Volume 3 - CH 1.1

A few days after the Emperor was taken away by Elle, the lords of the northern region of the Demon Empire formed a northern alliance led by the Frontier Count Naylor in the name of the Emperor of the Demon Empire, which gave quite a shock to the kingdom's army, which had been in the mood of victory after capturing the Imperial Capital.

The Demon Empire, which was originally an invading nation, was wary of people from the conquered countries revolting. This is why the Emperor had absolute power and allowed the nobles to possess only the minimum amount of armed force to defend themselves, and imposed heavy taxes on the provinces to prevent them from even accumulating funds.

As a result, the local nobles, with the exception of a few, have been unable to assemble enough military strength within their territories, and it was thought to be impossible to secure enough strength to challenge the kingdom's army.

The people on the kingdom's side thought that the kingdom's victory was assured once they defeated the Demon Empire's army head-on and occupied the Imperial Capital. The generals of the kingdom's army paled at the outrageous blunder of letting the once-captured Emperor escape, and an urgent meeting was held, including the heroes.

※

The general staff was talking about the current situation, and simply put, the current situation was unexpected.

With their territory and lives at stake, they should not have stopped resisting just because the Imperial Capital was occupied, but the others didn't seem to think so, and the staff all had dark expressions on their faces.

「How could the Emperor have escaped in the first place! There were reports that he was locked up in the dungeon! It's impossible for him to escape from the Imperial Capital without being noticed!」

「Couldn't there be a hidden door? I'm sure there are passages that only royalty know about.」

「What were the guards doing if no one saw the Emperor fleeing in the first place? Could it be that, that guy helped him escape?」

「I had the dungeons inspected, but there was no hollow space around them, nor was there any place that could be entered from the outside. I don't think there is any possibility of a hidden passage leading to the dungeon. As for the guards, they were always watching the prison except for the moment of change, so it is highly possible that they were targeted for their gap.」

The reason they are shouting is because they want to put the blame on someone else for this fiasco. If the perpetrators are not found, the responsibility for the blunder will fall mainly on the commander, but it is obvious that the nobles who are serving in the army this time will also be denounced by the nobles who are still in the kingdom.

It was inevitable that he had been chosen as the facilitator of the meeting, but I felt sympathy for the chief of staff as he calmly and unhurriedly responded to the shouting words of the nobles.

When I looked at the other heroes, I saw that Sagami seemed to have similar thoughts to mine, and while he frowned at the reactions of those around him, he himself remained calm. He only looked at me once at the beginning, but he had experienced <Transfer> once before, so he must have realized that the <Transfer> used for this crime as soon as he heard the Emperor's story.

Alec kept quiet, but his face, which was turned down so as not to be noticed by others, had a happy expression on it. I don't know what he's thinking, but from my experience, he's probably come up with something that will benefit him.

I don't think there was anything in what the chief staff said that would benefit him, but I wondered what on earth he was thinking. I was a little curious and wanted to use the <Theft-Thought (Steel)> to read his thoughts, but before I could, Fairis, who was sitting next to me, pulled my arm.

「Yard-sama, shouldn't we tell them about her? At least we can guess why the Emperor was able to escape and where he escaped. ......」

By "Her" she mean Elle. I've already told Fairis that Elle took the Emperor away using a <Transfer>, so she's been looking around uncomfortably for a while now.

「If we were to tell them for sure, the meeting would be over a bit sooner. If that were to happen, Elle would be guilty of letting the Emperor escape, and I would be guilty of bringing a traitor into the fold, making us both traitors to the kingdom. I'm willing to save my life as well, so if that happens, I intend to dispose of the people here and flee.」

「Ah, ...... Indeed, you're right, ......」

When she understood the consequences of her suggestion, she slumped her shoulders disappointedly and looked down.

I've told her some disturbing stories, but I don't plan to move out of my mansion in the royal capital yet, so if she mentions Elle to me, I'm going to stop at just erasing the memories of everyone here.

「But still, why did she do this ......?」

Fairis was severely depressed that Elle had betrayed us. It was true that she and Elle had been talking a lot since they met, so they were probably pretty good friends. In fact, I don't know of any other friends of hers besides Elle.

「Don't be so depressed. I know how much you miss your best friend.」

「Wha!?」

I tried to follow up with her, but when she heard my words, she shouted in a small voice and glared at me, her face turning red. I'm sure she knew exactly what I was talking about when she didn't offer any counterarguments while glaring at me.

「I-I've got a friend or two too! Like the maid who was dedicated to me, or the church ......」

「It's all about business relationships. Don't you have any friends outside the palace or the church that you can talk to easily?」

「Let's see. ...... Natalia-san ......」

After all the trouble she'd been through, the answer to my question was that I was related to her, and that Fairis's friendships were more limited than I'd imagined. I think it's hard for her to make friends on equal terms because she's regarded as a saint among the heroes and people have a feeling of worship towards her. It may be inevitable that she does not have a best friend.

As if to comfort her, I patted her lightly on the head, and she shook her head, staring at me with unintimidating eyes, as if she couldn't stand the humiliation.

I could have teased her a little more, but I decided not to, since Sagami was looking at me with a dumbfounded expression and the uncharacteristic appearance of Fairis was attracting the attention of the people around us.

I left Fairis, who was shrinking as she noticed the stares around her, alone and listened to the meeting again, but the discussion had not progressed at all from what I had heard before. The only thing that seemed to be going on was a lot of blame shifting.

Sagami stood up, pounding on the desk, as if he had grown tired of such childish discussions.

「That's enough!」

His normally stern face became even more twisted as he glared at everyone present with a look so intimidating that it could have killed someone. The shouts of condemnation that had been flying in disorder among the nobles stopped instantly, and the meeting place instantly became silent.

「Is it our responsibility to hold an emergency meeting to discuss this? Rather than discussing such trivial matters, it would be more constructive to discuss how to deal with the Northern Alliance, the likely destination of the Emperor's escape.」

「You're absolutely right.」

The aristocrats, who were afraid of Sagami's mood, changed their attitude and followed his words with a smile. I think they're a convenient bunch, but I won't put it into words.

「What are your thoughts on countermeasures, Sagami-dono? Even though we were able to take food and other supplies from the enemy army, our original goal was to occupy the Imperial Capital. We don't have enough supplies to march north like this, and we can't ignore the drop in morale caused by the continuous fighting.」

「General Staff, we need to keep a certain amount of troops to maintain the security of the Imperial Capital, but even if we deduct that, don't we have enough supplies?」

「No, sir. We had originally planned to leave some of our troops behind to govern the city after the occupation, so we have enough for the troops who will stay in the capital and for those who will return, but we won't have enough if we have to march.」

「I see, that's not an option then.」

Sagami listened to the chief of staff and took a seat. He was a soldier, so he wouldn't be so foolish as to propose a march without the logistics in place. The commander also nodded his head in agreement after hearing what the general staff and Sagami had to say. If things continue as they are, they will be able to leave the minimum amount of forces in the capital and prepare to withdraw without incident.

However, in the midst of an atmosphere that had almost been settled on retreat, Alec stood up with a confident expression on his face.

「I understand Sagami-dono's opinion very well. Even though the decisive battle against the Demon Empire had ended with us in the lead, the soldiers must have been exhausted from the unfamiliar territory. But if we return to the royal capital like this, can we really say that we have defeated the Demon Empire?」

Perhaps fascinated by the way Alec spoke while waving his arms in the air as if expressing his unbearable inner feelings, the nobles who had been watching quietly until now were waiting for his next words as if drawn in by his talk.

I was praying that he wouldn't say anything unnecessary, but it seems my prayers were not answered.

「The king has ordered us to defeat the Demon Empire and put an end to our longstanding feud!　But the Emperor has fled, and the remaining nobles haven't stopped forming a coalition against the kingdom! We have yet to fulfill His Majesty's command! If we run back here, we will surely be accused of cowardice!」

「Th-That's right! We came here to destroy the Demon Empire, we can't just leave halfway through!」

One of the nobles, inspired by Alec's words, raised his voice, and the others agreed one after another.

Many of the nobles in the kingdom were still unable to give up their useless pride and chivalry, and it seemed that many of the participants in this meeting had the same idea.

「Alec-dono, as the Chief of Staff said earlier, we don't have enough supplies to choose to march. I think it's not too late to attack after waiting for additional support from royal capital.」

「We can conscript the people from the towns we occupy. They originally supported the Demon Empire, and if they're going to be under the protection of the kingdom without any blame from now on, I don't mind them doing this much for us.」

「That would antagonize the people. Even if they have been the people of the Demon Empire until now, they will become the people of the kingdom after the occupation. If we arouse their resentment, it will have a negative impact on our governance.」

「Even if we were to requisition them, it would only be until we hunted down the remnants of the Demon Empire called the Northern Alliance. If we don't come prepared to make some sacrifices, we won't be able to defeat the enemies we can defeat.」

Whenever Alec refuted the words of Sagami and the general staff, the people around him shouted their approval and support. If anything, it was the two of them who were saying the right things, but it seems that no matter what you say to the guy now that he's on a roll, he can't change his mind.

The nobles, who had remained silent under Sagami's intimidation, were probably secretly hoping to propose a march. The fact that Alec, who was in a position equal to or greater than Sagami's, proposed the march was a ship for them.

「Yard-sama, wouldn't it be decided to march if this meeting continue like this...?」

Perhaps fearful of the atmosphere of the place that was taking a turn for the worse, Fairis had been unconsciously grabbing my clothes for a while now.

She seemed to want to stop the march somehow, but she didn't seem to have a good idea to persuade them, and she looked at me with moist eyes, as if she wanted me to take care of the situation.

It's not that I've been seduced by her, but I want to take care of this situation. It seems impossible to expect Sagami and the others to stop them, the way it looks. I sighed lightly and stood up.

「Alec-dono, the magician unit will refuse to follow you any further.」

「Wh-Why!?」

「The magicians are consuming more magic power and mental energy than physical fatigue. There is little chance that they will be able to work at full capacity even if they march in unscheduled, and we can't send out troops that we don't know if they can function properly.」

Perhaps he didn't expect me, who hadn't said anything in particular until now, to express my opposition to the march, but Alec lost his confident and looked around a little impatiently.

In fact, they were not so exhausted as to be useless, but there was no way that the nobles, who were outside the gate, could understand that, and they just stared at us with bitter faces.

「The decisive battle will soon be over, and not many magicians will be so exhausted that they will have trouble following the army. And there are also magicians who have turned to us. Isn't it enough to gather only those who can move?」

「It is true that the second magic corps turned to the kingdom, but the first magic corps, which was not seen in the last battle, may be under the command of the Northern Alliance. By nature, magicians are overwhelmingly better at defensive warfare. I think the odds of getting beaten back are much higher than winning an overwhelming victory if you charge in with no plan.」

「Murghh......」

「I don't understand why you're in such a hurry to get rid of the Emperor, but it might be their plan to send you out without a plan in order to hastily make up for their blunder.」

He seemed to be pondering for a while, but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't come up with a good idea, so he shook his head in resignation and let out a sigh. He seemed to have understood that it would be reckless to go into battle without securing enough magicians.

And since Alec, who had proposed the march, had relented, the nobles who had agreed with him had not said anything that would force the march any further. I saw the general staff secretly let out a sigh, as if to say, "Now we don't have to make a reckless assault”.

「So what should we do about the Northern Alliance?」

「Since we don't know how the other side will react, wouldn't it be better to increase the number of troops stationed in the Imperial Capital and keep them on alert? If we're going to focus on defense, the magicians who are currently available should be enough. As soon as the support from the kingdom arrives, we can go on the offensive.」

「I agree with that. First, we need time to check the enemy forces.」

I gave a bland opinion for now, and Sagami agreed with it. Alec and the noblemen who had agreed with him seemed to be a little dissatisfied, but it was nothing to worry about.

Now I could return to the capital. After that, I'll leave the details to Sagami and the others.

※

「Welcome back, Master!」

After the tedious meeting, I returned to the residence of the Gran family, which I use as an inn in the Imperial Capital, and was greeted by Olympia, who was waiting for my return at the door.

Even though she didn't know when I would be back, her loyalty to me made her seem like a dog. When I stroked her head on a whim, her face lit up with happiness. I wondered if she would be like this if she actually had a dog.

When I let go of her hand after petting her for a while, she looked at my hand with regretful eyes, but it was only for a moment, and her face quickly returned to seriousness.

「Master, the 2nd Magic Corps of the Demon Empire Army will now be under the command of the Kingdom Army.」

「I see, so you'll be in command?」

「No, I've resigned from the army. I've also given up my position as head of the family to my younger brother, so I can serve my master without any worries.」

The position and title that an ordinary person would regret throwing away, she now seems to only see it as something that binds her to her position. As someone who has manipulated her personality to raise her loyalty to the maximum, I can't say I'm surprised, but I'm a little worried about her boldness.

「How's the situation in the Imperial Capital?」

「Thanks to our efforts to keep the commoners from suffering as much as possible, things are calm for now. Also, I've received a petition from the merchants' guild through a merchant who comes and goes, asking for permission to trade with the kingdom.」

「Since it is not in my power to grant permission for trade, send it over to the military.」

I suppose it would be convenient if I could get them to help transport goods instead of allowing trade, but that's not my concern, so I'll leave that to the military.

Still, there was no backlash from the people, which I had expected to happen to some extent. There was no particular complaint from the people about the occupation of the Imperial Capital by the kingdom. This was probably due to the fact that the Demon Empire itself had originally adopted a meritocratic policy.

「If there is no protest from the people, then it seems that I can leave the Imperial Capital for now.」

「Will the master return to the kingdom?」

「Yeah, I'm also curious about Elle's movements. ...... If she could at least use <Transfer>, I could locate her, but she seems to be wary of me.」

It is impossible to completely conceal a Spatial Leaping magic because of its specification of twisting the space itself in the area of effect. If they are detected precisely, it is possible to identify the place of occurrence in an instant. In fact, in the dungeons of the Imperial Capital, there were slight traces of the twisted space.

「I think she probably headed to the Frontier Count Naylor at one point, but there is no strong information.」

「If a magician as good as Elle and I were serious about disappearing, it would be nearly impossible to find them through a straightforward methods. At the very least, you need to be able to use a magic detection strong enough to break through their magic resistance.」

「I don't think there is any magician as powerful as Master. ......」

Olympia's expression clouded when she heard that it was almost impossible to find Elle. I didn't remember specifically asking her to gather information, so I guess she was trying to score points with me.

There was no chance that she would find her by accident, so I wasn't going to tell her to stop her search.

Olympia began to worry, as if her plans had gone awry, but then she looked up as if she suddenly remembered something.

「Speaking of which, how should I handle the Marquise Evarts's wife and her two daughters?」

「Oh, how are they doing now?」

「They are supposed to have disappeared in the confusion of the attack on the Imperial Capital, but they are currently under house arrest in this mansion. However, they are famous in the Imperial Capital, so it would be a bit unreasonable to continue hiding them like this.」

「Fumu, if I take them to the royal capital too, there will be no one left to shelter them. ......」

The three of them are more beautiful than most people, and that alone is worth something. In addition, Celia and Claire have the blood of the Marquis Evarts, so their talents as magicians can be expected.

I had only used them to take revenge on the Marquis Evarts, but it would be a shame to let them go now that I had obtained them by even using the <Dominate>.

「Olympia, take me to Melvina and the others.」

「Right away.」

She nodded at my words and immediately walked to the destination room.

I hadn't seen the girls for a while after taking revenge on the Marquis Evarts, but let's just hope they weren't in a bad mood.

Olympia led me to the room where they are under house arrest, and it seemed that all three of them were enjoying a cup of tea. The sight of the maids taking care of the girls did not seem like they were under house arrest, but considering that they were a marchioness and her daughter, this was probably normal.

The three of them looked at me blankly when I came into the room, but Claire came to her senses first and hugged me as if she was going to push me down.

「Yard-sama, I've missed you so much since you didn't come to see me at all!」

「I'm sorry, I've been busy with a lot of things.」

The way she puffed up her cheeks to show her emotions made her feel like a child, but the way she looked up at me with her slightly moist eyes like her mother's, I could not help but feel the sexiness of her as woman.

When I patted her head with a wry smile, she responded in a similar way to Olympia.

「Oh, Claire! It's not fair that you're running off to him, get away from him!」

「I don't want to! I'll be stuck to Yard-sama all day today!」

After the little sister, the older sister Celia came up to me and tried to pull away her sister who was hugging me. I can see that the sisters are close, but she seems to have forgotten that she has the eyes of another person, Olympia. It seems that she is still far from being a mature woman like her mother.

As I watched the sisters play each other, Melvina was standing very close by before I knew it.

「It's been a long time, Yard-sama.」

「Yeah, I'm sorry to inconvenience you, even though we're at war.」

「Don't mention it, thank you for your concern.」

The way she smiled so fragilely, so as not to be vulgar, was truly ladylike. As a marchioness, she must not be living in an noble society.

「Do you have any plans for later, Yard-sama?」

「No, I've just returned from a meeting. Unless something goes wrong, I have no business to attend to.」

「I see. I was just enjoying a cup of tea with my daughters. If you don't mind, Yard-sama, would you like to join us?」

Melvina casually took my arm to pinch it between her cleavage. Her dress is wide open at the chest, so her bare skin is in direct contact with it, and her unusually large breasts are crushed by my arm, changing their shape and conveying a soft, warm feeling.

I wanted to enjoy the feeling of her wonderful breasts a little longer, but it was interrupted by Olympia who suddenly cut it.

「If you have nothing better to do than to drink tea, can you please stop seducing my master by serving him like an animal in the middle of the day, Marchioness? Oh, the Marquess family is as good as dead, I'm sorry.」

Olympia was clearly mocking Melvina with her spiky words. The two were originally at odds with each other, so they didn't seem to get along too well. I'm sure it's because of the jealousy mixed in with it.

「I was just trying to relieve his fatigue, but do I need your permission to invite Yard-sama to have a tea?」

「You three are under house arrest, you know.　I wish you would understand your position a little better.」

「Yard-sama, Olympia-sama seem to be in a bad mood, so let's just enjoy the tea alone.」

「Ah, Mother! I'll join you!」

「I want to talk to Yard-sama, too.」

Unlike Olympia, who was biting without hiding her displeasure, Melvina was listening to the other person's words and smiling. Her two daughters joined in as if in pursuit, and Olympia was now completely outnumbered.

When I saw her glaring at the three of them in frustration, I put my hand on her head as if to show my sympathy. It's inevitable that they don't get along because of their families, but I wish they would make some effort to come to terms with each other.

「I don't know what you're going through, but you should at least allow me to invited to have a tea.」

「...... okay」

She was a bit reluctant, but I guess that's a good start.

When Melvina heard Olympia's words, she pulled my arm and led me to my seat, and Celia and Claire quickly took their seats next to me. I felt a little forced, but I was originally planning to participate, so I didn't mind a little.

As I sat down, the maid offered me a teacup, which I took and drank. The tea served seemed to be herbal tea, and the refreshing aroma and taste seemed to relieve some of my fatigue.

「How do you like your tea, Yard-sama?」

「Oh, it's not bad to enjoy a cup of tea like this once in a while.」

And so, for a while, while enjoying the scent and taste of the tea and sweets, I spent a leisurely time with Celia and Claire, who were eager to hear what I had to say. When we had finished talking, I decided to tell them the reason why I had come to see them.

「I will be returning to royal capital in the not too distant future. When I do, I will be taking Olympia with me, but then it will become difficult to hide you in this mansion. So, I would like to bring you to royal capital, what do you think?」

「To Yard-sama's mansion, is that right?」

「Yes, in that case, your identities will be hidden and you will be taken as maids. If that happens, you won't be able to live the way you used to live.」

All three of them are genuine aristocrats and have never had to work in their lives, so life as a servant will be more difficult than they can imagine.

Celia and Claire can't imagine the severity of the situation, or perhaps they don't seem to understand what I'm talking about, but Melvina understands what I'm talking about, and to some extent she can imagine the difficulty, and her smile disappears and her face becomes serious.

「What will happen if I refuse that offers?」

「In that case, you will stay here. You will be guaranteed the same life as before, but if your existence is leaked from somewhere, you will be captured as nobles of an enemy country and that will be your end.」

「I understand. Then let me go to the capital with Yard-sama. I will not make the choice to leave you, Yard-sama. I think my daughters feel the same way.」

Celia and Claire nodded as if agreeing with Melvina's words. I felt like they didn't really understand the gravity of the situation, but if they chose to do so, then so be it.

「I see, I guess I'll take you guys with me then. I'll be giving you guys a hard time, but if there's anything you need, just let me know. I'll do what I can to help.」

「Ah, in that case, I have one request.」

Claire, who had been silent until now, snapped at me as if she had been waiting for me to say that.