Chapter 292: Concert
“Could you print this one for me?”
Meari’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the photograph.
The sight of Lady Camilla walking ahead after rescuing her from the bakery owner had been wonderful too, but the photograph of her holding flowers was so pretty.
“Sure! Just take that one. I can print another.”
“Thank you!”
“This week, the others are getting together to exchange photographs too. Do you want to come?”
“Yes!”
Seeing Meari unable to tear her eyes away from the photograph, Lila smiled brightly as well.
It was the moment another new comrade was added after Elisha and Juela.
*****
“For a new recruit, you’re getting awfully full of yourself.”
Ravi threw sharp looks at Arsian without restraint.
“You’ve barely started, and you’re already taking leave? You might be the first new recruit in the entire history of the magic tower to submit a leave request.”
It made sense, because Arsian, despite being a new recruit, had submitted a leave request to the magic tower.
It wasn’t as if new recruits were forbidden from using leave, but there had never been a case like this before.
What kind of leave was a new recruit who hadn’t even received his completion certificate taking? The seniors weren’t resting, but the youngest was? Did that make any sense?
“You should be following your seniors around and trying to learn even one more thing.”
“Wow, listen to this old fossil.”
“What did you say?”
“And what is he supposed to learn? You were just making him do chores. What, is his future dream to become a cleaner? Did he say he wanted to be a laborer?”
“That’s what every new recruit normally—!”
“Besides, the Master of the Magic Tower [N O V E L I G H T] approved it, so why are you making a fuss, Brother?”
“Do you think the Master of the Magic Tower’s permission is all that matters? Are senior wizards a joke to you?”
“So what? Should I go alone?”
“Where do you think you’re going alone? Are you insane?”
...What does he want from me?
Camilla stared at Ravi with an incredulous look. The problem was that the Duke of Sorpel’s reaction was not much different.
They had been like this ever since they learned that Arsian would be accompanying her on this visit to the Gracia Empire.
They kept picking fights with Arsian for no reason, but the moment she said she would go to the Gracia Empire alone, they got angry again. What did they actually want?
“Don’t go there and cause trouble.”
“If someone heard you, they’d think I was the kind of person who only ever goes around causing trouble... All right, all right. I’ll behave.”
At the sight of Ravi and the Duke of Sorpel’s gazes turning fierce in an instant, Camilla hurriedly nodded.
“Don’t ever take off the bracelet I gave you.”
“Contact me immediately if anything happens.”
That was only the beginning. Ravi and the Duke of Sorpel’s warnings continued endlessly, and Camilla could only keep nodding diligently.
Tap.
“...?”
At that moment, while the two of them were nagging without pause, Ludville, who had been quiet the entire time, came closer and gently patted Camilla on the shoulder.
“Have a safe trip.”
“Yes.”
That was all. After lightly patting Camilla’s shoulder a few more times, Ludville also approached Arsian, who was standing to one side. Then he said only one thing.
“Protect her well.”
Arsian nodded.
Seeing Arsian silently nod, Ludville stepped back as if he had nothing more to say.
Wow... What a clean farewell.
“Did you understand? Make sure you contact us at least once a day.”
By contrast, this man...
“Do not, under any circumstances, get involved in unnecessary matters... What is that look?”
“What about my look?”
“For some reason, it offends me.”
...As expected of a sharp-eyed fox bastard. Time to run.
“Then we’ll be going now.”
Camilla immediately led Arsian onto the teleportation magic circle. It was a magic circle that would take them to the border region touching the Gracia Empire.
She brought no maids, no attendants... not even a single knight. Arsian alone was her entire party.
The Duke of Esclara had told her to come with nothing but herself. So she had decided to truly go with nothing but herself.
FLASH!
Bright light poured out, wrapping around Camilla and Arsian, and the moment that light vanished, the two of them disappeared as well.
“...They’ll be all right, won’t they?”
“They will be. Arsian went with her. And there...”
...Esclara is there.
He tried to shake off his worries, but—
“Haa.”
“Haa.”
—in the end, neither Ravi nor the Duke of Sorpel could hold back the sighs leaking out of them.
Chapter 5. Concert
FLASH.
“Ugh...”
After arriving at the border through the teleportation magic circle, Camilla staggered slightly as dizziness swept over her. Arsian quickly supported her.
“Are you all right?”
“I just can’t get used to it.”
She had used teleportation magic circles more often than most people because of business, but her stomach still felt unsettled every time.
When she had lived as Isia, she had never once gotten carsick even after traveling by car all day.
“Next time, let’s travel by carriage.”
“Why bother? That’s a waste of time.”
This much dizziness was nothing. She only had to bear it for a little while.
After resting briefly, Camilla and Arsian completed a simple identity verification process and passed through the border zone.
“Big sis!”
When they came outside, she saw a familiar figure running toward her quickly.
“Dive?”
It was her little brother, Dive. She had contacted him to say she would arrive today, but she had never imagined he would come all the way to the border to greet her.
“Welcome, big sis!”
He ran to her swiftly and threw himself into her arms.
Camilla hugged Dive back and smiled brightly too.
“You’ve arrived.”
Count Alton, the Duke of Esclara’s aide, who seemed to have come with Dive, greeted her warmly.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yes. It’s truly good to see you here. His Grace wanted to come as well, but an imperial meeting was suddenly scheduled. So I came in his place.”
After exchanging a brief greeting with Count Alton, Camilla looked back at Dive.
“You’ve gotten even taller since I last saw you.”
They said children grew from one day to the next. He seemed at least a head taller than the last time she saw him.
“Why have you lost so much weight, big sis? Is someone making things hard for you?”
Holding Camilla’s hand tightly, Dive’s gaze slid backward.
Arsian was standing there quietly without interrupting the two of them. As Dive looked at him, his eyes grew sharper and sharper.
That person is big sis’s boyfriend?
He had received word a few days earlier. From Brother Ravi, no less.
Kid, in a few days, Camilla and one bad guy will be coming.
A bad guy?
Camilla’s boyfriend.
...He is a bad guy.
Yes. So keep a close watch.
Yes!
There had been no need to hear more. Some useless bastard hanging around his big sister. He disliked him from the way he looked. His hair was black, his eyes were black... His insides were probably black too.
“Big sis, what is that person?”
“Why? Didn’t you see him before? Brother Rio.”
“I don’t know. I don’t remember. Why did you bring that person?”
“He’s your sister’s boyfr—”
“Ah! Is Rio doing well?”
“Hm? Rio? Of course he is. Actually, when I said I was coming here, he asked me to send his regards. He said he misses you a lot. He said next time, he’ll come too.”
“I want to video call later!”
“Sure. And this is Arsi—”
“Big sis! The carriage is over there. Let’s go quickly. Brother Jayner really wanted to come out with me too, but something urgent came up. He told me to say he was sorry.”
“...Sure.”
...Huh? What was that? Did I just keep getting cut off?
As Dive tugged her along by the hand, Camilla walked after him, tilting her head again and again.
“...”
Arsian watched the two of them with a strange expression.
One more has been added.
Looking at Dive, who kept shooting fierce glares at him from where Camilla could not see, Arsian also slowly started walking.
*****
“What about the demonic beasts?”
“So far, there has been no major movement.”
“However, we cannot lower our guard, so we are currently preparing to deploy the maximum possible force to Mount Armis. If only His Majesty grants approval...”
The Gracia Empire’s imperial conference hall.
An emergency meeting had been convened from early morning.
The Empire, freed from the winter curse, had undergone great changes in a short period.
Economic activity had become several times more active than before, and support for farming, something they had never even been able to dream of before, had increased dramatically.
Of course, not everything was good. As the demonic beasts that had been trapped in ice began to move, damages large and small were occurring one after another.
Naturally, large-scale demonic beast subjugations were underway, and hiring mercenaries from other countries had become commonplace.
Among them, there were several regions the imperial family was paying particular attention to because the distribution of demonic beasts there was higher than elsewhere. Mount Armis was one of them.
It was a place where countless demonic beasts existed, and as the ice melted, demonic beasts from there had often begun coming down to the foot of the mountain.
Even so, there had been no major damage so far, but...
Yesterday evening, a report had come in that a high-grade demonic beast had come down the mountain, forcing them to convene an emergency meeting.
They had somehow dealt with that one demonic beast, but what if this was only the beginning? Great damage could occur one after another.
“...”
Throughout the imperial meeting, there was one person seated with an expression even colder than usual.
It was the Duke of Esclara.