246 - Jules Passworth
――While traveling by porter.
Aria was in a slightly better mood.
When she brought a drink to Clara, who was operating the porter, Clara took the water bottle and spoke upon seeing her expression.
"You're in a good mood."
"Eh, ah... yeah."
Clara felt that Aria was keeping her distance. She believed it was unconscious, but perhaps Aria couldn't forgive her for accepting Ludmilla's proposal and joining a faction.
As Clara took a sip from the water bottle, she immediately knew it was tea prepared by Monica. The aroma, the easy-to-drink temperature, and the taste—Monica prepared tea with a level of perfection that made it hard to believe she was an automaton.
However, Monica lacked a certain level of consideration for anyone other than Liel; unless they specifically asked, she would only provide tea that suited Liel's preferences.
The porter, traveling through areas without roads, pushed forward through any terrain with its large wheels. As it jolted slightly, Aria grabbed a nearby handrail.
Clara was sitting in a chair provided by Monica and wearing a seatbelt, so she was fine. As long as she didn't let go of her cane, there was no problem. However, some of the tea in the water bottle spilled, getting on her lips and burning them slightly.
As she wiped her mouth, Aria asked Clara.
"Can I ask you something?"
Clara replied while continuing to operate the porter.
"If it's regarding Ludmilla-san's faction, it's the result of my own thinking. It's not as if she's desperately trying to pull you in, Aria-san. Besides, it might be better for you not to belong to any faction, or perhaps you should start your own."
"I-I would never!"
Aria reacted against the suggestion of starting a faction. Clara found Aria's reaction, which was exactly as she had expected, to be slightly amusing.
"Why are you laughing?"
"I'm sorry. It's just that you're misunderstanding, Aria-san. A faction is formed as long as there are three people. Furthermore, I cannot fully trust Novem-san. Miranda-san will likely incorporate Shannon-chan into her faction. That leaves Glacia-san, Eliza-san, and Vera-san... more or less, they all have families or countries."
Aria looked as if she didn't understand what Clara was talking about.
"True, my family is..."
"I'm in a similar position. But even if I were to lend a hand to someone else, the options are limited when considering personality and backing. Glacia-san and Eliza-san cannot place themselves under anyone. They have their own national interests, after all. Miranda-san's backing is weak. She's in a state of sworn estrangement. That's why I chose Ludmilla-san."
Aria still seemed unconvinced. Clara felt a bit envious, thinking that Aria was an honest person. Aria and Clara were like polar opposites.
"Do you not like it?"
"...Honestly, I don't think I need to follow a woman who talks about creating factions. I feel like doing something like that at a critical time isn't very good."
Clara closed the lid of the water bottle and looked up slightly.
"It's precisely because it's a critical time. I believe Ludmilla-san is necessary to oppose Novem-san and Miranda-san. At the same time, I can keep her under surveillance from nearby."
"You, don't tell me..."
Clara pushed up her glasses, making them glint, and smiled slightly.
"The one with the most power right now is Ludmilla-san. She can support Liel-san on the scale of a nation, not just as an individual. I thought it would be better if someone was watching from the side."
Aria looked at Clara and pressed her hand to her face.
"You're surprisingly dark, aren't you?"
Clara chuckled.
"I suppose so. This might be about all I'm capable of. However—no, it's nothing."
What Clara had been about to say at the end was—.
(However, I can't believe Novem-san hasn't considered Ludmilla-san's movements. And this arrangement... I have a feeling Miranda-san has sent Shannon-chan in to keep watch. Thinking about it that way, the faction struggle has already begun...)
'Hmm, so you managed not to lose Aria-chan. That's good. If you had lost her, Liel would have definitely had a hard time in the future.'
"Y-you... if you're going to talk, get off my back."
Inside the orb. In the room of my memories, Raieru was riding on my back, pinning me down as I lay fallen.
Despite having a child's body, it felt as if I were being pressed down by a giant boulder.
'How admirable. Thinking that Liel looks like he's struggling, and since she has nothing compared to the others, she'll step back... well, since being kicked out of the mansion, she's the one who's known you the longest after Novem. Aria-chan is certainly necessary.'
I put strength into my body, trying somehow to stand up, but Raieru just smirked as he watched my efforts. Then, he continued talking.
'Well, it just means you were in a relationship where you needed each other. Even so, once you've decided on something, you have to see it through to the end. To kiss her that much and then not stop a woman who's trying to step back is just cruel.'
"Y-you little bratttt!"
I managed to put strength into my arms and lift my body slightly. Then, Raieru swung his legs and shifted his body a bit.
The balance of my strength shifted, and I lay flat on the ground once again.
"Guh!"
'Hah, we're almost at your hometown, Banseime, and you're in this state? Come on, try harder. You can't train your body inside the orb. You have to do something about it with magic.'
"Magic... come to think of it, didn't you say a while ago that magic is poison?"
While regulating my breathing, I racked my brain to stand up again. If I were to do something with magic, simply put, there was the option of causing an explosion nearby with magic and using that momentum to repel Raieru.
At that moment, I remembered Raieru's words. Once, Raieru had said, "Magic was poison."
'You remembered. Well, it's not poison now. Or rather, poison is the same as medicine. As long as you know how to use it, it can become medicine. Though, at first, I thought it was medicine and used it incorrectly, which led to a disaster.'
Gathering magic in my palm and pressing it against the ground, I tried to use the explosion to push myself up. However, a saber pierced through, pinning my hand to the ground.
'Nope, no. Don't execute self-destruct techniques immediately. Let's think about it one more time.'
"Y-you damn brat!"
Inside the orb, I spent my days unable to win against my childhood self.
After entering Banseime from Cartaphus, we stored the porter in the Box skill, donned robes, and pretended to be a party of five adventurers traveling together.
When we entered a town near the border, there were many mercenaries and a large number of soldiers.
Only we knew that Cartaphus was not moving on Ludmilla-san's orders, and the town was filled with a prickly sense of tension.
Shannon, walking beside me, gripped my robe with her right hand while looking around.
It was a formidable town, with many fierce-looking mercenaries, adventurers, and soldiers.
"W-why is it so dangerous here? There were people with weapons in Beime too, but it wasn't this bad."
Shannon was frightened because fights were breaking out everywhere. Moreover, it was a rough town where people drank alcohol even while the sun was high, and there were many prostitutes.
"It's rough because it's close to the border. Besides, the people here have experienced war many times, so they inevitably become rough."
It's a profession where you don't know when you'll die. They're likely desperate to live for the moment. As the five of us moved, there was a reaction from my skill.
A group that had recognized us changed their reaction from yellow to red and was attempting to approach.
Looking at our feet visible beneath the robes, they likely thought many of us were women and intended to call out to us.
I told everyone.
"A group diagonally behind us. Six people. They're chasing us. I want to avoid trouble, so we'll hurry ahead and get into the inn."
As we tried to leave the area quickly, the other party hurried to catch up with us.
Using the fourth generation skill—Up-Down—to slow down the opponents' speed, we successfully entered the inn and shook off the group of six.
――Jampea.
Upon arriving in the southern country, Novem and the others were able to meet the King at the palace through a merchant.
Perhaps because it was a southern country, the palace was built with large windows and was well-ventilated. There were many plants and foods they had never seen before, and Mei looked as if she wanted to go to the castle town as soon as possible.
Eva had it decided that she would speak with her kin in the southern country, and she seemed concerned about that as well. After all, there were instruments she had never seen, and the southern songs were apparently unique. For that reason, she wanted to hear about it quickly.
The King, [Jules Passworth], who sat in a large chair with two military officers stationed around him, was a brown-skinned man with pink hair.
He was said to be in his early thirties, but he looked younger. His features were deep and well-defined, and there were rumors that he had played around since he was young; he was quite a handsome man. His blue eyes looked at Novem and the others as if sizing them up.
He had golden ornaments on his arms and ears; his atmosphere was similar to the previous Selva, but it wasn't nouveau riche taste.
"Welcome to Jampea, should I say?"
At Jules's words, Novem and the others bowed their heads.
"It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty. Regarding the matter at hand, it is as we discussed beforehand. May we hear your answer?"
Jules placed a hand over his mouth and leaned back against the backrest of the throne. He crossed his legs, indicating through his pose that he was thinking.
"News of the Four-Nation Alliance reached me recently. Moreover, since even the great northern power Cartaphus is cooperating, it certainly gains a sense of reality. However. To be asked so suddenly, my honest impression is that I'm at a loss for an answer. Sorry, but I'll have you stay at the royal palace for a while. Don't worry, I don't intend to let you be inconvenienced. I don't want to make an enemy of Cartaphus within the Four-Nation Alliance."
Jules said this with a smile, but Jampea possessed a navy. Furthermore, it was powerful and had a reputation for eradicating pirates.
Novem understood that Jules had no intention of harming them. They were certainly troublesome existences. He likely didn't want to cause problems.
But at the same time, there was distance between Jampea, the Four-Nation Alliance, and Cartaphus. Jules also understood that even if a problem occurred, they wouldn't be invaded so easily.
"Yes. I understand. Then, we shall be in your care for a while."
When Novem spoke on behalf of everyone, Jules replied with a smile.
"I'll reach a conclusion as quickly as possible. Also, I'm happy that there are many beautiful guests. I intend to hold a banquet tonight. Please be sure to attend."
Novem and the others accepted the offer with smiles—.
――In a conference room within the Jampea palace, the high-ranking officials were sitting on mats.
Jules sat in a higher position, arms crossed before documents regarding the Four-Nation Alliance and Cartaphus.
"Now, what should we do, gentlemen? An alliance of great and small nations. Both are larger in scale than we are. However, picking a fight with Banseime is close to gambling."
The high-ranking officials stated their respective opinions.
"Why not hand those people over to Banseime and build a friendly relationship for a while?"
"You're telling us to pick a fight with a large-scale nation? The current Banseime is not reliable. They cannot be trusted!"
"They've been especially strange lately. It's better not to touch them. Wouldn't it be best to politely decline?"
"I hear that after this they will head toward Banseime. They intend to look for lords who will be allies within Banseime. Why not send them off politely?"
As opinions were put forward, Jules summarized them.
"Summarizing everyone's opinions, handing over the envoys is out of the question. Politely decline and send them to Banseime, huh... Certainly, that is the safest route. However, can we overlook Banseime's movements recently? I feel a threat."
The high-ranking officials closed their mouths and pondered. Information about Banseime also reached Jampea, which was connected by land.
Because they maintained a distant relationship, they had not neglected information gathering. This was because they didn't know when the great nation of Banseime might surge into their own country.
Therefore, information about Celes had also come in accurately. Their opinions were unanimous. The current Banseime was abnormal.
However, even if their opinions agreed, their responses did not. Many held the opinion that they should maintain distance as they had until now, and they had settled on not becoming actively involved.
But now, the countries surrounding Banseime had shown movement.
"I thought it would take more time. I thought that when the threat of Banseime increased day by day and became unavoidable... the surrounding countries would move. I've been proceeding with military buildup for that time... but someone moved first."
It was Liel. Jules also thought there would be movement if Banseime's abnormality was accurately conveyed to the surrounding countries. That's why he had pushed forward with military buildup.
And yet, there was a man who had moved the surrounding countries. While Jules felt regret at being beaten to the punch, he was also slightly amused.
"I thought the time had come for Jampea to make its name known to the continent, but a quite interesting man has appeared. Now, gentlemen... we intended to eventually move as the center, but how about missing this chance? Please discuss this with that in view as well."
The high-ranking officials crossed their arms, and one of them spoke up.
"...Now is the time when we can sell ourselves at a high price. There's no meaning in joining later. Besides, if the surrounding countries lose without our help while Banseime is in a state where they cannot be touched, what awaits us is destruction."
Jules placed a hand on his chin in response to that opinion.
"The Four-Nation Alliance and the great northern power Cartaphus are trying to move. If the countries centered around Fanbayle in the west move, we could bring it to a fifty-fifty chance. How about selling ourselves then?"
The high-ranking officials opened their heavy mouths.
"If we miscalculate that timing, we will simply be destroyed. The risk is too high. Either way, if we don't fight, we'll have no choice but to surrender. What is Your Majesty's opinion?"
Jules stood up and declared grandly.
"Sorry, but I have no intention of sharing one woman with other men. If I surrender and become captivated by Celes, I'd rather be dead. Sorry, but due to my selfishness, there is no surrender."
The high-ranking officials sighed and spoke.
"Please state a more decent reason. In the first place, even if we surrender, the possibility that Banseime will treat us as they have until now is low."
"That girl called Celes, is she really human? She's the very image of a country-toppling beauty from a fairy tale. Bewildering people, and that cruelty."
"The treatment of the opposition within the country... it's shudder-inducing just to hear about it."
Then, finally, one of the high-ranking officials turned to Jules and said.
"I believe it is more advantageous to provide active support here. However, we should send our own person to the man who is the representative—Liel Walt."
Jules looked amused.
"My daughters are still young. The oldest is only ten."
The high-ranking officials said.
"That is sufficient. However, the fact that she cannot bear children immediately is a problem. How about Your Majesty's younger sister?"
Jules sat back down and shook his head.
"Do you think she would move for my sake? I'm the one who looked down on her as a half-sibling and killed my full-blooded older brothers."
One of the high-ranking officials placed a hand on his head.
"Cooperation is decided, then. We'll manage the matter of the concubine. If things go well, it might even be possible for her to become the legal wife. However, Your Majesty... please do not lay a hand on the envoys. Those people are all said to be the women of that man, Liel."
Jules was smiling slightly. The high-ranking officials' expressions stiffened, as if they had a bad feeling. Enjoying that sight, Jules laughed.
"Trust me. Even I will step back if the woman I target is too dangerous. Besides, my intuition is whispering to me. That I must not lay a hand on them. Given that he gathers only those kinds of women, I've become interested in this man called Liel. I'd like to drink with him."
As Jules laughed, the high-ranking officials dropped their shoulders in relief—.