After Crushing the Final Boss, I Got Infinite Mana and Returned to Earth ～With Cheat-Level Power, I’ll Rule Both the Game World and the Real World～ - Chapter 17 & 18: The Second Princess’s Scenario Is Pure Trauma | This Isn’t Charity, Just Sympathy

Chapter 17: The Second Princess’s Scenario Is Pure Trauma

After learning all sorts of things from Lune at the magic academy, I figured the talk about my promotion should be settled by now, so I headed over to the Adventurers’ Guild.

The moment the receptionist spotted me, she hurried me straight into a room in the back.

And there—waiting for me—was a breathtaking dark elf beauty with bronzed skin and long silver hair.

Her outfit? Practically nothing but skin, with zero shame. You could even see her abs on display. On top of that, scars crisscrossed her body, each one proof she’d survived more battles than I could count. Even an amateur like me could tell at a glance: this woman was a hardened veteran.

“Nice to meet you, Quickbreaker Minato.”

“…Plenty I want to ask, but first—who are you?”

“I’m Fow, branch master of the Adventurers’ Guild, Royal Capital Magiluke Branch. Sit. We’ve got business.”

Yep. The gorgeous woman lounging on the sofa like she owned the place was none other than the head of the entire capital guild.

I took the seat across from her as instructed.

“Regarding the Goblin Emperor incident. Your achievements have been officially recognized. This is a special reward.”

“This is…?”

“A magic item necklace we recovered from the Goblin Emperor’s den. Supposed to boost physical strength.”

“…Hmm.”

I was honestly a little surprised.

The necklace Fow plopped on the table looked exactly like the one the Goblin Emperor dropped in the game.

Which meant—the Goblin Emperor who attacked that village really was the very same boss the protagonist faced in his awakening event.

This “Goblin Necklace” wasn’t anything crazy like protagonist-exclusive gear or some name-character’s signature weapon. You could actually snag it pretty early in the story. Still, it was a rare magic item that boosted your stats just by wearing it.

And that’s when the lightbulb went off.

If I scooped up items like this and handed them over to Aoi and Saori, wouldn’t that make keeping them safe way easier? Honestly, it felt like a genius plan. From now on, maybe I should keep clearing guild quests while using my game knowledge to hunt down strong magic items.

After I accepted the Goblin Necklace, Fow leaned forward.

“Next is your rank. I’ll deliver the decision from Guild Headquarters—starting today, you’re a fifth-class adventurer.”

“…I see. Understood.”

“What’s with that flat reaction? I figured you’d be a lot happier. Just so you know, this is insanely generous treatment.”

“I appreciate it. But I didn’t become an adventurer just to chase ranks.”

The reason I became an adventurer in the first place was dead simple—so that when Aoi and Saori showed up in this world, we’d have the guild at our backs if trouble came knocking.

Rank? That was just window dressing.

Of course, if the guild only threw support behind the higher-ranked folks, then sure—I’d grind my way up in no time.

Fow gave a short laugh.

“I’ve read the reports. That you became an adventurer to help people. I’m impressed. Hardly anyone has that kind of noble mindset these days.”

“…Is that so.”

“Thanks to your example, other adventurers have started taking on quests they normally wouldn’t even glance at.”

Apparently, ever since the Goblin extermination, some guild members had been tackling those forgotten, dust-covered quests.

You know, the ones that sat around forever because nobody wanted them—the infamous “salted quests.” Thanks to me, that pile was finally shrinking, and the guild was pretty grateful.

“Now then, that’s all the official announcements.”

“…But you’ve still got something else, don’t you?”

“Indeed. This is a personal request—addressed specifically to you, Quickbreaker Minato.”

“…Before I hear the details, uh, about that. ‘Quickbreaker’…?”

“Hm? Oh, that’s your title.”

Nicknames—titles—were how famous adventurers were remembered.

Even Garf had one: “Skull-Splitter Axe.”

Normally, these things only popped up naturally for the top dogs—first or second class adventurers with real achievements under their belt.

“…Well, how should I put it. Kinda makes me squirm a little.”

“I think it’s cool. Actually, I’m the one who came up with it.”

“…I see.”

So Fow’s naming sense was basically on par with mine back in middle school. Figures.

“Anyway, back on topic. You’ve got a designated request.”

“A designated request, huh. If I remember right, that’s when the client singles out an adventurer and asks for them specifically.”

“Exactly. It’s up to you whether you accept or not, of course. But if you do and succeed, it counts as an official achievement—and the pay’s better than usual.”

“…What’s the job?”

“Guard duty for a certain individual. Can’t say more than that. But as branch master, I’ll tell you this much—I don’t want you turning this one down. Think of it as helping someone in need.”

As the branch master, huh.

Which meant the client was probably someone who’d poured a decent chunk of coin into the guild.

If it built my record and polished my image with the guild, then yeah, no reason to refuse.

“Fine. I’ll take it.”

“Knew you’d say that!! Alright then—before I get into the details, let me introduce the partner who’ll be working with you this time.”

“…So there’s someone else too.”

“The client is a woman. Having only men as guards could be… inconvenient.”

Fair enough. That tracked.

Fow stepped out for a moment, then returned—leading in a girl.

A beautiful girl, with rare black hair tied in a neat chignon and golden eyes that gleamed like moonlight.

She wore a qipao—a Chinese dress—with a bold slit that showed off a glimpse of firm, healthy thigh.

If Saori had been here, her excitement meter would’ve gone straight off the charts.

“My name, Yue. Things I like? Handsome men, power, and money. Oh, and just so you know, I’m a third-class adventurer—above you. Nice to meet ya.”

“…That’s not exactly the tone for saying ‘nice to meet you,’ is it. Anyway—I’m Minato, fifth-class adventurer, Quickbreaker.”

“A fifth-class with a title? Cocky much.”

“Well, as you can see, her good looks come with a nice side of attitude. But her skills are the real deal. Yue and Minato—you two will be handling this escort mission.”

“Got it.”

I’d already agreed to take it, so there was no backing out now.

I shook Yue’s hand, then turned back to Fow for the details.

“The escort target is none other than the Second Princess of the neighboring Silverian Empire. She’ll be visiting the kingdom to attend the party that will decide Prince Georg’s fiancée.”

“Bfft—”

“Hm? What’s wrong, Minato?”

Of all the rotten coincidences… the princess the king had mentioned earlier was the very same one I’d just been assigned to guard.

Still—hold up a second here.

“Normally, wouldn’t members of the royal family be guarded by the Empire’s own knights or soldiers?”

“Well, there are… circumstances. The Empire’s trying to keep it under wraps, but apparently the Second Princess is a cursed child.”

“…A cursed child, huh.”

Yeah, that was a word ripped straight out of the game.

See, Final Stories was all about the protagonist traveling the world with companions, tackling one disaster after another.

And among all those disasters, the “Cursed Child” storyline was one of the absolute worst.

A “Cursed Child” meant being born with overwhelming, uncontrollable power—and almost every one of them wound up with a tragic fate.

Ah, right. Now it was coming back to me.

The Second Princess of the Silverian Empire was one of those cursed children—and her death was especially cruel.

She was so pitiful her route left scars on countless players, myself included. Honestly, I’d shoved that whole memory into the darkest corner of my brain… until now.

“If I recall, it was a curse where anything precious to her turned to stone when she touched it.”

Because of that curse, the Second Princess ended up petrifying her own mother, her maids, even her friends.

From then on, she shut her heart away, shunned like a walking plague by everyone around her.

The protagonist and party fought tooth and nail to lift that curse, and in the end, they managed it. Everyone she’d turned to stone—her mother, her maids, her friends—was restored, and she finally learned to love herself.

…Or at least, that’s how it was supposed to go.

Instead, the curse hadn’t truly vanished. It turned inward, activating on the princess herself—and she turned to stone.

What looked like a happy ending at first came crashing down into a savage hidden bad ending at the very last second.

When I first played through that route, I nearly hurled my controller through the monitor.

Fow, meanwhile, just nodded along like she was impressed.

“Oh? You already knew? Only a handful of people should be aware of that.”

“Yeah, well… let’s just say I have my sources.”

“Heh. So you’re well-informed too. Just became fifth-class, but at this rate, your rank might rise faster than expected.”

That said, I still couldn’t wrap my head around what the Emperor of the Silverian Empire was thinking. Why try to make the cursed Second Princess my fiancée?

Maybe he’d caught wind of my overwhelming power and thought: better tie him down to us—or take him out—before Magiluke hogs him all to themselves.

“So anyway, no one’s exactly lining up to guard the Second Princess.”

“…Treating her like she’s some kind of plague, huh.”

“Exactly. And thanks to that, the request ended up dumped in the guild’s lap.”

“I see.”

A twinge of sympathy hit me.

After all, I’d been born without magic power and raised under constant scorn. I knew what it was like to be looked down on by everyone.

Of course, feeling sorry for her didn’t mean I had some magic cure for a cursed child’s curse.

“Got it. I’ll get ready to head to the Empire. Well, not that it matters—teleportation magic will get us there in an instant.”

That said, I’d never actually set foot in the Silverian Empire before.

Which meant I’d need to peek into the memories of someone who had traveled there.

…Come to think of it, wasn’t there a certain arrogant pretty-boy in the magic academy’s special class who just so happened to hail from the Silverian Empire? Perfect. That saves me the trouble.

“Teleportation magic? You can actually use something that advanced?”

“Hm? Pretty sure I wrote that in the report I submitted to the guild.”

“…Wait. Hold on a second.”

Fow suddenly sprang up from the sofa and started tearing through the drawers of her desk.

A moment later, she slumped over the desk, face in her hands.

“Unbelievable… how could I have missed that in the report!?”

“So, just a simple oversight, huh.”

“If you can use advanced offensive spells and teleportation magic, then fifth-class makes no sense! Third-class—no, even second-class might be more accurate! Damn it, I’ll have to resubmit this to HQ… this is what I get for rubber-stamping things without reading!!”

“That’s your own fault. I don’t really mind staying where I am, though.”

“No way!! If HQ finds out I hid this, my position’s toast!! I—I’ve got to rewrite this report right now!!”

So even a guild branch master was just another cog in the big machine.

Fow broke into a cold sweat as she furiously scribbled away at paperwork.

“If it’s teleportation magic, then guarding along the road doesn’t matter at all. What happens to my role in this job, huh?”

“…Once a request is placed, it can’t be canceled. Just go with Minato to pick up the Second Princess, bring her back here, and the reward’s yours.”

“Heck yeah!! Easiest job ever!!”

And that was how I ended up taking on the request to escort the Second Princess of the Silverian Empire back to the Magiluke Kingdom.

“Cursed child, huh.”

“Diabel? Something wrong?”

“…No, it’s nothing. Just… something from the past.”

Only Diabel wore a complicated expression when the words “cursed child” came up.

―――――――――――――――――――――

[Afterword]

A Random Tidbit

Yue

A third-class adventurer. Loves handsome men, power, and money.

Her chest looks about apple-sized, but she cheats a little with padding—so in reality it’s closer to oranges.

Just in case she never lands her “ideal man,” she secretly runs an orphanage—collecting boys who look like they might grow up handsome and raising them herself.

She actually used to be a second-class adventurer, but after fooling around with a guy who already had a girlfriend and blowing up a huge scandal, she got demoted.

If you thought, “Wow, Yue’s way crazier than I expected,” then drop those ★s!

And if your thoughts were something like, “Quickbreaker makes my back itch,” “Chinese-dress beauty FTW!!” or “There’s not a single decent human being in this story,”—then don’t forget to leave a comment, bookmark, ★rating, or review!

Chapter 18: This Isn’t Charity, Just Sympathy

The day after I accepted the Second Princess escort request from the Adventurers’ Guild—

I headed to the magic academy, walked straight into the special class classroom, and immediately clamped my hand down on Lune’s head.

“Ugyah!? H-Hey, Senpai!? What’s with the sudden grab!?”

“Stop squirming and hold still.”

“Anyone would resist if their head suddenly got grabbed like that!!”

Ignoring Lune’s protests, I activated Memory Load and rifled through his memories.

Lucky break—turns out Lune had lived in the imperial capital of the Silverian Empire, so his memories contained everything I needed.

With that, I could warp there anytime using teleportation magic. …Still.

“…Guess Lune is more useful than I thought.”

“What is with you today, Senpai!?”

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“Like hell I won’t worry!!”

Once I finished yanking what I needed out of his head, I sat through his usual magic lecture like nothing happened, then headed home for the day.

The real trouble came that night.

When I casually mentioned to my family that I’d be escorting a princess, Aoi’s expression immediately turned serious.

“Onii-chan, let’s record some videos in that other world and upload them to our channel here.”

“…What are you even talking about all of a sudden?”

“Whoa-whoa, my brother. At least hear your little sister out to the end.”

I shoveled down Saori’s homemade hamburg steak with rice while listening to Aoi’s pitch.

“If we upload videos of Onii-chan going wild in the other world, it’ll totally blow up!! We can monetize on MeeTube and roll in cash!!”

“Go viral, huh? Wouldn’t people just assume it’s some AI-generated fake and shrug it off?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Too naive, Onii-chan. Sweet as Coke boiled down with sugar and honey!! Sure, AI these days is impressive, but it still can’t capture the raw, heart-pounding thrill of real battle!!”

“…You really think so?”

“I don’t think—I know!!”

Aoi slammed the table hard enough to rattle the dishes.

“Also, I just plain want to see that world!! I can’t handle advanced magic at all, and my inner fantasy cravings are about to explode!!”

“…That said, I’m not exactly eager to swing a sword while holding a camera.”

“No worries!! I rigged up a regular camera and mic so they can mount right onto Bel-kun!!”

“As resourceful as ever, I see. …And Diabel’s actually okay with this?”

I glanced over, and though he looked a little sour, he still gave a reluctant nod.

“To buy merch from my favorite anime. Half the MeeTube profits go straight into my allowance—that was the deal.”

“And the other half?”

“My food budget.”

I felt a little embarrassed—I wasn’t actually the one footing Diabel’s food bill. Maybe we could sell the monster parts we looted over there and turn them into cash here.

If Diabel, the one filming, was cool with it, I had no real reason to object. And if any locals got nosy about the camera, we’d just call it a magic item and bluff our way through. Should be fine.

“By the way, Minato-kun, I want to ask you something.”

“What is it, Mom?”

“Tell me all about that femboy trap you’re friendly with.”

“Eh?”

“And the lewd little girl headmistress who wears a micro-bikini under her robe—details, please!! I want to use them as material for my next Comiket doujin!!”

“O-Okay, got it.”

I’d forgotten that my mom, an ero-manga artist, never let a good idea slip by. I felt a little sorry for the two of them who’d somehow ended up as material for her comic.

◇

Time passed, and finally the day came to escort the Silverian Empire’s Second Princess to the Magiluke Kingdom capital.

We met Yue in front of the royal capital’s Adventurers’ Guild and used teleportation magic to hop straight to the imperial capital.

“Whoa!! It really is instant!! Hey, why don’t you party with me!? You’d save on travel costs!!”

“I’m not planning to team up with anyone.”

“What about that chubby lizard of yours?”

“Oi—call me that again and I’ll bite the bun on your head clean off.”

Diabel and Yue were already trading barbs, but honestly, it felt more like their own weird version of getting along.

Chatting like that, we made our way straight into the very heart of the imperial capital.

The castle there was enormous—so massive it made Magiluke’s royal castle look like a dollhouse in comparison. It wasn’t a palace so much as a fortress.

At the gate, I showed the guards the Adventurers’ Guild request papers, and just like that, we were waved inside without a hitch.

What stuck with me, though, were the guards’ eyes—pitying, almost fearful. Like just standing near the Second Princess might curse them too.

“We got in pretty easily, huh.”

“Yeah. Too easily.”

The three of us—me, Yue, and Diabel—waited in a guest chamber of the imperial castle. After a while, there came a knock at the door.

When it opened, in stepped a breathtaking girl with long silver hair and striking blue eyes.

She wore something like a riding uniform—practical yet elegant—and every movement radiated refinement.

Her appearance matched the princess’s character design from the game perfectly.

The only difference was her eyes.

Eyes that had given up on the world. Eyes with no spark of interest in anything.

Well, considering she was a cursed child who turned anything precious to her into stone—shunned and feared by everyone—that wasn’t exactly surprising.

The girl gave us a graceful bow.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Lucia le Silverian.”

“A pleasure. Fifth-class adventurer, Minato.”

“Third-class adventurer, Yue. Nice to meet ya.”

We’d just finished our quick introductions when it hit me.

Around Lucia’s body—I saw them. Black, writhing tendrils, like shadowy tentacles coiling and slithering over her form.

I blinked, rubbed my eyes. Thought it might’ve been an illusion.

But no. They were still there. Clear as day.

“…What’s with the staring? Don’t tell me the princess is your type?”

“No, that’s not it. You seriously don’t see them, Yue?”

“Hah? See what?”

“…Diabel?”

“…So you noticed too. Well, since you carry my mana, it makes sense you’d be able to see it.”

Diabel hopped onto my shoulder, lowering his voice to a whisper.

“That’s the true form of the curse—the demon clinging to the girl.”

“…A demon?”

Final Stories had never once mentioned demons like this.

So what was this—some hidden lore the players were never supposed to uncover?

“If we deal with the demon, will the curse be broken?”

“…Yes, but don’t. That thing’s like a cancer in this world. Try to interfere, and it’ll lash out with everything it’s got. You do not want that headache.”

“Then tell me how to break the curse.”

“…Were you even listening? If you’re overconfident, fine—I’ll spell it out. But this isn’t something you brute-force with magic. Some of those demons are strong enough to rival me at full power.”

“I don’t care. I’ll do what I want.”

“…What’s with you? You’re not the type to risk your life just to help strangers. Normally, you only care about family—everything else can burn. You’re a natural-born psycho, remember?”

Pretty harsh words.

But it wasn’t like I was doing this out of some noble urge to “help people.” This was just my selfish whim.

I’d been born a prince who couldn’t use magic, and because of that, I grew up sneered at, looked down on, treated like trash by everyone around me.

Compared to me, Lucia’s fate was far crueler—she accidentally destroyed the things most precious to her with her own hands.

So this wasn’t charity. Just sympathy. Nothing more than me doing for her what I once wished someone had done for me. It wasn’t “helping.”

“…I see. So you actually have a decent side after all. Very well. If you’re that determined, I won’t stop you. But the demon clinging to her looks like a nasty one. Be extremely careful.”

“Thanks, Diabel.”

With Diabel’s instructions on exorcising it still fresh in my mind, I decided to put them into practice immediately.

“Your Imperial Highness Princess Lucia, forgive me for this.”

“Huh? What do you—”

“Hnnngh!!”

I clamped down on one of the shadowy tendrils coiled around her and yanked with all my strength.

The next moment—

“GYIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH!!!”

An ear-splitting shriek, like nails shredding across a chalkboard, ripped through the room.

The tendril I’d torn off whipped around violently, slipped from my grip, and curled itself into a black orb in the corner.

On its surface, a grotesque eye snapped open—glowering at me with a depthless, abyssal stare.

And this time—even Yue and Lucia, who hadn’t been able to see the tentacles before—could see the orb as clear as day.

“W-What the heck!?”

“W-What is that…?”

“That’s the demon that was clinging to Princess Lucia. Looks like it’s the source of her curse.”

“Eh—”

Well then… guess it’s time for a little demon extermination.

―――――――――――――――――――――

[Afterword]

A Random Tidbit

Lune is actually the heir of one of the Four Great Ducal Houses of the Silverian Empire.

If you thought, “Wow, just casually dropping massive lore bombs like that in the afterword is hilarious,” then drop those ★s!

And if your thoughts were something like, “Aoi’s mystery tech is insane,” “Saori’s reactions crack me up,” or “Natural psycho lol,” —then don’t forget to leave a comment, bookmark, ★rating, or review!