A bit after Lime-san announced the visitors, the Duke and Sue came around the garden to the terrace.
“Hey, congrats on the move. We’re neighbors now — be good to us.”
The Duke laughed brightly. Neighbors — the Duke’s house is in the Inner Ring of the capital, ours is in the Outer Ring; quite a distance, actually. Compared to capital-vs-Reflet, “neighbors” is fair.
“It’s been a while, Sue.”
“Hello, Yumina-Nee-sama!”
Yumina greeted Sue. Right — these two are cousins. Side-by-side, both blonde — they really do resemble each other. Personalities are pretty different, though.
“To think Yumina-Nee-sama would become engaged to Touya. I was startled.”
“I was the most startled…”
That part, I won’t yield on. A region I still cannot comprehend. The two settled at the terrace table, and Lime-san appeared with their tea. First-rate butler, after all.
“I’d been thinking of Lord Touya as Sue’s groom. Beat to it. Yumina and my brother are sharp.”
“You were thinking that, Father? Well — Touya’d be most welcome by me too. Being together looks fun.”
“Oh, is that so. Then, alongside Yumina, won’t you take Sue too, Lord Touya?”
“Right — that’s enough. Don’t get carried away, please.”
The Duke might think it’s a joke, but Sue’s looking at me with weirdly sparkling eyes — that gets under my skin. No more complications, please.
“Mm — let’s drop it for today. So today, I have a request for you all.”
“For today” — what does that mean. The Duke ignored my flat-eyed glare and pressed on.
“Truth is — we’ve finalized concluding an alliance with the Mismid Kingdom. We’d like to set up a meeting between the two kings…”
The country of demihumans, the southern kingdom Mismid, ruled by a beastfolk king. The country of the fox-beastfolk Origa-san and her sister Arma. Ah — alliance, then. Good.
“For the meeting, the ideal would be one king visiting the other’s capital — but that always carries risk. Interference from opposition factions, monster attacks on the road. So, here…”
”…Touya-san’s [Gate], yes?”
“As ever, Lady Linze — quick on the uptake.”
The Duke smirked and finished his tea. Right — with [Gate], safe travel. But…
“That spell only goes to places I’ve already been, you know? Don’t tell me…”
Bad feeling — no, bad certainty.
“Yes. I want you to go to Mismid.”
Figured. I get it. I really get it. Genuinely useful. If it weren’t “places I’ve been only,” I’d start a delivery company.
“How long does it take to get to Mismid?”
“Right — six days by carriage…”
Oh? Shorter than I thought?
“To reach the Gau River. Across the river, four more days to the Mismid capital. If it goes smoothly.”
Ten days, then… Quietly brutal. Just got the house, going on a trip and not living in it — what is that.
“This will be commissioned through the guild as a direct request to your party. Reward, of course, plus a guild-rank bump. Not a bad deal, I’d say.”
Got the wheels turning fast. As work goes — easy class. Like a small trip abroad. Truly, not a bad deal. And I’d like to see what Mismid is like.
“Understood. We’ll take it. Everyone good?”
Everyone nodded. No objections.
“Appreciated. The ambassador happens to be returning home, so she’ll guide you to the capital.”
“Origa-san’s returning? Then her sister Arma too?”
“Yes. You’ll join the ambassador, her sister, and a guard of knights — and proceed to Mismid.”
That’s reassuring. From what I’ve heard, Mismid has more wilderness than Belfast — jungle areas, more monsters. Like South America or Southeast Asia, maybe.
What kind of place is it. The unseen demihuman kingdom — Mismid. We’re going there.
“But… will it be all right, indeed…?”
“What? Yae?”
“Letting them know you can use [Gate], indeed. A spell that allows entry into anywhere undetected. Beyond mere wariness, there is the danger they may treat you as a hazardous individual to be assassinated…”
Hey hey — don’t say frightening things.
But — that risk does exist. Suspicion like that, no thanks.
“No — that should be all right, no? I confirmed with Lady Charlotte — there are places [Gate] can’t reach. A magic-defended area, what’s called a barrier — you can’t jump there, right? So they won’t be wary to that degree.”
The Duke flatly overturned Yae’s worry.
“Really? Touya?”
”…First I’ve heard.”
Elze gave me an exasperated look. I mean — when I learned [Gate] I didn’t read up on the effect in detail!
“Even a thin barrier blocks it, supposedly. For example, ringing the capital with a weak barrier — you could Gate out of the capital but you couldn’t Gate in. Incidentally, every part of the castle other than Yumina’s room already has a barrier set by Charlotte.”
Aw, already countered. For all her looks (rude), she really does have her court-mage credentials. No openings.
”…But sending Touya-san into a country and surprise-launching an army through [Gate] is also possible… so it’s still better not to let it be known, I think.”
“Mm… true. Then — like the glasses I gave Lady Charlotte — let’s enchant something with [Gate].”
I see. Imbue a vanity-mirror or such, use it at the meeting, then have them break it after. Their unease evaporates.
A spell that links travel between mirror A and mirror B — if I sell it with that kind of cover story, it might work. I’d have to make the second mirror after arriving on-site, though.
“Then we’ll go that route. When do we depart?”
“Right — let’s say three days from now.”
“Understood.”
Looks like things will be busy. Got to prep for a long trip.
“Lucky. I wanted to go to Mismid’s capital too.”
Sue stuck a finger in her mouth, looking jealous. Don’t tell me she’s going to ask to come along. I’m out of room for more trouble.
“Once we’re back from the trip, I can take you any time. I’ll bring you along next time, Sue.”
“Truly!? Ohh — Touya, dependable as ever!”
Sue leaned over the table, beaming at me. She’s this happy — got to keep the promise.
After that, we spent the rest of the afternoon, until evening, going over the Mismid trip’s details with the Duke.