A Creative Alchemist Enjoys His Freedom – After Being Banished from His Hometown, He Is Now Free to Create Magical Items with Incredible Effects Under the Control of the Demon King - Episode 41

Episode 41: “Interlude: Events in Imperial Territory (4) Part 2”

　──Princess Liana’s point of view──

　After returning to the imperial capital, the third princess, Liana, returned the sacred sword to the treasure vault.
　The holy sword was a symbol of the Empire’s power, not her property.
　Once they were done using it, they had to go through the proper procedures to return it to its original state.

“I will humbly return the sacred sword of the hero era.”

　After saying the customary words, Liana handed the holy sword to the person in charge.

“──Did you fight bravely, worthy of being called a hero?”
“──Did you level up efficiently?”
“── Were you able to lead your teammates to victory?”

　In response to the person in charge’s questions, Liana answered, 『Yes』, 『Yes』, and 『I was not defeated』.
　The person in charge nodded and raised the holy sword.
　The holy sword would then be purified and placed back in the box.

　With a bow to the treasurers, Liana left the treasury.

(…I made a mistake.)

　Liana then hurriedly headed towards the main gate.
　She was afraid of the gazes of the people around her and of being criticised for her failure.

    The commander of the operation to subjugate the 『Demon Beast Gargarossa』 was Minister of Military Affairs Zagran.
　However, the nominal head was the third princess, Liana.
　Just as the credit for success was hers, so too was the responsibility for failure.

　Liana made a huge mistake during this demon-beast subjugation.

　One of them was that she didn’t notice the small spider lying in wait under the belly of the 『Demon Beast Gargarossa』.
　And in order to defeat the small spider, the holy sword 『Photon Blade』 was exhausted.

　As a result, Liana was attacked by a flock of small spiders, and the formation of the soldiers also collapsed.
　In the end, Liana and her subordinates were saved by the Demon King’s military forces.
　The Empire’s plan to 『show off their strength to the Demon King’s Territory』 had ended in failure.

(It is thanks to Zagran that the punishment for me is to remain in the imperial capital. After all, the old man is reliable…)

　Thanks to Zagran’s actions, this demon-beasts subjugation was considered a victory for both the Empire and the Demon King’s Territory.
　The Empire turned out not to have been defeated.
　The punishment for Liana was not made public, and it was decided that it would be light.

(As expected, if you follow what Zagran says, you can’t go wrong.)

　Thinking about this, Liana nodded vigorously.
　In order to protect her position, Zagran negotiated with the people of the Demon King’s territory, offering not only a letter of gratitude but also his own personal wealth. His judgment and loyalty were admirable.

　With Zagran there, countermeasures against the Demon King’s territory would be no problem.
　Liana became more determined to continue to follow and cooperate with the old man, Zagran.

(However… what concerns me is 『The Wandering Alchemist』..)

　The 『The Wandering Alchemist』, who restored the magic sword of Liana, was likely to be in the Demon King’s territory.
　This was also clear from the words of the Demon King, Luquier Evargard.
　After subjugating the 『Demon Beast Gargarossa』, the Demon King said the following:

　──That power that defeated a demonic beast was 『just borrowed the wisdom of a certain alchemist』.
　──That alchemist 『 kind of wandered to the Demon King’s territory.』

　Then, when Liana asked to be introduced to that alchemist, the Demon King said:
『I won’t hand him over to you』, 『I will make him happy.』

(To think that the Demon King is so obsessed with a human…)

　She wondered if that alchemist had the ability to even attract the Demon King.
　She wondered if something happened between the Demon King and that alchemist.
　She was intrigued. She desired that alchemist more and more.

　But right now, Liana couldn’t do anything.

　After the meeting with the Demon King, Liana was severely reprimanded by Zagran.
　She shouldn’t had said unnecessary things. She should be aware that she was the representative of the soldiers.
　And as for the alchemist, the decision would be made by the Minister of Military Affairs, Zagran.

　Zagran had been so angry at the time that Liana turned pale and began to tremble.
　Involuntarily, she remembered the time when she was young and immature and pissed off Zagran over and over again.
　The reason she didn’t start crying was because there was an escort soldier outside the tent.

(Let’s forget about that alchemist for now.)

　Liana sighed.

(It seems I still don’t have enough resolve to be the princess of the empire. I need to become worthy of Zagran’s recognition as soon as possible…)

　With this in mind, Liana got into the carriage, waiting in front of the palace.
　Her destination was a detached palace located in a corner of the imperial capital, where only a few people were allowed to enter.
　This was where Liana’s family lived.

　It was evening when Liana arrived at the villa.
　When Liana asked for a meeting, she was guided to the courtyard.
　As she approached, the person sitting in a chair noticed Liana and smiled.

“Welcome back, Liana.”
“I have returned safely to the Imperial Capital, Sister Sophia.”

　Pinching the hem of the dress, Liana gave a formal, courteous greeting as a princess.
　Seeing this, the girl who looked just like Liana— Sophia—gave a gentle smile.

“I’ll give you a polite greeting. 『The Princess of the Holy Sword』.”
“Please stop. It’s embarrassing to be called by that name by you, Sister Sophia…”

　Liana said, sitting down in the chair next to her sister.
　She brought her lips close to her sister’s ears and quietly──

“Besides, my magical power is no match for yours. If it weren’t for your physical condition, you could become the 『Holy Sword Princess』. Maybe you would even be stronger than me…”
“Physical strength is also a form of strength, Liana.”

　Sophia said it with a troubled look on her face.

“Besides, there’s no point in talking hypothetically. Right now, just keeping up with the army is enough to drain my strength.”
“If you can keep up, isn’t my sister’s 『Magic of Light』 quite powerful?”

　Liana laughed childishly.

“If my sister was with me, I wouldn’t have been left behind in the Demon King’s territory… No, I’m sorry.”
“Liana?”
“I can’t announce the debriefing of the Demon Beasts subjugation yet. I don’t have Old Man Zagran’s permission to… sorry, sister.”
“As long as Liana returns safely, I won’t say anything. But…”

　The young girl, Sophia, waved her hand, making the maid, who was standing by her side, step back.
　She then chanted a spell, creating a glowing wall around her.
　The walls glowed faintly, enveloping Liana and Sophia.

“Sister Sophia. You shouldn’t use magic on something like this…”
“This much is fine, Liana.”
“Don’t push yourself, sis. Your fever is… look, your forehead is still hot.”
“I am a bastard princess. But more importantly, Liana, listen carefully.”
“Y-Yes, Sister.”
“This wall of light should prevent your voice from leaking out. Let’s just talk a little bit.”

　Sophia, her short platinum blonde hair swinging, spoke to her younger sister, who had the same face.

　The appearance of Liana and Sophia was almost the same.
　The only difference was the length of their hair: Liana’s hair reached down to her back, while Sofia’s was cut short at shoulder length.
　Because it was easier to maintain.

　Liana had over ten attendants, but Sophia only had one.
　Sophia took care of the person’s work so that it could be easier.

“Lianna. As your twin sister, I advise you.”

　Within the wall of light, Princess Sophia spoke in a hushed voice.

“It’s dangerous to be too influenced by Zagran’s way of thinking. Be careful not to rely solely on his words.”
“B-but, Zagran has been my tutor since I was little…”
“I know, but he only thinks about whether he can use people or not. I admit he is competent, but for Liana to be influenced by his way of thinking…”
“Maybe, sister, are you dissatisfied with your current treatment?”
“……Eh?”
“You can use 『Light Magic』, yet you’re locked up in this villa. If that’s the case, I’ll tell Zagran myself to treat you better.”
“Don’t do that!”

　Princess Sophia cried out.

“This is fine with me. The way it is now is enough.”
“…Sister Sophia”
“I can’t keep up with a march without taking breaks. My basic stamina is weak, so I can’t even hold a weapon. After fighting using magic, I end up bedridden for three days. As a princess of an empire that worships heroes, I am aware that I’m difficult to deal with.”
“But you have the power of 『Light Magic』…”
“Yes. If it weren’t for that, I would have been sent to another country as a hostage… or maybe even married off to a political marriage.”

　Princess Sofia nodded at her sister’s words.

“It is because I can use the 『Light Magic』 that the hero used that I can still be a princess in the empire. And that’s how I can meet Liana. So I am not dissatisfied with my current treatment.”
“That won’t do, Sister Sophia!”

　Liana shook her head.

“I want my sister to have a better life. She deserves to live in the same mansion as me and be respected by many. I will someday make that a reality. That is why I fight as the 『Princess of the Holy Sword』.
“…Liana.”
“But this time, I made a small mistake, but Zagran protected me. So, if I talk about my sister properly──”

　Eventually, the wall of light disappeared.
　Liana wanted to continue speaking, but Sophia stopped her.

　Liana Dorgalia and Sofia Dorgalia were twin sisters.
　The older sister was skilled in magic, while the younger sister was skilled in swordsmanship.

　However, Sophia had low stamina and couldn’t fight on the front lines.
　Although he was a valuable user of 『Light Magic』, she got sick after using magic. She might end up in bed for several days or collapse during a battle.

　The only way to harness Sophia’s powers was to have a large number of recovery potions or a large number of healers, but that would be too expensive.
　For now, the Empire had no reason to go to such lengths to use her.
　Therefore, Sophia was not suited for actual combat.

　Still, the 『Light Magic』 she possessed was valuable.
　Some people wanted to research it, and it could be used as a trump card when a strong enemy approached the imperial capital.
　Even though she couldn’t fight, she could activate the holy sword with the magic power of light.
    As a representative of the 『Holy Sword Princess』, she could also raise the morale of the soldiers.

　That was why Sophia was living in a villa in a corner of the imperial capital as a 「personal resource that might be useful someday」.

“Let’s leave the difficult part here. Now, please tell me about your journey.”

　Princess Sophia raised her hand and called over to the maid in charge.
　She asked Liana while having the tea brewed again.

“Liana. What happened before you went to the Demon King’s territory? Even if you can’t talk about subjugating the demon beasts, you can do that much, right? ”
“Y-Yes, Sister Sophia. First of all, let me tell you about our first stop…”

　Princess Liana began to speak.

　Though they lived in the same imperial capital, the two rarely met.
　This was because Liana had a job as the Princess of the Holy Sword.
　Sophia, on the other hand, had been repeatedly training to become better at using magic.

　The two could only meet with permission from their father, the Emperor, and Liana’s mentor, Zagran.

“Actually, I would like to tell you about what happened in the Demon King’s territory.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I saw things I never imagined I would see. Powers that could change my whole worldview.”
“Well, I guess I’ll look forward to that next time.”
“…Yes, Sister Sophia.”

　After the tea party, which lasted just under an hour, Liana left the villa where her sister was.
　For the time being, she would continue to handle matters related to the subjugation of demon beasts and report to the Emperor and high-ranking officials.
　There was also retraining of soldiers.
　It would be quite a while before she would see her sister again, Liana thought as she climbed into the carriage.

　A few days later.
　Liana heard rumours that her older sister, Sophia, had entered the court with the Minister of Military Affairs, Zagran.