Kimi to Boku no Saigo no Senjo, Aruiha Sekai ga Hajimaru Seisen - Volume 9 - Chapter 1.2

2

The Nebulis palace. Otherwise known as the Planetary Stronghold.

Once, countless astral powers had gathered and crystallized to create the fortress. Ordinary flame could not harm the halls in the slightest. Even if a bomb was dropped on it, the palace would be able to reconstitute itself in but a single night.

And indeed, in the Star Spire, abode of the Lou family, there was not a single scratch to be found on the outer walls. Despite the blaze from the Imperial forces’ bombardment, the walls were already fully restored.

“We need not worry about the royal palace! Though the queen has yet to heal, I will be sure to do a splendid job of supporting her!”

Star Spire.

In the Jewelry Box of Bells, the princess’s private chambers, Alice placed her hand to her chest and resoundingly declared, “Now, Rin.”

“…………” Her handmaiden was silent.

“Midday today, you will fly out of the Sovereignty. You will do so for the sake of the House of Lou, the Sovereignty, and our futures. You must infiltrate the Empire!”

“…Haaah.”

“I am counting on you, Rin. No one else would be able see such an important duty through! …Wait, what’s wrong? You look so very pale.”

“…Does it seem that way? I suppose it does.”

Rin was listless. Still looking pallid enough to faint, Alice’s attendant, Rin Vispose, sighed. Incidentally, that had been her eighteenth of the day.

“……Lady Alice,” Rin implored.

“What is it?” Alice asked.

“My family has served the royal family for generation after generation. My father and his father attended to the House of Lou in succession. And I have served you, the most likely candidate for the queen’s successor, who people already see as the current monarch, since we were children.”

“Yes, it’s exactly as you say.” Alice nodded without hesitation. “I am the person I am now because of you. I’m truly grateful for it.”

“Yes. And so great was my desire to serve you that I labored as your attendant and dedicated myself to training in order to become your guard.”

Each member of the Nebulis family had two attendants. One would serve as a handmaiden for their everyday activities. The other was a member of the Astral Guard, an escort who would protect the family member’s life. Only astral mages who had undergone rigorous training and passed final exams personally administered by the head of the family could be appointed as one.

Rin had accomplished both roles all on her own. In this regard, she was unique, an exception. Among all three families, the Lou, Zoa, and Hydra, Rin was the only servant who fulfilled both duties for her princess.

“I am happy if you are happy, Lady Alice,” she said. “As long as I am by your side, I want for naught.”

“Yes, we do have a very strong bond.”

“However, if I may speak for myself?”

“Yes, Rin?”

“Why are you making me go to the Empiiiire?!” the maid shrieked, dressed in a dark suit she wore for outings. She would be heading to the Empire in it. “…Argh, I can’t believe this.”

“You’re going to save Sisbell. You’ll only need to endure it for a week at most.”

“I’m fully aware of that, but…”

Rin’s shoulders drooped. Alice grasped the hand of her unusually despondent attendant and nodded slightly.

“Don’t be so glum. Look. You can keep this safe.”

She placed an earring fashioned in the image of a sun in Rin’s palm. It was the earring belonging to Princess Mizerhyby of the Hydra, which Iska had stolen at the astral power research center Snow and Sun. They had learned a peculiar IC card was housed within it.

“Iska said that the princess called this the Gregorian Descant, right?”

“Yes. And we think it’s one of the Hydra’s secrets. It has strong encryption on it, so we’ll need specialists to decrypt it into readable text. The only information we could view was…”

“Where they’re taking Sisbell. That’s why I’m leaving it with you.”

She was outside of the Sovereignty. Sisbell, the third Lou princess, had been taken to the Empire. It was entirely plausible the Hydra and the Imperial forces were connected.

…The Empire wants a purebred, after all.

…Could the Hydra be looking for a ransom from the Empire in exchange for Sisbell?

And this did not stop at her sister. Two others were missing following the aftermath of the Imperial forces’ invasion of the palace:

—House of Lou, Eldest Princess Elletear.

—Head of the Zoa, Growley.

There was no mistaking it. In all likelihood, the two of them had been taken to the Empire just like Sisbell.

“It’s imperative that we turn things around. I need you to internalize that, Rin.”

“I am deeply aware.” Rin scowled. “We should be able to uncover the culprits behind the palace invasion using Lady Sisbell’s Illumination astral power. You can rest assured that I’ll get her out of there. Especially since we need her…to expose the Hydra’s schemes, too.”

Rin turned around and faced a girl who had been watching her exchange with Alice from a corner of the living room.

“I am counting on you to stay by Lady Alice’s side while I am away,” Rin told her.

“Y-yes, ma’am…!”

She was around Sisbell’s age.

The petite girl’s face still held the remnants of childhood, and her black hair had been cropped to her shoulders. Faint gray light from an astral crest, proof of her status as an astral mage, glowed on the nape of her neck.

She possessed the Silhouette subspecies of astral crest, which could create doppelgängers.

“I have orders from Her Majesty. As soon as you leave Lady Alice’s side, Miss Rin, the Zoa and Hydra will take note. They’ll probably suspect something.”

“I estimate they’ll catch on in about a week. Though I am sure that keeping up your astral powers for that long will tire you out.”

“N-not at all! I’ll put everything I’ve got into this…!”

The young girl bowed. At the same instant, sparks popped. Her form began to unravel like a thread as another girl materialized in her place—a girl with brown hair and sharp features wearing a housekeeping uniform—another Rin.

“Lady Alice,” she said in Rin’s voice. “Rin Vispose, this is what I have to offer… Is it to your liking?”

“It will work splendidly.” Alice gave a firm nod to the girl who had disguised herself as Rin. “Your voice has a slightly different intonation, but I am sure no one will notice such a subtle distinction. This will work for a week.”

This girl was the Lou’s special secretary. Despite her youth, she was the royal family’s first choice when they needed a body double. Typically, however, she acted as the substitute for the queen—this time she would be entrusted with covertly filling in for Rin.

“What do you think, Rin? Since this is you, after all.”

“…………”

The Rin wearing the suit stared at the Rin in the housekeeping uniform. The genuine article looked over the other girl from head to toe several times.

“I see no issues. But if I must comment on something, I believe the real me has slightly higher shoulders, a more striking nose, and, of course, a slightly larger chest.”

“…Uh, um,” the girl masquerading as the attendant stammered, incredibly hesitant. She turned her face down. “My astral powers reproduce the form of others…so my features and build are exactly the same as yours, Miss Rin.”

“…”

“S-so…that is to say, if you’re concerned about my chest, then…”

“Uh-uh! Stop right there!”

What in the world is she doing? Predicting what the doppelgänger was about to say next, Alice called out to stop her.

“Enough talk of bosoms!” the princess exclaimed. “Please refrain from wounding Rin’s pride any further!”

“What do you mean by that, Lady Alice?!”

“I’m already putting her through enough distress sending her to the Empire as is! I won’t stand for her to suffer more on top of that! Please pretend that Rin’s bust is bigger than yours!”

“Don’t you see how that’ll hurt my feelings even more?!” her servant exclaimed. “I didn’t ask you to do that!”

“There, there,” Alice said. She took the hand of her red-faced attendant in a parting handshake. “When you return from the Empire, I hope that the experience of overcoming such a terrible mission will have brought you growth in both body and mind. Especially in the chest.”

“I find that absolutely unnecessary!” Rin cradled her suitcase in her arms as she ran out of the princess’s room. “But fine, then! In that case, I’ll make sure I come back even more well-endowed than you, Lady Alice!”