CH 146

Loyalty is ...

***---***

How long had I been asleep.

In my vague consciousness, I felt that I was lying on the bed, but I couldn't even open my eyes.

The fluffy one on the right is ... Mirt.

If you were a mofuist like me, you would be able to tell by how mofu they are, even with your eyes closed.

And the one at my feet is Murt.

Already, I can tell with my feet.

And, the soft one on the left ... what, what's this? Soft?

"Nnu ... Maou-samaa ..."

Cold sweat broke out.

I hurriedly tried to withdraw my hand, but it was firmly caught.

"Ca ... mi ... lla ... ?"

"Ah, Maou-sama ..."

Camilla's sad sigh tickled my cheeks.

"Ugh ... Camilla, you smell like alcohol, 

"Auu ... I'm sorry ..."

Camilla let go of the hand she was holding, and she backed away slightly, looking calm.

Even so, she was in the same bed and the same futon, so even though she was away, she was not even 50 centimeters away.

My heart sank for a moment, but lucky I was still wearing clothes.

"Umm ... Mirt, how did this happen?"

"When Goshujin-sama collapsed, a person named Celia told me about it, and Camilla carried you in her arms, and we slept together."

It seemed that Camilla was quite drunk when Celia informed her, but she even used physical strengthening magic to carry me in her arms.

"So ... we were just sleeping together, right?"

"No."

"Eeeehhhh ... No way, in a state of unconsciousness ..."

"We did 'pero pero' together."

"P, pero pero ...?"

When I tilted my head, Mirt licked my face, followed by Murt, and then Mart jumped over Camilla and came to lick me.

It felt a little rough and felt like the skin on my face was being peeled off.

And then, after each one licked me in turn, the three of them turned their gazes to Camilla as if to say come on.

"E, excuse me ..."

"Camilla, you smell like alcohol! Rather, you said that you licked me together, but ... Don't look away!"

"Uuu ... Maou-samaa ..."

"Even if you have a cute face, it's no good! What is the Princess of a country doing."

"C, cute ... me, am I cute?"

"No, that's not the problem. Are you still drunk?"

I wonder if the alcohol hadn't run out yet, and she was different from usual, and it's outrageous.

"Mou, Reinhardt, you're here, aren't you. I'll be in trouble if you don't do it properly."

[ Buhahaha, it's Kent-sama who will be in trouble if you don't do it properly. ]

Reinhardt smiled broadly and slowly appeared near the foot of the bed.

"Wait, this isn't the time to be joking around."

[ Of course it's not a joke. Kent-sama's treatment of Camilla-jou is too cruel. ]

"Eh ... How I treat Camilla?"

In contrast to the lively laughter, Reinhardt's unusually serious tone made me startled.

[ Didn't Kent-sama accept Camilla-jou's loyalty? ]

"Umm ... I got that, but what about it ..."

[ Remember what Kent-sama did last night. Who was it that drove Camilla-jou out like a stray dog? ]

"Uuh ... It's me."

Certainly, I feel that my attitude last night went too far.

[ To swear allegiance is to swear to dedicate your body and soul. In other words, Camilla-jou is the same as your genus. Have you ever treated us like that, Kent-sama? ]

"That ... I haven't ..."

[ Kent-sama says that you will not be able to accept Camilla-jou's feelings until she apologizes and prepares compensation, but if you accept her loyalty, it is your duty to do everything in your power to ensure that Camilla-jou is forgiven."

"That's true ..."

When we were summoned, Camilla looked down on us and treated us like monkeys, but it felt good to have her kneel in front of me and made her swear allegiance, so I treated it casually, but from the perspective of former knight Reinhardt and the others, it was an act that shouldn't be treated so lightly.

True to what he said, Camilla was loyal to me, but this time I looked down on Camilla and treated her badly.

I was able to do various things, and I was relied on by many people, and while I was meeting and exchanging words with Feudal Lords, Royalty, and Nobles, I was under the illusion that I was also great.

With this, I don't have the right to criticize Camilla when she summoned us.

Camilla couldn't hear Reinhardt's voice, but she was probably noticing that we were talking seriously, so she was watching us intently.

"Camilla ..."

"Y, yes, what is it?"

"I want to take a bath, so can you prepare it for me?"

"Yes, as you wish. Umm ... Go in together ..."

"No no ... I won't do that."

"Muu ..."

"It's no use sulking. Rather, go in first and sober up. Let's have breakfast together after the bath."

"Yes!"

With a wide smile on her face, Camilla jumped out of bed with the momentum of a puppy who had a ball thrown to her.

Are you really that happy to eat with me.

[ Buhahaha, Kent-sama, wouldn't it be better if you entered together anyway. ]

"No, that's no good. I haven't even entered with the chairman."

"Goshujin-sama, we will enter together."

"Me too, me too."

"Wash me too!"

"Yes, yes, everyone will enter together."

Mart and the others swung them around so much that their tails seemed about ready to tear off, going 'suri suri' and 'pero pero'.

Camilla, who had just returned from getting ready for the bath, had a look of envy on her face, but when I pointed out that her smell of alcohol was no good, she dejectedly headed for the bathroom.

I accepted Camilla's allegiance, but I can't cross that line.

Rather, if the chairman finds out about that, it'll rain blood.

Last night, in the middle of Flosche-san's treatment, I lost consciousness due to running out of magic power, so my core was still dull.

While Camilla was taking her morning bath, I used self-healing magic and stretched on the bed to work my fatigue away.

Yeah, Mart and the others are really flexible.

"Maou-sama, pardon me for going first. Go ahead, take a bath please."

"Yes, thank you."

Now that I think about it, this is the first time I've taken a bath with Mart and the others.

I took off my clothes and threw them into the shadow storage and stepped into the bathroom.

"Then, everyone should take a shower to remove the dirt."

I showered Mart and the others in turn and we soaked in the bathtub together.

Camilla's room was for the commander, so the bathtub wasn't very big.

Mart and the others who were melting in the hot water were really cute, but it was a bit cramped.

"Hmm ... When I build a house in the future, I'll have to make it a big bathroom."

[ Buhahaha, Kent-sama, it's impossible for the entire Kobold Corps to enter unless it's the size of a large pond. ]

"For that, I have to earn a lot."

"Wafuu, we fetch a lot of magic stones."

"Me too, me too."

"Wau, Goshujin-sama, pat me, pat me."

"Yes, yes, before that, I'll wash you in order."

I would have liked to enjoy a long, leisurely bath, but I was also worried about Flosche-san's condition, so I'll wash Mart and the others thoroughly before leaving.

I ate all the splashes of Mart and the others, wiped my body, changed into the clothes I pulled out of the shadow storage, and returned to the living room.

When I returned to the living room while wiping my head with a towel, the maid with Camilla was frozen with her eyes wide open.

"U, u, umm ... Camilla-sama."

"Maou Kokubu Kent-sama. He stayed here last night. Rosalie, please prepare breakfast for Maou-sama."

"Y, yes, as you wish ..."

Rosalie-san threw a glance at me while her face was blushing, but I think she's come to a complete misunderstanding.

Haa ... Even if I say it's a misunderstanding ... It's no good.

"Maou-sama, take this seat ..."

"Yes, thank you."

I sat down near the fireplace where Camilla pulled out a chair.

Mart and the others were grooming in front of the fireplace.

The breakfast menu was simple, with toasted bacon, fried eggs, cheese, salad, bread, and soup, but the ingredients seemed to be of good quality. (TN: That's ... simple?)

That's right, it's the Princess of Resenburg who's sitting with me.

"Camilla, how is Flosche-san?"

"I'm sorry. I haven't seen her yet this morning ..."

"Yeah, it's fine. I'll go check it later."

Thanks to taking a bath in the morning, Camilla seems to have gotten rid of her drunkenness a little, and Camilla looked embarrassed as if she remembered her disgraceful behavior of the previous night.

"Last night, Camilla brought me here."

"Y, yes, I'm sorry ..."

"No, it would have been a nuisance if I collapsed in the room of Flosche-san-tachi, so I was saved by being carried."

"Maou-sama ..."

"Camilla, from now on, I will also act so that Camilla will be forgiven."

"Maou-sama ... Thank you very much."

"For that reason as well, I want Camilla to take full control of Resenburg."

Cooperating with the Japanese government in exploring underground resources and providing drilling rights could soften Japanese public opinion against Camilla and Resenburg.

It should be possible to compensate for the damage caused by the summoning by providing the land that will serve as the base for the investigation and the mining rights.

When I told her about the Japanese government's plan, Camilla looked incredulous.

"It's a magic tool that allows people to fly in the sky? Investigate the ground from the sky?"

"Well, it's not a magic tool, but it's a machine that allows people to fly in the sky. I don't really understand how it works, but it seems like they're investigating the geology with various analysis devices and finding promising places."

Helicopter and aerial exploration seemed to be events outside of Camilla's imagination.

"Even if we conduct such a survey, if the domestic situation is unstable, Japan will not be able to send people in, and we will not be able to conduct a survey."

"Certainly, just as Maou-sama says, Resenburg needs to stabilize the country."

"There are classmates who can work as interpreters in Volzard, so I think it will definitely become a base for the investigation. Considering the distance, part of Resenburg can be investigated, but if you don't make a decision as a country soon, you might fall behind Barshania."

"Does that mean, Maou-sama, are you going to bring this story up with Barshania?"

"The wider the scope of the investigation, the better, and if the country is not stable, it will not be possible to start mining. If we were to compare the current Resenburg and Barshania, it would go without saying which one is more stable. That's we we have to stabilize Resenburg."

"As you wish. Maou-sama, can I talk to Count Gleisner about this?"

"Yeah, I don't mind, but it's not a final decision yet. There is such a plan ... Let's leave it at that level."

"I understand."

The after-meal tea made by the maid Rosalie was herbal tea with a refreshing aroma.

This is in consideration of Camilla's hangover, isn't it.

However, having breakfast with Camilla was an unimaginable scene from the time when I was summoned.

"By the way, about Flosche-san and Celia-san, after confirming their intentions, is it okay if I take them to Volzard?"

"For the time being, she is in the position of the Fourth Queen, but in recent years the King hasn't visited, and the days of mother and daughter have continued, so if they wish, I would like to leave it to Maou-sama."

"Then, after the meal is over, let's listen to what they have to say, if they're willing to move to Volzard, I can even take them today."

"Understood."

For the time being, I would have to reconnoiter to see if there were any problems along the way to Volzard.

"Reinhardt, I would like you to make sure that the road to Volzard is safe ..."

[ I have already sent the Kobold Squad to reconnaissance. ]

"Thank you, tell me the result once you know."

[ Understood. ]

Well, even the Kobold Squad should be able to overwhelm them as long as they don't collide with monsters.

When I visited after breakfast, Flosche-san's complexion was good and her expression softened.

"Thank you very much for your help yesterday. Thanks to you, I am enjoying an exhilarating feeling that I haven't had in years."

"That's good. Then ... I don't mean to say that, but I would like to ask about migrating to Volzard ..."

"Yes, I heard about that from Celia. I would be happy to go with my daughter."

"If you go to Volzard, you will be separated from Resenburg by the Devil's Forest, so I think it will be difficult to return home easily, is that okay?"

"Yes, from the beginning, when I headed for the royal castle, I was told to never return to my hometown again, both my parents and the elders of the village gave me harsh criticism, and I think I've already abandoned my hometown."

From Frosche-san's expression, I couldn't feel even the slightest remorse for Resenburg.

[ Kent-sama, there will be no problems on the way. ]

[ Understood, can you call Tsuo, I'll have them pull a carriage and head to Volzard. ]

[ Understood. ]

We borrowed a small carriage from Camilla and left Lastock with Tsuo pulling it.

On the way, I would make arrangements for Kame and Tala to take turns.

I'll go back to Volzard ahead of time and talk to the garrison.

After that, I would receive the iron from the Self-Defense Forces Nerima garrison and deliver it to Barshania and Volzard.

It looked like it was going to be another busy day.