By the Grace of the Gods (LN) - Volume 7 - Chapter 4

Chapter 5 Episode 4: Reunion 2

The next day, at a few minutes past noon, I was in a rocky carriage.

“I didn’t think I’d get to see the Jamil family again so soon,” I said.

“Carme wrote to me when you left town,” Serge replied. “He stated your plans and the expected date of arrival, and I told the duke’s family. They told me that we could come today if it suited our schedules. I’m a bit surprised about it myself.”

“Normally you probably couldn’t schedule time with them so easily,” said Pioro.

“Probably not.” I had promised to meet up with Serge within three days, so I wanted to come a little early, but didn’t expect to visit the Jamil family right away.

“I’m sure they just can’t wait to see you.”

“That’s the only reason I can think of,” Serge said. I laughed awkwardly; knowing how kind they were, maybe that was actually true. I was glad they still cared about me after we parted ways.

“This part of town looks different,” I noted. The carriage was slowly climbing uphill. The higher we went, the fewer small shops and houses I saw, replaced by large businesses and restaurants.

“We’re nearing the noble district. Not quite so many people around here,” Pioro explained.

“This town is composed of a small hill surrounded by a plain,” Serge added. “And higher on the hill are the more expensive neighborhoods and stores. But don’t let it make you feel too tense. It’s called the noble district, but somewhat affluent commoners live here too, and they don’t restrict entry to anybody.”

“Well, we wouldn’t go wandering around here without a reason, either. We’re heading straight to the Jamil place, so nothing to worry about there. Their estate’s up on the peak of the hill.”

“I could have imagined,” I said. “I wonder what it’s like. It’d have to be big, considering who they are.” I imagined something like a castle in a certain magic kingdom.

“Calm down, you’ll see it soon enough,” said Pioro.

“Enjoy the anticipation,” said Serge.

Then they both said, “By the way,” at once, seemingly by accident. They argued over who should start until Serge was ultimately the one to do it. “Ryoma, I must comment on your clothes.”

I was wearing the navy blue suit I got from the tailor in Gimul. It was made exactly as I ordered it, so I was personally quite satisfied with the outfit.

“Is it too plain?” I asked. The tailor and all my employees were also underwhelmed when they saw me wearing it.

“Pretty plain, yeah. Won’t be seen as an insult, though,” said Pioro.

“You could have done something more flashy,” said Serge.

From my perspective, their outfits were absurdly gaudy. Pioro was wearing a shirt covered in frilly lace and a coat with some slits that showed off brightly colored cloth underneath. As for Serge, well, the cloth looked expensive, but the design of the clothes was relatively normal. Though he also had a ruffled collar around his neck, and a feathered beret in his lap that he’d presumably put on when we got out. After the tailor showed me so many clothes like that, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that it was popular. The fact that these two were wearing it wasn’t strange, but I preferred the suit.

“I took a liking to this design, though. And it’s easy to move around in,” I said.

“I see. It’s good to have preferences, especially when it comes to clothes,” said Serge.

“If you just chase the trends, you don’t typically get many compliments for your fashion sense,” said Pioro.

“I wouldn’t say I’m that confident in my fashion sense,” I said with a laugh.

“Oh, but you look quite refined,” Serge argued. “Those materials are top-class, and it was tailored well. I would actually like to have one myself. Where did you buy it?”

“A tailor on the west side of Gimul. Take a right at the fifth corner off the main street.”

“That store? I heard they were still new, but it sounds like you’ve discovered a fine business.”

“Carme found it for me. I got all the clothes I needed without any hassles, thanks to him.”

“I see. Does that include your necktie pin?”

“The jewel is an heirloom from my grandmother. They took it to the most trustworthy and talented craftsman they know.”

The stand of the necktie pin had many layers of golden thread representing vines, and in the middle of it was a flower surrounding the big diamond. It wasn’t so extravagant as something that displayed countless jewels, but the craftsman made it work.

“It’s certainly wonderfully made. This detail could only have been achieved by a craftsman with some degree of talent in metal magic.”

“If anyone could have guessed that, it’d be you, Serge. They did mention that when they gave it to me.”

Metal magic was a nickname for a combination of earth and fire magic which was used for working with metal. It was harder to work with multiple elements at once, and using magic for crafting demanded a lot of precision, so some high-level skills were utilized to produce this. At least, that’s all according to the tailor, who told me all of this with bright eyes. Skilled metal magic users had a tendency to be approached by the mint bureau or other national organizations, so they were seldom unemployed.

“Never did I hear that such a craftsman was in Gimul,” said Serge. “I would absolutely love to meet them.”

“I was thinking of buying something for the wife, myself,” said Pioro.

“Oh, to celebrate your anniversary? I’m sure Clana will be delighted.”

My conversation with them went swimmingly. While the subject matter was expanding, the carriage reached level ground.

“It looks like we’ve reached the top,” said Serge. “Let’s prepare to disembark.”

“I can already see the estate from the window,” said Pioro.

“Where?” I asked. He pointed to the window on the right, but all I saw was a tall wall built from stone. Actually, it looked like the wall of a castle. “Serge, Pioro, you call this an estate? Not a castle?”

I tried to look at it from other angles to get a fuller image, but it just looked like a castle. It wasn’t as white, beautiful, or fantastical as the one in the previously mentioned magic kingdom, though. The tallest wall had guards stationed around it, and I could see the tops of towers sticking out above the wall like chess pieces. It seemed much more like a fortress.

The carriage changed directions and headed toward the gate where the guards stood. “I’m Serge Morgan, president of the Morgan Trading Company, and I come with two visitors. The coachman and the two in the back seats are servants. The luggage is a modest gift for His Excellency. I request permission to pass.”

“We have been waiting for you. Please proceed to the estate. Someone will guide you once you arrive.”

I thought the security would be stricter, but they were surprisingly quick to let us in. As the carriage got moving again, I noticed something. “What could that be?”

“Is something the matter?” Serge asked.

“I just felt something odd.”

“You mean the barrier?” Pioro asked. “There’s a space magic spell up for keeping criminals out.”

“A barrier?”

“I’ve heard that if you’re sensitive to magic, you may experience an uncomfortable sensation as you pass through,” Serge said. “The Jamil estate uses magic items and their own personal barrier mages to deploy many layers of barriers.” Still, I had experience with barrier magic, and I’d never felt anything like this. “At any rate, we’re almost there.”

I checked my clothes one last time and got myself in order.

■ ■ ■

“Good work,” I said to Serge’s coachman, then got off the carriage.

The first thing that drew my eye was the line of twenty servants who stood there to greet us, men on one side and women on the other. They moved to both sides to let us through and bowed as we passed. I saw scenes like this in manga and the like all the time, but I never dreamed that I’d experience it myself.

What was more surprising was the building beyond. It looked like a fortress from the outside, but from here I could see there was a lovely Western-style mansion. The wall and towers made me think of a fortress, but the estate itself looked almost like a palace. It was made of gray stone that looked ancient, but well taken care of. There were no signs of any dirt. In fact, it felt tasteful and historical.

“Welcome,” one of the butlers said. Presumably he held the highest position among the servants.

He said that we would first be led to a waiting room to meet with the Jamil family. Fay and the other two servants would be made to wait in a different room. Our gifts were to be taken to be checked. Once they were confirmed to be safe, they would be returned to the waiting room before the meeting began.

“This way, please,” a maid said. We followed behind her. “Wait here for just a little while.”

There were two familiar women in the waiting room. “Araune? And Lilian?” I said.

“It’s been some time, Master Ryoma,” said Araune.

“We have been waiting for you. I’m glad to see you’re in good health,” said Lilian.

The maid looked to them, confused as to why they knew me. “They did a lot for me in the past,” I explained to her.

“Is that so? In any case, I must be going. If you need anything, please tell them,” the maid said before she left. I felt a bit relieved.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“We have water, tea, fruit juice, and some light alcohol.”

“I think I’d like some fruit juice,” said Serge.

“Tea for me,” said Pioro.

“I’ll take water, please,” I said.

Araune and Lilian felt perfectly natural in this environment.

“Here you are.”

“Thank you,” I said, taking a sip of some water. It was cold and refreshing.

“What, are you nervous?” Pioro asked me.

“Of course.”

I thought it was a little strange myself, but it wasn’t the meeting with the Jamil family that had me so anxious. Rather, this was my first time visiting a noble’s mansion. And as the leader of a business, I felt like I had to conduct myself with some level of dignity. In my past life, though, I was never anything more than an employee. I was still new at this leadership position, and it stressed me out at times to have to play the part. But if I tried to act too self-important, I would only aggravate people.

The proper conduct to show on occasions like these was rather vague to me. It was always clear enough in other situations, depending on the setting and the positions of others around you, but in these situations I would have to change my conduct depending on the mood in the room and the personality of whoever I had to talk to. They say you should just watch how the other person is acting and approach them with confidence, but when I tried that in the past, I would get told I was being disrespectful, or arrogant, or prideful, for some reason. Then I would try to be more careful, and I’d get told I was acting too servile, or uncomfortably humble. I had no idea how to satisfy people.

“Master Ryoma? Are you okay?” Serge asked with some strange frustration mixed in. Maybe he was still bothered by my suit.

“Yes, I’m just a little nervous.”

“Really? Your eyes looked dead,” said Pioro.

“As long as you aren’t sick. You don’t have to be so anxious,” said Serge. “If anything happens, Pioro and I will assist you. But as far as I’ve ever seen from you, you won’t need the help.”

Araune and Lilian also said I looked calm enough, especially compared to some other guests. I appreciated their support and hoped to meet their expectations.

We chatted for a while, with the two maids joining in to help take my mind off things. The conversation centered around them, actually. We talked about how we met, what we’d been doing since we parted ways, and recent news about coworkers getting married. The variety of topics helped us pass the time.