Trapped in Another World With No Magic-Chapter 156: Regrouping Forces

Zuzia wakes up before dawn, having somewhat forgotten what she was last doing and where she is. It’s a little disorienting sleeping without her tent, because she often wakes up with the ‘where the heck am I’ phase, before her brain clears enough to remember how she got to a random spot in some unknown forest.

At some point during the night, she snuck off after the group made camp, informing Verbert that she was doing so for a ritual. Her cheeks flush at the thought of it, but she’s surprised at how well it worked.

In this case, it’s actually an unknown small forest in the middle of a bunch of fields, since it’s another world entirely, and all she has to go off of is a GPS marker on her phone that she’s following on a whim. She has no guarantees that Daniel is any better for her health than the royalty she fled from upon her arrival, which still embarrasses her a little when she thinks about it.

There they were, a bunch of people gathered to perform a complex magic spell able to pull a person across dimensions to a whole other world, and she freaked out and ran away thinking they were kidnappers, even after being partially prepared by her own handler of an angel.

And, speaking of the somewhat clumsy angel, Zuzia looks to her right where she is pinned down. A body is snuggled against her, and the owner has a very familiar and unique shade of ‘sunset’ hair, possessing both orange and violet tones that blend gently and beautifully like a near-perfect sunset in the sky.

As Zuzia remembers the previous night, color undoubtedly finds her own cheeks. She was drunk, no doubt about that. The young Polish woman is certain she would never have made such moves sober, but she doesn’t blame herself for the choices she made, nor does she have any regrets. Though, as she thinks about the celestial being in question, she does start to form some doubts.

Amalaskae is clumsy and a little bad at her job, it seems, but she is undeniably caring and enthusiastic about doing anything and everything she can to help Zuzia on her journey. She’s beautiful, fun to be around in the way that an older sister can’t help but somewhat enjoy taking care of a hapless younger sister, and she seems to have accepted Zuzia’s inebriated advances without much hesitation.

Of course, as Zuzia recalls the things she said and did, and how the night turned out, she has to try to distract herself.

It’s not something to be discussed in polite company, that’s for sure.

The brunette ponders what all happened, as well as what she needs to accomplish moving forward.

I wonder if I should tell Wulfsten and the others… I wouldn’t want to inadvertently lead them on. Though, is that arrogant of me to assume that’s what they’re after?

Zuzia looks at the angel sleeping peacefully against her, hugging her belly with their legs tangled together as the supposedly divine being clings to her normal human summon.

It’s probably unfair to assume that’s the only reason the guys would want to escort me. Maybe I should just leave it alone for now, and be honest if they try to bring anything up. I don’t want to look conceited, but I also don’t want to betray their trust.

She sighs. It’s complicated dealing with others. Amalaskae is easy. She is very up front, and Zuzia likes her. Nice and simple.

And, she hasn’t been hit by a bolt of lightning or a pillar of fire, so it must be acceptable that a lowly human spent the night with an angel.

That said, she does feel strangely hot from Amalaskae hugging her; hotter than she would expect from just another person’s body heat.

Do angels have a higher body temperature? I guess that would make sense?

Zuzia gingerly places her hand on Amalaskae’s forehead to test her hypothesis, but she can’t really tell. The sunset-haired beauty doesn’t seem any hotter or colder than a normal person in good health.

I feel alright, though, so it’s probably nothing.

Knowing she needs to get back to her small party of mercenaries, Zuzia carefully and gently urges Amalaskae to wake up. “Amala, wake up. Amala. Amala…” She gingerly shakes the angel, and the celestial woman yawns cutely as she stirs from her slumber. She’s surprisingly human in moments like this.

“Zuzia? Oh… D-Did you sleep well?”

Zuzia can’t help but smile and pet the hair of her strange friend. “Yes. How about you?”

“Mm-... I didn’t think g-I mean- angels could get sore, but Zuzia…”

The Polish woman blushes and covers Amalaskae’s mouth as if anyone was nearby to hear them. “Wh-What are you saying!?”

She can feel the angel’s mouth and cheeks move in a big grin, and the divine woman kisses the palm of Zuzia’s hand, giggling happily as she does so.

“Hey! Don’t try to drag me back in. I have to go back to my party.”

“Awwww… Zuzu! Don’t treat me so coldly!”

The brunette leans over Amalaskae, straddling the angel with her arms on either side and their faces close together. “I’m not trying to treat you coldly. But, I do have commitments to this trip.”

Amalaskae kisses her nose, smiling gently. “I know. I’m glad you messaged me. Let’s do this again really soon.”

Zuzia blushes and looks to the side. “I-I’ll let you know…”

Amalaskae grins, and she sits up with Zuzia, helping her clean up, and then taking Zuzia’s summoned items back with her. The young Polish woman then stretches and does a few brief exercises to wake herself up, and she feels more energetic than usual. Her legs and back are a little tired, but she feels like she could still hike up a mountain and then run a marathon.

Satisfied with her wake-up routine, and the fact that she won’t be getting more sleep, she makes her way back to the campsite with her mercenary companions. An advantage Zuzia has is that this world has longer days at 29 hours. Her normal routine is tricky to deal with, but she needs less sleep than the natives do, since they sleep until sunrise, as was the case on Earth, and it’s still a couple of hours off.

She finds Halkadon on watch, quietly cleaning his short sword. His wolf-like ears are already perked up and turned towards Zuzia long before she enters the glow of the fire light, and he looks up once she’s close enough. The shenwulf mercenary smiles and nods, and Zuzia approaches him, taking a seat nearby.

“Everything all right?” asks the wolfman quietly.

Zuzia nods. “Yes.”

There’s a moment of quiet as he resumes his work.

Suddenly, Halkadon blurts out, “I should start practicing your religion.”

“P-Pardon!?” squeaks Zuzia, shocked by the declaration.

“Hmm? Can’t I? Seems like it’s beneficial.”

The young Polish woman is dumbfounded. She can’t form any thoughts or words as she tries to process what she just heard.

Sensing this, the shenwulf mercenary continues, “Well, you look rather energetic, and you seem to be in excellent physical condition. Seems foolish of me not to consider it.” He chuckles to himself, taking up a stick that he uses to shift the logs in the fire to keep the flames strong.

Zuzia blushes and looks blankly at the fire. “I-... I don’t know… It’s kinda difficult to explain…”

Halkadon chuckles and replies, “I understand. And, I would hope I would be ashamed of myself were my own faith so easy to shake.”

The young woman smiles. She can appreciate that fact.

Now that I think about it, this world seems pretty lax with their religious beliefs. Verbert didn’t bat an eye last night when I gave him that story. I guess it’s because of all the various races and territories intermingling. I wonder what this planet’s history looks like. I bet it’s fascinating history that brought them to this point.

She thinks about the checkered history of Earth for a moment.

Eh… Maybe I’m better off not knowing.

“So, what will be our plan today?” asks the young woman.

“I’m guessing we’ll just be travelling most of the day. There’s a town that we’ll reach, so it’s likely that our merchant friend will be making some trades in town.”

Zuzia nods thoughtfully. “And, monster hunts?”

The wolfman snorts quietly, resisting a laugh. “If the opportunity arises, I’d ask on behalf of all three of us that you help us make a profit again.”

The brunette sighs. “I’ll think about it, depending on what we’re up against. I know you saw some strange things recently, but I’m not invincible. I can’t be too reckless.”

“Of course. Looking forward to it.”

Zuzia stays up with Halkadon until dawn comes, and the rest of their travelling party begins waking up and preparing for breakfast. The young Polish woman helps prepare the morning meal, as she’s quite confident in her campfire cooking prowess, and as long as she’s subtle about it, she can withdraw her stockpile of seasonings from her summoning system with Amalaskae to perfect the simple meal.

Even the merchant is ecstatic with the stew she seasoned, asking her secret as the mercenaries gulp down their servings quickly, asking for seconds.

Zuzia enjoys her time with them. She misses her friends back on Earth, but she was the solitary member of her friends, who were all off getting married and having children, and they only got together when life permitted.

Here, she has made some new friends that make her smile, and Amalaskae has become an important person in the brunette’s life.

She’s not sure what kind of person Daniel is, but she is enjoying her adventure so far. As long as he doesn’t expect her to become part of his harem, they might be able to get along.

Key word being ‘might’, of course.

***

The shuttle touches down on the hangar deck of the airship back in Mattarglos, and the welcoming party is everyone Daniel expects, as well as Kalegrynten, Gwenesphia’s parents, and a handful of Stalvaltan Guardsmen. Daniel recognizes the two knights that performed important roles in the battle with Yaulwembor, and as far as he knows, they are aware of the impending honors he’ll be giving them as the Emperor of the Fievegal once a proper ceremony can be set up.

Without warning, a flash occurs, and Daniel is kidnapped in a swirl of light magic.

That said, he’s only a few yards away from the shuttle, standing on the hangar deck. His right arm is wrapped against a soft chest and a slightly bulging belly.

“Well well well, look who we have here,” urges a very familiar female voice. Daniel looks at Doephluev, who is grinning up at him. “Allow me to welcome you back to your family, my Beloved Daniel.” She presses herself against him, obviously trying to entice him.

“HEY!” snaps Ryuogriar’s voice as she storms out of the shuttle.

“Daniel! Run!”

Without thinking, Daniel finds himself on the run, being pulled along by the right hand as Doephluev leads.

Before they can even reach the exit, however, a flash of light occurs, and Hekate appears. “Doephluev! What do you think you’re doing!?”

Before long, they’re surrounded by the first four Empresses, ensuring that escape is nearly impossible.

The archoneldwyn hugs Daniel. She puts on a cute tone and posture. “I was just welcoming my Darling home…”

“You think you’re the only one who wanted to see him!?” snaps the feldrok girl.

Ryuogriar growls, “It was supposed to be my turn to walk with him… You sneaky tail biter!”

“A wife knows exactly what her husband wants the moment he wants it, and Daniel wanted to playfully run away with me.”

This hardens the glares of all four, with Hekate and Ryuogriar being the most bitter about it.

Daniel finally defuses as best as he can, “For the record, none of us are married yet, so save the massive CGI battle for another time.”

“What does that even mean?” asks Hekate, still holding her arms crossed.

“It means… It’s good to see you again, Hekate. Have you gotten cuter?”

The young feldrok teen is momentarily disarmed by the flattery, but she quickly recovers, whining, “Hey! Don’t change the subject!”

“You’re right, how silly of me. We need to address your letter. Where’s Wenlianna? Is everything alright?”

Hekate stares at him, her mouth agape as she struggles to figure out how and why he’s successfully escaping the situation.

That said, none of them really want it to turn into a battle when everyone else is nearby, so they decide to drop it for now.

“This isn’t over, Doephluev,” growls Ryuogriar.

“Can you blame me?” asks the archoneldwyn teasingly. “You’d have done the same.”

The platinum dragon sucks her teeth as she looks away. “Mukori, I don’t know what you see in this woman.”

“Hah!” scoffs Daniel. “I know better than to answer that. Ah! Wenlianna! Rescue me! You can take them!”

Wenlianna walks alongside her mother to approach the group, specifically moving towards Reignleif, while Treia approaches Geirahoel. The gatonine woman says, “I think I might be able to take Geirahoel.”

The orange dragon looks at the feline-eared woman skeptically. Treia presents a small booklet, and all of the color drains from Geirahoel’s face. “I found this.”

The redhead glances around frantically, now being watched by everyone. She panics, chasing after Treia as the gatonine nimbly dances and skips out of reach. “Give it back! Please! Y-You can’t let Mu-I mean… Just give it back!”

Magic starts to roll off of the dragon, but Treia leads her on a merry chase for a moment while Wenlianna remarks, “I can, at best, distract my Great Aunt for a moment, Daniel.” She hugs Reignleif, greeting her warmly, “Welcome back, Great Aunt Reina.”

The blue dragon blushes, but she hugs Wenlianna in turn. Wenlianna’s sisters also share hugs with the blue dragon, making her slightly sheepish.

Aramellianna, taking the moment of opportunity, curtsies to Daniel, teasing him a little. “Welcome back, my glorious Emperor.”

“Mother, please. We’re in good company here, I think.”

She smiles playfully, particularly when the youngest three Stalvaltan Daughters, Haldestania, Bunnrimae, and Yormolett all mimic her and greet him the same way.

“You are the Emperor of the Fievegal, Daniel. If you do not reflect that, your authority will dwindle, even if your power does not.”

He sighs, and Wenlianna approaches him. “Sorry to call you back like this…”

“Ah ah!” calls out Hekate. “I called him back. A-And I didn’t do it for you. That was just a convenient coincidence.” The fox-eared ravenette’s tail sways back and forth, betraying her attempts to remain composed and pretend that it was nothing worth praising.

Wenlianna smiles, but she continues her thought. “If you wouldn’t mind giving me a moment of your time later…”

Daniel looks at Wenlianna, and then Reignleif. Before he can say anything, though, Ryuogriar beats him to it. “The curse…” murmurs the white dragon.

Wenlianna flinches a little, and Hekate rushes in, trying to shush the dragon matriarch. “Sh-sh-shhhh! Ryuo!” She gestures for Ryuogriar to get closer, and the dragon cooperates, leaning down so Hekate can whisper into her ear, which is barely audible to Daniel.

“We think there are people who shouldn’t know about it. Please be careful.”

“Ah, my apologies.”

“N-Not at all,” urges the brunette magic artisan. “You all described it to us, but I never thought of it either.”

Ryuogriar nods, and Daniel expresses his first concern about the situation, “Mukori, I know it’s probably too late to worry about it now, but we should keep you two away from the Stalvaltan women for now to be safe for the eggs. Sorry for this, ladies.”

“It is a totally reasonable countermeasure,” replies Yanidere. “Though, are you intending to treat all of us?”

Daniel nods once. “Of course. There’s no reason not to, especially since you’ll likely be in contact with our dragon allies for the foreseeable future.”

She smiles, but she glances at Aramellianna. “I… I appreciate it, but… if there’s a cost, the Grand Duchy is already…”

Daniel laughs. “Listen to Mother, but in this case, there’s not going to be a cost. It’s too important for that.” He smirks at Aramellianna, who smiles proudly at both of them. The Grand Duchess replies to her daughter, who is starting to live up to her mother’s role, “Yani, my sweet, wise daughter. This is a unique case, and we will need to restore the balance between our respective families. However, you should also be skeptical of ‘gifts’ in most other situations. Daniel is too honest for his own good, a habit I’d like to break before he is officially bound to our family.”

Daniel laughs, and Wenlianna tries to reassure Ryuogriar. “If there’s any way I can help, please let me know. I certainly hope for the health of all your children, Mukori.”

Suddenly, everything seems to stop. Geirahoel, having caught Treia and reclaiming her notebook, stares alongside the gatonine woman at the young brunette. Reignleif tenses up a little, stunned by what she just heard. Even the two gatonines, Treia and Gwenesphia, go quiet, while Kera’tai and Aoloan watch nervously.

For those who have been around Daniel and the dragons, they know that ‘Mukori’ is a term of endearment shared between them, and no one else has dared to try using it for fear of it being a special connotation associated with dragons. Hekate glances between Wenlianna and Ryuogriar. If she has to take sides, Ryuogriar is more likely to have the young feldrok’s loyalty, in spite of their rivalry.

However, Ryuogriar’s expression is only frozen for a brief moment, and then a terrifying grin spreads across her face. “‘Mukori’, is it, sweet Wenlianna?”

“I… It… It just came out. I… I hear Daniel say it all the time, so…”

“If that’s how you truly feel, Wenlianna, I am truly flattered.” Ryuogriar stalks the short distance between herself and the young brunette, and Daniel cautiously asks, “Ryuo-mukori?”

The platinum dragon wraps her arm around the nervous magic artisan’s shoulders, pulling her close against her own well-endowed chest, in spite of the conversation about keeping her distance in an abundance of caution for the curse.

“Do not worry, Daniel-mukori. I only intend to explain to her the meaning. Please excuse us.”

“And, what about what we just discussed?”

“As you said, Mukori; it’s already too late to worry about it preemptively. Regardless, I will be accompanying them to be inoculated again, yes?”

Daniel doesn’t have anything to argue against her, particularly because she is every bit as authoritative as she could possibly be as an Empress, as a powerful dragon, and as Daniel’s now-official fiancee.

In other words, she’s a grown adult -much older than Daniel no less-, and she’s capable of making her own decisions.

He also trusts her enough to know that Wenlianna isn’t in danger.

It’s her innocence that might not survive the night.

“Be nice to her, Mukori,” replies Daniel.

“Who do you think I am?” asks the dragon matriarch. She then looks at Aramellianna, “Grand Duchess, please excuse us. I’m going to borrow your precious daughter.”

Aramellianna glances at Daniel, and the mechanic nods once. The Grand Duchess smiles and sighs. Wenlianna murmurs nervously, “M-Mother? D-Daniel?”

“Don’t worry, Wenlianna. There is no one better than the first Dragon Empress to help you prepare.”

Wenlianna protests meekly as Ryuogriar somewhat forcefully drags her off.

Daniel says quietly to Aramellianna and Yanidere, specifically, “I’d like to finish the main business here in Mattarglos so we can all return afterwards. I know I made you a promise, Mother, but…”

She holds up a hand to stop him from continuing, and when he goes quiet, she replies sincerely, “Daniel, I do not worry whether or not you will keep your promise. I am not so old as to worry about it yet, though I must admit, I had a recent scare.”

Daniel is quiet. The Grand Duchess being attacked is partly Daniel’s responsibility, since she was investigating things that go much deeper than what she normally needs to worry about.

That said, she is aware that there is an enemy larger than any one nation in the world, and her soldiers and guards are even more diligent now because of the attack. Daniel also asked Xyreko to stage mithril- and sharmelkolle-armored golems in stealth around her to defend her even more aggressively than before. By doing so, he’s offsetting all of his work to increase the Citadel’s mana intake from his generators, but once he can find a better way to generate power, he’ll make even more efforts to overtake the mana expenditure to keep the Fievegal stable while the population is still growing from refugees, sending aid to the Grand Duchy and now Mattarglos, and preparing to defend against Rikuto’s weapons if negotiations fail.

Aramellianna cups Daniel’s cheek with her hand and reassures him gently. “Continue to treat my daughter well, Daniel. That’s all I ask.”

“Of course, Mother.”

There’s a quiet moment of reverence between them, and Aramellianna suddenly turns her face very serious. “Empress Ryuogriar is ‘educating’ her right now, isn’t she?”

“That’s what she said,” replies Hekate innocently, not taking the real meaning of the Grand Duchess’s question. In theory, everything about Daniel’s situation is highly abnormal, and potentially even frowned on in many of the eastern territories, and now, the implication is that Aramellianna might have to worry about something new.

Still, the Grand Duchess smiles at the young feldrok, replying gently, “Of course, you’re right, your Greatness.”

Daniel pets Hekate’s head, “So, where are we at on the monster hunt?”

Kera’tai is the one to answer this time. “I’ve been asking around the various meeting places in town, and everyone agrees the most dangerous areas were where we met the three titans.”

“Vera and I have gone back through the records we could find,” adds Kalegrynten. “Monsters are most concentrated around those areas, but there is one area that is unrelated to those three.”

Daniel asks curiously, “Where is that?”

“We call it the Valley of Dreams,” replies Veranoei. “People who have gone there have experienced odd phenomena, in addition to the monsters. There isn’t much that coincides between stories, other than the presence of monsters, and mysterious laughter that comes from beyond the path.”

From Daniel’s perspective, he’s in a fantasy world, which means he does his best to not eliminate any sort of possibilities from what could be when he hears something like this. Magic is the easiest answer, but Earth has a large selection of mythology to choose from, and Daniel’s mind immediately starts running through classics; faeries, dryads, nymphs, and even ghosts are his first thoughts about what it could be. But, with the presence of monsters, it could also be something more dangerous.

Reignleif, a little distracted by her descendant being dragged off by Ryuogriar, asks with her quiet voice, “If the area is already abnormal, would it not be our best choice to use the mana detector there?”

Daniel nods in agreement, and Treia jokes, “Wenlianna’s going to be upset to miss this part of the conversation.”

Everyone chuckles, and Yanidere replies, “It does make the most sense. There’s always the risk that the Three Titans were the cause and not an effect of mana distortion in their respective areas, yes?”

Senn, having listened patiently so far, replies as she approaches. “The heavy amount of mana we used to defeat the respective creatures, as well as their own draw on ambient mana, could have drained much of the distortion as well, making it harder to find until the buildup occurs again, assuming our theory is correct.”

“All good points,” agrees Daniel. “The Valley of Dreams, is it? It sounds like it should prove fruitful either way.”

“Emperor Daniel,” calls out a male voice Daniel is less familiar with. It is the Baron of the Honeydip Family and Gwenesphia’s father, Goelselmo.

“Yes, sir?” asks Daniel, not really thinking about his reply or the proper etiquette.

“With your permission, I would like to send my sons to accompany you once more.”

Daniel notices Kuboen, Gwenesphia’s second-eldest brother, avoiding eye contact. He’s not a fan of Daniel, and he hasn’t been shy about expressing it, but for some reason, he’s acting awkward now.

Lyrtef, the third son, steps forward and bows. “Please allow us to carry out this duty, your Grace. Thanks to the missions against Rohgattabor and Yaulwembor, the Honeydip Barony is no longer a source of sneers, and if we conquer the Valley of Dreams, we will hold even higher positions in Mattarglos than ever before.”

Peiburi, Gwenesphia’s older sister, teases playfully, “Eldest Brother will be fuming when he learns of all of this…”

Daniel smiles, and he approaches Lyrtef, standing directly in front of him. “Baron Honeydip, as Emperor of the Fievegal, I cannot formally ask for aid from your family until a treaty can be fully hammered out. But, I will certainly accept help from great warriors that I have already fought alongside. You honor me.” Daniel bows at the waist, and this prompts Aramellianna to mimic him, since she has already defected to the Fievegal. Quickly after, many others copy her, starting with Yanidere.

Lyrtef kneels like a knight, as does his father, while Erue and Peiburi quickly curtsy.

“You honor our family, your Grace,” replies Goelselmo.

Kuboen surprises Daniel when he kneels as well. “I will fight for the honor of the Honeydip Barony. With the Harbinger of Calamity leading the way, there is no greater achievement than following him into battle.”

“Thank you. We’ll reconvene to plan our departure. I expect it’ll be in a few days.”

“Allow us to continue to host your family on the airship, if you’d like, Baron Goelselmo,” states Yanidere.

“Yes, that will be most appreciated, Duchess.”

“We will need a favor though,” starts the young woman somewhat uneasily.

“Ask, and if it is within my power, it shall be done.”

“With… ahem… his Grace returned, we will need a shipment of honey sooner than later.”

The male gatonine cocks his head curiously, looking at Daniel, who is already crowded by Hekate, Geirahoel, Reignleif, and Doephluev. He makes the connection fairly quickly, replying, “Ahh, yes. Of course, your Highness. For the Emperor. I’ll send my eldest son a message right away.”

“Why do I feel like you just plotted to kill me right in front of me?” asks Daniel playfully. Hekate and Geirahoel gasp, the easiest to tease and among the most gullible in Daniel’s inner circle.

“It’s obviously for Ryuo and Geirahoel,” replies Gwenesphia bluntly. Yanidere makes a single sound of protest, but is unable to form a full response. In turn, Geirahoel turns pink from embarrassment, realizing that, in fact, she and Ryuogriar insisted on the major trade with the Honeydip Barony being their most luxurious export; high quality honey. She has a sweet-tooth of her own, but she and Geirahoel also know that Daniel has a sweet-tooth now, and that honey is extremely healthy.

In an effort to maintain her dignity and composure, even with rosy cheeks, Geirahoel clears her throat and says with an officious tone, “Yes, the young Duchess is right. You should do at least that much for us in exchange for this favor.”

Goelselmo chuckles a little nervously, bowing his head. “Your wish is my command, your Grace. I ask only for a little more patience.”

She nods, crossing her arms and trying to look as important and dignified as possible.

Daniel then offers, “Lords Kuboen and Lyrtef, if you’d like to practice with rifles for the mission, I’ll hold a small class this evening. Sirs Helbeit and Resken, if you’re here to volunteer…”

Both knights from the mission with Yaulwembor bow with smiles. “Please, your Grace,” replies Helbeit on behalf of both of them.

Daniel looks at Aramelliannna, and she smiles and nods, approving of her knights joining another mission.

Daniel smiles and continues “Then, by all means, please attend the training. Unfortunately, I was never an expert on Earth, but I’m unfortunately the expert here for now.”

Everyone shares a warm laugh, since they know Daniel has been thrust into a high position in many fields due to his unique knowledge.

Suddenly, Aoloan approaches and clears her throat. “Daniel, I’d like to join in as well. A-And if it’s not too much, I’d like a rifle c-customized to me.”

Daniel cocks his head, replying gently, “I don’t mind, Aoloan, but has there been an issue?” He notices in his peripherals as Hekate moves to say something, but Doephluev seems to somehow stop her without moving, since the young feldrok girl glances at the archoneldwyn and gives up on whatever she was going to say.

Aoloan replies sincerely, “N-No! I just… I feel like I could do more. F-For our family.”

“You don’t have to. But, I also believe everyone who is willing to learn the proper safety guidelines has a right to be well-prepared to protect themselves, even if such a situation never comes to pass.”

She smiles, adding gently, “Thank you, Daniel…”

With that, Aramellianna straightens her already-impeccable posture even more, which only adds a small amount to her height. “If that is the case, Daniel…”

Everyone looks at her with surprised expressions, and she continues pointedly, “I have no excuse to turn down such an opportunity. I have spent many years being protected, and the recent attack has opened my eyes. Perhaps it is time that I learn something new.”

“It’ll be my honor to teach you, Mother. Please join us, and we’ll go over everything from the basics to practice firing.”

Yanidere and the other Stalvaltan daughters volunteer, but Daniel asks the younger three, Haldestania, Bunnrimae, and Yormolett to watch for now, since they are still a little young, and they may not have the nerves for it. He’s skeptical that Yanidere would be able to do what needs to be done in a dire situation, but he recognizes the resolve to try to be prepared, and as the future Grand Duchess, there’s no reason for him to turn her down. He asks her to bring her husband with her, since it’ll be beneficial to everyone that are his allies.

Daniel studies the group of people that are with him. Vaergraes once asked Daniel to learn firearms, and she has already been practicing with a handgun, though knowing what she’s up against makes her prepared enough to still use magic, with the only exception being anti-magic rounds, which she now carries a pistol to counter.

Something he noticed, however, has to do with Vaergraes and Thymeria. In spite of being sisters, neither of them have asked much about the other. It’s been a few weeks, and they seemed rather close. The first thing Heralesse did when she was brought to the Citadel was demand to see Erimaya, in spite of being a prisoner. And, Erimaya asked after Heralesse even before she was captured, with the younger sister prepared to beg for her beloved sibling’s life no matter what it would cost.

Daniel writes a note in shorthand English, and he acts casual as he says, “Doephluev, I have some supplies I’d like you to get before the training. Can you get these things for me?”

“Anything for you, Darling!” replies the archoneldwyn affectionately as she receives the note. When she reads it, she grins happily, and Hekate glares at her. “What is it?” She tries to snatch the note, but Daniel catches her hand skillfully, seeing it coming. “Hekate, it’s just some ingredients for snacks to have during the training. Why does everything have to be suspicious to you?”

She narrows her eyes as she stares up at him, her expressive ears folding back in irritation.

Doephluev tucks the note into a pouch she keeps on a belt she’s wearing, hidden by her soft turtleneck that the mechanic had made for her. It’s far more comfortable than the dress she had been wearing. She complained about being cold, and it won’t need refitting as her abdomen grows, unlike a dress.

Hekate suddenly clings to Doephluev’s arm, saying sternly, “Fine then. That means I can help her, right?

The mechanic rolls his eyes. “Fine. But, be nice to her.”

Doephuev says gently, “Her Greatness and I have gotten along swimmingly the last few days, Darling. We might even be considered best friends.”

There’s an awkward silence, but no one says anything.

Leaving it at that for now, Daniel then says, “Alright, everyone. We’ll reconvene in a couple hours. See you then.”

Daniel makes his way through his family members, greeting them more individually and checking on them. However, he also needs to meet with Doephluev privately to make his actual request.

After all, the note he gave her read, “[Meet me alone in 10 minutes. We need to talk.]”

He knows she’ll be happy to oblige. He just hopes she’ll be able to help with the real task.

***