The long-overdue tea party with Alec and the others lasted until well past sunset.

Normally, we’d go straight to dinner at the mansion afterward, but since we finally made it back home today, we decided to wrap things up at a reasonable point.

Alec’s home aside, maybe it would’ve been less hassle for Zighart to have eaten at the mansion?

Still, even if they’re not exactly a married couple, it’s good for them to have some time alone every now and then.

Besides, it’s not just them—some of the people working at the mansion have relatives who fought in the war. And since they’ve safely returned, we ought to give everyone time to relax too.

Call it employee welfare.

So, a little earlier than usual, we retreated to the bedroom.

Well… we usually hole up in Seriana’s room after dinner anyway, not the bedroom, so it’s not like the servants going to bed early will be an issue.

The nursemaids are still here, so there’s no need to worry about the kids. Same as always.

Now then…

We’re in the bedroom, but it’s still a bit early to sleep. I’ve been thinking about something from earlier today, and I might as well ask Seriana.

Right now, Seriana is lounging on the sofa, working her way through a stack of books like usual. She’ll probably indulge me to kill some time.

“Hey, Seria.”

“…What?”

Seriana looked up from her book at the sound of my voice and turned to me.

“There was something I didn’t quite get in today’s talk with Alec and the others.”

“Something you didn’t get? …About the situation in the western region, perhaps?”

“Yeah, that’s right. There were a few things.”

During Alec’s talk earlier today, something bugged me a bit.

And at the time, my eyes happened to meet Seriana’s—and she was kind of smiling…

“It’s probably nothing important, but sure. If there’s something you want to ask, go ahead.”

“Okay… So, remember how Zig-san was said to have played a major role in the war? And then everyone was wondering whether he did it alone or not, and what the power dynamics in the west are like, right? I get that Zig-san’s strong not just against monsters, but against people too, and that there’s some kind of mess going on, but… is it really something to be that concerned about?”

From the very beginning, when a bunch of reliable mercenaries deserted en masse, and then most of the remaining individual strength was wiped out—that’s clearly a big deal.

But… is it really something worth obsessing over that much?

What I gathered was just that Zighart was really strong and that the other side really screwed up.

But I get the feeling that’s not the whole story.

When I glance over at Seriana, she’s got the same expression on her face as she did earlier today.

“The west looks down on the east. You know that much, don’t you?”

“Yeah.”

That’s something I’ve heard over and over again, and I get it.

Even in this recent war, it’s pretty clear the Empire and the Holy Nation were scheming behind the scenes, but what really kicked things off was the involved western countries underestimating the east and thinking they could win easily.

“Would you want to show a pathetic side of yourself to someone you look down on?”

“I wouldn’t, but…”

Seriana nodded at my response.

And yeah, the outcome this time does seem downright pathetic.

From beginning to end, it was a total mess.

But… does that make it a problem for the whole western region?

“The western nations, whether large or small, are under the influence of the Empire or the Allied Nations. And that’s based on connections between the major noble families. So, any blunder by their affiliates directly affects their own reputation.”

“…Yeah.”

Well, when you’re talking about something as big as the Empire or the Allied Nations, the authority the upper echelons hold must be pretty substantial.

And since there’s no such thing as phones or internet, they can’t be micromanaging every country—so it makes sense they leave a lot of it to the high-ranking nobles.

That being the case, the reputation of the countries under their protection reflects directly on them.

“But they’ve lost to the east before, haven’t they? I mean, you mentioned they’ve even come to negotiate ceasefires themselves…”

“Yes, but… even a loss comes in many forms. The usual strategy was to intervene while still maintaining some reserves and then negotiate a ceasefire. But this time, it was a total collapse, right?”

This recent war—

Apparently, it ended when several of the generals leading the armies of the participating nations were killed and the enemy’s main camp was overrun.

Even the troops who hadn’t fled and had stuck around until then reportedly surrendered quietly in the end.

They said they could’ve continued and wiped them all out completely, but there was no point in going that far, so they accepted the surrender…

There was no composure or dignity in it at all.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sera・Blessed・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind’s Garment】

Blessed Items・【Floating Orb】+1【Shadow Sword】+1【Scarlet Bee Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Serpent’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】【Red Sword】【Monkey’s Arm】・8 cards

Seriana・【Area Identification】・【】・0 cards

Elena・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・4 cards

Alec・【Power Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・10 cards