It was another prosperous day in Wirth, imperial capital of the Adrasia Empire—one of the Vogel Continent's three most powerful empires, controlling the central region of the continent under the empire's symbol, a golden eagle.

Within this imperial capital's Adventurer's Guild, an imposing figure made his entrance.

"Whoa. That guy's the real deal."

"No kidding. That's a king minotaur horn."

"No way. That's an AAA-class rare monster. Did he kill one all by himself?"

From all around came murmured exclamations of surprise and awe. The center of everyone's attention was a black-clad mage, dragging a giant horn behind him. He was robed and outfitted entirely in black, with the sole exception of a distinctive silver mask.

The clerk at the front desk greeted him normally, showing no surprise at the familiar figure's entrance.

"Welcome back, Master Silver. Here is your reward."

Silver, SS-class adventurer. Just as always, the clerk addressed me by my alias and handed over my reward with a smile. The other adventurers present looked on with stunned expressions at the huge sum of money.

Of course, the sum was entirely deserved. King minotaurs were monsters individually specified by the Adventurer's Guild, with a sizable sum of prize money assigned as a bounty.

The creatures hadn't been found in imperial territory until fairly recently. After a large party of A-class adventurers from a neighboring country attempted but failed to exterminate the monsters, they crossed over into Adrasia, so I had taken on the task of killing them myself.

"Thanks. Appreciate it."

"Not at all. You've been a great help, as usual. We're all proud to have one of the only five SS-class adventurers right here in the capital!"

The brown-haired clerk replied with a bright smile.

I returned the compliment with a polite smirk, set down a few of the gold coins I'd just received, and then headed for the guild's exit.

"Umm... What's this for, Master Silver?"

"It's my treat to everyone here. Go get some drinks, on me. And next time you get a high-level quest, I'd appreciate being the first to hear about it."

"Oh, absolutely! No problem at all."

The clerk happily grabbed up the coins, and the other adventurers inside the guild responded with even greater whoops of glee.

As an adventurer, I only accepted advanced difficulty quests, and the guild in turn preferentially offered such quests to me. But some of my fellow adventurers didn't look so kindly on that. It was important to help them let off steam sometimes, all the more so given the level of caution I needed to maintain surrounding my identity.

Ruminating on that thought, I quickly left the guild hall and headed for my usual inn.

Once there, I removed my silver mask and black robe and changed into upper class garments. I always made an effort to be conscientious of my appearance in these parts.

"It would be a real outrage if it ever came out that an imperial prince was also an adventurer."

"Then I trust you'll take appropriate precautions, Your Highness."

The remark came from Sebastian, a steward who had been in employ since my mother's generation, and who had just appeared without a sound. Despite being over sixty years old, the blond-haired man had impeccable posture and wore his steward's uniform with style. As evidenced by his silent arrival, he was a formidable old man whose skills—far above and beyond that of a steward—remained razor-sharp. The steward was also warranted in his reply. My real name was Arnold Lakes Aadler, Seventh Imperial Prince of the Adrasia Empire.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to sneak up on me, Sebas?"

"Forgive me, Your Highness. It's hard to break old habits."

"I also don't need any lectures. I'm the Insipid Prince, remember? I can do whatever I want."

I had a younger twin brother. He was brave and valiant, a sharp thinker, and likable to boot. A genius who excelled at anything he did. Despite the two of us being identical in looks, while my brother was always the subject of high praise, I got told over and over again that I had no ambition, or that I wasn't enough of a man. The fact that he always had a long line of ladies hoping to be his fiancée was also a source of annoyance.

I, on the other hand, was the incompetent, spineless, good-for-nothing prince. As a kid, I did nothing but goof around. All of the many private tutors who attempted to teach me eventually gave up. Their criticisms of me soon spread throughout the imperial capital, and then the entire empire, earning me the nickname of the "Insipid Prince," my brother having taken all of the good qualities for himself. To this day, pretty much everyone in the castle looked at me with derision and insulted me behind my back.

No one expected anything of me. I may have been part of the imperial family, but only just so, at the very bottom of the pyramid. That's who I was as a prince.

"Don't fret about what all those simpletons say. No one knows your true power."

"It doesn't bother me, but that's still how I get treated. All I mean is, no one has the right to say anything about my obligations as a prince."

For all my bluster, even I had to admit that, deep down, it was a cowardly excuse; yet it was that very cowardly excuse that let me live my life freely. Still...

"I understand you feel that way, but at the moment, that's a luxury we cannot afford. Please return to the castle immediately."

"Why? What happened?"

"General Dominik has passed away."

"Really?"

General Dominik was an honored general of the Imperial Capital Garrison. He had already retired from service, but even without a particularly notable battle record, he had still managed to survive over fifty years fighting on the front lines. For his service, he had been appointed an honorary general and acted in a sort of adviser role for the empire.

The general was advanced in age and suffered from heart disease, but he wasn't sick enough that he should've died so suddenly. The word "assassination" immediately popped into my head.

"It must've been one of the 'Three'..."

"The details are unclear, but I don't expect there will be a search for the perpetrator."

General Dominik was outspoken and made many enemies, but there was only one possible reason he would have been assassinated. Recently, the general had become involved in the conflict for the imperial throne. While he had previously always criticized the various imperial princes and princesses, he had taken a liking to and begun backing one particular prince.

Those who saw that as dangerous—namely, the three front-runners for the emperor's throne—had had him assassinated. That's what I assumed, anyway. He was an honorary general, after all. His death wouldn't bring any substantial harm to the empire, and his passing would be filed away as a result of his heart disease. The only one who would come away disadvantaged was the prince who'd lost a supporter.

That prince was Leonard Lakes Aadler, Eighth Imperial Prince. My twin brother.

"Leo just naturally draws people onto his side. It's not like he purposefully tried to create influence in order to take the throne."

"Yes, but the fact that it was viewed as influence is the problem. Now, those contending for the throne see His Highness as an enemy."

Sebas' comment made me sigh. Among the heirs fighting for the throne, there were three top contenders: the Second Imperial Prince, the Second Imperial Princess, and the Third Imperial Prince. Each of the three possessed their own influence, and the possibility of one of them gaining the throne was extremely high.

All other heirs to the throne had two options. They could either back one of the three front-runners (or at least maintain neutrality), or they could take an opposition stance and aim to take the throne themselves.

Given the personalities of the top three contenders, those who chose the latter and lost would face at best exile, and at worst the death penalty. Their punishment would likely extend to all those related to them as well. In Leo's case, that would include our mother and myself.

Incidentally, Leo had ended up taking that latter option. There would be no point in trying to support one of the other heirs or proclaiming neutrality now. There was only one thing to do.

"We have to make sure Leo becomes the next emperor."

"Is becoming emperor yourself not a possibility?"

"Do I look like the emperor-type to you? I've spent my whole life foisting any annoying tasks onto my brother. He can take this one, too."

I wanted to spend a carefree life as an adventurer, but not engaging now would be a straight path to a death sentence. It would be a massive headache, but I had no other choice. It was time to start secretly working to put my brother on the throne.

***

After returning to the Castle of the Imperial Sword, the blade-like castle in the center of the capital, I immediately set off toward Leonard's room. Unfortunately, I ran into some ministers and nobles on the way.

"Well well, if it isn't Prince Arnold. You're looking hale today, Your Highness."

"Thanks, I guess."

"Indeed. I'm quite jealous, in fact, seeing you in such high spirits every day. Quite a contrast to Prince Leonard, spending all his time on various studies and pursuits."

"Yep. He's got a good head on his shoulders, unlike me."

"Precisely! I hear that he's planning on joining the battle for the throne. You mustn't let him go uncontested, Prince Arnold."

"Now now, don't go comparing Prince Arnold to Prince Leonard! They may be twins, but they're quite different in terms of ability!"

"Yes, you're absolutely right. My apologies, Your Highness."

"Don't worry about it. It's the truth."

With that final response, I passed by the group. Though they all respectfully bowed, they were also having a laugh at me. They knew I would never report their subtly offensive comments and behavior to the emperor, and that he wouldn't care even if I did. Of all the imperial family, I was the only one who wasn't treated as such. The nobles and ministers in the capital, never mind nobility in other regions, all treated me with disdain and disrespect.

That said, it was all because of the way I acted. And I didn't change the way I acted because I was fine with the situation. It was precisely because no one paid me any mind that I was able to freely live my other life as Silver and do what I pleased. Putting myself in this position was the only way to do what I wanted even from my status as prince.

I was still pondering that thought when I reached Leo's room.

"Hey, it's me!"

"Arnold?"

I walked into the room without knocking to find Leo sitting in a chair, hanging his head. Leo was eighteen years old. We were exactly the same age, of course, but Leo's composure made him seem much older sometimes.

We looked identical, but while Leo's hair was neatly combed, mine was messy. Leo's clothes were worn prim and properly, while mine were donned casually. Leo stood straight and tall; I hunched over. Thanks to all those differences, we were never mistaken for one another once we got older.

When I looked at my twin brother now, I saw his face was haggard. Having my own face stare back at me looking so glum and worn out was depressing.

"I heard the news. So the old guy is dead, huh?"

"Yeah..."

"I guess he was probably assassinated?"

"Yeah...probably."

Like me, he wasn't going to say something naïve, like, that surely he hadn't been assassinated by one of our brothers or sisters. Assassination was the greatest possibility, given the current circumstances.

"What are we going to do?"

"...I don't want to get into conflict with my family."

"I thought you might say that."

Leo himself had no desire to fight for the throne. It was all his many admirers who wanted that to happen, one of those admirers being Dominik. True to his comment, Leo was opposed to fighting within the family for the throne. It just so happened that given his brains, talent, and likable personality, he was naturally becoming the fourth top runner, after the Second and Third Imperial Princes and the Second Imperial Princess.

That's why Dominik, the one promoting his candidacy, would have been assassinated. However, this didn't mean Leo was safe. No matter which one of the other front-runners became emperor, a dark future awaited him.

But being averse to that future didn't mean Leo and I could run and hide. We couldn't leave behind our mother, a member of the emperor's harem. Although we would undoubtedly be chased down for shirking our duties as part of the imperial family, taking a woman of the harem, one of the emperor's wives, along with us would result in even more serious retaliation. Even with my best efforts, we'd be in for a long haul of running from the law. That left us only one option.

"You're already seen as an enemy. If you don't participate in the run for the throne, it's a death sentence. That goes for me and Mother, too."

"Yeah... I know. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. Just take a stance."

"...I have no choice but to join the battle for the throne."

Leo spoke the words with a look of reluctant determination. If Leo had only had to worry about himself, he would likely have withdrawn from the fight, even at the expense of his own life. It was the possibility of harm coming to those around him that pressured him into pursuit of the throne.

In the end, that was also the reason those same people would want to help him out and see him as the next emperor. From my point of view, Leo was too nice to be emperor...but there was no point in dwelling on that. In light of recent events, he had to become emperor at all costs.

"I'll provide what little help I can. You concentrate on gaining supporters and creating influence. The bigger your presence, the more likely the others will leave you alone."

The conflict for the throne was a battle of influence. Whoever had the greatest influence would win. The top "Three" had powerful influence as well as plentiful human resources behind them. Even if I were pushed to assassination, I'd have little chance of success. I could maybe take down one, possibly two, but not all three. There wasn't much I could accomplish while trying to keep it a secret. It was completely different than, say, killing someone with magic. And, of course, I had no will or desire to assassinate anyone, anyway.

We were only in this situation in the first place due to the death of our eldest brother. Assassination wouldn't solve anything, and Father probably wouldn't allow Leo to take the throne. Anyone discovered to have participated in an assassination, or even under strong suspicion of such, would be considered unsuitable for the position of emperor from a perspective of dignity and competency. If there were an assassination, it would have to be done in total secrecy and without any suspicion. But that would be too difficult. At present, me choosing assassination would leave Leo as the most suspicious. All of that meant that method was off the table.

"Thanks. And what about you?"

"I'll look for more supporters myself. But don't get your hopes up. Practically all the influential ministers and nobles already belong to factions of one of the top three front-runners."

"I know. I still appreciate it... But you know, Arnold, I really think you're more suited to being emperor than I am."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'd lose my life of leisure if I ever became emperor. My life plan involves marrying a beautiful woman and having fun. And I need you to become emperor to make that happen!"

I patted Leo on the shoulder as I made my declaration and noticed his body faintly trembling. Not that I could blame him. Even to the amazing Leo, the top three front-runners were formidable foes. In terms of capability, no matter who became emperor, the empire, as well as its influence and power, would be in safe hands.

But no matter how dominant they might be, no one was omnipotent. With three contenders vying against each other for the throne, that meant an opportunity for Leo could present itself.

"Well, let's start by gaining supporters and getting Father's approval, Leo."

"Right. It's Father who'll make the final decision on his successor, after all."

"Now, how can we get His Royal Majesty's approval..."

And that's how our grab for the throne began.

"What about revealing yourself as SS-class adventurer Silver?"

"No thanks."

Once back in my room, I discussed my plans with Sebas. He was the only one who knew that I was Silver. I could admit there would be some advantages to revealing my identity, but there were also disadvantages.

 "My great-grandfather devoted himself to ancient magic and ended up going mad. Ever since, the practice of ancient magic has been taboo among the imperial family. Ancient magic is what I use. It would be bad for Leo if it came out that his twin brother was a practitioner," I explained.

Sebas replied, "However, Silver also has a record of achievements and a good reputation. People even say he's the greatest adventurer in the history of the Adrasia Empire. That should be a bonus to Prince Leonard, should it not?"

"It's too soon," I countered. "Revealing my identity is a last resort. As long as Leo is trying for the throne, me remaining an incompetent prince for the time being is the most advantageous."

"But..."

"That's what makes things easiest for me." 

"In that case, I won't say any more on the subject," Sebas conceded. "But how exactly do you plan on proceeding? If you won't reveal your identity, I don't believe that leaves you with many options."

I thoughtfully placed my hand to my chin while considering Sebas' question. That was my biggest problem. Leo's faction was small and weak. The quickest way to increase it would be to involve someone with influence.

"Sebas," I asked. "Are there any households not involved in the battle for the throne?"

"There is only one household not involved at all, but yes."

"Which one?"

"That of Duke Kleinert."

Now that was an unexpected answer, such a prestigious family name. The ducal households were either relatives of the royal family or were otherwise related by blood. Siblings of the emperor who did not rise to the throne but were determined to be distinguished enough were given the rank of duke. Sometimes, others with noteworthy achievements could also become dukes, but even in those cases, the title was given alongside marriage to a member of the imperial family, so recognition of the new dukes as members as well was natural.

For those households, the battle for the throne was an important event. Getting on the good side of the next emperor would mean reaping great rewards. That's why all households would make at least some attempt to get on good terms with candidates for the throne. A household that didn't do so must have had an even more pressing issue to contend with.

"If they're staying out of things, I assume it's because they've got another problem going on?"

"Astute observation. Apparently, some nasty monsters have shown up within their territory, and despite having turned to adventurers for help, they're nowhere near solving the issue."

There were Adventurers' Guild branches located all over the continent, including several branches within the Adrasia Empire, but each with a very different degree of capability. Except for the branch within the imperial capital, none of the Adrasia branches were very high level. Even within the imperial capital branch, it was me who raised the average, elevating the guild as a whole only slightly above the others in the empire. The reason for this was that monsters didn't often appear in the Adrasia Empire, which meant there was no demand. Skilled adventurers migrated toward locations with more monsters around. Therefore, it generally took some time after monsters appeared in the empire to deal with them, since it required money to bring in skilled adventurers from other areas.

"I guess I could go and bail them out."

"I think that's an excellent idea. But how do you plan on tying Silver and Prince Leonard together?"

"I can just say that Leo sent me. I'll come up with some good explanation later. No problem."

"Prince Leonard getting an SS-class adventurer who never leaves the capital to go to the duke's territory will heighten the other heirs' awareness of him as a potential threat. If that happens, the relationship between you and Silver could be exposed."

"Let them be threatened. They won't bother Leonard if they think he has a link with Silver. There's no problem with Silver's true identity, either. All I have to do is be careful."

"I won't attempt to stop you if you're confident. Just do not forget, there's a world of difference between announcing something yourself and having it be exposed by someone else."

"I won't. All right then, I guess I'm off to see Duke Kleinert."

And so, in a practiced routine, I changed my outfit and morphed into Silver, gave Sebas my regards, and set off. Ancient magic—the now-archaic magic once practiced in the ancient magic era—was more difficult to wield than modern magic and was said to rely more heavily on a practitioner's natural gifts. However, it was also tremendously effective.

The effective range of my transfer magic included nearly all of Adrasia. In other words, the whole empire was basically my own backyard. I could go wherever I liked and return whenever I wanted. It cost an immense amount of mana, but I did my best to ignore that fact.

Knowing I was preparing to use such grand magic, Sebas cautioned me with a serious expression.

"By the way, Duke Kleinert's daughter is Blau Mowe. She is a young woman of unmatched beauty. Take care that you don't let her looks become a distraction."

"Sebas. You just can't rest until you get one last piece of advice in, can you?"

"That is my duty, after all."

"Ugh... Fine. Take care of things here while I'm gone."

"Yes, Your Highness."

With that, I used my transfer magic, instantly completing what would have been a five-day journey on horseback from the imperial capital to the Kleinert territory.

***

Duke Kleinert possessed a large territory on the western edge of the empire. After arriving in the centrally located capital of the territory where the lord resided, I immediately paid a visit to Duke Kleinert's manor.

"I am Silver, SS-class adventurer. I wish to see the duke."

"You, Silver? Give me a break. The Adventurers' Guild would've sent notice days in advance if such a famous adventurer were coming. Leave off the stupid pranks and go home."

The young, blond guard brusquely denied me entry. For a moment, I considered giving him a piece of my mind, except that doing so would ruin my purpose for coming all the way here.

Suppressing my irritation, I took out my Adventurer Card, which functioned as an adventurer's identification. Written on the card were one's name, rank, and other information. Made using the Guild's secret technique, the cards were unable to be copied or forged. Once the guard got a look at it, I was sure he'd be convinced. However...

"I don't need to see your card. Hurry up and get out of here! I'm busy!"

"Excuse me?!"

The guard turned me away without even glancing at my card. His attitude made me grimace, but at the same time, it also afforded me a golden opportunity.

My original intention had been to help out the duke in order to earn his obligation, but now, I realized, there was another way to put him even deeper in my debt.

"You know, I was sent here on direct orders from Prince Leonard, but I guess he was overly optimistic about Duke Kleinert's character. You be sure to let the duke know he's brought disgrace on both me and Prince Leonard."

"I'm not telling anyone anything! Get outta here, now!"

The guard stubbornly maintained his arrogant attitude. The Kleinert household was a prestigious family with a history far older than that of average nobility; it surprised me that such a boorish man was allowed to guard their manor. Maybe they were low on personnel because of the influx of monsters, I reasoned.

This was ridiculous. To specifically hire an SS-class adventurer cost three rainbow coins, the highest value coins in imperial currency.

The imperial currency was circulated not only within the Adrasia empire but throughout the entire continent. It consisted of bronze coins, gold-copper coins, silver coins, white-silver coins, gold coins, white-gold coins, and rainbow coins with bronze being the lowest value and each denomination increasing by tenfold as you rose up the list.

The monthly salary of a typical empire resident was seven or eight white-silver coins. The highest value coin in circulation among the general population was at most a gold coin. The average person would never even lay eyes on a top-value rainbow coin. SS-class adventurers were worth three of those. Even a duke would be hard-pressed to hire one himself.

Well, even if it was mostly this incompetent guard who was responsible, a failing of the duke's guardsman was also the failing of his master. I felt bad for Duke Kleinert, but I started hatching a plan to make him sweat anyway. Just as a calculating grin spread across my face behind my mask, I caught sight of a young woman peeking out from a second-floor window of the manor.

Even from far off, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl was very beautiful. I also recognized her.

Two years earlier, the emperor ordered the country's craftsmen to create hair ornaments featuring birds. One of the final products, a blue gull, caught the emperor's attention.

He was so taken with the ornament that he declared it befitting of the most beautiful woman in the empire and summoned attractive women and girls to the capital. Selected as the most unrivaled beauty was then fourteen-year-old Finne Von Kleinert, daughter of Duke Kleinert. She was gifted the blue gull hair ornament and given the matching name Blau Mowe, earning her the admiration of men throughout the empire.

Seeing her now, two years later, her beauty had only grown.

"But, just like Sebas said, this is no time to be getting distracted," I told myself.

Recalling Sebas' warning, I reluctantly left the manor and returned to the imperial capital once more with transfer magic.

"You're back rather soon."

"I'm doing exactly what I said I'd do! We're going to the Kleinert territory. Get packed."

"...After you've just been and come back?"

"After Silver went there, you mean. This time, it'll be Prince Arnold who goes. Heh, now the duke'll have no choice but to beg Leo for forgiveness. I've more or less got his support in the bag."

"That's quite the evil grin you've got on your face."

I ignored Sebas' quip and began preparing for our journey. Sebas, watching me humming as I packed, let out a frustrated sigh but wordlessly started packing as well. We soon set off on horseback, and after five days of riding, we entered the Kleinert territory.

***

After entering the capital of Kleinert territory and reaching the manor, I was immediately welcomed by Duke Kleinert himself—just as expected, as I had sent a horse ahead to let him know of my arrival. That said, Duke Kleinert mainly came out to welcome me out of respect for the imperial family. Other dukes wouldn't have bothered. Not only was I not taking part in the conflict for the throne, but my reputation was also exceedingly poor. I was the prodigal son, the "Insipid Prince," always in my brother's shadow. The fact that he was willing to come greet me merely by virtue of me being an imperial prince was likely due to a high regard for proper etiquette and courtesy.

"Your Highness. It's an honor."

"Good to see you again, Duke Kleinert. How long has it been now?"

"The last time I saw you, you had just celebrated your 10th birthday."

Duke Elmer Von Kleinert was a middle-aged man with combed blond hair and a neat mustache of the same color. After assuming the title of duke at a young age, he had spent many decades as lord of the Kleinert territory. His warm personality endeared him to not only the common people but the nobility as well. He was also one of the current emperor's most trusted dukes.

"Wow, that long, huh? Since I hardly ever leave the capital, I tend to lose contact with all the regional dukes. Forgive me for being a stranger."

"Not at all. It's my own fault for never visiting the capital, as I spend all my time occupied with things in the territory here."

We exchanged pleasantries as we entered the manor. We were accompanied by attendants until we reached the parlor room, where it was only the duke, Sebas, and myself.

"Now then, Duke Kleinert. I don't have much time, so let me explain why I'm here."

"Of course, Your Highness. What brings you to my humble territory?"

"Cut the crap. We both know I'm here for compensation."

"Compensation?"

"My brother Leonard didn't necessarily want me to do this, but since we're in the middle of a battle for the throne, I can't afford to let things slide. So, I'm here on his behalf. Duke Kleinert, if you have any sense of obligation, I want you to support Leo for emperor."

"W-wait just a moment. What obligation?"

"...So you're going to play it that way, huh?"

Duke Kleinert wore a look of confusion and appeared oblivious as to what was going on. Of course he would be—he had no idea that Leo and I had ostensibly sent Silver or that Silver had been here. I knew that. But clearing up his confusion right away would lessen the seriousness of the problem.

"You are a duke with the trust of His Royal Highness the emperor, as well as many others. Just what are you playing at, repaying Leo's goodwill with insult?"

"Your Highness, I sincerely do not understand. I apologize, but I am quite unaware of what Prince Leonard has done for me and my household."

"Seriously?"

I took a step forward, feigning an air of impatience. Sebas, who had been waiting for that moment, promptly intervened.

"Your Highness. It appears that Duke Kleinert is genuine in his confusion."

"And that's supposed to make everything okay?! Leo was thoughtful enough to employ an SS-class adventurer for him! And right when he's stressed out with the fight for the throne, no less! That's the whole reason Silver agreed to help him out!"

"S-Silver? You mean, the famed adventurer?"

"Yes! Leo heard that your territory was having a hard time with monsters, so he personally wrote to Silver requesting that he go to work for you, and Silver agreed. Silver is a practitioner of ancient magic. They say he can even use the lost art of transfer magic. He's obviously been here by now!"

"I-is this true?!"

"Are you calling me a liar?!"

While continuing my performance of outrage, I winked at Sebas, who caught my signal and once more stepped in.

"Your Highness, you mustn't be too angry. It's clear that the duke is not lying. There must have been some miscommunication. Shouldn't you consider giving him some time to investigate the matter?"

"Time to investigate? And what if he comes back none the wiser?"

"If that happens, we can inquire of Silver directly. I'm sure he would oblige a summons from Prince Leonard."

"Hmph! Since Sebas is so insistent, I guess I'll hold off for now. But if I find out you're trying to hide something, you know what's going to happen, don't you? I'll speak to Silver directly, and if there was any problem on your side, you'll never see adventurers in your territory again."

"I-I understand. I will immediately summon my staff and gather more information. Excuse me for a moment."

Duke Kleinert hurried from the room, looking flustered. With me not even in the running for the throne, my words alone wouldn't have had much effect; Silver being in the picture changed the game.

There were only five SS-class adventurers on the entire continent. They were the pinnacle of resources when it came to eradicating monsters. It wasn't a simple matter of offering enough money to get them to work for you, either. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them the adventurer elite. A person who disgraced one of them would be ostracized by all adventurers. No one would set foot in a place that dared treat Silver in such a manner.

"That went well."

"This is quite the malicious strategy. You're basically stirring up and starring in your own cheap drama."

"Now that's rude. This household turned Silver away of their own accord. All I did was rub salt in the wound, not cut it myself."

"After being refused, you could have simply snuck in. Instead, you deliberately turned it into an opportunity for greater gain, did you not? You even managed to use your own arrogance to emphasize Prince Leonard's kindhearted nature in contrast. I must applaud your strategic thinking."

"That's my job. Leo is too nice. Not many fish can live in an environment that's too clean. Someone has to dirty the water."

"If you've decided that's your role, I won't dissuade you. But you do realize the one who will suffer is yourself?"

"Never mind that. What's important right now is Leo's reputation. I don't care what anyone thinks of me."

"But I do care, as do your mother and Prince Leonard."

"The three of you caring is enough for me."

As Sebas and I were speaking, I heard Duke Kleinert's booming voice.

"How did I raise such a stupid son?! Are you trying to destroy this entire household?!"

It sounded like the duke had gathered all the information. Now, what would come next?

2

"I am truly, truly sorry!"

Duke Kleinert bowed his head in apology. Beside him, the blond young man who had been guarding the manor also hung his head, although he seemed disgruntled at having been dragged into apologizing for a situation he didn't understand. The boy had a lot of guts to be acting annoyed under these circumstances.

"That's enough apologizing. Would you care to explain what exactly happened?"

"Y-yes, Your Highness. You see, five days ago Silver did visit our manor, but my imbecile son here apparently did not realize who he was and sent him away."

"You sent him away?"

"But Father! Would you really expect an SS-class adventurer to just show up here? Wouldn't you think it was a prank?"

"Shut up, you idiot! I only put you on guard duty while I was out dealing with the monsters because you're no help doing anything else, and you can't even do that right!"

"B-but, you even told me yourself that it was my job to send away any men that came to see Finne."

"I don't recall telling you to send away SS-class adventurers! All you had to do was check Silver's Adventurer Card! Why couldn't you even manage that?!"

"I-I..."

The duke's son's eyes darted back and forth. It was the look of someone trying to decide whether or not to lie. Stupid people told lies that were easily exposed. If the boy lied and said that Silver hadn't shown him his Adventurer Card, the truth would quickly be revealed by asking Silver what had happened.

In this case, admitting and apologizing for his mistake would be the course of least harm, if he could just bring himself to do it.

"Duke Kleinert, you can lecture your son later. I hate to have to say this, but your son's mistake is also your own."

"I-I absolutely understand! How can I ever apologize to you and Prince Leonard, Your Highness?"

"Apologize? You're going to turn away the SS-adventurer employed by the prince and just apologize?! Then, let me ask you this! Silver will never again agree to work with us after being so disgraced! How are you planning to pay us back to make up for that?!"

"Please...please take my life and spare my son!"

"I don't want your life! Nor that of your incompetent son!"

An expression of despair crossed Duke Kleinert's face, while his son let out a breath of relief. It was a mystery how a father like the duke could have raised such an irresponsible son. If the duke couldn't repay us with his own life, he needed to offer up something else. And that something else had to be something important to his household, and also of value to me and Leo. In other words...

"In that case, take mine, and please forgive my father and brother, Your Highness."

At that moment, into the room came Finne, wearing a dress. She was jaw-droppingly beautiful up close. Even amid this tense situation, I couldn't help but stare.

Her long, blonde hair was faintly wavy and gently shone as it reflected the light. Her blue eyes, as deep as the ocean, glittered with a soft and enveloping light. She was small in stature, but you could see hints of her curves even under her dress.

Her face was fairly stiff with apprehension, but even that didn't take one ounce away from her beauty. If I was honest, I would gladly take anything she offered. Any man would feel the same, and before I could help myself, that instinctual reply nearly slipped out. But this was no time for blindly following my instincts.

Finne's appearance was not part of my plan. I had meant to pressure the duke a little further before asking for his backing in the conflict for the throne.

"F-Finne?! No! Please, Your Highness! She's still a child!"

The duke fell to his knees and pleaded frantically, his love for his daughter evident. He was clearly a good father, as I also saw by the way he offered his own neck in place of his blundering son's. Finne, in turn, knelt and pleaded for his forgiveness.

"Your Highness, please spare my father and brother! I saw Silver when he was here, too! I'm just as guilty as they are!"

"N-no, Finne! You didn't do anything wrong. It's all my fault! Please, forgive her!"

To top it off, even the duke's son took to his knees. At this rate, I was starting to look like the bad guy here.

I hadn't expected things to go this way. To be honest, I had anticipated a psychological battle with the duke. I looked at Sebas for help. He let out an exasperated sigh, then spoke.

"Your Highness. The Kleinert family is being exceedingly generous with their remorse. Won't you consider sparing them your anger?"

"You want me to let them off the hook? That's letting them make fools of us! If I let this incident go, we won't have a scrap of dignity left!"

"Then you can simply deal with it privately. Let's put this incident behind us."

"And what about Silver?!"

"Silver is a man with a strong sense of duty. He won't abandon a quest he's agreed to take on, and he may still be nearby. Let's get some men to search for him. With a sincere apology, I believe he would be understanding."

"Even supposing he did then solve the monster issue in this territory, that wouldn't erase the fact that the Kleinert household has made fools of us."

A perfect point of compromise was now within sight. If Sebas just pointed out the arbitrariness of my argument, I could then back down. It would probably make me look like a weakling riding the coattails of my brother's power, but that was exactly what I wanted. Leo was the one involved in the battle for the throne, not me.

"You can consult about that with Prince Leonard at a later date."

"There's no point in consulting with him! Leo lets anyone get away with anything!"

"That's precisely why people are drawn to him. Besides, Prince Arnold, you may be Prince Leonard's elder brother, but it is he who has the favor of the people. Worsening your relationship with the Kleinerts without his knowledge would be detrimental to his status."

"Ugh. Okay, fine. We'll do it your way. Duke Kleinert, have your men search for Silver. Once you find him, I'll speak with him. Sebas, you go and assist them."

I ended the discussion with a feigned note of reluctance.

Now all I had to do was solve the territory's problem as Silver, and then Duke Kleinert would give his support to Leo. This could be the very first step in our battle for the throne. On that note, I racked my brain on how I was now going to manage to play two different people at the same time.

***

"So you were still in the territory. I thought you'd be long gone."

"I thought someone might be sent to fetch me. It was a surprise to me too that the Insipid Prince would show up here."

It was at an unremarkable inn in the territory where I found Silver. Or more precisely, that's how I made it seem.

I had used ancient magic to manipulate the memories of the innkeeper so that he would remember a strangely dressed guest checking in five days earlier. Sebas pretended to find this out, and I took a meeting with Silver.

"And? Who might this be?"

"It is an honor to meet you, Master Silver. My name is Finne Von Kleinert."

"We're not meeting for the first time. I saw you five days ago."

That comment made Finne faintly flinch.

For a young girl of only sixteen years, even speaking to an SS-class adventurer was a cruel task. It was almost too much to ask that she be forced into the position of asking for forgiveness on behalf of the guilty party.

Apparently, since Kleinert had the monsters to deal with, he couldn't get away. I offered to go alone to speak with Silver, but Finne insisted on coming along on behalf of the household.

Because of that, I used illusion magic to create a fake Silver and played both him and Prince Arnold in front of Finne. The reason I was using illusion magic to create Silver was that, in case the deception was discovered, Silver could use the excuse of being cautious. If I'd done the reverse and created an illusory Prince Arnold, there would be questions as to how I, as the prince, was able to use such advanced magic to recreate not only the body but also the voice of an illusion.

There was no chance of being found out because of my voice. Silver's silver mask was an extremely powerful magical tool. It changed the tone of his voice, naturally, and also influenced his smell and overall impression. Even standing side-by-side, no one would ever guess we were the same person.

"I deeply apologize...for my household's transgression."

"I don't need your apologies. I've already entirely lost respect for the lot of you. I'd heard word that your household was wise and considerate of your people, but apparently that was only rumors, too."

"But..."

"It's not unusual that adventurers would flock to an area plagued by monsters. Normally, one would be prepared to welcome in any adventurer at all, if they truly cared for their citizens. The reason your brother sent me away was because the duke neglected to make such preparations."

This was an important point.

I needed to make sure that what happened wasn't framed as a mistake of the duke's son but instead the fault of the entire household. That way, the issue couldn't be dealt with simply by punishing the son. Not that Duke Kleinert would've been likely to do so anyway.

"Yes, you're entirely right. We of the Kleinert household are all to blame."

I looked at Finne, her head bowed in shame, and suggested to Silver it was time to wrap things up.

I was here now in order to persuade Silver to forgive the Kleinerts. Pretending to convince him would mean completing my objective.

The reason I hadn't brought Sebas along into the room with us was because I didn't want to hear any more glib comments about my dramatics. I was, in fact, going to be persuading my own self, after all.

"Silver. Are you going to proceed with the quest?"

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't. But first, there's one thing I need to know."

"Which is?"

"Were you able to win over the Kleinerts into supporting Prince Leonard?"

"I... Not officially, no."

"You really are just as insipid as your nickname. You're nothing at all like your brother."

Silver gave an exaggerated sigh.

It felt odd, insulting my own self, but having Silver say that practically guaranteed the Kleinert's cooperation.

"I'll get them to cooperate. Don't worry."

"We need a promise of complete cooperation and support. Once I have that, I will complete my quest. I have my own reasons for needing your brother to become the emperor. The whole reason I left the capital and came all the way here was because I wanted to make allies of the Kleinert household. If the Kleinerts had lived up to their reputation, they would have already repaid Prince Leonard's goodwill with their cooperation, but that reputation was clearly false. Unless we get a promise of their support down on paper, they could betray him later on."

"My father would never do such a thing!"

"There's no point in protesting, Lady Finne. You and your family have already lost my trust."

Silver spoke bluntly.

There was a reason for saying this part, too.

I wanted to make it look like Silver wasn't entirely on board and that I, Prince Arnold, managed to persuade him. The duke would end up hearing about it from Finne, as he would also learn of Silver's motivation.

With everything then in place, the duke would undoubtedly align himself with Leo. It was a roundabout way of doing things, but Duke Kleinert was vital enough to the conflict for the throne for it to be worth the trouble.

"So, Silver, what you're saying is, without a firm promise, you won't help?"

"Exactly."

"...I'd like you to compromise on that and accept the quest to exterminate the monsters first. I give you my word that I'll get the duke to ally with Leo."

"You're telling me to trust the Insipid Prince to keep his word? You do realize what a ridiculous thing that is to ask, don't you?"

"Of course I do. And I'm asking you anyway. Please."

I bowed my head in supplication.

Being someone without a sense of pride, I'd never had any issue with begging anyone for anything. Pleading with my own self was even easier.

"You really must have no pride as an imperial prince if you're so willing to beg like that."

"If Leo were here, he would do the same. I know that you can't trust me. But I am still Leo's brother. I'm perfectly capable of doing at least the minimum work necessary. So please, exterminate the monsters. I don't want to let this problem drag on."

"Fine. As an adventurer, I can't let the monsters continue to run wild anyway. I accept the quest. However, Lady Finne, I'm counting on your household to uphold your end of the bargain. Don't forget that I'm agreeing to help because of our deal."

"Th-thank you! I promise, we won't let you down!"

Having finished persuading Silver, we left the inn.

After boarding the carriage Sebas had waiting outside, I let out a long sigh.

Finne, watching me, apologetically bowed her head.

"Thank you."

"Huh? What are you thanking me for?"

"For pleading with Silver on our behalf. Even though we caused you so much trouble, you still helped persuade him to help us, for the sake of our territory. I owe you many thanks for that."

The girl plainly had gotten it all wrong.

Was she the type, like Leo, to always want to put a positive spin on everything?

I had to set her straight. Being mistaken for a good guy would make it harder to take action later on.

"I pleaded with Silver for my own sake, not for whatever reason you might think. You've got the wrong idea."

"Oh. Well then, I think I'll go ahead and stick with my wrong interpretation. I...I had the wrong impression of you. At first, I thought you were scary, but I guess I was mistaken."

"Hang on, that's—"

"Yes. I was wrong. You begged Silver for your own sake, right? Not for the people of our territory, and certainly not for us. But...you'll forgive my mistaken interpretation, won't you?" Finne continued with a soft smile.

Her smile reminded me of back when the emperor rewarded her with the blue gull ornament. Compared to the smile that captivated the citizens of the capital at the time, the one on her face now was much more natural, and much more beautiful.

 I experienced an emotional reaction to her beauty, similar to an experience I remembered having many years ago, when my mother had brought me to watch a meteor shower. The cluster of stars shooting across a majestic, cloudless night sky had been a spectacular sight of pure beauty, and I recalled the happiness, the joy I felt looking upon it. A similar type of emotion welled up within me now, watching Finne's smile.

Catching myself unconsciously staring, I turned away so that she wouldn't see my reddened face. Thanks to that, I lost my chance at correcting her misconceptions of me. But I found myself reasoning that a positive misconception from Finne wasn't necessarily a bad thing, and in the end, I never did end up correcting her.

3

"God, what a mess."

While I changed into my appearance as Silver, Sebas and I watched the herd of problematic monsters from afar.

The monsters that had appeared in the Kleinert territory were ranked AA-class—the fourth highest rank in the classification system ranging from F at the bottom to SS at the top. Dealing with monsters of that rank required parties of four or five A-class adventurers working together. The monsters here were just slightly beyond the capacity of the empire's Adventurers' Guild.

In fact, the Kleinert household had hired a six-person party from the Adventurers' Guild, consisting of four B-class and two A-class adventurers, but they had been unable to resolve the situation.

"And no wonder, fighting against a mother slime."

It was in the mountains slightly outside of the territory where countless numbers of slimes had appeared. Individually, they were easily defeated, but it was a different story when they came in such great numbers. The slimes had been traversing the territory, ravaging crop fields, which was why the duke and his knights had been under pressure to get rid of them.

The source of the huge outbreak of slimes was a rare mother slime said to be residing somewhere in the mountains.

As their name implied, mother slimes functioned as "mothers" who could give birth to slime "children." They absorbed anything and everything around themselves, changed it into nutrients, and birthed more and more baby slimes. There was even a case of an entire country being destroyed by these troublesome monsters.

The best way to deal with mother slimes was to eradicate them before they could form a hive and birth baby slimes. But by the time Duke Kleinert had asked the Guild for adventurers, it was already too late for that. As far as the records showed, there was now an entire army of child slimes.

"At any rate, we'll have to take out the mother slime and end this."

"That is true, but how will you explain that to the adventurers who have already been hired for the quest?"

"That's exactly the problem."

Adventurers were basically outlaws.

There were no social ranks among them like existed in noble society. They would throw themselves into any quest that they accepted, for their own sake—in order to protect a trustworthy reputation.

Therefore, they would never allow even an SS-class adventurer to swoop in and steal a quest. An official document from the Guild would have helped, but my quest request had come from a completely different source.

"Normally that's a trait I like about adventurers, but right now, it's the source of our problem."

"This could take quite some time, depending on their reaction."

"The thing is, we don't have much time. We'll just have to hope that the adventurers who've seen the situation first-hand will understand that. You go on back home. I'll manage things here, one way or another."

"I wish you luck."

With that, Sebas and I parted ways, and I set off to the adventurers' camp near the mountains. It would have been suspicious if I brought Sebas along, as well as given a hint toward my identity.

"Look at this, everyone. An SS-class adventurer has graciously deigned to bless us with his presence."

A red-haired young man was outside on guard duty. At his announcement, the other adventurers peeked out from their tents. There were five men and one woman, all of them with steely looks in their eyes.

"I'm Abel, party leader. A-class. Practically a nobody compared to you, I suppose."

"Silver. SS-class adventurer."

I took Abel's proffered hand. In contrast to my gentle handshake, Abel's grip was crushing. It seemed I wasn't going to be very welcome, after all.

"We heard from the duke that you were coming as reinforcement. But we wouldn't last long as adventurers if we happily gave up every quest we got. You know what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, I know that."

"Barging in on someone else's quest is bad manners as an adventurer. You know that, too?"

"Of course."

I lowered my hand and turned my gaze to the other five.

Judging by their demeanor, I guessed that the other A-class adventurer was the woman. She had her brown hair back in a short ponytail, and I couldn't see her face well because of her hat, but she was still undeniably female. She was probably often mistaken for a man thanks to her boyish appearance and outfit, though.

The woman was likely only here to help Abel's party. She stood a step back and didn't seem inclined to respond to Abel's remarks.

In that case, all I needed to do was persuade Abel.

"Of course?! Then why'd you come barging in here?! And using the nobility as a go-between, to boot! An adventurer like you shouldn't be short on quests!"

"You're absolutely right, and I understand why you'd be upset. I wouldn't blame you for yelling at me or trying to kill me."

"Huh?"

"But I do need to ask you all, as a fellow adventurer—can you fix this situation?"

"..."

Abel didn't answer, nor did any of the others. Just saying yes would have been easy, but for adventurers, trust was vital. They wouldn't say they could complete a quest when it wasn't a sure thing.

The six people here were the highest-level adventurers around. They had probably been approached about this quest by the Guild branch, rather than having chosen it themselves.

But now that they were here, it was clear that the situation was much worse than what had been conveyed. A mother slime's strength fluctuated. If it kept taking in nutrients in its hive, it would get stronger and stronger, and it would also keep giving birth to baby slimes. It would weaken every time it gave birth, but its slime children would then bring it even more nutrients, until before long it grew out of hand. The situation here was bad enough that the safety of the entire area would be threatened if the mother slime wasn't killed very soon.

Now, the female adventurer spoke for the first time.

"The mother slime was a whole lot bigger than we'd been told. We tried taking it on several times, but we had to retreat before we could fatally wound it. We just don't have enough firepower."

At this, Abel disgustedly clicked his tongue. He apparently understood that fact as well.

"If you guys really don't want me involved in this quest, then I'll stay out of it. But, for the safety of this region, I will report on the current situation directly to Guild headquarters and have them issue an emergency quest. I'd probably end up accepting it and coming back here again. However, that will take several days. If you guys can defeat the slime before then, I won't stop you. But...in those few days, this region is going to be under major threat."

"I get that. And I know that an adventurer as acclaimed as you wouldn't be out here for the money."

"You guys can take all the money. I only ask that you let me take on the mother slime. As an adventurer, I can't sit by and watch even more harm be done."

"...Fine. I admit that we're not adequate to the task. Go ahead and do what you want."

Abel hung his head and sank to the ground.

An adventurer made his way up the ranks on his own ability. Being unable to complete a quest they'd accepted was nothing if not humiliating. There were even cases of adventurers losing their lives after continuing on impossible quests just to preserve their pride. From that point of view, Abel was a wise and perceptive adventurer.

"I'm so sorry, guys."

Abel apologized to the members of his party. If he'd been alone, he might have pressed on with the quest, but instead he'd considered the others following him. He was a good leader.

"It's thanks to your attacks on the mother slime that things aren't any worse. Without you, this area would be covered in slimes by now. The quest was originally for a party of A-class adventurers or higher. You guys did really well. I'm sure the Guild will be appreciative of your efforts, too."

"Wow. I never thought the day would come I'd be praised by an SS-class adventurer."

"Don't take it as sarcasm. I truly do thank you and feel indebted to you. If you need anything, just go to the headquarters in the imperial capital. I'll be there to help you out."

At that point, I faced the mountain and raised my hand.

Ignoring the party's suspicious looks, I started reciting a spell.

"I hereby act on behalf of the Divine. I command the laws of Heaven and Earth. I come in the time of conviction. Let the guilty tremble and the innocent rejoice. My words are the words of God. My blows are the blows of God. In my hands is the all-consuming fire. Divine flames, turn the guilty to ashes. ...Execution Prominence."

It was a long spell of eight lines. An enormous magic circle developed at my outstretched fingertips.

There were no spells this long in modern-day magic. The longest one left was seven lines. An eight-line spell denoted magic no longer in modern use.

Ancient magic was magic from a time when magic flourished more prosperously than today. With only talented practitioners able to use it, it was eventually forgotten, and those who passed it down gradually died out until the art was lost.

If ancient magic were to be revived, one would have to decipher the precious books of magic left behind. Because of that, the number of people in the entire continent who still used it could be counted on one hand.

Naturally, few people ever got to witness it, either. So in a sense, this could have been considered a precious experience for the six adventurers present.

Mana filled the giant magic circle. Then, six smaller magic circles formed around the large one and began to revolve around it.

Then, just as the amount of mana nearly reached its breaking point, a shining beam of fire shot out from the magic circle.

In the blink of an eye, the beam burned down the trees on the mountain, burning up the slimes and their hive at the same time. The fire didn't stop there—the flaming beam burned the entire mountain itself to the ground.

In the end, all that was left was the charred black earth.

"I doubt there'll be any more slimes now."

"Whoa..."

"So that's the ancient magic that SS-class adventurers use."

Abel and the female adventurer murmured in awe. The others stood there speechless, trying to grasp what they'd just witnessed.

Magic that could burn down entire mountains was the magic of legends. Seeing it suddenly done right before one's eyes would be hard to take in.

"Can you handle reporting back to the Guild?"

"...You should go. We didn't do anything. You saved the duke's territory. You're a hero!"

"No offense, but I don't care about that. I have things to do. I'll let you handle the rest."

With those final words, I used transfer magic to leave the adventurers behind.

I transported myself to the room I'd been allocated in Duke Kleinert's manor.

Prince Arnold was supposed to still be within the duke's territory. Once he and the duke were notified that Silver had defeated the mother slime, and the duke had promised his support of Prince Leonard, at last my job would be done.

Until then, I couldn't afford to slip up. I reminded myself of that as I removed my silver mask.

It wasn't until I heard the voice that I realized I'd made a fatal misstep.

"Huh...?"

The unthinkable had happened. That was clear by the tone of the utterance. Upon hearing the familiar voice, I immediately regretted my negligence.

I had assumed no one else was in the room. It was the prince's assigned room. I had assumed no one would be inside without the prince's permission.

Once I turned around and saw her face, I was filled with even greater regret.

"Finne..."

"Prince Arnold...?"

Standing there was Finne—the great beauty, the duke's daughter, and someone I wouldn't easily be able to keep quiet.

4

In Finne's hands was a tray of sweets. She must have brought them for Prince Arnold and then entered the room when he didn't answer.

I'd assumed no one would come to my room since I'd informed the household I didn't require meals. I couldn't believe my miscalculation.

"P-Prince Arnold? You just used transfer magic... And your clothes... Isn't that what Master Silver was wearing?"

"..."

Could I lie and say I dressed up like this for fun? No, no one would believe that.

In that case, should I kill her? That wouldn't work, either. The emperor was fond of Finne. If anything happened to her, he would immediately investigate. I would certainly be a suspect, and suspicion cast on me would be the end of Leo's chance at the throne.

Magic like I used on the innkeeper wouldn't work on strong memories, either. I couldn't lie, nor could I prevent Finne from telling others. There was no way out.

"Why were you in my room?"

"Oh, um... I baked some treats and thought you might like some. When you didn't answer my knock, I thought maybe something was wrong."

"Ah..."

Seeing Finne shrink with guilt made me feel contrite. I lost the will to take any drastic measures against her. But I also couldn't leave the situation as-is.

"You know my secret now. I can't just let you leave."

"I-I won't tell anyone that Master Silver is actually Prince Arnold!"

"You sure said it pretty loud just now, though."

"Oops..."

"Don't worry. I've put a soundproof barrier around the room. No one can hear anything that you say in here."

"O-oh, good... Thank you."

Finne blushed with embarrassment. She didn't seem to realize the sticky situation she was now in. If no one was able to hear her, that meant that no matter what happened, she also couldn't call for help.

"Are you not worried about what I might do to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I could attack you, to keep you from talking."

"Attack me? I can't imagine you would do that. And if you did, I know it would be as a last resort, and I would accept my fate."

"I don't recall being such a trustworthy person."

"If you're Silver, then you've just slain all the monsters, correct? If so, you're a hero for saving our territory. You also came here as Prince Arnold and put on some elaborate ruses. That was all for your brother, wasn't it? You're someone kind enough to do things for others. That makes you trustworthy in my eyes."

Finne spoke with a smile full of kindness.

She was obviously a good person if she was able to trust so fully in others.

After finding out that I was Silver, she must have realized that everything I'd done so far was meant to belittle the Kleinert household and create indebtedness toward me and my brother. Even so, she still trusted in me.

I couldn't bring myself to betray that trust.

"Sebas is the only one who knows my secret, and he would never talk. If you ever tell anyone, I'll make you pay for it. So keep your mouth shut."

"I won't! I understand completely."

Finne responded with enthusiasm, and I sighed. I considered using illusion magic to make her think this was all a dream, but that kind of trick always had weaknesses, which could later on be fatally exposed. So trusting Finne was my best option.

I had a fairly good idea of Finne's character from our interactions thus far. Even if she did let my secret slip, it would probably be to someone related to her and involved in this issue, and it wouldn't be too late to take forceful action.

"I can't believe my long-kept secret is finally out, and from such a careless mistake."

"Don't feel too bad. Here, have a treat. Oh, and let me make you some tea."

Finne cheerfully set down the baked goods and started brewing the tea. I couldn't help bitterly marveling at her cheekiness, telling me to not feel bad for something that was all her fault.

***

"And that concludes the results of the quest."

Back at the territory capital, Abel was kneeling before Duke Kleinert, announcing what had taken place back at the mountain.

Once his report was complete, the duke nodded several times and expressed his appreciation.

"Thank you very much for all your hard work. I know this was a most difficult quest. To express my gratitude, I would like you all to have this, as a bonus on top of your reward."

He handed Abel six small bags, inside of which were considerable sums of money. But Abel shook his head.

"The original reward for the quest is enough. As I mentioned, it was Silver who resolved the problem, not us. We have our pride as adventurers at having come this far. Forgive me, but we cannot accept that."

"I see. All right, then. I will be sure to call upon you next time I have need of your services."

"Yes, sir. I can assure you that we will succeed next time on completing our quest."

With that, Abel left the room, leaving only Duke Kleinert and myself.

"I guess that's that, then."

"Yes. I can never thank you enough, Your Highness. Thank you for all you've done."

"Save your thanks for Leo. It's all because of him that I'm here, and that Silver was able to defeat the monsters."

"Of course. We, the Kleinert household, officially give our full support to Prince Leonard as candidate for the throne. We will do whatever we can to repay his kindness."

I let out a relieved sigh to hear those long-awaited words, then held out my right hand.

The duke returned the handshake.

"Good to hear. We both appreciate your support."

"Let us see Prince Leonard take the throne."

"Indeed."

Thus, I was able to secure Leo's spot as the fourth top contender for the throne.

Gaining the prominent Kleinert household as an ally should spur other fence-sitters into joining our side.

Our Father would also now recognize Leo as a possible heir to the throne, getting him finally on the starting line for the race for emperor.

Victory was far from certain, but I felt the satisfaction of a job well done.

Duke Kleinert then spoke up, sounding slightly unsure.

"Your Highness... Do you have enough people at your disposal?"

"I wish I could say yes, but the truth is, we have nowhere near enough help. There are still nobles who refuse to take a side, and I'd like to have more trustworthy people who could help me negotiate with them."

"I see. That's good to know."

"Is there anyone you could spare?"

"Yes. I would like to offer the assistance of my daughter."

"Your...daughter?"

I reflexively repeated the duke's words in my shock. The duke produced a strained smile at my reaction.

"I cannot blame you for being surprised. I was surprised too, when Finne came to me yesterday with the idea. Apparently, she is desperate to express her gratitude to you for saving our territory. She's not normally so assertive, so it impressed me to see her that adamant."

"Ah... I'm not so sure...."

"Don't worry, Your Highness. Finne is well known in the imperial capital, and His Royal Highness thinks highly of her. I am certain she will be an asset to your cause."

"I don't doubt that... But are you sure you can spare your own precious daughter?"

In fact, having Finne as an advocate would provide countless benefits. She would indeed be a huge asset.

However, there was no doubt in my mind that the reason she had approached the duke about coming to the capital was due to learning of my identity yesterday. I would have felt more reassured with her staying home as if nothing had happened. At the capital, she would be interacting with lots of people, and who knew when and where she might leak information.

That's why I attempted to appeal to the duke's fatherly concern for his daughter. Still...

"It's what she wants. Please, bring her with you."

"..."

I expected the duke to be hesitant about offering his daughter, but instead, he was even more insistent. I found myself surprised again at what a good parent he was.

With no excuse to refuse, I ended up giving my permission for Finne to accompany me back to the capital.

"Goodbye, Father, Brother."

"Farewell, Finne. See to it that you help His Highness."

"Take care, sis."

After saying goodbye to her family, Finne boarded the carriage. She waved out the window until her family was out of sight, and then fixed her gaze on me, where I sat across from her.

"I don't know how much help I'll be, Prince Arnold, but I promise to do my best."

"Ah..." I sighed.

"Are you...mad?"

"I'm frustrated. We're going to be fighting for the emperor's throne. Much blood has been shed over this secret feud. Now's your only chance to back out."

"I understand the danger, but I want to be of service. Besides, won't you feel more at ease having me with you, where you can keep an eye on me?"

"Actually, I would have felt more at ease with you back at home."

"What?!"

I sighed once more as Finne waved her hands about in surprise. I wondered how much trouble I was in for, with this kind of girl knowing my secret.

5

After arriving back in the imperial capital, I immediately went to see Leo.

Leo knew I was out working on his behalf, but he didn't know of my connection with Silver. I had to fix that part of the problem.

I headed to Leo's room in a small hurry, but just as I got there, someone else came out. Someone I was not happy to run into.

"Oh, hey, Marie..."

"Hello, Prince Arnold."

The maid gave me a short bow. She was Marie Wilcke, with light blue hair cut to shoulder length, and emotionless, light blue eyes like crystals.

Marie was a woman of many talents, working as Leo's personal maid while also playing a secretary-like role due to her skills.

She was sixteen years old, born a commoner. She met Leo while looking for work, and thanks to her high degree of competence, she was gradually given more and more duties, becoming Leo's closest attendant and adviser.

Everything she did was for Leo, and I didn't like her one bit. The reason for that being...

"Umm... Is Leo in there?"

"Yes."

"..."

She was a woman of extremely few words, and entirely without expression.

I got the sense that those characteristics of hers were particularly prominent when she was around me. From her perspective, she probably wasn't very fond of an irresponsible buffoon like me, either.

In general, the worse my reputation was, the better Leo's became, but some people also thought poorly of Leo due to his connection to me. That couldn't have been pleasing to Marie. I interpreted her reticence to speak to me as a veiled expression of her wishing I could be a little more competent.

"Were there any developments while I was away?"

"Yes. Many people are beginning to support Prince Leonard, mostly those born as commoners. I was actually just on my way to do some further investigating."

"Huh. Well, Leo never was one to pay much mind to the status of others. Thanks, and keep up the good work."

"Thank you. If you'll excuse me, then."

With that, Marie walked past me, still expressionless.

But then, some thought prompted her to stop, and she turned and stared me in the eye.

"Your Highness."

"Y-yeah?"

"You've become a little more...bold, lately. For the first time, you remind me, ever so slightly, of Prince Leonard."

Marie gave a bow and then walked off.

What was that all about?

"Marie's always been sharp. I'll have to be careful around her."

I adjusted my facial expression and posture into something I hoped would look pitiful, then went into Leo's room.

***

"You and Silver, huh... I knew you were well-known, but I had no idea you were acquainted with someone so famous."

"I didn't seek him out myself. He approached me, saying that he would help get Duke Kleinert on our side, as proof of his trustworthiness. That's why he and I pretended that you'd hired him. Sorry to tell you only after the fact."

After I reported Leo about what had happened with the Kleinerts, I also explained about Silver.

I knew I had to make it seem like our alliance had been initiated by Silver, for my own self-preservation. Even if that story came out, most people would come to the conclusion that Silver was only using me for his own gain.

Someday, my true connection with Silver would be revealed. I had to prepare for that in advance.

"No worries. I'm sure you had it all planned out, right?"

"Yeah. I didn't tell you earlier because I didn't completely trust Silver yet. But he did what he said he would, so I think we can go ahead and believe him. He's still a man of many mysteries, though. I'm still not clear on why he's cooperating with us, so it would probably be best to wait on wholeheartedly trusting him."

"That makes sense. I'd sure like to meet him, too, sometime."

"Just so you know, judging by the fact that he contacted me, it doesn't seem like he's interested in meeting directly with you for the time being. I know how to get in contact with him, but whether he responds is his choice. He's a wild card. The kind of guy who goes by his own rules, not what anyone else says. You'd best not rely on him too much."

"Got it. But it is thanks to him that the Kleinert territory was saved, and that the duke agreed to work with us, right? It seems obvious he's a good guy, at least."

"There you go again, only seeing the positive side of people..."

I heaved an annoyed sigh.

I'd sure been sighing a lot lately, and it was no wonder why—now I was surrounded not only by Leo, but another person of the same disposition.

"By the way, I heard that the Kleinert household sent someone along to assist us. Is that someone here? I'm guessing it's not Duke Kleinert himself."

"Yeah. Sebas, would you?"

"Yes, sir."

I addressed Sebas, who was waiting at attention in the corner of the room. After a moment, he brought in Finne, who had been waiting in another room nearby.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Your Highness. I am Duke Kleinert's eldest daughter, Finne Von Kleinert."

Finne elegantly held her skirt as she curtsied.

Without any surprise, Leo bowed back with perfect manners.

"Leonard Lakes Aadler, Eighth Imperial Prince. I never thought I'd have the opportunity to speak with Blau Mowe in person. You're even more beautiful up close than from afar. It's an honor to meet you."

"You flatter me. It is an honor for me to meet Prince Arnold's brother as well. I'm glad to see you're just as kind a man as he said you were."

"My brother talked about me? Now I'm curious. Would you mind telling me what you've heard?"

"I would love to. Oh, I'll make us some tea."

"That would be lovely. Thank you."

In less than a minute, the two were chatting like old friends. My brother was certainly a force of nature. It was no less than genius, the way he could slip right into people's most private thoughts.

Leo and Finne didn't have too much in common. One of the few things they did—me—was a natural source of conversation.

As for me, I could only awkwardly scowl. Apparently noticing my mood, Leo brought me into the conversation.

"So, Arnold. How exactly do you plan on having Finne help us out?"

"Basically, she's going to be our negotiator. I'll also have her travel frequently back and forth between us and the Kleinert's estate in the capital for a while. That alone will signal to everyone that Duke Kleinert is on our side now. That's about it for the time being. Oh, and I've already explained how Silver ties into everything, so you don't have to worry about that. She's agreed to work with us even after learning of my deception."

"Yet again, you speak of yourself so poorly. It's a fact that my household is the one that angered Master Silver, and that Prince Arnold mediated on our behalf. Isn't that a better explanation?"

"You and I think alike. I feel the same way. The tendency to denigrate himself more than necessary is one of my brother's greatest faults."

"Ha..." I sighed.

It was like Leo had cloned himself.

Oh well. The more likable people we had on our team, the better for gaining supporters, even if it increased my own suffering.

"This is how I am. Don't worry about it. More importantly, Leo, have you gained any more allies here in the capital?"

"Mmm, I'm not sure. Everyone of influence here is already backing one of the main 'Three'. Right now, I'm working on winning over some of the more neutral nobility."

I asked about supporters mainly to change the subject. Leo's reply was as I expected.

Even after word got out that Duke Kleinert was backing Leo, it would be the influence of those neutral parties that counted. I never expected anything from those already incorporated with one of his three rivals, in the first place. With it being not yet common knowledge that we had Duke Kleinert's support, the situation was about as I would expect.

"Umm... I'm not too knowledgeable about the situation here in the imperial capital. Would you mind telling me more about these three rivals of yours?"

"You didn't tell her?"

"I got so fed up with her pointless questions on the way here, I didn't really feel like it."

"Sorry about that..."

"Actually, it's impressive that you were able to annoy my brother. He's usually the type to not let anything get to him."

"Really?!"

"Meaning you're too annoying to ignore."

"O-oh..."

With a sidelong glance at the glum-looking Finne, I took three gemstones that were in the room and set them on the table to explain.

"Say these are our three main rivals. First, we have this blue gemstone. This is the Second Imperial Prince, Erik Lakes Aadler, twenty-eight years old. He's in control of most of the civil service employees and is known for being an intellectual. Next, this red gemstone. This is the Third Imperial Prince, Gordon Lakes Aadler, twenty-six years old. He's a military type, with the greatest amount of influence within the garrison and a soldier himself. Finally, third, this green gemstone is the Second Imperial Princess, Zandra Lakes Aadler, twenty-two years old. She's proficient in magic and has the support of mages throughout the empire. These three are each increasing their own influence while vying for the emperor's throne. There are a few others in the imperial family who want the throne, but these three are the only ones with any practical chance."

"Civil servants, military servants, and mages—the three front-runners each have their own firm base of supporters from which they gather influence, as each respective category of nobles in turn seeks their own interests from the candidates. That's where the battle for the throne is right now. It all started three years ago, when the crown prince, our eldest brother, died on the battlefield."

"So I've heard. My father also said that if the wise First Imperial Prince were still alive, the conflict for the throne would never have happened."

"That's right. We wouldn't be in this mess if he were alive."

Framed another way, however, his death had also given everyone in the imperial family a chance.

That's exactly what had always bothered me. Our eldest brother was wise, brave, personable, and principled—basically an upgraded version of Leo. Had he truly died in battle?

There was an investigation, ordered by the emperor himself. There was no proof of any wrongdoing, but I had an undeniable suspicion that there was a deep-seated conspiracy being covered up.

That said, there was no point in dragging the deceased into it now.

"He's gone now, and those three of our siblings have no mercy for anyone who crosses them. The only choice we have, Leo, is for you to take our brother's place and become emperor."

"I know that. I'm just not sure if I'm up to the task."

"Don't worry about that. I'll vouch for you."

I forcefully patted Leo on the back, making him break into a fit of coughing.

"...Hey, that hurt."

After that, we spent a while longer making small talk. Just when we were about to part ways...

"Pardon me."

Marie returned, holding several documents in her hands.

"Thanks, Marie. Let me introduce you. This is Finne Von Kleinert, Duke Kleinert's daughter."

"N-nice to meet you."

"It's lovely to meet you, too. My name is Marie. I'm Prince Leonard's maid. I've heard so much about the beloved Blau Mowe. You're even more beautiful than the rumors say, and you also seem to be very perceptive. I suppose that is why you are here?"

"That's right. The Kleinert household is giving us their support. All thanks to Arnold here, that is."

"Aw, stop it. You're embarrassing me."

"Splendid work, Your Highness."

Despite my joking response, Marie praised me matter-of-factly. I was still trying to figure out how to reply when she showed Leo the documents she had brought.

The moment he saw the papers, Leo's face darkened.

"Count Seyfried and Baron Bormann, who we were strategizing to get on our side, have been poached by Lady Zandra and Prince Gordon, respectively.

"Damn. Was it money that sealed the deal?"

"Yes. It seems they both received quite considerable sums."

"We had no chance of winning a game of money against those two, given their cooperative relationships with large businesses. Nothing to be done."

"I'm so sorry. I really wanted to get at least Baron Bormann in our camp."

Baron Bormann was a court noble. He had no territory but came from a family line of nobility with important occupations in the imperial capital. The family had served in the military for many generations, and Baron Bormann himself was an attendant to the minister of defense, who was the primary handler of military logistics. If Gordon, who already boasted high support from the military, had gotten the minister of defense in his pocket, that meant the majority of the military would be in his hands.

The current minister of defense appeared unwilling to take part in the conflict for the throne and refused to meet with any of the heirs, but who knew how long that would last.

As we gathered strength, the others gathered strength with even greater speed.

"This isn't going as well as I'd hoped."

"But we are making progress. The esteemed Kleinert household is on our side, and we've got the renowned Finne here. Things will get easier for us from here on."

"Yes! I'll do whatever I can to help!"

"I'm going to go lie down. My back hurts from the horseback ride to the Kleinert territory."

"Stop being such an old man."

"You try making the trip sometime. You'll see what I mean."

We bantered back and forth, enjoying the short, peaceful respite.

***

Three days had passed since Finne's arrival in the capital. After paying her respects to the emperor, she had diligently made regular visits to see my brother and me. Her visits were witnessed, of course, by many people, and rumors began to circulate that Duke Kleinert had sent Blau Mowe to us in order to assist Prince Leonard.

As those rumors spread, they were increasingly embellished. The gossip-loving residents of the capital were well on their way to creating a love story between Leo and Finne, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Every day it continued, more people would learn of Duke Kleinert's support of Leo.

One such day, Finne came to me with a request.

"Would you mind showing me around the capital?"

I knew why she was asking. I was much more knowledgeable about the capital than Leo. But there was one problem.

"I can walk around the capital and no one will take notice, but you..."

"I'll disguise myself!"

With great confidence, Finne took out a pair of glasses and put them on.

That was apparently her idea of a disguise, but it didn't disguise her in the least. Fewer people might recognize her, but the glasses did nothing to hide her beauty.

In fact, the glasses only added an intellectual appeal, so that she appeared to have both brains and beauty. There would no doubt be plenty of people who found that more attractive. Not that you could call someone who thought a pair of glasses was a disguise well-endowed in the brains department, though.

"No."

"Wh-why not?!"

As Finne only grew even more insistent, I sighed. Apparently, she had no idea of how eye-catching her beauty was, despite the fact that being gifted the blue gull hair ornament was as good as being told she was the most beautiful woman in the entire empire.

"I don't want to do anything that makes me stand out. I'll consider it only if you can make yourself blend in more."

I quietly told myself that was probably impossible while attempting to dissuade her.

It wasn't a very good idea for her and me to be seen together at this time. The rumors about Finne and Leo were just starting to really catch on. It wouldn't do to have the Insipid Prince thrown into the mix.

And so the morning passed, until around noon, when Finne came to my room with a confident grin on her face.

"Please, show me around the capital!"

"No. You stand out too much."

"I'll disguise myself!"

Just like before, she confidently took out an article of clothing.

It was a gray hooded cloak, a traveler's outfit. Finne pulled the cloak over her head and shoulders. With her face completely hidden, no one would be able to recognize her at a glance.

"Whose idea was that?"

"Sebas recommended it!"

"I should've known... Well, we have to find you a bodyguard, too. Let's do that later."

"Sebas said I didn't need a bodyguard as long as I was with you!"

"..."

Why did my steward think of nothing but ways to spite me?

I had planned on spending the day finishing a list of all the neutral nobles I thought we could win over to our side... But the look of excited expectation in Finne's eyes made me cave.

"Fine. We can go out and get lunch."

"Okay!"

"We can't spend too long, though, got it? I know you must have plenty of people requesting to meet with you."

"No, no one's asked me anything like that."

"Hmm, probably because you're such a favorite of my father. I guess everyone's too hesitant to make a move."

It wasn't that the emperor was considering Finne as a possible consort. He was simply fond of her as a father would be of a beautiful daughter. However, that was even more dangerous, as anyone who dared try to court her without success risked incurring the fatherly wrath of the emperor.

Her relationship with Leo was also likely a reason that other nobles were avoiding her. Getting closer to Finne necessarily meant getting closer to Leo. Apparently, none of the nobles were ready to make such a commitment.

"Never mind. Let's get going, then. But we go home whenever I say so, okay?"

"Okay! Thank you so much!"

Finne happily replied with a beaming smile.

***

The downtown streets of the capital were always lively. Finne looked around excitedly at all the sights.

"What's that, Prince Arnold?"

"That's an appraiser. You can sell something for more money if it has an official certificate from them. Oh, and by the way, you should just call me Arn."

"Are you sure? Isn't that your nickname?"

"I don't want to take any chances of being recognized. Arn is better."

"So...can I keep calling you that even after we get back?"

Finne looked at me questioningly.

Very few people called me Arn. But if she wanted to, I had no reason to stop her.

"If you want."

"Okay, I will! Thanks, Master Arn!"

I had no idea what she was so happy about.

Impressed by her ability to be pleased by the smallest things, I continued showing her around the capital. On our way, we had lunch at a favorite restaurant of mine, and we toured all the capital's main attractions.

At one point, we saw some small children playing, and they were using extremely rudimentary water magic to splash one another.

"This brings back good memories. I used to play like that with kids around here."

"You did?"

"Yeah. I snuck out of the castle a lot. I still see my old friends from those days occasionally, even though it's harder nowadays."

"It sounds like those are true friends, if you've remained close regardless of differences in status. I'm jealous. I don't have very many friends..."

"Here in the capital, you can make as many as you want. There are plenty of people here, both good and bad. Just find the ones you can trust, and you've got friends. There's nothing inherently better just because you've been friends with someone for a long time. The length of a friendship isn't what's important."

"That's...so insightful."

Finne stopped walking to ponder my words. I wished she wouldn't; I didn't say anything that interesting.

As I was watching her overreaction with a bitter smile, some of the kids came running in our direction. Three of them seemed to be chasing after the others, and they all three decided to use water magic at once.

Unfortunately, the water only barely sprinkled the fleeing children, and instead...

"Hey?!"

Finne, directly in the water's path, got the brunt of it. The multiple splash attacks left her clothes soaking wet. The children immediately came running over.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Sorry!"

"No no, it's all right."

Finne smiled back at them.

At first the children appeared stunned by her pretty smile visible under her hood, but their faces soon turned bright red when they noticed something else. Finne seemed confused by their stares.

I followed the children's gaze and realized the giant problem at hand. Their embarrassment made sense; it must have been a shock to these little kids.

"Finne, come with me!"

"Huh? What's going on?"

I grabbed Finne by the hand and hurriedly pulled her away.

After running for a couple of minutes, I hid the two of us down an alley. Finne questioned me between gasps as she caught her breath.

"Master Arn... Whatever is the matter?"

"You can see straight through your clothes."

"What?"

Not wanting to elaborate further, I averted my gaze and gestured with my hand. Once Finne looked down at her clothing, she finally grasped the difficulty of the situation.

"O-oh my goodness?!"

Finne blushed and attempted to cover herself. Her clothes had become perfectly see-through after getting wet, leaving her white undergarments on full display.

She managed to use her gray cloak to somewhat hide her body, but not everything.

"I guess we'll have to buy you some clothes. Don't want you catching a cold."

"O-oh...?"

"My friend has a shop not far from here."

I took Finne's hand and led her to the small clothing shop, taking the most deserted route possible.

"Oh, hello, Your Highness. What can I do for you today?"

The shopkeeper was a man with unconventional tastes in hairstyles and clothing.

I'd long been sneaking out of the castle and changing my clothes here before going out into town. Thanks to Sebas' background investigation, I knew him to be completely safe and trustworthy.

"I need some ladies' clothing."

"I see. And where will you be going dressed as a woman?"

"Not for me! Ugh, they're for her. Just show me what you have."

"Oh? How unusual, to see you with a female companion."

As we spoke, the shopkeeper brought over several articles of clothing to choose from. Thankfully, he appeared to have sensed the sensitive situation based on the fact that Finne was wearing a hooded cloak and didn't press for more information. I appreciated his discretion.

Finne looked over the clothes, but everything was made for common townspeople, and not the sort of clothing the daughter of a duke would wear. She glanced back and forth, unsure of what to choose.

After a moment, she spoke up in a small voice.

"What should I wear?"

"Just pick whatever looks good. You'll only be wearing it for today anyway."

"Only today? You would just waste clothing like that?"

"I-I wasn't thinking of it like that, exactly..."

For a duke's daughter, she was surprisingly sensible. Duke Kleinert really raised his children well. Except for properly educating that son of his, apparently.

When I reiterated to Finne to just hurry up and choose something, she knitted her brow. Finally, after several glances at me, she seemed to pluck up the courage to ask me again.

"Wh-what do you think I should wear?"

"Me? Hmm, let me see."

I wanted her to wear something sensible that didn't overly draw attention when we were seen together. That, plus something that matched her personality.

I pointed to a simple, white dress.

Finne then grabbed the dress with surprising speed and went to the back of the shop to try it on.

"What a sweet young woman, hm?"

"Don't go blabbing about me hanging out with a girl, you hear?"

"I won't say a thing! I gather there must be some sort of situation at play, since I've almost never seen you out with a woman before. It's a bit of a surprise, is all."

"There's nothing that unusual about my being out with a girl."

"You hang out with some unsavory friends, but I've never seen you out with one specific woman before. Don't tell me the time has come for His Highness to settle down?"

"Don't even go there."

As we were talking, Finne opened the fitting room curtain.

Her face was still covered by her hood, but I could tell the white dress suited her. She generally looked good in white, I thought to myself.

"S-so, what do you think?"

"It looks nice."

"Yes, that dress looks lovely on you. Will you be paying in your usual method, Your Highness?"

"Yeah. Sebas will send someone over later. Sorry for the trouble."

"Not at all. It's thanks to your patronage that the nastier fellows around town leave me alone. Enjoy the rest of your date."

"D-date?!"

"I'm just showing her around town. Don't get any ideas."

"Whatever the reason, a young man and woman going out in town together is called a date!"

The shopkeeper teased as we left his shop.

For a while afterward, Finne continued blushing and acting oddly, apparently unable to get the shopkeeper's comment out of her mind.

I made up my own mind to be sure to get the rascal back for that, next time I saw him.

***

Despite my own insistence that we not stay out long, touring the capital took quite a long time. Just as I decided we had to head back, Finne spotted a shop selling accessories.

"Ah..." I sighed. "Just don't be too long, okay?"

"I won't!"

Her pleading gaze clearly suggested she wanted to have a look around. I had no choice but agree. The girl obviously had a sense of decorum, since she never directly asked for anything selfishly. But in place of words, her eyes spoke volumes.

I'd lost track of the number of times I'd been coaxed into shopping like that today. Worn out, I stayed outside and leaned back against a pole to relax.

Unfortunately, I never did get to rest.

"Well, if it isn't the Insipid Prince!"

The jarring, sarcastic tone made me immediately scowl. I'd run into one of those people I was hoping to avoid.

The young man, with brown hair cut into a bob, was accompanied by an unsavory group of followers.

He was tall and lanky, and had a terrible sense of style when it came to haircuts and clothing, although he evidently thought otherwise himself.

His name was Ghido Von Holzwirt. He was the son of Duke Holzwirt and, rather unfortunately, an old acquaintance of mine. The Holzwirt household had the second longest history among the nobility, and they possessed a territory near the imperial capital. The duke therefore kept a residence within the capital and Ghido often visited the castle. Leo and I always ended up stuck with Ghido by virtue of being the same age, often taking classes and training together.

However, he was only ever nice to Leo. Toward me, he was a bully. Even back then, his group of friends consisted of other bullies too. Meanwhile, I never retaliated or tattled, and I was often overlooked by the adults. I must have seemed like the perfect target. Maybe it gave him a feeling of superiority to bully a prince of higher status than himself.

Even now that we were both grown up, he still tried to rile me up whenever he saw me.

"Ghido. Fancy running into you here."

"I was in my carriage when I spotted your distinctively unprincely poor and scruffy face. Thought I'd stop and say hello, as a member of imperial nobility."

"How kind of you."

"Hey, what's with the attitude?"

Ghido poked my foot with the stick he was carrying, then continued with an irritated look on his face.

"You think I can't hit you for fear of word getting back to the duke? No one would bat an eye. Nobody cares about you."

"Are you sure about that? Leo's pretty popular lately. More people might care about me than you think."

It wasn't like most people would recognize the faces of all the imperial family. Even with my bad reputation, people probably only remembered my black hair and black eyes. I appeared in public for ceremonies and the like, but since even those were only seen from afar, no one knew exactly what I looked like.

However, Leo had recently become more well known. As his identical twin, me getting beat up would be a serious incident.

"You're not Leonard. It's easy to tell. You're always hunched over, looking disheveled, and staring at the ground. Your lack of confidence is obvious. Who could possibly think you were imperial nobility? You look and act nothing like a prince!"

At that, Ghido whacked me in the shin with his stick. The sharp pain made me wince, but I refused to react otherwise. I couldn't afford to make a scene. As-is, the situation might simply look like a random person in an argument with a member of nobility, but if I drew more attention and someone realized I resembled a member of the imperial family, it would turn into real commotion. No matter the outcome, I didn't want that kind of trouble. So, what to do instead?

"What is going on out here?"

I nearly groaned out loud. Why in the world did she have to show up now? I prayed she wouldn't complicate the situation even further.

Finne was very clearly angry after seeing Ghido hit me with his stick.

"Stop that right now, you brute!"

"Who's that? Your attendant?"

"How incredibly rude."

At that point, Finne pulled down her hood. For a second, Ghido was stunned silent at her beauty, but his expression quickly turned to one of surprise after he realized who she was.

"Y-you're...Lady Finne?!"

"That's correct. Finne Von Kleinert. And you would be?"

"G-Ghido Von Holzwirt. Eldest son of the Duke of Holzwirt."

"You, the son of the honorable Duke Holzwirt? How unfortunate. I'd have assumed someone much more courteous."

Seeing Finne's disappointed expression, Ghido frantically started trying to explain himself. It was extremely pathetic to watch. For someone as concerned with saving face as Ghido, it must've been painful to make excuses for himself. His pride had to have been seriously wounded, being criticized in front of so many people.

"N-no, you've got it all wrong! He's—"

"Prince Arnold Lakes Aadler. You think it's okay to treat someone poorly just because they're called the Insipid Prince, do you? Have you no respect or loyalty to the imperial family?"

"W-wait, it's not like that!"

I shot Finne a glare. It would be a bad idea to smear Ghido's name here. Finne was Blau Mowe—someone overwhelmingly popular with the people, not to mention beloved by the emperor. It would be easy for her to come to my aid, but it couldn't be at the expense of Ghido's pride.

There was no need to make an enemy over something so trivial. Ghido would be satisfied by me letting him have his way, and him beating me up without any provocation would only damage his own reputation.

I continued glaring at Finne, silently imploring her to stop, but she paid no heed. Instead, she said something even more unbelievable.

"Do you honestly think I would be accompanying Prince Arnold, in the first place?"

"Huh...?"

Finne looked me in the eye. Catching on to her meaning, I sighed. She left me no choice but to go along with her plan.

"Stop, Lady Finne. I went through the trouble of even wearing my brother's clothes to pretend to be him, all since you said you didn't want any rumors about us."

"I'm so sorry, Master Leo."

"What? Err...Leonard?"

"Yes. That's correct, Ghido."

I fixed my hair and clothing, stood up straight, began mimicking the tone and cadence of Leo's voice, and even softened my facial expression a little.

Ghido's eyes widened in shock at the transformation.

"L-Leonard.... Hang on. I didn't mean, umm..."

"It's all right, Ghido. I know very well how you treat my brother, and so long as he doesn't complain, I have no intention of stopping you. However, today I must ask you to take your leave of us. I am in the middle of giving Lady Finne a tour of the capital."

"O-oh... S-sure thing..."

With that, Ghido awkwardly walked off.

Just like Finne implied, no one might care about how I was treated, but acting inappropriately toward Leo would certainly be seen as a lack of respect and loyalty toward the imperial family. Leo was the fourth top candidate in the battle for the throne; he could theoretically be the next emperor. We were in totally different leagues.

As for Ghido, he must have understood the risks of complicating the situation. His hasty retreat made him the epitome of someone who'd been put in his place. But...

"Well, now you've done it."

"Sorry..."

I sighed again. "Let's just get going."

First things first, we needed to get out of the area. We'd attracted too much attention. We hurriedly moved on, until we were near the castle. There, I stopped and looked at Finne. She looked back at me, close to tears.

"You realize how reckless what you did back there was, don't you?"

"I'm really, really sorry..."

"If I'd just ignored him, he'd have done nothing but damage his own reputation. But now, at the very least he'll be carrying a grudge toward you and Leo. Not to mention the news that Leo was pretending to be me will make it harder for me to keep a low profile."

"..."

Tears pooled in Finne's eyes. I had to look away.

Nothing I could say to her now would change the situation. There was no point in blaming her for what was already done.

"Take this as a lesson to think before you speak next time. You could put yourself into danger someday. Don't be so careless."

"I-I won't..."

Finne, with her head hung low, still looked about to burst into tears. Not sure how to react, in the end, I felt compelled to give her a few words of consolation.

"Still, I know you acted out of concern for me. Thank you for that."

"O-oh..."

"And I'm sorry, too. I know you were having a good time. Sorry to end things on a sour note."

"N-no, it's not your fault at all! I was completely thoughtless! I'll be much more careful next time! S-so...will you take me into town again?"

"Sure. And next time, I'll wear a disguise too."

Once I said that, Finne's expression brightened, and she broke into a sparkling smile.

Feeling like that smile alone was worth the effort spent showing her around the capital today, I brought her back to the castle.