Chapter 57 – The Princess’ Test
“Be careful. It’s unclear what the imperial family’s plans are. So, if the princess or crown prince asks for something, please think carefully.”
I have not forgotten the advice of Mrs. Diss, who was truly concerned about my safety.
I have no intention of trusting the emperor. He is not a trustworthy person. He also knew very well that it would not be good to accept the demands of the crown prince or princess, who may have been under the emperor’s influence. But still, I suggested to the princess that we head to her snowy field.
Getting the chairman’s permission was easy. Even if it was just for the test, I was worried that it would be embarrassing for the academy if they announced right away that they would take the princess and take the test in a snowy field.
In fact, if you think about it deeply, even if something happened to the princess, it was something that the crown prince had to take care of entirely.
The crown prince of the empire is not just a crown prince. Before he was the crown prince, he held the title of First Holy Sword Hero given by the goddess.
That was the duty of the hero of the 1st Holy Sword, and it was his responsibility as the hero who brought the princess to her academy.
Unreasonable justification given to warriors. That was a truth that would not change even if the target was the crown prince.
Apart from the fact that the Chairman is also a warrior, the power of an institution called the Academy is not the same as the power of a hero. The moment the First Holy Sword takes responsibility for the princess’s well-being, the responsibility clearly lies with the First Holy Sword’s hero, the Crown Prince.
This is a protocol with the goddess. No matter how much he was the emperor of the empire, he couldn’t carelessly reprimand the academy.
That is why the Chairman was also able to nod his head easily.
“Rin, Ran. Please take good care of her sister, Cecilia.”
“Yes! “Ran and I will take turns taking care of you!”
She entrusted her little fox Cecilia to the little angel Lin, who nodded her head so bravely that you couldn’t tell who the older sister was. Meanwhile, Cecilia was crying and crying, saying she would go with me, but I couldn’t help but touch my forehead as Lynn comforted her with sweet snacks.
…… How embarrassed I will be when I come to my senses later.
“…… “But why are you following me?”
“Don’t worry. “Go your own way.”
I just asked the crown prince lightly.
The heavy smoker, who was holding a cigarette-type cigarette in his mouth and calmly trapping the smoke deep into his lungs, answered.
I don’t know how many cigarettes I’m smoking, but it’s like emptying a whole cigarette case while crossing the distance in less than an hour. If the Crown Prince were to die of lung cancer at an early age, it would be something she would not be able to laugh about.
The reason why he followed me to the snowy field is clear. I guess it’s to protect the princess.
She didn’t show any complaints, but it seemed like it was quite annoying. Despite the knights’ dissuasion, he set out alone to escort the princess. He had no intention of going far from the beginning, but since he had heard that the crown prince had recently been injured, he just hoped that he would not become a burden.
The princess continued her march with her back straight, even wearing her snowy combat boots. She was a little worried because she heard that she was running as a candidate for a warrior, but fortunately, she seemed to have at least some stamina.
The problem was that she was a very serious talker.
The princess moved her mouth whenever she had the chance.
“I don’t mean to, but do you mind if I talk a little bit?”
“If it is not your intention, I would like you to remain quiet, princess. “Unless you want to call a horde of monsters.”
“Sorry, but I can’t stand quiet. It’s been a bad habit since I was young. If a monster comes, I will respond alone. Warrior… No, it’s a test to learn to become a warrior for the Holy Sword.”
… It is an expression that intuitively shows that there is a long way to go, given how many times ‘for’ is used.
Anastasia tapped her lips with her index finger and began to think deeply about something.
“Now that I think about it, the title is ambiguous. Do you like Professor Neferna? Or Master?”
“Use whatever title you like.”
“hehehe, I see. “Then I would like you, Master.”
“…… At least do it after the exam.”
“Then, Master. The road is boring, but I’ll tell you an interesting story. “I hope that His Majesty the Crown Prince will also listen.”
“………… “
“I will hold the 6th Holy Sword and become a hero. “Definitely.”
“That was such a sudden and useless dream. “Wouldn’t something else be better?”
“hehehe… It’s a useless dream. You might look at it that way. But I have no intention of ending it simply as a dream…. Hmm, that’s right. Master, do you know how many hero candidates are currently seeking the 6th Holy Sword?”
“… In the first place, being a hero is not your own will, but the choice of the holy sword. “It doesn’t matter how many people there are.”
“It’s a fair statement, but from my perspective as a candidate, I can’t do it without seeing a better competitor.”
“I don’t know. “I’m not interested in that.”
Things about the Holy Sword and the Hero were not very pleasant topics to me. My tone of voice suddenly became cold.
The princess didn’t care much and continued to say what she had to say.
“There are twenty. Among them, there are three who can compete with me. Of course, this number excludes the possibility of separately summoning a hero from another world. “I will win anyway.”
“You have great confidence, don’t you? Or the other candidates also have vague skills.”
“hehehe…. “Please check that later.”
“I guess so. “At least I want to see your skills now.”
“… By the way, I have no complaints about appearing in the snowy field, but if you want to see your skills, isn’t it also possible inside the academy?”
“How.”
“…… Yes?”
The princess tilted her head in rare embarrassment.
“I’m telling you this because I think it would be okay for you to deal with it directly, Master.”
“What are you going to do by fighting with people? Are you planning to become a war hero instead of a warrior?”
I said bluntly.
“A hero is a being who stands against monsters. Even if I were to teach you something, it would be how to fight monsters, not people. Person-to-person combat methods are only used in preparation for war. So within the academy
Taking the test doesn’t help at all.”
“Thank you for your words. “My basic skills are already close to completion.”
“Basics……… It’s basic. “Basic techniques for killing monsters?”
“… I guess you don’t like this topic of conversation very much.”
The princess smiled softly and said, perhaps sensing the sharp tone. I scratched my head.
“Okay, I’m telling you the truth. It’s all nonsense. Now that I’ve said it, I don’t intend to be selfish, but I still recommend that you get rid of everything about being a hero and just live the way you’ve lived so far.”
“Oh my, that’s some good advice from a senior warrior. Thank you, but I can’t do that. “Because you have to become a warrior.”
“Why are you so stubborn about being a hero?”
“I just wanted to tell you that.”
As the princess brightened her eyes, the crown prince cut her off in a somewhat uncomfortable tone.
“…… “Anastasia.”
“It’s okay. “His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”
The princess spoke her words sonorously.
“As you can see, I am a different species within the imperial family, so the other brothers and sisters in the imperial family did not like me very much. Since His Majesty is not particularly attached to the ‘royalty,’ he is far from the right to succeed to the throne, and there were not many people who played with me, as I was also not very interested. If you ask whether the expression ‘play’ itself is extravagant, I have nothing to say. But for me, it was quite lonely. “I needed a friend.”
“How many people can be friends with the princess?”
“That’s right. Her maids and knights seemed distant to me. But I also had a special connection. “That was Miss Cecilia.”
“…………….”
“Miss Cecilia was a member of the fox tribe who was selected as a party member of the hero of the 6th Holy Sword. “Party members of a hero’s party are required to learn the minimum etiquette at the imperial court to avoid being in trouble with the hero.”
“What does etiquette have to do with killing monsters?”
“Even if you are a party member, you are not on equal footing with a hero. Especially people from another world tend to expect such things. A sense of superiority as a chosen hero? Should I say it’s a kind of fantasy about another world? So, as an empire, it is an inevitable position. Whatever the process, it was through that opportunity that I met Cecilia. Of course, I had no choice but to lie about my identity. However, we were still very friendly.”
“…… “Cecelia wouldn’t have approached me first.”
“Because you are shy. I tried my best in my own way. “At that time, I was very wary of others.”
“She has a rough idea of how that child was treated in the imperial family.”
“…… Yes. The Cloland family persecuted Cecilia more than necessary in order to connect Rebecca with Kim Yu-seong, the hero of the 6th Holy Sword. The number of court nobles who took advantage of it was considerable. I tried to block it as much as possible, but… “Even my strength had its limits.”
Then the princess suddenly asked:
“That little fox child is Miss Cecilia, right?”
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“…………….”
“You still can’t lie. I was a little confused at first, but after gathering information through her maids and knights, I quickly figured it out. …… All the way… Abscess… ? “It was a bit of an unfamiliar trait, but it’s nice to see the cute Miss Cecilia.”
“…………….”
“It started with admiration, and from envy and pity, friendship blossomed and soon became love. It’s okay to say it’s a private and personal feeling. However, even if the realization started from just a small relationship, it is also true that my meaning blossomed from there.”
“…………….”
“Miss Cecilia is my friend and closest relationship. She may not think so, but at least that’s what I think. It’s a symbol of shallow human relationships. Therefore, the reality that faced Ms. Cecilia at that time may have been all the more important to me. The hatred towards the fox people within the empire has been gradually diluted for a very long time. It wasn’t just racial hatred. Rather, ‘hate’ was closer to an excuse. What Ms. Cecilia suffered started from a trivial power struggle, and was a blind arrow that covered her shell of hatred… It is nothing more than a meaningless by-product. There is also an excuse that I was extremely resentful of the fact that I could not do anything and that I could not step forward proudly even though I had the status of princess.”
“I know very well. Then wouldn’t it be quicker to seize power someday and purge those guys? It’s better to be a holy sword or a hero than to cling to useless ideals. Increase your status as princess.”
“hehehe, what you said is actually not difficult. My eldest brother, who will become the future emperor, will sort out the dogs that flatter the imperial family. All I have to do is fawn over His Highness the Crown Prince by saying, ‘Brother~ I don’t like that guy~’. Other brothers may not know this, but His Majesty the Crown Prince loves me. “Is this the so-called direct younger sister, Chance, from the same boat?”
The princess said jokingly.
What on earth is ‘direct reporting’? .
The crown prince was just quietly smoking a cigarette.
“But I don’t plan on being satisfied with that much. “I want to create a world without hurt.”
With a firm and resolute tone, Princess Anastasia spoke calmly. Her expression was so serious and precocious that it was difficult to even tell a joke.
She said she wanted a holy sword to create such a world.
The meaning of the 6th Holy Sword is unwavering will.
A firm intention that will not be shaken.
The will of the Holy Sword is the will of the hero.
The hero’s will is the will of the holy sword.
If her words are truly sincere……
“……… “I don’t think it would be compatible with the 6th Holy Sword.”
“Yes?”
“No…… No.”
I shook my head.
“We’ll talk later.”
“…… Yes? Next… ? “What’s going on?”
“What are the weapons?”
“It’s a sword. “I chose the sword with the intention of catching the holy sword someday.”
“Pull it out.”
“………… ?”
As I shrugged my shoulders, the crown prince, who had just put out his cigarette, added quietly.
“It’s coming.”