“From Father. He’d like you to come to the royal palace once you’ve read this.”
A letter that had just arrived at Silver Moon by express rider. The moment Yumina saw it, she said that. Bad feeling — but I can’t ignore it.
“What now?”
“As thanks for resolving the case, he wants to confer a title on you, Touya-san.”
"""A title!?"""
Elze and the others gasped. Aah — there it is. Right — he had said something like that.
The marriage partner of Yumina, princess of the realm, requires a corresponding rank. They aren’t going to officially announce me as her fiancé (provisional) yet, but they want to get the appearances in order before then — that kind of thing.
“Can I refuse?”
“You may, but in that case you’d need to formally state your reasons in an official setting and decline.”
"""Decline!?"""
The three of them gasped again. You’re loud.
“Set the marriage aside — declining a title is a waste!”
Elze gave the brutally honest opinion. But getting a title means becoming a noble, doesn’t it? Doesn’t suit me.
”…Becoming a noble means serving the country. You’d have to govern a fief with duty and responsibility.”
Linze, stroking the head of Kōhaku on her lap, said it quietly. Yeah — sounds tedious. Refuse, then.
“And what reason will you give for refusing, indeed?”
“Hmm… the adventurer life suits me, maybe?”
Even I think it sounds like an excuse, but that was all I could come up with. Searching for my parents’ killer would be cleaner — but it’d open its own can of worms.
“That should be fine. Father won’t push.”
“All right, that, then.”
Apparently Elze and the others were also wanted at the palace. Not to attend the ceremony — just to greet and thank the people who’ve been looking after my daughter. The three initially declined as too presumptuous, but knowing the king as an acquaintance is undeniably useful, so eventually they relented.
“Kōhaku, what about you? Stay here?”
“Me? If Master says so, then here…”
""""No.""""
Whoa — vetoed by the entire female contingent.
“Can’t leave Kōhaku behind.”
“It’d be a shame.”
“He is a comrade, indeed?”
“I’ll take care of Kōhaku-chan, please, Touya-san.”
Kōhaku, super popular. Mngh — envy. But I’d already accepted in my own heart that I couldn’t compete with that fluff, so along he came.
I opened Gate straight to Yumina’s room in the royal palace.
Yumina’s room, but not the bedroom or relaxing room — one of several reception rooms. The king had given me prior permission to Gate into this room.
Outside the door, the guard knights gave us suspicious looks, but spotting Yumina at the lead, they straightened up.
We walked a stretch and Yumina opened a door at the end of a corridor. Inside were the king, General Leon, and the Mismid ambassador Origa-san, enjoying tea.
“Father!”
“Oh, Yumina.”
The king rose from his seat and held the running daughter close.
“Glad to see you well.”
“I’m at Touya-san’s side, so of course I’m well.”
That’s embarrassing for me, please. I went red alone at Yumina’s words; the king turned to me.
“It’s been a while, Lord Touya.”
“Hello.”
“Are these your companions? No need for stiffness — please raise your faces.”
I looked back at his words — all three of them were prostrate. Same reaction as with Sue. They didn’t do this with Yumina. Well — that time we brought Yumina home, and the reception was exasperated…
“Lord Touya.”
Origa-san was suddenly beside me. Her fox ears and tail were eye-catching today too. Wonder if her fluff would feel better than Kōhaku’s, — rude thoughts surfacing.
“My deepest gratitude for the affair. You are the savior of His Majesty, and at the same time, of Mismid. Should you ever come to our country, the nation as a whole will welcome you.”
Origa-san bowed deeply. No — the nation as a whole is fine, please. I don’t want the spotlight.
“How is Arma?”
“Yes, well. If we’d known you’d be here today, I’d have brought her.”
Origa-san smiled regretfully — and her face froze for an instant. I followed her gaze. Kōhaku, who’d come along with us, was standing behind us.
”…Lord Touya, this child is?”
“Ah — a tiger cub I keep. Kōhaku. Greetings, Kōhaku.”
“Gau.”
As we’d agreed in advance, Kōhaku played the part of an ordinary tiger cub. If they figured out he could speak, the trouble would multiply.
Watching Kōhaku, Origa-san tilted her head, suspicious.
“Something the matter?”
“Ah, no — in our Mismid, white tigers are considered messengers of the gods, treated as sacred. The white tiger is also said to be a kindred of the divine beast the White Sovereign.”
Well — not just kindred. The White Sovereign himself. Yumina did say “king of beasts” too… Wonder if it’s safe to take Kōhaku to Mismid.
A sudden impact on my back. The General. Does this guy not know how to communicate without striking the other person?
“Long time, Lord Touya! Never expected you’d be the princess’s husband-to-be! You’ve got promise! How about it — let me train you?”
“I’m not the husband yet, so I’ll pass.”
If I trained under this guy, I’d ruin my body before getting strong. He greets people by bam-bam-bamming their back. Not a bad person, but… Hm?
A copper-red gauntlet hung at the General’s hip. Bare and unornamented — like a battle-tested veteran’s tool.
“General, that’s…”
“Hm? Ah — got training in the corps after this. I’m a brawler — gauntlets are the bare minimum… what, you don’t know? Flame-Fist Leon?”
Sorry, no idea. Never heard of it. But unlike me — flatlined to the General’s words — there was someone next to me who reacted very strongly.
“I-I know him! With those flame-clad fists, single-handedly destroyed the great bandit gang nesting in the Merisia Mountains! And his death-match against the Stone Golem!”
“Oh ho! You know your stuff! You a brawler too? Female brawlers are rare!”
The General laughed pleasedly, eyes on the asymmetric gauntlets at Elze’s hip — streamlined left, angular right.
“How about it? Want to join the training after this?”
“You’d let me!?”
Elze nodded with a beaming smile. As a fellow brawler, getting to learn — must be a thrill. The king turned to me as I watched them.
“By the way, Lord Touya — about the title-conferment…”
“Aah — your kindness is appreciated, but…”
I returned the refusal as planned. No interest in becoming nobility right now.
“Mm, thought you’d say that. For the king to do nothing in return for the man who saved his life — looks bad. I want at least the form of I tried to confer a title. If you do accept, of course, all the better.”
A king’s got appearances to keep up — must be a lot. I felt mild sympathy for him. Just then, bang! — the door flew open and someone burst in.
“I heard Touya-san was here!”
Who? Charlotte-san. So unlike before that I didn’t recognize her for a second. Jade hair disheveled, the bags under her eyes deeper than the last time. She came striding straight at me; through the glasses I’d given her, her eyes were red and bloodshot. Scary! What is this, scary!
As if not letting me get away, she grabbed my coat with one hand, and held out — with the other — several glasses with silver coins inside.
“Ahem! These glasses! Could I please get two or three more!? I told you about [Transfer] last time, didn’t I!? Right!!”
“E-eh!? Y-yes, that was a help! But — why!?”
I leaned away from the demon-driven Charlotte-san, and asked the question that struck me.
“Why? Because I can’t keep up with the deciphering! Doing it alone has limits! Impossible! Beyond impossible! However much I decode, however much I decode, it doesn’t end! Do you have any idea how much there is!? Do you have any idea how much there is!?”
Why twice!? She’s blowback-snapping at me — but you tried to make me do this last time!?
Defying her also seemed scary, so I obediently took the glasses and silver, fired up [Modeling] and [Enchant], and made three more pairs of translation glasses.
“Thank you so much!”
She snatched the glasses away as if I had no further use, and made for the door at the same speed she’d come in.
“Manage them properly, Charlotte. If they leak to the Empire, we’ll have a mess.”
“Acknowledged!”
Charlotte-san answered cheerfully and breezed out. What was that…
“Charlotte’s a piece of work too. Since she got that tool, she’s been holed up in her research room. She’ll genuinely break her body at this rate. We may end up needing Lord Touya’s [Recovery].”
Apparently I’d unintentionally created a shut-in. When she gets absorbed she really does lose sight of everything around her.
”…That just now… court mage Lady Charlotte?”
Linze peered at the door and murmured. Understandable — she did not look like the kingdom’s top mage.
“I wanted to talk magic… too bad.”
“Oh, don’t, don’t. Tell Charlotte that now and you’ll be lectured on Ancient Spirit Magic for half a day, and dragged into experiments. Wait until she settles.”
The General shook his head. True — in that state she wouldn’t be reachable.
“Right — got to prepare for the conferment ceremony another day. Lord Touya, please pick out clothes to wear on the day.”
The king clapped his hands twice, and two maids appeared from a back door. Mngh — tedious.
“Linze, Yae — what’ll you do? Wait here?”
“I’ll watch Nee-chan’s training.”
“I shall do likewise, indeed.”
Okay — everyone but Yumina to training. Kōhaku Yumina would mind, so — let’s go pick clothes quick.
Led by the maids, I headed to the back room to change.