But the Fourteenth Princess was very sensible from a young age. She neither prevented the First Princess from marrying far away, nor did she say she wanted to make a big deal out of visiting her in Alien Machinery City.
So this diplomatic mission must be sothing she has long dread of working on.
It can even be said that the Fourteenth Princess has been diligently acting as the Royal Family's spokesperson all along, possibly for the sake of one day catching such an opportunity to reunite with her sister.
But now, the Hero looks at the woman in front of him who bears seven or eight parts resemblance to the Fourteenth Princess, and his expression appears sowhat complex.
Upon hearing the Hero's inquiry, the First Princess, with a faint smile, says:
"Strength and courage? It's precisely because she lacks strength and courage that she didn't choose to accept transformation... Why are you so sure that's not the case?"
Upon hearing the response, the Hero can't help but close his eyes, followed by a soft sigh:
"Because she told her strength and courage were learned from you.
"Because you had no choice but to accept prosthetic body transformation, sacrificing many things to rid yourself of illness. But she hasn't reached that point, so she decided to keep her original body to face her ailnt..."
The Hero reopens his eyes, the translucent and clear pupils reflecting the image of the First Princess as if capable of revealing all secrets.
"Tell , who are you? What's your true purpose?"
Under the Hero's calm gaze, the smile on the First Princess's face gradually fades.
[First Princess's Malice (Divisions: 10-Heartless, 30-Antagonistic, 50-Struggling, 50 Malice, 90 Cyber ntal Illness)]
D100=d100(78)=78
[Hero activates skill: dirty heart language (120 Fallen Courage enters)]
D150 50=d150(127) 50=177
"Joking, besides being the country's First Princess, who else could I be?" The First Princess's tone is relaxed.
"Or I could proclaim another identity, such as the envoy from Alien Machinery City, the wife of the Executioner, your friend's sister—"
"Enough, don't you feel your acting is quite clumsy?" The Hero directly interrupts with a cold and sharp tone.
The First Princess's smile instantly freezes, her eyes showing no anger, only a nonchalant curve at the corner of her mouth:
"I don't understand what you're saying. You don't really think you understand my sister better than I do, right?
"But since that's the case, let be upfront." She suddenly stands up, looming over the Hero.
"You think, why did I bypass the father to find you directly? The original plan was smooth: let the Magic Machinery Queen and Alien Machinery City Lord inflict damage on each other, then my husband and I could pocket Alien Machinery City and turn to the Kingdom, greatly enhancing the Kingdom's power...
"But because of you, the plan stalled. Your smart-aleck actions made the protective father send out a new envoy, and my sister suddenly got extraordinarily motivated for so reason, under her efforts, the City Lord even had the intent to compromise by recognizing automaton dolls as demons and granting them autonomous rights.
"—Such a busybody."
As she spoke, the First Princess's expression turned icy, her tone fraught with annoyance.
"So, I have only one purpose, which is to ask you not to do anything unnecessary. I'll ensure my sister's safety, and next, I'll also talk to the father to have him withdraw the envoy." The First Princess lifts her head, her face full of an indifferent belonging to a High-Ranking Individual.
"Lady Saintess, I ask you to retract your desire to save people, the affairs of Alien Machinery City don't need you and your Church's guidance."
Listening to the opponent's knife-like reproach, the Hero's face remains unchanged, only nodding with contemplation.
"Ah, I see. I understand your... your nature."
"...What do you an?" The First Princess frowns in apparent confusion.
"Actually, these past few days, while handling Saintess's work, I've been thinking about one thing."
Since the birthday banquet night, the Hero hasn't stopped reflecting.
The Seven Seas Dynasty, North Empire, nurous historically fallen states, and the ntion by grandfather—
"After invading your ancestors' Country of Purity, the naless state that vanished without leaving even a na, what's the commonality with other 'stages'?"
The Hero's eyes are clear, his thoughts increasingly lucid.
"And just now, upon hearing you speak, I suddenly realized I might have misunderstood one thing—that your performances aren't always successful, therefore lacking commonality."
As the Hero elaborates, the First Princess's expression becos more rigid, and the air behind slightly oscillates.
The Magic Furnace within her begins to silently operate, releasing heat from her back, showcasing magical power comparable to Legendary Professionals.
But the Hero remains unreactive, instead becoming more enthusiastic in speaking.
"In this light, for you guys, the North Empire is actually quite an eyesore, isn't it?"
Looking up at the Princess towering over, the Hero shows a sweet smile yet full of ridicule in his eyes.
"After the first Emperor's death, the Empire, which was supposed to fall apart quickly, actually persisted to this day. You put in so much effort to prepare a stage for an ending, yet it kept performing even after you exited..."
The girl crosses her slender legs, looking up at the expressionless woman, clearly being looked down upon yet brimming with joy as if watching a clownish performance on stage.
"—Doesn't the world need reminders to keep functioning smoothly without intervention? Are you performing a cody here?"
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