Silvia and her party left Amamiya Tower following Kousuke’s instructions. They entered the capital of the Santo-Emengo Kingdom after about five days.
They passed through two small countries en route, but to avoid any problems, they only went through their checkpoints and used Mitsuki’s magic for shortcuts.
Silvia and her group secured a room at an inn in the capital and were recuperating from their journey.
“So? What do we do now?”
“For a while, we wait. They’ll know we’ve arrived in the capital through Elisamil (God), just as we’ll know they’re waiting.”
“I see.”
Mitsuki, who had asked the question, nodded at Silvia’s reply.
Given that the gods were moving behind the scenes, it was clear that Kousuke was serious about this matter. Of course, the gods’ involvement was merely as intermediaries, not direct participants. However, Kousuke felt the need to convey something to the other party, even to this extent. Silvia and her party’s visit to the Santo-Emengo Kingdom was essentially as Kousuke’s messengers.
Silvia made a gesture of relief, and Peach asked something unexpected.
“So? Silvia, what are you worried about this time~?”
“Eh? Really?”
Peach suddenly brought this up for a good reason.
“Hey now~? When Mr. Kousuke told you about the requirements for this mission, you had that kind of expression.”
“I didn’t notice anything. If you have any concerns, please tell me now. It would be troublesome if something happened during the actual event.”
Silvia tilted her head, not understanding what Peach meant by her worry. Finally, she realized what Peach was referring to and shook her head.
“Ah, no. It’s not that there’s something with our requirements.”
“If it’s not ‘ours,’ then does something else concern you?”
Mitsuki’s confirmation led Silvia to nod in agreement.
“Yes. I wasn’t really hiding it…”
With that preamble, Silvia began to speak about a concern she had before departing.
Mitsuki and Peach listened to Silvia’s concern and nodded.
“I see. I understand why you’d be worried about that.”
“But there’s nothing we can do from such a distance~”
“Right. In this case, the tricky part is that Colette herself might not be aware of it. It’s a bit too much to be so oblivious.”
Mitsuki said this with an exasperated tone, and Silvia responded with a wry smile.
“In a way, it can’t be helped. For Colette, she probably never thought it would happen to her.”
“Well, I can’t entirely disagree. Given her species, it’s understandable.”
At Mitsuki’s words, all three of them sighed simultaneously.
“Well, there’s no point in us worrying about it from afar. For now, let’s place our hopes on those in the management layer.”
Mitsuki said this as if to resign herself to the situation, and Silvia nodded, though her expression darkened slightly.
“That’s our only option, but the one person likely to realize the reason is Floria.”
As Silvia murmured this, Mitsuki and Peach looked at each other with a “Come to think of it” expression.
“…It can’t be helped. Let’s at least contact Kouhi. She should act if the situation calls for it.”
Mitsuki said this with a look of not holding out much hope.
Kouhi moves at a speed faster than Mitsuki when Kousuke is involved, but otherwise, she can sometimes show no interest at all. However, since Kousuke was also involved this time, she was expected to act properly.
“Yes. Considering my child, I think that’s the best course of action.”
Kouhi was actively participating in the child-rearing of Kousuke’s children. It was originally said that she should fill in for Kousuke, who would have liked to spend more time with his children, but it was undeniable that she worked harder than a wet nurse. Silvia even believed that Colette’s talent had grown so much not because of her own efforts, but because of Kouhi’s significant influence. With Kouhi involved, Silvia felt slightly reassured, nodding slightly, believing that there wouldn’t be any major problems.
***
King Pedro of the Santo-Emengo Kingdom nodded after receiving the report from Camilo.
“So, they defended properly on their side today as well?”
“Yes! While all the summoned beasts they brought out were low-level, the number had increased significantly compared to the other day.”
“Hmm. I wondered what their intentions were, but did they simply give up on the first day?”
King Pedro rubbed his chin with his hand and voiced his thoughts. This was typical of King Pedro’s demeanor, so Camilo didn’t react to each instance.
“And what was the outcome?”
“Yes. Similar to the previous day, it seems many of the monsters had undergone species evolution.”
“Hmm. So, the ancestral wisdom was correct after all.”
King Pedro nodded several times at Camilo’s report.
The reason King Pedro initiated a suppression battle against Amamiya Tower this time was not to seize the tower itself. In a suppression battle, combat can be stopped at any moment if both parties agree. This is known as a “settlement.” King Pedro intended to propose a settlement immediately if he achieved a certain result in this suppression battle. One of those results was the evolution of monsters, which Camilo had just reported.
The royal family of the Santo-Emengo Kingdom had a tradition passed down through generations that many surviving monsters would evolve after participating in suppression battles. King Pedro himself had never initiated a suppression battle before, so he had only heard it as a story. However, this incident served to confirm it. If a certain number of evolved monsters were produced at this rate, King Pedro would be satisfied. It was unexpected when, immediately after declaring war, information that could put them at a disadvantage was leaked through Razek Amamiya to Amamiya Tower. It was entirely King Pedro’s mistake to not anticipate that they would engage in an information war during a tower battle. From a national perspective, it was a logical move, but because it had never happened before, he had completely overlooked it. That they narrowly avoided being put at a completely disadvantageous position was purely a matter of luck. And concerning the crucial battle in the tower, he had been uneasy during the first engagement when the opponent seemed almost defenseless. However, with today’s results, King Pedro felt somewhat relieved.
After seeing Camilo off as he left the room, Pedro met with someone else. That person was Ada, a shrine maiden belonging to the temple. However, Ada felt indebted to the kingdom for having been saved in the past, so her loyalty lay more with the kingdom than with the temple. Knowing this, King Pedro valued Ada more than other priests and shrine maidens. However, this time, he directed a displeased expression towards Ada.
“What is it? Have you come to scold me about the tower again? As I’ve said many times, I have no intention of stopping until I achieve results!”
Ada had opposed this suppression battle until the very end. This was, of course, partly because the ruler of Amamiya Tower, the opponent, was an Avatar. Nevertheless, for a certain reason, her claim should have been withdrawn by herself. To King Pedro, Ada shook her head.
“No. It’s not that. As I said before, it seems I’ve received an oracle stating that a suppression battle conducted through normal procedures is not problematic, so I will say no more on that matter.”
As Ada stated, the gods had given an oracle that they did not intend to intervene in this suppression battle, even though the opponent was an Avatar. And it was because of that oracle that King Pedro had decided to proceed with this suppression battle.
“Oh? Then what is it today?”
“I have received a new oracle.”
“What!?”
King Pedro raised an eyebrow at Ada’s statement, which he could not ignore. He was wary, thinking the gods had suddenly decided to call off the operation. However, the oracle Ada received was unrelated to such concerns. Hearing Ada’s unexpected words, King Pedro immediately gave instructions to someone nearby. Silvia, who had casually noticed Colette’s issue. Perhaps some of you can guess Colette’s situation from this story? lol
Meanwhile, this is the story from the Santo-Emengo Kingdom’s side. The kingdom has obtained considerable information about Amamiya Tower and has no intention of trying to seize it. They intend to withdraw as soon as they achieve their profitable goals. He is a king who appears to be a realist. And Kousuke being Kousuke, it could be said they are two of a kind lol
