Sasaki and Peeps - Volume 6 - Chapter 2.0

<The New Order>

Putting aside my work for the bureau, Peeps and I headed back to the otherworld that night. This time, per Count Müller’s request, we were bringing Lady Elsa along. Peeps’s magic warped us straight to the royal castle in Allestos. Ms. Futarishizuka looked on as we left, seeming very reluctant to part with the girl, though I was 100 percent sure it was just an act.

In any case, we arrived in front of the chancellor’s office. Fortunately, the room’s occupant was present, and he opened the door for us himself.

“Elsa, it’s so good to see you again. Have you been well?”

“Yes, Father. Sasaki and the others have been treating me very kindly in the otherworld.”

As soon as we entered the room, the count and his daughter shared a beautiful embrace. The scene was like something out of a painting.

I stood to the side, watching. Peeps did the same from my shoulder, looking dazzled. No, that was probably going too far. Java sparrows barely had any facial muscles to speak of, no matter how hard one might struggle. Nevertheless, that was the mood I sensed from him.

“I’m glad you’ve been well, Father.”

“I’ve no time to fall ill—not if I wish to support His Majesty Adonis.”

“Sasaki and the others told me about everything that’s happened here. About how difficult it’s been. If there’s anything at all I can do to help, I’d like to.”

In his previous video letter, the count had already given her an explanation in his own words of the state of affairs here in the otherworld. Now that she’d seen it, she was up to speed on the kingdom’s situation. Peeps and I had filled in the smaller details regarding the events leading up to the succession.

“Actually, I had something I wanted to discuss with you,” said the count.

“What is it?” asked Lady Elsa. “I will do anything.”

“Let’s not stand here to talk. I know you must be beside yourself with curiosity now that you’re back, but first, take a seat and try to settle in. Sir Sasaki, Peeps, that goes for you two as well.”

“Thank you, my lord,” I said.

At the count’s urging, we took our seats on the sofa set. He and his daughter sat next to each other across from me, while I sat alone. The Lord Starsage headed for his little perching tree on the low table.

“First and foremost, Sir Sasaki,” said the count, “I’d like to express my gratitude. You’ve protected my daughter for a very long time. Without your help, I doubt this day would have come.”

Count Müller, who had quickly stood back up once everyone was seated, immediately bowed. I hastily rose as well, only to spend the ensuing exchange trying to get him to sit back down. People in the otherworld staked their honor on everyday exchanges like these; a higher-ranking noble almost never bowed their head to one of lower rank, especially not in the presence of a family member. Lady Elsa watched us in astonishment.

Once I’d managed to convince the man to take his seat, our conversation continued. “I believe the king himself owes his position to you, Sir Sasaki,” he noted.

“You overrate me, my lord,” I replied. “You’re the one who has supported him through thick and thin. Your accomplishments have ensured the kingdom’s continued existence. Without everything you’ve done, this palace would still be under Imperial control.”

Encouraged by Lady Elsa’s presence, I laid it on as thick as I could. Come to think of it, why was he buttering me up at this point? I thought we’d left these types of conversations behind. Even if his daughter was sitting next to him, he was being pretty forward with the compliments.

If all this was meant to help explain the situation to his daughter, wouldn’t it have been more convincing if he’d waited until we left, then told her his feelings about us in private? She loved her dad so much that I couldn’t help being wary of anything that might earn her disapproval.

“I am certain the king feels he owes you a great deal as well,” the count told me.

“Your words do me more honor than I deserve, Count Müller.”

As I lowered my head, still seated, my eyes went over to Peeps for no particular reason. He was pretending to be a mere sparrow, unaware of our conversation. Perched on his tree, he stared out the window watching other birds as they passed by. Come to think of it, I’d been keeping him almost entirely indoors. Should I let him outside on a regular basis? I wondered.

Normally, he would have encouraged us to get on with it already. Maybe he’s staying quiet because Lady Elsa is here. She doesn’t know this talking bird is actually the Starsage. My mind began to flit from one topic to another.

“Your actions have brought much calm back to this world,” the count continued. “A lot has changed in the kingdom since Elsa crossed over into your world. My wish now is to discuss her return.”

“Sasaki talked to me about that, too, Father.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

During the count’s enthusiastic exchange with his daughter, I stayed quiet and watched.

“But, Father, isn’t the cover story that I was captured by bandits? If I suddenly reappear, others are likely to find it suspicious. What will we do about that?”

“A reasonable concern.”

She’d fled the otherworld in order to escape being married to Prince Lewis, which would have created a disadvantage for her father in the Herzian war of succession. Now that Adonis had ascended to the throne, there was no need for her to stay on the run.

And with Prince Lewis’s position now clear, if the king explained past events as the will of his beloved elder brother, it seemed plausible that we could smooth over Lady Elsa’s reappearance.

At the time of Adonis’s march on the capital, Count Müller’s lands had been at the center of the chaos, keeping the count himself extremely busy. If we claimed the two princes had conspired to fake Lady Elsa’s disappearance—all to protect the count’s daughter from the strife—her status and reputation, at least, would be secured. The story would be that she had been temporarily hidden away, which was, in fact, the truth.

“I do not wish to cause you trouble, Father,” insisted Lady Elsa.

“You never have,” the count assured her. “The king himself has high hopes for you.”

“R-really?”

“Really.”

As I mulled things over, the father-daughter discussion progressed. At mention of the king, Lady Elsa’s expression changed from unease to a smile, albeit a small one. She’d put on a brave front during her time in Ms. Futarishizuka’s villa, but her relationship with her family must have been a constant source of distress.

“Elsa, would you allow Baron Sasaki to take you as his concubine?”

“Yes, I would.”

His father popped the question smoothly, as if asking if she could pass the soy sauce across the dinner table to him. And she nodded without any hesitation at all. What continued was a conversation nobody had told me anything about. In fact, Lady Elsa didn’t even glance my way.

Meanwhile, I—the subject of their exchange—was dumbstruck. We hadn’t discussed anything about this with her, nor had the count in his video letter. Had Peeps informed her while I was away from the Karuizawa villa?

I remembered deferring the debate at our last meeting with the count by saying we should respect Lady Elsa’s wishes. But the conversation had gone so smoothly just now that I couldn’t help feeling suspicious. There had to be something else going on. And the word concubine made me feel absolutely terrible.

I assumed the count was trying to be thoughtful, since Peeps had told him this would be my first marriage. But the way he did so was frankly abnormal. I mean, back in Japan, even most video game villains take the princesses they capture as their primary wives.

“Lady Elsa,” I began, “excuse my rudeness, but did you hear about this from the one on the table?”

“From the birdie? No, not at all. Why?”

“Then why are you taking the decision so lightly…?”

Lady Elsa had kept a level attitude throughout. She hadn’t even batted an eye at the proposition. I had assumed she would consider it beyond cruel.

“Do you dislike me, Sasaki?” she asked.

“Of course not,” I assured her. “I respect you and your values, Lady Elsa.”

But now I was the one on the back foot—the unreliable baron obviously confused about what was going on. Lady Elsa’s expression turned apologetic, like it had a moment before, and the way her shoulders drooped certainly didn’t seem like an act.

“Either way, I feel I must apologize to you,” she said.

“Apologize? For what?”

“For a man of your position having to take in a woman with no redeeming qualities. I’m truly sorry. But it’s precisely because I’m so useless that I want to grant my father’s wishes at any cost.”

Thinking back, she had tried to hang herself out of love for her father. When she put it like that, her words carried an indescribable weight. Love, dating, compromise—they were my world’s values. This was rooted in something else entirely—a different way of life, perhaps. As her blue eyes bored into me, the incongruence of our two cultures sent a chill down my spine.

I’d thought I understood the idea of political marriages, but I’d only been seeing words on a page. At that moment, Lady Elsa felt so…alien to me.

It was precisely because of how much I valued my relationship with Count Müller that I wanted to keep a healthy distance from his daughter. If my relationship with her took a turn for the worse, it would put me in a terrible position. I started imagining all the ways things could go wrong, and the 30 percent divorce rate back in Japan only served to increase my wariness.

“Lady Elsa,” I began, “your father has recently taken on the position of chancellor. As his only daughter, you were considered a potential first wife for the king himself.”

“Yes. The birdie told me that in the otherworld.”

“Then you must understand. Marrying someone like me will only lower your own standing. My role may be somewhat conspicuous right now, but I’m still just a foreigner. For the sake of your future, you ought to marry someone with a clearer lineage.”

Lady Elsa was still a pure and innocent girl. The more she saw of the world, the more likely she would develop desires of her own. The count, seemingly having deduced what I was implying, spoke up. “I believe I fully understand the troubles on your mind, Baron,” he said.

“My lord,” I continued, “Lady Elsa has only just returned to this world. Why not have her go around and observe the new order under King Adonis with her own eyes? I’m sure the experience will do her good.”

“I understand. We shall do just as you suggest,” replied the count with a cheery smile and a nod.

In response, Peeps broke his silence. “You need not immediately give an answer. Both of you should take your time and think it over.”

Something about his comment struck me as odd. What was it?

Wait a minute, I thought. I can’t just agree.

This was a trap.

“Peeps, a moment?” I said.

“What is it?”

The sparrow had conversed privately with the count during our previous trip. Had they been strategizing? I’d considered it; I simply hadn’t expected them to come so well prepared.

“Do you remember when we told the count about how marriage works in my world?” I asked the bird.

“I do, indeed.”

“This time, could I ask what it’s like in your world? If this topic is going to keep coming up in the future, then it directly concerns me. I think I should learn more about the culture, traditions, and sensibilities of this world’s people.”

“That’s reasonable enough.”

“For the moment, could you tell me what the appropriate age of marriage for women is?”

The Java sparrow seemed calm, but I saw his tail twitch, almost imperceptibly. Almost. He moved very little compared to other sparrows, so I could tell. And since I was with him literally all the time, even slight changes didn’t escape my notice.

“You told me last time that many men marry relatively late in life,” I said. “So what about women? You say it’s normal for someone as young as Lady Elsa to get married, but I’m curious about the upper limit.”

“It varies widely depending on the nation and race. I cannot paint them all with a broad stroke.”

“Then just tell me about Herz. What’s it like here?”

Count Müller’s surprise at learning of Japan’s late marriages was still fresh in my memory, and there was something I wanted to confirm.

Peeps seemed to understand what I was implying as well. With reluctance, he answered, “…Well, some would consider age twenty to be around the upper limit.”

“Then is the suitable marriage age considered to be mid-teens and up?”

“For commoners, yes, that is generally correct. When nobles are involved, the circumstances may dictate something higher or lower, but even they don’t stray far from common sensibilities. Their reasons are usually political or financial, and when marrying upward, the woman is often in a higher position.”

The otherworld had some powerful mechanisms at work, like healing magic in place of medicine. Not everyone found themselves blessed with access to such gifts, however. I got the feeling early marriages were necessary to prioritize the health of mothers and their children. That probably also explained why nobles were often the exception.

I remembered once hearing a history professor, maybe on a TV show, talking about how, during the Edo period, the marriageable age in Japan was anywhere from sixteen to eighteen. Once you were past twenty, you were considered middle-aged. Of course, I expected the same could be said for men.

“Then Lady Elsa is almost the right age, isn’t she?”

“She is, yes.”

“And marriages require a lot of preparation, such as settling matters between the two families. I can’t possibly ask her to wait on my account. I’d prefer that she discuss the matter with her family so none of her precious time is wasted.”

If I didn’t give an answer, and the two of us thought it over at our leisure, Lady Elsa would quickly miss her window of opportunity for marriage. Naturally, Baron Sasaki would have to take responsibility—after all, she was Count Müller’s daughter.

I doubted the count would suggest taking his own daughter’s marriage prospects hostage to force my hand. The sparrow perching in his tree on the table, playing innocent, was definitely the one to propose this plan.

“I’ve always felt that you were strangely insightful, even in trivial situations such as these,” he remarked.

“Well, I learned directly from you, Lo—er, Peeps.”

And he readily confessed to it. Despite his schemes being exposed, he remained dignified and aloof. It was very like him.

What’s more, I almost said “Lord Starsage” in front of the count’s daughter. That was close.

“But aren’t you being rude to Lady Elsa?” I asked him.

“Am I?”

“Sir Sasaki, if you must blame someone, please blame me,” interrupted the count. “Deals like these between nobles happen every day. I know not what things are like in your world, but here, these conversations can be carried out even with family members present.”

“I see, my lord.”

In that case, I couldn’t be too forceful. The foundation of my objections—the marriageable age—was based on this world’s standards. I probably shouldn’t say anything that would place my values above theirs just for this one topic.

Besides, I doubted Peeps was acting maliciously.

“I personally believe this is a good offer for you as well,” said the bird. “She is beautiful and capable, and where else will you find a girl happy to be with you? I doubt very much you could have something like that in your world.”

The sparrow launched a renewed assault. It was like he knew exactly what I was thinking. For my part, I was itching to know what, exactly, he was basing that last comment on. Sure, I’d given up on marriage and accepted being single for the rest of my life a long time ago, but it still hurt!

“If you were to wait for her to turn twenty, that would still be an early marriage in your world, wouldn’t it?”

“I agree that she’s a wonderful person and far more than I deserve.”

“Then why do you still hesitate?”

“Because we live in different worlds. And I mean that literally. She’ll be the one who faces the consequences of it, as will her family—and any children who might come in the future. I can’t imagine that would be good for them. Don’t you understand what I mean?”

“It’s precisely that way of thinking that makes me believe this marriage would be beneficial.”

This argument was going nowhere. When you got down to it, the term marriage was a concept far removed from my current position. I already had my hands full living by myself. Just the other day, I got mixed up in that weird death game and almost died. I had nothing but respect for Count Müller, who managed to maintain a family while dealing with a seemingly never-ending stream of problems.

“Father, may I make a suggestion?”

“What is it, Elsa?”

“If Sasaki insists, then perhaps I can stay with him as I have been for a bit longer. If I travel back and forth between worlds with him, it will delay the issue of my age to a degree.”

“I suppose that would buy us time.”

“Meanwhile, you can think about others I might marry, while Sasaki considers accepting me as a concubine. Would that work? That way, whatever happens, you will still benefit, Father.”

She might be safe in terms of her actual age, but what would happen with her family register? Even in this world, any noble girl’s age would be public information. Other families would know how old she was. Wait—in this world, you could probably just say some “magical whatever” prevented her from aging or something. And if the number one goal was producing an heir, her real age was the most important factor.

“I wouldn’t mind that,” said the count. “What about you, Sir Sasaki?”

“That would be fine with me, too,” I said. “But won’t it be a burden for you, Lady Elsa? You can finally spend time with your family again. I’d prefer if you stayed here and relaxed.”

“I will treasure my time with my family during each of your visits to this world, of course,” she assured me. “If you’re spending ten days here every month or half month, that doesn’t sound bad at all.”

“Often, when marrying into a family somewhere faraway, one might go several years without seeing one’s relatives. In that sense, the otherworld is actually much closer at hand. Fortunately, you have the means to put her up and then some. So it should be fine, yes?”

“I doubt Ms. Futarishizuka would say no, but…” In fact, she’d likely view it as the perfect opportunity to put us even further in her debt. In exchange for her services, she got to name her price in gold, with no middlemen taking any cuts, either.

“Then it’s decided!” said Lady Elsa, flashing me a charming smile. The count was beaming in his seat beside her.

As I watched the heartwarming display, I suddenly had a thought. This compromise was probably exactly what Peeps had been aiming for from the very beginning. The extent of his plans weren’t clear to me, but I couldn’t help feeling like I was dancing in the palm of his hand.

I looked at him—perched on his little tree atop the table, his adorable face in profile—and mulled this over.

That said, I’d expressed my intentions, and I was certain the count would begin looking for a different marriage partner for his daughter.

After delivering Lady Elsa to the royal castle, we headed for the Republic of Lunge. There, we once again stocked the Kepler-owned warehouse with diesel fuel. Then, with our preprepared inventory in hand, I met with Mr. Joseph in the main office’s reception room. We sat across from each other on the sofa set. Standing upright next to the president was another man with the company—the same one we’d seen last time.

I handed the inventory to Mr. Joseph. He scanned it and said, “Thank you for the details.”

“And thank you for welcoming me,” I replied. “I know my visits are always sudden.”

“It’s no issue at all. I’ll have my man confirm the contents right away.”

He handed the inventory off to the one standing next to him. The man pocketed it, bowed slightly, and left the room.

None of this was any different than usual, though it had gotten a lot easier now that I was only providing diesel fuel.

After we watched the other man disappear into the hallway, Mr. Joseph continued. “About payment,” he said. “I wanted to discuss it, along with the matter you brought up during our last meeting. Do you have time for that now? If you have other plans, we can reschedule.”

“No, I’m fine with doing it now.”

“All right, then.”

He was referring to my proposed investment in the otherworld’s infrastructure. During our last talk, we had both agreed to come up with rough plans in time for our next meeting. Accordingly, he produced a single rolled-up map. He placed it on the low table and unfurled it.

The smell of paper wafted up to my nose. Recalling how my own nation’s maps had all gone digital, I was strangely moved. The paper had a lot of tightly packed letters written on it, probably the names of countries and such, but unfortunately I couldn’t read much of it.

“For my part, I’d like to create a new outpost near our border with the Ohgen Empire,” he explained, his index finger indicating a specific point on the map. “Bandits and monsters are seen in this area year-round, and establishing order will lower the cost of transportation.”

Nearby, as he’d indicated, was the border between Lunge and Ohgen. Peeps had explained the basic lay of the land to me a little while after I first visited the otherworld. I had a relatively good grasp on how the countries were positioned in relation to one another, and it seemed I’d be able to discuss things despite my inability to read the map.

“Also, and we are already doing this, but I’d like to recover our investment by providing our excess shipping resources to companies that don’t own and manage their own transportation equipment. Once the route is safer, we’ll immediately be able to carry even more goods through it.”

“May I inquire as to the scope of these public peacekeeping operations?”

“For the time being, we plan to strengthen escorts for our own company’s carts. I’d also like to do a sweep for monsters and bandits before engaging in any larger-scale transportation operations—once we construct an outpost, we’ll be able to mobilize more people.”

“I see.”

“Still, we won’t know how effective it will be until we actually try. But even if it serves only to safeguard the fuel you’ve been providing us, it will be more than worth the effort. We may struggle to turn a profit, however.”

“If the Kepler Trading Company stands to lose money, I’ll rethink the idea.”

“Oh, that won’t happen. What I mean is: I’m not sure we’ll be able to recover your entire investment.”

“I understand. In that case, please go ahead with it.”

“Are you sure?”

“You run one of the Republic of Lunge’s leading companies, and yet you gladly welcomed me in—a mere foreigner of uncertain origin. I owe you at least this much, don’t I? My only concern is endangering your position, Mr. Joseph.”

He’d managed to work my sudden request into a realistic plan, and I could easily imagine what must have gone into his efforts. He’d probably had to devote considerable time and money to this newly minted board member’s ideas, despite having so many other matters that demanded his resources.

From my vantage point, the company’s circumstances were a mystery. Mr. Joseph was my only point of contact at the moment, so I wanted to butter him up. I needed to create a good impression of myself, even if we ended up changing direction in the future.

He seemed to understand my intentions, because he smiled and said, “Thank you. I’m very grateful that you’ve placed your trust in our company.”

“I can’t thank you enough for dealing with me so kindly and politely.”

“Now, what ideas have you brought to the table, Mr. Sasaki?”

“For the route from Lunge to the Ohgen Empire, I intend to go along with your suggestions. For my part, I’ve been investigating ways to develop the roads to Herz…”

I used a fingertip to brush along another area of the map, indicating the shortest route from the Republic of Lunge to the Kingdom of Herz. Specifically, a point Peeps had told me about in advance during his explanation of the countries’ various locations.

He’d noted, however, that it was a difficult journey through mountains and valleys. Large-scale shipping was unrealistic; at most, a small group might be able force their way through. People mainly used a different route involving a detour.

Therefore, expanding the more difficult route would greatly shorten the travel time between the two nations.

Naturally, Mr. Joseph expressed opposition. “Pardon me, but are you being serious?”

“Completely.”

“I don’t relish saying this, but such a project is doomed to fail. And it wouldn’t be very lucrative if it succeeded, either. Given that you’re a merchant yourself, I feel you must know that.”

“I do, and your concerns are entirely reasonable.”

“Then why have you suggested it?”

My aim was to return the gold earned in the Ohgen Empire to the Kingdom of Herz. The results weren’t important—it was all about the process. But no self-respecting merchant would ever adopt an idea like that. If I was up front about my reasons, Mr. Joseph would probably end our business relationship—a scary thought.

Instead, I decided to feign ignorance. “When I considered the long-term, I couldn’t see anything else to invest in,” I said.

“……”

I’d also thought about giving the money I’d made directly to the Herzian royal family; I was sure both King Adonis and Count Müller would know how to spend it properly. In fact, I’d proposed it to Peeps before all this.

But he told me I was the one who’d made this money, and he thought it wouldn’t be right to go that far. Though I reminded him half of it was his, he’d said that was all the more reason not to use it to spoil the king and count.

The Starsage had done a lot to assist with Adonis’s coronation. He insisted that helping them any further would not only delay our desired life of relaxation, it would be going right back to how things were before his assassination. And I had to admit he was right, so I hadn’t pressed the issue. And that brought us to the current situation.

As I spoke with Mr. Joseph, a familiar voice came to us from the hallway.

“Hello. I heard Mr. Sasaki was here…”

“Oh? You’ve come at a good time. Please enter.”

At Mr. Joseph’s prompting, a familiar face appeared in the room: that of Mr. Marc.

“Did you need something from me?” he asked.

“Yes. I’d very much like to include you in our discussion,” explained Mr. Joseph. His tone sounded closer to “Hey, get a load of this.”

He then went over what we’d been talking about with Mr. Marc. In the end, it was decided that Mr. Joseph would handle things on the Empire’s side himself, while the development of a route to Herz would go through the Marc Trading Company. Kepler’s president looked reluctant from start to finish, but ultimately, he agreed to my ideas.

The Baytrium branch of Marc’s company would take charge of the Herzian route. Thanks to their newly acquired long-range communication, I felt confident Marc himself would assume a minimal burden.

After talking it all over, the day’s deal finally came to an end.