Published: January 24, 2026
After that, I succinctly relayed the information I obtained through the principles of techniques to her.
I was aware that what I was saying would normally be dismissed as delusional nonsense.
After all, I was claiming that a famous person like the 《hero》 would come alone, unnoticed by anyone, all the way to the royal palace—the most heavily guarded place in the kingdom.
However, she did not ignore my words.
That was probably because she knew that long-distance teleportation actually existed.
"――That is the scenario we believe could unfold from now on."
"……The fact that the 《hero》 would attack the Royal Capital alone (・・) is in itself an incredible event, but do you truly believe such a future will come to pass?"
Princess Lucilla was half in doubt about the future I described.
Well, understandably so.
No one could have predicted a world (……) overflowing with demonic beasts (……) on the surface.
"I cannot say for certain that it will happen, but I consider the probability to be very high. Therefore, I intend to use this situation to my advantage."
"Please, go on."
"If this situation occurs, chaos will spread throughout the world. In that case, all countries must unite as soon as possible to stabilize the situation."
"That's true. If war continues with bickering, we will only fall together before the demonic beasts. Conversely, if countries can cooperate, even if such a thing happens, I believe we can handle it. But…"
I nodded at Princess Lucilla's words and spoke again.
"Yes. Uniting countries that have different ways of thinking is not easy. And the more time it takes, the more people will be harmed. Therefore, to hasten cooperation, we will prepare a 'common enemy.'"
"A common enemy?"
"Yes. We will make it so that I am the one who caused this situation (…………). Well, the cult—the Seeker’s Guild has planned this from the beginning, so we'll just go along with it."
"…Huh? What are you saying!?"
"Making the spread of demonic beasts on the surface a man-made disaster caused by me, rather than a natural calamity, will speed things along."
"But if you do that, Orun――"
"――I’m prepared for it. …Originally, I was supposed to lose many important things. Thanks to my benefactor, I’ve been given a chance to start over. I don’t want a better ending—I want the best one. I will struggle desperately to reach it. Then, I will smile and live the future beyond. That is what my benefactor wishes."
Just before my grandfather disappeared, he smiled and said, "I sincerely pray that Orun will spend the rest of his life smiling."
Because my grandfather risked his life, I am here now.
His wish is for me to live a future with a smile.
So, even if it’s impossible, reckless, or foolish, I have no choice but to pursue that future.
"………Understood. I will respect your will. You are right. Originally, the kingdom would have lost to the empire, wouldn’t it? If you intend to avoid that future and aim for the best ending, then it cannot be helped. I trust you, Orun. I’m confident in my ability to read people, you know?"
"…Thank you."
"Hehe. Orun is definitely Orun. Well then, let’s proceed with the plan along those lines."
Princess Lucilla, whom I've seen many times, always seemed to have some hidden meaning behind her smiles.
But the smile she gave me now seemed pure, without any ulterior motive.
◇
After that, Princess Lucilla and I finalized the plans for the day the 《hero》 would come to the Royal Capital.
"The general framework should be fine. The biggest uncertainty is Philly Carpenter, the supernatural ability user with 【cognitive alteration】. If she intervenes, it's obvious we’ll have trouble."
"We have thought of countermeasures for that as well. Princess Lucilla, how many self-defense magical tools do you usually carry?"
"Usually, I have two."
"If possible, could I borrow one? I want to incorporate a function into that magical tool to nullify 【cognitive alteration】."
"…Is that even possible?"
My supernatural ability, 【all-encompassing phenomena】, allows me to wield any understood supernatural ability.