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–––Integra’s Viewpoint

I’m Integra. Two years have passed since I came to work under the king of Bordaule, His Majesty Ludwin. Those days when I fretted about the future of the kingdom when His Majesty stepped up feels really distant now. During the ruling of the late king, our large country was in a downwards trend, but now it had retaken its momentum.

His Majesty Ludwin implemented new policies that focused on severely punishing injustices and crimes, which used to abound throughout the entire country, while also trying to improve the quality of life of the general populace. Thanks to that, as time passed the revenue from harvested crops increased, and now it could be said we were a step ahead of the surrounding countries.

In the middle of this large country, in a certain place inside the royal palace, I was alone with His Majesty talking about that recent incident. His Majesty had a face with deep features, adorned by a bushy mustache. He was already in his fifties, but when he was younger he had left the palace to embark on all sorts of ridiculous adventures, so his body was well-toned even though he had settled down now. He was quite a handful when I worked as his aide during his youth.

“…So in other words, Leble’s hero was beaten up by that guild’s receptionist?”
“Yes. It’s hard to believe, but that’s indeed what happened.”

I had repeated the same thing to him countless times to the point it was getting a bit tiring, but he just shook his head while massaging his temples. I had known him long enough to understand this meant he was struggling to comprehend what I had told him.

“And she’s the same person that took out a Lich’s army with a single hit, and her students get incredibly strong in a short timeframe… Just who is she?”
“I’ve tried to gather all the info I could get on this Lapis girl, but her life before her appearance in Surfour is a big blank. We know two adventurers, Karin and Ciel, who randomly met her in some remote mountains. But we don’t know why she was living there, or why she was alone.”
“And she’s beautiful enough to pass as the daughter of a noble… That someone like that was hidden until now means that she either purposefully tried to remain hidden or that she’s planning something.”

As he said that, His Majesty crossed his arm while groaning. From the information alone, her story sounded like a poorly written joke, but all the spies they sent to investigate her came back with the same information.

“Maybe she’s some sort of spy for another country?”
“That’s not very likely. Considering all she’s involved with, she would stand out too much. All I could think of would be some ploy to attract the citizens’ attention or something in that vein… Maybe to lead some sort of rebellion.”
“But in that case, training the enemy’s army would seem contradictory. It’s like fortifying your enemy before launching an attack.”

As far as we could see, there were people she had saved, but there was no one who had been attacked by her. Or well, ones like Leble’s heroes aside, who attacked her and the people around her out of malice. She saved people, used all her powers to fight monsters, and worked earnestly every day without using her might as leverage to have an easier life. Those actions of her’s made her look far nobler than any hero who proudly announced to everyone they were going to fight the Demon King.

“Well…I guess I’ll have to talk directly with her then.”
“Your Majesty?!”

I felt really distressed hearing that, but His Majesty waved it off with a knowing look.

“I’m fully aware that it can be a dangerous meeting. But I can’t leave such a powerful person free like that. I want to verify with my own eyes and ears what kind of person she is, whether she’s planning something, or if she’s just an abnormally strong but good person.”

According to our reports, she’s strong enough to easily go against an entire battalion of elite knights. Since we still had not discerned who she was, letting His Majesty meet her in person was a rather risky idea. But…

“I understand. Then I’ll send a summoning letter to the guild in Surfour.”
“Mm, please do so.”

After bowing to him, I left his presence. Since he had decided to do that, it was my duty to obey without questioning further. Afterwards I also figured I had to assemble the strongest force I could to protect His Majesty, even though I felt it would be useless.

“It would be best if nothing happened though…”

I hurried to my own office, still feeling a hint of uneasiness. There, I sent the letter to the guild in Surfour so they could communicate this matter to their receptionist.