Mark and Ely walked through the palace corridors toward the exit, where Yuki and the druid were waiting to begin the journey home.
For a while they moved in silence, until Ely, who had been turning something over in her head for a good while, finally let it out.
"Master," she said without stopping. "Are you really going to leave things like this, just like that?"
"What do you mean?" Mark asked, glancing at her sideways.
"All of this…" Ely replied with a vague gesture toward the palace they were leaving behind. "We came all the way here, did all the dirty work, and in the end the kingdom is practically the same as when we arrived."
"…"
"Yes, I know that Luna now 'leads' a coalition government with her siblings, but… honestly, how does that actually benefit us?" she said, frowning.
"Go on…" Mark said, completely unfazed and calm.
