kscans

Chapter 26 - # The Pre-Pilgrimage and the Little One

"Alright then. Let’s get going."

"Be careful, now."

"Well, I think you’ll be fine, but don’t do anything reckless."

"…Please come back as soon as you can. They can last three weeks at most. My regards before my subordinates collapse."

The Little One’s eyes narrowed at the difference in temperature between the farewells from her parents and Romel.

I’ll have to get more people for Romel’s office before school and the expeditions begin.

Romel, stared at with a blank, half-lidded gaze, couldn’t help but let his eyes wander, but the matter was serious, so he didn’t mince his words.

"I know. I know. I’ll increase the number of usable people by spring."

Then that will be fine.

What had become clear since the Little One started helping with his duties was that Romel was so overworked that, in her world of Earth, he would have been reprimanded by the labor board. His average sleep time was two to four hours. Pulling all-nighters was common, and it was in his nature not to entrust important work to others.

With a cutting, exasperated smile, the first thing the Little One did was delegate his work. She was, after all, a woman in her late twenties who had a long career as an office lady. While not a sweatshop, she had survived a period where, due to the recession of the times, they couldn’t increase staff, and each person’s workload was heavy. She was a master of sorting and prioritizing. She swiftly sorted through the stack of documents on Romel’s desk and tossed anything that didn’t require Romel’s personal attention to the people around him.

"Chihiro, no, that’s not right, I have to… aaah!"

Romel was flustered by the documents being thrown one after another, but his subordinates caught them firmly.

"It doesn’t have to be you, Romel. If you don’t let them work, people can’t grow, you know?"

The Little One had a general grasp of the abilities of Romel’s subordinates, having watched them for nearly ten years, including in her past life. They were competent. Romel would not keep incompetent people by his side. The young girl, finding the lopsided workload strange, observed and realized that Romel was extremely overprotective. He did all the work himself that might result in someone being held responsible for failure. It was likely to prevent his subordinates from being blamed, but to the Little One, a modern person, he just looked like a fool.

"What are subordinates for? Let them work. If they fail, you can think about it when it happens. What’s the point of worrying before you even start?"

A resigned, wry smile from the young girl.

Taking the documents from the Little One, who was enthusiastically distributing the work, Romel’s subordinates smiled as if genuinely relieved. They, too, had been worried about Romel’s overwork. But they hadn’t known what to do about it.

Watching his subordinates head off to work with glee, Romel felt a weight lift from his shoulders. It should have been just a feeling, but his body actually felt lighter. Humans are creatures of emotion. The mental state can affect the physical. His strength draining away, Romel stared blankly at the young girl bustling about.

This is nice.

The comfort of being able to rely on someone.

Soaking in this new sensation for the first time, Romel found a moment of peace.

In this way, Romel was liberated from his grueling work, the Little One gave him the homework of getting more than six hours of sleep on average, and his subordinates screamed at their increased workload.

However, while the work was now distributed more effectively, the amount of work had not decreased.

The Little One had repeatedly called for more personnel in Romel’s office, where there was barely time for a break, let alone a day off.

The people around them looked on curiously as the young girl stared up at Romel with a fixed gaze.

"Honestly, honestly."

The Little One huffed inside the carriage.

Dorfen watched her with an amused smile and stroked a honeybee.

"His Highness the Prince Regent is a difficult man, despite his appearance. He will not let people into his inner circle so easily."

"I can understand that, but it’s counterproductive to wear yourself out because of it."

Inside the carriage were a dozen or so honeybees. There were also about five frogs, and a snake slithered lazily between them. The Little One was lounging against a large cushion. The three of them sat around a table, conversing as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

Only one person, Chihaya, was staring around the room with wide eyes.

"What is going on here?"

His mouth agape, Chihaya voiced his question.

He was sure he had just boarded a carriage.

But what he found inside was a large, beautifully appointed room.

The spacious area was more than enough for Dorfen, Adonis, and many monsters. It was about the size of the great hall in the Drago family mansion. At the back, four beds were lined up at equal intervals, separated by thin lace curtains, and in the center of the room was a table set. There were no sofas, but a thick quilted rug was laid on the floor, and several large, soft-looking cushions were placed around.

"It’s space expansion magic for a tent. His Highness the Prince Regent modified it so it could be used in a moving carriage."

Dorfen explained, but Chihaya, who didn’t even know what a tent was, couldn’t follow. He could only stare in a daze.

"For now, we’ll head to the western forest to test out the carriage. We’ll have it run on the way there, and fly on the way back. If it goes well, our next destination is the border forest near Flowers."

The carriage was pulled by honeybees. On the roof were several frogs and a snake. At first glance, it was a chic box like a stagecoach, but inside was a stylish and well-appointed living space. The exterior of the carriage was reinforced with solid steel. And its guards were the Lords’ Kin. In a way, it was a one-man army of a carriage. In this medieval otherworld where even the railroad had not yet been invented, this carriage would likely be superior to an entire army division.

Unaware that such a formidable thing was on the move, a tranquil landscape stretched out around the carriage. Perhaps thanks to Kilfan’s support, there was more greenery than when she had headed there ten years ago. The borderlands, which had received little benefit from magic, had been transformed more dramatically than the royal capital.

In a good way.

The Little One’s lips curled into a pleased grin at the transformation.

"Chihiro is on an expedition? I was not informed."

Because I didn’t tell you.

Wilfe, who had come with an invitation to have tea with Chihiro, was incensed to hear that the Little One was not in the royal capital and confronted Romel. It was not proper for a member of the royal family to personally invite a single noble. Royalty, who must always be impartial, had to invite many nobles even for a single tea party to distribute the favor. So Wilfe had planned to invite Chihiro to the Crown Prince’s palace under the pretext of inviting Romel. There would be no problem in personally inviting Romel, the King’s chief aide and his younger brother, to a private tea party.

And yet, she was on an expedition?

"…Is it related to the Golden Ring?"

"It is. It seems the gods requested it of her. Normally, that should be the priority, but she says her daily life is also important, so she plans to do the pilgrimage in a way that doesn’t interfere with the academy and such."

It was an extremely tight schedule. Not even the royal family would have a schedule packed so tightly. Still, Romel, who knew the Little One enjoyed her life in the gaps of that schedule, was not particularly worried. Romel hadn’t realized it, but the Little One scheduled things with plenty of leeway. So she could play around in her spare time. A product of her modern way of thinking. From the Little One’s perspective, it was Romel, who packed his schedule with work without any gaps, who had the far more demanding schedule. Moreover, he packed it to the very last minute of his available time, and it was normal for him to work overtime every day. The result was excessive labor that cut into his sleep.

What an idiot!

That was likely the Little One’s honest heartfelt cry.

Slumping onto the sofa with a dejected sigh, the crown prince glanced at Romel, who let out a small sigh of his own. While he himself also relied on the Little One in some respects, Wilfe’s devotion was becoming a bit of a problem. He was always trying to find a reason to summon the Little One, and the king and queen were supporting him in it. Although he had warned his brother the king, it was certain that his brother, unable to give up, was using his son to struggle. Well, since it was after his official duties were finished, Romel wasn’t making an issue of it. In the past, he had neglected his duties to do such things, and Romel had scolded him like a demon, but that was no longer the case. He still roped in his attendants and secretly went to peek at the knight order or the count’s estate alone, and when the Little One was visiting Romel, he would scurry over with tea prepared. He still did things that made Romel’s eyebrows twitch, but well, it was within a tolerable range.

In one way or another, he was a dear nephew.

As Romel’s public and private duties clashed and sparked in his mind, Wilfe looked up at him with a complex expression, his eyes narrowing.

"She doesn’t seem to be participating in the knight order’s training recently either. Is Chihiro not too busy?"

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

If Katsumi had been there, he would have roared as much. He would have told him to work harder. Romel sighed deeply and looked at his dear nephew.

"She is continuing with the knight order’s training, in the early mornings. Chihiro is far more efficient than you or I. There is no need to worry."

That was right. Her days were incredibly busy. But in the intervals, she would enjoy tea, perform mysterious dances, and throw candy from the top of the walls. A piece of candy was thrown at Romel’s head as he passed by. He picked it up and looked around suspiciously.

Where on earth did that come from?

Then, a peal of laughter drifted down from above. Romel looked up and saw the Little One sitting in a window on the palace wall.

"Chihiro! What are you doing in a place like that!"

Ignoring Romel, who was clearly trembling with fear, the Little One nimbly kicked off and grabbed ledges on the wall, smoothly descending right in front of him.

…Is she a monkey?

"Relax a little. You were walking around with such a serious face."

He lifted the young girl who was hopping around and reaching her arms out to him, and he murmured with a stern expression.

"…How many times do you intend to stop my heart? You know that’s dangerous."

The Little One’s finger was popped into Romel’s mouth as he began to lecture her. The sweet candy she put in was an apricot drop with a tart flavor that was deliciously soothing.

"I couldn’t just leave someone with such a tired face alone, could I?"

She could have just waited for him to pass by in silence, but she had gone out of her way to call out to him for his sake. He patted her head, and Romel’s eyes widened in surprise.

Ah, really. I can never win against you.

A moment of bliss that visited from time to time.

This alone was enough for Romel to keep moving forward. To walk on with a smile. Wilfe watched Romel with a curious expression as he recalled the many small moments of happiness from the past and let out a faint smile.

It’s a charming detail that the crown prince would later throw a tantrum when he learned the reason.

Oblivious to the two of them, the Little One was heading straight for Joker’s forest. What’s for dinner tonight?

Watching the scenery from inside the carriage, the Little One’s train of thought, with a pleased smile on her face, never wavered.

Everyone has their own thoughts. But the Little One is cheerful today as well.