Canceling the enlistment in Hello World.
That was what Spirito wanted to say, in the bath and with nothing but a towel rolled around her body.
“…Of course, that doesn’t mean you will be thrown out on the street. I can arrange for you to join a chivalric order where I have connections. I don’t think that’s a bad compromise.”
“Rejected.”
“Is there any reason why it has to be Hello World?”
“Qualia said ‘I hope, we can, get al-ong’ to Lobelia about Hello World, and shook her hand. Breaking this agreement would inhibit Lobelia’s ‘tasty face’.”
“The way you talk is hard to understand, but I can tell you don’t want to give in for my sister’s sake.”
Spirito’s body started shaking a little in the bath.
“…However… If it’s for my sister, that just makes it more important that she doesn’t establish Hello World.”
“Request explanation about the reason.”
“Because she’s going to get caught up in political strife and get killed.”
The surface of the water made noise as it shook, because Spirito’s small body leaned forward.
“You probably know this too, but my sister wants to establish Hello World to use it to bring the chivalric orders back to what they should be.”
“Affirmative. Lobelia has raised many problems about the current state of chivalric orders.”
“Saving the people the corrupt chivalric orders ignore, straighten out the chivalric orders themselves… It sounds good, but my sister shouldn’t do it.”
Spirito stood up on the bathtub with the water up to her thighs, and clenched her right fist tightly.
“…Do you know the king and the first princess?”
“Recognized as King Wirgin and Princess Root. Wirgin is your father, and Lobelia’s. Root is your sister, and Lobelia’s.”
Spirito’s assessment was correct. Qualia did know.
These two people were the leading figures of the Kingdom of Acacia.
First, Lobelia and Spirito’s father and current King of Acacia, Wirgin Acacia.
He was supported by many chivalric orders, and tried to turn his kingdom into the most powerful nation.
The other was Wirgin’s oldest daughter and Lobelia and Spirito’s older sister, Root Acacia.
She was a backer of the ‘Truly wonderful fair skies church’, the most influential religious organization in the world, and she sought to take power from her father.
“…There is a bloody power struggle between the Wirgin faction and the Root faction, which also involves nobles, politicians, and knights. Noted people are dying one after the other. That’s the kind of hell this country has become.”
“Is that the reason why you oppose the establishment of Hello World?”
“Yes! My sister wants to purify the rotten Kingdom of Acacia that’s in the middle of a power struggle. Hello World is the beginning… But it’s obvious that’s going to incur the wrath of the Wirgin faction, who holds hegemony over the chivalric orders… She will be killed, even if she is his daughter.”
The bathing area was completely quiet, not counting the melody of water dripping from their bodies, so Qualia heard Spirito’s ‘not tasty’ voice quite clearly.
“Request explanation. Both you and Lobelia possess the authority of a princess. Why do you not have resources like Root?”
“Both Lobelia and I are daughters of a mistress Wirgin found on a battlefield. Unlike Root, the legal wife’s daughter, our title of princess is basically just for show… We are basically pawns for political marriages.”
That was the difference between the first princess, and the second and third princesses.
Even though Lobelia and Spirito, daughters of a commoner mistress, had royal blood in them, they had little use other than political marriages.
“But… I don’t want to offer my body to someone decided by others. I don’t want that kind of life, and I don’t want it for my sister either. We should decide how to lead our own lives!”
Spirito bumped her fist strongly on her flat chest covered by the towel.
There was an energy in her stiff face that could not be measured in ones and zeroes.
“By polishing my skill with the sword, I could attain a different kind of value. And I figured that by using it as leverage in negotiations, I might be able to secure my sister’s freedom. That’s why I was cooped up in the mountain with the teacher I met two years ago.”
As a result, she became strong enough to be called Holy Sword. But Spirito felt no pride in that, because that was not what she was after.
“…But my sister changed in these past two years. Before, she said that rather than participate in political schemes, she would prefer to give up and marry some unknown noble. And even though I spent two years mastering the sword…!”
“Request explanation. What happened in those two years?”
“I can’t answer about my sister exactly… But something else that changed is her standing in the back garden in front of the grave of someone that was close to us.”
Qualia thought back to the grave of the person Lobelia referred to as family.
She looked sad as she looked down at the cross.
“…And you really kept your eyes closed this whole time…”
“Opening Qualia’s eyes here would go against a prohibited action.”
“You’re weird, but I get that you’re serious too.”
After wavering for a second, Spirito looked directly at Qualia.
“But I’m not above hurting you if it means stopping my sister’s rashness. If you continue to persist, you’re going to be hurt tomorrow… Leave before then.”
“Rejected.”
Qualia’s thoughts still did not waver, even after hearing all that. He answered immediately and without a hint of hesitation.
Spirito then closed her eyes, seemingly resigned.
“…Very well.”
She pressed the towel against her abdomen, and got out of the bath.
And as she passed by Qualia, she made her intentions known as she spoke quietly.
“As your teacher, I won’t run from you. If you can keep up, do so.”
“Accepted.”
“But I will go as fast as I can, and leave you behind. And I will take back the foolish ideas in my sister’s head. Even if I have to take Holy Sword’s violence beyond the limit.”
After this, a note with only a time and a place was left in Qualia’s room.
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‘Truly wonderful fair skies church’ is recognized as a extremely gaudy name and completes its objective of labeling itself as suspicious.