After several rounds of struggle, the three of them finally managed to defeat the half-destroyed magic mirror boss.
The news of clearing the first-floor boss quickly spread throughout the maze.
Talia removed her cloak and wrapped it around the princess's waist.
Due to the mechanics of the maze, even though they had defeated the room's boss, it would respawn after a while. However, the entrance to the second floor was now officially open.
Instead of entering the second floor, the three of them chose to exit the maze.
Romon didn't ask many questions. The secret of the demon was the princess's secret, a royal secret, and he didn't want to get too involved.
As long as the incident of the explosion affecting the princess's backside remained a secret, everything would be fine.
"Lord Romon."
Suddenly, as they walked along the mountain path through the forest after leaving the maze, Princess Angelia called out to Romon, and this time, her address had changed.
"Your Highness, please speak. I am at your service."
"The demon we saw today now resides within my body. As for why, I cannot tell you yet, but this situation is by no means of my choosing. I originally had no intention of coming to Thune Territory. It was only after hearing about the maze's boss that I followed the royal procession, just to test today's outcome. Although you all heard that it was a weakened projection of the demon, for me, it was still a valuable training experience, because I have no other way to deal with it," the princess said, her pace gradually slowing. "Lord Romon, after this, I will continue my training here as an ordinary adventurer."
"Ah?"
"No, I mean, Your Highness, you bear the mission of collecting taxes for the Empire. I have already prepared the magic crystal ores. When should they be shipped to the imperial capital?"
Romon didn't want the princess to stay.
She was a ticking time bomb—who knew when she might die out there, and if the king were enraged, he could easily wipe out Thune Territory and everyone in it.
Besides.
If the princess were allowed to stay, she obviously couldn't be housed in the village. She'd have to stay in the castle.
The layout of the castle already had clear distinctions of rank, and with her status as a princess, she would undoubtedly need to stay in the most prestigious master bedroom.
That would be asking for trouble!
Moreover, according to the simulation, wasn't the princess supposed to return? He had followed the preset plan to the letter—how could something go wrong now?
"Let's discuss the taxes tomorrow."
"Then I'll escort you to change," the princess offered.
...
The next day.
The Mine.
Princess Angelia wore a blue gown, and behind her were the royal knights. They had already received the news and knew that Lord Thune had discovered a vein of magic crystal ore.
Using such ores to pay taxes was a common practice.
"Lord Romon, have you calculated the value of these magic crystal ores? If the final amount doesn't match the taxes you owe, His Majesty the King will bring down punishment," the old knight, Gernilongden, said with a sarcastic tone.
"Otherwise, do you think the king sent you here just to sit around? Hurry up and settle the accounts. We both know the market price, and once we're done calculating, the responsibility is yours, not mine," Romon replied.
Seeing the old knight about to lose his temper, Princess Angelia spoke up. "This is indeed part of our duty, Sir Gernilongden. Begin the calculation, knights!"
Before them was a mountain of magic crystal ore, so much that several carts wouldn't be enough to carry it all.
The amount of tax that Thune Territory had to pay annually was outrageous. Without discovering this ore vein, Thune Territory could never have paid its own taxes, even if they sold the entire land.
While the stones were being sorted, they also had to test the purity of the magic crystals within. This was the key to pricing the ore.
Ores with higher purity were more valuable, as they could yield more magic crystals.
In this regard, if Gernilongden wanted to cause trouble, it would be easy for him to label the high-quality ore as poor-quality, or vice versa.
So.
Romon didn't sit idly by either. He found a nearby spot, sat down, and kept an eye on the old knight's work.
You inspect my ore, I'll inspect you.
As for the princess, she naturally wasn't going to get involved directly; she was also a watcher in this process.
"Lord Romon, have you thought about yesterday's matter?" Princess Angelia wandered around the ore pile, and before long, she found herself standing in front of Romon.
"What matter?" Romon asked.
"The maze. My matter."
To bring up the same topic twice, the princess was clearly lowering her pride.
Romon didn't know how to refuse politely. He had made himself clear yesterday, so why was she asking again today?
Was he really supposed to tear up his face and just throw her out?
Noticing Romon's silence, the princess crossed her arms and quietly whispered beside him, "If you don't speak, I'll report to Sir Gernilongden that you were spying on my body yesterday."
"W-What?"
Romon broke into a cold sweat. Spying on the princess's body? That was worse than any punishment for killing the princess—it would be a death sentence, and he'd never see his younger brother again.
He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Well, you can go rest in Stone Town. If you register as an adventurer there, you can join the main group and go adventuring in the Thune Great Maze every day."
This was his final concession.
At worst, he could hire people during the day. If she died in Stone Town at night, then that would be the responsibility of the lord of Stone Town.
"So, that's fine?" the princess asked, then, without giving him a chance to elaborate further, she turned and walked off.
Thinking it over, Romon realized that, yes, the princess could indeed leave his territory.
The tax calculations went on from morning until night, and Romon watched as the piles of ore were moved from one side to the other.
Even by night, they had to light a campfire so the knights could continue working by lamplight.
By the time the next dawn arrived, the final tally of the ore had been completed.
"Yawn~~"
Romon stretched and yawned. He had been keeping a close eye on Gernilongden, who seemed to have better stamina than him— the old man hadn't yawned once throughout the entire process.
"Lord Romon, the inventory is finished. You've been overseeing the process the whole time, so you should have an idea of whether there's a shortfall or an excess," Gernilongden said.
"Return any excess to me," Romon replied.
"Excess? It's clearly a shortage! Are you daring to miss any of His Majesty the King's taxes?" Gernilongden retorted.
Romon shrugged. If there was a shortage, they could just count the stones in the next pile over.
No one could get these things 100% accurate anyway; calculating concentration and weight under the current conditions was tricky.
"Enough," a voice interrupted. Princess Angelia approached from a short distance, carrying something with her. "Sir Gernilongden, have you fulfilled your knightly duties?"
Upon hearing this.
Gernilongden quickly bowed and answered with the proper knightly respect. "I have."
"Then, please sign the receipt agreement with Lord Romon."
The princess said, extending the agreement toward Gernilongden.
This was what Romon had been waiting for. By handing over a large amount of ore, it would be converted into the equivalent of another large forest's worth of money, and in return, Romon would receive the tax clearance certificate issued by the king.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Gernilongden said, not daring to say another word. He immediately signed the document, confirming that the Royal Knights had completed their inspection. Once Romon signed, the matter would be concluded.
He could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
However, Gernilongden had clearly been lying earlier. There was no shortage, but he had claimed there was one—this was clearly fraud.
Only when the princess mentioned the knight's duty did he become honest.
"Sir Gernilongden, now that you've signed, if anything is missing, incorrect, or miscounted, you'll be held responsible."
Romon said as he signed his name.
"Of course. I'll take responsibility."
Gernilongden replied, speaking with utmost certainty.
But then.
Princess Angelia spoke again: "Gernilongden, you don't need to take responsibility anymore. Your role in this tax collection is over. I will now take over the taxes. You can return with your men."
At those words, Gernilongden's face turned pale.
The Royal Knights had swaggered out of the imperial capital, only to return empty-handed?
"Your Highness, what? I should return with my men?" Gernilongden asked, unable to believe his ears.
"Yes, that's right. You didn't hear wrong. Now, you are to return with them all to the imperial capital and report to my father."
"And... what about you, Your Highness?"
Gernilongden's heart began to race. He had a sinking feeling, but he dared not believe it. He had to probe further.
"I won't be returning for now."
The princess's words made Gernilongden's already uneasy heart sink.
"Your Highness, this…"