Chapter 53 Palace Arcanist
The moment she heard his voice, Princess Ellen's face just dropped──no hiding her annoyance at all.
"Ricardo. You again?"
The one who stopped her was a young man who basically screamed "top of the Arcanist class"──short brown hair, sharp, restless eyes, silver-rimmed glasses.
He's wearing a Court Arcanist uniform, but if he's bold enough to talk down to the princess, he's gotta be from a Duke's family or something.
I was just spacing out, when suddenly──he shot a glare right at me.
"Tsukumo Kreis..."
He knows who I am, apparently.
If he's the one who told the princess that humiliating nickname, then we must've gone to the Academy at the same time.
...I definitely don't remember him.
Figures.
"I can't accept this. Bringing Arcane Machinery into Her Highness's private chambers──"
Ms. Helmine only mentioned it as a possibility, but she nailed it──trouble, right on schedule.
"The decision's made. No matter what you say, I'm getting that cooling device installed."
Princess Ellen squared her tiny shoulders, hands planted on her hips──making herself look as tall as she could──as she fired back at him.
"But what if it malfunctions? What if someone gets hurt?"
"And what, magic never goes wrong? If anything, I'd trust a machine that doesn't have its own moods to get the job done right."
Of course Princess Ellen's stubborn──she's a terror in a debate, too.
"If you hate it that much, hurry up and invent a spell that keeps my room cool all day long."
"That's... not exactly──"
"I've been asking for that for years and got absolutely nothing. Don't give me excuses."
"...The Arcanists' Guild is balancing countless projects, you know. Even for Your Highness, we can't just drop everything else on a whim."
"Then we're done here. Go lose yourself in your precious research."
Looking at where the words died, I bet they've been putting off the princess's whims as just that──whims.
Still, it's pretty cool how Dear Princess Ellen quietly tells me to 'cut the chit-chat and get back to my post.'
But Ricardo isn't backing down.
"Please, consider the introduction of Arcane Machinery."
"Persistent, aren't you? And you're the one who told me about the [Maga Ex Machina], Ricardo."
"If I knew it'd come to this, I wouldn't have!"
Spreading rumors on your own accord, now you're getting a taste of your own medicine.
Even Princess Ellen seems to have had enough of the gloom.
Finally, she turns to me with a smile, ignoring Ricardo.
"Sir Tsukumo, I apologize for the unsightly display. I await your estimate."
"I'll contact you as soon as possible. Until then,"
Trying to escape the map before it ensnares me, I bow deeply with the Yuruyana and pivot on my heel.
But then──
"Wait, Tsukumo Kreis!"
When I turn back, I think he's giving me the most displeased look imaginable.
Sometime ago, I was told that his glare could be terrifying.
As if he wants to call out but can't, Ricardo twitches his shoulders.
"If you have further business, speak up."
The princess shows her obvious annoyance, and Ricardo chokes up even more.
But he straightens his back, as if forcing himself to be brave, and jabs a finger at me.
"W-We should duel!"
"Huh?"
The abrupt declaration of war finally breaks his usual composure.
Watching Ricardo tremble again, it's clear he's all bluster and not much backbone.
"What are you saying, Ricardo?"
Dear Princess Ellen speaks for us all.
"You're busy, yet you come all this way. I don't have time to play your games."
Ricardo then stares at me, not the princess, as he speaks.
"This is no game. As a royal appointee, shouldn't it be important to know his capabilities?"
"Even if you say it's about 'skill', I'm here as an Arcane Engineer. Going up against an Arcanist isn't really gonna prove anything, you know?"
Sure, our fields overlap a little, but when it comes to sheer power?
We're playing a whole different game.
Now, if they'd let me bring my arcane gun in, maybe it'd be fair.
But of course, Arcanists only ever care about their own rules.
"You're an Arcanist too, aren't you? Arcane Machinery runs on magic──it's a perfectly good metric."
"That's──come on, that's just twisting things..."
Yuruyana muttered under his breath, barely audible.
Honestly, it's obvious──they just want an excuse to challenge me, any excuse at all.
"Um... did I do something to you? This is about something back at the Academy, right?"
I can't imagine why he hates me so much, so I went ahead and asked, straight up.
Ricardo's eyes shot wide behind his glasses, mouth hanging open──then he started shaking, just a bit at first, then all over.
Oh no. Did I just flip some kind of kill switch?
"Y-you mean you seriously don't remember?! Ricardo Rosberg!"
"I truly am sorry. I was so wrapped up in tinkering with machines, people kind of slipped my mind..."
Not that I could admit I stopped bothering to remember people after dealing with way too many weirdos and jerks.
I just shook my head, sticking to the 'it's my fault' angle.
Maybe I phrased that weird, because Dear Princess Ellen actually snorted.
Which only seemed to make Ricardo even madder.
His face was turning redder by the second.
"I'm──it's because of you...!"
He completely dropped the formal act, voice raw and shaking.
Sometimes I really wonder──are Arcanists just born with no emotional brakes?
Maybe there's a study in there somewhere.
"? Because of me?"
"Because of you, I never once made it to first place!"
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