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Since Luke is of imperial blood and I am too (and ‘Shrine Maiden Princess’ refers to royalty possessing shrine maiden powers), it would normally be proper etiquette for them to walk over to us. However, moving even slightly in that heavy magical armor looked incredibly difficult, and above all, since we were fellow students within the academy, Luke and I silently agreed to approach and greet them instead.

As we drew near, Zoe took a step back and bowed slightly. Even the *Thing* paused her eating to say,

“…………, ……… ………………, ……….……………………”
“My lady says ‘Good Morning, Sir Lucas. I have been eagerly awaiting your arrival. And Your Eminence Shrine Maiden Princess, it is a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I am Syltianna Edith Agnes.’”

Zoe simultaneously interpreted the words muttered under her breath.

“It’s been a while, Princess Syltianna. We haven’t met since our brief encounter. I sincerely apologize for the delayed greeting.”

Not mentioning the attack on King Aulanthia was likely a consideration for the ears around us.
Following suit, I forced a broad smile and replied,

“Thank you for your kind greeting. I am ‘Shrine Maiden Princess Clärchen,’ Julia Fortuna.”

Luke looked slightly surprised, likely because he knew I rarely referred to myself as the Shrine Maiden Princess in public. Still, I judged this occasion to require that title.

“Excuse me. I understand Princess Aulanthia, the fourth princess of the house, suffered an unfortunate accident that left her with a disability in her leg. If it’s acceptable, I could heal it. I believe I can probably cure it.”

Instantly, the half-eaten stollen dropped from the *Thing’s* hand.
Zoe, equally stunned, her eyes wide, quickly cleared her throat to regain her composure.

“I-it’s a kind offer, but treatment for the Princess must follow Lord Aulanthia’s instructions. Furthermore, if the Shrine Maiden Princess herself were to be involved, we would need to discuss compensation and such with the church representative currently providing your regular treatment…”

Zoe’s practically screaming “but it’s going to be expensive, right?” And I almost answered with “I don’t mind doing it for free,” but then I remembered the information from Cestlavie: just the other day, we were in the middle of negotiating an agreement between our house, the church, and the Adventurers’ Guild regarding that very remuneration.

Seeing me deep in thought, Zoe bowed with a somewhat relieved expression. “Then, we’ll discuss that matter another day. Excuse me.” She wrapped things up quickly and walked away down the hallway, accompanied by the *Thing*.

Listening to the deep, low footsteps fade, I suddenly regretted not asking what had happened to Euphemia. Had she been caught up in the attack?

♦♢♦♢

Ostensibly, Egmond Buyer, head of the Cultura Adventurers’ Guild, had flown to Cilento Central of Cilento Kingdom via Teleporters and Shift Portals in order to visit King Aulanthia. Unfortunately, he was unable to secure a direct audience and returned after merely leaving his regards. Or that was the official story, yet anyone with a bit of sharpness who followed his movements would immediately notice something suspicious.

Considering the circumstances before and after the attack, his actions were swift and unwavering, as if he had known about this beforehand.

Either way, Egmond, who had returned from the capital citing busyness, was flipping through documents alone as usual—his secretary waited in a separate room because he found her distracting—when he heard:

*“…Can you hear me, 4=7 (Philosophas)? Egmond?”*

A muffled voice came from the bottom, sturdy, locked drawer of his desk.

Egmond hastily tossed aside the documents he held, unlocked the door with the key he kept close at hand, then opened a small, magically sealed safe using the prescribed procedure. From within, he retrieved a crystal sphere small enough to hold in both palms.
Upon closer inspection, this orb—with intricate patterns carved within its crystal—belonged to the same lineage of secret communication artifacts kept hidden only within royal courts or adventurer guild headquarters. The only difference was its color: a deep indigo, almost black.

“Is that you—6=5 (Adeptus Major). I didn’t expect to receive a communication at this hour—has something occurred?”

Egmond rose and knelt on one knee as he posed the question. A suppressed, flat voice answered from beyond the crystal ball.

*“The aforementioned Shrine Maiden Princess has made contact with your fake Ragweed Princess.”*
“Oh? That was surprisingly swift.”
*“It seems she intends to heal Ragweed Princess’s leg. Due to the uncertainty factor, her abilities remain unknown. But assuming she achieves a full recovery, 4=7 (Philosophus), would that not cause a discrepancy on your end?”*
“Hmm… No, it poses no problem. On the contrary, this might allow us to cast another stone into the pond. Currently, the imperial court is a den of suspicion and paranoia, all vying to become the next head. If Princess Ragweed… no, if we can involve the Priestess Princess and the Empire in this matter, the chaos will only deepen.”
*“Hmm, so it proceeds as planned, then?”*
“Indeed, 6=5 (Adeptus Major). Everything unfolds precisely as you have threaded it.”
*“Hm. The revival of the Shrine Maiden Princess was not within calculation, however… Well, never mind. There exists no finer sacrifice than her. We’ve already disposed of those troublesome demi-humans. This time, more blood and offerings are needed for the resurrection of our god.”*
“As you command.”

Egmond bowed respectfully.

*“I leave it to you, Egmond.”*
“Are you still operating there, 6=5 (Adeptus Major)?”

Egmond asked, picturing the highest-ranking existing believer of the secret society that worshipped the ancient god—now treated as a demon god—whose true form was concealed, always operating as a suspicious half-dark elf man.

*“Aye. Though the power of the Sacred Treasure allows him to blend in, the time is nearly ripe. The puppet I feared… the rebellion of that ragweed princess you created proved a needless worry, and it seems the Superempire’s intervention is now almost certainly off the table.”*
“With the power of the Adeptus Major, the one called the ‘Puppeteer,’ such a fool would pose no problem. Even the Superempire was ensnared by those strings, wasn’t it?”

Egmond made no effort to hide his contemptuous expression, and a malicious laugh returned from beyond the crystal ball.

*“Hah. But we must be doubly cautious. Spending too much time on telepathy risks detection. I’ll cut this connection now. Our next scheduled contact will be at midnight five days from now.”*
“Yes! All for the Azure God!”
*“For the True Azure God.”*

♦

The person who ended the telepathic link with that password—Adeptus Major (Great Sage) currently known publicly as Zoe Bastia—stowed the crystal sphere that paired with Egmond’s into a ring-shaped storage function of her “sacred artifact.” Rising, she flipped her skirt and, clutching a clunky controller in one hand, returned to the lecture hall where her puppet awaited.