Chapter 176

Cream Puffs
After teleporting to Ostland, I was forced into a dress by a terrifying maid.

That’s strange... I could’ve sworn I secretly brought all the dresses back to Arland.

“I noticed an unfamiliar wooden box in the wardrobe. It seems you took the dresses back on your own, so I had the Special Service retrieve and bring them here.

Besides, you're royalty, so wearing dresses is only natural. That sort of outfit is only tolerated in Arland.”

—so she said. And when I suggested wearing my military uniform instead, she said it lacked beauty. Well, I did design my uniform to prioritize ease of movement, making it almost like casual wear, so I can’t really argue.

Also, are the people from the Special Service basically a moving company?

Alicia continued a hellish dress-up session with a craftsman's expression for about two hours, tormenting me psychologically, and though she now looked quite pleased, I was completely drained. Still, that’s not enough to kill my passion for sweets. After that, we rode a carriage to Ostland’s royal castle.

When we arrived at the castle, it seemed all preparations for our welcome had already been completed, and we were received without issue.

The main difference from last time was that knights were stationed throughout the corridors. Judging by their gazes, there was no hostility—only respect. I wonder why?

It appeared that the Idiot Prince had truly been detained, and without any incidents, we made it to the courtyard where Anon was already seated. Unusually, she was wearing a dress, though she still had a sword at her waist. Is that allowed?

“Yoohoo, you’re wearing a dress—how rare. And... you look kind of tired?”

“I got caught by a terrifying maid.”

“……”

Alicia, dressed in a maid outfit, said nothing. It seemed she was currently focused on her duties as a maid rather than acting as a bodyguard.

“By the way, is it okay to be wearing a sword inside the castle?”

“I’ve just become an apprentice bodyguard knight.”

Whaaat!? Becoming a bodyguard knight apprentice while still in single digits age-wise is beyond impressive. Though I am the Air Force Marshal and Director of the Technical Development Bureau.

Maybe Ostland’s just short on personnel…

“Hohoho. Young talent must be secured quickly or it'll be snatched away by others.”

Just as I was surprised, the king appeared with his attendants.

“Well, it’s just a nominal position. But I’ll be guarding royalty in the future, so it’s all good! Most of the knights are from families under ours, so there's no petty jealousy. And I’m stronger anyway.”

Anon is a prodigy when it comes to swordsmanship. She’s stronger than my Big brother was at the same age, and her skills are improving rapidly.

She’s a speed fighter who uses light gear to maximize agility. The armor I prepared is made for that purpose—technically heavy armor, but magically lightened. That makes it easier for her to bring out her full potential. It even has acceleration magic and can deploy shields as footholds.

She instinctively forms tactics during battle, which makes her a poor matchup for knights who rely on solid fundamentals. That, and the Ostland army being too weak. I’ve heard a lot of their knights have fallen into the trap of peacetime complacency.

Because of that, it seems they’ve recently started deploying troops against monsters to raise their proficiency.

With how things are going, Keena and Sharon might also be given official positions. Keena would make a good diplomat. Sharon could be in charge of cultural exchange—she’s very knowledgeable.

“Thank you for having me.”

For now, I bowed to the king.

“No, no. I should be the one thanking you for coming all this way.

If possible, I’d also like you to give us a taste evaluation. We’re thinking of opening a shop in Arland if it’s a success. Cultural exchange through sweets isn’t a bad idea, is it?”

Oh ho. My critiques are harsh, you know.

“... So, you're hoping for my recommendation seal?”

“If it’s delicious, I’d love to receive it. That recommendation seal has become a sort of status symbol in Arland, after all.”

Oh ho. But you’d better not think I hand it out easily. Only about one in twenty sweets gets it. Some shops have several, but that’s because they’ve got seriously skilled pâtissiers. Of course, there are times I don’t give a seal at all.

Lately, some shops have even offered to pay me just to have their sweets evaluated. Even when I’m too busy to go to the capital, new confections keep being developed. But when I show up late, rumors start spreading like “maybe it’s actually not that good…” and such.

In fact, some shops that didn’t get the seal still promote themselves by saying “Princess Alicetia sampled our sweets!”

In other words, I’m now a sweets critic. Though unlike in manga, I don’t make dramatic reactions—just short and simple comments like “it was good.” Tasty is justice. And fluffiness is also justice.

“I don’t take anything but the sweets themselves into consideration.”

Even if a pâtissier is about to lose their job over not getting the seal, I won’t give it unless I’m fully convinced. I know it’s become a form of status, so I show no mercy. The king gave me a knowing smile. He must be confident.

“My granddaughter praised it highly.”

“If it’s truly delicious, I’ll arrange a prime location in Arland’s capital.”

The Viceroy Merchant Union is working on a department store project, and I have some say in it. Right now, the overworked Mr. Ponpoko is going around the capital looking for tenants, so I could push this in.

Then the cream puffs were brought out. That in itself isn’t particularly rare. But the cookie crust was unusual. The aroma—it had the nostalgic scent of chocolate. Looks like they imported cacao from one of the islands in the Country of Tranquility. Cacao isn’t distributed at all in Ostland or even on this continent, so I’m sure of it. It wasn’t listed in the complete guide to continental sweets compiled by the special service either. And all the tasty sweets in that guide are already available in Arland. For some reason, the recipes seem to have leaked. The newest information always comes about a year late, so I hadn’t heard of this cream puff yet. That guide is published annually, after all.

“Well then, I’ll try it.”

I focused and took a bite.

“Ah! My cream puff!”

“You ate it whole, Princess. There’s cream on your lips.”

Alicia wiped my mouth with a handkerchief. That’s strange. I have no memory of eating it.

There were still a few left on the large platter, so I picked up another one and ate it.

This time, I didn’t black out. The nostalgic blend of chocolate’s sweetness and bitterness created a perfect balance that enhanced the cookie crust.

It was delicious. That was all I could say.

“Well… how was it?”

The king asked proudly. Guh… it really *was* delicious. I pulled out a colored card and stamped it. My recommendation seal.

“Here you go. Also, I’ll offer the best spot in the department store under construction, as a favor from me.”

I’ll make this popular in Arland. The pâtissiers of Arland will probably feel a sense of crisis from how good this is and work hard to develop new sweets.

Heheh. I love sweets, but it’s just as important to incite competition to bring about new confections. I hope they become good rivals. That will lead to even tastier sweets being born.

They can earn as much as they like, and engage in cultural exchange all they want. What I want is the unknown—the sweets yet to be discovered.

“Well, since the department store won’t open for another three years, I’ll go ahead and buy about 30,000 of these. All in cash, upfront.”

“”What!?””

My words froze the room.

“Wait! Princess, why are you buying so many!?”

Alicia dropped her maid mode and shook my shoulders. She must’ve thought I was being wasteful.

“The ingredients are imported, so it’s not exactly cheap, you know.”

“I came into some extra money, so it’s not a problem. Besides, monopolizing such delicious sweets doesn’t sit right with me. I’ll distribute them to the orphanages. Since it’s out of my own pocket, I doubt anyone but you will mind.”

Something this delicious ought to be shared. And children, you should aim to become pâtissiers.

Also, not all of Helios’s treasure went to Arland. I actually received quite a bit. I mean, there were things like holy swords mixed in there.

According to Helios, someone suddenly announced themselves while he was sleeping in his den. Disturbed from his slumber, Helios blasted them with his breath before they could finish their introduction. Since they had already entered past the entrance, there was no room to dodge. They were probably caught off guard mid-speech. Not even bones remained. But holy swords don’t break easily, so it ended up embedded in the wall of his den. Apparently, Helios stored it happily with the rest of his treasure.

Though after about fifty years, he got bored and forgot it was even there until I brought it up.

Holy swords are amazing. They can release flying slashes, and even cut through magic. They're a magician’s worst nightmare. But since they choose their wielders, not just anyone can use them.

As expected, it seems this one didn’t want me to be its owner, so right now, I’ve put it in a forge within the Treasury to try and convince it. Whether it becomes an ingot or a holy sword obedient to me depends on its own decision.

It’s not like I want to become a holy sword wielder or anything! I just want to analyze its structure, mass-produce it, and make it standard equipment for the Arland Knights!

That arrogant sword must have sensed that and is hiding its structure. Unforgivable, acting all choosy for a mere weapon. This is clearly a challenge against me—I will definitely break its will.

Anyway, I’ve still got other treasures left, so budget isn’t a concern.

“Well, well, as far as I’m concerned, I’m grateful. Lately, I’ve been buying a lot from Arland. Increasing the budget is a good thing.”

“That sounds like a bit of a problem though…”

I asked if it was really okay, and the king explained the mystery behind Ostland’s finances.

Ostland has the weakest military power on the continent. It doesn’t have any noteworthy industries either. However, it does have the advantage of being next to Arland.

With such a low military strength and no chance of winning against Arland, morale would naturally drop. That’s why the Empire couldn’t drag them into an invasion of Arland. They’d be crushed first. Ostland had intentionally limited its military power to make that happen. Naturally, the military budget only needed to cover the bare minimum for defense. And though they had no major industries, they continued their research, achieving significant results. But if any of those achievements became too prominent, the Empire would grow greedy and increase their tribute—wait, they were paying tribute?

So many technologies were apparently sealed and hidden before even reaching the production stage. The biggest business they had, though, was secretly transporting smuggled goods from Arland.

Ostland isn’t especially discriminatory toward other races. They’re just not interested. That’s why they’d been secretly cooperating with Arland since ancient times.

Arland has always sold high-quality arms and magic potions to nations hostile to the Empire to keep it in check. Ostland helped facilitate that, and in return, received cooperation payments from Arland.

On top of that, the current allies of Arland were apparently all connected through Ostland’s network. That’s probably why they quickly joined the alliance. Everyone hates the Empire too much.

“For generations, our royal family has kept the cooperation funds from Arland secret, hidden away in the royal tombs. Even the Empire won’t desecrate royal graves.

And the amount we’ve received was significant. If we used it openly, the sharp-nosed Empire would catch wind immediately.

Now, we’re releasing that money in a big way. We’ve got enough to cover the country’s budget for ten years, so buying things isn’t a problem. Though, if I buy too much, I won’t have enough left for domestic spending, which is a bit of an issue.”

The king smiled gently, saying there were just too many things he wanted to buy.

I wonder how much the royal family of Ostland had to hold back. They must have been waiting all this time for a shift in the era. If I hadn’t made a move, they probably would’ve endured the Empire’s tyranny forever. At least until the Empire naturally changed.

But they were reaching their limits. That’s why I acted.

While Arland earned foreign currency by keeping the Empire in check, the Empire wasn’t just sitting idly by. Ostland was definitely under suspicion, and all the countries that had stood against the Empire in recent decades had either been tamed like dogs or destroyed.

If I hadn’t taken action, Arland would have fallen within ten years. Its economy would’ve collapsed, and the country would no longer have been able to support its massive military expenditures.

What’s infuriating is that the Empire’s repeated incursions were clearly aimed at crippling Arland’s finances. The difference in national power was just too great.

“I see. Then, shall we cooperate in developing resources next? Maybe explore for a mine or two.”

“Excellent idea.”

“I’ll craft some exploration magic tools, so please provide the personnel.”

“Once you find something, we’ll buy the minerals from you.”

Sometimes, I’d like to just live peacefully. The king’s probably lost his hair from all the stress. I think he spoils his granddaughter to soothe his weary heart. Still, being too clingy can get you disliked. My father’s the same way sometimes.

When I glanced over at Anon, who hadn’t joined the conversation, she was devouring the cookie cream puffs with single-minded devotion. Wait! I want some of those too, so please save a few for me.

I hurriedly secured several for myself. Anon doesn’t seem to care about political talk. And she doesn’t get to eat sweets often, so she’d taken advantage of the moment and consumed over half of them. Maybe the king anticipated this and piled the platter high just in case.

Time passed gently as we chatted idly.

While munching on a cookie cream puff, the king suddenly looked as if he’d remembered something.

“Speaking of which. My granddaughter’s been pestering me to meet the adventurer Hollow…”

“Well now, I’m Alicetia, so I wouldn’t know anything about some random adventurer?”

I know. There are piles of request forms posted on the Adventurers’ Guild's request board. And I'm getting looks from the Guild members like, "Can't you take care of this?"

"... No good, huh."

“I can't risk being exposed because the overly protective people in my homeland will make a fuss. Well, I might take it on when the time is right, but for now, I'm busy. I’m fine with writing letters, though.”

I can also forge handwriting. I learned it for pranks. It's supposed to be a document I wrote, but it's in someone else's handwriting. It's funny to see Alicia confused.

“I see.”

I suggested writing letters as a compromise to the dejected king, and he perked up.

Then, a court official who shouldn't have been there ran over. He was probably the Chancellor of Ostland?

He bowed to me and whispered something in the king's ear. The king sighed after hearing it.

“It seems there is an impostor of the adventurer Hollow at the court.”

“Your Majesty... it hasn't been confirmed that they are impostors. They are of unknown identity.”

“They are impostors.”

Of course, the real person is right here.

It seems the annoying baron's side is making a last-ditch effort. They really don't learn, do they.

What do you think about this chapter?