I received permission to search the airship’s crash site for Telm and Kechachakka. The omnipotent Sitri-wraith and Killiam Smart, now half its original size, accompanied me.
With the conference approaching, Toweyezant was getting lively. I was seeing more and more knights and Magi that appeared to be from other countries. I could feel an undercurrent of tension amid all the excitement.
Toweyezant was a vast country, but not so prosperous. I didn’t know much about their history, but I had heard this had once been a land of ceaseless conflict. It was like a slice of hell. Most of the land was a desert climate with very little rain. What little food the region produced was fought over, and powerful monsters unique to this region could be found everywhere.
Those days had been brought to an end by the golden age of treasure hunting. Toweyezant wasn’t an optimal land for human habitation, but that climate brought about treasure vaults unlike any other. And the mana material that ran along the leylines provided a nearly limitless source of energy, giving this land an almost infinite resource, so long as someone was around to extract it.
In search of untrodden treasure vaults, hunters flocked to this once-poor country, and a number of towns popped up to welcome them. The people of the land stopped fighting and united as one. And that’s how this country came to be.
“Though it seems only a certain portion of cities are growing,” Sitri-wraith observed. “As I expected, food production still makes all the difference. Food is rare in treasure vaults, and importing is difficult with all the monsters.”
“Sounds tough,” I said.
“I understand they’re planting trees and other greenery, but the results have been less than ideal,” Sitri-wraith explained with a smile. She was supposedly as new to this land as I was, but she was oddly well-informed.
We left the town. The Black Star couldn’t be moved or repaired quickly, so it remained where it had landed. Seeing the ship for the first time in days, the balloon at the top was slightly deflated and its majesty was gone without a trace.
The hull, sticking out of the ground at an angle, had been dug up, but it looked like it had a long way to go before it could be considered fixed. There were guards posted around it, but we had already received permission to enter, so we went ahead and entered through a broken window.
The ship was as it was when it had crashed. Before leaving, I had given the interior a sweep and found no signs of Telm or Kechachakka. However, I didn’t have the sharpest eyes, so I figured something might turn up if I brought Sitri here. We also wanted to retrieve the supplies on board. Left like this, the heat would ruin them and they weren’t needed anymore as the Black Star wasn’t going to be bringing the emperor home. Likewise, we had already received permission to retrieve these supplies.
“Thank you so much!” Sitri said. “This country is constantly short of food and potions.”
“Well, they’re your supplies to begin with. Do you think you’ll be able to cover your losses?”
“Of course! All thanks to you, Krai!”
Sitri’s smile stretched to the edge of her face. She really had an enterprising spirit. The two of us (plus Killiam) carefully examined the inside of the ship. Sitri’s eyes shone as she looked around an airship for the first time.
“Come to think of it,” I said, “I’m surprised you guys weren’t pulled into the treasure vault.”
“Well, we tried to get pulled in, but we couldn’t gather enough speed.”
“Huh?”
“We had been losing speed, you see. When we got close, Luke tried to cut a hole from the outside, but nothing he did had any effect on the vault. And so we couldn’t link up with you.”
“Yeah, uh-huh.”
“It appears Peregrine Lodge’s boundaries aren’t marked by physical barriers. If that experience is anything to go off, Luke’s sword does not affect opponents that can warp space. He says he’ll train more.”
“Yeah, that happens sometimes.”
I nodded along, deeply relieved that I hadn’t met up with them. If that had happened, what I valued most wouldn’t have been a carpet, but rather my friends. I could never have handed them over, which would have left us no choice but to fight the phantom head-on.
Wait, so the reason I could only find Lucia and Sitri is because everyone else is off training? Do they have muscles for brains?
“I suppose Peregrine Lodge is still a bit much for us,” I commented, entirely in perfectly comfortable mode.
“But let me say this, Krai!” Sitri protested in a trembling voice. “My preparations were flawless! I even made some considerations for a possible encounter with Peregrine Lodge!”
“You’re incredible, Sitri,” I said at length.
If she had thought it was a possibility, she should have said something. Maybe I wouldn’t have needed to go through all that. Sitri seemed to think she had made a mistake, so I patted her on the back. Any mistakes she had made were nothing compared to mine.
Sitri-wraith’s expression softened slightly. She looked at me with upturned eyes and hesitantly asked, “So, Krai, did the fried tofu I packed come in handy?”
Huh? Fried tofu? Was there some aboard? I had no idea.
It didn’t sound like she was joking and she was fidgeting as though she was hoping for a compliment. Yeah, I should’ve read the manifest, but who would have expected fried tofu to be among our supplies?
I decided to avoid the issue. I rubbed her head, letting her soft hair pass through my fingers. Her droopy eyes became a little less anxious.
“Yeah, you saved me back there,” I said. “Really, I mean it. If not for that fried tofu, uh, I would’ve been in serious trouble.”
“You used it to escape Peregrine Lodge last time, so I was certain it might come in handy. Oh, I’m so glad. Tofu’s not exactly a staple dish in Zebrudia, so it took some effort to obtain it.”
I couldn’t let her realize I hadn’t even noticed the tofu. I couldn’t do anything that might dampen her smile.
Sitri’s what I value most. That’s right, it’s Sitri. I screwed up here. It’s all my fault.
“By that way, for future reference,” she said, elated that she had been helpful, “was five crates enough?”
“Five?! Uh, mmm, it’s hard to say?”
Was five crates really necessary? Was she planning to throw a party or something?
As I listened to Sitri cheerfully chat away, we looked around the airship. I didn’t see Telm, Kechachakka, or any sign of what might have happened to them. My initial prediction that they had remained in the vault was looking more and more likely. But if they were in the vault, I didn’t have any way of knowing that for sure.
Then, my insensitive ears picked up a faint noise. It came from the cargo hold. Normally, this section was for luggage, but the vast majority of it ended up being used to store the food I had brought. It certainly didn’t make for a good hiding spot.
Sitri slowly drew her Relic water gun and Killiam raised its slim arms in a fighting stance. I had the Safety Rings, so I took the lead. I opened the door and peeked inside. The cargo hold hadn’t changed much since I last saw it. Unlike the luggage in the other rooms, the boxes here had been fastened down just in case. The gratuitous mountains of crates were sturdy and wouldn’t collapse easily.
I took a few cautious steps in. I looked around but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Maybe the sound had come from outside.
“Everything’s all right,” I said to Sitri. “It looks like it was just our imaginations—”
Without making a sound, the lid of the large crate before me slid open. The first thing I saw was a white triangle. Once the lid was removed, a small figure stood up. Before me was a girl in a white kimono and a fox mask. In her hands was a large cut of fried tofu. I simply blinked in confusion.
Use some chopsticks. Eating with your hands is bad manners.
The phantom looked at me and calmly munched on her tofu. Smiling, I approached the box, pressed her head down, and replaced the lid on the crate. Taking deep breaths, I hoisted up the crate. Wooden crates weigh a bit, but that was all I felt—no additional weight from the contents. And that’s because it was empty. There was absolutely nothing at all in this crate.
I turned to Sitri and smiled. “All clear. Should we take these crates outside? Maybe five crates wasn’t enough.”
Maybe that had been a heat-induced mirage. Or maybe stress was to blame. This called for a cool drink and playing with the Carpet. I just wanted to quickly get our supplies and get out.
“A-A captive?” Sitri said. “Krai, you never cease to amaze me. I could never manage a feat like this.”
Uh-oh, Sitri’s reeling. And what do I do with this? Why is the sister here?!
“While I was hoping for a captive fox, I meant a criminal, not a phantom...” Sitri said.
Sure, but it wasn’t my doing that had brought this phantom from her vault.
I felt rumbling from inside the crate. It sounded like Little Sister Fox (I didn’t know her name, so I was calling her that for convenience’s sake) was gorging herself on fried tofu. Sitri almost always wore a smile, but even she looked grim.
And I still didn’t have a clue what I was supposed to do about this little fox. The phantoms of Peregrine Lodge weren’t something that could be taken lightly. Most phantoms didn’t leave their vaults because they couldn’t survive long on the outside, but that sort of common sense apparently had nothing to do with this fox girl.
“Maybe if Lucia uses the tail, she could do something?” I proposed. “Like, if she had fox ears, this phantom might think they’re kin or something.”
“I think you’d just be asking her to punch you,” Sitri said. “Hmm. If it’s just one, we might be able to take it down if we all work together.”
The sun was beating down on us. Heat waves warped the surrounding scenery. The box was awfully calm, considering that we were talking about killing the phantom inside.
Yeah, I’m not sure I can kill something that doesn’t mean any harm.
“I’m coming up empty,” I said.
“Indeed. I could try tossing her in the blender, but that might just break it.”
“Huh? What’s a blender?”
“I’m conducting experiments that involve grinding down phantoms into liquid mana material. Typically, they dissipate into the air—”
“Ah, sorry. I think I’ve got the idea.”
Of the two little sisters, the Smart one was far more dangerous.
The way I saw it, the quickest resolution was to have Peregrine Lodge take her back. We turned down an inconspicuous alley, where I set the box down. I braced myself and slowly opened the crate. I prayed that the contents had vanished at some point, but inside was a phantom quietly hugging her knees.
She didn’t have the ears or tails of a beast. At first glance, she just looked like a person in a mask, but her presence wasn’t anything like that of a human.
I took a deep breath and asked her, “Hey, are you able to contact Peregrine Lodge?”
And why are you here in the first place? This makes no sense. Take your tofu and go home!
Little Sister Fox didn’t say anything, but after a moment she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small green board about the size of a small notebook. It was smooth and numbers appeared when she touched the black surface. It seemed to be displaying the time. My eyes flew open. I recognized this thing. I knew what it was!
“That’s a Smartphone. A telephone Relic.”
“A telephone?” Sitri said. “Like what you talk through? It doesn’t look anything like it.”
Telephones were a communication device used in technologically advanced countries. They were still in the experimental stage and there were a number of obstacles preventing them from becoming common in the empire, but they were like a Sounding Stone that could be used to contact multiple locations. And the Smartphone was an item from the Era of Physical Arms that had similar functions!
“Well, it’s a Relic after all,” I reminded Sitri. “With these, every terminal has its own number. You enter the number of the desired terminal and you can talk to them over long distances.”
“But you can only contact people who own the same Relic, and you also have to know their number?”
“Right, so it’s less practical than a Sounding Stone. And yet these things sell for a lot among devoted enthusiasts.”
What’s more, they were an odd strain of Relics with a number of defects. For instance, they couldn’t be used far from towns (it would say “no service”) and they would break if dropped or submerged in water. Though I wanted a Smartphone, there was no point in buying one because none of my friends had one. I didn’t know why Little Sister Fox had one, but Peregrine Lodge’s origins might have been in the Era of Physical Arms.
“You’re very well informed, Krai,” Sitri said. She was looking at me with admiration, but I didn’t really know much about these things. Still, the adoring gaze didn’t feel half bad, so I couldn’t stop myself from showing off.
“This, I believe, is a new model,” I said. “These newer versions have cameras. It’s small, but comes with plenty of features.”
“I see. What sort of features?”
They were only rumors, but I had heard that there were a variety of Smartphones that didn’t all do the same things. But I had heard they could do most things, like a magic staff.
“The cameras can shoot magic beams that mow down monsters, and, right, they can also keep food cold. The people of the Era of Physical Arms used their Smartphones to protect themselves, making them very useful in their daily lives. They’re really a versatile Relic.”
“They can do anything? What about, say, something like marriage?”
“Yeah, probably.”
Little Sister Fox suddenly moved, snatching the Relic from my hands. She silently tapped at the screen and then handed it back to me. “Calling” it said on the screen. Her movements had been so efficient that it was almost beautiful. It was cool.
“Whoa. Are you a Smartphone pro or something? You’ve got the better of me here,” I said to the phantom. “I’ll have to get my own sometime soon.”
Little Sister Fox spoke for the first time. “You hick. How embarrassing,” she said. Her voice was flat, but her neck was flushed and her body trembling.
“Darn,” I said. “It sounds like he’s not coming to get you.”
When I told Little Sister Fox the outcome of my conversation with Big Brother Fox, she didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. It seemed Big Brother Fox was very busy at the moment. When he heard my voice, he said “Ugh.” Ugh.
He had sounded incredibly upbeat when he told me that he finally had some proper intruders. Those “intruders” were Telm and Kechachakka. By the sound of it, those two weren’t doing so well. That gave me one less thing to worry about.
“I guess he prefers a hands-off approach. Maybe phantoms and humans have different sensibilities.”
He didn’t even ask me to look after his sister or anything. He said the matter of the carpet was his loss, but he didn’t come off as angry about it. Yeah, I was pretty sure phantoms saw the world differently from us.
While I was worrying about all this, the little phantom casually opened a bag and removed some fried tofu. The inside of the crate was filled with discarded paper wrappers. She danced to her own unfathomable, otherworldly tune.
“Oh, is fried tofu even common in the empire?” I asked.
“It’s not,” Sitri responded immediately.
Little Sister Fox froze, a partially eaten block of tofu falling from her hands. Of course, it wasn’t common. Sitri seemed to have managed to find some, but I couldn’t think of many countries where it was a common dish. I began to wonder what would happen to this phantom once she ran out of tofu.
And why don’t you just go home already? You can fly, can’t you? If you can’t, then, hmm, I’ve got it. Lucia didn’t want the new tail, so maybe you can fly if you use that. It’ll be two birds with one stone.
I was just tired and I felt like an idiot worrying about this. Just as I was thinking I was ready to pack my bags and go home, I felt a tug on my shirt. I turned and saw Little Sister Fox holding on to me. She wasn’t saying anything, but her pitiful state was obvious enough. Not that that made me any more suited for looking after a phantom.
What sort of phantom has a weakness for fried tofu? Go find the fried tofu kingdom or something.
She reached into her pocket. When her hand came out again, she was gripping a silver board—another Smartphone. Could she be a dual-wielder?! As I stood there in amazement, she held the second Relic before me.
“Take it,” she said.
I felt a sense of shame that dwarfed mountains and sank deeper than the sea.
Remember, Krai Andrey, you’re a hunter. Saving the weak is one of your jobs.
She was a phantom, but not a bad one. I felt sorry for her, now that she had stumbled into the human world. I thought hard about a way to make everyone happy. I was certain there had to be one. Now was the time for me to awaken those slumbering powers of mine.
I placed the Smartphone in my pocket, resisting the urge to fiddle with it.
“Well, it’d be irresponsible to abandon you now that you’ve come all this way,” I said, clenching my fists. “I’ve got an idea of how to make sure everyone can be happy.”
***
The intense glare of the sun cooked the desolate desert landscape of Toweyezant. Men were outside, laboring, coats protecting their skin from the oppressive heat. Except now, they were still, their tanned faces looking at the cloudless sky through narrowed eyes.
This had once been a land of endless conflict. While the influx of treasure hunters had caused the people of Toweyezant to unite as one, the fact remained that most of their land remained unusable, due in large part to the lack of water. You could easily count the number of times rain fell in a year, and intense shifts in temperature occurred as day became night.
Powerful sandstorms assailed travelers, dangerous monsters adapted to the harsh climate roamed everywhere, and even laying down highways wasn’t feasible. The only wealth in Toweyezant was found in the small number of cities built around large oases. Other locales in the desert nation didn’t even have enough food.
These laboring men were members of an organization attempting to save this nation.
“Shit. This one’s not doing well either,” one of them said.
Another awful day. These men were working about ten kilometers from the capital, in a village built along ley lines. They were striving for something long yearned for in the desert—afforestation. Atop rust-colored dirt, lanky trees were planted at even intervals. However, they didn’t look at all healthy. Their leaves were brown and withered, their branches thin as a person’s pinky finger.
The villagers wore dark expressions. Toweyezant’s climate wasn’t friendly to plant life. Water was precious and the soil was lacking in nutrients. The main plants that managed to survive such harsh conditions were the man-eating monster cacti.
Even expert Magi had trouble bringing rain to this land. The only hope of bringing about foliage came from mana material, which was capable of bolstering life. Its effects extended to more than humans and monsters. By planting trees along ley lines, the veins which mana material coursed through would strengthen the plants, improving their chances at afforestation. It was the only option left for Toweyezant.
The odds had never been in their favor. The desert nation lacked water, among other resources, and even technological prowess. Talented Magi had been recruited to help out, but their successes were never more than temporary. Even if it was all for nothing, even if those directly involved in the greening had stopped believing, there was nothing they could do except cling to this last thread of hope. The desire for greenery was just that strong in the desert.
Off in Toweyezant’s capital, there was some excitement about a conference, but that had nothing to do with the men out here. They urged their weary bodies to push on as they did battle with the sun-scorched land.
Then, the man arrived. He wore a gaudy shirt that left his arms exposed. His skin was strikingly pale—proof that he wasn’t from the desert. He didn’t carry any weapons and didn’t look at all like someone equipped to traverse the harsh climate. Compared to the villagers, who spent their days absorbing mana material, and to say nothing of hunters, his presence was weak and out of place in the desert.
This was a dull town established for the purpose of afforestation, not somewhere that often received visitors. But when that man, with the child and a beautiful woman following behind him, was shown to the organization’s leader, he introduced himself as a Level 8 hunter.
“We’re going to prepare a small shrine and lend you a god,” he said with a resigned but peaceful smile. “I’m sure that’ll turn this land into a bountiful one.”
What nonsense. However, the designation of Level 8 carried weight, and this man had the documents to prove his legitimacy. He was the same level as the strongest hunter in Toweyezant. This man didn’t look like much, but his accolades were too great to ignore.
“Give her one serving of fried tofu once a day, and she should work for you,” the hunter, bearing the name Krai Andrey, said to the stunned villagers.
“Three servings,” said the girl in the fox mask as she tugged at his sleeve.
“Three servings,” Krai immediately corrected himself. “Oh, also, I’d like you to bury this. Bury it deep, and really pack the dirt, okay?”
The pink-haired woman’s eyes widened. “Oh, Krai, what a waste,” she wailed.
Within the box proffered by the champion was a mysterious white tail.
***
With the satisfaction of a job well done, I looked to the sky. Feeling the bright rays streaming from the blue expanse, I was perfectly comfortable.
“Everything’s been resolved,” I said.
Little Sister Fox, and the fried tofu duty, had been shoved off onto people who needed her powers. I had also managed to take care of the tail. Buried so deep in the ground, I was sure it would eventually return to the land. And to top it all off, I had gotten my hands on a Smartphone. I was on fire, more than I had ever been.
“Sometimes, I fail to understand your thinking,” Sitri told me. “We could’ve used that tail.”
Little Sister Fox was one of the most basic phantoms of her vault, but her powers were still godlike in the lowly eyes of a mere human. I didn’t know exactly what she was capable of, but causing rainfall seemed like something possible for her. And if it turned out she couldn’t, she could still protect the village from its harsh surroundings. For a phantom, she was quick on the uptake.
Ah, it feels good doing something nice.
“Not that we have anything to apologize for, but I think we should give those people the extra supplies from the airship,” I said.
I had heard that raising trees in the desert was brutal work, and those villagers were awfully thin. Most of the supplies were shelf-stable rations, but they were better than nothing. Perhaps there was still some fried tofu somewhere in those crates.
“As you wish,” my dear friend Sitri replied in a pouty voice, something rare for her.
“That tail’s too dangerous for experimentation.”
“And yet you gave it to the villagers?”
“That’s beside the point.”
I didn’t give it away, I threw it away. I took the tail, and all the responsibility that came with it, and threw it in a hole. That’s what you do with stuff you don’t know how to deal with—you bury it deep in the ground. All I had left to do was think up a good excuse for doing this and I’d be all set.
Then my newly acquired Smartphone made a beeping sound. I quickly pulled it out and tapped the screen. I was receiving a call from Big Brother Fox. He had been automatically added to my contacts. What could he want? I hesitantly touched the button, and the screen began to shine brightly.
It was close to midnight and I was hanging around in my room when I got a call from Franz, and brought Kris along with me. This was the first time this had happened in the past few days, but I had gotten used to his summons. And it seemed Franz had gotten used to the sight of me in Perfect Vacation.
“Glad you could come, Thousand Tricks,” he said, then looked to his men. “Leave us be.”
Per his orders, every member of the imperial guard except Franz left the room. As usual, the only people who remained were him, the emperor, and the timid imperial princess. I had a few notions as to what I had been called for. However, Franz didn’t seem at all angry, so I assumed they hadn’t found out about Little Sister Fox and that whole mess.
“There isn’t much time before the conference,” Franz continued, “First, allow me to express my thanks for keeping His Imperial Majesty safe. We called you to discuss this job and the future.”
The future, huh? That makes sense. Come to think of it, that would explain why Kris was so worried.
Franz’s face grew grim. “Because you brought members of the infamous Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox on this assignment, the Black Star, one of the empire’s most prized assets, crashed. Under imperial law, these failures warrant severe punishments. No matter your purpose, using His Imperial Majesty to lure out a foe is unforgivable, and guiding us into a treasure vault was without precedent.”
Most nobles were imposing and had little concern for common people. Imperial law was strict, but I had heard many tales of violent behavior from nobles bringing commoners to tears. However, what he was saying was quite logical.
“I see,” I said.
But if you’ll let me say my piece, I didn’t use the emperor as bait, nor did I lead us to a treasure vault. I didn’t think they’d believe me, but if I was guilty of anything it was incompetence.
“Wait! Sir! Sure, the human weakling went too far, but we ultimately made it to our destination safely. He brought Foxes along in order to draw them out. In light of that, I think he deserves a lighter sentencing—”
“No. I just didn’t have any idea they were Foxes.”
“Huh?!”
Excuse me for being bad at my job. But I think it was pretty reasonable to assume the famous Hidden Curse wouldn’t have a terrorist hidden among their ranks. And Kechachakka was very suspicious. Who would ever think that someone that shady was actually a bad guy? And wasn’t something wrong with Franz if he and his guys had just accepted my team, no questions asked?
While I shifted the blame around inside my head, the emperor asked me a question. “Hmm. Tell me, Thousand Tricks, what do you think was our biggest failure?”
The look in his eyes was dead serious. I could think of a number of major failures, but I had to watch what I said here. After some brief consideration, I was left with the impression that they’d get angry no matter what I said.
With no better options available, I sighed and said, “There were many failures, but our biggest was that we were very unlucky.”
“Huh?! The hell does that mean?!”
Well, uh, what else could it mean? I’m not wrong here, though I’ll admit that doesn’t mean that was the right answer.
My desperate attempt at an answer caused the emperor to knit his brow. After a brief silence, I saw him nod.
“Bad luck is indeed something we cannot prevent,” he said.
“It is as you say,” Franz chimed in.
“Whahuh?!” Kris cried.
I was just as surprised as her. The emperor was one thing, but accepting that answer didn’t seem at all like something Franz would do.
“His Imperial Majesty is graciously willing to forgive your mistakes,” Franz said in a clear voice. “Normally, this would be unthinkable.”
“That is unthinkable,” I agreed.
“Just be quiet and listen.”
I had a bad feeling about this. I just couldn’t accept that they would be so forgiving. Even if our troubles had been caused by oversights, even if they had all been resolved smoothly (they hadn’t), I simply didn’t believe they would let me go unpunished. I wasn’t totally oblivious to my failings here. There had to be a flip side; this was too good to be true.
“The conference’s security is ironclad,” Franz continued. “Even an attack by the Counter Cascade won’t be a problem. However, we are guests of this nation, and we don’t want to cause a fuss. Do you understand me, Krai Andrey?”
“Hmm. Oh, that’s right. I don’t think they’ll be coming after you.”
I had my trepidations, but I didn’t see what else I could do. Atop the table, I placed two Relics sent to me via the Smartphones’ attachment feature. There was a jet-black gem and the bracelets Telm had been wearing. Franz became still and Kris looked astounded.
“These are the Relics that Telm and Kechachakka were using. Without them, their powers are cut in half.”
“Wh-What?! Where, how, no—when did you do this?!”
As confused as Franz was, I didn’t think I could tell him I received the items from a phantom. I didn’t know the details, but it seemed they had paid a price after losing a battle of wits.
“That’s a trade secret,” I said. “The bracelets will go to Lucia, but I’m willing to part with the gem. It appears to be capable of summoning dragons—”
“What?!”
I had no need for something so dangerous. I suppose I would’ve handed the bracelets over if they demanded them as well.
The room was still. Kris’s look of shock made me feel incredibly guilty, but I still couldn’t explain how I came into possession of these Relics.
The emperor’s gaze was sharp. After a moment, he seemed to come to a decision and said, “Thousand Tricks, after witnessing your talents, I’ve decided I’d like you to protect and mentor Murina.”
That made no sense. It felt incoherent, disconnected from our current conversation.
“What was that?” I eventually said.
I looked at the imperial princess, and she ducked behind the emperor. If she needed protection, there was the imperial guard. In fact, Franz had been protecting her from the Counter Cascade. And what was all that stuff about the conference having ironclad security and not wanting to cause a fuss? Wasn’t she going to the conference?
I didn’t keep up with politics, but whereas I still occasionally heard about the emperor, I didn’t know anything about the imperial princess. She wasn’t known for some grand accomplishments or a famous beauty or anything like that. This might be rude of me, but she was really easy to forget. I hadn’t even known her name until recently.
Hold on then.
Just as a thought crossed my mind, Kris spoke up.
“Now that you mention her, I have to ask why you even brought her along in the first place. Wouldn’t she be much safer at the Imperial Castle? Sir?”
That was exactly it. I didn’t think the imperial princess was involved in politics or anything, and I didn’t think she was going to inherit the throne. I saw no reason for the emperor to bring her along.
When he heard Kris’s question, Franz’s expression changed. He wasn’t angry, but a shadow fell over his face. For a brief moment, a look of hesitation broke through the emperor’s usual dignity. I felt like I was looking at a bomb that was moments from detonating.
Then, as though disclosing a national secret, the emperor whispered, “Thousand Tricks, you are not to tell anyone of this. The truth is, Murina is incredibly unlucky.”
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