288 - - The Black Beast

"Alone, you really are back!"

The presumptive Hadil runs happily up to the Prime Minister. At his feet is a silver arabesque.

"I came to see you after receiving your report - have you finished your story?"

The presumed Lady Sylvia does not enter the hall from the cloister, but checks in. Compared to Hadil, who is cheerful and boyishly bright, she seems fragile but thoughtful.

I do not intend to know the attributes of the higher-ups in the country, nor to infer from them the skills they possess. However, I think that it is better to hide some of their skills from the public to be a trump card in case of emergency, and on the other hand, it may be more advantageous for those who are in leadership positions to reveal their skills.

My guess based on his attributes is that he is favored by water, favored by Phal, Phal is also the god of love, but Dru is the god of marriage and family, and so on, which is the only category that Kal, High Priest Kyle, and the Prime Minister are categorized in. I don't say what category.

If Val's blessing is with him, he becomes a womanizer, but if he is single, he is single-minded and once he falls in love, he can't go on to the next one even if he loses his love. Is he blessed by the gods because he was originally like that, or is he like that because he has the blessing?

According to Al of Fast, there are two types of patterns: the first is that the spirits like you because of your character and behavior, and the gods become interested in you when they see you gather together, and the second is that they are drawn to you because of your nature after the gods' blessings are given to you.

At any rate, Kal with Dru's blessing is out of the picture!　Congratulations!　--You're a family man, a handsome family man.

I drink the tea that Cal has brewed for me while thinking about such trivial matters. The Prime Minister asks me what I'm doing, and I drink it before it gets cold, since I'm dealing with a half-crying, overjoyed boy.

"I'm really getting used to it."

"Why the somber look there?"

Eagle is spreading clotted cream on a scone with a very serious face. It's thicker and richer than whipped cream, and the sweet and sour jam, which is orthodox but not overcooked and still retains the shape of strawberries, is irresistible on the scones. It is moist enough to make it soft and flaky, but not so moist that it robs the mouth of moisture.

"Well, I guess it's okay to be free now that we're out of the vertical society, isn't it?"

"I think we need to be polite, but you left it a little too long. Mmm, delicious."

Camilla brings to her mouth a scone that is stacked like a folded pie and then unmolded to form layers. They are moist and fluffy things called cookies in the U.S., or to put it simply, what you get in Kentucky. Drizzled with maple honey.

"It's party conversation, and I don't want to interrupt Your Highness and Mr. Alone. Excuse me, you've recently acceded to the throne and are now His Majesty."

Bust!　You're the king. ！！！！！　I thought he was a shadow of his former self!　If he was recently replaced, did something happen to the previous king?

"My lady, Princess Sylvia is your half-sister. The former king was frail and had only two children, so I'm told he's been in hiding ever since he abdicated."

The former king is a shadow of his former self!　

"In this country, a blessed saint may be queen, but in that case, she marries a royal and her business seems to be that of the royal family. The authority of the prime minister is also strong, and this is a very special country.

"Well, I don't think it's possible to suddenly run a country without being educated."

The size of the budget, the customs that people don't like to change, and so on. It's good to break taboos with new ideas, but it's hard to get all sides to come to an agreement.

The shortcake we are eating was requested by Cal and Camilla. I also like this classic cake.

By the way, behind the woman, Yuni and her group are stuck in the corridor. Isn't the number of clan members increasing again?　

No, are there usually priest soldiers from this country in the mix?　In any case, people are moving in and out of the corridor. And there is Yuni behind Princess Sylvia and in front of a group of soldiers or knights.

The high tea set looks good even if it is poorly arranged, as long as it is placed according to the rules. Recently, when I put out the cat-leg table, Camilla puts out the tablecloth and Cal puts out the flowers, so it's elegant.

"Excuse me. You have restored Alone to its original state, haven't you?　Thank you."

"Oh ....... Never mind."

I would have rather had a cat, but the smile and the words hurt me. King, please stop looking at me with a teary-eyed smile.　There are negotiations between nations and bargaining with the nobles, right?

No, I'm not going to get into the fact that I'm having tea before that, so I'm just going to sit there and drink it - isn't that disrespectful, to put it mildly. The king is still standing.

Eagle and Camilla are standing when King Hadil approaches.

"Good for you."

"Yes, please teach me the sword again."

Galahad stands up and talks to him happily, and King Hadil smiles childishly. Galahad, who is a caring person, seems to have taken care of him in some way and missed him.

"As a way of saying thank you, I can show you the location of the incense burner you are looking for - or what might be the location of the incense burner.

"Your Majesty ......"

The Prime Minister calls out a reproachful voice.

"Alone, it is out of our hands. Alone, it is beyond our control. I know Alone is working hard to rebuild it now, but perhaps we are running out of time."

"...... Is it a good thing that I was approached by a central figure in the counter-empire?"

The vizier sighs to himself as King Hadil speaks of the weakening of his country without concealment. Even I, who am not well versed in the affairs of the world, have heard this story, so I feel that it is too late to hide it from the public. ...... No, it is possible that it is actually hidden from the public since my main sources of information are Kal and Galahad.

And come to think of it, the ostensible purpose was to help the empire and seal the beast. And really, it's a trap that I can't stand up now, I've completely missed the timing.

"The censer is in a place that can only be entered with the permission of royalty - or more precisely, a high ranking person - and the blessing of the Moon Goddess. But if the censer is moved, the protection of this place may be lost.

"It's going to be a long story."

A test to get a chair out of the room. I'm also concerned about the people stuck in the corridor, but for now, I'd like to make this king stand up and do something about the situation I'm sitting in.

"Please stay back."

Was King Hadil also concerned?　He calls out to the people stuck in the corridor to take their seats. Some of them stayed behind in spite of the king's words, perhaps unsure about leaving the king together with those who were suspicious - mainly me. But the Prime Minister's warning has made those who stayed behind disappear as well.

We freshen up the food on the table, feeling happy for them, but not wanting to leave any leftovers. But enough of the sweets.

The drink is elderflower champagne. Baked apples with cloves, prosciutto ham, cheese on a baguette. Shrimp au gratin quiche, crispy pie crust with chicken and mushrooms in white sauce and beef cubes with black pepper. And other things you can pick up with your hands for the time being.

"Muscat ......?"

"It's a drink made from a little white flower called elderflower. It carbonates in the natural fermentation process, but when it ferments further, it turns into alcohol."

Before King Hadil and I became alcohol, and after everything else we served had become alcohol.

The secret is not to wash the elderflower, otherwise it will not ferment. The trick is not to wash the elderflowers; if you wash them, they will not ferment. The aroma is slightly sweet, similar to muscat, but the flavor is lost, so if you want to enjoy the aroma, it might be better to give up fermentation, make a syrup, and drink it with carbonated water.

Oh, don't worry, it was mainly Liddell who collected the freshly bloomed flowers. There are a few that I picked, too.

I served them because they have a relaxing effect, but they also have whitening and diuretic effects. I recommend this drink for preventing a long meeting, but don't drink it yourself. I have no other intention since this is a world without toilets.

"Well, this is..."

"Delicious!"

After seeing the vizier take a sip of it, King Hadil took a sip of it, which was probably some kind of poison.

"So the censer is ......"

This one is delicious too!"

"Hmm, this one is pretty good too."

What is the guardian of this land?

"The white sauce goes well with the dough!"

"It looks so ordinary, why does it taste so different?"

Conversation will not continue: ！！！！！

"Give up until you've eaten your way through."

Galahad picks at his food while drinking.

"I remember the first time I had this dish.

"My taste buds have become so accustomed to the food that a normal meal just isn't enough."

Camilla and Eagle sip their glasses as they watch King Hadil and his vizier.

"Lord, I'd like to try that cake you just had."

Oh, yes. You missed it, didn't you?　I think Cal is generally going at his own pace these days.

"Excuse me, you were talking about the incense burner, weren't you?"

After a while, I finally got to hear what he had to say. The vizier looks a little embarrassed and awkward, and the king looks red and fidgety, as if he is very embarrassed. Thank goodness he is a boy king. It would not be a good picture if the king was an old man.

"Why do they say that you lose your protection when you move the incense burner?　What is protection anyway?"

"There are guardian beasts deep beneath the earth. It hates man so much that it makes this place its home and shakes the earth every time it awakens from its shallow sleep."

"What are you protecting that isn't people?"

For a moment, I wondered if I had mistaken a sealing beast for a guardian beast, but then I reconsidered that the thing being protected is not necessarily a human being.

"There are guardian beasts that listen to people's wishes. It is better to think of them as protecting this world and the balance of its attributes by being there, regardless of the activities of people.

"I have heard that incense burners are used to put the guardian beasts to sleep more deeply. A few generations ago it was possible to get to the guardian beast's side, but now the narrow path has collapsed and demons have appeared, so it is not easy to get to it. Even if we could get close, what will happen when the censer is moved and the guardian beast is awakened? ......"

"But now there is a gentile staying here with a thing that can replace the incense burner. We have not been able to visit them deep underground because we do not have enough people with the blessing of the Moon Goddess, but we will get there if you will go with us.

The Prime Minister looks around at us.

The Prime Minister calls Verna the Moon Goddess. Verna is often confused with an evil goddess, and her existence is often erased, but this country seems to favor her. The king has the blessing of darkness, and I would not be surprised if an incarnation of Verna appears somewhere in this country, or rather in that off-limits area in the middle of it.

"Either the enemy is strong or we have to split up to proceed!"

"Both."

The vizier answers Galahad's question shortly.

"I've seen a bird guardian called lran up close, but what exactly is this guardian here?"

I have seen them up close, or rather fought them, but I am afraid I will be scolded if they are protected in this country.

"The guardian beast here is..."

"Ishvaan, the Black Beast, King of the Mystiffs."

"Don't be a fool!　There is no king!　The Mistiff has been ruled by a queen for generations!

Before I could react to the words of the vizier and King Hadil, who had presumptuously told me his name, a black one came screaming out and zipped out of the room. A third party (?) came from an unexpected place. The vizier and King Hadil are frozen by the appearance of

I'm sorry about my moray.