I left Demon Island and headed west along the imperial Highway. My steps were light and my heart was light, unlike when I came. I was so happy that I couldn’t help but hum a tune.

To put it bluntly, I was elated.

This time, my return home was a short one, less than a day, but I gained a lot. I was able to confirm my own growth and the heights I should reach.

On top of that, I was able to defeat the demon gods and raise my level. It’s no wonder I was elated.

My current level is “30”, and every time I picture this number in my head, my face breaks into a smile. As I walked along, grinning and humming, I must have looked like a suspicious person. Occasionally, travelers passing by avoided me with a disgusted look.

If I had encountered the imperial soldiers guarding the highway, they might have taken me to the station without question. It was lucky that I was able to reach the border between the empire and the Canaria Kingdom without encountering such a situation.

–Well, I don’t know if that luck will continue in the future.

My vision is filled with a long line of people blocking the highway. It’s literally a long line of people. It’s normal for the border to be crowded, but this scale is still strange. There must be some kind of abnormality going on.

However, there was no hurry or tension on the faces of the people waiting in line, so it was probably not a dangerous abnormality like a large monster appearing or a war breaking out between the Adoastera Empire and the Canaria Kingdom.

So, what exactly was going on? I tilted my head.

“I can understand if the Canaria side of the border is crowded, but…”

The Canaria Kingdom had been plagued by disasters lately. The royal capital was attacked by undead monsters, a stampede of rampaging beasts occurred, and mythical creatures appeared. The list of disasters was endless. And there was no guarantee that these disasters would not continue in the future.

So, if there was a surge of people fleeing from the Canaria Kingdom to the Adoastera Empire and the border was crowded, I would understand.

But the sight I see is the opposite, and the people here are trying to go to the chaotic Canaria Kingdom.

Are they merchants who see a business opportunity in the turmoil, or mercenaries who wander around looking for work? Or–I thought as I listened to the voices around me.

I picked up the voices of the people who had been stuck for a long time, and sometimes joined them to hear their stories. As I did so, the situation gradually became clear.

–To put it bluntly, it seems that the wedding of Princess Sakuya of the Adoastera Empire and Prince Azar of the Canaria Kingdom has been announced. The ceremony will be held in the royal capital of Horus. The scheduled date is one month later.

I had heard that there was such a talk when I went to the royal capital before. So I was not surprised by the wedding itself, but I was surprised by the date.

It’s only a month from the announcement to the implementation. For a wedding between nations, it’s not uncommon to spend more than a year preparing. This shortness is what’s going on. Even a commoner’s wedding would take a little more time.

They won’t be able to prepare properly. As mentioned earlier, the Canaria Kingdom is in the midst of chaos, and even the logistics are not restored. How can they have a big wedding in such a situation–

“No, maybe that’s why, huh?”

I put my hand on my chin and thought. It’s not uncommon for a country to start a large-scale construction project to help people who have lost their homes and jobs due to a major disaster.

A wedding between nations would be a very large-scale project. It’s perfect for public works.

The Canaria Kingdom probably doesn’t have the resources to gather the materials needed for such a huge project, but with the full support of the Adoastera Empire, there’s no need to worry about the shortage of materials. After all, the empire is the other party to the wedding. They will surely lend food and manpower to make the happy wedding a success.

These movements related to the wedding could be an opportunity to revitalize the exhausted Canaria economy. Not only the economy. The national celebration would also have the effect of calming the people’s minds, which were disturbed by the monsters.

Yeah, yeah, it’s all good. It would be ridiculous to postpone such a celebration for a year. Even if it’s a celebration, it won’t bring hope to people’s hearts if it’s too far ahead. Let’s just hang in there a little longer–I thought that as a date that made me feel that way, one month later was something I could understand well.

“There’s no way to fault it on the surface. On the surface, that is.”

Knowing that the Adoastera Empire had moved the Mitsurugi family and eliminated Claudia, the fiancée of the crown prince, I felt that this wedding was more than fishy.

The empire had stuck to its ignorance of the Jijinbou incident and was trying to get things done quickly. The Canaria side must have wanted to avoid that, but given the situation, it must have been difficult to refuse the empire’s assistance. Especially if they refused forcefully, they might invite a military invasion by the empire.

By now, the Dragnaut Duke and Astrid in the royal capital must be in a mess. I wonder how Claudia is doing. Claudia, who had her engagement broken off, should have nothing to do with this wedding, but there is a possibility that she is involved in some trouble because she is the former fiancée.

And I was also worried about Claudia’s condition after that. I killed Jijinbou, the source of the curse, and raised her level with soul infusion. I didn’t get any words from Dragnaut Duke about his daughter’s abnormality in the letter I received before heading to Demon Island. So there shouldn’t be any problem, but…

I just passed through the royal capital on my way there because I was in a hurry. I’ll stop by for a while on my way back when I’m less worried. As I got tired of the slow-moving line, I thought about such things.

◆◆

At the same time, Claudia Dragnaut was alone in her home stable, deep in thought.

The duke’s daughter, who had been emaciated and frail due to the curse, had now regained her health completely.

Her cheeks glowed pink, her hands were beautiful like white fish, and she had a fresh and lively feeling while retaining her graceful impression.

Her lovely beauty was enough to surprise the public eye, and when she went to the palace with her father and sister the other day, the courtiers all exclaimed.

Most of the courtiers knew Claudia before she was cursed. Even they were amazed by Claudia’s appearance now.

Claudia was originally a well-known lady for her beauty and intelligence, but Claudia now clearly surpassed her past. Her former fiancé, Crown Prince Azar, whom she met for the first time in a long time, also opened his eyes wide and showed his surprise.

Claudia let out a sigh as she remembered the prince’s face at that time.

“Pii?”

A huge shadow moved as it looked at Claudia. As mentioned earlier, Claudia was the only one here, but there were other creatures.

In front of the duke’s daughter, the winged beast Wyvern Clarent, owned by the Dragnaut family, lay down. As you can tell from the fact that it bears part of Claudia’s name, Clarent is Claudia’s dragon.

“I’m fine, Clarent. I just… yeah, just a little bit, I want to slap the prince’s cheek.”

“Pi!?”

“Is that okay? Of course not!”

That’s why I’m so frustrated. I clenched my lips as I thought.

I’m not angry about having my engagement broken off. Of course I have some thoughts, but considering my condition until recently, I can’t blame him for judging me unfit as a crown princess and a future queen.

After that, as if he had been waiting for it, the marriage talks with Princess Sakuya of the empire progressed. It’s not the prince’s fault either. It was probably the result of Lord Corcia’s scheming, and once the king accepted it, the prince had no choice but to accept it. I understand that too.

But. Yes, but.

Just because he didn’t like Princess Sakuya’s arrogant personality, he shouldn’t have sent me a flirtatious look again. If he thinks that I’ll jump at him if he dangles the seat of the second wife in front of me, he’s mistaken.

“Really! I’m glad it didn’t reach my father and sister’s ears. It could have turned into a duel!”

In front of Claudia, who was angry, Clarent shook his head from side to side in confusion.

He couldn’t hide his panic at his master who was unusually angry.