Novel Bin Book 2: Epilogue
Book 2: Epilogue
Epilogue: The True Raising of the Curtain
It happened around the time that Souma and the others were fighting the final battle in Amidonia.
The prime minister of the Elfrieden Kingdom, Hakuya Kwonmin, was in Red Dragon City sorting things out in the aftermath of the war. Because Souma had had to leave to fight the principality before he could do any real work on the process, Hakuya was handling it on his behalf.
While he was the prime minister, he was also a bureaucrat, so for Hakuya this was his battlefield.
In Castors governmental affairs office, the only sound was the scratching of Hakuyas pen.
It was quiet in the castle. The master of the castle, Castor, had already been transferred to Parnam. The majority of the Vargas family servants had turned to Castors wife, Accela, who had been left with Excel, and they had departed for Lagoon City. Because of that, the only ones in the castle were the guards and a small number of bureaucrats.
Tap, tap.
There was a hesitant knocking at the door.
Come in, said Hakuya.
...Excuse me. I brought some papers for you, Tomoe said as she entered the room.
Tomoe would soon be departing for Amidonia to negotiate with the rhinosauruses. Still, they couldnt very well bring a child like Tomoe to the battlefield, so she would be staying with Hakuya until things settled down.
Hakuya stopped writing, and his cheeks loosened just a little. Thats kind of you. You dont have to do this for me, you know?
No... I wanted to do something to help, too... When Tomoe said that, her tail drooped, but her wolf ears perked up and moved around restlessly.
Seeing Tomoe acting like that, Hakuya smiled wryly despite himself. Are you worried about His Majesty and the others?
Ah! ...Yes. Since he had been on the mark, Tomoes ears flattened down. At times like this... I cant do anything.
You could say the same of me, Hakuya said, patting Tomoes head as he took the documents from her. We worked hard to refine the plan. Between Duke Carmines plot and Duke Vargass opposition, there were a number of events we hadnt predicted, but things are going well for the most part. You neednt worry. I am sure His Majesty, the princess, and everyone else will come back safely.
...Okay! Tomoe was encouraged by Hakuyas perfect composure, and she gave him a cheerful response.
That was when it happened.
A single soldier rushed into the office and said, I have a report! His Majesty Soumas army intercepted the Amidonian army near Van and successfully routed them! It was a major victory for our side!
He was reporting their victory in battle.
Tomoe smiled.
Clatter.
When he heard that report, Hakuya jumped to his feet so quickly that he knocked his chair over. His face showed signs of his excitement, a rarity for the usually-subdued Hakuya.
Tomoe stared blankly at him.
When Hakuya noticed that, he awkwardly cleared his throat.
...For an advisor, even if he has some reservations about his own plans, he must never let that show. It wouldnt do for him to stir up uncertainty, he said, the words sounding like he was just trying to hide his embarrassment.
Tomoe suppressed a laugh, giving her mentor, the Prime Minister, a firm salute. Yes, sir. I toooootally understand.
When Tomoe, the honorary little sister of his master and also his pupil, gave him a response like that, Hakuya sulked a little.
The black-robed prime minister, who was famed for his cleverness, couldnt keep up that image in front of his adorable student.
Before entering Van, the capital city of the Principality of Amidonia, I gave an order to the entire army.
We will now enter Van, but this area is already under the rule of the Elfrieden Kingdom! I announced. Therefore, the people who live within are already citizens of the kingdom! Killing, harming, raping, or robbing them will absolutely not be tolerated! If anyone should violate this order, regardless of their social stature or the severity of their crimes, I will have that person decapitated and their head put on display! Understand that now!
Once I had given that order to the entire army, I secretly called Ludwin aside and gave him a note I had prepared. Ludwin accepted it with a puzzled look.
What is this note? A list of peoples names? he asked.
I nodded, then said in as calm a tone as I could manage, Ludwin... find the five people whose names are listed here, decapitate them, and put their heads on display above the gate. However, make the reason for it because they attempted to enter and loot the houses of a resident of Van.
Wha?! What have these people done...?
It was a gift from Georg that came to me through Glaive, I said. Theyre from the Army, but when they were in the Carmine Duchy, they broke into a private residence, engaging in pillaging, rape, and murder. We would just be executing them later anyway, so Ill render judgment on them here to set an example.
...By your will. Ludwin meekly bowed, then took his leave.
Soon there were five heads lined up near the gate to Van. Next to them was a sign on which the charge against them, attempted pillaging, was written. It helped enforce discipline in every soldier who passed through the gate. As a result, the forces of the kingdom not only didnt engage in arson, looting, or violence, they didnt even fight back when those who couldnt accept their defeat threw stones at them.
That, despite expectations, ended up inspiring awe and fear in the Amidonian people.
Once the roads were confirmed safe, I myself entered Van.
This time I traveled not in a carriage, but on horseback. It seemed that, as the victor, it wouldnt do for me to ride inside a carriage.
While I had finally learned to ride a horse recently, I still wasnt very good at it. Well, Aisha was holding the reins for me, so it would probably be fine.
As my horse and Liscias moved forward side by side, I looked at the streets of Van.
The Capital of the Principality of Amidonia, Van.
The militaristic Principality of Amidonia had built this military city as a foothold towards their invasion of the Elfrieden Kingdom, and as a front-line base to defend against invasions by the kingdom. On top of that, because of their unique mentality of not wanting to lose to the kingdom at anything, its scale was comparable to that of Parnam.
When I first entered Van and saw that mishmash of practicality and vanity, I had one strong impression.
I want to re-district this place...
The civilian residential areas were crowded, the roads were complicated, and the layout made me want to call it a labyrinth city. Even though we were heading towards the castle, we kept turning left and right, and just couldnt seem to get there.
There were mansions that looked like they belonged to nobles here and there in the residential area. When I saw they were higher up than the commoners residences, I finally understood the layout of the city.
The layout had probably been designed so that, in the event of a battle, any soldiers who broke through the gate would get lost in the labyrinth city, while the defenders would use the nobles mansions as fortresses from which to attack.
...I dunno, it just made me think: Did you really have to go that far?
This city layout would be hard on the enemy, but it was no kinder to the residents. It was inconvenient for getting around, and I was worried about how fires would spread with the buildings crowded together so tightly. The fact that this city seemed to be designed around a policy of decreasing accessibility made my head hurt.
At this point, I had no choice but to rework the entire city. There werent many cities that would benefit this much from improved infrastructure. When I thought of the mountain of administrative work that was no doubt waiting for me... I couldnt help but get depressed.
Souma? Whats up? Liscia asked.
...No, its nothing.
Hm?
Look, you can see the castle now, I said.
While I dodged Liscias questions, I braced myself for what was to come.
I entered the castle in the center of Van, then sat on the throne in the audience room which must have belonged to Gaius VIII. Gaius was probably the type who had cared about projecting a dignified appearance.
I had heard Amidonias finances were in bad shape, but this audience chamber was quite impressive. They might have spent even more on decorating it than the one in Parnam.
If you had this kind of money, was there nothing better you could have spent it on? I wanted to question the former lord of the castle.
As I sat on the throne, Liscia stood by my side and Aisha stood behind me diagonally. The rest of my retainers stood a few steps down the stairs on the carpet, waiting to serve me. It had been a while since Id had such a king-like scene in front of me.
I ordered them to each give me their reports. They did so in order, with Ludwin coming first.
First, in regards to the family of Gaius VIII who were in this castle, we were unable to secure them, he said. In addition to his son Julius, who fled the battlefield, there was apparently another princess, but she vanished a number of days ago. Furthermore, judging from the fact that the finance minister and a number of other important bureaucrats are missing, it is believed they left Van before we arrived.
Hm... Setting aside that princess, it hurts that were missing those bureaucrats, I said. Contact Parnam immediately and have Marx send some over. Hakuya should be coming from Red Dragon City once things settle down, too.
By your will. Ludwin bowed.
Poncho was the next to speak. I-Im here to report on the state of the national treasury, yes. As expected, you could say, there were hardly any funds or stores of food. While it doesnt really compensate for it, there was a plentiful supply of weapons and such, yes.
How did they plan to hold out in a siege without food reserves? I asked.
Oh, no, if we only consider the guards for this castle, they could hold out for three months, yes, he said. If we consider the city as a whole, they wouldnt last a week, though...
The townspeople can fend for themselves, huh, I muttered. They sure are a militarist state... Lets sell off the excess weapons and convert them into funds. Also, Id like to distribute rations until things calm down inside the castle. Would it be possible to ship those in from the kingdom?
We dont have a lot to spare, but it should be possible within limits, he said. This place is close to the kingdom, so if we can just make the roads safe, I think we can manage something, yes.
Make securing the roads our highest priority, I said. Next, Glaive.
Glaive Magna, Hals father who now led the Army, made his report. Perhaps as an effect of Your Majestys example, the troops are adhering to regulations. However, if you make them hold their desires in for too long, I believe there is the risk that some of them will explode. If any of them were to lay a hand on the townspeople, public opinion would take a turn for the worse quickly.
We have that sort of problem, huh? I asked. Well, there are drinking establishments and a red-light district in this city, arent there? Well cover the expenses, so negotiate with the owners to get them some wine and companionship.
Are you sure thats all right? Glaive asked, sounding surprised.
Had I said something that strange?
We cant have them causing trouble for the townspeople, can we? I asked.
No, thats not it, he said. Is it okay to let the men fool around? With our current momentum, I would think we could annex all of Amidonia in short order.
Oh, that was what he meant.
Well only take Van, I said. We wont go any further than that.
Really? I think its best to take out your enemies when you can... Liscia expressed her doubts, but I told her it was fine.
No matter how much we expand our territory, no matter how many cities we take, when the Empire steps in, well lose it all, I said. The only thing left in the end will be all the lives we wasted.
When I said that, the room froze.
Liscia hesitantly asked, Is the Empire... going to be coming?
They almost certainly will, is my and Hakuyas reading of the situation. A signatory of the Mankind Declaration, Amidonia, had its border changed through military force. Theres no way the leader of that pact wont show up.
We had violated one of the three articles of the Declaration of Mankinds Common Front Against the Demon Race (also known as the Mankind Declaration), which stated that the acquisition of territory by force between the nations of mankind would be deemed inadmissible, so as the leader of that treaty, the Empire would have to act on behalf of Amidonia. They would probably start by negotiating, but they wouldnt hesitate to intervene militarily if it came down to it.
Incidentally, the difference in power between Elfrieden and the Empire was about as big as the gap between modern day Japan and America.
But the principality attacked us, Liscia protested. Why would we be the ones blamed for it?
Thats just how international treaties work, I said. Amidonia will probably claim Its Elfriedens fault for not signing the declaration, Im sure.
Urkh... If this was going to happen, maybe we should have signed the Mankind Declaration, too... she said. Wait, huh? Come to think of it, why didnt you sign it, Souma? You knew this would happen if we fought Amidonia without signing it, right?
When Liscia pointed that out, I scratched the back of my head and laughed. Because we cant sign it. Theres a pitfall in that declaration.
A pitfall? she asked.
Yeah. Maybe the Empire doesnt realize it?
Had they not noticed, or had they noticed and just chosen to turn a blind eye? Either way, that hole was a dangerous one that could cause the collapse of the Empire. I couldnt sign a faulty declaration like that.
I stood up, then turned and said to everyone there, Well, I guess we should take care of the post-war clean up until the Empire does something.
This is where my work as king really begins.
?Prologue to the Post-war Period
The Gran Chaos Empire was in the west of the continent.
On this continent, if you excluded the Demon Lords Domain, this state had the largest territory. When it came to population, war potential, technology, and even the quality of life for its people, it was a great empire to which no other country could compare.
Even the Elfrieden Kingdom, which had the second-largest territory on the continent, was insignificant compared to the Empire. If the kingdom wanted to compete with the Empire, even after annexing Amidonia, they would still need to double their strength.
In fact, that calculation only worked if they were fighting the Empire alone. If they made enemies of the Empires allied countries, too, there would be no room left for them on the continent.
About the only area where the kingdom could compete with the Empire was in how far back their histories went. The Empire was younger than the kingdom, though only by a little.
It had happened towards the end of the Chaotic Period. There had been conflict between the many diverse races of the continent, and many countries had suddenly risen to power. Unlike Elfrieden, which was founded by the coming together of many races, the Chaos Kingdom of the time was ruled by a single king. He centralized power, concentrating it in the hands of the human race, and created what might be called a dictatorship.
Especially in troubled times, centralized states are more powerful. This is because the decisions made by a single individual are immediately reflected, so they can make swift decisions and act immediately. By the time the Chaotic Period was drawing to an end, the Chaos Kingdom stood head and shoulders above the other nations on the continent. However, at that point, it was just one power among many. The people back then would never have thought it would become the sort of massive empire it was today.
The biggest revolution came around one hundred years ago, with the birth of a heroic individual in the Chaos Kingdom.
Manas Chaos.
The person who would later come to be known as Emperor Chaos.
Manas was born as the second son of the King of Chaos, but he inherited the throne when his father and elder brother perished in the war with the Euphoria Kingdom, a country which existed in the northwest of the continent. When Manas took the throne, those around him naturally expected a war of revenge against the Euphoria Kingdom.
However, Manas not only didnt launch a war for revenge, he also took the King of Euphorias daughter as his wife, forming a marital bond between the two countries. What was more, he went as far as renaming himself Manas Euphoria, so those in the Euphoria Kingdom let down their guards.
There was some resistance to this in the Chaos Kingdom, but Manas was a military genius and suppressed all of the dissenters.
As a military genius, Manas understood. Right now, the gap in power between the Euphoria Kingdom and his own wasnt that large. If they were to fight in these circumstances, the war would be drawn out and it would only succeed in exhausting the country.
His plan was to first use the King of Euphoria, absorb the smaller countries around them, and then, once the difference in power between them was overwhelmingly in his favor, he would try to swallow the Euphoria Kingdom again.
In fact, Manas did absorb the smaller countries, and then, when the difference in power between them was great enough, he invaded the Euphoria Kingdom, his wifes home, and destroyed it.
However, perhaps out of some small feeling of regret, even after he destroyed the Euphoria Kingdom, he didnt return to his former name of Chaos and continued to use the Euphoria name. Even now, the imperial family of the Gran Chaos Empire used the Euphoria name.
Even after destroying the Euphoria Kingdom, Manas continued with his wars of invasion, and before he knew it, his country had become a large nation controlling the west of the continent. This was when the Chaos Kingdom renamed itself the Gran Chaos Empire.
The appearance of this massive country was a cause of great concern even to countries that didnt neighbor it.
This happened some decades later, but in the Elfrieden Kingdom, the reason that the king who was Soumas predecessors predecessor had taken the path of expansionism was out of fear over the existence of the Empire.
The world had already been transitioning towards an atmosphere of cooperation then, but he must have wanted to strengthen his own country before the threat that was the Empire closed in on him. However, lacking the genius of Manas, when that former King of Elfrieden had seized half of Amidonia, his followers who were unhappy about the exhaustion of the country that had come from his excessive expansion assassinated him.
After that, the kingdom saw a succession war between his relatives (the three dukes of the time didnt want to get involved, so they secluded themselves in their duchies) which led to the near-elimination of the royal line.
In the end, the young girl who would later become Liscias mother survived the troubles, inherited the throne, and managed to make things settle down in the kingdom by taking Albert as her husband.
Lets get back to talking about the Empire.
The Empire had become a great power and was even looking at unifying the continent, but the core figure in all of this, Manas, had passed away at the age of fifty, when he still could have done more. There were rumors of assassination, but the truth is that it was illness. Not even such a great man could defeat illness.
With the death of Manas, the situation in the Empire began to look dubious. When a country is built around a strong personality, it often fractures when that strong personality is lost. There have been examples of this on Earth, too. There were Alexander the Greats empire, the Mongol Empire, Qin Shi Huangs Qin Dynasty, and more. The faster a country expands, the more likely it is to fracture before three generations have passed. It was the same with the Gran Chaos Empire.
The second emperor, thanks in part to Manass loyal associates still being alive, ruled the Empire with a steady hand. However, by the time the third emperor ascended the throne, those loyal attendants had passed away.
Partly because it was a country centered around humans, there were no vassals of other races, such as Excel, who had served the royal family for generations. As a result, the third emperor launched new invasions in an attempt to gain the support of his retainers. He must have wanted to show people both inside and outside the country that he could continue Manass work of unifying the continent.
However, the war that had broken out sixty years ago had turned into a world-wide war, with many countries being exhausted as a result. The Empire was no exception. With the unexpectedly high war costs ruining the country, it had damaged the support it had been trying to build.
There were repeated civil wars in the Empire, and the third emperor died at the hands of rebels during the fourth such war. Ironically, it was actually because of the losses inflicted in the war that the third emperor started in on an attempt to carry on the work of unification, one which caused the world to shift towards an atmosphere of greater cooperation.
The fourth emperor, who had inherited an empire in disarray, abandoned the expansionist policies and focused on domestic politics. It could have been called a wise decision, but he was called too passive and was looked down on by the lords of the empire.
When the fifth emperor took the throne, the Empire had already lost its centripetal force, and it was thought it would soon break up. However, roughly ten years ago, something completely unexpected had happened.
The appearance of the Demon Lords Domain.
The sudden advance of these aberrant armies caused the Empire to lose the former territory of the Euphoria Kingdom along with many of its other northern territories. However, the threat was the same for all countries, leading to calls for mankind to unite in the face of this situation.
And so, they turned to the largest, most powerful nation, the Empire, for leadership. As a result, the Empire managed to avoid the threat of division.
They became the leading power in the alliance of mankinds nations, but, owing to the fact that mankind wasnt working in unison at first, they were forced into a hard battle against the monsters. Then, in a battle during the invasion that pushed deep into the Demon Lords Domain, mankind suffered a crushing defeat.
The fifth emperor was a man of culture, not gifted in the art of war. As a result of the unfamiliar battlefield grinding him down, body and soul, he had passed away five years ago.
The fifth emperor had no boys, so the one to inherit the throne was a girl who was still only fourteen at the time.
That girl was Maria Euphoria.
Now, at the age of nineteen, she was the empress of the Grand Chaos Empire (emperor being a title for males, the position had been newly created.)
At the time, there had been many voices concerned that such a young girl was to take the throne. However, once she did take the throne, she immediately put her natural charisma to work.
She first changed the human-favoring Empire policies, employing those with talent even if they belonged to another race. In peace time, the humans might have pushed back against that, but this was a time of crisis with the threat of the Demon Lords Domain bearing down on them. Their positions and prestige were dependent on their survival.
Her policies, which were suited to the current era, received the support of her subjects.
Included in Marias policies was the one said to be her greatest, the Declaration of Mankinds Common Front Against the Demon Race (also known as the Mankind Declaration).
In response to the encroaching threat of the Demon Lords Domain, she called for a common front between all mankind.
The Mankind Declaration with its three articles, The acquisition of territory by force between the nations of mankind is deemed inadmissible, the right of all peoples to equality and self-determination will be respected, and countries that are distant from the Demon Lords Domain will provide support to those nations which are adjacent to it and are acting as a defensive wall, was revolutionary in that it not only established a common front against the forces of the Demon Lord, but also made reference to stopping wars and forbidding racial discrimination.
Also, Maria gave her undivided attention to saving the weak. With her beautiful appearance and the gentle disposition she greeted everyone with, regardless of their background, she seized the hearts of the people.
At some point, the people naturally came to call her this:
The Saint of the Empire.
That Saint of the Empire, Maria, was now in her room in the imperial capital of the Gran Chaos Empire with a gloomy look on her face.
It was a quiet night. There was something transient about the way she looked as she stood next to the window with moonlight streaming in, not bothering to turn the lights on. Her feminine, well-balanced figure was wrapped in a pure white dress, and she looked beautiful with her wavy blond hair.
Who would have believed that she stood at the top of the most powerful state on the continent?
As Maria looked through the glass at the moon shining in the night sky, she let out another sigh. At that moment, there was a knock at the door to her room.
Maria corrected her posture, then said, Come in.
Another young girl entered. Excuse me, sister.
This girl was clad in a military uniform, and had a face that looked identical to Marias.
If there was a difference between them, it was that she tied her hair back in a ponytail and that her eyes looked slightly more courageous. It was only natural that they would look similar, because she was Marias sister who was two years younger, Jeanne Euphoria.
Jeanne stood in front of her sister, giving her a salute. I, Jeanne Euphoria, will head to the Amidonian capital, Van, as commander of the Army.
Jeanne had such a great gift for the military that she was called the female Manas, and despite being first in the line of succession, she also acted as the commander of the entire Army.
Maria handled the administrative side while Jeanne handled the military. By dividing the roles between these two sisters, they had managed to handle the tasks which had made the previous emperor collapse from being overworked.
Incidentally, there was another sister who was one year younger than Jeanne, but according to rumors she was a rare eccentric and not allowed out in public.
Maria looked at Jeanne apologetically. Yes... Youll be meeting with that hero king.
...Yes, said Jeanne. I dont like being used like this by Amidonia, but I suppose well have to negotiate the return of Van, which is under occupation. Jeanne looked as if shed just bitten into something unpleasant.
A messenger from the sovereign prince of Amidonia, Julius, had arrived in the imperial capital, Valois, just a few days prior.
The occupation of Van by the Elfrieden Kingdom is a challenge to signatories of the Mankind Declaration, which forbids the changing of borders, the messenger had told them. As the leading power of the treaty, we ask that Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Maria Euphoria, use her power to take Van back from that country.
Of course, the Empire knew that the Principality of Amidonia had been the one to initiate hostilities. When pressed on that point, the messenger had said, That is something the former prince, Lord Gaius, did despite Lord Juliuss warnings to the contrary. It has nothing to do with Lord Julius. The excuse sounded almost defiant.
When he spoke to them like that, Jeanne nearly drew the sword at her hip, but as the one in charge of the Empires military, she restrained herself. Then, despite really not wanting to, she agreed to take over the negotiations.
Even if the principality was at fault, the Mankind Declaration had to be respected. The Mankind Declaration was the embodiment of the Empires prestige. It was a bitter decision for Maria and Jeanne to have to make.
Im sorry, Maria said. Making you go to all this trouble.
What are you saying? Im sure youre the one troubled most by this, sister. I swear well make Julius Amidonia pay for this someday, Jeanne spat.
Maria could understand how Jeanne felt, but she told her in the calmest tone possible, It will be fine. The Elfrieden Kingdoms new king, Souma, is by all accounts a wise man. I cant see him being so foolish as to fight with our country.
Are you sure? Jeanne asked. We once demanded he be handed over to us...
True... He must have a bad impression of us.
Roughly half a year before, the Empire had requested that Elfrieden provide subsidies for the war against the demons. If they couldnt do that, the Empire had included a condition wherein they could carry out the ritual of hero summoning which was passed down in their country, and turn that summoned hero over to the Empire instead. As a result, the financially troubled Elfrieden Kingdom had chosen to summon a hero. Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m n0v3lb(i)n.c(o)/m
Then the summoned hero, Souma Kazuya, had been given the throne by the king and become the current King of Elfrieden.
There were many points that remained unclear, such as why the former king, Albert, had handed over the throne so easily, but Souma had improved the health of the Elfrieden Kingdoms economy and begun to provide subsidies.
Since then, the new king Souma had solved a food crisis, put down a rebellion by the three dukes, and dealt with Amidonia, which had used the rebellion as an opportunity to invade, by launching a counter invasion and occupying their capital, Van.
A man who was close in age to Maria had accomplished all of that in a short time. Even if he hadnt been a hero, she would want someone that capable for herself.
To be honest, rather than Julius who had acted arbitrarily, she would have preferred to be on friendly terms with King Souma. However, because the Empire had demanded he be turned over to them, it was assumed that there was no hope of them forming a friendly relationship. However, Maria hadnt given up hope yet.
From what I hear in the reports, I think Sir Souma is the type who will understand if we talk to him, she said.
Jeanne, on the other hand, disagreed with her assessment. You do? I feel the opposite, sister. You and he are like oil and water...
From all the reports Jeanne had heard about Souma, she felt like he was Marias polar opposite. For instance, Maria was trying to unite mankind in the face of the threat from the Demon Lords Domain, while Souma seemed to be thinking his country needed to be able stand on its own two feet first.
Also, no matter how unpleasant things got, Maria respected the law and rules, trying to act logically, like an empress should. Meanwhile, for Souma, when it came to his powers as king, his subjects, and systems, his policy seemed to be, If theyre useful, I use them, and if theyre not, I dont, with his criteria for which was which being decided by his own sensibilities. If a system wasnt in line with the facts, he would change it, while if it was practical, hed employ it even if no one had ever looked at it before.
Maria acted according to logic, while Souma acted according to his feelings. Jeanne didnt think the two of them would ever understand one another.
To me, it feels like you two are facing in entirely different directions... she said.
Maria was silent for a moment, then giggled. Oh, but if were both facing different directions, dont you think we could eliminate our blind spots if we cooperate?
When she saw Marias mischievous smile, even as her little sister, Jeanne thought she was very cute.