"...... are you going to make me a slave or something?"
"No, I don't intend to either."
"You don't ...... mean ...... life?"
And I don't intend to do it.
"So, ......, what kind of punishment are you going to give me?"
The power in Rico's hand gradually loosens. She still seems to think there's a chance I'll get my hands on the little b*tc*.
"Yeah, I don't know if I can. ......"
Immediately after hearing what I had to say, Rico jumped up and down.
"That's going to cause a civil war in the Church of Crimiana!
"...... might be, I suppose."
"If it's a punishment for Mr. Vieille, it will be a punishment for all the people living in that country. I am against it.
"I will make conditions for Vieille to prevent that from happening. And ...... worst of all, if there is a civil war, I will be there to help."
"......"
Rico stared at me, then exhaled slowly and leaned back into my arms. I patted her back and continued speaking.
"That little girl used the Grand Duchy of Foal as a test subject. The damage she has done to that country is enormous. If we were not careful, the country could have perished. If May, Sadie, and Serloitte hadn't found a way to get rid of the flower, many people might have starved to death. It's insane to make something like that.
"I'm sure he wanted to get your attention, Linos, even if he had to go to such lengths."
"Yes. Perhaps the girl is after deterrence.
"Deterrence ......?"
"Yeah. They want us to think that they possess the flower that could destroy the world so that we, Agartha, will not become their enemy. They want to bring us to our knees, if possible."
"......"
"That plan is about to fail. That alone will shock the little girl, but I'm not going to let that be the end of it. Just ....... This punishment is going to damage Vieille, but at the same time, it's going to make her hate us too."
Yes, of course.
"It might attract a little more trouble."
I'm sure it'll be fine.
"Really?"
"I've had some troubles in the past, but I'm sure I'm not the only one. ....... But when I overcame them, I was always happy. I'm sure it will happen this time, too.
"......Thank you."
"......"
"I'll do my best, Rico."
"No matter what happens, I'm on your side."
I gently hugged Rico's body again. The elegant fragrance rising from her body made me feel that our future was in good hands.
I was so happy to see her again.
At the same time, in the Grand Duchy of Foal, the final experiment by Mei and her friends was about to take place. The magic of the lights shines brightly in the garden of the Ducal Palace of Fantasy. There, friendly flowers were growing everywhere, and the air was filled with an incredibly rich fragrance.
Under normal circumstances, the fragrance would have caused a stroke, but thanks to the warding that Linos had put up, Mei and the others were able to work in the area without any problems.
May's words are the signal for Sadie and Serloitte to go to the wooden box behind them.
"May!"
With Sadie's voice, May jumps away from the scene. At the same time, they opened the lid of the crate.
There is a rumbling sound, as if something hard is rolling around. Upon closer inspection, they see a large number of small creatures jumping out of the crate. Ferry rats.
Under May's direction, a research team from the University of Agartha has been developing a chemical that reduces the ferry rats' sense of smell. The ferry rats brought here had been dosed with the drug.
The rats are heading for the friendly flowers at once. The sight of the black mass moving towards the garden at a very high speed gave us a kind of strange feeling.
In the dim darkness, an eerie sound echoed through the air. Needless to say, the rats started to chew on the friendly flowers. Some set their teeth on the stems of the flowers, while others dug into the soil. ....... Such a scene is taking place all over this garden.
Sadie was looking at the garden and clenching her small fists. She knew. She knew that this experiment would be a success.
"It's going to be okay. I'll be fine. I'll be fine."
Sadie opened her mouth to Serloitte, who was standing next to her with an anxious look on her face. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, as if she were praying.
"......Zettai?"
At Sadie's words, Serloitte looked surprised. Sadie nodded at him with a big smile on her face.
Ever since he was a child, Serloitte had been strictly disciplined by his mother in the use of language. She especially disliked the word "never.
Never," she said, "is not a word that should be used many times in one's life.
The stern look on her mother's face as she admonished her with these words remains vividly in her mind to this day. The word "absolute" was the word she hated the most. Master Considine said it without hesitation and with full confidence. I can imagine that Lady Considine probably never had such a strict admonition about words as my mother did. But even so, her mood seemed to tell Cerloito that he should use words now that he would not use many times in his lifetime.
For what seemed to be the first time in his life, Serloitte's voice was strained. For a moment, Sidney looked surprised at this, but then his smile returned to its original state and he nodded his head broadly.
"Well, it will be a while before we get the results. Shall we have dinner?
May spoke to them, looking out over the garden. Come to think of it, I haven't eaten anything since this morning....... They looked at each other.
"I'm hungry," she said.
"Jeez, actually, I've got a ......, too."
"You haven't eaten anything since this morning!"
The two laughed at each other as they said this. May gave them a kind look, and then urged them to go back to the laboratory.
"Wow, that looks delicious!"
Back in the lab, Sidhi started to prepare the meal, and Sidhi shouted out. The still warm beef stew, bread, salad, and a soft omelette had been delivered by Matkal's hands. May must have been hungry too. The three of them tasted the meal in silence for a while.
Sidi suddenly looked at Serloitte who was sitting in front of him. As one would expect from the daughter of a duke, she was very elegant in her dining manners.
"What is it?"
Serloitte noticed my gaze and spoke to me with a surprised expression on her face. Sidi puts down his spoon and turns to her.
"I thought you had very good eating manners."
"That's ...... such ......."
"No, Mr. Serloitte's manners are very elegant. We should learn from her.
May smiles and speaks to him. Serloitte turned her face bright red and looked down.
Don't worry, don't worry. My mother and my nanny, Minsi, used to scold me for my bad manners ever since I was a child. That's why I'm worried about other people's manners. ......"
"Hey, even Mr. Considine can be ...... angry ......?"
"Yes, I have. It happened all the time when I was a kid. Minsi still gets mad at me. She says, "What if your children imitate you by doing such a naughty thing?
"Oh, really? ....... I'm surprised. ......
As Serloitte savored her meal, she taught Sidie how to use the spoon and fork in a way that anyone would find easy and elegant. She listened with interest and thanked him politely with a twinkle in her eye. From this moment on, Considine and Serloitte became great friends. It was also the moment when Serloitte's destiny began to move in a big way. .......