“I understand…”
Elena nodded with a somber expression after listening to my story.
Elena, as a princess, also understands what is necessary.
In peaceful times, Elena would not have sought to become queen. In a peaceful era, Elvan could have become king even if he was ordinary. Even if he didn’t achieve great things, Melrose and Dandole, members of the old royal family, would serve as his close aides, and a princess from an old noble family would support him as his consort.
But now is not a “peaceful time.” The country is divided by factions, foreign powers are infiltrating, and nobles seeking vested interests are trying to attach a witless queen to a powerless king, backed by public opinion with the undeniable force of religion.
“If your plan works well, we may be able to reduce the influence of that troublesome Saint… But to be honest, I’m still confused, and I hesitate to use you… Aria.”
Elena looked straight at me, speaking not as a princess, but as a girl.
“Are you okay with this?”
I had avoided the nobility to escape. But I’ve already decided.
“I won’t run anymore. This ‘power’ is for that.”
Not to escape fate, but to destroy the story.
I sought power for that purpose, and I became strong for that purpose.
But when I felt like giving up, when I felt like losing, the “promise” to protect you, Elena… made me stronger.
“…Yes.”
Elena unconsciously reached out and grasped my outstretched hand.
“So, ‘use’ me, Elena.”
“Yes… Aria.”
The matter was settled, and we began to move towards our goal.
First, we needed to request cooperation from various parties for this matter.
“In particular, we need to have detailed discussions with the Melrose House. If the Prime Minister returns soon, that would be good, but if Mikhail returns first, it’s bad to ask him to work right after he gets back, but we’ll have him work immediately.”
Elena, back in her role as a princess, began preparing for meetings with the noble families she had allied with so far. In particular, it was necessary to keep the neutral faction, which was wavering due to the Amor incident, on our side.
According to the information Sera brought back after the discussion with Elena, Dandole and Melrose had successfully repelled the Undead army thanks to the arrival of the First Knight Order.
“Successfully”… but there were still some casualties, but it was lower than expected considering they were fighting Undead. If Amor had been left alone, there was a possibility that not only would the Frontier Count House have been destroyed, but we would have suffered fatal damage from the relentless attacks.
The Undead did not stop their activity even after Amor was defeated, but instead, the knights who still had some will also lost their will, and the army that lost its command system was no longer an unbeatable enemy, even for Undead.
There was still some post-processing to be done locally, but Elena believed that Dandole and Melrose would return to the Royal Castle as soon as possible because of this situation.
“…Let’s leave my brother to her.”
Elena’s position was complicated. She was working to overthrow her brother, but she had not erased her feelings for him as family.
That’s why, if she… Clara, tries to save him, Elena intends to allow it.
Now that she has been freed from the shackles of having to become the Queen Consort, she will seek a way to resolve the situation without antagonizing Elena.
She will cooperate, but she will not interfere. The rest is up to Clara… those two to decide.
After finishing the discussion with Elena, I headed to Gelf’s shop in the city to prepare myself.
There was no need to change my weapons. If there was time, I would have Galbas maintain them, but Gelf could do the maintenance as well. Besides, my Black Knife and Dagger, which were reinforced with Magic Steel, were difficult to improve further.
But the armor was different. If the “stage” for the final battle was the academy’s graduation party, I needed equipment for that.
“Gelf, are you there?”
The shop was open, so she should be there, but as usual, I stepped into the empty shop, and the sound of stiletto heels echoed from the back. Gelf, wearing a diva-like outfit, swaying her hips from side to side, made a final “clack” on the floor and spun around.
“Oh, Aria-chan, you’ve become even more beautiful. How do you like my outfit? I bet even Aria-chan can’t help but be captivated, right?”
“Yeah.”
I didn’t know that leg hair could break through fishnet stockings.
“So, did you come here for tea today? I have a rare sweet called ‘macaroon’ that became famous in Dandole.”
It seems like strange things keep coming out of Dandole. I know something similar from that woman’s “knowledge,” but I didn’t come here for tea.
“I want equipment.”
“…You’re as dry as ever.”
Every time I come, Gelf preaches about “what is femininity?” But if you come to an Armor Shop, it’s obvious that you want armor.
“Aria-chan’s equipment was just renewed the other day, and it doesn’t even need maintenance yet, right?”
“Yeah.”
My leather dress uses the wing membrane of the Elemental Dragon, the Dark Dragon. In terms of defense and anti-magic performance, I can’t hope for anything more in light armor. When I explained the situation where I wanted “armor” anyway, Gelf’s eyes lit up.
“Then I have something good!”
“Why?”
What was she assuming and keeping it for? Gelf grabbed my arm and dragged me to the back, as I tilted my head in question.
What was there was…
“A black dress…?”
A beautiful, glossy black dress was provisionally assembled on a wooden mannequin.
My current equipment is also shaped like a dress, but it’s shaped to allow for vigorous movement, and the hem is shortened accordingly, but this was a “real dress” like one you would wear to a ball.
But the fact that it was not just a dress was evident from the thousands of Magic Steel pins that Gelf had treasured, stuck into the seams of the provisional assembly.
Ordinary needles would not pass through, and special materials that required pre-drilled sewing holes were used… just like my equipment.
“I received the same materials as production costs when making your and Mira-chan’s equipment. I was wondering what to make, but even if I made it as a hobby, Aria-chan is still my exclusive model. I made this ‘Dress of the Night Sky’ with you in mind.”
As expected, the dress was made of the highest-grade material, the Dark Dragon’s wing membrane.
The tanning method was different, giving it a velvet-like sheen, and it really looked like stars were twinkling in the night sky.
At first glance, it looked like just a piece of cloth, but even when Gelf casually slashed it with a steel knife, only a faint white line remained, and the mark disappeared with a light wipe of her finger.
“Aria-chan’s current equipment uses the thick part of the wing membrane, considering general defensive power, but this dress uses the thin part, so the comfort is not much different from a silk dress. It has cut resistance, but it is weaker against impact, but instead, it uses a lot of skin membrane, so the anti-magic performance is improved. You can brush off attacks magic of level 1 with the hem.”
“Amazing…”
Since it’s a dress, some parts are draped like decorations, so the weight has increased, but I felt that the high anti-magic performance was necessary for the “final battle” with that girl.
But, should I use such equipment? Perhaps that thought was on my face, and Gelf smiled when she saw it.
“This is my ‘hobby’! If Aria-chan wears this and breathes life into my ‘work’ on the big stage, that would be my heart’s desire!”
“Gelf is really amazing…”
I sincerely respect Gelf’s passion.
“There are no problems with the cost because I’m getting a big job from somewhere else. Fifty platinum coins is an outrageous big job. And full payment in advance… I couldn’t help but deposit the entire amount in the Commercial Guild.”
“…That thing?”
That was at the end of Gelf’s gaze.
It was provisionally assembled on a wooden mannequin, with the upper body exposing the shoulders and back, while the lower body was a silver-white dress with a large amount of fabric intertwined like a large rose.
Fifty platinum coins, which are not generally distributed and are only used for rewards from the Commercial Guild or the state… Even Elena, a princess, doesn’t have a dress worth five thousand gold coins.
Did the Queen Consort have it made to coincide with the Crown Prince’s graduation? But, judging from the personalities of the Queen Consorts as far as Elena knows, I can’t imagine them being so wasteful.
In the first place, there’s no way a single dress would be so expensive, and would the royal family ask Gelf, an armor maker, to make a dress? That’s not possible.
It’s not just a dress, but like the “Dress of the Night Sky,” this is “armor.”
“Mithril Dress…”
“That’s right. This is all made of fiberized mithril. Its defensive power and anti-magic performance are comparable to a dress made from the membrane of an Elemental Dragon, and aside from the legendary orichalcum, which is said to be impossible for humans to process, I think this is the ‘strongest’ dress.”
“…………”
It’s also due to Gelf’s skill, but both of these are equipment worthy of being national treasures.
But, who (on earth) would wear such a mithril dress…? Gelf has a duty of confidentiality, so she won’t talk about the client, but for a moment, the figure of a black-haired girl wearing it and clad in flames flashed in my mind.
(…How did it come to this?)
Elvan, the Crown Prince of this country, agonizes alone in his room in the Prince’s Palace.
There is no one by his side. There are those who take care of his personal needs, but the attendants, who only see Elvan as the Crown Prince, are waiting in the anteroom, and there is no one to be there for his suffering.
The two he once thought were comrades and friends are no longer here. Amor was defeated for the crime of rebellion and erased from the royal family, and the obituary of Nasanitaru, who had been bedridden for a long time, had also arrived from the Temple Chief of the Holy Church.
He once thought they were comrades and friends (…). However, when the two became infatuated with Licia, a “gap” gradually arose in his relationship with them. That is why, even when Licia invited him to pray for Nasanitaru, he could not go to see her.
The reason for that gap was a memory with a certain girl….
“—Your Highness, are you awake?”
“W-what is it?”
Elvan, flustered by the sudden voice from outside the door, is informed of the content in a slightly restless voice by the attendant.
“Clara Dandole-sama has come to see you.”
Each moves with their own intentions.
Next time, Intentions, Part 2.
Each of their intentions will be revealed.
I’m writing about various troublesome things this time as well, but frankly, it’s half a hobby and half an extra for the battle.
I feel like having a solid backstory and reasons adds depth to the battle.
The first volume of the comic adaptation will be released on the 15th of this month, and the third volume of the book will be released on the 19th!
I’m also streaming the latest information on Twitter, so please stop by if you’re interested.