Volume 1, Chapter 8

Volume 1, Chapter 8

Translator: Adam Seacord

Editor: Weasalopes

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「So we want a few things explained, already. That alright with y’all?」

The day after the Japanese members of the group decided on their next step, Hiroshi opened up the conversation after a breakfast together had been completed.

「You may be right. It may be time to tell you our side of the story.」

「Lord Douga!? 」

「Call me Doul, Reena. And no need for honorifics.」

After what had become a frequent recurring conversation, Douga faced the Japanese members again. That being said, it seemed that Rayna attempted to stop Douga not because she was against telling their story.

「There is something I want to confirm before we begin.」

「Yeah?」

「Was it you, Hiroshi-dono, who crafted the antidotes when the horde of Venomous Wolves appeared a month and a half ago.」

「…Knowing ya, you’re askin’ ‘cus ya already know the answer, so I’ll be honest. It was me. Made ‘bout three hundred and change of them.」

Hiroshi answered Douga honestly. Aearis’ and Douga’s eyes clearly shifted. Aearis, especially, looked as if she wanted to say something but had reservations about asking for more, still keeping Rayna’s transgression in mind. Seeing the stalemate, Haruna broke through it with a direct question:

「Does Hiroshi-kun’s potion making and you guys being trapped by Piaranork have something to do with each other?」

「Not directly. But when it comes to breaking through our current situation, it may play a big part.」

「Somethin’ complicated?」

「Very.」

While Hiroshi and Haruna had expected this answer, when Douga told it to their face, they didn’t know what to say. Chuckling at them, Douga organized what he needed to share in his mind. As he pondered where to start, it occurred to him that he may have to divulge their own identity openly if he wanted help from Hiroshi and Haruna at all.

Douga thought that, judging by their attitude, Hiroshi and Haruna had a clue as to their identity but weren’t quite sure of it. It didn’t seem like Makoto had told them about it, either. And Douga was sure that, from the time they had spent together, that Hiroshi and Haruna had no intention of making an enemy out of them. On that note, other than Makoto and Tatsuya, the other three Japanese members were desperately lacking in talent to deceive anyone with malice. While Douga didn’t know what to make of Mio, whom he hadn’t spoken to much, Hiroshi and Haruna were smarter than most, and they were sharp and wary enough to notice possibilities about being deceived or betrayed themselves, but they seemed na?ve at their core, where they would never consider shooting first.

Douga saw them as trustworthy for their character, and for their secret-keeping, somewhat. But because he saw that they were good people, Douga couldn’t trust their talent in acting. While he doubted that could be tricked into spilling the beans too easily, he wasn’t sure if they could refrain from giving away any tells when questioned. Then, he realized that they couldn’t possibly be as stupidly honest as Rayna.

While Rayna’s straightforwardness was charming, it was coupled with her detriments of a one-track mind, inability to read between the lines, and incapability of lying. She was stoic and unwavering, making her a hard target to manipulate. On the other hand, once she had set her mind it was difficult for anyone to get her back on the right track. This made her susceptible to unexpected (non-combat related) events. Of course, Rayna wasn’t completely useless. Her youth and characteristics made her unfit for politics and negotiations, but she was much more of use than the average recruit, like the third son who had no hopes of inheriting the family business.

She had only ended up cornering Hiroshi, in part, because both people who could reign her in were incapacitated. She had just become an adult, after all, and she was bound to improve with experience, somewhat. Best of all, she recognized her own flaws, and was striving to improve them. Douga always thought he could afford to give her more time. Besides, Hiroshi himself was opposed to a harsh punishment. Douga was worried that if he administered an unnecessary punishment without a closer look, he could further damage their relationship. Of course, if something like the incident were to happen again, he would have no more chances to give Rayna.

Comparing Hiroshi and Haruna to his own subordinate, Douga came to a conclusion. They were easier to handle than Rayna, very loyal, and were skilled enough to take down Piaranork with just the two of them. The same could be said for Tatsuya, except he seemed like he had also lived enough to play some politics. As for Mio, Douga doubted that she would say anything unnecessary as long as Tatsuya and Hiroshi told her not to. Of course, Hiroshi was extremely skilled in (at least) potion making, blacksmithing and crafting magical items. Douga considered the risk of sharing their information, and it seemed like the benefit he would receive through honesty and gaining their trust outweighed that risk. With that conclusion, Douga was finally ready to tell the whole story, including their identity.

「Are you ready?」

「Yes. I would like to keep what I am about to say to this house, if possible.」

「Lord Douga! I will not oppose telling them our story! But are you going to tell them everything, right here, right now!?」

「Call me Doul, I say.」

「I don’t care! Don’t tell them everything when we don’t know who could be listening!」

「That’s all takin’ care of. Don’t ya worry ‘bout it.」

Hearing this, Aearis closed her eyes.

「…Very high-level soundproofing and anti-eavesdropping, as well as clairvoyance-censoring barriers are set around the entire workshop. And another layer around this room. Who did this?」

「Hiroshi-kun made a tool for the workshop. I was doing them at first, but it was getting tiresome to do them over every day, so I ask him to make them after awhile.」

Tatsuya chimed in:

「This room is covered by Mio and I. We thought it could be a long story. Also, we cast Dispel on this room beforehand, so even if there was something planted here already, it won’t be working.」

Douga and Rayna looked impressed. All of those spells were once a requirement for a quest in-game, and actually happened to be rather useless after that one quest. The Soundproof barrier at least came in handy for neutralizing the Cursing Songs and supersonic attacks of Harpies and Sirens, but Eavesdrop and Clairvoyance protection was normally never used outside of a mandatory quest. To boot, some quests require a needless high Skill Level, so many players were adept in these spells for no good reason.

Of course, they went through the trouble to set all of this up for some privacy. Information regarding Hiroshi was especially dangerous. Without exaggeration, he could turn the current international power balance on its head. While Hiroshi himself consider that a little excessive, he was at least aware that he would be in more trouble than he wanted if word got out about his abilities.

「So, unless they’re super-powered, they ain’t gettin’ anythin’ from Eavesdroppin’. So spit it all out, now.」

「Hiroshi-kun, you really have a way with words.」

Chuckling at Hiroshi and Haruna’s comic routine, Douga began by explaining some basic knowledge about themselves and the government of this nation. Aearis seemed to have trusted Douga with the tasks, and remained silent. Rayna also seemed to be satisfied, and kept to herself most of the time.

Aearis, who Rayna addressed as “Princess,” was the fifth and youngest crown princess of the nation. By blood, she was the second daughter of the royal family. As an exception in Farlane court, which had always had male rulers, Aearis was in line for the throne, although very low on the list. This was because of the duties bestowed upon her. On a side note, while every peasant to orphan had a last name in Farlane, the royal family didn’t. The excuse for this was that the royal line were one and only, and didn’t need to be differentiated from others by a last name. Royalties of most other countries that have a certain length of history didn’t have last names, mostly because they copied the customs of Farlane, which boasts the longest history among the all current nations.

There was a reason why Farlane’s rulers have been males. For some reason, the Hereditary Spell passed down through the royal family didn’t get passed down to the children of princesses. Despite being passed down to both male and female children of princes who can use the Hereditary Spell. This was why even the sons of the king and a concubine were treated better than daughters of the king and queen. By the way, (not only for Farlane) any Hereditary Spell was never passed down to children born in other countries. While the reason for this was unclear, the public’s interpretation was that because each nation was protected by a different god. In addition, any children of males, who happened to cut ties with the royal family (like marrying someone in another country) don’t have the Hereditary Spell passed down to them. This was also true for royalties of all nations.

So, why was Aearis in line for the throne? Largely because of her title as the Priestess Princess. The Priestess Princesses of Farlane communes with the Goddess Alfemina (the protector of the country), and uses the powers of the goddess through their body and magic. They were literal shaman. Only a woman who takes this position can bear children who can use the Hereditary Spell. Of course, even their children, if they marry and birth the children outside of Farlane, won’t have the Hereditary Spell passed down to them.

「You sound like you have a very important position. It’s seems a little weird that you’re only company is Douga-san and Rayna-san.」

「Somethin’s up, I bet. It don’t sound like there’s only one of these Priestess Princesses per generation, either. 」

「My guess is that the line for the throne isn’t set in stone, either.」

Hiroshi and Tatsuya chimed in their guess on the royal system.

「That is correct. Princess is more powerful than anyone in this generation, or the past five for that matter. But there are two more unmarried princesses above her who are qualified to be the Priestess Princess.」

「Besides, the Priestess Princess isn’t allowed to hold any political influence. A princess who may become the Priestess Princess will study some kingcraft, but nine out of ten, they will never end up using it.」

In short, they were worthless politically, and replaceable. Aearis herself wasn’t important. Besides, since she spent most of the day in the more than well-secured Alfemina Temple, and spent the rest in the castle (the most well-secured architecture of the country) she simply didn’t need too many people following her around. Both Douga and Rayna were top-class in terms of combat prowess. Douga, in fact, had considerable political influence as well.

The biggest reason for Aearis’ lack of companions, however, can be attributed to a servant assigned to her before Aearis took on the role of the Priestess Princess was quite a troubled person with impeccable talent for covering things up. Every trouble this servant caused had brought Aearis’ reputation down. As a result, Aearis was extremely unpopular to most (excluding some people in the royal family and important political circles) which made Rayna (who had been with Aearis since they were children) one of the few people willing to serve Aearis.

「Smells kinda fishy to me.」

「The king isn’t stupid enough to assign that kind of servant to his own daughter, is he?」

「No. There were some issues that mustn’t be talked about that come into play. It does have affect our current situation, but it is frankly an embarrassment to our nation, and I would like to spare you the details. I will tell you that five years ago, just when we were about to assign her her own servant, when a horde of large monsters appeared. We just didn’t have eyes on all of our human resources. That’s when she slipped through the cracks.」

The Japanese members could understand the horde of large monsters. Even in-game, there were a few times when there were incidents like that, as an administrated event. Especially the appearance of a large horde would usually take a month or even up to three months to take care of. The longer the players took, the wider the aftermath spread. By all means, it was needlessly realistic.

「…Uh-huh. Sounds like much more than that ain’t our business, though. She ain’t in the picture anymore, is she?」

「She has been executed, so unless she comes back as a walking corpse, she is permanently out of the picture.」

Hiroshi and Haruna flash a complicated expression at this. Apparently, the servant was caught with attempted poisoning when Aearis’ position was finalized. It seemed like she had been framed, but by that time, the higher-ups knew that she had turned her back on the princess she was supposed to serve. Either way, she would have been executed sooner or later. While Farlane had a very high standards for legal execution, someone who was basically abusing royalty (a young, defenseless princess at that) easily qualified.

On another note, the man who had fired many tutors (who learned of Aearis’ situation and tried to rat) with his own authority in order to conceal the truth, had also been eliminated. He had enough power to do so, but not in position well enough to affect the core of the nation. Apparently, he had been spectacularly brainwashed.

「I really should have been able to hold onto the reins, no matter who I was dealing with…」

「Nah nah nah. I don’t ken when ya started havin’ her, but that kind of character would never let a preteen child “hold the reins”.」

「Actually, at first I thought you were older than you are, Elle-chan.」

「Same with me. In fact, I think you’re more mature than we are. 」

Hiroshi jumped in.

「Any noble’s daughter with a proper education is much more mature than I am.」

「”Proper” being the operative word, here.」

Rayna remarked, and everyone gave her a look as if that would bestow upon her some self-awareness.

「Let’s get back on topic.」

Tatusya said, and Douga continued with a nod:

「A bit of a side note, but there are two others with the qualifications of Priestess Princess at the moment. The second Crown Princess, who was born by the queen, and the fourth Crown Princess, who was not. The second Crown Princess and Aearis-sama are very close, and so are the second and fourth Crown Princess…」

「But that couldn’t be less true for Elle and the fourth Crown Princess.」

「More accurately, the fourth Crown Princess despises her one-sidedly.」

Douga added to Makoto’s remark. They looked at Aearis for confirmation, and she nodded with a sorrowful expression.

「It’s kinda complicated, ain’t it?」

「I’ve always wondered why they always have so many kids. They know there are going to be rivalries. With more than one woman, too. 」

The group could only truckle at Mio’s innocent question. Ideally, the best situation for a royal family would be to have one heir, and one Priestess Princess, in the case of Farlane, to prevent any drama. The problem was, the throne would hang on a single thread in this case. Especially since this world lacked in medical advancements compared to the real world, any royal family wanted a good number of potential heirs and back-ups to keep the bloodline from severing.

In fact, even in Japan where medicine was much more advanced than Farlane, it was very possible that there would no longer be a male heir to the emperorship in the near future, due to the lack of male children in the bloodline. Even risking some feuding over the throne, having a certain number of potential heirs seemed to be a necessity. In addition, a king’s concubines and their children can play roles in politics as well. It would be more difficult to not have them in a country as large as Farlane.

Still, it was easy to understand that Mio, a Japanese girl of a sensitive age (with an idealized view of romance) couldn’t swallow the existence of concubines and their numerous children with ease.

「Amazingly, the Queen and the two concubines are very fond of each other, and all of their children, with the exception of Aearis-sama and the fourth Crown Princess, are close as well. In turn…」

「That makes the rift between Elle and the fourth Crown Princess stand out even more. Sounds like a pretty big rift.」

「It does, naturally. She is displeased with Aearis-sama’s existence to begin with, so there is not much that can be done.」

「It’s kind of weird that it’s so hostile just between them. How old is the fourth Crown Princess, anyway?」

「She turns sixteen this year. She should be settling on a suitor in the near future.」

It was an awkward age gap.

「Sounds like a big hassle.」

「Indeed, quite a big one. To boot, the fourth Crown Princess has suddenly appointed this man as her advisor from who-knows-where.」

「Is he the one…」

「Who transported us to Piaranork. That’s the one.」

The Japanese member could only wince as they sank deeper and deeper into the convoluted court drama of Farlane.

「Just so we’re on the same page, can you outline the people in this country’s court?」

Haruna asked Douga, after some time in silence.

「Hm. The oldest of the children is Lord Avin, son of the first concubine. He is 22 years old, but he is moving to our ally, Falldania as a prince consort, so he has lost his place in line for the throne.」

「Aint’ that dangerous?」

「Falldania was born out of Farlane. The younger brother of our third king, who wanted to avoid any conflict for the throne, took his group of supporters to the continent across the Ridona Sea, and built Falldania there. So, when they are short on male heirs, we may send a prince consort. Besides, the first concubine is the cousin of the current king of Falldania, the niece to the previous king. He had the right blood for the position, anyway.」

「Is he cool with it?」

「He’s ecstatic, I’m sure. It’s public knowledge that Lord Avin and Princess Presea, first in line for the throne of Falldania, are lovers.」

The Japanese members looked pleased by the good news from Rayna. Regardless of any politics involved, it was nice to know that they were happy with each other.

「Getting back on track… The daughter of the second concubine, Lady Magdarena, used to be the first Crown Princess. She turns twenty this year. She was betrothed to the crown prince of Darl. She recently had a daughter. There will be a celebration ball for her, next year. 」

「Then, the second Crown Princess Elena, daughter to the queen. She turns 19 this year. Since she is the queen’s daughter, a suitor has to be chosen more carefully. As such, she is still unmarried. Since she is also the Priestess Princess, she will most likely marry a powerful noble in the country.」

「Then there is the fourth Princess Katrina, age 16, whom we have been talking about. Then the next-in-line, the Crown Prince Layotte, 15. And the third Crown Prince Mark, the son of the second concubine. Below them is Aearis-sama.」

「The son of the king’s brother is also in line for the throne, but he’s only 3 years old, and hasn’t really taken to the Hereditary Spell. No noble is unaware of the importance of the Hereditary Spell, so there is no movement to back him.」

The group mentally organized all the information Douga and Rayna had just explained. Haruna, after drawing up a simple diagram, asked to confirm:

「So, the ones who might be involved in politics, at least in the country, are Elena-sama, Katrina-sama, Crown Prince Layotte, and Elle-chan. Does that sound right?」

「Sure does.」

「And any fight for power is going to be between Katrina-sama and Elle-chan?」

「Their relationship is the only one with a chance to turn into such a thing, but it won’t be a fight for power. Unfortunately, Aearis-sama isn’t popular.」

There weren’t many people who have the opportunity to directly know the face and character of royalty before they become of age to attend social functions. Aearis was chosen to be the Priestess Princess, and began her life of isolation in the Temple, before she was old enough to attend even the nobles’ tea parties, the practice rounds for other social functions. As a result, no one but the higher-ups of the temple and the royal family, along with people who have been serving since her youth (like Douga) had a clear picture of who Aearis was.

The aftermath of the servant’s debauchery was still prevalent, and the vast majority were even unhappy that Aearis was chosen to be the Priestess Princess in the first place. The pushback for Aearis is only contained (at least on the surface) because Princess Elena and the previous Priestess Princess have unequivocally declared that no other candidate is better suited for the job than Aearis, both by virtue of powers and character. If it came down to a popular vote, more people who cast their vote for Princess Katrina or Princess Elena.

True, the Priestess Princess held no political power. But the job was a vital pillar of the nation’s foundation, along with the monarch. There were historical records of Priestess Princess with troubled characteristic in the past, and times were bad for the country when that happened. It was only natural that most people would oppose a child taking that position, when all they have heard about her were bad rumors.

With all of that in the background, they couldn’t hire any old personnel to guard or serve Aearis. The only qualified personnel at the moment were Douga, who had proven himself through the years and made friends with every member of the royal family, and Rayna who was skilled more than enough in combat, and at the very least, who never betray her. An erroneous addition to the party just opened up the window for betrayal, or abuse of the Priestess Princess’ powers. The problem was, with her reputation this bad, most people with common sense and smarts would never work for Aearis.

「So, my gut feeling is that this Princess Katrina’s a brat.」

「We can’t tell you anything about that. We wouldn’t want to cloud your judgement.」

「At the very least, she acts like a responsible lady in public.」

Douga and Rayna gave a vague response to Tatsuya’s remark. It appeared that Aearis herself couldn’t say much about, since she was in the midst of it. The lives of the high and noble always seemed to be tangled up in red tape, no matter which world they were in.

「So, I just remembered this. How does me makin’ those antidotes come in play for your future?」

「Can we assume that, since you can make antidotes, you are well versed in poison?」

「A bit, I guess. 」

「Then, let me ask you this. Can you make a poison with no taste or smell? One that can make a target ill, without killing the taster?」

「Makin’ the poison itself ain’t hard. It’s easy as pie as long as we can dose ‘em more than once. The only trick part’s adjustin’ the dosage.」

Frowning to this quick answer, Douga continued:

「Can you negate that kind of poison?」

「Depends, but I could take care of most poisons out there. Unless it’s too late for that. I could use an All-purpose Potion, but I gotta go far for the ingredients, and our equipment’s a little shotty, and like I said, if it’s too late for it, negatin’ the poison won’t do a thing.」

「Hm. How about an illness?」

「Same goes. I’ll have to hear the symptoms and check it out for myself, but I could cure most. Now any kind of after effect for an disease or a poison is free game. I can’t say how that’ll turn out until I see ‘em.」

「I see…」

After pondering for a moment, Douga got up and prepared to leave.

「Where are you going?」

「I’m going to pop in at the Association.」

With that, he changed his appearance with the magical item, and swiftly walked out, leaving Aearis and Rayna behind.

「So, y’all know what he was talkin’ about?」

「…Elena hasn’t been feeling well for a long time, now…」

「The court doctor and magician couldn’t figure it out?」

「Yes. They said she has a mysterious illness, but…」

「We can’t be too sure ‘til I hear her symptoms and take a look at her.」

Hiroshi pointed, out and Aearis nodded, and began to list the symptoms as much as she could remember. Most were shared by many illness, but…

「Tremors in her hands and feet, and phantom pains, huh? Does Princess Elena dine with everyone else?」

「Since about a week before her symptoms started appearing, she was always alone, except for lunch. It was in part because everyone in the family had a varying schedule.」

「How ‘bout you, Elle?」

「I usually eat at the Temple, and eat the same things as the other priests there…」

「Gotcha. Do the tasters rotate?」

「Yes. We have their body and conditions to consider, and to ensure there are no mistakes, there are four tasters at a time, in a different combination of members, each time.」

「No one else has her symptoms?」

「No.」

With this much information, Hiroshi was sure.

「It’s poison.」

「You’re sure?」

「There is a disease that cause similar symptoms. But, the only way to get infected is bein’ scratched by a Marjin Rat. And once it infects a human, it spreads like wildfire, so a bunch a people would have been showin’ symptoms. It’s only got a long incubation period for the first infected person. Besides, she would have healed on her own in two weeks without any treatment or nothin’. So, it’s poison. No shred of doubt.」

「Can you make an antidote for it?」

「Yeah, no problem. The thing is, I gotta use ingredients that spoil fast. Can’t make it right away.」

Even with their Rotproof enchantment, they didn’t have a large stock for all materials. Obscure materials required for potions, especially, weren’t easy to get a hold of, even in Wulls, the trade port of the west.

「How long’s it been since her first symptom popped up?」

「Let’s see… Almost a month, I believe. It had at least been two weeks when we were trapped by Piaranork.」

「Was it pretty dumb goofin’ ‘round here like this?」

「I wouldn’t say that…」

「Guess ya wouldn’t.」

In reality, even with his track record of crafting the large amount of antidotes, there was no way that they would come to a no-name adventurer about this. It should take two weeks or so for them to go through everyone with the appropriate credentials. Even without the Piaranork incident, it would have taken them just as long to get to and interview Hiroshi and Haruna as it took for Aearis and her party to wake up and get to this point. It was a marginal difference.

「Well, we can’t do much until Uncle Doul comes back. What do you want to do?」

「Sun’s gettin’ high. Why don’t we whip up another taste of ol’ Japan?」

Hearing this, Aearis’ expression brightened for a change.

「What are you going to make?」

「Pork, squid, shrimp, beef tenderloin, cabbage, flour, and sweet potato. You can do the math from there, can’t ya?」

Hiroshi responded to Tatsuya with a list of ingredients. A man from Osaka could only be prepping for one dish with that combination of ingredients. Needless to say, both the pork and beef were produced from an animal that taste similar, since they didn’t have the same kind of animals here as they did on Earth. The “pigs” of Farlane, especially, didn’t produce much lard nor broth from its bones (it didn’t host parasites, for that matter). The only similarity between them and pigs on Earth were their looks, as well as the texture and taste of the meat.

「Nice. Can I request it in Modern-style?」

「’Course. I’ll compromise and do Hiroshima-style, but not Monja-style, I’m beggin’ ya. Just a matter of taste, though.」

「That’s okay. Monja-style isn’t my favorite anyway.」

As they discussed the details, they placed a black flat-top on the dining table. It was an industrial-sized flat top that covered a third of their gigantic dining table. They could flip a dozen of Okonomiyaki pancakes at once if they wanted to. The detail of Hiroshi’s craftsmanship really shows through the polished surface and special coatings for rust prevention and whatnot. Not to mention that it had been enchanted here and there to make it a magic-powered. Some serious time was spent on crafting this piece.

「When did you have the time to…」

「When I was checkin’ the furnace. Somethin’ like this don’t take as much materials as it looked.」

The materials, by the way, were recycled metal parts of busted tools he scavenged.

「Alright, let’s get to it.」

With that declaration, Hiroshi started swiftly chopping the cabbage and expertly kneading the dough. He seemed to have some sense of pride in his work, as he prepped the entire thing alone, without even letting Haruna touch it.

「What can I get ya?」

「Pork ball!」

「Modern. Scrambled. With two eggs.」

「Sensei, can I get some cheese on top, too?」

「Sure can. Comin’ right up.」

After taking the orders, he whipped enough everyone’s dish at once. Chuckling at Aearis, who was only able to look up at Hiroshi timidly. He took it upon himself to whip her up a tenderloin scramble, his favorite. Usually, Hiroshi would work with Haruna or Mio, but today he was working alone from start to finish. After cooking up the pancakes in about fifteen minutes, he dressed them with mayonnaise and steak sauce to match everyone’s request before topping it with nori and bonito flakes and handing the dishes out. Then, everyone started eating them with chopsticks rather than the spatula. In fact, Aearis and Rayna had gotten used to using chopsticks, lately. Rayna was rather taken aback by the bonito flakes dancing by the steam, but Aearis didn’t seem to be bothered at all.

And so, Aearis took another step into the depths of Japan’s culinary culture.

***

「I was expecting you.」

「Sorry for the trouble.」

At the Wulls HQ of the Adventurers’ Association, Douga was speaking with the president of the Association.

「Is she unharmed?」

「She is doing well. Perhaps because she has been dining on rare delicacies, her face is brightening by the day. She looks better than ever.」

「Wonderful to hear.」

The president sighed with utter relief upon hearing this. He was one of the few people outside of court who knew Aearis directly, and as such, one of the few people who was concerned by Aearis’ horrible reputation.

「And at the court?」

「Allow me to explain.」

A young man, closer to a boy’s age, jumped into answer Douga’s question. A soft-looking man, tall and slender, with silver hair and somewhat of a resemblance to Aearis. Even though he only looked like a fifteen-year-old child, he carried a sharp aura about him. Combined with his always-on-alert demeanor, no one (save for the very dull) would dismiss this man as a youngling, or a weakling.

Judging by the fact that he didn’t sense this young man presence until the moment he opened his mouth, Douga assumed that he had transported here with a spell or something. His opportune timing suggested that someone had notified him of Douga’s arrival. Thanks in part to the fact that Layotte himself held an Adventurer’s license, he had a close relationship with the Association.

「My lord…」

「I’ve received your reports. You’ve done good work, Ernest.」

「An honor, My Lord.」

Douga kneeled in response, and bowed his head nearly to the ground.

「We’re not in public. At ease, Ernest.」

「Yes, My Lord!」

With Layotte’s permission, Douga took his seat.

「My Lord…」

「Elena is doing worse. 」

「No…」

「Her life isn’t in immediate danger, but she can no longer walk on her own.」

Douga gritted his teeth to the news worse than he expected. Layotte continued, as if to console him:

「What did the adventurer tell you?」

「That he would need to see the symptoms for himself, but he can cure most ailments. However, he also said that, whether it be poison or illness, it was possible that it was too late for him to do anything.」

「Can you trust him?」

「At the very least, I can guarantee that he is the best in the city.」

Nodding, Layotte took out his card and contacted someone.

「I called Julius. We’ll be transporting out of here, so he’ll come here on foot. It should take him awhile. Catch me up while he’s on his way. Have you eaten today?」

「No, sir. I intended to return presently after my report.」

「Then let’s eat here. Prepare us something light, will you?」

「Yes, My Lord.」

After watching the president leave, Layotte let out a long sigh.

「We just can’t get ahead, can we?」

「That falls on my hands, My Lord.」

「No, our opponent wields a long-distance transportation spell in a wide range without the High Priest or High Monk realizing. You and your team didn’t stand a chance. It was our fault, actually, for anticipating some kind of attack and failing to prevent it.」

「If I could have only struck him back, even once, Princess Aearis would have had enough time to cast her spell…」

Layotte shook his head to interrupt Douga. His sister had no skill whatsoever when it came to combat. Even if Douga had bought her some time, she couldn’t have cast a spell during the sudden commotion. In fact, he considered it a miracle that she was able to cast the spell to protect herself against Piaranork. Furthermore, a benevolent adventurer coming to the rescue was more than a miracle. Layotte could only explain it as an act of a higher power.

「What is the scoundrel saying?」

「He desperately wants Elena and Aearis to step down from the position of Priestess Princess. He started clamoring that Katrina should be given the position, claiming that Elena is bedridden and that Aearis ran away, abandoning her duties. The Temple is rejecting it for now, but who knows how long that will last…」

「I see.」

「Like the previous Priestess Princess has said, Katrina can ruin our nation from that position. They can bark all they want, but as long as Alfemina-sama doesn’t accept the change, no one but Aearis will serve as the Priestess Princess.」

Douga nodded in sincere agreement. Then, the president of the Association returned with a light meal. A very simple plate, comprised of a warm soup (still steaming) and smoked meat grilled and sandwiched with black bread.

「I’m afraid all we can prepare is this meagre meal…」

「That’s fine. No matter how simple, I would rather eat a fresh and warm meal than nibble from a table full of cold, elaborate dishes, terrified of poison.」

「My Lord, allow me to taste it before…」

「No need. The adventurers are eating these, too, this time of the day. He’s serving the same meal. If there were any poison in the batch, there would have been chaos.」

Nodding in agreement, Douga and the president still ate their food before Layotte could get his hands on his. They both had a considerable carrier in adventuring, and as such, had developed some degree of resistance. In addition, with something this simple (with a straightforward flavor) they could have detected most any poison on the spot from experience.

「Speaking of…」

「My Lord?」

「You tell me Aearis has been dining on some rare delicacies. Could she stand to return to the bland meals served at the Temple?」

Layotte asked, as he is washed down what could only be described as meagre. Neither Douga nor Rayna had stopped to ask that question. Douga froze.

「…I must speak with the chef at the Temple. While the dishes are rare, they are not extravagant.」

「I see. So, do they make good food?」

「It may depend on one’s palette, for many of their dishes. Aearis-sama and I have both enjoyed them all.」

「Interesting.」

Layotte cracked (in some sort) an evil grin. As soon as Douga saw this, he regretted mentioning anything about food. Aearis wasn’t the only one unhappy about the dining situation at the castle and Temple.

「Let’s see… We’re going there anyway, can you ask them to cook us one of this strange delicacies?」

「…I will ask him, My Lord.」

Douga wallowed in his mistake of including food in his report, but what he didn’t know, is that it didn’t really matter whether he kept this from his report or not. After a quick discussion about the near future, Douga was left to describe the dishes he had eaten to Layotte with the time leftover. Then, a black-haired man in his mid-twenties entered. In contrast to Layotte’s skinny stature, this man was cool-blooded and handsome.

「Julius Felnork, reporting for duty.」

「You’re here. Faster than I’ve thought. Did you eat?」

「Military rations on the way.」

「Ernest.」

「Yes, My Lord.」

Douga activated the Transportation Stones to Layotte’s cue. All of a sudden, Hiroshi and the rest of the part were looking to get involved with the royal court of Farlane.

***

Burning a hole into yet another steel plate (in a different shape this time) Aearis was daydreaming the possibilities of the dishes about to appear in front of her.

「Jeesh… I was wondering what you’ve been doing, sneaking around…」

「C’mon, what’s the harm?」

「There’s no harm, but…」

Makoto could not have sounded more exasperated looking at the equipment Hiroshi had produced for an afternoon snack. The steel plate in front of Hiroshi looked peculiar to Aearis and Rayna, with a grid of 8 by 12 half-spherical indents in it. It had been processed in all sorts of convoluted ways, radiating enough magic to tip off to most observers that the equipment was magic-powered. Of course, any Japanese person could instantly recognize it.

「Hold on, do we have octopus?」

「Who do ya think you’re talkin’ to?」

With that Hiroshi expertly started pouring oil into the indents. Once the heat was high enough, he filled the indents with some dough (similar but different from the dough earlier) and swiftly threw in the ingredients (including octopus, of course).

「Now, watch this.」

Hiroshi declared with a poker in hand, once he observed that the edge of the dough in each indent began to crisp. Weaving the poker like a swirling torrent, detaching the dough pouring out onto the spaces inbetween the indents. Pushing back the detached dough back into the indents before twirling the poker along the edge of the indent to flip over the ball with obvious expertise.

「Wow wow wow!」

Giving Aearis a glance, who kept uttering in a mix of awe and joy, Hiroshi kept flipping over the octopus balls. His technique was comparable to any professional vendor on the streets of Osaka.

「Amazing.」

「I don’t know if I should be surprised or not…」

「Anyone from Osaka can do this much, even a little kid.」

Hiroshi continued, flipping over the balls repeatedly to cook them evenly. His movements were completely free of hesitation or erroneous movement. He continued that for a while, and once he saw that all of them were cooked well, he placed upon a leaf, which he had turned into a makeshift tray, 8 octopus balls. Then, with expertise, topped them with steak sauce and mayonnaise, along with nori and bonito flakes before sticking a toothpick into one and serving it to Aearis.

「It’s hot, so be careful.」

Hiroshi warned Aearis, who had remained seated with excellent posture, staring at the cooking process with gaping eyes. If she had a tail, it would be wagging back and forth in joy. Before she reached for one, she did her usual glance at Hiroshi’s expression, but it seemed that today she couldn’t restrain herself for long, as she picked up one of the octopus balls. She apparently still heard Hiroshi’s warning, however, as she blew on the piping octopus ball in her hand before carefully putting it in her mouth.

「Hmm!」

The dish did seem rather confusing for the resident of another world. Aearis just rolled it back and forth in her mouth, looking perplexed. Chuckling at this sight, Hiroshi placed some more onto another tray.

「Mmm! This is so good!」

「You learned it in the Mecca of octopus balls, after all.」

The gang rolled the octopus balls back and forth in their mouths as they savored them, finished to a crisp exterior and a gooey filling. By this time, Aearis had recovered from the initial surprise, and began throwing them into her mouth.

「Try ‘em with soy sauce or ponzu. It’s pretty good.」

「Really? I want to try.」

「Here ya go.」

And so, Hiroshi threw the next batch into a couple of bowls, and topped one with soy sauce and the other with green onion and ponzu. He did not hold back.

「This is delicious, too!」

「I remember this from the last time. Ponzu, is it? I love the crisp acidity.」

As Haruna and Aearis cheered him on, Hiroshi started on his portion with a smug expression. Makoto and Tatsuya had already asked Hiroshi “You made the ponzu yourself, too?” and “How did you get the malt you need for soy sauce and miso?” etc., so now they simply ate in silence.

「…Does everything from your nation taste this good?」

「You haven’t seen nothing, yet. Actually, we haven’t been able to get our hands on the most important ingredient, so we haven’t been able to make」

Haruna countered strong to Rayna’s half-serious, half-exasperated question in reaction to the ridiculously elaborate food she had experienced so far. What’s more, the other Japanese members of the group fully agreed with Haruna.

「Right. I’m starting to miss rice, for real…」

「I could go for curry and rice instead of a curry bun, already.」

「Hold it, our number one priority outta be eggs-on-rice.」

「How about rice balls? With bonito, mentaiko, and tuna-mayonnaise.」

「…I miss the beef-on-rice bowls…」

Tatsuya whispered with all of his soul, and every Japanese member couldn’t help but feel the same. They segwayed into more conversation about rice:

「Chicken and egg on rice. Ooh, fried rice!」

「Oh, yeah. Beef curry is good, too, but I miss cutlet curry.」

「Sushi! Sushi!」

They continued listing dishes as they finished their octopus balls. Aearis seemed to be overloaded with trying to imagine what all of these dish could possibly taste like, as Rayna enjoyed her serving of the octopus balls, while failing to contain a chuckle. Then…

「Smells delightful, as always.」

「Welcome home, old man.」

「I’m back. I brought some guests with me. Do you mind?」

「Hang tight. I’ll whip some up. How many guests?」

Do you mind if we have a chat? Was Douga’s full question.

「Actually, I wanted to discuss our future.」

「Settle down, Ernest. He’s offering, let’s gladly accept it. 」

「If you say so, My Lord.」

Douga nodded reluctantly to the suggestion by the tall boy who walked in. Of course, the boy was Layotte. Seeing him, Aearis widened her eyes in a different way than before. She almost opened her mouth to speak to him, but so many words were running through her mind, that she ended up falling silent.

「So, how many?」

「For three of us, please.」

「Sure thin’.」

Disregarding Aearis, Hiroshi nodded to his order, and expertly cooked up some more octopus balls, as before. This managed to distract Aearis, and cause her to gleefully cheer, mesmerized by Hiroshi’s prowess. She had completely missed the chance to say something to her brother, but Layotte seemed to be satisfied seeing his sister’s unaffected joy. Cracking a quick smile, he joined in watching Hiroshi’s work. Even as he was distracted by Hiroshi’s rather performative skills, Layotte was surprised by the almost unbelievably high caliber of the magic-powered item on the table.

「This steel plate is really something. Did you make it yourself?」

「Yeah.」

Hiroshi responded, flipping over the octopus balls left and right. Layotte’s surprise was justified. Most magic-powered items, unlike Enchantments on weapons or armor, expend some form of energy. Hiroshi’s steel plate was extremely energy-efficient. Most magic-powered cookware in a household, even a simple one that heats to a certain temperature when turned on, expends enough magic that would make it difficult for an average person to use continuously for 12 hours or so. However, Hiroshi’s plate could be heated (even by someone with no expertise whatsoever) for 3 days straight. While Layotte had no idea of the significance of these “octopus balls,” he could determine with no uncertainty that craftsmanship of this caliber was completely wasted on a cookware for it.

Of course, everything Hiroshi had crafted within the past six weeks, save for a few exceptions like Haruna’s rapier, were all embodiments of wasted craftsmanship.

「We have another one.」

「I’m impressed you went and created two of something at such a high caliber.」

「…Hmm… Thanks, I guess.」

Hiroshi responded, still cooking the octopus balls, with some hesitation. Makoto picked up something from this, and squinted at Hiroshi and questioned:

「So, you’ve only made two, right?」

「Uhh… Well…」

Still keeping his hands busy, Hiroshi kept muddling his words. He was clearly hiding something.

「I won’t be mad. You can tell me.」

「Which means you’re 100% gonna get mad.」

「All depends on you.」

「…There’s a third one.」

With that, he reached away from the octopus balls for a moment to pull something out of his bag. Makoto raised her brow in protest.

「That’s it! I can’t condone wasting so much ingredients on these things!」

「Why Taiyaki, though?」

「Yeah, Hiroshi-kun. We don’t have red beans or cacao beans. All we can make is custard and matcha flavored ones!」

「Curry and cheese flavors, too.」

「Hiroshi! Haruna! That’s not what I’m talking about!」

Layotte pinched his forehead as if to contain a headache. Hiroshi had produced a cookware (bit of a stretch to call this one a steel plate) with a needlessly detailed cast of a red snapper. There were three pairs of these casts, each connected with hinges. Each pair had a cast of six snappers total, which meant this could produce up to eighteen Taiyakis at a time.

Needless to say, this is a ridiculously ornate machine in this world, and unequivocally a huge waste of ingredients and craftsmanship. At this moment, Layotte knew that what he was told was true. This man’s efforts were in the opposite direction of what it should have been dedicated to.

「Ernest. Julius. Are you sure they can handle it?」

「I can’t say anything, yet.」

「When it comes down to it, My Lord, they will get the job done. Please give them a chance.」

Even as Hiroshi argued over the oh-so-important semantics of his technology, he managed to perfectly cook the octopus balls and handed it over to the newly arrived guests. The longer the party revealed their usual tone, the visitors from court were made more and more nervous.