Chapter 8: Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

"…………"

"…Hmm."

Noticing my sudden pallor and trembling inside the carriage, my father—His Majesty the King Merkuma—seemed to sense that something was wrong. Out of concern, he excused me from attending the royal banquet that evening, which had been arranged to celebrate his triumphant return.

"Ha-ha-ha! Surely the princess’s nerves simply gave out from relief at finally seeing His Majesty’s face again. After all she endured at Fort Gaikoko, it’s no wonder. A bit of rest will do her good!"

The royal physician, who had rushed to my chambers and was now examining my abdomen and inspecting my urine, smiled broadly as he said that.

Idiot! That’s not it at all!

I forced a faint smile, silently cursing in my heart.

In this world, the general level of medical knowledge is abysmally low—comparable to that of medieval Europe. Diagnoses rely mostly on experience, and treatments come from crude remedies extracted from plants, animals, or minerals.

The one major difference between this world and my original one, however, is the existence of magic.

Yet here, magic borders on taboo. Among humans, only a select few—such as the Paladins, the elite knights of the Church featured even in the original game—can use it. For the vast majority, it’s completely out of reach.

Magical tools, on the other hand, are somewhat more common. The Church sells them for a price, so anyone with enough coin can obtain them. The most popular items are metal plates that retain cold for food preservation, or glowing stones used as lamps—everyday conveniences sold at the market.

Of course, these tools aren’t permanent. Once the stored magic power runs out, they stop working and must be replaced. In short, they’re basically the fantasy equivalent of battery-powered refrigerators and lamps.

If one has both wealth and connections, it’s possible to hire the Church’s elite clerics to perform healing magic—miracles that can cure even grave injuries or illnesses. But truly skilled magic users are extremely rare. In a small kingdom like ours, Sugarcreek, even the royal physician can’t use magic. He’s just an ordinary doctor with an impressive title.

Apparently, several generations ago, one of my ancestors made generous donations to the Church and forged a close bond with them. But those ties have long since faded. Nowadays, our kingdom’s Church rarely hosts any high-ranking priests of true power.

That being the case, falling ill or getting injured in this country is genuinely dangerous. I need to be careful.

After the physician finished his examination, I slipped into bed, pulled the sheets over my head, and let my thoughts drift.

…But why was the Demon Lord there, alone?
What was their purpose? Reconnaissance? Sightseeing?

If it was reconnaissance, coming alone made no sense. And honestly, the Demon Lord’s army so vastly outclasses our knights that there’s little point in spying on Sugarcreek at all.

Then if it was sightseeing, that made even less sense. Why would the Demon Lord visit our land—alone, without an escort—just for fun?

…Unless… could it be that he came for me—Sonia?

No, impossible.

In the game, sure, the captured Princess Sonia and the Demon Lord were destined to… become close (in a rather questionable way). But at this point in time, the two haven’t even met. Not once.

There’s no logical reason a being as great as the Demon Lord would be fixated on an ordinary princess from a minor kingdom. At least, that’s what I tell myself.

Countless doubts rise and fade in my mind. Maybe I was mistaken. Maybe I only thought I saw the Demon Lord. I want to believe that. I need to believe that.

But this gnawing unease isn’t doing my mental health any favors.

And if—if—his purpose really is me, Sonia, then even locking myself inside the royal castle won’t keep me safe.

After all, the Demon Lord is the son of the legendary Fairy King Diedrich, the world’s greatest master of magic, and Vampire Princess Steintark—the progenitor of all vampires, famed for her monstrous strength, charm, and immortality.

A cheat-born monarch—half fairy, half vampire.

Strategically speaking, he’s a walking map weapon, a single being capable of annihilating entire armies. In role-playing terms, he’s the unkillable boss with infinite HP and MP—literally unbeatable by design.

…Impossible. This is an unwinnable game.
No, it’s worse—there’s not even a strategy that could possibly stop an invasion.

I groaned, rolling back and forth under the sheets like a dying caterpillar.

But after several minutes of wallowing in despair, I made up my mind.

「If you don’t enter the tiger’s den, you can’t catch the cub!」

I shouted aloud to psych myself up.
My old martial arts master used to say, “When you need courage, focus your energy in the lower abdomen—your dantian.”
So, I closed my eyes and imagined energy gathering just below my navel.

…Yeah. Okay. I can feel it! (Author’s note: results may vary. This is a personal impression and not guaranteed, etc.)

Sulking around like this wasn’t going to solve anything.

If the Demon Lord really wanted to, he could walk into the castle alone and snatch me away in seconds.
That thought alone made it clear—hiding under the covers wasn’t exactly a foolproof defense plan.

Alright. Let’s do this.

I steeled myself. I was going to make contact with the Demon Lord.
Sitting here overthinking it won’t make his intentions any clearer anyway.

I threw the sheets aside and jumped out of bed.
Stretching once, I headed straight to the wardrobe along the wall and began rummaging for clothes.

In no time, I was pulling on my usual escape outfit—a purchase from one of the royal merchants who owed me a few favors.

A white blouse paired with a navy skirt.
The collar neatly buttoned, and a matching navy ribbon tied at the neck for coordination.
Black tights completed the look—gotta maintain that absolute territory (personal taste).
Then, I slipped on a pair of sturdy leather boots—perfect for puddles or rough roads.

I tied my long, straight hair into twin tails.
…Took me weeks to learn how to do that on my own, by the way.

Finally, I topped it off with a hat—broad-brimmed, slightly puffy on top.
That alone changed my whole silhouette.
I twirled once before the mirror to check the result.

Hmm… maybe a little too close to one of those “clothes that kill virgins.”
Oh well. Style is power.

Good. Disguise—complete.

From a distance, no one would suspect I was Princess Sonia of Sugarcreek.

And for the finishing touch—the crown jewel of my secret stash: my magic glasses.

I’d bought them from a pair of traveling merchants who rarely did business at the castle.
They swore the lenses were enchanted with Deception Magic.

When I tested them, I saw it myself—the plump merchant suddenly appeared slim and sharp once I put the glasses on. I really did look like a completely different person.

Now, I adjusted the frames on my face, leaning close to the mirror to check every angle.

…Oh, right. The magic doesn’t work on the wearer.

To me, it just looked like Sonia wearing glasses.
But hey, the thick black rims changed my impression enough.

Since I was sneaking out, I couldn’t exactly ask Camina or the others to check for me anyway.

It’d have to do.

“Phew… alright.”

Taking a deep breath, I firmed my resolve and stepped out of my room.
Using my memorized notes on the guard rotations, I slipped through the gaps in their patrol schedule and exited through one of the castle’s unused service doors.

I pushed the heavy door open just enough to squeeze through—and stepped out into the fading light of evening.

I’d never gone into the city at this hour before.
But I focused the strength into my dantian, willing my trembling nerves to steady.

Let’s do this.

With unshakable resolve burning in my chest, I narrowed my eyes toward the streets—ready to hunt down the Demon Lord himself.

A few weeks earlier—

Along the road connecting the royal capital of Sugarcreek to the nearby towns, two men were hurrying away from the city as if fleeing from something.

“…Still, boss, that went pretty well, huh?”

The round-faced one grinned, flattering the sharper-looking man beside him.

“Damn right it did! You saw that dumb princess’s face, didn’t you? Not a clue she’d been had.”

“Your instant disguise trick is a real work of art, boss. Always a pleasure to watch!”

“Heh, back in the day, I was pretty famous in the Thieves’ Guild, you know! Gwah-hah-hah!”

“So… when do you think that princess’ll realize the magic glasses don’t actually do anything?”

“She might figure it out today—which is exactly why we’re getting the hell out of there now, genius.”

“R-right… good point! Let’s move it, boss!”

“Yeah, yeah, keep up.”

The two quickened their pace, boots kicking up dust along the dirt road.

Neither of them could have imagined that, even weeks later, that “dumb princess” still hadn’t realized her precious “magic glasses” were nothing more than an ordinary pair of lenses.