Chapter 141: The Princess Who Came to Apologize
Since then, I’d been monitoring the Ancient Race with the stealth craft. The Empire seemed to be handling things well, providing high-class cuisine and alcohol, and engaging in normal conversation.
Well, for the most part, it was the Ancient Race getting drunk and cheerfully talking about various things.
Apparently, this Ancient Race was named Vavel.
It seemed that a thousand years ago, other Japanese factions had abandoned this continent and moved to another. Those people and this Ancient Race had met and formed a friendly relationship.
Delving deeper into the story, it seemed they were initially attacked by the Ark’s drones, but after destroying the drones, the Japanese apparently lost their will to fight.
At that time, a delicious aroma wafted over, and Vavel, ignoring them, ate their food and got hooked. Over a long period, as he had them continue making food for him, he learned their language, and from there, they formed a true friendship.
In the process, he promised to protect them from other Ancient Races and not to lay a hand on them unless they committed some extremely unpleasant act.
However, when he left that place for about six months and returned, they had been wiped out.
The culprit apparently still hasn’t been found, and he showed anger for the first time, vowing to kill them if he found them.
He cheerfully recounted that he couldn’t forget the fifty years he spent with humans and had wandered various lands for about five hundred years looking for something fun, coincidentally finding this place.
Seeing his words and attitude, I felt he genuinely possessed a desire to get along with people.
It seemed everyone watching felt the same, and we could finally breathe a sigh of relief, thinking an immediate attack was unlikely.
And so, as the sun began to set, just as Duke Fastall said, “Shall we leave the surveillance to the soldiers and disband for now?” a soldier’s voice echoed from beyond the door, “Excuse me during your meeting. I have an urgent report for Your Highness.”
Wondering if it was alright to listen here, I glanced at my grandfather, who nodded, so I heard the report through him.
“Excuse me!
A messenger soldier has arrived from Leben, stating that Your Highness’s friends have come. The details are written in this letter.
He insisted that you read the letter before deciding what to do!”
Receiving the letter from the soldier, Yuri and I immediately read through the letter from Count Connor. For some reason, it stated that not only Hiroki and the others but also the Princess of Lestall were there.
I see.
I felt something was off about it being an urgent report just because Hiroki and the others had arrived, but this was it.
Quickly finishing it, I handed the letter to my grandfather while lost in thought.
Apparently, the Princess had been scolded and told to apologize, and she wanted to join Hiroki’s group to smoothly reach me.
If that’s the case, I don’t mind meeting her.
However, as expected, I can’t let the Princess into this village.
With the Tokyo faction and Imperial citizens present, it’s simply impossible.
I can’t let her in, but it might be convenient… I glanced at my grandfather, who had finished reading the letter after me.
“Hmm, if you meet in Leben, it should be fine.
It will likely be faster to get the message across through the Princess, and it will eliminate concerns of unnecessary suspicion.”
Yeah. The sooner, the better.
Well, I think the generals have probably already subtly informed Marquis Randall and the others in Lease, so it’s unlikely they’d do anything, but still, this is an event that threatens humanity.
It’s best to have King Lestall convey the information.
“It’s super urgent, isn’t it? We need to get a messenger to Lease as soon as possible… Oh, that includes us too!”
“That won’t be a problem. The drone installation is complete, so we can establish communication.
I will confirm, but His Majesty has likely already informed them.”
Oh, right. If Pops can talk to us from here, then the generals can too.
“My apologies,” the Prime Minister said with a slightly troubled expression.
Apparently, the last time Yuri and I went to Lease to explain things, he hadn’t interfered, thinking there was meaning in me going personally, but he had explained to Pops that it was possible to convey the information secretly without me going.
“Ah, I see. Without that, a messenger to Lease would take at least five days…
I think it’ll be okay, but it’s a little scary.”
I waved it off, saying I wasn’t bothered by such things, and then told the Prime Minister my concerns.
“In that case, how about lending them a few airships?
I hear they are a friendly nation, and Mei’s airships are linked to the Ark, so if anything happens, you can just ask Mei, and she can bring them back.”
“What!? Are you saying you’ll give away such things for free?
No, but considering the technology of the Garden of the Gods, it’s merely a fraction. Even if they try to disassemble it, they couldn’t possibly replicate it, so there’s nothing to lose… And yet, it’s a strong negotiating card.
It’s a great pity, but this isn’t the time to be saying that… is it?
…In that case, having it come from the overly generous Prince would make things easier later on, wouldn’t it?”
Huh? What do you mean?
Why would it be easier if it comes from me?
I asked, but he merely replied with his usual smile, “Well then, Your Highness, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Well then, shall we go?”
“Yes. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Hiroki-san and the others, not since the Silence activation period.
I’m curious about what happened after that!”
Ah, true.
I went once to tell George-san that I was canceling the request, so I know they successfully exterminated them, but I haven’t heard any of the details.
“I’ll have the airship prepared, so please give Mei a heads-up.”
“Your Highness, under these circumstances, please take Lord Ignat with you, just in case.”
I acknowledged both of them and went to speak to Ignat and Kai. Natalia-san then said she would go too, and he showed a rare sign of being flustered.
“Ria, please wait here. It’s late. I’ll go alone.”
“Oh? Kai is going too, isn’t he? Besides, if it’s Leben, there’s no problem at all.
In the first place, since I accompanied you on monster subjugations, I should be quite strong by now, right?”
“No, look, a princess from another country will be there. I’m worried…”
“What’s that? Are you trying to say I’m an ill-mannered fool!?”
…Well, isn’t that actually true?
Not that I’m one to talk, so I won’t say it.
As I watched them, Ignat lost, as usual, and Natalia-san’s participation was decided.
“Kai, this time your role is an escort, so I’m counting on you.”
“Understood.
It’s certainly abnormal for a prince to be flying around with his fiancée without an escort.”
That’s true. But strength-wise, we don’t really need it, so I don’t usually bother.
This past week, Yuri and I have hunted monsters like crazy, to the point where we could say, “Bring an Imperial general if you want to take us down.”
Though, it was really just us chatting while continuously sending magical power to magic tools.
Because it was so easy, we figured we might as well go all out and traveled to mountains all over the continent, defeating them.
Ignat and Kai were also part of that, and Natalia-san joined in midway.
Taking the three of them, we flew by airship to Lease and landed at the Lord’s mansion in Leben, only to be surrounded by highly vigilant soldiers. I quickly came out and told them there was no danger, and they brought Count Connor.
“Is this… the power of a god?”
“No, not a god, but… yeah. This is just a fraction of it.”
Count Connor looked stunned as I explained that it would fly automatically if someone with authority gave the command.
I explained the current situation to him and our plan to have Princess Lena convey the message tactfully.
“Indeed, if a neighboring country suddenly possessed such technology, it would be a major problem for Lestall.
With Your Highness’s power as well, they will have no choice but to become more active…”
The Count said that with such a disparity, even the relatively rational Lestall would have no choice but to send spies to steal the technology.
Now that he mentioned it, I understood well why we shouldn’t reveal it came from Oldam Dungeon.
“I see. If it gets out that it’s from Oldam, they’ll probably demand the return of their people quite strongly.”
“Yes, but it wouldn’t end there. We couldn’t simply hand them over either.”
That would lead to forceful investigations, forceful contact, and even abductions if people didn’t agree to immigrate, he said.
In the process, conflicts with our soldiers would likely occur.
If that happened, it would be war.
“I understand. First, we convey vague information unofficially and see how they react. Understood.”
“Then, I shall guide you to Princess Lena,” he said, turning on his heel.
I followed him into my old, familiar home, but it had changed so much that I was genuinely surprised.
So this is how you decorate to show authority, huh, I thought, looking around at the furnishings as we headed to a guest room on the second floor.
Count Connor knocked and called out to the other side of the door.
“His Highness has arrived. May we enter?”
With the Princess’s reply, a maid opened the door and bowed to the Count.
Hiroki and the others seemed to be in a different room. The Princess and Riana-san were sitting on a sofa at a table, facing each other, with attendants and guards standing by the wall.
Amidst this, Yuri and I took similar seats. For some reason, Natalia-san also sat down next to Yuri.
Ignat and Kai are standing, though.
“Prince Rui, thank you very much for taking the trouble to come. As I mentioned in my letter, I have come to apologize for my rudeness the other day. I will do anything within my power. Would you please forgive me?”
the princess said, looking up at me with upturned eyes. Her demeanor was completely different from last time, quite solemn.
She must have been thoroughly scolded by His Majesty.
I wanted to say something like, ‘Hmm… you just said you’d do anything, right?’ but no one would get that joke. Thinking it would be dangerous if Yuri misunderstood, I swallowed my words and replied.
“If you understand, then that’s fine. As I told you the other day, I don’t mind it.”
“Um, Rui-san… are you actually bothered by it?”
Riana-san, sitting next to the princess, asked timidly.
It seems my solemn reply was also misunderstood.
“No, I’m seriously not bothered at all. Right, Lord Shuperu?”
“P-Prince?!” Ignat exclaimed, placing a finger to his lips and glancing at Natalia-san’s expression.
“What is it? Does Shuperu have something to do with this?”
“–?!”
Ignat smiled sweetly at her and replied, “This isn’t a situation where we should get involved in the conversation.”
Seeing this, the two princesses looked as if they had realized something.
“I see. Rui-san is telling us to see this and give up, isn’t he…”
“N-No, perhaps he means we should discuss it. What is it?!”
The two of them were overthinking it pointlessly.
Natalia-san had just forcefully tagged along because she wanted to hang out.
“No, Natalia-san seriously just came along on her own.
More importantly, I have something serious to discuss…”
“Y-Yes. Of course, we will listen to that with utmost priority, but may we ask about Lord Shuperu afterwards?”
It seems she has no intention of giving up on Ignat.
Well, that makes sense. If you’re truly in love, you can’t give up easily.
I mean, I understand how she feels, and if it’s just a normal discussion, I don’t mind, but he’s already rejected her…
I glanced at Ignat, who, despite having nothing to hide, seemed inexplicably afraid of Natalia-san finding out.
“Your Highness, this current matter is a situation that could be called a world-ending crisis.
I believe it’s inappropriate to discuss it here…”
The princess showed disappointment at Ignat’s words, but then a powerful helper appeared.
“Oh my, if it’s about Shuperu, I’m curious too. It should be fine after the important discussion is over, shouldn’t it?”
The princess, having received support from Natalia-san, who was clearly her love rival, showed her gratitude while also displaying a spirit of not wanting to lose.
“Um, putting that aside for now, I thought I heard something about the world ending?”
With Riana-san’s words, who had looked startled by Ignat’s voice, we moved on to the main topic.
“Um, a monster with intelligence on par with the strongest on this planet has appeared. In the Empire, though…
It has the power to annihilate a Royal Capital-level town in a single blow… truly in an instant.”
“–?!”
Even the princess, who had been concerned about Ignat, couldn’t ignore such a story. She focused her attention on me.
“But, where did you get such information… Did you fly over and see it yourself, Rui-san?”
“No, well, about that…”
So, I told them about rescuing the Japanese people, omitting only the location of the Dungeon.
There was talk of claiming all the technology came from the Dungeon, but it was decided to only omit that it came from Oldam, as it would be quickly exposed and create a bad image.
I mainly explained it to Riana-san, who was eager to hear.
“So, you’re saying there were people from another planet on the Empire’s side, possessing such advanced technology that they were revered as gods, and they were leading the war…?”
“That’s right. In summary, something like that. With that super-technology, they can even see distant images.”
Then, I showed them the footage from the other day.
It was from around the part where the giant holographic image of King Nagira appeared.
“Um, Prince Rui? This terrifyingly large old man is calling himself a god, isn’t he?”
“No, that’s not it. He’s just someone who got drunk on power and became arrogant. Look, as proof…”
It just so happened to be the scene with my holographic image, so when I pointed and said, “He’s just using a tool to make himself look big,” the me in the footage was also conveying that King Nagira is human.
“Um… this old man is also saying that you are a god, Rui-san…”
“Ahaha, no way. Do I look like a god to you?”
“No, not at all.”
“Yeah. That’s right. I’m really not, so don’t let him mislead you, okay?”
For some reason, they’re starting to believe I’m a god in the Empire, so I made sure to emphasize it.
After I finished showing the footage, I got to the main point.
“I think you understand that if we carelessly provoke this monster, humanity will be destroyed. So, at the very least, we have to make sure we don’t make the first move, right?”
Princess Lena, who had been silent and just watching me, nodded in response to that question.
“Indeed, that directive is urgent… I understand that.
But, does this mean we have to live in constant fear of that Ancient Race from now on…?”
It seemed the princess had been listening properly and understood what needed to be done, so I felt relieved for the time being.
“Maybe. But right now, we have no choice but to do what we can, right?”
“Can’t something be done with your magic, Rui-san? Like that Laser Gun…”
If that could solve it, I wouldn’t be worried…
Even a Bloody Bear can’t be defeated in an instant.
It’s fundamentally impossible to keep hitting such a strong monster.
No, wait, if I asked Mei, could it work…?
‘First, as a premise, many phenomena caused by Magical Power are still unknown, so this prediction will have lower accuracy.
As My Master surmises, even with Light Magic, subjugation will likely end in failure.
If it can change the properties of its Magical Power, it could transform it into a reflective material and defend itself.
Even if it doesn’t realize that, I predict it can easily dodge unless taken by surprise.
The probability of victory is low.’
Ah, I see.
Even Mithril Golems are made from Mana Essence, right?
So something that changed its properties from Magical Power could also repel Light Magic.
Heck, if that’s possible, I want to try it too. I’ll test it next time.
But you didn’t mention that last time, did you? Why not?
‘I judged that I shouldn’t tell you, prioritizing My Master’s life above all else.
If I had told you in a public setting, the possibility of losing the option to flee would have increased.
Even now, I earnestly wish for you to escape into space with me.’
Ooh, so that’s why. Thanks.
Just to confirm, you’re assuming an attack where the light is reflected, concentrated, and its firepower increased, right?
‘Yes. This assumes using all the Mithril Master possesses, having influential individuals send Magical Power into each piece, concentrating it on a single point, and then firing it.’
Ah, so you’re talking about that level of planning…
Even then, it’s impossible to annihilate it in one shot?
‘It would be difficult. If, by good fortune, the Ancient Race doesn’t possess resistance, annihilation in a few tenths of a second might be possible, but it is presumed to have extraordinary physical abilities, so it likely wouldn’t lead to complete annihilation.’
Well, that makes sense.
There have been monsters that were strong but slow, but that thing looks like a speed type.
Even if we caught it off guard and landed the first hit, it would probably leave the effective range before we could kill it, and then completely evade afterwards.
Its aerial movements were so fast it was like it vanished.
“Riana-sama, I understand how you feel, but it’s impossible.
There are things that even Rui cannot do…”
Perhaps because too much time had passed while I was talking with Mei after Riana-san’s question, Yuri answered for me.
With this, they should have understood the situation for now, so I moved the conversation forward.