â In Princess Leiaâs room. The princess makes tea by hand, and there are no cups for the number of people⊠so for the time being, Nina and I decline, and the tea is handed to the other four.
âWow, delicious! EheheheâŠâ
Hibiki was nodding something next to him. The tea itself, however, was still excellent. Iâve been served tea made by Princess Leia a few times before, and it really is delicious, isnât it?
⊠Well, anyway, it seems that now the discussion is ready.
âLetâs see, so is it correct that this is the place to receive information about the Empire from Her Imperial Highness Princess Dantha, Princess?â
âYes, thatâs right.â
The Princess cleared her throat.
âAs you said, Gustav-Sama, we would like Your Imperial Highness to provide us with a variety of information. Information on the Imperial Army, internal affairs, weaknesses and all thatâŠâ
âYes, of course. I will tell you⊠just, Your Highness the Princess, and everyone else. Please donât call me âYour Imperial Highnessâ. I am now being hunted by the Empire. I have no identity at all. Please feel free to call me âDanthaâ.â
Princess Leia also smiles back at Dantha, who laughs in embarrassment.
âYes, Lady Dantha. Then please feel free to address me as âLeiaâ as well.â
âThank you, Lady Leia.â
â â And so began Danthaâs information.
Apparently, Dantha had gathered a lot of information inside the Empire when she started the revolution a year ago. She told us everything from the control of the army to the level of skill, as well as the internal political and financial situation and the aims of the Emperor Siegâ faction.
ââŠThank you very much, Lady Dantha.â
Several minutes had passed since we began talking. It was a very good thing for us to know quite a few details about the Empire, which was a very positive factor for us, and a welcome one at a time when we didnât know when the war was going to open upâŠ
ââŠThe aim of the Empire is âthe unification of the continent by a chosen few Imperial citizensâ?â
Princess Leia opened her mouth heavily. Unusually for a princess, her eyebrows are furrowed in great displeasure.
âŠWell, of course itâs unpleasant. A world in which all others give up their human rights for the sake of a few imperial citizens. What kind of dystopia is that?
Itâs not just Princess Leia. Nina and Spera were also listening to the story in a foul mood⊠only Hibiki dropped out in the middle of the story and is now sitting on the floor, clinging to Ninaâs buttocks as she squirms and falls asleep.
ââŠI can never forgive Sieg for such complacency. Thatâs why we must defeat him at all costs.â
The princess nodded deeply at Danthaâs determined and resolve-filled words.
âWe cannot be invaded by the Sieg Emperor either. We will fight with all our might⊠and so, Lady Dantha, there is one more piece of information I would like to have.â
âI would like to know about the Seven Warriors currently in the Empire.â
âYes, the Seven WarriorsâŠâ
Dantha crosses her arms and looks troubled.
âActually, the only one Iâve met in person is Hibiki, and Iâve only known her for about two weeks. As for information about the other Seven Warriors, Hibiki is probably more knowledgeable.â
âI see, thank you. Now then, about thatâŠâ
Princess Leia turns slightly towards Hibiki, who sighs in her sleep, âKuh⊠kuhâŠâ
ââŠLetâs ask Hibiki-san again at a later date.â
ââŠIâm sorry, Iâll wake her up nowâŠâ
âNo, it can really be done at a later date. I also have to summarise the information I have just obtained and share it with my father and the others.â
âI see, Iâm sorry about our Hibiki. Sheâs a really fast-paced girl⊠sheâs silly, but sheâs not a bad girl.â
âNo, thanks to her, the mood is not too heavy.â
Princess Leia replied with a smile, and Dantha also shrugged.
âŠIncidentally, this was told to us as an aside as to how Hibiki came to know Dancer.
âHibiki came one day out of the blue to the imprisonment cell where I am locked up. She came to my cage through the guards and talked to me in a friendly manner⊠I asked her what she wanted, but she said something like âIâm just taking a walkâ and â⊠Iâm of the group that fills the map from one end to the otherâ.â
Dantha laughed, recalling.
âThen she came to me every day, and thatâs when I finally understood Hibikiâs true intentions. That this girl doesnât think, she just acts the way she wants to act.â
âŠAnd earlier today, Hibiki apparently broke the lock on Danthaâs prison and forced her out. âIâm going to the kingdom now, so why donât you come along, Dantha-chan? Itâs just a matter of a pretty girl being locked up in a place like this.
Hibiki then applied her own âUnique Skillâ (albeit reluctantly) and flew to the Kingdom with Dantha.
The meeting in Princess Leiaâs room was about to break up with such chit-chat, but then Dantha remembered, âBy the way, I donât know if this is a useful story,â she said.
âThere is a story my father told me about the Seven WarriorsâŠâ
âHe said that the Seven Warriors were summoned a hundred years ago too.â
âA hundred years ago?â
Dantha nodded at Princess Leiaâs confirmation.
âAt that time, the Empire thought that the Seven Warriors were golems or something without a will, and they held a summoning ceremony for the purpose of developing the territory. However, the ones who were actually summoned were otherworldly, just like Hibiki and the others.â
ââŠAnd what happened to them?â
âI heard that there was a dispute within the court at the time about their treatment. It was such a delicate balance that, I donât know how it started, but there was a civil war among the Seven Warriors.â
Dantha spins her words little by little, as if tracing her memory.
âThey killed each other, and the Empire suffered great damage. And from then on, the [Ritual of the Summoning of the Seven Warriors] came to be treated as a forbidden art, and all the books on the method were burnt.â
ââŠBurnt, you say? Then the people who are being summoned this timeâŠâ
âThe books that were supposed to have been burnt must have remained. I have an idea.â
Dantha said, biting her back teeth.
âAgranis â the one they call the [court witch] â could have it.â
âWhy on earth is that?â
âShe is a [disciple], the last of the Seven Warriors to survive the civil war 100 years ago, and was responsible for burying the book on the rituals of the summoning of the Seven Warriors⊠the [Wand Warrior].â
After a brief talk, it was decided to disband for the day. Nina wakes Hibiki, who had completely fallen asleep, with a sharp chop, and leaves the room, leaving Princess Leia and Spera behind. The two of them are going to report to the king after summarizing the current story.
âNow, I will show Lady Dantha and the others to their rooms.â
âI look forward to working with you, Gustav-Dono.â
âI understand itâs a little cramped, since you asked us to use the servantsâ room to hide your presence.â
âNo problem. During the Revolution, it was not unusual for me to stay in the countryside.â
⊠whoa, thatâs tough. If you say so, then thereâs not much to worry about.
Nina and I offered to show Dantha and the others to their rooms, so the four of us proceeded down the corridor.
âHuh~⊠ugh, my head hurtsâŠâ
Hibiki yawns and rubs her tumescent head.
âSpeaking of which, when did the conversation end? It was pretty soon, wasnât it?â
âThatâs because you were asleep five minutes into itâŠâ
Nina said with a sigh. âŠBut it was a really beautiful fall asleep, wasnât it? Her hips fell to the floor with a stomp, and Hibiki at first clung to me, who was next to her. The air in the room froze again that time, and it was hard⊠but Nina offered to change places with a very bitter expression on her face.
âDid I? I donât remember.â
ââŠMaybe if you get a good beating this time, youâll remember, right?â
âI donât want that! Don-Donât do that!â
Hibiki made a battle with her hand and held it up in front of her like a barrier.
âIâm an idiot who knows sheâ s an idiot, so I know itâs useless to try to remember the complicated stories.â
Hibiki said with her chest puffed out, and Nina shrugged her shoulders in dismay.
âHow old are you, Niña-chan?â
ââŠIâm about thirteen.â
âWhaaaat! I knew it! Youâre little, arenât you?â
âDonât call me little!â
âYouâre so cuteeeeeee!â
âDonât rub on my cheek~~~!â
Nina is thrusting her arms to escape from Hibiki, who is rubbing up against her.
âŠHow lively. Well, itâs just right to dispel the serious air from earlier.
We proceeded down the corridor, looking warmly at the exchange between the two of them.