Chapter 4

After that, since the escape time couldn't be too long, she returned to the assigned room, and an emergency meeting was promptly held.

In this border palace that also serves as a protective facility, the room assigned to Nea is a vast space in the eastern wing, facing the forest that is considered a forbidden and magically isolated area. Despite the grandeur of being given an entire wing, there are various unpleasant backgrounds to consider.

Firstly, the number of personnel assigned to protect the country's song-beggers is insufficient to cover the security of this eastern wing.

Naturally, the majority of the manpower is allocated to Eadaria, the former prince and the highest-ranking magician, followed by the oracle who receives the divine message. A few more are assigned to the knight who guards this group and his contracted creature.

As a result, the number of guards assigned to protect Nea's detached palace is a mere five, a rather pitiful number.

Before one can appreciate the beautiful night view of the forest, which seems to be imbued with magic, the layout of the room, with an entire wall of windows facing the forest, makes it clear that any threat from the forest would directly affect this eastern detached palace. In an emergency, the distance from the main building would make rescue efforts difficult.

The forbidden forest is a place of primitive magic, beyond the reach of even the country's rulers. The fact that the song-beggers, who should be protected, can easily escape from the territory of non-human entities suggests a rather careless treatment.

(With the magic completed by the oracle, they can't discard or harm me, but they probably want me to be replaced soon...)

Feeling the clear and capricious intent to kill from her fiancé, on the second night of her stay, she stared at the forest with a resentful gaze, wishing to extend her tenure long enough to enjoy the beautiful scenery of this world a little more. As she did so, she could sense the contracted creature, who had just been bound to her, chuckling above her head.

"Are you afraid of the forest?"

"Isn't it careless? After all, this forest is home to many mysterious creatures, isn't it?"

"Don't worry. I'm here, so you can be free within this compound."

As soon as he brought her to this detached palace, he sighed, muttering that the defenses were lacking everywhere, and offered to protect Nea. This protection was not just for the detached palace but for Nea herself, on a continuous basis.

And for some reason,

he is currently serving as Nea's chair.

"Um... I don't understand the point of you being between this chaise longue and me anymore."

"But this is my wish."

Nea, feeling both confused and flustered, let her shoulders drop. If his actions were more like doting and affectionate, it might have been a bit more bearable.

However, he, upon returning to the room and realizing that despite spending so much time outside in the forest, no one was searching for her, and seeing Nea's dejected expression, proposed to become a chair without considering the atmosphere.

Even though they are almost strangers, being rejected does indeed make one feel down. Nea is not in a good mental state to fulfill the creature's bizarre wishes, so she wishes he would show a bit more restraint.

"If you have such preferences, shouldn't there be someone more suitable than me?"

Nea's hair is a deep gray with a bluish tint, and her eyes are a multicolored gray with a touch of violet. Her features are more refined than striking, and it's hard to imagine that she would appeal to someone with such tastes.

"You're being harsh. I like you."

Despite saying it's harsh, he looks oddly pleased.

At this point, Nea can only go along with it, as she can no longer distinguish between his wishes and the price and outcome. She must now devise a strategy to live peacefully with this partner.

"Then, please cooperate. You need to keep it a secret that you are a concept-type creature."

"To avoid being used as a convenient pawn in this country?"

In response to Nea's desperate plea, the creature laughed coldly and stroked her hair. As a high-ranking creature, he can see at a glance how Nea is treated in this detached palace.

"Since I've come to a new place where I can live freely, I don't want to be irresponsibly praised and used. I don't have the talent to navigate political matters, nor the courage or bravery to fight in wars."

"Then, I should pretend to be a creature with different qualities. The range of magic I can handle is broad, so I can be anything."

"Among the creatures here, which one is the least likely to be actively excluded but also not particularly desired?"

"Perhaps a medicine creature. It's the lowest-ranking creature that can be obtained by a human song-begger, but it is necessary for human life. In such an organization, it doesn't need to be carried around, but owning it can be beneficial."

Nea tilted her head, considering the current situation.

She has heard that if a magician were to cast a transfer spell, moving to the capital would be easy.

Given that they have protected Nea, who received the oracle and was being searched for, she thought they would return to the capital or a base city the next day, but perhaps that's not the case.

"If we move to the base city, wouldn't a medicine creature be common?"

Twisting her body to look up, he raised one eyebrow and smiled slightly.

"Yes, you don't know why you were sought after. Currently, the song-beggers in this world are in a temporary state of conflict. They are engaged in a battle over a certain achievement, and the country's song-beggers are on the front lines."

"......What?"

A complete lack of explanation regarding a matter of life and death.

This was the moment when Nea, who considers herself a fragile civilian, first felt the urge to kill her current fiancé.