“If you’re going to leave me behind, I’ll scream my lungs out right here.”
“…What good would that do?”
I asked seriously.
If I were a guy, it would’ve had a huge impact. In this world, which is conservative in many ways—especially sexually—just being alone in a room with a girl would be a huge issue, and if the girl screamed, that scream would serve as evidence.
But since both of us are girls…
“You used explosives just to get into my room, right? Isn’t it hard to believe that you came to assassinate me?”
As I quietly stared at Charlotte, who was casually throwing around such terrifying statements, I slowly opened my mouth.
“May I ask why you want to follow me to that place?”
“…May I ask why you’re telling me not to go after reaching this point?”
In response to my question, Charlotte answered back with a question.
“Oh, please don’t say anything about ‘danger’. I’ve experienced ‘danger’ when clawed by a gryphon in my life, so I think I’ve had enough.”
“……”
Hmm, that’s true.
“Or do you think my skills aren’t needed? That you can just pick some good knights and go?”
If I think about it logically, that’s a fair statement.
Let’s think about it. Even if we’re getting older, we’re only 15. It’s weird to be treated like a little kid, let alone an adult.
Of course, in this world, even if you’re legally a minor, socially, you’re treated like an adult, which makes this a complicated age. But still, we’re not at an age to be involved in the nation’s political ties or the conspiracies that move the world.
In a game, it’s possible for the main party to fight for their lives in the final battle and ultimately save the world because it’s ‘a game.’
In reality, they would’ve sent in a highly trained special forces unit by now.
In fact, I didn’t think it was such a bad idea to think like that even while pondering such things.
However, the very fact that I felt I had to go myself means that my way of thinking has already changed to fit this world’s style.
“It’s not that I don’t trust your skills. It’s just that the political situation—”
“Once again, I’ll ask the same thing, ‘Why now?’”
“……”
“If you had any thoughts in the first place, you wouldn’t have barged into the palace and said such things to my father—the King, nor would you have thought to create a infiltration team with friends to go underground. Originally, do you know why my father listened to you? Because there was no other way in that situation. He resigned to it because it was you.”
What on earth does that mean?
“Because the opponent is ‘you’, ‘Sylvia Fanggriffon’.”
Charlotte emphasized once more.
“At just fourteen, you met representatives of two nations, preemptively preventing a military alliance and even making that relationship ambiguous. The Emperor trusts you completely, and you know secrets that even the Kingdom of Velbur isn’t aware of… So when you bring up something, they have no choice but to comply because they can’t foresee what would happen if they don’t.”
“……”
“So, do you really think my father agreed to your plan because he believed it was flawless?”
Uh…
No, that’s not it. But I thought he judged there was no other option.
Thinking back, the reason there was ‘no other way’ seemed to be simply because of my own existence.
“So, now to say it would be better this way or that it has a higher chance of success is irrelevant. So I want to see the conclusion of this story myself. It’s better than only hearing rumors if I’m unjustly left out in the middle.”
Now, it no longer matters if my life is in danger or if I’m plagued by political threats.
I got involved, and I wanted to see the end, so I’d just go and confirm it myself.
In summary, that’s what Charlotte was saying.
“And, as I said.”
Charlotte spoke with a slightly pouting expression.
“We are friends, after all. I was born into a political position. No matter what I do, enemies will arise, and there will be acquaintances I meet for political reasons. Among them, there might be people who approach me claiming to be my friends. Well, it’s possible to think of such beings as friends. Just because we call each other friends doesn’t define everything.”
Charlotte’s gaze, which had been looking at her tea, rose and met my eyes.
“But even if one of us shouts that you’re not a friend, even if we imagine that our political opinions don’t align or that we’re competing for a single benefit… Somehow, I feel like I will continue to think of you as ‘friends.’ I’ve never encountered someone where I can’t imagine ‘not being friends’ in my life. To me, that’s you.”
Charlotte shrugged her shoulders.
“And probably, you will be a type of friend I can’t ever recreate outside the academy.”
So, rather than losing it, I’d stick with it until the end.
“…Do you realize that we’ve barely known each other for less than a year?”
“Oh, are you saying that because we’ve only known each other for a few months, we’re not ‘friends’?”
…No, that’s not it.
I just found myself at a loss for words.
What kind of situation would we be facing if we went there, and now I was considering following someone I’d only known for a few months?
“Alright then. If you really think so, I won’t stop you any longer.”
“Even if you tried to stop me, I was going to follow anyway, so I’m not particularly grateful.”
In the end, I was persuaded by Charlotte’s words once again.
*
“…You look like you just rolled around somewhere.”
When I entered Alice’s room, Alice squinted her eyes at me and asked.
Well, I really did roll around.
Had I been chatting with Charlotte for too long? The snipers on the roof had all returned to their positions. The kingdom had a secret base underground already, and because of that, vigilance had been greatly intensified. But it seemed the precaution level skyrocketed because of the explosives set off while entering Charlotte’s room.
I don’t know how many times I’ve turned back time while trying to climb back up the rope and evade the snipers’ fierce line of sight… I’ve rolled around for sure.
Naturally, I did roll around.
However, snipers were meant to prevent people from going up on the roof rather than to engage with those who had already reached the roof. It’s not like they were immune to being caught either, so most snipers would lie flat on the roof, monitoring around the palace, making it not impossible to remain undetected.
If I hadn’t had any skills, I would have been caught and locked up long ago.
“Speaking of which, I heard an explosion outside earlier.”
“I was just passing by Princess Charlotte’s room.”
“……”
Alice looked like she had a lot to say but didn’t press for details. The atmosphere didn’t make it hard to imagine. She had been observing me causing trouble all this time.
“Leo and Claire aren’t back yet. So how about you fix your appearance a little bit before they arrive? Seeing you like this, they’re probably going to worry a lot.”
“Understood.”
At Alice’s suggestion, I immediately entered the shower room attached to Alice’s room.
*
The one on the table was still shining brightly.
And those two streams of light were naturally directed toward Alice and Claire.
“…So Claire is…”
“My half-sister.”
Leo’s face turned pale after hearing Alice confirm it. I figured that would happen.
“But I’m a Grace, not a Fanggriffon. So don’t worry about losing a sister.”
Even if Claire said it jokingly, Leo could only twitch his lips with a ghastly face.
“Is there a reason you’re telling me this?”
“…We’re back to using formal speech again.”
Alice sighed heavily. Lately, Leo had been gradually dropping formal speech at the academy, but it felt like their relationship had reverted to the way it started.
Alice shrugged her shoulders, as if to say, ‘Well, what can you do.’
“You’re Claire’s sibling, so it’s better that you know.”
“Claire said she would remain a Grace and not a Fanggriffon. Then, regardless of bloodline, you are still Claire’s sibling, just as you have always been.”
As Alice and I said this to Leo, he gazed at Claire in a daze.
Claire briefly avoided Leo’s gaze, but after taking a big breath, she looked Leo straight in the eye and said,
“But I’m still your older sister.”
“…No, if we’re both Graces, I’m obviously the older brother.”
Upon Claire’s words, Leo reacted instinctively.
…Still, I’m glad it seems the relationship won’t be destroyed.
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