Final Preparations (1)

[Seohyun. I heard that you have been in contact with the Holy See.]

When I read the king’s letter, my head hurt from the beginning.

If it has reached the king’s ears, it means that there is virtually no one who does not know it.

In particular, if you heard the news while rumors were spreading that he treated Renee poorly, it would not seem like you would hear such good things about him.

But the next sentence was a little surprising.

[My advice is not to get too close to the Holy See.]

Surprisingly, the king was not friendly to the Vatican.

There was even a sentence disparaging the group, saying that it was impossible to understand the true intentions of a group that was so old-fashioned.

‘Isn’t the relationship between the King and the Vatican good?’

Looking at his appearance so far, the king is a person far from religious life.

Although a debauched life is an act, the Vatican had no reason to look favorably on the king.

I guess I’ll ask Julia later.

Next, suggestions for me are written one after another.

[I am worried about your safety, so why not move to the palace.]

“…”

[Also, I am planning to create a knighthood for you. I will organize the most talented people in the kingdom.]

They were trying their best to keep me in the palace.

But even after seeing the king’s tears, my feelings did not change.

Naturally, I wrote a reply rejecting the invitation.

‘No matter how much you think about it, living in a royal palace is not the answer.’

After finishing the letter to the king, I played with Finn for a little while.

“Gooo!”

Finn jumps on my hand and flaps his wings as if he’s in a good mood.

It seems like he got lonely because he couldn’t play for a while due to various reasons.

All the windows were covered because of people’s gaze, so I couldn’t see the sunlight properly.

It must have been quite a painful time for Finn.

‘Should I take her outside for the first time in a while?’

After a long time, I took Finn out of the room and headed to the garden.

While playing with Finn, Tyria approached him with interest.

I spoke while looking at Erina, who was standing next to me.

“Seohyun. Is it okay if I touched the pin too?”

“Okay. It’s okay.”

A pin riding on my hand.

When I held out my hand towards Tyria, it immediately went up to her shoulder.

The way everyone avoids her.

When Tyria tried to put her hand on my shoulder, she flapped her wings and resisted harshly.

“…Seohyun. When will I be able to become friends with Finn?”

“Well. “Nobody follows anyone but me.”

Actually, I am the one who spent the most time with Finn.

Even when other people tried to approach Finn, he was particularly shy.

“I’ve seen a lot of animals, but I’ve never seen a child with such deep loyalty.”

“Okay? Looks like Finn was well trained.”

“Uhm… Aside from being well-trained, I think he’s very smart.”

Tyria was looking at Finn with a bitter smile.

Maybe I don’t like it when I’m the only one following?

Still, it was possible because Finn was not a human, but an animal.

“Pin. “Come here.”

“Goo!”

When I gently scratched its head against the pin that was sitting on my hand, it trembled and spread its wings.

While I was playing with Finn for a while, Erina and Tyria were quietly watching at me.

Why? The two people didn’t look very happy.

“Seohyun. It’s almost time for lunch.”

“Oh, yes. Let’s go in slowly.”

After stroking the pin one last time, he sent it flying in the direction of the palace.

After lightly circling the mansion once, Finn spread his wings vigorously and flew away.

After finishing everything I had to do, I returned to the mansion and headed to the restaurant.

The children were busy running around and preparing lunch.

Celica was busy leading the children.

“Ah! Seohyun! The meal is almost ready. Please sit down and wait.”

“Okay. Good job.”

I was always grateful to Serika and the children who prepared meals for me every time.

I wanted to buy him a gift, but I couldn’t just go out.

However, recently, as the number of people has decreased, interest has decreased, but the fact remains that you cannot wander around the capital without permission.

It’s like this even after some time has passed since the festival ended.

Wouldn’t it get worse after defeating the Demon King?

As I was worrying more, Kayla came and sat next to me.

“My lord. Are you having trouble? “It doesn’t look good.”

“It’s no big deal. “Let’s have lunch.”

“Are you sure you’re okay…” “?” ?”

Despite my answer, Kayla looked at me with an uncertain expression.

Strangely, Kayla understood my intention like a ghost.

To be honest, I didn’t want to tell her, but Kayla was worried, so I decided to tell her.

“Will I be able to continue living in the capital? “I’m worried.”

“…Honestly, I also think that living a normal life will be difficult.”

Tyria, who was listening, also added a word.

“It’s worth it. Even just me, an elf, attracts a lot of attention.”

If it were revealed to the world that Kayla was a dragon, interest would increase even more.

However, the situation will be the same even if you move to another city or countryside.

There was no way the rumor wouldn’t spread wherever we went.

Then Tyria asked me with a slightly expectant expression.

“Seohyun. Or coming to the elf village…”

“Sorry. But the elf village is a little difficult.”

I was grateful for Tyria’s recommendation, but the elf village is very closed.

Also, Kayla was reluctant in the elf society as she was hostile to her.

“No matter how much I think about it, there is no place like the capital.”

While my thoughts deepened, Kayla said with a smile.

“I will follow any decision.”

“I, too, will follow Seohyun’s decision.”

“Me too. Because I trust Seohyun.”

In the warm atmosphere, Erina was the only one looking at me with an uncomfortable expression.

But he couldn’t say anything as he looked at me.

“Okay. “Let’s all eat first.”

Today’s lunch is pasta and salad. Of course, the taste was always good.

Among the children, Daisy was particularly good at cooking, and Mark was also quite skilled.

He seems to like cooking quite a bit, as he once said that he wanted to open a restaurant in the capital.

If Daisy becomes an adult, should I help her run a restaurant?

Since I was still a child, I decided to watch closely.

There was still a lot of time left until all the children became adults, so I had to do my best to take care of them until then.

Of course, I have no intention of supporting her even after I become an adult.

While I was resting after eating in a rather peaceful atmosphere, Finn came back.

Hasn’t it only been about an hour since I sent the letter?

I checked the note to see if he had come back because of a problem, but the content was different.

[Please come to the palace immediately. Just come to the front door as quietly as possible.]

Very short sentences.

All the lengthy rhetoric as before has been omitted.

“…Ha.”

I sighed at the sudden call order and tore up the letter.

There is no way the king would call me for no reason.

It looks like he was waiting for Finn to return.

However, I didn’t directly order you to come to the palace, so is there any reason to secretly call me?

“Why are you doing that? “My lord.”

“I have to go to the palace for a while. Just be quiet.”

There are people gathered outside the mansion, so should I at least climb over the wall?

It was ironic that the owner of the mansion, not a thief, had to climb over the wall.

***

“Seohyun. “It’s been a while.”

“It’s been a while. King.”

The king meets in a week.

I don’t know if it’s been a while, but her eyes were full of joy.

When we arrived in front of the palace, the servants who were waiting for us led us into the garden.

We were greeted at a villa located in a corner of the palace.

However, the king was not the only person waiting for us.

“Catalina. Malcolm. You guys were there too.”

“Okay. “Why are you so late?”

“Julia says she will be coming soon.”

Are all the people who are closely related to the king gathered together?

After we arrived, Julia and Schnella came to visit us a few minutes later.

“I came at the king’s call.”

“Okay. Thank you all for coming together despite your busy schedule.”

With a brief greeting, everyone sat down at the table.

A meeting that is held immediately without any formalities.

The King began with a somewhat embarrassing topic.

“First of all, I received a report from Sir Max, the knight commander who is protecting the kingdom on the front lines.”

“You mean the report…?”

“Okay. There was a story written about none other than Lord Catalina.”

The commander-in-chief of the central battlefield was nominally me, but in reality it was Max.

The entire report on this battle was also entrusted to Max.

But was there anything special about Catalina?

Of course, Catalina also looked at the king with a puzzled expression.

“Lord Catalina. “I heard you had a conflict with the knights.”

“It’s not friction. It’s just a clash of opinions.”

Catalina responded as if nothing was wrong.

Isn’t friction or conflict of opinion the same?

Anyway, Catalina responded in a pessimistic manner.

“If we stay together, we might fight. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I am not ignoring your contribution. However, I am concerned that future operations may be disrupted.”

“I may be reckless, but I am not ignorant.”

Unlike Catalina’s controversy, the King stopped her with a gentle smile.

“I will exclude you from future expeditions.”

“Yes…?”

“He wasn’t even injured. “I am concerned that if we are not careful, we may lose the kingdom’s valuable talent.”

Then Catalina stood up with an angry expression.

Malcolm, who was watching, urgently grabbed his arm.

“Sister. Your Majesty is right. I accept it.”

“I can still fight! “I came so close to the Demon King’s Castle…!”

“Sister. “Please, please.”

Malcolm blocks with a more resolute attitude than ever.

Then Catalina flinched and closed her mouth.

Two people looking at each other for a long time.

In the end, Catalina sighed and shook her head.

“You asked Max for a favor.”

“…Because you won’t listen to me.”

Come to think of it, after being rescued from the demon world, Malcolm and Max had a separate conversation.

I wonder if he was planning something like this when he suddenly appeared saying they were talking separately.

In fact, I didn’t want Catalina to be with me as the Demon King.

In addition to her aggressive nature, she was seriously injured, so it was too dangerous.

To put it bluntly, there was a possibility that he could become a burden to our allies.

“Shit… All right. I will wait as long as you wish.

Catalina gave up her stubbornness and accepted the king’s orders.

I couldn’t hide my grumbling tone as if I was upset, but I was glad it ended like this.

The king seemed to know how she felt and comforted her with a bitter smile.

“I promise to provide all support to help you recover from your injuries.”

With that, the Catalina agenda was over and we moved on to the next agenda.

None other than the attack on the Demon King.

I insisted that we should attack the Demon King Castle within a month, but the king did not accept it.

“Seohyun. As you claim, subjugating the Demon King is absolutely necessary.”

“That’s right. King.”

“But I think it’s premature. “It would be better to wait a little longer.”

The king’s words made sense, but I could not accept them.

He immediately shook his head and expressed his opposition.