episode_0049

Yuri had gotten along well with others even before she first met me.

She was already a well-rounded person.

Perhaps thanks to her birth parents’ good upbringing, she was a remarkably polite child, even if she didn’t know the honorifics used in the palace.

The occasional mutterings born of innocent curiosity were just cute.

Her posture – hands clasped, attentively listening to others – her efforts to understand others’ feelings…

And her unwavering determination, uncommon in a child, to say what she believed she should, no matter what.

She had a personality perfectly suited to being loved by people.

I heard she worked at an inn before being sold to the royal palace.

From what I know, Akasto’s inn wasn’t much different from those in other games or novels.

The first floor had a dining hall and a bathhouse, and the upper floors were accommodations.

She met countless types of people in the dining hall, and learned various household tasks in the bathhouse and accommodations.

Since she handled all sorts of tasks, her work skills were apparently quite good despite her young age.

I was probably still loafing around in my room back then, so she might have had even higher specs than me.

Even after coming to the royal palace, Yuri didn’t slack off.

She didn’t back down from conflicts with her seniors to care for me, and she quickly learned everything she was taught.

After I used my ‘power’ once to crush the existing bullying, she got along well even with the senior maids who had tormented her.

It wasn’t just getting along; she was a celebrity, a popular figure at the center of everything, everywhere she went.

While my being her employer accounted for about half of it, the rest was purely due to Yuri’s own personality, appearance, and relationships.

That’s why she had good relationships with her peers at the academy as well.

While her magical abilities or academic skills weren’t exceptionally outstanding, she had a pleasant personality and striking looks, so she never lacked for company.

Naturally, her circle of acquaintances widened, and her connections expanded.

From the perspective that humans are social animals, Yuri was becoming the perfect human.

Though the good fortune she encountered wasn’t entirely due to her own merit, it was simply the return of the kindness she had shown others.

Even the cadets, and even the department head, became obsessed with her.

“Uh, Yuri— no, Yurias-nim.”

“Just Yuri is fine. That’s what close friends call each other.”

“…Is that so? Then… Yuri, when did you start working at the royal palace?”

Lia and Yuri began their light conversation.

Yuri seemed rather happy.

Although she had many friends, the only ones she usually hung out with were Eve and me.

One was quiet, and the other was half a man on the inside; so having a casual conversation with a normal woman was probably a long time coming.

To be frank, Lia was only prickly towards me; she was originally so popular she even had her own faction.

There were factors like skill and power, but she had the leadership to support them.

Naturally, her communication skills and her manner of interacting with people were quite adept, and in that comfortable atmosphere, Yuri continued her story.

“You must have had a hard time since you were little…”

“It wasn’t that hard. When I ran away from the Baron’s house, my sister was with me, and when I worked at the palace, the Princess was there.”

“As expected, the Princess is an amazing person, isn’t she?”

“Yes. When I first met her—”

But what pleased me most was seeing her happy expression when she talked about me.

When a person speaks, nonverbal communication outweighs verbal expression.

The gaze, expression, gestures, and intonation of the voice add a supplementary explanation to the feelings that cannot be fully expressed through language, more so than the sounds uttered from the mouth.

Each time the word “Princess” left her lips, her cheeks flushed, the corners of her mouth turned up, and her voice grew softer.

Anyone watching would instantly understand what a girl’s love means.

“So… would the Princess happen to have some free time…?”

“I don’t know right now… um, I’ll contact the palace separately and find out later.”

“Heehee— really? Thanks! I’m sorry for being so forward…”

“No, it’s fine… Please speak freely. The Princess will like it too.”

Look at this, hehe…

Although she sold me out, isn’t she too kind?

Even I think she’s a really kind child.

“So, what I wanted to say is…”

Yuri continued with a kind smile.

“Could you please accept my sister and my temporary leave of absence application?”

“Huh…? That’s—”

“You’ll accept it? Thank you—! Oh dear…? I’m so sorry for being so forward.”

“N-no… it’s fine… it’s really nothing…”

Thirty minutes into the conversation, Yuri and I stood up and did a high-five.

Thanks to me blending into the background and allowing them to have a conversation completely between just the two of them, Lia stamped the application without realizing she’d been tricked.

There was really no need for this.

Eve had already submitted and received approval for the same period.

The fact that I was the only one who couldn’t get approved meant clear discrimination with precedent.

I didn’t think there was any need for this elaborate scheme.

So, after the department head’s office door closed completely, I quietly asked Yuri.

“Was it really necessary to go this far? If I’d just tried to explain properly—”

“Would it have worked?”

“—it wouldn’t have, huh.”

I could have done it by clinging to Lia’s skirt, but how long it would take was unknown.

That’s why Yuri decided to get her hands dirty.

“I don’t want to see that. The department head… my sister gave her heart to him… and he really liked it yesterday…”

“Eh— what was that?”

“I was mumbling, hmph.”

Leaving first, not necessarily being entirely kind, the girl.

I followed her.

Yes, there’s no need to be kind to everyone, is there?

It’s not always a good thing when my woman gives her heart to everyone.

That’s why I found Yuri even cuter and more lovely.

“Let’s go together~”

A girl who’s so openly showing who’s special to her, when I approached, she slowed her pace.

Then, she snuggled up to my arm and matched her pace to mine.

We were different from the world, but we moved at the same tempo as each other.

* * *

Late at night.

A man holding a wine glass stood in a luxuriously appointed room bathed in moonlight.

“So, he’s dead?”

“So it seems. The ritual was properly inscribed, and the activation period held up quite well, but…”

“The finish was disappointing. Well, given his level, it’s unsurprising that he’d been followed.”

In the long shadows sat a woman whose face was covered by a black hood.

She placed a dagger on her hand, turning it this way and that, before plunging it into the shadows at her feet.

“What level was the opponent? Should I step in?”

“The information is still incredibly lacking. I can’t say anything yet.”

“…Daurius, you’re hiding things, just tell me everything.”

The woman lightly extended her arm, revealing sharp fingernails. Her shadow sharpened, pointing at the man’s neck.

“Fine, I understand. Take care of this ominous thing, will you?”

“…Hmph.”

Even knowing that what was pressed against his throat could end his life instantly…

The man’s expression didn’t change.

Perhaps the woman knew that was why her threat wouldn’t work. She swiftly withdrew her hand, shaking her head.

“The one who dealt with him was Narita Flora Knife Lanz… the 5th Princess of the Kingdom.”

“What— a Princess? That noble of a lady engaged in a deadly struggle and a mud-splattered duel?”

“No.”

The man took a sip of the wine with reddish hues.

“A single blow. The Princess’s attack was just once.”

“Hoo… a considerable strong woman, huh. How does she compare to you?”

“Honestly, I don’t know well, but she wouldn’t die with just one of your assassination techniques.”

“Huhuhu— that’s really… exciting.”

The woman’s shadow flickered with delight.

As if she wanted to engage in a life-or-death duel immediately, she was about to disappear into the shadows, but the man stopped her.

“Wait. If you go now, the whole plan will be ruined.”

“That damned plan, plan… alright, let’s hear it then.”

“For some reason, that Princess… she’s disguised as an ordinary provincial noble, attending the academy.”

The woman laughed, clutching her stomach.

“What— the academy? Puhuht- puhahaha!!! Yes, yes… as expected, this is the level of a kingdom so content with its wealth that it’s comparable to happy pigs!”

She shook with laughter, her shoulders trembling. With every ragged breath, the numerous crests of various kingdoms on her chest clattered together, producing a dull sound.

They were clearly not hers, and some parts were scratched or stained dark with blood.

“Wait… but, if it’s the kingdom’s academy, surely doesn’t the Duke’s daughter also attend?”

“Yes. There’s no way we could drag even family into the bloody fighting of the Empire, is there?”

“Ahahat—! Right, right… So, is this a hint that we shouldn’t act rashly because of his daughter?”

The woman slowly caught her breath, seeking his agreement.

The man remained silent.

He set down the wine glass, opened up a new bottle and started pouring it into the glass.

“No. That’s not the reason.”

“…What?”

“One of the Empire’s pillars, someone we absolutely cannot afford to deal with, is there.”

The man continued to pour the wine. The glass quickly filled, and the red wine overflowed.

Still, he didn’t stop. As if controlled by some overwhelming will beyond his control.

“If you value your life, it’s best not to act first…”

“…If I act?”

Grinning.

As the woman asked with tension, the man knocked over the glass with the wine bottle instead of answering.

Whoosh— Clang—!!

The wineglass shattered on the floor, scattering red wine around it.

“…….”

“I’ll organize a plan soon, so rest until then.”

“…Tsk. Alright.”

Swish—

The woman, Persona, the Empire’s secret blade who assassinated 71 important figures in the kingdom. She disappeared instantly, blending into the shadows at her feet, heeding the man’s instructions.

The man, Jeremy Ron Darius, Duke, a dark mage who controls the nobles of the underworld from behind the scenes. After the woman left, he took a new glass from the display case, placed it on the table, and poured the wine again.

As if he could replace the glass whenever he wanted.

Then he quietly sipped his wine as always, accompanied by the moonlight, and suddenly remembered the Narita Princess.

“Definitely… it was that Princess who executed the Carlsen Marquis… right?”

He felt everything was connecting to a single point.

Slowly savoring the blood-red wine like wine itself, he began quietly planning the assassination of the Princess.