The Award Ceremony (5)

As soon as I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠saw the Elixir, I was honestly tempted. It was something I would need soon enough.

Still, I can't take it now.

After all, the Elixir was also available in the coin shop. Though its price of fifty coins was absurdly high, it wasn't impossible to gather that many. So it made more sense to pick something I could never obtain if I missed this opportunity.

But where the hell did they hide it?

The emperor had her pride, so she wouldn't have taken it out in advance. That meant it had to be somewhere in here.

After searching for a long time...

Found it.

I spotted a small box tucked away in one corner. Upon closer inspection, it wasn't a box at all. It was a safe. A safe inside a warehouse that no one else could enter? It was practically screaming for attention.

Just in case, I used Inquiry.

Bingo. The Miracle Ring. It was the item I had wanted from the moment I entered this novel.

"I'll take what's inside this."

The crown princess surely wouldn't know about the Miracle Ring. But perhaps her sharp intuition had kicked in, because her face was rapidly draining of color.

"Wait just a moment..."

"Where did you get this?"

"Where else? From the warehouse. Schluss Heinkel chose it."

"......"

Gustav felt a headache like his skull was being crushed. He had hoped against hope, but the boy had really picked it. He had deliberately taken it out of the flashy safe and put it in this small, shabby one...

He was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠starting to regret not removing it beforehand.

"Ha... It would be beneath me to change my words now."

"What is it, exactly?"

"See for yourself."

At Gustav's gesture, the court ladies and guards withdrew from the room. He placed the safe in front of him, laid a hand on top, and closed his eyes.

Because all the security ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spells protected one another, the design was meant to take a Ma-in hundreds of years to dismantle even if they tried. But as Gustav entered the codes one by one, the spells began to release.

Finally, when the last spell was undone—

With a cheerful click, the safe door swung open.

By then the crown princess had moved behind Gustav and was peering over his shoulder. He sighed and slowly opened the safe door.

What appeared inside was—

"What... is this?"

A pair of silver rings. They weren't ornate, just plain and simple, completely identical in every way. But when she picked them up, their feather-light weight told her they were definitely not silver.

"It's called the Miracle Ring."

"I've never heard of it..."

"Of course you haven't. Only the successive emperors of Freya knew about it."

The crown princess swallowed nervously.

"What does it do?"

"It's a ring that brings the dead back to life."

"...!"

"If you pour a powerful wish into it and pray from the depths of your heart for someone's resurrection, the ring will grant that wish. The deceased returns to the mortal world in the form of a soul. It can only be used once every hundred years, and previous emperors used it to seek the wisdom of their ancestors."

"Are you really giving something like this to that bastard?"

"You foolish girl. That's why I told you to watch your tongue."

"Ow!"

A sharp flick landed on the crown princess's forehead. Even as she rubbed the spot, she hung her head in solemn realization.

"Since I boldly declared I would give him anything he chose, I cannot take it back now. However..."

"However...?"

"A little dirty trick or two should be acceptable."

A smile rose to Gustav's lips. It was the smile he wore whenever he came up with a cunning (or rather, clever) plan.

"Oh dear. What a disaster. It seems I've gone senile and forgotten the password."

"Grandfather! You can't mean...!"

"That's right. I'll give him the safe as it is."

Watching Gustav cackle, the crown princess could only stare with her mouth agape.

Good heavens. The emperor of a continental superpower resorting to such a petty scheme. Or perhaps that level of pettiness was exactly what it took to rule such an empire. The crown princess felt rather confused.

"But why is it a pair?"

"Just take it."

"Huh?"

Gustav flicked one ring over his shoulder. The crown princess barely caught it with both hands and examined it with a puzzled frown.

"One is the main body that creates the miracle. The other is a replica. It doesn't do nothing, though. It notifies you whenever the main body activates a miracle. If Schluss ever opens the safe and triggers it... we'll know who was brought back."

"I see."

The emperor placed the main ring back inside the safe, reactivated the spells one by one, and locked it again.

"Deliver this to Schluss."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Once the crown princess left with the guards carrying the safe, Gustav leaned back in his chair with perfect composure.

It was a safe that could neither be opened nor destroyed by any means. Schluss Heinkel wouldn't keep something he could never open forever. Whether he tried to sell it later or after his death, they could simply retrieve it. There was no problem at all.

Yet for some reason, Gustav felt strangely uneasy.

I accepted the safe the crown princess handed me. Since it was made of Black Steel, the hardest substance in the world, it was surprisingly heavy despite its small size.

"What was inside?"

"Unfortunately, this safe can no longer be opened. The password has been completely lost."

"......"

What a despicable trick. Aria's awkward acting nearly made me curse out loud.

At least they hadn't tampered with the contents. Fortunately, the Miracle Ring was still safely inside.

"Once chosen, it cannot be changed. Now take that safe and get out of my sight."

"Please wait a moment."

"...?"

I ignored Aria, who tilted her head in confusion, and placed my hand on top of the safe.

Twelve security spells, huh? Worth a try.

With that thought, I shut off my sight and hearing and focused.

Wait, what the hell?

I had only broken two spells, and the rest were completely out of reach. Moreover, the moment I removed my hand, the spells I had already undone locked themselves again. I'd have to start from scratch.

The structure was especially difficult because the spells weren't independent; each one encrypted the others.

"Hmph. It will be difficult to break without the password."

Aria waved her hand dismissively, but the composure had already vanished from her face. Cold sweat was now trickling down her slender neck.

This wasn't going to work. I had no choice but to use my ability.

Selection and Concentration. Five seconds to computational power.

My computational power stat instantly shot past 100 and reached 147. It was enough to dismantle most spells in the blink of an eye, yet even after three seconds, only four of the safe's spells had been released.

Still, as the number decreased, the mutual encryption weakened, and the difficulty gradually eased.

At four seconds, seven spells... And on the final fifth second.

Just before the time limit of Selection and Concentration ran out—

With a click, all twelve spells were dismantled and the safe door swung open.

Emilia's reaction was somewhat lukewarm since she didn't know how many layers there had been, but—

"W-what...? Why did it...?"

Aria gave a refreshingly honest and vivid reaction.

Yes. This was it. How nice it was to have an honest person nearby. It would have been perfect if Emilia and Aria had completely opposite personalities. No, actually. If someone of the crown princess's stature showed absolutely nothing on her face, that would be rather frightening.

I opened the safe door and took out one of the rings inside. In the original work, it had only been mentioned and never actually shown. The appearance of a true MacGuffin.

Even when I checked with Inquiry, there was no mistake. The Miracle Ring. A ring that allowed one to meet the dead again... a ring that led one to commit taboo.

I clutched it tightly in my hand, afraid I might drop it.

"To think it was nothing but a ring. If you want to change it even now, I could..."

"Didn't you say it couldn't be changed earlier?"

"I-I've suddenly felt merciful. You may exchange it for something else."

"No need. How could a man go back on a decision once made? I'll take this."

"Uh... Very well."

Watching her fidget and sweat profusely beside me was quite entertaining. She was the kind of person I wanted to keep around just to tease.

That aside, this safe was quite a valuable item too. Even without the security spells, a safe made of Black Steel was rare. Since I had already unlocked it, I could set a new password, so it was essentially mine now.

Perhaps from overusing my computational power, my head was splitting with pain. I had to press my temples for a while.

"Ah, um..."

"What is it?"

"I'll carry it, Mr. Heinkel."

"It's quite heavy. It would be better if I carried it."

"No. It feels like I haven't done anything all day..."

When I picked up the safe, Emilia glanced at me and spoke up. She must have felt useless after following me around all day without doing anything. Did knocking out one rude knight not even count as work in her eyes?

Even if that weren't the case, just having a reliable ally by my side was more than enough to feel reassured.

"Then please carry it, Miss Emilia."

"Understood."

I handed the safe to Emilia. If it put her mind at ease, then so be it.

"Then, in accordance with Your Highness's command, we shall take our leave. It was truly an honor to meet you again, Aria."

"Aria? Who is that?"

"...It was a slip of the tongue. Please forget it."

You idiot.

The crown princess still didn't have a name. To make such a massive blunder even in a verbal slip.

"You've grown quite bold in your rudeness. I no longer wish to see your face. Get out."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Fortunately, she didn't seem too suspicious. After being searched by the guards to ensure we weren't taking anything else, we left the underground warehouse.

The path out of the imperial palace felt endlessly long. It really was far, but it felt infinitely longer than when we had arrived.

Every now and then I glanced at the ring on my left ring finger to soothe my anticipation.

As soon as we left the palace, we rented a luxurious carriage on the main street. After all, all the guards coming and going could be billed to the imperial family. And with the pension that came with the Black Eagle Medal, I could afford this much luxury.

"Miss Emilia. Could you wait outside for a bit? I'd like to be alone."

"Yes, of course."

I left Emilia outside and entered the carriage compartment alone. Then I raised my trembling left hand.

Rubbing the Miracle Ring on my ring finger, I prayed inwardly.

Please. Please let me see her one more time.

Even for a moment. Even for an instant. Even if it's only her voice.

It doesn't have to be kind words. She can scold me, get angry, resent me, anything is fine.

Just once...

"Fuck. Am I an idiot..."

Nothing happened. Of course it didn't. She wasn't a person of this world. She was someone from the real world, not a resident of this damned novel. That's why there was no way her soul would return because of a stupid ring like this.

Still, I had tried just in case...

And just as expected, nothing.

"What a piece of shit ring."

I was about to yank it off and throw it out the window when my hand froze. No matter what, it was a treasure the imperial family valued above all else. It wasn't something I could throw away in a fit of rage.

My anger subsided in an instant. With trembling hands, I slipped the ring back on. I had tried to put it on my index finger at first, but it didn't fit right, so I put it on my ring finger. Come to think of it, what did wearing a ring on the left ring finger mean again? I forgot.

"Ha... Life."

Really. I miss her so fucking much. I thought I could live without her now. I thought I had overcome the sadness. But it seems I'm still hopeless. No matter how much time passes, I can't forget. I'm still an idiot chasing after her ghost.

Her last words telling me to meet a good person...

"Are too cruel."

I can't forget them.

"That crazy bastard..."

Left alone in the warehouse, the crown princess trembled all over. The safe that even a Ma-in couldn't open, the one the Ma-in himself had guaranteed was impossible to breach, had been opened. By a mere human. No, a commoner. It was impossible.

Had they been deceived by a Ma-in? Even the exalted late emperor?

So many incomprehensible things kept happening that the crown princess could no longer suppress her emotions.

"Aaaah...! How am I supposed to explain this to Grandfather?!"

Schluss had gotten his hands on the Miracle Ring after all. Without even knowing its true value. That was by no means a good sign. There was even a chance he might just sell it to some random jewelry shop on the street.

"I have to recover it immediately...!"

The crown princess practically ran out of the warehouse. There was no time to waste. She had to track Schluss's movements right away and monitor whether he tried to trade the ring.

She reached into her pocket and felt the replica of the Miracle Ring she had received earlier. It was supposed to notify her when the real one activated. The chances of Schluss using it were practically zero, but just in case, she slipped the replica onto her left ring finger.

"But Aria? Who is that?"

Come to think of it, he had accidentally called her Aria. It was an unfamiliar name. To dare mistake the crown princess for another woman and call her by the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wrong name... At the time she had let it slide, but now that she thought about it, it was rather irritating.

Yet strangely, the name 'Aria' felt oddly endearing. There shouldn't be anyone around her with that name. It was strange.

While the crown princess was lost in these idle thoughts—

Ziiing...

"Hya?!"

A vibration rang from the ring. Her whole body shuddered, and the crown princess blushed in surprise as she lifted her left hand.

The Miracle Ring had activated? Did that mean Schluss, who didn't even know how to use it, had somehow triggered it? Had he figured out the method by chance?

In a panic, the crown princess touched the ring. Then, before her eyes, the name of the deceased Schluss had summoned appeared.

"Who the hell is this?"