The Princess Gets Angry
“What we ask is that Lady Alicia and her family be handed over to our country.”
The moment I heard those words, the armrest of my chair shattered in my hand. I’d crushed it without even realizing. Huh, was this thing always that soft?
“H-Hey, Alice, calm down!”
My brother looked at me with a horrified expression, then went pale as he grabbed my shoulder.
“I am calm. I’m just thinking about how best to subjugate the Land of Tranquility, and how we’ll handle things after the war.”
Now then—how to invade, and what to do afterward?
First, the Arland army will bomb them using our 120 bombers. Maybe we could even drop that waste from the Grisaille Project. We’ve got about a hundred warheads, and if we drop them all, the entire state apparatus would literally be blown away. After that... well, it’ll be contaminated, so we’ll just abandon it.
Still, how dare they? Asking for my maid—my knight—my elder-sister figure Alicia? They might as well have declared war on me personally. Of course, I’m a princess. I don’t haggle. I’ll pay full price for this declaration of war they’ve handed me.
“Alice, that’s not calm. And stop thinking as far ahead as after the war.”
“This is nothing short of a declaration of war against me.”
“No, that’s not—ugh!”
Big Brother shoved something into my mouth. Immediately, a wave of happiness washed over me. Oh! They finally perfected the fruit-flavored candy!
“Whew, that was close.”
“Well done, Gil.”
“As expected of His Highness. The princess nearly launched an invasion of the Land of Tranquility.”
At those words from a noble, the envoy turned an alarming shade of pale—well, paler. He looked like he could collapse any moment.
“For now, let’s hear your side of things.”
“Y-Yes. You see, Lady Alicia’s parents—particularly her father—belong to one of our country’s most important clans.”
“Oh? And what proof do you have?”
“Lady Alicia’s tail, Your Majesty. It is proof of the Youko lineage. There is only one surviving member of that bloodline in the world. That woman eloped with a man of our clan—an elf.”
Ah yes, Alicia’s parents were a Youko and an elf. I started on another candy, and before I could finish, my brother pressed another into my hand. I stayed quiet for now, but once I run out... I can’t promise I’ll restrain myself.
“Hold on—you there, fetch more candy. If she runs out, it’ll get dangerous.”
“As you command!”
One of the knights sprinted out at full speed. My brother’s instincts are as sharp as ever.
“I see. It’s true—Alicia’s parents were a Youko and an elf,” Father said, turning to her.
“Yes. That’s true. However, I wasn’t born in the Land of Tranquility. My birthplace was the Empire. Though since my parents were both wanderers, I don’t really think of the Empire as my homeland.”
Alicia tried to distance herself from any ties to her homeland, but honestly, she didn’t need to. Being born in the Empire doesn’t automatically make someone suspicious—especially when both parents are nonhuman.
For the record, what I know is that Alicia was on her way to Arland with her parents when she was captured by slavers and sold off. Father bought her—not as a noble, but as an adventurer who just needed a porter.
She proved herself quickly, though, working as a scout, and the slave collar was removed soon after. By the time they reached Arland, she was already a free woman.
There’s even a funny story about that—Father didn’t know how to remove a slave collar, so he just ripped it off with his bare hands. Yeah, it was metal. He apparently tried a few times, got frustrated, shouted “To hell with this!” and snapped it in half.
Anyway, as a Youko, Alicia should have multiple tails, right? Now I’m getting curious. Alicia, introduce me to your mother later! Come on, look at me! Let’s talk with our eyes! Don’t look away—stare into my fiery passion!
Father and my brother are both very carefully not looking at me. How rude.
Back to the envoy’s story—apparently, the Land of Tranquility has a monster called Yamata no Orochi sealed away. The clan maintains the seal by offering one of their own as a sacrifice at intervals. Only their bloodline can reinforce the seal, so they have no replacements.
And Alicia’s father came from that very clan. Disgusting.
As for her Youko mother, she was sealed beneath a boulder for the crime of seducing the Emperor and nearly leading the Empire into war. So yes—literally sealed under a rock.
As for how those two met: apparently, Alicia’s father was afflicted with a strange illness, and he broke the seal holding her mother. What kind of disease causes you to break magical seals, I wonder?
Anyway, they hit it off immediately and decided to marry. The entire clan opposed it, so they beat everyone up and fled. Not exactly diplomatic. When told “No,” they went “Okay then” and fought their way out. But honestly, can you blame them? A clan that sacrifices its own? Good riddance.
The clan was about 300 strong, so at the time it wasn’t considered a huge issue. Apparently, a few others also escaped occasionally, so they just ignored it.
Then a few years ago, disaster struck. Their hidden village was attacked by a massive horde of ogres. While still reeling from that, an earthquake hit—and a tsunami wiped out the entire settlement. Talk about cursed luck.
“Earthquakes are rare in our country, but are they common in the Land of Tranquility?” Father asked.
“Not common, but one of that magnitude occurs every few centuries,” the envoy explained.
“They should’ve built the village somewhere the tsunami couldn’t reach.”
“They lived on the island containing the seal, Your Majesty. In past earthquakes, tsunamis never reached the village. This one was unprecedented, even by our own records.”
So they’d grown complacent after centuries of safety. Reasonable, but unfortunate.
Still, what a miserable story. My irritation rose, and my brother said, “Eat two candies at once.” Such extravagance! But double the consumption rate too. Another knight dashed off to the kitchen.
Anyway, without the sealing clan, the seal can’t be maintained. That’s why they’ve been searching for the ones who escaped. Alicia’s father survived the earthquake, and they’ve been looking for him ever since.
Ah, so that’s why they’ve been so eager about trade. They must still be reeling from the quake. They’re desperate for money. Still, that doesn’t mean I’ll hand over my maid!
When I had three candies in my mouth, the knight returned again—apparently production couldn’t keep up—so they brought fruit juice instead. Ugh. If I drink that much, I’ll just end up needing the bathroom. Still, I can’t calm down.
The nobles in the audience chamber were also pale and trembling slightly. Well, of course—they’d be furious too if someone demanded we hand over an Arland citizen.
“I understand the situation. But if we were to hand over our citizen, what exactly would you do to her?”
Father said coldly.
Arland, given its founding, never hands over its people. The bond among citizens is sacred. Unless they’ve committed a crime abroad, no innocent Arlander would ever be extradited—it’s a taboo so strong that a noble who tried would have their mansion burned down by their own people.
For the record, the only ones who commit crimes abroad are the Shadows, and their actions are... officially ignored. After all, those crimes are sanctioned by the crown. Even if the Central Nations complains, the response is always: “Oh, how unfortunate,” shrug.
“W-We would…”
“You intend to make her a sacrifice, don’t you?” Father cut in.
“If we do not, the seal will fail! Please, I beg you! We will pay any price!”
Ughhh… I could feel my patience reaching its limit—then the god of inspiration descended upon me! Not that useless goddess, she can keep kneeling in heaven.
“I’ve got it!”
“‘I’ve got a terrible feeling about this,’” everyone said in unison.
A perfect plan! This way, Alicia won’t need to be handed over or sacrificed. Brilliant, as expected of me!
“We’ll just tear that so-called Yamata no Orochi to pieces and make it regret ever being born!”
Flawless! If a monster needs sacrifices to keep sealed, just kill it! I pumped my fist into the air.
“But that monster cannot be destroyed!” the envoy protested. “When it last revived in ancient times, our entire army was reduced to one-tenth of its strength trying to kill it! No matter how grievously we wounded it, it always regenerated! Even when we used our holy sword and the nation’s full might, it survived!”
Oh, regeneration, huh? Annoying, but interesting. Depending on how thorough its regeneration is, maybe we could just vaporize every last cell with a nuke from the Grisaille Project. That island only houses the sealing clan anyway—and no nearby islands either. Contamination wouldn’t be a problem.
“Alice, you’re planning to go to the battlefield again, aren’t you?” Father asked.
“Of course. I’ll never approve of Alicia’s marriage unless her suitor can best me. I won’t allow her to be a sacrifice.”
“Eh?” Alicia looked at me, stunned. The others glanced at her with pity. Why?
“Don’t worry. I’ve got several plans. And if all else fails, I’ll just forcibly teleport the thing into the Empire. Then the Land of Tranquility won’t be threatened anymore.”
“So your solution is to dump the problem on the Empire.”
“They’ve crossed our borders without permission often enough. I think we’re owed one monster in return. And if it comes to it, we can always lure it toward the Imperial State—let their so-called ‘heroes’ handle it.”
Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
The Land of Tranquility gets rid of its ticking time bomb.
I eliminate the threat to Alicia.
The Empire and Imperial State get to show off their ‘strength’—win-win all around!
Of course, I have other methods too. There’s only one true way to kill an immortal being, but I’d rather not use it. It would ruin my fun.
Still, Alicia’s life comes first. And when it’s over, I can finally meet her mother’s fluffy tails… hehehe. I’d better start practicing my fluffing technique.
“So then, Big Brother—negotiate with the Land of Tranquility immediately.”
“… But you’re going too, aren’t you? I’d rather you didn’t do anything dangerous.”
“Even if I stay in the castle, it’s still dangerous—dangerous because… uh… because of Madame! Yes, Madame’s more terrifying than any serpent. I’d rather fight a god-dragon alone than deal with her.”
“That fella was terrifying,” Father muttered, grimacing at the memory of the Divine Dragon. Don’t worry, I’ve studied Helios extensively. I know every weakness dragons have. If I can shove a toxic agent up its nose, it’s over. (Note: when I tried that on Helios, he sulked in his room for a week.)
“Anyway! Hurry and start negotiations! The envoy’s about to faint!”
“That’s your fault,” my brother sighed.
“How rude—I haven’t done anything yet!”
“If we don’t get permission first, I’ll start calling you ‘Crown Prince’ even in private,” I warned.
“Ha ha ha, negotiations it is! I’ll make them agree—quickly, definitely, and absolutely. Heh heh heh…”
I’m not sure what kind of negotiation he did afterward, but in the end, Arland decided to launch an expedition to slay Yamata no Orochi.
The new envoy’s face was completely blank when he left. I wonder what Big Brother said to him.
What do you think about this chapter?
