In any case, with the matter settled, Raid once again addressed the whole group. “We’re leaving for the Second World in a week. Those coming with—make sure you’re ready to head to Old Palmare. Those staying—take to your tasks, and good luck while we’re gone. That’s all. Dismissed!”
“Ms. Alma, Wisel!” Millis called. “Is there anything you want from our world?”
“Not really,” replied Wisel. “I’m sure you can pick out something good for us.”
“Same here,” Alma drawled. “Edward’s one of the personnel we plan to recruit, and I’m sure he’ll bring whatever theses and papers we need even without my instruction.”
Millis hummed. “Edward... That’s Raid’s older brother, right?”
“Yep. You see, I needed someone to take after my work while I was here, but Philia couldn’t handle it all on her own, so I invited him to serve as my assistant instructor in Vegalta. He’s technically research staff, but he’s also got a good grasp of combat thanks to his daily spars with his little sister.”
“Oh...?” Millis’s eyes began twinkling. “Ms. Alma, I rarely hear you give such high praise!”
“Well, he deserves it—he’s such a good find. He tidies up all the clutter in my research room, organizes my scattered documents, buys snacks for me when I get hungry late into the night, and so on... Frankly, I think every office needs an Edward.”
“The more you praise him, the more he sounds like an errand boy!”
“I mean, I did say I invited him to be my assistant, didn’t I?”
“But... But I was imagining something more, you know...” Millis vaguely waved her hands in the air before slumping over. “Oh, never mind...”
Alma looked at the girl with a raised eyebrow but eventually shrugged it off. Instead, she turned to the rest of the group—Norn, Ariel, and Valtos—and called them over with a gesture. “All right, you guys, come along. I’ll give you a briefing of what the Second World is like. Oh, and you, Valtos—make sure to pay attention. You’re the most likely to cause a problem over there.”
“You dare call me by name?! I am the crown prince and a Hero of— Ack!” Suddenly, a skeletal arm manifested behind Valtos and sent the large man flying.
“Yes, yes, we heard you the first time. You say that again and you’ll be receiving another knuckle sandwich and a shock from Millis, so you’d best keep quiet now.”
The skeletal arm then grabbed Valtos’s limp body and dragged him out of the throne room, followed by the rest of the group. Such rough treatment would’ve been unthinkable back when he was the crown prince, but unfortunately for him, he was currently no more than an arrogant civilian claiming to be the next in line for the throne.
Once they had vacated the room, Eluria walked over to the only other person left inside. “Raid...”
“Hey. Still got some questions?”
“No... I just wanted to say that the lunch you made for me was delicious.”
“Oh. Well, thanks.” Raid patted her head with a grin. “You stayed behind just to say that. This is why I love cooking for you.”
Eluria’s lips curled into a small smile for a moment, until her expression sank a little. “Raid... Are you pushing yourself too hard?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“Things are different now compared to when we were at the Institute. You have so much on your plate, yet you still wake me up every morning, prepare my meals, and everything...”
“So you’re worried that you’re being a burden and came here to ask,” Raid finished.
“Y-You saw right through me...”
“I don’t see it as a burden,” Raid said, smiling. “In fact, I enjoy it.”
Eluria blinked. “Really...?”
“Of course. In my past life, I never had to think about how to make my loved one happy.”
In the past, Raid had devoted a great deal of his life to others. It had all started when Viteos’s father, the previous emperor, had taken a liking to him. That had signaled the start of his rise in the ranks, but most importantly, it had served as a catalyst for many fortuitous meetings. Higher status and greater responsibilities also granted Raid a vaster, more overlooking view of the country and its people—and since he himself had come from a poor village, he had gone on to spend his life thinking of how to make the country a better place for others around him.
However, it was precisely because he thought of everyone that he never especially cared for any one person in particular. In fact, he might have even been subconsciously avoiding any sort of favoritism, as he’d felt he was equally duty bound to every citizen of Altane.
But things were different in this life. His status and responsibilities were all gone, and he was free to treat his beloved as specially as he wanted.
“In my ninety long years of life, this is a first-time experience for me. I’m having so much fun; how could I think of you as a burden?” Raid’s lips stretched into a wide and toothy grin. The person who’d given him this joy was right in front of him. He felt so grateful, so content, and so—“I’m just so, so worried to leave you for such a long time...!”
“I came to ask about one problem but discovered another,” Eluria mumbled.
“I mean, I’ve been waking you up every morning, preparing your clothes, heating up your bath, boiling your tea and milk to just the right temperatures, planning your meals for a healthy and balanced diet, keeping the bed clean for you to sleep well at night, drying your pillow out in the sun to keep it as soft and fluffy as you like it, and even regularly replacing the cotton stuffing... That’s been my daily routine ever since we started living together, but now...”
“I...never realized you did so much...”
As it turned out, Raid was even more restless than Eluria about spending time apart; that was just how deeply ingrained caring for her had become in his daily life. “Well, since Alma’s staying, I guess I can ask Tiana to take over for me... Could she keep Tiana summoned as long as she consumes a mana recovery drink at regular intervals...?”
“Looks like Ms. Alma will be chugging after all,” Eluria mumbled to herself.
“Anyway!” Raid grabbed her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. “You’d better look after yourself while I’m gone, okay? If you start feeling sick, you should rest right away—no pushing yourself. Do you understand?”
Eluria indignantly puffed up her cheeks. “I know you’re always looking after me, but I’m not a child,” she told him. Alas, it seemed to do little to abate his worries, so Eluria soon came up with a different solution. “I’m sure you can get your head in the game once you cross over, but I wouldn’t want you to be distracted over there. What kind of wife would I be if I’m that much of a handful?”
“But I love that about you too,” Raid said with the straightest of faces.
Eluria’s face flushed instantly. “Y-You can’t just hit me with that out of the blue...!” she said, flailing her hands around. Eventually, she cleared her throat and faced Raid again. “I need to give you a proper send-off.”
“A proper send-off...?”
“Mm. Close your eyes for a bit.”
Raid did as he was told, and so his vision turned black. After a short moment in the darkness, he felt something soft press against his cheek.
“Okay... You can open your eyes again.”
Slowly, Raid opened his eyes, only to find Eluria turned away from him, red to the tips of her ears and all the way down to her neck.
“I gave you a goodbye kiss,” she said, her voice quietly quivering. “So now, you have to go over there and give it your all, so you can come back and return the gesture.”
Raid stared at her for a few seconds. Eventually, he tilted his head up while covering his face with his hands. “Ah, my bride is too cute... Now I really don’t want to leave her behind.”
“Wh-What? That won’t do... I’m too embarrassed to do it a second time!” Eluria vehemently shook her head.
“Right... Any more and you’ll probably collapse,” Raid mused, his hand still over his mouth. He kept it there for just a little while longer until the blush finally receded from his face.