When Romon had previously seen Lord Matthews' manor, he had thought about improving his own residence.
It was originally planned for after taking control of the large forest, but he hadn't anticipated that the princess would take the taxes earlier and build a manor before him.
Regardless of who builds it, in the end, it would all belong to the Thune Territory.
After Gresla returned, Romon shared the news with the villagers.
The resources of Thune Territory weren't abundant, so if the villagers wanted to make money, they would need to buy ingredients in bulk ahead of time.
...
The next day.
The merchant guild's survey team entered Thune Territory via the forest road.
Four Centaur knights collected security fees as a matter of course. The so-called survey was simply to map out a clear foundation design.
As for today...
Princess Angelia continued her challenge in the maze. Thanks to her, other adventurers were able to access the second floor and farm for higher-grade alchemy materials.
But she had no intention of moving on. Instead, she was focused on fighting the boss in the first-floor room.
As the room boss of the maze, even if it was defeated today, it would respawn tomorrow.
To ensure the princess's safety, Romon once again called upon Talia to join the team.
"Lord Romon, today, please don't suddenly use that kind of magic again,"
Angelia said, recalling the scene from the day before as she tried to dissuade Romon before the battle began.
Hearing this, Romon opened his mouth, but then decided to change his response. "Alright."
In truth, ever since witnessing the 'Explosion' spell's effectiveness against the demon projection, he had drawn several versions of the 'Explosion' spell in his magic book, becoming so familiar with it that he no longer needed to transcribe it—he could just draw it from memory.
However, it seemed that before he could use it, he was already forbidden.
"Good luck, Your Highness," Romon said quietly.
From a rational perspective, Angelia's combat abilities were no match for the demon projection. Most of her attacks couldn't even reach its body.
Perhaps, from a modern perspective, that kind of creature might be one with high physical damage resistance but low magical resistance?
In that case, how could she possibly defeat the demon? It seemed like it would be nearly impossible for her in this lifetime.
"Good luck, Your Highness," Talia also said, tightly gripping her silver staff as she stood by, offering encouragement.
"I said, you two... forget it, just be careful. I'm starting," Angelia replied.
Today, Angelia was wearing a blue dress, which, of course, was still her custom-made adventure gear designed as a dress. She walked forward, getting closer and closer to the Mirror Demon Boss. The grayish mirror reflected the images of the three of them.
Soon, their reflections twisted and turned, transforming into the exact same monster from before.
Angelia's demon once again struck down Talia and Romon's inner demons and began whispering seductive words.
Romon silently retreated to the edge of the battlefield, leaving the fight to the princess and the demon projection.
"Lord Romon, should we remind the princess that if she also practices magic, defeating this boss might be a bit faster?"
Talia's voice reached him. She too had stepped back to the edge of the battlefield. As someone with an adventurer background, she not only had extensive experience but also sharp insight.
She had already deduced the characteristics of this type of monster from the previous battle.
Romon observed Angelia as she continuously shifted her fighting stances and replied, "Balancing both martial and magical skills? Well, take a look at her aptitude. How long do you think it would take her to learn magic, and how long before she could reach the level needed to fight this boss?"
Talia scratched her head. "I don't know about that."
"Focus," Romon urged. "She won't last long on her own. We need to make sure she's safe. We can't let the boss kill her."
"Understood, Lord Romon."
Romon hadn't forgotten the simulation results, where the princess had died once.
Although he didn't know exactly where or how, he had found her belongings in the maze.
It could have been that she failed to defeat the Mirror Demon Boss and died.
Or, perhaps there had been Royal Knights with her at the time. Could it be that one of them killed her?
Half an hour later.
The princess's moves began to slow down, and her speed noticeably decreased.
It was clear that she was exhausted.
Romon flipped open his magic book with his left hand, ready to cast an instant spell if necessary to turn the tide.
At that moment.
The princess leaped back using a sword technique and shouted to Romon, "No! We're retreating now!"
"Alright."
Romon was well-practiced in escaping. He had been standing at the edge of the battlefield from the beginning, and all he needed to do was run out of the room.
The princess, on the other hand, was a bit slower, like a girl being chased by a mad dog. She barely managed to scramble out in a panic.
The moment the three of them left the room, the demon projection inside instantly dissipated, and the Mirror Demon reappeared.
If any other team was waiting to challenge it, now it was their turn.
"Your Highness."
Romon handed her a handkerchief, watching as sweat glistened on her forehead, her fiery red hair now matted with damp strands sticking to her smooth skin. Her skin, glistening with sweat, reflected the faint light of the maze like polished porcelain.
"You're very considerate, Lord Romon," Angelia said, taking the handkerchief to wipe her face, then moved to wipe her swan-like neck and collarbone. Finally, she returned it to Romon with a smile and added, "If my father were to arrange a marriage for me, I think I could mention your name."
The royal family had long grown numb to the idea of marriage.
For men and women, it was just something that happened. Choosing someone who was pleasing to the eye was certainly better than picking someone who was constantly at odds with you.
"You might have a rough time after you're married," Romon said as he took back the handkerchief, which was now soaked in sweat. He felt a bit awkward about putting it back into his pocket.
"What do you mean?"
"Just a joke."
The king treated the Thune family that way, and if the princess really ended up in his hands, wouldn't he beat her black and blue every day, making her rear end sore?
"Do you think I made any progress today?" Angelia suddenly asked.
Romon and Talia exchanged a glance. Honestly, there wasn't much progress, but telling a princess that would be too discouraging, and they couldn't exactly praise her too much either.
"A little," Romon said.
"A little? How little?" Angelia pressed.
"About this much..." Romon gestured with his fingers, bringing them close together but not quite touching.
The princess immediately grew irritated and turned to Talia, asking, "What do you think?"
"I, I... I think the same as Lord Romon..." Talia lowered her head, not daring to make eye contact.
Before she could get angry, Romon steered the conversation toward his earlier suggestion. He said, "You should learn some magic. That monster's body is immune to most physical attacks. If you knew magic, it would be much easier to deal with."
"But..." Angelia hesitated, a little nervous as she spoke, "I don't know if this is the Mirror Demon Boss's weakness, or if it's the demon's weakness itself."
"It's simple. Just don't go in this time. Let her go in and try," Romon proposed as a way to test it. "After all, both of our inner demons seem to be physical entities. If those things are weak to magic, then it's a weakness of the Mirror Demon Boss. If they're not, then it's the demon's weakness."
"I—I'm willing to test it for you, Your Highness," Talia said quickly, afraid of offending the princess.
"How can you test it on your own? The team must have at least one..."
Before Angelia could finish, a ghostly figure appeared from around the corner of the maze—Romon's slave, the cat-eared assassin, Nini.
Nini was an assassin, specializing in physical attacks.
"We'll be fine with just the two of us," Romon said.
"Alright, just a quick test, don't waste too much energy in there. Get the result and come out."
"Yes, Your Highness."
With that, the two of them entered the boss room as soon as they saw that there were no other teams inside.
Meanwhile.
The princess leaned against the wall, sighing. "In my increasingly blurry memories, the demon's true form wasn't that black mist, but its solid, physical form, which is why I'm uncertain."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Romon asked, surprised.
"Hmph. Lord Romon, do you think this is something I can tell everyone? I only told you!" Angelia replied, sounding slightly annoyed.
"Thank you for your trust, Your Highness," Romon said, then asked, "How long has it been?"
"Actually, not long. But this demon will devour my memories of it. One day, when I completely forget it, it will break free of its seal and appear again."
Upon hearing this, Romon felt a chill run down his back.
If Angelia became too comfortable and forgot her worries and the demon, it would break out of the seal and wreak havoc in Thune Territory. Wouldn't that be the end of him?
This really was a ticking time bomb, inside and out!