The Decoy Princess
I felt it anew—the night air was still chilly. Even a city of Vasilium's scale grew quiet and somber once darkness fell, casting an eerie atmosphere over the streets.
After wandering the city for a while, I stopped in my tracks. This should be enough, I thought, looking back. I had done nothing but walk in circles around the city a few times. Yet, a sizable crowd had gathered behind me.
Were there really this many? I estimated their numbers with a quick glance. About eight that I can see. If I counted the ones still hiding in the shadows, there would be even more. These were all mercenaries hired by the kingdom to hunt down Princess Ersiala. It was a miracle she had managed to flee all the way from the kingdom to this place in the first place.
But why were they chasing me? Well... These bastards don't even know what the princess looks like. Ever since I arrived in this town, I had felt eyes on me. At first, I didn't know the nature of those probing gazes, but once I realized Elsie was here, it clicked. They think I might be the princess.
If they had sighting reports from the Holy City Heilen, they would know the princess was disguised as a boy. And as luck would have it, I had arrived around the same time, sporting blonde hair similar to the princess's—even if mine was a slightly duller shade. But they weren't entirely sure.
That was why they hadn't dared to touch me during the day when there were witnesses, or while I was with Elsie. They were merely observing, waiting for definitive proof that I was the princess. But now was different. I was alone, and they had no reason to hesitate. In that case, I had only one thing to do: give them the confirmation they wanted. I opened my mouth.
"What are you all hesitating for?"
The sheer pressure woven into my voice rippled through the air.
In a dark, secluded alleyway, several men moved stealthily.
"Is that kid really the princess?"
"Didn't you hear? The princess is disguised as a boy. Besides, you don't see blonde hair like that around these parts very often."
The target they were tailing was a blonde boy.
"But isn't his hair a bit dull?"
"Probably rubbed ash on it to hide it."
"His build is larger than what we heard, though."
"Kids grow fast. The kingdom's scouts are probably remembering what she looked like a while ago."
"Then..."
The man pelted with questions snapped, unable to take it anymore. "Enough. There's no one around anyway. Let's just grab him and beat the truth out of him."
Of course, it wasn't as if he didn't find anything strange. The boy had done nothing but walk around the town in circles. He thinks he can lose us, but he's got another thing coming. As the boy kept walking, the number of pursuers grew. Among them was even a man claiming to be a Hero Candidate. But as the crowd of hunters swelled, so did their impatience. If this dragged on, they would have to split the bounty with too many people.
Just as their anxiety peaked, the boy finally stopped. Then, he turned around.
What?
Though they instinctively ducked into hiding, it felt as if the boy's eyes had locked onto theirs. The boy stood in silence for a moment before speaking.
"What are you all hesitating for?"
His voice instantly filled the space. It was a simple provocation, but there was something else woven into his tone. Pressure, charisma, and a profound dignity that transcended both. The man was instantly convinced.
"That's her! That's the princess!"
Hook, line, and sinker. The hesitant pursuers charged forward, their eyes burning with greed.
◈ Succession Slot 1: Rose Emblem (Minor)
◈ Succession Slot 2: Royal Emblem (Minor)
◈ Succession Slot 3: (Inactive)
The second Stigma I had inherited was the Royal Emblem. It was a Stigma passed down from Ersiala, whom I had personally raised. And its inherited trait was shining at this very moment.
Reim Royal Authority (Minor)
Grants a degree of dignity and charisma befitting the bloodline of the Reim Royal Family.
※ Note: Activation of the Holy Relic [Royal Sword] is impossible.
In a way, it was a useless trait that offered almost no help in actual combat. If it were the original Reim Royal Authority (Major), I might have been able to activate the Royal Sword, but even that was out of reach. Ersiala herself simply possessed insane growth potential; the trait itself was utterly garbage. On top of that, she had useless skills like Court Etiquette. Because of this, the Royal Emblem was once considered one of the most avoided Stigmas—until I discovered another use for Reim Royal Authority (Minor).
There was a broken, cheat-like training device located in Sak. Originally, only Princess Ersiala could use it, but as long as a character inherited this trait, anyone could access it—though there were several conditions, such as not being a Hero. But putting that aside for now, I decided to apply this trait to protect Elsie. From this moment on...
I am the Third Princess of the Reim Kingdom.
Absolute Obedience
The pursuers lunged at me, letting their guard down because I was empty-handed. Just a little closer... I had to wait until as many of them as possible entered my range. Waiting calmly, I pulled the Gravitus Replicant from my inventory. I set the sword's weight to its absolute minimum. Then, I infused the lightened blade with my Wind Authority. It was a sequence of movements made perfectly fluid through relentless practice. Now!
The enemies panicked as a sword materialized out of thin air. Before they could react, I slashed through them at blinding speed. They probably couldn't even see the blade. Yet, arcs of blood were already spraying along the path of my swings.
"Aaargh!"
"R-Run!"
A few quick-witted ones immediately turned on their heels and fled. But most of them chose to hesitate, warily sizing up the situation rather than running.
This isn't enough. At this rate, they would keep tracking me. A few stragglers would be fine, but there were still too many. Do I have to go further? Just as I raised my sword toward a man collapsed on the ground, a voice rang out.
"You're more skilled than I thought, Princess."
Someone who had been watching from the sidelines stepped forward. He held a hefty-looking sword in one hand. Can he even swing that thing? Moreover, a faint light rippled across the blade. It was likely a Holy Relic.
Should I dodge? No, this was actually a golden opportunity. Seeing the others part to make way for him, it was clear this man held a high standing among the pursuers. There was no better way to make a point than defeating their leader. And besides, if it's a Holy Relic I don't recognize... It was highly likely to be a mere 1-Star Relic. If so, there weren't many variables to worry about. Most 1-Star Relics were just glorified weapons with barely any notable effects.
But then, he uttered something incredibly grating.
"Why don't you play with big brother for a bit?"
Goosebumps erupted on my arms. But I didn't have the luxury of standing still. The man immediately swung his sword at me. I'm going to kill this guy. I resolved to go all out. I angled my blade, deflecting his strike. It was a heavy blow, matching the weight of his weapon, but it didn't matter as long as I didn't take it head-on.
Having deflected the blow, I immediately thrust my sword forward in a counterattack. However, the man agilely leaned his upper body back, dodging the strike. Evading my attack even when it was enhanced by Wind Authority meant he had anticipated it. He was highly experienced in player-versus-player combat.
"Whew, you're pretty fast."
Even as he offered the mock praise, he drove his knee upward. It slammed directly into my solar plexus as I closed the distance.
"Urgh..."
My vision instantly tunneled. Breathe!
Absolute Obedience
A searing pain tore through my lungs, but I forced my body to draw breath. I raised my sword just in time to block his follow-up strike. Looking down at me, he smirked.
"Be a good little princess and behave. I don't want to break you too much."
The bastard clearly didn't think he could lose. He swung his sword again with casual ease. We'll see about that. But then, I didn't think I would lose either.
His descending blade clashed with my Gravitus Replicant. The one pushed back was the man. Right before impact, I had fully released the sword's weight. The man let out a dumbfounded gasp.
"Huh?"
My wrists throbbed with pain. Even so, I didn't hesitate to transition to the next move. Letting go of my greatsword, I summoned Amyah from the air. I drove the dagger straight into his throat. I felt the blade crush bone and sink deep. A fatal blow.
Confirming the kill, I ripped Amyah out. The man died in an instant, his face frozen in utter disbelief. The onlookers wore the exact same expression. This was enough. They won't dare pursue me recklessly now. I wiped the blood off Amyah and Gravitus on the dead man's clothes before storing them back into my inventory.
Silence descended upon the street once more. The remaining pursuers had vanished back into the shadows, watching me with newfound dread. Time to head out. A few would probably keep tailing me. But that was fine—they would report back on their own. That the princess was heading toward Sak.
"Yawn..."
A cozy bed. Warm sunlight streaming through the window. It was the perfect environment to sleep in forever. Yet, she had to force herself awake. Today is the day Alan leaves.
Getting out of bed, she picked up the hand mirror she had bought yesterday. The reflection staring back at her was a mess—crusty eyes and wildly tangled hair. I can't let Alan see me like this.
She couldn't even remember what she had looked like when she first met Alan. She looked around for the basin of water she had prepared to wash her face. As she did, she noticed something resting by her pillow that hadn't been there the night before.
What is this?
It was a letter. A sudden, ominous dread gripped her heart. No.
She immediately burst out of the room and rushed down to the innkeeper's assistant.
"Excuse me! Do you know when the blonde man who was staying with me checked out?"
"Ah, your brother? He hasn't checked out yet."
"Really? Could you tell me which room he's in?"
If he hadn't checked out, he might still be here. Her heart leaped with hope, but the assistant's next words instantly shattered her expectations.
"Huh? Room 201, of course."
The assistant looked at her as if she had asked a bizarre question. Room 201 was the very room she had just run out of. Alan had never rented a separate room in the first place.
Oh...
Mumbling a quick thank you, she trudged back to the room. Now, only the letter remained. With trembling hands, she carefully unrolled the parchment.
To Elsie,
Something urgent came up, so I had to leave Basil earlier than planned. You probably won't see me tomorrow morning.
Instead, I'm leaving you this letter. There's only one thing I want to tell you.
If you train hard under Gwen, we will definitely meet again soon. That is one thing I can promise you. I'll be working hard on my end to make sure of it, too.
Also, I left some coins under the bed. Use them for whatever you need.
— Alan
He was a liar right to the very end. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to blame him. As far as she knew, he had never deceived her with malicious intent.
"Alan..."
She had done absolutely nothing for him. Yet, Alan had reached down into the abyss and pulled her up to the light. And so, she made a silent vow. When the day came that they met again, she would repay him. She would build the strength to do exactly that.