Duke Vistall’s Home
“Satou here. Often when someone tries to get you to take on a difficult task, they’ll dangle a carrot in front of your nose. However, when the bait is something you don’t want in the least, it just drives home the lack of communication between you and your superiors.”
“What’s the matter? You look a bit down, at least by your standards… A letter?”
“Yeah, from Duke Vistall.”
On our seventh day in the royal capital, I received a letter from the house of Duke Vistall.
To summarize, it basically said, “Come to my mansion so I can thank you for your help with the airship incident.”
“Isn’t it a little late for that?”
“I mean, I’m sure he’s been busy dealing with the aftermath.”
“Hmm. So, when are you supposed to go?”
“Later this afternoon. Sorry, but you’ll have to go to the theater today without me.”
“But weren’t you looking forward to that? We can just do our own thing today so we can all go together another time. That’s fine with all of you, isn’t it?”
The others all agreed with Arisa’s suggestion.
I spent the morning with the group, then booked a carriage to take me to Duke Vistall’s home.
The mansion, which was a short distance away from the royal castle, looked extravagant, even based on the outer walls and main gates alone.
Since the lord of the house had just recently survived an assassination attempt, there were armed guards stationed at regular intervals outside the walls and several dozen groups of soldiers with dogs patrolling around the enormous garden.
“I beg your pardon, but I need to see your proof of nobility, please.”
The coachman had given my name and stated my business, but the poofy-haired gatekeeper still came to talk to me directly.
I showed him my identification, as well as the letter from Duke Vistall.
The gatekeeper examined both, then looked from my face to the documents in his hand and back several times, before finally allowing me to pass.
“Pretty tight security.”
Like at Lady Litton’s garden party, instead of getting out directly at the entrance, we had to park the carriage and go in through a side door.
“Please leave any swords, daggers, and so on with me.”
“As you can see, I am unarmed.”
I answered the guard outside the side door honestly, but he didn’t seem to believe me and required a body search and bag check before I could enter.
This was the case even though I wasn’t really carrying any bags, since everything I had was generally in Storage.
Once the search ended, I was told to pass through the side door and wait in the little hall for someone to come get me.
After I waited for nearly an hour, a slender maid with a intense face finally came.
“Sir Pendragon, yes? Please follow me.”
Without waiting for a response, the maid turned on her heel and quickly started walking.
Wow, what a warm welcome.
Along the way, we passed an entrance hall where a large group of well-dressed ladies and gentlemen were gathered.
“Is there a banquet tonight?” I asked.
The hall I’d been waiting in wasn’t very impressive, but this entrance hall we were passing was on the same level of extravagance as that at the royal castle. There was a borderline excessive amount of gaudy decorations, probably to show off Duke Vistall’s power and wealth. My heart went out to the servants who had to maintain all this stuff.
“Yes.”
The maid confirmed, but she gave no further details.
Soon, we took a shortcut across the courtyard.
Hmm?
I heard the sound of a flute.
Looking up, I saw a familiar-looking woman in a spire visible across the courtyard.
It was one of Duke Vistall’s wives. She was the one who’d been having an affair with the dove-summoning high official who was part of the suicide bomber plot; I remembered that she’d been isolated after the emergency landing.
Since she appeared to be confined to a tower now, I imagine she was part of the terrorist plot as well.
“Sir Pendragon, this way.”
As I was standing and looking up at the tower, the maid called out to me in a slightly irritated tone.
I apologized lightly and followed after her.
“Wait in this room, please. Once your turn arrives, an official will come to fetch you.”
They kept me waiting for three whole hours without so much as offering a single cup of tea; I was just entertaining the idea of going home when the “official” finally arrived.
Sure, I spent that time working on a new Person-Binding spell I was developing, but still.
“Sir Pendragon. As thanks for helping to defend our esteemed leader His Excellency Duke Vistall from those villains, we present you with the following items.”
As I listened to the duke’s steward reciting a haughty-sounding thanks, I glanced around the gaudy audience hall.
It was as big as four gymnasiums put together, presumably used for evening balls and the like. The arched ceiling, nearly three stories high, was made primarily of glass, and delicate patterns had been carved into the beams and walls.
Behind the steward sat Duke Vistall in a luxurious throne, but thus far he had just glowered at me in silence.
My AR display told me that the grandiose silver cup hanging next to the throne was a Holy Chalice.
“Give the knight his gifts.”
On the steward’s order, a page carried over a single sword and a satin purse that appeared to contain money.
“I can’t believe he’d give some upstart honorary knight the Magic Sword granted by His Majesty…”
My “Keen Hearing” skill picked up on one of the duke’s retainers grumbling quietly.
It was then that I realized this was one of the mass-produced Magic Swords I had given to the kingdom by way of the Echigoya Company.
When I accepted it, Duke Vistall finally spoke.
“That is a ‘Champion’s Sword,’ which the knights of the royal capital all desperately desire.”
I had never heard that name before.
“Since it was bestowed upon me by His Majesty, I cannot simply hand it to you. If you will assist in crushing the rebel army that has raised the standard of revolt against me, then I will request His Majesty’s permission to grant you that sword.”
My reward, it seemed, was just the contents of the purse—which turned out to be gemstones, not money—and this mass-produced Magic Sword was bait to get me to enlist in his anti-rebel army.
Since he was evidently waiting for my response, I cautiously spoke. “So this is one of the famous Champion’s Swords…”
“That’s right. It’s a world-famous sword that no amount of money can buy.”
Wow, how flattering. I definitely could never tell anyone that it had taken me only a few minutes to make one of these.
“Yes, I can tell, even without drawing it from the scabbard. It is far too fine a weapon for one simple explorer such as myself.”
At that, the duke’s brow furrowed deeply, and his pasty face began to flush red with rage.
“Then you will not aid in the defeat of a rebel army that threatens the peace of the Shiga Kingdom?”
“I am a vassal of Baron Muno. I am afraid I cannot get involved in Your Excellency’s territorial dispute without permission from my lord the Baron.”
I tried to appease the duke as I politely declined, although he was the one who was trying to make his personal problems sound like the business of the entire kingdom.
“Besides, as I have no military experience, I would surely only slow down the elite soldiers of the Vistall Duchy army.”
Most importantly, I definitely didn’t want to fight in a war against other people.
If I had to take part in a slaughter of conscripted civilians on both sides, I would probably come away with a serious case of PTSD.
“I believe this Champion’s Sword would be better suited in the hands of a worthy soldier of your army.”
When I unhesitatingly returned the bait—I mean, Magic Sword—Duke Vistall pursed his lips and kindly gave me permission to leave: “Coward. Get out of my sight.” I tried not to let my gleeful relief show on my face as I left the hall.
“That took way longer than I expected…”
As I checked the time on my AR display, my thoughts turned toward the evening’s dinner.
“Eek!”
Hearing a small cry, I saw a young lady, whose lower body seemed to be stuck in a bush, flailing in a frantic attempt to get free. From the look of things, she must have tried to escape through the window above the bushes and failed.
“Are you all right?”
It didn’t look like she could get out on her own, so I went over and lent her a hand.
Once I saw her face up close, I realized she was the youngest daughter of Duke Vistall, Miss Somienna.
“Thank you… Oh! You’re the man from the airship!”
“Yes, my name is Satou Pendragon.” Since she recognized me at the same time, I reintroduced myself. “Are you headed out on an adventure, Miss Somienna?”
“Erm…” Somienna hesitated; then her eyes sparkled like she’d been struck with a brilliant idea. “Oh, I know! I’ll make you my retainer!”
Her ability to make selfish declarations without thinking about how they would inconvenience others was just like her father’s, Duke Vistall’s.
Not wanting to hurt her feelings by harshly turning her down, I just gave a polite, “That would be quite an honor.”
But of course, a little kid doesn’t understand what lip service is…
“Great, then let’s get going!” she declared. “I’ve got to bring a letter to my brother!”
“A letter?”
“That’s right! I wrote to him that if he doesn’t stop fighting with Father and get along, his favorite sister Enna’s not gonna like him anymore!”
I couldn’t help but smile at the innocent logic of a nine-year-old girl.
But if I really did bring her to the duchy where Sir Torriel was plotting a rebellion, it would probably cause some serious trouble.
“Sir Pendragon?”
Someone called out to me from the path I’d just left.
“Hello, Ms. Helmina.”
It was Lady Helmina, the gun user of the Shiga Eight Swordsmen.
She was out of uniform today, wearing another elegant dress of a different variety than the one she wore at the garden party.
Her brilliant presence disguised him at first, but I noticed that Sir Zef Juleburg, the head of the Shiga Eight, was with her in formal clothing as well.
“Thank you again for the other day, Sir Juleburg,” I said.
“It was an excellent battle. Come back to fi—that is, to train anytime,” he replied. “Since Gouen beat me to the punch, I didn’t get a chance to fight you yet.”
Sir Juleburg looked like he wanted to go for a round right that instant.
“By the way, are you here for the party, too? The young lady you’re escorting seems a bit young.” Lady Helmina peered at Somienna.
“No, actually…”
“You can’t tell any strangers!”
Before I could give a harmless excuse, Somienna jumped up and dragged me back by the arm.
Lady Helmina’s eyes crinkled in amusement.
“First platoon! To the mausoleum! Fifth platoon, cover the hole left by the first platoon!”
The relaxed atmosphere was ruined by tense voices shouting and the metallic sound of armed soldiers clanking around.
“Sounds like something happened.”
“Indeed.”
As Lady Helmina and Sir Juleburg exchanged glances, I opened my map.
Armed skeletons, zombies, and other lesser undead monsters were appearing in droves at the mausoleum the soldier mentioned.
They were all low-level enough that the soldiers heading that way should have been able to handle them without a problem.
I checked just to be safe, but they seemed to be unrelated to the necromancer I’d seen before.
“Should we go have a look?”
“No need. It’s probably a diversion.”
Sure enough, some skilled assassins were infiltrating through the back gate, let in by traitors on the inside.
Evidently, I was getting caught up in Duke Vistall’s internal affairs yet again.
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