In a Different World with a Smartphone (LN) - Volume 26 - Chapter 2

  Chapter II: The Ryutei’s Rebirth

“Hmm... I dunno what to do about this.”

I looked over the armor in front of me with a frown on my face. It was Dahmuel’s armor, an ancient artifact that looked tremendously cursed. King Felsen had won it at the auction, so you’d be right to wonder why I had it in front of me now. In short, I bought it directly from him.

I hadn’t forced him to sell it or anything. He’d actually come to me asking if I could take it off his hands. Apparently, both his wife and the prime minister of Felsen were close to killing him because the amount he’d bid was way over the budget and they’d need to dip into the national coffers for it. And so, even though he’d won it fair and square, they’d immediately told him to return it or sell it off. That was why he turned to me.

I personally had no appreciation for the armor at all, but I felt so bad for King Felsen that I just bought it up out of pity. After all, it was kind of my fault the bidding got so high... Thus, now I had this suit of armor and no idea what to do with it.

Frei couldn’t win it at the auction, so she used her hunting funds to pay for the dagger she’d won instead. That meant I didn’t end up covering the cost of the daggers myself, which was a relief.

Thanks to that, Hilde wasn’t mad at me...but she definitely would have been if I gave this armor to Frei as a gift. After all, she knew how much the cursed stuff cost because our daughter couldn’t keep her damn mouth shut. And so, here I was in an impossible situation, having bought something I couldn’t exactly just give away.

I guess I’ll just put it in [Storage] and hand it over to Frei when she’s an adult. I think Hilde’ll be fine with it if I do it like that, kind of like putting away money for college tuition... Wait. Could this be the reason Frei doesn’t know where Dahmuel’s armor is in the future? Is it because it’s still in my [Storage] or something?

“...Well, I’m not gonna worry about it.”

After I’d tossed Dahmuel’s armor into [Storage], Yumina came knocking at my door.

“Touya, you have a message from the grand potentate of Lassei.”

“The military kingdom?”

The Lassei Military Kingdom was a nation of warriors who put martial arts above all else. Their leader, the grand potentate, was a dragonkin named Gimlet Gal Lassei. It was a country of demihumans and beastmen like Mismede. Since it was located to the north of Isengard, it had historically been attacked several times. Thus, they’d developed a strict, defensive military culture.

The people of Lassei preferred to fight one-on-one as opposed to using machines to do the fighting for them, so the vast majority of Gollems in the military kingdom were the kind you equipped to your own body. Lassei was part of the League of United Nations, so it wasn’t too unusual to get a letter from their leader...but I couldn’t help but wonder why they hadn’t just texted or called me.

“When it comes to giving official national notice, it’s best to put it on paper. Brunhild does that too, Touya. That’s why you have your official stamp and seal.”

Oh yeah, that makes sense. I guess it being a letter means it’s official business, rather than something casual.

As far as Brunhild’s administration went, Yumina was in charge of corresponding with other countries. She knew all the ins and outs of the formalities, after all. She was effectively our main diplomat, but it might have been more apt to call her the minister of foreign affairs. If another country wanted to make formal contact with us, it pretty much always went through her.

I took the letter from Yumina and looked it over.

“Hmm...”

“Is there something wrong?”

“No, it says that the dragon emperor of Orphen wants to join the United Nations through Lassei...”

The Nation of Orphen, also known as the Ryuhou Lands, was an island nation located far to the west of Lassei. It was the flipped version of Eashen, its counterpart in the Reverse World. Perhaps that was the reason why, much like Eashen, it had so much in common with Japan. Then again, while they wore stuff similar to Japanese-style clothing, they still had more of a western-style influence in their daily attire. Weaponwise, they mostly used katanas and they ate their meals with chopsticks.

In Eashen, Shirahime ruled as the mikado. But in Orphen, the ruler was either the ryutei or the houtei, meaning dragon emperor and phoenix emperor respectively. The title of ryutei or houtei was determined by the birthright of whoever assumed the imperial throne. If you were of the Ryu family, your title would be ryutei. If you were of the Hou family, you’d be crowned as houtei.

The nobility of Orphen was split into two households, in effect. The Ryu family and the Hou family. The ryutei or houtei was elected from one of these two noble groups, and when the previous emperor died the new one was chosen from the other side. In other words, a ryutei is followed by a houtei, and so on and so forth.

Apparently, Orphen wanted to join our budding alliance, but that wasn’t all the letter said. It informed me that a legendary golden elixir was circulating in Orphen’s territory, the very same vile substance created by the wicked devout. The drug was an addictive fluid laden with a foul curse that ate away at your vitality until you became a shell of your former self. I’d sent the sample that Yakumo had brought back to Flora for analysis, and had immediately tasked her with putting together an antidote.

It ended up being a far more complicated substance than any of us could’ve imagined, probably on account of it being made from mutant phrasium. It took a great deal of resources to figure out how to counteract the curse’s effects, but we’d finally made a breakthrough and created a cure just a few days earlier. And from there, I’d set about sending it off to Lassei, Strain, and Triharan. They were the first three countries I’d known of that had the drug circulating in their population, after all.

The most impacted place was still the land that had formerly been Isengard, but since that place was in a state of anarchy, there wasn’t really a lot I could do in the way of distribution. Also, because production of the drug was still limited, I had restricted it to the three nations in the alliance who needed it most, but apparently, Orphen had found out about it and that was why they’d requested to join.

I wasn’t about to reject them. If anything, I was glad for their interest, but I was mildly concerned about whether or not we had enough of the detox to go around. My [Recovery] spell could certainly help those affected, but I was only one person.

“I’m heading up to Babylon real quick.”

I told Yumina my plan, then used [Teleport] to warp up to Babylon’s alchemy lab. As I walked into it, I immediately spotted Flora. What I wasn’t expecting, however, was the presence of Elze and Elna.

“Huh, fancy seeing you two here. What’s up?”

“I’m just escorting Elna. She wants to learn about potions and such from Flora.”

Potions were simple medicines that adventurers took on the road to heal simple wounds. They weren’t as effective as healing spells, but they were useful in a pinch and the adventurer’s guild regularly endorsed their use. Babylon had its own share of them, but because these were made using the knowledge of a long-lost civilization, the ones brewed here were capable of healing even the most grievous of wounds. They were extremely convenient, but they weren’t cheap to make.

The changing landscape of the world meant that the ingredients used to brew them, once commonplace in the ancient world, were now only obtainable from rare, endangered beasts that you couldn’t exactly find just by walking into a forest. I’d provided the recipes to the guild, though. In theory, they’d be able to brew these things if they could actually gather the ingredients. Still, I wasn’t sure why Elna was interested in making potions... Wasn’t she a wielder of Light magic? She could cast healing spells, so potions didn’t exactly seem all that necessary to me.

Elna got a little fidgety when I asked, but eventually, she opened her mouth to speak.

“U-Uh, well... I... I was hoping to find out a way to make a more effective potion that doesn’t cost so much... I was thinking if I could do that and give it to the guild, then we could save more lives... Th-That’s all...”

“Whaaat?! Ahhh! You’re amazing, Elna!”

“Right?! Isn’t she perfect?!”

I found myself overcome with emotion, rushing in to give Elna a huge hug. Elze immediately joined in as well.

“Awaaah...”

“...You’re both as bad as each other, I see.”

Flora’s gaze was surprisingly cold, but I didn’t care. My little girl was so thoughtful and lovely... We’d definitely raised her well, that was for sure! I sat there, being proud of my future self for a moment, when Flora suddenly snapped me out of it by asking what I actually wanted.

“Oh, umm... I wanted to know how much of the golden detox you’ve got in stock.”

“Oh, that? I’m not so sure, you see. Enough for a hundred doses or so?”

Only a hundred? It’s better than nothing, I guess.

“We don’t have a lot of the materials, you see. Moonbranch droplets are especially scarce. We’ve already run out of the stock we had in the storehouse, you see.”

“Moonbranch droplets?”

“Dewdrops from a moonbranch tree. It has to be dewdrops from the morning after a full moon too,” Elna replied, answering my question.

Wow... You sure know a lot...

Apparently, she’d just heard it from Flora, but I was still proud of her.

“So, uh, where would you normally get it?”

“They used to grow south of here, at least during our era. But that’s the Sandora region now, you see.”

...Sandora? That’s just desert now. There are a couple of oases, sure, but I dunno about trees.

The region itself was pretty desolate now. It used to be the Burning Kingdom of Sandora, but now it was just a collection of small city-states that carried on in name only. It wasn’t a safe place to be, and if the rumors were right, it was filled with thugs, kidnappers, and other criminals. I couldn’t help but wonder if someone was going to bring order to the place eventually.

“Could those trees even survive in the desert? Lemme see if I can run a search for them.”

I used [Recall] to peek into Flora’s memories and find out what the trees looked like, and then, I ran a search of Sandora’s territory on my phone. Unfortunately, there were no hits.

They’re not extinct, are they?

“Can’t you look all over the world instead?” Elze asked, chiming in with an extremely obvious point I’d failed to consider. Thus, I expanded the range of my search to cover the whole world.

It’s kind of a wide range, so it’ll take a bit longer than usual... Hmm... Oh! There we go! A hit! They’re not extinct!

The map showed very few of the trees on the eastern continent, but there were a good handful more on the western continent.

Huh, looks like the place with the most of them is Rhea... Guess that’s not surprising, really. That place was full of plant life... But oh, wait. Orphen’s got some too. Maybe we can get them to supply us as a form of trade for the medicine?

“We require a lot of materials you can’t find in Brunhild, you see. I think if we made use of trade agreements with other nations, then we would be able to produce it faster.”

Hm. So if Orphen supplies the moonbranch droplets...and other countries supply the other materials...then if we all open trade with each other, we can start manufacturing the medicine all over the place.

That settled it. I decided to go see the grand potentate of Lassei for an introduction to Orphen’s leadership.

The current leader of Orphen is the houtei, if I’m not mistaken? I’ll take Kougyoku with me in that case. If houtei means phoenix emperor, then what better bird to bring along with me? Also, I remember using phoenix down or something like that when I was creating the puretree. I should still have some left over. Maybe they’ll like it if I bring some down as a gift? I should still have some in [Storage], I think...

Phoenix down was a raw material you could use to revive someone. You could even use it to bring someone back from the dead if you acted quickly enough. It was pointless to use on someone who was old or frail, though. They had to be an otherwise healthy person.

I’d actually given an emergency revival medicine made from phoenix down to each of the heads of state that I knew, just as a contingency in case the worst happened. I assumed the leadership of Orphen would be happy to receive phoenix down from me, but there was also the possibility they’d be mad at me for taking feathers from an animal they probably revered...

It wasn’t like I’d ripped the feathers off, though! They were given willingly! In the worst-case scenario, I’d probably need to summon a phoenix to clarify the situation.

“Are you going to the Ryuhou Lands, Touya?”

“Mhm. I’m gonna deliver some of the detox we’ve made. The gold drug is spreading pretty fast over there, so I figured it’d be best to start counteracting it. Plus, I’ve never been to Orphen before, so it’d be a good chance to see the place...”

Elna suddenly tugged at my sleeve while I was talking to Elze. I wondered what she wanted.

“Sh-Shouldn’t I join you? I can use [Recovery]... I want to help anyone who might need it...”

“Auuugh! You’re such a good girl! You’re a total angel!” Elze cried out in joy as she gave our daughter another big hug.

Elna was my daughter, so she was technically a demigod. If you took that into account...then she totally was an angel! A cute little angel!

“You both have a terminal case of parental idiocy, I see.”

Shut up. I don’t wanna hear a peep out of you. My girl’s an angel, that’s all there is to it.

“Okay, Elna. You wanna come with us?”

“Mhm!”

“I’m coming with you, Elna! Your mommy’s gonna keep you safe!” Elze exclaimed as she clenched her fists and knocked them together.

...Uh, Elze? We’re not gonna go beat anyone up over there... We’re going to help them, remember?

In any case, we wouldn’t be going straight to Orphen. It was proper procedure to get an introduction from Lassei, since they’d sent the letter.

I’d need to grab some phoenix down to use as a gift too, and if they were joining our alliance, I’d have to prepare a smartphone...

All right, I better go prepare...

◇ ◇ ◇

“So this is Orphen, huh... The Ryuhou Lands...?”

I passed through the [Gate] Yakumo had opened for me and emerged in Orpheus, the capital city. The town looked like a mishmash of western and Japanese architecture. The first thing that came to mind was the kind of city you might’ve seen in the Taisho era. It was almost like a clash of retro and modern, two different styles in conflict with one another.

The people in town were dressed in a manner that reminded me of the Taisho era as well. They wore kimonos and hakamas, but they were wearing shirts, pants, and boots under them. Some were more upscale fashion, while others had a more rugged look. And there weren’t just humans here either; I could see beastmen walking around. It didn’t look like discrimination was an issue here, at least at a glance.

There were a few foreigners dotted around, my party included, but nobody seemed to give us a second look. Orphen probably had something of an open mind when it came to different people, since their main point of foreign contact was Lassei, and Lassei was primarily populated by beastmen.

“Oh, what’s with that fancy carriage? Is that coming for us?”

As I was admiring the streets and looking around, Elze suddenly pointed out a gaudy, four-horse carriage nearby. I’d had the Lassei potentate relay that I’d be visiting, so Elze was probably right. This was our ride.

“Pardon me, Your Highness. Would you happen to be Mochizuki Touya, grand duke of Brunhild? Accompanied by Grand Duchess Elze and Grand Duchess Yumina of Brunhild?”

A coachman addressed us, and once I nodded, he opened up the door and allowed us entry. The group I’d brought to Orphen was relatively small. Yumina was here as a diplomat, Elze and Elna had come along out of interest, a small handful of knights were with us, and Kuon was here for the ride too.

Kuon was here because Yumina had practically dragged him over. She clearly wanted to go on a trip with her son and had used the formality of the occasion as an excuse. He didn’t have it in him to outright refuse, so he quietly accepted and just followed along. I couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for him... Silver was also here, though he’d shrunk down to the size of a dagger and was sitting on Kuon’s belt.

I’d had the necessary officials informed that I’d be bringing family with me, so there were no issues with Elna or Kuon, but everyone around was staring at Kougyoku as if they were looking at something out of a dream. I wondered what the deal was. Kougyoku had been perched atop Elna’s shoulder, so the stares were all directed in her general direction. It was making her feel pretty self-conscious.

Perhaps Kougyoku was aware of this, as she switched perches and sat on my shoulder instead. Everyone’s gaze shifted accordingly, prompting my daughter to let out a deep sigh of relief.

“Is there a problem?”

“Oh, no... It’s just that the bird with you looks remarkably similar to the auspice we worship...”

Auspice? Probably the phoenix, right? I’ve only seen one phoenix before, but Kougyoku definitely looks similar to one. The only real difference is in the length of her tail feathers.

The carriage was a spacious one, with more than enough room for all five of us plus the knights.

“So it’s the houtei in this era...” Kuon mumbled quietly as the carriage rattled down the road.

“What’s that, Kuon?”

“In our era, it’s the ryutei.”

Huh, I see. So there’s a change in rulers between now and when my kids are born, I guess? Is the houtei an old man or something? Well, it’s not like he has to die to abdicate. He could be in good health, for all I know.

Eventually, the carriage made it to the imperial palace. It was an enormous, beautiful building, but the most striking thing about it was how familiar it looked.

It looked just like the phoenix hall of Byodo-in, the temple depicted on the ten-yen coin. Plus, it reminded me of the castles I’d seen in Eashen too. That kind of architecture was just natural in some places, it seemed.

From what I’d heard about Orphen, they had two palaces. This one was used during the reign of the houtei, while the other one was used during the reign of the ryutei. I wondered what the ryutei’s palace looked like... Maybe it had a dragon wrapped around it or something? That sounded cool.

We walked across a deep red carpet, strolling past various red pillars as we followed our attendant. After some time, we came to a set of two large doors with phoenixes carved across the frames. They opened out into what seemed to be a large conference room populated by various individuals.

“It is a pleasure to greet you, Grand Duke and Duchesses of Brunhild. The honor is all mine, I assure you. Welcome to Orphen.”

We were greeted by a person who wore a small golden crown on their head. I wondered if this was the houtei... That would surprise me, given how young this person looked...and the fact that she was a woman. The thought hadn’t even entered my mind.

She looked to be in her midtwenties and wore a ceremonial red dress with golden and silver phoenixes embroidered into it. Her hair was a long cascade of red, sleek and shiny, and her eyes were narrow beads of red as well.

“Thank you for having us, honorable houtei. I would like to offer you our gratitude on behalf of all of Brunhild.”

I looked around and noticed that the people in the room were split into two sides with the houtei standing in the middle. One side was red, while the other was blue. Red was probably the Hou family and blue was probably the Ryu family.

I was a little puzzled, however... If this girl was the leader of Orphen, I couldn’t imagine why she’d be replaced by the ryutei not too long from now.

...I really, really hope she isn’t assassinated or something.

With that unpleasant thought lingering in the back of my mind, I cleared my throat and took a step forward.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Wh-What... I-Is this...? I-It can’t be!”

Huh? What’s with that reaction?

I’d come to the Ryuhou Lands to offer them membership in the League of United Nations. While there, I’d also presented the houtei with a hundred doses of golden detox. After that, I’d told her about the moonbranch droplets we needed to manufacture more of the stuff and advised on opening up trade so we could get a wider distribution network. Then, I handed over a couple of mass-produced smartphones and showed her how to use her own before remembering the present I’d brought. I’d almost completely forgotten.

I’d placed it in a fancy wooden box to emphasize its value, but when the lid came off, the look on the houtei’s face wasn’t what I’d expected. It looked as if she were about to cry.

The middle-aged prime minister, garbed in a ceremonial blue robe, suddenly spoke up in her stead.

“G-Grand Duke... Could this be ho-ou feather?!”

“Uhhh, we call it phoenix down where I’m from, but it’s basically the same thing.”

Kougyoku had told me phoenixes and ho-ous were not quite the same, but they were close enough that their feathers did the same thing. In any case, I had half expected them to react badly to this, so I was worried it was veering into a situation where I’d somehow offended them by giving them the feathers of a bird they revered...

“W-We can use this to make the revival elixir! We can save Tatsuma-sama!”

“My lady! The revival elixir is a precious item! Don’t be so rash with its usage!”

“Don’t try to sway her! We can save Tatsuma-sama with this! Don’t try to stop it just because you’re a Hou!”

“Silence! The Ryu family has other candidates, are you forgetting Tatsuya-sama?! It would be a waste to use it now!”

“A waste?! How dare you!”

Hostility was beginning to bubble up in the room as the red-robes and blue-robes started to yell at each other. I wasn’t sure why, but apparently, I hadn’t done anything worthy of offense.

I glanced back at the houtei...only to notice her crying... The ruckus wasn’t doing her any good, that was for sure.

“All right... [Silence].”

I invoked my Null spell, causing all the noise in the room to fade away at once. The Orphen officials glanced around in flustered panic as they realized their mouths were no longer making any sounds.

“Please calm down, everyone. If you can explain what the situation is, we might be able to help you.”

I had deliberately set the spell not to silence myself or the people with me. That way, I could still speak.

After a short time, the houtei gave me a nod and I undid the magic.

“...Forgive our discourtesy. It brings me no joy to provide our guests with such a shameful display... For that, I am deeply sorry,” the houtei said, bowing her head.

I didn’t really care about the discourtesy or whatever. I just didn’t want to see my gift end up being the reason for a civil war breaking out between their two noble houses.

“As far as explaining things, please allow me. The story trickles back fifteen years...”

According to the houtei, the previous leader of the Ryuhou Lands was a ryutei named Tatsuma. He was a wise and benevolent ruler whom the houtei loved as an elder brother.

The Ryu and Hou families were not openly hostile, though there was still a sense of opposition between them. That was why Tatsuma, the ryutei of the time, was able to have such a close relationship with Houka, the girl next in line to become houtei.

Unfortunately, an incident happened fifteen years ago that would change their lives forever. It happened at the ryutei’s palace, the dragon hall. In short, Ryutei Tatsuma had died in a terrible accident. A heavy altar suddenly collapsed and fell forward, crushing him beneath it.

“But it was I who was standing in front of that altar back then. Tatsuma-sama realized it was falling, so he jumped in the way to save my life...but lost his own in the process.”

Revival medicines were made long ago in the Ryuhou Lands, but they hadn’t been seen in over a thousand years because the raw ingredients were so scarce. And yet, the houtei still held out hope, so she ordered that Tatsuma’s body be preserved.

“I can use what you people refer to as Null magic. My spell is called [Sealing], which stops the progression of time and can store things. Only small things, however...”

Hoh... Isn’t that just [Storage], then? Sounds similar. Didn’t know the houtei could do something like that.

On the western continent, storage cards were a common magic tool people used for storing Gollems and other such items. They couldn’t stop the flow of time, however.

It seemed like the houtei’s [Sealing] spell had the same limitations as my [Storage], in that it couldn’t seal living things inside. Tatsuma’s corpse, however, was not technically a living thing.

“I could not give up on him... I wanted to see Tatsuma-sama’s smiling face at least once more. It was something I’d always loved, ever since I was a little girl. And yet, I know my duties...and I would not want Tatsuma-sama to think I have forgotten them. I have given my all to my nation for the last fifteen years. But at the same time, little by little, I’ve had people collecting the ingredients to bring him back to us. The last ingredient we required was a ho-ou feather...but now it’s here!”

Oh. Now I get it. That’s why you were crying... The man you loved as an elder brother and who saved your life can finally return to the land of the living. Yeah, I’d probably cry too.

I heard a sniffling sound to my left...and when I turned toward its source, I saw Elna sniffling and sobbing at the story.

What?!

“L-Lady Houtei... Th-Thank goodness!”

Huh? Elna! He’s not even revived yet!

“Come on, Elna. Wipe your tears...” Elze mumbled as she wiped Elna’s face with a handkerchief. However, it looked like she was on the verge of tears as well. They really were mother and daughter.

I glanced over at the other mother-child pair I’d brought with me.

“Most interesting. So the houtei and the Ryu family intend to use the medicine to restore the previous ryutei to life?”

“So it seems. Yet the Hou family likely wishes to save the medicine in case something happens to the houtei herself.”

Yumina and Kuon were quietly dissecting the situation between themselves.

...Yep. Another case of a child mirroring mother... Can’t my kids be more like their dad?! It wouldn’t hurt!

“If Tatsuma-sama hadn’t saved me that day, I would have been the one to die. Now it’s my turn to save him!”

“But my lady! We can’t possibly use that medicine! There’s no guarantee we can even make that medicine!”

One of the houtei’s aides raised his voice. He was garbed in red, meaning he was of the Hou family. He was presumably concerned about the houtei if it didn’t work out, but he looked a little shady...

Huh? I never even considered it not working out. Is this guy being sincere?

I side-eyed Yumina, then she gave me a nod.

“Touya.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I know.”

I reached into [Storage] and pulled out a small medicinal bottle filled with blue liquid.

“What’s this?”

“Revival potion.”

“What?!”

The nobles of the Ryuhou Lands stared at me in shock and awe. That was only natural, though. I’d just casually pulled out something they’d spent the last fifteen years searching for and arguing over.

“You can have it.”

“What?! W-We can?!”

“Yeah. Call it a perk of joining our alliance. Just the one bottle, though. The other world leaders have one too.”

“Th-Thank you so much!” the houtei exclaimed as she took it from me, clutching it tight to her chest as more tears welled up in her eyes.

I would’ve normally given her the medicine after getting to know her a bit better, but Yumina must have given me the nod after confirming the houtei and her aides were pure of intent. The guy didn’t seem as shady as he seemed at first after all.

“Grand Duke of Brunhild. I am terribly sorry to ask more of you, and I am eternally grateful for all you’ve done up until now...but I hear you wield healing spells. Might you aid us further in Tatsuma-sama’s revival? If you could heal the wounds upon his flesh, we can begin the healing ceremony in earnest.”

“Huh? Sure, I guess...”

The moment I nodded, the room exploded into an uproar once again. The blue-garbed Ryu nobles were especially flustered.

“Quickly! Quickly! Call the healing sage and the medicine man! Place the ritual wards!”

“Send an envoy to the dragon hall! Someone inform Tatsuya-sama!”

“Make room! Clear a space none shall pass until the ceremony is over!”

We moved to another room, while the nobles scrambled to prepare the ceremony. Then, it was just a matter of waiting.

While we were drinking tea in the reception room, the prime minister came over to pay his respects. He was garbed in blue, meaning he was of the Ryu family.

“I cannot express the depths of my thanks! On behalf of Tatsuya-sama and the entire Ryu family, truly... Thank you!”

“Oh, uh... I mean. We haven’t brought him back yet, so you’re welcome, but... Thank me later!”

I wanted him to stop because it was just putting more pressure on me. I didn’t want to think about what would happen if the potion didn’t work.

Elna must have noticed my concern, as she tugged on my sleeve with her own worries.

“Does the medicine not always work?”

“Yeah. There’ve been cases like that. Firstly, the body needs to be in proper physical condition. Even if it’s externally intact, internal damage will mean the person can’t come back. Well, no, that’s not true. They come back and then immediately die again. It’s pretty awful, honestly. Secondly, if a person’s already been revived once, then they can’t come back again. The medicine is something you can only ever use one time. Oh, and the last case is the most likely one. If the soul isn’t in his body, then the medicine will be useless. Without a soul, you’re not yourself. You don’t have life. Those are just some of the possible things that could go wrong.”

I rattled off the explanation for Elna’s sake, but I also wanted the prime minister to have realistic expectations. After all, I’d feel absolutely awful if Tatsuma couldn’t come back after all this fanfare...

Still, any eternal and internal trauma could be healed by my magic. Plus, if it was true what the houtei had said and that he was frozen in her storage immediately after dying, then his soul was quite possibly still there.

That basically meant that he could probably come back unless he’d already used revival medicine in the past. There was another possibility that would stop him from coming back as well, though. It would depend entirely on whether or not he had any regrets or grudges.

If a person died harboring hate or grudges toward others, then their soul would become a wraith and separate from their body. If that happened, then there’d be no hope for saving him, as his soul would already be long gone chasing after whoever he hated in life.

From what the houtei had told me, however, I highly doubted Tatsuma would have any grudges. He selflessly sacrificed himself, after all. Though it was still possible that his soul could’ve detached from his body due to some kind of regret...

A soul typically left the body at the moment of death. If it was a pure soul, it would incarnate into the next life and the body would be at peace. But if the soul left the body and became a wraith or specter, then the body would remain behind as a zombie.

“Say, who’s this Tatsuya everyone was mentioning?” Kuon asked, sipping his tea as he posed the question to the prime minister. I was curious about that too, since the name had come up a few times during the earlier chitchat.

“Tatsuya-sama is the younger brother of the previous ryutei, Tatsuma-sama. He’s a candidate to be the next ryutei.”

Oh, the younger brother? Yeah, it makes sense that they’d contact him.

Elze tilted her head slightly as the prime minister spoke.

“Candidate? So the next ryutei hasn’t been decided?”

“That’s correct. The ryutei and houtei are chosen from the ten families that make up the Ryu and Hou families, yet it shames me to say that we of the Ryu are not in complete agreement on our successor... But if Tatsuma-sama is revived, then he can take his mantle once more and reign as he had previously. The families can agree on that, at least.”

Huh. Tatsuma must’ve been a really well-liked leader. I guess it’s no surprise his own people love him, if the houtei herself admires him that much.

“So what about the current houtei? What becomes of her?”

“She took the throne due to feeling responsible for Tatsuma-sama’s death, but made it clear to all of us that she would happily lift the burden of leadership from her shoulders in favor of Tatsuma-sama, should he ever return.”

Huh, I see. So she’s just ready to throw in the towel, huh?

In that case, I was a bit concerned about the Hou family. Maybe that shady-looking guy wasn’t actually concerned about the safety of the procedure after all. It almost felt like they’d be reluctant to see the ryutei revived, since it would mean their family was no longer the one in power.

Still, I was probably being too suspicious and doubtful of others. That guy was probably just looking out for the houtei.

I took another sip of my tea when a red-garbed man suddenly entered the room.

“The preparations are complete. Right this way, please.”

Revival time... All right, let’s get this... Wait, what about the kids?

“Yumina, Elze. Can you wait here with the children?”

I didn’t really want my kids to see a corpse up close and personal. I also didn’t want them to be there in case anything went wrong and all of the nobles had their happiness crushed.

“Understood. We’ll be waiting here, Touya.”

“Take care out there.”

The two of them seemed to be on the same page as me, which I appreciated.

I took Kougyoku with me and followed the red-garbed man. We passed through a corridor lined with red columns, walking until I must have been at the back of the palace. It was there that I was ushered into a quiet room.

“We’re ready for you, Grand Duke. It’s all prepared.”

The houtei bowed her head to me as I entered the room. Before her, atop a bed, was the body of a young man. It was the ryutei’s corpse. He looked to be in his midtwenties, his body was adorned with a gorgeous blue robe, and his long black hair was tied behind his head. He was tall and had a handsome face, but it was marred with a grisly wound on his forehead that still leaked blood.

...Was that what killed him? A blow to the head?

In any case, the dripping blood was proof enough that he was no longer frozen in time.

All right, no time to waste. Let’s get on with the treatment.

I used my divine sight to sense his soul. There was a pretty, shimmering thing in his chest. It was wiggling around as if trying to escape his body, and I couldn’t sense any abnormalities. In other words, there was no damage.

Lucky me. That’s a load off my mind.

“All right, let’s do this. Come forth, Light! Calm of the Goddess: [Mega Heal]!”

“Oooh!”

Surprised gasps rose from the crowd around me as the ryutei’s body was wrapped in a gentle, flowing light. The wound on the side of his head closed up, as did his other wounds. Before long, his body looked pristine. The internal damage he’d suffered when he was trapped under the altar was also patched up in no time flat.

“He’s healed!”

“The physical harm’s reversed, at least. Now we just need to use the medicine to settle his spiritual side.”

“Of course!”

The houtei cradled the ryutei’s head as she opened the medicinal vial.

“Please come back to us, Tatsuma-sama!”

She slowly poured the medicine into his mouth. He didn’t actually have to swallow it, as it simply needed to enter his body. He could’ve taken it in through his nose and it still would’ve worked. Then, once the medicine settled in his body, it would begin stimulating the connection between his soul and his flesh. I’d never seen anyone get resurrected before, so I had no idea how long it’d take for the medicine to kick in.

Flora had told me it wouldn’t take much, but I had no way to be sure. I didn’t even know if it would work.

“Tatsuma-sama! Please...”

The houtei and the others watched over the young man on the bed, their every breath laden with anxiety. I was somewhat worried it might not go to plan either.

If he can come back, please bring him back! I’m under a lot of pressure here, dammit!

“Look! Tatsuma-sama’s complexion!”

Slowly, the ryutei’s pale skin began to deepen in color until it was reddish. His eyelids and lips began to twitch to life as well.

“Tatsuma-sama!”

The houtei could only watch as the ryutei stirred from his slumber.

“Hrkh!”

“Ah!”

The ryutei’s body trembled as he let out a sputtering cough. After a few more convulsions, his eyes slowly opened.

“...Where am I? What is...? What is this?”

The very moment those words passed through the ryutei’s lips, the room exploded into excitement. Tears streamed down the faces of those in the Ryu and Hou families alike. It was clear that this man had been loved dearly.

“Tatsuma-sama!”

The houtei was so overcome with emotion that she wrapped her arms around the ryutei’s body and pulled him into a tight embrace.

“What?! Wh-What is this?! Wh-Who are you?!”

The room suddenly quietened down as the red-faced boy let out a bashful shout...

...Has he lost his memories?!

“It’s me! Houka!”

“...Houka? Don’t be ridiculous. Houka’s a little girl!”

Those words dispelled the tension, and there were even a few relieved chuckles. That made perfect sense. It had been fifteen years since the ryutei had died, which was more than enough time for a child to grow into an adult. It was only obvious he’d be confused by the people around him.

“Wait, Houka! Is she okay?! There was that incident, and then...”

“That’s what I’m saying! I am Houka! You died protecting me, Tatsuma-sama... That was fifteen years ago, and now you’ve been brought back with revival medicine.”

“What? That’s ridiculous... Wait, no... Is that...? You there, are you Ryuzan?! Why do you look so old?!”

The ryutei cast his gaze toward the prime minister, who was standing next to the houtei. He was a little over forty years old right now, which meant he’d have been in his twenties when the ryutei had died. He was older, but clearly hadn’t changed so drastically that he couldn’t be recognized.

“It’s been fifteen years since our last meeting, and I’ve grown quite old. We were the same age once, so I never thought I’d be seeing you with older eyes... Ha ha ha ha, I feel far beyond my years just looking at you.”

The prime minister let out a little laugh, though tears welled up in his eyes at the same time.

...Same age? Were they friends, maybe?

“Fifteen years, really? There’s just no way...”

“We’ll explain everything to you in due time. Please calm yourself down for now.”

“...Okay,” the revived ryutei mumbled, nodding his head slowly, his expression a mixture of confusion and obedience.

Whew... He was revived without a hitch. That’s great. Guess I can leave the rest to these guys.

“I see... So that’s really the case, then. Unless everyone here is conspiring to deceive me, it’s truly fifteen years in the future...” the former ryutei, Tatsuma, muttered as he looked out upon the city from his window. From his perspective, it must have felt like traveling to the future.

“Tatsuma-sama!”

“I’m most surprised by you, Houka... To think that the mischievous little tomboy princess would blossom into this. The passage of time is a terrifying thing indeed.”

“Terrifying?! I’m an adult now, you know?! That’s not terrifying!”

Though the houtei puffed out her cheeks and grumbled, the former ryutei simply smiled. Apparently, the houtei was something of a rambunctious little girl, but now the two were the same age.

“So...what is to become of me now?” the former ryutei asked as he leaned back in his chair and turned toward the houtei and the prime minister.

“Well...we hoped that you would ascend to the seat of ryutei again, Tatsuma-sama.”

“But Houka, you’ve been houtei for fifteen years now, haven’t you? Would it not be out of place for me to suddenly take the throne again? I don’t even know anything about the state of the country, let alone the state of the world. I wouldn’t wish to be a naive or unwise ruler.”

“But Tatsuma-sama, you can learn!”

Though the houtei raised her voice in protest, Tatsuma held up his hand as if to ask her to stop and replied, “No matter the situation, the truth is this: the man known as Ryutei Tatsuma died long ago. It doesn’t make it acceptable for him to reclaim his throne just because he was reborn. If the first ryutei and houtei were to be revived, would you abdicate the throne for them? Would you give power over this nation to those from the past who know nothing of the present?”

“But...”

I could understand Tatsuma’s feelings, and the example he used was a reasonable one. He didn’t want to take the throne just because he happened to be alive again, not if it would be bad for his country.

“Don’t look at me so, Houka. Though I reject the throne, I will still support you as a member of the Ryu family. I will work for the sake of this nation as your loyal retainer.”

“Tatsuma-sama...”

The houtei had a mixed expression on her face. She glanced down. Apparently, the thought of Tatsuma being her retainer wasn’t necessarily a happy one.

The former ryutei turned to me, bowed his head, and said, “I would like to extend my deepest gratitude for what you have done. Your kindness runs deeper than any could have ever requested. It is my hope that the Ryuhou Lands and your Duchy of Brunhild forge a strong and lasting friendship.”

Though his words sounded weighty, he had no actual power so long as he refused the throne. His hope for friendship didn’t exactly mean anything on a national level. It was just an expression of his personal gratitude.

“That’s right! Absolutely! The Ryuhou Lands shall never forget what you’ve done for us, Grand Duke! We’ll aid you in any way we can, as both an ally and a friend,” the houtei stated, speaking up with words that had considerable weight, so I used the opportunity to request more moonbranch droplets. I was informed that collecting them would take a few days, so I’d have to come back later.

Ka-ching! More golden detox secured!

“Tell me, what is this golden elixir?” the former ryutei asked, interrupting my talk with the houtei... For a guy who’d rejected the throne, he was already keen to get involved in state affairs. I explained the situation to Tatsuma.

When I mentioned the drug and how it was spreading chaos through his country, the man raised a brow and exclaimed, “What?! Is that medicine you create the only known cure?!”

“For now, yeah. Though I can also cure it with the [Recovery] spell. However, the only ones I know who can use that are me and Elna...”

When I mentioned her name, Elna suddenly stood up behind me and raised her voice, saying, “U-Um...! Could you take me to anyone being affected by the elixir?! I-I can use my magic to help!”

“Oh, well... If you can cure them, I’d rather you did so supervised... The afflicted are...not quite mentally sound, you see... Some of them get quite delirious and lash out at those around them... It’s not exactly something for children to see...” the houtei replied, speaking in a somewhat ambiguous manner.

Honestly, I understood what she was getting at. The golden elixir wasn’t something that actually caused mental instability. It was just something that created a compound of curses within the body, which could have a variety of negative effects on the person affected. If it ate away at your mind, you became something like the walking dead. If your body ended up being affected alongside the mind, then you could transform into a monster like the Fishmen.

The houtei was probably somewhat concerned about Elna seeing some of the more grisly effects. I knew from experience that once the curse had fully taken root in a person, even [Recovery] would be useless... So really, Elna was right. We needed to help in any way we could, the sooner the better.

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep her safe,” Elze stated as she stood up and placed a hand on Elna’s shoulder. I decided to leave things to her and Elna here. Kousaka didn’t like it when I spent too much time in one country, after all. I had to go do my part in other nations as well, since that was another way for us to make some national revenue. Kousaka generally handled the financial side of things, though.

Just as I was about to take my leave, a member of the Ryu family entered the room with an apologetic bow. He approached Prime Minister Ryuzan, whispered something, then took his leave. The prime minister’s brow raised slightly in response to the whispering. I wondered if something was wrong. Tatsuma called out to his aged-up friend.

“Did something happen?”

“No, not at all... We sent word to Tatsuya-sama of your awakening...but it would seem he declined to respond...”

“...Oh,” Tatsuma mumbled as he let out a small sigh.

...Tatsuya is Tatsuma’s brother, right? You’d expect him to be a bit more excited, since his dead sibling came back from the dead. But given the reactions here, maybe they don’t get along? I guess I’ll stick around a little longer...

“Anyway, why don’t I take you to the treatment center to perform the healing? We should leave Tatsuma-sama to rest...”

“No, I’ll join you. I wish to see how the place has changed over the last fifteen years. I can’t just stay cooped up here.”

Huh? You’re tagging along?

I blinked in surprise. He’d been dead for the last fifteen years, but he was already raring to go.

“U-Um, Tatsuma-sama... Don’t you think you should rest?”

“I’m not tired. Fifteen years may have passed for all of you, but that time held still for me. I’m quite well.”

“B-But you could at least eat...”

“I’ll eat in town. Don’t worry.”

The houtei seemed to be at a total loss, but Tatsuma looked more energized than anything else. The prime minister couldn’t help but sigh and shake his head.

“Come! I’m no longer the ryutei! I can freely walk the streets at my leisure! How could I not jump at the chance?!”

Tatsuma was brimming with energy, apparently excited to go outside. I could understand his feelings there. Apparently, the leader of the Ryuhou Lands was supposed to stay cooped up in the palace and never had the freedom of mingling with their own people. Barely anyone outside the palace would even know Tatsuma’s face, and anyone that did recognize him would surely think they were mistaken.

Tatsuma was to come with us to the treatment center as Prime Minister Ryuzan’s escort. It was a bit funny to think about how their positions of power had been swapped. The houtei wanted to tag along as well, but the prime minister stopped her. That was to be expected. She was probably worried about Tatsuma, but rules were rules.

When we boarded the carriage, Tatsuma let out a little mutter, saying, “I never thought we’d reach the point where Houka would be fretting for my safety...”

“It’s only fair to feel bewildered by all this. It’s been fifteen years for us, but not for you. You’ve seen her grow into a young woman in what must have felt like the blink of an eye.”

Prime Minister Ryuzan gave a somewhat strained laugh. From Tatsuma’s perspective, the little girl he knew was now a full-grown woman capable of caring and being concerned for him. It must’ve been a shock. As a father to children who hadn’t technically been born yet, I could somewhat sympathize.

“There seem to be many Gollems in Orphen,” Kuon stated, making an observation as he spoke to Ryuzan, noting the townscape outside the carriage window. There were definitely quite a few Gollems in Orphen, though they all seemed to be mass-produced factory types rather than ancient legacy types. Most of the ones you saw were autonomous or vehicular.

“We did a lot of business with Isengard in the past. Most of them are imports from down there, at least. Of course, that came to bite us after they collapsed...”

The country may have been ruined, but there were still seafaring vessels that connected the two countries. The golden elixir was most widespread in Isengard’s ruins, and it had made its way to Orphen through those channels as a result.

It was no surprise to me that some had sought to profit from the illegal trade... But to be honest, the wicked devout that Yakumo had encountered probably had more to do with it.

“Since Isengard collapsed, our import of Gollems has halted. We’ve got no method of producing new factory Gollems either. There’s been something of a spike in Gollem value lately, but it should stabilize as we reestablish a supply through Triharan.”

“...Hold on a second. Isengard has been destroyed? The magitechnocracy is gone? Did Gardio wage war on them?” Tatsuma asked. He was understandably confused, as his knowledge of geopolitics was still firmly rooted in the past.

Prime Minister Ryuzan explained everything about what had happened in Isengard, including the emergence of the wicked god and the destruction of Isenberg. Upon hearing that it was me and my family who defeated the wicked god, Tatsuma’s eyes went wide with admiration.

Agh... I feel a little uncomfortable talking about my exploits in front of my kids, but... Ghhh... Wait, it’s not like I did anything wrong... I shouldn’t be ashamed...

Yumina and Elze were blushing, evidently as embarrassed as I was. Elna’s eyes were sparkling with pride for her parents. Kuon, on the other hand...was simply looking out the window. Taciturn as always, that boy.

“I see. So the remnants of this wicked god are now spreading this foul drug?”

“Sort of. It’s more like an offshoot group that has the power of the wicked god.”

I didn’t think the wicked devout had any direct connection to Yula or the NEET god. They were just a new group that had gained power by taking in the dregs left behind. That was what Granny Tokie had said, at least. It was basically a headache and a half that I had to mop up.

We continued talking until the carriage finally arrived at the medical center. Then, we disembarked to find a white building with two floors. It kind of looked like a clock tower, but there was no clock. The Ryuhou Crest was instead displayed where I would’ve imagined the clock to be, designating this place as a government-sanctioned treatment center.

From what I’d heard, this place was being used exclusively to treat people suffering from the golden elixir’s effects, but just to be on the safe side, I cast [Prison] around everyone I was with to prevent any transmissible diseases from entering their bodies.

“This way, please.”

We followed the staff through a long corridor. The place smelled like a hospital, disinfected and sterile. Eventually, we entered a large room filled with occupied beds...and the reality of the situation dawned upon me.

“The patients here have relatively mild symptoms. They are conscious ones who have given no indicators of violent behavior.”

I nodded slowly as the nurse explained things. I couldn’t really sense any life from the people in the beds. They were just staring at the ceiling with vacant eyes, the occasional gasp or moan leaking out of their throats.

I looked over at Elna. Her face was pale, her mouth was closed. She looked shocked by the sight, and I couldn’t exactly blame her.

“...Elna, it’s okay if you want to go.”

“...No, I’m fine. I can do this. I can help them.”

Elze seemed anxious for her daughter, but Elna simply shook her head. She then walked over to the nearest patient, holding out a determined hand.

“[Recovery].”

A soft light flowed from that steady hand, wrapping itself around the bedridden woman. The light eventually settled within her body, and she slowly stopped her absent muttering. The light in her eyes gradually returned as well. She blinked slowly and began to move her head.

“Where...am...I...?”

“Incredible! It worked!”

The hospital staff with us couldn’t contain their shock as the bedridden woman slowly pushed herself upward. Tatsuma and Ryuzan seemed surprised as well, but Elna simply had a look of relief on her face. The look was shared by Elze, but I could sense she still had anxiety about the whole thing. It was understandable.

“Time to move to the next one, Elna.”

“Mhm!”

I urged Elna toward the next patient. It would’ve been quicker for me to just mass target everyone and do it myself, but Elna seemed so keen to do it on her own that I didn’t want to take that away from her. Elze seemed to feel the same way, which was why she didn’t say anything.

One by one, Elna restored the vitality to the bedridden patients with her [Recovery] spell. I’d never personally thought about it much, but using that spell took a vast amount of magical power. The fact that Elna was capable of using it so much in quick succession was a testament to her magic. She was already far beyond the level of most court mages.

Elna had the aptitude for three types of magic: Fire, Water, and Light. Those were the same aptitudes shared by her Aunt Linze. She used Light-based restoration magic in combination with her [Recovery] spell to ease the pain of those she healed.

“It’s good she’s curing them and all, but is this really fine? Won’t they just go back to using the drug again?”

Elze pondered something that I was also pondering. I didn’t think it would be a problem, though. Most of the people who took the elixir did so under the pretense that it was a way to ward off the goldflower pox, and it didn’t really have that deep of an addictive property to it. Plus, it was now known that the elixir carried a curse, so it was unlikely that people afflicted by that curse would go out seeking to get cursed again. Then again, there were those back on Earth who refused to stop smoking or drinking even when told to by their doctor...

“I recorded all of the patients before Elna set about curing them. It might be good for them to see what kind of state they were in before they’re discharged,” Kuon said, smiling faintly as he held up his smartphone.

...When did you do that?

He had a point, though. Seeing themselves in that sorry state might give them cause to never fall back down like that again.

“What if they still do it?”

“Isn’t that a problem for the Ryuhou Lands? They have to take responsibility for themselves at some point. They can’t just expect us to swoop in and save them all the time, you know?” Kuon replied, giving something of a harsh answer.

That’s pretty rough... Are you really six? I guess that’s right, though. We can’t just have them thinking we’ll come cure them every single time. There’ll always be brazen types who expect things for free, so we need to make it clear that this isn’t a handout situation. You can’t just get stuck in a loop of drug use and rehab.

I didn’t want them taking my daughter’s kindness for granted, that was for sure. What Kuon had said was definitely harsh, but ultimately fair.

Elna eventually finished curing everyone in the room, but the room only contained patients with mild symptoms. Apparently, the ones suffering more severe symptoms were isolated in the basement.

We were taken downstairs to the isolation ward by a nurse.

“Gah...”

I didn’t know who’d groaned, but I felt the same. To call this an isolation ward wasn’t quite right. It was more of a prison than anything. The patients were kept behind iron bars in cells of their own. Most retained their human forms, but some already had scales or other animalistic features growing on their bodies. Though their appearances varied, they were all transforming in some way or another. None of them were in their right minds either. Some patients were simply rocking back and forth in their cells, while others screamed and roared against their restraints.

Elna clung close to Elze, apparently scared by the sight.

“Are you okay, Elna?”

“I-I’m okay...”

Kuon seemed concerned for his sister, but I was pretty surprised that he was unfazed. Just how gutsy was this kid?

Elze and Yumina were keeping their cool, at least. Elze kept glancing around, while Yumina was quietly observing the patients.

“They only regain lucidity for a few hours every day or two. We use that time to try to treat them, but to no avail so far...”

The nurses here all seemed to be on the brink of collapse. Frankly, I could do nothing but commend their efforts...but they were dealing with a horrible curse here. It wasn’t something healthcare providers could deal with. Still, there was something to be said about the fact that their patients regained their senses, even if it was only once in a while. Usually, the curse would’ve settled in entirely by this point, but these people were desperately fighting against it with all their power.

“Is it okay, Elna?”

“...Mhm. Just watch me, mother...”

Elze raised her voice in concern, but Elna shook her head and raised a wavering palm toward a nearby cage.

“[Recovery].”

“Oooh!”

The caged man, who had been half transformed into a fish monster, slowly transformed back into a regular person as the light enveloped his body. The nurses raised their voices in wonder at the sight.

When the light faded, the man fell to the floor. One of the nurses unlocked the cage and hurried in to check on him.

“He’s alive! It’s all right, he’s just out cold!”

Elna smiled softly as the nurse reassured her. Elze smiled as well. I felt that this was a formative moment for Elna, like I was watching my daughter do something special or something.

Her initial success emboldening her, Elna began to purge the curse from the other caged patients. Everyone she cured ended up passing out, but all of them regained their human forms.

Thus, the golden curse soon found itself washed away from Orpheus, capital of the Ryuhou Lands.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Mmm! This tastes delicious, mother!” Elna exclaimed as she excitedly bit into a scoop of ice cream and fruit jelly, then immediately held out a spoonful to Elze.

Elze graciously accepted the offering, swallowing the sweet treat.

“Oh, wow! It’s really good!”

“Ha ha ha ha... I’m glad it’s to your liking,” Tatsuma, the man who’d shown us to the restaurant in the first place, chuckled softly as he watched the two of them eat.

I’d waved off the whole thing with Elna calling Elze mother as just a cute nickname. They bought the story easily enough, since nobody would expect Elze to have a daughter who looked so old. Easier to paint it as an affectionate nickname for an older sister figure than tell them the actual truth.

Kuon had no such issues, since he referred to his mother as Yumina and me as Grand Duke in public. Yumina wasn’t exactly thrilled about that particular fact, but it was mighty convenient.

“I’m glad this place is still here, though the interior has certainly changed over the last fifteen years.”

Once we were done at the treatment facility, Tatsuma offered to take us around the capital. Apparently, he was keen to stretch his legs for the first time in fifteen years. Then, when Elna mentioned she was hungry, he recommended we come here for something sweet.

It was definitely a retro-style place. It kind of reminded me of something straight out of the Taisho era. It was only retro-chic from my perspective, though. The people of Orphen would most likely view it as a fairly modern establishment.

“You were able to come here when you were the active ryutei?”

“I would disguise myself from time to time and leave the palace. I was quite good at it, I’ll have you know.”

“That caused me no manner of trouble in the past, you know? I always had to deal with the political fallout of your little jaunts on my own.”

“...Oops. Let’s forget I just said that.”

Tatsuma chuckled lightly in response to Kuon’s question, prompting Prime Minister Ryuzan to interject from the side. It was clear the two men had a close relationship.

“I used to bring Houka here a lot as well. Taking her out for treats was a small pleasure.”

“The houtei is still fond of desserts, I’ll have you know.”

It was kind of a relief to know that a dignified leader like the ryutei also sneaked out of the castle from time to time. It made me feel less bad about doing it so much myself. I could almost hear the voice of Kousaka in my ears, chastising me for using my magic to run away from my paperwork, but I quickly shushed it.

“Still, I can’t help but feel that dessert is an insufficient reward for all you’ve done...”

“You needn’t worry about that. Your country is allied with ours, so it’s only natural for us to assist. What else are alliances for?”

A fine statement indeed. It was just a shame that Kuon had said it rather than me.

...Son, can you let your dad handle the diplomacy? You’re gonna make me look bad if a little kid’s speaking on my behalf...

After we finished eating, we walked around, thinking of where to go next all the while. It had been fifteen years since Tatsuma had last walked around the capital, so he was understandably antsy.

“Has it changed that much?”

“It has. Old landmarks are gone, and new ones stand in their place. It’s almost as if I’m in another place entirely, though that’s to be expected after such a long time has passed. It’s a bit hard to get used to, I must admit.”

He must’ve felt like he’d been left behind by the world. Everyone he knew had gained fifteen years of life experience, while he’d stayed still. His anxiety was more than fair.

“Yet despite the uncertainty, I’m excited for what the future holds. I’ve been given a second chance at life, and that isn’t something I’ll take for granted. I want to see how things will progress.”

...Damn. He’s kind of like me. Died and came back, and now he wants to make the most of his second chance. I can’t help but hope everything works out for the guy, just like it worked out for me.

“Hm...”

“Hm?”

...What was that voice? It interrupted my thinking.

Kuon caught my attention and tapped at the dagger sitting at his waist.

...Huh, Silver?

“Hey, kiddo’s old man...don’tcha know we’re bein’ followed?”

“Huh?”

We are? I didn’t sense anything like that at all... Don’t tell me I’m losing my touch.

“It ain’t a person followin’ us, which is why you prolly couldn’t tell. It’s a Gollem. Been followin’ us since we left that bakery. Keepin’ a fine distance.”

...Why would a Gollem be following us, though?

I didn’t glance back to look, but I quietly had Kougyoku confirm what Silver was saying. There were some Gollems behind us, attending to their business in the streets.

Hmm... That’s more than one, though. Which one’s following us?

“S’bluish with armor and claws on its hands.”

“Oh, that one.”

There was definitely a Gollem behind us that fit that description...but why was it following us? On whose orders was it acting?

“...Should we grab it and make it talk?”

“Most Gollems don’t have voice modulators.”

Gah... C’mon, Kuon, don’t clap back at me like that... It was just a figure of speech...

If it was just following us, then that was fine. I didn’t see the harm if it wasn’t doing anything else.

“...Who do you think it wants, father? You or Tatsuma? It could even be after the prime minister.”

...Hmm, that’s a good point. I can’t leave it be if it’s tailing us for nefarious purposes.

I decided to quietly tell Tatsuma and Ryuzan what was going on, while Kuon quietly informed Yumina, Elna, and Elze.

“So yeah, we’re being followed... Any ideas who could be behind this?”

“Well, I’ve some ideas, but I can’t say for sure... Neither the Ryu nor Hou families are entirely unified, so it could be from either group.”

Both Tatsuma and Ryuzan had troubled looks on their faces. Regardless, we hadn’t been harmed yet, so I just had to hope that would continue to be the case.

“There are some among us who were opposed to us joining the alliance and might have an ax to grind with Brunhild, and others aren’t too happy that Tatsuma-sama was revived. There’s also a faction that would gladly see me deposed from my own position as prime minister... There’s little I can really do to rein them in, unfortunately.”

If we didn’t know who had dispatched our stalker, there wasn’t a whole lot we could do.

Just as I was pondering our next course of action, Tatsuma raised an idea, saying, “What if we were to split up? There’s a fork in the road coming. Ryuzan and I will take one path, while you and the others take the other. We can determine the target by finding out which of us the Gollem follows, no?”

That definitely sounded like a good way of determining whether this Gollem was after me or one of the other two. If the Gollem was after Tatsuma or Ryuzan, then we’d double back and catch it. If it was after me, I’d just turn around and blast it.

“Sounds like a plan.”

I went to the back of the group and told Yumina, Elze, Elna, and Kuon about the plan.

“Hah, now that’s more my speed. Can’t I just smash the Gollem to bits, though?”

“Not until we figure out what it’s up to. If it’s just following us, we don’t have cause to trash it.”

Elze’s maniacal expression made me a little nervous, so I made sure to tell her she was only allowed to break it if it attacked us first. Self-defense was the way to go here.

“We need evidence that the Gollem attacked first, so I’ll be sure to provide video proof. Don’t worry.”

My son’s calm manner unnerved me even further... Why was he so cool and collected all the time? He really was an odd duck.

I sighed softly before looking ahead and noticing Tatsuma and Ryuzan veering off toward an alley to the right.

As per the plan, the rest of us carried on moving straight.

With Kougyoku perched on my shoulder, I watched the stalker Gollem as it followed us.

...Now, where are you gonna go?

To my surprise, a second Gollem joined the first and headed down the alley.

Welp. Looks like that’s their target.

“Let’s double back, quick.”

We headed back toward the alley that Ryuzan and Tatsuma had gone down. Then, we rounded the corner only to see the two Gollems getting ready to tackle the men from behind. Just as I was thinking “Oh crap!” the two Gollems suddenly stopped moving. It was as if time had stood still.

“Get away from them, quickly!” Kuon yelled out, prompting Tatsuma and Ryuzan to escape.

Oh! Kuon’s using one of his mystic eyes to stop them dead in their tracks!

The Gollems hadn’t been frozen in time, they’d just been fixed in place. They clattered to the ground, still unable to move.

“Get down! It’s dangerous!”

The second Kuon yelled that out, the two fallen Gollems suddenly detonated. Dust and debris kicked up into the surrounding area. When the smoke cleared, there was nothing left but broken bits of machinery... Luckily, none of us were harmed, but I certainly was spooked.

“Suicide Gollems... That was close. Good job on the warning, Kuon.”

“My mystic eye granted me enough foresight to see what was about to happen. I caught a glimpse of the blast before it began...”

Damn, you’re using a different power in each eye at the same time? Talk about skill...

“Amazing work, Kuon! Oh, you’re even more quick-thinking than Touya! What a feat for my son!” Yumina exclaimed as she started doting on Kuon, patting and stroking his hair in an exaggerated manner.

I get being proud, but did you have to hit me with a diss in the process? It’s not like I wasn’t thinking quick either! I was gonna use [Teleport] to get rid of the Gollems, but Kuon just happened to be faster, that’s all...

“Are you two all right?”

“Y-Yes, somehow... I’m a bit scraped up, but not really worse for wear.”

Tatsuma had fallen and grazed his elbows, but that was more than easy enough for Elna to fix with her healing spells. She was such a kindhearted girl...

Kuon cleared his throat before addressing Ryuzan and saying, “Those Gollems were clearly sent to kill you and the former ryutei. Do you know of anyone who would want to see you dead?”

“My position as prime minister makes me a reasonable target, but as for Tatsuma-sama...”

Ryuzan was right. Tatsuma had been dead up until only a few hours ago, so there wasn’t much reason for him to be targeted. Though, there could also have been a situation where Tatsuma’s resurrection had caused problems and they were moving to nip it in the bud...

“Is there anyone who might not want Tatsuma around? Or anyone who might not want him to take the throne as ryutei?”

“Tatsuma-sama declared no intention to succeed the throne as ryutei, so there’s no reason for the Hou family to target him. I see no reason for the Ryu family to either... Unless... Tatsuya-sama?”

Tatsuma’s expression sank when he heard Ryuzan speak.

Tatsuya? Tatsuma’s younger brother? He’s not jealous that his big brother suddenly rose from the dead, is he?

“No, surely not. Tatsuya was a good boy, through and through. He was twelve years my junior, and I never had too much time to spend with him due to my duties as the ryutei, however...due to that, he gradually grew more distant from me over time. Before I knew it, he’d fallen in with a crowd I didn’t really like, and that only furthered the animosity between us... It reached the point where we had a poor relationship.”

“It’s true that Tatsuya-sama has something of a rough temperament, but surely he wouldn’t go to murderous lengths.”

It’s hard to say, honestly. I can easily imagine a dejected younger brother growing bitter in the shadow of his elder brother.

Then that bitterness would come undone when his brother died, only to find himself still compared to his elder brother even after that... He might have even wondered why his perfect brother had to die when a roughhousing brat like him stayed alive... And as a result, his hatred would fester, but he’d have no outlet to vent it because the brother he hated was already gone. Then, one day...his brother returned. How would that make him feel? His perfect older brother was back on the scene, reminding him of his own flaws...so he could’ve seen it as the perfect chance to get his revenge and bury his brother for good.

That was only a possibility, of course. It was just a theory of mine. Tatsuma could have just been targeted by a political enemy or something more standard.

“In any case, we need to move. The explosion is drawing attention, and it would be most troublesome if the guards were to come and question us. By your leave, Grand Duke.”

Kuon cleared his throat as he addressed me, suggesting he wanted me to warp us all away. The kid really was in control here, or at least, that was how it felt. I wasn’t sure how to process him being so much better at diplomacy than me.

“[Teleport].”

He was still right, though, so I warped us back to the palace.

Okay, let’s go speak to the houtei and figure this all out...

“...Tatsuya?”

Tatsuma’s words caused me to glance over toward where he was looking, allowing me to catch sight of a man in his early thirties who was entering a carriage alongside a woman who looked to be in her early twenties. Both were dressed in ceremonial blue garbs, indicating their affiliation with the Ryu family.

The woman had deep blue eyes and long black hair. Despite her relaxed expression and beautiful face, her narrow eyes gave her gaze an intimidating sense of pressure. The man was tall and had a sturdy build. His black hair was cut short and he had a beard, but otherwise, his features resembled Tatsuma’s.

His eyes went wide at the sight of Tatsuma, prompting a gasp to leak from his lips.

“Hnh?!”

A sense of bitterness clouded his face as he turned away and clambered into the carriage. The woman with him cast an unfriendly glare in our direction before following suit...and then, the carriage began to rumble away at full speed.

“Wait!”

Despite Tatsuma’s cries, the carriage sped away in the blink of an eye.

“Was...? Was that...?”

“It was indeed...Tatsuya-sama.”

Yep, figures.

I nodded at Ryuzan’s words. It was the ill-behaved little brother I’d recently been told about. He looked just like Tatsuma.

“Shouldn’t we go after him? If he sent those Gollems, I mean...”

“No. The Gollems are broken to bits, and we have no evidence. We can’t just go casting random accusations out of nowhere like that. Besides, we’re outsiders to the Ryuhou Lands, so it’s best to let them take care of their own affairs.”

“Huh? B-But, well...”

Elze recoiled slightly at Kuon’s matter-of-fact explanation. He was right, though. It wasn’t our business, so we had to let them take care of it. We could definitely give our testimony and help, however. If they wanted us to cooperate, we’d even do that. But acting of our own accord within another country? That was a no-go. We had to go through the proper channels, and that meant reporting to the houtei.

We entered the palace...and the woman in question came running up to us immediately.

“Welcome back, Tatsuma-sama! Wait, is something wrong?”

The houtei’s cheery expression fell once she sensed something was off. When Tatsuma explained what had happened, her entire demeanor shifted rapidly.

“What?! Who would dare target you, Tatsuma-sama?! What monster would try to take you from me a second time?! I won’t forgive them!”

Her livid shouts were enough for me to stare at her wide-eyed, and her entire body was twitching with rage. Certainly a far cry from the excitable and happy girl she’d been only moments before... She banged her fists on the table, grumbling and yapping like an angered dog. Ryuzan was holding his head wearily, while Tatsuma looked somewhat unnerved. Perhaps noticing the improper nature of her outburst, the houtei quickly calmed herself down.

“Oh, uh... J-Just kidding, oho ho...”

...It’s too late to play it off as a joke, Houtei. Even my kids were shocked by your freak-out.

“Heh. You haven’t changed a bit, Houka. You used to throw little temper tantrums like that all the time when you were young.”

“N-No, it’s not like that! I just got a little agitated, is all!”

The houtei’s face turned bright red as she scrambled to make excuses. Something about her reaction made me realize something, or at least, it made me think I’d realized something.

I turned to Yumina and whispered, “...Yumina. Does the houtei have feelings for Tatsuma?”

Yumina blinked in surprise and replied, “...You only just noticed? It was blatantly obvious from the start... Honestly, Touya...you’re so inattentive at times.”

Huh?! Why are you looking at me like I’m slow on the uptake?! Was it that obvious?!

“Father... Come now...”

“Father...”

“You’re a real numbskull, Touya.”

My children, along with Elze, stared at me with a look that sat somewhere between dismay and wonder.

Leave me alone...

Yumina let out a quiet sigh that I really would’ve preferred she’d have kept to herself.

“...It was her love for him that drove her to go to such lengths to bring him back. Her anger is completely reasonable in the context of her being scared of losing him again, don’t you think?”

Oh, yeah. I can see that. The fear of losing someone you love can drive you to be pretty emotional, and in this case, she’s already lost him once.

“If someone was gonna take away someone I’d been pining after for over fifteen years, then I’d wanna hunt them down and smash their skulls in. That’s normal.”

Kuon and I shuddered slightly at the harsh imagery Elze had conjured up, but Elna nodded along in agreement.

“...You agree with her, Elna?”

“Love is all-or-nothing. I heard that girls in love are invincible, so there’s nothing to worry about. Just charge in and fight.”

“W-W-Wait, Elna. Who told you that?!”

“Auntie Karen.”

Gaaah! Karen, you idiot! What the hell kind of ideas are you feeding my daughter?! Don’t discuss love with her! It’s too early for that!

“So the houtei loves Tatsuma, and she wants to keep him safe...”

“Um...! Excuse me! C-Could you maybe stop talking about it?!”

“Ah...”

It was at that moment that I realized we’d been having this conversation in front of everyone. I noticed the houtei was now red as a lobster. She was staring at me with tears welling up in her eyes. Ryuzan was grinning widely as he looked over at Tatsuma, who was standing to the side and staring at the ceiling intently. His cheeks were also flushed red.

“W-Well, you know...I’m, um...grateful for what you did, Houka. Thank you, really.”

“N-No, it’s not a problem at all...”

It was as if the two of them were staring at each other in a new light for the very first time. Or maybe it was just the first time I’d noticed... Either way, they were definitely acting a little awkward around each other. It was cute, in a way.

Luckily, I was married. If I was single and saw a scene like that unfolding before me, I’d probably wish for them both to go to hell.

In any case, I was rather invested in their story now. I wanted to make sure they had the chance to be happy together.

◇ ◇ ◇

Clouds drifted through the night sky, parting every now and then to allow moonbeams their quiet and brief cascades. There were two palaces in Orphen. The Dragon Hall of the Ryu family and the Phoenix Hall of the Hou family. The palaces alternated as the seat of government depending on whether the ryutei or houtei was in power.

A shadow perched itself atop the opulent red roof of the Phoenix Hall, blending in with the night. The shadow slowly made its way across the wall to the courtyard, hopped down, and strafed up against the wall of the building. It then used a special tool to open up a nearby window and slip inside, moving with all the grace of a nimble cat.

This palace was the residence of the houtei. It was the seat of power for the Ryuhou lands at present. As such, it was well defended and had a regular rotation of guards. Yet despite this, the shadow slipped deeper into the building and skillfully avoided detection.

The intruder made their way to the room they’d been looking for, almost as if they knew exactly how to avoid the guard patrols. Once again, they deployed their specialized tool...opening the door with minimal effort.

The shadowy figure slipped into the room, taking care not to make a sound. It was a decently sized room that contained a desk, a chair, a closet, some bookshelves, and a three-quarter bed. The shadowy intruder slowly skulked toward the bed, peering at the face of the man who slumbered in it.

Moonlight shone through the window, illuminating the unconscious visage of Tatsuma, the former ryutei. A dagger gleamed in the moonlight as the figure raised it high into the air...

“All right, that’s enough outta you.”

...only to stop in their tracks as they felt cold metal placed against the back of their own neck.

The startled intruder slowly turned around to see a silver blade floating in the air, pointed directly at their throat.

“Scream or resist and you’re done, got it? Drop the knife. I don’t wanna make a mess in here, so ya better keep yer trap shut too.”

The floating sword, Infinite Silver, forced the intruder to drop their weapon to the ground. The clattering and commotion woke Tatsuma, who narrowed his eyes at the sight of the intruder.

“...That boy was right, I see.”

“Don’t underestimate my kiddo. He’s always a couple steps ahead. Good thing he left me here, eh?” the blade said, then laughed coarsely as the former ryutei heaved a small sigh. Tatsuma couldn’t exactly say anything back to the sword, since Silver was right.

“I’ll go fetch someone...”

As Tatsuma rose from his bed, the shadowy figure reached down for his blade and moved to swing it again. Before he could attack, however, Silver flashed his own blade in an arc, striking the intruder, who fell to the ground in a heap.

“...Are they dead?”

“Naw. I’m on stun mode, so they’re just conked out. If ya wanna get someone, you oughta do it now ’fore they wake back up.”

“Got it.”

Tatsuma pulled on a robe and left the room to fetch a guard.

Silver glanced down at the shadowy figure, the intruder clad in black ninja-like armor. He then used the sharp tip of his blade to slice away the mask that concealed the person’s features, exposing their face to the light of the moon.

“Hm? No way... The kiddo even predicted that much?”

The sight caused Silver’s body to rattle, giving off a vibration that felt like a very human sigh.

◇ ◇ ◇

Just as I was finishing up work for the night, I received a text from the houtei. Things had played out exactly as Kuon had anticipated. I thought it was a possibility, but Kuon was right on the mark in his prediction... Honestly, his efficiency made me feel a little disheartened.

“What’s with that look?”

Leen, who’d been helping me with my paperwork, snapped me out of my stupor.

...Was my disappointment really that noticeable? Or is it just because we’re married that she can tell?

“It’s nothing, really... I was just thinking about how it’s rough having such a capable son...”

“What nonsense are you spouting now? Sons are meant to surpass their fathers, so shouldn’t you be proud of raising him well?”

“Well, I guess you’re right.”

Kuon would be the next duke of Brunhild, and it seemed like he was taking his duties seriously even at such a young age. I had a hunch I’d be retiring to Babylon sooner than I’d originally anticipated.

In any case, I had a text to digest. Tatsuma had been targeted, confirming that the Gollems had been after him rather than Ryuzan. I didn’t think they’d launch two attacks on the same day, but that was probably the entire reason they’d done it.

Kuon had suggested leaving Silver behind as a guard, and that was definitely the right call. I’d also left Kougyoku with Ryuzan, just to be on the safe side.

According to the houtei’s message, the situation was rather complicated, so she wanted me to stop by at my earliest convenience. That was fine by me, since I needed to collect Silver and Kougyoku anyway, and if they’d contacted me so late at night, then it must’ve been for an urgent reason.

Right when I was about to open up a [Gate] to the Ryuhou Lands, a knock came at the door to my office. Leen walked over to open it, revealing Kuon and Yumina. Yumina was wearing her pajamas, but Kuon was dressed for an adventure.

“Father, I’d like to accompany you to Orphen.”

“Huh? How’d you know I was going?”

I doubted the houtei would’ve sent a text to Kuon about this, and I certainly hadn’t seen him looped in on the recipients.

“I sensed that Silver had unsheathed himself. I can only assume something happened.”

Oh, right. Silver’s a crown, so it makes sense that he’d have a connection like that with Kuon, his contractor.

“I can’t say I approve of my son going out so late at night like this, but... Well, if he’s going with his father, I suppose it’s fine,” Yumina grumbled sleepily. It was normal to tell children not to go out late at night, but Kuon had spent many nights on the road before he’d even got here, so it felt a little late to start enforcing a rule like that.

I had no real objections to taking him with me, though. This was all thanks to him, anyway. Plus, there was an unspoken element of why I wanted to bring him with me. I didn’t want him to think I was an uncool dad. Not that I needed to put on airs for my family, but still.

I left Yumina and the others in charge of affairs, then stepped through a portal to the Phoenix Hall. We were soon greeted by a group of officials and led toward a room within the deeper part of the palace. In the room stood Prime Minister Ryuzan, Tatsuma, and the houtei. They were standing by a pale woman who was in a nearby bed. She was unconscious, but breathing heavily, and there was a lot of sweat beading on her forehead.

Hm? Do I know her?

“Who is this?”

“Tatsuno. A servant and close personal aide to Tatsuya-sama.”

My question was quickly answered by Ryuzan. That helped me place her. She was the narrow-eyed woman who I’d seen getting into the carriage with Tatsuya earlier.

So this is the assailant? Does that mean Tatsuya was behind all this?

Tatsuno herself was not a member of the Ryu family, but instead someone that Tatsuya had come across and taken a liking to. Ryuzan had no idea she was skilled as an infiltrator or assassin.

“She appears to be in poor health. Was there an issue when apprehending her?”

“That’s my bad, kiddo. I made a little oopsie, y’know?”

Silver, still in his sheath, perked up in response to Kuon’s question. Apparently, she’d woken up before Tatsuma had managed to come back with a guard, and she’d moved to stab herself with a poison needle that she’d kept concealed. Silver had noticed this and swung to disarm her, but the needle still managed to graze the woman’s finger. And unfortunately, that tiny dose of the poison was enough to render the woman comatose, so it was unlikely she’d live through the night. That was why they’d called me so urgently.

“[Recovery].”

I’ll just clear the poison from her body. Can’t have such an important player in all this dying on my watch.

The color immediately began returning to her face, and her breathing soon stabilized. I’d neutralized all the poison inside her, so she was beginning to recover.

“You think she was trying to kill Tatsuma?”

“That’s the most likely conclusion, yes. And it was likely done on another person’s orders...which means...”

“I’ve ordered some of our soldiers to find Tatsuya-sama. They’re only to question him, but they have orders to move to detain if he resists,” Ryuzan said, continuing the houtei’s train of thought.

Makes sense to me. If he’s got nothing to hide, then he’s got nothing to fear. But if he resists, well...

“...Was this really Tatsuya’s doing?” Tatsuma asked, sighing quietly as he looked over at the woman on the bed.

The houtei, seemingly unable to endure his sad face any longer, raised her voice and said, “Much can change over the last fifteen years. Tatsuya-sama is still younger than you, even now. And ever since you passed away, he’s taken great pains to raise his social status. He’s one of the candidates to be the next ryutei, but even that isn’t guaranteed, so he likely feels even less secure now that you’ve returned.”

“You can’t win candidacy for the throne based solely on good impressions, Houka. You have to be steady. You should know that as well as I, no?”

“That’s true, but...”

In Orphen, where the Ryu and Hou families took turns ruling, there was still infighting among those families for who’d be their representative. That was simply unavoidable with the kind of ruling structure they’d adopted. If the question of succession was between a mediocre firstborn and a brilliant secondborn, then it was obvious that disputes would break out. If it was a matter of tradition, then the firstborn son would ascend. But if it was for the good of the country, then the secondborn should ascend.

As far as my opinions went, I would sooner have had the brilliant second son on the throne than the inefficient first. If it made the country worse, then what was the point in adhering to tradition? However, if the firstborn were merely an ordinary person rather than a mediocre fool, then I would want him on the throne with his brother supporting him. Being a genius wasn’t a requirement for rulership, after all. You just had to not be a dumbass.

I’d talked about this kind of thing with my wives too. If my eldest son was not fit for the throne, then he wasn’t entitled to it by default. Plus, I honestly didn’t think Brunhild’s leadership had to be beholden to my bloodline. After all, Brunhild itself just kind of fell into my lap. I didn’t really earn my place on the world stage. If I happened to have an imbecile of a son who didn’t deserve to carry on Brunhild’s legacy, then it would have been better for the people to have a brilliant man from outside my family take his place.

Don’t think I have to worry about that, though.

I glanced at my son with a small grin on my face. I was more worried about him being too good, frankly.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps from the outside hall, as well as faint cries of “Halt!” or “Stop right there!” that grew closer until someone barged into the room.

“Tatsuno! Are you okay?! Is she safe?!”

That someone was none other than Tatsuya, Tatsuma’s younger brother. The moment he charged into the room, he was seized by two guards who’d been stationed by the door.

“Calm yourself, Tatsuya-dono.”

“Lady Houtei! They say Tatsuno was poisoned, is it true?!”

“It’s true. She tried to kill herself with a poisoned needle, but the grand duke of Brunhild has already neutralized the poison in her body.” Tatsuya heaved a great sigh of relief upon hearing the houtei’s words. The houtei’s eyes, however, were cold and glassy.

That was entirely reasonable. Someone she loved had almost died, and the prime suspect was sitting in front of her.

“Tatsuya.”

Tatsuya flinched slightly upon hearing Tatsuma’s voice. The guards held him in place, forcing him down to his knees as Tatsuma walked toward him.

“She tried to murder me... Suicide Gollems were sent after me... I’ll ask kindly. Was that your doing?”

The man on the ground gulped quietly, staring at the floor all the while. After a few moments of silence, Tatsuya looked up at his brother and slowly opened his mouth to speak.

“...It was all me, yes. I ordered Tatsuno to do this.”

The room went deadly silent, and I could feel the rage festering in the houtei’s soul.

Tatsuma took a step forward as if to break her line of sight and asked, “Why?”

“...I was scared. I was scared of losing everything I’d built up, so I wanted to...put you back in the ground. I gave the order. Tatsuno simply obeyed it, so—”

“You’re lying,” Kuon spoke clearly, his words cutting off Tatsuya’s. Kuon’s right eye was gleaming with a silver luster, shimmering with the power he’d inherited from his mother.

“It’s no lie! I ordered her to do it! I ordered her to kill my brother!”

“That’s not true. You didn’t order her to do it at all. If I had to guess, this was all her doing—”

“No! You’re wrong! It’s all me! It’s all on me! I wanted her to kill him! I told her to kill him! His death was my fault in the first place! It wasn’t Tatsuno!”

“...What do you mean by all this, boy?” Tatsuma turned to Kuon with a curious gaze.

“I don’t know the specifics, but I believe he’s saying this to protect her. I think the attempt on your life was orchestrated by her alone. Perhaps even the suicide Gollems were her doing.”

“No, brother! Please! I orchestrated the entire thing! Pin it all on me, even if it means the death penalty! Leave her out of this!”

Tatsuya bowed his body forward, reaching out his arms to cling to his brother’s legs. The entire room fell silent, bewildered by the sight of the blubbering man. Even the houtei, who’d previously been bubbling with rage, now seemed more confused than anything else.

Since neither she nor Tatsuma seemed ready to speak, I spoke up in their stead and asked “...You said his death was your fault in the first place? What does that mean? Wasn’t his death an accident?”

“...It wasn’t. The collapsed altar was my doing... I wanted to scare Houka, so...”

“...Me?”

At the mention of her name, the houtei blinked in further confusion.

“...It wasn’t supposed to be dangerous. It was just a prank. The thing was meant to fall just before Houka came to the altar, but it didn’t. I thought it was a dud, and then it happened to collapse during the ceremony itself. My elder brother died protecting her from it... If I hadn’t done that, he’d have never died!”

Tatsuya wailed out his confession as tears streamed down his face. The revelation only served to further stun everyone. I could understand why. The truth behind the death of the ryutei being a childish prank? That was a lot to digest.

Slowly, Tatsuma opened his mouth and asked, “...Why would you try to scare her?”

“I was... I was jealous... You always had time for her... You always took her places and taught her things...”

“She was set to be the next houtei... I had to teach her those things. It was part of my leadership duties...”

“I know that, I do. But your attention was always on her, so I felt like you didn’t want me around... I thought that if I could get some petty revenge by frightening her, I’d at least feel like I could do something about it...”

Childish envy? I guess he would’ve been eleven or twelve at the time. That’s kind of a normal reaction for a kid his age. Maybe he saw the young houtei-to-be as someone who was stealing his big brother?

“Did Tatsuno know that?”

“No, there’s no way she’d have known... But she asked about my strange behavior when I learned you’d returned from the dead. She must have assumed your presence stood in my way...”

According to Tatsuya, Tatsuno was once a member of the black market’s shadow guild. She’d found herself on the verge of death once that organization had been destroyed, only for Tatsuya to save her life. She must have felt she was repaying her debt to him in some way by taking matters into her own hands...

“...I see now that my selfish thoughts brought you further suffering, Tatsuya-sama...”

“Tatsuno!”

Tatsuno, who’d apparently been awake enough to hear the whole exchange, slowly rose from her bed. The nearby guards charged forward, forming a wall between her and us. Them being on high alert was understandable, given she’d tried to kill Tatsuma only an hour prior.

“...You heard all of that?”

“I was conscious, but unable to move... I had no choice but to listen...” Tatsuno, whose hands were tied together in cuffs, said as she slumped out of the bed and prostrated herself before the houtei and Tatsuma.

“This was my doing...and mine alone. There has been no wrongdoing on Tatsuya-sama’s part. Please, lay any and all punishment upon me...”

“No! If I’d simply talked to my brother immediately and told him how I felt, then Tatsuno would never have done this! I wanted to speak to you, but I was afraid of facing what I’d done! Please, Lady Houtei! I beseech you! Do anything you want to me, but leave Tatsuno out of this!” Tatsuya exclaimed as he fell to the floor and prostrated himself alongside Tatsuno.

Man...this could’ve all been solved if they’d just talked things out, huh?

“Houka... No, Lady Houtei.”

Tatsuma stood silent for a while before finally turning to the houtei and bowing before her. He eventually fell just as prostrate as the other two. The houtei’s expression faltered as she saw him bowing so deeply before her.

“It was my own shortcomings as an elder brother that wrought this tragedy. I beg you to pardon him for his role in my death...and I beg you to pardon her for her role in the attempt... From the bottom of my heart, please.”

“B-Brother, you don’t have to go that far!”

“...I can at least do one thing as your elder brother, can I not? Tatsuno must mean a great deal to you. I can swallow my pride and beg for something like that.”

“Hngh... B-Brother, I... I’m so sorry... I...”

Tatsuya openly wept as he pressed his head to the ground. Tatsuma, on the other hand, smiled softly in the face of the apology.

The houtei let out a deep sigh before turning to the prime minister and asking, “Ryuzan. You were involved in all this as well. What say you?”

“Hm, well...accident or not, Tatsuya-dono was responsible for the death of our most recent ryutei. Tatsuno-dono then tried to murder him upon his revival. Ordinarily, such crimes would be punished with death, but the victim in both cases has made a personal appeal, even going so far as to beg you for their forgiveness. We cannot pretend the incidents never happened, but we can lessen the punishment. I would strip the two of any property and titles they own and have them exiled from our nation.”

“Very well, then. The two of you shall henceforth be exiled from the Ryuhou Lands. You have three days to leave Orphen, and you will not be allowed to return. Is that understood?”

“Y-Yes, thank you!”

Tatsuno and Tatsuya kept their heads lowered as they spoke in unison, their voices muffled by tears. It didn’t feel like a particularly lenient sentence, but perhaps it was the best they could’ve hoped for. After all, so long as they had their lives, they were free to begin again...together.

“...Did I perhaps overstep my bounds tonight?” Kuon hesitantly asked, whispering directly into my ear.

Had he not interfered with his mystic eye, Tatsuya would have been fingered as the mastermind and Tatsuno would have been convicted of her attempt to kill Tatsuma. They would’ve both surely received the death penalty. With that in mind, this was a far better outcome. I didn’t think exposing the truth was necessarily the right call in every single instance, but Kuon had done a good job today.

I quietly, and proudly, stroked a hand through my son’s hair. He’d done well.