「……What do you mean?」
Luwin asked Inglis.
「The threat of the Hyrule Menace has indeed passed. However, the residents of the area around Lekrea are still starving and deprived of food due to the lootings Tiffany and her men did. If we let this situation stand, a large number of people may die of starvation. If we leave them be, what difference would it make even if we stopped the Hyrule Menace? In the end, the people will still suffer all the same, won’t they?」
Luwin gasped when he heard such words from Inglis. Perhaps he had been held captive in Lekrea for so long he was not aware of what was happening in the surrounding area.
「T-, true enough, if we are stricken with such a situation…then it’s not something that can be overlooked……When did this happen? Did you see it firsthand?」
「It’s happening right now. We’ve seen a lot of people suffering from lack of food on our way here!」
「That’s true. I came with them. We gotta do something about it fast, or else…」
Lahti confirmed Rafinha’s words.
「Hngh……I see…No, isn’t that all the more reason His Highness Lahti should head to the Royal Capital?! We ask His Majesty the King to direct some food to this area! They can send some from military garrisons on the border! It should be easier to process this proposal with the Prince in the Royal Capital!」
「Do you think everything will resolve as smoothly? I’m afraid we are in a time-sensitive situation.」「But, with no source of food in the area, what else can we do but to bring it in from somewhere else? Either way, if we do our best…」
「No, we do have a source of food, you know? Look…」
Inglis pointed to the tail of the Dragon God down in the hole. That brought the conversation back to the beginning.
「!!! A-, are you saying we’re going to kill it and distribute it to the people as food?!」
「I am. Isn’t that the fastest solution we have?」
Inglis directed a smile to Luwin.
If it wasn’t for this plan, she wouldn’t have let Tiffany, Hallim, and the rest of their group bring the town of Lekrea and all the food they had looted with them so willy nilly. Recapturing the food would have been imperative.
However, that would have made the negotiation way more complicated, and the time they would need to bring out all the food would be just as long as well. Tiffany could have also woken up and denied the negotiation, too.
Her appearance was the very picture of a lovely and pure maiden, but her mind was cunning and calculating. As a Hyrule Menace, she had a fundamentally different nature from Eris and Ripple who were beautiful both inside and out.
It was very possible for Tiffany to see through Inglis’ need to secure food for the people who were stricken with famine and consequently imposed some troublesome terms, she could also sense some kind of goal that her predecessor, Abel, had if she saw the Dragon God and refused to leave the premise quietly.
If that had happened, Inglis would be forced to finish her off completely, but if she did that, she would have run out of energy and wouldn’t be able to deal with the Dragon God should the creature start to make a move out of nowhere.
Hence, the best thing to do back then was to negotiate with Hallim, who seemed to have the best interest for his mistress at heart, whilst the troublesome Tiffany was out cold and get rid of their group as soon as possible.
And then, Inglis would seek the food supply for the people from the Dragon God instead of taking back the rest of the food that was left on Lekrea. That way, she could fight the dragon without Tiffany getting in her way and eat the dragon meat that was rumored to be oh-so-delicious. When Inglis proposed the negotiation, she had already made such a plan.
In the end, the Dragon God didn’t make any movement but remained inert, and since half a day had passed, Inglis’ fatigue was recovering as well. A good night’s sleep and she would be at her best condition. It was a needless anticipation, sure, but in hindsight, she believed she had made the right call at the time.
「We secure the food here and solve the shortage of food for the people by ourselves. The more the people see Lahti helping them, the more fame he will accumulate, no? I said that it is too early for Lahti to go to the Royal Capital, after all, we still have one more big task to tackle.」
The credit and the fame that came with it must all be handed to Lahti. It would be a huge problem to have such a burdensome thing handed to Inglis.
「I-, I see……! So this is what you meant. I-, I’m sorry……I spoke all that without knowing how far you’ve thought it out, I’m asking for your forgiveness from the bottom of my heart.」
Luwin bowed his head deeply as though he just saw Inglis under a new light. Rafinha, however, looked even more delighted than before, her eyes sparkling even brighter.
「Aren’t you brilliant! Way to go, Glis! So you didn’t get blinded by the good food in front of your eyes! Good girl, good girl!」
She hugged Inglis and stroked her head. It was nice that she appreciated her, but…
「Wait a minute, Rani. Why did you react like that just now? I thought you knew this is what I meant when you decided to go along with me?」
「……Heh? We~ll, logic doesn’t always apply to you when you’re hungry, Glis, and……my stomach is just as empty, so…Ehehe」
Rafinha stuck her tongue out and laughed shyly. She clearly dodged the question, but in the eyes of a grandparent, she was just so adorable Inglis was ready to forgive her for everything.
「……」
Inglis didn’t say further and turned to Leone and Liselotte.
「Amazing! That’s good thinking!」
「It is amazing indeed!」
The two seemed to be just as delighted.
「…………」
Apparently, they didn’t get the message too the first time she said it. Well, isn’t that sad.
Just how do they think of me, usually…
「……Honestly! Anyway, that’s our plan, so please take care of the costume.」
「Got that! Now I’m more motivated than ever!」
「I’m helping too! Please let me help! I want to be of use for everyone!」
「Thanks, Pullum. Let’s do this right away, then!!」
「Well, I guess I will go and eat a fill before the fight then!」
There was some small amount of foodstuff left in the Flygear Carrier. Since they would be acquiring a large amount of God Dragon meat anyway, Inglis might as well consume the rest of the food they had left. She wouldn’t be able to exert the power she usually could if she was too hungry to do it.
「Ah, that’s not fair, Glis! I’m starving here too! You can’t hog all the food for yourself!」
「But, Rani, you should hurry up with the clothes…」
「If I’m hungry, my hands will be shaking too much to sew a good costume! I can’t possibly make something embarrassing since you’ll be wearing it, Glis! So I need to eat a fill too!」
「Ahaha. I will start ahead then, you can have your meal first, Rafinha.」
「Okay! Thanks. I leave it to you, Pullum.」
「Then I will…」
「「Leone, please prepare the food!」」
Inglis and Rafinha asked simultaneously with a huge smile on their faces.
「Honestly, you two are quick to ask it to me……」
「「But it tastes more delicious when you make it, Leone.」」
「Well, it’s nice that you compliment me, but…fine, I get it. Just give me a minute.」
Seeing Inglis and the other girls made Luwin feel unsure again of their plan and he asked Lahti for confirmation.
「Prince Lahti……is it really okay to leave everything to these girls? They look too much like any normal girl……I commend them for their lovely appearance, but I’m not too sure those frail-looking girls to be able to face such a gigantic monster…」
「Mm? It’s fine. You can only say those words right now, you see…」
「Huh……? What do you mean?」
「Once you see them eat their meal, first, your impression of their appearance will go to oblivion. Once you see them fight, next it’s your impression of how frail-looking they are. The one who drove away the enemy Hyrule Menace was mostly Inglis on her own, y’know? If she couldn’t handle that dragon, then no one in this kingdom can.」
「I-, is she that strong?」
When Luwin gulped…
「Hey, Lahti, I don’t know what you’re talking about over there, but I didn’t forget the talk we had before we reached Lekrea, okay! There’s nothing to do before the meal is ready, so now’s the perfect timing! You should come here and say it!」
The talk they had before they reached Lekrea… Lahti had said that he would not hesitate to become a King and use his newfound authority to protect Pullum, whose standing was jeopardized because of her brother. Hallim betrayed her by choosing to follow after Tiffany the Hyrule Menace instead of their Kingdom.
When Rafinha, Leone, and Liselotte heard about his determination, they were excited about the idea of him saving Pullum by proposing to her, and now, Rafinha egged him to do just that.
「Don’t be stupid! Now’s not the time at all! We gotta clean everything up first, everything! And don’t use such an important event as a way to kill time before your meal is ready!!」
「Eeeehh~ You promised!」
「I promised nothing!」
「What are you talking about? Sounds fun.」
Pullum then became interested in the conversation.
「Uwaaahhhit’snothingnothing——! You gotta hurry up and finish the costume for Inglis! We’re in a hurry!」
Lahti hurriedly dodged the question in a flurry of words.