No, I understood. What Princess Krell was getting at, I understood better than anyone. In fact, that there was no other way to change the present circumstances, and that we were in a state where we could use ‘that’—I knew it all.

Yet I didn’t want to acknowledge it. I didn’t want to admit that was the only possibility.

But reality was merciless.

Princess Krell spoke cheerfully:

“The deadline is approaching. There’s no way to save the capital’s people…to save you. We can’t do anything more—it’s a hopeless situation. When people are in a bind like this, they all think … Read the rest

Epilogue

The Revenge of the Puppet

Let me talk about what happened after the incident that would later be called the Revenge of the Puppet.

Erne, the mastermind and perpetrator behind the series of incidents, was captured by the knights after the situation was resolved. After thorough interrogation, she was put on trial and sentenced to death for treason, attempted mass murder, and the attempted assassination of Third Princess Krell Carreralonde of the royal family. She was sent to the guillotine. While there were many points to sympathize with in her motives and circumstances, what’s done cannot be undone. Though … Read the rest

“I didn’t abandon it… it had it taken away from me. This country… we had a happy nation.”

“Taken away?”

Princess Krell looked our way, but I shook my head.

I’ve never heard of such a thing. There’s no historical record of the Empire invading the Safira Kingdom. Historically, these two countries had little interaction. That’s still the case today, and they haven’t formed any alliances. Yet, there was a genuine hatred in Erne’s voice.

“Even the royals don’t know… I’m sure only a few people in the Empire are aware. The underhanded and vile things the Carreralonde Empire is … Read the rest

Twenty minutes later.

“It feels bigger up close than it looked from afar,” said Princess Krell as we arrived on a rooftop several hundred meters from the black sphere. Despite her words, she seemed completely unfazed.

I floated my Guardian Shield key in the air and took off my necktie, tossing it away. She was right, it did feel far larger up close.

“The diameter looks to be around 300 meters. Black miasma has started leaking from the surface over time, so shall we hurry and destroy it?”

“I understand that, but… will it really be alright?”

Princess Krell asked … Read the rest

Chapter Five : beside the strongest shield, always stands the strongest spear.

“Heh… That butler is a real monster…”

Pressing my left arm, which had suffered necrosis due to the pseudo-contract with etoile’s key, I cursed in an alley away from the magic museum.

The plan was perfect. Despite some unexpected interruptions, it was mostly going smoothly. I obtained etoile’s key, sacrificed my left arm to activate the unique ability through the pseudo-contract, and successfully connected with the Amplification Gem. The enormous black sphere floating in the sky above the imperial capital, Mifras, should be transmitting the ‘Discord’ of etoile’s … Read the rest

Using that power, a rare large-scale massacre is currently underway, unveiling the secrets of history. It’s only natural to want to know the reason behind it.

“What Erne said about revenge, who or what is it directed towards…”

“I don’t know the details, but it’s definitely not something trivial.”

To plot such a massive massacre implies holding deep grudges. Targeting the imperial capital means holding a strong grudge against the empire. For an individual to hate a whole nation, there must have been significant reasons.

Although I’m very curious, for now, we need to do something about that black sphere.… Read the rest

I recalled the pigeon we encountered in the woods.

At that time, I didn’t think much about it and was just thinking about how adorable Princess Krell was, wanting to marry her, and so on… But looking back, there were quite a few strange points that made me suspicious.

“Pigeons used in the girly ritual of receiving a ring from a future partner usually use wild pigeons not accustomed to humans. However, that pigeon was clearly used to people, and for some reason, it came to the secluded woods, where there are few people and it’s dangerous for pigeons living … Read the rest

After repeating the call several times without receiving a response, I was about to urge the museum director to step away when high laughter echoed in the room, freezing everyone in place.

“Hahahaha!”

“――Ah!”

Amidst the heavy atmosphere of the laughter that pierced through, everyone present was taken aback. I sensed a sinister presence near Erne’s hand and pulled out a knife from my pocket. In an instant, I aimed and threw it towards the source of the presence. However, Erne’s left arm intercepted it, preventing it from reaching its target.

Erne, who had a knife thrust into her forearm, … Read the rest

“It’s a bit chilly, isn’t it?.”

After leaving the director’s office, we moved to the museum’s rooftop, and I sat on a chair exposed to the chilly night breeze. This rooftop is usually open to visitors and features famous bronze sculptures by renowned artists. From here, you can overlook the city’s illuminated streets, where lovers often visit to admire the night view and make confessions, sometimes resulting in rejections. However, today the museum was closed all day, and at this moment, only Princess Krell and I were on the rooftop. Behind the already beautiful Princess Krell, there was a picturesque … Read the rest

“It’s strange, though.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s strange because I heard from the museum director that all security systems were checked. Certainly, there doesn’t seem to be any change in etoile’s key.”

While the magicians in the room double-checked the other keys just in case, they found no changes. Everything seemed to be fine.

Then, the lights in the museum suddenly went out, and a bell rang violently, shaking our eardrums.

“――They’re here.”

“Hurry――kyaa!”

I lifted Princess Krell, floating the wheelchair with magic, and rushed down the spiral staircase.

Fortunately, the ‘Key Chamber’ wasn’t too far from the rooftop, … Read the rest