Vol-03 Ch 1 – Luna and Lexia

Part 1

Luna was pushed by Lexia's vigor to serve her.

"A-are you really sure?"

"Geez, you're such a worrywart. I said it would be fine, right? And also, I'm going to call you Luna, too. You can call me Lexia. This is my decision too."

"…What a tyrannical princess you are."

I can't say it directly, but… Owen-san, thank you for your hard work all this time. As I was sincerely thanking Owen-san in my heart, Lexia-san snapped at Luna as if she had remembered something.

"Ah, right! Earlier, when I mentioned Luna's smooth skin, didn't Yuuya-sama's name come up for a moment? What on earth does that mean?"

"Uee?"

I wasn't expecting to be talked about, so I was completely caught off guard, and I couldn't help but let out a weird voice. Then, instead of me, Luna starts talking proudly.

"Listen and be surprised. Yuuya has obtained and possesses a bath drop item from this Great Devil's Nest's monster! If you take a bath in it, you'll be able to get rid of your fatigue, your magic power recovers, and as you can see, it even has some beauty effect!"

"What is that? That's not fair! Let me in too! Yuuya-sama, is that okay?"

"A-alright!"

"Yay! Luna, let's go in together!"

"W-what?"

"It's okay; it's okay!"

As I was about to take the bath set out of the item box as Lexia-san told me to, she asked me.

"Oh, do you want to come in with us too, Yuuya-sama?"

"H-huh?"

"H-h-hey, Lexia! Yuuya is a man, you know! And y-you're a princess. You need to have some self-control!"

Luna. You said that, and yet you also came in while I was bathing, didn't you? For some reason, Lexia-san just tilted her head curiously at Luna as she said that while shelving her own affairs.

"It's fine. We're going to get married anyway."

"Wait, wait, wait. Are you marrying Yuuya? Stop talking nonsense!"

"It's not a problem, you know! I've made up my mind!"

"You are so insistent, you little princess…"

Looking at Luna with her hand holding her head, I gave Owen-san one more round of applause. Really, thank you for all your hard work. And Lexia-san, I thought I had refused the marriage proposal once too…

"Well, uh… I'll refrain from it."

I smiled bitterly and took out the bath set.

"Ara, too bad. Well then, Luna, let's get in quickly!"

As she said that, Lexia-san pulled Luna's hand and went straight to the dressing room.

＊＊＊

"Wow! This is the bath that Yuuya-sama has? This can't be compared to the one in the royal castle!"

"I'm not sure if Yuuya's bath is better than the one in the royal castle. It's becoming more and more of a mystery…"

Lexia and Luna entered the bath Yuuya had prepared for them, and then went straight to enjoying a relaxing bath.

"…It feels so good. As I thought, Yuuya's bath is the best after all…"

"It feels really good… and Luna's right, I feel like my magic power is being revitalized…"

Lexia was amazed at the effects of Yuuya's bath, but she surrendered herself to the pleasantness of it.

"──So, does Luna like Yuuya-sama?"

"Buh!"

Luna gushed at the too abrupt words and turned to Lexia with a red face.

"W-what are you talking about? As I said before, Yuuya and I are… well… friends!"

"Are you sure about that? I didn't really see it that way, you know? I felt a faint fondness during your exchange with Yuuya-sama. Well, I'm not sure if Yuuya-sama is aware of that."

"…It's probably just your imagination. Besides, it's normal to like your friends."

"Ara, is that so? Then it won't matter if I marry Yuuya-sama!"

"T-that's no good! Huh?" Luna hurriedly held her mouth after she said that, but it was too late for any of that.

"Hah… if you're just a friend, it wouldn't matter if Yuuya-sama and I got married, right? And that refusal of yours… you don't need to tell me that, do you?"

"Uh…"

Luna twitched her mouth to say something for a while, but eventually let out a loud sigh, as if she had given up.

"…Well, I honestly don't know what to say. I've really spent time with Yuuya as a training partner… but before I attacked you, I certainly valued my time with Yuuya. I knew deep down in my heart that that time was precious."

"Is that so…?"

Lexia gave a small nod to Luna's words, then fell silent. And then…

"…Un, I've decided!"

"Eh?"

Suddenly, Lexia stood up from the bathtub and pointed her finger at Luna.

"I'm declaring war on you!"

"De-declare war?"

"Yes! You don't realize it, but if you're even a little bit attracted to Yuuya-sama, that means you're in love with him! And I'm in love with Yuuya-sama too."

"W-what do you mean by love…"

"Luna can deny that she's not in love, but I believe that Luna is in love with Yuuya-sama. And after this, let's make our move, shall we?"

"W-what do you mean by love…"

"I mean! I'm going to do my best to not lose to Luna and to make Yuuya-sama look at me! I'm not going to give up, no matter what Luna says! Of course, if I can marry Yuuya-sama, then I'll be the winner!"

"Wha-!"

"Now what do you want to do? Do you want me to take Yuuya-sama away from you?"

Lexia stared straight at Luna. Her gaze pressured Luna, and she imagined Lexia and Yuuya getting married. And for some reason, that imagination made Luna want to cry, and she uttered her one emotion clearly.

"…I don't want to."

"Hmm?"

"I-I don't want that! Yuuya is… h-he's mine!"

Right now, Luna still didn't know the name of the emotions that had arisen in her mind. Still, she knew clearly that she didn't want to let Yuuya just be taken by someone else.

"Does that mean you're going to accept my declaration of war?"

"Bring it on."

Lexia smiles at Luna's gaze, which is filled with a clear will, unlike before they took a bath.

"Right. Well then, from now on you will be my guard and my rival!"

"All right. Don't cry when you lose later, okay?"

──In this way, Luna and Lexia were able to move away from the relationship between the attacker and the target in a true sense.

＊＊＊

Lexia-san and Luna got out of the bath, and I decided to discuss the future with them.

"Um, Lexia-san. Now that Luna has woken up like this, how about we go back to Owen-san for the time being?"

I was here with the momentum, and also with the two people, Luna, the attacker, and Lexia-san, the princess, but as expected, we did not explain it too thoroughly. From Owen-san and the others' point of view, they would be worried, and more importantly, I want to discuss the matter of going to the royal capital.

"Eeh? No! I'm staying here! Besides, Luna's strength hasn't fully recovered either, right?"

"Muh? That's not──."

"Shut up, Luna!"

"Eeh…?"

Luna was completely confused by Lexia-san's unreasonable words. No, isn't that indeed too unreasonable…? However, Lexia-san has a point. Even if [Complete Recovery Herb Juice] can heal wounds and illnesses, it can't restore strength to the original state.

I thought about it for a bit, but Lexia-san's gaze defeated me as she stared at me.

"…Sigh. I understand. But in return, it's just for today, okay? Oh, and make sure you explain it to Owen-san later."

"Of course! We did it, Luna!"

"Y-yeah."

"Woof."

Night was also happy to be with Luna and barked adorably while wagging his tail.

"Well then, I'll prepare a meal for Luna so that she can regain her strength as soon as possible."

As I said that, Lexia-san raised her hand with a glint in her eye when I was about to head to the kitchen in this other world home.

"Yes! Yuuya-sama!"

"Huh? Um, what's wrong?"

"Let me cook."

"Eh?" Not only me, but even Luna makes a dumb voice at Lexia-san's words. However, in spite of us, Lexia-san was full of enthusiasm.

"If I show my cooking skills here, Yuuya-sama will be madly in love with me!"

"I think you're leaking your thoughts."

Regardless of the reason, I've already given up because Lexia-san said she would make it and wouldn't listen to me. As expected, I can't complain to a royal persona… Huh? …Huh? Wouldn't it be more impolite to have royalty cook…?

I think about this and that, but I don't know what's common in this world, so I decided to let Lexia-san cook for us, just this once. Then I led her to the kitchen and prepared the seasonings, ingredients and cooking utensils.

"You can use whatever things are in here."

"Oh my! As expected, it's not as big as the kitchen in the castle, but it's so beautiful!"

Even though it's sage-san's house, I don't think it can be compared to a castle. After checking the ingredients and utensils, Lexia-san took the potatoes and put them on the cutting board as it was, and grabbed a knife, and then──.

"Eeii!"

──She swung it down with great force.

"Ara? I missed my target. It's harder than I thought."

"U-uhm, Lexia-san? Lexia-saan?"

I called out Lexia-san's name over and over again in a cold sweat, but Lexia-san didn't notice my voice and just kept fighting with the potatoes.

"Geez! Why can't I hit it… Allri! Ara?"

"Hyii!"

The knife that Lexia-san swung at had slipped completely out of her hand, passed over my cheeks, and went straight and stuck to the wall. Scaryyyyyy!

"…Hey, Yuuya. Are you sure it's safe to leave the cooking to Lexia? It can make us die, you know?"

Luna, who had gotten up from the bed and was watching Lexia-san's cooking scene just like me, told me that while twitching her cheeks.

"I-I'll take it baaacckk!"

As one would expect, I hurriedly retrieved the knife stuck in the wall and went to persuade Lexia-san.

"Le-Lexia-san! Lexia-san, do you have any experience in cooking…?"

"Eh? This is my first time. Why?"

"Okay, you're out."

I should have asked her first! It's my fault!

"Lexia-san, I'm very sorry but would you mind letting me cook for you today?"

"Eh? Why?"

"That… I want to serve the food quickly for Luna to recover her strength, and since the ingredients for the food are all from this Great Devil's Nest, I thought it would be quicker for me, who is used to it, to finish it…"

"Ha, I'm starving. I can't wait to eat."

Luna nodded at my words as best she could and followed me reading my intention.

"I-is that so? Well then, I guess it can't be helped."

Lexia-san couldn't ignore Luna's words, which were not as perfect as expected, and although she seemed reluctant to say it, she passed the torch to me.

"But I'll cook next time! You two should look forward to it!"

"Y-yes, ahahaha…"

"…Well we were saved for now, but it seems that the princess will kill us the next time. What a pity."

Don't say that! Look, if she learns from a chef in the castle or something, we'll probably be fine!

While exchanging the unavoidable promise with Lexia-san, I quickly started cooking. I'm very careful with the ingredients, such as using "Orc King" meat so that it will be easier to recover the strength.

Lexia-san and Luna kept watching me cooking like that.

"Yuuya-sama, you're even good at cooking…"

"I understand Yuuya less and less… how is he able to do everything? Is he really the same species of human as us?"

Ugh… I'm not used to cooking with people looking at me like I did on the field trip. It makes me nervous… is there something wrong with it? Anyway, I wanted the two of them to eat something delicious, so I made it while making full use of my [Cooking] skills. After I managed to finish making it, despite being even more nervous than usual, I put the food in front of the two of them and Night.

"Now then, let's eat."

"Woof!"

"It looks really good!"

"Yeah… I'm so hungry now."

Thankfully, they both seemed to enjoy my food, and I was relieved to see that they were looking forward to my cooking.

"Hmm~! This is really good! As expected from my Yuuya-sama!"

"Ueee!?"

As she said that, Lexia-san suddenly hugged my arm. Le-Lexia-san?

"H-hey, Lexia! Get away from Yuuya!"

In place of my sudden freezing, Luna pulled Lexia-san out of my arms. R-really, Lexia-san is so bold…

"W-well… I'm glad if it suited your taste."

At any rate, I thought I could make it well, but I'm glad to actually hear that. As I was smiling at Lexia-san's words, Luna was looking at the food with a thoughtful face.

"Hmm? Luna, what's wrong?"

I call out to her, but Luna doesn't respond and mumbles a little something.

"…I have to prevent Lexia from taking Yuuya…"

"Hmm?"

"Yu-Yuuya!"

"Y-yes!"

Luna suddenly called my name loudly, and I couldn't help but respond by straightening my posture. Lexia-san is also surprised as she tries to bring the food to her mouth.

"Yuuya… um, can you feed me?"

"Huh?"

"Hey, Luna!"

"I haven't regained my strength yet. I'm too weak to do anything."

"You're lying! It's not like eating has anything to do with physical strength or anything else!"

"That's not true. If I move too much, my wound might open up. Yeah, it can't be helped. You can't blame me for this; it's a matter of course that Yuuya feeds me."

No, Luna-san. I believe you were moving just fine before, right? You moved more than just eating. As I thought that while twitching my cheeks, Luna-san looked up at me.

"…Is that no good?"

"Ugh…"

I don't know if it's a no-no, or… well, if she really can't even afford to eat, then it's because it was I who did the damage to Luna…

"…Fine. Here, open your mouth."

"U-un. Aaahh…"

"Aargh!"

Lexia-san was screaming next to Luna, but I didn't have time to turn my attention to that because of the embarrassment.

"…How's it?"

"…Hmm. It's good; this is… very delicious."

Luna, who was enjoying the food, swallowed once and turned her gaze to Lexia-san.

"Fufu…"

"Mukii! Yuuya-sama! Me too, I want you to feed me like Luna!"

"Eeh? B-but… Lexia-san isn't injured…"

"It's a princess' order!"

"Royalty is scary."

Political power is impossible. No matter how hard I try, I can't go against it. I'm just a minor citizen. I had no choice but to do the same to Lexia-san as well as Luna, and this time Luna prompted me again… I didn't have time to eat my own food. Why does it have to be like this?

I managed to get them both to eat all the food, and I was finally ready to start on my own food.

"It's okay now, isn't it? I'm going to eat now, just wait──."

"No, Yuuya-sama! Now we'll be the ones to feed you, Yuuya-sama!"

"Huh?"

"That's right, Yuuya. It's our thanks for earlier."

"….."

I couldn't keep my mouth open at these two's remarks. I mean, Luna-san. If you had the strength to feed me, why didn't you just eat it yourself? Despite my astonishment, they each offered me the food in my bowl.

"Yes, ahhh!"

"Come on, eat up."

"…Yes."

I will only say one thing. I'm very tired of eating today.

Part 2

After the meal, there was some struggle over what to do with the bed and so on, but as I was mentally exhausted, I managed to get through it, and I was able to go to bed safely. And the next day, I found out that Luna's physical condition was okay now, after having rested for a day, so we once again decided to go to the place where we left Owen-san and the others.

It would be quicker if we moved with teleport magic, but since Luna wanted to move her body as well as rehabilitate, we're moving on foot.

…Honestly, I took Lexia-san and Luna, the attacker, without explaining anything to Owen-san. So it's complicated for me to face him, but I can only apologize honestly. I'm the one who's to blame. And there's no guarantee that Owen-san and the others are still in that place.

"Truly, Yuuya and Night are just ridiculous… To think that you can proceed in battle with an advantage against the monsters of this Great Devil's Nest…"

"Woof?"

Luna says that with a somewhat distant look in her eyes, but… I still haven't gone that far into the depths of this Great Devil's Nest, and to be honest, given the fact that I know of the existence of sage-san, I think I still need to train. Well, the sage warned me not to go too far in possessing too much power, though. Although, I do want to be strong enough to protect Night and my friends at least.

"Oh, that's the entrance!"

When the entrance of the forest finally came into view, Lexia-san pointed happily and told us that.

Along the way, we encountered a group of goblin elites, but there were no monsters near the exit, and we were able to pass through the Great Devil's Nest safely.

Then…

"Ah! Commander, Commander! Look, look over there!"

"Huh? Lexia-sama!"

I heard a voice and turned my gaze toward it, and I saw Owen-san and the others, just as they were when I first met them. Apparently, they'd been waiting here all day long.

When Owen-san saw us, he rushed over to us. Lexia-san just smiled, looking at Owen-san.

"Ara, Owen. Good day."

"Don't just 'good day' me like there's nothing! Please refrain from acting arbitrarily! We are your guards!"

As expected, Lexia-san felt bad about this situation, and she bowed her head obediently.

"I'm sorry."

"U-um! Owen-san. I'm sorry for bringing Lexia-san along with me…"

When I think about it calmly, it's like some kind of kidnapping, isn't it? Is that okay? I wonder if I'm still going to be charged for a crime?

When I looked at Owen-san's face with anxiety, Owen-san was about to say something for a second, but he let out a big sigh.

"Sigh… there are a lot of things I want to say, but considering Lexia-sama's position and Yuuya-dono's position, it would have been difficult to go against what Lexia-sama said."

"No! It wasn't Lexia-san's fault; it was just that I got swept away in the moment…"

Owen-san and I were both apologizing to each other, but we cut off the conversation once we knew it wasn't going to progress at this point.

"Ahem! Ah… so, Lexia-sama. I've been wondering since earlier, who's that woman over there? And I also heard that the little wolf at your feet is Yuuya-dono's companion, but…"

"Oh, come to think of it, I didn't introduce him properly. This little boy is my family, and his name is Night."

"Woof!" After being introduced by me, Night dexterously raised his paw and responded.

"…You seem to be a very clever wolf. Night-dono, thank you for saving Lexia-sama at that time."

"Woof."

Night barked as if to say, "Don't mind it."

"Well, you're really clever, aren't you…? And what about that woman over there?"

"Yeah, she is──."

The moment I was about to speak about Luna, Lexia-san, for some reason, puffed out her chest and answered on my behalf.

"She's Luna, the assassin who attacked me! And now she's my new bodyguard!"

"Wha-?"

"…Hey, Yuuya. Is this woman an idiot?"

I can only return a drawn-out smile to Luna, who says that while holding her head. Nah, I didn't expect her to be that honest… Owen-san's expression froze at Lexia-san's words, but he immediately jumped back with Lexia-san in his arms and drew his sword when he got a distance away from Luna. Taking that as a cue, the other soldiers also draw their swords and point their blades at Luna.

"Hey, Owen! Why do you keep pointing your sword at Luna? Put it down now!"

"What do you mean, Lexia-sama? This woman is the assassin who attacked you, isn't she?"

"Yes, she was. Therefore, I've hired her as my bodyguard!"

"It's too unclear how we arrived at that 'Therefore'!"

Lexia-san, you're leaving out too many explanations. Owen-san is really having a hard time with this, isn't he? I can't say anything about it because I'm involved with one of them this time.

Luna herself, whose sword was pointed at her, raised her hands in a bitter smile, showing her non-resistance.

"Lexia. Do something about them."

"Geez, it's too much trouble. Can't you just go ahead and do it yourself?"

"What? Are you an idiot?"

"What does that mean!"

When Lexia-san's mouth suggested an unexpected physical solution, Luna half-eyedly clicked her tongue at that.

"Um, Owen-san! As for Luna, Lexia-san was right; she is now Lexia-san's bodyguard, so she is no longer dangerous!"

"Are you expecting me to just believe in your word? If that's what the assassins are after, then Lexia-sama is in danger."

"Ugh…"

I really don't have anything to say about this overly sane opinion. It's pitiful, but as a proper bodyguard, Owen-san's words are correct. As I was thinking desperately about what I should say to make him believe me, Luna let out a sigh.

"Sigh… I can't blame you for not trusting me, but if I wanted to kill Lexia, I could have done it yesterday… that's exactly what I could have done while we were sleeping together."

"…Lexia-sama?"

"What? We were staying at Yuuya-sama's home together, so it's only natural that we slept together, right?"

"…Yuuya-dono?"

"I'm sorry."

All I can do is apologize. Really, I'm sorry. Owen-san wanted to say a lot of things, but when he looked at me, Lexia-san's face, and Luna, he let out another sigh and put his sword back down.

"Sigh… I still can't completely trust you, but I'll just stop pointing my sword at you."

"C-commander? Are you sure?"

"It can't be helped. In fact, if you looked at her skill during the first attack, she could have killed Lexia-sama when she went to bed with her. It was either because of Yuuya-dono's power that she didn't do that, or, it is as Lexia-sama said. Maybe it's because she's now Lexia-sama's guard… whatever it is, we can't judge it now."

"Geez, you're so specific with every single detail. Luna is now my guard, so you should just be obedient and delighted! She's still a brilliant assassin!"

"That was too much."

Owen-san, who looked completely drained of his poisonous energy, looked at Lexia-sama with a dumbfounded face and then immediately looked at Luna with a serious expression.

"Well then, assuming I believe Lexia-sama's words that you have become her guard. Would you like to tell me about the person who asked you to assassinate Lexia-sama?"

"Hmm, I don't mind."

Luna spoke honestly about the details of the request as if she was no longer completely wary of the dark guild.

"However, most people who make a request to the dark guild hide their identity. But this time, it was definitely a request from a noble of the kingdom. Apparently, it was also to curry favor with the first prince."

"What?"

"No way… why…"

I'm completely an outsider, and I don't know the situation in their country, so it's hard to say, but Lexia-san, who was so innocent until now, made a shocked face. The first prince means… eh, Lexia-san's big brother or younger brother? No, but… royalty is kind of complicated, so it's not just like the common sibling…

"However, as for the first prince's favors, it's a matter of speculation. In the underground world, stories about the first prince often come up, but that story has not been completely confirmed."

"Story about what?"

"Hmm? That is, of course, about the first prince hating the first princess… that is to say, he hates Lexia."

"Uh…"

Lexia-san's expression grew tense as Luna informed her of the fact that her brother might hate her. Night approaches Lexia, seemingly worried, and slips closer to her leg. Noticing Night, Lexia-san holds him in her arms.

"Ah…N-Night."

"Woof… Woof."

"…Thank you."

Although she wouldn't be able to understand what Night was saying, Lexia-san smiled gently, knowing that Night was worried about her, nonetheless.

"Well, let's continue the story. Anyway, I received a request for Lexia's assassination, and in the request, it also included the information about Yuuya."

"Huh? M-me?"

I thought it was completely unrelated to me, so I suddenly became nervous when I was brought up.

"Yeah. However, the existence of Yuuya is not completely known; it's just vague information that says someone in the Great Devil's Nest."

"Even so, why would anyone want to know my information…"

For some reason, Luna replied to my words with a dumbfounded look.

"You know what, Yuuya? Lexia was attacked once, before I attacked her. It seems that some professionals had been sent at that time, but then Lexia escaped to the Great Devil's Nest. Well, their mistake back there was that they drove her deep into the Great Devil's Nest, and as expected, those who were sent to do it never came back─yes, except for Lexia herself."

"Ah…"

"Did you notice? If monsters killed the attackers, then it would be strange if Lexia wasn't attacked as well. Who else would have the skills to hide in the Great Devil's Nest… Yeah, there's none other than Yuuya and Night. That isn't normal when Lexia just returned normally like that."

"Is that a roundabout way of saying I'm not normal?"

"…If Lexia is the only survivor, and the skilled assassin is dead, the only conceivable possibility is that someone saved her."

She ignored me.

"They're going to assassinate the princess. The assassins must have planned it carefully, so they must be thinking that the assassins separated Lexia and Owen and the other guards. That would force them to consider the existence of a third party. They could think of it as a monster attack… but then, as I said in the beginning, it's unlikely that only Lexia would be lucky enough to survive. After all, all those skilled assassins are dead."

"U-umu…"

Owen-san snorted at Luna's explanation. I feel like I want to hold my head up myself. What Luna says about the assassins she's talking about is probably from the first time I met Lexia-san. I didn't understand it at the time, but there was definitely blood and flesh splattered around the goblin general. In other words, that was…

Thinking up to that point, I felt a sudden rush of blood.

"…Woof?"

"Yuuya-sama?"

"Eeh? A-ah, I'm sorry. It's okay."

Night and Lexia noticed that I was acting strangely and called out to me in concern. I'm not going to say that life weighs differently because they're humans or anything like that, but it's still something that comes to my mind.

…It's not something I can say after taking the lives of monsters so many times. That's what I thought, and while the shock still hasn't left me, I managed to recover.

"I knew that someday people would discover Yuuya-dono's existence, but it was sooner than I expected… for that reason, I would like Yuuya-dono to meet His Majesty."

"Ah, a-about that…"

Owen-san's words reminded me that I had another purpose other than to send Lexia-san and Luna here, and I cut his words off with trepidation.

"Um… I'm sorry. If we had left yesterday, it would have been fine…"

"Y-you're not gonna…"

I feel even more guilty as I see Owen-san's face turned pale as he looks at me.

"I'm sorry! Can I have an audience with the king at another time? I have a schedule to keep…"

"Eeehh? Yuuya-sama, you won't come to the royal capital with me?"

Lexia-san shouted in surprise, but once this golden week is over, the school will start as usual.

"I'm really sorry! I don't know when the next opportunity will come… but I will definitely be coming over…!"

I know it's rude, but all I can do is apologize. In response to me, Owen-san gave me a look as if his soul had been drained.

"I-is… that so… haha, hahaha… if you have other plans, it can't be helped, right…"

"…Hey, Lexia. Is this guy really okay? He looks like he's going to die."

"It's okay. It happens all the time."

"What does that mean…?"

Luna looks at Owen-san with an indescribable expression. No, I'm very sorry for piling up your anxiety…

After I desperately apologized, Owen-san corrected his posture as if to regain his composure.

"Hmph! Then when do you think we will meet next?"

"It's… it's hard to say because my schedule is still very uncertain."

I'm still trying to figure out what the school's events are going to be, too. In my old high school, I could have predicted it to some extent, but in my current high school, that prediction can't be relied upon…

"I see… Then I would like you to come to the royal capital at a convenient time for Yuuya-dono."

"Eh? Are you sure? Um… what about the king's convenience…?"

I can't hide my surprise at the statement that said I could go whenever I want. I mean, how can I meet with the head of a country without making an appointment?

"It may be difficult to say you have to come as soon as possible, but the next time will certainly give you more time, right? There are no major conflicts these days, and diplomatic and domestic politics have settled down. …Well, there's also the first prince, but that's a matter of speculation, as she says."

"Y-yes…"

Is it really okay? However, it is also true that it helps me.

"Well… I'm really sorry, but I'll visit at my convenience for the next time."

"Umu, that's fine. If you go straight down the street right there, you'll find the city. And if you follow the single road that continues beyond that, you'll be able to reach the royal capital. Unfortunately, I can't arrange for a carriage or anything like that, but…"

"D-don't mind it! I'm really sorry and thank you very much!"

There was indeed a single paved road leading in the direction that Owen-san pointed to. If it's a single road, then I won't get lost.

"Well, I guess we should be leaving now. There's a lot more we have to investigate now."

"Leave it to me to deal with those who are in the same profession as me and to be vigilant. I've been hired to do that."

"…I'll be expecting you for that."

I was worried about how Luna would be treated, but I was relieved to see that they didn't seem to be concerned with anything more than caution.

"Uh~… Yuuya-sama, are you sure you can't come?"

"Uh… sorry. Next time, I'll go to the royal capital myself."

"Well, it would be a nuisance to Yuuya-sama if I kept him too long. Fine, I'll give up this time! But you'll definitely come to the royal capital, won't you? Can you promise it?"

"Yes, I promise."

Lexia-san nodded with satisfaction at my words, and then went straight to the luxurious carriage that had been prepared for her.

As Night and I watched that scene, Luna approached me with nervousness.

"Um… Yuuya. I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you."

"That's not really a bother… I was confused and really worried about a lot of things, but I'm just relieved that Luna was able to be safe like this."

"Yuuya…"

"Woof, woof!"

"Night, too… I see. You were worried about me…"

Luna muttered that softly as if holding her words. Then, as they got ready to return, Lexia-san called out to Luna from inside the carriage.

"Luna! We're going to move, so get in the carriage now!"

"Yeah, I'm coming."

It's a short exchange, but that's enough to make me feel like she'll be able to get along with Lexia-san, and I couldn't help but smile looking at them. I hope they will get to know each other better and better over time.

Luna was about to chase the carriage that began to go slowly, but then she suddenly stopped and ran towards Night and me. And then Luna kissed me on the cheek──.

"Yuuya."

"Eh? Eeehh!?"

"Aaaaaahhhhhh!"

I heard Lexia-san's scream from the advancing carriage, but I could not understand it for what it was exactly for at this point.

While I froze in surprise to that extent, Luna blushed and said.

"T-this kiss is… a way of expressing gratitude and… uh… a-a declaration of war!"

"What?"

"I don't know! Figure it out for yourself!"

As soon as Luna said that, she ran off towards the carriage with great speed.

"Hey, Owen! Stop the carriage now! I'm going to kiss Yuuya-sama, too!"

"Iyaa, the weather is so great."

"Owennnnnnnnnn!"

Apart from Lexia's loud voice, Owen-san said that in a heartfelt, soothing voice.

"Stop! Please stop it! I… I want to kiss Yuuya-sama toooooo!"

Lexia-san leaned out of the carriage and desperately reached out her hand. While watching the scene in a daze, I unintentionally touched my cheek as if to confirm the feeling I had just experienced.