7th Time Loop WN Vol. 5 Fan Translation

157

"If your intention was to lead me into questioning, you should have done it a bit more skillfully." Arnold's voice, slightly husky, seemed almost provocative towards Rishe. It appeared he saw through her attempt to probe him.

"I just had a vague feeling, no concrete evidence."

"Was your intense gaze towards Gutheil due to that 'vague feeling'?"

(...I didn't mean to show it so obviously...)

Even the slightest reactions seemed to be noticed by Arnold. But Rishe's careful observation of Gutheil was solely due to her knowledge of the future. Revealing that was out of the question.

"I didn't have any personal issues with Gutheil."

After telling a small lie, Rishe continued, "However, I felt that today's security situation was unlike what one would expect from you, Your Highness."

"Oh?"

"Even if there is a shortage of manpower, I would expect Your Highness's personal guard to remain elite. Asking for assistance from another squad for the security of the theater seems too weak a move."

Normally, today was supposed to end without any incident.

"It seems you're considering expansion now, perhaps due to concerns about the need for military strength?"

"...?"

Rishe looked up at Arnold, whose eyes were like the sea, unfathomable just by looking.

(...But not only that. If His Highness Arnold has any worries or troubles, I want to help alleviate them even a little.)

However, she knew it was difficult. When she first came to Galkhein, she wished Arnold would confide in her even a little. Was that during the incident when she was kidnapped by Theodore? At that time, her plea to Arnold went completely unheard.

(Maybe I shouldn't hope for him to talk to me...)

Just as she thought that, Arnold, with his eyes downcast, spoke.

"...Fabrannia is a foolish country."

It was the name of the country where Princess Harriet, whom they had met recently, was supposed to marry into.

Fabrannia was manufacturing counterfeit coins of other countries. And they had ordered Harriet, who was supposed to marry into another country, to circulate counterfeit coins of Galkhein. Their scheme had been exposed, and Harriet had decided to break off her engagement and was preparing to expose Fabrannia, mainly around Siguel. However, Rishe didn't expect Fabrannia's name to come up here.

To Rishe's surprise, Arnold, in a matter-of-fact tone, continued, "Fabrannia does not frequently trade with Galkhein. Even if they produced a large amount of counterfeit currency, their opportunities to use it are limited. So why did they attempt such a thing?"

"That country holds a unilateral hostility towards Galkhein, doesn't it? Initially, they tried to ingratiate themselves with Galkhein, proposing marriage to Your Highness Arnold's sister, but when that wasn't accepted... perhaps due to such irrational emotions, they targeted Galkhein's currency..."

After answering that much, Rishe denied her own thoughts.

(...Arnold isn't troubled by Fabrannia's movements, is he?)

Arnold might have sensed Rishe's thoughts reaching that point.

"It's foreseeable that Fabrannia would attempt to attack Garkhain even if it means resorting to folly. What's troublesome is the possibility that there's someone other than the Fabrannia royal family behind it."

"To produce Galkhein counterfeit currency... to attack Galkhein... Could someone other than the Fabrannia royal family have incited them?"

Of course, it wasn't entirely unimaginable. Even though the world war had ended two years ago, and peaceful days continued, major powers were still maneuvering various strategies. Reducing the strength of countries that could pose a threat and preparing for emergencies were among the means of national defense.

(...There are only three countries in the world with the military power to compete with Galkhein...)

Arnold leaned back against the seatback and closed his eyes.

"However, if there are overt moves toward military expansion, it will be easy for foreign intelligence to infiltrate."

Rishe agreed with that. In her fifth loop, the group she belonged to, the "Hunters," was also an organization conducting espionage behind the scenes.

She was never ordered to infiltrate Galkhein, but that was because Siguel had decided not to do so. There were many spies in other countries, and the larger the country, the more likely it was to be targeted.

"Other countries are troublesome, but my father, Galkhein's Emperor, is even more so. If that man knows about Fabrannia's movements, it's unclear how he'll use it to his advantage. Even if we're increasing our military strength, we need to do so discreetly, so as not to attract our Emperor's attention."

(...Is avoiding his father really the only reason...?) The current emperor, Arnold's father, was said to be a bellicose man. If other countries showed any signs of unrest, it wouldn't be strange for him to start invading immediately. However, Arnold's covert actions might also be aiming towards the possibility of overthrowing his father.

(Still, I want to know about Gutheil, who connects to the future Arnold... But it's too suspicious for me to suddenly inquire about him...)

There needed to be a reason for her to get closer. And Rishe's mind was also concerned about the condition of Sylvia, the songstress who had been transported to Gutheil earlier.

(And about how to deal with His Highness Dietrich...)

"..."

Feeling Arnold's gaze, Rishe lifted her head. Meeting his eyes up close made her heart skip a beat.

"What is it, your Highness?"

"...That man mentioned your 'birthday celebration.'"

At Arnold's words, Rishe blinked repeatedly.