Chapter 93: Please

“By the way—hey!”

While I was still lost in thought, recalling the situations unfolding across nations all over the world, Emma suddenly rose from her seat in front of me.

“Hm?”

“Don’t you think your greeting was far too cold for a reunion after being apart for so long?”

The moment she said that, the Second Princess smoothly climbed onto the chair I had been sitting in, placing both knees on either side of me as she leaned closer. Then, without the slightest hesitation, she slipped her arms around my neck.

“…You’re a little too close.”

No—“a little” wasn’t the right word.

Our faces were so near that if either of us moved forward even slightly, our lips would touch.

The warmth of her breath brushed faintly against my skin. Her golden hair spilled over her shoulders like silk, carrying with it a sweet fragrance that only made my composure crumble faster.

“My, aren’t you blushing quite a bit?”

“You’re even redder than I am…!”

“Heheh.”

She gave a smug little laugh, clearly delighted by my reaction.

I was fifteen years old.

By the standards of my previous world, that made me the age of a high school boy—a teenage boy at the peak of uncontrollable hormones and awkward self-awareness. It was downright unfair for her to suddenly pull something like this on me.

Of course I was going to get flustered.

Of course my heart was going to race.

“Actually… this is extremely embarrassing, so perhaps we should stop here?”

“Y-Yes, I would very much appreciate that.”

With obvious reluctance, Emma finally loosened her arms and leaned back slightly. Even then, though, the teasing amusement in her eyes never faded.

“That said,” she continued, “it is true that I was hurt by your indifferent greeting. Do you have any idea how worried I was about you while I was in the East?”

“I don’t think I did anything that should’ve worried you that much.”

“Hah. I heard you analyzed the enemy’s flight magic and fought aerial battles at the very front lines. And then you even carried out a strike directly against the enemy headquarters. You’re telling me someone like that didn’t make people worry? That’s quite the joke.”

“……”

I had no response to that.

Honestly, all I could do was fall silent.

Emma sighed softly, though the concern in her eyes only deepened.

“Your magic possesses overwhelming value in this war. There’s no denying that. But that does not mean you’re invincible. You’re far too reckless, and it constantly makes me uneasy. There’s very little merit in someone like you charging into the front lines personally. Watching a general repeatedly place himself in danger and come back wounded isn’t exactly reassuring.”

“There still aren’t many people capable of using flight magic. If I don’t personally take the field, we can’t win. And when it comes to aerial combat, I’m the most skilled one we have.”

The gravity magic I had created through the application of earth magic wasn’t something ordinary earth mages could replicate.

And in aerial warfare, having me personally at the front was undeniably the most effective strategy available.

“I wish you would remember just how valuable a commander you are.”

“At the end of the day, I’m still just a fifteen-year-old brigadier general.”

“The youngest general in history is calling herself ‘just’ what, exactly?”

Her words carried a sharp edge.

“My rise only began after this war started. It’s barely been half a year. Even if I disappeared, the army would simply return to its previous structure. It wouldn’t be some devastating loss.”

“You underestimate yourself far too much.”

Emma’s expression softened slightly, though her gaze remained unwavering.

“If you truly weren’t important, you would never have been summoned back to the royal capital like this. In the Kingdom of Lunoa, the delegation attending the funeral of the former Emperor of the Austin Empire will be centered around the two of us. That alone proves how significant you’ve become.”

“Hm? The two of us are leading it? Not bureaucrats, but soldiers like us?”

“Yes. That was specifically requested by the Austin Empire.”

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

“They said they would very much like the people who carved out a path of glory in the East to attend.”

“I feel a little bad about stealing the diplomats’ work.”

“It’s perfectly fine. They’re nobles too, after all. Which means they belong to the military class just like us.”

“…Well, that’s true.”

This country was still a monarchy.

Although the development of civilization had gradually led to the formation of a central government, the fundamental structure of the nation remained unchanged: each territory was ruled by nobles.

And in such a kingdom, everyone who held office in the central government—even diplomats representing the nation abroad—came from the nobility.

And for nobles, the battlefield was considered their true calling.

“In the early stages of this war, quite a few of those so-called bureaucrats stood on the front lines and died like everyone else,” Emma said quietly. “There’s a shortage of capable people everywhere now.”

For nobles, glory belonged on the battlefield.

That belief applied equally to those who once sat behind government desks.

“…What a foolish state of affairs.”

The war had claimed the lives of so many nobles that the entire nation was suffering from severe manpower shortages—from local territories all the way up to the central administration itself.

There simply weren’t enough people left.

“Well, you’re not wrong,” Emma admitted with a wry smile. “But that’s precisely why very few people object to us involving ourselves in diplomacy as well. Now that Marshal Carland has fallen from power, the strongest candidate for the next marshal is General Newsbeck. Her achievements are simply too extraordinary compared to everyone else’s.”

There was admiration in Emma’s voice when she spoke that name.

“At this point, there are very few people left who can stop our rise.”

“Then… I suppose it’s fine?”

“It is.”

Emma nodded firmly.

“Let’s go to the Austin Empire together, shall we? It’s a rare opportunity for an overseas expedition. We should enjoy it.”

“…You really are surprisingly carefree.”

Faced with the Second Princess—who looked far more like someone preparing for a leisurely trip abroad than attending the funeral of a foreign emperor—I could only let out a small, helpless laugh.