The Trusted One (1)
The Trusted One (1)
Playing with the setting was enjoyable precisely because you could extract only the fun parts and toy with them.
I had always loved the Aetherna Chronicles, and so, as much as possible, I wanted to memorize the world-building of that game series. The mythology that appeared in the setting, the continents and nations, the magic and cultures... I read anything that was meticulously organized.
I would buy and read the thick Setting Guides, read every single scrap of text that appeared as a 'book' inside the game without missing any, and even complete all the character notes filled in after finishing every event; the descriptions of magical beasts, monsters, enemies, and the explanation of the characters.
It was because the series released one installment per year, so there was nothing else to do while waiting to clear one and for the release of the next. I played other games during that time, and I also played all the previous titles released before I cleared the latest one, but no matter what, after diligently devouring a single series for seven years, you were bound to run out of things to consume.
On top of that, even though the series had continued for a long time, the setting would also periodically reset itself.
Even if you gathered all the text inside the game and added the world-building setting book to it, the number of books needed to summarize one setting would, assuming they were as thick as the setting guide, only amount to about three volumes.
So it was fun to read.
... The problem was, that was only the case when it was a 'game'.
A game didn't necessarily show only the bright side of its setting. But that didn't mean it showed every dark part hidden beneath the surface either. Settings that were so excessively dark that just looking at them seemed like they would transmit depression were briefly explained in a line of dialogue and skipped over, or gave only a 'glimpse' into the world's darker aspects.
Skimming over those depressing parts and researching the setting while digging into only the interesting bits was a delightful activity...
However, if that was a 'real world', the story changed entirely.
A scene briefly shown in the game to say 'there is a back alley like this' existed in the real world in the form of hundreds of papers. They presented endless examples and answers on how to solve such poverty problems, all while debating and defending each other.
History was the same. The game neatly summarized and showed only the parts important to the main story's timeframe, but the history books of this world were thick, boring, and numerous just like those in the world I had lived in. Furthermore, interpretations varied depending on which central figures were discussed, and they held lengthy debates about ambiguous points.
The steam engine, firearms, and magic. Even the three cores that formed the setting splintered into all manner of disciplines—materials engineering, mechanical engineering, chemistry, physics, arcane dynamics, thaumaturgy, thaumaturgical engineering—making my head want to split open.
To make matters worse, the core discipline that connected all those theories was, of all things, mathematics.
And I was someone who had decisively abandoned mathematics back in high school.
... Why should I have to do math just to dig into the setting?
*
But for me, understanding all of that to a certain degree was not entirely impossible.
After all, wasn't it true? All I had was time, anyway.
If I read one book and didn't understand, I could rewind time over and over until I understood it properly before moving on. I could ask the same tutor a hundred times, a thousand times, and it didn't matter. To that person, it would only appear as if I'd asked once.
Besides, there was a tremendous benefit that came attached during the process of understanding things in that way.
"As expected of Your Highness!"
The tutor clapped her hands and exclaimed with an extremely bright face.
The title 'princess' still felt awkward, but I couldn't tell this person to use a different one. In any case, I was indeed a princess.
Of course, its meaning was different in many ways compared to the real princess, Alice, but that was a matter of no concern to a tutor like this. As long as she could later take away the catchphrase, 'I was the tutor to such a capable princess,' nothing else would matter to her.
"I do not understand how you manage to completely grasp everything I say the moment I explain it. As expected, Her Highness possesses an innate talent! You will surely be able to make that talent bloom even at the Imperial Academy!"
... She seemed to be liking this a bit too much, but I simply let it pass with the blankest expression possible.
Of course, I had no intention of becoming a specialist in any field. My goal was entirely to get into the Imperial Academy.
In the game, the exam questions were only asked about once or twice before moving on, but reality was clearly not like that. It was obvious I would have to solve dozens of questions within a time limit in a strict atmosphere, just like a real-world exam.
Well... there was a method of looking at the exam questions and then rewinding time, but doing that would reveal my lack of foundation in normal times.
So, wasn't it better to cultivate this image of being 'smart and capable' during ordinary times?
Then why was I trying to attend the Imperial Academy? In the original story, Claire didn't enroll from the start either; she entered midway through the story because the Emperor slotted her in.
The reason I was so set on personally enrolling in the Imperial Academy was...
Wasn't it obvious? I had immensely enjoyed the Aetherna Chronicles. I held tremendous affection for the characters who appeared within it.
And I could spend my school days together with those characters?
Hold back? How?
Well, of course, I was under the Emperor, who could be called the leader of the villainous faction in this game, so I might become antagonistic with the protagonist's party in many ways... but that was actually a huge merit for me, too.
In the original story, several characters died. Depending on the protagonist's choices, some characters were guaranteed to die. Which characters died differed according to the choices, but two to three characters, including Claire, who died no matter what choice was made, would permanently perish depending on the route.
That was how it was in the latest installment I played. They said the sequel would link save data to carry over those results.
Of course, the players absolutely did not believe that the small company would maintain that carry-over system all the way until the end of the series in this setting. The majority opinion was that they would clearly make the early part gloomy and then absolutely bring them back later on, and my opinion was the same.
But, still...
Still, I truly hated the thought of a character I held affection for dying.
So, I would prevent it. I thought it wasn't impossible once I was positioned under the Emperor and had gained proper trust.
*
"...."
Well, there were some side effects to studying harder than I did during my own time as an exam candidate with those thoughts.
Exactly like Alice, who was glaring at me right now.
Both of us would be fourteen years old in international age after our birthdays this year.
In this setting, one entered the academy at fifteen years old by international reckoning. By the end of this year, we would take the entrance exam, and distinctions like top and second place would confer privileges when enrolling in the academy. After that, we would study at the academy for four years, with exams every semester to continuously separate the ranks.
To think of it in Korean terms, it was like enrolling in the third year of middle school and attending until you graduated from high school.
And in the original story, at the time of enrollment, the top student was Princess Alice.
"... How on earth did you do it?"
Alice asked in a menacing voice. Jealousy seemed to be dripping from her tone.
Alice had enrolled after getting exactly five questions wrong across all subjects in the entrance exam. The exam for Rondarium Imperial Academy was, of course, notorious for its difficulty, and normally, if you scored above 450 out of a total of 500, you were called a prodigy.
Alice, who had entered with 487 points, was, naturally, a prodigy among prodigies. It was an achievement accomplished by Alice, who had studied diligently out of a desire to surpass her 'siblings'.
"...."
I silently looked down at the mock exam paper I was holding.
The score written there was 495 points.
For reference, the mock exams were generally considered to be somewhat more difficult than the actual test.
... Had I studied too excessively?
"...."
Perhaps interpreting my lack of reply in some way, Alice's face flushed red.
"... Tell me. Did you really solve this with your own skill?"
Hmm....
Strictly speaking, did it count?
If the ability to rewind time could also be called my 'ability', then it was because I had secured time to study and memorised everything thoroughly.
Besides, while Alice studied on four hours of sleep per night, I had slept soundly for a full eight hours. Everyone, including Alice standing right in front of me, would look at me and think I was not merely a prodigy but a genuine genius.
... Had I overdone it?
"... It was luck."
"Luck?"
So the words I had forced myself to come up with were exactly that.
"Yes. There were a few questions I did not know, and it seems the answers I selected based on intuition were the correct ones. I remember there were five such questions, so clearly, had I left those answers blank, Your Highness would have obtained a higher score than I did."
However, so as not to let my forced excuse show, I spoke as calmly as possible, maintaining my usual tone.
"As Your Highness knows, I am rather fortunate compared to others."
Even during various incidents normally, I would foresee the future and return to the past to solve them. To some extent, even if I appeared competent, there were certainly some matters that could only look as if I had coasted through by luck.
Naturally, some of the people who saw that side of me thought I was an incredibly lucky person.
Well, I also agreed that I was lucky.
Honestly, it was because one of the protagonists I had loved so much was standing right in front of me.
"... Hmm."
Alice narrowed her eyes and stared at me quietly, as if trying to check if those words of mine were sincere.
But her expression soon softened.
"Is that so? Truly?"
She seemed to know it herself, as she spoke while struggling to keep her softened expression in check.
"It is true. Has Your Highness ever seen me tell a lie?"
"... No."
Over the past nine years, I had never betrayed anyone within the imperial palace. If I was asked for a favor, I silently carried it out, and if asked a question, I answered earnestly. I had never told a lie either.
Of course, in the case of lies, I would just say it first and then make it look like 'it was not a lie' afterward. The result that others saw was the same anyway.
For reference, the Emperor had not ordered me to carry out any more assassinations after that. I had no idea what he was thinking. There must be some ulterior motive. It made acting easier, though.
"Heh-heh, I see. So, it's because of luck, you say?"
In the end, Alice couldn't hold back her laughter and quickly got into a good mood, saying so.
...I felt a bit guilty about lying to a kid like this, but it should be fine as long as it was enough.
"That is correct. Congratulations."
"Hmph."
At my words, Alice gave a prim snort.
"Well, still, there's a saying that luck is also a skill. If this had been the real thing, you would have definitely been the top student."
Alice looked at me with eyes burning with fighting spirit and spoke.
"Just watch. Next time, I'll make sure you can't win even with that luck of yours."
"I shall look forward to it."
How adorable.
...I should make sure to get about five questions wrong on the entrance exam too.
*
And aside from constantly pricking at Alice's temper, there was one more side effect.
"Sylvia."
"Yes."
"Are you, by any chance, interested in world affairs?"
"...."
In a private audience with the Emperor, an extremely sudden question flew at me.
For an instant, I almost reflexively asked, 'Huh?', but I held it in.
"Hmm."
Judging me in some way from my silence, the Emperor let out a thoughtful hum and spoke.
"In one month, there is a trilateral summit between the Holy State, the Kingdom of Belbur, and our Empire."
"...."
Even at this point, I stayed still without any particular thought. The Emperor often called me in to say random things, and I just thought this was another instance of that.
"However, I have come to have a schedule that prevents me from attending that meeting."
So?
As I forcibly suppressed the question surfacing on my face and continued listening, he said,
"So, I am asking, would you go in my stead this time?"
"Pardon? I should?"
"Hm?"
Ah.
I couldn't hold it in.
... Again.
*
"... May I ask why it is that I am going instead of someone else?"
Since the Emperor had spoken like this, there was a high probability his mind was already made up. If he hadn't intended to give me this task from the start, he wouldn't have summoned me here in the first place.
... But, even thinking about it again, it didn't seem sane.
No matter my actual age, my official age right now was fourteen in international reckoning. It was sixteen in Korean age, and I was just about to enter the academy, the equivalent of high school, next year.
No matter how often scenes of teenagers controlling the world appeared in anime-style subculture, wasn't this a bit too much?
"It is because I trust you, of course. Could there be any other reason?"
"...."
Hmm.
It seemed I had truly exerted myself far too excessively.
To the people around me, meaning the other children of the Emperor, the real princess Alice, and even the Emperor before me now.
Even if I myself was unaware of it, the trust in the 'ability' I possessed had become somewhat...
... Severely firm. This was the side effect of my ability that I had been worrying about lately.