"There it is. Tenma, that's 'Nanao.'"
"It's the central town of the Southern Autonomous Zone. It was built by Amour's great-grandfather, old man Kei, and her grandfather, Crow."
Branca immediately jumped in to supplement Amour's explanation.
It had been four days since we rendezvoused with Viscount Robo's group, and we'd finally arrived at our destination. At first glance, Nanao didn't look like much of a city for being the center of the Southern Autonomous Zone, but that was because it had been built on a hilltop — even from our vantage point it didn't appear all that large, but apparently it was actually about two-thirds the size of Seigen.
One of the reasons Nanao had been built on a hill, apparently, was that the city had been designed with the possibility of fighting the Crastine Kingdom's army in mind.
The Southern Autonomous Zone had begun roughly a hundred years ago as a semi-independence from the Kingdom, and there was apparently a period when it called itself the Southern Republic. However, since it had originally been Kingdom territory, conflicts with the Kingdom's army broke out multiple times, and in the end, it was reduced to the status of an autonomous zone under the Kingdom.
Construction of Nanao began around that time. Old man Kei and his son, Crow, had set their sights on this location — a place with steep mountains to the east, a deep forest where Monsters roamed to the west, and long, gentle slopes stretching to the north and south — and laid its foundations. In the end, the fighting concluded before the Kingdom's army ever reached Nanao, but construction of the city continued on regardless and has persisted to the present day.
Incidentally, among the reasons the south was recognized as an autonomous zone, one of the causes of the war had been discrimination against the beastmen, and the King at the time — who feared that clashing with the south would diminish the Kingdom's strength — had made the decision. The beastmen, who were on average stronger than humans, would fight with desperate ferocity, and while the difference in national power might have allowed the Kingdom to win, the resulting devastation would have been enormous — that much was certain.
The gatekeepers and townspeople were surprised to see the soldiers return ahead of schedule, but once Viscount Robo declared that the problem had been resolved, we were greeted with thunderous cheers. Lining the streets were buildings that could almost be called Japanese-style — Western-style architecture, which was the norm in this world, was scarce here.
Surrounded by cheers, we made our way toward the center of the city, and a two-story fortress-like building came into view up ahead. Apparently, that was Amour's family estate.
Hana said something to the soldier who had come out to greet us, and the soldier approached Raiden and began guiding us forward. Following his lead, we drove Raiden into what looked like a stable area. After parking the carriage there and securing Raiden, a group of women who appeared to be maids emerged and ushered us toward the building.
The estate apparently consisted of several buildings clustered within the grounds — there were quarters for soldiers, quarters for servants, and the like.
"Tenma, take your shoes off here."
The maids had led us to the entrance of the largest building, and from there, Amour would be our guide. When Gramps tried to walk in with his shoes still on, Amour started to explain.
First, apparently, in most buildings throughout the Southern Autonomous Zone, you had to remove your shoes before entering. In some places there were even spots where you washed your feet after taking your shoes off — I was told this was a measure to keep the buildings clean. There were various other detailed rules as well, but most of them were close to general common sense in Japan.
"Hmph, having to switch to indoor shoes just to enter a manor — what a hassle. But you don't seem to mind much, do you, Tenma?"
"Back in Kukuri Village and at the Royal Capital estate, I'd always take them off or switch shoes in my own room. Walking around with dirty shoes just made cleaning a pain."
"Come to think of it, you did, didn't you?"
While this was rather unusual by the standards of this world, I'd always felt uncomfortable wearing outdoor shoes indoors, so I'd made a habit of switching. I never forced it on anyone else, but apparently Aina had been seriously debating whether to adopt the practice herself.
"The guest slippers are always stocked, so feel free to use those."
What Amour pulled from the shoebox was a pair of oversized slippers. If Old Man Kei really was the person I imagined him to be, I doubted slippers had existed back in his era—but perhaps even across worlds with entirely different needs, similar forms naturally emerge.
"Hmm, these slippers are quite comfortable to walk in. No squeezing, so they're easy on the feet."
The old man took a liking to the slippers and was asking Branca where he could buy a pair.
After that, we were made to wait in what felt like a parlor, until Branca came to fetch us.
"Apparently, your brother and sister-in-law are waiting in here."
Branca stopped in front of a room at the far end of the manor. The sight of a sliding door fitted with paper screens and a Japanese-style garden visible beyond the veranda made me wonder once more whether this city really wasn't Japan.
"I've brought Tenma and Merlin. May we come in?"
"Sure."
Amour called out from outside to request permission to enter, and Viscount Robo, who was inside, granted it. Upon hearing the go-ahead, Amour slid the door open with rather rough enthusiasm and strode right in.
Following Amour inside, we found Viscount Robo and Lady Hana seated at the far end, with subordinates lined up on either side to form a path. It looked exactly like an audience scene straight out of a period drama.
"Tenma, there's no need to bow. Just walk straight ahead and sit somewhere in the center of the room. No formalities when you sit either."
Branca caught me in a quiet voice just as I was about to instinctively bow upon entering. After giving a brief explanation, she walked past the subordinates and took a seat near Viscount Robo.
Grandpa and I did as Branca said and walked forward. A few of the subordinates glared at us, but each one was nudged in the ribs by the colleague beside them. We reached the middle of the room without incident, so I simply sat down cross-legged. Grandpa settled in the same way to my right. And to my left, for some reason, sat Amour.
"Amour, you belong over here."
At Lady Hana's gentle correction, Amour rose with obvious reluctance, moved to Lady Hana's side, and sat back down. Viscount Robo watched this with a bitter expression, but wisely said nothing on this occasion.
"Tenma. You delivered the royal letter quite well. So then——"
"Before that—if you have your Familiars with you, feel free to bring them out. It would be cruel to leave them cooped up in your bag forever."
Lady Hana cut off Viscount Robo's words and asked me to release Slarin and the others. On the way to Nanao, I had mentioned that I was a Tamer, but I hadn't revealed the types of Familiars I had. They could serve as a trump card in a pinch. Though Branca, Amour, or some other information network might have already found out.
At the mention of Familiars, Viscount Robo's expression didn't change, but more than half of his subordinates began to murmur restlessly. They had probably realized that a surprise attack using Slarin and the others was entirely possible from where we stood. I had absolutely no intention of launching such an attack. That said, as a defensive force in case we were the ones ambushed, I was certainly counting on them.
"Well then, I'll take you up on your kind offer."
First, I summoned Slarin from behind me. When some of the subordinates saw Slarin, they wore looks of contempt, but when Shiromaru appeared next, their faces twisted in alarm, and when Solomon emerged, they were so shocked they looked ready to faint.
"I also have the two spider Monsters that were pulling the carriage, plus Ryden, but this place is too narrow to bring Ryden out, and the two spiders are rather shy, so please forgive me."
I addressed those who had been looking down on me, mainly the ones who had worn such contemptuous expressions at the sight of Slarin, to make clear I still had more forces at my disposal. However, I chose not to mention the Golems, which were also part of my fighting strength. I'd let Branca or Lady Hana relay that information later and enjoy watching them tremble in fear.
"So the merchant from the Royal Capital was talking about you after all."
Lady Hana had apparently already guessed that I was the subject of the rumors and didn't seem particularly surprised, but Viscount Robo was considerably taken aback. Perhaps Lady Hana had caught a whiff of my Familiars when she rode in my carriage and had a vague suspicion, while Viscount Robo hadn't gotten close enough to the carriage to notice.
"Hey, would it be all right if I touched them for a bit?"
Lady Hana had been wiggling her hands excitedly upon seeing Shiromaru and Solomon, so I asked the two of them, and when they said it seemed fine, I told her to go ahead. She eagerly approached Shiromaru and the others and quickly obtained their permission. And then...
"This one feels the nicest to touch."
Lady Hana was particularly taken with Slarin. It seemed she had been won over by Slarin's squishy, cool-to-the-touch feel. The way Shiromaru and Solomon looked so frustrated about it at that moment was incredibly entertaining.
"Hmm... well then, please continue with the discussion."
"R-right..."
A thoroughly satisfied Lady Hana abruptly passed the baton to Viscount Robo and settled down on the spot, still cradling Slarin. She left the conversation to Viscount Robo, clearly intending to enjoy Slarin to her heart's content.
"Mm, well... first of all, I've read the letter that was delivered. We've been continuing to discuss its contents. Because of that, it will take some time before we can write a reply, so Tenma, please convey to the Royal Family that the commission has been completed..."
"Because we want you here, please stay in Nanao for a while. We'll arrange your lodging during that time and cover the costs. Ideally, I'd have you stay in this mansion, but it would be difficult for you to move about freely here, I think... with so many hot-blooded people around."
Lady Hana interrupted Viscount Robo's words from behind me and continued speaking. When I asked, "A commission?" she nodded.
"If it's just delivering a reply, couldn't you hire an adventurer from Nanao to do it?"
"My dear, in that case you'd have to cover not only the standard commission fee but also the round-trip travel costs to the Royal Capital. Depending on the situation, you'd also need to pay danger pay for the journey. When you think about it that way, it's cheaper to hire Tenma, who only needs to be paid for the one-way trip. Moreover, judging by his abilities, he'd deliver it reliably and in a short amount of time."
"But even in that case, wouldn't Tenma need to bring back proof that the commission was completed?"
"He could entrust that to Seigen or to a merchant caravan heading to the Royal Capital. They may not be able to entrust a reply addressed to the Royal Family to the merchants, but they can certainly entrust them with proof of completion and have it brought back. Besides, you're the one who runs their operations, so there's no problem."
"Ngh..."
It seemed the argument between the two had ended in Hana's favor. Wearing the smile of a victor, Hana whispered something to one of her subordinates and sent them outside.
"Tenma, about the commission fee — the base rate is 50,000 G, plus 10,000 G hazard pay, for a total of 60,000 G. As for lodging and meals during your stay here, would it be all right if you covered those yourselves?"
I did a rough calculation in my head and determined that, with Ryden on my side, this was a pretty good deal. I decided to accept the commission. Just to be sure, I checked with Gramps too, and he didn't see any problems either.
"In a little while... Ah, my subordinate has returned. Amour, it's the usual inn, so please show Tenma the way."
"Got it!"
"Wha—!"
"You two — Branca — I have something I'd like to discuss, so stay behind for a moment, won't you?"
The two who were detained by Hana — especially the Robot Viscount — wore displeased expressions but sat back down nonetheless. Seeing this, the subordinates discussed their plans for the rest of the day and filed out of the room.
"Well then, Tenma. Let me show you to the inn."
"Yeah, thanks. Slarin, Shiromaru, Solomon — get back in the bag."
With that, the three returned to the bag one by one. As they did, Slarin slipped smoothly out of Hana's arms, and Hana made a rather sorrowful face.
Amour paid no heed to the dejected Hana and pulled me by the hand, heading out of the room. But...
"Tenma... my legs fell asleep... I need just a moment..."
It seemed Gramps' legs had gone numb — he tangled them up and collapsed on all fours, crawling along the ground. I went to cast a healing spell on him, but for some reason Shiromaru and Solomon leaped out of the bag and began pecking at his legs. They must have remembered how amusing his reaction had been when they'd poked his legs during the journey. Later, the two of them received a thorough scolding from Gramps.
"Tenma, there's a place I need to stop by before we head to the inn."
After leaving the mansion, Amour said that and started walking. I wondered where we were going, and it turned out to be another mansion a short walk from the first. She'd said we were stopping somewhere before the inn, so it definitely wasn't the inn — but I couldn't figure out why we were stopping here. While I was puzzling over this, Amour passed through the mansion gate as naturally as if she'd done it a thousand times before. And then,
"Sana-nee, I'm here!"
Amour threw open the front door and called out in a loud voice for someone she called Sana-nee. The person who appeared at the sound of that voice was...
"Amour's... no, Hana's older sister?"
She looked like Amour and Hana. However, she appeared more mature than either of them, so I assumed she was Hana's older sister rather than Amour's, but that wasn't actually the case.
"No. She's Mom's younger sister, and Branca's wife."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Sana."
Compared to the somewhat childish Amour and Hana, the woman who introduced herself as Sana bowed with graceful poise. Seeing this, Grandpa and I hurried to introduce ourselves.
"Amour, is this person your sweetheart?"
"Yep!"
"No, she's not."
"Oh, how disappointing."
Sana-san, who trusted my words over Amour's immediate nodding, cheerfully laughed and invited us to come up into the mansion, but when Amour said she'd only stopped by to say hello and that we needed to be guided to the inn first, she looked disappointed. However, when she was told that Branca had come back and was currently in her own
mansion,
her cheeks flushed and she wore a delighted expression.
"Is Sana-san really Hana's younger sister? Not her older sister?"
"It's true. Sana-nee is Mom's younger sister... I'm pretty sure that's right."
From her calm demeanor and atmosphere, Sana-san definitely appeared older than Hana to anyone looking at them, and it seemed Amour had thought the same thing too, as she answered with a hint of uncertainty.
For reference, when comparing the three of them, there wasn't much difference, but they went from tallest to shortest in the order of Sana-san, Hana, and Amour. Their body types seemed roughly the same, but the fact that Sana-san wore kimono-like clothing while Hana and Amour wore outfits that looked easy to move in might also be a factor in why she appeared the oldest. Then again, anyone who didn't know better seeing the three of them together would mistake them for three sisters — they all looked that young.
"Well then, I'll guide you to the inn."
"Please do."
"Oh, that reminds me — does Sana-san run some kind of shop? I could hear a clacking sound coming from deep inside the mansion."
What Grandpa was referring to was a faint sound that could be heard from deep within the mansion — or more precisely, from around the back. It sounded like some kind of loom, and it had caught my attention, but Amour's chatter had caused me to miss the chance to ask about it.
"Sana-nee does... something like managing artisans? Or craftspeople? Honestly, I'm not really interested, so I don't know the details."
I suppose there's something a little problematic about not knowing what the relative living nearby does, but in Amour's case, she seems more interested in food or weapons than in decorations and accessories, so it can't be helped.
"Hm~ I think I'll ask if I can go on a tour sometime."
"You should ask Branca... We're here. This is the inn."
What Amour led me to was a three-story building that felt more like a traditional inn than a simple lodging house. It was located a short walk past Sana-san's (Branca's) estate, roughly a kilometer or so from Amour's residence.
I don't know about other inns, but since this one had been arranged under a viscount's name, it was probably among the finest in Nanau.
After Amour spoke with the receptionist, a man who looked like the owner appeared promptly and led us to a detached wing at the back of the first floor. On the way, our guide informed us that the detached wing was designed so it couldn't be seen from other floors. He also added that this wing was reserved exclusively for the viscount family, and even nobles from other territories wouldn't easily receive permission to use it — and the last time it had been used was apparently about three years ago, by none other than Ernest.
"Nice room."
"This 'Ryusaikan' is the finest inn in Nanau. Old Kei started it... or so he said before getting fed up and handing it off to his subordinates midway through."
I wasn't sure what kanji "Ryusai" was written with, but "kan" was almost certainly written with the character "ken," the counter used for shops and buildings. Sure enough, given the layout of this town and its buildings, one of the founders — old Kei or his son Crow — had to be a reincarnator.
"Pardon the intrusion, my lady. A carriage has arrived to escort you back to the estate."
"Hmm... but I refuse!"
"You can't just refuse!"
A maid — or someone who looked like one — came to inform Amour that her ride had arrived, but Amour refused immediately. However, as if she had anticipated this, Branca appeared in the detached wing, grabbed Amour by the scruff of the neck, and lifted her up.
"Let go! Put me down! Kidnapper!"
"I'm sorry for the commotion. Tenma, Merlin — I've reserved this inn for a week, so take your time and enjoy yourselves. The rest of the explanations are on you."
Branca completely ignored Amour's struggling, left the remaining matters to the maid, and departed.
"Then allow me to explain."
The maid, as if Amour had never been there in the first place, began her explanation. According to her, meals were provided for breakfast and dinner, while for lunch, you either informed the inn early enough or had to arrange your own.
Beyond meals, she also explained the bath facilities. The detached wing had its own bath, but the one in the main building was apparently larger. However, since all guests could use the main building's bath, you might be unlucky and find it extremely crowded. On top of that, the bath in the main building closed late at night. The bath in the detached wing, on the other hand, was smaller than the main one but available practically all day long. Incidentally, the Ryusaikan did not have a communal bath.
There were several other minor details, but the gist was that as long as you didn't dirt or damage the room too badly, everything was fine — and you could even keep Rai-den inside, with the sole exception being that he was too big and too heavy. However, there was no problem letting him out into the garden reserved for the detached wing... I tried letting him out, but he seemed reluctant because the space was so cramped...
"Well, I'm going to take a look around outside while I'm here, Grandpa. Want to come along?"
"I think I'll try the bath, myself. They say the main building's bath is empty at this hour."
And so, we decided to split up. Incidentally, Shiromaru and Solomon said they'd come with me, while Slarin planned to stay behind to look after Gor and Jil, who hadn't been outside in quite a while.
"Right then, I'm off. I'll let the inn staff know you're staying here, Slarin, but don't go wandering off to the main building on your own, alright?"
In response to my warning, Slarin extended a tentacle.
"Bring us back some souvenirs~"
Grandpa seemed eager to head straight for the bath, as he was already carrying the provided change of clothes and a towel.
"By the way, Tenma. How does one put this on?"
He held up a garment like a yukata, looking puzzled. I knew how to wear a yukata, but there was no guarantee it was done the same way in this world, and it felt odd for me to be the one explaining. So, I called the inn attendant — I had the right term for her — and had her show us together. In the end, the method was the same.