Chapter 85: Townsperson A Meets with the Prisoners

"Why do I have to talk to those people?" I asked the soldier who’d come to fetch me, making no effort to hide my irritation.

"Well, they insisted. He may be a prisoner, but he's still the Crown Prince of the Sentlaren Kingdom, and he specifically requested his schoolmate, Lord Allen. Don't worry, everyone is thoroughly restrained, so I don't believe there's any danger."

Good grief, what a pain.

"It’s all right," Ana interjected. "I’ll go with you and help talk some sense into them. I can’t use a sword yet, but my magic is back to full strength. I’ll protect you if anything happens."

"No, it’s your safety I’m most worried about..."

Seriously. Despite everything they’d done to her—despite the fact that they’d pointed their swords at her as enemies—she was still trying to resolve things through dialogue. I really had to wonder which one of them was the Saint and which one was the Villainess.

And so, despite my extreme reluctance, I arrived at the room where Amy and her reverse-harem goons were being detained.

The moment I walked in, all five of them glared at me as if I’d personally murdered their parents. They were all tied up with their hands behind their backs, and everyone except for the Crown Prince and Amy had been gagged.

The guards had stepped out, waiting a short distance from the door to give us privacy for what they assumed would be a sensitive conversation. I’d asked Ana to wait in the hallway as well.

Noticing me, the Crown Prince immediately issued a command in his usual haughty, condescending tone. "You! Commoner! Release us this instant! To defy the Royal Family is treason!"

Is this guy serious? Does he even realize the situation he’s in?

"Exactly," Amy added. "Do you really think you can get away with treating the Saint of Benevolence like this?"

It seemed this woman still hadn't woken up from her delusions.

"More importantly, untie these ropes for me. Pretty please?"

Then, for reasons beyond my comprehension, her attitude did a total 180. She tried to turn on the charm with some of the most clichéd, hackneyed acting I’d ever seen.

Gross. Does she actually think she can seduce me with that?

I ignored Amy’s repulsive display and looked the Crown Prince straight in the eye. "There’s something I need to confirm with Your Highness. You were the one who arranged to sell Lady Anastasia to the Empire and forged the orders, weren't you?"

He didn't even look guilty. He just nodded casually. "I am the future King. A matter of this scale is no issue for me. Besides, the Empire wanted that woman. If giving her up meant getting Bruseni back, then it was a fair trade! That is the duty of a noble!"

"So you made a deal with Günther, the Head Magician?"

"Yes! If you hadn't interfered, we could have reclaimed Bruseni without spilling a drop of blood!"

I see. He really believed such a ridiculous story and took the bait.

"Lady Amy, you knew about this too, didn't you?" I asked. "Or rather, were you the one who instigated it?"

Amy snorted, looking triumphant. "Hmph. Obviously. That woman was born to be violated until she breaks, just to serve as a weapon for the Empire. Honestly, I should be praised for doing the right thing."

I wonder where that sweet, coaxing voice from a moment ago went.

"Exactly!" the Crown Prince barked, immediately affirming her statement. The remaining three men nodded along to the terrible arguments made by Amy and the Prince—arguments that didn't even qualify as logic.

These guys were hopeless. It seemed they didn't have a shred of decent judgment left.

No, wait... I thought Marcus and Oscar looked like they were on the verge of turning things around back at the academy. Just what on earth happened to them?

"For starters," I said, "the Est Empire never had any intention of returning Bruseni. Lady Anastasia was just a convenient excuse. You have to be insane to invite enemy soldiers into your borders to stage a sneak attack on one of your own Ducal Houses."

"What did you say?!"

As usual, his boiling point was hilariously low. I didn't think he was this bad in the game. Then again, people are shaped by those around them, and his "Heroine" was this version of Amy instead of the real deal. On that point alone, I actually felt a bit of sympathy for the guy.

While I was lost in thought, Amy provoked me with her usual condescension. "But that woman is already in the Empire's hands. By now, she's probably been possessed by the Magic Sword, hasn't she?"

Hey, lady. Weren't you just trying to seduce me? The conversation was so disconnected from reality that my head was starting to spin.

"So it is as I thought," the Crown Prince said, appearing to readily believe Amy's outlandish claim. "That woman harbored enough darkness in her heart to be consumed by the Magic Sword."

"Wait, are you serious? Why do you believe a story about a Magic Sword so easily?"

"Amy is the Saint of Benevolence! If she says it, it must be true!"

A Saint, huh?

Right then, the door clicked open. Ana, who had been listening outside, stepped into the room.

"Wh—? Anastasia?!"

"H-How are you here?!"

The two of them cried out in shock, and the eyes of the other three went wide.

"It has been a long time, Your Highness. Everyone. It seems you all still have more energy than you know what to do with," Ana said—her greeting dripping with sarcasm—as she glided to my side. She leaned her weight against me, and I gently supported her. I wasn't just trying to show off; even though she could walk now, she wasn't supposed to overexert herself.

"Furthermore, Your Highness, you've forgotten my title. I am currently the First Princess of the Kingdom of Ramslett. I’ve told you this repeatedly until my voice was hoarse, but it seems you still haven't learned a thing."

"W-What! We do not recognize any such thing as the Kingdom of Ramslett! You are merely rebels! In any case, while calling yourself a princess, you lean against a mere commoner like that—do you not feel any shame?!"

At the Crown Prince's outburst, Ana and I sighed in unison.

"Your Highness, watch your tone," Ana said, glaring at him with eyes as cold as ice. "Even if you do not recognize this country now, you will soon have no choice. Furthermore, I will not permit you to insult Allen as a 'mere commoner'."

Her expression was entirely different from the days when she used to endure his abuse for the sake of the country. Now, she looked at him as if she were staring at filth.

"Allen is my fiancé. An insult to my fiancé is an insult to me."

"What? Engaged to a commoner? Have you lost your mind?!"

"No. Allen is the Hero of the Kingdom of Ramslett. He saved me from the despicable conspiracy hatched by Your Highness and the Empire. He single-handedly annihilated the majority of the enemy forces in the battle against the Zaus Kingdom, and then utterly crushed the Sentlaren army when they dared to invade us without cause. It is only natural for the princess of a nation to marry such an unparalleled hero. History is full of such precedents."

"What?! Then you're saying this guy was the cause of all those explosions?! To not fight fair and square... you coward!"

To the Crown Prince, who was now shouting and hurling insults at me, Ana declared without changing her expression in the slightest, "In short, this is a political marriage. Though, I should add that Allen and I love each other."

Having said that, Ana finally allowed her expression to soften. I pulled her close, and she responded by hugging me back tightly.

"Well, that’s how it is," I said. "You aren't being released. You’ll likely be allowed to go home once the peace treaty is signed, so just stay quiet—huh?"

At that moment, I noticed something tucked into Amy’s waist. A staff.

"Hey! Why does a prisoner have a weapon?!"

I hurriedly shoved Ana behind me and wrenched the staff away from Amy.

"Hey! Give it back! That's mine!"

"C-Could it be... this staff is...!"

"That's right! It's the staff meant for me, the Saint! It's not something a commoner like you, who wasn't chosen by it, should even touch! Give it back!"

I definitely recognized this thing.

Yes. This was the exact staff that triggered Amy's awakening as the Saint in the game!