Hmm…
Sophia Bianchi let out a deep sigh after pondering for a few seconds.
“It seems you weren’t caught, but rather you were aware from the beginning.”
While that was true, she probably said it out of a confidence that she would never get caught.
I didn’t feel the need to poke at her statement; interrupting would just waste time.
“Then let’s exchange only the necessary information without hiding anything.”
I was slightly surprised watching Sophia Bianchi continue speaking. No, actually, upon thinking again, it might not be so surprising.
In the original work, her character rarely answered questions with an imposing attitude, only saying what she wanted. But that was also because she was confident in her abilities.
She must know it’s pointless to show such a demeanor in front of me after I’ve already won a duel against her.
“Yes, as you guessed, I am from the Papal State.”
The title of ‘Miss Sylvia’ had changed to ‘Your Highness.’
“The reason I’m here is… because of the Papal State’s order to gather information about you, Your Highness.”
“What do you mean by my information?”
“I want to know more about that ability of yours, one that can change the situation on the battlefield with just your own strength. But honestly, I don’t know much about it myself. Cardinals are famous for not sharing detailed stories when giving orders.”
“Is it in case your identity gets exposed and you’re arrested?”
“Yes, well…”
At my question, Sophia Bianchi made a momentarily annoyed expression. She probably thought there wouldn’t be a chance of her identity getting exposed and captured, considering she was confident in her abilities.
“Because there’s also the matter of Eliza.”
Mentioning the baptism name of Verati suggests the Papal State has become more vigilant since Verati was captured by the Empire. This was a story that had been mentioned in the original work as well.
“Is there no other reason?”
Sophia Bianchi shrugged her shoulders.
“Everything else is just information that I can’t know unless I meet the Emperor directly. Basically, my mission is to find out various things about you, Your Highness. It would be good if I could learn more about other matters, but if not, then oh well… that’s how it is.”
Sophia Bianchi’s attitude wasn’t completely the same as before. Compared to what she showed in front of others, she seemed a bit lighter. Especially in her gestures.
“Why are you monitoring me so closely? There must be more than just you as a princess or a prince.”
“Your Highness is unique in many ways.”
Sophia Bianchi answered as if it were obvious.
“Usually, people who don’t have talent in swordsmanship pick up a gun to join combat as quickly as possible. If someone has real talent, they wouldn’t even need to enter the gun’s trajectory… Besides, there’s not much of a feeling of honing one’s skills with a gun. Oh, I’m not trying to belittle you, Your Highness.”
Adding that last part hastily, Sophia quickly continued.
“However, looking at your records changes that perspective. Not every troop can be like you, but if even a fraction of your skills could be matched, then… You know, no matter how strong a soldier is, they can’t be in two battlefields at the same time. Even if they can defend one battlefield, if they lose everywhere else, they still lose the war, right? Not to mention the Empire isn’t without skilled swordsmen.”
“So, are you saying you tried to recruit me?”
“More like, I was told to learn from your movements at all costs.”
Sophia Bianchi spoke in a somewhat deflated tone.
So, to put it simply… it meant I was ordered to have my yet to be codified combat techniques copied.
And after hearing that, I felt like I could understand something.
My combat techniques were basically a mix of my summary knowledge about battle and real experience, so they could be incredibly valuable. Normally, it’d be hard for someone to codify their combat style in such a short time, but I’ve experienced an unusual number of battles compared to others. I’ve had my share of hits from guns and shrapnel.
I fought for my life, so this combat technique holds that much worth.
Hah.
It was a response I hadn’t thought about, which left me a bit flustered.
I never considered that there’d be people trying to approach me because I hold value.
“Well, and…”
Sophia Bianchi shrugged her shoulders once more.
“When you consider the current Emperor, who is a meritocrat, it wouldn’t be strange at all if you could possibly rise to the position of the next Emperor, Your Highness. Maybe they thought it would be good to have a friend of similar age in advance. I wouldn’t know beyond that.”
Ah, I see now.
Verati was still imprisoned within the Empire. In fact, she was currently in a coma and couldn’t even hold a proper conversation.
No matter the magic, long-distance communication is impossible, and this world hasn’t properly developed wireless equipment yet.
What did the developers of the original work say?
Originally, radio technology was supposed to be introduced at the starting point of the game, but due to the fact that electrical technology itself wasn’t properly developed, the radio technology using waves also hadn’t progressed. There are combat planes, but instead of radio communication, they expressed their intentions through the squad commander’s signals or the light of embedded magic stones.
Information from Verati didn’t reach the Papal State. So they probably wanted to introduce a new character in a somewhat safer manner.
“…”
That’s a bit unsettling.
“So, Your Highness, why don’t we become friends? We can even make a deal with the Papal State if necessary. I mean, there’s no way we could win against the Empire just by training troops like this.”
I watched Sophia Bianchi trying to persuade me a bit.
“Are you aware of the incident that happened at the Imperial Palace recently?”
“…Right?”
At my words, Sophia Bianchi’s eyes widened slightly.
“It was the incident when Lucas broke in. Quite a few knights and soldiers died and got injured.”
“Umm…”
“Lucas was wearing a legal robe and was wielding Jericho’s sword. It seems he committed some wrongdoing under the Papal State. What do you think? What happened in the Papal State?”
At my question, Sophia Bianchi opened her mouth, staring blankly at me.
“Uh, suddenly giving me such high-level information… I’m not sure how to respond…”
“…”
As I glared at Sophia Bianchi without a word, she made a slightly flustered expression.
“The upper echelons of the Papal State are a thoroughly secretive group. If those receiving commands think the information isn’t necessary, they won’t give it out at all. I’ve heard something happened in the Papal State, but beyond that, I don’t know. I just learned that the infiltrator was a prince just now.”
Hah.
“I’m from the Papal State, but I’ve lived in Lutetia since childhood to create this persona. I’m confident in my skills, and while they trust me in the Papal State, I haven’t received any knowledge beyond what’s necessary to enter here. I apologize.”
I silently stared at Sophia Bianchi. As my gaze directly met hers, she seemed uncomfortable and fidgety.
Just until a moment ago, she was making me uncomfortable by looking straight at me, but now the atmosphere had completely reversed.
I also thought that Sophia Bianchi might be hiding the truth from me… but, who knows. In the original work, even though she showed a relaxed expression, she had no talent for hiding her feelings, to the point where she was genuinely shocked and speechless after losing even once.
Though she’d hidden her attitude a bit and revealed more of herself in our conversation a moment ago, there wasn’t really much that had changed except that she seemed a little more at ease.
Right, no matter how that character is, she was only fifteen now. By next year, at the time of the second installment, she would only be sixteen.
Still an age where one’s ego is large, believing themselves to be special.
Perhaps her previously confident demeanor in the main story was born from having a solid grasp of her abilities.
…Ah.
I let out a long sigh.
Thinking like that made me realize something.
Even if the ball has rolled my way, I’m still just a kid who’s just transferred here. It seems the Papal State knows this as well.
Was I just taking things too seriously?
Feeling a bit awkward, I thought.
Once again.
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