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I fill a transparent glass with a densely colored wine, but she drinks it in one go without even enjoying the scent or taste. It’s a rather expensive wine too, but the alcoholic spider Aria doesn’t care about price or taste.

“Oh? Natalia, why did you stop? You drink more too~”
“Thank you very much.”

Aria holds up the bottle with her silk and pours wine into my glass.

It’s not that I stopped liking to drink, or that this wine tastes bad. I still like drinking, and this wine is really tasty, but as an automaton I can’t get drunk. I only realized today, since I never really drank much before this.

Getting drunk is half the fun of drinking alcohol, so now I have little motivation to really drink a lot. Now I’m just drinking slowly, to at least enjoy the taste as much as I can.

After some time, a Copper Spider walks up to my feet. There it begins to swing one of its legs, almost like it’s trying to greet me.

“This child has been wanting to see you all this time, Natalia.”
“Me?”
“We never forget all the food you bring us, and this is the one who accompanied you when you went looking for Mana Crystals, remember?”

It’s the same Copper Spider from back then? I rub its shiny head, and it nuzzles happily against me.

“Anyway~ I can see you also had a rough time over there.”

Aria says that while looking at my provisional right arm. I tell her everything that happened this last month, and eventually the conversation centers around the right arm I lost.

“Hmmm, and so now you want me to give you more Steel Silk to make up for what you lost in your arm and your little sister?”
“Well, actually yes…”

I do want some, but I’ve seen how much Mir is struggling for it, so I feel a bit hesitant to get it for free just because I’m like Aria’s relative. But on the other hand, I’ll run out of spare Steel Silk after I rebuild my right hand, and I use Steel Silk for all sorts of things, so I really want to have some in reserve.

“Well, I don’t really mind giving you some since it’s you asking. But I hope you don’t expect to get it entirely for free.”

Aria says while crossing her arms, causing her breasts to be propped up, which are the biggest I’ve ever seen in my life. I feel like at that size they’re in the same category as super heavy shells.

“I don’t mind giving it in exchange for something from you though.”
“Huhh… If it’s something I have then… Ah!”

She wants something from me. What did she do the first time we met? She had taken some of my mana as payment. And how did she take that mana again?

“Wait, I just remembered I have somewhere to be!”
I jump on my feet to flee from there.

“Oh? But I haven’t said anything yet though.”
I’m quickly restrained by a web of Steel Silk.

“L-Let go of me!”
“Now don’t be so hasty. Though if that’s what you’re expecting I’ll have to give you just what you want~”

I try to wriggle my way out, but rather than loosening, Aria’s silk wraps more tightly around me and lifts me up.

“Soo…is this how you did it?”
“H-Hie… Gyaaaaaaahhhhh!”

Her Steel Silk starts to slide into my body through the gaps in my joints, and the influx of mana soon robs me of control over my body. I shouldn’t have told her how I stopped Plum!

“Are you ready?”
I’m not! I’m not ready at all!
Also, why is the Copper Spider looking so attentively too?!

“Alright, I’m digging innnn~”
“Hnnnnnngggggggggghhhhh!”

She sucked out so much¹.
I’ve been tainted, I can’t get married anymore…

The moon was high in the night sky, shining over a luxurious mansion. In one of its rooms, where all servants had been excused out, Charlotte Pynemo sat on a couch while looking over a written report one of her attendants had brought to her. Next to her was another girl, who also looked at that report.

That girl’s name was Millea, and was Charlotte’s junior by two years, and her ears and tail showed she was part mouse demi-human. She was staying at the Pynemo mansion free of charge while attending the Magic Academy, and had also been there when Charlotte brought Ryuka to Olivia, but Olivia likely forgot about her already.

“I heard some of the stories, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.”
“I…noticed…”

Charlotte looked baffled as she placed the report sheets on the table, though Millea was trembling in fear.

“The abolition of social ranks and slavery, prioritizing the common folk for local governments, construction of more schools and helping raise the new generation, building more cities in the countryside, expanding cultivation lands… It all sounds good, on paper that is.”
“Yes…”

The report detailed the changes that were happening in a neighboring country, which seemed to be restructuring at a rapid pace.

Thanks to an armed uprising, though the people there called it a revolution, the monarchy was toppled and a new government was established. If all their plans were executed properly, it would lead to an economic and cultural improvement overall.

But Charlotte thought differently.

“It’s way too idealistic.”

She said with a cutting voice.

The abolition of social ranks and slavery might make the common folk really happy, but was not something nobles and royalty would tolerate. There would be a lot of conflict once they lost their privileges.

There was no point in common people being able to govern if they did not have the proper knowledge. Or even worse, they could have misconceptions that would translate to large inefficiencies when trying to build new villages or cities.

And raising cities in the countryside? Without the right underlying infrastructure, those regions could end up losing their local produce, being taken up by ghost towns with no one to live in them.

They did mention expanding cultivation areas too, but most of the terrain in that country were plains, with no forests or wilderness to expand into. Not to mention that many of those areas were the territory of S-Rank monsters, who would fight back aggressively if people attempted to invade, which even children were aware of. On top of that, the political situation there had ended the alliance the country had with Seperion, limiting the number of adventurers that went to visit that country, which also made it harder to turn those areas into livable territory.

On top of that, those monsters were very territorial, which also meant they never left their habitat and never attacked unprompted. That had made the network of alliances around Seperion to mark them as protected species, banning hunting them.

That country had belonged to the alliance before the uprising, so they had to be aware of that too.

Accomplishing everything they wanted was something that usually would take many centuries. Trying to do it in just a handful of years was rather reckless, showing that whoever had taken the reins of that country was likely a fool.

And that foolishness was already showing its price in various places.

The former-commoners-turned-governors signed off on crude policies, not knowing even the basics of state management. There were constant arguments between the former nobility and the new government, which also worsened public safety, and as important institutions were relocated to the countryside in an attempt to create bigger cities, but the lack of a proper foundation and infrastructure just meant communication and transport between institutions took way too long.

And then the army was sent to hunt those protected monsters, but that only resulted in disastrous defeat.

The country was sinking faster than a boat made of lead.

“At this point, even if the revolution is revoked, undoing the damage would be an exceedingly hard task.”
“…”
“Wouldn’t it be better if you just left that country and immigrated to Seperion at this point?”

Charlotte asked that to Millea, who was still looking down, her hands trembling as she gripped the report sheets.

“That would be the same as abandoning everyone.”

While it was good that the people had decided to stand up for themselves against the king, the new government was far too clumsy. Those foolish governors were just making the people suffer even more. The previous king might not have been perfect, but still ruled better than the new government.

“Also, even if I were to immigrate, you wouldn’t make me yours, would you?”
“I guess that’s true. I’ll eventually inherit this household and I’ll have to find a suitable husband. When that happens, our relationship will have to end.”
“So you won’t pick me.”
“Would you pick me over your country and people?”
“…That’s not fair, Charlotte.”

Charlotte’s voice rang clear and composed. Hearing that, Millea finally raised her face, a tear forming in the corner of her eye, showing the conflict inside her.

“We could’ve avoided all of these troubles if we had just been born to different families…”
“Yet, it was precisely because of that circumstance that our paths intertwined. I believe I was attracted to you at first because of your lineage.”

Charlotte moved her long snake body against Millea, holding her close, while her hands covered in red scales wiped Millea’s tears.

“No matter how far away you go, it’ll never change the fact that I love you, and not even God can change that. So just go on, walk on the path you choose yourself.”

Saying that, Charlotte’s lips rested on Millea Ratte Berlomot’s, the first princess of the kingdom of Berlomot².

1. Robinxen: Phrasing.
2. Silva: Romance between a snake and a mouse?