Vol 2 Chapter 2 – Turns Out Quite a Few People Had Figured It Out

Emilio and I, Yumeba, were killing time in the capital when we were suddenly summoned by the Emperor.

Being called at this timing definitely means it’s going to be a pain in the ass, I thought as I reluctantly headed to the palace and met with the Emperor in the throne room.

“I called you here for a specific reason. You’ve already heard that the Rotoria Kingdom is planning to march on the Empire, haven’t you?”

“Yes.”

This was the first I’d heard the name “Rotoria Kingdom,” but since I knew some neighboring country was planning to attack, I nodded obediently.

“Therefore, I’d like to ask you to conduct advance reconnaissance against the Rotoria Kingdom.”

“I refuse.”

Before I could even think, Yumeba cut off the conversation cold.

“As House Saionji, we cannot lend our hand to an invasion of a hostile nation.”

“…I said advance reconnaissance, didn’t I?”

“No matter how you dress up the words, the meaning is the same. The moment we enter enemy territory in advance, it becomes an act of invasion.”

“…Is there no way to convince you?”

“None.”

Without a moment’s consideration, Yumeba rejected the Emperor’s request.

“…I see.”

I just noticed, but the Emperor has bags under his eyes, and he looks somewhat thinner than when I last saw him.

Apparently the reconstruction of the territory isn’t progressing as well as I thought.

I wondered what he was thinking, asking House Saionji to break their covenant, but it seems he’s more cornered than I imagined.

“…What about you?”

“I’m already a member of House Saionji.”

He asked me as well, but I just gave the obvious answer.

“The Empire is on the verge of collapse.”

“The Empire will not collapse. House Saionji will protect it.”

“…You’re right about that.”

The Emperor exhaled deeply and looked at Yumeba and me with what seemed like slight resentment.

“You know how much money it takes not just to mobilize the army, but simply to maintain it, don’t you? When the treasury is not just empty but drowning in debt, do you understand… how much of a burden it is to mass troops at the border against an invasion force?”

“If you need money, shall I lend you some?”

“…No thank you.”

The Emperor’s complaints came to an end when he rejected Yumeba’s kind offer.

While we’re not hoarding it pointlessly, House Saionji has money to spare since incoming revenue far exceeds outgoing expenses.

Myself included.

“He seems more cornered than I expected.”

“The fact that he brought the matter to you, Yumeba, instead of the head, Yukina-san, shows the Emperor’s weakness.”

On our way back from the palace, Yumeba and I walked while shrugging and talking.

Normally, there’s no way House Saionji would accept advance reconnaissance or anything else, yet the Emperor seems so weakened he can’t make that normal judgment.

I want to worry about the Empire’s future, but I’ve already dropped out of the imperial succession struggle.

There’s nothing I can do about it now, so…

“Hyaaaa~~~!”

While I was thinking that, a single maid came running from ahead, screaming.

Yumeba and I braced ourselves for whatever was happening, and the maid who ran up in front of us was…

“…Yunix?”

“Geh! Brother.”

For some reason—yes, for some reason—it was my twin brother Yunix clad in a maid outfit.

His face is good-looking to begin with, so you could say the maid outfit suited him…

“…Wow.”

“Gufuu!”

That single word from Yumeba was everything, and Yunix took massive damage to his heart.

No matter how well it suited him, “wow” is the perfect word for a cross-dressing prince.

“You… first public nudity, now cross-dressing? You’re surprisingly versatile in your hobbies.”

“N-No…! This isn’t my hobby…!”

Yunix desperately tried to make excuses, but because he made such a fuss again, people gathered…

“What’s that? Cross-dressing?”

“Prince Yunix has those kinds of hobbies?”

“…I’m into it.”

Strange stares concentrated on Yunix.

“Dammiiit! I’ll remember this!”

And so, once again with teary eyes, Yunix fled running.

Tee-hee-hee.

“?”

I felt like I heard laughter from somewhere again and looked around, but once more, I could only find Serina with a poker face.

◇◇◇

Considering the Empire’s situation from the Emperor’s attitude, Yumeba and I decided to split up temporarily to gather information.

I would transform into Alisa using transformation magic and head to the Adventurers’ Guild, while Yumeba would go to the Imperial Guard.

When I entered the Adventurers’ Guild for the first time in a while, the already sparse interior fell completely silent.

“?”

When I glanced around to see what was happening, I met the eyes of the guild staff who were all staring at me.

Apparently they’d all focused on me at once, causing the surroundings to fall silent.

(Come to think of it, during the war I was Emilio, so I didn’t do anything as Alisa.)

There shouldn’t have been any need to intervene in the war as an adventurer, but did disappearing as an A-Class adventurer earn me resentment?

That’s what I thought, but…

“Um…”

The one who approached and spoke to me was a familiar female staff member.

“We saw it.”

“…Saw what?”

“Prince Emilio fighting to protect the capital.”

“…..”

Before the question of why Emilio’s name would come up here could leave my mouth, I realized.

The eyes the staff were looking at me with weren’t cold—they were respectful, reverent.

“…How did you figure it out?”

I tried asking with vague words.

“Well, the grand magic that blew away the enemy army was one thing, but I only know one person who can activate magic with just the motion of snapping their fingers.”

“…That, huh?”

Now that she mentioned it, it was indeed careless.

Even with a different appearance and gender, if the motions for using magic are completely identical, those who can see through it will see through it.

“Besides… I can’t imagine anyone else who could fight shoulder to shoulder with the young lady of House Saionji.”

“…That too, huh?”

Yeah. If I fought shoulder to shoulder with Yumeba, plenty of people would make the connection.

In other words, the reason the surroundings fell silent the moment I entered the Adventurers’ Guild wasn’t resentment toward someone who did nothing during the war, but the gaze directed at a hero who protected the capital during the war.

“…Can you keep it a secret?”

“Of course!”

At this point, silencing the guild staff is meaningless, and the information has probably already spread to Adventurers’ Guilds across the continent—but I can at least prevent my information from spreading needlessly.

(I can’t laugh at Yunix now.)

In my case, it’s not a cross-dressing hobby but a perfect transformation, but without knowing the method, I’d look the same as him.

“So what brings you here today?”

“…Just treat me like you normally would.”

“What can I help you with today?”

The staff member had quite good adaptability.

“I want to know about the Empire’s current state and various things. Not much information reaches me.”

“Ahh…”

She seemed to understand, realizing I’m the discarded prince and don’t get much information.

“Well, since I’m free, shall we talk over tea?”

“…That would be nice.”

Information seemed like it would gather more smoothly than I thought.

The Empire’s current state was considerably worse than I’d imagined.

A huge number of nobles died in that war, and regions without anyone to manage the territory have apparently become lawless zones.

Moreover, in places where the head of a noble house died, succession disputes have erupted and internal conflicts are occurring in the territories.

From the Emperor’s perspective, with an empty treasury and mounting debts, he’d certainly want to shout, “Is this really the time for that?!”

However, such situations are occurring all over the Empire, so the Emperor must be running around frantically.

(As expected, I don’t find the position of Emperor appealing at all.)

At this rate, the Emperor will get an ulcer and be quickly replaced by my eldest brother Friedrich.

Well, I thought information gathering was successful since I’d grasped the Empire’s current state, even if roughly, but…

“And so! A request for A-Class adventurer Alisa-san!”

“…What are you planning to make me do?”

The staff member who’d told me the story looked at me with shining eyes and heavy breathing.

“Distribution has stalled and supplies aren’t reaching all parts of the Empire. Please use teleportation magic to travel around various towns for transport.”

“…Who’s this request from?”

It’s a request that understands my characteristics well, but before that, I’m curious about the requester.

“…His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Of course it is~”

The Adventurers’ Guild is on good terms with the Emperor, and considering what I pulled off during the war, it would be unreasonable to think I hadn’t been found out.

(So he had a second plan from the start? Does he have more leeway than I thought?)

Even if I refused the advance reconnaissance, he planned to make me work on supply transport.

(It’s not leeway, is it? He’s so desperate he can’t afford to be picky, enough that he has to mobilize me.)

I doubt he has the resources to pay the commission fee for an A-Class adventurer like me, but if it’s an official request, I don’t mind accepting.

“Oh, and if possible, please also purchase supplies from outside the Empire.”

“…If I go outside the Empire to purchase supplies, I can bypass customs and tariffs, you know?”

“That’s wonderful♪”

“…..”

He really doesn’t have the luxury of being picky.

“So you did the work?”

“It was an official request as an adventurer, and I gathered information about conditions all over the Empire.”

I don’t like being used skillfully by the Emperor, but if I don’t want to accept requests in the future, I just won’t transform into Alisa.

“What about you?”

After roughly finishing explaining the information I’d gathered, I passed the baton to Yumeba.

“My information is mostly similar. The only thing is that Yunix’s reputation has completely collapsed.”

“…Full nudity and cross-dressing, after all.”

“There’s a lot more he’s done besides that. Even in the palace, rumors about Yunix are almost entirely about him being a pervert.”

“…..”

Just a tiny bit, I felt like I understood how Yunix felt when I was called the discarded prince.

Having a twin brother who’s a pervert—as an older brother, I can only hold my head in my hands.

“But this is probably Serina’s scheme, right?”

“Huh?”

Why is Serina’s name coming up here?

“Probably… that girl, I don’t know what triggered it, but I think she broke free of the brainwashing on her own and recovered her memories.”

“O-Oh. Is that so?”

Mixed feelings—happy and not happy at the same time.

“That’s why she’s trying to trap Yunix and destroy his reputation.”

“…For what purpose?”

“To break off her engagement with Yunix, obviously.”

“…..”

“After becoming free and clear, she plans to make a fresh attempt at Lio.”

“For real~”

What shocked me wasn’t that Serina still had feelings for me—but that she intended to pick a fight with Yumeba head-on.

“Ufufu. I’ll never let anyone have Lio.”

“…..”

Yumeba-san, whose eyes lost their light and who smiled fearlessly.

Is Serina in her right mind, picking a fight with this?

◇◇◇

I magnified my map magic, World Map, and tried displaying this so-called Rotoria Kingdom.

As a nation bordering the Empire, it was on the larger side, and I could see numerous towns and villages scattered about, but…

(It doesn’t look like a very prosperous nation.)

The lives of the people living there seemed poor.

Not because the lords managing the territories were exploiting them, but because the land itself was barren and crops were hard to grow.

The whole nation was poor—yet in contrast, the military was formidable.

Precisely because it’s a poor nation, their hunger spirit has been forged, and since cooperation with neighbors is essential in such a country, they’re extremely good at coordination.

At the very least, compared to the Empire’s army, their training level looked superior.

“Armies just need minimum training and formation drills. After that, the side with greater numbers wins.”

Yumeba-san’s blunt words destroyed everything, though.

“I mean, the vast majority of an army is peasant soldiers conscripted from commoners, right? A little difference in training doesn’t matter.”

“Really, what a blunt and perfectly reasonable opinion.”

Even the Empire—no, precisely because it’s the Empire—maintaining a standing army of hundreds of thousands would cost enormous sums just to maintain.

That’s why what are called ordinary soldiers are peasant soldiers who normally till the fields.

“After that, as long as you have excellent commanders and staff officers, nothing to complain about.”

“…What about strategists?”

“Strategists are people who think up risky gambits, right? Unless conditions align really well, there’s no place for strategists in army-versus-army battles.”

“Right~”

A small army defeating a large army is nothing but a risky stratagem, and such things won’t work unless the opposing commander is a complete idiot.

“But does the current Empire have the resources to gather a larger army than the enemy nation?”

“…That depends on the Emperor’s ability.”

Looks like the Emperor needs to make one more push.

There’s no such thing as a stale period between Yumeba and me.

You might think, what am I saying when it hasn’t even been a year since we got married, but I wanted to say that for the women of House Saionji, the concept of a stale period doesn’t exist.

We’d been talking about various things, but before I knew it, Yumeba was right beside me, and at some point she’d climbed onto my lap and was leaning her back against my body.

When I wrapped my arms around Yumeba’s body from behind and held her in front of her stomach, she relaxed even more and entrusted herself to me.

This was the signal that I could do as I pleased, and I gradually moved my hands up from Yumeba’s stomach.

“Nnh♡”

I cupped her breasts—which had grown to a size that fit perfectly in my hands—with both palms, but Yumeba showed no sign of resistance whatsoever.

Thinking about it, Yumeba had been like this from the start.

While she sometimes approached me aggressively, otherwise she was receptive—never breaking her posture of accepting all of me.

“Ah♡”

She accepts all the pleasure I give her, and in front of me, she never holds back her erotic voice.

Reluctantly, I removed my hands from Yumeba’s breasts, faced her head-on, and pressed our lips together.

“Lio♡”

Only during kisses was Yumeba always aggressive, firmly holding my head with both arms and entwining our tongues together.

After repeating kisses until our tongues went numb—as always, I pushed Yumeba down onto the bed.

What I felt afterward was a sense of unreality.

“~♡”

Yumeba rubbed her entire body against me affectionately in my arms.

Is it really okay for such an absolutely gorgeous girl to be my wife? I think every single time.

Yumeba, who at some point had started breathing peacefully in my arms, is a girl with beauty that can only be described as artistic no matter where you look.

She possesses a mystique that makes touching her feel sacrilegious, yet also exudes a lewdness that makes it impossible not to touch her.

What I can understand is that there’s no escaping anymore.

(I feel like I’ve been caught in a spider’s web and wrapped up tight in thread.)

While Yumeba accepts all of me, I also felt her firm will to absolutely never let me go.

The only time you could escape from a woman of House Saionji is probably when you die.

(…Can I really escape even if I die?)

Considering the tenacity of Yumeba—of the women of House Saionji—I found myself thinking it wouldn’t be strange if she wouldn’t let me go even after death.

(…Well, whatever.)

I’ve already been caught, and for humans, acceptance is key.

◇◇◇

The next morning.

When I woke up…

“~♡”

Yumeba was happily nibbling all over my body, leaving teeth marks.

“…What are you doing?”

“I’m marking Lio with my seal♪”

“…..”

Ah, yes. It’s a mark to prove I belong to Yumeba. I understand.

Light nibbling is fine, but I’ll pray she doesn’t bring out a knife in the future.