The New Year
Satou here. When I was a kid, New Year’s was packed with fun activities. But since becoming an adult, I often end up working all the way up to New Year’s Eve in the end-of-the-year crunch, and half the time I sleep through New Year’s Day.
“My apologies for the wait. The soba noodles are ready now.”
Lulu entered the dining room of our royal capital mansion, her silky black hair fanning out behind her and her Japanese features as indescribably lovely as ever. The apron she wore was a perfect complement to her wholesome image.
The maids of the mansion followed her into the room, placing bowls full of buckwheat noodles and delicious-smelling bonito-stock soup on the table. Judging by the color and scent of the broth, today’s soba was Kansai-style.
“Awesome! You gotta have soba for dinner on New Year’s Eve!”
Arisa, a reincarnation from Japan and Lulu’s younger half sister, cracked her knuckles in anticipation. Her lavender-colored hair, normally hidden beneath a blond wig, bobbed in time with her movements.
“Mm. Tradition.”
Mia nodded in quiet agreement. Her slightly pointed elf ears peeked out from below her light-blue-green twintails.
The hero Daisaku had proliferated Japanese culture a few hundred years ago in her homeland of Bolenan Forest, including the practice of eating soba noodles on New Year’s Eve to symbolize the transition into the New Year.
“The ingredients are simple, I report.”
With her trademark unusual way of speaking, the blond-haired buxom beauty Nana peered down at her soba, which was topped only with sliced green onions.
As a magical man-made life-form, a homunculus, she had the appearance of a teenager despite being “born” only about a year ago.
“It appears the toppings are yet to come.”
Liza, who was blissfully inhaling the scent of the soup stock, turned her attention toward a cart that the maids were bringing into the room.
In addition to her scarlet hair, Liza had orange lizard-like scales on her wrists, neck, and long tail that marked her as a member of the orangescale tribe.
“It’s meat, sir!”
This exclamation came from Pochi, a young girl with dog ears, a dog tail, and brown hair in a short bob. She pointed with sparkling eyes at a plate piled with thin cuts of sweet-and-sour stewed meat.
“Big shrimp tempura, toooo…?”
Next to Pochi was Tama, a little girl with cat ears, a cat tail, and short white hair, who broke into a big grin at the sight of the shrimp, seafood, and vegetable tempura next to the plate of meat.
“Please help yourself to whatever toppings you’d like.”
With that, Lulu placed a few tongs next to the plates of toppings.
“Très bieeen—?”
“Pochi wants meat, sir!”
I piled generous helpings of meat onto their noodles, and Tama and Pochi lit up like they were about to dance for joy. Tama’s tail stood straight, and Pochi’s wagged so violently that it looked like it might break free and fly away.
“Meat for you, too, Liza?”
“Yes, please. Thank you very much.”
Liza accepted her meat-topped soba with a calm expression, but her tail swayed rhythmically, revealing her inner excitement. The tail didn’t lie.
“I’ll stick with the classic shrimp tempura, thanks.”
“Lots of mushrooms and fried veggies.”
Arisa and Mia added tempura to their bowls.
“Maybe I’ll keep to the traditional toppings, too?”
“Then I will do the same.”
When I went for the shrimp tempura, Lulu happily picked tempura as well.
“What about you, Nana?”
“I will maintain the default settings.”
“You mean just the chopped green onions?”
“Yes, master. The small green onions are cute, I declare.”
Ah, of course. This was typical of Nana, who loved all things small and cute.
“All right, master. Say a few words.”
Arisa suddenly demanded a speech from me, no doubt on a whim.
“You did great this year. We got into all kinds of trouble, like getting caught up in a labyrinth made by a demon and fighting a demon lord…”
Not to mention that we’d done battle with some Evil God’s Spawn that very afternoon.
During the Evil-Cleansing Ceremony that was traditionally held on New Year’s Eve, Cardinal Hozzunas of Parion Temple had somehow summoned an army of demons and Evil God’s Spawn in an attempt to destroy the royal capital of the Shiga Kingdom.
Thanks to my friends, the demon army was driven back, and the Ancestral King Yamato and the sky dragon showed up just in time to help defeat the three Evil God’s Spawn.
We spent the rest of the afternoon at the royal castle helping to clean up and rescue people. But now that everyone had been rescued and the rubble blocking the main exits was cleared, we had left the rest up to the authorities and headed home.
“…So I’m really happy that we were able to make it through the year without any serious injuries or illnesses. Here’s to another year of staying healthy and enjoying every day.”
After my simple speech, Liza led the girls in a chorus of cheerful hurrahs.
“Now then, let’s eat. I’d hate for these wonderful soba noodles to get soggy.”
I prompted everyone to dig in, and Arisa gave her usual thanks for the food! to get things started.
“Mr. Soba won’t stay still, sir.”
“So slipperyyy?”
Pochi and Tama were struggling to capture the noodles. They’d gotten much better with chopsticks, but the thin, slippery noodles were still a challenge.
“We do have forks as well, you two.”
“No, sir. That would be giving up, sir.”
“We fight until we wiiin?”
Noticing their struggle, Lulu offered them forks with a paw-mark design, but they insisted on using their chopsticks to do battle with the soba noodles anyway. Since they were attacking the noodles they managed to lift from the side, both of their bangs were getting soaked in broth.
I’d better put them in a bath later.
With such thoughts on my mind, I brought my own chopsticks to my bowl.
“Mm, that’s good.”
The taste of soba spread through my mouth.
Crunchy shrimp tempura was always good, of course, but shrimp tempura that had been softened by soba broth had its own unique taste and appeal.
Drinking that hot soup with the loosened tempura bits filled your whole body with warmth to the very core.
“You should all eat, too. Don’t worry about waiting on us.”
I beckoned to the maids who were on standby against the wall.
The head maid refused at first, but I convinced her on the grounds that it was a special occasion. The staff had looked after our mansion even when the royal capital was under threat of destruction earlier that day, which seemed like more than enough reason to let them enjoy some tasty noodles with us.
“…Maybe this is why noodles aren’t popular in the royal capital,” Arisa whispered to me as she watched the maids gingerly nibbling on their noodles.
They seemed reluctant to slurp up the noodles in the traditional Japanese method, instead twisting them around a fork or drinking them along with the broth.
Later, when the pot of soba noodles was empty and the toppings had vanished into the stomachs of the beastfolk girls and the maids…
“Ding-dooong?”
Tama’s sharp ears picked up the distant sound of the city bells announcing the time.
“Liza, open the window, please?”
Once Liza complied with Arisa’s request, I could hear the bells ringing even without my “Keen Hearing” skill.
“It doesn’t sound quite the same, but this is basically a temple bell ringing in the New Year, right?” Arisa patted her stomach in satisfaction as she listened to the bells. “Akeome, everyone! Kotoyoro!”
“H-N-Y, sirs.”
“Kotoyorooo?”
The rest of the group all returned Arisa’s casual New Year’s greeting, even if they didn’t know what it meant. Arisa frequently made references to Japanese culture that she rarely explained, so the other girls must have been used to it by now.
“Master, we should do hatsumode, too!”
“Hat sumo daaay?” Tama tilted her head.
“It’s the first shrine visit of the New Year,” Arisa explained.
“Does the Shiga Kingdom have a hatsumode tradition?”
“I do not know of this ‘Hatsumo Day,’ but I have heard that some people in Seiryuu City go to pray at temples at the beginning of the year.”
Liza added that she had never participated herself, however.
“Let’s do our own hatsumode, then.”
Parion Temple was closest to here, but judging by my map, it was still swarming with soldiers and knights investigating the situation with the cardinal.
It might be better to venture a little farther and go to the Tenion Temple instead.
“Oh, right, but before that…”
I pulled out some small pouches from my breast pocket.
“Wait, are those New Year’s gifts? Like otoshidama?!”
“That’s right.”
“It’s not mochi in there, is it?”
“I wouldn’t pull anything that elaborate.”
Apparently, the otoshidama tradition had started with small bags of mochi being given to children, but I didn’t have so much free time on my hands that I would make fresh mochi just for that. These days, most people just gave money.
“But mochi is delish, sir.”
“Yummyyy?”
Pochi and Tama protested Arisa’s comment.
Putting that aside, I handed out the New Year’s gifts.
“Thankeee?”
“Hooray, sir!”
“Thank you, master, I declare.”
I was met with a chorus of thank-yous from the girls.
Each pouch contained a gold coin and a small card with a message. Although it was a little embarrassing, I figured it might make them happier than money alone.
The kids all broke into smiles as they read their cards.
Yeah, it was worth the effort.
“E-erm, us too? Are you sure?”
“It’s a token of my thanks for all your hard work. Please accept it.”
I gave out pouches to all the maids, too; they contained the same amount of money as I gave my kids. The head maid got just a little bit extra.
“Thank you very much, young master.”
All the maids bowed vigorously as they thanked me.
A few of them peeked inside the pouches and let out shrieks of delight, prompting a scolding from the head maid. Even she was wearing a barely concealed smile instead of her usual strict expression, though, so I think she felt the same way as the rest of them.
I told the maids they didn’t need to do a night shift tonight, permitting them to go home.
But of course, since it was dangerous to walk the streets alone at night, they were welcome to stay over in the guest rooms if they wished.
About half the maids were staying the night, including the head maid. I left them in charge and headed for a shrine visit with my companions.
“There’s a lot of people out walking tonight.”
Just as Arisa observed, the street was full of people carrying lanterns, candlesticks, and so on.
No one was riding in carriages, not even us. The “red-roped monster” incident earlier in the day had left many of the roads in shambles.
“Yes, it looks like they’re all going to temples, too.”
“I’m sure they are still uneasy.”
Lulu and Liza conversed quietly.
When we reached the Tenion Temple, there was a line of worried-looking faces at the entrance.
The young priestesses were going around to the people in line, using Holy Magic spells like Bless and Affection to calm those in need.
Since this temple was in the noble district, most of the people in line were nobles’ servants and lesser nobles and their families like me. The wealthier permanent nobles and their families were probably allowed to enter without waiting in line.
“Smells gooood?”
“I smell wheat, sir.”
Tama and Pochi sniffed the air eagerly, and one of the people in line smiled kindly at them.
“Ha-ha, they’re handing out buckwheat dumplings on the other side of the chapel. You’ll have to wait a little longer, kids.”
Since buckwheat dumplings were made out of the same flour as soba noodles, maybe this was sort of like the New Year’s soba tradition in Japan?
“Oh, looks like it’s our turn.”
The people in front of us dropped penny coins and copper coins into a basket held by a priestess at the door as they entered.
“I’m sorry, this is my first time visiting a shrine on New Year’s here. Could you explain?”
Since I wasn’t sure what was going on, I decided to just ask flat out.
“This is called saisehn. It’s a tradition the ancestral king Yamato started in the Shiga Kingdom alone, so perhaps you’ve never heard of it.”
Saisehn…like the Japanese tradition of offering money to the gods?
Back in the royal capital, I’d only ever donated to Parion Temple, so I dropped a pouch containing twenty gold coins or so into the box.
It might be a bit much, but after the incident that afternoon, the temple would probably have lots of expenses offering food to the needy and helping to rebuild the city.
“G-goodness! Pardon me. Were you seeking a special worship ceremony?”
The satin pouch must have given the priestess the impression that I was looking for special treatment.
“No, regular worship is fine,” I said, and we entered the chapel.
The interior was fairly similar to that of the Tenion Temple in the old capital. A crowd of people knelt before the holy seal at the center of the chapel, praying fervently.
I couldn’t blame them for wanting to turn to religion at a time like this, considering how the Evil God’s Spawn and a demon army had darkened the sky over the royal capital earlier that same day.
We joined the masses in prayer, then exited through a different door.
“What did you pray for, master?”
“The good health and safety of my family, I suppose. And you?”
“A lovey-dovey life with my dear master!”
“Right.” I brushed off that doomed desire and turned to the rest of the kids instead.
Behind me, Arisa cooed some ridiculous phrase like, “Your coldness just makes me want more!” but I pretended not to hear so I wouldn’t encourage her.
“Pochi prayed to eat lots of meat, sir!”
“Tama toooo!”
“I prayed that I will meet many larvae, I report.”
“I prayed for everyone’s health and…the rest is a secret.”
“Mine as well.”
Pochi’s, Tama’s, and Nana’s responses were just as I expected, but Lulu and Liza bashfully refused to elaborate.
“Oooh, tell me!” Arisa cried, pressing the two of them to spill their secrets. I was pretty sure saying things like, I won’t tell, I swear! is a guarantee that you can’t be trusted.
“And you, Mia?”
“Nothing.”
“Whaaat? You really didn’t pray for anything?”
“Mm.”
Mia nodded and launched into one of her rare speeches.
“The gods don’t exist to grant wishes. That’s wrong, you know. You’re supposed to show appreciation for the happy days you’ve spent so far. So I thanked them. It’s true!”
Maybe she meant that the elves believed that gods watched over people as opposed to answering their prayers?
“Master, over here, sir!”
“Hurryyy?”
Pochi and Tama waved at me eagerly.
Beyond them in the courtyard, priestesses were serving hot soup.
“Dumpling soup?”
“Looks like they put the buckwheat dumplings into broth.”
The dish was like a combination of suiton, flour dumplings in soup, and sobagaki, buckwheat dumplings. I think there was a similar dish back in Japan.
We’d just eaten our New Year’s soba noodles earlier, but since it was being offered and purportedly good luck, I decided to partake with the others.
“What a lovely sight.”
Finding myself unable to sleep after we got back from the shrine visit and the rest of the group went to bed, I sat in the courtyard with a cup of sake and treated myself to some nighttime cherry-blossom viewing.
The sakura trees in the garden were great, but the Royal Sakura in the distance was lit up, creating a scene as magical as it was beautiful.
“…Hmm?”
As I absentmindedly scrolled through my battle log from the day, I noticed something odd.
> Special ability Unit Deployment activated.
I opened my menu to investigate.
The Unit Deployment option, which had always been grayed out and unusable, was now available to select.
It was a special ability—a Unique Skill.
The only reason I could think of that it would suddenly be activated was defeating the Evil God’s Spawn.
For just a moment, I remembered how my left arm had turned black when I was afflicted by the energy of the divine blade, but I would hate to think that was what triggered this change. If it was, it’d be all too tempting to think, Maybe if I let my right arm get afflicted, it’ll unlock Unit Creation, too!
“Master, are you having difficulty sleeping?”
While I gazed at the nighttime sakura and sipped my sake, Liza approached me.
I closed the menu and held up my sake cup to Liza in greeting.
“I’ll go to bed once I’ve admired the flowers a little longer.”
Although I doubted anything else would happen tonight, there was always the possibility that the people behind all those incidents were still up to no good.
I wanted to enjoy my drink and the view a little longer under the pretense of keeping watch.
“Would you like some, too, Liza?”
Liza had a tendency to fall asleep after consuming almost any amount of alcohol, which kept me from offering her any when we were out and about, but here I could at least carry her to bed.
“Certainly, thank you.”
Liza put down her spear and sat beside me.
Gratefully accepting the sake cup, she drank it down in only a gulp or two.
“Want another?”
“Yes, please.”
Liza and I shared Shigan sake as we spoke of the future.
There was the matter of peerage, of getting ahead in life, of being freed from slavery, of her hopes for the future. The alcohol helped ease these earnest conversations that were difficult to discuss when sober.
“My spear is ever in your service, master. If you would allow it, I will gladly devote my loyalty and soul to you until my last…”
With that, Liza drifted into slumber, the sake cup still held in her hand.
Good night, Liza. Here’s to another year of adventures together.
“Now it should be safe to test things out here.”
After I carried Liza to bed, I went to the secret base I’d built near the royal capital to experiment with Unit Deployment.
The notes column in my menu stated only, Unit Deployment: relocate one’s units within one’s domain. That doesn’t explain much.
“Maybe I’ll start with golems for now?”
I used the Earth Magic spell Create Earth Servant to make a generic golem.
“Unit Deployment—”
When I spoke the words with focused intent, the golem teleported directly to my side.
None of my MP was used. I didn’t feel tired or anything, either.
After testing with the golem a few times, I used the Summoning Magic spell Summon Bat to bring in a small bat and was able to teleport it with Unit Deployment without a problem. Using it on a living thing was no harder than with the golem.
“Can I teleport myself, too? …Guess so.”
Unlike the Return spell, I didn’t feel any flow of magic power or the unusual sense of space warping around me.
The dryads’ fairy rings and the teleport mirror in the secret base felt similar to Return; Unit Deployment must function in a different way than Space Magic.
“And I think there might be a little bit of a time lag?”
There was a slight lag before the teleportation kicked in, although that might be because I wasn’t used to it yet. As of now, “Warp” or “Flashrunning” seemed more effective for short distances. It might be handy for moving around areas with lots of obstacles, though.
“Looks like you can move via map selection, too…”
I tried teleporting within the same map area.
“Yeah, that works. What about other maps?”
I changed the map and checked again.
“Hmm… Looks like there are limits on where I can go.”
I considered the available teleportation options.
Starting with the closest places: anywhere on my current map, the royal capital mansion, most of my teleport points in other areas, our house and the orphanage in Labyrinth City, the explorers’ school, the Ivy Manor, our villa and hot springs in the Celivera Labyrinth, most of the great desert, our tree house in Bolenan Forest, and anywhere in the Valley of Dragons. Rakuen Island in the southern seas wasn’t on the list.
I was starting to get a sense of how it decided what counted as my domain.
It seemed to work on any map where I controlled the mana source or any buildings that I owned.
Of my teleport points, I couldn’t use any that were in buildings that I didn’t own or create with something like Stone Object, including the summer house at the royal castle or the ones in various points in labyrinths.
I teleported back to the royal capital to test it out and found that the only buildings I could transport into were our royal capital house and the Echigoya Company headquarters. Even on the same map, I couldn’t use it to enter places that weren’t under my specific control, it seemed.
I was able to teleport anywhere in my range of vision regardless of whether I controlled the map, though.
“Does long-distance teleportation work, too?”
I tried using Unit Deployment to move myself from the royal capital manor to the westernmost point of the great desert.
In an instant, I was standing in the dark of the dunes.
“Hmm, it doesn’t take any time or spend any magic… Isn’t this a little too convenient?”
I wasn’t tired, either. This Unique Skill had all my long-distance-transport needs covered, to the point where it was almost alarming.
While there was the condition that it had to be my own domain, I could easily get around that by using spells like Stone Object or Create House to make a random building, and there was plenty of vacant land in this world that didn’t belong to anyone. In fact, I could teleport almost anywhere I’d been at least once with basically no limitations.
“The only problem is…”
Did this really come without any kind of price?
My Unique Skill menu carried no risk, but other reincarnations like Arisa couldn’t use their Unique Skills too much without damaging their “soul vessels,” which came with the danger of ultimately turning into a demon lord.
According to the reincarnations who lived in the bottom stratum of the labyrinth, like Yuika and Mukuro, active skills were more dangerous than passive skills, and most dangerous of all were the ones that involved insta-kill or barrier-breaking attacks.
Unlike the passive skill Menu, Unit Deployment was most definitely an active skill.
It was probably best not to use it too lightly.
In the worst-case scenario, if Demon Lord Satou made his debut, that could very well spell the end of this world.
I had better stop this investigation if I sensed even the slightest change.
“Let me test one more thing, and then I’ll head home.”
I shook my head to dispel my sleepiness and tried using Unit Deployment to move from the edge of the great desert to the farthest possible place, the Valley of Dragons.
The world around me became a dawn-lit wasteland.
“I haven’t been here since— Oooooof!”
In the middle of my sentence, I felt a massive amount of magic energy flow into my body.
What in the world is happening?
A rainbow of color engulfed my vision.
Oh no, at this rate my body will be destroyed from the inside and—
“…Master! Master, wake up!”
My blacked-out vision abruptly returned to normal.
Arisa was leaning over me, tears spilling from her eyes.
“Arisa? What’s wrong?”
My voice was hoarse, and my mind was still hazy.
“Where are we?”
“The secret base! You didn’t come back all night, and when I came to look for you, I found you passed out on the ground! I couldn’t get you to wake up no matter how hard I shook you. I thought you were dead, you know!”
Arisa clung to me tightly, and I patted her back.
After a moment, my memories started to clear up.
I had been experimenting with Unit Deployment and teleported to the Valley of Dragons, where a huge amount of magic flowed into me. The last thing I remembered was thinking that I was in big trouble.
I must have used Unit Deployment to bring myself back here right before I passed out.
Most likely, I chose this place because there wouldn’t be any casualties in case something went wrong, and otherwise one of the girls might come to my rescue.
“Sorry. I unlocked a teleportation Unique Skill, so I was testing it out.”
Once I explained what kind of skill it was, Arisa shouted at me furiously, her eyes still filled with tears.
“What were you thinking, using an active Unique Skill over and over with no idea if it has a limited number of uses?!”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
The truth was that I had gotten a little carried away with excitement at my convenient new skill.
While I apologized and reassured Arisa, I checked my log in the AR display.
As far as I could tell, there was no evidence in the log that anyone had attacked me in the Valley of Dragons.
For some reason, though, there was a log that the empty skill I’d acquired after defeating the Evil God’s Spawn had activated.
When I was suffering from the excess magic flowing into me, my menu had been wildly flashing on and off in response to my panic. No doubt some malfunction had activated the glitched skill in the process.
There was now a nameless skill at the bottom of my list, so I immediately turned its effects off just to be safe.
“Seriously, you have to be more careful! Next time you want to test something like that, you’d better borrow my soul shell garland.”
“Okay, I will.”
I promised Arisa that I wouldn’t overuse the Unit Deployment ability, and we went back to the royal capital together.
As I changed into formal wear in my room in the mansion, I thought back on what had happened in the Valley of Dragons.
The moment I used Unit Deployment to teleport there, a massive amount of magic power started flowing into me.
It felt like my life was in danger, but as far as I could tell from my log, I hadn’t actually been attacked.
And since Unit Deployment didn’t use magic power, I doubted that it was an effect of overusing that skill.
The more likely possibility was that it was simply all the magic from the Valley of Dragons mana source flowing into me, not an attack at all.
But when I’d first come to this world and gained control over the Valley of Dragons mana source, I felt perfectly normal afterward.
Maybe this happened because a ton of magic had built up there after leaving it alone for almost a year, but I had no intention of going back to find out. Even if I might be able to handle it better now that I knew what was coming, I definitely didn’t want to experience the feeling of magic nearly tearing my body apart from the inside again.
I’d better not go back to the Valley of Dragons unless it was absolutely necessary.
“Best wishes to you in the New Year!”
When I dressed up in my formal outfit for the New Year and went to the living room, the maids were waiting in a line to greet me in unison.
Evidently, this was the traditional greeting for the New Year here.
“I pray that you all have a blessed year as well.”
I didn’t know how to respond, but luckily, Liza stepped in for me. I echoed her words to the maids.
“There you are, Miss Liza! Master, wait a little longer for breakfast, please.”
Arisa came flying into the room in a hurry, grabbed Liza, and ran away.
I heard cheerful voices from far off.
After I waited for a while, the girls entered the room all dressed up.
“Ta-daaa!”
“Dah-dee-daaah?”
“Frilly dresses, sir!”
“Furisode.”
“Wow, you all look very cute.”
Arisa, Tama, and Pochi struck poses in their matching furisode, long-sleeve kimonos, while Mia played a familiar New Year’s shamisen tune on her lute.
Arisa’s kimono was decorated with a rose pattern, Mia’s with lilies, and Pochi and Tama wore matching sakura patterns with hidden paw marks. They’d each picked out their favorite colors for the base fabric.
“This doesn’t look strange on me, Lulu?”
“Not in the slightest. It suits you perfectly.”
Lulu’s kimono was patterned with swans. Maybe this was a reference to the tale about the ugly duckling?
“Is it truly permissible for me to wear such extravagant garb?”
“Of course. Your usual sharp outfits suit you well, but so do fancy clothes like this. You should wear them more often.”
Liza was wearing a peony-patterned furisode. Though she looked a little embarrassed, I didn’t think she disliked it.
“Master, please compliment me, too, I entreat.”
“You look beautiful, Nana. Like a princess.”
Nana spun around in her chick-patterned kimono, her hair ornament jingling.
Once I’d complimented each of the girls in their fancy furisode, we moved to the dining room to eat breakfast.
“Ooh, très bieeen?”
“It’s a feast! Sir!”
The girls were delighted to see the osechi-style New Year’s dishes lined up on the table.
Lulu had re-created these dishes based on recipes from the elf village and the food-loving nobles from Ougoch Duchy, Marquis Lloyd and Count Hohen.
I was too busy with other things to help much, so I was excited to taste it all.
“You even made a whole roasted sea bream? That’s next level!”
“That was from one of Count Hohen’s recipes. It’s said to be good luck.”
Arisa clapped her hands in glee, prompting a smile from Lulu.
“This giant shrimp is sashimi, right?”
“Yes, they were a bit too large. We grilled some smaller ones instead.”
Since these fresh shrimp were three times the size of a lobster, it would probably be a waste to just grill them.
As usual, Arisa gave the signal of thanks for the food! before everyone started digging in.
“Ham ham haaam?”
“The magical thick-cut roast beef is amazing, too, sir.”
Tama and Pochi were sticking with the standard meat dishes.
I started with the white miso soup, a classic New Year’s dish, to whet my appetite.
“Mm, that’s good.”
The perfectly reduced soup stock drew out the flavor of the rice cakes and vegetables.
Between the dense softness of the boiled taro and the daikon radishes and carrots that seemed to melt as you chewed them, the depth of flavor was truly delicious.
The single round mochi in my bowl must have been made a few days earlier so it wouldn’t melt away in the stew.
“Satou. Shiitake, kuwai root, black soybeans. Yummy.”
Mia stuffed some food into my mouth.
I had never seen the ladle-shaped kuwai roots, a kind of tuber, outside of New Year’s. Their tough texture was a little unusual.
“Very nice,” I agreed, then turned to Lulu. “I’m surprised you were able to find these.”
“Miss Nea procured them for me.”
If anyone could get their hands on such an unusual ingredient, of course it would be the obsessive elf chef Nea.
“Master, the sweet kinton is delicious, too, I report.”
“Yeah, it is. This is made with chestnuts, not sweet potatoes, right?”
“Yes, that’s what the recipe said… Oh dear, would it have been better to make it with sweet potatoes?”
“No, I think there are lots of different ways to prepare it, so don’t worry.”
The truth was, I had only read about the sweet mashed potato and chestnut dish in cooking manga and never actually tasted it before.
“This boudara has a nicer firmness before it is cooked, yet the flavor is better afterward. It’s difficult to say which I prefer.”
I was pretty sure boudara, a dish of dried codfish, was stupidly tough before it got cooked. I guess Liza’s powerful teeth and jaws made it more enjoyable, though.
“Nothing like sea bream wrapped in kombu or grilled to make it really feel like New Year’s.”
Arisa was stuffing her face with all kinds of food.
I was doing my best to taste each of the dishes, too, finishing up by charging onto the battlefield of ham and roast beef. My chopsticks stopped short at a plate emptier than a scorched wasteland, but the maids immediately brought over more, allowing me to complete my conquest of the table.
For some reason, ham and roast beef just tasted better when they were served in the traditional multitiered osechi box.
“That was yummyyy?”
“I’m so full, sir!”
Everyone let out sighs of satisfaction.
“Yes, it was a wonderfully elaborate New Year’s meal. Thank you very much, Lulu.”
“Thaaanks…?”
“Thank you, sir!”
Liza thanked Lulu, prompting the rest of the group to follow suit.
“Thanks from me, too, Lulu. You made a really delicious meal.”
“Hee-hee, I’m glad you all enjoyed it.”
Lulu blushed and smiled.
“But it was so delicious that I almost overate.” Arisa patted her belly above her obi belt, then looked at Liza’s slim stomach. “Hmm? Miss Liza, did you not eat enough?”
“No, I enjoyed a very full meal.”
“I thought so. Of course you ate a lot… So why is your stomach still so flat?”
“Sheer force.”
Arisa gave Liza a doubtful look; the lizardfolk girl clarified.
“I use my muscles to forcibly compress the contents of my stomach.”
“Huh? For real?”
“Yes. I’m sure you could learn to do the same, Arisa.”
“Whoa… I bet you could kill at a talent show.” Arisa shook her head, stunned. “Pochi, Tama, you can’t do it?”
Pochi and Tama were rubbing their full bellies, looking pleased.
“Nyooo…?”
“I can, but I don’t want to, sir. It would be a waste to get rid of my happy full belly, sir.”
“Oui, oui.”
Tama and Pochi nodded wisely. Somehow, I wasn’t surprised.
Arisa turned her attention to me.
“Master, when are we going out today?”
“The New Year’s royal-audience ceremony is taking place at the royal castle in the afternoon, but I think we should head over to Baron Muno’s place, too.”
I wanted to exchange New Year’s pleasantries with the baron and company before heading over to the royal-audience ceremony together. From what I was told, all the lords and heads of noble families from the royal capital area were expected to attend this ceremony. Our peerage and promotion ceremonies would take place there, too.
“Okey-dokey. We’d better get changed, then, girls.”
“You’re not going in your furisode?”
“Hmm, they are nice and all, but I wouldn’t want to stand out too much at the ceremony and get hassled by some stupid nobles. We’ll just wear normal dresses.”
Fair enough.
After the royal-audience ceremony, a coming-of-age ceremony would take place in one of the royal castle’s courtyards, where nobles and commoners alike became adults.
Back in Japan, youngsters who wanted to stand out tended to wear flashy outfits for coming-of-age. It was probably even worse here in the Shiga Kingdom, where the coming-of-age ceremony took place at age fifteen, the height of puberty.
Fancy accessories and ornaments had been selling like crazy at the Echigoya Company. If the girls went in their furisode, they would look unusual enough to draw way too much attention.
“Okay, we’re ready.”
While I was reflecting on all this, Arisa and the others came back from changing their outfits.
They were even wearing a bit of makeup, though it still looked natural.
“Come on, Lulu! Time to win master’s heart with your pretty-girl power!”
“W-wait, Arisa! Don’t push me…!”
…Oooh.
What stood before me looked like a delicate work of glass art.
It didn’t give a cold impression, though. If anything, her youthful beauty was reminiscent of a white peach.
As adorable as she’d been in the furisode, Arisa’s makeup skills and a fairy-silk white dress brought Lulu’s already beautiful looks to another level.
Though I’d modeled the dresses after a more mature, modest version of the latest fashions, today was Lulu’s coming-of-age ceremony. Maybe I should have gone for something a little more adult-looking instead.
“Hey, master, I get that you’re speechless, but you’re making Lulu nervous. Hurry up and say something, will you?”
“Ah, sorry… You look beautiful, Lulu. More than any model or idol I’ve ever seen.”
I was careful to let my earnest feelings show so it wouldn’t sound like a cheap line.
“Thank you, master! That makes me so happy to hear.”
Lulu smiled at me like the sun.
I hoped today would be a happy and memorable ceremony for her.
“Best wishes to you in the New Year!”
“I pray that you all have a blessed year as well.”
Visiting Baron Muno’s royal capital home to ring in the New Year, we were greeted by Pina, Erina, and the other servants of the baron’s family. We exchanged the traditional Shiga Kingdom greetings I had just learned earlier.
“Are those new apron dresses, you two?”
“Uh-huh! Oh, it’s only the apron part that’s new, though.”
“Miss Erina!” the newbie hissed urgently. “You don’t need to tell them that.”
“Sir Knight, the baron awaits you…”
“Right, of course. I’ll head on in.”
I parted ways with Erina and the others, following a maid to the parlor room where the baron and company were waiting.
“Akeomeee?”
“Kotoyoro, sir.”
Spotting the baron, Tama and Pochi blurted out the rather casual phrases Arisa had taught them earlier.
“Ah, those are the New Year’s greetings of the Hero’s kingdom, yes?” The baron patted their heads and added, “Happy New Year.”
Not surprising from one of the biggest Hero researchers around.
“Akeome, was it? Let us have another good year.”
“Yes, Happy New Year. I look forward to another year of working together.”
Sitting across from Baron Muno, Viscount Lottel stood up and echoed a more formal version of the sentiment, then moved to sit next to Baron Muno instead.
“You’re all dressed especially nicely today, Arisa.”
“Well, it’s a special occasion. We’re being granted peerage, and Lulu has her coming-of-age ceremony.”
Arisa struck a little pose as she responded to Nina.
“Where’s Karinaaa?” Tama tilted her head.
“She’s getting dressed in her room at the moment.”
The dot on my radar indicating Miss Karina moved toward us. She must be done changing clothes.
Within moments, Karina strode through the still-open door.
The Intelligent Item Raka glittered atop her impressive bust, which I could still only describe as magic boobs.
“My best wishes to you in the New Year.”
Her vermilion dress was a perfect match for her luxurious golden ringlet curls.
It was probably a new dress made by an artisan in the royal capital. The fabric used was the Lalagi-made crimson silk I’d given her.
The gems and accessories she wore looked familiar, too. I was glad she seemed to like my gifts.
“Byootifuuul…?”
“Very, very pretty, sir!”
Tama and Pochi bounced around Karina delightedly.
Karina turned bright red and gave me a somewhat expectant glance.
“The new dress looks lovely on you, naturally. All the gentlemen at the ceremony won’t be able to take their eyes off you.”
As I spoke, I reached out and removed a piece of lint from her hair.
“D-d-d-d-don’t be ridiculous!”
For some reason, what was meant to be a harmless compliment made Karina turn bright red and go flying out of the room.
I must have gotten her flustered by standing too close.
“Karinaaa…?”
“Wait up, sir!”
Tama and Pochi hurried after Miss Karina in concern.
“Too close.”
“Honestly! If you’re going to make a pass at someone, start with your darling Arisa!”
Mia and Arisa huffed at me.
“You’re more than welcome to make a pass at Lady Karina.”
“Yes, I’d be quite comfortable entrusting my daughter to you, Satou.”
Thanks, but I wasn’t planning on it.
I brushed off Miss Nina’s and the baron’s comments with a vague smile and changed the subject to the royal-audience ceremony.
“Will you and Lady Karina be going to the ceremony as well, Miss Nina?”
“Yes, generally a noble’s first wife and children participate. I would’ve liked to sit it out to prepare for the kingdom meeting that starts tomorrow, but since I have the honorary viscount title, I was told I should attend.”
Nina grumbled something about the hardships of court service.
“If you’d like to come to the kingdom meeting, I can bring you along as a consul’s assistant?”
“Thank you, but I’ll pass.”
“You sure? Once you become a viscount, you’ll have to participate anyway. Might as well get some experience while you have the chance.”
All higher-ranking nobles had voting rights at the kingdom meeting, even if they weren’t in an important government role. As such, it was apparently commonplace for nobles to attend and vote for anything that favored their territory.
“No need to worry about that. I’m sure this will be my last promotion.”
“Is that right? Because I have a feeling you’ll make it to viscount within the next two or three years.”
Though Miss Nina looked confident, I couldn’t imagine getting promoted to a permanent noble rank unless something out of the ordinary happened.
A baronet or baron would be one thing, but surely a nobody like me from who-knows-where would never be promoted all the way to viscount.
“By the way, did Sir Orion not come with you to the royal capital?”
I didn’t see Orion, who had said he intended to have his coming-of-age ceremony here.
“Orion will be having his ceremony in the old capital instead.”
“I thought it was bad luck when I first heard that his airship would be delayed two days due to a skypower engine malfunction, but after what happened yesterday, I’m actually grateful.”
Because of the disaster from the day before, any airships headed for the royal capital had been made to turn back.
“Perhaps that boy was born under a lucky star after all,” Nina added.
Soon, a lady’s maid came to inform us that it was time to go, and we all headed for the entrance.
“Let’s go, master!” Arisa tugged on my arm. “Awww, I suppose we won’t be able to call you that much longer…”
“How cooome?”
“Well, once we’re promoted, we won’t be slaves anymore, right? Won’t we have to call him mister or young master or something?”
The beastfolk girls looked shocked at this.
“Boooo…?”
“D-do we really have to, sir?”
Tama and Pochi looked around as if seeking rescue.
“Miss Nina, what do you think?”
“Hmm? What they should call you? Whatever you want is probably fine, but I’d hold off on young master. People will think they’re servants of the house.”
Come to think of it, the maids at home all called me young master.
“Then what are we supposed to call him?”
“In Satou’s case, maybe Sir Knight or Sir Pendragon?”
“I dunno, that sounds so formal…”
Admittedly, it did give an overly distant impression.
“Then why not just keep calling him master?”
“Huh? Can we?”
“Sure. It’s quite common for freed slaves to keep calling their former owner master. As long as you’re not worried about people knowing you used to be slaves, you can keep doing that if you’d like.”
The beastfolk girls all beamed at this.
“Yaaaay…?”
“That’s what Pochi wants, sir!”
“Master, is it all right if we continue to call you master in the future?”
“If that’s what you want, then sure,” I responded to Liza’s serious inquiry.
“What about you two, Arisa and Lulu?”
“We’ll stick with master, too, of course. Sooner or later, I’ll get you to marry me so I can call you sweetie or darling anyway.”
I’d rather not, especially the darling part.
That made it sound like I’d get stuck playing tag with the fate of the planet on the line, like a certain alien anime.
“I’d prefer to carry on like the others, too.”
Lulu was the last to chime in.
Evidently, they’d continue calling me the same thing, then.
We piled into a few carriages as we went on chatting, and we headed to the royal castle with Baron Muno and company.
“Feels like we’re zigzagging an awful lot.”
“That’s because they’re trying to navigate around the broken cobblestones.”
Our carriage trundled along slowly. While it probably would’ve been faster to walk, it was bad manners to show up to the royal castle on foot.
Through the window, I could see Earth Magic users repairing the walls and roads and golems carrying rubble away.
“Floatyyy?”
“It’s magic, sir.”
Tama’s and Pochi’s eyes sparkled at the sight of a hovering boulder.
Looking at the mage with a long staff standing in front of it, I guessed that he was using the Practical Magic spell Magic Hand to help clear debris.
I saw some priests and priestesses using purification magic to help clean, too.
Of course, it wasn’t all mages and priests. There were plenty of soldiers and laborers bustling around, too.
“They’re working so hard, even though it’s New Year’s…”
Arisa sounded impressed.
All the rescue efforts and the first round of rubble removal had been finished overnight, but it looked like it would be a while before the royal capital was fully restored to normal.
“This is quite a long line…”
Lulu was right: When we reached the gates of the royal castle, there was a long line of carriages in front of us.
We waited at the back of the line with Baron Muno and company; before long, our carriages were guided out of the line and moved forward.
“Perhaps we’re getting special treatment as a feudal lord and his vassal?”
Arisa tilted her head.
Curious as well, I opened my map and investigated and found that most of the people in the line were lesser nobles and wealthy people participating in the coming-of-age ceremony.
Those who were here for the royal-audience ceremony were able to come in through a separate entrance farther into the castle grounds.
When we arrived at this entrance, we disembarked from our carriage to find a sparkling scene of noblewomen in glittering jewelry and noblemen decked out with countless medals.
“Baron Muno and company, correct? Allow me to guide you to the waiting room.”
An elderly veteran maid appeared with several younger maids in tow, leading us to a large, lavish waiting room. It was big enough that it could’ve fit fifty people comfortably.
According to my map, there were some fifty other waiting rooms of similar size, and less than a third of them were full.
“Feudal lords usually have their families and vassals in tow,” Miss Nina explained.
I nodded, sipping the refreshing fruit-infused water the maids had brought us.
We chatted among ourselves in the room for a while until the same maid returned.
“Allow me to guide those being elevated to peerage to the ceremony hall.”
Apparently, people entered in order of social class, starting with the lowest.
I moved to follow my companions, but the maid stopped me.
“Sir Pendragon, please enter alongside Baron Muno.”
Maybe I was in a different class because I was going to be promoted to a permanent baronet.
After waiting another thirty minutes or so, we were guided to the hall as well.
…Whoa.
The spacious audience hall was packed to the brim with seated nobles.
Although my kids were sitting at the very edge of the hall, the sharp-eyed Pochi spotted me right away and waved wildly, earning a scolding from Liza.
I gave them a small wave and kept moving forward.
Where the line of honorary single-generation nobles ended, permanent noble families followed, then the heads of those families at the front. It looked like only upper nobles were allowed to bring their whole families.
Baron Muno’s family had a front-row spot in the noble-family section, where Nina and Karina broke off from our group to sit.
Miss Nina was in the family section because Karina had begged not to be left alone.
Normally, I would be in the honorary-noble line, too. Instead, though, I joined the front row with Baron Muno and the other feudal lords, dukes, and so on. I was surprised to find that we were last among the nobles.
The Scarlet Nobleman Jelil Mosaddo, a mithril adventurer, was at the end of the last row.
This must have been the place for people getting promoted to permanent nobles, then.
I gave him a light nod, then sat where the official instructed me to, next to the baron.
Mr. Jelil was giving me a look of surprise, but there was no time to talk before the court orchestra struck up a magnificent tune.
The royal family entered, followed by the prime minister and Mr. Juleburg, the leader of the Eight Swordsmen of Shiga, and finally the king himself. Once he took a seat on his throne, the royal-audience ceremony began.
The king’s New Year’s greetings and speech went on for more than ten minutes; evidently, important people tended to prattle on even in a parallel world. Personally, I found his high praise of Nanashi the Hero a little embarrassing.
“Now then, let us begin the peerage and promotion ceremonies.”
Almost an hour into the event, our promotions began.
“Leon Muno, please step forward.”
Baron Muno approached the throne and knelt, looking nervous.
I tried to hide my amusement when he nearly fell over several times in the process.
“Leon, it is with pride that I have watched you restore a ruined territory and become a true lord. You put a stop to the plots of multiple demons and defeated a demon-led army of monsters despite your forces being greatly outnumbered. These accomplishments, and your hard work behind the scenes, are more than worthy of a promotion.”
The king’s voice was full of warmth.
Baron Muno’s eyes welled with tears, clearly moved by the praise.
“Feudal Lord Leon Muno, I hereby promote you to counthood.”
“I humbly accept my post.”
After this exchange in the Shigan language, the king held a royal bell made out of something like sapphire and recited a chant.
“ Convert Peerage Roku Shaku.”
I’d never heard this particular spell before.
When the chant ended, a blue light formed lines around Baron Muno and the king, creating a sort of figure eight between them.
The rings of light shone on their surroundings for a while.
Eventually, the light evaporated toward the heavens and earth, and Baron Muno’s title and rank changed to Count.
His ceremony over, Count Muno bowed to the king and returned to his seat.
There were no cheers or applause, which must be an unspoken rule. Instead, however, the orchestra swelled with a grandiose melody.
Next, the late Count Lessau’s eldest son underwent a succession ceremony and became the new Count Lessau.
During this part of the ceremony, my “Keen Hearing” skill picked up comments like, “He’s not cut out for this,” and, “Shouldn’t he be demoted?”
Since he’d lost his capital and more than half his army in a demon attack, evidently many nobles felt he was unfit to be a feudal lord. The young Count Lessau had a difficult road ahead of him.
“Sir Satou Pendragon, please step forward.”
When my name was called, there was a stir from the upper nobles’ area.
I’d assumed we would be called in order of rank, yet now I was being called on ahead of Jelil, a baronet.
I felt a slight sense of dread as I knelt before the king.
“Knight Satou Pendragon, you have proven yourself with countless accomplishments in the Muno territory, Ougoch Duchy, and Labyrinth City Celivera, as well as your aid in defeating several demons in the royal capital, leading your subordinates to defeat a floormaster in Celivera Labyrinth, and fending off a giant monster attack just yesterday here in the royal capital, showing strength worthy of the Eight Swordsmen of Shiga. We have also received letters of commendation from various nations in the southern seas, thanking you for stamping out pirates who were terrorizing the trade route.”
As the king read a long list of my accomplishments, the commotion spread to the lesser nobles as well.
“I believe such achievements deserve more than the promotion to baron that was requested of me.”
No, I wouldn’t say that.
“Therefore, I hereby promote Knight Satou Pendragon to viscount.”
Seriously…?
Without even waiting for a confirmation like Count Muno and Count Lessau had given, the king began his chant.
“ Convert Peerage Roku Shaku.”
As the chant ended, particles of light floated around me.
There was a different visual effect from the previous spells.
> Title Acquired: Shiga Kingdom Viscount
> Rank Acquired: Noble (Viscount)
The difference between a one-generation-only honorary hereditary-knight title and the upper rank of a permanent viscount was like a jump from a neighborhood association president to a member of parliament.
This unconventional four-step jump seemed to surprise the nobles, too. Upper- and lower-ranked nobles alike erupted into chatter, including a few pedigreed noble families cursing me out under their breath.
I understand your frustration, but take it to the king, not me.
Even I was surprised and confused about how my tentative promotion to an honorary baron or baronet had turned out like this.
While I fretted about it internally, Mr. Jelil was promoted from baronet to baron, and several other nobles received the title of permanent baronet or knight or succession of a family title.
Next was the promotion and peerage of one-generation honorary nobles.
An upper-ranked official received the title of honorary baron after years of hard work, while a silver-haired military officer became an honorary baronet.
Next, the mithril explorers who were honorary knights became honorary baronets.
“Muno County, Pendragon family slave Liza.”
Liza was the first to be conferred with an honorary-knight rank, perhaps because she had defeated Mr. Juleburg in combat.
Clad in the knightly garb she’d chosen as her formal wear, Liza stepped forward stiffly.
“Liza of the Pendragon family, I hereby free you from slavery, endow you with the family name of Kishreshigarza, and grant you the title of honorary baronetess.”
…Honorary baronetess?
“ Confer Peerage Roku Shaku.”
The king’s chant ended, and Liza’s name changed to Liza Kishreshigarza, her last name being that of her clan. The title Satou’s Slave and the rank Slave also disappeared from her status in my AR display, replaced with the titles Pendragon Family Vassal and Shiga Kingdom Baronetess and the rank Noble (Baronetess).
“Honorary Baronetess Liza Kishreshigarza, use your peerless spearmanship to defend the people.”
“As you wish, sire.”
Liza responded to the king’s words with the utmost politeness.
Our eyes met when she turned away, and I mouthed, Congratulations, to her with earnest pride.
Liza’s eyes crinkled with happiness, indicating that she’d received my message.
Next, Nana, Lulu, Arisa, Tama, and Pochi each received the title of Honorary Knight.
Arisa’s and Lulu’s ranks remained as Slave, however. We’d gotten special permission from the prime minister by way of Miss Nina’s appeal.
Once we were done resting and relaxing in the royal capital, my next plan was to find a way to free the two from the Geist curse that bound them to the rank of Slave.
It was against the law of the elves for Mia to become a noble of another nation, so she declined her peerage.
This didn’t seem to bother her, especially since just being an elf already got her noble-like treatment in most places. She was sitting alongside Arisa and the others with the same expression as always.
Once the promotions and conferences of peerage were done, they announced the nobles who were being demoted or losing peerage altogether.
Most of them were nobles who’d been involved with the demon-lord-worshipping cult Light of Freedom, but of course they hadn’t found all the culprits from the incident just a day before. Instead of the red-ropes incident, the main focus was connected nobles I had helped expose as Nanashi the Hero.
Those nobles whose crimes were the gravest were charged with treason and sentenced to have their entire families punished.
Children under the age of ten were not executed but sent to a monastery at the foot of the Fujisan Mountains. As usual, the punishments in this world were incredibly severe.
I gathered from the gossip of the nobles around me that people connected to Parion Temple and Parion Province were being investigated in connection to the incident with the cardinal, as well as the Merkray family, whose names had come up in the investigation of the red-ropes incident.
Next was the medal conference ceremony, perhaps to lighten the heavy mood.
I received something called a Shiga Kingdom Dragon-Busting Medal for aiding Hayato the Hero in chasing the black dragon Hei Long out of Lumork Kingdom while we were staying in the Ougoch Duchy. I’d completely forgotten that I was going to receive medals and rewards, too.
After that, there were announcements about newly established offices, changes in high official posts, and so on.
The prime minister was taking an additional post as head of the new Ministry of Tourism.
This seemed to overlap with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs so much that I had to suspect it was established as a cover for some spy operation by the prime minister. I had better keep my distance, although the name of the department certainly intrigued me.
It was also announced that the three vacancies on the Eight Swordsmen of Shiga would be filled by the end of the month.
I thought I felt the prime minister’s eyes on me during that announcement, but I’m sure I was just imagining it. He must have been looking at Mr. Jelil next to me, since he was a prime candidate for the Shiga Eight. Yes, that must be it.
“That was rather long, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, I’m kinda beat now.”
After the ceremony, Count Muno headed to the salon with the other feudal lords, while my group and I moved to the hall where Lulu’s coming-of-age ceremony would take place.
When we parted ways with Count Muno and the others, Miss Nina reminded me that I would have to attend the kingdom meeting starting tomorrow, since I had been promoted to viscount.
“Goodness, I was so shocked when they made you a viscount out of the blue, master! You should’ve told us beforehand.”
“It was news to me, too.”
It was probably intended as a nice surprise, but I would’ve appreciated a heads-up.
Maybe someone behind the scenes knew I would refuse if I was told ahead of time and had arranged it this way on purpose.
Well, what’s done is done.
I probably can’t change it now anyway.
As we walked down a hall that overlooked the entire royal capital, I saw a large image of the king being projected above the city.
“My beloved citizens…”
His voice boomed down from the heavens with salutations for the New Year.
The other nobles walking ahead of us all stopped and bowed their heads on the spot, so we followed suit.
According to the nobles chatting up ahead, this broadcast was not a function of the City Core but a magic device in the royal castle called a Kowhou Room. That Japanese-sounding name probably came from kouhou, the word for public relations.
After the New Year’s greeting concluded, the topic shifted to the incident from the day before. He explained that with the help of Nanashi the Hero, the sky dragon of the Fujisan Mountains that protects the Shiga Kingdom, and others, the demon army had been driven off. Finally, he wrapped up with a request for all citizens to work together to help restore the royal capital.
“All new adults, please line up here. Those with a letter of invitation and children of noble families, please proceed to the other side of the room.”
In the hall of the coming-of-age ceremony, several officials were calling out loudly to herd the plethora of new adults into lines.
“Where should I line up?” Lulu asked.
“Since you’re the head of the Watari knight family now, I think you can probably head to the noble kids’ side.”
The officials probably hadn’t made this part clear, since it was incredibly rare for the head of a noble family to be a young adult. Besides, if they were listed in the social register, they would most likely receive a letter of invitation anyway.
Lulu had become a brand-new noble after the invitations were sent out. I’m sure that’s why she didn’t get one.
“Sir Pendragon, congratulations on your promotion.”
“Thank you very much, Lady Reythel. Best wishes to you in the New Year.”
“I pray that you have a blessed year as well, dear.”
Right after I sent Lulu on her way, I ran into Reythel Ashinen, the wife of the viceroy of Celivera.
“Are you here for Sir Gerits’s coming-of-age, perhaps?” I asked, referring to their third son.
“Yes, that’s right. But good heavens, no sooner did we arrive than the city was plunged into chaos! I found myself wishing we had done an informal ceremony back in Labyrinth City like the Dyukeli family.”
“That must have been upsetting.”
The viceroy’s wife chuckled. “Why, you say that as if you weren’t there yourself.”
Her husband had stayed behind in Labyrinth City to officiate the coming-of-age ceremony there, she explained.
“Will you be returning to Labyrinth City after the ceremony?”
“No, I plan to stay for the auction.”
“Is there something you’re hoping to buy there?”
“Yes, I intend to purchase an elixir for Poputema.”
Now that was a name I hadn’t heard in a long time.
The former Count Poputema, a perpetually green-clad noble who always said “indeed,” had been controlled by a green greater demon to cause all kinds of trouble in Labyrinth City. However, he was also a trusted confidant of the viceroy and his wife, charged with much of the counterintelligence activities there.
As far as I knew, he was still hooked up to a magical life-preserving device in Labyrinth City to keep him alive in spite of the loss of his lower half in the disaster caused by the demonic Ludaman.
My greater magic potions could restore lost limbs, but it wouldn’t be safe to use them to heal Poputema, who had also lost part of his internal organs. The strain of that healing process could even kill someone of his age and fragility.
While I suspected the lesser elixirs I made might do the trick, I was hesitant to offer, since I didn’t want them pressing me about where they came from.
“Look at that! So much for your I can tell even from behind that she’s a gorgeous babe crap. She’s a total uggo!”
“Well, everyone makes mistakes… Huh? Wait, she’s a slave! What’s a slave doing here?!”
“E-erm, well, I…”
“I don’t wanna hear your excuses. Let’s take her to the guards and make her master apologize.”
My “Keen Hearing” skill caught some jerks picking on Lulu.
Uh-oh, she’s in trouble.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
With a quick bow to the viceroy’s wife, I hurried over to Lulu on the other side of the crowd.
“You’re gonna defend this lowlife?!”
By the time I got through the crowd, a few boys were already standing in front of Lulu.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m protecting you ignorant fools.”
“Yeah, you heard him! Sir Gerits is right!”
It was the viceroy’s third son, Gerits, and his friend Luram from Baron Tokey’s family. I recognized the two other boys who hadn’t spoken, too, although I couldn’t remember their names. They were all part of Gerits’s little group.
“Hang on, Barry. That’s Sir Gerits, Viceroy Ashinen’s son. We’d better not stir up trouble.”
“Tch. Let’s get outta here.”
The rude young man scowled at his friend who’d whispered in his ear and stormed off.
“Wait up—you forgot to apologize to her.”
“Yeah! You wanna get thrown like that demon?!”
Moving faster than his chubby frame suggested, Gerits and Luram cut the retreating boys off. Their training in Labyrinth City’s explorer school must be paying off.
“Thrown like a demon? Wait…is she the Maid Queen from the stories?!”
The rude boy’s eyes widened.
It seemed that Lulu’s new nickname and escapades were more famous than I thought.
“Shit, that’s not good. If she’s the Maid Queen, her master is the Untouchable. He’s a crazed berserker who attacked an intermediate demon without any armor!”
A crazed berserker? How rude. I should sue them for slander.
“S-sorry. I shouldn’t have insulted you.”
“Please don’t tell Mr. Untouchable about this!”
The boy and his friends bowed their heads to Lulu.
“U-um, I, ah…”
“If you accept their apology, just say, I forgive you,” one of Gerits’s friends helpfully explained to Lulu. “But if you’re still mad, you can challenge them to a duel.”
“A duel? With a slave?” The rude boy looked confused.
“You’re behind the times, I see,” the same helpful boy answered. “She was just granted peerage by His Majesty the king. Now she’s the head of the Watari knight family.”
“A duel?! Certainly not! …I—I forgive you. Please, you don’t need to bow your heads.”
Once Lulu let them off the hook, the rude boys ran away.
“Sir Gerits and friends, you have my gratitude for helping Lulu out of a bind.”
I thanked Gerits and his hangers-on and gave Lulu the recognition-inhibiting hairpiece she’d taken off to participate in the royal-audience ceremony.
“Don’t worry ab— I mean, it was our pleasure, Viscount Pendragon. We still owe ya big-time, sir.”
Gerits attempted to correct his manners partway through, although he didn’t quite stick the landing.
“By the way, I haven’t seen Princess Meetia and Miss Mary-Ann here.”
“Mary-Ann’s father said she had to go to the ceremony in Labyrinth City instead. Her Highness stayed behind to join her.”
That explained why Baronet Dyukeli’s daughter Mary-Ann and the cutesy young princess of Nolork Kingdom were nowhere to be seen.
Before long, it was time for the coming-of-age ceremony to begin. I headed to the family seats where the other girls were waiting.
The ceremony itself was similar to the traditional coming-of-age in Japan: The king and various ministers gave lengthy congratulatory speeches, and the children gave formal replies starting with the child whose parents ranked highest—in this case, Gerits.
Finally, the coming-of-age ceremony concluded with the kingdom anthem, and Lulu returned.
“I do sort of feel like an adult now,” she said with a giggle.
“It looked like you were hitting it off with those noble girls,” Arisa remarked. “What were you talking about?”
“The dress and accessories master made for me. Everyone loved them!”
Lulu beamed brightly.
I was happy to hear they were well received, since I put extra care into making sure they would live up to Lulu’s gorgeous features.
I’d have to keep working hard to make accessories and clothes that drew out Lulu’s natural beauty.
“There you are, Sir Pendragon.”
Miss Helmina of the Shiga Eight emerged from the crowd.
Behind her, her fellow Shiga Eight member Mr. Heim gave me a light wave.
“Could you come with me for a minute?”
Now, where could they be dragging me off to first thing in the New Year…?
“Sir Pendragon!”
“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Sir Gouen.”
The two Shiga Eight swordsmen led me to a detached villa where Mr. Gouen was being confined; he was soon to be sent to the Azure Lands for his involvement in the attack of Duke Vistall.
“I wanted to thank you, Sir Pendragon. You saved me from killing my own master.”
Mr. Gouen held out his hand, and I shook it firmly.
“I want to thank you, too. I might never have seen my husband again were it not for your help.”
A small, slender young woman emerged from behind Mr. Gouen and gave me a faint smile.
Just barely in her twenties, she somehow looked young enough that I might have believed she was his daughter instead.
“Sherin, Merila, say thank you.”
“Yes, Mother. Thank you for saving our father, sir.”
“Thanks, mister.”
At their mother’s prompting, two grade-school-aged girls came out of hiding and curtsied to me, their faces bright red. Evidently, Gouen’s daughters were very shy.
“Thanks to you, I can spend time with my family until I go to the Azure Lands.”
Mr. Gouen’s elder daughter piped up at this. “Father, we want to come with you.”
“No can do, Sherin. The Azure Lands are a harsh environment. The sun beats down on you, it’s horribly humid, and there are plagues and poisonous insects. It’s no place for little girls or your mother to live safely. Please try to understand.”
Mr. Gouen looked bitter as he shook his head.
I was planning to improve living conditions in the Azure Lands, but I couldn’t very well tell them that. Feeling guilty, I watched the family’s exchange in silence.
“Then…I’ll get stronger! Strong enough to support you and Mother.”
Although Miss Sherin looked like her mother, her inner passion seemed to take after her father.
We spent some time with the Gouen family until the supervisor of the villa indicated that we should leave.
“So this is the osechi meal described in the legends of the ancestral king.”
“Indeed. This is my first time eating it, but it is quite scrumptious.”
After I met with Mr. Gouen and his family, I invited Miss Helmina and Mr. Heim over to our home, where we ate more osechi dishes.
“Mr. Heim, this roast beef is yummy, too, sir.”
“The ham and the lobster, toooo?”
Pochi and Tama hovered at either side of Mr. Heim, offering him food.
“This Shiga sake is so smooth and delicious.”
“Yes, it’s a hundred-year-old Royal Sakura vintage.”
Miss Helmina choked at my response, nearly doing a spit take.
“Don’t serve that up so casually! A single cup of such choice sake is worth several hundred gold coins…!”
“This is what goes best with the osechi, though.”
If it’s delicious, that’s all that matters.
“Sir Satou! We’ve arrived!”
“Oh-ho, if it isn’t Kirik’s daughter and Sir Heim!”
Marquis Lloyd and Count Hohen, the gourmet-loving nobles from the Ougoch Duchy, barged in ahead of the maid guiding them to the dining room.
“Welcome. Please have a seat over here. Your food will be ready shortly.”
Since the pair of them had provided invaluable osechi recipes, I’d saved them seats of honor.
“Sir Pendragon, congratulations on your promotion to viscount.”
Viscount Siemmen entered shortly after the gluttonous pair.
He was evidently here to congratulate me as well as to keep those two under control.
“Here. This is from Tolma, and this is from me.”
He handed me several novels that were all the rage in the old capital as a gift from Tolma, his brother and my friend, as well as an ancient scroll he said he’d found in the warehouse of his scroll workshop.
The scroll was labyrinth-made and somewhat damaged by time, but I should still be able to use it.
While I had him, I finally managed to order some scrolls I’d been meaning to get made—six that already existed and four of my own design.
“Miss Lulu, what might this dish be?”
“That one is called eggplant miso dengaku.”
“Why, it’s even more delicious than the datemaki we just had.”
“Hear, hear! The boiled dishes like the Ohmi beef shigureni and the whale yamatoni are delicious as well.”
The gourmet noble duo smacked their lips with delight as they talked cooking with Lulu.
Luckily, they didn’t ask where the whale meat came from.
I chatted with Viscount Siemmen and Miss Helmina as we enjoyed a lively feast to end New Year’s Day.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login