Chapter 59

The Princess looked at me with her narrow, elongated eyes before her gaze drifted toward the floor, where she witnessed the Crown Prince collapsed in a pathetic heap.
I felt like I’d just been caught at a crime scene.

“Di-Dione…?”

His face pale as a sheet, the Crown Prince looked up at the Princess. Looking down at him with a frigid expression, Dione asked, “Why are you rolled up in a ball clutching yourself like that?”

The Crown Prince had his legs pressed tightly together, shielding that specific area with his hands. He was breaking out in a cold sweat, clearly trying to manage the pain, though it didn’t seem to be going well.

“Gasp! Your Highness! A-are you alright?!”

The attendant following behind the Princess froze in shock before snapping to his senses and rushing over to check on the Crown Prince’s condition. I was relieved he hadn’t screamed and summoned the entire neighborhood. The Crown Prince, seemingly wanting to avoid making a scene himself, waved the attendant away while breathing heavily.

“I-I’m fine.”

“I’ll go fetch a physician immediately!”

“No. Don’t… for the sake of my honor… please…”

“Pardon?”

The bewildered attendant hesitated. However, he couldn’t just ignore the Crown Prince’s order. Despite his worried expression, he eventually stepped back. As soon as the attendant moved away, a gravelly voice rang out.

“Hey, you crazy bastard. Were you hitting on a maid again?”

…?

Wait, did that just come out of the Princess…?

“You piece of shit. Didn’t I tell you to cut it out?”

I was fairly certain the Princess wasn’t this kind of character. In front of the protagonist, she was always blushing and…

“I finally get to meet you… I-I’ve been a f-fan for a long time…”

“I heard you’re close with Theo. Haha, I’ve heard so much about Sir Hereis that I started feeling a one-sided sense of familiarity…!”

That was how she used to be.

“N-no. This was an unfortunate accident…”

“Dumbass. You think I didn’t see you throwing passes at that maid earlier? Where do you get off lying to me?”

“Di-Dione, watch your dignity…”

“You’re the one who needs to worry about dignity, so why are you coming at me? Have you lost your damn mind?”

What was with this savory cursing?

Princess Dione frowned deeply and pointed toward me.

“You, there. Are you alright?”

I mean, do I look alright…?

The one who isn’t alright should be your brother, who just took a hit to his crown jewels.

“I apologize on his behalf. Just think of it as bad luck running into a lunatic.”

Princess Dione apologized to me and then proceeded to grind her heel into the back of the collapsed Crown Prince Theodore, muttering that the nutjob should just die.
The moment I spent imagining myself being dragged to a dungeon for harming the Crown Prince’s ‘jade body’¹ suddenly felt very foolish.

“If there’s any compensation you want, feel free to ask at any—”

“Belita?”

-???

-What’s happening now lol

-A murder case? Shaking…

-As if.

Good grief. The protagonist had arrived. Of course he’d show up only after the situation was over. If I had known this would happen, I would have just let him pick the wrong option.

“He-Hereis-nim…?”

The Princess jumped in surprise and took her foot off the Crown Prince. I guess she was the type of character who acted coy and hid her true nature only in front of the protagonist. She looked busy inside her own head, trying to gauge whether or not he had heard what she just said.

“Hereis…?”

The Crown Prince, whose face was still a ghostly white, hurriedly pulled himself up. I could hear him muttering under his breath, blaming the attendant for not stopping him.
Regardless of that, the protagonist threw out a fundamental question into the awkward atmosphere.

“What is everyone doing here?”

“Ah, we all just… happened to run into each other while passing by…!”

“This is a dead end, though.”

I wondered how she’d fix this…

Is she a fool?

“Theodore. Don’t tell me you were doing something disgraceful again, as usual…”

-Gasp, ‘disgraceful’

-Now that I look at it, his hand placement is a bit weird

-He definitely got hit in the vitals. I know because I’ve been there.

-You’ve had your precious parts kicked before?

-Did he dare harass our Saintess???

It was a total mess. The protagonist, who seemed to have grasped the situation immediately—likely because the guy was a repeat offender—let out a low sigh.

“Theodore. I am your friend, but I don’t condone your reckless behavior.”

“…”

“You’re the one who will become Emperor. For the sake of His Majesty and the Princess, please exercise some self-restraint.”

“…You’re right.”

As the protagonist spoke with sincerity, the Crown Prince slumped his shoulders.

Did getting hit down there actually make him grow up a bit…?

The Crown Prince approached me, saying he needed to apologize. I watched him with an indifferent gaze, expecting a formal apology, but a completely unexpected line jumped out of his mouth.

“You’re the first one to… tr-treat me like this.”

…?

Wait, is this line actually happening?

• I’ve seen this development somewhere before

-Is this for real?

-Found love~

I didn’t even have time to worry about the chat window that had automatically slid back into my vision. The Crown Prince’s next words made me feel faint instantly.

“I think I’ve fallen in love at first sight. Is this what they call true love?”

• What, is he serious?

What kind of preference are you talking about, you crazy system?

“Theodore.”

Even the protagonist seemed flustered as he belatedly called the Crown Prince’s name.

“Are you cr— cough, have you lost your mind?”

“I don’t even expect an answer. Just tell me your name, please. I feel like a special emotion I’ve never felt before has truly awakened within me.”

-How can a person get hit there and awaken to love?

-Shivers…

Did I hit the Crown Prince in the head instead of his vitals?

“Theodore, what on earth are you talking about?”

The Princess stared at the Crown Prince as if he were insane. Watching the scene, my head cooled down slightly.

‘…Alright, let’s assess the situation.’

I felt like I could analyze this logically now. First, let’s set aside the attempted murder of the Crown Prince’s jade body. What happened after that?

‘The Crown Prince suddenly said he fell for me and started acting obsessed.’

But I’m a Saintess hiding my identity.

What am I supposed to do?

‘Hell if I know.’

No, no. I know. I do.

I have to make him give up on me peacefully. While the Princess, the protagonist, and the Crown Prince were bickering, I organized my thoughts and opened my mouth.

“Crown Prince, you are mistaken right now.”

“Mistaken?”

“Yes. You’ve suffered such a massive shock that your self-defense mechanism is tricking you into believing you like me.”

-???

-Lita-Lita, what are you even saying?

“You’ve never been rejected before, have you, Your Highness?”

“W-well, that’s true.”

He was trying to act tough. He had just been coldbloodedly rejected by Arianne not too long ago. Watching from the side, even the protagonist’s eyes grew cold. Well, it might be true as far as commoner women were concerned.

“Your Highness is tasting a very intense… rejection for the first time, and for some reason, it has made you want to cling to me.”

“Exactly. That’s because I’ve fallen for you—”

“No. That’s all an illusion. Your Highness’s pride is simply wounded. To prevent your ego from being hurt, your subconscious is rationalizing this by thinking, ‘I’m doing this because I love that woman.’”

His eyes darted toward me as if asking, ‘What the hell does that mean?’

I didn’t know either.

I was just spitballing.

-Honestly, it sounds plausible

-It’s like Stockholm Syndrome or something

“I’m saying those feelings aren’t genuine.”

“I-is that so…? But the more I look at you, the more charming you seem…”

I should make my escape while he’s confused.

“No. They aren’t real. If you cool your head and think it over calmly, you’ll realize it soon enough.”

“Wait! At least tell me your name!”

“Then, farewell…”

I ran for my life, not once looking back. Even in the midst of that, a notification popped up…

Wait, why?!

“The reason the Saintess came here is surely because of that matter you mentioned in the letter, right?”

After the investiture ceremony and the following banquet ended, we headed to the accommodations Ilian had prepared. Arianne and the protagonist said they had a hunch when they saw me at the banquet hall and asked if I was going to the Marquisate with them.

“A letter? Was it written in that letter?”

Come to think of it, Ilian was the one who delivered that letter. Did he not open it? He seemed more honest than I thought.

“Ah, well… I thought it was a personal matter.”

Ilian answered while scratching the back of his head.

-He must have thought it was a love letter lmao

-It would’ve been better if it was

-It was just an instruction letter for the next quest…

“Saintess. Please tell us now. We’ve done everything you wanted, haven’t we?”

There was a hint of grievance in Ilian’s voice. I was planning to tell them anyway. Ilian was also a valuable asset. If I wanted to bring him along and use him, he needed to know what was going on.

“A magic beast attack?”

“You’re saying they’re going to invade the entire continent simultaneously?”

“Why on earth would such a thing…!”

“Between the Lanta Village incident and everything else, the movements of the magic beasts have been unusual lately.”

“I’ve heard there are times when magic beasts run rampant in hundred-year cycles. Is this one of those times?”

No. This isn’t natural; it’s an artificially triggered event.

‘It’s the work of the mastermind, Jeffrey.’

In the ancient history of this continent, humanity was completely at the mercy of magic beasts. But one day, seven Apostles of Ralphican descended, traveling across the continent and disposing of the beasts. Then, they each established a nation in the places where peace had been restored. That was the beginning of most existing dynasties.

In the past, the continent resisted magic beasts using the holy relics left behind by the Apostles and their Saints. Once peace arrived and the common enemy was gone, what did the bored humans do?

War. Because of a war that lasted for a staggering thousand years, numerous holy relics were lost, and the records of how to use them vanished. The Church is said to be still working on restoring them to this day.

Ordinary people who have never encountered a holy relic treat them as ‘lost technology,’ and this background is why even the Church doesn’t know much about them. There was a character who recited the continent’s history in the latter half of the game, and I regret skipping through it. In this situation, knowledge of the game is power.

‘Well, anyway.’

Magic beasts in the current era have significantly decreased in number. While the individuals themselves are terrifying, they are perceived as manageable as long as they are consistently subjugated.

However, since holy relics aren’t as secured as they used to be, the world is like a sandcastle that could crumble the moment the number of magic beasts increases.

‘This is what Jeffrey is aiming for.’

Artificially mass-producing mutant magic beasts. Modern humanity is not yet prepared to handle this. It means that if Jeffrey has the power to control magic beasts, he could enjoy absolute authority.

Weren’t there traces of magic beast experiments left in the Garain County?

‘This is the result.’

And the upcoming magic beast rampage is also Jeffrey’s doing. Because of this event, several nations, including the Empire, would normally suffer great damage.

Of course, I couldn’t say all of this, so I simply added that the magic beast experiments in the County seemed to be related to this.

“My goodness… Even if it was a bit aggressive, I should have interrogated the Countess of Garain more strictly.”

Kalat groaned as he asked.

“So, what will you do? Have you informed His Holiness the Pope?”

I nodded and let my lips curl into a bitter, thin smile.

“Some nations will prepare with everything they have.”

The group’s eyebrows twitched. Saying ‘some nations’ meant there were countries that hadn’t been informed. It soon implied discrimination and exclusion. And they realized that this wasn’t my intention.

“It will be difficult to save everyone. I simply wish to help those within my reach.”

-The Pope is trash

-The Saintess is being used

-I can’t stand this Order of Ralphican

-A revolution is needed

As I spoke with a certain level of solemnity, the affection of everyone in the party rose by 5.

“I will gladly help as well, Saintess! For the S-Saintess to rely on me… I’m so happy!”

Kalat isn’t much help, but it looked like he’d be tagging along due to the atmosphere.

“So this is why you said the investiture ceremony would be suspended. Indeed, who could travel to the Holy State when magic beasts are attacking?”

Ilian requested to let him help as well.

“I will do my best to be a source of strength for the Saintess.”

Arianne also reassured me, saying she would have helped even if it wasn’t the protagonist’s request. And the protagonist…

“It’s an honor. To think you would choose me for such a great undertaking. I will do my utmost to not disappoint your expectations.”

Somehow, everyone ended up listing their resolutions. It wasn’t like this was a job interview.

…But still, it didn’t feel too bad.