The Possessed Princess (1)

The highest seat in the kingdom, a place accessible only to those deemed worthy. The king's audience chamber. There, a woman continued speaking without bending her will before the king.

"Father, there is undoubtedly a shadowy force at work behind all this...!"

The aged man seated on the throne didn't so much as blink at the woman's gritted words.

"And?"

"Pardon...?"

"And what of it?"

The mad devotees were gearing up for a holy war on their own whim, and they might very well be next in line. If they were to be stopped, it had to be now—this was the perfect moment to stand against them. Any later, and once they found some way to strike back, everything might become irreversible.

"How... how can you...?"

"...?"

Having heard his response, the woman let slip words tinged with despair. Under the brilliant lights, her flamboyantly adorned pink hair drew the eye.

"Can you truly betray the mercy of our Father God like this...?"

The girl remembered. She remembered the lair filled with the demons' mockery and malice, the assailants lunging at her with murderous intent. It had been a split-second opening, when everyone was caught up in the fray. One of the Black Sun's assassins had exploited the gap and closed in right up to her throat.

"Die."

The grim reaper approached swiftly. A flashing blade, eyes brimming with killing intent, a fate so overwhelming it made her forget to breathe. She, the princess of a nation, would have gone cold that day without someone's aid.

From that day forward, Princess Isella Carsein had sworn to enter the embrace of the Supreme God. For that, she was even willing to relinquish the throne.

Father God, please.

In her despair, she prayed fervently. To fulfill the pact they'd made that day, she was prepared to do anything.

# We moved for quite a while under the guidance of the royal knights. The location was inside the carriage. As we rode comfortably, my eyes met Vera's—she'd been fidgeting and stealing glances, her face stuffed full of unspoken words. I opened the conversation first.

"Something you want to say?"

"...! N-No, nothing."

At my question, she hurriedly dropped her gaze and fumbled about. I'd seen it plenty of times, but I still couldn't get used to the sight. A super-elite beauty glancing at me nervously, radiating vibes like she was desperate to win my favor.

This is the life of a constellation?

A life several levels upgraded from my ordinary one—embarrassing to even compare. If this world had instant ramen and smartphones, it'd be paradise, but I'd overcome even that hurdle soon enough.

I'll live for myself.

My ambitions weren't over yet. Once the situation stabilized, I'd dive back into expanding my forces and recruiting super-elite beauties. That was the romance of the game I'd been playing, Ragnarok.

"Oh, right."

"Y-Yes...?"

"Before coming to you, I saw ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lisia."

At the familiar name from my lips, Belladys's expression hardened for a moment.

"Lisia... you mean?"

"Yeah. Right before you all headed this way, she nearly got taken out by the Black Sun priests."

"...!"

Subtle hostility leaked from her nuanced expression. If I hadn't been there, she looked ready to turn the carriage around and launch another holy war on the Black Sun right then.

"She's fine now. I checked her myself."

She relaxed a bit at that, but her face didn't fully soften. As a fellow devotee, she seemed worried about Lisia—quite endearing, really.

Her holy power seal was the issue.

Back then, even I had panicked over the penalty on Lisia. If the timing had been any worse, I'd have seen her go cold.

"D-Did you, Supreme God...?"

"Hm?"

"Show her... that form of yours too...?"

My form? Nah, I hadn't. I'd been too busy assisting in the heat of the moment.

"...Phew."

Vera let out a relieved breath at my answer. Still an inscrutable reaction. Then, as if realizing something, she spoke up again.

"Once we arrive at the kingdom, I'll do my utmost to ensure your safety, Supreme God."

Her fingers still fidgeted. Her deer-like lashes framed subtle red eyes that roamed over me.

"Huh? Is that really necessary?"

I'm strong enough on my own.

"Absolutely."

But Belladys was utterly resolute after hearing about Lisia, so I could only nod along.

"If you say so, there must be a reason."

"..."

A stiff silence settled after that. She poured all her focus into gauging me, and I found myself talking less under the pressure. I'd thought we'd have tons to say once we met, but here we were, tongue-tied.

This won't do.

With that thought, I addressed Vera.

"Vera."

"Y-Yes, Father God."

"Did you manage okay while I was gone?"

The situation in my absence couldn't have been good. They'd even launched a holy war to get me back.

"I-I... I always believed you'd return to us someday, Father God. So—"

She answered my question with a hint of agitation. But that wasn't the response I wanted.

"Really?"

"It's the absolute truth, not a single lie."

"For real? You weren't struggling at all?"

As I pressed, she seemed to steel herself, meeting my gaze steadily with a composed posture.

Playing it tough, huh.

Reward. How could I resist that?

And.

I'd reached out to tear down the wall between us, only for her to pull back like this. That sparked my competitive side.

"Well then, what."

"...?"

"I was gonna give you a gift out of pity if you'd said it was a little tough."

Her face froze at my words.

"You're really saying it wasn't hard at all?"

"N-No."

"Good. Glad you were fine."

"Supreme Gooood..."

I watched her face crumple into a pout, then asked once more.

"I already know everything, you know. Even if we can't see each other, we're connected."

We're no strangers. A constellation and devotee of the same cult—practically deeper than family.

"..."

"You can be a little honest."

Vera wrestled with intense inner conflict. Just say it—am I that scary? We'd been tight. I'd interacted with her non-stop in the game.

"...A little."

"Hm?"

"Just a tiny bit. It was hard. Really just a tiny bit—you don't need to worry at all."

She said it so timidly, like a kid confessing a mistake, that I nearly burst out laughing.

"Thanks for being honest."

I placed my hand on her head as I spoke.

"...Hic."

She drew a sharp breath, her delicate eyelids squeezing shut. She seemed to expect a pat, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but I decided to repay what I'd received earlier.

This okay?

It'd be fine. This wasn't my old body anymore—it was remade as the Supreme God.

"...?"

Guided by my hand, her head settled naturally onto my thigh.

"Ah?"

"Let's rest a bit like this."

"..."

She'd been through hell plotting against the Black Sun, so she needed this kind of break.

Shut it.

A bit embarrassing, but with Vera refusing to lift her head, I gently gathered and stroked her scattered locks.

Luck?

I checked the reward tab while stroking her hair. Smooth, smooth. Well, a reward's a reward—nothing bad about it. Good is good. I accepted it as is.

# I took advantage of the eased atmosphere to mull things over. The kingdom—Regarium Kingdom. The first nation I'd visit in this body, a crucial stage to imprint my new form. Why? To make traveling the country easier down the line.

Or not.

If my face got too famous, it might backfire with restrictions. Maybe hiding it would help.

Conveniently, I've got something good in storage.

I recalled the stealth item dormant in my inventory tab. Since I'm possessed, I'll live doing what I want. Holed up just doing work? No greater injustice.

And for that...

"Regarium's king must be doing well."

"...Yes."

The answer came from below. I felt the soft texture with my fingers, continuing to stroke Vera.

Not ulterior motives—stroking Vera duplicated my resources. How to resist this? Pure business. She likes it, I earn cash. Win-win.

Back to the kingdom. Regarium Kingdom was the first faction players encountered—a tutorial zone packed with reliable ally NPCs. But underestimate them because they're first, and your cult gets wiped in seconds.

Be nice when they're nice.

---

---

Back in my player days, I'd reset my cult plenty trying ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to raid the treasury on a whim. The king's vault, stuffed with treasures. How to resist? But resist I did. A whole kingdom's wrath over greed isn't easily washed away.

So I'd sealed my urges early, grinding favor with Regarium Kingdom. And the result was now.

-Groooan...!

The massive gate of magical engineering swung open, petals scattering everywhere. The novel sight mesmerized me.

"Vera, you see that?"

I wanted to show her too, but no response. She must've dozed off deep.

Do vampires even sleep?

Shoving aside the trivial thought, my carriage pressed on with our knights. Through grand streets familiar yet surreal in reality. At last, we reached the enormous palace where the king resided. The carriage delved deep inside before halting.

"..."

Vera, who'd been resting her head on my lap till then, lifted it naturally.

"Sleep well?"

"Y-Yes, uh... I slept well... Your thigh was so comfy and warm, Supreme God..."

As she stammered her reply and we dismounted, Baltar and the knights greeted us.

"I'll guide you personally from here."

"Very well."

I followed obediently. But first...

"What about my children?"

My gaze turned to the holy knights who'd followed diligently. Their numbers rivaled a full order—tough to bring in.

"We've prepared a waiting area en route, so no worries."

The royals set it up themselves? Facilities should be decent. As I moved to follow without a second thought...

"You're not planning to meet your king like this, are you?"

Vera sharply called them out this time.

Ah.

Only then did I fully register my state. Clothes soaked in blood, the new outfit sacrificed to theatrics, barely hiding my skin. Neighborhood beggar had nothing on me.

"Can Vera here act as my attendant and tidy me up a bit?"

I asked politely, and Knight Commander Ricardo Baltar pondered briefly. But soon enough, even he saw how wretched I looked and promptly arranged a grand room with a bath.

A quick wash and fresh clothes would do.

"Vera, wait here a sec."

Leaving her glued to the bathroom doorway, I soaked leisurely. A short while later...

Refreshed, I'd pulled an outfit from storage and dressed before heading out.

"...May I dry your hair...?"

"That'd be great."

I let her carefully towel it as she approached. Much cleaner than before—the fresh feeling lifted my mood. As I enjoyed the brief respite...

-Princess! It's dangerous...!

Noisy commotion erupted beyond my room.

"...?"

-Step aside.

-B-But...!

-Step aside now, or face severe punishment.

The door cracked open slightly, revealing a rare-haired beauty with a flushed face staring at me.

"I am the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠imperial princess of Regarium Kingdom, Isella Carsein."

Facing the princess who'd arrived with a horde of retainers...

"Our Father, the most exalted Constellation. Do you perhaps... remember the pact we shared...?"

Her upward gaze felt intensely burdensome.

I just wanted to log out.