The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent

Even though I made a complete mess at the diplomatic conference, the fact that the Emperor didn’t say anything about it seems to suggest he really didn’t care if I caused such chaos. Sigh

If that’s not the case, then maybe the Empire’s power is intimidating enough that he was too afraid of getting beat up for speaking out of turn.

In fact, even in the main story, the Emperor is about to engage in insane warfare across the globe, and up until the very moment before that, it’s thwarted by the protagonist’s party; at least the Kingdom and the Papal State are handling things pretty wisely. For now, there’s no country that can win against the Empire unless the Empire splits itself or all the nations outside the Empire unite against it.

Even if there is a war, the side that strikes the Empire first will definitely not come out unscathed.

…And here I am, one of the key figures in that Empire. I’m only fourteen years old.

Am I gonna be thrown under the bus?

Well, I have a few years until then, so I can take my time thinking it over. After all, if necessary, I can just wipe everything out and assassinate the Emperor. Bam!

Before that, I also plan to do my best to prevent such things from happening.

Anyway, it’s not surprising that the impudent mischief I caused didn’t lead to any major issues.

What was truly surprising was something else entirely.

“Does this mean you spoke with the Crown Princess?”

“Why? Can’t I? You were there as the Empire’s representative at the meeting of the three nations.”

“No, that’s not it.”

Alice said that with a face that literally radiated ‘pride.’

Honestly, she had reason to feel that way. Usually, Alice spends her time studying and training almost entirely within the Imperial Palace. Just having accomplished something in itself is bound to make her proud. And it’s no trivial matter—she built a friendship with the Kingdom’s only princess!

I don’t really know what the King is like. He only showed up a few times in the game.

However, his daughter Charlotte is a kind person. She’s the type who would never put on a false front in front of anyone. After all, she’s a heroine you can pursue—if she turned out to be that dark of a character, she wouldn’t be popular at all.

If Alice had spoken with someone else, I’d have my doubts about that person, but since it’s Charlotte, it should be fine. Anyway, we’re supposed to meet next year at the Academy. Charlotte will be sent as a student by the King.

It seems the Emperor had his reasons for not reprimanding Alice this time.

Perhaps it’s because I personally begged him not to.

“You had a fulfilling time, didn’t you?”

When I said that, Alice raised her chin in pride.

Honestly, she looked more cute than haughty.

*

After that, there were no special incidents. The Emperor didn’t call me separately to ask about anything, nor did he give any orders to assassinate someone else.

I thought it was because I was supposed to attend the Academy next year. It would be troublesome if bad rumors about me spread in the school I was supposed to enter as a student. Besides, if the Emperor is sending me to the Academy, it’s not to tell me to study hard—it’s likely to survey the nobles who will rise to crucial positions later, as well as capable commoners.

The original Claire was the same. Even though she didn’t attend the Academy from the start, she was transferred there due to the Emperor’s will. She even claimed she didn’t particularly want to enter the Academy.

So, having diligently studied and consistently participated in mock exams with the intent of entering the Academy from the beginning, I naturally thought I would be able to enroll right away.

But—

“You have somewhere to go.”

Wha?

I had to make a tremendous effort to hold back the words that almost flew out.

No, if there’s such a plan, you should have told me in advance!

“It seems the time has come to deal with the warlords in the northern part of the Empire. The Autonomous State of Rickland has finally requested our Empire’s assistance. I will provide you with information about the warlords’ leaders that need to be dealt with, so go take care of it.”

Ah, it’s about military matters then.

Considering how people are summoned just before the work is upon them, the military in this world is quite typical of an army.

“…Understood.”

Of course, I had no grounds to refuse here. All I could say was, “I want to go to school instead of the battlefield,” but the Emperor didn’t raise me for that.

However, just because I’m going to the battlefield doesn’t mean I can’t go to school. The entrance exam can just be taken in a city close to the battlefield, and there’s still plenty of time until next April.

…If we are to follow the European system that the game is inspired by, the original semester start should be in August or September, but Chronicles of Aetherna is a Japanese game. Although it is being exported overseas, it is fundamentally the best-selling game within Japan, and of course, its content is tailored to Japanese players’ tastes.

And Japanese gamers who buy school-themed games wouldn’t want a European-style semester system.

So, the Huanglip Rondar Academy follows the same suit, starting in early April and adhering to a three-term Japanese-style academic year. This way, they can insert episodes during summer and winter breaks in Japanese anime style by having those breaks in mind.

Incidentally, despite the background being European-themed, there is also a Valentine’s Day event. Depending on which character you spent the year with, the heroine who gives you chocolate will change.

“Do you feel unwell?”

“……”

When the Emperor asked that, I lifted my gaze to see him looking down at me with a slight smile, but showing no particular sign of emotion on his face.

“No, I shall obey.”

The Emperor surely knows what he’s asking. He’s aware that I’ve been studying for the entrance exam with Alice.

Perhaps this order serves as a way to make it clear that my position is different from that of the genuine Crown Princess, Alice.

This is the first assassination mission following the Count’s assassination. And it’s in the northern region where all sorts of warlords are in rebellion. Some reckless warlords have even been said to invade the borders set by the Empire.

It seems the Emperor intends to eliminate them while he can.

“Hmm.”

The Emperor made an unintelligible sound before saying,

“Understood. You may go now. Departure will be in a week. Someone from the military will come soon with detailed information.”

So he said.

…If that is the Emperor’s intention, next April’s enrollment seems impossible.

What a disappointment.

*

“Are you really going to the battlefield?”

As I was packing in my room, Alice burst in through the door and asked.

I turned to see her, all sweaty, standing in front of the open door while I fiddled with my bag.

“Yes, it seems so.”

“It seems so?”

Upon hearing my answer, Alice stomped in, saying,

“Are you just going to gloss over ‘it seems so’? Didn’t you want to go to the Academy? You studied so hard!”

Um…

It’s true I wanted to go to the Academy. It’s also true I studied hard for that. Far harder than Alice thinks. It’s a place filled with characters I liked. I was curious if Claire, who would have grown up much happier apart from me, actually enrolled in the Academy, and I was also interested in how Charlotte, who befriended Alice differently from the original story, would react.

Maybe I could even get drawn into the original story and become part of the protagonist’s party. If any seriously dangerous incidents arise, I could take care of them beforehand.

…Well, the latter part was something I actually did think about doing.

Just because I can’t go right now doesn’t mean I’ll never get to go. Even if I’m not a student, there are several ways I could intervene in the protagonist’s party’s situation.

“Say something!”

As I fell silent in thought, Alice must have thought I lost my words because she insisted.

“The Emperor has given the order to sort out the warlord forces beyond the northern border and stabilize the political situation in the Autonomous State of Rickland.”

The mention of the Emperor’s orders seemed to momentarily take Alice aback, but she soon raised her chin and said,

“So?”

So?

I blinked at Alice’s response.

So what does that mean?

In this country, the Emperor’s orders are absolute. The Imperial Council doesn’t dare ignore the Emperor’s words for no reason. The Council is thoroughly decided through the public’s vote, and the public desires for the Council to follow the Emperor. The Emperor’s authoritarian policy strengthens the pride of the people as ‘the citizens of this country.’ Moreover, thanks to the Emperor, the conditions for the citizens have improved significantly.

Most of this is due to the cheap raw materials taken from the colonies, though.

And the ‘people’ who elect the Imperial Council, meaning those who have the right to vote, are only ‘pure Imperial blood males.’

Sure, minors could be an exception, but… no, actually, it’s bizarre to just brush past the fact that minors are disregarded. In this country, anyone over the age of twelve is considered an adult and subjected to harsh labor.

Even if that isn’t state policy, this place is a wild mix of extreme capitalism, imperialism, and inexplicably fused extremes of powerful imperial reign. The Emperor’s ultimate goal is to centralize everything and create a unified Empire—all in one place.

It sounds plausible, but when it comes to the most brutal means of diplomacy, war, that’s where it’s backfiring.

A ridiculous, nonsensical phrase like “a war to end it all” is something the Emperor is more than willing to engage in.

In any case, they push twelve-year-old children into tedious labor for fourteen hours a day without caring if they drink or smoke or become addicted to opiates, but they don’t get voting rights until they’re over twenty-one. By then, it’s lucky if they’ve survived, and even if they do survive, how can children who haven’t received proper education be expected to concern themselves with politics?

As a result, there are always plenty of enthusiastic volunteers for the military. There’s no way those suffering from disabilities or starving can muster the energy to fight in a war, so they’re well-fed, well-rested, and even exercised. Plus, military pay is way better than working in factories. Sure, you might have to fight for your life sometimes, but because of overwhelming technology, casualties are low compared to the enemy, and the bounties come rolling in.

…Thinking of it this way, it seems like they intentionally maintain that status quo.

Moreover, women do not have voting rights, and those from colonial backgrounds do not have voting rights either. The same goes for mixed-race individuals. You need to meet a minimum quota to be recognized as pure Imperial blood, and even that can be rejected if you display too many “colonial traits.”

Workers perceive colonials as taking their jobs, and there are even rumors that foreigners have formed secret societies behind the scenes to slander the state…

Doesn’t that sound like a story you’ve heard somewhere before?

Well, it’s amusing that there were empresses in history despite all this.

“Aren’t you a Crown Princess? With the Emperor’s power behind you, you should be more assertive! So why do you just blindly follow those orders?”

“Even as a Crown Princess, I am not the same as another Crown Princess. I am a being the Emperor deemed useful, while the Crown Princess is genuinely suitable to inherit this Empire.”

“…So that means you’re saying you’re just some tool?”

Well, of course.

The Emperor probably thinks of me exactly as a tool.

It’s true he loves me as his daughter. Ruth, Jayden, and the other siblings too. In fact, in the original work, every time one of his children died, he was deeply pained.

But at the same time, to the Emperor, even that child is ultimately a tool.

Could it be explained as the difference between a very cherished tool and a tool that can be discarded anytime?

Barbara is definitely the important tool among all of them.

…But there’s no need to say all that to Alice. She’s too young for that.

I turned back to my bag and said,

“There’s no need for you to worry. I will carry out my mission there and return. I won’t die.”

“That’s not what I’m saying…!”

Alice, sounding exasperated, raised her voice at my back, but then stopped. The door was still open. If I raised my voice here, all the maids would hear it.

Alice, who sometimes threw tantrums in the hallway, has learned that such behavior negatively impacts her image as she matures. Of course, she still occasionally throws fits to trouble people.

“……”

For a while, Alice seemed to be trying to suppress her emotions, breathing heavily. I couldn’t see her expression, but I could hear her ragged breaths, so she was likely feeling that way.

And finally, the composed Alice said—

“……I will go see Father.”

—No, it seems she hasn’t calmed down at all.

“Crown Princess—”

By the time I turned my head back, Alice had already dashed out the door.

“……Ha.”

I let out a light sigh, set down my packed stuff, and quickly chased after Alice.

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