Crystal Schemes
Click. The office door swung open with the sound of the doorknob turning.
Millia, the administrative officer sitting on the sofa and skimming through the documents Kernax had organized, looked up toward the door.
Her gaze met Kernax's, who stood there closing the door behind her, her face shadowed and grim.
"It looks like everyone's pretty shaken up."
"Embarrassingly... yes."
"No need for that. How could Captain Kernax be ashamed of something like this? Have a seat first. Ah, I was just looking through the stuff on the desk—is that okay?"
"Of course. They're things you'll have to handle if I'm away anyway."
Millia gave a soft smile at Kernax's reply.
"You really should sit down. You look exhausted."
"......Mentally, I'm a bit... worn out."
The administrator nodded slightly with an understanding expression at Kernax's response.
After standing by the door for a moment, running her hand over her face a few times, Kernax finally sank her heavy body onto the sofa opposite Millia.
"Have you decided how many soldiers to leave behind and how many to take with you?"
Kernax nodded darkly at Millia's question.
"Including myself, I'll take 306 soldiers."
"Hmm~ I was going to say that's a bit too modest a number to boast about sending reinforcements. I think even if you took a few more, it wouldn't seriously impact the city's defenses or public order. But it seems Captain Kernax sees it differently."
"......"
Having returned to the office hours before Kernax, Millia had already reviewed even the detailed reports on Molingta.
Kernax bit her lip and fell silent in response to Millia's probing.
Watching her intently, Millia adjusted her monocle slightly and spoke.
"Captain Kernax is still a woman of deep affections. Even knowing full well that it's put you in the lord's bad graces."
"......I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize. There's no need, and no reason for it. I'm just glad to confirm you're still the same steadfast person you always were."
Millia closed her eyes softly, a faint smile on her lips.
"The lord would surely have a few choice words if she heard this... but I won't report it."
"......Is that really okay?"
"Of course not."
Millia looked at Kernax with an expression that said, What kind of obvious question is that? Kernax's gaze naturally dropped to the floor.
"Instead, I'll trust you'll make up for the shortfall in numbers with extra valor. Then both you and I can get through this unscathed."
"......I'll do my best."
"Mm. Good."
Millia was satisfied with Kernax's answer. If she'd said something absolute like "I definitely will" or "I absolutely won't fail," Millia would have been deeply disappointed.
After all, the one thing Countess Ardel Filoria, the family head, despised most was people who spoke with absolute certainty about anything.
For Kernax, who still had her head slightly bowed, Millia decided to share some hopeful news.
"And on my own authority, I've decided to prioritize distributing Mr. Smith's Night Fairy stockings—originally slated for the knight order first—to Molingta's soldiers."
"......R-Really?"
Millia nodded with a light smile toward Kernax, who widened her eyes in slight surprise.
Only then did the shadow lift a bit from Kernax's face.
Kernax rose from her seat and bowed deeply to Millia.
"Truly... thank you."
"It's fine. It's my own decision, but the lord will understand. The knight order's current armor durability is impeccable anyway."
"Still... thank you."
"Honestly."
Millia looked a touch troubled by Kernax's repeated gratitude but wore an expression that wasn't displeased.
"When do you plan to depart?"
"......As soon as possible."
It was a judgment call because she needed to confer with the on-site commander and scout the terrain that would soon become a battlefield as quickly as possible.
Millia agreed with Kernax's thinking.
If not for Smith.
"I think a week from now would be ideal. Even if you take it easy, you'll arrive on time even with minor delays on the road."
"......Even so."
"Don't you need that much time for Mr. Smith to produce enough Night Fairy stockings for the soldiers?"
"Ah... right."
Kernax felt ashamed of herself for forgetting that fact right after thanking Smith for it moments ago.
"Then, it might be best to inform the soldiers quickly. It'll lighten their mental burden sooner, helping them maintain both mental and physical condition."
"Wh-What about handing over duties...?"
"We have a week. I think one day off is fine, don't you? I'm a bit tired from the long trip myself."
Millia rubbed her shoulders as if weary, but Kernax could tell. The administrator was deliberately acting worn out to accommodate her and the soldiers.
Kernax had no choice but to accept the consideration.
"Then... I'll take my leave."
"Yes. I hope to see a brighter face tomorrow."
"Yes."
Kernax's demeanor toward the administrator grew even more deferential. She bowed politely to Millia and left the office.
Left alone, Millia neatly organized the documents in her hand, then rose from the sofa.
She returned them to Kernax's duty desk before exiting the office herself and slowly walking the dim corridor.
"Lady Millia."
A blonde woman with sharp eyes appeared beside Millia as she strolled the corridor. Any ordinary person would have jumped, but Millia continued walking calmly.
"Can we produce 305 units within a week?"
"...Honestly, I think it's impossible."
"I feel the same this time. But... it seems our lord holds a different view."
"......"
The woman didn't respond to Millia's words. They walked the corridor in silence until they reached the door leading to the street.
Millia placed her hand on the door and murmured softly.
"Move them quietly without anyone noticing."
"Yes."
Millia opened the door, and the woman beside her vanished.
"Phew~ Maybe I'll finally get some real rest today."
Millia eyed the eye-catching Bambino Garden in the distance, her eyes sparkling.
"Have a pleasant evening."
"Yes. Thank you."
Escorted to the top-floor suite, Millia swiped her card with a delighted face and entered the room.
"Worth every coin, indeed."
Satisfied with the fresh air in the room, Millia loosely undid her robe, letting it pool on the floor, then flopped onto the bed.
"I could just sleep like this... but that'd cost me my head."
Her face twisted openly in annoyance, a far cry from the gentle, bright smiles she'd shown before. She reached into her cleavage and pulled out a crystal orb.
Still sprawled on the bed, Millia fiddled with the orb haphazardly. Soon, light began to emanate from it. She plopped it onto her stomach and stretched her arms out on the bed.
"Ahh~ Can you hear me?"
"—Loud and clear."
"Glad to hear it."
Millia addressed the lord in a completely different tone from the one she'd used in the office, as if she were another person entirely.
"—That lazy drawl tells me you've already flopped down somewhere."
"Yep~ On a super soft bed."
"—Report what you have and rest easy."
"Not sure there's much to report."
Millia picked up the orb from her stomach and dangled it above her face, shaking it lightly.
"For starters, as per your instructions, I played the generous benefactor and told them Mr. Smith can pre-supply the Molingta soldiers."
"—Numbers?"
"Captain Kernax seems to cherish her soldiers even more than you predicted. It's about 200 fewer than expected."
"—I see."
Millia frowned at the orb's indifferent reply.
"Lord. Frankly, this whole affair is wildly inefficient. Personally, I'd say it's not your usual style at all."
"—Obviously. It's not for my sake, so it can't be."
Millia's eyes narrowed further.
"Then who the hell is all this hassle for?"
"—Who do you think it could be? Someone worth my favor."
"......"
A name immediately flashed in Millia's mind, but she didn't voice it. Instead, she vented her pent-up frustration.
"Lord. Even churning out 300 cheap chairs takes a tight week. You really think he can produce that many Night Fairy stockings in one?"
"—That's what this is for—to find out. Wait and see. Anything else unusual?"
"......Mr. Smith might not be from the desert after all."
"—Basis?"
"He acted like he knew nothing about drakes, despite being Sahara-born. Sure, drakes are rare here, but the most common mount in desert tribes? No way he wouldn't know. Honestly, it defies common sense."
"—Hm."
"And get this......"
"—What?"
Millia sat bolt upright on the bed, her face the picture of exasperation.
"The Adventurer's Guild is overly protective of him, and there's that tracking artifact Lady Ardella mentioned..."
"—Enough."
"......Sigh. Anyway, I just wanted to say it's frustrating. We already have enough circumstantial evidence to be sure, so why drag this out?"
A small chuckle leaked from the orb after Millia's irritated tone.
"—Watch your words. You're just annoyed I sent you out there."
"......And you know that, yet you still make me do it?"
"—Hahaha."
"Don't laugh..."
For Millia, who loathed going out to an almost pathological degree, the situation was utterly infuriating. Yet Ardel, the one who'd ordered it, let out a long, gentle laugh through the orb into Millia's ear.
"—Admittedly, this isn't my style. It's a hassle, full of needless work. I own that. However."
"However. What?"
"—For the sake of pairing my stoic daughter—who takes after me—with a decent match, this much bother is nothing."
Millia was dumbfounded.
"Hang on, I'm the one putting up with the hassle!"
"—That's why I'm laughing. Haha—"
With her face twisted in annoyance, Millia cut off the crystal orb's connection.
"Argh... I just wanna hole up in some back room and hermit out."
She tossed the now-dark orb onto the bed and closed her eyes.