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The Forest Kingdom of Raum.

A man and a woman were having a secret meeting in the royal palace.

That said, it wasn’t a love affair or anything. They certainly avoided being seen, but there was not a speck of amorous atmosphere between the two.

“So then, Uncle Maxwell, did you solve the trouble?”
“Of course. And even more smoothly than I expected. Reid really is a useful man. He is a woman now, however.”
“The esteemed Hero who was reborn? I would like to meet him one time.”
“You have a hero before your eyes right now… But that could be arranged I suppose?”

They were in a relatively narrow room for the royal palace. It was at most as wide as Cortina’s house.

In the center of it, a young girl placed a table set in the center and elegantly carried tea to her lips.

There were no other people in the room. There was of course a handbell to call servants with, however.

“Nevertheless, of all things that could have happened… For them to aim for Fina.”
“It had to happen just as Pope Ashella’s painstaking efforts somewhat improved the half-demon treatment. Frankly, I was breaking into a cold sweat.”
“If they laid their hands on Lord Lyell and Lady Maria’s daughter, it would very well lead to the entire world turning against half-demons. Good work for avoiding that.”
“Your words are wasted on me, Lady Eligore.”

Maxwell made an affected servantly bow towards the young girl. His eyes were filled with an impish gleam. In response, the girl referred to as Eligor snorted in displeasure. That action was somewhat improper of a lady.

“Could you call me Eligor III properly? I have yet to achieve something as great as the first ancestor.”
“They were the patron of the esteemed transcendent who contributed to the development of recovery magic, was it? How rude of me.”
“As a form of closeness, you may call me Eligor The Third. Or simply Elly thir—”
“It is too long so I shall refrain.”

It was the name of the Queen who once existed in this kingdom. She took the third generation title as her successor, but she was quite a careless girl in some respects.

But this little girl was the primary heir of the throne of this kingdom. It was hard to imagine the worries her retainers faced.

Maxwell was talking with that Eligor in a familiar manner. They were uncle and niece by blood, but as he had already resigned from the royal family, they only met secretly like this.

The current king was his younger brother, but he didn’t like the idea of him meeting with the royalty very much.

Even so, Maxwell was still a capable vassal, so he was often summoned when something happened.

For that reason, Maxwell could get a free pass and meet with an important royal like Eligor despite being a retainer.

“Will it be possible to keep this situation hidden?”
“The gag order has already been issued. However, one cannot control what people say.”
“You mean that it is bound to become a rumor?”
“Fortunately, it happened in a different kingdom, and in the countryside at that. It will take some time before it reaches us.”

If this incident spread, the half-demons would once again become targets of discrimination. She asked this question in fear of that.

The king didn’t seem to care much for that problem, but she, who admired the Six Heroes, did not wish for that rumor to spread.

“Will the north be alright?”
“King Elliot had been saved by Reid before. Even if it did not happen in the countryside, I daresay nothing serious would have happened. Rather—”
“It is more likely to spread in Raum, is it?”
“If only His Highness was more broad-minded… Ah, that was a slip of tongue.”
“That would be taken as lese majeste. Be careful what you say in front of others, uncle.”
“I end up getting loose-lipped when I am with you. I am glad you are so easy to talk to.”
“Please just admit you think I lack dignity. More importantly, is it better if we do something now?”

Maxwell rubbed his beard at her question. It was his habit when he was thinking.

After some silence, he spoke with a serious tone.

“Frankly, it would be bad if we return back to the old days where the discrimination was severe. It is certainly true that we should take some measures.”
“But then, what would it be?”
“Well, we can only get them on friendlier terms before those rumors reach us.”
“Friendlier with the half-demons, is it?”
“For example, if a popular royalty member has a half-demon among their friends, it could work out.”
“You mean me? Unfortunately, I have no one like that… Oh, could it be, you plan to introduce Lord Reid?!”
“If I did that Cortina would kill me! And he’s a woman now.”
“I am fine with that. That could be fun in its own way…”
“Come to your senses, my niece!”

Maxwell sighed as he rebuked his niece who was going above and beyond what he imagined.

But this was a good opportunity from Maxwell’s perspective too.

“There is a promising half-demon boy who is also Lyell’s student.”
“Lord Lyell’s… That would mean, is he Lady Nicole’s comrade?”
“Indeed. They are presently working as Adventurers in Stollar. Because one of their comrades has a very troublesome power.”
“You mean the ‘Bow Saint’ that exterminated the Goblins during the raid, yes?”
“Well, yes. That is quite some nickname she obtained.”

Michelle, who trampled most of the Goblins during the raid, was feared as the Bow Saint in Raum nowadays.

The nobles seeking to obtain a war power like her were still incessant.

“Fortunately, she is also former-comrade of my fiancee. If she formally gains the Duke peerage, her protection should allow her to return to Raum.”
“So there was such a method… Speaking of which, I do have an errand in Stollar.”
“That is quite convenient then.”
“Some trouble has been brewing there too due to the change in the governing body. We plan to appease them and gain trust by sending a royal member over.”
“Was that His Highness’s idea? Well, it does not sound bad.”
“In that case, could you contact the Adventurers for me? I am looking forward to meeting Miss Nicole too.”
“I feel that that would only add to her worries. But serve her right!”

The two exchanged thumbs up with impish grins. This uncle and niece were clearly made out of the same cloth.

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