Alara gives me a puzzled expression.
"What would that be?" (Alara)
"Well, I notice that you don't currently have any guards, and Elira mentioned that you'd have to hire a royal guard if you wanted one. Do you have any plans for your protection when you leave the palace soon?" (Mizuki)
Alara becomes glum.
"I've been wondering about that myself. I wasn't particularly well liked in the palace, my former guard is…gone, and I don't know who I could hire that I'd be safe with trusting." (Alara)
I flash her a smile. That's perfect.
"In that case, how would you feel about having Zara here act as your bodyguard on a short-term basis. We'd be traveling with you as well, and we'll keep you safe, but we wouldn't be with you constantly. In terms of payment, Zara would probably appreciate something other than money. I have an idea for that payment, and I think it would benefit both of you." (Mizuki)
Zara raises an eyebrow curiously, but she doesn't object. Alara stares at me, then looks at Zara skeptically. Yeah, a teenage wolf-kin probably doesn't inspire confidence.
"You're thinking she's not qualified, right?" (Mizuki)
Alara looks surprised, then embarrassed, and she doesn't respond.
"That's okay, I know Zara seems young. Let me put your mind at ease. Hey Zara, when you and Klaus spar without either of you holding back, how do you do?" (Mizuki)
Alara looks curious at the mention that Zara and Klaus have been sparring. Zara becomes thoughtful.
"Hmm…if I use my sword freely, I'd say I win four out of every five matches against him." (Zara)
Shock registers on Alara's face, and her mouth is hanging open slightly. Zara has a subtle smirk visible. That's good, she's earned feeling that satisfaction when people underestimate her. That's a deadly miscalculation from what I've seen.
"Exactly. She also singlehandedly defeated the leader of the demon army, and made it look easy. There's also another benefit to having her be your bodyguard." (Mizuki)
Alara looks at me expectantly now.
"What's that?" (Alara)
"My help. As you've gathered, I'm not entirely as weak as what I pretend to be. If you bring a stranger for protection, then I must limit how much I help around your territory. If it's just us and our party, then I can be myself and help out liberally." (Mizuki)
Alara seems convinced by that.
"Okay, that sounds great. Thank you again, Mizuki. Zara, I greatly appreciate your protection for the near future. I assume you've both gotten permission from Lady Nedonera for this?" (Alara)
Uhm…what? Oh god…has she still not realized? She sees my dumbfounded expression and becomes confused. Zara begins laughing maniacally.
"Hahahaha…oh, Mizuki! I thought she knew how strong you were after what you did to her, but she doesn't seem to! How do these elves just keep misunderstanding!? I'll never understand." (Zara)
Alara seems mildly annoyed, but a quick glance towards me keeps her from being too impolite.
"Zara, I'm not an idiot. It was clear to me when Mizuki took my magic why Lady Nedonera values him so much. He might be almost as strong as she is, and he could probably destroy an entire city himself if he wished. I wouldn't dare underestimate or cross him again." (Alara)
Alara gives her rant with a completely serious face, and even I stifle laughter. Zara, however, begins laughing harder – so hysterically that she doubles over. Alara looks at me, frustrated.
"Alright, Zara, I think that's enough. Remember, you'll be working together soon. Do not lose sight of how important it is for you two to build a good working relationship. Alara is probably making quite the effort to be polite to you right now. Why don't you apologize, then correct your new employer's misunderstanding politely?" (Mizuki)
Alara becomes confused again, and she looks at Zara. Zara seems to get herself under control quickly enough, then nods at me apologetically.
"Of course. Lady Alara, I apologize. Allow me to explain. Mizuki is not Lady Nedonera's subordinate, he is our leader. Also, he's not almost as strong as her, he's stronger…much, much stronger. In fact, calling him just strong is laughable. You mentioned a city, but it's my understanding that he could level your entire country if he wanted." (Zara)
Alara looks like she just heard that chairs were edible, and she turns an incredulous expression towards me.
"Fufufu…it's true. Also, I just call her Nina when I'm not in character, not Lady Nedonera. We're lovers, not master and servant." (Mizuki)
After staring at me dumbfounded for several more moments, Alara goes pale. She looks terrified. Damn it. I let out a deep sigh.
"Come on, Alara, I thought we were past this. You and I are on good terms, and this information doesn't change that. Is there really any meaningful difference between how strong you thought I was, and how strong I am?" (Mizuki)
Alara seems to relax, but she gives me an annoyed expression.
"Mizuki, I just found out that you are effectively a god. Yes, there is a huge difference between you wiping out a city or two while my people mount a defense and escape, versus you wiping all elves from the planet before we can even fight back. Forgive me for being a little scared when I first hear that." (Alara)
Well…I guess when she puts it like that.
"Okay, okay, that's fair. I'm not going to do that, though, I'm the same person as five minutes ago. I was happy that you were finally getting a little bit more relaxed, so this feels like a setback." (Mizuki)
Alara closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. When she looks at me again, she gives a shaky smile.
"Okay, I think I'm good. Does the rest of my family know about this?" (Alara)
"If you mean that I'm the party leader, and how strong I am, then yes. Elira, Dargo, and Ilina. Klaus, too, I think. Ilina knows far more than any of you, though. We're friends." (Mizuki)
Alara's eyes go wide.
"There's…more?" (Alara)
I smile wickedly.
"Oh yes, much more. That's information only for my closest friends, though, which we are not. No offense. Zara, Nina, Alto, and Ilina – they're my only friends that I trust with everything about me." (Mizuki)
Zara smiles sideways at me, like she appreciates her inclusion. I smile back warmly. Alara shakes her head in exasperation, and she seems like she wants to move on.
"Okay…what is your suggestion for Zara's pay?" (Alara)
Zara looks at me curiously.
"Zara's wish is to help her people learn valuable skills so the wolf-kin can thrive. You will soon be needing a huge labor force for the development of your territory. I propose that, as payment to Zara, you hire her people as a temporary labor force to build your first city. You get most of the laborers you need, and the wolf-kin get hands-on experience in all the skills needed to build a city for themselves later. What do you two ladies think?" (Mizuki)
Zara looks at me in surprise, then she grins – oh yeah, she's on board. Alara is looking at me, nervous and conflicted. That could be for any number of reasons, though.
"Alara, if your hesitation is because you are prejudiced against wolf-kin, and don't want them in your territory, you should just say so. I don't agree with that attitude, but I'm not going to punish you over it, and I'm not going to force you to accept them here." (Mizuki)
Alara gives me a surprised look, then glances at Zara and shakes her head frantically.
"No, that's really not it! I don't have any more disdain for demi-humans than I do commoner elves, I just don't feel any obligation to them. Admittedly, I…have a lower opinion of their intelligence…compared to elves. Still, I wouldn't say that I'm hostile towards demi-humans or dwarves. Humans are the ones that bother me. After all, they're the only ones we don't let travel in our country on business." (Alara)
Huh…that kind of makes sense, I guess. So?