3 - Attack on the Linus Imperial Army Part 2
TODAY, I was going back to the training arena!
And this time, Daux and Marie were going with me.
However, we had to keep the two of them visiting the training arena a secret from everyone other than their fathers, who, as their parental guardians, needed to be informed to give permission. The emperor and Lord Towen didn’t hold any prejudices against beastpeople, so they easily agreed to allow the outing, but the emperor warned us that other adults might not understand, so we’d be better off keeping it a secret.
The emperor had grumbled that it didn’t sit well with him, either, how beastpeople were treated and that although he wanted to do something about it, there was no clear path for decisive action that could improve the situation.
“It might be impossible to change things overnight, but we can change the future. All we have to do is change the attitudes of the children who will become the next generation and get them to see how cool beastpeople are!” I suggested enthusiastically.
“The next generation, hm? I suppose it’s true that the children of the nobility don’t generally have any opportunities to interact with beastpeople. And by the time they’re old enough to attend social functions, their impressions of beastpeople are already stained with the prejudices of their parents.”
This was just a guess, but I had a strong feeling that the common citizens held much less prejudice against beastpeople than the aristocrats. There were many more beastpeople here than in the Kingdom of Gaché, so I figured the common citizens probably found themselves interacting with beastpeople on a daily basis. Having more contact with the beastpeople would likely have the same effect as it had on Louis, who’d developed feelings of friendly goodwill towards beastpeople after spending so much time with them. Although, in Louis’s case, his friends were more like partners in crime.
“Please allow me to join if there’s an opportunity to bring the beastpeople and humans together!” I requested.
“Of course. I have a feeling you will serve as a bridge between our two species, Lady Nefertima.”
I’m nothing that special! The only thing I can do is preach the wonders of beastpeople’s soft fur. And preach I shall!
In case you were wondering, the conversation between the emperor and I occurred when I went to get his permission to take Daux on an outing.
The emperor went one step further, making all the preparations so that instead of merely “playing at the training arena,” we were going on a proper “tour of the Linus Imperial Army’s military facilities.”
In the morning, we would stop in at the training arena as planned, but then we’d eat a picnic lunch in a reportedly stunning spot outside the borders of the imperial city, after which we would take a tour of the army’s headquarters and finally visit the wyverns’ barracks.
“Your ability to get things done is really impressive, Neema.”
“It’s like I said before, Marie—we have to do all the things we can get away with because we’re kids while we’re still young! Girls especially have it tough—before too much longer, they’ll be telling us to act more ‘ladylike’ and not letting us go out anywhere!”
This was especially true for a highborn lady like Marie. Once she approached marriageable age, her “battle of womanhood” would begin in earnest, and her time would be so full of tea parties and other stuffy social functions that she’d have no time to play.
“…I don’t want that. Even when we get older, I want to keep playing with you and Daux,” she said.
“Me too!” Daux agreed.
Ahhh, they’re just too cute! But physical distance might be a problem. I’ll have returned to the Kingdom of Gaché by then, after all…
Maybe I can ask Sol to take me for a little visit now and then? I suppose I could always marry into the Linus Empire, after all… Nah, that’s out of the question. It might be pushing it a bit to hope for both Daux and Marie to marry into the Kingdom of Gaché…
Yeah, Sol is probably the safest bet!
Before the three of us skipped off to play at the training arena, there was one thing we had to do first…
“We’ll be in your care today!” I cheerfully greeted the guards who would accompany us on today’s outing.
“We received orders, so we have no choice but to comply, but Prince Dauxrouge is supposed to be engaged in his studies at this time. Please don’t make a habit of disrupting His Highness’s schedule and interfering with his education,” the unit leader of Daux’s private guard replied sternly.
I already knew that the people in Daux’s entourage didn’t think much of me. But education wasn’t restricted to merely what you could learn by reading books at a desk.
“In that case, this is a good opportunity for Daux to further his education. He can see for himself what kind of people the soldiers who protect this country are and what they do on a daily basis.”
“…Is that knowledge necessary for His Highness?”
“Of course it is. Daux needs to become familiar with the soldiers in the Linus Imperial Army to solidify their support of him as a member of the imperial family. Or are you suggesting that you men are the only ones loyal to Daux?”