A Moment's Rest

I stood up and brushed the dust off my clothes.

As expected of a secret passage, it smelled a bit musty.

Just to be sure, I checked where Elhani had been, but there was nothing left but a small amount of ash.

He had probably literally burned up.

*　*　*

"Azu-chan, can you give me your hand for a moment?"

"Elza-san?"

Elza grabbed Azu's hand.

She turned her palm face up and pressed near her wrist.

Azu's expression contorted.

"Ow."

"I knew it. You forced your power out recklessly, didn't you? That's probably why you won so easily, but you can't overdo it. Your body won't hold up."

"But I couldn't forgive them. And I had a really bad feeling, so I didn't want to drag the fight out."

"It's the same as with that sword. If you pour power into it all at once, the vessel will break…"

Elza slowly kneaded Azu's arm as if loosening the muscles.

Whether it was due to the healing miracle or the massage, Azu's expression softened.

I'd pushed her too hard. But given the state she was in without any decent weapons, she'd done well.

Since Elza had already scolded her, I decided to praise her instead.

"Thank you, Azu. Just try not to overdo it too much."

"This much is nothing. It would've been easier if I'd had Grun-chan, though."

"Well, you can't bring weapons to a party."

There didn't seem to be any other injured people.

Since there was no point staying here, we followed Gloria's lead.

I'd thought it was a large castle, but I hadn't expected a mechanism like this.

The royal castle might have something similar too.

Along the way, there were several forks in the path.

They probably used different routes depending on the situation.

Eventually, we arrived at an unoccupied guest room area.

We entered Yohane's room.

"We will stand guard, so please don't worry about anything else. Please rest here for the night."

"Understood."

There were many things I wanted to say. It was hard to just say "yes, alright" to that, but I had no choice.

Instead, we decided to spend the night together for self-defense purposes.

*　*　*

"Shall we change clothes? We can't stay like this forever."

"Yes."

"Uuu, the dress you bought me…"

"Azu, don't look so sad. The length is shorter now, but with some alterations, you'll be able to wear it properly again."

"Really?"

She turned to face me, her expression instantly brightening.

Good grief, it looks like her mood has finally improved.

Azu removed her hair ornament and put it back in her small pouch.

If I remembered correctly, it was the coin purse I'd given her early on. She seemed to be using it carefully.

We all changed clothes.

For safety, we couldn't split up today.

If we used curtains as partitions, Orleans and Finn probably wouldn't mind too much.

Once I was back in my usual clothes, I felt a weight lift from my shoulders.

I really wasn't suited for gatherings like that.

Each of us settled down and rested our bodies.

Light refreshments and drinks were brought to us, so we didn't need to go out anymore.

*　*　*

In any case, despite everything that happened, we'd accomplished all our objectives for coming to the Empire.

There had been danger, but also rewards.

All that was left was to return to the Kingdom.

I was worried about the situation in the Royal Capital.

Also, by now Duke Baroba's Alsarm forces should be clashing with the Church of the Sun God.

The Alsarm army was the Kingdom's finest fighting force, but I had no idea what the Church of the Sun God might do. They were too unsettling. There was also the matter of the magic that attacked the Royal Capital.

The people called Prominence who attacked this time had been repelled, but they weren't easy opponents.

I also wanted to deliver the crown fragment that King Izard had entrusted to me. I hoped he was safe…

I was tired, but there was too much to think about and I couldn't bring myself to sleep. In the end, I only managed to nap a little as dawn approached.

*　*　*

It seemed I'd fallen asleep sitting up. When I woke, Azu was leaning against my shoulder, sleeping.

I tried to slip away quietly but ended up waking her.

"Good morning."

"Good morning."

Azu's eyes were drowsy, and after saying good morning, she started falling asleep again.

She'd worked so hard. I'd let her sleep until the last moment.

"You're awake? You were sleeping so carefree."

"Sorry, were you keeping watch the whole time?"

"This much is nothing. Besides, I don't trust those people."

Finn was sitting on the bed.

She'd apparently been keeping watch all night from a position where she could see both the window and the door.

Even if she was used to it, staying awake while tired must have been hard.

Yet she'd taken the initiative to do it for everyone.

As I thought, Finn had a sharp tongue but was kind at heart.

I woke up the sleep-groggy Alexia and Elza.

Orleans had woken up at some point and had already finished washing her face.

Such a low-maintenance child.

Finally, I woke Azu, and we had the fruit that had been left at the table for breakfast.

Empire apples were sour, but they were delicious in their own way.

*　*　*

There was a knock at the door.

Perhaps because of what happened yesterday, everyone except Yohane and Orleans immediately went on guard.

When Alexia carefully opened the door, one of Gloria's subordinates was standing there.

"Everyone, I apologize for disturbing your rest. His Majesty Kelves is calling for you."

"We'll be right there."

A summons from Emperor Kelves this early in the morning. It was definitely about the attack.

Including that red moon incident, this was the second time.

Moreover, the person in charge of security had been an insider, so it was undeniably the Empire's fault.

Since Gloria the assassin had acted, the attack itself had probably been covered up in secret.

I guessed they also wanted to keep us quiet about it.

*　*　*

The room we were brought to was the same location as before, but the interior had changed significantly.

Perhaps modifications had been made to mark the transition from Crown Prince to Emperor.

After a short wait, Emperor Kelves appeared.

Just his presence there seemed to change the atmosphere.

"Sorry for the wait. There were matters that absolutely had to be approved, so I was delayed."

"It seems tough."

"Yes. I never thought being Emperor was just about lounging around, but it's quite busy. It should settle down eventually, though. And I apologize for what happened. I never expected to allow intruders."

"We were saved thanks to Gloria-san."

"With all that noise, anyone would notice. The man I entrusted with security was formerly one of my subordinates. I'd given him various tasks because of his dedication, but I never realized that dedication stemmed from his faith in the Church of the Sun God. After searching his room, various pieces of evidence came up, so I've punished him. A review of the entire Empire will likely be necessary."

"It's not something you can tell just by looking at whether someone is a believer or not."

This was the troublesome part. They didn't necessarily wear rosaries, and you couldn't see into someone's heart.