2.

"Whoa, what the—?"

Kim Buja, who had been abruptly hugged by the rushing princess, asked in confusion.

Entering the Gold Mission for the first time in a while was fine, but unfortunately, he was summoned at the exact spot where he left last time, so it took a while to find Teheran Castle.

The system had given him a crudely drawn map as a token of conscience, but in a dense forest where it was hard to see even ten steps ahead, it was useless.

Finding the way with just a map in such a place was nearly impossible.

Eventually, he spent 20 Gold to buy a compass that indicated direction and was making his way toward what looked like the castle by checking the map's orientation.

Just as he was pondering how to enter the fortress, he encountered this situation.

"Where are you going?"

He wasn't foolish enough to think she came out to greet him.

The princess's outfit was clearly for someone secretly heading somewhere, and the knight uncle escorting her wasn't even carrying a sword.

"Ah!"

He asked unconsciously but then answered himself.

The name of Chapter 2-1's mission came to mind.

『Allied Forces』

The Imperial Army definitely needed allies.

Actually, mere allies wouldn't solve it.

They needed to induce an internal collapse in the Allied Forces, much like the Empire experienced before its fall.

The situation was that disadvantageous.

It was beyond disadvantageous; it was close to impossible.

They brought this situation upon themselves, but they had to grasp the reality of it coldly and clearly.

"Let's go together."

"Okay."

The princess, her face buried in his chest, nodded roughly.

She didn't show signs of leaving his embrace.

Seeing the princess, who exuded much more of a mature feminine scent than two months ago, he tilted his head.

It had been a while, so the memory of their first meeting wasn't vivid, but her image was very different from what stuck in his mind.

He didn't need to look far; just looking at the Canyon Battle, the princess was a strong woman who didn't need to rely on anyone.

She had enough resolve to inherit the Imperial throne and was steadfast enough to endure the humiliation and circumstances of being captured as a slave.

But whenever she met Kim Buja, she showed this side.

Not just once or twice, but every time.

It felt like the degree to which she opened her heart expanded drastically with each encounter.

He couldn't not know what this meant.

Love.

Was it okay to attach the word 'love' so easily? Anyway, it was certainly an emotion of longing and active expression.

Nearing the age of twenty, the only men she had likely met were the Emperor, Kallis by her side, and a few old servants.

To her, Kim Buja might resemble the Emperor, whom she considered her ideal type.

Someone proactive and subjective, with clear convictions in his actions, and simultaneously willing to risk everything to protect her.

The princess hadn't experienced many human relationships, but she wasn't a fool either.

Therefore, her choices and actions were firmer and clearer.

Because she judged there were no lies or pretense in Kim Buja's actions.

Actually, there weren't.

Leaving aside other ulterior motives, he was indeed ready to sacrifice even his life solely for the princess.

Even if the reason was that it was connected to Kim Buja's own life.

"Hey, seducing me with body contact is a foul. Could you back off a bit?"

"Ah, I'm sorry."

It wasn't bad.

What man would refuse the courtship of such a beautiful woman?

He just had to make sure he didn't get too immersed.

Besides, the mission difficulty imposed on him was too oppressive to treat this world's entertainment as a sweet romance with the princess.

He could accept it if he wanted to.

However, he knew better than anyone how a woman—no, a human—awakened to love changed, so he couldn't.

Rebuilding the Empire came first right now.

Playing 『princess Maker』 or an adult dating sim could wait; it wouldn't be too late.

"So, shall we go? Where are we going first?"

"Right away? Are you sure? I don't know where you came from, but maybe you should rest a bit."

"No, I rested plenty. Let's go quickly. We need to recruit at least one more place, right?"

"Yes."

The princess listened well.

She also knew perfectly well that there were things that took priority over the personal feelings in her heart.

The princess picked up the torn skin mask she had held in one hand, threw it on the ground, and flipped the shabby robe over her head.

In the dark gloom, a single ray of moonlight illuminated the robe, accentuating her jade-white skin.

Only then did he notice.

"What the hell? Why did you tear that up?"

She remained silent.

What had the princess done?

Was it 100 Gold? 50 Gold? He didn't remember exactly, but he had spent his scarce gold on it in the first chapter and left it for her—and now she tore it up.

Since the time limit was 30 days, she must have used it to disguise herself today.

Even if it was expired gold, the feeling of watching it scatter in the wind right before his eyes was... painful.

A sigh came out automatically.

"Ah."

Hearing his unconscious sigh, the princess made an infinitely apologetic face.

"I'm sorry."

To Kim Buja, it was just an item purchased from the Gold Shop, but to the princess, it was an artifact that appeared in a way she couldn't understand.

It was one of the few things he had given her, and it was the last one.

Since she tore it, she had no choice but to blame herself.

She looked like she didn't know what to do.

Kim Buja scratched the back of his head.

"No, well. You don't have to be that sorry."

It was half a joke.

He didn't feel the need to explain the source of the skin mask or his abilities, so he put his hand inside the robe of the princess, who had bowed her head, and patted her hair.

"I was going to buy a new one anyway, so don't feel too bad."

Sparkling eyes met his from below.

Beauty that pierced the heart.

If Jeong Seora had the charm of a reliable companion, the princess had the charm of wanting to be protected.

Of course, the common point between the two women was that they were beautiful enough to overflow Kim Buja's self-interested standards.

Kim Buja, who had come back after lavishly spending 50,000 Gold over two months in reality—including the gold already charged—opened the Gold Shop and bought three new skin masks without hesitation.

"Here, let's go."

Anyway, the gold given for Chapter 2-1 was 5,000 Gold.

Plus the spare gold he brought.

He had no intention of skimping on items essential for mission progress, not when he was spending it on useless things elsewhere.

Saving gold by hiding that face with just a robe, only to end up being chased, would cost even more gold in the long run.

At dawn, the three, now completely disguised, hastened their steps.

* * *

The first target was a kingdom a fair distance away.

"It is the Kingdom of Akanda."

A fairly detailed explanation followed the name.

Hearing it, he felt the princess's meticulousness and brilliance anew.

Teheran Castle was located on the outskirts of the Empire.

There were few kingdoms nearby, and the ones that existed were highly likely to be the first in the Alliance's sights.

But choosing a distant place meant they didn't have much time.

Above all, kingdoms too far away would find it difficult to provide significant help.

A definite kingdom within a distance that allowed for an alliance.

That was the princess's top priority condition.

And the next condition that had to be met unconditionally.

"It's a kingdom that benefited most from my father's virtue during its founding. The Empire exerted effort to defend it against the Alliance invasion, allowing it to maintain its existence."

Since it was already an established fact spreading across the continent that the princess had colluded with the Demon Race, it had to be a kingdom likely to lend strength.

The place chosen after careful consideration of these two factors was the Kingdom of Akanda.

It seemed quite plausible.

He nodded as he listened, then asked a question that came to mind.

"So, let me get this straight. The Kingdom of Akanda became independent thanks to the Empire, was protected by the Empire, fought on the Empire's side against the Alliance, almost collapsed, but avoided it thanks to the Empire?"

"Yes."

"But the kingdom isn't destroyed and is still alive?"

"Yes."

Why?

He could tell without asking.

"Betrayal?"

"It was probably a choice to survive. For them."

The princess's words, as she chewed on her plump lip, were filled with unbearable resentment.

It was sorrow for a situation the head understood but the heart could not.

Everyone has their own circumstances.

The Kingdom of Akanda fought to the end but succumbed, preserving their name.

No one had the right to point fingers at their decision.

After all, among the few kingdoms that kept their loyalty to the Empire until the end, almost none maintained their framework as a kingdom now.

But the princess could.

Those choices piled up, the Empire fell, and her family was beheaded in a gruesome manner before her eyes.

They were traitors that he wouldn't be satisfied with even if he tore them apart.

How must she feel going to bow her head and ask for help from those he couldn't even describe nicely?

Kim Buja couldn't imagine.

Yet, he could feel it.

In the trembling of her small, delicate fists.

In the drop of red blood welling up on her bitten lip.

In the drooping of those slender shoulders that bore the weight of the Empire for the first time.

He didn't have the sensibility to empathize and be angry with her.

"Hic."

Instead, he hugged her.

The only comfort he, strictly a third party, could offer was becoming the only person she could cry to and show tears to until she was exhausted.

"I'll help you."

If he intended to end it there, he wouldn't have risked his life to intervene.

In a role-playing game, the most important rule is to stay faithful to your role.

If one remains a spectator, turning a blind eye and feigning ignorance simply because they are an outsider or because the struggle is not their own, they can never truly blend into that world.

Of course, even if the sentiment isn't entirely sincere, and even if one cannot truly shed tears or rage alongside the victims, one must do something.

He would not stop at merely offering a hug.

"In my own way."

Kim Buja always had his own convictions and methods. This time was no different.

The first step would be the Kingdom of Akanda.

"Are you certain about this?"

To proceed, he needed the permission of the person involved. No matter how immersed he became or how hard he fought, Kim Buja was ultimately an outsider. The protagonist was the princess, and all the burdens to be carried rested solely upon her shoulders.

Only the person involved can know how heavy, sharp, or scorching that burden truly is.

Moving forward regardless of that was Kim Buja's way.

It could be frightening. Even Kim Buja couldn't predict everything. He could not foresee the backlash that would return when his moves—his unique convictions and methods that only worked in games—were applied to this reality.

That was why he was asking.

If she refused, if she rejected it, he would find another way.

However, the princess nodded without a single inch of hesitation.

"Thank you."

She even thanked him.

It was a sign of trust. It was a belief in the ability of Kim Buja, the man who had won a battle that was impossible to win and saved the last remaining Imperial force.

Even though she would be branded in history as a villainess who conspired with demons in exchange for that victory, the princess smiled.

That was right. The princess had already passed the point of no return.

Kim Buja's Gold Mission went hand in hand with the princess's life story. All he could do was try his best to ensure that her life would not be ruined any further by his actions.

To do that, they had to be consistent.

"Then let's go."

The princess was smart. But she wasn't cunning.

An eye for an eye. Evil for evil.

Kim Buja opened the Gold Shop.

* * *

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