Chapter 135

Clock Tower.

I arrived ten minutes early for our appointment, but this time, I was the first to arrive.

Perhaps this is due to the nature of our relationship.

The three people I met before think of me as special to varying degrees, but the princess and I do not have that kind of relationship at all.

Considering the princess’s personality, it’s not a strange assumption that she only sees me as an amusement or a tool to be used.

Deng deng deng!

The bell rang out, marking 5 o’clock in the afternoon.

As if she had been waiting for the bell, Princess Oscar appeared before me.

I flinched.

She appeared like a ghost without any sign of approach.

…Can’t she just appear normally?

I clicked my tongue inwardly and opened my mouth.

“Nice to see you again, Oscar.”

The princess’s face was covered by the same hat with a black veil as yesterday, so I tactfully addressed her by name instead of her title.

“Indeed, Senior Max.” (TLN: i mentally read this in spanish accent)

The princess smiled.

“By the way… did I perhaps offend you yesterday?”

I asked to confirm that first.

Since I was heavily drunk to the point of losing my memory halfway through, it was possible that I had acted poorly.

I don’t usually have serious drinking habits, but I can’t trust Max’s body at all.

It could have moved unconsciously.

“Oh, that. There was no problem. It seemed like you were going to give some kind of grand speech, but…”

Did that drunken habit kick in?

Thinking about the nonsense I might have said made me want to bury myself in the ground.

But, wait…

It seemed like she was saying…?

The princess continued with a face struggling to hold back laughter.

“Senior Riera said, ‘Putting him to sleep before he becomes a dog is the right answer,’ and then just knocked you out from behind.”

…Good job, Riviera.

You saved me.

I’ll treat you to a meal later.

I sighed with relief inwardly.

It seemed like I needed to be more careful in the future.

“Haha, that’s a relief.”

I laughed it off.

The princess also ended up laughing softly.

Seeing such a sitcom-like scene in person, not laughing would be strange.

“So, coming back to the point… do you have a specific place in mind?”

“Yes.”

Princess Oscar answered immediately.

“Then I’ll follow Oscar’s lead.”

A principle of social life: Do as the person in a higher position suggests.

It also keeps things comfortable.

“Thank you for saying that.”

The princess continued.

“Shall we go then?”

—

‘This place…?’

It’s an unmistakable place.

A place related to both the protagonist and Max.

It was the very roadside tavern where Max’s gang tried to mess with Annette and got beaten up by the protagonist.

And it was today.

‘…How did I end up coming here today of all days?’

It was absurdly coincidental.

I had no intention of coming here at all.

The sudden appointment with the princess and her choice of this place were the only reasons I ended up here.

A chill ran down my spine.

“Shall we sit over there?”

“Oh…sure.”

Even as I followed Princess Oscar, my mind was still in turmoil.

A natural question arose.

Was the princess here on that day at that time?

No.

If she had been, I would have known.

In other words, the princess wasn’t originally there.

So then?

It meant the storyline had changed enough to alter the presence of such an important character like the princess.

Well, the fact that I, who was supposed to cause trouble with the gang, is here with the princess itself was already a significant change.

‘Well, it can’t be helped.’

Since Max’s life had changed, this incident had to change too.

But what bothered me was that I came to this place I didn’t want to be at according to the original timeline…

‘Oh well, what could happen?’

I thought so for the moment.

The important thing now was the meeting with the princess.

I focused on that.

“Shall we drink lightly today? There’s a ball later.”

A welcome suggestion.

“Of course, that sounds good.”

“Is beer okay?”

“Sure.”

So we ordered beer and some snacks and began our conversation in earnest.

—

At first, it was light conversation.

After exchanging words for a while, Princess Oscar smiled meaningfully.

“Well then.”

The princess flicked her right hand.

Then something changed.

It didn’t seem like anything had changed outwardly, but I could feel it.

‘A qi barrier.’

A high-level defensive technique that also had sound-blocking effects.

It was the second time I’d seen a qi barrier.

The first was when I met Regina, and now.

Both times involved monsters who had reached the level of masters.

“Shall we talk about secrets now?”

Princess Oscar clasped her hands together.

“You’ve set up a qi barrier.”

“Oh, you noticed?”

The princess looked surprised.

“Yes, somehow.”

“You’re not an ordinary person after all.”

The princess’s eyes sparkled with a subtle light.

Her lips curled into a mysterious smile.

“You’re overestimating me.”

“Who knows? Am I?”

The princess winked and raised her beer glass.

A gesture for a toast.

I raised my glass too.

Clink.

The glasses clinked cheerfully.

Gulp.

The refreshing beer slid down my throat.

The princess also took a light sip and then spoke.

“Let’s get straight to the point.”

“Yes.”

“Please help me.”

“Pardon?”

Suddenly asking for help like that is too vague. What are you even talking about?

“Oh my, it’s a shame you don’t understand right away.”

The princess said, sounding slightly disappointed.

“Then let me kindly make it clear. Support me as the next heir to the throne.”

What? Heir to the throne?

Is that what she meant?

Is she already trying to recruit me…?

I couldn’t hide my surprise.

The protagonist usually receives a recruitment offer no earlier than the second semester of the second year. And even then, it requires him to have grown significantly in reputation and presence.

But what did Max do to receive a recruitment offer so early?

‘Is it because of his family?’

The protagonist is the second son of an insignificant barony. In contrast, Max is the heir to a famously wealthy count’s family. Comparing their backgrounds, it’s almost embarrassing to put them side by side.

‘Maybe I’ve been focusing too much on personal abilities.’

Seeing it that way, the princess’s proposal made immediate sense. A reliable source of funds is arguably the most crucial asset. So, it’s not strange for her to set her sight on me, the heir to the Celtrin family…

‘No, wait a second.’

I recalled the first time I met the princess in the special training ground underground.

At that time, the princess clearly didn’t even know my face. If she had already intended to recruit me, that wouldn’t have been possible.

‘So, does that mean…’

Something changed her mind in the meantime. That means I caused that change.

‘So, it’s because of me?’

That was the conclusion I reached.

“…Hearing such a sudden proposal, I’m a bit confused.”

I gave the most neutral response I could and observed the princess’s reaction, trying to discern her intentions. It could be a light probe, just to see if more fish might bite, or it could be a calculated move to catch a promising big fish.

If it’s the former, it’s no big deal, but if it’s the latter, she’d likely persistently try to recruit me in the future, given her personality of getting what she wants no matter what.

‘This is tiring…’

Attracting the attention of the psychotic princess was undoubtedly a burdensome situation. Especially since I hadn’t decided which of the first prince or princess to support in the future throne struggle.

So, I hoped it was the former.

“What’s there to be confused about? As a noble of the empire, you should be well aware of the current state of affairs.”

Princess Oscar smiled subtly, with a gaze that implied I shouldn’t play dumb.

I knew. Of course, I knew.

The current emperor had explicitly declared, in front of all the princes and princesses, that the next heir would be chosen solely based on ability. While the minor competitors, aside from the first prince and princess, were irrelevant, the ability to build one’s own support base was included in that criteria.

Thus, the princess’s recruitment move made sense.

“Yes, I don’t deny that. But still, I never imagined I’d receive such a proposal.”

“You’re underestimating yourself.”

“Is it because of my background?”

“Not really. I’m not particularly interested in money.”

As expected, the princess wasn’t trying to recruit me just because I was the heir to the Celtrin family. There was some other reason I had caused a change in her perspective.

She wanted me to ask what that reason was.

“So, what is it then?”

“Are you curious?”

The princess sipped her beer with a one-sided smile.

Then, she suddenly reached out and touched my forehead with her finger.

Poke.

It happened so quickly that I could only look at her in bewilderment.

“The answer is simple. It’s this.”

…Pointing at someone’s head like this is a bit much, isn’t it?

Anyway, thanks to that, I got my answer.

“You mean my head?”

“Yes, you’re very smart. I realized that during the mock battle. Your strategies were impressive.”

The princess’s eyes sparkled.

“…”

It turns out, I made a strong impression during the mock battle.

I hadn’t intended to impress the princess at all, but…

Anyway, I understood. Having intelligent people on her side wouldn’t hurt at all…

“Be my brain.”

“Pfth!”

Caught off guard by the unexpected proposal, I spat out the beer I was drinking.

What…?

Brain…?

Not even the protagonist received such a proposal. The princess herself was supposed to be the brain of her faction.

With her being the most capable, why was she suddenly looking for a brain?

“That’s my honest request, but I doubt you’ll accept it easily, will you?”

Princess Oscar spoke with a serene smile and a gaze full of shimmering emotion.

…It felt like I was being treated as some legendary strategist.

At this rate, I might even get the three calls to the cottage treatment.

Frankly, being recognized to the extent of receiving to be the brain proposal from someone as remarkable as the princess wasn’t a bad feeling.

But it was more of a headache than anything else.

Because I knew.

The princess was a master at discarding people after use.

‘I don’t want to end up in the soup, really.’

Without realizing it, I shook my head genuinely, not as an act.

It seemed to the princess that my gesture was a firm rejection.

“Haha, it’s not easy, is it? Well, someone like you should have that much pride.”

“…I don’t like to commit to a side too early.”

Since she interpreted it as a rejection, I decided to go with it. I had no intention of accepting it rashly anyway.

“Indeed, a wise decision. That makes you even more desirable.”

…Why does everything I say get such high praise?

I just wanted to be cautious because of the many things you did to me.

“Regardless of what you say, my decision remains firm. So…”

I was about to reiterate my refusal.

“Having fun, are we?”

A sarcastic voice interrupted my thoughts.

I assumed it was from another table unrelated to us.

But.

Whoosh.

Why is a bottle flying towards us?!