A New Wave
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Well. Speaking plainly—you look like a noble young lady yourself. Isn't it about time you married? You ought to at least get engaged."
Ah. That talk again. I knew exactly where this was headed.
He wanted me to take in his bachelor of a son. Well, too bad. I didn't want to. Really.
I truly did not want to be tied to anyone.
So I shut him down cold.
"Ha. Pass. I've got no interest."
"Father. Stop. Unless you want to make enemies of everyone who likes Olivia."
That's right. Pector had some sense. There were plenty of people who liked me—enough that picking fights over it would just be a hassle.
I really shouldn't have kept this old man alive.
But whether he understood my feelings or not, the old man wore an extremely meaningful expression.
"Are they strong?"
"The girl standing right beside me is the strongest Battle Mage on earth. You'd have a hard time handling her."
"So kindly keep the nonsense to yourself."
Celia stepped right in front of me as if to shield me, glaring at the two men.
Ugh. If Celia was stepping in, there was nothing I could do about it.
"This woman is no ordinary person either, clearly."
"Now that you know, don't go targeting her for no reason."
"A pity, but it can't be helped. Still, women ought to meet men, and men ought to meet women. I won't force the matter—but I'd like you to give it some thought every now and then."
"Save the nonsense and let's go."
With that, father and son vanished.
Ugh. As if I had any such intention.
Pector was one thing, but that old man was the problem.
"Don't tell me you actually have thoughts like that…"
Even Celia was saying something like that.
"Are you crazy? I already said no. So don't go getting weird ideas. Me, with that guy? Ugh, don't even joke about it."
Absolutely impossible. Impossible. I didn't even want to lose against him, and the moment I married him I'd feel like I'd lost somehow.
"Whew. That's a relief."
"Mm. This feels bad. Let's just go back."
"Pardon?"
"I mean it exactly as I said. Right now… if I'm not in the Imperial Capital, I keep ending up in dangerous situations. No—more precisely, situations that put me in a foul mood."
It was the same now. Accidents and incidents kept happening as if by coincidence.
"Ah. Understood. If that's all. Mm. I can see that too."
"Outside the Imperial Capital really is dangerous."
"That reminds me of the saying—'it's dangerous outside the blankets.'"
Right. It was dangerous outside the blankets.
Just going back seemed best for my health.
Imperial Palace
The Emperor received a letter delivered directly from Isis.
It had simply appeared in her hand all of a sudden.
Normally such a message would have gone to the council, but that long-eared bastard Isis clearly had something he wanted to say.
And the contents, once she looked them over, were truly astonishing.
Just what had Olivia been doing while she was supposedly out on vacation?
"The Great Forest this time. Remarkable."
"Pardon?"
Katrina, who was enjoying a rare tea with the Emperor, wore a bewildered expression.
To think the girl would handle things this well.
Or was this, in its own way, a vacation? She had said she was taking leave, so from Olivia's perspective this might well count as one.
That seemed possible enough.
After all, looking at it, that girl tended to have incidents erupt wherever she went.
Just like Noah.
Still, this particular case was a little special.
"Your daughter, that is. Word is she protected the World Tree in the Great Forest this time. The Spirit King Isis sent me a letter personally."
Truly remarkable. For that Spirit King to send a letter himself.
Just what kind of method had she used? How had the king of the elves been moved to write such a missive? This was unusual.
"What happened?"
"A traitor among the elves tried to corrupt the World Tree together with the New World Group. It seems they want it kept secret on their end, so we'll bury it."
An elven traitor corrupting the World Tree? Then he meant a Dark Elf—one of the fallen elves. That Dark Elf had tried to corrupt the World Tree, and Katrina had never imagined her own daughter would be involved in the matter.
Had she handled it splendidly as the Empire's Taesa?
"And that child stopped it?"
If so, that was rather impressive.
"Yes. Magnificently. Truly worthy of being called my woman."
"'Woman'? What on earth—"
She was saying the most absurd things again. Katrina had no idea why the Emperor kept calling Olivia hers.
Even if she claimed ownership, Katrina had no intention of handing over her daughter even if it killed her. Or would she have to fight the Emperor to the death?
In what world did a mother-in-law try to steal her daughter-in-law?
Of course, the engagement had already been broken off—but there was still a certain feeling to it. The feeling of a mother-in-law eyeing her daughter-in-law.
And this was the Emperor, after all.
As if finding the whole thing endlessly amusing, the Emperor wore an inscrutable expression and sipped her wine.
"Aren't all the women of the Imperial Palace mine? That is what a palace lady is."
"My daughter is not a palace lady."
"I appointed her Taesa, and she comes and goes from the palace—so what is she if not a palace lady?"
Put that way, there wasn't much of a rebuttal.
"Still, she was once a candidate for daughter-in-law."
"As long as you're in the palace, you are my woman as well. Are you not?"
Her wordplay was first-class, as always.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."
"Well, enough of that. How are Tarhana and the Assassin Guild progressing? Regarding the New World Group."
That side, too, had much that needed to be known.
The existence of the New World Group was not a welcome thing even for an Empire as stagnant and entrenched as this one.
To the Empire, they were a commoners' rebellion—little better than bandits.
"We've rounded up every New World Group cell in the western and eastern reaches of the Empire."
"As expected of Tarhana and the Assassin Guild. And those combat nuns—are they that exceptional?"
Tarhana and the Assassin Guild were one thing, but she had never dreamed even those combat nuns would be that strong.
"That, and the fact that the nobles of each region unleashed their soldiers and swept them all up, played a large part."
"Heh heh heh. Of course they did—men with a dangerous ideology that threatens their livelihood."
The nobles were no fools.
The ideology of the New World Group was a dangerous one from a noble's perspective.
After all, it preached that under the descent of a god, a new world of equality for all people would be built.
But that was complete nonsense.
First of all, no such god existed in this world—and even if one did and created a new world, it would only be a temporary reset.
As long as humans existed, class would exist. Hierarchy was inevitable, and war would never cease.
Some would live well while others lived as beggars.
Some would live happily while others endured unjust oppression.
That was inescapable reality.
A world in which all of that was liberated simply did not exist.
If such a world arrived, it would be fine for a while. That so-called equal world the losers spoke of would make them bloom with smiles for a time.
But only for a time.
A hierarchy of strength would clearly form, and even if that equal system were maintained, beings like nobles would simply cease to exist on the surface while rotting thoroughly within.
And such an equal society would ultimately be a collective that worshipped that god. What equality was there in humans existing beneath a god?
In the end, this ideology was never going to be a good thing for the nobles who maintained a rotten aristocratic system and lived off the people's taxes.
"And to think that child made that map."
A detailed map of the New World Group's locations.
That had certainly been impressive.
"Olivia is more capable than you give her credit for. I'm not joking—I want her badly enough to mean it."
That girl truly was a presence that pleased her.
"Ugh. Yes, well, that…"
"Don't worry. Olivia doesn't reject it entirely. She didn't deny it when I called her my woman."
Well, it was the Emperor speaking—how could she refuse? Or could it be that Olivia truly leaned that way?
And of all people, to have such thoughts toward a woman who, however youthful she still looked, was considerably older?
Katrina wanted to say something, but held her tongue. In any case, the vacation seemed nearly over.
"Then the leave is finished now."
"So it would seem."
"I sent that child off to rest, and this is what happened. But."
"But?"
"Do you have the leisure to concern yourself with my child? I believe this is not the time for that."
Right now, wasn't the imperial successor more pressing than Olivia? The next on the throne.
However young she still claimed to be, age could not be deceived, and provincial officials and nobles who had never even been granted an audience with the Emperor could well feel uneasy—the crown prince deposed, no heir named.
"Hmm. Why? Because of the succession?"
"Yes."
"Well, there's still plenty of time. Why should I name a successor now?"
She was still perfectly vigorous, after all.
Of course, she would have to name one eventually. The question was whether that was the only option available at present.
Still, perhaps for now it would be good to at least go through the motions.
Then which would be better—Aslan or Amelia?
Amelia's side, according to the Sword of Light, was quite sharp—but if forced to remain in the palace, she would almost certainly try to step down on her own.
On the surface, at least.
"I believe this is not the time to think that way."
"Well, I suppose that's true. In any case, the time to decide is approaching. What has Aslan been up to lately?"
Let's hear about the situation of the boy who couldn't even keep his woman under control. Still, having kept a commoner girl at his side, something must have changed.
"It's not my place to say, but perhaps Your Majesty might take a little more interest in your children?"
"Hmm. What kind of trouble is he causing this time?"
Just what was she thinking? If Katrina was speaking like that, there must be something going on again.
"He is researching a new formation combining gun troops—a branch armed with new weapons—and spear walls. Supposedly to counter cavalry."
Oh. That was rather interesting.
The Empire's cavalry was strong, but that strength lay with the Ribelt and Ashtar forces; the capital army had scarcely any cavalry to speak of.
The provincial noble cavalry, too, lagged behind the steppe horsemen in quality. And yet here was something new.
"True enough—aside from Ribelt, the Empire's cavalry legions could well lose even to those steppe bumpkins."
So it was time they mastered methods of facing cavalry with infantry.
In truth, the formations already built around those cannons and gun troops could shatter cavalry easily enough.
"The attempt is sound, but isn't the problem that it can't be used in actual combat?"
"What if he trains against the Ashtar cavalry?"
"I'll try making the arrangements."
Ashtar was a house loyal to the Empire, after all. They could accept that much.
"And Amelia—I suppose there's no point even asking."
"That one continues arming her soldiers with new weapons and drilling them."
Amelia had the capital army under her command. If tens of thousands of capital troops were armed with new weapons, that would not be bad at all.
Then was there something worth looking forward to?
Aslan and Amelia. Could either of them contend for the next throne in this coming war?
Was the curse still unbreakable?
If only it could be lifted once those two had won the people's hearts.
She was thoroughly sick of this seat by now.