"Wh-What nonsense are you spouting! Hey, you guys, arrest him quickly!"
As the soldiers hesitantly approached Adele at the knight's command,
"O thunder, show your wrath upon these foolish ones who defy the gods!"
*BOOM!*
Four lightning bolts shot out with Adele's words, striking the tips of the soldiers' spears.
"AAAAH!!"
The four soldiers hastily threw their spears and fell on their butts.
"W-What is this...?"
Real lightning from the sky, not a fire spell. Some power other than magic.
"Is this... the power of the gods...?"
The knight was frozen in shock. For a warrior, such a lapse in vigilance was unacceptable. He stood rooted to the spot.
Adele had gathered negative charges below the clouds and positive charges above, then directed the positive charges on the ground to the spear tips, causing the lightning to strike. She connected a low-resistance circuit from the spear handles to the ground and formed an insulating layer on the palms of the soldiers holding the spears, ensuring they received an electric shock but no fatal injuries. She then began her next non-verbal spell.
(Alright, next, light refraction and scattering! Water condensation, cooling, and crystallization! Gravity neutralization, maintain the formation...)
Adele solidified her image and radiated it as a thought, manifesting the specific phenomena and the final form. Immediately, shimmering particles of light began to dance around her body, and white, fluffy snow crystals started to gather on her back.
"Y-You are... a goddess...?"
As the knight weakly murmured, a girl with silver wings on her back and shimmering light particles around her body stood before him.
"How much divine punishment is appropriate?
Should I destroy the palace? Should I exterminate the nobles, the royal family, and the soldiers? Or all the citizens?"
"Please wait!"
Shaking off the two knights holding her back, a girl jumped out of a luxurious carriage and ran over desperately. The blonde girl, who looked to be around fourteen or fifteen, was, of course, the third princess.
When she reached the knight, the princess knelt on one knee and bowed her head.
"Goddess, please forgive us! This carriage is for me, so I will take the punishment alone. Please spare the others!"
"Princess, what are you saying! This is all due to my incompetence as the captain of the guard. I should be the one to take the blame! You were just in the carriage!"
"No, it's common sense for the highest-ranking person present to take the blame. Isn't that right!"
(Hmm, they're not fighting over who should take the blame, but who should take it... Neither of them seems to be a bad person...)
The situation was getting chaotic, and Adele's goal was to help the boy and make everything seem like nothing had happened. She wanted to wrap this up quickly.
She had already activated a non-verbal healing spell for the boy, carefully checking for any head injuries or internal bleeding and ensuring the bones and organs damaged by the spear were properly healed.
"Silence! I do not like noise!
Fine, I will overlook this for the sake of a princess who cares for her subjects. But there will be no next time, understand?"
"I understand! I am grateful for your mercy..."
The attitude towards the princess...
If it were discovered, it would surely mean execution.
(And, the final touch...)
Adele turned to the soldier who had stabbed the boy, who was still slumped on the ground.
"You there. I can understand your desire to fulfill your duty, but this was not the way. Your atrocity will be seen as the princess's atrocity.
If the story spreads that the third princess of this country kills troublesome children, can you take the responsibility?"
The soldier, realizing the implications of Adele's words, was stunned.
"Then, I will take my leave... Oh, right! This person does not know of my presence. Do not tell anyone, understand! And do not speak of this to anyone!"
Adele glared at not only the soldiers but also the surrounding crowd, who all nodded with pale faces.
"Goddess, I have a request!"
"What is it?"
"I would like permission to inform the king about this..."
After considering the captain's request for a while, Adele decided to grant it.
Multiple soldiers had witnessed the event, so it was impossible to keep it from the king.
"Fine, I will allow it. But only the king, not the other nobles."
"Yes, I will do as you say..."
At that moment, a brilliant idea struck Adele.
She turned to the captain with a slightly troubled expression.
"Listen, this boy is poor and lacks proper nutrition.
Could you, out of admiration for his courage, provide him with some support from your purse?"
"Y-Yes, I understand!"
The captain readily agreed to Adele's request, which he delivered with a self-deprecating tap on his chest.
...He couldn't refuse.
(Yes, success! Got the support funds! Now, just wrap it up...)
Suppressing a smile, Adele extended her hands towards the boy.
"O light of healing, mend the wounds!"
The boy's body was enveloped in particles of light, but it was just for show; the healing was already complete.
After dispelling the light particles and the wings on her back, Adele leaned over the boy, assuming the same position she had when she cast the 'lattice force barrier.'
"Yes, that's how it was.
Now, everyone, keep your promise!"
She glanced at the nodding soldiers and crowd, then closed her eyes for a moment, blinked a few times, and feigned surprise.
"Huh? It doesn't hurt? The spear? The soldier?"
Adele looked around, her acting skills having improved since a year ago.
"Hmm? Who are you, miss?"
The boy, awakened by the magic, showed no signs of pain.
The crowd was murmuring, but no one dared to cause a commotion.
"Um, ...no, you there!"
"Me?"
Adele, feigning innocence, placed her lightly clasped hands near her mouth and widened her eyes. This time, it was completely fabricated.
"Um, yes. Your courage in trying to stop your subordinate and protect that boy is commendable. As a reward, I will give you this."
The captain, pulling out a purse from his pocket, said.
(Yes, according to plan!)
Adele struggled to suppress her laughter as the captain, to her surprise, tossed the entire purse to her.
However, she soon realized...
Everyone was watching.
Her and the poor-looking boy next to her.
The boy, dressed in school uniform, looked even poorer than she did.
If she took the money and left, it would look suspicious.
"Take this!"
"Huh?"
"It's from the knight to apologize for scaring you!"
"Really? Thank you!"
(Ah, the escape funds...)
Adele handed the purse to the boy with a heavy heart, her hands trembling slightly.
Seeing this, the captain panicked.
Breaking the goddess's command would be disastrous. His face turned pale, but he couldn't stop the purse from being handed over.
At that moment, a voice came to his rescue.
"Then, as a reward for the brave girl, I will give her this on behalf of the captain."
(Thank you, deputy captain! I will definitely thank you later!)
The captain, relieved to have avoided a crisis, was grateful.
(Lucky! Now my escape fund is much larger!)
Adele, who had reflexively used a barrier spell unknown in this world to save the child, decided to pass it off as a divine act by using other unknown spells to make people believe it was not magic but the work of the gods. She then used her divine authority to force everyone to pretend nothing had happened.
Her impromptu plan worked, and she even managed to get some funds, making her innocently happy.