—During travel by Porter.
Aria was in slightly high spirits.
When she brought a drink to Clara, who was operating the Porter, Clara noticed her demeanor and accepted the canteen.
"You're in a good mood."
"Huh, ah... yeah."
Clara had sensed that Aria was keeping her distance. It was probably unconscious, but perhaps she resented the fact that Clara had accepted Ludmilla's proposal and joined a faction.
Clara brought the canteen to her lips and immediately recognized it as tea prepared by Monica. The aroma, the drinkable temperature, and the taste—Monica prepared tea with a level of perfection that defied belief for an Automaton.
However, she lacked any considerate touches for anyone besides Lyle, and unless someone specifically asked, the teas she prepared were always tailored to Lyle's preferences.
The Porter, which could traverse even pathless terrain, rolled forward on its large wheels over any ground. When it jolted slightly, Aria grabbed a nearby handrail.
Clara sat in the chair Monica had prepared, and since she was wearing a seatbelt, there was no problem. All she had to do was not let go of her staff. But a bit of tea had sloshed out of the canteen and landed on her lip, stinging with heat.
As she wiped her mouth, Aria turned to Clara.
"Can I ask you something?"
Clara answered while continuing to operate the Porter.
"If it's about Ludmilla's faction, this is the result of my own deliberation. She wasn't trying that hard to recruit you, either. Besides, you might be better off not belonging to any faction, or perhaps starting your own."
"Wh-what, me?!"
Being told to start her own faction, Aria pushed back. Clara found Aria's predictable reaction just a little amusing.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Sorry. It's just that you're under a misconception. Three people are enough to form a faction. And I can't fully trust Novem. Miranda will bring Shannon into her faction, I'm sure. That leaves Gracia, Eliza, and Vera... more or less, everyone has a family or a nation to think of."
Aria looked like she had no idea what Clara was talking about.
"My family certainly has its own considerations..."
"I'm in a much similar position myself. But even if I were to lend my hand to someone else, when you factor in their character and their backing, the options become quite limited. Gracia and Eliza wouldn't serve under anyone. They have their own nations' interests to think of. Miranda's backing is weak — she's essentially been cut off from her family. That's why I chose Ludmilla."
Aria still didn't seem convinced. Clara found herself a little envious when she thought about how honest Aria was. The two of them were complete opposites.
"You're not fond of the idea?"
"...Honestly, I don't think there's any need to follow a woman who's forming a faction. Doing something like that at a time like this just doesn't sit right with me."
Clara capped her water bottle and tilted her gaze slightly upward.
"That's exactly *why* it matters at a time like this. I believe I need Ludmilla to stand against Novem and Miranda. And at the same time, I can keep a close eye on her."
"You're not seriously...?"
Clara pushed her glasses up, letting them catch the light, and offered a small smile.
"The one with the most power right now is Ludmilla. Not as an individual, but on the scale of a nation — she'll support Lyle in ways that matter. I thought it would be better to have someone watching from close by."
Aria looked at Clara and pressed her right hand to her face.
"You're darker than I expected, you know."
Clara let out a soft chuckle.
"That may be so. Perhaps this is about the extent of what I can do. But — no, never mind."
What Clara had almost said at the end was—
(But I find it hard to believe Novem isn't accounting for Ludmilla's movements. And this arrangement... Miranda might have sent Shannon in to keep watch as well. When I think about it that way, the factional struggle is already well underway...)
"Hmm, so you managed to not lose Aria-chan after all. Good for you. If you had, Lyle would definitely have been in serious trouble down the line."
"You— if you're going to talk, get off my back!"
Inside the Jewel. In the room of my memories, Lyle was lying on top of me, pinning me down as if holding my fallen body in place.
Even though she was in a child's body, it felt like being crushed under a massive boulder.
"She's a real trooper, isn't she? Seeing how hard Lyle has it, and feeling like she has nothing compared to everyone else, she tried to step back... Well, after being kicked out of the mansion, she's been with me longer than anyone except Novem. Aria-chan is definitely necessary, though."
I tried to force myself upright, putting all my strength into it, but Lyle just grinned at my efforts and continued speaking.
"Well, it just means we have a relationship where we each need the other. Still, once you've made up your mind, you have to see it through to the end. It's pretty cruel to kiss a woman like that and then not stop her when she tries to pull away."
"You... you little brat!"
I managed to put just enough strength into my arms to lift my body slightly. In response, Lyle dangled her legs and shifted her position.
My force distribution changed, and I ended up flat on the ground once more.
"Nngh!"
"Geez, we're almost at your hometown, Banseim, and you're still in this state? Come on, you can do it. You can't train your body inside the Jewel. You need to use your magic to manage somehow."
"Magic... Come to think of it, didn't you say a while back that magic was poison or something?"
I tried to catch my breath while racking my brains for a way to get up. If she said to use magic, then, simply put, there was the option of causing a small explosion nearby with magic and using the force to knock Lyle away.
That's when I remembered Lyle's words. Once, Lyle had said "magic was poison."
"So you remember. Well, it's not poison now. Or rather, poison and medicine are the same thing. If you know how to use it, it becomes medicine. Of course, at first I thought it was medicine and accidentally used it the wrong way, which caused a huge mess."
I gathered magic in my palm and touched it to the ground, intending to use the explosion to push myself up. However, a saber stabbed down, pinning my hand to the ground.
"Nope. Don't immediately execute your suicide move. Let's think about it again."
"You... you damn brat!"
Thus did I spend my days inside the Jewel, unable to defeat the child version of myself.
After entering Banseim from Kartaphos, we stashed Porter into Box, a Skill, donned robes, and set out disguised as a group of five traveling adventurers.
As we entered a town near the border, there were many mercenaries and a large number of soldiers around.
Only we knew that Kartaphos was not moving under Ludmilla's orders, and the town had a tense, on-edge atmosphere.
Walking beside me, Shannon kept a hand on my robe, gripping the fabric as she scanned our surroundings.
Tough-looking mercenaries and adventurers. On top of that, there were plenty of soldiers too — the whole town felt oppressive. Shannon was scared.
"W-why is everything so dangerous? There were armed people in Baim too, but it never felt this bad."
The reason Shannon was terrified was because brawls were breaking out everywhere. On top of that, people were drinking well before noon, there were plenty of prostitutes around, and it was just an unsavory place overall.
"Probably because we're near the border — things tend to get rough around here. Besides, these people have been through wars time and again. They're bound to be a bit wild."
It was a profession where you never knew when you'd die. They were probably desperate to live in the moment. As the five of us continued walking, my Skills detected a reaction.
A group had recognized us. Their signal shifted from yellow to red, and they started heading our way. Looking past the hems of our robes, they could probably tell most of us were women — so they figured they'd come and strike up a "conversation."
I addressed everyone.
"Group at our diagonal rear. Six of them. They're coming after us. I'd rather not deal with trouble, so let's keep moving and get into the inn."
As we hurried to leave the area, the group quickened their pace to catch up.
Using the Fourth Generation's Skill — UpDown — I slowed their Speed, then slipped into the inn and successfully left the six-person group behind.
—Jumpea.
Having arrived in a southern country, Novem and the others managed to arrange an audience with the king through a merchant.
Perhaps because it was a southern nation, the palace had large windows and excellent ventilation throughout. There were many plants and foods that none of them had ever seen before, and May looked eager to head down to the town at once.
Eva was set to meet with members of her own kind in the south, and she seemed preoccupied with that as well. Apparently there were instruments they had never seen before, and southern songs had a distinctive quality to them. She was practically bursting with curiosity to hear them.
Seated upon a grand throne with two military officers flanking him, King Jule Passoir was a dark-skinned man with pink hair.
He was said to be in his early thirties, but he looked even younger. His features were well-defined and sharp, and there were rumors he had been quite the ladies' man in his youth — a genuinely handsome man. His blue eyes regarded Novem and the others with an appraising look.
Gold ornaments adorned his arms and ears, giving off a vibe somewhat similar to their previous encounter in Selva, yet without any of that nouveau riche gaudiness.
"Well then — shall I say, welcome to Jumpea?"
At Jule's words, Novem and the others bowed their heads.
"It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty. As outlined in our prior correspondence, we would be grateful if you could share your answer with us."
Jule placed his hand against his mouth and leaned back against the throne's backrest. He crossed his legs, striking a pose to indicate that he was thinking.
"I received word of the Four-Nation Alliance only recently. If even the great northern power of Cartafus is cooperating with them, then the situation does gain some substance. However, that said—being suddenly put on the spot like this leaves me at a loss for an answer, frankly speaking. Forgive me, but you'll have to remain in the palace for a while. Don't worry, I don't intend to make you uncomfortable. I simply don't want to make enemies of both the Four-Nation Alliance and Cartafus."
Jule said this with a smile, but Jumpea possessed a navy. A strong one, too, with an established reputation for suppressing pirates.
Novem understood that Jule didn't actually mean them any harm. They were certainly troublesome—she didn't doubt he wanted to avoid problems.
But at the same time, Jumpea, the Four-Nation Alliance, and Cartafus all had a certain distance between them. Jule understood that even if trouble arose, an invasion wouldn't happen so easily.
"Yes, I understand. Then, we will be in your care for a while."
When Novem spoke on behalf of everyone, Jule answered with a smile.
"I'll try to reach a conclusion as soon as possible. Also, I'm pleased to have so many beautiful guests. I think I'll hold a banquet tonight. You must all attend."
Novem and the others accepted the offer with smiles——.
——Inside the conference room of the Jumpea palace, the kingdom's leaders sat upon the floor mats.
Jule occupied the elevated seat, arms crossed before him with documents from both the Four-Nation Alliance and Cartafus spread out before him.
"Well then, what should we do, everyone? An alliance of great powers and small nations. Both are larger in scale than we are. But picking a fight with Banseim is tantamount to gambling."
The leaders offered their respective opinions.
"Should we hand those people over to Banseim and cultivate friendly relations for the time being?"
"Picking a fight with a large country? The current Banseim is unreliable! We can't trust them!"
"That place has been acting strangely lately, hasn't it? Better to leave it be. Wouldn't the wisest course be to politely decline?"
"I hear they're heading toward Banseim after this. They plan to find a friendly lord within Banseim's borders. Why not escort them out politely?"
As the opinions were put forth, Jule summarized them.
"Summing up everyone's thoughts, handing over the envoys is out of the question. Politely decline and see them off to Banseim, is that it... Certainly, that would be the safest path. But can we really overlook Banseim's recent movements? I feel they pose a threat."
The leaders fell silent, considering. Being land neighbors with Banseim, information about the kingdom also reached Jumpea.
Because they maintained a wary distance from each other, neither side had been negligent in gathering intelligence. After all, no one knew when the great power of Banseim might come surging into their homeland.
As a result, the intelligence on Ceres had also been arriving with precision. Their assessments were unanimous: Banseim's current state was abnormal.
Yet even with unified opinions, their proposed responses diverged. The majority favored maintaining their distance as before, and they reached a consensus on the principle of not getting actively involved.
But then, the nations surrounding Banseim began to make their move.
"I thought it would take more time. I'd figured the surrounding nations would move only when Banseim's threat grew day by day to the point of no return... I'd been pushing forward with military expansion in preparation for that moment, but someone got there first."
It was Lyle. Jule had also believed that if the surrounding nations received accurate intelligence on Banseim's abnormality, they would act. That was precisely why he had been pressing ahead with military buildup.
And yet, some man had managed to move the surrounding nations before him. Jule felt the sting of being beaten to the punch, but at the same time, a hint of amusement crept in.
"I thought the time had come to make Jumpea's name known across the continent, but quite an interesting fellow has appeared. Now then, gentlemen... We had intended to eventually take the lead ourselves, but what would you think of not letting this opportunity slip by? Take that into consideration as you discuss."
The senior ministers crossed their arms, and one stepped forward to advise.
"...Our chance to sell ourselves at a premium is now. If we join later, we'll have no leverage. Besides, if Banseim remains untouchable and the surrounding nations fall without our help, what awaits us is annihilation."
Jule rested his chin on his hand and responded to the opinion.
"The four-nation alliance, and the northern power Cartafus are preparing to move. If the nations to the west, centered on Fonbeau, also take action, it could even the odds. What if we sell our support at that point?"
The senior ministers spoke in grave tones.
"If we misjudge the timing, we'll simply be destroyed. The risk is far too great. In the end, if we don't fight, our only option is to surrender. What does Your Majesty think?"
Jule rose to his feet and declared with dignity.
"I'm sorry, but I have no intention of sharing one woman with other men. If I were to surrender and fall under Ceres's enchantment, I'd rather be dead. I'm sorry, but my stubbornness will not permit surrender."
The senior ministers sighed and spoke up.
"Please give us a more reasonable argument. For starters, even if we did surrender, it's unlikely Banseim would continue treating us as they always have."
"That girl called Ceres — is she even human? She's the very image of a kingdom-toppling beauty from a fairy tale. She bewitches men, and then there's her cruelty..."
"Her treatment of dissenters within her own country... it's chilling just to hear about it."
Thus, finally, one of the courtiers spoke to Jewel.
"I believe it would be more prudent to offer active support. However, regarding the male representative—Lyle Walt—we should send one of our own people close to him."
Jewel looked amused.
"My daughters are still young. The eldest is only ten."
The courtiers murmured.
"That is sufficient. But the inability to produce an heir immediately is a problem, isn't it? What about Your Majesty's sister?"
Jewel sat back and shook his head.
"Do you think she would move for my sake? She despises me for being born of a different mother, and I killed her brothers who shared the same."
One of the courtiers held a hand to their head.
"We are agreed on cooperation. We can manage the matter of the concubine. If things go well, she might even become a formal wife. But, Your Majesty... please do not lay a hand on those envoys. All of them are supposedly that man Lyle's women."
Jewel was smiling faintly. The courtiers, sensing a bad premonition, stiffened. Jewel enjoyed seeing their reaction and said, laughing:
"Trust me. Even I know to step back from a woman who is too dangerous. Besides, my gut tells me not to touch her. The fact that he surrounds himself with only such women... it has made me interested in this man called Lyle. I'd like to share a drink with him."
At Jewel's laughter, the courtiers relaxed their shoulders in relief.