Changing Subject
The next day, I was staring at the magic phone lying on the floor. It was currently deactivated, but as soon as I turned it on, a barrage of angry calls would surely flood in.
Staying out overnight without permission wasn’t allowed. Was it okay to have stayed over on a whim? No, definitely not. I pressed the switch on the side of the phone to turn it on. The moment it powered up, I received an incoming call. Although the volume was muted and there was no vibration, the words "incoming call" appeared mid-air. This phone didn’t have an LCD screen.
“H-hello?”
“Where are you right now?!”
From the other end of the phone came Alicia’s tearful, screaming voice. I was relieved I had set the call volume to the lowest level. The adults might wake up, and the children were still asleep. It was early morning.
Being in a cat’s body, I hadn’t slept very deeply, so I woke up early.
“I’m in the slums.”
“You’re safe, right? I’ll send someone to pick you up immediately, so don’t move at all. Also, keep your phone turned on. I’ll lecture you later. This time, you absolutely won’t get away with this. Please, for once, understand your own value.”
“Well, putting that aside... I was saved by the children here. I need a little help.”
A lecture. What an unpleasant word. It was something to stash away in the corners of my mind and not think about. I’d get scolded either way.
I explained my plan to Alicia. I had asked the children last night, and it seemed certain that the adults here were bad people. I had also secretly checked their debt evidence, but it turned out to be unrelated documents with no connection to this place. This meant they could be arrested.
It appeared they were exploiting the children for pocket money. Removing them wouldn’t be a problem. Their crimes could be fabricated later. If they hadn’t committed other offenses, they might get off with a light sentence, but depending on additional crimes, they could be sent to the mines. There’s no mercy for villains.
“So, essentially, you’re planning to set a trap? Do you think I’ll allow that?”
“It’s an order from your liege.”
“I can’t accept my first command from my liege being about entrapping villains, but if it’s to save the children, I have no choice. However! Is it safe? If you can’t guarantee safety, I’ll reject this outright.”
“I’ve already stationed Shadow Wolves, so it’s fine.”
The adults were already caught in my web. If they tried to harm me, their bodies wouldn’t obey them, ensuring safety.
“Understood. I’ll secure the area around the orphanage. The signal will come from your clone, correct? We’ll act on your signal.”
The conversation ended. I was a little anxious because I could feel her intense anger, but it would be fine. I always emerge victorious, so there should be no reason for me to get scolded. Probably...
Two hours later.
The children and adults had woken up. The adults were now arguing with the children.
“Get out there and earn money already!”
“We’re not listening to you anymore! We know that certificate is fake!”
“What are you talking about? I told you, the priest had debts. If you don’t shape up, I’ll sell you off. Hey, start selling off a few of them.”
“That’s enough. I told them the certificate was fake. This document has no legal binding. Besides, the name on it isn’t even the priest’s.”
I chose this moment to step in. The men, seeing a cat wearing a pointy hat, reached for the swords at their waists.
“Who the hell are you? If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll grind you into mincemeat!”
“My name is Alicetia von Arland, head of the Viceroy Family of this country. And as proof, these eyes.”
I opened my eyes wide. The engraving in them could be mimicked with illusions, but no one dared to do so—it was considered disrespectful.
The men released their swords and sneered.
“Well, well. So you’re the missing princess. Perfect. Selling you off will make us filthy rich.”
“I introduced myself, but do you think it’s okay to say such things? I could have you arrested for lese-majesty.”
“So what? Whatever happens here will disappear into the darkness of the slums. If you’re real, you’re an idiot to come here without guards.”
The man lunged at me to capture me, but I dodged nimbly and kicked him in the face. I wasn’t a docile princess. To me, familiar with the movements of knights, their actions seemed as slow as a stop-motion animation. My knights were a superhuman group that fought at anime-level speeds.
“I’ll say it again. Any further and I’ll arrest you for lese-majesty.”
“Shut up!”
“Alright, I’m calling Alicia.”
Gunshots rang from the next room, and simultaneously, my personal guards poured in through the windows and doors. Their appearance was inconspicuous, dressed to blend into the slums, carrying matte-finished professional knives.
“Sorry, but don’t move.”
“Damn it, we can’t... our bodies won’t move!”
The men froze in awkward positions. The Shadow Wolves in their shadows were preventing them from moving. These creatures were troublesome magic beasts that could infiltrate shadows and control movements. Without magic, their bodies couldn’t be harmed.
“I warned you. Restrain them and hand them over to the guards. You know the charges, right? Investigate any additional crimes.”
“Understood.”
There were five men in total. After being tied up with ropes, they seemed to give up. The Shadow Wolves emerged from the shadows and returned to mine. As my personal guards, assigned by Mr. Coote, they stayed with me 24/7.
“Now, Princess, care to explain yourself?”
“I merely eliminated obstacles in my path.”
“What are you, some kind of conqueror? You’re always acting on your own. Do you know how many people were worried about you?!”
“It’s fine!”
“But—”
“It’s fine!”
“......”
“It’s fine!”
“Fine. I’ll leave the rest to the Queen. But please, never do this again.”
Alicia sighed and hugged me. I’m sorry, but I won’t restrain myself. Since they made me their liege, they’ll have to accept it. Still, I’ll try to reduce how much I worry them in the future.
But I won’t stop when I think something needs to be done. Honestly, the slums were dangerous. They shouldn’t be left alone.
If you leave an injury untreated, it festers and rots away. Proper care is needed at the injury stage.
“Also, buy up all the land in this area. Use my funds as much as you need. Then contact Lawrence and build a factory on the purchased land. Request protection for the craftsmen from the Adventurers’ Guild. And then...”
“Understood. I’ll get on it immediately. But first, return to the castle. His Majesty and the Crown Prince are worried. The Queen is also furious. For her health, accept your punishment properly.”
I had no choice since I was in the wrong. I’ll leave it to a clone—no, fine, I’ll take the scolding myself. So please don’t glare at me like that, Alicia. You’ve been scary lately.
“That means you no longer have to beg. We’ll provide food and clothes and other necessities, so will you come to the castle with me?”
“We’re going to the castle?”
Come to think of it, I hadn’t asked the boy’s name.
“What’s your name?”
“I’m Mad. I’m kind of the leader here, I guess. There were older ones, but they ran away scared of those guys.”
“I see. Well, we’ll need testimony anyway. Honestly, you should take a bath. Your clothes are in tatters. It’s unbecoming of my vassals.”
Other than Alicia and my guards, these were my first vassals. They needed to look the part.
“Wait, you are going to take them in as your vassals?”
“Yes. Starting today, they are your colleagues, Alicia. The oldest one is going to be the chief of the workshop we’ll build here.”
“But as your vassal, they’ll... The nobles’ children have sent recommendation letters.”
“The key to progress is hiring good people without concern for their background. If you think someone is capable, feel free to hire them.”
“The pressure would fall on me, so I’ll pass.”
The number of vassals was limited, and like the nobility, the position could be inherited, making it a sought-after career. In my case, as part of the Viceroy Family, the house wouldn’t disappear unless something very serious happened.
Mad was appointed to the financial division. He’d manage the workshop and generate revenue for me. Don’t worry, I’ll set everything up.
Now, I needed vassals for security. If we were building a workshop here, guards would be essential. It was a children’s workshop, so we’d need tough security to deter merchants from taking advantage.
“Alicia, can we hire retired soldiers?”
“If it’s as your vassals, they’d happily join.”
“Then hire about 30.”
“They’d mostly be older men. Is that alright?”
That’s fine. They’d have combat experience, and old soldiers shouldn’t be underestimated. As long as they’re ready to work, there’s no issue.
“Then I’ll ask my mentor to prepare equipment. We’ll add the Viceroy Family crest.”
“That’s better than what the kingdom’s soldiers get. They’ll be delighted. I’ll post the recruitment, but it’ll take about a week to complete selection.”
Heh. So many vassals. Maybe I could achieve independence. I’d turn nominal independence into actual independence and block interference from my father and the others. Their meddling was getting annoying. I needed to establish the Viceroy Family as a proper independent entity.
Though it would probably take about another ten years. After all, I was only seven this year.
At the very least, I’d wait until I was sixteen and considered an adult. I wouldn’t hold back, but I did love my family. If I got too far ahead, my Father might break down in tears.
"Now then, I trust you understand what you've done!"
"I'm sorry."
Upon returning to the castle, Father was furious. I've never seen him this angry before.
"You're only six years old. Staying out overnight is too early... No, even at twenty, I wouldn't allow it. I was worried you might have met some boy."
Apparently, his anger was for a different reason. In this world, nobles and royalty tend to mature early. Some have fiancés from birth or even marry ceremonially by age ten.
By the way, no engagement talks have come up for me. My Bigbrother... well, occasionally, photos are sent to him, but he just throws them away without looking. Neither of us is particularly interested.
"I hurt my leg and passed out. That's why I couldn't return."
Still in my cat form, I showed my injured leg to Father. The bleeding had already stopped, and there wasn't much pain left.
"Didn't you heal it?"
"I can't use magic in this form."
"I'll heal it. I'm glad I contracted with a spirit."
Immediately, my brother pushed Father aside, came to me, and used Heal to fix my leg. Light gathered, and the wound disappeared. Since I often get injured, I'm used to the pain of healing, so it wasn’t a problem. My tail fluffing up a bit was the only reaction.
"But you really are a cat, aren't you?"
"I honestly wanted a fox tail like Alicia’s."
This part was truly disappointing. I don't even know why I turned into a cat.
"I see you haven’t given up. How was life as a cat? I think it’s fascinating in its own way."
"Surprisingly not bad. My body is light, and I can move better than when I'm human."
I could honestly say it was fun. But it's also true that there were many things I couldn’t do. I just occasionally want to live like a beastman.
As we talked, my body began to glow. When the light faded, I had returned to my original form.
"Whew, my body feels heavy."
"Princess, as a woman, saying you're heavy is..."
"I'm not actually that heavy. Besides, I don’t have the kind of body that gains weight easily."
"Now, with this, you understand that I really am royalty, right? Will you become my vassals?"
I addressed the children who had frozen behind me. Meeting royalty must be nerve-wracking. I wouldn’t want to meet royalty from another country either—too much trouble.
"If we become your vassals, can we live normally?"
The first to recover from his stiffness, Mad, stepped forward.
"Yes. The pay isn’t bad, and you’ll receive training as vassals, so it’s a good opportunity to advance. I don’t intend to make you do anything bad."
"What would we even do? There’s not much we’re capable of. If you’re hiring us, you must have something in mind."
Sharp as ever.
"Yes, I intend for you to make magic tools. Oh, don't worry, even non-magic users can craft magic tools with the magic tools I’ve created. You’ll be responsible for their production."
"It doesn’t have to be us, does it? Why choose us if that’s the case?"
"I know you're not bad people. That’s why I trust you for this."
"Wait a second. What do you mean by magic tools that make magic tools? Depending on what you’re saying, this could be revolutionary."
Father looked surprised. Producing magic tools in quantity used to require increasing the number of magic users, but there aren’t many of them, and crafting also demanded prior knowledge.
However, I have a magic tool capable of activating enchantment magic.
The Magic Range: Insert a magic gem and materials inside, along with a card engraved with the desired enchantment spell. Wait three minutes, and it’s done.
When I explained this, Father and Big brother held their heads in their hands.
"That would indeed allow mass production of low-cost magic tools. It renders skills and even magic users redundant."
"There’s still work in developing and optimizing enchantment spells. Also, it can’t handle complex mechanisms, so it’s limited to simple items like storage bags... for now."
For now, it’s beyond its capacity.
"So, I plan to mass-produce storage bags. Would you buy them? At one-tenth the current price, the profits would still be substantial."
"We don’t have the funds to buy that many! The kingdom’s finances would collapse in a different way!"
"Then how about exporting them? I doubt the current demand for storage bags is being met."
Pairing them with airships and offering them as a set might draw interest. Merchants, in particular, would likely jump at the chance.
Adventurers would also be a good market. Both groups carry large amounts of goods, so they’d welcome lower prices.
"If it’s something we can do, we’ll comply. But if you exploit the younger ones..."
"I already said it’s fine. The work is simple. Just place magic gems and bags in the tool, then pack the finished storage bags into wooden boxes. Easy, right? So, Mad, you’ll be the supervisor."
"What? Me?"
"You’re the orphanage leader, aren’t you? Perfect fit. As the supervisor, you can ensure the kids don’t overwork themselves. I’ll leave it to you, Alicia."
Education comes first.
"Sigh... Let’s start with teaching proper language. The princess might not mind, but it will become an issue otherwise."
Alicia sighed deeply. And so, I successfully diverted attention away from my lecture.
What do you think about this chapter?
