“When this is over, let’s take some time to relax together.”

“Can we really do that?”

Alicia knew from experience that it wasn’t easy to find such leisure time.

Once monsters appear, it’s an emergency situation for a while.

“If we can’t, then we don’t. I can be unemployed if you’re okay with it.”

“Then I’ll just have to support you.”

“How reassuring.”

Eric smiled and released Alicia from his embrace.

He went downstairs to return to the Knights, but Chase, who said he’d wait, was nowhere to be seen.

“Chase?”

Alicia looked around, but he wasn’t visible anywhere.

Eric also looked around, puzzled, as Chase wasn’t the type to leave Alicia behind without saying anything.

“Did he go back?”

“Without saying anything? He clearly said he’d wait until we came down.”

“It’s late.”

“If that was the case, he would have stayed over. He’s never left like this before.”

“…Stayed over?”

“Yes.”

“Well, maybe he used to, but now that I’m here, he probably feels awkward.”

“You think so?”

Seeing Alicia’s worried expression, Eric asked suspiciously as a thought suddenly occurred to him.

“By the way. That friend you said you let sleep in your room before, it wasn’t Chase, was it?”

“Ah-.”

Seeing Alicia evade the question, Eric stared at her in disbelief.

“Really? Even though he’s a man, you let him sleep in your bed?”

“Well, it means I was comfortable enough that it didn’t matter.”

Eric stared at Alicia, who was smiling awkwardly while making excuses.

‘So at that time, I didn’t matter either.’

Of course, it was natural back then, but he felt like he had cared about Alicia to some extent.

Alicia added with an awkward expression, seeing Eric’s somewhat hurt feelings.

“I let Chase sleep there because I didn’t think of him as a man.”

“Hmm. Then what if I say I want to stay over now? Will you let me sleep in your bed this time too?”

Eric grinned.

“It’s late, and I’m very tired right now.”

“Ah-.”

Seeing Alicia fumble for words in embarrassment, he felt like teasing her more.

“We’re not just anyone to each other anymore, so you won’t just put me to bed alone like back then, right?”

“…Of course I won’t just put you to bed alone.”

“Oh? Then?”

Facing Eric’s mischievous expression waiting for her answer, Alicia replied primly.

“I’ll give you father’s pajamas, so sleep with the twins.”

“How is that different from back then? And the twins are sleeping well right now.”

Eric grumbled, but Alicia was merciless.

“You know you have to go back anyway, so stop talking nonsense.”

“Hmm. You seem a bit disappointed now.”

“What are you saying. Let’s go quickly.”

Alicia said firmly and opened the door of the carriage Eric was to ride.

The coachman, who was about to open the door, was flustered and didn’t know what to do, so Alicia sent him to the driver’s seat, saying it was okay.

“That’s harsh. Are you trying to kick me out?”

“The sooner you go, the sooner you can finish and come back.”

“Okay, okay.”

Eric got into the carriage, seemingly giving up.

“Alicia. Let me tell you something.”

“?”

Alicia unconsciously focused on Eric, whose expression suddenly turned serious.

“From now on, the only man who can sleep in your bed is me, and I definitely won’t sleep alo-”

Bang.

Alicia mercilessly closed the carriage door before he could finish speaking.

“What the-”

Eric’s dumbfounded expression, nearly hit by the suddenly closed door, was visible through the window, but Alicia tapped the carriage and sent it off.

But seeing Alicia’s face, which was reddening as it receded into the distance, Eric eventually laughed.

“Well, we have plenty of time in the future.”

He leaned back, muttering leisurely, and closed his eyes.

He was thinking of catching a little sleep if possible.

[This is the timeline separator]

Meanwhile, at the Imperial Palace, Prince William was sitting on the sofa in the Prince’s reception room with his arms crossed and a frown on his face.

“Eric, that bastard. How dare he disappear like that and not even give a follow-up report? Even if we’re friends, how can he ignore me, a prince, like this?”

He grumbled as he drank cold water.

Prince William, who had been completely forgotten, heard the full story of the incident two days later.

[This is the timeline separator]

“What’s this? Why is he grinning like that from the morning, it’s scary.”

Allen looked at Eric with an unpleasant expression and asked his subordinate beside him.

“I don’t know. He’s been like that since this morning.”

The subordinate replied indifferently, as if it was no longer surprising.

But Allen kept looking at Eric with suspicious eyes.

“In my experience, whenever he does something he doesn’t usually do, something always happens.”

“Sir, please be careful with your words. They say words become seeds, what if something really happens?”

“If something happens, will it happen to me? It’ll happen to the Commander.”

“At this rate, you’ll really end up in the brig.”

“You’re the one who should be careful with your words. Didn’t you say words become seeds?”

“Yes, yes.”

‘How nice would it be if he could just shut up and not talk to me.’

The subordinate grumbled inwardly, pretending not to hear Allen’s words as he passed the processed documents to the side.

“Ugh, it’s creepy. Isn’t it too scary when he’s acting like he’s lost a screw?”

“I’m more scared that you might seriously provoke the Commander, Deputy Commander.”

“Eh, I’m too curious to stand it. I have to ask.”

“What?”

The subordinate frantically grabbed Allen as he stood up abruptly.

“What’s wrong?”

“Deputy Commander, please. If we provoke him wrongly, we won’t be able to go home.”

“Argh, why are you like this!”

“Hey, cover his mouth, cover his mouth.”

“Mmph.”

As the subordinates grabbed Allen and covered his mouth, Allen’s muffled shouts grew louder.

Hearing the noisy sound, Eric, who was organizing his desk, raised his head and asked with an incredulous expression.

“…What are you doing?”

“Mmph mmph? Mmph mmph mmph mmph!!”

Allen made sounds as if he was wronged, but his mouth was covered so it was impossible to understand what he was saying, and Eric didn’t want to understand either.

“Just dump that guy somewhere and let’s clock out before lunch.”

“Really?”

“Is it so surprising to be told to leave early? Why, do you want to work more?”

“No, sir. We’ll get out of here as soon as possible.”

“Mmph mmph!”

Eric chuckled at the subordinates who kept covering Allen’s mouth to the end, not releasing him in case of any unforeseen circumstances, then got up from his seat.

Unlike usual, he roughly pushed the documents aside, put on his hanging jacket, and hurriedly left.

[This is the timeline separator]

The square looked lively after a long time.

The square, which had been destroyed during the joint training some time ago, was fully restored except for the spire, and a festival was deliberately held in this square to dispel the negative perception that had been avoided due to the appearance of monsters.

To comfort and stabilize the imperial citizens who were frightened by the monsters, various large and small performances were sponsored in the name of the imperial family, and support was provided to enjoy famous food and sights from various regions.

Alicia, who was supposed to meet Eric there, was also in that square.

“He’s probably not here yet.”

Eric, who said he would be done in ten days, was held up at the Knights and the Imperial Palace for nearly another month.

Although he occasionally sent news, it was only simple letters, so this would be the first time seeing his face since he stopped by the Lancaster estate to bring the twins.

And yesterday, when Eric contacted her saying that all emergency duties were over, Alicia replied that they should meet at the festival she wanted to go to.

Alicia looked at the clock tower in the square.

She had left early because she was excited since morning, so there was still some time left until the appointment.

“Everyone looks happy.”

Alicia looked around.

Perhaps because it had been a long time since such a festival due to the monsters, people’s faces were full of joy.

“They said there would be fireworks too.”

She remembered the fireworks they went to see at the park near the lake before.

Thinking about that time suddenly made Alicia blush, and she covered her face with both hands.

Then she saw a person doing a puppet show for children on one side of the square.

‘A puppet show?’

Alicia approached out of curiosity.

A young man with long, coarse gray hair soon began the performance.

Once upon a time, there was a magician named Savier.

She was called the Great Magician and created powerful magic to save this world, but soon became fascinated by that power and the demons who granted it.

Pursuing only the strongest power, she made a direct contract with the demons and obtained immense power, plunging this world into darkness.

The Dark Age began.

The kingdom fell, and people trembled in fear.

That’s when the hero Kegan rises to eliminate Savier.

Kegan fought Savier together with a magician named Rectana, but they couldn’t completely destroy Savier, who had already become a minion of the demons through the contract.

So he divided Savier’s soul into 7 parts and sealed each of them, and established the Britannia Empire to protect those seals.

When the performance ended, the young children clapped, but the response was rather lukewarm.

“What, it’s such an old story.”

“Huh?”

“There’s no music either. And the puppets are really worn out.”

“Huuuh?”

The long-haired man was flustered by the formal applause and the children’s blatantly indifferent reactions.

Alicia, who had been watching, laughed as if she felt sorry for him.

Kids these days would probably prefer more exciting stories than that.

The story of the founding of the Britannia Empire and the corruption of the magician Savier is so famous that everyone knows it, but kids these days are more familiar with divine arts than magic.

Soon the children left the viewing area, leaving only the performing man behind.

He began to pack up the puppets and props.

“Here you go.”

Alicia picked up a fallen puppet and handed it to the man who was dejectedly packing up his tools.

“Ah, thank you, miss.”

“I thought it was interesting.”

“Is that so? It’s very comforting to hear that even one person enjoyed it.”

The man smiled brightly.

Alicia smiled awkwardly at the man and added:

“But kids these days don’t really like stories about Savier or Rectana.”

“It seems so. Well, it is a story from over 500 years ago, after all.”

“They probably don’t understand magic either. Everyone’s familiar with divine arts now. It might be better to tell stories about knights instead.”

“You’re right. But it’s something we shouldn’t forget.”

The man, having finished packing up, suddenly looked at Alicia.

“Miss. Would you like to learn divine arts?”