Princess-style Dungeon Attack (4)
"Ugh~~ Alice, I don't understand this part."
"For that, use the formula from three pages ago."
"How can you tell without even looking at the textbook!!"
"I finished reading it within a week of enrolling."
What's in the academy's textbooks is basically covered during our pre-enrollment education. Both my brother and I have received an education befitting Royalty. Not that we always put it to use in our daily lives.
"Why did you even come to the academy then..."
"The library's grimoires are my goal. I'm not here to make friends with foreign nobles. That's my brother's job."
"You should try to expand your social circle a bit. Aim for 10,000 friends or something."
"Does Big brother have that many? I know a few hundred people in the Capital by face and name, and I am on good terms with them."
When I mentioned that I have many older acquaintances, she made a slightly perplexed face. In reality, I've built relationships to the point where I run into acquaintances wherever I go in the Capital of Arland. Though, among the nobles, I only keep in touch with the competent ones. The odd ones are too eager to drag me into factional disputes.
Personally, I think getting involved with power only brings trouble, so I tend to avoid people with such intentions. I don't want to end up fighting my family or getting falsely accused and imprisoned, and I have no desire to sit on the throne. Even Father has been trying to hand the kingship to my brother, who still wants his freedom and keeps thwarting those plans. In Arland, power and responsibility are proportional, so there are quite a few children who don't want to become heads of their families. But since Big brother has expressed his intention to take over in the future, there's no issue. Normally, Father should reign for a few more decades. Retiring in his fifties is too early.
"Alice, you really are different. In Ostland, the third prince is causing a commotion by aiming for the throne. Isn’t it normal for Royals to want to be the monarch?"
"In Arland, the monarch can't have everything their way. Sure, they have immense power and authority, but with that comes heavy responsibility. If they fail, the Empire or the Imperial State could destroy us, and most of our people would end up enslaved."
The reason we can't easily remove the disruptive elements in the Noble Council is due to their influence. While it's not impossible to forcibly eliminate them, doing so would have significant repercussions. Thus, we're in a reactive state, waiting for them to self-destruct or make a misstep. The Noble Council seems displeased with my unilateral actions. This is because the Noble Council originally held authority over the air force, but during a period of scandal and retreat, that authority was transferred to me. The Noble Council likely never imagined I would start mass-producing airships. The air force, once insignificant, has the potential to become Arland's main force in the future. Alicia informed me that they're plotting to regain control. However, neither Father nor Big brother would allow that.
"Well, let's talk about something more beneficial than this uninteresting topic. Continuing down this path would only lead to a discussion about the futile conflicts between the Noble Council and the government over you.
Instead, let's discuss the grimoire that lays ahead. Although you could decipher it regardless of the language, is it truly something you desire? It certainly represents excessive force, but the risks involved remain unchanged."
"If I have the magic of multiple existences, I can essentially create duplicates of myself. Although there might be a drawback of not being able to recover magic power, I have an abundance of magic. I have a foreboding sense about the future and want to modernize the air force to prepare. The current large airships can't carry significant armaments."
At the current construction pace, we might not be able to keep up. The Empire will definitely act. I don't want to have regrets, so I will take any measures necessary. For that, I need numerous tools at my disposal. Golems alone are insufficient. I need many individuals with knowledge and skills equivalent to mine. We must deploy a vast number of magic-powered battleships, carriers, and destroyer-class ships for protection, as well as supply the Knights and soldiers with modern weapons to ensure our future.
In the world I once lived in, war was a matter of numbers. Applying that here, even though Arland is powerful, it cannot maintain its military strength in the long run with its small numbers. The accumulated war expenses would be unbearable, even for a technologically advanced nation like Arland. The Royal and noble families already recognize that we are nearing our limits. The airship project will only serve to delay this inevitability. We need a decisive move. If we can amass enough military power to break the spirits of the Empire and other foolish adversaries targeting Arland, we will be secure for centuries. Even if attacked, we must render the enemy incapable of recovering.
I do not believe war is evil. It's human nature. Humans evolve through conflict. It's not only about war; competition and viewing others as rivals also drive us to greater heights. It is worse to do nothing out of sentimentality when there are enemies. Everyone has their own justice. When those justices clash, the only option is to fight.
"We don't want to burden you. Please don't push yourself too hard. Remember, there are many who worry about you and are pained by your self-imposed pressures."
"I'm fine. I just want my newest family member to lead a happy life. I want to ensure that the world is different when that child grows up."
With that, we proceeded through the dungeon. Ahead laid the bottommost level. There was likely a guardian that even the golem tank wouldn’t be able to handle. It seems I'll need to get serious. From below the stairs, a dense magic power wafted.
It is there that I would learn about my past. I will come to know the life of a genius who was met with unavoidable misfortune and fell after struggling.
What do you think about this chapter?
