Chapter 107 : War Potential Integration Conference
「Eh!? ARIA-CHAN, YOU’RE… A MEMBER OF THE EMPIRE’S HERO!?」
This was Fione’s reaction when she heard Aria’s answer about why she had come along to Lumilus with Prince Julius.
The girl who had gone on a journey to become an adventurer like her idol, the Sword Saint Alisha, was now a member of the peacekeeping corps.
「Fufu, even I was really surprised by it…」
Aria smirked upon seeing Fione’s reaction.
「Well, Aria-chan is a full-fledged A-rank adventurer now. Moreover, she has also fought an undead dragon and defeated its master. With such feats, It’s only natural for her to become Empire’s hero you know?」
Alisha spoke as she placed her hand on Aria’s shoulder.
Fione opened her eyes wide at this sight, and she asked in a flustered voice, 「S-S… Sword Saint-sama!?」
Alisha was the hero who had saved Lumilus, and every resident of the village was familiar with her face.
Fione had failed to notice Alisha before since she had been too distracted by Aria and Prince Julius.
「What’s the meaning of this, Aria-cha!? I’m not even asking why is the Sword Saint-sama here? How did you get along with her?」
「Fione-san, is it? I received a request from the empire to participate in this battle. But of course, the reason I’m so intimate with Aria-chan is that she’s something like my disciple.」
「….!?」
Fione’s jaw fell to the floor on hearing Alisha reply to her question instead of Aria. She couldn’t even find any words to say.
Her brain worked at full speed and she wondered what had happened during the short trip to Lumilus.
「Let’s enter the village for the time being, Fione-oneechan, we have something to report to the honored village chief, after all.」
「T-That’s right, Aria-chan. Please follow me, everyone, I’ll guide you to the village chief’s home.」
Fione regained her composure upon hearing Aria’s remark, and she then invited everyone to enter the village.
「Uwa~h! it’s so gre~en!」
「Yup, being surrounded by so many plants is the be~st!」
Lily and Faeri cheerfully yelled upon seeing the sight inside the village.
The greeneries stretched as far as one could see until the other side of the solemn metal rampart.
Save for the rampart, which was made from metal, the village was filled with wood or wooden buildings. It was the exact definition of the elven dwelling that was one with nature.
「The village chief’s mansion is right in the center of this village.」
Fione explained as she guided the group.
Leo also walked by her side, but Lily and Faeri were now leaping on his back and making a merry as they said, 「Fluffi~ng!」
Leo let the two frolickings on his back and made a face as if he wanted to say 「Humph, can’t be helped. I guess I’ll let you ride on my back, Lil’ girls.」
「Even though it was just overhauled a few years ago, I still missed this scene.」
Alisha quietly muttered as she looked at the center of the village.
It seems she had recalled the memories of when she saved the village from the demon race’s army.
「Aria-chan’s hometown is such a wonderful place, ri~ght♪」
「Fufu, thank you very much, Ana-san.」
A smile bloomed on Aria’s face upon hearing the honest praise from Arnold.
「The party led by Prince Julius from the Empire has arrived.」
Fione walked ahead of the rest and knocked on the door of a huge wooden mansion.
After a while, a female elf and another who looked like her servant came out from the mansion.
The elf then invited the party to enter the mansion with the elegance of a lady.
「Thanks for coming, Your Highness Julius and you all too! My name is Elvun, and I’m the chief of this village.」
An elven man greeted the party when they arrived in a spacious room.
As one would expect from an elf, he was quite a beautiful man. Since he was the chief, he was probably quite old. However, Elf stopped aging upon reaching teenage, and thus, they looked much younger than their real age.
The village chief Elvun was shocked upon seeing Aria’s figure by Prince Julius’s side, but he regained his cool soon upon realizing that there were more important matters to attend to.
After everyone took their seat at the long table prepared in the center of the room, the discussions went straight to the point.
Since the topic of the talk was a tad too difficult for Lily, Faeri [and a few other adventurers], these people decided to take a rest on the sofa in the side of the room.
「Well then, Chief Elvun, even though you’ve already read the letter, let’s get straight to the topic. I want to arrange a united front with the help of the force of this village.」
「Of course, Your Highness Julius. After the attack from the demon race a few years ago, our village not only strengthened our defensive measure but also increased our war potential. The demon race won’t have it easy this time.」
「Yeah, I’ve heard the rumor about that. If I’m not wrong, besides strengthening your existing force, you’re also inviting the outside forces to increase your war potential, is it?」
「It’s as you say, Your Highness Julius. Especially the 〝Amazoness Corpse〟 that was founded a year ago in this village. They’re a great addition to our war potential due to their flexibility and high combat prowess.」
The conversation kept going on as their topic went from the integration of the two forces to the terrain around the village, then to the defensive measures for the battle.
（Uhm! It seems Lumilus’s war potential has become more powerful than in the past.）
Tama listened to their conversation while resting in between Aria’s twin melons.
In between the conversation, the two officer-like male elves, who stood beside the village chief, supplemented the necessary information needed by Prince Julius.
Strengthening the war potentially without protecting the important post was like putting the carriage before the horse. A good head above the shoulder was needed to understand that point, thus, it could be said that Limulus had become more powerful over the last few years.
This growth was what Tama admired the most about the village chief.
（Now I want to know more about the new war potential of this peaceful village.）
Tama’s curiosity as a Knight, who strives to become stronger, made him interested in the matter.
Maybe because she had noticed Tama’s excited state, Aria put him in an even more gentle embrace and brushed his head as if she were caring for a baby.
Tama, who got enveloped by Aria’s nice smell and ‘softness’, unintentionally leaked out an adorable cry.