The Kingdom of [Ingrassia].
This great western nation, which linked the Holy Empire [Ruberios] and the Sorcerous Dynasty [Sarion], the two towering powers that led overwhelming forces, stood at the center of the continent where the deeds of Adelio and Chronoa were best known.
It was not only geographically central. As the first great nation to establish trade routes between the [Western Nations], it also had just as many enemies lurking in the shadows as its position would suggest.
Because of that, Guy usually sent the demonic armies of the frozen continent here, and stopping them had become the responsibility of [Sarion], now the strongest nation in the West.
Now, however, Hinata, who alone guided Chronoa's body, and Adelio, these two [Hero]es, bore most of the burden of defending the [Western Nations]...
...Anyway.
Shizu, who had now fully claimed her place as a hero and come to be known by the epithet [Ruler of Blazing Flames], also spent most of her time active as an adventurer in [Ingrassia]. So Ria, who had taken it upon herself to be Shizu's magic teacher, usually stayed with her in the mansion personally provided by the king of [Ingrassia] whenever Adelio was away in another country.
That mansion, built in Ruler, the capital of [Ingrassia], was neither especially large nor splendid compared to the White Ice Palace on the frozen continent, but that was because she did not want to leave her disciple Shizu alone.
It would have been unimaginable for [Blanc (White)] from her days ruling over hell, but the current Ria had changed quite a lot.
And perhaps that was why, even after hearing Adelio say that the two [High Elf]s of [Sarion] had asked him for an engagement and remarriage, she had not flown into the kind of fury she would have in her more cruel days—
**
"Kneel."
".....Yes..."
As Ria's cold voice rang quietly through the mansion in [Ingrassia], Adelio immediately dropped to one knee with perfect obedience.
If the civilians who practically worshiped him had seen it, they would surely have doubted their own eyes.
For over two hundred years, he had built enough martial power to defeat even Ria when she fought at full strength in hell, but in the face of his lover's anger, that kind of power was utterly useless.
"......"
Shizu and Hinata, standing beside Adelio, were also looking at him with the same cool expressions as Ria, as if to say, "...Again?" and "I knew this would happen again." But he had no room to worry about them.
Meanwhile, Moss, who had been talking with Shizu, and Cien, who had been pouring tea for Ria and Hinata, had fled the room early to make sure their master's anger would not splash onto them as well.
Seeing that, Adelio briefly wondered whether he should praise their sharp instincts or question their willingness to ignore their superior's mortal crisis, but the thought vanished at once under Ria's gaze right in front of him.
"That proposal from Sylvia and Ermesia... did you accept it?"
Her voice was alluring, but sharp with anger.
Ria, who was relatively close in age to Sylvia and had become close enough to call her something like a friend, addressed Sylvia and Ermesia by name rather than calling them the [Thunder Emperor] or the [Heavenly Emperor].
"...No. I told them I'd ask you first and decide after that... so it's on hold for now."
After hearing Adelio's answer, Ria gave a short snort and seemed to fall silent, then crossed her legs and spoke again.
Apparently, she had no intention of letting him off easily.
"Hmm... that was the right choice. If you'd accepted without my permission, I was planning to tie you up in my room for a month."
"......"
The thought that one wrong choice might have left him living like a mummy for a month flashed through Adelio's mind. Feeling as if cold sweat were breaking out on his back, he turned his gaze toward where Shizu and Hinata had been standing, but...
...Shizu and Hinata had long since gone out into the yard with their weapons from the moment Ria started questioning Adelio.
Under the excuse of sparring, they had put as much distance as possible between themselves and Ria's anger, just like Moss and Cien.
Even if they were a human renowned as the strongest [Hero] and a newly risen hero, they had no confidence in calming the fury of their teacher, a [Primordial Demons].
"So then—what are you going to do now?"
"...Huh?"
"You hid your identity from Ermesia, and this request is the price of that, isn't it? It doesn't seem like something you can simply refuse... so how are you planning to handle it?"
Sylvia and Ermesia were precious connections who had helped him greatly, both inwardly and outwardly.
Aside from Luminous, who had effectively hidden her identity, they were the highest-ranking figures in the West, so the engagement and remarriage they had asked for were not matters he could lightly reject.
"Could it be... that since Rain and Misery already gave their permission, you want those two to be allowed as well?"
After adding that, Ria let out a short sigh as she looked at the thoroughly tense Adelio.
It was not that she was disappointed or anything like that. It was simply that, although this was something she ought to be angry about as his lover, the moment she looked at his face, that anger kept fading away.
In other words, she was hopelessly lovestruck.
And not just a little. It was the kind wrapped up in fervent, burning affection.
Muttering inwardly, "Maybe it can't be helped, since I fell for him first," Ria sighed again.
Then, a bitter smile touched her expressionless face. As if asking herself whether she had not already known, somewhere in her heart, that something like this would happen, she rose from her chair.
"If it's hard for you to answer, should I answer for you instead?"
"...Huh?"
Before he knew it, she had stepped right up in front of him. With a faint smile in her eyes, she bent down and gently cupped both his cheeks with her slender hands.
"For me too... it's on hold for now—"
As Ria slowly drew Adelio's face closer, their shadows overlapped for a brief instant, then parted.
"—because I'm going to see for myself whether Sylvia and Ermesia have the same 'qualifications' as Rain and Misery."
A faint blush spread across her pale white skin, but she still looked every bit the confident empress she had always been.
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