The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 13
EP.13 The Trusted One (2)
But seriously, why send me when the Empire already had a chancellor? Sure, I’ve read a few books, but I’ve only taken a handful of practice tests at most. What good could come from sending me?
No, wait. Why didn’t the chancellor, after hearing such a ridiculous suggestion, speak up? He was the chancellor, right? Wasn’t it his job to say something like, “Have you lost your mind?” when the Emperor said something crazy? Wasn’t that what he was paid the most for as a civil servant?
No, hang on a second. What did it mean to send someone to a trilateral conference who’s not even related by blood, someone rumored to be part of the Emperor’s personal assassination squad? Was it like saying, “If you don’t listen, you’ll end up like them?” But seriously, how did the Emperor plan to assassinate someone in the Papal State or the Kingdom? Was he planning to make me do it?
No!
I kept shouting “No” in my head, but I couldn’t come up with a proper conclusion.
“……”
I stared at myself in the mirror.
The meeting would take place in Lutetia, the capital of the Kingdom of Velbur. It was a little over 400 kilometers from the Imperial Capital, Runedarium. Given that the Empire’s capital was slightly eastward compared to its overall size, the distance wasn’t surprising. In terms of actual land area, the Empire was about four times larger than the Kingdom. The population difference was even more significant, and the Empire’s military power far exceeded that.
While the Empire had several colonies, the Kingdom had none to speak of. Despite their efforts, the results had been underwhelming.
The Papal State was adjacent to the Kingdom, and it was even smaller. Technically, it was no bigger than a single large city. Although the Pope’s words carried significant influence, the Empire didn’t pay much attention to it.
Even if the Kingdom and the Papal State, along with other nations, combined their efforts, the Empire’s overwhelming technological and military superiority meant they could still stand strong.
So, the Emperor’s arrogance wasn’t entirely baseless.
…Looking at it from this perspective, sending me to such an important summit might actually be a strategic move to show contempt for the others.
In the mirror, I still looked like a child. Describing me as “youthful” didn’t cover it—I was just a kid. No matter how you looked at it, I appeared to be at best a middle schooler, maybe a high school freshman if you were generous. I’d probably still grow another inch or two in the next year or so.
Sending such a child as a representative to the conference clearly conveyed the Emperor’s message: “We don’t intend to have a serious conversation with you.” If that’s what he intended, then maybe it made some sense after all.
The problem was, I’d be the one bearing the brunt of the cold stares from the representatives of these other nations.
I glanced at the clock hanging above the bathroom window. It was 1 p.m. About two hours left until arrival.
The steam locomotive I was on traveled at a speed of 100 km/h. While its maximum speed was 130 km/h, this was considered a more stable pace.
Incidentally, despite being an era that primarily used steam engines, the Empire had already begun testing high-speed rail technology, as expected in a world filled with various over-the-top technologies. The steam trains in question comfortably maintained a speed of 200 km/h, and in the game, they became available for use midway through the main storyline.
No matter how fast the high-speed train traveled at 200 km/h, it still took hours to cross the Empire, and it was impossible to maintain that maximum speed constantly. However, in the game, the protagonist’s party could travel from one end of the Empire to the other multiple times a day thanks to some game-related liberties. Of course, such a thing would be impossible in “reality.”
According to the setting, all the events that occurred in those regions were each listed as happening within a single day in the official guidebook. So, if the protagonist wanted to complete all the optional side quests in each area, they would have to be incredibly diligent, scouring every corner of the region. Obviously, that wouldn’t be possible in reality.
“…Hoo…”
There was no need to worry about the main storyline before it had even started. In fact, the protagonist and their party would likely manage just fine without my interference. As long as I subtly guided the heroines at risk of death towards their survival routes, there wouldn’t be any major problems.
So, for now, I should focus on my own concerns instead.
“……”
I stared at my reflection in the mirror, gradually erasing the worry lines from my face. I relaxed my furrowed brow and eased the tension in the corners of my mouth. I massaged my face a few times to release the tension before looking back into the mirror.
“Alright.”
I resolved to keep my mind at ease.
If the Emperor really intended to send me as an insult to the opposition, I just needed to follow his lead. I could simply keep my mouth shut, say nothing, and return without incident.
“Alright.”
With my mind made up, I stepped out of the bathroom.
“Hey, little sister!”
And as soon as I did, I heard a voice that made my blood pressure spike.
Given that I was the Emperor’s representative, this train was running solely for me. All unnecessary baggage had been removed, and the train was moving with the ability to escape at top speed in case of an emergency.
To protect me, the Empire’s two best swordsmen had been assigned to accompany me—
“Come over here and sit down. We’ve got time, so let’s play a round of poker.”
—And those two were Jayden and Lucas.
Lucas, who was cheerfully calling out to me, seemed to have the attitude of someone going on a picnic rather than remembering the serious mission we were on.
Well, it made sense. There was nothing to worry about. We were on the Imperial family’s private train, with both Jayden and Lucas aboard. Even I, the one being protected, was no pushover. Plus, the Imperial Guard was stationed in other compartments of the train.
Before departure, the personnel and luggage had been meticulously checked multiple times, and all stations along the tracks had been arranged to give priority passage to this train. So, it was understandable that they were at ease.
“What are you trying to teach the kid?”
Jayden scolded Lucas. Yet, despite his words, he himself was holding a hand of cards.
“Come on, don’t be like that. We’ve got time to kill, so why not join us? There’s nothing else to do anyway.”
I glanced at the table where the two of them were sitting. Lucas had an overwhelming pile of chips in front of him, while Jayden was giving me a slightly anxious look. It seemed he was worried that if I sat down, he might lose all his remaining chips.
…Could they have actually bet real money? Well, considering they even brought chips with them, it wouldn’t be surprising. Maybe there was even a casino car on this train.
“I’m not interested.”
At my words, Jaden looked relieved.
“Why not?”
Lucas asked, genuinely curious. After nearly ten years, he still asked such things after knowing me? How many times have I actually joined in their games when they were fooling around?
…Though, there were a few times I got swept up into playing with them, but that wasn’t really my choice.
“……”
Instead of answering, I looked off to a corner of the train.
From my angle, all I could see was the back of a seat. But Lucas, seeing my gaze, shrugged as if he knew exactly who was sitting there.
“You’re too soft. Why do you keep protecting someone who doesn’t even appreciate it?”
“……”
Without bothering to reply, I walked past him. Lucas didn’t seem to expect an answer anyway, as he just shrugged again.
“Don’t be too harsh. She’s the only one of her siblings who’s the same age as her.”
“Yeah, but even if she’s the same age… Forget it, I’ll just stop talking.”
I could hear Jayden and Lucas continuing their conversation, but I paid them no mind and walked over to the seat.
Alice was sitting there with a slightly pouty expression, on the side of the four-seater that would be perfect for a family to sit facing each other.
“Why don’t you go play with your brothers?”
Her tone was almost like she was whining, but I didn’t bother responding and simply took my seat.
…Of course, part of the reason I didn’t play poker with those two wasn’t just because I didn’t feel like hanging out with them. It was also because the game they were playing was poker.
Even with my ability to reset time, I was extremely weak against random factors like rolling dice or drawing cards. The smaller the variables, the more minor actions could completely change the outcome—whether it was the way the cards were shuffled, a comment made during the shuffle, or just taking a card a little later than usual. Every action I took could become a variable that would lead to endless chaos.
Sure, maybe I could avoid losing if I didn’t aim for a sweeping victory. I could reset the time in fine detail, taking back each card draw to check the opponent’s hand and decide whether to fold or bet. I might be able to win that way.
But the opponent was Lucas.
If he started cheating with his superhuman skills, I’d have no way to counter him. To prove he was cheating, I’d need sleight-of-hand skills on par with Lucas himself, but I didn’t have that kind of ability.
And that’s the biggest danger.
The reason I’ve earned the Emperor’s trust up to now is because of the image that I “never make mistakes and always succeed no matter what I do.”
If that image were to crumble over something as trivial as a game of poker, what would I do then? Unless I somehow learned to cheat at cards and became a dealer, which wasn’t going to happen. It’s far more advantageous to simply avoid such card games altogether, considering the effort involved.
“I’m more comfortable sitting here.”
I replied, settling into my seat.
I said that and then reopened the newspaper I had folded before leaving my seat. What I needed was information.
In a world without smartphones or the internet, vital information sometimes arrived at the Imperial Palace via telegrams, but they rarely contained detailed content. So, I had to gather information myself to reduce the variables in future events. If I didn’t, I might have to reset time by several years and resetting large stretches of time like that was incredibly challenging. It was one thing to predict poker cards, but if I reset time on such a large scale, there was a significant chance that my intentions wouldn’t be accurately realized. After all, years were enough time for people’s thoughts and values to change.
“……”
“……”
For a while, the only sound that could be heard was the rustling of the newspaper as I turned the pages.
“Hey, you know…”
“Yes.”
Alice spoke to me, and I responded while keeping my eyes on the newspaper.
“Am I a bother to you?”
“……”
I lowered the newspaper slightly and looked at Alice. She was glancing nervously between the window and my face, not sure where to direct her gaze.
Technically, it was I who was headed to the conference. Even though Alice was a princess, she couldn’t enter the conference without the Emperor’s direct order. However, as soon as she found out that I was going to the conference, Alice, who had always been somewhat jealous of me, insisted on getting on the train with me.
It seemed that the Emperor had anticipated this, which was why he hadn’t informed Alice about the situation until the last moment. But this only made her more determined to get on the train, rebelling even harder. If the Emperor had been there to scold her himself, Alice would have likely backed down. Unfortunately, the Emperor was on the opposite side of the empire at the time.
Alice’s tantrum came just before the train was about to depart, which could have caused us to miss the conference altogether. In the end, the situation was resolved by allowing the princess to board the same train under my supervision.
So, I understood why Alice was feeling the way she was.
“I’ve never thought of you that way, not even once.”
“…Really?”
“Yes, really.”
I meant it.
Honestly, it was favoritism, plain and simple.
In the original story, Alice was the princess who, as part of the main character’s group, traveled across the empire, bolstering the forces against the Emperor’s opposition.
Though she seemed a bit immature now, her boldness in the main storyline was starting to show.
And I had a deep affection for the protagonist and all his companions.
So, what could I do? If I was being honest, I was the real intruder here.
“Your Highness is destined to stand at the pinnacle of this empire someday. It wouldn’t hurt to become familiar with the atmosphere of such conferences.”
“… Really?”
Alice’s face brightened immediately when she heard what could be considered praise from me. In the original story, this was the correct way to interact with her, at least in the early stages.
She had a high sense of pride but low self-esteem. Being outshined in talent by her step-siblings, who shared no blood with the Emperor, and in the original story, her self-esteem was further diminished by the presence of Claire. Honestly, Alice’s current demeanor showed much more growth compared to the original.
“However, even if you wanted to enter the conference room in my place or join me, I’m afraid I can’t accommodate that request. It’s by His Majesty the Emperor’s orders.”
“Oh, I know.”
Alice would be fine. She hadn’t thrown a tantrum with the genuine expectation that she would be allowed on this train. It was just a series of coincidences that led her here.
Besides… even without entering the conference room, Alice would have plenty of people to meet. As the legitimate heir of the Emperor, it would be impossible for her to not face anyone in that position, so she would likely have a productive time. With either Jayden or Lucas accompanying her, her safety would also be assured.
Hmm… if I had to guess who she might meet, it would likely be a princess from one of the neighboring kingdoms. The original story mentioned that a princess once faced the Emperor, so perhaps this was that moment.
…That reminds me, what kind of merits did the original protagonist accumulate in the past life to end up entangled with not just their own country’s princess, but also a foreign one, despite being a mere baron?
Well, it made sense, though. The romance subplot, separate from the main storyline, did unfold in a way similar to a school harem drama.
I had to admit, I was a bit envious.