Book 8: Chapter 33

Celis’ room, which they arrived at, was a slight small place.

There was a smallish bed, an old wooden desk, and then a single chair. There was a wooden door attached to the largish window, and it was tightly closed right now.

The tightly packed books on a large bookshelf that was mismatched with the size of the room was also quite impressive.

After Celis quietly sat down on the bed, she looked up at Ichika.

Her gaze that said she wanted to say something immediately started to wander about through the air then once again returned to Ichika. And she repeated that loop of movements.

「……This does not look like a princess’ room. To begin with, the window is too large. If it is going to be a window of this size, there should be something like polished crystal so that invaders won’t be able to easily break in.」

「Even if we set in crystals, there are also people that could cut it and enter though……」

「What?」

「It’s nothing……」

In place of Celis who averted her eyes as she was being glared at, the chuckling Reina gave an explanation.

「It can’t be helped that it isn’t like a princess’ room. This was originally a servant’s room after all.」

「……Speaking from a security point of view, this room is easy to attack, and also hard to protect. If you have any self-awareness that you are one of the top people of influence, I would recommend that you move to an appropriate room.」

「If the enemy was a normal member of mankind, it would be just as you say. However, the opponents aren’t normal.……The most effective place that can protect Celis from the Alva, is only this room at the present time.」

Ichika made a puzzled face at Reina’s words.

The Alva can transfer and appear anywhere. In that case, a small room has few places to hide in, and should instead be hard to protect.

As if sensing Ichika’s doubts, Reina continued her words.

「Airspace Transfer is a magic that is made valid by setting the current location and the place of destination. Of course, it is also possible to make the place of destination to be random, but it’s unsuitable for assassinations and attacks that target specific people with certainty. And then, to set the place of destination, there is a need for information on that place that is accurate to a certain extent.」

「……However, the Alva’s Transfer should be different from the normal Transfer. What they use, is instead more like airspace movement……Would it not be appropriate to call it as something else.」

The method that the Alva make their appearances with, when compared to the common sense of the Mazoku, isn’t Transfer.

The Alva act as if cutting through the air and appear from there. That seems as if they are directly connecting the airspace that they are in with their place of destination.

「Dunno? I wonder. The principles behind it aside, the Alva are also unable to move unless they know the place of destination.」

「However, the Alva have already made their appearance freely within the castle. In that case, would that not make it irrelevant no matter where you are at this point?」

「It’s a simple story. Even if they know about the important places within the castle……like the Throne Room or the proper secret chambers that royalty would hide in for example, they wouldn’t know about the locations of the pointless rooms, like the ones that the servants stay in. In that case, they would have no choice but to transfer in randomly as they were aiming for where Celis is, and if they were to draw a miss, I would sense them without fail and annihilate them. In short, that’s how it is.」

「……I see, so this is an action with the assumption that the hostile forces and the Alva have joined forces.」

To Narika, a servant’s room was 「a pointless room」. There might be some among the knights that accompanied her that might know their locations, but they wouldn’t think that Celis was in a servant’s room, and even if they were to think that way, they wouldn’t be able to specify the right room among the large number of them. That is why the Alva probably wouldn’t be able to make a direct transfer.

Putting it another way, as far as the other 「proper rooms」 are concerned, it also meant that the opponent had a grasp of those locations.

「It’s not like there’s any proof to it, but there isn’t a law that says that it can’t be dealt with unless there is proof. Well, even if there was one, it wouldn’t matter to me though.」

Saying that, Reina grinned.

「Now then, I believe that I was able to get you to understand the security of this room.」

「……That is true. Well, to a certain extent.」

「Very good.」

After Reina nodded, she turned her gaze to Celis who was still tightly gripping onto the long staff.

When Ichika was drawn in by that and looked over there as well, Celis trembled with a jump looking frightened.

「……The hood is moving isn’t it. A Beastman……I see, so it’s an ancestral return.」

「Yes, it helps that you’re quick to pick up on stuff. Since this girl doesn’t like it, she habitually keeps the hood on though.」

After Reina said that, Celis tightly pressed down on her hood……and then hurriedly held the staff in between her thighs as it was about to fall over.

Ichika breathed a sigh at that scene, then asked Reina a question.

「So, Reina. Why are you here?」

「There isn’t any particularly deep meaning to it. When I saved a child that was making a face like she was about to cry, I got dragged into all of this. Moreover, it’s a situation that was more troublesome than I expected, and there would be various problems if I were to openly resolve it.」

Ichika had felt some discomfort with those words, but she didn’t say anything about it for the time being and turned her gaze to Celis’ staff.

「……About that staff.」

「It’s the Altluwand.」

Ichika and Celis simultaneously made surprised faces at Reina who answered so readily.

「R, Reina……!? I told you to keep that a secret.」

「I’m sure that this girl had noticed it already. She was repelled from it earlier after all.」

Although she felt nostalgic from seeing Reina say that with a nonchalant face, Ichika once again looked at the long staff that was said to be the Altluwand.

When she did, Celis tightly grasped the long staff with a look that was even more flustered than before.

Its material, was most likely Holy Silver. The Magic Gem that was fitted into it was yellow. That surely meant that it strengthened the Light system of magic very well.

Its overall decorations made it suitable to be called a long staff for ceremonial use, however, it was lacking to be called a sacred treasure.

But, in reality, Ichika was clearly rejected by the staff earlier.

「……Well, it’s fine. I have no interest no matter what that staff is. More importantly, Reina, why are you able to touch that?」

Reina was able to touch the Altluwand.

Sacred treasures choose people, and if the Altluwand had chosen Celis, Reina should have also been repelled.

「Even if you ask me why. Please make that sort of complaint to Raidolg.」

「……Reina.」

After glaring at Reina, Ichika breathed a long sigh.

「It is for this reason right now that a question comes to mind.」

「What is it?」

Ichika faced right in front of Reina, who was expressing a small smile with the corner of her lips and looked like she was having fun.

「……Just, who are you?」