He closed the distance Rue had put between them in just two steps.

“A kidnapper who also maintains the dignity of the kidnapped. Not bad.”

Twisted gray eyes looked over her attire.

“It suited you yesterday, and it does today as well, Minister.”

Only then did she remember what she was wearing. The comfortable flight suit he had changed her into at the palace yesterday. The long boots were suitable for this barren battlefield, and her hair, hastily tied by the maid, didn’t bother her.

Ah. He had rushed the Calleta Minister to get ready on purpose and then took her out immediately after leaving the Minister’s office.

But still.

‘But why does the Persecta Emperor need to do this much?’

Why bring along the enemy diplomat, who had always only invaded, to a monster hunt on which the fate of the empire hung, and even go so far as to dress her up for it?

“You were energetic this morning and your voice was really good, so I’m looking forward to the next flight.”

What do you mean? He’s just trying to annoy me. That bastard.

“Ah, not the next flight, but the next kidnapping.”

Bastard! Bastard! Rue cursed silently, smiling as she passed Hayden and wished for him to trip and break a leg. Bastard!

Then Hayden looked back suddenly. Startled. Surely he didn’t feel her cursing him?

“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming?”

So she had to follow him. Rue made eye contact with a grinning Icaros and quickly followed Hayden.

The newspapers will continue to say that the Persecta Emperor is frustrated because he can’t torment the Calleta Minister.

And considering that even the Emperor’s confidant was obviously teasing her, it seemed she would be tossed around during this subjugation as well. So she had to eat well, sleep well, and endure.

“Your Majesty, we are currently cleaning up this area, but the second wave is scheduled.”

“What about Count Plache?”

At Hayden’s question, Rue’s ears perked up. Always mindful of many watchful eyes, she quickly composed her face but listened to the reporting man’s answer.

“The Count and Countess have left the castle and are personally fighting in the west. They say they are ready to welcome you whenever you come.”

But Hayden shook his head.

“I can’t enter a castle without its owner. We’ll station at Belfort.”

“Yes!”

From a distance, the screech of a monster, again, filled the air.

Rue, who was buried in a warm bed just this morning, followed Hayden, walking through a wasteland littered with feathers, blood, and monster corpses. This was a battlefield.

Belfort, a small estate and fortress not far from Plache, was completely covered in blooming poppies.
Red and yellow, crimson and white, even blue flowers filled the skies, swaying in the dry wind.

“What’s the situation on the western front?”

“Count and Countess Plache are holding up well. The scale of the monsters encountered as soon as Your Majesty arrived is similar, but they had made all preparations, so the Count and Countess immediately went out to face them. However, it seems it will take some time.”

Hayden nodded and turned his gaze to Rue, who was facing Icarus at a little distance.

Only Icarus would smile knowingly at the way Icarus grinned, and her long hair near him fluttered.

“Grrr.”

“Huh, what?”

Trying to maintain a proper distance from Icarus, Rue almost tripped over the paw Icarus quickly reached out, wobbling.

Staggering, she barely regained her balance when Icarus’s head nudged her back, and she looked very uncomfortable being there.

She had to poke around as much as she had the rank of Calesta Construction, explore here and there, and sneak a peek at the Imperiale forces.

No matter how strangely the Imperiale members looked at her, she needed to have a thick face, but Rue’s face was not thick.

Hayden smirked. Meeting the knights in that situation was not comfortable. But it was something she had to face eventually. That was the only way she could ‘return to her original state.’

“Hey, Icarus, you really…!”

Rue snapped in irritation.

“Grr?”

Unable to say anything against Icarus, who tilted his head, looked up, and made a ‘I don’t know what I did wrong’ expression, she just grumbled.

If she thought she was being teased even by the divine beast, Rue’s face turned red, but the fact that Icarus, who was famous for biting as soon as someone approached, was behaving so gently would not be known to anyone but her.

“Grrrr.”

When she looked elsewhere, Icarus hit Rue with his tail; when she moved, he immediately blocked her, clearly playing games.

Rue wanted to look at the poppies that had bloomed wildly, but Icarus was in the way, so she was troubled in every way.

“Why are you doing this?”

Did she not know that he had fought in front of the barrier, or did he still have a grudge and was playing with it?

She already had to report that she was fine to the rioting Calesta Construction Office, and had to think about not running into Count and Countess Plache.

“Grr?”