Chapter 92

Prazia was sorely lacking in common sense. Of course, as the only child of a grand ducal family, she had received a high level of education, and since she was currently enrolled at the academy, it felt a bit awkward to say she was deficient in that regard. The common sense she lacked was specifically in human relationships. Prazia was clumsy and deficient when it comes to communication between people—conversation, Q&A, that sort of thing—and her traits stood out even more due to her surroundings and innate personality.

She found long-winded talk tiresome, often zoned out, and struggled with smooth communication. Even when writing a letter to her father, those characteristics shone through vividly.

There was no explanation about transferring to the academy—or more precisely, coming as an exchange student. Just these sentences that only made sense to her. If it were trash parents with zero interest in their daughter, they might not have cared, but to a normal—or overly doting—father like Grand Duke Auros, the letter's contents looked entirely different.

……It felt like there had been way too much embellishment somewhere, but that was roughly how Prazia's handwritten letter came across in the grand duke's eyes. His one and only precious daughter had her heart stolen by some no-name punk from another country. She was ditching her supposedly beloved (her words) dad and even switching academies because she was so head over heels? The grand duke couldn't hide his fury.

His retainers had thrown themselves in harm's way to stop him from storming out right then and charging into the empire. If they hadn't, it might have been mistaken for an invasion and escalated into an inter-nation incident. In the end, the grand duke issued a recall order to Prazia. He made sure to emphasize that she had to bring back the "skinny bone" who'd bewitched ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his daughter.

Then, he pulled out his beloved sword—which hadn't tasted blood in ages—and began sharpening it to razor sharpness. Sharp enough to slice a rock clean in two with one stroke.

Scrape, scrape.

His retainers offered advance condolences to the man the lady would bring home, praying for his soul.

"……That's what I sent."

Chomp! In utter exasperation that left me speechless, I smacked my forehead on reflex. I wanted to give her head a good whack, but I had to hold back—Prazia might go crying to her dad about it. From what I'd heard, Grand Duke Auros of the Auros family hadn't quite reached Aura Lord yet, but he was a powerhouse lingering in the late Master stage. They said anyone who'd tasted his ice swordsmanship felt bone-chilling agony down to their marrow. And I might get to experience that ice swordsmanship firsthand.

"Was there something wrong with it?"

"Everything. All of it……"

As I clutched my head in agony, Luna tilted her head with a question mark practically floating above it.

"But couldn't you just not go? Mars isn't some nobody summoned by a foreign noble—he doesn't have to go just because they called, right? He's got recognition here; he's not in a position to be ordered around."

"It's because it's a foreign nation that it's a problem. If that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠guy sends an official protest to our empire over Lady Auros, it'd be a nightmare to handle."

Sending valuable personnel to another country risked losing them, but refusing could enrage the other side and sour diplomatic ties. My master, Count Helios, was officially retired, so he couldn't meddle freely in national diplomacy. It could create awkwardness between both nations.

Only then did Prazia grasp the severity, starting to glance around nervously.

"Um…… sorry……."

"……It's fine."

What was the point of snapping at someone clueless? She was already categorized in my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mind as "a bit dim," so I didn't even have the energy to get mad anymore.

"Going is one thing, but the issue is what to tell the academy. It's still mid-term; going back and forth to the North would involve a ton of procedures, right?"

A few days ago, we'd had the martial arts festival, so there was a bit of leeway, but the academy was still in full swing. Skipping classes without permission to travel ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that far was physically impossible.

"Oh, there might be a way for that……."

"Yes? What is it, Your Highness?"

"They mentioned in the staff meeting that we'll have an external field trip soon. Each class goes separately…… This time, explaining the situation and using the North as the site doesn't sound bad."

So we explained our circumstances to the principal and requested a change in location. After the staff meeting, our class's trip was set for the Auros Grand Ducal household in the North. The Auros side quickly approved, saying they'd provide any conveniences as long as I was mandatorily included.

"……We're screwed."

And just like that, we boarded a northbound train we hadn't planned for. The whole way, I kept having nightmares of being sliced by a macho Santa Claus lookalike wielding an ice blade.

"Mars, when can I see that guy?!"

Lillia, still playing spy for the Heaven God Cult, wandered the cult's interior, whining about not seeing Mars for quite a while (by her standards).

The secret deal to exchange info on imperial heavy criminals for Heaven God Cult internals had proceeded strictly. In the meantime, she'd smuggled in a few more humans to serve as chimera materials for her cult.

'Come to think of it, Mars gave that Gula pig a smackdown, huh? Heh heh! That fat slob always mocked me for being weak—serves him right~'

When she heard at the executive meeting that Gula had failed his mission and exploded in rage, she'd laughed so hard in her room. Knowing Gula's freakish abilities and idiotic durability well, she was shocked he'd been wounded in a brief clash.

'That guy's…… seriously gonna dismantle this cult at this rate? Not that I care, but if it vanishes, where am I supposed to live~?'

Even if her long-time home might disappear, satisfying her own desires mattered more to Lillia, so it wasn't a big deal.

"Ehem~ Hm?"

That's when Lillia spotted cult members frantically packing supplies. It could be mission prep, but loading weapons en masse and cramming in military logistics screamed anything but normal.

"Hey. You there."

"What?! I'm busy, why are you—gasp! Lady Lillia!"

She approached a subordinate hauling a crate. He glared irritably at the interruption, but snapped to loyalty upon recognizing her.

"Wh-what can I do for you?!"

"Nothing much~ What's with all this? Heading somewhere far?"

"Uh…… well……."

The subordinate hesitated, glancing around—probably under secrecy orders. Normally she'd shrug and move on, but this reeked of suspicion, so she decided to press.

But as he kept dodging, her patience snapped. She blew a breath on him, and he succumbed to sweet lust, eyes glazing over in obvious derangement.

Confirming his rolled-back eyes, Lillia continued questioning.

"……These supplies are military logistics for the North-bound personnel……."

"The North? Why that frozen hellhole all of a sudden?"

"……After Gula failed to secure the half-dragon lady, the Sub-Cult Leader deemed direct sampling too difficult and decided to capture the Auros clan in the North for samples."

'The North? That barbaric wasteland full of those monstrous savages?'

Stories of the North's harsh environment breeding rough, violent warriors were legendary. Their common folk were all top-tier fighters. Lillia paled at the invasion plan.

It wouldn't be easy, but if they somehow kidnapped the dragon-blooded Auros family and turned them into chimeras…….

"Qu-quick……! I gotta alert the imperial side!"

Rushing off to send a telegram in panic, Lillia missed the one gaze secretly watching her.