Jack of All Trades, Party of None

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The carriage carrying Princess Lucilla passed through the gates of the Royal Capital.

"Phew... We somehow managed to return safely," Loretta, who had accompanied the carriage as a guard, breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry for making you stay on high alert for such a long time, Lore," Lucilla said.

"Don't worry about it. It's clear that Lucy's presence was indispensable for this meeting, and this is my job after all. There's no need for you to apologize," Loretta replied.

"Thank you. The war has just begun, so peaceful days seem far off for a while, but once I return to the royal palace, please take a break at least for today."

"Yeah, I will," Loretta answered.

As the two rejoiced over their safe return to the Royal Capital, the carriage arrived at the royal palace.

When Loretta got off the carriage, a few people who had come to greet Lucilla were gathered there.

After confirming that everyone present was Lucilla’s close aides and attendants, Loretta reached out her hand to Lucilla inside the carriage.

Guided by that hand, Lucilla stepped down from the carriage.

"Welcome back, Princess Lucilla. I’m relieved to see you unharmed," said Duke Azar, a man in his late fifties, speaking on behalf of the group.

"Thank you, Duke Azar. And thank you all for coming to welcome me," Lucilla said with a smile as she expressed her appreciation.

Just then—almost as if Lucilla were forcibly pulled away—everyone there except for her was blown away.

"――――"

Startled by the sudden event, Lucilla’s eyes widened.

By her side, a man had appeared before she even noticed.

"――Everyone, don’t move. Don’t open your mouths. If you ignore me, I will mercilessly behead her," warned the man standing next to Lucilla—Felix Roots Kreuzer, the hero—while pressing the blade of his sword to her neck.

"…Your Highness Felix, why are you here?" Lucilla asked, maintaining a composed demeanor despite the blade pointed at her.

"To end the war quickly," Felix answered, his eyes clouded as he looked at Lucilla.

"Surrender, Princess Lucilla. I have no intention of letting blood be spilled in vain. If you declare here that the kingdom will submit to the empire, I promise to halt the attacks on the kingdom."

"The fate of the kingdom is decided by my brother, the Crown Prince. You know I have no authority to make that decision, right? So is it really enough for me to say so?" Lucilla replied.

The current head of the Nohitant Kingdom after the king’s death is Lucilla’s brother, the Crown Prince.

Though Lucilla holds royal authority, she is not in a position to steer the kingdom’s course—at least publicly.

"Hmph. Do you think we don’t know? You’re the real top of this country. In this kingdom now, your opinion takes priority. Am I wrong?"

"…………"

"Well, whatever. Until you admit defeat, we won’t stop attacking the kingdom. First, we'll destroy this castle, then slaughter everyone in the Royal Capital."

Felix’s expression was serious.

He had been defeated by Orun before.

However, that defeat had not been made public.

In the eyes of the world, Felix is still the "world’s strongest."

In fact, the kingdom, having lost its former hero and captain of the royal guard, Warren, lacks anyone capable of standing toe-to-toe with Felix. Even a group of soldiers cannot match him.

The only countermeasure is the magical weapon provided by the Principality of Hitia, but it is currently on the front lines and not present here.

(My judgment was too optimistic. I never expected the hero to ignore the battlefield and come here...!)

Lucilla regretted having taken the situation lightly.

Because the kingdom and empire are neighbors, Lucilla and Felix had met and exchanged words many times in the past.

Based on this, Lucilla had analyzed Felix as a kind-hearted person who cared for the people.

That analysis was correct.

However, it only applied before he underwent cognitive alteration.

Lucilla had predicted Felix would appear on the battlefield but could not have foreseen him coming alone to the Royal Capital.