A year passed in the blink of an eye.
Today was my graduation ceremony.
The graduation ceremony at Ranoa Magic University.
My graduation ceremony.
A procession I'd always watched from the student council side.
Now I was attending as one of the graduates, clad in the uniform I hadn't worn much lately.
Surrounded by classmates whose faces I barely recognized, I listened to the headmaster's speech.
It was exactly the same speech I'd heard several times before.
He was probably reading from the same script every time.
It was nice not having current students in attendance for occasions like this.
But I didn't feel particularly nostalgic.
Partly because I hadn't come to the school very often.
I'd barely taken any classes, and in the end, I didn't even show up to homeroom.
I was basically just enrolled on paper.
Still, when I submitted a research paper on chantless magic along with a report on its pedagogical methods, I received a C-rank magic guild certificate...
Even so, it would be hard to ask me to feel sentimental about it.
But I had plenty of memories.
Reuniting with Sylphie, becoming friends with Zanoba and Cliff,
making a habit of harassing Linia and Pursena,
telling Nanahoshi stories about Japan over drinks with Badigadi, laughing together...
Saying farewell to that kind of place.
When I thought about it that way, tears almost came.
Ah, so this is what nostalgia feels like.
I see. It runs deep.
---
Anyway.
Over this past year, I'd accomplished what needed to be done.
Most importantly, groundwork in Asura was complete.
I'd spent several months in the Asura Kingdom, setting up a mercenary corps branch, a Zanoba Shop branch, and a factory for manufacturing goods.
None of it would have been possible without Ariel's help.
She'd been easy to recruit as an ally.
When I formally asked her to cooperate with Orsted, she gave me the reassuring words, "That was my intention from the start."
On top of that, Ariel had gathered people from her own faction and thrown a party.
The pretext was to give me—a stand-in for giving her faction a connection to the Dragon God, one of the Seven Great Powers—a chance to network.
Since it was her faction, most attendees were people under Ariel's influence.
In other words, people who would hold important positions ten or twenty years down the road, with Ariel backing them.
Most of them were yes-men for Ariel.
But a few stood out as having a different flavor.
Like Water Emperor Isolete.
Or Sword King Nina, who had shown up at the venue for reasons I couldn't fathom.
It was great that members of both the Water God style and Sword God style were cooperative toward Orsted.
When I relayed this to Eris, she immediately took off saying she'd handle persuading Nina—but I still hadn't heard how that turned out.
The three of them had apparently hung out for a while, but I hadn't asked about the results.
I didn't have high expectations, but if Nina came to trust me through her connection to Eris, that would be a huge help.
Honestly, most people didn't really understand that Laplace would revive in eighty years.
So I suspected my recruitment pitch had come across as somewhat perfunctory.
But Ariel held the reins for their faction.
So that was fine.
Our reliable Asura branch chief.
When I reported to Ariel that "Eris gave birth to a boy—that makes three children now," she was delighted.
And then, with a mischievous look on her face, she said:
"How about arranging a marriage between one of your children and a child of the Asura royal family? That would make our alliance unbreakable, wouldn't you think?"
I believe she was being sincere.
I instinctively thought, "You've got to be kidding," and strongly pushed back, but bearing lots of children and marrying them off to powerful people with whom you had established connections—that was probably normal politics for Asura.
The others, aside from Ariel, would probably find it somewhat scary to have the invisible Orsted and the enigmatic me as their backers.
But if one of my relatives was engaged to someone in Ariel's circle, that would at least ease their concerns.
Family bonds run deep.
That said, I had no intention of using my children that way.
Well, if one of them actually came to me saying they wanted to marry a prince or become a princess, I'd consider it.
Anyway, Asura was firmly in the bag—that much was not an overstatement.
Ariel at the helm, her nobles, a faction of the Water God style.
If we were lucky, the people of the Sword Sanctum as well.
And the Lujerald doll and picture book manufacturing factory and retail outlets were running smoothly.
Combined with the mercenary corps (transport division), we could distribute Lujerald dolls across most of the Central Continent.
Perfect.
Ideally, Lujerald would find his way over here soon and make contact.
Next, I was preparing to expand into the Dragon Kingdom, leveraging my connections through Death God Randolph.
Without someone extraordinary like Ariel this time, it wouldn't be easy.
I estimated at least two to three years, maybe more.
The Asura Kingdom had been the tutorial.
The real game started now.
Let me talk about the research results too.
First, Zanoba.
He'd been busy this past year directing the shop's setup and sales operations, so he hadn't been able to engage in research.
It couldn't be helped.
He'd been launching branches in Sharia and Asura simultaneously over the course of a year.
He'd been run ragged.
But thanks to Ginger, a manager from the mercenary corps, and a financial advisor Ariel had provided, the shop itself was running smoothly.
The dolls and picture books were selling well—if not explosively, then steadily.
Especially popular were the literacy practice charts included as bonuses in the later volumes.
It was a bit annoying that the freebie ended up being the most popular item, but I'd chalk that up to a happy accident.
With Ariel and Orsted as sponsors, there was no risk of the shop closing anytime soon, so I wanted them to take their time.
Next, Cliff.
He'd spent this past year deepening his relationship with his family while researching curses.
Specifically, Elinalise's curse and Orsted's curse.
That said, there hadn't been any major breakthroughs.
He was probably up against a barrier that was extremely difficult to overcome.
He'd succeeded in boosting the effectiveness of magical tools, but hadn't achieved a complete cure.
However, thanks to his progress, Elinalise could now go over a year without intimate relations.
Though her own desire wasn't something she could suppress.
And then there was me.
This time, I'd had my own harvest.
While traveling back and forth between the Asura Kingdom and the magic city of Sharia, I'd been thinking about summoning methods for the Magic Armor.
I'd asked Perugius if he knew any good methods, and sought advice from Nanahoshi.
During this process, I noticed a certain rule governing bidirectional teleportation circles.
Whatever was on top of them would be "exchanged" the moment teleportation activated.
In other words, what was standing on Circle A would be transported to B, and what was on B would be transported to A, simultaneously.
Because the activation trigger was the moment something was placed on the circle, this rule had been difficult to notice—but thinking about it, it was a perfectly logical mechanism.
Isn't this a well-known concept?
But recognizing this principle gave me a groundbreaking idea.
I would pre-place the Magic Armor on a bidirectional teleportation circle.
I would carry around an unused teleportation circle scroll, and when the moment came, I'd unfurl it and activate the teleportation.
And—lo and behold—the Magic Armor, already sitting on its circle, would automatically teleport to my location.
I immediately tested this by setting up a Magic Armor in the basement of my office, and it worked perfectly.
Now I could summon the Magic Armor "unit" from anywhere in the world.
It was like calling out, "Come forth, Gundam!"
However, there were limitations: you had to carry a large scroll beforehand, and after summoning, the weight of the Armor would tear the scroll, meaning it could only be used once per scroll.
Usage was limited.
That said, if I carried a matched pair of scrolls, they could also serve as an emergency escape teleportation circle, making this a highly versatile research outcome.
Furthermore, Orsted.
He'd done well too.
He hadn't been able to make a telephone, but he'd created a communication slate.
It was built identically to the "Tablet of the Seven Great Powers" created by the Technique God.
The mechanism worked by having a sub-slate copy whatever was drawn on the main slate.
If each person carried one—main and sub—they could communicate via text at any time.
But it was too heavy and too large to carry around conveniently.
On top of that, it consumed a considerable amount of magic power.
The ideal setup would be to install them at fixed locations.
Like a landline.
For now, the first pair was installed at Orsted's office and in Ariel's private chamber.
Every night, Ariel would kneel before the gleaming slate and say things like, "I shall absolutely defeat those Riders for you."
So much for the research.
Now, let me talk about the kids.
First, Lucy.
Our eldest daughter had turned five.
Last month, a birthday party had been held, and she'd received presents from every family member, looking thoroughly delighted.
She was growing up remarkably well.
I'd thought she was still toddling around and speaking in baby talk just the other day, but recently she'd been walking with firm footing and speaking more clearly—even if still a bit childish.
Her go-to phrases were "No!" and "But!"
On top of that, thanks to Sylphie and Roxy's gifted education, she'd mastered basic magic.
Her daily routine was practicing magic in the morning and swinging sticks around with Eris in the afternoon.
It was like my own days of old.
Lucy herself seemed to take it all in stride, but from the sidelines, it looked incredibly spartan.
Which was why I kept spoiling her.
Perhaps because of this, she'd recently started running to me shouting "Papa!" whenever she saw me.
Adorable beyond measure.
Also, apparently her birthday party had awakened a sense of responsibility as the big sister.
Recently, she'd been looking after Lara and Ars quite a bit.
She apparently considered Leo—who was always with Lara—as a kind of brother too, and doted on him alongside Lara.
The other day, she'd even gotten out a brush and groomed Leo's white fur.
It was a truly heartwarming sight...
Except that the brush turned out to belong to Sylphie.
She'd taken it without permission and gotten dog hair all over it, which earned her a proper scolding.
"But Mama and Leo are both white!"
That was Lucy's defense.
When I chuckled at the funny thing children say, Sylphie got genuinely upset and didn't speak to me for the rest of the day.
The only reason she forgave me was Lucy's mediation.
"Next time I'll use Papa's brush, so please forgive Papa."
So she said.
In the process, one of my brushes was confiscated, but oh well—a cheap price to pay.
Next, Lara.
The two-year-old future savior of the world was, as always, a stoic child who never cried.
That didn't mean she lacked initiative, though.
Now able to toddle around, she roamed the entire house.
She didn't cling to anyone in particular—she simply went here and there on her own, following her curiosity.
This drive was probably inherited from her mother.
One might think she'd be dangerous to take your eyes off of, but the guard dog Leo was always nearby, subtly rescuing her whenever she was about to do something dangerous, so there didn't seem to be a problem.
When she fell asleep wherever she'd wandered off to, Leo would curl around her protectively.
Lara, for her part, seemed to think of Leo as some kind of convenient servant.
Recently, she'd often climb onto Leo's back, grip him firmly, and ride him around.
Once, when Eris tried to take Leo for a walk, she noticed what looked like a backpack on his back—except it was Lara.
Having Leo around was reassuring, but still a little worrying.
Also, for reasons unknown, Lara seemed to be especially fond of Zenith.
She'd often sit on Zenith's lap and gaze up at her face.
Aside from the lack of conversation, it was a heartwarming scene of grandmother and granddaughter.
Finally, Ars.
The one-year-old eldest son was, like his father, obsessed with breasts.
He loved them big and small alike—not just his mother Eris, but also Sylphie and Roxy's smaller ones, and even others like Linia and Pursena's larger ones.
While being cradled against any of them, he wore a thoroughly content expression.
He apparently understood that size and status made no difference.
However, the fact that he also wore a contented expression when he wet himself was somewhat concerning for his future.
For the record, he cried whenever I held him. Immediately.
Even if he was sleeping peacefully, the moment I picked him up he'd start squirming, and the moment his eyes opened, he'd burst into tears as if to say, "What is this thing?!"
He apparently couldn't stand the feel of a man's chest.
I felt like crying too...
Well, I hadn't been present at his birth either, so I couldn't complain, but it did sting a little.
I also worried about whether he'd end up being indiscriminate with women when he grew up.
Once he was a bit older, I'd need to give him a proper, thorough education on that front. Yeah.
That was the state of the kids.
In summary, this past year had been a productive one.
"Let's keep it up next year" was the general sentiment.
---
Anyway, while I was reflecting on the past year, the graduation ceremony had ended.
Of course, I wasn't valedictorian.
There was no way they'd give the top honor to someone who hadn't attended classes—hadn't even taken the graduation exam. Even if they had, I would have declined.
I'd spare the details of the dueling tournament that followed the ceremony.
I'd also skip the confession from some girl who seemed to be after a meal ticket.
And the handshake I received from Vice-Principal Ginaus at the school gate, where she said "I'm glad I recommended you"—I'd skip that too.
Regarding Ginaus, I'd probably still need her help going forward.
Same with Norn, and I wanted to send Lucy to school in a few years too.
When I mentioned that, Ginaus, moved by something, burst into tears.
Around evening.
We all gathered at our usual tavern.
It was Cliff's farewell party.
It doubled as a celebration for my graduation, though since I'd graduated without taking any exams, there wasn't much to celebrate.
I was happy, though.
Yes, Cliff would be departing for the Milis Holy Land in a month.
There, he would begin his fight.
His own personal fight.
Even I wasn't entirely sure what he was fighting against.
Probably half of it was himself, with the other half remaining unclear.
Cliff had been working hard all this time to fight that something.
There had been the incident where he fell prey to Elinalise's venomous fangs along the way.
Using every detoxification technique at his disposal, he had turned his wounds into experience and love, and was now heading off to battle.
"I will become a high-ranking member of the Milis Church. When I do, I'll come back for Lise and Clive!"
Elinalise had listened to that declaration with stars in her eyes.
She was strong.
If it were me—if someone like Roxy said "I'm going to become a Demon Lord on the Demon Continent!" and left, I wouldn't be able to rest easy.
"Believe in his success and wait"—easy to say, but there were countless stories where believing and sending someone off led to a terrible outcome.
On that front, Elinalise seemed to trust Cliff.
She wasn't blindly devoted, but she'd reached a certain level of acceptance.
She was worried, surely, but she was careful not to let Cliff notice.
She hadn't lived all those years for nothing.
That was what I'd thought at the time.
"Rudeus, do you have a moment?"
My perception shifted slightly as the banquet wound down.
Elinalise called me outside just as the festivities were nearing their end.
At that point, I was in a full harem state.
Sylphie was using my right knee as a pillow, sleeping.
Roxy was perched on my left knee, drinking.
Eris had her head resting on my right shoulder, dozing off.
Both my hands were occupied touching something soft on either side, and with the alcohol flowing, I was having impure thoughts like "What if I could have all three at once..."
"...Sure."
But looking at Elinalise's face, my buzz sobered slightly.
She was wearing a serious expression entirely unsuited for a party.
I could guess what she wanted to discuss.
And I understood this wasn't something to talk about while drunk.
I quickly neutralized the alcohol with a detoxification spell, pried myself away from my three wives, and stood up.
"What's wrong, Rudey? Are you cheating? Cheating is bad, Rudey. You should only cheat with me—mmph..."
I silenced the drunk Roxy with a kiss and set her down, propped Sylphie's head on Roxy's lap—
"Nomph~ Rudey's lap is so squishy..."
—rested Eris's head on Roxy's shoulder—
"Rudeus... I want a second boy this time."
—and walked out of the tavern with Elinalise.
It was cold outside.
Winter was over, but the snow in Sharia lingered on.
This cold would continue for a while yet.
"Listen, Rudeus—it's about Cliff. I have a favor to ask."
Elinalise opened with that right away.
I had a rough idea it would be about Cliff.
Elinalise had been troubled this past year too.
It would be impossible not to be.
"I know it's wrong to ask this of you, being Cliff's wife and all, but... I'm still a little worried."
Elinalise said this while exhaling white breath.
From her perspective, Cliff was still a child. He was her beloved husband, but she probably also felt something akin to the feelings one has for a younger brother or a son.
And she was sending him off—of course she'd be worried.
"So, would you mind accompanying him?"
"You're okay with that?"
I couldn't help asking.
Elinalise was supposed to respect Cliff's determination.
"Just watching over the beginning would be enough... Getting off to a smooth start is important, isn't it? Cliff is a capable boy, but integrating into a new group has always been difficult for him..."
Like a shy child...
No, but I understood.
Cliff definitely had that quality.
After all, the fact that he hadn't made a single friend outside of us by graduation proved it.
In the Milis Holy Land, all alone, shunned by those around him, yet still doing his absolute best to persevere...
Ah, damn it—tears were forming.
"...But I already promised him I wouldn't help."
I wanted Cliff to succeed too.
I wanted him to rise through the ranks of the Milis Church.
He didn't have to reach the very top—I just wanted him to go as far as he could, to push himself to his limit.
Separate from Orsted's mission of gathering allies, I was cheering for him as a friend.
But I'd said I wouldn't help.
Or rather, agreeing to his words a year ago had been the equivalent of that.
"Can't you make an exception?"
"..."
"Just in the beginning is fine. Even if you do nothing, just being available if Cliff runs into trouble—that kind of thing..."
"Hmm..."
I wasn't going to make some macho "man to man" promise.
I was worried about Cliff too.
He had real ability, but he also had weaknesses.
Those weaknesses could become the first hurdle he faced.
Cliff, unable to clear that first hurdle, unable to show any of his good qualities, falling apart.
I didn't want to see that.
If that was the case, maybe lending a hand at the start wasn't such a bad idea.
Cliff might resist, though.
But a friend's strength was also your own strength.
At school, Cliff had found someone who would help him in a pinch.
If I thought of it that way, my help could be considered Cliff's strength too.
Of course, I shouldn't help too much.
"..."
Alright.
My mind was made up.
But would changing my plans affect Orsted's ally-gathering?
I'd been planning to operate in the Dragon Kingdom while Cliff was away in Milis.
I'd told Aisha as much and had her making preparations.
Would there be a problem shifting the destination to Milis?
Opening a Zanoba Shop inside the Milis Holy Land, right under the Milis Church's nose, would be difficult.
But setting up just the mercenary corps first shouldn't be a problem.
I'd start with the mercenary corps, gathering personnel and intelligence.
As for the shop, I could handle the groundwork after Cliff had established himself.
"Understood. I'll go to Milis too."
"...! Thank you, Rudeus!"
Elinalise had wanted to go herself all along.
She wanted to leave Clive at my house and help Cliff in the Milis Holy Land.
But she'd probably promised Cliff that she'd stay home and raise Clive while she waited.
"I should note, though, that whether I help Cliff or not will be my own judgment. I hope you understand."
"Of course, I understand."
Elinalise visibly relaxed.
Supporting your husband by handling all the logistics behind the scenes...
I had no complaints about my own wives doing the same.
She really was a fine woman.
---
The farewell party ended.
I brought my three drunk wives home and tucked each into bed.
The children were already in bed.
Being able to come home drunk while leaving young children behind was all thanks to Lilia and Aisha.
I returned to the living room to thank them.
There was also the matter of Elinalise, and I wanted to discuss the next branch setup with Aisha.
But when I entered the living room, I sensed a heavy atmosphere.
Norn, who had left the party early.
Lilia and Aisha, who had stayed behind.
The three of them were huddled together with grim expressions.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, big brother... Here, take a look."
In front of them was a letter.
I picked it up.
The sender was "House Latreia."
I recognized the name. It was Zenith's family.
A letter had finally returned from the Milis Holy Land.
It was addressed to me but had been opened—I decided to let that slide.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
"We acknowledge receipt of your report.
Our daughter Zenith is said to be in a state of severe mental impairment.
We hereby order that Zenith be brought back to the Latreia main house immediately.
If the relevant parties are present, Norn Greyrat and Aisha Greyrat are also to be brought along.
—Countess Claire Latreia, House Latreia"
It was an extremely brief message.
One could read it as straightforward.
No—calling this a letter was a bit of a stretch.
It was an order.
"After all this time, a letter like this..."
I started to say, but stopped.
Come to think of it, I'd sent my letter about five years ago.
The Milis Holy Land was far from here—even by horse, the journey took two years.
The postal system in this world wasn't particularly developed.
Letters could end up wandering through all sorts of strange places.
A carrier could be attacked by monsters, and the letter itself could be destroyed.
So a five-year turnaround could actually be considered reasonable.
"Huh? Is this the only letter?"
"Yes, that's all."
Lilia answered.
There was no sign that another letter had been included and concealed.
"I see..."
For a recipient several years away, it was a remarkably short letter.
No—perhaps that was precisely why.
House Latreia would have known that letters traveling such distances were unreliable.
They'd probably written several copies, anticipating the possibility that some wouldn't arrive.
Keeping the message short and command-like ensured that even if a letter was the only one to arrive, the essential meaning wouldn't get lost in a wall of text.
The commanding tone was probably because they wanted Zenith back no matter what.
"Ugh..."
"...Grandma hasn't changed, has she?"
That was my thought, but my sisters reacted differently.
Norn sighed openly, and Aisha stared at the letter with a cold expression.
Both of them wore faces that said they never wanted to hear that name again in their lives.
Judging from their reactions, this Claire must have been the kind of person who wrote letters like this.
"..."
I noticed that even Lilia had a complicated look on her face.
Was this Claire person really that unpleasant?
I'd never met her, so I couldn't say.
"What do you intend to do, Master?"
Lilia looked up and asked me.
My answer was decided.
I'd been looking for an excuse to go to Milis anyway.
This was a blessing in disguise.
"Based on the contents, I suppose I have no choice but to take Mother to Milis."
"..."
"..."
The sisters and my mother-in-law exchanged glances.
I'd apparently said something wrong.
Was Claire really that bad?
But if a mother heard that her daughter had lost her memory and was essentially incapacitated, anyone would want to see her.
She was her mother.
They must have wanted to find Zenith just as badly.
Zenith had apparently run away from home, but according to Paul, House Latreia had even provided funding to the Fittoa Region search party.
So they had helped, in their own way.
They probably had influence within Milis as well, and it would be wise for me to meet them.
"Well, I'd been planning to visit Milis eventually anyway.
There's a saying about killing two birds with one stone.
It's a convenient opportunity to combine work with personal matters."
"Huh, wait—aren't you going to the Dragon Kingdom starting next month?"
Aisha said in a panic.
Of course, that had been the plan.
I'd been going to set up a mercenary corps in the Dragon Kingdom, establish connections with Death God Randolph and Princess Benedict, and secure a sponsor to maintain the Zanoba Shop.
I'd been counting on Aisha to help with that.
Just as with the Asura Kingdom, I'd had Aisha come to help establish the mercenary corps branch.
She and the personnel she selected on-site would set up the corps.
And within a single month, it would be on its feet.
By the second month, the corps would have separated from Aisha's direct oversight and operate independently.
It was a magical level of competence.
"Now that this letter has arrived, it would be better to move quickly. Prioritizing Milis... and paying a visit to Grandma while I'm at it."
"Ehhh..."
Aisha made no effort to hide her displeasure.
Even though she'd only recently come of age, this part of her hadn't changed at all.
"...Brother, I don't want to go."
Norn said that flatly.
Not "I won't go" or "I can't go"—she didn't want to go.
Unlike Aisha, she didn't make a face about it. She said it with a serious expression.
"This is an important time for school, and I'm on the student council. I can't afford to be gone for months."
"...Yeah, that's fair."
Since I'd graduated, Norn was now in her final year.
One more year—she had to attend classes, take exams, and graduate properly.
Unlike me, Norn had attended school diligently for six years.
If I dragged her away now, those six years would be wasted.
"Um, big brother. I also can't go because, um... right, the rice! The rice harvest you love so much is happening, so I can't leave!"
Aisha said, as though she'd just thought of it.
But I knew the truth.
I knew that Aisha had used members of the mercenary corps to create rice paddies in the countryside and was mass-producing rice there.
I knew that she'd already placed a manager in charge and delegated everything.
I knew it all.
So I could point that out and bring her along.
But Aisha was a fickle one.
If I forced her to come, she'd just do halfhearted work and be a hassle.
On the other hand, without Aisha, I'd struggle to set up the branch.
I couldn't do it alone...
Oh, right.
Even if I went to Milis, there was always the option of not meeting anyone.
"I get it, Aisha. If you really don't want to go, I won't force you.
But at least come as far as Milis with us.
The Latreia visit will just be me, Lilia, and Mother. You can focus on the mercenary corps."
"...Yay! Thanks, big brother!"
Aisha beamed.
She really didn't want to go that badly.
But even Lilia didn't reprimand Aisha for this.
Normally, a remark like that would earn her a lecture and a knuckle sandwich.
"Very well, Master. I'll accompany you."
Lilia bowed with her usual expressionless face, though she herself didn't seem particularly eager to meet Claire.
Considering her position, that was understandable.
Zenith had been a Milis follower.
Her mother was surely one as well.
I didn't know exactly how the Milis faith treated a second wife.
At the very least, they probably wouldn't roll out the welcome mat.
"Lilia, I'm sorry for the trouble."
"Not at all. It's to be expected."
I couldn't look after Zenith properly on my own.
I needed Lilia or Aisha.
At minimum, one of them had to come along.
"Alright, Aisha. That settles it—I'm switching the next branch from the Dragon Kingdom to the Milis Holy Land."
"Roger. When do we leave?"
"Hmm... whenever you're ready, I suppose."
Maybe I should time it to coincide with Cliff.
No particular reason, but the teleportation point was still some distance from Milis.
It wasn't like I was going to help him, so traveling together might not be a bad idea.
"Then, one month from now."
"Roger-roger."
Come to think of it, a grandmother.
What kind of person was she?
Judging from Norn and Aisha's reactions, she sounded terrifying.
I'd tell my wives about the change in plans tomorrow—they'd already passed out drunk.
---
The Dragon Kingdom trip was postponed.
The next mercenary corps branch would be established in the Milis Holy Land.
Aisha grumbled but began preparations nonetheless.
Alongside the stack of papers labeled "Dragon Kingdom," she started creating a new stack labeled "Milis."
Looking at her work, she was probably preparing documents on what kind of personnel each country would need.
This time, without a national power backing us, recruiting and everything else would take more time.
I set six months as the target.
That would tell us whether the venture was feasible or utterly hopeless.
I also decided to inform Cliff.
By a coincidence, I'd received a summons from Zenith's family, so we might as well go together—something like that.
Cliff laughed wryly but didn't seem displeased.
"Sooner or later, you'd end up coming along after all."
That was what he said.
His words were tinged with relief, as if a weight had been lifted.
Maybe Cliff had been anxious too.
I'd said I'd follow when it came to Zanoba's project, but was I not going to do the same for him?
Did my sense of friendship not run as deep as he'd thought?
As if that could be true.
Oh, Cliff.
So, that made four people going to Milis, excluding Cliff.
Me, Aisha, Zenith, and Lilia.
With both Lilia and Aisha gone, the household would be short on domestic help, so Sylphie would stay behind.
As a demon race member, Roxy would face unpleasant treatment in the Milis Holy Land, so she'd stay behind too.
Eris looked like she wanted to go, but Lilia firmly objected.
She said Lady Eris should not visit the Latreia household—there would absolutely be a conflict.
I wasn't sure what she meant by that.
But from Lilia's words, I could tell that Claire of House Latreia was a rather difficult person.
It made sense not to expose Eris to someone like that.
Becoming enemies with Zenith's family wouldn't be pleasant either.
Traveling with an infant was exhausting enough.
So I asked Eris to stay behind as well.
It was a rare occasion where none of my wives were coming along.
...Well, I supposed there had to be times like this.
---
And so, with preparations advancing and our departure imminent, one day—
Sylphie's pregnancy was discovered.