Strong families exist in all corners of the Empire, each with their own territories. For example, in the West, there’s the Count Alpares family, and in the North, the Stormblast Dukedom.
Thus, in the East, there is the Arnot Marquis family, the core family of the Empire’s trade. It's one of the few places in the Empire that borders the sea, rich with related culture and food, but we couldn't stop there.
"Whooo~. Welco~."
"......"
"......"
Kugugugu...
Kuh-kung. Thud.
A woman, making fireworks sounds with her mouth, was blocking the path along with a mansion. There was no hiding it—this was Tania Astraea.
"......Sis, what are you doing here?"
"What else would I be doing? I'm welcoming the Hero’s Party."
I had seen various sides of her before, but today, she seed more childish than ever. Even though I was clearly making a dumbfounded face, Tania smiled and pretended nothing was wrong.
I turned to the party mbers behind and said, "Aswell, everyone. Did you see that? Don’t get too tense or beat yourselves up. She’s like this."
"Uh, yeah. You're right."
"I feel like I’m the fool here for brooding alone in the mansion..."
"......"
"You guys are too much~. I'm just doing my best to cheer on the Hero's Party."
Tania, twirling her cloak with a playful attitude. I didn’t want to see her anymore, so I quickly stepped behind Aswell.
"You’re Tania Astraea, right? Let properly introduce myself. I am Hero Aswell."
"Hmm... Your expression’s different. Looks like your mindset has changed, huh?"
At those words, Aswell’s head slightly turned in my direction.
"I’ve realized my true purpose."
"Hmm, okay. Then I should introduce myself too. I’m Tania Astraea, of the Empire's Mage Tower."
Her introduction was still cold, but Aswell managed to successfully shake her hand.
"So... I have a question."
"What is it?"
"You said you would separate us. Could you explain that in more detail?"
Tania, who had been resting her chin thoughtfully for a mont, pointed toward the mansion.
"Shall we go inside and talk?"
Snap.
We didn’t have to walk in. When Tania snapped her fingers, the mansion door opened, and a strong wind pulled us inside.
Kuurung...
As we entered, the mansion began to rise.
"Ugh."
"Ahhh...!"
The party mbers, unfamiliar with levitation or flying, looked visibly tense.
For , though, having flown on planes in my previous life, it wasn’t all that strange.
"Alright, sit here."
Six chairs, one for each mber of the Hero’s Party, had already been set up. We cautiously sat down, with Aswell leading the way, and soon after, papers appeared before us.
The papers had different patterns and materials.
Among them, there was a platinum-white letter and one with a steel pattern.
"Ugh."
Lafiré groaned when she saw the wooden-patterned letter placed before her.
‘That’s... the royal crest of Yggdrasil, I think.’
"To support the Hero’s Party’s growth, three places have agreed to cooperate."
That’s when I understood the identity of the three letters.
"Zertolt’s Sword Mountain, Yggdrasil, and the Headquarters. These are the places the knights, archers, and saintess need to go."
Shuffling.
The contents of each letter appeared.
Aria, Serelin, and Lafiré, who had been called by Tania, began to carefully read them.
"Sis, what about Aswell, , and Niabella?"
"That little fiery one will be trained by ."
"Eh...!"
Niabella quickly looked between Tania and , her expression like a child being separated from their parents for the first ti.
"Uh, sis...!"
"Niabella, she’s a bit strange, but I’ll vouch for her magic skills. Despite that, she’s a better mage than either or my master."
"......!"
"Louis, better than your master?"
"Ugh... Yes, that’s right."
Aswell asked, looking at , and I quickly looked away, nodding. I still couldn’t et Aswell’s eyes.
"Don’t worry, she won’t kill you or anything."
"Kill...? So, does that an everything else is fair ga...?"
Tania looked at and Aswell while Niabella seed despondent.
"What about ? I thought you’d be the one teaching . I thought Niabella would be left to the great witch."
"She’s busy these days. I’m reluctantly taking over. As for you... you’ve got a place to go."
Tania pulled out a letter from her pocket.
When a golden-patterned letter appeared, the entire mansion was bathed in its glow.
"This is...?"
"The Emperor. He personally selected you."
"........."
The Emperor? ?
I was confused. I had never t the Emperor, nor did I have any real connections with him.
At most, I knew that my master, Kundel, and Tania t with the Emperor on occasion. Essentially, they were acquaintances of acquaintances.
‘And he's the Emperor...’
What business could a re mage like have eting the leader of a country?
"The Emperor has chosen Louis...?"
I heard Aswell mutter beside . I glanced at him, and his face looked incredibly handso.
No, it wasn’t just handso—he looked serious.
Could he be worried about eting the Emperor?
A smile unconsciously ford on my face.
"By the way, the hero is coming along too."
"Eh."
"Really?"
Aswell’s voice, first low and then rising, reflected his mixed feelings. I was curious as to why he seed so happy, but I was also wondering about the reason.
"Is it true?"
"Well, you can read the letter for yourself."
[From the Emperor.]
Just one sentence.
But no one in the Empire would dare question the true aning behind it.
Hero Aswell and White Smith Louis will be escorted to the Imperial Palace.
It was true.
A fake? No one would dare doubt it.
"Do you know why the Emperor is calling and Louis?"
"How would I know his intentions?"
"That person?"
Aswell looked flustered at the overly familiar reference to the Emperor, but this was sothing Aswell had to get used to.
"Anyway, you all should go to the designated places. Now, did everyone read it?"
Shwsh!
The four letters were quickly sucked back into Tania’s pocket.
Aria, Serelin, and Lafiré all had different expressions as they checked the letters.
Aria’s face showed a mixture of tension and resolve.
Serelin’s had a firm determination, along with a yearning for strength.
Lafiré’s expression was... dark.
‘Did sothing unpleasant happen back ho?’
Lafiré had practically fled Yggdrasil, so it wasn’t entirely unexpected.
"From now on, you need to grow stronger. We don’t have much ti. You have to accomplish your goal in a short amount of ti."
"Wh-what’s the goal...?"
"The fiery little one, the goal isn’t sothing I decide. You all decide that. But you have an idea, don’t you?"
We all had a rough idea.
Probably, we each had different thoughts.
For , it was about...
‘Developing Oplite.’
As for the other party mbers... I wasn’t sure. I didn’t even know why the Emperor had asked Aswell to accompany .
".....Understood."
"Then now..."
I had made up my mind ever since Wintergard, but now that it was ti to part ways, everyone’s expression was grim.
"Hero, I’ll do my best too. So...!"
"Aswell, let’s cheer each other on. And... let’s get stronger and et again."
"......We’ll see each other again, even if it’s in a short ti."
"Ugh..."
Even Niabella, who looked like she was about to cry.
"Thank you, everyone..."
I was also moved by the sight, and my eyes started to water.
"What’s going on with you all?"
Crash!
Boom.
A loud noise suddenly erupted from the mansion as it began to split and reform, and before us appeared four doors.
On top of each door...
[Zertolt’s Sword Mountain]
[Headquarters]
[Yggdrasil]
[Imperial Palace]
These were the places we had to go.
"Eh...?"
"Did you really think I was going to make you all scatter? Why would I ask you to co all the way to the East for that?"
Co to think of it, Zertolt’s Sword Mountain, where Serelin would go, was the closest place to Wintergard.
That ant...
"Do you think I asked for cooperation for nothing? To use spatial magic, we need their permission, and that’s why we got it."
In a sense, this was just a form of commuting, wasn’t it?
"And do you think I’d break up the Hero’s Party for no reason? That’s exactly what the Demon Lord would want."
"Mm..."
"Uhh..."
In an instant, everyone, including Niabella, looked like they had just dried up, and then awkwardly looked at each other, covering their faces.
"......Are you all really idiots?"
"Ugh...!"
"No, it’s because you’re saying it like that."
I tried to act nonchalant, but honestly, I was also feeling excited and nervous about directly going to the Imperial Palace with Aswell.
Clunk.
As Tania drew a magic circle, the four doors opened, each showing a different landscape.
"Alright, go ahead. And every once in a while, gather and share your progress."
By doing so, each person would be motivated and continue to improve.
Tania Astraea.
Maybe I had misunderstood her all this ti.
A mad sorceress, one that even the Emperor couldn’t control. That’s what I thought.
But there were parts of her that were more normal than I expected.
‘Sorry, sis.’
I silently apologized, realizing it, and then went to et the three who were leaving through the doors.
"Then, see you later...?"
"Yeah... we’ll see each other soon!"
"Ugh..."
It looked more like they were running away in a hurry than actually going, but anyway, the three of them left through the doors.
"Sis, I’ll do my best too!"
"Yeah. Work hard. If she’s being too harsh, let know."
"Louis, what do you an by that...?"
I reassured Niabella, who was shaking, then stood next to Aswell by the door.
And just as I was about to cross over to the Imperial Palace, I stopped in my tracks.
".....Aswell, wait a minute."
Then, a good idea ca to mind.
Instead of going directly to the Imperial Palace, I wanted to move to the System and investigate it.
"Sis. Did the Emperor ask you to co quickly?"
"No? Why?"
"I want to find out sothing as I go to the System."
"Louis?"
"Directly? Well... it should be fine. Anyway, we won’t et him right away even if we go now."
The last heroine of this harem party, and the one we need to et in order to travel to the Demon Realm.
I was going to et the assassin heroine.
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