Chapter 27
Chapter 27
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Princess's Surprise Inspection
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The northern part of the capital.
It's famous as the quietest and most peaceful area in the entire empire.
Especially around the building where Veil works—it's the most serene spot even within the north.
But...
Lately, rumors had been spreading nonstop about strange cries echoing from that area.
Like the wails of wild beasts.
Whenever people passed by, they'd flinch at the sound.
―――――.
And right now.
A massive carriage heading toward the source of those rumors.
The imperial citizens who spotted it jumped in shock and dropped to their knees.
They kept their heads bowed until it passed.
A lavish carriage with golden edges everywhere.
Inside sat the 3rd Imperial Princess, propping her chin on her hand with a sullen expression.
"Secretary."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The secretary sitting across from her bowed his head.
She shot him a dissatisfied look and asked,
"Lately, Tau and Vizhu have been skipping out of the knight order every lunchtime, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
He answered flatly.
"And every time they come back, they're a total mess?"
"Yes, covered head to toe in dirt and dust."
Lydia pulled a lemon candy from the carriage table.
She popped it into her pink lips and mumbled around it.
"As their lord and master, doesn't my behavior right now seem perfectly natural?"
"Yes... I suppose so?"
The secretary gave a mechanical reply, then tilted his head.
He stared intently at Lydia, who was pretending to be annoyed with exaggerated effort.
Normally, they could've just dispatched an investigation team, but here she was, the princess herself venturing outside the palace.
Honestly, it felt a bit excessive, but the secretary decided to understand her.
She needed a pretext to leave the palace and meet someone in private.
And right now, that pretext had been fulfilled through her two Eastern knights.
Soon, the carriage began to slow.
Then it came to a complete stop.
The secretary stepped out first.
With his signature eagle-like gaze, he quietly scanned the surroundings.
But contrary to the rumors, Veil's office building was eerily quiet.
So peaceful that even the chirping of birds rang clear.
"What, we've already arrived?"
Lydia started to stand to get out.
But at that moment.
「Hraaaah—!!」
A man's guttural roar from behind the building.
The secretary hurriedly tried to shut the carriage door to stop the princess from exiting.
「Louder with your kiais! Maximize efficiency with minimal mana—that's the point!」
A familiar voice drifting from afar.
At that sound, Lydia shoved open the door the secretary had been blocking.
"What's that noise coming from?"
"Seems like behind the building."
Lydia stepped out of the carriage.
In the sunlight, her outfit came into full view.
Unlike the formal ceremony or party attire, this dress was much lighter.
It perfectly captured her free-spirited nature.
"Your Highness, winter hasn't fully passed yet. Aren't you cold?"
"That's why I brought you along, isn't it? Hurry up and cast that warming spell."
Her dress was rather short, exposing a bit of thigh.
But the hem flared out longer at the hips, gently covering down to her calves.
Arms crossed confidently, Lydia stood there in that outfit.
"Understood..."
The secretary knelt and cast the spell on her with utmost courtesy.
Still with her arms crossed, the princess walked toward the back of the building.
She gazed intently at the vegetable patch visible in the distance.
"Is that the workshop Veil mentioned...?"
She approached the patch slowly.
The 3rd Imperial Princess, curious about what on earth someone was doing with her knights.
As the distance closed and the figures of her knights sharpened into view, her eyes went wide.
Her sharp fangs even poked out.
"What... what is this?"
Muscles tough enough to block any arrow.
Legs sturdy enough to withstand any hardship.
The perfect knightly bodies she'd invested in were caked in soil.
And instead of their Eastern greatswords, they clutched short, stubby hoes.
Lydia was dumbfounded by the sight of her knights turned farmers, complete with straw hats.
"Done! Senior, my hoe work's on fire today, huh?"
"Yeah, sprouts should pop up any day now!"
The fulfilled farmers.
They wiped sweat from their brows, beaming with pride.
But those expressions vanished in an instant.
The moment they looked up.
"Y-Your Highness?!"
They'd locked eyes with Lydia.
"What in the world are you two doing here?"
The youngest princess's red eyes bored into the knights like drills.
Pierced by her gaze, the two scrambled to hide their hoes and bowed their heads.
"Th-that's..."
The junior knight, Vizhu, stammered.
The more experienced Tau stepped in with a plausible excuse.
"Tr-training! Yes, we were in the middle of training!"
It was obviously farming.
Training? Please.
Arms still crossed, Lydia eyed them suspiciously.
"Hmm... You call that training right now?"
"Yes!"
Tau frantically rolled his eyes, scanning the surroundings.
Then he spotted me hiding behind the building.
He pleaded desperately for my help.
"You expect me to believe that? After I went to the trouble of feeding you elixirs and training you...!"
Lydia prepared to scold them with a serious expression.
At that moment, I strolled casually out from the building and approached the princess.
"Ah, isn't that Lady Lydia?"
I flashed a bright smile.
But Lydia eyed it like the sleazy grin of a corrupt official.
"Yeah, Veil. What the hell is going on here?"
I glanced down at the two knights.
Towering several times larger than the princess, they tensed up the moment their master arrived.
'Talk about a brutal lord-vassal dynamic.'
"I was teaching the two seniors 'mana manipulation techniques.'"
"Mana manipulation?"
"Yes, it's training to habituate mana use in everyday life, making them proficient at handling it!"
I explained to her in the clear tone of a star instructor.
But Lydia still furrowed her brows.
"You expect that to make sense? How could farming count as training...?"
At her skeptical attitude, I pointed to the secretary who'd followed her.
"If you don't believe me, why not ask the secretary?"
All eyes followed my gesture to him.
"..."
The secretary adjusted his monocle.
He peered intently through it at the mana flowing in the knights who'd been rolling in the dirt.
"Hmm...?"
Soon, his mustache twitched with interest.
He removed the monocle, polished it with silk, and spoke flatly.
"The mana circulating through their bodies does feel much more stable."
The secretary was renowned for his honesty and taciturn nature.
At his words, Lydia looked surprised.
"Really? That's intriguing. Taming mana has never been easy, no matter the training method."
As Lydia nodded in agreement, the two knights finally sighed in relief.
They quickly pleaded with her.
"Exactly. We've achieved plenty from the training, so we should head back to the knight order now."
The knights tossed aside their hoes and tried to stand.
But Lydia shook her head firmly.
"No, this works out perfectly. From now on, keep doing your training here."
Lydia narrowed her eyes.
With a mischievous, impish smile, she turned to me.
"Veil, if it's not too much trouble, could you keep overseeing their training?"
"Just leave it to me. I'll mold them into the empire's finest."
I agreed, looking down at the Eastern knights.
With a demonic smile just like Lydia's.
'Of course, the empire's finest farmers.'
I'm not saying I won't train them at all.
I really did teach them how to use the right amount of mana while hoeing.
Not just exploiting them.
I'm even providing fair compensation for their honest labor.
Isn't this the true essence of knighthood?
But oblivious to my deeper intent, Tau and Vizhu.
They stared up at me, faces drained white.
"Um... Your Highness. We think we've learned enough already."
"Yes, we're plenty ready to return!"
The two howled like beasts.
At that, I grinned and grabbed their shoulders.
I pressed firmly on the chicken and cow tattoos etched on each of them.
"No, seniors. You've still got a 'mountain' left to learn."
Full of enthusiasm, that's me.
Satisfied with the display, Lydia sauntered over to me.
"Taking such good care of seniors from another unit—I'm impressed."
She patted my shoulder with a grin.
But the secretary, uncomfortable with the sight, advised her firmly.
"Your Highness, such encouragement is too much for a mere defense knight."
"So what? There are no nosy foxes around to spy right now, are there?"
Foxes?
She means Lea and Irina.
As I pondered that, Lydia changed the subject.
"Anyway, it's a bit chilly here. Feels kinda empty."
She rubbed her arms as she spoke.
The secretary tilted his head.
He'd definitely cast the warming spell on her.
"You planning to keep Her Highness out in a place like this?"
Lydia asked me with a strange smile.
'Well, now.'
She wants to head into the office.
Can't have that.
Even a princess is human—once she gets familiar with a place, she'll keep coming back.
If she steps foot in my office, who knows when she'll drop by again.
"Then allow me to escort you back to the warm carriage."
I said that and gestured politely to guide her.
But Lydia gently caught my hand and smirked.
"No, since I'm already out, I want to rest a bit."
An unyielding standoff.
Lydia took the lead, marching toward the office like she'd staked her claim.
"I've been in the carriage so long, I'm feeling carsick."
The princess's retreating figure, hands clasped behind her back, walking briskly.
The red ruby earrings on her ears swayed.
The long trailing skirt fluttered like a tail.
'Haa...'
Dealing with a young princess is no small feat.
In the end, I accompanied her all the way to the office door.
"Come on, open it up. I'm curious if the 'gift' I gave you is being kept properly."
With that, I turned the doorknob.
As the door cracked open, the leopard pelt on the floor welcomed the princess.
Her lips curled up at how perfectly it was laid out, just as intended.
But her expression soon hardened.
A tear in one corner of the pelt caught her eye.
Meanwhile, Irina's gifted sword hung pristine on the wall.
Her lips pursed at the sight of only her gift damaged.
"What's wrong, Your Highness?"
When I asked, Lydia glared up at me sullenly.
"You..."
She pointed at Irina's sword.
"You're decorating the sword from Irina all nice like that, but you trashed the one I gave you?"
The youngest princess, pride wounded.
Her red earrings danced as they swayed.
I looked down at Lydia calmly.
'That wasn't me...'
I wanted to mention Looper, but the timing was off.
Besides, the pelt was being treated pretty well for its purpose.
It was being used exactly as intended.
Irina's sword, on the other hand, had been demoted to fruit-peeling knife.
Oblivious to that, Lydia just stood there fuming, arms crossed.