Volume 5 - CH 7

A short walk from the city streets, the city center is lined with relatively large buildings, including the government office, the cathedral and a branch of the Grand trading company.

In the meantime, small restaurants and small shops dealing with miscellaneous goods will be built, and people’s houses will be built to fill the gap. It used to be such a place, but now it’s a little different.

“The number of buildings has increased”

Three- and four-story houses can be seen here and there, which were not there a few years ago.

Although not far from Rodnea and the Imperial City, it seemed to be somewhat developed and populated.

“So, Your Highness, where are you going?”

“Uh……”

Fiona scurries around and mumbles something.

“The cathedral is that way and the sun is that way…… I’d like to go over there.”

“Anywhere you want to go?”

“No way, there is no such thing. It’s a walk. Ufufu”

Fiona says so and laughs.

It didn’t look like that, but … because it’s this princess, She may be like this all the time.

“I mean, how long are you going to hold her hand? There are no more crowds.”

Amiyu said accusingly with half-lidded eyes, and I rushed to release Fiona’s hand.

“Oh, I beg your pardon, Your Highness.”

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

“…… Um, Your Highness?”

Fiona looked at me silently for a while with a smile on her face.

“No, thank you, Seika-sama. But I don’t know what will happen, so please stay close to me.”

“Hah…”

As I was returning a reply, Amiyu poked me with her elbow.

“What are you getting all flustered about?”

When did I delude you, me?

The group soon made their way to the town square.

I wondered if she wanted to come here, but Fiona seemed uninterested in the square itself and walked along the perimeter of it.

“Wow, they’re building something amazing.”

Amiyu is astonished.

Looking up at it, it looked like a high-rise residential building under construction at the edge of the plaza. …… It is indeed a great height. At this point, it’s seven stories high. If it were in Rodnea or the Imperial City, it would be caught by regulations.

“Well, it looks higher than the cathedral here.”

“Damn, they built this stuff just because land prices are going up……. Hey, don’t get too close.”

Fiona smiles and says to Grey, who stops her.

“It’s all right. Here we go, Seika-sama, more this way……”

I walked up to Fiona when she told me, and then —- suddenly, a gust of wind blew.

Craftsmen working at high heights rushed to grab onto the pillars and beams.

An unpleasant sound echoed.

It was apparently the sound of a pillar supporting the fourth floor breaking.

The high-rise building tilted by the wind slowly collapsed out of balance.

On our side, of all places.

Grey drew his cane sword and unleashed a medium-level of wind magic.

It is so much more powerful than it was two years ago that it accurately blows up most of the debris.

But not all.

The few remaining mud walls and pillars pour down to us.

Then —- unexpectedly, a shadow appeared overhead.

The debris that was supposed to fall was blocked by that something, making a dull thud.

“Are you guys okay?”

Amiyu, holding a mithril staff sword, comes running.

I look overhead again.

The umbrella to the rubble was like the palm of a giant rock that grew from the ground.

“Is this part of a Golem?　You’ve really stepped up your game, Amiyu.”

“What are you talking about so carelessly, huh … but that doesn’t seem to be anything.”

“Did you just do that without chanting?　You’re doing pretty good there, honors student.”

“You’re not bad yourself, soldier. You’re just a little stuffy.”

“Thank you, both of you, for your help.”

When I said that, the two of them gave me a stunned look.

“What were you doing idly? You could have died. That’s not like you.”

“Seika, were you sleeping?”

Not that I was sleeping.

I just let them handle it because it looked like they were both going to make it in time. If it came down to it, I could have done anything, even metastasized.

“Well … Hey, are there any injured people? If there are serious injuries, bring them to the lord’s mansion and see a special military healer. Then, the builder and the architect here should appear before the lord’s deputy.”

Grey calls out to the artisans and I turns to Fiona.

“Do you have any injuries? Your Highness”

“…..”

“…… Oh, um, Your Highness?”

Fiona looked at me with …… cheeks puffed out and a somewhat dissatisfied look on her face.

Then she turns to Amiyu in a huff and walks up to her with a smile on her face.

“Thank you,  Amiyu san. Also Grey …”

As I watched their backs, I thought to myself.

Ah, I wonder if this was a disappointment …

******

We decided to go home and returned the way we came.

Fiona is in the front chatting with Amiyu.

It was as if it was a lie that she had clung to me so much earlier, and she was no longer talking to me.

Maybe …… Fiona was expecting me to play a knightly role.

A while ago, she said something about being saved from a crisis by a man, and I’m the winner of the martial arts competition.

However, she was disappointed when she saw that I was completely useless.

A small sigh.

Well, I just don’t want to be expected to do that on my own, so maybe this was a good thing.

As the streets of the city get closer, the number of people increases.

Inevitably, there is also a look directed at Fiona.

Suddenly.

I noticed a small stall on the outskirts of the city.

They deal in colorful fabrics and sundries.

“…… Um, Your Highness. One moment, please.”

“Yes……?”

Without waiting for Fiona’s reply, I run to the store.

Then I bought what I was looking for and came back, and said to the princess.

“Excuse me. Could you hold still for a moment?”

“Huh …”

I go behind Fiona and tie her long hair at the top of her head with the braided cord I bought earlier.

Finally, I wrapped a vine-patterned scarf around her hair to hide it, and laughed a little.

“Now you’re somewhat more like a town girl, I don’t think you’ll attract that much attention now. At least until we get back to the mansion.”

“…..”

Fiona touches her head and says a little uneasy.

“Isn’t it strange …?”

“I don’t think so. It matches your clothes.”

“It’s not that bad. It’s easier for us than being conspicuous.”

“… Ufufu. Is that so?”

Fiona, now in a good mood, pats her head.

“I should have brought my hand mirror.”

“I can provide you with a full-length mirror.”

《Phase of earth and gold ―――― The art of mirroring》

From the ground, a huge plane mirror with a distorted outline appears.

Fiona widened her eyes for a moment, but then looked at her reflection there from different angles and smiled happily.

“Mm-hmm.”

“I’m glad you liked it. Next time i’ll prepare something a little better.”

“No, I prefer this. Thank you, Seika-sama. This is the first time I have received such a gift. …… I will treasure it.”

Fiona says smiling.

I was a little concerned about whether such a cheap product would be okay, but if she liked it, it was fine.

Amiyu looks into my mirror and says.

“But wow, this mirror …… is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I don’t even know how much of it is real earth.”

“Aha, well …”

It is a special silver coating on glass, which was learned from a Venetian alchemist.

It was difficult to reproduce.

“I think you’ll get a good price for it if you sell it on the open market.”

“Stop it.”

“You really use some crazy magic.”

To be honest, even I don’t know why I worked so hard to develop such a technique.

There were some surprisingly useful opportunities, though.

“Even so, Seika-sama …  was used to the gesture of tying hair. Even though you didn’t do that for your disciples…”

Yuki whispers in my ear.

I’ve had the opportunity to take care of little ones in the West. I mean, it’s hard to answer now, so don’t talk to me.

“What kind of life did Seika-sama lead in the West? Yuki has become irresistibly curious……”

Never mind.

※Harikan no Jutsu (The art of Mirroring)

The art of creating a mirror by plating silver on glass. In the world of this work, in the period before Seika’s reincarnation, mirror-making technology such as the silver mirror reaction had not yet been invented. However, it was known that highly efficient reflective mirrors could be made by applying a thin film of metal to a glass plate, and a small number of products made by magicians and alchemists were in circulation.