Chapter 117 The Light Of Peace
"Welcome! This is a small village, but please relax and enjoy your stay."
We started our attack on the Empire and joined Monica and the Belmont Knights, staying temporarily in a village near the border.
However, it's not a very big village, and it's actually in another country.
We weren't really expected to be welcomed, and we planned to camp out while taking control of the place... but for some reason, the villagers welcomed us normally.
It seems that the men from this village, who we had captured and made prisoners, looked healthy, and the villagers were thankful for that.
I say "seems" because by the time I arrived in the village, the villagers and the fathers had already made a deal, and I wasn't involved in that.
"Yumie! I missed you so much!"
"Ms. Monica... Yes, I missed you too."
So now, I was acting as a special hugging doll for Monica, who had been busy fighting in many places.
She hugged me tightly, rubbed her cheek against mine, and then buried her face in my neck to take a deep breath.
Well, this is a bit embarrassing, you know?
"Ah, Ms. Yumie's scent, warmth, and this voice...! I can't live without this! I live for this moment!"
"Haha, that's a bit over the top."
I understand she's happy to see me again, but her affection is unusually strong this time.
She must have been really lonely.
"Hey, Monica! Don't get too close to my Yumie!"
Just as I was thinking that, my Elder Brother pulled me away from Monica.
While I was being held small and helpless, my Elder Brother barked at Monica.
"You're Sigurt's fiancée, so don't get all touchy with my sister!"
"Oh, I was never Sigurt's fiancée, just a candidate. And saying it's harassment is rude, it's just friendly touching. Ms. Thea does it too, right?"
"Uh... yeah, I do. I like Yumie's smell."
"Thea is just being cute, but Monica, you definitely have other intentions!"
"I have no such intentions! Hohoho!"
"What was that obvious fake laugh?!"
Seeing Monica and Elder Brother start to argue, I felt a sense of nostalgia.
Monica used to make a big fuss like this when she was at the Granbell Family's house...
"Hey, Yumie!"
"Oh, yes! Is something wrong, Rifine?"
As I was lost in memories from not too long ago, I heard Rifine calling me.
I slipped away from Elder Brother's hand and went over, where Rifine stood with a woman from this village and a man who was technically our prisoner.
"These 2 wanted to thank you, Yumie. I'm introducing them."
"Thank?"
"Yes!! Thanks to the saint saving my life, I can meet my fiancée again. Thank you!!"
"To be honest, I had given up hope of ever seeing her again... Please let me thank you too...!"
"No, no, if you two want to thank someone, please tell Doctor Seius, not me!"
I've been thanked for similar reasons before, but I never thought I'd hear it from someone from the Empire.
But the two seemed to think my words were modesty, as they shook their heads slightly.
"Of course, we thanked Doctor Seius too. But it was definitely your kind words that saved my life when I was on the edge of death. Even now, it feels like the warmth of the hand you held is still with me."
In his lowered hand, there is a poorly repaired pendant.
It must be important to him, and since I could only offer my help by talking to him, I just did a little repair, but it seems he was happy about it.
"When I first heard the story, I thought I was dreaming because I was close to death... but now that I see you, I clearly understand. You truly are a kind person worthy of being a saint."
"No, no, that's not true! I'm full of desires!"
I can be selfish, I want to eat delicious food, and I want to be loved more; I'm just full of wanting attention.
But the woman smiled softly at me.
"But so many people are working hard for you. A selfish person wouldn't have this kind of support."
"Well, that's..."
It's true that the people of Euphemia care about me because I asked for help, and the Granbell knights treat me well because I'm the leader's daughter, but I don't think that means I have a pure heart.
I wanted to say that, but before I could, Rifine next to me puffed out her chest and said, "Ahem!"
"Of course! Everyone loves Yumie! After all, while Yumie was away, I told everyone stories about her every day..."
"Oh, really!? Rifine, what kind of rumors did you spread!?"
I had heard from Sigurt, but I completely forgot to ask her directly.
How could almost all the people of Ortria not oppose calling me a "saint"? What kind of stories did she tell to make that happen?
"I just told the truth! Even when I was selfish and difficult, you gently hugged me and filled the loneliness I felt. You even protected me from Neithardt's schemes..."
The stories Rifine told about my bravery were indeed just what I had done.
But watching Rifine's little gestures and her truly happy expression made me feel like I might start to like myself too; it was just... cute.
"You really are a kind person."
"Ugh...! B-but, this village was attacked by bandits right before we arrived, right? Is that something that happens often?"
Thinking the conversation wasn't going well, I asked about something that had been bothering me.
Suddenly, the woman looked sad and lowered her eyes.
"No... the bad situation here is very recent."
I learned that because of the war with Ortria, many towns and villages lost their defense forces, and even men who had nothing to do with the war were drafted, making it impossible to stop the bad people.
Those who managed to avoid being drafted found it hard to make a living and became bandits, and those who were robbed started robbing back... it created a terrible cycle everywhere.
"But, Kafis and the others have returned, so this village is okay now. It's all thanks to the Saint!"
"......"
Whether it's because of me or not, the bad situation in the Empire... it might help in war, but it doesn't feel good.
No, I know.
I understand that I shouldn't be worrying about people from other countries right now.
But... knowing that there are people suffering like this makes me sad.
"Is there any way I can help...?"
The words I whispered echoed more than I expected.
Everyone fell silent, and I hurried to explain myself.
"I-I'm sorry! I said something strange... p-please forget it!"
"No, isn't it good? If Yumie wants to do that, I think it's a good idea."
"...Huh?"
For some reason, Rifine took it positively.
No, it wasn't just Rifine.
Father, Doctor Seius, and even Duke Cas and Mr. Lygar started to seriously think about it.
"The Empire is a country formed by several small nations coming together. It's not very big, but still, stretching supply lines from Ortria to the entire Empire seems impossible, right?"
"If we use the Euphemia navy, we can secure the sea route. With Yumie here, we can expect some safety for the supply line, so it might not be a bad idea, right?"
"Originally, it was tough to extend the supply line all the way to the capital. It might not be bad to cut off any worries from behind."
"Leave the elimination of troublemakers to me, I'm ready to go!"
"Leol, you need to hold back."
I had no idea what they were talking about, so I tilted my head.
My father then called out to me.
"Hmm, I was worried about how to end this war, but... I can see a light of hope now."
"Is that so? I'm glad to hear that, father."
"Why are you acting like it's someone else's problem? You are the key to this plan, Yumie."
"...Huh?"
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