Chapter 42
I was on my way home from the ducal household.
I had planned to take a shared carriage home, but Roger offered to take me home in a carriage, so I gratefully accepted the ride.
I felt wonderfully refreshed after being able to cure Alban-san. I was glad to have an ability that could help people.
When I healed Alban-san, enveloping his body in the light of healing magic gave me a vague sense of where the problem lay. I could even tell when I had completely cured him.
Maybe it was some sort of high-performance CT scan in magical form. I should try it on my family next time. It would be terrible if they had an illness without any noticeable symptoms.
But it used a tremendous amount of magic power, so increasing my magic power was going to be essential from now on.
As I thought about that, the sounds outside seemed a little noisy. It sounded as though someone was speaking loudly.
What was going on...?
"Roger, it's noisy outside. Do you think everything's all right?"
"I will check."
As Roger said that, the carriage began to slow down and then stopped. Had something happened?
"Leon-sama, please remain seated here. I will go and check."
Saying that, Roger went outside and left me alone. Being left by myself made me feel a little uneasy...
But we were in the middle of the city, so I didn't think anything too serious could have happened.
As I waited anxiously, Roger returned after a while with a slightly bewildered look on his face.
"What happened?"
"An envoy sent by the Townsend ducal household said that they would like you to return to the residence, Leon-sama. They have a request for you."
A request!? This must be about healing magic. Had something happened to Alban-san!?
If so, I had to get back quickly.
"I think it must be a request for healing magic. Let's go back quickly."
"Understood. I will inform the coachman."
If they had gone to the trouble of calling me back, did that mean someone was in a very dangerous condition? But Alban-san had looked perfectly healthy...
Maybe it wasn't Alban-san, but someone else. Perhaps that person's condition had suddenly worsened?
I returned to the ducal household in the carriage, still feeling uneasy.
When I returned to the ducal household, another luxurious carriage was parked in front of the residence, and Richard-sama was waiting for me.
"Leon-kun, I'm sorry for calling you back."
"No, I'm perfectly fine, but has something happened?"
"Could we discuss it while we travel? It's something I would rather not have other people hear."
"Understood."
"Please ride in this carriage."
Richard-sama and I climbed into the more luxurious carriage. He hadn't brought an attendant, so we were alone.
Was it really that important...?
Once the carriage began moving, I spoke to Richard-sama.
"Did something happen?"
"Yes. The First Princess of this country is Martine-sama. She has been ill since around winter. Yesterday, I thought that perhaps you could cure her if you examined her. So I told His Majesty about you, and learned that Martine-sama's condition was apparently quite serious—that every moment counted. As a result, it was decided that you should come here immediately."
The First Princess was ill? If her condition was so critical that every moment counted, then this frantic response made sense. But could Richard-sama really speak directly with His Majesty? Was he in a very high position? Well, he was the former duke...
Perhaps Richard-sama had sensed my question, because he gave me an answer.
"Have I never told you about my position, Leon-kun? I'm the chancellor of this country. That's why I can speak directly with His Majesty and am acquainted with the members of the royal family."
Richard-sama was the chancellor!? He was an even more important person than I had expected... Still, it was a good thing for me, since he was such a reassuring ally.
But more importantly, the princess was the issue right now.
"Leon-kun, please save Martine-sama."
Richard-sama said that and bowed deeply.
I wanted to cure her, but I didn't know whether I could. I couldn't promise I would definitely cure her...
But if I did nothing, I would definitely regret it! It frightened me to have a person's life or death in my hands, but I would do everything I could to cure her.
"Yes. I can't promise I will, but I will do everything in my power."
"Really!? Thank you so much."
After we rode in silence for a while, the carriage stopped.
"Leon-kun, I want to keep your presence as hidden as possible, so please act as my attendant. We will go to His Majesty's office first, but His Majesty knows everything about you, so you don't need to worry."
"Understood."
So His Majesty knew everything about me too...? Richard-sama must have told him, so he would probably be on my side. I couldn't ask for a more reassuring ally.
But that didn't matter right now. I needed to focus on the treatment.
I walked behind and slightly to the side of Richard-sama. We passed several people along the way, but whenever they saw Richard-sama, they moved to the side and bowed their heads slightly, so I thought hardly anyone noticed me.
After walking for a while, we reached an ornate door. Two knights, presumably acting as guards, stood in front of it.
"Open the door."
When Richard-sama said that, the knights immediately opened the door. He must have been allowed through on sight.
Inside was a handsome man with blond hair and blue eyes, dressed in splendid clothes. Was he the king? He looked quite young.
Once the door had closed completely, only the three of us remained inside. There were no guards or attendants. Had everyone been cleared out? This was making me nervous.
"Your Majesty, I have brought Leon. Leon-kun, this is Alexis Laslacia-sama, the king of this country."
So the king of this country was named Alexis. I had better remember that.
"Thank you, Richard. You must be Leon. Richard has told me about you. Please, please cure Martine."
Alexis-sama bowed deeply as he said that. The king of this country was bowing to me, and I was so flustered that I could barely keep calm as I somehow managed to answer him.
"P-please raise your head. Your Majesty shouldn't bow to me... Besides, I haven't even cured her yet."
"That's true. We'll leave the thanks until after Martine has recovered."
Hearing him say that made me incredibly nervous! What if I ended up being unable to cure her...?
No! I shouldn't think that way. I would cure her, no matter what.
"Then, Your Majesty, shall we go to the North Palace?"
"Yes. Follow me."
We followed His Majesty through the royal palace. Apparently, we couldn't walk through the palace without an escort, because two knights followed us.
He had mentioned the North Palace. Did that mean the royal palace was divided into several sections? I wanted to ask, but this wasn't the right atmosphere for questions. I would probably have another chance later.
The royal palace seemed enormous. We had gone quite a distance, but apparently we still hadn't arrived. After walking for a while longer, we reached another door. Two knights were standing in front of it as well.
As His Majesty approached, the knights snapped to attention and saluted.
It was the same salute familiar to me, with the right hand held smartly beside the upper right side of the face. This world had far too many similarities to Japan, from bowing to saluting. It had to be intentional.
"Open the door."
When Alexis-sama said that, the knights opened the door for us. They didn't ask anything about me, either. Perhaps anyone brought by His Majesty was allowed to enter.
I thought there would be a room on the other side of the door, but it seemed to connect to a long covered passageway. There were two more knights on the opposite side of the door, too. The security was extremely tight.
Was the North Palace beyond this passage? Maybe the North Palace was the residential area for the royal family.
After we crossed the passageway, there was another door, which the knights opened for us.
We passed through that door and walked for a while before reaching a very ornate door. Was this our destination?
The fact that two female knights were standing in front of it made it seem like the princess's room.
"Your Majesty! What brings you here?"
"Richard has come to visit Martine. Open the door."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The two female knights opened the door. They looked at me as though I were somewhat suspicious, but they didn't stop me since I had been brought by His Majesty. What a relief.
Inside the room were three maids serving the princess and two guard knights. When they saw His Majesty, they all moved to the side and bowed their heads.
"Everyone, could you leave us for a little while? You too."
His Majesty told the princess's maids and knights, as well as his own knights, to leave the room.
"But..."
His Majesty's knights immediately withdrew into the hallway, but the princess's knights seemed reluctant to leave.
"It won't be for long, so don't worry. There is no danger inside this room. Everything will be fine."
"Understood... But are you not also sending Richard-sama's attendant away? It makes us uneasy to leave Martine-sama's side while there is someone unfamiliar here."
"He is fine. I guarantee it. He is the same age as Martine, so he may help her feel a little more at ease."
"I see... Understood."
The knights seemed to accept that reluctantly. Everyone withdrew, and the door was closed.
That left only Alexis-sama, the king; Martine-sama, the First Princess; Richard-sama, the chancellor; and me in the room.
This was quite an incredible group, now that I thought about it...
There was a bed at the back of the room, and the princess appeared to be sleeping in it. Alexis-sama went over and sat in a chair that had been placed beside it.