The Gloomy and Timid Princess Heads to the Academy

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Meeting my master could truly be said to be a stroke of luck. When my tribe had vanished in the chaos, all that remained was my wounded body, and that’s when I encountered her.

I still remember that day vividly. Rather than be captured by the pursuing enemies and turned into a slave, I had resolved to end my own life and threw myself into an unnamed lake.

When I regained consciousness, I found myself in a bizarre space I couldn’t comprehend. It was a strange area filled with mirrors, and there was a peculiar woman who seemed to be cloaked in the night sky.

Without ears to hear from a distance, and lacking a tail for balance, I saw the woman in the night sky gazing at me indifferently.

She suddenly asked me what I was dreaming about. Her voice was hollow and fearful. But at that moment, I had no choice but to say what came to mind.

“A world without differences.” A world where there are no disputes over nations, languages, power, religions, or beliefs.

The strange woman was silent for a moment, then she laughed. Actually, she mimicked laughter. The movements of her facial muscles, the sounds that came from her throat, the look in her eyes—none of it conveyed laughter, yet she was trying hard to laugh.

Then she remarked that among the many entities in countless worlds, she had never encountered anyone as foolish as me and seemed ‘happy’ about it.

What could she possibly want to say? What did she intend to do?

As I trembled at the bizarre sight, the woman soon brought up another topic.

She asked if I could truly achieve my desires if I had the strength of power and soldiers. The contemplation did not take long. I answered that I could.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in yet another space. I had no way of knowing the exact situation, but there were a few things I could not comprehend.

First, all of my tribe members were alive. Second, they were all royalty. Third, I was a king and the woman cloaked in night was my queen.

When I asked her what she had done, she merely smiled faintly and said, “Your wishes have been granted, so go ahead and try.”

It was then that I realized she was the “Lady in Black” from legends. A woman who could do anything, know everything, yet did nothing.

And also the fact that, for some reason, she had given me a second chance.

From that point on, I believe I ran forward like a madman to achieve what I had spoken of. I merged all the religions as numerous as the stars in the sky, conquered or destroyed neighboring countries, and built military power that would never falter.

I wept as I eliminated the treacherous relatives showing signs of rebellion, crossing countless dangers for victory. I also made offerings to the deities of the fallen.

I sought to destroy and dismantle the root causes of conflict: currency, class systems, knowledge disparities. Days of relentlessly charging toward my goal continued until my master asked me.

She wanted to know what was motivating me to run forward so zealously. I replied that it was my heart.

She asked me what this heart was. But I could not answer. I was not a philosopher but a warrior and a ruler. So I gave a truly foolish answer.

“Perhaps I would understand if I had a child. So why not try?”

While we spoke as if we were a couple, in reality, we barely interacted and hardly ever faced each other, so my master and I were essentially strangers.

Yet, she accepted that foolish and greedy proposal. Yes, it was a proposal filled with greed. My blood relatives had either turned into the bloodstains at the end of my blade or drifted far from me.

I did not acknowledge it, but I felt lonely. And I was also afraid. If I died, what would become of what I had built?

However, that anxiety melted away when I saw the child. With hair as white as mine and black stripes reminiscent of a tiger, and perhaps inheriting some strange power from her mother that made her seem far from an ordinary child.

…That alien trait disappeared due to some measures taken by my master when the child turned five. At that time, I simply felt happiness.

From that day onward, my master also seemed to become a little more human, and the child was brilliant and kind. She might not have picked up on everything I taught, but that was enough.

What was it to know even a single thing? Even somewhat excessive teachings, the child learned without complaint, which was incredibly adorable.

Yes, she was undoubtedly a child worth dedicating everything to. In a time when I had begun to lose my purpose, she rekindled a dying flame, reminding me of what I had to achieve.

For none other than my child. I earnestly hoped my child would not have to stain her fingertips with blood as I had, that she would live a comfortable life without suffering like I did.

…Or so I thought.

“Dad, you didn’t even give me a chance to talk! How am I supposed to say anything in that atmosphere?!”

My daughter, who until now had never shown dislike or whined, was now fiercely angry at me.

She claimed that everything I did was awful, but she had just been holding back. If I listened closely, I could tell she was being unreasonable, but her sincerity mixed in left me speechless.

“I liked who I was! I really hated having to maintain dignity and decorum! And, why do you keep getting on my nerves with that guy’s footsteps and way of speaking?! I really hate it!”

It felt like everything I had built was being denied. All I wanted was for my child to be happy, but was I continually making her unhappy?

“Why… why is it that the one time I want to do things my own way, you’re stopping me?! Why?!”

I couldn’t bear to look directly at my daughter, who was now shedding tears in anger.

“…You all, hands off Dokan right now. Immediately, what are you doing?! Is what I’m saying not making sense?! Hands off!”

The child had subtly tried to take that man away, yet for some reason, I had no desire to stop it. If this was truly what she wanted… how could I intervene?

Not knowing what to do, I exchanged glances with my daughter and the guards who were looking back at me, and I gestured for them to leave it.

“…Yes, Your Highness. Children, what are you doing? The Princess commands it.”

“But, the Emperor…”

“Hey, pay some attention. Yes, Your Highness. We will follow your orders.”

The Black Wolf smirked at the situation, finally letting that Dokan fellow free. Under normal circumstances, he would be facing punishment, but I wasn’t in the mood for that right now.

Is this my karma? When I turned to look, my master was watching me with a faint smile.

“…Let’s go, Dokan.”

“Right, show this kid around here a bit. It must be quite unfamiliar, after all. I’ll talk with your father for a moment.”

In the end, I couldn’t say a single word before my daughter walked away with that man.

My master, caressing her drooping ears, slyly asked me.

“It seems there’s been a lack of conversation between father and daughter. It looks like the dislike has solidly taken root. What do you think, my lord?”

“…It seems so.”

I felt more bitterly miserable than when I experienced defeat or failure.

– – – –

“…Are you okay?”

The person who had just nearly lost his head could hardly be okay, but I felt I had to ask him.

“Well… at least my head is still attached, so yeah, I think I’m okay. More importantly, it seems like your father has really set his sights on me.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t allow that to happen.”

What I had said to my father wasn’t entirely sincere. Perhaps about 80% of it was genuine.

To be honest, I disliked it. I liked it, yet I disliked it. I hated being taught only things I disliked under the pretense of ‘for my sake.’ Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to truly hate it.

Because I could genuinely feel that he meant it for my well-being. So, I avoided saying anything too harsh. That would surely be the most severe thing a daughter could say to her father.

Wiping away the tears from my eyes, I observed Dokan’s state. Aside from some handprints left from being forced to kneel and dust on his clothes, there was nothing particularly concerning.

If I said anything about how well I had made him, it would be self-praise, so I tried to keep quiet, but I felt a strange sense of pride.

Perhaps I had a knack for creating things more than I thought.

“It’s reassuring to hear you say that, but… is it really okay to say something like that to your father? We can’t let your father and daughter relationship get strained because of me.”

Even amidst this, Dokan was still worried. If he had to worry, how about considering the possibility that my father could still be planning to take his head?

Judging by the fact that he had let him go, it seemed he was willing to overlook it… but one could never tell with people.

“Don’t worry too much. We were going to have to talk eventually.”

It just happened to coincide with the need to save you. Only then did Dokan finally seem to breathe a little easier as he began looking around, taking in the scenery.

“By the way… oh. It’s beautiful here. Are all those grains?”

“Yep. That’s Pungyangmi, a type of rice that usually yields a good harvest. From here to over there, everything you see is rice.”

As I said this, I spread my arms wide to show that this entire area was a field. Dokan seemed shocked, gazing around in bewilderment.

“…All of this is rice?”

“Yep.”

Why was he so surprised? If he went to the city, he would have his mind blown. There was no more time to hesitate. I wanted to show him the city’s sights quickly.

“Okay, then let’s head to the city.”

Taking hold of Dokan’s still stunned hand, I flung open the gate of the valley.