Prologue | The Assassin Brings Home a Guest
We had defeated the demon Liogel and parted ways with Naoise, who had been tainted by darkness. Although things seemed bleak, I trusted that I would reconcile with Naoise, and I was determined to save him from the path he’d started down.
Afterward, I drew up files outlining the gist of our victory over Liogel while excluding Naoise’s involvement and entrusted them to Nevan’s subordinates. The retainers were extremely skilled, and I knew they would be able to handle it. I expected they would supplement the report where necessary before submitting it to the kingdom.
“Wow, the wind feels so good!” Dia exclaimed, her eyes shining as she held down her fluttering hair.
We were gliding through the sky using a hang glider I’d produced with earth magic, and I was using wind magic for course correction and acceleration. Our destination was the Tuatha Dé domain.
This glider could support two people. I was piloting it, and Dia was my firmly secured passenger. We were greatly enjoying our trip through the air.
Hang gliders were an effective method of travel that didn’t consume much mana. Previously, I’d considered conjuring a vehicle like a car or a motorcycle. Given my knowledge and magic capabilities, it should have been doable.
The issue was the lack of paved roads on which to comfortably drive, which meant I wouldn’t be able to get the best use out of them. Thus, I settled on a hang glider.
It wasn’t just convenient; soaring also felt fantastic.
“Oh, I’m so jealous. I wish I had gotten to ride with Sir Lugh, too.”
“Lady Nevan, please don’t remind me. You’re making me sad.”
I heard Nevan’s and Tarte’s voices through the communication device I had attached to my ear.
I had produced two hang gliders. Tarte was piloting the other one, and Nevan was her passenger. A hang glider for four people would have been huge and less aerodynamic, so I’d elected to make a pair of two-person ones.
I could have created a giant wind cowling to carry four people like I did the other day, but that method of travel consumed too much mana and wasn’t fit for long-distance flights.
Tarte and I were the wind magic users of the group, so I controlled one and she the other. I took Dia as my passenger, and she had Nevan.
“I’m impressed you mastered flying so quickly, Tarte,” I observed.
“It’s surprisingly easy!” she replied.
“I would love to try flying it, too,” added Nevan.
“Really? You can try once we get back to Tuatha Dé. You can’t fly without wind magic, but you could still enjoy gliding.”
“That sounds wonderful!”
“Hey, don’t forget me. I want to fly one, too! There also must be a way to gain speed without wind. All you need is propulsion,” said Dia.
“Dia, I really hope you’re not thinking of using an explosive spell,” I remarked.
Dia’s two elemental affinities were earth and fire, so the easiest way for her to achieve propulsion would be via some kind of rupture. The force would be sufficient to fly, but the hang glider itself would not survive.
“Ah-ha-ha-ha, of course not. I have a better idea!”
“Make sure to tell me about it beforehand. You’re scaring me a bit.”
“Roger that, Lugh. My idea does involve science and physics, so I’d be uneasy about it without consulting you anyway.”
Dia was a genius. Knowing her, she’d be able to use magic to create something resembling a jet engine.
“That’s not good. The weather’s getting rough,” I observed.
My hang glider began to sway. The wind was growing more turbulent, and its direction was becoming erratic.
“Doing okay, Tarte?” I asked.
“Yes. It’s a little scary, but I can manage. I will call for help if anything happens,” she answered.
“Please do.”
A straight flight was one thing, but I was worried at the thought of her having to fly through inclement weather.
“These communication devices are so useful, Sir Lugh. Did you make these with magic, too?” inquired Nevan.
We were able to speak over the distance between our hang gliders thanks to some radio earpieces I’d built. There was no way we would have been able to hear each other while soaring through the sky without them.
“While they use magic, they’re a product of science.”
All you needed to develop a radio communication device was a junior-high-level knowledge of physics. If you could also use earth magic to produce materials and manufacture them with a high degree of precision like me, they would be simple to make.
The radios were not without a few limitations, however. Because of their portable size, their range of communication was only about one hundred meters. I would have to make improvements later.
Despite the current issues, the tools would already be hugely advantageous in this world, which still relied on primitive methods of communication.
Quickly delivering information was difficult here. Consider the military, for example. It used messengers to run and convey things during operations. The accuracy of the reports was often low because of the game of telephone performed by the various recipients. What’s more, there was a delay before any news arrived, and the situation could change entirely in the meantime. There was no guarantee the messenger would so much as arrive safely, and an enemy might steal the information.
Radio communication was massively advantageous by comparison. Orders and updates could be handed out safely and in real time. The difference in speed and accuracy would allow any army to overcome a massive strength disadvantage.
Radio communication promised to single-handedly change war forever.
“Science is truly astounding. I am regretting my promise more and more. This alone would allow humanity to take another step forward.”
As I’d expected, Nevan took a great interest in wireless transmitting.
Nevan had made a promise not to misappropriate the knowledge and technology she gained from traveling with me. She understood the value radio communication would have in military matters as well as mercantile ones. She knew it could upset the present balance of the world, and that must have been vexing for her.
“I can’t have this revealed to the public… I’m sharing it with you because I trust you. I would rather you not forget that,” I warned.
“Have no fear. I still want to spend my life with you, Sir Lugh. I would never do anything to upset you,” Nevan assured me.
Hearing her say things like that was both embarrassing and terrifying. I did trust her to an extent, though. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have revealed radio communication to her in a nonemergency scenario.
“Tarte, watch out. Heavy wind incoming!”
“Okay. Whoa, that is strong.”
An enormous gust buffeted us from the side. The wings of my hang glider creaked and then lost their balance, causing us to fall into a tailspin. I knew the wings weren’t going to break because I had constructed them to bend and dissipate force in a situation like this.
However, that was what sent us into the plunge.
“AAAAAH!” screamed Dia.
Undoubtedly, this was frightening for her.
The worst thing about a tailspin was the panic that came from not knowing which way was up. Because we were at a reasonable altitude, my best option was to wait for the wind to calm down and restore balance once I got a grasp on the predicament. Anyone in their right mind would realize that.
However, distress causes one to act without thinking.
Once I got our tailspin under control, I checked above and below. I oriented the hang glider accordingly and started to glide again.
I searched for Tarte and found her ahead of us. She had made all the right moves without getting flustered.
“Impressive.”
I was surprised by how coolly she’d handled the incident despite this being her first flight.
Tarte compensated for her lack of natural intelligence with hard work. She didn’t mind forming countermeasures ahead of time for all imaginable situations, which made her highly reliable.
However, her ability to adapt was poor. She was not quick-witted when dealing with the unexpected. It was a weakness of hers.
Despite that, Tarte had dealt splendidly with a sudden difficulty. All of her hard work had likely built a strong foundation within her. She had persevered in her training to gain a great many skills, and it had increased her underlying strength.
She had truly grown. I decided I would rely on her more from now on.
Tarte and I used wind magic to quickly lift ourselves from our lowered altitude.
“You handled that well.”
“It was all thanks to your training, my lord!”
That made me happy to hear.
“At this pace, we’ll reach Tuatha Dé in no time. Hang in there.”
“Yes, my lord.”
I figured she’d had enough practice by now. I used wind magic to accelerate past her, then signaled for her to follow. We were moving significantly faster than before.
This was a practical assessment for Tarte. Given her current skill, I was sure she could handle this speed just fine, though.
We landed the two hang gliders in the courtyard at the estate.
“Flying through the sky really does feel incredible! I could get addicted to that,” said Dia.
“I’m a little tired, but it was fun,” Tarte agreed.
“Hang gliders are such an incredible invention. They’re so fast, and they can soar above enemies… I can think of so many applications for them. And that’s not to mention radio. Oh, how I wish I could use all these treasures right in front of my eyes.”
I pretended not to notice Nevan’s grumbling as I stretched to loosen up my stiff body, then stepped into the estate. I heard footsteps race toward us.
“Welcome home, my adorable little Lugh! I’ve been waiting for you to get back. We can’t throw the party without you.”
“Hello, Mom.”
Despite being around forty, she looked so young that she could have passed for being in her teens.
Mom hugged me, and her eyes went wide when she saw the girls behind me.
“Oh my, you’ve brought home another wife, Lugh.”
“Dia and Tarte are not my wives, and I don’t have that kind of relationship with Nevan,” I retorted.
“Really?” Mom asked, tilting her head.
Nevan approached her.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Nevan Romalung. I plan to marry Lugh and bring him into my household someday. I look forward to getting to know you, Mother.”
Nevan gave an elegant bow in the noble style. It was so graceful that it made me sick.
Dia and Tarte stiffened at her bold declaration.
Mom looked unusually serious.
“Do you mean the Romalungs?” she asked.
“Yes, the Romalungs,” Nevan replied.
My mother avoided going to aristocratic gatherings, but she was a baron’s wife. House Tuatha Dé and House Romalung had an inseparable relationship. As such, she recognized the name, as well as the family’s true nature and its secret role in the kingdom.
“This is a surprise. You have it rough, Lugh. Being this popular can’t be easy. But I can’t approve of you marrying into her family. You can’t leave me. I’ll cry if you move away.”
“I have no plans to wed Nevan, let alone move into the Romalung estate,” I offered, but somehow, it seemed like neither one of them heard me.
“If you cannot stand to be apart from him, you are welcome to move in, too, Lady Esri. I promise you will know our best hospitality.”
“Hmm-hmm, that is not an option. I am a Tuatha Dé woman.”
My mother and Nevan both laughed. Something told me I needed to do something to defuse the tension.
“Anyway, I invited Nevan here as a guest. What was that about a party, Mom?” I asked.
I decided the best thing to do would be to change the subject. That wasn’t a permanent solution, but it would give me time to think of something.
“Ah, I’ve been so excited to tell you. You’re going to be an older brother, Lugh!”
“…Are you saying you’re pregnant?”
“Yes! I have a feeling it’s a little sister. My instincts are usually right. I would like you to give me a name for her, Lugh.”
“O-okay, I’ll think about it.”
“Hmm-hmm, you don’t need to worry about it that much. Whatever you choose will be fine.”
I was taken aback by this sudden development. I wasn’t sure if I should be happy or concerned.
“Tarte, Dia, if you two have children, I’ll raise them together with my daughter. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Lugh’s little sister and his children grew up like siblings?” my mother said.
“That sounds nice. I’m nervous about raising my firstborn anyway,” answered Dia.
“U-um, I had a lot of siblings, so I can help!” offered Tarte.
My mom had been joking, but Dia and Tarte were totally on board with the notion. I watched in disbelief as the idea gradually took shape.
Also, it was apparent that my mother refused to call Nevan by her name. She must have really hated the idea of me being married off.
Nevan was puffing up her cheeks with frustration, but I knew that was an act to garner attention.
“I’m not planning on having any children right now,” I stated.
It was customary in this world for nobles my age to have offspring. I didn’t want to do anything to decrease my fighting strength until after the hero problem was resolved, though, and I hoped to enjoy some more time dating before becoming a parent.
“That’s a shame. Anyway, come on in. I’m sure you all are tired, so I’ll make something good for digestion. Consider it an appetizer for the all-out feast I’m preparing for tomorrow’s celebration. Lugh, Tarte, I’d appreciate your assistance with that.” My mother smiled at the two of us.
I gave her a nod. “That’s fine with me. I’ll take care of the hunting. I haven’t had Alvanian rabbit in forever.”
“Me too,” Tarte added. “I’ll pitch in with the food.”
There’d been a major surprise waiting for me, but it felt nice to be home all the same. I was looking forward to a bit of rest and celebrating my new family member.
It was time to go to the forest and secure some food for the feast.
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