In a Different World with a Smartphone (LN) - Volume 5 - Chapter 1

Chapter I: The Founding Party 

Once, the two great powers of the continent’s western sector were the Regulus Empire and the Kingdom of Belfast. Upon the border of these two nations, a new sovereign state was born. This new state was collaboratively backed by both superpowers. 
The Duchy of Brunhild. 
The territory of the state was minimal, composed of tiny land contributed by both larger nations. The grand duke who reigned over this territory was a man named Mochizuki Touya. He was a brave and mighty adventurer, one who had done the unprecedented. His rise to the guild’s Silver Rank was the fastest in the history of the world. 
Eventually, that man... and the name of his tiny nation, Brunhild, would have a far greater meaning in the context of world lore and history. 
But that, dear listener, was a story yet to be told... 

The three who had arrived to become the Duchy of Brunhild’s first military agents were definitely skilled in the art of combat. It was no surprise, given that Leen had thought them worthy enough to bring. 
Lain was skilled with a standard sword, Norn was a twinblade wielder, and Nikola wielded a halberd, which was a long hybrid of spear and axe. I had them demonstrate their skills against Yae, and they held their own fairly well. I was a little surprised, honestly. 
“Milord, are there no horses within the castle grounds?” 
“Horses?” Nikola brought up a fair point, which was starting to become habitual, and it made me realize that there were no horses in my little duchy. We got around using [Gate] mostly, so there was no need. And whenever we were back at Belfast’s capital, I got around on a bike. 
“Do we need horses?” 
“I’d consider them a necessary part of any military cavalry. True, I don’t expect to see combat any time soon, but it would be very valuable if we could have some to train how to fight on horseback.” 
That made sense. My soldiers were here to fight for me, so I probably had to spend a bit more time investing in their training. 
Regulus and Belfast were on either side of Brunhild, so I wasn’t really worried about seeing any military action... Still, there was no guarantee that bandits or rogues wouldn’t appear in the nearby mountains or something. 
“If we had horses we could begin patrolling the territory, and we’d also be able to chart and scout certain areas of interest in the region.” Lain brought up another bonus to having some equine reinforcement. 
Come to think of it, her voice really is boyish... Can I really be blamed for mistaking her for a man?! That aside, horses... 
“I’ve got an idea, I’ll summon you something way better than a horse.” 
“Pardon?” I ignored Nikola, who was now looking at me with a bewildered expression, and focused my magic on the ground. 
“Come forth, Darkness! I seek that which rules the skies, [Griffin]!” Once the smoke cleared, the magic circle vanished and a Griffin stood in its place. 
“Whoa!” 
“Incredible...” 
“What is this?” The three of them reacted very differently, but their bewilderment was all the same. They simply stared at the Griffin before them. 
“Well... you’re, uh, Paul? No, you’re John, right? Okay, John? From now on, you’re Nikola’s partner, got it? Please get along with each other.” 
“CAW!” John let out a small noise and trotted off to Nikola. Nikola seemed apprehensive at first, but tentatively reached out to pet John on the head, then on the back. 
“Wow, he seems pretty obedient. Can he understand what you just said?” 
“Yeah, he can’t talk, but he can understand you just fine. I think he’ll be much better to train and take care of than a regular horse. Wanna try riding him?” Even though there wasn’t a harness attached to John’s back, Nikola boldly straddled him. In response, the creature began to walk around. 
At Nikola’s command, John picked up his pace. The walk slowly developed into a small trot, and then a fully-fledged run. Before long, John fluttered out his wings and leaped high into the air. After flying for a small bit, not too high mind you, John landed back on the ground with an amazed Nikola in tow. 
“Well, how was it?” 
“It... It was incredible. The height is certainly something I’ll have to get used to, but I’m certain I’ll conquer such things in time.” As he spoke, he had John fly upward again. Nikola looked extremely happy with himself. I didn’t have a rope or anything to moor them in, so I was a bit worried about them floating away... 
“Milord! What about me?! I’d like one too!” Norn suddenly shuffled closer to me. I was surprised an unruly girl like her had taken to calling me something so polite, but it seemed that was just how it was in this world. Lain, though a bit more subdued, was also exhibiting a similar look of excitement. 
Sheesh, I was gonna summon something even without you guys getting all excited about it. Hmph... it’d be boring if I just called in another Griffin, though... These two are girls, so I know exactly what they’d like! 
“Come forth, Darkness! I seek a skyhorse, [Pegasus]!” After the fog cleared and the magic circle disappeared, two pure-white horses with magnificent wings appeared from nothing. 
“Whoa! Amazing! They’re so pretty!” Norn ran up to one of them and started brushing its back. Lain, ever-reserved, timidly touched one of their wings. 
“Ah, these two are called Anne and Diana. Anne, you pair up with Norn, and Diana can go with Lain.” The Pegasi wiggled their heads in affirmation. Anne lowered her head immediately and prompted Norn to get on. Just like Nikola, Norn straddled the horse and slowly warmed up by trotting around. After a short amount of time, they leaped high into the air. 
After a few moments of apprehension, Lain climbed up onto Diana and flew high up into the sky. 
The three of them finally landed after circling the castle a few times. I ignored their overexcited actions and took some of the harvested monster leather from [Storage]. I used that to make saddles, stirrups, reins, and so on. Then, I handed them over to the three of them. 
I told them to spend some time flying overhead and checking on the territory of the country itself. They’d be able to practice controlling their mounts at the same time, so it would all work out quite nicely. I told them not to worry if trouble occurred, because the summoned beasts could telepathically link to me and alert me of any danger. 
I said they could have the afternoon off, but Nikola seemed to readily accept his job and wanted to spend the whole day scouting the region out. That guy was stoic and extremely dutiful. 
As for myself, there were things I had to do that didn’t involve my soldiers. On the first floor of my castle, I redesigned the interior of a small room. It now had a huge mirror on the wall, big enough for a person to pass through. I also installed a metal plate nearby. 
“Touya, bruv. Wot’s all this, then?” 
“If you touch the metal plate, a [Gate] should open, and it’ll record who the last person to go through was. Only authorized personnel can use this, too. It’s a way of verifying your identity.” Renne was staring at the mirror, eyes wide with wonder, so I gave her a little explanation. There weren’t any touch sensors in this world, and it wouldn’t really work if I enchanted it with [Search] or something similar. If someone decided to use transformation magic to disguise themselves, then it was possible that they’d be able to pass through without any issue. In the end, I decided to apply a [Program] to an iron plate that scanned the fingerprints and magical wavelengths of people that touched it. 
“On top of that, you can set the destination. But right now we only have Belfast.” I had set up similar mirrors back at my Belfast home. 
Should I buy small properties in Mismede and Regulus, maybe? Nah, better to wait until the kings grant me formal embassies there or something... Hm... I think it’d be fine with the emperor of Regulus, but the beastking doesn’t really know about my [Gate] spell... Well, I’ll work that out later. 
“So, Renne. Wanna help me test it? Touch that metal plate.” 
“Like this?” Renne did as she was told and raised a hand up to the plate. I think I might’ve placed it a little too high. The moment Renne touched the metal plate, it let off a shimmer and her name appeared on it. 
In turn, the mirror began to shimmer and shine as the [Gate] warmed up. 
“Alright, and where do you wanna go?” 
“Huh? Uh... the mansion at Belfast!” The mirror let out an even more dazzling sparkle in response to Renne’s words. Renne then walked into it and vanished from the room. Great, guess it works. 
I touched the metal plate and quickly followed after her. I set it so only the last person to touch the metal plate could pass through the portal, which meant that people would need to touch the plate one by one as they passed through. It was just a security measure. That way bad guys couldn’t pass through after us or anything, either. 
After I passed through the mirror, I came out in the Belfast mansion. The first thing I noticed was that Renne wasn’t there. 
I opened the door and went out into the hall, then I faintly heard Renne’s voice coming from the home’s main entrance. I wondered if we had a guest or something. 
“Something up, Renne?” 
“Oh uh, bruv— Er, sir... A letter’s gone and come from the royal palace.” 
Tom, our gatekeeper, was at the entrance. He handed the letter over. Tom and the others manning this place were currently living in the old area that Julio and Crea lived in before they moved to the castle. 
I looked over the letter, and it said I was needed immediately at Belfast’s royal court. I wondered what they wanted.

“Oh goodness gracious me... You must be the young man everyone’s abuzz about, Mochizuki Touya! Or, er, Grand Duke, I suppose!” 
“Yeah...” His Majesty the King of Belfast introduced me to a bald-headed man. He kind of looked similar to that one Hollywood actor who played the world’s unluckiest detective. More importantly, this baldy was actually Rig Reek Refreese, the emperor of the Refreese Imperium. Of course, that also made him the father of that annoying author. You know, the one who wrote those things. 
“The king of Belfast has told me of your exploits. I can’t possibly believe that you quelled an entire coup alone.” 
“Ah, well, I mean, it’s not like I...” I didn’t know why, but I suddenly came off as a little defensive and apologetic. In response to that, Refreese’s emperor simply grinned. 
“...I see, then. It is as the good king said! You don’t seem to have any impure aims.” 
“Sorry, but, uh... I don’t quite know what you mean.” 
“You are a man who singlehandedly took down a trained army and a legion of monsters, and you’re also engaged to marry princesses from both Regulus and Belfast. From the perspective of my nation, you’re a considerable threat.” 
Ah... I guess I didn’t consider how it might look to an outsider. That was probably inevitable though, despite my intentions. 
“I’m not sure about the situations of the other countries, but they’re probably keeping their heads down for the time being. They may end up fearing that if they anger you, you could come and collapse their governments.” 
“I don’t plan on getting involved in politics like that, though.” Well, that’s only true to a certain extent. If a country dispatched an assassin and killed Yumina for political gain or something, I’m not sure if I could forgive that... I’d definitely drag the mastermind behind something like that out and hurt him so bad he’d wish I’d killed him. But for the most part, I definitely have no plans to do anything right now. That doesn’t necessarily mean anyone will believe that, though. 
“We at the Refreese Imperium would like to deepen our relationship with you, Grand Duke. Normally, we would ask for you to take my daughter as your bride...” 
“No, that’s not necessary! No, really, honestly. No thank you!” I do not want that woman near me. I seriously don’t. 
“Fret not, I’m saying that we would ask, had I not already promised her to another foreign kingdom. I’m afraid I can’t rescind that engagement, it’s quite a shame.” 
More like a stroke of luck. I already feel bad for her husband-to-be. I hope he’ll be alright. Come to think of it, her novel-writing is a secret even to her father, right? Guess she’ll keep it under wraps with the hubby, too. 
“At any rate, I’ll get to my point. Your castle was recently completed in Brunhild, was it not? If so, I’d request an audience with you there. A friendly gathering, of kings and emperors. What say you? No political agenda, simply a night of merrymaking.” 
“So wait, you want me to invite over the rulers of the western states or something?” Does he mean just himself, or everyone...? As I mulled the proposition over, the king of Belfast turned to me with a smile. 
“Hmhm... Belfast, Refreese, Mismede, Regulus... I think all four leaders of these nations should converge upon Brunhild for a night of festivities.” 
“...You want to do this?” 
Both men suddenly spoke up in unison. 
“Even a ruler needs time off now and then!” 
Oh dear. 
“Every so often we need time to relax, play, and forget our royal positions. I’m sure you can prepare something to help ease our weary minds, my boy.” 
Well, it was true that I came from a country that specialized in entertainment, and this world didn’t really have much to compare it to, but... Wasn’t inviting every one of these rulers a pretty big deal? I’d have to go all-out on the food, the entertainment, and the defenses. 
“Don’t overthink it, understand? Simply invite us as you would invite a regular set of friends.” The emperor spoke up, but it didn’t really change the complexity of the situation. 
What kind of implications will this have, anyway? It’d be good to improve my standing with the other nations, but still... I could just deny them, but why do they have to glare at me with puppy-dog eyes?! I guess you just went and decided without me, huh? 
“Very well, then. I’ll invite you all formally. But please, no politics in my home. No in-fighting, or agreement drafting.” 
“We understand. Might we bring our families as well?” 
“That’s reasonable, but please only bring five people per monarch, yourselves included. I don’t have a lot of staff in the castle just yet.” 
Ugh, I can see this going poorly... I hope their whole families don’t show up. Looks like things are gonna get real busy real fast... 

Alrighty then... Inviting them was one thing, but working on entertainment was another. They said they wanted to relax and play, so I started there. I decided to create something within the realm of reason and simplicity. 
The first thing I created was a pool table. That game was simple enough to enjoy both indoors and outdoors. 
Next up came the installation of a bowling alley. I set up a basic [Program] to return the bowling ball and pick the pins back up, so it wasn’t especially difficult to automate. After I made it, I considered that it might be a little too intense for the kings. They were getting on in age, after all. 
Next, I created an automated mahjong deck. It would definitely take them a long time to memorize the rules properly, but I had a feeling they’d come to enjoy it if they got used to it. 
And then, I created a bunch of classic indoor entertainment games like pinball, air hockey, and table tennis. I also made a bunch of automated massage chairs so they could relieve some tension. 
I made this myself, but... I totally deserve a go, right? A-Ahh... it’s so good... I’m soothed already. Guess I was more worn out than I thought... 
“Touya, Touya!” 
“Hm?” I was suddenly called from my euphoric daydream by Elze, who was seated at the mahjong table. She was pointing at the tiles in front of her. 
“This one’s a win, right?” 
“Let me see here... Wait, what?!” Dai suuishi, Tsuiisou, Suuankou, and a single wait... 
“So that’s a win by drawing? A tsumo, was it?” 
“Yep, that’s a tsumo. That’s a triple, no a quintuple yakuman. And since you’re the dealer that’s eighty thousand points from everyone.” 
“WHAT?!” Lapis, Cecilia, and Linze, who were playing against Elze, all threw up their arms in despair. 
How horrifying... I made a mental note to never play with Elze. 
 

“Hey, boss... Between a flush and a straight, which is better?” 
“Uhh... a flush, I’m pretty sure.” Sylvie and Belle were both sitting at the poker table, learning the rules. 
I had the girls from Moon Reader come over to help with tending to the guests, since the castle was short staffed. Sylvie, Belle, and Shea all came over to help out. Sylvie was the head waitress, Belle manned the reception desk, and Shea was a real wiz in the kitchen, so we covered all our bases. 
I had Sylvie and the others play the games with the maids from our home, since I figured it was the fastest way for them to get a grasp on the rules. 
“Siiir, please remove Cesca from the poool table. She won’t let me have the cueeee.” 
“Silence! I’m calculating the angle of reflection, the incidence level, and meting out how much force I should apply. As I work those out, it should be a paltry task to win!” Cecile spoke up in a concerned tone, but Cesca simply replied to her matter-of-factly. 
I might’ve sent her to the wrong game... If she keeps pocketing balls without missing, then it’ll become a break and run out situation, and Cecile will never get a go... 
I left the game room for a bit and went to the dining room and kitchen. Crea and Shea were both working hard, while Renne was offering them assistance. 
“Ah, good sir. Your timing is perfect as ever, please give this a try.” Crea passed me a freshly baked and piping hot dessert, so I bit into it. Ooh, that’s good! 
“Ah, I’m glad that you figured out how to make a good waffle. It tastes really good. If you put whipped cream on it, you can make it even tastier, though.” 
“I see... We’ll try and make that as well, then!” I held the waffle in my mouth, made my way over to the fridge, and leaned down and took something out. Good, it solidified well. 
“What’s that, boss?” Shea tilted her head and expressed confusion at the item. 
“It’s pudding. It’s another item you can add cream and fruits to. Tastes really good.” It’d be more accurate to call it ‘pudding a la mode’ if it had the stuff on it, though. I took out a plate and turned the pudding upside down, letting it slide out on to the surface. 
The yellow caramel oozed out slowly, making my mouth water a bit. I grabbed a spoon and took a scoop of the tasty mass I’d created. Hm, a little thick, but it’s still yummy! 
Shea took a spoon and put a scoop of her own into her mouth. She opened her eyes in amazement and her mouth flapped a little like a fish. Guess she likes it. 
“Hey bruv, I cut the potatoes like you asked, but what am I supposed to do now?” There was a pile of neatly-cut potato sticks on the chopping board in front of Renne. I went over and washed them a bit in the sink, then added some oil to a frying pan. Then, I set the heat to medium and began to drop the potato sticks in one by one. Once they started to float, I took them out. After that, I upped the heat and deep fried them until they were a crispy brown. 
I sprinkled some fresh salt on to them and garnished them with a side of homemade ketchup. After going so long without french fries I felt an unreasonable amount of joy toward something so mundane. 
“These are bloody amazing, bruv! Can I have them all?!” 
“...All of them? Well, you can take them all, but I wouldn’t recommend stuffing your face with them, you’ll get an upset tummy.” I gave Renne a soft smile and passed the french fries over to her. She wolfed down a handful before I could even react. Crea and Shea peeked their heads over and grabbed a bunch all of a sudden, chowing down like it was some kind of ambrosia. ...They’re gonna get fat. Oh geez. 
With that, the indoor entertainment and the food were on track. Now all I had to check on was the defense system. 
As I went out into the training grounds, I noticed my three soldiers sprawled out on the ground, panting heavily. Yae was laughing softly at them, for whatever reason. 
Still, it wasn’t she who had driven them to this state, it was the grizzled old mustache-clad man, as well as the scarred beast of a man who were standing next to her. 
Baba and Yamagata, two famed commanders from the Takeda-controlled territory of Eashen. They were two of the Takeda Elite Four, renowned for their martial prowess. 
“Hey, squirt. Somethin’ up?” 
“No, just coming by to see how things are going.” As usual, old man Baba decided to call me something annoying. Aren’t I the ruler of a country now?! Damn it... 
“Hey, Touya. These three show great potential. They need a little polish, but I am quite sure they can shine brightly.” Yamagata grinned at me, his broadsword resting on his shoulders. And this guy’s just casually calling me Touya. I see how it is. 
I had specifically called upon those two to train my three knights. I briefly considered asking Neil or Yae’s older brother, but the two of them seemed busy, so I opted not to. These two, on the other hand, had nothing but free time, apparently. 
From what I had heard, Takeda’s son succeeded the clan and immediately pushed away all the close advisers that had ties to his father. He then embarked on a strange, selfish campaign where he just did whatever he wanted. Despite my advice, they had gotten into a quarrel with Oda as well for whatever reason. 
I wondered if it was his young age that made him reckless, or if he was simply an incompetent person. It was possible that the downfall of Takeda was simply something that happened in many worlds... 
“But still, a brat like you governing an entire country? Even if it’s small, that’s still somethin’ special. Well, I guess I’ve seen the magic you can come up with, so it’s not too surprisin’, but still...” 
“Yes, I’m rather amazed and a little envious. When you compare Touya to our young lord... Hmph...” Yamagata sighed a bit wistfully and muttered as he looked at the exhausted trio. Seemed like they had a lot to worry about. 
“So what’s the situation now? Is Oda being aggressive or what?” 
“Nay, in this case the problems don’t stem from Oda, but our lord himself. He gives orders on a whim without considering the implications, and when the money coffers run low he simply raises the taxes. To be frank, he is not popular with the people at all. Rather than us destroying Oda with ease, it may be them that swoop in and wipe us out. With how things are going, we’re considerably weakened. We Elite Four have tried to advise him, but he bullheadedly ignores all we have to offer.” Sounded to me like things had gone from bad to terrible. Even if the founder of a nation was a tactical genius or a benevolent man, it wouldn’t be the first time a country has been driven to ruin by the foolish attitude of the next generation. Schingen probably wouldn’t be able to rest in peace, after all. 
“If you’d like, you’re welcome to defect to my country. We’re just starting out, so we could really use the extra hands.” 
“Hmph... I’ll admit, squirt... that’s quite the enticin’ offer ya got there. But we still got plenty obligations to Lord Takeda, so...” 
“Come, Baba-dono, aren’t you being a little stiff? We’ve been invited here out of the kindness of the boy’s heart. I’d be quite happy to join this place, but the lack of an ongoing war is a little saddening.” 
That was a dangerous thing you just said! Battle nuts like him were a real problem, though he’d probably get along with Mismede’s Beastking. 
“Whatever our feelings are on the matter right now, we cannot give you an answer. We’d need to return home and discuss the issue with the other two. Even if Takeda is brought to ruin, I feel we should look upon it with our own eyes.” 
“I understand, so don’t worry. I won’t press the issue for the time being.” 
“That’s most appreciated.” Yamagata lowered his sword and shifted his attention to the three who were still on the ground. 
“Alright, you little mites! Same as last time, I’ll charge the three of you at once!” 
“Yes sir!” The three of them drew their weapons with renewed vigor as they let out that cry. Their fighting spirit was pretty impressive, but I wondered if it was enough to defend against his onslaught. Regardless of the outcome, it was something they had to do alone. 
I turned back to the castle after checking out the training grounds, and the big double doors opened for me as I approached. Then, as I stepped into the entrance hall, they closed again. They weren’t automatic doors or anything. The person who had opened them was right in front of me. Or rather, hanging up in front of me. 
It was a picture hanging up in the middle of the landing on the stairs just in front of me. 
The caaastle is raaaather lively today, Master.? A girl in a white dress protruded her upper body out of the picture frame and made a casual comment. It was the picture frame artifact I had recovered during the ghost fiasco. When she realized that I was the man who controlled Babylon, she copied Cesca and started to call me master. 
I sold the picture of the dead feudal lord’s wife a while ago, and placed a different picture in the frame using the proceeds. It was a nice picture, so I decided to decorate my castle with it. 
As a result, she was reborn as a girl in her late teens, clad in a beautiful white dress and a pink ribbon in her hair. She called herself Ripple. Apparently the castle she inhabited beforehand was called Ripple Castle, so that was probably why. 
“Everyone’s busy preparing to host the other countries’ leaders. You gonna help too, Ripple?” 
Yes! I’ll keep on the lookouuut for anything suspicious. My eyes are everywhere in this place, after all. Ahaaa, young Renne just smashed a plaate!? I didn’t understand it too well myself, but Ripple managed to reproduce her frame using the workshop, and was now capable of moving around through the frames as she pleased. Apparently they couldn’t copy her soul, so there was still only one Ripple. She was basically a security camera network at this point. 
I put pictures of landscapes and scenery in the new frames and placed them all over the castle. I took care not to put any in the private quarters, however. I guess she could be called a ghostly surveillance camera. 
With that, I figured everything was in order. All that was left was to greet the incoming royals. 

“Ohoho! Amazing, I don’t know what it is, but it’s amazing!” The second he walked into the game room, the king of Belfast turned toward the pinball machine with a look of glee on his face. Following after him, but turning in the complete opposite direction, the beastking walked over to the bowling alley. 
“Aha, there’s some weight to this, boy! A cannonball, perhaps? No, it has three holes...” Entering after those two, the two emperors looked around the room with cautious eyes. 
“Is all of this for playing around? It isn’t especially gaudy here.” The emperor of Regulus murmured a bit, and from behind him came all the family members that the monarchs had brought with them. 
Initially I had told them to only bring close family, but apparently their governmental members were concerned so they brought a small retainer of guardsmen as well. 
From Belfast there was His Majesty the King, Queen Yuel, Duke Ortlinde, Duchess Ellen, and Sue. 
From Regulus there was His Highness the Emperor, Crown Prince Lux, and Princess Sarah. 
From Refreese, His Imperial Presence the Emperor, Empress Zelda, Princess Reliel, and Crown Prince Redis. 
From Mismede, there was His Beastliness the Beastking, Queen Thillie, First Prince Remza, Second Prince Alba, and First Princess Thea. 
There were seventeen people in total. They also each had a small entourage of armed guards. 
From Belfast there was Neil and Lyon. From Regulus there was Commander Gaspar. From Mismede, there was Garm. And the guards from Refreese I knew nothing about at all. Around five people came from each country, so the count was closer to twenty guests in the end. Their weapons were confiscated in case of any shenanigans, and I had applied a [Paralyze] effect that would take hold if anything funny went down. 
The guardsmen, upon seeing the room and its wonders for the first time, seemed quite taken aback. Our three soldiers were situated in the game room just in case anything happened. They looked extremely nervous, though... Still, that was only natural. The defense of the castle itself was being left to a Cerberus, a Griffin, and two Pegasi, so the exterior would be mostly fine. 
“Welcome, dear guests, to our game room. The various devices and creations here are assembled for you all to use at your own leisure. If you wish to know how they function, simply ask a member of our household and we will be happy to assist.” Elze, Linze, Yae, Yumina, Lu, and the maids were all lined up for our guests. Lapis, Cecile, Renne, Cesca, and the girls from Moon Reader were here to assist as well. Rosetta had even taken a rare change of pace and gotten into a maid outfit rather than her regular overalls. And of course, supervising all of them was my esteemed and magnificent butler, Laim. 
“Hot food, desserts, drinks and so forth are just over there. Feel free to eat at your own discretion.” I had prepared various tables and chairs, as well as the luxurious massage chairs, in the corner of the game room. On the tables were various samples of fine food. 
Each of the rulers wandered off toward the games, their eyes full of curiosity and wonder. On the other hand, their wives and children seemed more interested in the various pieces of confectionery tucked away in the corner of the room. 
“Haaah!” Without further ado, the beastking beelined straight for the bowling ball and gave it a firm toss. Despite his furious yelling, it was a gutterball. Prince Remza and Prince Alba did the same thing, too. Remza looked to be about nine, while Alba seemed to be about five. They both were snow leopard beastmen, like their father. 
At the air hockey table, Duke Ortlinde and His Majesty the King were engaged in a high-stakes confrontation between brothers. 
At the mahjong table, a showdown was ongoing between His Imperial Presence the Emperor and his son, Crown Prince Redis. 
Crown Prince Redis was twelve years old, if I recalled correctly. He seemed extremely mature, but being the younger brother of that girl must’ve been extremely unpleasant. Just as I had thought during the coup incident, Prince Lux didn’t have much of a presence to him. I couldn’t believe this guy was going to get married and succeed his father. It was pretty surprising, really. 
Lapis answered any and all questions about mahjong with relative ease. People picked up on it pretty easily because I had put up a visual aid for scoring combos next to the board. 
It looked like the guards were enjoying themselves watching the games unfold, too. 
At the dining table, the food was proving especially popular with the women. I was pretty pleased to see them all getting along. 
Sue, Reliel, Thea, and Renne were at the cards table, playing what appeared to be Old Maid. Princess Thea seemed to be about the same age as Sue, ten or so. 
“This is something amazing, isn’t it...” Neil stood nearby, muttering something. The one to respond to him was Gaspar. 
“Quite so. Never thought I’d see the day that all the rulers of the western continent would band together like this. It’s rather relieving to see them let loose and have some fun.” Both of them smiled as they played pool and looked over their respective charges. 
The rulers didn’t seem to mind who won or lost the games, so they were just going at all the ones they could fit in at a time. 
“Touya, what’s this one?” The beastking turned to me and pointed at a small stand with six holes in it. He picked up the soft foam hammer attached to the side, then peeked into one of the holes. 
Seeing him reminded me that my ability to use [Gate] was revealed to Mismede not too long ago. They doubted it at first, apparently, but Leen vouching for me was enough for them to believe it in the end. It didn’t matter too much at this point, since the Regulus Empire was also aware of what I could do. 
The beastking didn’t really seem to care anyway. I decided to teach him how whack-a-mole worked. 
“So, in this game you have to score points by smacking the little moles that pop out of the holes. It’d be best if you didn’t strike using full force, since even a little impact should register.” Yep, the game was whack-a-mole. The moment the game started, the beastking immediately struck the moles with astonishing precision. Just as one would expect of a species predisposed to war... his senses were sharp. But you’re naive, Beastking! 
“I-It can’t be!” Halfway through the game, the moles picked up the pace and jumped up and down several times in quick succession. In the end, His Beastliness ended the game with ninety-two points. 
“Ghaugh! One more time, I’ll defeat you!” Despite the fact that I told him not to smack them too hard, he went at it full-force. I had expected something like this, however, so I made sure to build an extremely sturdy frame for this particular game. 
I looked back toward the dining table and found that the women were all giggling, chatting, and picking at various desserts. That was good. Cecile and Laim had the situation under control over there, so I turned my attention back to the games. 
“Excuse me, Grand Duke? How do you play with this thing, sir?” The two young princes of Mismede approached me, asking about a certain thing I had placed in the corner of the room. It was a cube-shaped trampoline enclosure with transparent sides. Through magic means, you could jump around and bounce off all six sides. 
“You go in through the entrance and can jump around inside. It should support up to two adults at a time, so you two will be just fine. Give it a go.” The two snow leopard boys bounded into the entrance and began to jump around. It didn’t take long for them to let loose entirely. After a while they began to do backflips and crazy parkour stuff. Beastmen truly were astonishingly talented... 
“Oho, that seems rather fun. Perhaps a tad intense for me...” His Highness the Emperor watched the boys playing and laughed gently. 
“I’ve placed some special chairs over here to relieve tension. It might feel a little strange at first, but I assure you it’ll have you feeling comfy and refreshed in no time.” 
“Oho?” I guided the old emperor over to the massage chairs and helped him sit down on it. After that, I let the magic flow through it. The rollers in the back of the chair and the pumps around the legs and bottom of the chair began to function, slowly beginning a full-body massage. The emperor frowned a little at first, but he was smiling gently with his eyes closed before long. 
“Ohooo... i-it’s so nice... It feels amazing... Th-Thank you...” 
“If you want it to stop, just press this button.” 
“Mm... yes...” Regardless of whether or not he heard me, I moved off away from the emperor to let him enjoy his relaxation time. 
A short bit away, His Imperial Presence the emperor of Refreese and the beastking were having a bout of mini golf. Across from them, Prince Lux was playing table tennis with Duke Ortlinde. And a bit away from those guys, His Majesty the King of Belfast was playing pool with Gaspar. Wait, is it fine for the guardsmen to be playing too?! 
“The king invited him, and the emperor permitted it. Sure must be nice to be Gaspar right now... I wish I could play too.” Lyon walked up to me and let out a small lament. He had a small point, but I imagine you probably weren’t allowed to win if you were playing against the king of another country. I guess it could count as work, too... entertaining the king with pool and all. 
“Feel free to come here when you have a day off. We can play. Oh, actually. When you get married to Olga, you could come celebrate here.” 
“Seriously?! That would be incredible! My fellow knights will be delighted!” I wondered if I should invite all the knights... I figured I should, it seemed standard fare. Everyone who knew them would be gathered here to have some fun. It’d be like the wedding dinner, really, just with more of a relaxed, party-style atmosphere. 
After playing for a time, the men diverted their attention to the food and drink on display, which meant that the women were now more than ready to give the games a go. That being said, they didn’t opt for the physically exerting activities like trampolining or bowling. Instead, they decided to play cards, mahjong, pinball, and other lighter activities. 
“Now then, if you would allow the nobility of the Duchy of Brunhild to grant you all a modest gift, please step this way.” Things were quieting down as the attendees ran out of games to play, so I called out to them. The maids then began to distribute small cards to everyone in the room. Each card had twenty-five random numbers written on them in a grid. I then directed everyone’s attention to a lottery machine, and told them to mark down on their cards the number that came out. To be blunt, we were playing bingo. 
I removed a cloth sheet from a pile in the corner of the room to unveil the prizes. 
There was a wide variety of goods on display, from weaponry to house decorations and ornaments. There were even some spellstone-imbued accessories for the ladies. Stuffed toys for the kids, too. The weapons were no mere lumps of material I had crafted, either. Each had a unique enchantment applied to it. That being said, I made sure the weapons weren’t especially overpowered or anything, just unique in their functions. 
“Alrighty, let’s start with... Eight! The first number is eight! Mark on your cards where the number eight is, if it’s there at all. After you get a set of numbers, or a bingo, in a horizontal, diagonal, or vertical line, you win a prize!” In this instance, I had actually prepared enough gifts for everyone to get one. It was more about who won first. 
After a few matches, there seemed to be some people close to winning prizes. 
“Two... two... I need a two!” 
“Come on, fourteen!” 
“Fifty-oneeee, pleaaaase.” Everyone stared in anticipation as the machine whirred and clicked. 
“Thirty-two! We got thirty-two!” 
“Bingo!” The one to shout out was Gaspar, Commander of the Regulus Empire’s knights. After I checked his card, I showed him to the prizes. 
“So, which one are you going for?” 
“You mean to say I can choose from any of these?” 
“That’s right, but you can only have one.” Gaspar chose his gift after some deliberation. He opted for the ornate red lance. 
“I call this the Blaster Lance. If you recite a certain phrase, it’ll shoot a potent blast of fire from the tip.” 
“What, really?!” 
“Yeah, I’ll teach you the phrase later on. It’d be bad if you fired it here.” I chuckled a bit at my own joke and handed the lance to Gaspar. He happily held it in hand for a bit before returning to where he was before. 
He showed it off to the emperor, who seemed quite keenly interested in how it worked. The man looked at it with a mixture of amazement and admiration, so I wasn’t quite sure what he was thinking. 
It consumed a lot of mana, so an ordinary person would be fit to collapse after firing it off just three times. That was why I had designed this weapon as a special trump card, only to be used properly. 
“Alright folks, let’s see what we’ve got next! Number... fifteen! Fifteen, folks!” The bingo game progressed without a hitch, and everyone was happy with their prizes. The ruler’s wives were especially happy with the accessories and interior decoration-related rewards they had chosen. Young Princess Thea of Mismede received a plush toy, as well. I had given it a [Program] that caused it to repeat anything that was said to it. It was just a shame that it happened to be voiced by that irritating robogirl. 
“Now, it’s quite late and night has fallen. If you’d all please follow me for the last of today’s events.” I took everyone along with me to the castle balcony. The sky was black as pitch, and the moon was nowhere to be seen. There was nothing besides the castle in the area either, so the landscape was also as dark as could be. 
Suddenly, an enormous blast occurred in the sky, sending out a colored flower spreading far across the sky. The guardsmen put themselves into defensive positions, but I raised my hand to put them at ease. 
“Ah, these are fireworks. You simply sit back and appreciate them, you do. They are often launched during the summer in Eashen, they are.” Yae had confirmed to me that fireworks existed in Eashen, but it seemed like they didn’t have anything especially flashy, just basic rockets. 
The fireworks bloomed out into the night sky, one after the other. To be honest, I didn’t actually fire them upward. I had Rosetta drop them from the Workshop of Babylon, which was hidden in stealth mode. I had written a [Program] to ensure that the fireworks would detonate before hitting the ground. It was much easier than creating pyrotechnic launchers. 
From the balcony, we stood and watched beautiful flowers bloom in the air. Our maids passed out champagne to all the adults who were staring up at the display. The kids were extremely excited too, looking up to the firework with wonder in their eyes. 
With that, the Duchy of Brunhild’s founding party came to a close. It was a huge success. 
In the end, after I told each of the monarchs that they could take one thing from my game room back home with them, each of them chose to take a massage chair. Leading a nation must have been tiresome work after all...