Chapter 1722: Evening Founding Festival with Shallow Vernal ⑤

Royal castle of Hydra Kingdom, the office of King Laguna. The time for the start of the Founding Festival party was getting closer and closer, but there was currently a ruckus ongoing in that room.

[Your Majesty Laguna…… I have something to tell you……]

[Unnn? What is it, young Lilia? Young Lilia and I are close friends, except for “I want to go home”, I will listen to anything you say.]

[…………I’m feeling very ill, and I think I may have contracted some serious disease. I would like to exit the room……]

[Hahaha, that’s a funny joke…… For young Lilia, who has received the True Blessing of the God of Time and Space and has the combat strength and resistances comparable to that of a Count, I doubt even the disease brought by one of the Ten Demons, Pandemonium-sama will be effective against you……]

[……………..]

[……………..]

The two of them looked at each other with indescribable expressions on their faces, and although they were smiling at each other, the atmosphere seemed to be tense, as if something could happen at any moment.

After a short silence…… Lilia dashes towards the exit of the room, but Laguna, who had moved quickly, stopped her.

[Mental diseases are a different thing!!! Please let me go home!!!]

[Can’t you also handle that somehow!? Just stay here, please!!!]

[Doesn’t this thing have nothing to do with me!? Geez, my stomach really hurts already, please let me go home!]

[Don’t say that! Aren’t the two of us close…… Don’t leave me all alone in this horrible situation…… No, I’m being serious here!!!]

Indeed, just as Lilia said, this matter has nothing to do with Lilia. Strictly speaking, this was a problem on Hydra Kingdom’s side, and the only reason Lilia got involved is because Laguna pleaded for her help.

Laguna herself understands this, but that doesn’t mean she can just let Lilia go. That’s especially true when Eden…… Makina had come out, a situation in which she wanted Lilia to be here no matter what.

[You saw all the exchanges that happened earlier! Eden-sama’s response to me and young Lilia was clearly different, so I want young Lilia, who seems to be able to get some concessions from her, to be here at all costs!!!]

[Doesn’t that mean that if Eden-sama…… Mana-sama comes again, I would have to deal with her!?]

[Please! That’s right! I’ll repay this gratitude well enough later, just think of this as helping me……]

[Guh…… Uuuu……]

Seeing Laguna, pleading to her with her head to the floor, Lilia had an indescribably troubled expression on her face.

In the first place, Lilia had always been a kind person. If Laguna, whom she is somewhat close to, desperately bows her head, she is just unable to ignore her.

In the end, Lilia, after a brief ruckus, let out a defeated sigh and agreed to stay. However, since this timeline isn’t the original one, the “well enough gratitude” that Laguna mentioned will naturally never be fulfilled in the original timeline……

[……For the time being, it would be good to keep other people away from the place where Mana-sama is present. She’s a person who doesn’t show moderation after all……]

[You’re right…… She said she’s going to use some of the land, but I’d like to know how much she’s going to use———– Unnn?]

[……Is this a map? Ahh, it’s marked. Could it be that she’s going to make use of this location?]

As if perfectly timed, a map marked with “I’m going to use this land” from Makina appeared on Laguna’s desk.

While thinking that this would be very helpful, both Lilia and Laguna…… felt a sense of doubt about the consideration Makina had shown them up to this point. This was because they felt like Makina might just build that inn without paying much attention to their circumstances.

[This is a little surprising considering Eden-sama’s character, but it’s helpful. This seems to be part of the royal capital, but for the time being, let’s have this area off-limits…… Unnn?]

[Another map had——— Eh?]

[———–Huh?]

Right after Laguna breathed a sigh of relief, a map with the word “Correction” written prominently on it appeared in front of the two.

[……Ummm, young Lilia. I’m getting old already, so my eyes may have been getting worse but…… is it just me, or that area has become so vast……?]

[It really is vast. The map we received earlier was just that of the royal capital, but this one now depicts the entire Hydra Kingdom……]

[This seems to be a scale large enough to accommodate even a mediocre city, and for multiple locations to have been designated like that……]

[Indeed……]

The new map is intended to fulfill Shallow Vernal’s additional request of “having Mt Fuji as the view”, so the scope is naturally an order of magnitude larger than just an inn.

At that moment, Lilia and Laguna exchanged looks, and shortly after a smile naturally formed on their lips, Lilia tried to run away again, only to be stopped by Laguna.

[Please let me go home!!!]

[Please! Stay here! This is a completely unforeseen situation!!!]

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [Come to think of it, Lilia seriously had nothing to do with this.]

? ? ? : [Well, from Laguna-san’s perspective, she would really want to have the holder of Chronois’ True Blessing to her side, which makes negotiations with the Gods stronger. Also, Lilia, who is skilled in dealing with people and whom Makina concedes to some extent, is probably someone she wants to keep around no matter what. So, she really does intend to have her caught up in this situation.]

Serious-senpai : [As expected of the strongest Stomachache Warrior, her Stomachache Power really is on a different level.]