It seemed the trip Franz had mentioned was going to be longer than I'd imagined.
I was shaken awake, barely managing to crack my eyes open.
"...How can you possibly sleep this much?"
"Well, you know... you gotta sleep when you can."
The person who removed my blindfold wasn't Franz—it was a young knight I vaguely recognized. A fair-haired, blue-eyed handsome man who bore a passing resemblance to Ark.
This wasn't inside a carriage. From the furnishings, it looked like a room in some high-end inn. Had I been moved again while I was sleeping?... There was a large window, but it was shut tight, so I couldn't see anything outside.
I'd been seated in front of a large table covered with a tablecloth. The young knight fiddled with my handcuffs and unlocked them.
"By the way, have we met somewhere before?"
"!? ............It's time for dinner."
"Quite the spread."
"Things won't be this nice during transit or once we arrive... but as of now, you're technically still a criminal."
Even though everything had been resolved in the end, I was still technically a criminal, huh... I guess that's how it was.
Somehow, hearing that made me feel a little deflated. I had to make sure I never messed up again... but maybe this was a step closer to retirement?
For the first time in hours, my handcuffs were removed. They'd been fairly loose, and since I'd been sleeping the whole time, there was no damage.
I was rubbing my wrists when several people in proper knight uniforms arrived pushing a cart. It looked like a course meal. They were really treating me well...
Seeing me gape, the young knight spoke.
"This is an aristocratic inn. Do you have any other requests?"
"Uh... what's a course meal?"
I didn't really have any requests, but I figured I'd ask.
I had no idea where I stood. I wanted to be released as soon as possible, but in my position, I couldn't say anything.
My question made the young knight blink, a puzzled expression crossing his face.
"A Red Dragon full-course meal. Recently, there have been dragons roaming around in Zebuldia, so—"
"Dragon meat, huh..."
"Is there something wrong with that?"
Dragon meat was a luxury item since it was hard to come by. Especially a full-course meal featuring it—even nobles didn't get to eat one that often.
For the record, I'd eaten plenty of it when I adventured as the Mourning Specter. When you take down a dragon, you get a massive amount of meat...
"No, it's nothing at all. I was just thinking there might be something else, but—"
"...We don't exactly have anything that surpasses a dragon full-course in circulation. It might not seem like much to a high-level Hunter's eyes, but—"
The young knight said this in an exasperated tone, as though instructing me.
No, regular food is fine. I'm fine with regular food—dragon meat is pretty heavy, you know...
As I opened my mouth to clear up the misunderstanding, the young knight lowered his voice and asked: "So, if you don't mind me asking... what do you intend to do at that accursed land where the most notorious criminals are imprisoned?"
"Huh??"
What was this guy talking about? The sudden barrage of nonsense left me speechless, and the young knight pressed on without missing a beat: "No, I understand. Your stratagems and cunning schemes are beyond anyone else's comprehension. I'm not asking you to reveal everything—just give me a rough outline and I can make arrangements on my end. I swear!"
"???"
The young knight clenched his fists and launched into an impassioned speech.
What was with this guy? I couldn't understand a single word he was saying.
As far as I knew, I'd been acquitted by Franz and was merely being transferred for procedural purposes. Even if the destination happened to be a prison—which was a stretch—I'd surely be released shortly after. There was nothing I was supposed to do. In fact, I didn't want to do anything...
Maybe Franz hadn't explained any of this to him? Good grief. You really needed to make sure people kept each other in the loop.
I sighed and was about to correct his misunderstanding when the space behind the young knight warped.
"Kurai, are you able to do as you please?"
Here we go again...
"!?? H-Huh???"
The young knight recoiled in confusion, jumping back as if struck. The one who'd appeared via teleportation magic was none other than Selene, the Imperial Princess of Yugdra. Or rather, among my acquaintances, Selene was the only Mage who could casually use teleportation magic. Maybe other high-ranking Spiritfolk could do it too, but having it used on you all the time really diminished its weight as grand magic.
Even Lucia couldn't use teleportation magic yet.
I sighed and said: "Selene, do you have free time or something?"
"How rude. I'm squeezing this visit in between my busy official duties! ...Well, I'll admit it's become a bit of a break for me. The human world seems quite complex."
Selene seemed oddly cheerful. Maybe she was stressed from being swamped with work. After she'd come from Yugdra to this side, I'd been too busy to spend any time with her...
The young knight pressed his temples and muttered under his breath: "Selene!? Could it be, Princess Selene!? They warned me about the teleportation magic, but..."
"Kurai, by the way, who is this human?"
Even I didn't know and was troubled by the question.
But before I could answer, the young knight knelt with a dignified gesture and introduced himself.
"It is an honor to meet you, Princess Selene. I am Hugh Legrand, a member of the Zeroth Knight Order."
"He's one of Franz's subordinates? Kurai, which part of you is he?"
The name sounded oddly familiar. So we really had met somewhere before.
Hugh spoke with a sharp, composed expression to Selene, who tilted her head with a blink: "I have long heard rumors of Your Highness... but you are even more beautiful than I imagined. I lack the words to adequately describe your beauty."
"My, how wonderful! You humans... I am the most pureblooded High Spiritfolk in all of Yugdra, but I wish to stand on equal footing with humans."
Selene smiled and spoke words that, while seemingly natural, carried a subtly condescending undertone. She was a typical Spiritfolk—as a race, they were truly awful at coexisting with nobility. Selene was considerably better, if only because she bore no ill will.
"So, Kurai. Which part of you is he?"
Hugh didn't so much as flinch at Selene's words and replied from his kneeling position: "This time, I've been assigned to the escort detail to fulfill Your Highness's requests. Please don't hesitate to ask for anything. Beyond the treatment afforded to the Thousand Transformations—my family is one of the noble houses of Zebuldia. If you are ever in any difficulty, I will surely be of assistance."
"I appreciate the offer, human. For now—"
Selene glanced around the room and nodded.
"It seems you've been somewhat accommodating to my requests. At least for the present."
"...Yes. Captain Franz also instructed me to be thoroughly considerate."
"Ah, that's right! I obtained something wonderful. Ta-da!"
What Selene produced was a camera—one of the kind circulating in the imperial capital. Spiritfolk were supposedly averse to metal and artificial objects, but Selene beamed cheerfully, seemingly not bothered in the slightest.
"Human, could you take a photo for me? The people of Yugdra are quite worried after hearing that their benefactor was arrested."
"S-Sure, with pleasure..."
Selene thrust the camera into Hugh's hands and lined up next to me. Then, facing Hugh—who was holding the camera with a strained expression—she flashed a beaming peace sign. I matched her with a peace sign of my own. I didn't really understand what was going on, but she seemed happy, so that was fine.
After several photos were taken, Selene looked satisfied. The Empire's opinion of her was probably tanking because of all this, but... oh well.
Eva had told me that Selene was actually quite popular within the imperial capital. She apparently went on "inspections" that were really just sightseeing tours all the time... Selene being a High Spiritfolk, she was patient by nature, so maybe she wasn't in any particular rush about establishing diplomatic relations either.
"Oh... is it mealtime? Human food is quite fascinating..."
Selene's eyes widened as she spotted the appetizer plates on the cart. Yugdra's cuisine was modest compared to human fine dining—mostly vegetarian, and served in wooden vessels.
She stared at the food, showing no signs of leaving anytime soon, so I suggested: "Why don't you eat?"
"May I really?"
I wasn't actually that hungry, since I'd been sleeping the whole time...
Anyway, when someone looks at you with those sparkling eyes, anyone would say the same thing.
"It's supposedly a Red Dragon full-course."
"...Is that so. I'm afraid meat dishes are a bit... If I eat too much, I'll become a Dark High Spiritfolk."
Selene said this with a remarkably mournful expression, dropping an unfamiliar term. Elisa ate meat dishes just fine, but maybe High Spiritfolk were different. Being closer to spirits than living beings and all.
At Selene's words, Hugh's expression changed.
"!... I'll go confirm whether we have a vegetarian course available...!"
"Well... I appreciate it, human."
Franz had been run around quite a bit too, I imagined. Knights who had to prioritize national interests had it rough.
I watched Hugh rush out, then Selene turned to me with a smile: "By the way... which part of you is that human?"
...She really was fixated on that, wasn't she.
§ § § So that was Yugdra's Imperial Princess—Selene Yugdra Frestel.
Hugh's mind reeled at the sudden appearance of the princess who was currently Zebuldia's most important VIP.
He'd heard from Captain Franz about a princess who could appear suddenly via teleportation magic. But he'd never actually expected it to happen. Teleportation magic wasn't the kind of spell an individual could use, and more importantly, they'd been on the move. Without knowing the Thousand Transformations' location, teleporting here should have been impossible.
But Princess Selene had appeared. Her breathtaking beauty—enough to leave even Hugh, who had seen countless stunning women in high society, speechless. That otherworldly demeanor. Without a doubt, she was the real thing.
Normally, this would be something to celebrate. Very few nobles of Zebuldia had ever managed a meeting with Princess Selene, and if he made a good impression here, career advancement was virtually guaranteed.
The old Hugh would have been overjoyed at this stroke of luck. But the current Hugh knew better.
Luck only meant something when you had the power to seize it.
As of now, Princess Selene harbored no particular feelings toward Hugh. That faintly benevolent gaze was unmistakably that of an overwhelmingly superior being. Winning her over would be an uphill battle. He couldn't even fathom how the Thousand Transformations had earned the trust of that superior race. Preparing a vegetarian course in advance didn't seem like nearly enough to earn that kind of trust...
He went to the kitchen and requested a vegetarian course for two—Kurai and Selene. It would cost extra, but she was Yugdra's royalty. There was no helping it.
A knight from the Third Knight Order, assigned to guard the transport carriage, called out to him.
"Hugh, sir. What shall we do about the Red Dragon full-course?"
"We can't eat it ourselves. There are rules."
This was a measure to prevent poison from being slipped into their food during transport.
Hugh thought for a moment, then gave his orders.
"We can't just throw it away either. Tell them it's the Thousand Transformations' orders and give it to the criminals. We might as well use it to scare them a little."
They weren't Level 8 offenders who'd committed the Ten Sins, but the people being transported this time were also serious criminals who'd caused trouble for various nations. Everyone knew how terrifying a Level 8 was, so there shouldn't have been any problems even without taking action, but there was also Princess Selene's request to consider.
"Still, I've never seen anything like it... The Thousand Transformations is one cool customer. He didn't wake up even after the attack, and even with the three criminals riding with him constantly talking to him."
"It's harder to rest when you can than to keep your nerves on edge while sleeping. That's the mark of a true professional."
Zebuldia's knights were trained to remain constantly vigilant even during sleep, ready to leap up and act at a moment's notice if something happened. But determining whether something was a serious situation while half-asleep and then going back to sleep? Impossible.
The Thousand Transformations, on the other hand—his situational awareness was on another level. He'd apparently anticipated Princess Selene arriving via teleportation and even had a comment ready for Hugh about the course meal. Hugh didn't know how he'd read the precursors of a spell that hadn't even been cast yet, but the sheer volume of information he processed at any given moment must have been fundamentally different.
And what was this about having met before? Sure, Hugh hadn't exactly made a name for himself, but that was a stinging remark.
He'd once gone so far as to offer to become his disciple, and yet...
"I suppose I should try harder to at least be recognized as an acquaintance next time."
But in the end, he still hadn't managed to extract what the Thousand Transformations planned to do.
East Seal Prison Island, where the Mana Material was stored, wasn't a place nobles could easily meddle with. He might be able to influence the prison's systems, but the real problem on that island was the environment itself.
Research had shown it was a terrifying place: those without talent would have their Mana Material drained within days, and even Hunters with high Mana Material retention would visibly weaken within weeks.
The criminals imprisoned there were dangerous, of course, but for the Thousand Transformations, who fought through strategy, a natural threat that couldn't be outsmarted or schemed against was the worst possible matchup. What kind of countermeasure was the Thousand Transformations planning?
He thought about it but arrived at no conclusion. The only hope was that once they actually entered East Seal, things wouldn't go beyond expectations— And he'd heard she'd shown up yesterday too. Was Princess Selene perhaps planning to check on the Thousand Transformations every single day to see if he was "doing as he pleased"?
That was... very troublesome. Could he somehow persuade her?
Hugh recalled Princess Selene's expression—she looked approachable but was utterly impossible to reason with—and sighed.