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Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 16 - Chapter 8




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Chapter 8:

The Armored Dragon King and the Second Princess

TWELVE SPIRITS were gathered in Chaos Breaker’s audience chamber: Sylvaril of the Void, Arumanfi the Bright, Yuruzu of Atonement, Karowante of Insight, Scarecoat of Time, Clearnight of the Roaring Thunder, Dotbath of Destruction, Trophymus the Wave, Harkenmail of Life, Gall of the Great Earthquake, Furiasfile of Fury, and Paltempt of Darkness.

Armored King Perugius Dola, the owner of this floating fortress and master of the spirits, sat at the very back of the room. Standing before him was the second princess of the Asura Kingdom, Ariel Anemoi Asura. Even as she stood surrounded by these intimidating spirits, she didn’t cower.

As soon as we left the labyrinth and made our return, Ariel flagged down Sylvaril, requesting a meeting with Perugius in his audience chamber. An hour later, he summoned Ariel to a meeting, and she had spent the intervening time fixing her attire. Sylphie and Luke did the same, changing out of their adventuring gear. The outfits they donned were as impressive as you’d expect for a princess and her two bodyguards.

As for me, I was wearing the robe that Orsted had given me. It wasn’t eye-catching or ostentatious, but the Dragon God had bestowed it upon me, making it like a sort of work uniform. Surely, Perugius wouldn’t mind.

Ariel silently walked down the path lined with spirits, a bold smile on her face. Unfazed by the gazes fixed upon her, she came to a stop in front of Perugius and curtseyed. Sylphie and Luke took a knee. Of course, I followed their lead this time.

“I am ever so grateful that you have taken the time to grant me an audience,” said Ariel.

“Enough with the ceremony. What do you want? Based on your outfits, I assume this isn’t merely an invitation to tea,” Perugius said, as if pretending to be clueless. Surely Sylvaril had already filled him in. There was no way he didn’t know what this was about. His reception was flippant and cold, but he did agree to an audience, so maybe this back-and-forth was little more than formality.

“Lord Perugius, I have come here to seek your aid in my bid to become king of Asura Kingdom.” Ariel cut to the heart of the matter, not distracted by his little act.

“Oh? Then allow me to ask you once more.” Perugius put his elbow on his armrest, leaning his cheek against his fist as he tilted his head and said, “What is the most important thing a king must possess?”

Ariel lifted her chin. “The most important thing a king must possess is…”

I hadn’t heard her answer yet. Ariel said she knew it, but there was no guarantee it was the right answer. Of course, even if she had told me what it was, I wouldn’t have known if it was correct, either. Still, I wish she’d discussed it with me beforehand, just to be on the safe side.

No, no. Let’s have a little faith in her. She’s got this much confidence in herself, so her answer can’t be too far off the mark, surely.

“…determination,” Ariel said. “Determination to carry on the will of those that came before them.”

Her words echoed in the otherwise quiet chamber. It was so quiet aside from her voice that it was hard to believe seventeen people were present.

“Oh?” Perugius exhaled. His expression was still unreadable, giving no hint whether she’d hit the mark or missed it entirely.

Determination to carry on the will of those that came before them…

That was the answer she’d arrived at, and I could understand why. Her path to the crown began with death. Derrick was the first to fall. Thirteen of her other retainers joined him, pushing her to where she was now. I knew what kind of people they were and what future they hoped for because she’d told me. Through his words, Derrick had communicated his will for her to carry out. Even after his death Ariel tried to live up to what he saw in her. There were surely countless others who had placed their hopes in her. That was the foundation upon which she would become king.

Then there was Gaunis Freean Asura, Perugius’s close friend and a man who rose to prominence during a time of war. Our arduous research had revealed that he’d once been a total scumbag. One who was sociable, with a number of close companions. Gaunis ventured into town nearly every day to guzzle booze and pick fights with adventurers and mercenaries. However, like any other human being, he surely had days where he was in good spirits. Days where he’d drink just the right amount that it’d lower his inhibitions enough to rag on the royals and nobles to any adventurer or mercenary who would listen. They would no doubt humor him while smiling awkwardly and occasionally pitch in when he needed help. Likewise, he would listen to their requests as well.

In times of war, adventurers, mercenaries, and low-ranking soldiers were considered expendable pawns. Gaunis met them at their level and listened to their final wishes—at least, that’s what I’d gathered. And then he went on to become king, not because he wanted to but because he had no other choice.

There must have been nobles and knights who weren’t pleased to see him ascend the throne, but not among the adventurers and mercenaries. They supported him. That was why Perugius and the others left on their journey to take down Laplace, and ultimately succeeded. They were compelled to aid someone who honored the last wishes of the nameless soldiers who fought and died on violent battlefields. 

While Perugius and his party were away, Gaunis succeeded in fending off the invaders. Of course, that wasn’t just through the help of adventurers and mercenaries alone. Their efforts would have failed unless they all came together to halt Laplace’s relentless advance. Somewhere along the line, the nobles and knights must have caved and decided to support him. Not because he’d inherited the wills of the deceased, probably, but because he was carrying on the will of his fallen father and brothers—to protect Asura.

With this connection to Gaunis, it surely had to be the right answer…but was it really? Personally, I did think it was kind of low-hanging fruit…

After a long pause, Perugius grunted. “Hmph. Carrying out the will of the deceased, you say?” He stared down at her and chuckled. “In other words, your desire to become king is entirely contingent upon the will of other people. You think someone like that can truly be a king?” His tone was condescending and derisive, which probably meant we had given him the wrong answer.

Ariel, however, did not lose her nerve. “Yes, you are entirely right, Lord Perugius. My desire is contingent upon the will of others. I am sure that is a far cry from what the rest of the world would consider a true king. But…” She took a deep breath and, face full of determination, said, “If I can be the king those who entrusted their wills to me hope for, then I do not mind if I am not a ‘true king.’”

“Oh?” Perugius scowled, looking none too pleased with her answer. “And you would ask me to aid a king as foolish as you?”

“Yes. If I am such a fool, all the more reason I should be hoping for your assistance.”

“Hah!”

Oh, boy, I don’t like where this is headed.

Ariel had given him a thoughtful answer. Instead of obsessing over what made a true king, she would focus on fulfilling the wishes of those who had died for her. That was the kind of leader she would be—a king of the people, whose policies reflected their wishes. Whether that was the correct answer or not, it was an admirable goal. Alas, it seemed to be a far cry from what Perugius had hoped for.

“Do you really think your answer is enough to compel me to aid you?” Perugius asked.

Ariel shook her head. “No, I do not, my lord. However, these are my true feelings. No lies, no obfuscation—this is the king that I, Ariel Anemoi Asura, wish to become.” Her gaze fixed intensely on Perugius. “If you reject what I stand for, then I have no need of your power.”

Her words were dismissive. Even Perugius was caught by surprise, his eyes widening. A ripple of shock ran through the twelve spirits gathered. Sylphie and Luke were taken aback, and so was I. I knew we needed Perugius’s assistance for victory, so we’d be in hot water if he really did turn her down.

Perugius narrowed his eyes. “You think you can attain the throne without my assistance?” 

“If my ideals are so vastly different from yours, then I think your aid would be more of a hindrance than a help.”

Perugius dropped his hand from his cheek and slowly stood up. His features were tight with fury, mouth stretched in a thin line and eyes widened. He hadn’t balled his fists, but his shoulders were squared. 

Suddenly, he raised a hand. Momentarily I imagined all twelve the spirits lunging at Ariel. But that wasn’t what happened.

“Well spoken, Ariel Anemoi Asura!” Perugius’s voice boomed. “You have made your conviction clear.”

I had tightened my grip on my staff, concentrating magic at the tip, intending to defend Ariel if I had to. Perugius’s words gave me pause.

“I, Armored Dragon King Perugius Dola, hereby swear upon the name of my deceased friend Gaunis Freean Asura, that I will aid you in your quest!” His voice grew even louder. “I will prepare a teleportation circle for you! Return to the palace as soon as you can, set everything in place, and call me when you are ready!”

“Thank you,” said Ariel. 

Sylphie and Luke bowed even lower. I froze, hand still tightly gripping my staff. I was utterly confused. The way he spoke made it clear that she’d given the wrong answer. Her words had obviously displeased him—or at least that was the impression I got—and yet he had decided to help her. Did he see a spark of potential during their conversation or something? What was going through his head? I couldn’t puzzle it out.

“By your leave.” Ariel led our group down the carpet and towards the exit. She wore a perfect poker face while Luke and Sylphie grinned triumphantly. And how could they not? Perugius was now officially supporting Ariel’s bid for the throne. He was in her camp now. Which meant I’d successfully completed my first mission from Orsted.

I got up and started to follow the party, then paused and glanced back at the throne. Perugius was surrounded by his twelve followers, arrogantly perched on his chair, staring down at the rest of us. He’d been watching us leave, which naturally meant that our eyes met when I turned around.

“What is it, Rudeus Greyrat?” Perugius asked.

“It’s nothing…” I was about to spin on my heel and start off after Ariel, but I couldn’t shake my curiosity. I had to ask. “So in the end, was that the right answer? Is that really what makes a true king?”

Perugius sighed and said, “It was not the answer I desired, no.”

“Then why did you agree to help her?”

He grinned. “There was a time in the past when all of us thought that Gaunis was the definition of a true king. He was flexible but cautious, generous but sensitive. He embraced his inadequacies, knowing all humans had them, and it was that very thing which made him adequate. On top of that, he looked at people as people, capitalized on their strengths, and helped them grow. He, more than any other I knew, was the most qualified to lead the humans and their war-ravaged world.”

Perugius certainly seemed to remember Gaunis fondly. The man he spoke of sounded different from the man I’d read about, but he had seen Gaunis for himself. Surely his account was more believable than any dusty old tome, though he might be seeing the past through rose-tinted glasses.

“Ariel Anemoi Asura doesn’t bear the faintest resemblance to Gaunis. However, observing how she conducted herself, I suddenly remembered something. Was this not the ‘ideal king’ that Gaunis had spoken of?”

“Gaunis spoke of an ideal king?” I asked.

“Yes. He considered himself far from the ideal. He was always vocal about what he considered the ‘ideal king,’ from his younger days hanging around pubs, to his time in campsites on the battlefield, and even after he became king.” Perugius paused, fixing his gaze on me. “He said, ‘An ideal king is one other people are willing to sacrifice their lives for.’”

Ah, now I get it. So that’s why.

Ariel had told him that a great king had “the determination to carry on the will of others.” A dozen or more retainers had already lost their lives for her. They died protecting her. They did that despite not knowing if she could truly ascend the throne or not. In fact, they knew the chances of it were slim—they knew their sacrifice might never be rewarded. It was all because they thought she was someone worth staking their life on. So while she wasn’t the ideal king that Perugius had hoped for, she was what Gaunis had considered the ideal king. There were as many ideals out there as there were people.

“I see,” I said. “I understand now. Your ability to assess people is truly impressive.” I bowed once before taking my leave.

“Rudeus Greyrat,” Perugius called after me.

I glanced back. He had left his chair and had started toward a different exit before calling out to me.

“I have a question of my own,” he said.

“Yes? What is it?”

“Why did you not mention Orsted in all of this? I hate that man, but his presence is not one I can ignore. Didn’t you consider that things might go more smoothly if you brought him up?”

Orsted had already told me that Perugius had refused him. Knowing that, I couldn’t see how bringing Orsted into this would have improved the outcome at all. Was he testing me?

You want some kind of clever retort?

“Neither Orsted nor I are the ones seeking kingship,” I said.

“But Orsted does wish to see Ariel become king, yes? And you have aligned yourself with him, if I’m not mistaken? In which case, should you not have capitalized on his influence to further your aims?”

“Even if that sped things along, Princess Ariel would still be the one taking the throne, and she needs your help to do it. No matter how much help we provide, we are still outsiders. Unnecessarily using Orsted’s name to force compliance will only breed enmity.”

Hehe, that was a pretty badass answer, if I do say so myself.

Yep, as far as I was concerned, those getting involved here needed to chip in of their own volition. Once Ariel was king, she would have to run the country on her own. While I couldn’t speak for Orsted, not knowing his plans, I had no demands to make of Ariel after this was over. Since I had no stakes in this, I shouldn’t get too deeply involved.

“That’s a weak way of thinking,” Perugius spat, before leaving the room. His twelve servants remained behind, and I could barely breathe under the weight of all their gazes. I hurried toward the door, unable to bear it.

Holy crap. That was embarrassing. I guess that means half-hearted answers are a no-go with him.

***

After leaving the audience chamber, I headed straight for Ariel’s room. I didn’t knock, instead busting the door open as I said, “Sorry for lagging behi—”

The first thing I saw was a pair of porcelain-white shoulders. Sylphie had already peeled off Ariel’s fancy clothing and was in the midst of loosening her corset.

“Ah! Rudy, how dare you!” Sylphie barked at me.

“No need to fuss,” said Ariel. “Lord Rudeus has served our cause well. There is no need for him to seek permission to enter my quarters. If he considers a peek at my body a sufficient reward for his services, then that is a small price to pay.”

“What?” Sylphie gaped. “But Princess Ariel…”

“Oh, I see I wasn’t being considerate enough.” Ariel paused. “Lord Rudeus, my apologies, but I would appreciate it if you would step out.”

I was already out of the door by the time she said that and only caught what she was saying as I closed it behind me. I had no idea where she got her false impressions from, but I wasn’t shamelessly walking in to sneak a peek while she was undressing.

Although she does have a nice body.

The same could be said of Eris, but hers was a product of intense training, while Ariel’s figure was something she was naturally born with and didn’t have to struggle to achieve. She had her genes to thank. If we were speaking of balance between top and bottom, though, Sylphie was no less impressive. Her chest and bottom were both tiny and flat. It was perfect symmetry. I loved that about her. Roxy, meanwhile, was a goddess, so she couldn’t really be compared to anyone else.

“Next time, I’ll be sure to knock,” I mumbled to myself.

Besides, not knocking in the past had led to me walking in on a pervert embracing his statue. That should have been enough of a lesson for me.

I must be a slow learner.

Wait. Hold up a second here. Luke was in the room with them though, right? So he was allowed to look? Well, it wasn’t surprising. Ariel probably felt more comfortable with him than anyone else.

“All right, Rudy, you can come in now,” Sylphie said, peeking from the door.

When I tried to step inside, she pushed her lip out in a pout. “Did you see her…you know…”

“I noticed she wears white underwear.”

Sylphie’s cheeks swelled with air as she scowled. I knew that she was also wearing white panties, because I’d peeked when she was changing last night. I poked at her puffed-up cheeks and pushed my way inside. A few steps later, I felt Sylphie pinch my butt.

“Oh, dear, Miss Sylphie…”

“What is it, Mister Rudeus?”

“Let’s save our fawning for when we get home, shall we?”

“…Hmph!” This time she smacked my butt before marching to the corner of the room where she forcefully plopped herself on a chair. Her cheeks glowed red, which made her all the more adorable.

Anyway…

Ariel sat in a chair, having finished changing. She looked like a princess even in her casual wear. Was it because her clothes were expensive, or the fact a real princess was wearing them? It didn’t really matter either way.

“I apologize for walking in on you a moment ago when you were busy changing,” I said.

“Not at all… So, what did you think?”

“Think about what?” I asked.

“My body.”

Does she really have to ask me that? I just know Sylphie is going to be furious with me later.

No, this was probably a test. Great, everyone wants to test me today. I better not pick the wrong answer this time.

“It was amazing…or so I would like to say, but personally, I prefer Sylphie’s instead.”

“Is that truly how you feel? Then I must apologize for showing you something so unsightly.” Ariel snickered.

Sylphie’s face flushed even brighter as she grumbled, “I can’t believe you’d say that…”

Luke merely shrugged. Since we had successfully convinced Perugius to aid us, everyone was in good spirits.

“Please, have a seat,” said Ariel.

As soon as I settled across from her, her face turned solemn.

Guess I should get serious too.

“Thanks to your efforts, Lord Rudeus, we can now move onto the next phase of our plan.”

I shook my head. “No, I haven’t done anything.”

“No need to be humble. I only managed to find the answer because you took us to that library.”

But she had found that answer on her own, and she was the one who swayed Perugius with it. Granted, maybe I could take some credit for the outcome since Derrick wasn’t here to convince Perugius on her behalf, and in my future self’s timeline, she’d never succeeded in earning Perugius’s trust on her own.

Guess there’s no harm in patting myself on the back for this one. Still, Orsted was responsible for more than half of the plan.

“Now then, let’s speak of what comes next. Lord Perugius advised us to return to the palace as soon as possible and set things up. I plan to heed his words and do just that.”

“Why do you mean by ‘set things up’?”

“Exactly what the words imply.”

Yeah, see, the problem is I don’t know what they imply. I paused. Hold up, I should probably try to think for myself before I ask for an explanation.

To sum things up, Perugius wasn’t going to hit the road with us and walk the whole way to Asura Kingdom. Thus, he wanted to send Ariel ahead so she could set the stage for his entrance. This stage could be, for example, a party attended by dozens of nobles. Once we had that going, we could hail his entrance with his twelve spirits by ringing some fancy gongs. The nobles would all gape in surprise, gasping, “Urk! It’s Perugius!” before promptly prostrating themselves. Or something like that, anyway.

“Then…there’s no real reason to rush, is there? Should we not spend a bit more time preparing?” I asked.

“We cannot afford to. I have received word that my father has grown deathly ill.” Despite delivering what should have been shocking news, Ariel’s expression revealed no emotion.

Ah, so that’s it. Ariel has already heard about that. I wondered whether she had gotten that information through normal channels or if the Man-God had divulged the news to Luke, who then relayed it to her. I suspected the latter.

But wait a minute. Couldn’t it be possible that Ariel got that information directly from the Man-God? Which would mean she could possibly be one of his apostles. If so, that will throw a big wrench in our plans.

It was terrifying to think about. I would have to consult Orsted about the possibility of her being an apostle.

“Judging by the look on your face, I take it you already knew,” Ariel guessed.

“Huh?”

“Since you’re a servant of the Dragon God, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised you didn’t bat an eye.”

I cleared my throat. “Ah… Well, Master Luke’s request was so sudden, and you seemed pretty driven to move ahead with your plans. I suspected something was up.”

Satisfied with my answer, she nodded.

Phew.

“I am sure you must have your own matters to attend to… In which case, fourteen or fifteen days should be sufficient for you to wrap things up and prepare for our journey, yes?”

She plans to set out in two weeks, huh?

About twenty-two or twenty-three days had already passed since I first received Orsted’s orders. That meant almost a month had passed since this all began. His estimation of when news of the king’s health would arrive had proven to be accurate.

“Fortunately, if we can enjoin Lord Perugius to prepare some teleportation circles for us, our journey will not take long. We should have some time to work with. Still, knowing my father is ill, I should like to return as soon as possible, lest it be too late. I would like to arrive before my brothers have a chance to secure their foothold.”

Judging from her words, the king’s illness was terminal. That would mean the crowning of a new king. If we dallied too long, Ariel would lose her chance to even compete for the throne.

There was just one thing that worried me. Orsted had mentioned a thorn in Asura Kingdom we would have to deal with: High Minister Darius Silva Ganius. According to Orsted, we needed to find Tristina, since she was his Achilles’ heel. We could remove him from office as long as we had her on our side. It was tempting to think that he would no longer be a factor now that we’d secured Perugius’s cooperation. But Orsted wouldn’t have mentioned Darius if he wasn’t an obstacle to our plans.

With Perugius backing her, Ariel equaled the first prince and his faction in power and influence. Getting rid of Darius would put her ahead. If our victory was to be assured, I would have to take action again.

“Princess Ariel, speaking of teleportation circles… Wouldn’t it be better to have one placed near the border to Asura Kingdom than within the nation itself?” I proposed.

“Oh? And why is that?”

“If word gets out that someone as prominent as a princess was able to slip into the kingdom without passing through the border, they may begin to suspect something unsavory at work. Especially since teleportation circles are forbidden. If you were discovered to have used them, it would spark unnecessary questions. I think it would be better to make our way from the border to the capital. That way, the people can also get a glimpse of you as we pass by.”

“Hm, I see. That’s a fair point.”

Sweet! Now all I have to do is come up with some excuse for us to make contact with this organization Triss is in. I haven’t really thought about how I’m going to go about doing that, but most outlaw-type organizations like that are willing to negotiate as long as money is involved.

“I’m opposed to that idea,” Luke said, cutting into our conversation. “If His Majesty is truly ill, the first or second prince may have minions along the road to obstruct our return. Teleportation circles may be forbidden, but long as the ones we use aren’t discovered, we can come up with excuses for how we got to the capital unnoticed.”

“That’s a reasonable argument,” Ariel acknowledged. “Continue.”

“This time, we have Rudeus accompanying us. There should be no concerns when it comes to our strength in battle. Yet rumors say that the first prince has enlisted the services of a North Emperor. While the palace may hold its own dangers, I think we would be in even bigger jeopardy if we were caught on the open road by an experienced swordsman of the North God style.” Fear filtered through his voice.

“True, we don’t want to be targeted by that sort of opponent,” Ariel agreed. Both she and Sylphie seemed to prefer Luke’s proposal over mine. The three of them had fled the kingdom and fought tooth and nail to get to this point, losing countless others in the process. It was only natural that they feared being attacked on the road.

Still… Now what? Should I make some excuse to go on ahead of them so I can make contact with Triss?

No, it would defeat the purpose if something happened to Ariel and the others in the meantime. I had yet to satisfy all my suspicions that Luke was one of the Man-God’s apostles. His suggestion might even be at the behest of the Man-God.

Ariel furrowed her brow. “You both make sound arguments… Sylphie, what do you think?”

“Hm, personally, I think we should teleport directly into the kingdom. We have no idea exactly where inside Asura this circle will take us. Plus, there can be no greater advantage than outwitting the first prince by not passing through the border checkpoint.”

Uh-oh, so Sylphie backs Luke’s idea?

“Also,” Sylphie continued, “we managed to slip out of the country without causing much of a stir. I see no reason why we shouldn’t secretly sneak our way back in. It would take over a month to travel on foot from the border. Such time could be better spent on other things.”

As always, Sylphie’s reasoning was sound and well articulated. It was easy to see her point and difficult to disagree with it.

“Very well… I understand your point of view,” said Ariel. “In that case, we will proceed as planned and teleport inside Asura Kingdom.”

Ariel made up her mind while I was busy evaluating Sylphie’s persuasive skills. This was partly my own fault for not sharing more information with Sylphie ahead of time.

Oh, boy. What do I do now?

My options were either to work separately from the main group and get in touch with Triss, or find someone to do it in my stead. Ghislaine…wasn’t really cut out for that kind of stuff. Elinalise was currently pregnant, and for that same reason I couldn’t drag Cliff into this. Who else did I trust who also had a talent for negotiation?

Seems like it’d be out of Zanoba’s wheelhouse too, but maybe if I sent him along with Ginger… No. Ordering around another country’s prince like that might cause issues for me later.

While I was lost in thought, a knock suddenly fell upon the door.

“Enter.”

Sylvaril stepped inside. She glanced around the room, fluttering her wings before saying, “Just a moment ago, we discovered all of the teleportation circles inside Asura Kingdom have been destroyed.”

“Huh?!”

The news came out of nowhere, blindsiding us.

“What do you mean?” Ariel asked.

“Allow me to explain…” 

Sylvaril filled us in on the details. Following our audience session, Perugius commanded Sylvaril to immediately activate one of his magic circles. One in his floating fortress led directly to a specific location in Asura Kingdom. When she tried to do so, she found it wouldn’t respond. Sylvaril sensed something was amiss and sent Arumanfi to investigate the circle on the other end, which was how they discovered it had been destroyed. He checked the other circles within Asura Kingdom, but each and every one of them had been destroyed as well.

“And so, we are no longer able to teleport inside Asura Kingdom.”

The closest teleportation circle now was near the nation’s border. We would have to walk the rest of the way there.

Someone had deliberately sabotaged the circles. There was no way it could be a coincidence. The only question was who? Was it the Man-God or Orsted? I could ask the latter tomorrow. Then I would know for sure.

Still, the situation triggered something unexpected—suspicion toward me. Right after I suggested we not teleport into the kingdom, they were forced by circumstance to do just that, as if it were orchestrated. Luke eyed me warily, as if he was certain I knew something about this and simply wasn’t sharing. Even Sylphie looked nervously over at me. I was sure they both thought it was Orsted’s doing.

Ariel was the only one not shaken by the news. “In that case,” she said, “I suppose we have no other option. We will follow Lord Rudeus’s suggestion.”

“B-but Princess Ariel,” Luke started to protest, gaping in shock.

Ariel cut him off and said, “Luke, inform Ellemoi and Cleane of the situation, and please help them with preparations. Sylphie, come with me. We need to pay our respects to the ladies and gentlemen of Ranoa Kingdom. I will leave you to your own devices, Lord Rudeus. Be sure to say farewell to your family and friends for the time being.”

“…As you command,” Luke said quietly, nodding.

Despite the unease lingering in the air, we all parted ways.



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