“I understand Young Lord Karbaldr’s circumstances. Then, Reysir Daudabina, why did you not reveal the information that a ‘qualification’ is required to kill certain monsters? I checked the records from ten years ago, but that information was nowhere to be found.”
The moment the words ‘ten years ago’ left the Imperial Princess’s mouth, I witnessed a surge of anger that Reysir could not quite hide flash across his face. Although the emotion itself vanished as quickly as it appeared, his rigid expression and the cold atmosphere remained like a lingering afterimage.
“Even I, at eighteen years old, mistakenly omitted an important report, did I not?” I quickly stepped in to defend him, fearing Reysir might lose his temper and make a slip of the tongue. “Ten years ago, he was only eight years old. Having lost his family and his home, he must have been utterly confused. How could he have been expected to discern important information and proactively file a report?”
“Now that I hear it, that is indeed true.” Fortunately, the Imperial Princess shifted her gaze from Reysir back to me and listened to my words.
“Perhaps, at that time, the child found it difficult enough just to answer the questions the adults were asking.”
“And the adults questioning the child would not have known about the ‘window’ visible only to the person involved. Since it was impossible to ask about it, the information must have been omitted from the records?”
“If you think about it logically, is that not the most natural conclusion to reach? Just as you have done now, Your Imperial Highness.”
“Hrmmmmm….”
I expected her to agree immediately since she had reached the conclusion herself. However, Fjodra hesitated for a long time with a strange expression before suddenly uttering something bizarre.
“Somehow, I feel as if I am being led to a certain thought. I suspect that perhaps someone was worried that your friend would be interrogated. Perhaps you deliberately hid the ‘letters appearing in the air’ even from the Austri Duke just so you could use it as an excuse like this.”
“That is an groundless speculation..! I acknowledge that the situations overlap strangely, but it is nothing more than a coincidence.”
The claim that Reysir is my friend, and the idea that I didn’t tell Hard about the status window for his sake… all of it was merely Fjodra’s speculation. I simply didn’t want to explain the status window to the family of this Possession Body. Since it was something unknown, they would obviously demand to know every detail of what was written there. They might have even ordered me to copy the contents onto paper.
‘That’s why I intended to wait until information about the status window became somewhat public in the future, and then just casually mention that I could see it too.’
That was also why I could fluently weave a lie about the reason I didn’t tell Hard about the status window during the latter half of the previous episode. I had prepared the excuse in advance for the future.
“I didn’t even know what information was missing from the records of the incident ten years ago… Moreover, isn’t this meeting today something suddenly arranged by your will, Your Imperial Highness? How could I have foreseen the current situation and hidden important information from my father?”
“That also makes sense.” Fjodra nodded. Based on her appearance, it seemed she had let go of her suspicion.
However, a problem still remained.
‘Is Reysir… is he moved? Does he think I stepped up to protect him so he wouldn’t get into trouble…?’
I only wanted to avoid conflict out of a love for peace, but I didn’t know why he was getting emotional all on his own. Still, it was a relief that the Protagonist of Another Novel, who had been radiating the aura of a time bomb, seemed to have regained his composure.
“Come to think of it, did you not say that you thought most people caught in the anomaly could see ‘it’?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Was it pointless for me to call only the two of you first?”
“If you are asking whether Liolikin, who has not yet arrived, can also see ‘it,’ then my answer is yes.”
“I see…” Fjodra showed a momentarily embarrassed reaction to my answer. But soon, she muttered, “Does it matter?” and turned her head to speak to the Original Protagonist. “At any rate, Reysir Daudabina. I shall overlook the fact that you have been hiding information about ‘it’ until now.”
“Well, thank you for your understanding.” It was an explicitly sarcastic tone.
Nevertheless, Fjodra overlooked this as well without making it an issue.
“I do not need gratitude that is not in your heart. Rather, I would like you to realize that the situation has now changed. You may not have heard the news yet, but it seems a similar phenomenon occurred abroad the day before yesterday.”
“Will anything change just because I know that?”
“One must know the circumstances to feel the desire to help, would you not agree? Regarding what we see as ‘it,’ as well as the phenomenon you experienced ten years ago, please tell me everything you remember or have speculated without reservation.”
She could have ordered them to tell her everything they knew. Instead, Fjodra explained the current situation and asked for ‘cooperation.’ Considering the fact that she is a member of the Imperial Family being discussed as a candidate for the next Emperor, and Reysir is a noble in name only, one could see how much of a consideration and kindness this was.
But even so.
“……”
Reysir did not answer Fjodra’s words immediately. With an expression that felt like a cold wind blowing, he stared blankly at her face to a degree that felt rude. Who else could have stared at her, a member of the Imperial Family, in such a way?
It was just as a frown formed between the Imperial Princess’s brows and unpleasantness showed on her face.
“…I am the one who wishes to ask. Did the Imperial Family not take my family’s Fief for the purpose of investigation? Have you found out anything during that time?”
“That is a truly difficult question to answer.”
Perhaps Reysir’s long silence was a process of speaking while filtering out as much resentment as possible. Fjodra seemed to have realized that, as she showed embarrassment rather than anger. No, even if Reysir had been overtly resentful, her conscience would have quelled her anger.
After taking the Fief under the pretext of investigation, the Imperial Family did not strive to identify the cause of the Magicalization. They were busy researching and finding uses for the rare and unfamiliar resources that appeared there, and after that, they merely pocketed the profits by selling them off.
“Could it be that you’ve discovered nothing? Not a single thing for as long as ten years??” Reysir’s voice grew slightly louder. It seemed unintentional, happening without him realizing it because it was so absurd and unfair.
Whether she found it burdensome to meet his eyes, Fjodra cast her gaze downward.
“…I have no excuse even if I had ten mouths.”
From the perspective of the Imperial Family, that might be true, but as an individual, Fjodra would have many things she could say. She was also young ten years ago. Fjodra’s current age is twenty-five, making her fifteen at the time. It was a time when she wasn’t even mentioned as a candidate for successor and had no power in her voice.
According to her past reminiscences in the Original Work, Fjodra was the only member of the Imperial Family who argued that they should not take away even the hometown of a young survivor. Since the Imperial Family is like the parent of all citizens, she argued they should pity the child who lost everything in a sudden disaster and care for him with benevolence and justice.
She had argued so, but…
‘I heard she was told she didn’t know reality because an emotional young girl was telling a fairy tale. If the problem was that the child was too young to manage the Fief, since it had become a land where no one lived anyway, they could have just left it as it was until Reysir grew up. And if they coveted the resources produced there, wouldn’t it be more proper for the Imperial Family to dispatch management to help rebuild the Fief and share the profits instead?’
She thought of and suggested several other countermeasures, but…
‘They were buried by the voices of adults who didn’t want to give even a small piece of the pie to a young boy… was it?’
At that time, the Princess felt a sense of doubt. A monarch should be the one who stands at the forefront and pursues ideals. Why did the adults of the Imperial Family, including her father the Emperor, pursue only profit? Why did her young siblings take that sight for granted?
Using this as a catalyst, she gathered those who would pursue ideals together to build her power, which led to her current state. That is the background story of how Fjodra rose as a candidate for the next succession to the throne.
‘Even so, if she doesn’t gain the Emperor’s recognition, the position of Crown Princess is a pipe dream. So she must also show the image of a successor the Emperor desires!’
Even if she felt sorry for Reysir, she couldn’t show it or apologize, and the reason she was asserting authority with a halfway attitude stemmed from that. In the first place, a member of the Imperial Family is not in a position to easily utter words of apology. Thus, in the Original Work, it was only at the moment of her death that Fjodra could finally bring out and offer the apology she had held in her heart for a long time.
“Regarding what happened ten years ago… I have nothing more to say. Regarding the ‘window where one can check their abilities,’ I omitted it unintentionally, but other than that, I have told you everything I know.”
The current Reysir knew nothing of Fjodra’s story. For that reason, he looked at her as if she were a shameless person without a conscience, but contrary to his rebellious gaze, the words that flowed from his mouth were quite cooperative.
“Still, there are a few things I can tell you regarding that window.”
“Then please tell me at least those.”
“In exchange, I want you to promise. You must publicly announce, without concealment, that seeing ‘this’ serves as the qualification to kill special monsters, including the information I provide.”
“I was already thinking it would be good to do so after hearing Young Lord Karbaldr’s words.”
After hearing Fjodra’s answer, Reysir informed her of the fact that the skill list could also be viewed, explained how to manipulate the screen and how to use the Inventory, and even mentioned the approximate values of the stats he had seen when he was eight years old. He told her to use it as a reference, as a starting point would be needed to know if the stats were high or low.
“Then your current stats are…”
“Does Your Imperial Highness intend to go around talking about it everywhere?”
“I could not do that.”
“The same goes for me.”
“I understand. Then I shall not ask.”
When the conversation between the two ended like that, I brought out additional information that Reysir did not know.
“I discovered this by chance, but one can also check the stats and skills of the Familiar belonging to them using the same method.”
“Is that true?! Oh! It really is visible!!”
Fjodra momentarily took off and set aside her mask of an Imperial Princess, showing a look of genuine joy. No matter how much she is a member of the Imperial Family who must value dignity and always maintain a heavy air, it was the moment it was proven that, in the end, she is nothing more than a partner human to a Familiar.