Inside King Laguna’s office within the Hydra Kingdom Royal Castle, a desperate struggle was unfolding. Even as the starting hour for the Founding Anniversary Festival party drew closer, a fierce back-and-forth was taking place.
"Your Majesty Laguna... a word, if you please..."
"Hmm? What is it, Lady Lilia? Given the long-standing bond between us, I will listen to any request—provided it isn’t ‘I want to go home.’"
"…………I find myself feeling quite unwell. It is possible I have contracted some major, undiagnosed malady. I would like to request permission to retire to my quarters..."
"Hahaha! What a fine jest! Lady Lilia, you possess the True Blessing of the God of Space-Time. With combat power and resistances on par with a Count-class, even Pandemonium's Disease—one of the Ten Demons—couldn’t touch you."
"……"
"……"
They stared at each other, expressions unreadable. Though both wore practiced smiles, the air between them was thick with tension.
Then, after a momentary silence, Lilia suddenly bolted for the door like a launched projectile. Laguna, however, moved with lightning speed to block her path.
"Psychosomatic symptoms are entirely different! Please, just let me go home!"
"I’m begging you! Work with me here! Stay a bit longer, please!!"
"I have nothing to do with any of this, do I?! My stomach is in absolute knots, so please, let me leave!"
"Don't say that! Are we not close, you and I? You can’t leave me all alone in a nightmare like this... No, really, I’m serious!!"
It was exactly as Lilia said; she had no personal stake in this matter. This was strictly a problem for the Hydra Kingdom. The only reason for her to be involved at all was because Laguna wouldn't stop pleading with her.
Laguna understood this, but she couldn't afford to let Lilia slip away. Especially now that Eden—or rather, Machina—had made an appearance, she needed Lilia by her side no matter what.
"You saw that exchange earlier! Eden-sama’s treatment of me compared to you was night and day! You’re the only one who might be able to coax a concession out of her. I need you here, Lady Lilia!"
"Doesn't that just mean that if Eden-sama... if Mana-sama returns, I’ll be the one forced to deal with her?!"
"Please! I’m begging you! I’ll reward you handsomely later—just think of it as saving my life..."
"Guh... ugh..."
Seeing the King practically bowing to the floor in desperation, Lilia’s face crumpled into a look of profound conflict.
Lilia was, at her core, a kind person. When someone she was reasonably close to, like Laguna, desperately bowed their head, she found it impossible to simply brush them aside.
Ultimately, after a brief struggle, Lilia exhaled a resigned sigh and agreed to stay. Of course, since this dimension was not the original one, the handsome reward Laguna promised would never actually be realized once they returned to their original dimension.
"……For the time being, we should ensure no one else approaches the area Mana-sama is using. That person truly does not understand the concept of moderation."
"Indeed... She mentioned needing a portion of the land, and I’d like to know exactly how much she intends to—hmm?"
"……Is this a map? Ah, it’s been marked. Perhaps this is the area she’s commandeering?"
As if timed to the second, a map arrived on Laguna’s desk from Machina.
While it was a relief to have the information, both Lilia and Laguna found themselves wondering why Machina had been so considerate. They had expected her to manifest an entire inn without any regard for the kingdom’s logistics.
"This is surprisingly thoughtful of Eden-sama. It appears to only be a section of the Map of the Royal Capital. For now, we should mark this area as restricted and—hmm?"
"Another map? Eh?"
"——What?"
The moment Laguna began to breathe a sigh of relief, a second map appeared before them. Across the top, the word "Correction" was written in large, bold letters.
"……U-Um, Lady Lilia. I fear my age is catching up with me. My eyes must be failing... because this range looks... preposterous."
"It is wide. The Map of the Royal Capital was one thing... but this is a Map of the Entire Hydra Kingdom."
"This scale... it could swallow several cities whole. And she’s designated multiple locations..."
"It would seem so..."
The new map was the result of Shallow Vernal’s additional demand: the "Mount Fuji Go-Boom Scenery." Naturally, the area required to facilitate such a view was orders of magnitude larger than a simple hot spring inn.
Lilia and Laguna looked at each other and let out hollow, simultaneous laughs. A second later, Lilia tried to bolt again, only to be tackled by Laguna.
"Let me go home!!"
"Please! I’m begging you! Stay! This has become a completely unforeseen disaster!!"
Serious-senpai: "Come to think of it, Lilia really has no stake in this whatsoever."
???: "Well, from Laguna’s perspective, she’s the perfect shield. She has Chronoa-san's True Blessing, she’s comfortable negotiating with Gods, and Machina treats her with a degree of softness. Lilia was doomed to be dragged into this."
Serious-senpai: "As expected, the level of Stomach Pain Power possessed by the Strongest Stomach Pain Warrior is truly in a league of its own."