Chapter 36: Reunion

“Hey, Hanna! I told you not to say my name!!”

“Ehehe… You keep sneaking glances with such yearning eyes, how could I not say… Ouch!”

“This girl, really!?”

Even while Fiona ruffled the hair of her student, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.

She scolded Hanna by giving her a knuckle sandwich on the head for carelessly revealing her name.

But Hanna, despite tearing up from the pain, finished what she had to say.

“No, you came to the capital to see Logan in the first place, didn’t you! Ouch! Ouch! It hurts!”

“I’m hitting you to make it hurt! You brat!”

“I-I’m not wrong! I’m telling the truth!!”

“Yeah, you said words deserving a beating!”

“Ouch! That’s not the ‘right’ I meant! Aaouch!”

Thump thump!

At Hanna’s continued defiance.

Fiona, blushing, let go of Logan whom she had been clinging to, and started to seriously pummel Hanna’s head.

The reason she visited the imperial capital after more than ten years was, as Hanna said.

To see Logan’s face after a long time.

But she hadn’t intended to meet him specifically.

Because she didn’t want to needlessly burden her student.

She didn’t want to seem like a shameless master who sought out her successful student, a member of the hero’s party, just to get some scraps.

So, during the victory parade.

She had planned to be satisfied with watching from afar and then leave.

However, because Logan’s face, as he sat in the carriage, was very dark, she couldn’t bring herself to leave easily.

So, to find out why her student’s face was so gloomy.

And to help Hanna, with whom she had a connection before leaving the capital in the past, she was temporarily staying in the slums.
But then.

This girl, she asked her to keep it a secret.

She had told her repeatedly, yet she snitched right away.

“Repaying kindness with enmity!”

“Ouch! Enmity? I repaid it properly!? Ouch!”

“Shut up!”

Logan stared blankly at the bickering pair with a bewildered expression, but soon came to his senses.

Because there were many people queuing behind them to receive rations.

Logan cautiously mediated between the two.

“Um… you two… I don’t mind if you continue… but could you please move elsewhere? There are many people waiting behind you.”

“Ah.”

“Ah.”

The two who were bickering belatedly came to their senses at Logan’s words.

Feeling the silent stares of the people waiting in line behind them, the two smiled awkwardly and hurriedly stepped back.

“Anyway, I’ll be on my way now, thank you so much for the wonderful goods!”

“You shouldn’t thank me, but Her Highness the Crown Princess…”

“Yes, of course, Her Highness the Crown Princess is included too! Well then, I’m off! Fiona unni, fighting!”

“Ha… that girl, really…”

Fiona sighed watching Hanna wave and disappear after saying everything she wanted to.

Then she came to Logan’s side and naturally started distributing the rations with him.

“Let me help too.”

“Huh…? This is my job…”

“Yeah, it’s your job. But isn’t it better if we do it together? It’ll be faster and easier.”

“But to burden my master, whom I haven’t seen in so long…”

“Ha… Look at this. Now that you’re older, you’re not calling me Fiona-ssi anymore, just ‘Master’? You didn’t do that even when I told you to?”

“Ahem… Anyway, I’ll do it myself.”

“Enough, you brat. I’ll help you, and we can catch up. The line is incredibly long anyway.”

“The line got long because you and that Hanna person were causing a commotion… Ouch!”

“Shut up! I’m just going to help, so stop arguing!”

“Ah, alright. Thank you, Master.”

“Hmph…”

And so, the master and student, reunited after a long time.

Slowly caught up on their conversations while distributing relief goods to the poor.

---

Meanwhile.

Anastasia was engaged in the same relief efforts as Logan, a short distance away.

“Th-thank you, Your Highness! For you to personally bestow such precious things upon someone as lowly as me…”

“What are you saying? Lowly? Please don’t debase yourself like that. And I am truly sorry I can only give you this much.”

“Ah… ah… thank you so much…”

The people were moved by Anastasia’s benevolence, their eyes welling up with tears.

A being so high above them that they couldn’t even dare to protest if she acted tyrannically for no reason.

Treated them so kindly.

The people couldn’t help but be moved by her sincere attitude.

And Anastasia felt immense pity for these people.

That due to the war with the Demon Lord’s army, the lives of the imperial citizens had become devastated compared to before.

She had anticipated it to some extent, but she hadn’t known it would be this bad.

Despite it being the imperial capital.

There were far more slums in various places than she had thought.

Moreover, their lives were too wretched.

‘I was right to step forward myself…’

Even Logan had said a speech would be enough.

But she felt it was right to see the reality with her own two eyes.

She wasn’t doing this volunteer work solely for the purpose of waging a public opinion war against the church and the nobles.

If that had been the case.

She would have just given a speech and entrusted such relief activities to others.

‘There are so many things that need to be changed…’

During the journey to subjugate the Demon Lord, she had seen too many people living in poverty and misery.

While they struggled so much just to live a single day, the nobles still lived in luxury and extravagance.

Is this truly a just world?

Their behavior of exploiting people even more in difficult situations to fill their own bellies was utterly disgusting.

‘I couldn’t impose strong sanctions because it was wartime…’

From now on, things will be completely different.

First, by establishing infrastructure through the imperial reconstruction project, things can be changed step by step.

‘If Logan is with me, I can do it…’

As Anastasia repeated the name of her beloved in her mind, she wanted to see his face again.

So, towards the direction where Logan would be, serving the people just like her…

She slowly turned her head.

But what was this?

“Wow, now you’re clearly a proper man, aren’t you?”

“What do you mean by that? I was always a man… Woah!”

“Kuhuhu, yes, yes~ a man~”

Wasn’t Logan flirting with another woman!

“!!!”

Sparks flew in Anastasia’s red eyes.

“Renate, I have some business to attend to, so please take over for a moment.”

“Yes? Your Highness, what do you mean…?”

Renate, as Anastasia suddenly left her spot.

Wondered and turned her head in the direction Anastasia was heading.

“Fiona…?”

She immediately recognized the red-haired woman with Logan and was surprised.

‘What’s she doing here…? No, more importantly, Your Highness!’

Before Renate could even wonder why Fiona was there.

Her liege was already about to rush towards them with fierce momentum, so she had to hurry and stop her!

But Anastasia had already shot out like an arrow.

“You! Get away from Logan right now!?”

She shouted with tremendous force and wedged herself between the two.

---

Anastasia momentarily lost her composure and almost exploded. But very fortunately.

She was immediately stopped by Renate, who had hurriedly followed.

And Anastasia, having accurately grasped the situation.

“S-sorry… Logan… And Ms. Fiona, I’m so sorry for not recognizing you after so long and getting angry right away…”

She covered her reddened face with both hands, not knowing what to do.

Without properly understanding the situation, she had shown an unsightly side of herself.

The relief activities were somewhat winding down.

It was fortunate that Renate had managed to make some people step back…

Still, she had shown an embarrassing side to many people.

Ever since the last meeting, when it came to matters concerning Logan.

She was so ashamed of herself for being completely unable to maintain her composure.

At this, Fiona smiled gently and said.

“Not at all, Your Highness. It’s my fault for messing around with this student of mine without greeting you first. Would you please forgive me?”

“F-forgive? No, it’s me who…”

Anastasia waved her hands, trying to say it was all her fault.

But because she felt that those around her were looking at her with amused gazes.

She thought it was best to leave this place quickly first.

Therefore, Anastasia decided to leave in a hurry.

“Ah… Anyway, I still have to give rations to those who haven’t received them yet, so I’ll be going now!”

But then, as she was about to leave.

Logan immediately followed her.

“I’ll go with you too, Anya.”

“Huh? No, I’m fine on my own!”

“I want to help, so why not?”

“R-really? Then I guess it can’t be helped. Let’s go together, Logan. Ehehe…”

Despite having shown an unsightly side of herself because of Logan just moments ago.

Anastasia simply beamed, happy to be with Logan.

Renate looked at her liege and let out a deep sigh.

“Haaah……”

At that, Fiona chuckled and lightly tapped Renate’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong? It’s a nice sight.”

“Tsk… Yes, thanks to someone, it has become a nice sight.”

“Hm? Me?”

Renate, knowing Fiona was feigning ignorance, glared at her disapprovingly and spoke bluntly.

“Yes, so what brings you here? Did you come to see Logan? If so, you could have contacted me, and I could have helped. What were you thinking, suddenly appearing in a place like this? You’re disrupting Her Highness’s schedule.”

“Hey, come on… We haven’t seen each other in so long, and you’re being so stiff…”

“Enough of that. If you intended to meet Logan, you should have just asked me. Why are you here?”

“Ah, alright. I’ll tell you everything.”

As Renate continued to press her, exuding a menacing aura.

Fiona made a gesture of surrender by raising both hands and explained the whole story.

She had just planned to watch the victory parade a bit and then leave.

But her student’s face looked so unwell that she couldn’t bring herself to leave easily.

At those words.

Renate clicked her tongue as if finding it pathetic.

“Tsk, then shouldn’t you have come to me even more so?”

“Huh? Do you know why Logan had that expression on his face that day? Looking at him now, it seems there’s no need to worry, but it’s been bothering me…”

“Hoo… Alright, I’ll tell you everything… Just don’t get agitated. Understand?”

“Huh? Agitated? Okay, I got it. Hurry up and tell me.”

Agitated, she said.

She had been active as a gold-grade adventurer for a long time.

She was still active.

So Fiona was absolutely confident that she wouldn’t get agitated or lose her composure over trivial matters.

However.

After hearing Renate’s story.

Fiona immediately flew into a rage and spewed curses.

“This, f*ck!!”

“I told you not to get agitated!!!”

Following her immature liege, Anastasia.

Renate had no choice but to restrain her foolish friend, with whom she had reunited after a long time.