The World of Otome Games is Tough For Mobs - Volume 13 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Those Being Deployed

AFTER RETURNING to the capital, I headed straight for the palace, which was already buzzing like a beehive that had erupted into panic. Everyone was bustling around, trying to make sure we’d gotten all the supplies our enormous fleet needed. For the government officials, this moment was the climax of their battle. I suspected they’d be similarly swamped once the war was over, but they were just going to have to cross that bridge when they came to it.

I chatted with Luxion as we made our way down a corridor.

“Maybe we should’ve sent some of the AIs to help them out,” I said. “That would’ve reduced the load on the officials here.”

“We do not have extra resources to expend on that,” Luxion shot back coldly. “They must simply make do with what they have. Their efforts have given us an 80 percent surplus on manpower to spend elsewhere.”

“Sounds like you just want to work us humans to the bone.”

“A necessary sacrifice for our victory,” Luxion reminded me. “Besides, this is their job. They need to manage this much on their own.”

Luxion was accustomed to joking around and took it in stride. That made him comfortable company, since I didn’t want to walk on eggshells. It was almost like we were best friends who’d known each other for decades. I couldn’t help smiling at the thought.

As we walked, someone up ahead noticed and hurried toward me. It was Miss Louise of the Alzer Republic.

“You’re finally back,” she said, planting her hands on her hips with a bit of anger. It dissipated just as quickly, her lips pulling into a smile as she studied my face.

“Feels odd, having you here to welcome me back,” I replied. Miss Louise was a foreign princess, after all. All the same, having someone I knew welcome me here was reassuring.

Miss Louise shrugged. “Well, unfortunately, I have nothing better to do. I can’t help with the grunt work, so I’ve settled into a position as Holfort’s Alzerian hostage.”

“Hostage?” I cried. “No way.”

We had asked the Alzer Republic for their help in this war. It was inconceivable that we would then take a hostage against them.

She grinned at me. “It’s optics for your aristocracy. Many of them seem to be struggling to accept foreign soldiers’ help. It was Lady Mylene’s suggestion, and I happily agreed to it.”

“Really? Miss Mylene suggested it?” The edges of my mouth pulled back into a grin at the mention of her name.

Miss Louise was none too pleased about that. “I hear you’ve got quite the crush on her. Is that true?”

“No way,” I said with a strangled laugh, trying to play it off. “There’s an insurmountable wall between the two of us.”

Miss Louise gave me a hard look that said she didn’t believe me in the least. “Well, no matter. Your fiancées are preparing the Licorne for the coming battle. I think they’ll probably come back in a few more hours.”

I glanced at Luxion. His lens moved up and down, signaling that Miss Louise was correct. “In that case, I guess we have some waiting to do. Maybe we should focus on wrapping up some other work beforehand.”

“In that case,” interjected Louise, “why not go greet the duke first?”

“The duke? Oh, right.”

***

Miss Louise had persuaded me to head straight for Master’s office. When I walked in, there were piles of paperwork inside. Master was visibly exhausted too, but no less dapper for it. The two of us sat across from each other, enjoying the scent of freshly brewed tea. Well, fully enjoying it was difficult with the thick smell of paper and ink permeating the air, but it was pleasant enough.

“I was surprised to hear you’re actually a duke and that rat bastard Roland’s uncle,” I told him.

Master smiled apologetically at me and straightened his posture. “I forsook my status and middle name to become a professor at the academy so I could watch over the kingdom. It wasn’t a story I felt I should spread around. But now, considering the way everything’s turned out, all I can do is apologize to you for the whole thing.” He bowed his head.

“Please, don’t worry about it!” I blurted out quickly. “I completely understand. You had your own reasons for doing that. Besides, you’re helping us out now.” I cracked a smile at him, which left him puzzled for a moment. Then he broke into a grin as well.

“If it’s within my capabilities, I am happy to help the younger generation as much as I can. I regret that I ran from my duties before, and I won’t do it anymore.” Master spoke in a self-deprecating way, but his expression was rather cheerful.

“Master…”

A comfortable silence settled between the two of us.

Unable to withstand it for long, Miss Mylene started clearing her throat. “Ahem! Ahem! Would you two kindly not ignore my presence? It’s a bit—really only a tiny bit—isolating.” Her eyes shimmered with tears.

At her protests, we turned our attention to her with awkward smiles.

“Miss Mylene,” I said, “you really have outdone yourself supporting us again. I heard from Angie that you’ve been at her side to help the entire time. I can’t thank you enough.”

Her cheeks colored, and she smiled. “Oh, it’s fine. Angie’s still my pupil, after all. I thought this was a good opportunity to wrap up her education.”

“Yeah?” 

To me, it was odd that she was talking about finishing Angie’s education. Before I could think to ask what she meant, though, my eyes focused on Mylene’s appearance. She’d obviously been busy, because faded ink stains still clung to her fingers. I noticed faint circles under her eyes, barely hidden beneath her makeup. My heart sank with guilt as I saw how hard she’d obviously been pushing herself.

Just a few minutes earlier, Luxion had insisted that everyone at the palace needed to make do, and I had agreed with him. It wasn’t until I saw for myself how Miss Mylene looked, clearly pushed to her very limits, that I realized how shortsighted I had been. The most pathetic part was that I couldn’t even say anything intelligent to her about it.

Miss Mylene stared into my eyes. “Let me say this to you about the upcoming battle: If we don’t win, there will be no second chances.”

“Her Majesty—that is, Lady Mylene—is absolutely correct,” Master jumped in. He paused briefly only to correct himself; I wasn’t sure why. “We will be using up all our stockpiles and provisions for this battle. There may be a little left, granted, but not enough for us to afford a rematch against the empire. I hope you’ll keep that in mind.”

Our country was already exhausted from continuous wars. Miss Mylene was right to say there would be no second chances. Primarily because, as Master pointed out, we wouldn’t have enough supplies to try such a thing, even if we wanted to. If we lost, that’d be it. The empire would trample right over us.

“That’s fine,” I said, taking a sip from the cup of tea Master had prepared for me. “I planned to make this our final battle anyway. It never even crossed my mind that we’d have another chance.”

Miss Mylene and Master traded anxious looks. 

I could already tell what they were going to ask me and rose from my seat. “Your tea is absolutely incredible, Master. Thank you for letting me enjoy a cup before we set off.”

Master lowered his gaze. “I am only ashamed that this is the best I can offer a friend who is about to march off to probable death.”

I was pleased that he thought highly enough of me to call me a friend.

“Nah.” I shook my head. “This was the best send-off you could give me.”

Miss Mylene lifted herself from her chair, clasping her hands tightly as she faced me. “I pray you have good luck out on the battlefield.”

My heart pricked with guilt at how sincerely she spoke those words. To hide my emotions, I blurted out the same kind of lighthearted nonsense I always did in these situations. “If I’ve got you praying for me, the heavens might actually bless me out on the field.”

“I see you’re the same as always, cracking jokes.” She frowned at me as if she wished I’d take this more seriously, which made her all the more adorable.

“That’s just who I am. Also…” The next words left my mouth before I had a chance to think them over. “I love you, Miss Mylene.”

“Wha…?!” Blood rushed to her cheeks.

I was pleased with myself for getting one over on her.

“Mr. Leon,” Master gasped, wide-eyed. “You really are—”

“Oh, of course I love you as well, Master. I can’t thank you enough for showing me how incredible tea is.”

Being here was getting awkward; my little prank had probably annoyed them both. I scrambled from the room, eager to head elsewhere. Before I left entirely, I glanced over my shoulder and told them, “Thank you for all you’ve done for me. I’m so grateful to both of you.”

Master had helped me develop a true appreciation of the art of tea. Then there was Mylene, who—despite being a mature adult—still possessed a bit of adorable childishness. The two had done so much for me that I wanted them to know how significant it had been before I headed out.

Luxion, who’d kept his silence the entire time, followed close by my shoulder as I stepped into the hallway.

“‘I love you’ was quite a strong statement to make,” he observed.

“Love comes in all forms,” I explained. “Respectful love, platonic love…”

“If you are going to spend time discussing love, why not prioritize doing so with your three fiancées first?”

I sniffed at his suggestion. “Don’t you think ‘I love you’ would sound like a joke coming from me?”

“So you intend not to express your feelings to them simply because you think they might misconstrue you? It seems to me you should profess your love for them more regularly. Then you would not be in such a situation,” he said.

“I feel like the words lose their meaning if you say them all the time.”

“According to Cleare’s data, regularly expressing love for a person tends to maintain the relationship better,” Luxion informed me very matter-of-factly.

“What? You want me to turn into Roland?” 

I pictured our womanizing king, always whispering sweet nothings to whatever girl took his fancy. And, as luck had it, I ran right into him in the hallway. He was distracted by one of the women who worked here at the palace. The two were talking and smiling.

He’s definitely hitting on her. “Is our king seriously out here flirting while everyone else is up to their ears in work?” I grumbled loudly.

The woman with him stopped and turned to face me. For a moment, she seemed bewildered.

Is something on my face? I patted my cheeks to be sure but found nothing.

Roland leaned in, whispering something to the woman, then sent her on her way. I expected him to fling his usual insults at me, but to my surprise, he said, “Ah, our kingdom’s hero. What a relief to see you’ve finally returned. Mylene has been terribly worried about you.”

“You’re creeping me out.” I retreated a step, grimacing at how polite he was acting.

He frowned as if offended. “I was only trying to be considerate. However little you might think of me, even I feel badly about the size of the burden I’ve forced on you this time.”

“If you feel bad, work harder. Everyone else is bending over backward to get things done, and you’re out here trying to snag women. It’s disgusting,” I said.

Luxion shuddered and made a sound like he was sighing at me. As if that wasn’t enough, he then moved his eye from side to side like he was shaking his head. “After the way you acted earlier with Mylene, you do not have a leg to stand on.”

“Why?” I tilted my head in genuine confusion.

Roland stared at me solemnly, which was rare from him. He’d never worn that expression in the audience chamber during our official interactions. It was almost as though he was actually worried about me.

“There’s no wisdom left for me to give at this point,” he said. “But as your predecessor, let me provide one small piece of advice: You have a habit of shouldering more responsibility than necessary.”

I quirked a brow. “You’re giving me advice? Have you lost your mind?”

“Stop being petty. I’m serious,” Roland snapped. 

I closed my mouth.

“You need to relax a little more,” he continued. “Relying on Angelica like I relied on Mylene would be a great start. If you don’t, all the things you’re trying to shoulder will get so heavy they’ll crush you under their weight.”

His concern had me dumbfounded, but I couldn’t let his “advice” go completely unchallenged. “I’d argue you need to be much more responsible.”

“You’re the same as ever. Not happy unless you can get a barb in, huh, brat?”

I wasn’t going to bother calling Roland “Your Majesty” at this point, nor was I going to bother addressing him with flowery, polite language. I was treating him the way I’d treat anyone else. He didn’t bother to reproach me, at least not on that point. It seemed like, in his own way, he was trying to look out for me.

“I leave the rest to you. Don’t die out there, brat.” Roland spun around and strode away, leaving me with those final words.