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

// Cocoa Handler //

Since the Crown Prince returned to the palace with Elton, I thought I'd continue my walk, but then the spirit beasts told me that Ruri was calling for me. Spatial magic is truly convenient. Once you've been to a place, you can travel there instantly. I imagine connecting space to space, like a famous cat-shaped robot, creating a door in front of me that opens to a distant place, and I partially open the space to move.

When Alan-oniisama saw it, he said, "This one even destroys space now."

"Ruri, did you call for me?"

The lake is clear today, reflecting the afternoon sun and sparkling. As I watched the spirit beasts play joyfully in the water, light gathered on the lake's surface, and Ruri appeared as usual.

"Moana is being noisy again."

He looks a bit tired, doesn't he?

"He wants to meet Camille."

"He can meet him at the Fairy Company."

"He plans to visit the company soon, but he wants to talk to you first."

"Is he coming here?"

"The only human allowed to teleport here is you. Moana will bring him."

"Fine, if Ruri says it's okay, then just this once."

"Moana, you can come now."

Do water spirit kings like to appear on water? Moana appears similarly to Ruri, with her hand on Camille's shoulder, bringing him along.

"Diadora."

Camille's expression is much brighter than last time. Maybe he's more comfortable now that we've met a few times, smiling right from the start. He wears a plain shirt like a commoner and baggy pants rolled up at the hems. Maybe the size doesn't fit, but it looks good on him because of his good build.

"Hello. What's the sudden visit for?"

"Well..."

"Hey, that's not what we agreed."

"Moana!"

"Just this once. I won't do it again. Now that others are starting to show up, I can't always rely on my brother."

Moana hurriedly explained, waving her hands.

"Diadora, thank you so much. Thanks to you, I finally met my companions again. We went to the royal palace, talked with the Crown Prince and Camille. They all got quite the scolding from Hisui and Suou."

"Let me also thank you. Thank you for lending us your strength."

"I didn't do anything."

"You were shouting, weren't you?"

Don't look so innocent. I don't want to be thanked for that!

"But that moved the spirit kings. I never expected such a significant change from meeting you."

"That's why I suggested going to the Empire, but you wouldn't move."

"Teleporting here is illegal. This place is both a castle and a fortress; a foreign duke can't just come here."

"I know. I wouldn't normally do this, but many children and spirits were dying."

"So, what happened in West Island?"

When I asked, Camille hesitated for a moment but then spoke up.

"I wasn't sure if it was appropriate to tell a young lady like you."

"I'm not an ordinary young lady."

"How old are you?"

"Ten!"

Don't look at Ruri like you don't know what to do. You know I'm not a regular kid by now. Camille, you probably have quite different experiences from a typical prince too.

"I was planning to tell Berisario when I thanked them formally. Or maybe officially to the Empire..."

"Ah, no, please don't. The Empire has its own issues. Just contact us, and the Crown Prince will hear about it."

"Understood, we'll do that."

"So, what happened?"

When I took a step closer, Camille smoothly sidestepped away. Am I scaring him? No, that can't be it. We haven't talked much, and I look like a regular lady. Maybe I smell? Am I sweaty? I've never been told I have body odor, so I should be fine.

"Ruri-sama, what is this child doing? She's suddenly sniffing her arm."

"Who knows? Isn't she interesting? She always does something unexpected, making her fun to watch."

"Are you okay, Diadora?"

The three of them looked at me, bewildered.

"Well, Camille moves away when I get close, so I thought maybe I smell."

"What?! No... I'm not avoiding you."

That's a lie. You're clearly cautious.

"There are two reasons."

"Okay."

"First, your strong magic is intimidating. The spirit beasts are warning me not to get too close."

When I looked around, the spirit beasts that were crouching suddenly froze and turned away, pretending they weren't doing anything. So, that's why Camille's spirit beasts were wriggling earlier.

"The other reason?"

"I've never talked to or been close to a girl my age."

"What?!"

"Only those who can protect themselves are around me."

"You say 'I'?"

Hmm, he usually says "I" instead of "watashi." Acting all proper, aren't you? Well, given he's undergone combat training to protect himself, it's understandable. I've also heard he interacts a lot with commoners.

"You should get used to it. It'll be troublesome in the future if you don't. Come on."

"I might get killed by your brothers if I get too close."

"True. So, what happened in West Island? Don't change the subject."

Don't sigh. It chases away happiness. Ruri and Moana, if you're going to look at the children fondly, at least help out. This is important.

"Thanks to Hisui-sama and Suou-sama, the spirit kings left their dwellings, saw the state of West Island, got very angry, and turned all the Nicodemus followers into sand."

...What?

"So, the invaders all turned to sand?"

"Not just them, but also those who betrayed the homeland and cooperated with Nicodemus."

"Is that okay? Did they mistakenly turn innocent people to sand too?"

"Nicodemus followers carry a bracelet. Only those with it turned to sand."

Camille probably feels relieved since the traitors are gone, and the threat to Luftanen is blown away. But having half of West Island's nobles turned to sand is like a horror movie. With the spirit king's power, not even their clothes remain. They can even turn buildings to sand. West Island must look like a giant sandbox. Those were once humans!

But compared to execution by beheading, it might seem peaceful? No bloodshed.

"And where it's been leveled, grass and trees have already grown, turning into a field."

Using humans as fertilizer to create a field... No, let's not think that way. It was the spirit king's power. I need to shift my mindset from horror. So that's why he hesitated to tell me.

"I never thought the spirit kings could be moved like that. I'm glad they're scared now and won't try to harm spirits again."

Our Crown Prince would probably say the same. So would Chris-oniisama.

"And it wasn't all of West Island that became a battlefield. Only the port town near Bejaia and the Third Prince's family's territory."

So, not all of West Island turned into a giant sandbox. Phew, most places are fine.

"Are there no other damages?"

"Directly, no. But many men were conscripted for military service, leaving many fields unattended."

"The Third Prince is such an idiot!"

"Restoring damaged nature is tough, but with the spirit kings back, everyone will work on rebuilding."

"You sound detached."

"I can't interfere in West Island. I'm too noticeable with my spirit beasts. Achieving too much could be problematic."

True. Awakening the island's spirit kings through the Empire's spirit kings is already a huge accomplishment. Even if it were credited to me, we're acquainted. Then there's Duke Powell, Paolo, and the Berisario family. Wait, aren't we solidifying Camille's position?

"Owe me one?"

"Huh?"

"What about the cocoa?"

"I'll prepare the necessary amount. Of course, we won't sell to anyone else. I'd like our company to handle all transactions with the Fairy Company. Is that a problem?"

"Don't want another noble claiming they're close to Berisario, like last time."

"Exactly. The area around the port on the Empire's side has become my territory. We'll tighten entry and exit for a while, but Berisario is trustworthy, so trade shouldn't be an issue."

Hmm? Isn't the extra land in West Island?

"Is that okay? That territory originally belonged to your mother's family, the Rintonen Marquisate."

"They're moving to West Island."

"What?! Won't they resent you?"

"Do I have to answer?"

"Yes!"

"Sigh. The Marquis's son teamed up with Baron Branton to make me king."

Ah. So instead of having their house destroyed for treason, they agreed to rebuild West Island. Their territory suffered the most damage, huh? That's tough.

"After the king backed by the spirit kings died, the royal family and high-ranking nobles kept the knowledge of spirit beasts' rearing and the relationship between spirits and nature as their privilege."

"So that's why spirits dwindled and the spirit kings sulked?"

"The spirit kings said it was both the shock of the king's death and the severed bond with humans. So, we'll model ourselves after the Empire."

"Model?"

"The other day, despite the different nations, spirit beasts were playing happily. Even the people of the Empire cared about me. Until now, the Empire was just a scary multi-ethnic military state."

"It is scary."

"You are."

Wait. How can you say that to such a cute girl with such a bright smile? That's why girls avoid you.

"So, we're going to appoint human representatives for each island to meet regularly with the spirit kings. The relationships with spirits may vary by island, but at least all nobles should have spirits."

"Is the representative for West Island the Marquis Rintonen?"

"His son, Helt."

Wait. Rebuilding doesn't seem so tough now. It feels like they're getting off easy.

"Are you handling spirit-related tasks?"

"No. I won't take on such important roles. But Moana is the spirit king of North Island, so I'll be the representative."

North Island has Moana, East Island has the Earth Spirit King Aina, West Island has the Wind Spirit King Makani, and South Island has the Fire Spirit King Kuni. All Hawaiian names, fittingly.

"By the way, Camille, you don't wear aloha shirts."

"Aloha shirts?"

Oops. What's it called here?

"But if you own land, won't it interfere with the company work?"

"Your topics jump."

It's tough. Just let it slide.

"Dukes don't manage their land themselves. People who managed it under the marquis do. Border marquises have border security and immigration work, so they need to be there."

Oh, I see. I still don't fully grasp the world's norms here. Right, Paolo couldn't be a knight commander if he managed his land.

"When I visit next, I'll bring the person in charge. Probably Yohem."

"Okay. Rex is our representative, so nice to meet you."

Being suddenly summoned made me wonder, but we did have things to discuss. Now, our next meeting at the company will go smoothly.

"Thank you, Diadora. You've helped me twice."

"Twice?"

"The first time we met and this time."

Did I do something then? I only lent you a handkerchief.

"Back then, my second brother had just been assassinated. I wasn't in a strong position, and my life was targeted. But meeting you and chatting with the Fairy Princess made Koning see my new value."

"Can you trust Koning?"

"No. The one behind the political moves in the Coraline Company was Koning. Ria knows nothing, so she'll keep working."

Seriously. Living with so many dangers and untrustworthy people around you? I'm glad I reincarnated into Berisario.

"So, you'll handle company work?"

"No. My job is to increase spirits on North Island, help my brother, and deal with cocoa on South Island."

"Can't leave the marquis in West Island alone, right?"

"Strange how many people I can't ignore have increased."

I get it. I really do. After reincarnating, I wanted to stay with and not sadden my family. Learning about spirits, wanting to protect them until they become spirit beasts. With the spirit kings backing me, I wanted those with their homes in their territories to get along. As I traveled, I made more friends and people I wanted to protect. I may not be able to protect many with these hands, but I want my friends and family to smile. I want a country where spirits and humans coexist happily.

"No, just the Luftanen issue..."

"You like Duke Powell."

"Stop it."

"I'm busy with the Empire."

"The Empire is three times the size of Luftanen Kingdom."

"Stop."

First, it's chocolate and school. Delicious food makes everyone smile. Camille can look for crops from Luftanen and the surrounding islands that haven't reached the Empire yet. He seems grateful. It's an owe-one situation!

------------------------

Author Notes:

  Thank you for always reading.

  Next time, it's the school entrance.

------------------------