kscans

Chapter 57 - The Outcome of the Showdown [Part 1]

"I'm off," I said, and used the Teleportation Gate—a privilege reserved for royalty—to return from the Qua Kingdom to my homeland. The destination was a place in the royal palace, slightly removed from the gate used by foreign dignitaries, where a dedicated teleportation gate was installed. It didn't have a formal name, but I knew everyone called it the 'Teleportation Palace.'

When I was being educated as the leading candidate for Crown Princess, I had greeted delegations from various nations here. I had no memory of the Crown Princess education itself, but I still remembered where everything was in the palace and what facilities it held.

(Good.)

I felt a sense of relief. However, there were usually reception staff here, but right now, there was no one.

"'Come alone.' Is that what this means?"

I had been prepared for this, but standing here now, I felt a considerable amount of fear. Nevertheless, the option of not going did not exist for me.

"…I would have at least liked a token guide…"

Oh well, I added mentally, and began to walk with familiar steps. The Memory Erasing Magic was truly remarkable; only my memories of the Crown Princess education were wiped completely clean. I still hadn't been told how it worked, but judging by how few people could use it, there must be some sort of secret technique. Someday, if I feel I've reached my limit as a knight, perhaps I could walk the path of a magician, though I'm sure it requires a certain aptitude.

As I walked with these thoughts, a familiar corridor came into view.

"…I walked through here with Father several times, didn't I?"

Memories of walking hand-in-hand with my father came flooding back. When I was young, I wanted him by my side so much that I threw a few tantrums. And he, far from being annoyed, gladly acquiesced. Why did rumors spread among the nobility that the Calmond family was not close? That the Duke's attitude toward his children was cold and strange? His expressionless face was undoubtedly one reason, but I never wanted to understand the feelings of those who spread such rumors.

Click, clack. My footsteps echoed as I walked through the long corridor, and at the end, another familiar door appeared.

"Well then."

The 'Audience Chamber,' specified in the letter. Falty was surely here. And Liam, probably, as well. There was no running away from this, so I had no choice but to go in now. It's okay, I told myself slowly. Even if the worst happened, I had set a time limit with Rupert. And I had him tell Aristerios, Millière, and Rod about it too.

"So, it's okay."

I repeated it aloud one more time to reassure myself, then firmly gripped the doorknob and, steeling myself, pulled it open with all my might. As expected, it wasn't locked. The door swung open to reveal a man and a woman in the Audience Chamber.

"…Falty-Ardia. …Your Highness the Crown Prince…"

"Fufu, it's been a while, Lupia-sama."

Liam's face was an eerie blank; he didn't seem inclined to speak. Falty, on the other hand, greeted me with a relaxed smile. We weren't close, but her attitude, as if we were best friends, felt nothing but wrong to me.

"…Thank you for the invitation."

"Ufufu, I knew you would come!"

Falty was sitting in the chair meant for the queen, and Liam was in the king's throne. They had no right to be sitting there. As I let my disgust show, Falty stood up as if she understood and strode toward me.

"…What is it, Your Highness the Crown Princess?"

"My! How formal!"

"Because we are strangers."

I said it without hesitation, and a muscle in Falty's cheek twitched.

"'Strangers,' you say?"

"We are, are we not? After all, I am not your friend, let alone your family."

"…Tch!"

I deliberately put on a scornful, mocking expression, and Falty's face twisted further. I couldn't tell just by looking if the Falty I was facing now was herself, but if she was falling for such an obvious provocation, she was definitely not the real her.

"Oh my, is something the matter?"

"It's nothing."

As Falty spoke through gritted teeth, I pressed on.

"So? Would you be so kind as to tell me why you've summoned a scandal-ridden lady such as myself?"

I knew the reason perfectly well, but I asked anyway. This was a confirmation, to see if it matched what I had already predicted.

"Scandal-ridden? Not at all! I want you to obtain 'power' and become the protagonist of the story!"

"Ah… just as I expected."

"…………Eh?"

Falty's side had expected this too. They probably thought Lupia would refuse any offer. But Lupia was not without her own expectations. As if reading my mind, she continued.

"And you're not Falty. You're the Will of God (System), aren't you?"

"…"

Falty's movements stopped dead. As if she wasn't breathing, like a doll. The word 'frozen' perfectly described her state.

<<…So you were aware.>>

"Why did you think I wouldn't be?"

<>

A fawning tone of voice. It was disgusting. But I instinctively understood that I couldn't show any emotional fluctuation to this thing.

"Stop being so roundabout. What is your objective?"

<>

"Why me?"

<>

Its emotions must have flared. Falty's body lurched back, and a black shadow spewed from her wide-open mouth. Her body then collapsed, and the black mist swirled and coalesced into a human shape.

"—!"

—It was simply repulsive. I never thought talking to something inhuman would be this disgusting. It had been manageable before because it was brief, I now realized.

<>

"And I believe I refused then, as well."

<>

"…And the moment I get it, you'll abandon me just like you did Falty, won't you?"

<<'Abandon'? How rude… Once the objective is achieved, that is only natural, is it not?!>>

As I watched the Will of God (System) cackle, another wave of disgust washed over me.

So, it was like this.

Falty was probably tempted by this Will of God (System) in the same way and became the heroine of this 'game.' What she was truly aiming for was probably that 'Grand Finale' ending I'd heard a glimpse of before. But Falty missed something, and as a result, she reached a different ending.

But a contradiction arises here.

'Once the ending is reached, I will abandon them.'

If what it just said was true, then the very fact that the Will of God (System) is involved with Falty right now is strange. To say it would abandon her, yet be moving around by possessing her body—that's strange.

<>

The mist spoke to me cheerfully. It called itself the Will of God (System), but how was any part of this the will of a 'God'? There was no way something like this could be a 'God.' I'll grant that it's a higher being than humans. That's a fact. But this thing isn't a god; it's what you'd call a 'pseudo-god' that calls itself one.

"…My answer is the same as before. I want nothing to do with you, so disappear at once."

<>

"Is it not I who decides what is beneficial and what is not?"

The two of us stared each other down. I wasn't sure if you could call it a staring contest. My opponent was just mist, after all. It had something like round eyes, but it was uncertain if they were really eyes. But I couldn't falter mentally here. If I did, the pressure was so great that my consciousness felt like it could be swept away.

(This might not be the best strategy, but…)

Taking a slow, deep breath, Lupia's mind raced. This thing surely had some objective and wanted to make her do what Falty had been aiming for. But Lupia had no intention of playing along. Moreover, she had no obligation to move as it wished.

Besides, she had already reached an ending, yet it was still interfering. What did that mean from the Will of God (System)'s perspective? The thought suddenly occurred to her.

What if… what if this thing interfering like this is a violation of the rules…?