Ending Conditions of the Princess and the Knight

“Princess, by the way.”

“Why?”

“How’s the food at the hotel you’re staying at? I’ve heard bad things about it.”

“Oh, I’m not a picky eater, so it’s fine, though I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. I’m sorry I wasn’t very hospitable at the time.”

“It’s okay.”

“You don’t like that chocolate?”

“Yes, according to my taste.”

“You don’t seem to fit in here. It’s supposed to be a famous place.”

“I have no reason to come here since I don’t drink alcohol. More precisely, my preferences don’t align with the people who enjoy this place.”

Those damned aristocrats.

Since his days in the capital, Claude had gotten a lot of bad press among the nobility, especially among the men.

A dull knight who never drank or played, who couldn’t speak a word of foul language, who didn’t have a favorite prostitute.

He can’t tell how many pathetic glares he’s gotten from men who think he’s a god-blessed hero, a blue-blooded high-ranking imperial, who spends his free time sipping tea and reading in the sunshine.

During those moments, he would contemplate whether he should abandon everything and start anew. But considering the reputation of his family, he had endured a life of difficulty.

Yet those damned nobles, even coming all the way here, incessantly sought him out, insisting on ‘having fun.’ Even though he clearly expressed his dislike.

Feeling suffocated all of a sudden, he ruffled his bangs and unintentionally vented his frustration.

“The humans who come here look at me and say I don’t know how to play, and every time they do, I want to rip their tongues out. What the hell is a man supposed to do to play well. Is a man who enjoys tea instead of alcohol unattractive?”

“Oh? Do you like tea?”

“…Yes.”

As annoyance built up, he grumbled and then reverse it with a question. The other person quickly avoided eye contact and answered with a chubby face.

She barely managed to restrain herself from laughing at the cute display, as if teasing a ticklish thigh of an adorable, fluffy kitten.

She wondered if he had drank the poisoned tea that Bridget had sent because he likes tea.

“What kind of tea do you like?”

“Just… black tea, I suppose.”

Asking about his preferences, she could sense a slight awkwardness in his demeanor.

Taeri lavished praise on him for having a good hobby, and Claude tried his best to remain modest, but with each thumbs-up from her, his face visibly brightened and a flush appeared on his cheeks.

In this day and age, it might sound absurd for a man of his standing to be scandal-free and immaculate, but no, it was absolutely true.

Taeri trusted him one hundred percent when it came to his personal life being as clean and flawless as a swan’s.

‘So that’s why he was rumored to be a eunuch.’

This is a bit of a shame.

The protagonist simply had a wholesome hobby, as befits him. However, those foolish people outside persistently clung to him, urging him to engage in drinking and revelry, which naturally annoyed and irritated him.

Perhaps this is also a trial inherent to the protagonist’s fate, but still, even that level……

“It seems far superior to my hobby no matter how you look at it, doesn’t it?”

He was so mature and grown up that Taeri couldn’t help but bring up her own leisure activities.

“I wash and dry blankets on my days off, order takeout, and then take naps all day, and buy a lot of pretty but unnecessary things.”

“…….”

“It doesn’t matter because I find it fun.”

What does it matter if I find it fun? I don’t care about what others say around me.

Taeri tapped Claude’s back of the hand as if to say that there’s no need for him to care about the people outside or seek their understanding since he ranks first in this world. The same rhythm she’d used to pat Bridget’s back before coming in.

As Claude comfortably received the touch, he suddenly realized the point and quickly changed the subject.

“By the way, why did the princess come here? You must have known that it wouldn’t be an easy place to relax. Did you plan it from the beginning, or by any chance—”

“It’s not like that. I just wanted to do something.”

Claude’s relaxed expression hardened at her words.

Do something? Why.

Just exist, why.

Stay still, what on earth for.

He sincerely hoped that the princess wouldn’t do anything.

He didn’t have the slightest desire to fight with her, just as he said.

“Suddenly, there’s someone I need to find. Bridget said if I come here with me, she would help me find that person.”

Was it another trick of that dirty woman? It was good that he came. Claude praised his decision to throw away his meal and immediately head to the wine bar.

“May I ask who you’re looking for?”

“It’s a person from Izarith. He used to be the warehouse keeper. He’s said to be a professional astrologer.”

Astrologer? From Izarith? Claude’s mind immediately raced. Out of all the reports that came his way, he was able to pick out the rumors that contained those two words and combined them into something useful.

“I once heard a rumor of an old fortune teller near the Wall who used to read travelers’ fortunes. I don’t know if he’s still there, but he might be the one you’re looking for.”

When asked why he thought so, Claude replied with conviction.

“They say his divinations are rarely correct.”

“So, he’s a fraud?”

“Yes, a fraud. However, despite that, he managed to attract customers and continue his business, which means he must possess a power other than astrology.”

“Another power, like magic?”

“That’s what I think.”

“I’ve never thought of such a possibility.”

It’s an unconventional approach, but he’s the protagonist, so I trust him. The protagonist lives a life with guaranteed benefits without even trying, so he may have a better hit rate than most fortune tellers.

As for the quack near the Wall, Taeri had a little hint in her ear.

“Why are you looking for such a fraud?”

“I need the key to the warehouse that person took. And I also want to give them some punishment. We can’t just let that despicable person get away with feasting on stolen goods.”

So, it’s about apprehending and punishing them. Claude’s mind became uneasy once again.

Of course, if she wanted revenge, that was her business.

Judgment of the guilty was one of the important responsibilities of a leader, and it could be the process by which the rightful princess regained her place.

Sigh… That’s not good. It’s troublesome if that’s the case.

In the fleeting moment of anxiety, he pinpointed the exact mark in the center of that unease.

“We have to get the key to get inside.”

“Where? Into the forest?”

“No, into the castle.”

There was a ping in my head, a straight line.

“Into the Ruined Castle, you mean?”

“Yes, I said the warehouse is inside the castle.”

The old royal castle of Izarith, the origin of the curse and a battlefield. It might be the place where the princess was born and raised, but to Claude, it was a highly dangerous area infested with highly lethal monsters, no more and no less.

Go in there? Go into that cursed, ruined castle?

With a face devoid of color, Claude drew a firm line.

“The abandoned castle is strictly off-limits to everyone without exception.”

As it is, he was already on edge due to the eerie aura emanating from that area.

That was also the reason for going on patrol. He instinctively sensed that strange things were happening only around the vicinity of the abandoned castle.

Experienced hunters getting lost, discovering clearly marked footprints of a child, or even encountering ancient beings like elves that were hard to believe.

But going in there now? A resolute voice quickly poured out.

“The area surrounding the castle is infested with Danger Level 1 demons in groups. They’re hard to break through, and even if you manage to find a way through the entrance by sheer luck, you’ll ultimately get lost and wander around. There have been numerous cases of people going missing like that.”

If they were lucky enough to be discovered by the patrolling individuals and returned to the village, that’s great, but more often than not, they encountered monsters and ended up dead. The number of corpses that had to be retrieved in such a manner was not small.

Unless you want to die, you should not approach the vicinity of the abandoned castle. His resolute words left her feeling restless.

“I have closed off all the routes and issued a strict no-entry order. Anyone who violates it will be punished regardless of their status. Don’t forget that I have the authority of the Knights.”

Even saying that could come off as quite arrogant, but he said it fully prepared for such a response.

The princess seemed to be lost in thought as she stared at his stern face with cold eyes. After a long while, when she finally spoke quietly, her voice carried even more persuasive power.

“But I still want to go in.”

It was still her unwavering determination, but what made him not get angry upon hearing it was the feeling that she wasn’t simply throwing a tantrum.

He knew this kind of voice well, a voice that didn’t seek to force or torment others.

In the oaths of solemn priests and knights pledging their noble will. And in every case, their voices were always sincere.

“I don’t mean to put you on the spot, Viceroy, and I understand why you’re being so sensitive and anxious, but this is a disaster that has devastated a country in an instant, so naturally, we must be cautious in every approach.”

“Since you already know that well, I suppose I don’t need to explain further. Access to the abandoned castle is prohibited.”

Before he could say anything, Taeri let out a deep sigh at Claude’s defensive attitude.

Even if she knew the future, it wasn’t easy to hasten the course of events. The biggest obstacle was trying to manipulate Claude, who had control over the game’s progression, into becoming her ally.

‘Ah, I can’t wait to hurry back home!’

If she just sat back and waited for things to unfold on their own, it would likely take an eternity to reach the conclusion. She couldn’t afford to do that. She had so much to do and so much to accomplish in her original world.

She had to find a way to return quickly. Taeri gathered her thoughts and threw a fastball in frustration.

“I’ll just be honest.”