Two Civil Officials (2)

Oh, Nelfia. Good morning. Are you here alone today?

Good morning, Roa-sama. Yes. Sazaby said he would come after finishing a task assigned by the king.

"Um... I'm sorry for causing you extra work," I said, and Nelfia gave a soft laugh.

If it can be taken care of within the royal palace, it actually makes things easier for me.

Really?

Yes. Although we're called scribes, our main job is to be dispatched to various places in the king's stead, record what happens, and return. There isn't all that much work for us within the royal palace.

Ah, so that's why I never happened to see you, even though we're both civil officials. With someone so conspicuous around, Derik would probably have made a huge commotion.

Who knows? There are many civil officials in the royal palace, so it may simply have been a coincidence.

Going out to eat together had at least helped us grow a little closer.

So, what will we be doing today?

I want to increase the number of bottled goods. I didn't expect this to become such a big deal, so I only made five of each type. Some failed, and some were opened for testing, so our numbers are looking a little uncertain.

I see.

I'm having Dick and Rufa go shopping now.

Are you staying behind, Roa-san?

I'm thinking of checking the regular preserved food instead. I added a few kinds besides dried meat, too. I can't devote myself entirely to jars when we don't even know whether they'll be edible yet.

Then shall I help with the regular preserved food until the two of them return?

That would be a big help. Once Rufa and the others return, we'll make more bottled goods. Oh, but we'll need to borrow a kitchen. I wonder if one is available today?

As for the kitchen, repeatedly meeting in the Tenth Knight Order's dining hall would attract attention. The king has granted us permission to use another place, so why don't we work there?

That's true. But is there really such a conveniently located place?

There is. The palace has an auxiliary kitchen that is opened only for large events, such as celebratory banquets. It's rarely used otherwise. We could use that one.

That's... rather elaborate. As things kept growing bigger and bigger, I found myself hesitating.

There is one slight problem. Bringing the finished bottled goods all the way back here would probably attract attention too.

Yes, it would be nice if there were somewhere nearby where we could store them, I replied, and Nelfia looked slightly puzzled.

Is it really all right with you to leave what Roa-san discovered somewhere you can't keep an eye on it? Someone might steal the technique.

Even if she said that, this wasn't something I had discovered in the first place. If anything, I felt apologetic toward whoever had invented it first. Besides, all I wanted was to do something about preserved food consisting almost entirely of dried meat. I wasn't particularly attached to bottling itself.

I don't particularly care. It just happened to be something I remembered, and I'm not all that interested in it.

At my answer, she opened her eyes slightly.

Roa-san, you may be more magnanimous than I had imagined. She praised me for it.

There was no time to spend chatting. While I checked the condition of the dried fruits and the other supplies, and counted the dried meat and hard-baked bread that needed to be used up soon, time flew by.

I'm hooome!

Dick's voice signaled the end of our regular work for the day. From here on, we'd focus on the bottled goods.

Welcome back, Dick. Good work, Rufa.

Yeah. Dick treated me to some fruit water.

That's good. Dick, I'm sorry to ask this so soon after you got back, but we're taking the bottles you bought to another place. Could you bring them along?

I don't mind, but we ain't finished shopping yet.

Huh? Really?

The bottles alone made quite a load, so we came back once. We're going to shop for ingredients now. Looking again after Rufa's explanation, I saw that, indeed, we had no ingredients.

I'm sorry. I should have gone too. Without the bottles, I can carry the load myself, so I'll go this time. You two rest.

As I said this, Nelfia stopped me.

There's no need for you to go, Roa-san. Sazaby should be here soon, so let's leave it to him. Besides, we may want to think about a better way to procure bottles from now on.

Is that so? Then I'll take you up on that. Come to think of it, how did you manage to find so many bottles in stock?

I told the shopkeeper we were making lots of jam and asked him to give us every bottle he had, and he contacted the other shops for us.

He must have thought Rufa was a merchant's errand girl when he saw her.

That made sense. Almost all pure-blooded Salsha who come to this country are merchants or sailors. If a pure-blooded Salsha had made it as far as Rudectrad, they would naturally assume she was a merchant's daughter.

In any case, it was a relief that we hadn't attracted attention.

As we were talking, Sazaby poked his head in. "Sorry I'm late." Nelfia immediately ordered him to go shopping, and after we saw him off as he left grumbling that he'd only just arrived, we moved as well.

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So, what's your impression?

In the king's private chambers, a place no one but the most exceptional person could enter, King Zeulacia and Nelfia were present.

So far, I'd say Roa is merely an innocent-looking civil official. Roa's bearing is full of openings, and Roa doesn't strike me as a sharp thinker capable of coming up with a technique like that.

I see. My impression is much the same.

However...

Is there something else?

Roa may be more magnanimous than I expected. Roa didn't seem particularly attached to the bottling process, either.

Oh...? Perhaps Roa considers knowledge of this level not worth clinging to?

Do you think highly of Roa, Your Majesty?

Who can say? I don't know myself.

You do not know, Your Majesty?

Indeed. The fact that Rays has taken a liking to a civil official about whom I had never heard even the faintest rumor, and that the same official has proposed something no one could have imagined—isn't that reason enough to take notice?

As you say, Your Majesty.

Well, it's not as though I expect us to find out anything immediately. Continue watching Roa, of course, and make sure no information about the bottling leaks. If anyone starts sniffing around, trace it back to the source.

Understood. Then, if you'll excuse me.

As Nelfia was about to leave, the king called out, "Oh, that's right," and she turned around.

As for the Eighth Knight Order, fabricate some sort of record of achievements. Lies are fine. It would be one thing if only a civil official noticed, but it would be problematic if other countries saw through it.

Yes... I suppose so. I'll think of something.

Nelfia finally left the room. Once outside, she reconsidered her assessment of Roa yet again, thinking that Roa might be surprisingly sharp after all—judging by the fact that Roa had seen through the Eighth Knight Order's true nature.