Chapter 116: Second Princess Celsia

Chapter 116: Second
Princess Celsia

Armored
Knight.

She
saved my life after a life-and-death battle in a goblin nest shortly
after I was transported on the first floor of the Labyrinth.

With
the help of the healing potions, antidotes, and maps she handed me, I
was able to survive the treacherous Labyrinth as a commoner.

It
was a powerful memory that I’ll never forget, and I still remember it
vividly to this day.

‘No
wonder I even did a naked dogeza to express my gratitude.’

Well,
it was more of an accident.

Technically,
the armored knight had seen me naked before Diana did.

Anyway,

The
memory of the armored knight was still vivid, and I could still
remember her voice clearly.

“⋯Armored
Knight?”

The
sickly-looking girl in front of me had the same voice as the armored
knight.

However,
the mood was slightly different.

-Hmph.

The
girl’s body twitched at the sound of my voice, and her eyes turned to
me once more.

In
a wall of green that blended harmoniously with her luxurious blonde
hair.

Rattling⋯

The
girl’s eyes began to tremble like an earthquake as she looked at me.

She
immediately bowed her head deeply.

As
I went down the exposed crown of her head, her reddened earlobes were
revealed.

“Ah,
ah, ah, no, ugh, ah, no, that’s not it⋯?”

A
very different tone of voice from the armored knight who had been so
proud, smirking, confident, and yet strangely coy.

It
wasn’t just that she spoke slowly, it was that she kept stuttering
and chewing her tongue.

Even
if you brought a nerd who couldn’t talk to anyone at school, he would
speak more fluently than this girl.

‘It’s
not just the way she speaks, it’s the height difference.’

The
armored knight wore heavy, full-plate armor that covered her face as
well as her joints.

She
was about my height. At least two meters tall.

If
it weren’t for her bizarrely large chest armor, and her voice, which
was ecstatically beautiful to listen to, I could have easily mistaken
her for a man.

I
stared down at the girl, her head bowed, unable to make eye contact
with me.

‘⋯Eh?’

I
can’t be sure because I’m sitting down, but I’m guessing she’s no
taller than 150cm even with her feet up.

Her
meager breasts barely accentuated her femininity, which only looked
like a snort compared to the huge chest armor.

On
the other hand, her thighs and buttocks, which were slightly pressed
by sitting in a wheelchair, were full.

Overall,
it was a female body optimized for the field, so it definitely had a
girlish charm, but⋯

The
impression was very different from the armored knight I thought of.

‘Is
it someone else?’

She
can’t even wear that kind of armor with her body.

“I,
I don’t know, I’m not an armored knight or anything⋯
I don’t know⋯”

The
girl stammered awkwardly, denying my question.

Was
it just my imagination that their voices sounded the same?

But
I didn’t give up easily.

“Then,
are you the White Royal Knight?”

“⋯⋯!”

The
White Royal Knight, that’s what the armored knight who didn’t want to
reveal her name called herself.

It
was a pseudonym with the sensibility of a second grader, but the
girl’s eyes widened ever so slightly when she heard it.

She
immediately avoided my gaze.

“⋯⋯Such
a thing. Mo, I don’t know⋯”

I
wondered if she hadn’t heard of it, or if she knew but was pretending
not to.

I
couldn’t tell because she was too introspective.

Besides,
it didn’t seem like a good idea to push her further when she was
already saying no.

Much
to my dismay, I took a step back from the girl.

“I’m
sorry I kept asking. You sound exactly like someone I know.”

“⋯⋯”

“I
owe her my life, I’m very grateful to her, but I must be mistaken.
Oh, thank you for the helmet.”

I
was about to take the helmet from the girl’s hand when she spoke up.

“⋯That,
that⋯”

“What?”

“⋯That,
that’s what I did in hopes of ⋯something⋯
I don’t think so⋯”

“⋯⋯”

“I,
uh, don’t, uh, need to, uh, go, go, go, go looking for, uh, repay the
favor.”

I
frowned at the girl’s rambling.

What
was she talking about all of a sudden?

Puzzled,
I tried to interpret the meaning of her words.

“The
2nd Princess has made her appearance on the 1st floor!!!”

“I,
really?! Princess Celsia?”

“Isn’t
this the first time the 2nd Princess has made an appearance here?”

“She
hasn’t been out in public for a few years now, and she’s very
secretive.”

“I’ve
heard she’s very tall.”

“It’s
not just her height, it’s also her, uh, woman’s symbol⋯
Hmmmm. Let’s go!”

There
was a great commotion around me as everyone rushed downstairs with
great excitement.

They
were so eager to meet the princess that they didn’t care about their
surroundings.

-bang!

In
the age of barbarism, it was more important to take care of one’s own
interests than to consider a girl in a wheelchair.

“Kaak?!”

The
girl’s wheelchair crashed into the crowd of people coming and going,
but very few people cared.

The
girl stiffened, unable to do anything about it, and gripped the
wheelchair tightly.

At
that rate, she was going to hit her face on the floor and hurt
herself badly.

I
ran straight to the girl.

I
grabbed the handle of the tilting wheelchair to steady myself, and
then caught her with one hand as her hips separated and she fell.

Her
scanty breasts and light weight pressed against my arm.

“Are
you okay?”

I
picked her up safely. Luckily, she wasn’t too badly hurt.

“⋯a⋯”

The
girl in my arms slumped to the ground.

Her
body seemed to relax as the situation calmed down.

She
hugged her legs and looked at me with a dazed face.

I
looked at her, too.

As
I felt myself being sucked into the green glowing wall, the status
window popped up.

[Celsia
de ■■■■■
LV.5■]

[Celsia’s
current Blessings and Curses: 3]

[◆
■■
■■
He■
Magic■■
Blessing]

–
You gain immense magical talent in proportion to your existing
physical abilities.

– Magic
control power is permanently increased. You acquire chantless
casting.

A
censored status window pops up with brief information.

She
has a blessing that is quite high level and looks quite deceptive.

She
rolled well in the Labyrinth.

‘A
blessing that sounds a lot like Jeremy’s.’

Jeremy
lost two centimeters of something that looked more like a clitoris
than a dick and gained the experience bonus blessing of becoming a
woman.

The
girl in front of me had gained magical talent in exchange for
physical abilities.

My
gaze went straight to her name.

‘Celsia?’

Didn’t
someone say the second princess was named Celsia, or was it a simple
homonym?

“Can
you get up?”

“⋯Ah.
Uh, umm.”

Recovering
her senses at my question, Celsia tried to stand up on her own, but
she fell back down again and again.

It
was as if her strength had been knocked out of her.

“Do
you mind if I help you?”

After
a moment’s hesitation, Celsia nodded, hanging her head in
embarrassment.

Swoosh!

“HEEEEEE!”

As
I slipped my arm between her legs⋯between
her thighs and calves⋯to
lift her up, she choked out a cute little squeal.

I
carefully lifted her up.

She’s
light. Maybe 50 kilograms?

I
could easily lift her with one hand.

Settled
into the wheelchair, Celsia gingerly lowered her head.

“I
did what I had to do.”

No
matter how used to the cold, ruthless world I’ve become, I wasn’t
so depraved as to turn on a frail girl in a wheelchair.

“⋯Natural,
work⋯”

Celsia
heard me and nodded, her face blank. I then asked her.

“By
the way, what was that thing you said earlier-?”

“Oh,
that, that, that, that⋯?
Just forget about it⋯!
That, that, and this!”

Celsia
stammered and held the helm out to me.

She
held on to it even as she fell.

I
smiled bitterly and took the helm.

-Clunk.

When
I placed the helmet on my head and looked around.

Celsia
had vanished without a trace.

***

Inside
a carriage with the royal mark.

“Huhhhhh⋯”

A
super-high-level magic that can be used only once every six months,
transcending dimensions.

After
using the teleportation, Celsia immediately laid down on the plush
cushions.

The
sensations were strangely dull.

Fatigue
overtook her, and she wrapped several blankets around herself.

Getting
some rest was more important than fixing her wrinkled dress.

With
her face buried in the blankets, Celsia muttered quietly.

“It
was dangerous⋯”

The
voice that emerged did not tremble or bow with anxiety.

On
the contrary, it was filled with a strange dignity.

The
enemy of the hikikomori in the corner of the room is fancy banquets
and crowded people. Since there is no one around, even his voice does
not tremble.

TLN:
A form of severe social withdrawal, called hikikomori,
has been frequently described in Japan and is characterized by
adolescents and young adults who become recluses in their parents’
homes, unable to work or go to school for months or years.

“I
never thought I’d see him at a banquet.”

The
young man she had saved from the labyrinth.

It
had been half a year ago, but the memory of that day was still clear.

She
didn’t know his name or his age.

His
voice, his face, the way he bowed naked to her, and the monstrous
thing wiggling frighteningly in his pants, were all burned into
Celsia’s mind.

‘Still,
it’s good to see that you’ve grown up well⋯’

She
was worried that he would get into trouble because of his face, and
she even advised him, but if he can get into the Academy’s banquet
hall, he must be doing well.

She
was forced to go to a banquet she didn’t want to go to, but she was
glad she met him.

“⋯I
wish we could have met in the Labyrinth.”

Celsia
felt melancholy.

She
had looked forward to meeting him, but she hadn’t wanted to meet him
in her true form outside the Labyrinth.

The
real her was so meager and shabby so she shook her head desperately
at his searching words.

She
wasn’t ready for it yet but a rush of regret washed over her.

If
only she had admitted it⋯
if only things had been different.

Just
as she was thinking about it, there was a commotion outside the
carriage.

“It
was an honor to see you! Your Highness, Second Princess!”

“Next
time, we will organize a more perfect graduation ceremony!”

The
academy dignitaries and the Dean’s flattery were like scabs nearly
settled in her ears.

Celia
cleared her throat and muttered in a small voice.

“Haha.
Okay. I was expecting that.”

Her
voice echoed softly inside the carriage and loudly and proudly
outside.

After
the chorus of admiring voices died down, the door opened outside the
carriage.

–
clang.

A
two-meter white armored figure slid through the door with ease and
sat down in front of Celsia.

““You
may rest.””

Celsia’s
voice overlapped with the voice that protruded from the armor’s
throat.

-snap.

The
armor sagged as if a thread had snapped at Celsia’s command.

Celsia
pulled off the armor’s helm and where a face should have been, there
was nothing.

It
wasn’t just the face. The inside of the armor, where human flesh
should have been, was literally an empty tin can.

This
armor was remotely controlled by Celsia.

Or,
more accurately, the armor she once wore.

Sighing,
Celsia opened a subspace and pulled out a piece of paper.

It
was written by Serif, a holy priestess of the temple who had once
been a member of the same party, and contained the details of a
blessing.

[◆
The blessing of the sloppy wizard]

–
Lose your existing physical abilities and gain immense magical
talent.

–
J cup to A cup, 198cm to 143cm, increased magical control and the
acquisition of chantless casting.

P.S.
How does it feel to go from looking down to looking up every day?
Phew.

-Sigh.

It
was a blessing that made her sigh no matter how many times she saw
it, but its effect was so good that she couldn’t easily get rid of
it.

She’s
in a wheelchair because it’s awkward to walk because of the mismatch
with her old body, but that’s not a big deal.

The
biggest problem is that this blessing has also affected her
personality.

She
became extremely timid around people and couldn’t speak properly.

She
literally became a sham.

However,
once the barrier was lowered through the armor, she was able to
communicate as before.

It’s
been five years since she’s been holed up in a corner of the royal
palace, controlling the armor.

Fortunately,
few people know the tiny creature she is now, but one day she would
have to make a choice.

‘Do
I stay this tiny, insignificant creature for the rest of my life or
regain my original body?’

“⋯Haahhhh.”

Celsia
turned her gaze away from the window, worried about her future.

Soon,
the banquet was over.