*****

POV: Third person

*****

"You may come out now."

In the room where Chris had recently left, Princess Celestine, without moving from her place, said those words to no one in particular.

""At your service, Princess.""

But, in fact, five shadows quickly appeared at her side, all kneeling and awaiting her orders.

Tap! tap tap!

She did not look at them; she continued to stare into space, lost in thought, while her fingers tapped on the table. It was only after a brief but uncomfortable silence that she stopped her fingers and gave her orders:

"Deactivate all listening spells and see if there are any new ones. Be thorough. Once you've done that, you can leave. I need time to think."

"At your command, princess." (x4)

"..."

But only when four of the five had answered and started moving did the fifth one—the one at the front—remain kneeling, saying nothing.

"What's going on? If you have something to say, say it."

"Princess, why did you allow so many disrespectful acts and let him act so arrogantly?"

"…Bastian, you are one of my most loyal followers, and I understand your complaints, but it's not that simple. His carefree and crude behavior isn't everything… Tell me, even though I ordered you to stay hidden until I told you otherwise, why did you almost reveal yourself when he approached me?"

Tap tap tap!

There was no complaint in her tone, no reproach, it was as if she were simply describing what had happened.

Bastian knew that his princess rarely spoke of unnecessary things like this, so he thought about his words for a moment and in the end simply answered with the truth.

"I couldn't stand it, princess. He kept talking nonsense and even threatened you. Forgive my limited understanding, but I don't understand why he stopped us. We would have put him in his place, now that it was just him and the 'princess Aurora'."

"That's a very simple way of thinking. He immediately noticed that you came with me and knew where you were; although he acted relaxed the whole time, he was always alert."

"He noticed us? That's impossible, we are the best at stealth."

"He did. The moment you intended to move, he cast three high-level spells in an instant. One was to defend Aurora, and the other two were powerful enough to stop anything you tried in its tracks."

"..."

Tap! tap tap.

"And he was preparing to cast even stronger spells, with effects and elements I don't understand, but he undid them the moment I ordered you to back off. You didn't notice because it was unrealistically fast and stealthy, and affinities aren't enough to do something like that."

"..."

"Not only that: he wasn't talking nonsense—he knows too much—he already knew we were listening to him, and everything he told me at that moment is true. I don't know what backs him up, but it's true that he's not lying."

Tap tap tap!

"....But he could be a madman who thinks he has more power than he actually does. You yourself said that your blessing doesn't work on that kind of person."

"Yes, but this isn't that case. His judgment, preparation, and actions are not those of a novice. He took the entire environment into account, not to mention his murderous intent. That's not something that kind of person has."

"..."

"And even though he was several ranks below me, I sensed danger, a threat even greater than Raphael or Maximilian, or anyone else I would have come up against. If you had come out, he probably would have seriously injured or even killed you to prove his point."

"..."

Tap tap Tap!

"Don't send anyone after him. Don't interfere with him or those around him, except for… no, no exceptions. Quietly warn the faction members, and if they still do, cut all ties with them, no matter who they are."

"Princess, going to such extremes is—"

"—absolutely necessary.... I saw it in his eyes; to him, all this seems like meaningless nonsense, a child's game. He looked at me as if I were a fool craving a little power."

Tap tap tap

"Princess, you don't have to pay attention to him, he's just a simp—"

"I don't need your consolation, he's not simple in any sense... his gaze... his gaze wasn't one of contempt; he just seemed to have a broader vision, beyond this continent, even more... haah~"

"..."

"Do you know me well? Have I ever talked this much? Do you know why I'm explaining all this to you even though it's unnecessary?"

"…No."

Tap!, tap!, tap.

"Because I really don't know what to do; it's the first time in my life I've felt this way. his gaze, that feeling, made me feel insignificant, like everything I did was meaningless. It was like a reality check that made me feel like I had been in a bubble all this time, seeing only what was inside it."

"Princess, what you do is not insignificant. You will be the future queen and bring unprecedented prosperity to our kingdom; you could even unify the continent, making history. That is an ambition worthy of respect and my loyalty to you."

"...Yes. That is exactly what it is, my ambition. When did it become the only thing I could see? It is true that there is no one more qualified than me to rule this kingdom... but at what point did that thought become my bubble?"

"Princess, what do you mean by that?"

Tap!, tap!, tap!.

"You know, Bastian, there is a saying that has been passed down in my family and with which we are raised from childhood: 'Join the right people and you will go far in life.' That is why I always emphasized gathering talented and capable people; I thought that was the true power above wealth, lineage, or other things, and I was not wrong."

"That's true; that's why our faction is superior to the other t-."

"But now I think that's not exactly what that saying meant. We were also taught a little about cause and effect and balance in actions... in short, about karma. When I think about it, I've been arrogant."

"Princess, you're not. You're the last person who should think that way."

Bastian didn't understand what the princess meant. Of all the people he knew, he thought she was the most down-to-earth.

She herself had taught him that pride without backing is simply arrogance, and someone who is arrogant is simply a fool who will die soon.

In his mind, his princess would never be that kind of person.

Tap, tap, tap.

"Not exactly. You said it yourself: that I would be the future queen and that I would bring prosperity and history, right?"

"…Y-yes."

"yes, I will make history on this continent, and only on this continent… I think I understand. In fact, my interpretation of that saying was wrong; on the contrary, that same saying means and warns that if I associate with the wrong people, I won't get very far and I'll be limited."

Tap, tap, tap.

"...Princess?"

Bastian didn't know why, but he had a very bad feeling. It felt as if the strong, steady pillar he had relied on his whole life was shaking and crumbling—and the tapping of her fingers on the table offered no comfort at all

"What a horrible feeling, to realize something so obvious and silly so late and in this way. Haah... that's why the wisdom of the ancestors should never be despised. Tell me, Bastian, how far do you think an arrow with me as the tip would fly?"

"V-very far, Princess."

Bastian was beginning to feel suffocating pressure, and it wasn't because the princess was unleashing her murderous intent or doing anything; he simply felt like he couldn't breathe.

For some reason, he found it difficult to answer his princess's questions. He felt that they weren't so simple; he even felt that they were more for her than for him.

There was definitely something much bigger at stake. He felt that if he answered wrong, everything would fall apart.

Tap, Tap!, Tap!.

But he didn't know the right answer either; that increased his feeling of pressure and suffocation, and each tap seemed like a countdown to something very bad.

"How much?"

"I-I don't know, princess."

Tap!, Tap!, Tap!.

"Curious. A few moments ago, you gave me a clear answer. Why don't you say it again? No—saying it is unnecessary—I already know the answer, now I understand how this works."

"…"

Bastián felt like he couldn't breathe; no words came out of his mouth, and the feeling that he was falling into an abyss was very clear.

He still didn't really understand what all this was about or his princess's words, but every part of his body felt a great sense of regret... about what? He didn't know.

Tap!, Tap—

And, as if the countdown had come to an end, the princess stopped tapping her fingers on the table.

"Yes, you've checked everything; you may leave. Further discussion is useless. Remember and follow all the orders I gave you clearly, without exception, including you."

"Y-yes, princess."

Bastian felt that the bright and golden future he thought he would have alongside the princess now seemed dark and very distant for some reason.

Until the end, he did not understand what it was about or the thoughts of his princess, and, as if by inertia, he simply left.

"Join the right people and you'll go far in life."

On the other hand, Celestine, who was left alone in the room, repeated the familiar saying and closed her eyes; she seemed to be thinking about many things, which would not make many people happy if they came to fruition.

*****

"Brrr! I feel a chill. Hey, Aurora, you're not cursing me, are you? Or thinking of borrowing 'George' from Elena, right?"

"…Actually, that's exactly what I'm thinking."

"So it was you? How can you, when I helped you clean up the mess you got yourself into?"

Aurora and I were on our way back; the princess base is not far from where the academy is now, but it was also a good time for a little rendezvous, as we saw some stalls along the way and bought some local products.

I thought we were fine until I felt the chill.

"Hmph. You said it yourself: there wouldn't be any trouble to begin with, so technically you didn't do anything. I just remember how you wanted to trick me into wearing a micro bikini and doing all those things."

Hey! What a convenient memory you have… But let's get back to the matter at hand: how willing are you to—"

"I'll definitely ask her!"

"Wait!, the microbikini isn't necessary, just a small key is enough for me. If you put enough force into it, you can even twist my neck and relieve your complaints."

"Really? You want me to do it so badly that you're willing to risk your life?"

"Yes!"

I say with morphogenesis; having my neck twisted is nothing, and to begin with, I don't think she has enough strength to do it even with magical reinforcement. It will just be a more intense squeeze, and that's fine; it's a total win.

"Hmph, I'm still not going to do it."

"Tsk, I have a girlfriend I have to invest so much in and I get nothing in return; nothing but losses. Not to mention that—"

"Say 'flat, normal, and virgin' and I'll kill you!"

"Not to mention that it's getting late and there are chores to do, let's go back—"

"Hmph!, you better... besides, I was planning on giving you something later for accompanying me in this difficult situation."

"A thigh squeeze in a micro bikini?"

"No, you bastard! That's definitely not going to happen."

"Excuse me!"

"?"

At that moment, while I was trying my luck, I heard a voice behind me. It annoyed me because it interrupted just as Aurora was about to give in. (She wasn't.)

"If it's not too much trouble, could you come with me? Mr. Raphael extends an invitation to you."

'Who is that bastard? I knew leaving was a bad idea. Now everyone wants to call me.'

"Ah! Phina's brother."

Oh, she called me Phina... No! Wait! What did she say? Whose brother? Mine? My brother? (⊙o⊙)!Oh, my brother!'

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