第７１９堀：一難去って…… (Part1)
Chapter 719: One Trouble Gone...
Side: Yuki
"It's over!" I exclaimed, collapsing onto my desk. Wait, didn't I do this before?
"Good work. So, I suppose the matter with Lilishe and Faide is settled for now?" Seraria asked, consoling me. After that battle, I immediately returned home and collapsed. Today has been utterly exhausting.
"For now, yes. Well, it seems neither of them intended to cause us any harm or trouble."
"Though a certain two stubborn kings ended up covered in mud."
"That was truly just playful sparring. Neither of them is the type to get serious over something like that." Lilishe's full-on provocation had gotten to me a bit, but I suppose that was just the mood of the moment. If I had responded seriously, it could have escalated into a real battle. It also helped that those two acted as comic relief, which lightened the mood somewhat.
"Indeed. But things don't always go smoothly, do they? Lilishe wanted to protect her child, and Faide trusted his child, which is why things turned out that way."
"Well, it's probably not just that, but that was certainly the main cause of their argument." To trust a child and watch from a distance, or to stay by their side and protect them. Both undoubtedly cherished their children. Their differing stances and approaches led to the conflict.
"Will a time come when we argue over Sakura and the others?"
"Hmm, I suppose so. With so many things, differences in opinion are bound to arise. But we've been openly discussing things from the start. It'll be different from Faide and Lilishe."
"You're right. At first, I really wondered how things would turn out, but now we've had countless discussions, and we won't separate over our children, will we...?"
"Don't worry. Lilishe and Faide's child's situation is special. It's about whether to help her create a country. That's not something that happens often."
"Ah, yes. The matter of Saintess Litea is far too grand, isn't it?" Indeed, what Litea desired was so immense that Faide and Lilishe clashed over helping her. A choice between an unknown country or a familiar village? Faced with such a dilemma, one couldn't possibly judge what was right or wrong.
"...But what if Sakura says she wants to build a country and asks for our help?"
"It's fine to help, as long as it doesn't destabilize us. However, what Litea asked for would have destroyed Faide and Lilishe's way of life. I can only say it depends on the situation."
"That's a given. ...Haa, this isn't something we can find an answer to through discussion. I apologize. For now, let's just be glad things are calm."
"That's for the best." There's no answer to this topic.
"But I wonder if Sakura and the others would even want to run a country..."
"...Ria, I understand what you're trying to say, but Sakura is Weed's next queen. You shouldn't say such things..."
"Even so, Sakura doesn't seem to be very fond of studying."
"Hmm. Surakichi-san reported that she's often swinging a wooden sword and playing in the park." The guard members were chatting beside me. Recently, Sakura and the older children had just learned to play outside, so playing had taken precedence over studying.
"Well, Ria and the others don't need to worry so much. A child's job is to play. They learn all sorts of things in the process. Oh, but in Sakura's case, she might be taking after someone."
"There's nothing wrong with swinging a sword, you know? It's excellent for physical training."
"That's true. But her father and big sister Aria seemed to have quite a headache over it."
"Oh ho ho ho. Now, let's talk about what's next, shall we?" She blatantly changed the subject. Well, I don't expect Sakura to become a battle junkie like Seraria. Their environments are too different. If anything, I should be more worried about her becoming a shut-in...
As I was thinking that, Riel spoke up.
"Um, speaking of what's next, now that the Lilishe matter is over, what else do we have?"
"I believe the urgent matters remaining are about Miyabi and the unveiling ceremony for the Holy Sword and Holy Sword User of the If Continent." Tori's reminder brought it back to me. Miyabi's matter also involved the Beast God's country, so I hoped it wouldn't be too troublesome... The If Continent's event was also coming up soon. I should contact Horst.
"...Also, we should check on the status of the New Continent's conference. I assume no problems have arisen since there's been no contact." Kaya's words made me realize that there hadn't been any contact from the New Continent either. Well, they say no news is good news, but perhaps I should pay them a visit once. I wished it would end there, but Milly remembered something.
"Oh, speaking of the New Continent, did Seraria accept Princess Stasia's request for advice about her sister, Princess Aage?"
"Ah, I forgot. Or rather, there hasn't been any interview request from her side?"
"Normally, we'd wait for them to contact us, but perhaps she's dead after the Aage incident."
"..." "..." "..." When I made that joke, everyone inexplicably fell silent.
"No, surely she wouldn't die just because her sister treated her coldly, right?"
"...Well, I don't think she'd die, but she might be looking rather gaunt. For now, let's contact Kagura." Surprisingly, Seraria showed initiative to act herself.
"Don't be so dramatic. It's only been two weeks at most since we left her alone, you know?"
"Isn't that enough time for someone to die?"
"When you put it that way, I guess so..."
"Even you, Yuki, would feel it in your heart if Aslin and the others told you they hated you, wouldn't you?"
"Well, I understand... but I can't imagine Aslin and the others ever saying they hate me." I said, looking at the four of them, who immediately agreed.
"There's no way we'd hate you!"
"I don't understand what it means to hate Big Brother."
"The premise is too difficult."
"Perhaps if Yuki-san became scum... but before that could happen, we would set you back on the right path." That's right. Even if I strayed, they would somehow bring me back.
"That was a bad example. Then, what if Sakura and the others told you they hated you?"
"No, it depends on the situation, and even if that happened, a person would still try their best, wouldn't they?"
"...You're the type who never gives up, no matter the situation. Well, you can think of Stasia as a different kind of person than you. Wouldn't it be terrible? 'Princess of Findar Dies by Suicide in Baide. What Was the Cause? A Conspiracy by Weed!?'"
"Alright, that's not good. Let's contact her immediately." That would definitely be a front-page article in some weekly magazine. Our reputation wouldn't just plummet; it would crash.
"Yes. Let's also make it a meeting as the Princess of Findar. Please contact Princess Stasia."
"Got it." I immediately called Princess Stasia, and it connected right away. "Oh, she's fine," I thought with relief, just as I was about to bring up the audience with Seraria...
"That's wonderful! An audience with Empress Seraria is possible?!"
"Uh, yes... I apologize for the delay." Her eagerness was incredible. Come to think of it, I had said I would arrange an audience for her, so was it bad that I hadn't contacted her sooner? No, even so, an audience with Her Majesty the Queen wouldn't normally go through the consort, would it?