“...Stop.”
Click!
Rohan fixed his gaze on the princess, whose right pupil had shifted into the shape of a heart.
It was both strangely seductive and unnervingly sinister.
"Terrifying, absolutely terrifying."
The magic condensing into the bullet within the chamber radiated a palpable nace.
Still, it didn’t seem like she was ready to pull the trigger just yet.
The princess looked confused, and Rohan, in turn, quickly scanned their surroundings.
"No allies nearby… Didn’t bring a sniper rifle either? Or is it hidden behind that wall?"
At least her lack of a primary weapon was a relief.
Even in the worst-case scenario, this one detail significantly raised Rohan’s odds of getting out unscathed.
"I’ve stopped. Lower the gun, and let’s talk."
The dignified aura exuding from the girl reminded him of Ichinose and Noah.
Out of respect, Rohan decided to use polite language to match her tone.
“...”
The princess hesitated but didn’t lower her gun.
Her reaction was understandable. Rohan had anticipated this kind of response—no matter how he approached, her wariness was inevitable.
A stranger had suddenly appeared, pointed out a tracker on her, and then casually announced he was leaving.
How could she tell if this was an act of goodwill or sothing else entirely?
"If it were , I’d have drawn my gun too."
As Rohan calmly ate another macaron to recharge his energy, the princess finally broke the silence.
"Who are you?"
“I wasn’t an invited guest, that’s for sure. And the people you were waiting for? They won’t be coming.”
"You killed them, didn’t you."
Rohan nodded, confirming her guess with a nonchalant tone.
"Yeah, that’s how it went."
"That’s not sothing to brush off so lightly."
The princess shot back sharply, but Rohan only grinned as if he found her anger amusing.
Her finger, poised on the trigger, trembled faintly.
"Let’s just say we never t. You waited, but no one showed up… Sothing like that?"
Rohan offered her a macaron from the box, but the princess rely glanced at it before glaring at him fiercely.
"Why would I do that?"
“It could help you learn things you didn’t know before, like just now.”
“...”
Almost reflexively, the princess touched the tiny tracker she’d removed earlier, her fingers brushing against it lightly.
"...I don’t understand."
“How I knew about that device, you an?”
“Not just that—everything.”
Rohan could guess what was going through her mind.
Her thoughts were likely spinning furiously, struggling to make sense of the growing number of questions without answers.
"I imagine you have many questions without clear solutions."
“!”
"For instance, what happened to the elves who once lived in the Tigrova forest?"
The princess’s expression hardened, her energy flaring as she stepped closer to Rohan.
The barrel of her gun was now re inches from his chest.
"Tell everything you know."
“I need ti to gather information myself.”
"So you’re asking to just let you walk away?"
“Yes. I’m in a bit of a hurry.”
"You’re unbelievably shaless."
“It’s a skill that’s served well.”
Rohan had no intention of spoon-feeding the princess every detail.
Just as he had only told her about the tracker, he planned to dole out information in small, digestible pieces.
"You’re asking to let an unknown individual walk away just because you say so?"
“I don’t see why not. After all, there are elders out there who plant trackers on people and summon strange groups to their location.”
"You even know about the elders..."
Rohan didn’t bother answering her directly.
Though she was putting on a tough front, the princess’s occasional monts of awkwardness betrayed her inexperience.
Rohan decided to lightly prod at this inconsistency.
"If it were , I’d have at least asked, ‘Who are these elders?’ by now."
“...”
The princess was no actor, nor was she adept at deceit.
Giving her too much information at once would only confuse her and make her behavior even more unnatural, which would, in turn, raise the elders’ suspicions.
"Take it slow."
The conclusion Rohan sought was simple.
He needed ti and an opportunity to take down those old fools.
If, when that mont ca, the princess didn’t fire her gun, that would be enough.
"Once I dealt with your so-called guests, I could’ve left without an issue."
"And?"
"The fact that I ca here voluntarily should tell you a lot."
“...”
"If you pull that trigger now, whether I live or die, you’ll never get the answers you’re looking for."
At that, the princess fell silent.
Rohan, confident she wouldn’t pull the trigger, casually popped another macaron into his mouth, debating whether to buy so bottled water.
Whoosh.
Under the quiet night sky, the only sound was the wind.
The princess’s eye returned to normal.
Her gun lowered, and the magic that had gathered around it dissipated.
"For the second ti, I’ll say it—you’re shaless."
“I’ll take that as a complint.”
Sigh.
"Fine. I’ll let you go."
"Are you sure?"
Rohan’s amused tone as he double-checked made him seem ridiculous.
Still, it was the most important question at that mont.
Rohan stood silently, watching the princess to see what she would say.
"Do not misunderstand... My decisions and intentions do not require the elders' approval."
"Is that so."
"If I choose to act, the elders will follow. If I choose not to speak, it doesn’t matter. All authority lies with ."
Her words weren’t ant for Rohan.
They were more of a muttered affirmation, a determination to cling to the remnants of her dignity and resolve.
Rohan nodded quietly, agreeing with her.
She wasn’t wrong—the elders were ant to obey the princess's commands.
"So, she’s aware that sothing is off about the situation," Rohan thought.
That was enough for him. It was a satisfactory realization.
The princess needed to hold onto that resolve until the end.
Click.
The princess holstered her gun but continued to stare at Rohan intently.
Then, she asked, "One question."
"Go ahead."
"What are you trying to achieve by giving this information?"
"Would you believe if I said I’m an ally trying to help you?"
The princess shook her head slightly.
"No. I don’t believe in such convenient stories."
"Exactly."
"So you assu that no matter what you say, I won’t believe you."
Rohan didn’t answer.
Over ti, she would naturally co to understand.
"I’m sure you already have an idea of how to use that tracker."
“...”
The princess glanced at the small device in her hand.
The fact that she hadn’t destroyed it on the spot ant she must have had so thoughts about its potential uses.
"Do you have paper and a pen?"
"Why do you ask…?"
Uncharacteristically, the princess trailed off.
"I’ll give you a number to contact ."
The princess didn’t have a smartphone. The only device she had was a radio connected to the elders.
If she wanted to make a call, she would have to venture into the city and use a public phone.
"As it happens, I picked sothing up on my way here."
“?”
Rohan blinked in confusion, wondering what she ant.
Avoiding his gaze for the first ti, the princess opened a pocket on her vest.
Click!
As the button snapped open, she retrieved the item.
Rohan’s eyes widened in surprise.
"Ahem…"
The princess hesitated before pulling out a small notebook and pen adorned with a design of a crying dragon and a goofy-looking shark.
Rohan recognized the characters imdiately.
"...I just grabbed it thinking it might be useful. Lucky, I guess."
She claid she’d picked it up, but the pristine condition of the notebook suggested otherwise.
It was obvious she had purchased it herself.
Rohan accepted the notebook and pen, briefly inspecting the cover.
"Wait, isn’t this the brand Ichinose likes?"
He hadn’t expected the princess to have such a preference.
This seed like one of those hidden details about her character that would have been revealed if she had ever been made a playable character.
Suppressing the urge to comnt, Rohan opened the notebook, noticing a few neatly written notes scattered throughout.
He refrained from saying anything about them and simply wrote down the number.
"As you know, giving you this puts at significant risk."
“...”
Rohan wasn’t giving out his number lightly.
Even though he considered it unlikely, he had already accounted for the possibility of the princess revealing his number to the elders—or the risk of them discovering it without her saying anything.
The elders, wary of drawing attention in Academy City, would likely avoid causing a scene.
At most, their actions would amount to hiring soone to deal with the situation.
Within the city, Rohan had more than enough options to handle such problems.
Handing the notebook back with a grin, Rohan added, "It was nice eting you. I’ve included the best tis to call. Feel free to contact even if it’s not for anything serious."
"What do you an by that?"
"Like if you’re struggling with sothing or just craving sothing sweet. Even trivial reasons are fine."
"You’re trying to extract information through casual conversation… That won’t work on ."
Rohan chuckled at her suspicious tone, brushing it off lightly.
He began preparing to leave.
"I’ve done what I can."
What the princess needed most right now was sothing to cling to—a faint hope for a brighter future or a reason to endure her current struggles.
Rohan had planted as many seeds as he could within reason.
"I’ll take my leave now."
"For information gathering?"
"That, and… I have studying and part-ti work to attend to."
"Hmph, so you won’t reveal anything about yourself."
The princess’s untrusting gaze lingered on Rohan.
Rohan didn’t mind. In fact, he found it rather amusing.
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