Chapter 211
How many days have passed since finishing the schedule at the Family Home?
While working and leisurely sipping tea as usual, Arian suddenly entered the Magic Tower master’s office.
“Magic Tower master, a letter has arrived.”
“Who sent… I suppose there’s no need to ask.”
The letter Arian held out had the seal of the Imperial Family stamped prominently on it.
It was obvious the emperor had sent it.
“Good work. You can go back now.”
Receiving the letter, Franz said so and took a letter opener out of his drawer.
But Arian stood there like a stone statue, opening and closing her mouth as if she had something to say.
“…Do you have something to say?”
“Is that really it? Should I just go back?”
Then what more should he do…?
He thought that, but he didn’t bother saying it out loud. She was definitely acting like this because she wanted something.
The problem was that he had absolutely no idea what that something was.
He really couldn’t guess even the slightest bit.
“Ah, really. Give me your hand.”
Arian sighed as if frustrated and spoke in a blunt tone.
He didn’t know what was going on, but giving his hand wasn’t a difficult task.
Franz put down the letter opener he was holding and held out his hand.
“There, done.”
Lowering her posture, Arian placed Franz’s hand on top of her head and spoke.
Franz wasn’t so dense as not to know what that action meant, but his hesitant hand still wasn’t moving.
Rather, wouldn’t it be stranger to stroke a grown woman’s head easily?
Even so, he couldn’t just not do it in this situation, so it was quite a predicament.
It was then.
Rub, rub.
Arian started rubbing her head against his hand of her own accord.
Whether she was just frustrated or trying to encourage him, he didn’t know.
Anyway, the effect was certain.
Haa-.
Letting out a barely audible sigh, Franz moved his hand and stroked Arian’s head.
“Ehehe…”
Arian let out a strange sound as if she felt good.
It was as if a cat were purring.
If she had a tail, it would probably be swishing back and forth.
“This makes me feel strangely guilty…”
Wasn’t it like treating a person like a pet?
Guilt was slowly creeping up in his chest, but strangely, his hand wouldn’t pull away.
After a short while.
“That’s enough now-!”
Smiling brightly, Arian suddenly stood up.
Franz’s hand, which had been touching her head until just a moment ago, was left awkwardly lingering in the air.
Staring intently at Franz, Arian whispered in his ear.
“Are you disappointed…?”
“Not really…”
Franz trailed off and withdrew his hand.
Being disappointed about not stroking her head was absurd.
Right, he was just momentarily bewitched by something. It definitely wasn’t like that.
“Then I’ll be taking my leave now.”
Bowing politely as usual, Arian exited the Magic Tower Lord’s Office.
Her face and ears were dyed red as if they were about to burst, but Franz was completely unaware of that fact.
“Was I crazy…?”
Thinking that, Franz picked up the letter opener he had placed on the desk.
The emperor’s letter contained what he had expected.
It stated that the delegation dispatched from Nostra in the Eastern Continent would arrive tomorrow, and requested that he come and have a discussion with them.
And finally.
“My daughter has been waiting only for the day you come. Please come and meet her just once.”
So it said.
For Franz, who wanted to live quietly, the princess’s interest was unwelcome, but since he had already promised, he had no choice.
No, even if he hadn’t promised, there was no choice. The other party was the princess.
“I feel like another annoying thing is going to happen…”
Franz sighed at the creeping sense of anxiety.
* * *
Time flowed on, and it was the next day.
“Aren’t you being called away too often these days?”
Arian spoke in a voice mixed with worry and dissatisfaction as she neatly adjusted Franz’s attire.
Naturally, Franz had refused, but because Arian insisted on doing it no matter what, he had no choice but to accept.
“Well, it can’t be helped for the time being. The incident was what it was.”
“Even so…”
“There shouldn’t be any major problems.”
Even as he said that, Franz wasn’t entirely sure.
His ominous feelings had never once been wrong.
This uncomfortable sensation in his heart was quite bothersome.
“All done.”
“Thanks for taking care of it.”
“It’s something I naturally have to do.”
Arian showed a bright smile.
Thanks to her, Franz, having finished getting ready, looked a bit more put-together than usual, fitting for receiving a delegation from another country.
“Then I’ll be going now. Keep up the good work today.”
“Yes, have a safe trip.”
Having finished his greetings with that, Franz snapped his fingers.
A magic circle was drawn beneath his feet, light flashed, and Spatial Movement Magic was activated.
The place he soon arrived at was, naturally, in front of the emperor’s office.
“H-Heek?!”
“M-Magic?!”
Unusually, unfamiliar faces were standing in front of the office.
Of course, he didn’t know the faces of everyone in the Imperial Knight Order, but not only were their faces unfamiliar, their attire was also strange, which made him wonder.
“Could they be the delegation from Nostra…?”
Thinking that, he could see elements typical of Eastern clothing here and there. It seemed his guess was correct.
Reaching that conclusion, Franz withdrew his gaze from them and looked at the Imperial Knight Order standing next to the door.
“His Majesty ordered that the Magic Tower master be let inside immediately upon arrival.”
Had he already given them a heads-up?
Thanks to that, he didn’t have to bother knocking on the door, which he was grateful for.
A knight in resplendent armor opened the office door, and Franz stepped inside.
Inside the emperor’s office, there was one other person besides the emperor. It was surely the highest-ranking member of the delegation.
“Franz Gilbert Esteban greets the sun of the empire.”
Franz bowed his head before the emperor.
Since there were eyes watching, he showed even more courtesy than usual.
“That is enough, raise your head.”
Franz raised his head at the emperor’s command.
“Are they not on such stiff terms?”
Skipping formalities even when there were eyes watching meant that the emperor and the delegation representative were very close.
If not that, then it was to show off that they were on this level of closeness.
Since it didn’t seem like the emperor would choose the latter, it was probably correct to assume the former.
“Franz, take a seat anywhere.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
With a small round table in the middle, the emperor and the delegation representative were sitting across from each other, so Franz filled one of the empty seats on either side.
As soon as Franz sat down, the delegation representative politely bowed his head from his seat.
“I am the delegation representative, the Third Prince Baha Salman. It is an honor to meet the Archmage of the empire.”
“It is an honor to meet you as well, Prince.”
He hadn’t expected him to bow first.
He felt like he understood why the emperor had skipped the formalities.
“We were just in the middle of a discussion, but if it’s alright, I would like to hear the Archmage’s opinion as well.”
“If I suffice…”
Just what kind of discussion were they having?
Given that this person named Baha Salman seemed to have a good personality, the air in the office was incredibly heavy, so doubts naturally arose.
“Our Nostra recently investigated the underground city left by Deliaspi Dyne.”
Since quite an interesting topic came up right from the start, Franz naturally leaned in to listen.
“The underground city was exactly as His Majesty described in his letter. There were traces of a fierce battle, and it was completely devastated. However, there was exactly one thing that was different.”
Franz didn’t know the details about that place either.
Right after the battle ended, he was rescued by the mages of the Magic Tower and returned to the empire.
So it was only natural for him to have questions.
Just what was there that made the man in front of him speak as if it were so important…
“In the place where the traces of battle were, there was a door - or rather, a passage - leading somewhere else.”
“A passage, you say?”
A voice popped out of Franz’s mouth reflexively.
And for good reason, as a passage leading to another place was magic that had yet to be developed.
Although it was theoretically possible, a magic stone capable of withstanding that massive mana consumption did not exist in the world.
“In fact, our investigation team went inside, but…”
A shadow slowly fell over his expression.
He didn’t know what was going to be said next, but it definitely wouldn’t be anything positive.
“Out of the ten or so people, only one returned. And even he had one of his arms completely severed.”
“…What happened?”
“From what we heard, beyond the passage was a sort of cave. To be exact, a giant anthill… I should say. They said unknown monsters popped out from there. And quite strong ones at that.”
Franz realized it as soon as he heard his story.
'That’s a gate connected to a labyrinth…'
After subjugating the Demon Lord, he stopped the destruction of the world, and after that, he faced the Demon God, and this time it was a labyrinth…?
At this point, he would believe it if someone told him this world was being updated in real-time.