Chapter 3: The Princess Stripped of Her Status
«Nirvana’s Perspective» (Karlün, Oiraan Empire Capital)
“Where have you been? Of all places, Ackersen… Your recklessness knows no bounds, Nirvana!”
The moment I entered the throne room, I was scolded. Upon returning to the Empire, I was summoned to the court without rest. The voice belonged to Antonia, my father’s public concubine. To put it bluntly, a mistress. With wavy, fiery red hair and lips painted blood-red, her flashy appearance is the opposite of my late mother’s.
Yet there she sat on the throne reserved for the emperor. Beside her stood my half-brother, Crown Prince Siegfried, dressed in a white military uniform with a rose in his breast pocket. Wavy blond hair, deep green eyes, and a refined face with a sharp nose.
Despite the ministers flanking the throne, no one pointed out this absurd situation. They all feared retaliation from Antonia and Siegfried…
“Lady Antonia! Even with Father away on campaign, this is unacceptable.”
“Shall we ask the others?”
When Antonia glanced at the ministers, they clamped their mouths shut like clams.
“No, more importantly, is it true you’re sending Siegfried to reclaim Tobils?”
“It’s true, Sister,” Siegfried replied.
“It’s too reckless just to let Siegfried earn merits! Besides, Tobils isn’t even a key stronghold.”
Tobils’ lord opposed Antonia and Siegfried’s tyranny and was abandoned. Reports say it’s already in ruins, with no survivors…
“Even a princess’s words cannot be ignored. Siegfried is stronger, more beautiful, and far wiser than you. Do you think my Siegfried would attack Tobils without a plan? Just because you’re incompetent doesn’t mean you should envy the brilliant Siegfried. It’s unsightly.”
“That’s not it… It’ll cost countless soldiers’ lives as well as use massive resources and weapons…”
If they march to reclaim Tobils just for Siegfried’s fame, more blood will spill.
“A princess like you should worry about herself instead. The rabble would gladly offer their lives knowing we fight the demon race. A princess who doesn’t understand that…”
“Mother! Sister has no combat experience and doesn’t know the battlefield. She spouts ideals without facing reality. Why not send her to the front to learn, as she wishes, by protecting the rabble?”
“Me, to the battlefield?”
“You’re not getting cold feet now, saying you don’t want to go, are you? Were your words about caring for the rabble just empty platitudes?”
“No… that’s not it… I just…”
“It’s the perfect chance for the incompetent sister to learn the battlefield’s hardships alongside the rabble. If you earn merits, Father will surely be pleased.”
“Oh! How sharp, Siegfried. As expected of the prince I bore! If you care so much for the rabble, go save them yourself!”
“Mother, I have an idea. To shed her label of incompetence, why not have Sister deploy as a mere commoner foot soldier?”
“Oh, my Siegfried! You voice my thoughts perfectly. Until you earn merits, Nirvana, your status as princess is stripped, and you’re ordered to the battlefield as a non-commissioned officer. Agreed?”
There’s no agreeing or disagreeing… None of the ministers dare object to this absurdity.
“Wait!”
Barbara pushed through the ministers to reach me but was restrained by guards midway.
“What does a demi-human want?”
“N-Nirvana-sama is… His Majesty’s daughter… a princess… To demote her to a commoner… is madness…”
The guards smirked, pressing Barbara’s head to the cold stone floor. Undeterred, she protested to Antonia.
“Oh my, my words carry the same weight as Crown Prince Siegfried’s. The mad one is you, demi-human.”
When Antonia flicked her crossed legs, her red high heel flew toward Barbara, striking her head. Frustratingly, I couldn’t stop it.
“Splendid, Mother! Rumor has it demi-humans are demon spies. Surely, Ancestor Elon willed their purge.”
“Indeed.”
When Siegfried waved, a minister brought Antonia a new high heel. As a servant put it on her, she stood and declared to us, “Nirvana, choose: this insolent one burns at the stake, or you step down.”
There’s only one answer.
“I’ll step down with Barbara. But when I earn merits, you’ll apologize properly for calling her a demi-human instead of her name.”
“Yes, yes, I’ll apologize as much as you want~ But that day will never come!”
“Nirvana-sama! No! To throw away your princess status for someone like me!”
“Shut up! A demi-human dares speak before His Highness and Lady Antonia?”
“Stop! Barbara and I are leaving.”
As a guard tried to strike Barbara with a sheathed saber, I threw myself in front to stop him. I grabbed the saber’s handle, but something felt off.
The guard struggled desperately to move the saber, but it stayed firmly in my grip.
No way… it can’t be because of Nord’s training in Ackersen. I couldn’t have gotten that strong in such a short time. The guard probably skipped breakfast, that’s all.
As the standoff continued, Siegfried called out to the guard.
“Let go.”
“But…”
“I said let go. Didn’t you hear me?”
“My apologies!!”
As the guard apologized to Siegfried, I quietly released the staff-rifle. Intimidated by him, the guard quickly backed off from Barbara.
“Are you okay, Barbara?”
“Ugh… for me… for me…”
“Don’t worry. I saw this coming anyway.”
“What a shame. You secretly got engaged to Ackersen’s King John, only to have it broken off.”
“…”
I knew it’d come out eventually, but for a clandestine arrangement to be exposed so easily… Showing surprise or regret would play into Antonia and Siegfried’s hands. I stayed silent. They planned to oust me from the court and seize full control of Oiraan. My secret engagement with King John is probably doomed now. If only Nord were here…
No, a commoner like me now wouldn’t interest him.
Barbara and I, though not treated as criminals, were locked in a carriage from the outside and sent under strict surveillance to Kannenberk, the front line against the demon race.
«Nord’s Perspective»
If Kain fails to raise Nirvana’s affection, she faces a brutal arc in the Oiraan Empire’s military and dies. That would force me back to the Elise route, where she kills me…
To prevent that and ensure Nirvana’s safety, I followed the Nirvana route to Kannenberk. To avoid trouble from being recognized, I let my bangs hang over my eyes and posed as Noct Axis, a shy soldier, requesting a transfer to the front where Nirvana was sent.
It’s the front line against the demon race.
With soldiers always needed, no one noticed my impersonation.
I saluted a bald superior officer, who looked like a stereotypical drill sergeant from a war movie, while logistics soldiers worked nearby. His name was Bowman. I greeted him like I’d welcome a branch manager in my past life.
“Medic Noct Axis, reporting for duty!”
“You’re the reckless fool who requested the demon front at Kannenberk?”
“Sent here as punishment, sir.”
Spouting a half-baked excuse while maintaining a stiff tone to avoid offending Bowman, my cheek muscles twitched, on the verge of spasming. One slip, and Nord’s sharp tongue might erupt. I had to avoid being labeled a problem child on my first day.
“No wounded yet. Go help Fana with the unloading over there.”
“Sir!”
Bowman’s mention of Fana confirmed it.
Nirvana’s here!
In the game, despite being on the front line, Nirvana isn’t in combat but serves as a logistics soldier handling supplies. Imagining her silently loading food and weapon crates alone, her past flashed through my mind.
Based on her appearance and the text, Nirvana was around twelve or thirteen. She visited an orphanage and, shocked by the bizarre scene, cried out.
“What are you doing!?”
“Nirvana-sama!?”
Nuns and orphans were reaching into a pot, wrists cut, dripping red blood into it.
An official overseeing them rubbed his hands and sidled up to Nirvana.
“Of course, it’s bloodletting. We drain their tainted blood from miasma exposure to restore their health!”
“Even so, draining them until they’re this emaciated is unthinkable! Stop this at once—it’s a princess’s order!”
The nuns and orphans had sunken eyes and gaunt cheeks, far from healthy. Their wrists bore multiple blade scars.
“That’s an impossible request. We’re under strict orders to bleed the orphanage children.”
“Orders!? Who would command such cruelty…?”
The official called it bloodletting, but it was clearly harmful. Who would order such nonsense? As Nirvana wondered, the answer appeared.
“Well, well, Sister. Bullying a diligent minor official with impossible demands for fun, are we?”
“Siegfried!?”
“Sister, you understand nothing. They trade blood for food. Isn’t that perfect? Even useless ones can eat. Look.”
The official ordered a servant to bring a box, who dumped its contents on the floor—crude bread. Despite unhealed wounds, the orphans desperately gathered the scattered loaves.
“Haha! They’re not humans, they’re monkeys!”
“Quite right, sir.”
Siegfried pointed and mocked the scrambling orphans, the official laughing along.
Seeing this, Nirvana…
Slap!
A sharp sound echoed in the cramped orphanage. Nirvana had struck Siegfried’s cheek hard.
“Do you think you’ll get away with this!? I’m the crown prince!”
“As crown prince, you should act worthy of your position.”
Siegfried glared, grinding his teeth, but Nirvana, unfazed by his intimidation, joined the orphans to gather the bread.
After collecting it…
“Nirvana-sama, you shouldn’t…”
“Don’t worry. You need to treat your wounds.”
As the orphans devoured the bread, Nirvana stood before the pot and declared, “If you want blood so badly, use mine.”
Rolling up her sleeve, she cut her wrist with a knife, letting red blood drip into the pot. The nuns and orphans stopped, watching her prayerfully. Siegfried bit his thumbnail, while the official panicked.
Since then, she sought out noble bloodlines. Visiting orphanages and slums, she uncovered that blood was being drained under the guise of treatment.
Looking where Bowman pointed, I saw a cargo wagon without horses, surrounded by stacks of crates.
Ordered to the loading area, I couldn’t find Nirvana. Thinking she might be between the wagons, I searched but found nothing. To avoid raising her affection further, I’d hidden my identity, but calling out could expose me. So, I altered my voice and called.
“Fana-saaan?”
“Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!”
There she is!!
But Nirvana was groaning, engulfed by a giant slime.
Killing it with magic or slicing it with the accordion sword from «Treasure Vault» would risk exposing me.
Only one option.
Opening a long wooden crate, I found, as expected, a standard staff-rifle. From a box labeled «Blue», I took a cartridge and loaded it into the staff-rifle.
“Hang on.”
Calling to Nirvana, fully enveloped by the slime, she nodded faintly despite her pain.
As the slime tried to wrap around the staff-rifle I held, I pulled the trigger. The amethyst-like magic stone at the tip glowed, and the barrel jolted upward.
The «Blue» cartridge’s effect, akin to ice-based magic, rapidly hardened the slime’s gelatinous body. If it froze solid like an icicle, rescuing Nirvana would be a hassle, so I brushed off the half-frozen slime with my hand…
Huh?
The slime was still dissolving, and it had degraded Nirvana’s military uniform, peeling it away with the slime.
“Hyaaa!”
Tch, too erotic…
Nirvana was left in just a blue string bra and panties, her body slick with the slime’s mucus.
She hid behind the covered cargo wagon.
The sherbet-like slime melted, coating her in sticky residue. The image of a lotion-drenched princess burned into my brain, refusing to leave.
“For now, wear this.”
“Thanks…”
I took off my military jacket—technically Noct’s—and handed it to her without looking. She slipped it on, blushing as she emerged shyly from the shadows.
Even trying to hide, her alluring breasts spilled out. Due to our height difference, Noct’s jacket was long on Nirvana, but not long enough to cover her panties, leaving her in a panty-flashing state.
It was like she’d been ravaged by scumbag soldiers, drenched in fluids, and rescued—way too erotic. Worse, her underwear was see-through, revealing things that shouldn’t be seen…
I had to get away before my rationality collapsed.
“Sorry, I’ll handle things here. Y-you, go wash up.”
I nearly called her “You” but caught myself.
“Kiki? Oh, right. Sorry… I screamed weirdly despite you saving me from danger… By the way, who are you?”
“I’m Noct Axis. Assigned here today. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Fana Lunas. Nice to meet you.”
Heh heh heh.
I couldn’t help but chuckle like Nord in my head. Nirvana didn’t seem to suspect I was Nord at all. If I keep saving her from the shadows, her affection for me won’t rise further.
A perfect plan!
Still, Nirvana’s treatment is harsh! Her half-brother Siegfried gets officer status, while she’s stuck as a non-commissioned grunt…
Well, that’s why I’m here. My role in the Oiraan military is to secretly help Nirvana earn merits to be recalled to the court as a princess.
She headed to a nearby spring to wash off the slime’s stickiness.
Then I had a brilliant idea.
If I quickly finish this backbreaking unloading work and pin the credit on Nirvana, it’s a win.
“No time to play in the dirt! Come forth, «Puppet Dolls»!”
As I touched the ground, the earth rose, forming humanoid shapes. Since no one was watching, I summoned about a hundred human-sized golems.
“You lot, match the crate labels to the wagon tarps’ colors and load them!”
—Guooo!!
Golems lack high intelligence, but they have about the smarts of a crow. More golems mean lower intelligence; fewer mean near-human levels.
For now, minimal intelligence is enough. Their silent, complaint-free work is almost endearing.
But one golem was acting suspiciously. It approached a blue wagon, then turned back. It did the same at a red wagon.
Other golems bumped into it, as if annoyed, knocking it aside. Feeling sorry for it, I called out.
“Show me.”
—Ugo.
The golem’s crate had no label.
No wonder. Without a label, it couldn’t follow instructions. Still, it didn’t just dump the crate randomly.
I opened the crate’s lid.
“Excellent! You did the best work.”
Inside was a so-called confidential document.
«Kill Fana Lunas, make it look like a misfire»
It was addressed to the unit commander, signed by… Crown Prince Siegfried.
Too obvious!
It’s written in proper Oiraan cipher, but I couldn’t help thinking, If it weren’t me, I’d have missed it.
I could’ve destroyed it, but I made a slight tweak.
«Kill Siegfried, make it look like a misfire»
I signed it from Antonia, the concubine. The original went into my «Treasure Vault».
Thanks to the thoughtful golem, I might’ve nipped Nirvana’s assassination in the bud, cutting off a death flag that’d lead to my own demise if she died.
“Your name is Owl now!”
—Ugogo?
The golem’s eye-like hollows glowed round, clearly confused. But I kept talking.
“And lead these guys.”
With a snap, a horn sprouted on Owl’s head, about the length of my forearm. A commander unit needs a horn.
Leaving Owl to lead the golems, I checked on the spring.
Not to peep.
Not to peep.
I said it twice because it’s important, but Nirvana’s knack for getting into trouble worried me…
Fufufu~fun♪
My worries were unfounded. At the waterfall’s deep green pool, Nirvana was humming while bathing.
Her stunning figure made me catch my breath.
Funfufunfufu♪
I turned away, hiding in the shade. Her angelic humming reached my brain, soothing my heart.
It wasn’t her translucent nape or perfectly curved, perky butt that captivated me.
Hearing a beautiful girl like Nirvana’s voice after tiring fieldwork, recharging energy for more work… that’s the slow life I want.
Lost in that fantasy, her angelic humming stopped.
Instead, an irritating voice, worse than a construction site’s chipping hammer, echoed.
“Well, well, Fana! Taking a bath before finishing the commander’s assigned work? Maybe you’re washing up to comfort us?”
“I’m not washing to comfort you!”
Turning, I saw Nirvana hiding in the pool, only her head visible, surrounded by thuggish soldiers.
“Uh, I can scrub the seniors’ backs if you want.”
“Who the hell are you!?”
“I’m Noct Axis, assigned today.”
“Don’t know you!”
I subtly spread «Black Mist» around the water’s edge, unnoticed by the delinquent soldiers. While distracting them with banter, I signaled Nirvana to escape from behind.
“Too bad. We just met, but today’s our farewell…”
“What’re you—”
“What’s this black mist!?”
I grabbed the jacket hanging on a branch—the one I lent Nirvana, stained with slime residue. I doused it with a high potion from my pouch.
Like a cooking show actor pouring olive oil, generously…
The high potion, boosted by my «Dark Recovery», transformed the degraded slime residue into their king. The basketball-sized slime grew to the size of a compact van.
«Dark Recovery» amplifies the form and abilities of its target, sometimes even triggering a class change.
A delinquent soldier screamed, his voice near a shriek, clearly terrified at the König Slime emerging from the mist.
“What!? Why’s a König Slime here!?”
The soldiers, in thick fog, tried fleeing from the König—cough—King Slime but crashed into trees and fell.
“Help! Don’t leave me!”
Two abandoned a fallen comrade, scrambling to escape. The fallen one grabbed the presumed leader’s ankle…
“Let go! Why should I die for you!?”
The leader pried off the hand and kicked the fallen soldier repeatedly.
“Hah, die together, idiot!”
“Think you can leave without me, the leader!?”
“I never thought you were the leader!”
A lanky soldier tried fleeing, mocking them.
So ugly.
I wanted to make them drink Nirvana’s nail dirt. Then the König Slime extended its body like squid tentacles, grabbing the farthest soldier’s ankle.
“What the—”
Thinking the leader grabbed him, the soldier tried kicking with his other foot, but was dragged to the ground and sucked into the slime’s body.
“Help…”
““Eek!?””
Seeing the soldier preserved like a specimen in formalin, the leader and fallen soldier paled.
They flailed in panic, but it was too late. The König Slime captured them, and all three were trapped inside.
“““Gurgle gurgle gurgle!”””
They thrashed, clawing at their throats, drowning in the slime. It was only a matter of time before the König Slime absorbed their nutrients, reducing them to bubbles.
Soldiers who can’t even help or care for comrades…
“Help, gurgle gurgle!”
The leader reached out, pleading.
But I…
“If you ever once listened to demi-humans begging for life in demon-occupied lands, I’d help. Well?”
“No, I just followed orders to relocate demi-humans!”
“And beat them during transfer, killing them to cover it up, right?”
“How’d you—”
Just a bluff.
But it hit the mark. In [Rising Hero], during Kain and Barbara’s training, delinquent soldiers like these violated elf, dwarf, halfling, and beastman women and children under the guise of justice.
“I’ve no taste for seeing your naked bodies.”
“Wait! Gurg, gurg, gurgle gurgle—!” Bloop, bloop…
“The price for seeing Her Highness’s naked body was steep.”
I turned and left the König Slime with the trapped soldiers.
—The next day.
“König Slime remains were found near the waterfall! Who the hell took down an A-rank monster? Speak up!”
Bowman, forgetting his usual lecture, had us stand at attention, interrogating us. The gathered soldiers exchanged glances, but no one raised a hand.
Obviously.
Only a named character like Barbara could solo a König Slime.
But I played oblivious and raised my hand high.
“Sir! I think it was Fana-senpai.”
“What!?”
Nirvana shot me a look like, What are you saying!? Ignoring her, I pressed Bowman.
“When loading crates, I saw Fana-senpai leave to check a noise.”
“Hmm, Fana, huh… Hard to believe, but the evidence adds up.”
“No, no, no, don’t believe Noct… I couldn’t possibly defeat a König Slime…”
“But you were the only one at the waterfall.”
“It was Noct! He did it!”
“Hahaha! Fana, you’ve learned to joke. A fresh commoner recruit beating an A-rank monster? Plus, Noct finished loading for you—a day’s worth of work!”
Heh heh heh, my alibi’s perfect.
No one would think I used golems.
“I’ll report Fana as the one who defeated it. Also, an announcement: Igor, Muchin, and Hanov shirked sentry duty, letting a König Slime infiltrate the camp! They also deserted under enemy fire. Until replacements arrive, Fana and Noct take sentry duty. With Fana, who beat a König Slime, what’s more reassuring?”
As Bowman’s long speech ended, Nirvana glared at me suspiciously. Even so, I had to fabricate merits to restore her as a princess.
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