A Request From Lady Seremees

The first to react to Lady Seremees’s words was Lady Milora. She pouted in displeasure and began swinging her legs back and forth.

“I hate war the most. So many people die, nature gets destroyed, and the homes of beasts and monsters disappear.”

“Yes. War is a pointless act that brings no benefit to anyone.”

The two exchanged glances, openly displaying their disgust, before turning their attention back to Ann and me.

“So Luca, I want you to dismantle the Empire.”

“Henriette, I’m asking you as well. Please work with Luca to stop this foolish behavior.”

At their words, Ann and I nodded almost simultaneously and clenched our fists with determination.

“We will definitely stop the war.”

“I will too. The ones who suffer in war are the ordinary people.”

“I-I’ll help too…!”

Rebecca spoke a little later than the rest of us, but her words made Lady Seremees and Lady Milora smile warmly.

“Thank you. If it were possible to have more than one servant, I would have chosen Rebecca as well.”

“That’s true,” Lady Milora said. “But even if she isn’t my servant, she’s still an important companion to me. After all, she’s Henriette’s friend.”

“I feel the same way,” Lady Seremees added.

“Lady Milora, Lady Seremees, thank you very much!”

Rebecca’s face lit up at their words, and she broke into a radiant smile.

I was glad Rebecca didn’t feel left out. The two goddesses had probably said that out of consideration for her. They were truly wonderful.

“Lady Seremees, would it be alright if you told us about the Empire’s current situation? Specifically, what should we do to stop the war? Or rather… why has the Empire become such an extreme nation in the first place?”

“Well… the truth is, we don’t fully understand yet. The range of what we can observe with the water mirror is limited, so we can’t grasp everything. But we do know that the upper leadership is the problem. It appears that the current national policy is being directed by the king.”

That made sense. The water mirror wasn’t omnipotent. It was very convenient for observing a single person, but monitoring many people at once would be difficult.

“If the upper leadership is the problem… then perhaps assassination?”

“Yes. But ideally we would first determine exactly who is responsible for creating the Empire’s current state and resolve things with the least possible damage.”

“I would also ask that of you,” Lady Milora added. “Please avoid unnecessary killing.”

“I don’t want to kill anyone unnecessarily either… so first we’ll have to infiltrate the Empire.”

As I said that, already thinking how difficult the task would be, Lady Seremees and Lady Milora nodded at the same time.

“If we’re infiltrating the Empire, what should I do?” Ann asked. “If I enter the imperial capital right away, I’ll probably be recognized as Henriette.”

“That’s true,” Rebecca said. “Even if you change your hairstyle… there’s still a chance you’d be recognized.”

It might be better to have Ann gather information somewhere other than the imperial capital.

Just as I began thinking that, Lady Milora suddenly raised her hand enthusiastically with a bright smile.

“In that case, I have something perfect!”

She stood up, rummaged through a basket woven from plant vines a short distance away, and pulled out a simple robe.

“How about this?”

“Oh my, you have something quite convenient,” Lady Seremees said.

“What exactly is that?” I asked.

“This is a Transformation Robe! It’s a rare item that occasionally appears in dungeon treasure chests. One of my servants from several generations ago obtained it, and I just remembered it now. As long as you’re infiltrating, this should prevent anyone from recognizing you.”

A transformation robe… so it changed the wearer’s appearance? I had no idea such a convenient item existed.

“Henriette, would you like to try it on?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

When Ann put on the beautiful light-blue robe, her appearance changed instantly.

Her luxurious golden hair turned a pale pink, and her eyes also became pink, giving her an entirely different impression. Even her facial features seemed slightly younger.

“That’s amazing! No one would recognize you like that!”

“If you tie your hair back as well, it should be perfect,” I added.

“Henriette, there’s a mirror over here,” Lady Milora said, beckoning her over.

Ann walked to the mirror and widened her eyes when she saw her reflection.

“This is incredible… My entire impression has changed. I can see why it’s mandatory to remove robes once inside the royal palace.”

“Is there a rule like that?”

“Yes. I had heard that there are items capable of altering a person’s entire appearance, but I didn’t realize they were this effective. I never imagined Lady Milora had one.”

Lady Milora watched Ann’s transformed appearance with a delighted smile before happily hugging her and looking up at her face.

“I thought about giving this to you when you said you wanted to sneak out of the palace. But if you wore a robe near the palace, someone might ask you to remove it, so I didn’t give it to you then. But adventurers often wear robes, so it shouldn’t be suspicious now, right?”

“Yes. Thank you very much. With this, I should be able to infiltrate the imperial capital without any problems.”

Ann smiled beautifully as she spoke, then removed the robe and folded it carefully.

“May I borrow this?”

“Of course!”

“Then that means all of us can infiltrate the Empire now. Ann, is it fine if we meet up in the imperial capital? Rebecca and I will probably go there to report after faking your death by making it look like the carriage fell off the cliff.”

“Of course.”

I wondered if Ann could make it all the way to the imperial capital alone… That was the only thing that worried me. But Ann was a divine servant too. If things became dangerous, she could always escape into the divine domain.

Thinking about it that way, there was probably nothing to worry about.

“What should we do once we all gather in the imperial capital?” Rebecca asked.

“Well… maybe we can figure that out later,” I said. “We don’t know how things will unfold yet.”

“That’s true. Then let’s focus on making the plan to save Ann succeed first!”

Rebecca raised her fist enthusiastically, and everyone smiled and nodded.

“Well then, I should return to the palace soon,” Ann said. “I don’t have much time left.”

“I see. The next time we’ll meet is on the departure day?”

“Yes. Until then, I’ll make sure no one discovers anything.”

“Good luck.”

“See you later.”

After that, we returned from the divine domain to the mortal world and saw Ann off from the inn.

Until the plan succeeded and Ann escaped safely without anyone discovering it, I wouldn’t be able to relax.

Clenching my fist, I reminded myself that even though it meant betraying the king, it was necessary to save Ann.

“Rebecca, let’s do our best.”

“Yeah. Let’s save Ann.”