Risou no Himo Seikatsu - Volume 10 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 — Princess Freya’s Crisis

Zenjirou had adjusted his schedule to prepare for his return to the Twin Kingdoms. It was currently afternoon as he reclined in a wicker chair. Their bedroom had started to pull double duty as Aura’s office now.

He tilted his head in response to his wife’s statement. “Princess Freya is requesting relief?”

Aura nodded with a conflicted look. “Indeed, though I am unsure whether to call it a request for relief or surrendering to the heat. She is someone whom not even I can curtly refuse, though, so I decided to consult you.”

“Ah, I see.”

The comment gave Zenjirou a good idea of the situation. He remembered a letter asking if they could give Freya some ice due to her struggles while he was in the Twin Kingdoms. He’d given permission as soon as he’d returned... Had that not worked?

“Didn’t we provide ice since she was suffering so much with the heat? Did that not fix it?”

The queen gave a slight sigh at the question. “In one respect, that was a bad move. The periodic deliveries allowed her to regain her stamina and appetite and therefore realize what it implied: there is somewhere in the inner palace where it is possible to make ice. So she then requested at least temporary refuge in that place.”

“Ah, that’s how it went.”

Zenjirou had a fleeting image of Freya crouched in the freezer, but that wasn’t what she was asking for. She was likely envisioning a room where ice could either be created or maintained—like an ice house—within the inner palace and requesting its use as a retreat.

They could hardly put the princess in the freezer, but allowing her into the air-conditioned bedroom would also answer her pleas.

“Would letting a princess into the inner palace cause any issues, though?”

As far as Capua and the princess herself were concerned, she would officially be Zenjirou’s concubine. However, none of that had been discussed with her family—the Uppasalan royal family.

Aura inhaled deeply, allowing her generous bust to rise, before answering his concerns.

“Many. Frankly, it is out of the question.”

“Hey,” Zenjirou protested with half-lidded eyes at the conversation being cut down.

She seemed to have expected his response because she just kept a soft smile on her face as she continued. “Therefore, she will not be granted entry on this occasion. I have thought of two solutions. The first is to move Her Highness to the smallest and closest room to the inner palace. The ice could then be provided as soon as it was created and therefore decrease the temperature considerably.”

“Ah, the same way we did for Zenkichi’s room,” he said, punching a hand in understanding.

Freya was currently staying in a separate building for guests, far from the center of the palace. They could deliver ice there, but the heat of the season meant that it would melt considerably on the way. It was relatively public as well, so they could not provide ice too frequently. Moving her close to the inner palace would drastically increase the effectiveness of the chore. A small room might be possible to maintain below thirty degrees.

He understood Aura’s plan, but he still had his doubts. “That’d be less of a problem than having her in the inner palace, but still, is it a good idea? Those rooms aren’t the best, are they? Will having a foreign princess sleep so close to the entrance to the inner palace cause issues?”

Aura frowned. “It is far from ideal. It is a suggestion that barely satisfies as a compromise. I have had Doctor Michel examine her and she is in a rather bad state. In the worst case, her life could even be in danger.”

Naturally, that was an extremely low possibility. Heat fatigue for a prolonged period, coupled with a lack of nutrition, could certainly make possible illnesses life-threatening. While the probability was certainly low, exposing a foreign dignitary—to say nothing of a future concubine and the princess of an influential trading partner—to such pointless danger was less than ideal, particularly if there were ways to address it.

“Got it. I’ve got no real objections, then. What was the other option?” Having come to agree with her, Zenjirou prompted her to continue.

“My other solution would involve a request from you. The magic tools of the Sharou family. As you have observed, the country has magic tools that provide cool air. I would have you buy a set.”

Her statement reminded him of those tools. The Purple Egg Palace was indeed replete with the tools that had made it a much more comfortable environment. While it wasn’t on the same level as an air-conditioned room, it lowered the temperature enough to be unremarkable for day-to-day life.

He wasn’t sure whether it would work in the same way as in the desert country for the more rainforest-type climate that Capua had, but it should still make a big difference.

“Got it, I’ll do that. Why has no one else in the country bought them before since they’re so convenient?”

The question was an obvious one to ask, and the queen gave a reluctant smile as she answered. “Magic tools are ridiculously expensive. While the heat of the blazing season is an ordeal even for us, it becomes the norm as you live through it. It is something you can survive, so most people decide to grin and bear it.”

“I see; sort of a case of just living with it.”

People would only miss air conditioning if they’d once had it. A native Capuan might find the blazing season an ordeal, but it was bearable and would pass if they waited it out.

Spending enough money that even royalty and nobility considered it an expense to make a mere quarter of the year more comfortable was a rarity. Aside from anything else, while Zenjirou’s teleportation made it easy to forget, the country was over a month of travel away for a one-way trip. While it would be different for healing stones—that magic tool could be the difference between life and death—very few people would travel so far for just a little comfort.

“Well, that sums it up. While it is rather uncouth between royals, I will prepare the coin for you to pay directly.”

As Aura said, it showed a lack of refinement for royals to take large sums of money directly to pay for things like magic tools. However, the distance between the two countries was enough that it was two months round-trip, which meant a bank draft would be impossible to exchange. With Zenjirou being able to teleport, there was no one who could be trusted more to carry the money. Therefore, he would be stuck acting as treasurer even though he was royalty.

“Got it. Should we be the ones paying, though? It sounds harsh, but the princess is the one who needs it.”

At least at present, Princess Freya was not part of Capua, but rather of Uppasala. If she needed a magic tool, logic dictated that she would buy it.

However, Aura had already taken that into account and shook her head. “No, we will buy the tool. We can install it in a section of the inner palace for her in the future.”

“Oh, right. That makes sense,” he said in understanding.

It was all but assured that she would become his concubine. If she was therefore going to be brought into the inner palace, ensuring the inner palace was pleasant for her was Capua’s job. The blessings of modern appliances were only available in the main area that Zenjirou and Aura called home. Using the magic tools to prepare the annex that Freya would call home for the heat of the blazing season was not a bad idea.

“It is piling more obligations on you, so I apologize.”

“No worries. I’ll get it done,” he answered with his usual smile.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

About two days had passed since Freya had been relocated to deep within the palace. Zenjirou and Aura had received a request for an audience with her, but the location was in Freya’s new room.

Requesting the queen and consort to come to you rather than vice versa was slightly impolite. Considering Freya’s current constitution, though, it was minor enough to pass without much comment. Regardless of anything else, it seemed unlikely she would ask for them both just to offer her thanks. The two found a point in their busy schedules that worked and headed to meet with the foreign princess.

“Welcome, Your Majesties,” Freya greeted them as they entered her room. “I offer my apologies for the presumption of requesting your presence rather than the alternative.”

She was wearing a thin, sleeveless dress, and her voice was far more energetic than Zenjirou had expected.

“Think nothing of it. I am pleased to see you are doing better than I had thought, Princess Freya,” Aura replied.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I can only credit you with it. My appetite has returned and I can continue my life without issue—while I am within this room, at least,” she said, her lips quirking into a chagrined smile with that last statement.

One of the maids being loaned to her was, even now, wafting a fan over a large metal bowl of ice, circulating the air. It made the room much cooler. Zenjirou’s subjective impression would peg the temperature at around twenty-five to thirty degrees. Compared to the common forty-plus degrees that Capua’s blazing season could see, it was a retreat that almost brought tears to the eyes.

Indeed, the princess now turned to him, thanking him deeply with a multitude of emotions in her voice.

“The magic tool used for producing ice even in this heat is yours, I believe, Your Majesty. Thank you for using such a precious item for my sake. I cannot thank you enough.”

The sheer depth to which she bowed her head was proof that the gratitude went beyond what would be expected out of societal obligation.

“Not at all. I am glad we were able to halt things before they grew more serious,” he replied, taking an offered seat.

Aura sat herself in a matching chair at his side. Both of them—and Freya’s own chair—were relatively plain wicker chairs. There was a similarly plain and small round wooden table between the three. However, the fancier plush sofas and massive table would never fit into this room.

Regardless, now that they were all seated, it fell to Aura to start the discussion as the highest-ranked individual present.

“So, Princess Freya. My apologies, but I am not possessed of much time. It may be somewhat rude, but I would know what you have asked us here for.”

The Northern princess straightened at the blunt request from the queen.

“Of course. His Majesty will be returning to the Twin Kingdoms of Sharou-Gilbelle once more, will he not? Would it be possible for me to accompany him as well? I have requests I wish to make of their enchanters.”

Zenjirou exchanged the briefest of glances with his wife. Knowing that his words would be taken as a verbal confirmation that she would be his concubine—albeit only shared among those present—he stepped in as Aura handed the response over to him.

“Princess, you need not worry if that commission would be for cooling magic tools. I will be purchasing a set and gifting them to you.”

Freya’s eyes widened as she replied rather emotionally. “Oh my. I offer my thanks that you would be so considerate, Your Majesty. However, I would not only be requesting those. I also want magic tools for use on the Glasir’s Leaf—water purifiers, along with things like water and wind manipulators.”

There was a strong conviction in her words. Zenjirou and Aura could both understand the thrust of her request.

“I see,” Zenjirou replied.

“Indeed,” Aura added.

The trip between the continents was—even with the latest and greatest in ship technology that the Glasir’s Leaf represented—a risky affair that could easily end in death. The princess’s presence in Capua to begin with was due to a storm knocking them off course. She would need to perform at least another round trip in order to get permission from her homeland to become Zenjirou’s concubine. Wanting to make that trip safer in any possible way was understandable. Of course, Freya had also not said she would stop her seafaring after she became his concubine.

Husband and wife exchanged glances once again, nodded, and this time Aura spoke.

“I understand. I have no objections personally in that case. However, since this involves another nation, I hope you can understand it will require more than just my own permission.” Once Freya showed her understanding with a nod, Aura turned her gaze to the prince consort. “Zenjirou.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, switching to the slightly rarer behavior of a vassal rather than a husband.

“You are to convey Princess Freya’s wishes to the Twin Kingdoms once you arrive. Have their reply made into a letter and send it back with an appropriate knight or maid there.”

“I understand,” he replied calmly to the command. It was more or less what he had expected. They could not send someone else to the country unannounced. Since he would be returning there anyway, both gaining permission and conveying it to Capua would be his role.

Aura nodded in satisfaction at the agreement before turning once again to Freya and offered her a warning with a slightly hard expression. “While it is not yet certain, I have little doubt they shall grant permission. The country constantly deals with purchases of both healing and magic tools, after all. With Zenjirou’s introduction as a member of our royal family, I believe they will be willing to deal with you. However, I can offer no guarantee that they will be willing or able to sell to you. On that front, you will need to make your own arrangements.”

Zenjirou would also be buying magic tools, but she had no concerns in that regard. The cooling tools were in constant use in the two palaces—the Purple Egg Palace and the Ivory Cathedral—so there would certainly be a surplus of such items on hand.

Moreover, Zenjirou was part of a royal family known throughout the continent. If nothing else, there was always the ulterior motive of maintaining relationships with the wielders of teleportation magic. It enabled those who acquired such a relationship the potential of a much faster return if they ever traveled across the continent to Capua.

Aura was all but certain they would be willing to offer a decent price on surplus goods to maintain that favor.

In comparison, Freya was nothing more than a princess from the far far north. Regardless of how things were on the Northern Continent, even the country she hailed from was all but unknown on the Southern Continent.

With a royal of Zenjirou’s stature vouching for her status, they would probably treat her as royalty. However, the vast majority of their potential clients were either royalty or domestically influential nobles regardless. There was no need to treat her with any special favor. She would therefore fall right at the end of the queue and need to wait her turn under normal instances.

Despite that explanation from Aura, Freya didn’t falter. She simply nodded with a dispassionate look on her face.

“If that is unavoidable, then so be it. While it may not be possible to obtain them for this trip, I would still like to reserve them.”

“Oh, even if not possible for this trip?” Aura repeated with meaningful emphasis.

She then directed a look to Zenjirou, asking if that was acceptable.

Understanding the implication, Zenjirou nodded.

“That sounds like a fine idea, Princess Freya. Magic tools would be a literal lifeline for long sea voyages. I support your wisdom here,” he said, offering his “permission” with a smile.

“Thank you, Sir Zenjirou!”

Her joy seemed to have overwhelmed her as her voice shook slightly, a grin of her own spreading across her face. Ordering tools for seafaring even if they might not be ready for this particular voyage had clear connotations. In other words, she did not intend to let this round trip to gain permission to become Zenjirou’s concubine be her last. While the arrangements may end with her being in the position of the ship’s owner rather than its captain, that was still a goal that was impossible for a normal woman to reach.

Therefore, Zenjirou’s answer to his wife’s question was also an answer to whether Freya would maintain her freedom even after marriage, which explained the joy in her voice.

While Aura was not entirely happy with a concubine candidate looking at her husband with teary eyes, she knew that was not something she could show here.

“In that case, I have nothing more to say. Princess, I would wager that if you should visit the country, you will be invited to banquets and the like with Zenjirou.”

“Ah, true. Skaji and I are the only two who will be able to travel, so our luggage will be limited. I would still like to take a set of evening wear, though. Okay, Skaji?”

“Very well,” Skaji nodded calmly, having remained silent up until then from her position behind Freya. She was well-built even for a male warrior, let alone a female one. One might even call her herculean. So a set of dresses and accessories were likely to be little more than a rounding error in the weight she was carrying.

“I cannot take all of my dresses, though. Which shall I choose?” the princess mused.

“There is no need to make a particular display, is there, Princess? Are your normal dresses insufficient?”

Aura consciously lifted the corners of her lips into a smile and cut into the conversation between the guard and her liege.

“I wish to make an offer of my own on that front. Would you be willing to accept it?”

The exaggerated tone and blatantly superficial smile led Freya to immediately make her own expression blank. “Oh my, you would be willing to do so, Your Majesty?” she asked.

“Indeed. I have actually commissioned a suitable dress from the tailors as a surprise for you. Naturally, it will need to be adjusted to fit you properly, but that should not take long.”

Zenjirou’s estimate of Freya’s height was around a hundred and sixty centimeters tall, give or take. It was short enough that she was considered below average height in her homeland, but tall enough she was right around average height in Capua. A skilled tailor would be able to fit a dress to her frame relatively well simply measuring by eye. While the topic had come up suddenly, Freya was used to that kind of thing with her position as royalty and was able to accept it without any real shock.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Though I must admit some concern,” Aura added after a nod. “After all, a dress focusing on reds may clash somewhat with your hair and eye color. I imagine it may take some effort to do, but you should be able to ameliorate that with suitable accessories.”

Freya’s face showed surprise for an instant at Aura’s statement that the base color of the dress would be red. It was hardly a surprise. Red was the emblematic color of Capua. Such a dress being gifted directly to her by the queen and worn while escorting the prince consort would be taken as a clear statement she was to be considered part of the Capuan royal family both domestically and internationally.

“M-My thanks, Your Majesties! I will carry myself as a member of the Capua family in such a way that I will bring no shame upon the dress! I can scarcely even express myself! Truly, it is so moving. I would be unsurprised if my und—”

“Princess!” Skaji called desperately, managing to cut her liege off before the princess’s joy made her say something too crass for her position.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

Once Zenjirou and Aura had left, Freya still hadn’t calmed down and was almost squealing with delight.

“Yes! I managed it! I can take this as a visible acceptance from Queen Aura, right?!”

While her expression was somewhat exasperated as she watched Freya bounce around the room, the warrior agreed in a calm tone.

“I suppose so. This dress can certainly be considered favor from Her Majesty.”

Ordinarily, gifting a dress would fall to the husband, Zenjirou. It coming from Aura—who was his legitimate wife—could be taken as a declaration of war in the case of normal nobles. However, the circumstances were decidedly different than with normal royalty and nobility.

In normal cases, the husband was the head of the household, his wife was beneath him, and any concubines were equal to her. In name, the legal wife would be higher, but affection from the man of the house, relative status of the involved families, and a concubine birthing an heir could all—and often did—change that.

Things were distinctly different with Zenjirou and Aura, though. The head of the royal family, and the monarch, was Aura, the wife. Zenjirou was fundamentally her spouse, the prince consort, and nothing more. In other words, Zenjirou stood alongside the queen as her prince consort, and any concubines would be below them. It made it effectively impossible for a concubine to place themselves higher than the queen. Therefore, any woman wishing to become a concubine would need to win Aura’s favor.

When taking that into account, Freya’s overwhelming joy at Aura giving her a dress in red was practically inevitable.

“Say, Skaji? Should I offer some form of return gift for the dress, perhaps?” she asked.

The warrior pondered the question for a time before shaking her head. “No, I think it would be best not to,” she said. “The red dress given to you personally by Her Majesty is a sign of welcome into the Capuan royal family. Carelessly offering a gift in return could be taken as a sign that you were trying to place yourself as an equal to her.”

“I see. Then I shall simply accept the generosity this time. The question then becomes what to match the dress with. We have no accessories that use rubies brought from home, do we?” Freya knew the answer but asked the question regardless.

“We do not. We decided that the risk of a clash with your complexion was too great.”

Freya did the same with her dresses and with any gems—those closer to her hair and eye colors were a safer bet. Her hair was a blue-tinged silver, while her eyes were ice-blue. It made reds—which clashed fairly easily with those colors—rather difficult for Freya to pull off with both dresses and accessories.

A specialist would be one thing, but Freya and Skaji were the only two women on the Glasir’s Leaf. Skaji was more or less capable of most things required of a maid for Freya, but was not on the level of someone for whom it was an actual profession. Therefore, they had nothing so difficult to match as red-based dresses and accessories.

“Which makes the selection much more difficult. If we had more time, we could place an order with the Capuan merchants.”

“Ruby accessories would match the dress but may make your own complexion stand further out. They should instead act as a bridge between you and the dress. Perhaps something based on a sapphire but with smaller rubies around it? I seem to remember having several items like that.”

“I suppose there is no other option. Very well, let us go with that.”

Having at least temporarily finished with the problem of the red dress, Freya moved back to discussing her original plans.

“Considering Her Majesty’s behavior, we should be able to assume that there will be no issues with the journey itself. The problems will lie with actually purchasing the magic tools, wouldn’t you say?”

The warrior nodded in agreement. “Indeed. While the Twin Kingdoms produces magic tools, it is in very limited numbers. A single item can take at least a month and sometimes even years. It will depend upon the negotiations, but there is a distinct possibility that we may be refused.”

“I see. I would still like to get at least something for water purification before our return journey.” Freya then let out a gusty sigh, her desire for it clear.

Skaji looked up at the ceiling in thought for a while before answering. “From what we have heard, the Twin Kingdoms of Sharou-Gilbelle is a desert country and therefore magic tools dealing with water play a big part in day-to-day life. Therefore, they must have a surplus of them. It should be eminently possible to buy one.”

It was Freya’s turn to pause in thought now. “True. However, I am slightly concerned that they would focus on creating water rather than purifying it in the desert.”

Water purification spells took water contaminated with sea salt or other impurities and made it potable. On the other hand, water creation was—as the term implied—magic that created water where there was none. In comparison, the latter took far more mana than simply changing the properties of water that already existed. This made purification much more efficient, as the ship was always alongside a water source. However, in the desert with no source of water at all, creation was the only option, however inefficient it was.

In truth, the country also had large salt lakes that served as water sources. They therefore produced many purifying tools, but neither Skaji nor Freya knew that.

“Regardless, I believe it is more likely than water or wind manipulation,” Skaji said calmly in response to the princess’s concerns.

Water manipulation was extremely useful when water managed to get into the ship’s hull, and wind manipulation was similarly valuable when sudden gusts blew the sail backward. However, they didn’t see much use on dry land. There was a much lower chance they would have a stock of relatively infrequently used spells.

“Indeed. Even if the commission is accepted immediately, it will take several months to complete. That will not be possible for the journey back. Those tools will be used more for future voyages.”

“Future voyages?” Skaji asked meaningfully as Freya’s voice lifted in joy.

Freya, for her part, almost leaped from the chair. “That’s right: future voyages. His Majesty called purchasing magic tools for such voyages a good idea. You’d best prepare yourself, Skaji; our adventures are just beginning!” There was a bright smile on her face.

“Very well, Princess. I will follow wherever you lead,” Skaji replied with a deep bow of her head. Her own lips curved in a smile at the sight of her liege’s wide grin.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

Several days later, Zenjirou and Aura were across from each other in the living room. He would be heading to the Twin Kingdoms through teleportation, so he was dressed sharply in the third uniform with a heavy-looking rucksack over his shoulders. It was the same rucksack he’d shouldered on his second summoning to this world. The straps dug into his shoulders due to it being mostly full of silver coins.

Teleportation was an extremely convenient spell, but each usage could only send a single person, which meant that taking a large amount of goods to one’s destination could lead to even a royal shouldering the burden themselves. It was hardly the best look, but there was no choice.

Aura addressed him as he adjusted the straps when they bit further into him. “These are the letters from me. This is to King Bruno of the Sharou family, and this is for Pope Benedict of the Gilbelles,” she explained as she handed each letter to him.

“Got it,” he acknowledged briefly.

The letters likely contained any personal negotiations Aura wanted to carry out and even he hadn’t been told what they contained. His work in the business sector had given him at least some proficiency with a poker face. However, it would not be enough to fool the sly royals he would interact with. If there was information he needed to pretend to not know, it was safer to actually not know it. Naturally, it was not exactly pleasant to have his wife going over his head like that, but he trusted her not to make plans that would harm him.

“This is the last thing,” she continued, taking a small box from a maid. Inside it was a set of four marbles. “They were just completed this morning. These are the best of the batch. Hand them over to Prince Francesco when you get there.”

“They managed it?!”

Zenjirou’s shock was clear as he almost snatched the box from her to look. It was the first batch of marbles made by the craftsmen from the palace. They were slightly more transparent than a ramune bottle, he thought. One of them had a large, visible air bubble, while two were visibly aspheric even without taking them from the box.

The best mediums for enchantment were transparent spheres. The material was see-through, but laypeople like Aura or Zenjirou would be unable to know whether the slightly deformed marbles with the dark green bubbles were suitable. Their only choice, therefore, was to look to Prince Francesco’s judgment as a specialist. Currently, he was in the Twin Kingdoms, so it was hard to know whether they would reach him.

“Are you sure? It might go further than him if we bring them up while I’m there.”

It went without saying that the Sharous were in full force in the Twin Kingdoms. This meant that even with explicit instructions, it may be impossible to prevent people other than Francesco himself from seeing it. Either way, Zenjirou would be sending Francesco and Bona back to Capua before his own return. Was there a real need to run the risk of doing this while they were there?

Aura gave a firm shake of her head. “Whatever else, Prince Francesco and Princess Bona are full members of the Sharou family. Their very cooperation makes its exposure only a matter of time. Besides, the reason manufacturing those jewels is worth it is that they are valuable as reagents in enchanting. We will eventually need to draw up another contract between us and those very enchanters in the Sharou family.”

Aura was hoping that a child of Zenjirou’s might one day be born with access to that lineal magic. However, even if that bore fruit, they would run into the issues of the incantations. With the head court mage and his wife—Espiridion and Pasquella—Capua would likely be able to develop at least basic enchanting due to their skill in the magic language. However, that was a pointless waste of time. If they could instead gain the cooperation of a line of enchanters going back centuries, they would not need to fumble around for years to discover the proper incantations.

“So basically there’s no need for us to put on airs?”

“To be blunt, no. Also, with regard to that, I have indicated that I would like a conversation about it in my letter to King Bruno. If we do eventually manage to mass-produce these jewels, we will need their cooperation.”

Aura had the true countenance of a queen as she made the declaration. Capua’s metaphorical hand consisted of the future possibility of mass-producing marbles and Zenjirou’s latent link to enchantment magic. In addition, they also had the infant Carlos Zenkichi, who would have both space-time magic and enchantment.

On the other side, the Sharou family had many grown enchanters and hundreds of years of experience in the craft. Calmly and logically, anyone could see that both parties would be best served by pooling their resources.

Of course, the current relationship between royal families meant that things would never end so neatly. Each of them would be doing their best in both upfront negotiations and backroom dealings to further their own interests and stymie the other’s. In this instance, the Capuans needed to guard the secret of marble manufacturing beyond all else. If that leaked, the Sharou family would no longer need them and could simply mass-produce magic tools of their own.

The secret was currently held by the glassblowers in the courtyard, but the real risk was Zenjirou. After all, the method came from his own knowledge. Of course, that knowledge was just a vague smattering garnered from a TV show. The credit for the achievement of making these marbles—however imperfect they were—in around a single year would certainly go to the craftsmen.

However, those craftsmen were fundamentally the dregs of the blacksmithing industry, not anything special. The Twin Kingdoms would have people of equal knowledge and competence. In other words, if they could gain the key in the form of Zenjirou and put the same amount of time and effort in as Aura, they could probably get similar results on their own.

Thus, the queen belabored the point even more to her husband. “Zenjirou, no matter what, you must indicate no knowledge of the production method. It matters not if it means you correct yourself, nor how much doubt it casts upon you. There is the possibility they may consider you to be acting in ill faith, but even that should be ignored. Avoiding even the slightest hint as to their make is to be your utmost priority.”

“Got it,” Zenjirou answered, his tone just as serious as hers.

Zenjirou was by nature someone unskilled with lies and subterfuge. However, his interactions with the king and the crown prince had been, for better or worse, the cause of a still smoldering rage. He was sure he would be able to deal with bad faith and aggression without an issue.

“I should get going.”

As he spoke, Zenjirou swung the bag from his shoulders to place the letters and box into its pockets. Then, once he had shouldered it again, he picked up the camera. Naturally, it had been charged the day before, its battery filled. He manipulated it with the casual ease of familiarity, putting the image he wanted on its display.

The image was, of course, of his destination: The Twin Kingdoms of Sharou-Gilbelle.

With everything ready, the couple spent some time exchanging their farewells.

“Take care,” said Aura. “I know I have told you this countless times, but you are the most important thing. The agreement for a healer, your agreements with the Sharou family, and everyone else present there are all but worthless in comparison. You should return alone if you feel in danger, even if it means losing everything else. Understood?”

It was much the same as she’d told him when he’d left the last time. He meekly accepted her words.

“Yeah, I know.”

He had an emotional reaction against abandoning everyone else and fleeing alone, but he knew intellectually that his position required nothing less. The queen’s expression softened slightly in relief at that.

“Then be careful. I do not mind sending you myself. Are you sure you wish to travel under your own power?”

“Yup, it’s fine. After all, I’m sure there are going to be an explosion of occasions for me to use it, so I should get used to it while I can.”

Even disregarding her current pregnancy, it went without saying which royal could be more light-footed between the reigning monarch and Zenjirou. Having any level of mastery of the spell meant that he would inevitably be sent on more business trips, both domestic and international. His resolution was all that she could hope for, both as his wife and as monarch.

“Then I shall leave it in your hands. It is rather rare to succeed immediately at first. Fortunately, you and I are the only people present, so you can simply repeat the attempt until you do.”

“Yeah, thanks. See you, then.”

He poured all of his focus onto the image on the camera’s screen. Once he felt like he could rebuild a vivid replica of it from memory, he shut his eyes and pushed his mana to rise up from him as he chanted.

“Send all things in the space that I envision to the place that I desire. As compensation, I offer—”

It took four repetitions of the enchantment before he vanished soundlessly from in front of Aura. Having seen him leave, the queen let out a sigh of mixed relief and loss.

“He left safely. I understand it but seeing someone vanish in front of you is hardly pleasant.”

As she murmured, her hand found its way to her left breast. Strictly speaking, its unconscious pressure was not on the breast itself, but further in, on her heart. She tried to calm its needless racing, directing her face towards the ceiling with still-closed eyes as she took several deep breaths. She had far too many family members who had left from in front of her via teleportation and never returned. Her father, brothers—both older and younger—her half sister, uncle, and various cousins. She had watched them all leave and never seen them again.

They were not currently at war, and while Zenjirou was heading abroad, it was to an allied nation. She knew the comparisons she was drawing between him and her late family were meaningless, but it was impossible to fully control such emotions.

Still, the queen’s mantle was not so light she could drown in those feelings forever.

“Right, time to go. I need to arrange the inaugurations for the marshal and prime minister while my condition is still stable.”

Having fired herself up again, the queen walked with a purpose as she left the inner palace.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

For Zenjirou’s part—once the momentary vertigo and disorientation of teleportation had passed—he opened his eyes to a room in the Purple Egg Palace of the Twin Kingdoms, far away in the center of the continent.

Despite the fact that they had not specified an exact time when he would arrive, there were several familiar figures waiting in the dimly lit room.

“I am glad to see you arrive safely, Sir Zenjirou,” a tall man, the most eye-catching of the group, greeted him.

“You have my thanks for waiting here, Eladio,” Zenjirou replied as he recalled the young commander’s name.

“It is an honor, sir!” the knight responded, coming to attention.

Eladio was the commander of the third battalion of the Drake Marksmen Knights, and he had a confident smile on his face.

“Sir Zenjirou, allow me to take your bag,” a somewhat familiar soldier offered.

“Ah, please do,” Zenjirou said, handing the bag over to him before slowly leaving the room.

The knight Natalio was at his side for protection while Ines followed behind them once he left the room. Now outside with the two familiar faces around him, his expression relaxed somewhat as he continued down the corridor.

While the exact time had been up in the air, his return to the country was in accordance with the agreements they had made beforehand. Due to that, things went extremely smoothly. The same annex in the Purple Egg Palace had been kept as it was in Zenjirou’s absence.

Once he was sitting in the familiar chair of the drawing room, Zenjirou loosened his uniform slightly and rolled his shoulders.

“Has anything happened here?” he asked. The question was directed to Ines. She had well and truly become both secretary and head maid when Zenjirou traveled.

“Indeed,” she answered plainly. “There is one thing I wish for you to hear about. Lady Talajeh of the Elementacatto family and Lady Fiqriya of the Animeeum family have submitted a joint request for a meeting.”

“Talajeh of the Elementacatto and Fiqriya of the Animeeum? Those are the families that have settled. What did they want?”

Zenjirou searched his memories for anything related. Fortunately, Talajeh’s blonde waves of hair and full body, and Fiqriya’s glossy black hair—considering its short length—were fairly atypical on the Southern Continent. Both of them were fairly easy to remember, so it didn’t take long to call the two of them to mind.

“They have something they wish to request of you. The details will come out in the meeting, apparently.”

“Something to request,” Zenjirou parroted, musing.

His expression became a suspicious scowl. Despite being relatively young women, both had the position of representing two of the most important families in the Twin Kingdoms. A “request” from the pair was unlikely to be a trifling matter. He could already see the hassle it would cause, but that didn’t mean he could avoid it.

“Got it. Organize an appropriate time and place,” he said. Then, he had a sudden thought. “Oh. Make sure it’s after the meeting with Pope Benedict if you can. I don’t know what kind of request they’re hoping to make, but I may not be able to respond until I have those plans in place.”

“Understood.”

As the two of them moved to converse further, a familiar voice sounded at the door.

“My apologies, Sir Zenjirou. Lady Lucretia has arrived; may I show her through?”

“Ah. Have her wait for a moment. Once the preparations are in place, I will inform you.”

“Yes, sir. I shall inform her.”

Zenjirou listened to the man’s footsteps grow distant as he stood.

“Ines, if you would?”

“At once, sir,” she replied, moving to fix the uniform he was wearing so that he could entertain guests.

“It has been a while, Your Majesty. It is an honor to once again be able to meet you like this,” Lucretia said crisply once she was shown in. Her characteristic side-tail bobbed as she bowed her head.

Her words and comport were that of a full-fledged woman, but her stature and features made her look younger than her age. Coupled with the too-long dress, the perfect word to describe Lucretia Broglie was “adorable.” She was an adopted daughter of the Sharou family and had been assigned as Zenjirou’s contact.

With a simultaneously innocent and false smile on her face, she followed Zenjirou’s gesture to sit on the sofa opposite him.

“Indeed. It seems you have not changed either. I will be in your care for a while once again.”

“Tell me anything you need,” she said, her wide, blue eyes blinking once as her words turned almost hungry.

Zenjirou stifled a pained smile at the sight of the girl failing to hide her intentions from him. “I am glad to hear it,” he said instead. “Allow me to get right to it, then. I have two requests. The first is the delivery of this letter to His Majesty. Ines.”

“Sir,” Ines responded to her cue, passing the letter to Lucretia. Though it was not directly to the younger girl, but via the maid behind her, Flora.

Once Lucretia had taken the letter, she looked down at the seal and signature beneath it. As she did, her eyes widened slightly.

Zenjirou saw where her gaze went and spoke. “As you can see, this is a letter from Her Majesty Queen Aura I of Capua to His Majesty King Bruno III of The Twin Kingdoms of Sharou-Gilbelle. I would appreciate you ensuring it is delivered.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” she replied.

At her answer, Zenjirou kept his tone as nonchalant as possible while continuing with his preprepared statements. “There are actually two such letters, though the second is addressed to His Grace Pope Benedict I. As I will be meeting with him, I shall deliver it directly, I believe.”

Zenjirou made a point of flourishing the other letter, and the girl couldn’t keep her expression under control. She gulped. Still, she managed to remember her position and pasted a smile on her face—not quite managing to cover her shaking voice, but making the attempt.

“Ah, Your Majesty? Perhaps you would also wish to directly deliver this to King Bruno as well? I am sure that he would not refuse an audience if you were to request one.”

Zenjirou felt slightly guilty about her anxiousness, but he put on a smile of his own before shaking his head. “There is no need. Fortunately, Her Majesty left the matter of their delivery to my discretion. I would not dream of taking more of His Majesty’s precious time than necessary during this period of transition. It will be delivered through you. Is that acceptable?”

The plainness with which he spoke meant that Lucretia really had no way to refuse him.

“I understand...” she replied, ashen-faced.

King Bruno and Pope Benedict were of equal rank. Hand-delivering a letter to the pope while also sending a letter through Lucretia to the king was a blatant sign of reticence towards the latter.

Zenjirou shuddered mentally at the clear surprise and tension on Lucretia’s face—her retinue’s expressions were much the same as well—but maintained his placid smile.

This is what Aura suggested, but is it really the best plan?

He was usually not so aggressive and would hesitate to blatantly show displeasure like this. Still, his route was now set. In truth, he didn’t feel particularly strongly about Lucretia, but just thinking about the king prompted a resentful heat to curl in his gut.

The king and his son’s actions in trying to turn Zenjirou’s son into a political instrument had so definitively placed them in the category of “enemy” that it was all but impossible for him to change how he thought of them.

His thoughts were currently occupied with what Aura had told him beforehand. “This set of events have shown you as the sentimental sort,” she had said. “It implies that you will compromise easily if they use Carlos, putting you on the defensive. Your next step is therefore to be on the offensive. That will give the impression that such appeals to emotion are likely to be more difficult.”

A simple summary was that Zenjirou had to—for better or worse—show himself to be someone who made emotional judgments. There was no way of taking back the realization that using Carlos forced concessions. Therefore, the response he had to make was to ignore what would be to his own benefit and show clear displeasure with the king for doing exactly that. It planted the seed that if they were to do so again, they would be unable to predict the reaction.

If someone could be forced to concede by using someone close to them, those negotiating would happily resort to such actions. If, however, it could cause unforeseen retribution despite hurting the target, it became much harder to pull off.

I don’t even need to act, he told himself. Just following royal etiquette shows my displeasure clearly enough.

He then spoke again. “I have also been told that Lady Talajeh and Lady Fiqriya of the Elementacatto and Animeeum houses, respectively, have requested an audience with me. I would like you to organize a suitable place and time.”

While the requester and requestee would have been different on both fronts, Zenjirou had just indicated a willingness to meet those two immediately after an unwillingness to meet the king. Finally understanding that this wasn’t a joke or misunderstanding, Lucretia actually seemed to steel herself and calm down.

“Understood, I shall make the arrangements at once. Is there anything else?”

“There is, in fact. A guest of Capua wishes to visit this country. The visit would be to purchase magic tools. If permission is granted, I would like accommodation for that purchase.”

The request was somewhat abrupt. However, it gave Lucretia an opportunity to show her worth as a mediator for him. She thought it over before answering.

“I believe that entry to the country should be granted if you were to stand on their behalf. The purchasing of magic tools is more difficult, though. Your introduction would make things much easier, but I have very little sway with the Sharou family. I am honestly unable to promise much.”

The capital was a bustling hub of international travel and constant requests for both magic tools and healing. That meant that the country was always willing to allow people entry. It also meant, however, that anyone visiting for such purposes would inevitably have to wait their turn.

Having already been warned of that, Zenjirou was not particularly surprised as he continued the conversation.

“Entry into the country and the start of negotiations would be more than enough. Thank you for your consideration. On a related note, I also wish to make some purchases and would appreciate you facilitating that.”

“Do you mean to say that you would also be present for your guest’s negotiations to purchase magic tools?”

Zenjirou shook his head.

“No, they are different matters. I would like to carry out my own negotiations. I do not mind if they take place at the same time, but they are to be separate. Is that possible?”

Caught up in the contradiction of Zenjirou’s words, it took a moment before Lucretia realized she hadn’t asked the central question yet.

“Very well. I believe negotiations with you will be eminently possible. Incidentally, could I ask the name of your guest?”

“Ah, indeed. Her name is Freya Uppasala. She is a princess from the Kingdom of Uppasala on the Northern Continent.”

Lucretia gasped slightly. Zenjirou was inviting another country’s princess. Her instincts as a woman let her guess that Freya would be an enemy.

“I see. I shall ensure a suitable room is prepared.”

“Please do. She will be traveling via teleportation, so it will only be her and her guard. Take that into account.”

“Understood. Leave it with me.”

While she still followed the manners expected of her, Lucretia’s blue eyes burned with competitiveness towards the as-yet-unseen Northern princess.

Once Lucretia had left, Zenjirou stretched and rolled his shoulders again. He had traveled via teleportation, so the journey hadn’t exhausted him. However, it had been a while since he had worn the third uniform and had an official meeting, so he was somewhat mentally worn.

Zenjirou’s return to the Purple Egg Palace would already be public knowledge within the palace. The only one who would be visiting him would be Lucretia in her role as mediator. Anyone else making demands of his time on that first day would be quite the absurdity.

“Sir Zenjirou, Prince Francesco has arrived and wishes to see you. Are you willing?” Ines asked.

In other words, Francesco was quite an absurd person. That needed no further mention, though. As a matter of fact, while Zenjirou hadn’t exactly expected the request, he had been waiting for it.

“Show him through. Make sure to remember the souvenir box.”

“Understood, sir.”

Zenjirou was already ready for a tiring meeting in a completely different sense than dealing with normal nobility.

“It’s been a while, Your Majesty,” Francesco greeted immediately upon his entrance. “I don’t suppose I can call it a safe return home for you, though. Still, thank you for visiting again.”

“I am unsure whether it would count as a while. Still, I am happy to be in the Twin Kingdoms again, Prince Francesco.”

The prince had his usual easy smile as he reclined on the sofa, relaxed. He wet his throat with the provided tea before speaking again.

“I would love to say you should enjoy a quiet period here, but I personally would like you to send me back to Capua.”

“Is there something you wish to accomplish there?” Zenjirou asked.

“Well, rather than wanting to go to Capua, I should probably say I want to get away from here,” he said with an artless smile. “There are too many people to scold me here. Spending my day running around avoiding them leaves no time to actually sit and research.”

The deep sigh he heaved seemed rather over the top, but in his case, it was probably more honest than most. Regardless, Zenjirou’s answer didn’t change.

“We have no doors closed to you. However, that is the case for Capua. I cannot open the doors of the Twin Kingdoms for you, so please obtain permission from them first.”

“I thought as much...” his guest replied with a sigh. “I really want to avoid that. Father and grandfather won’t let me hear the end of it.”

His emotions were clear on his face. However, not letting any one feeling persist for long was another characteristic of the blond prince. His normal bright smile burst from his gloomy expression mere moments later as he changed the topic.

“Incidentally, Your Majesty, what is that box? It’s been on my mind the whole time.”

The box in question was—naturally—the box Aura had given him. Zenjirou decided the timing was right and gave Ines a meaningful look where she stood behind him. The maid followed his signal to move the box in front of Francesco. Then, Zenjirou gave the prince a smile of his own.

“It is something given to me by Her Majesty. She wanted you to see it,” he explained.

“Oh? She did? A souvenir, perhaps?”

Zenjirou noticed the prince’s attendant twitch as he picked it up. Most royals would not personally open such a thing. They never knew when something could be a danger to them and would therefore learn such habits at a young age. Apparently, Francesco was an exception.

“Not quite,” Zenjirou answered as the prince happily opened it. “The items are indeed yours, but we would like your impressions—no, your evaluation—of them.”

“My evaluation?” Francesco repeated, tilting his head as he examined the contents. As he did, his expression changed immediately. Nestled within the box were four pseudo-marbles. The sight of them prompted a mixed look of shock and joy on his face. “These are Her Majesty’s, no? Not Your Majesty’s?” he confirmed.

Zenjirou gave a slow, intentional nod in response.

“Indeed. They are not mine; they are Her Majesty’s.”

“I see.”

The prince had received several marbles and used them for enchanting. However, they had all been Zenjirou’s. Being from his original world, they were limited in number despite their quality. These were Aura’s, though. They were proof positive that Capua was succeeding in making marbles of its own.

The shock seemed to fade as Francesco picked each of them up in turn and examined them, nothing but joy on his face.

“What are your thoughts, Prince Francesco?” Zenjirou asked.

That prompted the prince to tear his eyes from the box and give a small sigh. Then he shook his head. “Unfortunately, none of them are usable. When considering mediums for a magic tool, the more transparent something is, the better. Conversely, a certain amount of imperfection can be ignored on that front, but the shape is not good enough. There are two possibilities: a sphere that can withstand use, or something unusable. These four are all insufficiently spherical. This one is very close, though.”

As he finished up his explanation, Francesco rolled the best-formed marble across his palm.

The best options for magic tools were transparent spheres. In terms of clarity, transparent objects would receive an A+. A slight clouding could drop that score down to ninety. Further clouding might make it fall to eighty. However, spheres that would stand up to use were one hundred percent suitable. Anything that was more than slightly deformed would be a simple zero. Warped or damaged spheres would be worse than a cut polyhedron.

“I see; the shape is more important. I will inform Her Majesty of that,” Zenjirou replied.

“Indeed. Naturally, the closer to transparent it is, the more efficient it will be as well. The most important factor is the shape, though. Would you mind if I were to use this, Your Majesty?” He pulled out the now-familiar magic tool that made noise from his pocket.

Zenjirou picked up on his intention and nodded. “Not at all. Ines, Natalio, fall back a ways as His Highness wishes.”

“Understood.”

“Yes, sir.”

Once both of their attendants had backed far enough away, Francesco set the noisemaker going. With the additional noise, only they could hear each other.

Francesco—having asked for this—was the first to speak. “I want to confirm this first, Your Majesty. Can I assume that these will be available for purchase once they are completed?” he asked, leaning forward as he held one of the pseudo-marbles between his index and middle fingers.

While he was somewhat taken aback by the prince’s intensity, Zenjirou replied with a slight warning. “That is all dependent on Her Majesty’s wishes, so I cannot say for certain. However, I imagine she will be willing to negotiate with the Sharou family. Yet, as I am sure you can imagine, they have a certain gravity to them, so I believe any agreements may involve more than coin.”

However, Zenjirou’s reminder missed the mark this time. Francesco simply shook his head calmly. “I am not referring to deals between our two respective families. I wish to purchase them as an individual.” The selfish request left his lips without any sign of awareness of his royal station.

“I wager that such an act would end with a lecture from His Majesty,” Zenjirou remarked.

“It’s okay, I’m already prepared for that,” the young man said with a clenched fist.

“I am not entirely sure you can call that ‘okay.’”

“In which case, I’ll just make sure it stays a secret. After all, I’m heading back to Capua, so I can buy it there with him being none the wiser.”

Zenjirou was certain that it would come out sooner or later, but he decided there was no point in saying anything more. The prince’s firm speech made him certain of that.

“I can certainly see that if you were in Capua, it would cause lost time to go via His Majesty here. Perhaps as long as the documents were in order, a portion could be dedicated personally to you?”

Zenjirou thought it was a rather clever way of dealing with it, but the prince shook out his long blond hair in disagreement.

“That won’t work. I wish to create a magic tool my father and grandfather have forbidden while I am there.”

“Please. Avoid international incidents,” Zenjirou retorted instantly. It could certainly be taken as a great deal of insight. If the prince was telling the truth, then he could hardly hand over one of the marbles to him. It could—should the worst come to pass—cause a real rift between the two nations.

Despite the refusal, though, the prince kept going. “I’m nearly there, though. I have the theory in place, but it would take more than a decade to produce. That’s why I need those gems. Please understand, Your Majesty.”

“I understand, but my answer remains unchanged. I do not know the kind of tool you intend to create but would rather Her Majesty and I are not painted as accomplices in something your king and crown prince have forbidden.”

He had intended it to be a strong refusal, but the prince’s reaction was completely different than he had expected.

“Wait...you don’t know? Truly? You honestly have not heard of the tool I wish to create?”

Zenjirou had no idea why Francesco seemed so perplexed. “I know nothing of it,” he swore. “Why would I?”

Francesco shrugged as he answered. “Well, I revealed it to Her Majesty quite some time ago. Ah, though I did also say it was to be kept secret from everyone.”

“Then how would I know?”

“I’m just surprised that she kept it private even from you,” he said, a cheery smile on his face despite the rude statement.

Zenjirou’s cheek twitched slightly. However, the man was merely speaking a generally accepted fact. An official contract was one thing, but a verbal agreement of secrecy was very rarely adhered to. Telling all and sundry would be out of the question, but trusted family like Aura and Zenjirou would usually share such things.

Naturally, admitting to such a breach in front of those concerned would be absurd. The prince lowered his voice, face still completely innocent.

“Then I shall explain once again. I wish to make a magic tool of enchantment. Her Majesty showed considerable interest, so I believed she may be willing to cooperate.”

Zenjirou mostly stifled a gasp, unable to fully hide his shock at the unexpected answer. Enchanting a magic tool with the ability to create magic tools was something he could easily understand the king and the crown prince forbidding. His expression sharpened into a rebuking look as he answered with a warning.

“Prince Francesco, are you trying to hand the world to the Sharou family?”

The prince’s reaction, however, was far from what he had expected.

“Huh?”

“What?”

Both of them fell silent. The prince seemed unable to understand what Zenjirou meant, and Zenjirou couldn’t understand how the prince could fail to do so. Zenjirou was the one to break the silence.

“Perhaps I am misunderstanding something. The tool you wish to create would be one that creates other tools, no?”

Francesco nodded in agreement. “Correct. That was why my father and grandfather demanded to know whether I was trying to ruin the family.”

“Ruin” was an exaggeration, but Francesco could understand why they would ask. Lineal magic was part of the vested rights of royalty. While it would be limited in scope, allowing those outside of royalty the ability to use that lineal magic would devalue the royal family itself. Thus, he couldn’t understand why Zenjirou had the opposite impression.

The answer showed the disconnect, so Zenjirou spoke up to clarify things. “Ah, would the tool you are proposing allow anyone to use anything that fell under ‘enchantment’?”

That would completely crumble the foundations of his hypothesis. However, Francesco shook his head. “No, that would be impossible. My plan is for individual tools, each of which creates a single other magic tool. The first would be for water creation. Our country has a severe lack of that, after all.”

Zenjirou knew his thoughts weren’t incorrect then. “If those limited magic tools made their way through the world, the popularity of magic tools themselves will increase explosively. That’s just how convenient they are.”

“Indeed. Even now there is a long line of people at the Purple Egg Palace looking to buy them. That’s why I can understand their concern. The spread of those tools will shorten that line, worsening our finances. That’s why I would forbid the international sale of those magic tools, or perhaps establish other exceptional measures to deal with it.”

He was stressing that the Twin Kingdoms couldn’t actually supply all the magic tools that even the country itself required.

“Ah, I see...” Zenjirou finally understood where their views differed. His impression that the royals of this world hoarded their lineal magics to bring in profit was too strong. Of course, that was at least partially true, but Zenjirou was considering this proposal’s potential to completely overturn the current value system.

Was this another slip? he asked himself.

Whether it was or not, Francesco hadn’t yet understood what his desired project would mean.

“I would like to ask why you have the exact opposite impression, Your Majesty.” Considering Francesco’s nature, the prince may well have been asking out of genuine curiosity. Still, there was no need to purposefully spread such risky thoughts.

“It was just a slight misunderstanding. I was simply thinking of the increase in potential production rather than anything more in-depth. Truly, King Bruno and Prince Josep’s insight is impressive,” Zenjirou deflected, simultaneously vowing to discuss it with Aura as soon as he returned to Capua.