Chapter 69. Is There an End?

“I’ll stand and listen.”

I said it humbly, in my own way.

Given the situation, it felt a bit inappropriate to sit next to the Emperor with the two heroes in front of me.

Well…

To be completely honest, it was more because it was a bed, and sitting side by side felt a bit awkward.

Anyway, I firmly stood by the wall to express my intention. Johann furrowed his brows.

“This might take a while.”

“It’s fine.”

I answered cheerfully.

“I don’t want to punish you by making you stand.”

“It’s not a punishment. I’m just listening while standing.”

Being in a cramped space with the three heroes made me automatically tense. I responded briskly.

Then, I heard a soft laugh from somewhere.

It was Mihail.

“Miss Sera feels uncomfortable sitting next to His Majesty.”

Oh no…?

What am I supposed to do if he just blurts out my true feelings like that?

I involuntarily widened my eyes and waved both hands in denial.

“That’s not true. I’m not uncomfortable sitting next to His Majesty.”

“Then sit.”

Tap, tap.

Johann patted the spot next to him again.

At that moment, Claude, who had been sitting with his legs crossed and observing, suddenly stood up. Everyone’s eyes turned to him.

“……?”

Where is he going?

In this cramped space, where is there to go?

I followed Claude with a puzzled gaze.

The space was so small that his legs stopped after just three steps. His destination was in front of the bed.

“What is this?”

Johann asked coolly, with a raised corner of his mouth.

Claude chuckled.

“If the space beside feels empty, I’ll sit there.”

And then he plopped himself right down in the spot Johann had been patting for me to sit.

“Uh… um…”

That sound came from my mouth.

I looked very awkwardly at the two people sitting side by side on the bed. The next moment, Johann stood up abruptly, seemingly disgusted.

“I don’t want to sit close to this shady guy.”

“The one who minds should move.”

Claude chuckled and gestured with his chin to the empty chair.

Johann glanced between the spot he had been sitting in and the dining chair, then rubbed his forehead with one hand.

And from a step away, watching all this unfold… I was simply dumbfounded.

Is this really something to be so concerned about?

I said I would stand and listen.

Please, sit wherever you’re comfortable.

Then, Claude glanced at Johann, who was contemplating, and turned his head toward me. When our eyes met, his red eyes devoid of humor made me tense up a bit. It felt like my spine was tingling.

Sometimes he feels approachable, but because of the inherently fierce aura Claude exudes, if I had to choose who was the scariest among the three, I would pick Claude without hesitation.

“……?”

Claude gestured to me with his eyes.

What does that mean?

He glanced at the spot next to him, then looked straight at me again…

“Are you telling me to sit?”

As I asked, Johann, who had been watching the exchange between Claude and me, plopped back down on the bed.

Sitting with his long legs crossed and arms folded, he spoke to me.

“Sit.”

Johann’s eyes were pointing at the dining chair.

Well, I guess there’s no choice.

I intended to stand since I was the least significant, but if they’re offering so much, I have no choice but to sit.

As I moved to sit, I cautiously asked, just in case. After all, having four people in this small house was quite cramped.

“Or should we go outside to talk?”

I asked with consideration, but…

“No, we can’t.”

“No.”

“Not allowed.”

In turn, it was Mihail, Claude, and then Johann.

“……”

What is this, seriously?

When they can’t stand each other, they suddenly get along so well?

I stood there awkwardly, frozen. Then Johann kindly explained the reason.

“Confidential matters will be discussed, so outside isn’t appropriate.”

“Oh.”

Only then did I nod and sit down promptly.

“Then let’s begin.”

I straightened my back and said.

Of course, the likelihood of my opinion being reflected in the upcoming discussion was practically nonexistent, but I still had a strong desire to hear how my future would be decided.

Claude, as if he had been waiting, spoke up.

“Let’s start with Hilton.”

“That might be difficult.”

Johann rejected it without a second’s hesitation. Claude’s expression twisted menacingly, but the subsequent explanation was somewhat convincing. Well, at least to me.

“The last dispatch was to Hilton. Considering fairness, sending her there again is a bit…”

As he said this, Johann raised his eyebrows as if to say, ‘You get what I mean, right?’

Hearing that it wasn’t the Grodes Mountains, I internally sighed in relief. It was honestly a bit frightening, as I fainted every time I went there.

I sometimes wonder if I’ll end up dead before the Battle of Agulena happens.

Lately, whenever I start to forget, that fear creeps up on me.

Anyway, if it’s not Hilton, there’s only one place left. Mihail opened his mouth with a benevolent smile.

“A wise decision.”

“It’s not Sahar either.”

“If you’re joking, it’s not fun.”

Mihail’s smile remained, but the atmosphere suddenly turned chilling.

I shrank my neck like a turtle.

Hmm…

Even if it’s about my future, I don’t think I need to witness every step of the process. I envied Marc, who volunteered to escape from here early on.

Ha.

But, wait…

Come to think of it, this is my house.

Why am I contemplating escaping from my own house, sob sob.

Anyway, since I couldn’t just leave now, I listened nervously to the conversation. Seeing that they weren’t sending dispatches to either side, are they planning to leave me in Elmon?

I was curious about what was going on in Johann’s mind.

I didn’t know how long I could hold out, but if I could stay in peaceful Elmon a little longer, that would be best for me.

I have my friend Marc to play with too.

“Just when Seraphina recovers, I was planning to go check the barrier in Elmon.”

At that shameless lie, Mihail and Claude both snorted.

And I just nodded, thinking, oh, so that’s my schedule.

Going to check the barrier…

Sure.

If I want to stay in Elmon, I should at least do that.

“Everyone knows there’s not even a speck of undead under Elmon’s ground, so what’s with the nonsense?”

At that, Claude growled.

Hearing this for the first time, I widened my eyes and looked at Johann.

Hey, Emperor.

You said Elmon is protected by the barrier from the threat of the undead.

This guy, always with the wordplay.

I glared at Johann, demanding a proper explanation, but he wasn’t in the mood to deal with someone like me.

Johann smiled at the person sitting next to him and said,

“Harsh words between people sharing a bed.”

“Do you want to experience something harsh?”

“You never fail to speak your mind to the Emperor. You’re consistently rude.”

Not confident enough to intervene in the growling standoff between the men, I quietly turned my head. Fortunately, there was still someone left to ask my questions.

I put a hand to my mouth to create a half-whisper and asked Mihail,

“Is it true there are no undead in Elmon?”

Mihail glanced at me with just his eyes, then leaned toward me and answered in a low voice.

“If you want, they can be summoned from afar.”

“……”

For a moment, the chains of light popped into my head.

That sacred magic Marvin used to fish for the undead during the purification training.

“Not summoning them.”

“As far as I know, there aren’t any.”

“Then why is there a barrier?”

“The cowardly Emperor made it unnecessarily.”

“I can hear you.”

The last was from Johann.

He glared sharply at us whispering at the dining table.

Had he finished his fight with Claude?

I straightened up and laughed awkwardly. The weak must always laugh. To appease the strong, that is.

At that moment, Claude scratched his head and stood up.

“I can’t trust your words. I’ll go to the Imperial Palace and talk to Ionia.”

“Don’t forget that the final decision rests with this Marseus.”

Claude, who was about to grab the doorknob, turned his head again. As if he was done with the wordplay, he spoke in a serious, subdued voice.

“Did you forget what we were supposed to test in the Grodes Mountains?”

Ah…

So it’s to the Grodes Mountains after all.

At those words, I quietly resigned myself.

The reason my dispatch was changed to the north in the first place was to see if the purification ability affected the frequency of undead appearances.

So, in the end, I became inseparably linked to that rugged mountain range. Damn it.

“Seraphina fainted twice. It’s too dangerous.”

At Johann’s words, Claude retorted without a hint of concession.

“We already knew she faints easily when we took her.”

“Fainting from fear and passing out from overusing abilities are different things.”

“I’ve promised to protect her, so nothing changes.”

“Well. Considering the wyverns appeared after Seraphina’s dispatch, it seems there’s already evidence of no correlation.”

“……!”

Claude’s face twisted in frustration, unable to counter Johann’s argument.

Whoa, hold on.

The doorknob might break at this rate.

Already looking slightly bent, I felt like crying.

Is there a need to ruin other people’s property!

But there was no time to dwell on my angry feelings.

Mihail, who had been silently observing, intervened.

“So that’s the discussion. If you want to test the effect of her purification abilities, I’ll support her with holy knights, so Miss Sera should go to Sahar.”

Will this conversation ever end?

I felt strangely hopeless.