Chapter 17
MIRA AND HER WAGON finally arrived at Lunatic Lake, capital of the Kingdom of Alcait. Garuda gently lowered the wagon in front of the imposing castle gate.
Mira alighted from the wagon and thanked Garuda before dismissing it. “You did well today. As you always do.” She suddenly froze as she gazed at the castle for the first time in a long time. “What exactly is going on here…?”
Soldiers lined the path from the gate to the castle proper. It was a magnificent welcoming party, complete with an orchestra.
Mira had once been “treated” to a grand welcome on her return to the castle, owing to one of Solomon’s pranks. But would he seriously try the same trick twice? Perhaps he was expecting a state guest. She’d landed right in front of the gate as usual; could she have blundered into some diplomatic proceedings?
But before she could move, Garrett—dressed in an immaculate ceremonial uniform—greeted her with a bow. “Welcome back, Miss Mira. We’ve been waiting for you. Come with me, please.”
To her chagrin, she was forced to acknowledge that this ceremony was for her.
What is that man thinking…? Looking back, this would explain why he’d called her over and over and insistently tried to find out exactly when she was going to land.
While the orchestra played, Mira grinned humorlessly to herself and followed Garrett through the gate and into the castle. He guided her to the audience chamber where, naturally, Solomon sat on the throne, flanked by Knight Commander Reynard and strategist Joachim.
It was almost a perfect reenactment of the first time, but there was one major difference: there were formally attired nobles lined up at the side of the audience chamber, which was even more grandiose.
As she was brought to the center of the audience chamber, Mira looked around in flustered confusion. She shot a glare at Solomon, who’d no doubt contrived all of this. Noticing her stink-eye, Reynard glared back and pointed at the top of her head, as if calling attention to something.
What is that supposed to mean? Mira wondered for a moment, but she quickly caught on to his intent. Please. This is stupid.
Mira grabbed Tweetsuke and surreptitiously dropped the little bird into her pocket. Reynard nodded in apparent satisfaction.
After that subtle exchange, Suleiman spoke up from beside Solomon. “Miss Mira, first pupil of Wise Man Danblf. Your efforts as a long-term special envoy are appreciated. Please present the written agreement.”
A knight approached Mira and bowed.
The written agreement. Mira fell silent for a moment in dumbfounded confusion, before realizing he meant the envelope from Ebatess. She handed it over to the knight, who stepped back, bowed once more, and approached Solomon. The knight passed the envelope to Reynard.
Of all the overwrought, irritating, pointless…
Mira gazed vacantly as the envelope finally made its way to Solomon. The process certainly reflected the dignity of a king; perhaps these complicated doings were necessary for people in his position. That didn’t make it any less annoying for Mira, though.
After checking the sealed envelope, Solomon stood up with a dignified demeanor and declared, as if speaking to everyone present, “Duly received. With this, a strong and lasting bond has been formed between our land and the Roslein Duchy. Commerce between us is certain to flourish.” He added in a tone of affected dignity, “Mira, you have served Alcait well.”
Mira read between the lines. She smiled serenely, knelt down, and placed her right hand on her chest. “I live for Alcait.”
This was one of many poses meant to display loyalty. It was such a perfect, natural motion that even Reynard, who’d complained about her lack of manners before, was satisfied.
At her gesture, everyone but Reynard and Joachim knelt in front of Solomon and repeated Mira’s words, “For Alcait!”
Mira had survived the sudden and overdone ceremony. It helped that what she said was something she and her friends had often repeated in-game. No matter when or where, when Solomon said, “You have done much for us,” they would say that and kneel. But this time, it wasn’t a game; or rather, their manners in-game had become formal etiquette. In a way, it was a masterful display on Mira’s part.
There was also another version for when Mira initiated it…
***
“You must be tired from your journey. Come back after you’ve had a chance to relax.”
After being released from the audience chamber, Mira headed for the great bath. She knew this castle well enough that she didn’t need guidance, but a maid was sent with her as a formality.
Hrmm… It is every man’s dream to be cared for by a maid, but there’s something about the maids here that’s a little predatory…
Lily, head maid of Alcait Castle, had left a deep impression on Mira. However, the maid who’d joined her this time was named Tabitha. She was a calm and prim-looking woman with medium-length black hair. When she looked at Mira, her eyes were much gentler than Lily’s, showing just a hint of maternal instinct.
Still, Mira watched Tabitha’s movements like a hawk. She remembered that this maid was always by Lily’s side when she ended up surrounded and abused by the castle staff. They all subjected Mira to their whims, though none of them were quite as bad as Lily. However, Mira felt something inside Tabitha. There was something about her that rivaled even Lily.
Mira warily proceeded with her down the long corridor until they stepped into the changing room, where she found Lily waiting.
It seemed she would have to resign herself to her fate.
“Come, Miss Mira. We will get you cleaned up.”
“Miss Mira, allow me to do your hair for you.”
Stripped of her clothes in no time, Mira was hauled off to the bath by the two maids, who lathered her entire body. She knew that resistance was futile before Lily, who seemed to turn up at the most inconvenient times. She’d been so focused on Tabitha’s aura that she’d been caught unaware.
The most terrifying thing about Lily was that Mira could never escape her, even if she was watching for her to turn up. She quickly surrendered; the easiest way out was through.
Thus, Mira became the perfect porcelain dress-up doll. Lily cared for her attentively with desire-filled eyes. Enraptured, she whispered just quiet enough so that nobody could hear, “Oh, you’re so adorable… I could eat you right up.”
It might be difficult to believe, given how problematic Lily was on the inside, but she was the very picture of propriety on the surface. Even as she succumbed to her deepest desires, her work was without fault. She was neither too forceful nor too gentle, washing Mira’s body in the most comfortable way.
As Lily savored this moment of bliss—ahem, the joy of fulfilling her duties—her hand reached toward Mira’s most sensitive parts.
“Lily!” Tabitha, who’d been carefully washing Mira’s rear, suddenly hissed sharply and grabbed Lily’s hand. The head maid glared at Tabitha for ruining her chance. “Miss Mira will catch on if you get too bold!”
If looks could kill, Lily would be a murderer. However, Tabitha stood firm and pointed to her fellow maid’s hand. Lily’s fingers were wriggling ominously, like tentacles ready to assault some poor maiden.
“What have I become…? Thank you, Tabitha. You pulled me back from the brink.” Lily wrapped her other hand around the one that had defied her will—or tried to act on her base desires. Eventually, she managed to seal away the lust that had overcome her, and her eyes returned to normal.
Or at least something that could be described as normal.
“Now, Lily. Shall we?”
“Yes, Tabitha. Let’s.”
After Lily regained her cool, she and her co-conspirator enjoyed their moment of bliss together.
Having been thoroughly taken care of, Mira did her best to grin and bear it as she was subjected to the shame of having underwear forced on her in the changing room. She was then presented with an outfit she had never seen before.
“Now, Miss Mira, we would like you to wear this. Custom technomancy robes, created for this very day!” Lily proudly announced as she grabbed the maids’ newest masterpiece from the shelf.
This design was a return to the former combination of dress and coat. It was an item that one might wear during the summer, with a simple yet stylish silhouette sprinkled with cute and coquettish magical girl-like elements.
“Y-you’ve really outdone yourselves…” Mira was shaken by the introduction of yet another new outfit. While she instinctively understood that it would suit her, she still had some reservations.
Heedless of Mira’s feelings, Lily and Tabitha’s perfect cooperation allowed them to force it onto her without her input.
“Go on, Miss Mira. Arms up!”
“Miss Mira, move your leg for me like so, please.”
In the end, Mira became Lily and Tabitha’s personal dress-up doll once again.
***
Once they’d dressed Mira, Lily and Tabitha naturally dragged her off to the maids’ quarters. On the way there, Mira tried insisting that she had to report to Solomon on her mission, but Lily would have none of it. According to her, Solomon himself had told the maids to personally take care of Mira and help her relax after her long journey.
A direct order from King Solomon. Armed with this ironclad justification, Lily and Tabitha triumphantly dragged their prey into the beasts’ den.
Obviously, an exhausted person needed sweets. With that excuse, the maids had Mira sit in the dining hall.
“Aww, she’s cuter than I’d imagined!”
“We’ve finally created the perfect angel.”
“The little birdie on her head makes her even cuter!”
The dining room was crowded with maids who’d come to see the new and improved Mira. Each of them squealed and offered their own opinions. When did they find time to do their actual jobs?
Among them were a pair of photographers, one armed with something like a reflector board, and the other madly snapping photos. Perhaps due to some secret agreement, even the maids who had crowded in first gladly cooperated with the photographers and allowed them to cut the line.
The camera they used was one of Luminaria’s. It seemed that, after much pleading, she had kindly let the maids borrow it. Mira now found herself surrounded by onlookers as she ate tiramisu. With every bite, they clamored, earning annoyed looks from the helpless summoner.
If not for this, they’d be such good girls…
The maids were a noisy handful, but there was kindness in their hearts. Mira could chastise them if they were only acting on their selfish desires, but most of it was genuine goodwill. She didn’t have it in her to be mean to them. Sure their goodwill had gone too far, but Mira was a little soft in that regard.
The real problem was Lily and Tabitha, the ringleaders.
The other maids spoke to Mira, but they didn’t step within arm’s reach. They simply watched and enjoyed. Lily and Tabitha, however, couldn’t stop touching Mira. They would find any “helpful” reason they could to put their hands on her.
Mira would later learn that the maids had set limits between them. They’d realized that always crowding around Mira would be a nuisance to her, so they decided to hold a competition. Lily had won, and Tabitha was the runner-up. That was how the two had ended up next to her today.
When she heard, Mira had murmured in genuine amazement, “You’re all too silly…”
***
After she was released by the maids, the summoner fell face-first into the large couch in Solomon’s office. He was behind his desk, burning through piles of paperwork as usual.
“I was away for a while this time, but I see the maids are still in top form…” Mira looked up and grinned wryly at the coat she’d just taken off.
The magical girl-style dress and coat were wonderfully made, so much so that they would impress even the finest crafters. And the maids’ passion for their craft was immense. It was probably a lot of fun for everyone but Mira. She recalled her trauma and shot a glance at Solomon as he cleaned the papers off of his desk.
“They’re fantastic. I’m lucky to have them.” Solomon smiled, playing dumb. While his smile was half-serious, the other half was clearly making fun of his friend.
But it was true that Mira had cast off her fatigue thanks to the maids. The sweets they’d provided were all delicious and satisfying. If not for her use as a dress-up doll, it would have been the perfect pampering session.
“I do wish they would be a bit more…normal.” Mira sighed wistfully.
“That is normal, though. For them, anyway,” Solomon replied, drawing only a deeper sigh from her.
“Fine. But I want you to explain that welcome party. And the audience. Was that really necessary for a simple handoff of a document?” There was no changing the past. Mira leaned wearily against the sofa in her adorable dress and wound herself up for a proper venting.
“Well, that’s for the future.” Solomon held up the document Mira had delivered and asked, “Do you know what this document means?” She didn’t. Solomon added, “It’s a pretty complex one.” He grinned fiercely and excitedly explained everything about the papers she’d brought him.
This document formalized diplomatic relations between Alcait and Roslein, allowing them to begin a large-scale trade agreement.
Roslein, often called a country of merchants, attracted goods not just from the Earth continent but also the Ark continent far to the west. The cargo vessels unloaded in Sentopoli would see most of their contents go to Roslein and then the western continent. It was the center of trade between both landmasses. The amount of goods and cash that flowed in and out made trade with Roslein desirable, to the point that people and nations competed over it.
Roslein had an official alliance with the Three Great Kingdoms. With countries stronger even than the greatest player-controlled faction, Atlantis, behind it, trying to militarily bully Roslein was tantamount to suicide. That meant that peaceful exchange was the only option. However, Roslein itself was eminently aware of this, and could therefore afford to be picky with their trade partners. Only one nation had managed to establish such relations with it in the past thirty years.
“I had no idea. It sounds like you’ve accomplished something big.” Mira was ignorant when it came to politics, but along with her surprise at the power of Roslein, she finally realized the value of the document in Solomon’s hands. She gazed at it in surprise.
“Ooh looks like you get it now. That’s right!” Solomon spoke more about the greatness of this feat, even prouder now that Mira understood its significance.
The continent was vast. There were many centers of commerce; so why was Roslein so revered? That would be because of its long history and the trade routes built through it over the years. Many hands were involved in bringing goods from Roslein through these routes and to the rest of the continent.
Special routes that safely connected many places…that was the greatest weapon of Roslein—one even the largest mercantile unions didn’t dare interfere with. And the duke himself had full authority over these vital arteries: Urashis Teles Ebatess, the man Mira had just met.
“The document you’ve delivered, on top of other diplomatic agreements, allows us to use their trade routes freely.” That would be an incredible benefit to Alcait. With a big grin on his face, Solomon showed off the sealed envelope.
“Oho. Well, that is something.”
They had a deal that allowed them to use something very exclusive. Such was Mira’s simplistic understanding of the situation.
“Er, you still don’t understand, do you? If you’re with Alcait, you get to use trade routes for free. Normally, they cost a ton in taxes.” Despite his innocent excitement so far, Solomon added with a deep grin, “And that’s what we just made public.”
But there was also a more secret pact that the two nations had exchanged.
If the Kingdom of Alcait desired any items, Roslein would give them the lowest prices. This was Alcait’s reward for successfully bringing down Melville Commerce and robbing their CEO of the title of duke.
“I can’t help but feel like we’ve stolen credit from the Isuzu Alliance in that regard,” Mira chuckled. Scorpion and Snake had fought hard to destroy Melville. Mira wanted to praise them for their efforts rather than take all the credit.
Solomon just replied with a smirk, “International legal affairs and the church officials worked really fast, right? Didja notice that?”
“After we did all the hard work,” Mira replied, still siding with Scorpion and Snake. She decided to drop the subject there.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login