The Princess's Flavor

Higashino Makoto didn't send her away. He carried the princess into the next room, which was warmer than the prison cell and had a bed and a table.

He placed the princess on the bed; her body sank into the soft mattress, her silver hair spreading out on the pillow.

She bit her lip, her fingers gripping the sheets tightly until her knuckles turned white.

He unlocked the chains binding her.

The princess's eyes widened slightly, as if she hadn't expected him to do that.

Her body jerked instinctively, as if she wanted to run, but then froze.

Just as her foot was about to touch the ground, Higashino Makoto pressed down on her shoulder.

"Don't rush to run."

His voice was calm.

"It's not over yet."

Tears finally welled up in the princess's eyes, her lips trembled, she wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say.

Higashino Makoto's fingers slid from her shoulder to her collar, gently pulling it open. The icy blue fabric slipped down in the dim light, revealing her slender shoulders.

Her tears finally fell.

"You'll get your comeuppance."

Her voice was hoarse, but her tone didn't sound like Curse; it was more like talking to herself.

Higashino Makoto didn't stop.

There's really not much to say about this.

It was nothing more than tearing off clothes, suppressing struggles, and enduring the sobbing curses and the occasional leaks of breath.

She didn't bite him; she just buried her face in the pillow, her shoulders trembling.

Her curses gradually subsided, transforming from those of a princess into those of a woman, from clenching her teeth to soft sobs.

He rolled over and lay down beside her, catching his breath.

But after thinking about it, he didn't make a move. He simply walked up to her and sat down opposite her.

"The Russia Lostbelt will soon cease to exist. Even Ivan the Terrible has been taken to another world by me. It's only a matter of time before the Yaga leave. In the end, perhaps only you will remain in that world."

Anastasia's fingers tightened slightly on the fabric of her knees, and her lips trembled slightly.

"You took them all away? What are you going to do with them?! Where did you take them?"

"Just give them a place where they can survive. My original plan was to take you there, but since you've said that, wouldn't it be a disservice if I didn't do something?"

Anastasia lowered her head and looked at her hands.

Her hands were still trembling slightly. Her voice was very soft, almost as if she were talking to herself.

"They... can they still survive?"

"Sure."

She remained silent for a long time. Then she raised her head and looked at him with her icy blue eyes.

"Why help them? You could easily kill them, destroy the world, and end it all. Why waste so much effort trying to take them away?"

Higashino Makoto looked at her, his eyes devoid of any other emotion.

"Because I like it, I want them to live, so I let them live. It has nothing to do with you, nothing to Lostbelt, it's just that I wanted to do it."

Anastasia looked at him for a long time, then the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. She then covered her face with her hand, not wanting Higashino Makoto to see her expression.

"You're such a weirdo."

He stood up and walked towards the door.

"You'll stay here. I'll let you out once you've thought it through and are willing to cooperate."

"What if I never figure it out?... Will you let me go?"

Higashino Makoto thought about it and then declined.

"No. You killed so many people in Chaldea, and although I resurrected you, things can't just end like this. You have a special status and are one of the core figures in the Lostbelt. Letting you go won't benefit me or Chaldea."

So you're going to lock me up for life?

"Keep them locked up until you don't care anymore."

She didn't answer, but simply pulled the blanket tighter around herself, shrinking into the corner of the bed like a cat soaked by the rain.

Utaha leaned against the door frame, looking at the princess and Higashino Makoto on the bed. She tilted her head slightly, and after a moment, she turned and walked away, her footsteps fading into the distance in the corridor.

Higashino Makoto turned his head to look at the princess's silver head buried in the blanket, and reached out to ruffle her hair.

She didn't flinch or move; she simply buried her face deeper into the blankets.

"Then stay here, but I'll come to see you from time to time."

After all, the princess's food tastes really good!

He pushed open the door, walked out, and the door closed behind him.

Anastasia sat in the darkness, staring at the closed door.

The sound of the wind outside seeped in through the crack in the door, carrying the scent of snow.

She lowered her head, looked at her hands, placed them on her knees, and closed her eyes.

What happened next was simple: Ivan the Terrible gathered them together, and Higashino Makoto opened the door and let them in.

When Higashino Makoto returned to Novas Etier, Utaha was leaning against the wall in the corridor waiting for him.

She changed her clothes. No longer the black maid outfit, but a dark purple casual dress with the neckline open, revealing a section of her collarbone.

She held a cup of black tea in her hand, her dark red eyes looking at him.

"Is it all done?"

"Yes. The Yaga are basically settled. Ivan the Terrible is watching over them, and the princess's situation is also barely resolved."

Utaha tilted her head.

"Nailed it?"

"I handed over management to her; it wouldn't be right to keep her locked up forever."

"What did she say?"

She scolded me, and then agreed.

Utaha's lips curled up slightly; she wasn't surprised by the situation.

"You really know how to sweet-talk people."

Higashino Makoto didn't reply. He went into the room and sat down at his desk.

A map lay open on the table, showing the locations of the seven Lostbelt.

Russia has already drawn a circle, indicating that it has conquered all six. Six more remain: Scandinavia, Britain, the Qin, India, Greece, and South America.

He stared at the map for a long time, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

Utaha walked behind him and placed the teacup beside him.

Which one to choose?

"Have no idea."

Higashino Makoto took the six-sided die out of the drawer and weighed it in his palm.

He had handled the dice until they were smooth as a mirror, with a slightly warm sheen at the edges.

He looked at it for a long time, wrote down a few Lostbelt, and then threw the dice on the table.

The dice bounced twice on the table, rolled about half a circle, and then stopped.

The side facing upwards is South America.

Higashino Makoto stared at that side for two seconds.

"The South American Lostbelt, the world of dinosaurs."

Utaha walked to his side and looked down at the dice.

"Dinosaur?"

"Yes. There's a civilization there that belonged to the dinosaurs, and also ORT."

"ORT?"

"The monster slumbering beneath the South America earth is, by this world's standards, capable of destroying the Earth's ecosystem. But anyway, I have nothing to fear in this world. If I can't win, I just run. This world is just one of many Garden."

Higashino Makoto didn't actually think he would lose, so he stood up and put the dice away.

"Let's go see the dinosaurs."

Utaha looked at him.

"Now?"

"Now, let's finish this quickly so we can move on to the next one."

He walked towards the door, with Utaha following behind him. The corridor was long, and their footsteps echoed in the empty space.

"By the way, have the Guardians keep an eye on the information regarding the Scandinavia Lostbelt. Interrogate Koyanskaya whenever you have time; I'm quite interested in the Valkyries's crafting blueprints."

After saying that, he stepped into the light of the teleportation magic.

Utaha watched his retreating figure, then followed him; the light engulfed their silhouettes.

After the teleportation spell ended, Higashino Makoto stepped onto the soft grass, with warm and dazzling sunlight overhead.

He squinted and looked ahead. A vast primeval forest unfolded before him, with towering trees rising from the ground, their branches intertwined, blocking out the sun.

In the distance, a giant pterosaur hovered in the sky, its wings gleaming a dark brown luster in the sunlight.

Further away, a city built of megaliths can be vaguely seen, its outline appearing and disappearing in the twilight.