Chapter 34: Our Kind Princess

Dean Anna of the Magic Academy was a plump, middle-aged woman. She wore a pointed hat, just as the stereotype suggested, and held a long staff topped with a blue gemstone. This outfit, combined with special inscriptions, possessed a portion of the power of a “Symbol.”

Dolores explained and described this using roughly accurate terms from her past life. A Symbol was a set effect that required specific conditions to activate. One needed to fulfill certain requirements to receive its blessing, which could be either permanent or temporary. For example, Grimm’s newly acquired “One Who Bathed in Dragon Blood” Symbol only required one to bathe in dragon blood. Meanwhile, for Dolores’s father, King Felts IV, the “King of the Rand People” Symbol required the recognition of the Rand people to grant its power.

Grimm’s Symbol was permanent, but King Felts IV’s Symbol would lose its power if the Rand people stopped recognizing him or if the throne changed hands. This was because the king of a nation was a conceptual existence. Even if a foreign race usurped the throne or was recognized as the “King of the Rand People” by the Pope, they would not gain the power of that Symbol. Simply declaring oneself “King of the Rand People” would not grant the power either; it would not work if the Rand people did not accept it.

Symbols with clear conditions, such as “Ruler of the Surand Region,” only required fulfilling the specific criteria of conceptually ruling the area. There were many sources for a Symbol’s power. For instance, Grimm’s “One Who Bathed in Dragon Blood” came from legends; Silbelle’s power as a Saintess came from a god; King Felts IV’s power came from ancestral lands and legends; and Dean Anna’s power came from both the legends of the first mages and fairy-tale inscriptions.

After planning her next steps, Dolores prepared to set out and continue disaster relief. She wasn’t worried that her father would panic over her disappearance because she wasn’t a prince who could inherit the throne or the Symbol.

“Alberco, what about you?” Dolores turned to ask her. Grimm would undoubtedly follow her.

“I want to stay here with Silbelle,” Alberco answered. “The situation at the school isn’t good either. We can look out for each other if we stay together.”

Dolores nodded. Before returning, she had visited Silbelle to speak with her briefly. She mentioned that she knew the other girl had become a Saintess and wanted to be friends. Silbelle had agreed. Dolores didn’t explain how she knew; she expected Silbelle to assume it was due to some royal privilege. By the time Silbelle noticed any flaws in the story, a long time would have already passed.

Dolores was only worried about this window of vulnerability. During this time, Grimm might discover something if their stories didn’t align. She had also asked about purification-type divine arts, hoping they could help resist the System’s erosion. Silbelle replied that, based on her studies, it would take at least two weeks to learn, but she promised to speed up her progress.

Right now, time was exactly what Dolores lacked most.

Since Alberco had no issues, Dolores looked at Grimm. As expected, he nodded and agreed to go with her. Dolores could see the System panel floating above him:

[Dolores]
[Favorability: 56 (Familiar)]

It hadn’t dropped below the minimum value of 50. However, she couldn’t seem to lower it. The wounds from her past and the morals she had upheld throughout her life made it impossible for her to be cruel. She clearly remembered that before the dragon, Grimm’s favorability toward her had been stuck at 50, but it started changing after they descended into the cavern.

Dolores realized he might have completed some favorability quests. She didn’t know the specific details, but she knew it wasn’t the dragon. The dragon event was time-sensitive, and while character quests weren’t all permanent, the window wouldn’t have been that short. She didn’t know exactly what quest Grimm had completed, but she remembered that the next stage after [Familiar] was [Trust]. Following that were [Like] and [Indescribable].

‘I seem completely unable to resist…’

With the Dean and several teaching assistants joining them, the rest of the journey proceeded without incident. During this time, the skeletal knights from the Kingdom of Suklan had nearly finished clearing the monsters from the outskirts. Dolores walked through several streets, opening royal storehouses multiple times to distribute supplies. Most of the medical supplies were sent back to the university for the medical students to treat the injured.

She received the gratitude of many, who were especially shocked to learn she was a princess. Although Dolores wasn’t confined to the palace, she rarely made public appearances outside of necessary occasions. Even the citizens living in the royal capital only had a vague impression of their country’s princess from major ceremonies. No one expected the Princess to be here, opening and distributing royal property for them. To those mired in hardship, it was no different from an angel descending or a miracle from the gods.

“Thank you… Thank you, Princess.”

Many people had already said similar things to Dolores — guards, citizens, and teachers who had been silenced by the tragedies they witnessed.

Dean Anna stood by Dolores’s side, watching her distribute the goods. “Thank you, Princess. If you are willing, the Academy can bear the cost of these supplies moving forward.”

“Will the Academy agree to that?” Dolores asked before accepting.

“After witnessing so many tragedies, I believe most teachers and students would not remain indifferent out of mercy and morality. I will also seek the support of those stubborn old men. Although we aren’t directly subordinate to the royal family, we all live on the land of Rand. There is no reason to stand by and watch a tragedy unfold.”

Dolores shook her head. “I won’t ask you to bear these losses. This is what the royal family should do. My father and brother didn’t have the chance to do it, so I will. After all, I hold the claim of ‘Princess of the Rand People,’ don’t I? I am the Princess of the Rand People. Even though these are small matters, it’s the most I can do right now. Besides — ” Dolores paused. “As for the cost, maybe I’ll just act a little spoiled toward my father afterward, and it might be fine.”

Since she enjoyed the power, it was difficult for her to ignore the obligations that came with it. This wasn’t because Dolores was exceptionally noble; it was simply because she had transmigrated as a princess. The food and drink she had enjoyed during that time were luxuries unimaginable in her previous life. But having been used to an ordinary life, this sudden prosperity made her instinctively search for a “reason” to accept it with a clear conscience.

Few princess titles were prefixed with “of the people.” However, in the myths of the Rand people, there was a sequel following the story of the chosen hero, the “King of the Rand People.” Within it were two derivative stories: the “Valiant Prince” and the “Gentle Princess.” The term “Princess of the Rand People” was recorded in the princess’s story and had been used in the Kingdom of Rand ever since. While this Symbol didn’t provide a direct power boost like the King’s Symbol, it was a widely recognized claim across the land of Rand.

“If I distribute royal supplies without permission, I’ll be grounded at most. But in someone else’s hands, it could be a matter of losing their head.”

Dolores understood the reality of this world; there was no such thing as “emergency necessity.” Royal property belonged to the royal family until they ceased to exist, regardless of the situation. They wouldn’t consider the commoners unless a Symbol required them to act as a “Kind and Merciful King.”

A princess who opened the storehouses might not be guilty, but why hadn’t the guards performed their duties and stopped her? Since the people knew it was royal property, why did they use it? Even if they were about to die, they shouldn’t have used it. Using it was a crime!

Dolores had countless ways to deflect the blame.

These faults were trivial to her, but for these poor people, they were capital offenses.

Dolores, who had not been in this world long, understood this.

Dean Anna, Grimm, and even Vesperian understood it as well.

That was why Vesperian had hesitated when she first suggested it.

It was also why the Dean offered to pay for the losses; being shrewd, she knew someone had to take responsibility.

If the losses were covered, the offense would be less severe.

Only because this royal property required bloodline identification and because Dolores had opened it personally did people overlook the issue for now.

With the King absent, she undoubtedly represented the royal family. But once everything ended, things would be hard to predict, as the losses were real.

“Thank you, Princess.”

Dean Anna gave a slightly clumsy curtsy, a gesture she had almost forgotten. Dolores was indeed a very good and kind princess. She was worthy of her respect.