Chapter : 05
At the same time. The Imperial Capital, Loire. District 1, Address 1.
“It’s hard to see your face, isn’t it?”
“……”
“Did you come back from that boarding house again today?”
“……”
“My son, who am I talking to?”
Look here. The woman shook the fishing rod she was holding. While the ‘son’ remained still, an innocent cat reacted. Arden glanced at the gray cat standing on two legs and flailing, and replied with annoyance:
“Yes.”
“Is that an answer?”
“Yes.”
“Hmph.” The woman struck her chest.
Although it was well past midnight, the room was bright. Documents piled up everywhere, a gigantic map of the Empire on the central table with countless flags stuck into it, and ancient magic spells etched in blue on the glass windows. This was District 1, Address 1, the Imperial Palace. Specifically, the Emperor’s office.
The Emperor asked her son:
“Why are you still stubbornly staying there? It’s almost three months since you graduated from the Academy.”
“……”
“No answer?”
“…It’s my will.”
“Is it only your will? I have a will, too.”
It was a childish line to come from an Emperor, but Arden pretended not to hear it.
“Isn’t it time to clean up and move back in?”
“No.”
“Then why!”
“……”
“My son, let’s be reasonable.” The Emperor struck the table. A finger, misshapen from a lifetime of gripping a pen and a sword, pointed at her son.
“You are the Crown Prince. You haven’t held the coronation ceremony yet, but since you are my only child, you soon will be. But how long do you intend to hide your identity and live outside pretending to be a low-ranking knight?”
“You told me to, Mother.”
“That was only until you graduated from the Academy! I told you to graduate from the Academy, when did I tell you to apply to the Knights?!” The Emperor beat her chest.
“Yes, I told you to graduate from the Academy based on skill alone. To mingle among the Imperial citizens as a commoner, without the influence of the Crown Prince title. So, what, are you rebelling now?”
“……”
“What I gave you was a kind of free time. Since you would have to spend your entire life working once you become Emperor, I wanted you to live freely until then. But this…”
Do you think it makes sense for the sole heir to the throne to be roughing it at the bottom of the Knights? The Emperor was indignant.
“If I had known this would happen, I would have revealed your face to the Imperial citizens a long time ago!”
She had hidden his face because he was her only child and she feared assassination threats, but her son was using it to his own advantage!
“Why are you staying in that dirty house? You, of all people, with your germaphobia!” Is there some treasure hidden there?
Even as she said it, the Emperor didn’t believe her own words. What treasure would that boy have? At most, it would be a bathtub with plenty of hot water and soap that never wears out. She strained her eyes, ready to tell the cat to scratch him if he spoke nonsense.
But the demeanor of her son, who usually just maintained a blank expression and sulked regardless of what his mother said, was strange. Arden, who was fiddling with his already neatly tied necktie, had red ears.
“My son?” The Emperor prompted.
“The room…”
“The room?”
What about the room?
“She won’t clean her room.”
“What did you say?”
“She lives in a pigsty. It’s annoying.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I have to go.”
Arden disappeared without giving her time to question him further.
“What did he just say?” She asked the Chief Chamberlain standing next to her, but the Chamberlain only looked puzzled.
The Emperor lamented in the spot her taciturn son had just left:
“With a temper like that, which woman would ever take him?”
He’s fussy, he has no charm, he’s a sensitive personified, and he has no interest in the opposite sex, even at his age. And he’s silent!
“I wish I could at least see him initiate a conversation with a woman before I die…”
The cat yawned widely in the Emperor’s office, where she was worrying herself sick.
Having left the Palace, Arden thought.
‘What could she be doing right now?’
She looked tired when I went to buy handkerchiefs earlier today. She said one employee had quit.
Just seeing the Senior working at the clothing shop annoyed him. It wasn’t the job itself that annoyed him. It was seeing her do a job she didn’t want.
He was annoyed at the Academy for charging money again to graduate when she’d already paid tuition while attending, annoyed at the Imperial Law that prevented the Imperial Family from interfering with universities, and annoyed that the law actually made sense… In short, he was annoyed at everything.
Arden’s steps quickened toward the boarding house.
‘Seriously, what is she doing?’
I’m not really curious, but I want to know.
Meanwhile, at that very moment, the Senior whom Arden wanted to know about was…
…Transforming.
Her hair, which had been tightly tied up to avoid getting in the way of movement, fell loose. Her jet-black hair changed to a golden blonde color similar to Arden’s.
Her clothes also changed. Instead of a black shirt, a pure white blouse with cotton-candy-like sleeves, and instead of dark long pants, a red lace skirt that went up to her thighs. A large ribbon of the same color was on her chest.
Flutter.
Pink flower petals fell in the air. Her body, which had been spinning around since she recited the spell, slowly stopped.
“Transformation complete!”
The Maltese clapped its paws beside her.
I was flustered.
“What is this!”
The transformation took a full minute! I’ll get shot while I’m transforming!
I glanced sideways at the adulterous man, who was just standing with his mouth open. He must have been so stunned that he didn’t even think to shoot. Next to the two dumbfounded humans, only the Maltese was excited.
“Now move confidently, woof! The Magic Saintess’s battle uniform has a facial recognition impairment spell on it!”
“What spell?!”
“A spell that makes people who know the Saintess unable to recognize her even when they see her face right up close!”
“Good grief!” At least it saves me some face! If people who know me found out I was running around outside wearing clothes like this, I couldn’t live with the embarrassment!
“Bad guy! Don’t move now! The Guardian of Justice, the Magic Saintess, has arrived!”
The Maltese, looking triumphant even though he didn’t transform himself, pointed his short front paw at the adulterous man. The man, who had been blank, finally showed horror.
“A dog is talking?!” He’s not surprised that a person transformed, is he?!
“I am not a dog!”
“Heeek! It’s a ghost!”
“I am not a ghost! I am a Divine Beast!”
“Aaaah!”
“Haha! You must be afraid of the judgment of justice!”
“Aaaah! Die, whatever you are!” Bang!
“No…!” I snatched the dog and dove behind the desk. Bang! Bang!
I violently shook the front paws of the dog, who instantly fell silent from fear.
“Doggy, snap out of it!” I’m the Magic Saintess, aren’t I?!
“Is this all there is?! This ridiculous outfit and a facial recognition impairment spell?!”
“Don’t I have a weapon?!” Am I really supposed to block bullets with a mirror?!
“Diiiie!” Bang! Bang!
“Aww!” It’s too narrow here to run around!
“Do something, doggy!”
“A pre-precious item! Seraphina needs a precious item, woof!”
“This is precious!” I pointed to the brooch that remained after my clothes changed, the one I used to pick the lock earlier.
“This is what I received for being chosen as an excellent student at the Academy! It’s proof that I achieved something through my own effort! My self-esteem goes up every time I look at it when I deal with difficult customers! When I feel like I’m nothing! When people treat me like a maid who can’t complain, acting according to their mood! I am a person far more valuable than them…”
Just kidding, it’s the most expensive thing I own!
“It’s truly the most precious thing!” So do something about it! Aaaah!
At that moment, the brooch stretched out. What ended up in my hand was:
A cherry-colored squeaky toy hammer with wings.
“?!”
Bang! Bang-bang! The gigantic hammer swelled and moved on its own, deflecting the bullets. The bullets hit by the hammer turned into colorful candy stars and fell scattered.
“Oh my God!” How did it know that I always wanted to hit difficult customers with a squeaky toy hammer!
Bang!
“Aah!” No time to be amazed.
I charged straight at the adulterous man.
Bang!
“Have you been waiting long, customer! I apologize for the inconvenience!” Pop!
“That is! Difficult!” Pop! Pop!
“Yes! That means no!” Pop! Pop-pop!
“You’re in a hurry?! Then! Why! Didn’t! You! Come! Early!” Pop! Pop! Pop!
I poured out the resentment of every employee in this world! The hammer of difficult customer exorcism!
Smash!
“Cough!” Thud.
The adulterous man, whose head was repeatedly struck by the giant squeaky toy hammer, collapsed.
“Hoo, hoo…” I lowered the hammer and caught my breath.
“……” A wave of shame… ‘A lace skirt and a squeaky toy hammer.’
Is the Magic Saintess… gaining power at the cost of her dignity? Like being able to run faster by recalling embarrassing moments from the past?
“Well done! Seraphina! Victory is ours!” The Maltese, who had been busy eating the candy stars that fell on the floor while I was punishing the adulterous man, finally cheered.
“……” He doesn’t care about my feelings at all.
I was glaring at the Maltese, who quickly covered the single remaining candy star on the floor with its front paw, afraid I might steal it, when—
“Hmm. Hum-hum~”
The sound of Mrs. Scrooge humming, returning now, was completely oblivious to the shooting and hammering chaos that had just occurred upstairs.
“……” The adulterous man. The mistress. And Mrs. Scrooge. These are the people who cut off Elly’s livelihood, even though she was just working.
‘Right. Since I’ve started this, I should finish it properly.’
“Doggy,” I called the Maltese, who was subtly raising its paw to retrieve the candy star while I was distracted.
“We decided to implement justice, didn’t we?”
