"Thank you so much for making time today."
"Um... well, please come in anyway."
They arrived just past noon on the scheduled day: Duke Sanga, Albert, and Primera. Unlike their usual visits, they started with stiff, formal greetings and even brought gifts. Duke Sanga's and Primera's polite demeanor wasn't out of place, but Albert, who usually visited with a casual air, felt jarringly different. It made me doubt for a split second if he was an impostor.
"For starters, please tell me today's purpose. Also, if you could speak like you normally do... honestly, Albert being this formal feels very strange."
"Pfft!"
I'd just ushered them into the sitting room and used Albert to try and get things back to normal when Primera was the first to burst out laughing. Albert looked like he wanted to say something but seemed to be holding back out of respect for the Duke. As for Duke Sanga himself, watching the other two, he sighed but his atmosphere also returned to its usual vibe.
"I hesitate to call it a request, but I wanted to formally commission you, so I tried to be proper. But I suppose that was impossible with Albert here."
"Father, isn't it a bit rude to blame me for that?"
"Well, Albert always gives off the impression that he comes as a set with Lion and the others. If he's quiet and well-behaved, it makes me think he's either an impostor or plotting something no good. Or maybe he feels guilty about something? That's what I mean."
From their behavior, I'd guessed they felt some guilt or something close to it, and that thought seemed to hit the mark, as all three gave wry smiles.
"I suppose you could call it something no good... But what we'd like is for you to assess the strength of the Gunjou City Knight Order's Fourth Unit—that is, Primera and her subordinates."
With that content, I could hardly be blamed for calling it a no-good plot.
Until now, Duke Sanga had offered me several commissions, but most were delivery-type jobs. Like, if it was food-related, it might be a request to secure something if I happened upon it while completing a job I'd selected myself. Or it was a convenience-based commission for Goll and Jill's yarn, which he only sold to acquaintances—essentially favors masquerading as official work, if I'm blunt about it.
Yet this time, the commission could only be seen as aimed at increasing his own military strength. If word got out, it was predictable that other nobles would start saying, "I'll commission you for the same thing." Furthermore, one could argue it might offend the Royal Family, who was thought to be my backer.
"I understand Tenma's doubts. However, we have already spoken with His Majesty in advance, and he gave his word that it was up to Tenma."
It was rare for the King and Maria not to inform me of something like this, and I was just thinking that when...
"Actually, this is information known only to a part of the Duke Sanga family and His Majesty's circle, but a monster similar to Chaos has appeared within my domain."
"Gasp!"
I nearly shouted out loud, but I remembered Lenny, an intelligence operative from the Southern Autonomous Region, was staying in the mansion, so I quickly clamped my mouth shut and scanned the surroundings with 'Exploration.' The result showed Lenny was doing something in the kitchen, and no one seemed to be searching the sitting room.
"You probably have questions, but please hear me out first. As for that monster—the short version is that it ended without any casualties."
With only the Chaos incident as a precedent, there was no way of knowing how they compared in strength, but still—taking one down without a scratch was impressive. However,
"Just because it ended without casualties doesn't mean they actually defeated it. According to the person who faced it, up until it was cornered and took the drug, it was the same as Chaos. But unlike Chaos, the moment it began its transformation, it vomited blood and collapsed. They kept watch for a while after that, and it showed no sign of moving, so when they touched it to check—it was dead."
It was unfortunate that the second case hadn't yielded much useful information, but if that monster had possessed strength comparable to Chaos, then anything less than that level of power would have only resulted in needless deaths... which meant—
"You want me to gauge how strong the Fourth Unit is?"
What they were asking was whether I could test how well the Fourth Unit would hold up against a monster with strength on par with Chaos.
"Exactly. But if word gets around, other nobles will start submitting similar requests. So if you accept this assignment, Tenma—on a day when"
"you"
"just"
"happen"
"to"
"be training with the Royal Guards, you'd bring along the Fourth Unit of the Gunjou City Knights—the ones I've stationed here in the Royal Capital as my personal guard—"
"by"
"pure"
"coincidence. Then His Majesty and Lyle would remember how the Fourth Unit once caused you trouble, and"
"they'd"
"play"
"along,"
"arranging a mock battle under the pretense of training. That's how it would work."
He had come asking for a favor, yet the conversation was already proceeding as though my acceptance was a given. That must be why the three of them had acted so oddly when we first met.
"Well, I do occasionally train alongside the Royal Guard and the Royal Castle's Knight Order, so if you're saying His Majesty and Lyle's whims should join in on top of that, I suppose it's not an unreasonable progression... But wouldn't other nobles want to do the same thing? With those conditions, if at the very least Marquis Samons or Margrave Hausto did the same, I'd have no reason to refuse on my end, and if the number grows, nobles I don't know... if ducal houses with influence over the Royal Family showed up, wouldn't it become hard to refuse?"
If it were Marquis Samons or Margrave Hausto, I wouldn't mind since I had existing ties with their knight orders and knew them personally, but I didn't want to deal with anyone else, and if the numbers grew, His Majesty might not be able to refuse either. Just as I was thinking this—
This is not a Royal command or
a commission
but a rampage by His Majesty and Lyle. Therefore, at the moment the mock battle ends, Maria-sama and Caesar-sama will take notice of the commotion and arrive. And then His Majesty and Lyle will be taken away somewhere."
"So in other words, you're saying we should frame this as the 'prank' the two of them are always pulling on me... Will that work?"
"We'll make it work. That's precisely why His Majesty and Lyle will be the ones sacrificed."
"Well, putting that bluntly, since this is all being staged, calling it a 'sacrifice' doesn't quite fit, does it?"
I thought maybe the Duke had just misspoken, but it wasn't just the Duke—even Albert and Primera wore pained expressions,
"No, well... This was supposed to be kept from you, but since they've been misbehaving lately, Maria-sama and Caesar-sama decided this would be a good opportunity to make the two of them reflect on their actions."
When I asked whether he was really allowed to tell me that, apparently the Duke had received permission to use his own discretion and share it with someone there was no risk of the information leaking to His Majesty or Lyle.
"If that's how it is, I don't mind. But what about the payment this time?"
"It's set to be paid by the Royal Family as a compensation fee. Well, in reality, it'll be split between the Royal Family and House Sanga, but if the ducal house paid openly, it would give away that this was staged, so we're taking this approach."
As far as I was concerned, it was just occasionally having a different sparring partner, so if the Royal Family and the ducal house were willing to handle all the troublesome arrangements, I had no objections. Besides, in a way, I was getting paid for doing slightly different training, so it was a win.
"So when is this going to happen?"
"So you're accepting? Thank you! The Fourth Unit... we'll call it the Gunjou City Knight Order to avoid confusion with the Royal Capital's, but even if our preparations are complete, we'll need time for the Royal Guard and the Royal Castle's Knight Order to prepare as well. The earliest would be the day after tomorrow, and at the latest, it shouldn't take more than ten days. We'll arrange for a notice to reach Tenma the day before the scheduled date."
It was a commission, but since we couldn't leave any documents or contracts behind, the payment and conditions were nothing more than a verbal agreement. But I didn't believe His Majesty or the Duke would break their word, so that was plenty for me.
"That reminds me of something I was curious about... You mentioned keeping them as private soldiers in the Royal Capital. Does that mean Primera will be living in the Royal Capital from now on?"
Keeping them as private soldiers in the Royal Capital meant that Primera, as the unit's commander, would have to relocate there.
"Not completely, but she'll be spending more time in the Royal Capital. As for the Gunjou City Knight Order, they've had an influx of new recruits over the past few years, and they're reaching a point where they might have more members than they need. So we decided to move Primera's base to the Royal Capital and establish a specialized communication unit that would travel between the Royal Capital and the various towns and villages throughout the ducal territory. Fortunately, Primera's unit has many members of noble blood, which means their status is clear, making it easier to pass through checkpoints and such when delivering time-sensitive information."
"Oh, so you want to know about their capabilities?"
Now that a second monster had appeared, it was only natural to assume a third one existed as well, and having liaison officers on hand for that purpose was equally logical. However, if those liaison officers encountered a monster, they would need enough strength to either escape or at least buy time, even if they couldn't defeat it. That was presumably what he wanted to verify. And it was something the royal family would also want to know — perhaps the duke was even hoping to gather intelligence on the ducal house in the process.
"Well, we've already agreed to exchange information with the royal family, so there's no need to be overly cautious."
The duke, noticing my concern, declared that there would be no trouble with the royal family.
"For now, I think that covers the business at hand? Next, how about you tell us about what Albert here is usually like?"
"Father!"
"In that case, we should probably call Gramps and the others over too."
"Tenma!"
"Tenma, I'm so sorry for how my brother always causes you trouble."
"Primera!"
The three of us ganged up on Albert, who raised his voice in protest, but...
"Isn't that the case?"
"Isn't it?"
"So it's true?"
It hadn't been intentional, but being told off by all three at once must have hit hard — Albert sulked quite visibly.
Later, when we actually called Gramps and the others over and Albert's embarrassing stories were laid bare, he fled the parlor and ran off to who-knows-where. As it happened, he'd escaped to Jubei and the others' cabin, and Steil — who was standing guard outside the mansion — spotted him immediately, so Primera went to fetch him and brought him right back.
"Man, today was a great day. They agreed to take the commission, the food was delicious, and I got to hear some amusing stories about Albert."
"Indeed. I've thought for a while now that my brother — both Cain and Lion — rely on you far too much, Tenma... but it seems it's not just reliance. They're downright spoiled."
After the business discussion concluded, the three of us stayed for dinner. The meal mainly featured sun-dried fish, which had a slightly improved flavor thanks to the natural drying process, along with the smoked goods completed that morning. It may have been a modest spread compared to what the duke was accustomed to, but both the duke and Primera ate heartily.
By the time the duke was ready to leave, the alcohol had kicked in and he was in high spirits. Primera, who had also been drinking — though the duke had stopped her before she could have a second cup — had, over the course of the evening, watched Albert's reputation plummet as she heard story after story. Well, if she'd be spending more time in the Royal Capital, that meant Albert would be coming to our place more often, and whenever he came, she'd have more chances to witness the reason why he, along with Cain and Lion, were called the "Three Idiots." His reputation was likely to fall even further.
"Next time, I'll bring Cain and Lion along too..."
With his sister's opinion of him continuing to plummet, Albert had apparently decided to drag Cain and Lion down with him. His eyes looked dark and cloudy... or so it seemed.
"Well then, hold nothing back during the mock battle. That said, I'll be taking my leave now."
"Tenma, if you'll excuse us."
"Next time I come... there'll be three of us."
When Albert said "three of us," I couldn't quite tell if he meant he'd literally be bringing Cain and Lion along, or if he meant that being looked down on and despised by Primera would now be a three-person experience... but it was probably the latter.
With the three of them gone and nothing else to attend to, the drinking session started earlier than usual that day.
"Say, Chris, your sense of smell is incredible. You show up on a day when there's plenty of food to go with drinks, and what's more, right after the duke leaves — as if you timed it perfectly."
Chris, who was having Ren pour her drinks, was reaching for the dried fish with a smug look on her face.
"I'd say my instincts were particularly sharp today. After all, I just happened to help out with Jean's work on a whim, and that meant I didn't run into the duke! Well, I mean, it's not like running into him would cause any problems, but it's still extra effort you have to put in, you know? For both parties... And above all, the best part was that I got to do Jean a favor!"
That's what she was saying, but really she just couldn't be bothered with the whole song and dance. Besides, she said she did Jean a favor, but I doubt Jean even thinks of it that way. If anything, he's probably thinking "well, she should be helping" or "I'll have her help out again next time." Either way, it sounded interesting, so I wouldn't mention it to Chris now — I'd ask Aina about it later.
"Still, you folks sure are living the high life. If this dried fish is just average, then what the regular soldiers eat must be below mediocre. The Royal Guard's meals are probably just a notch above that, I'd guess?"
Apparently, since dried fish wasn't commonly sold in the Royal Capital, what soldiers ate was actually considered relatively decent by local standards.
"Soldiers need to get used to food that keeps well, in case of emergencies. So sometimes the meals they're served are nothing but dried meat, dried fish, and dried vegetables. Since it's for emergency preparedness, it's not something lightly dried like this — it's dried rock-hard, bone-dry."
Being compared to that kind of extreme stuff was a bit much, but apparently for soldiers, dried provisions were just the norm. And even in ordinary households, the preserved foods they stocked up on weren't all that different from what soldiers ate.
"Being able to eat fresh or semi-dried food is a luxury reserved only for high-ranking nobles or people with Magic Bags to spare."
As Chris said this, she bit into a new piece of dried fish and washed it down with alcohol, muting "You lucky gluttons!"
"So, Tenma. What did Duke Sanga come here for?"
Chris seemed to have blurted out what was on her mind, and after saying it, she added, "If it's classified information or something, you don't have to tell me." But in this case, dodging the question would be the same as saying "it's classified." I didn't know how much Chris knew about this whole affair, but it was safer to assume she knew nothing — that way, we could both rest easy.
"Oh, it wasn't anything major. Apparently he came to pay a courtesy visit, since Primera's unit is being stationed at the Sanga household in the Royal Capital. He started off with a pretty formal apology about Albert causing trouble all the time, but that only lasted at the beginning — after that, things were back to normal."
And, well, it was true, but by leaving out the important bits, Chris just said, "Well, it can't be helped since it's Albert. Never mind that — Primera is being stationed at the Royal Capital, huh? Sounds like things are about to get interesting."
The following morning—
"So, we should head out by tomorrow afternoon, right?"
A messenger from the royal castle had already arrived. Duke Sanga had said "the day after tomorrow, at the earliest," but considering the personalities of the King and Lyle, this timing felt entirely predictable.
When I asked the messenger who delivered the letter for confirmation, he replied, "That is my understanding as well," gave a polite bow, and took his leave.
"Tenma-sama, is there some kind of request?"
Aura, who had been the first to greet the messenger, approached with a curious look, asking about the letter's contents. Since I couldn't go into detail, I told her only half of it.
"It's an invitation to join the knights' training tomorrow."
When I also asked whether Aura would be participating, she panicked and started making excuses about "the laundry" and "the cleaning" before hurrying away.
"Aura really is easy to handle at times like this."
Watching Aura flee, I tossed the letter I'd received into my Magic Bag. Maybe I should burn this letter later, just to be safe.
"Well then, I should go check on how the old man and the others are doing."
They had started drinking earlier than usual yesterday, and there had been an unusually large number of dried fish for snacks, so the old man and Chris were both laid up with hangovers. Not an unusual situation, really. Reni had held back on her drinking, so she was fine. Amour, who probably would have gotten carried away, had been stopped by Reni, so she hadn't ended up with a hangover either.
As I headed back to the mansion, thinking that today's meals should be easy on the stomach, I tried to recall the medicine that worked best for hangovers.