With a picturesque view of the city, the princess’s room had a beautiful balcony for her personal use. Her invitation brought us face-to-face at an elegant table high under the clear sky.

  “Here’s your tea, Iroha. Give it a taste.” Bea made herself comfortable on her chair after pouring tea for us. “It’s one of my favorites. Let’s see if we agree on this.”

  “Y- you’re making me nervous here… Is a peasant like me allowed to drink tea poured by you? Feels like the kind of thing that would get me executed…”

  She giggled. “Well… That can be arranged if you’re so inclined, but only after you give me your thoughts. Go ahead.”

  With no other choice, I took a sip. “It’s good. Maybe the best I’ve ever had.” I’m not a tea expert, so anything expensive would probably impress me, but the tea hit all the right notes. “Very sweet and pleasant.”

  “So you appreciate it, huh? I knew you were the right person to invite!” Her green eyes closed as she brought the cup to her mouth and smiled. It’s clear how much she loves it. “Can you believe Flanne doesn’t like this tea? Says it’s too sweet. Too immature. She’s the one who’s immature for letting things like that stop her from enjoying this masterpiece!” Pout.

  She raised her cup like a divine icon. How would her subjects react if they saw her acting like this?

  “Speaking of which, where’s Flanne? Normally she’d be the one serving you, right? It’s weird to see you do things like pour tea.”

  “You don’t get it, Iroha…” She shook her head with a knowing grin. “Today’s my day off, so Flanne’s the one running the country today. And since it’s my day off, I’m not a princess today. I can pour drinks and do whatever I want!”

  “What are you, an office worker? As soon as you clock out, your work has nothing to do with you anymore? I’m pretty sure being a princess doesn’t work like that.”

  “Who do you think you are to argue against me? Off with your head! Ahahahaha! No, unfortunately, you’re right. The only reason I can kick back is because you’re weird enough to treat me like a normal friend. Otherwise, I’d have to unwind in secret by myself.”

  “And you’re weird for accepting a weird person as a friend! Was I supposed to take that as a compliment?”

  “Why not?” She shrugged. “I don’t mind if you call me a weird princess. Anyway, what did you want to talk about?”

  “It’s about Galene… Did you manage to talk with her? Does she still hate me?”

  She looked straight at me and crossed her arms. After a second of build-up… “You’re in luck. I’ve got some good news for you.” Proud, cheeky expression.

  “Really?”

  “You actually showed up at a good time. Galene is returning to Ebrilyon in three days, and she agreed to talk to you. If you don’t mind, come here again on that day. Flanne and I will make some time to accompany you.”

  “Three days from now on? Got it… And you’re coming with me? I appreciate it… We might need a moderator. She might not listen to reason coming from me.” A misunderstanding is the reason this rift between us opened in the first place.

  “No need to thank me. Galene requested our presence as well. Now, are you busy today? Since you’re here, you might as well keep me company.”

  “Sure! Anything for you, princess.” It’s the least I can do in return. “But wait… First, I’d like to ask you something else. It’s about Ririna, the girl at the center of the incident with the alchemists’ guild and the demons. Remember?”

  “Of course. Flanne thinks highly of her. What is it?”

  I explained the situation with Ririna. The dude running the alchemist’s guild at the time said she was dead, which cancelled her apprenticeship, and now they refuse to give her a new one.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “Now she can’t access their books anymore. Is there anything I can do to make them accept her again?”

  “Unfortunately, no… The alchemists’ guild, like most, has its headquarters in Azcester, and there is nothing we can do to influence them. But I do have an idea…”

  Bea clapped twice, then continued.

  “If the problem is that she can’t learn anymore, I can allow her to freely visit the castle’s library. It’s not the same, I’m sure, but we have some books on alchemy. Right?” That wasn’t directed at me.

  Her head turned to the window, which led to her room. There was no one inside, but then the door opened and a tall, knightly girl showed up.

  “Greetings, Iroha.” Flanne bowed towards us. “Did you call for me, princess?”

  “Confirm something for me. We have books on alchemy in the library, don’t we? I’m thinking of allowing your friend Ririna to read them for her research, so escort her there when she shows up, okay?”

  Bea wasted no time dumping everything on her, and Flanne’s gentle face showed signs of displeasure. “Ehh… Just what are you up to out here? At least tell me if you’re going to invite Iroha to your room. And don’t create more work for me without my consent.”

  “Let me ask you too, Flanne.” I told her the same story I told Bea and pleaded my case. “Please help her… Ririna’s a good girl! I promise she won’t make a mess!”

  “*Sigh…* I’m not a monster. If I can help her do what she loves, I can try to make some time for her… But princess, if I’m to take on this role, I’d like to request an additional day off per week.”

  “What do you want days off for when you spend every other day lazing around while watching me work?” Bea waved dismissively. “I’ll count the time you’re escorting her as work hours. That good enough?”

  “It’s a good start, we’ll have to discuss it in more detail.”

  Seeing Flanne now reminded me of something. She guided us into the Forest of Illusion before to save Carol. Before they could start salary negotiations, I interrupted.

  “Uhmm… Flanne… I have something else to ask…”

  “To me?”

  “Yeah… It’s about the Forest of Illusion… I wanted to go there again.”

  “Wh- why?” Her composure cracked, and she took a step back. “That’s a bad idea.”

  “I’m looking for someone, and this is the only lead I have.”

  “Again? Did another one of your friends get lost?” A small chuckle escaped her mouth.

  “It’s not a friend this time. An enemy, maybe… There’s a dangerous girl that I think holds a grudge against me with ties to the Forest of Illusion. I want to go to the Pillar of Void.”

  It’s not that the people of this world are unaware of the pillars, but they’re mostly spoken about like legends. They’re hard places to get to, borderline inaccessible. Anyone can walk into the Forest of Illusion, for example, and find their way to the pillar with some luck. Getting out, on the other hand…

  The Pillar of Silver is a similar story. Anyone could just go there on a journey, provided they’re capable of beating some of the strongest creatures that appeared in the game. It’s not happening.

  “The Pillar of Void…” Flanne averted her gaze. “It’s better if you just give up on it… What do you want me to do about it?”

  “Well… You guided us through the Forest of Illusion before, right? Can’t you just do it again…?” Maybe that’s asking for too much. “At least teach me the trick to do it and I’ll figure something out myself!”

  “I- I can’t! It’s impossible… It’s not something that I can teach others. Besides, I couldn’t help even if I wanted to. It’s a long journey, and the mist has a corrupting effect on people. You would die long before we got to the Pillar.

  The only exception popped into Flanne’s mind. “By virtue of being the Hero, Galene can nullify the Forest of Illusion’s mist for her and her allies. But she’d never be able to reach the Pillar on her own. You should give up, Iroha. That’s an impossible journey.”

  Bea didn’t interrupt until now. Her teacup clicked as she put it down. “So what you’re saying is that if you and Galene worked together, it’d be possible to make it there?”

  “Really? There’s hope?”

  “I- I suppose it would work, but…” Flanne panicked. “I- I’m not agreeing to that! I don’t want to go back to a place like that! I’d rather go on vacation…”

  Flanne crossed her arms and tried to recompose herself. She wasn’t interested in working overtime, and that was final. Bea looked at her with a knowing look, grinning.

  “Why not? Wouldn’t that be a perfect vacation for you? Go and enjoy the nature for a change.”

  “D- don’t say that, princess!” Flanne was practically pouting. Bea really knows how to push her buttons. “I can’t leave right now! What about the preparations?”

  “The preparations are practically done, aren’t they? Don’t worry about it and go with her.” All of a sudden, they’re talking about preparations…

  “Uhh… Preparations for what?”

  Bea let out a giggle. “It’s a tournament, Iroha. Haven’t you heard? Ebrilyon is hosting one for the world’s strongest fighters in a few weeks.”

  “You should come watch if you can.” Added Flanne. “We’ve done it for a few years now, and the result is always the same. I won’t spoil the surprise, but it’s becoming a bit of a recurring punchline. You could enter too, but the prize is not really appropriate for you.”

  “Huhh…” I’ll have to ask more questions later. “Thanks for the invite. What about the Forest of Illusion, though? Does that mean you can help?”

  We were back on track, and Flanne was startled. “Flanne accepts, Iroha, right?” Bea turned to her.

  “*Sigh…* I don’t have another choice, do I? But aren’t you forgetting someone? I’m not the only one you need to convince to help you.”

  “Galene…” I looked back and forth between the other two. “What do I do? She’s never going to accept!” I clenched my head. It’s over before it even started!

  “You don’t know that, Iroha.” Bea shook her head confidently. “In three days, you have an opportunity to talk to her, right? You can try to convince her then.”

  “Right… You said so earlier… But is that really gonna work? I don’t even know if I’ll be able to make up with her.”

  “It will be up to you.”

  That’s all she said. Nothing else needed to be said, did it? Whatever happens with Galene will be a result of what I say to her. It’s all up to me.

  “Now, Iroha. Do you need anything else from Flanne?” No. That was my response to Bea, and I briefly thanked Flanne for hearing me out. “So, escorting Ririna to our library and Iroha to the Forest of Illusion. That’s your new work. Enough slacking off now. You can go back to the office. Those papers aren’t going to read themselves.”

  “Our princess is becoming a tyrant… Where did we go wrong?” Flanne turned around while fake crying. “I worry for the future of Ebrilyon…” She left while sobbing.

  “Y- you can be a bit mean sometimes…” I said it mostly to tease her.

  “Oh, don’t say that. It’s just so that I can enjoy your company without interruptions.”

  “Th- that…” Oh no… I’m blushing. “Makes sense. I won’t say anything then.” No interruptions sounded good, but it was not her day today. Maybe she was just unlucky, or maybe it was karma for teasing Flanne too much.

  *Bzzzt…* My phone suddenly vibrated.

  “Wait… Something might have come up.” Bea watched me fiddle with something under the table.

  I had a missed call and a message from Katja. “Are you busy? I want to ask you a question.” Well… That sounds serious…