Chapter 155 (2/2)

「How stupid.」

「It's the government's job to settle stupid things. Want some tea?」

「Yes, please! With lots of sugar!」

Zofira took water from a pot to make tea.

「So about the war… Your cousin's still in Ponsonia, right?」

「You mean Aglaia? She is.」

「You're not calling her back? At best Ponsonia's forces and the combined army of Austrin and Einbeast will be evenly matched. If things go sideways, the royal capital might turn into a sea of flames.」

「She's old enough to make her own decisions. She seems to like her life in the capital.」

「Really? Is she into really old men?」

「What?」

「I mean, that guy she's with, Viscount Gafrasti, is an old man, right?」

「Why do you have to drag romance into everything? I don't think that's proper behavior for a queen.」Zofira placed Marquedo's teacup before her.「Your Majesty. Our first agenda is how to unite all of Forestia. Only the heavens know of Ponsonia's fate, so let's forget about that. We just need to be ready regardless of who wins.」

「Okaaay.」

「Then here's more paperwork.」

「Your. Ma. Jes. Ty.」

「Okay…」

Until the next scheduled meeting, Marquedo waded through all the paperwork.

Ponsonia might be Forestia's neighbor, but to them, the Kingdom's internal discord and Einbeast's invasion was none of their business.

「P-Professor! Did Hikaru really return to Ponsonia?」

「Yeah.」

When Professor Mille—full name Mille Crepes van Quad—returned to her homeland of Jarazack, snow had already blanketed the lands. There she met the members of the student alliance—Ivan, and the main stars of the ma.s.s wedding: Claude Zahad Kirihal and Luka Lordgrad Ludancia. And for some reason, Jarazack's leader, Alexei von Jalzard Jarazack, was there as well, which made Mille a little uneasy.

「So, uhh… why is our leader here…」

「Mille. Call me Boss.」Alexei said.

Mille found it difficult to interact with the man. She probably could deal with him after a mug of beer first, but she might just get sick instead.

「The Boss is also curious about the monster outbreak in Un el Portan.」Ivan said.「Hikaru went there too.」

「I heard this Hikaru boy is quite strong. Why didn't you bring him with you?」

「Uh, like I said earlier, he returned to Ponsonia.」Mille answered.

「Huh… So he's going to war to make a name for himself? Kid's got b.a.l.l.s! All right, Ivan! You join him and make a name for yourself too!」

Whoa, time out. You can't do that. It'll cause an international problem, Mille thought, but realized it might be Alexei's way of making a joke. Ivan seemed to think so too.

「You can't joke about things like that.」Ivan said.

「I'm serious.」

That's even worse. What do we do about this musclehead? Mille thought, when Luka joined in the conversation.

「Is Hikaru going to be all right? I know he's from Ponsonia, but he didn't seem the type to put his life on the line for his motherland.」

「I think so, too. Apparently he has some friends there. Katy also went with him.」

「She went with him to Ponsonia?」

「She mentioned something about a relative there…」

Mille didn't know the details. On the morning of their departure, Hikaru suddenly said he was going to Ponsonia. When Katy learned that a town called Pond would be the center of the battlefield, she wanted to come too.

「If I let this chance slide, I might not be able to see that person again.」Katy sounded grim.

「I'm sure Hikaru will be fine. You should worry about yourselves. You still need to get your outfit tailored, right? I doubt your family is giving you aid.」

「Ah, yes. You're right.」Luka said.

「Yeah, we're really having trouble financially…」Claude nodded.

Luka was the third daughter of Ludancia's ruler, but her family had cut ties with her because of the wedding. It was the same for Claude. Marquedo, who hailed from the same region as him, gave her vote, but the Zahad family was an enemy of the Queen.

「I'll make some money this winter as an adventurer.」

Claude's skills with the sword was already on the same level as Alexei's, and Luka could use magic. Ivan also wanted to train, so the three of them formed a party.

There were monsters that only appeared during winter. Competent adventurers could make money by taking kill quests or selling materials.

The three of them were getting excited about adventuring, and Alexei even wanted to join them.

Will you really be okay, Hikaru? Mille wondered. G.o.d, I'll even stop drinking until you come back if it means you'll be safe.

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