The Possessed Princess (2)

Isella Carsein. The princess of a single kingdom, the king's only daughter whom you'd often encounter while playing the game, and an NPC. Countless players had been captivated by her beauty and racked their brains for ways to recruit her as a companion.

But due to her settings, it was absolutely impossible to win her over, leaving them with no choice but to walk away in regret. After all, any contact with the princess led straight to a sudden quest.

"Help the princess escape from the Regarium Kingdom!"

She could be said to possess an innate resistance personality. Loathing arranged marriages and yearning for freedom. With her exceptional political acumen and intelligence, she had walked the elite path from birth to become a full-fledged member of the royal family—yet she wanted to break out of her own greenhouse.

What a disaster.

'Crazy bitch with a flower field for a brain.'

Back when I was deep into the game, obsessed with expanding my forces and progress, Isella Carsein was a time bomb I absolutely had to avoid. Her hair was a perfect pink, like flowers. I think the community called it "pinkchong" or something, but I'm not sure.

'Get lost.'

'Argh, I said get lost!'

Every time I logged in and saw those sudden quests pop up on screen, I'd break out in a cold sweat. No matter how many times the kingdom's lunatic was rejected, she never gave up, twisting herself into knots to get tangled up with our cult somehow.

Was the princess position really that bad? Just eat good food, enjoy yourself moderately, and get married moderately. I didn't care about the nitty-gritty politics, but she could at least consider my side—I had to reject the quest every time we crossed paths.

And now.

The woman peeking at me nervously right in front of me was none other than that infamous kingdom lunatic.

"Pinkchong."

"...Pardon?"

"Heh heh, nothing."

I pretended it was nothing and gave her a warm smile. Her face lit up in real time at my smile.

People in this era wouldn't know internet slang, after all.

'Anyway.'

The atmosphere around us was tense, locked in a standoff. Belladys standing beside me was glaring at Isella like she was a stray cat thief.

'What's your deal?'

On the opposite side, the maids and knights were pale-faced, enduring Belladys's gaze.

'And what's yours?'

The spacious room felt cramped with their presence. The carpet was dirtied by military boots and iron heels, and the peaceful vibe had turned suffocating in an instant.

What the hell. Give me back my peace of mind. I'd just showered and felt refreshed—why this?

"...Um."

She fidgeted, glancing at me, then finally took the initiative.

"I've already heard the whole story on my way here. That... um."

She looked at my face with cautious eyes, then flinched and averted her gaze.

'Ugh, so burdensome.'

She looked so apologetic from over there that it was making me uneasy too.

"To stop the holy war... you personally descended."

"It wasn't that big a deal."

I answered with an awkward smile.

"Ah, no!"

'Whoa.'

But the princess suddenly startled and objected, making the already weird atmosphere even weirder.

What was it? Right now, I wasn't in a great position in this kingdom. I was still under suspicion, and I'd come here to clear it up.

'And activate some objects while at it.'

Yet here I was, face-to-face with the kingdom's reverse scale, a figure even the king hadn't met.

Seeing her pretty face in person made my heart race like nothing else.

'But the image.'

The nightmares Isella Carsein had inflicted on me weren't just one or two. And in several of my countless playthroughs, I'd gotten involved with her.

'Yeah, nearly lost my mind.'

In my experience, my relationship with her in the game never ended well.

"Thanks to the Father's possession, countless lives were saved."

"Glad you think so."

I replied with a soft smile. Preventing a dogpile death—how good was that? I hoped the king saw my exploits in a positive light too. Falling out with Regarium Kingdom would be a hassle in many ways.

"Father God."

Suddenly, the princess—who'd been watching nervously—looked at me with resolute eyes.

Why? What? Why that determined expression?

"I will absolutely ensure no harm comes to you, Father God. Even if it costs my honor and everything I have."

"...?"

No need for that. If I said sitting quietly would actually help me, would that be bad? Since she was offering to do well, I just smiled.

"Because that's our promise."

...Pardon? Promise? What promise? This lunatic was bringing up a promise I never made, acting like only she knew about it.

Springing a sudden situation like this left me no choice but to go full mental.

"...How dare you."

Belladys growled just loud enough for me to hear, sensing the weird turn.

"Do you perhaps... remember the promise with me...?"

I had no idea what she was talking about. No clue what to say. I could only muster a meaningful smile.

"Heh heh."

"...!"

Her eyes sparkled with satisfaction at that alone.

"Th-then. I can't bother the Constellation further, so I'll take my leave for today..."

Isella said that and gracefully rose.

"Ah."

Then, as if remembering something before leaving, she turned back to me.

"Father is also prioritizing the Constellation's safety right now."

"I see..."

"He's prepared a temporary resting place for your safety, but he deeply apologizes for not greeting you personally."

Isella said proudly. Why are you proud? And did he really need to go that far? I'd just been lounging in my room scratching my belly, so I wouldn't know. Wasn't it easier to just meet and talk when the time came?

'Unnecessary formalities.'

This was why nobles were exhausting.

"Aha."

Separate from my cluttered thoughts, I gave a vague response implying understanding.

With that, Isella and her entourage fully left the room.

'A short rest time for now, then.'

I planned to enjoy it however. Freely coming and going in the palace like my own home was valuable in itself.

"Father God."

Belladys, who'd been holding back well, finally checked on me carefully. Her gentleness warmed me, restoring my drained energy.

"I'm fine."

"...I'm sorry. It's my fault."

I grabbed Belladys's wrist to stop her from blaming herself and surveyed the room. Luxurious setup with three huge rooms and one bathroom. Give her one room, and I'd tidy up in another.

"So, we'll rest briefly like this today."

"Yes..."

Then I thought of our holy knights elsewhere.

"I wonder if our kids are okay."

Out of sight, out of mind—but anxiety crept in. Especially since some had criminal records. Even with their boss beside me, worry was worry.

'Please just stay put...'

Wishing that, I decided to fully enjoy healing time.

"Alright. Rest as you like."

I sank into the corner sofa first. Reveling in the luxurious feel, Belladys toddled over blankly and knelt beside me.

"..."

"..."

"Belladys?"

"Yes, Father God."

"...You can relax."

"This is the most comfortable for me."

Like master and servant, always on standby kneeling? Incomprehensible vibe, but she'd stand if uncomfortable. Thinking that, I opened the settings window to check on our kids.

Lisia and Belladys's status windows were open from prior contact. Faith values, once low, were back to normal. The fan meeting effect must've been huge.

'Nice.'

The map was still mostly deactivated. Needed to unlock it fast to resume faith intake. Plenty of resources left for now, but it was occupational habit. Accidents could happen anywhere.

'Come to think of it.'

Wonder if Lisia was safely heading to the cult HQ? No warning popped up, so probably fine. I missed those green eyes full of trust under red hair. Belladys was beautiful too, but character uniqueness was an irrefutable truth.

"Hm."

How to bring her here? Map showed her moving diligently.

"Lisia, I mean."

"Yes...?"

"Any way to call her over?"

Before she caused trouble elsewhere, I wanted to leash her. In my view, our kids needed direct supervision to avoid mishaps. Group separation anxiety? From the holy war scattering them everywhere, my hypothesis solidified.

"So much to do."

"...Ah."

Belladys, spacing out at me, reacted late.

"Kids still searching hard for me, probably."

First, clear this misunderstanding, brush off the faint stars hovering over my head. Then prepare a proper debut for our kids.

'You stay put too, no trouble.'

Of course, that required other constellations' cooperation. The Black Sun wasn't the only one trying to devour this world. I was curious about the movements of others who'd made good memories before.

'Lucky, I guess.'

If it were from the start, having to do everything from scratch instead of my progress point, it'd be bleak. This world was practically endgame trash.

"Heard the rumor, mate?"

In the noisy tavern dining hall, one of the men—tipsy after a day's work—shouted boisterously.

"Regarium Kingdom's knight order came back alive and well."

"Huh? So they survived? But they went to stop the holy war..."

"No, their opponents were the Father God's devotees!"

Father God's devotees. The culprits shaking the world lately, now no different from time bombs.

Holy war. Everyone knew publicly—or at least by rumor—that they were preparing something outrageous.

Clink. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Clink.

Mid-meal, a small figure listened intently to their talk. Deep hood pulled low, shoving back slipping red hair, the noise kept drawing her nerves.

"So Regarium's knights beat that constellation's knights?"

"What else could coming back mean? They won or subjugated them."

"About time! War rumors were getting grim."

"Not just war—they changed the world's balance."

Probably. No wonder neighboring countries were on edge.

"..."

The listening woman's movements stopped abruptly.

"Smack smack, but."

A bandit-like man chewing beside her raised a question.

"Rumor has it, cult carriages and knights were seen at Regarium's walls."

"What? For real?!"

"Just rumor. But if true..."

"The constellation's apostles became Regarium's prisoners?!"

Losing a holy war meant capture. Prisoners were useful political tools later.

"Ooh...!"

Humans beating a god's forces. How stirring.

Thud.

Unable ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to bear it, the woman stood and approached them. The boisterous men froze at the unidentified approach.

"...?"

"Wh-what."

Her tiny stature sparked defiance.

"The Father God's cult does not yield."

But her overwhelming presence shut them down.

"...Urk."

The rough men's faces paled.

"Absolutely. Be it lowly humans like you or pathetic royal knights."

Still hooded, she conveyed her will.

"Never."

"O-okay, stop..."

The mysterious pressure crushed their lungs, food threatening to come up.

Confirming they'd hit their limit, she released them.

"Bleurgh!!"

"Gurgle."

Leaving them vomiting, she showed coins to the tavern keeper. The burly owner, about to rage at the commotion, bowed hastily.

"Ah, aigoo. Iron Stake, hard work as always."

"Including disturbance fees."

"Y-yes...! Don't worry about it!"

Confirming resolution, the priestess left, setting her goal.

'Father God.'

Time to head to the kingdom. She couldn't tolerate his honor being tarnished.

'Those who defile Father God's name will not be forgiven.'

Devotee Lisia thought, green eyes flashing anger under the hood.

Destination: Regarium Kingdom. Needed to check what was happening there.

"...Belladys."

Maybe—that dumb vampire had caused some incident.