— — — — — —
In the end, La Folia still fell for Natsuki's provocation.
On one hand, she didn't believe Ryo would actually kill her. This diplomatic visit was practically public knowledge. No matter how ruthless he was, he shouldn't go as far as killing an envoy.
If he were that kind of monster, he wouldn't have helped her seal her overly powerful spirit sight a year ago.
On the other hand, she was genuinely curious about Ryo's true goal.
Founding the Empire of Dawn. Making contact with the Aldegyr Kingdom. Secret dealings with the Chaos Bride.
Every one of these hinted that Ryo was planning something dangerous.
And La Folia had always had a special fondness for conspiracies and risky adventures.
Didn't knightly tales always go like this?
A brave hero stumbles upon the Demon King's grand scheme, then embarks on a long struggle and ultimately triumphs.
That's how the story begins.
Sure, her role was closer to that of a princess than a knight, but that didn't mean she had zero interest in becoming one herself.
"Just in case, may I use my spirit power on Itogami Island?" she asked.
"Do whatever you want."
"But personally, I'd advise you not to waste the effort."
As La Folia spoke with Natsuki, the two crossed the weed-choked yard of the dilapidated abbey and entered the main hall through the back door.
La Folia finally saw the person she had come for.
The Fourth Primogenitor, Ryo Yagami.
---
Standing before a pulpit, Ryo looked up at the statues lining the wall.
Some were male, some female. All wore sorrowful expressions, their bodies marked with obvious wounds. Their adornments featured one or more gemstones set into them.
They were ancient saints and saintesses revered by the Western European Church.
Of course, the gemstones embedded in the statues were synthetic and of little value. That conveniently discouraged thieves.
And according to what Ryo knew from the original story, one of those gemstones hid the spirit blood of the great alchemist Nina Adelard, the so-called "Wiseman's Blood."
Ryo scanned the statues, found the special gem, then glanced at Kanon.
Normally, the story would go like this. A tragic royal bastard daughter gets bullied by her sharp-tongued, cruel princess niece, La Folia. Then she accidentally discovers that the abbey she frequents seals an ancient great power, and from there rises up, slapping faces and turning the tables until she becomes queen.
When you thought about it, Kanon's background actually fit pretty well.
Too bad her personality was far too gentle. She simply couldn't bring herself to hurt others.
Ryo chuckled and finally turned around.
In the hall, La Folia had been standing there quietly for some time, waiting for him to finish his thoughts, with no intention of interrupting.
The princess was more well-behaved than he'd expected, even though he could clearly see the sly, restless glint in her eyes.
"This should be our second meeting," Ryo said with a smile, looking at La Folia's youthful yet strikingly beautiful face.
"I never imagined Your Majesty would remember a little girl you met only once. I'm deeply honored."
La Folia bowed gracefully. Her posture was less like a princess and more like a knight. Combined with her black knight's outfit, she had a distinctly androgynous charm.
Ryo smiled, his tone gentle. "There aren't many women whose spirit sight reaches your level. Even I have only seen it in a few goddesses."
Hearing that, La Folia looked up with clear curiosity. "May I ask which goddesses those were?"
Ryo froze for a moment.
He wasn't just being polite, but normally someone would deflect with a humble remark and move on. Who followed up like this?
Before he could respond, La Folia flashed a crafty grin, the smile of a weasel that had just stolen a chicken.
Of course she took his words as praise, but she deliberately leaned into it, using the moment to probe him in return.
It might put Ryo in a slightly awkward spot, but getting verbal praise from the Fourth Primogenitor was worth it.
If she could be called the strongest spirit medium of the era by the Fourth Primogenitor, wouldn't that be fun?
Anyway, with Kanon here, Aldegyr was bound to take a loss. Picking up a bit of praise along the way wasn't unreasonable.
Surely Ryo wouldn't be stingy with a compliment.
"The goddess of war and wisdom, Pallas Athena. The mother earth goddess, Pandora. And the Divine Ancestor, Sita."
Ryo calmly listed three names from Campione. If he switched to Little Garden, it would take days to finish the list.
La Folia: "..."
Mythologies, including Greek myths, did exist in this world, though some of their gods were Devas and had already fallen. So aside from Sita, whom she hadn't really heard of, La Folia was familiar with Athena and Pandora.
"To think I could be compared to such goddesses in Your Majesty's eyes."
La Folia smiled brightly as she bowed again, clearly delighted.
Inwardly, though, she was muttering to herself.
The Fourth Primogenitor was personally acquainted with those goddesses?
She clearly remembered that Aldegyr's secret royal archives recorded the Fourth Primogenitor as having wiped out all the gods of the world, leaving only the three Primogenitors who had fallen into demonhood.
History really couldn't be trusted.
Snorting inwardly, La Folia shifted her gaze slightly and looked at Kanon standing beside him.
There was no mistake. One glance was enough to confirm it. Royal blood, without a doubt.
That innate spirituality, along with the silver hair and blue eyes passed down through the lineage, couldn't lie.
"Your Majesty, I believe you already know the purpose of my visit."
La Folia kept her tone as gentle as possible. "My grandmother is deeply concerned about Aunt Kanon's situation, and hopes that I can bring her back with me this time."
Beside her, Kanon widened her eyes slightly, surprise written all over her face as she looked at La Folia.
If she hadn't misheard, this girl, who was clearly older than her, had just called her "Aunt."
Wait... Could it be… she was really family?
The thought left Kanon feeling unsettled.
Having grown up in an orphanage, she'd always known she was adopted by Kensei Kanase. Facing her real family for the first time naturally stirred complicated emotions.
Hearing this, Ryo gave La Folia a meaningful look, then glanced toward Natsuki behind her.
Natsuki gave a small nod.
Seeing this, Ryo laughed lightly, "Do as you wish."
La Folia's expression stiffened.
Then Ryo added with a smile, "I've never had any intention of stopping Kanon from going home. Not in the past, and not in the future. You seem to have worried for nothing."
So it really was us overthinking it…
But I also know this. There's no such thing as a free lunch.
La Folia suddenly felt uneasy.
After all, Nothing is more expensive than free. (Tada yori takai mono wa nai)
.
.
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