JUL 6, 2019 ~ LUMINSTIA

As they didn’t know when the commerce and industry meeting hall which had a gaping wide and big hole in the floor will collapse, the headquarters of Euchemard’s party was changed to the mayor’s private residence .

Looking down at the garden which was busy due to the sudden moving from the balcony, Euchemard combed his beard down .

「Contrary to expectations… rumours are unreliable…」

「Is it about Amaddo’s Crown Prince?」

「Do you also think so?」

「Yes」

Cyril, who had failed to catch the Amaddo’s party and come back, knelt in front of Euchemard with the readiness to be reprimanded, but the royal prince of Yururogu didn’t blame him for that .

If he had seriously intended to capture them, he should make a surprise attack when luring them to the negotiating table, capture Isaac first and press the remaining people to surrender . Euchemard, who said that the responsibility lay with him in the first place since it was him who purposely didn’t do so and had jokingly said to try listening to the other side’s opinion, was even raising his lips happily instead .

「Which part of him is a wastrel son who has a mania for rose—his appearance looks weak, but as one would expect of the only son of the famous Jeffren Francesc, he inherited his boldness from his father…」

Cyril also felt the same way about that . That determination, which didn’t match his young age, to evasively sidestep and not let his mind be read easily was surely the embodiment of extrordinariness of the young man called “Jeffren Isaac” . Moreover, he also had the strategic shrewdness to use the reinforcement that he had hidden under the cover of the darkness and escape as it was .

「However, to have let them escape like that was a mistake . …If it becomes a situation where Amaddo really give support to Haiderota because of this—」

「That probably won’t happen…」

Sentinels who carried spears on their shoulders were coming and going in the courtyard where watch fires were burning . Although they ended up suffering more than 100 casualties as a result of trying to capture Amaddo’s Crown Prince, it probably didn’t have much effect on the general situation .

「—Rather, I can be certain that Amaddo won’t put its back into intervening in this battle . If they had that intention, they probably won’t send in the son who didn’t even have an official letter… that’s most likely the youngster who happened to be staying in Aurillac merely coming uninvited of his own accord…」

「It’ll be good if that’s the case though」

「If Jeffren Francesc appears on the battlefield, it’ll also be nice to try facing him once though…」

「Your Highness」

「Forgive me, Cyril . It was a joke…」

As expected, the old general who had continued to fight against Haiderota which possessed a power that was twice his own country’s over a period of several decades probably liked battles on the battlefield .  Those few words just now was filled with a real feeling which one couldn’t a.s.sert that it was a mere joke .

Euchemard returned into the room and sat down on a sofa together with a faint smile .

「…In the first place, that country is one that will try to weaken Haiderota’s national power if there’s a chance . Wanting to take advantage of this and watching the dispute between Aurillac and us from a high place might be the truth . If so, the whole country probably won’t give a.s.sistance to Aurillac . They might lend a hand for form’s sake at the most, let us obtain the victory of the battle itself and try to weaken Aurillac」

「Indeed…」

Was it the hobby of this place’s mayor, or the result of his family doing a helpful thing; very good wine were collected in the cabinet of this study . While letting Lampito cling around his waist, Cyril opened the cabinet and took a wine bottle out .

「For Amaddo, Aurillac and us going down together is the ideal thing… that being the case, even if Amaddo really does partic.i.p.ate in the war for argument’s sake, that’ll probably be after both sides become exhausted」

Cyril, who had poured brandy into a somewhat large gla.s.s and put it onto the table in front of Euchemard, stroked the hilt of the sword on his waist for no particular reason .

「Umu… appearing with a triumphant expression at the time when the battle seems to have ended and trying to just profit from it as a mediator in name only—if it was the previous Amaddo’s king, he’d certainly do so, but it’s possible that the current king might also do so . That country had been cleverly intervening in its neighbouring countries’ disputes like that and expanding its influence, after all…」

「However, we won’t let it become like that this time . We’ll settle it before Amaddo intervene」

「It has to be that way…」

Euchemard, who had gulped down the brandy and heaved a long sigh, looked at the tear that was made on the shoulder of Cyril’s military uniform and his eyebrows wriggled .

「…How’s your wound?」

「I just treated it simply . —To have ended with this degree is a good fortune though」

「Hou…?」

「In regard to what Lampito said, that Valeria Costacurta and the young man behind her seem to be the pair who had interfered with the abduction of Sigibert that night as expected」

「I see… no wonder they’re so talented」

「And one more thing, the sword which that young man was using was fundamentally similar to the one which this petty official has . Furthermore, he’s skilled in handling it」

「That thing with which magic becomes usable even to an ordinary person, huh…」

「Hai . …However, he was properly using multiple magic with that one sword . The craftsmanship of the sword itself seems to be quite different . As expected, we should judge that this sort of research is quite advanced in Amaddo」

「If that’s the case, we must get Amaddo to stay out of this more and more until we can stand on the same stage…」

「Hai」

Cyril who had nodded at Euchemard’s words looked down at Lampito, who was sitting down on the floor and playing with her hair, and secretly sighed again, thinking why didn’t this girl sustain a single scratch despite chasing the same enemy .