These days, in the Palace of Light where the Imperial Princess resides, a rumor that is hard to believe has been creeping up.
The Imperial Princess, Alicia von Diana Solaris.
That she's in love with someone.
"Marianne. Don't you think the Princess has something to hide from us lately?"
"Yeah... That's right. Snow has been flying away all of a sudden lately and hasn't come back for a long time. I always fill her up, but..."
"She keeps looking out the window and sighing deeply, or her expression suddenly becomes hazy."
Naturally, the topic of conversation among the maids who serve Alicia directly was.
The Princess, who had no interest in men and never even had a fiancé, showed signs of her shy and innocent first love that she couldn't hide.
"Then, that must be it, right?"
"What are you talking about? At this point, it's almost impossible to gamble."
"Yeah, yeah. It's clear that some dirty thief stole the innocent princess's heart."
The question of who the other person was was inevitable.
"How wonderful a man must he be that our princess can't come to her senses?"
"The heir of His Highness the Grand Duke? Or, the prince of some vassal state? Honestly, that would be a shame for the princess..."
Of course, the frivolous words of the maids would not be carelessly leaked out.
It was because of the 'Vow of Silence' that was imposed on those who assisted the royal family most closely.
The maids could never reveal to outsiders what they saw and heard inside the palace.
On top of that, when they reached the age of marriage and retired, all useless memories were erased for the sake of the royal family's security and their lives.
Therefore, it is somewhat acceptable to gossip about the princess's love story that stimulates the girls' interest.
Of course, you have to avoid being caught by your superiors.
Not even realizing that the short break is almost over. When the girls in their prime are gathered together and using their wild imaginations.
"I, I see it a little differently."
"What is it, Emma?"
"Kids, be quiet! Emma has something to say!"
A maid who was from a powerless baron family and had a short career, so she was secretly ignored by the girls, cautiously opened her mouth.
"Huh, Commander of the Black Lion Knights. Wolfgang von Schwarz. Isn't that the person the princess likes?"
"What? Hey. That's ridiculous. Do you think that savage man would be suitable for the princess?"
"That's right. Isn't he a total ogre? He's overly large and his face is covered in scars. He's a battle maniac and I've heard he's not interested in anything other than swordsmanship."
"How did Bella know that...? I've never even heard of him before."
Most people dismissed it as nonsense, but it wasn't treated as an outrageous rumor.
Wolfgang of the Schwarz family wasn't exactly an unknown figure in high society.
He was known by all sorts of ominous nicknames like Destroyer, Massacre, and Bloodthirsty, but he was still a war hero.
He even showed up at the imperial ceremony hosted by the emperor himself. He was a figure that the nobles who were interested in the military knew about.
However, he came from a family with many problems and his appearance was so fierce that he was never considered a good groom.
In addition, when the person rumored to be the successor to the general was suddenly demoted from a key position in the Unified Command to a position as a knight commander, interest in him also rapidly waned.
"Ha, but… he even visited the Black Lion Knights for no reason a while ago, and… even though he has a lot of scars, if you look closely, his face isn't bad either…"
"Well, to put it nicely, he does have a kind of beastly charm. But do you really think that guy is a good match for the princess? The princess would never want a man like that…"
"Hey, I actually like men with big muscles and rough bodies. How much do men like that have at night…"
"Ugh… Sister Leah is a pervert! Do you think the princess is like a sister?"
That's when the conversation gradually went off the rails.
"Hey you guys! What time is it and you're still talking!"
"Ouch! Maid!"
The girls were chattering away without realizing how much time had passed, and the maid-in-waiting shouted at them, causing them to scatter in panic.
"Whew… Who would say they are not the noble ladies of the house? They are all completely selfish."
The maid-in-waiting sighed and lifted her monocle as she watched the girls running away.
"But what on earth is the princess doing, locked up in her room all day long…?"
The maid-in-waiting muttered as she looked worriedly at Alicia's tightly locked bedroom door.
And inside…
—Knock, knock…
"Haaah… Wolfgang von Schwarz. Why…? Oh, do I lack charm? You've already started sending me letters here and there…"
Alicia, the innocent princess who had fallen deeply in love with her shy first love, was writing a sweet love letter for the lucky man who was receiving her affection.
Alicia's appearance, kissing the luxurious letter paper countless times and her sparkling blue eyes, looked like a girl in love to anyone.
Although the method was slightly different.
"The book clearly said that leaving kiss marks on the letter paper would set a man's heart ablaze. So it would be better to leave as many as possible, right?"
—Peck, pat… slurp…
"I'm a little embarrassed, but I think this is enough."
As Wolfgang kissed the letter paper dozens of times, thinking that her master was right in front of him, the pure white paper was soon filled with symbols of Alicia's love for her master.
"Wow!"
Alicia picked up her pen, shuddering cutely in deep satisfaction at seeing that.
"And… you said that most men are reluctant to read letters that are too long. Then let's try something new this time!"
[I'm looking forward to it]
Thinking like that, Alicia scribbled out a short and concise sentence, tied it to the feet of a pure white eagle owl, and sent it flying.
"Okay. Please take care of me this time, Snow?"
—Owl!
As the pure white eagle owl began to flap its wings, its speed soon soared to unbelievable levels.
As expected of a princess's pet, the one with a thick flow of spirit blood possessed several mystical abilities that were different from those of ordinary eagle owls.
One of them was the ability to share vision.
"Are we getting there soon? Then show me what you're doing, Snow."
—Pfft!
As the blue light began to linger in Alicia's eyes, she was soon able to fully enjoy the bird of prey's superior vision.
"Gyaat?!"
Then, the sight that immediately caught Alicia's eyes was a chaotic scene of countless knights and vicious monsters fighting each other.
It was a chaotic scene reminiscent of war.
Alicia, who had been watching the scene with anxious eyes, blocked the shared vision as soon as she witnessed Wolfgang knocking down the mutant ogre with one punch.
"Wow, you are indeed the master. But, ugh…"
The bloody battle between humans and monsters was too horrible for Alicia, who had grown up without even getting a drop of water on her hands, to watch. The scene just now was even worse.
Alicia ran straight to the bathroom in her bedroom and retched, thinking.
'While I was living comfortably, they were doing such horrible and dangerous things…'
She had never been interested in how the knights were doing, but she felt a surge of compassion and gratitude for them.
The interest in Wolfgang led to interest in his job.
"Ah, I should visit him more often from now on."
However, Alicia's mood improved a little when she realized that Wolfgang was not interested in her but was busy with work and could not send her letters.
Also, when the battle was finally over and news came that Snow had finished delivering the letters.
She decided to let Snow watch Wolfgang a little longer rather than making him come back right away.
It had been quite some time since she last saw her master.
"Okay, Snow. Please show me your face."
—Paat!
So, she shared her vision with Snow, who was hovering in the sky near where Wolfgang was, with a pounding heart.
"That, that female cat!"
She saw a blue-haired woman walking affectionately with Wolfgang in plain clothes in the commercial district of Bartok's counties.
The two of them were having a friendly conversation, and Alicia felt like she was going crazy, but unfortunately she couldn't share her hearing with Snow.
However, Alicia could clearly see the female cat making a vulgar female expression next to Wolfgang.
"T-this…!"
Alicia felt something snap in her heart.
"This can't be happening! I should be the first for you, Master, but if I keep doing this, that b*tch will be first…!"
She thought as she bit her nails.
When Wolfgang returns to the capital, she'll definitely have to kill him.
'It's a little early, but. I can't help it…'
"Whew…"
After replying to the princess's eerie letter as sincerely as possible.
There was nothing I could do about it right away, so I was just lying in bed and rolling around.
—Knock knock!
When I heard a knock, I got up right away and opened the door.
Then, an unfamiliar woman appeared before my eyes.
Her sky-blue hair looked familiar, but no matter how I looked at it, it was someone I had never seen before.
An attractive woman with slightly curly hair that was long and loose.
Overall, she was smaller than the princess, but her body shape was just as provocative, and she was a very impressive beauty.
Her beauty looked slightly proud, and despite her petite body, her curves were so revealing that they almost seemed immoral.
What about her clothes that were mysteriously in harmony with her features?
The blouse that slightly revealed her sternum and the tight pants that emphasized her rather long and firm lower body compared to her small height were very impressive.
Such a fancy outfit is popular among the women of the Empire.
It seems that the world has changed a lot during the war. It doesn't matter because it looks good.
Anyway, there's no way that a heretic inquisitor would wear such clothes. If that's the case, then who else would come to see me…
"Excuse me, lady? Are you the security agent who was supposed to come?"
When I asked carefully, I received a completely unexpected answer.
"I'm coming, Commander!"
The voice and tone were familiar. The expression seemed somewhat disappointed. Could it be one of my subordinates?
Could it be that she was a woman who showed regret for not recognizing me right away, beyond a subtle sense of intimacy…
"Could it be… the vice-commander?"
"Yes. Now that I think about it, this is the first time I've met you in plain clothes."
It was a truly jaw-dropping transformation.
A woman's transformation is not a crime, but isn't this too extreme?
With her hair down and her clothes changed, I couldn't recognize her at all. Judging from the fact that her face looks a little different, did she even put on makeup?
"No. I didn't recognize her because she looked so different from usual. She's so beautiful."
"Again, such direct words... Ahem. Anyway, thank you, Captain."
It's nice to see you, but now that you're probably not going to enjoy the vacation you've been given, why did you come to see me?
"But what's going on? Even dressed like that."
When I asked that question out of curiosity, the Vice Captain's face turned a little red.
"Aren't you the savior of my life, Commander? Of course, I will have to repay this favor for the rest of my life, but I still want to express my gratitude a little…"
"No. It is only natural for allies to exchange favors on the battlefield. There is no need to repay it. Next time, you save my life."
How can comrades fighting back to back on the battlefield talk about being the savior of their lives?
When I showed a slight expression of refusal due to the burden, she hurriedly put her foot through the crack in the door.
How did she know that I was going to close the door?
"No, but I feel too bad about just letting it go. S-please treat me to a meal…"
"Take me to a meal?"
Now that I think about it, I do feel a little drawn to some delicious meat.
It's been a long time since I've had a proper dinner because I've been so busy. It's been about two weeks.
It would be a bit awkward to just let him go, and since it came to this, it wouldn't be bad to have a meal with the vice-captain.
"Do you like meat?"
"Yes. Of course I don't hate it…" "Just wait outside for a moment. It'll only take 3 minutes."
—Bam!
I closed the door and got dressed.
I didn't bring any proper clothes except for my armor and uniform, but since I ended up losing them while fighting the monsters, I prepared some simple shirts and pants.
—Jiing!
I raised my fingers and quickly finished the convenient shave that was a superhuman's privilege, and after fixing my spiky hair, I looked somewhat presentable.
"Let's go." "Yes! Captain!"
—Glance
But why didn't that pure white eagle owl go back and keep circling around?
"Captain. Do you happen to know what the specialty of Bartok County is?"
"I don't know. But thanks to you, I've just become interested. What is it?"
"That's…"
I went out into the street with the vice-captain, who seemed to be full of enthusiasm for some reason.