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Finally, the day of departure for the northern expedition arrived.

Originally, there was supposed to be a send-off ceremony for the northern expedition, but for some reason, it was suddenly canceled due to the Emperor’s circumstances.

If I were to guess the reason, it might be the Emperor’s split personality. After all, Luna, the dignified Emperor’s personality, could only be active at night.

But holding a send-off ceremony in the middle of the night was out of the question, and entrusting it to Lucy would have been too risky.

The Emperor is fundamentally a mystery. Unless it was something truly special, she rarely revealed her existence to the outside world.

Usually, she wore a deer mask, so aside from the Seven Stars and her closest aides, very few people knew what she looked like.

In fact, most citizens of the Empire had never even seen her masked appearance, let alone her face.

That’s probably why she decided to skip the send-off ceremony in front of so many citizens.

Or maybe she just wanted to avoid me. Ever since the gift incident and the archery incident, I’ve become a complete pariah to her.

Not that I care, though.

Anyway, I’m just grateful that the bothersome send-off ceremony was canceled.

If it had happened, I would have had a lot to do as the Commander-in-Chief.

“Count, I-I’m done…”

“Hmm.”

Wendy, who had tied my shoelaces, brushed off her hands and stood up.

By now, her shoelace-tying skills were flawless. I almost laughed remembering the time she got her fingers tangled while tying my shoelaces and ended up pouting.

Out of all the characters I’ve met, Wendy has changed the most.

When we first met, she was constantly making mistakes, easily depressed, and lacked confidence.

But now, as a full-time maid and a university student, she’s gained a lot more confidence through hard work.

Well, she still has a long way to go… but it’s clear that Wendy has grown.

“Um… Count, is there something on my face…?”

Oops. Was I staring too much?

Wendy was touching her face.

She was also ready to head north.

She was dressed in winter maid attire and a coat with the black lion emblem of the Ruelberta Family on her shoulders. It was exactly like my coat, except hers had a fluffy hood.

Somehow, she looked adorable.

But I didn’t need to voice that thought.

“No… I was just looking because you seem to have grown a bit taller.”

“R-Really?”

It was just a casual observation, but Wendy looked delighted. She even subtly stood on her tiptoes, as if she wanted to appear even taller.

“I-I might get as tall as you soon… Hehe…”

“Not just ‘soon’…”

“I’ll work hard and catch up quickly. So I won’t embarrass you when we’re together…”

“…Alright. Work hard.”

I had no idea what she meant by “work hard,” but I just nodded at Wendy’s enthusiastic demeanor.

Her spirited attitude was refreshing.

“By the way, where’s Myohail?”

“Ah, he overslept and said he’d wash up before coming. We agreed to meet on the first floor once he’s ready.”

“…Does a cat even wash up?”

Myohail, who joined this northern expedition, is Wendy’s bodyguard. As a Sage, he won’t be heavily involved in combat, but having him as an ally is reassuring.

However, now that I’ve decided to become the Demon Lord, I’m not sure if Myohail, with his immense power, will tolerate that.

During the arrival of the second Demon Lord, he didn’t reveal himself to the world. He’s a thorough bystander, which is why he had little presence in the original story. That makes him a character I can’t quite figure out.

I called him to eliminate variables, but he could easily become a variable himself, so I need to be cautious.

I haven’t revealed my plan to become the Demon Lord yet, but I’ll have to test him soon.

“Then let’s head out.”

“W-Wait! Count…!”

“…?”

Just as I was about to leave after finishing my preparations, Wendy suddenly spread her arms and blocked the door.

“What are you doing?”

“Y-You can’t pass unless you hug me! It’s a barrier!”

“What…?”

Wendy looked up at me shyly. Her sparkling eyes seemed to beg for a hug.

Only then did I realize Wendy was acting spoiled.

If it were the past, she would have been fidgety when we were alone, but now she even does cute things like this.

If someone else had done this, I would have frowned at their audacity, but since it was Wendy, it just seemed endearing.

A precious girl who looks at me without any prejudice. In front of others, she wouldn’t have done this, but now I could gladly indulge her.

“…Did I set up this barrier without realizing it?”

“Ah, too bad! You let your guard down!”

“Wasn’t it you who let your guard down?”

“Huh? Kyaa?!”

I quickly scooped Wendy up in my arms.

“Such a fragile barrier.”

“Uuuu… Y-You’re too fast…”

Wendy looked stunned, as if she hadn’t expected to be caught so easily.

But as I held her like a princess, I noticed something different.

“Wendy… you’ve grown a lot.”

“Huh?!”

Maybe it was because she had grown taller, but her body felt different from the last time I held her.

Is this what they call a growth spurt?

But Wendy quickly denied it.

“N-No! I-I haven’t grown…!”

“Weren’t you just happy about getting taller?”

“Eek?! W-Well, I grew taller, but my body didn’t grow…!!”

“…?”

Are height and body separate? Does that even make sense? I was about to ask, but Wendy started tearing up.

“Sniff… I-I might have eaten too much lately… I might have gained weight without realizing it… I’m sorry, Count…”

Oops.

It seemed she was self-conscious about her weight.

Even though she’s grown a lot, she’s still a kid. To me, her weight is negligible.

But I guess I wasn’t being considerate enough…

“No… it’s probably just the layers of clothes.”

“Sniff… R-Really?”

“Yeah.”

Wendy looked up at me with big eyes.

I added, trying to reassure her.

“And no matter how much you grow, I’ll still be able to carry you. No matter how you change, I’ll always hold you like this, so don’t worry…”

Then, Wendy hugged me tightly.

“I really like you, Count…”

“…….”

“You’re the only one who indulges me like this…”

Hearing that, I realized that once we head north, there won’t be much time to spoil Wendy.

Could it be that she knew that and acted spoiled?

Wendy clung to me as if she didn’t want to let go. A sweet shampoo-like scent wafted from her hair.

“I’ll… definitely protect you…”

With all this spoiling, who’s protecting whom…?

In truth, Wendy worked really hard to follow me to the north.

Even with Myohail’s protection, she needed to earn the approval of those around her.

She especially went all out to earn Bella’s approval, swinging her sword relentlessly.

Even Bella, who finds Wendy cute, initially opposed it firmly. It would be strange not to stop such a small child from going to the battlefield. But in the end, she had no choice but to allow Wendy to go north.

It wasn’t because Wendy threw a tantrum or made a scene.

She earned Bella’s approval purely through hard work.

I stroked Wendy’s hand.

It was covered in scars.

Even though I applied ointment, she had already reopened old wounds from swinging her sword.

A testament to her relentless effort.

Wendy has become incomparably stronger than before.

But to me, she’s still someone I want to protect.

I took something out of my pocket.

“Wendy. I’ll give you this.”

“Huh?”

What I handed her was a ring with a shimmering rainbow hue. A piece of equipment made specifically for her, crafted by Albert at the workshop.

“Ah… this is…”

“It’s a ring with a protective magic formula. Equipping it will reduce your injuries. The effect covers not just your hands but your entire body…”

As I explained, I noticed something odd and looked at Wendy.

“Wendy…”

“Sniff…”

Tears were streaming down Wendy’s face.

She’s always been prone to tears, but this time…

Wendy was smiling.

“Are you… okay?”

“Yeah… I’m fine, sniff… I just… I’m so happy…”

Happy?

Wendy was saying something I didn’t understand.

Wiping her tears of joy, she continued.

“I know you didn’t give this to me with that intention… but I’m just so happy…”

“That intention?”

“I’m really sorry, but… could you put this ring on me yourself?”

Wendy fidgeted with her fingers, gauging my reaction.

Was she worried I wouldn’t do something so simple?

“Give me your hand.”

As I tried to put the ring on her finger, Wendy curled all her fingers except her ring finger. As if she wouldn’t accept the ring unless it was on that finger.

“…….”

“…….”

Wendy quickly averted her gaze.

But she couldn’t hide her bright red face.

It was obvious what she was thinking.

“…This feels like a proposal.”

“R-Really?! I-I had no idea…!”

Playing dumb.

Her lie was so transparent it was adorable.

Enough to make me want to tease her.

“I see… You’re the first to reject my proposal by claiming you didn’t know.”

“Huh?! I-I didn’t reject it!”

“Ah… how sad. No one accepts my proposals.”

I put on a sorrowful expression and slipped the ring back into my pocket.

It was a clumsy act, but Wendy was utterly flustered.

“N-No! That’s my ring! Sniff… I didn’t reject it! I didn’t reject it!”

“I guess I’m destined to live alone and die lonely.”

“N-No! I’m here! You’re not alone… Huh?!”

I pressed my finger to Wendy’s lips and gently kissed her forehead.

“Then I’m relieved.”

“Huh…?”

“As long as you’re here, at least I won’t meet a lonely end…”

Then I slipped the ring onto her finger and smiled.

“Stay by my side always.”

***

After a full day of traveling by carriage, we arrived at the Galiavin region.

While the capital, Ludlow, was chilly, Galiavin, the gateway to the north, felt like midwinter.

This was also the gathering point for the northern expedition.

“Then I wish you good luck, Count.”

“Hmm.”

Wylie, the leader of Aslan, had personally come to see us off.

They would guard the mansion while I was away. With Wylie there, any issues could be handled. Moreover, Maible, Helga’s mother, was also at the mansion, so I could rest easy.

“Count!”

Hearing my name, I turned to see Helga dismounting her horse and rushing toward me.

“Ah, we finally meet! You must have missed me so much, Count!”

“Don’t make a fuss. It’s only been a day.”

“What a cold thing to say! A day apart is dangerous for our relationship.”

What kind of relationship is that?

And if a day apart is dangerous, isn’t that a bad sign…?

Helga had left earlier to lead the Aslan members participating in the northern expedition.

While I left the mansion leisurely with the Annihilation Maid, Rian, Wendy, and others, Helga, with the highly mobile Aslan members, must have arrived quite early.

But among the Aslan members in their black armor, there was one woman who stood out.

“You’ve arrived, Count.”

“Bella…?”

The silver-haired noblewoman, Bella Izakhel.

Had she arrived early too?

But why did it feel like she came with the Aslan members?

“It must have been a long journey, but you look well.”

“Hmm. The carriage ride was comfortable.”

“I see. That must have been very comfortable.”

“…Yeah.”

Maybe it was my imagination, but Bella seemed… a bit upset. No, maybe more than a bit.

“Count. I thought you’d naturally move with Aslan.”

“? Why would you think that?”

“Because… with your personality, I thought you’d want to show off your authority to the Imperial Army by leading your private soldiers.”

Not entirely wrong.

It’s true that showing up like that would have made a stronger impression on the Imperial Army.

But honestly, it was too much trouble. And riding a horse all the way here would have left me with no butt left, so I preferred the carriage.

“I left that to Helga. She’s better at leading than I am.”

“Hmm… Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

“So it was a diversion… meaning Helga was bait to lure me.”

Diversion? Bait?

What is she talking about?

“Hmph… I fell right into your trap.”

Bella muttered sulkily, and I started to get an idea of what was going on.

Though she’d never admit it…

“…Bella.”

“What?”

“Just asking… did you want to come with me?”

“Hah… don’t get the wrong idea.”

I expected her to snap at me for asking out of the blue, but Bella didn’t.

She just answered in a way that clearly showed she was sulking.

“Not anymore, okay?”

Got it.

***

 

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