Chapter 122

One Must Not Let the Princess Roam Free
Draconia's Point of View
Alicetia hasn't returned for two months. I’m worried. She might have caused some kind of trouble.

The number of magic beasts in the castle has also decreased at some point. She must have summoned them to her side via Coote.

The magic beasts Alicetia keeps are all dangerous species. Letting them roam freely is incredibly risky, but Coote keeps them in line through sheer fear, so they don’t cause trouble. The worst they’ve done is scratch down a few trees in the castle grounds. Lately, some idle magic beasts have even been assisting the royal guard or acting as sparring partners for knights, which has proven to be helpful. While feeding them costs money, it’s not an insurmountable expense, and Alicetia pays for it herself.

Additionally, it has become easier to capture spies. Reports indicate that around ten are apprehended each week. The magic beasts, with their exceptional senses, freely roam the castle, making it virtually impregnable.

From Alicetia’s reports, it seems she has also caught some spies over there. However, considering the risk of information leakage, it seems they have no choice but to eliminate them. With so many artisans present, it wouldn’t do to make a scene, so they’re dealt with discreetly.

Even under torture, over half of the spies captured revealed nothing and died. However, one of the spies Alicetia captured met an unusual end. He suddenly transformed into an ogre. Was it a monster disguised as a human? No, that’s unlikely. It’s still under investigation, but the group’s affiliations appear to be not with the Empire but with the Imperial State. They seem to be up to something shady, searching for something—not just Alicetia.

“Father.”

“I understand. Don’t tell Alicetia. She’s already working hard as it is. We’ll handle this on our end.”

My son, Gil, is capable. He subtly steers those with malicious intent away from Alicetia.

We’re currently heading to the new baronial domain for an inspection. While reports have been coming in, some parts became incomprehensible halfway through. When Alicetia gets engrossed in something, she doesn’t even answer calls. Alicia just stammers in confusion. It’s clear she’s caused some sort of major incident. Without someone to act as a stopper, things have gone unchecked.

Ever since Sylvia became pregnant, no one has dared to scold her. She’s been more uninhibited than ever. Since her projects generally benefit the country, it’s hard to reprimand her. Besides, if she were to cry, we wouldn’t know what to do. Alicia spoils Alicetia too much and would ultimately forgive her. If we send Madame, she would shrink back and act as meek as a housecat. It’s a tricky situation.

As I mused over these matters, Gil voiced something I, too, had been thinking.

“After experiencing Alicetia’s carriages, it’s hard to get comfortable in anything else.”

The carriage we’re using now is a regular one. We had to return the flying carriage to Alicetia for magic enhancements. Apparently, the flight magic it used was outdated and far too inefficient.

She’s planning to revamp it to run on just a single magic stone. Though I suspect it will be unrecognizable from the original design by the time she’s done.

“Alicetia’s creations are unparalleled for daily necessities. It’s terrifying to think of what the otherworld must be like. Let’s hope the dimensions never connect.”

If such advanced creations were commonplace, this world would be colonized the instant the dimensions linked. Some otherworlders even look down on this world because of that disparity. Fortunately, the ones in our country seem to be different. The three otherworlders working at the castle live ordinary lives, looking forward to eating sweets on their days off.

“Father, we’re nearing the Barel baronetcy. The road seems unusually smooth… Wait, what is this?”

“What in the world…”

Looking outside, I saw not a dirt road but a freshly paved black one. It appeared brand-new, with dividers marking travel directions. Signposts were frequent and easy to understand. The central divider allowed carriages to maintain safe distances, and the flat construction minimized vibrations.

Further ahead, I spotted a group of about twenty goblins being chased and scattered by dozens of rock golems. Overhead, an aircraft circled, seemingly conducting reconnaissance over the territory.

“We might be able to pick up a signal with the magic communication device.”

“It can do that?”

Alicetia’s magic communication device, a "magic smartphone," boasts numerous features and the potential for future updates to enable something called the internet. However, updates depend entirely on her whims, so there’s no telling when they’ll happen.

Gil explained further:

“Ours are special models exclusive to the royal family, with additional standard communication functions. Alicetia’s devices are derived from contract magic, so they aren’t compatible with existing systems. Ours, however, also support regular magic phone functions, including military secure lines, as stated in the manual… which I assume you didn’t read.”

So that’s why our manual was unusually thick—it’s because the specifications are different. With Gil’s guidance, I connected to the military’s secure line and immediately heard chatter.

“Recon unit here. Ten orcs spotted in Zone B-1.”

“Command acknowledged. Releasing 2–3 puppers.”

“We need more golems—start mass production.”

“Request denied. Use existing personnel.”

“Where’s the original?!”

“Three o’clock.”

“Catch her! Does she expect us to do all the work!”

“We can’t win. Just give up.”

The voices were identical—no doubt Alicetia’s. She’s likely using her identical clones to pull pranks while her real self is on a break.

“To think she’s achieved all this… If she were born a commoner, the nobility would weep with joy.”

“I can only imagine a civil war breaking out over who would claim her.”

Even as royalty, she’s coveted. Were the entire continent after her, she might end up secluding herself somewhere. When she has nothing else to do, she’s always reading books.

Ah, I remember the Alicetia of the past. Now I understand how thick the mask of meekness she wore as a "cat" was. Madame, how did you manage to make her wear it so convincingly? She’s currently teaching in the countryside. When she returns, she’ll definitely give me a stern talking-to. I can’t stop her. When it comes to education, Madame holds authority even greater than the royal family.

But back to the domain—there isn’t a single human in sight. All I see are golems everywhere, operating mysterious magic tools and vehicles. The artisans Alicetia brought from the capital are nowhere to be seen.

This has caused chaos in the capital’s Carpenter Guild. Most of the prominent craftsmen followed Alicetia, leaving the guild in disarray. They couldn’t stop them, as the guild’s authority is weak and limited to job referrals.

Most of them left in pursuit of her unknown techniques. I’ve heard rumors they were lured by money too—something about nearly ten times the usual pay. What on earth is she thinking?

“Can she really control this many golems? We’ve already seen over 100 since entering the domain.”

“Knowing Alicetia, she probably devised a way to automate it. Maybe through clones or magic tools. I wish we had someone like her.”

“You’d lock her in a room, so no.”

Gil is dangerous in his own way. He might isolate her under the guise of protection. While Alicetia has a certain degree of self-restraint, Gil could easily start a reign of terror. Ruling without lawful governance would only erode loyalty.

Eventually, the carriage arrived at a plaza. Smoke rose in the distance, indicating signs of human activity—or so I thought. Then—

"It’s snack time, huh?"

"Father, please don’t escape reality."

No wonder there weren’t any craftsmen in sight! Everyone was sitting at tables in the square, sipping tea!

Judging by the number of people, many were probably sleeping in temporary huts nearby. However, the workers, who should have been busy, were instead enjoying their tea with an elegance that left us dumbfounded as we disembarked from the carriage.

Among the craftsmen from the royal capital, I recognized a few acquaintances right away. These weren’t the kind of people who’d leisurely savor tea—they were more the type to demand ale, heavy drinkers through and through. Besides, it’s unheard of for commoners to hold a large-scale tea party. Not illegal, but certainly unusual.

Now that I think about it, Alicetia once said that a comfortable life requires leisure… She must have been around five at the time.

That was when we were testing Alicetia’s aptitude for governance. Her memory was unnaturally good, so we subjected her to intensive lessons.

The results? No aptitude whatsoever—if anything, her involvement might cause chaos. She had neither the ability nor interest to devise concrete policies.

Alicetia shows immense focus and drive for things she’s interested in, but she’s incredibly indifferent to everything else. Yet, it seems she’s bulldozed her way through this project with financial power.

The wages she paid the craftsmen were enormous. The workers, now somewhat wealthy, likely decided to seize the opportunity to establish "snack time" as a custom.

"This tea’s a hit today. Looks like we’ve mastered the art of brewing it ourselves."

"It’s like we’ve opened a door to a new world. I totally get how nobles feel now. Let’s make this a tradition."

The craftsmen elegantly enjoyed scones and cookies with their tea. Though their clothes were as dirty as you’d expect from craftsmen, their manner exuded an almost noble air. Most notably, their usual rough demeanor had vanished.

"You’ve really made this catch on."

"As long as it doesn’t stop them from working, I’m fine with it."

"They’re using their break time, so there’s no issue. Besides, everyone seems to enjoy it. And if the culture of eating snacks doesn’t exist, then we’ll just create it."

Yes, she’s definitely my daughter. Pushing things forward with overwhelming force is a family trait. Based on the progress reports we’ve been receiving, there are no delays in the work.

In fact, far from delays, everything is advancing at an extraordinary pace. Several houses and even the lord’s manor have already been completed.

Meanwhile, Alicia, standing behind us, had turned pale. Well, we didn’t expect the work to proceed this smoothly either. This territory may be unusual in every way, but it’s sure to become an excellent domain.

As we traveled here, I couldn’t help but notice all the various machinery and the houses far too large for mere farmers. I believe they’re two-story buildings with children’s rooms, even though it’s rare for commoners to have individual rooms for their kids.

Well, Alicetia must have her reasons.

"The lord’s manor is mostly finished. It’s built to befit a future count, thanks to the skilled craftsmen we gathered.

The fields are done, the road paving is nearly complete, and water channels are being fitted with gates at the nearby river. Drains and other infrastructure shouldn’t take much longer either."

"That’s quite fast."

It’s not normally possible to finish all that so quickly.

"The princess is amazing! She got the basics like fields and waterways done in no time. She even knows construction techniques we’ve never heard of, and the tools are top-notch. Just being part of this project feels worth it!"

"You can keep those tools. Just report back any improvements needed."

"As expected of the princess!"

It seemed she was handing over tools as well. She really does make all kinds of things—automatic nail-driving tools, countless magic devices… Those alone must cost a fortune, but she likely created them as a hobby, so it’s no big deal. Rather, she’s probably using this as an opportunity to gather feedback for improvement, which is Alicetia’s approach to invention. Even if there are initial problems, she refines them into something more user-friendly.

"Well, fine. By the way, I’d like to ask about some of this equipment with unclear purposes."

"There’s still 15 minutes left in the break, so I’ll leave it to my clone."

"I’m your Father! The King! Aren’t you being too careless?"

I’m going to cry.

"It’s fine, it’s mostly me anyway."

"Mostly?"

From my perspective, I can’t tell the difference except for the eyes.

"I can’t tell either. If they’re side by side, I can, but alone? I wouldn’t know if it’s the real one."

That’s impressive in its own way. Alicia looked at Gil with a near-tearful expression. She couldn’t tell them apart, and it frustrated her. She was jealous. She adored Alicetia, after all.

"It seems there are discrepancies in the clones. Inherited magic depends on the practitioner, so it might have altered over time."

Clone magic is an ancient, nearly forgotten form of inherited magic. Even Eibon doesn’t fully understand it. It’s a magic from thousands of years ago, so that’s not surprising.

Apparently, individual clones can develop differing personalities and traits. Some might be tyrannical, others lazy, or even mad scientists. It varies.

Afterwards, I listened to discussions about various equipment, but most of it went over my head. Machines for tilling fields, planting rice, and much more—there were too many.

Gil, however, declared with a serious expression, "We absolutely need to mass-produce this!" So it must be something incredible. I wouldn’t know.

Tilling fields? Can’t people do that? … Is it inefficient? Is that it? I’m getting old—I can’t keep up. In the end, Gil enthusiastically listened to the explanations and summarized them in simpler terms for me. Alicetia’s explanations were far too technical for me to grasp!