An Objective Assessment
“A bit unexpected.”
The day after the battle in the Royal Capital ended. Iris, who was heading to the Royal Palace with me, quietly spoke up. When I asked what she meant, she let out a small chuckle and smiled.
“Choosing me to accompany you when you’re going to meet the princess.”
Ah, so that’s what she was talking about. From Iris’s perspective, it probably looked like I had picked her over all her seniors. But from my side, Iris had been the only viable option left.
If I had taken Garam, friction with Jenia would have erupted immediately. “Why her and not me? That’s unfair!” Jenia herself was disqualified for the exact same reason. Daisy was out because the best we could hope for was that she wouldn’t cause trouble. Gerard was also eliminated; if another man besides me approached the princess, complications could arise. Iris was completely unsuited for this kind of delicate matter. Lily would have been the ideal choice, but she had to look after the others. If mass casualties occurred, the relief station would need her far more than the palace.
“And Ester would never willingly set foot in a place like that. So who does that leave me with?”
“…That’s a little sad. It feels like you’re only bringing me because I’m the one left, not because you actually need me.”
“Correct, my foolish disciple.”
“Uwaaah! That’s too much! I worked my butt off this time, you know!”
“You think the rest of us didn’t? Everyone worked that hard.”
At that, Iris let out a strangled “Kek!” and was thoroughly sunk. She grumbled something under her breath and retreated into the corner of the carriage. Anyone could see the sulky aura radiating off her: “I’m mad. Don’t touch me.”
Even after her identity as a regressor had been exposed, she was still acting this way. That lighthearted side of her wasn’t an act after all. Maybe part of it was simply who Iris truly was.
“Iris.”
“Hmph!”
“What do you think of the current situation? If everything had gone badly, what would have happened?”
At my words, Iris turned to look at me. The playful expression on her face vanished completely.
“If we’re talking hypotheticals…”
“You don’t even need to say it. Obviously, it would have been far worse. If the Royal Capital had fallen, the enemy’s numbers would have become absurd. Most importantly, the Enemy’s Will would have grown much stronger and turned into the worst possible foe.”
“Our side would have suffered at least twice the losses we have now, right?”
Iris gave a small nod. I wanted to ask her to compare the previous timeline with this one in detail, but she had mentioned there would be penalties for that. It was better to endure a little discomfort than to push her.
“…All things considered, I’d say we’re about halfway to success.”
“Half, huh. Still, that’s fairly generous.”
“You said you took down one of the Enemy’s Wills. Nothing could be better than that.”
“The problem is that a new one appeared, and it now knows roughly half of our forces.”
“Yes. That’s why I only called it half a success.”
Gerard and Daisy had both failed to eliminate their Demonic Humans. Daisy had nearly succeeded, and Gerard’s loss had been due to a bad matchup, but the fact remained: we had let an enemy who now understood our capabilities escape. On top of that, it had witnessed the fights involving both Irises. That information would be extremely useful to the Fragment of the Demon God.
The one saving grace was that our bluff with my master and me had not been exposed. If the Fragment had seen through that as well, a nightmare would have begun. It would have either completely ignored us or targeted us relentlessly, creating an opening to strike at the other Heroes.
“The fact that the disciples have been working so hard until now, keeping the Enemy’s Will weakened, was a stroke of luck. The issue is that the enemy isn’t stupid. From now on, they’ll be far more cautious about moving. That’s what makes it troublesome.”
“Exactly. If they keep hiding like rats and harassing us, we’ll be the ones who get exhausted.”
“And if we let our guard down even a little, a proper counterattack could be disastrous.”
“Stabilizing the Royal Capital quickly is the priority, Master. All the kingdom’s people and rumors pass through here. How fast this place recovers and gets sorted out will be crucial.”
I nodded at Iris’s words. She spoke with such certainty despite never having visited the capital before. It was almost impressive that she had managed to hide her identity as a regressor until now. Of course, she was skilled at acting like the Iris of this timeline when necessary. That worry was probably unnecessary.
“After this, we might have a bit of breathing room, Master.”
“…What’s your reasoning?”
“The enemy will need time to recover as well. They summoned a massive number of monsters during this battle and threw just as many Demon God Worshippers at us. In the end, their attempt to occupy the Royal Capital failed and they were annihilated.”
“But they could rebuild their forces quickly, couldn’t they? We still don’t know the situation in the outer regions.”
“That’s just my opinion. Purely my opinion.”
If Iris was saying this much, then the attack on the Royal Capital must have been truly devastating for the enemy. After all, the future she had shown us had been horrific: three injured Heroes, a large-scale massacre in the capital, and the collapse of the kingdom. The parts that had seemed like simple game events had unfolded in horrifying detail. Because the stakes had been that high and that decisive, the failure meant the enemy now had to bear the backlash. Since they had gambled everything, the recoil would be severe. Thanks to that, we had bought ourselves some time to recover from our losses and grow a little stronger.
“…Thinking about it that way suddenly makes me more worried.”
“About the princess?”
“More about the next king than the princess. If some strange person ends up on the throne, everything we went through here will have been for nothing.”
“What did you say the king’s evaluation of the princess was?”
“He said she was a prepared successor to the throne. Though that could just be a father praising his daughter.”
“Or it could be true.”
If it was true, then Carlos II must be even more devastated. His daughter had been on the verge of becoming a capable future ruler, only for some madman—his own son—to completely ruin that prospect. As a father with both a daughter and a son, and as the king of a nation, it was the worst possible outcome on every level.
Creak.
The carriage came to a stop, and the knights opened the doors. We had arrived at the Royal Palace. Unlike before, there were no inspections. By order of King Carlos II, Iris and I had been granted special permission to enter. It was all thanks to the king’s command—the highest authority in the land.
“This way, please.”
Following the maids, we were led deeper and deeper into the innermost parts of the palace. The Royal Palace was already quite closed off, yet we kept going further in. At this point, I was starting to wonder if they were hiding something suspicious.
“Please wait a moment.”
The head maid who had been following us stepped forward. In a careful yet deeply sorrowful tone, she spoke.
“I have already informed Her Highness the Princess that guests would be arriving by royal decree.”
“Did you tell her about His Majesty’s condition?”
“I did. That was the only reason she agreed to meet at all. However, she will not be able to stay long. She is extremely afraid of meeting people.”
“If she still accepted the meeting, then she isn’t in an utterly broken state.”
“She has only just begun to improve. No, to be honest, I’m not even sure if she has truly improved. She may simply be pretending to be all right.”
The head maid stopped in front of a door. After knocking a few times, she carefully turned the handle.
“Iris. You go in first.”
“Me?”
“Yes. And lead the conversation. I’ve already told you everything you need to say, so just follow that.”
Iris would handle the talking while I observed the princess’s condition. Since the princess could be considered an NPC, my user privileges might work on her. If I could examine her state in more detail, a path forward might become clear—whether she needed more time alone, whether she required a helping hand, whether we should take her out immediately, or whether we should never enter again.
Creaaak.
Perhaps because no sunlight entered, even the sound of the door opening felt dreary. Following Iris inside, the first thing I felt was desolation. Despite the spacious room and the fact that it belonged to the princess, there was nothing in it. No luxurious decorations, not even the basic furnishings one would expect. The marble floor looked cold enough to freeze on contact. Books with no signs of being touched. A desk with nothing on it and a chair with no signs of use. The only thing that looked normal was the single bed.
Considering it was still a bright afternoon outside, the room was far too dark. A quick glance around showed that every window had been blocked. Gloom, eeriness, and every kind of negativity filled the space.
“Um… Your Highness?”
“…Over here.”
At the source of the voice sat a woman perched on the edge of the bed. When Iris tried to approach, the woman quickly spoke.
“Don’t come any closer. Speak from there.”
“But, Your Highness…”
“Iris.”
I shook my head, signaling her to respect the princess’s wishes. Iris nodded and sat down on a nearby chair.
“You’ve heard the story, I assume.”
“…Yes.”
“His Majesty has collapsed, and the Royal Capital is in chaos. There is no one to manage the political situation right now. The only hope is for Your Highness to step forward. Otherwise, this chaos will not subside.”
“…I know.”
“Even if not now, you will eventually have to succeed His Majesty the King.”
“I know that too.”
From there, Iris began discussing the topics I had prepared in advance, along with matters she had experienced firsthand. Most of it concerned the future of the kingdom, potential problems, and the issue of the Demon God Worshippers.
Honestly, I had expected the princess to give half-hearted answers before falling silent. She had been holed up here for a long time, so she would be behind on information. Once someone’s mind was set, changing it was incredibly difficult. On top of that, her poor condition would only make things worse.
“…So that’s what I think. And that’s the direction I want to push forward.”
“Is that so? Well, I suppose you’re right.”
But as I watched the princess conversing with Iris, my thoughts gradually changed. After a little more time passed, I understood why Carlos II had cherished his daughter so much—and why he had hated his son so fiercely for ruining her. She was far too valuable to be locked away in a room like this. If she became queen, she would likely govern the kingdom quite well. It seemed Carlos II’s praise had been objective, not merely subjective.