Friendship and Determination
Satou here. Since the development of the web, I feel like we’re less likely to call family and friends on the phone to make sure they’re safe when there’s news of a disaster in their area. Social media is a lot faster and usually more reliable.
It was the third day of the year, one day after I’d invited Hikaru to the manor.
I was attending day two of the kingdom meeting.
“We will present one of the small airships we are currently building to each land’s lord. We’ll also be adding two new large airships for a total of four. One of the new ships shall travel the northern route between Seiryuu City and the royal capital, while the other will travel the circular route around each major nation.”
When the prime minister made this declaration, cheers arose from the nobles gathered in the assembly hall.
Seated in the room were the king, the feudal lords, upper nobles including myself, and the cabinet ministers and other high-ranking bureaucrats.
I was positioned with Miss Nina behind Count Muno as a part of his entourage.
“The northern-route ship will go into service in three months’ time, while the loop route will take half a year. These new additions will surely enliven the exchange of people and goods within our great kingdom.”
Next, he announced that the new skypower engines for these airships had been provided by Nanashi the Hero.
Half the small airships and the large airship for the northern route were being built at the royal shipyard, while the other half and repairs on the loop-route large airship were at the Echigoya Company shipyard.
The airship designated for the loop route was the one we were taking from Labyrinth City to the royal capital when it made an emergency landing nearby.
“As the small airships are completed, they will be distributed in the following order.”
The currently serviced eastern route connected Ougoch Duchy, Ganika Marquisate, and the royal capital; the western route was between Vistall Duchy, Eluette Marquisate, and Labyrinth City Celivera.
The newly established northern route would make a direct connection between the royal capital and Seiryuu County, where a labyrinth had recently appeared.
As such, small airships would be distributed to all feudal lords except the two aforementioned dukes, two marquises, and Count Seiryuu. The order of this distribution was determined by the amount of money each nation contributed to the kingdom.
“So we’re last…”
My “Keen Hearing” skill picked up on a bitter grumble from the young lord of Lessau County.
It probably didn’t help that they had recently lost their capital and previous lord to a surprise attack from an intermediate demon, along with a third of the population and most of the statesmen. To make matters worse, they were only halfway done exterminating the monster army the demon had gathered, sending so many refugees to the royal capital and nearby territories that it was beginning to cause difficulties.
Since the former Count Lessau had made Tifaleeza and Neru into criminal slaves for a disgusting reason, though, I couldn’t quite bring myself to sympathize with this Count Lessau.
“Next, we will announce distribution numbers of the cores from labyrinths to each nation.”
The allocation of resources seemed like it would cause all kinds of quarrels, but no one complained or objected as the prime minister read out the numbers; maybe they’d already done their negotiating in advance.
…No, wait, one person was voicing an objection.
“Cutting off supplies to our territory for a year?! This is outrageous! We will never be able to rebuild in such conditions!”
It was the same young lord from before.
Count Lessau looked desperate as he pleaded with the king and prime minister.
I didn’t know how they would use cores for rebuilding, but he was clearly unhappy that they’d decided to redistribute what would have been his county’s cores to the knights being dispatched to Vistall Duchy and the quickly recovering Muno County.
Come to think of it, Miss Nina did tell me that before the attack, the previous Count Lessau had not only failed to garner support from his fellow lords and nobles before the kingdom meeting, he even incurred animosity from many of them.
I imagine that’s how his successor wound up getting left out now.
The crafty adults wheedled the young Count Lessau back into his seat, and the meeting moved on to the next topics.
This included the rebuilding of the royal capital, for which the Echigoya Company had been enlisted to provide materials; discussion about how to deal with the rebellion in Vistall Duchy; and finally, Count Seiryuu discussed when the newly made Seiryuu City labyrinth would begin development in earnest and requested investments.
Most of the topics required little more than fact-checking and didn’t take up much of the meeting time. The nobles seemed to have already laid groundwork and negotiated about these things before the end of the year.
The meeting went on with a short lunch break, and by the time the attending nobles started to look weary, the end was in sight.
“…This concludes today’s kingdom meeting. If anyone has objections to the matters discussed today, please rise.”
The prime minister, who was running the meeting, wrapped things up with the traditional closing remarks.
I’d heard that no one had raised an objection at this point in the past thirty years.
At least, until the young man seated among the feudal lords stood up from his seat.
“Young master, please take your seat!”
“Let go of me. Do you want our people to go on suffering?”
Roughly shaking off the aide who quietly pleaded with him to sit down, the young lord glared at the prime minister.
“Count Lessau, is it? State your objection, then.”
The intimidating baritone of the prime minister’s voice made the young count tremble.
“Th-then state it I shall. P-please reconsider the distribution of cores to our territory!”
Though he wore a determined expression, the tremor in his voice lessened the impact somewhat.
“I believe we reached a consensus on that matter in this morning’s meeting.”
The prime minister enunciated each word sharply as he addressed the count.
Count Lessau looked dissatisfied, clamping his mouth shut and lowering his gaze.
Incidentally, the cores in question were an essential material for constructing magic tools, brewing potions, fueling the magic furnaces found in mines and teleport points, and so on. However, I wouldn’t say they were essential to people’s everyday lives.
Within a city, all the necessary magic power was drawn from a mana source by the City Core.
Unless it had a magic device like the mithril furnace in Bolehart City that consumed magic power like water, a city shouldn’t need a large amount of cores.
On top of that, the ones being distributed in this case were just from Labyrinth City. Cores harvested from monsters in each territory were left up to that lord’s discretion.
If they didn’t have enough, they could just hunt monsters within their own territory.
Although that worked only if you had enough of an army, of course.
“…What your territory needs is restoration of public safety, correct? The cores that were intended for your county will instead be given to the kingdom knights being sent to Vistall Duchy for the furnaces that run their teleport points, and in exchange, the knights will assist in exterminating the monsters infesting your county to restore safety to the major roads. You agreed to this plan as well, did you not?”
“W-well, I…”
Ahhh, now I can sort of guess the prime minister’s motives.
The prime minister’s top priority must be securing the safety of the major roads through Lessau County.
And on Count Lessau’s dime, no less.
Geographically speaking, if the central roads through Lessau County weren’t safe, the supply lines to the knights suppressing the rebellion in Vistall Duchy would be compromised. They would have to pass through the hilly roads of Eluette Marquisate to the west instead.
Besides, if the central roads weren’t secure, it would affect trade between the royal capital and the northern parts of the kingdom.
This was just my assessment from a military and economic viewpoint, but I was willing to bet I was right.
And apparently, Count Lessau was the only person who didn’t realize this.
“Hmph, he says he wants to restore his territory, but I bet he’s just trying to get his mines running again to make a profit.”
Count Zetts grumbled this loudly for everyone to hear.
Judging by the scowl on Count Lessau’s face, it must have hit the bull’s-eye.
“Old Man Zetts can be so immature,” Nina muttered next to me.
She told me that Zetts County was next to Lessau County and was probably disgruntled about the inconveniences they were causing. Then she explained Count Lessau’s scheme, too.
“He’s probably right about what the kid is planning, though. I imagine he’d like his family and retainers to profit and to get a leg up on the other nobles in his territory.”
“As I have said before, sending the knights to eliminate monsters along the roads is sure to have a bigger impact on the county’s restoration than providing magic cores. What use would it be to provide cores to your mines and furnaces without securing the safety of your people?”
Ignoring Count Zetts, the prime minister addressed Count Lessau in a gentle yet reproachful tone.
“Then my territory can lend you our cores instead…”
Count Lessau perked up hopefully at this, but his face clouded again when he saw who was speaking.
It was none other than Duke Vistall.
“…and in exchange, the knights can pass straight through your county and prioritize suppressing the rebellion in ours.”
“B-but…”
“What’s the problem? I’m offering you the cores you wanted!”
Count Lessau quaked at Duke Vistall’s bellow of rage.
His vassals and some of the pedigreed nobles followed suit, jeering and yelling.
“That’s enough, Vistall—”
The prime minister stepped in to admonish Duke Vistall and his hangers-on.
Evidently, the kingdom meeting wasn’t ending anytime soon.
Great. Just great.
“…Hmm?”
After parting ways with Count Muno and company in the royal castle, I was in a carriage heading down the main street toward our royal capital manor when I noticed a blue dot on my zoomed-in radar.
At first, I thought it was one of my party members, but I was wrong.
Leaning out the window, I saw a glimpse of sunny blond hair.
It was someone I thought was in Labyrinth City:
“Zena!”
I hopped down from the carriage and waved.
Spotting me from afar, Zena pressed her horse’s reins into the hands of a nearby colleague and came running over.
“S-Satou! I…I’m so glad you’re safe…”
As soon as she reached me, she threw her arms around me at full force.
Her hands trembled as she held me tightly, repeating, “Thank goodness…,” with tears in her eyes.
I was guessing she had heard about the appearance of the Evil God’s Spawn and the demon army in the royal capital and came here out of concern for our safety.
“Thank you, Miss Zena. Please don’t worry—none of the girls are hurt, either.”
“Thank goodness,” Zena whispered one more time, then smiled through her tears.
“You there, girl!” I heard a booming voice behind us. “You’re Baronet Alfe’s niece, aren’t you?”
“Y-Your Excellency Kigorri!”
It was the lovely swordsman Iona from Zena’s squad who responded to the voice.
Turning around, I saw Sir Kigorri, who was Count Seiryuu’s guard, and Viscount Belton, both peering out from a carriage.
“Sir Pendragon? And if it isn’t the magic soldier Zena.”
Noticing Viscount Belton’s curious gaze, Zena hurriedly let go of me and jumped away.
“What are you doing in the royal capital? I thought your squad was on a mission in Labyrinth City.”
“W-well, I…,” Zena stammered.
She must have been so worried about me that she came without getting permission.
“She heard of the commotion in the royal capital a few days ago and rode on horseback to make sure that her lord His Excellency Count Seiryuu was safe and sound.”
I used my “Fabrication” skill to come up with a generic excuse on her behalf.
“Sorry for calling out to you when you were on a mission,” I added to Zena, deliberately giving the impression that it was my fault she had stopped here.
“Ah, is that right? Fear not—His Excellency is safe. As one of his chief vassals, I am pleased to hear of your loyalty.”
Viscount Belton inclined his head toward Zena and her squad.
Another victory for the “Fabrication” skill.
“I should like to bring you to see him at once, but unfortunately, he cannot leave the royal castle at the moment. I’m afraid the only person at his royal capital manor currently is that uptight Sir Torriel. I’d advise killing time until the evening if you do not wish to stand on ceremony all day.”
With that, Viscount Belton’s carriage went on its way.
Judging by the slight smile at the corners of his lips, I think that was his way of giving Zena and the others a little break.
I brought them all back with me to our royal capital manor.
“You must be exhausted. I’ll have a bath and a room prepared for you to relax.”
I gave the maids instructions to ready a guest suite and put my coachman in charge of Zena’s squad’s horses.
“I heard there was a great deal of damage along the main road, but this area seems relatively unharmed.”
“Yes, we were very fortunate.”
I guided the four to the parlor as I answered Miss Iona.
“What, did a demon lord show up?”
“No, just a demon army and a great deal of monsters.”
“A demon army?!”
When I responded to Lilio’s joke with the honest truth, Zena jumped up in surprise from her seat next to me, nearly spilling the fruit-infused water she was drinking.
“Yes, but there’s no need to worry. Sir Nanashi the Hero and his attendants defeated them all. There was nothing for the rest of us to do, really.”
“Oh, good…”
According to Zena’s squad members, it was a total coincidence that they’d heard about the hubbub in the royal capital at all.
They happened to be at the explorers’ guild when they heard the guildmaster exclaim, “The royal capital’s been attacked by demons?!”
Right after that, the sky grew dark in the middle of the day, and Zena was so worried that she ran out of the guild to go to the royal capital.
“Man, you have no idea how hard it was to stop Zenacchi from trying to use magic to run all the way there.”
“L-Lilio, honestly! I told you to keep that a secret!”
The Wind Magic spell Wind Walk certainly was faster than a horse, but it was so hard on the user’s muscles that it wasn’t suited for running marathon-like distances.
“We left as soon as we got permission from Sir Hence under the pretext of investigating the strange events in the royal capital, but…”
“Between the crowded roads, getting delayed at the Vanwing Pass checkpoint, and the gates to all the towns and cities being closed, it took us three whole days to get here.”
Miss Iona and Miss Lou elaborated on their journey.
I had to be grateful to Zena for going through all that just to come check on me.
“I smell master, sir!”
With a gleeful cry, Pochi came jumping in through the window facing the garden.
As soon as she realized I had guests, her face turned to an expression of panic but then cleared into a smile when she saw who was with me.
“Zena, sir!”
“Good to see yaaa…?”
Tama peeked in the window next to Pochi.
“I say, has Satou returned?”
For some reason, Karina poked her head in between the pair, her golden ringlets and magical bust alike bouncing.
“Geh, you’re living with some lady in the royal capital, too?”
“You better watch out, Zena. At this rate, some other girl’s gonna beat you to the punch.”
While Lilio accused me, Lou whispered something strange to Zena.
“I only came to visit Satou since I heard from Nina that he wasn’t feeling well, you see.”
“You did? Thanks for going out of your way to check on me, Lady Karina.”
Miss Nina knew for a fact that my illness was an excuse to get out of the kingdom meeting, so she must have told Miss Karina that to give her a chance to get closer to me.
“You’re sick, boy-o?”
“A-are you all right?!”
“I’m fine. I was just a little under the weather yesterday.”
Off to the side, Iona scolded Lilio to call me “Sir Knight” instead of “boy-o.”
The head maid knocked at the door, then frowned in consternation when she saw Miss Karina peeking in through the window.
She had probably come to tell me that Karina was visiting, only to find that she was already here.
“U-urgent news!”
Another maid flew into the room from behind the head maid.
“What is it? You’re in front of the young master and his guests, you know.”
“I-I’m sorry. B-but, but it really is urgent!”
As the maid repeated herself frantically, I handed her an untouched glass of fruit water to calm her down.
“Her Highness the princess is here!”
“You mean Princess Sistina?”
Although it could be Princess Menea from the Lumork Kingdom, I thought.
“H-Her Highness?!”
“Princess? As in the daughter of the king?”
“Now there’s royal competition, too?”
Zena’s squad seemed to be oddly panicked.
I would’ve thought they were used to it, since they’d interacted with Princess Meetia from the Nolork Kingdom at the explorers’ school in Labyrinth City, but I guess not.
“Oh dear, did you already have visitors? I’m terribly sorry.”
Her trademark glasses glinting, Princess Sistina, the sixth princess of the Shiga Kingdom, entered the room with her usual pair of ladies-in-waiting trailing behind. Her tawny hair was in a gentle ponytail today, giving her a softer appearance than usual.
Since there was only one parlor in my house, the maid must have brought her here not knowing Zena and the others were already occupying the room.
“I apologize that I couldn’t come when you invited me yesterday.”
“I’m just glad it’s nothing serious. Why, I could scarcely sleep at night for worry that something might happen to you, Lord Satou.”
Well, she’s probably more worried about my spell-creation knowledge than me personally.
“We’re hooome! Whoa, it’s a madhouse in here.”
“Mm. Chaos.”
At that moment, Arisa and Mia came back from an outing.
“Shouldn’t we relocate to a bigger room?”
Taking Arisa’s suggestion, we moved to the reception room that I’d never had a chance to use before.
“Now, if it’s all right, please allow me to introduce you to everyone. This is Her Highness Princess Sistina, sixth princess of the Shiga Kingdom.”
When I introduced her, the princess gave a dignified curtsy.
Zena and her squad looked frozen with nerves. Lilio and Lou tried to escape on the way to the reception room, but Iona caught them and dragged them along.
Tama and Pochi had been captured by Liza and were sitting in a corner of the room in zipped-lips mode.
The only one of my companions who wasn’t here at the moment was Hikaru, who was at the royal castle.
“She looks smart.”
“Yeah, that ‘glasses’ thingy is a magic tool, right? I know all about it.”
“That’s crazy, Lilio.”
Lilio and Lou were speaking in hushed whispers.
Since Miss Karina and Zena had already met in Labyrinth City, I introduced them both to the princess next.
“This is Lady Karina, second daughter of my lord Count Muno.”
At that, Zena and her squad (who hadn’t heard about the promotions) whispered among themselves: “Count?” “Wasn’t he a baron?”
“So this is Lord Satou’s lord’s daughter…”
The slender princess’s eyes fell on Miss Karina’s more-than-ample bosom.
I’m sure she was just looking at Raka, the Intelligent Item Karina wore on her chest.
“Your father must have quite the eye for people. Are you perhaps Lord Satou’s fiancée?”
“N-no! M-most certainly not!”
Karina turned bright red at the princess’s question.
That was all well and good, but flailing her arms in front of her face was rather unladylike.
“And this is Miss Zena Marienteil, a dear friend of mine who’s come from Seiryuu County to research in Labyrinth City, along with her colleagues, Miss Iona, Miss Lou, and Miss Lilio.”
Whoops, I made the rest of Zena’s squad sound more like her hangers-on.
“Pleased to meet you, Zena of the Marienteil family. Any friend of Lord Satou’s is a friend of mine. Do come to me if ever you need anything.”
“Th-thank you. You do me a great honor.”
Miss Zena looked flummoxed by the princess’s misleading statement but managed to give a stiff military salute.
“By the way, Lady Tina, were you just here to say hi or what?” Arisa addressed the princess in a point-blank manner.
“A-Arisa, no! You can’t talk like that to a princess…!”
Zena scrambled to cover Arisa’s mouth.
“Not to worry,” the princess responded breezily. “I have given her my permission.”
Back when they were playing detective together, Arisa had addressed the princess a lot more formally. They must have become close enough during their visit yesterday that she had gotten permission to speak to her casually and even with a pet name.
“Wha…? I had no idea… I’m sorry, Arisa.”
Zena released Arisa’s mouth.
“Yes, she is my fellow pupil.”
“Your what?” I blurted out before I could stop myself.
Pupil of what, exactly?
“Arisa and Lady Mia are star pupils of the Supreme Spell Researcher Lord Satou, are they not? I wish to become your pupil as well from today onward.”
Now that was unexpected.
“You’re called the Supreme Spell Researcher, Satou?”
Zena’s wide eyes said clearly that she had never heard of such a thing.
Don’t worry—this is the first I’m hearing of it, too. It’s not even in my list of titles.
“I wasn’t aware I had such an alias.”
“We made it up ourselves.”
Arisa and Mia puffed out their chests.
“Satou, are you able to use magic now?”
“No, I’m afraid I’ve yet to master chanting. I’ve just been studying spells as a hobby on the road since we left Seiryuu City.”
That was the truth, no “Fabrication” skill necessary.
“How ambitious, studying during your travels!” Zena exclaimed, taking a generous interpretation.
“Tina, go on?”
Plopping herself down on my knee, Mia prompted the princess to continue.
“Ah, yes. Lord Satou, have you any interest in delay runes? I came to invite you to the royal academy, as the former head court mage is giving a lecture.”
“That sounds fascinating. Yes, I’d love to attend.”
I’d been interested in delay runes since hearing about them at the royal research institute.
“When is the lecture? I hope it doesn’t overlap with the kingdom meeting, as I’m afraid I must be present for that.”
“Not to worry. It happens to be the day after the kingdom meeting concludes.”
Perfect. I should be able to go without a problem, then.
“I shall make the arrangements at once.”
The princess bounced out of the salon eagerly. I guess that really was all she’d wanted.
“Lady Tina left already…”
“Mm, free-spirited.”
Arisa and Mia returned from seeing the princess to the door, shrugging at each other.
“Meeew—”
Looking more relaxed now that there was no royalty present, Tama flopped into my lap and went limp like a stuffed animal.
Pochi, also freed from Liza’s clutches, plunked herself down next to Karina.
“Master, Karina came to talk to you about school, sir!”
“School…?”
I turned toward Miss Karina.
“I-indeed. Yesterday, Menea invited me to participate in a special class taking place at the royal academy during their spring break.”
So she was here on similar business to Princess Sistina?
“Missus Karina, question! What kind of special class exactly?”
Arisa bounced eagerly toward Karina.
“What kind…? Erm, I believe Menea said it’s something like an audit that allows members of the public to experience the academy.”
“So it’s like a trial enrollment, not just a one-off class?”
“Y-yes, I suppose so.”
Karina looked alarmed by Arisa’s intense questioning.
“Awww yeeeah!” Arisa shouted. “So it’s finally time for the school arc!”
Not that it mattered, but I’d call it more of an academy arc than a school arc.
“I mean, a school arc is almost as guaranteed a perma-WIP as a tournament arc and a dungeon-crawling arc!”
Apparently, WIP is short for work in progress, and in web novels and fan fiction, it meant a story that would probably never get finished.
“Woooo, let’s gooooo!”
“Arisa, mind your manners!”
As Arisa jumped onto a chair and started crowing, Lulu quickly pulled her down.
“Awww, c’mooon!”
“Don’t you realize we still have guests?”
“I’m sowwyyyy.”
Arisa hung her head exaggeratedly as Lulu quietly scolded her.
“Great work on li’l Menea’s part, though. If she didn’t have such a bad habit of trying to show off to master, I’d invite her over more often.”
“…Menea?”
Arisa’s blabbering set off a reaction from Zena.
“Sounds like yet another new girl’s name.”
“Watch your back, Zenacchi.”
“That’s enough, you two.”
Miss Iona chided Lilio and Lou as they teased Zena.
“Lady Menea is a princess of the Lumork Kingdom.”
“A-another princess?!”
“Please calm down, Lady Zena.”
Liza handed Zena some cold fruited water.
“Your boy toy does seem to know a lot of princesses and generals and bigwigs like that.”
“We just happened to meet in the old capital. Princess Menea adores Lady Karina like an older sister.”
I explained my relationship with the princess to Zena by way of Lilio.
Probably best not to mention that Princess Menea could be a little touchy-feely.
“Lady Karina, do you know what the classes are about specifically?” I asked Karina, mostly to change the subject.
“I’m told there are all kinds. Spring sessions for children who are about to enter preschool, special classes for students who want to enroll in the royal academy, spring field trips, and so on.”
Miss Karina placed a sheaf of papers with more information on the table.
Arisa peered over my shoulder.
“Huh, there really are all kinds…”
If you excelled in the field-trip class, you could get an exemption from the entrance exams or even a free scholarship.
There were other special lectures and demonstrations like the one Princess Sistina had invited me to as well.
“Pochi wants to go, sir!”
“Tama toooo?”
That was no surprise.
“Master, there will be many larvae in the preschool classes, I report.”
Nana sounded very excited.
“Interested.”
“Yeah, the delay-rune lecture Lady Tina mentioned sounds like fun, and there are lots of other cool-sounding classes, too. I’ll give it a go.”
“What about you, Liza?”
“I shall accompany the others.”
Liza didn’t seem as interested in the lectures as she was worried about Tama and Pochi.
“There aren’t any cooking classes, are there?”
“They have a ‘young ladies’ course’ that sounds like a home ec class. Maybe that has cooking classes, too?”
I scanned the sheets again to answer Lulu.
While Tama and Pochi had classes with their private tutor, it shouldn’t be a problem if we scheduled those around the royal academy classes.
“Instruction from the Shiga Eight?!”
“Whoa! That’s a rich-kid school for ya!”
As Miss Iona was reading off the notes on the special classes, Lou yelped excitedly.
The teachers were the seventh seat of the Eight Swordsmen of Shiga, Mr. Heim “the Weedy,” and the eighth seat, Miss Ryuona “the Grass Cutter.”
“I would love to study swordsmanship under them just once.”
“Yeah, I bet they’re amaaazing…”
Iona and Lou sighed longingly.
“Oui oooui…?”
“Mr. Heim is amazing, sir!”
Tama nodded, and Pochi boasted proudly.
“You make it sound like you know the guy.”
“We dooo…?”
“Tama and Pochi got lots of good learning from Mr. Heim, sir!”
Tama and Pochi bobbed their heads at Lou.
“Yeah, right…”
“That’d be the day.”
Lilio and Lou didn’t believe Tama and Pochi in the slightest, despite their protests.
“What they’re saying is the truth. When we were invited to the Holy Knights’ barracks, Mr. Heim was kind enough to instruct them.”
When I confirmed, it got a wide-eyed reaction out of not only Lilio and Lou but even Zena and Iona.
Was it really that hard to believe?
“I’m baaaack! What’d I miss?”
“M-Miss Mito!”
When Hikaru cheerfully barged in from the hallway, Zena jumped up with a cry of surprise.
“Oh, hey, you’re John’s ex-GF’s pal.”
“Don’t call me his ex-GF,” Lilio grumbled, looking away.
I’d forgotten that Zena and her squad said they’d fought alongside Hikaru not once but twice on their way to Labyrinth City.
“What’s wrong, Lilio?”
Lilio was peering behind and around Hikaru.
“He’s not with you?”
“Who? …Ah, you mean Johnny?”
Lilio nodded without looking directly at Hikaru.
“Sorry, I haven’t seen him since we parted ways in Zetts County.”
“Gotcha… Wonder if he’s with those busty babes, then.”
This time, Lilio glanced at Nana.
“If you refer to my sisters, they are training in Bolenan Forest, I declare.”
“Bolenan Forest? You don’t mean…”
“In the elf village, I add.”
“For real?!” Lilio exclaimed.
“Whoa, I’m amazed you got those standoffish elves to let in outsiders like that.”
Hikaru looked at me with admiration.
The elves in the village were so friendly that I forgot their race had an overall reputation for keeping to themselves.
“S-Satou, who might this be?”
Miss Karina cowered behind me, tugging on my sleeve.
“Her name’s Mito, a master of Practical Magic. Mito, this is Lady Karina, daughter of my employer, Count Muno.”
The first sentence was directed toward Karina, the second toward Hikaru.
“Nice to meetcha.”
“Y-yes, the pleasure is all mine, I’m sure.”
I valiantly pretended not to hear Hikaru mutter something like, “Those things are huge. I bet my Ichirou would love them.”
“Y-you aren’t Satou’s fiancée, are you?”
“Satou’s fiancée?!”
Karina’s misguided question elicited something like a shriek of dismay from Zena.
“No, not at all.”
I was quick to nip that falsehood in the bud.
“My beloved is a friend of Satou’s. He’s gone missing, you see. Satou was nice enough to let me stay here until I find him.”
“Oh, so that’s it!” Zena said much more brightly.
I guess she was confused about what Hikaru was doing here.
Karina let loose a sigh of relief, too.
“Y’know, you and Miss Mito actually look a lot alike.”
“Yes, they do.”
“I bet they’re from the same homeland.”
Zena’s squad murmured among themselves.
This “John” who was Lilio’s ex-boyfriend evidently said of Mito that he picked her up in some ruins.
Neither John’s nor Zena’s squad seemed to realize that Hikaru was really the ancestral king Yamato said to be asleep in those ruins.
A maid whispered in Lulu’s ear, and she turned to me with a question.
“What shall we do for dinner, master? I’m sure Miss Zena and company are quite tired from their journey. Perhaps I should make something gentler on the stomach than osechi?”
“Osechi? You mean the meal that shows up in the tales of the ancestral king?”
“The one that the legendary chef Tseng was devoted to re-creating to help soothe the ancestral king’s homesickness?”
Zena and Karina pressed toward Lulu eagerly.
“U-um, what? Erm… Master, please help me…”
I went to Lulu’s rescue as she begged and asked her to bring in the osechi dishes.
If we changed the meal now out of concern for Zena’s squad’s health, I got the feeling they’d just be disappointed.
Since the sakura trees in the garden were in full bloom, I decided it might be nice to have the osechi meal there.
“Shall we eat outside tonight?”
The sun had already set, but that wasn’t a problem, since the garden was lit by magic items.
“I didn’t know you had sakura trees in your garden.”
“Yes. And look over there, Miss Zena.”
“Over where…? …Oooh!”
In the distance was the giant Royal Sakura that rose above the royal castle, lit up from below to create a fantastical sight.
“So that’s the famous Royal Sakura.”
“It’s so ephemeral, yet strong enough to dye everything cherry-blossom pink.”
Zena and Iona gazed at the enormous tree in admiration.
“Do they have flower viewing in Seiryuu City, too?”
“Yes, the meadows are beautiful when the white clovers are in full bloom! We all bring box lunches and make flower garlands.”
“That sounds like fun.”
I’ll have to stop by Seiryuu City during flower-viewing season sometime.
“It is! I’d love to show you next time!”
“Yes, please do.”
Noticing her friends smirking in our direction, Zena turned so red, I could practically see steam coming out of her ears.
Just then, Tama and Pochi arrived with rolled-up rugs.
“Rugggyyy?”
“We’re the rug runners, sir!”
The pair spread the fluffy rugs out in the garden.
Naturally, they then proceeded to roll around and play on said rugs until Liza scolded them.
“These are so soft. And large, too… What kind of fur is this?”
“We got these hides from an areamaster of the labyrinth’s middle stratum called a Wooly Ancient Tiger.”
Zena blinked when Liza answered her question.
“Th-this fur is from an areamaster?”
“Correct, I confirm. It is quite pleasant to the touch, yes.”
“Mm, agreed.”
Nana and Mia nodded, gently stroking the fur.
“Dinner is ready, everyone.”
Lulu came out with the maids, dishing out multitiered boxes full of osechi food.
Tonight’s ozouni soup was the kind with clear broth and grilled mochi.
“S-so this is osechi…”
“Talk about a feast!”
“I’ve never seen such dishes before.”
“Daaamn…”
Zena, Lilio, Iona, and Lou all murmured their admiration.
“Karina, the roast beef is delicious, sir.”
“Lobster is yummy, toooo…?”
Pochi and Tama sat on either side of Karina and began putting their favorite dishes on her plate.
“Lady Zena, if I may be so bold, allow me to serve you.”
“Thank you, Liza.”
Liza piled food onto Zena’s plate with an intense expression.
She hadn’t included her beloved boudara in the first round; maybe she realized it was too tough for some humans.
“You’re a lucky lady, getting waited on by the great Baronetess Kishreshigarza,” Arisa joked.
“Baronetess Kishreshigarza?”
“That is Liza’s family name and rank, I report,” Nana responded.
“Huh?”
“An orangescale as a baronetess?”
Zena’s dumbfounded question was drowned out by exclamations from her squad.
“Only by the fruits of master’s training.”
While Liza’s expression was cool, her tail rhythmically swished back and forth.
She must be proud.
“Looks like your vassal pulled ahead of you, boy-o.”
“Lilio, don’t be rude!” Zena scolded.
“It’s all right, Miss Zena. No doubt Sir Pendragon was promoted as well.”
I nodded confirmation of Iona’s self-assured statement.
“Congratulations, Satou!”
Zena clapped her hands together.
“Man, you got even fancier, huh? What is it this time, an honorary baronet? Or permanent, even?”
“Permanent, yes. A viscount, as it happens.”
“Viscount?”
All of Zena’s squad gasped at my response.
“Y-you’re a viscount now, Satou? A viscount viscount?”
“Calm down, Zena. He’s a viscount just like Viscount Belton now.”
Iona attempted to reassure Zena.
“S-Satou…erm, Lord Viscount…”
“You can keep calling me by my name. As long as we’re not at an official function, please just treat me the same as always.”
It felt a little hurtful to be treated formally by a friend.
“Boy, mithril explorers are something else. Maybe we should aim to beat a floormaster, too?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Yeah, Iona’s right. That’d be a suicide mission for us.”
Iona and Lou shook their heads at Lilio’s joke.
“Ah-ha-ha, master and Liza are special, that’s all.” Arisa laughed. “The rest of us just became honorary knights.”
“Special…?”
“Well, it’s obvious in master’s case, right? And Liza got challenged to a fight by Mr. Juleburg, the head of the Shiga Eight, and ended up winning.”
“““She won?”””
Zena and her friends all looked stunned.
“Juleburg as in ‘the Unstoppable’?”
“That’s right. Nana fought the Holy Shield user Reilus, too, and master took on some Shiga Eight candidates and such.”
Arisa knew me well, if the fact that she conveniently left out my fight with Mr. Gouen was anything to go by.
At this rate, I was afraid the likes of Lilio and Lou would spread rumors in Labyrinth City that I was nominated for the Shiga Eight, so I changed the topic to focus on them.
They said that they were currently working on expanding the hunting grounds with the Pendra graduates from the explorers’ school.
“And we all do the same daily run as Liza—I mean, Her Excellency the Baronetess.”
“Lady Zena, please continue to simply call me Liza. It is only thanks to you putting your life on the line to protect me that I am here today.”
“Y-yes, ma’am.”
“If possible, please don’t be so formal with me, either.”
Zena looked to me uncertainly about Liza’s request.
“As long as it’s all right with you, please feel free to take her up on that.”
“A-all right. I’ll do that as long as we’re not in public, then.”
Liza looked relieved at Zena’s assent.
“…So you performed onstage with a master musician, Lady Mia?”
“Mm, fun.”
Meanwhile, Iona and Mia were chatting—an unusual combination.
“You kiddos still training here, too?”
“Oui oooui…?”
“Tama’s been training at a sculpture studio, in fact. Look, that Dreaming Candy Apple statue over there is her latest work.”
“No way—you made this? That’s crazy.”
“They’re going to enter it into a competition.”
“For real?”
“That’s awesome, kiddo.”
“Nyeh-heh-heh…?”
Lou and Lilio showered Tama with praise.
“Pochi’s writing novels, too, sir!”
Pochi took out a thick bundle of papers from her Fairy Pack and showed it to Karina.
“An adventure story, is it? Quite impressive.”
“I have been teaching the children of the orphanage to make dolls, I announce.”
Nana produced a doll from her own pack.
“V-very cute,” Hikaru commented.
“Ma’am… I mean, Liza, have you been doing anything new since coming to the royal capital?”
“No, I’m afraid my spear is all I have.”
“Come on—don’t be so modest. The maids said there’s been a nonstop stream of fighters requesting sparring matches and instruction from you.”
Evidently, they’d been having these matches in a field outside the city so as not to bother our neighbors.
“Did some Shiga Eight candidates really come, too?”
“Yes, that was a good match.” Liza nodded with satisfaction.
“At this rate, they might just invite you to the Shiga Eight someday,” Zena remarked with a smile.
“They did,” Mia mumbled.
“Huh?”
“The leader already invited her,” Arisa clarified. “Aaand she already declined.”
“Whaaaat?!”
Zena’s entire squad jumped up in shock.
“My spear and loyalty are reserved solely for my master.”
Liza’s expression was dignified.
“That’s amazing, Liza.”
“Not at all. I still have a long way to go before I can measure up to master.”
Zena squinted at Liza’s humble reaction, as if she was too bright to look at.
“We can’t fall behind! Lilio, Miss Iona, Lou! Once we’ve paid our respects to the count, let’s head back to Labyrinth City first thing in the morning.”
Hearing about my group’s accomplishments appeared to have motivated Zena.
Still, it seemed a little too hasty to rush out of the royal capital right after arriving.
Their journey here sounded like it had been a nonstop forced march with the help of various potions. They should really rest a little before heading back.
“Awww, c’mon, let’s get some more good eats here before we go.”
“Yeah! No harm in taking it easy for two or three days, I say.”
“The horses must be tired, too, I’m sure.”
The rest of Zena’s squad clearly wanted a break as well.
“Well, Satou, we’re going back to Labyrinth City!”
“You really shouldn’t push yourself…”
“It’s okay! We’re all full of energy thanks to the potions you gave us!”
I guess the potions I gave them to relieve their exhaustion had backfired on me.
I’d given them some for the horses, too, assuring them that I made them by the barrel, so even their mounts looked raring to go.
“All right. But please be careful on the way.”
“Of course, Satou.”
Zena smiled at me sunnily.
Then she fell silent for some reason, which left us awkwardly gazing into each other’s eyes.
“Guilty?”
“No, maybe not?”
The iron-wall pair exchanged whispers behind me.
“Zenny, were you able to see Count Seiryuu?”
“Yes, he praised our loyalty, which feels a little wrong…”
Always the honest sort, Zena seemed to feel guilty about the slight deception.
Count Seiryuu hadn’t returned until late at night, she said, so they were able to meet for only a short time.
Zena glanced at Liza, who was standing at my side.
“Liza, we’re going to get stronger, too, I promise. So you’ll be proud to call me the person who saved your life.”
“I have no doubt of that, Lady Zena.”
Liza nodded firmly at Zena’s declaration.
“No worriiies…?”
“Exactly, sir! You’re gonna get superstrong for sure, Zena, sir!”
“Mm. Good luck.”
“Stay safe, I declare.”
“Do your best; just don’t go too overboard.”
The rest of my group all encouraged Zena as well.
“W-wait!”
Lulu called out to stop Zena as she turned to leave.
“Thank goodness I caught you. Here, I made you a box lunch. Please eat it later if you’d like.”
“Thank you, Miss Lulu. We’ll happily accept.”
Tama and Pochi closed their eyes and sniffed the tasty scents wafting from the bento boxes.
“Let’s meet again soon in Labyrinth City, Satou!”
“Of course. We’ll return around the end of the month.”
I wanted to at least stop by before we headed out on a journey around the world.
“Well, I’ll b— EEEEEEEEEK!”
As soon as she got astride her horse, it took off at an impressive speed.
Maybe my exhaustion-recovery potions were a little too effective.
“L-Lady Zena!”
“Oh nooo…?”
“It’s an emergency, sir!”
The beastfolk girls went running after Zena and her squad.
“Will they be all right?”
“Yes, not to worry.”
Liza and the others quickly caught up and helped slow down the horse. An experienced rider like Zena should be able to handle it from there as long as she wasn’t caught by surprise like that again.
“Mia, if you don’t mind…”
“Spirits?”
“Yeah, could you summon a sylph and have it keep watch over them from the skies in invisibility mode?”
“Got it.”
Mia staunchly put a hand to her chest, accepting my request.
“Honestly, master, you’re so overprotective.” Arisa shook her head in disbelief.
“I’m just being careful.”
Besides, if I hadn’t asked Mia to do that, I was sure Arisa would have.
She’s just as much of a worrywart as I am.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login