“Huh? What do you mean, what?”
“Are you going to make me get up?”
For a moment, I felt like fighting, but my soul had been cleansed a lot while walking along the beach, so I was in a state where I couldn’t swear.
The other person was a veteran. Hold on, hold on.
I sighed and answered.
“I wonder how much longer this place will remain as a resort... It wasn’t really anything special. I just told you to enjoy the moment. That’s what I’m doing too.”
“You haven’t answered my question yet.”
I really wanted to go back, but he was very persistent.
Yes, while I was sitting in my room eating the food they gave me and reading books, you fought for your life in the Tunbar Mountains.
I wrinkled my forehead, thinking that I shouldn’t say anything useless in the future.
The sea breeze on the hill was a little chilly.
“The empire subjugated the Amata tribe, right?”
“But?”
“Then the Kingdom of Agael, which lost its important route for importing iron ore, will have to find a new route.”
The Amata were a tribe located at the end of a tributary of the Tunbar Mountains. They maintained a primitive state form while mining and trading iron ore, exerting considerable influence over neighboring countries.
However, the Kingdom of Agael beyond the Tunbar Mountains tempted the Amata to cut off the iron ore trade with the Empire and establish an exclusive trade with them. That was the cause of this war.
In other words, the opponent in this war was not the Amata, but the Kingdom of Agael.
While preparing for the Academy entrance exam, I studied not only the past but also the current political situation.
So these stories were useless to me now.
“Smailan across the sea is the most powerful opponent, right? In terms of distance and diplomatic relations to date.”
“What does that have to do with this beach?”
“Hmm. Zebron is the closest imperial territory to the trade route between the Kingdom of Agael and Smailan. That’s what I saw on the map hanging in the hotel lobby earlier.”
“...”
“There was the Amata War, and there’s also the problem of pirates on the high seas, so the Kingdom of Agael is likely to send warships to that important trade, and in that case, the Empire will have to deploy its naval forces as usual, but this is the best location for it...”
I shrugged.
“Then, wouldn’t it be hard for the hotel business? No one would want to come to rest and look at warships and soldiers outside the window.”
“...”
“You think I heard that for nothing? I was just walking along the beach and all sorts of thoughts came to mind, so I said something random. I also like places of memory to remain as they are in my memories, right? So just forget about it.”
At that moment, I saw a man in noble clothing coming up from under the rocky hill. He had black hair, of all things.
Oh, shit.
I cursed. I must have black hair neurosis.
And I didn’t want to go through the process of meeting a noble and saying, “I’m from so-and-so’s family. Oh, don’t be so nice to me. I’m an illegitimate child.”
People were always overly kind to the third lion’s family, but their faces would turn sour when they found out I was an illegitimate child.
“Are you slacking off? Your master is coming over here, sir. May Tagar be blessed with eternal glory. I hope he gets well soon.”
I said quickly and ran down the rocky hill.
“May Tagar be blessed with eternal glory.”
It was a greeting used for the royal family, but it was also used as a sign of respect and courtesy for soldiers protecting the empire.
Locard, who had reached the rocky hill, stared at the sea with the Second Prince, Grayon. The wind had already gotten stronger.
“Let’s go now. Your injury is getting worse.”
“Locard, who is staying at the hotel?”
It was a question that sounded quite indifferent. However, Locard found it strange.
The Zebron Hotel was a private facility operated with royal funds. There could not have been a guest who was not invited by the royal family.
“My father and Count Loire. The Count arrived this afternoon.”
“Alone?”
“He brought his daughter.”
“She entered the academy this time?”
Locard smiled faintly.
“Isn’t she too young for Your Highness’s opponent?”
“Go die, Locard.”
Locard chuckled softly. His tone matched the sound of the waves.
“If the two lions finish the draft of the postwar compensation negotiations, we can announce it next week.”
“Don’t be late. The rewards for veterans must be fast and certain.”
“...”
“Why?”
“At the Empress’s Palace, His Majesty has expressed his displeasure that Your High Priest is here to comfort his wounded. He pointed out that since the Amata Expeditionary Force has been disbanded, as the Second Prince, you have no right to intervene in the political negotiations that will take place after the war.”
Grayon’s grin was quite vicious.
“...‘You should just run like a dog’, is that what he’s saying?”
“Are you going to make me get up?”
For a moment, I felt like fighting, but my soul had been cleansed a lot while walking along the beach, so I was in a state where I couldn’t swear.
The other person was a veteran. Hold on, hold on.
I sighed and answered.
“I wonder how much longer this place will remain as a resort... It wasn’t really anything special. I just told you to enjoy the moment. That’s what I’m doing too.”
“You haven’t answered my question yet.”
I really wanted to go back, but he was very persistent.
Yes, while I was sitting in my room eating the food they gave me and reading books, you fought for your life in the Tunbar Mountains.
I wrinkled my forehead, thinking that I shouldn’t say anything useless in the future.
The sea breeze on the hill was a little chilly.
“The empire subjugated the Amata tribe, right?”
“But?”
“Then the Kingdom of Agael, which lost its important route for importing iron ore, will have to find a new route.”
The Amata were a tribe located at the end of a tributary of the Tunbar Mountains. They maintained a primitive state form while mining and trading iron ore, exerting considerable influence over neighboring countries.
However, the Kingdom of Agael beyond the Tunbar Mountains tempted the Amata to cut off the iron ore trade with the Empire and establish an exclusive trade with them. That was the cause of this war.
In other words, the opponent in this war was not the Amata, but the Kingdom of Agael.
While preparing for the Academy entrance exam, I studied not only the past but also the current political situation.
So these stories were useless to me now.
“Smailan across the sea is the most powerful opponent, right? In terms of distance and diplomatic relations to date.”
“What does that have to do with this beach?”
“Hmm. Zebron is the closest imperial territory to the trade route between the Kingdom of Agael and Smailan. That’s what I saw on the map hanging in the hotel lobby earlier.”
“...”
“There was the Amata War, and there’s also the problem of pirates on the high seas, so the Kingdom of Agael is likely to send warships to that important trade, and in that case, the Empire will have to deploy its naval forces as usual, but this is the best location for it...”
I shrugged.
“Then, wouldn’t it be hard for the hotel business? No one would want to come to rest and look at warships and soldiers outside the window.”
“...”
“You think I heard that for nothing? I was just walking along the beach and all sorts of thoughts came to mind, so I said something random. I also like places of memory to remain as they are in my memories, right? So just forget about it.”
At that moment, I saw a man in noble clothing coming up from under the rocky hill. He had black hair, of all things.
Oh, shit.
I cursed. I must have black hair neurosis.
And I didn’t want to go through the process of meeting a noble and saying, “I’m from so-and-so’s family. Oh, don’t be so nice to me. I’m an illegitimate child.”
People were always overly kind to the third lion’s family, but their faces would turn sour when they found out I was an illegitimate child.
“Are you slacking off? Your master is coming over here, sir. May Tagar be blessed with eternal glory. I hope he gets well soon.”
I said quickly and ran down the rocky hill.
“May Tagar be blessed with eternal glory.”
It was a greeting used for the royal family, but it was also used as a sign of respect and courtesy for soldiers protecting the empire.
***
Locard, who had reached the rocky hill, stared at the sea with the Second Prince, Grayon. The wind had already gotten stronger.
“Let’s go now. Your injury is getting worse.”
“Locard, who is staying at the hotel?”
It was a question that sounded quite indifferent. However, Locard found it strange.
The Zebron Hotel was a private facility operated with royal funds. There could not have been a guest who was not invited by the royal family.
“My father and Count Loire. The Count arrived this afternoon.”
“Alone?”
“He brought his daughter.”
“She entered the academy this time?”
Locard smiled faintly.
“Isn’t she too young for Your Highness’s opponent?”
“Go die, Locard.”
Locard chuckled softly. His tone matched the sound of the waves.
“If the two lions finish the draft of the postwar compensation negotiations, we can announce it next week.”
“Don’t be late. The rewards for veterans must be fast and certain.”
“...”
“Why?”
“At the Empress’s Palace, His Majesty has expressed his displeasure that Your High Priest is here to comfort his wounded. He pointed out that since the Amata Expeditionary Force has been disbanded, as the Second Prince, you have no right to intervene in the political negotiations that will take place after the war.”
Grayon’s grin was quite vicious.
“...‘You should just run like a dog’, is that what he’s saying?”
“His Majesty wants to make it the First Prince’s role to smile and hand out food.”
“The Imperial Army is now my dog...”
Locard neither laughed nor answered.
The reason why the bards loved this war was clear.
The brave Second Prince went to war in place of the First Prince who had contracted a chronic illness at a young age and led the war to victory.
And his close friendship with Prince Kydel who went to war with him and achieved brilliant military exploits while saving his life.
But those are stories that only bards would be fascinated by.
The Second Prince was injured on the battlefield, and the First Prince was about to pick up the ball with his fingertips and eat it in one bite as soon as the war ended.
The injury would heal over time, but the Second Prince’s future position would be determined by his actions now.
He would either return as a hero from the war or become a scapegoat for his brother who couldn’t even claim his share.
That’s why Grayon’s light response just now was filled with dangerous tension. Locard kept his distance with silence, as the Prince’s anger grew more sensitive due to his injury.
Grayon looked at Locard with evil eyes.
“I met a girl here earlier.”
“...”
“She said you were my master?”
Locard looked at the Second Prince’s jewel-like green eyes.
The Second Prince had survived by entrusting his back to him in that rugged mountain range, but he also knew from the beginning that such a relationship would eventually evaporate.
Above all, Grayon was a Tagar. Suspicion flows in the blood of the royal family.
But it seemed too soon that the Second Prince had begun to chew on the doubts swirling in his mind before his war wounds had even healed.
War might not only leave visible scars.
Locard did not avoid Grayon’s eyes but met his cold gaze.
“I swore loyalty to Your Highness the Second Prince. In return, Your Highness chose me as your first messenger and agreed to share your fate with me. Do you regret that already?”
Locard said loyalty, but it sounded like a declaration.
Then Grayon smiled. Those eyes, colder and more unstable when he smiled, resembled his mother. His most fearsome enemy.
“Come to think of it, you’re a cat. Well then. Let’s go back.”
Grayon walked down the rocky hill with light steps, thinking that the food at the Zebron Hotel must be delicious too.
Locard followed him, thinking that it was time to make the Second Prince take off that stealth outfit.
I returned to the hotel away from the strange man on the beach, and there was the Count and Duke Kydel in the hallway.
The reason the Count came all the way here was to meet him.
I paused for a moment, and the Count, who noticed me, opened one arm as if to tell me to come here.
“Are you coming from a walk? Say hello to Duke Kydel. She is my daughter, Duke.”
“Meet Duke Kydel. This is Lorisha.”
“Oh, is she the young lady who entered the Academy this time?”
Duke Kydel asked with a cool smile, and I bit my lip.
No matter how much the Academy entrance exam was of great interest to the nobles, it was no exception for the First Messenger of the Empire.
Then the Count answered first. It was a truly comfortable and natural response.
“My other daughter.”
Duke Kydel’s expression did not change at all. There was no way the First Messenger, who was a political rival of the Count, would not know about the Third Messenger’s illegitimate child.
“Our work has come to an end. How about having dinner with His Highness, Count? My son is with us.”
Count, Count? No. Father? I said no!
My inner screams were useless. The Count even readily replied,
“That’s a good idea. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Lord Locard.”
The Duke had his servant call his son and headed to the dining room with us.
With each step, my mind felt like a battlefield as I recalled the manners I had neglected.
I couldn’t figure out why the Count had called me to this place.
We entered a luxurious private dining room with an anteroom. And when the pre-dinner drinks were served, a dark-haired man came in.
“I’m sorry I’m late. I’m meeting Count Loire. Oh, you haven’t changed at all, Count.”
“The little Duke has changed a lot. I didn’t know you’d become so dignified. You truly are worthy of the man who defeated Agael and led the empire to victory.”
How fortunate I was that I hadn’t yet come of age and couldn’t drink. If I had a glass in my hand, I would have spilled it.
The dark-haired man sitting next to Duke Kydel was the very same man I had once cornered as a thug in the city.
“Count... I’m going to die now.”
Little Duke Kydel answered politely as if he were sincere.
“You are too humble of you. All you did was try not to fall off your horse.”
“Humbleness? That’s too much, little Duke.”
Everyone laughed at the Count’s joke.
Meanwhile, little Duke Kydel turned his gaze to me. It was my turn to greet him.
“The Imperial Army is now my dog...”
Locard neither laughed nor answered.
The reason why the bards loved this war was clear.
The brave Second Prince went to war in place of the First Prince who had contracted a chronic illness at a young age and led the war to victory.
And his close friendship with Prince Kydel who went to war with him and achieved brilliant military exploits while saving his life.
But those are stories that only bards would be fascinated by.
The Second Prince was injured on the battlefield, and the First Prince was about to pick up the ball with his fingertips and eat it in one bite as soon as the war ended.
The injury would heal over time, but the Second Prince’s future position would be determined by his actions now.
He would either return as a hero from the war or become a scapegoat for his brother who couldn’t even claim his share.
That’s why Grayon’s light response just now was filled with dangerous tension. Locard kept his distance with silence, as the Prince’s anger grew more sensitive due to his injury.
Grayon looked at Locard with evil eyes.
“I met a girl here earlier.”
“...”
“She said you were my master?”
Locard looked at the Second Prince’s jewel-like green eyes.
The Second Prince had survived by entrusting his back to him in that rugged mountain range, but he also knew from the beginning that such a relationship would eventually evaporate.
Above all, Grayon was a Tagar. Suspicion flows in the blood of the royal family.
But it seemed too soon that the Second Prince had begun to chew on the doubts swirling in his mind before his war wounds had even healed.
War might not only leave visible scars.
Locard did not avoid Grayon’s eyes but met his cold gaze.
“I swore loyalty to Your Highness the Second Prince. In return, Your Highness chose me as your first messenger and agreed to share your fate with me. Do you regret that already?”
Locard said loyalty, but it sounded like a declaration.
Then Grayon smiled. Those eyes, colder and more unstable when he smiled, resembled his mother. His most fearsome enemy.
“Come to think of it, you’re a cat. Well then. Let’s go back.”
Grayon walked down the rocky hill with light steps, thinking that the food at the Zebron Hotel must be delicious too.
Locard followed him, thinking that it was time to make the Second Prince take off that stealth outfit.
***
I returned to the hotel away from the strange man on the beach, and there was the Count and Duke Kydel in the hallway.
The reason the Count came all the way here was to meet him.
I paused for a moment, and the Count, who noticed me, opened one arm as if to tell me to come here.
“Are you coming from a walk? Say hello to Duke Kydel. She is my daughter, Duke.”
“Meet Duke Kydel. This is Lorisha.”
“Oh, is she the young lady who entered the Academy this time?”
Duke Kydel asked with a cool smile, and I bit my lip.
No matter how much the Academy entrance exam was of great interest to the nobles, it was no exception for the First Messenger of the Empire.
Then the Count answered first. It was a truly comfortable and natural response.
“My other daughter.”
Duke Kydel’s expression did not change at all. There was no way the First Messenger, who was a political rival of the Count, would not know about the Third Messenger’s illegitimate child.
“Our work has come to an end. How about having dinner with His Highness, Count? My son is with us.”
Count, Count? No. Father? I said no!
My inner screams were useless. The Count even readily replied,
“That’s a good idea. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Lord Locard.”
The Duke had his servant call his son and headed to the dining room with us.
With each step, my mind felt like a battlefield as I recalled the manners I had neglected.
I couldn’t figure out why the Count had called me to this place.
We entered a luxurious private dining room with an anteroom. And when the pre-dinner drinks were served, a dark-haired man came in.
“I’m sorry I’m late. I’m meeting Count Loire. Oh, you haven’t changed at all, Count.”
“The little Duke has changed a lot. I didn’t know you’d become so dignified. You truly are worthy of the man who defeated Agael and led the empire to victory.”
How fortunate I was that I hadn’t yet come of age and couldn’t drink. If I had a glass in my hand, I would have spilled it.
The dark-haired man sitting next to Duke Kydel was the very same man I had once cornered as a thug in the city.
“Count... I’m going to die now.”
Little Duke Kydel answered politely as if he were sincere.
“You are too humble of you. All you did was try not to fall off your horse.”
“Humbleness? That’s too much, little Duke.”
Everyone laughed at the Count’s joke.
Meanwhile, little Duke Kydel turned his gaze to me. It was my turn to greet him.
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