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

"Stop sulking and start working!!"

Everyone's eyes widened at my outburst.

"Um... Diadora-sama?"

"It's strange for you to call me 'sama' while I call you by your name, isn't it?"

"But I am no longer..."

"Don't sweat the small stuff."

"Small stuff?"

You just said that Luftanen is a laid-back country, right? People even wear other people's clothes without asking, don't they? If you're from such a country, don't worry about minor details.

"They must have really cared about the person they were supporting if they’re still sulking. If they know there's a child here backed by Azelia's Spirit Kings, wouldn’t they be curious and come to check it out? Oh, unless they're not gathering information?"

'I’m sure their attendants are keeping them informed.'

"Then they must have heard by now. Start working!"

I clenched my fists and shouted again. Camille burst into laughter, quickly turning away, but his shoulders were shaking. He shouldn't hold back and should laugh heartily instead.

"Hey, Ruri, there's something I've been meaning to ask."

'Hmm? What is it?'

"Spirit Kings leave humans alone as long as they don’t harm spirits or the Spirit Kings' homes, right?"

'That's correct.'

"Where does harm start? Does it mean deliberately injuring them? What about not giving them magic power on purpose?"

I occasionally think back to the time in the academy’s forest when I talked with Count Dalimore. Not the conversation itself, but the state of the spirit on his shoulder, which seemed on the verge of disappearing. At that time, Amber saved the spirit, but many spirits likely disappeared without receiving magic power. If people didn’t know they had to give magic power, it couldn’t be helped. Even my family used to be like that. We provided magic power because we practiced swordsmanship and magic, not because we knew it was necessary.

But if someone knows and still doesn’t give magic power, what then? Isn’t that also intentionally harming the spirits? Resentment over food can be scary.

'It's a difficult issue. Humans aren’t obligated to nurture spirits. As with the central region until recently, humans can live without spirits. Nature's power will slowly diminish, and crops will stop growing, but it's humans who must choose. Spirits won’t forcibly demand magic power.'

"So if a spirit ends up with someone who doesn't give them magic power, they just have to accept it?"

'Not at all. If they want to return, someone will be sent to fetch them. Spirits without magic power who stay with humans hope for coexistence or love the human and want to stay by their side.'

Stay by their side... even without magic power? Even if it means they might disappear?

Was that the case with the spirit who was with Count Dalimore? If it became his spirit when he was a child, they had been together for decades. The spirit beasts who were with Gene-sama also stayed by the lonely Gene-sama for many years, until the very end.

Oh no, I'm not good with this. In my previous life, I avoided watching animal-related shows and movies because I would cry immediately.

"Here, use this."

Camille handed me a handkerchief.

"No, I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

I can't help it; crying at a time like this is embarrassing. Usually, I act like an adult, but I can't use the excuse of being a child. There are people from another country here. It's as embarrassing as a professional crying at work.

"Just take it. You lent me one before, remember?"

I was embarrassed and looked down, but he pressed a light blue handkerchief into my hand. I thought men’s handkerchiefs were black or navy. Is that just in Japan? When you get a handkerchief as a return gift, it's always black or navy, right? Thinking about the color of the handkerchief calmed me down.

"Dia?"

I heard Chris-onii-sama’s concerned voice. Feeling embarrassed, I quickly ran towards him with my head down, accidentally head-butting him.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. I just remembered something."

What was that? Even I had to question myself, but Chris-onii-sama hugged me without asking anything. Alan-onii-sama probably came over too.

'Hey, who made my child cry? Moana, was it you?'

Oh no. Jade came, worried.

"No, it's my fault. I cried on my own."

'You wouldn't cry for no reason.'

"It’s more Ruri-sama’s fault."

Alan-onii-sama?!

'Ruri?'

'Wait a minute.'

A beautiful woman’s anger is scary. It's a different kind of scary than Amber.

"Jade-sama, Dia cried thinking about the spirits who disappear because they can't coexist with humans."

Mom, you hit the nail on the head. That's exactly right.

'Is that so? Such a kind child.'

"Did you come all this way just for that?"

'Not just that. Other countries have been troublesome lately, haven't they? I was curious and came to see what Berisario was up to again.'

Even the Spirit Kings think Berisario has a strange image.

"Ruri-sama, may I ask you a question as well?"

Camille calls Moana by her name but uses an honorific for Ruri.

'What is it?'

"Why are you letting the Nicodemus Sect be? They are killing people who want to coexist with spirits. When humans die, spirits disappear too, right? Many children who were still raising spirits have become victims on West Island."

'I won’t intervene in human conflicts.'

"But this isn’t just about human power struggles. It's a fight between those who want to coexist with spirits and those who want to eradicate spirits from this world."

Exactly. That's important. I was trying to steer the conversation in that direction too, even though I ended up crying. People don’t raise spirits just to get help from the Spirit Kings, but in times like these, can’t they do something? The Nicodemus Sect is definitely harming spirits. Isn’t it wrong to leave them alone?

'But that’s still a human conflict...'

'Oh, if they come to Corquette, I’ll get rid of them. I’ve finally built a good relationship with humans, and children are coming to live with spirits. Those who want to perish should do so without bothering others.'

Jade usually has a lively expression with sparkling eyes, but now her eyes are narrowed, making her look very stern.

'Ruri, you wouldn’t stay silent if the Nicodemus Sect attacked Berisario and there was a fight, right?'

'That’s because I support Dia.'

'Oh, so it’s fine if only Dia is safe? You wouldn’t intervene?'

'That’s...'

As Jade kept getting closer to Ruri while talking, Ruri’s stance visibly weakened.

"Children as sacrifices..."

Chris-onii-sama muttered in a small voice, looking down.

"In wars, the weak are the ones who suffer."

I moved a bit away from Chris-onii-sama, looked down, and muttered.

"Spirits would be sad if the children they finally met died."

When Alan-onii-sama also muttered, Ruri seemed to be at her wit’s end and glared at Father as if to say, "Do something," but Father pretended not to notice and looked into the distance.

'In any case, we can’t interfere in the territory of other Spirit Kings. The best we can do is talk with them.'

'That's right. Other Spirit Kings might have different views than ours, right? Moana?'

'Hmm. I don't know what they think because they haven’t shown up.'

'Are they still sulking? Suou! Kohaku! You’re watching, aren’t you?!'

Now Jade was the one shouting. Understandable, really. Anyone would want to shout after years of sulking.

'What a hassle. I said I’m busy.'

'That's because you made your dwelling in such an inconvenient place.'

'That’s why I suggested making a teleportation array.'

Although people from other countries haven't met their Spirit Kings, the Spirit Kings of Azelia gather immediately. They must get along well. Or maybe they’re just not busy.

Camille and Keith were startled by the successive appearances of Spirit Kings. Especially Keith, who seemed determined to protect Camille. He kept trying to step forward, but his spirits, overjoyed by the abundant magic in the lake and the presence of the Spirit Kings, kept buzzing around him and bumping into him.

'Hey, crybaby. You seem like you want to say something.'

"I'm not a crybaby."

I stepped away from Chris-onii-sama, put my hands on my hips, and stood proudly, but Suou poked my forehead with his finger.

"Look over there."

I pointed to the spirits flying around Keith. Everyone had been focused on Camille, so they hadn’t noticed Keith’s situation. He was getting knocked around by the spirits, which was kind of cute.

'Ruri, let those spirit beasts play for a while.'

'Hmm? They’re bumping into him.'

"I apologize. They don’t usually act like this."

The spirits seemed overjoyed, flying around like “Woohoo!” upon hearing Suou’s words. Now they buzzed around Camille and Keith, as if asking for permission to play.

"This must be their first time in a place so rich in magic."

'You can let them become spirit beasts. Just keep them small.'

"Thank you."

'You’re welcome too.'

When Ruri said this, everyone looked around as if trying to remember why we came here. Camille's dragon spirit beast, which looked like an Eastern dragon, and Keith's spirit beast, a wolf that looked like a plush toy because it was miniaturized, started running around joyfully. Seeing

 them so happy, everyone else's spirits began to get restless, wanting to play too.

The spirit beasts started running around, turning the meadow into a playground. Watching them frolic was heartwarming.

'Suou, let’s go to the island and drag those recluses out. I can’t tolerate losing this sight because the other country’s Spirit Kings are slacking off.'

'Right. West Island’s Spirit King is sulking, and humans with spirits are being killed. The land must be drying up by now.'

As spirits dwindle, crops stop growing, and if left unchecked, the land becomes cracked and uninhabitable. The Nicodemus Sect believes they can cultivate the land with water management and magical tools, but that’s impossible in this world. If it were possible, Pendelus would already be a lush country. The forest from the academy to Aaron's Falls took only three years to flourish with magic and the spirits' help.

"The Third Prince allied with the Nicodemus Sect, right? Did he give West Island to them?"

Duke Powell, who had been silent, finally spoke. But I had noticed he had been watching the frolicking spirit beasts with narrowed eyes, looking pleased.

"Is he planning to turn his mother’s homeland into a barren wasteland?"

"He promised the major nobles there land in East Island. If he becomes king, he’ll live in the royal palace on East Island."

"Is there enough land in East Island for that?"

"No, he plans to drive out the current nobles in East Island."

Camille looked frustrated as he explained. After all, the Third Prince...

"Is an idiot?"

You can't govern a country like that. Doesn't his mother's family say anything?

"I didn’t say that, but..."

"I just said it for you."

"Well... it’s true."

"Indeed, he’s quite foolish. The Third Prince and the First Queen welcomed the Nicodemus Sect to the island, but he was stripped of his succession rights and imprisoned after an assassination attempt. Now, nobles who want to free him have allied with the Nicodemus Sect, turning the town near the port into a battlefield."

"Ah, so you came to rely on Ruri-sama and the others."

"No, I came to confirm and decline Moana's proposal to set up a teleportation point here."

"Oh, right. That’s what this was about."

Why are both Duke Powell and Camille looking at me?

"The questions about the war were from Camille, right?"

"Well, yes..."

'In any case, the best we can do is try to rouse the recluses.'

'Yes, let’s go, Moana.'

Suou and Jade disappeared in an instant.

'Wait. Camille-kun...'

"I entered the castle by carriage, so I’ll return the same way."

'I see. See you then.'

After hurriedly saying their farewells, Moana disappeared too. Beautiful but such a shame. Are all the Spirit Kings of Luftanen like that?

'Ruri, let’s go to Bejaia.'

'We’re only going to talk.'

'What else would we do? I'm not going to hit them.'

Am I the only one who thinks Amber might actually hit someone?