Chapter 41: Going Home

And so, we were quickly on our way back home.

The leader of House Raphael’s faction, Marquis Cedric, the king, and the archbishop of the Temple of the Goddess all desperately tried to stop Mariel, but she responded saying that she didn’t feel at peace staying in the capital where her maid had been attacked so blatantly. The king and the temple (especially the temple) couldn’t say much to that, considering the attacker in question was a priest himself.

Not that they would have dared to be pushy with Mariel in the first place...

As for the priest who had tried to attack me, when I told him I might consider reattaching his hands, I did try to fulfill the promise... I only said I “might” consider it, and he was a bad guy, so I could have just ignored it. I didn’t want to break any promises if I could avoid it, but I didn’t have the time, since he got executed soon after.

I was surprised how quickly it happened, but since we got all the information we needed from him, this incident didn’t have much to do with this country, and no one wanted to really get too deeply involved. Not to mention the Kingdom of Brancott and the Kingdom of Balmore would probably have demanded the priest’s assets, so it seemed they put an end to him to avoid all that trouble.

Well, it was better to nip such troubles at the bud. Yup.

“What the?”

And so, we returned to our home sweet home, Convenience Store Belle, located in the capital of Count Maslias’s domain. We had already seen Mariel and her crew off at House Raphael’s estate in Count Maslias’s domain. It was far safer than Mariel’s home base in House Raphael’s domain out in the countryside, and the location was much more convenient, with it being so close to Count Maslias. That was probably why her parents had always stayed there, instead.

Mariel’s country manor could probably be completely destroyed by an attack from twenty to thirty bandits or so... Mariel had once told me that very thing before. So, it was probably best for her to stay here for some time. I doubted anyone would try something with the beloved child of the Goddess, but even if they didn’t try anything blatant like a direct attack, it would be a pain in the ass for her if they begged her for help several nights in a row or something.

Anyway, that was fine and all. But...

What was this sketchy-looking piece of paper stuck on the shop’s entrance?

“Contact me at once. ￡∮§ The Iron Saint”

I was able to read most of it, but it would’ve been impossible to decipher for anyone else...

Although, what kind of language was it if there were parts of it that even I couldn’t read?

I was giving it some serious thought when Roland spoke up from behind.

“Ah, this is for me.”

Huh?

“It’s a secret code used by the royal family. It says, ‘Contact me at once.’”

Yeah, I could read that part.

“What about after that?”

“That part says from ￡ to §, or from the royal guard to me. The symbols represent the sender and the intended recipient.”

Ah, so since they were symbols, even a language master like me couldn’t decipher them without knowing who they represented...

So what did this “Iron Saint” represent? Maybe I needed to understand the corresponding word to decipher that, too...

As I groaned and struggled to figure it out...

“‘The Iron Saint’ is just the name of the inn. The emissary must be staying there. Besides, that part is written in normal text, not in code.”

...Damn it, I was overthinking it!

Anyway, it seemed this person had to urgently speak to Roland. They could have just checked in at the shop a couple times a day, but since they put this notice there out of sheer urgency, I decided to head to the Iron Saint inn instead of going back to the shop.

If I had gone inside and sat down, I wouldn’t have wanted to move again for a few hours. All my stuff was inside the Item Box, so I figured it would be better to go straight to the inn. For a moment I debated whether I should leave Belle with Layette, but considering that this smelled like something that could be a pain to deal with, I didn’t think Belle would just stay home without a fight.

Belle and Emile certainly were loyal to me, but that didn’t mean they would do whatever I said. They would sometimes go against my orders if they thought it was for my own good. Though, they wouldn’t ever disobey a firm order, as long as it wasn’t unreasonable...

In other words, they wouldn’t listen if I told them to leave me and run, or to prioritize their own lives over mine, but they didn’t hesitate to obey the less important commands. Even if they put their own lives in danger.

I always told them not to act that way, but... I realized the other day that this tendency of theirs was a bad influence on Francette, so I had been re-educating them...

In any case, telling Belle to stay home right now would have been an unreasonable order in her mind. She would give her life to protect me, and considering I was heading into what could be trouble, it was only natural for her to try to approach the whole situation as my bodyguard.

Well, it didn’t seem like I was in any immediate danger, and she could hear what happened from Emile later, so she probably would have backed down if I strongly insisted, but there was no need to go that far.

And so, we all headed toward the Iron Saint inn as a group.

“Sir Roland, it’s so wonderful to see you again!”

It had only been a few months since he had left the kingdom, but the royal guard went down on one knee and lowered his head, getting overly emotional.

Well, he may not seem it, but Roland was the brother of the king, and he would have definitely become king if he hadn’t gotten injured in that accident, so now that he was healed, people saw him as the person who should have been king.

His younger brother, the current king, was a good person, and Roland himself wished for his brother to remain on the throne, so it was a rather peaceful kingdom, without any power struggles within the family or worries about assassinations by disloyal retainers.

...Considering his status and position, maybe I had been treating him pretty badly? Oh well. In my view, he was just a pesky bug that had followed me on my journey against my will. In fact, he was a traitorous insect and a spy for the enemy, plotting to sabotage my important mission to find a marriage partner! He deserved whatever treatment he got!

“Yes, well done coming here. Are you alone?”

“Sir! There are two others in the capital, and we sent one more to the east, just in case!”

Roland had told me he was keeping his family up to date with letters. He must have been sending reports on our movements through those. So when the emissary arrived in town and found that we were away and the shop hadn’t been abandoned, he probably asked around, then quickly found out about the miracle of the Bird Aristocrat and how we had headed for the capital. Considering the time frame in which we temporarily closed the shop and all the other factors, it would have been easy to figure out that we all went to the capital together... Unless he was an idiot, that is.

A member of the elite royal guard, and the one who was tasked with the most important role, no less, couldn’t have been an idiot.

“What happened to those four?” I asked as the question came to mind.

Four royal guards had been sent to find us. Since we were talking about four royal guards, I was reminded of those four: Those royal guards, who I had granted one each of the Divine Sword Exhrotti after repelling the western Aligot Empire forces. Shouldn’t they have come here? Roland had appointed them as his personal knights, after all. But this emissary wasn’t one of them. That probably meant the other three were likely different people from the royal guards I knew.

The emissary understood my rather vague question and replied.

“The Four Walls are out securing the eastern border, my lady!”

“The Four Walls” was obviously referring to those four royal guards. The name was likely supposed to mean they were the four walls protecting the kingdom. The emissary knew me, so he answered in the same respectful tone he gave to Roland. But his reply did make me wonder...

“Securing the border? On the east side? But to the east are Brancott and Balmore, which are your two closest allies. And why were all four of them sent to secure that side of the kingdom?”

“That...is what I was about to explain...” he said with his brow wrinkled a bit.

Ah... It was one of those “I was just about to!” moments... My bad. Please go on and explain...

“There has been a political change in the neighboring kingdom of Brancott. We have reports that the second prince’s faction has taken over the royal capital, and the first prince is said to have escaped the capital, but this has not yet been confirmed. And the second prince, who has become the provisional ruler...”

Yup, I knew what was coming. A classic move!

“He’s making a move to declare war against other countries as a means to search for the first prince and control the military and the public sentiment, right?”

“Indeed. You are quick to catch on, Lady Angel...”

I thought so...

This was the most basic of classic moves! I’d seen it so many times that it was straight out of a TV drama playing at 20:45. They might as well start pulling out inrō pillboxes or bringing the Edo legal system into it.

“I have a message from His Majesty, Sir Roland. For the sake of confidentiality, I was ordered to relay it to you directly rather than via a written message. Here it is... ‘Please come home, Big Brother~!!!’ ...That is all.”

What the heck?!

Ah, Roland’s got his face down on the table... He didn’t have to look so disappointed...

“Now, now, no need to make that face...”

Roland hung his head from his brother’s unexpectedly pathetic message. I mean, they were so close, and he was a cute younger brother relying on his big bro, so I thought he should let it slide. My younger sister Yuki had relied on me for all sorts of things, and I did the same to my older brother. It was nothing to be ashamed of. It was proof of their close bond.

Oh... Maybe he didn’t mind it as a brother, but it was unbecoming of a king? I guess I couldn’t blame him, then...

“...So, what are you gonna do?”

I actually already knew what Roland would do. He was the brother of the king, after all, and his home country, brother, retainers, and his people were in danger. If he didn’t go back to help them now, I didn’t want him in my party. I was more concerned about what Francette would say. Would she go back with Roland, or continue on my journey with me?

“Lady Kaoru, I must ask to have some time away,” Francette said, naturally and without a hint of hesitation.

Well, that was the only correct thing to say there. Francette was Roland’s betrothed, an aristocrat of the kingdom...and a knight. There was nothing else she could have said. Roland nodded with that same natural look, as if he knew she was going to say those exact words. ...Yeah, I knew. Of course I knew that was the kind of person Francette was...

And so...

“...Then I’ll go to the realtor and stable to cancel the contracts. It’s okay to clear out the shop tomorrow, right? And can you handle the business side of things yourself, Kaoru?”

“Yeah, sure. Tell them they can keep this month’s payment.”

“Got it!”

With that, Emile was off. Belle, who was holding Layette in her arms, looked as if she expected this, too.

They all understood so well.

“Huh?”

...Except those two.

“Listen, the orphans under my protection, the people who took care of me, people that I took care of, and many of my acquaintances are living in the capital. And whoever was working with that rotten priest who ordered the attack on Layette is on the enemy’s side.”

Yes, the “enemy”... The so-called second prince that had been set on a pedestal may have been told that I was his ally, supporting his bid for the throne, but screw that. They were all my enemies!

“And...”

“And?”

“They used me as a tool for their plot to seize the throne... Did you think I would let them go when they fabricated an oracle from the Goddess and spread their twisted message for their own personal gain?” I responded to Roland and Francette’s simultaneous response with anger boiling in my voice.

Roland and Francette went down their knees and lowered their heads. The emissary did the same. Yes, it was time for a temporary return home.

“Finally, my time to shine!”

It was time for Ed to work for the first time in a while.

“We need to get back to the country where we lived before we left for this journey, stat! Can you do it?”

“Of course!!!” the five reliable voices replied in unison, and we were off.

I was gonna bring out the chariot after we got some distance from the city. So, for now, I held Layette in my arms as I rode Ed.

We had already finished paying off our balance at the stable.

“Okay, let’s go!”

In dire cases when we really had to hurry...like when the children at the orphanage were in danger...I would do anything, without holding back. I would zip across the ocean in a high-speed cruiser, no, a jetfoil, or even fly there on a VTOL craft or helicopter, or even use a flying boat, or speed through the streets in a land cruiser...

But those methods would definitely cause a scene, and while I could produce ships and flying crafts as “potion containers,” we still needed someone to pilot them safely. I may be able to drive something like a land cruiser because I had a driver’s license, but not only would it cause chaos, but someone would probably stop us and take us in for questioning.

It’d be over if someone blocked the path with a carriage or log, and there would be times when we would have to stop due to conditions on the road, coming across a bridge, or running into other carriages. We would still need to rest, too. If we were ever surrounded, I couldn’t just run over innocent soldiers to keep going...

Yeah, those methods shouldn’t be used unless it really was an absolute emergency where every second counted.

And so, we took the normal route of riding on Ed and the other horses. With their potion-enhanced power, we didn’t need to waste time stopping at inns, and could get there very quickly.

“...But I wonder why they decided to attack our Kingdom of Balmore when we have the Angel. Sure, you may be away temporarily, but it seems insane that anyone would think of making a move on your home territory...” Francette said during our meal-time break, and I couldn’t blame her for wondering.

“They probably thought the Angel had abandoned Balmore, or that Balmore had lost the blessing of the Goddess. And since I rejected the first prince of Brancott, they likely assumed I would support the idea that the second prince should take the throne. Pretty presumptuous, or maybe someone filled their heads with such ideas... Seems like they think the Goddess is on their side. Must have bought into someone’s nonsense...”

“Oh, I see...” Francette said, accepting my explanation right away.

According to Roland, the countries to the east of the Kingdom of Brancott, Drisard and the Kingdom of Jusral, were not only big countries themselves, but there were powerful countries positioned to their rear toward the mainland, so they weren’t to be trifled with. So, this war to distract from the usurpation had to be with either the Kingdom of Balmore or the Kingdom of Aseed to the west. And Balmore had supposedly been abandoned by the Angel and forsaken by the Goddess, so it was an easy target to declare war on.

Well, an official declaration of war or actual fighting hadn’t broken out yet, but according to the spies and plants in-country who had been feeding us reports, those details were pretty much accurate. Their target would probably only be one country. It was highly unlikely for them to wage a two-front war here.

What they didn’t know was that the Kingdom of Balmore had formed a secret alliance with Aseed, as the country to their south that also shared a border with Balmore. So, whichever they decided to invade, the other would automatically join the fray. This alliance had actually been formed in preparation to deal with the Aligot Empire, and the two countries had come to that agreement in top-secret meetings after the previous peace conference.

One may think their alliance wouldn’t work as a deterrent against attacks unless publicly announced, but the purpose was to deliver a fatal blow to attackers with an unexpected attack rather than to deter them. And announcing their alliance could have put the other countries on alert, supposedly...

Well, I didn’t really understand politics. I decided to stay out of it. That is, except when it would be to my advantage.

And so, we began our advance once again. Considering we had a carriage drawn by a single horse, we were going at a ridiculous pace. Well, it was Ed’s crew, after all. And they were all doped up with my potions.

So, we were traveling separately from the royal guards. We would have had to match their pace if they were with us, which would have slowed us down significantly. Even if Roland sent them back before us to deliver the news of our return, we definitely would have gotten there first.

So instead, he had the emissary stay in the city to inform the other three that their mission was complete. “Take it easy!” as they say.

And so, we continued at our own pace. We would dash through Brancott first, then into our old home of Balmore.

After that?

...Behold the wrath of the Nagase Clan!!!

...And so, here we are. The Kingdom of Brancott... Yup, this was the place where pictures...no, wanted posters of me had been passed around. Not to mention, this was a stalker nation, one that had sent their highest-ranking guards to the Kingdom of Balmore just to take a look at me, all so they could remember what I looked like.

They’re stalking me on a nation-wide scale!

...And so, we came up with a plan. We had the ability to learn, after all!

“So, we will be splitting into teams. Roland and Francette will be Team Kobold. Everyone will be Team Horn Rabbit!”

“...”

The other five stared at me with a look that said, “There she goes starting something weird again...”

“The enemy is probably checking travelers based on the number of people we had in our group the last time we passed through, so we’re gonna throw them off. I’ll also be wearing a disguise. Layette wasn’t with us last time, and by splitting our party in two, our composition will be completely different.”

Two aristocratic-looking knights... They could be brother and sister, colleagues on the same mission, or lovers who had run off. Whatever the case, it wasn’t a particularly strange combination, and it certainly wasn’t weird enough that a border guard would investigate. In fact, a guard would be risking his head if he did... Not in the figurative sense, but literally.

Then there was the group of four commoners. Three of those were underage girls. A guard wouldn’t be cautious of such a group. If anything, he’d worry about them. Three sisters traveling by horse but unable to find a carriage... And the older brother who seemed to be a fledgling hunter as their only guard, as unreliable as he seemed. There was nothing unnatural about it. It was just a run-of-the-mill kind of group that could be seen tens or hundreds of times a day.

They had thought Roland and Francette were my bodyguards the last time they saw me, so now that they wouldn’t be with me. It was highly unlikely they would think I was the Angel. And with my disguise added to the mix... I would become the perfect mother. The other four seemed to understand after I gave my explanation. Layette still didn’t seem to get it, but she didn’t count.

And so, I wore my disguise to the border checkpoint and we split into two groups. Just in case things went south somehow, Team Kobold, consisting of Roland and Francette, made sure there were only two or three groups between them and the rest of us, also known as Team Horn Rabbit.

If we had gone first, Team Kobold would have had to run through the border checkpoint without going through their inspection, which would have been a huge deal. With us being in the back, they would only need to come back to us after their inspection was done, allowing them to avoid the serious crime of breaking through a border checkpoint by force. It may seem like a minor detail, but it made a huge difference.

Now, it’s time to go to the border checkpoint!

...We got through without incident.

Yeah, I thought so.

Of course, I had put the chariot back in my Item Box, and I was riding Ed with Layette in my arms in front of me. As such, we were all considered normal riders carrying light personal items. Since we weren’t bringing in any goods to sell, they weren’t gonna tax us or anything. We basically got a free pass, and they just hurried us on through.

This was all thanks to my superior ability to disguise myself, of course. I changed the color of my hair and eyes. I also used invisible tape, adhesive, and Foundation...I mean, foundation...to make my eyes droopy. Though, if we’re talking about the rise and fall of a nation, I guess Foundation works too. The words sound the same, anyway.

My hair and eye colors were one thing, but by making my eyes droopy, I had changed my appearance in a way that was directly at odds with my raison d’être, allowing me to avoid suspicion completely. This was the core part of what made me “me” as a human being, and the ultimate part of my existence that allowed everyone to recognize me...hey, shut up!

In any case, we entered the Kingdom of Brancott without any apparent suspicion.

“...I’m surprised we got through without being questioned...”

“Huh?”

Emile had made this comment suddenly, out of the blue.

“Why? There was nothing suspicious about us, was there?”

“A normal commoner child wouldn’t be able to ride a horse, nor would they have the money to ride a horse bus, but we had three whole horses... We were definitely suspicious.”

...

“You should have said so before we went in there!!!”

If he had given me a heads up, I could have prepared some sort of excuse! I mean, even if I had thought of one, we had ended up getting through without being questioned, so it would have been a waste of effort, but still...

“Next time, be sure to mention it if you notice something! Got it?”

“R-Right...”

He probably thought my plan was foolproof just because I had thought of it, and that it would have been rude to question me. That’s no good. No good at all. I had to educate him some more...

After crossing the border, we regrouped with Team Kobold right away. Now we just had to split up when entering cities and when leaving the country. Or if we ran into any dubious-looking groups of soldiers...

If we caught sight of one from afar, both teams could make some space between us naturally and act as if we were separate groups. Inside the city, we could check in to the same inn separately and gather at one of our rooms later on. Though, really, we would mostly be camping, and we were only going to stay at an inn once every few days or so.

Of course, we could move a lot faster by doing the camping-only route. That could shave off a lot of wasted time. Even if it got a little dark, we could use chemical lights to illuminate our path. There might not be asphalt to walk over, but there shouldn’t be any issues as long as we traveled over a decently-kept main road.

But with two-thirds of our members being female, we couldn’t stand going without a bath at least once every couple of days. Even I had this desire, so it was probably even worse for Francette and Belle, who were with their respective loved ones.

When I said as such to Francette and Belle...

“What? No, not really...”

“I haven’t really given that any thought...”

Y-You two... I-Is that how it is for other people?

Maybe it had to do with their historical backgrounds, our cultures, or even our natural dispositions... W-Well, maybe things were different here compared to Japan, where it was normal even for commoners to take baths since olden times...

But I couldn’t stand not bathing, so we were staying at an inn with a bath once every few days! But, well, until then, we were going to camp out for now. And we would avoid the royal capital, instead passing through the south and thus into the Kingdom of Balmore...

“We’re staying at an inn tonight. Then we head for the capital, Aras.”

“Whyyyyyy?!”

Haah... Haah...

“Why would we go out of our way into a place where we’d be very likely to get recognized?!” I couldn’t help but yell at Roland in response to his ridiculous comment.

What was he thinking?! Was he an idiot or something...?

“No, thinking ahead, it would be best to check on how things are in Brancott and gather what information we can as we pass through. No one was expecting you to return, so I don’t think the risk is too great, either...”

Hmm... Roland did have a point too. But...

“Instead of us amateurs taking a huge risk in getting exposed, we’ve been getting intel from spies, plants, and lower aristocrats that have been paid off, right? That royal guard knows the first prince, so we already have a source of info, don’t we? What need is there for us to go to the royal capital in person? Give me a reason besides a self-serving one!”

“Urgh...”

He’s actually at a loss for words!

That meant he just wanted to go because he felt like it. That little...

Aaand we made it to Grua, the royal capital of the Kingdom of Balmore! ...The capital of Brancott? Like hell we’re going there! We took a vote. It was five versus one. A landslide.

Francette, who could never agree with putting Roland and I in danger... Emile and Belle, who have sworn me their undying fealty... And Layette, who didn’t understand what was going on, but was on my side anyway... There was no way I’d lose in a popularity contest.

And so, while ignoring Roland’s rueful expression, we took a route far to the south to avoid Brancott’s capital and safely arrived in Balmore’s capital. Going back home and asking the king for the latest information was far quicker and more accurate than bumbling around trying to gather intel in Brancott. And hadn’t we gotten a message from the king asking him to hurry back?! Even though he was Roland’s younger brother, he was still the king, so he should follow his little brother’s instructions...or rather, his command...

So, we arrived at the nostalgic capital, Grua. This place, the Kingdom of Balmore, was home to everyone besides Layette and myself. Even for someone who didn’t have a homeland in this world, like me, well...it was the closest thing I had.

I had arrived in this world in the Kingdom of Brancott, and although I had stayed there for a while at first, I couldn’t bring myself to call that place my homeland. If I did, the people from there would get carried away, and who knows what kind of nonsense they would start saying then.

Anyway, we began heading for the royal palace. If we went to the palace, we would get something to eat... I mean, we needed to gather information first and foremost, as well as check to see if there was anything urgent to take care of.

Of course, I had stashed the chariot back in my Item Box and had taken off my disguise since crossing the border and entering Balmore. There was no need to be in disguise here, and there was no need to put my chariot out on display, either. I was known throughout this kingdom, so as soon as people saw that I was the owner of the chariot, they’d start bothering me or bombarding me with requests.

That stuff was annoying, to be honest. I couldn’t just punch them in the face or blow them up for coming at me with requests or invites, which made them all the more troublesome to deal with. They didn’t give up after a rejection or two, either. I actually would have preferred that they attack me instead. Then I could crush them and be done with it... But no one in this country would try such a thing.

Actually...who knew how things were now? I wouldn’t be surprised if Rueda survivors or spies...no, maybe even assassins from Brancott were lurking around. That Bishop Bruce guy who had tried to manipulate me and then immediately turned to kill me when that didn’t work...

That guy’s attitude had done a complete one-eighty far too quickly. The thought of killing the Angel had to have been brewing in his mind even before we met. It was likely that he already had a pre-set plan to talk me into doing what he wanted, and if that failed, he was just going to try to kill me... Actually, he was probably just following orders for the first part, but actually wanted to kill me the entire time.

I had a feeling they thought of me as a fiend, an enemy of the Goddess, a heretic, and a servant of the devil, someone who had brought ruin to Rueda...or more like ruin to everyone in Rueda involved with religion. But no matter how you looked at it, it was Celes herself who had dealt the finishing blow... A religious group, ended by the hand of the Goddess they worshiped.

Yeah, nope. I had never heard of anything like it before.

Well, it wasn’t like they could go kill the Goddess herself, so I guess they had to direct their hate toward me. The attack that had made me go on a journey in the first place was caused by a single rotten priest from Rueda too. It was unlikely that that priest was the last one of those critters.

I mean, that Bruce guy had already admitted clearly that there were many others who had gotten out alive. And, supposedly, there were several who had taken part of Rueda’s massive treasury with them, providing them with enough dry powder for all sorts of schemes.

Well, it was probably better to think about this stuff after talking to the king. I was about to get the latest info soon enough, so it was pointless to think it over now. My head had been tilted downward and staring around Roland’s feet until now, but I looked up as I processed that thought. You gotta look up with your back straight and walk with confidence when going down the street...wait, what?!

“Whoa!”

A massive crowd had gathered to either side of the street, everyone happily waving their hands at me. Then...

“Hurrah for the Lady Angel! Hurrah for Lady Fran! Hurrah for Sir Roland!!!”

...I guess that was to be expected. The Angel of the Goddess, the great hero of the kingdom, and the brother of the king were all marching in together. Not to mention, the Angel had returned for the first time in months. Their fervor was understandable.

And now that I had appeared, well, you know. There were gonna be expectations for the return of my potions. The ones for sale, and the Goddess’s mercy, in the form of the Tears of the Goddess...

No, the Tears of the Goddess were one thing, but I didn’t have any intention of putting my potions up for sale again. Those things were a devil drug, something that would halt the progress of medical science and medicine, putting an end to doctors and apothecaries completely. They weren’t something I should bring back. What if a huge supply of them started going around, but then I wasn’t around fifty years later or something? It would be an absolute catastrophe.

Me being absent would be one thing, but what if I was still here, but potions weren’t being distributed anymore? Humans could never relinquish a luxury they have grown accustomed to. It probably would be for the best for me to leave this country again once I was done with my business. If I stuck around, the orphans of the Eyes of the Goddess would never leave me alone...I mean, leave the nest and become independent in their own right.

Maybe this was some sort of curse to bind me...

“Kaoru, we’re here!”

“Oh... R-Right.”

No good, I was zoning out with my thoughts and hadn’t realized we were already in the king’s office. There was no way we were going to be sent to the audience room, given the members of our party.

“Pardon us!”

Roland knocked lightly and opened the door. He pushed it open without waiting for a response, but that wasn’t an issue here. This wasn’t a place where the king would be conducting private affairs, after all. And even though they were related, here, they were just a guy and his older brother. It was standard for Roland to speak to the king with deference in public. They could go back to treating each other like brothers when they were alone or among their inner circle, but that would not fly out in the corridor where others could see.

“I’m so glad you’re back, Brother!”

And the moment we closed the door behind us, Roland’s brother Serge burst into tears and hugged him. He wasn’t incompetent by any means, but he had always gotten support from his capable brother Roland whenever he needed it. With the threat of war looming in Roland’s absence, Serge must have been quite worried.

Well, he would probably fulfill his duty as king adequately enough if a war did break out, but having his brother by his side would make a huge difference.

Back when I was a student, I was also often asked by my classmates and underclassmen to accompany them when breaking up with the guys they were seeing. Supposedly, just having me there scared whoever they were breaking up with, so they didn’t have to deal with any threats or persistent demands.

That’s why I was known as the Master of Breakups. Everyone said, “If you’re gonna break up with a guy, ask Nagase, the specialist in the field!”

...Shut up! Not once have I broken up with a guy myself!

How am I supposed to break up with someone when I’ve never dated anyone before, damn it?! Haah... Haah...

Anyway, we would hear what King Serge had to say, then decide how to deal with this from there. Or “who” to deal with...

Hurting Layette and the orphan children... Using my name as one of their excuses to usurp the throne... Trying to deceive and manipulate me, then trying to kill me when that failed...

Did they think I would let all that slide without doing anything? Even though there was no telling when they might hurt my loved ones again if left unchecked? Even though it would spread the idea that nothing would happen to anyone who messed with us? The pheasant would not be shot but for its cries...

Wait, why was His Majesty the King backing away with that tense look on his face? Yeah, one of my two friends had often told me, “Don’t ever smile when children are around.”

...Shaddap!!! ...Wait, oh!

We were in the royal palace, weren’t we? Didn’t I say that one time that I swore to Celes I would never set foot in the palace again? Oh no, I was thinking too hard on the walk here and completely forgot about that backstory... Not only did I waltz on into the royal palace, but I was all the way in the king’s office! This was bad, I had to come up with some sort of excuse...