3.The player called “Princess”

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

The player called “Princess”
(???’s PoV)
The Kingdom of Nordglacier encompassed almost the entire northern
continent.
Most of the country was covered with snow and ice, and the royal
capital was located on a never-melting lake of ice.
Why such a structure existed, you ask?… One theory was that there
was an ancient underground ruins beneath the ice surface, which was
supported by the NPC’s dialogues.
It was thought that the royal capital of this country was built on top of
this ruins by the people who had to leave their homeland for various
reasons.
Among the four continents currently implemented in this world, this
was the region where many magical-class players were based, as it
excelled in magical techniques and often held events where players
could learn rare spells.
The climate in the southern part of the country was relatively warmer,
about the same as that of Hokkaido in Japan.
Since the seasons in the game were roughly linked to reality, it was now
approaching early summer, and the streets were suddenly becoming
crowded with people who had changed their base of operations here to
seek cooler weather.
At the southernmost tip of this northern continent, there was a
commercial town with a large-scale portal to “Acropolis”, which sit on
an island in the center of the four continents.
It’s natural that this town was bustling with activities, where players
who found it difficult to obtain a business permit in Acropolis set up
their stalls there.
As I stepped through the gate into town, I involuntarily closed my eyes
at the glare of sunlight for the first time in a month in the game…
“…Hey, isn’t that the Princess?”
“Wow, you weren’t joking. It’s been a long time since we last saw her. I
wonder what she’s been up to.”
“Maybe she was raising her level. Being a support class is tough,
especially for such a cute little girl.”
Whoops. It had been so long since I had been out in public that I had
forgotten how eye-catching I was.
Come to think of it, the cloak I used to hide my figure had been
damaged in a recent hunt and was no longer usable, so it had been
removed from my equipment and stored in my inventory as a
malfunctioning item.
My current appearance was that of a pretty white dress with lots of
frills, called the “Maiden Dress”, which was equipment for a high-level
Bishop.
I was dressed in such a conspicuous outfit in the busy central plaza.
By the time my eyesight was restored, it was already too late, and I
looked around and was completely the center of attention.
Even after all these years, I just couldn’t get used to having so many
eyes on me when I’m alone.
“Um, Princess, we’re taking our guild members on a leveling trip, I hope
you wouldn’t mind lending us a hand-”
“…My apologizes, I’m already at the limit of my game time today.”
When I responded with my hands folded in front of my navel, my
viewpoint slightly down at my feet, and consciously trying to “look”
slightly downcast and apologetic, the player in front of me looked
around impatiently, as if he was concerned about the way people were
looking at him.
“Oh, I see… I-It’s already late at night in real life, right… My bad.”
I felt somewhat sorry for him as he apologized in a slurred voice,
because, aside from the presence or absence of an ulterior motive,
what lied at the root was probably kindness. I would be sorry if anyone
around me said anything about it.
“Please don’t worry. If there’s another opportunity, I’d appreciate your
offer.”
I looked up, tilted his head slightly, smiled softly and lightly, bailed
lightly to my stunned friend, and walked away.
After all, I was under an exclusive contract with the management
company and often asked to participate in official events, so I had been
told to be mindful of my words and actions so as not to “damage the
image of the company”.
I trotted my way toward a slightly wider space, then looked back at the
square.
“Sorry for causing a disturbance. I shall take my leave now.”
After lightly picking up the hem of my skirt, I spread the wings on my
back, flapped them, and soared into the sky.
Not many Highborn players chose to fly in the city, because it’s easier
to just walk normally… but I had my own “circumstances”.
Since my “circumstances” were widely known, I received warm words
of encouragement from people around me like “Take care of yourself”.
I smiled and gave a small wave in return, then quickly climbed to the
desired altitude to head for the destination.
Among the recovery-class players, there was a celebrity nicknamed
“Princess” by the playerbase.
That being said, she wasn’t the type of woman surrounded by men and
taking advantage of them.
Rather, she was not very good at being pampered, and was famous for
never accepting gifts given by those who approached her with ulterior
motives.
What made her a celebrity was not only that she was the highest level
of recovery class in terms of both character level and player skill that
could withstand high-end content, but more than that, it was her
appearance… and the perfection of her avatar.
Her name first appeared in the first officially sponsored avatar contest.
At first, all the players looked on with a somewhat blank expression,
thinking that the podium would be occupied by avatars created by
companies anyway.
But when she showed up, an uproar broke out.
One could only ask, how much time and passion had gone into the
creation of her avatar.
Fine waist-length silver hair.
A delicate face as if coming from a fairytale.
A petite frame, no more than 150cm, so slender that seemed to break if
touched.
Her smooth, white porcelain skin also seemed to have been drawn
from scratch, and while it was clothed in a texture that set it apart from
its surroundings, it was just barely at such a level that it wasn’t
completely out of this world.
Combined with the white wings on her backs, a characteristic of the
Highborn race (surprisingly, these wings, too, were not obvious at a
quick glance, but when compared at close range, the fluffy feeling was
completely different), they looked as if angels had descended.
Her gestures were neat and adorable, so much so that one might be
convinced that she was a young noblewoman from somewhere.
…The only flaw of hers was a somewhat awkward walking posture,
perhaps because her legs were lame, but it only aroused a desire to
protect in others.
Meanwhile, within the male playerbase, a certain someone was at the
center of attention.
He seemed to be the brother of the girl from earlier, as their
appearances were somewhat similar. He wasn’t that tall, standing at
170 or so, but his androgynous look suited him well.
His silvery, habit-free silver hair, trimmed around his soldiers, bore a
slight resemblance to the girl from earlier. His elegant, noble
appearance and behavior drew the envy of the women and jealousy of
the men.
It was said that when the “brother and sister” were together, their
beauty was so destructive that some people fainted at the sight of
them.
As a result, the two dominated both the men’s and women’s divisions,
outshining an array of company-produced avatars.
Eventually, at the suggestion of the management, they were given titles
indicating that they were the royalty of their favorite country, and thus
became the semi-official princess and prince of the magical Kingdom of
Nordglacier.
The nickname “Princess” had become reality.
It was said that these events inspired avatar creators to create their
own avatars one day, and that this had led to an increase in the face
deviation level in the game.
The Princess of the North, Iris Nordglacier.
There were rumors here and there that she was actually an NPC
equipped with a high-performance AI under development…
But in truth, the inside of such a princess… was me.
I’m really, really sorry.