Chapter 31: Information Analysis

"Princess! I have a report to make!"

In the royal capital of Torte, stationed for the city’s defense, was the Royal Guard. Its captain, Argos, came rushing into the palace at the crack of dawn, nostrils flaring, to deliver his report.

But seriously—his voice was way too loud.
I can hear you just fine without the shouting, you know?
I was tempted to tell him that much.

"What’s got you in such a rush, Argos?"

I tucked the half-written letter to the Demon King into my drawer and turned to face him.
If anyone found out about that letter, it would cause a huge scandal. In other words, it was basically a ticking bomb.

Still, I had been in the middle of writing it, and part of me didn’t want anyone interrupting. But listening to a subordinate’s report is also a royal duty.

So I quickly pasted on a polite, radiant smile.

"Yes, Your Highness! At dawn, a fast courier arrived from the front lines, and I have come to deliver the news!"

Captain Argos’s face was glowing with delight. Apparently, it was very good news.

"Ahem. Then, Argos, please proceed with your report."

I straightened my posture, adopting a proper listening stance.

"Yes, ma’am! According to the report, one of our Sugarcreek Kingdom army divisions engaged the vile Demon King’s forces. Thereafter, inspired by the divine mission granted to us by God Himself, every last soldier fought with unwavering conviction, and—(part omitted)—after a valiant battle, we achieved an overwhelming victory! Rejoice, Princess! It is a grand triumph for our army!"

Good grief, what a long speech.
And full of unnecessary flourishes, too.

From what I managed to gather—while only half-listening—it seemed our knights had scored a decisive victory over the Demon King’s army.

Well, if that’s true, then as a member of the royal family of Sugarcreek, I have every reason to celebrate.

But wait… hadn’t we just been receiving reports of our troops struggling not long ago? Pleas for more supplies, concerns about morale… Did I just imagine all that?

"That is certainly wonderful news. But tell me—was this messenger’s report an official communication from His Majesty?"

I needed to confirm the source.
If it came directly from the king’s strategic office, it wasn’t my place to meddle.

"Ah, no, Your Highness. The dispatch came from the liaison officer at the front. I believe His Majesty will receive the same report shortly."

Argos’s voice grew noticeably smaller.

…Hmm.

So it came straight from the front-line troops, huh? Brave words, but… did they actually verify the results properly?
For all we know, they might’ve seen the enemy lines shift after a volley of arrows or a cavalry charge and just assumed it was a retreat.

It’s not unusual for battlefield reports to mistake a momentary change for a full retreat.

"And how exactly did they determine our ‘decisive victory’?"

"Well, uh… due to the heavy fog, they couldn’t confirm the enemy casualties, but they reported seeing many enemy soldiers fall back under our army’s advance."

So their casualty assessment is vague at best.
That’s… suspicious.

"I see. It may be wise to confirm the results as soon as possible."

A simple warning, but necessary.

"Your Highness, that is needless concern! Our Royal Guard will take this opportunity to mobilize all forces at once and deliver divine retribution upon the vile Demon King’s army! We shall crush them with the swiftness of thunder! Surely this is a sign from God Himself! Now, if you’ll excuse me!"

Argos’s voice suddenly returned to full volume as he declared this, then stormed out of the room with loud, heavy steps.

His quick recovery might be admirable for a soldier—but for a commander? Not so much.

Hmm… but if this so-called victory turns out to be false, the entire defensive structure we’ve been carefully building against the Demon King’s army will collapse into chaos.

And the greater the chaos, the harder it will be to rebuild.

Worse yet, it might provoke the Demon King to abandon their relaxed pace and decide to wipe out the Sugarcreek Kingdom altogether.

"…Kamina. What do you think?"

I turned to the attendant standing beside me. Kamina pondered for a moment before replying.

"I am no expert in military strategy, Your Highness, but I do believe such reports must be treated with caution. Especially if they could cause a sudden shift in our overall plans—it would be far too risky."

"…You’re right."

I stroked the soft fur of Berial, the black cat that had padded onto my lap. Its fluffiness was so comforting.

But still… what’s the truth of it all?

As I was pondering this, a sudden inspiration struck me.

"Ah, that’s it!"

The words escaped my lips before I realized.

"…? Is something the matter, Princess?"

Kamina looked at me curiously.

Oh no. That made me sound like a complete weirdo.

"Ahem. No, it’s nothing."

I composed myself quickly, pretending nothing happened.

But inside, I was mentally applauding my own brilliance.
After all, if I don’t know the truth… I could just ask the person who does.

Yes. The Supreme Commander of the Demon King’s Army.

…And that’s how I ended up heading to the Demon Lord’s usual residence within the Kingdom of Sugarcreek—the Demon Lord’s Inn, Shirasagi inn.

Lately, the Demon Lord has become obsessed with the card game I bought him a while ago. It’s a fairly well-known game in Sugarcreek, and I even taught him one of the more popular rule sets. Naturally, it’s a gambling-style card game.

The official name of the game is Rabbic Queue. It’s somewhat like playing mahjong with a deck of cards. In fact, it’s identical to the minigame from the eroge Brutal Princess of Defilement, which I played quite a lot back in the day. Heh heh heh… believe it or not, I’m actually pretty strong at this game.

For practice partners, I’ve been playing with Kamina the attendant, Postov the instructor, and Berial the demon. Each of them has a completely different playstyle—Postov plays so straightforwardly that he’s been officially labeled a “sitting duck.” Kamina, on the other hand, keeps a perfect poker face and excels at making unpredictable moves, while Berial, despite his childlike appearance, prefers logical and calculated decisions.

So far, my win rate is about fifty-fifty against Kamina and Berial, but I win about eighty percent of the time against Postov. Compared to them, I still have a slight advantage thanks to my familiarity with the game.

…Of course, if they ever used their special abilities—like seeing through hands or predicting cards through subtle movements—I’d definitely lose. But I’ve drilled it into them that using such powers is considered bad manners in this sort of game. Games are meant to be fun for both sides, after all.

As for the Demon Lord, it seems this is his first time dabbling in a game like this, so his strategies are still easy to read—he’s very much a “sitting duck” category player.

That’s why, lately, the moment I arrive at Shirasagi inn, he often invites me to play. I’m not sure how things will go today, though.

"Good morning, Lord Maor."

"Oh, Ains? You actually came to check on me without me calling you first? Looks like you’re finally learning some manners."

Inside his room at Shirasagi inn, Maor sat at a table with cards spread out before him, clearly deep in thought over some strategy.

"Ah—well, I suppose you could say that… but actually, I came here today because there’s something I wanted to ask you."

"Hm? Something happened?"

I paused, wondering how to bring it up, but decided it was best to just ask directly.

"Lord Maor, I wanted to ask—do you have any urgent reason to return to your family home soon?"

"What’s this all of a sudden? …Well, I don’t mind telling you, but there’s one condition."

A condition?
The Demon Lord’s sudden proposal made me tense up a little. I asked carefully:

"A-a condition? What kind of condition would that be?"

"…Very well. Normally, our games are just for fun, but today I thought we’d raise the stakes and make it a betting match."

"A betting match, my lord?"

Betting with the Demon Lord—what in the world could he possibly demand as payment?
If I go by how demons usually make deals, the price would probably be… my soul.
T-that’s terrifying…

"Ains. If you win, I’ll answer your earlier question. But if I win…"

"If you win…?"

Gulp.
I swallowed hard.

For a long moment, the Demon Lord said nothing, letting the tension thicken before declaring in a dignified tone—

"You’ll strip."

"A strip game!?"

I couldn’t help blurting it out.

"Hmph. What’s wrong, Ains? Do you object? If you don’t like it, that’s fine by me. I don’t mind backing out, personally."

He puffed out his chest with an arrogant grin, looking far too pleased with himself.

"But I suppose you’re just scared of losing to me. You’ve always been the timid type, after all."

That did it.
Being called timid by someone in the “sitting duck” category was just too much to take.

"…Very well, Lord Maor. I accept your challenge."

Quietly, I let my fighting spirit ignite.

"Heh heh heh. Ains, show me your full strength!"

With that overly dramatic pose and line as our signal, the game began—
A strip game.

…

…And the result?
My complete and utter victory.

Not even a glimpse of underwear was seen before it was all over.
The Demon Lord was far too weak.
He really needs more practice.

"Ugh… h-how… with that hand…? Well, fine. I am a man of my word. I’ll answer your question."

"Man or woman, you should always honor your word, Lord Maor."

"Ahem. Anyway, about your question—I have no particular reason to return home anytime soon."

"There hasn’t been any sudden trouble with your family or anything like that?"

"I told you, nothing like that. My old man occasionally tells me to come home, but that’s nothing new."

…I see.
So that report about his sudden return must’ve been a false alarm after all.

"…Thank you very much!"

"Hm? Leaving already? Don’t forget to come by again. I expect you to keep checking in on me."

After leaving Maor’s room, I hurried back to the castle and immediately dispatched a fast messenger to my father, King Merkuma.

Later, it was confirmed that the previous report had indeed been false.
My quick judgment of the situation earned me praise from both my father and the knights.

"…As expected of my daughter. Your sound assessment of the situation makes me proud."

That’s what he wrote in his letter.

"…Well, for those with sensitive hearing, a rabbit’s ears really are the best weapon."

"Hm? What do you mean by that, Lady Sonia?"

Kamina’s puzzled voice came from behind me as I muttered to myself while reading the letter.

"Oh, nothing—just talking to myself."

I shook my head gently and smiled warmly at Kamina.