My Pov
"It appears that tomorrow will be the last one."
Since I've been sitting here in this carriage for quite some time, it's only natural that I'll be bored, I muttered to myself in a sleepy tone as I looked out the window.
Even though Emilia was sitting next to me and attempting to engage me in conversation about a variety of subjects, the majority of what we talked about was related to the conflict that was taking place between the Ausgeburt Empire and the Unbesiegt Empire.
"Oh, Hadrian, have you given any thought to the upcoming New Year's celebration that will take place in a few days?"
Emilia suddenly asked, but this time she was asking about the New Year's celebration. Since it is now the last month of the year, it appears that the Zeitgeist Empire will have a celebration this year.
It's a good thing that not all empires celebrate the new year because I think it would be exciting if the Ausgeburt Empire used this opportunity to launch a surprise attack on the Unbesiegt Empire on New Year's Eve.
"There won't be much going on, just a small celebration in the capital."
Still, I said in a tone that indicated boredom, but Emilia, who heard it, was a little taken aback by it.
"If I'm not mistaken, you were the one who suggested having the tournament in the nation's capital, wasn't it?"
"Yes, I was the one who came up with the idea, and in the meantime, our mother wants to put on the largest fireworks display that can be seen from everywhere in the Zeitgeist empire."
Yes, you heard that correctly. My mother was going to create the largest fireworks display. I don't know what she thought about it, but I think my family comes up with some ridiculous ideas each year.
I remember that back in those days when my father was still alive, he used to host the most extravagant banquets and events in the nation's capital. As a result, a large number of guests would travel from all over the Zeitgeist empire to attend.
But after my father passed away, my family would always suggest interesting ideas every time a new year rolled around. Once upon a time, when the Heilig Continent wanted to welcome the new year, little Alice would always cry and feel annoyed all day. I have no idea what she was so upset about at that time.
Therefore, all of a sudden, my mother came up with the idea of holding a competition in which she would invite various people from all over the empire to entertain little Alice, and the winner of the competition would, of course, be rewarded.
When I think about it again, however, I can't help but smile wryly because the proposed ideas continue to become more ridiculous with each passing year.
When Emilia once suggested the idea of inviting all of the swordsmen from all over the empire to duel with her, I believe that is when many rumours began to spread about Emilia.
As a result of the fact that no skilled opponent was willing to challenge Emilia during that time, she was able to easily defeat those novice challengers who were only gambling on their chances.
As a result, there were rumours that Emilia was the most powerful of the younger generations, and her stunning face and body helped the rumours to spread quickly like wildfire.
Even if you asked the children of nobles in different parts of the continent, they would immediately get excited when they talked about the rumour. Emilia, however, was completely unaware of the existence of the rumour.
As I said earlier, every year, my family comes up with fun ideas that add to the new year's excitement.
This year, I put forward an idea that was straightforward and didn't involve any unusual twists or turns, and I'm quite pleased with how it turned out because a lot of people are looking forward to when the event will begin.
It was a competition in which young people from all over the Zeitgeist empire were given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities.
"What exactly are you hoping to accomplish by hosting that tournament?"
Emilia asked the question while she was looking at me with a slight tilt of her head towards me, and I only responded with a light laugh while I was saying.
"Aren't you also curious about the strength of the young people in this empire? After all, there is no other idea that is more interesting than this one."
The only response I get from Emilia is a head nod that indicates she understands what I'm saying.
"So, are you interested in recruiting the young man who showed a lot of potential during the tournament into your Geist Legion?"
"Of course not. It wouldn't be worth the trouble to train them."
I let out a sigh as I said it, but it was true. The young people who take a lot of pride in competing in the tournament will only die horribly while they are undergoing the Geist Legion training process.
_________________
After a short while, there was a knocking sound coming from outside the carriage, and shortly after that, Alice entered the carriage with a huge smile on her face.
Emilia and I just raised our eyebrows at Alice, and then Emilia finally asked the question out of pure curiosity.
"What brings that huge grin to your face?"
"It's nothing, I'm just relieved that I was able to complete it in such a short amount of time."
Said Alice in a lively manner, and as she leaned back, I could even make out a faint hum coming from her.
"Since you were able to complete it in such a short amount of time, you'll have one more thing to do today."
I said it in a soft voice while looking at Alice, who was looking at me at the moment with a perplexed expression on her face.
"ehhh... can I just go tomorrow? Don't we still have a week?"
Alice attempted to object to what I was saying, but I continued regardless and said.
"Tomorrow, we will face the ultimate boss, so you need to finish off the little villain today."
Because I don't believe that I'll be devoting an entire week to resolving this issue, and after Emilia and I had a conversation about the New Year's celebration, I became aware that I still have a lot of troublesome things to do.
_________________
At this moment, the sun was at its highest point, indicating that it was noon, and Alice and Sucht were the only other people in the carriage with me.
In the meantime, Sucht was meditating in front of me while closing her eyes, and Alice, who appeared to be exhausted, fell asleep on my lap.
After we had finished our work for the day with the second noble family, I told Emilia and Sascha to go back to the hotel first.
I decided to take Alice and Sucht with me somewhere, and as you can see, the three of us are currently relaxing in the carriage. Alice, in particular, has been dozing off for quite some time on my lap.
Therefore, I decided to inquire about the well-being of the young man and his younger sister that I came across when the bandits who were responsible for all this trouble attacked the carriage in which they were travelling.
After more than a month, I just now remembered about the two of them, so I made the decision to pay them a visit today rather than tomorrow when I will be busy working back at the palace.
In addition, I wanted to show Alice something that I was working on behind the scenes that a lot of people didn't know about, although everything I did was right in front of their eyes.
Soon enough, the carriage I was riding in came to a stop, and Alice, who had been dozing off on my lap, awoke and asked me a question half-consciously.
"In what part of the world are we?"
"We're on the outskirts of the city."
I responded softly while stroking Alice's head, who appeared to be having a pleasant time sitting on my lap.
Yes, we are now in the outermost area of this city, and the vast majority of the people who live here are just regular folks who have regular jobs.
In front of the carriage I was riding in, there was already a reasonably large building, and I could see behind the gate of this building that there were many children playing in the yard.
Their outfits are identical, right down to the symbol that is sewn into the chest of their shirts. This symbol, which is interestingly similar to the symbol I use for my Geist Legion, is a single red eye with a strange and enigmatic appearance when viewed from any angle.