The temperature from when their hands touched in the hallway last night still seemed to linger somewhere. Kuro walked through the castle corridor while pushing that sensation to the back of his mind. He pushed it away, then pushed it away again. (It's a secondary reaction from magic. There's heat. That's all.) By the third time he told himself this, he arrived at the great doors leading to the audience chamber. This morning was a day for diplomacy. Officer Lucian—a court knight with a meticulously groomed goatee—waited beside the door. "Kuro. Today we receive a diplomatic envoy from the Kingdom of Gardion—the continent's foremost weapons exporter, known for its forging and armament manufacturing. Stand by Philbert's side, and if needed, handle any discussion regarding buff magic." "Understood." Entering the audience chamber, morning light streamed diagonally through the high windows. Courtiers lined both sides. On the throne sat King Philbert—a large man with a white beard, his eyes alone appearing younger than his age—and beside him, golden light existed once more. Solange, dressed in a light gown, was already seated in the chair beside the throne, waving at him. (Please stop that. Not in the audience chamber.) Kuro maintained composure in his expression as he took his designated position. The diplomatic envoy from the Kingdom of Gardion entered. Leading them was a large military officer in full armor, the silver-polished plate reflecting the morning light. Intricate reliefs adorned his chest—the kind of presence that practically screamed "please admire me." After the officer fluently expressed Gardion's goodwill, he puffed out his chest with a smile. "For this visit, we have brought the crystallization of our nation's latest technology. A new full-body armor—commonly called the 'Gardline.' While thirty percent lighter than conventional armor, it achieves one-point-five times the defensive performance. A masterpiece crafted by twelve master smiths over half a year." The audience chamber stirred. Courtiers gasped in admiration. King Philbert nodded magnanimously. In that moment, a voice came from beside him. "[surprised] Wait, isn't this seam here rather old?" Solange rose from her chair and walked straight to face the officer. Every courtier's expression froze at once. Cold sweat beaded on Kuro's forehead. Solange pointed to the officer's armor around the flank, tilting her head. Her clear blue eyes held not a shred of malice—only pure curiosity. "The design of the shoulder joint looks about two generations behind the method used by Perlan, the blacksmith in our castle town. Perlan said he could achieve greater mobility with the same weight, so should I introduce you? I'm sure he'd be delighted." The officer's face transformed in stages—from red to crimson to purple. (This kingdom's diplomacy is seriously going to need my support...) Kuro suppressed his laughter while making that assessment internally. She was too innocent. Perfectly, completely innocent. Precisely because there was no malice, she was impossible to manage. King Philbert released a heavy sigh. Yet his expression carried an oddly practiced look. "[serious] My daughter is particularly exacting about smithcraft quality. I hope you'll take it as a compliment. In truth, her eye is quite refined." The officer managed to force a smile. With the atmosphere remaining delicate, the diplomatic greetings resumed. Minutes later, Kuro and Solange were dismissed by the king and stepped into the corridor. The moment the door closed, Solange turned around. "[surprised] ...Was that rude?" Kuro paused for a beat. "[serious] Extremely rude." "Huh?" "Telling them the seams are outdated on armor made by twelve craftsmen over half a year denies that nation's pride." "But it was the truth, wasn't it?" "The truth isn't always best in diplomacy." Solange thought for a moment, then said, "That's difficult." She said it while looking completely unreflective. Kuro suppressed his laughter once more. --- That afternoon, an order arrived from King Philbert through Lucian. "As part of a civil inspection tour, have the buff mage become familiar with Blanche's castle town. Send Solange with him." That was the content. Kuro and Solange passed through the castle gates together. Blanche's castle town was alive with afternoon energy. Market stalls lined the stone-paved streets, the salty smell of dried fish mingling with the sweet aroma of fresh bread. Cargo wagons clattered across the stones, merchants calling out in boisterous voices. The moment they exited the castle gate, a change occurred. "Lady Solange!" The first voice came from a farmwoman selling vegetables. Then a young man carrying bread. Elderly people talking across the street. Hands rose in succession, smiles directed their way. Solange waved back without hesitation. She stopped to speak with the farmwoman, asking, "Did the rain yesterday treat your fields well?" The farmwoman answered happily. Then three children came running from around a corner. "[excited] Lady Solange, you're here!" "[excited] You came, you came! Did you bring the ball?" An escort soldier began to say, "Your Highness, please wait," but Solange had already entered the alley. She gathered her dress skirts in her hands as she accepted the leather ball the child offered. Kuro stood at a distance, watching the scene. Three children became five, then ten. Before long, more than fifteen children had gathered in the alley. Solange laughed as she kicked the ball, helped up a fallen child, and when someone cried, she crouched to meet their eyes. Her dress hem grew increasingly muddy, but she paid it no mind whatsoever. (A member of the royal family...) Kuro thought quietly. Royalty typically used authority to keep people at distance. Maintaining distance was protocol. But this woman didn't possess the concept of protocol from the start. She had no consciousness of keeping people away. It wasn't calculation. It wasn't vanity. She simply, genuinely expressed with her entire being that being with the people before her was enjoyable. That's why the castle town people truly loved her. The moment Kuro solidified this understanding, a boy slipped on the stone pavement and fell. His knee scraped, and he cried out. Solange rushed over immediately. She looked at the wound, then tore a strip from the edge of her dress hem. Gently, she wiped the injury. Something moved silently in the depths of Kuro's chest. It was different from the previous emotion. Not the impulse to protect, not the kind of attraction that made him unable to look away. A quieter, more settled kind of feeling. A desire to keep watching this figure forever—a feeling that was budding for the first time. On the way back, as they walked side by side across the stone pavement, Solange said: "[gentle] You know, Kuro, you always keep your distance and watch from far away." "I'm mindful of my position as a guard." "You could be closer." The casually spoken words fell into Kuro's chest. (If I get closer, I'll reach my limit.) He carefully sealed that true thought away. --- In a corridor corner on the way back to the castle, Layla Verne was waiting. Layla was a court mage, a woman whose sharp eyes and intellectual expression left an impression. She was the one who had spoken to Kuro about magical research yesterday, her academic enthusiasm evident. Today, her eyes lit up the moment she spotted him. "[serious] Kuro, perfect timing. I want to verify whether buff magic can be activated without incantation. As a continuation of yesterday's experiment, in the magical research chamber—" As she spoke, she pulled his arm. Kuro was about to be dragged forward without managing to refuse, when— "[cold] Wait a moment." Solange stepped smoothly forward. "Kuro was accompanying me on my castle town inspection today, and after that he has work writing a report for Father. Today won't work." She said it with a composed expression. (A report? We never discussed anything like that...) A question floated through Kuro's mind, but he didn't let it show on his face. Layla stepped forward. "[serious] Your Highness, Kuro's buff research is directly connected to the kingdom's security. From the perspective of military strengthening, the priority—" "[sarcastic] That might be true, but—" Solange looked directly at Layla. "Kuro is my exclusive mage. When I need him, I take priority. Understand?" She was completely unaware. Not a trace of consciousness that she was monopolizing him. Layla quietly stepped back. "...My apologies," she said, walking away down the corridor. After confirming her figure had turned the corner, Kuro turned to Solange. "What report was that?" "[laughing] I just thought of it. But it's not a lie—I'll write it now." "A report, starting now?" "Yeah. If you help me, it'll be done faster." (This person is unconsciously trying to monopolize me...) Something inside Kuro quietly crossed a limit, but his face remained perfectly composed. "Understood. I'll help." "Great!" With an innocent smile, Solange started walking down the corridor. Kuro followed three steps behind, quietly aware that his heart rate was far from calm. --- At dusk, tension ran through the court. A fast horse from the northern border had arrived in Blanche, the capital of Deluxia. A breathless scout knight reported in the throne room. "[serious] At the southern edge of the Volgar Plateau, we've confirmed a massive military force. Based on the number of flags and the size of the encampment, we estimate over forty thousand troops. Believed to be the entire army of the Goldra Coalition—the military alliance of twelve orc tribes from the northern plateau. Based on their southward speed, they could reach the border fortress city of Halgait within ten days." The court stirred. Courtiers' faces paled. King Philbert's brow furrowed deeply. A war council was immediately convened. Generals surrounded a round table. Kuro was ordered to attend in his capacity as a buff mage and sat at the table's edge. While listening to the generals' discussion, Kuro arranged numbers in his mind. Deluxia's standing army was approximately eight thousand. Against that, the Goldra Coalition numbered over forty thousand. Individual orc warriors were equivalent to three human knights in combat ability, and there were forty thousand of them. (A direct confrontation would be hopeless.) One general said, "We should make our stand at Halgait Fortress." Another said, "We must request aid from the Six Kingdoms." The discussion grew heated, and Kuro quietly raised his hand. "Permission to speak." King Philbert nodded. "Even with all eight thousand of Deluxia's standing army enhanced by my buffs, it's impossible to whittle down a force of over forty thousand in a prolonged engagement. As long as there's an upper limit to enhancement multipliers, the numerical gap cannot be closed." The generals stirred. Kuro continued without pause. "A siege at Halgait Fortress is viable, but it will hold for two to three weeks at most. During that time, we must decide today on aid requests to the Six Kingdoms—the human kingdoms standing alongside Deluxia—and establish a withdrawal timeline. If the request is delayed, reinforcements won't arrive in time." Silence fell. He had simply arranged numbers. He had injected no emotion. Yet the atmosphere around the table changed. The generals' gaze at Kuro shifted from viewing him as a mage who handled buffs to something different. King Philbert looked directly at Kuro. "[serious] Kuro. I formally request that you strengthen our army with buffs. Will you accept?" "I accept." He answered immediately. Behind that, the calculations in Kuro's mind never stopped. (Even with buffs, there are limits. The way to bridge this scale of power difference lies elsewhere. Where, to whom, and how t