第１２１５堀：新大陸の訪問準備 (Part1)
**Chapter 1215: Preparations for the New Continent Visit**
**Side: Kagura**
“...And so, I’d like to finalize the schedule for our visit to the Goblin village over the next month. Could you run this by Princess Carrie for me?”
“Yes, of course.”
That was the request Yuki made of me yesterday. I immediately contacted my homeland, Haiden, to secure an audience with the Princess, and here I am, back after quite some time. Naturally, this body is a doppelganger.
As I walked down the corridor, I noticed a presence trailing me—a persistent shadow that had been following me since I arrived for work. I stopped and turned around...
“Seniors?”
“What is it, Kagura? Is there something on Mikos-chan’s face?”
“Did you forget some documents? Should I contact someone?”
“Is there someone behind us?”
Yes, setting aside Solo, for some reason Mikos, Enora, and Stasia were all tagging along.
“No. What I find strange is why all of you are here with me.”
Honestly, we were only here for a brief meeting with the Princess to discuss logistics. It felt excessive to have this many people trailing behind me in such a formal procession.
“Eh? I’m a diplomat for Weed and the Lancer Magic Academy, you know...”
“No, Solo is fine. I’m talking about the other three.”
“Eh~? It’s not that strange for Mikos-chan to come along, is it? Besides, didn’t the other two come to meet the Princess to discuss support for the Lancer Magic Academy?”
Ah, now that you mention it, that was part of our duties. It’s not that I had forgotten, but...
“Is it really necessary for you to come all the way here? I think both of you should have gone to your respective headquarters.”
Indeed, the two of them should have been reporting to the Haile Church and the Findarl Empire. There was absolutely no need for them to accompany me. I truly couldn’t fathom their objective.
“It’s not strange at all. It’s better to share information regarding the Lancer Magic Academy and the visit to the Goblin village, isn’t it?”
“Enora is right. Above all, Carrie is my younger sister. Besides, Arju told me to give her my regards.”
Tch, their arguments were sound. Furthermore, they clearly intended to decide the movements of Findarl and the Haile Church based on how Haiden acted. While the formal decisions would ultimately rest with their respective leaders, using us as intermediaries for back-channel information sharing and alignment was far more efficient. After all, official meetings through the embassy took an agonizingly long time. Though, to be fair, having an embassy established and being able to delegate the trivialities had made things significantly easier.
Still...
“Honestly, the real reason is that you want to show off for Yuki, isn’t it?”
When I said that with a sidelong glance...
“““Of course.”””
“Ahaha...”
The three of them answered without hesitation, and Solo just offered a bitter smile. It was truly a situation where a bitter smile was the only appropriate response.
“You all love Yuki way too much.”
“I don’t want to hear that from you, Kagura.”
“I agree with Mikos.”
“I am of the same opinion.”
“I think it’s a good thing that the couple gets along so well. Besides, you are all very dedicated to your work,” Solo added with a laugh, trying to smooth things over.
If that’s how it looks from the outside, then I suppose it’s a good thing. That said, I had to be careful; this could easily be perceived as ‘wives tripping each other up.’ There were plenty of fools out there who would try to undermine us using exactly that kind of narrative.
“Indeed. It is wonderful to see such a happy marriage.”
I turned at the familiar voice. Princess Carrie stood at the corner of the corridor, holding a stack of documents, her face wearing a polite, smiling mask.
“Princess.”
“Yahoo, Princess~”
“It’s been a while, Carrie.”
“I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”
Solo, as expected, remained silent and bowed deeply. It couldn’t be helped, given her lower standing.
“Stasia-oneesama, Bishop Enora, and Kagura, Mikos, Solo. I am glad to see you are all in good health. However, please refrain from such displays of affection in the corridors of our royal palace. To an outsider, it sounds like nothing more than you showing off how much you adore Yuki-sama. Or is this some form of harassment directed at me, a single woman?”
The Princess was smiling, but her eyes were sharp with irritation. She was likely being bombarded with marriage proposals by the King, given how crucial her position had become. She was now effectively in charge of all relations with Weed. In this New Continent, where male chauvinism ran deep, that was an incredibly abnormal state of affairs. The surrounding reaction wasn’t exactly favorable, either. While we had managed to suppress outward complaints by cleverly utilizing the *omiki* (sacred sake) we had obtained, there was clearly lingering resentment.
*Ugh*, how was I supposed to steer the conversation from here? Changing the subject too blatantly would be...
“*Sigh*. I am exhausted as well. A happy marriage is a wonderful thing. And yet, to vent your own bliss upon me... Please, come this way.”
*Phew*, thank goodness. The Princess changed the subject herself. She was busy and under immense pressure; that much was obvious. After all, our recent wedding had reaffirmed Weed’s standing and power, making the Princess’s workload inevitably heavier.
Thinking this, I entered her office and reception room... and there it was: a mountain of documents, rising like a jagged range. And these weren’t just parchment; they were high-quality copy paper sourced from Weed, which only made the sheer volume more staggering.
“Princess, what is this mountain of documents?”
“This? Oh, you needn’t concern yourselves with that. Most of it is just requests from people begging to visit Weed. The documents I actually need to review are here.”
The Princess gestured to a box on the opposite side of the room, pulling out about ten sheets and fluttering them in the air.
“I’ve already told Kagura and the others, but ever since I held the wedding in Weed, the nobles I hand-picked have been wagging their tails, desperate to get in on the action.”
“In other words, is this proceeding as planned, Carrie?”
“Yes, Oneesama. Exactly. I’ve even made them write their petitions using the paper and ballpoint pens we sourced from Weed. It puts them in a position where they have no choice but to accept the new order.”
“You’re terrifying, Carrie. Using this situation to seize control of the internal structure all at once.”
“Oh, Enora. If you phrase it like that, it creates misunderstandings. Parchment is bulky and difficult to store. It is the duty of those in power to inform everyone that ‘there are more convenient tools available.’”
The Princess said this with a smile, but underneath lay the implication: *They have knelt before my proposal.* In this country, where male chauvinism is the norm, abandoning old customs to ‘follow the Princess’s proposal’ meant exactly that.
“Princess. Will there be any backlash?”
“Exactly. If, by any chance, someone were to try and harm you...”