When I finished my story, Lilia-san set her teacup down and let out a long, weary sigh.
"I see. So, Kaito-san, you simply intended to go out for a meal with this Alice person... went to the Arclesia Empire’s monster race track... won over four hundred platinum coins... happened to buy a Behemoth... and then ended up being invited to the Arclesia Royal Castle as a State Guest."
"Y-Yes."
"My head... it hurts. Luna, my hangover seems to have taken a turn for the worse. I understand the words he's saying, but my brain is flatly refusing to process them."
"No, I’m afraid that headache is coming from a different source entirely, Milady."
Lilia-san buried her face in her hands and slumped forward.
Even as the one who lived through it, the story sounded unbelievable. I’d set out for a simple dinner, yet somehow things had spiraled into an international incident.
"I can't do this anymore... Kaito-san, you're terrifying..."
"Milady, please pull yourself together. I truly sympathize with your plight. However, Miyama-sama."
"Yes?"
"There is a game from your world that has become quite popular here. It is called a 'lottery.' You simply must take me with you next time."
"Luna, honestly..."
Lunamaria-san was as consistent as ever. I had a feeling she and Alice would get along surprisingly well, at least in terms of their shared lack of integrity.
"Anyway, Lilia-san, please. Won't you let me keep Bell here? Of course, I'll cover all the expenses for its food and care."
"Hmm. The creature certainly seems attached to you, and I don't think it's dangerous, but still..."
"Is it not fine, Milady?"
"Luna!?"
As expected of a creature known as a legendary magic beast, even Lilia-san wouldn't give her permission right away. I was bracing myself to plead with everything I had when support came from an unexpected quarter.
"Miyama-sama will surely take proper care of it. Besides, even if you refuse, we can hardly just turn a Behemoth out into the street, can we?"
"Well, that's true, but..."
"Fortunately, it is still an infant. It won’t grow to an unmanageable size for several years, perhaps even decades."
"I suppose you're right. Very well... Kaito-san, you’ll have to use the stables for the time being, but we'll have a dedicated shed built for him soon."
"Thank you so much!"
"There is one condition, however."
"A condition?"
With Lunamaria-san’s help, Lilia-san had finally given her blessing to keep Bell. As I expressed my gratitude, she gave me a faint, wry smile.
"I will provide the funds for Bellfried’s food and the construction of the shed."
"What? No, I couldn't possibly—"
"I won't back down on this. Please, allow me to return the favor for once."
"Return the... favor?"
I tilted my head in confusion. Lilia-san returning a favor to me? If anything, it was the other way around. I was the one constantly being looked after, and I did nothing but cause her grief.
"I am truly grateful to you, Kaito-san. Thanks to you, I have finally reached the point where I can achieve the two goals I set for myself when I first became a Duke."
"Goals?"
"Your presence carries more weight than you realize. Simply because you are staying here, the Ducal House of Albert has gained enough political influence to rival—or even surpass—the other great noble houses."
"And that’s helping you achieve your goals?"
I knew one of them was to restore Sieg-san’s voice. But I couldn't even guess the second. Judging by her expression and tone, however, it was clearly her life's ambition.
"One is, as you know, to restore Sieg’s voice. We’ve put that on hold for now, according to her own wishes. The other is to find the culprit who leaked false information to my squad in the Second Division."
"..."
"To be able to manipulate information within the Order of Knights... it must be a noble with considerable power. As a mere former princess who had just received her peerage, I would have been laughed off even if I had identified them. To force them to atone, I absolutely needed influence within the kingdom—power as a noble."
"Do you know who the culprit is?"
"At the moment, I have no idea. I may never find them. But I will keep searching."
Her words were firm, backed by a resolute determination. This person had leaked false info, leading to the tragedy where Sieg-san lost her voice. Finding them was clearly Lilia-san's ultimate goal.
"I feel terrible that this is power I've essentially been gifted by you without doing anything myself... but I am grateful from the bottom of my heart. Especially for introducing me to Chronoa-sama. I could never thank you enough for that."
"I don't know what to say to that, but... if I've been able to help you even by accident, then I'm glad."
"Truly, thank you. So, please, let me show my gratitude in this small way."
"Alright. Thank you, Lilia-san."
We looked at each other and exchanged thanks, both of us feeling a bit sheepish. Perhaps feeling too embarrassed to continue, Lilia-san turned her flushed face toward Lunamaria-san to change the subject.
"By the way, Luna, for you to take Kaito-san’s side so vigorously... are you plotting something again?"
"Ha... Hahaha, don't be ridiculous..."
"You are, aren't you?"
"It’s nothing so grand. I merely had a small favor to ask of Miyama-sama."
"A favor?"
I'd felt something was off. It seemed Lunamaria-san really did have an ulterior motive for helping me. I was a little worried, but she was the reason I could keep Bell, so I decided to hear her out.
"My sources suggest that the Underworld King is currently developing a new magic tool. I was hoping... well, that I might be permitted to buy one. I was wondering if Miyama-sama could put in a word for me."
"I... I understand."
"Thank you very much!"
Where on earth does this fanatic get her information? The magic tool Kuro is making is probably the calculator I asked for, but I haven't told a soul. Does she have some kind of secret network among Kuro’s devotees?
Dear Mother, Father—Lilia-san gave me permission to keep Bell. Lunamaria-san helped convince her, but she had her own reasons. She seemed to have caught wind of the fact that Kuro was making a calculator from somewhere.