《Romélia Senki》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1: The engagement was broken After the defeat of the Demon King. ¡°Rome, no, Countess Romelia. I can no longer do this with you. I am breaking off our engagement. We will part as soon as I return to the country.¡± Prince Henri told me this while I was still rejoicing the long-sought after defeat of the Demon King Zergis. Prince Henri, of all people, is now, or perhaps because of that is, breaking off our engagement, and by his side was Elisabeth, a saint of the Salvationist Church, Ekaterina, a wise woman from the Forest of No Return, and Princess Lu, a female swordswoman from the East. All stood side by side, looking at me with the same gaze. I was a little taken aback. Even though we had defeated the Demon King, we were in the middle of hostile territory, not a place to talk long and leisurely. But fortunately or unfortunately, we could afford to do so a little right now. Then it would be better to talk. It might be dangerous to leave any ambiguity behind. ¡°But, Your Highness, even if we part ways, now that you¡¯ve defeated the Demon King, you¡¯re just going back to the Royal Capital, aren¡¯t you?¡± Ten years ago, the Zergis army, claiming to be the Demon King, invaded our continent, Axis. Claiming to be the descendants of dragons, they declared war on the human nations and began their invasion, believing that they were the worthy champions of the continent. Seven years have passed since the appearance of Zergis. Numerous countries have been destroyed by the powerful and unmatched Demon King¡¯s army, and the flames of war approached our own Kingdom of Lionel. Prince Henri, who had completed his coming-of-age ceremony at the age of 15, set off on a journey to defeat the Demon King on his own, fearing that his kingdom would perish if nothing was done. As the prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e, I shook off my parents¡¯ hands to stop him and followed him on his journey. After three long years of travel, we crossed many mountains and the sea, and set foot on the demon continent of Gordia, which was ruled by the demons. Finally, he defeated the Demon King. With this, the Demon King¡¯s army¡¯s downfall. Now that he had achieved his long-cherished dream of defeating the Demon King, all that remained was to return triumphantly to his country, and to the royal capital. ¡°Yes, but I have no intention of returning to the Royal Capital with you. When we return to our country, we will be greeted as heroes. We have not fought for that, but we have overcome so much hardship. But, Rome, you did nothing, did you?¡± ¡°Yes, you couldn¡¯t fight, you just followed the prince.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re nothing but a liability and I¡¯m sick and tired of always having you behind me telling me to do this and that.¡± ¡°Countess or whatever you are, do you have any idea how much trouble you¡¯ve caused the prince?¡± Starting with the prince¡¯s words, the remaining three began to complain at once. Half of it is true. Until I came here, my job was to negotiate and supply. My main tasks were to confirm and secure our course of action. I didn¡¯t have any power like the four who fight so spectacularly on the battlefield. From the prince¡¯s point of view, they were the heroes, and what I did was probably just a minor role. Besides, I had been nagging him throughout the trip, so he knew I was disliked. ¡°Are we allowed to break off the engagement at our discretion?¡± Royal marriages are entered into on the basis of political and military balance. Of course, the person¡¯s wishes will be honored to some extent, but that doesn¡¯t mean that they can make decisions on their own. I tried to point this out, but Saint Elisabeth raised her voice, much unlike a saint. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s something your parents decided on their own. Besides, his Highness is not the old prince from before. He is the hero who defeated the Demon King. Can¡¯t you see that a dull domestic countess is no match for him? For the last time, at least step aside.¡± The saint was saying something, but I didn¡¯t respond, just stared at the prince. ¡°Will His Highness tell the king about this?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah. Of course. I¡¯ll speak directly to the chief ministers and the countrymen as well.¡± I nodded my head obediently to the prince¡¯s words. To be honest, my heart had been distant from him since the journey. This was noticeable from the time Saint Elisabeth joined our group, and it became decisive by the time Ekaterina and Princess Lu joined. I no longer had the passion I had when I left home, but there was still a reason why I followed. ¡°However, even though the Demon King has been defeated, there still remains in the kingdom his army that had gone on an invasion expedition, and many animals and demons that had gone berserk due to his magical power. Am I not to accompany you in defeating them?¡± I have made this journey solely to save the people whose villages were burned, killed, and enslaved. ¡°What? You, who¡¯s of no use to us?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need any more baggage handlers. Can¡¯t you just get it through your thick skull?¡± ¡°What the hell can you do?¡± The three of them were babbling on, but I looked only at the prince and waited for his reply. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the four of us will take care of it. We even defeated the Demon King. I¡¯m not afraid of any demons or monsters. He boasts of his success in defeating the Demon King, but will it really be enough? In my mind I added. I did not follow his highness on this journey solely out of love for him. Of course, at first that was the case, but I believe that it was the duty of a fianc¨¦e to endure the anxiety of being cut off from her husband, even if she is plagued by a searing anxiety. But on the night I learned of the prince¡¯s departure, I wasn¡¯t so sure. While praying for the prince at the church, I was granted a miracle by a solemn voice from heaven. The miracle was called ¡°Grace¡±. It¡¯s effect was to bring good luck and good fortune to my companions around me and, conversely, bad luck and bad fortune to those who oppose me. Although it had no effect on myself, the others were always the beneficiaries of this ¡°Grace¡±. At first I was surprised at how well my body felt, but after a few days it became the new normal and I didn¡¯t even care anymore. But the effects of ¡°Grace¡± were not to be underestimated. The others were already accustomed to being in good shape, but for their opponents, the sudden slump in health meant that their physical senses couldn¡¯t keep up, and they were unable to display their true strength due to a series of mistakes. Conversely, the others, who had been performing well, gained momentum and as a result were able to draw the flow of the battle. Even the generals and executives of the Demon King¡¯s army, and even the Demon King Zergis himself couldn¡¯t resist the momentum of the battle. But I had not told anyone about my ¡°Grace¡±. I couldn¡¯t tell anyone, considering the power of ¡°Grace¡±, and moreover, when I was given the power, I was reminded by the voice from heaven that if I told others, I would lose my ability. ¡°Okay, as his Highness insisted, let¡¯s break off the engagement as soon as we return to the country. But first, we must get out of here.¡± We were in the middle of the Demon Continent, a place where the Demons thrived. We have successfully defeated the Demon King, but only if we can escape from here. This is not the time to be mourning a broken engagement. ¡°Your Highness must decapitate the Demon King. You must bring his head back with you as proof that you¡¯ve defeated him.¡± ¡°Huh? Ew.¡± Elisabeth expresses her disgust at the words ¡°bring back his head,¡± but it is only natural to bring back the leader¡¯s head. The prince cuts off the demon king¡¯s head, which was covered with scales and lined with huge fangs. Even with only the head, he had a majestic appearance befitting a dragon¡¯s descendant. However, it is a mystery why he called himself the Demon King instead of the Dragon King, even though he himself was the descendant of a dragon. While the prince chopped off the head, I rummaged through the room where the Demon King used to be and put documents and daily necessities that I thought he used from his desk into bags one after another. ¡°What are you doing? looting? This is no time for that!¡± Elisabeth complains, but this is the time. ¡°I could use your help too. Oh, Ekaterina. Let¡¯s take the staff that the Demon King used home.¡± Zergis used magic well, as befitted a demon king, and had a huge staff. It was a weird-looking staff that looked like pieces of bones joined together, but it was a unique form in the world. I also packed other things like stones and strange tools, anything that wasn¡¯t too bulky. ¡°Why do you need all this stuff?¡± ¡°Of course, to impress upon that we had defeated the Demon King.¡± While talking, I rummaged through the body of the Demon King. I also take the crown that fell off during the battle, the ring that was stuck on his craggy finger, and his necklace. ¡°Isn¡¯t this one head enough proof that we have defeated him?¡± Prince Henri spoke, but I shook my head. ¡°No, It¡¯s not. The people of the country don¡¯t know the face of the Demon King, you know?How can you prove that it belongs to the Demon King?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have to prove anything. I would never tell a lie.¡± The prince does not know how to doubt people. And he doesn¡¯t know that he can be doubted. ¡°The people of the country will believe you, but the death of the Demon King must be widely publicized.¡± It is not enough to just defeat the Demon King. Not only for the people at home, but also foreign powers. It is meaningless unless the Demon King¡¯s death is conveyed to his army that is invading our Continent. Exposing his head is certainly effective, but not all the Demons are acquainted with the Demon King. A general of high rank would probably know his face, but most of the soldiers have only seen him from afar. There is no way to know if the head is genuine or not. Documents and letters signed by the Demon King would be a good source of information, and a favorite item would be persuasive. While rummaging through the Demon King¡¯s corpse, I noticed that he was wearing a small bag around his neck. Inside the bag was a small seal. How fortunate, It was probably not a seal to be stamped on official documents, but the fact that he carried it around with him all the time means that it was a seal for urgent orders, letters, and so on. It was probably a short-form stamp for handling a large number of documents. Although they are less prestigious as official seals, they are used more frequently and many people must have seen it. After taking the seal, the looting was complete. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get away now.¡± When I was satisfied, the other four finally turned to look at me. It was certainly no time to dawdle, but fortunately there was time. We proceeded inside the strange building with our luggage. It really was a strange place. We did not see any soldiers guarding the demon king while we moved to the vicinity of the entrance. This was not the castle where the Demon King lived. It was the interior of a temple built by Zergis. It was said that the Demon King would occasionally stay in this temple. Once he does, he may not come out for several days, and during that time, no one was to approach him. It was the perfect opportunity to assassinate him. Moreover, Zergis had only begun to stay here yesterday. His death might go unnoticed for a few days if we are unlucky, or a week if we are lucky. If we escape from the Demon Continent in the meantime, we will be able to shake off any pursuers. All thanks of the Demon King¡¯s strange behavior. I wondered if he was performing some mysterious ritual in the depths of the temple, praying to some evil god, but this place didn¡¯t look like a religious institution at all. Rather, this looked like ¡­¡­. As I was thinking, the prince and Princess Lu, who were running in front of me, stopped at the corner of the temple and indicated with their hands to warn me. I strained my ears and heard footsteps coming from beyond the corner. Enemy soldiers! My heart raced at the presence of the enemy. A patrolling soldier? They were not there when we came. But the soldiers did not come all the way in, but instead they turned on their heels to go back. I was relieved we¡¯ve made it through, but for some reason, the prince and Princess Lu pulled out their blades and nodded to each other. Hey, wait. I tried to stop them, but it was too late, and they jumped out and attacked the patrolling soldiers. Even though they were the elite guards protecting the Demon King, they were caught off guard, not expecting any enemies. Furthermore, the prince and Princess Lu¡¯s swordsmanship was first-class, and they cut down the two soldiers with their beautiful swordsmanship, killing them instantly and without sound. ¡°No, no, no, no!Why did you kill them?¡± I couldn¡¯t help place blame. ¡°What? They¡¯re the enemy, so why not?¡± Both the prince and Princess Lu looked at me strangely and dispelled the bloodstains. If they had found us¡­,no, the patrolling soldiers hadn¡¯t noticed us yet. We could have gotten away with it, and in some cases, we had Ekaterina¡¯s magic. So why did we kill them? This exposes the fact that we were here. The other soldiers would soon realize that the patrolling soldiers had not returned. A search would be conducted, they would see the bodies, learn that there was an intruder, and of course immediately confirm the safety of the demon king. If this happens, the Demon King¡¯s death will be exposed and a siege will be made. Why can¡¯t they see that? They were all the same in a way, but Princess Lu in particular tries to solve things with her sword. If there was an enemy, she slays him anyway, defeats him, and then thinks about it. On the battlefield, where instantaneous judgment is required, that may be a talent, but when slaying itself becomes a problem, this way of thinking does too. But it¡¯s too late to start now. Anyway, we need to get out of here as soon as possible. ¡°Lets Hurry up and get out of here¨C¡° I was about to say we should run away, but it was too late. I thought I heard some noises like birdcalls, and then a reptile-faced demon spotted us and shouted for his friends. At a glance, there were about a dozen soldiers. They charge at us in a group, spears in hands. ¡°Leave it to me!¡± Suddenly Ekaterina, the wizard, steps forward with her wand at the ready. A ball of light forms in her wand and glows intensely. ¡°Please don¡¯t use explosive magic!¡± I tried to stop this too, but couldn¡¯t, and my wishes were drowned out by the sound of the explosion. Ekaterina, known as the ¡°Sage of the Forest of No Return,¡± has high magical power and uses powerful magic. ¡°Easy peasy?¡± The power was so great that she could have blown away ten soldiers at once, and the sound of the explosion would have reached far beyond the horizon. She waved her wand as if dancing. ¡°Never mind that, just get on with the colorless magic spell.¡± Ekaterina is a master of powerful magic, but her most important is not the scorching magic that shoots fire or the lightning magic that sparks electric shocks. It is the magic of invisibility, which envelops the body in magical power and renders it invisible to those around. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why, you can see it right there, can¡¯t you?¡± In the direction I pointed, several hundred soldiers of the Demon King¡¯s army were coming toward us from outside the temple. They had heard the explosion and we¡¯re rushing over. Ekaterina had mastered a number of magic arts, and her magical power was tremendous. However, she¡¯s never experienced actual combat in the forest before, so she often makes the wrong choice of magic. She should¡¯ve known that if she makes a loud noise like that, not only the guards but also the soldiers in the vicinity will gather here, but why didn¡¯t she think of that? ¡°It¡¯s no use if they find out. I¡¯ll cut down the enemy. Come on, you demons!I, the one who defeated the Demon King, am your opponent.¡± The prince removes his cloak and raises his sword, his gleaming armor reflecting the sun. He looked as divine as the heroes of mythology, but what was the point of being conspicuous when he had come to infiltrate enemy territory and assassinate them? Besides, if we had not shown ourselves, there remained the possibility that the Demons, which had been hostile, had assassinated the Demon King themselves, but now the fact that a human had done it would be exposed. I quickly put my cloak over my back, but it was too late, I instructed Ekaterina. ¡°Quickly, cast the spell. We have to get away from here. Your Highness¡± Nevertheless, we forcibly persuaded the prince, who still wanted to fight, and fled the scene. Chapter 2 Chapter 2: Escape from Gordia The dimly lit cellar, built under the livestock barn, was filled with the smell of livestock droppings and stagnant air. Elisabeth and the others grumbled, but we had to put up with it. There was no safer place in the whole of the Demon Continent. The air was filled with grumpiness as they exhaled, then suddenly we heard footsteps from above, and it instantly became tensed. The prince and Princess Lu lifted their hips to take up their blades. Ekaterina holds her wand, but I reach out to block it. Magic is dangerous in this small space. The footsteps stopped just above us, stepping twice, once, three times. After the signal, a board on the ceiling was slowly removed, and the faces of a little girl and her mother peeked through the gap. ¡°Michelle-san, Sailor.¡± With a sigh of relief, I invite them in. They¡¯re among those who were brought to the Demon Continent as slaves after their homeland was destroyed by the Demon King¡¯s army. They¡¯re also our collaborators. When we first infiltrated this continent, we had no information. We didn¡¯t know the name of the continent, let alone a map. We didn¡¯t even know what the Demon King looked like or where he was. We just went to the site to gather information. It was a reckless plan on my part. It was the only way to get the job done, so we had no choice, but the people who supported us in this overly reckless plan were the people who had been brought here as slaves. They provided us with a hiding place and shared their food with us. They also gathered information about the Demon King. Information about the Demon King¡¯s actions and the information about his cowering in the temple were brought to us by them. Without the cooperation of these people, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to defeat the Demon King. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being late. This isn¡¯t much.¡± Michelle-san offers me a bag. Inside was a canteen filled with water and bread. We were hungry and thirsty. Everyone jumped at the food and quenched their thirst. Little Sailor looked greedily at the others as they ate their food, but she swallowed her words and kept her mouth shut. ¡°I¡¯m not that hungry, so lets share.¡± I was hungry too, but I broke the bread in half and offered it to Sailor. The girl was delighted and her mother apologized, but this food originally belonged to the both of them. We both ate slowly. ¡°Won¡¯t there be a magic ship?¡± After finishing the bread, I asked Michelle -san. There was a large harbor just east of this city where a magical ship built by the Demon King was anchored. Here in Gordia, between the Demon Continent and the Axis Continent, where we live, there is an incredibly large expanse of water. There are many storms and currents that block the way, making it impossible for ordinary sailing ships to navigate. There have been sailors who have left many times in the past, but none had ever returned. However, Zergis, using some kind of mystical magic, created a ship that runs on magic, crossed the storm-battered ocean, and even invaded our continent of Axis. In order to return to our country, we need to stow away on the magic ship, but because of the daytime commotion, it¡¯s been put on high alert and its departure was postponed. We could no longer leave this place. ¡°Yes, the ship¡¯s departure has been postponed. I don¡¯t know when it¡¯ll resume.¡± Michelle-san¡¯s words pained the prince. ¡°Damn it, we don¡¯t have time to be stranded here.¡± I wanted to point out that he was the cause of this, but I held back desperately. I couldn¡¯t begin to point out other people¡¯s failures. I¡¯ve made a few mistakes before I came here. Thanks to that, my engagement was broken off, but anyway, there was no point in defeating the Demon King if I didn¡¯t return to my country. I told myself to find a way forward. The question is when will the magic ship leave. Perhaps, the Demon King¡¯s death hasn¡¯t spread yet. To avoid confusion, the Demon King¡¯s death will be hidden. The current alarm should be in the name of searching for the rebels who caused the explosion. But what will happen after this is impossible to read. It is possible that the high alert will be lifted to conceal the Demon King¡¯s death, or that his death will be made public and a thorough hunt for the assassins will be launched. ¡°When will Thomas-san be back?¡± Michelle-san¡¯s husband, Thomas-san, worked at the port. It was Thomas-san who snuck into the cargo hold, found us hiding, and brought us to this hideout. Originally from a family of knights, he was in charge of supervising the laborers and had access to a lot of information. ¡°He¡¯ll be back by nightfall, you¡¯ll have to wait until then.¡± I wanted information about what was going on out there so badly that I had to choke it down. I had to be patient. When I looked down, little Sailor had finished her bread and was touching her left arm with her right hand. On the tip of her finger was a worm-like scar. It was a whip mark. There are many children on the demon continent. The demons dare to bring captives, giving priority to couples with children who are not in the labor force. They might be thinking of raising them and using them as slaves, but if anything, they are using them as tools of governance. If a slave rebels, the demons whip their child in their place. If a slave is injured and dies, they lose his labor, so by beating the child, they bind their hearts. At first glance, this seems like a good method, but it¡¯s not. There¡¯s no one who isn¡¯t upset at the sight of a child being beaten. For now they still follow obediently for the sake of their children, but their hearts aren¡¯t broken, even though they are treated as slaves. In fact, many are helping us. Unable to clearly see the injury, I looked over at Elisabeth. Recognized as a saint by the Salvationist Church, she is a healer, a person with the power to heal and cure wounds. Her power is so great that she can connect severed arms and even revive lost organs. It is a marvelous power that makes her worthy of being called a saint. However, when she saw Sailor¡¯s injury, Elisabeth did not even think of healing her, let alone moving a muscle. If the prince had a small injury, she would¡¯ve healed him immediately, but she didn¡¯t care about other people¡¯s injuries. Even during life-threatening battles, she tended to ignore the rest of her companions, with the ratio of healing clearly skewed towards the prince. Of course, if her companions told her, she would heal them, but the other two were not pleased with her attitude of doing nothing unless told. And this attitude, I would say, is not at all saint-like. There are many healers in the world who heal wounds, but her healing skills were outstanding. That¡¯s why she¡¯s recognized as a saint, and that is why she came along on this trip, but she seems to have misunderstood her position. When a rich or influential nobleman is injured or sick, she immediately offers to heal him without charge, but when a mother with a sick child on our journey tearfully asks for help, she refuses, and when people who have lost their homes and villages to the Demon king¡¯s army are injured, she passes by them with impunity. What would the healing Son of Salvation, the guru of the Salvationists who once healed the poor, say if he saw them? ¡°I¡¯ll put some medicine on your wounds.¡± I take out a home-made wound dressing and apply it to the wound on Sailor¡¯s arm and other minor scratches I found. My hand touches her body, and she twists around, perhaps itching. I pretend to apply the medicine while tickling her body and touching her armpits and back, which made her cackle and smile. I stopped immediately because I couldn¡¯t have her make too much noise while we were hiding, but it was comforting to see a child¡¯s smile. But I am still angry with Elisabeth. This kind of thing is supposed to be the role of a saint. Of course, I¡¯m not saying that she should heal everybody¡¯s wounds like the Healing Son. It would be problematic if she did. But if she wants to be recognized as a saint and take the place of the prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e, this was not the way to go. Kings and powerful men are in the popularity business. It is important to take advantage, but sometimes it is necessary to take a loss to make a name for yourself. Above all, what is a saint if she does not heal the person in front of her? While inwardly lashing out at Elisabeth, I smile at Sailor and play a little. If I had flowers, I could make her a wreath or something like that, but since there were no such thoughtful things around, I could only make her a woven straw crown or a poor doll. Even so, Sailor was pleased with her toys and smiles at me. Once again, it was a heartwarming sight. At sunset, Thomas-san returned. Although he was emaciated from the hard labor, he still had a fearless look on his face. Thomas-san checked with the prince as soon as he returned. ¡°Prince, if I may¡­.¡± ¡°Yes, I killed the Demon King.¡± We showed him the severed head. ¡°Ooh-ohh!¡± Thomas-san shed tears when he saw the Demon King¡¯s head. He had succeeded in defeating the Demon King, which had been his long-cherished dream, and he must have felt that all the hardships and suffering he had endured up to this point had been cleared away. ¡°I must return to my country and tell them of the Demon King¡¯s death. Can¡¯t we somehow get the magic ship moving? You work there, don¡¯t you?¡± The prince said, but it was impossible at any price. The slaves mainly dealt with manual labor. There was no way they could know how to operate the magic ship. ¡°I know. Please leave everything to me.¡± Yet Thomas-san undertook to do so. Did he have a way? ¡°Thomas-san. Excuse me, can you procure some salt? I need to salt the head¡± It was awkward to ask such a thing, but if I didn¡¯t do it, the neck would rot. It had to be salted to prevent spoilage. ¡°I understand,¡± he said, ¡°I will bring a tub along with me for your convenience. Is there anything else you need?¡± Thomas-san asked, and the three women stepped forward. ¡°Hey, can we get some more food?¡¡I¡¯d be happy with fruit, if possible.¡± ¡°I want a hot water bath. I haven¡¯t been able to get enough of it recently.¡± ¡°I want perfume. I¡¯ve run out of the one I¡¯m using.¡± The women were saying the impossible with their mouths. It was embarrassing to listen to them. If they went outside, they would be whipped as slaves. Slaves couldn¡¯t shop casually, so they had no choice but to steal from the store. Of course, if they were caught stealing, they would either be flogged to death or killed. I looked at the prince to plead with him to stop them, but he didn¡¯t. It¡¯s his duty to admonish and guide these women, but the prince was drunk on his own heroism. His drunken mind couldn¡¯t see the world around him, and his supreme mission was to defeat his enemies in the most fashionable way possible. Even in his duel with the Demon King, he insisted on a head-on duel, and at one point he was attacked so hard I thought he was dead. Elisabeth¡¯s healing saved his life in time, but he could have won the battle more surely if he had stood up to the Demon King in a smart way. As royalty, we understand the need to look good, but this battle was not just about an individual, it was about the survival of a kingdom, and if things went badly, the survival of the entire human race. It wasn¡¯t the time to bring up such things as justice and chivalry. They could be added later. Besides, the prince looked down on Thomas-san and his men lightly, or rather, he looked down on all of them. He was a hero and they were slaves. His attitude that they were inferior people from a destroyed country was oozing out. This attitude was conveyed to the other three, and it was exacerbating their selfishness. It was an impossible request, but Thomas-san accepted it, and he really did procure the goods. Not only the salt and tub I had requested, but also two small citrus fruits and a small bottle of perfume. He also delivered a tub full of hot water. I can¡¯t imagine how much trouble it must have been to get these things, but the three women complained that the fruit were sour, that they did not like the aroma of the perfume, and that the amount of hot water was too little. As night fell, Thomas-san assured us that he would do something about the magic ship by tomorrow. Thomas-san¡¯s determined eyes, Michelle-san¡¯s kind smile, and Sailor¡¯s innocent smile was the last I saw of the three of them. We spent the night together, watching over each other, but at dawn, the prince¡¯s voice woke me from my slumber. ¡°Romelia. We¡¯re in trouble.¡± The voice made me jump out of bed immediately. I quickly braced myself and looked around. Around me, the prince and the other three looked anxious. Something had happened. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s terrible,¡± he said, ¡° They took my armor. ¡°They used magic on us, and we all fell asleep.¡± The prince and Ekaterina spoke in hushed tones. Elisabeth, who was on guard duty, looks away, saying it wasn¡¯t her fault. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here now.¡± It was a natural conclusion, but I hesitated. ¡°Wait a minute, the only things that were stolen are the prince¡¯s sword and armor.¡± Princess Lu¡¯s armor and Ekaterina¡¯s staff are still intact. The head of the Demon King, which was pickled in salt, wasn¡¯t taken either. ¡°Those three betrayed us.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t trust him from the start.¡± Indeed, I too was wary of betrayal. In a hard and harsh environment, humanity is easily deprived. I¡¯ve seen plenty of people betray each other for the slightest reward or the peace of mind that comes with not being flogged for a day. But this is different. Maybe. ¡°I¡¯m all for action. But we must first assess the situation.¡± I ask Ekaterina to cast an colorless spell on me and leave the hiding place. There were no enemies in sight. If we had been betrayed, the area around us should already be crawling with demons. I urge Princess Lu, who had her blade ready to slay all enemies if there were any, to put it away. We were in the middle of enemy territory. If we slay one, they will all come. The only thing to do is to move so as not to be found. We hear some commotion coming from the main street. I use hand signals to communicate that we should go see the cause, and we move in one mass. The colorless magic makes us invisible, but it can¡¯t muffle sound, making some of the conditions for its use being that we can¡¯t move fast. However, it is an indispensable magic for infiltration operations. Without this magic, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to assassinate the Demon King. When we passed through a back road and came out to the main street, we found a crowd of people there. Demon passersby and those who had been forced to carry their belongings as slaves all gathered to see the cause of the commotion. At the center of the commotion, soldiers of the demon king¡¯s army wielded their spears and urged the crowd to disperse. In the center of the soldiers, from beneath a crude piece of cloth, one could see the limbs of a fallen human being. Although his face was not visible, the man was wearing the armor and sword used by the prince. ¡°What the hell is this supposed to mean?¡± The prince was stunned, he just couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°It¡¯s Thomas-san. He was the decoy.¡± The high alert wouldn¡¯t be lifted until the intruder was found, and the magic ship will not depart. In other words, if the intruder was found and killed, the high alert will be lifted. The prince¡¯s flashy armor was often witnessed by many of the demon king¡¯s army at that time. That¡¯s why Thomas-san stole the armor from the prince and used it as a decoy. The soldiers brought in a cart and placed the dead body on it like a piece of luggage to be put away. For a moment the cloth shifted and I saw the face of a young woman and the hands of a little girl. I couldn¡¯t bare to see it and looked away. Naturally, those involved in the plot to assassinate the Demon King would be punished. Rather than be tortured and killed, the three of them worked together and met the same end. I blamed myself for yesterday, wondering why I had not anticipated this at the time, why I had not noticed the look of determination on Thomas-sans¡¯ face. But no matter how much I blamed myself, the three of them would never return. Suddenly, there was a scream, and a large number of the demon king¡¯s army arrived at the scene. One after another, they seized the enslaved people. ¡°What the hell are they doing!¡± ¡°The humans tried to start an uprising. They¡¯re holding them as dangerous elements.¡± ¡°What will happen to them after this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Worst-case scenario, they might be executed.¡± Since they¡¯re already integrated into the workforce, they won¡¯t kill everyone, but they may execute some of them as an example. In addition, they will be treated more harshly in the future. ¡°What the hell! Then we have to help them.¡± The prince was indignant when he sees the women and children being captured and whipped. But I stopped him. ¡°No, don¡¯t do that!¡± A few soldiers we might be able to defeat, but not all of them. Besides, if we did, Thomas-san¡¯s sacrifice would be in vain. ¡°Now that the cause has been eliminated, there will be no reason to remain on high alert. This may allow the magic ship to set sail. We must board it now.¡± Perhaps if we miss this one, there¡¯ll be no next. ¡°But we have to help them. They¡¯ll kill them.¡± ¡°I know, but bringing the Demon King¡¯s death back to the country is our number one priority.¡± It¡¯s not enough to just defeat the Demon King. We must bring the news of his defeat back to our country, let the invading army know about it, and shatter their will to fight. Only then would it be meaningful. This information is worth more than hundreds of lives. It will stop the progress of the Demon Lord¡¯s army, and it¡¯ll be the signal for a counterattack. More lives will be saved. This is information that must be delivered at any cost. Besides, we knew this would happen sooner or later. If word spread that humans had defeated the Demon King, of course the movement to view slaves as dangerous would spread, and they would be punished. The people who helped us knew this, but they still helped us. When I made the decision to abandon them, the others looked down on me, thinking what a cold woman I was. But no matter what they thought, my decision remained the same. Proceeding without looking back, we crept into the cargo of the magic ship. With a hollow, horn-like sound, it departed, just as expected. I stared out through the gaps in the planks and continued to look at the demon continent moving away from me, until I could no longer see it. I¡¯ll be back, I promise. My clenched fist was bleeding as my nails dug into it, but I felt no pain. More firmly than this fist, I vowed to rescue them. Chapter 3 Chapter 3: Returning Home after Three Years. It¡¯s been a month since we boarded the magic ship, and those days were tougher than words can describe. When we came here, it was comparatively easy because we only had to hide among the slaves being carried, but this time we had to steal the eye of the demon king¡¯s army. The Demon king¡¯s army was also wary of stowaways, as there are some who stow away and try to return to their homeland in this manner. Life was tougher than I had imagined, we had to steal food and collect drinking water while under the watchful eye of the guards. Fortunately, the Demon King¡¯s Army had sent a large number of immigrants to our continent and was embarking on a full-scale territorialization. Their behavior was unpredictable and we had our moments of close calls, but our theft was never revealed because they, like us, were also skimming supplies. Finally, after weathering several storms, we could see our homeland, the continent of Axis. We had finally returned to our homeland, but even here it was far from safe. This land had been destroyed by the Demon King¡¯s army, and in order to establish it as a territory under their control, they were recruiting immigrants, building towns, and constructing new defense facilities. Here, too, the people who helped us were those who were forced to work as slaves. They sheltered and helped us to escape. They also risked their lives to escape and keep our presence away from our pursuers in order to announce the Demon King¡¯s death to the nations. Thanks to their efforts, we were able to escape the Demon King¡¯s domain and enter the borders of our homeland, the Kingdom of Lionel. When we reached a town near the border and the prince told the mayor of the town about his status and reported the death of the Demon King, there was great commotion. Rumors had already been spread by those who had fled that Prince Henri had defeated the Demon King Zergis, and everyone was surprised that the rumors were true. Soon the messenger¡¯s horse was running and the knights of the kingdom were coming to pick him up and escort him. The mayor asked the prince to stay at his mansion until the knights arrived, and he agreed. ¡°I guess this is goodbye then.¡± While the mayor was away, I said goodbye to the prince. His safety was assured, and it was safe to assume that our journey was over. Then there was no reason for us to be together. ¡°Hmm?¡¡Oh, yeah. That¡¯s right.¡± Apparently, he had forgotten that he had said so himself after defeating the Demon King. ¡°I also have business in the Royal Capital, so we will return together. But rest assured that I will not participate in the triumphal return and will keep a low profile. The crown around the Demon King¡¯s neck, the staff, ring, and necklace, you should take them home as spoils of war. May I take the other items?¡± Since the others didn¡¯t know about the seal and other items I¡¯ve obtained, I shall put them to good use. ¡°Oh, yes. That¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ll take the rest of the roadside silver as well. I can¡¯t stay here.¡± I shall not be entertained in the mayor¡¯s mansion along with them. I¡¯ll stay at a cheap hotel in town. I don¡¯t have that much money left. I must send out a messenger and ask my father to send some money. ¡°Hey, Romelia!¡± As I¡¯m making plans in my head for the future, the prince called out to me. ¡°Yes?¡± I think I¡¯ve gone over everything, but was there anything left to do? ¡°! No, it¡¯s nothing!¡± For some reason, the prince had raised his voice and then stopped. I tilted my head, then turned my back to him and started to walk away. This was our farewell. ¡°Well, then. Let¡¯s get going.¡± After parting with the prince, I moved to a cheap hotel and immediately began to take action. There are still many soldiers from the demon king¡¯s army remaining on this continent. The prince said he would defeat them himself, but I can¡¯t rely too much on him. Of course, it would be best if he did do well, but considering what would happen if he failed, I should take action too. I¡¯ve traveled with the prince for the past three years and experienced many things. During my travels, I was not able to make much use of them, such as standing up to the others, but from now on I¡¯m free to do as I see fit. I had actually planned to do something after I became queen, but now that the engagement is broken, I have to do it myself from scratch. ¡°I have to hurry up and start with the Operation Letter.¡± First, I bought some paper and wrote some letters. The first letter I sent was to the royal palace. I mailed the documents and the seal that I obtained when we defeated the Demon King. I could have given them to the prince, but he might forget, so I needed to send them to someone I thought could use them effectively. I then recommended that the soldiers of the Demon King¡¯s army be captured, informed of his death, and have them bring back these documents and the documents with the seal stamped on them. At the time we escaped from Gordia, the Demon King¡¯s death had not yet been made public. But it¡¯s not something that can be hidden. There will be chaos on the Demon Continent sooner or later. If that happens, there will be a struggle to decide who will take his place, and regular service of the magic ship will be disrupted. It will take longer for the Demon King¡¯s death to reach his army, which is invading this continent. It will take even more time for the soldiers at the end of the line to know about it. In order to spread the word of his death as quickly as possible, we should capture the Demons alive and inform them about his death. Of course, the enemy commanders will try to contain this as false news, so we must make them have convincing material to spread the word of the Demon King¡¯s death among the other soldiers. On the boat ride home, I only had time to think, so I wrote down every possible method I could think of, just as if the prince had been the one to come up with them. Furthermore, since there was a possibility that the royal court might ignore this proposal, I¡¯ll send similar documents to other influential nobles and to the generals fighting on the front lines. ¡°That¡¯s good, is that all?¡± I think I¡¯ve done everything I had in mind for the most part. But I feel like I¡¯m forgetting something. What was it? Lost for a while, I finally remembered to send a letter to my parents¡¯ house. ¡°Oh yes, I have to tell them I¡¯m alive and have them send me some money. Also, I need to tell them that my engagement has been called off.¡± I forgot something important. What should I write? My pen, which had been running so smoothly just a moment ago, stopped. I was struggling with the first line of the letter. After much deliberation, I decided on a short, conventional greeting and a short administrative message, then I closed with a standard greeting. It was a terrible letter, not like the first letter one writes in three years, but I¡¯d have to ask for their forgiveness. After sending the letter, I stayed for a few days to recover from fatigue, and then a line of knights came to the town. Thousands of elite knights greeted the prince, and he made a triumphant return to the royal capital. The prince was dressed in the glittering armor brought by the knights and astride a white horse. He looked like a hero straight out of a picture scroll. The other three were also given dresses and costumes, and rode in a luxurious carriage with the roof removed, a triumphant return. I, too, received a letter and money from my father, which I used to hire the cheapest carriage I could find. The letter was short, like mine, and said only that he wished to see me in the capital. The princes¡¯ triumphal return was already being celebrated by all the people. Wherever they went, people kept lining up to see them, and they were showered with every praise imaginable. I couldn¡¯t keep up with the princes¡¯ triumphal return, so I passed them on the way and continued on. Everywhere I went, preparations were being made to welcome them, and I could feel the joy of the people at the return of their heroes. Then, preceding the streets where preparations were underway, I reached the royal capital. The carriage came to a stop in front of the Count Graham¡¯s house in the royal capital, and I looked at the towering mansion. A large gate, followed by a magnificent garden, and a symmetrical pavilion with open arms stood at the end of a straight road. I was home for the first time in three years. Chapter 4 Chapter 4: A Mother Who is Easy to Understand and a Father Who is Hard to Understand As I landed in front of the mansion, the gatekeepers standing on either side of the gate looked at me with disturbed eyes. They were new faces who had not been there three years ago. They probably didn¡¯t know my face. The problem was that the carriage I was using was the cheapest one available to save money. My family is a count family with close ties to the royal family, we receive only influential guests, and those below a certain rank are not even entertained. Besides, I¡¯m wearing commoner¡¯s clothes at the moment to keep a low profile. I¡¯m not dressed as a countess. It¡¯s only natural that they don¡¯t know who I am. Even if I told them my name, they wouldn¡¯t believe me, and there¡¯s no need to go through the trouble of making a mess. Let¡¯s just get by with our worldly wisdom. ¡°Excuse me. I understand that this is the residence of Graham-sama, but is there anyone named Cairo here?¡± The gatekeeper nodded at the name Cairo when I asked humbly. ¡°Oh, are you acquainted with Grandma Cairo?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a close friend.¡± Grandma Cairo has been my caretaker for many years. She¡¯s someone I feel closer to than my own mother. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but could you please tell her I¡¯m here? I haven¡¯t been here in three years.¡± ¡°Okay, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°If you say ¡°Rome,¡± I think that will do the trick. Once again sorry, and thank you.¡± At my name, the gatekeeper looked as if he had realized something, but after a small laugh and shaking it off as impossible, he allowed me into the gate. A few moments after he entered the mansion, a scream came from inside, and an old woman jumped out from the front door. ¡°Oh, Rommmeee-sssaaammmaaa!¡± The old woman who came running, oblivious to her age, had aged over the past three years and her hair had turned gray. I hug and catch her before she tumbles over. ¡°Miss, is that really you?¡± ¡°Yes, It¡¯s me, Grandma. I¡¯m so sorry I worried you. I¡¯m home.¡± ¡°Oh, thank God, I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re back. I¡¯m so happy to see your face.¡± Grandma Cairo breaks down in a sob, with tears streaming down her wrinkled face. The two gatekeepers were surprised to see us crying and hugging each other, so I cleared up the story while she calmed down. ¡°Oh, my name is Romelia von Graham. I am the daughter of the owner of this house. I have not been back here for three years.¡± The two men stand tall and their faces turn blue as they realize that the person they were staring at was their employer¡¯s daughter. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s all right. Don¡¯t worry about it. You can continue your work as you were. Come on, old lady, it¡¯s about time you stopped crying, okay?¡± ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m so glad to see you.¡± Grandma was just that and more, but I reflect on how much I had worried her. After the old woman managed to stop crying, we went in together. When we entered the mansion, I saw the butlers and maids. I did not recognize many of their faces. ¡°There¡¯s so many new faces since I¡¯ve been away.¡± I don¡¯t mean to be prideful, but the Grahams have been a prominent family for a long time. Therefore, there are not many jobs that offer better conditions than working for our family, and the butlers and maids who work for us usually stay with us for a long time. Even though I had been away from home for three years, it was a little surprising to see such a large turnover in the staff. ¡°That¡¯s the thing, though, miss. There¡¯s been a lot going on.¡± The old woman was trying to say something, but it¡¯ll have to wait. I should probably see father and mother first. ¡°Grandma, let¡¯s talk about it at length later. Are father and mother here, and are my brothers still abroad?¡± I have two half-brothers who are older than me. However, both of them went abroad to study three years ago, and they aren¡¯t suppose to be back yet. ¡°Yes, they have not yet returned. The Master and the Mistress are in the living room.¡± ¡°Well, then I¡¯ll talk to them first.¡± We headed for the hall where my parents were. As I entered the hall, I heard a woman crying, and there sat a tall, elderly man and a fat woman. They were my father and mother. ¡°Father, mother. I¡¯m back.¡± My father, whom I had not seen in three years, had more wrinkles and gray hair. He also looked a little emaciated. On the contrary, my mother was fatter than before. She soaked her handkerchief with tears, and when she saw me, she sobbed and cried even more. ¡°Oh, my God, what a pity that your engagement to the prince was broken!¡± ¡°You, please calm down.¡± My father tried to soothe her, but she would not stop crying and continued to sob away. ¡°It¡¯s terrible, oh so terrible. Our family has been loyal to the royal family, and this is how they treat us.¡± Hearing them cry was frustrating. Come to think of it, my mother has always been like this. She¡¯s the kind of person that cries a lot anyway, but she¡¯s never shed tears for others. Her tears were only for self-pity. As proof of this, there were no words of comfort for me. ¡°Go to your room and rest now, and I will make everything all right.¡± Father comforts mother, tells her to go back to her room, and instructs the maid to take her. If my mother starts crying, it is more tiring to keep her company. It was best to let her cry as much as she wants in her room. ¡°Yes, please. There is nothing more I can do.¡± Mother did not speak to me till the end and left crying. She was still crying and screaming when she went out into the hallway, and her voice could be heard even in her room. Two sighs overlapped the distant crying. The two eyes who made the sound collided. I waited a moment for him to say something, but he didn¡¯t open his mouth, so I started again. ¡°I¡¯m back, father. I¡¯m sorry I left without permission.¡± I can now say that I was out of my mind when I ran away from home three years ago. All I could think about was the departing prince, and not my remaining family or Grandma. To be honest, I thought I deserved a slap. Even if I wasn¡¯t, I was prepared for the words of reprimand and abuse that would come my way. But none of that happened. Father stared at me without flinching. I didn¡¯t know what those thin, open, small eyes of his were thinking. ¡°Well, ¡­.¡­ and¡­uh, as I mentioned in my letter, and as I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already heard, the prince and I had some difficulties during our travels, and we broke off our engagement.¡± Frankly, this is a big blow to our family. We had strong ties to the royal family and were counted among the most important vassals supporting them. My marriage to the prince was intended to show that unity both inside and outside the family. The fact that the engagement was broken is tantamount to a real loss of power at the center. He will probably not be able to stay in the royal capital and will have to return to his domain. I couldn¡¯t complain even if I was disowned, but father did not say anything about this either. After a few moments of silence, he finally opened his mouth and asked, ¡°Are you hurt?¡± ¡°? No, I am not hurt. During my travels, I had several serious injuries. I fell off a cliff and broke my leg once and I also fell off a horse and dislocated my arm. When I was shot through the shoulder by an arrow fired by a demon, I really thought I was going to die. Thankfully, Elisabeth was already with us at the time, so she was able to heal me. However, small scrapes and cuts did not heal, so I am left with a few scars on my body. My skin is also rough from the harsh travels, and my hair is sore. Compared to three years ago, when I was playing the role of the ¡°Daughter of the Deep Window,¡± my skin is probably much dirtier. However, I have no regrets because I am not so attached to my appearance. ¡°I see, you must be tired. You should take the rest of the day off.¡± I was somewhat bewildered by my father¡¯s attitude, which I didn¡¯t know what to make of, but I had no choice but to go back to the house, where I found the old woman fidgeting and waiting outside. ¡°Oh, miss, How did it go?¡± ¡°He just told me to get some rest, that¡¯s all. That was really all there was to it. Mother is easy to understand, but father was rather difficult. ¡°Please don¡¯t be angry with the Master. After the young lady left, he was told that this was an elopement and that Mademoiselle Rome had seduced the prince.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Elopements are the flower of romance novels, but that¡¯s for the two people who elope, and those who are left behind are left with hell to pay. Children¡¯s marriages are decided by their parents, and children obey their parents. If a child elopes against their will, the parents and the family will be seen as not being able to even raise a child well, and they will be pointed at. Since I could not speak ill of the royal family, It went along the lines of I seduced him. Many of the servants were replaced, probably because many of them left at that time. ¡°But you found out along the way why the prince departed, didn¡¯t you?¡± To be honest, the prince¡¯s journey was far from smooth and was filled with many detours with twists and turns. The royal family had sent a pursuit party to bring him back, and there was also a brief incident when he passed through the territory of a hostile Nation. Because of this, he had to move around often, and word spread of him throughout the country, and it must have been known that he was on a journey to defeat the Demon King. At the very least, having saint Elisabeth as a companion should disprove the theory that he had eloped with me. ¡°Yes, after a while the rumors died down, but with the break-off of this engagement, ¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s left a bad impression, that I was a slut.¡± I guess they must¡¯ve said a lot of things about me in social circles. But if that is the case, it¡¯s even more strange that father didn¡¯t say anything to me. What on earth is he thinking? I don¡¯t know, but I soon stopped thinking about it. I had other things to do. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Dealings with the Serra Trading Company (1) I thought I would go home and immediately return to our domain, but that didn¡¯t happen. I would¡¯ve done so immediately if it weren¡¯t for the prince¡¯s triumphant return and the grand banquet that ensued. The prince and his companions were hailed as heroes, receiving the highest praise as everyone rejoiced. The banquet lasted seven days and seven nights, at the end of which his engagement to Saint Elisabeth was announced, and mine never happened. I didn¡¯t attend, but as a count, my father could not avoid being present at the celebration, and every day he drove his carriage to attend the banquet he so much despised. To be honest, it was wrong of me to do so, and yet father never said anything to me. While I was in the Royal Capital, I was under house arrest in the mansion, not even stepping outside. While my father was going through a hard time, I, the cause of it, could not be so carefree. Besides, I knew I wouldn¡¯t be staying here, so I decided to get rid of some of my belongings. Clothes from three years ago no longer sized me, and my taste in accessories and jewelry had changed, so I no longer liked them. Which is why I decided to sell all but the most memorable items and exchange them for money. Plus, since I was free during the day, I snuck into Father¡¯s room and asked to see the documents concerning our domain. The daily banquet had slowed down the work of managing the domain, and the documents were piling up. As I looked at some of the documents, I found a report compiled by the accountant. This was my first time seeing an accounting report about the domain, and I had a hard time reading it, but once I got used to it, I got the general idea of what was going on. What I could tell from a quick glance was that tax revenues were steadily declining. The accountant who compiled the report attributed this mainly to the threat of the Demon king¡¯s army and the monsters they had unleashed that were ravaging the domain, young men being taken by soldiers, and a lack of labor force. I don¡¯t deny that, but I suspect that the overall economy is cooling down due to repeated tax collection. In particular, the fact that sales of porcelain, a specialty product of our domain, have declined is the best proof of this. Porcelain was founded during my great-grandfather¡¯s reign, and its sales helped our family prosper. Our tableware has been the favorite of royalty and nobility all over the world, but times are turbulent. Demand for luxury goods is declining. Our goods were overstocked, and they were being bought by merchants. In addition, sales in the industrial sector, such as brandy distilled from wine, glassware, and more, which Father had been promoting with great enthusiasm, were not doing well. The policies that he had steered based on the idea that industry would be more profitable than food have backfired in wartime. Father is doing his best, but he¡¯s still unable to rebuild. I also painstakingly examine other documents of the domain. I find the place I¡¯m looking for and scrutinize the documents there. It seems to be quite interesting. Because of its remote location, Father hasn¡¯t read through the documents thoroughly, and the accountant has taken the reports as they are and placed his seal on them, since it¡¯s not really an important area, but if you look closely, you¡¯ll see it. This could be a problem of many kinds if they beat us to it. I get all the documents that have been compiled, and then go to the archives to search for past documents. As expected of the Graham family, the archives are well organized and easy to find. When I returned to my room with the necessary documents, I found Grandma Cairo pacing left and right among the incoming and outgoing merchants. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Grandma?¡± ¡°Miss, are you really going to sell these things?¡± The old lady looked ruefully at the clothes and jewelry being carried away. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, I mean, what¡¯s the use of having clothes you can¡¯t wear?¡± Besides, I¡¯ve saved some memorabilia, so it¡¯s all the stuff I don¡¯t really care about that¡¯s for sell. ¡°But the Grahams are peddlers.¡± The old lady was saddened that there were physical problems. Certainly, it¡¯s not a very good look for an aristocrat to dispose of their family¡¯s possessions. ¡°oh well, but I have use for this.¡± Perhaps it could be of great benefit. ¡°Well, well, miss, thank you very much for doing business with us.¡± As I was talking with the old lady, Minebeau of the Serra Trading Company, the company with whom I was doing business at the moment with, came over and bowed reverently. ¡°Of course. It¡¯s only natural that I¡¯d come to your company, with whom we¡¯ve always done business with.¡± The Serra Trading Company is one of the outgoing merchants. It is reputed to be the best in the kingdom and has opened a wide range of stores around the capital. As I recall, Minebeau is the son and heir to the family business. I heard that he went out of his way to visit me this time. ¡°Thank you, so how much would that be?¡± I immediately ask for the price. ¡°About this much?¡± Minebeau offered me a price on a piece of paper, but it was much lower than the market price. I knew I¡¯d be undercut, but he was willing to offer me less than half of what I had expected. Of course, they¡¯re but merchants. I understand and do not deny that they believe profit is the only god and strive to maximize it. However, this attitude is unacceptable for such a small transaction, as they underestimate the other party as a failure. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± I pretended to be an idiot who didn¡¯t know the market price, took the paper and signed it. The deal was done. ¡°By the way, there was one more thing I wanted you to pick up. How much would this be?¡± I take a box out of my desk drawer and show him what¡¯s inside. It was a grayish stone-like object. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Dealings with the Serra Trading Company (2) From a distance, the object I took out looked like a stone, or perhaps a huge fossilized egg. It looked like nothing more than a stone, but I did not miss the change in Minebeau¡¯s complexion the moment he saw it. ¡°Oh, wow. This is¡­¡± Minebeau took the gray lump and nodded, looking at it sullenly. ¡°It¡¯s an ore. No, this is a rare one. I know a good man who collects unusual ores, and I¡¯ll take it for him for two gold coins.¡± ¡°What, two gold coins for this?¡± The old woman was surprised, but I sighed and took the lump from his hands. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re too young to handle this. I may not look like it, but I am a good connoisseur. Not so much as compared to real professional merchants, but I have some knowledge of the authenticity of things, prices, and goods. I learned these things from the merchants I met during my travels. We often worked with merchants. They formed trading parties and moved from city to city. The merchants needed an escort, and it was convenient for us to earn some street money as we traveled. I would often talk with them while we were encamped. Many of them were talkative and often boasted about how good their products were. There was no shortage of stories about other big business deals they had handled to pass the time. Thanks to these stories, I developed a discerning eye, and learned from them about market prices, tips on how to avoid getting inferior goods, and how to negotiate. ¡°This is not an ore. The Serra Trading Company has truly fallen from grace.¡± ¡°What?¡± Minebeau is blatantly upset. He lacked courage. The merchants I had met in the past, who could not have their own stores and had to travel between cities, at least were more business acumen than him. ¡°What is that, Rome-sama?¡± ¡°This is dragon drool incense. It¡¯s a stone that forms in a dragon¡¯s throat. It is highly prized as a fragrance, and even small amounts of it are traded for the same amount of gold.¡± Hearing that it was worth as much as gold, the old woman looked at the lump in my hand with astonishment. A mass so huge that it barely fits in one hand, and if exchanged for pure gold, it would be too heavy to even hold. When I say what it is, Minebeau¡¯s complexion worsens, passing blue and turning black. It¡¯s an amazing complexion. ¡°It can be obtained from dragons, which are considered as demons, but they are rarely found, and there are no large dragons on this continent, so even if you found one, you¡¯ll only get one the size of a small pebble. There are probably no two on this continent as big as this.¡± The reason why I have such a thing is that this is actually the loot from when we defeated the Demon King. At that time, anyway, I just packed whatever was on his desk into a bag and it must¡¯ve got mixed in with the other stuff. When I looked it up later, I was surprised to death. It was an item unique to the Demon Continent, where dragons are said to abound. I alone have the treasure all to myself, since we didn¡¯t share the honor of defeating the Demon King, it has now been divided equally. But, when I looked at it again, I realized how large it was. And since there¡¯s a little bit of it shaved off, the Demon King may have been soothed by this fragrance when he was caught up. That makes me think a little bit about the fact that even the hated Demon King had a life and a time to relax. ¡°How much does it cost?¡± The old woman asked, but I only laughed. ¡°You can¡¯t put a price on it. I¡¯ll present it to the royal family. It¡¯s the only one of its kind on the continent, and its possession would certainly enhance their prestige.¡± The royal family stores its treasures and invites representatives from various countries to show off to each other their national treasures. This dragon drool incense would be a source of pride for them. The fact that they have so many rare and valuable items in their collection is proof of their wealth, culture, history, and credibility. ¡°With such an offering, I¡¯m sure the royal family will do anything I ask.¡± What to ask for is a matter of skill as a merchant. You send expensive and rare goods to extract more profit. If there is a merchant who is not excited by this, he is not a merchant. On the other hand, I looked at Minebeau with clear eyes. Grandma Cairo looked at him with a look of dismay. He was the man who had tried to buy a priceless item for two gold coins, calling it a mere ore. ¡°Well, you see, miss¡­¡± He tried to say something, but I didn¡¯t feel like listening. ¡°Minebeau-san. I don¡¯t want to continue this conversation. Let¡¯s call it a day.¡± I cut him off. The golden rule of business is to buy low and sell high, I don¡¯t deny that, but for him, business was now a scam. He has been able to do so successfully because of his good fortune and, above all, because of the Serra Trading Company name. However, that didn¡¯t mean he had the talent to deceive people. People who try to deceive others often think they are better than others and look down on those they¡¯ve deceived. However, a person who underestimates others will never achieve great success. This was the case with many of the merchants I met during my travels. In the beginning, I was fooled by them, but after meeting them several times, I soon became able to recognize them. When I saw Minebeau, I recognized him at a glance. ¡°Well, you see, this is¡­¡± ¡°I told you I don¡¯t want to talk about it. Please leave.¡± I cut him off, and Minebeau fled. ¡°Is that all right with you?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, but tell father about this as soon as he gets back. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be back tomorrow.¡± I had taken the issue lightly, but as expected of the Serra Trading Company, they exceeded my expectations. Minebeau¡¯s father, the chairman of the Company himself, came that evening. He pulled father, who was tired from the banquet, out to meet him in the parlor. ¡°So, Serra-san. What can I do for you this night?¡± Father, who was sitting on the couch, could not hide his fatigue from being forced to attend banquets he did not want to go to day after day and answered in a rather blunt voice. ¡°That said, my son was very rude to your daughter today.¡± ¡°Rude, what on earth? Romelia. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Father, who did not know what was going on, looked at me. ¡°The problem is this dragon drool incense.¡± I took out the lump that had belonged to the demon king and told him everything that had happened. While listening to the conversation, Serra-san had a pained expression on his face. This would be a disownable blunder. But I did something similar to father, so I can¡¯t laugh at someone else¡¯s lack of filial piety. I will make it up to him. ¡°Oh, by the way, I forgot to give you a souvenir from my trip, father. Please take this.¡± I present the dragon drool incense to him. It was now worth more than gold. After having tried to buy it once, the Serra Trading Company could not afford to pay half price for it. They have no choice but to offer a high price and take the name of the company even if it meant forfeiting their actual profit. Father couldn¡¯t believe that he had been given such an item as a souvenir, and blinked his small eyes several times. I shifted my gaze from my unusually confused father, to Serra -san. ¡°So, this is now father¡¯s property, and you can talk to him about the rest. Well, I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡± I bowed and left the parlor. I had really wanted to keep the dragon drool incense for myself, but the cost was too great. It was too expensive. If I alone monopolized it, I would be subject to unwarranted criticism from others. Rather than that, I should be more concerned about pleasing my father. To be honest, I had caused him a lot of trouble. He could get a lot of money with that one thing, and more importantly, for the first time in a long time, he had an advantage over others, so hopefully he¡¯d be able to relieve himself from the sorrows of the past few days. After a short business meeting, Serra-san finished discussing the matter with Father and finally, he asked to see me again. When we met, the first thing he did was apologize. ¡°I am terribly sorry for what my son has done. I heard that he not only did wrong in the purchase of the dragon drool, but also did a deplorable job in the purchase of the goods, and I would very much appreciate it if you¡¯d allow me to quote again.¡± He also mentioned that the trade-in price was unfair and tried to make it right. But I declined the offer. ¡°I can¡¯t do that. Once you receive it, you can¡¯t just take it out or retract it.¡± I knew that it was looking at my feet, but I had signed the letter of intent. I can¡¯t take it back. ¡°But even with us, we can¡¯t allow that kind of business to go on as it is.¡± Serra-san probably couldn¡¯t let his son¡¯s mismanagement go unchecked. Above all, lending and borrowing from aristocrats is often expensive. He wanted to end it tonight at any cost. ¡°All right, then, could you please prepare a few things for me?¡± I mentioned several items. They were not only expensive, but also rare and hard to find. But the Serra Trading Company could provide them. ¡°Whenever they¡¯re ready, could you send them to me?¡± If I considered it as a business transaction, it would be equivalent to the amount I had been bargained for, so there shouldn¡¯t be any significant loss to the Company. The problem was that it would be difficult to arrange. ¡°I understand. They will be delivered tomorrow.¡± As expected of the biggest store in the kingdom. He said he would deliver the items tomorrow, which would¡¯ve been difficult for an ordinary trading company to handle. In fact, the goods actually arrived the next day. As a merchant, Serra-san is definitely first-rate. I later learned that Serra -san offered twice as much as I had imagined. Father was so pleased that he restored the management of the domain, which had been on the verge of collapse. The dragon drool incense was presented to Prince Henri and Saint Elisabeth as an engagement gift, and they were delighted to see the one-of-a-kind item. It was a little funny to see the two people who had laughed at what they saw as a dirty little stone when I held it during the trip, now looking at it gratefully displayed. Finally, after the banquets in the Royal Capital were over, we fled back to our domain. Chapter 7 Chapter 7: Separation from Mother After returning to the domain, I went back to the castle house, which was my real home, and was busy moving around. First of all, I needed to buy some clothes. In the Royal Capital, I had been wearing a makeshift dress, but to be honest, I don¡¯t like dresses. I want comfortable casual wear that¡¯s easy to move around in, but what I¡¯m looking for isn¡¯t sold in the market, so I have to get it custom-made. I went to a tailor, told him about the design, and had about ten garments made. I also went to a workshop to find the right equipment for my body, did research on some people, scrutinized material I had taken the liberty of borrowing from father¡¯s room, copied maps, and kept busy. Speaking of busy, Father and mother were the same way. Mother, in particular, was busy sobbing, and not a day went by when I didn¡¯t hear her screams and cries. Looks like she¡¯s not at all pleased to have return to such a rural area from the glamorous Royal Capital. The maids who comforted her seem to be having a hard time, but I¡¯ll let them give up that as their job. Apparently, every day father was thinking about how to spend the large sum of money he had earned from the dragon drool incense. Looking at the financial records, I don¡¯t think father is very good at handling sudden money. I think he should think a little more long-term, but as a woman, it¡¯s not my place to interfere, so I¡¯ll just keep my mouth shut. However, our conversations stayed the same. Mother stayed in her room and never came out, and although I met father at meals, we only exchanged the usual greetings, then there was nothing else to talk about. Not knowing how to interact with them, I finished my preparations. The clothes I had ordered from the tailor were almost ready, and I have all the supplies I had planned. All that¡¯s left to do is talk to father. ¡°Father, I¡¯d like to have a word with you.¡± I went to my father, who was enjoying his afternoon tea, and began to talk to him. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of going to a remote, secluded place to relax a bit after the long journey I just had.¡± A lie, of course. ¡°¡­¡­ where do you want to go?¡± ¡°Cashew.¡± The Cashew region is a frontier in the far east of the kingdom. To the north are steep mountains, to the east is enemy territory, and to the south is wilderness and nothingness. ¡°All right, do as you please.¡± As expected, Father gave his permission. If his daughter, who was causing him so much trouble, would voluntarily retreat to the frontier, it would be a great thing. ¡°Yes, I will do as I please. But, I just don¡¯t want to be inconvenienced there, father. I don¡¯t want to be constantly bothering you. Instead, I want to be free to do what I want.¡± I¡¯m going to beg a little bit like a selfish girl. ¡°¡­¡­, okay, fine.¡± I had his word. I¡¯ll have it made official later. ¡°When will you be ready?¡± ¡°As soon as possible. Can I get an escort for the journey?¡± Cashew is a remote area and the Demon king¡¯s Army has yet to reach it. However, the monsters they had released have become wild. There¡¯s also the possibility of bandits, so an escort is essential. Besides, I want to inspect the area and I want to save money, so I¡¯m begging for an escort. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll make the arrangements.¡± To my surprise, Father does as I ask. I wonder if this was his way of being considerate. ¡°I think I¡¯ll say goodbye to mother in the meantime¡± If I¡¯m not careful, I may never see them again. I couldn¡¯t do it three years ago, but this time I should do it properly. Father agreed that it would be a good idea, and with that I headed for Mother¡¯s room. As I made my way to her bedroom, I could hear her crying outside. I sighed and prepared myself. ¡°Mother, it¡¯s me. I¡¯m coming in.¡± After knocking, I entered the room. The large bedroom was a mess. Clothes, shoes, Jewelry, underwear, and handkerchiefs were scattered about. ¡°Oh, Romelia. What shall we do? It¡¯s the end of the world.¡± She said this as soon as she saw me. This was the first thing to come out of her mouth. Mother was a genius at finding tragedies and calamities in this world. She could tell that the maid was cold, that her friends looked down on her, that the merchants gave her only inferior goods, that her pets didn¡¯t even take to her, and that everything in the world was trying to make her an outcast. And then, lamenting, she never wants to look at me. Normally that would be fine, but this could be the last time. ¡°Mother!¡± Tired of listening to her endless complaints, I clap my hands loudly. Startled by the voice and sound, Mother looked at me with wide eyes. I put my hands on her face and looked at her carefully. It had been a long time since I had seen her face from the front. It must have also been a while since she looked straight at mine. After looking at her face carefully, I lowered my hands, placing them behind her and embraced her. She was startled by the sudden embrace and stiffened nervously. ¡°I¡¯m leaving for Cashew tomorrow. This is goodbye.¡± I gave all the love I had left in my heart to say goodbye. Good-bye, Mother. Poor woman, who could never love anyone but herself. But I could not love you either. I don¡¯t love you, but I want you to be well. ¡°Good-bye, my dear.¡± I released her from the embrace and said goodbye. As I walked out of the room, I could hear her crying voice. Without looking back, I left for Cashew.