A Princess's Reluctant Apology
Serena could no longer hold back. She burst into tears and wailed at the top of her lungs.
"Sob… why did you do that to me…? Just… why!"
"…Serena, I'm sorry, but could you move the sword away before we talk?"
At that moment, her blade hovered a hair's breadth from my neck.
I stared at her with a wry expression.
For someone who was supposedly forcing herself to say things she hated, she was doing a damn good job of it…
After Olivia left, the sparring continued. By then I had already reaped a rather considerable harvest.
The problem was that Serena suddenly exploded with pent-up resentment mid-match. She unleashed her linked sword strikes in a wild frenzy and overpowered me in a single rush.
"I told you I didn't like it…! You wicked master…!"
Rip— Rip—
Serena tore my upper garment to shreds, then threw herself into my chest and sobbed uncontrollably.
Why the hell did she rip the clothes…?
It was absurd, but I stroked her hair to calm her down.
"Sorry. I went too far, didn't I?"
Sniffle—
While soothing the hiccupping Serena, I replayed the sparring session in my mind.
The gains are bigger than I expected. But were the fundamentals supposed to be learned this quickly?
Even though Serena had only demonstrated the techniques a few times, they remained strangely vivid in my memory. All I had to do was unfold what was already stored in my head, so I felt no real difficulty at all.
I figured it would take a full month to learn everything. I picked it up much faster than expected.
Having completely mastered the basics in a single day, even I began to sense that something was off.
Do I actually have talent with the sword?
Judging from Serena's stunned face and reactions, it seemed far better than mere "average" talent.
Of course, that didn't make me arrogant. With so many monsters surrounding me, getting cocky over a bit of sword skill would have been laughable.
Having personally witnessed the duel between those regressors in the Rift of the Continent, I knew my own talent was nothing special compared to theirs.
While I was busy comforting Serena, a voice rang out from behind us.
"What in the world are you two doing…!"
I turned around, puzzled, and found a platinum-haired little girl standing there with a distinctly pouty expression.
"……Evangeline?"
The Fourth Princess, Evangeline von Lebeus, had come to the Moon God's Palace.
***
I was completely dumbfounded.
When the hell is Lumiela supposed to show up?
The palace's actual owner was nowhere to be seen, yet the other princesses kept dropping by one after another.
This had better not end with Alex showing up too.
Evangeline arrogantly lifted her chin and looked down at me.
"Hmph. How rude not to kneel the moment you see me."
Unlike the attitude she showed her two older sisters or high-ranking nobles, Evangeline was merciless toward anyone she considered beneath her.
I gazed at her with a slightly awkward look, recalling past events.
Well, if we're talking about rudeness…
Wasn't smashing the back of her head a lot ruder?
From my previous experience, I had expected her to draw her sword and charge the instant she saw me… but surprisingly, she was being rather tame.
And as for etiquette…
"Honestly, isn't it ridiculous to bow my head to someone who tried to kill me?"
"What?"
I respected her status as a princess, but there was far too much bad blood between us to offer any more "courtesy" than that.
"When did I ever try to kill you! I simply said I would take one arm, didn't I!"
That's pretty much the same thing.
Would Evangeline really have stopped at cutting off one arm and let me go quietly? It was far more likely she would have killed me outright to avoid being caught by Lumiela.
Since I knew her personality well from the original story, I was able to remain confident.
Of course, this attitude was only possible because of Lumiela's "protection."
"…What business brings you here?"
Even Serena, who usually acted weak in front of princesses, didn't bother showing any courtesy to Evangeline. Although Evangeline had technically been her former lord, from Serena's perspective there was no way she could feel any goodwill toward the woman who had treated her as a disposable pawn.
Evangeline frowned at our disrespectful attitudes.
"Hmph, how utterly rude, you lowly things. The reason this princess came here is…!"
Just as she was about to proudly declare her purpose—
Stab—
A needle-like pain suddenly pierced her leg.
It was the suggestion Lumiela had planted in her when I had fainted. Back then, Lumiela—furious beyond reason—had inflicted an enormous "punishment" on Evangeline.
Evangeline had cried and apologized over and over, but the suggestion never lifted.
If you've done wrong, you should apologize properly.
Lumiela had promised that if Evangeline apologized to me "politely," all the pain would vanish.
"Ugh… why would sister care so much about such a vulgar thing…"
She couldn't understand why her idolized older sister would treasure a mere escort.
"Anyway, the reason I came here is to… apol…ogize to you."
Though clearly embarrassed, Evangeline was just about to deliver her apology when I stepped closer without hesitation.
"Yes. What is it?"
I simply wanted to hear her better. The problem was my current state of dress.
My upper body was completely exposed through the torn clothes. The muscles beneath were firm and well-defined from everything I'd endured.
Evangeline's gaze naturally locked onto my body.
Her face flushed crimson as she shrieked.
"Y-you vulgar wretch! What do you think you're doing in front of this princess!"
"…My apologies. That was rude of me."
I glanced down at my ruined clothes, sighed, and tried to cover myself as best I could.
She really tore it to hell.
Whether it was Serena's monstrous strength or if she'd done it on purpose, my top was shredded beyond repair. My hands and arms couldn't hide everything.
But would Evangeline really care?
I waited for her next words without much thought. Yet Evangeline couldn't tear her eyes away from me.
This… this utterly vulgar commoner…!
Having lived her entire life inside the imperial palace, Evangeline had naturally never seen a man's body before. That was why my physique was an overwhelmingly strong stimulus for her.
Muscles that were neither bulging nor soft—smooth and firm. Our eye levels were nearly the same, so she stared at my body as if trying to burn it into her memory.
What would it feel like… Heh. What am I even thinking.
The unconscious desire to touch it just once had crossed her mind. Evangeline shook her head vigorously, trying to clear away the distracting thoughts.
"Ahem! This princess apologizes for kidnapping you before! Th-there, is that sufficient!"
"……?"
I tilted my head in confusion. Serena stared at Evangeline with a similarly flustered expression.
Is this really Evangeline?
Her clumsy apology was grating, but originally Evangeline was the type who would rather die than bow her head to someone she hadn't acknowledged. For her to come in person and apologize to me was completely out of character.
Regardless of our reactions, Evangeline proudly lifted her chin and declared.
"Now this princess has finished her apology!"
Whoosh—
The moment the words left her mouth, a burning pain erupted across her leg as if it had caught fire.
"Hieeeeek! It hurts! It hurts so much!"
She rolled around on the garden floor in a manner completely unbecoming of a princess, crying out in agony.
"…Hmm."
Watching her writhe and sob after acting so arrogant moments earlier… it really made me think.
I instinctively realized the reason for her behavior was Lumiela's "suggestion."
Is it inflicting pain through conditional triggers? It doesn't seem like remote control, though.
Still, what kind of suggestion would cause a reaction like this?
After rolling around for a long time and showing every possible embarrassing sight, Evangeline finally stopped. The pain had long since faded, but the humiliation remained. If it had been her usual personality, she would have ended her own life the moment she displayed such disgrace. But she was too terrified of Lumiela to even lift a hand against herself.
"…A-are you alright?"
Thinking it was too pitiful to leave her like that, I reached out.
Whoosh—
Evangeline's face turned bright red like a ripe persimmon. She burned the humiliation and insult into her memory, swearing that if she ever gained power she would never forgive me.
Just as she felt the lingering sting in her leg and was about to take my hand—
Zap—
"Huh?"
Startled, Evangeline yanked her hand back.
What the hell was that?!
The instant our hands touched, an incredibly electrifying sensation shot through her fingertips. It wasn't pain. It felt more like something that had been missing was finally fulfilled.
Before she could even ask about the feeling, a huge shadow fell over her from behind.
"Uh… huh?"
She turned around in confusion.
***
Aela, the high elf who had been secretly eavesdropping nearby, let out an impressed sigh.
"It's truly fascinating. I thought I'd uncovered most of the continent's secrets on my way here, but there are far more things we didn't know."
"Well, of course. No matter how much it seems like the continent lies at your feet once you reach a certain realm, this place is far stranger than you can imagine."
Even for Envy, who had traveled through multiple dimensions, the current continent held many bizarre aspects.
The perspective changes depending on where one stands. The women listening nearby were clearly impressed. A devil's history lesson turned out to be more interesting than expected.
Serena, who had been listening quietly, asked with open curiosity.
"Then, sister. If a human becomes strong enough to face gods and devils by bearing a Geas… what would happen if a god were to shoulder such a Geas?"
"Ummm? A god… Well, those arrogant beings probably wouldn't bother doing it 'willingly.' But if they took on the risk of eternal annihilation…"
Envy looked around and smiled sweetly.
"Probably everyone here would be annihilated except for Ian, right?"