Hometown

Ryuke Riana Crystal Casalia Ogress was returning to her hometown.

For Casalia, this was an incident in its own right.

After all, she was the current king's eldest child yet illegitimate, and despite being the eldest daughter, she was a troublesome existence to deal with.

What made matters even more troubling was that she was a ryuujin.

No one knew the details about ryuujin, but whether they were androgynous or hermaphroditic, it was said they could leave behind descendants as a man could.

In fact, information had already reached the court that the two wives she had left behind in Manesh were both pregnant.

For Ria to return to Anise, she needed to bring along a proper entourage.

500 elite ogres, 300 elite dwarves, 1000 elite beastkin, plus 1000 humans.

This signified that the nation called Ogress was a complete multi-racial state. The reason they numbered only 3000 was to avoid needlessly provoking Casalia, and simply because without Serge, transporting food was quite difficult.

Even so, wearing jet-black armor in the midst of the group with a red-lined black cloak draped over her shoulders, Ria stood out remarkably.

Today she wore no mask, entering the castle with her face exposed to the citizens. Many of those who saw her apparently fainted on the spot—she must have polished her appearance considerably in preparation for this day.

She dismounted at the castle gate. Royalty could ride on horseback until the inner gate, but this was proof that as an archduke, she had already taken up her position as a vassal.

Yet without even a small blade on her person, her figure—which shouldn't have been that imposing—strode dignified through the palace corridors. Naturally, the retainers watching from afar clasped their hands and bowed their heads.

Her caliber as a human was simply different.

Those who inadvertently met her Dragon Eyes found themselves weak in the knees, having no choice but to kneel on the spot.

In the audience chamber, Ria knelt on one knee, presenting herself not as family but with the courtesy of a retainer.

Her royal father Neyas received Ria firmly as his daughter.

"Rise, my daughter."

His voice has grown weaker, Ria thought.

Thinking about it, while Ria had fled from the palace's bewildering complications, her father had properly confronted them. Even if he had no other choice, that was something worthy of praise.

"You've grown taller. It's already been two years, hasn't it?"

During that time, it seemed Ria had gained more siblings. She wondered if things had become complicated once again.

Her royal father sat above the stairs on his throne, looking as though it was all that was holding him up.

Even without using her Dragon Eyes, she could tell how exhausted he had become.

A minister at the bottom of the stairs enumerated Ria's achievements. They were all true, and if they were true, they were already the deeds of a hero.

Even though they had been informed beforehand, now that everything was being listed out before them, it was no wonder they found it hard to believe.

A sense of reverent awe never before felt in this palace pricked at Ria's skin, along with a sense of envy that had likewise never been felt before.

After the minister had finished recounting all of Ria's achievements, the king rose from his throne.

"I hereby recognize my daughter Ryuke Riana as the head of the new archduke house of Ogress."

Cheers and applause rose in response to the king's declaration.

 

*

 

"Even so, Father, you've grown haggard."

"Half of it is your fault."

Having moved from the audience chamber to the office, Ria stood alongside the cabinet ministers.

"Mine?"

"Due to your role in destroying Cordova, there was a movement among some to make you Queen of Casalia."

"That would be impossible. Ogress and Casalia are geopolitically far apart. There are limits to how much territory a single ruler can govern."

That was precisely why even with its great power, the Empire had never aimed to rule the entire continent.

"Well, it took quite a lot to crush that movement. I can finally catch my breath."

Looking closely, her royal father's complexion was poor, but his mood didn't seem so bad. The troubles within the court had apparently truly been resolved.

"With this, Casalia and Ogress are fully prepared for the Millennium."

"The Millennium, huh…"

The king brought his hand to his chin in thought.

"Will something like that really come?"

"What are you saying at this point?"

That was Ria's thought, but to humans who had never directly met Labyrinth or the Demon King, the Millennium must have seemed like nothing more than a legend.

"I spoke with the lord of the labyrinth, someone who fought in the Millennium a thousand years ago. I was told it would come within ten years. And then just the other day, when I fought one of the Demon King's subordinates—"

Since this wasn't something that had been in Reyas' report, everyone was surprised.

"I fought the Demon King directly."

The ministers nearly fell out of their chairs.

"The previous hero changed sides, became the Demon King, and said he would attack within three years."

That was Ogress' greatest secret.

A secret known only to Ria, Carla, and Guinevere.

Three years.

It was far too short.

"T-three years…?"

To the groaning ministers, Ria continued.

"This is something our Manesh duke said, but…"

First, Casalia would annex the northwestern part of the former empire and create a massive kingdom.

Then, they would forge an alliance with Lemdria, which had similarly annexed part of the former empire, and establish a system to counter the Millennium.

Ogress would provide new weapons to Casalia and Lemdria to bolster their military strength.

"But wouldn't that be far too advantageous for us?"

Once the Millennium ended, foolish wars between humans would no doubt resume.

Despite that, Ogress was offering to provide its latest technology.

"Does it not matter?"

Her royal father was taking the Millennium too lightly.

And above all, other humans didn't know about that Demon King.

In the previous Millennium, it was said humanity's numbers had been reduced to a tenth or even a hundredth.

But that Demon King was planning something beyond even that.

The Great Collapse.

The chaos that had occurred three thousand years ago, washing away all history that came before it.

"We'll need to deepen our cooperation with Lemdria and Istria. After all, the Empire is no more."

There was no Empire. There was no Golden Dragon Clarice protecting humanity.

Humanity would have to overcome the Millennium using the technology and abilities it currently possessed.

"You're right…"

Her royal father nodded deeply.

Now then, having finished her official duties for the time being, there was something Ria absolutely had to do.

Namely, speaking with Earl Crystera about asking for his daughter's hand in marriage.

Summoned to Earl Crystera's residence, Ria met Fio's father for the first time.

It wasn't strange that she had never encountered him at court. As the former earl, he was already over seventy. More grandfather than father in terms of age.

The former earl received Ria in a separate building constructed on the estate grounds.

"Fio was a child born of love in my old age. I had extended my life with magic, wanting to at least see her married, but…"

In other words, he was actually even older than he appeared.

"I never imagined it would turn out like this…"

The former earl looked reluctant but also sighed as though he had given up.

"Father…"

Fio embraced her elderly father, nodding many times over.

Having secured Fio much more easily than expected, Ria's group would later have conflicts with Fio's much older brothers, but that's a story for another time.

 

*

 

Having slipped out of the castle, Ria returned to Agatha's shop—the home that could truly be called her home.

The five original members plus Fio. It was a bit lonely that Serge wasn't here.

"That said, I always thought you weren't normal, but…"

Agatha looked at Fio with the same gaze as always.

"I never thought you'd take a girl as a bride."

So that's what it was.

"Also, becoming a queen was unexpected. Though you being the ogre queen isn't surprising."

Is that so?

In the end, humans were no match for those who had changed their diapers.

Speaking honestly, Ria wanted Agatha to come to Ogress. But there were reasons why that couldn't happen.

One was that Agatha herself didn't want to. Her attachment to the shop she had run for many years wouldn't allow her to close it.

There was also the aspect of her being Ria's hostage. Her existence would serve as a guarantee that Ogress and Casalia would not become hostile.

And this was something Ria wished for as well—Anise was safe.

If the demon tribe invaded, the first three places they would attack would be Istria, Sacred Mountain, and Ogress. Compared to those, Casalia's capital held little danger.

"Well, next time I come, I'll bring your grandchild. Mom will be a granny."

Hearing Ria say that, Agatha froze.

 

*

 

The discussions between Ria and Casalia's leadership concluded relatively amicably.

If there was one issue, it was probably the difference in their sense of crisis regarding the Millennium.

While Casalia's leadership thought it would be an ordinary war against the demon tribe, Ria sensed it would be something different.

Otherwise, there was no reason they would have allied with Ria so strongly in the fight against Cordova.

Something leading to the Great Collapse must exist. And the person who knew the details of the Great Collapse was likely no longer on humanity's side.

After the daily conferences and feasts, Ria would return home to Ogress.

Yes, return home. Ria's home was no longer Anise. While Anise was her hometown, Ria's heart was in Manesh.

The next time she came, Anise might no longer exist. Conversely, Manesh might be the one that no longer existed.

Looking back at the royal castle many times, Ria left Anise behind.