Chapter 103 - Chapter 6: To the Royal Capital
February 17, 2026: Wording corrected.
The place we were guided to by the Royal Guard Knights was a luxurious room that looked like it came out of a fairy tale.
Even at the destination of the Teleport, the voices asking "Who goes there!" were elegant, quite different from the bandits.
On the fluffy red carpet, there were canopy beds for everyone and furnishings decorated with gold and silver. Even though it was a five-person room, it was so spacious that I thought fifty people could stay there if they slept on the floor. We didn't even have to leave the room for the bath or toilet.
"Please feel free to drink the beverages in the room. If you like them, you may take them home with you. Also, if there is anything, the person here will attend to your needs at any time, so please do not hesitate to ask."
"We will be in your care. Thank you."
Hanna-san, looking sharp in her town hall uniform, was interacting with the three receptionists. The four from the Class of 175 just stared at the room with their mouths wide open.
As soon as the door closed, Beatrix and Lyudmila, who had placed their bags on the floor, suddenly started running. I thought they were going to, and then they dove onto the canopy beds with their arms wide open.
"Amazing! It's so fluffy!"
Lyudmila even crawled under the thick coverlet and wouldn't come out.
Mary, for her part, was smiling as she opened the chest and looked at her clothes after storing them.
"What an amazing room."
Hanna-san, who had been walking around the room looking at everything, said, "I'll take this bed," and then, as expected, flopped down.
When she sat up, she blushed and laughed, saying, "It's a tradition, after all."
If even Hanna-san is doing it, it feels like there's no stopping it...
"Aren't you two going to do this? It's a canopy bed, you know."
She was inviting us.
"The best rooms in the brothels have canopy beds. I've taken naps in them several times. I also did the 'flop' the first time. So, I'm fine doing it before I sleep."
I see. She's experienced. But she's still going to do it before she sleeps.
"Then, you're the only one left. Don't hold back, just do it."
The wicked mage whispered to me.
I don't want to do that while wearing my vestments. It would be terrible if they tore.
Lyudmila poked her face out and was looking at me. Hanna-san and Mary were also pointing at the empty beds and winking.
"Can I change?"
"Of course!"
Everyone agreed.
Just as I had changed into my priest vestments and was about to jump in, there was a knock on the door.
Ugh! What bad timing!
Who is it?
The person who came in saying "Hello" was none other than Lady Gladys.
"It's been a long time. Not since the Eastern Plains."
She was dressed like a knight.
"O-oh, no. To have Lady Gladys come here, I'm sorry for such a place."
Hanna-san was so nervous that her hand pouring the wine was shaking.
Is it okay to call a guest room in the Royal Palace 'such a place'?
"Hanna-san, it's okay. After all, Lady Gladys is Jeanne's comrade-in-arms."
That was Lord Roberts' joke.
"That's right. Don't feel constrained. Besides, Hanna and the others also fought together, so you're already comrades-in-arms."
"O-oh, no. I'm honored!"
There, she seemed to notice Mary, who had finished the greetings I couldn't do and was standing still like a dreaming girl with her hands clasped in front of her chest.
"You... please don't hold back either. I'll feel shy if you look at me like that."
With a slightly bashful feeling, she offered Mary a chair. The dreaming girl nodded slightly without saying anything and sat down softly. During that time, her gaze never wavered.
"Lady Gladys is the idol of all women in Sertoria, after all."
"Oh? Was I not a demon wife? In Medioland, that story is a big hit."
She's already making it into a joke.
But I think that in itself is an idol for married maidens.
It was funny how Mary, upon learning that Will was the one who originally said it, had been quite angry.
"By the way, what brings you here today?"
As a member of the royalty, it wouldn't be strange for her to be in the Royal Palace, but she should usually be at the fortress in the Eastern Plains.
"Roberts is being decorated for his achievements in the monster extermination in the Northeastern Forest, so he brought me along."
I see. Come to think of it, our battle was only a part of the offensive into the Northeastern Forest.
"But the Royal Palace is bothersome with etiquette and manners, isn't it? Today Roberts is also meeting with His Majesty the King, so he's absent. So, hearing that you were here, I thought I'd come to take a breather."
When she asked, "Was it a nuisance?" I hurriedly said, "No, no."
"What kind of outfit will Lady Gladys wear for the decoration? Will it be a luxurious dress after all?"
Beatrix's eyes were sparkling. It's the formal dress of royalty. She'll probably use it as material for a new portrait and sell it off.
"Ufufu. Since I'm an observer, I intend to attend in Green Marble, mixed in with the Royal Army soldiers. Roberts also intends to be decorated in the same outfit."
"What a coincidence. We're all wearing Green Marble too. I'm glad to have companions. Ah, but the ones we're wearing are for autumn and winter."
"For autumn and winter? Is there such a thing? May I see it?"
It was decided that we would show her.
Unfortunately, Will, who has the same build as Lady Gladys, wasn't there, so she couldn't try it on, but when we explained using the nervous Mary as a model, she was quite impressed.
"We reduced the green and added black and dark brown. It's also designed to serve as an overcoat so it's not cold."
Because Lady Gladys was standing right next to her, looking and touching, Mary's breathing was becoming heavy with excitement.
"Wonderful. We're planning to officially adopt Green Marble in the Eastern Plains, but it would be good to combine it with this. Roberts said he would work on His Majesty the King and the Army Commander to officially adopt it for the Central Army as well. I'll talk to him immediately."
"Since the four of us will be wearing it during the decoration, I think you'll be able to see it."
At first I hated it, but now I feel like I want to thank Paul-san. I'll apologize to him later.
"Actually, we did an experiment in the Eastern Plains. We tested how close one could get while several scouts with good eyesight were watching. In the case of Green Marble, compared to normal equipment, they weren't discovered until they were quite close."
"Is that so?"
"Will there be a reward if it's officially adopted?"
As usual, the tactless mage was asking the hard-to-ask questions.
"I believe I heard that they would be given a reward or something of equivalent value."
Even if it's a reward, I wonder if one gold coin is enough to buy souvenirs. Shall I buy several deluxe assortments at the main store of Highway Cookies and distribute them to everyone?
While explaining about the colors and embroidery, Lady Gladys tilted her head. Her gaze was on my left hand.
"You're wearing a rare ring."
There are priests who wear rings. Most of them are charms, so not many people pay attention to them, but...
"I received it from a close friend as a charm."
It wasn't a lie. In fact, Dune is a friend. And Dune had said it was a charm.
Lady Gladys stared intently at my face.
Did she notice something? My companions in the Class of 175 know about the ring, but Hanna-san doesn't. I don't want to talk about it much here.
While I was slightly panicking, she seemed to sense something and smiled brightly.
"You have a good friend. Please cherish them."
"Yes. Thank you very much."
It was the same as with Jennifer-sensei; I suppose those who can see will understand.
After that, she told us about the monster extermination in the Northeastern Forest.
The forward base where they fought Fenrir is gradually expanding its scale, apparently preventing the monsters from the Black Forest from invading Nakanohara.
The Nakanohara Jaeger Regiment has apparently begun fortifying the Northern Pass, which we couldn't resolve while we were there, in order for humans to occupy the west side of the forward base.
"Once the Northern Pass is secured, a vacuum zone of the Demon Lord's army forces will be created between Nakanohara and the Eastern Plains. That area is relatively flat, so eventually, we might recruit settlers and a new pioneer village might be established."
A new village... Beatrix was looking at me. Not just Beatrix. Lyudmila and Mary too.
"Um, what kind of people become settlers in a pioneer village?"
"In Medioland, half are nobles who are granted land and develop it at their own expense. But I wonder how it is in Sertoria? I'm sorry. I don't know the details of this country."
"Please, don't apologize."
"That's right. If you're interested, shall I ask Roberts?"
"No, that's fine. It's still a story for the future."
It seems I asked the wrong person.
When I looked at Hanna-san, she gave a small nod. As a town hall employee, she should know the outline. I asked her for an explanation.
"In Sertoria, settlers are widely recruited from the general public, and pioneering begins when the number of applicants reaches a certain amount. For a period of three years, pioneering funds are provided from the national treasury. However, the pioneered land itself becomes a free lease from the state."
"Is that so? In other words, anyone can do it as long as they wish."
"Yes. Of course, provided they are adult Sertorian citizens. Also, those with remaining prison terms are excluded from the target."
"Can't you make the pioneered land your own?"
"To make it your own property, you must pay a prescribed fee to the state and buy it. Moreover, after that, the obligation to continue paying land tax every year arises. Of course, it's also possible to buy the land cheaply before pioneering and develop it at your own expense. In that case, it will be tax-free for three years from the base year of purchase. The land tax is determined by the area, and at the stage of purchasing wasteland, it's a flat rate of one-hundredth of the wasteland price regardless of the land's use. Of course, at the time of sale, it can be sold at a price according to the content of the pioneering, so if it can be sufficiently developed, it can be sold for that much better a price.
Whether you sell it after pioneering or continue to own it, it will be a huge deficit unless you have enough income to cover the purchase funds, pioneering funds, and the subsequent land tax."
Truly the number one receptionist. A flawless explanation.
"So as long as you have money, anyone can have their own land."
When Lady Gladys nodded with satisfaction, Hanna-san looked blank.
"Is something wrong?"
"Ah, no, my apologies. It's just, um... I had heard that some people from countries with a nobility system don't like the idea of anyone being able to own land."
"That's right. In other countries, I think that's especially true for those of the noble class."
"What do you think, Lady Gladys?"
I accidentally asked. Hanna-san's face stiffened, so I regretted it after asking.
"I think it's desirable. Under the Goddess, humans, beasts, and spirits should all be equal, so the existence of classes like nobility or royalty might be strange in itself."
She added, "But it's a secret that I said this."
"But don't you think it's better to have a King?"
"Why do you think so, Beatrix?"
"What do you call it, the face of the country? People who don't know anything wouldn't be able to do diplomacy with other countries, and if people who can do those things gather to run the country, then you still need a representative. Like, you need someone to be the face."
"In other words, you're saying royalty is necessary as a representative of the country."
"That's right. Also, a symbol? It's more exciting to have a coat of arms or a flag, right? It's the same as that; when something happens, I think the whole country gets more excited if there's a King or Queen."
It's not a banquet; judging by whether it's exciting or not is a bit much. Even Lady Gladys is laughing with her hand over her mouth, isn't she?
"Sertoria is truly an interesting country. I'm really glad I was able to come to this country."
This line, with a lovely smile, caused Mary to faint, and we ended up in a panic trying to look after her.
As expected of royalty, her destructive power is different.
After she woke up, hearing that the one who carried her to the bed was Lady Gladys, Mary lamented that she was miserable for having been unconscious the whole time, which was particularly funny.