“I know I mentioned I would help you get an appointment, but I didn’t say I would participate in this, Muraina! I have no interest in politics!” Pouting, the energy in my body slipped out of me and I slumped onto the table I was sitting at, having lost all interest in keeping up with any decorum despite being in a place where I had to. My anxiousness to keep it up was gone.
Sighing deeply, I forced myself up to see Muraina and Krymdar sitting on one side and King Drangleic and his two advisors — Ulquint Myrrdin and Armado Lifcio. I was sitting all alone to the side, sitting besides none of them as if I was some uninvolved third party. In fact, for today, I was exactly that.
A mediator.
“Gahaha, if somebody young doesn’t want to talk politics, then most of the time it is better if we leave them be. Without passion, it would just be a waste of time,” Lord Armado expressed, causing me to feel something akin to a kinship for this old, muscular man. He was putting my thoughts into words so clearly, as if he knew them personally!
What a wonderful old man. I wish Kramps could also be this understanding.
… But, from looking at the eyes of these adults in this room… I don’t think I was allowed to be absent.
“I apologize, Princess Hestia. However, I believe it would be best if this discussion would have you around as the third party. In politics, it’s not unusual for a neutral faction or the leading party, like an emperor or their children and ministers, to help resolve the disputes between the debating participants, and you are the closest thing to a neutral party we have,” Muraina explained to me with a smile.
King Drangleic, with his feathery crown on his head, nodded, looking stoic today save for the glare he gave Muraina and Krymdar. “I agree. In a diplomatic discussion, the goal for the representatives is to strive towards the main goals of their country. What we seek out from speaking with each other. These discussions can become heated, so having somebody presiding over it is a must.”
Seeing Lord Ulquint and Lord Armado nod to King Drangleic’s statement made me believe this has happened often enough between the nobles, especially the dukes. As king, his duty was to keep the kingdom united. Making sure the dukes didn’t accidentally argue themselves into wars probably is a necessity, especially if what I learned from watching the rivalry inside the royal academy could be used for the real world politics of the kingdom.
There is certainly a strong rivalry, but I haven’t read about any large-scale wars between the dukedoms. Things probably happen in the shadows, but… Actually, let’s not think too much about that topic. I don’t want to deal with it.
“But, it’s not like I have any experience in this. I haven’t done anything like this before in either life.” If the King and Muraina needed a mediator for their discussion, then there wouldn’t be a better person for the job than me due to my royal status. On the other hand, it was not like I was the most assertive person out there, and I was now responsible for making sure these two factions would come to a good conclusion.
“The princess may be mentally 16 years old, but biologically she is only a year old. Having to involve her with this farce wouldn’t have been needed if you Artorians hadn’t been complicit in the Folschreck Empire’s atrocities,” Krymdar spat out poison at the three humans sitting across the table, looking unamused.
“Krymdar!” Muraina called out his name with a stern voice before snapping at his forehead.
“No, it is fine, Lady Muraina,” the King stated. I let out a silent sigh when I heard this but my fears were reawakened when I saw his expression. “I am well aware of the Saelari’s hatred for my people and kingdom; after all, I understood your message very well when you shot my father and his griffon down while he was on his way for a diplomatic mission. I only consented to this farce simply because I owe Princess Hestia for protecting my people and land.”
“Your Majesty!” Lord Ulquint raised his voice at King Drangleic. “Your father was very adamant in his wish to rekindle our bonds with the Saelari. Please, as your advisor, suppress your emotions for the kingdom’s future.”
… Oh boy.
A headache was already brooding and my stomach felt troubled by the idea of having to take care of this. I was really questioning my decision to keep my promise to Muraina after leaving Ellaine at the academy.
After the King and Muraina moistened their throats with some water, Muraina wanted to say something before the discussion opened. “King Drangleic, first of all, I would like to strongly apologize to you for what happened in the past. As we mentioned in the letter that our Majesty, King Elutis Anduriol of Saelariel, sent to Artorias, the ambush on your father, King Vendrick var Artorias, was made by an insurrectionist faction who wished to dethrone King Elutis because of his dealings with the royal family of Artorias. It was a misunderstanding and we dealt swiftly with those despicable kingslayers.”
“Yes, I am aware of that.” King Drangleic’s expression had calmed down after drinking that water, looking regal as he spoke with Muraina. If that scene from before hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t be worried about him exploding again. “However, you must understand that, as the current King of Artorias, I cannot trust those words so lightly. His assassination happened while we were escorting him through your forest. Even if our own security measures could be questioned, the number of elves who ambushed us would have overwhelmed most reasonable convoys. Your inability to prevent such a large force from gathering casts significant doubt on the elves’ goodwill, Lady Muraina.”
It sounds like King Drangleic witnessed it all happen. Honestly, the idea of Papa’s death is just something I don't want to ever think about. I can’t even begin to imagine what King Drangleic had to deal with after that day; at least, I can understand his rage now.
As I clenched my hands together at that thought, King Drangleic continued, “However, as King, I have a responsibility towards my kingdom to see it flourish. As his son, I have a responsibility to see my father’s and grandfather’s ambitions come to fruition. With how much Duchess Morgiana and Duke Myrrdin have toiled to rebuild the trust we lost, I will, at the very least, see this discussion through without letting my emotions interfere.”
“Thank you very much, Your Majesty.” Muraina nodded, followed by a disgruntled Krymdar.
As both King Drangleic and Muraina kept silent for longer than needed, I took this as a sign for me to participate in this discussion. To figure out how to drive this meeting forwards, I guess. “U-Uhm, well, as I mentioned before, I wanted to organize this meeting for the reasons of fulfilling King Drangleic’s and Lady Muraina’s requests of me.”
After I left Ellaine at the academy, Muraina told me to pick up Krymdar at his house before bringing them directly to the castle, as I had already made this appointment before I’d left the city for that Quest. I had thought it would take a while to set up, but it seemed the king had enough time today since he only needed to work on documents today.
Now, since this was an official diplomatic talk between two ruling forces, the Saelari and the Artorians, the atmosphere was more formal than most talks I’ve had in the past with either King Drangleic or Muraina. As such, people were addressing me as “Princess Hestia” since I was officially here as a neutral party from Kargryx. Kinda. Not like I wanted to be.
Nobody had told me beforehand about being the mediator for this discussion, so I had no idea what I was supposed to say after this. I had no choice, it was [Telepathy] time. [“Muraina, help!”]
[“Sorry about this. Okay, listen. As a mediator, your job is to make sure that both parties reach the goal they’ve settled on reaching, as I said before. In this case, I want to know what happened in Firwood while Artorias wishes for an alliance, or so I presume. Open by telling us what we both want, set the debate rules, and then allow us to give our opening statement.”]
I did exactly as Muraina instructed. When King Drangleic frowned when he heard Muraina was suspicious of the incident in Firwood, I added the “trust cannot be created with mistrust” argument Muraina told me during our meeting at the guild, which seemed to have appeased him.
Since King Drangleic and Krymdar seemed to be the most explosive — although I shouldn’t underestimate what Lord Ulquint and Lord Armado might feel about their previous king being assassinated — I asked everybody to only speak when asked and to not interrupt each other. Obvious enough, but I’m a nervous dragon trying to do something I had no idea about, so why not.
“Then, please, allow me to begin,” Muraina requested, to which King Drangleic agreed. “Through rumors I’ve recently heard from traders and merchants who had visited Firwood, there was a recent accident where the local alchemy guild was destroyed, and, when I asked a few contacts on the matter, they only told me to investigate the matter myself. As such, I went over to Firwood and managed to piece together that something also happened in Rashan village, as saint candidate Asaka was sent there to help.”
Asaka? One of Saori’s students, right?
“As you should know, I am a fae whisperer, King Drangleic; I am able to speak with the lesser fae and elementals. Unfortunately, none of the spirits there would tell me what had happened, as though they’d been told to stay quiet. As such, I am here today to ask you about this information. King Drangleic, if this is information my correspondents are actively hiding from me, then I would naturally become curious.”
“Was the person Sir Farron Nordor?” he asked without waiting for an answer from Muraina. She didn’t answer him but it felt like he already knew from his content nod. I hope that didn’t mean Farron was in trouble.
Krymdar raised his arm, looking as if he wanted to add something, so I gave him permission to speak. “From my own investigations on the subject, I’ve learned that members of the Yanderu Elusuess had recently visited Firwood for a job. Davison, or something like that, was the employer, but I wasn’t able to learn what they were doing there. Last time I checked, Davison was the alchemy guild master of Firwood, and I also learned he wasn’t the most ethical alchemist, having been banned from the alchemy guild in Estralia for modifying monsters into grotesque, deranged abominations.”
King Drangleic then turned to me. His bad mood was hidden behind a stoic mask. “Princess Hestia, you have not told them?”
Yikes. Come on, Hestia, show some confidence. You’re a dragon! It doesn’t matter if it’s politics or battle.
“Disregarding the political ties between Kargryx and Saelariel, as you know, King Drangleic, I am not a politician nor do I have many patriotic feelings for my ‘home empire.’ In addition to this being Ellaine’s decision, I believe I should show more favoritism towards the kingdom I’ve been a guest in for more than seven months,” I explained, gaining a glint of a smile from the arvisian king. “Also, you kept my secret and didn’t spread it around too much. That by itself meant I shouldn’t say anything without your consent but… King Drangleic, if I may, if you wish to pursue your kingdom’s goals, I believe this is a perfect time to explain everything.”
“Noted. Thank you for your honesty, Your Highness.” The king then turned back to Muraina and Krymdar. “Princess Hestia, could I ask you to encase us in your [Room]?”
I nodded, understanding what he meant by this. Conjuring up a grey magic circle on the wall of the room, I activated the spell and expanded the room to encompass the whole table with everybody in attendance, sending us all into my subspace.
Lord Ulquint, Lord Armado, and Krymdar showed their bafflement at the situation, but King Drangleic and Muraina were already used to it. They stared at each other until King Drangleic decided to continue after everything calmed down.
“As Princess Hestia mentioned before, Artorias’s goal is to rekindle our diplomatic relationship with the elves and hopefully build our relationship up into an alliance. This is also our goal for the dwarves, however,” he paused for a moment, creating some suspense. “However, to do this, the dwarven kingdom has set forth a single condition - abandoning our vassalage to the Empire and fully align ourselves with the western alliance. Among my seven dukes, the majority have agreed to this proposal.”
Considering how the elves, dwarves, levianewts, dragonewts, and dragons were all allied with each other, you really could call it a great western alliance.
Hearing this, not only Muraina, but also Krymdar seemed to be baffled by what they had just heard. As Muraina seemed to be reassessing the situation, considering her silence, Krymdar was instantly aiming for the details. “You do know that is a death sentence, since you are a majority human kingdom, correct? Even if you are an arvisian, King Drangleic, we elves will not forget that your roots lie with the Leosfalt Kingdom, and my people will never agree to sacrificing their lives for you humans.”
There was obviously venom attached to every word Krymdar said to the king. His hostility towards humans was obvious enough. However, the king stayed professional. “I do. After all, this would mean abandoning the holy capital and the holy emperor. It would make us a pariah in the eyes of the other human countries, and an obvious target for a crusade. However, I don't plan on endangering my people before preparations are finished.”
“Aside from the past, you also wish this alliance with us for our protection, correct?” Muraina stated, to which Lord Ulquint nodded.
“We have spoken with the dwarves of the Ankor-Nazta; at best, they will grant us shelter from the wars to come if we abandon the empire. Their stubbornness, pride and loyalty to the Saelari and the people of Loatryx prevent them from asking you for aid, and we understand the dwarves cannot continuously defend our borders. Within their holds, though, that is another question.”
“Hmph! If you ask me, isn’t that too despicable? Dwarven lives will perish for your kingdom’s survival, for your selfish wish to break your vassalage,” Krymdar interjected himself almost forcefully, something that I couldn’t overlook. It was as if he wasn’t even interested in forming bonds, despite not being part of the isolationist faction.
“Krymdar, please, settle do—” I wanted to say but somebody’s deep voice drowned my voice out.
“Hmph! Your Majesty, and this is why Lord Duke Lecartiglio did not vote in favor of your decision to abandon our vassalage. We lose young men and women every year in the Empire’s conscription, but we would lose even more if we were to break off from them.” It was Lord Armado. His rage-filled expression was further accentuated by the scars on his face. “The elves are too prideful, too arrogant to regard us humans as anything more than children. With their long lifespan comes an inability to change. Your Majesty, I speak as the former Marquess Lifcio that Lecartiglio’s nobles will not abandon our land, even if it means death.”
“HEY!” I let my voice heighten, knocking on the table to catch everybody's attention. “I don’t like getting interrupted like that. Krymdar and Lord Armado, stay on topic here. If you want to continue spitting venom on each other like a bunch of snakes, then please leave this subspace. It’s annoying, and prolongs everything.”
Muraina nodded. “She’s right, Krymdar. I brought you here since you wanted to learn the details of the Firwood incident, but if you continue on like this, then you’ll only be wasting everybody's time.”
“Lord Armado, I understand your anger, but as my advisor, I ask you not to interrupt our kingdom’s honorable guest. Princess Hestia is not used to being a mediator, so let us act like adults and not burden our juniors too much,” King Drangleic agreed.
“I apologize for my discourteous behavior, Princess Hestia. May Marsven punish me for this transgression.”
“I too must ask for your forgiveness, Princess. This was an unsightly display of myself.”
Jeez.
After that was settled, King Drangleic agreed upon revealing what actually happened in Firwood to Muraina and Krymdar, having taken my words about trust and mistrust to heart. To nobody’s surprise, Muraina and Krymdar were shocked, disgusted, and displeased at all this information. Learning how all of this would have continued happening if I hadn’t been there to help caused them to be even more conflicted.
“This is not good, King Drangleic,” Muraina stated while massaging her temples. “This is not good at all. The death of Fairy Princess Schuri two years ago was already good enough ammunition for the isolationists to stop any actions we from the enforcers wanted to do to open our borders to Artorias. Even without evidence, there were already scores of elves ready to hunt down humans within the Morgiana duchy; there would have been a bloodbath if we hadn’t stopped them.”
Krymdar continued for Muraina. “And now this? An onnikai beast? Hundreds of onnikais possessing the bodies of deceased adventurers to attack a village? Princess Hestia, could you please elaborate on this? This is something I’ve never heard about.”
I explained to them how the onnikai we named “Kiiro” was granted a blessing by the Goddess of Death, Ilsaphone, where it was able to help its fellow fae in controlling the bodies of the deceased. Using the mana slime created by the catalyst it was imprisoned in, this gel allowed the awakening of “zombies” without necromancy.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Normally, undead would count as monsters and have access to the System. These zombies, however, were like puppets controlled by their onnikai master using that slime. Ilsaphone had planned to create her own patron race through this method. Through this slime, the onnikai would reform the corpse’s body and experience its memories, finally becoming a copy of the body's former owner.
The first four successful beings became Saori’s garms: Uno, Song, Sarasa, and Quatre. They inherited the bodies and memories of the garms who died a few years ago, even recognizing Saori as [Belzac’s Successor] and Alpha, instinctively.
“Ancestor Goddess Ilsaphone is planning this?! This is… This is truly a concerning situation for us all. We dark elves trace our lineage back to her and the Goddess of Vampires, Vivachel. Why does Ancestor Goddess Ilsaphone not consider us as one of her patron races?” Krymdar looked uneasy at what I told him, only to return back to the subject at hand, angrier than before. “King Drangleic, what do you have to say about this Firwood incident? Why were you planning on hiding this information?!”
“I also wish to know this, King Drangleic,” Muraina agreed. “This is a blatant disregard of any potential trust we Saelari may form, considering how problematic this is. If our opposition was to find out that the King of Artorias was hiding this from us elves, even King Elutis could not excuse it any longer.”
“You say it as if King Elutis cares about us, Lady Muraina,” King Drangleic responded.
“He is one of the leaders of the enforcer faction, King Drangleic. He wishes to mend our wounds with Artorias, but this… If you cannot be truthful with us, then how will you expect any elf to be able to let bygones be bygones?”
“Through their prolonged life and pursuit to record information down in the name of Istari, elves rarely forget or forgive. I understand that,” King Drangleic replied. “However, how could you expect me to be truthful after what happened in the past? My father and I trusted the Saelari that their forest would welcome us, but what did we gain from this trust? Death, agony, and pain. When I considered my options, making sure the Saelari wouldn’t have a reason to further detest us was my highest priority in this matter.”
“But you risked worsening the situation. If any elf outside of us two, had learned about this, the interpretation would have been too easy for the isolationists. ‘The King of Artorias hid this fact from us as he was personally responsible for it.’”
“Lady Muraina, House Artorias would never!” Lord Ulquint rebuked. “Artorias was founded on the agreement to reject the decision of the Leosfalt Kingdom. We Myrrdins and House Morgiana have done much to assure to the Saelari that this was the case.”
Krymdar sighed at his statement. “Only to those who have already converted to the enforcers, Lord Ulquint. But there are enough ‘arrogant’ Saelari who experienced the War for the Fae firsthand who are not willing to change after what we’ve seen. They spread their vitrol to the younglings, the most impressionable of us all, those who have not left the forest for the last 200 years. All you need is a little spark to create a giant fire, uncontrollable for even our wise King Elutis.”
Silva would be a good example of this. Her hatred for the humans mostly came from books and word of mouth alone, and this prejudice has caused her to avoid human contact as much as possible. She would be the sort who was easily swayed, at least that’s what I understood from our interaction together.
Krymdar leaned on his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Muraina, what is your opinion?”
“What is my opinion? It is still the same, Krymdar; nothing has changed. I still aim to repair this bond between our kingdoms, despite hearing this travesty.”
“Really? Well, even if it wasn’t caused by King Drangleic, nobles of Artorias still participated in this absurdity. Criminals or some random alchemist from another country causing issues could be excused, but a house of nobles? An arcanuess, at that? You are fighting an uphill battle, Muraina.”
Seeing as this discussion was going nowhere, I decided to speak, “But what about me? King Drangleic mentioned making me some sort of diplomat or ambassador to maybe tie in the diplomatic talks. If I could use my status and experience while inside Artorias, wouldn’t it help?”
“What?!” Krymdar fixed his sitting posture. “King Drangleic, are you jesting?! You tried turning Princess Hestia into your diplomat?! And your subject called me arrogant?! She is a dragon, the grandchild of God Kargryxmor if you look at her family tree. Heh heh, haha, this must be a jest. What is this nonsense from this bird brain?”
Oh shi—
“Dark elf!” The instant I felt bloodthirst, my head snapped around to Lord Armado. Crossing his arms, his eyes glared at Krymdar with the intensity of a beast, showering his surroundings with his hostile full aura. “Do not think you can insult my King without repercussions while I am in his presence. Even without my blade, I will make you regret this decision!”
“Lord Armado!” King Drangleic scolded his right-hand man.
“I refuse, my King! I’ve had enough of this arrogant elf’s mouth, laced with poison. We from the Lecartiglio know full well what we must do with this trickster of an alchemist!”
“Ohoho? Do not think of me as just an alchemist, you muscle head. Elven spies are trained to engage in battle whenever and wherever they are stationed. I am not a simple potion maker to be taken advantage of!”
“Krymdar!” Muraina’s [Terror Aura] activated to subdue her companion, but it was futile when blood was pumping.
“Muraina stay out of this! Humans cannot change! The Empire is showing barely any signs of changing their ways, and they are only further diving into the abyss with every year they continue to exist. If there is opposition, humans will always strive to overcome them. They never learn from the past, of the years of failures their ancestors created, as they continuously reenact past events in their insanity.”
Chairs were kicked down as Krymdar and Lord Armado stood up, unable to be stopped by Muraina or King Drangleic respectively. Lord Armado jumped onto the table, winding up a punch, while Krymdar readied a dark magic spell. At this very moment, all I could think of was how right Muraina was to bring me here.
Damn, with how much venom they are spitting, I’m honestly questioning the fact if I really am the only poisonous creature here!
Blue mist expelled from my body as I activated [Humanization]. After a few seconds of nobody noticing me, as if I was air, my hands slammed onto the table and I shouted loud enough that it could only be called a roar. “SHUT UUUUUUUUUUUUP!”
Turns out, I had accidentally activated my [Draconic Roar].
“Urgh!”
“Kwack!”
Krymdar and Lord Armado were blown off the table from my loud shout, crashing onto their ground as they were unable to brace themselves from my magic. Muraina, Lord Ulquint, and King Drangleic, having noticed my transformation into [Humanization Lv. 5], had quickly erected a shield of wind with [Air Shield], protecting themselves from my ear-splitting shout and knockback.
Jumping off my own chair, I flapped my wings to quickly make it over to them. As they squirmed, holding onto their bleeding ears, I healed them with [Major Heal] before picking them up by their shirts like two children. After throwing them back on their chairs, I settled back into mine and returned back to my level seven form.
[Humanize (Moderate)] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]
“Okay, I didn’t think I would need to repeat myself here, so please excuse my manner of speech after this point, because what the hell are you two bloody doing?!” I scolded Krymdar and Lord Armado. “This is supposed to be a discussion about rebuilding trust between each other, not to wage war on the other like a pair of lunatics! Do you just go around punching people, huh? Like some kids? Last time I checked, I am the only one inside this room who is even allowed to throw a tantrum since I’m biologically a damn toddler. Aren’t you two embarrassed at getting scolded by somebody who could be your fucking granddaughter?!”
Uneasy frowns formed on their faces as they looked at me, their eyes never wandering away from me as I continued. “I understand, the history between Saelariel and Artorias is complicated. I won’t even try to say that I fully understand it, since I don’t. The animosity between elves and humans? I also don’t understand it well enough, and this is why I didn’t want to be here. However, from what I’ve seen today, I now 100%, completely agree about the importance of my presence here. Your two factions need a target for your anger to unite!”
“A ‘target?’ What do you mean by that, Princess Hestia?” Muraina asked.
Urgh, I really didn’t want to say this since Kramps told me not to, but if the situation is this bad, I need to reveal my ace in the hole.
“There is one thing I have been hiding from all of you about the Davison situation, since this was something old man Kramps told me to not divulge. Even Saori and the others were in agreement that I shouldn’t be telling this to you, that I should be more cautious about who I share this information with. But, I don’t think this can continue with me following Aurena’s advice.”
“‘Kramps?’” King Drangleic looked at me with bewilderment. I also think he was baffled with me improperly addressing Aurena, but I couldn’t care less about that now.
“Kargryxmor. Gramps. Easy nickname, right?” I shrugged. “But that is not the point. What I wanted to say is that you are directing your anger at the wrong people here. Yes, Arcanuess Chezaic and his wife did support Davison in his scheme, but the real reason for that incident wasn’t 'cause of the actions of a human… but those of a demonkin.”
The sounds of ten eyes audibly widening up in shock echoed throughout the room. They stared at me as if I was crazy.
“Princess Hestia, please, elaborate,” Lord Ulquint urged me.
“Aureolis is currently controlled by a demonkin prince. The Prince of Envy killed the pope and took his form, his identity, and his position as the supreme pontifex. Demonkin agents are sent throughout the empire to spy and disrupt Empire activities. And these very demonkin have reached Artorias, too.”
I told them everything that Aurena had told me of this situation, mentioning how the information I gave King Drangleic during our first meeting was caused by demonkin interference. I told them how the grimgarian army was provoked into its invasion by the demonkin, and how the Rashan village’s ruins were a crypt for the sealed Demon of Lust, Klea’Hatma.
I did leave some stuff unrevealed, though. That Saori’s students weren’t summoned here by Aurena, since I didn’t want Tamae and the others to potentially get ostracized. I also did not tell King Drangleic, his advisors, and Krymdar that Klea’Hatma was in Ellaine’s possession. Muraina understood my silence on this matter, so she complied and did not speak up about it. She really was somebody I could trust, it seemed.
King Drangleic covered his mouth with his hand, closing his eyes as he meditated on the information. Lord Ulquint, looking nervous at what was revealed, was continuously pestering his King on what they should do. Once King Drangleic made up his mind, he spoke.
“Princess Hestia, once again, you brought us information our kingdom verily needed.”
“You trust me that easily?” I replied, raising an eyebrow. This was a crazy-tier of information, and I wouldn’t blame anybody for doubting me.
“I do, yes. Do I really need to elaborate on it after all you have done so much for me and my kingdom? In addition, it would also explain some of the strange decrees Aureolis has recently issued. Even Duke Olivus has shown his confusion on this matter.”
The number of things I did was quite long to list out… but I don’t mind him stroking my ego a bit, really.
“Lady Muraina.” King Drangleic turned to Muraina. “I cannot forget the death of my father and I still have not fully forgiven the Saelari for it; however, I would be nothing but petty if I allowed that to cloud my mind any further. I do not wish to go down into history as the king whose pride meant the downfall of his kingdom.”
Muraina nodded. “This is information the elders and council will have to discuss. I do not know what they will decide upon, but it will give you a reason for why the Firwood incident happened like that. It would be enough of a reason for me to arrange a summit. Krymdar, your opinion?”
“Haaaaaa,” Krymdar sighed. “The majority of the demonkins aren’t exactly our enemy, but the ones behind Davison are. You should not forget, your nobles did participate in this scheme, and while I will admit the demonkins had manipulated them…”
“You…” Lord Armado glared at Krymdar but cleared his voice after King Drangleic looked at him. “We understand. Princess Hestia, the information you gave us last time, we will make sure to check on it once again, to make sure we do not waste this boon from the Goddess.”
“Yes, that would be best. Allow me to help. Their sabotage has caused too much interference in the kingdom,” Lord Ulquint supported the decision.
“Good, then what should we do now?” Krymdar agreed with Muraina’s words before asking for the way forward.
This was now time for me to add my opinion, “King Drangleic, about your favor, I hereby decline it. As I am neither your subject nor am I knowledgeable in all this politicking, I am not a suitable candidate. If I may, for this summit, it would be best if you were to personally attend it. I may help as a mediator at best, but you will need to lead your kingdom’s future by yourself.”
“I understand, I apologize for giving you such an unreasonable request. However, about this summit, I am not so sure it can be arranged that easily.”
“Pray, tell me, King Drangleic,” Muraina urged him.
“Neither King Elutis nor I would want to visit the other’s kingdom after everything that happened. I do not wish my sons and daughters to experience the same tragedy as I did with my father, and King Elutis will have too many people who will be against him visiting us. It would be impossible to arrange a summit in either Saelariel or Artorias. In addition, it would just attract unwanted attention.”
“True, if the Empire were to find out about it, they may essentially take this as further evidence of your disloyalty. Hmm, I do wonder how you did it the last time, though.”
As Murain and the others were discussing what to do about this, I suddenly had a brilliant idea. “Why not the dwarves?”
“““Hmm?””” Everybody looked at me.
“The dwarves of Ankor-Nazta. A perfect neutral zone since they are the allies of the elves and are currently in talks with allying themselves with Artorias. They will have enough reason to mediate between the Saelari and Artorians, if you asked me. Why not include another party in this summit to make sure this alliance is composed of three countries instead of two?” I suggested.
Muraina smirked, “Don’t you mean four? Kargryx does not care about the world, but you could persuade Loatryx to also attend this summit, Princess Hestia. You are one of their princesses.”
Well, adding another faction could probably be good. Why not?
“Could you do it, Muraina? Yorshka’s letter should have already arrived in Loatryx, so they should know of my existence. Tell them that I will be visiting the dwarves for this summit. At the very least, I should be able to attract Clan Nordor and Kargryxmor to come.”
“Haha, now that's what I’m talking about. I will make sure the kinkyuro will know about this. Even if they don’t immediately accept the summit invitation, you could always persuade the envoy on site, Princess Hestia. The levianewts will be harder to summon, but I will try to invite them as well.”
It was a plan.
It was a good thing that this discussion ended in such a manner, but I had to admit it was pretty scary once or twice. Speaking of scary, I also informed everybody that one elf besides Muraina and Krymdar already knew about the Rashan incident — a wind elf by the name of Silva Fleurette Breezeflower.
“She’s the faemancer who asked the purified spirits to keep silent about what happened. She promised to keep the event at Rashan village and inside the ruins a secret.”
“Hmm, I see. I’ll make sure to contact her and persuade her to keep silent,” Muraina replied.
“… That was ominous. Please, she helped out a lot so don’t harm her, Muraina.” Muraina couldn’t believe that I thought her to be a violent woman. Well, better safe than sorry, right?
In the end, after we ironed out the details, Muraina suggested a mana contract between everybody but me. It was insurance that this information wouldn’t suddenly slip out. Nobody argued back; everybody understood this was just a sensible precaution when dealing with such sensitive information.
After the meeting ended, I returned to the guest room I’d used on the first night in Griffonpeak, where I expressed my fatigue to Madam Vianna, the head caretaker, who listened intently with a wide smile. I didn’t spill any details, of course, but shared that just that everything went well.
The reason why I was still in the castle after the meeting was 'cause of Artorias' social rules, where a lady shouldn’t be going out without a companion. King Drangleic was also worried that I would somehow get into trouble or hurt myself without anybody around me, but honestly, how much trouble do I cause? Then again, the room service I received was comfortable enough for me until I picked Ellaine up at school.
“Oh yeah, Lady Hestia.” It was Krymdar speaking, who, along with Muraina, was having tea with me right now. Since the meeting was over, we didn’t need to keep up with the formality. “I’ve managed to find Ellaine’s brother and his location.”
“What?! You did?” I expressed my shock.
“Yeah, I’ve already told this information to her parents, so you will probably learn everything there… Do you want to know about it, now?” I nodded my head vigorously. “… Well, Jonathan Helvas is safe and healthy. He’s currently staying at Duke Equevanna’s second son’s manor, where he and his party live. I heard Jonathan was made a member of their party and is currently training alongside this so-called ‘Champion candidate.’”
What?! Are you serious?!
When the time to pick up Ellaine finally came, I immediately rushed out of my room, to Vianna’s chagrin, and immediately went outside. Spreading my wings, I jumped into the air and activated my rocket boosters. Once I’d arrived at the royal academy, students began to clamor when they saw me, pointing at me as if I was a weird flying girl.
Once I’d located Ellaine, I picked her up with [Unheilige Engel] and rushed us back to the mansion. Once back at home, we rushed towards Arcanuess Helvas’s office. Once Arcaliess Helvas also joined in, we spoke about Jonathan.
“After speaking with Jonathan, I have decided it would be best for him to do what he feels he must.” After the arcanuess informed Ellaine about what I’d already heard, he told us that he and his wife had gone to visit Jonathan and talked to him. After some discussion about Jonathan’s goals, they decided to take a step back.
“What!? But, but, Father!” Ellaine wanted to complain, but she wasn’t sure what to say exactly. However, her father knew exactly what to respond to.
“Your brother is just like you, Ellaine. He has found a drive to become stronger, to better himself for his future. As his father, if I agreed to your decision to join Lady Hestia, I cannot reject his wish.”
“Father, I know Lord Charleslyt is a powerful warrior, but I’ve heard some unreasonable rumors about his participation in the underworld. Besides, the people he composed his party with cannot be people Brother would willingly work with. If Brother wishes to become stronger, then why not join Aurora? Right, Lady Hestia?” Ellaine looked at me with desperate eyes.
“I have nothing against it. The more the merrier, but only if Jonathan really wants to,” I replied, knowing it would only soothe Ellaine for a moment.
“See, father. Please, persuade him to join us!”
But her father shook his head. “Your brother decided on this journey because he envies your growth, Ellaine. This is the reason why he wanted to make you the heir of our House. However, I managed to persuade him into another idea. I suggested another duel to decide the heir, as you, my daughter, surrendered your birthright before you could fight for it.”
“… A-And he accepted?”
He nodded. “Your brother wants to see how you and he will measure up to each other after your journey of strength. Ellaine, in your childhood, you became envious of your brother’s talents and growth. Now, in your adolescence, the roles have swapped — Jonathan is now envious of your hard work and new life. Now, he wants to experience it for himself.”
“S-So, this means that… Brother will become an adventurer. But… what if… what if he… dies?” Ellaine forced those words from her mouth, looking terrified at that idea.
Ellaine’s mother answered this question, “That is our eternal worry, Ellaine. For you, too. But every chick must depart from its nest one day to experience the world. It is the hardest duty for every parent, but all we can do is wish you two the Goddess’s mercy and blessing. Your father and I worried our parents also, and now it's yours and your brother’s turn.”
Lord Helvas nodded his head to his wife’s statement. “You just went on a trip to fulfill a B rank Quest, that is what you informed us. Ellaine, do you have any idea how much you worried us?”
“…” Ellaine stayed silent, realizing what he meant.
“I trust Lady Hestia and Miss Saori with your safety, but as your father and mother, we cannot help but keep praying that you will return to us with your bright smile. This would have happened even if you hadn’t decided to become an adventurer, and would have lived your life as a noble daughter and gotten married. It is the parent’s duty to see you off with a smile, but our hearts are more fragile than the mask we put on every day.”
“… I understand, father, mother. Thank you for your love and support.”
Ellaine and I left her father’s office. After walking silently to my room, Ellaine suddenly stopped and looked up at me. “Lady Hestia, when is our next adventure?” Her smile wasn’t the brightest, but a fire seemed to have been lit in her eyes. A new flame. As if the path before her had become brighter and clearer.
I chuckled. “Well, let’s not copy Jonathan and leave the academy without notice, right? Let’s go see Lady Thyra tomorrow.”