I put off visiting Dersia's estate. Instead, I went to find Brimdal, who was still loading food supplies onto his carriage. As if a final act of conscience, he had just tossed in a box of cabbages when he glanced at me and asked with a puzzled expression.
"What's this? You've been in a fight. Who was it with?"
"... No, how did you know?"
"The robe you're wearing now has parts that will never wrinkle just from walking, running, or sitting. If you want to hide the fact that you've been in a battle, you'd do well to tidy up your clothes."
"Yes."
So that's a thing. Finding it fascinating, I handed him the crisp certificate.
"This is what I got for winning the squire tournament you told me to enter."
"So?"
"It says I can meet an Imperial Knight with this. Is that possible?"
"Hmm, was that part of it..."
Brimdal scratched his head as if his memory was hazy, then his expression turned to one of curiosity.
"But why are you asking that? You're not actually planning to meet one, are you?"
"I am planning on it."
"... What's the reason?"
"There are a few things I want to find out."
Brimdal, having somehow stuffed the cabbages into the back, crossed his arms with a sullen look and shook his head.
"I can't permit it so easily. It's dangerous."
"I'm not looking to pick a fight."
"It's not that. First of all, if you draw your sword in front of an Imperial Knight, you'll be found out for sure."
"Why?"
"Because you are, to the very end, a mage imitating a knight."
His meaning was lost on me. As I tilted my head, he explained step by step.
"What swordsmanship have you learned?"
"I haven't learned swordsmanship itself."
"Right. Your basic grip, your stance, it's all a complete mess. From a distance, it might not be noticeable, but if you cross swords, any skilled knight will see it immediately."
"Ah."
Come to think of it, all I learned from Brimdal was physical training and the magic-reinforced body.
"So, it's better for you, and for me, if you just compete in some matches, get good results, and then be forgotten at an age where your poor stance and grip can be overlooked, while you focus on learning the magic-reinforced body."
"... There were a lot of spectators there, I'm surprised I wasn't found out."
"You move in advance to dodge. It's a simple concept, but if you can do it, it's an ability that could defeat every knight in the world with a sword."
"Who would notice minor flaws after seeing that? They'll just think it's a minor weakness, whatever is convenient for them."
But if I were to go before an Imperial Knight and draw my sword, that discrepancy would be instantly exposed.
"Next, it will be hard to get permission in the first place."
"Why is that?"
"Even if it really does grant you a meeting, I'm the problem."
I was confused. Brimdal answered shamelessly, with an air of confidence.
"I've had a major dispute with the Imperial Knights. So I doubt they'd agree to meet with you, my disciple."
"If it wasn't that serious, wouldn't they have forgotten?"
"It was a little serious."
"I..."
I had no idea what it was about, but if Brimdal called it serious, I was afraid to even hear the story. I sighed and held out the certificate.
"I understand. But just in case, could you please submit the request for me?"
"Fine. But don't get your hopes up."
Brimdal took the certificate with an annoyed look on his face. Three days later.
"Hmm."
Brimdal held the reply that had come back, his expression unreadable.
"What is it?"
"The First Princess wants to meet you."
I was confused.
It was easy to find stories about the First Princess. Almost everyone in the world praised her name to the high heavens.
"Yeah! I saw her once before, she was so pretty!"
Even Elysia.
Though she had been gloomy at first, spending all day with me in the cabin, and with me playing with her often in exchange for not spying on my training, it seemed her life had taken a turn for the better, and a smile bloomed on her face.
I was reading a book detailing the First Princess's achievements, which was, quite literally, a biography, when I asked again.
"What else is special about her?"
"Hmm..."
Elysia, who had been pondering with her arms crossed, added as if she'd just thought of something.
"She was pretty!"
"You already said that."
"But really, she's the most... anyway, why are you asking this?"
"... It's nothing, just curious."
I pushed the unhelpful Elysia aside and went back to reading the biography. After cross-referencing by finding and reading all the sources cited within, I learned one thing. The First Princess was a superhuman.
Despite her young age of only twenty-one, she has been actively involved in state affairs for a very long time. And she is brilliant. I had received a lot of help from things like the orphanage and the plans related to the Fallen, but in a way, it was to be expected.
She was so competent that there was no area she hadn't touched. It seemed the Empire's peace and the people's generosity might just be thanks to the princess. No, it was her doing.
It wasn't just a matter of pouring the national budget into welfare on her authority as a princess, but rather rational actions based on thorough political calculations, and the profits gained from them were poured back into the nation, not used to preserve her own position... Even I couldn't have done it like this.
I could see why Lumia was jealous. That left one problem.
"... Why?"
I knew I couldn't accomplish anything with just knights. I figured the Second Princess, Lumia, wouldn't know much, so it was true that my aim was to get information from the First Princess. So things had turned out as I'd wished.
But something felt unsettling. I'd have to go to find out the details. It was still three hours away, but to avoid committing the crime of insulting the Imperial Family, I would have to be there at least two hours early.
"Don't be nervous. But don't let your guard down either."
"Understood."
Brimdal, who had dropped me off in the capital, left after giving me a what-is-this-all-about look. I followed the map written on the letter and walked down the street. I arrived at a teahouse, hidden in an alley of the capital, small but not empty of people.
Is it in a place like this? I sat down at the designated window-side table, tapping my fingers, and ordered black tea. I scanned the surroundings carefully with Tide Sense, but there were no knights, not even a weapon in sight.
There was no one particularly beautiful, and a search outside the teahouse also yielded nothing. Is this a trap? It seemed unlikely a princess would show up in such a crowded place without any knights.
"Hello, have you been waiting long?"
Just as I was thinking this, a woman with brown hair sat down in front of me naturally. Not that I had any expectations, but she looked quite ordinary. I bowed my head slightly and replied.
"I am honored to be in the presence of Her Highness, Princess Sharmia."
I didn't make a big fuss. With so many people around, drawing attention with unnecessarily troublesome etiquette could be a nuisance. The woman smiled gently and shook her head.
"You seem to have misunderstood. I am not the princess."
"Pardon?"
"I am merely a maid, acting on her behalf. I know you must be disappointed, but please understand."
"Her Highness the Princess is currently swamped with work and cannot be here in person."
"... I see."
Thinking about it, it was rather obvious. I should have guessed from the teahouse being the meeting place. Does this mean I won't be able to get any information?
Just as I was thinking that, the maid suddenly took a letter out of her bag and handed it to me.
"She left a letter instead."
"This is an honor."
As I placed the letter in my coat to read after our conversation was over, the maid shook her head.
"Please check it now. You must."
"Yes. My apologies. It's because I am not well-versed in the etiquette of the Imperial Palace."
Is it some rule that the maid has to confirm I've read it? I took the letter out again, tore it open, and read the contents inside.
[Nice to meet you, Jern. This is our first meeting.]
The letter that began with those words. Ended just like that. I was confused.
No matter how I looked, that was all there was. A short, informal phrase for a princess.
Meaningless content.
Wondering what this was about, I looked up, and the maid was smiling brightly, just waiting for me to react in some way. I forced a smile and replied.
"... These are fine words. Though brief, I was able to see Lady Sharmia's firm conviction."
"Is that so? I'm glad."
It felt wrong to question the maid about what this was. She was just a messenger. She must have told the maid a certain amount of the truth in place of writing it in the letter.
Clearing my throat, I asked the question that had become completely incomprehensible.
"But, why did Her Highness summon me? I used the certificate with the intention of meeting a knight."
The maid, smiling slyly, took out another letter instead of answering.
"I just read one."
"Yes, I know."
I was confused. Why did she give it to me at this timing, when I asked a question, instead of at the start? Somehow, I had thought it was too short.
I read the second letter.
[I know you wanted to meet a knight, but I have something to ask of you, so I had to resort to this method. I offer my sincere apologies for making you use your certificate in vain. I will compensate you for it separately.]
I could feel my own expression slowly hardening. My next question was thrown out with a slight lack of courtesy.
"Yes, it would be an honor if I could be of help to Her Highness. However, I am just a weak squire."
"It seems the ways in which I can be of assistance are quite limited."
The maid handed me a third letter. I tore it open as soon as I received it.
[I wish to use you not as you are as a knight, but in your other identity. It would be best for both of us to call you... a mage, yes?]
Seeing the contents, I opened my mouth to say something. The maid handed me a fourth letter.
"I haven't said anything yet."
"Yes, Her Highness told me to give it to you before you asked your fourth question."
"I..."
With a slightly trembling hand, I opened the letter. This time, it was not a sentence, nor a word.
[Yes.]
A single syllable.
Thud!
As soon as I saw it, I shot up from my seat.
"My apologies. I have a severe allergy to green tea, and I seem to have drunk some by mistake."
"There's still a little time before the effects show, so how about I call a doctor and we kill some time at a nearby tavern?"
The maid, still smiling, handed me a fifth letter.
[That is terrible. Even if the effects are delayed, I think you should go to the hospital immediately. And it seems a little early to be going to a tavern in the afternoon. How about a cake shop?]
Thump.
As soon as I read the contents, I slumped back into my seat. This was undoubtedly real. I had checked her bag and the letter countless times with Tide Sense, but there was no such act as her writing something as soon as I replied.
The First Princess, Sharmia, was definitely a prophet. ... I see, so that's how she was able to dominate the political world from such a young age without a single mistake. No. Analysis of the situation didn't matter now.
This was a dire crisis. Equal to, or greater than, Red Lotus. It was as if my everything had been exposed.
I clasped my hands together and replied, breaking out in a cold sweat.
"There is truly a god residing in the Imperial Family."
[It seems you have a misunderstanding. Of course, if I were in a state where I knew perfectly how the world would turn out, I could be called a god. But my prophecy is a truly fragmented ability. It's to the extent that I can only confirm a very small part of a future I have chosen.]
I looked at the maid, deep in thought. If she had anticipated everything I would say, then even if she could only see a part of it, she was at a level where she could intervene decisively in the details.
"How do you possess such power? This is a rude question, but could it be that-" [Occasionally, people like me are born into the Imperial Family.
Some say it is because we carry the blood of the first mages—I don't know the details. And no. I have not fallen yet. Though I may be close.]
It was truly hard to believe she wasn't a Fallen while possessing such a strange power.
[And as I've said, it's a really, really lacking ability. My prophecy can see the process of what I've chosen, but it can't see the result. It's a half-baked power. The best I can do is to create a good process.]
"I don't really see the difference."
[I'm sorry. It's difficult to explain. However, please just know that I have not the slightest intention of harming you, Jern.]
It was the answer I wanted most, but it still felt a little unsettling.
[I am always striving to achieve the results I desire. Contacting you is part of that effort.]
"What can I do to help you? I will do my best."
[I saw several futures that branched from my choice. I couldn't see the results—but the processes were all, without exception, terrible. I want to stop that.]
One of the few remaining letters was torn open.
[Among the nobles, there is a traitor who does not even know they are a traitor. Please help me find that person.]
There was a brief pause before the next part of the letter was written. Along with a photograph.
[Jern, it's not just the future that I know.]
I was confused.
[I know the past as well. A past that, perhaps, no one else knows. It is also the reason I chose you.]
"Hmm."
I skimmed the last part of the letter. A black-haired child, looking to be about three years old, was being held by someone.
[I will not force you.]
I let out a sigh. If she was a prophet, she would already know my answer, so what did she mean she wouldn't force me?
[Thank you!]
By the time I had hardened my resolve and read the end of the letter, a message of thanks was already written there.