The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 12
EP.12 The Trusted One (1)
Playing with settings was fun because you can pick out the interesting parts and play with them. I had always loved the Chronicles of Aetherna, and I wanted to memorize the lore of that game series as much as possible. The mythology, the continents and countries, the magic, and the culture that appeared in the lore… I read everything that was meticulously organized.
I bought and read thick setting books, combed through every text that appeared as “books” within the game, and read all the descriptions of monsters and beasts, as well as the notes that filled up once I completed events with different characters.
Since a new installment came out once a year, there wasn’t much else to do after finishing one and waiting for the next. Sure, I played other games during that time, and I also played all the previous entries that were released before I completed the latest one. But no matter how much I loved a series, after seven years of eagerly devouring everything about it, I eventually ran out of content.
Besides, even if the series continued for a long time, there were occasional lore resets. So, even if I gathered every piece of in-game text and added all the setting books, it would only take about three books to summarize one lore, assuming each book was as thick as a setting book.
That was why it was enjoyable to read.
…The problem was that this only applied when it’s a game.
Not every game showed only the bright side of its universe. But neither did it reveal every dark corner. Settings that were so gloomy they would spread depression just by looking at them were often briefly mentioned in dialogue and then skipped over. Sometimes, a game might give you a fleeting glimpse of the world’s dark side.
It was fun to study the setting by skimming over the depressing parts and focusing only on the interesting stuff…
But things were different if it’s the real world.
A scene that the game briefly showed as, “There’s this kind of back alley, too,” became hundreds of detailed papers in the real world. Countless examples and solutions were presented, debated, and defended, exploring how to solve such issues of poverty.
History was the same way. The game neatly summarized only the crucial parts for the main story. But here, history books were as thick, boring, and numerous as those in the world I came from. Interpretations vary based on the key figures they focus on, and there are lengthy debates over ambiguous points.
Steam engines, firearms, magic. Even the three core elements that make up the universe were broken down into all kinds of disciplines—materials science, mechanical engineering, chemistry, physics, magic studies, arcane science, magical engineering… Enough to make your head spin.
And at the heart of all those theories lay none other than mathematics.
I, however, had given up on math back in high school, deciding it was not for me.
…Why should I study math just to immerse myself in a setting?
*
However, understanding all of it wasn’t entirely impossible for me.
After all, what else did I have but time?
Even if I read a single book, I could go back in time and read it repeatedly until I fully understood it. I could ask the same tutor a hundred times or a thousand times—it didn’t matter. As far as they knew, I was only asking once.
Plus, there was a considerable benefit that came with understanding things that way.
“As expected of Your Highness!”
The tutor clapped his hands enthusiastically, his face beaming with joy.
The title “Princess” still felt awkward, but I couldn’t very well ask this man to address me any differently. After all, I was indeed a princess. Of course, my situation differed significantly from the real princess, Alice, but that didn’t matter to a tutor like this. As long as he could boast later about being the tutor of such a capable princess, he probably couldn’t care less.
“How is it possible that you understand everything I explain to you so effortlessly? You truly have a natural talent, Your Highness! I’m sure you’ll be able to blossom even more when you attend the Imperial Academy!”
…He seemed a bit too enthusiastic, but I kept my expression as neutral as possible.
Of course, I had no intention of becoming an expert in any particular field. My only goal was to get into the Imperial Academy.
In the game, the exam only had a few questions, but it was obvious reality wouldn’t be that easy. It would undoubtedly be a strict test environment, where I’d have to answer dozens of questions within a set time limit.
Well… I could always take a peek at the test questions and then reset the time, but that would expose my lack of preparation in the long run. So, it would be better to maintain this “smart and competent” image consistently.
What made me so determined to join the Imperial Academy? In the original story, Claire didn’t enroll from the beginning but was placed there by the Emperor during the storyline.
The reason I was so determined to enter the Imperial Academy myself was obvious. I loved the Chronicles of Aetherna and had grown deeply attached to its characters. Attending school alongside those characters? How could I pass up such an opportunity? There was no way I could!
Sure, I was technically under the command of the Emperor, the leader of the evil forces in the game. This could lead to some conflict with the protagonist’s party… but honestly, even that had its appeal for me.
There were a few characters who died in the original story. Depending on the choices made by the protagonist, certain characters were destined to die. The exact characters varied based on those choices, but in every route, Claire was one of the inevitable deaths. In some paths, two to three characters would die permanently.
That’s how it was in the latest game installment I played. The developers even mentioned that they planned to carry over save data into future games to continue those outcomes.
Of course, the players never believed that the small company would continue to maintain that consistency until the series ended. The general opinion was that they’d make things grim at first and then somehow bring everyone back to life. I agreed with that sentiment.
Still…
Even so, I couldn’t bear the thought of my beloved characters dying.
So, I’d prevent it. As long as I remained under the Emperor’s wing and earned his trust, it wasn’t an impossible task.
*
“……”
Well, studying harder than I ever did as a student in my original world had its side effects.
Just like Alice, who was glaring at me right now.
Both of us would turn fourteen this year.
In this world, students enrolled in the Academy at the age of fifteen. By the end of this year, we would be taking the entrance exams, and those who secured the top and second spots would receive special privileges upon admission. After that, we would spend four years studying at the Academy, with exams held each semester to determine our ranks. In Korean terms, it was like entering high school in the third year of middle school and staying until graduation.
In the original story, the top scorer upon admission was Princess Alice.
“…How did you do it?”
Alice asked in a somber tone, her voice filled with jealousy.
Alice had only gotten five questions wrong across all subjects during the entrance exam. The Imperial Runedarium Academy’s exam was famously difficult, and usually, scoring above 450 out of 500 points would earn you the reputation of a prodigy. With a score of 487, Alice was undeniably a prodigy among prodigies. She had achieved this feat through hard work, driven by her desire to outshine her ‘siblings.’
“……”
I glanced down at the practice test in my hands. The score read 495. Incidentally, these practice tests were generally considered to be somewhat harder than the actual exam.
…Had I overdone it?
“……”
Alice’s face turned red, perhaps interpreting my silence in some way.
“…Tell me. Did you really solve that on your own?”
Hmm…
Strictly speaking, I suppose that was true.
If resetting time was a part of my ‘ability,’ then yes, I had managed to secure enough time to study and memorize everything. While Alice studied, only getting four hours of sleep each day, I was getting a solid eight hours, completely relaxed. To others, including Alice standing before me now, I must have seemed more like a genius than just a mere prodigy.
…Had I gone too far?
“…I was just lucky.”
“Lucky?”
That was the best excuse I could come up with under pressure.
“Yes. There were some questions I didn’t know, but it seems my guesses turned out to be correct. I remember it was about five questions. If I had left those unanswered, Your Highness would have scored higher than me.”
I spoke in my usual calm tone, trying not to give away that I was making this up on the spot.
“As you know, Your Highness, I tend to be luckier than others.”
Whenever something happened, I would see the future, go back in time, and solve the problem. Although I often came across as competent, some of my successes appeared to be sheer luck. Naturally, some people saw me as someone with incredible luck.
Well, I agreed with them. After all, here I was, standing face to face with one of the protagonists I adored.
“…Hmm.”
Alice narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing me as if trying to determine whether I was telling the truth. But soon enough, her expression softened.
“Really??”
Alice, aware of this, tried to hide her softened expression.
“Really. Have you ever seen me lie, Your Highness?”
“…No.”
Over the past nine years, I had never betrayed anyone in the palace. If I was asked to do something, I did it quietly. If I was asked a question, I answered sincerely. I never lied. Of course, when I did lie, I made sure to create the appearance that it wasn’t a lie. In the end, people only saw the same results anyway.
For the record, the Emperor hadn’t asked me to carry out any assassinations since the last time. I wasn’t sure what he had in mind, but he probably had some hidden agenda. It made my act easier, though.
“Hmph, I see. So, is it because of your luck?”
Eventually, Alice couldn’t hold back her smile and seemed pleased.
…I felt a bit guilty lying to someone like her, but if it worked, then so be it.
“Yes, it is. Congratulations, Your Highness.”
“Hmph.”
Alice responded with a haughty snort.
“Well, they say luck is a skill too. If this were the real exam, you would have been the top scorer.”
Alice looked at me with eyes burning with determination.
“Just watch. Next time, I’ll make sure you can’t win with just luck.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
She really was adorable.
…In the entrance exam, I should probably make sure to get at least five more questions wrong.
*
Aside from constantly provoking Alice’s temper, there was one more side effect of my efforts.
“Sylvia.”
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Are you interested in international affairs?”
“……”
In a private audience with the Emperor, he suddenly asked me a completely random question. For a moment, I almost asked, “Excuse me?” but I held back.
“Hmm.”
Judging by my silence, the Emperor made a small, thoughtful sound before continuing.
“There will be a trilateral conference between the Papal State, the Kingdom, and our Empire in a month.”
“……”
I remained silent, not thinking much of it. The Emperor often summoned me to make these kinds of random comments, so I thought this was just another one of those moments.
“But I have a scheduling conflict and won’t be able to attend.”
So what? I tried to keep my face from betraying the question forming in my mind as I continued to listen.
“Therefore, I was wondering, would you attend on my behalf this time?”
“What? Me?”
“Hmm?”
Ah.
I failed to hold back my response.
…Let me try that again.
*
“…May I ask why Your Majesty wishes to send me instead of someone else?”
Given the way the Emperor had phrased his request, it seemed likely that his mind was already made up. If he hadn’t intended to assign this task to me, he wouldn’t have summoned me in the first place.
…But still, even thinking it over again, it seemed utterly insane.
Regardless of my actual age, I was officially fourteen years old. That meant sixteen by Korean standards, just about to enter the Academy next year—in other words, the equivalent of starting high school.
Even if it was a common trope in anime-style subcultures for teenagers to wield influence over world affairs, this was taking things too far, wasn’t it?
“That’s because I trust you. What other reason could there be?”
“……”
Hmm.
It seemed I had been working a bit too hard.
The people around me—my fellow Emperor’s Children, Princess Alice, and even the Emperor himself— even if they didn’t trust me as a person, their faith in my ‘abilities’ was becoming…unshakeably solid.
And this was a side effect of my ability that I’ve been worrying about lately.