Chapter 52
──In the Dulgaria Empire, at the imperial capital──
"You mean you want me to go to the border town, Zagrand?"
The day after Princess Riana came to the detached palace.
Riana's older sister, Sophia, had been summoned to the Imperial Court.
Sophia met with the emperor, who told her that he had a special order for her.
She was told to ask Zagrand for the details and was then escorted straight to the Minister of War's office.
"And then... I am to participate in the military training held near the border and use Light magic...?"
"Yes. We would like you to show both the demons and demi-humans the power of Your Highness's magic."
Minister of War Zagrand said this from his seat across the table.
"After that, Your Highness will remain stationed in the border town for three years."
"...What?"
"Of course, I will see that you have every convenience. A mansion will be prepared, and I will assign attendants directly under me to serve you."
"Three years in a border town?! I cannot return to the imperial capital during that time?"
"This has been approved by His Imperial Majesty. His Majesty wishes Your Highness to fulfill her duty as a princess."
Zagrand placed the emperor's handwritten order on the table.
It contained exactly the words he had described.
'Princess Sophia is to devote three years to defending the northern border in a border town.
During that time, she is to participate in military training and use "Light attack magic" there.
After three years, Sophia is to return to the imperial capital. Thereafter, she is to be permitted to rest and study freely without leaving the capital.
This is a special preferential measure for one who possesses no fighting ability.'
──so it read.
"I asked Princess Riana about you, and she told me that Your Highness is interested in magic that makes daily life more comfortable..."
Minister of War Zagrand suddenly changed the subject.
"You occasionally invite researchers to discuss such matters, do you not?"
"Yes. I am interested in what effects magical power and magic can have when used to improve daily life."
Princess Sophia nodded.
"I want to find technology that would allow even someone like me to live without inconvenience. That should benefit the Empire as well. The Empire places great importance on strength, but there is value in improving the standard of living for nobles and commoners as well──"
"I am aware. His Majesty seems to understand that as well."
Zagrand raised a hand to stop Sophia from speaking.
"That is why His Majesty said that once you have fulfilled your three-year duty and returned to the imperial capital, you will be permitted to conduct research freely. His Majesty believes it would be best for you to pursue your research alongside Princess Riana."
"...Father said that?"
"Yes. Those were his exact words."
Zagrand conveyed this in a gentle voice.
Sophia stared intently at the emperor's order.
Then, as if she had made up her mind, she looked at Zagrand and said,
"I understand the order... I am a princess, too. If it is His Imperial Majesty's command, I will stake my life on fulfilling my duty."
"Admirable. As expected of you, Your Highness."
"However, I have several requests concerning my move to the border town."
"Please, go ahead."
"They concern my twin younger sister, Riana."
Sophia looked straight into Zagrand's eyes and said,
"She possesses great power, but she is still emotionally immature. She needs someone to support her. So... could I be granted the opportunity to see her several times a year?"
"Certainly. I will inform His Majesty."
"I can exchange letters with her, cannot I?"
"Of course. We are planning to tighten security along the border, so many messengers will be traveling back and forth. I will have them deliver letters from Your Highness to Princess Riana as well."
Zagrand answered matter-of-factly.
"Is there anything else?"
"...You have guided Riana as her tutor all this time."
Sophia suddenly rose from her seat.
Then she pinched the hem of her dress and performed the formal bow of a noblewoman.
"In truth, as her twin sister, I should have been her role model. But my weak constitution made that impossible. Thank you for taking my place, Zagrand."
"You honor me with your words."
Zagrand knelt on the floor.
Looking down at his white hair, Sophia continued.
"Then swear it, Zagrand. Swear that you will continue to devote yourself to Riana's happiness."
Sophia could tell that her voice was trembling.
Her breathing was labored as well.
The strain of remaining tense ever since she had come to the Imperial Court seemed to have sapped her strength.
(In the Hero's world, a body like this would be called 'a hopeless wreck,' wouldn't it? Why must I always... at the crucial moment...)
Clenching her fists in frustration, Sophia continued haltingly.
"As Minister of War──as one who has served His Imperial Majesty for many years──swear it. Swear that you will raise my sister to be a fine person. Swear that you will guide her properly──"
"I swear."
Zagrand bowed his head while still kneeling.
As though this were a stage, he made his declaration in a reverent tone.
"I, Zagrand, will devote my life to guiding Princess Riana so that she may become a person worthy of being a princess of the Dulgaria Empire. From this day forward, Your Highness Sophia will have no cause to worry about her younger sister."
"...You swear it?"
"I cannot understand why you doubt me so much. You must simply be tired."
Minister of War Zagrand said this, then rang the bell on the table.
It was a signal to summon his subordinates.
He had apparently noticed that Sophia was unwell.
(...I know, Zagrand. The Imperial soldiers under your command... were saved by people from the Demon Lord's Territory. And I know that... it has become a black mark against you...)
Sophia recalled the information she had heard earlier.
Riana had said this when she came to the detached palace before.
'I made a small mistake this time,' she had said.
Concerned by those words, Sophia gathered rumors from the nobles.
As a result──she learned that during the Gargalossa Magical Beast Subjugation, Riana had failed to defeat the magical beast and had been rescued by people from the Demon Lord's Territory.
She also learned that the emperor had recorded this as a black mark against both Riana and Zagrand.
To erase that black mark, they would need a commensurate achievement.
Zagrand might use Princess Riana as a tool for that purpose.
A perfectionist like Zagrand would have no qualms about doing so.
But Sophia could do nothing.
The emperor's order had already been issued.
All she could do was make Zagrand promise this much.
(...If only I had more stamina... then I could protect Riana...)
Thinking this, Sophia sank weakly into her chair.
After a while, Zagrand's female adjutant entered the room.
Supported by her, Sophia left the Imperial Court and boarded a carriage.
"...I will fulfill my duty, Father."
Slumped against the seat, Sophia read through the emperor's order.
"I will produce results... So please let your daughter Sophia return to the imperial capital... in less than three years..."
They were scheduled to depart the day after tomorrow. She would probably not be given time to see Riana.
So she would write a letter.
Zagrand had promised to deliver it properly to Riana. Surely he would keep at least that promise.
With those thoughts in mind, Princess Sophia closed her eyes.
"I see. Her Highness returned safely to the detached palace."
In the room after Princess Sophia had left, Zagrand murmured this.
His adjutant was standing beside him.
The female adjutant reported that she had placed Princess Sophia in the carriage and escorted her to the detached palace.
Zagrand then looked at his adjutant and said,
"Princess Sophia is a tragic waste. Would you not agree?"
"What do you mean by 'a tragic waste'?"
Zagrand looked at his adjutant again and said,
"If Princess Sophia were healthy, she could have become the Empire's first female emperor. Her Light magic and intelligence are precious. Would you not agree?"
"I am afraid I am not qualified to judge."
The female adjutant answered with her eyes lowered.
"All I know is that Princess Riana is worried about her older sister."
"Naturally. Anything else would be a problem."
Zagrand nodded.
"I intend to tell Princess Riana, 'The more results Your Highness achieves, the sooner Princess Sophia will return to the imperial capital.' Thinking of Princess Sophia, Princess Riana will work hard enough."
"And that means Princess Riana will be sent to subjugate magical beasts?"
"Once Her Highness's confinement has been lifted."
"Understood. My subordinates have already begun making preparations."
"...Ideally, I would have left Princess Riana in someone else's hands and overseen the plan to use Sophia myself."
Minister of War Zagrand placed his hands on the table and said irritably,
"But I cannot oversee this operation. I must leave it to the person chosen by the council of senior officials. That is His Majesty's decision."
At the council of senior officials held after the magical beast subjugation, Zagrand had been ordered to devise an operation to keep the Demon Lord's Territory from getting carried away.
He had then devised the plan together with the other person in charge.
However, Zagrand could not participate in the operation itself. The other person in charge would carry it out.
That had been the decision of the council of senior officials, made in the emperor's presence.
"I cannot command the operation myself, yet I will be held responsible if it fails. This is the first time I have had to devise an operation under such unfavorable conditions..."
"You have my sympathy."
"That is why I have decided to send you as my representative, Mariela."
Zagrand called his adjutant by name.
"Watch the local commander. He is strong, but I am not sure whether he will follow orders. Make sure he does not run wild, and report immediately if anything unusual happens."
"Understood."
"His magic and Princess Sophia's are both powerful. If they combine their strength, they may even rival the Demon Lord's power. But do not make a move against the Demon Lord's Territory yet. For now, it is important that we remain still."
Zagrand said this to his adjutant, Mariela.
"The operation in the border town is merely a regular military exercise. All you need to do is watch to ensure that the people of the Demon Lord's Territory do not come south. If you follow the plan, you should be able to intimidate the demons and demi-humans."
Sending Sophia near the border was meant to show the people of the Demon Lord's Territory the Empire's strength.
That was the purpose of the military training and Light magic.
While keeping the people of the Demon Lord's Territory in check, Zagrand would use Riana to earn a major achievement and erase the black mark.
The Empire was not lenient enough to forgive two failures.
That was why Zagrand had devised a plan that could not fail.
Place Princess Sophia in a border town and use Light magic at regular intervals to keep the Demon Lord's Territory in check.
That was the entire plan. There should have been no way for it to fail.
"Mariela. I will have you recalled to the imperial capital in one year. Until then, act as my representative and keep the local commander in check. He is strong, but... there is something about him that makes it impossible to tell what he is thinking."
"Understood. May I ask a question, sir?"
"You may."
"Princess Sophia will return in three years, correct?"
"If circumstances permit."
"Circumstances...?"
"If Princess Riana achieves the planned results and the Demon Lord's Territory is held in check as planned, Princess Sophia's role will be over. Until then, she will serve the Empire. That is all."
"...I understand."
"I have repeatedly told His Majesty that Princess Riana and Princess Sophia should be separated and used independently."
Minister of War Zagrand gave a bitter smile.
"That way, they will exert more power than they are capable of in order to protect each other. This operation is also meant to prove that. If it succeeds, His Majesty will recognize that my opinion is correct──and reaffirm my value."
Zagrand then handed a bundle of parchment to his adjutant, Mariela.
It described how Princess Sophia was to be used over the next three years.
After warning her never to show the contents to Sophia herself or the local commander, Zagrand left the room, leaving his adjutant behind.
"Now then, how will the Demon Lord's Territory respond? Unless I make them think, 'The Empire is a force to be feared,' this plan is meaningless. If only Princess Sophia would use the ultimate Light attack magic..."
Thinking this, Minister of War Zagrand left the Imperial Court and began walking.
He was headed for the palace where the princes and princesses lived.
Then, a little over ten minutes later.
Princess Riana would be informed that her older sister Sophia had voluntarily gone to the border town to make up for the black mark against her younger sister.