episode_0137

The United States of Lugo is a republic.

Humans have chosen to live in groups to survive against wild beasts. Alone, they would be eaten by the claws and teeth of wild beasts, but together, they can hunt wild beasts and fill their hungry stomachs.

The same goes for countries.

Small nations, incomparable to great powers such as empires and principalities, banded together to survive.

Thus, the Union of Lugo was born.

If there was a common goal of survival, it was expected that a strong union would be formed through harmony and cooperation. The political system called a republic was also ideal.

I hoped to create a rational and healthy union that could check the empire that exerted omnipotent influence on the continent.

The Empire at the heart of the continent, the Allied Powers at the edge of the continent. The ancestors thought that this strange tension would restore balance to the world.

… that was a really stupid idea.

Daniela walked along the quiet library bookshelf.

The quiet atmosphere of the library made her feel nostalgic for her home country. And then she became depressed again. Because of her home country.

Even though I’m in a situation where I shouldn’t feel depressed, it’s hard to shake it off.

There were times when I was excited because I was in a position where I had all the expectations of my country on my shoulders since I was young, but when I realized the reality, all that excitement blew away and I plan to continue to feel depressed.

Daniela reached into the corner of the bookshelf, into a secret bookcase.

Although it is not a bookshelf that many students visit, there are still relatively new books here and there that are worn out, so people keep coming back for them.

He blushed and looked around.

“… … ”

This is the only way to relieve the melancholy feeling. This is Daniela’s only solace.

Once you pick up the book, open it, get sucked in, and you can’t stop. It’s a moment to escape the pressure of the expectations of the citizens of the Allied nations and the Senate.

Daniela’s secret that must never be found out.

Beatrice de Dahlia.

No, there was a scary moment when I was caught by a princess named Trixie Green, but there’s no princess anymore.

It’s been five months since the identity of the masked wizard, Unknown, was revealed. It’s now full-blown autumn.

The Empire and the Church jointly declared that they would punish the royal family and its followers.

He also declared that any force that joined hands with the imperial family would be considered an ‘enemy’.

A representative example is the Kingdom of Primira.

The ambitious Charles II quickly joined hands with the royal family of Tricksy Green, supporting her in establishing her power in the kingdom of Primira.

Eventually, the Empire declared war on the Kingdom of Primira.

Of course, not only the Kingdom of Primira, but also several countries on the continent sided with Trixie Green and the royal family. There were quite a few forces that opposed the existing order.

‘…Beatrice, you were right.’

Daniela walked quietly to a corner of the library, holding the book. It was late at night, and there were hardly any people, and to a bookshelf that was almost empty.

‘I guess the people of the continent really wanted chaos.’

Even though the religious order took the lead in preaching about the evil of the imperial family, and even though the empire made public the evil deeds of the imperial family, the continent that had been in a state of boredom for a thousand years was not entirely negative about the revival of the imperial family.

The Duchy of Balkan has traditionally been friendly with the Imperial Family, and has maintained a neutral stance despite Archduchess Chloe’s defection from the Empire following Trixie Green.

Archduke Deminus declared that he would not intervene in the conflict between the two forces.

The magnates foresaw an overwhelming imperial dominance, with the powerful principalities now gone from the board. The imperial and primiparous kingdoms seemed ready to be crushed at any moment.

However, there was no one-sided victory for five months. Not even a large battle that could be considered an all-out war took place.

All that happened was a small-scale skirmish in the border area.

The harvest season is approaching and local warfare is becoming less frequent. It is a so-called lull. The two forces are looking for an opportunity and focusing on their internal affairs.

That means the entire continent is on edge, anxious that it could explode at any moment.

Knock knock-

The sound of chairs being dragged was unusually loud.

Daniela looked around again, pulled out a chair and sat down.

I brought the book hidden in my bosom, afraid that the cover would be visible, and placed it neatly on the desk. I was finally about to open the book.

But Daniela, who had been lost in thought, suddenly recalled an old memory and rummaged through the inside pocket of her uniform jacket.

He took a small card out of his pocket.

The card read ‘Green Arms’. It was the card Beatrice had given me when I had met her at the bookshelf earlier.

In retrospect, it seems like it was a diplomatic expression to blatantly ask us to side with the royal family.

Moreover, Beatrice. No, Tricky Green’s offer would have been aimed not only at Daniela, but also at her father, the consul, and the Senate.

‘What should I do… … ‘

However, while Daniela was hesitating, Beatrice’s identity was revealed and she left the academy.

Daniela was unable to visit the place indicated on the card she received due to the sudden news, nor could she deliver it to her home country.

The Lugo Union is neither actively loyal to the Empire nor allied to the Princess.

It may be seen as a reservation of choice, but in reality, everyone is simply reluctant to step forward in order to avoid responsibility for the consequences.

Moreover, crucially… … the elders seemed to be leaving the choice that would determine the fate of the Allied Nations to the delicate Daniela.

-Oh, Daniela. Please let me know if there’s any important news while you’re at the Academy.

-Huh? You mean the Senate meeting? Don’t worry. We are closely monitoring and watching the current situation.

-There’s nothing so big that you need to read the minutes. You just need to work hard for our Allied Nations at the Academy as you have been doing so far.

-Oh my… We need to quickly figure out who will win between the Empire and the Royal Family… Until then, it would be good if that girl can form a connection with both the Empire and the Royal Family. She’s good at magic, and she’s pretty, but she doesn’t know how to use it! … … What? You’re still performing communication magic? Aren’t you doing your job properly?! Hang up right now! Ah. Ah. Daniela, I didn’t hear that just now—

In the end, I’m just suffering alone, keeping it to myself.

The habit of keeping her worries to herself had plagued Daniela since childhood. Was it because she was expected too much? She would blame herself for making even one mistake as if she had lost the world.

In reality, the position of successor to the Allied Forces was one in which the price to be paid was quite high if one failed to do even one thing properly.

Clever Daniela just realized that fact too early. That’s why she pretended to be mature from a young age when she should have been and is likely to be a whiner.

Her insides were festering to the core.

Stress and pressure are weighing on the young lady of the republic.

Her shoulder-length blond hair swayed as Daniela shook her shoulders in frustration.

I felt like crying and shouting at the top of my lungs.

But again, he faked a smile. He shook his head and opened the book with a proud expression.

‘Let’s think about it later.’

Now is the time to rest.

He turned the pages with his white fingers, imprinting the letters in his mind.

In this way, the world inside the book transformed Daniela’s clouded mind into something colorful and bright.

Provocative content, descriptions beyond Daniela’s imagination, pounded all over her brain.

My heart is beating fast, my face is blushing, and I feel like I’ve gotten hotter.

Daniela fanned herself with her hand, took off her uniform jacket, hung it on the chair, and went back to reading her book.

I indulged in such a secret hobby.

Not even knowing who was coming.

Ttukbuk-

I can’t even hear the obvious sound of footsteps.

I don’t even feel the overwhelming presence of people.

“… … !?”

Daniela looked around in surprise when the intruder approached and the smell of lemon-scented perfume wafted in.

There is also a sweet and bitter leather scent mixed in.

Daniela, with her blonde bob cut beautifully, saw a man with equally gorgeous blonde hair.

“Hello?”

A blond man greeted me. His voice was as distinct as his appearance.

When Daniela froze and did not respond, the man smiled quizzically and spoke again.

“Hello? Daniela.”

Karl greeted Daniela as she sat down, then turned his gaze to the book she was holding in both hands and reading.

“Ah. Aah!”

Only then did Daniela jump up. She got up so suddenly that her chair fell backwards with a loud crash.

It was also the first time she, who had always been cautious in her 20 years of life, became frivolous.

Ignoring the noise of the chair falling over, she quickly bent down and tried to cover the book with her body.

I felt the gaze of the sword.

Daniela realized that she was standing in an absurd position, her waist and chest covering the open book on the desk. And that she was making a huge noise in the quiet library.

I was very embarrassed and ashamed.

“Ka, Karl? Why… why, why… !”

“What happened to the library?”

Carl answered, avoiding the question.

He said he was considerate of Daniela, who was standing there in an embarrassed manner.

Daniela looked back at Karl, bending down. His hair had grown quite a bit, and he had pulled back his bangs, exposing his forehead.

He has been growing out his hair since the princess left. Is he busy because of the war?

Daniela stared blankly at Karl’s head. It matched his handsome face quite well. And soon, when Karl saw her smiling peacefully, she felt embarrassed again.

“Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Give me your hand. Hold my hand and stand right here.”

When Karl reached out, Daniela was at a loss.

“Oh, no!”

“Why?”

“Mo, I can’t stand… I have to stay like this.”

It’s true.

If you raise your body like this, the page containing the crucial description that Daniela was reading just before the sword came will be exposed.

Why did you choose a book with illustrations?

Daniela reproached herself.

The book now open beneath Daniela’s chest is covered in large illustrations in keeping with the recent trend in imperial erotica books.

Ahem- Carl coughed dryly once.

Clearing his throat, he took out a note from his bosom and began to read it. And then Daniela’s eyes filled with astonishment.

“「Summer Obeyed by the Slave Grand Duke」, 「The Empress Tamed in the Wilderness」, 「Temptation in the Iron Cage」, 「The Night of Taking Off the Crown and Whispering」, 「The Touch of a Stranger is Too Thrilling」… … You’ve read a lot, haven’t you?”

The list that Carl was reciting… were all books that Daniela had borrowed from the library.

How do I…?

Daniela’s face turned bright red as if it was going to burst. But her once red and pretty lips had turned blue.

“And wouldn’t it have been faster to just cover it up rather than trying to cover it up with your body?”

“Yes?”

“That book.”

The knife pointed to the end of the book that was sticking out because Daniela couldn’t see it.

“Uh… This is… ”

I tried to make an excuse, but I couldn’t think of anything suitable to say. I had already had a similar experience, and I remembered that I had made excuses then and lost everything.

“By the way, I know you don’t have a sibling or a roommate.”

“… … ”

“That means, there is no way anyone would have asked to borrow it.”

Besides, Karl already knew all the excuses Daniela had made to Beatrice.

By any chance, did that woman tell you…?

“Ah, that’s… This is for research purposes… ”

I said it for research purposes, but I was like, “Oh no.”

What on earth are you researching? There’s no way the successor to the Allied Forces would research something like this, and if you do, it’ll just get stranger!?

Daniela, who was usually calm, was suddenly covered in a cold sweat. The heat on her face did not go away easily.

At that moment, Karl reached out again.

“I already knew everything. You can just stand up.”

“Yes… … ”

He reluctantly grabbed the knife’s hand with a trembling voice.

Carl grabbed Daniela’s hand and shoulder and slowly stood her up.

“Oops.”

I was so tense and stiff that I felt a tingling sensation when I straightened my back.

As Daniela rubbed his waist, Karl smiled faintly.

“Are you sick? I should have come a little later.”

“Yes, yes?”

“Oh, no. That’s right, why are you doing something so unreasonable… ”

If it had been discovered late, it would have been a problem as it is.

For a moment, a horrifying sight came to mind and I felt dizzy.

Karl put the chair back up on the floor and picked up Daniela’s jacket, which was also lying on the ground.

Tap- tap- I lightly dusted off the jacket and helped Daniela put one arm in it at a time so she could put it on comfortably.

Golden eyes quietly studied Daniela.

“Shall we go out and talk? I came here because I have something to talk about.”

“Ha, do you have something to say?”

“Yeah. This isn’t a good place to have a conversation, is it?”

Carl raised his finger and brought it to his lips, then spoke quietly.

fizzle-

“You know those books you borrowed… I wonder how I found out about them?”

“!”

They have been whispering.

That whisper was so embarrassing and ticklish.

I didn’t hate it.

Nod nod-

Daniela hesitated and then nodded.

Carl smiled, turned around and walked away, saying:

“Come on, let’s go. I can’t stay in a library because it’s stuffy. I guess I’m a natural born knight. Just the smell of books makes me dizzy.”

I never understood why the Maynor family hated books.

Daniela had recently come to realize that the man named Karl was quite different from her first impression.

The knife had almost passed the corner of the bookshelf and he looked back.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“, let’s go… !”

Daniela followed Karl, holding the book she had been reading in her arms.

Even from quite a distance away, the tall sword was visible. And Daniela moved quickly so as not to miss the conspicuous man.

It had been a while since she had followed someone, and whether she liked it or not, she was the center of the Allied crowd at the Academy. So when she walked, everyone followed her.

But this time it’s different.

Daniela, separated from the crowd, follows the man alone.

Again, the Lugo Union is a republic.

Weak nations came together to survive.

But Daniela knows that even if sardines gather together, they are still just sardines.

We always hung out together at the academy.

The butler’s daughter and the students of the Allied Nations. It was their struggle to survive, their way of life.

“Cheer, take it slow! Cal.”

Daniela is more at ease now than when she was in a group, when she was at the center of people’s expectations.

I felt freer and safer now, following him, trembling with fear that I would fall behind, that I would lose him.