Chapter 91
There seems to have been a landslide on the road leading to the royal capital.
A bridge had collapsed when we came to the royal capital too. That torrential rain was probably what triggered it.
I hear this city imports enormous quantities of food for its vast population from every direction. If things continue like this, supplies will be disrupted, and many people are expected to starve to death.
After receiving such wonderful hospitality at the royal palace, I had intended to make myself scarce, but after the king apologized and persuaded me, I ended up heading to the site of the landslide.
However, I was stopped by a noble. The man was apparently Count Euphorbia.
"You called that little mage over there Anemone, did you not, Kenichi-dono?"
"Yes—it is true that she is Anemone, but..."
"I, Count Euphorbia, happen to be on close terms with Grand Archmage Platinum Almeria-sama..."
"I heard that a mage named Almeria apparently died of illness in the frontier..."
"What? I knew she was missing, but did she die of illness?"
The noble was extremely agitated. Perhaps he had some connection to that grand archmage.
"No, I cannot say for certain that she is that Almeria."
According to the noble, he had received a letter from a mage named Almeria informing him that she had given birth to a child named Anemone in the frontier.
"I have something else as well."
I took the magic tome of High Protection from my Item Box and showed the noble its final page.
"T-this is certainly Almeria-sama's handwriting. Where did you find it?"
"I received it from Viscount Eupatorium. He said that the previous Viscount Eupatorium had bought it from a traveling mage."
"At that young age, she can wield the grand magic High Protection, and her name is Anemone... Could she be none other than the child Almeria left behind?"
"I think so too, but... Hey, Anemone!"
Anemone came over to me.
I introduced Count Euphorbia to her and explained once again about the mage named Platinum Almeria.
"What do you think? If you are willing, my count's family will support you and help you reach even greater heights in magic..."
"Not interested."
"What? No—I mean, if you studied at a university, you could enter a more advanced world of magic..."
"Kenichi will teach me magic, so I don't need that. Besides, I think Sage Kenichi knows more about all sorts of things than a schoolteacher would."
"...What? Sage?"
The princess cut into our conversation.
"I spoke with that man for several days, and he is so learned that even I was left speechless. I doubt those university teachers possess knowledge like that."
"If Your Highness says so..."
"So I don't need it."
Anemone was being rather curt. Besides, expecting her to have a good impression of nobles after being dragged into this mess was unreasonable.
"How absurd! Learn magic by studying on your own? There is no way you can do that!"
"Studying on your own?"
The mage named Melissa suddenly joined the conversation, and Anemone tilted her head at the unfamiliar term.
"Studying on your own means learning by yourself."
"I won't be by myself! Kenichi will be with me!"
"I don't know whether you're some kind of sage, but you can only use that incomprehensible summoning magic, can't you?"
That was sharp! That battle must have revealed that I had no other magic.
"I've learned Fireball and Explosion too! Kenichi, give me your arm!"
I showed her the wound the princess had bitten earlier.
"Heal!"
Blue light gathered around my arm, as though drawn there by her magic.
"See? I can use Heal too!"
Anemone's magic stopped the bleeding and eased the pain. Bite wounds were normally difficult to heal, but perhaps magic could heal them without leaving a trace.
I had her cast magic on the place Nyamena had bitten as well.
"You learned all of those from magic books, didn't you? What about golems? There are no magic books for controlling golems, are there?"
Are there no magic books about golems? In that case, it would not be so easy for her to learn.
"That's fine! I have lots of books!"
"Books?"
"Oh, shoot!"
While glancing at the mage's puzzled expression, Anemone and I turned around and whispered to each other.
"Anemone, keep quiet about the copies we made from the royal library, okay?"
She hurriedly clapped a hand over her mouth.
"I won't force her to attend school."
"Hmph. Do whatever you want."
What a strong-willed woman. Was that old woman like this too?
Still, with a personality like that... What a waste, with a figure like hers.
"Kenichi, do you like clothes like that?"
"Um, well..."
"I'll wear something like that too!"
"No, you're a little too young for that."
You can wear them after all the right places have filled out and you've grown a pair of long, slender legs.
But more importantly, now that we had decided to go on a trip, we needed to make some preparations.
The Veronica Gorge in question was apparently 200 kilometers east of the royal capital.
I had no idea what kind of place it was, so I wanted some information too.
Before that, there were various things I had to prepare. While staying in the castle courtyard, I had been thinking about all sorts of things, so it was time to put those plans into action.
"Lilith-sama, there was a mage knowledgeable about magical tools, wasn't there?"
"Kaldon."
"Could you let me meet him again?"
"Very well. I shall take you to him."
"No, it would be enough if you could just tell me where he is..."
"I am interested in what you intend to do as well."
However, the queen, who had overheard my conversation with the princess, seemed to have taken offense.
"You ask Lilith for favors, but ask nothing of me?"
"Er..."
That was rather sudden.
"Then, Your Majesty, I have agreed to help clear the landslide from the gorge, but I have to prepare various things. To do that, I need operating funds."
"I see. You want me to provide the money?"
"No. Do you have any furniture in the palace that is not being used?"
"Furniture? We do have some, but..."
The queen opened her fan and covered her face, looking suspicious.
"I would like to receive it as a substitute for the operating funds."
"You intend to sell it for money?"
"Ultimately, yes, but selling it will take time, so I shall use my own money for the time being."
"If you rush to sell it, people will take advantage of you..."
"Exactly."
The queen looked up and to the side, apparently pondering something. She probably could not understand my true intentions.
Well, I was basing my actions on the inexplicable ability called Shangri-La.
An ordinary person would never be able to understand it.
"If you need money, I can provide it, you know...?"
"If we can sell unnecessary things and turn them into money, it will benefit both sides."
"Indeed, the warehouses are piled high with things that are only in the way. Very well, I shall take you to the warehouse at once."
"Um, first, I would like to visit the mage..."
"Hmm? What did you say?"
"Nothing."
She would not let me get a word in edgewise.
"Everyone, go back to the house for now."
"Understood."
"Meow."
Nyamena was draped over Myaree's shoulder.
"Myaree, does Nyamena seem all right?"
"She'll probably be fine, nya."
"Why did this have to happen now...?"
"It might be your fault, Kenichi, nya."
"Mine?"
According to her, I had killed such a powerful monster as the lesser dragon with a single blow, sending Nyamena into an excessively excited state and causing her heat to come early.
"I would have been in trouble too if my season had been closer, nya. After seeing something like that, a beastfolk woman can't hold herself back, nya."
"Is that so...? Anyway, take care of Nyamena. Should I give you another couple of bottles of alcohol too?"
"That Tiger sure is hopeless, nya..."
Myaree was in a good mood, since she would be earning Nyamena's gratitude.
But in contrast, Anemone was in a bad mood.
"I'll be back soon, so don't worry."
"I'm still worried."
"It's not like I'm going to get caught and eaten."
"Nyahaha, something else might get eaten, nya."
"Don't say things like that in front of a child."
"I'm not a child!"
I suppose getting angry when someone calls you a child was proof that you were one.
Besides, there was no way anything would happen to me—probably... I would be fine, right?
"Then shall I go with Her Majesty?"
"...I'll pass. She's scary..."
So Anemone was afraid of her too.
In that case, we would start by raising the operating funds. With K○matsu-san, I would literally have the power of a hundred men.
After all, it was a tool of civilization originally created for precisely this purpose.
I am the one using it for something outrageous after bringing it to another world.
Operating the heavy machinery would require a huge amount of fuel, and we might need other things as well. We needed money to acquire them.
To that end, I would have Shangri-La purchase the unnecessary furniture in the royal palace and give me the money.
Rather than simply receiving money, it would be more profitable to receive antique furniture and have it appraised.
The royal family could dispose of furniture they no longer needed, making it a true WIN-WIN situation.
However, the princess followed behind the queen and me.
"Lilith, why are you following us?"
"It is dangerous to leave Mother and Kenichi alone together."
"What exactly do you mean by that?"
"I mean that it is dangerous in all sorts of ways."
I did not think the princess was joking.
The queen continued walking with her back turned, even while the princess and I spoke. I had no idea what she was thinking.
"Lilith-sama, am I going to make it back alive?"
"For now, as long as you stay with me, Mother will not do anything too outrageous."
The queen, who had overheard my conversation with the princess, turned around and shouted.
"That's it!"
"W-what is it?"
"Why do you call Lilith by her name, while you call me Her Majesty the Queen?!"
"What? Then what would you like me to call you?"
"Amaranthus. Amara will do."
"Then I shall call you Amara-sama—but you do not have to compete with the princess over something like that, do you?"
"..."
The queen remained silent, but although they were mother and daughter, they were not related by blood and were rivals in practice.
She probably could not help competing with her—but I had no idea what she was thinking.
Sandwiched between a beautiful mother and daughter, I proceeded down the dark hallway until we reached a warehouse at the dead end.
The queen pulled open a pair of brown-varnished doors, and they opened with the groan of rusted hinges.
The room had probably seen little use. Furniture and chairs were piled up in the dark, windowless room, all covered in dust.
The floor was dusty too, and our footprints remained behind us.
"Oh! Kenichi, this one is good."
The queen pointed to a small desk with shelves.
"It is a rather fine piece."
"Look here."
The queen wiped away the dust with her finger, revealing something written where she pointed. It had probably been scratched into the wood with something.
"A M A R A... perhaps?"
"Indeed. It was the desk I used for studying when I was little."
"What? Are you sure you want to sell this? Is it not a memento...?"
"That is precisely why I want to get rid of it. Looking at it brings back those hellish days when I was locked in a small room and forced to study day after day."
So the queen had lived in this castle as a child... In that case, she must have been the princess of this castle.
Could that king actually be M○rio-san? Well, that might explain his weak position.
But he had taken a concubine, and her child had been recognized as a princess too, so the king must be a member of the royal family as well...
Could it have been a close-relative marriage? There was no way I could ask about something that complicated.
"I see... Then..."
I stored the desk in my Item Box and had it appraised.
【Appraisal Result】【Antique Desk: Purchase Price: 20 Million Yen】
Whoa! Even a small desk was worth a fortune.
Next was a bookcase with splendid carved decorations and glass-paneled doors.
【Appraisal Result】【Antique Bookcase: Purchase Price: 65 Million Yen】
Good grief, of course it was expensive—it was a genuine antique that had been used by genuine royalty.
In my original world, this would probably have been worthy of a museum.
"I am also having trouble disposing of this."
The queen pointed to a canopy bed, covered in dust but showing faint glimmers of gold.
It had been reduced to its frame, but it was carved all the way around and clearly no ordinary piece of furniture.
"This is..."
"It was the bed used by the previous queen."
"What? Are you sure you want to part with it?"
"She lay on this bed until the end of her life. Who would want to sleep in it?"
"I suppose you have a point..."
Apparently, since no one wanted to use it, there had even been talk of burning it as a memorial.
"No—if you are going to burn it, I would be happy to take it."
"Very well. I do not know where you intend to sell it, but I hope her greed does not rub off on you."
"Was she that sort of person?"
I turned toward the silent princess, and she nodded too.
The queen must have had her share of troubles. But more importantly, it was time for the appraisal...
【Appraisal Result】【Antique Bed: Purchase Price: 150 Million Yen】
Good grief! In terms of my original world, this was a bed that someone on the level of Marie Antoinette had slept in.
Considering it a historical relic, even this might have been a low price...
"Thank you very much. This is more than enough."
"Is that all? You have no greed at all..."
However, the queen seemed to be thinking about something.
"Your Majesty—no, Amara-sama, is something wrong?"
"I hear you used poison to exterminate the rats?"
"Ah, if you are asking me to sell you poison, I am afraid I must refuse."
"Why? I will pay whatever price you name."
"Mother!"
The queen stopped the princess as she tried to interrupt.
"I would be horrified if someone I did not know died from poison I had sold, and it might eventually find its way into either of your mouths. In my homeland, we have a saying: 'Curse someone, and dig two graves.'"
"What do you mean by graves?"
"Holes for burying corpses. Around Dahlia, they say, 'A curse returns to you like a bird returning to its nest.' It would be sad if two beautiful women I have only just befriended were to die."
For now, I decided to flatter them a little.
"Hmm, I understand. If you were the sort of person who sold poison so readily, I would have to reconsider our relationship."
It seemed the queen had been testing me. That was dangerous—if she had judged me the sort of person who would casually sell poison for money, she might have sent assassins after me.
"Amara-sama, do you always test people and devise schemes to ascertain their true intentions?"
"Ha-ha, it is a sad habit born of royalty. Forgive me. People reveal their true nature when driven into a corner. I must determine whether they are friend or foe."
Did she feel even a little guilty about what she had done to me and my family? Still, her motives were those of a true member of royalty.
"However, using a dragon to make us fight in the audience chamber was taking your prank too far, was it not? If my little mage had not used High Protection, everyone would have died."
"Hee-hee... Indeed, it was. But I had received reports that you were extremely powerful, so I deliberately matched you against that opponent."
"Your Majesty..."
"Oh! Are you angry? Are you angry? Then why not vent that anger on my body? You would like to toy with a member of the royal family, would you not?"
As she said that, the queen embraced me.
Do not take the bait. People like this were merely provoking others for their own amusement.
"The audience chamber was badly damaged too, was it not?"
"Indeed it was. Even though there was a barrier in place, it was damaged far more than expected. The paving stones will probably have to be replaced. But if we had summoned you to an arena or somewhere similar, you would certainly have fled, would you not?"
"That is true..."
"It cost us a little, but we discovered that you and your family are mages powerful enough to repel even a dragon. That is worth a fortune."
In this world, powerful mages were military assets and expected to contribute to their country. The royal family probably wanted to know our true strength as well.
Even so, had they not gone too far? Perhaps their royal duties and a prank meant to relieve their boredom had become one and the same.
"Many nobles died too, did they not?"
"Everyone there knew what they were getting into. They were not forced to attend. Matches held by mages seeking fame or promoting their abilities are hardly unusual."
"I have heard that."
"If someone died after getting caught up in one, it would be nothing more than a funny story."
So that was how it was. The bored nobles had come to watch a match by a mage seeking to promote herself and ended up caught in it.
Besides, the opponent had been the grand archmage Elegant Melissa, so a fierce battle was inevitable. Anyone who had neglected to prepare for it had only themselves to blame... That was their way of thinking.
"What about the knights who died?"
"Dying while protecting the royal family is a knight's honor. They charged without hesitation against someone who had felled a lesser dragon with one blow, so they deserve our praise."
So this was another world—and the thinking of royalty. It was rather difficult for a Japanese person like me to accept.
"..."
The queen had an arm around my neck and was clinging to my body. A sweet fragrance tickled my nostrils.
Was it some sort of perfume, or perhaps something containing an alluring substance?
"Hee-hee—this is the body of an entirely ordinary man."
The queen stroked my body, from my back to my side and then across my chest.
"If the princess had not intervened, the castle would have been half-destroyed and the kingdom would have been brought to ruin, would it not?"
"Indeed—it was a narrow escape."
She showed no sign of being flustered by my words.
"What did you intend to do if that had happened?"
"Lilith is kind, you see. I knew she would certainly intervene to save your lives."
The princess, who had heard that, turned red and looked down. Had the queen really calculated all of that?
"If the kingdom had been brought to ruin, the royal family would have been held responsible, would it not?"
"In that case, it could not be helped. If I were driven from the throne, you could take me in, could you not?"
The queen remained clinging to me and sinuously twisted her body.
"Mother, this is taking your prank too far!"
The princess tried to pull the queen away, but she would not let go.
"Do you really think I would save you?"
"A child not related to you by blood and two beastfolk—you cannot help reaching out when you see women in trouble, can you?"
Anyone could see at a glance that Anemone and I were not related by blood. We were different races, and we looked nothing alike.
"That is not true. I choose whom I help."
But while I had the chance, I decided to ask her a few questions.
"Was this farce intended to test my abilities from the very beginning?"
"Exactly, though at first I was only half-convinced. Usually, people who come because of rumors like these turn out to be ordinary. But after hearing the princess's report—that you truly used an iron summoned beast and solved the mystery of the vase in my bedroom—I became certain you were the real thing."
"So you goaded that female mage into fighting me?"
"Exactly. She had grown arrogant lately. There was a high chance she would destroy herself, so I decided she needed to be disciplined."
The self-destruction the queen referred to meant dabbling in evil deeds or using magic in the wrong direction—in other words, taking the first step toward forbidden magic.
Apparently, gathering the nobles and summoning a mage on such short notice was what had taken so much time.
"Tell me, Kenichi—would you show me just where in this body of yours that secret is hidden?"
"I must decline."
"How cold. Do you dislike me?"
"I do."
The queen's face crumpled instantly when she heard that. She turned her back to me, covered her face with her palm, and began to tremble.
She seemed to be sobbing, but...
"Nice try with the fake tears."
Her sobbing stopped dead at my words. I do not trust the tears of women over twenty.
"Tch! Even the most skilled hunter loses her edge if she neglects the hunt!"
"So it was fake crying after all..."
"Oh! Are you angry? Are you angry? Then go ahead and toy with my body! Any act is yours to do as you please. If you truly cannot forgive me for targeting your family's lives, you may even slit open my belly with a sharp blade and drag out my womb!"
The queen embraced me again.
This was pointless. Nothing, not even sarcasm, worked on people like her. Ignoring her was best.
"I must decline."
"You decided that instantly? Could you not take a little time to think about it?"
The queen looked dissatisfied by my immediate refusal.
"No."
"A man who refuses a young princess's wish will never grant her mother's wish, will he?"
"You are still a child as long as you believe youth is the ultimate weapon. Make sure youth is not your only virtue."
"Grrr..."
Sparks flew between the two royal women.
"Good grief, being royalty must be quite difficult."
"Indeed. One must watch both the nation and foreign powers, understand the minds of the people, and live knowing that one may kill or be killed at any moment."
"But it is the same in the forest. We hunt monsters, and monsters attack us."
"But they do not set traps, poison your food, or bring cursed objects, do they?"
The queen's weary expression suggested that such things happened to her quite often.
Indeed, a cursed pot had actually been brought into the queen's bedroom.
"In that case, shall we go to the mage named Kaldon soon?"
"Oh? You are not going to do anything here?"
The queen gave me a light kiss. She was surprisingly persistent.
But beneath those beautiful eyes filled with sorrow were long lashes—and a small beauty mark beneath them.
If you looked only at her face, she was an incomparable beauty. Her face alone—I repeat, her face alone.
"Mother!"
"Amara-sama, please stop playing around. What will you do if someone sees you here?"
"I do not mind. His Majesty must be wanting a young concubine by now."
"Would you be satisfied if that concubine took power?"
"Ha-ha—that would be wonderful if it were what he wanted. I could retire from my official duties and finally become free. Though, of course, that comes with the proviso that he be someone who meets my standards."
In other words, if someone who did not meet her standards tried to seize the position, she would fight back without mercy and crush them.
The queen moved away from me and continued speaking.
"Besides, the royal family will be in danger if a son is not born soon. His Majesty does not seem inclined to take me seriously as a woman..."
I wanted to ask whether the problem might not lie with the queen herself, but I kept my mouth shut.
There was no way I could say that.
"When I think about it, Luclia's death was a great loss for the kingdom."
She must have been the princess's late biological mother—the former concubine.
"Perhaps I shall see Lilith married before we find a new concubine."
The princess turned away when she heard that. She clearly did not want to discuss it.
Well, she would have to marry a man she did not love. No matter how much it was for the sake of her family, she was bound to resist at least a little.
"Has her partner already been chosen?"
"There is a ducal family descended from a collateral branch of the royal family. Arrangements are under way for her to marry into that family."
The matter being discussed here was top-secret information that would determine the future of the nation.
There was no way I could talk about this outside the palace.
"Lilith-sama does not seem pleased about it..."
"Whether she likes it or not, it is a royal duty."
She probably wanted the princess to do it because she had been forced to do the same herself.
The conversation ended there.
I see. The queen was a complicated mixture of kindness and madness. No wonder she was terrifying when defied or angered.
After placing the antique furniture we had chosen in my Item Box, we headed to the mage named Kaldon.
The princess led the way, but the queen came with us too.
The place was a semibasement reached through a door beneath the stairs. As we descended, there were high windows letting in light, but was that the ground outside?
Still, with a structure like this, rain would probably flow in here.
We arrived before a thick wooden door reinforced with iron plates at all four corners.
So this was Kaldon-san's workshop.