"I can't believe that cunning fox is actually showing a bit of nervousness." I quietly commented to Brendu. Naturally, I was using mana so only she could hear my voice.
"Remember, I'm still a princess. If my father wished to, he could wipe out his territory within an hour. Diamond Ranks are certainly respected like nobles, but next to a royal family, they're nothing." She said it as casually as if she were discussing the weather.
"Don't tell me you're leaving without me." The irritated voice of a teenage girl echoed directly inside my head.
"Of course not. That's why we're walking so slowly." I replied to Glia. She had been busy eating ogre cores. According to our agreement, humans couldn't take the cores, but Glia was a monster. She was the exception.
"Really? You didn't slow down just to enjoy watching that man get nervous?" She finally caught up to us before disappearing. She planned to rest inside my core.
"I'd rather get back as quickly as possible." It was amusing watching him squirm, but the sooner everything was settled, the better.
They had started treating Sers yesterday. There had been a scheduling conflict with the doctor, so his appointment had been postponed. By today, he should already be completely healed. He was receiving treatment in the main city of the Solar Territory because our town still didn't have a teleportation device.
"It's an honor to meet you, Princess Brendu. You're every bit as charming as the rumors claim." The bald man gave the most formal bow I'd seen in a long time. I nearly burst out laughing.
"The pleasure is mine as well, Sir Grox." Brendu returned the greeting with one equally polite, though slightly simpler. I was surprised she'd memorized his name after I'd only mentioned it once in passing. Nothing ever escaped her.
"It's time to leave. I'll lead the way. Could you watch our backs?" I asked Grox, mostly to see how he'd react.
"Not a problem. Leave it to me." His answer was full of confidence. I had expected at least a little resistance to being treated like an escort. Brendu's presence had probably influenced his response.
The three of us took to the sky and shot toward the town. My grandmother had likely already contacted Joaki regarding the troop transfer. That had been our plan from the beginning, and Edupe would accompany them back as agreed before the war. There shouldn't be any issues.
"You really let loose back there. For a moment, I remembered the Brendu from all those rumors when I first met you." I smiled at the princess.
"I gave it everything I had. I wanted to push my body to its absolute limit and discover everything I was capable of. I need to know where my limits are in case I ever find myself in a situation where my life is truly at risk." She spoke with complete seriousness, but then her expression changed entirely.
"What do you mean? Are you talking about the Thorn Princess? I remember laughing so hard when I first heard that nickname." She let out a long laugh as those days came back to her.
Back at the academy, most students respected and feared Brendu because of her status, but on more than one occasion she'd utterly crushed idiots who forgot their place. That was when the other students had truly begun to fear her.
I remembered classmates whispering those stories with obvious anxiety, afraid she'd overhear them. Thinking back on it made me feel embarrassed. It still felt strange realizing I'd started falling for her after seeing that side of her...
"To think that back then you only trained enough to avoid falling behind... If you ever became like that again, I don't even want to imagine how things would end." My body shivered ever so slightly just imagining myself riddled with holes by those poisonous wooden spikes.
My regeneration slowed dramatically whenever her poison affected me. No matter how much I improved my resistance, she always found a way to make her poison even deadlier. It almost felt like a competition. Then again, being honest, no fool would ever dare disrespect Brendu.
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"Do you think everything will work out? My instincts tell me we're on the right path... but something feels strange." My instincts were usually crystal clear. They warned me whether something felt right or wrong based on everything I knew, combined with that strange sixth sense of mine.
I'd rarely experienced this feeling before. Somehow, I knew everything would turn out fine in the end... yet something still felt like it would become a problem. What could it be? I sighed softly after thinking it over for a while. I reached no conclusion. I'd simply deal with it when it appeared.
The trip back was peaceful. Only a flock of monsters resembling giant swans tried attacking us from the side. Brendu and I ignored them entirely. The bald man dealt with them in an instant.
When we arrived at town, the atmosphere was lively and cheerful as always, though I could sense a faint heaviness hanging in the air. Everyone seemed slightly anxious, eager for answers. After all, the outcome of this battle would completely change the future of the territory.
People reacted differently when they saw Brendu, me, and an unfamiliar man arriving together. Some looked happy and surprised, others anxious, and a few seemed worried.
A small child stood near where we landed. He startled when everyone around him stopped what they were doing to stare at us. The poor kid clung tightly to his mother's leg, only calming down when our eyes met.
I smiled from ear to ear and gave the little boy a thumbs-up. He smiled right back at me. He didn't understand the situation at all. His smile was simply a response to mine, but everyone else understood exactly what it meant.
I could hear cheers beginning to spread, though people kept the noise down while we were still there. I didn't say a word. I simply waved and headed straight toward the place where my grandmother would be waiting.
As soon as I entered the building, I could hear the entire town celebrating outside. I understood their happiness. Business would boom for quite some time, profits would soar, and everyone needed to seize this opportunity.
"You seem to be deeply loved by your people, just as the rumors say." Grox commented as we entered the building.
"It's the natural reaction when a ruler governs fairly." I answered as though it were nothing, though inwardly I felt rather proud. Being loved by the masses wasn't something easily achieved.
I offered Grox one of our finest guest quarters. Calling it a room would be an understatement—it was more like an apartment. The meeting would most likely take place tomorrow. My grandmother was probably already speaking with Mirtha.
Brendu and I returned home together. We both desperately needed a proper bath to wash the sweat from our bodies. We could remove the blood and filth using Imra, but it was completely different from soaking in a relaxing bath.
Just as I was about to take a short nap, I sensed someone running into the range of my Personal World. I immediately recognized him and hurried downstairs. He was one of the messengers responsible for delivering my grandmother's messages whenever they weren't urgent.
"Lord Maki, it's wonderful to see you again, and I'm glad to find you in good health." As always, his mouth moved just as quickly as his feet.
"You look well yourself, Klin. Did my grandmother have something she wanted to tell me?" I got straight to the point.
"Yes. The meeting has been scheduled for tomorrow at noon. Two representatives will be arriving from the Lepak Territory. Lady Rita wishes for you and Princess Brendu to attend without fail, just as previously agreed. Lord Grox has already been informed and has accepted." I liked that he got straight to the point as well.
"Tomorrow at noon... understood. Tell my grandmother Brendu and I will be there." I replied. "By the way, have you heard anything about Sers?" I asked before he could leave. He had already been preparing to head back.
"As far as I know, Lord Sers has already returned home and is resting. I heard the operation was a complete success without any complications." Klin answered. As always, he seemed to know everything.
"Thank you, Klin. See you soon, and give my regards to your family." The man, now over forty years old, was married with two children.
"Thank you. My children will be thrilled to hear that you sent them your regards. And... thank you once again for the gift you sent them. They've been overjoyed ever since." Klin gave me a deep bow of gratitude.
"It was nothing. See you soon." Klin turned around and disappeared just as quickly as he'd arrived.
Before leaving to train with Brendu, I'd learned that he'd completed twenty-five years of service to the territory. I began asking around about what he liked, but every answer led to the same conclusion: he wanted nothing for himself. Seeing his children happy was all he cared about.
That was why I decided to send both of them a pair of twin swords signed by Brendu and me. I already knew they were huge admirers of ours because Klin himself had mentioned it before. It made me genuinely happy to know the children loved the gift.
"Tomorrow at noon... and two representatives will be coming on Mirtha's behalf... One of them will probably be Kensein since he's also a Diamond Rank... but who will the other one be?" With that question lingering in my mind, I decided to go to sleep and rest my brain for tomorrow.