The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

Before the start of the second semester of the second year.

Though the incident in the Holy Nation had significantly shortened the break, that didn’t mean there was no time to rest at all.

If I hadn’t had any time, I wouldn’t have been able to come here in the first place.

Political affairs couldn’t take precedence over a student’s education, but Alice wanted to resolve this matter as discreetly as possible, avoiding unnecessary attention.

It was impossible to hide the fact that the Emperor’s throne was vacant. Alice had taken the position of Crown Princess, and I had become the Empire’s second-in-command. The moment the victory ceremony took place, the news had already spread widely among the citizens of the Empire, and the nobles were well aware of it—there was no way to change that now.

The Emperor’s plan had never been publicly disclosed. It likely never would be.

Seizing the goddess’s power to rule the world? There would undoubtedly be those among the citizens who found that idea appealing. If that happened, Alice’s political foundation would be shaken. And so would that of the majority of the nobility.

No matter how much they were loyal to the Emperor, the Emperor’s faction nobles did not support him with the desire to become his slaves.

A ruler who used the Relic to dominate the world would certainly not have spared the nobility from becoming his subjugated subjects. From their perspective, his plan was one they could never support fully.

Rather, with the Emperor—who had practically ruled with an iron fist—now gone, they were likely looking for opportunities of their own.

That didn’t mean we could leave the Emperor outside the Empire’s borders. Though he himself wouldn’t be swayed into becoming a political tool for another nation, anti-government factions could still use him as a justification for their actions. If even a single commoner, who had never exchanged a word with the Emperor, decided to form a terrorist organization under the pretense of reclaiming his authority, it would become a serious problem.

Ultimately, the conclusion we arrived at was to make it appear as though the Emperor was safely residing within the Empire.

That way, it would seem as if power had been passed down in an orderly manner.

That didn’t mean we were planning a grand welcoming ceremony for him. The goal was to bring him back quietly and keep him under our control—ready to use him as a justification if anyone later attempted to challenge our authority.

“Will it be alright?”

“It will be fine.”

After a brief visit to Belvur, the day had come for me to return to the Empire. Charlotte had come to the station to see me off.

The train itself was an ordinary one. Though I had visited Lutetia as the Empire’s second-in-command, it was strictly an unofficial trip, and my mission was a classified operation. The train couldn’t attract unnecessary attention.

In fact, this train wasn’t even running on its usual schedule. It was the dead of night, past midnight but not yet early dawn. We had even chosen a night when there was no moon.

Of course, the train would still have its lights on as it moved, so it wasn’t as though it would be completely invisible.

Fortunately, there were many freight trains running between the capital and the royal city. Mail shipments were transported as well. A train moving at this hour wasn’t entirely out of place.

“I should be the one asking. Are you alright staying up this late?”

“Are you joking right now? I’m not a child.”

In the deep winter night, Charlotte stood at the station, wrapped in a thick winter coat.

Naturally, her presence here was unofficial as well.

“We’ve taken extensive measures to prevent any leaks of information, but I can’t say with certainty that everything is perfect. There are eyes and ears in both the royal capital and the Imperial capital. The rumor that an important prisoner has suddenly disappeared is bound to spread.”

That was why we had taken the train. In this world, few means of transportation could rival the speed of a train, except for an aircraft.

“I’m aware.”

When I answered calmly, Charlotte nodded.

“Well, nothing major should happen.”

“That doesn’t mean I’ll let my guard down.”

I responded as I glanced behind me.

“Right. We’ve made our own preparations.”

“Even if something does happen, I’m confident we can handle it.”

Claire and Leo each spoke in turn.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

The Grace Family had always been staunch supporters of the Emperor, regardless of who sat on the throne. They had never been particularly concerned with political affairs—they simply remained loyal to the Emperor. That was the reason the Grace Family had managed to survive all this time.

“Besides, we’re not the only ones on this train.”

Yes, aside from the two of them, there were others. Those with highly reliable skills.

“...Focusing only on what’s outside the train is dangerous. The people aboard are also extremely dangerous individuals.”

Perhaps because she had witnessed much as the Princess of Belvur, Charlotte commented as such.

“Father seems to have mixed feelings, but honestly, I feel relieved. The man who turned the entire world against him and tried to drag it under his feet is finally leaving Belvur, along with his followers.”

“We will make sure they never attempt anything like this again.”

“...You don’t need to go that far. At the very least, we’ve received appropriate compensation, haven’t we?”

And that compensation wasn’t coming from the Empire’s national treasury but from the Imperial Family’s personal funds. It wasn’t being paid all at once but in installments.

To put it simply, it was a justification along the lines of, “The Emperor destroyed the Holy Nation, so he must pay for its reconstruction.” But since the Holy Nation had essentially lost its ability to function, the recipient of that money was the Royal Family of Belvur.

Since the money came with a formal purpose, they couldn’t use it recklessly, but with the right excuses, they could find ways to reallocate it. Given what the Holy Nation had done to the Kingdom, using their funds to restore part of the royal capital would certainly be permissible.

“It’s a painful expense for the Imperial Family, but...”

"It was an unavoidable choice to prevent direct conflict."

Since the issue was resolved using the Imperial Family’s funds instead of the Empire’s treasury, it would be difficult for the nobles to object. After all, the authority of the Imperial Family was just as important as the authority of the nobility. If the nobility interfered in the Imperial Family’s affairs, it would justify the Imperial Family meddling in noble affairs as well. No, in fact, it would give them an even stronger and more forceful justification to do so.

From the Kingdom’s perspective, they had received money, so they couldn’t exactly protest either.

Even though they were friends, Charlotte firmly maintained a clear distinction between personal matters and official affairs. But after making her decisive remark, she soon showed a hint of regret.

“Then... I suppose we won’t be seeing each other again until April.”

Now that Alice had become Crown Princess, Charlotte was also receiving an education befitting her position. Since Alice was the next Emperor, it would be advantageous for both nations if her close friend Charlotte became the next Queen. The Kingdom was considering that possibility while also ensuring that Charlotte didn’t become too pro-Empire.

“On the other hand, that means we’ll see each other again in April.”

Hearing my response, Charlotte let out a soft chuckle.

“That’s true.”

Charlotte still wanted to complete her studies at the Academy.

If both Alice and Charlotte ascended to their respective thrones, they would have almost no opportunities to meet in person.

Perhaps, on rare occasions, they might see each other during formal summits. But personally visiting another country? That would be difficult unless someone else was in place to take their spot.

...No, that wasn’t necessarily certain.

That was something that might happen four years from now. And there was no telling when Charlotte would actually become Queen.

There was no need to worry about that just yet.

For now, we should simply enjoy the rest of our school days as much as possible.

We still had three years left.

“Exactly. And Leo and I might visit again for personal reasons, too.”

“If that happens, make sure to send word beforehand. The Lutetia Royal Palace will always be open to my friends.”

“That sounds great.”

Claire grinned widely at Charlotte’s words.

*

“So, you’ve finally boarded?”

As soon as I stepped onto the train, an elderly voice, thick with dissatisfaction, greeted me.

“The train still needed preparations before departure, didn’t it?”

“Your responses are becoming increasingly insolent. Have you finally dropped the act?”

Well, I suppose you could say that.

At this point, people no longer froze stiff whenever they saw me smile.

...Or maybe not. Those who weren’t particularly close to me still seemed a little wary.

If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have bothered putting up any kind of persona in the first place.

Honestly, people adapted to me much faster than I expected, to the point where it was almost disappointing.

“Have you spoken with the people inside?”

“Briefly.”

Aside from the Emperor, his three children had also boarded the train.

The Sword Saint seemed to have taken a liking to Lucas. It appeared that he wanted to train him... though personally, I would rather he didn’t do anything so dangerous.

“Lucas is already stronger than you, isn’t he? There’s no real need to train him any further—”

“His character still needs some guidance.”

“That’s rich, coming from you. Your personality isn’t exactly—”

Smack!

For a moment, I saw stars.

And we weren’t even outside the train.