The Victory Banquet

It was the night after the day of the combined forces of the Kingdom of

Friedonia, the Kingdom of Lastania, and the Nothung Dragon Knight

Kingdom exterminating tens of thousands of lizardmen that had attacked as

part of the demon wave.

In the fortress near the Dabicon river, there was a banquet being held in

honor of today's victory.

There were large pots prepared in the fortress courtyard and camps, and

the soldiers sat in a circle around them, sharing liquor provided by

Friedonia and Lastania, and having a jolly good time.

Their excess rations had been set aside for the occasion, but some brave

men had heard it was possible to eat monster meat, and they were cooking

and eating the remains of some of the more edible-looking ones that had

been lying dead outside.

While the soldiers were having a raucous good time outside, we were in

a specially prepared dining hall inside the fortress.

Present were me, my fiancées, our close companions, and important

figures from all three countries.

The king and queen of Lastania, who had been left behind in Lasta's

castle, were now here, having arrived in a wyvern's gondola.

Incidentally, for some reason, Princess Tia had already been at the

fortress, and she'd surprised me by greeting us with Roroa after our return

from battle.

Given the look on Julius's face like he'd bitten into something

unpleasant, I suspected he'd already known about her sneaking in. It

seemed she was driving him crazy.

That aside, there were people from Friedonia, Lastania, and Nothung

everywhere having pleasant conversations.

Given my position, I figured I ought to go talk to a bunch of them,

but...for now, I was stuck with Aisha and couldn't move around.

At the start of the banquet, Aisha had grabbed my arm tight and made no

attempt to let go.

It didn't bother me that various soft parts of her were pressed up against

me, but she was squeezing a little too hard, and I couldn't move.

"Um, Aisha? Could you loosen your grip a little?" I pleaded.

"I don't want to."

...Well, there you have it.

From what I heard, she had been stuck watching Jirukoma and Captain

Lauren's lovey-dovey atmosphere on the battlefield. Just what had those

two been doing out there, anyway?

Incidentally, out of consideration for Aisha (or maybe just because

dealing with her would be a pain right now) Roroa was with Julius and

Princess Tia, and Naden was with Pai, whom she hadn't seen in a while.

Aisha looked at me with eyes like an abandoned puppy dog. "Um...is

this not okay? I did my very best in today's battle."

Her eyes clung to me. Seeing those eyes, I finally understood her

feelings.

Oh, I see. Aisha wants me to praise her.

She wanted my approval. The sort of approval given from one in a

higher position to one in a lower position. (Like from a parent to a child.)

The desire for that sort of approval comes from a feeling of wanting that

person to indulge you. Aisha wanted me to indulge her.

It might have something to do with the fact that, as I had slept in the

same bed as Roroa and Naden last night, she'd been alone outside guarding

us.

With my free hand, I patted Aisha on the head. "You really did well,

Aisha."

"Hehe." Aisha finally showed me a satisfied smile.

Princess Tia's parents, the king and queen of Lastania, came over and

looked at us with smiles.

"You two certainly get along well," the king said.

"They really do," the queen agreed. "They're so innocent."

Th-They saw, huh? I felt a little embarrassed, but the King of Lastania

offered me a bottle of wine.

"Here, Sir Souma, Madam Aisha."

"Oh, thank you very much," I said.

"W-We're much obliged," Aisha agreed.

We accepted the King of Lastania's invitation to drink together.

Once four glasses of wine had been poured, we toasted together.

The King of Lastania drank all his wine in one gulp and thanked us with

good cheer. "You know, I really am grateful for your reinforcements. If not

for the Kingdom of Friedonia's support, our country might have fallen. In

place of my people, I thank you. If I had the martial prowess of one like Sir

Julius, I could have fought myself, but I was completely useless..."

"No, you're being too humble," I said. "The reason our reinforcements

made it in time was because of the hard fight put up by Sir Julius and the

people of this country. We only helped a little, at the request of the Empire.

In any case, I've gotten the sense that the Lastanian royal family are very

much loved by the people of this country. I'm sure you were able to provide

emotional support to your people."

I poured more wine into the King of Lastania's empty glass.

"Dealing with the Demon Lord's Domain is an issue that concerns our

country too," I went on. "If there are any movements inside the Demon

Lord's Domain, or within the Union of Eastern Nations, please contact us.

We'll do whatever we can to help."

"Thank you." The King of Lastania bowed his head with a smile.

My words weren't just lip service. The Kingdom of Lastania wasn't just

a member of the Union of Eastern Nations; they were allies of the Nothung

Dragon Knight Kingdom in the west. They were the perfect go-between in

negotiations between our two countries, and I definitely wanted to continue

relations with them.

"Still, this certainly is an incredible sight," the King of Lastania said as

he looked around the banquet hall. "Here we have you, Sir Souma,

representing the Kingdom of Friedonia, and Madam Sill, a princess of the

Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom. From what I hear, Sir Kuu is also the

son of the head of the Republic of Turgis, is he not? That all these young

people who will carry the future of this continent are gathered here, in this

one small country in a corner of the Union of Eastern Nations... well, it's a

surprise."

Yeah, he was right, there were almost too many of us here. But...

"The next generation of Lastania is looking like it has a bright future

too, isn't it?" I asked. "You have Sir Julius, Jirukoma, and Captain Lauren

after all... Oh! I know this is a bit late, but congratulations on Madam Tia's

marriage."

"Thank you," he said. "I am truly glad to have a reliable young man like

Sir Julius marry into our family. We knew how Tia felt about him, so there

would have been no objection from us, but I would have felt a little hesitant

asking someone who was once the crown prince of the Principality of

Amidonia to be the king of a much smaller country like this. However, it

seems my worries were in vain."

Smiling as he spoke, the King of Lastania's eyes were focused on Julius,

who was talking with Princess Tia and Roroa, with the same stern look on

his face as ever. Still, though Julius's face was stern, there was no sign of

the conversation letting up, so they were getting on well enough in their

own way.

While I was thinking about that, the King of Lastania looked at me. "Sir

Souma. I have heard there was bad blood between you and Sir Julius. Do

those feelings still create a wall between the two of you?"

He was coming right out and asking me that. It seemed this guy was

honest by nature.

He was asking purely out of concern for the well-being of Julius, who

would become Princess Tia's husband. Looking at it as the King of

Friedonia who had to rule over the Amidonia region, Julius's existence was

a dangerous element. He was worried I might move to eliminate Julius.

I shook my head in silence. "It's true, there is bad blood between Sir

Julius and me. For Julius, I'm the man who killed his father, so the discord

between us won't ever truly go away."

The king was silent.

"However, if anything were to happen to Sir Julius, Princess Tia would

be sad. If Princess Tia were sad, Roroa who likes her would be sad too. I

don't want that. I'm sure Sir Julius doesn't want to confront me so badly

that he would make Princess Tia and Roroa sad by doing it, either."

The important thing was our desire not to make others sad. That feeling

was something Julius and I had in common.

"Even if, at some point in the future, there comes a time when Sir Julius

and I have conflicting interests, I am sure both of us will act to avoid war,

which would be the worst outcome," I said.

In other words, we might not be able to be friends, but if possible, we

didn't want to fight. At some point, we had ended up in that awkward sort

of relationship.

My words may have reassured him, because the King of Lastania took

my hand and smiled with tears in his eyes. "I sincerely hope that our two

countries can prosper together."

Parting company with the Lastanian royal couple, Aisha and I went over

to where Naden was. She was talking with Pai and Sill, and Hal, Kaede, and

Ruby were next to them.

When we approached, Sill was the first to notice. "Why, Sir Souma! I

have heard of your accomplishments in this affair from Madam Naden."

Saying that, Sill extended her right hand.

Madam Sill was not as dark as a dark elf, but the light brown skin and

very short blonde hair of this boyish woman made her quite distinctive. She

was probably around twenty. Her exposed arms were slender, but muscular,

and she had a body like a track and field athlete.

I took Sill's hand and shook it firmly. "No, no, I didn't do anything all

that special myself. This victory belongs to the people of this country for

the hard fight they put up, and the hard work of each person involved."

"You are being humble," Sill said. "You are the one who decided to send

reinforcements to this country. I am grateful. Normally, sending

reinforcements to this country would have been our duty as their allies, but

it took time to resolve the effects of the demon wave in our own lands, and

our arrival was delayed."

The demon wave had affected a wide area after all. Maria was dealing

with it in the west too.

"What was the demon wave that hit the Nothung Dragon Knight

Kingdom like?" I asked.

"We were attacked by a wide variety of monsters at the same time. None

of them were especially strong, and they were easily reduced to cinders, but

they were numerous. It was quite a difficult situation. There were so many

of them that, from the air, you couldn't see the ground through all the

monsters."

"That's...exhausting to even hear about."

If that many had come all at once, this country wouldn't have stood a

chance. The invading force had only been stopped by the river because it

was almost entirely comprised of lizardmen.

"By the way," I said, "Madam Sill, you and Pai are..."

"Ahh, Sir Souma. I hear you and Pai are acquainted, and you can talk

normally together. I have become Pai's partner. You needn't use overly

formal language with me."

"Okay," I said. "You can talk however suits you best too."

"Oh, great. I hate talking formally. Makes my shoulders stiff."

Having said that, Sill made a show of turning her right shoulder in

circles. It seemed a more masculine tone that suited her boyish looks was

the default for her.

A kid in a white jumpsuit-like outfit who was beautiful but

androgynous, with beady little eyes, started talking to me. "Long time no

see, Souma."

This was presumably Pai in human form, but he gave off a pretty

different impression now than before.

I had heard that until they formed a contract, dragons maintained a more

gender-neutral style, and that forming a contract with a male knight would

make them more feminine, while forming a contract with a female knight

would make them more masculine, but right now Pai was totally an

otokonoko.

While my eyes were wide with surprise, Naden cocked her head to the

side in confusion. "What's wrong, Souma?"

"Oh! No... I was just thinking, 'Wow, Pai really is a guy now.' The

dragon knight contract can change a person this much. I was surprised."

"Hehe, that's how we dragons are," Pai said with a wry smile. "I'll bet

Naden and Ruby have gotten more womanly since their contracts too,

right?"

"Hmm? Naden doesn't look all that different... Hey, Hal, has Ruby

changed?" He was nearby, so I figured I'd try asking.

Hal went, "Hmm," and cocked his head to the side. "Now that you

mention it, compared to when we formed the contract, she's started sticking

out more in all the right pla—Ow!"

Ruby stomped on Hal's foot, and Kaede bopped him on the head with

her staff.

Yeah, I know it was my fault for asking, but that lacked delicacy.

Then I realized Naden was touching her own chest. She walked over to

Ruby, pressed her hand against her breast, and squeezed.

"Ah!" Ruby yelped, letting out a sexy moan. "Hey, wait?!"

Naden remained silent and fell to her knees on the spot. "Where did this

difference come from...?"

The cause of all this, Pai, had an apologetic look on his face. "Ah! Um...

I'm sorry..."

Aisha told the dejected Naden, "Don't worry, you're just getting

started," but hearing that from the fiancée who stuck out the most in those

areas, it was probably only salt in the wound. It was time for a forced

change of subject.

"Erm... I get that Pai is a man now, but in this case, the one who gives

birth is..." I began.

"Yep, that'll be me, I guess," Sill said, puffing up her chest and

responding in a matter-of-fact way. "The cost of the dragon knight contract

is prosperity for their descendants. I'm human, so the kids'll be either

human or dragonewts, since I can't give birth to a dragon."

I had heard from Naden that dragons were born as a large egg, but even

the parents didn't know when it would hatch. It wasn't possible for a dragon

egg to form inside a human body, so it was probably a given that she

couldn't give birth to a dragon.

Sill laughed loudly. "Well, when a dragon births a dragon, the egg has to

be deposited in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, so they can't raise it

themselves. Pai might be dissatisfied, but I'm glad that I can definitely raise

all of my children with Pai by myself."

"I'm not dissatisfied. I'm happy I'll be able to raise our children too,"

Pai said bashfully.

He was talking more like a boy now too.

They made an odd couple, a manly woman and a girly otokonoko, but it

seemed they got along, so good for them.

Looking at the two of them, I said without thinking, "There sure are

some odd dragon knights out there."

Naden, Hal, and Kaede all jumped in to say, """Like you're one to

talk?!"""

...They kind of had a point.

Having parted ways with Naden and company, Aisha and I watched

Tomoe, Inugami, Kuu, and Leporina having fun talking and laughing as we

headed over to see Poncho, Serina, Komain, Jirukoma and Lauren next.

"Sir Poncho," Lauren said, "what was your first meeting with Madam

Komain like?"

"Is my sister doing a good job working for you?" Jirukoma asked.

"Huh? Oh, yes," said Poncho. "She's very reliable, yes."

It seemed Poncho was being interrogated by Lauren and Jirukoma. The

result was being watched by Komain with trepidation, and Serina with

exasperation.

"What exactly is the situation here?" I asked.

"Why, Your Majesty, I believe it is exactly as it appears," Serina said

matter-of-factly.

I wasn't sure what she meant...

"So then, Sir Poncho? You're really not seeing anyone?" Jirukoma

asked.

"You've become a noble now, so haven't there been a lot of people who

expressed an interest in marrying you?" Lauren demanded.

"Y-Yes, Sir Jirukoma, Madam Lauren. It's true, there has been a lot of

talk like that, but I just don't seem to have any luck, so I'm not seeing

anyone, yes."

It looked like Jirukoma were trying to drag out the details of Poncho's

love life.

Wait, so Poncho still couldn't find himself a fiancée? Poncho was a

retainer I had hired personally, so he was seen as having a promising future.

Because of that, a wide variety of people, from the nobility and knightly

class to influential merchants, had seen him about a potential marriage,

but...had he really not been able to get an engagement from any of them?

Lauren brought up that question for me. "But from what Lord Jirukoma

tells me, you are very popular in the kingdom."

I figured I could let the fact she was referring to him as Lord Jirukoma

instead of Sir Jirukoma now pass without comment. From how Aisha

reacted to being around them, I could basically figure out what was up

between them for myself.

"Many people respect you for your role in ending the food crisis in

Elfrieden and Amidonia, and you're seen as having a promising future,"

Lauren continued. "I have a hard time imagining women would leave you

alone, you know?"

Exactly. Poncho was incredibly popular in the Kingdom of Friedonia. In

the Amidonia region, he was even being deified as the God of Food.

Though that sort of movement could antagonize the Lunarian Orthodox

Papal State, so I wish they'd cut it out.

Poncho shook his head vigorously. "Y-You're giving me too much

credit, yes. Maybe it's the way I look? When they come to discuss a

marriage, people turn around and leave as soon as they see me, yes."

"Huh? They do?" Lauren asked in confusion.

Huh? People were leaving right after seeing Poncho? Sure, he was

tubby, but he had a likable face, and he wasn't the type you'd find

unpleasant at first sight. Women had to have seen how tubby he was on

broadcast programs anyway, so if it that was enough to make him

unbearable for them, they could have just not arranged to meet in the first

place.

Besides, Poncho had a promising future. If these were women sent by

nobles, who strategic marriages were second nature to, they would turn a

blind eye to a certain level of faults and try their best to make Poncho like

them.

I didn't want an opportunist like that becoming Poncho's wife, of

course, so that was why I had Serina with him as his assistant, keeping a

watchful eye out.

I looked over at her. "So, tell me the truth, how are Poncho's marriage

meetings going?"

Serina pressed her index finger to her chin and cocked her head to the

side. "More or less, as Poncho said. Even the people who come with

thoughts of seducing Sir Poncho take off the moment they see his face. It's

quite rude of them, really."

Serina hadn't dropped her usual cool expression, but she seemed

indignant for some reason. If it was like she said, then it was even more

incomprehensible that he couldn't get an engagement.

While I was thinking that, there was a sudden tug on my sleeve. I turned

to see it was Komain.

Komain led me a little way away, then whispered to me. "Listen...I have

something to tell you about that..."

Her eyes were wandering, and she spoke timidly.

"Um...it's about why Sir Poncho can't find an engagement."

Then Komain told me about the meetings to discuss an arranged

marriage that she had witnessed while in Venetinova. It was true that many

offers were coming to Poncho, and many women seemed to mistakenly

believe they could seduce him with their pretty faces. However, whenever it

came time for the meeting, Serina was standing beside Poncho.

Serina had some shortcomings in terms of personality, but to the eyes,

she was a graceful beauty. In front of her beautiful face, those conceited

women were beating a hasty retreat.

Even if they could withstand that, whether she was aware of it or not,

Serina gave off an incredibly intimidating aura toward those that pursued

Poncho, and that scared off even those who were drawn to him with pure

intentions.

Komain, who had experienced that intimidation, said it was comparable

to that of a wild wolf.

"Serinaaaa..." I muttered.

I held my head. I had told Serina to keep any strange women from

getting close to him, but I never expected her to shield him from all

marriage opportunities.

"Also...I'm sorry," Komain confessed in a whisper. "I may have joined

Madam Serina in giving off that intimidating aura recently."

"Huh?! Why would you..."

"That's because...um...I'm sorry." Komain's face was bright red, and her

voice vanishingly small.

Seeing her so embarrassed that she wanted to crawl into a hole... I was

able to guess the situation.

I scratched my head. "Well, I guess I'm fine if it's you. Make sure you

take responsibility, okay?"

"Do you...think I'll be able to?"

Komain looked unsure, so I put a hand on her shoulder. "For now, tell

him how you feel and talk it over. Poncho is timid and lacks selfconfidence, so I doubt he'd ever think someone could have feelings for him.

Still, he's a nice guy, so I'm sure he'll respond to your affection with

sincerity."

"Y-Yes. I'll do that." Komain clenched her fist as she nodded.

From the look of her, she'd be okay. Even if all his other opportunities

fell through, I could feel relieved if a reliable girl like Komain would marry

him.

If there's one problem...it's that Komain's of common birth.

Though the marriage itself wasn't an issue, the influential nobles who

wanted girls of their blood to be his head wife might get in the way.

Komain didn't have the power to shut them out the way she was now.

I could solve it temporarily by having Komain adopted into an

influential noble family, but...that would put Komain herself in the

crosshairs, and it would put a burden on her. That meant there was only one

measure I could take right now.

"What about Serina? If she's giving off that intimidating aura, do you

think he has a chance with her?" I asked.

Serina came from a good family which had provided maids and servants

to the royal house for generations. In terms of lineage, hers was equivalent

to the influential nobles. If I made Serina his head wife, I could shut out the

influence of other houses.

But...

"Hmm..." Komain cocked her head to the side. "I think there's

something there, but it feels like she's not aware of it herself. I won't deny

there may have been something like this in my case too, but the reason

Madam Serina took an interest in Sir Poncho was because of the delicious

food he makes. That's why I don't think Madam Serina herself knows if her

feelings are romantic, or if it's merely a result of her hunger."

"That's an inconvenient development..." I whispered back.

But thinking about it, the cool Serina had only shown interest in cute

girls she could turn her sadistic tendencies on, like Liscia and Carla, before

this. The first man she'd shown an interest in was Poncho.

Serina always carried off her work without a hitch, but it might be fair to

say she lacked experience in this area.

"How would you feel about Serina being the head wife, Komain?" I

asked.

"I... I came after she did, so I'd have no complaints. We've gotten closer

in the time we've been together, and I don't know the ways of your noble

houses, so it would be reassuring to have Madam Serina handle all that."

There were no problems with it on Komain's end then. In that case, it

was just a matter of Serina's feelings.

"Sorry, but could you handle Serina for me?" I whispered. "If there's

something between them, I want you to make her more conscious of it."

"O-Okay. I'll see what I can do!"

Komain made a strong commitment to helping. I could probably leave

this to her.

Still, the relationships between men and women were a strange and

complicated thing. I felt like this sort of thing took more thought than

simple political negotiations.

Having left the matter of Poncho to Komain for now, I could see Roroa,

Julius, and Princess Tia talking, so Aisha and I headed over there.

Roroa and Princess Tia had made fast friends, and they were chatting as

happily as two sisters. (They were going to be sisters-in-law soon too.)

Julius was watching the two of them with a peaceful look on his face.

"Oh, darlin'!" Roroa waved her hand vigorously at us, then came over

and quickly wrapped herself around the arm opposite the one Aisha was

holding. "Ohhh, darlin'. Our Big Sis is just the cutest."

"Big Sis?" I repeated.

"I told you not to call me Big Sis!" Princess Tia protested. "You're the

older one, Roroa! It's too much!"

Ohh, she's the big brother's fiancée, so that makes her the big sister,

huh.

Seeing Tia get upset, Roroa cackled. "Ohh, I was just thinkin' how

refreshin' it is to have a big sister who's younger than me."

"Come to think of it, you call Liscia Big Sis Cia, don't you?" I asked.

"Sure do. Big Sis Cia, Big Sis Ai, and Big Sis Juna all feel like my big

sisters. Nadie feels more like a friend, though."

"Then you can call me Tii, or something like that," Princess Tia

suggested.

But Roroa said, "Nothin' doin'," and shook her head. "I like seein' my

big sis get all embarrassed, so I'm gonna keep callin' you Big Sis."

"Augh!"

Unable to watch any longer, Julius intervened by flicking Roroa in the

forehead. "Roroa. Don't tease Tia too much."

"Ouch!" Roroa bent backward in exaggerated pain.

"L-Lord Julius!" Princess Tia hid behind Julius's sleeve to hide her face,

which was red with embarrassment.

Roroa held her aching forehead as she stuck her tongue out at Julius.

"What, Big Brother? We're just havin' some good sisterly fun, okay?"

"It's your fault for being so quick to get carried away. I do think your

endless cheer is a virtue, but if you don't take the time, place, and person

you are with into consideration, you'll only annoy people."

"Oww... darlin', Big Sis Ai, my big brother's bullyin' me!" Roroa

rubbed up against me with a fawning voice.

"No, Julius is totally in the right here, isn't he?" I said.

"I agree with His Majesty," Aisha put in.

"You're stabbin' me in the back?!"

Roroa made a backward falling motion so exaggerated that if this were a

manga, it would be accompanied by a sound effect.

Watching Roroa overreact, Princess Tia giggled, and seeing her smile

made Julius's expression soften a bit too.

Roroa really was amazing. I had agreed with Julius: Roroa's cheer

wasn't annoying, but rather made everyone around her smile.

The five of us talked together for a while, and then Julius said, "Souma.

Could I have a word with you?"

Princess Tia looked worried for a moment, but Roroa clapped her hands

down with a smile, she nodded, and they left us alone.

Aisha, Julius, and I left the room where the banquet was being held and

moved to a small room.

"Here is fine," I said.

As we entered the room, my bodyguard Aisha showed some

consideration, and waited with her back to the door.

It was probably a position meant to let her listen for eavesdroppers,

while still being able to handle Julius immediately if he tried anything

funny.

Julius poured wine from the one bottle we had brought with us from the

banquet hall into my glass.

Once he was done pouring, I took my turn pouring for Julius.

We raised our glasses together, and said in unison, ""To victory,""

clinking our glasses together.

Once we had drank all the wine in our glasses, Julius smirked. "I'd

never have expected a day would come when we would drink together."

"I could say the same," I said while pouring fresh drinks. "And it's a

drink celebrating our shared victory too."

Drinking with Julius...huh.

"Come to think of it, Serina drank you under the table in no time in Van,

didn't she?" I added.

"That's...a bitter memory. That maid was at the banquet today too,

wasn't she? The moment I saw her, those unpleasant memories came back

to me."

"Hahaha! That head maid of ours is feared by the princess of a nation

and the daughter of a former General of the Air Force."

"...You're sure she's just a maid?"

"I'm not sure about that myself sometimes," I admitted.

We were shooting the breeze about inconsequential things when,

suddenly, Julius got a serious look on his face. "I'm really grateful for the

reinforcements you brought."

"I keep getting told that," I said. "I've been thanked enough."

"Still. If you and Roroa hadn't come to our aid, I might not have been

able to protect Tia. And so, I thank you." Julius gave a deep bow.

Looking at how different Julius's attitude was from before, I slapped

him on the shoulder with a wry smile. "You say that like everything's been

resolved, but the real difficulties for this country start now, don't they? You

lost more than a few men in the battle up until now, right? Can you

recover?"

"We will. We protected the women and children. The population will

grow, and we can build a future. Besides, after the war, our population and

territory will grow."

"Your territory too?" I asked.

"In the Union of Eastern Nations, the gain or loss of territory is decided

in parliament. There are many lands that lost their lords in the demon wave,

so land will be redistributed. When that time comes, those countries that

behaved poorly by failing to send several reinforcements proportionate to

their nation's power will be stripped of territory, and countries that

distinguished themselves will gain it."

Hmm... So that was the system in the Union of Eastern Nations, huh. It

was like a union of multiple nations, but also like a single feudal state.

Julius smirked. "We have the accomplishment of having held off tens of

thousands of lizardmen until reinforcements could arrive. We can expect to

be showered with honors after the war."

"Hey, you're starting to look like your old self," I said. "If Princess Tia

could see you, wouldn't that worry her?"

"That wouldn't be good." Julius slapped his own cheeks. "Well,

fortunately, monster parts sell for a high price. There are lizardman and

monster corpses lying around everywhere. The merchants will come to deal

in them, so we should have no trouble with finances."

"Hahaha! Now you're sounding like Roroa."

"I am her brother after all."

"That you are... Oh! That's right. About the lizardman corpses, do you

mind if we take some of them back ourselves? I'd like to do research on

them."

"They're going to be used to finance the reconstruction, so it would be a

problem if you took too many."

"They're strictly for research, so two from each general category will be

enough."

"I don't see a problem with that," he nodded. "Take what you like."

The time went by slowly.

Julius looked at the wine in his glass as he spoke. "Now that the

Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom is here, this country will be fine. Souma,

what will you do? Pull back to the Kingdom of Friedonia?"

"I'd love to, but..."

Julius put down his glass, glaring in the direction of the door. "Ah! Who

goes there?!"

Had he sensed someone? But Aisha, who was by the door, seemed

unconcerned.

A folded white piece of paper was slipped under the door.

Having figured out the situation, I put a hand on Julius's sleeve. "Calm

down, Julius. If Aisha isn't getting ready to fight, it means whoever it was

was one of ours. Right?"

Aisha said, "Yes," with a nod. Then she collected the paper from under

the door and passed it to me. "Sire, it's a report from Kagetora and his

people."

It was a letter from Kagetora, the head of the Black Cats, the secret

intelligence unit that reported directly to the king.

I had the Black Cats investigating every nation in the union.

I took the letter and looked through its content then...looked up to the

ceiling and let out a sigh.

"Looks like I won't be going back to the kingdom any time soon..."

I was starting to get the feeling I wouldn't be able to be there when

Liscia gave birth, and it was depressing.