Dancing Circles on the Horizon of Events

"So what did the lords tell you here? It's not just an encounter, is it?

"Yeah, it's not a meetup. I was just looking at my cousin's funny face from the side."

"Hey?!

"Well, I'm kidding."

and Julia answers with a person's evil grin as she looks sideways at her cousin, who is genuinely wolfish.

Then she started talking about why Atlas was coming to her office.

"Button--not Dalia, but she wanted to return the bear doll to Lady Atlas for one reason, but the original purpose was to exchange information. While we were away from Mid-Eden, I wanted to make sure what progress had been made in the Ecleria-related situation…"

That's what I said, Julia turning around with chillies.

Then Teresa, who sensed what was ahead of her gaze like that, asks with a troubled look on her face.

"Hmm...... There's your Lord's desk, and the reports seem to be piling up like mountains... and you've finally lost your mind to see them, haven't you?

"Yes. Shame on you..."

and Julia answers with a small grin as she blues her face a little. Behind her like that is the figure of her own desk buried in a pile of paperwork... All of that seems to be a report, and it didn't seem like an amount that could be done at the level of a little glance.

"Shouldn't we just look at the title?

"No, and depending on who's writing the report, the title may not be exactly expressed, so I figured I'd have to look at the contents as well. Even so, what I see is the overview part, and I can't see the details beyond that unless there's so much to it.... but the overview part is also very difficult to see. Would you like to unify the format..."

That's what I'm saying, Julia, I'll take one of the reports. But right after I looked inside of it. She closed the page, duh, because of the wording that she didn't want to see there, or because it was an awkward substitute that she didn't think was a report in the first place......

Against Julia like that, Teresa asks again.

"Do... have you made any progress?

"No, I'm about to ask. So, Master Atlas? Can I ask you something?

"Ah... (Put the Magic PC at Julia's...)"

and in my head, considering the difficulty of Julia's work before...... Atlas started talking about Ecleria.

"You know Mid-Eden and Eccleria are in a state of engagement, right? No, naturally, you know Julia, but there's concubines, beatrices, and buttons here, so let me ask you something, okay?

In response to that inquiry ——

"Um, you know. Because I hear that Cole and the Lord are burning their hands with all sorts of things?

"I don't know exactly what kind of battle is going on, but I've only heard about it, too?

"Me too, Margaret... we have heard from Julia to some extent"

—— and three people who answer.

To them like that, Atlas next asks:

"Well, go on... you also know that there is no direct battle in Mid-Eden territory because we are not bordered by Mid-Eden and Eccleria, right? (Well, except for the guerrilla attackers...)"

"Uhm. Thanks to the Kingdom of Merclio being sandwiched between Ecleria and Mid-Eden?

"Same on the right?

"... I'm sorry. I just learned it for the first time. Unfortunately, we haven't figured out the geography of the area yet..."

"Well, for the sake of buttons, briefly, there is a country called the Kingdom of Merclio next to the west of Mid-Eden, plus Eccleria next to it,"

"Is that the arrangement...... So, Mid-Eden is fighting to defend the Kingdom of Merclio, right?

"Trying to protect me, or... Well, technically, maybe not, but it's largely with that perception."

"Technically...... no?

"Now the battle is taking place along the border between Merclio and Eccleria. It's also happening in a critical location on the Merclio side..."

and listen to Atlas who doesn't boil off ——

"Is that what you call surrogate war?

—— and where did you hear that, the beatrix that asks that question.

The opposing Atlas shook his neck to the side and uttered a word of denial.

"The Kingdom of Merclio isn't a proxy war because it's not a Mid-Eden colony or a puppet state, is it? In fact, in this case, there are no soldiers out of the Kingdom of Merclio as one. Well, if you're gonna say that, the same goes for Mid-Eden?

"What... you're fighting Ecleria even though neither Mid-Eden nor Merclio has sent out soldiers?! So, how are we stopping the Merclio people?

"Do I care, too?

"That's the problem. I'm in charge of this... I'm called Tempo Sister..."

That's what I said, deeply loud sighing Atlas. Apparently, his distress cannot be told by sighing.