The Girl Who Hacked The Magic System-Chapter 129 - The Old Arena (3)

So, let’s review all we have to do here.

First, the main goal, which is to secure the area so we can begin training our new army as soon as possible.

It involves some steps. The first one was to get rid of the bandits that had nested here. Well, those bandits turned out to be a secondary problem that I’m still to solve, so let’s set that aside.

I mean, we ’took care’ of them in the sense that they are under our control right now. Even after we discovered that they aren’t actually real bandits, just normal people trying to survive on the brink of starvation. I can set the quest to ’done’ with the caveat that it generated a side quest.

The second step was to investigate the possibility of the beastkin living within the facility. If they decide to join us, of course.

The short answer is ’no.’ The long answer is that it also generated a side quest, which is to do something with the bodies of the people who were left to die inside that place.

But at least they are already dead. We’re going to deal with them, but it comes last in our list of priorities right now.

"Lovelace, could you close that big gate? I can smell them from all the way here. We’ll deal with them after we solve all the other issues."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Lovelace is so cute when she is in work mode in front of other people from the kingdom. She becomes so conscientious about titles and such.

Well, then we have the third step of securing the place. Which is to procure something that can serve as an anchor to create a gate that leads from the palace directly here.

That is so everyone can come directly here from the palace without raising suspicions about this place in particular. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

This can also wait. All nonliving things get the lowest priority rank.

Then the fourth step was to talk to the team about the training that we’re going to put them through and the goal of their newly assigned mission, as well as the needed secrecy of it.

We can’t do that while the families who were living here can hear us. Then, it’s decided. Our first task is to deal with those families.

"Seufroy, how is the health of the men who tried to fight us when we arrived?"

"They are all alive, though they are in pretty bad shape. Your spells hit hard, Your Highness."

"Lovelace, could you tend to them?"

"Of course, Your Highness."

"What? She can also heal?"

"Yes. That’s the Court Wizard Lovelace, after all. Seufroy, after everyone is healed back up, could you bring them all, including all family members, down here? I would like to talk to them personally."

"Yes, Your Highness."

He and the knight who brought me the water quickly follow in Lovelace’s footsteps.

She has really been holding her cards close to the chest, huh? The knights didn’t even know about her healing yet.

After around half an hour I see them coming back, with everyone coming behind them. I can see that some of the women have the face of someone who’s been crying for some time.

They are all very afraid, probably thinking that they’re about to die. It isn’t so hard to understand why, as we arrived from nowhere, beat them up mercilessly with overwhelming power, and then healed them apparently for no reason.

And we are in plain clothes. Not knight clothes or princess clothes. For all they know, we are just a random gang of ruffians.

The knights order them on the floor of the arena, then I stand up to talk to them.

"Hi. Well, first of all, I’m sorry for going so hard on you all earlier. We really had thought that you were simply bandits that had taken on this place. If we knew the reality of who you were, we would have tried harder to negotiate instead of fighting. So, I’m sorry."

I bow to them, and everyone else follows suit. Even Lovelace.

"Huh? Eh... it’s okay... I guess?"

"Just who are you people?"

"That’s the second thing that I want to talk to you about, and I’ll ask you to be completely secretive about it. Could I have your word that you won’t ever talk to anyone outside about what you’re about to hear here?"

Their faces show confusion as they look at each other. I know, this is all very outlandish. I would react the same way if something like this happened to me.

"I guarantee that you will be rewarded for your silence. And also that if someone opens their mouth, I will discover who did it."

"R-right... You have my word."

"Mine too."

"We won’t say anything about this."

Everyone seems to agree. Good. None of them look like they are being half-hearted about it. They are just very confused.

"Thing is. I’m princess Aurea Annes. The black-haired woman there is Court Wizard Lovelace, and the others are knights that are guarding us. We are in plain clothes because this is an undercover mission."

"Huh?"

"What?"

As expected, everyone is just getting even more confused. This is going to take a long time...

"That’s why I need you all to never talk to anyone about this, okay?"

Nobody protests or questions. Everyone just nods in silence.

"I understand your plight. As you might know, I’ve lived through some hardships under a Duke. And you might have heard about what happened to him."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The one who looks like their leader snaps and falls to his knees. He seems to have suddenly realized what it meant to be in front of the princess. Everyone else kneels as well.

"It’s okay, there’s no need to kneel down. I’m undercover, after all. Please, stand up."

They slowly stand up on their feet, looking at me with eyes filled with adoration and hope.

"Have you heard about the confrontations between the Church and the royal family?"

"Yes, Your Highness. I have even heard that the Pontifex was planning to excommunicate Lady Lillian."

"Right. There were people talking in town about the Church having raided your home in the capital. But that you managed to single-handedly defeat them all."

"Now I understand how we were so easily defeated. Of course, only Your Highness has that level of power."

"Are you going to take on them, Your Highness?"

"Indeed. We are going to fight the Church and their lapdogs, the so-called ’Blessed’ faction. Of which Marquess Otbert is one of the leaders. And this old place here is where we chose to train our troops."

"Your Highness? Should you be revealing all this?"

"It’s okay, Seufroy. I just had an idea that I think will work out for everyone. You guys know about the Adventuring System, right?"

"Yes. We don’t have the system because we never fought anyone. We are simple farmers, but we know about the system. And about what happens to the ones who stand up against the Church."

"Well. Turns out that Lovelace and I have a way to fight without using the system. But we can’t let anyone else know. Do you understand why?"

"Because then they would try to crush you before you can train the troops on the use of that way of fighting?"

"Exactly. That’s right. And that’s the reason why we haven’t even talked about it with these knights yet. They came here on the mission without even knowing the goal of the mission."

"Yes, this is the first time I’m hearing about it."

"Me too. There is a way to fight without the need of the system???"

"Indeed. And that’s why we came to secure this remote and secluded arena. And now you, who were living in this place, are involved in it. I, Aurea Annes, will forgive any acts you might have committed, as long as you agree to these conditions."

Everyone’s eyes are glued on me right now. I feel like a real commander.

"You will continue living here, but now under the mission of having an air of normality. Other people will look at this place and think that it’s just a couple of families living here. You will be a cover-up for the activities we’ll be executing inside the arena, here in the central ground. We will obviously guarantee all your needs for survival."