When Martina opened the door to the Ministry of Affairs and entered, Roland, noticing her, immediately rushed over.
“Martina! I’m glad you’re safe!”
“Thank you for your concern, Roland. As you can see, I’m perfectly fine. I’m sorry for leaving all the work related to the knights’ deployment to you.”
“Don’t worry about it. You did the work that only you could do.”
Seeing Roland’s words and the relieved smile on his face, Martina finally felt all the tension leave her body.
“Seeing you, Roland, has made me relax…”
“Haha, what’s this? Are you tired?”
“I think I’m a little tired. The knights have amazing stamina. I was even carried through the forest by Lord Lambert.”
Upon hearing Martina’s words, Roland looked her over from head to toe.
“Yeah, you’re still kind of small, huh?”
“I’m planning to grow bigger…”
Martina said that while pouting slightly, and Roland gave her a smile, as usual.
“So, what happened with the monsters? Is it all resolved?”
“For now, the immediate crisis has been averted, but there’s a big issue. I just reported it to Lord Lambert and the Minister of Military Affairs. The Minister will discuss it with His Majesty, and we should receive an official notice of the decisions soon.”
“So, it’s something that needs to reach His Majesty urgently?”
“Yes.”
Seeing Martina nod immediately, Roland’s expression grew serious.
“So, we just have to wait for the notice, huh?”
“That’s right… I should have briefed everyone beforehand, but it’s such a big matter that I couldn’t decide whether it was okay to tell them.”
“In cases like that, it’s best not to act on your own.”
“Right, I thought so. I’ll tell everyone after the notice comes. Until then… I guess it’s back to work.”
At Martina’s words, Roland chuckled at how reliable she was, just as a woman hurried from the back of the room toward them.
“Martina! I was so worried about you!”
“Nadia… did you hear something?”
“I heard that a lot of monsters appeared, and the knights were deployed, and you went with them. Of course, I was worried! Why would you do something so reckless…!”
“I’m sorry. Thank you for worrying about me. Lord Lambert appreciated my abilities and asked me to accompany the knights, assisting him as a sort of aide.”
Martina showed a happy smile at Nadia’s heartfelt concern.
“Lord Lambert appreciated your abilities?”
“Yes. You know, I have a really good memory, right? And I know a lot about the monsters, their characteristics, and weaknesses, so that’s why I was asked to help.”
Although she didn’t mention the miasma pits yet, Nadia, who had already felt Martina’s uniqueness in everyday life, nodded as if she understood.
“Indeed, your ability is something everyone would want.”
“Thankfully, it seems I was able to help.”
“I’m proud of you as a friend.”
“Nadia…!”
As Martina was moved by Nadia’s words and hugged her, Roland, who had been watching with a wry smile, pulled the two apart.
“Alright, time to get back to work!”
“Ugh, could you not interrupt?”
“Hey, I’m the senior here.”
Roland gave a resigned look to Nadia, who seemed displeased, and with a firm grip, he took Martina’s hand and led her toward the back of the room.
Nadia made a slight sulking face as she watched, then went back to work after being called by her superior.
“Martina, you must be tired, so I’ll excuse you from the walking tasks. But I’ve got some documents for you to read.”
“Really…?!”
Martina’s eyes lit up as she peered at Roland’s face. Reading documents was more exciting for her than a break.
“Your face, it’s always so funny. You look like a dog with its favorite food right in front of it.”
“Eh… are you complimenting me?”
“Of course, of course. Alright, these are the documents for you to read today…”
“Got it!”
Martina eagerly grabbed the stack of documents Roland handed her, and with sparkling eyes, she headed to her desk. As she sat down and opened the documents, she became fully immersed in the world of printed text.
Roland, watching Martina’s concentration with a gentle smile, gave his own cheek a light slap, as if to get himself in the right mindset, and then turned to face the documents he was working on.
♢
At the same time that Martina returned to the Ministry of Affairs, the Minister of Military Affairs was in the King’s office. After receiving the reports from Martina and Lambert, he seemed to be deciding on the next course of action.
“Your Majesty, what shall we do from here?”
“…For now, I’ll send researchers to the miasma pit. I’ll also add Martina, the civil servant, to the team. Additionally, we’ll gather as many light-element users as possible. And in case that isn’t enough, I want information on summoning a Saint.”
“Understood.”
Seeing the Military Minister bow, the King, who was sitting in his chair, exhaled deeply and leaned back against the chair’s backrest.
“Still, this Martina… she’s extraordinary.”
“Yes. The sight of her quickly providing such detailed information was almost unbelievable. I was left speechless when I received the report.”
“That can’t be helped… Do you think we should keep her in the Ministry of Affairs? Or perhaps we should offer her a high position as a historian or something similar?”
Hearing the King’s question, the Military Minister hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.
“She’s only been a civil servant for a week. It might be better to leave things as they are for now. The work in the Ministry, especially in the Affairs Department, is diverse. If she stays there, she’ll absorb a lot of knowledge. That could contribute to her growth.”
The King quickly agreed, considering the long-term perspective rather than immediate rewards.
“That’s true. Let’s keep her position as is… But for this incident, we’ll give her a reward. And from now on, she’ll be working hard. As for tasks beyond the general duties, we’ll consider extra compensation.”
The Military Minister nodded, and the discussion about Martina came to a close. The King exhaled again and looked out the window.
“What will happen to this country…?”
“According to Martina, miasma pits might appear all over the country… or even the world. It’s possible that they’ve already appeared elsewhere.”
At the Military Minister’s words, the King turned back and spoke with a serious expression.
“We’ll notify the nobility. If there are other miasma pits, we need to act quickly.”
“Understood. I’ll pass the message to the Ministry of Affairs.”
“Thank you.”
As cold rain began to fall from the dark clouds overhead, the King, feeling the sharp drop in temperature and the anxiety about the future of the country, unconsciously wrapped his arms around himself.
“It’s rare to have rain at this time of year.”
“Yes, indeed. I hope it’s not an omen of disaster…”
The anxious words of the two were swallowed up by the sound of the rain and faded away.
