Project Necro is an official initiative by Re:Library.

Looking back, it was an intense summer vacation.

.

On the first night of the return journey to the imperial capital. In the room assigned to her, with her maid Mina already dismissed and herself alone. In the darkened room, gazing up at the night sky through the window, Ekaterina was filled with deep reflection.

This was the manor of the minor lord who had also hosted them on their way to Jurnova. Ekaterina, Aleksei, Mikhail, and Flora were staying there together. The middle-aged lord had welcomed the four of them with his round face trembling in emotion.
As on their arrival, they waved from the window, but this time Mikhail was with them, so the cheers were on an entirely different scale. Ekaterina felt a slight admiration for Mikhail, who was completely accustomed to such things.
However, the cheers were louder this time than on the outward journey also because Lady Ekaterina’s popularity within the territory had surged. As ever, she had not noticed at all.

.

Truly, so much happened in Jurnova.

When I first arrived, while feeling nostalgic for the scent of the wind and the color of the sky of this land, I also felt a kind of exotic atmosphere, like coming to Switzerland or Scandinavia in my previous life.
Now, I am completely used to it. The buildings of stone mixed with wood and brick, the beautiful townscape where refinement and rustic simplicity harmonize. The people who smile and wave every time I go out. As the duke’s daughter and the lord’s younger sister, I have grown entirely accustomed to waving back, and when I think about it anew, it feels almost embarrassing.
Sorry that a corporate wage slave in her thirties is waving her hand around.

.

And when we arrived at Jurnova Castle, the resistance faction against my brother, the Novadins, were lying in wait. I also came face to face with the local villainess, Kira.
Well, my brother neatly struck back at them at the banquet though.
No, it would be wrong to call it “neatly.” That result came because my brother and the others had long been gathering information, grasping the opponents’ moves and cards, and preparing their response.
Once again, my Onii-sama is the most wonderful in the world!

The Novadin house had its title and assets confiscated, and the local villainess fell to commoner status. …I knew it, the villainess that sticks out gets hammered down… Shiver.
Perhaps because it felt personal, I actually arranged work for Lady Kira.
It was troublesome to think of work that a noble young lady—especially a fifteen-year-old with little life experience—could do. If she excelled in etiquette and education, being a tutor would be the standard fallen-young-lady job, but Lady Kira… Rather than work, marriage would better fit this world’s common sense, I thought, but even as a former count’s daughter, the Novadin name is now too much of a negative asset for any respectable marriage prospects. So I thought of having her work as a maid, something she could at least imagine the duties of.
As expected, she resisted quite strongly, but in reality she had nowhere else to go. She changed her ringlets into braids and, while shouting complaints, seems to be working surprisingly hard at Daniil’s house. She sure hates to lose.

If I ever fall into ruin, I’ll work as a maid and support Onii-sama myself. I gained that hope. Thank you.

.

After that, the journey to make a proxy visit to the Mountain Temple—
That truly involved many things… At the dwelling of the forest folk, I met Lady Selene, the Maiden of Death, and her spouse the God of Death, met Great-Uncle Isaac for the first time, met the Mountain Gods at the Mountain Temple, and received the oracle of an eruption.

Oh yes, Forli, who went to inspect the mountain that was prophesied to erupt, has returned. I’m glad we managed to meet before returning to the imperial capital and hear his report.
Apparently, villagers in nearby villages had, when prompted, said that there had been more smoke and more earthquakes than before, leaving them feeling quite uneasy. Considering the signs from past eruptions, it likely would not happen tomorrow or the day after, but there might not be much time to spare.

So, we hurried to repair the old miners’ lodgings at the abandoned mine that Aaron proposed as an evacuation site, and have the villagers relocate there. Relocating while leaving behind one’s entire livelihood must be difficult, but after all, the gods themselves conveyed the eruption, and many villagers have agreed to move.
After relocation, perhaps they could work in the mine, or since they are accustomed to the mountains, perhaps engage in reforestation work—Forli and I are discussing it. Once we hear the villagers’ opinions and decide on a policy, we will hand it over to the appropriate department for action.

.

And then, on the way back after receiving the oracle, I finally encountered the final boss.
The Demon Dragon King, the Esteemed Vladforen.

Once again, he was a peerless beauty in his human form. So beautiful that I cannot recall the details. In early Hollywood films, they say they would place a thin cloth over the camera to blur the screen and make actresses appear more beautiful, but my memory is doing that on its own. I think it’s because otherwise it cannot express how extraordinary he actually was.
But why has my memory become a director on its own? How resourceful.

Even so, as beautiful as the human version was, the dragon version was even cooler. The very image of a fantasy dragon, and that sheer size. I always compare it to a jumbo jet, but if you look at a jumbo jet from directly below, the size alone is moving.
But Vladforen is a living thing. A being filled with energy powerful enough to rival the gods, spreading its wings and soaring through the sky. That impact. I cannot express it well, but I was overwhelmed when beholding such magnificent nature.

…And to think such an individual said something outrageous to me… spouse… stop, I’m freezing.

Yes, let’s not think about it.
Because my absolute ideal type is—my dear Onii-sama!
I would have no regrets using my entire life for Onii-sama!

As usual, Ekaterina clenched her fist.

Even for my marriage, I’ll leave it to whomever Onii-sama finds convenient. In fact, that would be easier…
As Ekaterina cast her gaze into the distance—

“Ekaterina.”

From outside the second-floor window, a low, beautiful voice called to her.
It was a voice that would be classified as bass-baritone, or bass.