Chapter 88: Stickers (1)

"Sorry, I was trying to hold on, but the princess came, so I couldn't help it."

I made the first move before Aria could snap back.

"Were you just out here to watch me fall? It wasn't just a coincidence that the princess showed up was it?"

"...."

When did she learn telepathy?

I was momentarily taken aback by the sharp deduction that pierced through my innermost thoughts, but I managed to maintain my composure and responded calmly without breaking my expression.

"Do you think I came out here just to watch you fail? You're my precious junior."

"Talking like that makes me even more suspicious."

Despite her words, Aria's expression was softening a bit.

I took that opportunity to remove the seaweed strand stuck on Aria's hair.

"Isn't it cold? First, let's sit down and dry off."

I spread a mat in a sunny spot, made her sit down, and even covered her with a towel, and Aria's expression melted away like snow.

"If you were going to leave, you could have at least told me beforehand."

"I didn't know the buoyant stone would sink."

"...."

Aria also had nothing to say about him and awkwardly closed her mouth.

It must have been embarrassing. Seeing that they changed the subject themselves.

"What did you talk about with the princess?"

"It was decided to supply the summer hunt to the imperial family."

"...to the imperial family?"

I nodded while finishing removing the seaweed strands left on Aria's forehead.

"Yeah, it seems His Majesty really enjoyed the summer hunt."

"That's totally amazing, right?!"

Aria's voice rose in surprise.

That makes sense, since the imperial family had never officially received processed foods even once.

Not only the imperial family but also the palace were the same.

All the food used in the palace is prepared within the palace, and only specially selected ingredients are used.

The imperial palace cuisine could only be created through the hands of the imperial palace chef.

But it's not even the imperial palace, and our summer hunt is being served at the imperial banquet for the imperial family. It was beyond what could be described as a big deal.

But I couldn't just be completely happy.

It seems that the Second Princess has started to take an interest in our White Tower.

'If they went as far as to establish a department, it must be sincere.'

According to the Second Princess, the Emperor created a "Cultural Invasion Department", but it is clear that the Second Princess's influence was at play.

It was impossible for the Second Princess, the Southern Commander, to take charge of the Cultural Invasion Department unless she herself agreed to it.

It's one thing to come all the way to the beach...

Well, the Second Princess's attention wasn't a bad thing.

It's just that the attention of the 'princess' is burdensome; aside from that, it was all good.

If it was beneficial, it was fine; there was no way it could be harmful. The Second Princess was generous to the extent that it was remarkable.

Above all.

"We must prevent war."

If we left the war-crazed Second Princess alone, we couldn't predict what would happen.

If it's the Second Princess I know, it wouldn't be strange for her to start a war tomorrow.

*

If there is one thing I have learned over the past nine months of knowing the Second Princess, it is that her ambition is the unification of the continent.

It wasn't that I came to know it, but rather that it was something I couldn't help but know.

The Second Princess used to wage continental wars through 'war games' during her entire break time.

You'll naturally come to realize that it's not just a simple game but genuine when you spend time together.

Princess Christina was serious about everything and a knight superior to anyone else.

In fact, the peace of the continent was like a thin sheet of ice, ready to break at any moment.

Due to the prolonged peace, the military forces of each country had reached a saturation point, akin to a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment.

The astute Second Princess is aware of this and is preparing for the impending war.

The subjugation of the monster realm should also be seen as training for war.

But this was not the era I envisioned.

If possible, I thought that war should be prevented.

I wished that the bomb of that war would not explode in the hands of the Second Princess.

That's why.

"You're persistent, aren't you?"

"The role you assigned must be done properly."

Right after returning from the summer vacation, I started going in and out of the palace as an advisor to the Second Princess's department.

To maintain peace in the Empire, we had to redirect the Second Princess's interest in war elsewhere.

"Sit down. Let's play a war game."

"Sure."

It's just a formality, but we spent all our time playing war games or chatting.

"The concept of soft power we talked about last time is quite interesting."

Still, whether my feelings were understood or not, the Second Princess also began to view the war from a new perspective recently.

The Empire's cultural power was so overwhelming that it could minimize wars.

Right now, even the Cornel Kingdom has opened its doors due to processed foods.

"Still, there must be limits to what can be gained without war."

"At least some minimal skirmishes are unavoidable."

I wasn't an idealist who wanted to eliminate war itself either. It was about avoiding unnecessary wars.

By the way.

"You're not going to the south, huh?"

"How can I be in the South in this sweltering heat? I don't want to be soaked in sweat and become a sweaty mess."

Speaking, the Second Princess split the summer hunt in half and handed one side to me.

"It seems you like the summer hunt."

"Quite decent, actually."

Despite being the Southern Grand Chancellor, the Second Princess stayed at the palace, saying the South was too hot.

She might be criticized for how she could command from a distance, but she had excellent aides.

Receiving their reports and handling matters in writing alone made the Southern Army of the Second Princess run much more smoothly than when Marquis Hughes was present.

Of course, this was all possible because of the Second Princess's extraordinary work abilities.

She even introduced a video conferencing method through a previously non-existent portal.

If necessary, she would even go directly to the South herself, so all the initial complaints were completely resolved.

"Let's call it a day for now."

After exchanging various small talks for a while, the Second Princess stood up from her seat.

"I have to go to the monster realm, so you don't need to come for a while."

Monster Subjugation.

She was referring to the plan to subjugate the monsters in the south along with the Cornel Kingdom.

Since we're on the topic, I took out the protective magic bracelet I got from Aila from the competition.

It would have been difficult for me too if something had gone wrong to the Second Princess.

The only person who I could communicate during the main broadcast was the Second Princess.

It was an ironic situation where the Second Princess was practically the one preventing the war.

"You won't be in any danger if you wear it."

"...I don't know if you're just clueless or doing it on purpose."

"Is there a problem?"

"There isn't a problem. That's the problem."

It was as if she were hoping for a problem to arise.

Maybe the Second Princess was expecting a bloody massacre with the monsters.

But maybe the excitement faded when I gave him the protective bracelet.

It was my mistake to forget that the Second Princess is a knight who has become a sword master.

"Come to think of it, Your Highness, you wouldn't need a magic tool."

"Alright, where is the guy who then gives a gift and takes it away?"

The Second Princess, fearing someone would take it away, put the bracelet on her wrist.

So, what's the problem?

Seeing me puzzled, the Second Princess clicked her tongue.

"At least I won't be distracted."

The Second Princess, muttering incomprehensible words, put on her coat and left.

*

"You've worked hard."

The Third Prince came to see me.

"Thanks to you, we avoided a war with the Cornel Kingdom."

"It wasn't to that extent."

It was true that a local war almost broke out between the Cornel Kingdom, but the war was too exaggerated.

However, the Third Prince shook his head as if it wasn't an exaggeration at all.

"No. If that war fanatic were here, she would have already declared war on the Cornel Kingdom."

"...."

At this point, I was curious about what kind of image the Second Princess was held in the Third Prince's mind.

Well, this is the attitude one should have when dealing with a tyrant who doesn't understand reason.

By the way.

Is it an iced Americano?

Despite the cool weather as summer was coming to an end, the Third Prince was drinking an iced Americano.

Not only the Third Prince, but many citizens of the Empire sought iced coffee despite the cool weather.

It was the result of the success of the 'Always Iced Coffee' strategy through the Polar Bear Cave Café.

While secretly feeling satisfied, the Third Prince spoke up.

"War must never happen, no matter what."

He was content with the current peace. He reacted sensitively to the word "war."

I wonder if that's why.

"Recently, signs of anti-imperialism have been observed in the Fioré Kingdom."

"I understand that the Fioré Kingdom is an ally of the Empire."

"A allied nation. On the surface, yes."

The Third Prince frowned.

"The relationship soured over the amount of mana stones being mined."

The Fioré Kingdom was a kingdom overflowing with magic stones.

Since it was a kingdom that monopolized the most important resource on the continent, the magic stones, it could be considered a highly significant country.

It is said that there has been a recent conflict with the Empire over the amount of magic stone being mined.

But.

"Because of Wyvern Chicken, the national sentiment is also deteriorating, which is a problem."

"Are you talking about Wyvern Chicken?"

The citizens of the Fioré Kingdom are lizardmen. There are many among them whom are humans that have dragon blood as well.

"Well, then it could become a problem."

"They're funny folks; they eat chicken just fine when no one is watching."

"...."

"The problem is that if things continue like this, there is a high possibility that the Fioré Kingdom will revert to anti-imperialism."

"You mean we need to restore the public sentiment."

Honestly, it was an awkward story.

The Fioré Kingdom was consuming processed foods as usual, but the public sentiment was showing a negative trend.

Even if it's bread, which is Fioré's staple food...

'Bread?'

There was a thought that briefly crossed my mind.

"It would be great to make a sticker."

"Did you just say sticker?"

"It's a type of adhesive paper stamp."

Processed foods are not popular just for their taste.

One of the reasons why 'Pokémon bread' sold out at convenience stores was because of the sticker collection inside the bread.

I guess I should make a sticker book.

Fioré was a nation where the worship of beasts and dragons was prevalent.

I heard that there are hundreds of temples scattered everywhere that worship unknown beasts.

Creating a beast sticker collection in such a country?

This was bound to sell no matter what.

And.

"Woah! An, Ice Dragon...!"

My thoughts were spot on.

***

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