Audience (5)

As the party continued,

Frondier headed to the drawing-room with Philly. Aten was also with them.

However, Bartello did not move an inch from the chair he had initially sat in. Philly didn't seem to mind him either.

"Don't worry about him," Philly said as Frondier glanced back at the hall while heading towards the drawing-room.

"He's just a little tired. He trusts me with all his duties."

"...I see."

In fact, Philly has been taking care of most of the Emperor's work lately.

It's gotten a little better because her daughter, Sale, who will be the next Empress, is helping her, but it's not an easy job.

There are quite a few people who are dissatisfied with the Empress taking over the Emperor's work.

"Politics is really difficult," Philly said.

"When I was young, I believed that it would be enough to prove my qualifications. That if I made such achievements, the way people looked at me would change. But those who have already made up their minds to be my enemies cannot change their minds that way. The better I do, the more they burn with animosity."

The voice of Philly, who was walking ahead, was calm, but Frondier could only see her back, so he couldn't tell her expression.

"The war should have ended a long time ago," she muttered, her expression still invisible.

But soon Philly returned with a lively face and grinned at Frondier behind her.

"I suddenly started talking about personal things. That's not why I called Frondier."

"It's fine."

Frondier shook his head.

Frondier knows how much Philly has been through.

Bartello's aging was expected, and Philly had been involved in politics since before that.

Philly is someone who can be either a protagonist or an antagonist depending on the situation. Players always describe Philly as "grey," as Frondier did.

But whether protagonist or antagonist, Philly always moves for the sake of the Empire. Because the safest place for her daughters is the Imperial Palace.

In other words, Philly becoming an antagonist means, from the player's point of view, that the Empire has turned into an enemy.

'What about Philly now?'

Frondier thought as he looked at Philly's back as she walked again.

Frondier thinks Philly has become quite close to being a protagonist. None of her daughters died, and he even went on missions with Philly.

It's not something to brag about, but Frondier thinks he's built up quite a bit of intimacy with Philly.

The only problem is that it was originally something Aster was supposed to do.

'Aster is growing steadily. Aster's driving force for growth is someone even stronger than him. Originally, there was no talent or skill in Constel that surpassed Aster, so his growth was bound to be slow, but now he's overestimating my skills, so his growth will be on fire.'

However, even so, it is difficult for Aster to grow beyond what the players were leading him to.

In the first place, in this world that hasn't been conquered, players moved Aster to maximize his growth efficiency.

Where to go at what time, who to meet, and what to learn were all circulating in various communities, and they exchanged information with each other to create the optimal path.

Naturally, it will be difficult for Aster to be stronger than that now.

Above all, Aster hasn't met Philly in this world yet.

'I don't know if Aster has to meet Philly. But in most cases, Aster and Philly meet quickly. The link between them, Aten, was originally in Aster's party.'

But here, Aten is not by Aster's side. She follows Frondier.

Therefore, Aster hasn't met Philly yet either.

It is unknown what this butterfly effect will cause. It is also unknown whether it will be better or worse.

There is only one thing Frondier can know.

That he himself caused this situation.

'If this situation ever brings about a huge storm,'

Frondier knew well that it was his responsibility to solve it.

***

"It's been a while since we talked like this."

In the drawing-room, Frondier and Philly faced each other.

They were clearly on the same side and had met to solve a problem, but a strange tension flowed between them.

It was always like this when meeting Philly.

"Then shall we get straight to the point? Both Frondier and I prefer that."

"Alright."

Aten, who was listening, tilted her head. For some reason, it felt like they were going to have a completely different conversation than the 'three-dimensional map'.

"There is a group called the 'Shadow Unit' within the Imperial Palace," Philly said.

The one who was surprised was Aten.

"...Mom."

The Shadow Unit. Aten also knows about their existence. She couldn't not know as a princess, and Philly had told Aten about them as if they were important.

- Aten, the Empire must always exist as the Empire.

When she was young, Aten couldn't understand Philly's words.

- If the Empire shines a brilliant light, wouldn't that create a shadow? The Empire must also be able to embrace that shadow.

Since Aten was young, Philly had subtly hinted at the existence of the Shadow Unit.

She didn't need to know the exact truth. She was a child. But a princess had to wake up to reality a little earlier than other children her age.

So that the shock wouldn't be too great, Philly gradually showed Aten the other side of reality without her even realizing it. So that Aten could prepare herself subconsciously.

Aten, who had grown up enough to attend Constel. Now she understands what the Shadow Unit is and what Philly's words meant.

Therefore, she also understands that their existence should not be revealed outside the Imperial Palace.

That's why she was surprised. Above all, Philly, who valued secrecy so much, was openly revealing the existence of the Shadow Unit.

But Frondier's answer surprised Aten even more.

"I know."

"Huh?"