Since it was decided that the back groups would start training first this time, we waited for the training of the students who had gone in first to end.

“…I saw you at the banquet, Felix.”

“Ah, Conan. You came too?”

“…I ended up participating somehow, and you looked cool.”

“Really? Thanks.”

I smiled awkwardly at Conan’s words.

I didn’t think I looked that cool… However, it would have been more disappointing if I had looked strange after all the effort I had put into dressing up.

“I dressed up nicely too, but I couldn’t compare to you, Felix.”

As he spoke with an embarrassed laugh, I was about to offer some mild consolation when I realized something and asked.

“By any chance, Conan.”

“…Yes?”

“Did you wear a bow tie?”

“Huh? How did you know?”

“…You didn’t happen to wear round glasses too, did you?”

Conan tilted his head slightly at my question. I pushed away the image of a certain person coming to mind and calmly looked at Conan.

“Did you see me? How did you know?”

“Nothing like a needle is coming out of your watch, right?”

“How could something like that come out of a pocket watch…?”

Looking at me as if I was really strange, I gave a hollow laugh and shook my head at him.

“… It’s fortunate an incident didn’t occur.”

“Why? Did something happen?”

I broke out in a cold sweat as Conan’s appearance overlapped with the Conan I knew. Helena, who had joined us midway, tilted her head and asked.

“It’s nothing.”

Even if an incident had occurred, Helena didn’t know about the ‘Reaper,’ so there was no point in explaining as she wouldn’t understand.

I tried hard to erase the image of Conan’s outfit, which could have caused a major incident in my mind.

This guy is the Reaper. I had a hunch from his name, but I never dreamed he’d actually dress like that.

“It’s almost over.”

Conan, who had been tilting his head repeatedly, said this while looking at the hologram display of the training ground interior.

As I turned my gaze at his words, I could see the last remaining group of students surrounded by monsters and fighting desperately.

“Hmm… It’s a bit disappointing.”

“Yeah, we were like that too.”

Professor Selenda’s intention in allowing us to watch the training from outside was for us to learn from other parties’ mistakes. Still, it seems it wasn’t easy to apply those lessons immediately.

“Let’s do well this time.”

Helena and Conan nodded at my words. Sylvia, still in a daze, slightly moved her head down.

“We’ll do well this time. Actually, we weren’t bad last time either.”

Although we were wiped out, we still took down the most monsters. As I spoke positively about this fact, I heard a small laugh from behind.

Of course, it didn’t sound like mockery.

“You’re quite confident, Felix.”

“…Your Highness the Crown Princess?”

It was Ashillya.

Does this person have no friends?

…Ah, she’s in the middle of first-year training.

Looking at her, who was smiling softly, I blinked in confusion.

“We’re actually among the top in our year.”

Don’t underestimate us, okay?

As I spoke with some degree of casualness since we were within the academy, Conan and Helena turned pale for some reason.

Ironically, Ashillya didn’t seem to care at all.

“That’s still just within the first year, right?”

I tilted my head at her subtly provocative words. Her slightly teasing tone and playful smile.

It seemed she was deliberately trying to provoke me. But for what purpose?

“Since we’re first years, isn’t it natural to be evaluated within the first year?”

“Your dreams are smaller than I thought.”

“…I don’t understand how big of a dream I should have from an ordinary person’s perspective…”

“For instance, being the Crown Princess’ consort?”

Again, with these jokes.

The problem was that while I wouldn’t misunderstand if I were alone, too many ears were listening around us, knowingly or unknowingly.

Some were listening openly too.

“W-Wait a moment!!”

Helena, with a pale face, intervened between me and Ashillya. She hadn’t even grasped how to treat Ashillya until now, so where did this courage come from?

As Helena blocked my front, Ashillya looked at her blankly.

“What’s the matter?”

“C-Consort, you say…?”

The situation could have been somewhat calmed if she had just said it was a joke. But she gave Helena and me a small smile.

It was a very playful, mischievous… so-called devilish smile.

“Well, who knows what might happen in life?”

“…Oh, please.”

At Ashillya’s nonchalant words, Helena’s face turned not just pale but blue. Watching this, I held my forehead, and Helena muttered.

“That’s… impossible…”

“Nothing is impossible in this world. Just like no one expected me to take the position of Crown Princess.”

“Uh… well…”

Ashillya attacked with facts!

It was super effective! Helena broke down!

Sighing as I watched the two, I intervened to sort out the situation before Helena broke down further.

“No matter how good Helena’s reaction is, if you tease her too much, rumors might spread, Your Highness.”

“…Pfft, I suppose so.”

Ashillya, smiling mischievously at Helena, burst into a small laugh at my words and nodded.

“It’s a joke. For now, at least.”

“…R-Right? There’s no way, right?”

Although Ashillya’s last words were a bit strange, Helena let out a faint sigh of relief as if that was enough.

I didn’t want to say anything more, so I scratched my head.

Ashillya stared at the relieved Helena with her red eyes, then turned her gaze back to me.

“Would you like to make a bet with me?”

“…A bet?”

I blinked slowly and asked back at Ashillya’s sudden words, to which she smiled brightly.

“A bet between your group and mine on the scores of this virtual training.”

“May I ask what we’re betting?”

Though a bit taken aback by Ashillya’s sudden proposal, I calmly asked her back. She nodded slightly at my implicit request to hear the conditions.

“How about a wish as the wager?”

“…A wish, you say?”

A wish.

As soon as I heard those words, the first thought that came to mind was whether this was a bet where Ashillya could gain something from me.

No matter how I thought about it, it didn’t seem like a structure where she could benefit. But that very fact made me suspicious.

The Ashillya I knew would never engage in a fight where she would lose out.

As I rolled my eyes, trying to grasp her true intentions, she smiled brightly at my transparent behavior.

“Don’t worry. I’m not planning to make any difficult demands.”

“…”

For a very brief moment, I remained silent.

No matter how much I thought about it, it didn’t seem like I would lose out. Therefore, I cautiously opened my mouth.

“Your Highness, aren’t you a tactician?”

“Do you think I won’t be of help in combat because I’m a tactician?”

“…To be honest, yes.”

I was well aware of how important a role tacticians play in battle.

With a good commander, even 12 ships can defeat 133 enemy ships. However, such variables of a tactician shine more on a vast battlefield.*

It was natural for their power to weaken in a simulated battle where they couldn’t control all the variables, such as terrain, soldiers’ abilities, and even weather.

Ashillya smiled as if finding my honest answer cute and provocatively extended her finger. Her long, white finger tapped my lips gently.

“If you think so, then you should accept the bet, right?”

“…”

She had a point.

As I bit my lower lip and thought for a moment, Ashillya passed by Helena’s side and took a big step towards me.

A faint cherry scent invaded my nostrils.

Ashillya brought her lips close to my ear and whispered quietly.

“If you win, I’ll grant you anything. Except for asking for the Emperor’s throne.”

“…What?”

“If you wish, you could even have my body.”

Ashillya, who had whispered quietly so only I could hear, stepped back from me again with a provocative eye smile.

Dizzied by her provocation, I finally had to open my mouth.

“Alright. Let’s do it.”

If she was that confident, there was no reason not to accept.

Of course, it wasn’t because I actually desired Ashillya’s body.

There was no reason to refuse the legal right to request one thing from the future Empress.

“Good, then I’ll see you later.”

Ashillya smiled as if she knew I would accept the bet and waved her hand as she left.

Sighing as I watched her retreating figure, I looked around while trying to wake up Helena, who was still broken.

Why is Conan so quiet?

“…Uh, um.”

Hmm.

It seems he had already broken down earlier.

Translator’s Corner

*Talking about Yi Sun-sin’s feat against the Japanese navy.

-Ruminas