The Former Crown Prince's Provincial Tour
The former crown prince Aslan interrupted my conversation with Seria. From his reaction, it was clear he hadn’t overheard us. Not that I would have missed it if he had been eavesdropping.
“From what I hear, you were the one who caught Jerato in the dungeon this time, Olivia.”
“Ah. Yes. It just sort of… happened that way.”
I only realized it was Jerato after I’d already beaten him. That was the extent of it.
“Her Majesty spoke very highly of you. She even appointed you as Taesa. It’s quite the auspicious event for both the imperial family and Ashtar.”
“I suppose it is. But what brings you here, Your Highness?”
I get anxious whenever you come looking for me. Please don’t confess again or anything like that.
“The truth is, we’ll be conducting a provincial tour this time.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s being organized by the student council. As the Saintess, the Taesa, and the young lady of Ashtar, I’d like you to join us.”
Behind me, Seria let out a soft snort of laughter.
“Pardon?”
“Oh, of course I have no other intentions. I was the one who agreed to break off our engagement, and I’ve already come to an understanding with Yuria.”
So Yuria had claimed the position of fiancée in the end. There were still quite a few families eager to tie themselves to the prince, yet Aslan had chosen her. The Emperor was famously hands-off, so he probably hadn’t objected. And since he wasn’t a fool, he must have seen how a marriage to a commoner would soothe public sentiment. There had likely been plenty of discussions behind the scenes.
In the end, was Yuria the final victor? She wasn’t stupid either. She seemed to have been slightly influenced by Lily. Otherwise she never would have agreed to a life of noble domination and absurdity.
“So you’ve taken a new fiancée.”
“Not officially yet, but we’ve aligned our stories. Honestly, I’m grateful to Yuria. Who knows how her life might change through a marriage into the imperial family?”
“Ugh, what an idiot.”
“Hm?”
“It’s nothing.”
This guy really is hopeless. Does he not understand why Yuria stays by his side and supports him?
“Anyway, set that aside. The atmosphere has been rather grim lately, and since the Demon King has been subjugated, we thought it would be good to inspect the surrounding regions and look after the people.”
“And in the process, you’re also working to reclaim the position of crown prince.”
Well, as a member of the imperial family, he was bound to covet the throne. But did he really want a position where he could never truly hold power? Raising a princess didn’t seem like a bad alternative. Among the remaining nobles in the council, quite a few had suffered losses because of the Lily incident.
“What do you think? Could you manage it? I won’t force you. It would be good experience for you, since you’ve been stuck in the capital all this time. Besides, there isn’t much left for you to learn at the academy, is there?”
“That’s not wrong.”
This opportunity didn’t seem bad at all. I had been wanting to get away from the capital anyway. Clanice had used Jerato to strike at the empire, so there was no way Pector would stay quiet. After smashing Berta Fortress, if they pulled their forces back from the kingdom, the odds were high they would target the empire next. In that case, leaving the capital might actually be safer.
“Since Her Majesty has already given permission, there won’t be any issues even if you don’t return to the academy after it ends.”
“Who else is coming?”
“From the student council, myself and Yuria. From the students, Valen Libelt, you, and the elf exchange student Shariel.”
Wow, he’s only bringing the key figures. Well, that’s better than dragging along a bunch of nobodies.
Moreover, the Libelt family was famous across the empire. If the young master of that house joined the prince’s tour, it would create a good impression. I hadn’t heard of this elf named Shariel before, though.
“Who is Shariel?”
“She’s the exchange student sent by the elves this time. I hear she’s the younger sister of Ella from the Hero Party.”
“Ah, is that so?”
If she took after her older sister, her personality would probably be awful. Still, siblings didn’t always resemble each other.
“She has pride in her people, but she lacks the usual elven sense of superiority. I don’t think she’d be a bad companion. Personally, I see her as a future elder of the elves.”
“What about her personality?”
Personality was important. This wasn’t a matchmaking meeting, but after clashing with Ella so often, just hearing about the Hero Party filled me with disgust. If Shariel was anything like her sister, I wanted nothing to do with her. My blood pressure had skyrocketed because of those people. The fact that I suddenly charged ahead to defeat the Demon King was largely their fault. Spending even a single day in the same space as them would probably make thorns sprout from my mouth.
“It would be good if you brought along some people of your own as well.”
In that case, Claire was the top priority.
“Then Claire and—”
“Lady Olivia.”
“Then who would be good…”
“Lady Olivia! Me!”
The teddy bear fanatic beside me was making a racket. She was practically clinging to me and throwing a tantrum.
“Well, Seria wouldn’t be bad, would she? Since she’s from the Magic Tower, she could serve as combat strength if needed.”
“Seria?”
You have no idea what you’re saying, Aslan.
“Lady Olivia. How can you treat our bond so casually? That’s too cruel.”
“I get it, so stop whining.”
I really want to smack her.
When the prince announced he would be going on a provincial tour, preparations were necessary. I worked with Claire to get everything ready. For someone who had been confined to the capital because of my duties as Saintess, this was a welcome chance.
“A provincial tour, huh. It looks like the prince is trying to win over public sentiment this time,” Claire muttered while packing luggage.
“With most of the central nobles fallen except for the major houses, he needs to win the hearts of the commoners.”
If the nobles were out of reach, winning over the commoners was the next best thing. He was working hard at it. The nobles had collapsed and drawn the resentment of the people, so it was only natural.
“I’m a little uneasy.”
“Why?”
“The fallen nobles have been far too quiet. Even if the ones His Majesty executed had relatively weak factions, it’s still suspicious.”
Now that she mentioned it, it did seem odd.
“They’re holding their breath too tightly?”
“Yes. Even if their children brought it upon themselves, they’re being far too quiet. You should be careful, my lady.”
It was indeed suspicious how silent they were.
“You think they might seek revenge?”
“Yes. Whatever the reason, the fact remains that you were the catalyst for their downfall by removing Lily.”
“Lily was an Ashtar as well.”
Ashtar had dug the trap, and Ashtar had caused their collapse. Yet Ashtar had benefited greatly by producing a Saintess. Of course they would be furious.
“From those nobles’ perspective, Ashtar must feel like the main culprit behind their ruin right now.”
“So leaving the capital might get me killed.”
I had no intention of dying, but nobles had a habit of taking out their anger in strange places. I was indeed the perfect target. And now even the prince—who had been at the center of Lily’s schemes—was leaving the capital? It was definitely worth targeting. Come to think of it, this tour might not be so simple after all.
“Yes. So please be careful.”
“Can’t be helped. The one in immediate danger is Seria.”
If Seria stuck to my side throughout the entire tour? Just imagining it was horrifying. The thought of how much she would cling to me made my skin crawl.
“Um, my lady. Are you perhaps interested in a mage from the Magic Tower?”
“It’s not that I’m not interested.”
The Ashtar side probably already knew. They must have investigated me thoroughly.
“Hmm. I did hear that you are quite skilled at magic. In that case, what about joining the Ashtar Mage Corps?”
I knew this topic would come up.
“It’s not bad, but… it feels like there’s no real need to go there.”
“You don’t like the Mage Corps?”
It wasn’t a matter of liking or disliking it. The problem was that I couldn’t go there right now.
“More importantly, I’m the Saintess.”
“Even a Saintess can become a mage. There are quite a few ways to do it.”
“Hm?”
Really? A Saintess could become a mage?
“After all, the Saintess from the Hero Party is currently outside, isn’t she?”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true.”
No matter what excuse they used, Cyria from the Hero Party was ultimately operating outside.
“The position of Taesa isn’t something Her Majesty will hold onto forever either. The Magic Tower seems difficult, though. That would mean leaving the bloodline behind.”
If it was because of the Ashtar bloodline, I wasn’t sure.
“Why?”
“There was some conflict between the Magic Tower and the Ashtar Mage Corps. Given that history, it would be difficult for the young lady of Ashtar to enter the Magic Tower. Even if Ashtar approved, there’s no telling how the Tower would react.”
Had they fought over whose magic was superior? The Magic Tower was essentially the holy land of magic. If they had clashed with Ashtar over magic, then…
“They actually fought with magic?”
“It started simply enough. The Magic Tower had underestimated the level of Ashtar’s magic too much. Since Ashtar wasn’t originally a magic family, the Tower ridiculed them severely. As you said, there was even a magical duel between the Ashtar Mage Corps and the Magic Tower. In the end, the previous head of Ashtar and the elders of the Magic Tower signed a non-aggression pact.”
What a mess. A single family forming a pact with the Magic Tower?
“That’s a bit disappointing. Becoming a mage through the Magic Tower would have been the easiest way to be recognized.”
“Joining the Mage Corps is still a path to becoming a mage.”
That was because Claire was an Ashtar attendant. The Magic Tower’s legitimacy couldn’t be denied. The person once called the Sage had founded it, and it had endured for a very long time. It had even existed since the time of the Kart Alliance Kingdom. If it couldn’t be avoided, then that was fine too.
“Are there many external missions?”
“Actually, the Ashtar Mage Corps has more freedom than the Magic Tower. The Tower is run by stubborn old mages, while the Ashtar Corps is mostly made up of younger members. Many mages who leave the Ashtar Corps also work as adventurers.”
“That doesn’t sound bad.”
It was something to consider. After the storm I had caused in Adelina, joining the Mage Corps there wouldn’t be bad. The problem was Valen Libelt and that elf in Adelina. And Seria. Anyway, as the Saintess I had freedom even at the academy. I would need to observe during this tour.
“Graduating from Adelina is good, but it seems they’ve implemented something new because of this incident.”
“What is it?”
Adelina’s classes had mostly shifted to practical training regardless of subject. Swordsmanship, archery, and magic all focused on hunting and dungeons, with professors teaching through real combat. They had already done well by turning classes into practicals, but they had applied something else?
“It was led by Gallado. Even if they are Adelina students, those who reach a certain adventurer rank, belong to the Magic Tower, or possess qualifications proving their ability will have their attendance recognized.”
“Is it because of the previous incident where they emphasized ability?”
“Yes. Being an adventurer, belonging to the Magic Tower, or using other qualifications to skip Adelina is now considered field training. This is largely your fault, my lady.”
“Why is it my fault?”
What did I do wrong?
“Because you swept away everyone cleanly from the beginning of the second year. From then on, the dean decided there was no reason to keep skilled students in regular classes and disrupt the balance.”
“Does that include the Ashtar Mage Corps?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll think about it during the tour.”
If there was no other way, that wouldn’t be bad either. In the worst case, I could just register at a local mage guild.
“Ah, that’s right, my lady.”
“What is it?”
“The relationship between Ashtar and Libelt has never been good, so please be careful with your relationship with Valen.”
There were families among the nobles that didn’t get along. For Ashtar, it was the Libelts. I wondered if something had happened between them.