On the other side, in Emilia's room—
"Haa..."
After taking off her shoes, the silver-haired girl climbed straight onto the bed. She leaned her back against the headboard, wrapped her arms around her knees, and rested her chin on them, letting out a somewhat weary sigh.
She had taken off her coat and hung it on the wall. Now she wore a plain frilled blouse and a matching short skirt. Her slender feet, once tucked inside over-the-knee boots and white stockings, were now neatly pressed together. From time to time, her toes wriggled inside the fabric. Though the small movement was undeniably cute, her expression was filled with worry.
"Shogun... what should we do next?"
She looked at the purple-haired woman sitting at the edge of the bed with one leg elegantly crossed and asked in a subdued voice.
"Natsuki Subaru said it would happen in two days. That means we still have tomorrow. We should use that time to evacuate the villagers."
She glanced at the girl beside her as she spoke.
"But... will they even listen to us? If we suddenly say everyone's in danger, no one will believe it, right? Especially coming from just the two of us?"
Emilia lacked confidence. It sounded simple, but actually doing it would be incredibly difficult.
"Aren't there those soldiers?" the Shogun asked after a moment's thought.
"Even with them, it's only a handful of people. It still doesn't feel like enough."
Emilia leaned back onto the pillow, tilting her head up to look at the ceiling. The warm light of the chandelier reflected in her violet eyes like blooming violets.
"If only we had brought more people with us. This is getting tricky..."
Hearing the girl's discouraged complaint, the Shogun sighed softly and reached out to gently tap Emilia's nose.
"Mm~"
Emilia let out a soft, cute sound, then puffed up her cheeks and lightly pressed her white-stockinged foot against the Shogun's thigh. Her toes wiggled as if trying to pinch the flesh through the fabric. Of course, there was a layer of black stockings in between.
Tap...
The Shogun looked at the cute foot on her thigh and lightly slapped the top of it.
"///"
Emilia instantly blushed and withdrew her nimble feet, adorably crossing her legs and hugging them close.
"No matter what, we must come up with a solution tomorrow. But there's no need to rush."
She stood up and looked out at the moonlight through the window, her expression calm.
"When the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a road... At worst, we'll just fight them directly."
With that, she turned to leave.
"!"
Emilia reacted quickly, grabbing her wrist and making her turn back in confusion.
"You think you can just walk out after entering my room~?"
Emilia wore a playful, mischievous smile as she asked in a teasing tone.
"Haa... then what do you want?"
The Shogun was already used to this. She merely sighed and played along.
"Stay and sleep with me."
Emilia puffed her cheeks and gently shook her hand.
"I'm afraid I'll disturb you."
She tried to find an excuse.
"I don't mind~"
Emilia answered firmly.
"...You really are... haa."
She gave up arguing and relented. Either way, it would be her or Ei accompanying her. It made no difference—though when Ei stayed with her, she tended to fall asleep faster.
Now that I think about it...
Why hasn't Ei spoken to me lately?
Could it be she's already asleep?
Inside the Plane of Euthymia?!
...Forget it. If she's really sleeping, I won't wake her. She's been quite tired too.
Under Emilia's gaze, she removed her clothes, revealing her perfect upper body and graceful figure. Of course, she was still wearing undergarments.
"///"
Noticing Emilia staring at her exposed skin, she felt her face grow slightly warm. She quickly changed into her nightdress, then removed the black stockings she had worn all day. The fabric still carried the warmth and faint scent of her skin. She folded them neatly and placed them by the bedside along with Emilia's clothes.
Then she quickly slipped under the covers like a child. Since she had just gotten in, the bed was still a little cold. She instinctively curled up—only for the girl in front of her to wrap an arm around her waist.
"W-What are you doing...///?"
She looked up, blushing, and asked softly.
"You looked a little cold, so I'll warm you up for a bit."
Emilia smiled and whispered near her ear, then casually turned off the bedroom light.
Click!
Darkness instantly filled their vision, along with the quiet stillness of night and the faint chill of moonlight.
After a few minutes, once the warmth under the covers had risen, Emilia gradually loosened her hold and gazed at her face in the darkness.
"Shogun..."
Emilia called softly.
"Mm?"
The Shogun responded drowsily, her voice soft with sleepiness.
"Besides your mother... who else have you slept with?"
Emilia leaned a little closer, asking in a gentle, curious voice.
"..."
The Shogun fell silent. It felt like the kind of thing she shouldn't answer carelessly.
"Kokomi...?"
"...?"
Hearing the name "Kokomi," the Shogun instinctively opened her eyes and looked at Emilia.
"...That girl named Kokomi—have you slept with her?"
"..."
The Shogun thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Is she... pretty?"
Emilia asked, her tone innocent, without any trace of jealousy.
"...Very pretty."
Recalling the fair-skinned girl, that unforgettable delicate face, her gentle yet resilient temperament, her dreamlike attire like that of a mermaid, and her quietly affectionate nature—she answered honestly.
"Not only that... she's also very charming."
She added.
"How does she compare to me?"
Emilia asked.
"...Should people even be compared like that?"
The Shogun narrowed her eyes slightly, her tone faintly troubled. They were completely different individuals, each with their own qualities. How could she compare them?
"Hehe... I suppose not..."
Emilia laughed awkwardly, then sighed inwardly.
If even someone as beautiful as the Shogun calls her "pretty," just how stunning must she be...?
Haa... I can't win...!
Sleep!!
"She's a good person. At least, to me."
Just as Emilia was about to close her eyes, the person beside her added softly. Emilia subconsciously opened her eyes again to look at her.
"Mm, that's good. Then I can rest easy."
Emilia closed her eyes again, her face half-hidden under the blanket as she replied quietly.
If the person the Shogun cared about had been someone terrible, she wouldn't have been able to sleep. Hearing her evaluation, she finally relaxed a little.
She must be a gentle person...
I'd really like to meet her someday... though that's probably impossible, right?
—That was the girl's final thought before drifting into dreams.
"...?"
Hearing Emilia's reaction, the Shogun was slightly puzzled. Why had she suddenly said she felt relieved?
I don't understand... forget it.
She slowly closed her eyes as well.
A quiet, dreamless night passed.
...
The next morning, when they should have been gathering everyone to evacuate, the two of them instead stood still, watching the bustling village filled with people coming and going. The Shogun and Emilia fell into a shared silence.
Logically, evacuating this many villagers would require thorough preparation. But they had returned in too much of a hurry, leaving them with no time to prepare anything at all. The result was that they could only watch helplessly as people passed by in front of them. They didn't even have proper transportation—those soldiers' dragon carriages had all broken down on the way here. Thinking about it now, how could they even talk about evacuation? They couldn't just force so many people to leave the village on foot.
"Haa... what should we do, Shogun?"
Emilia glanced up at the golden sunlight approaching noon, her expression growing anxious. Even though there was still one day left, they couldn't wait until the last minute to evacuate. The longer they delayed, the more difficult it would become.
"If it comes down to it, we'll just have to force our way through it."
She answered.
"Huh?"
Emilia froze. What did she mean?
If there was truly no other option, she could pull everyone into the Plane of Euthymia. But her own Plane wouldn't be enough to hold everyone—they would need Ei's as well. That, however, would expose Ei's identity. She didn't want to do that. Explaining it afterward would be troublesome, perhaps even impossible to clarify.
"Do you have confidence in persuading them?"
She looked at Emilia and asked with concern.
Even setting aside the method of evacuation, just getting the villagers to believe them would already be extremely difficult. If they suddenly said, "There's danger nearby, leave immediately!"—no one would believe it.
"I can't say for sure... but when the time comes, I'll do my best."
Emilia encouraged herself. She knew her speaking skills weren't great—she had already shown that during the royal selection. But at a critical moment like this, she didn't want to fail. She would give it her all.
"That's good... I believe in you."
The Shogun smiled gently in reassurance.
"Hehe... if you trust me that much, it puts pressure on me, you know~?"
Emilia clasped her hands behind her back, glancing up shyly as she teased.
"It's fine. If they don't listen, it won't be your fault."
The Shogun shrugged.
Tap tap!
"Lady Emilia! Lady Shogun!"
At that moment, hurried footsteps approached. The two instinctively looked over and saw Ram running toward them.
She hurried over and stopped in front of them. Being a demon, she showed no signs of breathlessness despite running. She stood there calmly.
"What's wrong, Ram?"
Emilia asked, concerned by her urgency.
"Did something happen at the mansion?"
The Shogun added.
"No. Just now, someone from the Karsten family arrived at the mansion. They wish to meet the two of you."
Ram reported in a composed voice.
"Karsten?"
Emilia was taken aback. She instinctively looked at the Shogun, confusion written all over her face. Why would they come now? Could it be to support them?
That was possible. In any case, they needed to return to the mansion and meet them. Perhaps it would even lead to a good solution for evacuating the villagers.
"Time is short. Let's go take a look."
The Shogun glanced at the two girls and decided to depart immediately.
"Okay!" ×2
The two nodded.
A few minutes later—
"Raiden dear~! Lady Emilia!"
Standing outside the mansion gates, Felix waved excitedly at them from afar. Under the midday sun, his fair face looked especially radiant. That smile and appearance were far too beautiful for a man—something she still hadn't gotten used to despite spending so much time around him.
Not only this cat "girl," but also the butler Wilhelm had come along. When he saw the Shogun and Emilia, he bowed politely.
"...Why have you come?"
The Shogun asked as she approached.
She then glanced behind them—rows upon rows of soldiers, along with dozens of dragon carriages stretching as far as the eye could see.
This... are they going to war?!
"This was Lady Crusch's decision," Wilhelm replied.
"Lady Crusch's?"
Emilia was puzzled.
"Yes. Because of the White Whale, Lady Crusch was very concerned about your safety. And since yesterday, there had been no news from you—not even the soldiers who went with you returned. So early this morning, she organized troops and came to provide support."
Wilhelm explained.
"I'm sorry... I got so busy that I forgot. I should have sent Lady Crusch a letter."
Only now did Emilia remember, and she apologized with some guilt.
"No, no~ Lady Emilia doesn't need to apologize, meow~ Even without a letter, Lady Crusch would have sent us anyway, meow."
Felix waved it off casually.
"Besides... the White Whale has already been taken care of, hasn't it~? Right, Raiden dear?"
He gave the Shogun a meaningful wink.
When they arrived, they saw the massive White Whale corpse split cleanly in two. On its surface were carved words: "Subjugated by Emilia's Camp," as if to prevent others from claiming the credit. It made them both laugh and cry at the same time.
Thinking about it, Raiden's combat strength was truly absurd—cutting the White Whale in half like that... just imagining it gave him goosebumps.
They had all stood there stunned for quite a while. Even without witnessing the battle, just looking at the slash marks on the corpse made it feel as if they had been there themselves.
As expected of Lady Emilia's guard—truly living up to her reputation!
After all, the White Whale was one of the Three Great Mabeasts. And it had been slain just like that.
"If it hadn't blocked my path, I might have shown some restraint."
The Shogun crossed her arms and replied indifferently, as if it had been a trivial matter.
"Hehe... I suppose that's true, meow~"
It definitely would have blocked your path, right?! You two were so conspicuous in the fog.
Felix silently complained.
"Thank you very much, Miss Raiden."
But in the next moment, Wilhelm expressed his sincere gratitude.
"Why are you thanking me?"
She looked at the white-haired old man in confusion.
"Haa... my wife once perished in the White Whale's jaws. I have long wished to avenge her, but never had the opportunity. Today, Miss Raiden has avenged her for me. I should be grateful."
A trace of moisture appeared in Wilhelm's aged eyes, though he did not cry. He merely closed his eyes slightly, holding back the rising sorrow. His hand unconsciously tightened around the hilt of his sword.
"Haa... if my actions were able to help you, then that is for the best."
The Shogun offered a reserved word of comfort.
So this old man also had a past of his own—a tragic yet magnificent one, belonging to him and his beloved.
"By the way... didn't Lady Crusch come? Or is it just you all?"
Emilia looked behind them again. Aside from the large army, there was no sign of that valiant woman.
"Ah, well... Lady Crusch is handling the White Whale's corpse with the other half of the troops. She probably won't be coming, meow."
Felix scratched his head awkwardly.
Although the credit for slaying the White Whale had been taken, its corpse was still worth quite a bit of money—picking up the leftovers wasn't a bad deal. Of course, that was only his own thought. Lady Crusch wouldn't think that way. It was simply to prevent others from making use of it.
After all, it was the corpse of a mabeast. No one knew if something unexpected might happen again. It was best to deal with it quickly.
"Um... Felix, are all those dragon carriages behind you empty?"
Emilia suddenly thought of something and quickly asked.
"Huh? The carriages? Ah... yeah, they are. They were originally meant to carry some goods—"
"Can we borrow them?"
Emilia immediately grabbed his shoulders, speaking excitedly.
"Wah—wait! What are you planning to do, meow?!"
Startled by her sudden action, Felix quickly stepped back.
"..." ×2
The Shogun and Emilia exchanged a glance, both revealing knowing smiles.
"Evacuate the villagers." ×2
They spoke in unison.
It was like long-awaited rain after a drought—like meeting an old friend in a foreign land.
Lady Crusch truly was an ally worth befriending.