Transferred to an SSS-rank Production Class

“Tell me, what makes you so desperate?”

The princess asked, brushing my hand away.

Though I had discovered an unexpected truth about the ring, I decided to stick to the plan Lee Kang-to and I had devised for now. Operation: Modern Person’s Education. A name Lee Kang-to had come up with, babbling about fabrication and instigation.

Feigning an expression of suppressed sorrow, I began to speak.

“I’m searching for my lost sister.”

“That’s truly unfortunate. But what does that have to do with me?”

“Before I continue, could you please dismiss the others for a moment?”

I glanced at the others surrounding the princess. Naturally, the palace servants protested, saying how could I make such an insolent request.

“I know it’s an unreasonable ask. But this concerns my honor, so please…”

I lowered my gaze, pleading to at least send away the musicians. I deliberately lowered my eyelids slowly, causing my eyelashes to tremble involuntarily.

As the silence stretched on and I grew anxious, unable to gauge the princess’s reaction,

“Everyone except two of the Royal Guards, leave us.”

“Your Highness!”

“Must I repeat myself?”

The court ladies didn’t dare disobey further and left the pavilion along with the musicians. As their footsteps faded away, I slowly raised my head.

My eyes immediately met the princess’s, as if she had been watching me the entire time.

“The more I look at you, the more you resemble my younger sister.”

The princess said unexpectedly, patting my head as if comforting a child. The red cloth swayed before my eyes with her movement.

And beyond it, I caught a glimpse of the princess’s eyes.

Momentarily captivated, I could only respond a beat late.

“…It’s an honor to be compared to the Sixth Princess.”

“Not my sister, but yours. Continue your story.”

The princess urged me with her eyes, having changed the subject. I considered pressing further, but it might be better to let it go for now. Shrugging my shoulders, I began to speak.

“Though I call her my sister, the truth is, I know very little about her.”

“How can that be? Surely you were born and raised by the same parents?”

“My father abandoned my sister when she was just an infant, simply because she was a girl.”

The hand that had been patting my head stopped. Yes, that’s the reaction I was expecting. Doesn’t this story sound familiar?

“But fortunately, a noble person took in my sister and raised her.”

The child may not have grown up wealthy, but she lived happily in the mountains with her new family. The family loved the child for who she was, and she loved them in return.

But before she turned fifteen, the child left her family of her own accord.

“She saw a notice that her dying birth father was looking for her. Being a kind-hearted child, she couldn’t ignore the debt of life she owed him.”

Up to this point was Baek-a’s story.

“The naive child, not knowing the notice was all a lie, set off for her birth father’s house.”

And from here on, Lee Kang-to’s and my imagination took over.

‘If it’s true, all the better. Even if it’s not, it’s enough if we can elicit a reaction.’

The key is the princess’s response to this story. I adjusted my posture to better see her face and continued.

“The reason my father put up the false notice was because of a shaman’s words.”

From some point on, the family began to experience a series of misfortunes, large and small. My father, who had never cared when his household members fell ill or got hurt, finally sought out a renowned shaman when he himself faced a life-threatening crisis.

The shaman told him that the karma he had accumulated throughout his life was coming back to him. From then on, my father reluctantly tried to atone for his evil deeds.

“Bringing my sister back was part of that effort.”

Under my father’s orders, the entire household treated the child like a precious treasure. But despite this, the misfortunes did not abate. The warm welcome disappeared in an instant, and overnight, the child became a burden.

“What do you think happened to my sister after that… Ugh!”

“So that’s what you came to ask about.”

The princess, her face as white as paper, suddenly grabbed my collar without warning. As I didn’t resist and was pulled along, our faces came close enough that our noses almost touched.

“H-Hunter Yun Gaho!”

“I’m fine, just stay where you are.”

“I don’t know where you heard the story of Princess Yeongsaeng, but if you thought you could profit from it, you’ve made a grave mistake. How dare you…!”

“Look who’s talking.”

I removed her hand, which was trembling despite her attempts to hide it. Then, before the princess could retreat, I grabbed her collar in turn.

“Princess Yeongsaeng? I don’t know who gave her that title, but it really doesn’t suit her at all.”

Of course, the guards wouldn’t stand by and watch this.

“Remove your hand this instant.”

“How dare you threaten Her Highness’s safety!”

Two swords flew at my neck, but I didn’t flinch.

Instead, I simply whistled lightly.

“Guards weaker than the one they’re protecting? You need more training.”

Lee Kang-to, who had approached without a sound, poked at the fallen guards. He grumbled that he could have handled this without a signal, as a bonus.

The goblin in the sleeve of the hand not holding the collar carefully poked out its head.

“Mr. Kim, can I come out now?”

“Yes, thank you for your patience.”

“A spirit beast too? Just who are you?”

The princess asked in a tone dripping with confusion, but instead of answering, I returned a question.

“Where is Baek-a?”

“As if I’d answer unknown ruffians like…”

“And one more thing.”

As I asked the second question, I released her collar. But the princess, plunged into even greater confusion than before, remained frozen like a statue, showing no signs of movement.

“Why are you here, Sixth Princess?”

No answer came, but it didn’t matter. Her startled eyes, slightly trembling lips, and hand tightly gripping her sleeve as if it were a lifeline—everything was as good as an answer.

There was just one small problem.

‘Why is Lee Kang-to surprised?’

If he had recognized the princess’s exceptional martial arts skills, wouldn’t it have been more difficult not to notice? Unless he hadn’t properly listened to Sa Mok-yeong’s words. Well, I’ll give him a detailed explanation later.

I stood up, brushing off my knees. Now, Princess. The real conversation starts from here.

“You seem to have misheard, so I’ll ask again. Where is Baek-a?”

The princess didn’t open her mouth easily. It’s not like she would cooperate with a Player who suddenly appeared and asked about her family’s secrets. It’s already something that she’s not screaming for help.

Instead of pressuring her impatiently, I pulled over a cushion and sat back down on the floor. This time, not beside the princess, but across from her.

‘Ah, persuading people isn’t my forte.’

Scratching the back of my neck awkwardly, I reluctantly opened my mouth.

“Since it seems difficult for you to answer right away, let me change the question.”

“…”

“You said earlier that I resemble your younger sister. Why did you say that?”

The princess, who had been staring at some vague point since being exposed as not the Fifth Princess, looked at me again.

I had thought her youthful appearance hard to believe as Sa Mok-yeong’s contemporary, but her eyes were so deeply sunken that they erased all of that.

“Eyes.”

What did she just say? She had barely opened her mouth, so I couldn’t hear properly. I leaned closer to the princess, asking her to repeat herself.

Seeing this, the princess chuckled and tapped my brow with her index finger.

“Those eyes of yours. They’re exactly like hers—fearless yet full of fear.”

It was a statement I couldn’t understand. But I could tell that the princess’s wariness towards us had eased a bit. Her pupils, which had been trembling anxiously, seemed to have stabilized.

The princess, placing her hands on both knees, sighed deeply and suddenly grasped my chin.

“…To think you’d come on the day of my outing. I can’t tell if you’re incredibly lucky or unlucky.”

“It seems you’re now in the mood to talk a little?”

“Before that, answer me first. Why are you looking for Princess Yeongsaeng?”

The princess threatened that if my reasons were impure, she wouldn’t answer readily. Then, glancing at Lee Kang-to, she added:

“As expected of the top merit earner, your skills are indeed exceptional. I’m sure you’re the same. But know this: once I’ve made up my mind, I won’t back down even with a knife to my throat.”

It was a fierce attitude befitting someone who was once predicted to become a general who could define an era. To me, this aspect of the princess seemed somewhat unexpected.

‘I thought all the royals might be in cahoots…’

The way she was on edge, worried that we might harm Princess Yeongsaeng—Baek-a—was just like a mother protecting her young.

For a moment at first, I wondered if I had mistaken her wariness about exposing her and the royal family’s secrets. But that look in her eyes when she mentioned her younger sister earlier. That’s what tripped me up.

‘Could it be that this princess actually cares for Baek-a?’

That regret and longing couldn’t be fake. And judging by the shackles she’s wearing, it doesn’t seem like she’s treated well in the palace either. There’s a saying about misery loving company, isn’t there?

This flimsy assumption, based only on gut feeling, kept swirling in my mind.

“I want to believe.”

Was I thinking too deeply? Unconsciously, my inner thoughts slipped out. Though it was a small voice, these individuals who had all transcended the realm of ordinary humans didn’t miss it.

“What do you mean?”

“A-are you talking to me?”

“No. It was just a meaningless mutter. Don’t mind it.”

Even as I made excuses, my face burned with embarrassment. As I tried to raise my hand to hide it, the goblin jumped on top of it.

“Sori agrees with Mr. Kim’s opinion!”

“What?”

“Try believing! Follow your heart.”

Without even knowing what I wanted to believe. Even as I thought this, the foolishness of wanting to follow the goblin’s encouragement also peeked its head out.

‘What are you wavering for, Yun Gaho? This isn’t the time to gamble on an NPC’s feelings.’

What if the princess notices this weakness and tries to exploit it? Think rationally, coolly. I struggled to steel my resolve, admonishing myself.

But it was all in vain.

The heart I thought I had fortified completely disarmed itself at the goblin’s words.

“Sori believes in Mr. Kim.”

You believe in me? My true feelings unexpectedly spilled out at that sincere voice.

“Honestly, I’m not sure why you say that.”

“Huh, really?”

“But I’ll try… to live up to your expectations.”

“That’s all we need!”

After moving the goblin praising me as admirable onto my shoulder, I once again placed my hand over the princess’s.

“We were asked by Baek-a’s family to find her.”

I carefully uttered the first sentence and then conveyed our circumstances to the princess. I glossed over details about Sarome and Cheonsan, but everything else was the truth as it happened. Who cares about a modern person’s education?

“And now, a crisis has arisen that only Baek-a can resolve. Please help us so that we can quell this turmoil.”

I bowed my head, hoping that my words had been fully conveyed to the princess.

But what came back was:

“I’m sorry. The child you’re looking for died several years ago.”

It was the outcome I had dreaded the most.