Kays Translations

Idle Talk: Until We Meet Again

The castle in the Tact Domain in the morning.

For the past few days, Lucius had been staying at the lord’s residence in the castle, away from the town at the foot of the mountain.

But now, that was all coming to an end today.

He had just finished packing his few belongings into his backpack.

He turned around to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything.

―― Alright, looks like everything’s in order.

As he reached out for the doorknob to leave the room, he heard a knock on the door.

It seemed someone had come to visit him.

“Please come in.”

Opening the door, he found a girl with long light blue hair standing there.

She was already dressed formally.

“Good morning, Olivia.”

“You don’t seem to have overslept.”

“Well, it’s departure day today.”

“…Are you really going back to the North?”

Olivia’s expression darkened ever so slightly.

“I’ve told you multiple times last night. I’ve done everything I needed to do in the East. I’ve held the ceremony in the East, and the evolution of the evil dragon is complete.”

“I see… You’re right.”

“I’ll write to you again.”

“Definitely. I’ll be waiting.”

Olivia gripped Lucius’s hand tightly.

“Of course.”

Yes, today Lucius was leaving the East to return to the North.

“Shall we go?”

Lucius and Olivia walked through the corridor of the mansion.

They met a maid who was cleaning the windows a short distance away.

“Good morning, Olivia-sama.”

“Good morning, Maren.”

Olivia naturally returned the greeting and passed through the middle of the corridor.

The castle was bustling in the morning.

Many servants were busy preparing for the start of the day.

As a result, they passed by servant after servant and maid after maid.

Each time they passed, they exchanged bows and greetings.

Olivia always responded, calling out their names.

After passing about twenty people, Lucius couldn’t help but speak up.

“Amazing. Do you remember everyone’s names?”

“Of course. It’s only natural to remember the names of the people who work in the castle.”

She said it as if it were obvious.

Olivia was officially ennobled as a countess two months ago.

As a result, the number of people working in the castle has increased rapidly.

There were already over three hundred retainers working in the castle.

However, many of the servants who worked in tasks such as washing dishes and cleaning had little contact with Olivia.

Remembering everyone’s name must be quite a task.

“Only someone like Olivia could do that.”

“Come to think of it, when we met when you were ten, you forgot about me.”

“Haha…”

As they chatted, they reached the castle gate.

The guards standing by the gate saluted silently, and a few people followed behind Lucius and Olivia.

Among them was Sergeant Reuel of the Tact Regiment.

Since Lucius had met him several times, he exchanged a brief greeting.

They continued on to the main street leading to the town below.

Every time they walked along the main street of the town, the residents greeted them with words of respect.

“Ah! It’s Olivia-sama.”

“Good morning.”

“You look even more beautiful today.”

Some were even kneeling on the ground, offering prayers.

“Looks like the lord is quite popular. Some are even devout believers.”

“Why are you saying that? They’re not praying to me, they’re praying to Lucius. They’re offering prayers to the guardian dragon.”

Since the evil dragon burned the incarnations of Chi You that attacked the Tact Domain, there are people who call it the Guardian Dragon.

“…No matter how many times I say it’s an evil dragon.”

Commander Reuel, who followed behind, spoke.

“No, it has indeed become the incarnation of Ouryuu, both in name and reality. It’s only natural.”

“Just because the evil dragon ate it. It wasn’t decided that the additional heads were Ouryu.”

If you eat the head of a dragon, more heads grow.

But whose consciousness is in the additional heads?

In normal circumstances, it shouldn’t matter.

But, somehow, Lucius felt that the jade-eyed evil dragon’s gaze held an unusual emotion when it looked at Chi You.

“Even so. Lucius-dono is already the pride and pillar of the Tact Domain.”

“Even if you say that, I’m returning to the North…”

Even if it is called a spiritual support, the territory that he will someday inherit is the Silver Heart territory.

“Don’t worry, Lucius. I’ve already taken measures to ensure that the people don’t worry.”

Olivia pointed to a square further down the street.

Something under construction could be seen in the middle of the square.

It was covered with scaffolding made of about six layers of wood, and it looked like a large object.

Approaching it and looking up, you could see a bronze statue inside the wooden frame.

A terrifying three-headed evil dragon.

And on top of the dragon, a sinister armor.

“What… is this…”

His mouth hung open in astonishment.

“It’s obviously for you, Lucius.”

Olivia said as if it were a matter of course.

And everyone else agreed.

―― Was it supposed to look like this from everyone else’s perspective!? Before that, a bronze statue…?

It seemed more fitting for a demon king’s right-hand man than a hero.

As Lucius was perplexed, a girl approached him.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

It was Lauren, carrying a large case.

She had long black hair and shining purple eyes.

The case was not Lauren’s, it was something that belonged to Yu.

“Good morning, Lauren. That’s quite a package you have there.”

“It’s about half my stuff. The other half is the books Yu treasured. I just couldn’t bear to part with them.”

The quiet smile of a certain man flashed through his mind, almost making him turn around.

But he forcibly held back his emotions.

Now was not the time to mourn the past.

“You have to take good care of them.”

Lauren smiled somewhat artificially.

“Yes.”

As Lucius reached for Lauren’s case, men clad in armor bearing the crest of the Knights pushed through the crowd and appeared.

They were knights.

Even the familiar faces of the knights from the North were among them.

“I’m glad we made it in time. Commander Shaolia’s preparations took too long. Why did you take so long to fix your hair?”

Commander Karan sighed.

“Please don’t say that!”

Commander Shaolia hurriedly tried to shut Karan’s mouth.

“Commander Karan, Commander Shaolia. And also Hamiya-san!”

Lucius let go of the case and approached the group.

Karan stepped forward, extending his hand.

“You’ve been a great help to us. When you’re nearby, please come and visit us again.”

Lucius shook hands back.

“Yes, I’ll be sure to drop by.”

He turned his gaze to Shaolia, who was standing behind Karan.

“Stay well, Commander Shaolia.”

Shaolia gave a curt reply.

“Make sure to come by soon next time. …I won’t lose in the next mock battle.”

Commander Shaolia’s brigade has decided to station in the Tact Domain as it is.

Even the other knights from the North had a momentary distortion on their faces. It was a complex expression, mixing surprise and something else.

“I’ll participate in the next mock battle too!”

It was the female knight Hamiya, originally from the North, who raised her hand. Following suit, one after another, hands went up.

“I, I’ll fight alongside Lucius-sama next time!”

“That’s not fair! I want to too!”

“I want to try fighting as well.”

In everyone’s expression, a glimmer of hope could be seen.

――Next…?

Now, the Tact Domain is the frontline against the Empire.

No one knows when the next war will start.

However, making such a promise is a hope, a prayer to oneself.

“Yes, it’s a promise. Let’s have another mock battle when we meet again.”

Shaolia’s face broke into a wide smile.

“If Lucius-dono stayed on the frontline in the East, it would be a problem for the Empire. Why not join our brigade leaders?”

Commander Karan smirked.

Normally, it might seem like flattery, but there seemed to be seriousness in his eyes.

He was still a man whose true intentions were difficult to grasp.

“If necessary, I’ll fly in on the evil dragon.”

“That’s good. Just hearing that is enough. It can be used for various tactics.”

Next, Karan’s gaze shifted to the statue of Lucius under construction.

In war, having a top-class force means providing effects other than direct combat.

The morale of the troops rises just by having someone who can definitely defeat the enemy in their own camp.

Furthermore, the enemy must take actions assuming the possibility of an unexpected appearance.

This is a tactic that the Empire has been using with the War Emperor card.

Now, the Empire must also consider the existence of Lucius.

While it may not be decisive, it would be sufficient to maintain the front line.

Beside Lucius, Olivia held Lauren’s hand.

“Lauren, please take care of Lucius. I feel like he’ll do something reckless if left alone.”

“Olivia-sama…”

Lauren had an indescribable expression, seeming to struggle for words.

“Please.”

The gazes of the two girls intersected.

“Understood.”

Bowing deeply, Lauren let out a smile.

Olivia smiled back at her.

Thinking that the greetings were over, Lucius raised his left hand.

The huge three-headed dragon appeared in the square.

Even larger than the bronze statue under construction.

Every inch of its body was filled with power.

The voices of the townspeople who saw its figure rose.

But the reaction of the townspeople was not fear.

It was a loud cheer that shook the entire town.

It was a sound as loud as the big noise of the sunshade on the eaves.

The voices called out to each other, and one after another, people gathered in the square.

This was the manifestation of what Lucius had achieved in the East in two years.

Crowds gathered in the square, surrounding Lucius and the others as if to enclose them.

“Lucius!”

To avoid being drowned out by the cheers, Olivia shouted loudly.

She took a step closer to Lucius.

Just like before, Olivia placed her index finger on Lucius’s lips.

“See you later. And don’t worry too much about women.”

“Umm, it depends on the situation, right?”

Olivia’s cheeks puffed up slightly.

A small voice that might have leaked out was audible.

“Really stupid.”

She seemed to want to see him off with a smile, but apparently, she gave the wrong response.

“Sorry, sorry. But it’ll be okay.”

“What do you mean?”

Olivia pursed her lips.

“I’ll be waiting for Olivia to become queen, even if I don’t say it.”

“…Even if you don’t tell me, I’ll become queen, you know.”

Lucius felt relieved at Olivia’s unchanged demeanor.

“See you later, Olivia.”

It was a light greeting, as if it were a slight parting.

Even though they might not see each other for a few years.

He wanted to do that.

He didn’t even know why he thought that.

Olivia’s face changed completely, becoming a bright smile.

“Yeah.”

As Lucius turned around, he reached for Lauren’s case.

Then, with his empty hand, he reached for the evil dragon’s neck and jumped onto its back.

Immediately, he reached out and pulled up Lauren, putting her on behind him.

With Lucius’s shout, a gust of wind blew from the evil dragon’s wings.

With another flap of its wings, a black mass that seem like a giant body floated up.

Then it soared into the sky.

Amidst everyone waving their hands, as they watched the black dot disappear into the sky, Olivia muttered softly.

“…He’s gone.”

For a moment, her face looked lonely.

But immediately, she turned back and headed towards the familiar castle.

As if to tread the path she herself must walk.

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