“Are you skipping again today, Iroha?” I woke up to a call from Miyuki. I haven’t met up with Carol yet, and Flanne’s gonna come pick us up soon, but I can talk for a while.
“I’m not skipping. I’ve been busy.” The inns in the capital are much better than the one in Rocky Ridges, but the prices are just as cheap. This one that Flanne suggested is more like a hotel than an inn. The beds are very soft, so I used it as a seat while talking on the phone.
“What kind of excuse is that? If you don’t show up in class, that means you’ve skipped.” Miyuki said with a playful tone on the other side.
“Well, I guess you’re right, but… I’m not doing it for fun. I’m in the other world right now. I have something I need to do here…” I don’t want to skip all the time, but I gotta hurry and find Ririna first. I didn’t have time yesterday, but I’m gonna look for her right after talking with Beatrize. Once I find where the Alchemists’ Guild is, I’ll finally be able to talk to her. It won’t be long now! “By the way, have you learned something new yet? Had any new prophetic dreams?”
“I’m not sure about calling them that, but no. Nothing. What are you doing there anyway, Iroha? Is it something that takes multiple days?”
“Considering I’ve had to travel between cities by horse, I’d say so. I’m looking for someone. Didn’t I tell you that?”
“Oh, I see… You’ve mentioned you wanted to find someone. I just didn’t know that meant you’d be gone for multiple days.”
“I didn’t know how long it’d take either.” I shrugged. “I can come back at any time now. I’ll probably be back tomorrow. Just have to meet with a princess first.”
“Ehh?! You’re meeting princesses over there? That sounds fun! It’s very fantasy-like! Damn… Are you trying to make me jealous?” Her reaction caused me to laugh.
“If you want, I might be able to arrange a meeting for you. You’d just have to come to this world with me someday.” She was scared of this world before, so I decided to tease her a little.
“N- no… that’s fine… Just tell me how it went later. That will be enough for me…” She’s so cute! Why is she so scared of this world? It’s not like she would get immediately jumped by some powerful creature. Then again, her reaction is probably the normal one. I’m the one who’s a weirdo who played too many games. “Will you be alright after skipping so many classes, Iroha?”
“Why? I’ll be fine. Attendance doesn’t matter if you do well in tests.” That’s the norm for most schools in Three Records City. They give you the freedom to do whatever you want, and everything’s fine if you do well on the tests. On the flipside, if you do poorly, schools will show you no mercy. “I’ve always been able to get passing grades even while skipping sometimes.”
“Is that so…? Well, good luck meeting the princess. Try not to get beheaded or something.” Hahah… Wouldn’t be the first time with my head on the chopping block. “Oh, and Iroha…” She paused before finishing her thoughts. “Don’t worry too much. I haven’t seen any bad futures, so I’m sure everything will work out somehow.”
“Hmm… Really?”
“Yep! I’m sure! Good luck, and see you tomorrow!” Is she trying to reassure me? That’s nice of her. The way she puts things can be a bit weird, but I guess she really cares.
My call with Miyuki ended, and I went outside. Flanne’s gonna be here soon, so we gotta get ready to head to the palace.
“Oh, hey, Carol!” Standing right outside the hotel, Carol was waiting with her arms crossed, warming up in the morning sun.
“Hi, Iroha.” Carol greeted me, and I lined up next to her. “I was so tried that I forgot to ask, but when are you going to meet that girl you wanted to meet? Was it fine to not go yesterday?”
“I think so… It was already late when we arrived, so she probably wasn’t at the Alchemists’ Guild anymore.” Though knowing Ririna, she might have stayed late to work on one of her experiments. She seemed really excited last time we talked about it. “I also don’t know where the guild is yet, so we would have wasted too much time looking for it. I’m gonna check on her after meeting with the princess.”
“Oh yeah…?” Carol looked at me with a lazy gaze. “If you’re fine with that.”
“Carol, Iroha, good morning! Are you two ready?” It really didn’t take for Flanne to show up. She approached with a slight jog, wearing the same chest plate as always, even in the early morning. There’s only one girl with wine-red hair and a chest plate that I know, and this made her very easy to recognize.
“Good morning, Flanne. I think we’re good to go, right?” I greeted Flanne with a smile before looking at Carol for confirmation. She nodded, and Flanne continued.
“Good. Let’s get going then. The princess’s time is precious, so we gotta hurry.” Now this is getting serious. Carol and I followed Flanne who moved with a quick pace. Now that I’m thinking about it, there’s no way in hell Flanne is just a normal knight or whatever she said she was at first. She was giving out orders and making decisions back in Rocky Ridges, and she was very chummy with the princess during the trip. That also explains why she can use magic when the other soldiers couldn’t. She has to be some kind of elite. I’m sure of it!
After a bit, we walked down the broad, heavily decorated avenue that led to the imposing castle off in the distance. I was a bit worried we’d have the meeting somewhere else, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. I’m getting excited now! “Hey, hey, are we really going to the castle?” With some enthusiasm, Carol quietly asked next to me.
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“Hm?” Flanne glanced back for a second. Well? Are we? Are we going to the castle? “Of course we are. That’s where the princess is.” Yes! I can’t wait to see what a fantasy castle looks like in real life! Carol had a smile on her face just like mine.
“Ahem! Oh, okay, that’s good.” Carol coughed out loud and put on a poker face. “Seems like it’d be an interesting place to get to know.” She can pretend all she wants, but no one can resist a good castle, can they?
“A lot of people say it’s an interesting place. Ebrilyon’s castle works in a different way from the other human countries.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Without hesitation, Carol immediately posed the question.
“Unlike in the other countries, in Ebrilyon, the princess is the one in charge of the kingdom’s affairs instead of the head of state. Since we border the Endless Silver, our country is a lot more militarized, and the king serves at the head of the army. Since the king has a different role and the queen passed away a long time ago, the duty right now falls onto the princess.”
“So the princess is the one who runs the country…” I had no idea. Ebrilyon is a militaristic country, huh? That explains the wide street leading up the castle. It’s for military parades, right?
We soon entered the castle, and we arrived at a big hall with pillars on both sides. The ceiling was tall and dark and made it seem like the castle went up into infinity. Both me and Carol were looking around in a daze, but Flanne had to cut it short. “Come on, this way. We don’t have time to stop.”
Because of her, we had to leave the cool hall in a rush and enter a series of much simpler corridors and hallways. What a shame, I wanted to look around a bit more. Maybe some other time? Might be able to come back together with Ririna at some point.
“Princess, Iroha and Carol are here.” Flanne knocked on a door.
“Oh, Flanne, is that you? Please, come in.” We heard Bea’s voice from the other side of the door. Flanne opened it, and we went into a bright, welcoming office. I was expecting something a bit more imposing given how the castle looks from the outside, but this isn’t bad at all. There’s a desk ahead of us made with a bright type of wood and a big window behind it. Beatrize was standing behind the desk, and she looked very different from before. Instead of the simple village girl clothes from before, she was now wearing a green dress that matched the color of her eyes. Her whole vibe was completely different too. She welcomed us to her office with a polite and dignified posture. She really is a princess, isn’t she?
Flanne walked around the desk and stood next to the princes, while the two of us remained on the other side. “Iroha, Carol, thanks so much for heeding my request to come here. Let me introduce myself properly this time. My name is Beatrize Elablyon. I’m the first princess of Ebrilyon.” She smiled and spoke in a polite yet natural way. Then again, the way she spoke to us during the trip also felt natural… They’re both natural?
“Uhmm… I- Uhh… It’s a pleasure to be here! Thank you so much for inviting us!” It’s finally sinking in… She’s the princess of this country, right? I can’t believe I was treating her like a normal girl before… That’s not allowed, is it? I’m not sure how to act in this situation… I’ve never had to be this polite to anyone before back at home. “Wh- what did you call us here for?”
“I believe I owe you two an explanation, don’t I? That’s what I promised.” After the demon lady poisoned herself, it didn’t take long for Flanne and Carol to catch up to us together with dozens of soldiers on horse. There seemed to be some kind of conspiracy at play, so I asked Bea to explain what was going on. Instead, she started giving out orders and didn’t have time to explain anything. Two of the soldiers escorted me and Carol back to the carriage on her orders after she promised she’d explain later. She stayed behind with Flanne to clean up and gather information, and here we are now.
She called us so she could explain, just like she promised, but somehow, I have the feeling there’s more to it. She said she’d explain, but she’s a princess. She doesn’t owe us anything. There has to be another reason why she called us.
“We dragged you two into our problems, so I believe you’ve earned the right to know what’s going on. Also…” Also? “My meeting with you was long overdue, Iroha. You’re the one who threw a wrench in the demons’ plan by defeating the horde of monsters they amassed in Rocky Ridges. I’ve wanted to congratulate you for a long time.”
“Th- that was nothing! I- I’m happy to be of service, Be- your… majesty…?”
“Puhu!” Giggling? Who’s giggling? I’m out here dying of nerves, and you’re laughing at me, Carol? I looked over at her, and she looked very serious. I- it wasn’t her? Then…? “*Sigh…* I think we can drop the act now. You don’t have to be so formal with me, Iroha. Just call me Beatrize. Or Bea. Whichever one you prefer.” Huh? Bea loosened up her shoulders and softly sat down behind her desk.
“Princess, don’t forget your manners. You’re going to get in trouble for acting too casually. Asking her to address you so lightly will cause trouble for Iroha as well.” Flanne admonished the princess with an exasperated tone. Bea? Bea was the one giggling?
“You know I’ve never gotten in trouble for that before. You worry too much. Whether I can or cannot be casual depends on who I’m talking to. Iroha and Carol can be trusted. They’re our friends, right?” While talking to Flanne, Beatrize glanced at us for confirmation.
“Yeah…” The one we made friends with was Bea, not Beatrize, but making that distinction doesn’t make sense.
“I understand that very well, princess, but what will others think if they see you speaking like that?”
“So it’s fine if it’s in private? Hear that, you two? Feel free to call me Bea when we’re in private, okay?” Flanne wasn’t too happy with Bea’s convenient interpretation of her words. I’m still a bit hesitant about this, but it feels wrong to start treating Bea like a stranger now.
“Okay, Bea. I’ll keep talking to you like a friend.”
“Good.” Bea simply smiled. “Now, let me give you a quick rundown of our situation. We’ve recently discovered that there’s a group of demons who’s become active here in the capital for some unknown reason. They’ve been slowly gaining influence among some nobles and other important figures. They know how to hide themselves, and we haven’t been able to catch them. My authority has been slipping away because of them, so I used myself as bait to lure them out of hiding.”
She used herself as bait? She’s pretty brave, huh? “If we had managed to capture one of them alive and get them to spill their secrets, driving the rest of the demons away would have been easy. With them all dead, all we’ve managed to find were some ties to some important people, which is not bad. It won’t be as easy for humans to oppose us if we have evidence that they have ties with the demons. *Sigh…* It’s ridiculous, really… Having the demons around is already bad enough. Why do our own people have to side with them for their selfish desires?” Their selfish desires? Are the demons bribing them? Is that how they gained their favor? The demons were more technologically advanced than the humans in the game, so they probably have a lot they can tempt humans with…
“Please don’t make disparaging comments about our nobles without evidence, princess. You’ll get in trouble.”
“It’s true, though. They’re all just greedy.” Flanne was worried that Bea’s comments could reach the wrong ears, but she waved her concerns away. “With all that being said, I have a favor for you now. Can you help us drive the demons away from Ebrilyon?” I knew it! The real reason she called us here was to ask for this.
“How do we help with that?”
“For now, I just want to know that you’re willing to help. If you learn anything that could help us find out where the demons are hiding, make sure to tell us.” So like, she wants our help in a possible future fight? From what I’ve seen before, I should be able to handle that… I also have some beef with them from before…
“I don’t mind, but I have a request of my own.” Bea’s eyes widened.
“A request? You really helped us out, but there’s only so much I can publicly do. I’m not sure I can reward you appropriately.”
“Uhmm… It’s not like that. It just wanted to know where the Alchemists’ Guild is. I’m trying to meet up with a friend named Ririna. I think she’s an apprentice there.”
“The one who was framed…” Bea immediately knew who I was talking about. She thought for a second before smiling at me. “We have a deal then. I’ll make sure you can meet up with your friend. In fact, I could show you the way there right now!” Bea got up from her chair and tried to go around the table, but Flanne grabbed her by the collar.
“No way. You’ve been away for multiple days, so your work has piled up. I’ll find someone to show them the way. You stay here, Princess.” Flanne forcibly sat Bea down in chair, who pouted in protest. W- wow… She’s pretty cute… Flanne then came over to us. “The meeting is over, so let’s not distract the princess anymore.”
Flanne seems stricter than usual. She’s always so easygoing when she’s not working that this seems pretty extreme for her. “Thanks, Bea!” I said one final word of thanks before Flanne pulled us outside. Once she found someone to show us the way, she said she had to go back to Bea to help out with her duties. Strict or not, she’s as kind as always.