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The Prince in the Tower and the Princess to the Rescue

The grounds of the St Campbell Church were lit by bonfires, lanterns, and magical lights, yet the night was far from fully dispelled, leaving areas shrouded in twilight. This left a risk of an unexpected attack under cover of darkness.

“「Let light illuminate thine hands.」” So, I decided to secure our visibility first. “「Light」”

I created around thirty orbs of light, dispersing them evenly across the church grounds and suspending them five meters in the air. Now, there shouldn’t be any blind spots—at least, that was the idea.

Suddenly, the newly revived adventurers and soldiers—especially those dressed as mages or spellcasters—began murmuring in awe, as if the ground itself was rumbling.

“Incredible… This many Light Magic Arts at once?!”
“They’re all floating independently!”
“I can’t believe it. The sheer magical power and control this requires…”

“…” Wait, is this spell really that impressive? I’d just casually modified a household spell, the kind you’d use for reading at night… “………….”

W-, well, what’s done is done, right? I had no idea it was that great, and it’s just this one time, so it didn’t count. Yup.

After composing myself—some might say I was shelving the issue—I turned my gaze to Luke, who was eagerly waving and jumping, trying to get my attention with an abundance of body language.

For some reason, he’s alone up in the church’s bell tower. Is this some kind of punishment? Or maybe… he is being bullied? Feeling a bit suspicious, I asked Vier to make a quick detour over there. Besides, there was something I wanted to ask from him as well.

As we approached, I could see Luke sparkling with an intense glow—well, he usually has that princely aura, but this time it was as if it had been turned up tenfold. He looked deeply moved, almost as if he were an enchanted princess, locked in a tower by an evil witch for years, now seeing the prince who had come to rescue her.

—Wait, aren’t our roles reversed?

With a slight tilt of my head at the unexpected casting, I had Vier lift me up to his level, so we were eye-to-eye.

“Jill! You’re safe—I was so worried about you!”

He must have been genuinely concerned. His excitement is off the charts; he looks like he might leap onto me any moment, but, seeing as we’re at maximum capacity for the moment, I’d prefer he refrain from doing that.

“I’m sorry to have worried you. I’m safe, somehow. Now then…”
“What’s this, Clara? Who’s the fancy-looking lad? Is he your new boyfriend?”

Just as I was about to bring up the reason for my visit, Coppelia, sitting behind me, eyed Luke with a mischievous look and casually dropped this line.

I nearly stumbled at her bluntness.

“Please don’t say such misleading things! I don’t have any boyfriend, neither ‘new’ or ‘old’!”
“Oh ho! Simon was absolutely head over heels for you, and you just erased it all up, have you? This is why you women can’t be trusted.”
“I keep telling you, that wasn’t me!”
“Oh, that’s right; you even changed your name. I suppose you think that just wipes away the past, huh? The poor guy must feel pretty used. But hey, it’s none of my business if some pretty boy gets toyed with—serves him right, I say.”

Cackling away with a mix of disdain and mockery, she cast a condescending look at Luke, who was standing there frozen like a statue, listening to our conversation.

“…” After what seemed like five deep breaths, Luke slowly turned his neck toward me, his movements almost creaking, and looked at me with a mixture of helplessness and a touch of fear. “Jill…”

“It’s all nonsense! Don’t take any of it seriously!” Not wanting to bother with explanations, I just denied everything outright.

“Oh, right… of course, there’s no way that’s true. I believe in you, Jill.”
“Exactly!”

As Luke’s face visibly relaxed with relief, I couldn’t help but feel a little sympathy.

“Talk about gullible,” Coppelia murmured, nonchalantly voicing exactly what I was thinking.

“You little—” I felt a sudden urge to knock her off from this height.

Just as I was about to act on that impulse, Luke, clearly uncomfortable, glanced at Coppelia with suspicion. “Jill, who might that be?” he asked, keeping his tone gentlemanly despite what must have been going through his mind.

His maturity was a stark contrast to the centuries-old, senile old-timer this maid truly was.

“This strange maid is an automaton I happened to meet by chance. She actually has the personality of the alchemist who created those undead and the lord of the undead copied inside her, so I thought it might be useful to get her input.”

I realized too late that this might have been a mistake. Luke nodded deeply in agreement, his expression shifting to one of complete distrust as he looked at Coppelia.

“Hey, hold on! You make it sound as if I’m the root of all this trouble!”

Pretty close to the truth, I’d say.

“You should take some responsibility and show some remorse. Regardless of what you say, you’ve committed grave sins by tampering with life through illegal research. You’re also accountable for abandoning your creations and allowing this catastrophe to happen—there are such things as product liability and abandonment.”
“Hmph. And what’s so wrong about contributing to scientific progress? How people use what I create is up to them. Is the blacksmith responsible for whether a buyer uses an ax to chop firewood or to harm others? I don’t bear that responsibility!”

Coppelia puffed up her chest without a hint of remorse.

Even so, I’m pretty sure a blacksmith considers whom they’re selling to, and the nature of their work probably keeps some sense of caution and responsibility in the back of their mind. This one, however, doesn’t have a shred of that awareness.

Perhaps it would be wise to arrange a little “accident” to take care of her sooner rather than later.

Luke must have been thinking the same thing. He cast Coppelia a scathing, condemning glance, but her thick-skinned response showed no sign of remorse. With a light click of his tongue, he shifted his gaze to the church courtyard.

“So, about the No-Life King from before. Did that manage to defeat it?”

He looked at the massive black armor like a small mountain, his tone hovering between hope and skepticism.

“Unlikely. At best, it may have just stunned him temporarily,” I replied.

I’d love to believe it’s finished, but that would be far too optimistic. After all, even a cockroach in the kitchen doesn’t die from a single hit, and I’m well aware of the No-Life King’s resilience.

“That said, I’ll be heading down to take care of the remaining small fry. Luke, if you could cover us from here, and also—”

I twisted around, reaching for the bundle tied between Coppelia and me—a figure secured in place with my old black robe to keep her from falling: Eren, still unconscious from the shock. The three of us worked together to lift her and passed her over to Luke.

“Please look after Eren for me. It’s too dangerous for her, so even if she wakes up, could you make sure she stays here instead of coming my way?”

My plea made Luke’s face tighten with worry.

“Are you planning something dangerous? Let me help you.”

His response was just as I expected, leaving me in a bit of a dilemma. While I appreciate his concerns, he’d become powerless again if Igoronak used his Parry (Intimidation) skill once more.

The skill’s effectiveness weakens over distance, so it would be best if Luke could provide support from afar. That way, I could focus without worrying as much…

“Hmph, so you couldn’t care less about anyone’s safety but your own target, huh? I swear, guys with pretty faces are always so irritating!” Coppelia sneered.

At her comment, Luke suddenly seemed to remember Eren lying at his feet, wrapped up like a cocoon, and looked down at her.

“Please,” I said, looking up at him, my eyes pleading. “I’ve got the Robe of Sant’Angelo and the Tiara of Starflower, which gives me some protection against the No-Life King, but others don’t have that advantage. I’d feel more at ease knowing I could count on you to help from here.”

I leaned forward, gently taking both of his hands in mine, squeezing them softly. This technique, the “Damsel’s Plea,” is something Viola once taught me: the trick, she said, is not to grip too hard. Judging by his reaction, it seems to be working perfectly.

“R-Right! Leave it to me! I’ll definitely protect Eren, and I’ll protect you too, Jill!” With his cheeks flushed, Luke squeezed my hands back with twice the strength, promising with all his heart.

“What a cheap—ow!” I cut off Coppelia’s unnecessary comment by hitting her square in the face with a non-elemental spell.

“Well then, I’m off. Take care of the rest.”

With a short farewell, I turned on my heel, spurred on Vier, and moved to join the fray in the church grounds, where the revived adventurers and soldiers were currently battling the undead horde.

As I looked around, I noticed a group of clergy kneeling in front of the church, fervently praying with solemn, almost feverish expressions. I wondered, was some celebrity visiting? That’s the kind of atmosphere it felt like. Personally, I’d prefer if they took action rather than prayed… With that thought, I gave a gentle pat to the base of Vier’s wing.

“Alright, let’s go. For now, let’s scatter the small fry and focus on getting the non-combatants out of harm’s way!”
“WOOF!! (Got it!)”

With a mighty roar, Vier and I charged toward the battlefield with renewed vigor.

Author’s Note:

Currently, Jill is equipped with the anti-Igoronak gear crafted by Coppelia.

The Robe of Sant’Angelo has the effect of nullifying 60% of status ailments and preventing things like draining life energy. The Tiara of Starflower amplifies and converges the effects of purification and healing magic (it simply enhances the effective use of the user’s power, without increasing their own abilities).

Unlike the “parry” in Romancing SaGa, this refers to “parry” in the context of MMORPGs, meaning “to nullify an enemy’s attack.”

Translator’s Note:

Yeah, I don’t understand how 威圧 (intimidation/coercion) becomes Parry, but that’s how it is in the raw.