第５９４堀：出発前の顔合わせ (Part2)
For the time being, I can't let Kagura drag me down with her.
I have to prevent that. I need to ensure my own safety as much as possible.
"……You know that I was the one who summoned Yuki-sama and the others, right?"
"Yeah, everyone knows that. There was a lot of chaos, but we would have been in real danger if not for Yuki-sama and his group, so nice summoning. I really thought, 'As expected of the Three Great Houses.' But why bring that up now?"
Wait, why did she suddenly switch from calling them by name to using "-sama"?
"……I got caught up in that summoning. Cleena-sama and Shuten-sama were dragged into it too."
I was left speechless by those words.
Let me get this straight, so…
"Are you saying that in the middle of that fierce battle, Kagura summoned that wife and her small child onto the battlefield?"
"Yes. And when we first met, I thought I was going to be killed."
"Well, yeah…"
That’s only natural. If a mother found out her small child had been summoned to a battlefield, she would be absolutely furious. No, Yuki-sama, the father, would be exactly the same.
"Ah, so that’s why Baide was suppressed."
"Exactly. The reason we pulled off such a reckless suppression with so few people was for the safety of our family. If we had tried to negotiate and were treated as mere combatants, the children could have been taken hostage."
"……"
We were the ones who were clearly in the wrong here. Yuki-sama had acted knowing full well he was understaffed, all for the sake of his family.
"I’m surprised you’re still alive after becoming a diplomat for Weed, Kagura."
"……Haha. I apologized for my life. I even took a good one to the cheek."
…That is definitely not a job with any perks. My stomach feels like it’s going to die. Still, since it was Kagura’s fault for bringing the children along in the first place…
"And, I’ve only spoken to Cleena-sama a little bit, so, well, not much…"
"So, reconciliation hasn't really progressed."
"Yeah. Especially since she tried to blast me with magic and kill me when we first met…"
What should I do? I can't think of anything. Kagura, who kidnapped her daughter and threw her onto a battlefield, can’t exactly go around asking to be friends. If she said something so brazen, I’d kill her myself. I’ve never had children, but I think it’s a natural emotion to feel when your precious ones are put in danger.
"I might die today."
"No, if they were going to kill you, I think they would have done it while we were still in Weed. Look, I’ll try talking to Cleena-sama and the others for you."
"Eh? But…"
"Even if you say 'but,' we’re going to be acting together from now on, so we can’t put this off."
And so, I left Kagura behind and headed toward Cleena-sama and the others. If, by some chance, Cleena-sama and her group lost their tempers, someone like Mikos-chan might get caught in the crossfire and vanish. I’d like to avoid that. This is for Kagura’s sake, but also for my own life.
"Um, excuse me…"
"Hm? Who are you?"
"Who?"
I finished my explanation and called out to Cleena-sama, who was chatting with the people from Weed. Ah, right, I hadn't even introduced myself yet. I suppose this is the time for that before we depart.
"If I recall correctly, are you Mikos Jarna-sama, the source of the rumors that my master mentioned?"
"Ah, yes. I am Mikos Jarna, the eldest daughter of the Jarna Baron family. Pleased to meet you."
Amazing, Kirue-san the maid. She said she heard about it from Yuki-sensei, but to identify me that quickly… As expected of an elite maid who serves in the royal palace. After I performed a proper noble greeting, Ria cut in from the side.
"Whoa. So Mikos can do a proper greeting after all."
"Of course I can. Ria, Cleena-sama doesn't seem to know me, could you introduce us?"
"Sure. This is Mikos. Like Kirue-san said, she’s the one who provided the info on the rumors. She’s the bright type, I guess? She’s friends with me, Amanda, and Eoid too."
"Hmm. Then I’d be happy if she became friends with me and Shuten too."
"Ah, yes. With pleasure. Cleena-sama, Shuten-sama. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"I don't need the '-sama' either. Shuten is fine with that too, right?"
"Fine. If Kaka-sama says it’s fine, then Shuten is fine too."
"Er, in that case, nice to meet you again, Cleena, and Shuten-chan."
"Nice to meet you."
"Pleased to meet you."
For now, my first contact with Cleena went well. Now, about Kagura…
"That aside, Kagura. What are you doing? Come over here."
Ria suddenly called out to Kagura. Well, I guess it wasn't that sudden, but she had been standing outside just watching us, which was a bit unnatural. But for me, my heart was pounding. Since she’d been called, it would be awkward not to go, so Kagura approached us looking absolutely terrified.
"W-what is it, Ria?"
She decided to ignore Cleena and Shuten for the time being. Well, that’s all she could do.
"What is it? You haven't really faced Cleena since you first met, right? And you only summoned the kids that one time, so you haven't even greeted them properly. This is the perfect chance. Shuten is the eldest daughter among the children, you know. It wouldn't hurt to get on good terms with her."
*Hiiieee!?*
Even if she isn't the Queen’s biological child, she kidnapped the eldest daughter of Yuki-sensei’s children!? This is bad. Mikos-chan doesn't know what to do!? And why is Ria being so casual about this!? Cleena is glaring sharply at Kagura; it looks like Kagura’s head is about to fly off!
In the midst of that tension, it was actually Shuten-chan who spoke first.
"Kaka-sama. Kagura is reflecting on it. The reason couldn't be helped. Please forgive her."
"……If Shuten says so. Hmm. Kagura. I will forgive you for what happened in the past, seeing how hard you’ve worked since then. Continue to do your best for Yuki."
"Y-yes! I will do my best!!"
"Also, like Mikos, you don't need the '-sama.' After all, Kagura is older than me."
"Ah, yeah. Nice to meet you, Cleena. And Shuten."
"Hmm. Nice to meet you."
"Pleased to meet you."
*Phew.*
It went more smoothly than I thought—or perhaps, as expected. Well, if there were going to be problems, they would have happened a long time ago. At any rate, I’m glad Kagura is still alive.
"Alright, let’s get moving."
It seems that while we were exchanging greetings, Yuki-sensei and the others finished their meeting, and we set out to explore the mystery. Now then, what kind of things will happen? I, Mikos-chan, will follow along with my notebook in hand.
With Kagura and Cleena successfully reconciled, it’s finally time to discover the mystery!! Will the investigation proceed without incident!?