they shook hands firmly. Wait, what? It seemed I wasn¡¯t the only one thinking that. Alice, Leo, ire, and Jaiden were all staring in shock at the two men. ¡°Well, I never thought I¡¯d see you again like this,¡± the Emperor said warmly. ¡°Nor did I expect toe down to such a bustling ce,¡± the Swordmaster replied nonchntly. ...They knew each other? I¡¯d half-expected it, but I didn¡¯t anticipate them being so... friendly. I thought they¡¯d acknowledge each other¡¯s existence, like a celebrity and a president aware of one another, but that was about it. ¡°You should give your daughter credit. After all, I came down here because she lured me out.¡± Ack. As the Swordmaster spoke, everyone in the training hall simultaneously turned to look at me. Oh, um... Well, I mean, that¡¯s what happened... All I¡¯d intended was to bring the Swordmaster over. I¡¯d only wanted to bait Lucas a little to have a chat. How did things escte to this? A rival reunion wasn¡¯t part of my n. And yet, everyone looking at me had expressions that said, ¡°She¡¯s up to something big.¡± ... Whether the masked woman is my future self or a close acquaintance doesn¡¯t matter. When I meet her again, I¡¯m definitely going to make her cry. Chapter 144 The game¡¯s setting book contained a vast amount of stories, but it didn¡¯t haveplete historical ounts or biographies of characters. In particr, some background settings that yed rtively important roles in the game were deliberately omitted. It¡¯s only natural; they would be spoilers. However, wouldn¡¯t it have been better to write down a bit about the past of the Emperor and the Swordmaster? In the original work, the Swordmaster dies in his cabin, and he and the Emperor have no further encounters, leaving them with nothing to say to each other. Both characters are not present throughout the game; the Swordmaster provides crucial lessons to the protagonist before departing, while the Emperor is the final boss. Especially since the Swordmaster is a character who cannot be encountered in the first game unless a hidden quest ispleted. ¡°That¡¯s good. I wasn¡¯t in the mood to train any further today anyway.¡± The Swordmaster said this to the Emperor while casting a sideways nce at Jaiden. Jaiden flinched, his shoulders twitching. He then moved his gaze again, this time looking at me. ¡°......¡± I slightly lowered my head. It was understandable. After seeing my strange talent and following me here, it must have been disappointing to find just an ¡°ordinary, talentless human¡± in the imperial pce. It wasn¡¯t an overly harsh gaze, but the Swordmaster was clever enough to hide his thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since west met, so let¡¯s have a drink and catch up.¡± ¡°Do you think an old man can handle drinking during the day?¡± ¡°Yet you were just sitting in the pce, ying politics, weren¡¯t you? You couldn¡¯t even get drunk in front of others, so your liver must be clean now.¡± After delivering his retort to the Emperor, the Swordmaster turned to us. ¡°I¡¯ll continue training tomorrow. Don¡¯t getzy just because I¡¯m not around. It¡¯ll show.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Jaiden replied energetically, seemingly wanting to make up for today¡¯s mishaps. ¡°Oh, right. Jaiden.¡± The Emperor spoke as if he just remembered something. ¡°I¡¯d like to hear a report. Come to the audience chamber as soon as you¡¯re ready. We¡¯ll both be there.¡± With those words, the Emperor nced at me before turning away. ¡°Understood!¡± Jaiden replied vigorously and then said to me, ¡°See you tomorrow, Sylvia.¡± He looked my way as he spoke. Of course, I didn¡¯t respond. * It seemed that both Alice and ire noticed something a little off about me today. Alice had sensed it from the moment she came to my room in the morning, and ire felt it throughout our training together. Leo seemed to have noticed as well. All three of them asked me in their own ways if I was ¡°okay,¡± but I simply replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just¡­ want to rest a bit.¡± Not being able to exin the situation in detail, I headed towards my room. I was exhausted. I knew it was all my doing. And as I had thought earlier, for my own safety, I had to stay close to the Swordmaster and the Emperor no matter what. But at this point, I just found everything to be a hassle. I just¡­ wanted to sleep deeply. Worrying too much had prevented me from getting proper rest, gued by nightmares and unable to meditate, my mind was a tangled mess. Ignoring everyone¡¯s worries, I fled to my room and dove straight onto the bed without even changing my clothes. Lucas¡­ Ah, right, it¡¯s going to be troublesome being alone... That was probably thest thought I had. However, what I should have been concerned about wasn¡¯t my own body. * ¡°Sylvia!¡± The voice that came right after the door burst open belonged to two people. As I barely opened my eyes, I saw ire and Alice looking at me with worried expressions. ¡°Are you hurt!?¡± ire asked like that. ¡°No, there¡¯s no sign that anyone hase in here. It¡¯s just as Ist saw it.¡± After Alice surveyed my room and said this, ire exhaled as if relieved. After blinking a few times, my vision finally cleared up a bit. At the door, Leo was standing with his back to us. He was gripping his sword tightly, indicating he had been on guard while Alice and ire entered. ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°An attack.¡± Before I could finish my question, Alice answered first. ¡°An attack?¡± ¡°Was it Lucas?¡± ire asked, and Alice nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s Lucas. He¡¯s been missing for a while.¡± Hearing that made my mind snap to attention. ¡°Who is the target?¡± The Swordmaster? The Emperor? At least I seemed fine until Alice and ire arrived, so it appeared I wasn¡¯t the target. ¡°The Interrogation Office.¡± But Alice¡¯s answer waspletely different from what I expected. Not the Swordmaster, not the Emperor, but the Interrogation Office. Who could be there¡ªah. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Seeing the light of understanding rise on my face, Alice nodded. ¡°Kiara Verati is still being held there.¡± The knight from the cathedral captured in the Northwood territory. ¡°Why is Lucas after her?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± Alice bit her lip slightly. ¡°¡­¡­We need to go.¡± As I approached the gun I had leaned against the corner of the room, Alice grabbed my arm. ¡°Wait a minute, Sylvia.¡± Alice hesitated for a moment before meeting my gaze. ¡°Your condition is¡­¡± Both ire and Alice were looking at me cautiously. Including Leo standing there, all three had seen that my condition was at its worst today. But... If Lucas had gone out of his way to find the ¡°prisoner of the legal nation,¡± I absolutely needed to know what was going on. There might be something far more significant than I intended to ask. Moreover, there was still that masked woman lurking around me. Even though I was missing a few pieces, I could still see the outline as the puzzle began to fit together in my mind. ¡°We need to go.¡± As I spoke again with conviction, Alice looked at me for a moment and then nodded. ¡°Then we¡¯ll go with you.¡± Though I wished to go alone, there was no way the three of them would let me leave by myself. Without my time-reversal ability, I wouldn¡¯t be able to get through them. ¡°......¡± And without that ability, I wouldn¡¯t be able to protect all three of them. But¡ª ¡°......Alright. But you must not overdo it.¡± ¡°Who would say such a thing?¡± At my words, Alice replied as if incredulous. ¡°It¡¯s all a mess because of me.¡± I had to see that situation without fail. And I had some trust in this matter. There were two people in this imperial pce who wouldn¡¯t overlook the presence of Lucas. * ¡°¡­¡­Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°There are many reasons.¡± As the man with the red hair stood before me, Verati stepped back as far as possible. Her back hit the wall. As a glorious knight of the legal nation, she knew that such behavior was unbing, but she had a much more important mission. At least, she couldn¡¯t die. ¡°I don¡¯t know where to start.¡± The man said as he swung his sword. Blood from the de sttered downwards. The de itself became clean from just that. It was as if he couldn¡¯t allow it to be dirty. Verati¡¯s mouth fell open in astonishment as she saw the now clean de. ¡°¡­¡­Jerico¡¯s sword.¡± ¡°Oh, you know? You really are a cathedral knight.¡± Lucas held the de upright as if boasting. It was extremely sharp and capable of cutting anything, yet he had never seen the de break. Though it wasn¡¯t a ¡°Zibo,¡± it was a sword created using ancient, lost magic, considered a treasure. ¡°¡­¡­What happened to Antonio?¡± ¡°What do you think happened?¡± When Verati mentioned the original owner¡¯s name, Lucas questioned her in return. ¡°He wasn¡¯t someone skilled enough to be the owner of this sword.¡± Verati ground her teeth. ¡°In fact, when I headed towards the legal nation, I didn¡¯t expect much. I was just wondering about the identity of my younger brother who reads the future, thinking there might be a hint if I just went to the legal nation.¡± Lucas shrugged. ¡°Surprisingly, there are a lot of hints here and there. It seems you guys couldn¡¯t even imagine it.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Lucas quietly looked at Verati, who asked that question. Upon seeing his gaze, she felt goosebumps all over her body. He would kill her. The man in front of her had no intention of letting Verati live. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to be the one asking questions.¡± Lucas spoke slowly, as if he didn¡¯t want Verati to hear a single word. ¡°I asked a few cardinals, and they said it was somewhat intentional for you to be captured here.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°If you could find Zibo at the ruins, that would be great. And if you were captured, you could search for its location within the pce. Didn¡¯t you draw several magic circles on your body?¡± ¡°How do you know that...?¡± ¡°I told you. I asked.¡± Lucas said with a smile on his face. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing the legal nation is such a secretive country, isn¡¯t it? Otherwise, there would have been a huge blemish on the name of the cathedral knight order by now. Worldwide, too.¡± And he took a step closer to Verati. Since her back was against the wall, Verati couldn¡¯t distance herself from Lucas. ¡°I''m thinking of asking you the same thing. What do you think?¡± ¡°I...¡± Verati was about to speak but shut her mouth. If it was an interrogation severe enough to open the mouths of the cardinals, it wouldn¡¯t be the ¡®gentlemanly¡¯ manner that she had seen in the empire until now. In that case... ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t want to say anything¡ª¡± Just as Lucas was about to step closer to Verati, ¡°¡ªOops.¡± Lucas quickly ducked his head. A sword swept through the ce where his head had been just moments before. The sword¡¯s tip flew forward and scratched the ceiling above Verati¡¯s head.@@novelbin@@ A few stone fragments fell on top of her head. Lucas jumped back and widened the distance between himself and the figure standing behind him. He turned his body toward that direction and said with interest, ¡°Oh?¡± A woman in a ck robe, wearing a in white mask with only two eyeholes, stood there. Chapter 145 The Interrogation Office was quite far from where we were staying. This was only natural. No matter how important a prisoner might be, they were still an enemy. If they managed to escape, they might try to assassinate important figures within the pce. While the facility itself didn¡¯t seem much different from regr rooms, its purpose was essentially that of a prison. It was located at the very top of a tall tower within the imperial castle. The interrogation room was there. Naturally, many guards were stationed around, but¡ª ¡°This is¡­.¡± As we approached the tower, ire and Alice stopped in their tracks, shocked by the scene. Knights, who should have been the elite of the imperial castle, were sprawled about haphazardly. Some seemed to have already breathed theirst. The barren dirt floor was sttered with red blood and ckened scorch marks. It appeared that not just the knights, but also soldiers had put up a fight. Various fragments and half-cut firearmsy scattered on the ground, along with grenades that had not been used. The ring sound of sirens pierced the air. New soldiers were being dispatched to rece the fallen. Over the sirens, the sounds of hurried footsteps and shouts could be heard from all around. Although cannons surrounded the tower, they couldn¡¯t just fire at will. ¡°Your Highness¡­!¡± A knight rushed towards us. ¡°What is happening inside?¡± ¡°Lord Lucas has instigated a rebellion.¡± I hadn¡¯t properly grasped the situation due to my hasty approach, so when I asked, the knight quickly assumed a stance of attention and reported in a stiff voice. ¡°Inside the tower?¡± ¡°Yes. It seems he¡¯s targeting the prisoner from the legal nation. And¡­¡± The knight nced at Alice and me before continuing. ¡°The Emperor and the Swordmaster are inside.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Father is here personally¡­.¡± ¡°Forgive me!¡± As Alice murmured with a troubled expression, the knight eximed. ¡°We should have stopped this¡­!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not your fault.¡± I immediately responded to the knight. There had been no time to intervene anyway. Before they could even say anything, it must have all passed like the wind. And the Emperor going there¡­ It wouldn¡¯t simply be to stop Lucas. He must be enjoying this, without a doubt. I gritted my teeth and loaded my gun. ¡°Your Highness, wait¡­!¡± The knight tried to stop me, but I was already running. Inside the tower, a considerable number of knights had already been deployed. The Imperial Gryphon Knights, directly under the royal family, known as the best in the empire. As I climbed the spiral staircase winding through the wide tower, knights were packed tightly. I knew that Lucas could theoretically ughter them all, but I couldn¡¯t help but wonder, ¡°Is that really physically possible?¡± Moreover¡­ ¡°Wait a moment, Sylvia.¡± Alice grabbed my arm as I stepped onto the staircase. She held onto it tightly, as if she wouldn¡¯t let me go. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡®Does she know what¡¯s going on?¡¯ Before that suspicion could surface, I appreciated her warning. But¡­ ¡°You know best what Lucas is like.¡± ¡°And you also know that I am the one who has suffered the most from that sword, Your Highness.¡± For just a moment, I saw a pained expression sh across Alice¡¯s face, but she didn¡¯t release her grip. ¡°¡­¡­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 my life. But I had faith in something. No matter how formidable Lucas was, he couldn¡¯te out of a confrontation against both the Emperor and the Swordmaster unscathed. In the original story, he was already portrayed as having surpassed the Swordmaster¡¯s skills by this time, but that didn¡¯t mean he possessed overwhelming power. In the duel with the Swordmaster, Lucas gets stabbed in the chest. It¡¯s not a life-threatening wound, but it¡¯s deep enough to leave a scar. So, if the Emperor, who was still in his prime, was there, Lucas wouldn¡¯t have a chance. And the Emperor wouldn¡¯t end the fight ¡°while keeping Lucas alive.¡± If I wanted to hear something, this could be myst opportunity. ¡°It¡¯s absolutely something I need to hear.¡± I spoke firmly, my eyes determined. About my true identity. How on earth I ended up here. Lucas was the only person who could give me even the slightest answer to that question. At least, he was among the people I could think of right now. ¡°So, can you let go of me?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± At my words, Alice released my arm. Seeing her hand drop helplessly made my heart twinge a little, but I looked Alice straight in the eye and said, ¡°You absolutely won¡¯t get seriously hurt. Your Highness should wait here. And ire, Leo too.¡± All three of them wore expressions ofplete disbelief at my words, but I turned and spoke to the knight beside me. ¡°Can you keep an eye on them so they don¡¯te up?¡± ¡°B-but Your Highness¡ª¡± ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m going to go die?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± At my words, the knight fell silent, realizing he couldn¡¯t just ignore what I had said. After all, this was someone who had single-handedly swept away many troops on the battlefield. ¡°Sylvia!¡± I heard a voice calling from behind, but I turned and stepped onto the stairs, climbing upward. * However, things didn¡¯t unfold as I had expected. The Emperor and the Swordmaster. They were the highest existence in this world when it came to swords, so it wasn¡¯t particrly surprising that Lucas hadn¡¯t been defeated. But¡ª ¡°Oh, my little sister has finally arrived.¡± As soon as I opened the door, a smell of blood hit me. I was almost proud that I didn¡¯t flinch. ¡°Cough, ugh¡­¡± ¡°I was just starting to miss you. After all, you¡¯re the only one who can perfectly evade my swordsmanship.¡± With a crack, the sound echoed. ¡°Ugh!¡± A suppressed groan escaped the lips of someone gritting their teeth. It was Verati, stabbed by Lucas¡¯s sword. It looked like she had been cut in the belly, but it didn¡¯t appear to be a fatal wound. At least, her insides weren¡¯t spilling out. As the sword lodged in her thigh was pulled out, a few drops of blood sttered. The interrogation room was already a mess. The furniture that should have been there was barely recognizable, having been shattered beyond repair, and blood sttered on the walls. And that blood wasn¡¯t just Verati¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m proud to see my son has grown this much.¡± As the Emperor said this to Lucas, Lucasughed incredulously. From the looks of the blood on his forehead, it seemed the Emperor had also been wounded by Lucas. ¡­The Emperor, by Lucas. ¡°Well, to be honest, isn¡¯t this all just due to your equipment?¡± Lucas said with a nonchnt expression. ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯ve been to the legal nation, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Right. You caught on quickly.¡± In Lucas¡¯s hand was the sword used by the knights of the legal nation. An artifact created during an era when humanity relied more on magic than physicalws. Moreover, his clothing was also that of a legal robe. It was as if he had just returned from a long journey, with a small bag slung at his side. The straps were tightened to ensure they wouldn¡¯t interfere with wielding his sword, making it look like the simplified military gear of a soldier in this era. Lucas hadn¡¯t suddenly converted. It was far more likely he had taken it because he deemed it useful. Most legal robes looked simr, so I wasn¡¯t sure exactly what abilities it had. Vitality? Recovery? Defense? ¡­In any case, it would be a significant help just by wearing it. ¡°Sylvia, you¡¯re not someone you can face.¡± The Swordmaster, who looked even more wounded than the Emperor, said this. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Of course, I didn¡¯t listen to the Swordmaster¡¯s words. Even if I tried to flee from here, Lucas would chase after me immediately. That was a misjudgment. If Lucas had suddenly burst out like this, I should have assumed he was well prepared. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t normally think of pushing through with just equipment like this.¡± Lucas said, shaking the blood off his sword. After just one shake, all the blood that had been on it flew off, leaving it perfectly clean. ¡°It seems that if I¡¯m to face ¡®you,¡¯ I also need some preparations. Besides¡ª¡± Lucas spoke while looking toward a corner of the room with a smile.@@novelbin@@ ¡°¡ªthere are also nuisances.¡± Turning my gaze in that direction, I froze. There stood the masked woman, who had been grievously wounded by Lucas¡¯s sword. She wasn¡¯t copsed but was leaning against the wall, gasping for breath. How¡­? ¡°Curious?¡± At Lucas¡¯s words, I turned my head back. ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you.¡± And in an instant, Lucas¡¯s face was right in front of me. ¡°Cough¡­!¡± The only reason I was able to raise my gun immediately was that I could move my body as I had repeatedly learned over time. But luck onlysts for one moment. As Lucas swung his sword, my gun was sliced in two. ¡°Ah¡ª¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Seeing my gun, now cut in half, I was taken aback, and Lucas¡¯s once-smiling expression turned emotionless. And that expression was truly terrifying. ¡°See? Those who use tricks¡­¡± Lucas said in a voice mixed with a sigh. ¡°When that fails, you can¡¯t do anything.¡± Itwas as if he was announcing a death sentence. Chapter 146 But Lucas couldn''t strike my neck right away. A deadly de shot in from both sides, colliding with the spot where Lucas had just stood. The killing intent was real; if a person had been caught in between, they might have been torn to shreds. It waspletely different from ire''s attacks during our training. ¡°Tch¡­!¡± As Lucas stepped back, making that sound, he slightly bent at the waist. That¡¯s¡ª ¡°Exactly.¡± Noticing my gaze, the Emperor spoke. ¡°There was a reason he had toe prepared like that.¡± Lucas was wounded. It meant he still couldn¡¯t unleash his full power. Had he received those injuries during the process of obtaining that legal robe and sword? If he had attempted to take on the entire knight order at once, that could exin it. Even if he could defeat them all, it was impossible for him not to take a hit at least once. And among those wounds, some couldn¡¯t have been healed by simple recovery magic. ¡°Hey, do you really think that¡¯s all?¡± Lucasughed, and the masked woman flinched slightly. ¡°Even though I look like this, I know a lot more than the Emperor here. Did you know that there¡¯s already a lot of chatter about your identity in the legal nation?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± That might be true. With the Verati incident¡­ Of course, they would have caught Verati even without me. I slowly rose my body and got into a stance. I couldn¡¯t just stay here sitting on my behind any longer. ¡°Shall we have a go?¡± Lucas shed a grin in my direction. ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious? Why you¡¯re in this situation. Normally, you could easily evade my sword.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Well, at least one of the things the legal nation was curious about has been resolved.¡± It seemed Lucas had reached some sort of truth in his own way. Something far more significant than the fact that his blood flowed through the Emperor. ¡°What on earth are you talking about¡ª¡± Before I could say much more, the door burst open with a bang. At the same time, Alice, ire, and Leo rushed in. Following them, knights poured into the room, filling it up. ¡°I told you to seal the room!¡± The Emperor¡¯s words made the knights flinch. ¡°I insisted oning in.¡± As she stepped out to my left, Alice said that. ¡°Do you really think you can help? Seriously?¡± Though the Emperor scolded her harshly, Alice merely nced at me. ¡°Alice.¡± ¡°Lucas.¡± As Lucas called Alice¡¯s name in greeting, she responded in kind. It seemed like a rxed exchange at first nce, but her eyes were far from cheerful. ¡°And the Barons of the Grace family. No matter how many of youe, you won¡¯t be of any help. In fact, you¡¯ll just be a nuisance. You won¡¯t be able to unleash your sword energy freely.¡± ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, wouldn¡¯t it be a strange logic that many people are a nuisance on the battlefield?¡± Upon seeing Leo and ire¡¯s faces pale at Lucas¡¯s words, the Swordmaster replied. ¡°No matter how crazy someone might be with their sword energy, they will ultimately sumb to the masses.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± With one side of his mouth curling up, Lucas grinned. ¡°Then let¡¯s have a go. Since I¡¯ve confirmed what I wanted anyway.¡± Saying that, Lucas charged toward us. Simultaneously, all the knights in the room rushed at Lucas¡ª With a whoosh, my vision turned crimson. Several knights who had charged forward fell to the ground. I didn¡¯t have time to check if they were critically injured. My hands were already moving. As if reying the motions I had practiced over and over, my hands grabbed the automatic pistol tucked under my arm, Bang, bang! I fired two shots in quick session. I was sure my aim was true. But in an instant, I saw Lucas¡¯s gaze shift toward the muzzle of my gun. Lucas was already moving his body before I even pulled the trigger. A monster. That was the only thought that shed through my mind. It wasn¡¯t the usual carefree demeanor of Lucas; it was a murderous expression that made it seem he truly wanted to kill me. But at the same time, that smile on his face felt so out of ce. As Lucas evaded my gunfire, his body spun to the side, unleashing his sword energy. Two more knights fell. ¡°Chut¡­!¡± The masked woman was pushed back, emitting a sound like a boxer. The sword energy she hadn¡¯t fully blocked left shallow wounds on both her arms. ng! Before I could even register the shock of that, I heard the sound of swords shing again. It seemed the Emperor had blocked Lucas¡¯s sword with his own. The tip of the Emperor''s de had sunk halfway into the sword Lucas was wielding. ¡°Is that sword energy? Impressive as always, Father¡­!¡± Since the sword had a protective barrier around it, it meant it hadn¡¯t beenpletely severed. ¡°Whoops¡­!¡± Lucas lightly dodged the iing sword energy from the side. ¡°Old man, if you keep worrying about those around you, you¡¯ll end up dead.¡± That mouth of his never stopped. Lucas twisted his sword. With a crisp sound, the tip of the Emperor''s sword split, and Lucas¡¯s sword slipped through the widening gap. ¡°Hmm¡­!¡± As the sword energy swung toward the Emperor, he shed down with his own sword, cleaving it in half. ¡°Cough¡­!¡± But that wide sword energy was sufficient to slice through the nearby people all at once. Bang, bang! Two more shots fired. But in my haste to pivot my aim, I merely grazed Lucas¡¯s shoulder. His robe tore slightly and stained with red, but Lucas didn¡¯t seem to care, his gaze fixated on me. Gritting my teeth, I pulled the trigger again¡ª Ping, a clear sound rang out. In an instant, I didn¡¯t understand what had happened. It seemed like sparks flew from Lucas¡¯s sword at that moment¡ª I heard Alice gasp beside me. ¡°How is it? Doesn¡¯t it feel like magic?¡± Did he just deflect a bullet with his sword? ¡°Fantastic. Just seeing that expression on your face makesing here worthwhile!¡± Lucas swung his sword with that same smiling expression. And just like that, the sword energy surged toward me. I can¡¯t dodge this. In that moment, I thought that, ¡°No!¡± ¡­If my sisters, who I¡¯d never win against even once without resorting to tricks, were to be killed because of me¡ª Blood sprayed as someone blocked my way. Huh¡­? The person who had shielded me copsed. With my limited human-level reaction speed, I felt as though her fall was in slow motion. ¡°Alice!¡± I heard a voice calling out in despair. The masked woman rushed toward Lucas, And Lucas swung his sword again. Carelessly, as if swinging a piece of grass, left and right twice. More screams erupted, and blood sttered. 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 condition.@@novelbin@@ Alice. Alice, whoy on the ground, bleeding and in pain. Alice¡¯s gaze turned toward me. Her expression was filled with despair. Far deeper wounds than mine. Alice looked up at me with a pained expression. I heard ire¡¯s scream and Leo¡¯s shout. Perhaps, in the next moment, the two of them¡ª In my fading vision, I caught a glimpse of their backs, and Lucas swung his sword¡ª No! If everyone dies because of me¡ª ¡°Again!¡± Those words erupted from my mouth like a scream. * Thud, the familiar sensation of impact returned. My head buzzed as if I had collided with something solid, and my breath escaped me. The ringing in my ears gradually subsided, and the twinkling stars in my vision began to ept the light again, revealing the back of a girl with blue hair running forward. ¡°Again!¡± * Thud. It felt like my body mmed into a rock. Strangely, that sensation cleared my mind a bit. It was a power I hadn¡¯t properly utilized every time I encountered the masked woman. But was that really the case? Had my ability beenpletely blocked? Think, think. Again, the girl running ahead. Two princesses bleeding. ¡°Again!¡± * Thud. A moment of sensation enveloped me. It was as if I had fallen into the center of a kaleidoscope. Light passed through a prism, splitting into various colors to create a rainbow, revealing an iprehensible world. But even while seeing such a world, there was one thing I understood. I had definitely broken through this world before. By mming my body against something hard. I had broken through the space, and at that moment, I had definitely turned back time. Rewinding, I returned to just before the battle with the masked woman. If that hand that had grabbed my cor hadn¡¯t been there, I would¡ª ¡°Again!¡± * Thud! My entire body trembled. But it still wasn¡¯t enough. I think I understand now. Why I couldn¡¯t go back. Something was definitely blocking the path that should have been passable. But it wasn¡¯t a barricade so strong that I couldn¡¯t break through it. Rather, it was unstable enough that I could smash through it with my body. It would hurt if I collided with it, but if I could just muster the courage¡ª I could definitely shatter that crystal. Ha, this is absurd. No one tricked me outright; I was simply deceiving myself all on my own. The reason I could break through at the ruins back then was only one. Because I didn¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t know how much it would hurt to collide with it. Just like someone charging toward an unmarked window, I had simply crashed through that barrier. After the first collision, I was the one who became afraid. Well, I wouldn¡¯t be unscathed. I would have to m into it pretty hard. But even back then, I had been dazed but hadn¡¯t died. That¡¯s right. As I watched the blue ponytail dancing in my field of vision, I thought. Then, there¡¯s only one thing I must do. Hit harder. Hit farther. With all my might. If I go back, that¡¯s all it takes. ¡°Again!¡± Chapter 147 In the space between time and reality, light appeared. Among the erratically scattered rainbow colors, a vivid blue light stood out clearly. Before I could properly observe that pale blue light seeping through the cracks of an invisible wall, I had already crashed into it. With a sound like shattering ss, each broken shard reflected the situation I found myself in. The moment I saw it through my eyes. Alice, bleeding, copsed. My body bounced back as if it had felt the recoil of that first impact, rising into the air. It felt like there was some sort of obstacle, as I kept bouncing back repeatedly, feeling that sensation. My entire body ached, and my head throbbed, making it hard to think logically. Still, I struggled to see the situation before me clearly. No, I can¡¯t let this be. It was all my fault. It had happened because I had been toocent and relied too much on my abilities. Ever since I became seriously involved in the story, I had no idea how much help I had been. Wouldn¡¯t everything have gone well even if I hadn¡¯t existed? Each of them facing their trials, oveing them, growing, and understanding one another¡­ Just like in the game, wouldn¡¯t everything have turned out fine? Had I shown up and instead tangled things up, making the situation worse¡ª ¡­No. Circumstances aside. The moment I appeared in this world, the story could no longer remain the same. I didn¡¯t even know why I had ended up here. If the goddess truly existed and had ced me here, she was definitely heartless. At the very least, she could have exined why I was brought here or what my purpose was. Since there was nothing, I was just living for my own sake. Again! I shouted to keep myself from losing consciousness. My body, which had been thrown back, surged forward once more. In truth, I didn¡¯t need to shout like that. I could rewind time just by thinking it. Thud. My body crashed again. But honestly speaking, I wasn¡¯t someone with great mental strength or incredible tenacity. After putting in a lot of effort while rewinding time, I always needed to rewind it again and rest for a while to feel bnced; that¡¯s just how I was. If I hadn¡¯t been so reckless, I would have probably given up long ago. Crack. I heard something breaking, and pain jolted through my body. But, well, that¡¯s fine. No matter how much it hurt, it had to be better than being sliced by a sword or shot by a gun. I had already experienced those things. So, focus. I rubbed my bleary eyes and shouted again. Again! This time, I could clearly hear it. Something shattered. * I was lucky. I had barely returned to the moment before Alice was struck by the sword, but perhaps because I had pushed through with all my strength, I stumbled forward and copsed. By naturally falling on Alice from behind, neither of us was hit by the de. I felt something graze the back of my hair. If I had been just a littlete, or if I had hesitated in my charge, I would have had to rewind time again. As I fell, I reached my hand out in front of me. Bang! One shot fired. I felt the recoil strongly in the hand that had hastily grabbed the gun, but again, Lucas evaded it. It seemed he had seen the tip of my gun and slid to the side to dodge my shot. I saw the bullet lodge into the wall beyond where Lucas had been standing. So that¡¯s how it is. I clenched my teeth and pressed down on Alice¡¯s back as I stood up. ¡°Sylvia!?¡± Perhaps taken by surprise at being tackled from behind, Alice couldn¡¯t get up right away. Well, that was something I had been aiming for. ¡°Big sis?¡± Leo looked at me with a puzzled expression. Ah, I felt one side of my vision turn red. Something had grazed my forehead, and blood was flowing from that spot. I fired my gun again. This time, because it took a bit longer to pull the trigger, Lucas was able to dodge my shot more easily than before. The slide of my automatic pistol was stuck back. I had exhausted all seven shots. Lucas was looking at me with a slightly surprised expression, but that didn¡¯t mean he paused his movements. Once again, Lucas¡¯s hand moved toward the hilt of his sword¡ª So that¡¯s how it is. Again. * ¡°Aah!?¡± Once more, I returned to the spot where I had tackled Alice. My body bore more wounds. But at least it didn¡¯t hurt as much as before. It was only natural. Getting hit with a blunt object and being grazed by something sharp arepletely different kinds of impacts. I¡¯m fine. I didn¡¯t have any serious wounds. At least, the fact that I was able to stand up again proved that. I ran toward Lucas as I got up. ¡°Your Highness!¡± I heard Leo¡¯s voice calling from behind. As the masked woman approached me instead of Lucas, I fired a shot in her direction. It was a warning shot, but at least that function of ¡°threat¡± seemed to have worked, as the masked woman flinched and halted her advance. Why? Are you scared because you can¡¯tunch an attack like me? If you want, just smash through it like I do. If I¡¯m lucky, I might just achieve my goal of making you scream. Swish! Ah. But perhaps I had focused too much on the masked woman. I didn¡¯t see Lucas swinging his sword. ¡°Sylvia!¡± I heard Alice¡¯s voice filled with despair. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m not dead yet. Although my vision was oddly low, my thoughts hadn¡¯t stopped. So, there¡¯s still a chance. Again. * Bang! From the moment I fired at the masked woman. I had already seen the reaction, so there was no need to pay attention. I immediately turned the muzzle toward Lucas. The muzzle erupted in me, and the .45 caliber bullet was fired toward Lucas. Of course, Lucas dodged again. It was too close. He would undoubtedly swing his sword before I had time to reload. It¡¯s okay. I was only testing the waters. I needed to see how you move to know where to aim next. Again. * Seven times, nine times, fourteen times, twenty-eight times. Again, in the old-fashioned way. Just like I had practiced shooting hundreds of rounds with a single bullet. I shot at Lucas multiple times, who was moving. In that process, I discovered a few things. The wounds I sustained in ¡°reality¡± disappeared when I rewound time. I was steadily running toward the past. However, the injuries I incurred while ing back¡± did not heal instantly. My condition returned to normal only the moment I entered that unknown space. Any scratches from exiting remained. Well, it¡¯s fortunate, at least. The injuries I received from rewinding time wouldn¡¯t umte each time I did so. And one more thing. The more I rewound time, the slower the recovery of the space became. The space doesn¡¯t heal the moment I pass through it. Though the wounds were not visible in reality, every time I entered that space, the expanded area would narrow just a little bit. Then, I had only one thing to do. As briefly as possible, in seconds. Smash through it hundreds, thousands of times. If I could maintain that situation, I could continue using my previous abilities. Well, the same goes for smashing through it with my body. * Lucas instinctively dodged to his left, which meant he moved to his right from my perspective. Even so, due to the physical difference, it wasn¡¯t easy for me to hit Lucas¡ª Bang! ¡°Ugh!?¡± Well, that¡¯s right. Ultimately, all I needed was one sess. The bullet lodged into Lucas¡¯s right shoulder. The bullet struck the strap of the small bag he was carrying. It didn¡¯tpletely sever it. I rushed toward Lucas. Lucas swung his sword toward me with slightly widened eyes¡ª Thud, the sword plunged into my abdomen. For a moment, the room fell silent. Blood surged from my throat, and I coughed it up. But even so, I was able to cling tightly to Lucas. Grabbing Lucas by the cor, I said, ¡°Not satisfied yet, are you?¡± Seeing me smiling as blood spilled from my mouth, Lucas¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°How¡ª¡± ¡°Now that you mention it. I¡¯m not going to tell you.¡± And with that, I swung the gun I held at Lucas¡¯s head. Wham, Lucas¡¯s head jerked to the side. Well, I knew that wouldn¡¯t make him faint or die. I just wanted tond one hit. Again. * Returning to the moment Lucas had been hit by the bullet, I rolled forward from where I had tackled Alice. Immediately, a sword energy flew from behind me. It must have been prepared in advance. It could have been the Swordmaster, or ire. It didn¡¯t seem to be from the Emperor. ¡°Ugh.¡± Lucas, notprehending the situation, was struck by the sword energy. In that moment, I quickly reloaded my gun. Fortunately, Lucas didn¡¯t strike again while Iy on the floor reloading. Lucas looked at me with his eyes slightly widened. Why would he feel so unpleasant about me using a ¡°trick¡±? Um¡­ well, yeah, I suppose it would feel bad. If I were him, I would think the same way. If I were in the same situation. But this is not the same situation. After exhausting all the bullets in my chamber, I loaded a new magazine, so I had six rounds in the gun. Of course, that was more than enough for me. At least it was enough to take down one enemy. With the gun trained on Lucas, I slowly rose to my feet. Even after being hit by the sword energy, Lucas was still standing. A normal person would have rolled on the ground even if they weren¡¯t sliced in half. From that, I could tell that the robe Lucas wore was protective armor. ¡°Right, that¡¯s right¡­¡± After taking a long breath, Lucas said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll admit it. I can¡¯t win here.¡± He said that.@@novelbin@@ But before anyone in the room could respond, Lucas had already finished his stance. Then, he charged straight ahead. He barreled into all the knights in front of him, knocking them down, and made a beeline for the door.¡ª * Damn it. Now that I think about it, blood wasn¡¯t flowing from the ce where the bullet had struck. He had been hit, but it seemed the protective magic had pushed the bullet away. As I took aim and fired several times at the fleeing Lucas, it wasn¡¯t easy to catch him, who was only focused on escape. However, even if it wasn¡¯t easy for me, there was already someone in this room who could do it. The Swordmaster and the Emperor. And ire, Leo, and Alice. A multitude of knights. Countless sword energies flew toward Lucas. While each one wasn¡¯t that powerful, they had to carefully control their strength to avoid cutting through everyone at once. But they were enough to beat Lucas down. Thunk. The bag that Lucas had been carrying fell to the ground. As he bent down to retrieve it¡ª ¡°Tch.¡± He seemed to give up upon seeing the sword energying toward him. After ncing briefly at the several bullets flying his way, Lucas dashed straight for the door. How many knights would be waiting in the hallway? It was a tower without any windows, and it wasn¡¯t an easily destructible ce with ordinary bombardment. Unless Lucas smashed through all the knights with his body, he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Hearing the cries and the sounds of swords shing from outside the door, I knelt on one knee. My body trembled. I had pushed through something blocking my way with all my might several times. The cycle of my body healing and hurting was mentally exhausting. ¡°Sylvia!¡± A voice filled with tears reached me. It sounded like Alice. But I couldn¡¯t respond. My eyelids felt too heavy. Ah, even though the battle isn¡¯tpletely over yet. I still need to check for the masked woman. Someone rushed toward me and caught me before I fellpletely to the ground. In my fading and darkening vision, I saw the Emperor approaching the bag that Lucas had dropped. That was thest memory I had before everything went ck. Chapter 148 When I opened my eyes, I saw the ceiling of my room. Naturally, I was lying in my bed. I didn¡¯t even need to get up to know that. It was the bed I had consistently used for almost ten years, now approaching eleven, and the nket I covered myself with every day. Well, the nket might have changed a bit, but it was clear that this one had been used for quite a long time. So¡­ is it all over? Had Lucas been caught? Did the Emperor find out what Lucas had been holding? Those were the first thoughts that came to my mind. It didn¡¯t feel like I had slept. I had just closed my eyes and then opened them to find myself lying in bed. ¡°Sylvia?¡± I heard a voice from beside me. Turning my head slightly, I saw Alice''s face, wide-eyed in surprise. ¡°Sylvia!¡± Hearing Alice tightly grip my arm and shout, ire, who had been doing something by the table, flinched. ¡°Big sis?¡± ire turned around in shock, her expression not much different from Alice¡¯s. I couldn¡¯t see Leo or anyone else. Were they all busy with something? If Lucas had been caught, they must have been busy¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure what Leo was up to, though. ¡°Where''s Lucas¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the important thing right now.¡± No, it is important. I hadn¡¯t been able to ask Lucas anything. We had fought as soon as we encountered each other. ¡­Looking back, I was rather foolish. The fact that Lucas had reappeared after disappearing meant he hade back to fight. As I propped myself up, Alice stood up in concern, then sat back down. I felt refreshed. I raised my arm to check, but there were no visible wounds. Without needing to check too closely, I knew that as a princess, I had surely received top-notch medical treatment. Most of the wounds I had were probably just scratches, so healing them shouldn¡¯t have been too difficult. I was likely just exhausted from everything. After lying on a soft bed for hours, it was no wonder I felt so refreshed. Before, I hadn¡¯t been able to sleep properly due to nightmares. And mentally, I felt much better. ¡°What happened to the masked woman?¡± Thest time I checked, she was still swinging her sword, entangled inbat with others. I still bore the wounds, though. ¡°She disappeared during the process of stabilizing the situation.¡± Another one. I knew she had been unable to use her abilities. If that was the case, her vanishing was a separate matter. Was her disappearance a result of her own will? Or was she somehow fixed to a specific timeline and could only appear like that? Whichever it was, it wasn¡¯t something to be weed. ¡°Big sis, water.¡± While I was conversing with Alice, ire suddenly thrust a cup toward me. Only after seeing the cup of water did I realize my lips were parched. I gratefully epted the cup ire offered and took a sip before asking again. ¡°What happened to Lucas?¡± At my question, Alice and ire exchanged nces before answering. ¡°...He escaped.¡± ¡°With his current condition¡ª¡± I stopped speaking mid-sentence. Thinking back, it seemed usible given it was Lucas. Considering the outfit he was wearing. He had withstood the Emperor and the Swordmaster¡¯s sword energies, so he could probably evade the knights¡¯ swords as well. He surely wouldn¡¯te out unscathed, though. ¡°What about the fallen people...?¡± ¡°...¡± At my question, both Alice and ire avoided eye contact. So that¡¯s how it is¡­ ¡°How much time has passed?¡± It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if I had been lying here for a day. That would exin my thirst. However, the answer I received came with a hint of hesitation. ¡°Almost two weeks have passed.¡± ¡°...What?¡± For a moment, I thought I had misheard it as two days. ¡°Two weeks, big sis. While you were unconscious, August almost ended. School starts tomorrow.¡± ¡°...¡± I couldn¡¯t hide my stunned expression at that moment. ¡°Tomorrow is the start of school?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Alice nodded seriously in response to my question. ¡°Then what about the Swordmaster?¡± ¡°He¡¯s still in the pce. He has this weirdly pleased expression, which is a bit scary.¡± ire said with a hint of hesitation. ¡°...Leo?¡± ¡°He¡¯s currently training. I guess he felt it would be awkward to leave taking care of you to a man.¡± If I was wearingfortable clothes, then someone must have changed me. ¡°After lying down for two weeks, how did I manage to eat and drink?¡± ¡°Basically, we did it, and the nurses helped out.¡± ¡°They chopped the food finely and fed it to you little by little, and the same with the water.¡± Alice and ire exined one after the other. They seemed to be careful, as if afraid I would panic. ¡°...¡± Iy back down on the bed. Hah. I had been lying here for two weeks? Receiving care from others? While their exnations were concise, an incrediblyrge number of things must have happened in the meantime. If Lucas had escaped, there would have been a manhunt, and with the sounds of gunfire echoing from the tower, news would have spread near the pce. The institution had many diplomats and embassies. Given the spies nted there, it would have been impossible topletely suppress those rumors. Even if they hid that Lucas was the one who caused the incident, they couldn¡¯t cover up the fact that an incident had urred. Moreover, if Lucas had already rampaged through the Law Country, they would probably have a rough idea of what had happened. It sounded like the fortress-like status the Empire had maintained was starting to crack. How would the Emperor react? From my perspective, it seemed unlikely he would show a positive response. ¡°Well, the situation has beenrgely contained. At least the pce is functioning without issues¡­¡± Alice exined as if making excuses, but with so many knights having fallen, it couldn¡¯t be the same as before. ¡°...That.¡± When I fell silent, lost in thought, Alice cautiously spoke up. ¡°...I¡¯m sorry. It was my suggestion to go inside.¡± ¡°No.¡± Before I could say anything, ire quickly interjected. ¡°I suggested we couldn¡¯t just wait below.¡± I gazed at the two of them quietly. It seemed they both wanted to hide from me. ¡°Thus¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± I cut Alice off, who was trying to continue. ¡°The one who didn¡¯t say how this all unfolded, or what you were trying to do, is me.¡± At my words, both of them fell silent.@@novelbin@@ They wore expressions that seemed to hold many things they wanted to say. Probably mostly in the realm of apologies. But I didn¡¯t want to hear those apologies. It wasn¡¯t that I wouldn¡¯t forgive them for having wronged me. It was simply that there wasn¡¯t anything to apologize for. It was just that the situation had gotten tangled. Mostly because of my existence. I had imed I would save all the heroines and yet ended up putting them in danger. ¡°...¡± Iy back down, looking up at the ceiling. As I gazed at the overly ornate, Victorian-style decorations far removed from the word minimal, a sudden thought struck me. Ah, my entire vacation just flew away. * I considered rewinding the entire vacation but decided against it. Even rewinding briefly had already caused me pain to the point of losing consciousness; trying to rewind even further would be... Would I end up like an egg smashed against a rock? In truth, what I had done from the beginning had been incredibly foolish. What if I had actually died? ... So, what would I do then? It would be better than Alice dying. After all, I was a character that was close to being a bonus in this world. More precisely, I was a character whose true identity I didn¡¯t even know. ...Well, as long as no one died, it should be fine. ¡°Hmm.¡± I heard a grunt and looked up to see Charlotte. She seemed unchanged, as if nothing significant had happened during the vacation. ¡°I¡¯m d to see you¡¯re healthy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to see you¡¯re healthy too, Your Highness.¡± ¡°The title has reset again.¡± Charlotte sat down with a wry smile. Then, after ncing at me for a moment, she shrugged her shoulders. She probably had heard about what had happened through the newspaper or from the intelligencework of the Bellbur family, but she didn¡¯t pry any further. What happened inside the pce was a royal matter. Conversely, it would be a breach of etiquette for us to ask about it. ¡°Hello, Charlotte.¡± ¡°Hello, Alice. By the way, we greeted each other in the hallway already.¡± After Alice, who hade in a bitte because she had been upied with greeting other nobles, greeted Charlotte, Charlotte responded with a smile. ¡°Well, greetings in the ssroom are different. There were many other people in the hallway.¡± Saying that, Alice sat down behind me. ¡°It was such a long vacation.¡± As Alice said with a sigh, Charlotte replied, ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Indeed. It was really long. It felt like it had been ages since I had experienced such a peaceful atmosphere. Chapter 149 It seemed that the ceremonial robes didn¡¯t fit properly. The Emperor stood lost in thought, still holding his bag. It was because of those robes that Lucas had been able to escape. From what we saw of him blocking the Emperor¡¯s sword energy and the Sword Saint¡¯s de, it was clear the robes themselves were incredibly powerful. However, even the ceremonial robes have their limits. If the wearer isn¡¯t numb to pain, or if they don¡¯t have the ability to escape in certain situations, they will eventually be overwhelmed by continuous attacks. Considering how much pain Sylvia endured from a single shot, it might not be as worrying by the Empire¡¯s standards. After all, not everyone who wears those robes is like Lucas. ¡°Your skill is clearly not on Lucas¡¯s level.¡± ¡°¡­I apologize.¡± Jaiden lowered his head deeply as he responded. ¡°No need to apologize. What else could you do? It was an impossible task from the start.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The Emperor¡¯s words were meant to be kind, but it seemed Jaiden didn¡¯t hear it that way. The Empire¡¯s strongest knight. He probably takes pride in his title. Come to think of it, there was never a time when they fought for real, at least not sincerely. He had always thought there was camaraderie between them, especially since they were both children of the same family. ¡°Verati isn¡¯t dead, then?¡± ¡°Yes. He¡¯s recovering. His life isn¡¯t in danger, but we¡¯re unsure when he¡¯ll wake up¡­¡± ¡°And Sylvia?¡± Jaiden¡¯s face grimaced. He probably thought it was all Lucas¡¯s fault. Half of it was true. But the other half¡­ ¡°I see. For now, return to your duties.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Jaiden had been injured, but it didn¡¯t seem too severe. Lucas had been running for his life, after all. If it had truly been a fair duel, Jaiden wouldn¡¯t have escaped unscathed. Jaiden snapped to attention before turning and leaving the royal audience chamber. Alice remained by Sylvia¡¯s side after that. Even though she had been told that Sylvia¡¯s injuries weren¡¯t life-threatening, it seemed Alice couldn¡¯t rx. Though there were attendants in the room, Alice wanted to help Sylvia herself. It was odd how their bond had grown so strong. ¡­It was probably because of Sylvia. From the moment Sylvia had arrived here, she had always considered Alice¡¯s well-being. ¡°Hm.¡± The Emperor opened the bag he had been holding. Inside was a piece of *jibo*. It wasn¡¯tpletely unexpected. After all, there was no way they went all the way to thew country and caused such amotion without bringing anything back. But what he hadn¡¯t anticipated was the power this *jibo* would have. ¡°I¡¯ve never encountered a human of this kind before¡­¡± Muttering to himself as though answering his own question, the Emperor continued. ¡°No, can we even call this ''human''?¡± Most nations, especially those with myths rted to the Goddess Church, know that *jibo* is something of great importance. Even just looking at the amount of mana it holds, it¡¯s clear that it is a key to something important, though only a few truly understand its exact role. Indeed, only a few knew. The Emperor was one of those rare individuals. There is a legend passed down only to those who inherit the throne of the Empire, a story tied to the *Fangryphon* and the Goddess. But ording to that tale, *jibo* couldn¡¯t be used until it was whole. It might be best to gather them all one day, but there was no need for the Empire to be the one to collect them. In the end, the ce that needed *jibo* was the Holy Land. War with thew country would be inevitable at the end. Even if the Empire only secured a single fragment of *jibo*, they could conquer it with sheer force when the time came. The gears of the world were turning. The unfinished machine of the *Fangryphon* that had once sought to usurp the Goddess¡¯s power. The broken cog of that machine was this *jibo*. ¡°I never imagined that a single piece could have such power.¡± A fragment of a crucial device. Logically, a single piece alone shouldn¡¯t have value. Even if it did, it wouldn¡¯t be able to activate the machine. But¡ª Does this mean that, even broken, it carries the power of the Goddess? The masked woman wasn¡¯t the key. What mattered was the *jibo* she possessed, which blocked Sylvia¡¯s powers. This *jibo* blocked the power of the masked woman. Thinking of it this way, everything falls into ce. Of course, questions remain. If Sylvia were truly the Goddess, or her avatar, why would she be helping the *Fangryphon*, her mortal enemy? Why was she trying to make Alice the Emperor instead of herself? Maybe she¡¯s thinking the same thing I am, the Emperor thought.@@novelbin@@ If I wait to gather all the *jibo* and finally steal them at the end¡­ Even so, the *jibo* is necessary. Despite having the *jibo*, Sylvia could still use her abilities. The aftereffects were devastating, but¡­ And if the masked woman¡¯s *jibo* isn¡¯t nearby, Sylvia will be free to use her powers when she wakes up. To prepare for any simr entities that might emerge, the *jibo* must be collected. ¡°This will be useful,¡± the Emperor said, smiling as he looked down at the bag once again. --- **A Failure Again** She had failed again. Her body creaked as she moved, lost in thought. Click, click. The sound of machinery moving echoed with every flick of her fingers. In truth, it wasn¡¯t just when she moved her fingers that the noise could be heard. It was there when she walked, when she shifted her gaze, and even when she tried to think. She wanted the sound to stop, but she couldn¡¯t. It was the only proof that she existed, the only sign that she was alive. Her body had blood and flesh, but¡ª Everywhere she looked, the same sensation lingered: it felt as though her body was floating inside a kaleidoscope. She had be something infinitely small. Every time she saw Sylvia, the sound clicked in her chest. What she felt was warmth. Longing. Joy and sorrow. But in this body, she couldn¡¯t even speak properly. She couldn¡¯tugh. Alice¡ªam I Alice? She remembered. If she could remember, then those feelings she felt when seeing Sylvia must be hers. Sylvia had a sad expression on her face. Sylvia had shot the ¡°Alice¡± that she was, but the shot missed. Then, Alice¡¯s wings¡­ Endlessly, endlessly, she regretted it. But is ¡®regretted¡¯ even the right word? Could I have really regretted it? It must be wrong. Alice hadn¡¯t even existed back then. More precisely, it hadn¡¯t happened yet. Click, click. The sound grew louder as her thoughts became more tangled. Her head vibrated, trembling. In fact, what surrounded her body, what made her flesh and blood, might just be for show. If the devices in her head were the only proof of her existence¡­ Who created this body? Who ced these memories inside her? Why were they dropped here without exnation, without teaching her anything? What were they thinking when they made this piece on the chessboard¡ªme? At least, there was one thing she could still do. Maybe she could at least tell what she knew. --- **A Long-Awaited Visit** In the student council room, she met someone who made her ufortable. Or should it be said, they weren¡¯t on the best terms? From Mia Crowfield¡¯s perspective, it was even worse. ¡°Lady Crowfield.¡± As I spoke first, Crowfield raised her head to look at me. Dark circles were visible under her eyes. ¡°¡­What happened over the break?¡± Before Charlotte could greet her, Mia Crowfield had already asked that question, indicating that Mia was in a bad state. Looking at her dry eyes, it was clear she had been crying a lot. It was understandable. She had just learned face-to-face that her beloved family¡­ were not the people she had thought them to be. That moment, Mia had copsed, crying on the floor. She probably didn¡¯t know who to me. It¡¯s easy to me a single thing, but when there are many reasons stacked together¡­ Still, I thought there was hope. She hadn¡¯t quit the academy, nor had she locked herself away in the dorms. She hadn¡¯t made it to the opening ceremony, but here she was in the student council room. It seemed she still wanted to talk. ¡°¡­¡± I knew I had to say something, but when I tried to think of the right words, I didn¡¯t know what to say. Saying ¡°hello¡± didn¡¯t feel right. Mia Crowfield was definitely not in a ¡°hello¡± state. Simrly, ¡°well¡± didn¡¯t feel appropriate either. Alice nced at me, and Charlotte, ire, and Leo seemed to notice that this conversation was connected to me. All four of them stood a little apart, sensing the tension. ¡°From now on¡­¡± I took a moment to organize my thoughts, then slowly opened my mouth. ¡°Let¡¯s try to get along, alright?¡± The words I came up with weren¡¯t very impressive. I waited nervously, not knowing how Mia would respond, and she nodded ever so slightly. That was enough to let me breathe a little easier. Chapter 152 It had been a while since I was able to train at the academy training grounds. Most of the distinguished imperial knights use swords. It''s not that they don''t use firearms at all, but they are generally considered supplementary tools. After all, there are gendarmes armed with firearms within the imperial pce. From their perspective, swords are actually auxiliary tools, and firearms are the primary weapon. There are training grounds for these people, but¡­ Well, honestly, it felt a little strange for me to train there by myself. While it wasn''t that women didn''t exist in these roles, the majority were men. Moreover, all the knights and gendarmes in the imperial pce were under the imperial family¡¯smand, so if I were to go, the training would undoubtedly be disrupted. It would cause quite the inconvenience. When I trained with firearms as a child, I practiced by shooting flying birds or randomly firing indoors to get used to it. Even back then, I was still young, so I doubt anyone would have seriously trained me if I went. Therefore, having a training ground where I could freely practice shooting without interruption was something I deeply appreciated. ¡°Phew¡­¡± I exhaled as I checked my gun at the end of the training ground. Suddenly, I heard pping from behind. For a moment, I thought it was Sophia Bianchi, but when I turned around, I saw Lena standing there. When I realized who was pping, I felt a bit embarrassed. Just a moment ago, I had been training around the grounds without rewinding time once. After meeting the Masked Woman twice, I had firmly realized that if I relied only on my ability, I would be utterly useless the moment it disappeared. As the Sword Saint said, I wasn¡¯t particrly talented in that area. I had fired a lot of shots, so I could hit something when I tried, but that was about it. That said, I wasn¡¯t going to seal away my abilities or swear off relying on thempletely. But if I were to lose that power, at the very least, I should be more useful than the trash lying on the street. I used to criticize characters in games andics who were useless, and I didn¡¯t want to be one of them. To avoid that, the best thing I could do was practice a little more, so I could be of some help, even if just a little, in such situations. ¡°Impressive.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± I had to make a significant effort to avoid blushing at Lena¡¯s words. If I had rewound time to practice, I might not have cared. After all, it would have been the result of something I adjusted to make happen. But to beplimented without ever rewinding time¡ªat least it meant that, to Lena, my skills weren¡¯tcking too much. ¡­Then again, I had probably already trained in this area hundreds of times, so maybe that¡¯s why. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t join you yesterday.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. You had a lot of equipment to check, so it was inevitable.¡± It felt a bit strange having this conversation with Lena, just the two of us. Maybe it was because we were both using formalnguage with each other. Lena¡¯s equipment had only arrived yesterday. After Jaiden bombarded the enemy with the monitor ship, the autonomous country became nervous, and the Empire responded by positioning more troops near the warlord regions. As a result, the atmosphere in that area became tense. Lena¡¯s weapon was a battleship cannon, one of the weapons being transported to the academy, where the noble children of the Empire gathered. Because the procedure had already beplicated, her weapon had been dyed at the border for a while before arriving yesterday. As a result, she hadn¡¯t been able to join us at the caf¨¦ yesterday. She didn¡¯t seem to mind too much, but honestly, if the Empire started sweeping through the border region like that, even someone who had requested it in advance would be frightened. Not just any weapon, but cannons. While each one was mounted on a separate ship, the caliber was simr to the dreadnoughts that soared above Rondarium. Given the number of ships, it might have been the same as if the dreadnought had gone to bombard us. After the incident, the autonomous country moved its troops, and it was a bit absurd for the Empire¡¯s army to respond in that way. ¡°Are you here to train?¡± ¡°Yes. Now that I¡¯ve received my weapon, I thought I¡¯d take this opportunity to check it out.¡± I nodded and stood up from my seat. --- Lena¡¯s skill was as impressive as ever. Given her personality, it was no surprise that she hadn¡¯t taken a break during the vacation. In fact, her movements had be even more refined than before. Hmm, in some ways, her movements seemed simr to mine. In the past, I had only shot with pistols in both hands, but now, Lena was wearing a short submachine gun on her back. ¡°Impressive.¡± As I watched Lena finish her round of the training ground, I pped for her, just like she had done for me. A flush appeared on her face, but it wasn¡¯t just from running around. ¡°I referenced your movements, Sylvia-sama.¡± At those words, I almost blushed as well. I was lucky it was dark outside. I had only mimicked her movements¡ªI wasn¡¯t actually a member of a special forces unit. I had just pulled out the little knowledge I had of military tactics and tried to move the way I thought would work. Still, I was d it looked somewhat practical to the people around me. ¡°That so¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± As I replied to Lena, trying to think of what to say next, I heard a voice shouting from behind. ¡°Your Highness, you were amazing!¡± ¡­ I turned around, and this time it was truly Sophia Bianchi. ¡°That was a move I never thought of!¡± Well, of course. You¡¯re a swordsman, right? Now that I think about it, there seems to be an overwhelming number of swordsmen in Azer and Electric. Still, wasn¡¯t the game set in an industrial revolution era? I mean, this was an era where people were digging trenches and mowing people down with machine guns. But here we are, swinging swords. Of course, the ones wielding swords are only the monsters who survive the gunfire. Still, even they would die from a bullet. ¡°There are many people in Belbur who handle firearms, but I¡¯ve never seen anyone move like you two,¡± Sophia said, looking impressed. ¡°¡­¡± Lena¡¯s face became a little dazed as she listened to Sophia¡¯s words. Lena knew about Sophia Bianchi. After all, she was in the same ss, and since she had been hanging around us, Lena had naturally had the chance to speak with her. It seemed like Sophia Bianchi had set her sights on getting close to me through my circle, if not through me directly. ¡°Is this training ground only for you two?¡± Sophia asked, and Lena shook her head.@@novelbin@@ ¡°No. Other students can use it too, but¡­¡± ¡­No one else would even think about using it as long as I was here. Most of the students who use firearms aremoners. ¡°I see¡­¡± Sophia tilted her head but then shrugged her shoulders. ¡°How did you manage toe here at this hour?¡± ¡°Oh, I was just taking a walk and heard the sounds, so I came to see. If there¡¯s such a nice ce here, I¡¯d like to try using it too¡­ Um¡­¡± Sophia Bianchi stared at the training ground for a moment and then spoke. ¡°Would it be alright if I used it?¡± Lena looked at me after Sophia spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t have the right to stop you, but¡­¡± ¡°Well, could you tell me how to use it? How do I get the target board to go back up?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I almost wanted to say, ¡°Go wind it up yourself,¡± but¡­ Sophia Bianchi was terrible with machines. Especially with clocks. She¡¯d break them at least once a month. She¡¯d over-wind the springs and break the parts, or press the mechanism¡¯s buttons and cause it to malfunction. It had been a joke in the game, but in reality, it was disastrous. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll help you.¡± I sighed and said, holding back my frustration. --- And the result was disastrous. It was mycency that caused the problem. Yeah, honestly, I thought just winding the spring would be enough. Who would have thought that hitting the target board too hard would cause the parts to break? When I saw Sophia Bianchiing out of the training ground with a proud look, I nced back at the board and noticed it was twisted in an odd direction. After checking, sure enough, it was in that state. ¡°¡­Sorry.¡± And just like that, Sophia Bianchi apologized. She seemed somewhat ustomed to this situation. ¡°¡­¡± I had to try incredibly hard not to wipe my face in embarrassment. Chapter 155 "Ugh..." Sophia Bianchi hesitated for a few seconds before letting out a deep sigh. "It seems like you knew from the start, not that I was caught." While that was true, I imagined she said it with the confidence that she never thought she would get caught in the first ce. I didn¡¯t feel the need toment on it. Arguing about such a thing would only waste time. "Well then, let''s exchange the necessary information without hiding anything." As I watched Sophia Bianchi continue, I was a little surprised. Or rather, now that I thought about it, perhaps it wasn¡¯t so surprising. In the original story, whenever the protagonist asked her something, she would respond without arrogance and only say what she wanted to say. But that was only because she had enough confidence in her skills to take that attitude. Now that I had defeated her once, she probably realized that showing such an attitude before me would be meaningless. "Yes, as you guessed, I¡¯m from the Law Country."@@novelbin@@ She even changed the way she addressed me from "Sylvia" to "Your Highness." "The reason I¡¯m here... It¡¯s because of the orders from the Law Country to gather information on you, Your Highness." "My information?" I asked. "Well, they want to know more about your ability to change the situation of a battlefield with just your own power. I don¡¯t know much more than that. The Cardinals are famous for not giving out detailed information when they issue orders." "Was this for preparation in case you were caught and imprisoned?" "Yes... well..." At my question, Sophia Bianchi made a brief unhappy expression. She must have thought there was no way her true identity would be discovered, considering how confident she was in her skills. "Because of Eliza''s situation." Mentioning Veratti¡¯s baptismal name suggested that the Law Country had be more cautious since Veratti was captured by the Empire. This had also been touched upon in the original story. "Is there another reason?" Sophia Bianchi shrugged. "The rest of it is information I wouldn¡¯t know unless I met His Majesty the Emperor personally. My main task here is to gather information about you, Your Highness. If I can learn more, that¡¯s great. If not, well, no big deal." Sophia¡¯s attitude had shifted slightly. Compared to the more formal way she usually acted in front of others, she seemed a bit more rxed now, especially in her bodynguage. "Why are you watching me so closely? There are other princes and princesses, not just me." "Because you¡¯re unique among them, Your Highness." Sophia Bianchi answered, as if it were obvious. "Normally, people who can¡¯t handle swordsmanship end up using firearms, so they can joinbat quickly. A person with true talent can avoid the trajectory of a bullet just by watching it fly... and honestly, firearms don¡¯t give a sense of developing skill. I¡¯m not trying to insult you, Your Highness." She added hastily at the end, then continued. "But after seeing Your Highness¡¯s records, my thoughts have changed. While it¡¯s impossible for every soldier to be like you, if an army could produce even a fraction of your ability... you get the point. No matter how strong a soldier is, they can¡¯t be in two ces at once. Even if one battlefield is defended, if the other falls, the war is lost. And it¡¯s not like the Empire has no skilled swordsmen." "So, are you trying to recruit me?" I asked. "Not recruit, exactly. It¡¯s more like they asked me to learn Your Highness¡¯s movements, if possible." Sophia Bianchi spoke in a somewhat deted voice. So, to put it simply, I was being asked to have mybat techniques copied before they even became a proper training manual. And after hearing that, I started to understand. Mybat style, after all, was a mix of my basic, surface-level knowledge of military tactics and my own practical experience. Normally, it would take a long time to develop a fighting style, but I had gone through far more battles than most people, and I had the scars to prove it. I fought for survival, so my style had real value. Hah. It was a surprising answer, and I found myself a bit flustered. I had never considered that anyone would approach me because of the value I might have. "Well, also..." Sophia Bianchi shrugged once more. "If you consider His Majesty the Emperor¡¯s meritocratic nature, it might not be so strange. If you do well, you might even rise to be the next Empress. Perhaps they thought it would be a good idea to make a friend of simr age beforehand. Though, that¡¯s just my guess." Ah, I see. Veratti was still detained in the Empire. In fact, she was in aa, unable tomunicate properly. Even magic couldn¡¯t facilitate long-distancemunication, and the wirelessmunication devices weren¡¯t fully developed in this world. What did the game developers say? Originally, radio technology should have been introduced by the time the game began, but since electricity-based technology hadn¡¯t been fully developed, radiomunication hadn¡¯t made much progress either. There were fighter nes, but instead of using radiomunication, theymunicated through hand signals or light from embedded mana stones. The information Veratti had gained hadn¡¯t been delivered to the Law Country. So, it made sense that they would want to send someone in more safely to gather information. "...." This all felt a bit strange. "So, Your Highness, would you like to be friends? If necessary, we can even negotiate with the Law Country. Honestly, even if we train soldiers, we can¡¯t win against the Empire." I quietly watched Sophia Bianchi try to persuade me, then opened my mouth. "Are you aware of the incident that happened at the Imperial Pce recently?" "...Yes?" Sophia Bianchi¡¯s eyes widened slightly at my words. "It was the incident where Lucas invaded. Many knights and soldiers were injured or killed." "Uh..." "Lucas was wearing protective armor and holding Jericho¡¯s sword. I suspect he had something to do with the Law Country¡¯s actions. What do you think? What¡¯s been happening in the Law Country?" At my question, Sophia Bianchi stared at me nkly. "Uh, if you give me such high-level information, I don¡¯t really know how to respond..." "..." I red at Sophia Bianchi in silence, and she gave me a slightly awkward look. "The leadership of the Law Country is a very secretive group. If they don¡¯t think I need to know, they won¡¯t give me any information. I¡¯ve heard rumors about what happened, but I don¡¯t know the details. I just learned that it was the prince who infiltrated." Hah. "I may be from the Law Country, but I grew up in Lutetia to create this identity. I¡¯m confident in my skills, and the Law Country trusts me, but beyond the knowledge needed for this mission, I haven¡¯t been told anything else. I¡¯m sorry." I watched Sophia Bianchi quietly. As soon as my gaze met hers, she shifted ufortably. Just a moment ago, she had been looking me straight in the eye, making me ufortable. Now, the atmosphere hadpletely flipped. I began to think that she might be hiding the truth from me. But, considering her character in the original story, she wasn¡¯t really good at hiding her emotions, even if she tried. She had always been confident, but after losing to me, she had been genuinely surprised and lost for words. She might have been trying to hide her true feelings just now, but there was no major change. Right, she was still just a fifteen-year-old kid. Even in the second year of the main story, she would only be sixteen. She was still at an age where her sense of self was growing, and she probably thought she was special. Perhaps the cocky attitude she disyed in the original story came from her being sure of her own abilities. ... I let out a long sigh. Thinking about it, it was a bit of a reality check. Despite all her bravado, she was just a newly transferred kid. Even the Law Country knew that. Had I been too serious about this? I shook my head and couldn¡¯t help but feel embarrassed. Chapter 156 By the end of September, I had just been living an ordinary life. The hatred I once felt toward Sophia from the original story had mostly faded by then. What I disliked was just a character in a book, and the person in front of me... she was a different Sophia than the one from my memories. It was simr to ire¡¯s case. Of course, even when she was just a character, I had liked ire, but if anyone had asked me whether the ire next to me now was the same as the one from the story, I would have said no. I had even tried asking a few things while rewinding time right after¡ª ¡°Pardon? Me? I¡¯ve never really killed anyone yet¡­¡± ¡°When I was asked to be a knight by the Law Country, I was happy, but it was to repay the kindness I¡¯ve received. How many people would want to be a knight just to kill others?¡± ¡ªSophia answered with a flustered tone. In the original story, the character''s backstory wasn¡¯t really revealed, and she just said something like, ¡°I became a knight of the church because I like killing people,¡± but... perhaps there was some backstory here too. Was bing a knight of the church something that happenedter in the original story? Did she be one hurriedly because of me? At least, I remembered that the justification was something like, ¡°I didn¡¯t go around just killing anyone.¡± Since I couldn¡¯t confirm it with her directly, I decided to stop asking. Maybe it would be more helpful to wait for Veratti to wake up instead. Or perhaps I could personally invade the Law Country and grab the Pope by the cor to ask him. Maybe it was something that would be revealed in the sequel. Since I hade over to this side before the original work came out, I might have missed out on intended details. ...Come to think of it, it¡¯s a bit absurd. If you¡¯re going to send someone to such a ce, shouldn¡¯t you at least make sure they see the entire backstory? That way, they can properly prepare for whates next. Sending someone like this without any context just leaves me clueless about what my goal is. All I¡¯ve managed toe up with is some vague, half-baked n like ¡°saving the characters I like.¡± Maybe creating such a situation itself was the goal of that entity, but well, that¡¯s something I can¡¯t confirm right now, so I decided to focus on the task at hand. The RPG series from Millennium Company, especially the Azerna Chronicles series, tends to focus on introducing the world, characters, and society whenever the setting changes. The first game usually builds the foundation, and then in the sequels, it picks up with the charactersing together and solving the events that ur. The first game covers the period until the second semester of the first year. The second game starts right after the first and continues until the end of the year. The third game picks up from the second game and covers six months, with the stories bing denser while the time span bes shorter, increasing the ytime as the series progresses. In the third game, the heroine who dies is already determined. Of course, in a game, it¡¯s difficult to link save files individually, so all the events are packed into the third game. But since this is reality, it¡¯s better to start thinking about everything from here on out. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t make a battle manual. If I made one, the Emperor would probably use it. Jennifer had never suggested I make such a thing, either. It¡¯s more likely that Rena would go to the Autonomous Nation and create it herself¡­ but that¡¯s fine. If the Autonomous Nation gets the power to counter the Imperial Army or handle the bordends¡¯ warlords on their own, the Emperor will likely change his mind. The Emperor is already ruling the Empire much more easily than in the original. And the reason for that is entirely because of my existence. The existence of the monitor ship that fired on the bordends is a variable, but that was something that appeared in the original too. So far, things seem to be progressing positively, right? So far, at least. * The person bowing their head without saying a word was wearing the same uniform as me. Now that the weather was getting colder, I began to drape my coat over my shoulders again. It was a bit strange that Rena, who often followed me around, also started wearing her coat over her shoulders, but well, at least it didn¡¯t lookpletely out of ce. Jennifer also wore her coat like that. But this person was different. Every button of the shirt and coat was fastened properly, and the clothes were impably smooth without a single wrinkle. That pristine appearance, which could be described as perfectly neat, made me think of a soldier at first nce, but it still felt different from Rena¡¯s neatness. Following this strange sense of difort, the figure that came to my mind was none other than a maid from the royal household. Ah, right, of course. Roti was Jake¡¯s maid after all. ¡°Roti, was it?¡± I asked. If she had just been a regr maid, I would have nodded and moved on, but she was a regr character from the original. She wasn¡¯t a heroine to be courted, but she was still quite popr due to her rtionship with the righteous male lead, Jake. ¡°I am honored that Your Highness remembers my humble name.¡± If I were in the modern world, I would have thought this sounded a little sarcastic. But here, it wasn¡¯t. The idea that Roti came from a humble background wasmon sense here. I didn¡¯t personally think that way, but I wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to her. ¡°You were a close friend of Jake¡¯s, right?¡± ¡°I am his maid,¡± she responded, as if putting up a solid defense. ¡°Hmm.¡±@@novelbin@@ Hearing that, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit challenged. As a sign of her mixed heritage and colonized background, her skin was dark. The Empire¡¯s main motif was the once mighty British Empire, so the inspiration for Roti¡¯s homnd was colonial India. Whether Roti had spent her childhood in the Azerna Empire or in a colony, it wasn¡¯t surprising that the caste system was deeply rooted in her mind. ¡°Jake doesn¡¯t think so,¡± I said. ¡°Sir Jake simply treats mefortably because we¡¯ve known each other for a long time.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s only natural to think of each other as close friends, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°...Your Highness.¡± I quietly stared at Roti. Since she had her eyes down, I couldn¡¯t make out her expression, but it seemed she thought I was belittling Jake. Hmm. I couldn¡¯t exactly say, ¡°I¡¯m not even a drop of imperial blood, but I have the title of princess.¡± If the Emperor, who was at the top of the caste system, chose to do so, that was his decision. Bringing it up would only be a pointless aggravation. ¡°Oh, Sylvia,¡± Jake appeared just as I was thinking of what to say next. Had he been doing something for a while? ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you two getting along so well,¡± he said cheerfully. ¡°...Sir Jake.¡± Roti, looking at us, who didn¡¯t seem friendly at all, warned Jake with a yful tone. As expected, Jake shrugged off her sharp words, letting them slide. ¡°Did you two run into each other by ident?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes, we just happened to cross paths,¡± I replied. Jake smiled at us, seeming entertained. ¡°Did you speak because our territory is next for the field exercise? Trying to gather some information?¡± I hadn¡¯t thought of that, but... I had a rough idea of how the Lindbergh estate¡¯s castle was structured. It wasn¡¯t fully implemented, but at least I could picture where the books I needed to read or the items I needed to check were located. ¡°Yes.¡± But I was toozy to think of another reason, so I just went with that. It wouldn¡¯t make sense for me, who¡¯s notorious for not striking up conversations with others, to speak for no reason. Especially since Roti had been staring at me quietly. Because I was ¡°that¡± royal child from ¡°that¡± family. She might have thought I would do something at the Lindbergh estate. And probably, the biggest reason she was wary of me was Jake Lindbergh. How quaint. Watching Jake casually ce his hand on Roti¡¯s shoulder and seeing her swat it away before he lowered his hand with an equally nonchnt look, I briefly considered making things more awkward, but then decided against it. ¡°If you really need information, I can share it with you,¡± I offered. ¡°Really?¡± I nced at Roti as I spoke. Jake, too, briefly looked at Roti, and for a moment, it seemed like our thoughts aligned. Jake or Roti probably didn¡¯t suspect I was teasing Roti. ¡°Then, would you like to have a chat for a moment?¡± ¡°Sure, if we¡¯re alone¡ª¡± ¡°Master.¡± Roti cut off Jake¡¯s words, and Jake shrugged again. ¡°Oops, seems like my childhood friend doesn¡¯t like it. Well, it can¡¯t be helped.¡± If I hadn¡¯t been here, I bet Roti wouldn¡¯t have rolled her eyes. It¡¯s a bit disappointing that I won¡¯t get to see that. Chapter 157 I also liked the character Roti. She wasn¡¯t a character I could romance, but whenever Jake and Roti appeared in the game, they would usually have little exchanges like this. It wasn¡¯tugh-out-loud funny, but it was heartwarming. "So, what kind of information can you provide?" The fact that Jake wanted to talk to me alone was probably not sincere. He was likely just trying to make a joke because Roti was standing next to him. When he first spoke to me, it was probably just a remark he made out of frustration, reflecting Roti¡¯s words. He was a character who generally kept a neutral expression, hiding his emotions. But that didn¡¯t mean he was emotionless¡ªhe had simply grown ustomed to hiding his feelings since childhood. Jake felt pity for Roti because of that. "What information can you give me?" "Hmm." Jake fell into a moment of thought before speaking. "Well, it''s still warm down there, even at this time of year." Since it bordered a desert. The Empire controlled most of the western part of the continent, and the northern region of the southern continent was one of its colonies. The Lindbergh family had been at the forefront when the Empire first invaded the southern continent. They had recruited pirates before the Empire even had a proper parliament and had conquered and upied a region, slowly absorbing it into their territory over about a century. As a result, the Lindbergh estate was split into two, with the sea separating the northern and southern parts. The northern estate, across from the sea, was peaceful and unremarkable. It wasrge, but there were no notable special products. Most of the Lindbergh family¡¯s wealth came from their holdings in the southern continent. They controlled the fertile areas of the northern part of the southern continent, and their trade with colonies beyond the desert made up the majority of their ie. Before the standing army was disbanded, they had set up naval bases and rented them out to the Imperial Army for a tidy sum. Additionally, like the Winterfield family, they maintained some private soldiers because they were situated near the bordends. "Maybe it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to y by the seaside? The swimwear trend has been popr in the estates recently." "¡­¡­." Upon hearing Jake¡¯s words, Roti made a face that seemed like she was trying to suppress something. If we followed historical uracy, swimwear in the early 20th century was just baggy clothing, especially for women. However... considering the world we were in, what kind of world was it? A world created by a Japanese gamepany at the forefront of otaku subculture. Naturally, the swimwear looked quite simr to the ones from my world. It was a bit absurd to even bother pointing this out, especially considering that casinos in this world had bunny girls. "And, well... I could tell you about local specialties and such, but honestly, it¡¯s not really rted to what we¡¯re doing there, is it?" "That¡¯s true." Even if Jake knew important secrets about the estate, he wasn¡¯t the type to blurt them out carelessly. "Well, at least it¡¯s good news¡ªmeans we can stay warm for a few more days. I had a hard time adjusting after spending the vacation in a warm ce anding here to the cold." "You might catch a cold if the temperature suddenly changes. You should be worried about your health, sir. You¡¯re traveling back and forth twice this month." "Don¡¯t worry, Roti. I¡¯m tougher than I look. And speaking of which, shouldn¡¯t you be more worried about yourself, being a woman?" "I..." Roti seemed about to say something, but then shut her mouth, probably feeling like, ¡®What¡¯s the point?¡¯ I had to hold back a bitter smile. * Most other territories didn¡¯t need to cross a vast ocean, so even if each group went separately, it wasn¡¯t a big deal, but the Lindbergh estate was different. Going to the northern Lindbergh estate wasn¡¯t particrly educational, so naturally, the practical field exercises were in the southern part. The southern continent colonies were incredibly important to the Empire. The reason the Empire could call itself an Empire was because of its numerous colonies. Many people believed that the Empire was trulypleted when the Emperor dered, ¡°I am the emperor of two continents,¡± after conquering them all. Though, even during the era of the first Emperor, Fangriphon, the term "Empire" had been used confidently, but calling a nation an Empire rather than just a country made it easier for other nations to ept the Empire¡¯s imperialistic ims. The reason the Empire could be called a true Empire. That was also why the academy sent students here at least once. Moreover, since the academy often had foreign students, it was a good opportunity to unt the Empire¡¯s prestige. Sending students by airship, not just by boat, had practical and imperialist reasons for showing off the Empire¡¯s status. "The Empire ims that this vast sea is all within its territorial waters," Rena said. "Since the Empire¡¯s territory spans both the top and bottom," Alice added. Strictly speaking, under internationalw, no sea could be entirely considered territorial waters. However, the Empire had applied itsws to all the inds and reefs it had upied, effectively iming half of the Mediterranean as its own territorial waters. With the Empire¡¯s powerful navy, no nation had the means to contest it. After all, they were a country that could float battleships in the air¡ªwho could say they couldn¡¯t control the sea? "Velbourne hardly uses this sea anyway, since it''s located in the northern continent." "...There¡¯s a saying that the prices of goodsing across this sea are inted." "It¡¯s not because the Empire treats it like its own sea. It¡¯s more because the Lindbergh family takes a lot of cuts. In fact, that¡¯s why goods from the Empire aren¡¯t much cheaper than those from foreign countries. And if you really want to buy something, you could just trade with the Ivelia Kingdom." Alice responded somewhat harshly, possibly because of thement about the country she might inherit. Despite Alice¡¯s reaction, Charlotte didn¡¯t seem fazed. After all, they had been friends even before they were princesses. "The Ivelia Kingdom has almost no colonies in the southern continent. It¡¯s only been unified for 20 years. In that time, the Empire has taken all the primend in the southern continent." "That¡¯s because they¡¯ve been fighting amongst themselves for centuries." ... Hmm. In the original work, I don¡¯t remember hearing about this. I mean, I knew about the settings, but I had never heard the characters discuss such political topics. When political discussions came up, they were usually about direct conflicts between the Empire and the Kingdom. Then again, these two characters were from an era when 20th-century imperialism and nationalism were spreading. Their pride in their countries was growing, and that pride was, of course, based on the power they had over their colonies and nations. Well, that would probably break down soon enough. I turned my gaze towards Roti. All first-year students from Rondarium Academy were on the airship, but those in the scenic observation deck were mostly noble students. Noble students typically imed the best spots, andmoners rarely moved when they saw the nobles settled in. However, among them, one student stood out. No, rather than the student standing out, it was the way people around the student were looking at them. It was Roti. Roti, standing next to Jake. Jake probably hadn¡¯t dragged her here against her will. Even Jake, no matter how mischievous, wouldn¡¯t want others to look down on Roti. After all, she was the girl he liked. Roti was probably here by her own choice, pretending to be standing there to "assist the young master" as a maid. In truth, she probably just wanted to be with him.@@novelbin@@ When I turned my gaze towards Roti, our eyes met for a brief moment. Roti quickly turned her gaze back to the window, but she was clearly paying attention to our conversation. It made sense. Roti was from a colony. Though she had grown up in the Lindbergh estate, she was discriminated against openly because of her appearance. The conversation between the two, talking so casually about the discrimination she faced, must have caught her attention. But there was no anger or frustration visible on her face. It seemed more like resignation. She was a character caught between two worlds¡ªan Empire-born with mixed blood, unable to fully belong to either side. Even before she got together with Jake, and even after, she had been the subject of gossip among the nobles. "..." At first, I hadn¡¯t paid much attention to it, but now, with the reality of it sinking in, it felt far more pitiful than when I saw it in the game. Chapter 159 As expected of a hotel that looked so impressive on the outside, the interior was just as remarkable. It wasn¡¯t excessively extravagant, nor was it overly simplistic¡ªit had just the right touch of luxury. In fact, it looked far more expensive than a ce decked out in jewels and glitter. If a noble family operated a hotel this perfect, they¡¯d probably be proud to show it off. The Grace family took pride in cultivating the only patch of green grass in the middle of a dreary city, the Winterfield family in their strong-hearted citizens, and the Northwood family in their magnificent streets. But no, this ce did show off its elegance. However, the person who was supposed to take ownership of it¡ªJake¡ªwas merely smiling faintly, without a trace of a boastful attitude. Jake was, in fact, much moreposed here than he was at the academy. "You probably already know the room assignments. We¡¯ve put you with people you canfortably stay with, so there¡¯s no need to worry," he said. I shared a room with Alice. It was a spacious two-person room, though they could have packed us into a four-person room. The decision to keep us in arger room was likely more influenced by the Lindbergh family than by the academy¡¯s ns. The willingness to offer such generosity, along with the intention to make sure that when the time came for business visits, they would ensure we stayed here, was clear. Providing the same for themoner ss meant Lindbergh was "progressive," in a sense. Of all noble families, they were the most sensitive to money. It was also a family that alwayscked manpower. Whethermoner students would end up bing bourgeois or professionals, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to be familiar with them early on. Of course, the term "progressive" probably only applied to pure-blooded Empire citizens, particrly those of white descent. "We¡¯ve been traveling for days, so I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all exhausted. Rest well today. However, as I mentioned earlier, before going outside the hotel, report to me or one of the teachers waiting in the lobby. Also, make sure to travel in groups of three or more. A little additional advice¡ªdon¡¯t fall for any persuasion that might lead you astray," Jennifer said. Herst words caused someughter among the students, but Jennifer¡¯s expression remained quite serious. "The security around here is better than in some ces, but it¡¯s still not as good as in the Empire. Stay alert and act responsibly. That¡¯s all." In truth, most of the students here weren¡¯t from the Empire, so they were probably more familiar with ces that had far worse security. Still, there might be some who had never experienced ces with poor security firsthand. "Sylvia." Once Jennifer finished speaking, and the students began gathering in their groups, Alice tapped me lightly on the shoulder. "Shall we go check out our room? It¡¯s on a pretty high floor." Alice¡¯s expression was excited, so I nodded silently in agreement. * It would be a lie to say I hadn¡¯t felt excited sinceing to this world. The moment I realized I was in the world of the game series I loved. The moment I found myself beside Alice as a princess. When I entered the academy that the main characters attended or got involved in the main story¡­ There were many moments when I had to think hard and ponder, but at the same time, I felt a flutter in my chest. Honestly, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone who wouldn¡¯t feel excited when they find themselves in the world of a game they love. In most body-swap stories, people usually start by saying how everything¡¯s ruined and this world is doomed, but eventually, they end up living well after meeting the heroine. ...I guess it¡¯s a little different for me, but still. "This is amazing, now I get why they insisted on having us stay in this hotel." Alice said, gazing out the window. The 72nd floor, the very top. No matter how big the hotel was, there was no way they could have squeezed so many students into such a scenic location. The reason our rooms were ced here wasn¡¯t a coincidence; the room allocation wasn¡¯t random. The road outside, visible through the clean ss windows, was perfectly straight. It seemed as though it had been measured with a ruler, as the road stretched all the way to the edge of the city, which could be faintly seen in the distance. A road that cut diagonally across the city was also visible. It proudly showed that the city had been nned from the start. At the far edge of my sight, the industrial area began. Outside the city limits, I could see ck smoke and white steam rising. Beyond that, there were likely ntation farms. "If we had stayed at Lindbergh Estate like the other ces, we wouldn¡¯t have felt like this." "Lindbergh Castle is actually much more modestpared to the estates on the Empire¡¯s maind." Unlike other estates, which literally resembled castles, Lindbergh¡¯s family residence was just a mansion in the middle of the city. It wasn¡¯t small enough to be called ¡®just¡¯ a mansion, but calling it a castle would have been a stretch. It was built during an era when families didn¡¯t need to prepare for medieval-style sieges. "A new kind of business for a new era¡­" Alice muttered, gazing down at the scene. "Well, fine. Let¡¯s check the room and luggage first, then we can go out and explore the area. Charlotte¡¯s probably itching to go outside, so we can gather the others and head out¡ª" Before Alice could finish speaking, there was a knock at our door. "I¡¯ll go answer it." I had a pretty good idea of what was happening since this was part of the story from the original. As I walked across therge room toward the door, the knock didn¡¯te again. Whoever had knocked wasn¡¯t in a hurry and was waiting quietly. When I opened the thick door, I met Roti¡¯s eyes. "Your Highness." Roti bowed slightly. She had always greeted people with grace, even when she was just another student at the academy, but this time, her greeting was different. She held the edge of her skirt and bowed with a refined gesture.@@novelbin@@ It felt more like a formal bow than a simple greeting. "What is it?" I asked. I already knew what was happening, but I felt awkward not asking about it. "Tonight, Duke Lindbergh would like to invite the two princesses to a banquet at Lindbergh Mansion," Roti said, bowing again and handing us two invitations. I took them, and on the elegant, flowing handwriting was written: "To Her Highness Princess Alice Fangriphon" on one side, and "To Her Highness Princess Sylvia Fangriphon" on the other. Both invitations were sealed with a dark purple wax seal, embossed with an image of a rearing horse. "It would be an honor if the two princesses would grace the banquet with your presence," Roti said, her voice full of respectful courtesy. "¡­Roti?" Alice¡¯s voice came from behind, surprised to see Roti standing at the door and greeting me so politely. Though Roti was still in her uniform, her posture was as dignified as if she were wearing a maid¡¯s uniform. I silently passed Alice her invitation. "We¡¯ve been invited to a banquet tonight at Lindbergh Estate." "...Really?" Alice squinted slightly at the envelope, then looked back at Roti. "Roti, there¡¯s no need to be so formal. We¡¯re both in the same uniform right now." "However, the invitation was sent in the name of Duke Lindbergh," Roti responded, her words carrying more meaning. Roti was Jake¡¯s personal maid, so when delivering something like this, it was natural for her to do so as a maid. Whether she was wearing a uniform or not, when dealing with nobility, Roti would always act in her professional capacity. "...I see." Alice nodded, as if understanding the implication. Roti gave another deep bow and then stepped back, retreating a step. She remained standing in the same spot until I closed the door. "So, Roti is Lindbergh¡¯s..." "His maid, I suppose. Jake insists she¡¯s his childhood friend, though." "Actually, that would be the more natural assumption. I¡¯ve been at the academy so long that I keep forgetting things like that." Alice¡¯s expression wasplex. I didn¡¯t think it was a bad thing, so I didn¡¯t feel the need to say anything about it. Chapter 160 When Alice and I went back down to the lobby, we found ire and Leo there. It seemed that ire was staying in the same room as Charlotte, while Leo was in a room with Jake. Mia Crowfield was with Sophia, but¡­ I honestly didn¡¯t understand why they were paired up. "So they wouldn¡¯t be ufortable together?" But wouldn¡¯t they just be ufortable with each other? However, upon thinking about it again, I realized that no matter who Mia was paired with, she probably would have been ufortable. Mia didn¡¯t like getting close to anyone, and Sophia had only recently transferred, plus, as a foreigner, she didn¡¯t have any ties to the Empire¡¯s social circles. Perhaps that¡¯s why they assumed there would be no shes. It would have been awkward to pair Mia with someone from the royal family or a powerful noble family like ire. "Oh, that."@@novelbin@@ When Alice took out the invitation she had brought downstairs, ire reacted immediately. "You got one too?" "No, I didn¡¯t get one." ire responded with a look of disappointment. "But I saw Charlotte get one. From Roti." "What¡¯s this about?" Leo, intrigued by the conversation, asked. "It¡¯s an invitation to some dull banquet tonight at our estate," Jake answered. Unlike his usual casual tone, his words had a strangely subdued atmosphere. Given Jake¡¯s typically lighthearted demeanor, even the smallest shift made him seem much more serious. "I¡¯ll say it now, but there¡¯s no need to go. My father didn¡¯t send the invitations expecting everyone to show up," Jake continued. "But we can¡¯t turn down an invitation from the lord of the estate where we¡¯re staying, can we?" Charlotte frowned slightly. "The ce isn¡¯t being provided because we were invited. It¡¯s part of the academy¡¯s cooperation, and strictly speaking, we¡¯re still in ss, so it¡¯s not the same as a regr invitation," Jake exined, ncing around at the others. "Anyone else get one?" The room fell quiet for a moment, and a girl cautiously raised her hand. "I-I got one..." It was Mia Crowfield. After seeing her, it seemed everyone realized how the invitations had been distributed. "How blunt¡­ Does this mean no one from themoner ss got one?" Alice said in disbelief. "Yeah. They were only sent to families around the count level," Jake said with a bitter smile, noticing the attention on him. "Even a duke¡¯s family being so obvious about it?" "Well, I wouldn¡¯t call it that bad. Even at banquets held by other dukes, barons don¡¯t usually get invited unless they¡¯re family. Certainly notmoners." Alice opened the envelope and unfolded the invitation. ¡®It would be an honor to have you grace our banquet tonight with your esteemed presence.¡¯ The Duke¡¯s signature, the venue, and time were listed. Other than the signature, nothing too significant¡ªsomeone woulde to fetch us anyway if we forgot. "Are they trying to make connections before we even graduate?" Alice muttered, ncing out the window. Once Alice bes Empress, both she and I may never have the chance toe back here. As Empress, she would be upied with ruling, and I would be busy supporting her. So now was the best time to make connections. Not just with royalty like Alice, but also with the children of other high-ranking noble families. "Well... I guess so?" Jake gave a vague response. "I¡¯m curious about this banquet," Sophia said, her eyes sparkling. Of course, Sophia, officially from a ¡®heritage knight family,¡¯ was barely considered a noble by rank. Technically, she wasn¡¯t even a baron, so she didn¡¯t receive an invitation. "Well, to outsiders, it would probably look that way," Jake responded, but neither Alice, Charlotte, nor Mia, who had received the invitation, looked particrly excited. Neither did I. ...And I knew the Duke¡¯s ulterior motives. I might not be involved in them directly, but for the sake of the other girls who would be caught up in it, it would be better if I went along. "Hmm." After hearing Sophia¡¯s remark, Jake stroked his chin thoughtfully, then smiled mischievously. "Hey, buddy." "Wh-what?!" Leo jumped in surprise as Jake suddenly threw an arm around him. "Why don¡¯t you want toe to the banquet? There¡¯ll be plenty of pretty noble girls there." At that, the girls around us red at Jake with cold, disapproving looks. Even Sophia¡­ Ah, now that I think about it, she had some lines about chastity, didn¡¯t she? "Uh? No, I¡ª" Leo, clearly ufortable, looked away, giving the expected reaction from an oblivious male character. But honestly, Leo¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t that important. The protagonist couldn¡¯t possibly miss out on an important event like this. In the original, after Jake figured out the Duke¡¯s real intentions, he dragged Leo into the situation, causing everything to fall apart. I wasn¡¯t sure if the same thing would y out here, but it couldn¡¯t hurt to have the protagonist around. "And, Leo¡¯s sister." "My name is ire. And I¡¯m not his little sister; I¡¯m the older one." "Right? Then ire." Jake smiled at ire. "How about you? Want toe to the banquet too?" "Huh? Is that okay?" "Of course. If I¡¯m going, my sister can¡¯t miss it. You too, Sophia." ...Hmm. Well, this atmosphere was simr to the original, but now I understood why some fanfic writers adored Jake so much. With his attitude, he was clearly the "heroine-charming" golden boy. It almost seemed like he was deliberately setting the stage for that role. Thankfully, Roti was still passing out invitations. Otherwise, I might have given Jake a smack on the back of his head. "¡­What¡¯s the deal here?" "The deal? I just want to have fun with my friends," Jake replied casually. Alice¡¯s reaction was slightly different from the original. Back then, Alice, who had been awkward about socializing because she focused on studying to beat ire, almost refused the invitation. But after hearing Leo would go, she decided to go for sure. The other girls had simr reasons. In this version, Alice didn¡¯t seem to have any romantic feelings for Leo, though. "I¡¯ll go." I suddenly spoke up, and all eyes turned toward me. "Really?" "Seeing the Duke in person will be a lot different than just hearing about him," I said. Honestly, I was more interested in joining Jake¡¯s n. Well, of course. In a setting like this, if there were a couple caught in forbidden love, it would bemon sense to bring them together. "Hmm." Jake stared at me for a moment before shrugging. "Alright, you¡¯ve already got an invitation, so it¡¯s fine." "Is that alright?" Alice, still a bit skeptical, asked quietly while ncing at Jake. "I don¡¯t think anything big will happen. And..." I nced at ire and Sophia, who both seemed excited. "If we don¡¯t go, there¡¯ll be at least two people who¡¯ll be really disappointed." "You¡¯re too soft." Alice chuckled bitterly at my words. * The southern part of Lindbergh territory was almost always under the zing sun, but by September, the temperature swings became quite dramatic. Of course, the car that picked us up in front of the hotel was warm. There was no need to worry about the cold. "So the invitation..." "It¡¯s fine." At the entrance to the mansion, before we could even hand over the invitation, Jake spoke to the doorman. "I¡¯ll vouch for everyone here. They¡¯re my friends." "Understood." The doorman stepped aside without asking any further questions. "Have a pleasant time." "Hey, hey..." As we walked confidently behind Jake, ire tugged lightly at my sleeve, asking. "Sis, do we not need to wear dresses or anything?" It was such an adorable worry. Wasn¡¯t it a littlete to be asking? "We¡¯re students, so our uniforms are enough," I replied. It wasn¡¯t really a full-fledged social event. The Duke had invited us because he wanted to see the "students." Especially the girls who didn¡¯t have fianc¨¦s. He likely wanted to see which students would be suitable for marrying his son. The Duke knew that Jake spent a lot of time with Roti. A ssic forbidden love, I suppose. Well, in a game with this kind of background, forbidden love was basically designed to happen. Chapter 162 ¡°The food is quite delicious, isn¡¯t it?¡± The Duke¡¯s towering height and very masculine appearance initially gave him a somewhat intimidating presence, but the voice he used to address us was gentle and polished, very much like the gentleman of the early 20th century you might imagine. As he noticed his gaze drifting toward the biscuit in his hand, Mia Crowfield¡¯s face flushed bright red. The Duke, seeing her embarrassment, wore a warm smile. Even his mustache, which curled upward at the ends, seemed to lift in response to his upper lip¡¯s movement. ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry too much. All the food here is made by top-tier chefs who¡¯ve crossed over from the maind. We can¡¯t possibly serve dishes made by colonial cooks to our guests.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± Mia Crowfield answered absentmindedly. The Duke smiled softly at her, then looked between the two of us before continuing. ¡°It¡¯s certainly a very different environment from the maind, but I do hope your health is doing well?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m d¡­ Thank you for your concern.¡±@@novelbin@@ Mia still seemed unsure of why the Duke had approached us in the first ce. If I were in her shoes, I¡¯d be confused too. If someone invited me to a party, only to reveal that the purpose was to see if their son might find a suitable match, I¡¯d be just as bewildered. It might not be an odd thing in this world, though. Even now, I could see a few girls on the edge of my vision, approaching Jake. They were all daughters of prominent families. Roti, who was always by Jake¡¯s side, seemed to be ignored. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you two are in the same ss as Jake.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± I answered politely, while carefully observing the Duke¡¯s expression. To the casual observer, it might seem like he was simply curious about the people his son associated with, but I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling there was something more to it. The Duke¡¯s gaze shifted from Mia Crowfield to me, locking onto me for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m curious¡­ how close are you with my son? Is Jake behaving properly?¡± ¡°At least, he hasn¡¯t been unpleasant.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± The Duke smiled, clearly pleased by my response. Then, he turned his attention to Jake, who was subtly distancing himself from the girls who had approached him. It wasn¡¯t that he was tantly escaping; he was just skillfully steering the conversation away, gradually extricating himself from the situation. The Duke seemed to have low expectations for Jake, judging by the look on his face as he turned back toward us. ¡°I¡¯ve met Count Crowfield¡¯s wife a few times already. It was when Miss Crowfield was very young, so I¡¯m not sure if you remember.¡± Mia shook her head. The Duke didn¡¯t seem too disappointed by that. ¡°Well, since we¡¯ve met here today, we can start anew and get to know each other. If you ever find yourselves in any trouble within my territory, pleasee to me. I¡¯ll make sure to handle whatever issues arise with all my strength.¡± Was he seeing Mia Crowfield¡¯s shyness as a sign of modesty? It seemed like he was quite taken with her. From an aristocratic standpoint, Mia probably seemed like a much better choicepared to Roti. Especially considering that Mia Crowfield had no other siblings or father. It was possible that Jake might inherit the Count¡¯s domain one day. ¡°Of course, Your Highness. Given the vast sea in between, the Empire¡¯s reach can be limited. But my Duke¡¯s family will do everything in its power to remain loyal servants to His Majesty the Emperor.¡± ¡°Thank you for your kind words.¡± ¡­It seemed the Duke had taken a liking to me as well. After all, I was of royal blood. Even though rumors said that the bloodline was no longer directly connected, people still recognized me as part of the imperial family. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how the Duke would react when he learned that ire also carried the Emperor¡¯s blood. Would he be happy to see her here without an invitation? Perhaps, though, he might not need to know that to be pleased. After all, it would be impressive enough that Jake had brought ¡°a woman who wasn¡¯t even invited.¡± Though she was from a baron family, they still had a noble estate and ess to useful information, making her a much more suitable option than Roti, in the Duke¡¯s eyes. ¡°My apologies. I hope I haven¡¯t interrupted your conversation.¡± The Duke bowed his head slightly to us, and Mia and I each curtsied in response. ¡°What did he want to say¡­?¡± Mia asked, watching the Duke retreat. It was a relief to finally have a conversation to ease the awkwardness that had been hanging in the air. The Duke, moving leisurely, made his way toward Alice, Charlotte, and Sophia, who were gathered nearby. ¡°Jake is of an age where he should be thinking about a fianc¨¦e soon.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Mia blinked in surprise at my words, nearly dropping the biscuit she was holding. ¡°But¡­ Jake already has¡­ Roti, doesn¡¯t he?¡± Hmm. ¡°Roti, huh¡­¡± That was a very typical way for Mia Crowfield to refer to her. I realized I¡¯d never seen the two of them talk directly. Neither of them was the type to initiate a conversation. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± Before I could exin, a loud shout interrupted me. It seemed a maid had made a mistake. A maid with dark skin, likely from the local area, was bowing repeatedly, apologizing profusely. The man who had shouted was wearing a garment with purple stains on it. Did he spill wine? Judging by the broken ss on the floor, it looked like they had bumped into each other. ¡­In the original story, it was the man who had bumped into her. ¡°Do you know how much this outfit costs?¡± ¡°I¡¯m really sorry¡­¡± The man spoke with the same old phrases, while the maid continued to apologize. She was quite beautiful, though she was clearly older than us, but not to the point where she seemed old. ¡°I¡¯ll¡ª¡± ¡°You think you canpensate for this? Huh? Do you have that kind of ability?¡± She probably didn¡¯t, of course. Even if she were sold into servitude, the outfit would cost more than her life. The man with ck hair was a minor official from the Governor¡¯s Office. I didn¡¯t think his name had been mentioned. As for the maid¡ª ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡± Just as the man was about to shout again, someone stepped in. ¡°Ah, Your Highness.¡± ¡°This maid works for our family. If she made a mistake, it is my responsibility. If you wish to bepensated for the clothing, I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± At Jake¡¯s words, the man¡¯s expression immediately became respectful. ¡°Oh, no, there¡¯s no need for that. It was the maid¡¯s fault, Your Highness. You don¡¯t need to say such things.¡± ¡°But, as I said, this maid works for our family.¡± ¡°Young Master¡­¡± The maid seemed flustered and tried to stop Jake, but he simply waved her off, gesturing for her to step back. Then, someone else stepped forward. The girl, who had approached silently, knelt down and started picking up the scattered ss shards without a word. ¡°¡­.¡± The maid, who had been standing nervously, quickly knelt down beside her to help clean up the mess. Themotion grew louder. The girl picking up the ss was also in uniform. ¡°Roti?¡± I heard someone mutter quietly beside me. ¡°Roti.¡± Jake said, but Roti didn¡¯t lift her head. She remained quietly focused on her task. While most of the students simply whispered among themselves, those who had known Jake for a semester¡ªAlice, Charlotte, ire, Leo, and Mia¡ªwere all wearing confused expressions. Mia Crowfield looked back and forth between the maid and Roti, then said, ¡°¡­Huh?¡± It seemed like she had realized something. It wasn¡¯t just Mia. The others looked equally confused. The maid¡¯s face was very simr to Roti¡¯s. And considering their age difference¡­ It wasn¡¯t unreasonable to think they could be mother and daughter. Roti looked young for her age, and the maid, while more mature, wasn¡¯t old. But at the same time, it wasn¡¯t hard to believe they might be ¡°sisters with a significant age gap.¡± In fact, their age difference wasn¡¯t even twenty years. It was exactly seventeen. The true nature of their rtionship was the former, not thetter. ¡°Could it be¡­?¡± Mia muttered to herself. I didn¡¯t feel the need to answer her. Even without saying anything, she could probably figure out exactly why Jake and Roti couldn¡¯t marry. Blue blood andmon blood. In the public eye, that was the kind of rtionship they had. Chapter 163 So, what should I do? The reason I came all the way here was to see Jake and Roti as a couple. This was actually one of the more significant episodes in the original story. If we¡¯re being honest, the story between Alice and Leo was also an important episode, but that rtionship has changed in many wayspared to the original. In the original, Alice stops Leo from going to help Roti. This causes a brief distance between them, but¡­ hmm. I turned my gaze toward Leo. Not just Leo, but even ire seemed like she was about to rush over to help. Alice didn¡¯t look like she was trying to stop them, though. She had a lot moreposure than the Alice from the original, so she probably didn¡¯t feel the need to worry about losing her standing because of something like this. But still, I couldn¡¯t let Leo and ire help Roti. Both of them were from a baron family. They weren¡¯t even formally invited. The reason Alice stopped Leo in the original was because, if Leo¡ªwho had no invitation¡ªhelped Roti, it would negatively affect his reputation. In this situation, we had alle at Jake¡¯s invitation, but in the original story, it was Alice who had asked Leo to apany her, which was the deciding factor. Alice, who wasn¡¯t used to these kinds of events, had asked Leo toe with her because he was someone she knew. She likely asked him toe because she secretly liked him. For Alice, it was about worrying about her reputation because of the man she was with. But to Leo, it just seemed like she was discriminating against a schoolmate. Anyway, that was the story. So, luckily, I was closer to Roti than Leo and ire were. Even if I just walked normally, I would reach her first. Without saying a word, I went straight to Roti and sat next to her. There was no time for anyone to stop me. Ironically, because everyone¡¯s attention was already on this side, no one could even get a word in before I entered their field of vision. ¡°...¡± Roti¡¯s usually expressionless eyes widened in surprise. Not just hers, but also her mother¡¯s. Both of them were staring at me in shock. It wasn¡¯t just their gaze. The nobles¡¯ eyes were all on me too. The murmuring stopped. What followed was a suffocating silence. While the spilled wine on the floor was beyond saving, at least therge ss shards could be picked up right away. After all, it was just a wine ss that had broken, and if no one yelled at the person who got the wine on their clothes, it wouldn¡¯t take long to clean up. I carefully ced the ss shards onto the cloth her mother had been holding and covered them with the edge of it. Her hand trembled slightly as she did. The maids and servants here had probably heard who the guests for today were.@@novelbin@@ And among those guests, I was one of the people they needed to be particrly careful about. ¡°Th-thank you, Your Highness¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± I said that and stood up from my seat. The confused nobleman looked at me with a bewildered expression. I nced at him once, then turned my gaze toward Jake. His expression was alsoplicated. Confused, perhaps? ¡°You said earlier that the Duke of Lindberrow wouldpensate for the clothing damage, right?¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s just settle it that way. There¡¯s no need to ruin the atmosphere of the banquet with anger on such a nice day, is there?¡± When I looked back at the nobleman, his face had turned pale. In the original story, Leo had said something more polite, providing more reasonable justification. He had the opportunity to gain bonus points with the right choices, and the official plot proceeded with those bonus points. But I didn¡¯t see any need for that. If they didn¡¯t like it, they could always visit the Imperial Pce. ¡°No, no, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t gauge the atmosphere properly.¡± This approach was far more effective. It wasn¡¯t that I helped them out of kindness. Rather, I could frame it as stepping in to handle the situation because I couldn¡¯t stand the ruined mood. The nobleman quickly adjusted his expression and retreated. It was clear he wanted to get as far away from me as possible. ¡°Silvia.¡± When the nobleman¡¯s back disappeared, and the murmur of voices slowly began again, Alice approached me. She hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say, before a smile appeared on her face. ¡°You did great.¡± I shrugged without giving much of an answer. ¡°...Thank you.¡± I heard Roti¡¯s voice. When I turned around, Roti and her mother were standing near me. Roti still had some wine on her knee, and her mother¡¯s maid uniform was soaked with it. At least, no one seemed to have cut their hands on the ss. The cloth had been thick enough to prevent that. ¡°It¡¯s not that I liked the situation. There¡¯s no need for thanks.¡± ¡°...¡± Despite her words, both of them bowed slightly and slowly stepped back. ¡°Impressive.¡± Only then did Jake speak to me. ¡°In a situation like that, reacting that way¡­ it¡¯s not something a noble or royal would normally do. I¡¯m not criticizing, though. I just wanted to thank you.¡± Then he fell silent, watching me carefully. As the Duke¡¯s son, he must have heard a lot of stories. It wasn¡¯t like the Duke of Lindberrow was directly wary of me, so I didn¡¯t think he was treating me like an assassin. ¡°Like I said to Roti, there¡¯s really no need for thanks. I just didn¡¯t like the atmosphere.¡± I said that and turned my back without hesitation. I then walked over to where Mia Crowfield was still standing, looking dazed. Hmm. Did I seem a bit cool? --- It was fortunate, or unfortunate, that the atmosphere didn¡¯tpletely fall apart due to the incident. The Duke of Lindberrow resumed his rounds, talking to the invited students one by one as if nothing had happened. He even seemed quite interested in Leo and ire, who had entered without an invitation. Watching them answer nervously, it seemed the Duke hadn¡¯t said anything too bad. I wondered if he knew ire was adopted. But it didn¡¯t really matter to the Duke. After all, even if she was adopted, her status as a noble was clear. When I, who was also adopted, had been seen as a suitable match for his son, the Duke probably had a rather open mindset. That mindset didn¡¯t apply to everyone, though. I didn¡¯t drink alcohol. It wasn¡¯t that I hated alcohol in my past life, but my tastes were quite cheap. I preferred beer or diluted soju, which you could buy cheaply at a convenience store, over expensive wines with good aromas. ...Honestly, there was also the issue of side dishes. If there had been a spicy soup or something, maybe I would have had some boardkara. ¡°...Your Highness.¡± I hadn¡¯t been drinking, but the smell of alcohol was still in the air. After being around it for a while, I started to feel a little uneasy, so I stepped out to the terrace for some fresh air. From behind me, I heard Roti¡¯s voice. ¡°Roti.¡± I turned around slightly to speak, and Roti bowed politely. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. We¡¯re still just students of the same school until graduation.¡± ¡°...¡± Roti didn¡¯t respond to that. I tapped the railing I was leaning on. Roti seemed to hesitate for a moment before walking toward me. But, as I had expected, she didn¡¯t stand next to me. She stood diagonally behind me, about a step away. So, I had no choice but to turn around. The bright light from the window cast a shadow over Roti¡¯s face. Her expression was mostly neutral, but the shadows made it hard to detect even the slightest change in her features. ¡°Is there something you want to say?¡± ¡°...¡± Roti seemed to hesitate again before slowly opening her mouth. ¡°Earlier, did you know about the maid... and what kind of rtionship she and I have?¡± Well, there was no need to hide it. I stepped away from the railing and walked forward. Roti quickly shifted her position, thinking I was about to leave without a word. But I only drew the curtains on the terrace window. If someone wanted to eavesdrop, there was nothing I could do about it, but at least for now, this was a private conversation. Chapter 164 ¡°Honestly, if anyone with sharp eyes was there, they probably would have figured it out.¡± I spoke calmly. In reality, Mia Crowfield had alternated between looking at Roti and her mother¡¯s faces before being taken aback. They looked so alike. If they¡¯d simply looked alike, Mia might not have noticed. Unless you were a lecher, there wouldn¡¯t be any reason to study a maid¡¯s face closely. Moreover, in this world¡ªparticrly a world set in the early 20th century¡ªwomen over the age of 30 weren¡¯t considered particrly attractive. Sure, there were women who had remarried or swapped husbands, but they were typically women from noble families, not maids with nothing behind them. ¡°What truly gave it away was that you directly helped them,¡± I continued. Even if I hadn¡¯t known the background, I would have picked up on it. Besides their resemnce, Roti was someone Jake had ties with. ¡°I see¡­¡± Roti¡¯s voicecked strength. She was very different from the usual feisty self she had when walking around with Jake. Her usual stoic expression was now more than just a bit altered. It seemed like she wasn¡¯t exactlyfortable in this ce. This moment was a clear indication that Roti had been able to rx at the Academy, much more than she usually did. ¡°Do you think this is going to be a big problem?¡± I asked. Roti lowered her head and fell into thought. ¡°¡­It could be a problem. That action I took, I think¡­ maybe it was my mistake.¡± Hmm. Listening to her, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit surprised. Though I¡¯d seen Roti¡¯s face many times, I¡¯d hardly ever had a one-on-one conversation with her. We weren¡¯t ssmates, and whenever I saw Roti, she was usually with Jake. It was always Jake who would talk and chatter. Roti wouldn¡¯t approach anyone unless they spoke to her first. ¡°You can¡¯t really call helping your parents a mistake.¡± I said this as emotionlessly as possible. Any emotional undertone would probably sound unpleasant to Roti. At my words, Roti lifted her head and looked at me. Having regained someposure, Roti¡¯s face returned to its usual neutral expression. ¡°Your Highness, why did you help us back then?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± I quietly studied Roti. ¡°I already gave you the reason.¡± ¡°...You mean it was just because of the atmosphere?¡± Hmm. Did I identally raise her guard? Come to think of it, Roti in the original story hadn¡¯t been able to easily ept Leo¡¯s help either. She couldn¡¯t understand why a noble who had nothing to do with her would help her. In the end, she did ept Jake¡¯s help, but that was likely just a matter of familiarity. Honestly, if Jake hadn¡¯t been there, I think I could have made some progress. The story feels a lot like a visual novel.@@novelbin@@ ¡°It could be because of the atmosphere.¡± I turned back and leaned against the railing. Even though this world has no electricity, the city here was incredibly bright. The gasmps along the streets and the lightsing from the windows of the houses far in the distance were more than enough to light up the city. Although, thanks to the smog emitted during the day, the stars in the sky were barely visible. Well, even at night, there were ces still pumping out smoke. In an era like this, worker¡¯s rights were hardly something to consider at night. ¡°The atmosphere of the banquet, and the mood about the situation, could have yed a part.¡± I paused for a moment before adding, ¡°I don¡¯t have parents.¡± At those words, I could tell Roti stiffened, even though I couldn¡¯t see her expression or hear her voice. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you anything more specific, but if you¡¯ve heard anything about the imperial family, you probably know that only Alice truly carries the Emperor¡¯s blood.¡± To be more precise, everyone except for me carries the Emperor¡¯s blood, but there was no need to bring that up. ¡°I won¡¯t say I envy you or anything. Everyone has painful memories, and we shouldn¡¯t easily empathize with that kind of pain. Even if we think we empathize, we can¡¯t truly understand it until we go through the exact same experience ourselves.¡± I spoke toward the silent Roti. ¡°But if someone has both parents, or at least one of them, and is in a position to help their parents in trouble, I would be more than willing to help that person.¡± ¡°...¡± Roti remained silent for a while, and then quietly said, ¡°...Thank you.¡± --- ¡°Roti.¡± After finishing her conversation with me, Roti was called out by someone as she stepped out from behind the curtain. There was no need to confirm who it was. She had been living with her master for her entire life. Had she seen me talking to Silvia? Jake was standing by the entrance to the terrace, leaning against the doorframe. ¡°Did you hear that?¡± ¡°No, those curtains are thicker than I thought. With the curtains drawn like that, the banquet noisepletely drowned out the conversation, so I couldn¡¯t hear what was said.¡± Roti recalled the image of the Princess. Even if she had overheard that conversation, with her usualposed demeanor, I didn¡¯t think she would have reacted. And besides, it wasn¡¯t that important. If Roti had heard it directly, she would have already known that the majority of the Emperor¡¯s children were orphans. That rumor had reached Roti as well. ¡°So, what about Silvia?¡± ¡°...¡± Roti opened her mouth briefly in response but then closed it again. Earlier, when she¡¯d helped her mother, she had been startled when a hand suddenly reached out beside her. Her expression had faltered for a moment. And then she¡¯d doubted. Jake seemed to have no particr thoughts on the matter, but Silvia... Princess Silvia Fangryphon was someone to be wary of. She had said something simr when Jake had ced Roti beside him at the Duke¡¯s estate. But the more she spoke with Silvia, the less Roti believed she was someone devoid of emotions. When they had encountered each other at the Academy, Roti had initially seen Silvia as someone to be extremely cautious around. But after watching her interact with Jake, Roti started to wonder if Silvia was just a caring person, after all. ¡°Did Silvia¡­ say something bad to you?¡± Jake asked, not really believing it himself, but Roti asked just to make sure. ¡°Do you think so?¡± ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t think so.¡± Jake furrowed his brow for a moment. ¡°Well¡­ At the Academy, there were a lot of people who liked to threaten you, right? I thought that¡¯s why they called you over.¡± ¡°Those pathetic people aren¡¯t like her.¡± Even amongmoners, Roti was treated in two ways. Some discriminated against her because of her colonial roots, while others were too afraid of the Duke¡¯s name to even speak to her. Among those who discriminated, there were a few who acted far beyond their station. ...There weremoners trying to seduce or threaten Roti to marry Jake and elevate their own status. Most people didn¡¯t know that Roti had been assigned to Jake¡¯s side for precisely this reason, to stop such people from approaching him. ¡°And I was the one who went to help her. The Princess didn¡¯t say anything.¡± ¡°Is that so? Well, Silvia did seem like that.¡± Jake¡¯s reaction caused Roti to widen her eyes just slightly. Though Jake generally acted lighthearted, he wasn¡¯t the type to easily trust others. Even if they were from the Imperial family, or perhaps because they were, Jake had to maintain a consistent demeanor and act in a way that made her believe he was being genuine. If not¡­ he would have had to be someone like that. For a brief moment, Roti¡¯s heart raced. Though it was a presumptuous thought, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a strange sense of camaraderie and... a bizarre intimacy with Silvia during their conversation. But seeing how Jake spoke about Silvia like that¡ª ¡°...¡± And just as quickly as the thought appeared, it vanished. For a moment, she almost scoffed at herself. Jealousy. That wasn¡¯t an emotion Roti was supposed to feel. Jealousy. There was no need for it. Jake would eventually marry someone else. And Roti¡­ Hmm. ¡°Did you almost smile just now?¡± Jake caught the subtle change in Roti¡¯s expression. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Are you sure? I saw it.¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± Roti firmly replied, walking ahead as Jake followed, teasing her. But that was just Jake being Jake. At least, his behavior at that moment was enough for Roti to understand. After all, Roti would never be the first choice. In that case, perhaps it was enough to simply stay by his side. Up until now, she hadn¡¯t been attracted to anyone else, but... if she were to make a personal judgment, she didn¡¯t think Silvia Fangryphon, as the future mistress, would be someone Roti would have any seriousints about. Chapter 165 "Rena, where were you yesterday?" Charlotte asked Rena while we were having breakfast. Come to think of it, Rena wasn¡¯t around when ire and Leo were personally invited by Jake yesterday. I didn¡¯t even know whether she had received an invitation or not... but judging by the atmosphere, it seemed like she didn¡¯t even know there was an invitation. After arriving at the hotel by bus, she disappeared the moment free time started and didn¡¯t reappear until this morning. By the way, who was Rena sharing a room with? "I went to a weapons shop yesterday." "A weapons shop? Were you there all day?" Charlotte asked, surprised by Rena¡¯s response, and Rena nodded. "I heard there were some unusual weapons at the shop, specialized for climatespletely opposite to the North. So, during my research, I got some information about weapons I hadn¡¯t seen before. Yesterday, I was checking their effectiveness." I remembered that on the airship, Rena hadn¡¯t said a word to anyone and had been absorbed in some catalog¡ªprobably a firearms catalog. "Did you find any good weapons?" Alice asked, giving her usual exasperated look. Rena hesitated, unsure whether to nod or tilt her head. "Actually, I¡¯m not sure." After a brief pause, Rena continued. "There were some interesting weapons specialized for this climate or for hunting beasts, but I¡¯m not sure they¡¯d be suitable for military use." She said it in a slightly hesitant voice. Specialized firearms for certain climates? Well, I¡¯d heard of ces like the former Soviet Union, where extreme cold caused frequent weapon malfunctions, and to solve that, they simplified theponents to reduce the chance of failure and made the trigger guardrger so it could be used even while wearing thick gloves. But in a ce with such high temperatures, would they really bother making such adaptations? I¡¯m no expert, but I was intrigued. In my past life, I had a bit of interest in firearms. Of course, I never had the chance to buy any, as gun ownership was nearly forbidden in my country. In the original game, no matter which shop you went to, they only sold the types of weapons avable for the characters. The weapons each character could use were predetermined, and changing weapons didn¡¯t alter their character models. I was curious, but I hesitated to suggest going to check them out myself. Thankfully, someone else spoke up for me. "Really?" Charlotte said nonchntly, but her eyes were gleaming. It wasn¡¯t just because she was interested in firearms; it was probably because they were "Imperial weapons." Even civilian firearms were often modified military weapons. "Then should we go check it out after breakfast?" "Do you have an interest in this sort of thing?" At Rena¡¯s question, Charlotte shrugged and replied. "Well, Silvia seems a bit interested in it." "¡­¡­" Looking at Charlotte, who was smiling slightly while ncing at me, the gratitude I had felt earlier quickly disappeared. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was just a casualment or if Charlotte was starting to read my expressions and gestures. When Alice widened her eyes in surprise, I felt the need to steer the conversation elsewhere. "By the way, Rena. Who are you sharing a room with?" It wasn¡¯t just a change of subject; it had actually crossed my mind. The others were staying with their ssmates, after all. Since I was somewhat close to Rena, I ended up sharing a room with Alice, but who was Rena with¡ª? "I¡¯m sharing with Jennifer, the teacher." "Eh?" Charlotte, Alice, and I froze for a moment, but Rena didn¡¯t seem to notice. "She¡¯s an excellent person. Last night, I was able to hear about her various field experiences¡ª" Rena said this with a proud expression, and it didn¡¯t seem like she was forcing the conversation or making things up. Well, I knew Jennifer was a decent person, but... Isn¡¯t it a bit strange to be sharing a room with a teacher at a ce like this? --- It wasn¡¯t until we finished breakfast that ire, Leo, and Sophia returned. Apparently, ire and Leo had gotten along well during the banquet yesterday and had be friends, which is why they ended up tagging along for the request early this morning. Seeing them walk in, looking a little bedraggled, I couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for them. The way they looked was far from their usual selves, so I guessed their mission must have been something out of the ordinary. For the record, I had already given up on following those two around. Even though I¡¯d learned some meditation, I could never get used to the feeling of waking up early and working all day. "Have you had breakfast?" I asked, and Leo and ire nodded immediately. "Yeah, we ate before we left." I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little sorry for the kitchen staff at the hotel, but I had the tact not to mention it. "Mia?" "She¡¯s still asleep in her room," I answered ire¡¯s question. "Were you going out somewhere?"@@novelbin@@ "To a nearby weapon shop. I heard they sell some unique weapons here." This time, it was Sophia who asked, and Alice answered. "Oh, really? Do you think we can go check it out too?" "I don¡¯t mind if you follow... but¡ª" When ire asked excitedly, I nced at Sophia. Her face clearly showed that she just wanted to rest. Anyone would feel that way. With the kind of job they¡¯d done early this morning, they probably had enough work tost the next few days. "I¡­ I think I remember something I need to do!" "Really?" At Sophia¡¯s outburst, ire looked a bit disappointed. Seeing that, Sophia seemed to get a chill down her spine, apologized repeatedly, waved her hands, and hurriedly ran toward the elevator. "¡­Did we make them work too hard?" When Leo asked, no one answered. Only ire tilted her head. --- To my surprise, this world uses both the Imperial measurement system and the metric system, like yard-pounds and centimeters. Fortunately, the moremonly used system is the metric system, like meters and grams. Although the currency still uses both duodecimal and vigesimal systems. yers guessed that the creators tried to match the measurement system to that of the British Empire during the industrial revolution, only to give up due to the irregrities of the yard-pound system. So, even though the metric system is used in everyday life, the military uses the yard-pound system. That¡¯s why gun calibers are measured in inches. For example, the .600 Nitro Express I¡¯m looking at. I could roughly guess why it¡¯s called "Nitro Express," but why is the front part specifically ".600"? I mean, it¡¯s 0.6 inches, right? Why would they need to write it as .600 inches? ¡­Honestly, I thought it was just an odd choice, and the bullet itself was ridiculouslyrge. "This is the strongest bullet. With a 0.6-inch diameter bullet packed with nitrocellulose inside this massive cartridge, it delivers a quick and deadly shot to the enemy¡¯s head. Naturally, the firearms used for this are extremely durable and reliable." It didn¡¯t look like something you¡¯d use to shoot a person¡¯s head. "It¡¯s a bullet capable of taking down elephants or rhinos. What do you think? It¡¯d be perfect for your current missions, wouldn¡¯t it? And if you¡¯re concerned about purchasing it, we also offer a rental service for firearms during your practice period." I couldn¡¯t help but think of the elephants and rhinos from the original game. In this world, elephants could shoot lightning from their trunks, and rhinos had their whole faces covered in tough armor. ¡­Yeah, this bullet would actually be fitting. But maybe a anti-tank rifle would work better. By the way, the rifle the shopkeeper pulled out was a revolver that looked like it would be better off made into a rifle. "Do you have a rifle-type gun?" "Of course!" At my question, the shopkeeper¡¯s face brightened, and he quickly pulled out a cardboard box from below the counter. He dusted it off with his hand, opened the box, and inside was a very simple bolt-action rifle. "It¡¯s a single-shot bolt-action rifle. You can take down prey with just one shot! No need for extra ammunition!" Ignoring the sales pitch, I examined the rifle and asked, "Can I use Marmaros rounds with this?" "Excuse me?" At my question, the shopkeeper looked dumbfounded. Chapter 166 ¡°Did you orderrge-caliber Marmaros rounds? Is there really a need for something like that?¡± Alice¡¯s expression looked quite serious. ¡°I just made them in case I might need them someday.¡± Honestly, I wasn¡¯t sure if the day woulde when I¡¯d actually use them. But, I thought it might be a good idea to prepare them just in case. If the dayes when I¡¯m back on the battlefield, I might need such special ammunition. However, Alice seemed most concerned about the fact that *I* was the one who ordered them. Given how I¡¯ve been actingtely¡ªalmost as though I can foresee the future¡ªit''s understandable for her to think that I was preparing for something that was *definitely* going to happen. ¡°I don¡¯t anticipate every future event. I just prepare for any situation because I never know what will happen in the future,¡± I exined. At least, the special rounds woulde in handy when fighting the massive summoned beasts in theter parts of the story. They might even be useful against creatures like Gryphons. ¡°...¡± Alice didn¡¯t seem to have a response to that but it didn¡¯t seem like she hadpletely dismissed her doubts. By the time we returned to the hotel, it was almost lunchtime. The shopkeeper, not wanting to lose a customer like me, had contacted thepany that makes the rounds and confirmed whether they could make custom rounds. They even promised to deliver them if they couldn¡¯t finish them during my stay, so I had signed the necessary papers and checks. The premium Marmaros rounds were as expensive as precious gems or even more, so I had to take out a one-time insurance for them. Money was no problem since the royal family was covering it. ¡°But don¡¯t you think you could just hunt something like a rhino with a sword?¡± ¡°...¡± Hearing Leo mutter this, I began to understand why Sophia had looked so bedraggled. Even if it''s the same swordsmanship, fighting a person and a beast are different. Even though Leo had lost to Sophia in part two of the story, it was unlikely that the fight would have been anything like hunting a rhino. Moreover, the main characters, including Leo, hadn¡¯t been in the best mental state at that time either. ¡°You¡¯re using a gun, not a sword.¡± ire patted Leo on the back as she spoke. Well, that¡¯s true. No matter how much I swung a sword, I¡¯d never match those two in skill. I could only hope that my abilities wouldn¡¯t end up dragging these kids downter. ¡°Hmm.¡± Charlotte, who had been walking silently and listening to our conversation, suddenly spoke up. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that Jake and Roti are over there.¡± Charlotte¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t exactly bright when she said that. It wasn¡¯t just Charlotte. Alice, Leo, and ire were all the same. Everyone remembered what had happened yesterday. ¡°What happened yesterday?¡± Noticing the tension, Rena asked. ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­¡± Alice opened her mouth to answer Rena but closed it again almost immediately. It was understandable. Though stories aboutmoners and illegitimate children were often whispered around, it wasn¡¯t exactly proper to speak that way about a friend. Moreover, Roti¡¯s mother wasn¡¯t just amoner. She was a native of a colony, so even just mentioning that fact could be seen as an ¡®insult¡¯ in some way. ¡°...¡± Seeing Alice¡¯s expression, Rena didn¡¯t ask any further questions. ¡°Well, we can¡¯t just ignore it.¡± ire was the first to speak up. ¡°...That¡¯s true. We go to the same school, and Jake¡¯s her friend.¡± As soon as Leo said that, all eyes, including mine and Rena¡¯s, were on him. ¡°What? What? Did I say something weird...?¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± ire let out a loud sigh, clearly directed at Leo. It seemed that, in this group, Leo was the only one who didn¡¯t realize that Jake had romantic feelings for Roti. In the original story, Jake didn¡¯t notice the attention directed at him either, so it wasn¡¯t that surprising. While I was wondering whether it would go against my character to pat Leo on the shoulder, ¡°Hey!¡± From the other side, Jake spotted us first. We couldn¡¯t ignore Jake, who was waving at us with a big grin, so we all gathered and walked toward him and Roti. ¡°Where have you all been?¡± ¡°We stopped by a weapon shop to see what kinds of weapons are avable for use here.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Jake¡¯s expression grew a little subtle. ¡°Aren¡¯t most of them for hunting? If you¡¯re as skilled as you are, you could probably hunt without those, right?¡± Oh. It seemed like Jake wasn¡¯t toofortable with the idea of hunting elephants or rhinos. Was that the case in the original story as well? Now that I thought about it, Jake wasn¡¯t even part of the party in this episode in the original. He didn¡¯t seem like an environmentalist or someone who would avoid meat, though... I decided to keep this thought at the back of my mind. ¡°The rounds are big, so I came up with several ways to use them. I¡¯ve ordered a few custom rounds.¡± ¡°Really...?¡± Jake shrugged his shoulders. ¡°If you¡¯ve decided that, they must be useful. Oh, and why don¡¯t you sit down instead of standing there? We¡¯d need a couple of tables to fit everyone, but still.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m interrupting your time.¡± Roti¡¯s face didn¡¯t show any signs of annoyance, but then again, it was no surprise since Roti was skilled at hiding her expressions. ¡°You¡¯re wee to stay.¡± I wondered if the fact that Rena was with us made it easier to leave out the part about ¡®what happened yesterday.¡¯ We exchanged nces before we carefully took our seats¡­ I ended up sitting at the same table as Jake and Roti, along with Rena. ...What is this? It wasn¡¯t like anyone assigned us to sit there, but I could tell Rena had been following me a bit moretely. I didn¡¯t expect her to sit so boldly at the same table. But then again, since the others had gone to another table, it probably felt more natural this way. ¡°Do you do this often?¡± Rena asked. ¡°Of course,¡± Jake replied with a smile. ¡°We¡¯ve been like this since we were kids.¡± ¡°...¡± Roti didn¡¯t say a word. ¡°Are you childhood friends?¡± Rena asked. ¡°Oh?¡± Jake looked surprised by Rena¡¯s question. I didn¡¯t recall Rena having spoken directly to Jake before, but perhaps it was because I was sitting next to her, or maybe it was part of her trying to imitate me. At least, unlike Mia Crowfield, Rena didn¡¯t seem shy about starting conversations. She asked her questions without hesitation, and she didn¡¯t stutter. ...Maybe she just didn¡¯t feel the need to talk to others? ¡°Does it look that way?¡± ¡°If not, how else could a man and woman always be together?¡± At those words, Roti¡¯s shoulders flinched. Jake let out an ¡°Oh¡± sound again. Rena tilted her head as if she found the reaction strange. ¡°Rena Meyer, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Please call me Meyer.¡± ...She really knows how to set boundaries. ¡°Then, Meyer,¡± Jake grinned and asked, ¡°What do you think of love betweenmoners and nobles?¡± ¡°Why would there be any reason to think about that?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± I admired Rena¡¯s boldness. Well, maybe it wasn¡¯t boldness, just a clean mindset. Somehow, if I asked Rena how to make babies, I felt like she¡¯d seriously think about it and then tell me she learned it somewhere. ¡°Then, what about those two getting married?¡± ¡°Would it be a problem legally?¡± ¡°Hmm, not really.¡± Jake thought for a moment before replying. ¡°Marriage itself isn¡¯t the issue, but there might be problems about the position of the first wife.¡± ¡°...¡± While listening to the conversation, Roti remained silent. ¡°If you marry someone from the start, is there any need to worry about a first wife?¡± Rena asked, tilting her head as if she didn¡¯t quite understand. ¡°What¡¯s it like in the Autonomous Country?¡± ¡°If you did that in the Autonomous Country, your wife might just kill you.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Pfft.¡± I was at a loss for words at Rena¡¯sment, and Jake burst intoughter. Rena looked at him as though she found his reaction strange. ¡°Well, I guess I don¡¯t want to die, so I better be careful.¡± I suppose the women in the north are much stronger than I expected. Wait, thinking about it now, that does seem like it could be true. Just look at the guide at the info desk or Jennifer. ¡°Then, one more question.¡± Jake finally stoppedughing and, now with a more serious expression, asked, ¡°What do you think about not being able to marry because of skin color?¡± Roti¡¯s shoulders flinched again. ¡°There are many people with dark skin in the north as well. Especially those in the snowy mountain bases¡ªthey get tan like fishermen from the sunlight reflected off the white snow.¡± ¡°But some people might have been born with a different skin color.¡± ¡°Skin color is different for everyone when they¡¯re born, isn¡¯t it?¡± Rena said, sounding like she didn¡¯t quite understand the point of the ongoing conversation. ¡°As you can see, Alice and Sylvia have slightly different skin colors, just as ire and Charlotte do. Doesn¡¯t everyone have a different skin color?¡± ¡°That¡¯s an interesting argument,¡± Jake said, but Rena frowned slightly. ¡°And I¡¯ve never seen Lindbergh¡ª¡± ¡°You can just call me Jake.¡± ¡°¡ªJake with ¡®white¡¯ skin.¡± Roti¡¯s mouth slightly opened in surprise. Rena stayed silent for a moment, as though deep in thought, and then said, ¡°Skin color might be part of someone¡¯s preferences... but if someone falls in love with someone else and their skin color isn¡¯t a factor, then there¡¯s no reason to prevent the marriage.¡± The more I heard about it, the more I became incredibly curious about the Autonomous Country. Was it due to their education, or had the circumstances there shaped Rena¡¯s way of thinking? Or maybe it was just Rena¡¯s personality? ¡°Skin color is something that changes easily depending on the situation, so judging someone solely by it might lead to incorrect conclusionster on.¡± ¡°Hey, I really like you.¡± ¡°...¡± Upon hearing Jake¡¯s words, Rena subtly moved her chair closer to mine. ...Thatst remark seemed to obviously include Jake¡¯s skin color. But of course, I wasn¡¯t clueless enough to bring that up and ruin the atmosphere.@@novelbin@@ Chapter 167 ¡°Is it okay if we team up with kids from other sses?¡± ¡°It should be fine. The whole point of gathering us all together like this was probably for that. Besides, we¡¯re not sticking together because the teachers put us in teams. We just ended up gravitating toward people we¡¯refortable with. So, do you think anything serious would happen if we expanded that to other sses?¡± Inside the academy, the nobility ss only ever meets other students from other nobility sses. It¡¯s not like they even consider meetingmoner students. This was true for themoner ss as well. Unless you were someone like Jake, who specifically sought out certain friends, themoner students didn¡¯t try to mix with the nobility ss kids. Moreover, this year¡¯s nobility ss, especially ss A, is so strong that no one would dare approach them. We even have two people who could potentially be the future emperor and one who could be the future king... not to mention the count families, and even dukes. With these kinds of people all hanging out together, even themoners, let alone other nobles, wouldn¡¯t even think to start a conversation. Come to think of it, I don¡¯t think I saw any other noble kids talk to me for the entire first semester. ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong?¡± When I stared at her, ire tilted her head in confusion. How much courage does she have? Even Leo, who had adapted rtively well recently, used to turn pale every time he came near us. Once I had decided that she was ¡°sister material,¡± she immediately came up to talk to me without hesitation. It¡¯s clear that, even though she¡¯s from the Grace family, her courage isn¡¯t what you¡¯d expect. Come to think of it, wasn¡¯t she the one who boldly used informal speech with Alice in the original? ¡°...It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ire tilted her head again, but didn¡¯t say anything else. ¡°Anyway.¡± ire continued the conversation with Alice. ¡°The academy¡¯s motto is that ¡®we¡¯re all students here.¡¯ I know that it¡¯s not always followed, but that¡¯s the general idea. Thinking about how I¡¯m able to speak to you like this, it seems to be part of that idea.¡± ¡°Well... I guess that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°So, the reason we¡¯re all gathered here is because of that. The reason they don¡¯t separate us into four groups and send us off is probably because it would cost too much time and resources. But maybe they hope that we¡¯ll cooperate with each other here at the academy.¡± ¡°You¡¯re being a lot more thoughtful than usual¡ª *cough!*¡± Leo made a randomment and was immediately grabbed by the cor by ire. ire just looked at us as though this happened all the time. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m in favor. Having Roti with us won¡¯t make us any more dangerous, and Jake guarantees her abilities.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Alice turned her head toward Charlotte. ¡°I agree... too. The beasts from the southern continent are known for being vicious. I¡¯ve only seen them in the zoo, but wild ones would probably be much worse, right? Even adding one more person to our group can¡¯t hurt.¡± After hearing Charlotte¡¯s opinion, Alice turned her gaze back to Roti. Roti looked like a doll. Not that her appearance was the issue¡ªthough, her looks did make her resemble a doll¡ªit was more that she barely reacted to what we were saying. She didn¡¯t say anything, simply lowering her eyes and waiting quietly while we talked about whether or not we¡¯d take her with us. ¡°Roti, are you ufortable?¡± Alice, knowing that Roti wasn¡¯t saying anything, was likely worried, not just because of her status or background. Having spent time with her, Alice was sharp enough to notice. Jake wouldn¡¯t just take her with him because he said ¡°let¡¯s go,¡± but Alice wasn¡¯t expecting that kind of response either. ¡°I will follow your decision.¡± Roti spoke in a calm,posed voice. ¡°No, that¡¯s not... what I mean.¡± Of course, I didn¡¯t want to hear her outright refuse, but Alice stifled a sigh and decided to ask directly. ¡°You must have friends in your ss, right? Wouldn¡¯t it be strange if we suddenly took you away, and your friends didn¡¯t like it?¡± If we took a friend away, it might upset those left behind, so it made sense to ask. But¡ª ¡°...¡± Roti didn¡¯t respond. Alice seemed troubled by thisck of a response. It was hard for her to tell if it was because Roti didn¡¯t want toe with us or if it was just because she didn¡¯t have anyone else to stay with. I knew. Roti didn¡¯t have friends. It was because she was from a colony. If Roti were an empire citizen, even as Jake¡¯s maid, there probably wouldn¡¯t have been any issues. In fact, her background might have even made her popr among the other students. However, discrimination against colonists existed even within the empire. In this world, there were no minimum wages or worker protections, so workers were dying from overwork. And most of the workers dying within the empire were the white empire citizens. Normally, in such a situation, you¡¯d expectbor movements or even revolutions to break out, but in this world, things weren¡¯t progressing like that. The historical period of themunist revolution was a bit different in this world. The emperor had been advising to rece rebellious workers with colonists wheneverbor issues arose. Colonists weren¡¯t ves. But the money they were paid was almost equivalent to very, and they couldn¡¯t say anything about it. Colonists were a small minority within the empire, and they were in an environment where lynchings were a real threat. A few colonists wouldn¡¯t change the market dynamics. They were too few to organize resistance, and the empire deliberately mixed them with different regions and bad-ss locals to keep them from uniting. Originally, people frompletely different countries and tribes were forcibly gathered, making it even harder to unite. But, without knowing these facts, the workers of the empire only saw colonists as people who ¡°took their jobs for ridiculously cheap wages.¡± This setting doesn¡¯t appear in the main story, but it was included in the side stories exining why there hadn¡¯t been a nationwide independence movement in the colonies or why workers didn¡¯t unite for revolution. Although there were some ws in applying this to real history, the game¡¯s world had been designed with this setup in mind, and it worked as expected, so there was no need to question it. ¡°Ugh...¡± As Roti¡¯s mood grew even more somber, Alice¡¯s expression reflected her uncertainty. Alice nced at me. Her eyes were silently asking for help.@@novelbin@@ Sister, huh? I almost wanted to tease her with that thought, but the atmosphere didn¡¯t seem right for that, so I held back. ¡°Can we trust Roti¡¯s abilities?¡± I turned to Jake and asked. ¡°Of course. Honestly, she might be more helpful than me.¡± Everyone seemed to ept this exnation with little resistance. Despite Jake¡¯s casual appearance and somewhat flippant behavior, he had earned a lot of trust through the missions they hadpleted together. The only one looking confused was Sophia. ¡°Well, she¡¯s using firearms, so¡­¡± Alice nced at me and Rena as she said this. ¡°Alright, then.¡± Alice nodded. ¡°She¡¯ll join us. And if you want to bring any friends along, just let me know. It¡¯s fine with me.¡± ¡°...Understood.¡± But seeing Roti like this... Well, thinking back to the original, it wasn¡¯tpletely unexpected. Themoner ss wasn¡¯t one I interacted with much, so there wasn¡¯t much room for change there. I remembered that not long after we started moving with Roti, a girl would approach us. We could just bring her along. As I was thinking this, Alice gave me a suspicious nce. ...What is this? Can she read my thoughts now? * ¡°Today, since Leo and ire alreadypleted their mission, let¡¯s just rx.¡± Alice said, looking at Jake. ¡°You said you had a lot of work to do, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jake replied in a deadpan manner. ¡°This ce is huge, but there are almost no people like us... to ¡®manage¡¯ it. You guys said you hunted beasts, right?¡± When Leo and ire nodded, Jake continued. ¡°There¡¯s plenty more to do aside from that. This trip is a week-long, so we can take it easy. I¡¯m telling you, there¡¯s no way we won¡¯t have enough to do to fill the time.¡± Hmm. I wonder if our diligent protagonists will really take it easy. Chapter 168 Roti is a hybrid-type character. She primarily uses firearms. True to her quiet, reserved image, she wields a rifle, providing support from behind the party while staying safe. She''s the kind of character who handles firepower support from the backline. However, she¡¯s not limited to firearms. Since she has a talent for magic, her magic skills are quite impressive. While she¡¯s not quite as dedicated to magic as Mia Crowfield, who focuses solely on it, Roti is versatile enough to contribute with physical attacks as well as magic-based support. Because of this, Roti was often a useful character in the party. And the othermoner character who follows Roti into the party is someone who exclusively uses firearms. Still, after dealing with Rena, I wasn¡¯t really concerned about my character ovepping with hers. Roti and I havepletely different images. At first, I was a little worried, but in the end, a cool and collected character in love isn¡¯t the same as a cool beauty character. The nextmoner character who enters is very energetic by nature, so it¡¯s not like she¡¯d be an issue either. ¡°E-excuse me...!¡± Even though she¡¯s an energetic character, I didn¡¯t expect her toe charging forward like that. * Alice thought of me as a sister, and ire felt the same, but that didn¡¯t mean we were always together. I liked to have some alone time, and both of them had enough sense to notice when I wanted to be by myself. Especially after the whirlwind of vacation, when I¡¯d lost the remaining days of break entirely, I often found myself lying on the bed in my room after school started again, doing nothing but staring into space. Neither Alice nor ire would have expected me to be lying around in bed, but they¡¯d surely noticed that I enjoyed being in my room with the door closed. So, even now, I was alone. Alice was having a chat with Charlotte, and Mia Crowfield was still in her room. Rena had gone upstairs to do another round of firearm checks. Maybe buying new bullets had sparked her interest. Sophia had tried to speak to me but was quickly grabbed by ire and dragged away. I really appreciated that she respected my desire for alone time. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll go back to my room for a bit.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± When I got up to leave, Alice nodded. ¡°If anythinges up, just call me.¡± There was a guest phone near the lounge. It wasn¡¯t connected across the sea, but it was enough to connect to rooms within the hotel. ...Though, I kind of wish they had wirelessmunication technology. Well, it¡¯s not like smartphones would exist, but still. As I walked away from those random thoughts, I passed someone on the way to the elevator. ¡°Ah...¡± It was a familiar face.@@novelbin@@ This character appeared as a party member in the original story. However, their role wasn¡¯t particrlyrge. It seemed like a character added to match the setting of "an academy that includes both nobles andmoners." Still, she was a character you could pursue in the game. While she didn¡¯t have a major role in the main quest, she did have her own side quests and rtionship events. But at this point in the story, this was our first time meeting, so there was no need for us to be overly familiar with each other. At least, that¡¯s what I thought. ¡°E-excuse me...!¡± As I walked past her, she called out to me. Ah, I see. I was a bit surprised. No, I wasn¡¯t thinking that she was rude. It¡¯s just that, with how the world¡¯s social ss system worked, the way people interact with each other, I was more surprised that she could recognize me and call out like this. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± When I turned to face her, she immediately seemed flustered. Her dark brown hair was neatly tied up at the back of her head. True to the heroine type, she had a well-developed figure. Her skin was pale. She wore round sses, which were a ¡®beauty seal¡¯ for her character¡ªthough, some peopleter regretted when she took them off in theter parts of the story. Her eyes under the sses were slightly droopy, and her pupils were a deep brown, matching her hair color. She definitely had the atmosphere of a ¡®ss president.¡¯ Of course, in the academy, there was no official ss president. That would only apply to the student council president, maybe. In the nobility ss, trying to appoint a ss president would probably lead to political struggles. Separately, there were ¡®ss president-like¡¯ figures whom the homeroachers trusted. This girl was one of them. ¡°Ah, um...¡± She tried to continue speaking but took a step back, startled. Was there a tiger behind me? I almost turned around, but it seemed like that wasn¡¯t the case. I didn¡¯t hear any other footsteps in the hallway. ¡°P-please, Your Highness!¡± She awkwardly grabbed the hem of her skirt and bowed her head deeply, looking ufortable with the formality. You know the type of character I¡¯m talking about. She¡¯d be a perfect moner character¡¯ in a romance novel. She thought of herself as ordinary and insignificant, and in fact, her family had nothing notable about them, but she¡¯d made it this far solely through her academic ability. The moner character¡¯ drawn in a picture like that. Unlike some other ssmates who came frommoner families but had some connections with the nobility, it seemed that she had had no interactions with them. She didn¡¯t even seem to know how to avoid appearing clueless by speaking to me out of the blue. Well, it didn¡¯t matter much. I was already somewhat fond of her. She was a character I liked in the original story. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± The polite speech seemed to make her more flustered as she was caught off guard. ¡°I-I¡¯m... Lily Baker...¡± When I spoke a second time, she stubbornly introduced herself, probably having heard somewhere that she should introduce herself to a noble before speaking. She probably hadn¡¯t heard about things like ¡°you should approach slowly from the other side of the room, so the other person has time to respond¡± or ¡°if the other person cuts to the point, introductions are unnecessary,¡± but that wasn¡¯t too surprising since even among nobles, following all the formalities wasn¡¯tmon. ¡°Miss Baker.¡± I nodded, and Lily finally got to the point. ¡°Is... Roti... doing okay?¡± Hmm. If my gender were male, this would be the perfect moment to head straight into a romance route. I wasn¡¯t disappointed, though. I¡¯ve always believed that the heroine should end up with the protagonist. If she got closer to me, I¡¯d end up feeling like I was the NTR (Netorare) character, and I wouldn¡¯t have beenfortable with that. ¡°She¡¯s doing fine.¡± In fact,pared to when she was in themoner ss, the hostility she used to feel has greatly diminished. At least, within our group, no one would discriminate against Roti because of her skin color. ¡°Ah...¡± She seemed worried about Roti but hadn¡¯t really thought about how to continue the conversation afterward. ¡°No, I mean... um¡­¡± I stared at her for a moment before slowly speaking. ¡°Is Roti not getting along well in her ss?¡± I brought up a topic Jake would be interested in. ¡°Uh...¡± Lily hesitated and couldn¡¯t give a proper answer, but just that hesitation told me that Roti wasn¡¯t doing well in her ss. I decided not to pry further. ¡°What kind of weapon do you use?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I mean, what kind of weapon do you use during practical training?¡± ¡°...I use a Winterfield rifle.¡± It was a rifle made by the Winterfield arsenal, which was based on an Austrian design. Unlike other bolt-action rifles, it had a feature where you could just pull the bolt handle straight back to reload, which made it memorable. ¡°I see.¡± I nodded. If this were Earth, the ammunition probably wouldn¡¯t bepatible, but since it was the same empire-made firearm, it would likely work together. Even if we were in the same party, I didn¡¯t think there would be any big issues. ¡°Then, how about youe and see it in person?¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s better for you to see the situation firsthand rather than just have me exin it.¡± ¡°...Y-yes!?¡± Her reaction was as surprised as you¡¯d expect from a scene in a Japanese manga. It was nice to see that again after a long time. Chapter 169 "Am I being bullied right now?" Lily Baker pondered this seriously. Though she was technically amoner, she had grown up in a rather well-off family and prided herself on her early-morning starts¡ªearlier than most nobles, or so she believed. Her parents ran a well-known bakery in the capital. If Lily hadn¡¯t gone to the academy, she would have likely inherited the bakery herself, or perhaps her future husband would, whoever he might be. But as things stood, it was uncertain if she would take over the bakery. Her parents wished for her to aim higher, and Lily shared that ambition. With outstanding grades, a sessful four years at the academy could make that possible. Of course, the reckless decision she¡¯d made to speak to the Princess¡ªwhen she looked back, she wasn¡¯t sure what she had been thinking¡ªwasn¡¯t motivated by ambition. Lily¡¯s teacher, Ada, had entrusted her with nearly all the tasks typically handled by a ss representative. Informing ssmates about schedules, collecting assignments, passing along unexpected announcements¡­ though she wasn¡¯t officially assigned the role, she had essentially be the de facto leader of ss C. Over time, her teacher, as well as her ssmates, hade to ept her in that position. Thus, though no one had asked her to, Lily had taken it upon herself to feel responsible. Roti was somewhat isted within their ss. After school, while the other ssmates gathered in groups, she often spent time with Jake. There were various rumors about their rtionship, but few truly believed them. It seemed unthinkable that the heir of a ducal family would regard a colonist as a romantic interest. Generally, such rumors were used more as a pretext to disparage her than for anyone to take seriously. Lily, for her part, wondered "what if," though she was certain that Roti¡¯s position at Jake¡¯s side was as a maid. Whether they had feelings for each other or not was something Lily could only specte about, and she had no intention of asking them directly. It was a personal matter, after all. When Lily had approached the Princess, it hadn¡¯t been due to any personal curiosity but rather an impulsive sense of duty. There was a bit of guilt involved, too. And the response she received¡ª ¡°What¡­ what should I do?¡± Lily had managed to make a fair number of friends. Six months had proven to be enough time to get to know her peers. She couldn¡¯t im they were as close as her friends from home, but that woulde with time. Growing up in Lindborough, and known for its resorts, she¡¯d already made ns with a few friends for a visit there¡ª@@novelbin@@ She imagined her parents¡¯ faces, urging her to ¡°Seize the opportunity!¡± Not that it was any help. ¡°¡­Sigh.¡± Pushing her slipping sses back up, Lily muttered to herself. Alright. Even though she hadn¡¯t trained with the noble ss, she doubted her absence would cause them any major setbacks. All of them were skilled. She still remembered the mock battle led by Professor Jennifer. The experience of watching one ally fall after another under well-aimed, unseen gunfire, even though it was just a simtion, had left asting impression. While some murmured that Jennifer, a noble and teacher of the noble ss, might be showing favoritism, seeing Princess Sylvia Fangryphon¡¯s movements in action gradually silenced those voices. Yes, that¡¯s right. Perhaps this was Princess Sylvia¡¯s generosity. By asking about Roti¡¯s well-being, Lily had been granted a chance to check in on her. So, if she decided to decline tomorrow morning, there wouldn¡¯t be any issue¡ª ¡ªat least, that¡¯s what she optimistically assumed. Then, when someone knocked on her door at four in the morning, she reconsidered. Wait¡­ is this bullying? * ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± re, bright-eyed even at dawn, reassured her. Since I had informed everyone the previous evening, they were quick to ept Lily Baker¡¯s presence among us. Considering that our group already included people like Sophia, who, although difficult to define as amoner, was not entirely noble, as well as Roti, amoner and colonist, there was no valid reason to reject Lily now. Besides, her excuse of ¡°having ns with friends¡±¡ª ¡°So, you said you¡¯re meeting them at ten in the morning, right? Then we can finish up early and let you meet them without a hitch!¡± re¡¯s merciless logic shattered any resistance. Alice and Charlotte, standing behind her, had expressions that inly said, ¡°Is she serious?¡± followed by ¡°But knowing her, she probably is.¡± Initially, Lily looked as though she couldn¡¯t believe her ears, but seeing the faces of Alice and Charlotte, she began to doubt the entire situation. She nced in my direction, so I stared back at her with a neutral expression. What? What is it? You approached me first. ¡°Your name is Lily, right?¡± When Leo, who was standing next to re, spoke, Lily¡¯s face turned bright red. Despite failing to live up to his harem protagonist reputation in our group because of me, Leo still had the looks¡ªhandsome, tall, with broad shoulders. In short, the type of guy girls would find attractive. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Leo extended his hand with a smile, and Lily hesitated, unsure whether to hold her skirt or take Leo¡¯s hand. It was rather amusing to watch. In the original story, she had been swept up into the party by tagging along with Roti, after all. ¡­ Hmm. Am I bullying her? Well, it¡¯s not like she¡¯ll ever know. I smiled inwardly, watching the two of them. * Anyway. Returning to the issue of Roti and Jake, I had a n in mind. Of course, I wasn¡¯t nning on putting it into action right away. More urately, there were a few things I wanted to confirm before moving forward with it. ¡°It¡¯s certainly toorge and heavy for practical use inbat,¡± I muttered, holding a rifle that was nearly as big as an anti-materiel sniper rifle. It was definitely toorge to shoot while standing. The anti-tank rifles I had seen were about the same size, but I had never fired one myself. ¡°But we¡¯ve prepared the Marmaros rounds specifically for this,¡± Alice reminded me. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡­Though I doubted I¡¯d need to use it unless absolutely necessary. Still, it could probably set a carriage¡ªand its upants¡ªaze in one shot. ¡°I¡¯ll try it out for hunting first, then decide if it¡¯s worth using in battle,¡± I said. ¡°Fair enough, it¡¯s up to you to choose your weapon,¡± Alice shrugged. But Jake, watching me sling the rifle over my shoulder, seemed less than enthusiastic about it. Despite theck of animal protectionws in this world, Jake seemed to have a soft spot for animals. The reason soon became clear. Bang! The rifle¡¯s st was as powerful as its size suggested. Even though I was lying down, the recoil pushed hard against my shoulder. The weapon¡¯s power lived up to its ¡°express¡± name. The problem, however, was that the power was excessive. The elephant, which hadn¡¯t even noticed us yet, copsed with its skull shattered. The bullet pierced right through its forehead, and it fell back before copsing on its haunches, legs stretched out and quivering towards the sky. ¡­ Leo and re, who had bragged about hunting a rhino the day before, stood with their mouths agape. All the nearby elephants fled, leaving only a few calves behind. Even as we approached, the calves lingered around their fallen mother, only fleeing when we came within arm¡¯s reach. ¡°Yesterday was about hunting a beast threatening civilians¡­¡± Leo muttered, and I began to understand why they seemed so unsettled. ¡°All we need are the tusks. The rest¡­ the vultures will take care of itter, I guess.¡± Ah. Now I understood why Jake hadn¡¯t been too thrilled about the ¡°mission.¡± Oh well. At least I got to test the firepower. Though, to make things go the way I want, I may need to reset time¡­ Chapter 170 Thanks to my strong insistence, the hunting mission was changed from an elephant hunt to a lion hunt. The target was an old lion that had been wandering near a residential area, and unlike the elephant, this one was a genuine threat. It was massive, almost monstrous, with thick, frozen fangs¡ªa unique trait for a lion¡ªand it had been attacking livestock near the vige. Moreover, it had reportedly attacked people on several asions. Though those people had managed to hide in a car before the lion broke through the windows, they narrowly escaped when a group of hunters arrived and scared it off. "ording to reports, this one is a tricky prey," I exined. Because the lion recognized guns, we couldn¡¯t take heavy firearms. The elephant hunt had been chosen for my firepower test, but we had to be more cautious here. It seemed to distinguish between men and women as well. While it hadn¡¯t eaten anyone, the lion had attacked while a man was away, targeting a woman and two children returning from the market. Though an elderly driver was present, he wasn¡¯t exactly a match for a lion. The lion had waited, hidden, until they opened the car door to step out, then pounced. Fortunately, they managed to retreat back inside the vehicle in time. "So, you¡¯re nning to stand alone?" Alice asked, skeptical. "Yes." I answered firmly. "Wouldn¡¯t it be better if someone stayed with you¡ª?" "The others here can¡¯tpletely conceal their presence, so it won¡¯t work," I interrupted. I had a point. While Icked the talent for intimidation, my sword-wieldingpanions had an aura that could overwhelm enemies with sheer presence. Against someone of equal or greater skill, it might not work, but it was certainly effective against humans. However, dealing with an animal was a different story. Especially an experienced, old lion¡ªit wouldn¡¯t likely attack someone like Leo. Of course, I couldn¡¯t send Roti or Lily Baker out there either. It wasn¡¯t a matter of doubting their skills. It was for my own n. "Alright," Alice nodded. "But if things get even slightly dangerous, we¡¯ll abort the mission and all rush out." "Understood." I had no intention of risking my life, after all. If things went south, I could always rewind time and pretend this never happened. * ...Wow, it¡¯s huge. The lion was enormous, its eyes nearly level with mine even as it stood on all fours. To the lion, did I look like a tasty meal? It probably thought so. One swipe of its ws, and I¡¯d be sliced in half. To the lion, I must¡¯ve looked like a soft pudding. Of course, I had no intention of going down that easily. As the lion moved three steps closer, I discreetly pulled out the revolver hidden behind my back. The lion seemed to recognize the gun.@@novelbin@@ It tensed momentarily, then charged at me. Did it think it could withstand a handgun? Or did it decide it was better to attack than to run? How unfortunate. The gun in my hand wasn¡¯t just any revolver; it was my old revolver, slightlyrger in caliber than the automatic pistol I typically used. It was loaded with .455 Marmaros rounds. These incendiary rounds worked particrly well against creatures with cold auras. Besides, no matter how fast that lion was¡­ I¡¯d once hit someone as fast as Lucas, after all. Bang. One shot. One shot was all it took. The bullet hit the lion square in the face, exploding on impact and engulfing it in mes, mming the beast to the ground. It skidded across the ground, iling, and I fired a few more shots. Bang, bang, bang. Honestly, I was running at a loss here. Even if I sold the lion¡¯s pelt and refined the Marmaros, it wouldn¡¯t cover the cost of the ammunition I¡¯d used. Still, better that than dying. The lion skidded to a stop right in front of my feet. Alright. At least now I knew I could handle this alone if needed. Again. * The process repeated itself. But this time, there was a different condition. Bang! This time, the bullet wasn¡¯t as powerful as before, and didn¡¯t knock the lion back. It was no surprise; this time, I¡¯d loaded regr rounds. Only the first two rounds. To be precise, the cylinder was loaded in the same order as before: four incendiary Marmaros rounds and two regr bullets. All I¡¯d done was rotate the cylinder to change the sequence. But the result was entirely different. The lion flinched as it was hit, blood sttering slightly, but it didn¡¯t drop mid-charge like before. Bang! I fired another regr round. The lion still seemed keen on making a meal out of me. I pretended to panic, stepping two paces to the right before copsing to the ground. From a distance, it would look like I¡¯d tripped. Bang! A loud gunshot echoed¡ªnot from my gun, but from the distance to my right. On the open in, a lone tree stood tall. ncing over, I saw a sh¡ªthe glint of Roti¡¯s rifle scope reflecting the light. I¡¯d positioned Roti and Lily far enough away that they¡¯d barely be able to sense any presence. However, Lily¡¯s view was a bit precarious. If I moved to the right, I¡¯d end up nearly ovepping with the lion in her line of sight. Rena was here as well, but equipped only with a pistol and submachine gun, neither suited for this range. I hoped Roti didn¡¯t see the satisfied grin on my face as the lion fell¡ª "Wait¡ª" But in the next moment, I was forced to react. While I¡¯d intended for the lion to fall at a certain angle¡­ Its front paw, farrger than I¡¯d anticipated, wasing down right over me. "Ugh." Fortunately, we were far enough away that no one heard me make that noise. * "Sylvia!" I heard Alice¡¯s voice, almost a scream, a littleter. Watching my group rushing towards me, I pushed the lion¡¯s paw off me, as if it were a nket. I hadn¡¯t suffered any major injuries. The paw hadn¡¯t struck me hard; it had merely fallen on top of me. I might bruise a little, though. I was lucky the ws hadn¡¯t scratched me. "I-I¡¯m so sorry!" Lily ran up and bowed deeply. "When you ended up in line with the lion¡ª" She pped her hand over her mouth, realizing that might sound like she was ming me. "Don¡¯t worry too much. It was my fault for falling," I reassured her. As I spoke, a cool sensation spread through my side. I looked over to see Mia Crowfield pointing her staff at me, a faint blue light shimmering around it. A healing spell, perhaps. When I nodded toward Mia, she averted her gaze slightly. Past re and Alice, who were fussing over me with concern, I spotted Roti approaching quietly. "Roti." I called out to her. She stood nearby, hands folded respectfully. "Thanks to you, I wasn¡¯t seriously injured¡­ In fact, I¡¯d say you saved my life. Thank you." "No¡­ I was merely doing what was expected." Jake, observing our conversation in silence, narrowed his eyes slightly. "No," I replied to Roti firmly. "Let¡¯s not forget, I am a princess of the Empire. I can¡¯t just overlook the fact that you saved my life." Roti¡¯s face was impassive, but she looked slightly flustered, her gaze lifting to meet mine. Alice, who had been fretting over me, also had a curious expression. A look of understanding crossed her face, and she brought her hand to her forehead. Exactly. The best way for amoner to ascend was by earning merit. The higher the status of the person they aided, the greater the reward. As Jake¡¯s expression shifted into a faint smile, I simply shrugged. Chapter 171 "We¡­ we actually made it before ten o''clock¡­." Impressive, right? Lily mumbled in amazement, and I held back the urge to say something snarky. Leo, true to his protagonist-like, honest, and diligent nature, kept his promises well. This wasn¡¯t just about showing up on time¡ªhe¡¯d go to great lengths to keep his word, even in life-threatening situations or nearly impossible challenges. Finishing a task on schedule was second nature to him. Of course, for those caught up in his pace, it wasn¡¯t always aughable experience. In the game, for the yer¡¯s convenience, characters never seemed to tire from walking, running, or fighting since stamina was never an issue. Here, though, everyone around me looked exhausted. Even Lily, who had gasped in awe earlier, was now worn out. Mia Crowfield, who had the weakest stamina, looked practically half-dead. We had set out in the early morning cold and returned when the sun was high and hot, experiencing the drastic temperature shift throughout. It would be strange not to feel tired. "Do you always move this early?" Lily asked. "Not ¡®always,¡¯" Alice replied firmly, giving Lily a look that said she¡¯d barely believe it. "It¡¯s usually only these two who keep this kind of schedule," Charlotte chimed in, pointing to Leo and ire, who both looked mildly puzzled. With Leo, it made sense. But as for ire¡ªhow had she gone from being like this to her much calmer, more serious personality in the main storyline? I knew my arrival in this world had altered the original course of events, but even so, it was still ironic. "Are you okay with this? Didn¡¯t you have ns with your friends?" Leo asked Lily. For a moment, Lily seemed dazed that this handsome noble boy was speaking to her, but she quickly came back to reality, looking crestfallen. She¡¯d woken up at dawn, worked hard all morning, and now had to join her friends for more activities, barely getting a moment¡¯s rest. And unlike this group of near-superhuman allies, her friends weremoners who would have to handle everything themselves, without magic or enhanced physical abilities. Their work would likely stretch until around five in the evening, and if they took breaks to avoid the midday sun, it could go eventer. ¡­ I suppose I couldn¡¯t me themoner students for spreading unfavorable rumors about our ss. Still, Lily¡¯s dismay didn¡¯tst long. Suddenly, she looked as if she remembered something and nced at me, then at Roti. Following her gaze, the others did the same¡ªlooking at me, then back at Roti. "Oh¡­" With a look of understanding, Lily nced back at me, and the others turned their attention to me once again. Well, she was supposed to be quite smart in the original story. Although Alice held the top spot academically, and the other high-ranking positions were mostly taken by Charlotte and other noble students, Lily¡¯s name was always somewhere on that list. Considering hermoner background andck of foundational knowledgepared to the nobles, it was impressive. Even in the original story, this was acknowledged, though Lily herself didn¡¯t particrly like being reminded of it. "I see," Lily murmured, as if she¡¯d grasped something. I couldn¡¯t fully follow her thoughts since her perspective differed from mine. But at the very least, she probably understood that we didn¡¯t look down on Roti because she was amoner. "Thank you all very much. This has been a valuable experience," Lily said, bowing to us. "Huh? We just invited you along since we had some extra time. You don¡¯t need to think too much about it," Leo said, causing Lily to smile wryly. "Were you satisfied?" I asked. "Yes, much more than I initially expected," Lily replied with a broad smile. "Then let¡¯s meet again. Don¡¯t pretend not to know me if we run into each other in the halls." "I doubt there¡¯s amoner in the academy who¡¯d ignore a noble if they saw one," Lily replied with augh at ire¡¯sment. Well, that¡¯s that. Not only had I left a good impression on Lily, one of the main characters, but I¡¯d alsoid the groundwork to nudge the story in the direction I had in mind. A win-win, so to speak. * After going to my room to freshen up, I finished lunch and took a seat at a lounge table, spacing out a little, when Jake plopped down across from me without asking. "Sylvia." His voice sounded unusually cheerful, brighter than usual. Or rather, it was a different *type* of brightness. Normally, his tone had an exaggerated, performative quality, but now it sounded as natural as if he were greeting a friend. I supposed there was no longer any need for him to keep up the act around me. Perhaps I¡¯d gained his trust, or maybe the events of today had improved his impression of me.@@novelbin@@ "Have you thought about why I¡¯m sitting here alone?" I asked. "And why¡¯s that?" Jake replied with a mischievous grin. Honestly, it was hard to believe that someone who looked like him could be such a straightced guy. If you looked solely at his appearance and behavior, he seemed like the delinquent character who¡¯d flirt with a heroine who already liked someone else. It was no wonder that kind of fan fiction was popr. In any case, the way Jake¡¯s character was portrayed in the original wasn¡¯t entirely his fault. The developers designed him that way. "Most of the people around me know that if I¡¯m sitting alone, it¡¯s because I¡¯m ¡®sorting through my thoughts.¡¯ Alice, ire, and even Rena rarely interrupt me when I¡¯m like this." "They¡¯re all people you call by name, huh?" "¡­I address most people around me by their names." "But not Mia." That¡¯s because I¡¯m not close with her. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t want to be friends, but our pasts made it difficult to get close. If I suddenly acted friendly, it¡¯de off as suspicious, maybe even psychopathic. "Even though you try to hide your expressions and tone, anyone watching you closely can tell you distinguish between close friends and others. I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s a bad thing. You¡¯re probably just being considerate," Jake observed. "And what exactly led you to this conclusion?" "Are you really asking that after today¡¯s stunt?" "¡­." "You never waste a single bullet, yet today you ¡®misfired¡¯? I saw you checking your gun before the battle. You¡¯re not careless enough to mix up the rounds or mistake the Marmaros bullets." Too bad he hadn¡¯t heard the noise I made when the lion¡¯s pawnded on me. Not that I wouldn¡¯t have rewound time if he had. "So, why don¡¯t we justy everything out on the table?" Jake leaned back in his chair, stretching his spine, and continued. "You¡¯re trying to elevate Roti, aren¡¯t you?" "¡­." He wasn¡¯t wrong. "I just can¡¯t figure out why. Even if you¡¯re trying to help me and Roti get married, it¡¯s hard to believe you¡¯d suddenly go out of your way for us without some hidden motive." But that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m trying to do. Why? Honestly, while Roti¡¯s mixed tsundere/cool demeanor was amusing to watch, the obstacles in the way of their rtionship were frustrating. It felt like eating a dry potato without water. "So," I replied, keeping a neutral expression as I spoke. "Are you using me of trying to use her?" "Well¡­ I can¡¯t say for sure what role Roti ys in your ns, but¡ª" Jake shrugged. "It¡¯s better to have someone who values her skills rather than treats her as mere decoration." But he wasn¡¯t done. "Still, if Roti¡¯s life ends up at risk, I won¡¯t just sit by." Of course, I wouldn¡¯t let that happen. Both Roti and you¡ª You¡¯re all part of the people I¡¯m determined to protect. At least until this grand story reaches its end. "I¡¯ll keep that in mind," I replied sincerely, letting him see that my words were genuine. Chapter 172 The rumors spread in an instant. It was because I acted so openly. I borrowed Roti from Jake and walked around with her by my side ¡ª not that I truly *walked* around with her, of course. It''s just the way it sounds ¡ª or I kept her with me as part of our "noble group." Either way, in a hotel where nearly all the first-year academy students were gathered, there was no way the rumors wouldn''t spread. Moreover, I didn¡¯t just engage in such visible actions. ¡°Knight¡¯s title¡­ are you serious?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about the person who saved the princess¡¯s life. It¡¯s not impossible to bestow such a reward, even if it¡¯s a temporary title that won¡¯t carry down to future generations.¡± ¡°But doesn¡¯t it require the Emperor¡¯s approval to grant such a title?¡± ¡°Do you think His Majesty, who dearly loves his daughter, would say nothing and let it slide?¡± At my words, Roti fell silent. Alice, who had been watching us from a nearby table, looked as though she was about to snort, but I ignored her and continued speaking. Well, anyway, I knew the Emperor would find such a proposal amusing and would likely ept it. It would provide a good reason, after all, for iming that she had done a favor for the future Duke of Lindbergh. Normally, I would choose a seat by the window or against a wall when picking a spot in a restaurant. I wouldn¡¯t want to sit in a ce where I¡¯d attract attention. But now, that wasn¡¯t the case. The more attention I drew, the better. So, I bit my lip and deliberately chose a seat in the center of the room, enduring the difort. ¡°But Your Highness, that incident...¡± ¡°Baker.¡± I interrupted Roti and called out to Lily, who happened to be passing by our table. ¡°Yes... yes, Your Highness!?¡° Lily, suddenly being called out by me, turned pale. She had probably been doing it on purpose. Ever since I started sitting alone with Roti, she seemed to want to get a sense of whether I was bothering her. She even jumped into the crowd of nobles to figure it out. However, the conversation we were having now was slightly different. This was likely purely out of curiosity. She must have deliberately put less food on her te and casually walked by us, trying to eavesdrop. ¡°Baker, you were nearby at the time, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Eh? Ah, yes¡­¡± Feeling the eyes that had been on Roti and me shifting to her, Lily squirmed ufortably, twisting her body this way and that. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see Roti save me back then?¡± ¡°Y-Yes, I did.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± I repeated my words to emphasize my point and looked at Roti. ¡°With a witness like this, I don¡¯t think anyone will be able to refute it.¡± Alice made a face as if she couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing, but she didn¡¯t try to refute my words. ire, sitting across from Alice, and Leo, sitting between them, were staring at me with their mouths agape. It wasn¡¯t until ire pped Leo¡¯s arm that he snapped out of it and quickly began cutting his steak. But in his haste, some sauce spilled onto his clothes. Why? Are you jealous? Should I make an opportunity to tease Leo a bit? Watching Leo turn pale after hearing all this would be amusing. Besides, since Leo is a guy, maybe rumors of an affair will start circting. ¡°Anyway, my mind is made up.¡± ¡°But, then... what about the young master?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already told Jake.¡± ¡°...¡± At that, Roti¡¯s expression grew cloudy for the first time since I had started speaking. ¡°Did the young master agree?¡± ¡°Yes, he did.¡± Looking at Roti¡¯s dimmed expression, I felt slightly flustered. Why? Isn¡¯t she supposed to be happy about this? Jake wouldn¡¯t spare a nce for any woman other than Roti. I thought for a moment and realized that I might have misunderstood something at a deeper level. Wait, so... is that it? Could it be that Roti wasn¡¯t fully confident that Jake liked her? That¡¯s why she feelsfortable being by Jake¡¯s side as a maid, thinking she¡¯s safer that way? Hmm. But if that¡¯s the case, I couldn¡¯t really do anything about it. Jake would keep Roti by his side even if she became more than just a maid, but if Roti herself couldn¡¯t gain that confidence¡­ ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry too much.¡± I figured I should add a few reassuring words, just to be safe. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about losing your job. It¡¯s quitemon for a daughter of a baron family to be a maid in a duke¡¯s household. Roti will only be receiving a knight¡¯s title, so unless she intentionally quits, she should be able to continue working just fine.¡± ¡°...I understand.¡± After hearing my words, Roti¡¯s expression rxed a bit. So, it looks like I was right. This couple is more troublesome than I thought. ...Well, I¡¯ve done my part, so the rest is up to Jake. That¡¯s themon sense of this age, right? I guess I¡¯ll be satisfied with just lowering the difficulty a bit. * After finishing our meal, a maid was waiting outside. Though she wasn¡¯t wearing a maid¡¯s outfit, she introduced herself as ¡°a servant of the Lindbergh family,¡± so I suppose it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to call her a maid. Dressed in a luxurious suit, she handed me a simrly elegant envelope and said: ¡°Lord Lindbergh would like to have tea with Your Highness. He said that, while you are staying here, if you give him a time and ce, he¡¯lle right away.¡± I wouldn¡¯t leave until I checked the letter, so I opened it immediately and read its contents. Apart from some decorative phrases, the message was basically the same as what the maid had just said. ¡°I see.¡± When I responded, the maid bowed slightly. ¡°Would it be possible now?¡± She froze as soon as I said that. ¡°The location¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go to him. Couldn¡¯t you apany me on your way back?¡± They say, strike while the iron is hot. It¡¯s more convenient for both of us if we talk now. But at my words, the maid immediately wore an apologetic expression. ¡°However, Lord Lindbergh is not at the estate right now.¡± ¡°May I ask where he is?¡± ¡°¡­He¡¯s at the farm. There is a mansion there, but¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with that. Wouldn¡¯t it be better for us to take care of this while the opportunity presents itself?¡± ¡°Understood.¡± It seemed that the maid had made up her mind after hearing my words. ¡®Anytime, anywhere,¡¯ I had said.@@novelbin@@ ¡°So, you¡¯re going to meet the Duke now?¡± Alice, who had been eavesdropping, asked. ¡°Would you like toe with me?¡± When I asked, Alice furrowed her brow for a moment before replying. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°But if you do¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be the one to do the talking.¡± ¡°...Understood.¡± The maid, slightly startled by Alice¡¯s words, clearly couldn¡¯t argue with what the princess had said. ¡°Oh, may Ie along and have a look?¡± Charlotte immediately butted in. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen the farm since I got here. It might be interesting to visit the grand farm that the Empire is so proud of.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± The maid hesitated for a moment, then looked at me. ¡°In that case, I suppose it¡¯s best to check with the Duke first.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± The maid lowered her head respectfully again and turned to leave. As she made her way back, I suddenly realized: she¡¯s a foreigner. * People often think that the military-industrialplex rules the world just because they sell weapons. After all, weapons are tools that kill people, and manufacturing them requires advanced technology. Even in a ce without semiconductor development like this, it¡¯s still the military sector that leads technological innovation. It¡¯s often said that new technologies are first tested on the battlefield, so it isn¡¯t too strange to think this way. But in reality, those who make guns and cannons are always at the mercy of those who buy their products. When those buyers switch suppliers, the makers of weapons go bankrupt. It¡¯s the military contractors who always cater to the needs of their clients. So, to say that these people rule the world? That doesn¡¯t make sense. They¡¯d be dragged around by the cor if it came to that. The real world rulers are those who sell fruit. Everyone can easily buy and eat fruit, and nobody¡¯s upset if they don¡¯t buy it. Leftover and overripe fruits are turned into juice and sold, while nearly spoiled fruit is dumped on colonized natives, but it¡¯s not free, of course. The price includes shipping across two oceans. Thanks to this, the fruit business is always profitable. The same goes for anything else. The trade between the homnd and the colonies always favors the homnd. Despite the Duke¡¯s intentions, the number of guests increased, and we ended up taking the bus. And as we entered the vast farm, no one in the bus could speak. The size of the farm was enormous, no doubt about it. ¡°...It¡¯s amazing. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if all the oranges in the Empire came from here,¡± Charlotte muttered. No one really responded, but they all seemed to agree with her. Even though the sun was nearly set, many people were still working on the farm. Of course, almost all of them were native workers. Chapter 173 The interior decoration of this era was incredibly extravagant, no matter where you went. Even the newly built houses were like that. This was likely a faithful reflection of the original setting. When thinking of the Belle ¨¦poque era, one immediately associates the distinctive Victorian-style interior decorations, and that''s exactly what was being used here. In the game, even though the decor was like this, it didn¡¯t seem all that extravagant because the graphics weren¡¯t advanced enough to fully showcase it. But my experience in this world, actually seeing such things in person... was refreshing. It was because, in the world I came from, the Victorian-era artifacts I encountered were mostly "old." No matter how grand and vintage something looked, when the object itself was aged, the feeling of newness wasrgely gone. This was something I noticed even in the historic pces of long-standing systems. However, here, it was different. Even though this ce had been a colony for a long time, new houses and farms were being built everywhere, and the mansion on this farm didn¡¯t seem to have been built that long ago. It was a curious feeling to be surrounded by interior decor that was a little too shy. At the same time, though, it didn¡¯t give off the feeling of being newly wealthy or tasteless, which made me realize how skilled the interior designers of this era must be. ¡°Your Highness,¡± The Duke bowed his head slightly, putting extra emphasis on his manners considering the age gap between us. ¡°I hear you have something you wish to discuss.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Perhaps he had heard of my personality somewhere. Or maybe he had gathered a rough idea during thest banquet. The Duke didn¡¯t seem bothered by my direct approach to the conversation, cutting to the chase without much pleasantry. He gently gestured toward a chair, and I took a seat. As we sat across from each other, a maid quickly served us both a cup of tea. After cing the teapot on the table, she hurriedly left the room. The maid was also white. ¡°What is it that you wish to discuss?¡± ¡°I heard that Your Highness is fond of Roti.¡± Hmm. It wasn¡¯t exactly wrong to say I was ¡°fond¡± of her. While we weren¡¯t exactly soulmates, I did want to protect Roti, just as she was one of the people I wanted to save. In fact, Roti herself was unlikely to die. Depending on the choices made, Jake might be the one to save her and die in the process. Jake might not be the heroine, but I didn¡¯t want to see a pure love couple ruined by death. ¡°I owe her a great debt.¡± ¡°Then, is it really possible to bestow that knight¡¯s title?¡± The Duke asked bluntly again. Well, it¡¯s better than beating around the bush. Still, even though his words were direct, they carried an implication. Inside that question was a subtext of, ¡°Is it really possible to give a title to someone from the colonies?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not impossible.¡± I answered decisively. ¡°First of all, His Majesty trusts me. He is not the type of person who would ignore someone who has helped me.¡± The Duke nodded seriously at my words. ¡°Also, my older brother, Prince Jaden Fangryphon, is themander of the Imperial Knights. He cares for me deeply, so he isn¡¯t the kind of person who would refuse my request.¡± I observed the Duke¡¯s expression carefully after hearing this. If the Duke was simply a character who was trying to suppress the colonists, he would likely have shown displeasure at my words. However, if he leaned more toward opportunism, he might take the bait. In the game, the protagonist¡¯s "parents¡¯ generation" didn¡¯t y a central role in the story. Sometimes they were portrayed as supporters of the regime, sometimes as obstacles to love, and sometimes as reliable allies. They appeared asionally, but the focus was always on the protagonist¡¯s group. I had read the text of the original setting and remembered it. The Duke was a racist and an imperialist, but at the same time¡ª ¡°I see.¡± The Duke smiled. ¡ªYes, the Duke was also an opportunist driven by power. He stood up from his chair, walking toward therge window, and gazed out quietly. The farm was now dimly lit. There were scattered lights, but it was unclear if they were meant to ward off intruders or if they were simply from workers still toiling away. ¡°Your Highness, do you know how long this system willst?¡± ¡°It can¡¯tst forever.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I widened my eyes slightly at his unexpected words, but fortunately, I don¡¯t think he noticed, as he was still looking out the window. ¡°Some people say that because there are so many people in the colonies, it¡¯s easy to buy raw materials cheaply and sell them for a high price. But the reality is different. There is a limit to the wealth any group can amass. If you keep draining it, even a gold mine that seemed endless will eventually dry up.¡± The Duke turned around. ¡°And I¡¯ve started feeling that recently.¡± ¡°Are you saying there might be a rebellion?¡±@@novelbin@@ ¡°Not exactly.¡± At my question, the Duke smiled bitterly. ¡°Do you know? People in the homnd seem to think of the colonists as something akin to ves, but legally, they are not.¡± I didn¡¯t respond. ¡°The Empire abolished very a long time ago. The ves'' skin might have been the same color as ours, or different, but legally, there are no ves anymore.¡± ¡°Are you iming that colonists are free people?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it either. Legally, they are legitimate subjects of the Empire, but that¡¯s all. They can¡¯t move freely, and they don¡¯t have the right to vote. What I¡¯m trying to say is that we¡¯ve missed our chance to truly enve them.¡± The Duke looked back out the window. ¡°Before we came here, they were divided into multiple nations. There were different sses, and because of that, they couldn¡¯t form a single identity. Even now, that atmosphere hasn¡¯tpletely disappeared. But it doesn¡¯t mean there¡¯s no sense of shared understanding.¡± The oppressors and the oppressed. People of different skin colors. ¡°There was once a great empire here, though. It split hundreds of years ago, but at one point, there was an empire that ruled the entire continent, an empire that flourished in culture. And now, they are slowly starting to collect that history again. Though it¡¯s only a small portion, the idea of ¡®same culture, same race¡¯ is beginning to take root.¡± This world was just beginning to form the concept of ¡®ethnicity.¡¯ ¡°They are legally free, can refuse to work if they choose, and within the scope of judicial authority, they are starting to form groups with shared understanding. When that happens¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I am trying to control it, though. If I pay them enough to get by, they won¡¯t have the luxury to think of anything else. After all, they need to survive, right? If I instill the idea that striking will mean starving to death, it might dy things a little.¡± ¡°Eventually, they will rise up.¡± At my words, the Duke nodded. ¡°Then, Your Highness, what you¡¯re doing is truly remarkable. ¡®Even someone from the colonies can rise if they do something remarkable,¡¯ wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± ¡­ Well¡­ No, I didn¡¯t think it would go that far. ¡°If everything goes ording to Your Highness¡¯s calctions, Roti might be an iconic figure. Her name might even be in textbooks one day.¡± Would that happen...? I was just trying to set up some minimum conditions for her to marry into the Duke¡¯s family. ¡°Do you wish for my son to marry Roti?¡± Well... yes? I nodded, and the Duke smiled knowingly. ¡°I think I have a rough idea of what you¡¯re thinking.¡± What exactly does he think I¡¯m thinking? No, I just wanted the awkward couple to finally get together and unt it around already. ¡°But honestly, the idea of my son marrying someone of a different race¡­ I must admit, it does make me uneasy.¡± The Duke said this with a warm smile on his face. ¡°However, my son does care deeply for Roti. If the conditions are right, as a father who loves his son, I won¡¯t refuse.¡± ¡°And those conditions would be something more than just a title, wouldn¡¯t they?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been quite some time since we moved here, but that doesn¡¯t mean we have no affection for our homnd. Still, I can¡¯t demand too much as a vassal of the throne.¡± The Duke bent slightly at the waist. ¡°We seek a ¡®true¡¯ friendship with the royal family. I hope Roti can be the witness to that.¡± Chapter 174 It seems like I¡¯ve caused some huge misunderstanding, but I decided to just let it go. At this point, it¡¯s toote to correct it¡ªwell, I could correct it, but I¡¯d invested too much effort to let it go to waste. It wouldn¡¯t result in major losses if I did, but after all the trouble of persuading the Duke, I really didn¡¯t want to start over with a different method. It would be too much of a hassle. Besides, in thetter half of the story, the colonies will eventually start their independence movements anyway. By that point, the Empire will have dered war on nearly the entire world, and as a result, the Emperor will die, leading to a truce among those who no longer want the war. The situation will be chaotic, with constant bloodshed in the colonies, and the Law Country will be acting very suspiciously... that was the storyline I yed up until. Moreover, some of the protagonist¡¯s group members die, making the whole situation pretty depressing. ...Well, I don¡¯t need to worry about that here. ¡°True friendship, you say?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Well, I could offer friendship. It felt like he was intentionally being vague with his words, but if we¡¯re being vague too, then it¡¯s fine. There may be political rhetoric and all that, but if we end up sweeping it all awayter, who¡¯s going to care? I¡¯m not nning to start a rebellion against the royal family. If it came to that, we''d probably be in a much worse position. ¡°If in the future, my dear friend marries the son of this family, then perhaps that might happen.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± The Duke responded with a slight smile after hearing my words. ¡°Then, we will think positively about it.¡± * Somehow, I wrapped up the situation. Looking back, it ended much more smoothly than I expected. I had thought there might be shouting, or even an ashtray flying at me. Of course, I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d throw the ashtray at me. ¡°What kind of conversation did you have?¡± Jake asked as I exited the room. It seemed strange to him that his father hadn¡¯te out with me. ¡°A lot of positive discussions were had.¡± Alice narrowed her eyes as she stared at me, but I made a point to ignore her gaze. After all, we would be in the same room when we got back, so I¡¯d have to tell her eventually. I could already imagine Alice rubbing her forehead after hearing about the conversation I had today. ¡°Is that so?¡± Jake dragged out his words, asking again, but thankfully, he didn¡¯t press further. ¡°¡­¡± Otherwise, no one had really said anything all that remarkable. Leo seemed to be in a heavy mood. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± When I asked, Leo shrugged his shoulders, retracting his gaze from the outside. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing major.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been staring outside for a while, though,¡± Jake said, joining me. ¡°Is it really that rare to see so many people working on such arge farm?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Jake didn¡¯t seem to mean anything by his words, but there was a tone to his voice that suggested he didn¡¯t exactly appreciate the situation. Outwardly, he seemed like the kind of guy who¡¯d be fooling around with multiple women, but deep down, he was probably a straightforward guy who only had eyes for one woman and cared for animals, while also feeling pity for the colonists... Why isn¡¯t he the heroine? Wouldn¡¯t it be more interesting if Roti were the male character instead? I quietly wondered to myself, but Alice interrupted my thoughts. ¡°There are people like that in the Empire too. The ones who work in factories. There are farms there as well.¡± When attention shifted to her, Alice made a slightly embarrassed expression before responding. ¡°I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s a good thing. I just meant that the nobles are surprisingly unaware of such urrences happening everywhere.¡± ¡°In Belvur, fruits with the Lindbergh name are quite famous.¡± Finally, Charlotte, who had been silent like Leo, spoke up. ¡°They¡¯re cheap and delicious... Even if they tried to grow such fruits in Belvur, they could never replicate this method.¡± They¡¯d have to use Belvur¡¯s own people, of course. Of course, even though Belvur hasn¡¯t industrialized, that doesn¡¯t mean life is wonderful there. The majority of the country¡¯s industry is agricultural, and that agriculture is based on the exploitation of tenant farmers byndowners. Naturally, most of thesendowners are nobles. It¡¯s aplicated matter. Even if the Empire¡¯s colonization has boosted its national power by squeezing people, the speed of development will always be slowerpared to that of a colonizing empire. And if they wanted to make colonies now, they¡¯d have to go to war. Once those colonies were made, the same cycle of exploitation would repeat. Well, who do you think created the ¡°good times¡± of the past? ¡°¡­¡± Meanwhile, ire, who would have been at the bottom of the exploited ss, said nothing. A brief silence fell over the guest room. ¡°We¡¯re done here.¡± When I spoke up, everyone turned to look at me. ¡°Shall we head back? The Duke did say we could stay, but¡­¡± If we stayed the night, we''d see something even more depressing the next morning. ¡°...No, let¡¯s just go back. There¡¯s nothing left to see here.¡±@@novelbin@@ Alice seemed to have realized what kind of scene we¡¯d witness the next morning. Everyone nodded in agreement after Alice. * ¡°Your Highness.¡± Roti called out to me before Jake, which likely meant she had a lot she wanted to say. She had clearlye with us, but Roti wasn¡¯t in the guest room... It seemed like she hadn¡¯t been treated unfairly after all. Roti was talking in the hallway. Her conversation partner was her mother, dressed in a maid¡¯s outfit. I had assumed all the maids here were white. Well, maybe only one person was getting special treatment. From the Earl¡¯s perspective, Roti might be a connection point with me. As for what happened in the banquet hall... I¡¯d ask her about thatter. When Roti¡¯s mother saw me, she quickly bowed. ¡°Did everything go well?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Roti seemed like she had a lot of questions, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to ask them outright. Even through her neutral expression, I could feel her emotions... Perhaps Alice had figured out how to read my expressions this way as well. Roti¡¯s mother didn¡¯t lift her head. I wondered, if Roti received a knight¡¯s title, what would happen to the rtionship between Roti and her mother? I¡¯d have to think about that. ncing aside, I noticed Alice also had aplicated expression. It was natural since she was looking at the ¡°mother of a friend.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s head back.¡± I said, and Roti¡¯s mother raised her head slightly to look at us. When I nodded in her direction, she quickly hid her face. * After returning to our room, Alice stayed silent for a while before speaking up. ¡°Is Roti the daughter of Lindbergh?¡± ¡°If you mean the ¡®Lindbergh¡¯ family, yes. But she is not the daughter of the Duke of Lindbergh.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Alice narrowed her eyes and stared at me for a while before sighing and sitting down. ¡°Well, fine. I¡¯ll let it go for now. How did you find out?¡± She spoke with a hint of a sigh, then slumped down in front of me. ¡°Tell me. If Roti is the daughter of Lindbergh, whose daughter is she?¡± ¡°Roti is the cousin of Jake.¡± In Korea, such a rtionship would be considered too close for marriage, but in this world, aristocrats aren¡¯t restricted in the same way. Moreover, internationally, cousin marriages are allowed in many countries¡­ though thew might allow it, society¡¯s perception is different. Still, in this world, where people deliberately look for families with intertwined bloodlines to marry, this situation was different. Roti was the daughter of the Duke of Lindbergh¡¯s cousin, born from an affair with a young colonial girl. Naturally, she could not bear the Lindbergh name or be recognized for her status. The official story would be that the Lindbergh family had graciously employed her as a maid after her mother¡¯s affair. ¡°¡­¡± After hearing this, Alice rubbed her forehead. ¡°Well, fine.¡± Alice spoke with an expression that wasn¡¯t quite happy. ¡°You do realize, don¡¯t you? Even though the royal family is powerful, getting involved in the affairs of a Duke¡¯s family can get very messy.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I realized that she was right. Alice¡¯s gaze narrowed even further as she looked at me. ¡°What did they ask of you?¡± ¡°True friendship.¡± Finally, Alice rubbed her forehead again. ¡°You do know what that means, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about the kind of friendship where the imperial family steps in to help you solve problems, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Oh, is that what it means? ¡°Don¡¯t look so rxed¡­ honestly.¡± It seemed Alice had caught on to my expression of thinking the Emperor would handle things for me. Chapter 175 The word *"diligent"* carries varied connotations depending on the context. While it¡¯s typically viewed positively, its interpretation changes based on where the emphasis lies. For instance, someone described as diligent in studying might be seen as a bookworm. Diligence in sports conjures an image of a healthy, active individual, while adherence to rules might evoke a rather stiff personality. And, of course, there are people who are diligent in social activities¡ªa description that doesn¡¯t necessarily mean they¡¯re party animals. Even in modern society, where explicit hierarchies are less prominent, socializing can be crucial. Skipping all gatherings in college might leave one at a disadvantage in ss, and avoiding every work dinner could hinder career advancements. But in this world, where explicit social hierarchies still exist, what about the aristocracy? Alice, for example, was an exception. Her childhood devotion to academics had left her ignoring most social obligations. Normally, noble children would start attending countless social gatherings in their early teens. Granted, some of these gatherings strayed far from what one might call *diligent* behavior. --- ¡°Is this for real?¡± Alice narrowed her eyes, ring at Jake. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not that unusual here in the south. You¡¯d know if you spoke more with your ssmates. Ever since this site was chosen for field practice, everyone¡¯s been excited about it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fads exist in every era, and this world is no different. And often, thetest trends seem a bit indecent or vulgar by old standards, even if they aren¡¯t outright illegal. ¡°So, ording to you,¡± Alice began slowly, ¡°on a beach¡ªnot some private estate but a normal beach open to everyone¡ª¡± ¡°Well, not everyone. The one we¡¯re going to is Lindborough-owned. I assure you, no outsiders, except for Academy students and faculty, will be there.¡± ¡°¡ªregardless, in a ce full of strangers, people are nning to¡­ wear barely-there clothes to swim and y around? Together? Men and women?¡± Her expression was difficult to describe¡ªnot disgust, exactly. It was more akin to the look elderly folks give upon hearing about the peculiar ways kids these days entertain themselves. ¡°You¡¯ve never seen it? Many noble estates have indoor or backyard pools for the same purpose.¡± How modern. Though I, who once lived in the modern world, never actually attended such a party. I¡¯ve only seen them in movies or TV shows. --- ¡°So,¡± Alice continued, ignoring Jake¡¯s exnation, ¡°these swimsuits¡ªare they the ones I¡¯ve seen in popr magazinestely? The ones that are practically underwear?¡± ¡°They¡¯re not the same,¡± Jake replied seriously. ¡°How are they different?¡± ¡°They¡¯re waterproof.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Alice was momentarily lost for words. ¡°They¡¯re made byyering natural rubber with fabric, creating apressed material. They¡¯re much thicker than underwear.¡± ¡°But still¡ª¡± ¡°I object!¡± Suddenly, a loud voice came from the teachers¡¯ table, startling everyone. Even more surprising, the topic wasn¡¯t all that different from what Alice and Jake had been discussing. ¡°How can men and women reveal so much skin, soaked in water, in the same ce!?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a daughter of the Northwood family, aren¡¯t you?¡± Jennifer replied nonchntly, sipping her coffee. ¡°You must¡¯ve grown up seeing such settings. It¡¯s odd for you to be this resistant to something so ordinary.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The debate was between Carolyn, who had shot to her feet, and Jennifer, who remained seated andposed. Meanwhile, Ada, indifferent to their conversation, quietly read a small book. ¡°Th-that¡¯s different! Those people¡ª¡± ¡°Those people?¡± Carolyn flushed, unable to admit her thoughts aloud. ¡°At least they covered their stomachs!¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Even Jennifer seemed at a loss for words, while Ada finally looked up, gazing nkly at Carolyn.@@novelbin@@ Realizing the awkward silence she had caused, Carolyn blushed deeper and sat down. --- ¡°Regardless of one teacher¡¯s objections, it¡¯s already decided. The students are thrilled about it, and if we, as adults, suddenly cancel their fun, do you think they¡¯ll respect us moving forward?¡± ¡°Mostly Jennifer¡¯s idea, though,¡± Adamented without much interest before returning to her book. ¡°See? It¡¯s set in stone,¡± Jake said to Alice. As Jennifer shrugged at me with a smirk, I thought to myself, *I already knew this wasing*. While it was winter back in the homnd, this region was warm¡ªa perfect getaway. Not enjoying the sea here would certainly disappoint the students. Of course, I had known about this event in advance. The original game¡ªa JRPG catering to otaku¡ªpractically guaranteed a swimsuit event. What kind of animation-inspired game would it be without it? --- ¡°You¡¯re awfully quiet,¡± Alice remarked, narrowing her eyes at me. Well, I had already been prepared for this. ¡°Are you not bothered by the idea of your younger sisters baring so much skin in the presence of strangers?¡± Sorry, Alice. I may not have been a social butterfly, but I dide from a society far more *liberal*. ¡°Do you not find it odd for someone who insists on being called ¡®big sister¡¯ to say such things to her ¡®younger sibling¡¯?¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Alice flinched as if struck. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t an older sister be the one protecting her younger sibling?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Alice turned away, guilt etched across her face. Technically, I was older, but since she insisted on being the elder sibling, I yed along. I was already thinking of excuses to skip the event, but¡ª --- ¡°Sis.¡± Someone suddenly interrupted my train of thought. ¡°Are you saying that to me?¡± ire asked, her eyes sparkling. I was momentarily at a loss. Her tone carried genuine curiosity rather than malice. Well, ire could probably protect herself better than I could. I doubted some delinquent would suddenly appear to snatch away one of the heroines. Even if that did happen, we already had the ultimate delinquent¡ªJake¡ªamong us, though he was loyal to one person alone. --- Jake¡¯s real motive for organizing this? Roti. Roti rarely wore anything revealing, and this event was his chance to see her in a modern bikini. This was also one of the few events in which Jake became visibly flustered. I nced at Roti, standing behind Jake. Her gaze was lowered, avoiding mine. ¡°Hmm? Hmm? Sis?¡± ire¡¯s persistence was harmless enough, though Alice¡¯s smirking face in the background annoyed me. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go buy swimsuits today. We¡¯ll need them for tomorrow.¡± Alice¡¯s anticipation visibly shattered. Well, it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t wear a swimsuit. If I managed a bunny costume, a swimsuit should be easy enough. Chapter 176 Even though I had seen it in the original game, the swimsuits in this world were far bolder than I anticipated. Thinking about it, the ssic bikinis often seen in anime are surprisingly rare in design. While they¡¯remon at beaches, swimsuits themselves vary greatly in style. Some people don¡¯t even bother with swimsuits and just enter the water in regr clothes before changing. Many swimsuits, particrly those covering most of the upper body, exist as well. But of course, in this anime-style game world, every character around me seemed to be wearing swimsuits that revealed skin to some extent. There were some one-piece designs, but even those couldn¡¯t be called modest. --- We chose swimsuits for each other¡ªthough the two male characters, Jake and Leo, were naturally excluded. That left me, Alice, ire, Charlotte, Mia Crowfield, Sophia, Rena, and Roti. Since none of us had any say in the matter, our swimsuits inevitably ended up as daring designs. ¡°This¡­ isn¡¯t much different from the bunny costume incident!¡± Alice protested. ¡°At least no men will dare touch us,¡± I replied. Letting go of my pride helped keep me from panicking like Alice. While the attention was annoying and embarrassing, most of the stares were closer to reverence than anything predatory. Unlike the bunny costume incident, there wasn¡¯t that sticky, predatory gaze directed at me. Was that a win? Who knows. --- Alice and I picked ssic bikinis for each other. Mine was ck, while hers was sky blue. The color schemes were oddly simr to our bunny outfits, but we silently decided to let it slide. Swept up in the mood, Charlotte and ire ended up in bikinis as well. ire¡¯s swimsuit matched her hair, a deep blue, with far more fabric than mine. Unlike my tiny triangles held together by strings, her design looked like thick fabric tied into ce. It gave the impression it might unravel, but it was securely fastened with strong internal ties. A swimsuit for nobles, after all, couldn¡¯t be anything less than durable. Charlotte¡¯s swimsuit was white. While its coverage wasn¡¯t much different from ours, she wore a translucent top over it, offering a bit of modesty. Of course, being translucent, it might seem even more suggestive to some. Charlotte likely didn¡¯t realize it, but that kind of fabric wasn¡¯t waterproof in this era. Water-resistant fabrics relied on natural rubber pressed between cloth, so they couldn¡¯t be transparent. Once she got in the water, the fabric would cling to her body like a second skin, making it seem as though she were wearing nothing at all. In the original game, that¡¯s exactly what happened. --- ¡°Are you, a princess, so insecure about your body?¡± Charlotte teased. ¡°What? You¡¯re the one wearing a cover-up. Insecure much?¡± Alice shot back. ¡°This skin is sensitive to sunlight! I might get sunburned!¡± ¡°Oh,e on. It¡¯s not that bad.¡± Caught between our bickering, Charlotte had been teased into wearing her swimsuit. Half-reluctantly, she was now part of the group. As for the others¡­ Sophia¡¯s swimsuit was simr to ire¡¯s in design, a simple yet elegant purple that matched her hair. However, her trembling pupils betrayed her feelings. She was clearlyparing her figure to the others, particrly certain parts. Don¡¯t worry, Sophia. It¡¯s us who are outliers. Yours is perfectly normal. Judging by the attention the others are getting, that much is obvious. Standing near her, Rena, Roti, and Mia Crowfield added to the contrast. --- Rena ended up wearing a swimsuit strikingly simr to mine. Though her face was slightly flushed, her confident demeanor made it feel less suggestive. Maybe it was because I unconsciously viewed her as younger than me. Mia Crowfield chose a ck one-piece. While her proportions couldn¡¯t quite rival mine or Alice¡¯s, her smaller frame made her stand out. The eyes drawn to her seemed to agree. And then there was Roti. Roti also wore a one-piece, but her swimsuit gave off apletely different vibe. Her tall, athletic frame made her look like a professional swimmer, especially with the white stripes running along the sides of her ck swimsuit. Jake, of course, couldn¡¯t take his eyes off her.@@novelbin@@ --- I nced at Jake and Roti. Though I had orchestrated all this to see their interactions, the sight somehow made me feel¡­ annoyed. Damn it. I should¡¯ve been a male character. Not that I¡¯d had any choice in the matter. Leo, meanwhile, looked utterly overwhelmed, unable to decide where to focus his eyes. I sighed, recalling what was about to happen. --- Then came the ruckus. Carolyn, deceived by Jennifer, had ended up in an outrageously daring bikini. The normally innocent and utterly clueless Carolyn now wore a swimsuit even skimpier than mine. Her face was bright red as she fidgeted, alternating between covering herself with her hands and letting them fall to her sides. Covering herself made it seem like she waspletely naked, while leaving her hands down exposed the swimsuit for all to see. In the original game, this was one of the most infamous scenes, contributing heavily to its 15+ rating. I couldn¡¯t help but think how lucky it was that the game¡¯s graphics weren¡¯t more realistic. Otherwise, things might have crossed the line. --- Carolyn¡¯s unintended spectacle served one purpose: diverting everyone¡¯s attention away from us. Taking advantage of the moment, we quickly found a quiet corner of the beach and settled down. ¡°Phew.¡± Alice let out a sigh of relief. ¡°At least no one¡¯s crowding around us¡­¡± she muttered. ¡°Well, this area is part of the Lindborough estate,¡± Jake replied with a shrug. --- ¡°Alright!¡± ire eximed, brimming with excitement. ¡°Since we¡¯re here, let¡¯s enjoy the ocean! It¡¯s my first time at the beach!¡± Ah, that¡¯s right. For nobles, getting to freely visit a beach wasn¡¯t easy. Even without school, their schedules were packed with lessons. ¡°What about you, sis? Let¡¯s go y in the water!¡± ire tugged on my arm. I almost stood up before a thought struck me: I can¡¯t swim. Wait¡ªcan ire swim? Leo could in the original game, so it¡¯s likely she can too. ¡°Hold on.¡± ire stopped, confused by my sudden tone. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we bring drinks first? It¡¯s better to stay hydrated.¡± Nice save. Besides, Alice can¡¯t swim either. If I can stall, she¡¯ll have to go in first. That¡¯ll buy me some time. ¡°Oh, good point!¡± ire agreed cheerfully. --- ¡°Then I¡¯lle with you,¡± Alice chimed in, standing up immediately. Did she see through my n? Or was she just as desperate to dy getting in the water? Either way, it looked like making Alice go first wouldn¡¯t be so easy after all. Chapter 177 My attempts to dy entering the water worked well enough. After all, visiting the beach isn¡¯t just about ying in the water. We ate snacks, ran around, and soaked up the sun for a while before finally cooling off in the waves. I don¡¯t remember who entered the water first. By the time I realized it, I was already in the sea myself. How long had it been since Ist visited the ocean? Not just a few years¡ªprobably in a previous life. During my time in the pce, the thought of visiting such a ce never even urred to me. Despite always teasing Alice for being overly tense, it seemed I had been just as nervous. I wasn¡¯t even sure if I managed to maintain my usual neutral expression during the fun. ire and Alice, on the other hand, looked like they were having the time of their lives. We didn¡¯t venture too far into the water, sparing us the need to actually swim. Perhaps ire had been considerate of that. --- ¡°Mia Crowfield.¡± Of course, some people firmly refused to go into the water, sitting on the sidelines with a resolute expression¡ªor so I thought. ¡°Mmgh?!¡± Mia Crowfield wasn¡¯t asposed as she appeared. With her cheeks puffed out, full of fruit, she looked like she might choke when I addressed her. I felt a little guilty for startling her. ¡°May I sit here?¡± The beach¡¯s sand was surprisingly fine, almost as if someone had gathered only the softest grains. There were no sharp rocks or debris in sight. Near Mia, several pairs of slippersy scattered, discarded by others when they¡¯d decided to go barefoot into the water. ¡°A-ah, yes, of course,¡± she replied after hurriedly swallowing her fruit. I pushed my damp hair behind my ears and sat down beside her, making sure toy out a mat. There was also a parasol providing shade, though the fine sand had started creeping onto the mat, carried by the breeze. Mia held a te, likely to keep the fruit safe from the sand. Though I hadn¡¯t intended to notice, her legs were also covered in a thinyer of sand. ¡°Do you not n to go into the water?¡± It seemed like a waste, considering she was already dressed in a swimsuit. Water from my hair trickled onto the mat, forming a small puddle. A few grains of sand floated momentarily before settling at the bottom. ¡°Well¡­¡± Mia hesitated. ¡°I¡¯ve never been in the water before. It¡¯s a bit¡­ intimidating.¡± Fair enough. Plenty of peoplee to the ocean but never set foot in the waves, content to simply stare at the water. ¡°I see,¡± I replied simply. --- Silence fell between us. Why did I sit here, of all ces? I inwardly cursed my decision. The mat wasrge¡ªthere were plenty of spots to sit. Why did I choose to sit right next to Mia Crowfield? True, this spot offered the best shade, but sitting too far away would have been equally awkward. In hindsight, I¡¯d only spoken to her during the banquet because the atmosphere made it easy. Here, I didn¡¯t have much of a reason. Was she thinking I was trying too hard to act friendly? --- ¡°Um¡­¡± Fortunately, Mia didn¡¯t seem entirely against the idea of conversation. ¡°Why do you go out of your way to¡­ look after me?¡± she asked quietly. Look after¡ª? I wasn¡¯t sure if that was urate. But¡­ maybe it was? I kept finding myself gravitating toward her. Mia didn¡¯t seem to have anyone else to talk to. Despite her pretty face, her family¡¯s poor reputation and various rumors made others keep their distance.@@novelbin@@ Her estate, Crowfield, bordered the Belbur territory, and its proximity to the neighboring country brought its ownplications. Though the Crowfield family wasn¡¯t of Belbur descent, there were enough ties to stir mistrust. Likely, the only person who could casually invite Mia to events was the student council president, with their duke-level authority. Adding to the difficulty was Mia¡¯s own demeanor. Her habit of hiding behind her bangs and lowering her head didn¡¯t help her case. At the start of the semester, she had openly antagonized me. With a mother like hers, it wasn¡¯t surprising her personality wasn¡¯t the brightest. After all, she had been raised with revenge drilled into her as a core value. --- ¡°Is this because of what happened before?¡± Mia asked, her voice subdued. Her father¡¯s misdeeds weren¡¯t something she liked to discuss. The man hadn¡¯t just been a wed individual¡ªhe had done unspeakable things, actions no human shouldmit. ¡°¡­¡± I didn¡¯t respond immediately. I didn¡¯t regret killing the count. If I hadn¡¯t, many more children would have suffered. Worse, I could have ended up as one of his victims. But that didn¡¯t change the fact that Mia was pitiful. If I hadn¡¯t seen her in the original story and understood her struggles, I might have dismissed her as an enemy based on our first meeting alone. I remembered, though¡ªher efforts to acknowledge her father¡¯s crimes and her determination to change the situation. That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t leave her alone. --- ¡°Sometimes, I wonder what my life would¡¯ve been like if my father were still alive,¡± Mia began, her voice soft. ¡°Would my mother have been less sharp? Would I have grown up receiving a father¡¯s love, like other children?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°But at the same time¡­ if he hadn¡¯t died, those children would have kept dying too.¡± ¡°Do you wish there had been another way?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not sure,¡± Mia admitted, staring into the distance with unfocused eyes. ¡°I spent the entire break locked in my room, thinking about it. Maybe I could¡¯ve had a normal life with loving parents¡­ but then I realized that life probably wouldn¡¯t havested.¡± Her voice turned hollow. ¡°My father¡­ he used drugs, and those children¡­ How did my mother see him? Did she view him as just a tool? Or did she truly love him? Could anyone truly love a man like that? Maybe her love became blind devotion after he died, because that gave her a single purpose¡ªrevenge.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve felt that atmosphere?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes. Every time I spoke with her, she¡¯d talk about revenge. I used to think it was normal, but¡­ why wouldn¡¯t she talk about anything else? Why did she avoid ever speaking about my father?¡± Mia¡¯s grip on her tray ckened. I quickly caught it before it could fall. She murmured a quiet ¡°thank you¡± and continued. ¡°So, I tried. I brought him up during a conversation with her.¡± She paused, her voice trembling. ¡°She screamed, covering her ears.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s when I realized¡ªmy life hasn¡¯t been okay. Not even close.¡± --- What could I say to that? Her honesty was appreciated, but I hadn¡¯t expected such a heavy conversation. ¡°Do you resent me for killing your father?¡± I asked after a moment. Mia didn¡¯t answer right away. Instead, she posed her own question. ¡°Did you ever consider sparing him?¡± ¡°¡­No,¡± I admitted. If he¡¯d been even remotely redeemable, I would¡¯ve refused the mission and fled. But every piece of evidence painted him as irredeemable. ¡°This discussion is going in circles,¡± I concluded. ¡°It is,¡± Mia agreed. ¡°But at least¡­ we understand each other now.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°And¡­ I¡¯ve found something new to do. Something other than revenge.¡± ¡°I hope it goes well for you.¡± ¡°It has to.¡± I handed the tray of fruit back to Mia. Only then did she seem to realize what she¡¯d shared, her face turning red. For some reason, it felt like calling her by her first name from now on would be just right. Chapter 178 Sitting idly by Mia¡¯s side had its limits. Before long, ire noticed my absence in the water and dragged me back into the surf. The sea in this world, much like the one in my previous life, was salty and slightly bitter. ire¡¯s exmation of, *¡°Wow, it¡¯s really salty!¡±* upon entering the water had aedic undertone that lingered in the air. Even Alice, who had likely never visited the ocean before, timidly dipped her finger into the water for a taste. I made a mental note that, for the sake of preserving royal dignity, she would never utter those words aloud to anyone else. Mia, who had stubbornly refused to join in, was eventually coaxed into the water as well. I did catch a glimpse of her forlornly setting down her tray of fruit, only for the sand to begin encroaching on it¡ªa symbolic surrender. As is often the case, even the most steadfast ims of not entering the water eventually gave way, and soon enough, Mia was sshing and ying like the rest of us. Leo, on the other hand, seemed increasingly aware of the attention drawn to him. He tried, unsessfully, to slip away from the group. In a world where appearances often mirrored idealized game designs, everyone was naturally attractive. Yet, within this group were the "heroines," a collection of high-ranking and impossibly beautiful women. If the character Sylvia Fangryphon had existed in the original game, she would undoubtedly have been one of them as well. Royalty, noble daughters, and heiresses¡ªeach woman here was almost untouchable, not just for their beauty but also for their social standing. Leo, a mere baron¡¯s son, being among them invited envious and judgmental stares. He was, after all, the only male among a group of women d in swimsuits. The only one. Jake, notably absent, was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Roti. While it was easy to imagine Jake enjoying himself in the water, Roti was another story. In my mind, I could only picture her standing stiffly behind Jake, still wearing her maid¡¯s headband, even in a ck swimsuit. --- My musings were cut short when I spotted them. Roti¡¯s hair, unmistakable, disappeared behind a distant rock formation. For any other pair, the imagination might conjure inappropriate scenarios. But this was Jake and Roti. Nothing of that sort would happen. They were two people, both deeply fond of each other, who somehow still kept a reserved distance. I nced back at the lively group before quietly slipping away. What were those two talking about? Hopefully nothing too serious. --- ¡°...But ultimately, even that position is one granted by the logic of those who rule,¡± Roti¡¯s voice drifted from behind the rocks. ¡°epting credit for something you haven¡¯t earned is no different from the other noble heirs, is it?¡± she continued. ¡°That¡¯s why you ept it first, use it to rise, and then build on your own aplishments,¡± Jake replied, his tone measured. Roti fell silent for a moment. ¡°This swimsuit¡­ do you know how much it costs?¡± she eventually asked. ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°Honestly, neither do I. I simply picked it because I was told to. But I imagine it involves a significant amount of natural rubber and fabric, pressed andyered together. It¡¯s not something meant for someone like me to wear¡ªor even touch. Even this ¡®break¡¯ was arranged by you, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes, I made it happen,¡± Jake admitted. ¡°And that¡¯s precisely the point. All of this is possible because of you, young master. I¡­¡± Roti trailed off, seemingly unable to finish her thought. --- ¡°You two seem busy,¡± I interjected, stepping out from behind the rocks. ¡°Ah!¡± Roti flinched, startled by my sudden appearance. ¡°Apologies,¡± I said smoothly. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but overhear.¡± I turned to face Roti directly. ¡°Do you see the title I wish to bestow upon you as nothing more than charity?¡± She averted her eyes, unable to respond. ¡°Let me ask you this. Do you believe that every gift, every opportunity Jake has given you¡ªyour position, your training, and yes, even this break¡ªis undeserved?¡± Roti remained silent. I sighed, suppressing my frustration. ¡°Everything you¡¯ve received has been because of who you are,¡± I told her firmly. ¡°Had you been someone else¡ªsomeone with a lesser character, someone who only wallowed in bitterness¡ªyou wouldn¡¯t have been given these chances. You want something, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°When you achieve it, will you still dismiss it as a product of someone else¡¯s kindness?¡± --- The issues of social disparity, colonial exploitation, and the dehumanization inherent in systems like ntationbor weren¡¯t something that could be resolved overnight. The noble ss wouldn¡¯t disappear in ten or even twenty years. These structures would remain, enabling exploitation simply by existing. But in this imperfect system, would she remain a maid bound to a single household? Would she resign herself to unrequited feelings, watching Jake marry someone else? Granted, Jake likely wouldn¡¯t marry anyone else¡ªbut that wasn¡¯t the point. ---@@novelbin@@ ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it,¡± I said, taking a step closer. ¡°If an opportunityes your way, seize it. A knight¡¯s title offers far more freedom than servitude ever will.¡± Roti¡¯s lips parted slightly, surprise evident in her expression. Her eyes darted toward Jake, and I could almost hear her thoughts: *How does she know?* How could I not? Even without knowledge of the original story, anyone watching these two would suspect as much. Their closeness was both obvious and, to some, alienating. It was one reason why Roti often found herself ostracized. --- ¡°Don¡¯t settle for being second best or for mere proximity,¡± I said softly, ensuring only she could hear. ¡°I dislike seeing those around me justify their unhappiness.¡± Roti looked up at me, the shadow I cast covering herpletely. ...Okay, perhaps I came off as a bit intimidating. That wasn¡¯t the intent. ¡°Wanting something is enough of a reason,¡± I said. ¡°You don¡¯t need any other excuse.¡± ¡°...¡± Still, Roti said nothing. --- ¡°Apologies for interrupting,¡± I said, stepping back. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you two to your conversation.¡± I bowed slightly and turned to leave. --- From a vantage point outside their view, another figure leaned casually against the rocks. Alice. Though her earlier exmation of ¡°Eek!¡± had been erased, theplex expression on her face spoke volumes. She clearly had questions. I raised a finger to my lips, signaling for her silence. Alice nodded, suppressing her curiosity for now. Two princesses eavesdropping on a duke¡¯s son. It was a scenario ripe for tarnishing royal dignity. I gestured toward the beach, and Alice obediently followed. --- ¡°How are they?¡± Alice asked after we¡¯d walked a good distance away, far enough that our voices wouldn¡¯t carry. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not sure,¡± I admitted. I could only hope my words had resonated with Roti. Would she interpret them politically, like Duke Lindborough might? Had I overstepped? In hindsight, maybe I shouldn¡¯t have interfered. For the first time since returning to this world, I felt a pang of regret. Chapter 179 Roti and Jake never fully integrated with us, but neither did they try to force themselves into our group. Being a noble is a position where one inevitably bes keenly aware of social cues. What to ask, what not to ask, what to know, and what it¡¯s better not to know¡­ and, of course, what things to bring up that might make the person ufortable. This was something that Leo, the baron, Charlotte, the royalty, and even Alice, a princess like me, all knew well. They must have something to say, right? Given the situation, it seemed everyone thought so. Of course, I awkwardly inserted myself between the two of them. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since we had fun like this. It really felt like returning to my childhood.¡± ¡°Childhood?¡± Charlotte, sitting on the mat, asked when she heard me. ¡°Yes, exactly. The times when I didn¡¯t know anything¡­ When I wasn¡¯t worried about politics or international affairs and just yed around.¡± ¡­But, you¡¯re only fifteen, aren¡¯t you? When I was fifteen, I spent my time watching anime and saving my allowance to buy figures. No, actually, when I think about it, that kind of lifestyle didn¡¯t change as I grew older. I guess I never really graduated from that stage. ¡°The time when you didn¡¯t know anything¡­¡± But it¡¯s nonsense to think that the mindset of an ordinary person from my world would be the same as someone who is destined to be a ruler here. Even Alice, sitting between me and Charlotte, proves that. Alice¡­ well, she never had a time when she didn¡¯t know anything, like Charlotte did. I couldn¡¯t even imagine the Emperor ying with children. No, I couldn¡¯t imagine the Emperor sitting leisurely, enjoying a hobby for that matter. But then again, it makes sense. Even in matters of statecraft, the Emperor is someone who would think of maintaining power and climbing higher as a hobby in itself. ¡°Alice, didn¡¯t you have a time like that?¡± ¡°Me? I¡­¡± Alice couldn¡¯t quite answer Charlotte¡¯s question. A sharp personality, one who never had the luxury of ying around, having never even learned how to have fun. That was Alice¡¯s original character. When Alice couldn¡¯t answer, Charlotte¡¯s gaze turned to me. Her eyes, slightly lowered as she looked at me, were filled with curiosity. My rtionship with Alice was good. In fact, it would be an understatement to say that we were close. I could easily imagine Alice throwing herself into danger to protect me if needed. Whether I wanted that or not, that was another story. ¡°¡­Sylvia always followed her father¡¯s orders before she grew up. She probably lived a harsher life than I did, and she probably never had the luxury of just rxing.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Charlotte¡¯s mouth opened slightly when she heard this. ¡°Ah, so¡­¡± So what? I wasn¡¯t sure what Charlotte was thinking, but it was clear that whatever she was recalling must have made her feel pity for me. Did she notice how I finish every parfait, leaving no whipped cream behind? The atmosphere became awkward for a moment. ¡°This winter,¡± After a while, Charlotte finally spoke up. ¡°This winter, I¡¯ll make sure to invite you to Belvur. Forget all the worries that fill your head, and let¡¯s just have fun, alright?¡± ¡°¡­Should we?¡± Alice¡¯s expression softened a little at Charlotte¡¯s words. ¡­but, I knew that this invitation was ultimately one that would never happen. In the original story, war broke out that very winter. * * * Before the sun fully set, we quickly changed clothes. Though the sun was zing hot during the day, the temperature dropped significantly in the evening, making it easy to catch a cold if we stayed in our swimsuits after the sun went down. Even if the original characters were meticulously designed with all kinds of hidden details, there are parts that can¡¯t be shown. You can set things like favorite and least favorite foods. You can set character measurements or even underwear sizes. But you can¡¯t make every little habit of a character, because, in the end, those things aren¡¯t something you would necessarily reveal. After all, given that the studio is known for its reused modeling and motions, it would be hard to add such subtle motions for each character, and if you were to add them, they would be more likely to be pivotal story clues rather than mere ¡°quirks.¡± That was something I noticed most aftering to this world. Watching someone blow on hot meat to cool it, or the way they hold a fork and knife, the movement of their hands while talking, or their gait. Those small differences, which felt different from the original, made every character here feel alive. No, they are alive. They breathe, theyugh when they¡¯re happy, they cry when they¡¯re sad, and they shout when they¡¯re angry. They don¡¯t just recite preset lines; they speak their minds or show their feelings through actions depending on the situation. That¡¯s why I want to preserve all of this. But at the same time, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if I was capable of doing it right. ¡°Sylvia.¡± I turned my head when Alice called my name, and the sausage I was eating identally fell into my mouth. ¡°What are you thinking so deeply about?¡± If she wanted an answer, maybe it would have been better if I didn¡¯t shove a sausage into my mouth. I chewed and swallowed the juicy, smoked sausage before answering. ¡°I was thinking about the things toe.¡±@@novelbin@@ ¡°¡­¡± Alice stared at me silently for a moment. ¡°Do you know what¡¯s going to happen?¡± I didn¡¯t answer right away. When I didn¡¯t respond, Alice sat next to me and asked. ¡°Is what¡¯s going to happen that terrible?¡± Well... I used to think I knew, but now, I¡¯m not sure. In the original, battles were just about swords and bullets and people falling over. But here, it¡¯s different. Bombs tear people apart, swords slice through flesh, and intestines spill out... Of course, in the original, these were just things that were skipped over for various reasons. But I¡¯ve seen the battlefield. I¡¯ve seen people fall from the shots I took, and I¡¯ve seen people torn apart by grenades I threw. If one of my friends were to die like that, would I be able to bear it? ¡°I¡¯ll have to make sure that doesn¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°¡­¡± When I said this, Alice continued to stare at me quietly. She kept gazing at me with her blue eyes, before speaking. ¡°Don¡¯t try to shoulder everything alone.¡± Alice said softly. ¡°You have so many people around you.¡± That¡¯s true. There are many. So many, in fact, that I don¡¯t know how to protect all of them. ¡°¡­I understand.¡± But I couldn¡¯t say that to Alice, so I simply responded like this. Alice¡¯s gaze lingered on me for a while after that. * * * Things went smoothly after that. Wepleted a few more requests to meet our quotas. Even though all the first-year students were gathered, the atmosphere was still rtively rxed. Most of the requests were for hunting wild animals, so there was no need to rush into them. Jake wasn¡¯t thrilled about hunting, which is probably why we didn¡¯t take on wild animal hunting ourselves. More importantly, there was nothing particrly hidden about this. There were a few covert quests, but most of them were just to secure Marmaros, and there was only one quest that had a significant impact on the main story. ¡°Still, I¡¯m d we got to rx before leaving. Sometimes¡­ spending a vacation like this isn¡¯t so bad.¡± ¡°You made a good decision.¡± I answered. ¡°If you don¡¯t take breaks and only work, people will break down.¡± ¡°¡­Are you the one to say that?¡± I was the one rxing, after all. Of course, when I reverse time, my physical fatigue returns, but I feelforted by the fact that I can sleep more. ¡°Since today is thest day, we can just rx and leave tomorrow.¡± ¡°I was already nning on doing that, you know.¡± Alice responded with a small retort. Well, I still had one more thing to do. * * * One difference between this world and the game is that I need permission to enter certain ces. In the game, I could just walk into any house and talk to the people inside. It was ¡°game allowance,¡± but strangely enough, quests sometimes proceeded like that. That means, in this world, to enter the Duke¡¯s mansion again, I would need an invitation from the Duke. Even though I¡¯m a princess, it¡¯s impolite to invade someone¡¯s personal space without an invitation. But fortunately, I had the ability to sneak into that mansion. ¡°¡­.¡± Alright. I¡¯ve gotten better at this, sneaking in after getting caught five times by the guards. Now, let¡¯s go do the important covert quest. Chapter 180 The method forpleting a covert quest is simple. You enter the room, approach the NPC who holds the quest, and start a conversation. Then, the dialogue proceeds, and once the conversation ends, the quest is automatically added to your quest log. The tricky part is that no notification pops up when you receive the quest, so sometimes you won¡¯t even realize you¡¯ve epted it, and if you continue with the story without noticing, the quest will end up failing. In reality, there¡¯s no system window like that, so I had to rely on my memory to keep track of everything. The interior of the Duke¡¯s mansion was less guarded than the outside. Despite its vast size, it was still a personal residence. It would be strange to let anyone wander freely inside. That was a relief. The thick, luxurious carpets in the hallway were a blessing. You couldn¡¯t hear footsteps at all. The problem was running into a maid or servant while wandering around, but that was something I could deal withter. It waste at night, so there wouldn¡¯t be many people wandering around. So, I just had to meet Roti¡¯s mother, who was giving the covert quest, and have a chat¡ªsimple enough. ¡°Sylvia.¡± Did I not scream because I¡¯ve grown? When Alice called me on the beach, I screamed once. So, I guess it could be said that I¡¯ve grown quite a bit in just a few days. ¡°...Your Highness?¡± ¡°Just Alice¡ªah, never mind.¡± I almost screamed when I saw Alice following me behind. In the original, Alice was a physical attacker wielding a massive sword. Had she secretly changed sses to a thief? ¡°After the conversation yesterday, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange that you thought I wouldn¡¯t notice your movements, even though we share a room?¡± ¡°¡­Then why did you only speak to me after you came inside?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Alice avoided my gaze and fell silent. Yeah, it must have been out of curiosity. Alice and I had known each other for years¡ªnot just known, but lived together in the same ce... It was a bit awkward, but we¡¯d been like sisters, in our own way. ¡°You¡¯ve really gotten good at sneaking up on me.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± Her voice was a quiet whisper, but she had a pouty expression when she said that. ¡°You always go off without telling me, so I had no choice but to get better at this.¡± Wait, hold on. Does that mean Alice saw me get caught by the guards five times? ... How embarrassing. Alice probably won¡¯t remember it, but I sure will. I tried my best not to show how flustered I was. ¡°So, what brings you here?¡± It was an interesting experience to crouch in the corner of the hallway and talk to each other, but I didn¡¯t have time to enjoy the novelty of it. After all, it wouldn¡¯t be right to deliberately wake someone up just to talk to them. ¡°...I¡¯m here to meet someone.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sneaking around to meet someone? If you told the Duke, he¡¯d dly invite you.¡± That¡¯s true. But, at the same time, there would be surveince. If it were Alice, she could get away with it, but I¡¯m someone other nobles would watch closely. Who knows, someone might even think I¡¯m nting a bomb in the mansion. ¡°Who is it?¡± Hmm. I paused for a moment, then stopped myself from overthinking. There was no point in scheming here. There was no way to get Alice to leave me alone. Actually, to separate her, I might have to rewind an entire day. Based on the situation, Alice probably started following me from the hotel. ¡°It¡¯s Roti¡¯s mother.¡± So, I said it. Alice blinked in surprise for a moment, then closed her mouth again. ¡°At this time?¡± ¡°At this time.¡± When I answered, Alice gave me thatplicated look she¡¯s been giving metely and sighed deeply. ¡°Alright, then. If you say so, I¡¯ll go with you. Just so you know, don¡¯t even think about trying to separate me.¡± ¡°I knew you¡¯d follow me here, so I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d try to leave.¡± When I said that, Alice shot me a brief, irritated nce. * * * One of the causes of the civil rights movement in the United States started when a woman sat in the white section of a bus. Of course, there¡¯s no such incident in this world. For something like that to happen, it would probably take decades¡ªfar beyond the main story of the game. It would be more of a ¡°future¡± story, something from a far-off time. But, at the same time, there were simrities. Colonial natives weren¡¯t allowed to ride the buses. Specifically, they had separate vehicles for them. Colonial natives were usually transported in the back of trucks. It might sound charming to ride in the back of a truck on a cool day along scenic country roads, but if you had to endure the scorching sun, the story would be different. ¡°They are different from us.¡± The Empire was eager to make sure everyone knew that. And naturally, the same went for the maid¡¯s room. The rooms for white maids and servants and the ones for colonial natives were usually separate. Ironically, in this mansion, the only maid of colonial native descent was Roti¡¯s mother, so she ended up alone in a room. But that didn¡¯t mean she was treated better than other colonial natives. Naturally, the maids who shared rooms would envy and resent her. They¡¯d never volunteer to share a room, yet they thought Roti¡¯s mother was receiving special treatment just because she ¡°gave birth to the child of Lindbergh.¡± ¡­ It¡¯s odd that I don¡¯t hear any sobbing from the thin walls. Alice¡¯s expression hardened as soon as she stood in front of the door. Beforeing here, Alice had somewhat imperialistic views, but it seemed like those had shifted a bit after the incident at the banquet. When I quietly opened the door and stepped inside, I saw Roti¡¯s mother, her face buried in her palms, sobbing. Only Roti¡¯s mother was in the room. When the door creaked open, Roti¡¯s mother flinched, looked up, and when her eyes met mine, she jumped to her feet. ¡°W-w-Your Highness!?¡± Her almost-screaming voice made me quickly extend my finger to my lips, signaling her to be quiet. Perhaps thinking I was giving an imperial order, Roti¡¯s mother immediately mped her mouth shut. ¡°I just need a moment to talk. Would that be alright?¡± Roti¡¯s mother looked between Alice and me with trembling eyes, then nodded. I closed the door behind me. Hmm. Now that the door was closed, I was at a loss for what to say. In the original, there wasn¡¯t a description of sneaking in, and the conversation had been led by Leo. Leo had discovered Roti¡¯s mother crying and sat down to listen to her in silence. Could I do the same? ¡°First, would you mind sitting down?¡± When I said that, Roti¡¯s mother sat down, still looking frightened.@@novelbin@@ Hmm, I guess sitting next to her would be hard in this situation. I moved towards an old table in the middle of the room, pulled out a chair, and sat, keeping some distance from Roti¡¯s mother. Alright. Let¡¯s start the conversation... and if she¡¯s too scared to talk, I could always rewind time. * * * ¡°Just as I thought¡­¡± There had been several attempts. When I acted stiffly as usual, Roti¡¯s mother¡¯s face turned pale, and she couldn¡¯t speak properly. Well, that was to be expected. Who could talk poorly about the Duke¡¯s family in front of a princess? And not just any princess, but one who was likely to be the next Empress. I tried to smile, but I could see Roti¡¯s mother¡¯s face turn even whiter. I decided to rewind time and ask Alice for help. In the original, things were different, but now Alice used a soft tone that wouldn¡¯t make anyone feel ufortable. We had just finished hearing about the day Roti was born. At first, Roti¡¯s mother had vehemently refused to speak, but after Alice sat next to her and gently spoke a few times, Roti¡¯s mother eventually gave in and continued her story, looking as though she had let go of all her pent-up emotions. It must have been painful for her. It was something she couldn¡¯t say to anyone else. She didn¡¯t have any coworkers to talk to. And even if she did, talking to another colonial native would only earn her thebel of a traitor. The reason she eventually opened up in front of us was likely because she wanted to share the things she could never say to anyone else. ¡°¡­¡± Alice¡¯s jaw twitched as she watched, clearly angry after hearing the story. ¡°Please, don¡¯t tell the master. If you do, I¡¯ll¡ª¡± ¡°I understand. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± After Roti¡¯s mother had finished speaking, Aliceforted her with a calming expression, but I clearly saw the mes of anger in her eyes. Maybe,ing here with Alice was a good thing after all. Chapter 181 In the original, the issue with Roti¡¯s mother was resolved by granting her the status of a free person. You might ask, ¡°How can there be such a thing as a free person in a world without ves?¡± But as I¡¯ve mentioned before, very may not be officially recognized byw, but with a little maniption of the system, it¡¯s not impossible to create something resembling very. It¡¯s an era where a few percent of the poption controls almost all of the world¡¯s wealth. No matter how expensive human life is, there¡¯s no reason it couldn¡¯t be bought. Moreover, in this world, human life isn¡¯t really as valuable as one might think. One of the mostmon ways the Empire treats colonial natives like ves is through **debt**. It works like this: a person takes out a loan they can¡¯t possibly repay, and then they¡¯re forced to keep working to pay it back. And if they can¡¯t repay the loan, they¡¯re made to work even harder, supposedly as a way to pay off the debt. If they refuse to work and just lie down, the financial authorities are alerted. It might seem better to just go to prison, but even in prison,bor continues. Outside the prison, it¡¯sbor to pay off the debt, and inside the prison, it¡¯sbor to pay off their crimes. And in this era, corporal punishment still exists. Of course, it doesn¡¯t apply to Empire citizens. Thew was supposedly implemented out of respect for the original practices of the colonial natives who used corporal punishment. ¡°Is there no way to live without getting into debt?¡± After hearing my exnation, Alice asked with a look of disgust. Though the night was chilly, it wasn¡¯t cold enough to be called winter. At least as long as we kept our coats tightly fastened, the cold was bearable. We could sit at a caf¨¦te into the night, far away from the Duke¡¯s mansion. Lindbergh was a bright city even at night. In some ways, it was more developed than the surrounding areas. The city center didn¡¯t get dark even at night, and there were plenty of ces like caf¨¦s and bars that didn¡¯t close even at midnight. Though, it wasn¡¯t always easy to distinguish between the two. Some ces sold coffee in the morning and alcohol at night. We didn¡¯t sit at a table outside sipping non-alcoholic cocktails just because. The inside of the caf¨¦ wasn¡¯t quiet enough for a proper conversation. ¡°Debts in the colonies aren¡¯t limited to just money borrowed by individuals.¡± Of course, there were individual debts. Many of the originalndowners were forcibly disced, turning the natives into something close to serfs, and no matter how hard they worked, they couldn¡¯t get enough rations to survive. They had no choice but to borrow money fromndowners. They borrowed out of necessity, to avoid starving themselves, or to feed their families.@@novelbin@@ Some might ask, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a matter of them starving to death if they don¡¯t get the food?¡± This kind of question usuallyes from people who have never experienced true hunger, those who think the hunger they feel right before lunch is the same as what someone else might feel in a different situation. Well, okay, let¡¯s leave it at that. But then, how would they respond to the discussion about infrastructure? It¡¯s obvious, but infrastructure can¡¯t be built for free. Digging for steam engines, pouring mana stones for electrical lines, constructing modern buildings,ying roads, building airports, and seaport facilities. All of this is being done for the Empire, for the Empire, but the ones who are billed for it are the colonial natives who will have to ¡°enjoy modern life.¡± After their old homes were destroyed, the price of their homes was severely undervalued, and they were charged for the modernization. Even when roads were built overnd where houses used to be, the same thing happened. ¡°¡­¡± After listening to my exnation, Alice was silent for a while. ¡°You told me that the purpose of all this was to modernize the world and abolish the ss system.¡± ¡°The ss system was never truly abolished, even in the Empire.¡± ¡°But¡­ wasn¡¯t it different? I¡¯ve heard that the original ss system here was different from the one in the Empire.¡± Indeed, a ss system based on the Indian caste system was part of the setting. At the top were the priests, and at the bottom were the untouchables¡ªpeople who would be considered tainted by simply making contact with them. ¡°That¡¯s right. So, after Lindbergh took over thisnd, the first thing they abolished was surnames. If you didn¡¯t know the family name, you couldn¡¯t tell what ss someone was from. But that doesn¡¯t mean ss could be pletely¡¯ hidden.¡± ¡°How can you deduce someone¡¯s ss?¡± ¡°Usually, if a colonial native is in a high position, they¡¯re likely someone who belonged to a lower ss before. The untouchables were employed to suppress those who had been higher up. It must have felt like the world had been turned upside down, and they dly took on the role.¡± At first nce, it seemed like the ss system had been abolished, but in reality, it was the Empire¡¯s way of manipting society to suit its own desires. And by doing so, they could present their actions as something ¡°noble.¡± ¡°If the Empire really cared about the natives, none of the modernized facilities would have been built to face the Empire. Everything has been built for the Empire, to facilitate the export of all crops and raw materials from thisnd to the Empire.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Alice raised her hand and wiped her face. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I know this?¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t have known. After all, very few people would have cared enough to pay attention.¡± After I spoke, Alice fell silent and thought for a while, before her eyes suddenly lit up. But the look in her eyes wasn¡¯t one of joy. If anything, it was a look of determination. ¡°I can¡¯t save everyone in thisnd.¡± ¡°True.¡± At least, not with our current strength. Even if the Empirees to its senses and withdraws from the southern continent in a few decades, the society that¡¯s been thrown into chaos won¡¯t easily return to its original state. Furthermore, the twisted ss system has created a justification for the untouchables to truly be untouchables. ¡°It might just be a petty act of self-satisfaction, but still... I want to help that person.¡± ¡°Then you can help them.¡± I answered simply. ¡°And that might serve as a warning. After all, you¡¯re the one doing the helping, Your Highness.¡± ¡°¡­¡± At my words, Alice kept her mouth shut. * * * How much money does the Imperial family really have? This was a question that even the distant coteral rtives, far removed from the line of session, were curious about. And honestly, I was curious, too. Even though I had wandered freely through the Imperial Pce, seeing all the hidden treasures, I still couldn¡¯t quite grasp just how much wealth the Imperial family held. Of course, the wealth wasn¡¯t enough to buy an entire country, but¡ªno, wait. Thinking back to how the United States bought ska, I¡¯m sure that with the money from the Imperial family alone, they could easily buy a small principality. There were six secret vaults inside the Imperial Pce. Even though they weren¡¯t mentioned in the game, these vaults held gold and priceless art, carefully organized and securely kept. This was why the Imperial family didn¡¯t give allowances to princesses. Rather than setting aside a budget for allowances, they could just borrow money directly from the bank and repay it with interestter. Money was abundant, and even if it ran out, the family could livefortably for three generations. And with the wealth of the Imperial family, that¡¯s why the bank manager was summoned and came running, out of breath, long after business hours. ¡°Yes, so¡­¡± The bank manager scratched his head as he spoke. ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s a bit tricky to convert that into money.¡± Though he seemed to be racking his brain to try to lend Alice as much money as possible, his words were sincere. ¡°Because the natives¡¯ surnames werepletely erased, it¡¯s difficult to tell who¡¯s who. ¡­It¡¯s a bit awkward to say, but for Lindbergh, it doesn¡¯t really matter. The debts of the natives are theoretically infinite.¡± They¡¯d find any reason to turn them into debt ves. But Alice, sitting with her legs crossed, spoke confidently. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, how much are you willing to spend to free a single native maid?¡± The bank manager¡¯s face brightened immediately upon hearing Alice¡¯s words. He was likely going to ask for an exorbitant amount. Well, it was only possible for us, after all. They say that borrowing money is a skill in itself. Chapter 182 News that the princess had visited twice brought one more person rushing out. Naturally, it wasn¡¯t the Duke of Lindbergh. A man of his stature would require a prior appointment before meeting with anyone, even if they were a princess. Protocol would have the princess be of higher rank, but politically speaking, the title of Duke is not something easily dismissed. But this was only true when referring to the Duke himself. Even though a royal family member like the emperor has immense power, the same cannot be said for those who are far removed from the direct line of session. Most of them live leisurely, enjoying their family¡¯s wealth, and when they meet a person with a distant lineage, it¡¯sughable to even bring up the royal family¡¯s name. If this is the case for the royal family, what about the Duke¡¯s family? The Duke already has a legitimate heir, and unless something truly monumental happens, such as the heir being disabled or dying, it is nearly impossible for anyone else in the Duke¡¯s family to take the heir¡¯s ce. I mean, it¡¯s not just ¡°unlikely¡±; it¡¯s absolutely impossible. The royal family would never acknowledge it. So, the Duke of Lindbergh, George Lindbergh, unlike his cousin, is in a position where he has no choice but toe out to greet us whenever we arrive, regardless of how or when. ¡°It is an honor to have you visit.¡± Normally, when royalty or nobility visitste at night, it¡¯s not considered a pleasant thing. When members of the royal family or nobilitye at night, it usually means there is something urgent to address. However, for someone who senses themselves slowly drifting away from the political scene, especially someone concerned that their children might no longer fit into it, the situation is different. ¡°This is a humble ce, but I hope you can feel at ease and stay as long as you need.¡± Compared to the Duke¡¯s mansion, it was a smaller residence, but honestly, it wasn¡¯t what I would call humble. Well, it was probably just a polite remark. ¡°Thank you for your hospitality.¡± Alice¡¯s tone was formal, though she didn¡¯t exactly convey genuine gratitude for the wee. However, the person before us didn¡¯t seem to notice that we weren¡¯t particrly impressed with the reception. We were escorted into the splendidly decorated parlor. Unlike the maids at the Duke¡¯s mansion, these maids weren¡¯t white. Most were of colonial native descent, with some asionally appearing to be mixed race. Alice¡¯s gaze briefly lingered on the maids. She seemed to wonder if they might be in a simr situation to Roti, but I doubted it. In the original, this was a rather striking detail, and it¡¯s likely the same here. This man likely didn¡¯t meddle with anyone else besides Roti¡¯s mother. ¡°Would you mind leaving us for a moment?¡± As soon as we sat around the round table, Alice spoke. George Lindbergh immediately gestured to the servants in the room. Once the servants left, Alice took out a white piece of paper from her sleeve and ced it on the table.@@novelbin@@ It was a check. A check guaranteed by a local bank. ¡°This is¡­¡± The amount written on the check was enough to make even someone from the Lindbergh family falter for a moment. Originally, this would have been a quest that Leo would have handled¡ªinterrogating, digging for weaknesses, and possibly making a scandal. But now it hade to this, where a princess could handle it with money instead. ¡°Through this, I would like to pay off someone¡¯s debt. Is that possible?¡± ¡°Debt?¡± Naturally, after hearing the story, George Lindbergh had no idea why we were here. ¡°Roti¡¯s mother, Lydia¡¯s debt.¡± When he heard this, George Lindbergh¡¯s face first went nk, then pale. ¡°Where did you hear this from?¡± ¡°To be precise, I¡¯ve known since the very beginning.¡± I answered in Alice¡¯s ce, and George Lindbergh¡¯s face turned from pale to almost blue. In truth, it wasmon for a white person to have rtions with a native and have children. Of course, this was usually limited to white men and native women. In a world without women¡¯s suffrage, children would follow the mother¡¯s lineage, but the wife followed the husband¡¯s. That doesn¡¯t mean the native women became nobility¡­ it¡¯s just one of thosemon stories. So, technically, this could be considered a scandalous story, but it wasn¡¯t necessarily a huge stain on anyone¡¯s character. From the noble¡¯s point of view, it was just a matter of indulging in some entertainment. However, there was one person in the Lindbergh family who hated this kind of story more than anyone. He was even the type of person who employed only Empire citizens in his household, rejecting anyone of mixed blood, and viewing the mixing of blood as something disgusting. He had a somewhat positive view of colonial natives but believed that they should never mix with the Empire¡¯s blood. ¡ªTo be precise, this was the outward ¡°persona¡± that George Lindbergh, the Duke, put on. George Lindbergh jumped to his feet and began pacing the room. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that the Duke didn¡¯t know about Roti¡¯s existence or her true nature. If he didn¡¯t know, there would have been no reason for him to keep Roti¡¯s mother in his mansion. The reason he kept her there was precisely because he feared that if he let her stay any longer, she might give birth to another mixed-race illegitimate child. ¡°¡­That¡¯s not possible.¡± George Lindbergh, pacing, said. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°...Now that you know everything, there¡¯s no point in hiding it anymore.¡± With a solemn look on his face, as though he were a nobleman in an impossible love story, George Lindbergh said: ¡°I love Lydia.¡± It was an impossible love. But it wasn¡¯t because of ss. ¡°Ex¡ª¡± Even I, who had already met with Lydia and heard her story, was shocked by this man¡¯s nonsense. ¡°Love, you say?¡± ¡°Yes. How could I mix with someone I don¡¯t love?¡± ¡°¡­Then, what about the time at the banquet when you were angrily yelling at Lydia?¡± ¡°That couldn¡¯t be helped. Our love was forbidden by the Duke of Lindbergh. We had to have some pretense to even speak to each other.¡± Alice looked at me, mouth agape. I silently dropped another sugar cube into my tea. Noticing that I wasn¡¯t nning to speak, Alice wiped her face with her hand. George Lindbergh, however, was too lost in his delusions to notice her expression. ¡°I can tell. Every time I see her, I see the sorrow in her eyes. The longing in her movements! One day, when we ovee all these walls, we¡¯ll be together under the name Lindbergh. And that day, Roti will be called Roti Lindbergh!¡± ¡°So, is that why you gave her the name Roti? The name ¡®Freeborn¡¯?¡± I couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and finally asked. ¡°¡­If it weren¡¯t for the Duke of Lindbergh, yes, that child could have been freeborn¡­ if it weren¡¯t for that Duke¡­¡± George Lindbergh answered, his eyes burning with passion. ¡°Do you know Lydia¡¯s real name?¡± Alice then asked. ¡°¡­¡± A brief silence. ¡°No matter how you call someone you love, it doesn¡¯t change the love, does it?¡± This was a terrible excuse. ¡°Then, let¡¯s make one thing clear.¡± Alice spoke, her face twisted in frustration. At this point, it was easy to see that George Lindbergh was a madman, but I guess Alice, as a princess, felt the need to hear his story before passing judgment. ¡°You and Lydia¡­ no.¡± Alice closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and stood up. After taking a fewrge breaths, she spoke. ¡°On the day Roti was conceived, did Lydia really sleep with you? What did Lydia say that day?¡± ¡°Of course, our rtionship was blocked by ss barriers, so Lydia rejected me at first. But in the end¡ª¡± ¡°What the hell are you saying, you insane man!¡± Unable to take it any longer, Alice threw her chair at George Lindbergh. ¡°Ex.¡± I never expected Alice to act like that, and I let out a sound of shock. But as I stood up to stop her, Alice had already jumped up and kicked George Lindbergh. Chapter 183 At first, I thought I should stop her. I actually started to rise a little from my seat and for a brief moment, I even considered shouting "Again!" in my mind, but¡ª Well, would Alice have stayed seated and calmly listened to the conversation if I rewound time and stopped her from throwing the chair? Even knowing the situation, and even as a man who''s lived quite a long time¡ªif I, with my own experiences, felt disgusted by the story, could I really expect a teenage girl with illusions about love to not be outraged after hearing it? If I stopped her from throwing the chair, she¡¯d probably end up throwing herself at him. In the original, Leo, the son of a baron, couldn¡¯t do much to George Lindbergh, who was closely rted to the Duke, even though Leo was very familiar with how to leverage weaknesses. Instead, he gathered evidence and pressured George subtly, eventually leading to Roti¡¯s mother being freed. Hmm. I thought this over as I looked down at George Lindbergh, groaning from the kick Alice had just given him. At first, I wondered if it was really okay to beat up someone from the Duke''s family, but thinking about it again, maybe this could be seen as groundwork for granting Roti a knighthood, right?@@novelbin@@ ¡°Your Highness.¡± I called Alice¡¯s name, but she didn¡¯t seem to hear me. ¡°Alice.¡± When I called her name again as she raised her foot, she finally stopped moving. ¡°It would be better to stop here.¡± Fortunately, the parlor was well soundproofed, and it seemed the servants hadn¡¯t noticed what had happened inside. Though, they¡¯d probably figure it out soon enough. I leaned slightly forward to check George Lindbergh¡¯s condition. Unfortunately, it looked like the sharp edge of the chair had hit his head, which was now slightly torn and bleeding, and his right eye was swollen. His lips were also cracked, but it seemed like his teeth hadn¡¯t been damaged. He was clutching his stomach and lying on his side¡ªhe¡¯d probably been kicked there too. ¡°Even so, if someone were to die, it would cause serious trouble. In the future, when the royal family and the Duke¡¯s family exchange words, this might be used to settle a debt,¡± I said, thinking carefully. From the way the Duke treated George Lindbergh, it didn¡¯t seem like he was particrly fond of him, but as the head of a family, he wouldn¡¯t just let something like this slide. It wasn¡¯t about the injuries George Lindbergh had suffered; it was about the Duke¡¯s family name being tarnished. ¡°Lydia... or rather, ¡®Asha,¡¯ is a case where you don¡¯t have the authority to make decisions,¡± I added. ¡®Asha¡¯ was Lydia¡¯s real name. When the Empire colonized the southern continent, they erased the native surnames and unified the names in the Empire¡¯snguage. That¡¯s how the name ¡®Lydia¡¯ came about. Well, I¡¯m sure George didn¡¯t care much about that. When I spoke, George Lindbergh briefly raised his head to look at me, his expression as if asking what I meant by that. ¡°Actually, Asha has always been a free person, hasn¡¯t she? This country, or rather the Empire¡¯sws, don¡¯t allow very in any of its external territories or colonies. All the servants working here are in the same situation. They¡¯re not enved; they¡¯re just working off debts because they can¡¯t repay them in money.¡± I stared quietly at his wide eyes. ¡°Actually, the money here didn¡¯t even have to be given to you. We just came to deliver it because we weren¡¯t sure what might happen if we gave it directly to Asha.¡± I didn¡¯t know how Asha would manage such arge sum of money, and I wasn¡¯t sure how the other white maids and servants at the mansion would react. Human nature, after all, isn¡¯t bound by skin color. If someone has more than they do, there are always people willing to take it by force. Once one person does it, others will inevitably follow. ¡°I came to you because I knew that Asha¡¯s debt was tied to you, but honestly, we didn¡¯t have toe here. We could have gone straight to the Duke and made a deal,¡± I continued. Perhaps the Duke¡¯s cousin, after moving Asha to his mansion for whatever reason, had affected George Lindbergh¡¯s thinking in a profound way. ¡­Though, if that hadn¡¯t happened, perhaps Roti would have been the only child. ¡°¡­¡± George Lindbergh didn¡¯t speak. ¡°Moreover, considering Asha¡¯s legal status as a free person, it would be entirely possible for her to file awsuit for the wrongs done to her,¡± I said. After all, there are no ves in this country. If very had existed, there would be no need forplicated excuses to justify discrimination. This was meant to show that the country was far more civilized than the other nations that still had very. The colonial police, made up of Empire citizens and the oppressed natives, didn¡¯t readily resolve incidents when a colonial native was wronged. If something happened between an Empire citizen and a colonial native, the police would always side with the Empire citizen. But what if the royal family stepped in and directly handled the legal process? Nobles might protest, calling it internal interference, but¡ª ... So what? ¡°If you just take this money and quietly step aside, everything will be fine. Otherwise, the Duke¡¯s family will face a massive scandal. The Duke is already preparing for the uing scandals, but if you make one yourself before that, you¡¯d be doing him a favor, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Jake, the Duke¡¯s second son, and Roti, whose bloodline contains colonial native ancestry¡ªjust their engagement or marriage would be a huge scandal. But the reason the Duke could allow it was because Roti wasn¡¯t a full-blooded native. It¡¯s because she has the Lindbergh blood in her. When speaking with me, he showed some leeway, but that was because of who I was. If someone like Leo, a lower-ranking noble, had spoken, it wouldn¡¯t have worked at all. Still, even so, the mere news of this would cause a slight crack in the Duke¡¯s name. The Duke¡¯s eldest son, who was to inherit the title, marrying someone with a different skin color¡ªhow could that not create a stir? Thus, in order to minimize the damage, the Duke would already be making preparations. Most likely, he would try to frame it as a sign of how close he had be to the royal family by granting his approval for the marriage. But if this scandal about his cousin raping a native woman and fathering a child came to light before his preparations wereplete¡­ ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If you continue to remain silent, I¡¯ll take that as a yes,¡± I said, turning to leave. However, even as I made my way to the door, I heard a voice from behind. ¡°Even if you try to stop my love¡­¡± I stopped in my tracks at those words. ¡°If you say anything more, I can¡¯t guarantee what will happen,¡± I said, turning back. I approached George Lindbergh, who had barely managed to sit up from the floor. ¡°I didn¡¯t step in earlier because Alice already moved first. If I had gotten involved and killed you by ident, things would have be far moreplicated,¡± I said, staring at him. Perhaps noticing something in my expression, George Lindbergh closed his mouth. ¡°If you, in any way, get any closer to Asha, my ¡®friend,¡¯ who happens to be Roti¡¯s mother¡­¡± I paused for a moment, locking eyes with him. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his eyes were trembling slightly. It was a look I hadn¡¯t seen before, not even when Alice kicked him earlier. Was he only now realizing that he could actually die? Did he really not understand the consequences of his actions? ¡°You will die, one way or another. So, you will stay here in the south for the rest of your life. If you ever return to the maind, I¡¯ll personallye for your throat.¡± After a brief pause, I thought for a moment. ¡°On second thought, that might not be such a bad idea. Please do visit the maind at least once. When you do, I¡¯ll personally greet you. I¡¯ll even prepare someone for you to share your love with. Just like how you treated Asha, I¡¯ll make sure you experience it properly. I¡¯ll let you feel what it¡¯s like to be beneath someone else, from the bottom up.¡± I said that with a slight smile. I didn¡¯t wait for an answer. Chapter 184 "The princess is... a little unpredictable." "Which princess are you talking about? Alice? Sylvia?" "¡­Of course, Her Highness Sylvia Fangryphon. While Her Highness Alice Fangryphon is also different from most nobles, her way of thinking isn¡¯t hard to follow. She¡¯s a good person, someone who sets her principles and acts ordingly." "High praise. Have you been observing her closely?" "¡­" When Roti shot Jake a sidelong re, Jake exaggeratedly shrugged his shoulders. "Naturally, it''s because of you, Young Master. Since these are people you associate with, I need to understand their nature properly¡ª" "Oh, so did you analyze Charlotte too?" "¡­Young Master, wouldn¡¯t it be better to let someone finish their sentence before interrupting?" "No, I was just curious." Jake chuckled softly and turned his gaze out the window. The airship had already risen high, offering a view of the entire city below. From a distance, it seemed rich and prosperous, but Jake, being from there, knew how much of it had started to rot beneath the surface. ¡­Being from there. Now it was called Lindburrow, but it once went by an entirely different name. Could Jake really im to be ¡°from there¡±? The locals might grab their necks in shock if they heard him say that. "You were the one who suggested I talk to Sylvia in the first ce." Hearing Jake''sment, Roti, unusually, rubbed her temples with her fingers as if to calm herself, as though thinking, *Yes, no need to frown over this anymore.* "I¡¯ve already told you several times that was a joke." "You don¡¯t usually joke. So that statement back then could only mean one of two things: either you genuinely thought Sylvia was worth talking to, or it just slipped out of your mouth and you called it a joke afterward to cover it up." "¡­" "Which is it? The former? Or thetter? Or maybe you were jealous of me hanging around with other girls?" "¡­Thetter." "Huh?" Caughtpletely off guard, Jake made a strange noise. "What do you mean, thetter?" Jake had teased Roti with the same words several times before, but this was the first time she¡¯d responded like this. Until now, Roti would just keep her mouth shut and not dignify his teasing with a response. "I meant that none of the women around you at the time were worthy of yourpany." This time, it was Jake''s turn to react unusually. To put it simply, his face turned slightly red. "If I had to leave you to those women, it would be far better for me to stay by your side and support you." "¡­What¡¯s wrong with you? Did you eat something bad today?" Hearing Roti speak so bluntly, Jake looked at her with an almost panicked expression. His face was nowpletely flushed. It was fortunate no one else was around; if they were in a crowded lounge full of students, this alone would have caused a campus-wide uproar. "I was told by Her Highness to ensure you got what you needed, no matter what." Roti¡¯s tone sounded slightly satisfied as she noticed Jake¡¯s flustered expression. "You''re saying you¡¯re doing this just because it¡¯s an order from Her Highness?" "¡­That¡¯s not entirely it." Roti stared at the shrinking city in the distance before speaking again. "Let me repeat myself: Her Highness is unpredictable. She seems to operate solely on logic, but sometimes¡­ just sometimes¡­" "She acts emotionally?" "Exactly." Roti¡¯s answer made Jake hum thoughtfully for a moment. "Well, if you think of both sides as part of who Sylvia is, doesn¡¯t it make her easier to understand? Everyone¡¯s like that, after all." "Do you really think so?"@@novelbin@@ "Yeah. Look at yourself. You used to be so wary of Sylvia, but now you bring her up like it¡¯s nothing." "¡­" "Or am I wrong? If you were that cautious, you wouldn¡¯t have told me to approach her in the first ce¡ª" "¡ªI believe it¡¯s time to drop that subject, don¡¯t you think?" At Roti''s pointed remark, Jake fell silent. "I just¡­ I simply don¡¯t understand why she¡¯s helping me this much." "Ah, that." Jake smiled faintly at her words. "That¡¯s just because she¡¯s inherently kind." "¡­Is that so?" "It is. But because of her position and circumstances, she has to maintain that poker face. Think about it. Alice is a princess too, but there¡¯s a vast difference between her role and Sylvia¡¯s, isn¡¯t there? You¡¯ve heard the stories, right?" There were the ¡°true¡± royal heirs meant to carry on the bloodline, like Alice, and then there were the ¡°Emperor¡¯s children,¡± selected to handle the empire¡¯s dirty work. Alice belonged to the former, while Sylvia was part of thetter. "She¡¯s just a kind, ordinary person at heart. It¡¯s her situation that¡¯s made her seem so different. If it weren¡¯t for that, there¡¯d be no other exnation for her actions, right?" "¡­" Roti found Jake¡¯s reasoning usible. But if that were true¡ª How tragic her circumstances must be. Noticing Roti¡¯s thoughtful silence, Jake suddenly changed the subject. "Oh, by the way, isn¡¯t your mother on the airship too? Shouldn¡¯t you be with her?" "¡­Well¡­" "What? Is there a problem?" "It¡¯s not that, but¡­ I¡¯ve hardly spent time alone with her before. I¡¯m not sure what to talk about if it¡¯s just the two of us." "¡­" Hearing that, Jake found himself momentarily speechless. "Just stay by her side. That¡¯s probably enough." Jake managed to piece together a response after some thought. "Do you think so?" "Yeah." Truthfully, Jake wasn¡¯t entirely sure himself. But for now, offering encouragement felt like the best option. "You¡¯ve finally got a chance to be alone with her. Go¡­ spend time with her. Conversations will naturallye up, and before you know it, you¡¯ll be talking without realizing how much time has passed." "Understood." After a moment of contemtion, Roti nodded slowly in agreement. And then, with a faint smile on her lips, she stood up. "Well then, I¡¯ll be off." Before Jake could fully grasp what had just happened, Roti bowed slightly and left. "¡­Huh?" Jake let out a dumbfounded sound, a few beats toote. --- I had thought I wanted to see those two grow closer. But honestly, I hadn¡¯t expected it to happen this fast. Roti seemed to take my words to heart, casually sticking by Jake¡¯s side. Before, she used to trail a little behind him, but now, it was as if they were practically a couple. Well, to be fair, they *were* something like that. So my goal was achieved, and I should¡¯ve just watched them with satisfaction. But¡ª Watching the two of them walk into a small meeting room together left me with a strange feeling. That feeling was, let¡¯s see¡­ It was like stepping out for a convenience store run on Christmas, only to be surrounded by an overwhelming number of couples, leaving me feeling oddly annoyed. I¡¯d wanted to see them get along, not rub it in my face. Thinking back, there was a stark difference between seeing game characters act lovey-dovey and witnessing it in real life. In games, it¡¯s just dialogue and preprogrammed animations, but real life has much more detail. "You could get someone for yourself if you wanted." And of course, the one person who could read my expression like an open book was standing right next to me: Alice. When I turned to look at her, she was smiling mischievously. "You¡¯re the one who set those two up, after all. Wasn¡¯t this the whole point of your scheming?" "¡­That¡¯s true, but still." I mean, that¡¯s apletely different thing. Not that I could exin why it felt so different, even to myself. "If you¡¯re that jealous, you could always find a boyfriend for yourself." "¡­Are you joking?" "No, I¡¯m serious." Well, fine. Maybe it wouldn¡¯t be a big deal if I had a boyfriend. In this world, having a significant other wasn¡¯t seen as a major w. If anything, it was like holding an unofficial yet somewhat acknowledged position. But I had no intention of dating a man. At least not right now. I didn¡¯t feel like dating women either. The people around me were all just kids anyway. "Have you ever considered it, Alice?" "¡­No, I haven¡¯t." No need to look so serious about it, though. Wasn¡¯t this the part in the original story where she¡¯d start acting tsundere toward Leo? Looking across the room, I saw Leo sitting awkwardly among a group of girls, clearly out of ce. For some reason, I sighed. Should I envy him or not? Chapter 185 October was busy from the start. It wasn¡¯t the Academy schedule that kept me upied. The reason I was so busy was mostly due to my personal goals. My goal to prevent the war. Whether it¡¯s fortunate or not, the Academy is located near the Imperial Pce, which lies at the heart of the Empire. The distance was inconvenient for walking, but not impossible. Especially for someone like me, who has what feels like infinite time, that distance was hardly an issue. In other words, I could sneak around the pce at night collecting information without much difficulty. I didn¡¯t even need to secure an escape route. Once I saw what I wanted, I could simply rewind time. I could even rewind to the moment I entered a location, minimizing my travel and securing more time for exploration. Wars don¡¯t erupt overnight. Even though there were no major changes at the borders for now, the nning for a strike to catch the opponent off guard must have started long ago. The problem was, no matter how hard I searched, I couldn¡¯t find any evidence of such preparations. The defense budget was not significantly different from previous years. While it had increased, most of the additional funds went toward the mass production of new weapons¡ªhardly a direct sign of deploying them to the battlefield. @@novelbin@@ Several monitoring ships had been constructed, but after the northern border skirmish that wiped out the warlord factions, they had been relocated to satellite cities near the capital. Some ships, gued by recoil issues due to their oversized frames, were undergoing repairs and inspections, leaving simr models on indefinite standby. There were no ns for constructing additional warships. Even for the Empire, building new warships would take time. The absence of such ns, even in the pce, suggested¡­ ¡­Could they be hiding the ns elsewhere? Had the Emperor caught on to my abilities and dispersed information to locations I couldn¡¯t physically reach? It seemed like a usible exnation. ¡°Interesting.¡± After failing to find concrete evidence despite my extensive investigations, I decided to take a direct approach: meeting the Emperor himself. ¡°So, you mean to tell me you¡¯vee to *me* to ask about the ¡®hidden information¡¯ that *I* might be concealing?¡± The Emperor rephrased my words with a bemused expression, his voice tinged with amusement. ¡°That is correct.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The Emperor gazed at me for a moment before a sly smile crept onto his lips. ¡°Then let me ask you something. What would you do if someone capable of killing you was watching you closely?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you naturally avoid doing anything to provoke such a being? Of course, this might require you to alter your lifelong ambitions. But that doesn¡¯t mean life bes meaningless, does it? After all, losing one goal simply means finding another.¡± ¡°¡­Are you saying, Your Majesty, that you abandoned the idea of war because you knew I didn¡¯t want it to happen?¡± ¡°So, you think I was nning to wage war against the entire world?¡± The Emperor¡¯s face lit up with intrigue, as if he found my assumptions fascinating. ¡°If you believed that from the start, your hypothesis would¡¯ve crumbled right after you assassinated the count. If you still think that way¡­ well. Doesn¡¯t that mean I¡¯ve already aplished something far beyond what you imagined?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It would be wonderful if the ¡®me¡¯ you meet after rewinding could also know this.¡± The Emperor spoke as if he were a father humorously ying chess with his daughter. His expression rendered me speechless. Once more. --- I don¡¯t trust him. This is the Emperor we¡¯re talking about. There¡¯s a high chance he deliberately withheld urate information from me. Although I hadn¡¯t uncovered definitive evidence yet, I still needed to prepare for the worst. Still, my efforts weren¡¯t entirely fruitless. By roaming the pce corridors dozens, even hundreds of times, I memorized every pathway¡ªeven those not featured in the original game. The same applied to the sewers beneath the capital. I now knew every potential connection to the pce and could estimate which sections would copse if certain points were destroyed. If the worst happened, I was prepared to set explosives to bring down the whole system. Of course, casualties would be inevitable in such a scenario¡ª ¡­but that was a concern for the worst-case scenario only. On a brighter note, my stealth abilities were improving day by day. Sylvia ck¡¯s body might be no different from an ordinary person in this world, but it was more than capable of performing tasks expected of regr soldiers. It couldn¡¯t wield sword energy or swing a derger than my height, but standard maneuvers were well within reach. Although rewinding time reset my stamina, my body retained the memory of those movements, leaving me better equipped for future actions. If I focused, I could even tail someone without being noticed. And soon, an opportunity presented itself. --- If there¡¯s anyone I regarded with as much suspicion as the Emperor, it was the Holy Kingdom. The "Goddess" subplot remained unresolved in the original work. The Holy Kingdom¡¯s divine power wasn¡¯t explored in detail, and whether the Goddess actually existed¡ªand if so, whether she was truly benevolent¡ªwas a topic of rampant fan spection. Some fans treated their theories as gospel, posting them everywhere until they got caught. But that¡¯s ancient history. In any case, it wasn¡¯t surprising that I found Sophia, the "Cathedral Knight," lurking suspiciously near Leo, the male lead of the original work. ire and Leo, being siblings, often stayed together. However, as time passed and they made new friends, they asionally spent time apart. ire got along well with Alice and Charlotte and even trailed after me sometimes. As her time with other girls increased, Leo began spending more time on his own. Frankly, I didn¡¯t know what Leo did during those times. I was often with the "girls¡¯ group," so his activities outside that circle were a mystery. ¡°¡­¡± That¡¯s why I was startled to find him sitting alone on a park bench surrounded by bare trees, looking utterly lost. Come to think of it, having few male friends despite being surrounded by friendly girls could be a bigger issue than it seemed. Leo¡¯s position as a "pretty boy" among beautiful girls had made him a target of envy for his male ssmates, and I hadn¡¯t realized that envy had turned into istion. In typical harem manga, scenes of the male lead being ostracized by his peers are yed forughs. But depicting it seriously as outright bullying¡­ that¡¯s too heavy. Seeing it in real life, though¡ª ¡°...Huh?¡± And then, I noticed something else. Far off in the distance, at the corner of my vision, I saw purple hair fluttering in the breeze. If it weren¡¯t for the sudden gust of wind, I might not have noticed. ¡°¡­Sophia?¡± My brow furrowed deeply. Her appearance was quite different from how she was portrayed in the original, but it was unmistakably her. Perhaps the image she presented to me was a fa?ade, or maybe she hadn¡¯t yet fully developed into her original character. Still, as a Cathedral Knight, she seemed fullymitted to her mission. She probably thought there was something to gain from watching Leo. Maybe she believed he was connected to the Holy Kingdom in some way. ¡°¡­¡± I had initially intended to approach Leo and strike up a conversation, but I quickly changed course and returned to my room. I gathered my equipment and prepared to leave again. Not to approach Leo directly, but to circle around the Academy grounds far enough that neither he nor Sophia would notice me. From my new vantage point, I had a clear view of Sophia¡¯s hiding spot. As I suspected, she was watching Leo intently. Through my telescope, I confirmed that she hadn¡¯t noticed me. Adjusting the angle, I turned my focus back to Leo¡ª ¡°...Sylvia?¡± A soft, clear voice called out from behind me. The fact that I didn¡¯t scream is a testament to my restraint. Instead, my shoulders jerked violently. Cautiously turning my head, I saw none other than Charlotte. Her face was pale as she stared at me. She looked at me as though I were a stalker. ... No, it¡¯s not like that! Chapter 186 Still, Charlotte maintained herposure and allowed me to finish my exnation, no matter how absurd it might have sounded. "So," she began, her tone calm as she carefully unraveled my series of excuses, "you were just out for a walk to get some fresh air on your day off when you happened to notice Leo sitting alone over there?" "That¡¯s correct," I nodded. Charlotte mirrored my seriousness, nodding as she continued. "And then, by sheer coincidence, a gust of wind allowed you to spot Sophia observing Leo from afar?" "Exactly," I confirmed, and once again, we both nodded in agreement. "And instead of trying to figure out the situation, you immediately went back to your room, grabbed an urban-camouge cloak, a sniper scope, a field mat, a canteen, and emergency rations, then climbed onto the rooftop to start watching them?" "..." When she put it like that¡­ No matter how I exined it, there was no way it wouldn¡¯t sound suspicious. I only brought the cloak because the weather had genuinely gotten colder. Yes, it was an urban-camouge cloak, but that was simply because it was practical for retaining body heat and functionality. It wasn¡¯t a military operation, but staying unnoticed was better, wasn¡¯t it? The mat? Same logic¡ªit¡¯s freezing to lie on concrete in this weather. For basicfort and warmth, it was a necessity. And, of course, the sturdiest option happened to be a field mat. As for the canteen and emergency rations¡­ well, what if I got hungry and left my spot, only for them to disappear while I was gone? "Sylvia," Charlotte said, pressing her fingers to her temple, looking as if she were holding back a headache. "I know you¡¯re not the best at expressing emotions, but¡­" No. "No matter how bad you are at it, it¡¯s still not okay to spy on someone you like this way. People have their privacy, you know." "It¡¯s not like that," I replied, my expression serious¡ªas usual, my face was always serious¡ªbut Charlotte didn¡¯t seem convinced in the slightest. "And if you¡¯re so worried, why not just approach him and ask him out on a date? Times have changed, you know. The idea that men have to ask women out is outdated. Sure, being a princessplicates things, but going to a ball with a partner isn¡¯t going to ruin your reputation." I¡¯m telling you, that¡¯s not it! ¡­Should I rewind time? If I rewound and moved somewhere else, Charlotte wouldn¡¯t have caught me here. Alice might have noticed, but I didn¡¯t think Charlotte would have been tailing me. But as I considered this, another question arose in my mind. It was something that had urred to me the moment I encountered Charlotte, but her earlier remarks had derailed my train of thought. "¡­By the way, why are *you* here, Princess Charlotte?" "Pardon?" Interrupting her, I asked quickly. For a brief moment, her eyes widened in surprise. Sensing an opportunity, I pressed further. "Were you on the rooftop? Were you here to see Leo, perhaps?" I tried to mirror her own tactics, hoping to fluster her, but¡ª When I saw Charlotte visibly rx, her shoulders sagging as she let out a long sigh, I found myself taken aback. "I was just¡­" With another deep sigh, Charlotte stepped closer and asked, "May I sit on the mat with you?" I didn¡¯t answer verbally, but I shifted my position to allow her a portion of the mat. "Thank you," she said softly, gathering her skirt and carefully sitting down on the edge of the mat. "I just needed a little break." @@novelbin@@ When I said nothing and continued to observe her in silence, Charlotte let out a faint chuckle, as if mocking herself. "You know as well as I do, don¡¯t you? I¡¯m something of a ¡®celebrity¡¯ and a ¡®popr figure¡¯ at this Academy." She wasn¡¯t particrly active in any clubs, but her status had earned her a spot on the student council. She was one of the few foreign students at the Academy, and among them, she had the most noble lineage. Unlike people like Rena or Sophia, who had gained admission purely through merit, Charlotte exuded an innate aura of nobility. She might even be more popr than Alice or me. To the imperial aristocracy, Alice and I were enigmatic figures who avoided social events entirely. And, of course, we had the Emperor looming behind us. Together, we appeared as an iprehensible, menacing trio. Although Alice had managed to shed some of that intimidating image through conversation, few dared to casually approach their own country¡¯s princess. Thinking about their futures, most people preferred to tread carefully. But Charlotte, the Princess of Belbour¡­ Imperial citizens often viewed other nations as slightly inferior, leading them to treat foreign nobles of the same rank more casually. While outright disrespect was rare, they interacted with them with a far more rxed attitude. Of course, such treatment might leave the foreigner thinking, *Do they think I¡¯m easy to manipte?* "I¡¯ve lost count of how many invitations I¡¯ve received from ducal houses. And seriously, how does this country have so many dukes? There are *three* whose territories are adjacent to the capital alone! And twelve in total! Isn¡¯t that excessive, no matter howrge the Empire is?" I agreed¡ªit was excessive. And none of the twelve dukes were mere figureheads. Each one wielded considerable influence, regardless of their proximity to the capital. "I attended a few gatherings out of politeness at first. After all, it¡¯s customary in my kingdom to ept such invitations. But these dukes¡­" Charlotte sighed deeply, as if even recalling it drained her energy. "They might be thinking of me as a potential daughter-inw. Perhaps they¡¯re imagining a future where I be queen and marry one of their sons, allowing them to im the name ¡®Belbour¡¯ for their family. Or worse, they might even want to rename the entire kingdom." "So, you came here to avoid them?" "That¡¯s right. Is that a problem?" Charlotte pouted slightly, her expression tinged with a bit of sulkiness, and I almostughed. For her, it was clearly frustrating, but I could understand. If men constantly flocked to me, I¡¯d find it unbearable too¡­ Or wait, is this different? If women started flocking to me instead¡­ ¡­ Yeah, let¡¯s not go there. Men and women don¡¯t think the same way, after all. As silence settled between us, I wondered if I should exin my reasons for being here. Should I warn Charlotte about the impending war? Should I tell her that Sophia wasn¡¯t actually from Belbour but from the Holy Kingdom? Hmm. No, not yet. If the Emperor truly didn¡¯t intend to start a war, mentioning this now might inadvertently provide Belbour with a justification for conflict. "I consider ire to be like a little sister," I began, deciding to use a safer excuse. "And Leo is ire¡¯s sibling¡­" Whether he was her older or younger brother remained unclear, so I left it ambiguous. "So, you¡¯re saying you want to personally evaluate the kind of woman your little sister¡¯s family is associating with?" Charlotte asked, raising an eyebrow. "If I am ire¡¯s older sister, and Leo, as ire ims, is her younger brother, then Leo would also be my younger brother, in a sense." "Hmm~" Charlotte narrowed her eyes, her lips twitching with amusement as if she were barely holding backughter. ¡­She didn¡¯t believe me at all. Still, it was better than offering no excuse at all. "Very well, then," she said atst. At least Charlotte understood¡ªor so I thought. "In that case, I¡¯ll help. I happen to have plenty of free time right now." "¡­" Of course, in a way I didn¡¯t want. "Why are you looking at me like that?" "Would you consider dropping this, like you did during the Northwood incident¡ª" "Oh, that time." Ah. I shouldn¡¯t have brought that up. Charlotte¡¯s face lit up with a mischievous smile as she stood abruptly. Then, leaning toward me yfully, she said, "You still owe me for that. Let¡¯s consider this a chance to pay back that debt. And honestly, as a woman, don¡¯t you think my judgment would be better than yours? I¡¯d be much more suited to assess whether Sophia is a good match for Leo or not." But even as she spoke, her eyes seemed to say: *You¡¯re just using this as an excuse to spy on Leo because you like him, aren¡¯t you?* I¡¯m telling you, that¡¯s not it! Chapter 187 Charlotte seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself. Well, I supposed she wasn¡¯t all that different from Alice,e to think of it. While Alice had beenrgely neglected, Charlotte hadn¡¯t exactly grown up in apletely free and loving environment either. The King of Belbour, as depicted in the original work, was a loving father and a ruler who cared deeply for his country. Yet, as a king, he had no choice but to impose strict expectations on Charlotte. Without that discipline, she likely wouldn¡¯t have grown up knowing the proper decorum expected of her station. Though legally still a minor, thews defining adulthood were rtively recent on a global scale. In many people¡¯s minds, if a child could walk, carry things, and follow instructions, they were practically an adult. At fifteen,moners of the same age would already be working full-time in factories, regardless of gender. To nobles, royals, and even the imperial family, children of that age were ready to be groomed into their roles. They were taught politics, strict etiquette, and how to suppress their desires. Charlotte¡¯s enrollment in the Academy wasn¡¯t necessarily because she had wanted to attend. Belbour likely had its own renowned schools, and she probably had friends there. But with two imperial princesses and countless children from the Empire¡¯s most influential families attending this Academy, the King of Belbour must have ordered her toe here to observe the political climate. Charlotte seemed to be enjoying her school life for the most part, but moments like the one on the rooftop earlier hinted at the frustrations she dealt with. Perhaps she found some guilty pleasure in moments like these, engaging in acts that were slightly subversive. "By the way, Sylvia," Charlotte said. "Yes, Princess?" "Don¡¯t call me ¡®Princess.¡¯ Just call me Charlotte. We¡¯re in ¡®stealth mode¡¯ now." Her pronunciation of ¡°Charlotte¡± leaned so heavily into the Belbour ent that it barely sounded like an imperial name. But that hardly mattered. For this ¡°mission,¡± Charlotte¡ªno, "Charlotte"¡ªhad swapped her usual uniform for a modest dress likely purchased nearby. It was the kind of in brown dress you¡¯d expect to see in a Victorian-era romance, the sort worn by a heroine at the story¡¯s beginning. Of course, as the saying goes, fashion is all about the person wearing it. On Charlotte, the dress looked anything but in. She had even styled her hair into a loose side ponytail and wore a wide-brimmed hat, perhaps trying to blend in as amoner. But the noble air radiating from her made her attempt at disguiseughable. If she wanted to pass as amoner, her posture and gait would have to change first. "In that case, is there any reason for me to keep my name as Sylvia?" I asked. "My point exactly!" Charlotte¡ª"Charlotte"¡ªpuffed out her cheeks slightly in mock indignation. "You haven¡¯t even bothered to disguise yourself. You¡¯re still wearing your uniform. What¡¯s the point of me calling you by a different name?" "¡­" I looked around. It was a sunny Sunday, albeit chilly. A coat was enough to fend off the cold. Groups of male students, female students, and even some mixed-gender couples were wandering around. Some seemed to be shopping, while others simply strolled down the streets, enjoying themselves. Turning back to Charlotte, I didn¡¯t need to change my expression for her to understand my point. Her face flushed slightly as she stammered. "Well, still! The target might leave the area at any moment, and this is the only ce with so many Academy students around." "In that case, wouldn¡¯t disguising ourselves be unnecessary?" Having explored countless times while rewinding time, I knew that what you wore¡ªuniform or otherwise¡ªdidn¡¯t matter much for stealth. Unless someone was particrly vignt, people rarely paid attention to specific individuals unless they stood out significantly. Even the Academy uniform, with its oddly modern design, could be toned down with a coat to blend in somewhat. While I was technically a princess, mostmoners wouldn¡¯t recognize my face. Though, given my increasing interactions withmoners, it was only a matter of time before my face became more widely known. "But disguising ourselves would take time!" "¡­It wouldn¡¯t take that long unless we were doing full makeup." "Ugh! Just do as I say! No more arguing¡ªlet¡¯s get you some different clothes!" Before I could protest, Charlotte grabbed my arm and dragged me into a clothing store. Well¡­ Might as well let her enjoy herself. Honestly, it was kind of fun to tease her while ying along. --- Thankfully, we didn¡¯t lose track of Leo and Sophia. Sophia¡¯s striking purple hair made her easy to spot. Since she maintained a discreet distance from Leo, all we had to do was keep a slightly greater distance from her. It seemed Sophia hadn¡¯t noticed us. "¡­" Initially, I thought Sophia following Leo had some political motive. But the more I watched, the less that seemed to be the case. Leo¡¯s actions were entirely mundane. He stopped by a bakery and bought an armful of bread, then went to a thrift shop to purchase clothes, packing everything neatly into therge bag slung over his shoulder. Despite the heavy load, Leo walked with steady confidence, his training as a swordsman evident in his posture. And I had a pretty good idea of what he was doing. Charlotte, however, seemed perplexed. Tilting her head in confusion, she murmured, "Why is he doing all that?" I wasn¡¯t entirely certain myself, so I just shrugged. Eventually, Leo,den with supplies, headed into a secluded alleyway. "Uh¡­" Charlotte hesitated at the alley¡¯s entrance, clearly uneasy. Understandable. Leo likely feltfortable entering because he was confident in his swordsmanship¡ªand because he¡¯d clearly been here before. Sophia followed without hesitation, which suggested she was simrly familiar with the area. While Charlotte and I could probably handle ourselves if trouble arose, her hesitation was understandable. She was a princess, after all. Entering a ce like this without any guards must have felt deeply unsettling. I had a pistol tucked into my waistband, so dealing with a few thugs wouldn¡¯t be a problem even without rewinding time. The sound of gunfire would bring Leo running, too. Still, if Charlotte decided to back out, I¡¯d leave with her. But it seemed she was determined to go in. "¡­" Leaving the indecisive Charlotte where she stood, I approached the burly man stationed at the alley¡¯s entrance. Though he had a rough demeanor, his attire was unusually refined for amon thug¡ªa proper suit, albeit one that didn¡¯t quite suit him. "Is there something I can assist you with, miss?" he asked, straightening up the moment I approached. He seemed experienced in dealing with people like me. "Entering this alley with just the two of us seems a bit dangerous, doesn¡¯t it?" @@novelbin@@ "Indeed, miss. Of course, I have no authority to stop you, but you don¡¯t strike me as someone unfamiliar with the ways of the world." To be honest, I wasn¡¯t sure if I could trust him entirely. But his confident stance at the entrance and his polished attire suggested he was a professional. Some nobles or upper-ssmoners were curious about life in the slums, not out of altruism but out of a voyeuristic fascination, akin to visiting a zoo. This so-called "backstreet tourism" likely kept his business running, and maintaining a reputation for safety was essential for attracting more patrons. I nodded at him and pulled out my wallet, handing him a handful of pound notes. "Ah, such generosity! Rest assured, miss, I¡¯ll treat you like royalty!" The man¡¯s enthusiastic bow confirmed that, as always, money spoke louder than rank in this Empire. Chapter 188 Charlotte looked utterly ufortable. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t trust the man guiding us. Rather, it was the way he conducted himself that seemed to make her uneasy¡ªsomething about it felt... off. For example: ¡°Ladies, behold! This man here lost his left hand in a tragic factory ident not too long ago. Isn¡¯t it pitiful? Doesn¡¯t it break your heart? Without help, he¡¯ll surely struggle to put food on the table. Hey, John, show them your arm.¡± At his prompting, the man named John disyed his left wrist, which ended in a smooth stump with a few stitched scars. ¡°See for yourselves.¡± Charlotte would stare at the man with a deeply conflicted expression, while I silently ced a few silver shillings into the tin can in front of him. John¡¯s face lit up immediately, his gratitude beaming through his smile. As we walked further, it felt like we were moving through a twisted amusement park. At every corner, we encountered new ¡°attractions.¡± Children with soot-smeared faces rushed toward us with outstretched hands, an old woman with a crooked back stood clutching an empty basket, and so on. Each time, our guide would introduce these people as though they were exhibits, telling their stories of misfortune. And each time, I would quietly drop a few shillings into their hands or cans. This strange cycle repeated itself multiple times. ¡°Um, Sylvia?¡± Charlotte finally spoke, her voiceced with difort. ¡°Doesn¡¯t this feel like¡­ watching animals in a zoo?¡± ¡°But this is how they survive,¡± I replied matter-of-factly. ¡°...Like this?¡± ¡°They¡¯re selling happiness.¡± ¡°Happiness?¡± Everyone feels that their life iscking in some way. No matter how wealthy someone is, there¡¯s always someone richer, a noble above them, or a duke and royalty higher still. Even royalty, like myself, often find themselves envious of others within their own circles. This world wasn¡¯t much different from the one I came from. For these people, their "business" is selling a fleeting sense of relief. For a small price, they allow the wealthy to feel gratitude for their own lives by providing a moment to think, *At least I¡¯m better off than they are.* Of course, that ¡°small price¡± is a significant sum to those in the slums, enough to eat well for an entire day. ¡°¡­¡± Charlotte didn¡¯t seem entirely convinced, judging by her expression. ¡°Ah,dies! You¡¯re in luck today!¡± Our guide, perhaps invigorated by the coins I¡¯d handed out so far, suddenly pointed ahead with great enthusiasm. ¡°The Saint of the Backstreets is right over there!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Charlotte immediately pulled her hat low over her face. It seemed she hadn¡¯t expected the guide to lead us straight to Leo. *The Saint of the Backstreets*, huh? That nickname wasn¡¯t one Leo had in the original work. Of course, it made sense. In the game, while you could interact with street NPCs, those interactions were limited to preset dialogue. Beggars might exist, but unless the developers added a donation option, you couldn¡¯t do much beyond hearing their pre-written lines. But this world wasn¡¯t bound by game mechanics. People reacted to any stimulus, given the chance. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, pulling my wallet out again. I took out the rest of the cash I had on hand and handed it to the man. ¡°This will do. We¡¯ll find our way out from here.¡± ¡°Are you sure? This is a dangerous area, with no police patrols¡­¡± The man hesitated, looking surprised by the wad of pound notes I¡¯d handed over. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine,¡± I assured him. At my insistence, he nodded, bowing deeply before epting the money. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll make sure everyone in this alley knows not to bother you. We can¡¯t afford to lose customers like you. Please, do visit again.¡± I nodded in acknowledgment, and he quickly left. ¡°...Really?¡± Charlotte muttered, clearly holding back a multitude of thoughts. Ultimately, she sighed deeply instead of voicing them. She understood well enough that orphans, the disabled, and the elderly in this area needed money to survive. From what I knew, our guide wasn¡¯t apletely irredeemable man by the standards of this era. As the de facto leader of this alley, he ensured his people¡¯s survival¡ªa sort of ¡°noble thug¡± archetypemonly seen in Japanese games and manga. He didn¡¯t appear in the main story, nor in any rted side quests, but his background was clear from his interactions. With the amount of money I¡¯d given him, I was certain he¡¯d share it with the people we¡¯d seen. ¡°Well then, Charlotte. Shall we?¡± At my words, Charlotte nodded, and we continued down the alley. Leo was still some distance away. Sophia, however, had drawn much closer to him. We walked as quietly as possible, positioning ourselves where we could observe without being seen. --- ¡°That''s amazing¡­¡± Sophia¡¯s voice carried a note of awe, her eyes sparkling with admiration. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, unmistakably the expression of a girl in love. Sophia wasn¡¯t exactly the most subtle character in the original work either. Her psychopathic tendencies stemmed from her unfiltered impulses. I had no idea what had happened to her in the one year gap before her behavior became so extreme. Or perhaps meeting Leo earlier had prevented her from developing those traits. In any case, with his objectively handsome features, it wasn¡¯t hard to see why she was drawn to him. In the original story, Sophia¡¯s change of heart had also been triggered by Leo. ¡°It¡¯s not that amazing. These are just old clothes, and the bread is from the cheapest bakery I could find,¡± Leo replied modestly, scratching his head. Sophia shook her head fervently. ¡°No, it is amazing. How many people would spend all their allowance helping others? Even the wealthiest nobles don¡¯t do that¡­¡± No argument there. What truly stood out was that Leo didn¡¯t brag about his actions. It made sense that Sophia had fallen for him so quickly. Despite her ims of loving violence and being a devoted knight of the Goddess, she would be enraged if anyone spoke ill of her faith. Seeing Leo embody thepassion the Goddess preached must have made him seem extraordinary to her. And, of course, he was handsome. @@novelbin@@ He likely had a great physique too¡ªif his gratuitous bath scenes in the game were any indication. Female characters were always modestly covered, but Leo? He only wore a towel around his waist, showing off his lean, toned muscles. It was a game with a sizable female fanbase, after all. ¡°Can I help you with this?¡± Sophia leaned closer to Leo, her earnestness evident. If she had followed him initially out of interest, she now seemed genuinely motivated to assist in his efforts. While I couldn¡¯t read minds, her intentions appeared sincere. ¡°¡­¡± Watching the scene from the corner of the alley, Charlotte had an indescribable look on her face. ¡°This is¡­ pathetic.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Ah, not you, Leo, or Sophia. I mean me.¡± With a sigh, Charlotte crouched down, her long skirt pooling on the dusty ground. She didn¡¯t seem to care about the dirt clinging to the fabric. ¡°I¡¯m just aimlessly following them for fun, thinking about teasing them... while they¡¯re doing such noble work.¡± It seemed that her recent reflections on her royal responsibilities were taking a toll on her. Understandable. She hadn¡¯t aplished anything significant at her age yet¡ªnor should she have to. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have known. It¡¯s not your fault,¡± I said. ¡°A princess can¡¯t use ignorance as an excuse,¡± Charlotte muttered bitterly. ¡°A single overlooked detail can lead to the fall of a kingdom.¡± ¡°That depends on the context,¡± I said firmly. ¡°Not knowing what was for breakfast and not knowing the results of a battle are vastly different. No one can know everything.¡± If they could, I wouldn¡¯t have to keep rewinding time and suffering through this mess. ¡°¡­¡± Though my words were logical, they didn¡¯t seem to console Charlotte. After a moment¡¯s thought, I reached out and grabbed her arm. ¡°Sylvia?¡± ¡°If it bothers you so much, let¡¯s help them.¡± ¡°W-Wait, if we do that, won¡¯t Leo find out we were following him?¡± Sophia was tailing him too, wasn¡¯t she? But instead of saying that, I couldn¡¯t resist teasing Charlotte. ¡°Then I¡¯ll call you Charlotte instead of Charlotte.¡± ¡°Like that¡¯s going to fix anything!¡± Chapter 189 ¡°Thisdy here is Charlotte, a person who merely bears a slight resemnce to the Charlotte we know. She is apletely different person.¡± ¡°¡­Sylvia.¡± ¡°Though the only difference appears to be that she¡¯s not wearing her usual school uniform and has a wide-brimmed hat¡ª¡± ¡°Sylvia, enough.¡± Sensing that Charlotte might seriously get upset if I kept teasing her, I decided to stop there. ¡°Uh¡­¡± As I dragged Charlotte out by the arm, Leo looked at the two of us with a slightly dumbfounded expression, as if silently asking, *Why are you here all of a sudden?* @@novelbin@@ ¡°You didn¡¯t notice us following you?¡± ¡°Huh? Not at all. How far back were you?¡± ¡°There was Sophia in between us, so we weren¡¯t exactly close. Plus, there were so many people before you entered this ce that it¡¯s no wonder you didn¡¯t notice.¡± It¡¯s not like Leo is particrly adept at sensing others. Sometimes, he doesn¡¯t even realize Alice is tailing him. ¡­Though that¡¯s because Alice has an unnervingly good knack for erasing her presence. She didn¡¯t follow us here, right? Feeling slightly paranoid, I nced back over my shoulder. A few people were visible, mostly peeking out of their windows after hearing that the ¡°Saint of the Backstreets¡± had arrived. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t see any golden hair gleaming in the sunlight. Since ire had said she¡¯d be studying with Alice, it made sense that neither of them was here. When those two started studying, they¡¯d stick to it for hours. ire had tried to drag me into studying with her, but I wasn¡¯t particrly fond of academics and had quickly escaped. Alice, knowing my tendencies all too well, hadn¡¯t bothered to stop me. Studying during ss time by rewinding and redoing lessons was more than enough for me. I wasn¡¯t about to spend after-school hours doing more of what I avoided in the first ce. If Alice had been alone, I might¡¯ve stayed, but¡­ ¡­Thanks to that, Leo ended up alone. Turning back to face the others, I noticed Leo, Charlotte, and even Sophia looking at me quizzically. I decided against exining myself. ¡°So,¡± I said, shifting my attention to Leo. ¡°When did you start doing this kind of activity?¡± Having stopped shadowing Leo and ire long ago, I wasn¡¯t aware of Leo¡¯s volunteer work. It seemed unlikely that ire was involved; if she had been, her personality would¡¯ve made her tag along for sure. ¡°Ah, well¡­¡± Leo scratched his head, giving a wry smile. It was a self-deprecating smile. I couldn¡¯t pinpoint the exact reason, but perhaps it was because most students spent their free time happily socializing, while he wandered alone. Even if he wanted solitude, taking a carriage arranged by the academy wasn¡¯t exclusive to him. No matter how much he wanted to explore alone, there would always be other students on the same route. And that would only fuel the whispers. In noble society, social connections are everything. Without ¡°friends,¡± your influence dwindles. Even if you have female acquaintances, once they¡¯re married off, meeting them freely bes impossible, and even correspondence risks scandal. His only male acquaintance, Jake, was undoubtedly spending time with Lottie. ¡°¡­¡± Thinking about it made me feel bad for him. Was this¡­ my fault? ¡°Well, I guess¡­ I just needed something to pass the time. And since I don¡¯t really have much use for my allowance anymore, I figured, why not use it for this? I¡¯ve already prepared all my equipment and materials for the semester, so I don¡¯t have much else to spend money on. After stumbling into this alley one day, I thought it¡¯d be a good way to use the leftovers.¡± ¡°That¡¯s admirable,¡± Sophia said, nodding enthusiastically. Her amethyst-like eyes sparkled, reflecting her obvious admiration for Leo. From beside me, I heard Charlotte shifting ufortably. ncing her way, I saw her darting nces between Sophia and me. ¡­Seriously, it¡¯s not like that. While I still saw Sophia as someone to keep an eye on, I had no intention of interfering if she and Leo genuinely liked each other. The Sophia standing before me wasn¡¯t yet the twisted version I had grown to despise. ¡°Alright,¡± I said, turning to Leo. ¡°Would you mind if I joined you in this volunteer work?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Leo blinked up at me, wide-eyed. Why? Did I really look like the type who wouldn¡¯t lift a finger to help? ¡­Actually, now that I think about it, maybe I did. Even in my previous life, I¡¯d only done volunteer work because it was a school requirement. ¡°We¡¯ve got plenty of time today anyway. Following you all the way here just to observe what you¡¯re doing and then leaving would feel strange, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± I nced at Charlotte as I spoke, noticing her wince slightly, as if my words hit a nerve. ¡°Consider it my apology for tailing you.¡± ¡°Oh, uh¡­ sure, I guess?¡± Leo seemed unable to fully process what I was saying. Understandable. If I were in his position and two ssmates suddenly showed up, offering to help while iming it was an apology for stalking me, I wouldn¡¯t know how to react either. But in situations like this, being shameless was sometimes the best way to move forward. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Feeling the gazes of Sophia and Charlotte on me, I couldn¡¯t help but marvel at how thick-skinned I¡¯d be. --- There aren¡¯t many people who dislike receiving free things. Sure, someone extremely principled, moral, or self-reliant might refuse charity outright. But generally, those people don¡¯t need charity to survive. It¡¯s easy to turn down help when you¡¯re capable of supporting yourself. Such people are often artisans inheriting a family trade or nobles with ample resources. ¡°It¡¯s quieter here than I expected,¡± Charlotte observed. ¡°Most of the residents are out working,¡± Leo exined. ¡°Even on a Sunday?¡± Charlotte¡¯s surprise was evident, to which Leo responded with a wry smile. ¡°Charlotte, are you part of the Goddess Church?¡± ¡°No, but¡­¡± Charlotte nced briefly at Sophia. While the Goddess Church is unique to this world, its practices bear many simrities to Christianity. Just as the Goddess rested on the seventh day after creating the world, her followers consider that day sacred and take it as a day of rest. Over time, this practice became an unspoken rule, extending even to non-believers. Charlotte, familiar with this convention, had been startled by the exception. Leo, of course, understood her reaction. ¡°The Empire has no official religion, which is why there aren¡¯t designated holidays. Factory schedules vary. Some ces give workers one day off a month, others two. And it¡¯s not always Sunday.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Compared to the Empire, Velbur was a more faith-oriented nation and hadn¡¯t yet transitioned to an industry-centric economy. That didn¡¯t mean its people weren¡¯t impoverished¡ªpoverty there simply looked different. Vige-based farming families led lives starkly different from those in urban slums, where individuals of all backgrounds crowded together. At least rural farmers might take a day off on weekends. ¡°Most people here still have families to care for, though. And this area has its own systems. The government doesn¡¯t intervene, so the locals have created their own rules.¡± Leo didn¡¯t seem entirelyfortable as he said this. Systems built on verbal agreements were inherently fragile and prone to corruption. ¡°¡­¡± Despite the rtive quiet, there were still children and elderly residents around. We distributed bread and secondhand clothes to the children who approached us. Leo, having visited this area multiple times¡ªevident from his nickname¡ªseemed familiar with their family situations. The supplies Leo brought were gone in less than an hour. ¡°Hey, big brother! Show us that thing again!¡± Just as we were preparing to leave, a child ran up to Leo, shouting excitedly. Both Charlotte and I were startled. Then again, thinking about it, Leo probably hadn¡¯t revealed that he was a baron¡¯s son. ¡°Alright, sure. I¡¯ll show you.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Hearing this, more children began gathering around him. Chapter 190 What Leo demonstrated was his sword aura. For the kids living in the backstreets, with little in the way of entertainment, witnessing a sword aura was nothing short of a spectacle. Mastering swordsmanship to the point of wielding an aura was no easy feat, after all. Even at the academy, while many main characters in the storyline were sword users, in reality, far more students opted to train with firearms. Guns were easier to use, simpler to master, and had practical applications in everyday life. Surrounded by children sitting in a semicircle, Leo disyed the unique swordsmanship of the Grace family. The children stared at him with their mouths agape. ¡°When I grow up, I want to be like him¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be dumb. He goes to the academy. We could never even dream of that.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± Hearing their exchange, Leo could neither agree nor deny it. Telling them they could go to the academy would nt false hope. Conversely, saying they couldn¡¯t would crush even the faintest glimmer of aspiration. Watching the children¡¯s interaction, Charlotte sped her hands tightly against her chest. Meanwhile, off to the side, a young girl was speaking to Sophia. ¡°Big sister, what do you do? Do you also go to the academy like him? Can you do that too?¡± ¡°Hey, she¡¯s a girl. Girls don¡¯t do that stuff. Academy girls just cover their mouths and go ¡®Oh ho ho ho¡¯ when theyugh.¡± Ah, what a bold deration of sexism. The truth was that most girls at the academy were perfectly capable of defending themselves. Although, to be fair, as students progressed to higher grades, the number of girls focused on finding and courting potential husbands increased. It wasn¡¯t umon to see such couples strolling around,ughing just like that. ¡°Hmph.¡± Sophia, however, smiled and casually swept her hair back. ¡°It seems you¡¯re underestimating me because you don¡¯t know my capabilities.¡± That confident tone of hers¡­ I¡¯d heard it in the original story before. Although the context was entirely different, Sophia¡¯s habit of unting herself in front of children seemed to fit her character. Perhaps it was her connection to the church. She seemed softer and more indulgent when dealing with kids. Drawing her sword with an air of theatricality, Sophia whispered a prayer. Her de shimmered as a holy aura enveloped it. As expected of a knight of the church, her aura had a distinctly different feel from Leo¡¯s. ¡°Wow!¡± The kids, who had turned back toward her after watching Leo¡¯s demonstration, couldn¡¯t help but gasp. ¡°Hyaah!¡± Sophia swung her sword with a flourish, leaving behind a trail of glittering light like a stream of stars. That¡¯s just for show. Her use of sword aura was clearly designed to impress rather than for practicalbat. The more specific and borate the effect, the harder it was to control. Creating intricate forms with aura required immense mastery, which was why techniques like ire¡¯s or Be¡¯s saber-like aura maniption were so rare. Still, for entertaining the kids, nothing could beat such a dazzling disy. Encouraged by their cheers, Sophia performed a few more tricks, even leaping into the air at one point. She concluded her performance with an elegant salute, earning enthusiastic apuse from the children. Sophia beamed with pride, her expression strangely fitting for the asion. Once Leo and Sophia finished their impromptu show, the children¡¯s eyes naturally turned to Charlotte and me. Their expectant gazes were almost palpable. Neither of us was wearing our academy uniforms, yet the children seemed to have figured out we were students too. ¡°¡­Haa.¡± Unable to withstand the pressure, Charlotte eventually borrowed Leo¡¯s sword. Though it wasn¡¯t her usual thin de, Charlotte was confident in her swordsmanship. Even if she couldn¡¯t disy her full skillset with the unfamiliar weapon, it was enough to earn apuse from the children. The real problem arose when their attention shifted to me. ¡­Hmm. I did have a pistol. It wasn¡¯t impossible to put on a show with it, after all. Stepping forward, I pulled a coin from my pocket. @@novelbin@@ With a flick of my fingers, I tossed the coin into the air. Then, in one swift motion, I drew my pistol and fired. Bang! The coinnded on the ground,pletely untouched. Not even a scratch along its edge. The kids stared at the coin, then back at me, their eyes wide with wonder. Heh. It wasn¡¯t like I¡¯d nned to hit it on the first try anyway. Let¡¯s try that again. --- ¡°I had a lot of fun today,¡± Charlotte said as we exited the alley. Taking the advice of our earlier guide, we decided to leave before the sunpletely set. In hindsight, the most problematic part of the day was probably when I fired my gun. While it had been satisfying to hit the coin mid-air multiple times, the noise of gunfire had naturally caused amotion. The guide hade running back, pale as a sheet, convinced someone had been killed. Considering the nature of the backstreets, hearing a gunshot would understandably lead one to assume the worst. Even though the police rarely patrolled these alleys, a reported gunshot would prompt at least a cursory investigation. That would spell trouble. To reassure him, I handed the guide a card from my pocket. The card bore no name, but it was made of high-quality paper and stamped with the intricate emblem of the Fangryphon Imperial family. The crest was embossed with anti-forgery details that were nearly impossible to replicate without the original seal. I told the guide to present the card to the police if they came. Upon seeing it, his face turned from pale to outright blue. With a shrug, I rejoined mypanions and left the alley. Leo and Sophia seemed a little bewildered by the exchange, but Charlotte, in contrast, appeared oddly pleased. Perhaps she found the experience exhrating, a refreshing break from her strictly ¡°royal¡± lifestyle. ¡°I¡¯m d you enjoyed yourself,¡± I remarked. ¡°¡­.¡± Charlotte¡¯s smile faltered slightly at my words. Looking at me with an apologetic expression, she hesitated before speaking. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I got carried away¡­ Ipletely forgot that you might have wanted to spend time with Leo.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Ah, right. The only reason I¡¯d been dragged into this was because Charlotte had insisted on helping me. ¡°That¡¯s not it,¡± I replied seriously, though Charlotte seemed lost in her own assumptions. ¡°I¡¯ll arrange a time for you and Leo to spend together soon. Of course, I¡¯ll keep it a secret from Alice.¡± If I genuinely had feelings for Leo, I wouldn¡¯t just keep it a secret from Alice¡ªI¡¯d ensure no one knew. ¡°After all, there¡¯s such a wide gap between a baron¡¯s son and a princess¡­¡± No, that wasn¡¯t the issue here. If anything, the Emperor would likely approve of me marrying someone I liked. He¡¯d never been the type to meddle in such affairs. He was the kind of man who sowed seeds in courtesans with the sole intent of producingpetent offspring. If I told him I had a child, he¡¯d probably celebrate rather than disapprove. Fangryphon¡¯s Imperial family didn¡¯tck for wealth or political clout. Even a baron¡¯s son would be considered a decent match. But exining that to Charlotte would only fan the mes of her misunderstanding, so I chose to stay silent. ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Leo suddenly asked, breaking into our conversation. ¡°Did I hear my name?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing!¡± Charlotte answered hastily. ¡°We were just discussing what happened in the alley earlier. Right, Sylvia?¡± Well, that wasn¡¯t a lie. But telling Leo the full truth would turn this from a simple misunderstanding into an uncontroble wildfire. ¡­Meanwhile, Sophia¡¯s gaze felt particrly piercing. She wasn¡¯t ring, but it was clear she had her own misconceptions about the situation. Not that I could me her. After all, I *had* been keeping an eye on Leo. But it wasn¡¯t out of affection. It was because of *her.* Yet exining that would only lead to furtherplications. As October began, I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that this month was going to be anything but smooth. Chapter 191 ¡°Hmm.¡± The reason Alice squinted at me like that was usually one of two things. One reason was when I did somethingpletely ridiculous and nonsensical, only to pin it all on the Emperor. Most of my friends have seen parts of my personality, but the one person who could almost perfectly read my essence was Alice. ire had recently started to get dangerously close to understanding me, and Charlotte had been slowly picking up on my expressions too, but for now, that was still the case. The problem was, I hadn¡¯t done anything like that recently. When I returned from Lindbergh, I didn¡¯t take more than a day before causing some trouble. The airship had flown nonstop, so it didn¡¯t take days to return, but almost immediately after, I began poking around the most crucial ces of the system. Of course, after making a mess, I always made sure to rewind time and erase all evidence. So, Alice¡¯s stare wasn¡¯t because of that. That left only one other reason. She had found something to tease me about. I wasn¡¯t exactly sure when Alice opened up to mepletely, but at some point, she started teasing me without caring about my usual nk face. Even after she had more or less figured out my abilities, she didn¡¯t stop. Or perhaps, it was because she figured out my abilities that she feltfortable teasing me. Well, anyway. Alice used to be the one who had a rivalry with me when we were younger, but now it seemed like I had developed a sort of rivalry with her. I could tell just by how her gaze made me irritated. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Unable to stand her stare any longer, I finally asked. We had gathered in the ssroom for the first time in a while. After all the time we¡¯d spent going off on various field assignments, you might think the sses would be running smoothly, but there¡¯s no mandatory curriculum set byw in this world. Despite the world¡¯s best faculty, the teaching here wasn¡¯t based on centuries-old educational theories. Instead, it was more about teachers passing on the knowledge they had gathered through years of personal research, giving students general life knowledge. It felt more like a university than a high school. So, it wasn¡¯t a big deal if a ss was interrupted. The teachers themselves knew about the field assignments, so they just adjusted their schedules ordingly. Because of that, the mood in the ssroom was a mix of joy and regret. Out of all the field assignments, the one to Lindbergh had been the closest thing to an actual ¡°trip.¡± While Winterfield and Northwood had their charms, Lindbergh was the most exotic. With the buzz of students discussing thest field assignment even after the weekend, my voice didn¡¯t spread too far. ¡°Well, it¡¯s just¡­¡± Alice casually looked away with a little pout as if she was ying hard to get. But her eyes quickly returned to me. Yeah, that was definitely a move to annoy me. The proof was in the muscles around the corners of her mouth, slightly lifted as if she was hiding a grin. Alice was grinning at me. ¡°¡­¡± And then, I started to get an inkling of why. I turned my body a bit more to look at Charlotte. When our eyes met, the foreign princess quickly shifted her gaze elsewhere. I thought so. I suppressed a deep sigh. Even though my concept had been getting a bit shakytely, I didn¡¯t want it to breakpletely¡ª * ... Well, sure. It could be a bit of a clich¨¦ for a cool beauty to fall in love and be a cool dere (cool and tsundere) only to break down and turn into a mega dere (over-the-top affectionate). But still. I had no intention of getting involved with any male character. Actually, I didn¡¯t really want to get involved with any female character either. If I had been possessed by Leo, or even if I had juste to this world as a male character, I might have flirted with a few heroines. With so many female characters, I could¡¯ve easily slipped in, as long as I wasn¡¯t engaging in NTR orare) with the protagonist. But I ended up as a female character. Moreover, I was a character who may or may not even appear in the original work. In this era, with homosexuality, well, considering the game was designed as a subculture targeting otaku, maybe it would be more epting of it, but I didn¡¯t want to make unnecessary trouble. Still, if I were to date someone, it would be another woman. Right. At least in the future, I would never date a ¡°man.¡± ¡°Umm¡­ about that.¡± Charlotte, who was facing me and Alice, spoke with a somewhat awkward expression. ¡°To be honest, I wasn¡¯t really nning on talking about it. Keeping ¡®such things¡¯ a secret is the duty of a noble, after all.¡± I didn¡¯t really want to know what ¡°such things¡± referred to, so I just stayed silent. ¡°But, no matter what, when his little sister asks me like that, I can¡¯t just keep my mouth shut.¡± ¡°So, are you saying you told ire that I like Leo?¡± I asked, unable to hold back.@@novelbin@@ The following statement was so absurd that I quickly asked in a bid to stop any more of my sanity from escaping my mind. ¡°Ah, no, I didn¡¯t say it exactly like that.¡± Seeing my expression, which must have been downright fierce, Charlotte stammered, ¡°Well, no, I didn¡¯t say it exactly like that.¡± ¡°Yes, Charlotte didn¡¯t say it exactly like that.¡± I turned to Alice, who chimed in. ¡°I heard it from ire.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°My little sister said she wasn¡¯t sure if anyone liked Leo, but I couldn¡¯t just ignore it. And don¡¯t be too harsh on ire. She also didn¡¯t want to say anything at first.¡± ¡°How did you convince ire to say it?¡± ¡°I agreed to support ire¡¯s n. At that time, I didn¡¯t even know what the n was.¡± I forced myself not to facepalm. ¡°You said that without even knowing what the n was?¡± ¡°You said you¡¯d go along with the Duke of Lindbergh¡¯s n without knowing what it was. Isn¡¯t that a much lighter mistake than mine?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Well¡­ I didn¡¯t have much to say to that. ¡°And by the way¡­¡± Alice leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. ¡°If you really don¡¯t like Leo, then ire¡¯s n might actually work out quite well for you.¡± She was grinning, but I didn¡¯t think that n would actually be that great. Still, I decided to listen. ¡°What¡¯s the n?¡± ¡°ire doesn¡¯t want Leo to marry you.¡± ¡°...No way!¡± Charlotte covered her mouth in surprise. As both of our gazes turned to her, Charlotte, still in shock, turned to Alice and asked, ¡°Why? ire calls Sylvia ¡®big sister¡¯ and follows her, doesn¡¯t she? Isn¡¯t this an important matter where she could actually be a ¡®real big sister¡¯?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the problem,¡± Alice said. ¡°ire wants Sylvia to stay as her ¡®big sister,¡¯ but she doesn¡¯t want to be her ¡®little sister.¡¯¡± ... ... ...Ah. I see. It took me a while to process, but it slowly started to make sense. ire was insisting that Leo was her ¡°little brother.¡± Of course, both of them had been calling each other ¡°older brother¡± and ¡°younger sister,¡± so it was unclear who was actually older. But it seems that the rivalry between them was real. ire truly viewed Leo as her little brother, so she was worried that if I married him, I¡¯d start calling her my ¡°sister.¡± I clenched my fist again. I had to hold back from mming it into my forehead, so I tensed my entire arm. ¡°No way!¡± Charlotte looked like she was genuinely getting into the situation. ¡°Because of that¡­!¡± ¡°And also, ire isn¡¯t just calling Sylvia her big sister. She¡¯s already considering her part of her family. Think about it. How would ire feel if her little brother and big sister were to get married? Even if they¡¯re not blood-rted.¡± ¡°¡­¡± That was truly a disturbing way of thinking. ¡°So, if you really don¡¯t like Leo, just keep those feelings. It¡¯ll be a lot easier for you and your little sister¡¯s worries will be eased.¡± Charlotte¡¯s gaze at me now felt like she was seeing an older sister sacrificing herself for her younger sibling. ... Alright, then. In that case, there must be another way. I was already quite the expert at setting up couples¡­ too sessfully, in fact. Every time I saw one of those couples, it made me feel queasy. Making Leo a girlfriend was easy, right? He already had someone he liked, so it shouldn¡¯t be that hard. Chapter 192 It wasn¡¯t easy at all. ¡°Huh? Really? Then shall we eat together?¡± First, Leo was far from being easy. Before he made any same-sex friends, Leo already had plenty of opposite-sex friends, so there weren¡¯t many people who¡¯d casually ask him to eat together. Normally, I would have had meals with Alice or maybe the whole group of friends, including Leo. So, I should¡¯ve just kept quiet. When I first spoke to Leo, he looked at me with a bright smile. I even felt like a physical light was shining on me, and I instinctively squinted my eyes a little. Leo considered me his friend. So, as a ¡°friend,¡± I was probably making him happy by asking to eat together. The problem was, it seemed like others didn¡¯t see it that way. Yeah, I realized that only after I spoke up. Even if Alice or Charlotte spoke first, there was hardly anyone who would mistake them for liking Leo. The difference in their social statuses was just too big. There was no need to look for a logical reason why jealous people would interpret things that way¡ªit was simply because they wanted to gossip. The problem was, *I* was the one who spoke first. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t ask anyone to eat together. And Leo responded with a smile. Ah, this might look like something special to others¡ªwas the thought that came to me only after I spoke. At least I was fortunate not to look around. If I had done that, I would have quickly realized how awkward it would be, turning me into the quintessential cool-dere heroine who, after realizing her mistake, awkwardly tried to hide it. ¡°¡­¡± I could feel the intense gaze on me from the side. ire was squinting at me. *That* ire Grace. Usually, she would have been looking up at me with sparkling eyes, like a golden retriever. No, wait, that¡¯s not it. Forget what you were thinking. Saying that would be pointless. At this point, suspicion had already deeply taken root, so anything I said would only sound like something suspicious. ¡°ire.¡± Before I could bring myself to speak, someone else had already moved. It was Charlotte. ¡°Huh?¡± ire, who had been startled, turned around to see Charlotte holding her own shoulder. ¡°I found a nice restaurant nearby. Would you like to join? It''s a ce that serves Belvoir food, and even I thought the taste was quite good.¡± ¡°Oh, then I¡¯ll go with my sister and Leo¡ª¡± ¡°Ah, but it¡¯s a shame. The ce is almost full. I barely managed to get a reservation yesterday. I could probably fit two more, but wouldn¡¯t it look like I¡¯m going on a date with Leo? It¡¯d be better if it were just two women, right?¡± She was doing somethingpletely unnecessary. It was already going to be a problem asking ire toe with us. People already suspected that I liked Leo, and on top of that, ire had been against me marrying Leo. It was clear the situation would get extremely awkward. And I also had my own reasons for talking to Leo. ¡°Well then, can I join the remaining seat? I¡¯d like to check out what kind of ce a Belvoir local would rmend.¡± Saying that, Alice stood up and casually moved to stand next to ire. Then ire was practically dragged out of the ssroom by the two of them. ¡°Hey, wait, sis, sis¡ª!¡± ire screamed as she was pulled out, and the whole ssroom watched with stunned expressions. Then, their gaze shifted back to us. ... Well, fine. So that¡¯s the way it¡¯s going to be. I had my own ns. Leo had already be a bit closer to Sophia yesterday. There¡¯s no better way to build closeness than to work together on something. And if that "something" was volunteer work, even better. It allowed Leo to subtly show how good of a person he was and to emphasizemon interests. Most importantly, it allowed them to spend time together. So, calling Sophia over for a meal with the three of us wasn¡¯t such a bad idea. Leo wouldn¡¯t reject it. If Leo had ¡°one definite girlfriend,¡± it might ease some of the jealousy that others felt toward him. Even though they were both from foreign countries, their family backgrounds were that of a baron and a knight, so the difference wasn¡¯t so great. With Sophia¡¯s personality, the Grace couple wouldn¡¯t mind. There was the issue with the Kingdom Spy, but that... well, I could deal with thatter. With those thoughts in mind, I turned my gaze toward Sophia¡¯s seat¡ª ¡ªand met her eyes. There were tears welling up in Sophia¡¯s eyes. Ah. Wait, hold on. That¡¯s not it. Before I could even make an excuse, Sophia suddenly jumped up and dashed out of the ssroom. ¡°¡­¡± The entire ss watched this unfold before their eyes and then turned their gaze back to me. ¡°Huh? Why is that? Is there something bothering Sophia?¡± It¡¯s you. It¡¯s *you*, you! Okay, sure, I created this situation, but still! ¡°¡­Sylvia.¡± Someone called my name, and I turned to see Mia, who had quietly approached me, gazing up at me. Maybe she wanted to ask to eat with me¡ª Before I could finish that thought, Mia gently took my hand and said, ¡°You¡¯ve finally learned what emotions are.¡± She said somethingpletely nonsensical. I stood frozen for about 2.5 seconds before recalling what she meant. It was something I had said when I found the Marmaros and the gun in Mia¡¯s room¡ªthe excuse I gave her at that time. Mia smiled slightly, as though sincerely congratting me, let go of my hand, and quickly left the ssroom. ¡°¡­¡± I stared nkly at her flowing ck hair, when someone tapped me on the shoulder. ¡°Princess, I wish you luck.¡± With a solemn expression and voice, Lena spoke to me. Then, as if she understood everything without needing words, she gave a slight nod and left the ssroom. By the way, Jake and Lottie had been missing for quite a while. They probably went out as soon as lunchtime started to cause some trouble. In the end, the only person left in the ssroom with me, sitting in front of me with a puzzled smile, was Leo. ¡°¡­¡± What is happening? * I didn¡¯t shout ¡°again!¡± I carefully held onto thest thread of reason and thought it through. This was actually a pretty good opportunity. Though it was incredibly embarrassing, this was a chance to sit down with Leo and have a one-on-one conversation, to understand the situation he was in and his true feelings. Even if someone had a close younger sibling, there are things you can¡¯t say because they¡¯re a sibling. Especially when ites to the struggles of school life. With ire¡¯s personality, even though she often bickers with Leo, if she heard Leo¡¯s words, she¡¯d immediately act to help him. But... things like friendship can¡¯t be solved that way. This kind of issue needed to be approached properly, step by step. ¡°Well, it seems we ended up eating together today.¡± Since it was a bit awkward to eat in the ssroom with everyone watching, we ended up going outside. Of course, it wasn¡¯t the academy garden. It was way too cold to eat outside. So, we chose a small bakery not far from the academy. It was lunchtime, so students sometimes came in, but this bakery only had one table. With the two of us sitting there, no one could really interrupt. There were a few students who subtly hovered, trying to eavesdrop, but when they made eye contact with me, they quickly left. ¡°Now that I think about it, this is the first time.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I spoke up immediately. ¡°I¡¯ve hardly ever eaten alone with anyone else.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I continued, thinking hard and chewing on the cream cheese-covered baguette slowly. ¡°Because of that, it seems like we¡¯ve caused quite an absurd misunderstanding in the ssroom.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± Leo gave a weakugh at my words. ¡°Well, people always misunderstand things anyway.¡± Then, in a slightly weaker voice, he said. ¡°¡­¡± I silently stared at Leo and then asked, ¡°Has anyone ever bullied you?¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± Leo widened his eyes and looked at me. ¡°Why do you think that?¡± ¡°Because your behavior seemed a bit offtely.¡± ¡°Aah, that¡­¡± Leo awkwardlyughed and sighed deeply. ¡°I guess¡­ how should I say it?¡±@@novelbin@@ With an apologetic expression, he added, ¡°Maybe my rtionships with friends have gotten a bit skewed, and I don¡¯t have many people to talk totely?¡± ¡°I see.¡± So that was it. I barely managed to suppress a sigh. Chapter 195 There are moments when, even with the ability to rewind time, I hesitate to use it. If I made a serious mistake, of course, it would make sense to use my ability. If I could prevent someone from getting hurt or save someone who should have died, it would be a win for everyone. I could also use it to make myself perfect. Rewinding time to study for exams and get excellent scores, or to ensure that I never miss a shot when firing a gun¡ªthese things could be done easily. And I¡¯ve done that. On the battlefield, I took down entire fronts without getting hit, and I already knew the most important military secrets of the empire. While it would be impossible to sketch out naval blueprints or maps perfectly, I had enough knowledge to exin which areas were critical and why. But when it came to clearing up misunderstandings that had been ced on me, it was incredibly difficult. Yes, there were no limits to my ability, so I could rewind time again and again and try to exin things. If I thought about the countless time-maniptors I¡¯d seen in my past life, my hesitation would probably seem like an indulgence to them. But¡­ still. ¡°¡­¡± Somehow, despite having the ability to rewind time, I found myself in yet another confrontation today. Alice had at least said that she wouldn¡¯t interfere with my love life anymore. She probably read that I was genuinely annoyed. And, true to her word, Alice didn¡¯t bother me during lunch today either, nor did she offer any advice. ire trusts me. If I really were to start dating Leo after saying all this, it would deeply wound her, but there¡¯s no need to worry. I have no intention of dating a man. Moreover, the generalmon sense I had from my previous life made things more ufortable. To others, I appeared to be a slightly mature girl in her mid-teens, but in truth, I was just an old man inside. Even though I didn¡¯t have romantic feelings, the thought of engaging in such things at my age was... highly unpleasant. Charlotte had agreed not to interfere further, but as we three walked out of the ssroom, she caught my gaze and clenched her fist. It reminded me of something I¡¯d once thought when I used to watch inte broadcasts: why do people dislike obsessive couples so much? Now, I understood why. I wasn¡¯t involved in inte broadcasting, but still. * We ended up in the same bakery as yesterday. The bakery owner¡¯s face lit up when he saw me. I probably had to buy even more bread today. After all, if we were going to have a conversation, we¡¯d have to clear everyone else out of here. ¡°¡­¡± As soon as we sat down, I opened my mouth. ¡°So, you asked me to eat with you today. Can I hear why?¡± ¡°Ah¡ª well¡­¡± Before Leo could answer, Sophia raised her hand like a child eager to answer in ss. ¡°Sophia,¡± I said, seeing Leo nod in agreement. I looked at Sophia. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why the Princess gave up on Leo yesterday.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I nced at Leo. He was already covering his face with both hands. Thankfully, his face and ears weren¡¯t flushed red from embarrassment. ¡°I don¡¯t think you need to do that.¡± ¡°Well, the premise is a bit strange,¡± I said, since I already knew she wouldn¡¯t listen to me anyway. ¡°Is there any reason why I shouldn¡¯t give up on Leo?¡± ¡°Of course, because love is something you fight for.¡± Sophia said with determination, her face hardening with resolve. ¡­ What¡¯s going on? Did she sneakily read some romance novels when she was young in a convent? That wouldn¡¯t surprise me. ¡°If there¡¯s a fight for love, there must also be a way to let go,¡± I replied. ¡°I can¡¯t ept that!¡± Sophia immediately responded to me. ¡°Fighting for love like that¡ª¡± ¡°Fighting?¡± I asked, confused. How does someone like her, who¡¯s usuallypletely oblivious, pick up on such words when it matters? ¡°Leo.¡± I said, turning to Leo with a serious expression. ¡°Would you mind stepping outside and waiting for us for a bit while we talk? It¡¯ll only take a moment.¡± And then I realized how cold it was outside, so I quickly added. ¡°It won¡¯t take long.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Leo gave me a somewhat surprised look but nodded and stood up. Thank goodness. He was a gentleman, unlike Jake. If Leo had Jake¡¯s personality, he¡¯d probably have smiled smugly and insisted on staying in the conversation. As Leo left, I pulled my chair next to Sophia. There was a distinct scent of flowers around her. From what she had said about ¡°fighting,¡± it seemed like she had applied perfume for Leo. Honestly, I didn¡¯t know whether it was eptable for someone in her position¡ªespecially someone from the church¡ªto be so proactive in rtionships. ¡°Uh, uh?¡± When I sat so close to her, Sophia was taken aback. ¡°It may be ufortable, but let¡¯s talk for a bit like this. This is something that can¡¯t be overheard.¡± Sophia nodded, looking slightly apprehensive. ¡°Sophia, you like Leo, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She looked like she was about to immediately deny it, but after a brief moment of hesitation, Sophia finally nodded. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care why you like Leo or what attracts you to him. I¡¯m not involved in your romantic affairs. I have no interest in other people¡¯s rtionships.¡± While Jake and Lottie tried to help set people up¡ª ¡ªThe results were a bit too much, I thought. Those two became a bit too close. If they went any further, the whole genre of the story might change. Mainly in the sense of being rated 19+. I wasn¡¯t concerned about whether Leo would get a girlfriend. If it ended up being Sophia¡­ I would¡¯ve interfered if it were the original Sophia, but this Sophia didn¡¯t seem to show any signs of that. It was probably just her attraction to Leo¡¯s appearance. ¡°But once again, I¡¯ve never had romantic feelings for Leo. I think of him as a friend. If he¡¯s ever in danger, I¡¯ll help him. If there¡¯s a political need, I¡¯ll dly use my position as a princess to assist. But that¡¯s because he¡¯s a ¡®friend,¡¯ not because he¡¯s my type.¡± I looked directly into Sophia¡¯s eyes as I spoke. ¡°Ah. Ugh.¡± Sophia¡¯s expression showed that she didn¡¯t know how to react, especially since we were so close. Well, that¡¯s exactly why I did it¡ªto make her ufortable. But, it wasn¡¯t like our bodies were touching. ¡°If I were to help Alice, ire, Mia, or Lena in simr ways, it wouldn¡¯t be because I think of them as my lovers either.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°Really.¡± I said, moving my chair back a little. ¡°Of course, I think the same about Charlotte. But she¡¯s a princess of a country. In fact, she will be the future queen. Even though I¡¯m a princess, when she bes queen, I won¡¯t be in a position to ¡®help¡¯ her anymore.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia seemed lost in thought for a moment. ¡°And you. Sophia Bianchi.¡± When I called her name, she blinked in surprise. ¡°Perhaps, I could help your ¡®family¡¯ as well. I could assist a small noble family, at least.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia¡¯s expression subtly shifted. I already knew Sophia¡¯s true identity, and she knew I knew it too. But the help I spoke of would be limited to the ¡®small noble family¡¯¡ªI wasn¡¯t offering to help the Law Empire, but I would help her personally. Even though Sophia¡¯s thinking was a bit simple, I¡¯m sure she understood exactly what I was saying. ¡°But if you keep spreading false rumors that make me upset, you might be removed from my list of friends.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± At my words, Sophia¡¯s face turned pale. Yes, I knew she was enjoying her school life, but there were things she had to do. As an agent sent by the Law Empire, she had a mission to fulfill.@@novelbin@@ And the priority of that mission was to be friends with me, Sylvia Fangryphon. Looking at the pale Sophia, I felt satisfied that my message had gotten through. Chapter 196 **Satisfied.** Since that conversation that day, Sophia no longer says strange things to me. @@novelbin@@ Leo had never misunderstood anything in the first ce, and Alice, who had only been teasing me for her own amusement, stopped bringing it up altogether once the fun was over. Charlotte would asionally look at me with sad eyes, but that was all. She no longer tried to tie me to Leo in any way. Solving a major incident without resorting to rewinding time felt immensely gratifying and satisfying. Back in the day, I thought of my cheat-like ability as something I could use recklessly whenever I wanted¡­ but now, things were different. My rtionships had changed. The friends around me were, quite literally, my ¡°friends.¡± And every conversation I had with them was a memory to cherish. Rewinding time didn¡¯t just mean erasing my mistakes; it also meant erasing all those memories. At the start of the semester, I had used my ability multiple times to maintain my perfect image. Of course, even now, I wouldn¡¯t hesitate to use it if my image was in serious jeopardy. However, I no longer wanted to use it for every minor mistake¡ªespecially after conversations that could shape rtionships. That¡¯s why the fact that I didn¡¯t rely on my ability while forming bonds with others brought me such satisfaction. Not that it meant there would never be a reason to use my ability again. --- "Seriously, you''re as elusive as a ghost." The voice, weak and strained, belonged to Chiara Verati. Her body was wrapped in countless bandages as shey on the bed, looking at me with a feeble smile. "Especially while wearing such ufortable clothes." "This might not look it, but these uniforms are made with advanced materials. They¡¯re perfectly functional." I replied, taking a seat on the chair next to her bed. **Thud.** A sound came from the direction of the door. There was the noise of repeated, loud impacts, followed by muffled shouts from someone outside. It was natural. Even injured, a knight of the church was no ordinary person. Even without weapons, they could take down an average soldier with ease. So, it was only logical for her to be confined deep within the imperial pce in the heart of the capital, despite her injuries. ...Though, honestly, did they really need to imprison someone this badly hurt? "So, how exactly do you n to escape... Not that you''d tell me even if I asked, right?" "Who knows." I shrugged at Chiara Verati''s question and said, "Depending on how this conversation goes, I might just let you in on it." "Hah. Still, I doubt you''ll tell me anything beyond what you want me to know." "I promise you this: I¡¯ll make sure to reveal a real secret." As long as that masked woman doesn¡¯t suddenly appear, there¡¯d be no need to rewind time. And at this point, I didn¡¯t expect her to show up. The masked woman only appeared when matters rted to the artifacts were involved. Artifacts like the one that had first appeared before me. I¡¯d already checked the bag the emperor mentioned finding¡ªit was hidden so well that uncovering it had required doing things I¡¯d rather forget. Still, those who had been hurt back then were now fully recovered, so perhaps it was all worth it. It seemed the masked woman couldn¡¯t use her abilities because of that artifact. Just as my abilities were sealed whenever she appeared. Objects tied to the goddess''s power could suppress both my and the masked woman''s abilities. "And what, you''re nning to kill me?" "..." If the moment ever came when my abilities were blocked, I might have to. At my silence, Chiara Verati frowned. After thinking for a long while, she let out a deep sigh. "...Fine. Speak. Is there something specific you want to know?" "Will you tell me?" "Do I even have a choice?" **Thud!** Another loud sound came from the door. It was possible they were preparing magic or even cannons on the other side. No, cannons seemed unlikely. The emperor might not allow that. "What did Lucas ask you aboutst time?" "The artifact." Chiara Verati answered straightforwardly. "He asked about what it was and why we were searching for it." "Didn¡¯t you say you weren¡¯t high-ranking enough to know the details?" "And you believed that?" "Not entirely." I hadn¡¯t thought pressing her further back then would get any more answers. Besides, I couldn¡¯t exactly interrogate her with Alice watching. "..." After a brief silence, Chiara Verati spoke again. "I was sent to the Empire to search for the artifact. While Northwood wasn¡¯t the only potential location, there aren¡¯t many ces worth searching¡ªlike here, the imperial pce." "Are you saying you intentionally got captured?" "No. It wasn¡¯t intentional. But since I was caught, I decided to turn the crisis into an opportunity." "Did you seed?" "No." Chiara Verati let out a scoff. "For such an important location, one they¡¯d even bring their most vital prisoners to, the artifact wasn¡¯t here. It was hidden elsewhere." "And how do you search for the artifact?" "The Holy Nation hasn¡¯t been idle for centuries. To return the goddess''s power to her¡­ to bring her back into the world, we¡¯ve been perfecting a system. Of course, we don¡¯t rely solely on ancient records. There''s a sacred spell known only to the highest ranks of the Holy Nation. It¡¯s cast on individuals and works without leaving any evidence. Those affected can sense an anomaly when near an artifact." "Have you ever felt it?" "In the Holy Nation, we train using an artifact in our possession to familiarize ourselves with the sensation." "And one of those artifacts ended up in the Empire." "...Exactly." Chiara Verati exhaled deeply. "Can you tell me more about that spell?" "No. The Holy Nation''s leaders wouldn¡¯t allow such knowledge to spread. The spell is performed while the subject is unconscious, and when they wake, there¡¯s no trace of it. Even if you suspect there might be a mark, you''d need the Holy Nation¡¯s unique magic to confirm it." "I see." **Crash!** The door bent inward, almost breaking under the repeated impacts. "Why are you telling me all this?" Feeling pressed for time, I asked. Not long ago¡ªjust after Lucas¡¯s attack left her badly injured and unconscious¡ªthis same person had beenpletely uncooperative. "Ha¡­ who knows." Chiara Verati stared nkly at the ceiling as she spoke. "I used to think dying for the goddess was enough. Suicide¡¯s forbidden by doctrine, but¡­ I figured as long as I served her, I could die doing so." But now¡­ "Aftering here, being left to rot by the Holy Nation, hearing that some monstrous creature killed my oldrades, and losing the artifact¡­ I¡¯m just so disillusioned. Everything I believed in feels shattered. Honestly, I wish I hadn¡¯t woken up after Lucas''s attack." "That¡¯s your reason?" "Yes. And you promised to tell me about your ability¡ªhow you found me and n to escape. I¡¯m incredibly curious." The hinges on the door seemed ready to give way. "Fine," I said, nodding. "I¡¯ll tell you. I already knew what would happen. I saw it from beyond the bounds of this world." "...You knew the future?" Chiara let out a breathless sound. "And second, I have the power to rewind time." "..." "So there¡¯s no need to n an escape route. Once I¡¯ve achieved my goal, I¡¯ll simply go back." "Ha." Chiara Verati let out a disbelievingugh. "You don¡¯t believe me?" "No, it¡¯s not that. It¡¯s absurd, but if you really have ¡®that kind of power,¡¯ everything suddenly makes sense. It¡¯s just¡­" Chiara Verati fell silent, staring at the ceiling for a long time. **Crash!** The door finally broke, armor nging as soldiers rushed in. Through themotion, Chiara Verati¡¯s voice rang clearly. "It¡¯s all so meaningless. I worked so hard for the goddess¡¯s power, but in the end¡­" Her words trailed off, but I¡¯d already heard enough. Once again. Chapter 197 If there¡¯s one thing I¡¯ve learned about myself while living in this world, it¡¯s that I don¡¯t particrly care about how others perceive me. Well¡­ aside from the character image I¡¯ve carefully cultivated. I put effort into maintaining that because it defines my persona. But outside of that, especially when ites to people beyond my immediate circle, I don¡¯t think about their opinions as much as I might have imagined. For instance, it wasn¡¯t until recently that I found out a rumorbeling me a ¡°murderer¡± had been circting for months. And even after hearing about it, I didn¡¯t react much. Honestly, isn¡¯t it true? Setting aside the assassination of Count Crowfield¡ªstill a secret for now¡ªI¡¯ve been on the battlefield and fired upon people before. Not just one or two, either. I couldn¡¯t even recall the exact number of people I¡¯d killed. Not that it was in the dozens, but when bullets are flying from all directions, bombs are exploding, and the cacophony of machine gun fire and charging soldiers fills the air, there¡¯s no time to keep count of the lives you take while rewinding time hundreds of times in a battle. Frankly, I understand why this reputation arose. Even if this academy doubles as a military academy and some graduates are destined for the army, most students here have never killed anyone. If they had, that would be the unusual case. War, even in this world, is generally regarded as an adult matter. The distinction between who is considered an adult and who is considered a child might be blurred, but the line is drawn nheless. And while the arbitrary nature of that line disgusted me at times, it was precisely because of it that I, a person who had crossed that line without hesitation, was beingbeled a ¡°murderer¡± by the students. Looking at it objectively, they weren¡¯t wrong. The only problem was that if you applied thatbel strictly, countless soldiers hailed as ¡°heroes¡± in this nation would fit the description just as well. I happened to overhear the rumor by sheer coincidence. If I¡¯d been alone when I heard it, I would have easily ignored it and moved on¡ªbut¡ª "What did you just say?" The problem was, someone else had been standing beside me when I opened the door to the student council room. And that person, physically superior to me in every way, was Alice. I had clearly heard the words ¡°murderer Sylvia¡± from just outside the door, so it wouldn¡¯t have been surprising if Alice had caught the entire context. "Repeat what you just said, right now." Before I could even open the door fully, Alice slipped inside with swift, decisive movements, heading straight toward the source of the voice. It seemed she had already identified the person behind thement. Unlike me, who didn¡¯t particrly care about the idle chatter of nobles, Alice had been actively engaging in social interactions sinceing to the academy. Recognizing someone by their voice wouldn¡¯t have been difficult for her. The student council room had several tables. Instead of the massive, intimidating conference tables one might expect in a corporate boardroom, these tables were smaller, more suited to informal gatherings, with seating for four or five people each. By regtion, anyone could make proposals or announcements in this space, typically by tapping a champagne ss with a spoon or raising their voice to gather attention. In essence, the student council operated in the style of a traditional noble social gathering. Unsurprisingly, the room was often a social hub for council members rather than a formal meeting ce, even during scheduled meetings. "Ah, um, I didn¡¯t mean¡­" Even with the most charitable interpretation, the term ¡°murderer¡± is never positive. The girl who had attached that word to my name turned pale, her face almost as blue as her strikingly light sky-colored hair¡ªan umon feature that wouldn¡¯t be out of ce on one of the protagonists in a story. I stepped into the room, my loafers clicking sharply against the floor. The eyes of the seven students in the room all turned to me at once. Did they think I was about to explode in anger? Honestly, such words didn¡¯t bother me enough to provoke that kind of reaction. I knew the names and backgrounds of all the noble students here, but I had no intention of getting involved with those who weren¡¯t part of the main storyline. "Oh¡­" Still, just because I didn¡¯t intend to form close rtionships with them didn¡¯t mean I avoided them altogether. We were, after all, part of the same student council. I hadn¡¯t nned to approach the girl in question, but since Alice had gone straight to her, I couldn¡¯t ignore the situation entirely. Conversations among nobles often followed a kind of mathematical form, with official feelings and personal emotions kept separate. Even if I personally didn¡¯t feel offended, ¡°showing anger¡± might be necessary to gain favor among the nobles. On the other hand, even if something enraged me, ¡°not showing anger¡± might be expected depending on the situation. Usually, the former applied to matters of personal or familial honor, while thetter applied to issues involving close family or spouses. The ability to navigate that fine line was what made a noble truly skilled. "I-I¡¯m sorry!" The girl¡¯s face turned even paler when our eyes met. She stood abruptly, bowing deeply in my direction. So¡­ she¡¯s from an earl¡¯s family, I think. Not someone insignificant, given her position in the student council, but certainly not a match for the Fangryphon imperial family. Suppressing a sigh, I abandoned my n to head for an empty seat and approached their table instead. "Calling someone who fights and sacrifices their life for the Empire a ¡®murderer¡¯ casts doubt on your family¡¯s loyalty to the Empire," Alice said sharply. The already silent room grew even quieter, as though the pressure alone could crush someone. "N-no, that¡¯s not what I meant¡­ I just¡­" The girl frantically searched for an excuse, but nothing seemed toe to mind.@@novelbin@@ "If Sylvia is a ¡®murderer,¡¯ then doesn¡¯t that make the Duke of Winterfield, headmaster of this academy, a murderer too?" Alice pressed, smiling faintly. Her opponent remained silent, unable to respond. A quick nce showed the student council president frozen mid-sip, his teacup suspended in midair. "And how many others in this room agree with that sentiment?" Alice continued. "Before I arrived, the atmosphere here seemed cheerful enough. Do you all regrly hold such discussions in our absence? I would never have guessed that families I considered pirs of the Empire were actually parasitic freeloaders clinging to its name." "Um, no, that¡¯s not¡­" The president, who had remained frozen until now, finally moved, his jaw trembling slightly. "Those words were Lady Rassel¡¯s personal remarks," he said slowly. Lady Rassel turned her pleading gaze to the president, silently begging him not to abandon her. For a moment, I thought I could see the calctions running through the president¡¯s mind. "The word ¡®murderer¡¯ and the name ¡®Sylvia¡¯ must have been joined identally during an unrted conversation," he dered after what seemed like careful deliberation. It seemed he had decided that being in debt to the Rassel family was the more advantageous choice. "Continue," Alice said, fixing her gaze on Lady Rassel. "The Imperial Princess Sylvia Fangryphon was on the battlefield at the time," the president exined slowly. "The enemy was a group of despicable warlords¡ªmurderers and rapists. The princess yed a significant role in eliminating them." He pieced together an exnation, neither fully convincing nor entirely weak. As the duke¡¯s heir, his words carried weight, even if they weren¡¯t definitive. Lady Rassel nodded vigorously in agreement. "I see." Finally, I spoke, breaking my silence. "I appreciate the praise. As much as you support me personally, I trust the Rassel family will also contribute to the royal family¡¯s future endeavors." "For the esteemed Fangryphon imperial family, there is nothing we wouldn¡¯t do. I will follow your words without fail." Lady Rassel bowed her head deeply. Chapter 199 No matter how good or bad someone''s first impression is, spending enough time with that person usually changes it. Even the worst first impressions soften over a year or so as you begin to notice the good sides of that person. Conversely, no matter how great someone seems at first, spending a long time with them reveals their ws. That¡¯s often why rtionships fall apart. As people be more familiar with each other, their partner¡¯s ws be more apparent, and once those ws pile up past a certain threshold, they can no longer tolerate one another. ¡­Not that I¡¯d know for sure, having never been in a romantic rtionship myself. In any case, such changes in perception often result from learning something new about the other person, but sometimes it¡¯s because the person themselves changes. In Charlotte¡¯s case, I believe her image shift had more to do with her subtly changing personality rather than me uncovering unknown aspects of her. In the original story, Charlotte had a somewhat cold impression. Though her rtionship with the protagonist, Leo, softened her image over time, the outbreak of war between the Empire and the kingdom shattered that progress. The issue here, however, is that the Emperor shows no sign of instigating a war in this world, perhaps due to the butterfly effect. It¡¯s a good thing¡ªdefinitely a good thing¡ªbut¡­ ¡°Fufufu.¡± I stared at Charlotte, whose suspicious giggling filled the room, with a baffled expression. Yes, the absence of a reason for Charlotte to guard herself against us had resulted in her disying these strange behaviors over time. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a course that will surely amaze everyone. While Belvur mayg behind the Empire in industrialization, I¡¯ll show you that its traditions and culinary culture are leagues ahead!¡± In the original story, Alice and Charlotte¡¯s battles of wit revolved around political matters. In this world, however, Charlotte seemed to have developed an entirely different kind of logic. ¡°¡­Did you spend your entire vacation nning this? Inviting academy students to promote Belvur¡¯s history and culture?¡± ¡°I thought about it quite seriously,¡± Charlotte replied, unfazed by Alice¡¯s remark. ¡°Belvur, which is only just beginning to industrialize, cannot surpass the Empire in military or economic power. That¡¯s not something that can change with time alone. While we can strengthen our military enough to defend ourselves during a war, we could never expand it to the point of conquering the entire Empire.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re nning to project cultural influence instead?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it a possibility? After all, the ce you frequent most is a caf¨¦ serving Belvur-style desserts.¡± Charlotte¡¯s gaze shifted toward me. ¡°Even the caf¨¦ owner boasts about learning their skills in Belvur to attract customers, doesn¡¯t he?¡± In short, Charlotte was aiming for cultural victory. Well, it wasn¡¯t entirely nonsensical. Culture ys a significant role in rtions between nations. It¡¯s hard to justify suppressing cultural exchanges, and attempts to do so often provoke bacsh from those who already enjoy that culture. The best way to counter such influence is to develop one¡¯s own cultural industry and encourage people to embrace it instead. Belvur and the Empire were long-standing neighbors with culturally simr roots. Belvur retained many cultural elements the Empire had lost during its industrialization¡ªsuch as its cuisine¡ªwhich had be popr among the Empire¡¯s upper ss. Charlotte had clearly picked up on this while attending the academy. However, there was one aspect of her enthusiasm that I found a little¡­ unsettling. ¡°I guarantee that once you taste authentic Belvur cuisine made by real Belvur chefs, your opinions will change. And it¡¯s not just the food; there¡¯s plenty to see as well. Belvur didn¡¯t recklessly demolish its old buildings in the name of industrialization.¡± As Charlotte puffed out her chest and proudly made her pitch, she reminded me of a junior officer from my military days, boasting about giving me the "full Busan tour" if I ever visited their hometown. ¡­There was no need to remind her that I¡¯d already tried Belvur¡¯s cuisine during our visitst year. Seeing Alice nce at me uneasily, I stifled a sigh. Alice and I might¡¯ve had reservations, but the academy seemed to think Charlotte¡¯s proposal was worth considering. While there were legal and cultural differences between the Empire and Belvur,munication wasn¡¯t a significant issue. Although ordinary Belvurmoners didn¡¯t speak Imperial, the high-ranking individuals hosting the academy students would be fluent. From the academy¡¯s perspective, there was no reason to refuse an opportunity to broaden students¡¯ horizons. Naturally, most of the students were excited about the idea. Officially, Sophia and Charlotte were the only academy students from Belvur, after all. In the world I came from, budget airlines and saving money made overseas vacations a possibility for most people every few years. Here, however, international travel was far moreplicated. Most border crossings required extensive paperwork, and very few ces offered easy ess based solely on visas. While nobles, backed by their governments, might have more opportunities,moners found traveling abroad extremely challenging unless involved inmerce. ¡°¡­Mia.¡± I quietly called her name. ¡°Y-Yes?¡± Mia, startled, looked up before ncing at where my gaze had fallen. Her face turned red as she hastily closed her notebook. I had been looking at the notebook in front of her. As the weather turned colder, most students had retreated into the academy buildings. The once-greenwns had begun to yellow, and the bare branches of the street trees offered little to admire. Most students were spending their time in the academy lobby or their dorm rooms, enjoying tea and snacks.@@novelbin@@ Meanwhile, we were in the student council room. Mia¡¯s presence in the room was a rare sight, enough that I sometimes forgot she¡¯d joined the council at the start of the semester. Well, ¡°joined¡± might be putting it lightly¡ª¡°chased me into¡± was probably more urate. Back when our rtionship was rocky, she¡¯d barely shown up. Lately, however, she had beening around more often, just like now, where she was seated at a small table in the room, diligently jotting something in her notebook. ¡°Is that a list of foods you want to try?¡± I asked. Mia¡¯s face flushed a deeper red. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯m obligated to answer that!¡± Look at her, being all defiant to hide her embarrassment. Amused, I pulled out a chair at her table and sat down. ¡°You seem pretty excited about going to Belvur. Making a list of foods to try once you get there?¡± ¡°I-It''s not like that! Not at all!¡± Yeah, sure it isn¡¯t. Even at a nce, it was obviously a list of Belvur cuisine. Looking at her now, Mia¡¯s image had definitely changed. When we first met, she¡¯d been like a prickly hedgehog. Now, she resembled a hamster or squirrel¡ªthough one you¡¯d still want to handle with care to avoid getting bitten. I briefly recalled Mia from the original story. Was she always this food-driven? Hmm¡­ Not really. There weren¡¯t many characters in the original who openly disyed such traits. Of course, eating a lot was another matter. It just wasn¡¯tmon to show characters happily munching on sweets or favoring specific cuisines. In the original story, Mia spent much of her arc grappling with her circumstances, which left little room for such moments. Here, though, it seemed she¡¯d adapted and ovee her struggles much faster¡ªpossibly because of me. While she was still a bit timid, she wasn¡¯t the gloomy character from the original story. ¡°Belvur is right next to your territory, isn¡¯t it? You could visit anytime to try their food.¡± ¡°¡­Are you serious?¡± Mia¡¯s eyes widened as she stared at me. ¡°I¡¯m from Crowfield, you know.¡± ¡­Oh. Right. Crowfield had originally been Belvur territory. Not just a neighbor¡ªa descendant of invaders. "..." "..." For a moment, an awkward silence hung between us. I could¡¯ve sworn I caught a fleeting hint of a "How can you be an imperial princess and not know that?" look in her eyes. Maybe it was just my imagination. Um. Well. Let¡¯s try that again. Chapter 201 Lutetia Castle wasn¡¯t entirely unfamiliar¡ªit wasn¡¯t my first visit. The Imperial Pce, at a nce, resembled a medieval castle in its external design. Of course, the interior had been extensively renovated, befitting the residence of the Emperor. Yet, its outward appearance retained a certain rustic charm. Lutetia Castle, however, felt more like a "pce" than the traditional image evoked by the word "castle." Perhaps it was because Belvur drew inspiration from France. The opulence of Lutetia brought to mind the splendor of the Pce of Versailles. This likely stemmed from a fundamental difference in how the two nations approached the concept of fortresses. The Empire had endured countless wars at the heart of the continent¡¯s chaos, while Belvur had conserved its strength from a safer, more distant position. While the Fangryphon family waged wars and drew attention across thend, Belvur invested in encircling Lutetia with walls. These walls, though limiting urban expansion, were deemed sufficient to safeguard the entire capital. In the modern age, such walls no longer posed significant challenges. In a world where aerial warships could bombard from the skies, the meaning of "walls" had faded. Nevertheless, they still held strategic value in deterring ground forces. "..." ¡°Are you nervous?¡± I asked Alice, who was walking silently beside me. She nced at me without a word, still upset about the earlier conversation we¡¯d had in the guest room. Thest time, it had been Charlotte who personally went to fetch Alice. Since we were staying at a hotel, this was Alice¡¯s first time entering the pce itself.@@novelbin@@ "...Hah." When I kept staring at her, Alice finally sighed in exasperation. ¡°To be honest, yeah, a little.¡± Apanying us were a handful of Imperial and Belvurian knights, along with a few attendants in butler uniforms. Though we were visiting as students, it was hard for either government to treat Alice and me as equals to the others. Even if we were fine with it, both the Imperial and Belvur governments were decidedly not. Our reception as student representatives aside, our status as Imperial princesses was the reason for this formal audience with the King. ¡°It¡¯s an impressive pce. I admired it from afarst time, but seeing the interior is truly dazzling. For a nation without any real colonies, Belvur¡¯s wealth is evident.¡± Alicemented bluntly, gazing up at the pce¡¯s golden ceiling. Perhaps it was my imagination, but the Belvurian knights¡¯ shoulders seemed to rise a little in pride. ¡°In terms of decor, it certainly surpasses the Empire.¡± ¡°Well, Belvur is known as thend of the arts.¡± ording to the lore, Belvur had many renowned artists¡ªpainters, musicians, sculptors. In the streets, one could see street painters sketching portraits for a fee or musicians ying violins and guitars for passersby. "..." Alice didn¡¯t respond, possibly out of envy. It was understandable. No matter how glorious the Empire¡¯s steam, soot, and brass pipes might be as symbols of humanity¡¯s progress, theycked the artistic refinement of something created purely for beauty. Realizing that anything I said might not improve Alice¡¯s mood, I simply followed her quietly. ¡°Alice!¡± Charlotte was already in the audience chamber when we arrived. She had said she would go ahead, and I had assumed she would change into a dress and wait, but she was still in her school uniform. ...It seemed our decision to remain in uniform was the correct one. ¡°Princess Alice.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, King of Belvur.¡± Although Alice didn¡¯t smile as brightly as Charlotte, the King of Belvur greeted us with a warm smile. Unlike me, Alice addressed him as ¡°Your Majesty,¡± though she didn¡¯t kneel. She merely lifted the edges of her skirt slightly with both hands. Neither the King nor Charlotte seemed to mind thisck of formality. Had myst visit lowered their expectations too much? ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to invite you, and now I finally have the chance. I apologize for inviting you as students rather than as royalty.¡± ¡°No need to apologize. This lighter purpose makes it morefortable for us as well.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The King nodded slightly, his gaze briefly shifting to me. For a moment, the smile on his face faded. Understandable, given that it would be hard for him to harbor positive feelings toward me. Or perhaps he suspected I was scheming something? If so, it felt unfair. This visit wasn¡¯t my doing; it was Charlotte¡¯s proposal, entirely unexpected on my part. ¡°Since this meeting is not politically motivated, let¡¯s keep the formalities light. You¡¯ll be staying in Lutetia for a while, so there¡¯ll be more opportunities to strengthen our acquaintance.¡± ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡± ¡°If you encounter any inconvenience during your stay, let the nearest knight know. I¡¯ll do my best to assist you.¡± ¡°While in Belvur, it¡¯s only natural to respect itsws. We¡¯ll adhere to what has been prepared for us.¡± ¡°Your words are appreciated.¡± The King smiled faintly at Alice¡¯s response. Hmm. Maybe my arrogance during myst visit had been the right move after all. It had given Alice the opportunity to make a strong impression today. Of course, if I mentioned this to Alice, I¡¯d likely earn a smack. ¡°Alice, what do you think?¡± Charlotte walked out with us after the audience. ¡°What do I think about what?¡± When Alice responded coolly, Charlotte beamed. ¡°The Lutetia Pce! Isn¡¯t it beautiful?¡± Charlotte gestured grandly with an open palm, and Alice let out a dismissive ¡°Hmph.¡± ¡°The Imperial Pce is splendid enough.¡± ¡°Oh, of course, the Imperial Pce is magnificent. Its towering presence is visible from anywhere in the capital. But isn¡¯t there a difference between being magnificent and being beautiful?¡± It seemed Alice had no intention of conceding, as she continued deflecting Charlotte¡¯s attempts to coax apliment. A faint clink echoed from the armor of one of the knights walking beside us. Though their expression was hidden behind a narrow visor, it was easy to guess they had briefly smiled. It was one of the Belvurian knights. Alice red at the knight, who immediately straightened and resumed walking silently. ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful ce.¡± When Alice still refused to answer, I finally spoke up. She shot me a re this time. ¡°But it¡¯s true,¡± I said calmly. ¡°This ce is beautiful.¡± Beauty, however, doesn¡¯t equate to strength. Even a technologically advanced nation supporting a vast poption could crumble if its military was weak. Of course, this wasn¡¯t something I needed to point out to Charlotte. At least, not yet. ¡°Yes, isn¡¯t it?¡± Charlotte¡¯s smile widened at my answer. ¡°There¡¯s so much more to show you! During your week here, I¡¯ll do my best to introduce you to all the wonders of Belvur!¡± Watching her puff up proudly, I silently hoped my existence had prevented whatever great tragedy might have been destined to ur. Chapter 203 If a depressing thought crosses your mind and you know it can¡¯t change anything, it¡¯s better to simply not dwell on it. Not that I¡¯ve been gued by guilt over the past few years. I¡¯ve merely epted it as something inevitable. This applies not only to the children I couldn¡¯t save but also to Count Crowfield, whom I killed, and the countless nameless individuals I¡¯ve faced on the battlefield. This is the kind of world we live in. It would have been naive to think I could avoid killing in a world based on a game where death is amon theme. ¡°Sylvia?¡± I blinked at the sudden voice calling my name. Charlotte was looking at me with a concerned expression. ¡°Is something wrong? Do you not like the food?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that.¡± I quickly answered. I had just briefly recalled my conversation with Alice from the night before. It wasn¡¯t that the food was bad or that I¡¯d forgotten how to speak because of it. In fact, the food was delicious. The meals served at the Academy or the Imperial Pce were already quite good. Despite the inte memes about "British cuisine," even the Empire¡¯s aristocrats wouldn¡¯t tolerate eating unappetizing food. Well-cooked steak, hearty English breakfasts, a variety of desserts for tea time¡ªthey all tasted wonderful. Besides, the Empire didn¡¯t strictly stick to traditional Imperial cuisine. Just as people in Korea eat a variety of global foods instead of Korean dishes every day, the Empire embraced culinary diversity. Comining about food was rare when you attended the Academy. In that context, I had always been curious why Charlotte often expressed dissatisfaction with Academy meals. How much better could Belvurian cuisine possibly be? ...It turned out, it was genuinely excellent. Not to the point of being so mind-blowing that I¡¯d never eat anything else again, but there was something subtly different about it. The texture of the meat, the delicate aroma infused into it, the sweetness and consistency of the sauce¡ªeverything came together in harmony. Eating the same dish felt like an entirely new experience. ¡°It¡¯s excellent.¡± ¡°Is it?¡± Charlotte replied in a tone that was polite but devoid of emotion, much like a noblewoman responding out of courtesy. Still, her gaze briefly flickered toward Alice. Alice wore a slightly frustrated expression. ...Why was she reacting like this to my opinion? It wasn¡¯t as though I were some renowned food critic. Perhaps it was my notoriously neutral expression at work. Maybe they thought, ¡°If even she breaks herposure, this food must be exceptional!¡± The easiest way to break my expression would¡¯ve been to put a te of jellied eels in front of me, but I wasn¡¯t about to tell them that. It wasn¡¯t just me, Alice, and Charlotte at the table. ire, Leo, Mia, Rena, and Sophia were seated with us. Jake and Lottie had chosen to dine separately. Leo¡¯s face briefly fell at the idea of being the only man surrounded by women, but there wasn¡¯t much he could do about it. ire was eating with sparkling eyes, Rena was her usualposed self, carefully wielding her knife and fork. Sophia seemed the same as always, though she asionally cast fleeting nces at Leo. Meanwhile, Mia was happily munching away, her cheeks puffed out with food. ...For a moment, I wondered if I should eat like Mia. After all, I could just rewind time afterward. But I quickly gave up on the idea. Steak was something I ate regrly anyway. If I started rewinding time for every meal Charlotte introduced, it could be a slippery slope. Charlotte had a determined look on her face, as if she¡¯d prepared extensively. If I were to rewind, it should be for something truly extraordinary.@@novelbin@@ Watching Charlotte¡¯s confident smile directed at Alice, and Alice¡¯s begrudging re in return, I turned my focus back to the te in front of me. ¡°Sis, look at this!¡± After finishing our meal, ire tapped my shoulder as we walked along the road. ¡°Tada!¡± She proudly presented a camera. It was a far cry from the digital cameras of my old world¡ªa bulky, antique-looking device at first nce. Of course, "antique-looking" was my perspective. For this era, it was cutting-edge technology. A portable camera like this was a marvel. ording to the game developers, its design was inspired by a legendary modern camera brand. ¡°I brought it since we¡¯re traveling abroad! What do you think?¡± ¡°I heard it¡¯s quite expensive.¡± I wasn¡¯t particrly interested in cameras. I only knew about this one because I¡¯d considered whether it could be useful for espionage. Unlike digital cameras, film cameras didn¡¯t allow for quick editing or easy storage on memory cards. Theycked stealth and immediate photo previews, making them inconvenient for covert use. Developing film required a darkroom and chemicals. It was a hassle for something ssified, especially since anything gained would disappear if I rewound time. Still, it seemed useful for preserving memories. ¡°Hehe.¡± ireughed mischievously, her demeanor reminiscent of Charlotte, and puffed out her chest proudly. ¡°I worked hard hunting to afford this. I sold everything I didn¡¯t absolutely need, except for a few essential marbles.¡± This was a notable difference from the game. In the game, even if you earned a lot of money, you couldn¡¯t buy anything outside event-specific items, healing recipes, or equipment. But in this world, money could buy practically anything. Charlotte¡¯s gaze briefly fell on the camera, clearly made in the Empire, before turning back to Alice. Alice was smiling smugly. For a moment, Charlotte¡¯s expression turned frustrated. ...Why were they gettingpetitive over something that wasn¡¯t even theirs? I had thought they¡¯d matured somewhat, but they were still kids in many ways. ¡°So, can we take a picture together? Since we¡¯re here, I want to capture the memory properly.¡± ire¡¯s suggestion seemed to break the tension between Alice and Charlotte. After all, despite their bickering, everyone here was a friend. ¡°An excellent idea.¡± My words sealed the deal, and even Charlotte and Alice nodded in agreement. The camera, of course, had no selfie function. Everything, from the rangefinder to the focus, had to be adjusted manually. No one passing by seemed skilled with a camera. Fortunately, ire had anticipated this and pulled a tripod out of therge bag she¡¯d been carrying since morning. Setting up for the photo, we stood in a line with Lutetia Pce visible in the background. ¡°Okay, ready!¡± ire shouted as she pulled a lever on the camera and quickly dashed back to us with the agility of a swordswoman. Sliding between me and Alice, she hooked her arm through mine. ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Before Alice couldin, the shutter clicked. That evening, when the photos were developed, the result showed ire beaming brightly at the camera while everyone else looked slightly startled, ncing in her direction. Still, it was a good picture¡ªeveryone¡¯s faces were clear, and the mood was cheerful. ...If not for the shadowy figure that had identally crept into the corner of the frame. Chapter 204 Of course, saying that the entirety of Lutetia¡¯s streets belonged to us would be an overstatement. Lutetia itself was Belvur¡¯s territory, and naturally, no Imperial citizen could im it as their own. Nor did the streets belong to Charlotte, despite her apanying us. While the royal capital was directly under the King¡¯s domain, even Belvur couldn¡¯t fully escape the winds of capitalism. Some individuals had bought parcels of this royal domain, built homes, and settled there. The streets, however, remained public spaces¡ªopen to all, including other people who weren¡¯t part of our photo session. In modern South Korea, people are familiar with cameras and might intentionally avoid the frame or wait until the photo is taken. But in Belvur, cameras were still novel. It wasn¡¯t umon for a passerby to unknowingly appear in a corner of the photo without a second thought. What was strange, though, was that the face captured in the corner of our photo was one I recognized. "¡­" And I wasn¡¯t the only one. Alice, my roommate, knew the face as well. ¡°Isn¡¯t this Damien?¡± Alice immediately voiced the name I was thinking of. ¡°Thest time we saw him was two years ago, but¡­ this really does look like Damien, doesn¡¯t it? What do you think?¡± Alice waved the photo ire had given us, her tone curious. ¡°I believe you¡¯re correct.¡± Damien Fangryphon. A character the Emperor would dispatch only to the most covert and dangerous missions. In the original story, he didn¡¯t even appear until muchter. Even then, his role wasn¡¯t particrly significant. He served as a gatekeeper, opposing the protagonist¡¯s party on their way to confront the Emperor. However, his androgynous design, unlike the conventionally masculine characters dominating the story, made him a fan favorite¡ªespecially among female yers. Given the early 20th-century aesthetic, most male characters were broad-shouldered and exuded a traditional masculine vibe. Leo and Jake, for instance, didn¡¯t have long hair like female characters. Damien, on the other hand, sported long hair that reached his back. During battles, he wore skintight ck shirts and pants. In scenes where he was in disguise, he tied his hair back, leading many to joke that the character was explicitly designed to appeal to female yers. ¡°But why is Damien here?¡± Good question. In the original story, Damien was stationed in the Holy Nation. Alice didn¡¯t know where he had been dispatched, but I had that knowledge from the source material. The Holy Nation wasn¡¯t extremely far from Lutetia, but it wasn¡¯t particrly close either. In fact, the distance between Lutetia and the Holy Nation was greater than the distance between Lutetia and the Imperial capital. So, did he cross the border from the Holy Nation toe to Lutetia? Or had he been here all along? ¡°Was he waiting for us?¡± Alice asked, and I nodded. It wasn¡¯t impossible. Charlotte had been nning this visit to Lutetia since summer vacation. If someone had leaked that information, Damien might have known when we¡¯d arrive. But if that were the case, why reveal himself in the corner of a photograph? Even if his face was partially obscured by his coat cor, his hat, and the shadow of the camera lens, it was still distinctly Damien. Alice and I recognized him instantly. ¡°If he wanted to meet us, wouldn¡¯t he just approach us directly? It¡¯s not like we¡¯re enemies. If needed, we could easily have a conversation.¡± Alice and Damien didn¡¯t have the best rtionship, but it wasn¡¯t hostile either. They rarely interacted to begin with. ¡°Maybe it was a mistake? He might¡¯ve been watching us and identally wandered into the camera¡¯s frame¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s unlikely,¡± I said firmly. I didn¡¯t have much interaction with Damien myself, but I knew his personality. Someone like Damien would easily recognize a camera¡¯s presence, understand the lens¡¯s range, and avoid being captured unless he intended to be. In other words¡­ ¡°Perhaps he wanted to send us a message.¡± ¡°Through a photograph? That¡¯s awfully roundabout.¡± Indeed. ¡°...The only way to get an answer is to find him ourselves,¡± I said, standing up with the photo in hand. How could we track Damien down based solely on a photograph? Alice and I returned to the spot where we had taken the photo. Holding the picture, we adjusted our position until we matched the angle at which it was taken. Looking at the photo again, illuminated by the streetlights, we noticed something. The direction Damien had been facing. In the photo, Damien appeared to walk casually, as if uninterested in us. Naturally, none of our friends suspected anything¡ªthey hadn¡¯t met him before. His body¡¯s orientation in the picture was the only clue.@@novelbin@@ We turned in the direction he seemed to be heading, and soon our eyesnded on a shop. It was a shabby, run-down storefront. The windows were boarded up with nks, suggesting it hadn¡¯t been in use for some time. While it didn¡¯t look abandoned, the neglected atmosphere was eerie. The broken streetlight nearby only added to its shadowy presence. Despite all this, Alice and I instinctively knew someone was waiting for us inside. Exchanging nods, we moved cautiously. No one had followed us. Charlotte had dismissed the knights earlier in the day, and we¡¯d snuck out discreetly. I had taken the lead, guiding Alice along. After checking our surroundings multiple times, we reached the shop and turned the doorknob. Despite its outward appearance, the door opened effortlessly. ¡°Lock the door,¡± a low voice came from the shop¡¯s darkest corner as soon as we stepped inside. ¡°Huh?¡± Alice uttered in surprise. Without hesitation, I locked the door. A faint light flickered on, illuminating amp in the corner. In its glow, we could see arge man seated in a chair, his presence exuding quiet authority. ¡°...Father?¡± Alice¡¯s voice wasced with disbelief. ¡°It¡¯s a strange feeling, meeting my daughters so far from home. But it¡¯s a wee one,¡± the Emperor said calmly, as though this meeting were entirely natural. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Alice, forgetting her usual decorum in the Emperor¡¯s presence, raised her voice in shock. ¡°Lowering your voice would be wise. These thin windows and nks don¡¯t do much to keep sound from escaping.¡± At his warning, Alice snapped her mouth shut, visibly struggling to process the situation. ¡°You seem less surprised,¡± the Emperor said, shifting his gaze to me. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting this,¡± I admitted. If Alice hadn¡¯t reacted first, I might¡¯ve blurted out, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Behind the Emperor, standing in the shadows, was a pale man with long hair and a strikingly androgynous face¡ªDamien. His presence was quiet yet eerie, his fairplexion and reserved demeanor amplifying the unsettling atmosphere. ¡°So, why go through the trouble ofing all the way here?¡± I asked calmly, my voice steady. Alice, now regaining herposure, turned to look at her father for an exnation. ¡°I have my own preparations to make,¡± the Emperor replied. ¡°Just as you have your own ns that you haven¡¯t informed me about.¡± ...Well, that was a petty response. Chapter 205 "¡­Are you implying that, since I haven¡¯t shared my thoughts with Your Majesty, you won¡¯t share yours either?" ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t phrase it quite like that.¡± The Emperor chuckled, his tone almost yful. "Perhaps you did tell me a few things, but I simply chose not to remember them." "¡­" I had no response to that. No, wait¡ªI did have something to say. Seriously? You¡¯re the Emperor. The man at the pinnacle of this vast empire. In the original story, you were the ambitious figure who dered you¡¯d bring the entire world to heel and create a perfectly equal society under your rule. And yet, you¡¯re sulking because your daughter didn¡¯t share every little thought with you? Even if you truly believe we¡¯re your real children, as you im, you¡¯re an Emperor first and foremost. It¡¯s not like anyone else knows about your supposed paternal sentiments. "Hmm." Though I tried my best to maintain a neutral expression, the Emperor seemed to catch a flicker of dissatisfaction. Well, considering how long he¡¯s known me¡ªlonger than Alice, even¡ªit wasn¡¯t surprising that he could read my face. "If we both start speaking freely, there will be much to discuss. Let¡¯s exchange information one piece at a time. May I ask the first question?" He was going to ask regardless of my permission, so I nodded stiffly. The Emperor smirked mischievously before speaking. "Why did you bring so much luggage on the train?" "What luggage are you referring to?" "I¡¯m talking about the items you personally hid. You leveraged your status as a princess to enlist the help of Imperial knights and smuggled in an arsenal. Some of those items are far too excessive for use against people." The Emperor stroked his well-groomed golden beard, his voiceced with intrigue. "What? You brought weapons?" Alice, who had been silently listening to our conversation, gasped in shock. "¡­" When I nced away, avoiding her gaze, Alice¡¯s expression grew even more incredulous. "Wait. Are you telling me you smuggled unauthorized weapons into another country? Weapons beyond what the knights and we might use inbat? And you did this while attending as Charlotte¡¯s guest?" Um¡­ Well, when she put it like that¡­ "I had no intention of using them against the Kingdom of Belvur." "Yet you brought them into Belvurian territory," the Emperor interjected smoothly. "¡­How many weapons are we talking about?" Alice asked the Emperor before I could stop him from answering. "Quite a few. A massive rifle with a custom-forged barrel designed to handle rounds that could shatter an elephant¡¯s skull. Ammunition made of marmaros that could likely blow a hole through a building¡¯s wall." Alice¡¯s jaw dropped. "And some peculiar armor. It resembled jack chains at a nce but was equipped with mechanical enhancements. Springs, hydraulic systems, even slots for mana stones and marmaros. It seemed far tooplex for simple defensive use." Even with marmaros ammunition providing most of the destructive power, the sheer force required to propel it was no joke. Naturally, wielding such a weapon was physically demanding. And if I intended to use it effectively, I¡¯d have to move and fight while carrying it. That¡¯s why, in my spare time, I approached Browning with an idea. I asked if it was possible to create a device that could augment strength by distributing force using springs and gears. ¡­Browning, with an excited glint in his eyes, dove into his workshop and returned with what he called an "exoskeleton." I didn¡¯t fully understand its mechanics, but it supposedly used steam generated from heated water powered by mana stones to enhance physical strength. The device had hydraulic mechanisms and springs, and the boiler sat on the back, designed to avoid burns. During testing, I hadn¡¯t felt any heat, and the water reservoir waspact enough not to be cumbersome. The equipment looked like it had countless potential points of failure, but, as is typical in worlds like this, such devices tend to function remarkably well. So I brought it along. "Even if I don¡¯t know exactly what that armor is for, judging by the ammunition alone, it¡¯s clear that you¡¯re prepared for arge-scale conflict. With all those bombs and enhanced bullets, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if you started a war singlehandedly." Alice whipped her head toward me. If I knew how to whistle nonchntly, I would¡¯ve done so while looking elsewhere. "And yet, you im you have no intention of using them in Belvur? Should I assume you¡¯ve arranged for a means to transport this arsenal elsewhere?" "¡­" That wasn¡¯t the n, but¡­ The Emperor, Alice, and even Damien¡ªall three of them were staring at me now, their gazes heavy with curiosity. "Isn¡¯t this a little intrusive, Your Majesty? Taking such an interest in your daughter¡¯s private affairs?" "Are you saying you possess the sensitivity of a typical teenage girl? Because the teenage girls I know don¡¯t bring enough firepower on vacation to start a war." The Emperor¡¯s remark left me momentarily speechless. Even Alice, usually at odds with her father, nodded in agreement. Unable to withstand theirbined scrutiny, I sighed deeply and relented. "Even within Belvur¡¯s territory, there are ces that aren¡¯t technically under Belvur¡¯s jurisdiction." "Are you referring to an embassy?" "Something like that. I intended to investigate the Saint Latina Cathedral in Lutetia." "¡­" Silence fell over the room. Alice inhaled sharply, her breath trembling as she exhaled. Then, marching up to me, she grabbed my cor. "What were you thinking¡ª!" "I simply intended to¡­ gather¡­ information¡­" Alice shook me so hard that my words came out fragmented. "Gather information?! Gather infoooormaaation?!" "Alice, calm down," the Emperor interjected. Alice reluctantly released my cor and took a step back, though her breathing remained heavy. ¡­Maybe I should¡¯ve told her beforehand? Then again, she probably would¡¯ve insisted oning with me¡ªor tried to stop me. Judging by her current reaction, thetter seemed more likely. "I¡¯ve answered your question, Your Majesty. It¡¯s your turn now," I said, steadying myself. The Emperor shrugged nonchntly. "Ask away. If it¡¯s something I can answer, I will."@@novelbin@@ I wanted to ask if there was anything the Emperor couldn¡¯t answer but held back. After all, I hadn¡¯t disclosed everything either, and he knew it. So I decided to address the most pressing matter. "Is Your Majesty¡¯s presence here preparation for war?" Alice¡¯s jaw dropped further, as if it might unhinge. Her fingers twitched slightly, as if she was debating whether to lunge at her father next. Then again, he was her father. "No," the Emperor said firmly. "Are you certain? You¡¯re not nning to start a world war?" "How could I, when you¡¯re here watching my every move? Frankly, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you¡¯d already uncovered all of the Empire¡¯s military secrets. Even if I tried to keep ns from you, you would¡¯ve found out. And if that happened, do you think I¡¯d still be sitting here talking to you?" "¡­" He had a point. "Of course, I once thought about it. Ten years ago, I considered the possibility that unifying the world under my rule might bring peace. Whether it was feasible or not, I believed there was a chance." Something felt off. This didn¡¯t align with what I remembered from before. The words were simr, but the tone was different. Chapter 206 "¡­Let me be honest. Even after learning about your ''brilliance''¡ª" The Emperor¡¯s gaze briefly flickered toward Damien. It seemed he hadn¡¯t revealed my abilities to others. If he had, there¡¯d be no need for such indirectnguage. "¡ªI spent a long time preparing for war. At times, I even considered deceiving your keen eyes or hoping you¡¯de to understand my ambitions. But no matter how much time passed, I realized a global war wasn¡¯t to your liking." The Emperor smiled as he spoke. It wasn¡¯t a bitter smile¡ªfar from it. "So, I began seriously contemting why you are so opposed to war. Was it because youcked patriotism for the Empire? Were you worried things would grow tooplicated if you seeded me as Emperor? Or perhaps you feared your beloved sisters might get caught up in the chaos?" The Emperor shook his head. "No, it wasn¡¯t ack of patriotism. I¡¯ve seen how deeply you care for the Empire¡¯s future. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have offered me advice whenever I asked about the Empire¡¯s prospects or shown such anger at the corruption of the nobility." Ah¡­ No, he had it wrong. I cooperated because staying silent would have seemed even more suspicious. And I was angry at the corrupt nobles not out of any grand ideals but because their actions were utterly insane. If they¡¯d been quietly indulging in bribes and self-serving deals, I wouldn¡¯t have cared much. "And you never showed any desire to be Emperor. Instead, you seemed more interested in seeing your sisters ascend to the throne. To my eyes, it wasn¡¯t simply a matter of ying kingmaker. It felt like you genuinely wanted them to be Emperor. Whether that stemmed from trust in their abilities or a desire not to take anything away from them, the oue was the same." Alice¡¯s gaze shifted toward me again. But this time, her expression wasn¡¯t one of irritation or anger. It was far moreplex. And that made it even harder to meet her eyes. Instead, I forced myself to look directly at the Emperor. "You have no hesitation when ites to pulling the trigger¡ªprovided your target deserves it. That¡¯s why you recoil at the thought of dragging ordinary Imperial citizens into a war. Outwardly, you project the image of a cold, unfeeling war machine, but to me, you¡¯re deeply human. And yet, your foresight is unmatched." The Emperor smiled again. It was a peculiar smile, one that didn¡¯t seem fitting for someone like him. Not because it was dangerous¡ªno, it was the kind of smile I wouldn¡¯t have expected him to wear. It was the smile of a father proud of his child. "And so, over the years, I began envisioning the Empire you wanted. In a way, it became a challenge to myself. To build the greatest empire in the world, one so unassable that even you couldn¡¯t deny its merits. That¡¯s been my goal for the past several years." ¡­ The fact that I didn¡¯t immediately blurt out "What the hell?" was a testament to how much my patience had grown. Well done, me. Such remarkable self-restraint. ¡­No, wait. This wasn¡¯t growth at all! I¡¯d been so focused on the original story that I¡¯dpletely misjudged everything! I¡¯d always assumed the Emperor was preparing for war, that the Empire was destined to be a viinous superpower. I thought several of the heroines would inevitably face mortal danger¡ªor even die¡ªand that my mission was to prevent it. But what if that premise was entirely wrong? What if the Empire wasn¡¯t bing a force of evil? What if the Emperor had turned into an oddly righteous figure? What if a world war never broke out at all? At its core, this should have been a good thing. The protagonist¡¯s party would achieve their goals without anyone getting hurt. The problem was that it meant the future had been derailedpletely¡ªfar more severely than I¡¯d anticipated. And not just recently¡ªthis derailment had started much earlier than I¡¯d realized. "Did you¡­ find an answer?" I asked cautiously. "Almost," the Emperor replied, still smiling. "It¡¯s not perfect. Compared to my original ns for world domination, it¡¯s far less wless. But in terms of risk, this approach is much safer. It¡¯s almost impossible to reach an ideal conclusion, but even in failure, this path guarantees a positive oue. And that¡¯s all thanks to you. For that, I¡¯m grateful." "¡­" I stayed silent for a moment before asking, "Can you share this answer with me?" "Of course." The Emperor nodded, his smile unwavering, and began exining his n. "First, the colonies will gradually gain independence. Borders will be restored to what they were before Imperial conquest. The modern infrastructure we¡¯ve built on theirnd will remain theirs." "¡­The Empire will lose all the benefits it¡¯s gained from them," I pointed out. "Do you think they¡¯ll ever catch up to the Empire, even after independence?" No, they wouldn¡¯t¡ªjust as South Korea would never catch up to the United States. "Exploitation has its limits. It¡¯s better to foster their growth and establish fair trade rtionships. In the long run, this approach is more profitable. They¡¯ll gain independence, but they¡¯ll remain part of our union. Over theing centuries, we¡¯ll help them solve their problems, fostering a dependency that ensures an unbreakable alliance." The Emperor¡¯s smile grew as he spoke. "And if others wish to join our union, we¡¯ll wee them. Our currency will unify under the Imperial standard, and our weaponry will be the global standard. While theirnds won¡¯t belong to us, they¡¯ll be unable to survive without the Empire." "¡­But for that to work, Your Majesty would need to live for several centuries." "Then we¡¯ll ensure it can be done." "Are you saying you¡¯ll create sessors who share your vision?" "Precisely." I nced at Alice. "Oh, Alice will be one of those sessors. And so will you." "You¡¯re proposing a dual Emperor system?" "There will only be one person on the throne, as you wish. That person will be Alice." Seeing my startled expression, the Emperor grinned like a child who hadnded a perfect punch in a boxing match. "My absolute authority will be divided and entrusted to those who will never betray it¡ªthose who despise the nobility yet remain essential for keeping them in check." Ah. I was starting to understand. "Who exactly will¡­?" Alice asked, her voice trailing off. The Emperor smirked. "The people, my dear daughter." He spoke yfully. "I will entrust my absolute power to the people before I die." Strengthening parliamentary powers. Universal suffrage. If the nobility held even slightly more power than the Emperor, they might have resisted fiercely. But in the Empire, no one could oppose the Emperor¡¯s will. No one could kill all the people. At first nce, transferring the Emperor¡¯s power to the popce might seem like weakening it. But in reality, it was the opposite. Until the entire poption was eradicated, that immense power would remain intact. Even if 10% of the poption were massacred, the remaining 90% would still hold that power. "The institutions are already in ce," the Emperor continued. "All I need to do is instill my vision in the people. I won¡¯t live forever, but I have enough time. Thirty years is enough to educate a generation." "¡­" "What do you think, my daughter?" The Emperor leaned toward me, his eyes gleaming. "This is the answer I¡¯vee up with. A way to make the Empire the center of the world, one you cannot reject. What do you think?" I had no response. It wasn¡¯t a perfect n. There¡¯s no such thing as a perfect n, system, or politics. I wasn¡¯t an expert on these matters either. But¡­ But I was someone who had grown up consuming media where empires were almost always the viins. I had been raised in a republic, educated to believe in equality and universal rights. In that sense, the Emperor had read me perfectly.@@novelbin@@ His words sounded utterly righteous to me. So much so that I couldn¡¯t find a single point to refute. Chapter 207 No, no, no. That can¡¯t be right. No matter what, people don¡¯t change that easily. No matter how convincing the Emperor''s words sound, I can¡¯t trust them one hundred percent. After all, this is the same Emperor who, in the original story, turned the world into a sea of mes. Can a viin who once dreamed of world domination so easily relinquish their power? The same man who imed, ¡°As long as everyone is equal under me, that¡¯s enough,¡± is now supposedly dividing his power amongmoners? Commoners whose numbers haven¡¯t even been properly ounted for yet, let alone seen the effects of real welfare policies? Does that sound realistic? Though, to be honest, the way the Emperor spoke about it made it feel like he could actually pull it off. And yes, I¡¯ve seen some documents where welfare policies were given serious consideration. But I absolutely refuse to believe it. ¡°¡­So, are you really nning to attack the cathedral?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± I replied firmly. ¡°I can¡¯t blindly trust the Emperor¡¯s words.¡± ¡°Well, yeah, I get that. But¡­ are you saying Verati¡¯s testimony alone isn¡¯t enough for you?¡± ¡°Verati didn¡¯t know nearly as much as we had hoped.¡± The cathedral in question was thergest one in Belvur, located right next to the Holy Nation. That made it an entirely different story. It was an incredibly significant site, even by the Holy Nation¡¯s standards. Not only was it a major holy site, but it also served as a kind of forward base. In the original story, it was where Sophia had been stationed. ¡°Well, I guess you¡¯re saying this because you think you can undo the worst-case scenario anyway¡­¡± Alice muttered as she plopped onto the bed. ¡°So, basically, you¡¯re ignoring your father¡¯s plea to stay quiet, huh?¡± I thought back to what the Emperor had said just before I left the building. He had specifically asked me not to cause trouble, if only for the sake of maintaining Belvur¡¯s goodwill. ¡­He must be scheming something to say such a thing. The fact that the Emperor was even in Belvur was suspicious in itself. If it wasn¡¯t for a truly critical reason, there was no way he¡¯de here personally. I¡¯d been so preupied with the n he mentioned that I didn¡¯t even think to ask why he was here now. But I could at least guess that he deflected my questions to conceal his true intentions. ¡°It wasn¡¯t an order,¡± I said. ¡°Even if it were, you wouldn¡¯t have followed it.¡± Alice buried her face in her hands and groaned. ¡°¡­¡±@@novelbin@@ After a brief silence, she spoke again. ¡°No matter how many incidents you manage to erase from existence,¡± she began, her voice muffled as she held her head, ¡°can you really say it won¡¯t bother you to see how Charlotte reacts to the fallout? Even if no one else remembers, you will.¡± ¡°¡­¡± This time, it was my turn to be at a loss for words. Charlotte¡­ she¡¯d definitely be furious. It might even be simr to the way she reacted to Alice in the original story, after the capital was bombarded. And it wasn¡¯t just Charlotte. Sophia, who I¡¯d grown close to, would be just as affected. While the others might write it off as me acting with some grand n in mind, for those two, it would be the destruction of a part of their homnd. ¡°¡­Fine,¡± Alice sighed, her voice tinged with resignation. ¡°No matter how hard I try to stop you, you¡¯re going to find a way to slip past me and cause an incident. So, I¡¯d rather be by your side when it happens.¡± ¡°Your Highness¡ª¡± ¡°Call me Alice.¡± She frowned slightly at my words. ¡°You only call me ¡®Your Highness¡¯ when you¡¯re trying to convince me of something. Be honest: isn¡¯t it a bit weird for one princess to treat the other like they¡¯re more important?¡± As a child, she would¡¯ve puffed up with pride every time I addressed her that way. But now, she had grown too much for such ttery to work. ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind,¡± she said firmly. ¡°No matter what you try, I¡¯m going to stick with you. So don¡¯t bother trying to talk me out of it.¡± ¡°When I¡¯ve finished¡ª¡± ¡°When you¡¯ve finished? And then what? Everything goes back to the way it was, and I don¡¯t even remember what happened? So I shouldn¡¯t worry?¡± Alice shot up from the bed, visibly irritated. She strode toward me, leaning down until her eyes met mine. It was a gaze I couldn¡¯t avoid, no matter how much I wanted to. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that nonsense. What about me? Am I just supposed to sit here, worrying while you go around blowing things up? Or are you nning to erase even this moment, rewind time to before we left Father, and solve everything before I even get a chance to react? Isn¡¯t that it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± When I didn¡¯t respond, Alice smirked. ¡°You don¡¯t actually want to turn things back, do you? Sure, you¡¯d rewind for something major¡ªsome mistake you have to fix. But you¡¯re afraid. Afraid of being erased from everyone¡¯s memories. Isn¡¯t that it?¡± I couldn¡¯t deny her usation. ¡°You don¡¯t want the memories we¡¯ve shared to be something only you can remember. That¡¯s why you¡¯re trying to persuade me with words instead of just rewinding.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Let me make one thing clear.¡± Alice straightened her back, crossing one arm over her chest while cing the other on her hip. Her expression radiated confidence. She looked just like the young Alice who used to make such baseless ims with a smug grin. But¡ª ¡°I¡¯m a princess and your sister. So, whether you like it or not, I¡¯ll help you in whatever way I can. Don¡¯t underestimate me¡ªI¡¯m stronger than I look.¡± ¡ªshe wasn¡¯t the same child she once was. Now, her words carried weight. ¡°Will this be all right?¡± After Sylvia and Alice left the building, Damien and the Emperor remained silent for a while, listening intently to their surroundings. Only when their presencepletely faded did Damien finally ask. ¡°Oh, you mean about my power?¡± The Emperor¡¯s reply came as a question. Damien didn¡¯t respond further, but the Emperor understood perfectly well that his silence carried an implicit affirmation. ¡°Well, to be honest, it¡¯s not entirely impossible.¡± But that admission implied that it was at least partially unlikely as well. ¡°Overturning the world¡­ That¡¯s far more difficult than taking control of it through power,¡± the Emperor mused aloud. ¡°But, Damien, let me ask you this. What would you do if someone who had the power to decisively strike you down despised your life¡¯s work? Could you still carry out your ns?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Damien remained silent, as if deep in thought. However, the Emperor didn¡¯t wait for an answer. ¡°My goal remains unchanged. I want to seize this world in its entirety. So, what I told Sylvia was merely apromise. If Sylvia keeps scrutinizing me, it¡¯s the best choice I can make under the circumstances.¡± A faint smile yed on the Emperor¡¯s lips. ¡°Butpromises are just thatpromises. And there can be many kinds. The kind you show your opponent and the kind you reveal only to yourself.¡± ¡°Then, does that mean everything you told Sylvia was a lie?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t aplete lie. I made ns for it, after all. If I want my brilliant daughter to believe the n is real, it has to be real, to an extent. And, as I said earlier, it¡¯s apromise. If my main n fails, it¡¯s a secondary option to block her potential choices.¡± ¡°But¡­ do you really think Sylvia will just listen to you and stay quiet?¡± ¡°It would be troublesome if she did.¡± The Emperor rose from his seat and began to walk slowly, extinguishing the onlymp illuminating the room. The windows were boarded up, but faint light from a streemp filtered through the cracks. ¡°She¡¯s far too skeptical to take my words at face value. At least I¡¯ve managed to discern her n to attack the cathedral. That¡¯s a relief.¡± The Emperor climbed the creaking stairs, the faint light casting eerie shadows on the walls. Damien followed a few steps behind him, his movements measured and deliberate. ¡°Fortunately, the target is a building belonging to the Holy Nation,¡± the Emperor remarked as he opened the door to the second floor. The room should have been pitch-ck, but several faintly glowing mana stones provided just enough light to make out its contents. Maps lined the walls, covered in red markings and pinned photographs. The table was a chaotic array of scattered maps and multicolored pins. This was the trove of information Damien had painstakingly collected on the Holy Nation over the years. ¡°If Sylvia had fully understood my intentions, she would have undoubtedly tried to stop this.¡± The Emperor chuckled, his voice carrying a note of amusement. ¡°My daughter is brilliant, but her brilliance stems from experience. And right now, it seems she hasn¡¯t gained enough of it.¡± He leaned over the table, cing his hands firmly on its surface as he studied the maps. ¡°I still have opportunities left. And, it seems, an ally from the future as well. The path to victory remains open. The order of the n may have shifted, but this might be more effective in the end. I should thank Sylvia for pointing out the gaps.¡± Bathed in the dim light, the Emperor¡ªArthur Fangryphon¡ªsmiled, a grin far too youthful for a man of his age. Chapter 208 "On one condition," Alice said. In exchange for agreeing to my n to attack the cathedral, Alice imposed a condition. "You can¡¯t go today. We all came here together, after all. Since we¡¯re already here, let¡¯s rx and enjoy ourselves for a bit before carrying it out." She shrugged her shoulders nonchntly and added, "No matter how your powers work, there¡¯s always a chance you might not be able to rewind things. If that happens, we might as well make some good memories first." Alice had a point. If it weren¡¯t for the presence of the Masked Woman, I could proceed without hesitation. But if she interfered while we were in the middle of causing an incident, the situation could spiral out of control. Would there be a relic hidden inside the cathedral? The chances were slim. In the original story, no relics were ever found in a cathedral. The cathedral held something else entirely¡ªa hidden underground base that served as a dungeon in the game, housing troops in hiding and a repository of various reports buried deep within. They could have sent the reports directly to the Holy Nation, but they needed a secure space topile and analyze the data first. Besides, in the original story, the Holy Nation was working hand-in-hand with Belvur. Until now, the Masked Woman had only appeared in locations where relics were present or were about to appear. That meant we were unlikely to encounter her at the cathedral. Still, I couldn¡¯t discount the possibility. "Understood," I replied. There was no need to act immediately. I also needed preparation time. I had to gather the weapons I had smuggled in on the train, assemble the over-tech exosuit Browning had crafted, organize the ammunition, select the appropriate weapons... It was better to take our time and prepare thoroughly than to rush in recklessly. When I gave my straightforward response, Alice exhaled a long sigh of relief, as if a weight had been lifted. "Good. In that case, I¡¯ll help you with the preparations. But for now, let¡¯s keep things quiet, especially when we¡¯re with the others." I nodded at Alice¡¯s suggestion. * Spending time with my friends turned out to be quite beneficial for me as well. Charlotte diligently guided us around the city, ensuring we got a good grasp of Lutetia¡¯syout. Thanks to her, I now knew the locations of keyndmarks, including the distance from our hotel to Saint Latina Cathedral and even the positions of nearby police stations¡­ things like that. "If industrial facilities are introduced, parts of Lutetia will inevitably be torn down. It¡¯s a beautiful city, but modernizationes at a cost," Charlotte said asionally, her expression tinged with bitterness. ¡°Rondarium isn¡¯t much different,¡± Alice chimed in. ¡°Factories are popping up everywhere, gas pipes are beingid¡­ Honestly, I envy Lutetia¡¯s air a little. The capital¡¯s central district barely has any clean air left to breathe.¡± Charlotte¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at Alice¡¯s agreement. ¡°Did you just say you¡¯re envious of Lutetia?¡± Alice¡¯s expression changed instantly. Just moments ago, she¡¯d been gazing off into the distance with a wistful look in her eyes. But Charlotte¡¯s remark seemed to snap her back to reality. Alice¡¯s new expression could be summed up in a single word: Hmph! ¡°Still, Rondarium¡¯s the more convenient ce to live. Let¡¯s be honest, it¡¯s a lot easier to get by there,¡± Alice retorted with a touch of pride. ¡°But if we¡¯re talking about a ce that¡¯s genuinely good to live in, that¡¯s a different story,¡± Charlotte countered smoothly. Alice decided not to push the point further. In the end, Lutetia, too, would inevitably be swept up in the wave of industrialization. Breathing in air as clean as this would be a rare luxury. When that time came, Lutetia might fall behind Rondarium in terms of modernization, ending up as a second-rate city. An ironic fate, really. Yet, neither Alice nor Charlotte chose to voice that thought aloud. Perhaps it was because no one could truly predict what the city would look like in the future. * Saint Latina Cathedral wasn¡¯t just a target I intended to attack¡ªit was also a historically significant monument. While it didn¡¯t hold the same stature as Saint Peter¡¯s Basilica in the Vatican, it was thergest cathedral outside the Holy Nation and boasted the highest number of visiting worshippers. Naturally, it also collected more donations than any other cathedral in the Holy Nation. Both as a sacred site and as a practical resource, it was immensely valuable to the Holy Nation. Granted, it was located in Belvur, and Belvur had been the one to build it in the first ce. ¡°It¡¯s breathtaking¡­¡± Even Alice, who always had a sharp quip ready for Charlotte¡¯s everyment, couldn¡¯t help but murmur in awe after stepping inside the cathedral. The towering walls, intricately carved from white stone, the vibrant, multi-colored stained ss windows, and the magnificent murals painted across the ceiling¡ªit was a masterpiece of devotion and artistry. While the Goddess Faith drew heavy inspiration from Christianity, the two religions weren¡¯t identical. The scriptures avable in the game often felt like a reinterpretation of Greek and Roman mythology into monotheistic beliefs. Beyond the stories of a great war between the Goddess¡¯s followers and opposing forces, there were myths exining why certain flowers are red or why some trees have broad leaves, echoing the themes found in Greek and Roman legends. Interestingly, most people in this world didn¡¯t take these stories literally. Just as many in modern society interpret religious texts as allegories rather than absolute truths, so too did the believers here. Of course, just like in the modern world, there were still those who adhered to the literal interpretation of the scriptures and believed unwaveringly. ¡°Hmm.¡± Charlotte¡¯s proud expression was understandable, but for some reason, even Sophia wore a simrly pleased look. Wasn¡¯t that a bit problematic? She was supposed to be undercover, after all. ¡°But Charlotte, you¡¯re not part of the Goddess Faith, are you?¡± ire¡¯s question made Charlotte flinch, her shoulders trembling ever so slightly. It was true¡ªCharlotte didn¡¯t adhere to any religion. The Belvur royal family intentionally remained unaffiliated with any specific faith. This neutrality served as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the Holy Nation and ensured that Belvur as a whole wasn¡¯t overly influenced by them. The lore even hinted that some Belvur kings secretly followed the Goddess Faith, though they always officially imed to be non-religious. ¡°Well, this cathedral¡¯s architectural style is distinctly Belvurian!¡± Charlotte replied quickly. ire, apparently not too curious about the matter, simply nodded in agreement. ¡°This was built in an era without modern machinery, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Leo remarked, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. ¡°Every single carving was made by hand.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t just carved by hand,¡± Sophia interjected, answering in Charlotte¡¯s stead. ¡°Both the architects and theborers were devout believers. Every strike of the chisel, every stroke of the brush, and every word of scripture etched into the walls was apanied by prayer to the Goddess,¡± Sophia exined. All eyes turned to her as she spoke, including Charlotte¡¯s¡ªeven though she had been the one to guide us here. Sophia, however, seemed entirely unaware of the attention. She was too absorbed in her enthusiasm to notice. ¡°Because of this devotion, the building itself is said to hold divine powerparable to structures constructed directly under the supervision of clergy in the Holy Nation. While no single worker could match the holy power of a cleric, their collective faith imbued the cathedral with an aura as strong as a deliberate blessing. It¡¯s a true miracle.¡± The reason such devout workers could gather was due to Belvur having just ceased its persecution of the Goddess Faith at the time. Although the cathedral was built by the people of Belvur, the royal family provided no support for its construction. The Holy Nation itself hadn¡¯t been formally established yet, so it couldn¡¯t offer aid either. The Saint Latina for whom the cathedral was named had been executed by burning at the stake ten years before construction began. It took decades toplete the cathedral. Every penny used came from donations made by believers, and everyborer who contributed did so voluntarily. The Holy Nation¡¯s reverence for this ce stemmed not only from the number of worshippers or the money it brought in but also because of its profound historical and spiritual significance to the Goddess Faith. While Sophia didn¡¯t exin all this here and now, Charlotte¡¯s expression subtly shifted, as if she were reflecting on the deeper context. Still, the others simply gazed up at the cathedral with a mix of admiration and awe, so the mood didn¡¯t take a strange turn. ¡°¡­¡±@@novelbin@@ However, there was one person who cast a distinctly critical nce my way¡ªthe rightful Imperial heir, Alice Fangryphon. ¡°Are you seriously nning to destroy a ce with such a rich history?¡± Her gaze seemed to say it all, and I instinctively averted my eyes. Yes, I n to destroy it¡ªbut I¡¯ll put it back afterward! Chapter 209 Even after learning just how much the people of Belvur and the Holy Nation cherished Saint Latina Cathedral, my resolve remained unchanged. I had known all of this from the beginning. Hearing it confirmed by others didn¡¯t sway my opinion in the slightest. The real issuey elsewhere. Hadn¡¯t there been a simr incident in my own world? When the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris caught fire, it drew global attention. France was already a famous country, and Notre Dame held immense historical significance¡ªnot to mention the cultural treasures housed within. Here, in a world without the inte or a global newswork, the news of Saint Latina Cathedral¡¯s copse in Lutetia would spread more slowly. But eventually, it would reach every corner of the world, especially in countries where the influence of the Goddess Faith was strong. And once it became known that I was the one responsible for destroying the cathedral, both Belvur and the Holy Nation would turn against me. So would Charlotte. Before arriving in Lutetia, I hadn¡¯t been too concerned. I could simply rewind time if necessary. Even in the worst-case scenario where I couldn¡¯t, I figured I¡¯d shoulder the consequences alone. After all, my very existence in this world hinted at some divine purpose. Surely, my actions would ultimately align with the intentions of whatever higher power had brought me here. In the end, I believed I could be understood. But watching Charlotte¡¯s genuine smile as she guided us around with such enthusiasm stirred a flicker of hesitation deep within me. ¡°Lutetia isn¡¯t exactly unsafe,¡± came a voice from behind me. ¡°But even so, I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s safe for a woman to walk alone at night.¡± It was Charlotte. ¡°I could say the same for you,¡± I replied. ¡°I have guards,¡± she said with a small shrug. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve ditched my entire security detail to wander the streets alone without any friends.¡± I rolled my eyes and nced around her. There was no one immediately nearby, but I spotted figures at the building corners and on the terraces of second-floor structures, quietly keeping watch. Fair enough. Interrupting their princess¡¯s stroll would certainly be out of the question. I was sharing a hotel room with Alice, but no matter how close we were as sisters, I wasn¡¯t about to join her in the shower. Rondarium had public bathhouses, but I¡¯d never been to one myself. Being perceived as ¡°male¡± made the idea of entering the women¡¯s baths¡­ ufortable, to say the least. The best time for me to slip out unnoticed was when Alice went to bathe. I had been as quiet as possible when leaving, so I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d noticed. ¡°Alice was looking for you,¡± Charlotte said. ¡°She was wandering the hotel, her hair still damp.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Ah. I hadn¡¯t ounted for that. Was she really that worried? ¡°Did she seem very anxious?¡± I asked. ¡°Well¡­¡± Charlotte tilted her head thoughtfully, crossing her arms. ¡°Her demeanor was confident, as usual. She didn¡¯t let her anxiety show outwardly while looking for you.¡± She shrugged lightly and continued, ¡°But feelings of unease don¡¯t only show in someone¡¯s expression or tone. Royals and nobles, especially those trained from a young age to mask their emotions, often reveal their true feelings in subtler ways. In Alice¡¯s case, herck of attention to her appearance gave her away. If she were truly calm, she would¡¯ve at least taken the time to dry her hair.¡± ¡°Is that why you¡¯vee to find me?¡± I asked. ¡°Partially.¡± ¡°Partially?¡± ¡°The truth is, I wanted a private conversation with you to understand your thoughts.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I stayed silent, studying Charlotte as she spoke. ¡°To be honest, you¡¯re one of the best I¡¯ve ever seen at hiding your emotions. The feelings you do show are always the kind that don¡¯t matter much. But when ites to moments of real importance, you wipe all emotion from your face and act.¡± Charlotte stepped closer, her shadow stretching long in themplight. ¡°But in high society, simply feigning ack of emotion isn¡¯t enough. Sometimes, you must smile when you don¡¯t want to, cry when you¡¯d rather not, and even express genuine anger over trivial matters. That¡¯s what it means to truly embody nobility or royalty. In that sense¡­¡± She hesitated briefly, then gave a faint chuckle. ¡°¡­your approach is a bit too deliberate. Always being emotionless leaves you open to suspicion. It¡¯s what they call a ¡®poker face,¡¯ isn¡¯t it? If someone always looks like they¡¯re ying poker, others will naturally assume they¡¯re constantly betting on something.¡± She took another step toward me. She wasn¡¯t close enough to be intrusive, but her proximity was undeniable. If I reached out, I could tap her on the shoulder. Charlotte paused briefly, then let out a soft chuckle. ¡°¡­It¡¯s a bit¡­ intriguing, you know. Always keeping a nk face makes you more likely to draw suspicion. It¡¯s what they call a ¡®poker face,¡¯ isn¡¯t it? If you always look like you¡¯re ying poker, people will assume you¡¯re constantly betting on something.¡± She took another step closer. Not close enough to be intrusive, but not far enough that I couldn¡¯t make a break for it if I had to. Could I outrun her from here? Then again, there was no real reason to run right now. ¡°Are you saying I look suspicious?¡± I asked, deciding to keep the conversation going. Charlotte smiled. It wasn¡¯t forced, nor did it seem to carry any ulterior motives. Perhaps it was genuine. Though considering she¡¯d just lectured me about nobles and royalty needing to act out their emotions, it was hard to take it at face value. But¡­ had I ever seen herugh like this before? ¡°Didn¡¯t I just say as much?¡± she replied. ¡°To be honest, it would be strange not to feel wary or suspicious of someone like you. Someone your age, with your track record, who manages to stay expressionless through everything? No one could reasonably expect others not to keep their guard up.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± I said nothing, meeting her gaze in silence. Eventually, she broke eye contact, ncing away. So¡­ she¡¯d been suspicious of me from the very beginning. Not that it was surprising.@@novelbin@@ Most of the others, no matter how strong they were, still weren¡¯t as powerful as adults. A group of knights could neutralize them if needed. But me¡­ My perception of my abilities and the way others saw them werepletely different. I had made countless mistakes, correcting each one to produce the best possible oue. But to outsiders, it looked as though I always achieved perfection on the first try. Fighting hundreds without taking a single hit, singlehandedly copsing enemy lines, navigating a maze-like path and immediately finding the critical point¡ªit all seemed impossibly wless. If there were someone like me wandering around my country without restraint, I¡¯d be suspicious too. But Charlotte¡¯s behavior in front of me was something else entirely. She subtly gestured to the guards encircling us. They hesitated for a moment, their bodies tensing, but when she calmly looked up at them, they eventually backed away. They¡¯d still remain nearby, of course, but at least our quiet conversation wouldn¡¯t be overheard. With the guards gone, Charlotte stepped even closer. Not close enough to feel suffocating, but within reach if I wanted to tap her shoulder. Her expression was clearer now, and it carried¡­ hesitation. After a moment of deliberation, she finally spoke. ¡°But¡­ truthfully, I didn¡¯t want things to go this way. Not like this.¡± I weighed my response carefully. What could I even say to that? ¡°¡­I see,¡± I replied atst, my words amounting to little more than a nomittal observation. ¡°When I first entered the Academy, I was wary of you. That¡¯s why I approached you so quickly, and why Iter requested a private meeting with Alice after she came to Lutetia.¡± She paused before continuing. ¡°But¡­¡± Charlotte hesitated, then added, ¡°¡­you treated me as just a friend. That was¡­ a new experience for me. Talking to someone without any hidden motives, just having normal conversations¡­ It¡¯s something I¡¯d never known before. I¡¯m the King¡¯s only daughter, without siblings. Every noble who spoke to me treated me as royalty first and foremost. So yes, it might sound strange to say this, but¡­ you were the first person to address me so confidently, as an equal.¡± Charlotte¡¯s eyes softened as she held my gaze. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just you and Alice. Everyone I¡¯ve met at the Academy¡­ Only now do I understand how much of a blessing it is to feel at ease, to simply live naturally without pretense.¡± Ah¡­ Wait, hold on. ¡°I want to stay friends with you, no matter what happens. Can I ask that of you?¡± Ah. That¡¯s not fair. Chapter 211 "......" "......" The silence was understandable. After all, what Alice and I had just said was utterly absurd. Charlotte, who had been staring intently at my face for some time, finally ced a hand on her forehead. ¡°So, let me get this straight. You¡¯re asking me, a princess of Belvur, to help you destroy one of the nation¡¯s proud cultural heritages?¡± ¡°To be more precise, we¡¯re asking you to help us sneak inside, not destroy it,¡± I corrected. ¡°......¡± Alice, standing beside me, buried her face in her hands. What? Why? Seriously, what? If I don¡¯t exin things clearly from the start, how would I respondter if someone used me of lying? Better toy it all out now. ¡°So, let me summarize what you just said, Sylvia...¡± Charlotte began, carefully reiterating my words. ¡°You suspect the Holy Nation is up to something suspicious.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°So, you want to meet with one of their higher-ups to have a discussion.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°And to gain ess to St. Latina Cathedral, where you believe this person might be, you¡¯ve prepared an arsenal of weapons.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°But then you thought it might not be the best idea to act on this n, so you came to me for help?¡± ¡°Precisely.¡± ¡°Sylvia, do you want me to hit you?¡± Charlotte¡¯s final remark made me stare at her nkly. Realizing she might have gone too far, she cleared her throat and covered her mouth with a fist, looking somewhat embarrassed. ¡°While the cathedral may have been built during a time when rtions between Belvur and the Holy Nation were strained, it¡¯s now one of Lutetia¡¯s most icondmarks. Moreover, most of those ¡®higher-ups¡¯ you¡¯re talking about aren¡¯t just citizens of Belvur but also hold dual citizenship with the Holy Nation.¡± Charlotte¡¯s serious gaze bore into me as she spoke. ¡°And yet, you¡¯re asking me, the only princess of Belvur, to assist in something that could spark a conflict between our nations?¡± Hmm... ¡°So, would it be better if I just acted alone?¡± Charlotte¡¯s argument was valid. That¡¯s why I had initially nned to handle everything on my own. Asking Charlotte for help hadn¡¯t been my first choice. After all, she was in a simr position to Alice¡ªthough Charlotte had always paid more attention to her rtions with the nobles, whereas Alice had only me as a true friend before joining the academy. Naturally, if Charlotte acted alone, it would bring severe political consequences for her. ¡°Do you even hear yourself?¡± Then again, knowing Charlotte¡¯s personality, she wasn¡¯t the type to let me act alone after hearing all this. Next to me, Alice clutched her head with both hands, clearly distressed, but I resisted the urge to look in her direction. "......" Charlotte fell silent, seemingly deep in thought. It wouldn¡¯t have been surprising if she got up and started pacing the room, but instead, she remained seated with her legs crossed, arms folded, and eyes closed¡ªa picture of royalposure. ¡°First of all¡­ let¡¯s not resort to violence,¡± she said after a long pause. When she opened her eyes, they were fixed on me with the same intensity as before.@@novelbin@@ ¡°If an incident like this actually urred, it could be interpreted as an act of war. Even if the royal family doesn¡¯t want war, if the nobles and the people demand it, we won¡¯t be able to stop it.¡± ¡°So, wouldn¡¯t it be better if I¡ª¡± ¡°Sylvia.¡± Alice¡¯s voice cut through my words. She still had her head in her hands, so I couldn¡¯t see her expression, but the tone of her voice made it clear that continuing in this direction would be dangerous. Even if I could rewind time and navigate through any situation, the process sounded exhausting, so I decided to keep my mouth shut. ¡°Is there a way to resolve this?¡± Alice finally raised her head, looking slightly less distressed. ¡°I¡¯d rather tell you to abandon the n altogether¡­¡± Charlotte sighed, ncing at me before letting out a deep breath. ¡°But even if I say that, Sylvia would go ahead and execute it anyway.¡± That¡¯s not entirely true. If that were the case, I wouldn¡¯t havee this far, having been convinced by Charlotte to discuss the matter. Sure, I hadn¡¯t told her everything, and I had brought weapons without her knowledge, but here I was, seeking her cooperation after hearing her out. I could be considered quite considerate, all things considered. Of course, I¡¯d still go through with it if she refused. ¡°...Honestly, we¡¯ve been contemting the Holy Nation¡¯s actions ourselves,¡± Charlotte muttered, rubbing her chin. ¡°Last year, we seriously deliberated over several ¡®treaties,¡¯ but when the Empire intervened and the negotiations fell apart, we discovered several suspicious details during the review process.¡± Though Charlotte didn¡¯t describe it explicitly, those treaties were about a full military alliance between the two nations. In the original story, Sophia had fought alongside Belvur¡¯s soldiers, so this made sense. ¡°What kind of suspicious details?¡± I asked. ¡°¡­I can¡¯t go into specifics. It¡¯s ssified.¡± Charlotte¡¯s cautious tone made her reluctance clear, and truthfully, she might not even know all the details herself. After all, she still believed Sophia was a native of Belvur. The Holy Nation had already infiltrated Belvur long before this. They hadn¡¯t just nted people under the guise of ¡°Holy Nation citizens¡±¡ªthey had fully embedded operatives by rewriting their identities to appear as Belvur citizens. My antics duringst year¡¯s conference might have been just to provoke the Holy Nation, but it seemed my actions had inadvertently tipped off Belvur about the infiltration. ¡°So, if we can leverage these suspicions well enough, it might not be impossible to persuade my father¡ªthe king.¡± Charlotte nced at me as she spoke, her expression suggesting she expected some kind of additional information. "......" Well. I could sell Sophia out if necessary. Her cover was definitely a false identity. But... Sophia, while not as close to me as Charlotte, was still a friend. Besides, seeing her interactions with Leo was genuinely entertaining. In the original story, she was one of the romanceable heroines, but her current personality differed significantly from what I remembered. So, while I could throw her under the bus, I didn¡¯t want to. And frankly, there was an even bigger card to y. ¡°Beneath St. Latina Cathedral lies a massive base,¡± I said. "..." Charlotte¡¯s expression froze, her mouth slightly open as she stared at me in disbelief. ¡°The cathedral serves as a foothold for the Holy Nation¡¯s expansion westward. Back when it was being built, Belvur hadn¡¯t fully epted the Goddess¡¯ faith, and the church had been in active opposition to the kingdom. The underground beneath Lutetia hides an extensive and intricatework of Goddess-worship catbs. The cathedral was constructed over it to conceal the entrance.¡± The underground catbs were also a pivotal dungeon in the original story, hosting numerous significant events. Lutetia, modeled after Paris, naturally included this borate undergroundbyrinth. The developers clearly couldn¡¯t resist drawing inspiration from the real-life Paris Catbs. Given the dungeon¡¯splexity and history, it was a treasure trove of secrets and key characters. Charlotte blinked, her gaze darting as she processed the information. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that the Goddess¡¯ church has been plotting something in Lutetia for hundreds of years?¡± ¡°More like their grudge from back then has yet to end. The Holy Nation¡¯s mission is to bring the entire world under the Goddess¡¯ will. Their persistent influence over Belvur aims to ultimately make the Goddess¡¯ faith our state religion.¡± It also exined why they couldn¡¯t entirely dismiss my remarks about the Empire¡¯s state religion, even if they thought I was bluffing. ¡°Is this enough to persuade His Majesty the King?¡± I asked. Charlotte rubbed her face with her hand, clearly overwhelmed. Though she didn¡¯t say it out loud, I was sure she wouldn¡¯t be able to ignore this. Chapter 212 "There¡¯s a tunnel under Gyeongbokgung Pce with hundreds of North Korean tanks waiting to attack!" That¡¯s the kind of statement no one would believe. Honestly, even the people making such ims probably don¡¯t believe them. Most of the time, those spreading such rumors are just after money. So, what would Charlotte think if I hit her with a im that absurd? The idea of North Korean forces digging tunnels to invade South Korea¡ªtypically, these theories are apanied by hastily drawn maps and baseless ims about tank dimensions. If, by some chance, a politician or expert seriously believed it and brought in professional equipment to investigate, they¡¯d likely find nothing. After all, investigating what isn¡¯t there can only lead to the conclusion that nothing exists. But, on the off chance¡ªone in a billion¡ªthat the experts found something and said, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s real,¡± the narrative would shift entirely. If they really uncovered tunnels filled with North Korean tanks and explosives, what could anyone say against such evidence? In that sense, I was definitely not an expert. Icked even a sliver of expertise. My knowledge of Belvur¡¯s history was limited to what I¡¯d gleaned from lore books and general education sses in this world. Naturally, these ¡°external-use¡± histories didn¡¯t delve into how their nation oppressed others. In fact, modern historical research was still in its infancy here. Most historical ounts were grand tales of monumental events, filtered heavily through a nationalistic lens. Given that, it was perfectly reasonable to ignore me when I imed there were tunnels. But¡ª "Can you take responsibility for your ims?" ¡ªThat night, I went straight to the Lutetia pce and convinced the King of Belvur to grant me an audience based on my wild assertions. Yes, I wasn¡¯t an expert. But I was skilled enough at sounding credible to qualify as a "pseudo-expert." The hallmark of a pseudo-expert is being just knowledgeable enough to sound convincing, yet too far from true expertise to be trusted. They often wield their limited knowledge as authority, confidently challenging genuine experts. In that sense, I was the perfect pseudo-expert. "I swear on the name of Fangryphon." A perfect pseudo-expert with the ultimate authority in this hierarchy. "......" When I puffed out my chest and dered my stance, the King of Belvur rubbed his forehead. Of course. Even if Belvur was seriously considering a military alliance with the Holy Nation, discovering that their supposed ally had been digging tunnels under theirnds¡ªwithout their knowledge, no less¡ªwould be infuriating. "What is your reason for sharing such critical ¡®information¡¯ with us? Do you seek something in return?" I hadn¡¯t nned to share this information initially. I nced at Charlotte, who stood beside me. Her eyes trembled slightly¡ªnot out of fear or shock, but because she was trying to subtly convey her thoughts to me without her father noticing. After all, she couldn¡¯t just shake her head in front of the King, her father. If someone delivering sensitive information saw Charlotte shaking her head, it would only mean ¡°Don¡¯t reveal this.¡± Given that this was the same person who had treated her as an adversary untilst year, such a disy would have caused a massive issue. "Sharing this information alone brings substantial benefit to the Empire," I replied. Not that I hadn¡¯t thought of an excuse. This one, though hastily concocted, would hold up. "Does the Empire still believe there¡¯s a possibility of us forming an alliance with the Holy Nation?" If the chance of a Belvur-Holy Nation military alliance waspletely off the table, it would be a huge win for the Empire. Maneuvering military forces begins long before a war breaks out, after all. But outright agreeing to his assumption would be too transparent. "Does the Kingdom believe the Empire is nning a war?" At my counter-question, the King paused. At the very least, it seemed the current Emperor wasn¡¯t actively nning a war¡ªor at least wasn¡¯t showing any signs of it publicly. Still, from the Kingdom¡¯s perspective, they couldn¡¯t simply trust the Empire¡¯s restraint. If it hadn¡¯t been for the suspicious circumstances Charlotte had mentioned, the Kingdom might have already formed an informal alliance with the Holy Nation. "In that case, let me rephrase," the King said, adjusting his posture. From his earlier slouched position with his hand on his forehead, he now sat straight, radiating the authority of a monarch. "Does the Empire wish for rtions between the Kingdom and the Holy Nation to be irreparable?" "......" From the Empire¡¯s perspective? Probably. From my perspective? Ideally, the Kingdom could keep the Holy Nation in check independently, without relying on an alliance. After all, the Holy Nation was rife with suspicious elements. I didn¡¯t want to see Charlotte be a puppet of the Holy Nation in the next decade. But I couldn¡¯t share all of this openly. As for the tunnels¡ªthose could be excavated. Evidence would speak for itself. However, other information about the Holy Nation... wasn¡¯t something I should know at this point in time. Thankfully, the King seemed to interpret my silence on his own. "Regardless of the reasoning," he said, looking down at me. "You swore on the name of Fangryphon. That¡¯s not something one does lightly. It means you¡¯re confident in your ims. While we¡¯ll need to figure out how an Imperial princess came to possess information even our Kingdom doesn¡¯t know, that¡¯s a matter forter." He continued to look down at me, trying to assert his authority. But judging by the slight twitch of his lips, he seemed on the verge of covering his face with his hands again. Frankly, if our positions were reversed, I¡¯d feel the same. "The first priority is verifying the urgent matter. Do you know how this underground facility is hidden?" I hesitated for a moment. The tunnelsy beneath Lutetia¡¯s sewer system. The quickest way in would be through St. Latina Cathedral, but there was no guarantee the Holy Nation hadn¡¯t hidden the entrance. Of course, the entrance was hidden. My concern was whether the Holy Nation had altered the original entrance after bing aware of my existence. Sure, I could blow the cathedral sky-high to find the entrance, but I was standing here precisely because I¡¯d been told not to. Still, there were alternatives. "It¡¯s not the only way into the underground," I said. As expected of an RPG-like world, Azerna Chronicles had plenty of hidden areas. Many fields¡ªlike cities and towns¡ªhad inessible spots containing treasure chests. Those locations were often connected through dungeons, which were typically beneath urban areas, like sewers or ruins. Of course, in a game, you don¡¯t get punished for looting someone¡¯s belongings. The underground facility beneath Lutetia was simr. St. Latina Cathedral wasn¡¯t the only entrance; there had to be other paths for people to sneak in or out. The most important sections were near the cathedral, but that wasn¡¯t an argument I could make now. "I have a lead on a potential location," I said. "...Do you now?"@@novelbin@@ The King¡¯s eyes narrowed further. I could almost feel his suspicion hitting its peak¡ªand then some. It was like a game where a stat value went so high it broke the UI and overflowed the screen. "In that case, you¡¯ll need to reveal all these locations. Once the search isplete, we¡¯ll have a thorough discussion about how you came to know them." I¡¯d need to run as soon as the search concluded. "We can¡¯t do anything drastic to an Imperial princess, but the Emperor will undoubtedly take an interest in this matter." ...I really needed to run. At least until this whole ordeal blew over. Chapter 213 I felt it once again. I had grown. In the past, I would have definitely shouted, ¡°Again!¡± by now and started over, methodically reworking my n from the beginning. Granted, it¡¯s not like the kind of grand-scale ¡°ns¡± the Emperor could conjure woulde flowing from my mind effortlessly. To be honest,pared to a year ago, I had been acting without much thought. But now... ¡°...¡± Charlotte¡¯s gaze was a little ufortable. It was understandable. It hadn¡¯t been long since she told me I was a true friend, only for that same ¡°friend¡± to propose causing a mess in her country. Still, the fact that I felt uneasy about her expression meant I believed we¡¯d grown close. After all, if she didn¡¯t think we were close, she wouldn¡¯t be looking at me like this. Back at the start of the semester, she would have hidden her true feelings behind a practiced smile. Now, however¡ª ¡®Can I really trust her? Does she actually have a n? Was everything I thought I understood about Sylviapletely wrong?¡¯ The doubt in her expression was in as day, something she never would have shown back then. ...It¡¯s fine. Even if her gaze toward me has grown a little colder, doesn¡¯t the fact that she¡¯sfortable enough to show it mean we¡¯re friends? Right? As I consoled myself with that thought, I looked around. Charlotte wasn¡¯t the only one whose demeanor toward me had changed. If this were earlier, I couldn¡¯t have stood in front of Mia and boldly dered, ¡°I killed your father, and he deserved to die.¡± Back then, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to bear the thought of how Mia might look at me after hearing that. Rewinding time to repair rtionships is also a way of destroying what¡¯s been built. It¡¯s not just about fighting and drifting apart or finding something unlikable in someone. Even the negative aspects of a rtionship are part of it¡ªthings that can be ovee with effort, by apologizing, understanding why someone acts the way they do, and growing together. To rewind time is to disregard the weight of those shared memories. Mia may have been the first to realize this and say something wise to me about it, but I¡¯ll let that slide for now. ¡°...So.¡± Leo, who had been sitting with his head in his hands for a while, was the first to break the silence. ¡°You¡¯re saying we¡¯re going to attack the cathedral near the heart of Lutetia, and the people who go in have to be the most ¡®trustworthy¡¯?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± I replied. ¡°So you can¡¯t trust Lutetia¡¯s soldiers?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Charlotte¡¯s gaze grew even colder at my words, but I ignored it for now. ¡°Then the people sent by the Empire¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªare not an option for me,¡± Charlotte interjected. Leo closed his mouth momentarily, then nced up at me. ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± An awkward silence hung in the air. ¡°Excuse me.¡±@@novelbin@@ Finally, Mia broke the silence, her voice cautious. ¡°Everyone here... except for Charlotte, are all from the Empire.¡± True enough. But even so, everyone here was trustworthy. We¡¯d worked together multiple times, and I knew each of them was more than capable. Sophia was excluded, likely asleep in her room¡ªor praying. Rena was also left out. Though she was a dear friend who followed me devotedly, she was still a foreigner. As for Jake and Rottie... I couldn¡¯t find them. Wherever they were, I could only hope they weren¡¯t overstepping as students. Even with those four absent, I believed we could manage. With Leo and ire as the vanguard, both trained by the Sword Saint, and my own sufficient firepower, we had what we needed. The masked woman and Lucas were wild cards, but if they both appeared, it might actually be a stroke of luck. Even if my abilities were restricted, they wouldn¡¯t bepletely sealed, and those two would never team up. Having ounted for those variables, I was confident. And yet¡ª ¡°...¡± Something felt off. Even ire, who normally responded to my ns with an enthusiastic ¡°Yes!¡±, was looking at me with a deeply ufortable expression. Arms crossed, she red at me like she had a serious grievance. ¡°Sis, what about the people you left out?¡± ire asked. ¡°...The ones I left out?¡± ¡°Sophia, Rena, Jake, and Rottie.¡± ¡°Jake and Rottie are probably off enjoying some quality time together. If I were to interrupt, I¡¯d be ruining their precious memories.¡± ¡°Fine, let¡¯s set them aside. What about Rena and Sophia?¡± ire¡¯s voice was strangely cold as she tapped her crossed arms with her fingers. ¡°Those two are foreigners¡ª¡± ¡°Excuse me!¡± Mia, who had been nervously watching the situation, raised her hand abruptly. ¡°We¡¯re foreigners too! At least, by Belvur¡¯s standards...¡± Her sharp awareness of the situation likely stemmed from having grown up near the border. If she realized she was part of this group, it would be a real problem for her. ¡°That¡¯s true. From my perspective, you¡¯re all ¡®foreign friends.¡¯ Friends I personally invited here. Besides, Sophia¡¯s even from the same homnd as me.¡± Ah, right. Charlotte didn¡¯t know that Sophia was originally from the Holy Nation. If she found out, things would get incredibly awkward¡ªnot in terms of national politics but on a personal level. How many people could continue treating a friend as such after learning they were a spy from another country? ¡°Besides, you know Sophia, don¡¯t you? If you deliberately left her out, she¡¯d be devastated when she found outter. And Rena? She adores you. Do you even know how she talks about you?¡± ¡°...¡± For the record, Alice hadn¡¯t spoken a single word since we met with the king earlier. She¡¯d just been ring at me with a face full of discontent, as if saying, ¡°Let¡¯s see how far you¡¯ll go with this.¡± ... Rtionships are best handled head-on. That¡¯s how they leave asting impact, how you figure out how to move forward together and build shared memories¡ª ...Screw it. ¡°Again!¡± When things gopletely awry, nothing beats rewinding time. If I¡¯d had this ability in my past life, I¡¯d have used it all the time. Timing is crucial for apologies. Even a slight dy can make forgiveness nearly impossible. In my past life, I¡¯d made countless blunders by acting thoughtlessly. Well, at least now, with this ability, I can truly build friendships¡ªeven if it took rewinding time to realize that. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Shortly after our meeting with the king, but before gathering the others, the three of us¡ªCharlotte, Alice, and I¡ªwere in Charlotte¡¯s room. Bowing my head deeply, I spoke. ¡°...¡± Charlotte froze momentarily, then, in an incredulous tone, said, ¡°Do you even understand what you¡¯re doing? A princess of the Empire bowing to a princess of a kingdom¡ª¡± ¡°If that¡¯s how you want to see it, so be it.¡± ¡°...¡± At my words, Charlotte fell silent. ¡°But my apology is not just about politics or strategy. It¡¯s as Sylvia, not as Fangryphon, that I¡¯m apologizing.¡± Depending on how she interpreted that, it could sound insulting. By shedding the name Fangryphon, I was no longer a figure of great importance. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for keeping this n a secret until now. It¡¯s not just a military or political matter. I¡¯m apologizing because, as your friend, I kept you in the dark about a n that could harm your homnd.¡± It took rewinding time for me to realize this. How foolish. I could im personal growth all I wanted, but unless others recognized it, what was the point? The room was silent for a long moment. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll speak as Charlotte, your friend, not as a princess. Raise your head.¡± Her words brightened my mood considerably. I barely managed to keep my expression neutral as I lifted my head. Charlotte met my eyes with a radiant smile. However, for some reason, she was raising a tightly clenched fist beside her face. If this were a game, her fist would probably have exaggerated, cartoonish veins popping out. And I could guarantee, even without those veins, her punch would hurt. Charlotte, still smiling brightly, said, ¡°I¡¯ll forgive you¡ªbut only if you let me hit you once.¡± Uh-oh. Chapter 214 It hurt. When Charlotte asked, ¡°Can I hit you?¡± I briefly considered rewinding time again, but Charlotte didn¡¯t give me a chance to finish that thought. In an instant, my vision shed, and pain spread across my forehead. With a sharp thud, it seemed Charlotte had given me a yful tap on the head. Though it wasn¡¯t exactly a sweet moment, that''s for sure. If I rewound time, I could have avoided it, but¡ª ¡°Huff.¡± The look on Charlotte¡¯s face as she saw the pain in my eyes was so satisfying that I decided against rewinding. Thankfully, there were no tears, but the pain wasn¡¯t exactly negligible either. I did feel the urge to rub my forehead. Suppressing the desire to touch it, I watched Charlotte sit down. ¡°Alright, then.¡± Charlotte plopped down onto a chair and continued. ¡°You must have delivered the information to His Majesty the King because you had something nned for this, right? You didn¡¯t juste here out of the blue and bring this up without thinking.¡± Hmm... It wasn¡¯t exactly without thinking. The biggest change was that my solo n was suddenly turned into a group effort. But well, what can I do? It¡¯s already decided. If I hadn¡¯t gone along with this, I would have already used my power to rewind time and erased this whole event. I took a deep breath, mentally organizing my thoughts. In the end, my argument hadn¡¯t changed much from thest time. But the number of people involved had definitely increased. Before rewinding time, I¡¯d kept a small circle in mind, but now, I¡¯d brought everyone else in. Well, Jake and Rottie were both from the Empire. I didn¡¯t think Jake would spill the details of the operation to his father, and Rottie would probably keep quiet as well. As long as Jake didn¡¯t say anything, Rottie wouldn¡¯t either. I figured they wouldn¡¯t cause too much trouble. Next, Rena. Rena... was a little concerning. Based on the circumstances, it was clear that the autonomous region had sent her to keep an eye on me. But given her pure personality and the timing, when we weren¡¯t even supposed to be heading north yet, there hadn¡¯t been any real issues. ¡°Do you understand? Being part of this operation means you cannot tell anyone, especially your family or superiors.¡± I made sure to remind her of this multiple times, but strangely, Rena kept nodding with sparkling eyes. ¡°As a member of the Academy, I¡¯m also an Imperial cadet. It¡¯s natural for soldiers to keep operations conducted under certain affiliations confidential.¡± ¡°...¡± Strictly speaking, it wasn¡¯t even an Imperial operation. But why was she looking at me so eagerly? Could it be that she trusted me that much? Or perhaps her inner Chuunibyou was excited by the idea of a ¡°secret operation.¡± Not knowing what else to say, I just nodded. Surprisingly, despite the ongoing war setting, the protagonist and his group didn¡¯t actually kill anyone. No matter how many times they made people fall into pits, pierced with ice spears, shot with guns, or sliced with swords, when the battle ended, the enemies didn¡¯t die but were simply incapacitated, kneeling on one knee. Yes, the righteous protagonists were portrayed as worrying about even the nameless extra enemies'' lives. ...Of course, I¡¯m the one saying this after having shot people a few times, and in reality, that just wouldn¡¯t happen.@@novelbin@@ No matter how much of a Chuunibyou someone is, they wouldn¡¯t staypletely sane after killing someone. Not just Rena, but everyone traveling with me. If we really had to shoot someone, it would be ideal if I did it. ¡°Leo, how about you?¡± I asked ire, who had finished checking her weapon and was walking toward me. She looked a little uncertain. ¡°He¡¯s still talking with Sophia.¡± They still hadn¡¯t figured out who was older. But I guess it would feel really strange if suddenly a girlfriend appeared, no matter if the guy was an older brother or younger brother. Of course, it wasn¡¯t really a girlfriend, just a girl who had unterally fallen for Leo. From ire¡¯s perspective, I could imagine her thinking, ¡°What does she see in him?¡± I wonder how ire would have reacted if Leo had actually created a harem like in the original story. But of course, for that to happen, I¡¯d have to not exist in this world, and if I didn¡¯t exist, things would have gone just like in the original. There¡¯s no such thing as ¡°if¡± in history, right? Even though I can rewind time, therees a moment when I don¡¯t want to anymore, or I simply can¡¯t. Once you pass a certain point, time ¡°fixes¡± itself, and it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that. ¡°Then let¡¯s wait a bit longer.¡± After my answer, ire nodded, and the room fell silent again. It was a decision made abruptly, without a word until now. To be honest, it felt odd that everyone had gathered without protest. ¡°...¡± As I nced around the room, everyone¡¯s eyes met mine¡ªthose who, in this moment, could truly be called ¡°friends.¡± For some reason, I felt a strange, ungrounded trust that I could leave my back to them. I had to suppress the urge tough at the absurdity of it all. I had always liked these characters, but honestly, it had only been a little over half a year since they started seeing me like this. Why would they trust me so much? ...Well. At least I have to be someone worthy of that trust. ¡°Sylvia.¡± After talking with Sophia for a while, Leo came out and called me. ¡°Sophia wants to talk to you as well.¡± Leo¡¯s expression was serious, as always. As the traditional ¡°righteous protagonist¡± of a JRPG, Leo was the type of guy who would express sorrow over even the unnamed extra enemies¡¯ deaths. He was a kind-hearted fool. Of course, after hearing about the operation, he must have felt uneasy about Sophia. I nodded to Leo, then walked toward the door he had juste through. Charlotte¡¯s room had a walk-in closet attached. Unlike me, who mostly wore dark, in clothes and Alice, who didn¡¯t enjoy attending banquets, Charlotte frequently mingled with nobles and often went to balls. So, the ¡°walk-in closet¡± was surprisingly spacious. It might even berger than some university dorm rooms that cost 500,000 KRW a month. In the center of the closet, two chairs were ced facing each other, and Sophia was sitting in one. Sophia red at me. It was understandable. I slowly walked over and sat down in front of her. ¡°...Did you think I would betray my country just because of Leo?¡± ¡°Historically, there have been plenty of people who betrayed their countries for love. But I don¡¯t think you would do that.¡± Sophia gave me a look that seemed like she was about to retort, so I quickly added, ¡°The reason I brought you here...¡± In fact, it was mostly because of ire and Charlotte¡¯s reactions. If they hadn¡¯t been so opposed, I probably wouldn¡¯t have brought Sophia here. Honestly, it would have been easier for Sophia to just think we betrayed her and be at peace with that. But now that I had brought her here, there was only one reason. ¡°...It¡¯s because you¡¯re our friend.¡± ¡°...¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes widened at my words. All the members of the protagonist¡¯s party shared one thing inmon. Aside from Leo, the protagonist, they all had a severelycking childhood. Given that they grew up in the noble society, it was understandable. Raised among adults who valued behaving inhumanely and hiding their emotions, they never learned how to open their hearts to others. In the game¡¯s lore, the story unfolds around these characters who, through Leo¡¯s genuine nature, eventually be true friends. The goddess, the war, religion¡ªthose were just decorations. The real heart of the story was the friendship among the protagonists. That¡¯s why I was able to enjoy the game so much. And the reason I resented Sophia¡¯s position in the original game was because she was a character who suddenly inserted herself into the already-formed, tight-knit group of friends and caused disruption. But that¡¯s not the case now. She appeared much earlier than in the original. And, strictly speaking, the character who shouldn¡¯t be here is me, not Sophia. Chapter 215 ¡°I understand. But even if you told me to attack the Holy Land of your beloved Kingdom just because we¡¯re friends, I¡¯m sure it would be hard to understand.¡± ¡°......¡± Fortunately, Sophia didn¡¯t snap back at me or shout that we weren¡¯t friends. I was able to carefully continue the conversation. ¡°Then, how about this? Your role is to observe us.¡± ¡°Observe, you say?¡± Sophia seemed a little taken aback by my words. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to turn any historicalndmarks into ashes,¡± I continued. Though I had been thinking of barging in and extracting information, in the end, I nned to rewind time, so I wasn¡¯t exactly lying. ¡°I just want to know a little more.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you ask me directly?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I answered firmly. Sophia, in the original story, had been quite high-ranking, but there was much she didn¡¯t know. Naturally, considering she was at the lowest rank among the cathedral knights now, it was safe to assume she knew next to nothing about the most important matters of the Holy Kingdom. ¡°...Then you know that it¡¯s my duty to ensure that this information doesn¡¯t leak out.¡± ¡°......¡± I paused for a moment to think, then said, ¡°If I gain any useful information, I¡¯ll be sure to share it with you.¡± ¡°And, I¡¯ll tell you about ¡®me,¡¯ the things you¡¯ve been so curious about.¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes widened slightly at my words. ¡°You were told to learn about my fighting style, and if that¡¯s really your assignment, I¡¯m sure you were also told that there were other instructions, right? Something like, ¡®Report any unusual circumstances immediately.¡¯¡± I could practically see an exmation mark popping up above her head. ¡°I suspect the Holy Kingdom believes my power is rted to ¡®the goddess¡¯s power.¡¯ If you join us and cooperate, I¡¯ll tell you more about me. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll benefit you.¡± If, by some chance, I couldn¡¯t rewind time, I¡¯d have no choice but to keep my promise. But honestly, I didn¡¯t think sharing this information would be such a disadvantage for me. So... ¡°How am I supposed to trust you?¡± Sophia asked, her voice filled with hesitation. ¡°The only proof I can offer is friendship. I don¡¯t know how much you feel that, but I believe we¡¯ve be close enough.¡± Yeah, even if Sophia and Leo ended up together, I could genuinely congratte them. It would ease the guilt I felt toward Leo. ¡°...Can you still use the name Fangryphon?¡± ¡°This conversation isn¡¯t about that name.¡± I looked at Sophia directly and spoke. ¡°I¡¯m not asking as the princess of the Empire, but as your friend, Sylvia.¡± ¡°......¡± Yes, Sophia too. She had grown up in the Holy Kingdom, constantly drilled into the idea ofpetition. Everyone around her, even those her age, was a rival, someone to be stepped on in order to rise higher. Once she reached the top, she might have tasted friendship. In fact, there seemed to be something like friendship among the knights of the Holy Kingdom. ¡°I¡¯ll leave whether you believe me or not to you.¡± I stood up after saying that. It was a little whileter when Sophia, having made up her mind, finally left the room. The rest of our party had finished preparing their weapons, and the tension was starting to ease when the door to Charlotte¡¯s dressing room suddenly swung open, and Sophia emerged. ¡°......¡± When our eyes met, Sophia nodded at me with the same stiff expression. ¡°So, it¡¯s decided, then?¡± Charlotte spoke, her voice cutting through the tension. ¡°One thing¡¯s for sure. What we¡¯re after is the secret facility rumored to be beneath Lutetia. We cannot destroy the St. Latina Cathedral, it¡¯s a sacredndmark, and as a princess, I can¡¯t allow that. And as for the underground¡ªdestroying that is out of the question. After all, there are homes for the people of Lutetia above.¡± At Charlotte¡¯s words, everyone nodded in agreement. Looking at me, Charlotte took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, her expression determined. ¡°Alright, then. Let¡¯s go.¡± The underground secret tombs in Lutetia were inspired by the catbs beneath Paris. The real catbs are extremely narrow. There are spaces where a few people can walk side by side, but often, a person can only enter by squeezing through tight gaps. They¡¯re so vast and deep that people can actually go missing down there.@@novelbin@@ And, of course, our Millennium-era technology wasn¡¯t quite advanced enough to replicate all that perfectly in-game. Unlike the winding and sprawling catbs in reality¡ª ¡°This ce, what the heck...?¡± The underground tomb we arrived at wasn¡¯t like the chaotic, scattered piles of skulls and asional odd skull towers you¡¯d find in a real catb. This one looked more like a clean, organized underground tomb you¡¯d find in a subculture anime. Of course, it had the setting that the entire facility stretched across Lutetia, so it was hard to know the full scale¡ªjust like the real catbs. ¡°Is it true that such a ce existed beneath Lutetia, and no one knew about it until now?¡± Right? Even in the original game, and now in this world, monsters¡ªbeasts that are practically like monsters¡ªwandered the streets, and inexplicably, crates filled with Marmaros were casually ced in the sewers, yet no one knew... it was a bit ridiculous. If this were a game, I¡¯d chalk it up to ¡°game mechanics,¡± but now that it¡¯s reality, it¡¯s a different story. Everything in the dungeon in the game was intentionally ced by someone. The fact that this ce is so vast is due to more than just technical limitations¡ªafter all, if it were too small, it would be difficult to y. So who, in this ¡°reality,¡± thought it was a good idea to tantly allow such ¡°game mechanics¡± to exist here? Furthermore, these ¡°game mechanics¡± were limited to the resemnce of this ce, and didn¡¯t extend to other mundane aspects. There¡¯s no HP, no MP, no inventory system¡ªif we want to carry anything, we have to either hold it in our hands or put it in a bag. It¡¯s pointless to ponder why such a hybrid ¡°reality¡± exists. At the end of the day, this ce is real, and it¡¯s in front of us. ¡°Even if we use some explosives, the ceiling won¡¯t copse. But let¡¯s be cautious, as Charlotte said.¡± When I said that, the group, who had been gazing absentmindedly at the ruins, nodded. ...Well, we did blow up part of the sewer on the way in, but it wasn¡¯t a huge issue. I moved my arm again, the enchanted suit still functioning well with its several powerstones embedded in it. ¡°I¡¯d love to meet the artisan who made this equipment.¡± Rena had mentioned that before. Maybe after this job is over, I¡¯ll introduce her. I strapped my specially-made elephant-hunting revolver on my back and held the rifle I always used in my hands. My holster had both a pistol and a revolver, with magazines full of regr ammo and one Marmaros round each, in sequence. This was probably the most heavily armed I¡¯d been for any mission so far. ¡°If there are any people down here, we¡¯ll avoid them as much as possible. Even though it¡¯s such arge area, since it stretches across all of Lutetia, it¡¯s easy to get lost. Make sure to follow me closely.¡± ¡°...I really want to ask how you know all this, but now that I¡¯ve seen this ce, I¡¯ll put that question aside for now.¡± ¡°Once everything is over, I¡¯ll exin it all.¡± I looked at Sophia. She looked a little pale, probably because the torches in the underground ruins emitted a faint blue light. ¡°......¡± Alice still hadn¡¯t said a word. For some reason, I could almost feel her thinking, ¡°You¡¯ve been here before, haven¡¯t you?¡± ...No. Well, if she thought I¡¯d been here before in the game, she wouldn¡¯t be wrong. ...Wait a minute. Did I just read Alice¡¯s expression? Chapter 216 No matter how different the events of this world were from themon sense I knew from the world I came from, honestly, I couldn¡¯t quite grasp the situation at hand. ¡°ire, cover the rear!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± With Leo¡¯s shout, ire immediately rushed to the back. It seemed like, with Rottie using firearms and Mia using magic, the rear could get a little unstable in close-quartersbat. And the ones charging at us were¡ª ¡°Keheh!¡± With a swift swing of her sword, ire¡¯s strike left deep gouges in the floor and walls of the ruins. At that moment, several of the approaching dogs let out their signature howls¡ªlike animals in pain¡ªbefore being sent flying into the air. ¡°s Esta!¡± I heard Mia¡¯s shout just as the sound of a gunshot rang out. Of the two dogs that had been lifted into the air, one was impaled by an ice spear, while the other took a bullet to the head, blood spraying as it fell to the ground. If an animal rights organization from the world I came from saw this, they¡¯d probably be horrified. But we didn¡¯t have time to be horrified by such scenes. Click. From beside me, I heard the sound of a magazine being inserted into a pistol. Rena calmly swapped out the empty magazine, then fired two shots straight ahead. In front of her, a massive wolf with blue fur, bigger than thebined weight of Rena and me, received the two shots from her gun. In an instant, smoke billowed from the wolf¡¯s face, followed by a furious, guttural howl¡ªone that made it clear just how angry the beast was. The wolf leapt forward¡ª Bang! It crashed to the ground, struck by my rifle shot. It wasn¡¯t a Marmaros round. I had modified the ammunition to increase the charge to match the barrel¡¯s durability, but it was enough to prate the wolf¡¯s skull. ¡°This is never going to end!¡± Alice shouted. If the path had been a little narrower, we might have ced those who could wield swords at the front and back, with fire support and support groups in the middle. But this ruin was toorge. Even with ten people positioned in a circle, there was still space left, and with beasts attacking from all directions, the six swordsmen couldn¡¯t protect everyone¡ªme, Rena, Mia, and Rottie¡ªeffectively. I had no problem, though, since I could still rewind time and I had two pistols. Rena, armed with a pistol and submachine gun, wouldn¡¯t have trouble in closebat either. But Rottie¡¯s rifle was a bolt-action, and Mia needed time to cast. While the two of them had been able to shoot and drop the iing beasts before they got too close, it wasn¡¯t enough to let our guard down. ¡°How the heck are there so many beasts in the underground of Lutetia!?¡± ¡°Sorry, Princess, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯re living here.¡± Charlotte, swinging her rapier, spoke with a hint of sarcasm, and Jake, nearby, also chimed in. As Jake pointed out, the beasts had cors on them, resembling dog cors. They even had identification tags attached. In the original game, simr beasts appearedter in the dungeon, making it easier to acquire Marmaros¡ªbut back then, they were part of the Emperor¡¯s n to use them as weapons. But now, if this situation were really like that... I shot a few more of the approaching dogs, quickly loading my rifle with the speedloader, then nced over at Sophia. Even while wielding a glowing sword, Sophia wore aplicated expression. She probably couldn¡¯t understand why so many beasts were swarming in a ce her own country had set up. ¡°Let¡¯s take a break for a moment.¡± I spoke up. ¡°If we go further, we should reach a room that¡¯s empty. Even if there are other soldiers inside, we should be able to deal with them and close the door to rest for a while.¡± In the original game, there weren¡¯t even autosave features, so yers had to manually save whenever they felt uneasy. But with the new world, autosave sections appeared, usually in areas with key dialogue events or recovery stations. The recovery stations we saw in the Northwood ruins... ...Now that I think about it, I¡¯ve only been to one ruin in this world. Surely there are more relics than what I¡¯ve seen. It felt like I was experiencing the entire series in one go, and some parts of the story seemed to be missing in the process... Well, not every ruin appeared in the original, and the relics weren¡¯t all gathered into one, but... That¡¯s not something to think about right now. What I needed to focus on was the current situation. As we got closer to the cathedral, stronger beasts would definitely start showing up. I wasn¡¯t sure if it would be worth rethinking the n, but at least we needed some time to rest. The swordsmen were already getting soaked in sweat. A few of the people I locked eyes with nodded. The ones who didn¡¯t nod would catch up as we moved. ¡°This way!¡± I shouted, turning and running ahead. ¡°Huff...¡± ire let out a long breath as she stood in front of the recovery station. She watched as the small cuts on her body healed instantly. Not just ire, but everyone who had entered the room was healing. ¡°What is this...?¡± Charlotte muttered as she watched the wounds on her hands disappear. ¡°......¡± Sophia didn¡¯t say anything. I wasn¡¯t sure whether she knew about these devices and was silent because of it, or if she was truly unaware since she was still a low-ranking member of the kingdom. ¡°Rottie, are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes, there are no injuries. But I¡¯m concerned about how many bullets we have left.¡± ¡°I have extra ammo.¡± I shrugged off my coat, revealing the exosuit beneath. It looked like something from an SF novel, though it was made with a lot of brass rather than steel, and the gears were constantly whirring. Some of the ss covering the gears had small cracks. It was a prototype, but quite functional. Maybe in a sequel, this suit would be more widely used, though it still wasn¡¯t mass-produced. I set down the metal box I had strapped to my back. ¡°Rottie, Rena, if you need anything, take it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Rena responded immediately. Rottie hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Well then, I won¡¯t turn it down.¡± She walked over to me. Luckily, I had prepared various types of ammunition, just in case. Though I had only debated whether to use the submachine gun, I never expected it toe in handy. In truth, I hadn¡¯t bothered to dig out every single item. I¡¯d just loaded up the train with all the supplies. I was already heavily armed, with an elephant-hunting rifle strapped to my back and ammunition hanging from every part of my body, including my waist, stomach, and thighs, so I was a bit weighed down, even with these special gear. ¡°...The beasts we¡¯ve faced so far.¡± As Rottie and Rena chose their ammunition, Alice, who had taken a breath, spoke up. ¡°Those things... they were all bred by someone, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± They might have even been created, I thought. There¡¯s magic for that. More specifically, artifacts that make it possible to open gates to entirely different worlds, corrupt ¡°beasts,¡± turning them into monstrous forms, and even summon creatures from beyond tomand them. In the original game, this magic was used by the Emperor in theter stages. That¡¯s when beasts and monsters infused with Marmaros would flood the dungeon, and yers wouldplete the final setups by looping through certain areas. But here, Marmaros wouldn¡¯t just drop to the floor when we captured a beast or monster, and right now, it was of no use. The ancient artifact that allowed this magic had been secured and hidden by the Holy Kingdom. The Emperor would eventually steal it for his own purposes, but... the Holy Kingdom would likely treat this magic as a curse. Because it goes against the perfect world the goddess created. If that¡¯s the case, then the Emperor...? No. That can¡¯t be. If the Emperor had taken control of this underground ce, the Holy Kingdom wouldn¡¯t be so quiet about it.@@novelbin@@ And there would be no reason for him to use this magic here. If he wanted to use it, he could have done so in the Holy Kingdom, where it could deal a significant blow to his enemies without starting a world war. So, it seems this magic was used by the Holy Kingdom. ¡°...Have you figured something out?¡± I looked up at Alice¡¯s voice. Looking around, all of my friends were staring at me with anxious expressions. ¡°......¡± Yeah, at this point, hiding what I was thinking might cause problems for uster. Emotional confusion could seriously disrupt our battle ns. ¡°I think the Holy Kingdom was preparing for war.¡± I decided to speak inly, saying what had been on my mind. Chapter 217 ¡°......¡± My words hung in the air, and for a moment, the room was engulfed in silence. ¡°War...?¡± Charlotte, who had grown up in this very kingdom, mumbled in disbelief, her voice almost a whisper. ¡°No, that can¡¯t be!¡± Sophia flinched at Charlotte''s mumbling and immediately stepped forward, defending her kingdom. ¡°There¡¯s no reason for the Holy Kingdom to go to war with Belvur! Yes, there have been issues in the past, but those were resolved a long time ago through diplomatic agreements!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say the Holy Kingdom was preparing for war with Belvur.¡± ¡°Then who?¡± Alice, who had been lost in thought with her arms crossed, spoke up. ¡°Perhaps... they were preparing for a war with the Emperor.¡± At my words, Alice let out a soft groan, clearly taken aback. ¡°...What are you talking about? A war between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom? Why would they be preparing such a war here, beneath Lutetia?¡± Unable to hold back, Charlotte interrupted as she overheard my conversation with Alice. ¡°It¡¯s not a war between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom, it¡¯s a war between the Emperor and the Holy Kingdom.¡± At my words, the room fell silent again. In the original story, the Emperor had prepared for war¡ªand eventually carried it out. In two months¡¯ time, this world would be a battlefield. The practice in Lutetia was a consequence of my arrival in this world. In the original story, Alice had failed to grow fully until the very brink of war, and during the several months leading up to it, tensions between the Empire and Belvur escted. Charlotte¡¯s temperament became more sensitive as well. No, the truth was that Charlotte and Alice had never been friends from the start. They met at the academy, gradually grew closer, and then, because of the war, their rtionship fractured. They would only be friends again when they united to stop the Emperor. ¡°They were preparing to stop the Emperor.¡± ¡°Stop the Emperor? Why would you need to stop him? Is the Emperor preparing for war?¡± No. Well, more urately, he had been. But because of me, that war was stopped, and his ns shifted. I didn¡¯t know exactly what those ns were, though. ¡°The Emperor¡ª¡± I opened my mouth but then nced at Alice and Sophia. Alice nodded, while Sophia, her face pale, appeared as though her emotions were entirely mixed. It was honestly harder to read her emotions than Alice¡¯s, who was trying to hide hers. ...Well, to be honest, I wasn¡¯t exactly perceptive, whether in my previous life or this one. Mia was holding her staff tightly, looking at me. The Marmaros embedded in her staff had multiplied since I first gave it to her, but the ice-element Marmaros I gave her was still embedded there. I wondered why she continued to keep it when she must have obtained better ones by now... Rottie and Jake were looking at me, standing together. They hadn¡¯t asked any questions; they simply followed us. It felt like they were doing so because they believed it was only natural to help after I had helped them. I hadn¡¯t thought things would get to this point, so I hadn¡¯t said anything about possibly risking my life, but it felt like Rottie and Jake would havee along anyway, even if I had. Rena... was just the same as usual. She¡¯d beenpletely fooled by me, thinking I was just putting on a brave front, and had followed me this far. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder, how would she have reacted if I had shown her my true self? Would she have been disappointed? Thinking back, I realized I had been so caught up in other things that I had forgotten thepetition I once had with her over our "concepts." And then, finally, ire and Leo. ire was the first major character I met after arriving here. ...And she had a secret about her birth that I never could have imagined. Now that I thought about it, I understood why I had ended up meeting her first. Maybe it was because of her birth secret that the Emperor¡¯s n had unraveled so suddenly after ire¡¯s death. Back when I first met ire, she had boldly called me "sister." And even now, she acted as though I was the most important person in her life. As for Leo... I felt truly sorry for him. He had been so kind, alwaysing to my aid whenever I asked, and I found it strange how easily he followed me. Maybe, after some time passed, the two of us could share a drink and talk things through. He didn¡¯t look as pale when he had to speak to me alely, so it might be possible. ...Hmm. I had been lost in thought for so long that the expressions of those around me had started to turn increasingly anxious. I decided it was time to stop my musings and speak up. ¡°The Emperor, in the past, had a n to conquer this world. But now, he has ¡®retracted¡¯ it, mostly because of me.¡± ¡°......¡± The eyes of everyone in the room turned to Alice. Alice nodded and added to the exnation. ¡°But Sylvia refused to be the Emperor. She insisted that she was the rightful heir to the Empire. Her fatherpletely trusts Sylvia¡¯s judgment. So, when Sylvia said she didn¡¯t want that path, the Emperor didn¡¯t seem to care, thinking it was of no consequence.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Mia let out an exmation, a question that escaped her lips as all eyes turned toward her. She quickly covered her mouth, unnecessary as that was. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. I have no royal blood. I¡¯m from an orphanage.¡± This wasn¡¯t news to nearly everyone in the room. ...In truth, it wasn¡¯tpletely urate, but by coincidence, it was still somewhat true. If this had been "ire Fangryphon" saying this, it would either be a lie or the person themselves wouldn¡¯t know the truth. ¡°Even so, the Emperor saw you as the next Empress?¡± Charlotte asked. ¡°My father... believes that ability is more important than bloodline when ites to seeding the throne,¡± Alice replied. In truth, he was far more concerned with bloodline than he let on, sowing his seeds far and wide and selecting capable heirs. He didn¡¯t care much about things like ¡®purity¡¯ or ¡®honor.¡¯ Just look at ire in the original. ¡°But I don¡¯t think the Emperor truly gave up on his ns. Thest time we met, he made it sound like he had abandoned them entirely, but I suspect it¡¯s a smokescreen. And I believe the Holy Kingdom thinks the same. I only realized this aftering here and seeing things for myself.¡± ¡°......¡± When I finished speaking, silence once again fell over the room. ¡°So...?¡± Sophia spoke up, her voice calm but filled with confusion. ¡°Are you saying that, whether back then or now, you¡¯ve been working to extinguish the spark of war?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I nodded. This much was clear. Of course, I hadn¡¯t done it for some noble reason. It wasn¡¯t about stopping the war to save lives or prevent sorrow. I had no right to think that way. I had only acted to save the characters I liked. If, on the other hand, war had been necessary for that, I wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to start one. But that path would lead to a much harder road to a happy ending. ¡°So, I need to know more about this situation. Where are these beastsing from? Is the Holy Kingdom really behind this? And if so, how exactly are they doing it?¡± I had a general idea of what was happening. After all, I had already navigated through many dungeons. There was no way we¡¯d take an unexpected turn¡ªespecially not to a ce that hadn¡¯t appeared in the original story. But even though the world was clearly influenced by the game, it was far more real than any virtual world. So, if there were any unexpected variables, I needed to understand their origin. That way, I could figure out how to deal with them¡ªwhether now or in the future. I had barely finished speaking when everyone in the room continued to stare at me in silence. There were no loud responses, no one nodding eagerly. Click. The silence was broken by a small metallic sound. ¡°We¡¯re ready.¡± Rena stood up, holding her pistol.@@novelbin@@ I nodded at her. ¡°Then, shall we go?¡± Not a single person objected. Chapter 218 ¡°How... how is this...?¡± How many times have I heard this question? Probably about nine times. Out of ten people, I was the only one who didn¡¯t mutter something like that. As we descended further below the cathedral, the creatures we encountered grewrger and more grotesque. At first, they looked like bears, tigers, or lions¡ªat least, they resembled these animals in some way. Of course, they weren¡¯t normal animals. If a Japanesepany had designed these monsters, they might have appeared cute. There are famous examples of such designs, and Japan¡¯s culture has a penchant for small, adorable things. Honestly, when I first yed this series, I couldn¡¯t get used to it. The monsters were just... too ugly. In the original game, the monsters were designed with a mediocre graphic style, where they took on the texture of realistic beasts but added grotesque details that didn¡¯t quite reach the level of ¡®horribly grotesque.¡¯ It was a typical game design, but now, in this ¡®real world¡¯ version, we were experiencing those strange designs in all their disturbing glory. At least I knew what they looked like, so I wasn¡¯t as shocked as I might have been. But¡ªno, even so, seeing the bodies melt and be limp made me instinctively step back. ¡°Haah...¡± Charlotte, who muttered the usual ¡°What is this...¡± again, exhaled deeply as she shook off the slimy substance stuck to her sword. Whether the blue or ck was blood, I wasn¡¯t sure, but the monster¡¯s bodily fluids clung to her de. The sound of it hitting the floor was unpleasant¡ªmore of a wet thud than a solid drop. Upon closer inspection, it seemed more like slippery slime than liquid. ¡°...Well, at least we managed to block it properly this time,¡± she said. Leo, swinging his sword, added, ¡°Yeah, that was well done.¡± Most of the swordsmen in our party had small injuries. Every time it seemed like someone would take a serious hit, I rewound time and provided support. Still, it was hard to erase every little scratch and bruise. ¡°Are you okay, sis?¡± As I caught my breath, ire asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I replied, lifting my left hand. Hadn¡¯t I mentioned before? A jack chain¡ªor whatever it was¡ªconnecting my shoulder, elbow, wrist, and fingers had slightly bent. On the surface, it appeared to be brass, but there was a strong steel core inside, so the minor deformation wasn¡¯t a big issue. But blood was flowing under the brass tes, from my fingers upward. It looked like rusty water. ¡°Seems like I got hurt a little while swinging my fist earlier,¡± I said. When I moved my fingers, there was a bit of a sting, but nothing seemed broken. As I moved the brass te around my hand with a creaky sound, ¡°Spirits Lucis.¡± A soothing, warm light enveloped my hand, and the pain in my fingers disappeared. Looking to my side, Mia was nearby. ¡°I¡¯ve healed everyone else,¡± she said, her face a bit pale. ¡°Are you okay?¡± After we had been running for a while, we were nearing the center of the ruins. In the original game, there was always a healing device near boss rooms. It was likely the same here, but if we ran out of mana before reaching it, we would be exhausted. Mia nodded and pulled out a small vial from her waist, drinking from it. After a few minutes, herplexion slightly improved. ¡°I wasn¡¯t actually carrying this for ces like this,¡± she added, avoiding my gaze. I wondered if she had prepared it for dealing with me. After all, if Mia had prepared any weapons to protect herself or harm others, they were probably meant to be used against me. Now, those purposes had disappeared, leaving only the weapons and equipment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Rottie suddenly approached me and bowed. ¡°If I had practiced closebat a bit more, I wouldn¡¯t have needed all of you to help me...¡± ¡°But Rottie, you can still use magic. So can Sophia. If you two hadn¡¯t been there, Mia would have copsed long ago,¡± ire said, trying tofort her. That was true. In both the original and this world, Mia used mostly offensive magic. If Mia hadn¡¯t been there, I would have used all myrge-caliber Marmaros rounds by now. Having a mage at the back, casting giant ice spears or fireballs, allowed me to draw attention or retreat when necessary. Healing magic, like offensive spells, consumed mana. If Mia had to take care of both healing and attacking magic, she would have passed out from mana exhaustion. ¡°My magic is based on tools that record spells,¡± Rottie humbly exined. While the tools in the original game allowed anyone to use magic, it wasn¡¯t something just anyone could use effectively. It was more of a st resort¡¯ for non-magic characters, and even then, it was more useful to attack directly rather than using magic. When you¡¯re in a ce where you have limited space and gear, prioritizing and focusing is key. ¡°But I¡¯m surprised. I didn¡¯t think Sophia could use healing magic. Most swordsmen don¡¯t have time to learn magic,¡± Rottie said, genuinely impressed. Sophia, who had been listening from a distance, flinched when she heard this. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s...¡± Many magic spells can be used without casting a verbal incantation. To be precise, all magic can be used without it; however, speaking the incantation makes it much easier and more effective. Sophia had been quiet during the healing magic, likely because she was aware that her method was fundamentally different from the magic Mia used. Mia seemed to realize that too, but she chose not to speak about it, sensing it wouldn¡¯t help. However, even without voicing their thoughts, two people had been watching Sophia with somewhat knowing eyes: Alice and Charlotte. Alice had already heard about Sophia¡¯s true identity from me, so she might have suspected that it was holy magic. Charlotte, though not from the Holy Kingdom, had grown up in a city where the St. Latina Cathedral was located. She had likely seen people who used holy magic multiple times, even if she wasn¡¯t directly familiar with it.@@novelbin@@ Though Sophia had used holy magic at the academy, using it to heal people was a different matter entirely. ¡°...We¡¯re almost there. The healing device we saw earlier should being up soon. Rena, do you have enough ammo?¡± I shifted the conversation. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve used up quite a bit of regr ammo, but there¡¯s still plenty for thebat. The Marmaros rounds are almost all intact,¡± she replied. ¡°Good,¡± I nodded. ¡°Can I ask what kind of monster we¡¯ll face ahead?¡± Jake, standing near Rottie, turned to me and asked. By now, they must have all figured out that I knew something. They might not have guessed exactly what I could do¡ªwhether it was seeing the future or rewinding time¡ªbut they knew I had some knowledge. I hadn¡¯t gotten lost at any point during our journey. In fact, I had ignored all the treasure chest rooms along the way. Entering those rooms would mean more battles, and since fighting too much would wear us down in this world, I hadn¡¯t bothered with them. If we had spent time opening all those chests, we would have been exhausted even before we reached here. In the original, only four people participated in battles, and the rest were substitutes. Originally, we couldn¡¯t have brought all ten people along. Many weren¡¯t even our panions¡¯ yet. ¡°......¡± I paused to think for a moment. In the original story, what were the ¡®monsters¡¯ the Emperor unleashed? As I fell silent, the others watched me intently. ¡°Probably...¡± I couldn¡¯t be certain, but it seemed likely that the creatures we were about to face were griffins¡ªtwisted and grotesque versions of them. ¡°......¡± Griffins existed in this world too, but they were usually found in high mountains where humans rarely ventured. They were kings of beasts¡ªuntamable, unlike normal creatures. ¡°...Ha.¡± At that point, Alice, who had been silent until now, finally spoke, a bitterugh escaping her lips. ¡°I¡¯m losing my mind.¡± Chapter 219 It was a funny story. For people with the name "Fangryphon" to feel tense over the name "Gryphon" itself¡ªit was ironic. Well, to be fair, we didn¡¯t choose the name Fangryphon ourselves. Technically speaking, Fangryphon was the name of the one who ruled as the king of Gryphons during the chaotic era when the world was conquered. And honestly, that was a figure from the mythological age. If such a story existed in the modern times I lived in, I¡¯d dismiss it as a mere "founding myth" without much thought. Even in this world, there are people who despise the Empire and think of it that way. However, this world runs "as the original plot dictates." If that¡¯s the case, dismissing the myth as "just a myth" would be foolish. ¡°Honestly, isn¡¯t it kind of ridiculous?¡± Alice, trying to lighten the lingering tension, spoke up after hearing my story. ¡°To ce a recovery device like this right ¡®in front of the base.¡¯ Logically, shouldn¡¯t it be deeper inside? It¡¯s practically inviting intruders to rest and recover.¡± ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s for the guards stationed near the entrance?¡± Charlotte offered her opinion, seemingly joining Alice¡¯s efforts to ease the tension. ¡°No, even considering that, it would still make more sense to ce it further in. It would be more effective to ¡®reinforce¡¯ the troops as needed.¡± Charlotte¡¯s faux-serious remark prompted everyone to nce at the recovery device. Regardless of cement, the recovery device was undeniably effective. Just moments ago, we had barely managed to fend off a swarm of monsters at the gate, yet now we were conversing as if nothing had happened. Our clothes were torn to shreds, leaving us looking like beggars, and moments ago, Leo had been bleeding profusely. Mia had been staggering on the brink of copse¡­ but the recovery device had solved all of it. ¡°Maybe,¡± Lena, who had been quietly observing, rested her chin on her hand and shared her thoughts. ¡°Maybe they excluded it from deeper inside because it also heals enemies. If ced further in, it might keep the attacking intruders alive longer. cing it outside for the defense force might have been a deliberate choice, relying on stronger forces within to handle things more decisively.¡± Granted, the recovery device didn¡¯t seem to work on the monsters. ¡°¡­Talking about this among ourselves isn¡¯t going to give us any answers.¡± Alice ced her hand on the massive door before us, brushing it as she spoke. The door was enormous, adorned with intricate carvings reminiscent of Rodin¡¯s Gates of Hell. The difference was that this door was bronze rather than cast iron and looked farrger than Gates of Hell. And undoubtedly, the carvings were different. I couldn¡¯t picture the Gates of Hell clearly in my mind, so I could onlypare this to my vague impression. ¡°Do you think we can open this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s locked.¡± ¡°¡­Why?¡± Good question. Alice¡¯s gaze was different from usual when it turned toward me. Typically, the information I provided to Alice came from my experiences of the future. Even when it wasn¡¯t, Alice, knowing my ability, would usually assume as much. But in this case¡­ iming I had ¡°already been here¡± would be far too strange. If I had failed previously ande back for help, we wouldn¡¯t have made it this far. Knowing the exact way was also impossible. After all, we barely made it here as a group of ten. It would be absurd to think I came here alone, scouted the inside, rewound time, and then led everyone here. Alice had asionally cast questioning looks at me on our way here, but this time, her expression was markedly different. Even with my improved ability to read her expressions, I couldn¡¯t discern what Alice was feeling right now. ¡°¡­¡± When I remained silent, Alice didn¡¯t press further. She simply exhaled a long breath. ¡°Well, fine.¡± Alice muttered to herself and nced at Charlotte. ¡°So¡­ ready?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been ready for a while now. What about everyone else?¡± Charlotte turned to look at the others, and they all nodded. Even Sophia, albeit with a slightly dark expression, noddedst. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s act as nned. Of course, don¡¯t feel obligated to stick strictly to the n. Situations can change at any moment.¡± ¡°Well, even if it¡¯s a dragon instead of a gryphon, there won¡¯t be time to change tactics.¡± Charlotte shrugged at Alice¡¯s quip. ¡°Both have wings, so we¡¯ll manage somehow.¡± Someone chuckled dryly. ¡°¡­¡± And then, silence fell. Alice turned her gaze toward me. I nodded. All right. No one will die. I¡¯ll make sure of it. That¡¯s the only reason I¡¯m here. ¡°¡­¡± Should I call this surprising or predictable? Our opponent really was a gryphon. But it wasn¡¯t just any gryphon. It appeared to have been "modified for easier control." The head, reminiscent of a bald eagle, was stained with an ink-like ck substance. Its eyes, which should have been yellow, were crimson. Its body showed patches where feathers had fallen out, revealing grotesque growths resembling tumors. Honestly, calling it a ¡°rescued pet abandoned on the streets¡± wouldn¡¯t have been an exaggeration¡ªit looked pitiful, like it had endured untold hardships. Yet, despite this appearance, it still carried itself with the dignity of a king of beasts. Even in silence, it held its head high, its red eyes gazing down at us. Its presence alone inspired a strange sense of awe within me. But the real problem was¡­ ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not alone.¡± Exactly. Several heavily armed knights nked the gryphon. We hadn¡¯t encountered a single human on our way here, yet here they were. Were these knights their entire force? If so, why? Although their faces were hidden beneath their helmets, I clearly saw them nce at Alice, Charlotte, and me. For a brief moment, their heads turned slightly as if gauging the situation. Were they nervous? Even if I wasn¡¯t a concern, letting Charlotte die here wouldn¡¯t be something the Holy Nation wanted. Not to mention, we¡¯d already wiped out a significant portion of the forces the Holy Nation had prepared on our way here. As long as "this ce" wasn¡¯t breached, they could always replenish their forces elsewhere. There were likely still hordes waiting in the areas we hadn¡¯t explored yet. ¡°...Surely you know that thisnd belongs to the Kingdom of Belvur.¡± Charlotte finally broke the silence. ¡°Even if priests from the Holy Nation reside in this cathedral, thend itself is recognized as part of Belvur. That was agreed upon long ago. So why are you conducting such activities beneath this ce?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The gryphon continued to observe us in silence. The knights also remained silent¡ªuntil a voice called down from above. ¡°Your Highness.¡±@@novelbin@@ The voice was that of an elderly man, calm and kind. ¡°¡­Cardinal.¡± The Cardinal of Belvur. I¡¯d already encountered him once before. ¡°Your Highness, it has been a while. I did not expect to meet you in such a ce.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to see you¡¯re in good health.¡± I replied, and the Cardinal regarded me briefly before turning his attention back to Charlotte. His expression betrayed no interest in Alice. ¡°You asked why we are doing this, even beneath Belvur¡¯s territory?¡± ¡°Yes. Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°For one reason alone¡ªpeace.¡± ¡°¡­Peace.¡± ¡°Yes. Under the goddess¡¯s blessing, we seek a perfect world. We merely strive to fulfill the goddess¡¯s will, restoring the ¡®perfect world¡¯ that the Fangryphon dynasty trampled upon.¡± ¡°The world of that era must have been utter chaos.¡± Alice interjected, drawing the Cardinal¡¯s gaze to her for the first time. ¡°We were merely reconstructing the world. Perfection requires removing imperfections.¡± Ha. That¡¯s quite the interpretation. But then again, fanatics are always full of nonsense. ¡°In that sense, you¡¯ve disappointed me, Sophia.¡± At his words, everyone turned to look at Sophia. Her face had gone pale. ¡°We sent you to watch over Princess Sylvia, yet here you are, cooperating with her all the way to this point.¡± ¡°Was your attempt to monitor me¡­¡± I cut him off. ¡°¡­merely because of my ability?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The Cardinal responded as if he¡¯d been waiting for this question. ¡°Well, we still haven¡¯t fully grasped who you are. At first, you seemed to be just a human with an impossible ability. Then we wondered if you might be a messenger of the goddess. But we still can¡¯t decide.¡± ¡°If I were a messenger of the goddess, I wouldn¡¯t be standing here before you now.¡± ¡°We cannot im to fully understand the goddess¡¯s will. In the end, the world will unfold ording to her design. We merely strive to understand her intent and act ordingly.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hm. Maybe the Holy Nation is falling apart, too. Just as my existence has made the Emperor a more enigmatic and iprehensible figure, perhaps the Holy Nation has been thrown into disarray because of me. Well, no matter. Whether their contradictory responses were to conceal their intent or reflected genuine confusion, I¡¯d get the answers directly. ¡°Mia!¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, yes!¡± At my shout, Mia flinched momentarily before quickly raising her staff. Chapter 220 The spell Mia originally prepared wasn¡¯t intended to be used like this. The n was simple: since the gryphon had wings, Mia would conjure an ice staircase, allowing Alice and Charlotte to dash up simultaneously and sh the wings off. If the gryphon had been alone, that would have worked. But with humans controlling it, the situation became moreplicated. ¡°Spitas cia!¡± As Mia chanted and swung her staff toward the ground, it looked as though water was spilling out and freezing instantly. It didn¡¯t create a beautiful ice staircase like something from a Disney animation. Instead, jagged, hastily formed steps shot upward with sharp icicles protruding at the front, looking dangerous enough to pierce anyone who dared to approach. I wasn¡¯t sure if Mia had intended this, but it was certainly effective. From our side, it was just a staircase. From the enemy¡¯s perspective, it likely resembled a charging ice tank. The knights positioned in its path were forced to retreat. A piercing eagle¡¯s cry rang out, something you¡¯d expect at the start of a Western film. The gryphon raised its massive body, wings pping as it reared onto its hind legs. It had already been intimidating enough on all fours. Standing upright, it was a true monster. ¡°Mia!¡± By the time I shouted, I was already dashing up the staircase at full speed. ¡°I know!¡± Mia yelled back as I called out again. Another chant echoed, and the ice staircase continued spiraling upward, growing taller and steeper. Once more, the gryphon let out its unnervingly clear, almost unnatural cry. As it twisted its body toward me, I fired. Boom! The sound was far louder than that of a standard bullet, more akin to cannon fire. ng! The rifle¡¯s butt struck the brass ting protecting my shoulder with a sharp sound. A creak near my elbow followed¡ªa reminder to ask Browning for improvementster. I hadn¡¯t expected a single shot to incapacitate the gryphon. It was a gryphon, after all¡ªa creature of legends, residing where humans couldn¡¯t reach. Few who ventured into its habitat returned alive, and even with the invention of cameras, photos of gryphons were scarce. Its crimson eyes locked onto mine. A chill ran down my spine. It wasn¡¯t like the fear I¡¯d felt on a battlefield with bullets flying. At least in war, the enemy was human. Even if they were trying to kill me, they were still the same species. There was no reason to feel the primal intimidation of facing a predator. But the being before me was a gryphon, the apex of life. In this world, apart from dragons, nothing could rival it. Still¡ª ¡°Not so fast!¡± A sharp voice rang out below as a whip-like sh of a sword grazed the gryphon¡¯s face. It was ire¡¯s strike, leaving a thin wound near its cheek. There was no time to check if it bled. The gryphon remained unshaken, merely pping its wings and ascending into the air. ¡°Damn.¡± Clicking my tongue, I raised my rifle again¡ª Tat-tat-tat! Before I could pull the trigger, another volley of bullets flew toward the gryphon. Unlike my previous shots, these caused smaller explosions of red mes and icy shards. I didn¡¯t need to look down to know it was Lena. She must have loaded all her pistol rounds into a submachine gun. The gryphon, still majestic as ever, was at least distracted, its gaze shifting from me back toward the ground. The crushing weight of its stare lifted, reced by the sounds of shing swords and gunfire below. ¡°This is as high as I can go!¡± Mia¡¯s strained voice called out, hoarse from repeated shouts. Sure enough, the staircase I was running up was nearing its end. Beyond thest step, I caught sight of the Cardinal. The faint glow emanating from his chest illuminated his sneering face as he looked in my direction. That light¡ªit was likely the source controlling the gryphon. If he could fullymand the gryphon, he¡¯d have used it to shield himself. But judging by his twisted expression, he hadn¡¯t achievedplete control. So, even with such a powerful tool, he couldn¡¯t make it his own. Not much of a Fangryphon, are you? I bent my knees andunched myself forward with all my strength. Crack! The sound of the frozen staircase breaking underfoot echoed as I shot upward, tumbling through the air. Whether it was the adrenaline or the repetition ofbat, time seemed to slow. I saw everything clearly¡ªthe knights rushing toward the Cardinal, the Cardinal turning in a panic, and the chaos unfolding below. Precision wasn¡¯t necessary. The bullet I was about to fire wasn¡¯t ordinary; it was practically a grenade. I aimed loosely toward the cluster of enemies and pulled the trigger. Boom! A section of the second floor exploded, screams echoing in its wake. mes engulfed some, and others scrambled in panic. ¡°Argh!¡± But I wasn¡¯t unscathed. The Cathedral knights were no amateurs; their swordsmanship was proof enough. sh! A de tore into my right arm, leaving it mangled. I had jumped with ir, but I fell short of the second-floor railing¡ª ¡ªOr did I? Not yet! I twisted mid-air, barely avoiding a follow-up sh. The de grazed my shoulder, but it was manageable¡ªan injury I could healter.@@novelbin@@ However, my n for a gracefulnding failed. Inded near the spot where the Maramaros rounds had detonated, avoiding falling into enemy hands, but I still tumbled across the floor. The brass exosuit¡¯s steel core wasn¡¯t forgiving; each roll felt like a blow to my bones. The fresh wound on my shoulder didn¡¯t help either. This is definitely going on Browning¡¯s to-fix list. Springing to my feet, I immediately dropped back down as another knight lunged. Of course, they wouldn¡¯t just let me stand there and shoot them. Not yet! Unloading a revolver into a packed group of enemies isn¡¯t the best idea. Unlike rifles with thirty-round magazines, a six-shooter leaves you defenseless once emptied. But¡­ If the enemies are tightly packed, If the bullets are anything but ordinary, And if I have infinite chances to fire them the way I want¡ªthen the rules change. Still prone, I rolled away from an iing sh, dust and debris flying in its wake. From the ground, I drew my revolver and began firing without hesitation. Bang! Bang! Bang! The nearest enemies were thrown back by the explosions. While the Cathedral knights¡¯ armor wasn¡¯t for show, enchanted to withstand such impacts, a few in the front copsed. That bought me precious time. I snatched up a nearby rifle, gritting my teeth as a sword struck the brass ting on my right arm again. The reinforced metal held, but the impact reverberated through the inner steel, jarring my arm painfully. No time for second-guessing. Before resetting time, I had one more shot to take. I braced the elephant rifle under my arm and aimed directly at the Cardinal. And I pulled the trigger. Chapter 221 A sharp gasp echoed in the air. It wasn¡¯t just because one of theirrades had copsed forward, their abdomen cleanly pierced through. The sight that followed made the shock ripple through their ranks. The soldier behind them, and the one behind that, all fell to the side, their armored bodies crumpling like dominoes.@@novelbin@@ Each suit of te armor bore bullet holes. Bang! Bang! The mechanical click of the revolver¡¯s hammer was followed by the deafening roar of gunfire. I fired relentlessly in the direction of the Cardinal, unloading everyst round from the revolver¡¯s cylinder. uracy didn¡¯t matter. Even if I missed, it would be fine. The Maramaros rounds were more than enough. Each shot enveloped the enemy in mes, froze the surface of their armor, or sent them flying backward on a gust of wind. The responses around me were a mix of panic and disbelief. It made sense. Maramaros was an incredibly valuable resource, and I was wasting it like it was nothing, one bullet at a time. Aside from the single round I¡¯d fired at the gryphon earlier, the revolver had held five bullets. I counted them off, firing carefully while using the chaos to gauge my surroundings and steady my breathing. With thest shot, I watched as an earth-aspect Maramaros round pierced three enemies in a line. Satisfied, I tossed the now-empty rifle down to the ground below. Without hesitation, I grabbed the automatic pistol from under my arm, holding it firmly with both hands, and darted into a nearby corridor. A fraction of a secondter, the ce where I had been standing was shed by several sword strikes. Even the ornate decorations near my new position were chipped and shattered as shards of stone scattered around me. I extended only my hand from cover and fired a few shots blindly. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± And then my hand was severed. Missed. Reset. The reason I could instill fear on the battlefield was simple: I never missed a target. I knew where attacks woulde from before they happened. Granted, my actual battlefield experience wasn¡¯t as extensive as it might seem. I had truly fought only once¡ªif you¡¯re counting ¡°sess¡± on the first attempt. Before resetting time, I¡¯d fought once. After resetting, I fought again. Before that, I had already reyed the battlefield numerous times to ensure I perfected the oue. Technically, this made me a "veteran" despite my age. The skill level of the Cathedral knights, or how rigorous their training was, didn¡¯t concern me. What mattered was theirck of realbat experience. If the Empire and the Holy Nation shed in war, the Holy Nation would lose. The Empire would send seasoned veterans who had survived the Northern Front, while the Holy Nation¡¯s Cathedral knights would falter from sheer inexperience. It wasn¡¯t just a matter of skill or weaponry. If the protagonists hadn¡¯t killed the Emperor, the war would have ended with the Empire annihting the Holy Nation. Though I couldn¡¯t see their faces behind their helmets, I knew the humans inside those armors were terrified. The air on the second floor was thick with acrid gunpowder, metallic blood, and the faint smell of scorched earth. ¡°H-Help¡­!¡± As I stepped toward the Cardinal, he scrambled backward, dragging himself with one arm. His other arm was missing, and his leg was broken, the bone protruding grotesquely. I almost pitied him. Almost. I wiped the blood dripping down my forehead. It had been obscuring my vision for too long. The sound of shing swords and the gryphon¡¯s cries continued from below. Were the others safe? I wanted to check, but stopping the object glowing in the Cardinal¡¯s chest took priority. In games, an enemy could be defeated just by reducing their HP to zero¡ªor, in our case, surviving as long as your HP didn¡¯t hit zero. But here, things were different. Permanent injuries couldn¡¯t be undone without resetting time, and death was irreversible. There was no option for someone to simply "fall unconscious." Bang. Bang. I fired twice more, taking down two knights who were struggling to rise and reach their swords. ¡°Gah¡­ cough¡­¡± When I reached the Cardinal, I nted my foot on his back. Blood gushed from his mouth with a gurgling noise. ¡°Why¡­¡± The Cardinal¡¯s voice trembled. Good question. That¡¯s something I wanted to ask him, too. But he wasn¡¯t dead. I could heal himter and get the answers I needed. ¡°It¡¯s toote¡­! I¡¯ve already unleashed the beasts and monsters beyond that door!¡± ¡°If this is gone, they won¡¯t remain under control, will they?¡± I bent down and ripped the ne from around his neck. ¡°Why¡­?¡± The Cardinal¡¯s voice cracked as he tried to twist his head to look at me, struggling to understand how I seemed to know everything already. ¡°If there really is a goddess watching over this ce,¡± I said calmly, ¡°then clearly, she didn¡¯t choose you.¡± I tossed the ne to the ground and crushed it underfoot. Crack. The delicate artifact shattered pathetically. ¡°Ah!¡± A startled cry came from below. Something must have happened to the gryphon. Judging by the abrupt silence in the sound of shing swords, it wasn¡¯t entirely bad news for us. I pulled out a bandage I had tucked away as an emergency measure. Unfortunately, it had been stashed in the unarmored side of my torso¡ªwhere a sword strike had hit. The bandage was tattered and soaked with blood, barely functional. Still, for what I needed it to do, it would suffice. I shoved the bandage into the Cardinal¡¯s mouth. If he bit his tongue¡­ well, he wouldn¡¯t die, but interrogating himter would be far more difficult. ¡°Try not to die. I have many questions for you after this.¡± The Cardinal¡¯s wide eyes stared up at me as I turned away. The second floor wasn¡¯t much of a ¡°floor.¡± It was more of a corridor overlooking a massive hall. From here, I had a clear view of the battle below. The gryphon, once proud and towering, had copsed. It knelt with its head bowed, breathing heavily. Its tumors bulged grotesquely, blood vessels in its crimson eyes ruptured, and its body was riddled with wounds. Even standing must have been agony. The Cardinal¡¯s inability to escape must have stemmed from this. A regr beast might have been able to function under the tumors¡¯ influence, but a gryphon required immense power just to remain upright. I knew what the artifact was¡ªit had been detailed in the lorebook. Destroying it didn¡¯t feel like much of a loss. Now, the real concern was¡­ ¡°Hold your swords until the end¡ª!¡± One of the remaining Cathedral knights shouted, trying to rally hisrades, but copsed forward mid-sentence. Bang. My shot rang out, followed by the metallic tter of his sword hitting the ground. The massive rifle in my hands felt impossibly heavy. Only the power assist of my brass exosuit kept me in position. I still had five Maramaros rounds left. Though there were more than five knights below, I paused as my gaze met Alice¡¯s. Not just Alice¡ªire, Leo, Charlotte, Mia, Lena, Jake, and Lottie. ¡­And even Sophia, who looked up at me with a mix of awe and fear. They were all still standing. Though everyone bore wounds, no one had fallen. Despite my repeated resets, despite all the interruptions, they had endured and fought valiantly against the gryphon. Knowing this, I almostughed. ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s not over yet.¡± I muttered under my breath. ¡°If you want this to end,e at us until the very end. But for now¡­ I suggest epting defeat.¡± One of the knights, staring up at me, dropped his sword. The ng of metal hitting the floor echoed in the silence. It was followed by another. And another. Were they afraid of me? How foolish. The real Fangryphons were the ones who stood against that gryphon below. Chapter 222 To be honest, I wasn¡¯t in good shape. The space was narrow, with few ces to hide, unlike the battlefield. The sheer number of enemies crammed into the tight corridors made it feel overwhelming. Even in war, where thousands of enemies might gather, I wasn¡¯t fighting the entire battlefield. There were trenches wide enough for small squads to maneuver. Here, the second-floor hallway offered no such leeway. Naturally, I was far more exposed to enemy attacks. The opponents weren¡¯t ordinary soldiers either¡ªthey were trained knights. While they might havecked real experience in killing humans, they were still formidable enough to make fighting them alone an arduous task. If I hadn¡¯t been able to reset time, I wouldn¡¯t have been standing here now. I wouldn¡¯t have won, either. ...Games are games. No matter how many enemies you face, it¡¯s only possible for a four-person party to emerge victorious because that¡¯s how games work. After all, the enemies we faced in the game included gryphons, the Empire¡¯s strongest swordsman, and even the Emperor himself. While magic-made ice stairs had helped us ascend earlier, I used the ordinary staircase to descend. There was no point in forcing Mia to drain her mana further after such a fierce battle. That ice staircase, too, was only possible because this wasn¡¯t a game. In the original game, spells could only be used as battlemands, not as tools to manipte the environment. ¡°Sylvia!¡± Alice¡¯s shout jolted me. Stumbling down the stairs with an injured leg, blood continued to drip down my forehead, obscuring my vision. One hand was upied dragging the Cardinal, while the other held a pistol aimed at our surrendered enemies. I had no way to wipe the blood away. Thud. Thud. With every step I took, the Cardinal¡¯s body bumped against the stairs. I didn¡¯t have the strength to carry him with care. ¡­Hmm. By the time I reached the bottom, I realized that I was probably in the worst condition among the ten of us. Thud. I dropped the Cardinal onto the floor, eliciting a groan of pain. His limbs were a mangled mess, but he didn¡¯t appear to be bleeding out, likely thanks to the heat from the Maramaros rounds cauterizing the wounds. As I wiped the blood from my face with my now-free hand, Alice hurried over and grabbed my empty arm, draping it over her shoulder to support me. ¡°You¡¯re okay¡ª¡± Alice began to ask instinctively but stopped mid-sentence. Judging by appearances alone, I was far from okay. Even without a mirror, I could imagine how I looked. During the battle, adrenaline had dulled my senses, but as the tension eased, the pain and exhaustion hit all at once. I had been able to calmly reset time even after losing an arm mid-battle, likely because I¡¯d experienced worse under Lucas. One thing I¡¯d learned from being repeatedly cut by his sword was that ¡°a deep wound hurts less at first.¡± And that the pain grows unbearable with time. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I insisted, though I couldn¡¯t rx entirely now that the fighting was over. ¡°We need to restrain the surrendered knights¡ª¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Charlotte, standing a short distance away, responded promptly. ¡°As Princess of Belvur, I order you all to kneel and ce your hands behind your heads,¡± she dered, stepping confidently toward the knights. Charlotte¡¯s body bore numerous wounds, the most notable being a deep gash on her shoulder. It looked more like a gryphon¡¯s w mark than a typical beast¡¯s wound. The spacing between the gashes was far too wide for it to have been caused by anything smaller. ¡°You¡¯ve conducted unauthorized military activity beneath Belvur¡¯s territory, viting the treaty between the Kingdom and the Holy Nation. We will address these vitions thoroughly.¡± Charlotte¡¯smanding tone prompted the rest of the group to act. We hadn¡¯t brought restraints with us, not expecting to subdue enemies without killing them. Yet the knights had cuffs strapped to their waists. They hadn¡¯t nned to kill us outright. Even if they wanted leverage, killing the Princess of Belvur would have been disastrous for the Holy Nation. It seemed they had prepared for negotiations or hoped to use us as bargaining chips. Now, those same restraints were being used to bind them. As the knights were forced to the ground, their gazes shifted toward me. Some had removed their helmets, and their eyes revealed unmistakable fear. Even while leaning heavily on Alice and struggling to stand, I must have looked like a harbinger of destruction to them. After all, I had taken down so many of theirrades singlehandedly. ¡°Sis.¡± ire approached, gently cing a hand on my right arm¡ªthe one holding the pistol. ¡°It¡¯s over now. You can let go.¡± It wasn¡¯t over. We still had information to extract. The story had deviated too far from the original, and the future was uncertain¡ª But I didn¡¯t get to finish my thought. ire¡¯s soft hand eased mine away from the pistol grip. She calmly holstered the weapon for me and lowered my arm with gentle care.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Let¡¯s go. Sit down for a while, at least.¡± Her voice was soothing, almost like a luby. ¡°¡­.¡± I didn¡¯t respond. But at that moment, the tension drained from my body. My knees buckled, and I almost copsed, but Alice caught me just in time. ire, on my other side, tightened her grip to help support me. ¡°Take a break. We¡¯ll handle the rest,¡± Alice reassured me. I decided to follow her advice. Sigh. I felt like I could breathe again. The device controlling the gryphon had been destroyed, but it wasn¡¯t the only thing released from control. Beyond the massive doorsy countless other beasts we hadn¡¯t dealt with, now freed from the device¡¯s influence. I doubted they¡¯d be in great condition, given the gryphon¡¯s state, but caution was still necessary. Leo and ire stood beside the slightly ajar doors, ready to keep them open. They had positioned themselves carefully inside the room to prevent the doors from mming shut, as they had when we first entered. Even through the small gap, the recovery device worked wlessly. I didn¡¯t know the exact mechanics¡ªit hadn¡¯t been detailed in the lorebook¡ªbut as long as it considered the space "the same location," it seemed to function. ¡°At least there won¡¯t be any scars,¡± Charlottemented, inspecting her now-unblemished shoulder. The skin beneath her torn clothing was wless, showing no trace of the gryphon¡¯s earlier attack. ¡°¡­¡± Sophia remained silent. Though she had tried to heal me earlier with divine magic, the bleeding on my forehead had barely stopped. Her powers seemed limited, likely capped at a certain level. In the original game, divine magic used a separate resource from mana. But considering the discrepancies between the original and this world, I wasn¡¯t sure if MP was an exact analog for mana here. After all, the concept of a "gauge" for a person¡¯s condition was something unique to games. Alice, meanwhile, stood fearlessly before the gryphon. The creature, its head bowed and eyes closed, looked utterly defeated. Alice¡¯s expression as she stared at it wasplex,yered with emotions I couldn¡¯t quite decipher. Reaching into my pocket, I retrieved the broken artifact I¡¯d taken before descending to the first floor. Its center was shattered, and the glow it once emitted was gone. But the gryphon recognized it. Its eyes snapped open, gleaming sharply as they fixed on me. ¡­Oh. Was this the wrong timing? Chapter 225 Honestly, the Holy Nation''s idea was clever¡ªdisturbingly so. It was clear they thought of human lives the same way one might think of machine parts, but wasn¡¯t that the nature of this world? Besides, in settings like this, religious zealots often turn out to be the most inhuman of all. Of course, the religion of this world wasn¡¯t so dominant as to rule the entire world, nor were they in any position to hold inquisitions in foreign countries when they were barely avoiding being judged themselves. Still, the signature fanaticism of ¡°only the Goddess matters¡± subculture characters was too good a trope not to use. But, as I must emphasize again, I had infinite opportunities. As long as the Cardinal remained conscious and capable of speech, I had all the time I needed to get answers. Even if their magic involved an instant-death spell that the healing device couldn¡¯t counter, it didn¡¯t matter. Cough! I lost track of how many times I heard that sound. I dragged the Cardinal around the room countless times, rewinding time again and again. I asked him questions to get verbal answers and had him point things out with his remaining hand. Fortunately, a few seconds before he died each time were enough to piece together his intentions. "¡­" By about the twelfth attempt, I stopped asking questions altogether. The ce the Cardinal pointed to before dying was the corner of the first-floor hall¡ªa bookshelf tucked away in the shadows. A bookshelf filled with various versions of their sacred texts. ssic. Was it one of those mechanisms where pulling or pushing a particr book would trigger a hidden door? But it seemed the Holy Nation wasn¡¯t entirely careless. No matter how many of the sacred texts I pulled off the shelf, no switch or secret door was revealed. The bookshelf didn¡¯t swing open, nor did the floor beneath it give way to reveal a hidden passage. I turned back to the Cardinal. He was still alive¡ªthis time, I hadn¡¯t asked him anything. Since he consistently pointed to the bookshelf, there had to be a method hidden there. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t a simple mechanism but something moreplex, something too borate for him to exin while coughing up blood. Hmm. I nced at the sacred text I had just removed, lost in thought. Without asking anyone anything¡ªat least that¡¯s how it must have appeared to those watching¡ªI examined the books on the shelf. The Cardinal and the knights seemed visibly flustered, unsure whether my actions constituted a "leak of information." At least no one started coughing up blood yet. I had enough time to read through every sacred text on the shelf. Maybe the solution involved reading a specific passage aloud or rearranging the books in a particr order. Or perhaps¡ª Suddenly, I thought of the Cardinal¡¯s severed arm left on the second floor. Ah.@@novelbin@@ While I had learned the basics of magic in this world, it was as intricate as thews of physics. At first nce, physics seems simple, with its absolute equations andws. But delve into the microscopic world, and you¡¯re met with quantum mechanics and other bizarre, iprehensible phenomena. Magic was just as convoluted, far beyond simply chanting spells. So, I had no idea why the "Cardinal¡¯s severed right hand" was the key to activating the mechanism. Did the Cardinal need to be alive to touch the sacred texts? Or was it simply a matter of his fingerprint or some other biometric being registered? Whatever the case, it wasn¡¯t my concern. The people who created such mechanisms could worry about the details. As long as it worked for me, that was all that mattered. ¡°You overreached, and that was your downfall.¡± I tossed the Cardinal his discarded right hand as I spoke. Whether he could reattach the thing was his problem now. The Cardinal reflexively caught the severed hand but immediately dropped it in horror. It was a surprisingly squeamish reaction for someone who had been trying to kill children with a gryphon mere moments ago. ¡°You tried to control a gryphon, a powerful, majestic creature. To maintain that control, your presence here was necessary. If you¡¯d simply fled and left the knights behind, this might have ended differently.¡± Perhaps they had another n in mind. Maybe they feared me, thinking I had such overwhelming abilities that no trick could escape my notice. To someone who hadn¡¯t seen me directly, it might very well seem that way. Among mypanions, the only ones giving me odd looks were Alice, ire, and Leo. But those three had seen enough of my fighting to have some idea of my abilities. Alice, in particr, seemed to fully grasp what I was capable of. The others, though? Their expressions were pure shock. Yeah, I¡¯d probably react the same way. After all, I¡¯d led them into a hidden base, navigating the shortest possible route as if I¡¯d memorized the map, identified the enemy¡¯s critical weaknesses at a nce, neutralized them efficiently, and found a secret area as though I¡¯d known it was there all along. If I were them, I¡¯d be yelling, "This makes no sense!" right about now. But what could I do? It had already happened. "¡­" I nced at the children, their mouths agape as they stared at me. Then I turned my gaze back to the newly opened floor. The central hall where the gryphon had been standing. The door beneath it was now open. This was a ce I¡¯d never seen in the original story. So, there had been a reason the gryphon had stood there. Was this space something the Holy Nation had hastily created with magic? ¡°Shall we go?¡± I turned to mypanions and asked. They exchanged uncertain nces before looking back at me. Their earlier confusion was gone. They nodded silently. I nodded back, if only for the sake of it. The space was surprisingly expansive, considering it was hastily built. It wasn¡¯t as meticulously arranged as the upper floors but seemed designed to conceal something. It made sense they¡¯d choose this "deepest" area as the safest ce to hide it. Perhaps it was something they intended to safeguard from the Emperor in case of an attack. Or maybe they hid it here to keep it out of reach, even if the Holy Nation itself fell. Whatever the reason, their logic was sound. ¡°This is¡­¡± At the end of the pitch-ck expanse, something faintly glowed. It was fractured, its surface marred with cracks, yet parts of it were "clearly"plete. ¡°This¡­ could it be?¡± Alice murmured from over my shoulder, staring at the object. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± I held out a hand, stopping the group about ten steps away. That was¡­ a Relic. Not just any piece, but one that was partiallyplete. I didn¡¯t know whether they¡¯d gathered every artifact in the Holy Nation or if they¡¯d been working tirelessly while I was distracted. Even iplete, the finished portion was enough to identify what it was. A jagged corner of a shattered gear rested quietly atop a pedestal in the center of the hastily dug chamber. Which meant¡ª Time flowed properly. My powers weren¡¯t sealed. The masked woman wasn¡¯t here, at least not yet. The Relic didn¡¯t interfere with my abilities. Why? If they¡¯d gone to such lengths to hide it from the Emperor, I understood. But wherever the Relic was, the masked woman always appeared. ¡°Sister? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ire peeked over my shoulder, her voice light. ¡°¡­We need to be cautious,¡± I replied. Slowly, I began approaching the Relic. The closer we got, the brighter it shone. As if it were weing us, as if it had been waiting for someone to arrive¡ª ¡­No. That wasn¡¯t it. The Relic wasn¡¯t weing me. It wasn¡¯t intuition or some supernatural revtion. The light emanating from the Relic wasn¡¯t directed at me. The glow split into beams, flowing toward ire and Alice, who stood behind me. And, unmistakably, the light directed at ire was far stronger. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± In that moment, I began to understand why, after ire¡¯s death in the game, the Emperor¡¯s ns had crumbled. Unbelievable. Chapter 226 There are always decisive reasons why battles end in failure. If we think about it simply, numbers are a crucial factor. Generally, the side with the greater numbers holds the advantage in battle. As long as the individuals on the rger side" possess at least a certain level of skill, they can unite their strength to take on opponents stronger than any of them individually. However, the leaders of the Holy Nation miscalcted that ¡°certain level of strength.¡± As the Emperor swung his sword, the blood staining the golden de dripped off in scattered droplets. Gold is said to be a soft metal, yet the aura enveloping the Emperor''s sword made such differences trivial, slicing through the Holy Nation''s knights as if they were nothing. If it had been just the Emperor alone, they might have had a chance. No matter how skilled in swordsmanship or how powerful, he was still human. Every human ability has its limits.@@novelbin@@ But¡ª ¡°Anto, Neo¡­¡± A knight gasped out the names as he struggled to speak. Of course, his words were cut short as "Jericho''s de" pierced him, killing him instantly. ¡°It was from the very beginning¡­ From the very start, you say.¡± An aged voice, frail yet steady, sounded. The Emperor turned his head to see a small old man, who appeared to be at least ny years old, seated in the distance. The man¡¯s robes were pristine, snow-white fabric embroidered with intricate golden thread, radiating elegance. Yet, the frail figure within the robes seemed pitiful to the Emperor. ¡°Ah, Your Holiness, the Pope,¡± the Emperor greeted, his smile soft as he turned toward the man. You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 228 "¡­So," Alice began, pressing her fingers against her temple as if to suppress a headache after listening to my exnation.@@novelbin@@ "Father has¡­ been spreading the royal bloodline far and wide, taking in anyone who showed potential, then raising them as his own sons and daughters?" "If the Emperor''s words are entirely true, yes," I replied. "And you''re saying he mistook you for ire and ended up bringing you in when it should¡¯ve been her?" "That¡¯s correct." "That doesn¡¯t make any sense." Alice shut her eyes tightly and spoke with frustration. "If these ¡®bloodlines¡¯ were so carefully managed, shouldn¡¯t he at least have remembered their physical appearances? Honestly speaking, you have ck hair¡ª" Alice pointed a finger toward ire, who flinched slightly but remained silent. "¡ªand she has blue hair. And Father¡¯s hair is golden! If he knows the hair color of his own children, it¡¯smon sense that he should¡¯ve realized his child wouldn¡¯t have ck hair!" You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 230 "¡­This ruin," Sophia began, breaking the silence with a resolute expression. "This ruin wasn¡¯t built by those who originally constructed the cathedral." "Bianki!" The Cardinal immediately shouted her name, but when his eyes met mine, he shrank back, silenced by the lingering fear etched into his psyche. Despite the significant healing of his wounds, the sheer terror instilled in him prevented any thoughts of retaliation. After all, with the knights neutralized and bound, any attempt to fight back would only shorten their lifespans further. "Please, continue," I prompted.@@novelbin@@ Sophia, her voice trembling slightly, obliged. "I was born long after this facility was built, so I don¡¯t know the full details. But¡­ I¡¯ve heard that this ce waspleted using a pre-existing site." It was clear she hadn¡¯t been privy to the intricate details, likely because her powers hadn¡¯t fully awakened yet. In the hierarchy of the Holy Nation, she had been little more than a subordinate. "Sophia, you¡ª" Charlotte began to speak but quickly shut her mouth, her expression one of resignation. You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 232 ¡°Silence! Silence, I say!¡± At the head of the meeting table, seated a few steps above the rest in the royal chair, the King of Belvur raised his voice. Themotion died down somewhat. But unlike the heavy silence from earlier, this one felt precarious, as if dissent might erupt at any moment. The clinking of armor, the rustling of clothing, the sound of heavy breathing, and quiet whispers filled the room. The silence was uneasy and chaotic. ¡°Princess Sylvia, you are permitted to speak. If you¡¯ve made such a suggestion, I presume you have your reasons. Please exin so that everyone present can understand your point.¡± I wasn¡¯t entirely confident I could exin it that well. Then again, I doubted the King had high expectations either. As with most noble assemblies, there were always those who objected purely for the sake of opposition. A meeting where no one voiced dissent usually only happened when opposing the motion was tantamount to death. ¡°The Holy Nation¡ª¡± I deliberately paused, letting my words hang in the air. If I was going to speak, I might as well project the kind of arrogance that would make these people resent me. ¡°It¡¯s highly likely His Imperial Majesty is currently in the Holy Nation. We must immediately form a reconnaissance team to determine what is happening there.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t that an imperial matter?¡±@@novelbin@@ You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 234 ¡°If you n to leave without me, I¡¯ll scream at the top of my lungs right here and now.¡± ¡°¡­How exactly would that help?¡± I asked earnestly.@@novelbin@@ If I were a man, it would¡¯ve had a significant impact. In this world, which is extraordinarily conservative¡ªespecially in terms of gender rtions¡ªjust the fact that a man and a woman were alone in a room could cause a scandal. If the woman screamed, that scream alone would serve as evidence. However, we were both women. ¡°You used explosives to get into my room, didn¡¯t you? If I im you came here to assassinate me, wouldn¡¯t everyone believe it?¡± Charlotte spoke nonchntly, saying something utterly terrifying. I stared at her for a moment before slowly opening my mouth. ¡°May I ask why you¡¯re so determined toe along?¡± ¡°And may I ask why you¡¯re so determined to stop me?¡± Charlotte responded to my question with another question. ¡°Ah, and please don¡¯t bother with the ¡®it¡¯s dangerous¡¯ argument. I¡¯ve already faced ¡®danger¡¯ when I was wed by a griffon, so I believe I¡¯ve seen enough of it for a lifetime.¡± You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 236 ¡°The sess or failure of this operation will hinge on this fact.¡± ¡°You mean¡­ the fact that you don¡¯t carry imperial blood?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I replied, gazing again at the relic on the table. The iplete gear. Its form likely held more significance than just symbolizing a ponent.¡± In games like this, an object shaped like a gear would undoubtedly serve as a part of somethingrger. And whatever that pleted object¡± was, it would likely wield the power of the goddess¡ªor somethingparable. That was what the Emperor was after.@@novelbin@@ In the original story, the Emperor imed he wanted to ce the entire world under his feet and rule it equally. But was that truly feasible? Even in my original world, World War I had been dubbed ¡°the war to end all wars,¡± yet not long after came World War II, shocking the world. This world hadn¡¯t yet experienced anything like a world war, so it wasn¡¯t strange for someone to believe in such an ideal. You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 238 ¡°Are you saying you assumed there was some other method at y?¡± ¡°It felt like¡­ you already knew how to fight,¡± Mia replied. Her observational skills were sharper than I¡¯d given her credit for. Come to think of it, it wasn¡¯t all that surprising. Mia might not possess extraordinary physical abilities or be particrly active, preferring instead to stay holed up in her room. But from a young age, she¡¯d been subjected to near-brainwashing education by her mother. Even up until the moment we first met, her sole life goal had been to kill me. ¡°But isn¡¯t it strange? The idea of foresight or precognition existing in reality? Shooting urately at enemies even when your line of sight is blocked, giving me expensive Maramaros rounds as if you knew they¡¯d be needed, and achieving those kinds of results even against multiple skilled opponents¡­¡± Mia began recounting each instance of my actions near her in vivid detail. ¡°And¡­ I¡¯ve never been on a battlefield myself, but if the training I received from Jennifer is weaker than actual warfare, then¡­ is it even possible to go into a ce like that alone ande out alive? Surely it¡¯s the kind of situation where even multiple lives wouldn¡¯t be enough to survive?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°To know everything about the undergroundbyrinth, including what would be waiting at its core¡­ To adjust strategies on the spot as if you had already nned for it. To take out trained knights single-handedly. That kind of thing isn¡¯t achievable with just physical ability. Anyone present in those moments would have realized something was unusual.¡±@@novelbin@@ Mia¡¯s voice, which had sounded nervous earlier, grew calmer as she spoke. You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 241 No matter how much I considered everyone around me as "my friends," the thoughts of these "friends" were naturally different from one another. Even if they seemed close on the surface, sharing jokes and conversations when I was around, they would often fall silent the moment I left the scene.@@novelbin@@ It wasn¡¯t because they had bad rtionships with one another, but because their connections had been forged through me. What they knew about each other came solely from what they had learned through me. In such cases, people instinctively be cautious about their words, avoiding unnecessary conflicts that could strain their rtionships with me. This kind of awkwardness wouldn¡¯t disappear until they genuinely considered themselves friends without my mediation. Of course, not every situation was like this. "Why were you following the princess?" "I told you, I wasn¡¯t following her." Sometimes, people could dislike each other for no apparent reason, or misunderstandings could sour a rtionship from the start. You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 242 "¡­Then, I will dly apany you in this battle," Lena said, bowing her head slightly. Her demeanor seemed as if she were trying to hide her expression. There was no need for me to force her to reveal it.@@novelbin@@ "Thank you," I replied courteously to Lena, then turned my attention to Sophia. The moment our eyes met, Sophia''s pupils trembled. "Sophia, I need you¡ª" "Your Highness," Lena interrupted before I could finish. "May I state my opinion first?" "...Go ahead." You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 243 The meeting with the king was not a private audience. That said, it wasn¡¯t as crowded with nobles as it had been earlier. Despite feeling like a lot of time had passed due to the long conversations I had with friends along the way, it had actually been less than a day since we returned from the underground of Lutetia. I had barely managed a short sleep, and since then, I¡¯d been moving around the royal castle nonstop, meeting people without rest. Sneaking into Charlotte¡¯s room earlier certainly added to my exhaustion. But I couldn¡¯t turn back time to recover my condition. If I did, all the progress I made in our conversations would vanish, rendering it pointless. Given that only a few hours had passed, I assumed the kingdom¡¯s nobles would have followed along and gathered again to debate intensely. However, when I entered the meeting hall to see the king, I was surprised to find fewer than half the people presentpared to the morning session.@@novelbin@@ The noble who had argued with me earlier in the day was still there, but now he remained silent, lips tightly shut. Was this because the situation had be that urgent? Or was it because they now faced a problem only I could resolve? Fortunately, the academy instructors were all present as well, though they stayed quiet. Still, having familiar faces in the room made things feel slightly less awkward. The king sat on his throne as before¡ª ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve arrived.¡± His greeting was apanied by a face that seemed to have aged five years in just a few hours. You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 246 "Sylvia." A voice called out from behind me. Turning around, I saw the others following one by one, crossing into the Holy Nation. The first to enter after me was Alice, who had been right behind me. As soon as she stepped out of the light, she inspected her hands and legs, hopping a few times in ce before hurrying over to stand near me.@@novelbin@@ She gripped her swords tightly, her face tense with nerves. But upon seeing the eerie state of the Holy Nation, her expression quickly shifted to one of confusion and disbelief. "..." She must have realized, just as I did, that something was seriously wrong. Neither Alice nor I had ever been to the Holy Nation before. We had no way of knowing how quiet it was under normal circumstances. But even if it had been a particrly tranquil city, it would not have been a dead one. A city run by clergy would still be popted by people. Clergy members eat, defecate, and create waste like anyone else. Even if this were a small self-sustaining monastery, it would require people to maintain its operations. And for a nation powerful enough to send a cardinal as an ambassador to another country, it would need an infrastructure to support its society. Yet the Holy Nation before us appeared utterly devoid of functionality. It wasn¡¯t a solemn, religious silence¡ªit was a chilling, lifeless void. You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 250 Bang, bang. I emptied the entire magazine without hesitation, striking while the momentum was on my side. Missing this opportunity was not an option. Of course, Lucas didn¡¯t just stand idly by. He rolled swiftly to the side, evading my bullets, and quickly regained his stance. I dropped the rifle immediately. The strap kept it from hitting the ground, leaving it to hang against my chest. As quickly as possible, I pulled out my automatic pistol and unleashed another barrage toward Lucas. While less powerful than rifle rounds, I had loaded the pistol with Maramaros rounds imbued with fire attributes. Despite their lighter chargepared to rifle cartridges, the .45 caliber bullets were far from trivial. They were potent enough to cause explosive damage if they struck a target. Boom, boom. Small explosions erupted near Lucas¡¯s feet. However, Lucas had long surpassed the level of a swordmaster in the original work. A monster capable of deflecting bullets with his de, he had no trouble repositioning himself and countering my attacks. With a leap to the side, he escaped my shooting angle and swung his sword at me. Gritting my teeth, I braced myself and moved to dodge¡ª ¡ªor rather, I tried to. But before I could even move, the sword sh was intercepted and split in two. The sh of the two differently colored sword auras scattering in mid-air was so mesmerizing that it stole my attention, even in this tense moment.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Hmm?¡± You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 251 ¡°Sister!¡± Sylvia, advancing toward the Emperor, was clearly visible to everyone present. Though the battlefield was full of enemies too formidable to cut down recklessly, and the steam billowing from the equipment she wore obscured the view, there was no doubt she was the centerpiece of the confrontation. Not only was Sylvia the Emperor¡¯s target, but she was also the only one with aplete grasp of the situation. After all, the entire group hade this far with the singr purpose of supporting her. Even the Emperor had tacitly acknowledged it. Though he hadn¡¯t said it outright, it was evident that Sylvia possessed some power connected to the ¡°goddess.¡± ire, too, had intended to rush to Sylvia¡¯s aid¡ª ¡°¡ªUgh!¡± ¡ªbut she was forced to retreat abruptly, swinging her sword in a sharp arc. A whoosh cut through the air¡ªa sound more akin to a whip crack than the swing of a sword. In truth, the motion of the de was so unnatural that it didn¡¯t resemble a sword at all. ¡°I saw itst time, but I still can¡¯t figure out how you move that sword like that.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The tip of ire¡¯s de, as she retreated, wasced with a blue energy that writhed unnaturally. Unlike the straight lines of conventional sword auras, hers bent and curled like a whip or a snake. This wasn¡¯t the sword acting on its own¡ªit was ire exercising precise control over her sword energy.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Strange to hear that from you,¡± ire said, her tone tinged with irony. You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 253 In all my time, I had never directly opposed the Emperor.@@novelbin@@ I had considered it. Perhaps an assassination attempt would be worth a shot¡ªtest it out, and if it worked, great; if not, rewind time and try again. But the Emperor was the mid-series final boss. He wasn¡¯t someone you could defeat easily. Even if I managed to confront him alone, the moment the situation was discovered, everyone in the pce would descend upon me. ¡­I had already tested the pce¡¯s response times. I¡¯d detonated bombs openly and infiltrated an airship docked briefly for maintenance. While I managed to escape, it was far riskier than being on the battlefield. On the battlefield, I had allies holding the line, forcing the enemy to divide their attention. In the capital, it was different. If I were the sole traitor, every soldier in the capital would pursue only me. Even if I seeded in killing the Emperor, the chances of me escaping alive were slim. Sure, rewinding time countless times might eventually yield sess, but the circumstances would inevitably change during each attempt. Ultimately, I never directly fought the Emperor. Was the Emperor¡¯s swordsmanship superior to Lucas¡¯s? This question was often debated among yers. If the Emperor¡¯s skill matched that of the Swordmaster, then Lucas, who had defeated the Swordmaster, was arguably stronger than the Emperor. Of course, as the ¡°final boss,¡± the Emperor¡¯s stats were inted in the game. Even when the fight concluded, cutscenes often portrayed the victory as the Emperor holding back rather than being defeated outright. Bncing mechanics aside, it was hard to reconcile such stats with the in-game lore. And then¡ª ¡°Guh¡­!¡± You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 254 One step forward. It was only one step. ¡°Guh...!¡± My body was pulled backward.@@novelbin@@ ¡°Sister!¡± I heard ire scream in terror. A horrible, shing sound, like something being sliced, filled the air, and a few drops of blood sttered toward me. No, was it really just a few drops? The blood that hit my face seemed to be only that much, but surely far more had sttered in reality. It wasn¡¯t my blood. It was the Emperor¡¯s blood, the one who had grabbed me. He yanked me by the back of my neck, pulling me backward. Even with the enhanced suit providing strength, it couldn¡¯t perfectly counter the Emperor¡¯s force. Perhaps it was because I had rushed too quickly. The moment the Emperor grabbed me, my posture copsed. I flew backward and skidded on the ground, mming into the earth¡ª Thud! Had I not spread my legs to dodge, my legs would have been chopped into pieces, or pulverized. The Emperor¡¯s sword struck where my legs had been moments before. ...Was he not trying to kill me? You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 255 Well, it was strange from the very beginning. Whether it''s a game, a novel, aic, or a movie, stories in those mediums are usuallyplete in themselves. External interference is impossible. It¡¯s simply a finished work that ends with that story. If something from the outside interrupts, then, at that point, the original work loses its meaning. What exists now is just a different piece altogether, no longer the original. But still, I felt that this world was ¡®inside a story.¡¯ To be more precise, I felt both ¡®inside a story¡¯ and ¡®in reality¡¯ at the same time. In terms ofmon sense, this world was undoubtedly ¡®reality.¡¯ In the game, there are no time limits. Although divided into morning and afternoon, within the ¡®event¡¯ itself, no matter how many times I go to certain areas or how far I travel, as long as I don¡¯t intentionally trigger specific events to let time pass, I can do everything I want within the morning. I could stop by shops to adjust my character¡¯s equipment, sell unnecessary items, talk to other characters, search for hidden events, orplete side quests. But reality is different from a game. To do all of those things within ¡®the morning¡¯ obviously requires more time. Leona ire solved it by getting up early and handling everything from dawn¡­ but if something else had happened to those two, those events probably wouldn¡¯t have urred at all. This was the reason I couldn¡¯t think of this world as a ¡®simple game world.¡¯ In a game, you can sell items at a shop. It¡¯s a game mechanic that prevents yers from being too strapped for money, as too little currency would make the game unnecessarily difficult. Of course, in this world, I can¡¯t just walk into any shop and sell the things I carry. Unless the shopkeeper happens to be an entric person who would ept them.@@novelbin@@ Things like embedding Maramaros into equipment or ordering out-of-stock items and waiting for them were all far too troublesome for a game. Yet, even in such situations, there were plenty of aspects that made me feel this world was ¡®within a game.¡¯ The terrain andndmarks resembled the game world too closely. ces that could be called ¡®dungeons¡¯ looked exactly like the ones I remembered. The types of magic were the same. Even the names of basic purchasable items were identical. There were even parts that felt oddly out of ce for a ¡®real world.¡¯ Healing devices ced boldly right in front of rooms where enemies were surely waiting. Precious items left untouched for an extraordinarily long time, their origin a mystery. In the game, those things were simply there for the yers¡¯ convenience and enjoyment, but in this world, they existed with full confidence. ¡­Who created all of these ¡®illogical¡¯ things? With what purpose? Was there a reason for them to be so simr to what I remember from the game? You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 256 "ire!?" ire''s scream was heard, but Alice couldn¡¯t even make a sound. When recalling what Sylvia had said beforeing here, it was obvious that Sylvia was the center of this situation. Though Sylvia had used some kind of power to get here, it seemed that even Sylvia didn¡¯t know whether it was truly the power of a goddess.@@novelbin@@ The force she wielded was distinctly different from the divine powers of the priests that were often seen. If Sylvia¡¯s power truly came from a goddess, it was impossible to understand why it was so different from the divine power the priests used. So, unless it was Sylvia herself, no one would truly understand the situation, which was why they had all gathered to help her carry out her n. Sylvia, who had been stabbed in the back, didn¡¯t make a sound. No, her expression didn¡¯t change either. Her eyes were unfocused, as though looking into the distance¡ªwas it because she had been stabbed? ire shouted as she charged forward. A few knights tried to stop her, but one by one, they fell to the iing gunfire. Alice also ran. Blood¡ªblood was flowing. The wound visible on the Emperor¡¯s body was not the source of the blood. It was clearly Sylvia¡¯s blood. Having ripped off the ruined gauntlet, there was nothing left to protect Sylvia¡¯s back¡ª Bang! But the next moment, a sound rang out. "...Ah!" The light returned to Sylvia¡¯s previously unfocused eyes. You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 257 Wait, hold on a second. I said ¡®from the very beginning,¡¯ not ¡®from the next after the beginning.¡¯ Even from my perspective, aftering to this world, memories that were quite old were unfolding before my eyes. When I shout ¡®again!¡¯ my ability activates, and it¡¯s not time travel as someone else. It¡¯s me rewinding time, not traveling as another person.@@novelbin@@ Since I briefly saw the goddess¡¯s thoughts, ¡®that kind¡¯ of time travel is impossible. So, the situation unfolding before my eyes right now can be described as ¡®the situation I am really in right now.¡¯ A gentleman with monocles, a mustache, and broad shoulders. Though he was wearing a silk hat and a fine coat, I honestly don¡¯t think he could be called a ¡®gentleman,¡¯ either by his appearance or by his actions. His clenched fist rises up. The pain I first experienced aftering to this world strikes again¡ª Thunk. ¡°Hmm?¡± But just before that fist could hit my face, I heard a sounding from the carriage window. The man¡¯s face turned toward the window. Though his other hand was still pressing down on me tightly, making it hard to move, at least this time, my face wouldn¡¯t be smashed by a single punch like before. Thunk! A louder sound of impact came, and the carriage window shook. I could hear someone shouting from outside. It was a voice that was now faint in my memory, one I didn¡¯t really want to recall. ¡°Bitch!¡± You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 260 In the past, the reason I was called to the student council was because I was a princess, but now it seems it''s because I''m a ''notable person.'' In the empire¡¯s social hierarchy, where titles are simply divided into Duke, Count, Baron, and other untitled nobles, the number of people who could truly be called ''notable'' is extremely small¡ªaside from the royal family, almost all of them are concentrated in the dukes and counts. There are as many as twelve dukes. Naturally, the counts are more numerous, and barons are so abundant that they¡¯re everywhere. So, when a baron bes a ''notable person,'' in a way, it can be more contentious than the children of a middling count family. Well, someone might try to say, ¡°That baron¡¯s daughter is making a fuss,¡± but what¡¯s the worry when two princesses will be right next to me? ¡°Ah, Lady Grace!¡± The student council president greeted me in an unusual manner. ¡°You look even more beautiful than thest time I saw you. I sent a few letters, but I assume you didn¡¯t read them?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡±@@novelbin@@ Oh. Had we met before? You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 261 Why did I go through all this trouble of turning back time to get here?@@novelbin@@ The answer is simple: to change the premise of the story itself. To obtain the future I want, not the one the goddess or the emperor wants, I had topletely destroy the ns they had made from the very beginning. The problem, though, is that I couldn¡¯t just pick a side¡ªeither the goddess¡¯s or the emperor¡¯s. If I went along with the emperor¡¯s desires, he would eventually rise to the position of a new god. On the other hand, if I sided with the goddess, the world would turn into a monotonous ce devoid of any fun or excitement. Moreover, the worst part about the goddess''s world is that I wouldn¡¯t even be in it. The goddess ns to take all the power I possess and use it for herself. In other words, my very existence would be erased from this world. I wouldn¡¯t disappearpletely¡ªat least, my soul or memories wouldn¡¯t vanish, as it seems my past remains intact¡ªbut what I really want right now is a happy ending in this world, with everyone around me. Time is of the essence in this world. I can already feel it rushing by. Of course, if time truly rewound as much as I made it, that would break my mental state. Even so, I don¡¯t like the idea of time moving on without my control. Especially when I lose focus¡ªwhen I ¡°wake up,¡± and there¡¯s this weird sensation where my memories are forcibly pieced together, like they don¡¯t quite fit. That feeling is the worst. The issue is that I¡¯m the only one who feels this way. ire, who has inherited some of my abilities, and Alice, who retains her memories because of the fake Alice, feel time moving naturally. Even when I reverse time, I can only go back to the parts of it that I¡¯m sure are ¡°my memories.¡± I can¡¯t ess the parts where memories are fuzzy or feel artificially inserted. On the other hand, ire, who remembers things ¡°properly,¡± can reverse time in areas that I can''t. You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 262 ¡°Who does a child like you think you¡¯ll fight by refusing to sleep?¡± It seemed that the Sword Saint¡¯s irritation stemmed from that point in particr. I rubbed my aching head and nced at the others who had followed me. Since we already knew the route here, there was no further need for Jennifer¡¯s assistance. As soon as we arrived at Winterfield, we immediatelypleted the quotas required to maintain our grades and then headed straight to the Sword Saint. Both ire and I could turn back time, and as of now, we both clearly remembered each other. There was no risk of me disappearing into thin air if ire used her powers.@@novelbin@@ We had plenty of time, but we decided to move with a buffer just in case we needed to adjust schedules with the others. And honestly, isn¡¯t it always better to resolve things as quickly as possible? When I looked back, hoping someone would help persuade the Sword Saint, ire and Alice were both standing with their arms crossed, staring down at me. ¡°The idea of fighting someone should not equate to destroying yourself in the process.¡± The Sword Saint¡¯s voice drew my attention back to him. I turned my head to face him again. Frederick, the Sword Saint, stood with his arms crossed, his expression stern. You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 265 Meeting the Earl of Crowfield was an unexpectedly strange experience. I knew him well¡ªnot just from seeing his face but from actual conversations. There was the time I infiltrated the Crowfield estate disguised as a maid, and another when I attacked a brothel he frequented. Particrly with the brothel, I had rewound time numerous times to deal with enemies and extract information. Absorbing the intel stored there, I questioned whether the Earl truly deserved to die. I even spoke with him directly¡ªperhaps he had been acting under duress. But after a genuine conversation, punctuated by thenguage of bullets, I concluded that the Earl was, indeed, a wicked man. And now, here he was, alive in this world.@@novelbin@@ ¡°My daughter making such good friends at the academy is something I¡¯m deeply grateful for,¡± the Earl said. His voice was surprisingly calm¡ªnot tinged with fear, anger, or lust as I had often heard before. Despite his gaunt frame, his voice was low and measured, leaving a favorable first impression. His appearance, however, wasn¡¯t so endearing. When I had assassinated him before, he had looked rtively healthy, even if his dark circles and slight thinness hinted at stress. Now, he was so emaciated that his bones were visible. You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 269 At this point, the Emperor must have started doubting my identity. Even if what I said was ¡°actually¡± true¡ªif I were truly the child of the Emperor and a fallen noblewoman from the imperial family¡ªI had far too much knowledge I shouldn¡¯t possess. Of course, the Emperor didn¡¯t know everything about me yet. Leaving aside the fact that I could rewind time, things like my knowledge of the warship''s internal structure or my familiarity with the pce¡¯syout were things the Emperor could never know from his perspective. But even so¡­ The Emperor wasn¡¯t the type to casually share state secrets with a woman he might spend a single night with and then forget. Furthermore, while the Grace family traditionally stood by the Emperor, they weren¡¯t particrly active in politics. They were a family that would step in to protect the system when needed but weren¡¯t much help in the Emperor¡¯s political maneuvers. Yet here I was, someone who had grown up as a mere baron¡¯s daughter in the Grace family, iming not only to understand the Emperor¡¯s ultimate goal but also offering to help achieve it¡ª@@novelbin@@ ¡°I¡¯m curious about who you really are.¡± It wasn¡¯t surprising that he¡¯d say something like that. I had managed to brush past Earl Crowfield and Duke Lindborough. They were experienced in the noble art of gathering information and lived with the constant awareness of what they didn¡¯t know about their opponents¡ªand what their opponents didn¡¯t know about them. As the eldest daughter of a baron family close to the imperial household, a family expected to act militarily in times of need, it wasn¡¯t impossible for me to possess certain insights. And they would cross-check the information I gave them. It wouldn¡¯t be easy, but they weren¡¯t the type to stake their lives on my words alone. ¡­Or were they? Judging by the expression Earl Crowfield made back then, he did look like the kind of man who might ruin his life over one woman. You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 271 I slowly made my way up the stairs. Everyone watching me froze. I didn''t think it was some physical force or the goddess''s power at work. We were vastly outnumbered. There were knights who had followed the Emperor. I couldn¡¯t guarantee I could defeat them if we fought right now. The only reason I was able to defeat countless knights from the Holy Nation before was because I had all sorts of weapons, ammunition, and enhanced armor, which used advanced technology from a world that didn¡¯t even exist in the reality I came from. The weapon I held now was a small, empty handgun. I had extra rounds, but I hadn¡¯t bothered to reload. The Emperor had copsed after being shot. Lucas, too, had fallen to a bullet. No one could understand how an ordinary teenage girl managed to pull off such results. The Sword Saint was on our side, watching us with clear interest. But despite the slightly rxed demeanor, everyone knew that if someone tried to harm me, the Sword Saint would act immediately. Be and Damien stood frozen, watching me.@@novelbin@@ It wasn¡¯t my intention, but¡­ I guess it didn¡¯t matter. Since I was able to take down Lucas, with the help of mypanions, I could probably do the same to Be or Damien. ¡°What do you want?¡± the Emperor asked, blood flowing from his chest. He seemed genuinely curious. ¡°A happy ending,¡± I answered. ¡°With the goddess¡¯s power?¡± ¡°No.¡± You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 273 I¡¯d never really thought about being scared of flying. In my previous life, I¡¯d been on airnes before, and even in this world, I had ridden airships without much hesitation. If I had to stand on a precariously high spot, like a rooftop with no safety rails, my legs would undoubtedly tremble. But generally, ¡°airnes¡± or ¡°airships¡± were made to transport people safely. In other words, there was no reason to worry about suddenly plummeting to the ground while inside one. Unless, of course, an ident caused the entire vessel to fall. Airnes, with their massive wings flying in one direction, were remarkably stable. Airships, on the other hand, floated like they were anchored in the sky, rarely swaying unless hit by severe weather. But a gryphon¡­ Riding on a gryphon¡¯s back was an entirely different story. That¡¯s right. A gryphon¡¯s wings are attached to its back. And I was sitting on that back. Every time the gryphon pped its wings to stay airborne, my body shook up and down in rhythm. It wasn¡¯t like the gryphon kept the area between its shoulders and back¡ªwhere I was perched¡ªsteady either. With each powerful p of its wings, my vision bobbed wildly. Though I couldn¡¯t measure it precisely, I was sure the vertical movement equaled my seated height. ¡°Fwooarrr!¡±@@novelbin@@ What might look majestic from below¡ªa gryphon rearing up on its hind legs with its front paws raised mid-air¡ªwas nothing but terrifying to me, as if I¡¯d be flung off at any moment. I mean, seriously, was there any reason to strike such a pose while in midair? You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 276 "Or should I call you Fangryphon¡¯s ck-and-White Lily now? Hmm, that sounds a bit strange. Fangryphon is technically just a family name, but¡­ since it already sounds like a title, adding another one on top of it makes it feel like you¡¯ve got two epithets stuck together.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because of the sight of Sylvia riding the gryphon earlier.¡±@@novelbin@@ Alice, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, finally spoke up. ¡°The name ¡®Fangryphon¡¯es from Old Imperial and means ¡®leader of the gryphons.¡¯ It can also mean ruler.¡± Snort. A loud sound, like someone blowing their nose, interrupted us. I looked up to find the gryphon staring down at me. It was sitting in that loaf-like position cats often take, but its head was held high, gazing at me with an almostically haughty expression. That noise just now¡ªif I had to guess¡ªwas probably the gryphon¡¯s equivalent of a scoffingugh. ¡­By the way, are you not going home? Even after the battle ended, it had stayed behind, sitting behind me, listening in on our conversation. It was starting to feel oddly out of ce. If it was just going to linger like this, why bother flying off earlier? Had it been waiting for just the right moment to appear? Holding back until the most dramatic timing? I had assumed that it had only entered after the goddess¡¯s barrier disappeared because it couldn¡¯t cross it before. But now, I was starting to rethink that. You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 277 We won! Story over! ¡­If only things could wrap up as neatly as a few summarized lines in a novel. But life wasn¡¯t that simple or easy¡ªif it were, the world wouldn¡¯t be such aplicated mess. Thinking about it now, maybe the goddess hated thatplexity. Perhaps that was why she had tried to impose her own sense of order, to create a world that was simple and beautiful in her eyes. Now that I was caught in the middle of an unbelievably convoluted situation, that thought felt more usible than ever. First things first¡ªwe had to clean up the aftermath of the battle. Of everyone still conscious, Sophia was the only one from the Holy Nation left standing. But even she had no way of proving her connection to the Holy Nation at the moment. Her official citizenship was registered under Belvur, after all. She had been a spy nted by the Holy Nation, but the problem was¡­ all of her superiors had just left to join the goddess.@@novelbin@@ ¡­Or had they? Had they really managed to leave? Or had I shattered that path before they could reach their so-called divinity? Well, that was a question only the dead could answer. No use thinking about it now. The Pope was dead. Naturally, most of the Holy Nation¡¯s knights who had been protecting him were dead as well. And those who had survived weren¡¯t even conscious. They were all sprawled out in front of the cathedral. What a pathetic end. You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 278 I managed to wrap up my conversation with Alice, but the real problem was that there were plenty of other people around who could make me feel just as uneasy. Even if they didn¡¯t remember all the details of the time I rewound¡ªor rather, even if they didn¡¯t consciously recall everything¡ªthe current situation alone was enough to make things unbearably ufortable. That¡¯s right. I had been so focused on dealing with the immediate crisis that I hadn¡¯t thought about what woulde next.@@novelbin@@ But really, who in that situation would have had the time to think ahead? Even the Emperor had charged in without looking back, and I had been the one forced to face him head-on without any real preparation. How could I have afforded to think beyond the moment? With the fake Alice before me, and Alice herself in a somber mood, I took a few steps back and surveyed my surroundings. And that alone was enough for me to realize that I was nearly surrounded by people whose eyes met mine. Of course, I wasn¡¯t literally surrounded as if I were being cornered. It was more of a psychological sensation. Physically, everyone kept a bit of distance¡ªit wasn¡¯t a solid wall, at least not in the literal sense. I quickly started calcting. First, I narrowed down the people who had followed me here but wouldn¡¯t make for ufortable conversation partners. The Sword Saint, Jennifer, and Carolyn seemed like safe options. Both Jennifer and Carolyn were on fairly good terms with me, and neither had ever suffered because of my abilities. The Sword Saint, in particr, seemed to be enjoying the situation, while Jennifer looked deeply lost in thought. And then there was Carolyn¡ªmy homeroom teacher. Normally, a student-teacher rtionship would feel somewhat restrictive, but in this case, it was perfect. At least it gave me a usible excuse to check in with herter. If I started a conversation with her, I might be able to keep it going for quite a while. And who would bother interrupting a student talking to their teacher? You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 280 "Hmm¡­" That was the general reaction of the people who saw the Gryphon following me all the way back to Lutetia. Though, I wasn¡¯t entirely sure following was the right word. Sometimes, it would trot along behind the carriage, and other times, it would suddenly take off and soar into the distance, as if stretching its wings after being cooped up for too long. Honestly, when it flew high into the sky, I felt a fleeting sense of relief. Yeah, just keep flying. Go back to your family and live a happy life~ I thought to myself. But just when I was about to solidify that thought into certainty, it would alwayse back. And every time it returned, it was right when we were crossing a border. Even in this world, moving animals across regions required some sort of deration or permit. There weren¡¯t any serious discussions about ecological destruction yet, but rare creatures were often considered a specialty of specific regions and usually got gged at customs. Monkeys, vibrantly colored tropical fish, parrots, reptiles¡­ The creatures here often had familiar names but were wildly different from what I knew. And as I¡¯d mentioned before, the animals in this world were genuinely dangerous. Not just because they could bite people or spread disease¡ªbut because some of them could set things on fire with magic. In a world that relied heavily on gas, oil, and coal, a creature like that running wild could cause massive disasters. That¡¯s why these inspections existed in the first ce. The problem was that the creature following me wasn¡¯t just any animal. ¡­Actually, could I even call it an animal? You wouldn¡¯t ssify a dragon as just an animal, would you? In fantasy worlds, dragons were often portrayed as intelligent beings capable of speech. Even in settings where they were depicted more like massive winged reptiles, they were rarely reduced to the level of a mere beast.@@novelbin@@ You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 282 "¡­¡­." Alice stared at me. She had the kind of look that said, Keep talking. So I did, slowly continuing. "If I still had my ability, then the argument that I should be Emperor would make sense. Not because of my personal talent or capability, but because no matter what mistakes I made, I could simply rewind and undo them. If every mistake ceased to exist, then I could remain a perfect ruler." But that was no longer the case. "But now that my ability is gone, things are different."@@novelbin@@ "Why?" "Because your ability is far greater than mine." I simply stated the truth. "You can aplish in a single attempt what I had to try countless times to achieve. You have the talent, and on top of that, you work tirelessly. You also have the rightful im. It hasn¡¯t been publicly announced yet, but I have no imperial blood in me whatsoever." "¡­¡­." You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 285 Of course, it was an obvious thing to say, but I had a family too. That is, before I came to this world. We weren¡¯t rich enough to be called wealthy, but we never went hungry either. I vaguely remember struggling with money when I was very young, but by the time I was in middle and high school, our financial situation had improved. It wasn¡¯t enough to buy game consoles or new games with my allowance, but I could afford to buy manga and novels from time to time. Our family had enough money to send both me and my younger sibling to college. It wasn¡¯t a picture-perfect, harmonious household, but we still saw each other as family and cared for one another. I only truly immersed myself in hobbies like gaming and manga after I graduated from university and got a job.@@novelbin@@ ¡­In all likelihood, I must be dead in my original world. My memories of how I ended up here are faint, but every time I try to recall it, I get a sinking feeling. That probably means I died. Thinking about what happened to my remaining family now is meaningless. If there¡¯s an afterlife, maybe I¡¯ll meet them again once I¡¯ve lived out this life. We¡¯ll talk things over then. There are goddesses, all sorts of monsters, and magic in this world¡ªso, of course, souls must exist too. With that thought, I had already tucked away my memories of my "original family" years ago. Then what about this world? Maybe it was because of my deeply ingrained East Asian way of thinking, but epting people as family without any blood ties wasn¡¯t as easy as it sounded. You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 286 Come to think of it, I had rarely used the words father or mother sinceing to this world. Even when I was the Emperor¡¯s child, I had always referred to him strictly as Your Majesty. Not because I refused to call him father, but because of the weight of his position. No matter how much he was my parent, when addressing the Emperor, his title came before our rtionship.@@novelbin@@ In that sense, the words mother and father that I used in this world had always been tools¡ªmeans to an end, meant to put me in the most advantageous position. Staying in the Grace household alone was enough to ensure my safety. They never abandoned the orphans they took in; they raised them properly and made them part of their household. Not as disposable pawns, but as proper retainers, providing them with shelter, food, and a stable position. But at the time, that wasn¡¯t enough for me. No matter how well-fed a servant was, they were still amoner. The gap in status between a mere servant and someone like Alice or ire was simply too great for meaningful conversation. To truly stand on equal footing with them, I needed to be a noble. And so, I used every ability I had to be the Grace family¡¯s daughter. The only reason I was able to pull it off was because I had seen the exact steps ire had taken to be one. In other words, the very process of me calling Baroness Grace mother had been built entirely on deception. ¡°¡­Mother.¡± And yet, I was calling her that now. ¡°Yes, Sylvia.¡± Baroness Grace smiled as she responded. ¡°You¡¯ve finallye home.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 287 Time passed, and the academy reopened. There was no mandatory education in this world. Naturally, there were no set hours of required schooling either. The academy was essentially a substitute for high school, but unlike in my previous world, there was no rule about shortening breaks to make up for missed ss time. But while there were no such rules, money did exist. And the Imperial Academy demanded quite a lot of it. For imperial citizens, the royal family covered the full cost, and even for foreigners, a substantial portion was subsidized. But that didn¡¯t mean the academy itself was free. From the perspective of those managing the imperial treasury, having less ss time was a deeply frustrating notion. The empire was investing significant sums into nurturing future talents¡ªor at the very least, fostering pro-imperial sympathies among the students. If ss time were cut, it would feel like part of that investment was being wasted.@@novelbin@@ Ironically, because the tuition was funded by the imperial family, the academy couldn¡¯t get away with saying, ¡°Well, due to circumstances, some sses had to be canceled.¡± As a result, the academy¡¯s winter break was entirely canceled. Plenty of students wereining, but what could they do? It wasn¡¯t like the academy itself made this decision¡ªthis was something the imperial family had pushed for. ¡°We really do need to tighten the budget.¡± When this topic came up, Alice furrowed her brows slightly. You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 289 Emotions aren¡¯t something that can be easily controlled. If everyone could master their emotions at will, then acting would be a profession that anyone could do. I never had a talent for hiding my emotions. At best, I had just enough restraint to stop myself from making an outright disgusted face when my boss was berating me at work. And even that only worked if I had a drink afterward to vent to someone¡ªotherwise, my irritation would start to leak out over time. The only reason I was able to maintain my expressionless facade in this world was because I had the ability to turn back time. There was no need for acting. I could let out my emotions in advance, or at least process them privately before facing others, ensuring that only the necessary expressions appeared on my face.@@novelbin@@ That way, there was no risk of breaking character in front of anyone. It was the same logic as watching a jump scare in a horror movie, rewinding, and then watching it again¡ªyou wouldn¡¯t flinch the second time. But right now, that option wasn¡¯t avable to me. ¡°¡­¡­¡± You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 291 I almost let out a hesitant ¡°Uh¡­¡± but quickly shut my mouth. Even if my carefully constructed persona was crumbling and my true self was beingid bare, there were still some things I needed to protect. Even after losing my ability, I had been making an effort to maintain at least a minimal level of my established character. One day, the entirety of my real self might be exposed. But I didn¡¯t want that to happen all at once, in a single moment. And starting a sentence with ¡°Uh¡­¡± while addressing someone? That didn¡¯t fit my character at all. Up until now, I had always spoken only after thinking things through. ¡°¡­May I ask how much you remember about me?¡± I asked, holding onto a sliver of hope.@@novelbin@@ ¡°¡­¡± At my question, Mia¡¯s gaze flickered toward the empty space in front of her. She seemed to be searching through her memories, silently sifting through them one by one. Then, after a brief pause, she spoke¡ªher voice slightly uncertain. ¡°At the very least, I think I remember almost everything I saw of you¡­¡± She sounded unsure, leaving room for doubt. You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 292 ¡°Did that really happen?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± At my response, Lena¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. It didn¡¯t seem like she was displeased¡ªjust processing my answer.@@novelbin@@ ¡°It¡¯s a strange feeling.¡± ¡°I imagine it would be.¡± Lena didn¡¯t ask me to borate further. She likely already knew the general outline of events and could piece together why this phenomenon was happening. I couldn¡¯t experience the same dissonance as others did. Because I remembered everything¡ªthe moments I had turned back time included. For me, it wasn¡¯t as if new memories had suddenly appeared. From my perspective, things had always been this way. And even in that illusory world, I had retained my previous memories and intentionally manipted the situation. I had no way of knowing what it felt like to suddenly recall something that had been wiped from your mind¡ªtopletely forget, only to have those memories resurface as if they had been there all along. I could only guess that it must feel like waking up from a dream. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± A short silence followed. I was probably the only one feeling ufortable. After all, Lena had never done anything embarrassing in front of me. You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 293 Well, what could I do? Here was someone who had done nothing wrong, yet was apologizing to me. The least I could do was ease some of her guilt. Otherwise, things would be unbearably awkward every time we met in the future. And, to be honest, I already knew exactly what Lena was hiding. I had investigated it before. If she had been a character I was familiar with from the start, I wouldn¡¯t have bothered looking into her unless she posed a direct threat to my life. But Lena was someone I had never seen in the original story, so I had been cautious. Lena¡¯s secret?@@novelbin@@ She was a fan of Digger the Dog. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± But Lena had no idea that I knew. In fact, she probably never even considered the possibility. How many people in the world would expect that the person they admired had gone out of their way to dig into their private life? Even though Lena was usually open about everything, she had been careful to keep this particr interest hidden. You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 295 The term academy might sound grand, but in reality, the academies depicted in games, manga, and light novels are not much different from a typical high school. In fact, the Imperial Rondarium Academy follows a Japanese high school-style curriculum. While the sses themselves are quite different from those of a regr high school, the academy''s schedule is almost identical. Of course, this year, that schedule had beenpletely disrupted due to a major incident. The winter break had been drastically shortened, and even after the new year began, we were still at the academy. The Cultural Festival, originally scheduled forte October, had been pushed back indefinitely. Given that the school only returned to normal in November, there was no helping it. And since it had already been dyed, the student council proposed moving the festival tote December. If it was going to take ce in the cold winter anyway, they figured they might as well schedule it during the time of year when the most people were celebrating. Simply put, the festival would be held from December 30th to January 2nd. Even if the academy was effectively a high school, the concept of high schools barely existed in this world. In other words, Imperial Rondarium Academy was one of the very few institutions capable of hosting a cultural festival. The few other schools that resembled high schools were merelyrger-scale tutoring centers or academies. That was why the Imperial Rondarium Academy¡¯s Cultural Festival was practically a festival for the entire capital city. While it wasn¡¯t truly an event for everyone¡ªsince only invited guests could attend¡ªeven the streets surrounding the academy would take on a festive atmosphere, and students would mingle with the celebrations. So, in a way, the description wasn¡¯t entirely inurate.@@novelbin@@ Though, Alice and I had never attended before. We could have, if we wanted to, but neither of us had the time. You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons) Chapter 296 I had noints about how things worked¡ªthe Imperial Household and nobility provided the funds, while the academy and student council handled the actual management. After all, I was never good at managing money. Back in my old world, I used to budget my living expenses to the extreme, only to end up spending everything on games and merchandise, leaving me with nothing when unexpected expenses popped up¡ªso much so that skipping meals became routine. Things had changed a lot since I started making my own money, but at least until I graduated from college, I had spent a significant amount of time hungry. Even in this world, I had never really paid attention to budgeting. Thinking back, the sheer amount of money I had spent must have been staggering¡ªfrom buying firearms, to refining Maramaros into bullets, to wearing a reinforced exoskeleton made with technology that didn¡¯t even exist in my previous world. None of that would have been possible without the Imperial Treasury backing me.@@novelbin@@ If I had been part of the student council and had ess to that budget, there was no doubt I would have burned through it recklessly, causing all sorts of problems. Besides, the student council members weren¡¯t exactly desperate for money. More importantly, no one in their right mind would dare embezzle from a budget that mixed noble donations, imperial funds, and even foreign royal contributions. That meant I had nothing to worry about¡ªI could simply sit back and watch the academy slowly transform as it prepared for the Cultural Festival. At least, that¡¯s what I thought¡ªuntil a student council member came looking for me. "H-H-Her Highness¡­?" The girl stammered as she approached, looking like she was about to copse in fear just from speaking to me. "What is it?" Hearing my voice, she flinched hard¡ªas if I had suddenly jumped out to scare her. You¡¯re the one who called me, though. "T-The teacher¡­ s-sent me to get you¡­ Her Highness¡­ um¡­ she asked to see you¡­" You didn''t buy this chapter Buy Now (3 coupons)