Now, this—this wasn't half bad.
That day became the noisiest and most fun day Tony could remember.
All Tony had done was announce that citizens could open shops, hand out gold coins, and construct buildings along the road. With the city system, these were easy tasks to wrap up quickly, and he hadn't expected that such simple actions could produce such a lively scene. You can build shops, but you can't build customers.
And even though the goods lining the shops were things easily obtained through the system, going around to look at them was surprisingly enjoyable.
No matter where he showed his face, the citizens welcomed him with open arms.
Tony's area usually had a fair number of people, but having this many gather in one place was unprecedented. Everyone seemed caught up in the excitement, but every once in a while, something like this wasn't so bad.
The citizens who had opened shops all gave Tony and the others a warm welcome. Some tried to hand over merchandise for free, and a few were so moved they fainted.
There was no particular meaning to gathering people in shops at this point. But the fact that not a single one of his subordinates complained was probably because they were thinking the same thing as Tony. Within that frenzy, there was possibility. There was a future.
The sun set, and they returned to base. But the excitement showed no signs of cooling.
"Man, I can't believe there were that many people in my area. Well, I knew the numbers, but..."
"There are cities in the outside world where you see that kind of scene every day."
"Seriously!? That's something I'd wanna see at least once."
Tony was genuinely surprised by the words of the man who had sparked today's scene—Klye.
Today, Tony's area was probably the most bustling in the history of Code, yet there were cities where such a sight was an everyday occurrence.
At those words, Alicia—whose smile had never wavered even as she wandered the city in confusion—lit up and spoke.
"Klye! You said you'd show me, right?"
"...When the opportunity comes."
"Hey, hey, don't make promises you can't keep."
If Tony was unexpected, Alicia was equally unexpected.
Alicia Code was a bright, energetic girl. He'd confirmed her appearance several times recently through the city system, but seeing her in person, she exceeded any impression he'd had beforehand.
Despite supposedly having been shut away for so long, there was no shadow on her face, and above all—according to the records, she had clearly grown in just these past few days.
Receiving stimulation from the outside world and having her emotions stirred, Alicia had changed both physically and mentally. The old Alicia had been like a beautiful doll, but anyone who saw her now would not have the same impression.
The problem was that the battle for the throne was just around the corner.
The outcome was already visible.
Angus would win. There was no reason for him to lose. He didn't know whether Nora was aware of it, but Tony could roughly see the military forces Angus commanded.
Up until now, it wouldn't have mattered if Angus won, but the situation had changed slightly.
What his brother aimed for was a stronger Code. That cautious, serious brother of his probably wouldn't want the policies Tony had enacted today, and he certainly wouldn't want Alicia to survive.
Their mistake had been not interfering with the surveillance, since there was nothing to hide.
Angus had certainly observed Tony and the others today as well. And he would have thought: Alicia is dangerous.
The current Alicia was too radiant to dismiss as just a spare.
Today's shopping trip would have attracted just as much attention as Tony himself. Alicia had the power to move people's hearts.
It wasn't much power yet, but if left unchecked, it could become troublesome.
And the one who had drawn it out was Klye Andrich.
If Angus took the throne, Alicia and Klye would undoubtedly be executed. And measures like what Tony had done today would be forbidden.
But that was just too—boring.
Was there nothing he could do... If only this situation had come about a bit sooner, there might have been something he could work with...
"Once the king changes, there's no telling what'll happen. But we probably can't leave the city, and we can't do things like this either."
"Brother Tony, if you became king, would you open lots of shops?"
"That's impossible, I'm telling you. Let me make this clear—even the Thunder Emperor couldn't overturn the kind of power my brother has."
Angus's military buildup had progressed far beyond what Tony had initially estimated.
The one who had accomplished that was Gene Gordon, who had come from outside and become his chief strategist. The man had arrived in Code a few years ago, promptly crushed the nobles under Angus's command, and secured the position of strategist. After that, it hadn't taken long for Angus's already considerable forces to become unshakable.
No matter how he calculated it, there was no chance of winning in a straight fight.
But Klye showed no reaction to Tony's words. He simply smiled at Alicia.
"Well, just sit back and leave it to me. I have my own plan. I won't do anything to hurt you."
"!! Brother Tony, let's leave it to Klye! My bodyguard is extremely capable!"
Alicia's eyes sparkled as she tugged on Tony's arm. Her expression held deep trust.
Tony didn't think Klye was the kind of man who warranted that much trust.
Sure, his words were interesting and he'd produced unbelievable results, but at the end of the day, his overall rating was a 4. The criteria were unclear, but there was a strong theory that the rating included not just ability but motivation as well. In other words, the man before him should have neither ability nor motivation.
But—maybe that was exactly what mattered most.
There was no point in struggling at this stage. Besides, there was a possibility.
Klye had found a loophole in the system and unlocked the king's lock. To defeat Angus, that kind of miracle was necessary.
Tony removed his sunglasses and stared intently at Klye's face.
"I see... If Alicia says that much, maybe I should leave everything to you. If there's anything I can do, just say the word."
And besides, that choice was probably the most—interesting.
Klye blinked at Tony's words, thought for a moment, then offered a half-smile.
"For now, there's actually nothing in particular—but, sorry, could you fix the little spider you broke? Your Highness wants to ride it."
§ § § In the end, the sightseeing tour with Your Highness ended in great success.
They met Zachary, met Nora, and met Tony.
There were various unexpected developments—recruiting Kuubi as a companion, Your Highness throwing tantrums, a shop springing up at Tony's place—but as long as Your Highness had enjoyed herself throughout, there shouldn't be any problem.
Despite walking around extensively and talking to all sorts of people, Your Highness showed no signs of fatigue. If anything, compared to before departure, she seemed overflowing with energy.
"Klye, that was fun!"
"Yeah, yeah. Glad to hear that."
It seemed she had relieved her stress as well, which was the most important thing. To think she'd been locked up until recently—unbelievable.
"So, where are we going tomorrow? We came back, but—"
"Hmm... let me think. How about we take a ride on the spider Tony fixed?"
"!!"
Your Highness nodded eagerly. Her vitality was overwhelming.
They took a route with fewer people than Nora's or Tony's area and arrived at the familiar building where Your Highness lived. She went inside, and just as Klye was about to follow, he was called out to in a cool tone.
"Klye-san, so... what exactly is this plan of yours? If there's work for us here, I'd like you to share it."
"Ah, the plan. Don't worry, don't worry—no need to share, no need at all."
...Once Kaiser and Saya rescue Prince Angus and regroup, we'll just flee with all the other royals.
The detailed strategy would be handled by Kaiser and Saya as the main planners. Having capable allies sure was convenient.
"...I'll do as I please, Thousand Transformations. I don't know what you're thinking, but I have no interest in playing house. When this plan of yours starts, call me."
Kuubi tossed those words over his shoulder and left. Did he not have any awareness that he was a criminal?
Even while escorting Your Highness today, he'd been making sour faces the whole time as if deep in thought...
"Then Klye, I'll be heading back as well. I need to train with the anti-Code weapons."
The Wailing Evil Spirit dropped those ominous words and departed. Everyone had too much energy.
Klye was already tired, so he decided to call it a night. With a sigh, he entered Your Highness's building.
§ § § —And before he knew it, Klye was lying in a strange room.
A dazzlingly bright high ceiling. An endlessly expansive metal floor, with transparent walls.
He shook his half-asleep head several times and managed to sit up.
Yesterday, after finishing the sightseeing tour, he'd put a bed outside Your Highness's room and gone to sleep.
Into his confused ears came a familiar, hoarse voice.
"Well done, Klye Andrich. You've exceeded Code's expectations."