Even though I made such a mess at the diplomatic meeting, the Emperor didn’t say much about it, which means he probably thought it wouldn’t be a problem even if I did screw up.

Or maybe the Empire was so powerful that the other countries were too afraid to say anything, fearing the consequences of speaking out of turn.

In the main story, the Emperor actually tried to start a global war, and it was only thanks to the protagonist and their party that it was stopped just before it began. Given that, both the Kingdom and the Republic seemed to be handling things relatively wisely for now. At present, no country could win a war against the Empire unless the Empire itself fractured or every other nation united against it.

Even if a war were to break out, the first to attack the Empire would surely not escape unscathed.

...And I am one of the Empire's central figures. And I’m only fourteen.

Am I going to become a war criminal?

Well, I still have a few years before that happens, so I’ll think about it slowly. If it comes down to it, I’ll just wipe out the whole mess and assassinate the Emperor.

Of course, I plan to prevent things from getting to that point.

In any case, it wasn’t surprising that my misbehavior didn’t cause any significant problems.

What did surprise me was something else.

“Are you saying you spoke with the princess?”

“Why? Shouldn’t I? You were there at the meeting between the three nations as the Empire’s representative.”

“No, that’s not it…”

Alice’s face was practically glowing with pride as she spoke to me.

It was understandable. She usually spent all her time in the Imperial Palace studying and training. To her, just accomplishing something was worth feeling proud of. And it wasn’t just some trivial task—it was befriending the only princess of the Kingdom.

I didn’t know much about the King himself. He only appeared a few times in the game, saying a few lines here and there.

But his daughter, Charlotte, was a good person. She wasn’t the type to put on a false face in front of others. She was one of the heroines you could pursue in the game, so if she had been some two-faced character, she wouldn’t have been so popular.

If Alice had talked to someone else, I might have been suspicious. But if it was Charlotte, there was no need to worry. We were going to meet her again at the academy next year anyway. She was being sent as a foreign student by her father.

There was likely a reason the Emperor didn’t harshly reprimand Alice this time.

Part of it may have been because I personally asked him not to.

“It seems you had a productive time.”

When I said that, Alice lifted her chin with pride.

Honestly, it was more cute than dignified.

After that, nothing particularly eventful happened. The Emperor didn’t call me in to ask any more questions, nor did he give me any more assassination orders.

I figured it was because I would be attending the academy next year. If bad rumors about me spread at the school, it would be troublesome. Besides, if the Emperor was sending me to the academy, it wasn’t so I could focus on my studies, but rather to observe the nobles who would later take important positions, as well as the talented commoners.

That’s what happened with the original Claire. She hadn’t originally intended to attend the academy but transferred in later on by the Emperor’s decree. She didn’t even want to go to the academy in the first place.

Since I’ve been diligently studying and taking mock exams with the goal of attending the academy from the start, I assumed I’d be able to enroll right away.

But—

“There’s a place I need you to go.”

I barely managed to keep myself from blurting out, “What?”

If something like this was planned, they should have told me in advance.

“The time has come to deal with the warlords in the northern part of the Empire. The Riecland Autonomous State has finally requested our help. I’ll give you the details about the warlords you need to take care of. Handle it.”

Ah, a military matter.

The way they summon people to tasks at the last minute is classic military behavior.

“…Understood.”

Of course, there was no real reason for me to refuse. The most I could say was, “I’d rather go to school than the battlefield,” but the Emperor hadn’t raised me just to send me off to school.

That said, just because I was heading to the battlefield didn’t mean I couldn’t go to school.

I could still take the entrance exam in the nearest city to the front lines, and there was plenty of time before April next year.

…If the game’s world followed the European-style academic calendar, the school year would start in August or September. However, Azernia Chronicles was a Japanese game. Despite being exported abroad, it was primarily designed to appeal to Japanese players. Naturally, the game mechanics were tailored to Japanese tastes.

Japanese gamers buying a school-themed game wouldn’t necessarily expect a European-style academic calendar.

Therefore, the Imperial Rondarium Academy also followed the Japanese system, with an April start and a three-semester academic year. This way, they could include summer vacation and winter vacation episodes typical of Japanese anime.

By the way, despite the European setting, the game also had a Valentine’s Day event. Depending on which character you spent the year with, the heroine who gave you chocolate would change.

“Are you disappointed?”

The Emperor asked, causing me to lift my head and look at him. He gazed down at me with the same usual expression, a slight smile but no discernible emotion.

“No, I will follow your orders.”

I knew what the Emperor was asking. He knew I had been studying for the academy entrance exams with Alice.

Perhaps this command was a way to remind me that I was in a different position from Alice, the true princess.

This was my first assassination mission since the one involving the count. And it was in the north, where various warlords were uprising. Some of these warlords, I had heard, were even bold enough to cross the Empire’s designated borders.

It seemed the Emperor intended to crush them once and for all.

“Hmm.”

The Emperor made an unintelligible sound and then said,

“Very well. You are to depart in a week. The military will send someone soon to provide the details.”

…If that was indeed the Emperor’s intention, then it looked like I wouldn’t be able to attend the academy in April after all.

What a shame.

“Are you really going to the battlefield?”

As I was packing my things, the door burst open, and Alice asked me the question.

I paused as I was attaching a canteen pouch to my bag and turned around.

Alice stood in the doorway, drenched in sweat.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“That’s correct?”

Alice stepped into the room and spoke.

“‘That’s correct,’ and you’re just going to leave it at that? Weren’t you the one who wanted to go to the academy? You worked so hard for it!”

Well…

I did want to go to the academy. And it was true that I had studied hard for it—far more diligently than Alice realized. The academy was filled with the characters I had liked. I was curious whether Claire, who had grown up far happier than in the original story, had enrolled in the academy. And I was also curious to see Charlotte’s reaction, now that she and Alice were on good terms.

Maybe I would even get involved in the original storyline and become part of the protagonist's group. If something dangerous came up, I could handle it before it escalated.

…In fact, I had fully intended to do that.

But just because I couldn’t go now didn’t mean I’d never go. Even if I wasn’t a student, there were still ways for me to get involved in the protagonist’s situation.

“Say something!”

Alice, seeing me deep in thought, must have assumed I was at a loss for words.

“I have been tasked with subjugating the warlords beyond the northern borders and stabilizing the political situation in the Riecland Autonomous State by His Majesty’s order.”

At the mention of the Emperor’s command, Alice seemed momentarily at a loss for words, but she quickly raised her chin.

“So what?”

So what?

I blinked at her a few times.

What did she mean, “so what”?

The Emperor’s orders were absolute in this country. The Imperial Council didn’t dare stand up to the Emperor because the people wanted the Council to follow the Emperor’s lead. The Emperor’s policies boosted the people’s pride in being citizens of the Empire. And thanks to the Emperor, the citizens' situation had improved significantly.

Although most of it was due to cheap raw materials extracted from the colonies.

And the people who could vote in the Imperial Council elections—only "pure Imperial adult males"—were happy to support the Emperor’s reign.

Minors were another story… Though, in this country, anyone over twelve was practically treated as an adult and sent to work in factories.

Even though it wasn’t an official policy, the extreme blend of capitalism, imperialism, and authoritarian rule had somehow fused into a system where twelve-year-olds were forced into hard labor, drinking, smoking, or worse—becoming addicted to opium. Yet, they weren’t given the right to vote until they were 21. By then, if they survived, they were usually too poorly educated to care about politics.

And so, the military never had a shortage of volunteers. Those who were hungry or disabled weren’t likely to fight well in a war, so the military ensured that recruits were well-fed, rested, and trained. And the pay was better than what they’d earn working in a factory. Sure, they’d occasionally risk their lives, but with advanced technology, the casualties were far lower compared to the enemy, and compensation was prompt.

…The system seemed deliberately set up to maintain the status quo.

Women didn’t have voting rights, nor did anyone from the colonies. Even mixed-race individuals were excluded. You had to be at least a quarter "pure Imperial" to be recognized as a full citizen, and even then, if you looked too "colonial," you could still be rejected.

Workers feared that colonials were stealing their jobs, and there were rumors of foreign secret societies plotting to undermine the Empire from behind the scenes…

Does any of this sound familiar?

And yet, the Empire had had an empress in its history, which was an ironic contradiction.

“You’re a princess, aren’t you? You have the Emperor’s power behind you, so you should be able to stand taller. Why are you just accepting those orders without question?”

“Even as a princess, I am not the same kind of princess. I am someone His Majesty deemed useful and took in, while you, Princess Alice, are the rightful heir to this Empire.”

“…So you’re saying you’re some sort of tool?”

Of course.

The Emperor most likely thought of me as a tool.

He might love me as his daughter, but that didn’t change the fact that I was ultimately a tool to him. The same went for Lucas, Jayden, and my other siblings. In the story, the Emperor had grieved deeply whenever one of his children died.

But at the same time, even his children were just tools in his eyes.

Maybe it’s easier to understand if I explain it like this: there’s a difference between a tool you cherish and one you’re willing to discard.

Naturally, Alice was the most important tool among us.

…But there was no need to explain all of that to Alice. She was too young to understand.

Turning back to my packing, I said,

“There’s no need to worry. I’ll complete my mission and return safely. I won’t die.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about…!”

Alice started to shout in frustration but quickly cut herself off. The door was still open. If she raised her voice here, the maids would hear everything.

While Alice had thrown fits in the hallway before, she had learned that such behavior could harm her image as she got older. Of course, she still threw tantrums from time to time, making things difficult for those around her.

“…”

For a while, Alice fumed, struggling to contain her emotions. I couldn’t see her face, but her ragged breathing told me she was trying to calm herself down.

Eventually, Alice said—

“I’ll go to Father.”

—No, it seemed she hadn’t calmed down at all.

“Princess—”

By the time I turned to stop her, Alice had already run out of the room.

“…Sigh.”

I let out a soft sigh, put down the bag I was packing, and quickly chased after her.