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The second day in the castle. Just thinking about the meeting time where I have to sit silently like yesterday already tired me out. It seemed everyone would just be repeating the same arguments over and over.

Fortunately, a few friends said they would go with me; otherwise, I might have ended up dozing off in front of the Emperor and other famous personalities.

“Elysia, just stay quiet. We’ll handle it all!”

Normally, that would be incredibly reassuring, but since the one saying it is Anne, I find it hard to trust. I’m actually more worried that it will be Anne who dozes off from boredom. I might have to poke her in the ribs every time she starts to snooze.

“His Majesty has finished lunch and wants to proceed with the meeting. I will visit you soon when the time comes.”

As I headed down for breakfast and asked our dedicated butler, he informed me about the next meeting time. But what I really wanted to ask him wasn’t about the time, but whether I could bring my friends along. Even though they were all highborn ladies from the hero party, it might have been a lot to ask. After all, the attendees should all be ordinary individuals.

The Emperor, the Pope, the Grand General, the Mage Tower Master, the Mercenary King, and the Golden King. What a crazy lineup.

“I cannot guarantee this, but I will at least ask and inform you. For now, it seems unlikely to be a problem.”

The butler was cautious in his response, but ultimately managed to get the Emperor’s approval.

“It’s fine for you to bring your companions along. In fact, His Majesty actively encourages others to attend as well.”

Sure. What does it matter if it’s the Pope, the Grand General, the Mage Tower Master, the Mercenary King, or the Golden King? As long as the Emperor gives the green light, that’s all that matters. And the Emperor is undoubtedly one of my strong supporters. Asking for something like this is more than appropriate given our closeness.

As I stood up to head to the conference room under his guidance, Selian, Yuli, Anne, and Mariel, who had spoken up earlier, also stood up. Luna seemed uninterested and had already lost her attention, while Lilith, who had been lazing around in a dungeon, seemed to be stuck on the bed and didn’t want to come down. Lindy finished her breakfast and headed toward the nearby Information Guild, clutching intel she had given me yesterday.

“Hmm?”

In the meantime, I couldn’t see Frecia anywhere. Even after checking inside the room, I only saw Luna and Lilith, and in the corridor, I just saw Selian, Yuli, Anne, and Mariel. Just when I wondered if she had gone to the bathroom, I suddenly felt something wiggling on my leg.

“Meow.”

Lowering my head, I found Frecia, who had transformed into a black cat, sitting there. As I crouched down to meet her gaze, she casually climbed onto my head and settled in.

“Boss?”

I called out, curious about what was going on, but Frecia just hung there quietly on my head, her tail swishing around, tickling me. She showed no signs of wanting to come down, and it seemed like she also wanted to attend the meeting. The butler had never said he could only bring a few people, so having Frecia along shouldn’t be an issue.

“If you’re all set, let’s go.”

The perceptive butler took a step as soon as we were ready. I worried that Frecia might fall off my head, but thankfully she secured herself without slipping.

When we arrived at the conference room and opened the door to step inside, everyone else was already there waiting. Since we had arrived later than the Emperor, I couldn’t help but feel anxious, but there was a reason we had come last.

“The Emperor deliberately made sure to inform you about a 10-minute delay. Don’t mind the awkwardness and just go in.”

I wondered what purpose lay in 10 minutes, but knowing the Emperor often acted in puzzling ways, I let it go. However, it seemed that in the 10 minutes we weren’t there, there had been a heated exchange disguised as a discussion, as the atmosphere in the meeting room was quite intense.

Fortunately, there were enough seats for us. It seemed that knowing my friends were coming, someone had arranged a few extra chairs.

As we took our seats, they resumed their debate without caring.

“So! It’s just one condition, why can’t you agree to that? Without that condition, we can’t accept!”

“Then we’ll have no choice but to cut the budget for the entire mercenary band, just like we said yesterday.”

There’s no way opinions could change in just 10 minutes, and the disagreement didn’t seem to narrow at all. Just as I was thinking today would be another dull meeting repeating the same boring discussions as yesterday, Anne sitting next to me suddenly stood up.

“What’s wrong? It’s not a fight, so just sit down.”

Anne had intentionally sat right next to me to prevent her from dozing off, but instead of nodding off, she seemed misunderstanding the conversation and I grew worried she might cause a scene. I grabbed the hem of her dress under the table, trying to prevent her from calling attention to herself. But Anne ignored my worried gesture and shouted loudly.

“Crock!”

How dare she shout the name of the Mercenary King. The only one surprised by Anne’s sudden outburst was me; Selian, sitting on my left, also glanced in Anne’s direction, calling her quietly to stop.

“You foolish man! Just let it go, can’t you?”

“…Lady Anne, it’s not something that can be easily brushed off.”

But while Selian and I were in shock, Anne seemed to have a bit of a rapport with Crock, speaking to him comfortably.

“What’s the problem? Didn’t our territory and family help when you were just a rookie mercenary?”

“When are you talking about? You were just a little kid back then, how could you remember?”

“So did you take the help or not?”

“…Well, I mean, a little.”

“What?!”

“Ah! I did! Thanks to the Klain family, I could get this far! Is that sufficient, Lady Anne?”

In the end, under Anne’s questioning, Crock raised both hands in surrender. After all, Lady Anne’s territory was next to the Forbidden Forest, drawing various adventurers and mercenaries to it. The Mercenary King, being a mercenary himself, must have once relied on Anne and developed a connection with her. Quite a significant one, judging by how Anne was pushing him.

“Anyway, knowing that I’ll inherit the Klain family, you’re aware of the debt you’ve incurred with us, right? I’ll wipe it clean, so just listen to whatever my Elysia says! Got it?”

Wait, why is my name suddenly being brought up? I’m just an observer in this conference room!

“Though it’s a tempting offer… even if it’s coming from you, Lady Anne, the Grand General’s proposal is irrational. Mercenaries can never truly become soldiers, no matter how much you tweak the system. You must at least guarantee their command authority.”

Thanks to Anne’s request, his voice and demeanor had softened considerably. However, judging by his insistence, it seemed to be a non-negotiable condition. At this rate, it might be easier to convince the Grand General rather than Crock.

It seems I wasn’t the only one thinking that way; everyone’s gaze naturally turned to Mila, the Grand General. As the one responsible for commanding a nation’s army, her presence was more imposing than anyone else in the room. Of course, the Emperor was present too, but her charisma had a different aura.

“…It’s been a while.”

However, what she said was unexpected. “It’s been a while,” did not seem appropriate for the situation. While I tilted my head in confusion, someone answered her.

“Have you been well, General?”

The distinct scent of military about that voice startled me. The reason for my shock was that the voice came from none other than Yuli.

“I told you there was no need for such formalities in front of me. You’re not even a soldier anymore.”

Her next words were even more shocking. Yuli, a soldier? What on earth is this about?

Yuli’s family isn’t a military one, and during our academy days, she was just a typical noble lady. This means that within the past three years, Yuli must have undergone significant changes that I am unaware of. But Yuli, who used to be such a timid person? Although she no longer seems timid at all, this was hard to believe.

“Hehe… Does that mean I can speak freely, General Mila?”

“Well, if it’s from none other than Yuli, who had earned such noteworthy achievements in those brief years, I should listen.”

Not only were they on a first-name basis, but their closeness was apparent. What on earth happened to Yuli in the past three years?

Selian, who had teamed up with Yuli before me, looked just as bewildered, mirroring the surprise on Anne’s face when she saw Crock.

…Um, Yuli? I can’t keep up with this conversation!

 

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