In the Royal Castle of Hydra Kingdom…… no, rather, at King Laguna’s home, located somewhat away from the Royal Castle, the members of the Hero Party who once traveled with her gathered together.
There had recently been more opportunities for the four of them to gather like this, reminiscing about their part journeys, partly because they’d been able to get in touch with Hapti, whose location had previously been unknown.
[However, it may be a bit late to ask this, but why aren’t you living in the Royal Castle, Laguna? No, it’s not like there’s a rule that being a King means they would reside in their castle, but it does seem natural for a King to live there. After all, considering that the Royal Castle is your workplace, living there would make sense from an efficiency standpoint.]
[No, to begin with, I had planned to retire and lead a leisurely life in seclusion once the country was stabilized…… but for some reason, I ended up continuing as their King, and before I knew it, it had already been a thousand years. Seriously, I wonder when I will truly be able to retire from being the King……]
While preparing the tea that Kaito gave in place of Laguna, who usually doesn’t drink black tea, Fors started chatting casually. Laguna, however, responded with an indescribably grim expression on her face.
Yes, the reason why Laguna’s home is located away from the Royal Castle is that she had planned to entrust the throne to someone else and live a leisurely life once the country stabilized. Having been continuously fighting on the frontline since the start of the Demon Lord’s invasion, Laguna thought it would be fine to retire comfortably…… but of course, that wish never came true……
[Isn’t that impossible? I mean, look, even when you say all that, Laguna’s pretty earnest at what you do, right? In the end, because you always end up doing your job properly, I don’t think the day you retire will ever come~~ If you really wanna quit, you should take a cue from me and do things half-heartedly.]
[Please don’t say such horrible things. If Laguna behaves like Hapti, Hydra Kingdom will be destroyed……]
[Eh? Am I really that bad?]
As Hapti fiddled with a small box placed on the table, Neun responded with a somewhat astounded expression on her face.
[Well, as expected, she’s just too much that I wouldn’t even consider imitating Hapti…… Rather, what have you been doing since earlier? What’s that box?]
[Ahh, it’s a box I found in a ruin back in the Demon Realm, and I’m in the process of unlocking its seal…… You think there’s any treasure in it?]
While Hapti cheerfully disarms the magic formula on the old box, Fors, who has brought the tea, spoke with a quizzical look on her face.
[Is this just my imagination, Hapti? Isn’t that box kinda emitting some sort of sinister magic power?]
[Unnn? Ahh, I found it in a ruin where a species that used to perform some kind of sorcerous ritual lived. They’re already an extinct species, but I guess the fact that that ruin is designated as off-limits suggests they might have been up to some dangerous stuff?]
[……Wait right there, you. There are many things I’d like to throw a tsukkomi at, but first of all…… How did you even get into a place that’s supposed to be off-limits?]
Upon hearing Hapti’s casually spoken words, those she had once shared joys and sorrows together…… or rather, the three who had been entangled in the chaos caused by Hapti had clear expressions of displeasure on their faces.
And when Laguna asked the first question that came to her mind…… Hapti quickly looked away.
[…………Well, with a burst of momentum and enthusiasm, I guess?]
[YOU FREAKING TRESPASSED!!!]
[T- That’s totally not the case, you know? Ahh~~ I kinda, you know, somewhere along the line, I got some kind of informal permission or something?]
In response to Laguna’s shout, veins popping out of her forehead, Hapti awkwardly tried to play it off. Well, in reality, the ones managing the off-limit ruins in the Demon Realm are under the jurisdiction of the Phantasmal King, and Hapti, being Alice’s autonomous clone, is constantly sharing information with the main body, so in a way, she did obtain informal permission but……
[That blatant attempt to deceive us bothers me, but that aside, I have a question…… No, I have a bad feeling about this, but why are you trying to open that box now?]
[……………………Ahh~~ Well, I’ve analyzed it, and it seems that if this box is opened, some sort of watchdog monster will come out…… but you see, it’s troublesome if there are too many of them appearing…… you get what I mean.]
[Yeah, yeah, now grit your teeth.]
Upon hearing Hapti confess that she’s planning to involve the three because it seemed troublesome, veins also popped on Neun’s temple and she clenched her fist. Seeing this, Hapti, turning pale, began sweating profusely and hastily tried to make excuses.
[S- Stay, let’s calm down———- Ahh!?]
[ [ [ Ahh…… ] ] ]
Fortunately or unfortunately, the box that had just finished unsealing opened at that moment, and several magically-operated dolls and armors emerged from within. Of course, everyone immediately assumed a combat stance……
[……Tehe.]
[ [ [ HAPTI!!! ] ] ]
[Sorry, sorry. However, I’m sure we can easily beat something of this level, and we’ll split the treasure evenly!]
[That aside, you do realize this is my house, right!? Hapti, you better remember this later!!!]
Despite being astounded or angered by Hapti’s troublemaking antics that hadn’t changed even after a thousand years, the seasoned warriors quickly shifted into a combat-ready stance.
While one might want to lament how things escalated to this when they should’ve just been drinking tea, feeling the atmosphere somewhat nostalgic, Neun couldn’t help wryly smiling as she struck down the armor in front of her.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [Things were probably just like this a thousand years ago…… I can see why Neun referred to Hapti as a much bigger troublemaker and problem child compared to Fors.]
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