There were a lot of things happening.
No, seriously. Literally a lot of things were happening.
I even fell asleep and when I woke up, time had flown by, making it feel even more so.
It felt like incidents just kept coming even back in my original world, but now that I only had concrete memories and intentions during important moments, it felt intensified.
Here’s a list of the events I’ve experienced continuously so far.
“Is this what you were looking for?”
Out of nowhere, the Sword Saint appeared in the Imperial Capital without even being called, coming to Baron Grace’s Estate to hand me a relic and say that.
…Huh?
Sure, I distinctly asked for assistance in finding the relic. There had to be ruins along the border of the Autonomous Region and the Empire where Jayden had gone, and that’s probably why it had been bombed to bits.
I’d braced myself for not being able to find it, but the Sword Saint proudly brought me a piece of the relic.
The pieces that still couldn’t be properly assembled didn’t really shine. Well, Alice and Claire weren’t here, so there was no reason for it to shine like it did in the previous world.
As I watched the Sword Saint sitting there confidently with the relic, my mind was racing.
If the Goddess was trying to manipulate the world by excluding me as much as possible, what could be the reason for time to be flowing properly for these “other people”? Strictly speaking, even if the Sword Saint had the ability to find something like this, they could just claim that such an event never took place from the beginning.
Is it because I blocked the Goddess’s power using the relic with Claire?
Perhaps the Goddess is obsessed with “order.” While I can be considered a being that fell into this world due to the Goddess, the other beings are likely moving according to their original order.
Even if I’m stationary, other beings are moving according to their own schedules and orders, so there’s probably no way to obstruct that, right? Considering how the Emperor was avoided and traps were set so that they could finally regain their power, it seems like a convincing deduction.
But—
“How did you find this?”
“Northwood is my hometown. Besides, despite how I look now, I used to charge through battlefields in my youth. Did I mention I had a passing acquaintance with the Emperor?”
“……”
Oh, right.
Now that I think about it, the Emperor did rummage through a ruin by himself. He was waiting for us where the relic was located.
If the Sword Saint had the same capabilities as the Emperor, as long as they could pinpoint the location of the ruins, they’d definitely be able to find the relic.
I stared blankly at the shattered stone tablet—how could this possibly transform into such a form as ‘brass gears’?
“But to find the ruins, there should be another relic.”
“Is that so?”
The Sword Saint, arms crossed, stared at me intently.
That’s true. There’s a reason why ruins that clearly exhibit the shape of ‘ruins’ go unnoticed by people. If it was clearly visible, it would have been scavenged by many already. Even if it had magic that prevents it from being revealed unless you had a relic, it wouldn’t mean that people wouldn’t notice it at all.
The reason we could enter that ruin in Northwood… must be thanks to Claire, who stole the Goddess’s power. Fortunately, the Emperor seems to believe that we came here on our own.
“I figured that red-haired guy was the one you mentioned, so I chased him to help.”
“……”
Was Lucas connected to this somehow?
Surely, considering Lucas didn’t come to monitor me when I was in Crowfield, it means he was up to something. If that something was searching for ruins in the North, I can’t exactly complain. It’s not strange for an Emperor who has become a bit timid to send someone to investigate secretly rather than sweep through the North with Jayden.
…Wait a minute.
“Does that mean you faced off against Lucas…?”
“Haha.”
The Sword Saint just smiled brightly at my question.
“How on earth did you survive…?”
Whack!
Before I could finish my next question, I received a light smack to the forehead. I don’t know why the sound was bang! instead of whack!, but there you go.
“Indeed, he’s quite the formidable one.”
As I held my forehead with both hands and finally looked up at the Sword Saint, he said, lifting one corner of his lips.
“He seemed to be stronger than me in my prime. But considering that his ‘goal’ differs from mine, naturally what he could do was different.”
“A goal, you say?”
“My goal was to find that relic and then find you, while his was simply to strike me. Do you think someone who can’t differentiate between the task they were given and their desires could achieve their goals?”
Uhh… Hearing a guy who didn’t want to live as a soldier saying this feels a little out of place.
“My goal is to witness that fight with the Goddess directly. But losing to a kid who might be a bit stronger than me would mean I’d miss out on that interesting spectacle. It’d be much more poetic to save that fight for the very end, right?”
“……”
At his words, I lost my ability to respond.
“However, while it’s great to have obtained this from facing Lucas, does that mean you directly came to this estate after that…?”
“That’s right.”
I lifted my hands again, holding my head in disbelief.
This was the first event I experienced after getting up.
*
The events related to Jake and Roti flowed similarly here. However, the backdrop was much more urgent, making it rather easy to persuade Duke Lindbergh.
“We might lose our colonies in this war.”
The Duke, who had been somewhat formal when I was a Crown Princess, now spoke comfortably in front of me.
That didn’t mean he treated me like dirt. More like he looked at me as a potential young noble lady with possibilities.
“While it sounds good to use the colonists as shields, there’s a high risk that they’ll become a burden after the war. No matter who they are, they won’t work without compensation. Right now, they’re working to survive, but teaching them how to kill people with weapons is an entirely different story.”
“And it’s also a ploy by the Emperor, who will have relatively diminished power after the war.”
I lied smoothly, without even moistening my lips.
“Losing colonies might sting, but considering the future, it’s a possibility. If we make Duke Lindbergh the villain leading the pillaging and then present the imperial family as bringing a future to the colonies, we might ‘relatively’ reduce friction.”
“And if we treat the colonists who went to battle as heroes too. Do you not care much for your nation’s lineage, Your Highness?”
It’s funny how one can speak with such a strong air of rebellion while still using formal titles like ‘Your Highness.’
“Just because you care doesn’t guarantee victory.”
At my words, Duke Lindbergh stared at me blankly.
“Then, wouldn’t it be wise to allow the relationship between the young lord and Roti?”
The relationship between the two would serve as a minimal barrier against upcoming events.
Of course, it wasn’t perfect. Roti could still end up treated like a ‘traitor.’
But Duke Lindbergh still didn’t seem to be completely onboard. When I, who used to be a ‘Crown Princess,’ declared that my close aide was receiving knighthood, it would feel more like a ‘smart young noble’s share of conjectures’ rather than something solid.
Nothing would feel ‘certain.’
So, I should probably have some insurance around here too. Something ‘certain.’
“Duke, do you perhaps have any questions about the Dreadnought?”
I lowered my voice slightly and spoke to Duke Lindbergh.
Yes.
Betrayals have to be executed in layers so that the target doesn’t catch a whiff.
This was the second event I encountered within this series of incidents.
*
And—
“Are you telling me to give up the battleship?”
I said exactly the same thing to the Emperor.
“If the plans of His Majesty are set in place after the war.”
I took a step forward and spoke to the Emperor.
“Whether the battleship exists or not, this world will flow according to His Majesty’s will. If those who sought to harm His Majesty fall for my tricks and collapse, wouldn’t His final plans be implemented more smoothly?”
“……”
As I looked up at the Emperor with eyes full of admiration, he observed me silently for a while.
In front of me, there was a beautifully wrapped piece of the relic made of fine silk.
Alice and Claire weren’t by my side.
Yes.
Betrayals need to be conducted in layers so the target remains oblivious.
And the timing of detonating all of that is important too.
This was the third event in my busy life.
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