The Reincarnated Count's Daughter Is the Strongest as She Is Loved by the Spirits, Though She Is Only Wishing for Regular Romance!

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Author Notes: 

   The number of ladies invited by Diadra in the previous episode has been reduced by one. 

   I posted a very simple summary of the characters.

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When I heard about Aaron's Falls, I imagined something like Kegon Falls. Since it's a waterfall in the capital, I thought it might be smaller, but it should have a majestic atmosphere since a Spirit King resides there.

The actual waterfall was about the same height as Kegon Falls and as wide as the narrower part of Niagara Falls.

From the moment we got out of the spirit carriage, we could hear the roaring sound of the water falling.

The basin of the waterfall formed a lake, and the water flowed out into a large river outside the capital. The spray was cold, and the sound was so loud that we had to shout to have a conversation.

"Spirit King, are you there?" 

It was the general's spirit beast who spoke. From now on, the royals would be the representatives dealing with Amber, so we were just here to accompany them. We didn't have to do anything.

"Welcome."

As soon as Amber-sensei appeared, the roaring sound of the falling water gradually quieted.

Just like when she appeared in the forest of the academy, Amber-sensei floated in the air, as if lounging on an invisible sofa. Her figure was as elegantly curvaceous as ever, and her voice had a gentle sweetness to it. It felt like being greeted by a bar hostess, but the background was a waterfall. The roaring and gushing made it an overwhelming sight.

However, in front of such a charming and beautiful woman, the fact that she was floating in the air didn't matter. The royal knights were utterly captivated. Even the two princes, meeting her for the first time, seemed stunned by her beauty.

"What are you all doing?!"

The Emperor's reprimand brought everyone except us siblings back to their senses. The general and father hadn't been dazzled by her because they already had loved ones. What about my brothers? Maybe they were too busy meeting everyone at once to be enchanted, or perhaps they had different tastes.

"Our apologies."

"Do not worry. More importantly, you have done well to create the path for the spirits in such a short time. I saw many people coming to the forest at the academy to offer their magic power. It made me happy."

Amber's tone was different from when she met us at the lake on my birthday or in Lapis's residence. She seemed much more relaxed now. Her gaze towards the princes, who had grown up without spirits due to the actions of adults, was particularly gentle.

"However, I have only forgiven you for destroying our forest. Whether we can build a relationship of trust remains to be seen."

"Yes, we understand."

"Therefore, I will not invite you to my residence as I do with others."

"...Yes."

This is where the difference with the marquess comes in.

Well, if this relationship continues, they might get along eventually. Actually, please do.

Get along so well that you don't care about Berisario anymore and are thoroughly blessed.

"Everyone, stand up."

Following Amber's words, everyone stood.

It was hard to know if we should be happy or if this meant prosperity for the central region. The atmosphere was heavy.

"You're probably surprised I forgave so quickly. There is a reason for that. You've heard about Pendelus and the Nicodemus religion from other Spirit Kings, right?"

The emperor's and the general's faces became a bit more serious.

They must have heard a lot about the worsening situation beyond the strait from more sources than I had.

"I do not want to give Nicodemus religion any foothold in this country."

Wait, is that the flow of this conversation?

When the Spirit Kings gathered for my birthday, they were boasting about their respective human territories...

Amber-sensei glared at me as if saying, "Don't say anything unnecessary."

My family quickly averted their gazes. Only I made eye contact with her. Don't worry, I can read the room too.

"May I ask a question?"

The emperor's voice ended my silent staring contest with Amber.

"What sins did Pendelus and the Nicodemus religion commit to warrant such vigilance from the Spirit Kings?"

"Hmm... Humans were not informed?"

Amber's lips curved into a beautiful smile, and the pressure in the air increased.

"They believe that humans are the race chosen by God. There should be no beings stronger than humans. They cannot accept that superior humans need spirits to use magic."

I want to say that they should realize that they aren't the most superior beings at that point.

Well, they probably realized it. But admitting it would mean their country couldn't function since Pendelus operated on that principle. Nicodemus religion is the state religion of Pendelus.

"So they tried to make humans capable of using magic without spirits. They experimented on spirit beasts."

"Experimented?"

"To see how long they could last without magic power, what would happen if isolated from their human partners and attacked by magic beasts, what would happen if dissected. They also tried poisoning them, cutting off limbs, and more."

"How terrible..."

"Indeed."

"So we evacuated all the spirits from Pendelus. No one could use magic anymore. They incited the populace, claiming the Spirit Kings intended to overthrow the country, and set fire to our residences."

Naturally, they would abandon them.

Pendelus still considers the Spirit Kings as enemies who destroyed their country. They conveniently forgot their own actions.

"So they can't tolerate the existence of countries that thrive with spirits."

"And they would go so far as to assassinate princes of other countries."

The emperor and general discussed the assassination of the second prince of the Kingdom of Luftanen, which was briefly mentioned before.

Luftanen has four islands. Originally, they were small separate countries unified by the current royal family.

The young king married queens from each island to strengthen ties. Four queens, with five princes and seven princesses. It's no wonder there are power struggles.

Recently, the second prince was killed by the faction of the third or fourth prince, possibly both, influenced by Nicodemus religion.

The fifth prince, born to the queen from the smallest island, has already renounced his claim to the throne.

The crown prince is already twenty and reputedly capable. Why this mess now?

It seems they tried to eliminate both the second prince and the crown prince, who are sons of the same queen.

"We understand the necessity of vigilance against Nicodemus religion. We will not allow such a faith to spread here."

"Perhaps banning entry to Pendelus people would be wise. Berisario Marquess, you've already strengthened inspections, haven't you?"

"Yes. There were some who attempted to smuggle in through the port from the Luftanen side instead of the strait."

"Hmm. You educate your citizens about spirits, don't you?"

"Sorry?"

The sudden change of topic made the general and emperor exchange glances.

Meanwhile, us children stood silently, listening attentively. Especially the princes, who seemed invisible.

"You understand that spirits react to conversations, which means they understand words, right?"

Of course. Otherwise, how could they converse?

"So you understand that spirits always listen to the humans they are with."

"Yes. We have been told to keep them in the next room during baths or at night, and we follow that advice."

"Good. If you have conversations that shouldn't be overheard, keep the spirits away. It seems some in the central region don't understand this. Spirits never eavesdrop but will report if someone plots harm against spirits or Spirit Kings. They also inform us if someone plots against Diadora."

Makes sense, right? They are our backers, after all.

But why bring this up now?!

"Are there people like that in our country?!"

If my father hadn't said it, I'd have thought it was just badmouthing.

That's not good. My crisis management is lacking.

"Not currently. But let everyone know that plotting against Diadora will be reported to us. We Spirit Kings will not tolerate it. Diadora has already done much to repair relations between us and humans. For Nicodemus followers, she is an obstacle. We became her backers to protect her."

So, if people badmouth me, it gets back to the Spirit Kings.

The reason is to protect me, but it amounts to eavesdropping. They must keep spirits away when plotting.

But keeping spirits away during meetings would be a sign they are plotting something.

"Diadora, do the girls who canceled last minute for the meal have spirits?"

"Huh?"

Chris-oniisama's whisper brought me back to reality.

"I'm not sure."

But harm means bodily harm, right? They wouldn't do anything just for a bit of mischief, right?

"Let's bring the spirits back."

Amber-sensei, please stop smiling at us like that.

The spirits are here, so they heard our whispers.

"Amber-sama, you know something."

When Alan-oniisama muttered, Amber-sensei, while gathering light in her palm and sending it off with the wind, gave us a cheerful smile.

The surroundings of Aaron's Falls and the forest of the academy were rejuvenated with the return of the spirits, and the colors of the leaves became more vivid. Some people immediately acquired spirits, and bright cheers echoed all around.

The princes received a gift of an earth spirit sword from Amber.

Since they had been visiting the academy's forest almost daily, they would likely acquire another spirit attribute soon.

With this, our work in Berisario to bridge relations with the four elemental Spirit Kings was done. The magical ministry and spirit ministry would jointly handle spirit lectures for the central people.

While nobles headed to Aaron's Falls or strolled to acquire spirits, our family returned early to the townhouse via the imperial palace.

We had to change for the upcoming celebration.

This would be my first official event apart from tea parties at the palace.

I'm anxious and stressed out.

Living in the capital might not be conducive to a long life.

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Author Notes: 

   Thank you for your continued comments, ratings, and typo reports.

   Next time is the celebratory banquet.

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