Chapter 78
It was the day of the Talent Gem award ceremony.
The rain that had lasted until then stopped, and the sky was brilliantly clear, as if it had all been a lie.
The young lady had stayed shut up in the estate all day yesterday. The Count narrowed his eyes when he saw her acting healthy despite wearing the bracelet, but—I said nothing. The maid had probably reported that I had tampered with the bracelet, but the Count seemed to be pretending not to know about it. I suppose all's well that ends well.
"It starts this early in the morning?"
I'd been woken an hour before sunrise and was stifling a yawn—but with the clouds, it wasn't even possible to tell when the sun had risen.
In response to my question, the head maid said,
"The Holy Kingdom of Kurvaan holds many religious rites presided over by His Majesty, the Holy King. Religious rites take a great deal of time. From now on, the young lady will be participating as well, so you'll have to get used to them too, Reiji-san."
"Hmm..."
I didn't want to get used to them. Or rather, I didn't want to participate often enough to get used to them.
Events like the "Banquet of New Shoots and the New Moon" and religious rites like today's ceremony seemed to be entirely different kinds of things.
The Talent Gems are gifts from God, which the Holy King receives on behalf of the people. The Holy King then distributes them among the people; the nobles are their representatives.
The Holy Kingdom of Kurvaan was founded over a thousand years ago. Since these customs dated back to its founding, old-fashioned rituals that no longer seemed suited to the modern world still remained.
"Good morning, young lady—"
The young lady emerged at sunrise, having apparently bathed three times since before dawn. There seemed to be a rule that "one must have cleansed one's entire body by sunrise." Even I had wiped myself down with hot water and tidied my appearance.
The young lady was wearing a striking pale yellow-green—the color of young shoots.
It looked like a simple garment made by wrapping a single large piece of cloth. Yes, a chiton, like those worn by sculptures from Greek mythology. Still, the substantial texture of the fabric and the sheen of the brown leather cord around her waist made me think, as always, "Wow, this must have cost a fortune..."
With a sky-blue shawl draped over it, the young lady looked, combined with the knowledge from my previous life, like a character who had quietly stepped out of a world of mythology.
"...I'm not used to wearing this."
"It suits you very well."
"Apparently, we're not supposed to wear accessories, but special permission was obtained for the magic tool on my wrist."
This unadorned style was probably traditional as well. "The less ornament there is, the more the choice of fabric and dyeing techniques shows the wearer's skill," the head maid said, huffing proudly.
And if "Inspiring Magic Eye" were cast on that, it would obviously end in a brawl...
After that, the young lady had her hair pinned up, revealing her slender nape and making her look as though she were gradually climbing the steps from girlhood into adulthood.
"Let's go, Reiji."
"Yes, ma'am."
It was not even eight in the morning, yet I left the estate with the young lady. The Count had long since gone to the Holy King's Palace, which showed how special today was.
As we rode through the Third Holy District, I heard more carriage wheels than usual. Since the young lady had said she was cold, we had kept the carriage windows shut tight, so I couldn't tell which houses the carriages belonged to.
"Young lady, how are you feeling?"
"So far, there's no problem. But... They say it's an all-day religious rite, don't they? I'm a little worried."
"You only have to get through today."
"Yes... I suppose I have no choice but to get through it thinking that way. ...But it's much easier thanks to you adjusting the magic tool..."
The carriage went thunk as it rode over a stone, and I missed half of what the young lady said.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing. —Reiji, be a good boy and wait patiently until I come out."
The young lady said it as though a mother were lecturing her child.
I watched the carriage carrying the young lady pass through the castle gate. The paving stones, wet from last night's rain, had puddles here and there. With today's weather, most of the paving stones would probably be dry by noon.
The carriage was stopped at a stopping area just after entering the district where the Holy King's Palace stood, and the young lady was apparently going to walk to the venue from there.
(I hope she'll be all right...)
I was worried, but the Count was inside, so there was nothing I could do but wait quietly.
The wall separating the First Holy District from the Holy King's Palace was lower and thinner than any wall I'd seen before. It was probably only about three meters high.
Unlike all the other walls, this one was a dull gold; it even had a picture painted on it.
(...A dragon and a human are walking shoulder to shoulder... No, it kind of looks like a beastman, too...)
The dragon looked very much like the one I had encountered before. The other figure had long ears that retained an elven look, yet also had a tail.
The picture was simplified like a mural, and since the wall was open, I could see it only from an angle. As a result, I couldn't make out details such as what species the figure belonged to.
The gate was just wide enough for one carriage to squeeze through, with one carriage entering as another came out from the opposite side. In short, there were too many nobles attending today's ceremony, causing a traffic jam.
"Damn it, I'm getting out. I can't keep waiting around."
"Oh, Father, you're being so pushy!"
Someone had gotten out of a carriage farther back, unable to endure waiting in the traffic jam.
Although the person was wearing the glittering clothes peculiar to nobles, they looked nothing like a noble.
Their mane-like hair was red, long, and hanging down their back. They had an unbelievably broad chest, and the muscles beneath their clothes looked strong enough to lift a small car.
Their tanned face had shaggy eyebrows and a beastlike, piercing gaze. There was an X-shaped scar on their cheek. They were clearly someone who had led a life far from ordinary.
The person who had gotten out of the carriage fixed their gaze on me.
"Oh—you’re the brat from back then."
No, I don't know anyone with a face as fearsome as yours...
"Oh, Father, honestly!"
The person who climbed out after him was none other than Mira-sama.
So this must be the Mule Margrave!? Ah, right, of course—I couldn't recognize him, since I'd never seen his bare face before.
While thinking about things that didn't matter, I bowed deferentially and shifted aside onto the sidewalk.
Heavy footsteps approached. Mira-sama was saying, "Father, we're the only ones walking. It's embarrassing," but the margrave ignored every word. Strong.
Massive shoes and thick thighs stopped in front of me.
"You're a guard for the Slyries family, aren't you?"
"...Yes, sir."
"Let me see your face."
I raised my head as instructed.
...Oh, Mira-sama was wearing a pale pink outfit. The style was the same as the young lady's. Plain and charming.
"Would you like to come to my margraviate?"
"If I may ask, what do you mean?"
"I mean exactly what I said. The Holy King's capital must be boring. My territory is interesting. There are plenty of skilled fighters, the monsters are vicious, and war might even break out. It's the perfect place to test your mettle."
Um...
Was I being recruited...? I couldn't be less interested...
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that would be more than I could handle."
"Is that so? Well, staying here would be fine in its own way... My blood is stirring today."
His blood was stirring? On a day this beautiful?
"Oh, good morning, Miss Eva's guard!"
"Good morning, Mira-sama. Today's outfit suits you beautifully as well."
Mira-sama had been flustered when speaking with the young lady at first, but after they began exchanging letters and met a few times, they seemed to have grown quite close.
"Heehee... Apparently, this is what my mother wore for her own award ceremony. Isn't it amazing?"
"Indeed. I'm sure she must be delighted."
"Yes! She's at the estate recuperating now, but she was so excited when she brought this out for me."
"—Mira, let's go."
"Oh, Father, wait for me! Honestly, you're so selfish. See you!"
Mira-sama gave me a small wave and followed the margrave. Our young lady had mentioned Mira-sama's mother, too... Apparently, she wasn't in very good health and couldn't leave the margraviate, or something.
Even so, seeing her own daughter wear the same clothes and attend such a momentous occasion must have brought her great joy.
Just like today's weather.
(...Even so, I'd better stay alert. Zelly-san's report said there hadn't been any changes in the city, so if something was going to happen, it would probably be farther inward than the Third Holy District—among the nobles.)
The margrave's words had stuck with me a little.
With the mastermind behind the attempted poisoning of Kurvshrat-sama still unknown, there was no reason not to stay cautious.
That was what I thought as I looked out over the First Holy District, which was jammed with noble carriages and mounted guards.