Prologue

There were three calamities that had befallen the Kingdom of Nevel in the game Welcome to the Hidden World: war, the demon lord’s revival, and a plague.

My current objective was to prevent the last of those.

In the game, the plague spread from the south and then throughout Nevel in the blink of an eye. Nobody knew where it’d come from or how to treat it. Many of Nevel’s subjects, already fatigued from the war, succumbed to the illness, and a significant number of deaths ensued.

Unlike in the game, the present version of Nevel had managed to avoid a war with Skelluts. The threat of conflict with Lapter still loomed large, but a fragile equilibrium had been maintained. Nevel’s current future was clearly divergent from the game’s, and perhaps there would be no pandemic. However, it’d be too dangerous to use that optimistic appraisal in my decision-making.

I’d begun to search for a medicine, knowing that a countermeasure for the disease was necessary, but the task had proved surprisingly difficult. What was worse, another problem had surfaced—apparently, Lapter had begun talks with Nevel’s ally, Vint.

Lapter was located to Nevel’s northeast, and Vint to Nevel’s west. If those two nations joined forces, then Nevel would face a crisis. That situation just couldn’t be allowed to transpire. Therefore, a plan had been devised; to prevent that potentially hostile alliance, and to strengthen our ties with Vint, I was to be married off to their crown prince.

My reward for doing my best in this world and for breaking dangerous flags was a one-way ticket to another country. What a joke.

When I refused, my father had named the conditions for avoiding the marriage: “demonstrate your value” and “accomplish something.” Those were impossible tasks for a princess with barely any authority, but I hadn’t the slightest intention of throwing the towel in.

Political marriages might be the duty of princesses, but I wasn’t having it.

Throughout everything, I’d worked to achieve my goal of marrying the royal guard captain, whom I adored. I’d come too far to even consider giving up on that.

I’ll stop the pandemic and, no matter what, remove myself from the foreign engagement route!