Fruits of Battle

「I’m… beat…」Alice plopped her head down on the table.

Numerous kounatsu dishes lay in front of them. They were in Margrave Korn’s residence located in the capital, where the cook—who learned some recipes from the head of Full Stomach Diner—was preparing them food.

「Quite shameless, aren’t we? How can you come here every single night for dinner without even being invited?」

「I have the right, Silsil! I’m cleaning up after the mess you made. Oh, wow. This salad dressing is good.」

「Full Stomach Diner’s Power Salad is exquisite.」Star Face said.「I’m sure the manager’s name will go down in history.」

「Really? I’ve never had any salad from there.」Alice replied.

Lavia and Alice were having an animated conversation about kounatsu dishes while munching on their food. Perhaps that was Alice’s forte as a spy.

「Lord Silver Face. What did Miss Alice mean by cleaning up?」Flower Face asked.

「The three men who set up the attempted assassination on Kaglai were immediately arrested, but they’re actually newcomers in the progressive faction. Many doubted that they alone could come up with such an elaborate plan, so the intelligence department is investigating whether or not they had help from other nobles.」

「Why did they do this anyway?」

「This is only a guess, but I think those three wanted to climb up the ranks further. But in order to do that, they needed the progressive faction to gain more power and create more positions. I think they heard about Zepetta’s plan to overthrow the Minister of the Right, and came up with something to make the Count push through with it.」

「I see…」

「But it looks like there’s more to it.」Alice said, chewing on meat with kounatsu.「Those three had connections with the conservative faction as well. Some think that maybe some conservative nobles encouraged them.」

「That sounds likely. In short, all possible suspects have to investigated.」Hikaru said.

「Yeah! There’s still a lot of them we have to go through! We’re also looking for whoever drugged Count Zepetta while he was in jail. Oh, by the way. Thanks for your help the other day, Lady Flower Face!」

「Please, don’t mention it. I’m glad I could help.」

Paula used her Healing magic to heal Count Zepetta. From what she felt as she cast her spell, she listed the possible types of poison used on him. Alice used this information to investigate where it came from.

「Did you hear that, Silsil? Lady Flower Face’s words are so refined! I’m sure the face behind the mask is beautiful and gentle as well—」

「Don’t push it, Alice.」Hikaru shot the spy a glare.

Alice quickly bowed.「I’m sorry! I’m sorry!」

Hikaru didn’t allow any probing into their identities, even from someone he knew.

「Are you sure about your reward, though?」Alice asked.「You can expect loads of money for healing His Majesty, you know?」

「You mean the unlimited access to the library? Fine by me. Other than that, we get free dinner in the Margrave’s residence as a favor from him, and then the kounatsu dishes… though I guess the last one’s thanks from Nino Zepetta.」

「I’m happy with it, though.」Lavia said.

「If you’re happy, then I’m good.」Hikaru said.

Lavia quickly resumed eating her salad. Hikaru already knew that her eating to cut off the conversation was her way of hiding her embarrassment.

「Oh, you two are so sweet!」Alice said.

「If you’re gonna poke fun at us, you can leave—」

「I’m kidding! Just a little joke. Where’s Margrave Korn anyway?」she said, obviously trying to change the subject.

Hikaru sighed.「He’s visiting his wife.」

「Still? He sure doesn’t know when to give up.」

「I mean, sure, his wife was wrong for cheating on him, but he’s also to blame for devoting himself to protecting the border and neglecting her in the process.」

Margrave wanted to get back together with his wife, who had returned to her parents’ home. He visited her every day. Of course, he could only do that because the border between the Ponsonia and Quinbland was now stable.

Hikaru wished for the loyal Margrave to be happy. Since their children were already adults, they only needed each other’s agreement to be together again.

「That reminds me, Alice. Looks like you’re getting more work soon.」

「What? C-Come on, stop joking around. You shouldn’t intimidate a helpless young lady…」

「I’m just stating a fact. Oh, looks like they’re back.」

Hikaru knew who exactly just entered the house with his Mana Detection. They were headed straight for the dining room. A servant opened the door for them.

「…An unfamiliar face.」

Luna D. Korn glanced at Alice, her eyes vacant.

「Whaaaaaat?! Lady Luna the S-rank adventurer?! What’s she doing here?!」

「Because she’s Margrave Korn’s daughter.」

「Wow, that came out of nowhere. I didn’t know about this!」

「She doesn’t seem to come home that often.」

「…I don’t like big houses.」

Hikaru was also surprised to see her when he was first invited to the Margrave’s residence, where he happened upon her having a conversation for the first time in a while with her father. He hadn’t seen her ever since they parted ways after he took care of the kounatsu bandits. That’s when he realized that Luna was also just a human being. When he checked her Soul Board, he was able to summon it without a problem.

【Soul Board】Luna D. Korn
Age: 24 Rank: 131
9

【Vitality】
..【Natural Recovery】7
..【Stamina】2
..【Immunity】
….【Magic Resistance】4
….【Disease Immunity】4
….【Toxic Immunity】4
..【Perception】
….【Sight】2
….【Hearing】1
….【Touch】2

【Magical Power】
..【Mana】5
..【Spirit Affinity】
…【Air】5

【Physical Strength】
..【Strength】8
..【Weapon Mastery】
….【Sword】7
……【Heaven Sword】2
….【Bow】4
……【Heaven Shot】
….【Armor】6

【Agility】
..【Power Burst】6
..【Flexibility】4
..【Balance】13

【Dexterity】
..【Dexterity】5
..【Tool Mastery】
….【Musical Instrument】6
……【Heaven Instrument】1

【Willpower】
..【Mental Strength】14
..【Charisma】4

【Intuition】
..【Instinct】12
..【Insight】
….【Music】5

Hikaru’s first reaction was「Whoa…」

Luna noticed something too.「Up to something weird again?」

Hikaru was certain then of his ability’s almighty power. He couldn’t see Luna’s Soul Board the first time not because she had some defense mechanism on her.

The problem lay with Hikaru. Her presence overwhelmed him. He didn’t check when they met in the mountains, but it was at this moment that he realized his mind was too weak.

Once he found out that she had a father, it dawned on him that she was a human being just like him. Hikaru didn’t feel daunted by her anymore. Perhaps putting more points on his Instinct helped, but he had no way of verifying that.

Yup, her Soul Board’s nuts.

Hikaru had so many questions, he didn’t even know where to start.