Princess, You Must Start the Revolution!

Chapter 11: Undead, dead-dead (2)  

To get straight to the conclusion, not long after, the Order issued a statement declaring that my enlistment and service were both a demonstration of royal duty and an act of patriotism for the Kingdom of Pélancia.  

At first glance, it might seem reasonable, and outwardly, it was a plausible statement.  

However, for those who understood the subtle conflict between royal authority and the authority of the Order, it was a situation where the Order had effectively given the King a slap in the face.  

For me, this statement was also a great opportunity to gauge the power of the Order.  

Not all the key figures within the Order were solely focused on its interests.  

Among them, some were actually closer to the royalist or aristocratic factions.  

The fact that it took only a few days to issue a statement that went against the opposition of those closer to the royalist faction and still managed to insult the King meant that, at the very least, the Order maintained a certain level of internal control.  

It also signified that the conflict between royal authority and the Order was not just for show.  

Of course, the royal family did not simply sit still after being humiliated like that.  

"An apprentice officer?"  

"Yes. Considering the Princess’s will and the support of the Order, His Majesty has granted permission for Your Highness to serve as an apprentice officer."  

The Pélancia military, along with other major "civilized nations" of this world, already had fairly specialized systems for training officers.  

The primary institution for this was the military academy, which offered a three-year program.  

While it did not produce tactical experts, it was considered fairly successful in creating officers capable of performing on the battlefield.  

Naturally, that was what I had been aiming for.  

Even with all my memories from my previous life, my knowledge of military matters amounted to scattered fragments I had picked up here and there, along with the experience of having served as a conscripted soldier.  

Beyond that, I had nothing.  

Given my circumstances, I had hoped to enter a military academy to acquire the necessary knowledge.  

But the royal family had blocked my path to enrollment.  

"I'm a wizard, yet I'm being assigned as an apprentice officer instead of attending the academy?"  

"Yes, Princess. His Majesty specifically mentioned an apprentice officer."  

I asked again, just in case, but the response from the Royal Guard major, who came from a prestigious family, remained unchanged.  

There was always a need for trained and well-educated officers, and if they also possessed magic, it was even better.  

Yet they had chosen to place me in the apprentice officer system instead.  

The apprentice officer system was a program where individuals who already had a certain level of competence were assigned to designated units to gain practical experience.  

At first glance, it seemed to be aimed at cadets from military academies, but in reality, its purpose was to fast-track those who had received private military education within noble families into officer positions as quickly as possible.  

And, as was often the case with such systems, the apprentice officer system of the Pélancia Royal Army had long been exploited for other purposes.  

It was used by direct and collateral descendants of high-ranking noble families to quickly attain officer status, achieve a couple of noteworthy military accomplishments, and then honorably retire.  

To put it bluntly, the apprentice officer system had ceased to be a means of producing soldiers and had instead become a way for the privileged to experience military life.  

"Please convey my deepest gratitude to His Majesty for granting my unreasonable request. Tell him that I will not betray his expectations and will become a true officer, bringing honor to the prestige of the royal family."  

"…Understood, Princess. I will make sure to deliver your message."  

As the Royal Guard major bowed and turned to leave, his heavy boots deliberately echoed through the hall.  

Had he still not realized?  

Did he really think that such gestures would intimidate me?  

"Princess, I am truly very worried."  

The person who cautiously approached right after was none other than my ever-loyal nanny.  

While the others in the palace saw my actions as rebellion against the royal family and wished I would stop, my nanny at least wanted me to stop for the sake of my own safety.  

From her perspective, I was rejecting a path that would allow me to marry well, live comfortably, and be well provided for, only to walk straight into a thorny road instead.  

It was an understandable view, not just for her, but for most people in this world, in this era, and in this country.  

Who would know?  

That because I still retained my memories as a man from my past life, the thought of marrying as a woman utterly repulsed me.  

"I’ll be fine, Nanny. For the past few months, I have become the only one of my kind in this kingdom. Even if they wanted to harm me, they would hesitate because it would be too much of a waste."  

"Oh dear, even so, please be careful. My aging heart can hardly take this because of Your Highness."  

"Alright, Nanny. I’ll be careful and try not to cause any more trouble."  

But regardless of how my nanny felt, the situation was already beyond the point of no return.  

Even though I had been forced into the apprentice officer system, I was still set to become a soldier—an officer, no less.  

And until I had built a foundation where I could decide my own future, I had no intention of giving up on it.

Someday, won't I have to get married?

Right now, I’d rather grow old and die alone.

I'd rather be abandoned by the royal family.

In that sense, accepting the invitation from the Muizlier Ducal Family was tolerable in terms of getting closer to the aristocratic faction.

However, it was a torment to know that even there, I was still being seen as a viable marriage prospect.

"Congratulations, Princess."

"Congratulations on your dedication to serving the kingdom."

At my high society debut, where I wore a bright red dress adorned with a few modest gemstones to create a passionate atmosphere, the first thing that greeted me was a wave of young aristocrats eagerly offering their congratulations.

"Thank you so much. I am truly pleased as well."

Regardless of their obvious intentions, I responded to them with a bright smile.

Being surrounded by men who were, on average, a full head taller than me was not the most pleasant experience.

However, they were either my allies or had the potential to become allies.

There was no reason to leave a bad impression.

It was truly a troublesome matter.

Especially since the king had insisted on the apprentice officer system instead of the military academy for me.

Since it was widely used as an officer training course for high-ranking nobles, many people naturally assumed that I would follow that same path.

"Oh my, Princess. You are truly courageous."

"I'll always support you, Princess. If you don’t mind, please read this later."

What surprised me, however, was the unexpectedly enthusiastic response from the young ladies who also attended the gathering.

Their faces were, on average, about half the size of mine.

Yet, for some reason, they seemed quite moved by my actions.

But why?

What exactly had I done?

Although I was the only life magic user in the kingdom, that wasn’t something that should interest these young ladies.

Aside from that, I had only run a relief center in the slums, gained recognition as a mage in a short period, and decided to enlist in the military.

Had I done something akin to rebelling against the royal family?

Even so, how could that be inspiring?

Honestly, I had no idea.

"Haha, the Princess is quite popular."

"Hearing you say that, Duke Muizlier, makes you sound rather mischievous."

"Oh dear, you are quite perceptive. This old man simply wanted to tease the Princess, who is just beginning to bloom. My apologies, Princess."

Of course, the wave of greetings did not last long.

The host of the banquet, Duke Fabien de Muizlier, personally approached me and started a conversation.

He had been quite the infamous playboy in his youth.

Even though his hair and beard had turned completely white, his appearance still bore the mark of his past, making him a prime example of distinguished middle age.

Nearby, the duchess, who had a gentle and benevolent demeanor, stood by.

I had heard that after meeting her, the duke had completely abandoned his philandering ways.

"I will forgive you, Duke. I have already received help from you several times."

"Haha, all I did was provide a place for the Princess to make her debut. But if you consider that a favor, then I am honored. It seems we will maintain a good relationship."

"I also believe that I will have a good relationship with you, Duke."

Even with such a past, he was still a man of talent and influence, enough to be the centerpiece of the aristocratic faction.

Aligning myself with him was not a bad move.

I had already, at least outwardly, half-turned my back on the royal family.

Although my compromise had been to accept the apprentice officer system, I had no intention of following the typical path of other apprentice officers.

There was no room for reconciliation.

Duke Muizlier’s approach was likely to test my resolve.

If I had shown any signs of relenting and moving closer to the royal family through the apprentice officer program, my connection with the aristocratic faction would likely have ended here.

But since I had indirectly made it clear that was not the case, we had both concluded our conversation on a mutually satisfying note.

"With the Princess being so wise at such a young and blossoming age, her future looks very bright."

"Oh, not at all. Without the help of someone like you, Duke, many things would be difficult. Even the slightest advice from you would be of great assistance."

"Is that so? I actually had something to discuss. Now that you have officially enlisted, I imagine there must be some difficulties for a Princess who is unaccustomed to following orders."

He didn’t think I was foolish enough to enlist without knowing what I was getting into.

Given the nature of our conversation, this was clearly not just a simple concern.

"What can I do? At least there won’t be military orders forcing me into marriage, right?"

"Of course not. However, an absurd order to fight against those who refuse to die could be issued right from the start."

"I mean those who most effectively prey on the weak instincts of humans."

"Even seasoned soldiers with no combat experience would struggle to face such enemies."

The Undead.

They were the undead that occupied a vast region in the northwestern part of this continent, a land where the composition of magical energy revolved around death.

As a result, it became a refuge for persecuted necromancers who ruled over its 'residents.'

The problem was that, having fled from persecution, they harbored a considerable amount of hostility.

Even some countries and other races that had not actively persecuted them still despised them for their treatment of corpses, making conflict inevitable.

"It seems I'll be gaining an interesting experience right from the start."

"For someone as courageous as the Princess, that is certainly true. There are few who can undertake such daring tasks."

Indeed, she was quite courageous.

More than anything, she had chosen to oppose the Royal Family despite having nothing to rely on except for a single life magic spell.

Because of this, she had attracted the attention of the Order, the noble faction, and even the Royalists and the Royal Family itself.

To be honest, it was less courage and more recklessness.

A more blunt way to put it would be: 'Is she insane?'

Of course, that was separate from whether she could remain composed when faced with walking corpses, skeletons, and ghosts.

"Thank you for seeing me in such a favorable light. Ah, I must have kept you too long, Duke. Once again, I extend my gratitude for arranging such a splendid debut."

"It is nothing, Princess. And from now on, please call me Fabian instead of using a rigid title like Duke. Hahaha—Ah, ow!"

"My, my, anyone watching might think you were trying to charm the young Princess."

"Ha—hahaha, d-dear, you jest. H-how could I harbor such improper thoughts?"

"Is that so? When you’ve lived more than four times the Princess’s years."

The Duchess, standing behind the Duke, was undoubtedly pinching his back quite fiercely.

They were both well past their sixties, yet their affection was evident.

The Duke could have been authoritarian if he wished, but he wasn’t, and the Duchess showered him with loving gazes.

This, too, was merely a jest and playful banter between them.

As she stepped away, accompanied by the Duchess’s elegant and bright smile, young men and women began to gather around her once more.

The amusing part was that their gazes had subtly changed.

More than half of the young men still saw her as someone to court, but a significant portion now viewed her with a sense of competitiveness.

The same applied to the women, only in different proportions.

Was it because she had conversed so freely with the Duke?

Having never truly interacted with the young nobles of this world and kingdom, she found the situation rather perplexing.

When she had studied magic, she was too focused to socialize with other apprentices.

Later, when she ran a shelter, she barely had the opportunity.

"Princess, you are as beautiful as ever."

"Ah, Count Muizlier. It’s good to see you. Thanks to you, I was able to make my debut in such a magnificent place."

Amidst this awkwardness, Count Muizlier was at least an easier person to deal with.

Unlike Duke Fabian, Count Muizlier was renowned for his unwavering devotion to his wife since his mid-teens.

In this way, even her secondary objective—her debut into high society—was turning out quite well.

As for matters concerning the undead, she would have time to address them before her deployment as an apprentice officer.

Surely, they wouldn’t order her to leave immediately tomorrow.

Or so she had thought.

She should have taken the saying, 'Never assume,' more seriously.

"Apprentice Second Lieutenant Annaliese del Carmen Lamibert is hereby ordered to immediately join the forces defending the Mulber Monastery in Oxidanti."

"...In accordance with the Army Headquarters’ command, I shall depart for the Mulber Monastery in Oxidanti at once."

Perhaps they intended to send her straight to the battlefield in hopes that she would fail and resign early.

The next morning, just as Duke Muizlier had subtly hinted, she received the order to head to the frontlines against the undead.

For something this absurd to happen, the King must have intervened personally.