Chapter 7

As cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

---

"Um, Lord Lium. I followed you here on a whim, but I hope I'm not causing you any trouble..."

"Of course not! If you hadn't suggested it, I would have bowed my head and asked you to come with me. Philo, thank you for coming with me."

"Since you're leaving Ardena, there's no reason for me to stay."

Philo's straightforward words made me happy. I no longer have the status of a lady of the Greedy family. His polite speech and the way he addresses me are no longer necessary. There are many things we need to discuss, but we can't keep talking at the entrance of Ardena. If my parents saw us, it would cause a commotion, and without any lights, it would be difficult to move once it gets dark. I tore up the paper with the unnecessary destination and threw it in the corner trash can so it wouldn't be blown away by the wind.

"…Even this box that everyone uses so naturally was set up because you suggested it."

Philo's words, spoken softly, were tinged with regret. In a world where trash cans didn't exist, it was a small thing, but before they were installed, everyone littered, and the town had to be cleaned every morning. Installing these boxes improved efficiency, and the freed-up time could be used for other parts of the town. As a result, Ardena was praised by other countries for being a very clean town. My knowledge comes from my previous life. Even something as simple as a trash can, which was taken for granted, would not have been thought of if it didn't already exist. When I proposed these things, I always thought how amazing the first person to come up with them must have been.

"Anyway, it's already been decided that the installation was proposed by Pulum. Whether I did it or was ordered to do it, the credit always goes to that child."

"I can't accept that. The idea that the results of what Lord Lium did should go to Lord Pulum is just common sense, isn't it…?"

In Ardena, the idea that my achievements become Pulum's can be divided into two patterns. One is that what I did is believed to have been done by Pulum, such as the installation of trash cans and other efficiency improvements within the country. The other is that what I do is known, but the successful results are always credited to Pulum. This applies to things like diplomacy with Fakul, which could be dangerous if Pulum did them. It's a strange way of thinking, but before I fully recovered my memories from my previous life, I didn't think it was odd, even though it made me sad. It's a really strong game correction. But today, I'm saying goodbye to that game correction.

"…Let's go soon. We can continue the conversation at our new home."

"Yes. Are we walking?"

"Just a little. We're being picked up from a place a bit away from Ardena. I have a job lined up. But I'll end up becoming a resident of that country and living with you. It's a different country from Ardena, but will you help me again?"

"Two people…? Ah, yes, of course! I'll go with you even if our destination is hell. Please leave the protection to me!"

I returned a smile to Philo, who said this with a full smile. I'm glad I can be with him from now on.

"I think it will be better than hell… but thank you."

"No problem. Let's go. If we stay here any longer, we might get involved in some trouble."

Voices of multiple people could be heard from the town, and after nodding at each other, we started walking. Philo seems to be concerned that I'm not too bothered by the exile, but he probably thinks we can talk about it in more detail at our new home. I wonder if he'll be surprised when he hears our destination. While feeling relieved that Philo seems happier than usual despite being exiled from Ardena, we walked side by side, closer than usual. We spent peaceful time together, which we usually did in my room, while feeling the outside air. It felt like it had been a long time since we walked on a street without hostile gazes. Even when I went to other countries, I always had to return to Ardena, and the closer I got to my own country, the more depressed I became. But I don't need to go back to that place anymore. Despite walking slowly, the peacefulness of the road, in contrast to the surroundings, felt like a date, which was amusing. I've done everything I could in Ardena, but even so, this is the result. Because I've done what I should, I have no lingering attachment to Ardena. On the contrary, I'm looking forward to a bright future. The closer distance to him makes me feel happy. The blue sky with slowly moving clouds, the neatly paved streets with no one else around, and a small forest visible a little further ahead. The gentle wind caressing my cheeks made it feel like a peaceful atmosphere, despite the punishment of exile. The lack of hostile gazes made me feel much more relaxed. When I looked at his face, slightly above mine, and spoke with a smile, he returned a soft smile. We were close but not touching. I wondered if, as I once wished, there would come a day when we could hold hands and walk together. Right now, in that grand hall, Lord Yuto and Pulum must be enveloped in happiness. But I can say this with certainty: the happiness I feel now is as great as theirs. All that's left is to work hard to make this happiness even greater. To turn the change in our relationship, which I've longed for, into reality.

We continued our casual conversation and walked slowly, but when Ardena was no longer in sight, we entered the small forest we had seen earlier. It's a forest that can be crossed in about ten minutes, but the small square in the center is our meeting place. Our walk with Philo ends here. I feel a little sad, but we need to go to our new home to settle in, and Philo is probably worried.

"We're meeting at the square ahead. I sent a message before leaving home, so they should be here or will arrive soon."

"Is it someone we can trust?"

"Yes, I think it's someone Philo knows."

"Me?"

Pulling on Philo's sleeve to get him to look ahead, I prompted him to look. I don't usually touch Philo, but since it was a change, I reached out, but I seem to have surprised him. Philo, who jumped as if startled, opened his eyes wide when he saw what I was pointing at. There was a shadow that didn't look human sitting there. A black dragon-like shadow about fifty centimeters long. From a distance, it looked like a slightly larger stuffed animal, but it seemed to notice us and waved its small hand at us. Its face was smooth, with no eyes, but three white dots were arranged vertically at the tip of its nose. This black, dragon-shaped creature was sitting on a large rock in the corner of the square. Behind it was a large basket, similar in shape to the basket part of a hot air balloon, large enough for five adults.

"Hello, Gatekeeper."

"Hello, Miss Lium. I'm glad to hear your voice is so lively."

When I greeted him, a familiar and light voice replied. His voice was a bit low, and he was apparently male. Despite being blind, he has excellent other senses and is the gatekeeper of the forest where the king of the monster country Fakul lives. He can understand the situation around him with his other senses and doesn't seem to be troubled by his blindness.

"Lord Lium, you're not going to…"

"Yes, to Fakul. I've already spoken with their king. In return, I'll need to swear loyalty to the king. If you don't like it, "

"No, of course it's fine!"

When I thought about where to go after being exiled, I was very troubled. There are some ladies from other countries who I get along with personally, but relying on them wouldn't be a good idea since Ardena is an allied country. Even if their countries are in a better position, there's a high possibility of causing them trouble. I even thought about traveling, but I knew it wasn't practical. While I was troubled and working as usual for Ardena, I received an invitation from the king of Fakul to come to their country. I was surprised by the timing, but Fakul is a free and strong country due to its strength in diplomacy. My presence wouldn't cause any trouble. I had heard that the king of monsters occasionally recruits people from other countries, but I never thought it would apply to me. The monsters treated me very well, and I found them more favorable than the people of Ardena, who were concerned about my well-being. Being sought after by a country for the first time was a great joy, given that I was rejected by Ardena. …It would be a lie to say I didn't struggle. They are enemies of humans, but they are friendly to people and countries they like, and as long as you don't do anything strange, the peace of that country is guaranteed. That's why many countries send diplomats to Fakul, but an alliance is only formed if the person is liked. Countries that couldn't form an alliance with Fakul often paid to use the roads that the monsters promised not to attack, in exchange for money. Ardena also collects fees for the use of roads from other countries, so my absence would mean a loss of income. The idea of Fakul becoming my new home was very attractive. Honestly, moving to another country and becoming a citizen of that country is not a big problem. The world is full of people being recruited from one country to another, and many people move to other countries because they don't like the environment or treatment. It's much easier to move between countries in this world than in my previous one. Of course, there are people who have moved to Ardena from other countries. And if I go to Fakul now, no one will be sad, and considering the evaluation of me by the people of Ardena, no one will feel threatened. However, I hesitated because Fakul has the power to destroy Ardena. Forming an alliance with an individual, if I go to their country, it means the alliance between Ardena and Fakul will end. The king of Fakul is very accommodating to people he likes. If the alliance ends because I leave this country, it could literally mean the end of Ardena, depending on the king's mood. Seeing the smiling children, I wondered if accepting the exile was right, and if there was more I could do. Would it be right to abandon the people who supported my life, the ones I had a crush on and felt comfortable with, just for my own happiness? The more I thought about it, the deeper my hesitation became, especially considering the game correction. However, when the king, who saw through my hesitation, told me I didn't need to rush my answer, my mind was made up when I returned to Ardena. After finishing the dangerous diplomatic mission in Fakul and returning to the town, I faced hostile gazes and malicious words. Seeing Philo walking in a position to block those gazes, I tried to convince myself that it was inevitable because of the correction, but I suddenly remembered the monsters in Fakul.

"Oh, Miss Lium. Welcome, thank you for coming from so far."

"Good to see you, take your time."

"We just cut some fruit, would you like some?"

"Hey, next time you come to this country, let's hang out personally. I'm sure it will be fun with you."

They are very casual and friendly, regardless of status. The smiles, kind words, and warm gazes they directed at me. The friendly behavior that became more frequent as I visited. They were much kinder to me than humans, who see them as threats.

I looked around at the people of Ardena, the people of the country where I was born and raised. The scowls, cold gazes, and malicious words. The hostile gazes from the people of this country.

Is it worth enduring these gazes, giving up those warm gazes, to work for this country? Once I realized this, it was impossible. I want to go back, to return to Fakul immediately. Why do I have to be looked at with such hatred when I haven't done anything wrong? Why am I trying so hard? As long as I stay in Ardena, this situation will continue. I don't want it anymore. I decided one thing on this day. For the short period until the engagement is broken, I will work even harder than before to show the people of Ardena, centered around my parents and Lord Yuto, what I have accomplished and what will happen after I'm gone. If even one person, whether my parents, the royal family, or the townspeople, recognizes me. If even one person sees me. I will try a little harder to resist the punishment of exile and work for this country. But if this situation continues, I will accept the punishment of exile and go to Fakul, responding to the call of the monsters. With this selfish wish, when I asked the king for help, he laughed and immediately agreed, which I am very grateful for. The past few months have been a time for me to sort out my feelings and decide to leave Ardena, knowing it would put the country in danger. And today, the result is clear. I'm going to the country of the monsters.

A place that is a threat to humans but gives me a warm place to stay. Fakul.