kscans

Chapter 241 - The Siege of Miglutt, and its Prologue

The next morning, when Shizuka and I went to the dining hall, the women were in an uproar. I thought they might be continuing their girls' party and was about to go inside when they all turned to glare at me. Being stared down by so many people at once was genuinely intimidating. I took a step back, leaving the door open.

"Wh-What is it…? Haven’t you eaten breakfast yet?"

"…"

No one answered my question. Were they mad that I’d slept with Shizuka? Suddenly, I noticed one person with their head bowed.

"Famu…"

I called out to her, but she didn’t reply. No one else said a word. With no other choice, I looked to Mizuki, who seemed the most likely to give me an answer.

"What happened?"

"It’s Sameim. She’s gone."

I looked around, and sure enough, she was nowhere to be seen. I remembered the night in Richel when she had slept soundly, her breathing soft and even.

"You were all probably being too loud. Isn’t she just out for a walk somewhere?"

"She’s not on the premises, at the very least."

Even though she couldn’t speak, she was about the same age as Famu. And in this place, she shouldn’t have faced any discrimination for being one of the dog-eared race, unlike in Richel. There was the worry of running into Yuki or Clovis, but she should have been aware of that.

"Won’t she be back eventually? For now, why don’t we eat?"

"How can you be so calm?!"

Rinko cut in as I was talking to Mizuki.

"Sameim has definitely gone back to the Messiah’s members!"

"Are you saying she betrayed us? We removed her Slave Mark, dispelled the physical enhancement magic on her body, and Famu is here."

"You’re too naive! She took all our information and went back to Yuki. Don’t you understand what that means?!"

As Rinko’s shouts echoed, Famu lifted her head.

"Master, I’m going to look for her. I’m sure…"

She trailed off. She tried to pass by me, but I grabbed her arm.

"Do you have any idea where she might be?"

"No. But…"

"I can’t have you disappearing too. Let’s look for her together."

I stopped her, but the air in the room remained heavy. Just then, Patricia rushed in.

"Mash."

Patricia seemed to sense the tense atmosphere and shrank back slightly. But she quickly steeled herself and clutched the hem of her maid uniform.

"What is it?"

"A moment ago, a message came from Lady Marina. She asks that you come to the mansion at once."

"Is it something for Mo?"

"No, it’s for you, Mash."

Since Marina was Marmi’s mother, I assumed the business was with her, but apparently not.

"It’s about the Leafkraut Family."

At those words, Famu’s head snapped up.

"It might be about Sam."

She tried to pull her arm free and run, but I held on tight.

"Wait. Let’s at least eat breakfast first."

Our group heading to the Star Union family estate—Marmi’s home—consisted of the members of Levante, Toratsuna, Shizuka, and Reeni. The others had gone their separate ways, but Hyakka and the New World members seemed intent on staying, as they remained at the house. During the walk, I couldn’t bring myself to look Toratsuna or Shizuka in the face. Even though I’d woken up to find her already on top of me, I had eagerly devoured Shizuka afterward. There were no excuses. Despite that, Shizuka was acting as if nothing had happened, holding Toratsuna’s arm with one hand and Reeni’s hand with the other. Toratsuna couldn’t possibly be unaware of what happened last night. Seriously, why would Shizuka come to my bed on the night she reunited with Toratsuna? I didn’t understand it at all.

"Are you and the others planning to stay at the Star Union estate?"

"Yeah. They said it was fine."

I was surprised he answered so normally. Did he really not care about what happened with Shizuka? As I pondered this, I considered the implications of Toratsuna’s group staying at the Star Union estate. For the Star Union Family, housing an otherworlder hero as a guest was likely convenient for them. And in exchange for Marmi coming to my place, Reeni had gone to the Star Union estate. It was a hostage exchange, of a sort. Unlike me, Toratsuna, and Shizuka, the Star Union Family valued this connection for its political implications. I had found that mansion too lavish and uncomfortable, but if Shizuka and the others didn’t mind, then there was no problem. As I was lost in thought, Toratsuna put his arm around my shoulder.

"So… about Shizuka."

"I-It wasn’t my fault!"

I tried to protest loudly, but he squeezed my shoulder firmly. It felt like I was being shaken down.

"I know. She said that as long as she could be in that kind of relationship with you, she wouldn’t sleep with any other men."

"That’s—"

I was about to say that it was practically the same as her sleeping with another man, but I decided to keep my mouth shut. Mizuki and the others shot me sharp glances, but they didn’t seem to be coming over to question me like they usually would.

"So, I need you to cooperate and make sure Shizuka doesn’t sleep with any other men."

"If you’re okay with it, then I don’t mind, but…"

In reality, wasn’t my "cooperation"

the same as her sleeping with another man from Toratsuna’s perspective? I glanced at Shizuka. She was walking with a carefree smile, holding Reeni’s hand. I didn’t know what kind of conversation had passed between her and Toratsuna, but I had no idea what either of them was thinking. Just then, we arrived in front of the Star Union estate.

For some reason, the guards standing at the gate seemed more heavily armed than usual. Famu and the others must have felt the same, as we all naturally came to a stop.

"Famu, wait here. Can you go and tell them we’ve arrived?"

"Hmph, I don’t want to be teased like last time! You go, Master!"

"Hey, what kind of subordinate sends their master on errands?"

"Because you’re trying to make a fool of me, Master!"

Famu still hadn’t forgotten being teased when she first visited this mansion upon arriving in Miglutt. She tried to hide behind me.

"Tch, and it was all Mo’s fault…"

I glanced at Marmi, but she didn’t seem inclined to do anything herself. She was probably planning to wait until the gate opened or a messenger came out. Shizuka and Reeni should have been used to coming and going, but they weren’t moving forward either.

"Why are you all just standing here? This is normal for you, isn’t it? Why don’t you go?"

"Reeni always walks along the edge of the gate so she’s not in the way. But today…"

Hearing that, I realized what felt off. The iron gate, which usually made the place feel less intimidating, was closed today, even though it was daytime. With no other choice, I walked towards the gate alone. Wake, who had been Marmi’s guard, was there.

"Hey, what are you doing there?"

he called out, his eyes sharp.

"Huh? Marina summoned me, so I came."

"Then get in here, quickly. Lady Marina is in the study."

Wake immediately left, calling over knights and barking out hurried orders. Even with Marmi here, it felt like they were being far too unguarded with us. I waited for everyone to catch up before passing through the gate.

Once inside the mansion, we headed straight for Marina. As Wake had said, she was in her study.

"Zeno Leafkraut is gathering mercenaries in his domain,"

Marina announced the moment we entered. Zeno was the head of the Leafkraut Family, and his uncle was Clovis.

"Is the Demon Lord’s army attacking? Or another city?"

At my question, Marina lowered her eyes and sighed.

"His target is Miglutt."

"A coup d’état? Are you sure about this?"

She nodded in response. I glanced at Famu and the others. They looked just as bewildered. If it were a squabble between adventurers, we could intervene. But a battle involving armies was out of our hands.

"Is it against the Star Union Family?"

"The Four Regent Families have a non-aggression pact, and a treaty that states if one family is attacked, the others will fight alongside them. Zeno cannot be unaware of this."

"Is it because I took Mo? Or because we got into a fight with Clovis’s group?"

Thinking about it, I had done nothing but earn their enmity. But while Marmi’s situation and my attempt to capture Sameim using Goddess Summon were my fault, the incident in the dungeon in the Leafkraut Family's city was unavoidable. We had gone there to talk, and they had attacked us.

"I cannot deny that it may have been the trigger, but the Star Union and Leafkraut families have been at odds for a long time. We have had information that he was gathering troops for a while now."

"So, what should we do?"

As I pondered, Mizuki spoke up. She was feigning composure, but she couldn’t have anticipated this situation. Things were quickly escalating beyond our control. If that happened, convincing Yuki would become much more difficult.

"For now, please stay in this mansion. We will handle the situation."

"By ‘we,’ do you mean the Four Regent Families?"

Mizuki asked, and Marina nodded.

"Augustus went to the central government building this morning. They should already be discussing countermeasures."

The fact that Marmi’s father had gone meant Maryanne should be at the government building as well. This would be her first major incident since assuming her duties as head of the family. An image of her carefree smile flashed through my mind, and I felt a pang of worry.

"Honestly. The members of that family are fools…"

Marina stood up and began to walk towards the window. At that exact moment, a deafening roar tore through the air, and the ground shook violently as if in an earthquake. The window glass shattered and rained down. Famu and the others ducked down, and I shielded them with my body.

"W-Was that an earthquake?"

As the shaking subsided, Mizuki raised her head and looked around. The room was filled with a white dust that clouded our vision. Papers that had been on the desk were scattered across the floor, and a bookshelf that had been against the wall had toppled over.

"No. It seems we are under attack."

Marina was standing by the window, just as before. And through that window, I could see embers rising from the direction of the government building.