[Side Lucila] Secret Meeting in the Darkness
◇ ◇ ◇
After the "victory celebration" party had ended, Princess Lucila N. Edelweiss of this country, who had left the venue early, was waiting for someone while admiring the flowers in the garden of the Cloudel family estate.
A figure approached her.
Noticing that the person she had been waiting for had arrived, Lucila turned her gaze from the flowers to the approaching figure and spoke.
"I’ve been waiting for you. Thank you for coming all the way here… Lady Fuuka."
With her greeting, Lucila lifted the hem of her skirt and bent her knees slightly, showing her respect to Fuuka.
"…You don’t need to address me with ‘Lady.’ I’m nothing but a defeated exile now. But I’m not good with formal speech, so this tone is fine with you?"
"Yes, it’s no problem. Then, I will address you as Fuuka as well."
"That’s fine... Now, to get straight to the point. I’ll be blunt. —I want you to create a justification for taking Orn to the Hittia Duchy."
Fuuka made her request, and upon hearing this, Lucila’s expression hardened.
"...So that was your objective all along, taking on the labyrinth expeditions across the land?"
"Yeah. The cult’s actions were quicker than expected, and I was unsure how to maneuver Orn, but the timing was perfect when you asked me to take on the labyrinths, so I decided to use that."
"What are you… no, what exactly is the Hittia Duchy planning?"
"That’s something you don’t need to know. This is the condition for the Kingdom to receive aid from the Hittia Duchy in this war... and there’s no room for negotiation on your part."
While organizing a coalition of neighboring countries, Lucila had also requested aid from the great magical power in the central continent, the Hittia Duchy.
Their response was: "We will support the Kingdom if you accept Fuuka’s demands."
And that demand was, "Take Orn to the Hittia Duchy."
"...Understood. I will come up with a reason to send Orn to the Hittia Duchy. As you said, the debt we owe you is far too great, so there’s no room for negotiation..."
Lucila had already suspected Fuuka’s objective to some extent.
Therefore, she wasn’t particularly surprised by Fuuka’s request. However, the chaos that would ensue if Orn, now hailed as the "Hero of the Kingdom," were to leave for another country would not be small.
Thinking of that, Lucila felt a headache coming on.
Though explorers are not meant to fight on the battlefield, Orn’s presence—or lack thereof—would undoubtedly affect the country’s leadership, the soldiers, and the people’s morale.
In just one year, Orn’s significance had grown that much.
"That’s a relief to hear. I don’t want to stir up trouble either. Also, may I ask you one question?"
"...What is it?"
"You don’t seem all that surprised, but did you know about my request in advance?"
"I had some idea. It’s certain that the Cyclamen Sect is behind the Empire, and behind Amuntzers, who are in direct opposition to that sect, is the Hittia Duchy. No, it might be more accurate to say that the sect is essentially the Hittia Duchy itself."
"...I’m surprised. This country has grasped that much."
Fuuka widened her eyes in surprise at Lucila’s words.
"No, the country doesn’t know. This is just my personal conclusion based on circumstantial evidence from incidents caused by the Cyclamen Sect and Amuntzers, and an analysis of the movements of the Hittia Duchy. Since I don’t have any decisive proof, I’ve never spoken about this to anyone. And I assure you, I won’t reveal it to anyone in the future either."
Lucila had been called a genius since her childhood.
She had achieved the highest scores in the noble academy, a record that still stands unbroken to this day.
What made her a genius was her exceptional ability to analyze and interpret information.
Being in a position close to the heart of the kingdom, she had used that ability to great effect, uncovering many truths behind various problems and incidents occurring within the country and beyond.
Though all of her achievements were credited to her older brother, the crown prince, very few knew of her abilities.
"Looks like we need to reassess Lucila’s threat level."
"If possible, I’d like us to continue having a good relationship."
Lucila gave Fuuka an unreadable smile in response to the heightened wariness.
"You’re a tough one."
"Heh, I’ll take that as a compliment."
"...Let’s leave it at that for now. As for what we discussed earlier, I’ll leave it in your hands."
Fuuka cut the conversation short and made sure to remind her of the request.
"Understood. I’ll have everything arranged by tomorrow."
After confirming Lucila’s response, Fuuka turned and left.
"...Sigh... So, what lies ahead is the inevitable clash between Amuntzers, led by Orn, and the Cyclamen Sect, led by Beria Sans. But before that, I need to find a way to deal with the war with the Empire. ...Truly, a peaceful era feels so distant."
As she watched Fuuka’s retreating figure, Lucila murmured the conclusion she had drawn from the information she had gathered.