Chapter 21: You May Relax desu wa!

“Rishali. Your brother is having a meeting at the house just ahead.”

“Thank you ever so much.”

I managed to persuade Luri-chan and had her untie me.

Then, borrowing her clothes, I headed for the “barracks” where Berka and the others were said to be.

“…Oh my, this is quite an impressive building.”

The barracks in Byuredesto were a rather majestic structure.

Bows and arrows were propped up against the square outer walls, and the design allowed it to function as a “final defense line” should urban combat break out.

There were guards stationed at the outer gate, but thanks to Luri-chan, I was able to get in.

“Berka, I dug the hole just like you said. I also increased the number of bonfires.”

“Well done.”

Upon entering the building, I found the meeting room at the very back.

Voices from Berka and the others leaked through the room; it seemed they were conducting a briefing in preparation for the decisive battle.

“Yaiban is moving faster than we anticipated. Reinforcements likely won’t arrive in time.”

“Whoa there, is this gonna be okay?”

“We can buy time. As long as we hold out until reinforcements arrive, we’ll be fine.”

Berka explained this to the soldiers in a heavy tone.

It seemed Yaiban’s invasion was progressing faster than expected.

“Is the special tactic ready?”

“Everything’s in place.”

“Then we’re good.”

I let out a small breath in front of the door.

From here on, I’d have to storm into that meeting and put on a major performance.

“On the first day, we’ll execute Plan A—‘Infernal Bonfire: Hellfire’ to throw the enemy into disarray.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“The execution team will be the Hellhound Unit, Haundy. They’ve received proper training, right?”

“Yeah, just like you ordered.”

Peeking through the small window, I saw them huddled over a map of the area around Byuredesto.

…Codenames were flying around so much I couldn’t tell what they were actually talking about.

What even is Hellfire?

“Oh, right, Berka. That newly formed unit, Neocraft, has finished training. They’re ready for deployment.”

“That’s great news. Adding another unit is a big help… They’ll be useful, right?”

“We’ve appointed Holy Knight Clear Knight Ya-san as their captain.”

“Excellent. Ya-san is someone we can trust.”

This is one seriously buzzword-filled meeting.

All these made-up sounding words flying around—it’s hard to follow what they’re even saying.

“The name of that unit will be… Let’s see. Since they’re rookies, let’s go with Budding Regrowth.”

“Roger that!”

As I eavesdropped, they went and gave another unit a weird name.

Could it be they actually think these names sound cool?

Berka… don’t tell me you’re a closet chuunibyou?

“Hey, Luri-chan. About those operation names Berka’s using…”

“What about them?”

“Why are they all so strange?”

“I heard it’s to confuse anyone who might be eavesdropping.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

Right, so it’s a countermeasure against wiretapping.

Codenames exist for that kind of reason to begin with.

“By the way, was it Berka-san who came up with those names?”

“Yeah. Probably.”

He does give off a bit of a chuunibyou vibe, but maybe that’s just Berka’s taste.

…No, but then again, isn’t that kind of normal for the military? Cool-sounding names can really pump you up.

You hear stuff like Desert Tiger or Operation Cerberus all the time in military lingo.

“My brother’s really particular about that kind of thing.”

“Ohh, is that so.”

…Alright, I’ll just ignore it for now.

I’ve got a big stunt to pull off in a second—no time for distractions.

“My catchphrase? He came up with that too.”

“Catchphrase?”

As I tried to stop thinking about the chuunibyou stuff and focused on how I’d barge into the meeting—

Luri-chan suddenly struck a pose, her face blank as always—

“I am… the spider who lives in the shadows.”

“PFFFFHH!!”

She said it completely deadpan, and I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“What are you laughing at?”

“You said that… Oh yeah, you said that when you kidnapped me!”

I’d totally forgotten. That line—Luri-chan did say that.

Damn, I let my guard down. She really is a chuunibyou!

Damn it, this is killing me—I can’t stop laughing.

“Hey! Who’s out there?!”

“That was a girl’s voice, wasn’t it?”

Looks like my laughter echoed into the conference room.

Someone inside opened the door and, when our eyes met, looked at me in shock.

“Who goes there?! …Wait, Luri-chan?!”

“Yoo-hoo! Howdy, everybody!”

Before I could gather my thoughts on the operation, the door swung open.

Well, I was planning to barge in anyway, so I guess it’s fine…

Alright, if that’s how it is, I’ll just improvise my way through it.

Here goes nothing—!

“…You. Why are you here?! What’s the meaning of this, Luri?!”

“Oh, hi, big bro.”

“Pfft…!”

Berka stood up, his face twisted in fury as he glared at me.

Behind his eyes, I could see a flicker of panic and confusion. This was my chance to press the advantage…

But the second I saw his face, Luri-chan’s line came flashing back into my mind:

—I am… the spider who lives in the shadows.

“Ah—ahahahahaha!”

“Wh-what’s with this woman?!”

Luri-chan’s dead-serious face was just too much—I couldn’t handle it.

The more I told myself not to laugh, the harder it became to stop.

“Ahaha… haaah.”

“Wh-what? What is going on?”

After letting out a grand laugh, I slowly raised my hand to my mouth to steady my breathing.

At this rate, they’re going to think I’m some crazy woman—I’ve got to pull myself together fast.

“…Luri. Explain this.”

“Well, um…”

Everyone in the conference room was staring at me in utter confusion.

I mean, some woman suddenly burst into laughter just outside the door—it’s only natural they’d react like this.

“Nice to meet you, brave people of Byuredesto! I am the Second Princess of the Kingdom of Saripa, Rishali Saripaal!”

“Eh?”

“Wishing you all the best on this lovely day!”

“…Huh?”

Once my laughter had subsided, I calmly introduced myself.

Then I strode forward to stand confidently in front of a stunned, frozen-stiff Berka.

“At the request of Berka over there, I’ve come incognito to inspect the town of Byuredesto!”

“WHAAAT!?!”

With a beaming smile, I made the bold declaration.

“────!”

“Wh-what…?”

“Huh? W-wait, she’s really a princess?!”

Sweat was starting to bead on Berka’s forehead.

He had absolutely no idea why I was walking around freely, or why I was saying any of this.

His expression screamed total bewilderment.

“Forgive my earlier outburst. I was simply overjoyed by the morale and reliability of your forces here—it brought me to laughter.”

“Y-you, what in the world are you—”

“No need to explain yourself, Berka-san! I understand how you feel, but there’s no need for concern!”

Just as Berka opened his mouth to interject, I raised my voice even more, cutting him off completely.

“Everyone, don’t listen! This woman is insane—!”

“I said that’s enough! Hold your tongue, Berka!”

I cut him off again with a booming shout and shot him a fierce glare.

Berka’s mouth opened and closed wordlessly, completely silenced.

In verbal battles like this, volume is everything.

“Berka-san advised me to keep my identity hidden, but such secrecy would have been dishonorable.”

“What on earth are you saying…”

There’s no way he expected me to burst into this meeting like this.

…All the better. I’ll keep pushing and seize control of this conversation.

“I came to Byuredesto as a princess because I accepted your invitation. The fate of your people and mine is now intertwined.”

“W-wait… what? My invitation—”

“I recognize your loyalty, Berka-san, but your concern is misplaced.”

Still smiling serenely at Berka, I gave him a gentle, compassionate look.

With the expression of a merciful saint, I addressed him kindly.

“… …!”

“Yes, yes, I’m glad you understand now, Berka-san.”

What exactly had I just said? And what was I trying to do?

Berka was a quick thinker. I was sure he’d grasp my intent through the flow of conversation soon enough.

“Wh-what’s going on, Berka-san? I-is it really true that this person is a princess?”

“S-she’s wearing rags, but her bearing is far too noble to ignore.”

“They say Princess Rishali has hair like spun gold and is a peerless beauty, and this woman certainly…”

“Yes, I am Rishali.”

I smiled with a self-satisfied grin and stood face-to-face with Berka.

Then, I subtly gave Luri-chan a signal.

“Y-yeah. This lady is Princess Rishali. We brought her here.”

“Uwooooah!! I-it’s true?!”

“Why is Her Highness here?!”

“U-um…”

“I heard about the incident in Byuredesto and simply couldn’t sit still!”

Just as we rehearsed, Luri-chan vouched that I was the real deal.

With that, Berka was cornered.

“C-c-could it really be… Princess Rishali? Then, what exactly is this about?”

“It’s to save the people of Byuredesto.”

“To save… us?”

“The military can’t move on a commoner’s petition alone. Verifying whether the plea is genuine takes time. But this is an urgent matter, is it not?”

“Y-yes. It seems the enemy may arrive within days…”

“And when I heard that, I asked Berka to stage a ‘fake kidnapping.’”

Yes, this was my secret plan to save both myself and Byuredesto.

I would make it seem like I was the one who started this entire kidnapping incident.

“When Father heard I had been kidnapped, he moved the army to retrieve me. That’s how I came to be here.”

“W-what in the world…! Then the King must be furious, no?”

“Do not worry. I, Princess Rishali, swear on my name that I will not let any harm befall the people of Byuredesto.”

From Berka’s perspective, keeping me alive was nothing but a risk.

Even if I promised to back his claim that “Count Zister was the mastermind,” he couldn’t fully trust I wouldn’t betray him.

If, after being released, I suddenly claimed, “Actually, it was Berka and his men who kidnapped me,” Byuredesto would be finished.

That’s why I’m sure, in the end, Berka had decided to kill me.

“On the honor of the royal family! I, Rishali, am here for one reason only: to save Byuredesto!”

“OOOOHHHHHHHH!!”

But once I’ve declared publicly before the people that this was a staged kidnapping, everything changes.

If a royal reverses such a statement later, it could jeopardize their credibility.

And as a bonus, this preserves my own diplomatic value.

Plenty of noble daughters sneak off to have a bit of fun now and then.

If this gets chalked up as a one-time misadventure, the social circles will forgive it fairly easily.

For the record, the poster child for wild noble girls is my sister, Lululu-onee-sama.

Even if her little sister pulled the same stunt, people would just say, “Runs in the family,” and move on.

“Berka-san is truly an incredible person. There are few who would go so far to save Byuredesto.”

“Y-yeah… Berka is our one shining hope.”

“His courage is admirable. He even prepared to shoulder the full blame for my kidnapping and face execution.”

“W-what madness! Execution? No way should Berka be punished!”

“Of course not! Do you think I’d allow such a thing?”

While I was giving my grand speech, Berka remained completely silent.

More precisely, his cheek kept twitching as he visibly struggled to suppress his fury.

Fufuun. I think it’s about time to go for the royal checkmate.

“Because Berka-san is my precious—knight, after all.”

With those words, I flashed him the full Princess Smile™—the extra-fluffy, weaponized-for-taunting edition.

Then, with the utmost grace, I extended the back of my hand toward him.

---

The moment Luri-chan declared me to be the Princess, Berka’s path of retreat was cut off.

Even if he tried to brush it off with a “That was just Luri’s prank,” he wouldn’t be able to kill me anymore.

Because once news of Princess Rishali’s disappearance started to spread, Berka would undoubtedly be the first suspect.

The moment even a single rumor took hold—“The real princess might have been abducted by Berka”—his entire plan would crumble.

“…Kh, ku…”

“Hehehe.”

Which means, all he could do now was cling to the sweet thread I had offered.

If we made this look like a staged kidnapping, the charges against him would be much lighter.

And if the invasion from Yaiban was successfully prevented, he might even be rewarded.

...Though I’d probably get a royal beating from Father, the King.

“Berka-san. You do understand what this extended hand means, don’t you?”

“…”

And the moment he accepted the back of my hand—

—a clear master-servant relationship would be forged between us.

“It is an honor… Princess Rishali… This Berka pledges his loyalty… to you…”

“Thank you. I trust that loyalty will remain unshaken going forward.”

Berka stared at the back of my hand, veins popping on his forehead, as he knelt down.

Trembling all over, he forced a smile onto his face and pressed a kiss to my hand.

“Incredible… A commoner was granted the Princess’s hand…”

“As expected of Berka…”

“Princess Rishali is a saint! She’s the only one who didn’t abandon Byuredesto!”

“Long live Princess Rishali!”

That’s right. You have no choice but to swear loyalty to me.

Given the circumstances, that’s the most optimal solution.

“Rest easy, people of Byuredesto. Now that Princess Rishali has arrived, the safety of this city is assured.”

“Uooooohhh!”

“Long live the Kingdom of Saripa! Long live Princess Rishali!”

“O-hohohoho!”

I accepted the cheers from everyone present and let out a triumphant, haughty laugh.

…The only one whose spirit had clearly left the room was their leader, Berka.

“Tonight, we feast! We must properly welcome Princess Rishali!”

“Clean the best room in the barracks! Turn it over to Princess Rishali!”

“No need to go to such trouble! If you have time to pamper me, use it to tighten our strategy and prepare for Yaiban’s invasion!”

“O-ohh… How splendid…”

And with that, I was led to the commander’s room in the barracks—

provided with a luxurious meal, clean clothes, and a proper bath. I had finally received the treatment befitting a princess.

“…Damn raccoon.”

“Did you say something?”

Berka, while giving me the most formal salute imaginable, muttered bitterly.