Chapter 15: The Princess Learns the Heart of “Zen” in the Library

“…Good morning, Master!”

Nine o’clock in the morning.

The moment I unlocked the library door, a lively greeting flew at me.

Standing rigidly at attention in front of the entrance was the red-haired princess, Hilda-sama.

“…Good morning, Hilda-sama.
You’re right on time for opening.”

“Indeed!
A warrior’s morning is early.
I could not allow myself to keep Master waiting!”

She smiled brightly and snatched my belongings out of my hands to carry them for me.

It was completely the behavior of a subordinate.

Having a princess of a nation carry my bags was outrageous disrespect, but since she insisted that it was “training,” I had decided to accept it.

“Then let us begin today’s training as well!”

“Yes, yes.
First… let’s have some tea.”

Suppressing a yawn, I headed toward the usual sofa.

Over the past few days, my work environment had changed dramatically.

One could say that a foreign substance had entered the quiet space.

Hilda-sama came every single day, closely observing my “slacking.”

When I sat on the sofa drinking tea and gazing absentmindedly out the window—

“…I see.
Not focusing the gaze on a single point, but taking in the whole at once.
So this is the state of ‘clear mirror, still water.’”

Hilda-sama nodded beside me, taking notes with a serious expression.

When I postponed troublesome paperwork and started knitting instead—

“The repetition of simple tasks to unify the spirit.
Sharpening the sensations of the fingertips and dispelling stray thoughts… profound!”

Hilda-sama was so moved that she tried to grab knitting needles herself.

…This is awkward.

Extremely awkward.

Every lazy action I took was being given lofty meaning without permission.

Even when I denied it, she would reply with,
“Do not be so modest!”

So I had given up correcting her.

“…Master.
What is today’s training menu?”

After finishing her tea, Hilda-sama asked with sparkling eyes.

She looked like she was itching to move her body.

Perfect timing.
There was a bit of physical labor today.

“Let’s see.
Today we’ll do training to learn the ‘weight of knowledge.’”

I gave it a suitably impressive title.

“I’d like to move the ‘Complete Royal Code of Laws, all fifty volumes’ from that shelf to the one over there.
…If you can carry them using only spirit and willpower, that would be ideal.”

“W-What, with willpower…!?”

“If that’s impossible, using your hands is fine.”

“Yes, ma’am!
I’ll try!”

Hilda-sama rolled up her sleeves.

Each volume was as heavy as a brick, and fifty of them together would normally require several adult men.

If I tried it myself, a back injury would be guaranteed.

However—

“Hnngh!!”

Hilda-sama lifted all fifty volumes at once.

The books were stacked like a tower, yet perfectly stable in her arms.

Her balance and strength were abnormal.

“W-Where should I take them!?”

“To that empty shelf over there.
…Please place them quietly and carefully.
If you make a sound, it’s a failure.”

“Understood!”

She moved on tiptoe and placed the books onto the shelf with astonishing delicacy.

Not a single thud echoed.

“…Finished!
How was that, Master!?”

She turned back, wiping sweat from her brow.

I gave her a heartfelt round of applause.

“Excellent.
That was flawless form.”

“Ohh…!
Not merely lifting weight, but the difficulty of controlling it…
I feel as though I have conversed with my muscles!”

She gazed at her own biceps in deep emotion.

A happy person.

Thanks to her, my back had been saved.

This was truly a win-win relationship.

After labor comes reward.

“Let’s take a break.”

From my basket, I took out Mina-san’s homemade chocolate chip cookies.

They were large, simple cookies, packed with chunky chocolate.

“Here you go.
Replenishing sugar is also part of training.”

“My thanks.”

Hilda-sama took a cookie and examined it closely.

Then she took a bite.

Crunch.

“…!!”

Her eyes flew wide open.

“What is this…!
It’s sweet!
And strength wells up within me!”

“They’re from a bakery in the lower town.
Not the refined flavor nobles prefer.”

“No, they’re delicious!
In the Empire, our rations are nothing but hard bread and dried meat.
This is the first time I’ve had provisions that truly satisfy the heart!”

She began devouring the cookies at a furious pace.

With her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel’s, she almost looked like a girl her actual age.

“…Master.”

After finishing her third cookie, she grew serious.

“Until now, I believed that strength itself was justice.
That survival of the fittest was the law of the world.”

“Well, in nature, that’s true.”

“But it is different here.
You do not wield a sword, nor use magic to attack.
And yet, you are stronger than anyone, and you create… a space of comfort.”

She looked around the library.

The western sunlight streaming in.
The clean, dust-free air.
The neatly arranged books.

“Perhaps ‘strength’ is not only about defeating enemies.
…Perhaps organizing a space and healing people is also a form of strength.”

“…You’re overestimating me.”

I smiled wryly.

I simply wanted to be comfortable.

I only arranged the environment for my own sake.

“No.
I wish to learn from you.
…To know that the Empire’s way is not the only answer.”

Her eyes were clear.

At first, I had thought her nothing more than a muscle-brained battle fanatic, but she was trying in her own way to think about her country and broaden her perspective.

An honest and straightforward person.

“…Well, you can keep coming until you’re satisfied.
Having extra hands is helpful.”

“My gratitude!”

Hilda-sama beamed and popped the remaining cookies into her mouth.

“Oh, that reminds me, Master!
As thanks, I would like to offer something as well!”

“Something?”

“Yes!
You enjoy cleaning, do you not?
But even using magic must be tiring.
Therefore, I wish to present a ‘state-of-the-art magitech device’ from my homeland!”

She puffed out her chest confidently.

“A fully autonomous cleaning golem, developed by the Empire’s technology division at full capacity!
With this, Master can make the room spotless without lifting a single finger!”

“Oh, that does sound convenient.”

I was genuinely interested.

Something like a fully automatic vacuum cleaner, perhaps.

If I had that, I could save the effort of using my 《Cleanse》 magic.

A perfect item for laziness.

“It will arrive tomorrow.
Look forward to it!”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

I smiled.

Convenient tools were more than welcome.

Let me see this technological prowess the Empire prides itself on.

…However.

I had forgotten one thing.

That the Eastern Empire was a nation built on the macho philosophy that
“Output is justice” and
“Bigger is better.”

And the next day.

The moment I saw what was delivered, I cursed my own naïveté.

It was, no matter how you looked at it, a small tank.