Chapter 418

Meeting with Duke Roberaud
“It’s been a while, Duke Roberaud.”

“Nice to meet you, Duke Roberaud. My name is Lily.”

“Mm. No need to stand while we talk—please, sit.”

Duke Roberaud lowered himself onto the sofa.
From the sound it made, I could vaguely tell—he’s quite sturdily built.
He wasn’t fat, just well-trained.
That was the kind of sound it made.
As expected, this man, too, was a noble governing a city without a monarch.

“Now then, if you’ll excuse me. As for the purpose of this visit—as stated in the letters we exchanged previously—we’d like your cooperation in resolving the conflict with the king’s younger brother.”

“I understand, Marquis Vardmoi. I’ve heard that several thousand troops slipped past Vinraud’s defenses and made their way to Vardmoi. I can’t deny that lapse in security. I offer my sincerest apologies.”

“No, please, you needn’t worry yourself. In the end, Vardmoi suffered no harm whatsoever.”

“Exactly. That’s what I found curious. Despite the fact that thousands of troops supposedly attacked Vardmoi, I heard that every one of them was captured—and that not a single one of your soldiers was injured. What sort of trick did you use?”

“I had Lily’s familiars assist us. Since Lily herself was one of the targets this time, she didn’t hesitate to help, which was a great relief.”

“Oh? So this is the girl in question.”

He turned his gaze to me. It was an incredibly sharp look.
I’ve gotten used to this kind of pressure lately, so I didn’t flinch, but still—that was one intense stare.
Eyes that had surely weathered many hardships.

“Hm, you don’t falter.”

“I’ve gotten used to it lately. More importantly, could you please refrain from provoking me too much? Human bodyguards like Plum are one thing, but if Talat, my familiar, moves, things could get troublesome.”

“Familiar? Come to think of it, you did mention such a thing earlier. You didn’t bring it with you?”

“Oh, he’s here. On the ceiling, actually.”

As I said that, Duke Roberaud and his guards suddenly looked up with a startled expression.
There on the ceiling were Talat and five Kiblinki Saltas.
They must truly not have noticed them.
When we came in, Talat had used some strange spell to make them invisible, climbed up to the ceiling like that, and stayed there.
Talat really is more versatile than I thought.

“Well now… I’m amazed. To think they were stuck to the ceiling without anyone noticing.”

“I apologize for startling you. I’m sure the little ones didn’t mean any harm.”

“No, it’s fine. I’d heard reports about the soldiers being frozen solid, but I didn’t expect you to have such stealthy familiars. If I were on the opposing side, I’d be terrified.”

I’ll keep quiet about Talat’s true abilities.
It seems Duke Roberaud and his people don’t know, and there’s no need to go out of my way to tell them.
The meeting is proceeding amicably, so I’ll avoid disrupting it.
Now, it all depends on how the king’s younger brother makes his move…
Ugh, not looking forward to that.

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