——Broa Cadel heard his subordinate's report and let out a sigh.
His office was a bit tidier than before, and the temporary governance was being carried out without issue.
Several months had passed since Banseim began governing Baim's neighboring kingdom, which had been destroyed before a massive army of Monsters.
The man temporarily in command was Broa Cadel. With short, slightly unruly brown hair and an air that suggested a lack of motivation, he was nonetheless a highly competent general stationed in the heart of Banseim.
What troubled him was the negotiations with the neighboring kingdom that had become Baim.
While looking over documents, Broa perused the report he had just obtained.
"A four-nation alliance, even if it is a provisional one. Did they figure there wouldn't be any war for the time being, or did they decide to try profiting off Banseim this time... Death merchants really are a frightening bunch."
Zayin, Rolfis, Galleria, Rusworth... Those nations—small from Banseim's perspective—had banded together, forming an alliance too large to ignore.
Here and there throughout the report, the name Lyle Walt had been written in.
"So the expelled brother really is out there, and making quite the spectacle of himself. Regardless of whether it concerns us, I wonder what those death merchants will do about this."
Just thinking about it gave Broa a headache. The reason he had voluntarily transferred from the capital to this remote location, content to busy himself with work, was that he had noticed the changes taking place in the capital and fled.
But what would the crown princess say if she heard this information?
Leave it alone?
Or order an assassination?
Unable to make that judgment, Broa knew well the whimsical nature of Ceres. She would sometimes cut down those who resisted her without mercy, and other times take her time to break them into submission.
Now, with Ceres backed by the king, the queen, and the crown prince, with the formidable House Walt standing behind her, no one could stand against her.
Those who defied her had their territories ravaged. The territorial lords, knowing this, had kept their mouths shut.
"It really is an unpleasant era. Stories of ancient beauties who brought kingdoms to ruin... they feel a lot more plausible than I'd like."
Even troubled as he was, Broa still had a duty to report.
After setting the documents on the desk, I looked up at the ceiling and rubbed the bridge of my nose with my fingertips.
"The Banseim homeland... negotiating in Central, huh."
Baim was about to officially begin negotiations with the Kingdom of Banseim —.
In a room at a mansion in Baim, I lay on the bed with a towel draped over my head, writhing in misery.
"It's not my fault, it's not my fault, it's not my fault..."
The reason I was this terrified was that a treaty had been formally signed between the four nations, forming an allied state. There was no official name for it yet — it was all still just administrative-level arrangements — but you could call it smooth sailing.
The problem was that Galleria and Rusworth were claiming that an engagement had been arranged between me and the representatives.
Documents arrived from Zayin and Rolfis, demanding an explanation.
That wasn't the real issue.
Well, it was an issue too, but since it had already become fact, there was no undoing it. What I cared about most was the person inside the Jewel.
Even though it was on the desk rather than the bed, the voice sounded as if it were right beside me.
"...I wanna see... the garters..."
It was Lyle's voice. Because this person had told me to, my grown-up self ended up asking everyone to prepare garters — and I'd even gone so far as to add the condition that they had to be for someone who turns me on.
If only she had gotten angry right then and there. If she'd just gotten angry and that had been the end of it, everything would have been settled.
From inside the Jewel, I could hear Mireia's cheerful voice. She was still upset that she hadn't been able to see my grown-up self.
I had a feeling she was the type to hold a serious grudge if you made her angry.
"Lyle, you have to keep your promise. Come on, let's go look at the underwear everyone bought. Don't be shy — some of it was even custom-made. It'll be fun~"
If only they had pushed back and refused — but no, Novem and the others had gathered to discuss it, and the moment they returned to Baim, they commissioned Monica and the others to make the underwear.
And the enthusiasm they'd poured into the shopping trip — going so far as to have everything specially tailored... it was all to spite me.
Since they never expected I'd actually agree to it, even I couldn't contain my excitement.
"I think stockings would be good too."
The Third Generation agreed with that opinion.
"Those are nice, aren't they?"
I sensed a presence in front of the door — and then—
"Gah!"
—was what happened.
On the other side of the door was Aria. Perhaps this was payback for me trying to escape from the battlefield, as she had been searching all over for me.
"Come on, come out, Lyle. You want to see the underwear, right? I've prepared all sorts of things to show you. Hurry up~"
Knowing I was trying to escape, Aria was playfully cornering me.
"Y-You see, I'm not feeling well today, so maybe tomorrow..."
Inside the Jewel, the Successive Heads were disapproving of Aria's actions. Especially the Third Generation.
"You just don't get it. The whole point is being shy about it. Even if Aria is doing this as payback, it's not even slightly alluring."
The Fifth Generation seemed completely uninterested.
"...Rather than underwear, could we get more of May's outfits?"
The Seventh Generation sighed.
"This is why adventurers are... they ought to have more shame."
My face was burning with embarrassment, and I wanted to flee. Everyone had understood this would happen, and they had all enthusiastically prepared for this exact scenario as payback.
Aria, in particular, was boldly pressing me because she knew I wouldn't dare look at the underwear. It was frustrating, but I was too embarrassed to even try.
Setting aside a normal encounter with Aria, with everyone else watching too... just imagining it made my face flush red, and I grew increasingly frustrated at Aria taunting me from right outside the door.
"I went through all the trouble of picking these out. Oh, so you don't want to see them? I guess your talk about underwear with all that enthusiasm was all a lie~"
The one who passionately rambled about underwear was the grown-up me.
I had ordered all of them to wear the kind of underwear that would make me want to look even more. I regretted it afterward and squirmed in embarrassment, but they used that against me, pestering me relentlessly.
So... it's not my fault. And yet, Lyle would say...
"Uhi~! But when someone tells you to look this closely, you just wanna stare and make them embarrassed right back! Watching Aria—who's usually so rough—blush... I think that's totally doable!"
She was really getting into it.
Meanwhile, Fidel Trace was at his estate, reading reports with a pleased look on his face.
In his office, he went through the incoming reports, and the thought of future profits nearly made him unable to stop laughing.
"Excellent. I hated the idea of investing in that freeloading bastard, but thanks to the four nations forming an alliance, ports are going to mean even more. Building them will take time and money, but once they're operational, factoring in usage fees... I should be able to recoup the investment within ten years. Good thing I ordered those new ships. In my generation, the Trace family will grow even larger."
He had secured ports in Galleria and Rusworth—nations with coastlines—and even obtained exclusive usage rights for them.
In Baim, the city of merchants, the Trace family's influence would only grow further. And even with the alliance reducing warfare, other goods would start selling as well.
For the Trace family, there was no problem at all.
"That freeloading bastard... his skills are genuinely impressive. I hate to admit it, but he's competent. If he hadn't deceived Vera, he could have been a fine partner... Hah, what am I even saying! Damn it, is this some kind of trap of his too?!"
If his daughter weren't involved, the competent Fidel would have grumbled all that while getting back to work—
Somewhere in Baim.
Merchants and Guild executives had gathered to discuss matters.
They were the ones who profited from war, and they had assembled here to safeguard their mutual interests.
Unlike usual, they met in a small room—merchant representatives and Guild executives locked in discussion.
"The Trace family has exclusive port access in two countries? That's going to make things even harder for us on the opposition side."
"The Four Nations Alliance... fewer wars is bad for business."
"Just sell to the adventurers. Weapons, equipment—they'll buy it all. The real problem is the mercenary companies."
"If we run out of work, couldn't we just go slay some Monsters?"
"That alone wouldn't be enough to sustain a mercenary company. The dungeon subjugation we were given priority on before—that didn't exactly turn out to be a major profit either."
While Fidel was one who had profited thanks to Lyle, there were others who hadn't. Many mercenary companies would also be in trouble if wars dried up nearby.
That was because they would need to relocate their bases. If they decided they couldn't make a living in Baim, they would leave right away. But Baim had reasons it wanted to keep the mercenary companies around.
Baim was a unique metropolis.
The bulk of its fighting force consisted of mercenary companies and adventurers. In such a situation, losing the mercenary companies was a serious problem for Baim. We weren't talking about ten or twenty percent.
If things went badly, the number of remaining mercenary companies could drop to just ten or twenty percent of what they were now. That would also reduce those who commissioned work, so the Adventurers' Guild southern branch couldn't simply ignore the issue.
"It's Lyle. Wouldn't it be unwise to leave that brat running free like this?"
"...As much as it stings, he's a hero who saved the nation. If we lay a hand on him, it'll become a problem. Besides, word about the defensive battle had already started circulating before we knew it. If we make a move, people will think we were behind it."
"That brat! He's spreading rumors that make us look like the villains! He's the one who said he'd take the job! And we only sent the request for reinforcements once! He left without even trying to negotiate!"
"So that's how the story of us abandoning him came about. But facts are facts, aren't they? We didn't tell any lies."
The assembled members all resented Lyle bitterly. There was no denying that Lyle was the hero who had saved Baim, and doing anything to such a Lyle would cause problems.
It was then that one of the Guild executives spoke up.
"Celeste Walt, who has her family's backing in Banseim... She's the crown prince's consort, but apparently quite cruel. There's said to be ongoing civil unrest within Banseim. And she's that Lyle's own sister. Couldn't we make use of this?"
Even after hearing this, everyone's response was little more than a vague "I see."
"That sort of thing does happen from time to time. Well, it is a profitable moment for us—weapons are flying off the shelves, and other goods are selling too. But are we really going to use her?"
"The mercenary companies have already started heading for Banseim. Can't we stop them somehow? Baim's military forces will be depleted at this rate."
The Guild executive—the southern branch executive—spoke with a slight smile.
"Having Lyle around draws Banseim's hostility. That's all we need to say. Let's spread that rumor too. And then hand Lyle over to Ceres."
The assembled members at the scene were.
"That idea was floated before, but he was already expelled. What's the point of bringing it up now?"
"Just tell them he intends to be hostile. If we say the coalition exists precisely for that purpose, even Baim won't be able to ignore it, will they?"
The coalition was a gathering of small nations. But united, they wielded that much greater a force. Twenty to thirty thousand troops was no exaggeration, and if pushed, they could probably field twice that.
The executives around the table exchanged glances and nodded to one another.
"...He's gotten a bit ahead of himself, is what you're saying. But the Trace family and a great many other merchant houses have invested in him. If they push back, forcing this through will be difficult."
"...It can be done. The Trace family has been stretching themselves thin lately, it seems. They've expanded to new ships on top of it, and they threw considerable support into the last wars involving Galleria and Rusworth. The head of House Trace is soft on his own people—he'd never expect his own daughter to make a move."
Upon hearing this, everyone turned their eyes toward the southern branch executive, silently urging him to explain further.
Something big could very well erupt within Baim.
The southern branch executive spoke with a delighted look on his face.
"Gina Trace has told us that if we support her lover as the next head of the house, she's willing to go along with our plan and drive her father out. My, my—even a merchant's daughter can be terrifying."
Everyone recognized the name; they'd heard the rumors of her ill-fated love affair. But the thought that she would go that far turned their surprise into satisfied smiles.
"Perfect. If that's all the ambition she has, she'll be easy to manipulate."
"A girl who works in our favor—how convenient. We really ought to congratulate her on the marriage to her lover. Shall we send a gift?"
"That's well and good, but we need to lay the groundwork first. While we're at it—let's purge the Trace faction from Baim."
The plan was taking shape.
Lyle was about to lose her most powerful backer in Baim——