Chapter 241 - The Siege of Migul and Its Prologue
The next morning, when Shizuka and I went to the dining hall, the women were in an uproar. Thinking they were still continuing their girls' night, I went to enter, only to have every single one of them turn to glare at me. It was genuinely frightening with so many of them gathered. I took a step back, leaving the door open.
"Wh-What is it...? Haven't you had breakfast yet?"
"..."
No one answered my question. Are they mad at me for sleeping with Shizuka? Suddenly, I noticed one person with their head bowed.
"Fam..."
She didn't reply when I called her name. The others remained silent as well. With no other choice, I looked to Mizuki, who seemed the most likely to answer.
"What happened?"
"It's... Sameim is gone."
I looked around and, sure enough, she wasn't there. I remembered the night in Richelle when she'd been sleeping, her little snores filling the air.
"You guys were probably being too loud. Isn't she just out for a walk or something?"
"She's not on the premises, at the very least."
She couldn't speak, but she was about the same age as Fam. And in this place, she shouldn't have been discriminated against for being from the dog-eared race like she was in Richelle. There was the worry of running into Yuuki or Clovis, but she should have known better.
"Won't she be back eventually? For now, how about we eat?"
"How can you be so calm?!"
As I was answering Mizuki, Rinko cut in.
"Sameim has definitely gone back to the Messiah's members!"
"Are you saying she betrayed us? We removed her slave crest, dispelled the physical enhancement magic on her, and Fam is here with her."
"You're naive! She went back to Yuuki after gathering all our information. Don't you realize what this means?!"
As I listened to Rinko's shouting, Fam lifted her head.
"Master, I'll go look for her. I'm sure..."
She trailed off. As she tried to pass by me, I grabbed her arm.
"Do you have any idea where she might be?"
"I don't. But..."
"I can't have you disappearing too. Let's look together."
I said that to stop her, but the air in the room remained heavy. Just then, Patricia rushed in.
"Mash."
Patricia seemed to sense the oppressive atmosphere from the gathered crowd and recoiled slightly. But she quickly steeled herself and clutched the hem of her maid uniform.
"What is it?"
"A moment ago, a message arrived from Lady Marina requesting you come to the mansion at once."
"Is it for Marmie?"
"No, it is for you, Mash."
She was Marmie's mother, so I'd assumed the business was with her, but apparently not.
"It concerns House Leafclout."
At those words, Fam's head snapped up.
"It might be about Sam."
She tried to break free from my grasp and run, but I held on tight.
"Wait. Let's at least eat breakfast before we go."
Those who headed to Marmie's family home, House Starunion, were the members of Levante, plus Toratsuna, Shizuka, and Lini. The others returned to their respective places, but Hyakka and the other members from the new world seemed intent on staying, as they remained at our house. During the walk, I couldn't look Toratsuna or Shizuka in the face. Even if she'd been the one to initiate it, I had still eagerly devoured Shizuka afterward. There was no excuse. Despite that, Shizuka acted as if nothing had happened, holding Toratsuna's arm with one hand and Lini's with the other. And Toratsuna couldn't possibly be unaware of what happened last night. For that matter, why did Shizuka come to me on the night she was reunited with Toratsuna? I didn't understand it at all.
"Are you and the others planning to stay at the Starunion mansion?"
"Yeah. They said we could stay as long as we want."
I was surprised he answered so normally. Did he really not care about what happened with Shizuka? As I wondered about that, I considered the implications of Toratsuna's group staying at the Starunion estate. Keeping otherworldly heroes as guests was probably convenient for House Starunion. And while Marmie came to my place, Lini went to House Starunion in her stead. It was, in a way, a hostage exchange. Unlike me, Toratsuna, or Shizuka, House Starunion saw value in a political relationship. I found that mansion too lavish and uncomfortable, but if Shizuka and the others didn't mind, then it wasn't a problem. As I was thinking about this, Toratsuna put his arm around my shoulder.
"So... about Shizuka."
"I-It's not my fault!"
I tried to loudly proclaim my innocence, but he squeezed my shoulder firmly. It felt like I was being shaken down.
"I know. She said that if she can be in that kind of relationship with you, Mash, she won't do it with any other guys anymore."
"That's—"
I was about to say that it was practically the same as her being with another guy, but I decided to hold my tongue. Mizuki and the others were giving me sharp looks, but it seemed they weren't about to come over and eavesdrop like usual.
"So, I need you to help me make sure Shizuka doesn't sleep with any other men, Mash."
"If you're okay with that, then I don't mind, but..."
In reality, my 'cooperation' would be the same as her sleeping with another man from Toratsuna's perspective, wouldn't it? I glanced at Shizuka. She was walking with a carefree smile, holding Lini's hand. I didn't know what kind of conversation she and Toratsuna had, but I had no idea what either of them was thinking. As I pondered this, we arrived in front of the Starunion mansion.
The guards standing before the gate seemed more heavily armed than usual. Fam and the others must have felt the same, as we all naturally came to a stop.
"Fam, wait here and tell them we've arrived, will you?"
"N-No way! I don't want to be pranked like last time! You go, Master!"
"Hey, what kind of subordinate sends their master on an errand?!"
"Because you're the one trying to make a fool of me, Master!"
It seemed Fam still hadn't forgotten being teased when she first visited this mansion upon arriving in Migul. She tried to hide behind me.
"Damn it, that was all Marmie's fault..."
I looked at Marmie, but she didn't seem inclined to do anything herself. She probably intended to wait until the gate opened or a messenger came out. Shizuka and Lini must come and go all the time, but they weren't moving forward either.
"Why are you guys stopping here? This is normal for you. Why don't you go?"
"Lini always walks along the edge of the gate so she's not in the way. But today..."
Her words made me realize what felt off. The iron bars of the gate had made its imposing presence less noticeable, but the gate, which was normally open during the day, was closed today. With no other choice, I headed toward the gate alone and saw Wake, who had been Marmie's guard.
"Hey, what are you doing there?"
He called out to me with a stern look.
"Huh? Marina summoned me, so I came...
"Then get in, quickly. Lady Marina is in her study."
Wake immediately left, calling over a knight and giving hurried instructions. Even with Marmie here, they seemed far too unguarded with us. I waited for everyone to catch up before passing through the gate.
Upon arriving at the mansion, we immediately went to see Marina. As Wake had said, she was in her study.
"Zeno Leafclout is gathering mercenaries in his domain,"
Marina announced without preamble. Zeno was the head of House Leafclout, and his uncle was Clovis.
"Is the Demon Lord's army attacking? Or another city?"
At my words, Marina lowered her eyes and sighed.
"His target is Migul."
"A coup d'état? Are you certain?"
She nodded in response to my question. I glanced at Fam and the others. They looked just as bewildered. If this were a dispute between adventurers, we could have a say. But a war involving armies was out of our league.
"Is it against House Starunion?"
"The Four Regent Houses have a non-aggression pact, and a covenant that if one house is attacked, the others will fight alongside it. Zeno cannot be unaware of this."
"Is it because I took Marmie? Or because we clashed with Clovis and his group?"
Thinking back, I'd done nothing but things that would earn their resentment. But while the matter with Marmie and the attempt to capture Sameim using Goddess Summon were our fault, what happened in the dungeon in House Leafclout's town was unavoidable. We went there to talk and were attacked.
"I cannot deny that it may have been the trigger, but House Starunion and House Leafclout have been at odds for some time. We received intelligence that he was gathering soldiers long ago."
"So, what should we do?"
Mizuki asked while I was still thinking. She was feigning calmness, but she couldn't have expected this kind of situation. Things were rapidly spiraling beyond our control. If that happened, convincing Yuuki would become much more difficult.
"For now, please remain in this mansion. We will handle the response."
"By 'we,' do you mean the Four Regent Houses?"
Marina nodded at Mizuki's question.
"Augustus went to the central government office this morning. They should already be discussing countermeasures."
If Marmie's father was there, then Merianne must be at the government office too. This would be her first major incident since taking over as head of her house. I pictured her carefree smile and felt a twinge of worry.
"Honestly. The people of that house are fools..."
Marina stood up and began to walk toward the window. It was at that moment. Suddenly, a deafening roar that felt like it would shatter our eardrums echoed through the air, and the ground shook violently as if in an earthquake. The window glass shattered and rained down. Fam and the others ducked down, and I shielded them with my body.
"I-Is it an earthquake?"
As the shaking began to subside, Mizuki raised her head and looked around. The room was filled with a cloud of white, dust-like particles that obscured our vision. The documents that had been on the desk were scattered across the floor, and a bookshelf against the wall had toppled over.
"No. It appears we are under attack."
Marina stood by the window, her expression unchanged. And through that window, flecks of fire could be seen rising from the government office.