Chapter 2: ① That Man Is No Hero—He’s a Merchant

The hero lay collapsed, his head buried in the wall.

A heavy silence spread through the summoning chamber.
At its center, Princess Lieselotte stared down at her right fist.

(……I got carried away and did it.)

At the signal from the Ten Sages, the nobles and handmaidens filed out in a procession.
Everyone wanted to pretend it never happened. If she could, she’d do the same.

But—
If that twitching, convulsing “person” was truly the hero from another world, summoned by the guidance of the Star Spirit…

(……What kind of joke am I living in?)

This was supposed to be the being who held the fate of the kingdom in his hands.
Who could possibly believe that? …No, she had to believe it.

Still.

(……And on top of that.
He’s supposed to be my future husband, right?)

No matter how many times she thought about it, it didn’t feel real.
No, she didn’t want it to be real.

(……Hey, Star Spirit-sama. Could you explain this to me, please?)

She thought she’d been prepared for life as royalty.
But this wasn’t a matter of resolve anymore—wasn’t this more like a trial?

(No! But! It can’t be helped, can it!?)

She desperately lined up excuses in her mind.
Because—he suddenly said, “Won’t you make children with me?”

Of all people, he said such an indecent thing to her own mother—Queen Celine.

(That’s not the behavior of a sane person!!)

…No, really.
A few days ago, when the oracle came down from Star Spirit-sama, she remembered how the atmosphere of the council chamber froze in an instant.

“A calamity approaches this kingdom.”
“The only solution—summon a hero from another world.”

And one more thing.

(Simultaneous with the hero summoning, my coronation. And…that hero becomes my royal consort?)

Just thinking about it gave her a headache.

In other words, it had been decided from the start that “the otherworlder who was just summoned” would become Lieselotte’s husband.

(There was never any escape from the beginning…)

Of course, it’s political.
The royal consort would be given the title of “Karou Duke” and take on the role of mediating among the harem’s concubines.
In other words—

(Please shoulder all the burdens of politics, factions, and mistress problems by yourself.)

Moreover, concubines from each faction would be gathered for the Karou Duke, the royal family would maintain bloodline and name, the nobles would gain blood ties and strengthen their power, and the Ten Sages—those people would just nod silently to “manipulate” the government.

(Yes, yes, the usual arrangement.)

But…she knew. From the start.
That this kingdom could only survive on such a precarious balance.

So Lieselotte had decided.

(No matter who gets summoned, I’ll properly accept them and fulfill my duty as royalty…)

She had decided that. Yes, all along.
And yet—

(Of all things…to try to lay hands on Mother…)

Her fist flew out not from reason.
It was instinct.

(No, I just can’t! My brain is going to burn out!!)

Of course, she understood she’d gone too far.
But.

(But…that was…there’s no way I could listen to that with a straight face!?)

Clinging desperately to her wavering reason, she tried to justify herself.

(My actions surely weren’t wrong or anything—)

…Probably.
No, probably. Surely. …Probably.

“L-Liese…what have you done to your future husband…”

“N-No, Mother! Th-This is, um…that’s right! It’s an expression of love!”

She was startled by the sound of her own shouting voice.
No matter how you heard it, it sounded less like an excuse and more like an accident report.

“I was so moved by our first meeting…I couldn’t help but get emotional…and got just a little bit excited!”

“…An expression…of love?”

She could see Celine’s smile slowly freezing.

(This is bad. This is really bad. I’m being completely treated like a weird child…)

“…Th-This is…I’m having some difficulty…understanding…”

“Expression of love nya!? Is Lieselotte the type who speaks with her fists nya?”

“N-No! This is…um…!
It’s a strike to demonstrate royal dignity!!”

She thrust both fists forward like a threat.

(……Am I a cat? Am I a cat?)

But self-awareness alone couldn’t stop her.

“I-I’m certainly not violent or anything…!
B-Besides, you’re the one in the wrong!”

She pointed a trembling finger mercilessly at Yuuri, who was crawling up from the floor.

“Suddenly…um, that, something based on the premise of descendant prosperity…constructive…discussions of national interest…at, um, nighttime hours…! To say you’d do such a thing—
you’re completely lacking in awareness as a hero!!”

It was an exquisitely beautiful shifting of blame.

Chapter 2: ② That Man Is No Hero—He’s a Merchant

As the angry voice left echoes in the space—
Yuuri slowly got up, rubbing the back of his head.

(……Wait, he’s just getting up normally after taking that hit?)

Lieselotte’s eyes widened.

(That was “the one” I used when I joined the knights’ training before, and the damage was so severe they issued a notice saying “Please use wooden swords from now on”!?)

The man before her, despite taking such a blow, was sitting up like he’d just woken up and casually cracking his neck.

(Even if he’s a disappointment…he’s still a hero, I suppose.)

“Ow ow ow…Um, I’m sorry. You talk about awareness as a hero, but…”

“…But?”

“No, I mean…I’m not a hero—I’m a merchant, you know…?”

—At that moment, a chill filled the summoning chamber.

“…Excuse me?”

“…Merchant…what do you mean by that…?”

Lieselotte’s fingertips trembled, Celine’s smile froze, and in the silence, Kokuyou’s fur bristled.

“Nya nya nya nya nya nya nya!?!?
M-Master, what did you just say nya!?”

“Huh? No, I mean…my class is merchant.”

Yuuri answered apologetically, scratching his cheek.

(……My fiancé was a merchant!? Wait, hold on…)

(The “calamity” Star Spirit-sama mentioned—it’s not the Demon Lord but—
could it possibly be…about financial difficulties…?)

(A merchant means like a wealthy person, or super rich—
right? Yes, surely that’s it, right…?)

(What kind of marriage arrangement is this…don’t tell me it was about dowry from another world all along!?)

(Yeah, our royal family is the type that survives by eating through the previous generation’s inheritance anyway…)

“I mean…when the class selection window appeared, I totally thought it was a dream about my Harem Kingdom.
I was tired of the hero thing, and internal affairs seemed more fun, so I accidentally picked merchant…”

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaah!?!? What were you thinking nyaaaaa!!”

Kokuyou’s scream echoed through the summoning chamber.
The next moment, her fur bristled and her body began swelling rapidly.

(……Huh?)

Before her eyes, the originally small black cat’s body—
her perky ears, her fluffy tail, everything growing bigger and bigger.

(Wh-What is this…wait, this is incredibly…)

Eventually, there stood a giant fluffy black cat easily twice her size.

(……S-So cute…!?)

That coat was as lustrous as silk thread, with fluffiness that made you want to bury your face in it.
Despite having been angry moments ago, confronted with the violence of fluff filling her vision, Lieselotte’s brain momentarily melted into mush.

(Th-This is dangerous…this is…one of those things I like…)

…However.
The next moment, that fluff—exploded.

The giant, super-fluffy front paw swung down without mercy.

“Guhboh!?”

Completely caught off guard, Yuuri was crushed by the squishy paw pad.
Watching him twitch while flattened—

(……Um, well…)

Lieselotte was at a loss for words.
Cute.
But scary.
Scary, but fluff is still justice.

(……No wait, that’s not right. What am I thinking with a straight face…!?)

“Of all things, right after being summoned, instead of picking ‘warrior’ or ‘mage’—you picked merchant nya!?
You were longing for internal affairs gameplay in a game mindset nya!? Are you stupid nyaaaa!! Normal people pick ‘hero’ nya!”

The flattened Yuuri let out a faint voice from underneath.

“Ehhh!? But listen! My stats aren’t suited for combat, and developing the country with money is bet—bugyuh!? I-It huuurts…!!”

“We risked our lives to summon you nya! ‘Tired of being a hero so I want to do internal affairs’—what kind of thinking is that nyaaaa!!”

At those words, Lieselotte’s eyes twitched.

(……Is this person really going to become my husband…?)

Her swirling, confused thoughts made her chest feel unsettled.

(No no, surely not. That can’t be…but…)

The voice of Star Spirit-sama revived in the depths of distant memory.

(“Guidance of fate”—do I have no choice but to believe in that…?)

“…It’s hopeless nya…Master doesn’t understand anything nya…”

(W-Wait a minute…the story, the information, my brain can’t keep up…)

Lieselotte pressed her hand to her temple, desperately trying to gather the scattered fragments of her thoughts.
But the fog in her head only grew thicker.

Beside her, Celine quietly furrowed her brow. Beneath her calm tone, clear disturbance seeped through.

“When you say your future husband is ‘not a hero’…um…what does that mean?”

(Ah, even Mother is confused…
This kingdom is finished. In a spiritual sense.)

“We have no choice but to confirm nya. —’Person Appraisal’ activated nya!!”

The moment Kokuyou’s eyes shone gold, a faint magic circle floated above Yuuri’s head.
A gently rotating light panel deployed in midair—

(Wh-What’s going to show up…?
Wait, what is this magic, it’s scary…! I’ve never seen this spell before, and having unknown things peeked at…
Upper-level Star Spirit-sama is being a bit too merciless…
Please…anything but “something” that will break this kingdom…)