She’ll use anything at her disposal, whether it’s how little her husband and those around them trust her or her game knowledge.

  If she can’t do at least that much, she’ll never last as the wife of the demon king.

  Second Act

  The Villainess Poses as a Sweet Young Thing

  The Kilvas Empire sits on the far side of the islands of the Queendom of Hausel, on another continent across the sea.

  It takes half a month to sail from Imperial Ellmeyer to the port at the southernmost tip of the Kilvas Empire. Even then, using an engine powered by demon stones has halved the time required for the voyage. The Levi tribe are the ones who work with demon stones. When Claude mended the empire’s relations with the tribe, he promptly commissioned them to build this ship, and this is the cutting-edge vessel’s maiden voyage.

  The majestic ship was designed to carry the imperial family. Each of its cabins is spacious, and it even has a fully equipped theater. At present, its only passengers are a small group of elites accompanying Aileen and Claude. Even when she stands on the deck, gazing at the waves, very few people are around. They practically have the vessel to themselves.

  The voyage makes for a more leisurely change of pace than if she’d stayed in the imperial capital. She might even call it comfortable. The journey across the calm ocean seems almost too smooth, and when they arrive and disembark ahead of schedule, Aileen is a little reluctant to get off.

  “I tell you what, your uncle Jasper has never had such a comfortable voyage in his life. I’d already heard about it from Denis, but this is one heck of a ship,” Jasper says, turning back to look as soon as he’s stepped off onto the pier. No matter where he is, the journalist is never without his trademark beret. He’s already made several trips to the Kilvas Empire to gather information and do public relations work, and Claude has taken the opportunity to assign him as one of Aileen’s minders. The journalist knows Aileen better than Claude, though, and he seems secretly delighted that she’s come with them. He struck up conversations with her on the ship every chance he got.

  “It really is. I hope the train ride will be just as pleasant, but…”

  “It’ll take a full day to get from here to the capital, you said?”

  “So we finally get out of the water, but we’re still not there?”

  This is Aileen’s other minder: Isaac, whom Claude has directly ordered to accompany them. He’s basically being treated like he’s in charge, even though he holds no official position. Aileen heard he tried to refuse with all his might. Unfortunately, the one asking was the emperor. He still hasn’t been able to defy him.

  I didn’t expect Master Claude to choose Isaac, though…

  Isaac himself said, “He probably wants a reason to execute me,” but Aileen also preferred her right-hand man to an unfamiliar guard. In the end, compelled by both the emperor and the empress, Isaac reworked his schedule and accompanied them.

  “This trip put all my work on hold, and frankly, I’m bored out of my skull.”

  Isaac never seemed fond of traveling to begin with. He’s been complaining as if this whole thing is a chore.

  “But it will be useful to see the Kilvas Empire with your own eyes, won’t it? When Master Claude took you to Ashmael, it became a good opportunity to expand your business,” Aileen reminded him.

  “Well, it would be irritating to go through all that and not get anything out of it.”

  “You could treat this as a substitute honeymoon with Rachel, you know.” Aileen mentions this while fully aware that Rachel is right behind her.

  Isaac rejects the suggestion out of hand. “We’re both here for work. You think we’d have that kind of time?”

  “Gracious, I’m not so gauche that I’d interrupt you two taking a leisurely stroll through town by yourselves. Am I, Rachel?”

  “Master Claude has ordered us not to leave you alone under any circumstances, Lady Aileen. That is why he selected Isaac. Please don’t concern yourself with us.”

  What a formidable couple.

  “I’m genuinely not plotting anything. I’m only here to get to know Master Claude’s family.”

  “Yes, Lady Aileen. Mind the step,” Luc warns her, smiling; he’s disembarked ahead of them. Claude has provisionally appointed him as Aileen’s physician. “When you do plot something, be sure to discuss it with me first, for the sake of your health.”

  His smile contains a different sort of fortitude than Isaac’s or Rachel’s.

  Aileen has known most of these people longer than she’s known Claude, but he seems to have very astutely assembled the members of her circle who are particularly adept at keeping her in check. Is that just her imagination?

  Claude is waiting at the end of the pier, accompanied by Keith.

  “How are you feeling, Aileen?”

  ““She’s fine.””

  Luc and Rachel answer for her, and Claude appears relieved. Aileen gives them a look from beneath half-lowered eyelids, and Keith turns his face, laughing. However, he promptly reassumes the expression of the demon king’s adviser. “Your welcoming committee is here.”

  A woman is approaching the docks, accompanied by several soldiers. Her steps are gallant; a short cape flares around her shoulders, and she wears a sword. How unusual. A lady knight, Aileen thinks, and then realizes her error: All the soldiers she’s leading are women as well. Aileen whispers to Claude, who’s standing beside her: “Are they Valkyries, Master Claude? …Master Claude?”

  He doesn’t respond. Puzzled, she looks up at his face. Claude, without blinking, is staring at the woman heading the group. The woman is gazing right back at him.

  The measured sound of military boots stops a few paces in front of them.

  “Welcome to the Kilvas Empire, Your Majesty. I have been assigned as your escort.”

  “…You?” Claude asks.

  “Yes. We will be taking the carriages over there. The train is already waiting at the station.”

  Claude starts to say something, then stops. This isn’t like him. He seems hesitant.

  “Is this Her Majesty the empress?” The woman turns her attention to Aileen, who’s been watching Claude’s behavior closely. Swiftly switching gears, Aileen flashes her an elegant smile.

  “Yes, I’ll be in your care. Might you be a Valkyrie?”

  For just a moment, Aileen gets the feeling that the woman has swiftly sized her up. Even when dealing with honored guests, it’s only natural to confirm that there’s nothing suspicious about them. However, the appraising look is promptly replaced with a mild smile. “Yes, I am. To guests from another land, male guards may be a more familiar sight, but as you see, our empire’s security is primarily handled by female soldiers—the Valkyries. I hope you’ll put your trust in us.”

  “If anything, I feel safer with women. I’ll be relying on you.”

  “Of course.”

  The woman sets a hand over her heart, accepting the duty with all due gravity; she looks just right. The Kilvas Empire is also welcoming guests from other countries on the northern continent. No doubt she’s had this conversation multiple times by now.

  “Master Claude, it’s cold here. Let’s get going. Think of our poor escorts,” Aileen prompts him.

  “Oh yes… My apologies.” Claude nods stiffly, but that’s all.

  “Oh, one last thing,” Aileen says, speaking with intentional brightness as she faces the woman again. “May I ask your name?”

  “Ah, I should have introduced myself earlier. I am Cattleya.”

  “Cattleya? Would you be Her Highness Princess Cattleya?”

  Aileen acts a little startled, and Cattleya nods, smiling wryly. “I am called that as well.”

  “I heard that you had become a Valkyrie, so I guessed, but…”

  In truth, what Aileen remembered was the still image from the game. This is the first time they’ve met in real life. She should probably at least pretend to be surprised.

  “I didn’t intend to deceive you,” Cattleya adds, as if she’s making excuses. “We’re shorthanded at the moment, so my options for greeting you were limited. Do forgive me.”

  “Oh, no, I’m glad. I’d been looking forward to meeting Master Claude’s relations.”

  “I’m terribly sorry, but until we reach the castle, I would like to conduct myself as a Valkyrie—what you would call a knight. It will set a bad example for the others if I do not.”

  “Gracious, my apologies; that was tactless of me. Once more, then, thank you for your help, Lady Cattleya.”

  “You may count on me.”

  Cattleya turns on her heel, and the others start after her. Aileen tucks in her chin, her lips curving.

  Before coming here, she reluctantly compared notes with Lilia and reviewed what they knew. Naturally, the woman with the familiar face is one of the game’s major characters.

  Villainess Cattleya Tsar Kilvas: Claude’s cousin and a princess of Kilvas. At this point, she’s the elder sister of the emperor.

  Aileen guessed she would be here, although she didn’t want that guess to be correct.

  Still, if Master Claude is going to stare at her like that, I can’t possibly ignore her.

  Perhaps she should have expected no less from a villainess. Or is it due to her pride as the emperor’s sister or the fact that she’s trained as a Valkyrie?

  Either way, coming here appears to have been the right answer. As Aileen walks along lightly, she hears Rachel’s quiet voice behind her. “Are you plotting something?”

  “Goodness, has anything happened that would make me act that way?” Aileen laughs.

  “…You’re quite right,” Rachel says, sounding completely resigned.

  The vast, rectangular territory of the Kilvas Empire is surrounded by steep mountains. The northernmost mountain is said to be covered with snow all year round, but there are many mines as well, fueling a prosperous steel industry. Thanks to that, the empire enjoys many benefits, including its long-distance railways, which don’t yet exist in Ellmeyer.

  However, one even more noteworthy peculiarity of this nation is its wall.

  A long, tall, defensive wall was built as a deterrent to the demons who descend from the north. Part of that wall is visible from the steam train as it races over the plain. The structure, which has been patched and reinforced over and over again, was also in the game. The explanation for tourists is that the Valkyries’ battleground lies on its other side; that also matches the story from the game.

  It was referred to as the Warrior Maidens’ Great Wall, if I remember correctly.

  They manage to reach the castle without incident, and at that point, Aileen steels herself. The moment Cattleya leads them into the great hall, which acts as the entrance of the imperial castle, a voice speaks above them.

  “Sister, are you home—?”

  The youth who’s appeared at the top of a spiral staircase stops partway down. When the group looks up, they all catch their breath, startled. Aileen had prepared herself to some extent, and even she is captivated for a moment.

  His glossy black hair is simply tied back, and his red eyes are like jewels. That isn’t all: His face is as shapely as the most exquisite sculpture, and his proportions seem to perfectly match the golden ratio. In all these things, he bears a strong resemblance to Claude. The only clear differences are his height and the timbre of his voice. The main reason being that he isn’t yet twenty. If this youth and Claude stood side by side, only someone who was very familiar to one or the other could have told them apart at a glance.

  Cattleya sighs. “Vica, I told you to wait— I’m sorry, Master Claude. This is my brother, Vica. Has he startled you?”

  “…No. I’ve heard we resemble each other…”

  Did he now? Who exactly told Claude about this? Aileen’s brothers haven’t had an audience with Emperor Kilvas, so it can’t have been them. The thought tugs at Aileen, but she keeps her pleasant expression in place like a good wife and says nothing.

  Beckoning Vica to her side, Cattleya flashes an awkward smile. “Did you think the resemblance couldn’t possibly be this close?”

  “That’s true for me as well, Sister. You are Emperor Claude Jean Ellmeyer, aren’t you?”

  The young man looks at him warmly. It’s almost as if Claude has turned on the charm, and a shock runs through the group behind Aileen. Brutally honest as always, Isaac quietly mutters, “Creepy!”

  “Thank you very much for coming so far. I’m honored to meet you,” Claude says graciously.

  “No, we were honored by your invitation.”

  “Vica! How many times must I tell you not to wander around without— Oh.”

  Spotting them, the man who’s peering down from the top of the spiral staircase falls silent. Calmly looking up at the newcomer, Vica presses an index finger to his lips. “They’re guests, Ernst. Can the lecture wait until later?”

  When Aileen hears that name, she swiftly examines the face of the individual at the top of the stairs. If her memories are correct, Ernst is the name of the classic hero. His light hair has a loose wave to it, and there’s a nobility in his features. He looks exactly like the package illustration and the game art she once saw.

  “Please allow me to greet you properly later on, Emperor Claude. We can’t have a pleasant chat with my noisy prime minister here. I’ll see you later as well, Cattleya.”

  “Yes. Make sure to humor Diana.”

  After the friendly exchange, Vica turns on his heel. He climbs the stairs to join Ernst, and then both men disappear into the depths of the castle.

  Claude murmurs quietly, “If I recall, Diana is the name of his bride, isn’t it?”

  It’s also the name of the heroine.

  She probably looks exactly like her game art as well. In any case, Aileen realized this from the moment she first planned to attend the wedding, when she heard Diana’s name and how she was involved. Feeling rather resigned, she listens in.

  “Yes. However, she’s busy preparing for the wedding, so she may not be able to greet you until after the ceremony,” Cattleya explains.

  “That’s fine. My wife has taught me that preparing for a wedding is a monumental task for women.”

  Aileen smiles dismissively, ignoring Claude. Cattleya nods diplomatically, then resumes their tour.

  The imperial castle of Kilvas is more solid than splendid. All the windows are double-glazed to keep out the cold, while the walls are thick and heavily painted to seal any cracks. The carpet that’s spread all the way to the corners of the guest room is thick as well. Since the nights can get quite cold, there’s firewood stacked by the hearths so that the hearths may be used at any time.

  Since Aileen is expecting, the room has a connecting bedroom just for her. No doubt their hosts considerately assumed that if she begins to feel ill, it will be best for her to have a place where she and her ladies-in-waiting can shut themselves in and have some privacy. When she thanks Cattleya, the other woman responds as if she were a servant: “If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call me.”

  Aileen seats herself on a couch by the window and watches the servants as they inspect the room to make sure nothing is lacking, then begin to unpack.

  I wonder if the Valkyries are treated as nobles who’ve been demoted…

  In basic terms, the story of Valkyrie of the Magic Lance is as follows:

  Kilvas is a northern country that is under assault by demons. The demons’ invasion is held at bay by a mysterious wall, but on the other side of that barrier is a constant battlefield. The ones who fight there are not men but the Valkyries, who have strong magical power. Since they’ve had divine stones surgically implanted in their bodies, the Valkyries are able to use magic lances to annihilate the demons. Serving as a Valkyrie is an honorable profession, and the empire pays them generously, but it is extraordinarily dangerous. Most spend their whole lives on the far side of the wall and die there.

  To save their impoverished families or to defend their land from demons, soldiers, who range from young girls to grown women, spend long years fighting beyond the wall.

  It is the heroine, Diana, who begins to change things. She is the daughter of a minor, rural lord who would have held the rank of baron in Imperial Ellmeyer. One day, a demon who slips through the wall attacks her tiny hometown, leaving it engulfed in flames. In the burning town, Diana spots a demon with red eyes. Swearing to take revenge on the creature, she volunteers to join the Valkyries.

  Diana loses her smile along with her home. However, she meets the hero, Ernst, a senior officer who refuses to treat the Valkyries as disposable weapons; the great Cattleya, a more experienced warrior who became a Valkyrie for the sake of her nation, in spite of her royal birth; and Vica, the young emperor whose heart is pained by the war. These encounters make Diana’s abilities as a Valkyrie blossom, and she gradually learns to smile again.

  As the fighting grows fiercer, more and more of her companions fall on the battlefield. One day, Diana is seriously wounded while shielding a fellow Valkyrie, and is taken to a country whose queen is said to have the ability to see the future. While there, she learns that the fighting is a scheme, with roots in the queen’s precognition. The Kilvas Empire is being used to run an experiment. Diana confides the truth to Ernst and Cattleya and begins to plot a revolution. In the process, she finds out that the red-eyed demon she’s sworn revenge on is actually Vica and that he is fated to awaken as king of the demons. When she learns that Vica is frightened of becoming a demon, and of Cattleya’s and Ernst’s agony as they attempt to save him, what choices will Diana make, and where will the revolution lead…?

  The fan opinion could generally be summed up as “Don’t write this one off as ‘just an otome game.’”

  There were two major reasons for this.

  The first was that there was no salvation. With every playthrough, the player’s available choices increased, various mysteries and character backgrounds deepened, and there were several different endings. However, the route was very nearly a straight line, and none of the endings were completely happy. It was what many would call “a downer game.”