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

“We should have been honest from the beginning. But Viscount Branton planned to have me hidden under the protection of Marquess Berisario, so I couldn't be entirely truthful with my comrades. Moreover, this matter involves the Water Spirit King of Luftanen.”

“Lady Moana?”

“You knew?”

Camille nodded with a delighted smile.

This might be the first time I’ve seen him smile.

“So, I didn’t know who to trust regarding the Spirit King.”

“That’s why you wanted to speak to me?”

“Yes.”

Why didn’t he just say so?

But I see, Mr. Conning is on the Viscount’s side. Today his face looks more strained than usual. It must have taken courage to be so open in front of him.

It means he ignored the Viscount's wishes this time. I wonder if he'll be okay afterward.

“Shall we introduce ourselves first?”

“Oh, I apologize for moving the conversation along on my own.”

Duke Powell began to speak calmly, and Camille straightened his posture.

“That’s because I asked questions. I am Marquess Berisario. This is my wife, Nadia. Behind us are our sons, Chris and Alan.”

It’s impressive, isn’t it? I’m seated in the center of a three-seater sofa, with my parents on either side, and my brothers guarding behind us.

To my right are two single-seater sofas where Duke Powell and Paolo are seated.

Paolo is Duke Rampling.

The other day, I almost called him a "visual type," realizing I hadn’t properly remembered his name. He told me to just call him Paolo, without any titles.

Father, of course, said it was too familiar and started making nonsensical claims about not giving me away in marriage, and Paolo, despite the age difference, got angry and insisted he wasn’t considering such a thing. It was a troublesome scene.

At the room’s entrance are two of our guards.

Two imperial guards are near Camille and his companions.

If I were in their shoes, I’d want to leave quickly.

“Conning and Leah have visited the Fairy Company several times, so you should know them. They are from the Corquette Company. This is my aide, Keith Harle.”

After the introductions from the empire's side, Camille introduced his companions.

So, this young man is his aide. I guess he’s the only one I can truly consider Camille’s ally.

He’s quite handsome, with all-attribute spirit beasts. Since he has a surname, he must be a noble.

Camille might correctly understand the danger of dealing with the empire.

He probably plans to escape using teleportation magic if necessary.

“First, please accept the promised cacao. This is an apology for the previous incident. It has no relation to our discussion today.”

From a small bag Keith held, more and more burlap sacks appeared.

It was wise to cooperate with the head court magician and present magic bags to the heads of nobles of marquis rank or higher. Otherwise, everyone would have been shocked by this scene.

Well, everyone is still wide-eyed.

Currently, only the head court magician, the deputy court magician, the next head of Marquess Norland, Count Larna, our head magician Alisa, me, and my mother can use spatial magic in the empire.

Only high-ranking nobles can acquire magic bags, and the only ones combining spirit vehicles with spatial magic are us and the royal family.

Luftanen truly lives up to its reputation as the Land of Spirits.

Having two people who can use spatial magic in this room is impressive.

Ten large burlap sacks appeared. They’re all filled with cacao.

“This much?!”

It’s cacao! I’m so happy I could cry.

I want to leave the difficult conversations to the adults, grab that cacao, and rush to the kitchen.

“Are magic bags common in Luftanen?”

Duke Powell asked cautiously.

“Among nobles, they are somewhat common. But they are expensive, so commoners rarely possess them.”

“That’s impressive. Truly fitting for the Land of Spirits.”

“No. Our country’s connection with spirits is weakening. I believe the number of spirit beasts in the empire has surpassed ours.”

Berisario focuses more on modifying spirit vehicles than magic bags.

For the crown prince’s upcoming birthday, we’re working on a spirit vehicle that looks ordinary but has a living room, a simple kitchen, and a bed inside. The main goal is to increase transportation capacity.

“Everyone here from the empire has met a Spirit King before, so you can speak freely.”

“Understood. Currently, Luftanen is on the brink of war with Bejaia.”

“What?”

“The main queen and the third prince’s family, specifically some nobles from West Island, have allied with the Nicodemus Sect of Bejaia. They plan to kill other royals and make themselves the rulers.”

There it is, the Nicodemus Sect.

“The third prince was arrested for attempted murder, but the Nicodemus Sect infiltrated West Island won’t stop there. Fighting has already begun in some regions between those aligned with the sect and other nobles.”

Attempted murder on him?

Not only was the second prince killed, but Camille was also targeted?

The viscount said he wanted Camille hidden under our protection.

Has it come to a point where they must smuggle royalty to another country?

“So, West Island has abandoned coexistence with spirits?”

“It appears so. The Nicodemus Sect is hostile to spirits and seems to plan to gather and eliminate all spirits on West Island.”

“What?!”

I shouted, slamming my hands on the table and leaning forward.

Camille recoiled in surprise.

“Dia, calm down. Complaining to this child won’t help, so let’s hear him out.”

Mother’s voice was cold enough to chill the room slightly, indicating her anger.

“Bejaia is in a state of civil war. Can they afford to interfere with Luftanen?”

“The core of the Nicodemus Sect is the royal family of the Republic of Pendelus.”

“Ah, so Bejaia is on the brink of war with Pendelus.”

“Yes. Pendelus is abandoning its desertifying land and aims to take over Bejaia.”

Listening to Father and Camille’s conversation only fuels my anger.

It’s fine to believe humanity is superior.

It’s fine to think spirits are unnecessary.

But don’t impose that belief on unrelated people in other countries.

“Do Pendelus and the Nicodemus Sect not realize that Bejaia will also turn into a desert?”

“They believe the desertification resulted from spirit experiments and that spirits won’t interfere in human conflicts, so there should be no problem.”

That’s it!

That’s what’s been bothering me!

“Moana was worried about my safety and asked the Water Spirit King of the empire for assistance, in case war broke out, so I could teleport to the lake here.”

“That’s not acceptable. Do you plan to let foreign royalty freely enter and exit our castle?”

Camille quickly shook his head, raising his hands in a defensive gesture.

“I also thought it was inappropriate, which is why I’m here to discuss it. I’d like to meet the Water Spirit King to personally thank and decline their offer. Moana kept laughing it off, saying it would be fine. She has a free-spirited nature.”

“So, Ruri has already agreed?”

“That’s what I’ve heard.”

“Ruri!”

I clenched my fists and shouted at the ceiling.

This castle also serves as a fortress.

It’s home to many people and knights who serve the castle.

It’s a place of refuge for the townspeople in times of need.

Bringing in a foreigner without consulting the Marquess is a betrayal.

Even if it's a Spirit King, it’s unacceptable.

“Ru...”

‘Finally called me.’

I felt a hand on my head and turned around to find Ruri squatting on the sofa backrest.

You’re nimble like a cat.

It’s very unsettling.

‘Are you angry because you don’t trust me?’

“...Ruri.”

‘Hmm?’

“That posture is uncool.”

‘Oh, you dare call me uncool after summoning me?’

He ruffled my hair, but I couldn’t complain because he was right.

“I’m sorry.”

‘Let’s change locations. Who’s coming?’

“Just my family and these two.”

I indicated Duke Powell and Paolo, then looked at Camille.

“Only Keith and I will go.”

“Camille-sama!?”

“You aren’t in a position to meet the Spirit King, are you?”

“...”

Conning and Leah are on the viscount’s side.

I thought Camille and Conning were close, but it seems not.

“Then the other two will wait here.”

Father signaled to the knights, who nodded silently.

“You two cooperate with them and stay here. One of you should report our progress to the prince. He must be worried.”

Paolo’s words made the imperial guards nod.

Conning and Leah looked pale, but they wouldn't cause any trouble. They are guests, after all.

‘Let’s go.’

“Wait. Everyone, stand up. From your seats...”

Light enveloped the room, momentarily blinding us. When it faded, we found ourselves in a grassy field near the lake.

“Ruri, that was rough! I almost fell.”

‘Oh, did you? Fall, that is.’

This isn’t the time to laugh.

When a sofa disappears suddenly, those sitting will fall.

Duke Powell nearly fell, but Paolo caught him quickly. My parents were supported by my brothers, and Camille and Keith, accustomed to this, remained unscathed.

“Moana often does this to us...”

Poor Camille, dealing with this frequently.

Everyone tried to kneel, but Ruri stopped them.

Camille and Keith seemed enchanted by the new scenery.

It’s beautiful, right?

With the increased number of spirits,

 magic is abundant, making it always lush and the lake crystal clear. It’s hard to believe this is within the castle grounds.

‘Finally, you’ve arrived! Camille-kun!’

A cute girl with long smoky blue hair like Ruri’s ran towards us, waving her hand.

She looked almost two-dimensional.

Any bigger eyes, and she’d look like a photo app filter, but her deep-set features made her large eyes charming instead. 

She was around nine heads tall with long limbs, a curvy figure, and emerald green eyes, looking like a teenage girl. She’d perfectly fit the image of a mermaid princess if her lower body were a fish’s tail.

‘Moana.’

‘Yes?!’

At Ruri’s displeased tone, Moana stopped running to Camille and looked at Ruri nervously.

‘I heard you told this child that I had approved.’

‘Well... I assumed you’d cooperate.’

‘I told you to discuss it with Berisario first.’

‘There wasn’t much time.’

‘My lake is within Berisario’s castle. Couldn’t you at least have chosen the coastline?’

‘That’s dangerous. Camille-kun is trustworthy.’

That’s not a reason to agree.

‘So, if I said I would send Berisario’s child to your home, would that be fine?’

‘Which child? They’re all cute. They can all come at once!’

This is... possibly...

“Hey, Camille... sama?”

“Just call me Camille.”

“Then, Camille. Is Luftanen laid-back or, well, loose?”

Judging by his sigh and the way he scratched his head, my guess was right.

“Not so much among nobles, but commoners... being an hour late for a meeting is acceptable. Borrowing and returning someone’s clothes is normal.”

“That’s amazing.”

“Incredible.”

My brothers, who were behind me, joined the conversation.

“Not just Moana, but all of Luftanen’s Spirit Kings are free-spirited. Except for Moana, none have shown themselves for over a hundred years.”

‘Since the death of the king who supported them, they were too shocked to interact with humans. I appear because I blessed the crown prince and Camille-kun.’

The reincarnated king died, and they’re still in shock? What about their duties?

‘I apologize. Moana is my sister. Though I’ve explained the differences in our perceptions to her...’

‘The other Spirit Kings have been sulking for a long time, even though things on West Island are dire.’

Given the Nicodemus Sect’s actions, West Island must be in chaos.

But in this world without TV broadcasts, the internet, or smartphones, the situation on distant islands can only be known through travelers’ stories.

We won’t know the real situation without visiting.

“If Spirit Kings neglect their duties, spirits will dwindle.”

‘That’s true. But they’ve lost patience with humans, who forget everything quickly and die young.’

I understand the Spirit Kings’ perspective. Humans are short-lived, and events from a hundred years ago are just history lessons now. What’s taught depends on the powers that be.

It’s inevitable humans will suffer. It’s their own doing.

But spirits must be protected.

Sulking and hiding away is unacceptable.

“Stop sulking! Work!!”

Everyone looked at me in surprise at my shout.