Volume 5, Chapter 2 – The Flame Princess’ Sunny Stage, Part 2
When Hiro reached the courtyard, he found Liz lying on her back on the grass, breathing heavily. Near her was the figure of Skaaha, sitting on a brick in the flowerbed.
She was wiping away her sweat briskly with a towel.
“Good morning, Hiro-dono. The weather is beautiful today as well, isn’t it?”
She greeted Hiro in the morning.
“Ah, yes. Good morning. So, what’s the result…?”
“You don’t have to ask.”
In response to his voice, he turns around to see Aura standing behind him.
“Good morning…”
“Aura, good morning.”
After returning the greeting, Hiro looked again at the fallen Liz. The wounds sustained in the recent battle were fading to the point of being unnoticeable.
The lacerations on her back and other parts of her body were probably only thinly visible. Even so, the healing speed is much faster than that of a normal person. It must be due to the protection of the Flame Emperor, but even so, only the nails seem to be slow to grow.
“Hiro! You are finally here! Come and join us!”
“No, you need to get some rest.”
Hiro was bewildered by the energetic Liz.
What’s more…
“I’ve just had a quick look at you from above, and you look even better than before.”
“Is it because I’ve just recovered from an injury?”
Liz smiled bitterly as she fluttered her hands.
“I’ve seen you move better than when you fought in Felzen. You look like a different person.”
Skaaha agrees with Hiro.
(Then that means I’m not mistaken.)
He didn’t know what kind of change had taken place in Liz’s life, but it was clear that she had found some kind of trigger in Felzen, just like last night.
“It’s as if she has set her mind to something. Each attack is heavy. There was a surprising amount of determination attached to each attack. If her hand had not been injured, if she had carried a sword, I might have lost.”
Skaaha commented, but Liz’s cheeks only flushed red.
“It’s only your imagination, only your imagination.”
She flapped her arms as if to hide her embarrassment and looked at Aura as if to ask for her agreement.
“Hey, Aura, you think so too, don’t you?”
“Hmm… I’m not su… Ugh…!?”
Aura tilted her head, and Liz grabbed her thin arm and pulled her close.
“You think so too, don’t you? Of course, it’s only their imagination, right?”
Liz stroked Aura’s head while she was acting suspiciously. Aura looked up at Liz with irritation.
“…Ouch. I demand to be released.”
Aura grumbled.
“No, I wouldn’t! I’m stroking you gently!”
“Higuh!”
Liz, forgetting her own monstrous strength, strokes Aura’s head languidly. Aura’s head will be twisted off if she continues like this.
“T-that’s right. Let’s have breakfast; everyone is hungry, right?”
Hiro quickly suggested, and Skaaha stood up.
“I guess so. I’ve been moving around a lot, and I’m starving.”
“Then let’s stop training for now and eat!”
Liz also agreed and let Aura go.
“…It doesn’t make sense.”
Aura stood up with a discouraged expression, holding her aching neck. The four of them together stepped into the dining room.
＊＊＊＊＊
When they arrived at the dining room, Rosa had already taken her seat. Next to her, the teary-eyed Hugin squeezed her lips together, and her face turned red.
“Uuh… I’ve never been rubbed… even by wise brother.”
It’s probably best not to ask why. She has fulfilled her role as an escort admirably.
“…..Hmm?”
There was a round table set up a little further away that wasn’t there yesterday. Men are sitting at the table. There were three of them, Tris, Ghada, and Munin.
That’s why there was no sign of them in the courtyard, Hiro thought.
Still, it was only one day, but somehow he felt nostalgic for the men’s group.
“Good morning, everyone.”
For this reason, his feet naturally began to move in that direction as he greeted them.
But…
“Hiro, over here.”
Liz grabbed him by the arm from behind, and with her formidable strength, he was integrated into the group of women.
“Now, let’s start eating.”
Rosa clapped her hands as she had done last night, and the servants began to serve the meal.
“Today’s verdict is going to be rough.”
Rosa chuckled happily and shifted her gaze to Liz.
“Uuh? Fuam?”
Liz tilted her head as she chewed on a chicken wing, probably because she was so hungry. Rosa rolled her eyes at the unexpected reaction as if she thought she was nervous.
“…Our princess doesn’t seem to be nervous. You’ve really grown up strong.”
Rosa put the back of her hand over her mouth and stifled a laugh, looking lovingly at her sister.
“By the way, what am I supposed to do until the verdict is done?”
Skaaha pointed the skewer with the sliced meat at Hiro.
“Can you stay in the mansion with Ghada and the others?”
“That’s simple enough. I was expecting to be told to go and get the heads of one or two of the rival factions.”
It is true that with her power, most people would be no match for her and would fall prey to the Ice Emperor. But if she did that, it would definitely be war.
“There will be a war soon. Until then, wait quietly.”
“Understood. Whenever you need my spear, just let me know. I will pierce any enemy that stands in your way.”
Skaaha said with a happy face while biting into the skewered meat.
“Come to think of it… Rosa, how are the other nobles doing?”
“It seems that they have already entered the imperial palace. We’ll probably be the last ones.”
The second prince Selene and the first prince Stobel, who had disappeared, were also there.
“Then, as soon as breakfast is over, let’s head for the palace.”
“I think that would be better. We don’t need to make any more enemies by being late.”
But then Rosa stopped eating as if she suddenly remembered something.
“And it looks like the southern nobles are not participating. I heard from my subordinates that none of them showed up for the meeting.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s not them we’re dealing with this time. It’s the central nobility.”
Yes, the moment they had been waiting for had arrived. The time has finally come to kick the Krone family out.
(They are the ones who corrupted the Grantz Empire. There’s no need to go easy on them.)
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