Ars and Loki, who are staying at one of the finest hotels in Rusalka, have been sent to the same room due to Jean's unwanted attentions.
　Last night's dinner was...hard," he said on behalf of Ars.
　It's not really a problem, considering that there is no fatigue left for the next day.


　It wasn't simply the chef's fault that it took him two hours to finish eating. To elaborate, there is an appropriate dress code for the finest dinners.
　And of course, Ars couldn't have carried that kind of dress around with him. Of course, the clothes he had come in that day would surely have cleared it, but he was absorbing a bit of sweat due to Jean's unnecessary meddling.

　As expected, it would not be appropriate, even if it did not smell.

　As a matter of course, there was a costume room in the hotel, which was well taken care of, and it seemed to be available for rent there.
　Ars, who left the coordinator to dress as he was dressed, went to the dinner table. The tremendously large carpet was a restaurant in a burgundy and subdued color scheme. The restaurant, which is located on a high rise, is filled with emotions even though the air is quiet and filled with a lot of noise. A faint, soft, gentle scent wafts from somewhere.

　If it were normal business, there would probably be a number of tables lined up here, but as far as Ars could see, there were only a table and two chairs.
　The glass-walled view let the moonlight pour exquisitely down to the tables as a light source.

　The relaxed sounds of the instruments waved pleasantly in the air, calming their eardrums and calming their minds. It is a space where you feel as if you are refusing to work hard.

　Ars felt his heart sway as he stopped by the panoramic glass window. The streets of Fonesova seemed to glow as if they were pushing away the darkness of the night.
　This is due to the structure of Fonesova, where the main street radiates out from the center of the city, creating a view that looks like a fireworks display. This kind of view is not something you will see in Alpha.

'It's beautiful,'

　Before he knew it, Loki, who was looking at the same scenery next to him, spun the frank sensibility he had in his chest.

''Ah....''

　There was no point in spouting off an unfriendly counterpart. No matter how he tried to find the words, he couldn't find the vocabulary to express himself.

　Turning around, Ars instantly stopped breathing. He gulped for breath.
　One heart jumped.

　The same phenomenon that had just recently brought the landscape into view occurred.
　The silver threaded hair in front of me was set and glistening in the moonlight. The dress, which stretched from the neckline to the armpits, was boldly dressed with the sleeves removed. Over it she wore a shawl.

　Ars was at a loss for a response. Or rather, the words didn't come out immediately. His thoughts were drifting and all his consciousness was focused on the beautiful woman in front of him.

''Ars-sama...?''

　A worried, yet appealing voice was thrown at the cowering Ars, which seemed to be worried, yet appealing in some way.

　For Loki, this was the most important thing he could do. An effort to make him see himself as the opposite s*x. That's why he asked her to choose clothes that would expose her back - even if you could see the scars running from her shoulders.

　This first word was accompanied by a threadbare tension in Loki. I wanted to yell at myself for expecting it to be shallow. But for Loki, who expected this in front of a full-length mirror, it's not even a question for himself. When it comes to formal attire, he has never worn anything other than a military uniform, so something about being a woman must have swelled up in his mind at that moment.

　To want a single word.

　However, despite such expectations, Ars moved to Loki's side with poor manners and pulled up a chair.


　A disappointment in my heart leaked out. Hugging his chilling chest, Loki sat down on the chair to wrap his hem around it.
　 No, in Loki's case, it might have been an oracle of God.

'It's so beautiful.'
....................

　My heart soars with a bang.
　I'd be lying if I said I wasn't prepared for the words I was waiting for, of course. And yet, there was the only part of the costume that was all white and the only part that was turning bright red.
　I desperately suppressed my mouth, which almost lifted my teeth in happiness at the grinning cheeks.

''It's foul...''

　Even in the silence, only the murmurs seemed to dissolve away.


　Because of this exchange, it wasn't until half an hour later that the meal began.


　♢ ♢ ♢


　Early the next morning, Ars and Loki were invited to the palace, which is located between the middle and richest class of Rusalka.
　This is the state institution that governs internal and external politics in Rusarka. However, as expected, or perhaps I should say, it is an old-fashioned building, as is the case in Alpha, because of the royal family's head of state, Lithia Toulouf Infratta.

　It is called the Palace of the Ceyenos, and it looks as if it is curved in the middle of a two-handed circle. It is an impressive and grandiose palace, but once you step inside, you will find yourself in a well-equipped workshop.
　I've already experienced the disappointment of the exterior at the Royal Palace in Alpha.

　Incidentally, this palace also doubles as a guesthouse, and we were currently enjoying a meeting in the garden set up right in the center of the palace. I was surprised to find such a resting place in the palace, but I heard that it was made just for Lithia's teatime. It is surrounded by a glassed-in sunroom.

　In the middle of the blooming flowers was a stylish bower, where we spent our elegant time on the terrace. Since I was expecting a slightly formal meeting, I was surprised, but I felt at ease.
　That's why Ars and Loki, who were not dressed in formal attire like they were yesterday, felt as if they had been invited as if they were friends.

　The marble-like round table looks like it was carved out of a single stone. It's the only way to get to know each other.

It seems that you took the trouble to give a lecture at the academy.
No, sir. It's a bargain at best.

　Ars made a relatively meek face. It's a stupid thing to do to fight head-on with another head of state. As long as you have been invited here, it was still inevitable.
　And since it wasn't fruitless, Ars doesn't think it was a fruitless time.　

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get a good idea of what I'm talking about. I'm sure you'll be able to get a good idea of what this country called Rusalka is all about.

It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on it. I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot more to say about it.
I'm sure you're right, but since I put all my heart and soul into the reform, what can I say? No matter how ingenious a plan is, it is useless unless the people do not agree with it.

　Lithia's ability to lead the internal affairs is noticeably colored by Rusalka.
　However, the next moment the language intensified.

'On that point (...), I don't have much of a preference for Cicernian's methods.
Lady Lithia...

　Jean stops him in the mood to slander other heads of state.

''Well, well, I must admit that I am a bit of a visionary, but...''

　Lithia sees Cicernia as a rival because she has a talent that she does not have. That's why he can't help but take the brunt of the comparison.
　Besides, Ars could tell that this wasn't talking about anything but emotion.

　Ars doesn't care about Jean's eye contact, he returns to say that he doesn't care. To Ars, who is not that patriotic, Cisernia is just a head of state. It can't be more or less than that.
　This is most likely due to the fact that Ars himself does not trust her very much.

　Nevertheless, he opens his mouth to set up his country's head of state here for a moment.

It's a good thing that Lithia-sama has the foresight to do so. Otherwise, there would not be any unprecedented development. Also, Sisernia has her own way of doing things. I don't doubt that the head of our country has the ability to get the Transitional Gate and other lifelines in place at once. But, as a matter of fact, he is very good at subterfuge, so...
'Yes!　That's it. I don't like it, a head of state is a symbol of a country. It's sneaking around behind the scenes.

　As expected, Jean was spoon fed up with it, or maybe he didn't break in this time. If the other party wasn't Ars, though, this wouldn't have happened.

'You and Lithia-sama seem to be on the same page. I'm the only one who can't read Cisernia-sama's thoughts either. Maybe, but I have a feeling that no one can beat her in a table game. You have a natural talent for such tactics.
For a guy who gets along so well with you, you lift him up.
'It's a little different. I'm not trying to lift it up, but it's already been brought up - as a strict fact. Of course I'm not going to divulge any information about my country.
Oh no, I'm not bringing her. But I didn't invite you here with the intention of doing so.

　Lithia, with a cheerful and elegant smile on her mouth, is in a good mood and moves on to the next topic.
　This area could be called skillful storytelling that Cicernias don't have. The topic of the mutants that have progressed to Balmes was switched from a completely seamless flow to the topic of the mutants that have progressed to Balmes.

　As expected of Ars, there is no way he can keep everything secret, so he spins his thoughts to avoid getting to the heart of the matter.


　It's a good thing that you can't just dodge the sharp cuts, because even as expected of Ars, it could be said that it was just in the nick of time. As long as the other party is the head of state, silence does not give a good impression. It is also clever that this person called Lithia is not able to shove it away.
　This prevention of warfare might have been felt because it was perhaps Ars. Yes, it's only one of the banter. The skill of that guise is something that Ars is not good at.

　This is probably more of an aristocratic race's specialty in the art of living.

　On the surface Lithia would like to hear a heroic tale of repelling an unprecedented crisis that she had never experienced before. That was the expression on his face.
　It was fortunate that Lithia didn't have deep knowledge of demons that Ars was able to escape the difficulty.

　However, there was another single magician here. That person cannot be said to be ignorant about demons.

''But, Ars, I've never seen a demon called an evil eater in person either, but it's hard for me to believe that you can eat a magician on the scale of hundreds and get away with that much.

　Jean asks in a voice tone that doesn't distract from the fact that he's about to include it while maintaining an archaic smile.

'The report will be up. It's not as easy as it looks, that's for sure. I almost got my foot in the door because the only bad food I had was knowledge, too.

　In fact, I was completely scooped up by my feet.

''I see, so knowledge of demons is still an urgent need for all of humanity.
It is. I'm sure it's an impossible task, but the skill required of a magician is not limited to magic anymore, and that was a hard-hitting defeat. To be honest, relying on magic alone is no longer enough to survive.
So demons can evolve too?

　Ars nodded bitterly at Jean's summation.
　Even during the great disasters of the past, and even now, it is the improvement of a mage's physical skills that makes Ars sound the alarm bell. It is true that the only way to shatter the strong exoskeleton of a demon is to use magic, but in the outside world where there is no such thing as a motionless target, a mage should be required to have enough skill to be able to attack and defend.

　It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what to do.

It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what to do with it.
Yeah.
''The magic explosion should be proportional to the total amount of magic, but how did you survive?''

　Jean, who doesn't have an obvious and altruistic intention, and Lithia, who would have been listening to the solution.

The first thing you can do is to prevent it. Well, we couldn't prevent it from happening.

　He implied that he had been carried in, and ranted about what would have happened if he had been a moment later than he realized.

The damage was minimal. No one would have complained if it had turned out well.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So much for the mess.

　Lithia, resigned to not getting a harvest, panted her hands adorably.
　Her gaze was filled with blatant glee and shifted to Loki, who was watching silently next to Ars.