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Said.

Basked in the fresh sea breeze, this great port is the most prosperous commercial city in the province of Aki and the entire southern region of the Empire.

Ships and horse caravans flock from all directions, and the number of merchants traveling from south to north is the highest in the country.

The caravan was accompanied by not only sturdy and romantic mercenaries and a variety of strange goods, but also legends and stories from all over the world.

On the other hand, the well-informed people of Syd do not keep anything fresh for long, and this is probably the city where the topics on the streets change the fastest among the cities of the country.

But there's one topic that has finally taken hold, and that's the undead and necromancers that have emerged in the South.

The rumors are terrifying - the fortified city has been overwhelmed, and the adults in the south are helpless against it, and maybe one day these spirits will hit this paradise city on earth and turn it directly into hell.

This news once caused a huge panic in Said, but fortunately, it didn't take long for Her Royal Highness the princess to personally lead tens of thousands of troops through here to rush to the front line.

In the days that followed, people kept receiving news from the battlefield, mostly rumors about the victory in the war. Of course, relatively, there are also rumors of the defeat of the Imperial Army, which makes people unable to completely reassure.

Eventually, the terrible rumors turned out to be true, and the news of the Empire's real defeat came.

Then, Her Royal Highness the princess's team withdrew.

The team now consists of a few thousand defeated soldiers and thousands of refugees who have been escorted in.

The refugees brought the story of the "Sage".

The story was soon spread throughout the streets and alleys by the Seids, and spread to other provinces and cities along the maritime trade routes.

――――――――――――――――

Some time passes.

Under the moon.

In a huge garden in the middle of the official residence complex in Said, there are flowers of all kinds from all over the country.

Princess Elizabeth Wright, who was almost promoted by the Empire as a Valkyrie at this time, was now sitting calmly on a delicate stone bench in the center of the Fragrant Garden.

It is as if it is in two worlds from the bustling city outside the official residence area, where only the fragrance of flowers and the night breeze accompany this silver-haired beauty.

She looked intently at the picture in the magic mirror in her hand.

It was an image of countless undead at war with their own armies.

It turned out that everything that happened to her that day was recorded by her.

She's looking at the third time today.

In fact, she is not as calm as she seems.

The humiliation of defeat, the grief and anger of the Empire's soldiers and people being killed in front of her, the powerlessness of irreversible defeat, and the antics of being described as heroes despite defeat.

She is in a very poor mental state now.

It's not that there is no one to talk to, but she doesn't want others to see her weak side because she is the crown prince and she is sensible.

Now she was masochistically reliving the painful images that had left her in mind, and she wanted to remember for herself what shameful and tragic consequences her incompetence had caused.

These must not happen again.

――――――――――――――――――

Suddenly, she looked up as if sensing something.

Then, she lowered the magic mirror, held down the "holy sword" at her waist, and turned to face the shadows not far away.

A figure stood there silently, not knowing how long it had been standing.

Elizabeth felt that the man did not seem to be hiding his tracks, and that she had been so preoccupied with the magic mirror that she had not noticed.

"I thought I had to say hello to you before I could find me."

It is a very beautiful female voice.

The uninvited guest slowly stepped out of the shadows, revealing his equally brilliant long silver hair and long, pointed ears.

This is a Night Elf with a pair of beautiful eyes that glow crimson.

"Who are you?"

Elizabeth didn't draw her sword, but asked calmly.

There are a large number of elite soldiers stationed outside the official residence area, and there are five steps, one post, ten steps and one sentry inside the official residence, but they have not formed any obstacles to the other party.

This guest is much more dangerous than it seems.

"It doesn't matter who I am."

The tone of the person who came was very casual, almost ridiculous: "I'm going to the north, passing by here, and I'll come to see you by the way." You've grown so big, and you're so beautiful. Humans are truly wonderful creatures. ”

“…… Thank you. ”

The strange temperament and nonchalant attitude of this night elf made Her Royal Highness the princess a little curious, coupled with her confidence in her own strength, the silver-haired princess did not call the guards, but began to talk to the other party.

"Actually, I was thinking about whether to kill you as a potential rival by the way."

“…… Potential rivals? ”

Elizabeth had no idea what she was talking about from the beginning, and even less so now.

"But my most important person doesn't know what to think of you. If she remembers you and has a good impression of you, and I kill you, it may affect my image in her mind, so I won't kill you. ”

Then, she moved her gaze to the magic mirror of Her Royal Highness the princess, and said, "Guilt? Kick oneself? ”

“…… Maybe. ”

Elizabeth understood that the elf's words showed that she did not have any good intentions towards her, and that the elf was a dangerous person.

But talking to her first seems like a good way to vent your stress.

"Oh......"

The red light in the elf's eyes flashed, and he said, "It's so pitiful...... I understand how you feel, and I used to force myself to do things that were hard to do. Self-discipline, self-discipline, self-discipline. Pay attention to your words and deeds, and want to be perfect in everything, for fear that the people you care about will see your imperfect side. Tired. And after indulging myself to pursue what I want, I feel incredibly relaxed now. ”

The silver-haired princess didn't know exactly what the other party was talking about, but she did feel a little bit of a mistake.

But her expression was still calm, and she felt light and breezy.

The elf looked at her face, but suddenly felt a little bored, pointed to the magic mirror and asked, "Except for these tiring things, don't you have anything that can make you happy?" ”

The princess didn't answer, but the magic mirror sensed the change in her psyche and manifested itself as a girl.

A blonde girl with a beautiful face, extremely soft and glutinous.

It was none other than the princess's best friend and die-hard admirer, Priest Helen Brontë.

The picture of the magic mirror was only a flash, and it was forcibly closed by Her Royal Highness the princess who noticed it.

But she didn't know that this flash was actually enough, the strength of the elf in front of her was much stronger than she imagined, and she could already see it clearly.

So the elf said, "Good taste." I don't know who this is, but since it's not 'her', then I'll let you go with confidence. Well, I'll help you by the way. ”

"Help me?"

The princess, who understands that her friend has been seen by the other party, and doesn't know what the other party is trying to do, is on guard.

"But before that, have you ever heard of indirect kissing?"

“…… No. ”

"My sweetheart drinks from a cup, and if I kiss the rim of the cup where she drinks, then we are kissing indirectly. And the cup is just a meaningless cup. ”

Elizabeth still didn't understand what the other party meant.

Suddenly, the elf approached her at a very fast speed.

It was so fast, so fast that it seemed like there was still an afterimage standing in place.

Only then did the princess clearly realize that her self-confidence in front of the other party was actually a little arrogant.

She subconsciously drew her sword, but the other party had already grabbed her wrist and knocked her to the ground with a skillful force.

Very ambiguous posture.

The silver-haired princess wanted to say something, but she couldn't say it anymore.

Because the elf had already kissed her on the lips.

Elizabeth, who was pressed underneath, was momentarily stunned and forgot to struggle, but quickly reacted again, and she pushed the other party away.

In a panic, she forgot the control of the force, and the other party was thrown directly into the air.

"It looks so delicate, but it's strong......"

The black elf who landed lightly gave a thumbs up.

"What are you doing?"

The princess frowned, got up, and clenched her sword.

"I accepted it really, as a dream of mine since childhood."

――As far as I know, this is her first kiss.

The Night Elf smiled, retreated into the shadows, and vanished.

――――――――――――――――

"What the hell is going on......"

Her Royal Highness the Princess stroked her lips, stabilized her mood a little, and took a few steps forward to pick up the magic mirror, but suddenly stumbled.

She cupped her forehead and fell to her knees, her silver eyes shining red.

And then, very strangely-

She smiled.

In the magic mirror, the picture of the priest Helen reappeared, and her smile and cheeks were so cute.

But the image of her soon disappeared, replaced by a different kind of image, a beautiful woman in a black robe and black hair coated with a golden glow by the soft sunlight against the backdrop of a sunset, kissing a lovely little girl with silver hair and silver eyes.

This image was not seen by the elf just now, perhaps something worthy of the princess's good fortune. (To be continued.) )