I visited the mansion used by Marie and the others on my day off.

　As usual, Marie is quiet in front of me and doesn't make eye contact.

　Have I been a little too mean to her?

How's Brad doing?

　Marie replies, rattling and shaking.

'I've regained consciousness but my injuries were so badly injured that I can't move yet though I've been treated... maybe.

　I want to play a trick on Marie, who's afraid of me.

'Right. That said, does the thing remind you of anything else?　In particular, I need information about the Holy Tree Seedling.

　As soon as Marie reacted with a bleep, she returned to her room and brought a notebook with her.

　Apparently, she remembered a lot of things desperately from the thing and wrote them down.

　I don't know if it's useful information or not, but as I flipped through the pages, I saw that it was also written about the saplings.

　I read it on the spot.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about it. There's no item effect,

　The main plot seems to be that the protagonist gets a sapling, and from there the origin of the sapling is revealed.

　It is in the middle of the second year. I guess it's the turning point of the story.

　It's close in time.

　There was also a description of Seiju.

　I'm very interested in some of the descriptions there.

''.......If this is the case, can we just get a sapling and see what we can do?

　Marie is reacting to every word I say.

　Come to think of it, she was like this in the past - when she was angry in her past life.

　It's the same when she's been trying to suck up to me for a while.

　I couldn't help but think back to the past - to a past life.

"I need to take your notebook.

　Marie nodded repeatedly.

◇

　As Leon went to visit Brad, Kyle and Cara were worried about Marie.

'Isn't he all right now, Master?　I wasn't angry, Count, I wasn't angry.

　Kara comforts her too.

'He said she's fine now, if she looks like that. I'm sure she'll manage it like she always does.

　To those two, Marie turns her eyes severely stagnant.

''Somehow?　Are you okay?　I don't think either of you understand it at all.

　Kyle nods his head.

'Really?　He didn't seem angry.

That's a mistake. He doesn't let you know when he's really angry. He smiles and smiles and chases you down and continues to do so until you ask for forgiveness. And he's an a**h*le who enjoys watching us suffer!

　Kara thought about it for a moment and shuddered as she thought it was possible for Rion to do it.

　Kara had cheated on Rion before, too, and it had hurt her.

　If she wasn't allowed to do so even now, there was no scarier story than this one.

　After all, Rion is currently the strongest knight in the kingdom.

　He is the hero who defeated the Black Knight that no one else could defeat and saved the kingdom from crisis.

''D-d-d-don't, what shall we do, Marie-sama!

　Someone you shouldn't piss off.......that's Leon.

　Kyle still had a look on his face that he didn't understand.

'Really?　It didn't seem like you were mad at me anymore.

'It's sweet!　If he gets serious, he's stuck. I'm going to end your life!　Why am I the only one who has to deal with this? It's over. I'm not going to end my second life........

　The two of them are surprised to see Marie shouting.

　In front of those two, Marie decides to prepare herself.

(If it comes to this, I'll do it before I'm hit. Compared to my brother, Pierre is no more than a small thing. If I don't do something about it myself, my brother will really........kill me!

　Determined to be ready, Marie decided to take them both out.

'Hurry up and get ready, both of you. We're heading to the embassy.

　The two of them looked at Marie's back as she was ready to go, and they looked at each other with a little bit of coolness in their eyes.

◇

　Brad's room.

　I sit in a chair and talk to Brad as he lies down.

　His facial injuries are much better, but the room smells of chemicals from the drugs he's put on his body all over the place.

'You look a lot better now,'

　The irony is that Brad returns the favor.

'Because even though I'm hurt, I'm still beautiful. Aren't you jealous?

Suffice it to say, that's all I have to say. So?　What the hell happened?

　When I asked him what happened, Brad told me, though he seemed to be in pain.

　That he was called to the back of the school building by Pierre and others.

　Afterwards, when I tried to fight with magic, I was shown the overwhelming difference in strength, and so on--.

　Then Brad gives his personal opinion.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I think it's a good idea. And besides, I felt like something was interfering with us.

　A different power.

　It's largely predictable.

　The six nobles who are obsessed with the Holy Tree.

　No matter how I think about it, the Holy Tree is involved.

　It's the Holy Tree that provides an endless supply of energy, but it seems that the nobles have other benefits as well.

　There was also a description about it in Marie's notes.

''.........Baltic Falt, don't be too quick.

　I snickered at Brad's words.

'Don't get me started with you guys who failed once prematurely. The only time I do anything is when I have a chance of winning.

　If you look at Brad's teeth, which were smiling shyly at my words, I heard they were broken, but they were fully healed.

　Is this another of Marie's powers?

　That guy may not be as good as Livia, but apparently his talent for healing magic was real.

　If he hadn't been so greedy, he could have made money with his healing magic. You could have lived a reasonably well-off life.

　It's a typical example of greed and failure.

''When you say that, I can't say it back.

Get some sleep. I'll take care of some things.

　According to Marie, she can't move for a while because her strength hasn't recovered.

　That's okay.

　We still have four pieces that can be used.

　Let's get them to work.

The rest of the pieces.

　Embassy.

　Marie was protesting in front of the most important officials.

'Why can't you complain about one thing!

Oh, please calm down, Lady Marie!

　The officials were also troubled by Marie's position as Julius' woman.

　She explained the position of the Holfert Kingdom.

''May I?　We don't set things up with the Arzer Republic. This is the basic premise of the Holfert Kingdom.

　Marie was frustrated.

(I know you're getting on because you're weak-kneed!　He'll kill me if he doesn't. (We have to put pressure on Arzel to get the airship back at all costs.

'Don't be so scared. The best in defense?　You should do something about that through diplomatic efforts. You're right!　Economic blockade!　We're going to shut down the economy!　We're going to team up with the surrounding countries and surround them!

　The official hurriedly stops Marie.

'Please stop!　In the first place, it's Holfaat who is in trouble with the economic blockade.

What?

　Marie froze as the great idea she had tried to come up with was rejected.

''The Arzel Republic is an exporter of magic stones. The Horfath Kingdom also buys magical stones from Arzel for domestic consumption.

　A dismayed Marie remembered the dungeon in King's Landing.

'There's a dungeon in the capital. You can get the magical stones from there.

We can't have enough magical stones in one dungeon to cover the entire continent. Moreover, we need more magical stones to run our airships. An enormous amount of them are consumed every year, and it's not enough to power the airships in the country alone.

　When buying it from abroad, the affordable place to buy it was the Arzel Republic.

　One point is that they export a large amount of magic stones.

　And the second point was a stable supply, which was very helpful for the Holfert Kingdom.

　They rely on Arzel for most of the magic stones that are in short supply domestically.

''........energy problems.''

　The official folds in on Marie, who is holding her head in her hands.

It's a good thing that the countries around Arzel have little connection with the kingdom. It's doubtful that we can cooperate, and there were countries in the past that tried to team up with Arzel and outsmart us.......

　Any breakthroughs that Marie could imagine had long since been tested.

　Marier's mind accelerated to a critical situation.

Since there was no energy problem, they could sell the magic stones they could get their hands on to foreign countries, and it seemed like they had an abundance of other resources and high production capacity themselves.......)

　Marie shouted.

'That's not a cheat!

　The official shakes his head at Marie's "cheat" comment, but agrees that Arzel is very rich.

'It's certainly a land that could be called cowardly,'

　Resources are abundant, no energy problems, the land is fertile... Marie despairs.

'There's no way we can win a fight with a country like this.

　I was relieved that the officials understood.

'That's the way it is. I'm glad to hear that you understand. As for Mister Brad, we will arrange for an airship to take him back to his home country to recuperate. I'm sure you'll be relieved. I understand what's going on, and I'll let you know so that you won't be punished.

　Marie despairs when she learns that the country's power is greater than the Arzel Republic's - but she's not sure.

(I can't give up now. I'll make it happen.

　With his eyes bleeding, he thought about his next move.

◇

　In the center of the Arzer Republic is an earth with a holy tree.

　From there, the roots of a huge tree extended to the seven lands and tied them together.

　The land where the Holy Tree is located is no small island, and there is a building where the seven great nobles - the heads of the family who are now the six great nobles - meet to hold their parliament.

　It is called the Parliament Building, but it is also called the Holy Tree Temple.

　This is because this is the place where people used to worship the Sacred Tree and use it as a temple.

　It is a huge structure near the base of the holy tree, but it looks small because of the holy tree.

　The heads of the six major noble families gathered in the Capitol building, a large tall tower.

　The use of a round table was a consideration that didn't make them superior or inferior.

　One seat was vacant, and it was the chair of the Respinus family, which was chairing the meeting.

　The one who was chairing the chair by proxy was 【Alberg Sarah Raoult】.

　He is a middle-aged man with brown hair in an all-back and sharp eyes.

　He has a tall, muscular, solidly built body.

　While stroking his chin, he talks about this agenda.

''Did you have a problem with a foreign student from the Horfert Kingdom? I hear there are boys from the Feuvel family involved?''

　The head of House Favell crossed his arms and then looked disgruntled.

'The extent of it doesn't matter. I wanted to fight Holfert once. I wanted to fight him once and show him the difference in strength so that we could review our agreement.'

　Alberg was inwardly dismayed by such an attitude from the head of the Fevell family.

(Did he incite them to want credit?　(Or, really, it's just the idiot son running amok...)

　The head of the Favell family [Lambert Io Favell] is a small, fat man with a large receding forehead.

　He was a small thing from the point of view of Alberg, but he was also a bit of a nuisance.

"You think we're going to war with Holfert?

　If you ask me that.

''Let's show them that the Favell family can handle this alone. They haven't had much time to play their part lately, and their vassals and subordinates haven't had much time to spare.

　The other heads of the family have reacted differently.

　Some are abhorred, others are uninterested.

　The other--.

''I heard you got an airship that doesn't need a crew. And I hear you've got some crazy armor, too?

　-- [Fernand Toala Dreil], a blonde young man, asks.

　His green eyes have a very powerful will.

　Lambert smiles, but it has become an ugly smile.

''It seems that the kingdom has made some progress. I'd like to dismantle it and examine it, but my son is toying with it. As soon as it's ready, we'll analyze it at our place and mass produce it.

　Fernan narrowed his eyes.

''I heard that you used the Holy Tree to do a terrible imitation. Wouldn't it be dangerous to use the power of the Sacred Tree inadvertently?''

'I hope you won't go any further, Fernand's boy. Are you going to meddle with the Favell family?

　Fernand shuts up in frustration when he is told.

　Although they are in the same country, their relationship is the same as the heads of other countries.

　Each one of them is also a king.

''Is something bothering you?''

　Alberg talked to Fernand.

　Alberg didn't think the Holfert case was too important, either.

　But.

I've heard from a merchant who knows him. He said he had a chance to talk to a merchant in the kingdom. I heard that a very young knight has become a hero for his exploits.

　The heads of the six great noble families are not interested.

　The heroes from other countries can only be as good as an ordinary knight if they come to Arzel.

　The same is true for Arberg.

''A young hero. The young hero, the duchy?　You're a knight in shining armor.

　The duchy was originally associated with the kingdom, and from Arzel's point of view, it looked like an internal dispute.

　Fernan has a difficult expression on his face.

''That young knight - he has the same name as the boy who is studying abroad?　Doesn't that bother you?

　Lambert laughed with an air of amusement.

'That's good. You can teach that young man that the world is wide open when it comes to war. 'My sons want the credit for it, too,' said Lambert. Just the right amount of credit.

　Fernand was about to say something to Lambert, who was insulted, when he was stopped by Alberg.

'This is the end of the story. Let's move on to the next item on the agenda, shall we?

　Thus, the topic of Holfaert was swept away.