Published: March 21, 2026
Happy New Year! Please take care of me in 2026 as well!
I actually planned to update last week. I only planned it (an excuse).
The airship that Noah and the others took has already departed, and after that the heroes also set out for the Kingdom of Reytis.
Remaining in Yamato Country are me, Kyousuke, Hosoyama, Kazuki, Lord Lattice Nail, Amelia, and Yoru. It’s a little lonely for just six people and one animal to occupy a mansion that size, but Sato and the others will probably bring their classmates back in two weeks, so it’ll get lively again then.
Sato, Ueno, Tsuda, Nanase, and Mr. Zeal set out abruptly a few hours after Noah and the others left because Kohana Sakuya informed them that Reytis’ invasion had stopped after the airship’s appearance and now was a good opportunity to infiltrate. The Kohana family’s carriage will escort them to near the border, so at least until then they should be safe. If they can make it across into Reytis, Mr. Zeal, formerly of the knights order, should be able to help.
Sato and the others aim, over the next two weeks, to destroy the crystal promised with Hiraes in Reytis and rescue their classmates cursed by it. Their action came suddenly, but it was originally planned. And if they finish early and still have time, they’ll also be tasked with searching for Yamato Country’s national treasure, the jade magatama. But since it’s unlikely the classmates are all in one place, they probably won’t have spare time. The three noble families who requested the search sounded like they weren’t expecting much anyway.
After seeing them off, three days after first entering the mansion and on the day she’d said she would come back, Hazuki Tsukimi arrived again. Hosoyama had gone to treat the wounded, and Kyousuke and Kazuki went as escorts for that, so only Amelia and I were there to welcome her. Lord Lattice Nail remained in the mansion but won’t appear publicly in Yamato Country, and Yoru stayed silently on my shoulder like an ordinary cat—talking demonic beasts are rare here.
While bringing out tea made from the mansion’s furnishings, I asked her if she had any requests as she began the usual small talk—asking if anything was inconvenient, whether the selection of someone to manage the mansion was finished, that sort of thing.
“You want work, huh?”
“Yeah. Anything—menial chores, scouting, dangerous tasks. If they say there’s no trust, I don’t care about pay right now. But doing nothing… that’s the problem.”
“Not being able to enjoy peace when it’s given to you is pretty severe, huh.”
“Don’t you start.”
Hazuki’s pitying look made me turn my eyes away. Ever since coming to this world I’ve been almost constantly active; I know I’m uncomfortable with doing nothing. In the Forest of Death I’d understand being on alert for monsters appearing from anywhere, but now, in a safe zone where I can rest properly, doing nothing still feels nauseating and unsettling.
“Hmm. Well, of course, in wartime they’re pulling those who normally work into the military, so all of Yamato Country is crazy busy—they’d borrow a cat’s paw if they could. So regardless of wealth, race, or origin, if someone’s capable, there are plenty of jobs to give. It’s just—whether there are jobs we can assign to you all…”
Hazuki glanced at Amelia as she folded her arms.
Well, you can’t put another country’s princess to menial or dangerous work.
“What about Amelia?”
Hazuki, maybe unaware of our relationship, gaped at me for casually speaking to the first princess.
Amelia didn’t notice and calmly sipped tea from her cup like she always does.
“…I don’t know my father’s current intentions. Even if I’m granted freedom by him, that doesn’t mean I can do whatever I want.”
“That’s true in peacetime, and doubly so now.”
Amelia made a thinking motion, then nodded slightly toward me before looking at Hazuki.
“So don’t worry about me. If Akira wants dangerous work, assign it to him freely. I recognize this is a time when we must be considerate, so if something goes wrong on the Elf territory side, I can be the only one to step back.”