Chapter 16

Good morning, as I mentioned in the activity report, I have made some corrections. These are minor adjustments to unclear points from episode 1 to episode 15; the content has not changed.

"I have returned, Father."

After a brief rest, Ain and the others came to the king of Ishtarka, Olivia's father, Olivia. The place was a conference room of about 20 tatami mats, and as the name suggests, a meeting was in progress. The moment Olivia entered, the conference room fell silent, and everyone turned their attention to her.

At the far end of the room, a large man sat in a luxurious chair. This was King Silvardo of Ishtarka and Olivia's father. On either side of him sat a burly man and a well-dressed elderly man.

"…I'm sorry, but my cheek…"

"(That's right, Your Majesty. A daughter who married abroad suddenly barged into the meeting.)"

Ain felt a bit of sympathy for the King of Ishtarka. As a king, he probably hadn't anticipated this at all. It was only natural that he would want to pinch his cheek to confirm if this was real.

"Can you hit me?"

"I understand… *hnnn*!"

Silvardo asked the burly man sitting next to him to hit his cheek. The man put in some effort and lightly punched the king's cheek with a small run-up.

"(Eh, eh… isn't this supposed to be pinching the cheek? You shouldn't hit it. And *hnnn*… that's too much effort.)"

"It's not bad. It seems to be real."

"(You figured it out, huh? And, Your Majesty, you're really tough; it didn't seem to affect you at all.)"

Ain was surprised that the king, who had just received such a powerful punch, showed no signs of damage.

"Father? Why did you ask someone to hit you all of a sudden? You're still young, aren't you?"

Ain thought it was your fault but didn't say it out loud. The atmosphere was so unusual that she couldn't even speak.

"Princess, if you come suddenly, it will confuse the king."

"But even if I had given prior notice, it would still be sudden, wouldn't it?"

"As a king, I don't want to show my subordinates a flustered appearance. I'm sorry, but I will have to end today's ceremony. Is that acceptable?"

The mysterious atmosphere from before changed, and Silvardo gave orders to the people in the meeting. He probably couldn't think of anything else to do.

* * *

After deciding not to disclose that the second princess Olivia had returned, the people in the meeting dispersed. Now, there were seven people in the room: Ain, Olivia, Chris, Martha, Silvardo, the elderly man, and the burly man who had been sitting next to Silvardo.

The location changed to the audience chamber for a serious conversation. The spacious room had a shining marble floor and a very soft carpet, which made Ain a bit uncomfortable. Silvardo sat on a luxurious throne with a commanding presence, and the conversation began.

"To be honest, I'm confused… A daughter who married abroad suddenly barged into the meeting."

I understand, Your Majesty, Ain sympathized.

"Yes, I admit it was sudden. I decided to return last night."

"Last night… I haven't received any reports. Lloyd, Warren… what about you?"

Silvardo called out to the two men sitting next to him. The burly man was Lloyd, and the elderly man was Warren.

"Me too, Your Majesty."

"Same here, Your Majesty. The Knights' Corps hasn't received any notice… I'm curious about how Chris handled it."

After Warren answered, Lloyd continued. Lloyd seemed sharp, and his gaze turned to Chris.

"Hmm, I was assigned to guard the princess last night. Therefore, I understand the situation."

"Don't say anything about it, Father. I had Chris and the butler's room kept quiet and brought them here."

Olivia followed through on her promise, and with this, Silvardo had to accept it to some extent.

"…Then I won't ask anymore. If they followed my daughter's orders, I will not hold them accountable. That's all."

"Thank you, Father."

"Hmm… Recently, I've been having one trouble after another. Now my daughter has returned, Warren."

"Your Majesty, if you're going to complain, you should have been more composed."

"That's right. From our perspective, it's clear that you're happy. You must be pleased that your daughter has returned?"

"(At first glance, these two seem to be the most trusted subordinates of the king.)"

Silvardo complained to Warren. Warren and Lloyd both said that Silvardo was happy, but honestly, it wasn't clear. He didn't seem angry, but his expression looked more like he was in a bad mood.

"Indeed, you are a poor subordinate who can't understand my heart."

"Then I will strive to improve."

Warren answered without seeming to care. It felt like they had worked together for a long time, and even small differences were noticeable.

"…Now, before I ask the reason for your return, I have one question. Who is this child?"

Silvardo looked at Ain and asked Olivia who she was.

"Ain, it's okay. Can you introduce yourself?"

"Yes. …It's nice to meet you. I… I am Ain… my previous name was Ain Roundheart. The one here, Olivia, is my mother."

Ain hesitated to use "I" in front of the king. Reflecting on it now, he should have used "I" all along, but at this age, it felt a bit embarrassing to speak in such a formal manner.

"Child… Child of Olivia…"

When Ain finished his introduction, Silvardo was confused.

"Father? You're going to let your grandson introduce himself, but you won't do the same? It's your first grandson, you know. If you scare him, I won't do anything about it."

Silvardo, startled by Olivia's words, looked at Ain with a slightly lowered gaze.

"I am King Silvardo von Ishtarka. Although this is our first meeting, I am your grandfather."

"Yes, I understand. However, I only heard about this last night…"

"Princess's child… is that correct?"

"This is surprising. This child… is the one mentioned in Princess Olivia's letter. Your Majesty has been eagerly waiting to meet him, Princess Olivia."

"Lloyd, what are you saying?"

Silvardo started to be teased by Lloyd again. The atmosphere was much more relaxed than Ain had expected.

"What… what is it, Lord Warren?"

"Yes, a few months ago, didn't we receive a letter from Princess Olivia saying that she had obtained a training gift? At that time, you were in such a good mood that even others could tell."

"Oh, that's right. Your Majesty mentioned that his proud grandson was growing well. However, to obtain a training gift at such a young age, even I was genuinely surprised."

"Please stop, I admit defeat."

(He doesn't show it, but he seems to be quite lenient with his family.)

"Hahaha! I defeated the king. We must ensure it doesn't lead to capital punishment, Lord Warren."

"Indeed, Lord Lloyd… Now, it's nice to meet you, Lord Ain. I am Warren Lark, and I swear my loyalty to Ishtarka as a prime minister. Although your stay will be short, I hope we can get along well."

"It's nice to meet you, I am Lloyd Glacier. As a marshal, I dedicate my life to the peace of Ishtarka. If you have time, I would be happy to accompany you in training until you return."

Indeed, both were important figures in Ishtarka. Ain realized that the people in this room were quite significant: the king of a unified nation, his prime minister and marshal, and on Ain's side, the second princess, the deputy commander of the Royal Knights, and the top-class servant, Martha.

"Since everyone has greeted you, shall we continue? Father, the reason for my return, right?"

"Yes. I wanted to have a more relaxed setting for the greeting with Ain, but it's fine now."

"Oh, Father. But I'm sorry, it was a sudden decision, so I didn't have time to prepare."

"…Let's hear the reason."

Not only Silvardo, Warren, and Lloyd, but even Chris and Martha looked tense. Chris had been with her since yesterday, but he hadn't heard the reason for the divorce.

"I have divorced Logas Roundheart. I have no intention of returning to Heim, and I don't plan to hand Ain over to him."

"…Lloyd, can you hit me again?"

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, I would also like to be hit."

Both let out a *hnnn* and punched each other like a cross-counter. Silvardo responded with equal power.

"Princess…? You mean divorce, as in a separation between husband and wife, right?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Reason! What happened, Olivia…?"

Silvardo became even more excited. From Ain's conversation, he realized that Silvardo was a person who was quite lenient with his family. He must be very concerned about the divorce.

"I couldn't see Ain being happy there. I couldn't spend my life with Logas, who was more like a parent's puppet."

Olivia started to explain the reason. She talked about how Logas only took care of Grin, and how Isis, Ain's grandmother, treated him coldly. She recounted all the events that had happened.

"(Hmm… half of my blood comes from people who did such things. Even if they don't accept me, I hope they can at least provide a livable environment.)"

Ain was thinking about his own blood. The Roundheart family had treated Silvardo's important daughter this way, so they might not like him either.

"…Thank you for coming back, Olivia."

"…Yes."

Silvardo seemed to be trying to suppress various emotions, and he greeted Olivia with a slightly pained expression.

"Lord Lloyd, was there a need for a budget meeting?"

"No, not really. To be honest, if we attack Heim first, there's nothing to fear. If we have to mention anything, Logas is a decent fighter, but only 'decent'."

"(Hmm, I'm hearing some dangerous talk.)"

"However, the Knights' Corps probably wouldn't want to destroy 'Heim'. Attacking the Roundheart residence should be enough, right?"

"…What are you talking about in front of me?"

The conversation was probably inappropriate, and Silvardo stopped it with a displeased look.

"I won't allow the destruction of the Roundheart family in Heim. Capture them and behead them in the town square."

(That's a bit extreme, Your Majesty.) Ain almost said it out loud.

"Already, I didn't want to deal with it… No, I didn't want to. That's why I returned secretly, Father. Let's stop, I don't want to remember it either."

Olivia probably didn't want to get involved anymore, and she stopped the dangerous conversation.

"If the princess says so, we won't send the army… Princess has always been kind, hahaha!"

"Let's put Heim on hold for now. For the sake of Ishtarka… for the sake of the princess who married there."

"Yes, that's right. Can I tell Ain and the others the reason I married in Heim?"

"(That's right, the reason Mother came to Heim. One of the things I wanted to know.)"

"Yes, it's fine. The secret agreement has fallen apart, so it's okay to tell the people here."

With Silvardo's permission, one of the questions would finally be resolved.

"Then, Warren, please explain."

"Understood. The reason is simple… it was for resources and related rights."

"Our country is indeed vast and prosperous with high technology and culture. However, this prosperity has created one problem."

"Problem… Could it be related to the population?"

Martha, who hadn't said anything until now, spoke her thoughts.

"Yes, as Martha said, it's the population. Trains, of course, and now magic devices are used in daily life. We use them to boil water and even in small boats. Magic devices are a common part of our lives, but the minerals needed to make them are severely lacking."

"Sea crystals, right? It's indeed an urgent matter… Lord Ain, do you know about sea crystals?"

Ain didn't understand at all, so Chris's confirmation was helpful.

"No, I've never heard of them. What kind of mineral are they?"

"I'll explain. Sea crystals are materials that have transformed from the bones of sea monsters over an unimaginable amount of time. We use melted sea crystals in magic devices."

"(Such materials exist?)"

Just hearing about it made it sound valuable. He wanted to know about its effects.

"Um, what effects do the melted sea crystals have?"

"The melted sea crystals can store various magic and control magic stones. For example, a magic device to boil water stores the magic to boil water, and a device to create a cool breeze stores two types of magic to control the magic stone."

Prime Minister Warren explained in detail.

"(I see, the functions of household appliances are all stored in the sea crystals. And this country even has air conditioners…)"

Ain was surprised to learn about air conditioner-like magic devices. The level of culture was much higher than he had imagined.

"I understand the general purpose."

"That's good. Let's go back a bit. The population has increased, and the demand for magic devices has grown. However, in our coastal waters, almost all the sea crystals have been mined. But then, a vast amount of sea crystals was discovered near the port town of Roundheart in Heim."

Ain thought, "Why not go on an expedition?" but the answer was immediately given.

"With all our wisdom and technology, we don't know the conditions for the formation of sea crystals. The only thing we know is that sea crystals don't form in the deep sea far from land."

"(Ah, I see…)"

"Fortunately, the magic devices in Heim are different from ours. In our case, we store magic in liquefied sea crystals to control the magic stones and make them work. In Heim, however, there is no material to control, so there is no control function. When the magic device is activated, it simply boils water or creates a breeze without controlling the magic stone."

"(I see, I don't understand. Is it just a difference in whether it's controlled or not? Is it about the efficiency of using magic stones? If that's the case, I don't think it's a reason to send a princess there)… I'm sorry, can you explain the difference between when the magic stone can be controlled and when it can't?"

"I apologize. Magic stones that are not fully controlled leak a small amount of the monster's magic. Monster magic is 'poison' to humans, so it shortens life and hinders growth."

In other words, every time a magic device was used in Heim, the body was gradually eroded. If he heard that, he wouldn't use it.

"In our country, almost everyone owns a magic device. Therefore, we couldn't allow the use of such devices. Of course, we are researching new types, but there is no prospect of development."

"…So, the princess married in Heim for that reason?"

This was new information for Chris, and he probably didn't feel good about it. Ain was happy that Chris felt this way for Olivia.

"Yes. In the end, what we sought from Heim was the right to mine sea crystals and similar rights. What they sought from us was support. The power difference between Heim and us is overwhelming. With our support, Heim could be stronger on that continent."

Several things he had been thinking about and wondering about were resolved. In other words, Olivia had sacrificed herself to form a secret agreement for Ishtarka.

"When it was decided that Lord Ain would be the next head of the family, it was planned to make the announcement about Princess Olivia and Ishtarka public. This was to avoid troublesome inquiries and negotiations from other countries. The announcement would be made at the right time, and the Roundheart family would be elevated from a baron to a marquis, and when Lord Ain came of age, to a duke."

It would be hard to say that they had received a princess from a country like Ishtarka. If the radicals found out, Heim might quickly declare war on other countries. Considering many factors, it seemed reasonable to wait for the right time.

"Um… But, is it good to break such a secret agreement? While the situation on that continent is stable now, and immediate support might not be needed, still, this kind of cancellation…"

Martha's point was valid. Honestly, it would be better to consider that Ishtarka's support was no longer available. It was hard to imagine that this Silvardo would allow such a thing again.

"I don't know what they're thinking either. Lloyd, what do you think?"

"To be honest, I don't know either.