The following week, the Gimul Empire held a festival of restoration, and the Kingdom of Almedia held a victory festival. I was invited to both.
As the core force that drove out the mages of the Magatsu Empire, which had been ravaging the two nations, I was treated like a VIP among VIPs. The kings of both nations personally thanked me, and the officials and citizens welcomed me with open arms.
It was a truly prideful occasion, and I was genuinely happy that peace had returned to both countries. However, to be honest, I was a bit exhausted. Constant welcomes, followed by more welcomes. Enthusiastic cheers, followed by more cheers. It’s quite tiring to be at the center of such a whirlwind for so long.
“Haa, I’m finally back,” I said, returning to Almedia’s Royal Capital with high-speed Flight Magic. I could finally catch my breath.
But… I couldn’t rest yet.
From there, I went straight to the Knight Order Headquarters. I had to report to Ashe.
It felt like a salaryman returning from a business trip. I really wanted to relax soon. Muttering to myself in my heart, I headed towards the Third Squad’s office.
Suddenly,
“Abel, good work with the festivals,” said a stout man walking from down the corridor. It was Irvin, the Minister of Internal Affairs.
Had he come all the way to the Knight Order Headquarters to wait for me? Honestly, I just wanted to rest as soon as possible. I’d rather see Claire and the others than him. Since many of the Third Squad members were also invited to victory festivals in various countries, I’d been seeing them less often lately.
“I couldn’t attend due to other matters, but I saw a report of the recent festival in Gimul. Your speech was magnificent.”
Ah, right. I did have to give a speech at the Gimul Empire.
“Thank you. I’m not particularly good at those kinds of formal occasions.” I replied, trying to be polite to the Minister of Internal Affairs.
“Nonsense. You performed admirably.” Irvin said, seemingly unaware of my true feelings, and spoke with a pleased expression. “Her Majesty the Queen mentioned that you would one day lead the Knight Order. You certainly have the makings of it. You already possess the bearing of someone who can lead others.”
“…Thank you.” You’re praising me too much, or rather, it sounds like overkill. In reality, although Irvin’s smile was genuine, his eyes weren’t. He was a man whose true intentions were impossible to read.
I recalled what Gouras of the Elysion Octa had said during the battle in the Holy Kingdom of Recklom: that there was an enemy within us. What if that enemy was this man?
“…Is something wrong? You have a rather stern expression.” Irvin said with a smirk. He stared at me with those same unsmiling eyes. His sharp gaze seemed to try to see through my every thought. A disturbing gaze.
“Lord Irvin, what… what do you think of the Empire?”
“Why do you ask?” Irvin asked with his smile, his eyes narrowing slightly. I felt a chill run down my spine as if my thoughts were being laid bare.
“Uh, well… ah, you see, the various nations are moving in preparation for the campaign into the Empire’s mainland. I was thinking the war might end soon. And then, how will we deal with the Empire afterwards?” I found myself stumbling over my words.
“Oh, so you’re also concerned about the world’s affairs? Hmm, being skilled in magic alone won’t be enough in the world after the war. It’s good of you to think ahead.” Irvin nodded approvingly.
“Indeed. The Empire is absolute evil. They must be completely annihilated—this is the prevailing sentiment on the continent now. However, my opinion differs. The Empire possesses powerful magic. To destroy it would be an immeasurable loss.”
“…Is it alright to say such things?” Even for someone like me, who isn’t well-versed in politics, the Minister of Internal Affairs holding an opinion that directly contradicts public sentiment feels… problematic.
“Why, this is proof of my trust in you. After all, you’ll be my future son-in-law.” I never said I would marry your daughter, though…
“The Six Great Nations are uniting against the Empire. This movement was brought about by your successive victories against them. Of course, the Empire is not an easy opponent, but if the Six Great Nations unite with you at their center, it should be possible to defeat them.” Irvin continued.
“The Empire has two options: fight to the bitter end until they are annihilated, or surrender. Personally, I would prefer them to surrender. They will likely have to pay a hefty sum in reparations and incur the world’s wrath… but the Empire will eventually recover.”
I listened to Irvin’s words with a cold indifference. This war, which had caused so much suffering and death for so many people… Irvin seemed interested only in calculating his own interests.
“At that time, Aisha wants to be the first country to establish friendly relations with the Empire. And by acquiring their superior magical power, our nation will achieve global dominance—”
It seemed Irvin didn’t want to destroy the Empire. This didn’t necessarily mean *he* was a spy for the Empire, though. I didn’t even know if there *was* a spy in the first place. It just gave me a bad feeling.
A few days later, I was summoned to the Fantasy Kingdom of Rungaria. The beautiful cityscape with its rows of white spires had recovered significantly compared to when I visited during my battle with Kagetora. It seemed they had many users of restoration magic, which probably explained their faster recovery speed compared to other nations. I wished Claire and the others could see this view.
However, I wasn’t here for sightseeing today. I was here to provide magical instruction, as I had been asked to do before. To prepare for the decisive battle against the Empire, having even one more capable mage would be beneficial. At the Queen’s behest, I was to serve as a temporary magic instructor in Rungaria for several days.
“We have been expecting you, Lord Abel.”
“Thank you for having me.”
The higher-ups of Rungaria’s magic troops, the Phantom Ark, bowed deeply to me.
“My, my, thank you for today.” Dorothea said elegantly, standing beside me. She was a beautiful woman dressed entirely in black, with long black hair styled in a hime cut, and she wore a black robe. She gave off an impression of refinement and purity, and she was a powerful individual serving as Aisha’s Court Magician.
Dorothea had been abroad for an urgent matter for some time, but she had returned to Aisha yesterday. And today, she was here in Rungaria immediately. Yes, Dorothea would be assisting me with the magical instruction.
