The Scholars Take It Too Seriously The kingdom was still buried under millions of ‘Sacred Wisdom’ papers. Hana was trying to recover from her fever. But the scholars of Aikyo had other plans.
In the grand Royal Library, a group of esteemed scholars sat in absolute silence. The table before them was piled high with colorful papers. Beside it, an entire bookshelf now contained 17 thick, leather-bound volumes.
One of them, an elderly historian, adjusted his glasses. "...Volume 17 is complete," he whispered.
Another scholar nodded gravely. "Volume 18 is already in progress. We have only decoded a fraction of her wisdom."
A philosopher rubbed his chin. "Perhaps it is a divine revelation. A truth hidden beneath humor."
A priest clutched his robe. "The princess… has spoken in riddles beyond mortal comprehension."
The head scholar picked up a paper. He read it aloud, his voice solemn.
"A soup can be food, but can food be soup?"
Silence fell over the room. Then— A younger scholar gasped. "She questions the very foundation of reality itself!"
The priest closed his eyes. "She teaches us to seek deeper meaning in the mundane!"
The historian placed a hand over his heart. "This… this must be preserved."
The philosophers all nodded in agreement. And so, the "Sacred Teachings of the Enlightened Princess" continued to grow. They were already preparing Volume 18.
Meanwhile— Hana had just finished recovering from her fever. She stretched, feeling refreshed. "Finally, I can get back to normal life."
Then—A royal attendant burst into her room, panting.
"Your Highness! The scholars have compiled 17 editions of your wisdom, and they are already working on the 18th!"
Hana froze. She slowly turned to him. "...They did what?"
The attendant held up a thick, beautifully bound tome. The title gleamed in gold letters. "The Divine Reflections of Hana the Enlightened – Volume 17"
Hana stared at it. Her brain shut down. "...What. The. Hell."
Haruka peeked over her shoulder. She read the title. Then she burst into uncontrollable laughter. "HAHAHAHA! THEY MADE 17 VOLUMES ALREADY?!"
Hime walked in calmly.She took one look at the stack of books. Then she sighed. "I should have seen this coming."
Hana, meanwhile, was spiraling into existential horror. "This is a nightmare. A curse. I CAN NEVER SHOW MY FACE IN PUBLIC AGAIN."
Haruka grinned. "Oh, but the people LOVE YOU now. The temple priests are already debating which of your quotes should be carved into stone."
Hana grabbed her head. "NO."
Hime closed Volume 17. "It’s too late. It has already spread across the kingdom."
Hana screamed internally. She had survived the fever. But now— She had to survive her own accidental religion. The ‘Holy’ Teachings Spread Like Wildfire. Seventeen volumes of Hana’s delirious ramblings had already been compiled. The scholars were hard at work on Volume 18. The kingdom was now fully embracing "Hana's Teachings."
---
And worst of all— The temples had started using them in sermons.
Inside the Great Temple of Aikyo, the high priest stood before a massive crowd. He held up Volume 17 with reverence.
"Brothers and sisters! Today, we reflect on the profound words of our Enlightened Princess!"
The crowd murmured in awe. The priest flipped to a random page. He read aloud with great intensity.
"‘The floor is only dangerous if you trust it too much.’"
Gasps echoed through the temple.
A merchant whispered. "She warns us to be cautious in life!"
A warrior crossed his arms. "A lesson in never underestimating your enemy!"
A scholar scribbled notes. "A deep metaphor about faith and betrayal!"
The priest raised a hand. "And now, let us reflect upon another passage!"
He turned the page— And read again. "‘If you eat soup with a fork, you are simply challenging fate.’"
A noble clutched his chest. "A lesson in perseverance!"
A farmer nodded sagely. "She teaches us to always seek a better way!"
A poet teared up. "Her wisdom knows no bounds..."
The priest smiled. "Let us all carry these truths forward!"
The crowd erupted in cheers.
---
Meanwhile— Hana was holding her head in horror. She had just been informed that her "wisdom" was now being studied in schools. "...They’re teaching it in classrooms?" she whispered.
The royal attendant nodded. "Yes, Your Highness. Just this morning, a young student was tested on the phrase: ‘Why does the sun exist? Because it does.’"
Hana looked like she was about to faint.
Haruka was wheezing with laughter. "THIS IS THE BEST THING THAT'S EVER HAPPENED."
Hime rubbed her temples. "This is escalating too quickly."
Hana grabbed Hime by the shoulders. "NE-SAMA! FIX THIS."
Hime sighed. "The problem is… the people genuinely believe in it."
Hana let go and dramatically collapsed onto a chair. "This is a nightmare."
Haruka grinned. "Oh no, sis. This is history."
Hana groaned loudly. And that’s when it hit her. A simple, foolproof solution. "...I need to destroy all of it."
Haruka blinked. "...What?"
Hana stood up, determination burning in her eyes. "I need to burn every last book before it spreads any further!"
Hime stared at her. "You do realize there are already thousands of copies circulating, right?"
Hana paused. Then she slammed her hands on the table. "THEN I’LL BURN THOSE TOO!"
Haruka snorted. "Good luck. Half the kingdom owns one now."
Hana gritted her teeth. "Then I will plan a heist!"
Hime massaged her forehead. "This is going to be a disaster."
Hana was already storming off.
Haruka shouted after her. "WAIT! LET ME HELP BURN STUFF!"
Hime watched them go. Then she sighed deeply. "...The kingdom is doomed."
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—
One Last Crazy Idea
Late at night, deep within the palace— Hana gathered her co-conspirators. Haruka, who was only here because she wanted to burn things. A very reluctant Hime. Two loyal palace attendants (who deeply regretted being here).
Hana slammed a map onto the table. "Alright. Here’s the plan."
She pointed to the royal archives. "The largest collection of my so-called ‘wisdom’ is stored here." Then she circled the Grand Temple.
"And this is where the priests keep the most ‘sacred’ copies."
Finally, she drew an X over the city.
"And scattered across the kingdom are thousands of books we need to eliminate."
Haruka grinned. "So we’re setting the whole kingdom on fire?"
Hime gave her a look. "No, we are not."
Haruka pouted. "Lame."
Hana continued. "We’ll start small. The goal is to sneak into the archives and destroy every single copy before dawn."
Hime crossed her arms. "You do realize the archives are heavily guarded, right?"
Hana grinned. "That’s why we’re doing this covertly."
Haruka grinned back. "I love this plan."
Hime sighed. "I hate this plan."
The attendants raised their hands. "Can we leave?"
Hana ignored them. "Let’s move!"
---
The plan fell apart immediately. The archives were locked. Guards were everywhere. Hana was not stealthy. Haruka peeked around the corner. "Okay, two guards at the entrance."
Hime folded her arms. "We should turn back."
Hana shook her head. "No. I have a plan."
She walked up to the guards with confidence.
Haruka blinked. "...Hana-nee, what are you doing?"
Hana cleared her throat. "Good evening, gentlemen!"
The guards bowed. "Your Highness!"
Hana smiled. "I need to enter the archives immediately."
The guards frowned. "But… it’s restricted at night."
Hana clapped her hands together. "Yes, I know! But you see, I just remembered an urgent royal decree I left inside!"
The guards hesitated.
Haruka leaned over to Hime. "This is the worst excuse I’ve ever heard."
Hime sighed. "I know."
The guards looked at each other. "...A royal decree?"
"Yes!" Hana nodded enthusiastically. "Extremely important. Kingdom-altering. History-defining. Super official."
The guards whispered amongst themselves.
"...Should we let her in?"
"...She is the princess…"
"...But why is she sweating?"
Before they could decide— Haruka got impatient. She walked up, grabbed both guards, and knocked them out instantly. Hana stared. Hime rubbed her temples.
Haruka shrugged. "There. Problem solved."
Hana sighed. "You could’ve let me finish!"
Haruka grinned. "No time. Let’s go!"
And just like that— They broke into the royal archives. And the real trouble began.
Hana, Haruka, and Hime successfully broke into the royal archives. The guards were unconscious (thanks to Haruka). Now, they just had to quietly destroy every book inside.
The archives were massive. Rows and rows of shelves stretched endlessly, packed with important historical documents— And, of course, seventeen volumes of Hana’s “Sacred Teachings.”
Hana rubbed her hands together. "Alright. We burn everything and get out before anyone notices."
Haruka grinned. "Finally. FIRE TIME."
She pulled out a small flask of oil.
Hime immediately grabbed her wrist. "No."
Haruka pouted. "But—"
Hime glared. "NO."
Hana scoffed. "Come on, Hime. How else are we supposed to get rid of them?"
Hime sighed deeply. "We do it carefully. No fires. We will—"
Before she could finish— Haruka tossed a match. A book immediately caught fire. The flames spread unnaturally fast.
Hime slowly turned her head to Haruka. "...What did you just do?"
Haruka grinned. "I fixed the problem."
Then— The fire alarm went off. Loud. Blaring. Impossible to ignore. The entire palace woke up instantly.
Guards swarmed the archives. "FIRE! FIRE IN THE ROYAL ARCHIVES!"
Hana, Haruka, and Hime stood frozen. Hana slowly turned to Haruka. "YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOT."
Haruka held up her hands. "Okay. To be fair… it was effective."
Hime grabbed both of them. "No time. RUN."
And so— The Great Book Heist turned into the Great Escape. They dodged guards. They jumped over tables. They nearly got caught four times.
Hana panted. "I HATE EVERYTHING."
Haruka laughed. "Admit it. This is fun!"
Hime muttered. "I am never doing this again."
But just when they thought they were safe— They ran straight into the High Priest. And he was holding an untouched copy of Volume 17.
The three froze.
The High Priest tilted his head. "...Why are you three running?"
Hana laughed nervously. "Ahaha… no reason!"
The priest smiled kindly. "By the way, Princess Hana, we have begun carving your wisdom onto the temple walls!"
Hana’s eye twitched violently. Then— She screamed internally. This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
The book-burning heist failed. The entire palace woke up. And now, the High Priest was staring at them… with admiration. Hana was still mentally screaming. But then— The High Priest clasped his hands together. "Your Highness, I must thank you!"
Hana blinked. "...For what?"
The priest smiled warmly. "Because of your divine wisdom, the kingdom has entered a new golden age of philosophy!"
Hana froze. "...What."
Haruka snorted. "Oh, this is hilarious."
The High Priest continued excitedly. "The scholars and I have been deeply moved by your teachings. Just yesterday, a farmer used your words to solve a border dispute!"
Hana stared. "WHAT?!"
The priest nodded. "A simple phrase changed everything: ‘The floor is only dangerous if you trust it too much.’"
Hana felt lightheaded.
Hime rubbed her temples. "Oh no…"
The priest kept going. "And soon, we shall unveil the Grand Inscription in the temple—where your most profound teachings will be carved into stone for eternity!"
Hana froze completely. "...You’re carving it into stone?"
The priest beamed. "Yes!"
Hana was still trying to process the horror of her words being immortalized.
But then— The High Priest continued his explanation. "Just yesterday, two feuding landowners came before the temple, unable to agree on the boundaries of their fields."
Hana blinked. "Okay… and?"
"The argument lasted for hours—neither side would yield. Then, a simple farmer approached and reminded them of your divine words:"
The priest dramatically opened Volume 3 and read aloud. "‘The floor is only dangerous if you trust it too much.’"
Hana stared. "...How the hell does that solve a border dispute?!"
The priest beamed. "Ah! You see, the feuding landowners realized they were fighting over an imaginary line in the dirt—something they trusted too much, even though the land itself never changed."
Hana’s eye twitched. "That’s not what I meant—"
"And so," the priest continued, "they agreed to move the boundary slightly, rather than risk trusting an invisible line that could change at any moment!"
Hana felt dizzy. Haruka burst out laughing. "HAHAHA! YOU'RE A POLITICAL GENIUS NOW!"
Hime rubbed her temples. "I… I can't believe this actually worked."
Hana collapsed onto a chair. "...This is getting out of control."
The High Priest smiled. "Oh, but it is only the beginning. Soon, your teachings will spread beyond Aikyo!"
Hana screamed internally. Her books were mass-produced. The people loved them. And Now, they were permanently inscribing them into holy sites.
Hana grabbed Hime’s sleeve."Tell me this is a dream."
Hime sighed. "It’s not."
Hana turned to Haruka."Tell me this is a joke."
Haruka grinned. "Nope! You’re an immortal philosopher now."
Hana collapsed to the ground. "...I can never undo this."
Hime patted her shoulder. "No. You cannot."
The High Priest tilted his head. "Princess? Are you alright?"
Hana looked up at him with dead eyes "...Yes. Everything is fine."
She stood up stiffly. She walked away. And then— She marched straight to her room, buried herself under blankets, and refused to leave.
---
Hana’s ‘Sacred Teachings’ were now unstoppable. The temple proudly unveiled the carved stone inscriptions. People quoted her ‘wisdom’ daily. Her words were taught to children. And worst of all— There was nothing she could do to stop it. Haruka stood outside Hana’s room, laughing. "Come on, Hana-nee! It’s not that bad!"
Hana threw a pillow at the door. "GO AWAY."
Hime sighed. "Let her have this moment."
Haruka grinned. "Fine. But I’m getting a copy of Volume 17 framed."
Inside the room, Hana screamed into her pillow. This was her life now.
Forever.
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