The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 17
EP.17 Stubbornness (1)
Considering the mess I made in the diplomatic arena, the Emperor didn’t seem to care much. It seemed like he really didn’t mind if I stirred up trouble like that. Either that, or the Empire’s overwhelming power was so terrifying that the other nations feared retaliation if they misspoke.
In the main storyline, the Emperor had intended to wage war on the entire world—a truly insane move—and nearly succeeded until the protagonist and his companions managed to stop him. Given that, the Kingdom and the Holy State were handling things wisely, all things considered. No nation could hope to win a war against the Empire unless it was internally divided or the rest of the world united against it.
Even if war broke out, the first to strike the Empire would never escape unscathed.
…And I was one of the Empire’s key figures. At just fourteen years old.
Would I become a war criminal?
Well, I still had a few years left before that happened, so I figured I’d think about it slowly. If push came to shove, I could always wipe out the entire mess and just assassinate the Emperor. Not that I really wanted to see things escalate to that point.
I planned to do everything in my power to avoid such a scenario.
In any case, it wasn’t all that surprising that my reckless behavior hadn’t caused any major problems.
What was surprising, though, was something else entirely.
“Did you have a conversation with the princess?”
“Why? Am I not allowed to? You were the Empire’s representative at the trilateral conference.”
“No, it’s not that…”
Alice’s face was literally glowing with pride as she spoke to me.
And she had every right to feel that way. Alice was usually confined to the palace, spending her time studying and training. Of course, she’d feel proud to have accomplished something significant—especially something like forming a connection with the kingdom’s only princess.
I didn’t know much about the king himself, as he only had a few lines in the game. But his daughter, Charlotte, was a good person. She wasn’t the type to feign kindness in front of others. She was one of the heroines, after all. If she had been written as a deceitful character, she wouldn’t have been nearly as popular.
If Alice had talked to someone else, I might have been suspicious. But with Charlotte, there was no need to worry. Besides, we were going to meet her at the academy next year anyway. She’d be sent as an exchange student by the king.
There was probably a reason the Emperor hadn’t scolded Alice too harshly this time. Maybe it was because I had personally asked him not to be too hard on her.
“You had a productive time.”
At my words, Alice raised her chin proudly. Honestly, it made her look cuter than dignified.
*
After that, nothing major happened. The Emperor didn’t summon me for another round of questioning, nor did he issue any orders for assassinations.
I figured it was because I’d be attending the academy next year. It wouldn’t look good if rumors about me spread at a school where I’d be a student. Besides, if the Emperor was sending me to the academy, it wasn’t to study diligently. It was more likely to keep an eye on the future leaders of the noble class, as well as any talented commoners.
Claire from the original story was the same. Claire hadn’t been enrolled in the academy from the start but had transferred later on due to the emperor’s wishes. She didn’t even particularly want to attend the academy.
So, naturally, I thought that with all my hard work—studying diligently and attending every mock exam—I would be able to enter the academy without any issues.
But—
“There’s a place you need to go.”
‘Huh?’
I had to put in quite a bit of effort to hold back the words that almost slipped out.
No matter what, if such a thing was planned, it should have been communicated in advance.
“It seems the time has come to deal with the northern warlords. The Autonomous State of Rickland has finally requested aid from our empire. I’ll provide you with the information on the warlord leaders; go and take care of them.”
Ah, so it was a military matter.
This world’s military was just like any other—giving orders at the last minute, telling people where to go.
“…Understood.”
Of course, there was no valid reason for me to refuse. At best, I could say something like, ‘I’d rather go to school than to the battlefield,’ but the emperor hadn’t raised me here to send me off to school anyway.
However, just because I was going to the battlefield didn’t mean I wouldn’t be able to attend school.
I could take the entrance exam in the nearest city to the front lines, and there was still plenty of time before April next year.
…If this game were modeled after a European country, the academic year would probably start in August or September. But Chronicles of Aetherna was a Japanese game. Although it has been exported overseas, it was primarily designed to cater to Japanese players, where it sold the most. Naturally, the game’s content was tailored to their preferences.
Japanese gamers who bought the game hoping for a school story wouldn’t necessarily want a European academic calendar.
That was why the Imperial Runedarium Academy also started in early April and followed a three-semester system, just like in Japan. It was convenient for including those typical summer and winter vacation episodes that you’d find in Japanese anime.
Interestingly enough, even though the setting was European, there was a Valentine’s Day event too. Depending on which character you spent the year with, the heroine who gave you chocolate changes.
“Are you disappointed?”
“……”
The emperor asked me that, so I looked up at him. He was gazing down at me with his usual expression—a slight smile on his face but without revealing any particular emotion.
“No, Your Majesty. I will follow your orders.”
I knew exactly what the emperor was asking. He was well aware that I had been preparing for the entrance exams alongside Alice.
Perhaps this command was meant to emphasize the difference between me and the real imperial princess, Alice.
This would be my first assassination mission since the count’s assassination. And it wasn’t a small task either, with all the warlords rising up in the north. I’d heard that some of them were bold enough to cross the empire’s borders.
It seemed the emperor intended to take this opportunity to wipe them out.
“Hmm.”
The Emperor made a sound that was hard to interpret, and then…
“Understood. You may go now. our departure will be in a week. Someone from the military will come shortly to brief you on the details.”
If that was indeed the emperor’s intention, it seemed unlikely that I would be able to enroll in the academy next April.
What a shame.
*
“Are you really going to the battlefield?”
As I was packing my things, the door swung open, and Alice asked me with an urgent tone.
I paused from attaching the canteen pouch to my bag and turned around.
Alice stood in the doorway, drenched in sweat.
“Yes, it seems so.”
“Seems so?”
At my response, Alice strode into the room.
“You’re just going to leave it at that? Didn’t you want to go to the academy? You studied so hard!”
Hmm…
It was true that I wanted to go to the academy. And I did study hard. Much harder than Alice realized. It was, after all, a place filled with the characters I loved. I was curious to see whether Claire—who likely grew up much happier here without me around—had entered the academy as she did in the original. I also wondered how Charlotte, who had become close with Alice unlike in the original, would react.
Maybe I’d even get swept into the original story and join the protagonist. If any dangerous situations arose, I could handle them before they spiraled out of control.
…Actually, that last part was something I’d seriously planned to do.
But just because I couldn’t go now didn’t mean I would never be able to go. Even if I wasn’t a student, there were several ways I could still intervene in the protagonist’s story.
“Say something!”
Lost in thought, I hadn’t said anything, and Alice seemed to think I was at a loss for words.
“I have received an order from His Majesty the Emperor to deal with the warlord forces beyond the northern border and stabilize the political situation in the Autonomous State of Rickland.”
At the mention of “His Majesty the Emperor’s order,” Alice seemed momentarily at a loss for words, but she quickly lifted her chin and spoke.
“So?”
So?
I blinked a couple of times at her, unsure of what she meant by that.
In this country, the Emperor’s orders were absolute. The Imperial Parliament didn’t dare oppose the Emperor. The Parliament was strictly decided by popular vote, and the people wanted the Parliament to follow the Emperor. The Emperor’s authoritative policies instilled a sense of pride in the citizens as “citizens of this country.” And in reality, the Emperor had significantly improved the people’s situation.
Most of that was due to the cheap raw materials he extracted from the colonies, though.
And those ‘citizens’ who elected the imperial parliament? That privilege only extended to ‘pure-blooded adult imperial males.’
You could overlook the fact that minors were excluded, but… actually, that’s absurd, too. In this country, anyone over the age of twelve was practically considered an adult and was immediately thrown into factories.
Even if it wasn’t official Empire policy, this nation was a chaotic blend of extreme capitalism, imperialism, and an absolute monarchy—forces that seemed incompatible but somehow coexisted. The emperor’s ultimate goal was to consolidate all of it into one unified empire. It sounded impressive in theory, but the method—war, the most brutal form of diplomacy—was far from ideal.
The emperor spoke of a “war to end all wars,” a phrase that had been heard before and dismissed as nonsense. Yet, he was fully intent on carrying it out.
Anyway, children as young as twelve were made to work fourteen-hour days in hard labor, and no one cared if they drank, smoked, or got addicted to opium. Yet, they weren’t given the right to vote until they turned twenty-one. If they managed to survive until then, it was a miracle, and even if they did, they wouldn’t have received a proper education to take an interest in politics.
As a result, there were always plenty of volunteers for the military. Those with disabilities or those starving couldn’t fight effectively, so they were well-fed, well-rested, and exercised. The pay was also much better than working in a factory. Although they occasionally had to risk their lives, the technological superiority meant fewer casualties compared to the enemy, and compensation was promptly given.
…It almost felt like the empire intentionally kept things this way.
On top of that, women didn’t have the right to vote, nor did people from the colonies or those of mixed blood. Only those with a pure imperial lineage—and even then, only if they were considered to meet the minimum “quota”—were granted voting rights. If someone looked too much like they were from the colonies, they could still be rejected.
Workers complained that colonial people were taking their jobs, and there were rumors that foreigners were forming secret societies to undermine the state from the shadows…
Didn’t it all sound a little too familiar?
And yet, despite all of this, history still included tales of empresses. What an ironic contradiction.
“Aren’t you a princess? You’ve got the Emperor’s power behind you. Shouldn’t you be more assertive? So why are you just following his orders without question?”
“Even if I’m a princess, I’m not the same kind of princess as you. I’m someone His Majesty took in because he thought I could be useful. But you are the true heir to this Empire.”
“…So, you’re saying you’re some kind of tool?”
Of course.
The emperor likely saw me as nothing more than a tool.
It was probably true that he loved me as a daughter. Just as he did with Ruth, Jayden, and my other siblings. In fact, the emperor was always deeply heartbroken whenever one of his children died in the story.
But at the same time, even his children were tools to him.
Perhaps it could be explained as the difference between a cherished tool and a disposable one.
Naturally, Alice was the most important tool among them.
…But there was no need to tell Alice that. She was too young to understand.
I turned back to my backpack and spoke.
“You don’t need to worry. I’ll complete my mission and return. I won’t die.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about…!”
Alice shouted in frustration at my back but then stopped. The door was still open. If she yelled, all the maids would hear.
Although Alice often threw tantrums in the hallway, she had learned that such behavior negatively affected her image as she grew older. Of course, she still occasionally threw tantrums, causing trouble for everyone.
“…”
For a moment, she was silent, likely trying to get her emotions under control. I couldn’t see her face, but I could hear her heavy breathing, so she was probably struggling with it.
Finally, Alice spoke—though it was clear she hadn’t calmed down at all.
“…I’m going to see Father.”
“Princess—”
Before I could stop her, Alice had already bolted out of the room.
“…Hah.”
With a sigh, I set my half-packed bag down and hurried after her.