Chapter 52: The Summons to the Army

"Princess. His Majesty requests your presence."

"Huh? Father does?"

I looked up from my bed, where I’d been lazily reading a book and nibbling on cookies, to find my maid, Kamina, standing by the door.

It had been a blissfully idle week—long enough that I’d started to half-seriously wonder if I could just live like this forever. So hearing that Father wanted me brought a faint pang of disappointment.

Still… what could he possibly want with me?

"Um, Kamina. Did you happen to hear what Father’s summons is about?"

"I’m afraid not, Your Highness. Only that it’s an urgent matter."

"Hmph. I see…"

I mulled it over, but of course, Father’s word is absolute. Saying “no” simply isn’t an option.

"…Very well. I’ll get ready. Kamina, help me dress."

"At once, Princess."

Kamina bowed deeply, every movement as graceful and practiced as ever.

And so, we made our way toward the grand hall.

The grand hall was already filled with high-ranking officials, each standing in solemn silence. Judging from their tense expressions, something serious was clearly afoot.

A closer look told me that many of those assembled were generals. That was… unsettling. I couldn’t shake the bad feeling curling in my stomach.

"Oh! You’ve come at last, my beloved daughter!"

"I have come as summoned, Your Majesty."

I knelt on one knee before the king—before my father.

"Good. Well done. …Now then, the reason I’ve called you here today is none other than…"

He trailed off mid-sentence, fidgeting awkwardly.

Um. What’s going on here?

"…Ah. Regarding the matter with Prince Shilot of the Paptes Kingdom—Sonia, I can imagine the grief you must feel. As your father, I wish I could comfort you. But as the ruler of this realm, I have many other concerns that must take precedence. I hope you can forgive me."

"Your Majesty’s kindness humbles me. To hear such words is already more comfort than I deserve. I, Sonia, offer my deepest gratitude."

I bowed respectfully.
So, this was about officially announcing the annulment of my engagement to Prince Shilot.

"I see… But even so, it pains me deeply to ask this of you, knowing how much you’ve already endured…"

Father paused again.

Wait—he’s going to ask me for another favor?
Ugh, please don’t be troublesome.

"As your loyal subject, I could never refuse my king. Whatever you ask of me, I shall carry out."

The words slipped out automatically—obedient, polite, and perfectly proper.
Ahh… I’ve really gotten too good at playing the dutiful princess.

"Splendid! Truly, you are my daughter! Even wounded as you are, you still put duty first. Remarkable! …Then, though it shames me to ask this of you, there is something I must entrust to you. Sonia, I need you to go to the Paptes Kingdom."

"…The Paptes Kingdom?"

Wait—what? Why?

Didn’t we just finish talking about how I broke off my engagement with their prince?
And now he wants to send me there?
Why pour salt on an open wound, you muscle-headed monarch?

…Not that I particularly cared anymore, but the absurdity of it all piqued my curiosity.

"…May I ask your reasoning, Your Majesty?"

"Of course. You have every right to know. You’re aware of the current state of the Paptes Kingdom, yes?"

"…Roughly, yes."

As a member of the royal family, it was my duty to stay informed about neighboring nations.
My engagement to Prince Shilot had, after all, been a political arrangement.

Paptes had long maintained close ties with our kingdom—so much so that our families had intermarried for generations. However, the king’s younger brother recently married a princess from the Darai-Tokazma Empire, Paptes’s neighboring power, forming a new alliance.

In short, Paptes was now divided between two factions: the pro–Sugarcreek faction (ours) and the pro–Darai-Tokazma faction (the Empire’s).
If they sided with us, they could maintain independence. But if they leaned toward the Empire… they’d risk becoming little more than a protectorate.

"…King Amashin of the Paptes Kingdom—my cousin, which makes him your great-uncle—has sent a request. To keep the royal brother’s faction in check, he’s asked that you, Sonia, be dispatched to his court."

"Me?"

"Yes. Since your engagement with Prince Shilot has been dissolved, it appears to outsiders that our relations with Paptes have deteriorated. The prince’s faction is exploiting that perception to regain influence. By sending you, we can publicly demonstrate that our alliance remains unbroken."

"…I see."

It made sense.
In other words, I was to serve as a living symbol of friendship between Sugarcreek and Paptes.

But one thing still didn’t add up.

"I understand the necessity of my being dispatched, and I accept it. However, there’s something that puzzles me. For a simple envoy mission, there seem to be quite a few… military officials present today—starting with the generals. Is there a particular reason for that?"

I’d been wondering about that since I entered the hall.
For a diplomatic meeting, the atmosphere was far too tense—too martial.

"…Hmm. As expected of you, Sonia. You are truly a perceptive daughter. Your insight never fails to impress me."

With a gentle smile, my father—King Merkuma—spoke.

"…The truth is, there’s another issue at hand. Ah, there’s no point in hiding it, so I’ll say it plainly: there’s a high chance that a civil war will break out in the Paptes Kingdom."

"A civil war, Your Majesty?"

That’s… not exactly a comforting phrase to hear.

"Indeed. Reports say the Darai-Tokazma Empire is already mobilizing troops, and King Amashin of Paptes has also sent us a formal request for military aid—specifically, volunteer forces. However, the problem is…"

He trailed off again.
And Father’s hesitations are never a good sign.

"In short, even though our kingdom has signed a peace treaty with the Demon Lord’s army, both sides have yet to achieve full disarmament along the frontlines. As such, we can’t abandon our defensive posts entirely, which severely limits the number of troops we can actually deploy."

"Ah… meaning that sending a large military force to the Paptes Kingdom would be impossible at this time."

"Exactly. Embarrassing as it is to admit. …Therefore, Sonia, your dispatch serves another purpose: it will show the world that our kingdom stands firmly behind Paptes. Strategically, your presence will serve as a strong deterrent to the Darai-Tokazma Empire!"

He raised his voice slightly at the end, clearly trying to sound grand and decisive.
So basically, he’s saying: We’re not sending soldiers, but we’ll send moral support instead.

How very… symbolic.
Well, I know how tight our finances and defenses are, so I suppose it can’t be helped.

"…Understood. Then, if I have this correctly, our army will not be deploying—only I will be going as a representative?"

"No, we will be sending a small contingent. Roughly four thousand troops. Most of them will come from the southern provinces, since they’re geographically closest to Paptes."

He paused there—then his expression brightened with a suspiciously gleeful smile.

Uh oh. That can’t be good.

"Rejoice, Sonia! Among the southern lords, there was one young man of exceptional righteousness. He declared that sending you alone into danger was absolutely unacceptable—and so, he has pledged two thousand of his own private soldiers to accompany you!"

…Wow. Two thousand?

Considering we’re sending only four thousand in total, that means he’s covering half the force out of his own pocket.
So he’s either fiercely loyal… or recklessly rich.

"…I see. Then, Your Majesty, what are the specific arrangements?"

"Well then, Sonia, you will go as our kingdom’s plenipotentiary ambassador. And that righteous young man from the south shall serve as the supreme commander of our expeditionary force."

"I understand, Your Majesty. I, Sonia, will fulfill my duties to the utmost of my ability. …If I may, could you tell me the name of this southern gentleman?"

A strange chill ran down my spine, but I needed to know the name of the brave fool destined to accompany me into the jaws of danger.

"Indeed. His name is Baron Alan of the Frontier. A valiant hero who guards the key strongholds of our southern borders."

My mind went blank.
Like a flickering film reel, my past memories—see Episode 32—flashed through my head in rapid succession.
And just like that, everything went dark before my eyes.

"Haahhh…"

"Oh my, oh my. You’ve been sighing nonstop—what’s the matter, Ains?"

"This one’s been like that for quite a while now. Looks like she’s gotten herself into a real mess."

At the Shirasagi Inn—the usual room inside the Demon Lord’s castle in the Kingdom of Sugarcreek—I sat there, endlessly sighing.

That perverted bastard Alan… to think he’d resort to such underhanded tactics.

Still, from a tactical standpoint, offering a helping hand when the opponent is at their weakest is undeniably effective.
So I suppose Marquis Alan isn’t a complete fool after all.

I could practically feel Father’s affection points toward Alan skyrocketing—and with that, I realized I was in danger again, in a completely different sense.

Ugh. My stomach hurts.

"…Actually, it seems I’ll be heading to the neighboring Kingdom of Paptes again, together with Lady Sonia."

"The Kingdom of Paptes, huh…"

"…(smiling brightly)"

The Demon Lord crossed his arms, lost in thought, while Zex just kept smiling for reasons beyond comprehension.

Honestly, asking these two for help will probably just make things worse.
Still, if they did decide to tag along, I’d feel a hundred times safer.

"So that’s the situation. I’ll be away for a while again—I’m sorry about that."

"Well, if it’s for work, then it can’t be helped."

"Do your best, Miss Ains!"

Oh, come on. I’d hoped that consulting them might lead to some brilliant idea—something that could resolve everything as if by magic.
But hearing those half-hearted replies… I couldn’t help but feel deflated.

"We’ve actually got some business in the Darai-Tokazma Empire. If we happen to pass near Paptes, we’ll drop by—but for a while, we’ll be acting separately from you."

"I’m truly disappointed that I won’t be able to travel alongside you, Miss Ains."

And with that, they both turned me down.

Ugh. Honestly… if I could have those two powerful idiots watching my back, I could march into a battlefield without a care in the world.

But this time, I’ll just have to handle things myself.

Just thinking about what kind of price the Great Demon Berial might demand in exchange for his power is already making my head ache.

"Well, Miss Ains, there’s no need to worry so much. I’m sure everything will work out somehow."

Zex, as always, delivered his trademark empty promise—guaranteeing nothing but false comfort.

Hmph! Even without relying on you two, I’ll make this work myself!

"Well then, go out there and give it your all!"

The Demon Lord grinned cheerfully, giving me a big thumbs-up.

Someday, I will get back at that guy.