It seems that the moment of unconsciousness lasted only for a moment.

　From the darkness, Giselotte's vision returned.



　It seems that she is in the process of collapsing. In the midst of her lack of reality, she heard a man's voice.



"Just because the attacks have stopped, do you suddenly let down your defenses?　You're too careless. Well, I guess it all worked out. You underestimated me!　And then I'd say something like that."



　Caught off guard?　Insulting?　How dare you, who did not allow such a waste! We've run out of magic. Even if we had known that the attack would continue, there was no way to prevent it.



　However, Gieselotte could not help but be concerned about the ongoing "abnormality" before she could vent her chagrin.



　She hit the back of her head hard. I can see the ceiling.

　But her body fell forward (・・・・・).



　Puzzled by the contradictory sensation, he decides that he is on his back, giving priority to visual information, and tries to raise his body. However, his hands were cut off as he tried to reach the floor, and his chest was blocked by the floor, making his hips seem to be floating.

　He has no choice but to get up, thinking that he is on his stomach. A headless body appeared in my vision, on all fours.



(What the heck is this? ......)



　We try to speculate based only on the facts that are currently available to us, while minimizing common sense thinking.

　The answer I came up with is very simple.



　The headless body in front of you belongs to you.



What in the world is this?



　But I don't understand it at all.

　Why am I alive even though my head and body are separated?　Why is the head not connected to the body when it can breathe and move?



"I physically separated my head from my body. But the disconnected surfaces are still connected to each other through the riddle of space-time, so they are not dead."



　It was strange and irritating that he thought he had explained it in this way.



"I don't know. ....... I don't know of any such magic ......."



"Well, just think of it that way. So... I'd like to talk to you, but I think it's rude to keep lying around."



　Gieselotte's displeasure is palpable, as if she has been mocked.

　But it is also humiliating to remain like this.

　She tries hard to move her body,



(d*mn, this ...... right, not that way. (Yea, it's so frustrating!)



　When I am facing my body, I can't help but move it in the opposite direction. I finally get the hang of it and manage to reach for my head, but I end up sticking my fingers in my nostrils. What a mess.



　Somehow, he manages to lift his head up and make it face the same direction as his body. He tries to place the head on his neck, but he is afraid....



"Huh?



　A mysterious force acts on me, and I can't get the cut surfaces to line up. I almost dropped it again.



"The cut surfaces repel each other like the same poles of a magnet. I can't even get the needle through, so I can't sew them together.



"d*mn you!　What do you want from me, to humiliate me like this?



　He stares at the man angrily as he lifts his head.



"The Count of Gordo Semphis, and his family. And their territories."



"What?



Do not touch anything from now on.



I knew you were one of Zemphis' men.



No, it's not. I'm a righteous hero who brings down evil from behind the scenes. I don't have a name yet.



"Evil?　The world's most famous princess of the flashlight is evil!



"I've made up my mind. I don't care what people think of me, and I don't accept nominations."



　The black man continues.



"Don't look so afraid. I don't care what you're planning or what you're doing in the palace. You're free to kick the king out and become queen. For now.



　It was said with a hint of irony.



"But don't mess with the Count of the Frontier or any of his associates for the rest of your life. Easy, isn't it?"



"...... in such a crippled state, you will not be able to suppress the forces that oppose me. I'm sure Lord Semphis will find himself at a disadvantage as a result."



　It was the best I could do at the moment, but it seemed to have an effect.



　The man thought for a moment and then said, "Hmmm.　

　Then he threw something. He had not held anything in his hand until just now.



　The metal object that fell with a thud was...



"A neck ring ......?　And that's not ...... by any chance."



"Cripple collar"?　Well, that one's special. Can't be replaced. But if you wear it, you'll still be free to move. You won't have to hold your head up all the time."



　In the kingdom, anyone who commits a misdemeanor is sentenced to a certain period of community service. During this time, they were restricted in their activities and had to leave their normal lives.

　A sign of this was the wearing of a crude iron collar, known as a "cripple collar".






"I, the queen and the princess of the flashlight, am to suffer the same shame as a sinner!"



"It suits you."



　She bit her back teeth so hard that blood trickled down from between her lips.



"I don't need an answer. Show me by your actions. If you do something I don't like, I will break the spell immediately. A spell I cast after I cut off her head. When I break it, you'll see ......, won't you?"



　--Death.



　Blood will gush from the severed surface and your life will be cut short immediately. Even if you immediately use the highest level of healing magic, you may or may not make it .......



I'm done talking. Good bye.



　With these words, the man simply disappeared, melting into the darkness.





　In the silence, as if time had stopped, Gieselotte staggers forward. She folds her knees, supports her head with one hand and reaches out with the other.



　The cold touch of the steel stops her hand involuntarily.

　It is humiliating to be at the mercy of a man, but can I really trust his word?



(If they were going to kill you, they would have done it already. ......)



　There must be a reason not to.

　If he dies, the country will be in chaos with those who want to be next in line. Is that what he didn't want?

　Even if he did, he could take the country by himself if he is so powerful. In fact, it would be more convenient for the man if the country was in ruins.



　The queen stopped to think.



　Click.

　She put a collar on her neck. Strangely enough, the head and body, which had been repelling each other, stuck together, pulling in opposite directions.

　She staggered to her feet and went to the mirror.

　Her once lustrous black hair is now shaggy, and her face looks exhausted. And the collar of a sinner. She was a pitiful figure indeed.



　Gieselotte was born into an aristocratic family in the midst of decline, but because of her high potential, she was educated as a gifted girl by the whole country and grew up as expected.

　She was truly gifted and ran at the top of the elite course.



　His glorious history is without a single cloud.

　No, except for one thing, the birth of a child of extremely poor quality.



　And yet, we are on our way to even greater heights.

　We cannot allow ourselves to break our knees and stand still!



Oh, my God!



　Impulsively, I put my hand on his collar. The collar had no lock and could be easily removed by snapping off the clasp,



"Whoa, whoa!"



　Instantly, his head shot up to the ceiling.

　I tried my best to predict where it would fall and catch it, but the head slipped out of my hands and hit the floor with a thud. The head hit him hard on the face, and blood dripped from his proud nose.

　Groping for a collar, he finally put the head back where it belonged, out of sight.



　How awkward it must have been to be on all fours, licking the floor.

　How awkward it must have been to be on all fours, licking the floor, when you were the much-lauded "Princess Flash" and the country's highest office was just a stone's throw away.



"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha,......gu,......gu,......gu,............"



　For the first time in her life, the woman, who had been bathed in the light and kept her voice down, shed tears.



　



　After that day, the queen rarely appeared on official occasions.

　At first, her wearing of the collar was seen as , but it was later revealed to be an accidental fit that never came off. >>Speculation began to fly.

　The fact that the mark of the sinner was later changed to a bracelet instead of a collar encouraged the speculation. The king's disregard for her behavior made her an easy target for those who were angry with her.



　The queen's prestige was slowly and surely eroded.

　While keeping the line where civil war does not occur.

　The fear of death that clung to her neck kept her in fear.



　



　Five years have passed.