Romon wanted to warn her that although a large number of goblins had been eliminated from the forest, there were still straggling goblins roaming around.
And there were also monsters like Medusa serpents that had spilled out of the maze.
But before he could say a word, the princess had already taken off, her long legs carrying her ahead.
"Your Highness!"
Gernilongden quickly prepared to move out.
But the princess suddenly turned back. "Gernilongden, you all stay here and wait for me!"
"Your Highness…"
"Knight, do you intend to disobey my orders?"
"Apologies, Your Highness."
Gernilongden lowered his head, not daring to say anything further.
"Hurry up! Why are you standing there like that?" The princess's voice rang out again, but this time, she was speaking to the lord of this small territory.
Romon passed by Gernilongden and silently followed the princess.
"Are those two Centaurs?"
Once they had moved away from the crowd, the princess finally asked.
"Yes, Your Highness. I have a total of 21 Centaurs in my territory."
"How fascinating! Do they eat food from a human's stomach or a horse's?"
"I'm not sure. Should I ask them?"
"Don't! If anyone hears that... it would be inappropriate."
"Understood, Your Highness."
As Romon watched the forest grow denser, he realized that his spellbook now only had one blast and one binding spell left. If they encountered any monsters, he wasn't sure if the princess would be able to fight.
Fortunately, he had made other preparations. Since he had decided to guide the princess through the simulation as quickly as possible, he had to add in some real details along the pre-established path.
For example, who should he assign to team up with the princess and enter the maze?
"Are those adventurers up ahead?"
After walking for a while through the forest, they finally saw a group lined up in front of them.
For a newly discovered maze, this was the kind of attention it deserved.
Not only adventurers from Stone Town, but even those from other cities had arrived upon hearing the news. This kind of job was seven parts luck, three parts skill. Slaying the monsters within the maze and gathering dropped materials could be sold in the city for a profit. If one was lucky enough to find a treasure chest, it was guaranteed money.
Newly opened mazes typically had many treasure chests.
After some time, once most of the treasure chests had been opened, the maze's popularity would drop a level.
However, it would never fall below a certain threshold. Once the materials obtained from here entered the market and gained recognition, this would become a long-term source of income for civilian adventurers.
"Most of them are adventurers. I've had people stationed here to maintain order," Romon said, putting a positive spin on his toll-charging operations. "Those Centaurs are my knights."
The princess glanced toward the front of the line before silently taking her place at the end.
At that moment.
A wizard wearing a black hat and a gray cloak, holding a silver staff, walked over.
"Greetings, Lord Romon."
It was Talia. Pairing with her in a team was certainly better than being with an assassin or an archer.
Romon had specifically arranged for Talia to be the princess's teammate.
"Your Highness, you should team up with her to enter the maze. This is Talia, she's highly skilled in rapid-fire magic, and she'll perform best in a tight terrain like the maze," Romon introduced to the princess.
Upon hearing this.
The princess turned to look at Talia. Compared to the mages the royal family typically interacted with, this young mage seemed poor and had the adventurous air of a commoner.
The princess, accustomed to seeing mages whose magic came from wealth, was curious to see what a commoner mage was like.
"She doesn't seem bad. With the three of us together, we might be able to encounter the 'Room Boss,'" the princess said.
Hearing this, Romon felt a bit overwhelmed. He had already assigned someone to team up with the princess, but now she wanted him to accompany them too?
While being an escort was certainly a good opportunity to show loyalty to the king, Romon would have much preferred to stay in the comfort of a soft bed at night, not spending his time in a maze.
Unlike Lord Matthews, who had an old butler, Romon only had Lornis, who was good but could not serve as a butler. He had planned to escort the princess, then head out to entertain other guests and handle other matters.
But now, he had no choice but to put everything else aside and prioritize accompanying the princess.
Talia looked at Romon, then at the princess.
Until now, Romon hadn't informed her that she would be teaming up with a real princess.
What if she messed up? That would be her head on the line!
However, on second thought, the princess's attire, which looked like a noblewoman's dress, was actually designed as adventure gear modeled after a dress!
Talia could tell that the princess's green earrings, bracelet, brooch, waist chain, and even the gems on her boots were all part of a matching set.
When Talia saw the boots, she took a longer look. Indeed, they were top-tier gear. The gems could enhance attributes, and the boots themselves were valuable.
Looking at her white dress, Talia realized that, if she was right, just this dress alone could withstand a hit from her rapid-fire magic!
No wonder she was a princess. No wonder she was royal! With just a slight effort, she was already far beyond the reach of ordinary mortals.
"Talia, have you ventured through this maze before?" the princess suddenly asked.
"Your Highness, well... I've heard about it. A friend of mine told me that the boss of the first level of the maze is a magic mirror, which not only tests intelligence but also requires strength."
Talia replied nervously. After saying this, she thought for a moment and quickly added, "Of course, with Your Highness's wisdom and resources, we should definitely be able to try."
"What about the second level?"
"The second level has no information yet because no one has made it past the magic mirror boss," Talia said.
Upon hearing this.
The princess fell silent for a moment.
She had already gathered this information on her way here, and yet, no one had made it through.
Romon subtly hinted to Pito to speed up the adventurer approval process, encouraging a faster flow of teams so they wouldn't waste time waiting in line.
Pito, the Centaur with the highest emotional intelligence, understood Romon's intent from a distance.
And so.
The three of them quickly arrived at the entrance to the maze.
"Welcome to explore the Thune Great Maze. Once inside, please stay alert and beware of hidden monsters that may attack."
When dealing with a princess, Romon knew he couldn't use the same approach he would with adventurers.
Talia took the lead, entering the maze first, followed by the princess. Romon gave a brief glance at Pito, who gave him a nod, and then Romon followed suit.
...
The interior of the maze was as dark as ever. In the corridor ahead, a few teams were arguing over monster farming areas.
Romon paid them no mind. With a flick of his left hand, his spellbook appeared.
Ever since he learned about the theory behind the spellbook transcription, he had attached a pen holder to the pouch next to his dagger.
The last time he entered the maze, he had come as the initiator, only collecting rewards without actually fighting in the maze.
Now, facing the boss, Romon naturally had to prepare for an escape.
While Talia was very strong, she wasn't the strongest in the area. With so many powerful adventurers having failed to clear the first level, it was clear that the Mirror Boss was a serious challenge.
After these few days of study, Romon's total magical energy now allowed him to transcribe five spells in a row without fainting.
He moved forward, stopping occasionally, his eyes flicking open and closed.
The magical formulas displayed in his mind like a starry sky didn't indicate which ones were of which type. He could only transcribe them first and then use the spellbook to analyze them.
Finally, based on the actual situation, he would plan how to use them in order to achieve the goal of escape.
"Oh? Your spellbook is impressive," the princess remarked, noticing Romon's transcription actions.
"Thank you for the compliment."
"Then I'll have to show you my real abilities."
As she spoke, the princess's index finger flashed with light, and a slender, elegant sword appeared in her hand.
Romon had guessed she might be a mage or a priestess.
After all, with a figure like hers, other classes required physical strength, which didn't seem to match her.
But he hadn't expected this princess to be a swordswoman.
Wearing a trailing gown, high-heeled white boots, with no shoulder armor and no breastplate, how could a swordswoman like this dare venture into the maze?
Even Talia, a mage, was covered in scars. A close-combat princess like this...
Romon thought for a moment. Perhaps it was because she was rich and powerful enough, with equipment strong enough to make up for any lack of physical durability.
"Let's go straight to the boss room," the princess suggested.
"Your Highness, this way." Talia began to lead the way.
She must have sneaked in before, or else she wouldn't be so familiar with the layout. Romon watched her black pointed wizard hat and began to wonder whether he should deduct some of her wages.
Sneaking off during work hours to indulge her own adventuring desires definitely warranted a pay cut.