A few days after Princess and the Crown Prince"s turbulent date.
Despite my impatience over hearing that Princess collapsed from fatigue, since the Crown Prince stays with her all the time to nurse her, I couldn"t get close and helplessly left the Royal Palace――――.

"And? Why have you come here?"
"Nn?"

Exasperatedly asked so while drinking granny"s s.h.i.+tty tea, I grimaced.
Today"s tea is purple.
Sometimes I wonder if she makes the tea have color and taste like this on purpose.
After all, the stamina medicine she gives to Princess seems tasteless.
If that"s possible, I think she could do something about this too.

"Aa… The taste is as incredible as ever"
"If you have a problem, feel free to go back"

I tried complaining while lying on the desk from the excessive unpleasantness of the tea going down my throat, but I received a blunt reply.
I"m really sick of being treated so differently from Princess.
While wiping my mouth I grumbled.
I"m used to such exchanges with granny.

"I can"t help it. I can"t get close to Princess now. The barrier is so tight I can"t carelessly approach"

Perhaps out of worry for Princess, the Crown Prince further strengthened the barrier around the room.
At this point if I just get close I"ll be caught in the warning net. I still don"t want my existence known, so I can"t get close to her.
While I was sighing, granny nodded like she was impressed.

"Well, he did seem completely in love with that child. That Crown Prince did"
"Come to think of it, granny, you met him. What was your actual impression?"

It weighs on my mind, so let"s try talking about it with granny.
Even for me he looks deeply in love with Princess, but I wonder what she thinks now that they talked.
Hmm, granny put her hand against her mouth as if she was remembering.

"… Let"s see. At least when it comes to that child, I think he can be trusted, he looked so in love"
"Aa, after all it"s like that"

I was convinced by the words of granny, who seemed to have the same impression as me.
Next, I tried to disguise a question.
I bet on receiving the desired answer.

"Rather, granny… About Princess the other day, that couldn"t be?"
"It"s about the magic that child used, right? Oh, she hasn"t told you yet?"

I didn"t think she"d understand with that, but I received the answer so quickly it was anticlimactic.
Granny briefly disappeared into the adjacent room, and when she came back she put a cup of water in front of me. I drank it in one gulp and resentfully scowled.
But, the other party is a difficult misanthropic witch. It had no effect.
She lightly laughed it off and sat in front of me.
Out of people I usually deal with, only she and Princess don"t flinch from my red eyes. (With the exception of Scheat) People avoid them, so it feels ticklish every time.

"… What, after all you know"

When I pulled myself together and grumbled so, granny narrowed her eyes amusedly.

"Of course I know. It was me who taught it to that child "
"Ha? Is that so?"

Yeah, when granny nodded, I stared at her so much I thought I"d bore a hole.
Honestly, this granny is as outrageous as witches are said to be.

"It was also me who forbid her from talking to you about it. It"s that child, since I told her not to speak about it, she sincerely obeyed. Well, it"s just the right time. That was neutralization magic. You were in the underworld. You"ve heard about it too, right?"
"Neutralization… magic?"

I was stunned by the answer I hadn"t even imagined.
Neutralization magic. The magic that literally neutralizes all magical power.
I"d been deep in the underworld for a long time so of course I heard of it, but I absolutely didn"t expected it to really exist. It only exists in fairy tales - I recognized it like that.

"… Seriously? Princess can use that?"

When I asked back in disbelief, she put her finger near my heart, amazed.

"What is the person who was saved by her power saying. Your Curse of Sahaja. It was that child"s power that removed it… If you think a little, you"ll understand, right? It wasn"t a simple curse"
"Ah, I… see"

When the Curse of Sahaja was brought up, I could finally accept it.
I"d been curious all this time.
The Curse of Sahaja had nearly enshrouded my whole body already.
Although it was terminal and all that was waiting for me was death, Princess readily helped me.
I didn"t want to question my lifesaver so I didn"t ask in detail what method she used, but for it to be neutralization magic――――.
Even though she used such a rare power to save me, Princess asked for nothing in return, recalling that my eyes grew hot.

"That child being neutralization magic user is already known to the central figures of the country starting from the Crown Prince. And so it"s better if you know it too. It"s like an insurance. Well, be that as it may you won"t have a chance to talk to that child for a while anyway… The Crown Prince won"t leave her side"
"Aa… He won"t"

I know he"s tightly sticking to her under the name of nursing.

"Neutralization magic entirely relies on person"s natural disposition. It"s not something that can be acquired. That"s why that child will continue to be targeted from now on. That power is too useful. There"ll never be the end to those who want to use it regardless of the person"s will. It"s better to cast away the naïve idea that it won"t get exposed because only relatives know about it. You can"t know where the information will leak from"

I strongly nodded to those words.
It"s exactly like that. Having spent a long time in Sahaja"s a.s.sa.s.sin guild, I"m aware of that truth.

"Got it. Granny. Thanks for telling me"

When I thanked her, granny shrugged her shoulders.

"That Crown Prince pa.s.ses in this respect too. That man doesn"t care about neutralization magic"
"…"

I thought that disqualifies him as the Crown Prince, but I reconsidered.
Surely a man like that is a good partner for Princess.
Because my master will use that magic again without hesitation if it could help her fiancé. That"s how deeply in love Princess is with that Crown Prince.
I"m truly glad she"s not marrying a man who would think of using it first of all.

"Then, let"s see. You were right to deal with that man. Were he left alone, Sahaja would learn of the neutralization magic… To tell you the truth it"s only a matter of time, but the later the better"
"A matter of time?"
"No, it"s nothing"
"Hmph…"

When she pointed out that I dealt with Sahaja"s a.s.sa.s.sin that day, I vaguely nodded.
I went to check in the morning, but there was no trace of the man from an a.s.sa.s.sin guild I dealt with.
I didn"t get the impression that soldiers found him, so it was probably his guildmates who brought him back.

"… Sahaja is active recently. When I was at active duty, they didn"t do so much work in foreign countries"
"They have various circ.u.mstances too. Now then, how will this country move"
"It"s not your problem, is it"

I turned amazed eyes towards granny laughing amusedly. It might be no more than a trifling show for granny who can see the future.

"It"s not like that. I"ve been supporting this country so much even I"m amazed. In the past if somebody like you came, I"d kick him out no questions asked… But I wouldn"t do that now, right?"

Her mouth warped into a nasty grin.
At times like this I feel granny is one of the seven witches in the world.
She doesn"t show her look of a witch to Princess.
Each time I see it, I can"t help but find Princess who without care made the witch her ally amazing.
She"s exactly a natural con man.
Unconscious about it, Princess indiscriminately makes everybody fall for her.

"… Fundamentally, Princess has a tendency to be liked by troublesome fellows"

Granny, the Crown Prince who will become Princess"s husband, and though forgettable, the Crown Prince of Sahaja too.
When I grimaced from the trouble, granny poked my head.

"Ouch… What was that"
"Don"t play innocent. Honestly…"

Apparently, I spoke it aloud. When I apologized while rubbing my head, as a punishment I was prepared even worse tea.

"Uegh…"
"Now then, drink in one go. Don"t leave anything behind"

… It doesn"t seem like I"ll be able to leave the house without drinking it, so I resignedly gulped down the cup.

―――― One way or another I"ve spent the time busily.

Several days have pa.s.sed since Princess woke up.
Princess seems well, but as granny prophesized the Crown Prince doesn"t leave her side so I can"t contact her.
I want to talk about neutralization magic, but I also want to report about dealing with the Sahaja"s a.s.sa.s.sin, and yet it doesn"t go well.
While I was impatiently waiting for an opportunity, it suddenly appeared.
It was after the dinner party with other royalty and the concert that followed.
Princess was alone for the first in a few days, and finally called my name.

"You"re late"

Please pardon me for complaining first thing after dropping down.
I understand the situation, but I"d been waiting all that time. Still, while I was relieved that I finally could talk with Princess, she came out with something beyond my expectations.

"I want you to follow the singer"
"Ha?"

I wonder what she came out with out of nowhere.
Of course, I remember what kind of man the singer Princess is speaking of is. But I didn"t think I"d be suddenly told to follow him.
I didn"t intend to ignore my master"s command, but curious about her motive I asked her a question, and so a bombsh.e.l.l statement that she thinks he"s the Tarim tactician came out of her mouth.
The Tarim tactician――――.
Is it fine to stay silent if that"s true.
Princess said something nonsensical like it"s women"s intuition, but she"s probably convinced. I can understand this much by looking at her att.i.tude.
Because it"s master"s word, I have no option to refuse.
On top of that, I couldn"t say anything more when I was looked at so clingily. Just as she wished I accepted and followed the man, once I confirmed where he"s lodging, I headed back.
Since she wants to know his movements, I should come tomorrow.
Then I went back to the Royal Castle to report to Princess, but honestly I was puzzled.

I wonder if it"s right to keep silent about this matter.
I felt like Princess"s att.i.tude earlier was different from usual.
Is it okay to rush into it like this. Of course, I intend to support her with all my strength, still there"s a limit.
If possible, I want a person to watch her from inside.

"… I can trust him already. I can hardly say that for sure"

I detest royalty.
If possible, I don"t want to meet them. That feeling remains unchanged even now.
But, he"s the only man who seems suitable.

"To protect Princess, it"s necessary to share information"

There are various hindrances while hiding from that Crown Prince. I understood it well when Princess collapsed that time. If he was aware of me, I wouldn"t need to wait in hiding like that. It"s the same now.
Princess is trying to do something unreasonable for sure.
It"s beyond my powers alone.
I can"t be saying I hate royalty anymore.
Didn"t granny say it too.
He can be trusted when it comes to Princess. I also think so.
That"s why.

―――― I took a short breather.

Suddenly, I recalled what I was told by granny the other day.
Is this the choice.
Confessing my existence to the Crown Prince.
I wonder if something will change by doing that.

"… I give up. There"s no point in thinking about that"

I was already above the Crown Prince"s office.
In other words, I"d already reached the conclusion.
Still, for some reason I took a deep breath.
I secretly peeked below.
I saw two men.
One is of course the Crown Prince. And the other is his close aide who"s also Princess"s brother.
With serious expressions they"re facing each other and having a talk.
Strangely the contests were about Tarim, I received a shock for an instant.
―――― An urgent response is needed.
After all I instantly brushed aside the thought of asking Princess for consent.
She would never nod. Princess wouldn"t approve of involving the Crown Prince this time.
In that case I have no choice but to move myself.
At least today I"m grateful to Princess for always telling me to act how I want.
Thanks to that I can act in secret from Princess like this.

"Sorry I haven"t consulted it with you… But I"m sure you"d object, right?"

Master might get exposed to danger, I can"t just stay silent and watch.
If there"s something I can do, I"ll accept whatever I"m told later.
If it"s related to Princess"s security even a little, I will disregard my ill feeling towards royalty.
With fresh determination I peeked below once again.

"ah!"

It was just for a moment, but I felt like I met eyes with the Crown Prince.
Usually I"d run away with that, but today――――.
Firmly enduring, I remained in place.
Understanding my aim through my presence alone, before long the Crown Prince sent back his close aide and became alone.

"Come out. You want to talk with me, right?"

As the Crown Prince called out right towards where I am, I resolved myself and for the first time appeared before him.