Chapter 78

Such happy days came to an abrupt end.

The next day after introducing Prim to the Duke's territory and the flower fields,

"Well, let's do our best today too."

After breakfast, the morning was spent studying and practicing sword and archery.

Even though I said that yesterday, I'm actually quite strong with the sword. Or rather, I'm physically strong. I can easily swing a heavy wooden sword that a full-grown adult would struggle with.

Moreover, with my divine eye, I can see myself from a bird's-eye view and from my own perspective.

If someone points out a flaw, I can see myself from a third-person perspective and understand how to move better. From the outside, it probably looks like I'm improving at an incredible rate.

But, they are professionals, after all.

My sword instructor called me a genius but never said I had talent in swordsmanship.

With the bow, I'm still a beginner. When I use magic, I can hit a 30-centimeter target from 200 meters away with perfect accuracy.

I'm not sure if I need to improve my own skills. I just think it's worth trying.

Today, we're touring the Orion territory, where various crops are abundant, to win over Prim's stomach.

Just like yesterday, we're surrounded by fifty burly knights as we tour the destinations.

Koumei is staying home again. The reason is that he has a rather youthful and handsome face. For the sake of my peace of mind, I ordered him to stay at home.

The first stop is a fruit called "Pome," which is very similar to an apple. In fact, it is an apple.

It looks like an apple, with a yellow-green skin, but the flesh is a light white to beige color. The taste is also like an apple.

Prim was eating it with relish.

"Prim, if you eat too much now, you won't have room for later."

We still have four more stops and lunch. When I expressed my concern,

"It's fine!"

She said it with great confidence.

The next stop is a fruit called "Raisin." In my language, it's a grape, but it's actually a persimmon.

Moreover, it's green, not orange. When I first saw it, I thought it wasn't ripe, but when I tasted it, it was a regular persimmon.

Prim was eating a lot again. Where does all that food go in her small body?

As a result, Prim ate at five stops and had lunch, and she returned home looking very full.

I, on the other hand, felt a bit queasy from overeating and skipped dinner, falling asleep early.

In the middle of the night, I woke up. I think I had slept for nearly five hours. When I tried to get up to go to the bathroom, I noticed that no one was beside me.

(Huh? Lisa is usually here, isn't she?)

I activated my divine eye and searched.

I found her in Lady Mother's room. Not only Lady Mother and Lisa, but also the other ladies of the house except the Second Lady and the commander of the Orion family's knights were all gathered there.

It seemed to be a very serious discussion, as everyone's faces were very stern.

I couldn't hear the voices, so I got out of bed and walked to Lady Mother's room while using my divine eye to keep watching.

Then, I saw Rose, who is usually expressionless, stand up with great determination and try to leave the room.

(What!? What's going on??)

~Some time after Rain went to sleep~

A message came from the capital, Lond. It was news that I would be participating in the war.

I knew it. I knew there was a possibility...

I called the ladies of the house, the commander of the Orion family's knights, and Lisa for an important discussion.

While waiting for everyone to gather, a silence filled the room. Finally, Hilde entered and said,

"What's the big deal? You're taking away my precious time with Prowse, so you better have a good reason."

As usual, she doesn't read the room. It's typical, but it makes me even angrier at a time like this. I suppressed my anger and calmly said,

"Yes, it's important. Please sit down."

Hilde sat down reluctantly.

I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart and body, then said bluntly,

"Lond... has been ordered to join the war as a general."

Rose was the first to react.

"Why? Why is Lond joining the war? What are General Roder and Lady Pretaria doing?"

She, who usually speaks little, was unusually talkative today. She always becomes talkative when it comes to Lond. Leaning forward, she asked me,

"General Roder is... dead."

"..."

Everyone gasped. No one had expected such a result, even with Lady Pretaria, a level 8 mage and a near-hero, accompanying them.

"And Lady Pretaria is severely injured. The army disintegrated when the general died, and fewer than 10,000 soldiers returned."

We had sent 60,000 soldiers to Lymion. The number had been reduced to less than one-sixth.

Then, Rose asked,

"How did they defeat someone as powerful as Lady Pretaria? Did they face a level 8 mage from the empire?"

It was a valid question. If a near-hero was severely injured, what were the others doing?

"I don't know the details. It says they were ambushed and defeated in the forest."

Even Pretaria has her limits. When her MP runs out, she's just a regular person.

"Then why does Lond have to join the war?"

Rose asked calmly, but her words were filled with anger.

"I don't like it either. Why does he have to join? The enemy is a level 8 mage! Lond is strong, but he can't match a near-hero."

Near-heroes are monsters. The only ones who can defeat them are...

"Who can defeat a near-hero..."

I was startled. I thought I had said it myself, but it wasn't me.

Looking ahead, I saw Rose deep in thought. Suddenly, she looked up and stood up abruptly.

Then, she ran out of the room.

I was hit with a sudden chill and reflexively stood up to chase after her.

Fortunately, I caught up to her quickly and grabbed her arm to stop her.

"What are you planning to do!?"

She looked at me with a seriousness I had never seen before and said,

"There is someone. Someone with the talent of a hero. He can..."

I immediately knew who she was talking about, but...

"No!! I won't let Rain go to war!! I've already decided not to involve him in this war!"

I had strictly ordered everyone in the castle not to mention the war to him, to keep him out of it.

"He's the only one who can resolve this situation. We have to ask him."

"No. I won't let him go to war as a child!"

"Let go. I have somewhere I need to go."

Rose said it calmly, but there was a firm resolve in her voice.

But,

"I won't let go. I can't let you go to Rain."

As she felt my determination, Rose began to chant a spell.

"Wait!"

A small figure appeared in the dark corridor, and I recognized it as Rain.

I had forgotten. I had forgotten to be careful when Rain was avoiding us.

I had forgotten that I shouldn't discuss anything secretly with Rain in the castle.

I had forgotten about Rain's exceptional intuition.