Chapter 125

Cannot Escape From the Royal Castle
"Absolutely not. Your safety cannot be guaranteed. You need to understand your own importance better."

These were the words I received from my Father, followed by an hour-long lecture on my significance.

The slums are apparently filled with danger, and even with escorts, it's absolutely out of the question for me to go there.

As a result, Alicia and the trio of maids I hadn’t seen in a while were assigned to monitor me. While I refer to them collectively as the "maid trio," they are actually being trained for secretarial positions to assist me in the future.

It seems they have no intention of returning to their original world.

Well, that’s fine. Alicia, as usual, is always with me, but she also has other responsibilities, such as overseeing the castle’s security as a senior knight and commanding the royal guards. Moreover, thanks to the security devices I developed, the castle is under strict surveillance. Cards are required for movement, and the location of every person is tracked. Even within the castle, only specific individuals can enter the royal family's private areas.

Although I move around quite a bit, someone always accompanies me, or hidden guards trail behind. I prefer unobtrusive protection, so my guards typically remain concealed.

Essentially, there are two types of guards: visible ones who serve as a deterrent by their presence and hidden ones whose numbers and locations remain unknown. I prefer the latter.

"Hmm, how bothersome."

"Don’t even think about escaping. It’s absolutely impossible."

Take 1.

The three maids possess abilities that include farsight, teleportation, and magic sealing. For a pure magic user like me, they are formidable. Even if I escape, they can find me, teleport to me, and seal my magic.

Of course, I can deal with all of this. Farsight can be confused by scattering clones, teleportation is surprisingly easy to block with a light barrier, and I’ve already analyzed and neutralized the magic seal. Nobody knows about this. I’m quite the devious woman, you see.

"Just going to the restroom."

I casually left the room. It’s not like I’m under house arrest. I can even leave the castle with escorts.

As I walked down the hallway, I leaped down from the second-floor corridor and ran. I put up a barrier around myself to block teleportation, but…

"They caught me."

"Of course."

They had teleported beyond my barrier’s range and captured me. My physical abilities are no match for theirs.

The monitoring level was increased. Knights were stationed outside my room.

Take 2.

Now, my physical abilities are no help. However, no matter how strict the security, exploiting a gap is easy. After all, I’m the one who designed the security devices being used.

"I’m here!"

"… And immediately apprehended."

Summoning several clones from the Treasury, I made a dash out of the room. Many of the clones were caught, but thanks to analyzing the behavior and thought patterns of the knights and the maid trio outside my room, I escaped without being captured.

First, I headed to the underground dock. Several secret elevators are installed throughout the castle.

It was early afternoon, nearing 3 o’clock, snack time, but…

"Princess~ I baked a cake~!"

Just as I reached the hidden hallway to the elevator, a delightful aroma wafted through the air.

Hmph, as if the same trick will work on me forever.

"Gotcha, Princess!"

Before I knew it, I was apprehended. How?!

"Now then, Princess, the Queen has a very enlightening talk prepared for you."

They wouldn’t even let me eat cake! I reached for the fragrant cake, but Alicia dragged me away.

What followed was an hour-long lecture, complete with some disciplinary measures.

Three days later, when I passed by the hidden passage where the elevator was concealed, a knight was stationed there. It seems all the hidden elevators had been discovered. Furthermore, anti-teleportation barriers were now in place throughout the castle.

These barriers were stronger than ever, and tampering with them would result in immediate scolding, so teleportation was no longer an option.

Take 3

I used concealment magic to hide and escape.

However, I triggered an alarm device and narrowly avoided getting killed. I ended up surrounded by black-clad members of the dark division. Panicked, I canceled my magic, but I was detained for nearly an hour.

Come to think of it, my concealment magic hadn’t been modified to bypass this place’s security. I remembered this as my brother scolded me.

Take 4

I recalled a retro game Takuto used to play at his house.

The protagonist of that game wore an outfit like a black bodysuit and was an eyepatch-wearing old man carrying a CalorieMate. He held cardboard boxes in high regard, claiming they were essential for infiltration.

In fact, he even made a tank out of cardboard.

“In other words, cardboard must have superior mimicry capabilities.”

Takuto also said, “Hiding in a cardboard box will keep you from being found unless something extreme happens.”

But there’s a problem.

Cardboard doesn’t exist in this world. Of course, I could make it if I tried, but wouldn’t something nonexistent stand out?

Wooden crates are the norm in this world. Those are easy to make.

The result? I got caught before even leaving the castle.

“Princess, you sometimes have the most naïve ideas. It’s obviously suspicious.”

After a week of preparation, I pretended to give up to lower their guard before attempting again. But just as I was about to reach the castle gate, Alicetia lifted the crate I was hiding in and captured me.

Apparently, I’d been spotted from the start. Knights and maids had been tailing me from behind.

“... There’s no way I could’ve been found.”

“Why did you even think this method would work? Now, let’s go see the Queen.”

“No way!”

I’m not going to see her. Nothing and no one can stop me. So don’t take me there. I can’t handle another scolding.

“It’s truly dangerous. Please give up.”

“That’s why I’ll take proper escorts with me.”

“Even so, it’s absolutely out of the question. That place is lawless.”

No matter how much I pleaded, Alicetia’s answer was always no. How strange. Alicetia is supposed to be my subordinate. Why is she handing me over to Mother? This is betrayal. I should thoroughly investigate.

“Princess, a good vassal is one who is prepared to be punished in order to stop their master when they are wrong.

Thus, if you do something misguided, I will stop you with all my might. I don’t mind being punished. The knights here feel the same.”

“Ngh…”

What an unpleasant argument. This makes me look like the villain. I only want to inspect the area; why… Oh, right, because I’m a princess.

I’d momentarily forgotten how overprotective they are. It’s partly because my brother and I are the only next-generation royals. Another will be born next year, but given Mother’s age, there likely won’t be more. Besides, Father has declared he won’t take any concubines. He says it’s because he’s afraid of Mother’s jealousy and has little interest in other women. They’re still a lovey-dovey couple.

Anyway.

The scolding is over for now. The castle’s security is at an all-time high, but considering the level of my pranks, it’s still lax. So many gaps.

“You’ve learned nothing, have you?”

“I-I totally have!”

I’ll behave for a while. Maybe three days. During that time, I’ll send my clones underground to ramp up production of armed airships and export airships.

With three of me, the Factory can produce one airship per day. I’ll export them en masse to boost the treasury. Though my mana is constantly reduced to about 1/100, I still retain enough to be considered a mage.

“Thanks to Eibon, that project is almost complete.”

“Hehehe, I’ll finally get it.”

Of course, I’m up to no good as well. I’ve also started manufacturing a secret elixir. Eibon is competent in terms of knowledge—his personality is just problematic.

Currently, he’s helping develop a new magic reactor in the underground research sector. For some reason, he can’t be locked in the Treasury. He’s supposed to be dead, though.

He’s incredibly skilled. The world’s technology often lags behind his, and as long as the necessary equipment is provided, he can accomplish almost anything.

Facilities I couldn’t handle alone are being built one after another.

Incidentally, the cost of airship materials has temporarily strained the kingdom’s finances, delaying or reducing some policies for about a year.

Negotiations are underway to reassure departments that next year will bring massive profits, allowing budget increases. It’s only temporary.

I send my clones back underground. I’ve been confined to the castle, deemed too likely to make a reckless dash into the slums. Moving further seems difficult.

But it’s no problem. I can’t inspect the slums because I’m royalty, and my value is high. Therefore, I just need to lower that value temporarily. I haven’t given up.

“Plotting again, aren’t you? You never learn.”

“I’m not just thinking about bad things. Resolving the slum issue is important, too.”

Sending clones won’t help; they’re not connected to me. Seeing it myself has value.

For now, it’s time to amass funds. I’ll keep building airships. Each ship generates enormous rewards, my primary source of income. The kingdom must pay for them. If they don’t, people around me will cause a fuss. Apparently, the Treasury is already piled with gold coins. It always has been, though.

While drafting several plans, I consider my future strategy.

First, the kingdom must achieve top-notch technology. Next, establish a mass-production system for magic tools. By building factories, I can produce a large volume of magic tools.

What’s needed is manpower. The equipment is ready. A magic tool to automate enchantment will be finished in a few days. This will revolutionize the world. Even non-magicians will be able to enchant and create magic tools.

Flooding the market with affordable, high-quality magic tools will revitalize the economy. I’ll also mobilize my acquaintances to improve basic technologies. By next year, I want to begin mass production of magic vehicles. Horse-drawn carriages are already obsolete.

“We don’t have enough hands… I’ll visit the Ponpoko Company soon.”

“Not until you’ve shown some remorse.”

At first glance, I look like a little girl doodling, but I hold the future of this nation in my hands. Hehe, by developing the economy, there’ll be more pastry chefs. I can’t wait. As I imagine unseen desserts, I refine my plans for the future.