Chapter 80

My wish was not granted.

The Duke and Duchess of Hunt-Erfurt, as well as Lady Matilda, casually approved Theo and Hedda’s request to join the monster hunt!

Why?!

Especially the Duke and Duchess of Hunt-Erfurt! How could they allow a minor to go on a monster hunt?!

Yes, it’s her first hunt, so it will be near the surface, and experienced Fairvalter and a few others will be there as instructors, but what if something goes wrong?! Stop it! Someone, stop it!!

Nebel, who has known me for a long time, seemed to read my feelings and looked at me with a sympathetic gaze.

"Well... if you think about it the other way, having Fairvalter there should be reassuring..."

Reassuring?! Rather, with Fairvalter there, they might take unnecessary risks!!

"Albert-sama,"

Hilda, looking hesitant, spoke up.

"Can I go too?"

Ah!! There’s another strong girl here too!!

"Hey, Hilda. Do you understand the danger? What if you get hurt? Don’t you want to be a reliable aide to my future wife?"

"W-well, that’s true, but... if something happens, Nebel will be there!!"

Indeed, Nebel wouldn’t care if Hilda got a serious injury.

When I looked at Nebel, he had a pained expression rather than a pleased one.

He’s conflicted.

Nebel knows Hilda’s strength well, but he also knows that she has been restricted in her martial arts training because she’s a girl. Well, the people who complain about that are usually not from Hilda’s family.

Nebel doesn’t want to stop her because she’s Hilda. After all, you want the person you like to be in a safe place, not a dangerous one, right? But if he says that, it would seem like he’s denying what Hilda wants to do, her strength, and her abilities. And because he knows that Hilda has felt frustrated by such things, he can’t tell her to stop.

"Hilda"

"I’m going too! Even if Nebel tries to stop me, I’m going! I don’t want to be left behind just because I’m a girl!"

Hilda must have been most bothered by that.

"I’m not saying that."

"But!"

Nebel’s frown made Hilda think he was going to oppose her, so she tried to plead more.

"Get permission from the Duke and your parents. If even one of them says no, Hilda will stay behind."

Hilda’s face lit up at Nebel’s words.

"Okay!"

With that, Hilda ran off to her parents and her grandfather, Duke Gyvich.

"Al, I’m sorry."

Nebel apologized to me as he watched Hilda’s retreating figure.

"I thought I should stop her."

"It can’t be helped, can it?"

We’ve been together since we met.

Besides, Hilda, though she has never said it, has been carrying the burden of the kidnapping incident. On that day, Hilda couldn’t come to the horse ranch because of family matters.

While Nebel and I were grateful that Hilda didn’t get into danger, she must have felt guilty for not being there when we were kidnapped and in danger.

That’s why this time, Hilda wants to go with us.

"I’ll keep an eye on her as much as I can."

"Hmm, well, we’re not just kids, so maybe we shouldn’t worry too much?"

"No, I think we should be as noisy as possible, especially with Lady Hedda."

That’s true! I really don’t know what to do with that excited girl. As someone who has asked a lot of her, I think it’s fine to let Hedda do as she pleases, but we can’t forget that she is the leading candidate to be Ignatz’s bride.

Because the Queen is from a ducal family with royal blood from a neighboring country, Ignatz’s bride must be chosen from within the country.

The official announcement of Ignatz and Hedda’s engagement is probably going to be made before they enter the academy, right? The higher-ups want to ensure proper interaction between them within the academy.

However, the nobles in the national assembly, led by the Prime Minister, are being extremely cautious about announcing Ignatz’s engagement.

Without naming names, there was a fool in the Lave royal family who publicly proposed to a princess from another country even though he had already announced his engagement.

While I don’t think Ignatz would do something like that, the Lave kingdom doesn’t want such a scandal to happen again, so some suggest that the announcement should be made after they graduate from the academy.

This has been communicated to both Ignatz and Hedda for quite some time.

While it’s not officially documented, the plan is to announce their engagement either before they enter the academy or after they graduate.

So, that’s why Hedda wants to join the monster hunt.

Once the engagement is announced, she will start her princess education and won’t be able to move freely anymore.

Hedda’s desire to learn about the wonders of the world will probably never be fulfilled.

Thinking about this, I realized that this monster hunt might be the last memory of Hedda moving freely.

But, half of it must be her desire to slay a monster with her own hands.

We’ve known each other for a long time, but I still can’t fully understand what Hedda is thinking.

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