The appearance of the princess was bound to turn the Jibchak family upside down.
Of course, no one expected her to come to a mere count’s estate.
At least the family head, Trash, could have come up with all sorts of excuses to guide her to the reception room, but unfortunately, he was away.
In the end, there was no one to stop her from entering, which allowed Seria and Alkiné to immediately head toward the commotion.
And… that’s how we ended up in this situation.
“Trash Jibchak. I’ll give you a chance to speak your mind, so say something.”
“…I have nothing to say.”
Our princess swiftly wrapped up the incident and thoroughly roasted Trash.
Of course, Trash wasn’t this obedient from the start. At first, he tried every excuse to get out of this situation…
“…Rudion. Can you hand that over for a second?”
“This?”
“Yes, just give it to me for a moment.”
Seria suddenly took the Forbidden Book of Mental Manipulation, skimmed through it, and then did something to Trash, after which he became completely docile.
Is this what they call overpowering? I guess mental manipulation counts as overpowering too, right?
“Take it back. Oh, and it’s dangerous, so you should probably keep it stored away.”
Following Seria’s words, I put the Forbidden Book back into my inventory.
By the way, Seria… What are you planning to do, learning something like that as a princess?
I’ve always wondered what goes on in her mind, but now there’s a way to find out.
‘Probe.’
I feel a bit guilty for secretly reading her thoughts, but it’s Seria’s fault for always doing weird things and acting shamelessly.
With that self-justification, I peeked into her thoughts…
[I’d like to explain that I didn’t even understand half of the Forbidden Book’s contents.]
…So it was a bluff?
I thought Seria could probably read the Forbidden Book and master it in no time, but it seems I was wrong.
But… putting that aside.
‘Did I see that right?’
I double-checked the stats I had glanced over earlier.
[Seria Rubetia]
[Strength: 5]
[Endurance: 3]
[Agility: 6]
[Magic Power: 101]
[Traits: Genius of Magic (Divided Calculation, Magic Analysis, Magic Acceleration, Reverse Automation, Magic Amplification), Conceptual Manifestation (Ether Manipulation, Energy Component Fusion), Kairos [Sealed]]
Those stats were anything but ordinary.
Wait, why is her magic power like this? It’s already over 100?
And what’s with all these traits? What’s Conceptual Manifestation, and what’s Kairos?
With so many unknowns popping up, I was pretty confused. Of course, since it’s Seria, I figured she’d handle it well, so I wasn’t worried.
‘She’s growing so fast…’
I thought it was something, but I didn’t expect it to be this much.’
Just as my amazement wouldn’t stop, something else suddenly popped up.
[Searching for additional information related to the trait.]
What’s this additional info now?
I keep getting hit with things I don’t know, but honestly, I wasn’t expecting much.
No matter how amazing it is, could it really surpass Seria’s growth?
With that thought, I casually read the additional info… and it was enough to leave me stunned.
[Affection Level: 59/100]
…Huh? What’s the affection level?
“What is it, Rudion? Why are you suddenly staring at me like that?”
“No, it’s nothing. Really, nothing.”
“That doesn’t look like a ‘nothing’ face. I’ll ask you again later.”
…I quickly closed the window because it felt like I saw something I shouldn’t have, but what I saw was already burned into my mind.
I had no idea how to respond to Seria, who had already noticed my confusion and was starting to question me.
‘59 is practically the level where you’ve almost finished the romance route.’
There was no romance system in the game, but there were definitely elements in the story that made you feel the depth based on affection levels.
At 10, you’re close friends, and you’d lend them your prized possessions if they had a good reason.
At 20, they’d do most favors for you even without a reason.
Once you hit 40, you’re practically important to each other, willing to throw yourself into danger for them without a second thought.
And… by the time you reach 60, it’s clear why people complained about the lack of a romance system. At this point, even if it’s not said out loud, they’re basically sweethearts, or maybe even something more.
Sadly, I don’t know what happens beyond that. In this game without romance, there was nothing beyond that.
Hitting 100 just gave you a reward and that was it.
‘At this point, since we’re already past 60, there doesn’t seem to be much more room to close the gap.’
But right now, Seria’s affection level is 59.
Just one point away from 60.
Considering the time we’ve spent together and how I thought she felt, I figured it’d be around 20 to 30 at most.
Forget why it’s so high—what’s more surprising is how she didn’t show it much.
My head started to hurt thinking about how to respond to her deeper-than-expected affection.
‘For now, I’ll just pretend I don’t know…’
But soon, I’ll have to explain this stolen item, and it’ll all come out anyway.
I could hide it, but… there’s no point in hiding something like this.
I really don’t know what to say. I’m grateful, but also feel guilty.
‘…Wait a second. What about the guild leader…?’
Suddenly, I noticed Alkiné sitting next to Seria, quietly observing the situation.
Just yesterday, she confessed her feelings to me…
It’s her. I didn’t know if she might have some interest in me too.
With that thought, I tried using the scan on Alkiné as well, and thankfully, her stats were somewhat normal.
[Alkiné Devaran]
[Strength: 72]
[Endurance: 32]
[Agility: 68]
[Magic Power: 76]
[Traits: Sword Master [partially unlocked], Human Tank (Strength Amplification, Steel Endurance, Master of Balance, Superhuman Stamina), Exceptional Handiwork]
[She came to help you but is feeling awkward because she has nothing to do.]
[Affection: 18/100]
‘Compared to this, my stats are really pathetic.’
When I couldn’t see it at all, I just accepted it, but now that it’s right in front of me, I can’t help but compare.
Anyway, her stats are incredibly high, but they don’t deviate much from what I remember, and her traits are exactly what I recall.
And her affection level is normal… no, actually, it’s abnormal from the moment it appeared.
Wow, I’m really going crazy. When did I work so hard to charm them?
‘The bracelet… did I steal it for nothing?’
I definitely felt good when I stole it, but now that I know information I didn’t really want to know, I regret it. Is this that red pill or whatever they call it?
They say if you do bad things, you’ll be punished. I didn’t know it would be like this.
“Why is she suddenly like that?”
“I don’t know either.”
Seria and Alkiné’s gazes felt heavy again.
///
The matter regarding the Jibchak Family’s punishment was concluded by entrusting full authority to the Central Guard.
The Central Guard is almost directly connected to the Royal Palace, and since the Princess herself handed over the matter, there’s no need to worry about corruption.
So, I was planning to trust and hand over all the forbidden books I brought from the Jibchak Family, but…
“…We don’t have the capacity to manage all of these separately. I’m sorry, but could you handle all but the most important one separately?”
Right. It’s a busy place, so it would be troublesome to receive all these forbidden books at once.
In the end, all the forbidden books except the one related to mental brainwashing ended up stuffed back into a corner of my inventory.
“Now that I think about it, how big is that subspace? You’ve put in quite a lot so far.”
Seria asked that question after seeing me put back about twenty forbidden books into my inventory.
The size of the inventory? I never really thought about it.
I’ve just been using it with the same sense as in the game. In the game, it was basically infinite.
It was inevitable that telling her that would cause another uproar.
After a brief commotion, Seria and Alkiné entrusted their belongings to my inventory, and I started to feel hungry.
After being dragged out before breakfast and handling all this business until now…
I lost track of time and ended up missing the perfect timing for lunch.
—
“The timing’s a bit awkward, but should we grab something to eat before heading back?”
“I’m fine with that.”
“Me too.”
—
So, I casually suggested it, and Seria and Alkiné, who were probably hungry, immediately agreed.
—
But oh boy, what to do? The restaurant they headed to was the very same place where the “Empire’s Greatest Meal Operation That Summons a Storm” had taken place just the other day.
—
I thought I’d hear the wailing of the manager and staff again…
—
“Wow, it’s packed.”
“Was it always this crowded?”
“Even if it’s popular, it shouldn’t be this bad.”
—
…For some reason, there was even a line, and it didn’t look easy to get in.
—
It was too late for lunch and too early for dinner, so why was it so crowded?
I decided to sneak a peek into the thoughts of the most excited-looking person in line.
—
[I’m thrilled to eat at the place the Princess and Saintess praised!]
—
Ah, that explains it.
—
Well, duh. After the Saintess showed up the other day, the place was swarmed. It’d be weirder if word *didn’t* spread.
—
“Seria, this is your fault.”
“Huh? Me?”
“To be precise, it’s you and Lilith.”
“…Oh.”
—
Hearing that, Seria awkwardly started glancing at Alkiné, as if she understood. Seeing this, Alkiné looked puzzled, so I briefly explained the situation. She then gave Seria a look of utter disbelief and started blaming her.
—
“Seria. You’re a Princess. Didn’t you ever think about covering your face when you go out?”
“But Rudion said my face is pretty. How could I cover it?”
“…You really say that kind of thing right in front of him, huh?”
“What’s the big deal?”
—
…Now even comments like that don’t sound like jokes anymore.
Thinking about it, she’s made remarks like that often. Maybe I brushed them off too lightly, thinking they were just playful.
—
While I was lost in serious thought, Seria and Alkiné quickly started looking for other options.
—
“Let’s not eat here. Let’s go somewhere else.”
“Agreed. We can come back here another time.”
“Do you know any other good places?”
“There are a few over there. Let’s go.”
—
Of course, we could’ve barged in using the Princess’s face, but obviously, that wasn’t an option.
—
In the end, the sequel to the Empire’s Greatest Meal Operation never happened, and a spin-off was released at a different restaurant.
—
The outing concluded with Alkiné looking utterly baffled by Seria, who still refused to cover her face.
—
By the way… right after returning to the Academy, I had a one-on-one meeting with the Headmaster and ended up getting penalized.
—
“Didn’t I clearly say I could resist?”
—
The reason? Unauthorized absence.
