Act 1: Travel Kingdom (Part 2)

Right now, Yeowon was resting her head on my thigh. It felt a bit too close all of a sudden, but with her curiosity about me outweighing everything else, it made sense.

"Unnie."

"Uh, yeah...?"

"What perfume do you use? You smell so good..."

"...?"

I was caught off guard by the unexpected question, but it wasn't a tough one, so I chuckled and replied.

"I don't wear perfume."

"Huh...? Really?"

"Yeah... If anything, it's just my natural scent, I guess...?"

I had a skill called Witch's Aura. In-game, it just boosted charm, but in reality, it seemed to work a little differently—giving off an alluring fragrance or making my presence even more mysterious.

As I explained, Yeowon wriggled closer while still lying down.

"That's amazing... I just wanna keep smelling it..."

"Eek...!"

No matter how used to my life as a woman I'd gotten, having a pretty girl cling like this was still unfamiliar.

"...Unnie, you're a mage, right?"

Yeowon stopped fidgeting in my arms and asked softly.

"...Yeah. Actually, I'm a mage."

"Whoa... What about your eyes? They were definitely yellow at dawn..."

"Oh, my eyes?"

I giggled and activated my Shape Transformation skill, changing my iris color right in front of her—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.

"Whoa...! So cool...!"

Yeowon lay there on my lap, eyes sparkling as she looked up. She was so adorable that I even showed her my hair changing colors.

"...Unnie."

"Yeah?"

"...Thank you. Really."

"...Yeah."

Yeowon sat up and hugged me tight.

"...Honestly, I thought I'd just bawl my eyes out non-stop once I recovered? But... I still can't tell if this is real or a dream."

I stroked the back of her head with a smile.

"It's real. Totally real."

Rattle—

"Guys, I'm ba—...ck?"

"Yeah, unnie's here?"

Ye-rim walked in, puffing her cheeks for some reason at the sight of us glued together, but the warm atmosphere smoothed things over.

...

"Unnie, text me after I get discharged! You better reply!"

I smiled and left the hospital room. Midway, Ye-rim grumbled about us getting too close, but it didn't seem serious.

"Time to head home and get started."

My Shape Transformation skill had hit level 10, so it was time to tackle the main quest I'd been putting off.

...

"Aah. Can you all hear me okay?"

"Yep, hit level 10. Gonna swing by Asella's before heading out."

A purple mist shrouded my vision, and I teleported to Asella's room.

"Noel!"

Asella came rushing over the moment I arrived and threw herself into my arms.

The chat exploded in confusion for a moment, but I ignored it lightly and hugged Asella back.

"Hehe... Here for lessons today?"

Oh right... lessons...

I was supposed to visit once a day by game time for lessons, but Asella had been accommodating my schedule.

"Ahaha... Actually, just came to ask something today..."

At that, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Asella puffed her cheeks and pouted.

I hurriedly tried to cheer her up by spilling everything that had happened—the Travel Kingdom and the demons, the infiltration.

"...Soo... if I go do that first, I'll do lessons right after... Can't you make an exception...?"

I pleaded with the most pitiful eyes I could muster.

"Ah, fine! Just stop with those eyes..."

I giggled and scooped Asella up, settling onto the sofa. The chat lit up again at the sight of her nestled obediently, but I ignored it once more.

"S-so? What'd you wanna ask?"

Asella tilted her head back from my lap to meet my gaze.

"Just wondering if you knew anything about the prince and princess."

Asella pondered for a bit, then snapped her fingers.

"Hmm... You don't need info on the first prince anyway, right?"

Pretty much everything about the first prince was already out in the open, so no need there.

The other two are the issue. Especially...

The sole princess, Arie. I knew next to nothing about her. She wasn't interested in the throne, but she was the biggest variable in this quest.

"Oh, right... If you meet Arie, could you pass this to her? I promised but forgot."

Asella handed me a document. A quick skim showed it was about magic.

"Sure, thanks. I'll make sure she gets it."

"Arie'll probably love anything magic-related. She's probably still researching transformation spells these days."

"And... even if she seems kinda aloof, don't take it personally. She's basically emotionless with everyone—not just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠aloof."

"Hmm... Why's that?"

"...Something big happened when she was little, I think. I don't know the details."

A major incident even the Great Witch didn't know about. It smelled fishy.

I gently stroked Asella on my lap to show my gratitude.

"Eugh..."

...

Yurien and I were riding a carriage toward the royal castle. Naturally, I was using Shape Transformation to alter my appearance—short black hair, black eyes, and dressed in a maid outfit, heading quietly to the castle.

"We've arrived. You may disembark."

The coachman stopped the horses, and Yurien and I stepped out slowly.

...It's huge.

The castle was massive, which explained why hundreds of attendants bustled about inside.

Yurien went ahead after a quick word with the head attendant at the gate.

"..."

His pitying glance irked me a bit, but with the Second Prince's notorious reputation, I let it slide.

The head attendant showed me to my room—apparently ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just for me. I tidied my outfit alone, sat on the bed, and pondered.

I had three days, including today. Find the proof and deliver it to the Second Prince within that time.

Scope out the First Prince's movements and the princess's daily routine, deliver Asella's document, gather intel everywhere.

No time to sit around.

I stopped thinking and headed out.

...

Day 1.

Today, I planned to observe First Prince Callis and Princess Arie with my own eyes.

Words from Yurien might differ from reality, after all.

The one time the entire royal family gathered: mealtime. I'd use that to gauge the prince and princess.

I deftly carried dishes while etching their impressions in my mind. First Prince Callis, all smiles and charm. Princess Arie, expressionless and haughty. And King Leopold Travel, looking increasingly frail.

"Yurien. How long do you plan to just fool around?"

Callis picked a fight even at family dinner, and Yurien responded casually, as if used to it.

"What about it."

"Heard there was another complaint from the tavern yesterday. Broke a chair drunk again?"

All lies, without exception. But Yurien had to play the "good-for-nothing playboy prince," so he didn't bother refuting.

Callis smirked and glanced at me as I cleared plates.

"Tch. Brought another maid this time? Pretty face—right up your alley."

He whispered to Yurien, out of the king's earshot.

"Keep the noise down at night. Nearly got in big trouble last time, remember?"

Heat rushed to my face at that, but I held it in and snuck a peek at Arie. Still blank-faced, methodically slicing her meat. I started to see why Asella had said that.

The meal ended amid that awkward tension. I chatted with attendants for intel, then returned to plan.

Gottta use time efficiently.

I'd gotten a rough lay of the land. Chats with attendants yielded a lot.

As King Leopold aged and weakened, the succession was solidifying. The First Prince had the most groundwork laid, so unless something changed, Leopold would pass the throne to Callis.

And that's when Albarox would strike, plunging Travel Kingdom into unprecedented crisis.

If things stay this way.

Starting Day 2, I'd solidify ties with Arie—give her Asella's document and make her an ally.

...A princess might know something about the First Prince.

If I could win over Arie, hailed as the kingdom's sharpest mind ever, the quest difficulty would halve.

I planned for her rejection, other variables, prayed for Day 2's success, and went to sleep.