Chapter 414
Chapter 414
“A familiar ceiling.”
Well, of course. It’s my room.
When I opened my eyes, I was spread-eagled on the floor.
I lifted my head slightly and saw them all still glaring down at me with terrifying expressions.
Only Leia was kneeling beside me, in the middle of healing me.
My angel… truly the oasis of my life…
But the moment she confirmed I was awake, the angel whipped her head away and stood up.
Even her angry expression is pitifully beautiful, but right now, that was a bit of a blow to my mental state—no, a huge one.
For my angel to give me that kind of treatment… Fine. I’ll just die. Someone like me has no reason to live.
“So, what’s the plan now?”
“H-Huh?”
“I’m talking about the princess. As long as Silvia is over there, you’re not just going to leave things as they are, are you?”
Though she was still just as angry, had she cooled down a bit while I was unconscious?
Sara spoke with her arms crossed, staring at me with cold eyes.
“A-Are you going to help me?”
“You absolute idiot! Did you really think we wouldn't help?!”
“Yeah. I thought you all completely hated me…”
“You…! I’m angry because I like you! You idiot!”
“That’s right, Guwon. The idea of us hating you… it’s impossible.”
As Sara shouted in anger, Leia added her support.
Leia’s expression was even stiffer than before, as if to say she was more upset by the misunderstanding that she could hate me than by the incident with the princess.
Seeing the two of them, I felt a warmth spread through my heart, completely unfitting for the situation.
My gaze naturally shifted to Diana.
The moment our eyes met, Diana’s body flinched and trembled.
It was strange how Diana’s expression, which had seemed so scary a moment ago, suddenly looked cute after that little tremor.
“Th-This body… This body wouldn’t get angry enough to use magic if it wasn’t for you in the first place.”
As I continued to stare at her, Diana spoke as if she had no choice, though she sharply turned her head away.
I see. That makes sense. Despite her appearance, Diana has a great deal of self-control.
Does that mean she used magic because she got that angry out of her affection for me?
Thinking of it that way, getting hit by magic is… no. I still don’t like pain, so I’d much prefer a gentle patting attack.
From now on, I should only make them moderately angry, just enough so they don’t snap.
A moment ago, if I hadn’t said something stupid like mentioning the Lamaze breathing method, I probably wouldn’t have been hit with magic.
Though, in the end, it turned out for the best.
If I hadn’t been knocked out by the magic, Sara probably would have hit me more, and it seemed like everyone had regained some of their composure while I was unconscious.
As a bonus, I didn’t feel any pain.
Leia must have healed me properly, because nothing hurts now.
“Anyway, so. What’s the plan now?”
As if to break the warming atmosphere, Sara posed the question to me once more.
Right. That’s what this was about. That’s the priority right now.
“Obviously, I have no intention of falling for the princess’s seduction. The three of you are all I need.”
“Ah…”
Matilda, the only one whose anger level was a bit lower than the others, let out a voice that sounded somewhat pitiful.
Her expression was one of envy as she looked at us.
Was she, who couldn’t even experience proper love because of her curse, envious of the three who were hearing these words?
Or could it be that Matilda also… no. Even if that were true, that feeling could also be because of the curse, so it would be the same either way.
“Do you have an alternative?”
“Sorry. Originally, since the princess said she would just think about not sleeping with other guys, I was just going to say I wouldn’t do it and move on. I never thought things would get this out of hand…”
“Tsk.”
S-Sara? Did you just click your tongue at me?
“That’s not the only problem. What was that bet about in the first place? Guwon. Don’t tell me you got possessive or something, did you?”
“N-No! I told her I had no intention of sleeping with someone who sleeps with just anyone, and she said she could stop sleeping with other guys, so… ah, anyway.”
Making any more excuses would only make them feel worse, so I decided to change the subject.
“I’m sorry. I don’t have a plan. Could you all lend me some of your wisdom?”
“Haaaa… Wisdom, you say. I really can’t think of anything other than hoping that Lady Silvia can successfully mediate between the Queen and the princess,” Diana said with a resigned voice as I humbly bowed my head and asked for help.
“Is there any chance you could mediate, Diana-ssi?”
“If it were a personal squabble, perhaps, but with the matter of royal succession involved, this body cannot interfere. It is my policy not to meddle in politics. It is because of this that I can live comfortably without anyone being wary of me, despite my position. …Though there was that one time I did cause a commotion with a coup d’état and all that.”
Diana said this while looking at me with an embarrassed expression.
“But if you can’t do it, Diana, then we’re out of options. Ah, Matilda-ssi. Since you’re a Cardinal…”
“I-I can’t either. It’s our church’s policy not to interfere in politics. Besides, just making excuses to the Pope about why this person isn’t saving others is already…”
“Aaaaaaaah!”
“Kyaa! Wh-What is it?!”
“Ah, no. Sorry. I completely forgot. There is! There’s a plan! Just one!”
How could I have forgotten something so important, even if I was knocked out?
Honestly, I don’t know if it will work, but it’s an idea worth mentioning!
“Like I said before, the argument started because the Queen was scolding the princess for obsessing over me when I’m of no help. So, shouldn’t we just prove it to the Queen? Prove that there’s a benefit to the princess enduring celibacy and waiting for me.”
“What?”
“No, it’s not about getting married or anything, so please don’t look so scary. Listen. Even now, men in the streets are practically lighting up and rushing at me, craving salvation, right? But what if the princess could save all of them? Her reputation would soar, and then the royal family would have no choice but to acknowledge that there was a significant benefit, wouldn’t they?”
“If that were possible, I suppose so, but how could that be possible?”
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while. How I can save everyone by myself. And the answer I came up with was to create educational materials. Of course, making a book would be useless. It would be hard to distribute, and there would be people who can’t read.”
Right. Another problem with books was the literacy rate.
In the world I came from, my country had an unusually low illiteracy rate, but that wasn’t the norm.
The illiteracy rate would be higher among the lower-level commoners—precisely the people who needed my help.
Therefore, I had concluded that books wouldn’t be very helpful.
“But… what about a video?”
“……”
As I spoke with a triumphant smile, everyone was silent for a long moment.
Then, Diana strode over to me and reached for my head.
That’s right, Diana. Even I think my idea is brilliant.
Thwack!
“Oooow!”
Hey. Don’t hurt yourself while hitting me.
“Hmph. Hmph. Th-That means you intend to film a video of yourself doing it with the princess!” Diana exclaimed, clutching her fist and blowing on it, tears welling up in her eyes.
“W-Well, yes, but… you know, it’s an unavoidable situation. Since we can’t get out of the bet with the princess anyway, it’s better if it has a purpose. It can stop the fight between the princess and the Queen, and as a bonus, it’ll get rid of the riffraff that clings to me every time I go into town. It’s three birds with one stone.”
“If you can’t even talk straight… Hey. You don’t actually want to do it with the princess, do you?!”
Sara. ‘Hey’? ‘You’? To your big brother… no, wait. I didn’t say anything.
“I really don’t. You all know how much I resisted the princess’s temptations. I don’t know what kind of special skill she’s learned, but she even uses something like Charm when our eyes meet. I overcame that, too. There’s no way someone like me would suddenly want to do it now. The three of you are all I need. But, no matter how I think about it, the only way for me to save everyone by myself is to film an educational video. Ah, by any chance, is watching this kind of video a taboo for the church?”
“Th-That is… it has always been a taboo among us clergy to watch the sexual affairs of others. Of course, such a debauched lifestyle is not right even for non-clergy, but… if it’s for educational purposes…”
Leia looked at Matilda as if she’d never even imagined such a topic, and Matilda, too, wore an ambiguous expression.
“Then it’s settled. We’ll film an educational video. With just that one video, we can save all those annoy… I mean, all those people outside who desire salvation, right?”
“But if that’s the case, it doesn’t have to be the princess…”
“Absolutely not you guys! Showing your naked bodies to other people! I’ll never allow it, not even if I die! No. I’ll kill anyone who sees it.”
“C-Calm down. That’s not what I was talking about.”
“Besides, since it’s for educational purposes, a certain level is required. Filming with a woman who gets wet at my slightest touch wouldn’t be educational at all. We need someone with a level as high as mine, or even higher. The princess is truly the perfect candidate, isn’t she?”
“Th-That’s not what I meant… I’m saying I don’t want to show your body to others either, you idiot…”
“Ugh. W-Well… but there’s no one who can replace me on the men’s side. There’s no other choice but me. Ahem. So, what do you think, Diana? My plan. Does it sound plausible?”
Honestly, I had just spoken based on the possibility alone; I had no idea if this plan was actually plausible when considering the social sentiments of this world and various other factors.
That’s why I was asking Diana for a final review.
I was sure Diana would provide a perfect judgment.
“Ughhh… You really are shameless, lad. Even though we said you could have sex when it’s necessary… Hooo. I see. Aside from one problem, it seems possible for now.”
“A problem? What is it?”
“What do you think? The princess, of course. I don’t know if even she would really agree to film something like that. To have her own body explicitly… exposed… haah… to the entire world… Th-That kind of…”
Hey. There’s no need for your exhibitionism to be stimulated at a time like this.
What, you want me to film one for you later? For my own private, permanent collection.
“Hmm… I think I can make it happen if I talk to her. After all, she’s the one who’ll be in trouble if she can’t inherit the throne. More importantly, what do you think about the Queen? Will she acknowledge the princess gaining fame in such a way as a benefit?”
Right. The one I was worried about wasn’t the princess, but the Queen.
Even if her daughter’s fame soared, she would be baring her naked body to everyone.
“Th-That shouldn’t be a problem. The Queen will focus on the great fame gained rather than the slight shame. That’s the kind of person she is.”
Diana said, pressing her thighs together slightly.
Good job, Diana. You managed to suppress the excitement from just imagining it to that extent.
“What about the video? Can you make one?”
“You brought it up without even knowing that? Of course it can be made. However, I don’t know if we can produce it at a price that allows for mass distribution. Even a simple video playback device is still a magic tool, after all. And it will require a certain amount of mana to play.”
Oops. So that’s the problem.
Then there’s no point in making a video out of concern for illiteracy.
No. In a world without copy machines, even making books would take a lot of effort, so considering that, a video might still be slightly better.
But if I can’t solve the distribution problem, the video will be useless even if we make it.
That’s it! What about collaborating with the temple?
The temple is already educating people anyway.
If we distribute the videos only there, and have people who come for education learn based on its contents…
Damn it. I forgot, the clergy are forbidden from watching it.
Who the hell made a taboo like that? I bet the Goddess never said anything of the sort.
In fact, she didn’t say a word even when I slept with both Sara and Diana at the same time.
It seems things never go smoothly.
In any case, just standing around here is pointless.
I decided to take action, whether it worked out or not.