Published: January 24, 2026
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After the victory celebration party ended, the princess of this country—Lucilla N. Edelweiss—left the venue ahead of everyone else and waited for someone while admiring the flowers in the garden of the Claudel family.
A figure approached her.
Sensing the arrival of the person she was waiting for, Lucilla shifted her gaze from the flowers to the approaching figure and then spoke.
"I’ve been waiting for you. Thank you for coming all this way. —Fuuka."
Lucilla expressed her respect by slightly bending her knees and lifting the hem of her skirt as she greeted Fuuka.
"...There’s no need for honorifics. Right now, I’m just a defeated person who’s been driven out of the country. But I’m not good with formal speech, so is it alright if I speak like this?"
"Yes, that’s perfectly fine. Then I’ll also call you Fuuka."
"That’s okay. ...Now, to get straight to the point—I want to take Orun to the Principality of Hitia. Lucilla, I want you to create a justifiable reason for that."
When Fuuka made her request, Lucilla’s expression stiffened.
"...So that was the real reason you took on the dungeon conquests in various places."
"Yeah. The cult’s actions were faster than I expected, so I was wondering how to guide Orun, but the timing was perfect when you requested dungeon conquest, so I used that."
"What are you—no, what is the Principality of Hitia scheming?"
"That’s something that has no meaning even if you know. This is the condition for the kingdom to receive Hitia's aid in this war, so you have no veto power."
Lucilla had organized the allied forces of surrounding countries and also requested assistance from the Principality of Hitia, a magic powerhouse in the continent's center.
And Hitia’s answer was: 'If we accept Fuuka's demands, we will support the kingdom.'
And that demand was to take Orun to the Principality of Hitia.
"...Understood. I’ll think of a reason to send Orun to Hitia. You’re right—our debt to you is too great, so there’s no room for negotiation."
Lucilla had already sensed Fuuka’s objective to some extent.
That was why she wasn’t surprised by Fuuka’s demand.
However, the turmoil in the country caused by Orun—the hero of the kingdom—going to another country was by no means small.
Considering that, Lucilla felt a headache coming on.
Explorers were not supposed to fight on the battlefield, but whether Orun was present or not could affect the country’s core, the fighters, and the hearts of the people.
Orun’s presence had grown that much over the past year.
"I'm glad you say that. I don't want to stir things up either. Also, may I ask you one question?"
"...What is it?"
"You don’t seem very surprised, but did you know about my request in advance?"
"I had some idea. It’s certain that the Cyclamen cult is behind the empire, and behind that cult’s direct opponent, Amuntzarse, is the Principality of Hitia. Actually, it might be more accurate to say that organization is essentially the Principality of Hitia itself."
"...I’m surprised. Your country has grasped this much."
Hearing Lucilla’s words, Fuuka unusually widened her eyes.
"No, the country doesn’t know. This is my personal conclusion from analyzing circumstantial evidence of incidents caused by the Cyclamen cult and Amuntzarse, and the movements of the Principality of Hitia. There’s no decisive proof, so I haven’t told anyone until now. Ah, and I won’t reveal it to anyone in the future either, so please rest assured."
Lucilla had been called a genius since childhood.
She achieved the highest grades ever recorded at the Noble Academy, a record that still stood.
Her exceptional information analysis and interpretation skills were what made her a genius.
Being close to the country’s core, she had fully demonstrated these abilities while facing domestic issues, incidents, and the movements of various countries, accurately predicting many facts.
All the credit for these achievements was given to her older brother, the crown prince, so few knew the truth.