“Wait just a minute. What is that report? I said to call off that business, didn’t I? This guy’s subcontracting work illegally.”

  “Then we should deal with the illegal subcontracting but continue the project,” Claude says without missing a beat. “Providing free lunches to schoolchildren isn’t something we should stop doing.”

  “But this criminal’s just taking our money! What sort of operation are you running here?!”

  “Diana, let’s discuss this calmly. Emperor Claude is only a substitute, you know,” Cattleya says in an attempt to calm her down.

  “That’s right, I wanted to hear your opinions as well. It’s in regard to retirement for the Valkyries.”

  “What?” Even as she holds Diana back, Cattleya’s eyes widen.

  Settling back in his chair, Claude holds out some documents. “I’ve reviewed all the Valkyries’ records. Many have left the front lines, and many more have reached their limit in terms of service age. However, from what I can see, this nation has no system by which Valkyries may retire.”

  “…That’s right. The men of this country just use us up,” Diana says cautiously.

  “On that point, I thought those who wished to could become instructors for the military, which we are going to organize.”

  Diana goes very quiet, her face blank. Cattleya’s expression is grave, too.

  “The biggest reason is the collapse of Hausel. We won’t be able to make any more Valkyries now. From this point on, Kilvas will need an army in which men and women fight the demons. We should act now, while there are still many Valkyries left.”

  “Men and women fighting?” Diana asks incredulously. “You’re saying the men should start fighting now, this late in the game?”

  “There simply weren’t many departments they were eligible to join. Besides, there have been male soldiers before, including Ernst.”

  “That’s…”

  He’d expected Diana to snap back with So what? but her gaze wanders uncertainly. Is there something about the idea of male soldiers that makes her uncomfortable?

  Cattleya promptly steps forward, making Diana retreat slightly. “Emperor Claude, after asking you to be a substitute, I have no right to say this, but interfering with the military is really going too far. We can’t have this, especially not while Vica isn’t here.”

  “The proposal is Vica’s. It was in the garbage for some reason. I found it in his office. I’ve checked with Ernst and confirmed that it’s definitely Vica’s suggestion. Isn’t that right?”

  “Yes. We’d discussed it just the other day, so I’m certain of it. I believe it was thrown away by mistake.”

  “…You heard him. In that case, as Vica’s substitute, what problem could there be with my advancing the proposal?”

  Cattleya frowns, tucking her chin.

  Behind her, Diana glares at Ernst. “Ernst, shouldn’t this be considered interfering in domestic affairs? You’re not going to stop him?”

  “We’re in no position to argue after our scheme to use him as a substitute. On the contrary, I don’t know why you’d be against this. Now that Hausel is gone, the Valkyries will inevitably disappear. Since it’s possible that demons will continue to pop up, preparing our military for the future is an issue we need to address.”

  “We put out a call for recruits, offering salaries similar to what the Valkyries receive. We already have more than five hundred applicants. I don’t think the men of this country are completely without merit.”

  Diana, who was about to snap at Ernst, turns to Claude after his comment. “If they’re offered salaries similar to ours without them having to go through surgery like we did, of course they’ll flock to it. I can’t believe this. Did you use up the budget on something that pointless? Just to make worthless soldiers who will only hold us back?”

  “True, the surgery allowed the Valkyries to be battle-ready immediately, while the men will need to undergo strict training. However, in order for the Valkyries to feel secure about retiring, I think this treatment is necessary.”

  “…Says a mere substitute who knows nothing about reality.” Diana’s tone is contemptuous.

  Cattleya thumps her on the shoulder, soothing her. “We were the ones who asked him to act as a substitute, Diana. However, Ernst, this proposal really will offend the Valkyries. Give us time to make adjustments.”

  “I appreciate your suggestion, but I will make the adjustments. That is what the prime minister is for.”

  “Don’t get full of yourself,” Diana says with an obvious edge in her voice.

  “More importantly, how is the search for Vica going? You said to leave it to the Valkyries, but is it really all right to do that?” Smiling as if he knows nothing, Ernst changes the subject.

  Diana’s eyebrows come down. “Don’t tell me you still doubt us.”

  “I’m simply confirming the facts. Even on the battlefield, I frequently reminded you to stay in close communication.”

  “Word has been sent to all the Valkyries, Captain Ernst, and they’re searching diligently. If we consider the timing, it’s conceivable that another nation may have interfered, so we’ve expanded our search to the borders.”

  In a tone that could be taken as either sarcasm or moderation, Cattleya makes her report to Ernst. The bottom line is that Vica hasn’t been found yet.

  Claude takes a document from the mountain of papers on the desk. “It would be a great help to me if you found him soon. Has my wife’s party left the port already?”

  “Yes, we received a report confirming that yesterday. Lady Aileen began to feel unwell during the journey, so their departure was quite rushed, but they were sent off safely.”

  Feeling unwell. Claude hadn’t heard about this, and he frowns.

  However, if they’ve set sail, there are demons in the ocean, and they can use the demons’ network to make contact with Ellmeyer. In any case, their outstanding retainers will do something about it. Keith is with her, too. Claude is sure there won’t be any blunders. If he acts now, no doubt it will only raise the potential for trouble in Ellmeyer.

  Having brilliant followers is important.

  He knows he’s lucky, and that reminds him of how difficult life must be for Vica. As neighbors with a troublemaking heavyweight like Hausel between them, he’d really like to get along.

  “In order to set you free as soon as we possibly can, Emperor Claude, I’ll do everything I can to find Vica… It’s been more than three days since his disappearance, but he’s safe, I’m sure,” Cattleya informs him, serious to a fault.

  Claude smiles at her as kindly as he can. “I know. I’ll do my best as a substitute as well.”

  “Just behave and stick to passing the proposals we want you to pass.”

  “Diana, let’s leave this to him,” Cattleya says firmly. That’s unexpected. Diana is clearly unhappy with it, but she quiets down.

  Cattleya bows, then starts to leave the room, taking Diana with her. Ernst calls after her: “Cattleya…if anything happens, report it.”

  “Of course. Where is this coming from, Ernst?” Cattleya looks bewildered. Diana glares at him as if demanding to know what he’s implying.

  Ernst has been about to say something, but he changes his mind, throwing his shoulders back as if he’s shaking it off. “Rescue Vica as soon as possible. He is this nation’s emperor.”

  Cattleya gives a wry smile, then nods firmly. “Of course. He’s also my precious little brother and the husband of my best friend.”

  “I see… Yes, that’s true.”

  After bowing again, Cattleya leaves with Diana, and then the room is quiet.

  “What was that about?” Claude asks.

  “…Cattleya can look you in the eye and lie.” Still watching the door she disappeared through, Ernst breaks into a grin. “Diana’s bad at lying, and her gaze wanders. As a result, I don’t know whether what she just said was true.”

  “Are you saying it isn’t only Diana? Cattleya is distancing herself from Vica as well?”

  “No. But…to Cattleya, Vica is more her little brother than her emperor.”

  That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. On the other hand, Ernst wants to support Vica the emperor, and Claude understands what he’s trying to say. There’s quite a gulf between the positions of “little brother” and “emperor.”

  “Just out of curiosity, let me ask: Weren’t you close to them?”

  “…My mother was Vica’s wet nurse, and Cattleya is my childhood friend. When she went to see you, she told me about it. She said you were an intelligent, calm, splendid person. I know you corresponded by letter. You were her ideal in everything, so I hated you with a passion.”

  Claude blinks; he hadn’t been expecting this.

  Ernst sets a hand to his chest, looking composed. “After all, I also prided myself on being brilliant. I believe Vica is the same. In the end, it’s just a droll story from our childhoods.”

  “…Well, well. It appears I’ve unwittingly incurred resentment. I’m devoted to my wife now, though. I hope you’ll overlook my transgressions.”

  When Claude responds with a joke of his own, Ernst laughs. “Overlook what? There’s nothing between Cattleya and myself. She was becoming a Valkyrie, and I wanted to help her, that’s all. That’s why I attended the military academy even though I was a man, then stood on the battlefield as a commanding officer.”

  “…As answers go, isn’t that more than enough?”

  Ernst is the third son of a marquis. If these things work the way they do in Ellmeyer, he won’t have the right to inherit, but he’s definitely an aristocrat by both birth and upbringing. Not only that, but he has an exceptional record. He won the position of prime minister due to his military achievements. He must be a genius with both sword and pen… And yet he went out of his way to choose the danger of the battlefield. If he’d simply wanted to demonstrate his loyalty to the princess, there must have been other ways.

  “She is brilliant, and I wanted to prove to her that I was as well. It was childish pride. If I’d merely sent her and the other Valkyries to the front line and let them protect me, I would have had no right to speak. And so perhaps ‘comrades in arms’ is the best way to describe my relationship with those two. It is what I wanted us to be… Although after the Queendom’s fall, our respective positions have changed substantially.”

  “Hausel’s fall has had a marked effect on everything, hasn’t it?”

  “You speak as if it were someone else’s affair. It was you who defeated them.”

  “That wasn’t due to my power alone.”

  “Oh, that’s very good. I’d like to make this nation the same way.” Ernst narrows his eyes as if he’s jealous, but promptly looks down. His wits are sharp. He’s well aware that the gears have already begun to slip.

  “…If anything inconvenient happens later, you and Vica should both come to Ellmeyer. We have quite a lot of territories that are surprisingly difficult to govern, and good help is hard to find.”

  Claude says this on a whim, but once he’s said it, he thinks it’s a pretty good idea.

  However, Ernst laughs off the suggestion, then fixes Claude with a stare. “Kilvas won’t become your client state. Don’t underestimate us, Emperor of Ellmeyer.”

  That wasn’t what he meant, but from the way he phrased it, he can’t blame Ernst for interpreting it that way. His good friend’s advice comes back to him: “You make conversation like the demon king. Fix that.”

  “I misspoke. My apologies.”

  “No, I’ve been complaining unnecessarily. Now then, let’s start with these jobs—”

  Just as it looks as though another heavy armful of documents will join the pile already sitting on the desk, there’s a knock at the office door. Ernst responds promptly. He makes sure to drop off those documents first, of course.

  “Got a minute? It’s urgent.”

  Without waiting for Ernst to answer, Isaac walks quickly over to Claude. Behind him, Jasper comes in. Looking around warily, Jasper takes off his beret, then immediately shuts the door.

  “The emperor might be beyond the wall,” Isaac reports quietly.

  Ernst turns back sharply. Isaac glances at Jasper, who’s leaning against the door to block it. Jasper continues the report for Isaac, keeping his voice low. “We were staking out the Valkyries’ station in the castle town when a Valkyrie came along, all confused. She said she’d been on guard duty at the wall, and the next thing she knew, she was standing in the middle of the capital.”

  “…She was teleported?” Claude asks.

  “There aren’t too many people who can do that. What do you think?”

  Isaac is asking if Vica could do it. Ernst shakes his head slowly. “I don’t know. Vica couldn’t use his magic properly in the capital.”

  “In that case, it seems even more likely that it’s him. Maybe that’s why he ended up teleporting her to the capital. There’s a good chance he doesn’t really know how to use his powers.”

  Vica can’t be used to casting magic yet. No one who was would have sent a Valkyrie on guard duty to the capital. Clearing his throat, Jasper says, “The Valkyrie didn’t seem to know what was going on, either. The outpost managed to check with the wall and confirm that, at the very least, something had happened over there. The Valkyries have a way to communicate with the security detail posted at the wall.”

  “Was that something invented by Hausel?” This is news to Claude as well.

  “Probably. So they found out somebody’s gotten past the wall. They haven’t identified them yet, though. The Valkyries here should know that much already.” Isaac turns to Ernst and asks, “They haven’t mentioned it to you?”

  “Not a word,” Ernst responds briefly. If he’s shaken, he doesn’t show it. He must have been prepared for this back when he asked Cattleya to report if anything happened.

  Claude puts in a tentative word for them. “Maybe it’s because the Valkyries don’t know the details yet. You two didn’t report this to me immediately, either.”

  “We didn’t know how the situation was gonna develop, so I prioritized the stakeout,” Isaac replies.

  “E-easy, easy. We don’t know for sure it’s the emperor, but… The thing is, it sounds like the ‘somebody’ who’s invaded the wall is actually several somebodies, and…uh…” Jasper falters, glancing at Isaac.

  Isaac gives it to them straight. “There are three of them. It’s probably the emperor, Aileen, and your adviser.”

  Ernst blinks.

  There’s a pause. Then Claude claps his hands on the desk. His usual adviser isn’t here. On top of that, he’s acting as Vica’s substitute right now. He has to stay calm. He pulls on the sort of smile one would give a child. “You know there’s no way something that ridiculous could happen. I’ve been told they already set sail for home. Aileen wasn’t feeling well, so they departed hastily…………”

  Something abruptly occurs to Claude, and he falls silent. Isaac tsks irritably, then says, “Rachel faked it, and Luc stayed with her to make it look right. The emperor must not have left the capital until he was sure you’d be his stand-in. That would match up with the time where you stopped being able to use magic. The train Aileen’s group took was kept out of the public eye so people wouldn’t see you weren’t with them. It had Valkyrie guards, but just the minimum. It would probably have been easier to sneak onto that one than some other train.”

  “…But Keith wouldn’t allow…”

  “If they’ve made contact with the emperor, they’ll know you’re weaker than Elefas right now.”

  Claude would really love to refute that claim, but that isn’t the most pressing issue right now. The question is what Aileen and Keith would think and do once they made that discovery.

  It isn’t hard to imagine. “Gracious, how awful—we simply must save Master Claude.” “Yes, after all, milord is surprisingly foolish.” He can practically hear their voices and the accompanying laughter. Is he hallucinating?

  Bracing his elbows on the desk, he laces his fingers together near his lips. “I understand the situation. My wife is as reckless as ever. As befits the adviser of the demon king, my adviser’s methods are crafty. Your theory is quite plausible… It’s my fault. I should never have trusted them.”

  “W-we don’t know any of this for sure yet, do we? Besides, a personage such as your empress would never—”

  “That woman would absolutely do it.”

  For some reason, Isaac’s answer seems to make Ernst anxious. “But surely the people around her wouldn’t permit such a thing…!”

  “My wife would,” Isaac tells him, sounding exasperated. Claude knows exactly how he feels. “I thought the demon king’s adviser might hold the line, but I read him wrong. If it’s for your sake, that adviser of yours would even use Aileen. Dammit, I’m never trusting any of your people again.”

  “…Don’t say that. You’ll make me sad.” The smile Claude turns on them this time is natural, and yet Jasper shrinks back against the door. Claude won’t let him make a run for it, of course. “I understand the situation now. Oh yes, I understand perfectly. If it’s come to this, having them cry and beg me to leave won’t be enough. I’ll completely incapacitate the Valkyries as soon as possible.”

  He’s kept his focus on buying time as Vica’s substitute, but he can’t be that laid-back now. If Aileen is taken hostage, war will break out on the spot.

  “We can’t conduct a review of military personnel immediately, though,” Ernst says.

  “There’s a good method that won’t take much time. Isn’t there, Isaac?”

  “I’ve already set that up. The Valkyrie-bashing should hit like a ton of bricks tomorrow.”

  “…Valkyrie-bashing?” Ernst doesn’t seem to understand.

  Jasper tugs his beret back onto his head. “Well, you know, this and that. Yeah. I may not look it, but I’m a journalist, so…”

  “On its own, that won’t be enough. Since we’ve got the chance, why don’t we try using my face?” Claude’s breezy proposal makes Jasper plaster his back against the door. Apparently, Claude has surprised him.

  When Claude looks at Isaac, though, the other man’s eyes are gleaming. “That’s okay?”