[Vol. 7] Chapter 279: Don’t Try to Guess a Girl’s Feelings
“Haaah~ Hey sister… we’ve been waiting here for ages. Are you sure those people are actually going to show up?”
In the northern part of Sainz City, above a canyon near the Dragon Mountains, a white-haired girl with four lazy, drooping wings sat carelessly on the edge of a steep cliff. She yawned while fiddling with the staff resting on her lap, clearly bored as she complained.
“Of course they will. They’ll definitely come.”
Next to her stood another girl who looked very similar to her but had a more mature and confident air. Her white hair was a bit shorter, and she answered without hesitation.
“Ehhh…”
Seeing her younger sister still pouting with a bored look, the older girl shook her head. Her long, graceful wings sparkled faintly as they quivered in the wind, and her posture, sharp and upright like the spear she held, showed her serious nature. With a bit of helplessness, she said,
“This is a direct order from Lady Violet. When has that lady ever been wrong? You’re just too used to slacking off. You can’t even sit still for a short while. You’re an angel now, can’t you act a little more serious? If you mess up Lady Violet’s plan, don’t expect me to cover for you.”
“I know, I know… I am taking this seriously, okay? I’m just letting out a little frustration to stay focused. Geez, you always get super strict whenever Lady Violet is involved…”
The long-haired, four-winged girl dressed like a mage rolled her eyes, then suddenly grinned with a teasing smile.
“Hey sister… do you like Lady Violet~?”
“Ow!”
“If you say nonsense again, you’re not getting your allowance this month.”
“Uuugh…”
The younger girl, now rubbing her forehead where her sister flicked her, stuck out her tongue and finally stopped messing around. Her pale, smooth legs, covered up to her thighs by tall leather boots, started swinging back and forth over the edge of the cliff, like she was trying to shake off her mood. Then, as if remembering something, she suddenly spoke up again.
“By the way, are we really sure it’s okay for Lady Violet to send those Dragonkin to block the Imperial army? They don’t seem to get along with Austre Empire that well. The tension between them has already been rising ever since that so-called ‘Dragon God’ appeared. If they keep confronting the Empire like this face-to-face, and the Imperial army decides to get violent…”
The “big sister” looked at her in surprise, then chuckled softly.
“Wow, I didn’t expect that. I thought my little Rene only cared about those romance novels and picture books. Now you’re worrying about politics? I’m actually kind of touched.”
The teased angel blushed. Even though she hadn’t reacted much to the earlier scolding, now she gently rubbed her white wings against her sister’s waist like a spoiled child, pouting slightly.
“What do you think I am, seriously! I do know how to tell what’s important, okay? I mean, I don’t care about silly little things, but this ‘Dragon God’… if it’s really connected to her, then I’m sure Lady Violet is being super careful about it.”
“Hmm… looks like we’re thinking the same thing.”
When it came to serious matters, the spear-wielding girl dropped her smile and showed a focused, solemn look. She gave a small nod, then looked down toward the narrow path below, barely wide enough for a dozen people to walk side-by-side, and said quietly.
“Lady Violet didn’t explain her full plan, but from what I know about her, she would never hurt or use innocent people on purpose. And the Dragonkin aren’t stupid. If they thought this was a suicidal mission, they wouldn’t be cooperating this seriously.”
The four-winged angel girl stood on the cliff edge, gazing south toward the city now hidden under a sky-wide, colorful storm. The strong wind blew through her short hair and clothes as she stood there, deep in thought.
“Look at Sainz, it’s now completely cut off from the outside world by the [Origin Storm]. Nobody knows what’s happening inside, not even us. So even if the Imperial royal family really was assassinated in there, until the news gets out, the Imperial army has no excuse to break the treaty and force their way in.”
“And these Imperial troops. Well, they were originally moving toward the western border when they suddenly got an emergency order to change direction. We all know the Empire is just using this as a cover-up, but even so, their new path has to go through the Lannas Province, which lies right between Sainz and the border.”
“The Dragonkin just went through that huge theft incident, everyone in the world basically knows about it. They clearly understand that the Imperial Intelligence Bureau was behind it in secret, but since they have no proof and are still bound by the old agreement, they can’t really fall out with the Empire. So all they can do is swallow their anger. And with how proud their race is, how could that possibly feel good?”
“Exactly. Right now, with the Imperial army passing through their land and even getting close to the Dragon Mountains, the Dragonkin can totally use the [Lannas Armistice Treaty] to demand that the army take a detour. That agreement clearly states that the Empire’s military can’t, under any reason, interfere with the Dragonkin’s religious activities or sacred rituals. The rule doesn’t say where or how big those areas are either. So if the Dragonkin simply claim they’re holding an important ritual ahead, the Imperial army will have no choice but to stop, at least for a while.”
“The Dragonkin don’t want to go to full war with the Empire, but at the same time, Austre Empire doesn’t want to completely break ties with a strong race that’s already part of its territory. Generals are still generals, if they haven’t been given a direct order to attack no matter what, they’ll usually choose to avoid trouble first. As long as the Dragonkin don’t push things too far, the Empire will just have to grit their teeth and accept the loss.”
“And as long as the Imperial army doesn’t use the lockdown as a reason to march straight up to Sainz, and some space is kept between them and the city, then even if the royal family really did die inside, there’ll still be room to handle the situation more flexibly. It’s like how there’s a buffer zone between the Austre Empire and the Holy Empire.”
“Wow… you really know a lot, Sister.”
The angel girl named Rene nodded with a half-understanding look and couldn’t help but pout again.
“But if you ask me, Lady Violet is making it too complicated. She’s so powerful, if she really wanted to stop a war, why not just drop a god-level spell on the Imperial army, say it’s divine punishment, and warn them in the name of the goddess not to do anything stupid? Wouldn’t that fix everything once and for all? I don’t believe those Austre Empire people would dare fight against a real goddess... Ow! Why’d you hit me again!?”
Her sister, Leila, had tapped her on the head once more to stop her wild and violent ideas. She smiled helplessly and said,
“What are you even talking about, silly girl? First of all, do you know how many people would die from that? And are you trying to push Lady Violet into the middle of the world’s biggest power struggle, making her the only one responsible for keeping the balance? That’s exactly what she hates most, being in the spotlight. Otherwise, why do you think she asked us to handle this instead?”
“Tch... whatever. But if a war really starts, way more people will die anyway. If I had power like hers, I wouldn’t care about what’s complicated or not. I’d just beat up every bad guy I see! That would fix everything... Eh? Wait! Sister, look! Someone’s coming!!”