kscans

Chapter 97 - A New Classmate and the Land of Prophecy

A hint of the chill had left the air in the classroom. I observed the cluster of people at the center of the room. At its heart was Lisabet. The exchange student, who greeted the people of the kingdom with a refined and gentle smile, seemed to be quite popular.

"Hey, Sherry. That yokan with the herbs mixed in from the other day. Do you have any more?"

"That was just something Natalie and I made as a trial..."

Rilka, who was in front of me, was talking to Sherry about anko. As word of that tea party spread, orders for the yokan started coming in through the Plural Company from nobles who wanted to at least taste the "bean jam."

They had been given samples, and between that and the price, the orders were only a fraction of what they could have been. Still, Natalie, who was now making yokan in parallel with the yellow sugar, was incredibly busy.

"...Wait a minute, Rilka. Weren't you on the anti-yokan side? Why do you want to eat something as niche as matcha yokan?"

"Oh, be quiet. Once you get used to it, the flavor really grows on you. And it uses beans and herbs from Sherry's family. It's, it's not like I've been won over to your tastes or anything."

Setting aside her hopelessly tangled denial, is that really appropriate for the daughter of a dairy merchant? You should stay faithful to ice cream.

"Speaking of which, are you all right with the bean supply?" I asked Sherry. This was the Anko Project, once deemed a failure. The Belmini Company must have had a hard time being jerked around like that.

"............It's an ultra-luxury product, so we can handle that amount," Sherry said. For some reason, Rilka covered her mouth.

"That's right. Even if Vinder's yokan had failed, you didn't cancel the plans to procure the beans, did you?"

"W-Well, I believed in the potential of yokan from the very beginning."

"My, what is this 'yokan'? Could it be related to the bean jam from the tea party the other day?"

"P-Princess Lisabet."

A calm, elegant voice cut in. I turned around in a flurry to see the much talked about exchange student smiling at us.

"Come to think of it, I am so grateful for your hospitality at the tea party. Ricardo-dono, you were there as well, were you not? I saw you walking with Lady Alfina the other day."

Lisabet smiled, looking at the three of us.

"I also heard a rumor that the merchant association called Central Garden is one of Princess Alfina's purveyors. Is it true that the merchant at its center was, until just recently, part of a small company?"

Lisabet said this while looking directly at me. I broke out in a cold sweat. I'm being investigated. It's something she could find out by looking into it, but why would an imperial princess be interested in a mere merchant?

Which secret is she after? The carriage? The pollen? Or the tree rings?

"I heard from Princess Doriustia that you are also on close terms with Prince Craig. I also heard that you accompanied him on the dragon subjugation."

They're looking into me. They're looking into me. It's probably about the dragon... no, maybe the crystal...

"The dragon was subjugated purely through the valor of Prince Craig. I was merely cowering in the back."

"That may be so, but a battle with a high-level monster is a terribly difficult thing. To assist in a subjugation without any fighting ability of your own, is that not a commendable act in itself?"

Lisabet was praising me with an unnatural enthusiasm. It's not like I wanted to go... No, that's not it. This is it. How should I respond? As I froze up, unable to react to an opponent I had so little information on, Lisabet shifted her gaze to Rilka and Sherry.

"Those wonderful sweets I had at the tea party. Were they products of your two companies?"

"Y-Yes. Though we only provided the ingredients."

"...We just happened to handle beans and herbs," the two of them answered, glancing over at me from time to time. And just like that, the princess's gaze was back on me.

"Hahaha, I take it you've grown fond of anko, Princess Lisabet? I was under the impression you preferred chocolate."

I seized the moment to throw a probing question her way. Though, a 'probing question' sounds a bit bland. A 'feeler pitch' probably wouldn't make sense here. A 'probing arrow,' perhaps? Sounds a bit dangerous.

"Yes, it is a very rare item even in the Empire. I was surprised to be able to enjoy it here in the kingdom," Lisabet stated plainly. Did that mean she had no intention of hiding it?

"In what sort of place does it grow? I hear many monsters are subjugated in the Empire. Could it perhaps be in the Red Forest, haha..."

I wasn't thinking of the cacao, but of the monster materials for that carriage as I set my next hook.

"............Unfortunately, it comes from a territory on the opposite side of the Empire from my homeland. Therefore, I know very little of the details myself. I do apologize."

"No, not at all. Please forgive my impertinent question."

Lisabet's expression clouded over. Now, I wonder what part of that struck a nerve.

"Uh, um, Sherry. About the yokan, why don't you have Princess Lisabet try some?" Rilka suggested, trying to smooth over the awkwardness. Sherry nodded emphatically.

"Oh, that bean sweet? I would be very interested in that."

Lisabet began talking about sweets with Rilka and Sherry. To an outsider, it would look like nothing more than a conversation between girls.

I thanked them both silently. Come to think of it, I'm treading on some pretty thin ice. Forgetting about self-preservation... that's not like me.

"I have been hoping to thank Princess Alfina again myself. But she has been so busy with her official duties that I have not had the opportunity. Ricardo-dono, would you be so kind as to give her my best regards?"

After finishing her conversation with Rilka and the others, Lisabet gave a bright smile. Damn it, how am I supposed to interpret that?

"Y-Yes. If I have the chance to see her, I certainly will."

Alfina is at the cathedral again today. The crystal's reaction is still as ambiguous as ever, though I hear the pattern has changed recently. Of course, there's no way I'd know a state secret like that. That's just self-preservation.

But just then, the classroom door opened.

"Ricardo-kun."

Alfina entered, calling my name. Claudia and Luiza were with her.

She walked straight toward me, but stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed Lisabet.

Lisabet gave a nod to Alfina and began to thank her for the tea party. Alfina responded in kind. They exchanged polite social pleasantries, their conversation appearing nothing but friendly to any onlooker.

Luiza beckoned me into the hallway. After a short wait, the classroom door opened, and Alfina came out with Claudia.

We moved to a corner in the hallway, where Claudia and Luiza stood guard on either side. Right. This is a conversation that can't be overheard.

"So, what's happened?" I asked the grim-faced Alfina. Seeing as she came straight from the cathedral, this can only be about the prophecy.

"The crystal... it suddenly began to glow. Bertold... Bertold is in danger."

Alfina looked at me, her face pale as she spoke. A prophecy, just as I thought. No, wait, this is different from before. What does it mean that the location is so specific?