The Invincible Aloof Yandere Princess Falls in Love with Her Younger Court Mage's Fatherly Warmth! ~She Clung to Him So Much That the King Fired Him. When He Made Marriage His Official Reason for Resigning Under Royal Order, the Light Vanished from the Princess's Eyes~ - Volume 2 - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: The Beacon of War

It felt as though… heavy pressure was bearing down on the very space itself. The air grew thick and started to tremble with a low buzz.

Not just us standing close by—even the guests of honor and the audience farther away must have felt it.

Proof of that? Look—the sound disappeared from the plaza.

And then.

Right after, from the princess’s body, a silver light rose upward like a waterfall falling from the sky.

“!! That’s… that silver light…!”

“No way—could it really be the same as the founding king’s?!”

Crackling and sparking here and there, the thick silver light gradually enveloped the princess’s entire body. It suited her silver hair and the gold-and-silver ceremonial dress perfectly—an otherworldly power.

The sparks, so similar to the volatilization of mana, were a standard phenomenon that came with high-density stellar essence energy. It looked flashy, and it was perfect for this kind of performance.

“…No way… it was actually true! Her Highness possesses the same power spoken of in legend as the founding king!”

“But I heard Her Highness couldn’t use magic…?”

“What’s happening right in front of us is everything…! Her Highness is completely controlling this tremendous power that shakes the very air! She truly is—the second coming of the founding king…!”

Good, good. Just as planned. Both the nobles and the common people couldn’t tear their eyes away from the princess, and the atmosphere had completely changed from just moments ago.

Surely this was proof of her legitimate right to inherit the throne—showing the same power recorded in the nation’s founding myth. Everyone must have felt on their skin that this was no ordinary strength.

Wrapped in silver light, the princess—who now looked almost divine—opened her mouth.

“—I possess power. One of them is this… the Founding Light, the same as that of the first Atlas King.”

She raised her arm, turned her palm upward, and little by little the silver stellar essence gathered into a sphere.

Every single person in the audience was glued to the princess. Even though it was still imperfect, teaching her how to manipulate stellar essence had been worth it… There could be no more convincing demonstration of her worthiness as the king’s successor.

And then.

Still cloaked in light, the princess spoke.

“And my power is not only this. Both of you—”

Leaving me standing off to the side, Suu-san and Maguire-san answered the princess’s call and stepped up to stand on either side of her.

“Commander of the Atlas Kingdom Knights ‘Sword of the Tail’ Division, Sybil Maguire. Likewise, Commander of the ‘Shield of the Mane’ Division, Scarlet Clay.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

The two of them dropped to one knee in a posture of absolute loyalty to the princess. (The fact that one of them was making an incredibly grumpy face is my little secret.)

But anyway.

At this moment, the princess had shown everyone that she now held command over two out of the four divisions of the kingdom’s knights—a massive military force.

The audience stirred again in astonishment. But the commotion wasn’t negative at all; it was the sound of people beginning to accept, with surprise and growing conviction, the kingdom’s new ruler…

The princess had always been far more popular with the common people than His Majesty. Even compared to the crown prince, who almost never appeared in public.

That’s exactly why. By clearly demonstrating her position as successor in this way, at least the common people would accept her without any resistance.

“—…nka, Your Highness! Your Highness! Your Highness!!”

Cheers praising the princess rose from all directions.

Yeah, just as I thought—everyone really wants to support the princess. Of course they do. She has a proven record of caring about the people, she’s young, beautiful—how could anyone not love a ruler like that?

And it wasn’t just the common people; the nobles must feel the same. Especially the powerful provincial nobles—they deeply respect the royal family and tradition, but in return they demand proper responsibility from their ruler. From that perspective, the princess—

“Your Highness… you’ve grown truly magnificent! Your practical ability is beyond doubt, and on top of that you possess the royal family’s unique magic and the power to build a solid foundation…”

“So the rumors that Her Highness couldn’t use magic were all nonsense…! Look at that divine light! That is exactly who we should pledge our loyalty to…!”

The distinguished, bearded gentlemen were staring at the princess with deeply moved expressions.

Of course, it’s not like every single one of them had instantly become her ally—that would be too convenient. Still, the main goal for today had been achieved.

—To make the powerful lords and the people clearly recognize that the princess had been personally designated by His Majesty as successor, and that she actually possessed great power… including holding a massive faction inside the palace.

Just accomplishing that much would dramatically increase the princess’s safety from now on.

“Of course, from now on she’ll have no choice but to work as the country’s leader. Lately the princess seems strangely motivated, though.”

I do wonder why, since she has no interest in money or power.

Well, if the princess is eager, then all I have to do is support her with everything I’ve got. As long as she inherits the throne with perfect backing, the genius princess should be able to handle everything else beautifully.

For now, if the princess can successfully handle the final highlight of today’s ceremony—

“—That concludes the address in praise of the founding. Finally… to pray for the ever-greater prosperity of the Atlas Kingdom, let us send word to the stars.”

Every year, without fail, the closing act of the Founding Day ceremony was… a ceremonial cannon fired by the current king using magic.

More than just a ritual, it was a chance to proudly display the superior magical lineage of the Atlas royal family. If the ceremony could be brought to a close with this—

As the two division commanders who had been attending the princess stepped aside toward me, and while everyone’s attention turned toward the princess’s magic—

The princess solemnly opened her mouth.

“—The ceremonial salute, I entrust to the person I trust most. Plenipotentiary Regent’s Adjutant, Albert Call. Come forward.”

Huh…? …Me—?

“…Come on, Albert! Come here!”

The princess beckoned me with a small voice. Both I and the entire audience were equally stunned that she was cheerfully handing the biggest moment of the day to me.

“Plenipotentiary Regent’s Adjutant… wait, you mean that page-like boy…!?”

“Your Highness, why?! This is exactly the moment to display the power spoken of in the founding myth!”

The nobles grew noisy and upset.

“Eh—is that kid the one Her Highness is calling over? He’s kinda cool-cute.”

“But I’ve never seen anyone but the royal family do it. I’ve been coming to this ceremony for twenty years already…”

The common people weren’t as upset as the nobles, but they still looked very confused.

See, Princess? Just like we planned—you should be the one doing it!

While I desperately tried to convey that with gestures and eye contact, a stunned voice came from right beside me.

“I-I’ve been beaten…! That woman—coming here to steal points at a moment like this!”

“Suu-san…?”

“I was too slow…! The condition of our deal this time—time alone with Al-kun—I finally got some results to give as a present!”

A condition involving results? While I was wondering what she was talking about, Suu-san suddenly spoke to me with a desperate expression.

“Al-kun, Al-kun! I worked really hard too—for my lord, you know! Look at this! I wanted to make up for all the awful things I said back then, so I somehow managed to find—”

What she pulled out from her pocket… was a crumpled piece of paper?

“—the current location of the enemy unit that attacked and destroyed Call Village! I went through a lot of trouble to find it!”

“!!”

Call Village’s…? That means… the actual perpetrators who attacked the village back in Jikil…!

Probably because I was so shaken, my attention was completely pulled toward the information written on the map Suu-san had opened.

—Suddenly, the map began to emit magical light, and my reaction was delayed by just a moment.

“Wha… This is… that big man’s magic…?”

“Huh? What is this!? I didn’t kno—!!”

No good. It’s probably already too late…

To completely conceal an advanced [Transfer] spell and activate it at this speed—that big man really is an unbelievable expert…

And this slight mix-in… stellar essence? Looks like Mel-chan helped with concealing the spell formula.

My accelerated thoughts analyzed the magic that would activate in just a few more instants. There wasn’t time to escape now, and it probably wasn’t the same immediately dangerous spell as before… so I decided to accept it as my own mistake.

I was a little worried that Suu-san—who had unintentionally brought this—might blame herself too much again, but—

It was probably because I had been thinking so lightly, telling myself that since it would only harm me, it was fine.

The princess had the two division commanders protecting her, and all I had to do was take care of myself—that kind of thinking—

was, in the end, incredibly naive.

I realized that the moment I saw the princess, wrapped in silver light, flying toward me at a speed that left sound behind.

The blood drained from my face.

“Papa…!!”

Tears in her eyes, an anxious expression—yet filled with the absolute determination to “save” me.

The gentle impact, so at odds with that incredible speed, pushed against my body. And what I saw as I landed on my backside on the platform was—

“—This time for sure… I did it…! Papa! I’ll be wait—”

I never got to hear the rest of those words.

My outstretched hand didn’t reach her.

The princess’s figure vanished.

I—the one who swore to protect her… my master, my friend—had let her slip away right in front of my eyes. In this place where no one else could yet speak, I was the only one who opened my mouth and—

“————…Damn it…!!”

—

Killriera is actually a really good woman. She’s just extremely heavy, but she always puts Albert first. (However… if he ever tries to leave her…)