In the morning after the discussion between Amelia, Mola, Meiko, and Albert, Mola and Meiko left the so-called base in Academia.

“Uwaaah… Why am I even assigned to this kind of task? I’m not exactly that good in combat,” Mola said, hunched with a grim expression. “And what’s with that discovery? It reeks of physical labor! Just imagine the strain on your own mind staying there for days! It’s practically nuts unless you’re some sort battle maniac!”

“I think Mia wanted you to be there to document or investigate anything on the go. I mean, if something unexplainable comes along the way, you can probably make a hypothesis out of it.” Meiko walked beside Mola as she held her rod on her left. “Among everyone back there, you are probably the most qualified for that role.”

Mola scratched the back of her head. “I know. The problem is, she wants to rush it and just keep going down. With me around, the exploration speed will drastically drop.”

“But the safety will go up.”

“Good point.”

Mola and Meiko kept walking down the street to the nearest lift.

“Liscia is in school right now, isn’t she?” Meiko asked.

“Yeah. Halbert will be joining us though. Have to say, Halbert sure is hardworking. He spends all his money to keep Liscia in school. The mere thought that Halbert is doing all that is just amazing you know? It’s quite hard, but they just keep pulling it off.”

“Heh…” Meiko smiled. “Halbert sure is tough.”

“Well, he did brag it off to Liscia that both of them will hit it off once they leave the village. It was a stupid decision to do so without preparation, to be honest. I can probably say the same for Liscia for getting swept up by Halbert.” Mola chuckled. “Still, Liscia, too, is amazing, you know? Her tuition may be discounted due to her ability to maintain her grades, but her case is definitely different.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you could say that the difference between me and Liscia is that I have the means to pay for pretty much anything I needed. Books, equipment, tools, materials and more. On the other hand, Liscia barely has any of that.”

“I get what you mean.” Meiko nodded twice. “You mean, if she had more time and resources, she might be at your level or even better?”

“Yes. That’s pretty much it.”

“Oohh.” Meiko’s gaze shifted to the sky. “But why won’t she join Mia then? Pretty much all their financial problem can be solved if she did.”

“Well, you know Liscia, she’s pretty adamant with what she believes. On the other hand, Halbert goes with whatever Liscia decides.”

“That seems a bit…” Meiko flinched at Mola’s words.

“Yeah, not having the ability to decide for yourself is a flaw. Well, Halbert is Halbert, and Liscia is Liscia. Can’t fault them much for who they are. Anyway, they are doing great with that kind of setup, so I guess it’s fine.”

“Yes. I hope they can keep the status quo or do better.”

Liscia looked to the board in front and back to her notes. She kept repeating the same action until she was satisfied with what she wrote. A similar scene could be observed from the other students within the room.

The hands of the clock ticked. Most students focused their attention to the board until the sound of chalk running against a slate stopped. A second after, a bell rang from the hallway. It was soon followed by the clatter of chairs mixed with sighs and voices of delight.

“Uwaah. The lesson literally drained me,” said a student beside Liscia. “Liscia, how about you? Did you understand most of it?”

Liscia tucked her book and her notes into a sack. “Not much, but I think I can catch up with enough reading.”

“You really don’t skimp on studies huh. Must be hard on you…”

Liscia expressed a strained smile. “Not in particular. Someone has it harder than me. So, this much is fine. I can’t let myself be pampered too much.”

“Must be nice to have a boy you can rely on.” The girl chuckled.

Liscia simply smiled and said, “Anyway, see you tomorrow.” Liscia went to the aisle and waved her hand.

“Teach me what you discover next time, Liscia!”

“Sure!”

Liscia walked down the hallway and straight to the school’s lobby. Once she reached the entrance, she was greeted by a familiar face.

“Mia!” Liscia smiled and ran towards Amelia. “It’s been a while since I saw you wearing that uniform!”

Liscia gave Amelia a quick hug and said, “But I guess you wore that so you don’t can go in and out as you please, right?”

Amelia giggled. “Partly.”

Dressed in a dark-green mantle reaching up to her waist, Amelia returned the hug. Underneath mantle was a plain white blouse paired with a navy-blue knee-length skirt.

“So, why are you here? Did you come to fetch me?” Liscia started walking towards the gate and Amelia followed.

“Pretty much. Anyway, we need to talk. There are… some surprising things I need to inform you.” Amelia expressed a strained smile. “I know we just met again yesterday but I’m already trying to impose something onto you.”

“No! I don’t mind, really.” Liscia chuckled. “We’ve been doing these for so long that the details doesn’t matter much anymore. On the other hand, it’s was fun being with you, Mola, and Max. Imagine meeting an actual Prince and befriending him. That’s no ordinary feat specially for a commoner like me!”

“You’ve befriended two, you know?” Amelia mumbled with a strained smile.

“What? I didn’t hear you there.”

“It’s nothing. Anyway, the usual place won’t do. I have prepared another one though, so let’s go there.”

“Which establishment?”

“I can’t say. It’s a bit too confidential, to be honest. The topic this time will be a bit heavy so I’m really feeling sorry right now.”

Liscia bumped her shoulder against Amelia.

“What’s with you today? Did anything change?”

“Sort of. Anyway, I’ll tell you everything later. For now, let me apologize in advance.”

“Fine. Fine.” Liscia sighed. “I’m guessing it has something to do with that person.”

“There’s that but it’s not the entirety of it.”

“Now that got me thinking.” Liscia tilted her head.

“Frankly, I want to invite you to eat out like we used to and into the usual place. I kind of miss the ambiance, the cafe’s, that is.”

“I know what you mean!” Liscia looked to Amelia in agreement. “I can only eat there when you invite me so it’s been long since I went there. The stuff there is bad for my wallet but great for the tongue.”

Amelia chuckled. “That’s very you, Liscia. Anyway, maybe after we sort out the talk later, if you’re still willing, let’s go and visit.”

“I don’t think some talk will take away my appetite just like that!” Liscia proclaimed.

…

“I think I lost my appetite,” Liscia exclaimed wearing a puzzled expression.

“I apologize, Liscia. I somewhat expected this. So, please, let me treat you when you regain your appetite.”

“Wait, wait, wait. Let me just get this straight. You, Mia, is not actually a personal guard for Her Highness Amelia?”

“It’s somewhat uncomfortable hearing you say my name with honorifics, but yes. I am not a personal guard but the Princess itself. I apologize I have been hiding it from you all this time.”

“Did Mola know?”

Amelia nodded.

“Halbert?”

“No.”

Liscia leaned on her seat and blinked a few times. “I was really surprised you brought me to the residence of Laurel’s Princess. I thought the Princess wanted to meet me since you were telling stories about me to Her Highness. I never thought that you, the Princess, was on my side the whole time… Well, I guess that explains Max’s unusual attraction to you…”

“Sorry.”

Within the school grounds, Liscia met Mia with a brown hair and a hairstyle where a clip parted her fringes to the side. However, the Mia in front of Liscia had a silver hair without the clip.

“It’s really a shock for me.”

“I know. But… aren’t you mad?”

“What? No!” Liscia stood from her seat and placed her hands on the table. “I mean, Royals usually do conceal their identities, right? It’s not unusual for you to do so as well. You are, after all, in a different kingdom.”

Amelia nodded.

“Anyway, please give me a few more minutes to digest everything. I’m pretty sure there still more topics to talk about after revealing your identity.”

“Take all the time you need.”

“Right.”

Liscia took her seat once more and started dwelling on the situation.

Mia! A Princess! An actual Princess! Uwaaahh! I’m friends with an actual Princess just like Max! Is this a dream?! How did this happen?! But really, that explains why Max was head over heels for Mia! I should have known! I thought Max was just going out with Amelia out of concern for the relationship between the Brent and Laurel! I never knew they were THAT close! This is news! A huge news!

Liscia tucked her lips and knitted her brows.

I know it’s too late to think about it now after all that’s happened, but Mia has been treating me to several things for so long! Have I been racking up more debt?! She didn’t put tbs on me, right?! What am I to do?!

“Liscia. You’ve been quiet but I think you’re exaggerating thing in your head.” Amelia chuckled.

“Y-yeah… Kind of…”

Mia is right. No, Princess Amelia is right. Ugh! It really does sound awkward now that I think of it… I’ve been calling her Mia so it’s fine, right? Right?

Liscia exhaled and tried to relax her body.

Ugh… Now is not the time for this… Stop panicking. Right. Just think of Mia as Mia, but with more authority. Maybe I should just ignore her being a Princess and act like I used too. But ugh… I think I’ll be a bit conscious of it for a while… It’ll take a while to get used to it…

“It’s fine if I act like usual, r-right?” Liscia asked, anxious.

“I’d prefer that.”

It’s fine. It’s fine. But really… there’s too much things to ask now that I now her real identity… Why is she here without Max? Did something happen between them? And I know that she isn’t a demon or a devil as the church proclaimed since I’ve been with here for some years, but I must know why she was called as such.

Liscia shook her head.

Those questions can come later. For now, there should be another reason why she’s revealing me all this.

“Her High—”

“Mia is fine, Liscia. We are friends. There is no need to call me with honorifics.”

“But!”

“It’ll be uncomfortable for both of us to suddenly distance ourselves from each other. After all, I do intend to ask you and Halbert to join me at some point.” Amelia expressed an eager smile. “I think highly of you and Halbert, Liscia. That is my opinion as your friend and classmate.”

Liscia shifted her sight to the sight with a light grin one her face. “It’s somehow embarrassing when you say it like that.”

“Now then. Are you fine to continue what we are supposed to talk about?”

“Wait, just let me breathe for a bit.” After inhaling and exhaling thrice, Liscia said, “Okay, hit me.”

Amelia snickered. “Sometimes you say weird phrases. Anyway, first things first, Mei, or Meiko, is also a Hero.”

An audible clap resounded within the room. “Sorry, let me sink that information for a moment.”

Liscia contemplated once more with the palm of her hands covering her face.

Uwaahh… First, I am friends with a Princess and now a Hero? Just what is going on with my life? Have I really been treading a dangerous life all this time? Wait… if Mei is a Hero and Mia a Princess, don’t tell me—

“Don’t tell me Mola is—”

“Mola is just Mola.”

Liscia heaved a sigh. “Then, Uhm… Gla— I mean, uh… What was his real name again?”

For a moment, Amelia kept chuckling to the side. “All of you have been way too cruel to Albert. Well, Mola was the one who came up with his very generic nickname which stuck to most people.”

“Y-yeah… It was Albert. I remember now.”

His name was Albert?! Has Mola mentioned that name before?!

“And No. Albert is neither a Prince nor a Noble. He is like Mola.” Amelia cut to the chase.

“Good thing. For one second there, I thought I was mistreating someone of importance.”

“So you were aware you were mistreating Albert?” Amelia chuckled.

“No, not really. I mean, if we were friends it’s fine. But if he was an important person and I kept calling him Glasses… it’s definitely a different case. Oh! The same applies to you, Her Hi—”

“Mia.”

“Right.”

“Now since you seem fine now, I’ll go straight to the main topic. I’ll explain the details after.”

Liscia nodded.

“Liscia, please help me dive deeper into the labyrinth. By that, I mean going deeper through the unknown route you and the others previously took with Meiko.”

“Ah, right. Those things. But Mola and I visited that route a few times, but it wasn’t always open.”

“Regarding that… there’s something Mola hasn’t shared with you…”

“Huh?”

“From Mola’s finding’s, the route only opens at the presence of a Hero. You see, you were with Meiko so…”

Liscia’s eyes shot wide open. “Ah! Now that you say it, the puzzle piece falls right into place!”

“Though Mola isn’t really sure how the labyrinth distinguishes an ordinary human from a Hero.”

“I think we should leave that for later.”

“Agreed.”

“Well then I’ll discu—”

“Wait.” Liscia interrupted. “Before that, I have a question.”

“You may do so.”

“You’re a Princess, right? Knowing you… You’ll join the exploration, correct?”

Amelia expressed a strained smile. “You really know where to hit where it’s difficult.”

“I think that’s the first problem you’ll encounter though.”

Amelia sighed. “I’m still polishing my plan on how to do this smoothly. And I don’t have much time to spare anyway. I’m not really sure how long Mother and Brother can hold Father back before forcefully taking me back to the capital.”

Liscia flinched. “Did… something happen?”

“Don’t mind it. It’s a problem of my own.” Amelia waved her hands to dismiss the thought. “Anyway, I still have to prepare several things before we can start the exploration. There’s also the fact that my personal guards will still arrive in about four to six days so there’s a lack in physical manpower…”

Liscia grimaced. “Sounds tough.”

Amelia chuckled. “Can’t deny that. Anyway, about the exploration. We’ll have to—”