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We were able to enjoy an uneventful school trip without any commotion or incidents after enjoying a seaside date on the second day. Actually, it would be stranger if there was a commotion during a school trip. Our first day was just exceptionally unusual.

If there was one thing that could be called an incident, it was that the young duke was added to our group. It seemed that the experience in the sanctuary area left a strong impression on her, and she hinted to Uncle that she wanted to go out and play more.

Uncle was naturally delighted to see his daughter, who used to only read books in her room, wanting to go out on her own—

“Good morning, Your Grace.”

“Good morning, young duke. Please take care of me today, too.”

And this was the result. We now had a daily morning schedule of picking up the young duke from the ducal palace.

I didn’t particularly mind. I would have chosen death instead if the young duke had a personality like a mini Wise Duchess, but the young duke was thankfully a gift from Enen, who took pity on the Salon family; she was kind, adorable, and well-mannered. She was a joy to have around, and everyone genuinely seemed to enjoy her presence.

“You’re so diligent, getting up so early in the morning. It’s a good example your vassals should follow.”

The Mage Duchess smiled gently and patted the young duke’s head. Knowing from experience what kind of words the young duke liked, everyone gave compliments like this when doting on her.

“It’s my duty as the young duke to observe the territory!”

“Fufu, that’s right. Well done.”

The Mage Duchess looked at the young duke, who was puffing up with pride, with warm eyes. Anyone could see she was treating her like a child, but the young duke tended to let it slide when it was the Mage Duchess doing it.

From the Mage Duchess’s perspective, even the Iron-Blooded Duke and the Invincible Duke probably were children, so the young duke seemed grateful just to be praised by her. She wasn’t just stubborn, but also had a strangely realistic sense. She’d make a great politician someday.

“Where are we going today?”

I couldn’t help but smile after seeing the young duke’s eyes sparkle. We made bread in the granary region the day before yesterday, and yesterday we watched the mermaids’ underwater show. Since she had fun for two days in a row, she had plenty of reasons to look forward to what was next.

“Let’s start by riding horses. We’ll wander around and go wherever looks interesting.”

At my words, the young duke’s expression turned a bit gloomy. She must have ridden horses often with Uncle or the Wise Duchess, so it was probably nothing new for her.

“To be specific, we’re planning to ride centaurs.”

Her face lit up again at those words. As I thought, centaurs must be a first for her.

Perfect. I know just who to call.

That was Deluce, the centaur with the soul of a guide we rode on the second day. She even introduced herself, asking us to look for her if we planned to ride centaurs again. She wasn’t problematic, so I was quite willing to ride with her again.

Moreover, I was rather curious to see what would happen if we paired the friendly and talkative centaur with the young duke who was curious about the world. It should be the perfect combination.

“Oh, guests! We meet again! Welcome!”

“Wow…”

The young duke let out a dazed gasp as soon as she saw Deluce waving her hand.

I’m glad she seems to like her.

***

As expected, my choice wasn’t wrong.

“If we keep going this way, we’ll reach Lake Frombel! It’s connected to the river flowing through the non-human sanctuary area, so curious mermaids sometimes go as far as that lake! Of course, someone as wise as the young duke already knows this!”

“That’s right. I know that!”

“As expected of your intelligence!”

Deluce managed to trot at a comfortable pace that didn’t frighten the young duke while kindly explaining the surrounding geography. To top it off, she cleverly sprinkled in compliments to boost the little duke’s mood.

Perfect. We have a hospitality specialist right here. If she had been born human instead of a centaur, she might’ve been an inseparable duo with the Gold Duke.

“Sometimes young mermaids get caught by the villagers while they’re fishing in the lake!”

“Th-Then what happens?”

“Nothing much! They’re released back with a warning to be more careful! In return, the mermaids give a fish from the lake as a thank-you gift! They give rare ones that are hard to catch by fishing, so the residents like it too!”

Meanwhile, hearing stories of humans and other races coexisting peacefully warmed my heart. If it were Apels, they would have taken the child mermaid hostage to catch its parents.

“She talks a lot, doesn’t she?”

Deluce’s younger sister who was carrying me spoke up as I watched the young duke and Deluce chattering non-stop.

“That’s true, but it’s actually nice that she knows so many interesting stories.”

“Thank you for saying that. My sister loves to talk, so her mouth doesn’t stop once she gets someone on her ride.”

For a moment, I was reminded of the talkative taxi drivers I used to see in my pre-possession world. Those were people who seemed to have meeting people as their goal rather than making money. It seemed that Deluce was that type, too.

“Actually, one of our ancestors joined Kefellofen and fought against Apels. Maybe that’s why my sister talks even more when she has human passengers.”

“Oh, so you’re a descendant of a war hero?”

“Haha, I guess you could say that.”

The younger sister laughed softly, continuing to bring up various topics after that.

Looking at it this way, this younger sister seemed quite talkative, too. That made sense—it wasn’t like their ancestor’s blood only flowed in one of them. It probably ran in the family.

“Oh right, do you know about the Hell’s Gate? It’s a pit created by the Dragon Lord’s breath against the Apels army, and they say it’s still hot and has been turned into a restricted area.”

What? That’d be definitely something I’d want to see.

***

I’d been feeling so gooood these days!

“Hehe…”

I couldn’t help but smile while thinking about how Lily was happily playing outside with her older brothers. My little Lily had finally discovered the joys of outdoor fun! This mother was so worried!

Of course, I love Lily even when she’s quiet and smart too~ But at that age, she should run around and play! That’s how she’d grow up healthy!

“My uncle is really the best!”

Thanks to her older brothers, Lily was having the time of her life, and how lucky we were that the school trip’s destination was Cheness! It would be nice if they came next year too!

So, let’s take a shot of whiskey to celebrate—!

“Huh?”

Just as I was about to, the communication crystal suddenly started glowing.

What’s this? Maybe it’s nephew? Or little nephew? Either way, this aunt welcomes it!

— It’s been a while, Wise Duchess.

“Huh?”

It’s not?

I saw a face other than nephew’s when I picked up the communication crystal. It was a gray-haired man with his usual cigar in hand.

“Gold Duke?”

Aw, I was hoping it’d be my nephews…

— My, what a clearly disappointed expression. I’m a bit hurt.

“But~ the Gold Duke contacts me only for troublesome things~?”

— You make it sound like I’m carrying the plague around.

The slight smile on his face gave me a bit of hope. Maybe, just maybe, it isn’t anything serious this time?

— Well, you’re right, but…

“Ugh.”

I take it back. He’s the worst.

— Anyway, it’s an important matter, so I contacted you directly. It’s an urgent issue, so I hope you can listen even if you have other business.

“What is it? Did Jereno raise their tariffs again~ or is business not going well?”

I tilted my head and waited for the Gold Duke’s answer. What could it be? If the Gold Duke said it was urgent, then it must have something to do with money, right?

— All of the Special Service Agency’s forces in the North have been ordered to withdraw. I just heard about it through my in-laws, so the other dukes probably don’t know yet.

…

I burned off the alcohol circulating in my body and exhaled it as smoke.

“All of them?”

— All of them.

At those words, I set the bottle of liquor down on the table. I wish it had been a money issue instead; this was a real bombshell.

— The order came down just now, so most forces are still stationed there. But they’ve been instructed to prioritize immediate withdrawal over completing their missions.

It was a detailed explanation, but not a welcome one. It was no ordinary headache if all forces received a simultaneous order to withdraw not after completing their missions but after stopping them.

Such orders were given in one of two cases: when there was no more benefit in continuing the missions, or when there was a high possibility of total annihilation if they operated in smaller units like battalions or divisions.

“Impressive. It’s been 5 years, hasn’t it?”

— Has it already been that long? No, it’s hard to believe it’s only been that long.”

Just like 5 years ago, when the Rebel rose up.

— But it’s not certain. We’ve been seriously hit by late judgments before, so they might be overreacting a little.

That was a possibility. When the Rebel appeared, the Special Service Agency forces operating in the North failed to withdraw in time and suffered serious damage. Having just recovered their momentum, they wouldn’t want to repeat the mistake from five years ago. It was only natural for them to panic at the slightest sign.

Of course, this was all just speculation.

“Are you serious?”

— At least, I hope that’s all it is.

The Gold Duke answered as if he wasn’t expecting it to be. And yet, he was right—the Special Service Agency’s overreaction was just wishful thinking.

They were being careful because they suffered serious damage? Maybe this was true for other departments, but not the Special Service Agency. These were people who would keep advancing even with a knife in their body unless the Emperor ordered otherwise. And they withdrew just out of fear of damage?

That’s nonsense.

The Special Service Agency’s withdrawal was His Majesty’s will. And if His Majesty had decreed a full withdrawal, it was a sign that something truly dire was unfolding in the north.

— You’ll probably hear from the Imperial Palace soon. I just wanted to give you a heads-up so you don’t rush when the time comes. Things get messy enough when everything’s in chaos.

“Ha, at least last year was a good harvest.”

— That’s a relief. The year before was a bad one, wasn’t it?

Those words brought back memories. The appearance of the Rebel, the nomads’ uprising, and the war that lasted for two years.

The worst part was the famine right before the war. Feeding the population and securing military provisions at the same time had been no different from hell.

— Well, I’ll hang up now. Wulken’s forge will be busy soon, so I should send plenty of materials to make it easier for the Iron-Blooded Duke.

I just nodded silently, and the light from the communication crystal disappeared.

Then, I picked up the bottle I had put on the desk.

Forget celebration and well-wishes, this was just a shot of whiskey out of frustration.

***

The young duke was now sound asleep after thoroughly enjoying swimming in Lake Frombel while being held by the mermaids. It wasn’t surprising—playing in the water was much more tiring than most activities.

It was a bit inconvenient that she remained asleep all the way to the mansion, but—

“Nepheeew! Did you have fun?”

Right on cue, the Wise Duchess waved her arms at the main gate.

“Hehehe, did our Lily~ have fun?”

“Yes, she must be very tired.”

The Wise Duchess grinned upon seeing the young duke sleeping on my back and carefully took her into her arms. Judging by the way she was looking at the young duke with eyes full of affection despite their different personalities, it was clear that the young duke definitely was her own daughter.

“Thank you! I bet she had a lot of fun with you guys!”

“We enjoyed ourselves as well.”

I smiled slightly, and the Wise Duchess chuckled too. It wasn’t just lip service. The young duke was quite the mood-maker, so it was fun.

“Oh right! Nephew! Lend me your ear for a second!”

“Ah, yes.”

The Wise Duchess beckoned just as I was about to return to our lodgings after sending the young duke back, so I carefully leaned in.

“Harsh winter winds are heading for the north soon. Keep that in mind.”

That clear, sober whisper froze me in place.

***

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