Ending Conditions of the Princess and the Knight

‘Sonnetti.’

That was enough to explain the woman’s identity.

A small, white-faced woman with dirty ash-blonde hair in a loose braid.

This was Sonetti. The last princess of Izarith. The only Sonetti left in the world.

Claude was inwardly stunned, for this was exactly what he had imagined Sonetti would look like.

Just as he was about to be overwhelmed with admiration for her magical appearance, the princess, who had been staring at him for some reason, moved her small lips first.

“Are you really Claude?”

It was as if a thin layer of glass shattered in his head.

No title, no last name, just his first name.

Though momentarily flustered, Claude quickly composed himself and stood up, kneeling down on one knee in front of her.

“All the mysteries of the world come from Izarith.”

A hand wrapped in a white uniform was held out respectfully.

Asking permission to kiss the back of the hand in greeting is the highest form of deference a knight can show a lady.

But the princess in front of him hesitated, and only after a long moment did she mutter, ‘Oh, you want my hand?’ and gently lay her hand over his.

‘This is nice.’

It’s not like he’s asking for anything. But for some reason, he felt a little happy. Like a cat who never gives you a hand would nonchalantly flick the back of your hand with its nose.

“You have very small hands.”

With a light kiss, Claude sized up the princess’s hand.

Without needing to compare, he decided that the bloodstains found in the forest were not her palms.

“It is an honor to meet a member of the Archmage’s lineage. I am Claude Devonshire, Paladin of Valoran. I am protecting Izarith while the princess is away. The Emperor of Valoran has been concerned about the situation here.”

Protecting was a mild word, as it was closer to trespassing, so Claude tried to be as neutral as possible.

“My emperor has told me that it is the law that an army must be sent in haste to an empty mountain without a master. I hope you understand that it is not my will to stay here.”

That is, by telling the truth as it is, revealing the true face of the greedy emperor.

Whether or not she understood, the Princess looked puzzled and narrowed her eyes at him.

Izarith, a mysterious land ruled by wizards since time immemorial.

The small city-state, said to be the birthplace of the Mado civilization, destroyed itself due to the mistakes of the last king. It wasn’t attacked by another nation.

Rumor has it that the king, a mad wizard, was cursed for violating a divine taboo, but no one knows if that’s true or not.

What is known is that the monsters that symbolize the curse are rampaging madly in the Black Forest in the center of the kingdom.

‘And her daughter.’

To be precise, a princess who had run for her life in the past, when the curse struck.

“Princess……?”

Claude felt slightly uncomfortable at the steady gaze that had been fixed on him the entire time.

Her observant gaze was tinged with surprise and admiration.

‘But I came prepared for her hatred and loathing?’

I wasn’t prepared for this kind of development at all.

Even though it was a land that had lost its leader, he came in as if he owned the place and assumed the role of a viceroy. From her perspective, he thought he would be seen as nothing less than an invader, so he naturally came prepared to be despised.

“If I’ve made any mistakes, please forgive me……”

“Are you really Claude?”

“Yes, I am indeed Claude.”

He felt a kind of embarrassment he hadn’t experienced before at being addressed by his first name, as if he were a long-lost friend.

“Do you know me?”

There’s no way he’d be so coy about it. To put it as badly as possible, he was a marauder and a thief.

“No, it’s not like that, I’m just kind of glad to see you.”

“Nice to see…… yes?”

For once, Claude was properly dumbfounded. His smooth voice was squeaky.

How can you say you’re just glad to see me, not hate me, not dislike me, not loathe me?

He was expecting the worst and imagining himself getting showered in the face with this juice on the table.

But no matter what, Taeri’s eyes lit up with sincerity.

It was like the figure she bought because she said, ‘Wow, it’s pretty,’ came to life and talked to her and kissed the back of her hand.

And it’s Claude Devonshire.

The main character of the game. The same knight she had been furiously manipulating in front of her monitor just a few hours earlier.

He was handsome and athletic, with a white uniform and contrasting black hair, as befitted a paladin of his profession.

His cold gray eyes were a perfect match for his air of austerity.

‘All the protagonists in the world are frauds. He must have been a typical cold-hearted handsome man who excelled at everything with a suspicious face.’

But despite his calm exterior, he has more of a boyish side.

Even if he seemed flawless, he has a huge weakness that he never reveals to others.

Taeri was well aware of Claude’s human frailties, having already experienced them in the game.

‘He seems like a top student, but he’s just a tsundere type. I never thought I would end up… sitting face to face with a tsundere protagonist and even sharing a cup of tea. This is insane, I’m going crazy.’

Then I suddenly realized my situation.

I keep thinking it’s not real, but no matter what, the man in front of me is a person with a distinct presence, and it is clear that he is real here.

But me?

I’m not even in the game. What am I supposed to do?

In the game Black Forest of Izarith, the Princess of Izarith never existed.

It’s a region that’s set in the game, but it’s a country that’s falling apart. It’s a story that starts with Claude, a knight of Valoran, as the main character.

He becomes the Viceroy of Izarith, and the story ends with him slaying the monsters of the Black Forest, breaking the curse and becoming a hero. The game’s main goal is to make you feel good by clearing the difficult battles you encounter along the way.

There were tons of monsters with ugly shapes, but the Princess of Izarith had no reason or place to appear.

It’s hard to say if she doesn’t exist, but what is clear is that she has never appeared in the game.

‘It’s weird to be in the game when I don’t have a role. There’s no place for me here.’

If it weren’t for the fact that every person she met called her Princess or Sonetti or whatever, she still wouldn’t have realized who she was.

When she found her way out of the woods and into the village, everyone was stunned and recognized her scarlet eyes—

— Oh my God, the princess is back!

Pointing to her, they said she was the princess.

The princess the wizards had risked their lives to bring out of the kingdom the day the Great Curse fell. That’s her.

But does that mean I’m really that princess? Taeri tilted her head slightly.

“Um……. You know, Claude.”

The man, who hadn’t yet fully recovered from her flirtatious attack, wiggled his eyebrows at another friendly call.

“You can call me Viceroy.”

“Ah, yes, as you wish, Viceroy.”

As you wish? As you wish?

On this side, various thoughts crossed my mind in a short period of time, but on that side, it’s nothing special, so do as you wish?

For a moment, an unknown array of emotions stirred, but Claude sliced them beneath the surface.

“I think Viceroy will suffice. Please speak freely. I don’t want to become a reckless person who treats the princess disrespectfully.”

This was said with considerable polish and deliberation, and the princess nodded easily this time.

“I understand.”

“It seems like you had something to say just now.”

“I did. Do you happen to know my name?”

“……”

Just when you think you’ve finally cleared the air, she’s back to stabbing you in the gut. Claude rubbed at his throbbing temples after a series of difficult questions.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know.”

“I see, you don’t know.”

“Why would you want to know?”

“Because everyone here just calls me Princess or Sonetti.”

Call her Princess when they’re friendly and Sonneti when they’re hostile. I knew that Sonnetti was the last name of the House of Izarith, but it was a little odd that no one said the princess’s name.

It wasn’t that they didn’t know it, but that they didn’t think they should know it.

Claude’s answer convinced Taeri of that.

That this character she’d possessed never existed, was never meant to exist.

She didn’t even have a name.

Nothing about the princess was set in stone.

‘Is this…… a good thing?’

I can’t help but wonder if it’s better to not have a single deviation in the progress from now on. Anyway, since the story ends when Claude defeats the final boss, the dragon, I figured I could use the formula ‘ending = return.

Taeri sighed heavily and let out several deep sighs as her barely calmed chest once again clogged up.

‘Those who rise to power by playing games, fall to ruin by playing games.’

In a situation where I, a world-class professional gamer with numerous championship trophies and who earns more money than a baseball player, find myself being thrown into another world (?) after playing a casual game. Moreover, I am also a gold medalist in the e-sports section of the Olympic Games.

I have no particularly important people and no family left, so even if I were to live today and died tomorrow, I would have no regrets. But even so, I had no intention of putting an end to my life in this world.

“I should have made a will to donate to the society…….”

“I don’t know what you mean by that.”

“Oh, no. It’s nothing. I was just talking to myself, but thanks for answering.”

On the other hand, Claude’s expression grew complicated, unable to take a sip from his glass. He already found the princess suspicious and full of doubts, asking peculiar questions about everything.

‘Of course, I wouldn’t know. How could I possibly know your name… Wait a moment, why is this so obvious?’

Suddenly, his train of thought stopped like there was a mental roadblock.

In his mind, there was no trace of the princess’s name, let alone any fleeting information about her.

He had assumed it was impossible to know such things, that it was only natural. However, at that moment, he was struck by the question of why it was considered natural.