The royal castle of the Asteria Kingdom. In the room where the council meeting was to be held to discuss the upcoming operation, a heavy silence and the probing gazes of the nobles filled the air.

Since the discussion this time would also involve talk of military strength, as the head of the knight order, Aria was also participating.

However, Aria wasn't very enthusiastic.

(...Ugh, I'm not good with places like this. It's much easier to swing a sword.)

Suppressing her inner grumbling, Aria simply watched the course of the discussion with a stiff expression.

The agenda is only one item, the plan presented by Princess Verrier of the Aldrian Kingdom, "Recapturing the Aldrian Capital and Completely Regenerating the Barrier."

Verrier glanced at the assembled nobles and then began.

"Everyone, you are already aware of the results of the recent battle at Tigress. With the cooperation of Saint Sofia, we repelled the horde of monsters and succeeded in purifying a portion of the land that had become a wasteland due to the collapse of the barrier. This is the best proof that the regeneration of Aldrian is not just a pipe dream... Saint Sofia will explain the details again."

Verrier said that and turned her gaze toward Sofia.

Sofia quietly stood up and smiled.

"At Tigress, we discovered the medium of the barrier left behind by the Great Saint. The barrier was created using extremely high-quality recovery tools. By repairing and utilizing them, we succeeded in partially regenerating the barrier. In other words, if we can prepare multiple recovery tools powerful enough to maintain the barrier's activation, we should be able to regenerate the capital's barrier as well."

As Sofia explained it that way, one of the nobles raised a voice of doubt.

"But, Saintess, a recovery item equivalent to the relic of the Great Saintess... That's something from the age of myth itself. Who could possibly create such a thing in the modern era, let alone multiple of them?"

That is the most reasonable question everyone has. It should have been the biggest problem, but Sofia answered quietly, yet clearly.

"...This is my father, Darius. If we expand the recovery tools my father has newly created and regenerate the barrier at multiple bases, it is theoretically possible to completely restore the barrier of the capital."

"Darius..."

"Him again..."

The mention of Darius's name caused a faint murmur of hope to spread among the nobles.

By then, there was no one who didn't know his name. Aria felt a little proud of that, but it didn't last long.

The anxious nobleman said, as if pouring cold water on the situation.

"However, it is true that the danger is too great... If we make a single mistake, won't we be wasting our country's military strength? The area outside the barrier is dangerous, and the capital city itself will likely have even more extreme monsters..."

"Th-that's right. There should be very few soldiers who can resist monsters outside the barrier..."

"Perhaps it wouldn't be a problem for those of Aria-dono here...'

The regeneration of the barrier is an unprecedented response. Many nobles were hesitant in the face of this unprecedented event.

"However, if we don't take action here, even this country will eventually..."

"But if we act poorly and lose our soldiers miserably..."

"What are you doing being so weak?! We're actually succeeding s―"

"What if it just happened to work out by chance!? Besides, even if we cooperate with Aldrian, there won't be much benefit for our country, will there!?"

(O-oh no, what should I do? It's starting to feel like a fight...!)

Aria watched the scene with a stern expression.

At that moment, the king, who had been silently watching the debate until then, clapped his hands once and quieted the room.

"―Silence. Princess Verrier. Let me hear your resolve once more."

Upon hearing the king's words, Verrier looked up.

"I will stand at the front lines and lead everyone, and I will ensure the success of this operation... And upon the success of this operation, I also promise to offer the mining rights to the mithril mines, the pride of our nation of Aldrian, to the Asteria Kingdom. My older brother, Kylan, will send a formal written proposal regarding this matter."

Since Kylan hasn't fully recovered yet, Verrier attended this event in his place.

The nobles were excited by Verrier's proposal. For the Asteria Kingdom, gaining access to a rare mithril mine was not a bad condition. However, even so, the voices raising concerns about the danger still didn't disappear.

"But can we really trust the recovery tool that this Darius fellow created?"

It was at that moment, when Aria was about to stand up in response to the voices doubting Darius's abilities...

"There's no need for that worry. With the staff he created, I fulfilled a long-held dream. With his power, I believe nothing is impossible. In fact, when I visited him, I saw several high-quality recovery tools as well."

It was Aldo, who had been attending the parliament by order of the king, who spoke first. Although she hadn't spoken, Luna was also present.

Next, Baldus also declares forcefully.

Chapter 44