Skeleton Knight, in Another World Volume 7 Chapter 17-18

Translator: Silver Editor: Namorax

「Return to Rhoden Kingdom」

The next day, in a certain corner of Soulia’s palace.

Over a dozen people had gathered in a garden a normal person could never visit.

Lille and her two guardians stood in the center of garden, while eight additional royal guards waited behind them.

Nozan Kingdom’s group of messengers to Rhoden consisted of just those eleven people.

Dylan, Ariane, Ponta and myself represented the Elves of Great Canada Forest, so we could be considered three plus one people. Chiome, as a member of the “Blade Heart Clan”, represented the beastmen. All together, the delegation to Rhoden Kingdom counted fifteen plus one members.

Since this was to be an official meeting, a horse-drawn carriage and two horses for Nina and Zahar had been prepared in the garden.

Everyone was currently checking their equipment and supplies one final time.

In the corner of the garden, King Asparuf and a few important ministers were watching us and discussing something amongst themselves.

They were probably intellectuals that wished to witness the elven “Path of Spirits” for themselves.

While under the observing looks of those intellectuals, Dylan’s eyes remained focus on Lille’s carriage as he pondered something.

“Something wrong, Dylan-dono?”

When I asked about his strange behavior, he turned towards me with a troubled expression on his face.

“No, it’s just that Princess Lille’s carriage is adorned with the emblem of Nozan Kingdom, and I would like to have something that announces our arrival, as its something we elves currently lack.”

I didn’t know what to make of Dylan’s issue, so I looked to Ariane for answers, but she looked a bit embarrassed as she shook her head.

“We shouldn’t have too much trouble attracting attention thanks to Arc, right?”

Dylan gave Ariane a small shake of the head in response to her question.

“Although his luxurious appearance does catch the eye, it doesn’t do a good job of representing the elves to outsiders. Since Princess Lille’s visit won’t be following the normal diplomatic procedure, I was hoping to make a strong enough impression to smooth over our arrival.”

After his explanation, I was somewhat able to understand his logic.

Since it was well known that the royal families of Rhoden and Nozan were related, it wouldn’t be difficult for people to immediately accept the validity of our mission.

Still, proving our intentions might take several days of interrogations and identification checks if things were handled poorly.

Dylan had recently been negotiating with Rhoden’s government, so if we had an identifier they could immediately verify our identities and intentions.

Certainly, if those in Rhoden had some way of immediately recognizing him, it would help us introduce Lille’s delegation.

In that case……

While I was wrapped up in my own thoughts, Lille entered her carriage, followed by Dylan…… Seeing that, my eyes narrowed and I started to smile.

Next, I spoke up since I realised something important.

“I totally forgot that Shiden is still in the palace’s stables!”

“Ah” “!”

Ariane and Chiome had a similar reaction when they heard what I said.

Under the guidance of one of the palace guards, I found my way to the stables only to catch sight of a large figure occupying to small grazing field beside it.

“Shiden, I’m sorry I didn’t come pick you up sooner.”

I called out to Shiden as I approached. However, Shiden just swatted his tail and lowered his head towards the ground.

“This child is sulking. Because of Arc forgetfulness……”

“Arc-dono, to abandon the partner charging into battle with you……”

Not willing to just stand there, I tried to rebut Ariane and Chiome’s criticism.

“I’ll admit my mistake, but Ariane-dono and Chiome-dono forget about him as well.”

The two of them diverted their eyes when I said that.

However, I still needed to make up with Shiden if I wanted to get him out of the stable.

“Kyun! Ky〜un!”

Ponta was the first that tried to persuade him.

“………Hey, Shiden, how about we go to for a run in your home plains next time?”

Its seems like promising a trip back home did the trick.

“Giyuriiiiin!”

Shiden hoofbeats lightened after we’d returned to the palace garden the others had gathered in.

“Dylan-dono, you’re bound to attract everyone’s attention if you ride Shiden ahead of the princess’ carriage, right? There shouldn’t be any issue if I’m the one at the reins.”

“Giyurin.”

While was I stroking Shiden’s muzzle, Dylan looked him over before nodding his head.

“Certainly, an I don’t believe we can hope to find anything better. Since we’re already pressed for time, we should leave immediately, shouldn’t we? Arc-kun, if you would.”

Dylan climbed atop Shiden’s saddle with Ariane sitting down behind him.

Chiome stood next to me and seemed to be set on walking.

After instructing the onlookers to step back, I prepared to invoke my long distance transfer magic.

It felt as if I were returning to Rhoden after a long absence.

Having said that, the Rhoden transfer locations were still depended on my memory and I haven’t drawn all of them in my booklet. It may have been better to take the time to draw a few locations while I had the chance.

After planning a little ahead, I started to draw on my memories from my last trip to Rhoden’s capital Olav.

The landscape I remembered the best was the view of the city I got from the base of the Calcutta mountain range when we’d been liberating Chiome’s enslaved brethren.

“【Transfer Gate】!”

Because I had to include Lille’s carriage, the mounted guards and Shiden, I put more mana into the spell in order to expand the size of the magic circle.

After a moment of darkness, all of the party members gradually became aware of Rhoden’s dignified capital in the distance.

Ariane and Chiome took a moment to take in the magnificent view of the capital without any of the turbulence and confusion from that day.

The delegates from Nozan were caught off guard by the sudden change from the palace gardens and were restlessly trying to reorient themselves.

The royal guards were trained to handle unexpected situations, but even they were caught off guard by the literally ‘magical phenomenon’.

“Th-This is great! We’re in a place I’ve never been before!”

Lille leaped out of her carriage and took note of the northern mountains in the distance.

Soulia wasn’t surrounded by many tall mountains, so she must have been naturally curious about the mountain range.

Shiden quickly came to term with the sudden shift of his surroundings before starting to chomping at the grass near his hooves.

“We don’t know exactly how much time remains, so it would be best to go to Olav immediately. Princess Lille, please return to your carriage.”

“Ah, I understand.”

Atop of Shiden, Dylan’s voice was rather rough as he called out to the rest of the group.

Following his words, our group redirected itself towards Rhoden’s capital in the south.

Unfortunately, the location I transferred us to was far away from the paved roads entering the city, so it was a bit of a challenge to navigate Lille’s carriage through the plains.

If I wasn’t mistaken, the road we eventually got on led to Lanbaltic in the west.

As we advanced forward, I remembered the time I made a mistake and we wound up in the wasteland town Buranbeina.

The curious gazes of the other people on the road were directed towards us, and as we gradually approached the gate I caught sight of the guards restlessly hurrying about.

Certainly, it would be impossible to ignore a four-meter-tall, six-legged dragonmount leading a carriage and its escorts.

As far as the citizens were concerned, Shiden may as well be a new type of monster.

When we reached the town gate, two mounted guards, probably from the western gate, could be seen approaching us with tense looks on their faces.

They were either scouts or those sent to gauge our intentions.

Dylan’s idea seemed to have been successful, as I doubted Lille’s carriage would have provoked such a reaction on its own.

The two guards stopped a few feet away from us and had to soothe their frightened horse in the face of a dragon mount before they addressed us in a slightly threatening manner.

“Stop! State your name and the purpose of your visit immediately!”

The guard’s shouting surprised his horse and caused it to jerk about violently.

Once he finally calmed down his horse, his attention was drawn towards the people sitting in Shiden’s saddle and finally noticed what they were.

“My name is Dylan Targ Raratoia. When I visited this country before, I was granted an audience with the King. This time I am accompanied by a messenger of Nozan Kingdom. There is an urgent matter that must be discussed with his majesty immediately.”

Dylan tone was polite even though he was physically looking down on the guards from Shiden’s saddle.

After speaking with his partner, one of the guards went back the way he came and delivered news of Dylan’s arrival to the palace.

In the blink of an eye the news traveled through the palace and speculation about the nature of the visit ran rampant, but King Carlen simple said “Let’s speak with them first”, before making any major decisions.

Thus, all of the day’s plans were put on hold as a meeting place was hastily arranged.

King Carlon’s decision was immediately passed onto Dylan by the messenger.

The members of Lille’s delegation breathed a collective sigh of relief as their first concern had been dealt with.

While I was also relieved that the meeting arrangements had been gone smoothly, Dylan was wearing a dissatisfied expression.

He said, “I should have prepared a letter explaining our intentions and had the guard take it the first time.”

Lille had been entrusted with a letter addressed to the King of Rhoden from Nozan’s King but had we written our own letter explaining our intentions, we could have lowered our wait time.

Under the protection of mounted guards, the Nozan delegation and Dylan passed through Olav’s city gates.

If you compared the two capitals, in term of sheer scale, the entirety of Nozan’s Soulia could be fit within one-fourth of Rhoden’s Olav.

The members of the delegation were simply enamored by their surroundings and it seemed like Lille wanted to devour the view of Olav she got from her carriage window.

“Never imagined I return to this city in such a manner.”

“That’s true.”

My muttering should have been lost in the hustle and bustle of the city, but Chiome’s cat ears managed to pick up what I said.

It must have felt strange for Chiome, who lurked in the shadows and worked to free her wrongfully enslaved people, to walk down the main street in broad daylight.

While she didn’t say anything about it, she donned her facial mask and her tail restlessly swayed about.

Beastmen still didn’t walk the streets of this country unless they were slaves, but that could change if what Dylan said came to pass.

In any case, a few citizen of the capital would occasionally let out a surprised yelp when they saw the dignified appearance of a dragon mount and the two elves that rode it, however, the carriage bearing the crest of Nozan’s royal family kept them at bay.

There was no daredevil willing to call out Chiome for being a beastmen in this situation.

After passing through the miscellaneous urban areas and briefly crossing through the luxurious residential area of the aristocrats, the King’s palace came into view.

Murmurs of admiration leaked out of the mouths of the delegation members as they took in the graceful spires that connected to the palace’s main building. There was an obvious difference between the fort-like architecture of Nozan and the elegance of Rhoden.

Our mounted guides led the delegation to the open square in the front of the palace, where a line of people waited to receive us.

Although they were caught off guard by the diversity of the delegation, a guide asked for our representative.

“Wh-Who shall act on your behalf?”

Only the voice of a small girl was heard as Lille stepped forward.

“That would be me.”

The man seemed on the verge of laughter when he heard Lille’s declaration, but when he caught sight of Nina and Zahar behind her and took note of the glares Chiome, Ariane, and I directed towards him, he immediately refrained from doing so.

“I-I understand. Allow me to guide your way.”

The man directed a smile towards Dylan, who took a position beside Lille, but otherwise remained silent as he guided us through the palace.

As we and Lille made our way inside, the carriage and Shiden were left in the care of the eight royal guards.

Lille’s eyes bulged like a child’s as she took in the gorgeous furniture and various pieces of art that decorated the halls of the Rhoden’s palace.

Eventually, our palace guide stopped in front of our presumed destination.

“Please wait in here.”

After offering us a respectful bow, he opened the door in front of us and vigilantly awaited our entrance.

Lille’s expression tightened as she straightened her posture and took a set inside the room.

Nina and Zahar closely followed behind her.

Dylan followed after them with a smile on his face, while Ariane, Chiome and I slowly entered the room behind him.

It wasn’t the auditorium I expected us to meet the King in.

Instead, the room was similar to a large conference room, and had servants waiting in the corner of the room.

I imagine those working here usually didn’t allow their thoughts to show on their faces since those who were bewildered by our appearance quickly worked to conceal it.

“I didn’t expect things to happen like this, given our current attire.”

Speaking for myself, I was adorned in full body, carried a sword at my waist, and had Ponta throned on my head.

Both Ariane and Chiome also carried their weapons with them.

It was a good thing that Dylan, who’d negotiated on behalf of Great Canada Forest before, had come along with us.

Dylan had been accompanied by many elven warriors when he came here before, perhaps it had been a demonstration of power to help swing negotiations in his favor.

Elven warriors were rather strong and even without their weapons, it was doubtful that several human Knights could defeat them.

If I was being honest, if you gave Ariane’s mother, Glenys, a single sword she could capture this entire palace without breaking a sweat.

Rhoden may be trying to annoy us a little as possible.

There was this strange tension drifting from the guards on duty.

Since Rhoden’s representatives had yet to enter the room, Lille sat down with Dylan, while Nina and Zahar were taking their position behind the princess.

For the time being, Ariane, Chiome and I stood behind Dylan.

I thought we’d be left waiting for a while, but I heard fast approaching footsteps from behind the door opposite to the one we entered from.

=====

Translator: Silver Editor: Namorax

「Conversation With the Royal Family」

When the door in the back of the room opened, a young man and woman were the first to enter.

The young woman was slightly taller and older than Chiome.

Her blonde hair cascaded down her back in waves and her large, brown eyes perfectly matched her delicate facial features. Despite the flower-designs sewed into the collar and cuffs off her gorgeous dress, it didn’t come off as too extravagant.

Her eyes contained a strength and dignity that only added to the competent atmosphere the girl projected.

Next to her was a young man.

He was tall and had fine, light-brown hair coupled with intelligent, blue eyes.

His luxurious clothes were impeccable and he effortlessly projected a princely vibe.

In combination with the thin smile on his lips, he could be said to be rather handsome.

The pair parted at the doorway and allowed an older noble to enter the room and take a slow look around.

He appeared to be in his late fifties or early sixties.

It could be said that he was aging with dignity, even with the wrinkles that were set into his forehead, his blue eyes carried a steady strength within them, a strength that was empathized by the mix of white and blonde hair atop his head and in his beard.

Given that both the young man and woman bowed towards him, I assumed that he was the King.

Both Lille and Dylan stood and tried to bow towards the older man in a similar manner.

However, the older gentlemen stopped them with a wave of his hand.

“No need for formalities. You must be fatigued from your journey, there’s no need for formal greetings.”

Even with those words, no one attempted to sit down as Lille took a step forward.

“Thank you for your concern, your Majesty. I am Lille Nozan Soulia, first princess of Nozan Kingdom. Thank you for meeting with us on such short notice.”

Was that a practiced greeting, or was she just nervous?…… Lille gave a somewhat stiff greeting as she curtsied.

The elderly King’s eyes began to shine as he watched Lille’s small gesture.

“Oh, this belonged to Melissa……”

Deep emotions were reflected on the king’s face and the young lady looked surprised when they heard Princess Lille’s name.

“I am King Carlen Delft Rhoden Olav. I am also your uncle.”

With a smile on his face, King Carlen began to introduce the two people beside him.

“Let me first introduce my daughter, your direct cousin and the second princess……”

The young woman stepped forward and performed a graceful curtsy before the King could finish speaking.

“Juliana Marill Melissa Rhoden Olav. Feel free to call me Juliana.”

Lille responded to Princess Juliana with a natural smile of her own.

“And my son, the Crown Prince.”

“I am Sect Rondaro Carunon Rhoden. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Princess Lille.”

After Princess Juliana introduced herself, King Carlen drew attention to Crown Prince Sect.

Prince Sect gave Lille a quiet smile as he elegantly bowed towards her.

At that point, King Carlen directed his gaze towards Dylan.

“It hasn’t been that long since you departed, but today you are accompanied by my niece?”

King Carlen raised an eyebrow when he asked his question, but Dylan’s smile remained intact as he replied.

“It has been a while, your Highness. We have already met before, but I am Dylan Targ Raratoia, the elder of Canada’s Raratoia village. As you have said, today I act as Princess Lille’s companion.”

King Carlen eyes focused on Dylan as those words left his mouth.

“It’s surprising that you already have a connection with Nozan.”

“Well, since there is a lot of overlap between relationships, perhaps this is a mere coincidence?”

King Carlen responded to Dylan’s question with a laugh.

“Let’s have a seat before we listen to your story.”

After the King let out a small sigh he took the center seat on the opposite side of the table, with Princess Juliana and Prince Sect taking the seats at his sides.

Lille offered them a small bow before taking her seat, with Dylan following her example.

However, Zahar and Nana, who were acting as Lille’s guards, remained standing behind her.

King Carlen’s eyes briefly wandered in our direction, and Dylan was the one that answered his unasked questions.

“These are my attendants for today, my daughter, another member of our village and one of our friends.”

The King’s eyes bulged when he heard that.

“…… There isn’t much of a resemblance.”

Dylan smiled wryly at the King’s natural response.

Ariane had been chosen as his daughter by process of elimination.

“Well, she takes after her mother.”

Ariane made a difficult expression at Dylan’s question and turned her head away.

Was it my imagination, or had her ears turned a little red?

King Carlen’s eyes glanced over Chiome and me, but he didn’t say anything in particular before turning a puzzled look towards Lille.

“So, for what reason have you traveled all the way from Nozan to visit your uncle? Is it something important?”

After King Carlen shifted the course of the conversation, Lille took out a letter and placed it on the table.

Zahar, who had stood behind her, then stepped forward to present the letter to the king before returning to his place behind Lille..

“Uncle Carlen, I’ve come to you today and ask that you hear out our request. The details have been written in the letter from my father, his Majesty Asparuf.”

With a serious expression, Lille addressed Carlen not as the King of Rhoden, but as her uncle.

King Carlen didn’t call her out on the issue, breaking the wax seal on the letter and examining its contents, his face immediately froze in an astonished visage as he read.

When they saw the change in King Carlen, both Princess Juliana and Prince Sect looked towards Lille.

“Is it true that the Hiruku Theocracy invaded Nozan, Delfuento and Salma……? It says that the invaders number around two hundred thousand, but……”

Princess Juliana involuntarily let out a surprised shout when she heard the questions her father asked regarding the letter, while Prince Sect had an indescribable expression on his face as he knitted his browed and stroked his chin.

“Wait a moment, Father!”

The elegant Juliana violently rose from her chair and yanked the letter out of King Carlen’s hands, while he was still in the middle of reading it, and frantically began reading it herself.

“Goodness, Juliana. I was still reading that.”

Although the King complained about his daughter’s behavior, Princess Juliana tried to authenticate the half-read letter by staring down a dumbfounded Lille and questioning her.

“Is what written here true? Has the Theocracy used wicked methods to attack the other kingdoms with undead!?”

“I-It’s the truth! I thought my life had come to an end when one of those monsters attacked me!”

In response to Princess Juliana forceful inquire, Lille’s passionate personality came out as she hastily replied.

However, Princess Juliana didn’t seem interested in that particular detail as she started pacing around the room and talking to herself.

“But, doesn’t the Hiruku religion have a long and benevolent history? The doctrine itself is rather ordinary, so I never expected it to be such a heretical religion……

King Carlen let out a large sigh as he watched Princess Juliana behavior before he took up the letter and paid her no mind.

After a little while, the King lifted his head from the letter and turned his eyes to a smiling Dylan.

“It says here that the Canadian elves will be participating in the upcoming war, but if that true…… this is basically a territorial dispute between humans, right?”

Dylan began to chuckle and nodded his head at King Carlen’s skepticism.

“The adversary is the Hiruku religion. If there is a cause for us to remove or weaken it, then the great elders should be all the more willing to join.”

King Carlen made a worried expression when he heard Dylan’s answer.

“So you’re still working on this plan without higher approval?”

King Carlen looked at Dylan with a disbelieving expression on his face, yet he simply shook his head and said nothing.

“This isn’t a decision that a single village elder is capable of making.”

Lille and her two guards began to pale as they listened to Dylan’s and the King’s conversation.

…… Their worry was understandable.

In this upcoming war, the participation of the elves was indispensable when facing an undead army capable of simultaneously invading three countries.

If Maple’s council of elders refused to join the war, it would spell the end of Nozan and its neighboring countries.

However, besides their concerns, Dylan seemed confident about something.

“There’s no need to worry. Canada also has a duty to defend the people of Rouen Forest. Above all else, we must take part in the upcoming battle…… it is that type of situation.”

Listening to Dylan’s words, everyone had a strange look on their faces, but Princess Sect seemed to have noticed something because there was a smile on his face when he raised a hand towards Dylan.

Seeing the prince’s actions, Dylan tilted his head in curiosity.

“What is it, Prince Sect?”

“Assuming that Canada will participate in this war, what will Nozan be providing you in return? Is there anyone kind enough to lead a hand without seeking something in return?”

Hearing the prince’s question, King Carlen and Princess Juliana looked at Dylan, waiting for his answer.

“Nozan Kingdom and Margrave Branier of the Salma Kingdom have agreed to release their elven and beastmen slaves and make it illegal to enslave either race in the future.”

Princess Sect’s eyes narrowed at Dylan’s answer.

“That’s quite the large demand. Not only the elves but the beastmen as well……”

When Prince Sect looked down at Chiome besides me, she received his gaze and returned a sharp bloodlust filled gaze of her own.

There was a smile plastered on his face as Prince Sect shrugged his shoulders.

“Excuse my impoliteness. If it was only a verbal agreement, are you sure they will uphold it?”

Lille’s cheeks became inflamed at Prince Sect’s spiteful smile and question.

“My father won’t go back on his word!”

Lille’s eyes began to shed tears when she slammed her hand against the table. Princess Juliana sighed and offered an apology after she and King Carlen scolded him with their eyes.

“There is no excuse for my actions. I did not mean to speak ill of your father. I’m only a bit worried. Whether or not the stated condition is guaranteed, it will determine if the Elven authority will agree to participate. Simply put, they do not know your father’s character.”

Prince Sect words seemed to have upset Lille again, but Dylan’s smile remained ever present in front of her.

“No, I’m sorry. There’s no need to worry. They are not so barbaric as to renege on their promises.”

Dylan turned towards me and let out a slight chuckle.

Prince Sect seemed confused by his behavior.

I hadn’t intended to force the conditions onto anyone, but it may have seemed that way on the other side.

(Heh, after that rampage no one would dare to cross you……)

Ariane half whispered her opinion to me.

However, my own actions weren’t solely responsible for that, so I rebutted her.

(If I recall correctly, only Lille-dono and a few others witnessed my outburst, but weren’t you the one who turned a section of the city into a swamp, Ariane-dono?)

While Ariane and I refused to yield on the matter, Ponta’s tail suddenly blocked my gaze.

“Kyun!”

I couldn’t see anything but her fur.

It was like Ponta was acting as an arbitrator or something.

While in the midst of our silent battle, Lille was progressing ahead.

“Uncle Carlen, please lend us your strength to save Nozan!”

Princess Lille also turned to her father, King Carlen, after Lille made her plea.

“Temporarily assuming that the elves of Canada will participate, how much time is left before Hiruku’s undead army invades?”

Dylan immediately answered King Carlen’s question.

“It should be seven days at the earliest?”

“Seven days!? That’s the same as saying there’s no time at all!!”

Carlen let out a surprised shout when upon hearing Dylan’s answer.

“Even if we left the capital now, would we even be capable of reaching Lanbaltic in seven days? Furthermore, we would still need to cross the Burugo gulf to reach the neighboring country……”

Prince Sect calmly began counting the days.、

King Carlen acknowledged his point while looking at his niece with pity in his eyes.

“Enough, Sect. Asparuf-dono probably sent her here out of worry.”

He cut Sect off with that statement.

Princess Juliana made a sorrowful expression as she stared at Lille.

In the eyes of the three of them, Lille was the last daughter of a dying country.

Well, their reactions were probably normal.

The three’s pity and the meaning of their words only upset Lille even more.

“I-It’ll be alright! We only left our palace today, yet we’re already here! With Arc-dono’s power time isn’t an issue!”

He poor choice of words, coupled with her seemingly incomprehensible explanation and assurance that there was “No problem” only seemed to draw sympathy from the others.

“What are you going to do?”

Prince Sect asked the King that question as he pitied the poor girl.

However, before King Carlen could say anything Dylan spoke up and answered the Prince’s question.

“The number of days required to return with reinforcements isn’t an issue. Arc-kun is accompanying me for that very reason. There’s no need to worry about distance constraints.”

Dylan’s continued smile as he spoke his explanation, had the three of them looking at one another in confusion.

When Dylan chuckled and directed his eyes towards me I immediately understood that he wanted a “show of proof” to help them along.

After a quick nod, I invoked my magic immediately.

“【Dimensional Step】”

The target location was directly behind King Carlen.

“What!?” “Ha!?” “!!?”

It must have been quite shocking for a knight to suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind you.

The three had temporarily forgotten how to speak as they sat there with their eyes blew wide open.

They weren’t the only ones with bulging eyes.

The servants in the corners of the room were in a similar state.

“【Dimensional Step】”

I invoked the magic again and returned to Ariane’s side. However, only the sound of my movements filled the room, as the ability to speak still eluded them.

It was Prince Sect who broke the silence.

“……The ‘Path of Spirits’. I thought it was a mere fairy tale.”

Sect’s words caused King Carlen and Princess Juliana to turn their heads towards Dylan, who silently nodded in return.

The ‘Path of Spirits’ seemed to be a well known elven anecdote among humans.

Maybe the tales of the Great Canada Forest’s first Chieftain, Evangeline, building transfer shrines through the forest had been passed down as an anecdote by humans.

“Surely with such an ability…… But why, Dylan-dono?”

Sweat ran down King Carlen’s face as he stared at the fearlessly smiling elf.

“Why what?”

Dylan was enjoying this situation as he tilted his head and asked King Carlen to elaborate.

“Is the cooperation of our country so important to you that you’re willing to reveal a secret ability?”

Dylan let out a slightly bitter laugh at King Carlen’s question.

“In a sense, you’re right…… As I stated before, this is an unavoidable situation for us, but the same applies to your country as well.”

Dylan gave Prince Sect a meaningful look after saying that.

Prince Sect let out a small sigh before reaching over and whispering something into the King’s ear.

“Is that so. Such a thing……”

More sweat began to form on King Carlen’s forehead as he muttered to himself.

Princess Juliana glared at Prince Sect when she saw the King’s reaction, but he just indifferently chuckled as he returned to his seat.

King Carlen looked over the letter once more before handing it over to Dylan, who was still smiling even now, with a look that said he’d reached a decision. Lille nervously watched the King as we awaited his answer.

“It appears that we can not afford to ignore this situation. Given the lack of time, we can probably gather five thousand soldiers. However, can the five thousand soldiers truly be taken there without issue?”

“It shouldn’t be an issue.”

While the King had decided to send add he been worried about the transportation for them, but Dylan quickly eased that worry.

“Very well, Sect, apart from the actual command of the forces, I entrust the planning of the Nozan reinforcement operation to you.”

Lille was overwhelmed with joy at the King’s decision.

However, Princess Juliana objected to King Carlen’s decision.

“Please wait! Since the elves will be taking part in this just effort allow me to participate as well, father. We need to deepen our relationship with the elves after all!”

Princess Juliana made a powerful declaration, but King Carlen didn’t concede on the matter.

“That is why there is something else I’d like you to handle. I’ll leave this matter to Sect. That is my decision. Now settle down.”

While she was dissatisfied with the King’s decisions, Princess Juliana reluctantly yielded to his will.

With Princess Juliana pacified, Prince Sect respectfully kneeled before the King.

“Your orders have been received. I shall strive to meet His Majesty’s expectations.”

King Carlen, merely nodded at Prince Sect’s display.

“Then it is decided, as soon as the forces have been gathered, the reinforcements shall be sent to Nozan.”

After saying so Dylan looked back at me for confirmation, and I nodded in agreement.

With that, King Carlen decided to bring the meeting to an end.

While everyone began to prepare for upcoming events, I also began to look ahead towards the future.

It would be my first time transporting five thousand people, but just what was my maximum capacity?

Before that, I should find a good spot to make a drawing of this palace, as I still needed to make the transfer marker between Nozan and Rhoden.

As that thought occupied my mind, I saw Prince Sect approach Dylan as he prepared to leave the room.

Dylan glanced at him with saying anything in particular.

“Dylan-dono, I have to ask, do you plan to seek aid for Nozan from one of the Empires?”

I just managed to hear Prince Sect’s whisper.

Certainly, if one of the pinnacles of human power became involved, then gathering troops would be a non-issue, but that was an impossibility.

“Unfortunately, we do not have a connection with either of the empires……”

Dylan replied to Prince Sect with a chuckle.

…… That was also a problem.

However, Prince Sect continued to press the issue.

“Then, you would if you had those connections?”

“…… Given the circumstances, I do not believe that the participation of one of the empires is necessary.”

Prince Sect’s eyes narrowed as he apologetically lowered his head.

Nozan was the one requesting aid after all, and Dylan goal was to gain the participation of the elves. However, there was another, fatal flaw.

I couldn’t transfer to the empires with my magic.

To be precise, there were a limited number of locations inside the empires that I could travel to using my magic.

Using 【Transfer Gate】, I was only able to travel to places I’ve been before and could clearly remember. I couldn’t just travel to places I’ve never been before.

Speaking of which, I wondered how that one imperial town I visited was doing now…… the one where I blew up that Hiruku church?

While I was nostalgically looking back on such things, Prince Sect turned a thin smile in my direction.

“Is that so, please excuse me. I look forward to working with you now and in the future.”

Prince Sect offered a small nod and left the room after saying that.

His appearance and manners marked him as the embodiment of a prince, something about him left a strong “tough to swallow” impression. While I kept my impression to myself, Ariane and Chiome seemed to be in agreement with them, as suspicion could clearly be seen on their faces as they watched him leave.