Chapter 57: The Accidental Campaign
"Brsssssss."
The wind rustled gently through the leaves, plunging the forest into a dead silence. Dion, Cleo, Aria, Sheila, Mei, and Gina, still cradled in Cleo’s arms, gazed intently at Luna. The bewildered expressions on their faces made it clear they were all struggling to process her absurd question. Noticing everyone staring at her, Luna lowered her hand and crossed her arms over her chest in an X.
"Hey... don’t get the wrong idea! I don’t want to go to Minatheras because I’m their princess... Cleo, Mei, did you both forget what Duke Marvin said back there?" Luna asked, looking at Cleo and Mei.
"Ah," gasped Cleo and Mei, the reality of Duke Marvin’s words in the head priest’s office washing over them.
"What exactly did the duke... whatever his name was... say?" Sheila asked.
"Marvin... he said King Theobald is currently amassing an army to launch an attack on the heart of the Dark Forest... our home," Cleo answered.
"Exactly! So before they launch their attack on us, how about we hit them first?" Luna suggested.
"What? Has your brain completely rotted away or what? You want us to invade an entire kingdom with just seven of us, counting Gina?" Aria asked, staring at Luna in disbelief.
"Hmm... your proposal actually makes sense, but isn’t it a bit reckless?" Mei pondered, resting a hand on her chin. "We don’t even know the true extent of their military power yet. All we know is that they are the largest kingdom on the continent," she added.
Luna, Mei, Cleo, Sheila, and Aria plunged into deep thought, naturally drifting into a tight circle facing one another. Gina wriggled free from Cleo’s arms and landed softly on Dion’s head.
"Alright then... good luck, everyone," Dion said, adjusting Gina on his head.
"Kyuuu," Gina squeaked, raising a tiny paw.
Without a second thought, Dion turned on his heel and began strolling deeper into the forest. Naturally, the five girls caught sight of him casually walking away. It was painfully obvious that the gears in their minds were turning as they stared at Dion’s retreating back. Without uttering a single word to one another, the exact same thought flashed through all of their minds: Dion + Gina = total destruction of Minatheras.
No full-scale war required, instant victory, and their domain secured. Coming to an unspoken consensus, the five girls took off running after their ultimate asset.
"Wait!" all five girls shouted in unison.
"Yank!"
A hand grabbed Dion’s collar from behind. "Thump!" he fell backward, landing flat on his rear alongside Gina, who failed to dodge in time. Dion opened his mouth to protest, but quickly swallowed his words as the five girls completely surrounded him, hands firmly on their hips as they glared down at him.
"Where do you think you’re going?" Cleo demanded sternly, her hands on her hips.
"Don’t you dare just walk off like that!" Aria added, matching Cleo’s posture.
"That’s right. Leaving a meeting while it’s still in progress is incredibly rude," Mei chimed in.
"Don’t forget, we’re in this fight together," Sheila chipped in.
"Yep... were you seriously planning on going home all by yourself? Do you really have the heart to let us march off to the Kingdom of Minatheras alone?" Luna asked.
"Wait, why like that? If Gina and I come along, won’t that just make things even more of a mess? Shouldn’t I just go home? I don’t want to get blamed for anything, you guys usually yell at me and Gina anyway, don’t you?" Dion protested.
"Kyuuu... kyuuu!" Gina joined the protest, waving both her tiny paws in the air.
Suddenly, Mei crouched down in front of Dion with a wide, glowing smile. She reached out and patted Dion’s head, making him startle slightly.
"You and Gina are our main battle power. The military of Minatheras stands zero chance against you, even if we haven’t scouted their forces yet," Mei said, beaming.
"The only reason I suggested going to Minatheras in the first place is because we have you and Gina. So please, don’t go home just yet," Luna pleaded with a warm smile.
"For this one time, your big sister here won’t scold you. I’ll turn a blind eye to whatever you and Gina do, so don’t be scared," Cleo said, leaning down beside him.
"If Minatheras is set on attacking us, we’re basically enemies with the whole world anyway. Sooner or later, you and Gina will have to step up, the outcome will be the same regardless," Sheila said, sitting cross-legged right in front of Dion.
"So what do you say? We go together, and we come home together. Got it?" Aria said, sliding right onto Dion’s lap and looking up into his eyes.
Dion looked at the hopeful faces of Aria, Sheila, Luna, Cleo, and Mei smiling down at him, and his expression instantly turned grim. He reached up and patted Gina on his head.
"What do you think, Gina?" Dion asked.
"Kyuuu," she squeaked softly.
"You’re right, Gina. I’m weak and you’re just a little baby. We’d clearly be totally useless and only hold them back," Dion sighed dramatically.
"Oh, give me a break!" Luna, Mei, Sheila, Aria, and Cleo yelled out together in frustration.
They immediately stood up, grabbed Dion by his collar, and began dragging him along the ground, while Cleo put Gina in a tight headlock to prevent any escape attempts.
"Wait... but who’s going to guard our territory if all of us leave?" Dion managed to ask while being dragged.
"Kyuuu?" Gina chimed in, equally concerned.
"To Minatheras!" everyone chanted in unison, completely ignoring Dion’s question.
"I don’t want to go!" Dion protested, though he clearly had no say in the matter.
"Kyuuu," Gina squeaked, her meaning lost in translation.
"Yeah, yeah... stop complaining!" the five of them shouted back.
"Sigh... fine," Dion groaned weakly.
"Kyuu..." Gina whimpered softly.
Dion surrendered to his fate, letting himself be dragged while holding Gina, who was trying her best to comfort him despite looking equally miserable.
"Dammit... if they went to Minatheras and I just went home alone with Gina, I could’ve investigated that massive seal out back... ugh... seriously..." Dion thought to himself.
***
Meanwhile, inside the royal palace in the capital city of the Kingdom of Thetor,
Slam!
King Lamberd slammed his hand against his desk. Standing before him with deathly pale faces were Baron Arthera and the head priest.
"Gemmeth and its rider appeared right outside the head priest’s private office?!" Lamberd asked, panic lacing his voice.
"That is correct, Your Majesty. I witnessed it with my own two eyes," the head priest answered.
"I was present as well, Your Majesty. I saw it with my own eyes," Baron Arthera added quickly.
"Tell me, Lucas! What in the world were you doing at the cathedral? And why on earth did Gemmeth show up there of all places?" Lamberd asked, trying desperately to suppress his rising panic.
Baron Arthera, whose full name was Lucas von Arthera, glanced over at the head priest, clearly passing the narrative duty over to him as a neutral party. The head priest nodded, turning his eyes toward Lamberd.
"There is actually something Baron Arthera and I must report to Your Majesty... it concerns Baron Arthera’s adopted daughter," the head priest began softly.
The head priest went on to explain the private meeting held at the cathedral between Baron Arthera, his daughter Luna, and Duke Marvin of the Kingdom of Minatheras. Since the cathedral was a neutral ground outside royal jurisdiction, the meeting had taken place there, which was also why the cathedral had the authority to issue a formal summons requesting Luna’s presence. Following that, the head priest and Baron Arthera revealed the full details regarding Luna’s true identity as disclosed by Duke Marvin during their conversation.
Lamberd listened quietly, nodding along with his eyes closed as he absorbed every piece of information, though his expression grew increasingly dark. Once the head priest and Lucas finished their report, a heavy, tense silence filled the room.
"So... Minatheras snuck into our realm unnoticed and had the nerve to cause a commotion right inside our city’s cathedral?" Lamberd asked, his voice trembling with rage as he completely bypassed the topic of Gemmeth and Luna.
"That is correct, Your Majesty. However, my daughter and her companions managed to hold them off," Lucas chimed in.
"Sigh... this has gone entirely too far. Just because they’re a major empire and the most advanced kingdom among us, they think they can just waltz into another nation’s territory and do whatever they please!" Lamberd fumed, his anger boiling over.
"However, Your Majesty... Duke Marvin is a loyal retainer. His arrival here... was driven by his own set of reasons," the head priest offered gently.
"What reasons? Speak," Lamberd commanded.
The head priest laid out Marvin’s plot to recruit Luna back to Minatheras to lead a rebel faction and ignite a revolution against the current king. Listening to this, Lamberd pulled off his tiara, leaned back in his chair, and rubbed his weary eyes before massaging his temples. After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"Their internal rebellion and plots to overthrow their king are none of our concern. Unless they issue an official diplomatic request, we have zero obligation to assist them... Lucas, is your daughter officially registered in this kingdom?" Lamberd asked.
"Of course, Your Majesty! I have raised her ever since she was an infant, and I personally registered her as a citizen of this realm," Lucas answered firmly.
"Very well... that means your daughter is one of our citizens. I couldn’t care less if she happens to be the last surviving princess of the late King of Minatheras. If anyone dares to mess with our people, we will take action. Protecting the citizens of this kingdom is our sacred duty," Lamberd declared sternly.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Lucas bowed deeply in gratitude.
"Um... my apologies, Your Majesty. This may not be entirely relevant, but I happened to see Princess Aria leaving alongside Princess Luna and her group... riding atop Gemmeth," the head priest added as an afterthought.
Lucas whipped his head toward the head priest, glaring at him so intensely that the priest instantly realized he had just blurted out something entirely irrelevant, at least to them.
"W-what?! Aria was riding... Gemmeth... ugh... my head... it hurts..." Lamberd stammered, completely stunned. He clutched his head with both hands, his face aging by twenty years in a matter of five minutes.