Sharpening the Talons
"Ah... P-Princess Sera..." When I went to see Juliana, a mountain of paperwork was piled high on her desk.
"C-Could you wait just a little longer...? The Academy is incredibly busy right now..." She seemed to think I had come to press her for another toy development. Well, she wasn't entirely wrong.
"What are all these documents?"
"Unfortunately, several events have overlapped. The Academy's academic symposium, the exchange program with other academies, and the final exams..."
"The dates for these events couldn't have been decided overnight. Couldn't you have reviewed the ones you could in advance?"
"Ugh, w-well, yes, but..." Juliana blushed in embarrassment. This is what happens when you spend your working hours masturbating. I let out a sigh and spoke.
"Actually, I came today for a different matter. Would you take a look at this?" I pulled an object from my breast pocket. It was a gauntlet with a faint amber glow—the very item Rika had used when she first attacked me.
"Princess, this is...?"
"It's called the Earth Dragon's Gauntlet. It's a magic item that allows multiple people to move underground. I brought it because I thought you might be able to enhance it further with your Book of the Red Fairy."
Based on the experiments I conducted with Filgret, this Earth Dragon's Gauntlet can be used even by those without any mana sensitivity. In the first place, Rika herself is a pure warrior with no affinity for magic.
I plan to accept Tina's invitation and head to the Lorencia Territory soon. The worst-case scenario to prepare for is them taking military action. However, since I was formally invited, I can't exactly march in with a massive army. That was when the Earth Dragon's Gauntlet came to mind. With this, I can bring along a force to guarantee my basic safety without being detected.
"T-This is...! Where was this made?" Perhaps because she had been drowning in tedious paperwork, Juliana's eyes sparkled with sudden interest.
"I don't know the exact details either. Only that it was carried by a warrior of a foreign tribe."
"The craftsmanship is incredibly unique. It's certainly not from the Rustier Kingdom. No, it might have come from an entirely different continent altogether..."
"What do you think? Can you upgrade it? If possible, I'd like you to focus on extending the duration of the effect and increasing the number of people it can cover."
"Of course. My Book of the Red Fairy isn't just for show, you know. Once I study it, I'll find a way." The confident smile on Juliana's face quickly faded, turning gloomy once more. She glanced at me tentatively and mumbled,
"B-But... I have to finish this paperwork first... C-Could you wait for me?"
Juliana was completely under my thumb, bound by a massive weakness. If I ordered her, she had no choice but to obey. However, if she failed to handle her duties properly, it might jeopardize her standing. Since Sancennes Academy was founded by the Sancene family, she wouldn't be kicked out of the Chancellor's chair, but still. There was always a chance her position would prove advantageous to me in the future. For that reason, I decided to offer Juliana a carrot this time.
"Alright. I'll help you."
"P-Pardon? You will, Princess?"
"My, do you not trust me? Despite how I look, I regularly participate in state affairs."
"I-It's not that I doubt you... but are you really okay with this?"
"Of course. Only when you finish your work quickly can you start on mine, right? Now, hand over the documents that require common sense and attention to detail rather than specialized knowledge."
I pulled up a chair and sat down next to Juliana. Her expression was a perfect split: half suspicious that I was plotting something, and half desperate to finish her work quickly. In the end, her desire to get this over with so she could tinker with the rare item I had brought won out.
"T-Then... if you wouldn't mind..." Last time, I had merely played the part of Juliana's secretary. To think I was actually doing her administrative work now. It was a strange feeling. Juliana tentatively slid a document toward me. I opened it and began to read thoroughly.
"I-It's finished... To think we'd be done before sunset... Thank you so much, Princess." Juliana looked as if a massive weight had been lifted from her shoulders. We had somehow cleared the entire mountain of paperwork. I had reviewed over thirty percent of it myself. Well, it wasn't particularly difficult. The documents passed to me were straightforward things, like construction expense reports and cafeteria operation logs.
"So, you can get to work on my request now, right?"
"Yes, of course. An upgrade, you said? I will make sure to meet your expectations, Princess. Ehehe..." No matter how I looked at her, she seemed more excited for her own amusement. Well, as long as she did a thorough job, I had no complaints.
"How long do you think it will take?"
"I'll have to start to know for sure... but it should take about three or four days. Though, if the item proves tricky, it might take a bit longer."
Juliana's face openly displayed both her intellectual curiosity toward the new item and her genuine gratitude toward me. Looking at her expression, I suddenly spoke up.
"May I ask you something, Juliana?"
"Yes? What is it?"
"How do you feel when you see people starving? What if you saw them fighting over food at the brink of starvation?"
"Hmm... Pity? I suppose my first thought would be that it's pitiful. Whether I'd actually help them would depend on the situation, though. To be completely honest, unless there was a specific reason to, I don't think I would."
"Hmm... That's enough."
Juliana couldn't exactly be called a righteous person either. She, too, was someone steeped in noble privilege. She belonged to one of the Six Great Families and was a member of the Noble Council. Yet, compared to the twisted nature of Lorencia I had witnessed yesterday, Juliana seemed relatively normal.
Well, even that remained to be seen. Even if Juliana held relatively moderate views, there was no telling what the Marquis of Sancene was thinking. As a high-ranking noble belonging to the Noble Council, he was also a potential enemy. When that time came, I might eventually have to face Juliana as an enemy as well.
Juliana looked utterly bewildered as she watched me wear a strange expression after throwing such a random question at her. Masking my face with a smile, I quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, how is the other request I left with you coming along?"
"Ugh, to be honest, I still need a bit more time... Ah, but I did have a brilliant idea to break through a bottleneck! It's a revolutionary concept that shatters conventional wisdom. You see, it's..."
It seemed she was about to launch into another long-winded speech. It was the kind of engineering explanation that only Juliana herself found entertaining. I quickly cut her off.
"That's wonderful to hear. At any rate, please prioritize the Earth Dragon's Gauntlet for now. I'll drop by again in a few days."
"Ah, yes, understood."
Leaving a cheerful-looking Juliana behind, I stepped out of her office.
The impression William Roberts gave off as he sat before me had changed quite a bit. Gone was the pale, sickly look of a boy who seemed like he would spend all day cooped up in a library; in its place was a sun-bronzed, copper face. His upper body had already filled out quite sturdily.
"Me, to the Lorencia Territory? Accompanying you, Princess?"
"Yes. It is necessary to stop their plans."
What Luna Lorencia wanted was the commercial rights of the Roberts Merchant Guild. Of course, I didn't know what methods Carmel and Luna were preparing. However, it was clear that if we sat idly by, we would be struck down. William Roberts surely knew this as well. He nodded deeply and spoke.
"I would be glad to. I'm always ready to deliver a blow to those stuck-up bastards."
...Has his personality changed a bit? He no longer showed the timid attitude of the past, back when he was smart but meek. Perhaps the special training from Filgret and the knights had worked a little too well.
"Uh, yes. You sound very dependable. How is your training with the Royal Guard? Is it helping?"
"To be honest, on the first day, I thought I had fallen into hell. But thanks to Commander Filgret's teachings, I have finally realized: to become a new self, one must kill their past self."
"I-I see."
"Therefore, I feel immense gratitude toward you, Princess. It is entirely thanks to you that I was able to learn what true strength is."
"Mmm... Right. Then the bullying at the Academy has been resolved now, yes?"
"Heh, now they are the ones being bullied. Of course, I am not as sloppy as they were. There is no way I will get caught."
Just what on earth was happening at Sancennes Academy right now? What kind of bloody vengeance was the awakened William wreaking upon the kids who used to torment him? Well, I suppose justice was being served in one way or another.
"T-That's good. Back to the Lorencia matter, the exact date hasn't been set yet. But it won't be too far off."
"Yes. The moment you call, Princess, I will run to you immediately."
What a hearty response. It was as if he had caught some disease that turned him into a macho man. My business with him was finished. Watching William bow with disciplined, crisp movements and leave the room, I felt a strange sense of bewilderment—as if a stray chick I had picked up had grown into a peregrine falcon the moment I looked away.
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