Side: Yuki
Today's work is another relaxing journey through the sky.
Yesterday was interesting too. I even learned the origins of Pop's fried chicken, so there were quite a few events, in a good way.
Ahh, let's pray that Killue's report from her weekly rumor-gathering doesn't contain any strange rumors... Usually, there's rarely a need for us to step in directly, but every once in a while, Derieu ends up raiding a place as a special investigator to carry out a forced search.
Usually, those involved are doing something shady, so when Derieu storms in, everyone gets utterly thrashed—leaving Tori and the rest of the police brass, as well as the wives gathering intelligence from the government office, hopelessly swamped with work.
Naturally, whenever something like that happens, I have to take care of the miscellaneous work too, which cuts into our family time. So I'd really, really rather not have that happen... Still, it doesn't work that way, so we do our job for the sake of Weed's citizens.
Naturally, the wives whose family time was interrupted by criminals will be radiating killing intent—so confessions don't take long.
"Speaking of which, Vixen-san. Where should we land the wyvern? Going all the way to the royal castle right in the middle of the capital would probably be bad news, wouldn't it?"
While lazily peeling a mandarin orange and zoning out, I realized I hadn't asked about our landing position, so I brought it up.
If we mess this up, it could easily turn into a massive disaster. It wouldn't be funny if someone panicked and shouted, "A wyvern! Kill it!" and started an accidental battle. Even before that, I'm pretty sure the capital's residents would fly into a full-blown panic.
"Ah, come to think of it, I hadn't informed you yet. My apologies. It seems I am still a bit too thrilled by this flight."
"No worries. It's your first time experiencing it, so that's only natural. So, where should we land?"
He's a genuinely innocent old man.
It makes me feel as if I am the corrupt one and is painful.
"An official announcement has been issued to the capital's citizens, but given the literacy rate, the higher-ups decided that flying straight to the royal castle would cause a panic. Therefore, please head toward the barracks located outside the capital's outer walls. That area is also used for military exercises, so it is plenty spacious. Since it's staffed by soldiers, word has already been passed along, so there should be no problem."
That sounds like a sensible judgment.
...Now then, I wonder if the Dragon Knight lazily sitting next to me with Filia on her lap was actually listening?
"Amanda-san. Were you listening?"
"Fweh?"
Correction.
She wasn't just sitting there leisurely with Filia on her lap.
The Dragon Knight was diligently peeling mandarins and popping them into her mouth.
"Hah, Amanda. Yuki-san took the trouble to ask about the landing site—the very thing you should have been paying attention to. Were you listening at all? Or were you planning to fly straight to the castle and panic the whole capital?"
"S-Sorry!? Um, we're flying to the city gates, right? Right, Eoid?"
"...Amanda. I really don't think that's right. We're going to the barracks. Vixen-san said he'd tell us when we get close."
"Ah, un. I was listening!! Really!!"
Is this the side effect of Eoid being so reliable? I heard he's usually the one waking her up, too.
Anyway, while Amanda is currently getting her ear pulled by Eris and forced to sit in seiza out in the cold for a lecture, I guess I'll talk to Eoid.
"Hey there, Eoid-kun."
"I-I'm so sorry! I'll make sure to give Amanda a proper talking-to!"
"Don't worry about that. Eris is already lecturing her. Eoid, just keep supporting Amanda like you did just now. One wrong move on Amanda's part could potentially start a war, after all. There's a limit to how much one person can handle alone. Of course, being able to handle things yourself is always better when possible."
"Indeed. I would be worried if Amanda-sama were alone, but if her husband, Eoid-dono, continues to support her like that, then it should be fine. As Yuki-dono says, it is certainly better to be capable of handling things yourself, but given her position as a Dragon Knight, someone else should take care of those little details for her. Of course, I must also take responsibility for having forgotten until Yuki-dono asked me."
"Well, as long as you keep that mindset like you have now, you'll be fine. If there's anything you want to ask, feel free."
"Understood. Thank you very much... In that case, there is something I'd like to ask Vixen-san right away..."
"What might that be? If it is something I can answer, by all means."
"Um, regarding this visit to the capital... will we be having an audience with His Majesty the King? I'm afraid we're not very good with etiquette..."
Eoid trailed off, turning his gaze toward Amanda, who was still getting scolded.
Ah, I see why he'd be worried.
That girl will bite back at anyone if she doesn't like something, even if they're a duke. Apparently, that's how she became such good friends with Samantha, but that sort of behavior won't always work out.
"His Majesty isn't the sort of person who would make an issue out of something as minor as etiquette. Of course, if she were one of our own soldiers, he might frown at her behavior. but she is a student of commoner origin, as well as a legendary Dragon Knight. If someone of her stature were to take offense over such a thing, I would say that would be a problem with the person's character."
"I-I see. That's a relief..."
"Eoid-kun. Hate to spoil your relief, but when we get back, you're definitely going to be studying etiquette. You're representing the Academy, after all."
"That's exactly what I want. Otherwise, I feel like I'm going to have a nervous breakdown."
...Must be tough.
"Oh, and I'm sorry to interrupt while you were having such an interesting conversation, but regarding His Majesty... you won't actually be meeting the King during this audience. He is currently away on a regional inspection and won't return in time. Therefore, Her Highness the Princess will be taking his place."
"The princess? Not the Queen or the Prince?"
"Yes. The Queen has... well, various circumstances that make it problematic for her to act on His Majesty's behalf, and the Prince is still at an age where he attends the knight academy. Thus, it was decided that the Princess, who has properly graduated from both the knight academy and the magic academy, would be the most suitable..."
I see.
If the Queen steps up, the surroundings get noisy. Politics are always such a pain.
And if the princess weren't available, I suppose the prince would have been the one to attend... But from the way he's describing her, this princess sounds like she could be troublesome.
"Eh? The Princess is a Lancer Academy graduate?"
Yes—the part Eoid just questioned is a major issue.
Probably, by saying she's an academy graduate, in a sense, they've played a good card against us.
It seems the concept of seniors and juniors exists here, and if we're not careful, we might end up signing some weird treaty... Cleana's master being the court magic advisor ended up backfiring in an unexpected way.
Having a direct connection to the royal capital is certainly useful, but we should probably consider this princess a potentially troublesome opponent.
Still, I'm curious as to why this piece of information hadn't reached us... Guess I'll contact Poppuri.
"Yes, that's right. If I remember correctly, she even made it all the way into the single digits... Oh? Yuki-dono, is something the matter?"
"Sorry. I'll go get some fresh air."
"I see. Please don't stay out too long or you might catch a cold."
"Ah, yes. I'm listening properly. Please take your time."
Exchanging those words, I walked briskly past Eris, who was still scolding Amanda, and moved to a spot where the wind noise was quieter.
What does it mean that she was a former single-number!?
I mean, she's not an enemy, but I have a strong gut feeling this is going to turn into a hassle!
"Poppuri, can you hear me?"
I pretend to admire the scenery while turning my back to everyone and spoke quietly to communicate.
『Hmm~? What is it? I'm currently eating cake right now.』
『Ah, Yuki-san. This cheesecake is also delicious.』
I heard their carefree voices.
...They've been completely bribed with food, haven't they? Should I view this as cheap loyalty, or praise Ellis's skills...?
Anyway, more importantly, I need to ask about the Princess.
『Un. It's fine. I've properly locked the door.』
"In that case, there's something I want to ask. I mentioned yesterday that Vixen-san came along as our guide for the journey, right?"
『Ah, yeah, I heard. A man said to be the right hand of the Magic Swordsman of the Kingdom of August is in the royal guard. Well, given his age, he was probably moved to the rear instead of the front lines. Wait, are you asking for info on the Magic Swordsman Vixen served? But she's younger than Vixen and should still be guarding the border...』
"Ah, no. I don't particularly need info on the Magic Swordsman. I can handle that however necessary—or rather, we aren't going to war with August anyway, so digging around pointlessly might raise unnecessary suspicions."
『True. Knowing too much might make them think we're spying, so it's better not to hold useless knowledge. Besides, if you ask around in their country, you'll easily hear about the Magic Swordsman as a boast. So if it's not about the Magic Swordsman, what is it?』
"According to Vixen-san, the King is out inspecting the provinces, so the Princess will be having the audience with us instead."
『Eh? The Princess? You mean Innis?』
"So her name is Innis, huh? I heard she's a former single-digit, but I want to know why this information wasn't passed to us."
『Hmm. From our perspective, I didn't think it was necessary. Even though she was a single-number student, she was only ranked fifth during her time at the Academy, below Cleana. She's certainly talented with magic, but she's nowhere near you guys. And this is just an audience. I don't think she'd suddenly try to attack Amanda or the mercenary group led by you, who represents the other nations. Besides, if I had to report every graduate individually, there'd be at least a hundred of them from each country. We'd die! We don't really keep track of graduates after they leave. At most, we can give you the graduate list.』
"I suppose that makes sense..."
The academy raises and outputs talented magic users for various countries.
Through that mutually beneficial relationship, the academy receives financial and material aid, while each country gets a steady supply of decent combat power—even if not quite on the level of a Magic Swordsman.
Even if magic users are rare, gathering them from every nation yields a respectable number. Since they produce them year after year, keeping track of every graduate's footsteps or gathering detailed info on them isn't done. It takes time and is mostly pointless.
To Poppuri and the others, even single-digits were just top performers who graduated every year.
High-ranking nobles were a given, and since Samantha's father said he was a former student, it wouldn't even be surprising if the Kings of the five nations (excluding the demi-human country) were former students too.
『Well, luckily, I actually remember Innis. It's unusual for a princess to attend the Academy, after all. Things were pretty difficult at first. Her escort knights complained about the Academy's merit-based system and intimidated students who were supposed to duel her. I suppose they had to be concerned because she was a princess, but it caused quite a few disputes. We had to step in and tell them that if they didn't like the Academy's rules, they were free to leave...』
"...From the sound of it, was the princess a problem student?"
『Not at all. If anything, she's a battle fanatic. The same type as Seraria-dono and Derieu-dono. That's precisely why her guards had such a hard time. Apparently, she'd been swinging swords alongside soldiers since she was little. Scrapes and bruises were normal, and she'd break a bone about once every two years. Well, these are dangerous times. It wouldn't be strange for a large-scale war to break out at any moment, and border skirmishes are an everyday occurrence. When the King of August came with Innis when she enrolled, he told us, "Don't hold back on her, all right?" and she happily agreed. Still, no matter how much he approved of it, I'm sure the escort knights with her couldn't stomach it.』
"That sounds rough... Anyway, I understand that she's similar to Seraria and Derieu, but what about politics?"
『I think there's no issue there either. She likes battle, but she's genuinely excellent as a commander. She understands what it means to stand above others, so I don't think she'll do anything weird. If by some off chance she does something stupid, you have my permission to use my name and beat her up.』
"Beat her up...?"
『She's seriously that type of person, which means she won't use underhanded tricks outside of a battlefield. If there's a problem, it's Cleana's master.』
"Cleana's master?"
『Yeah. You're going to report that you and Cleana got married, right? He's one of the most talented graduates we've ever had. He can't match me in raw ability, but he's strangely sharp. You should choose your words carefully. Even if you want to bring him into our circle, he's a court mage advisor. He's also quite skilled at negotiating with people. Though he's an old man by now.』
...Strangely sharp, huh?
I need to keep in mind the possibility that he has an appraisal-type skill like Labyris... Maybe I should try baiting him.
"...Nn. Agreed. Master can be oddly sharp at times."
As Poppuri and I continue talking, Cleana comes over from behind me.
"Originally, I was an orphan. Master picked me up when I was about to die on the roadside. Then he asked if I wanted to study since I had talent for magic, and that brought me to where I am today."
『I see. I couldn't imagine that kid being interested in women, so I was surprised when he introduced Cleana as his granddaughter, but so that's how it went.』
"Nn. But Master is without a doubt family to me."
『...I see. Then that's fine. Besides, his reason for enrolling you was "go make some friends." I see now. That kid taught Cleana nothing but studies and forgot to teach her how to make friends or general common sense. Well, he was raising her as a single man, so I suppose it couldn't be helped.』
"...It's quite embarrassing. Looking back now, I understand the importance of friends and connections with society. But back then, I thought studying was my way of repaying Master, and I found the world of studying fascinating, so I was completely absorbed in it."
『Sorry, Cleana. If I'd known that, I would've dragged you out myself. But I thought the whole "make some friends" thing was just a joke. You were improving at an incredible rate, after all...』
"Headmaster doesn't need to apologize. I used to think friends were unnecessary too. But as I spent my days at the academy, I realized there was no one around me. Around that time, as I tried to get close to Eoid, I ended up marrying Yuki. Right now, I am completely satisfied."
『Hahaha. In the end, you got yourself a good man and lots of friends, so I suppose there isn't a problem.』
"Nn. This is destiny."
Saying that, Cleana hugged my arm.
Her chest is flat, but I don't discriminate based on chest size, and having her show affection makes me happy.
It really does... Though her face is still almost expressionless, compared to when we first met, I can clearly notice the changes in her.
When she handed me her freshly taken-off underwear during our first meeting, I didn't know what she was thinking and almost panicked... I almost ended up being branded a pervert... Thankfully, Ria explained everything properly, cleared up the misunderstanding, and we got married...
So I guess it turned out fine?
Now that Cleana's here, I should ask her about her master.
"Cleana. I'd like to report our marriage to your master and establish some sort of connection with him. But if he's unusually perceptive, that could become troublesome. What do you think we should do?"
"Nn. Leave that to me. I am well aware that information about Yuki and the others cannot be easily disclosed. I will speak to him first and place Master under designated protection right away. He is a research enthusiast, so if I bring an enchanted staff from Weed and tell him that designated protection is required to teach him its contents, he will easily agree."
"...So he's a research nerd, huh?"
『Pretty much. Even if he's perceptive, once we've brought him into our circle, he's ours. He's not the type to learn about our military strength and technological capabilities and then think about betraying us.』
I see.
We'll let Cleana handle the negotiations while I chime in where appropriate.
As for the Princess mentioned earlier, she shouldn't be much of an issue either... And if things get troublesome, physical force is greenlit.
...Still, I have a vaguely bad feeling about this, but I hope everything wraps up without a hitch.
"Oh, it's visible now! That's the royal capital of August, which we're so proud of!"
Vixen-san calls out and moves toward Wy-chan's head, on the opposite side from me.
Though still small, what appeared ahead was a massive circular city surrounding a central castle.
At a glance, it doesn't seem inferior to either Jilva or Enaria.
"Amanda-sama, there is a military facility on the front-right side of the capital. Please head over there!"
"Understood. Wy-chan, please."
'Gyaaaaas!'
Wy-chan cries out in response, and its course shifts slightly to the right.
There is a facility surrounded by walls. On what appears to be a training field, people are lined up in neat formations, though from this distance they're little more than specks.
They're probably conducting some kind of training. They'll probably notice us soon and start making preparations down there.
"Well, I guess the journey through the sky is over."
"Nn. It was fun."
Seeing Cleana smile so brightly, that alone made the flight worth it.
Now then, break time is over—time to get back to cramped, tedious work.
