The Gloomy and Timid Princess Heads to the Academy

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The Academy was both tranquil and noisy.

The tranquility was limited to the room I was locked in. If I listened closely, I could hear the voices of anxious children and the elevated tones of professors busy in meetings, filled with words of fear and unease.

“… Aren’t you lonely?”

Ah, I couldn’t leave Dokan out. I was locked up in a room solely because I had borne the brunt of the ruckus that occurred in the process of searching for him.

With Eliott’s testimony of colluding with the devil, it seemed inappropriate to subtly slip away under my status. Colluding… it wasn’t exactly that. I couldn’t entirely deny it either since we had exchanged words.

The conversations we had were about whether to go to war or not, so they weren’t exactly the kind of things I could share with others.

Right, speaking of Shikari. After I left, Gloria joined in and it seemed they managed to handle things somehow. I’m not sure if they’re completely dead or not, though.

… I wouldn’t say they deserve to die. After all, he is a god, and was merely fulfilling his duties without selfish motives. His only mistake was involving Dokan in it.

If I had interfered in their fight, Shikari probably would have won easily. However, he laid a hand on Dokan.

That must be his only blunder.

“With you around, what could possibly make me lonely? Even though I’m a prisoner, they’ve provided plenty of entertainment so there’s no need for worry. More importantly, are you alright?”

Well, since I made a mistake, I guess I deserved to be locked up. But it was amusing how they introduced what was set up like some fancy hotel suite as a jail, due to the fear of repercussions.

When I asked why I wasn’t locked in their room, the scared expression on their face as they replied, “Because we didn’t know what you might do,” was quite entertaining.

Well, that’s that. Honestly, even if it were a prison made of stone floors and iron bars, I wouldn’t have held any grievances. I had done wrong, after all. But I worried about whether something bad had happened to Dokan.

He was in a position of having things done to him, rather than doing anything. With his mind all scrambled and his body in a fresh state, if something bad happened on top of that, it would be too miserable.

“Yes. They called my name once or twice and then let me roam freely. It seems they thought there was nothing to find out from me. Now, could you please open the food slot? The food will get cold.”

I wondered what today’s menu would be. It had only been two days since I was locked up, yet not once had a meal come without vegetables. Even if most of it was meat, a single piece of greenery would be more bothersome.

With a half-hearted feeling of hope and concern, I checked the menu, and it was bean rice.

The rice was fine. But of all things, beans? Is this my true punishment?

“Well… Thank you for your efforts every time. I’ve asked to leave out the greenery every time, but it seems you have no intention of obliging?”

“After all, there’s something called pride. You may not know, but you are the talk of everyone right now. At times like these, if the Academy shows any sign of submission, it’s obvious what that would do to its status.”

Sure, fine to have a suite, but they wouldn’t change the diet… I don’t know.

“Tsk, stubborn in strange ways. But don’t be disheartened. It’s not your fault.”

I told Dokan, who looked apologetic behind the barred door, not to feel that way. After all, it wasn’t his fault; the Academy was at fault.

… Ultimately, I was at fault. But now that I think about it, I might have been too hasty. Yet, if I had taken a moderate approach, I wouldn’t have found a way to look for Dokan. I have no regrets.

“The trial date has been set. They say it’s in three days.”

I see. Even with a trial, I wasn’t particularly worried.

Unless they were insane, they wouldn’t dare touch me. If they did, I’d get my guards moving immediately.

The incident in the Elves’ forest was dealt with while considering lives and behaving like a gentleman. If I were to be captured, I couldn’t expect such gentlemanliness.

If nobody wants to see a snowstorm raging everywhere, then no one would touch me.

“Are you worried about me?”

However, Dokan was fidgeting, clearly showing his concern for me. That was to be expected.

“If you say you’re not worried, that would be a lie.”

As I thought, half of the space in his head was taken up by worry, just like him. I didn’t know who should be worried about whom.

I wanted to tell him to relax, but with my speaking skills, I was sure I would only create more misunderstandings or worries, so I decided to state only the facts flatly.

“Stop the unnecessary worries. No one can touch me… except for my mother and father.”

I tried to sprinkle some jokes to ease the tense atmosphere. Would it work?

Fortunately, it seemed that some humor struck a chord. Dokan let out a hollow laugh and asked if there was anything those two couldn’t touch.

Well, after thinking hard, probably not.

“Yes… If it’s the princess, she’ll manage just fine on her own. I’ll come again at dinner time. Please stay safe.”

With that, Dokan announced and left me. Since I would see him again at dinner, I wasn’t anxious; just a little bored. Perhaps I’d ask the guard outside to swap my reading materials after I finish the current ones.

As I passed time lost in thought, I realized that the moment for the heat had come and gone, yet it still hadn’t arrived.

It should have come when I was in the Elves’ village. To be honest, I thought it was a relief that it hadn’t come because it would have been a bother.

I wondered if something was wrong with my body but upon checking, there was nothing strange.

Was there something? I don’t know.

– – – –

The heads of various nations, who had been at odds due to interests and benefits, gathered in one place only once in the long history of the continent.

During the devil invasion 500 years ago. Their own survival at stake, they united to resist the great threat. And now, they gather once again.

All because of one girl.

Anastasia, who had been close to her, harbored doubts about whether she truly posed such a threat. Of course, she wasn’t trying to justify what had been done.

However, since no one had died, and she had even meekly submitted to those who came to capture her, she asked Eric beside her if the current situation was justified.

“Eric, is this really the right thing…? No matter how big a mess Hoyeon made… doesn’t this feel a bit excessive?”

Eric nodded in agreement with her but also seemed to understand why they were reacting so sensitively.

“It is excessive. However, it can’t be completely discounted. What parent would sit idly by if a knife were aimed at their child’s throat?”

“Well… that’s true.”

Looking at her father seated among the heads, Anastasia thought that it made sense. She wouldn’t sit still if someone threatened Eric either.

The uproar in the courtroom was so loud that it swallowed even their conversation, quickly falling silent as Hoyeon stepped in, like cold water being splashed.

As she approached the heads, her guards lined up to accompany her into the courtroom. The sound of weapons and armor clashing caused several spectators to recall that day with anxiety.

However, Hoyeon seemed unconcerned, plopping down in the defendant’s seat.

Despite being a prisoner, her nonchalant attitude made several heads frown, but none had the courage to point it out to her.

“I will now commence the trial regarding the illegal use of force against Academy students in the Great Forest, various bloodshed across the continent, and collusion with the devil. The defendant may step forward.”

In silence, she stepped forward steadily. One would think the atmosphere might overwhelm her, but rather, it was they who appeared intimidated.

The teachings left by the goddess and the records of literature informed that devils came from the East, and that there were horrifyingly many.

So they were secretly afraid of whether they were provoking the devil now.

The punishment she would face had already been predetermined. Yet seeing her directly, unease began to blossom in their hearts.

The devil that had appeared in the Great Forest was incomplete, having been subdued by the wizard of the former hero party and the modern saint, but there was no guarantee they could overpower a complete devil.

“Defendant, Baek Hoyeon, do you admit to committing the aforementioned crimes?”

“I merely cleared the obstacles in my path and sought something lost. I have never colluded with the devil nor have I made enemies. If you ask me whether I admit, then yes. I admit to the first two, but not the last.”

“There is testimony from Eliott, the elf known as Georg and a wizard from the former hero party, that the defendant was heard discussing with the devil about declaring war on this continent. Do you have anything to say regarding this?”

Hoyeon closed her eyes, tapping her fingers on the desk as if deep in thought, and soon answered fluently.

“As you usually do, I merely pondered alone. I simply heard a proposal and thought about it. Nothing more or less.”

“This is an extrajudicial question. Have you arrived at an answer to your ponderings? If you have found an answer, would you share what it is?”

“Well, think well with that head of yours. If I decided to start a war, what do you think I would do?”

After that, a series of unproductive exchanges continued. After a long time of repetitive blunt questions and answers, Hoyeon finally realized what punishment had been levied against her.

“… For the aforementioned reasons, I hereby sentence the defendant, Baek Hoyeon, to exile.”