335 - Cody's Brought-Back Rumors and the Rumored Demon God and Cat
Around the time Jasper's transcription work, which had continued for several years, finally ended, a notice arrived from the Sedovara Church. It said the merchant they had sent to the Divine King's territory of Quebia to procure materials had returned, and they wanted me to confirm the materials. Since that notice came, I visited Siegwald's annex, which I had been refraining from approaching lately. The reason I had been refraining from approaching was that, since we could not start the next work until the materials were gathered, I tried to advance what I could, and as a result, the annex had turned into a lecture hall for the compounding methods of the secret arts that had been revived first. As decided at the start, no one was allowed outside until they passed, but the successful candidates hoped that 'if they stayed on the teaching side, the pharmacists would increase even faster,' and they chose to become instructors, so the number of pharmacists had grown. If a child like me entered such a place, I would inevitably stand out, so I had been keeping my distance.
Well, it's autumn now, and it looks like the numbers will drop a bit from here on.
Mustine medicine becomes necessary during the snowmelt season, so it would be better for the pharmacists to move to various regions during autumn. Even for the Greenwich pox preventative, if you consider travel, they would want to bring it back during autumn. Considering all that, the annex's numbers would decrease in winter.
Only two so far, but I'm glad the secret arts could be revived.
When I stepped into one of the annex's rooms, Cody and the luggage already unloaded from the cart were waiting for me. Cody, whom I had not seen in half a year, looked a bit gaunt.
"I thought I asked you to deliver a letter, Cody, but you brought the materials as well."
"I am indebted to Christina-sama for accommodating me with the Mustine medicine, so I wanted to be involved until the very end."
"...Despite that, you look a bit tired."
When I asked if something had happened, he answered that it was from mental exhaustion. Apparently, when he went to the Divine King's territory of Quebia intending only to deliver the letter, the Acting King was lying in wait for him at the border fortress, and he ended up receiving an official seal on the spot, which allowed him to go straight through to the region where Laroche blooms.
"...The journey went smoothly, did it not? What was there to be mentally exhausted about?"
"Being a messenger for the young lady, I got to speak directly with someone I would never normally have an audience with, and truly, my stomach hurt."
"Ah, that is... I suppose that might be the case?"
I decided not to point out that his tone had slipped into its natural form. Just imagining crossing a border intending only to deliver a letter only to find the king of that country waiting there made even my stomach ache. Unlike me, who could get some leeway because my blunders were those of a child, Cody was an adult merchant. Even a small mistake could cost him his life.
"But that is strange. I do know the next Acting King, but I have no acquaintance with the Acting King himself..."
"It seems the person you knew as the next Acting King has become the Acting King. The royalty of that country rarely leave the country except for their pilgrimage when inheriting the acting throne."
So apparently Remihio had already become the king, even if acting. If the person Cody met was Remihio, then I probably did not need to worry about Cody's stomach pains. If it was Remihio, even if those around him were on edge, he would probably smile magnanimously and laugh off more than just minor mistakes. There was that strange sense of reassurance.
"Since you returned from the Saenard Kingdom, do you know what happened with the war, Cody?"
"The war? By the time I returned from Quebia, it seemed to be over. I heard various stories until I crossed the Ivizia border..."
When I heard him say that they were probably in the middle of post-war processing now, the strength drained from my body. Lately I had been constantly uneasy wondering when the war would happen, but apparently the war had ended without me knowing.
"So wars begin and end without people even knowing about them."
"That's the case for skirmishes. War preparations start days in advance, but the time knights actually spend charging across the battlefield is less than half a day. If things are decided in that half-day, it's over, and if not, they realign their formation the next day and fight again."
"I see... so that is how it works."
When I heard the word 'war,' I could not help but imagine the video materials and war experiences from my previous life, so I had always thought it was days upon days of hardship. Unlike the wars of my previous life with weapons like tanks and fighter jets, a war where people fought with swords and shields apparently did not take that much time. Or rather, they probably could not afford to take that much time. People are living creatures. Though I was not Cody, if I stood on a battlefield with a sword, I would probably be mentally exhausted too, and there was no way my mind and body could endure such a state for days.
But... I'm glad. The war is already over. Leonyaldo-san will be coming home soon.
Cody, who said he had come through the border region that was the battlefield, had a normal expression. Perhaps it had not been that terrible a war.
"Well then, Christina-sama. Please confirm the luggage."
"Yes."
I checked the bags of Laroche pollen that had been procured and the names and quantities of the additional medicine materials I had ordered against the list. Laroche pollen was, as the name suggested, only a single small bag, but even this much must have been collected with an immense amount of effort. When I opened the bag's mouth, I saw an orange-tinged yellow pollen inside.
"...And this slightly larger bag? Um... Laroche seeds?"
I found a bag about one size larger than the one with the pollen and checked its contents. Inside were black, round seeds that were a bit hard when I pressed them with my finger.
"Yes. Through the Acting King's arrangement, they gave us some Laroche seeds."
"...Remihio-sama, thank you very much. If Laroche flowers bloom here, next time we might be able to manage the pollen domestically."
Since I could not thank him in person, I expressed my gratitude toward the direction of the Divine King's territory of Quebia. I had heard there were spirits around me, so perhaps those spirits might whimsically convey my thanks for me.
I thought about where to try growing them, then decided to consult with a gardener about plants. A gardener at the detached palace should be able to advise me on growing flowers.
"That just leaves the Adorutoru eggs. Cody, could you collect some while you are at it?"
"No way. I refuse. Please let me decline."
I had asked on a whim, thinking that since his homeland was the Saenard Kingdom it would be on his way back, but Cody's resistance was unexpectedly firm. The war was over, so crossing the border should have become a bit easier, but perhaps there was still something. When I asked out of curiosity, Cody relaxed his shoulders slightly.
"Young lady, you don't know what a dangerous bird the Adorutoru is, so you can say things like 'go collect its eggs' so easily."
"I recall the book said they build nests on dangerous cliffs..."
"It's not just the nests that are dangerous. They're incredibly vicious. Not only do they attack if you approach their nests, they attack if you even get near their territory, and they snatch up even small humans and eat them... no, they devour them. They're dangerous birds."
"...They even snatch up and eat people?"
I was shocked to hear that. It really was a dangerous bird. Even if they were children, if they snatched away humans, they must be quite large birds as well.
A bird that dangerous... without someone like Leonyaldo-san, could anyone even collect its eggs?
At the very least, it might be impossible for the Sedovara Church pharmacists. Unlike knights, they had no real muscle to speak of, and before the Adorutoru they were more likely to be the hunted than the hunters.
"I heard that this year it took time to cross the border, and by the time they reached the habitat, the eggs had already hatched into chicks... Will that be alright? They said they would depart earlier next year..."
"Entering the Adorutoru's habitat during the breeding season is suicide. As for the border, I think there won't be any worries next year..."
Apparently, the Saenard Kingdom had lost the war so badly that its internal power structure was undergoing major changes. It seems the prince who had been driven out of power after losing the war where Leonyaldo earned his meritorious deeds was now receiving the people's attention. They said that when that prince was in command of the war, they had never suffered such a devastating defeat.
"Did they lose so badly that attention is gathering on the one who was forced out of power?"
"I only know what I picked up as rumor mixed with fact while traveling, but apparently the Second Princess, who had been made the next heir, resented the Fourth Prince, who had charged into battle determined to distinguish himself out of jealousy for the Third Prince's popularity, and had him assassinated. Then that princess was accidentally killed by the Third Princess's troops during the retreat. The First Prince arrested the Third Princess on the grounds that she had deliberately killed the Second Princess. Then the Fifth Prince's army attacked the First Prince from behind as he tried to return to the capital with the Third Princess..."
"...Was the Saenard Kingdom not at war with our Ivizia Kingdom?"
"Right. That's what I thought too."
They were quite the unfriendly siblings, I worried despite them being royalty from another country. That said, in the history and stories of my previous life, it was not at all uncommon for princes and princesses to kill each other over the throne, so perhaps it was the royalty of this country that was unusual. It felt like they were pushing the throne onto each other as if whoever was suited for it should take it.
"I think this was done intentionally by the Ivizia side, but it seems the conscripted infantry were allowed to surrender, and about sixty percent returned to their villages unharmed."
"...What is the reason for specifying 'the infantry'?"
"Knights are different from forcibly gathered soldiers. I heard they were given no time to surrender and were almost completely annihilated."
"Is that normal for war?"
"In a normal war, infantry casualties should be the heaviest. Whether attacking or fleeing, they lack mobility and their reach is short. If targeted from horseback, their heads fly off before their swords can reach."
And yet, in this war it seemed the cavalry was annihilated while the infantry survived. Incidentally, several princes and princesses who should have been commanding the war had destroyed themselves, so it appeared the Saenard Kingdom would not be in a state to start a war for a while. They could forcibly gather numbers through conscription for infantry, but having lost so many knights, warhorses, and commanders, and with the Saenard Kingdom's system of deciding generals by bloodline rather than ability, they probably could not even put together the semblance of a war for several years.
"Speaking of which, young lady, your big brother is said to have built another new legend."
"...I suppose I should hear it."
According to the rumors Cody had collected, it seemed Leonyaldo had also fallen into a critical situation on the battlefield. Unfortunately, his horse was hit by an arrow and collapsed, robbing Leonyaldo of his mobility. Seizing this as an opportunity, enemy soldiers swarmed him, but Leonyaldo slipped through the encirclement without difficulty. Bad luck continued to pile up when, exhausted from consecutive battles, Leonyaldo's sword broke, and seeing another chance, cavalry swarmed him. Leonyaldo smashed the sword swung down at him with his fist, and the broken blade tip pierced another enemy soldier's chest, causing him to fall from his horse. The knight whose sword was smashed lost his balance and fell, and was apparently trampled to death by his own horse. The cavalry did not give up attacking Leonyaldo, who remained on the ground, unwilling to let the chance slip away, but it seems they ended up having their swords and horses taken by Leonyaldo. After that, Leonyaldo just kept swinging his sword, and when a sword broke from being unable to withstand his mighty arm, he took another enemy's sword and swung again. Over and over.
"His figure standing on the battlefield dyed red all over with blood spatter... in Saenard Kingdom, they say he's no longer the War God Herkeles, but a raging demon god."
"I think that is a bit too exaggerated."
My big brother is, after all, human. If they likened him to the War God Herkeles, that might be an honor, but I think 'demon god' is going too far.
I stored the Laroche pollen, being careful about humidity, saying it was until we obtained Adorutoru eggs. As for the Laroche seeds that Remihio had apparently thoughtfully prepared for us, I left them to the detached palace gardener. I had thought they could just be planted, but when I showed them to the gardener, it turned out they were seeds that required some skill even to germinate. It was a good decision to leave them to the gardener from the start.
After the Harvest Festival ended, Ethelbert returned to his territory of Gumons during autumn this year, and Rannvald, who had been entrusted by Alfred, also left the detached palace. However, it seemed he intended to stay at Ethelbert's detached palace again, so I quietly informed Felicia about it. Now that Felicia would be keeping watch, Rannvald would probably not be able to freely stride around the royal castle.
A thank-you letter for the bobbin lace guidebook I had sent to Basilia was sent back along with a slightly misshapen piece of bobbin lace, as if she had tried it right away. At the Lagarette lord's residence, it seemed Basilia's mother had become more hooked on bobbin lace than Basilia herself. Apparently she had already begun working on a grand piece, saying it would be for Basilia's wedding dress. It felt a bit early, but since it was not something woven by machine, it was not wrong to take a year or more to make it.
The autumn hat that had come back from Mikaela's tea party the other day had, as expected, its fluffy squirrel ears changed to round ears. Sofiya had apparently been told the circumstances too, so she did not mention that the ears had changed into something completely different.
According to Aristalf, who had shown up together with her, lately a cat-headed boy had been coming to play at Bertrand's residence. He apparently came to play bringing lots of boys with him, so Bertrand's residence had become quite lively. It seemed Bertrand was quietly quite pleased with the residence filled with lively boys' laughter. With more days of good moods, Aristalf also seemed to find it easier to be there.
Since he seemed unaware of the cat-headed boy's true identity, I kept silent about it. Aristalf had a delicate nature similar to Sofiya, so it was probably better not to tell him that beneath the cat headpiece was the face of the country's prince. Dietfried seemed to be steadily making friends too, which was for the best.
By the time the temperature had dropped enough that I could not go out without a coat, a letter from Leonyaldo finally arrived announcing his return. This time the date of return was properly written, so unlike last year I did not have to wait in the entrance hall wondering if he was back yet.
Hehehe. Just you wait, Leonyaldo-san. Today's me is different. I will put on a proper facade and welcome you. Prepare to be amazed.
I was aware my insides had not changed at all, but I was a child entering a growth spurt. My height had grown a tiny bit, so the impression Leonyaldo would get should change. Since it had been about eight months since we last met, I thought I would do something nice for Leonyaldo today. Lately I had been reducing frills and lace, but today I wore a dress with plenty of frills, just the way Leonyaldo liked it. As for my hair, when I said 'Please make it cute,' Kalisa got enthusiastic. I had been wearing cat ears since summer, and I had my hair tied up in a half-up style along with the cat ears.
"Welcome home, Leonyaldo Big Brother."
"...I'm home, Tina."
I had wanted to go out to the entrance to greet him, but I mobilized all my reason and held back. A lady does not go out to the entrance. Even when greeting, it's the entrance hall, I told myself. When I performed a graceful lady's curtsy, it seemed I succeeded in surprising Leonyaldo. There was a brief pause before he replied.
"In the half year I didn't see you, you've become quite the lady. I hardly recognize you."
"I am wearing a lot of cat facade, you see."
I laughed elegantly, hehe, and touched the cat ears on my head. Normally I would want to hug him emotionally and say 'welcome home,' but I also wanted to show my brother the results of Hermine's lady education during the time we were apart. I had also been told to develop a bit more patience, and I had the aim of proving to Hermine that I too could perfectly maintain my facade.
"Are you going out again soon, Leonyaldo Big Brother?"
"Ah. After I wash off the travel dust and sweat, I'm going to report to His Majesty the King about this war."
Last time I got mad at him for washing off at the bathhouse first, so this time it seemed he came straight to the detached palace while still covered in dust. He would wash off the sweat and dust in the detached palace's bath, tidy himself up, and then head to report to Christoph.
"...Then, will you be back by dinnertime?"
"It's just a matter of verbally conveying what I've already reported in writing. It shouldn't take that long."
"Then we can have dinner together tonight."
When I said that after dinner, he could go to the bathhouse if he wanted, he pulled my cheek.
"I thought you'd become so ladylike I hardly recognized you, and now you're saying precocious things."
"What deshu it? Last time you went before coming back to the detached palace, didn't you deshu? You kept your promise and showed your face to me first, so I'm kindly trying to send you off saying it's alright for you to go!"
I swatted away Leonyaldo's hand that was pulling my cheek, wondering what he was dissatisfied about. When I puffed out my cheeks and protested after so long, Leonyaldo looked somewhat relieved and laughed. It seemed he wanted her ladyship education to continue, but when even he was treated with a lady's demeanor, it made him uneasy.
So demanding, Leonyaldo-san!
When Leonyaldo's finger reached out to release the air from my puffed-out cheeks, I considered biting it but stopped. Instead, since he seemed to want it, I stomped on his foot and treated him roughly. Unfortunately, with my increased height, today's shoes were not custom-made.
"Ah, this is it, this. When Tina stomps on my foot, I really feel like I've come home..."
"I dressed up cutely just for you, Leonyaldo Big Brother, and put on a ladylike facade, but you took that facade off so easily. I'm disappointed."
I was fully aware it was just me taking my frustration out on him, but I kicked Leonyaldo's shin. Since my shoes weren't custom-made, the effect was lacking too.
"...Tina, there's something I need to talk to you about after dinner. Something serious."
After laughing for a while, Leonyaldo suddenly tightened his expression. The complete reversal from just a moment before, his serious atmosphere, intimidated me a little.
"Something serious?"
When I asked lightly what it was, Leonyaldo smiled wryly, saying it was a matter where he would be the one scolded. Apparently I did not need to brace myself.
The second year proceeds smoothly! It's autumn! The Harvest Festival was also shortcut! According to schedule, by around the chapter after next we should be entering winter!
Will fix typos and errors at a later date.