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Hikikomori loser, come out now!
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“Oh…this is…” I couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise in the dimly lit room.
To be honest, I wasn’t interested in helping Princess Concedia, which was commissioned by the Dwarf King. Frankly, it had little to do with the biggest concern of this principality, which was land restoration.
However, I decided to just observe the situation for now. I was led to Concedia’s room as directed.
The room was simply luxurious. The furnishings were exquisite, and although the room was dimly lit, the high value and luxury of its contents were still apparent.
Like the room I was given, this room seemed to have a fully equipped bathroom and toilet. It seemed that Concedia was holed up in her own bedroom.
…And there she was, on the luxurious bed. She was sitting properly, with a sword by her side. What surprised me the most was that a barrier was erected around her.
As a fellow barrier mage, I could tell that this was a pretty excellent barrier. Perhaps only those who she allowed would be able to pass through this barrier. Breaking it would require at least LV4 magic or swordsmanship. She probably had a LV3 barrier skill.
“Her Highness has been sitting like this all day and doesn’t seem to have any intention of leaving the barrier,” the chief lady-in-waiting whispered to me with a troubled look.
“Has the barrier been up all day? I imagine it would use up quite a bit of MP…” I asked.
“No, the barrier is only erected when someone enters. Other than that…”
“I see. So, what does she do when she sleeps?”
“She locks the door and rests.”
…So, it’s like house arrest. She’s just a ´shut-in.´ It’s ridiculous.
“The King is deeply concerned about Princess Concedia’s current state. He hopes that the Marquis can somehow help her…”
“Is it really necessary to do anything about it?”
“What do you mean?”
“I think it’s fine the way it is. It adds a sense of tension to her life. I believe that having a funky lifestyle like this is okay.”
“Funky?”
“Is there anything wrong with the princess being in this state?”
“But the King…”
“Well, let’s think about it logically. As long as she stays in the room, her safety is guaranteed.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Just have plenty of retainers keep watch. Eventually, she’ll run out of MP and faint. Then we can just pull her out of the room.”
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
Concedia stands on the bed, holding her sword in a defensive stance.
“You don’t even understand my feelings!”
“Unfortunately, I don’t know how you feel.”
“… “
She glares at me.
“Why are you doing this?”
“…I must receive punishment.”
“Punishment?”
“I… failed to see through the conspiracies of Dr. Rekornai and Utonika and killed my mother. And without understanding the will of the Deer God, I attempted to subjugate him. Moreover, I convinced Yuri-dono that my father was not qualified to be king and incited brother to issue the order to subjugate the Deer God. And to make matters worse, I also caused the deaths of all the adventurers who followed me. It is all my responsibility. I must receive punishment.”
“So, you are taking responsibility and isolating yourself in this room and barrier?”
Concedia nods slowly.
“When will you come out of this room, Princess Concedia?”
“I do not know. I will come out when I feel that I have been forgiven, or I may never come out until I die.”
“Poor thing, Your Highness…”
The chief lady-in-waiting sheds tears.
“Minshi, this is the punishment I have imposed on myself. You do not need to be sad.”
“Your Highness…”
“That’s right, Lady-in-Waiting. There is no need to be sad.”
“Huh?”
Minshi stares at me, while Concedia freezes.
“Surely, if you get hungry, you’ll come out. For now, shall we go back?”
“Your Grace!”
“If princess Concedia is going to isolate herself, then we should thoroughly do it. It would be troublesome to have to set up the barrier every time someone comes, wouldn’t it?”
I cast a considerably stronger barrier around Concedia.
“Look, now no one can enter princess Concedia´s barrier. It will operate almost indefinitely. This way, we have saved the trouble of setting up the barrier again and again. Yay, clap clap!”
“What is with you since earlier? Don’t make fun of me! This barrier is ridiculous!”
Concedia draws her sword and slashes at the barrier, but her sword is easily deflected. She continues to slash frantically, and in the end, her sword breaks.
“My sword…”
“See? It’s a sturdy barrier, right? Relax and stay inside.”
“Your Grace, what exactly are you…?”
“Well, my main profession is a barrier master, after all.”
Concedia’s eyes widen in surprise.
“Now, let’s go back. Oh, wait, I forgot to mention something. There is one problem with that barrier… You can endure not eating, but you can’t go to the bathroom. I once locked up my disciple, and she couldn’t hold it and had an accident. In front of everyone. So please be careful. Well then.”
I urge the chief lady-in-waiting to leave the room and we exit.
“Wait!”
We hear a scream-like voice from behind us.
“Why are you doing this?!”
“Why? Do you want to punish yourself? If that’s the case, then it’s not really a punishment, is it? You need to make it a real punishment.”
“I don’t remember asking you to do anything like this to me!”
“You said you would leave this room if you felt forgiven, but what’s the point? It’s just your own self-satisfaction, isn’t it? Don’t drag me into this ridiculous play.”
“How rude!”
“You’re the one being rude. All this time you´ve been saying all these pointless things just because you felt like it. Listen, forgiving someone’s sins is not up to others, it’s up to the individual themselves. If you feel that what you did is a sin, then why don’t you make amends for it? Why don’t you do something to make those you hurt feel better?”
“That’s why I’m doing this!”
“Did someone tell you to do it? Did someone say they would forgive you if you did this?”
“Well, no…”
“Exactly. Nobody asked for this, so why are you doing it?”
“Nobody…asked for it?”
“Neither your mother nor the deer god have anything to do with your sins as a princess. You didn’t know anything, so you can’t be held responsible. The adventurers were unfortunate, but from my perspective, they’re all equally at fault. The soldiers who didn’t listen to their commander can’t be blamed entirely, and the adventurers were also in the wrong.”
“Well then, I’m sorry for my behavior!”
“I don’t care about that. If you really want to punish yourself, then do it without causing inconvenience to others. How many people do you think are suffering because of your misguided beliefs and actions? If you want to make amends, then make it up to the people who are being inconvenienced by your actions right now.”
Concedia bit her lip and glared at me.
“If you really want to isolate yourself, then do it thoroughly. Wear rough clothing, endure extreme temperatures, limit your food intake, and don’t move from a sitting position from morning until night. Instead of setting up a barrier when someone comes, keep the barrier up until you collapse.”
“Still, it’s too much to confine me in a barrier like this!”
“We’re being too soft. Soft clothes on your skin, comfortable beds, ample meals, women in waiting who take care of everything, the king…it’s all too comfortable. Making amends starts by putting yourself in an uncomfortable position. Of course, it has to be an environment that many people find uncomfortable. Enduring it is what becomes your atonement. That’s why I put up a strong barrier.”
“…”
“Princess, if you can endure until you make a mistake there, everyone will understand. If you don’t like it, stop causing trouble for others. Instead, do something that will help others.”
Concedia was in tears. I released the barrier and left the room, leaving it to the lady-in-waiting.
Several days later, Mei, Gon, and I stood on a vast field, with nothing but farmland in sight. Dwarves and adventurers, as well as noblemen’s second and third sons who had been recruited from the Empire, were gathered there, totaling several hundred people.
“All right, let’s begin! First, we’ll cut down these trees on the mountain! Then, the dwarves will transport the logs and turn them into timber!”
The men began to move about busily. Among them was a female dwarf swinging an axe. It was Princess Concedia. She had come here every day and worked alongside the men to help with the restoration of the farmland. Moreover, she had hidden her identity and had me put up a barrier to make her look like someone else. This was her idea of “making amends without causing trouble to others.” The dwarf king and I decided to watch over her without saying anything. She would surely continue to grow by interacting with various people.
Summer was just around the corner.