Episode 151 The Empire's Turmoil (1)
"I think I need to see how the situation unfolds, but I'm optimistic! To be able to directly crush the Immortal King's skull, what could be more exciting than that! Hahaha—!"
Harley answered Rapori's question readily, but left some room for maneuver.
'The important thing right now is the stage.'
A fairy tale-like story where a hero who set out on an adventure to save a princess gathers comrades one by one, crushes the Demon King's schemes, and finally arrives at the Demon King's castle to defeat him.
For such a development, he needed a battlefield on a board, where the hero and the Demon King could comfortably compete and showcase their abilities, all under his control.
'There's a reason why classics are always loved. It would be more dramatic to incorporate the hero party into that scenario.'
But to make the development convincing, he needed a sacrificial lamb, a princess-like figure, who had a reputation worthy of attracting the 'Immortal King's' interest and preventing the Empire from acting rashly...
Fortunately, he already had a perfect candidate for the role.
Although he hadn't received her consent to appear.
"...Is that so? Anyway, it's good to see you. The important discussions are almost over, so we were thinking about returning to the Enamel Continent soon."
Harris had also become qualified to be a High Elf, so they needed to visit the World Tree for the awakening ceremony.
Of course, they would have to return soon because of the allied force and the expedition, but…
'It's about time for the other envoys to return too. …Of course, including the Empire.'
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Jeron, the capital of the Azeria Empire.
Clatter, clatter—
Isea, who had returned from her visit to the Roselia Cathedral in the holy land, looked out the window of the carriage heading towards the imperial palace.
A small woman with black hair, wearing a blue robe.
'It's peaceful.'
She stared blankly at the street, which looked the same as usual, as if it had nothing to do with the current chaotic situation.
This was the Empire's capital, so the effects of the war hadn't reached here yet, but it wouldn't last long.
Many sacrifices and efforts would be needed to maintain this peace, but…
She was currently on her way back, having refused the request to contribute to that effort.
Back to where she belonged.
'…I have no excuse if I'm criticized for being selfish.'
But to Isea, who wasn't from this world, the small connection she had made here was more precious than the safety of the entire continent.
Of course, she knew that if they couldn't stop the Immortal King, everyone, including what she wanted to protect, would be in danger, but there were many others who could do that, weren't there?
Unlike the 'world', which had many people who would step forward and protect it, Fifth Princess Riley desperately needed her right now.
The quality and unity of the forces she had gathered were still far inferior to those of the Crown Prince.
'Still, I thought I would return to Earth after staying only in the Empire, but thanks to Simon, I even visited the holy land.'
Of course, that didn't mean her evaluation of the Crown Prince had improved.
She was the one who had experienced his schemes firsthand since the Fifth Princess's faction started to grow.
She had managed to block them all with blood, sweat, and tears, literally coughing up blood in the process.
And finally arriving at the imperial palace and heading straight to the Fifth Princess's Palace, she was able to face the reason why she was still in this world.
"Viscount Pristine? You're back earlier than I thought."
Riley Carte Azeria, the Fifth Princess of the Azeria Empire, with her golden hair like silk threads and her blue-green eyes shining like jewels, unlike Isea, with a tall and mature figure…
…greeted her with a gentle smile, exuding nobility and dignity.
"Good work, everyone. I have something to discuss with Viscount Pristine, so you're dismissed."
Despite her gentle tone, there was an underlying pressure of someone born to rule.
The maids who had been attending to her bowed politely and left at the princess's quiet order.
Wooong—
As soon as they were alone, Isea lightly waved her hand and, as usual, applied a barrier for security.
You weren't supposed to use magic carelessly inside the imperial palace, but she was an exception, as she was also the princess's personal guard.
When everything was finished,
The moment their gazes met…
"Seah~! Welcome back! What did the Church say? They didn't try to force you to join the expedition, did they?"
Fifth Princess Riley ran up to Isea and hugged her.
"Sigh, Riley. Calm down… Ugh!"
Isea tried to stop the princess, who was hugging her and rubbing her cheek against the top of her head, but she was buried even deeper in her embrace and struggled.
"Hehe— I like this better than a doll. Ah~ It's healing."
"…L-let me… go…"
Isea mumbled, her pronunciation muffled as she was trapped in the princess's embrace, but she eventually managed to wriggle out.
"Aw~ Why! I was so bored without you! Terry isn't as good to hug as you are!"
Riley pouted and whined.
'Terry' was a teddy bear Isea had given her as a birthday present, and it was her favorite doll that she hugged every night when she slept.
"Sigh, you're still a child even though you've grown so much."
"Hmph! I'm a dignified princess outside. You should feel honored to see this side of me, only in front of Seah."
Riley subtly brushed her hair back and looked down with an arrogant smile.
And Isea… looked up at the tall, beautiful woman, who was over 170 centimeters tall, with a dazed expression, and once again cursed the world.
'She was so small and cute when we first met…!'
It couldn't be helped.
When they first met, the princess was just an eleven-year-old girl, even smaller than her peers.
Of course, she had been overtaken in height, figure, and maturity since the princess started to grow rapidly, but…
Their relationship had been reversed, and she had been treated like this ever since.
Their first meeting wasn't like this.
- "Wow, what? Did you just teleport? No one can enter here because of the barrier. Are you an Archmage?"
Whether she was lucky or unlucky,
Isea had landed in a noble family's private property as soon as she was transferred to another world, and she encountered a young child playing alone in the garden.
- "You're from another world? …You're not from this world?"
And the moment she heard that it was a place where no one could enter, she immediately grasped the situation and revealed everything honestly.
She judged that the only way to survive was to gain the favor of the girl in front of her.
And the words that came out after exchanging various conversations with the curious girl, who was sparkling with curiosity, became the beginning of her life in this unfamiliar world.
- "This is interesting! So you don't know anything about this place? Then I'll help you! …But there's one condition."
Normally, she might have been executed as soon as she was transferred, but…
She was definitely lucky.
- "…Will you be my friend?"
- "Friend? You're so small. Call me big sister."
- "Big sister? Big sisters are… scary."
The child, who had been cheerful the entire time, cautiously made an offer.
She didn't know the child's identity or situation back then, but Isea couldn't ignore the loneliness in the young girl's eyes.
- "…Sigh, okay. Then just call me Seah."
- "Seah? Is that your name? It's a pretty name!"
- "Yes, thank you. What's your name?"
- "Riley! My name is Riley!"
It was the moment when Riley Carte Azeria, the Fifth Princess of the Azeria Empire (11 years old), who had come down to her maternal family's estate to avoid the scrutiny of her siblings in the fierce imperial palace,
And Isea (18 years old), a high school student from Earth who had just been transferred to another world and was worried about her future, first met.
Eight years had passed since then, and they had been like friends and sisters.
She had already been overtaken in many ways, but she still cherished Riley like a younger sister.
Just as Riley, who had no one to confide in, relied on her, Isea also relied heavily on the child who had first reached out to her in this unfamiliar world.
"…And so, Duke Walter tried to pull a fast one on me and got caught. It seems like he was trying to make some achievements while my big brother was away, but he might get punished instead. Hehe!"
Isea smiled, watching Riley, who was clinging to her and chattering about what had happened while she was away, and then felt a bit uncomfortable.
No matter how much she cherished Riley like a younger sister, she couldn't stay here forever because she was from a different world.
'But there's a time difference, so it's okay to stay a little longer.'
The deadline she had set in her mind was ten years, one year in Earth time.
She had about two years left in this world's time.
She had to create a safe environment for this child to live in before then.
'Will Riley, who has no friends, be able to smile like this after I leave? Even now, she doesn't show her true self to anyone but me…'
Of course, the princess had her support as an Archmage, but her ability to build a force strong enough to rival the Crown Prince at the age of nineteen wasn't ordinary either.
Her genius was already well-known in the Empire, and her nickname outside was even 'Iron-Blooded Princess'.
Even though she acted so clumsily in front of her…
But regardless of that… the fact that she had no one to confide in was a big concern.
Isea had also tried several times to find someone for the princess to befriend, but perhaps because of her childhood memories, she had a strong aversion to 'people of this world'.
'There's still a lot of time left, so let's think about it slowly. Come to think of it, I came here when I was a sophomore in high school, so I'll be a senior by the time I go back. Wait, then do I have to take the college entrance exam? How many months are left?'
It was a trivial matter compared to the serious worries she had been having, but…
It was a serious issue for her, who was a great Archmage of the Auterica Dimension and a ninth-year high school student on Earth.
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"So, Olivia. This is the latest information, supplementing what you've investigated so far. From the defenses of the imperial palace and the surrounding areas, to the identities of the nobles residing in the capital. I worked hard to compile this."
[This is… the information that Andrew gathered…? It's quite useful… He seems like he'll be a valuable asset…]
"Tsk."
Olivia ignored Siana, who was trying to show off, and quickly scanned the densely written document.
Andrew Weber had spent several days and nights compiling that information, but the evil and ruthless executives of the immortal army didn't care about such things.
"Oh, right! His Majesty said he's going to send Andrew under your command later. You know you have to be careful when handling him because he's human, right?"
[Don't worry… If he tries to resist, I'll just show him fear worse than death…]
"No, I'm saying be careful not to break him! Humans die easily if you don't give them food and sleep!"
[Ah… Of course… I wasn't planning to be that rough… I'll guarantee him three meals a day and three hours of sleep for smooth nutrient supply…]
"Uh— three hours?"
Siana hesitated for a moment, talking to Olivia.
She felt like she should say something, as she had some history with Andrew.
[Ah… I forgot about bathroom and washing time… Hmm… Well, humans need some leisure time, so he can just work for 18 hours a day…]
"Um, wouldn't his efficiency decrease if you make him work that much? Can't you give him more time off?"
[It's okay… It'll naturally increase if you just whip him…]
At that point, Siana firmly made up her mind.
Olivia must be mistaken about human limitations.
Of course, he could do it if he had to, but it wouldn't be good in the long run.
Just as she was about to point that out…
[To think he gets six hours of rest just because he has a body… I'm envious…]
'I'll just give up. Sorry, Andrew.'
She quietly gave up at Olivia's muttering.
Come to think of it, it wasn't that harsh, was it?
He could just use his ability while sitting comfortably, so six hours of rest a day seemed enough.
And as a dark cloud settled over the future of an Earthling without him even knowing, the two executives returned to the original topic and discussed their future plans.
To fulfill the Immortal King's order.
And so, as Saint Heinrich 'predicted',
Immortal King Hannibal Strauss started to move to attack the Empire.