“I understand the situation…” Elena nodded with a somber expression after listening to my story.
Elena, too, understands what is necessary as a princess.
In normal times, Elena wouldn’t have tried to become queen. In peaceful times, His Majesty the King’s decision alone would have allowed Elvan-sama to become king, even if he were ordinary. Even if he didn’t achieve greatness, members of the former royal families like Melrose and Dandole would serve as his close aides, and a princess from an old noble family would support him as his queen consort.
But these are not “normal times.” The country is divided by factions, foreign powers are intervening, and with public opinion backed by the undeniable power of religion, nobles seeking vested interests are trying to pair a powerless king with a witless queen.
“If your plan works, we might be able to reduce the troublesome Saint’s influence. …However, to be honest, I’m still bewildered, and I hesitate to use you. …Aria.”
Elena looked straight at me, speaking not as a princess, but as a young girl.
“Are you okay with that?”
I’ve avoided nobles to escape. But I’ve already decided.
“I won’t run anymore. That’s what this ‘power’ is for.”
Not to escape from fate, but to destroy the story itself.
I sought power for that, I became strong for that.
But when I was about to break, when I was about to lose, Elena… the “promise” to protect you made me strong.
“…Yes.”
Elena unconsciously reached out and took 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 necessary for this matter.
“We’ll need to have detailed discussions, especially with the Melrose Family. It would be good if the Prime Minister returns soon, but if Mikhail returns first, it’s unfortunate for him to have just come back, but we’ll have him work immediately.”
Elena, her princess face back on, began preparing for meetings with the noble families she had allied with so far. It was especially necessary to keep the neutral faction, shaken by Amor’s incident, on our side.
According to the information Sera brought back after her discussion with Elena, Dandole and Melrose had successfully repelled the Undead army thanks to the arrival of the First Knight Order.
“Successfully”… though there were some casualties, it was lower than expected for a battle against the Undead. If we had left Amor as he was, not only could the Margrave family have been annihilated, but the relentless attacks might have caused fatal damage to our side.
The Undead didn’t stop their activities even after Amor was defeated, but instead, the knights who still had their will lost it, and the army, having lost its chain of command, was no longer an unbeatable enemy, even if they were Undead.
There was still post-processing to be done on-site, but Elena reckoned that precisely because of this situation, Dandole and Melrose would return to the royal castle quickly.
“…Let’s leave my brother’s matter to her.”
Elena’s position was complicated. She was working to oust her brother, but her familial affection hadn’t completely disappeared.
That’s why, if she… Clara, tried to save him, Elena intended to acknowledge it.
Now that she was freed from the curse of having to become the queen consort, she would probably seek a way to resolve things without antagonizing Elena.
She would cooperate but not interfere. The rest was for Clara… for those two to decide.
After finishing my discussion with Elena, I headed to Gelf’s shop in the castle town to make my own preparations.
I didn’t need to change my weapons. If I had time, I’d have Galbas maintain them, but Gelf could handle basic maintenance. Besides, my Black Knife and dagger, reinforced with Adamantite, were difficult to enhance further.
But armor was a different story. If the “stage” for the decisive battle was the academy’s graduation party, I needed equipment for that.
“Gelf, are you there?”
The shop was open, so he should be, but as I stepped into the perpetually customer-less store, the sound of stiletto heels echoed from the back. Gelf, dressed in a diva-like outfit, swaying his hips, finally stomped the floor with a “clack” and spun around.
“Oh my, Aria-chan, you’ve gotten even prettier. What do you think of my outfit? Don’t you find yourself captivated, Aria-chan?”
“Yeah.”
So shin hair can pierce through fishnet stockings.
“So, did you come for tea today? I have some rare sweets called ‘macarons’ that became famous in Dandole.”
It seems another strange thing has come out of Dandole. I know something similar from That Woman’s “knowledge,” but I didn’t come here for tea.
“I want equipment.”
“…Still as blunt as ever.”
Every time I come, Gelf lectures me on “What it means to be ladylike,” but if you come to an armorer, you obviously want armor.
“Aria-chan, your equipment was just newly made the other day, and it doesn’t need maintenance yet, does it?”
“Yeah.”
My leather dress uses the wing membrane of a Dark Dragon, an Elemental Dragon. In terms of defense and magic resistance, I can’t hope for more from light armor. Still, when I explained the situation where I needed “armor,” Gelf’s eyes lit up.
“In that case, I have just the thing!”
“Why?”
What situation was it prepared for? As I tilted my head in wonder, Gelf grabbed my arm and dragged me to the back.
What was there was…
“A black dress…?”
A black dress, emitting a beautiful sheen, was temporarily assembled on a wooden mannequin.
My current equipment is also dress-shaped, but it’s designed for vigorous movement, with a shortened hem to match. This, however, was a “real dress” like one you’d wear to a ball.
But I could tell it wasn’t just any dress from the thousands of Gelf’s treasured Magic Steel pins stuck into the seam allowances of the temporarily assembled parts.
A special material was used, one that ordinary needles couldn’t pierce, requiring pre-punched sewing holes. …Just like my own equipment.
“When I made your and Mira-chan’s equipment, I received the same material as payment for the production costs. I was wondering what to make, but even if I’m making it as a hobby, my exclusive model is still you, Aria-chan. I made this ‘Night Sky Dress’ assuming you would wear it.”
As expected, the dress was made from the wing membrane of a Dark Dragon, a top-tier material.
Perhaps the tanning method was different; it had a velvet-like luster, truly looking like stars twinkling in the night sky.
At first glance, it looked like ordinary cloth, but when Gelf casually slashed at it with a steel knife, only a faint white line remained, and even that disappeared with a light wipe of a finger.
“Aria-chan, your current equipment uses the thicker parts of the wing membrane for general defensive power, but this dress uses the thinner parts, so it feels much like wearing a silk dress. It has blade resistance, but it’s weaker against impacts. However, because it uses more of the membrane, its magic resistance is higher. You could probably deflect a Level 1 attack spell with the hem.”
“That’s amazing…”
Since it’s a dress, there are parts gathered like decorations, so it’s heavier, but I felt its high magic resistance would be necessary for the “decisive battle” with her.
But was it okay for me to use such incredible equipment? Perhaps that thought showed on my face, because Gelf smiled sweetly upon seeing it.
“This is my ‘hobby’! If you, Aria-chan, wear this and breathe life into my ‘creation’ on a grand stage, that would be my greatest wish!”
“Gelf, you’re truly amazing…”
I genuinely respect Gelf’s passion.
“As for the cost, there’s no problem because I’ve got a big job from elsewhere. Fifty platinum coins, that’s an outrageous commission! And paid in full, upfront. …I ended up depositing the whole amount with the merchant guild.”
“…Are you talking about that?”
Gelf’s gaze was directed towards it.
Assembled on a wooden mannequin, it was a silvery-white dress. The upper part exposed the shoulders and back, while below, a voluminous amount of fabric intertwined like a large Rose.
Fifty platinum coins—coins not generally in circulation, used only by the merchant guild or as national rewards… a dress worth five thousand gold coins, not even Princess Elena possessed such a thing.
Did the Queen have it made for the Crown Prince’s graduation? But from what Elena had heard of the queens’ personalities, it was unlikely they would indulge in such extravagance.
In the first place, a single dress wouldn’t be that expensive, and would royalty commission a dress from Gelf, an armorer? Unlikely.
It wasn’t just a dress; like the “Night Sky Dress,” this was “armor.”
“A Mithril dress…”
“That’s right. This is entirely made of fibrous Mithril. In terms of defense and magic resistance, it’s comparable to a dress made from an Elemental Dragon’s hide. Excluding the legendary Magic Metal (Orichalcum), which is said to be impossible for humans to process, I believe this is the ‘strongest’ dress.”
“…”
Gelf’s skill is also a factor, but both are pieces of equipment that could be called national treasures.
But who would wear such a Mithril dress…? Gelf has a duty of confidentiality, so he won’t speak of his client, but for a moment, an image of a black-haired girl, wearing it and wreathed in flames, flashed through my mind.
(…How did it come to this?)
Elvan, the Crown Prince of this country, agonized alone in his private chambers in the Prince’s Palace.
There was no one by his side. Though he had attendants to see to his personal needs, these chamberlains, who saw Elvan only as the Crown Prince, waited in the antechamber, and there was no one to share in his anguish.
The two he once considered his companions, his friends, were no longer there. Amor had been subjugated for the crime of rebellion and erased from the royal family’s records, and news of Nasanitar’s death, who had long been bedridden, had also arrived from the High Priest of the Holy Church.
He had once considered them companions, friends. However, when the two became infatuated with that Licia, a ‘rift’ gradually formed in his relationship with them. That was why, even when Licia invited him to pray for Nasanitar, he couldn’t bring himself to go see her.
That rift had formed because of his memories with a certain girl…
“—Your Highness, are you awake?”
“W-What is it?”
Startled by the sudden voice from outside the door, Elvan stammered, and the chamberlain, his own voice slightly unsettled, delivered the message.
“Clara Dandole-sama has arrived.”
Each begins to move according to their own agendas.
Next time: Agendas, Part 2.
Their respective agendas will be revealed.
I’ve written some rather complicated stuff this time too, but frankly, it’s half a hobby and half a bonus to the battles.
I feel that having well-defined backstories and reasons adds depth to the battles.
The first volume of the manga adaptation will be released on the 15th of this month, and the third volume of the light novel will be released on the 19th!
I’m also constantly posting the latest information on Twitter, so please drop by if you’re interested.