“Sorry. Could I ask you to handle the aftermath again?”
“I don’t recommend this,” Fiona said, her expression stern. “If you accept the emperor’s request, word will spread, no matter the outcome. As you fear, you may get dragged into political conflict. Furthermore, there are several strange aspects to this revolt. It isn’t something you should involve yourself in for no reason.”
“You’re right, but don’t phrase it that way. We’re doing this to help people. As for word spreading, could you try to cover it up so people don’t attempt to use the Hero for their own gain?”
“There are some things beyond even my capabilities.”
“Please, Fiona. You’re the only one we can count on when it comes to politics. I understand I’m not being reasonable, but we really need your help once again.”
“L-Last time wasn’t easy, you know? But... Well...” Fiona visibly wavered. I thought she might just give up, but perhaps she was unexpectedly susceptible to pressure. Finally, she let out a deep sigh. “Very well. But don’t expect too much.”
“I appreciate it,” I said with a smile. I was confident she would manage.
Fiona looked directly at me, her expression a mixture of frustration and exasperation. “Goodness, you’re always like this.”
“Always like what?”
“Just talking to myself,” Fiona said, turning the other way with a huff.
“Thank you, Fiona,” I said hesitantly.
Fiona turned to Amyu with a strained smile. “There won’t be a next time,” she declared.
“R-Right.” Amyu shrank back.
We were asking for a lot, so it was only natural that Fiona would be upset. At any rate, our course of action had been decided.
“What about you two?” I asked, turning to face Yifa and Mabel. “It doesn’t seem like it’s going to be a very fun trip. You can stay in the capital if you want.”
“I-I’ll go!”
“I’ll go too.”
They both replied immediately. I expected as much.
“Just to be safe, I’m going to send one of my holy knights with you,” Fiona said, looking around at us in contemplation. “There will likely be times when Seika has his hands full.”
“Huh? We’ll be fine. We’ve been adventuring in Rakana. We can protect ourselves.” Amyu tried to decline.
“Amyu, you might be targeted,” Fiona said softly.
“Ah...”
“I don’t imagine you’re used to facing assassins. I suspect you’ll be safe once you leave the capital, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. One mistake and the people around you could be harmed.”
“Th-That’s true... It’d be bad if Yifa or Mabel were attacked by mistake,” Amyu admitted dejectedly.
“However, the only one currently available has a rather difficult personality,” Fiona said, wearing a slightly worried expression. “No, it should be all right as long as I give him a stern warning. The holy knights all have their peculiarities, so nothing would ever get done if we got hung up on the details.”
“Uh... Are you sure?” That didn’t sound like the righteous band of champions the bards sang about. Suddenly, something occurred to me. “It’s not my brother, is it?”
Fiona blinked, then shook her head with a smile. “No, Gly is currently off on a mission. And he’s one of the few normal humans among my holy knights.”
“H-Him? Normal? What’s going on with your holy knights?” I was dumbfounded. Just what sort of group had she gathered?
“Hmm... So it’s not him,” Amyu mumbled.
“Did you want to see Gly?” Fiona asked, looking between me and Amyu.
“N-No way!” Amyu shouted.
“I’d rather not either.”
“I see.” Fiona gave a helpless smile. “Well, I’m certain you’ll have an opportunity to reunite in the future.”
“Did he say anything about me after last time?” I asked.
Fiona shook her head once again. “No, not a word. He didn’t ask me about you either. He seems to be deliberately avoiding the subject.”
“All right.” When we last met in the dungeon Amyu had been locked up in, I had aimed a spell at him. He was probably the one who didn’t want to meet with me. I wasn’t particularly hoping to mend our relationship—it had been bad from the start. I wouldn’t be bothered if we never met again. That said, he seemed to have encouraged Amyu alongside Fiona. I couldn’t help but regret how I’d acted just a little.
“Gly aside,” I said, collecting my thoughts. “I’m a little curious how my family and the academy are doing. How is my absence being treated?”
“It’s been arranged that you’re on a leave of absence from the academy. Your enrollment remains, so you could return if you wish.”
“Hear that?” I looked at the other three, but they all shook their heads.
I wasn’t surprised. It had been a year and a half, and they were all making a living as adventurers now. I didn’t have any desire to return either.
“Then I’ll see to it that your withdrawal is processed at an appropriate time. Count Lamprogue was informed that you were going on a journey to broaden your horizons. It was quite sudden, so I’m sure he’s worried about you. You might consider writing him a letter once things settle down.”
“You’re right.” Since I wasn’t the family’s heir, I was going to have to support myself regardless of whether I dropped out or not. My sudden departure on a journey must have come as a surprise, but in truth, it only meant I set out on my own a little earlier than expected. He probably wasn’t all that worried about me. That said, I could at least send him a letter.
“Did you tell that to my family too?” Amyu asked.
“Yes. All your families have been given the same explanation,” Fiona replied.
“Hmm. Then I guess I should write to my mom and dad too. We’re not on the run anymore. Obviously, I can’t tell them about being the Hero, but mentioning Rakana and stuff should be fine.”
“If Seika’s writing a letter, I should probably send one to my dad too,” said Yifa.
“What should I do?” Mabel asked.
“Why not write a letter as well?” Fiona suggested. “It may have only been for a short while, but your adopted family still took care of you.”
“Sure.”
As I absentmindedly watched them discuss family matters, I was glad that we had been able to return to the empire. There were many things, including past connections, that we had been forced to give up during our time on the run. If we could just handle the rebels rampaging to the west and make it through the emperor’s schemes, we’d have nothing left to worry about.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I think you should back out.”
That night, just as I was about to lie down in bed in the room assigned to me, Yuki suddenly spoke up.
Pausing, I sat down on the bed. “It’s not like I’m enthusiastic about it either, but what choice do we have?”
“You do have a choice,” Yuki said sternly after jumping off my head and sitting on a desk. “Can’t you just stop that Hero girl by force?”
“It’d be one thing if she were one of my disciples, but I don’t have that authority over her. Forcing her to stop doesn’t make sense.”
“I still think you should,” Yuki declared, scowling at me. “You’re afraid of your relationship with her getting worse, so you picked the easy route, Master Seika.”
I was momentarily lost for words. She wasn’t wrong, but Yuki had never been so harsh with me before.
“Even in your previous life, though you might have treated your friends a little offhandedly, there was always a certain gentleness in it. I used to think that was admirable, but now it’s become a bad habit. I regret not admonishing you more in the beginning.”
“You’re that serious about this?” I asked in astonishment, taken aback by her unrelenting words. “What’s got you so upset?”
“What happened today doesn’t sit right with me.”
“I can’t argue with that.” The emperor was unreadable, and the revolt had several unusual factors, but those weren’t major issues. “Still, we’ll manage. The revolt can be settled using force, and I think brushing the emperor off would be more dangerous than just going along with his request. Fiona should be able to help us maintain some distance from politics. It’s not necessarily a bad decision.”
“That isn’t what I mean,” Yuki said flatly. “I’m saying the Hero girl doesn’t sit right with me.”
“What’s wrong with Amyu?”
“You didn’t think she was acting strangely today?”
“Well...” Now that she mentioned it, Amyu certainly had been behaving oddly. She had always liked fighting and held a deep loyalty toward her friends, but I’d never gotten the impression that she had such a strong sense of justice that she would sacrifice herself for complete strangers.
“She started acting differently after speaking with this country’s emperor,” said Yuki.
“I guess that’s one way to look at it...”
“I’m afraid. That emperor possesses something unfathomable. It’s not sorcery or raw strength. I’m worried that if you get involved with him...” Unease crept into Yuki’s voice. “You’re going to meet the same end you did in our last world.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Regardless of the concerns, it was too late to change our course. The next day, we had another audience with the emperor and accepted his request.
“Thank you. As the one who stands at the forefront of the people, I pray for your safety,” the emperor replied with a smile.