Here begins Act Four of Part Two! Aria is now a second-year student, and the Crown Prince’s final year before graduation begins!
To commemorate the release of Volume One, I’ve been updating on weekends, but I thought, why not just continue updating on weekends until Golden Week? So, here’s another update today.
“…Lady Elena is returning.”
Clara Dandall’s voice spilled out in the dimly lit room, illuminated by only a faint light.
A report had arrived from a Dandole Family member working as a scribe in the Royal Castle, whom Clara had bribed, stating that Elena, who had gone missing due to an Evil Race attack, had been found and was returning home along with the Baron’s daughter who was her escort.
Within the kingdom, it was already being said that “the Princess, who fortunately ( … ) was on a short-term study abroad program in the Calfaan Empire before the Evil Race attack, is cutting short her studies and returning early out of concern for the students at the academy.” Except for the upper noble families and the Aristocratic Faction, everyone accepted this as the truth, and Elena’s reputation, thanks to someone’s machinations, was on the rise.
Some noble families claimed that the Princess had been kidnapped, but the only people who had actually witnessed it were members of the Royal Family. The noble families’ statements lacked evidence and only served to denigrate the Princess, resulting in disapproval from nobles with common sense.
This was because Elena’s past efforts had been recognized by so many nobles.
Even if the disparaging words were believed, Clara’s Foresight Divine Protection (Gift) accurately predicted possible futures with a high degree of certainty, and it wouldn’t have a significant impact.
In the first place, noble daughters avoid scandal because they marry into other families. However, Princess Elena had decided to depose Crown Prince Elvan and become queen.
As a result, Clara couldn’t see a definite future for Elvan, but in the worst-case scenario, there was even a future where he would be killed by the Baron’s daughter who was the Princess’s escort.
Elvan, along with the Viscount Mercis’ Daughter he was infatuated with, was currently exploring the Large-Scale Dungeon south of the academy.
Normally, as the Crown Prince, he should be diligently attending to public duties to fill the void left by his sister Elena while worrying about her safety. However, Elvan did none of that and, heedless of appearances in these times, dove into the Dungeon.
Naturally, Prince Amor, acting as his guardian, and Nasanitaru, who had recovered from his injuries, accompanied him. Elvan had asked Clara to join them once, as a mere formality, but Clara had refused. She didn’t know if she could maintain her composure while being with that Viscount’s Daughter (Heroine).
Of course, she was worried about Elvan, but Clara’s Foresight predicted that he would return safely, albeit with many sacrifices.
That Dungeon, like the previous one, had a secret passage known only to the Royal Family.
Even Carla, who had explored the Dungeon many times, didn’t know about this secret passage. Clara sighed at the King’s indulgence in revealing it to his beloved prince.
Learning from the previous lesson, Elvan and Amor had brought many knights with them. Instead of the Royal Guard Knight Order, which was close to the Princess’s faction, they had the Second Knight Order, which Amor was friendly with, but they should have been able to secure a large number of knights as a result.
In addition, Nasanitaru, a member of the priestly nobility, had borrowed the power of his grandfather, the head of the Holy Church Temple, and brought a large number of Priest Knights who could use Light Magic, so Elvan would at least not die.
However… revealing the Royal Family’s secrets to those who weren’t even Royal Guard Knights was a significant blunder for the King, as well as for Elvan and Amor.
As a result, Clara foresaw that the probability of Elena deposing Elvan had further increased.
“…You all understand, don’t you?”
“Yes, Lady Clara.”
At Clara’s call, the four women in the darkness of the room replied in unison.
One was Hilda, a former member of the Assassin Guild who had become a devotee after being saved by Clara. The women in maid outfits beside her were Hilda’s former comrades whom she had summoned for Clara’s sake—survivors of the destroyed Northern Frontier District branch of the Assassin Guild.
All the key figures of the Northern Frontier District branch had been killed by the Ash-Covered Princess of Slaughter. However, some had been away from the branch on assignments at the time, and most of them had sworn revenge and been killed in retaliation. Only three women, mainly those who had a friendly relationship with Hilda, had responded to her request.
At first, while they said they had responded to the request, they all seemed to have something hidden in their hearts, as befitting people from the Underworld. However, Clara had used her Foresight to grasp the circumstances behind their “failure to seek revenge,” and Clara, a former commoner from the modern world, had skillfully melted their hearts with her words. She had finished training them to the point where they wouldn’t betray Clara, even if they had ulterior motives.
“Some of you may still harbor resentment towards her. However, no one who has laid a hand on her has survived. Unless you have a plan that you are sure will succeed, you are forbidden from making any moves against her. Instead, you should think about how to use her for our purposes. Our ‘target’ is only one person…”
According to Clara’s Foresight, Elvan and the others should return to the surface around the time Elena returns. She didn’t expect the academy to reopen immediately, but when Elena returned to the academy, Elvan would probably return as well. …Along with that “girl.”
“The target is the one provisionally called ‘Heroine’… Viscount Mercis’ Daughter, Alicia Melsys. We will eliminate her at all costs, even if it means killing her.”
“We’re setting sail!”
Along with the captain’s voice, a bell rang in the port town of the Calfaan Empire to announce the departure, and as the ship carrying Princess Elena and us moved away from the port, the children of the port town waved, and the good-natured sailors waved back.
Ron… Third Prince Lawrence, representing the Calfaan Empire, had come to see us off.
Normally, a “Princess who came from a friendly country for short-term study abroad” would have been seen off with a state guest-level send-off, but due to certain circumstances, there was no grand send-off, and only a few dozen people, including Ron and the Prime Minister, came to see us off.
“…Aria. Did you do something?”
“…………”
When I gave her an ambiguous smile to brush off Elena’s narrowed, glaring gaze, she sighed in exasperation.
“Seriously… don’t do anything too dangerous, okay?”
“I’ll do my best.”
The reason for the simplified send-off was said to be due to some problem with the Crown Prince and the Consort faction. The details weren’t conveyed to us in the Kingdom of Claydale, but from the way the Calfaan Empire’s Prime Minister was explaining it to Sera, it could be inferred that the power balance between the Empress and the Consort factions might drastically change.
…That’s fine, but why is the Prime Minister of a major power being so deferential to Sera, who is only the wife of a Baron? What they were talking about was vague, but wasn’t it quite important information regarding the national situation?
When I asked Sera about it later, she gave me a wicked smile and said, “There are many things in the adult world.”
Initially, the Empire had suggested delaying the departure for a few more days, but the astute Elena sensed that there might be trouble and put on a sorrowful act, saying, “I want to show my face to my father as soon as possible…” and successfully departed as scheduled.
Sera is amazing, but so is Elena. It’s not just about acting; she knows how to accurately read the situation and bring it to her advantage. This time, it may not seem like much from the sidelines, but what she’s doing is close to future prediction.
Elena has decided to become queen. She has given up on the Crown Prince, who is infatuated with a woman who bears my real name, a woman who is like a “Heroine,” and has decided to overthrow her half-brother.
As a result, not only the Aristocratic Faction, which had been trying to manipulate Elena as a puppet, but also some of the Royalist Faction, who had been allies until now but held old-fashioned ideas, would become enemies. Among them, there would be those who would approach Elena not only for political strife but also to resort to direct means.
To prevent that, the new power I have gained should be an effective means.
Illusion Magic, Real Breaker.
Light and Darkness. Normally, it’s a high-level composite Magic that exceeds human limits, but by using it in conjunction with Iron Rose, I was able to materialize it in the world, albeit with a time limit.
Projecting shadows with Darkness and giving them substance with Light.
Creating illusions that even dragons couldn’t distinguish was only one aspect of it.
If creating illusions of reality is the “Light” of Real Breaker, then the technique I used that night would be the “Darkness” of Real Breaker.
If you can turn falsehood into reality, the reverse is also possible. The technique and principle lurking within Shadow User Rada’s shadow are the same, but with Illusion Magic, I, who have become false, can even turn the mass of reality into falsehood, allowing me to leap across distances of several leagues in an instant.
However, as a practical matter, since it’s not Spatial Transfer, I can’t pass through obstacles, and I can only jump to places that are visible.
Also, when attacking, it’s necessary to deactivate 【Real Breaker】.
If my presence is known, there’s a possibility of being counterattacked the moment I deactivate it to transition to an attack. Switching between light and darkness isn’t possible; it requires deactivation and reactivation.
That night, I was able to track the enemy by visually capturing the dark Mana Particles they emitted and detecting their Killing Intent. Since there was a time limit, my only options at that time were to capture or eliminate them, but the man, who seemed to be Rank 4, dove into a prime residential area near the castle, where the wealthy and nobles lived, at considerable speed.
After that, I followed him in, eliminated Ron’s opposing faction who were there, and returned in a matter of seconds.
There are limitations and problems, but even so, the fact that I was able to eliminate a Rank 4 Assassin confirmed a certain degree of effectiveness.
Anyone who harms Elena, I will eliminate without fail.
“Aria, if you’re free, let’s have a mock battle!”
While I was contemplating my abilities, I was called out, perhaps because I looked bored.
The one who called out to me was the mountain dwarf heavy warrior, Jesha. She initially intended to get hired by Ron, but after seeing the strength of Dolton, another mountain dwarf, she followed us almost forcibly.
According to Elena and Mira, there’s more to it than that, though.
“Okay, but… is the discussion over?”
“Yeah… well, more or less. It’s nice to work with you.”
“Understood.”
The discussion was about Jesha’s affiliation. There was talk of her joining Claydale’s Shadow Unit, but it wasn’t really suited for her.
It seems that Mira extended an invitation, and with Viro already decided to join the Shadow Unit eventually, it was decided that Jesha would join the Rainbow Sword for the sake of increasing their fighting strength.
All that’s left is to find another Magician, but there are hardly any high-ranked Magicians who would want to become Adventurers, so in a way, it’s unavoidable.
The sea route to the Kingdom of Claydale is slightly faster for returning to the kingdom than for heading to the empire, perhaps due to the ocean currents. The captain said that this ship is owned by the Melrose House, but it won’t return to the port in the Melrose territory where it departed, but will head to a port in the royal family’s direct jurisdiction near the Royal Capital.
I’m basically with Elena, but when Elena is consulting with His Majesty the King using a long-distance communication magic tool or doing official business, I have mock battles with Jesha and others.
In terms of combat ability, Feld and Dolton are closer, but since I just became Rank 5, I had Sera and Viro, my close-combat instructors, train me in order to adjust my senses.
But that doesn’t mean I’m just moving my body all the time.
“Why me too…”
“Jesha doesn’t complain either. Adventurers need intelligence too. Aria-chan doesn’t complain at all, right?”
“…………”
Elena and I, including Elena, are still students. Elena is fine, but I’m a bit dangerous in some ways, so I was studying with her, but Mira volunteered to help.
The reason she suddenly said such a thing was because, out of rivalry with her master (Serejula), Mira also wanted to be something like my teacher. But with this–
“Jesha can also attend the academy as a guard.”
“…Eh?”
After a four-week journey at sea…
“We’re back… Aria.”
“Yeah.”
I nodded with a sense of realization to Elena, who muttered deeply as she saw the port town beyond the sea.
We have… finally returned home.
We’re finally back.
Long-awaited Clara-san also makes an appearance.
Next time, an audience with the King. And what about the fake Heroine’s movements?
The manuscript for the second volume is also progressing smoothly.
If you have any thoughts on the first volume, please let me know in the activity report.
Thank you for your continued support of Chapter 4.