Chapter 447
"Lord Liberta, would you permit my enrollment as well?"
"Yes, I've heard from the Duke. I welcome you as an ambassador of the Rendell Kingdom and also as a student of Freihait Academy City."
Welcoming a princess of a nation.
The first hurdle of this major event was safely cleared.
Aware that taking a haughty attitude is quite taxing, I permit the entry of the other important person, Iris Edelgard.
"Thank you. Allow me to introduce the others. They are knights belonging to the royal guard 'Sheath of the White Lily,' Mabel and Maria. His Majesty has dispatched them as escorts for Princess Catia."
"Pleasure to meet you."
With the interactions with the important figures concluded, next comes the introduction of their subordinates.
The 'Sheath of the White Lily' is an all-female royal guard that protects the inner palace within the royal castle—the living quarters of the queen and consorts.
The captain's name wasn't these two.
I haven't heard these names before.
Either they disappeared before the original story, or they were unnamed mobs.
I don't know the skill level of the Fifth Princess's escorts.
They seemed momentarily wary, but quickly suppressed it, placing their right hand over their heart as if swearing on it and bowing their heads in a knight's salute.
"Ah, should I consider you two the leaders of Princess Catia's escort?"
"Yes, though it may be presumptuous, I am the captain of the Third Squad of the Sheath of the White Lily, and I accompany Lady Catia as her escort."
"Is that so?"
The one who stepped forward was the female knight introduced as Mabel by Lady Iris.
A woman with short crimson hair and spirited eyes.
A physique that even through her armor shows she's well-trained.
"Then, is she your adjutant?"
"No, the adjutant is separate, leading a unit that will arrive later. She is someone dispatched from the First Squad. She is under my command now, but her skill surpasses mine."
Attention focused on Maria, the female knight whom Mabel, entrusted as captain, claimed was stronger than herself.
She has dark brown hair in a short bob, her eyes narrowed in a sleepy expression.
With a slender figure, she doesn't appear muscular, but her back is straight and her core is stable.
The sword she carries is a slender rapier.
"I see, a magic swordsman. Wind or lightning, or perhaps water and earth if considering unconventional approaches."
"! You can tell from just one look?"
"I've only fought similar individuals a few times."
Seeing Mabel's surprise at having her combat style guessed correctly, a bit of mischief welled up inside me. Let's surprise her a bit more.
"Incidentally, isn't that quite a tricky combat style? By deliberately narrowing your eyes to limit your视野, you prevent the opponent from reading your next attack through your gaze. Wearing that loose long skirt is to hide your leg movements. No, there's one more thing. Modifications to your shoes to silence your footsteps, or maybe hidden weapons... let's see, something like a concealed short dagger?"
"Maria, have you fought Lord Liberta before?"
"No, I haven't. Lord Liberta, for reference, could you enlighten me on how you knew all that?"
"Just a difference in experience. I've fought opponents like that before. That's all."
Having guessed her combat style from her appearance, I might have surpassed surprise and ended up making them wary.
Incidentally, I pegged Mabel as a classic tank-type knight.
Mabel defends, Maria finishes.
I inwardly thought they dispatched a well-balanced escort team, and glancing at Genjirou, he nodded "no problem."
"Here, such common sense doesn't apply. If you'd like, why not enroll as students as well? It would be convenient to stay together as Princess Catia's escorts, wouldn't it?"
"...If possible."
"Alright, settled."
When I looked back, Esmeralda was glaring at me as if to say "you went too far," so I gave a slight wry smile and covered it up with applause.
Turning my attention to the remaining person, I saw a familiar face.
"Long time no see, Lord Liberta."
"Mongre-san, are you sure it's okay for you, a veteran among the House of Edelgard's civil officials, to come?"
"Yes, thanks to being trained by you, Lord Liberta, the House of Edelgard's civil officials have quite a surplus of capable personnel now. Including myself, four of us will come: Dando, Geberi, and Holman."
"A total mobilization of the veteran members. I can see how serious His Grace the Duke is."
This man was one of the first I instructed when I trained the civil officials.
Initially skeptical of me, after realizing his level and abilities had increased, he was one of the first to completely change his tune and get closer to me.
Because he can think flexibly like that, I can place a certain degree of trust in him.
I firmly shake hands with him, rejoicing at our reunion.
With that, the introductions were concluded for now.
"Now then, I'll guide you to the embassy."
I was looking forward to seeing how everyone would react to the train.
I walked at the front, followed by Esmeralda, who had time until the next teleportation.
Then came Lady Iris, Princess Catia, the two escort knights, and Mongre.
"What facility is this?"
"In simple terms, it's like a station for shared carriages."
Gasps arose as we descended from the fortress roof via the elevator, and further exclamations of surprise at the station we arrived at.
This is it, this is the reaction I was waiting for, I inwardly rejoiced.
"We'll be riding that box-shaped magic tool."
I pointed, and a train driven by one of the Garden Guards arrived at the station.
The doors opened, and as Esmeralda and I boarded first, it was deemed safe. First Mabel, then Mongre, Lady Iris, Princess Catia, and finally Maria boarded. Genjirou and a squad of Garden Guards got on, and the train departed.
"Sister, what is this magic tool called?"
"It's a magic train. It's a vehicle that runs on 'tracks' laid with metal rails and wooden sleepers."
A magic tool that moves on its own without horses or monsters.
Lady Iris's question was shared by everyone present.
"Currently in this academy city, its main use is for transporting materials like that, but it can also carry people like this."
"If this could be installed in the royal capital..."
"Transportation would change dramatically. However, the current Rendell Kingdom lacks both the financial resources and the technology to do so."
Everyone listened intently, focused on the sisters' conversation.
"Furthermore, even if we were to install it in the royal capital, we couldn't build such facilities underground, so they'd have to be built on the surface. That would leave precious iron exposed to the elements, and thieves stealing it would be endless. As a result, soldiers would be needed to patrol the tracks, or enclosures to cover them. The labor and construction costs would be astronomical."
This testimony proved that technology unattainable in the royal capital is realized in this city.
"Here, everything inside Freihait's first wall is a立体 city. And these tracks occupy an entire layer solely for the transportation network. Therefore, there's no worry of intrusion or theft. That's the kind of facility it is."
Proof of the technological gap.
"Lord Liberta. I've heard that you received this land from my father as an independent territory. At that time, it was nothing—truly nothing."
The massive fortress, the elevator, and then the magic train for transport.
These three things, one after another, shattered the common sense of those who had just arrived.
Princess Catia turned her gaze from the network of tracks spreading across the second-floor layer dedicated to transportation infrastructure in the立体 city, illuminated by magic lights, back to me.
"That's right. It was nothing—truly nothing."
"And in a short time, you built a city of this scale. Is this also the wisdom of the gods?"
Here it comes, the 'sheep in wolf's clothing princess.'
Her atmosphere changed.
Her refined appearance remained the same, but her eyes now sought something contradictory to it.
Even now, she asks innocuous questions, but I can tell she's probing something about me.
She's carefully toeing the line of not being discourteous.
"Yes. Princess Catia."
"Just Catia is fine. As of today, I am a student of this academy city."
"Alright then, Catia."
It was the same in FBO.
The Fifth Princess is a sly one.
A prodigy, the exception to the rule.
She has no interest in power.
But considering only talent and ability, she's the girl most suited to the throne.
A slacker who hides her talent, plays the part of the ordinary, and desires peace.
"Which do you think it is?"
"...What do you mean?"
"Whether the knowledge I possess was given by the Goddess Kefeli, or acquired through my own efforts."
Such a girl, aware that she's been dragged into a politically troublesome role, allocates all her talent towards discerning the safest and most effortless position to hold in that situation.
As you progress through her friendship quest, you learn that initially she plays the part of a refined princess, but as you get closer, she sheds that disguise and demands, "Take care of me."
If you further the relationship, she transforms into an ultra-competent character willing to work for the protagonist player.
When I saw the list of dispatched royal personnel, I couldn't believe my eyes, but she hides her talent even from her family.
Ostensibly, she plays the part of a polite princess with "abilities slightly above average," so she might have been seen as just the right talent.
She understands that if her abilities are too low, she'll be targeted, and if they're outstanding, she'll be dragged into trouble.
This camouflaging ability wasn't seen through even by FBO players; it was a fact discovered after years of verification through the realization that it was hard to raise her好感度, leading to investigations into whether she was an "unconquerable character."
She requires significant effort to攻略, but her value exceeds that effort.
"Well, as for me, I find it more convincing that it was bestowed by the Goddess."
"Then let's go with that."
"So you won't tell me."
"Wouldn't it be less interesting if you found out so easily?"
"Well."
She smiles politely now, but there's no doubt she's pegged me as a troublesome person.
If that's the case, Catia will once keep her distance and try to investigate me.
To raise Catia's好感度, it's necessary for her to approach us, not the other way around.
The catalyst for that is intellectual curiosity.
She desires mediocrity and irresponsibility.
But what can overturn that desire is the intellectual realm that stimulates her instinct for the未知.
Being in the position of a princess, when she asks questions, almost everyone provides answers.
However, I'm someone who can deflect her questions.
"Then, if I study at the academy, will I be able to learn a part of it?"
"Yes, I guarantee it."
Normally, I should be considerate and respond properly to someone of princess status, but there's no way I'm letting such a capable person slip away.
"That's something to look forward to."
"This is a place with no connection to boredom. You'll find yourself running out of time, so I recommend managing yourself well in that regard."
"I appreciate the advice."
Hiding my emotions from my gaze, I smile brightly, and she returns a similar fabricated smile.
It looks beautifully natural, but there's a subtle discrepancy in the emotion behind it.
Well then, how shall I pique her interest?
As I'm thinking this, the train arrives at the station closest to the embassy.
"..."
At the same time, I spot Judeus in a corner of the platform.
Seeing him shrug his shoulders in a "here we go" gesture, I realize something has happened.