Failure
Barely holding back her tears, the Third Princess wobbled to her feet while rubbing her swollen, crimson-red forehead.
"...Fine. I lost. I admit my defeat."
There was not a shred of royal dignity in her sniffling, tearful voice, yet those few words were more than enough to bring the fierce battle raging around them to a sudden halt.
"Tch...!"
Having been robbed of a decisive conclusion against Nemeth, Urtega clicked his tongue and scowled with blatant displeasure, though he refrained from forcing the attack any further.
The assassins who gathered behind the Third Princess one by one were in a truly wretched state. Broken weapons, battered gear, and clothes stained deep red with blood... Yet, miraculously, not a single person among them had died.
"...You got lucky. Honestly, calling it a miracle wouldn't be an exaggeration."
"Are you mocking me?"
The corners of my mouth curled into a smirk as she glared daggers at me.
"No, I mean it. Arpe, you're genuinely fortunate. After all, you were born with noble blood, weren't you?"
"What is that supposed to...? What does that have to do with anything right now?"
"Heh. Are you really asking because you don't know, Arpe? If you weren't royalty—if I could actually handle the fallout of killing you—you'd have been dead long ago. There wouldn't be any reason to keep you alive, would there?"
"......"
I chuckled under the fierce heat of her gaze and took a long swig from my bottle.
"Now then, I reckon it's about time to settle the bill. You lost, so you have to pay the price, right?"
"...Very well. Name whatever you want. It would be troublesome for me as well if this incident escalated any further."
Seeing how acutely aware she was of the massive mess she had caused, it seemed her head had finally cooled down a bit. Still, naming what I wanted... It was almost certainly impossible, but maybe I should just float the idea anyway?
"Hmm. Any chance I could snag a few relics from the Imperial Treasury?"
"What? Are you serious? There's no way that's possible! That's a place even my mother cannot access freely!"
"Figured as much..."
I clicked my tongue in disappointment. Within the Imperial Treasury slept countless artifacts, rivaling the vaults of the Holy Order. Grabbing just a few of them would have made my life so much easier... Well, it couldn't be helped.
Oh, for the record, the Third Princess's mother was the reigning Emperor of the Empire. Asking how an Empress could rule in a conservative medieval fantasy land where women's social participation was heavily restricted... would be an utter waste of breath. Because, fundamentally, this world was built on the foundation of a male-oriented dating sim.
...At this point, I had my doubts about whether that was still entirely true, but regardless, it was easiest to assume that most key positions of power were occupied by women. And in the game, every single one of those women was a romanceable target. Whether she was an Emperor, a Prime Minister, or a Knight Commander, so long as she was female, you could raise her affection and recruit her into the hero's party.
That alone was enough proof of what an absurd masterpiece Origin World had been. Even if, despite its astonishing quality and sheer scale, it remained an ill-fated game that never received the fame it deserved.
"Well, that sucks. In that case, there isn't really anything I want."
"Excuse me?"
The Third Princess's brow furrowed slightly.
"To say such a thing in front of an imperial princess..."
"What, did I hurt your pride?"
"......"
I sighed as she leveled a sharp, venomous glare at me. Money, power, fame... Regrettably, none of the usual things people craved held any interest for me. Sure, having them was nice, but I was already rich. If I put my mind to it, I had enough wealth to establish a mid-sized merchant company on the spot.
"Then how about lending me Greenjack for a bit? I'll return them once I've put them to good use."
"Absolutely not! I wouldn't hand them over if I died! Furthermore, the members of Greenjack are human beings, not objects! Stop talking about them in such a manner!"
"......"
I stared down at her with an utterly dumbfounded expression. She was clearly intelligent, so why couldn't she see her own blatant contradiction?
"You really are a severe case."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"No, forget it... In that case, I want to buy your unconditional trust."
"Pardon?"
Her head tilted in total confusion.
"Ultimately, the reason you tried to kill me was a lack of trust, wasn't it? Because it would be disastrous for you if I went around blabbing that you founded Greenjack."
"That wasn't the sole reason, but... it was certainly part of it."
"Then I'd like you to trust me on that front."
"......"
A hollow laugh escaped me when I saw the princess's face twist into an intense grimace.
"Is that really such a difficult request?"
"To trust something that isn't mine... is an extraordinarily difficult demand. I have never done such a thing in my entire life..."
"You really are twisted beyond belief, aren't you...? *Sigh*, then you can just be my friend."
"A friend...?"
"Yeah. In a way, you could say friendship is possessing a part of one another... That should make it a little easier for you to trust me, right?"
"A friend... I wouldn't know. What kind of relationship is that, specifically?"
"Saying that line just makes you sound pathetic. Are you being serious right now?"
Seeing the pity on my face, the Third Princess flushed with indignant anger and raised her voice.
"Would you wipe that look off your face? I am not an idiot! I have a general idea of what the world means by 'friends'! But in my eyes, such a bond is vague, hazy, and unstable—a fragile tie that wouldn't be surprising if it snapped at any moment! Are you truly saying that's what you want as your reward for defeating me?"
"Yeah."
Her expression crumpled as if she were staring at an incomprehensible creature.
"Doesn't that mean nothing has changed at all...?"
"Pretty much."
I let out a smirk at her bewildered face. My own expression had probably looked identical to hers when we were talking earlier.
"I was certain you would place a collar around my neck by any means necessary."
"I just did. I told you, we're 'friends' now. It's in the same vein as the 'possessions' you're so fond of. Even if it's not entirely identical."
Besides, realistically speaking, there wasn't a single collar in existence that could be placed on an imperial princess. She was an absolute pain to deal with.
"I cannot understand you... You are a truly bizarre person. Normally, people ask for something material."
"Haha. From your perspective, I suppose you would think that."
"Our perspective? What does that mean?"
"...Nothing."
Oops. Without realizing it, I had drawn a line between myself and the inhabitants of this world. Since I had decided to accept this life as my own, I needed to avoid that kind of thinking as much as possible.
"Anyway, do you accept?"
"...Very well. I have no reason to refuse, nor am I in any position to do so. Let us do that."
"Alright. I'm counting on you, friend."
When I offered my hand, she stared at it intently for a moment before awkwardly reaching out to take it. After shaking her hand a few times, I straightened up and stretched my arms over my head.
"Phew, that wrapped up far more peacefully than expected."
Honestly, considering the hidden motives and scale of this clash, it was astonishing that it had ended without a single casualty. It felt almost unreal. Then again, given who the opponent was, a bland conclusion like this was infinitely better than a fight to the death. Going to war with an imperial princess was too burdensome no matter how you sliced it. If it had truly devolved into a bloodbath where one side had to die, I had no idea how I would have handled the aftermath. Not to mention, I didn't particularly want to kill one of the default heroines...
Still, perhaps because the ending was so anticlimactic, I hadn't gained a single thing despite fighting so fiercely. At most, all I had to show for it was the title of 'friend' to the Third Princess. Viewed objectively, some might call that an incredible achievement, but as for me... Well.
"...Man, I'm exhausted."
"Please return and rest, My Lord."
Muriel, who had silently closed the distance, gently supported my arm.
"Yeah, I should... Ah, Father. If there's anything you want from the Third Princess, negotiate it yourself. Though... it doesn't look like there's much to take besides 'Greenjack'."
"......"
Urtega wore a momentarily blank expression at my magnificent act of dumping all the responsibility onto his shoulders. But honestly speaking, when it came to handling the Greenjack issue, Duke Urtega was far more qualified and justified than I was. Status, standing, political influence, and above all, accountability... No matter how thoroughly you weighed the factors, there was no candidate more suitable than him.
Besides, what could I realistically do even if I stepped forward? I possessed neither the authority nor the leverage to pry Greenjack away from a princess who guarded her possessions with terrifying obsession. But if it was Urtega, I had faith he could pull off even that dreadfully difficult task somehow. Sure, there was the minor side effect of earning the Third Princess's hatred... but wouldn't the continent's strongest Demi-God be fine? He could weather it easily. As long as I wasn't the one being hated, there was zero problem.
Great. Absolutely perfect.
"You don't have any complaints, do you? You ought to take 'responsibility' for the situation turning out this messy, after all."
"......"
He didn't offer a single reply. I took that as his agreement. Waving nonchalantly at Urtega, who continued to stare at me in silence, I lightly patted the Third Princess on the shoulder.
"I'm taking off. Next time we meet, let's keep things comfortable, without any bad blood."
"...Yes. Ah, but wait."
"Hm?"
"Then, um... may I visit your room?"
"Ah, let's not."
"Why not! You said we were friends! Isn't visiting a friend's room perfectly normal?!"
Watching her shout in indignant protest, I let out a heavy sigh and reluctantly nodded.
"*Haa*... Fine, whatever. Do as you please."
"! You clearly said so, right?! I will be visiting you every single day starting tomorrow!"
"What could possibly be so fun about visiting me that you want to come over that much?"
"Fufufu, there are plenty of things!"
Beaming with utter delight, the Third Princess skipped briskly over to stand before Urtega. Watching her remain blissfully unaware of her impending doom made her look truly pitiable.
"......"
Those two could handle the rest of the cleanup between themselves. Just as I turned to leave, I came to an abrupt halt.
"Arpe. Return the space to normal."
"Ah! Right! I'm sorry!"
As she withdrew the artifact's energy, the room that had expanded to such vast proportions snapped back to its original dimensions.
"Whoa, what in the world is that...?"
Watching the phenomenon unfold, Rebecca gasped in open-mouthed wonder.
"......"
As I swept my eyes up and down her figure, a subtle sense of dissonance made me blink twice. Something... looked slightly different about her, didn't it?
"Rebecca."
"Ah, yes, Lord Alzen. Did you call for me?"
"Did you get prettier somehow?"
"Excuse me?!"
Startled, she pulled her shoulders in, her entire face instantly flushing bright red.
"I-I-Is that so?"
"Yeah. Your skin looks glossier, and the curves of your body seem a lot sharper overall... Did something happen?"
"Ah... That's probably because my body transformed in the process of becoming a Sword Master!"
"...Ah. That thing?"
Come to think of it, that setting really did exist. Just like how martial artists in wuxia novels underwent a physical metamorphosis to match their internal arts upon reaching a certain realm, humans in this world experienced a mysterious phenomenon known as a 'Body Change' once they crossed a specific threshold. Since that mechanic had never been visually implemented in the game, it had completely slipped my mind.
"Lord Alzen. How do I look?"
"Hm? Uh, oh..."
At that moment, Muriel tugged at my collar, proudly thrusting her chest forward while twisting her upper and lower body with astonishing suppleness. ...What kind of posture was that? At a glance, it seemed effortless, but it was an impossible pose for an ordinary human. Just how flexible and solid did your physical balance have to be to pull that off?
"...Did your chest get bigger, too?"
"It is not merely my chest. My hips have widened as well. My waist has narrowed, my legs have grown slightly longer, and my thighs have become thicker. Every part of me has changed erotically to suit Lord Alzen's tastes."
"Was Body Change... always like that?"
That sounded like a transformation straight out of an adult game.
"How is that even possible?"
"Upon clearing additional trials, they provided this sort of service."
"Additional...? Wait, additional trials? What are you talking about?"
At my question, Muriel and Rebecca exchanged puzzled glances instead.
"Were you unaware? After clearing the trial Lord Alzen mentioned, we were given the option to choose another one."
"The same happened for me. I assumed you already knew..."
"...I had no idea whatsoever."
No wonder they had taken far longer to emerge than the future I had envisioned. So that was what happened.
"Wait, then did you two become way stronger than expected because of those additional trials or whatever?"
"Fufufu... Indeed. If one were to assign a grade, perhaps Intermediate Sword Master would be accurate."
"I should be around that level as well."
"Hooh... Not bad at all. It was worth waiting anxiously for you."
"My, were you anxious for me?"
Muriel smiled seductively, wrapping her arms around mine and rubbing her body against me. It had been a while since I felt this sensation.
"M-Me too..."
Blushing furiously with embarrassment, Rebecca seized my other arm, fidgeting uncontrollably as she pressed it right into the valley of her cleavage. Unlike Muriel, who carried a cool, refreshing chill, Rebecca was burning hot like a fireball—to the point where I almost worried for her.
Flanked by the two of them, we walked back toward our quarters under the weight of countless gazes, but not a single one of us cared in the slightest.
"...?"
Wait, felt like I was forgetting something... Was it just my imagination?
It was not my imagination.
Even though there was so much left to discuss, sheer exhaustion had driven me to collapse into a dead sleep the moment I returned to the room. Then, in the early hours before dawn, Cacciola plummeted straight onto my chest without the slightest warning.
"*Guh*?!"
"Ah, ah...!"
Gasping for air as the sudden, heavy pressure crushed my torso, I flailed beneath her. Cacciola wrapped her arms tightly around my neck, shoving her tear-streaked face right in front of mine.
"Was that you, Cacciola...? You startled me."
Muriel muttered a complaint as she sheathed the dagger she had instinctively leveled at Cacciola's throat, but Cacciola was in no state to register her surroundings. She didn't seem to notice the blade that had brushed against her neck, nor did she hear Muriel's words.
"*Hic*, *uuugh*... I-I'm, I'm sorry... I, I..."
"Cacciola."
"I... failed... Ah, aah...!"
"......"
Looking up at her face as she sobbed in bitter despair, I let out a quiet sigh.
So it ended up that way after all.