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LAWRENCE guided the duo through the city—he seemed quite familiar with the area as he led them to a large café in the central district. Camila glanced around the restaurant and selected some seats in the back instead of the brightly lit seats on the terrace. Lawrence sat by the wall, and Camila and Zeke sat next to each other.
“Hey, I don’t see any meat,” Zeke grumbled.
“This place is famous for its roast beef sandwiches,” Lawrence said.
“Three of those, then,” Zeke replied.
He handed the menu over, implying that he was going to eat the three helpings alone. Camila ordered a parfait, and surprisingly, Lawrence ordered the same thing.
“I need some sugar,” he replied simply.
“Same,” Zeke said inexplicably as he added a parfait to his order.
The tea set was adorned with a cute floral pattern, and napkins were also elegantly prepared. Women and couples filled nearby seats. Their table was far too small for three people to share. This is awkward… How did it come to this? Camila rested her elbows on the table as she waited for her order.
“I heard that the Dragon Consort went missing after running into the Arks,” Lawrence said.
“Who knows?” Zeke replied curtly.
“The Dragon Emperor ordered you to stay quiet, huh? I wonder why.”
“It’s rude to continue the conversation all by yourself,” Camila said.
“You’re not gonna give me a straight answer even if I ask,” Lawrence replied. “Hmm… What reason is there to hide that the Dragon Consort has gone missing? No, he doesn’t want to hide that, but… Just who is that empress candidate?”
As Lawrence mumbled to himself and posed his question, Camila, who secretly wanted to know Lawrence’s answer, suppressed her disappointment and forced a smile.
“Unfortunately, we don’t really know either,” she said. “It was already decided by the time we reached Lehrsatz.”
“Which means the Dragon Consort doesn’t know about it either,” Lawrence guessed.
Camila’s silence implied her agreement. But that’s okay. We weren’t ordered to stay quiet about her or anything.
“Maybe we should retreat from Lehrsatz…” Lawrence mumbled.
“What?! Hey, don’t jinx us like that!” Zeke exclaimed.
“We’re definitely going to drag you into our mess!” Camila added.
“I actually thought we’d get some pushback about dispatching a search party,” Lawrence admitted. “I didn’t expect the Dragon Emperor to allow our military to search for the queen and the Sacred Spear.”
Indeed, it was possible he wouldn’t, considering Hadis’s clear hatred for the Goddess. Lawrence clinked the ice in his glass of lemon water.
“I’m grateful that we didn’t have to waste time on that matter, but something doesn’t sit right,” he muttered. “Besides, that empress candidate is the polar opposite of the Dragon Emperor’s type, isn’t she?”
“How should we know what his type is?” Camila grunted.
“He probably doesn’t like someone who’d leak information to Margrave Cervel after feeling sympathy for his fatherly bond. He didn’t even let the Dragon Consort do that when she visited her home.”
“I knew it. You created that situation to trick her,” Camila said. “You’re the worst.”
“Why did he suddenly get an empress candidate?” Lawrence pressed. “Besides, if the Dragon Emperor’s here, we can continue our negotiations even without a stand-in.”
“He probably just wants to piss Captain off,” Zeke said flatly.
Lawrence placed both elbows on the table and let out a deep sigh. “That’s an actual possibility. That might be all there is to it.”
“Keep agonizing, Raccoon Boy,” Camila jeered.
The roast beef sandwiches arrived, and each of them received a plate. Camila pushed the plates toward Zeke after she stole a slice for herself with a grin. Lawrence did the same.
“What’s going on with Prince Minerd?” Camila asked.
“He’s doing well, just as we reported,” Lawrence replied. “He’s gracefully staying with us, and I want you to drag him back soon.”
“Why don’t you also give us the dragon he rode on as a freebie?” Zeke asked.
“I don’t have the power to decide that by myself,” Lawrence answered coolly.
It was likely impossible to extract any sort of information from him. Camila didn’t expect much, but she was still disappointed.
“Men who invite others out without providing even a speck of information aren’t popular with the ladies,” Camila pointed out.
“Thank you for your warning. But I might be able to provide you with a new source.”
Zeke had polished off the sandwiches in a flash, immediately looking up. “So you noticed,” he said.
“I sort of just inferred it,” Lawrence replied. “The two of you stopped me from trying to get the seats out on the terrace. If you know anything, may I ask about the details? Is it a friend of yours?”
“Nah, we’ve been tailed ever since we left the duke’s manor,” Zeke said. “Everyone who leaves there is probably put under watch.”
“They’re taking turns, too; there’re multiple of them after us,” Camila remarked. “This isn’t the act of a novice.”
“Am I their aim?” Lawrence asked.
Camila wasn’t sure, but there was very little reason for her and Zeke to be under attack. The only one of value here was Lawrence, who was the leader of the Kratos delegation and could negotiate about the search party.
“You can’t wander around outside so easily without Jill’s dad,” Camila whispered.
“I thought I could provoke some sort of reaction if I left without Margrave Cervel, but I didn’t think it’d happen so quickly,” Lawrence replied. He spoke brazenly as he ate the parfait that was brought to him.
Zeke frowned as he shoveled his dessert into his mouth. “You did this on purpose, huh?” he said. “What do we do? Should we catch them?”
“Can you?” Lawrence asked. “We can call for Margrave Cervel.”
“They might run before he even arrives,” Camila replied. “We’ll have to suffice as their opponents.”
“I guess the Knights of the Dragon Consort are still rather unknown,” Lawrence observed.