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Being suddenly praised and without understanding why, Euphemia blinked in confusion.

“It seems that Syltianna has taken an interest in the daughter of the imperial noble you often talk about, as well as the cafe you highly praise. That’s what made her decide to go out.”
“Oh my! Is that so? If Sister Syltianna had told me directly, I would have gladly introduced her to Elder Sis—I mean, Lady Julia!”

Euphemia bit her nails in frustration, while Corrad, gazing at her affectionately—not with fatherly love, but more like one would look at a cherished pet, a distinction lost on the affection-starved Euphemia—smiled joyfully.

“Well, it seems you’re quite taken with her. I’d like to meet this Lady Julia myself. How about inviting her to the mansion?”

At her father’s casual suggestion, Euphemia’s face lit up with a beaming smile.

“That’s wonderful, Father! Please, let’s do that. Once you meet Lady Julia, you’ll surely understand how wonderful she is!” Enthusiastically, she added more calmly after a moment’s reflection, “But, Lady Julia is currently away from the capital for that field study…”

“Oh, it was the Arlea region in the Eunice Theocracy, wasn’t it? I stayed there for a while when I was young. It’s a picturesque place with natural open-air hot springs scattered all around… and come to think of it, Clara was quite fond of those hot springs.”

A hint of bitterness mixed into Corrad’s gentle expression.

Nodding knowingly, Euphemia said, “Ah, yes, it’s written here. It’s famous as a ‘beauty and skin-beautifying hot spring.’ Also, there’s a seal of an evil god that Lady Clara placed.”

She glanced at the travel log about the Arlea region’s geography lying open on the desk.

“A seal of an evil god, huh…” Corrad glanced at the travelog with a slightly mocking expression. “The masses sure are ignorant. It wasn’t something so trivial, and Clara’s seal was originally—”

He caught himself mid-sentence and abruptly stopped speaking.

“Father?”
“No, it’s nothing. More importantly, I’d like to invite this Lady Julia the moment she returns. If Syltianna makes a friend, it will encourage her even more.”
“Yes, of course. I’m sure Lady Julia will become friends with Sister Syltianna without a doubt.”

After saying that aloud, Euphemia felt a slight unease.

(Now that I think about it, Elder Sister Julia is quite close to Lord Lucas, Sister Syltianna’s former fiancé. I hope that won’t be a problem…)

Euphemia grew a bit anxious.

♦♢♦

After a calm moment following dinner…

What was intended to be a ladies’ gathering, or rather, a witch trial with no defense attorneys—where I was the accused, Viola the judge, Lieselotte the prosecutor, and Eren and the maids her eyewitnesses—came to an abrupt end when a visibly shaken messenger burst in, interrupting everything.

“—Th-, that was close…”

While I breathed a sigh of relief, Lieselotte, who had been enjoying herself until the interruption, frowned discontentedly and clicked her tongue softly.

Viola gave a wry smile and remarked, “there seems to be an ambush, so I think this takes priority.”

As if to confirm her words, staff members and the armed adventurers acting as guards were seen rushing around the resort fully armed. “Everyone, for your safety, please follow the guards’ instructions and evacuate. The number of attackers isn’t significant, but please wear clothes that allow for easy movement in case of emergencies!”

“Hmm… someone is targeting us? How unexpected. Influential public figures and people from the underworld should’ve been informed of our activities already…”

Despite this being just a vacation visit, we are a VIP group with royal and noble children, state guests of Livitium Imperial Kingdom.

While technically from a neighboring country, Lieselotte is still the princess of Cilento Central State, the representative nation of the entire Livitium Imperial Kingdom. She, most likely, had done careful research and preparations behind the scene—something that the student council executives apparently lacked the consideration of, despite it was their recommendation to make Eunice Theocracy as our destination for the field trip, and they still have the gall to play the role of hosts welcoming us.

It’s only natural that Lieselotte would express her disappointment when we’re still ambushed by bandits on the day of our visit despite her effort.

“There are always idiots acting on their own interests. Or perhaps it’s an ambush from a foreign nation disguised as banditry. Either way, there’s too little information to make a judgment at this stage.” Viola, who was dressed in her usual male uniform with a longsword at her waist that her maid had handed over, shrugged and tried to comfort Lieselotte.

“Indeed. Attacking us head-on is extremely reckless. It could be a group of overzealous rebels or perhaps even the work of monsters.” Of course, there might be someone orchestrating this from behind the scenes, but we can confirm that after we’ve dealt with the immediate threat. Fortunately, I know some well-informed individuals who might be able to provide insights into such underhanded activities.

A somewhat dubious peddler and his subordinate, a white cat beastman, came to mind.¹

“For now, let’s prioritize surviving this ordeal. Eren, come with me to change clothes and bring Vier.”
“Yes, Lady Jill!”

As I bowed and left the room, Lieselotte and Viola called out to me.

“Be careful.”
“We’ll meet again later.”

I turned back to face the room and bowed once more before exiting.

“Yes, you both take care as well.”

While I can manage to protect myself and have Vier, my familiar who is as strong as an SS-rank monster, providing a significant safety margin, they only have regular guards. I’ll need to stay close to them and be mindful of their safety.

As I walked down the corridor with Eren, I noticed other noble young ladies from our group in a state of panic, frantically confronting the teachers and adventurers they encountered. Some were so shocked that they had fainted.

Lieselotte and Viola remained calm, making me momentarily forget that such bold princesses are exceptions. Most noble ladies, sheltered and pampered, would naturally react as they did.

“This could be problematic,” I murmured.

The internal panic might result in injuries or, in the worst case, fatalities, even more so than the external attack. Realizing this, I quickened my pace towards my room.

While I plan to support the girls as best as I can, I’m concerned about the boys in the separate building. Hopefully, the student council can manage the chaos, but my unease persists.

The only reliable ones seem to be Cestlavie, who thrives in adversity, and Luke, with his strong sense of justice. Yet, I worry about how well they can handle this chaos.

“Please, be safe,” I prayed to no one in particular as I opened the door to my room.

♦♢♦♢

Hearing the urgent warnings from the guards, Luke grabbed his protective sword and, with his familiar, a winged cat, perched on his shoulder, dashed out of his room. He almost collided with Cestlavie, who was hurrying down the hallway.

““—Hmm?!””

They both instinctively scowled at each other but quickly realized this wasn’t the time. Luke, adopting a businesslike tone, asked, “Why are you in such a hurry?”

“—Nothing much. My roommate Elias is missing. The guy is a bit clumsy, so I’m just looking for him to be safe,” Cestlavie replied, scratching his head in a nonchalant manner. The general class students were assigned shared rooms rather than private ones.

Luke narrowed his eyes slightly at Cestlavie’s response. (Hmm. Despite his usual demeanor, he’s surprisingly caring. That brusque attitude and way of speaking must be a cover for his embarrassment… I see.)

Cestlavie, for his part, had been observing Luke’s composed and ready stance amidst the chaos, and he held a newfound respect for him. (I thought he was just another sheltered noble, but he’s got guts. This must be what they call a ‘natural talent.’ Seriously… the world is unfair.)

Thus, they both gained a new appreciation for each other.

Meanwhile, at the hot spring open-air bath in the retreat house—

A group, including student council members (like the errand boy Elias) and some enthusiastic nobles (like Daniel), attempted to climb over the four-meter stone wall separating the men’s and women’s baths. They were startled by the urgent news brought by the teachers and adventurer guards, causing them to slip and fall from the wall.

Ten minutes into the attack.

Most of the injuries were minor scrapes, bruises, and cuts, but these unintended injuries accounted for the first casualties.